Yahtzee
Fan | |
---|---|
Name: | Yahtzee |
Alias(es): | XFScully, yahtzee63 |
Type: | fan writer |
Fandoms: | Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series, Harry Potter, Joan of Arcadia, X-Men, Alias, Lost, The X-Files |
Communities: | |
Other: | |
URL: | website: (Yahtzee Genre Edition) yahtzee63 (LJ) Yahtzee (AO3) Yahtzee (ff.net) |
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Yahtzee is a celebrated author in many fandoms. She is probably best known for her Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel novels, and more recently for her Alias works. Yahtzee writes a substantial amount of gen and het, but occasionally writes slash.
In their own words: I have written stories for several different universes, ranging from plot-driven epics, NC-17-rated love stories, and crossovers that can only be called bizarre. My philosophy as a fan author: above all, stay true to character.[1]
Interview
Fannish History
Early Fandoms
Yahtzee was active in fandom in the mid-1990s. Her earliest fandoms include The X-Files, the classic Star Wars trilogy and Star Trek: The Original Series.
These fics can be found at Yahtzee: Thought Brackets with the statement: "Archived here are the first fanfiction stories I ever wrote. Among them are stories about "The X-Files," the classic "Star Wars" trilogy and "Star Trek." Some of these stories haven't stood the test of time or experience, but are archived here under the principle of full disclosure. Others, I think, stand up very well and are worth reading. I'll let you decide which are which, though."
Buffy and Angel
Yahtzee was a prolific and highly popular writer in the BtVS/AtS fandom in the early 2000s. Her BtVS AU novel Phoenix Burning won several awards and is among the most frequently recommended works in the fandom. Her AtS AU novel As Time Goes By was also widely recommended. She also co-wrote two popular AtS novels with Rheanna. Yahtzee was still publishing Buffyverse stories in 2004, but has subsequently left this fandom.
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Alias Fanfiction
In late 2003, Yahtzee began writing Alias fanfiction. Her first Alias story was The Thought That Counts. This story established some of Yahtzee's key interests in Alias fandom, namely, the complex web of relationships between the members of the show's central family: Jack Bristow, a CIA agent, his daughter Sydney Bristow, also a CIA agent, and his ex-wife Irina Derevko, initially a Russian agent but later a power-broker with her own agenda. In later seasons of the show, the 'SpyFam' would grow to include Irina's sisters, Elena Derevko and Katya Derevko, and Nadia Santos, Irina's daughter by Arvin Sloane. These characters, along with Sydney's fellow agent and lover Michael Vaughn, would be the core group on which many of Yahtzee's stories focused.
Although the show was primarily driven by the conventions of the spy thriller (double agents, disguises, missions, hi-tech gadgetry), it also utilised a strong SF/fantasy element through the inclusion of Milo Rambaldi, an inventor/genius strongly modelled on Leonardo da Vinci. In Alias' reality, Rambaldi was responsible for creating a number of inventions far in advance not just of Renaissance science but of modern-day technology as well. Acquisition of Rambaldi objects and knowledge was a frequently used plot device, and coincidentally also provided a useful mechanism for introducing science fictional elements into stories. Yahtzee's Alias fan novels The Prophet's Right Hand[1] and Irenicon [2] are both excellent examples of this, using (respectively) time travel and immortality as key plot elements.
From 2004 onwards, Yahtzee began to write prolifically in Alias fandom, her output ranging from fan novels to numerous ficlets and drabbles on the Alias 500 LJ community. Her longer Alias stories include AUs (The Prophet's Right Hand), canon-based stories (The Thought that Counts [3]), humour (Jack Bristow at the Edge of Reason [4], an Alias/Bridget Jones' Diary crossover), darker fic (What Julia Knew [5]), 'Five Things' fic (The Twelfth of Never [6]) and lighter adventures (Bristow's 11 [7], a heist fic loosely based on Ocean's 11). The most common pairings in Yahtzee's Alias fics are Jack/Irina, Sydney/Vaughn, Sydney/Weiss; after the introduction of Nadia Santos' character, Yahtzee wrote a number of fics, including Evergreen [8] around the "WowWrongBadHot" pairing Jack/Nadia. The strained but deep father/daughter bond between Jack and Sydney Bristow is also at the heart of almost all Yahtzee's Alias stories; writing in the point of view of Jack Bristow, a character for whom a moment of huge emotional expression will typically involve giving a small nod, presents a particular set of challenges to the fan writer.
Yahtzee continued to write Alias fanfiction up to and beyond the show's cancellation at the end of its fifth season in 2006.
Other
Since 2003, Yahtzee has branched out into writing in several other fandoms, including Harry Potter, Joan of Arcadia, Lost, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ugly Betty and X-Men. She has also written popular stories across numerous small fandoms, including I, Claudius, Jeeves and Wooster, Lemony Snicket, Rear Window, Remington Steele, Sense and Sensibility and Twin Peaks.
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She wrote a number of popular fics in X-Men: First Class fandom.
Since 2015, she has written fanfiction less frequently, focusing of pro fic.
Notable works
- THE END OF THE BEGINNING] (part 1) (part 2), Star Wars fic written as XFScully
- Goodnight, Moon (link), a kickass Joan of Arcadia apocafic for the Day After Tomorrow Challenge. Katta writes: A very poignant and heartbreaking tale ... Wonderfully written, and very likely to bring tears into your eyes.[2]
- Phoenix Burning (link), a Buffy AU novel, set 350 years in the future. Nestra writes: This baby's got a plot that could have come from the mind of Joss himself. Add in perfect characterization, fascinating original characters, and a stunning depth of emotion, and you might begin to describe what Yahtzee's accomplished with this one. The post-"The Gift" story that everyone will have to try and live up to.[3]
- As Time Goes By (link), an Angel AU novella based on the film Casablanca. Espresso Addict writes: Yahtzee writes the AtS ensemble at least as well as the series writers do.[4]
- Them Mean Ol', Low-Down, Lando Calrissian Blues (link), a crossover featuring black secondary characters Pete Ross, Charlie Young, Charles Gunn, and Alvin Kersh, discussing life on the side(kick). LJC writes: ...simply the funniest and most clever crossovers I've ever read in my life. Not to mention, a dead-on parody which really tackles the realities of how neglected black tertiary characters on TV should bond together, and stand up for themselves.[5]
- The Bloody Stare of Mars (link), a Harry Potter dystopian AU novella. Nestra writes: Yahtzee never simplifies the characters, not any of them, and she consistently delivers fic that's tightly-plotted and just goddamn interesting.[3]
- The Prophet's Right Hand (link), the first of her Alias novels. Gondro writes: ...outstanding AU. ... Characterizations are dead-on, and the twist is devious indeed.[6]
- His Terrible Swift Sword (link), an X-Men novel. Nestra writes: Yahtzee does it again in a new fandom and on a nice big scale. Compelling and compulsively readable.[3]
- Break (link), a Spock/Uhura reboot Star Trek fic. Kathryn Andersen writes: this has the lovely bonus of making me see things about both Spock and Uhura that I hadn't seen before, and that makes it extra special.[7]
- Relatives & Relativity, a Doctor Who/Sense & Sensibility crossover. thefourthvine writes: ...this is awesome. This answers certain lingering questions about the Doctor ... and gives an entirely appropriate end to a character who did not get all he deserved in the novel.[8]
- The Winter of Banked Fires (link), X-Men: First Class, Charles/Erik, they reconcile decades later. (2011)
- Anarchy in the UK (link), X-Men: First Class, Charles/Erik, Charles is a deeply closeted Prince of Wales and Erik is a journalist. Modern, non-powered, novel-length AU. (2013) luninosity writes: ...spectacular attention to detail and plot... of course everybody recs this one, but with good reason![9]
- Death Before Dusk (link), Elementary, Joan/Sherlock, casefic set against a pre-apocalyptic backdrop. PhoenixFalls writes: If you are only ever going to read one Elementary fic, I beg that you make it this one.[10]
Other Works
- Paralyzer, a Charles/Erik story
References
- ^ Fanfiction.net: Yahtzee (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ Katta's Fanfic Recs (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ a b c Polyamorous Recommendations (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ Espresso Recommendations: Angel/Buffy (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ Chandler's Field: Fan Fiction Recs by LJC (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ Television Without Pity Forums: Fan Fiction (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ Katspace: Yahtzee (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ thefourthvine@dreamwidth: 217: Popular Fiction (accessed 9 February 2012)
- ^ it would have been nice to have had unicorns (accessed 23 July 2013)
- ^ Rec by PhoenixFalls at 221B-Recs on LiveJournal, posted 23 May 2014.