I’ve used a Photoshopped version of a promotional picture of the main ‘team’ from Stargate Atlantis for my header, because that’s the fandom where I’ve been most active over the last month.

To anyone who isn’t sure about fanfiction, I have written more about it elsewhere but let me just assure you that it isn’t by any means all very amateur or pornographic. There is a lot of extremely good writing, some of it by published authors who enjoy playing in other writers’ ‘sandpits’ and some of the best stories are ‘gen’ involving no romance or sex whatsoever. Where there is sex – and of course there is, in any genre – it is not usually as explicit as some I have come across in published and comparatively mainstream fiction. And of course there is dross, as there is, again, in any genre.

I know people in most of my favourite fandoms. Some I have only met online but some are ‘real life’ friends. Fandom has given me some of the most rewarding and lasting friendships in my life. Some of them are superb writers. Others are excellent and insightful critics. I’ve met them through fan conventions, through smaller fan ‘meets’ and through collaboration online.

I rarely look beyond AO3 for my fanfic reading. As an ex-volunteer I’m familiar with the platform, with its ratings, tags, etc. and know how to subscribe to series, find collections, and so on. As this year saw the archive achieve 7,000000 works in over 40,000 fandoms, there has to be something for everyone.

For everyone who already enjoys fanfiction, I’m sure you’ll share my quiet pride that our very own archive has reached such a fantastic place.

For anyone who enjoyed The Merchant of Venice, West Side Story or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, fanfiction is for you. Give it a try and if you can’t find work that appeals, ask some of us to point you in the right directions!

December is a wonderful month for fanfiction.

I wasn’t involved in the Yuletide fic exchange this year but I have great fondness for it. The first ever fanfic I read was a Yuletide offering: The Water Horse by Thamiris***** https://archiveofourown.org/works/1630331 The rest is history…

I did get involved in the SGA (Stargate Atlantis) Secret Santa and have been avidly perusing the other offerings. It was fun trying to guess the authors who weren’t revealed until Christmas Day. My own contribution for anyone who’s interested was Not elves exactly… which can be found at https://archiveofourown.org/works/28091619 My recipient’s request let me explore world and culture building to my heart’s content. The team find a strange planet…

There were some excellent stories this year, but as they all require some knowledge of canon I won’t go into details. If you’re an SGA fan, you can find the collection and indulge. https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sga_secret_santa_2020

Of course, as usual, I’ve also been following the Marylebone Monthly Illustrated by Mafief, okapi and Small_Hobbit ***** and am always thrilled when one of the small offerings in this delightfully tweaked Sherlock Holmes universe turns up in my inbox. I inevitably want to leave kudos and am stymied by the rule that only lets you do so once. I was also delighted to receive a gift fic from Small_Hobbit, one featuring my favourite of her characters, Mouselet. Mouselet’s Review of the Year***** is quite short, very funny, and gives a taster for anyone who has not seen this writer’s work before. https://archiveofourown.org/works/28240377

I also want to recommend A Cyber Christmas Carol by asparagusmama***** This is a robotic AU version of Dickens’ story and is very clever and imaginative. https://archiveofourown.org/works/28292130 Save it to read next December!

I will confess to still not having read all the Pros Big Bang stories that were published in October. All I can say is that Secret Santas in fanfiction and special stories/giveaways in original fiction simply stole my time. Maybe this month… though I still have at least two SGA stories to read..