#mojo rambles

I started reading fanfiction in this fandom after being intrigued by all the gorgeous fanart and gifs on my dash... everyone (and the scenery) was just so goddamn PRETTY.  So I looked it up on AO3 and just bullheadedly dove into all the fic without any idea who was who or what the plot was.  It took me a while to figure it out.  (After about 3 months I actually read the novel, and I only finished the web series last week!)

I usually start a new fandom by reading the high-kudos AUs, to form an idea of characterizations before getting bogged down in canon-specific plot details.  My first story here was These Things Stay the Same by notevenyou, read on October 23, 2019, omg, that’s how new I am, only 5 months in!

But I have so many stories bookmarked, and I really wanted to share them, so six weeks ago (precisely!) I made this blog.  (My ‘real’ blog is mojoflower, feel free to join me there as well, it’s a dumpster fire.)

Because of the way I started, I don’t make any distinctions between The Untamed/CQL, MDZS, the dongua, the cartoon, and I dunno, any and all other formats.  They were just all part of “fanfiction”, with differing details minor enough that it didn’t trip me up.

I always, always assume an author can see my comments (even if I couldn’t or forgot to tag them).  I am an author myself, and I know how easy it is to be hurt, so you won’t see me saying anything like, The story was great, but the grammar was execrable or Lots of intricate plot but disappointing sex.  Those things may be true, but I’m not gonna say them out loud.

I rec because story, not technical proficiency.  (That is particularly true in this fandom, which has many young people and many non-native speakers.)  If a story hits the spot, if it has all the tropes I’m dying for at that moment, Imma throw that sucker on my rec list.  If it’s written like pure poetry and I’m riveted from the first paragraph, it’ll show up here.  If it’s entirely pointless and dorky but I laugh out loud, you’ll see it recced.  If it could win the next Newberry if only the characters were original, you’ll see it here.

I will fearlessly and greedily dive into an unfinished/abandoned work if it seems to be offering the trope or storyline that I’m craving.  If it has 74k words (like this one) of THE MOST AMAZING STORY I’VE EVER READ and the author hasn’t updated in a year, that won’t stop me... because I still get to spend several hours living in that world.  This is something I’ve acquired a taste for after being involved in fandoms and fics for the past 8 years.  You miss out on so many hours of enjoyment if you’re scared away by a x/? in the chapter count.  So I implore you all to try these fics, too.  At worst, you’re left thinking about it.  And at best, your enthusiastic comment might inspire the author to churn out more.  Or hell, you might be inspired to fic your own ending to it.  It’s win/win as far as I can see.

Sometimes my comments are lengthy and detailed.  Sometimes I finish a story waaay after midnight and they’re essentially nothing more than a lol.  Sometimes my cat is sleeping on my right arm and my comment is all lowercase, lacking punctuation and pecked out with my left forefinger.  So don’t judge a story by the complexity of my comments.

I love fanfiction because everyone gets to be their own filter:  there’s no gatekeeper.  Let’s say I read a story that has one of my favorite tropes (#animal transformation is always a go-to, for example;  in this fandom in particular, I seek out #time travel fix-it), and while an English teacher might have given it a C-, I’ll still rec it because SOMEONE WROTE THAT DAMN STORY I REALLY WANTED TO READ.  It is out there in the world because someone took the time and effort and did half the work of my imagining for me, and I’m grateful for that.  And a lot of you will feel the same way.

Thank you for following me.  Somehow, there are more than 500 of you now, which I find pretty staggering and also, incredibly validating and motivating.  Thank you!  I hope you find some stories that speak to you and make you (and also the author!) happy and fulfilled.  Um.  I also hope you like my graphics!  I’m having fun learning photoshop, and playing with pictures of all these beautiful men, and I like to think y’all enjoy that, too.

[As a technical aside, could you please tell me -- from whatever device you use -- which format you prefer:  a text post like this; or a photo post like this?]

I’d also like to remind you that if you reblog a post as well as like it, you give me more exposure (which I actually don’t crave too much, I think 500 followers is plenty), and more importantly, you give the author and their story more exposure, which I strongly encourage.  (Again, as an author myself, I know how exciting it is to see your stuff circulating around.)

I’ll wrap up with apologizing for the growing number of messages languishing in my inbox.  While it is evident that the coronavirus isolation thing is giving many people significantly more creative time, I’m not one of them.  I used to be home alone all day, but now I’m home all day with a husband and two ADD sons and they keep me busy enough that it’s been a struggle to get 3 posts a day and stay a little bit ahead.  My priority is to keep a slight cushion in my Queue, followed by trying to read at least a story a day.  The problem with the messages is that it takes so much time to answer one, because I have to search through all my bookmarks and tags and try to remember specific parts of fics and then create and format a compilation....  I dunno, that will probably pick back up after I find a little more time.

I’m glad you’re here!  I’m so happy to be a part of a new and very active fandom.  I’m amazed by all the creative effort and talent being put into it, and pleased to be doing my small part to contribute to it.  Kisses to you all, and happy reading!

--Mojo