Muddling Through

the specialist: this author has a favorite kink or trope and has written 80% of the content in that tag. you know exactly what you’re getting. they have A Brand™️. no matter what other traits they display, dedicated rare pair authors belong here.

the chocolate box: essentially the exact opposite. this author will try anything once. they have 80+ works in the fandom with no discernible pattern. the shortest one is 268 words and the longest is well over 100k. this breed of author may or may not be related to:

the renaissance fan: they’ve written three things in your fandom: your favorite fic, your notp, and a bizarre crossover with a show you’ve never heard of. you hit “expand fandoms list” on their author page and have to scroll down twice to reach the bottom. whenever you curse the fact that you can’t legally commission fic writers, this is the author you’re thinking about.

the horn dog: they’re here for one thing and one thing only. if someone’s dick is not in another character’s mouth within 500 words, they apologize for it in the author’s notes. they have one (1) g-rated fic.

the rookie: this writer is usually young, new to fandom, or just got a beta-reader for the first time. their fics are a little all over the place, quality-wise, but you’re excited whenever their name pops up because their unique voice gets stronger every time. you feel a personal investment in their development, like you’re an old man reading the local high school sports page and saying “this kid’s the one to watch.”

the live streamer: the most prolific author in the fandom. their works are all over the front page when you sort by kudos. you have no idea how they generate this much work, and have seriously wondered if they have access to an extra-dimensional time portal. their stories are usually un-beta’d and the characterization varies wildly, but their best works are inspired and you’ve read them 30 times.

the cryptid: this one comes out of nowhere every two years, drops the best fanfic you’ve ever read, and disappears. fifteen months after you left a three paragraph comment about how they changed your life, you get a message in your inbox that just says “thanks.”

the novelist: we talk about “filing off the serial numbers” when someone reworks their most popular story to pitch it as an original novel; this author somehow does the reverse. their fics are excellent, usually long-reaching multi-chapter AUs that have almost nothing to do with the on-screen characters except their names. i’d like to extend my personal thanks to this breed of author because it’s the closest i get to reading an actual book.

the reunion tour: this author wrote some of the most popular works in the fandom, but either moved on to k-pop or burned out when canon took a turn for the worse. they put out one new thing a year, often an old draft that’s been haunting them from under the floorboards. their last six author’s notes all say they never thought they’d write this pairing again and “this will probably be the last time.”

– Is it good? I made some changes. – No, it’s horrendous. I... respect... that you tried.

Comm for the lovely @quidproquo.mwi !! This was such a fun one

Timelapse and close-up under the cut vvv

We learn more when things go wrong than when they go right.

Today is a good day to die be a Kyle and Kyden fan. Not only we get a new issue of Lost Contact but we also get Star Trek Celebrations, a collection of short stories about LGBTQ Starfleet members. Please support it, buy it if you can, it’s only about £3.50 on kindle (not sure about physical copies). 🙏

The turbolift shudders, screeches, and shears to a halt. Two characters are left staring at each other, wondering how long they're about to be trapped, what they're supposed to talk about, and/or how they're going to get out of this one. Who are they? Spin the wheel to find out!

Here's how it works:

1. Spin the Starfleet Academy Character Wheel to get three pairs of characters to trap in a turbolift (i.e., six spins total). Choose ONE of the three pairs to write about.

2. Post your three pairs of characters to the #turbolift-fic channel on the discord server, and share which pair you've decided to write about.

3. Discuss! Write! Have fun with it!

4. Post your completed fic to the Starfleet Academy: Trapped in a Turbolift ao3 collection.

Any genre, pairing, or rating welcome. Will we get a tender heart-to-heart, a tense escape, steamy sex, or something entirely different? Totally up to you, and of course, the wheel.

To participate, please select your characters by July 1, 2026 and post your fic by August 1, 2026. Works completed as part of the collection will be shared on Tumblr and Discord as they are posted!

Additional event details, including a FAQ, can be found here on a03.

Other Star Trek characters are also welcome -- see the All Trek character wheel on the event page.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? Contact me here on Tumblr or find me (the.buzz) on Discord.

My other two spins were Genesis and Admiral Vance, and Darem stuck with Darem.

DEVASTATED about SFA being canceled after season 2,, coping by drawing Jay-Den w my budgie Caleb (named after Caleb on SFA of course)

Pictures of my bird <3 and timelapse under the cut vvv