Basic Banshee

Fan
Name:	Basic Banshee
Alias(es):	Ban, Ban Gilmartin (professional), BasicBathsheba
Type:	fan writer
Fandoms:	Carry On
Communities:
Other:
URL:	@basic-banshee Tumblr, BasicBathsheba AO3
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Basic Banshee (hereafter Ban) is a hugely influential fanfiction writer and BNF in the Carry On fandom, most active during 2018 and 2019. They have also self-published two novels, which were originally made freely available online and can be purchased online. Ban has often donated fees from these sales to charity. Ban is very public about their love of music and many fics are accompanied by a Spotify playlist. They have also made playlists for others as gifts.

They work closely with professional editor, breadofgod (aka godisbread aka Anna aka @frog-and-toast). They've written two fics together, and godisbread has also edited many of Ban's fics and their professional novels. Ban has also worked with other betas, and has betaed many other Carry On writers' work.

@basic-banshee Tumblr

While Ban is primarily known for their fic in Carry On fandom, they are also known for two extremely popular viral Tumblr posts about being a lesbian.

These posts accrued hundreds of thousands of notes, and were copied off platform. This lead to increased non-fan engagement with them on this platform.

• Thor wingman
• Fake Dating AU

These posts have now been removed from Ban's Tumblr, but are linked here as they are both funny and significant.

During 2019 and the first half of 2020, Ban answered a large number of Tumblr asks on a variety of topics, but often on LGBT+ or music themes.

rebel rebel

rebel rebel (written September-December 2018) is arguably not Ban's most popular fic (Network Connectivity Problems has more kudos), but is hugely beloved and probably the most influential fic in the fandom from any author. It's a canon divergence AU that re-writes all eight years of Watford starting from the premise that Baz was raised by his music-loving aunt and is therefore a punk and a music-lover.

Summary: Baz Pitch loves, in no particular order; David Bowie, punk music, the feel of old vinyl, the smell of coffee (but not the taste), classic books, magic, David Byrne, the fact that he was raised by his aunt Fiona, and maybe, sometimes, Simon Snow.

Venessa Kelley said of it:

[It's] particularly moving to read this incredible story told through the eyes of a boy who grows into a man. I’ve always said that Carry On reads completely differently after you have kids. So does Rebel, Rebel. You’ve treated these characters as a parent would - loved and cared for them, granted them space to breathe and fuck up and learn lessons - and we are all better for your efforts. I cried when it ended.

rebel rebel has a sequel called Golden Years (2019), which is set 10 years later, and deals with adulthood. As well as SnowBaz, it focuses on Mordelia coming out as a lesbian, and on Fiona's wedding to an OC introduced in 'rebel rebel'.

Playlists

Ban created the following playlists for the rebelverse:

• rebel rebel
• tired punks and little puffs (Mordelia's playlist]
• Mordelia isn't pining (Golden Years)
• SIMON & MICAH'S DEEP CUTS (Golden Years]
• Fiona and Charlie Cordially Invite You (Golden Years)

Impact on Fandom

Many of the character names and tropes created for that fic find their way into other fanworks, with the author's permission. These include but are not limited to:

• Surnames for characters where these are unknown in canon: the Mage - Llewelyn, Dev - Grimm, Niall - Kelly
• Names for Baz's siblings - Acantha and Ophelia for the twins, Magnus for the baby (created with the help of TBazzSnow
• Arguably the popularisation of Deniall (Dev/Niall) as a side-pairing
• Arguably the semi-popularisation of possible Agatha&Baz friendship

Fans have to frequently remind each other what happened in canon and what happened in 'rebel rebel'

Related Fanworks

Fiona and Baz at graduation in rebel rebel by Basic Banshee, art by Venessa Kelley

Fans have created several pieces of fanart for the rebelverse, including but not limited to:

• Art of Baz in a leather jacket by great-merlins-beard, arguably this art inspired rebel rebel rather than the other way around/this art was produced as the fic was being written
• Baz and Fiona by Venessa Kelley
• Baz in leather jacket with rainbow pin by hufflepunky
• Baz with rebel rebel branding by ex-peri
• Niall: What does Baz say to you in French? by parijpg

Fans have also written remixes and other works inspired by this fic:

• radio ga ga and funny how love is by messofthejess - remix of certain parts of rebel rebel from Simon's POV
• Enough Snow Already! by svelkie - inspired by, not in the 'verse
• Ground Control (Quarantine Dreaming) by manicmagicat - inspired by, not in the 'verse

Other Example Works by Ban

Fanfiction

Ban writes primarily AUs, these can be either canon-divergent or non-magical AUs. They have also written a small number of canonverse Carry On fics not focused on SnowBaz, which are less popular, though still relatively widely read in comparison to the work of other fan authors.

Art of Local Hero by KrisRix

• I Believe This is Yours - Soulmate AU, 2018
• Take On Me - bookshop AU, non-magical, 2018. Later re-written completely as an original novel.
• network connectivity problems - Text Fic, non-magical, university, 2019, the second most kudosed fic in the fandom
• Local Hero with breadofgod, footballer AU, 2020
• California English - Agatha/Minty, 2019
• storm chaser - Shepard gen, published in Golden Days zine, 2020

Many of Ban's fics have attracted fanartist's to illustrate them.

Original Writing

Cover of 'There Is A Light', art by penpanoply who also illustrated each section

As of January 2021, Ban has written two self-published novels. These were made freely available on a custom website, but also sold in ebook and hard copy. Both are written in first-person, like Carry On, and feature LGBT+ themes in a modern setting.

• Weak Heart (2019) - partial summary: Something has gone very wrong on the sleepy Scottish Isle of Mab. The tides are angry. Reality has shifted. Selkies are coming up from the ocean, boys are missing, magic is going haywire, and memories are being pulled from people’s minds.
• There Is A Light (2020). This novel was inspired by the author's earlier fic, Take On Me in that it has the same setting and some similar elements, but is entirely re-written.

Jamie Gilmour is starting over. A new school, a new city, a tenth attempt at a second start. All he has to do is stop making bad decisions and stick to something for once in his life. All he has to do is stop being himself.

Jude Pujari is thinking of calling it all off. He’s overstressed, depressed and frozen in place, trapped by grief and fear of change. He doesn’t exactly want to die—but he’s not sure he wants to live.

When Jamie gets a job at Jude’s family bookstore and crash lands into his life, all the stories they tell themselves come crumbling down. If they want to make it through, Jamie has to stop running, and Jude has to stop hiding.

THERE IS A LIGHT is a Scottish New Adult novel that follows Jude and Jamie through 80s music, childrens’ fiction, communism and climate change as they figure out if it’s really possible to start over, and if life is safe to live.

Playlists

• Twist and Shout, playlist to accompany Twist and Shout (fic) for TBazzSnow
• Mummers FC: casuals and anthems, playlist to accompany Local Hero
• frog and toad are fine, playlist to accompany 'There Is A Light'