My family got me a Kindle Fire year before last for Mother's day.  I love it more than anyone should love something that runs on electricity.

Schmiezi wrote:

I am reading fanfic on my smartphone. That way I can have a short break to read almost everywhere. Even ahem in class.

 
I'll never tell.

Sometimes I read on my phone at work.  We all have ways of getting our fix. 

@ Vhanja: I just finished the paradox series. I loved it, and it can have a place high up on my fav list :-)  A very nice recommendation :-) (although I found Sherlock's way of thinking kind of normal which scared me a bit^^ I could so very well identify with Sherlock in that story, and for the most chapters, John was the paradoxon to me)

edit: scratch "place high up" and make that "tied in first place" :D

Last edited by Whisky (June 18, 2015 7:22 pm)

Sorry, Vhanja, I thought I had already answered - yes, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!! :-) The first person is a bit difficult to get into, I found that as well, but once in, it's kind of intriguing!
 

Last edited by Whisky (June 18, 2015 8:56 pm)

tonnaree wrote:

I'm currently rereading Performance in a Leading Role and it is hands down one of the most original Sherlock fics I've ever read.  MadLori creates a whole new setting and yet each character is still "In character."  Even if Sherlock and John are actors, Irene a manager and Sally a PA, they still feel like Sherlock, John, Irene and Sally.  I avoided it for a long time beacuse I've never been fond of AU's before but PILR is amazing.

Do you still think so after finishing the story? Because I finished it yesterday and I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Not with the quality of the story - it's great. But I think I would have enjoyed it even more if the characters' names were not taken from the show (of course, if it wasn't a Sherlock story, I would never have read it in the first place. Maybe a good compromise would have been to leave John and Sherlock and rename all the others). I don't really see BBC Sherlock

crying on Sally Donovan's shoulder

.

I also think that especially John is much nicer in Mad Lori's story than in the BBC show. For me third season John (the story was published before it aired) and the one in PILR

talking to Sherlock after the preview screening are not the same person at all

. Actually, the show might be better (or at least the supposedly great friendship more believable) if the characters had developped a bit in Mad Lori's direction...

What I loved about Performance in a Leading Role is that it gave me a glimpse into Hollywood that seemed plausible. I'm not writing realistic because I have no idea what the film business is really like - but nothing I've read in the story contradicts what I believe to know. And that's what I like about fiction in general - a glimpse into a world I don't know.

Vhanja wrote:

I don't know what I am doing
I'm sorry
I don't know where this is going
Not sure why I did this
This isn't really any good

If I see a fic with tags like those, or similar, I just scroll past it. I find it annoying. If you don't know where your story is going - don't post it until you do. If you don't think the chapter/fic is any good, don't post it until you do. Don't apologize for your own fic in the tags, and don't tell the world you have no idea what you are doing or why. Nothing puts me off a story as quickly as this.

I've read a few fics with tags like this (cannot remember the names right now), and the stories were good, so I agree, it doesn't really make sense. But I can understand if authors have little confidence... I would be scared to put any stories up at all! But it's no information that helps the reader, so it's not really useful to tag like that.
Mostly I don't care about these tags. I often sort A03 by tags I'd like to read, and then I ignore most of the other tags. I just quickly scan for serious tags that I would mind. Many people seem to use nondescriptive tags like the above. Don't know why.
 

Guess I'm an old sour-puss, because I don't find it endearing at all. It sounds more like fishing for compliments to me, something I can't stand. 

One thing I'm trying to do is find more variety, as I feel I got too intense on the shipping side of things. I think I need to understand the importance of gen and good, solid friendship as well. 

As I'm something of a hopeless romantic, I do like various pairings, as long as it's safe, sane and consensual on both sides. I'm hopeless for teenlock and various AUs, but I do admit I always find myself put off when the relationship is sexualised from the very beginning, as I think it's important that it's built on something that matters - trust, friendship, mutually-gained respect. I prefer an emotional and intellectual connection as to base it purely on sex just doesn't feel very healthy. I just would much rather  see John looking into Sherlock's face, rather than eyeing up his backside, because I want to feel the romance, the protectiveness and the love. 

As I'm very much less is more as well, with only a few exceptions, I prefer little details and less explicit sex-scenes. The one that did it for me was one I read four years ago and which the author only finished last year; tender, loving, trusting and on the spot. 

Also (just one more and I promise I'll stop) I can't read fic where John is cheating on Mary. I'm sorry, I just can't. I dislike what she did to Sherlock, but *shrug* Got to be divorced or passed away. Sorry, Mary. 

As for other things I like: I have a thing for genderswap. Specifically, John. I've written a lot of Watson-genderwap in my time as for me, it makes a nice change. I was doing it before Elementary began, although my perception of fem-John is different to that seen there; I was thinking more Jessica Hynes than Lucy Liu and of someone a little more rumpled, a little more grumpy. Just very British. I'm trying to write her as a stronger character (I think it's fair to say that the female representation in Elementary is brilliant) as she has been a little weaker than expected in the past. But that was when I was starting out; trying to change that now. 

Also - I have a bit of a thing for Sherlock whump, particularly bad past relationships. Does this make me a horrid person? I was worrying about that. Not too whumpy - I like Watson to come in and make it all better again. 

I really do not mind John being with Sherlock while still married to Mary, provided she is presented as a baddie. In this case I have no scruples whatsoever.  

What does wump/whump mean?