Weekly Chat and Spectre Prompt Fest (10/7/2015-17/7/2015)

[mi6-cafe-mod.livejournal.com]

The weekly chat is open again for your entire Bond chatting needs! Don’t forget that the weekly chat is open until Friday of next week (where there will be a new weekly chat post full of exciting mi6 café updates).

Anon commenting is on so you don’t need an account to join in the fun! If you are using anon comments, if you could put your name/handle in the subject line/body of the comments that would be fab (just so everyone knows who they are talking to!)

Weekly Recs

It’s time again for you to give your weekly recs! This week we’re looking for your favourite fics/art you’ve seen over the past week and those fics/art that fit into the genre of the week!

This week the genre of fanwork recs we’re looking for is: Unknown. This could include fanworks by people who are slightly less known in the fandom at large, as well as those fanworks which fit the theme of ‘unknown’

When reccing fic/art, please can you make a separate comment with ‘Week Rec’ in the subject title. If you’re commenting anon, then just put your handle in brackets after the ‘Weekly Rec’ bit - eg Weekly Rec (cass). This just helps your friendly mod hunt down all your links and put them into the weekly rec post!

Spectre Prompt Fest!

The MI6 prompt bingo table continues! We’re releasing a new prompt every week up to when Spectre is released in the UK on November 6^th. You can  write/draw/create anything of your choice in response to the prompt, and you can post fills for any of the revealed prompt!

This week the prompt is: Broken.

Exploding Objects	Love doesn’t solve everything	Broken	Hidden	Hidden
Hidden	Hidden	Hidden	Hidden	Hidden
Hidden	Hidden	Hidden	Hidden	Hidden
Hidden	Hidden	Hidden	Hidden	Hidden

You can post your fills anywhere you like – tumblr, in the comments section of the weekly chat, as a post to the comm, or your own LJ! Feel free to link your fills in the chat, and don’t forget to tag your prompt fills with #mi6cafeprompt so everyone can share the 00Q love!

If you are posting your fill as a separate post on the comm, please follow the guidelines on the Comm's profile page with regards to headers. This helps your friendly mods create the relevant tags to ensure things are easy to find!

Bond Movie Club Survey

Yes you heard correctly, we're going to be holding a Movie Club here at MI6 Cafe for everyone to watch the Bond films, old and new, together and get some brilliant discussions going about everything from Daniel Craigs abs to how the filimg styles have changed over the eras of Bond movies being made.

To help us out, if you're interested in this Bond Movie Club, it would be great if you could take the time to fill in this short survey about what times are best for you to watch the film! Please go to the link here.

This week’s questions

To celebrate the chat being extended to a further week, we’ve got some more questions for you to answer and discuss!

1)      Would James be a morning or a night person? What about Q?
2)      What’s your favourite headcannon for James and Q’s first kiss?
3)      What are your favourite genres to read/look for in fic or art respectively?
4)      What tags on A03 would draw you to a fic? What would make you avoid it?
5)      For fancreators of all kinds – how do you defeat writers/art blocks?
6)      Are you excited for the new Bond Book and Movie Clubs? What are you looking forward to the most?

Feel free to add more questions below! 

Comments

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

1) Would James be a morning or a night person? What about Q? I think they're both morning people - they feel best when they're well rested. I personally like to make Q as little like the nerd stereotype as possible, which means that unless he's working on something urgent, you're unlikely to find him on his laptop at 2 am.

2) What’s your favourite headcanon for James and Q’s first kiss? Their first kiss was probably the night they first slept together, and it was definitely idk, is hot and heavy a good description?

3) What are your favourite genres to read/look for in fic or art respectively? oh god, this is a hard one - I like 'bond is on a mission' but not mission fics, if that makes sense - and angst is my weakness, as is James's POV

4) What tags on A03 would draw you to a fic? What would make you avoid it? I tends to look to the summary for things that draw me to it, but as far as avoiding goes... I avoid stuff tagged with any variation of alpha/beta/omega stuff, and bdsm unless it's got another tag that's something like 'light sub/dom.' besides that, I'm not really sure

5) For fancreators of all kinds – how do you defeat writers/art blocks? I switch fics, and if that doesn't work, I switch from writing to brainstorming/planning stuff that isn't ready to be written yet. if that doesn't work, I yell about it on tumblr a bit and then take a break

6) Are you excited for the new Bond Book and Movie Clubs? What are you looking forward to the most? I'm really interested to see what people's favourite books and movies are, ad what they think of the way the books are adapted

[teacass.livejournal.com]

1) That's really interesting - do you think that Q's need for tea is more because he enjoys the taste then as opposed fuelling himself with caffeine?

5) Yelling about things on tumblr is the no 1 way to solve problems and also procrastinate the problems too :D

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

1) I've never known anyone to drink tea for the caffeine, to be honest, so yeah, I think he just likes the taste

2) oh, definitely! it helps to have a tumblr buddy to rant at, too (eyeballs peterpandyke)

[spike-wilbury.livejournal.com]

1. James is a morning person. Q is a night person. Q is flexible to stay awake when James is awake [or any other agent for that matter]

2. They're yelling at each other before James leans forward and pecks Q on the lips. Q stares in confusion before it's a full blown makeout session.

3. I like a little bondage and I especially love AUs. I have always loved the way people can put these two into another world and build upon that.

4. see above. Ones that I tend to avoid [sometimes it's inevitable because i do like the author of the fic] is Q as a Holmes. I don't like it, I don't want it. Please stop.
that and non-con most of the time, not really a fan of that :x

5. I tend to stop writing and read. Usually the older books to see if I should make James more like the books or just go fuck it and ooc him a little. I like writing dialogue [see my latest writing on my toombles] and sometimes writing lots of violence.

6. I am, actually! I can't wait to have in depth discussions about the books! I've never really met anyone that's actually read the books so I've never been able to really talk about them!

[spike-wilbury.livejournal.com]

Stuff about the movie times: once we get that rolling, please let me know the date If we are going to have it on the weekend, i'll have to request time off work to do it. I work nights and won't have access to a computer.

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

we've got a rough timetable worked out, which I can send you if you want, but it depends if more people vote for saturday or sunday - but you can vote for time during the day when you've got your computer, too

[peterpandyke.livejournal.com]

I could only pick one or two options in the survey, because it'll depend on the actual date rather than the day of the week, seeing as my shifts vary, so all I can say is around midnight UTC+2.

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

1) They're both morning people--Q in particular enjoys his routine--but they also occasionally deal with bouts of insomnia or work-related night-owling. Yay for nightmares, trauma, something Q refers to as "Restless Brain Syndrome," and the reality of half your 00s working in ridiculous time zones.

2) Maybe: James bit Q on the bottom lip at the beginning of a pissed off kiss because Q was mouthing off like the little shit he is; Q loved it and quickly gave Bond positive reinforcement and instructions to do it again.

3) Hurt/comfort, most things that look long and plotty, any kind of "sent my soul back to relive the past in order to avert a traumatic future" AU (not many of those in Bond fandom--I almost feel like it's a genre that's a bit too fantastic for the Bond series, as compared to, IDK, Harry Potter or something). (Also, Skyfall's "don't look too closely" plot may not encourage a fic whose premise depends on, you know. Looking closely at the plot in order to change it.)

4) Anything with "touch-starved" or "Hugs" or "Cuddling" in the tag is probably going to be pounced on and rolled around in, tbh. "Hurt/comfort," "slow burn," and any tags to do with teamwork or families of choice or something are also good. I tend to avoid fics with A/B/O Dynamics, slavery, or noncon.

5) Yeah, I've got to hop on board the "write something else!" train re: defeating any kind of block, whether it's a ficlet, excited plotbunnying, thirteen different alternative takes of the same scene until you realize how your fundamental approach needs to change, or even just a treatise about what color Q and Bond would paint their toenails or something ridiculous like that. A break can be good too, but the important thing is to not stop writing for so long that you lose momentum and hesitate to start again.

6) SO EXCITED. I've barely seen or read any of the older Bond canon, and I can't wait to talk about the books and movies with the smart and passionate people I've met in this fandom, and see what kind of creativity the readings and viewings inspire!

Re: Castillon

[teacass.livejournal.com]

2) Can I board this headcannon ship where do I sign up?

5) I suck so bad at dropping something and then never picking it up again - it's something that I really have to work at! Do you find specific prompts to help you break the block at all?

6) Book and Film club is going to be SO GOOD. Can't wait for it all to kick off :D

Re: Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

2) Volunteers can sign up using an online form and must bring their own writing utensils. No exploding pens unless issued by the Quartermaster. :P

5) It helps to have a friend who knows you're writing that specific thing and can helpfully ask about it! Or, I've never done this but it might work, you could set up a calendar alert for three weeks later or something. Lol, actually, the most truly helpful thing to fight writer's block has been a concrete deadline! "YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FINISH."

I've been using a bingo square to help me get my head around an idea, but my creative process can sometimes be a bit indirect. It's like...if you decide to draw a cathedral, and then you doodle dozens of different arches and stained glass windows and buttresses and soaring ceilings, and only then after exploring a bunch of the different options of cathedral-building do you realize exactly how those options should go together to create the whole building that you want. If that makes any sense at all. Maybe it's just the writing equivalent of "putting it on the back burner," idek.

6) Can't reiterate enough how excited I am for BOOK AND FILM CLUB.

-Castillon

[peterpandyke.livejournal.com]

1)Would James be a morning or a night person? What about Q?
James is definitely a morning person in my head. Night being usually restless, be it due to work or troubles sleeping, I think he enjoys mornings more. With Q, I'm not really sure. I'd say maybe a bit more of a morning person, but not get up at 5am and go for a run, but probably wake up at a reasonable hour and start the day with tea kind of morning person. Obviously, he's got to be flexible with the job he's got, but tbh, working for the MI6, don't all of them?

2)What’s your favourite headcannon for James and Q’s first kiss?
See, there's my problem, I don't really have a first kiss headcanon. I don't know why, I just don't have any particular scene in my head. I guess it depends how their relationship would have developed up to this point. And there're fics that described it much better than anything I'd come up with.

3)What are your favourite genres to read/look for in fic or art respectively?
It's either spy stuff, so mission fics/art, or casual, slightly domestic things (especially in art. I think it's about Craig in jeans and t-shirt/jumper)

4)What tags on A03 would draw you to a fic? What would make you avoid it?
Slow burn tag, because I like the whole build up, the way they've gotten to the point in their relationship when they actually want it to be a relationship. Also, angst. All the angst. It's terrible, I don't want to make myself sad, but clearly I do, because angst fics are great. Q being a BAMF is also a favourite tag. And sometimes coffeeshop AUs. If they're actually at least a bit about coffee. And if Alec or Moneypenny are in the tags, yep I'm reading it.
I usually avoid A/B/O, dub/non-con (unless it's a mission fic, then I sometimes do read it, but it *hugely* depends on the fic), I'm not too big on fairytale/fantasy AUs, so it also depends on the fic, but it's not like I actively avoid it.

6)Are you excited for the new Bond Book and Movie Clubs? What are you looking forward to the most?
Ha! YES. One, I've rarely met people who read the novels. Very rarely. And since they're often different to the movies, it's going to be great to see what people have to say. Because there're a lot of things about Bond from the books that make him more rough than the Bond a lot of people imagine when writing fics. And though Craig is very close to the book Bond, I don't think the movies made references to his Navy past, and when I read the books, I got the impression that there are still military-like things about him, even though he's a spy first now.
As for the movie club, I love watching movies with people who also enjoy them, so obviously I'm excited.

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

Craig in t-shirt/jumper and jeans: YES. Thank you for reminding me how lovely domestic!Bond art is. ^ ^

Have you worked in a coffee shop? I could certainly understand getting a bit <.< when people seem like they don't know what they're talking about re: a setting you know well. I know I've side-eyed a couple of university AUs for a few things before (though maybe not in the Skyfall fandom).

First kiss headcanons are so dependent on the individual relationship dynamic a fic is going for--I wrote the first thing that came to mind, tbh, but you're right that there are so many different stories to tell that a hundred different kinds of first kisses could be all be perfect in different ways!

Re: Castillon

[peterpandyke.livejournal.com]

I've never worked at a coffeeshop (but oh, I'd love to), I just *really* like coffee, and if there's an au that has coffee in the tags, I just get excited because coffee AND my favourite characters.
But yes, poorly researched AUs do suck, especially when someone gets the setting wrong.

I didn't mean that specific first kiss head canons may be wrong (just in case it came arcoss this way), and I really like the ideas that's been mentioned here so far. I just don't have any. Which is a bit weird, since I have headcanons for almost everything.

New Question (Castillon)

[(Anonymous)]

New question: We often like to portray Bond and Q as being super competent at doing things. But we talked last week about how much they suck at building IKEA furniture! What other things are Bond and Q not good at?

Re: New Question (Castillon)

[teacass.livejournal.com]

I think Bond would be super rubbish at gardening (maybe Eve gave him a pot plant one time and it died and James doesn't understand how because he watered the thing dammit it should grow!). I think Q would be bad at dealing with lack-of-caffeine and any kind of hand-eye coordination things (ie dancing. James tried to teach him once but they kept falling over and then they just ordered take out instead)

Re: New Question (Castillon)

[(Anonymous)]

Gardening is such a big deal in some parts of British culture that I love the idea of Bond and Q sucking hard at it. It makes me picture them semi-retired and surrounded by elderly neighbors who constantly disdain their empty lawn and make pitying noises about those black-thumbed young people while pruning their prize-winning roses and planting their new annuals. Bond and Q accidentally kill the tree the house came with. They hire a lawn service to make sure the grass is cut and un-splotchy, mostly so their dog has somewhere to wee. In the instance that a lone wildflower offspring from one of the neighbors accidentally finds its way onto their patch of yard, neither Bond nor Q acknowledge it for fear that their attentions will jinx it somehow.

("Don't go anywhere near it," Q instructs. "YOU don't go anywhere near it," Bond snaps back. They watch it out of the corners of their eyes and keep the dog from weeing on it. Then it starts to wilt in the heat of the summer and both Bond and Q secretly water it and then it dies from over-sogginess. "You went near it, didn't you?" "You went near it, too!" "Fine. We're both responsible. Damn it. At least the dog's still alive." They both think about but avoid mentioning what a miracle it is that they're both still alive to take care of a shelter mutt and overwater a stupid flower in the yard together.)

-Castillon

[spike-wilbury.livejournal.com]

/is the only one that likes a/b/o [but i'm like super picky about it, sigh. i usually don't like q being a whiny babby omega]


to answer the new question, i think they wouldn't be able to understand a "normal" date. like dinner and all that shit. they both want boring but that's too boring.

q hates lighting the gas stove because he clicks the gas but never able to light it.

James can't figure out his goddamn SMARTPHONE because he had a blackberry before q was like: NO, SMARTPHONE IS BETTER

[peterpandyke.livejournal.com]

oh, the normal date would be boring. Bond could probably pull it off, considering how many times he'd done it during missions, but it wouldn't work, neither of them would enjoy it.

I'm not sure about smartphones, since all field agents, probably 00s especially have to be able to extrac information from electronic sources as well. So he should be able to work with a smartphone (though maybe not necessarily enjoy it).

I think Q's handwriting sucks. Having spent so many hours typig, he's handwriting is probably chicken scratch and he could work on it, but I don't think he cares. As long as instructions for R&D are legible, it's all fine.
And I don't know where did this come from, but I just had a thought that Bond would suck terribly at fishing. The camping bit he'd be alright with. Maybe even making the baits. Maybe. But the waiting, oh god. It's a tihng he could do when waiting for an arms dealer, but catching a fish would probably be significantly less exciting. (just to clarify, I only have a vague idea about how fishing works)

on a side note, I've read A/B/O fic exactly once, because I'm also incredibly picky, and it wasn't even in 00Q fandom. But it was admittedly well written and I liked the characters, so I guess it's not impossible to make me read A/B/O)

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

I love the idea that they suck at dating. Maybe they even TRY to date normally at first, out of some kind of bizarre feeling of obligation to each other, until finally they're both like "Are you as tired of restaurants and stupid movies preceding the fantastic sex as I am?" and go on the less normal dates that intelligent MI6 operatives might enjoy.

(I can't even think of what a dream date for Bond or Q would be right now. But it would be awesome and at least a little off the beaten path.)

[teacass.livejournal.com]

Joining the chat a bit late!

1) I think James would be a morning person - he would have early mornings as part of his service in the Navy and I think he would be the type of person to get up and go on a 5am run to clear his head before the day starts. Q would probably be a night person because I'd like to think he would enjoy the buzz of creativity that comes from 1am ideas and the comfort of the dark whilst he used to hack things.

2) I have loads of headcannons, but my favourites involve a) rain b) cars c) declarations of love in desperate situations d) all of the above.

3) I would say AU, but I also love those stories that give backstory/explanations to certain moments or scenes in the canon. It fleshes out the story a bit more and builds a much more detailed picture of the world outside the films.

4) Something that suggests worldbuilding or plot - character development/first time/established relationship that kind of thing. I would probably avoid something that's just wall-to-wall smut, a/b/o (I just don't get the dynamics), mpreg that kind of thing.

5) I ask people for prompts and then take a small ice age to actually fill them! But it really helps break the block because I'm under an obligation to write so I can't use the excuse of 'I'm not feeling the creativity today' to give up and do something else.

6) Hell yeh! It'll be great to expand the fandom beyond the craig films and discuss the other movies and books! Plus more ideas for aus/ headcannons/ meta and the like will be really cool! I'll be interested if anyone's characterisation of James/Q etc change from participating in the book/film clubs!

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

2) All of the above! Yes! But all of those are great options.

3) Yes, I love explanations for events in the text! When I can nod and say "Oh, that makes sense, how could it be any other way?" it's just such a beautiful feeling.

6) SO READY FOR NEW META AND AUS AND HEADCANONS.

[peterpandyke.livejournal.com]

5am run because Navy routine GOD YES

also the headcanons, I love them, but I also imagined all that happening at the same thime and that's a pretty unfortunate combo :D

PROMPT STUFFS.

[spike-wilbury.livejournal.com]

SO


i don't know if there is a group or whatever on AO3 for the mi6cafe prompt fills and stuff, but i made one ??? i think? HOW INTERNET WORK.

anyway, here's where my stuff is too [and toombles]
http://archiveofourown.org/works/4350806/chapters/9868991

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

I can see your fic (nice!), but I'm not sure about the group. (A group is a great idea, btw!) Did you make an AO3 Collection, or...?

-Castillon

Re: PROMPT STUFFS.

[teacass.livejournal.com]

There is now a collection A03 here: http://archiveofourown.org/collections/MI6_Cafe

(I hope it works - if you have any trouble then just say!)