Old School X Interview: tatooedlaura (Laura Sprys)
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Old School X Interview: tatooedlaura (Laura Sprys) |
| Interviewer: | Lilydale |
| Interviewee: | tatooedlaura (Laura Sprys, L. Sprys) |
| Date(s): | April 27, 2021 |
| Medium: | online, Tumblr |
| Fandom(s): | The X-Files |
| External Links: | at lilydalexf; archive link |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Old School X Interview: tatooedlaura (Laura Sprys) was conducted by Lilydale as part of the series Old School X Interview Series.
Some Topics Discussed
- the challenges of sharing fiction with dial-up access
- the generosity of fans
- the increasing acceptance of outing one's self as a fan
From the Interview
Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?
Maybe reading mine but reading older fic in general is something I still do and something I still find entertaining. I do wish I could get into my old fics and post a warning that some of those were written before the author: ever had a drink, ever had sex, ever had a boyfriend, ever lived on her own, ever had a real job, or ever experienced much of anything in the real world.
Then again, fanfic is a perfect time capsule for the age and it’s always fun to see where the originals started and how they’ve grown.
[...]
Social media didn’t really exist during the show’s original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?
Originally, I never had much interaction with people other than ones who sent emails commenting on my fanfic … the internet at my parents house was dial-up and I had to access through the AOL free disks that arrived in the mail so, for the most part, I didn’t have the bandwidth or the connection speed to do more than upload stories and download episode guides.
Good lord, I remember submitting a story and having to wait upwards of two days to two weeks before the new batch of stories was posted … then ephemeral came around and you could actually have your story up in under a day … all ya’ll who started on tumblr and ao3, you have it great, let me tell you :)
One thing that stands out in my mind still (and I’m still friends with her on Facebook) was a woman from western Canada who I stumbled across somewhere while looking for the blooper reels. She offered to send me her copies on VHS for my collection. I don’t think she asked for payment and one day, a package arrived from a lovely woman near Lethbridge, bloopers playable, tapes labeled in clear printing. I still appreciate that 20 some odd years later :)
[...]
What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?
[...]
Honest-to-God, my first fic was written, in pencil, on a yellow legal pad by flashlight while lying with my head at the foot of my bed so I could see my parents coming down the hall if they happened to wake up at midnight to go to the bathroom. Later fics were written by the light of an 10” TV/VCR combo with me still lying with my head at the foot of the bed. I still have those old legal pads somewhere and I remember having to type them in secret, having to wait until the house was empty for 20 minutes to an hour at a time. Uploading them was always unnerving because of the slow dial-up and the fact that I didn’t have my own email address, but had to use my dad’s. I’d have to make sure to check it whenever I could, intercept the feedback I’d get off gossamer.
[...]
Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?
I dabbled and have a favorite ‘Fringe’ fic … I tried to read a Harry Potter fic once … I type ‘West Wing’ occasionally in ao3 and tumblr …
And nothing, absolutely nothing, has ever caught me like the X-Files did in regards to the fandom experience.
I have shows I watch and re-watch and re-watch but no two characters have ever had me writing and thinking and planning like Mulder and Scully. No other combo has ever made me write upwards of 300,000 or more total and still have plenty of stories to tell.
I’m okay with this.
[...]
Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?
I watch this show all the damn time. I will think about Mulder and Scully when I have nothing else to think about, normally writing and editing whatever story I may have in the hopper at the time about them.
My husband laughs when I have the show on. He knows all the episodes with me and it’s one of my comfort shows that I don’t have to pay attention to when it’s on. During it, I have edited books, decorated cookies, been sick, been recovering, simply wasted a perfectly good day because I could.
My 17-year-old daughter keeps it on while she does homework and works out.
It’s a staple at our house and no one is allowed to make fun of it, even though we all know that parts are completely ‘make fun-able.’
[...]
Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?
They do now … it took me years to crack and tell them … my husband has never read them, nor have any of the people I have told (as far as I know)
Now, I don’t really care who knows … I’ll tell them I write smutty X-Files fanfiction and family-friendly X-Files fanfiction …
I am too old at this point to be embarrassed by what I like to do. If they laugh at me, I tell them they only get to laugh when they’ve published a book and I pull up my books on Amazon … I’ve only had to do that once and it shut them right the hell up …