I want a Triceratops

Early on, I think Michael planned for Bashir and Dax to become a couple once Bashir matured a bit. The chemistry, as you noted, never felt quite right though, so we dropped that pretty early on. I don't think anyone on the staff ever discussed any kind of romance between Kira and Sisko. That just wasn't the kind of relationship we envisioned between them. And Kira and Odo's relationship definitely grew more out of the energy between them in scenes and wasn't initially planned at all.

In the end, what we leaned more into the throw-two-characters-together-and-see-if-it-clicks path toward romance. For example, we created Kasidy as a potential romantic interest for Sisko, though we would've bailed on it pretty quick if the characters didn't have chemistry. Luckily, they did! (But who wouldn't fall for Penny Johnson, really?)

The only romance we semi-planned between regulars was Dax and Worf. We thought they might be a fun couple, so we decided to write scenes for them together and see. And they were great together.

Add a profile picture and any words to your "about" section (or old users will think you're a bot and block you)

Reblog stuff liberally. (Liking means less here, there is no algorithm. Also an empty blog makes you look like a bot too)

It's NORMAL to spam like/reblog or like/comment/reblog on post that are decades old here. Seriously. No one cares. Artists would actually be thrilled

Have you guys seen that clip

“If I have one message to give to the secular American people, it’s that the world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don’t know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.”

(this came out of a conversation in the comments on a previous post about an author threatening to stop updating a fic because of lack of engagement)

So there’s this idea that fic writers should write for themselves and not care too much about stats or engagement,

and i totally get the sentiment behind that. if writing becomes entirely about stats and external validation, something important does get lost - creative freedom and joy, conviction in your own writing

but i also think:

“i write for myself, but i post for others.”

because posting fic is not only self-expression. it’s social. ao3 is called an archive, but emotionally it often functions as a community space.

people post for connection, for participation, for others to bear witness to their pain and trauma and grief,

and i don’t think most people are asking to be admired so much as acknowledged. there’s something deeply human about wanting another person to encounter something that mattered to you and go:

“ok, yeah, I see what you were trying to say. I see you.”

especially because fanfic is often people processing very real feelings through fictional characters at a safe distance, one step removed,

and then uploading that deeply personal thing into a shared archive and hoping somebody else might connect with it.

And i think that’s why it hurts so much when you summon up the courage and post a fic into the void and you get nothing back,

and then it’s like,