If you don’t know, I stream writing on twitch.
Pretty much since the first stream, friend and fellow twitch streamer Eurymachus asked if I’d consider uploading the stream docs somewhere. My initial answer was no because, “These are drafts. I’ll publish the completed work.”
I really should’ve known from my AO3 days that I don’t finish things quickly, if ever.
I don’t often advertise my AO3 handle for various reasons, so enjoy it.
Depending on how far back you go, I might not have even hatched; that’s the level of devolution we’re talking about. It’s also very obvious that this was the first time I was willingly interacting with people my own age—in addition to being a heavily sheltered white kid. Even STAR Blazers, a story that means so much to me that I’ve been trying to remake it pretty much since I finished it; contains copaganda, transphobia, and also I don’t think I handled the suicide portions very well. In addition to the creative decisions and bigoted language I wouldn’t use nowadays.
Plus at the end of the day, AO3 (aka Archive of Our Own) is archival-focused and fanfiction-focused. Either one of those things isn’t really intended for mainstream audiences, never mind both. Sure, I wrote primarily AUs and canon divergences, but fanfiction is fanfiction. If mainstream media is an entry-level, freshman class; fanfiction is a mid-to-upper-level course, depending on the writer. You can read fanfiction without consuming the fiction first, but you really ought to have some familiarity with whatever it’s fanfiction of. Sometimes, you might even need to be familiar with that specific version of the thing, especially when we’re talking about franchises with multiple renditions across the decades it’s been around.
A mainstream audience also might not think to check all the warnings, tags, and content notes before consuming content. Mainstream media tends to be pretty tame. There are rules and regulations regarding these sorts of things. Most mainstream media companies prefer to appeal to as broad an audience as possible (in order to make as much money as possible). Which is fine! Some people like the predictability of mainstream media. There’s only so far you can go without freaking out the ratings board (or your audience). But if that’s all you’ve ever known, just take care. AO3 is a bit of a free for all. There are certain topics you need to warn for, but some people don’t even do that competently.
There’s also my bookmarks—which are all public! There’s over 3000 of them. I don’t have the time and energy to private them all now! Or hell, even “just” a thousand of them. Any normal person looking at my bookmarks will probably think I’m a flight risk!
So yeah, my early work’s all up there. For archival purposes, you might say. The only thing I ever took down was a joke fic I wrote after losing a bet with myself.
You’re welcome to partake in my fanfiction, but I don’t recommend it. My AO3 Period was integral to my development. I consider it my coming-of-age. Those experiences helped me become the person who’s writing this presently. That being said, unless you really want a glimpse at the person I was back then, or how much I’ve grown as a creative, you’re better off perusing the content on this site instead. My fanfics already don’t hold up, and it’s only been a couple of years! It’s not the work I want to be known for.
Back to the content I do want to be known for, eventually I changed my mind. We’ve got drafts now, baby! Up ’til now, I’ve been throwing them in google drive. I decided to move them here because:
- more content!
- content all in one place is very nice and convenient!
- there also aren’t a bunch of writers willing to share their drafts and writing process (which… understandable!) so that helps me stand out.
- plus my main hope is they’ll help demonstrate all the time and labor that goes into storycraft.
The reason why I started publishing drafts in the first place is because it finally occurred to me that not everyone is going to be able to watch the entire stream. Some people might not be able to watch the stream at all depending on what sort of sight, attention, and device you’re dealing with. Accessibility is important to me, and this is one thing I can do to make my streams more accessible to people.
So that’s going to be my main project this week: transferring them all over here. Wish me energy please.
Eury has a fundraiser to help move them, Hachiko, and Lykios out of their mold-and-roach-ridden residence. It’s nearly fully funded, it just needs one more push! Eury is the one who advocated for my drafts. They’re the reason why these things exist in a publicly viewable form. If you like my drafts, and you have spare money, you are legally obligated to donate. Future readers can send Eury money on ko-fi.
I’d also like to thank my past self for organizing these by project; otherwise, I’d be an even grumpier pony.
However, my past self did not have the foresight to take note of which vod goes with which stream doc!!! Goddammit, past HFE, you fucking fool! And also damn you for not privating your bookmarks!
HFEproductions 