What is Code Black anyway?
A post about my WIP: What it is. What it is not. My plans for the future.
First of all, I appreciate anyone who has spent any amount of time with this story over the past year and a half. 🩵 I can't overstate how much it's meant to me during an especially difficult season of life.
But I've gotten a few comments/DMs within the past week that made me want to explain the concept of this fic a little more clearly.
I've been meaning to make this post for a while actually, because there are a few things about this fic's structure that I realize are a bit unusual and I don't want anyone who chooses to start reading it to end up disappointed! Particularly anyone subscribing with the hopes that it's close to being wrapped up.
Q: Wait, what do you mean this story isn't close to being wrapped up? A: When I got into the fandom, I saw a lot of posts lamenting that people weren't writing epic-length longfics anymore (now that I've been around a minute, I don't actually think that's true, but I digress). Anyway, I thought that the experience of med school and residency would be really conducive to an epic-length fic. It's a journey that's long, arduous, ever-changing, and unnecessarily dramatic. And it's one that I felt I could write decently because I've done it myself.
Q: Does that mean you have the whole fic planned out? A: Yes. In excruciating detail.
Q: Okayyy so... how long is this thing going to be? A: Six seasons.
Q: What?? Why?! A: Well, I had a few really clear visions for what I wanted to do with this fic from the start:
1. Create something that feels a bit like watching a multi-season medical drama show. 2. Take James Potter all the way from his second year of med school to the end of his residency in [REDACTED SPECIALTY]. 3. Give every main ship equal airtime. Don't get me wrong, I love a fic with background Wolfstar, Rosekiller, Dorlene, etc... but this is not that. If there is a ship tagged on the top line, they are not a background ship. I wanted this fic to feel a bit like Grey's Anatomy meets Bridgerton.
Q: The Grey's part I understand, but what do you mean "meets Bridgerton"? A: I mean that each season of this show fic will tell one endgame ship's romance story from beginning to end, but there will also be overarching plot lines that span multiple seasons.
One of those overarching plot lines is Jegulus. This is a Jegulus fic. They are the first listed ship for a reason, and they are exempt from the Bridgerton of it all.
Q: What if I hate Jegulus? A: I still love you! You can read Season 1 of Code Black unscathed—it is entirely Wolfstar/Jily. But I would advise that you stop reading after Chapter 30.
Q: Okay so, if Season 1 was Wolfstar and Jegulus isn't limited to one season, does that mean Season 2 is Mary/Benjy's season? A: Yes! But as stated above, you can expect to see Jegulus too.
Q: Is that why Mary is a POV character this season? Will Lily be back? A: That is indeed why Mary joined the POV cast this season. This fic will only ever have six POVs at one time: five that are constant the whole way through (James, Regulus, Sirius, Remus, Dorcas) and one that rotates every season. Lily will take that spot again when it's her turn to have her endgame love story.
Q: When is that going to be? Which season is which? Who is Lily going to end up with? Is Harry going to be born? Who's going to die? A: One thing I have learned in my fanfiction journey thus far is that people don't seem to share my insatiable desire for spoilers posted on main. But there is almost no question I won't answer over DM!
Q: Soooo... what's with all the Taylor Swift chapter titles? Do I have to be a Swiftie to read this? A: Aside from James being a (fairly casual) Swiftie, there is almost no Taylor Swift in the content of the fic. I just liked the challenge of using a majority of her songs as titles/chapter themes over the years.
There are little lyric easter eggs in the text from time to time, but my hope is that if you're not a Swiftie yourself, you won't even notice they're there. Sort of like the little nods to other fics and to canon.
Q: Speaking of! Why are there OCs from other fics in this? A: This is one of those things that I don't know if I would do the same way if I could have a do-over on this entire thing. HOWEVER, the reason that this fic has meta moments and borrows other ao3 writers' original characters is that I conceived of this as a "love letter to fandom". Especially to the fics that scooped me up and made me feel less alone when I had to move across the country and suddenly had no support system IRL.
Note: I have no intention of using OCs from writers who have explicitly stated they don't like that, even though that is a position I cannot personally understand.
Q: Okay. So like. Be so for real. When do you think this fic will be done? A: Well, I'm currently between jobs, so I'm hoping to make a lot of progress on it in the coming months. But my realistic guess would be 2027.
If you don't want to follow along with the story for another year, I totally understand! I know this isn't a fic for everyone, and I would rather have someone choose not to read at all than start reading and feel mad or disappointed. Honestly, the interaction this fic has had has already exceeded my Wildest Dreams™️ and if no one picked it up or commented again, I would still feel incredibly grateful for the kindness I've received.
Q: Are you done talking to yourself now, ixie?? A: Yes, I think that about covers it! But if I missed something in this insane little self-dialogue, my ask box is always open. 🩵
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