Thanfiction

Fan
Name:	Andy Blake
Alias(es):	Thanfiction, Victoria Bitter, VB, Amy Player, Jordan Wood, Mr Frodo, Voyagerbabe, Padawan Sidious, PadawanS, Strwriter, strwriter139, Chris the Marine, Rennie Gade/Chris, Andrew Blake, andythanfiction, Ciyerra, Tallaver, VBabe47, VBabe/VB/Veebs, brandagamba, never2late2hope/Anne, O'Nymous, Kalimac Brandagamba ; CraftyCatDad
Type:	fanwriter, fanartist
Fandoms:	The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Supernatural, Due South, Star Trek: Voyager, Sharpe, Horatio Hornblower, Hunger Games, Captain America, Game of Thrones, Critical Role
Communities:	daydverse
Other:
URL:	andythanfiction on Tumblr thanfiction's art on DA Thanfiction on Fanfiction.net Lord of the Rings fan fic and art, archived link Due South, Horatio Hornblower and Star Trek Voyager fan fic and art, archived Victoria Bitter on Fanfiction.net Fandom Wank on VB
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Andy Blake, a.k.a. Thanfiction, is a fanwriter and fanartist best known for his involvement in a number of high-profile fandom controversies. Blake is notorious for being at the center of incidents which include starting a cult in LOTR fandom, another cult in Harry Potter fandom, failed convention organizing, his many fraudulent identities and pseuds, faking the deaths of both his real and fabricated identities, and being witness to the homicide of his roommates/cult members.

While he had previous pseuds in the late 1990s (two of them were "Voyagerbabe" and "Strwriter"), he's most known for joining the Lord of the Rings fandom in the early 2000s as Victoria Bitter. He later went on to use a number of other pseudonyms. For much more, see Victoria Bitter Wank.

Thanfiction's most recent pseud is CraftyCatDad.

Thanfiction's best-known fanfic is the Harry Potter epic Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness, which has spawned an extensive shared universe called the DAYDverse and a cult.

Overview

Blake, formerly known as Amy Player, started out in Sharpe and Star Trek: Voyager fandoms in 1998 under the name "Strwriter". He had the alternate pseud "Voyagerbabe." He fabricated accomplishments and histories of abuses of these identities. In August 2000 he retired the Strwriter identity. In 2001 he adopted the name "Victoria Bitter" for the first time.

As Victoria Bitter in Lord of the Rings fandom, Blake started a Yahoo! group called Bit of Earth in 2002, which put on a number of fan events and solicited the involvement of celebrities, notably Sean Astin. Bit of Earth organized charity projects such as Project Elanor, but due to the mishandling of funds had nothing to donate.

Unbeknownst to most Bit of Earth members, almost from the beginning Andy had been claiming to have psychic abilities. He began to convince some friends and followers that Tolkien's works comprised the real history of a long-forgotten world that had been revealed to Tolkien when he discovered the Red Book of Westmarch. Blake claimed he had the ability to channel a number of characters/souls from this world, particularly hobbits such as Merry Brandybuck, and would conduct "spirit battles." He also claimed to channel actor Elijah Wood.

Along with a few friends, Blake moved to Oregon and formed and led a group centered on these spiritual beliefs, that many, including former members, call a cult. The group called itself the Bagenders. Among the members of this group were Abbey Stone (Orangeblossom Brambleburr), whom Blake dated, and Jeanine Renne (Turimel, who helped to organize Tentmoot, a proposed Lord of the Rings convention).

Blake then claimed that his soul had died and been replaced by the "duplicate soul" of Elijah Wood. In November 2002, Victoria Bitter made a last post online and faked suicide. Blake then began using the name "Jordan Wood". He created a LiveJournal account, "padawans," in which he wrote as Elijah Wood, under the premise that Wood was in a secret forbidden relationship with Dominic Monaghan, attracting attention from Domlijah tinhats.

Blake faked his own death, sending his parents a suicide letter in October 2003, and became legally classified as a missing person. He attempted to illegally obtain IDs under the name "Jordan Gabriel Wood," which drew the attention of law enforcement.

Bit of Earth planned to hold a large LotR fan convention, Tentmoot, in December 2003, and falsely claimed to be a charity to do so. Blake solicited money from fans and lied to the staff and con guests, and there was ultimately no convention. Blake faked a suicide attempt and left his group to deal with the fallout. Turimel reported Blake to the authorities. Soon afterward, Blake was arrested for identity theft, but no charges were filed. He and Abbey signed an agreement to never do charity work in the state of Oregon again. He then informed a number of his followers that his soul had died again and had been replaced with the "duplicate soul" of Orlando Bloom. He legally changed his name to Andrew Blake. Turimel later wrote When a Fan Hits the Shit, a book about Andy's involvement in LoTR fandom.

Blake continued to expand his cult, eventually claiming to channel over 160 souls. This ability was known as The Mindhole. He was physically and mentally abusive towards the people living with him, controlling them and requiring them to cut ties with their families. After the group fell apart, Blake released a lengthy statement in March 2007 that he was leaving fandom.

In 2008, Blake reappeared in the Harry Potter fandom under the new identity of "Thanfiction," writing the epic fanfic Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness. DAYD gained a large following and spawned an extensive shared universe called the DAYDverse. As Thanfiction, Blake claimed to be an Irish genius, to have fought in militias during The Troubles, that a woman he has loved named "Louise" (Abbey's middle name) had abandoned him and taken their son (actually a pet sparrow), and to have a heart condition and a short time left to live, using this to convince fans to give him money to visit them. Blake built a second cult around DAYD and his so-called channeling abilities, now known as The Hellmouth, with followers known as DAYDians. He exerted a great deal of influence over some fans' lives, playing matchmaker and even trying to pair off an underage girl with an adult man in another country. See Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness for more.

When Blake began to plan a DAYDcon, Abbey Stone revealed that she knew "Thanfiction" was the person formerly known as "Jordan Wood" to warn people about Blake's previous cult. This did not stop DAYDcon from ensuing in December 2008. Shortly after the convention, Blake and DAYDian Brittany Quinn claimed to be fighting a "psychic battle" with an "undead shaman wizard." Blake made another statement that he was leaving fandom, but did not.

On May 7, 2011, Brittany Quinn and another roommate were shot and killed by her ex-husband, who then killed himself. Blake, who had been living with Brittany for almost a year, was also shot during the attack. Nine days later, Blake posted about Brittany to the DAYDverse Facebook community and announced that a two-month hike around New Zealand that he'd been planning would now go on in Brittany's memory, a move that was highly criticized as exploitative. He moved in with a few DAYDians, who were reportedly abused in the same manner as those in Blake's LotR cult, suffering severe health consequences on Blake's hike.

On June 20, 2011 Turimel posted a "Pictorial Guide to [Andy Blake's] identity" on livejournal.

In August 2011, Abbey Stone began writing a series of blog posts detailing Blake's fraught history.

In 2013, Blake, as Thanfiction, started participating in and writing meta on Tumblr for Supernatural fandom. He shipped Dean/Castiel, organized fan meet-ups, and again claimed to channel a character.

In February 2015, Aja Romano published The Strange Lives of Andrew Blake, an article on Blake that was extremely controversial and perceived as minimizing the harm of Blake's actions. The article and the events that followed provoked much criticism from those interviewed for the article, and within fandom at large for it's seemingly sympathetic stance on Blake's past.

Around 2016, Blake made a LiveJournal post titled "Sex, Lies, and Mental Illness," in which he discussed his fraught sexual history "for the sake of transparency and owning the mistakes/wrongdoings of my past." In the post, he admitted to having sexually assaulted and raped people in the past.

Blake's notoriety grew to the point that, when he been to participate in Critical Role fandom in 2018, CR fans made callouts warning other fans about his past, resolving not to welcome him into their fandom.

In 2023, Thanfiction's pseud is CraftyCatDad.

Bios

Victoria Bitter's FanFiction.Net bio, written in 2001 or 2002:

Joined Sep 7, 2001, id: 108619

Author has written 21 stories for Horatio Hornblower, Lord of the Rings, and Due South.

Victoria Bitter is no longer active in online fandom. The website she started, is still going strong, but there will be no additional writing or art. Apologies and thanks to all who have so kindly reviewed here and elsewhere.

Thanfiction's FanFiction.Net bio, written in 2008 and updated in 2013:

Joined 04-13-08, id: 1550595

Hi, I'm Thanfiction, short for stranger-than-fiction, also known as Andrew, a 30-year-old guy who has found himself in up to his pointed hat in the most out-of-control one-shot in the history of the wizarding world. If you want to know more about me, you can just ask, really. I'm a pretty open kinda bloke. I'm brash, opinionated, and a bit sharp-tongued at times, so consider yourself warned. I'm also an artist, doing a great deal of work in the HP fandom in a wide variety of styles and media, including many illustrations for my own fic. You can find all of my artwork [at DeviantArt], but please heed the tags when it comes to what is appropriate for what age of eyes. Ignore these, I'm not responsible for paying for your therapist. [...]

UPDATE JULY 2, 2013: As you may have noticed, I've recently gotten into SPN fandom, specifically Destiel. Yes, I'm still doing the Daydverse, I'm still finishing AP. Life - including a nasty little triple homicide , three major moves, four job changes, and starting school - got in the way for a while, but I refuse to give up. A certain hunter and his angel may have wedged a place in my muse and heart, but the DA will always come first.

Thanfiction's FanFiction.Net bio, written in 2008 and updated in 2015:

Author has written 119 stories for Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Supernatural.

Hi, I'm Thanfiction, also known as Andy, a 31-year-old guy who has found himself in up to his pointed hat in the most out-of-control one-shot in the history of the wizarding world. If you're here, odds are it's about "Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness," my version of Neville and the DA's 7th year at Hogwarts. Believe it or not, that was my first fanfic, starting out as a little 4,000 word one-shot called "Dumbledore's Army: Still Recruiting" back in April 08. It exploded, becoming a series over the next several weeks, and is now a novel. Well, actually, it's now two completed novels and one WIP that started posting on 10 March, '09 (and has been suspended due to real life issues but NOT abandoned) in what has become referred to by a shockingly high number of people as the DAYDverse. The stories in that universe that are mine are here.

ALL of this, and indeed, your sort of one-stop-shopping for the DAYDverse, including the full master list of all the fics involved in it, may be found here:

There is also a Daydverse fan community On Facebook

Questions can be sent to [redacted].

Thanfiction's LiveJournal art page bio (2008?):

I'm Thanfiction, also known as Andrew, also known as Andy, also known as a 25 year old guy new to fandom as of April '08. My interests are quite varied, I write fanfiction with extreme gusto and have strong opinions on most things, but all that is over here, on my LJ, which is friends-locked. What matters here is that I'm also a rather prolific artist. I take commissions not only willingly, but extremely eagerly, and have developed rather a specialty for rare pairings. I'll draw anything you want as long as it is between consenting human (or relatively human) adults and involves no bodily fluids not normally found in sex, and my rates and other niggly details are found below. You're welcome to peruse this journal and/or my Deviantart page, and I hope you are struck with the uncontrollable impulse to get that image of your favorite character, pairing, or moment out of your head and into your hands at last!

Timelines

Detailed Timelines

• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part 1 (Archive)
• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part II (Archive)
• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part III (Archive)
• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part IV (Archive)
• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part V
• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part VI
• Andy Blake: A Timeline – Part VII

• as a google doc: Andy Blake: A Timeline, by theteablogger

An Abridged Timeline

• Late 1990s: Strwriter and Voyagerbabe (pretending to be different people) write fanfiction in Star Trek: Voyager and due South fandoms; first reports of Münchausen by Internet and sockpuppetry
• 1999/2000: strwriter ran the Due Credit Awards for due South
• Late 2001/Early 2002: Victoria Bitter writes Horatio Hornblower slash, joins LOTR fandom, creates the Bit of Earth mailing list and website with Orangeblossom.

• Early 2003: Jordan Wood a.k.a. misterfrodo joins Bit of Earth; Victoria Bitter is reported to have committed suicide. In February, Jordan Wood and Victoria Bitter are revealed to be the same person.

• December 2003: Bit of Earth/Tentmoot fiasco; Amy Player is charged with identity theft and charity fraud

• September 2004: When a Fan Hits the Shit is published by Turimel

• March 2007: Amy Player admits to being Strwriter, Voyagerbabe, Victoria Bitter, Mr. Frodo, and Jordan Wood; claims to be leaving fandom for good.

• April 2008: Andrew Blake a.k.a. Thanfiction joins FanFiction.Net, starts the DAYDverse

• December 2009: Thanfiction is identified as the same person as Victoria Bitter (et al.).

• May 2011: Thanfiction/Andrew Blake is involved in a double murder-suicide.

• December 2013: Thanfiction announced a LARP event, "Supernatural Season Nine Finale Apocalarp", to be held in conjunction with Supernatural's season 9 finale, and based on canonical elements of the show's futuristic dystopia of episode 5x04 "The End". This venture has received some criticism, with various people posting warnings of Thanfiction's previous fannish behaviour.

Pseuds

Strwriter and Voyagerbabe

Thanfiction presented himself as Strwriter and Voyagerbabe, a team of two teenaged girl writers between 1998 and 2000 in the Star Trek: VOY fandom. Strwriter and Voyagerbabe went on to be due South fans in 1999-2000. Many early posts from Strwriter were also signed "Player" at the top.

In April 1999, a fan nominated Strwriter for an ASC Award:

This young lady is not only prolific but highly highly talented. Her individual works rip your heart out and stomp all over it, but done so well you can't wait for her next story to have the pain hit you all over again. Her stories are though provoking, wonderfully written, and just plain good reads. How the frick does someone so young have such talent?! Oh let's not forget her co-writing with her best pal Voyagerbabe. These ladies can write angst (Mrs. Paris) and humor -- have you not all read and re-read Irrelevant Discourse? Eye Candy!!!! Handy Candy!! If you missed this story go right now and read it!

That same fan also nominated Voyagerbabe for a ASC Award in April 1999:

Another of the amazing young writers we are all graced to have in our presence. Hers is one of the first dozen or so stories I found. And "Shadows of the Heart" is amazing. Her NC-17 ending makes me worried for her dad's heart. How can someone so young have such detail in such amazing accuracy? A skilled story-teller in her own right, but when combined with her pal Strwriter -- they become the unstoppable force! Angst, comedy, imagery!

Much of Voyagerbabe and Strwriter's interactions at alt.startrek.creative and alt.tv.due-south can be found at here; archive link.

Some examples:

There was an early mix-up and some creative track-covering (or, when you can't blame the nanny, blame the dead grandmother in Nova Scotia...) in November 1998 . Another mixup was explained away in April 1999 In March 1999, Strwriter told fans a bit about herself and writing partner, saying they are "... two merely mortal college students, one 15, the other 18, and between us, we have three majora [sic] and five jobs." In April 1999, a fan apologized for getting them mixed up, saying "My brain forgot that although it was posted with the joint strwriter account it was from the amazing mind of Voyagerbabe (though I am sure that Strwriter was helping to encourage you)."

In April 1999, Strwriter nominated Voyagerbabe for an ASC Award, saying "Yeah, she's my co-writer. Yeah, she's my bestest buddy. But she's also the best thing to happen to P/T this year, proving that you don't have to be out of your teens to write jaw-droppingly good fic. At only 18 years old and only on- line since late September, she has already rocked the P/T world." In May 1999, Voyagerbabe did some promotion and plugged Strwriter's due South art, saying "If you wish to write the artist regarding this work, her name is Strwriter, she's 15 years old, and her email is [email protected] Please tell her how much you enjoy her art, and encourage her to draw more in the DS universe, as she has thus far only done the one."

In March 2007, Amy Player admitted to being Strwriter, Voyagerbabe as well as later pseuds: Victoria Bitter, Mr. Frodo, and Jordan Wood.

Fans in 2008 discussed these two pseuds in relation to Laura Hale.

Victoria Bitter

See Victoria Bitter Wank for descriptions of this fan's activities, including sockpuppets, fraud, and general mayhem and manipulation. And worse.

In December 2009, the Harry Potter fanfic writer and fanartist Andrew Blake was identified as Victoria Bitter Prior to Victoria Bitter's entry into LOTR fandom, they wrote Due South and Star Trek Voyager fan fiction and made fan art under the name of Voyagerbabe.

Victoria Bitter initially contributed to The Lord of the Rings RPF fandom with well-received fic. Victoria Bitter (with then-partner OrangeBlossom) created numerous sockpuppets. Victoria Bitter claimed to be channeling Elijah Wood's spirit, and that JRR Tolkien's writing was based on historical fact, and was receiving Meriadoc Brandybuck's memories in a dream.

Victoria Bitter and OrangeBlossom defrauded the BitofEarth.net convention and their attendees by taking money for products and services they never meant to deliver, ruining the con in the process. Turimel, another member of BitofEarth.net, wrote a book about her experiences with Victoria Bitter. It was called When a Fan Hits the Shit.

Victoria Bitter later faked suicide repeatedly.

In 2011, "Andrew Blake" wrote a lengthy email to fan blogger Carlanime in which, among other improbable information, he claimed to have multiple personalities, as in clinical dissociative identity disorder. Fan blogger/artist L.B. Lee, who is multiple, wrote a complete point-by-point rundown of Blake's email, enumerating the reasons why Blake's statements could not be true. MST: Andy Blake, the Most Multi of Multis, Part 1 (part 2 here):

If Andy Blake is multiple (and I highly doubt it) it's a kind of multiplicity that seems bizarrely favorable to allowing him to abuse tons of people with absolutely no retribution, responsibility, or changing of behavior. It kludges together a lot of different pop culture tropes, is hugely inconsistent, and is used mostly to groom sympathy and pity from others.

CraftyCatDad

Andrew Blake has recently been seen using the username @CraftyCatDad on Twitter. A tweet thread he made in early May was making the rounds on tumblr and bemusedlybespectacled identified him as thanfiction. CraftyCatDad responded to this call out and several people have written responses to that.

Some links:

• I’ve been informed that there are some things being spread about me.; archive link
• Oh, this fucking guy.; archive link
• Since I'm pretty sure he's talking about me; archive link

Example Works

• Ides of March, a Horatio Hornblower fic
• Salus
• Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness

Additional Resources

• 

  "For me? You shouldn't have...really." -- September 2, 2009

• 

  a October 2008 bio statement

• 

  2008 Fanfiction.Net profile

• Interview with Andy Blake, Part 1 (transcript); archive link; Interview with Andy Blake, Part 1 (audio), by Rebecca Johnson (July 16, 2014) AND A Game of Lies -- Andys Interview by Agentsex, part 1, ^{Archived version} commentary by delwynmarch (July 17, 2014)

See Also:

• Benjanun Sriduangkaew
• Msscribe

Meta/Further Reading

For much more, see Victoria Bitter Wank.

General, Multiple Dates, or Undated

• The Pit; archive link page 1; archive link page 2; archive link page 3; archive link page 4; archive link page 5; ("For all your Andy-related info-dumping needs. If there's information you'd like to archive, please post it here" -- various archived items such as blog posts, eulogies, interview links, newspaper clipping accounts, and more) (2015-2016)
• "pdf". Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. ("... from a former associate of Andrew Blake's, when he was active in the Star Trek: Voyager fandom as Strwriter and Voyagerbabe") (undated)
• Hiding In Plain Sight, ^{Archived version}
• Mock. Mockmockmock. Mockity-mock-mock, 2004-2013; WebCite
• Andythanfiction's Tumblr, ^{Archived version}
• comments on Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness
• Victoria Bitter - Fan History Wiki: The Fandom History Resource, ^{Archived version}

• Thanfiction at the Fail-Fandomanon Wiki; WebCite
• Fandom Wank Wiki; WebCite
• L.B. Lee blog entries on Andy Blake; archive link focusing on his manipulative behavior, discussing cult-like individuals in fandom.
• little tin cults; archive link, L.B. Lee blog entries on Andy Blake

2004

• "Hobbits Gone Wrong". Archived from the original on 2015-03-17. by Zach Dundas, July 14, 2004. Article about the Bit Of Earth/Tent Moot fraud, sidetracking into Lord of the Rings fan fiction. Typically for a mainstream publication, fan fiction is characterized primarily as slash.

2008

• It's kind of musty under here, please sort me quickly!, ^{Archived version}, Thanfiction's 2008 Harry Potter "sorting" application

2011

• Amy Player is Andrew Blake, and an even bigger conning slimeball than Rob Granito UPDATED, ^{Archived version}, July 5, 2011

2013

• Hiding in Plain Sight, ^{Archived version}, April 16, 2013
• So, I’ve got a lot of new followers lately. Nice to meet you all. , Welcome to the Dyadverse, posted May 2013; WebCite

2014

• Lights On, Curtains Off, Masks Off, ^{Archived version}, post by andythanfiction, June 3, 2014
• a response to Lights On, Curtains Off, Masks Off, thisspinsterlife; WebCite, June 3, 2014
• a response to Lights On, Curtains Off, Masks Off, captain-ameribun; WebCite, June 3, 2014
• a response to Lights On, Curtains Off, Masks Off, thetigerisariver; WebCite, June 3, 2014
• Fandom History, Epic Wankers Edition: Victoria Bitter/Jordan Wood/Andy Blake – the fanthropologist, ^{Archived version} (an excellent overview) (July 7, 2014)

2015

• Stay Away From Andy 'Thanfiction' Blake!; archive link Delwynmarch's tumblr blog - factual accounts and warnings, Blake responds frequently. (2015)
• The strange lives of Andrew Blake; Archive, by Aja Romano, February 22, 2015
• Long article by Aja about Thatfucker; Archive, fail-fandomanon, February 22, 2015
• 5 Incredible Sagas of Fandom Scams and Deception: Andrew Blake's Cult of Shamans and Sparrows by Caitlin Donovan; Archive, November 5, 2015

2016

• Identity fraud, celebrity exploitation, murder-suicide, and abuse: the story of Andy Blake, fandom's biggest villain. by snallygaster in r/Drama on Reddit

2017

• Dear Critical Role Fandom; archive link (December 12, 2017)
• This showed up on the CR discord today; archive link (Dec 12 2017)

2018

• ATTENTION LA GEEK & COSTUMING SCENE, BE AWARE OF THIS DANGEROUS PREDATOR ATTEMPTING TO ENTER OUR COMMUNITIES. ⚠️ Read entire post!!; archive link; screenshot 1; screenshot 2; arvhie link 1; archive link 2 (June 17, 2018)

• The Cult of Andrew "ThanFiction" Blake by Atrocity Guide, a Youtube video which provides a guide to the affairs of Andy Blake, featuring some direct information. (November 6, 2018)

2019

• Popular author turns out to be a cult leader; archive link by iwasonceafangirl (2019)

2020

• I'm not sure if you're still keeping track of Andy but I just found out he's still in LA,; archive link (December 15, 2020)

2023

• r/Hobby Drama; archive link by iwasonceafangirl (Feb 2023)
• r/Hobby Drama; archive link by iwasonceafangirl (one topic, how Thanfiction used the events of September 11, 2001 to manipulate fans) (April 2023)
• So, okay. You know that post about how some posts that appear to be just be saying innocent feminist stuff end up having a totally different context if they’re made by TERFs? by by bemusedlybespectacled (May 11, 2023)
• Oh, this fucking guy. by carriesthewind (May 16, 2023)