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Welcome to Fic Recon!

Join us as we discuss our favorite stories, improve our writing skills, and share our fanfiction pet peeves.

NOTE: This board is an experiment based on the belief that it is possible to discuss fanfiction in a positive manner. The moderators have zero tolerance for mudslinging, slander, or other behavior that may result in hurt feelings. Any post that crosses the line will be deleted without warning. Repeated offenses will result in a ban or in the message board being taken down.

We welcome discussion about specific stories and authors as long as comments don't devolve into personal attacks.

The act of writing and publishing a story is one of both trust and vulnerability, and every author who has the courage to take that leap of faith deserves our respect.

A warning. -- Pixie, 15:25:00 05/16/07 Wed [8]

Have any of you received an invitation to join the new sponsored fanfiction archive at Fanlib? If you have, (or even if you haven't, because at this point they have open sign ups and anybody can register and archive fanfiction there), please be very very careful about getting involved. Why? Because they're setting themselves (and even more, anybody who posts their stories there) up for all kinds of legal trouble.

Please, if you're considering this, read a couple of posts about the archive first. Here are some good ones I've been following.

Angiepen has an excellent look at Fanlib's TOS agreement (which you have to agree to to get an account) here.

Here's another good post on the subject. Make sure you read the comment trail.

And Cofax7, a rather well-known fandom name (though not, probably, to JAG fans), has an excellent post here.

There's more commentary, since fandom (at least the Live Journal portion of it) is fairly up in arms about the whole idea. So if you're interested in more information, just say so and I'll post more links. For now, three's probably enough, and I'd say that if you only read one of those it should definitely be angiepen's TOS commentary, because that? Is pretty scary stuff.

I've browsed the JAG section at Fanlib, and I already see a few authors I recognize, though I doubt they're really aware of the risk they're taking by getting involved in this venture. I can't stop anybody from signing up and archiving there, but I can put out the warning so that, if you do sign up, you're doing it with your eyes wide open about what you're getting yourself into.

[Edit]

Replies:
- Thanks for the links. Interesting to see a Moonves attached to the project. I think everyone is right to be cautious of these venture capitalists who see an opportunity to profit off of fanfic. (NT) -- lska, 19:23:30 05/16/07 Wed
- I totally agree with everything! We shouldn't post there! (NT) -- Deborah Brady, 20:03:57 05/16/07 Wed
- Thanks for the heads-up, Pixie. I too had one of their 'invitations' in my mailbox, went to take a look, shuddered at the complete ugliness of the site (blech) and left. I admit that I wouldn't have looked as closely at the motivation of such a site; I actually went a little blue-eyed into the whole world of fanfiction to begin with, so I'm glad you pointed it out. (NT) -- Colie, 09:18:02 05/17/07 Thu
  - It is ugly, isn't it? I'd been there once or twice before fandom blew up over it, and to be honest, I was surprised anybody would want to archive there. It's blaringly annoying. (NT) -- Pixie, 20:14:26 05/17/07 Thu
    - Yup, overwhelmingly so!! It seems there is quite some deprecation and contempt toward fanfiction.net - but at least their site design is simple and clean! (NT) -- Colie, 05:10:27 05/18/07 Fri
- I noticed the vast majority of the people running that site are heavily involved in the entertainment, i.e. TV and movies, business - and some of them are lawyers. I'd be very leery of posting there. (NT) -- Ann, 22:37:01 05/17/07 Thu
  - Saves them the trouble of actually hiring writers. They can just steal our stuff and we can't do a damned thing about it. (NT) -- Theresa, 20:23:38 05/18/07 Fri
Pixie, email me. I have a problem, maybe you can handle! -- Deborah Brady, 21:11:14 05/16/07 Wed [4]
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Replies:
- Inside -- Deborah Brady, 21:13:00 05/16/07 Wed
  - Inside... -- Pixie, 21:26:12 05/16/07 Wed
    - Inside.... -- Deborah Brady, 00:49:46 05/17/07 Thu
Inspired by a post on the HB, I'm curious -- is it the role of fanfic writers to be socially responsible, set good examples, or address hot-button social issues in their stories? This question was raised in the context of a discussion about safe sex practices, but could encompass other issues as well. Do you think a fanfic could influence you to change your thinking or behavior? -- lska, 01:39:51 05/11/07 Fri [8]
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Replies:
- I think any story can make someone think harder about any subject if it's presented in a certain way. But by and large I think that someone who shapes their moral compass by something they read in a fanfic, needs help. (NT) -- Theresa, 12:28:07 05/11/07 Fri
- For the most part, no. But in a way, yes. Specifically, there have been times while reading some of the more explicit stories that I've come across things that sounded interesting that I've tried with hubby later. But then again, hubby and I have both led pretty sheltered lives... (NT) -- Not gonna say..., 19:00:00 05/11/07 Fri
- It depends on the context and the writer. Some stories are written strictly to entertain. Some of the episodes explored pretty controversial topics, both in and out of the military, so it stands to reason that stories that take off from those episodes may also explore those topics. Some writers go out on a limb more than others. Will the stories influence me? No more and no less than any fiction or non-fiction will influence me. If the ideas expressed are thought-provoking, the source doesn't matter. (NT) -- Janlaw, 20:58:43 05/11/07 Fri
- (inside) -- lska, 01:23:23 05/14/07 Mon
- Inside -- highplainswoman, 05:21:02 05/15/07 Tue
  - Totally off topic comment inside... -- Pixie, 08:30:07 05/15/07 Tue
  - On Desiree -- Tracy (not Jean), 20:56:24 05/16/07 Wed
Closed canon vs. open canon - which is better, and why? -- Pixie, 09:09:05 05/01/07 Tue [8]

First, a pair of definitions for those who aren't familiar with the terms. Open canon is what it's called when a show (movie, book, whatever) is still generating new content. Harry Potter, Stargate Atlantis, Close to Home...these are all open canon. Closed canon is what it's called when a show is finished, with no apparent hope of it being resurrected. JAG is closed canon. So is X-Files (though rumors are flying that a second movie is *finally* going to get made). So is M*A*S*H.

A lot of writers seem to specialize in one type of writing or the other. Open canon people claim (sometimes) that closed canon is "dead." That there's nothing more to say. Closed canon people claim that writing stories while the canon is still being generated means running the risk of being steamrollered when TPTB do a plot-line 180 (Joss Whedon is rather famous for this with his Buffy series - thus generating the fandom expression "I was Jossed.")

Now that JAG is over, what are you finding? Is there a difference between writing open and closed canon? Do you prefer one over the other? Is closed canon, as some people claim "dead" canon? And are you, as a reader, still interested at all in reading stories set before the end of the series?

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Replies:
Revisiting your own work -- Theresa, 03:24:44 04/27/07 Fri [8]
Have you ever looked back at one of the stories you wrote years before the end of JAG and thought, "how freaking dillusional was I?" I just did that. It's an odd sensation.

It's also an odd sensation to revisit any story that I wrote more than a year ago. Sometimes the differences in the way I wrote then, and the way I write now are like night and day.

Do you revisit your work? Do you ever rewrite it? Do you ever think that if the JAG PTB had had a script writing contest that you could have made a whole of people happy with the way you changed things for our DD?

Do you ever want to jump through the screen and slap the JAG PTB for giving us so much hope in season 7 and the beginning of 8, only to wait years to follow through with anything real? Good grief, talk about frustration! I'm surprised Harm and Mac could walk into McMurphy's at the end after waiting that long to be with each other! If it was realistic the apartment would be in shambles and they'd be walking in on crutches.

Theresa

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Replies:
Do any of you writers have a trouble with "voice" when you are writing? -- Cece, 18:05:05 04/24/07 Tue [9]
I'm not talking about voice in the usual sense, that is the point of view of a particular character. I'm talking about separating your own "vocal" sounds as a writer, from the vocal sounds of the characters.

In a post below about "out of character" actions or speech, someone wrote that she was put off by the characters speaking British English. I totally get that. However, I speak with British English, sprinkled with N. Americanisms, slang from diverse areas, not to mention obscure Yiddish terms, and sometimes, I forget what parts of my speech would be out of character for an American, or for that matter, a Brit.

Many of you have written about H and M in London, so I wonder how you have adjusted when you have British characters come into the story. Also, do you have problems with local vernacular, even from different parts of the USA?

Apart from just the local accents, I know that I use words that sound more like mine than the words of the characters I'm writing about. When I read my stories back, I hear myself speaking! Sigh.

A friend pointed out to me a sentence I used in a story I did for the Ficathon. I was writing in the third person, but I was expressing Harm's thoughts. Thus, I should have written the way he speaks. I wrote, "He eschewed the candles and soft music, feeling that was too cheesy...or maybe just too obvious."

My friend thought it strange to use the elevated word "eschewed", in the same sentence with a slang word, "cheesy." She was right. The problem was that is the way *I* talk. I freely mix pompous words with slang. But would Harm do that? I don't think so. By the time my friend pointed it out, it was too late to change.

I am just so impressed with authors who can switch cultural utterances with ease. So how about you? Do your stories sound like you are talking, or can you step out of yourself and write your characters with voices distinct from your own?

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Replies:
Let the fun begin... -- Pixie, 08:58:00 04/23/07 Mon [1]

Today is the day for authors to start sending in their prompt requests. Several people have already emailed me, and I'll be getting back to you soon to confirm your prompt. For those of you who are new to ficathons, here's a brief rundown of how this goes.

1: Adopt a prompt. The list is long, maybe the longest one we've had yet, so there should be something for everybody. Choose 3, and email them to me (letting me know your order of preference, of course).

2: Wait for me to confirm your prompt. If there's overlap, I'll work with the authors to try to make sure everybody's happy, but if you start writing before you get confirmation from me, be aware that you may end up doing some revisions.

3: Write your story. We aren't looking for long stories, though you're certainly welcome to do those, as well. But let's try to avoid drabbles (100 word stories). Aim for 500-5000 words.

4: Email your story to me (preferably as an attachment to an email with "Ficathon submission" in the subject line) on or before May 21. Doc format is the easiest for me to work with, but txt or rft works as well.

5: Read the stories. Beginning on May 22, I will post the stories, at the rate of 1 or 2 a day, to the Jagathon message board. Stories are posted anonymously, and ficathon authors who wish to comment on the stories should choose an anonymous nickname to use to do so.

6: Wait for the reveal. Once all of the stories are up and have had time to be read, I will post the reveal, letting everybody know who wrote what.

So there you go. If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I'll do my best to answer.

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Real life vs. Fiction -- Pixie, 13:01:11 04/19/07 Thu [34]

Teacup's story on the HBX and the furor that it seems to have caused, has gotten me thinking about the line between fiction and real life. There are those who think her story was tasteful, appropriate, and even helpful to them as they worked through their feelings about the Virginia Tech tragedy. Others were offended by the story and accused Teacup of opportunism and insensitivity.

I've not commented on the story directly, mostly because I'm not quite sure what I think about it. But I'm curious. Is there a point where fanfiction strays too close to real life? Is there a line authors shouldn't cross? And is there something Teacup could've done differently when she posted the story that might have prevented some of the comments she's gotten?

I've also posted about this at my LJ, because I'm curious about how fandom at large views this issue. Feel free to join in the discussion over there, as well. Anonymous comments are (at least for the time being) enabled, so you don't have to have a Live Journal account in order to comment.

[Edit]

Replies:
- I know I'll go long ... inside -- BCKemp65, 14:03:28 04/19/07 Thu
  - Inside... -- Pixie, 15:36:16 04/19/07 Thu
    - I think we agree about that for the most part. Inside, please ... -- BCKemp65, 08:14:37 04/20/07 Fri
- inside -- lska, 14:40:02 04/19/07 Thu
  - BTW -- interesting topic! (NT) -- lska, 14:42:14 04/19/07 Thu
  - Interesting take on things. (Inside) -- Pixie, 15:41:30 04/19/07 Thu
    - inside -- lska, 20:51:01 04/20/07 Fri
- I think we have to as a society discuss events like this. We can’t live in a vacuum and ignore something this big. As long as the author isn’t trying to make profit or in some way benefit from the event I don’t think it is wrong to write about it or make a show about it. As long as it is done tastefully and with respect to the victims. With something of this magnitude happening we are all looking for answers and ways to deal with it. Some choose to do that through writing and choose to share that to maybe also bring some comfort to others. I do believe a warning at the beginning might have been a good idea so that those that didn’t want to read about this subject could stop before they got into the story. But we should all be respectful of how others deal with a crisis. (NT) -- Hope, 16:01:48 04/19/07 Thu
  - I don't think it's wrong to write about it either. Writing can be cathartic. (Inside) -- Pixie, 18:34:04 04/20/07 Fri
- Too long, see INSIDE -- TK, 16:28:26 04/19/07 Thu
  - I agree with this, completely (Inside) -- Pixie, 18:39:15 04/20/07 Fri
- This discussion, as well as the story in question, is very thought-provoking. I read it, and felt it was sensitively done. I was startled at the vehemence of the people who objected to it--it was almost a personal attack, in one case. (inside) -- Deemus, 20:09:25 04/19/07 Thu
  - Going inside... -- Pixie, 22:58:22 04/19/07 Thu
- Considering this took place in Blackburg, and Mattie is of college age, and Harm and Mac are the kinds to be supportive, proactive in protecting, sensitive to greif, and have fans who like to take solace and comfort in fanfiction showcasing their characters, I think it would be odd to NOT have a story written about it. Yes it should be done with sensitivity and respect, that goes without saying. (NT) -- Theresa, 20:12:35 04/19/07 Thu
  - I agree that it would seem odd not to have a story like this. (inside) -- Pixie, 18:47:23 04/20/07 Fri
    - Thanks pixie - as one of the hurt posters, it does help knowing that at least someone like you understands. I'll take that hug! I know that authors tend to stick together and rally support to one of their own, but us readers need to be heard too. Thanks for hearing pixie. (NT) -- Hurting, 23:49:33 04/20/07 Fri
    - I didn't address that in my original post, but I will now. -- Theresa, 03:09:52 04/21/07 Sat
      - Theresa, I think we’re all missing the point of the ‘dissenters’ reviews. I think those who found fault with the story were posting real & true feelings, & they have the right to express those feelings. Everyone deals with death & loss differently. I posted a response on the HBX to Cece’s warning. I’m going to repost that response here, along with a further explanation. -- doc, 10:22:49 04/21/07 Sat
        
        I didn't miss the point at all. Nor am I discounting the feelings of the people expressing them. I understand the anguish and my heart goes out to them, as well as I acknowledge their right to have and express those feelings. What I'm saying is that just because someone is understandably hurt doesn't give them the right to hurt other people. Especially so personally and in a public forum. And it's this perspective that prompted some posters to back Teacup. (NT) -- Theresa, 14:33:38 04/21/07 Sat
        
        I agree. I think a lot of the comments that erupted were a direct response to the personal attacks on Teacup, Had the frustration and hurt been expressed differently, and not as a personal attack on Teacup, I don't we would have seen such a hullabaloo on the board. (NT) -- JJ (Ronda)--Most people even said that they understood both sides, it was the attack that was the problem., 17:23:44 04/21/07 Sat
        
        Oops. That should say "I don't *think* we would have seen" (NT) -- JJ (Ronda)--who needs to proofread *before* hitting send., 17:24:57 04/21/07 Sat
- I've only read the comments on the jagnik board and the story. I thought it was a very realistic approach to what very well could have happened if Harm, Mac and Mattie were real people. The reality of fiction - fan or otherwise - is as someone said above: we do not live in a vacuum and neither do authors - I'm sorry to hear that teacup had to face attacks on her character for taking the time to write what was no doubt a difficult piece, but I'm sure if you ask any author about something they've written - at least some portion of their imagination was most likely inspired by some true event or the effect of some event on their lives. (NT) -- clk, 22:10:29 04/19/07 Thu
- I have not ready the story. When I saw what it was about, I stopped. My feeling is that any writer can write whatever they want, and the reader can read whatever they want. Unless a story is way out of left field, ie hobgoblins of somekind, a writer can be effected because the content happened to them or someone they know. The problem is, how do you warn readers about everything negative that will happen in a story, without giving away the plot. (NT) -- Sophie, 07:30:58 04/20/07 Fri
  - Sorry, but I meant the reader can be effected. (NT) -- Sophie, 11:36:57 04/20/07 Fri
  - Duty to warn... (inside) -- Pixie, 19:10:30 04/20/07 Fri
    - I think there's a duty to warn the reader if the potentially upsetting element of the story is not obvious from the very beginning, comes out of left field, or happens so far into the story that the reader may already be hooked. In this particular case, it was apparent almost in the very first paragraph what the story was about. In that case, unless the very first paragraph is going to be shockingly violent or horrible, I don't think a warning is necessary. The first paragraph is as good as a warning and the back button is always right there. (NT) -- Theresa, 23:16:28 04/20/07 Fri
    - I wonder also whether Teacup might not have realized how strongly negative the reactions to her story might be... (going inside) -- Colie, 05:54:55 04/21/07 Sat
      - I'm pretty sure she didn't know. If she did, she probably wouldn't have posted it. And I agree with what you said. Sometimes it's hard to anticipate people's reactions, especially the reactions that are so far removed from your own. (NT) -- JAG Junkie (Ronda), 09:28:15 04/21/07 Sat
- I would have included a warning note, in bold, at the beginning of the story. However, hindsight's easy, and we weren't Teacup, sitting there with her as she wrote and posted. (NT) -- Janlaw, 21:22:16 04/20/07 Fri
- Inside -- MAXS, 14:23:28 04/22/07 Sun
- As the moderator of the HBX, I have a duty to make sure that nothing is offensive to the majority of people, something written with the obvious intent to offend. (Inside.) -- Cece, 21:48:15 04/22/07 Sun
- I have changed my mind several times on this issue while reading the responses. I was not disturbed by the story mainly I think because I had been rehashing it for several days at work. I'm a university professor (inside) -- lobsterdoc, 22:59:33 04/22/07 Sun
  - I used to be a sessional instructor/grad student at a large university in Vancouver, and I know what you mean. If any group of people can hash things out, it's academics, particularly in my dept (English.) This incident makes me glad I'm not on campus anymore. It gets so intense. (Inside.) -- Cece, 00:10:38 04/23/07 Mon
Announcing the "What if..." ficathon -- Pixie, 09:59:45 04/09/07 Mon [86]

Ever wonder what would've happened if certain plot twists in JAG had gone...somewhat differently? Here's your chance to find out. The newest JAG ficathon is all about possibilities, about choosing a different fork in the road and seeing what happens.

Anybody and everybody is welcome to join in the fun on this one. Have an idea you'd like somebody to write? Post it! See an idea you'd like to explore yourself? Claim the prompt and write it! :)

Here are a few simple guidelines:

1) Submit your prompt requests either as replies to this post or by emailing me. If you email your prompt, I will post it for you so that all of the writers have a chance to see it.
2) Every prompt should start with the phrase, "What if..."
3) You can post as many prompt requests as you'd like.
4) Please keep in mind that our writers will only have 3 weeks in which to work, and they're writing short stories (500-5,000 words), so that prompt that requires a rewrite of the entire 10th season? Probably not going to happen. :-)
5) You can submit prompts without writing, and you can write without submitting. :-)
6) Prompts do not have to be submitted anonymously (though they can be if you'd like). However, as in the first two ficathons, the stories will be posted anonymously. Authors will be revealed at the end of the ficathon.

Still have questions? Feel free to email me or ask your question in the next post down the board. :)

Last edited by author: Mon April 09, 2007 14:47:40 Edited 1 time.
[Edit]

Replies:
- Inside for my three prompts -- ficaddict (not posting under my real name as I'm not sure if the prompts are to be anonymous), 13:23:13 04/09/07 Mon
  - Sorry about that. I'll edit the original post. Prompts do not have to be anonymous. (NT) -- Pixie, 14:45:18 04/09/07 Mon
- Inside please... -- Wolfeylady, 18:11:19 04/09/07 Mon
- Here are a couple (inside) -- Deemus, 19:24:22 04/09/07 Mon
- What if---that conversation on the ferry in "Boomerang" had gone differently?? What then? And in what direction? (NT) -- highplainswoman, 19:54:58 04/09/07 Mon
  - Hey - I've already written this one - Trial Tactics! But I'm sure someone can do better ..... (NT) -- janlaw, 23:10:28 04/09/07 Mon
    - Where would I find 'Trial Tactics,' janlaw? (NT) -- Lee (lametz@Juno.com), 21:41:10 04/10/07 Tue
    - HI janlaw!! - I suspect many of us have written one about this ep going differently- I also suspect a lot of it has been lost in cyberspace forever - in a round about way - my boomerang story was Times of His Life. (NT) -- clk, 08:36:18 04/12/07 Thu
- What if Harm hadn't come back from Flying so soon? Would Mac and Harm gotten together sooner or maybe heaven forbid not at all? (NT) -- Hope, 21:17:23 04/09/07 Mon
- What If Harm had gotten the hint that Mac wanted him to spend Christmas with her during Jaggle Bells and there was no Jordan? (NT) -- Hope, 21:18:46 04/09/07 Mon
- What If Harm hadn't gone back to flying how would Harm and Mac's relationship progressed? (NT) -- Hope, 21:21:15 04/09/07 Mon
- What if Renee arrives at Harms' house but he and Mac had left already for his grandmoter's farm in adrift 2. (NT) -- cd, 21:28:34 04/09/07 Mon
  - What if Renee's father had not died at all? (NT) -- Carolfd, 04:40:15 04/16/07 Mon
  - What if Mac beats Renee to Harm's apartment - How would Harm have handled the two women if Mac had been there first? (NT) -- BethK, 08:16:54 04/19/07 Thu
- What if Alicia Montes hadn't been at Harm's apartment the night Mac came to talk. What direction would the talk take? Would Mac find what she was looking for? Would Harm have opened up to Mac? Could this have been the start of something good or another dead end? (NT) -- usmgrad, 22:33:32 04/09/07 Mon
- What if in a fit of utter frustration Sturgis let slip Mac's secret to Harm. Would Harm act? And if so how? Author can pick time frame of slip and Harm's reaction. (NT) -- usmgrad, 22:39:15 04/09/07 Mon
- What if Harm and Mac had gotten together in Russia (in "To Russia with Love") (NT) -- Janlaw, 23:13:16 04/09/07 Mon
- If there would have been a follow-up to the last scene of Contemptous Words -- Karen Joy, 23:15:35 04/09/07 Mon
- What if AJ, when Harm and Mac returned from Paraguay, had told Harm he had held his resignation letter (hadn't processed it) but that Harm would be transferred immediately. What billet would Harm end up in? What would it mean for his relationship with Mac.? (NT) -- Janlaw, 23:17:52 04/09/07 Mon
- What if Singer had gone to Ireland (wasn't murdered)? (NCIS' Abbey said the plane ticket was to "Shannon"(airport) not to San Diego. Who was she meeting/what was she doing there? (NT) -- Janlaw, 23:38:22 04/09/07 Mon
- What if Mac had returned to her duty station (Quantico) after "We the People?" (Quantico is about 30-35 miles south of Falls Church) (NT) -- Janlaw, 23:40:47 04/09/07 Mon
- What if... There had never been a Diane Schonke, so Harm wasn't spooked by Mac when they first met, and she never had to wonder who Harm was seeing when he looked at her? (NT) -- The Captain (forgot what my password is... *sigh*), 23:46:36 04/09/07 Mon
- inside -- lska, 01:25:27 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Major Sarah MacKenzie was the assigned defense attorney for Harmon Rabb, Jr. as he is put on trial for the murder of Diane Schonke. ( Beginning of season two, continuing where Skelton Crew left off). (NT) -- usmgrad, 02:38:30 04/10/07 Tue
  - Ooh, that's a good one! Very interesting idea. Would have been a very different way to "start" the show on CBS. (NT) -- JAG Junkie (Ronda), 07:56:40 04/10/07 Tue
  - I'd like to second this one. I was going to suggest something to do with Harm's arrest at the end of Skelton Crew. I liked to see this one written. (NT) -- C.J., 12:53:04 04/10/07 Tue
    - I'd like to 'third' this one. In all the seasons, even the episode "Death Watch", no mention is made of how exactly Harm dodged the bullet for Diane's murder and what followed his arrest. (NT) -- Carolfd, 04:38:03 04/16/07 Mon
  - I agree! That would really throw Harm for a loop to have Diane's "twin" defending him for Diane's murder. (NT) -- Lee, 12:57:42 04/10/07 Tue
    - That would be weird when they show the photos of the victim in court. (NT) -- Theresa, 13:36:43 04/10/07 Tue
- What If there had not been anybody knocking on the door in Paraguay? Would they have had 'the talk'? Would Webb have been a factor for over a year? (NT) -- bama, 11:53:59 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Mac had fallen off the Admiral's chair and hit her head instead of Harm? What would her visions of Harm been? and What if Harm had gone with Mac to see her father when he was dying? What would his conversations with Joe MacKenzie (if he was still alive) and Deanne Mackenzie been like? (NT) -- Becky, 12:20:42 04/10/07 Tue
- What ifs -- ideaman, 12:24:43 04/10/07 Tue
- what if harm had arrived, in a tangled webb part one,just a little bit later of what we have seen on the show and mac had been tortured? (NT) -- dea, 12:55:50 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Harm found out that the whole Sergei and his 'mother's' stories were lies perpetrated by Sokel to get Harm to stop looking for his father. Would Harm give up or would this spur him to continue to search for the truth about what happened to him to the peril of his and Mac's relationship? (NT) -- Lee, 13:07:08 04/10/07 Tue
- What if in "The Stalker" Harm got to Mac before she fell off the wagon? How would he convince her it wasn't worth it? How would it change their relationship? (NT) -- Staz, 14:03:34 04/10/07 Tue
- Two more (inside) -- Staz, 14:18:43 04/10/07 Tue
- What if the dead sailor Harm and Mac went to see about had been, say, English instead of Aussie? So, instead of Sydney, they went to say, Portsmouth? IE, no reason to see the Micster, try the case against the Micster, or for him to ever be heard from again. Same circumstances, even the ferry, just sub England for Australia? (NT) -- CM>^.,.^<, 16:10:25 04/10/07 Tue
  - INSIDE--- -- CM>^.,.^<, 16:17:31 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Harm was convicted of Singer's murder and was sent to Levenworth? (NT) -- Ultracape, 18:19:23 04/10/07 Tue
- What if in "What If" Mac gets on the train and Harm allows himself to be used by Alison Krenick? (NT) -- Ultracape, 18:22:31 04/10/07 Tue
- What if it were it were Harm and the CIA female lawyer who were sent to Paraquay and Mac resigned her commission to rescue them? (NT) -- Ultracape, 18:30:49 04/10/07 Tue
- What if in Posse Comitatus Mac's cell phone had not rung? How would she have answered Harm's question - Are you glad to have me back? Would that have opened up a dialogue or would the door stay closed? (NT) -- usmgrad, 18:33:16 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Harm and Mac were married already and at the end of season 10 a man shows up claiming to be Harm's father? (NT) -- Ultracape, 18:37:13 04/10/07 Tue
- What if the Admiral had not allowed Mac to return to JAG after People vs. Rabb? (NT) -- ., 19:33:00 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Mac knew about Harm and Renee breaking up before Jagathon. Either he told her outright, or she asked, or she found out from Sturgis or someone. Would it have mattered that Renee did the breaking up and not Harm? (NT) -- JAG Junkie (Ronda), 19:44:41 04/10/07 Tue
- What if the ferry ride went differently. I'm talking about their date in Luna Park and after. What if Harm and Mic stripped blouses a lot sooner than Sydney. Or what if Coster got out and teamed up with Palmer. (NT) -- LisaJAG, 19:50:58 04/10/07 Tue
- This is FUN!!!! :) Thank you!! Inside for my prompts....... -- Acer, 20:18:17 04/10/07 Tue
  - One more: What if Diane and Mac were actually the same person. Mac was Harm's old friend and they met again after years of separation in "We the people". (NT) -- Acer, 20:27:40 04/10/07 Tue
- What if in The Bridge at Kang So Ri Harm protected Mac's identity. (I always wondered what would have happened after Mac asked Harm who he would have protected. Working off memory I believe Harm's response was "I guess we'll never know", right?) (NT) -- LisaJAG, 21:57:57 04/10/07 Tue
  - Or...to take this in a little different direction...what if Rene pointed Mac out as the colonel that they were looking for instead of Mac giving up herself. How would Harm respond to Rene's betrayal of Mac? (NT) -- Lee, 14:33:47 04/11/07 Wed
- What if: During "The Mission" when Harm was talking about best RIO being a woman, and Mac mentioned Skates. Harm turned to her and said, "I wasn't talking about Skates." As we remember, Mac was his RIO during "To Russia With Love". (NT) -- Sophie, 22:04:13 04/10/07 Tue
- What if Porter Webb did not show up in H&F II to kill Simon. Would Webb sacrifice H or M? I would like to see the scene played out so Mac would see more how Webb used her and Harm in that situation. What if Harm’s life was in danger. What would Mac do? What if Mac’s life was in danger. What would Harm do? (NT) -- Sunset - who believe that our talented writers can make this scene a lot more emotional and interesting!, 00:46:01 04/11/07 Wed
  - What if in Webb of Lies, Palmer went after Mac because he knows Harm loves her and Harm's behavior confirms Jordan's suspicion that she'll only be around till Mac wants him. (NT) -- Harm's Bella, 10:16:43 04/11/07 Wed
- What if? At the end of Death Watch, after Mac says "I know you were kissing her", Harm corrects her and says no he wasn't he was "kissing her", meaning Mac. What would she have done? (NT) -- Kimster, 10:33:50 04/11/07 Wed
- What if - 'What if" really happened. Pick up the story at the train station, Mac says" I am ready, are you?" What is Harm's response? Where do they go from here? Do they have what it takes to make it work the second time? Can they find happiness? What about Krenick? What about JAG? What is Mac going to do now that she is no longer in the military? (NT) -- usmgrad, 18:03:49 04/11/07 Wed
- What if when AJ told Harm he was a civilian (upon return from Paraguay) Mac handed him her resignation letter with a few choice words about his (AJ's) having abandoned her to die after essentially making her (and Harm) available to the CIA again and again ..... (NT) -- Janlaw, 22:10:45 04/11/07 Wed
  - Ooh, that's a good one. I hope somebody takes this and runs with it. (NT) -- bama, 00:50:01 04/12/07 Thu
- Inside for several prompts. ... -- lisa, 00:00:54 04/12/07 Thu
  - I like prompt 5 in this list. (NT) -- Sophie, 10:12:35 04/13/07 Fri
- What if . . . -- SammyB, 09:09:20 04/12/07 Thu
- Three What if's -- Corporal Punishment, 16:42:58 04/12/07 Thu
- What if...... -- MACS, 17:04:17 04/12/07 Thu
- What if...... -- MACS, 17:07:18 04/12/07 Thu
- What if Mac had arrived at Harm's before Renee (Adrift 2)? What if Mac was the one accussed of murdering Singer and Harm still believed that Segei was the father of the child? (NT) -- Vacherie Girl, 08:25:42 04/13/07 Fri
- What if Harm had talked to Mac when she came over and he was having dinner with Bobbie? Would she have told him about Chris maybe preventing the whole murder trial and then maybe Mic would not have been such a factor, (NT) -- Hope, 09:01:38 04/13/07 Fri
  - I like hopes idea, but if I can add one more piece to this, what if it was Harm in the hotel room with Mac instead of Farrow. Harm protecting her, and what about the dinner invitation from Mic at the end. (NT) -- Sophie, 10:21:35 04/13/07 Fri
- What if Renee's cell phone had been dead the night she got the call about her dad? What if Jordan had been a male? What if Bud had saved the kid and kept his leg (give the guy his heroic moment) (NT) -- Erk, 18:58:45 04/13/07 Fri
- Another one -- what if Renee hadn't gotten together with the mortician, but had come back to Washington for Harm? Would he have broken up with her eventually, or would he have waited her out? (NT) -- lska, 21:06:19 04/13/07 Fri
- Here is a tear jerker scenario. What if Mattie didn’t come out from her coma and Harm had to let her die by making decision to disconnect her life support system. Would this tragic loss lead Harm to shut off his heart or would it eventually bring Harm & Mac together? (NT) -- Sunset, 02:53:44 04/14/07 Sat
- I think it's in Touch and Go, Mic says that his pursuit of Mac could have been harassment, that she didn't welcome his advances, she says that apparently she did welcome them. What if either her immediate answer had been different or over the next few days she began to rethink her actions and decisions? (NT) -- Anonymous, 10:10:16 04/14/07 Sat
- I can't remember if this one has been said already, but what if Harm found out that Sergei was not really his brother. He was a plant by Sokol. Sergei may or may not have known the truth--he could have been in on it, or maybe he was duped into believing it too. (NT) -- JAG Junkie (Ronda), 20:35:49 04/14/07 Sat
- What if: It was Mac was below deck during Cabin Pressure instead of Harm. Who would have saved her Harmor AJ (NT) -- Sophie, 21:21:14 04/14/07 Sat
- WHAT IF MAC TOLD BRUMBY ON FERRY (NT) -- MACS, 13:33:25 04/15/07 Sun
  - SORRY Its suppose to say WHAT IF MAC TOLD BRUMBY NO ON THE FERRY. Wireless Keyboard was dying! (NT) -- MACS, 13:38:07 04/15/07 Sun
- What if: After Paraguay, Mac didn't say never and she and Harm got together, but Clay wouldn't accept it. He kept trying to win Mac away from Harm. (NT) -- Sophie, 20:56:39 04/15/07 Sun
- We found out more about Mac from her counseling sessions. What if Harm was the one went for counseling? What would we find out about the tall handsome all-American hero with the 40-Kilowatt smile (partial quote from The Chief)? (NT) -- Sunset - always want to know more about Harm!, 23:40:40 04/16/07 Mon
- What if Frank died in a mysterious accident and Harm's mother was being courted by a mysterious stranger. Will Harm relive the trauma of his formative years or will he be supportive, despite his feelings of betrayal, and his gut instincts that something is terribly wrong? (NT) -- Ultracape, 09:56:43 04/17/07 Tue
- What if Mac was shot instead of her husband Chris? (NT) -- MACS, 13:51:26 04/17/07 Tue
- What if Mac arrived at Harm's apartment in the last scene of Corporate Raiders, just before Mattie was leaving with her dad and stays talking to Harm and reaches some kind of resolution... (NT) -- Curious lurker, who cannot write for nuts, 09:26:15 04/18/07 Wed
  - We're not all nuts. Some of us are well-balanced and sane. (NT) -- Looney Petunia, 10:02:26 04/18/07 Wed
- What if Harm somehow overheard THE conversation Mac had with Sturgis (you know, the "I'm in love with him" one). Inside -- JAG Junkie (Ronda), 19:00:40 04/19/07 Thu
- What if Brumby and Renee had an affair? (NT) -- MACS, 14:08:57 04/22/07 Sun
Ficathon Stuff -- Pixie, 09:36:36 04/09/07 Mon [1]

It looks like "What if" has a narrow lead in the votes for what kind of theme people would like to do this time, so that's what we're going to do. That said, if you'd prefer to open a fortune cookie (the second choice theme), you certainly may. All you'd need to do is incorporate the fortune into the "What if.." prompt.

For example... I recently had Chinese food and got the following fortune. "You will move to a wonderful new home within the year." Easy enough to reformulate that into a prompt. To wit: "What if Harm and Mac move to a wonderful new home and something goes horribly wrong?"

We're going to use the same format we did for the Christmas ficathon in that anybody can suggest a prompt, and writers will be free to choose from the entire list of ideas for their story.

The schedule for the ficathon will be as follows:

April 9, 2007 - Begin accepting prompt suggestions

April 23, 2007 - Writers can begin requesting prompts. Requests need to be emailed to me. Please try to send a first, second, and third choice request.

May 21, 2007 - Story deadline. All stories should be emailed to me as .doc, .rtf, or .txt file attachments.

May 22, 2007 - First day of the ficathon. Stories will be posted at the rate of one a day until all stories are up.

Remember, we're going for short stories here. You've only got 3 weeks in which to write, and this is supposed to be fun - not a chore. :-)

Any questions? Ask away. :-)

[Edit]
Okay, so it looks like there's solid interest in doing this project again. -- Pixie, 11:04:11 04/01/07 Sun [15]

I've had several people send in ideas for ficathons. Some of these came to me quite a while ago, others have just arrived. Here are four suggestions.

1)The "Marry me" ficathon - Rewrite the proposal at the end of FWFS

2)The "Conversations" ficathon, set post FWFS. Prompts are questions Harm and Mac ask each other about things said or done in the past.

3)The "Fortune Cookie" ficathon, in which all of the prompts are from fortune cookies (yes, you'd need to actually open fortune cookies for this one
).

4)The "What If" Ficathon, in which each prompt starts with the phrase, "What if..."

So...thoughts? Comments? Opinions?

Last edited by author: Sun April 01, 2007 11:32:09 Edited 1 time.
[Edit]

Replies:
Okay, so this is going to seem a little strange in light of my last post, but... -- Pixie, 22:45:54 03/24/07 Sat [24]

Are any of you interested in participating in another ficathon? I'm not committing to anything yet, but I am curious about what your thoughts are.

[Edit]

Replies:
- Although I'm just a reader and not a writer, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the fic-a-thons so far, so my vote is 'go for it'. (NT) -- bama, 23:35:17 03/24/07 Sat
- I too am only a reader but I would definitely be interested. Nothing like a good fic to read. I do appreciate all the hard work and talent it requires to be willing to be a fan fic author. (NT) -- gypsyrose06, 23:46:48 03/24/07 Sat
- Yes, I would definitely be interested in reading a new ficathon. (NT) -- harmsgirl, 00:15:43 03/25/07 Sun
- Yes, both to reading and to writing for a ficathon (NT) -- Karen Joy, 00:40:59 03/25/07 Sun
  - I forgot something earlier. -- Karen Joy, 02:37:24 03/25/07 Sun
- I would love to write for a ficathon this time around -- KatrinaD, 01:40:56 03/25/07 Sun
- I was just thinking that it was time for another one. I'm in. (NT) -- Theresa, 04:46:12 03/25/07 Sun
  - I was just re-reading the Xmas ficathon and thought the same thing!! So yeah, I'd participate again! (NT) -- Colie, 05:42:40 03/25/07 Sun
- Pixie, THANKS!! Does this mean you'll coordinate?? I'm in, as you know! (NT) -- Janlaw, 10:24:14 03/25/07 Sun
  - lol - I wondered when I'd see you here. Let's say it means I'm considering it. But yeah...leaning in favor. (NT) -- Pixie, 10:43:43 03/25/07 Sun
    - *batts eyelashes and smiles sweetly* pretty please....pretty pretty please... (NT) -- KatrinaD, 11:51:39 03/25/07 Sun
- I'm just a reader. I'd love to read some more new stories. Another fic-a-thon is a great idea! (NT) -- BlueJay, 11:59:03 03/25/07 Sun
- Sure, count me in for another ficathon. I had a great time the first two rounds! (NT) -- Deemus, 13:16:13 03/25/07 Sun
- Sure. I need the pressure to write. If I commit to you to do a story, then it forces me to honour my commitment. Btw, for those who don't know, all the ficathon stories from Oct. and Christmas, are archived in the HBX Archives. (NT) -- Cece, 13:48:15 03/25/07 Sun
- As a avid reader and sometime writer I say go for it. I also was rereading the ficathon of Christmas and October and thinking it's time to bring JAG into spring and summer. (NT) -- usmgrad, don't know if I can commit to write but definately can commit to read., 14:28:34 03/25/07 Sun
- I'm definitely for another ficathon, I'd even like to try and participate as a writer this time. (NT) -- Staz, 16:12:12 03/25/07 Sun
- As a fairly new writer of fanfic I would be interested in trying my hand at writing for a ficathon. And I certainly love to read the great stories written! (NT) -- lisa, 17:01:56 03/25/07 Sun
- I loved the last two ficathons, and appreciate all your work. If an idea strikes me, I mighe even try to write one. (NT) -- Wolfeylady, 17:50:21 03/25/07 Sun
- MORE FF -- anna7, 20:13:17 03/25/07 Sun
- Hi Pixie! I would love to write in another ficathon as long as I have the time. Thanks for all the hard work you put into this stuff - I'm sorry to hear about Legacies - I hope you get enough volunteers to help you out. I wish I could - I'm just too busy - waaah! (NT) -- Gibson, 20:59:21 03/25/07 Sun
- Fic a thon -- Mari21763, 14:12:54 03/26/07 Mon
- I'm game, but can't promise anything until I see know the timing. (NT) -- lobsterdoc, 23:03:07 03/26/07 Mon
- YAY :) i'm in, count on me for reading, maybe i'll try and write one ff ;) (NT) -- AGP, 05:59:17 03/28/07 Wed

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