The Collected Works of One Space Jazz, in Exile · 10:09am Mar 17th, 2023
What a dramatic title lmao. I just think it sounds funny. Anyways, I wanted this little blogpost to be a half-confession, half-retrospective on the fics I’ve written while The Sunlight Theory was on hiatus for four years.
I never stopped writing. If I'm being real, I never even stopped writing Sunlight Theory during the break. I've learned that I have to be constantly in motion to finish a fic, or else a long break happens, and who knows when I'll finish the story. Basically, I gotta keep running before doubt sets in.
Each time I hit a major wall, I tried writing something else for a little bit to bring me back into motion before working on just a little bit more for Sunlight Theory.
So these stories are more or less the results of that.
Parlez-vouz Prancais? - Scotters, Dec 27th, 2017
So A long while back I made a post in Looking for Editors group and met a very lovely fourths, who threw her hat in the ring to edit The Sunlight Project and eventually Sunlight Theory. And Project really needed all the help I could get because, dear god I was sixteen when I first started writing it. In return, I'd write her a fic, and this was the long overdue payment, which I also paid forward by editing a few things for her as well. But really nothing could repay how much I love having her in my life as a friend. She's a sweetheart, and I'd write all the Raridash in the world to keep being friends.
The result of all that is a fic where I spent a day or two learning French for a joke because I'm a fucking child lmao. I like this story quite a bit on revisit, it's silly dumb kids being dumb kids written by a dumb kid. That's my jam. And that ending line still amuses me. What also still amuses me is that people caught on that I made the account just to post a single story and then dip.
I do that a bit.
She Kills Monsters - chiko, Nov 2019
I hate this story. I love this story. I think it's my best story. I think it's my worst story. I'm very conflicted about what I wrote here, but whatever it is I stand by it? It's certainly maybe the boldest thing I've written, at least the most vulnerable.
Of my works during the hiatus, I think this got the most attention and acclaim, especially since it was a part of FanofMostEverything's Imposing Sovereigns II Contest. I feel guilty for not being forthcoming that it was in fact an alt, because part of its mystique seemed to be that it was a "first story." But Space Jazz, for all intents and purposes, was dead. I wouldn't go by that name or even log into that account until I finished writing the draft of Sunlight Theory we'd see posted in April 2020.
I genuinely never expected it to get any attention, let alone place second out of over 50 stories.
That said, the moment it started getting traction and it placing suddenly became possible given the responses to the fic, I resolved that if I won any money from placing I'd ask for it to be donated to The Trevor Project, which it was, and I love the little note FOME left with the donation.
So even if I swing back to disliking the story, a good thing came out of it in the end.
Subway Girl — Hoagie, Feb 2020
This fic, as hilarious as it sounds, is probably the most instrumental in getting Sunlight Theory completed. This is the fic I often spent the most time returning too on and off when I hit a wall writing Theory. Its conceit is that I would just write with little care to editing or anything else really. I wanted to just write with little expectations and just let something flourish and feel its vibe without overthinking it. And it shares a decent amount of parallels with Theory in that it's a story where Twilight's a dumb idiot baby getting into a relationship on a bad pretense and has to grow up from it. It's like Sunlight Theory's evil twin.
It was posted on a long deleted alt, and I wish I had the foresight to transfer the original story and the next story up because it's less of a headache, but fuck it, we ball. Anyways, I like this story, a bit too much, as it seems to have taken the mantle as my unfinished fic in place of Theory. Ironic, fitting, idk I'm not a writer. That said, I would like to see this fic completed, but y'all know me, might be years now that doubt has set in. But if it helps soothe the pain, I got really into A Song of Ice and Fire lately, so I know how it feels just a skoosh.
We Looked Like Giants — marin, Jun 30th, 2020
This fic probably changed my life the most. It helped me meet some friends who I love deeply, brought me back in contact with some old friends and helped me get through the whole COVID lockdown isolation thing. I owe everyone I met as marin so much love I can't ever give back.
It's a sweet story, written from inspiration of reading a bunch of magical realism novels, revisiting Equestria Girls and watching Forgotten Friendship, and wanting to just be outside in the world and experiencing it with someone during lockdown, and the on the nose timing of a Death Cab for Cutie song on my playlist.
So, What's Next?
I have no clue. I'd like to keep writing. I have plenty of ideas for long fics, one notable one involving Moon Dancer, the Shadowbolts, Crystal Prep's secret elite, high society underworld, and a production name of "Be Gay, Do Crime." But before I get carried away, new longfics probably won't see the light of day until at most it's done or at least a substantial amount is finished because I've unfortunately maybe learned my lesson. Also I'd like to continue Subway Girl, or Sandwich Gays as some friends have dubbed it, but I have to be in the right mindset to write something that irreverent.
Anyways, I'm kind of just vibing, so we'll see what comes next. Given my track record, who's to say it'll even be on this account?
Always Nebulous,
Space Jazz → scotters → chiko → Hoagie → marin → Space Jazz
anyways it's almost 4am and i should sleep and posting this is probably a bad idea but fuck it, we ball, the internet isn't real, i'm not real lmao
You wrote She Kills Monsters? Nice! Turns out I've been enjoying your work without even realizing it for a while.
Will We Looked Like Giants be getting a move over to this account too?
big wally big wally :)
Having known Hoagie and Jazz, it's nice to meet the others! Always rooting for you, always glad to see you around in any form
Huh.
Aint that something?
Fair enough, then. Well played!
~Skeeter The Lurker