Did a TV Show Hurt You? ‘Fix-Its' Offer Justice
This article includes spoilers for 'Daredevil: Born Again,' 'Severance,' 'The Last of Us' and 'The White Lotus.'
As a longtime player of the Last of Us video game series, Sam Gaitan knew the death was coming. Still, the brutal murder of Joel in a recent episode of the HBO adaptation hit her hard. It was already midnight when she went on Tumblr to read fan reactions. Then, in a fit of inspiration, she started writing.
'I was a wreck, and I needed to get those strong emotions out,' Gaitan, a tattooist and artist, said in a recent phone interview. By 5 a.m., she had written 3,761 words featuring Joel and Red, an original character Gaitan had previously created, and an alternative scenario that spares Joel from his onscreen fate.
Writing under the alias oh_persephone, she posted the story on AO3, an online repository for fan fiction and other fan-created art, and crashed until her dogs woke her up the next morning.
'It probably wasn't the most coherent thing I've written,' she said, laughing. 'But I figured other people could use it as much as I did.'
Gaitan's urge to change the narrative is a familiar one among a subset of fans who write fan fiction, or fanfic, original stories that borrow characters, plots and settings from established media properties and are published mostly online, on sites like AO3, Tumblr and FanFiction.net.
Increasingly, these fans are taking matters into their own hands by writing 'fix-it fics,' or simply 'fix-its,' which attempt to right the perceived wrongs of a beloved work — and often provide some measure of emotional succor.
'The Last of Us,' which killed off its male lead surprisingly early in a hotly anticipated second season — a lead played, no less, by 'the internet's daddy,' Pedro Pascal — has proved to be particularly generative. Real numbers can be hard to track because of inconsistent labeling, but more than 50 'The Last of Us' stories tagged 'Fix-It' were uploaded to AO3 in the week after Joel's death, ranging from about 300 words to almost 80,000.
But if a TV writer can dream of it, a fan can feel betrayed by it: Fix-its have appeared in recent months for series like 'Daredevil: Born Again,' 'Severance' and 'The White Lotus,' all of which contained whiplash-inducing plot twists.
'When something happens to a character that doesn't resonate with how you see them, and you can't let it go, you want to get out there and tell the story differently,' said Larisa Garski, a licensed therapist in Chicago who co-wrote a book with her fellow therapist Justine Mastin titled 'Starship Therapise: Using Therapeutic Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life.' And when that something is death, fix-it writing can resemble the bargaining stage of grief.
'We're going to fanfic to mourn,' Garski said. 'We're going to fanfic to try and take back agency because this beloved character has been taken from us.'
Fan fiction has existed arguably for centuries, but its modern incarnation traces back at least as far as the 'Star Trek' fandoms of the late 1960s, whose members published fanzines with stories by fans for fans. By the 2000s, the popularity of fanfic exploded with widespread internet access.
Written often under pseudonyms, fanfic can be wildly experimental, playing with storytelling conventions, timelines, identity and unabashed eroticism. (Such elements have long made it a safe haven, Mastin observed, for people 'on the fringes: geeks, nerds, punks, L.G.B.T.Q.I.A. folks.') Occasionally, fanfic evolves a life of its own. The 'Fifty Shades' series began as 'Twilight" fanfic.
Fan connections to fictional characters can be profound, becoming versions of parasocial relationships — one-sided, imagined intimacy some people form with strangers, often celebrities. As Garski noted, parasocial relationships can feel as intense and meaningful as reciprocal ones in the real world. The hurt they cause can feel visceral.
'It feels like I'm grieving a real person right now, which seems really dramatic,' Sofia Sears, an M.F.A. candidate in creative writing who writes on AO3 as mrsdallowayxoxo, said by phone of the 'Last of Us' twist. Sears mourned that Joel's death left much unresolved between him and his surrogate daughter, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and wrote a modest fix-it in which they got a final chance to express their love for each other.
Science fiction and fantasy are especially fertile ground for fan fiction; as Garski put it, they echo the myths that people have long improvised and riffed on. Think, for example, of the many retellings of creation myths ('Prometheus') or the hero's journey ('Star Wars').
Superhero stories are a prime example. The fanfic sites erupted, for instance, after Disney+ revived 'Daredevil' in March, nearly seven years after Netflix canceled it, only to gun down the beloved character Foggy in the first 15 minutes.
Many fans had considered Foggy (Elden Henson), who was the best friend of Daredevil (a.k.a., Matt, played by Charlie Cox), to be the show's heart, soul and conscience. Many had also been involved in a passionate campaign to bring back 'Daredevil,' complete with collective media actions, branded T-shirts and a petition that drew more than 430,000 signatures.
Almost as quickly as Foggy died, the fix-its started streaming in, much of it drawing from decades of existing comic book lore. In one story, Daredevil offers Mephisto, a demon and frequent adversary of Spider-Man, his soul in exchange for a magical do-over. In another, Dr. Strange casts a resurrection spell.
Gabrielle Boliou, a lawyer (AO3 name: ceterisparibus), wrote a story at breakneck speed that reimagines an existing comic book plotline in which Foggy survived and went into witness protection. In Boliou's version, Foggy is saved by a heroic female emergency medical worker.
'At one point, I had nine different tabs open on gunshot wound survival possibilities, and I watched a YouTube video on a paramedic,' Boliou said.
Shows more rooted in reality get the fix-it treatment, too. Kensi Bui, a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling, is an avid fan of the HBO resort-murder drama 'The White Lotus.' But it wasn't until the Season 3 finale last month, and the death of sweet Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), that she felt compelled to write (or even read) 'White Lotus' fan fiction.
So Bui wrote a fix-it, under the name alittlemoretime, in which Chelsea escapes Thailand with her troubled boyfriend, Rick (Walton Goggins).
'I really wanted what's best for Chelsea and felt like she deserved a happier ending,' Bui said.
Fix-it writers sometimes express a desire to work through their own personal challenges. Grief is a common subtext. Meredith Deaton, a high school English teacher who unexpectedly lost her mother two years ago, said she had been disappointed by the way 'Daredevil' jumped immediately forward a year after Foggy's death. What might have been a means of catharsis felt instead like a missed opportunity.
'It's so hard to lose a best friend,' said Deaton, whose alias on FanFiction.net is IGS1701. 'I just caught myself thinking, I wish this season had been about the story of Matt recovering from this death.' To fill in the gap, Deaton wrote a thoughtful, deeply felt fix-it depicting the vagaries of grief.
Laura Zeilo, a graduate student in social work who lost five family members between 2012 and 2018, said she had found herself drawn to the depiction of grief in the Apple TV+ sci-fi thriller 'Severance.' In that show, the character Mark (Adam Scott) undergoes a procedure to split his consciousness in two: a home self, or 'outie,' who mourns the apparent death of his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), and a work self, or 'innie,' who doesn't remember her.
When the series revealed that Gemma was alive, Zeilo, a.k.a. ohwhatagloomyshow, began writing stories to explore her past. But when Mark's office persona, Mark S., chose his workplace love, Helly R. (Britt Lower), over his wife in the Season 2 finale, Zeilo took it up a notch. She wrote not one but two fix-its in which Gemma gets her man.
'I just want Gemma to be safe and happy,' Zeilo said. 'I need to see it. I need to write it into being so it'll show up in Season 3.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Elle
34 minutes ago
- Elle
'The Gilded Age' Season 3 Kicks Off with Some Serious Power Moves
Spoilers below. Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) was the clear victor of the Opera Wars that dominated the second season of The Gilded Age. The Metropolitan Opera House's grand opening was a triumph, adding another jewel to the nouveau riche Bertha's society crown. Now, Bertha has an even shinier target: a British duke. But her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) has different ideas about who she might wed. Bertha faces stiff competition as the Russell patriarch, robber baron George (Morgan Spector), has promised Gladys that she can marry for love. 'Who Is in Charge Here?' is the premiere title, which applies to more than just the Russells. The lavish HBO period drama kicks off with myriad attempts to grab power or assert control in a society with a fondness for rules that rarely favor women. One such incident underscores how divorce in 1880s New York City could be life-ruining even if you aren't the one who committed adultery. It is an eye-opening moment in a season premiere as decadent as the dazzling costumes from Emmy-nominated Kasia Walicka-Maimone. Read on to find out who is at loggerheads, get an update on the clock plot, and learn who is being painted by legendary portrait artist John Singer Sargent. Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) almost lost everything after her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) fell for a con that drained the family finances. Or rather, Agnes lost everything, but a surprise inheritance from Ada's (Cynthia Nixon) husband, Luke Forte (Robert Sean Leonard), saved them from downsizing. Luke's tragic death left Ada with a hole in her heart and the financial means to save her sister. Ada is now the mistress of the house, but that doesn't mean Agnes is falling in line behind her younger sister, especially with the new cause Ada is championing. One early point of contention stems from Ada hosting a temperance meeting. 'Let the sober circus begin,' Agnes quips as people arrive at East 61st Street in the snow. Ada won't let her sister bully her, though, explaining that she has chosen this cause because she wants to honor Luke's memory. 'He cared about people and I will too,' Ada reasons. Of course, Agnes points out the flaws as Luke drank wine with dinner and served Holy Communion. No one does withering delivery quite like Baranski as she takes pleasure in every barb and eye roll. A highlight of this new dynamic is that Ada no longer allows herself to be a doormat. Ada pushes back, instantly making this dynamic even more compelling. Agnes takes her pettiness to new heights and won't let her sister use the good silver for the meeting, prompting confusion regarding the conflicting orders. They want Bannister (Simon Jones ), the butler, to resolve this issue, as they can't have two mistresses. However, it is not as simple as that because Agnes always speaks her mind. On Bridgerton and The Buccaneers, marrying a duke is mainly seen as desirable. However, on The Gilded Age, Gladys only has eyes for sweet Billy Carlton (Matt Walker). Knowing their mother will object, Larry (Harry Richardson) helps his sister meet up with Billy in secret so the couple can discuss their plans to wed. Billy wants to talk to George about proposing, who is currently on business in Arizona. Later at the opera, Billy is concerned about the gossip items he has read in the newspapers that indicate Hector, the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), is returning to New York to be with Gladys. However, Gladys thinks her father will ensure she can marry for love, not a title. By now, Gladys should realize that Bertha rules the domestic roost. So much so that when Billy's mother thinks she will find common ground with Bertha about the happy union, Bertha immediately shuts down this talk of celebration. Mamie Fish (Ashlie Atkinson) helped with the whole opera meet-up. 'I'll suffer for that,' she says. However, Mamie also lives for the drama, making this spat worth it. When Bertha confronts Larry about the ruse, she mentions that Mrs. Fish loves gossip more than anything, and he was stupid to involve her. Larry won't be bullied by his mother, insisting Gladys should have a choice. Bertha thinks her children are young and foolish, and even though Larry puts up a fight, there is no winning. Unknown to Bertha, Larry is also in love and, like his sister, he is unofficially betrothed. Marian (Louisa Jacobson) doesn't want to go public yet, as it has only been a few months since she broke off her second engagement. She still has to pass the Bertha Russell test. At the end of season 2, Bertha promised Gladys's hand in marriage (and sizable dowry) to Hector. It would be uncouth to admit that she is planting stories about this forthcoming union in the newspapers, but Bertha is doing everything she can to make this happen. Part of this scheme to ensure her daughter becomes the face of society is commissioning a painting by John Singer Sargent. The Gilded Age has long sprinkled real-life figures amid the fictitious, from regular characters like Caroline Astor (Donna Murphy) and Mrs. Fish to Oscar Wilde and Booker T. Washington. Having Gladys sit for Sargent is another example of how the series marries historical authenticity with the outlandish antics playing out. Bertha is enamored with Sargent and finds the whole Madame X scandal alluring. That particular painting (a personal favorite of many, including myself) now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and recently was on loan at Tate Britain in London (I have seen it in both locations). Bertha references the Mrs. Burckhardt painting ('Lady with the Rose') as capturing a young woman becoming a woman, which is what she wants for Gladys's portrait. While Gladys doesn't understand the fuss, Bertha recognizes the value. Later, Gladys tries to reason that her mother would have loved to see her daughter married to someone from a family like Billy's, but Bertha says they have overtaken them. Now, Gladys needs someone who matches her station. The two can't agree, but Bertha doesn't foresee her daughter running away in the middle of the night. Gladys isn't waiting for her father to get home to fix this mess, but is she eloping? Speaking of George, he is on a business trip out west (Morenci, Arizona, to be precise) because he has grand plans to build a railway line from New York to Chicago and Chicago to Los Angeles. If it comes together, it will be his crowning glory, but it is a huge gamble. For starters, George needs to persuade the land owners that it is a good deal to sell off their mines, which gets off to a slow start.. It is a precocious time for the banks in New York, with George getting called back to the city as there is a 'run on' another financial institution. If too many people withdraw cash, it will go under, and George will lose a fortune. It seems unlikely that George will have too much time to deal with Bertha's plans to wed Gladys—or the funds for the dowry. Will this cause cracks in their own marriage? Theirs is not the only union under strain, and perhaps the most shocking moment of the premiere comes courtesy of Charles Fane (Ward Horton). Until now, Charles hasn't left much of an impression beyond his pearly white smile, but I was ready to fight for his wife Aurora (Kelli O'Hara) when he arrived home late and announced he was leaving her. Aurora could not believe her ears when Charles dropped the mistress bombshell. Aurora has always been sweet and supportive to her family and newcomers like Bertha, but a divorce will end her social life. It might sound incredibly dramatic, yet this exile is likely even though she did nothing wrong. For starters, it is Aurora who will have to file for divorce because Charles is the adulterer, and she needs to establish residency in Newport because New York courts allow the press to enter. Aurora refuses to do so, but Charles makes it clear he will marry the other woman. When Aurora tells Agnes, Ada, and Marian, they are as aghast as Aurora. Marian thinks their friends will surely not turn their backs because she is innocent in all of this. 'Society is not known for its logic, especially where women are concerned,' Aurora responds. Sadly, history tends to show Aurora is right. Another person struggling with their place in the world is footman Jack (Ben Ahlers), who continues to work on his clock invention with Larry as his partner. But some characters view his ambition with suspicion or jealousy. When Jack meets with Larry at the Russell household, there is confusion about whether the Russell footman should serve Jack refreshments. Larry thinks it is ridiculous that his staff assumed otherwise, but the Russell employees make their dissatisfaction known to Jack when he leaves. Adelheid (Erin Wilhelmi) tells Jack he is getting in over his head, which is not true. In fact, Jack needs to speak up and let Larry know he needs to be at the meetings with potential investors, as Larry has no idea about the clock mechanics. Thankfully, Jack's colleagues are far more supportive (Armstrong aside) and dismiss Adelheid's cruel words. They support and want the best for Jack, giving him the boost he needs for confidence. Another person moving up is Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), who traveled to her parents' home in Brooklyn to pick up some mail: the Christian Recorder wants to publish an extract from her work-in-progress novel. After traveling back to the Van Rhijn/Forte residence in the snow, Peggy tries to write new chapters throughout the episode, but gets sicker and sicker. At first, Peggy dismisses the concerns, saying she probably picked something minor up in the cold. But as her cough worsens, Agnes sends for the family physician. However, the doctor refuses to see Peggy because she is Black. Agnes is horrified, especially as Peggy sounds rather ill. In this emergency, Oscar says they must send for her parents, with Jack taking the message. Peggy's father is a pharmacist, and they probably should have contacted the Scotts earlier. For all the frivolity of storylines about socialite marriage and other silly plotlines, Peggy's dilemma is a reminder of the racist 19th-century realities. Despite Agnes thinking she has the power in this household, there are matters she cannot control, which are far more egregious than her sister's new status.
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Time Magazine
The Gilded Age Characters Who Are Based on Real People
The Gilded Age, HBO's period drama following from Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes, returns for a third season of rich people behaving badly on June 22. The title refers to the real historical period in the late 19th century when industrialists amassed immense fortunes and dominated the most exclusive social circles in Manhattan and Newport, Rhode Island. In the show, much of the drama is fueled by a sort of cold war between the 'old money' families and the 'nouveau rich' families, who have newly made their money in the booming railroad industry. The Gilded Age is fiction, but informed deeply by history, with several characters that are based on real people. From the socialites who ran the big parties of the day to the leaders representing key causes of the time, like women's suffrage, here are The Gilded Age characters inspired by real historical figures. Mrs. Astor Played by: Donna Murphy Known for: Social gatekeeping Caroline Schermerhorn Astor was at the top of the Gilded Age social scene, representing a family that amassed its wealth through the fur trade and real estate. She was known for hosting lavish parties, attended by New York's elite, and as The Gilded Age shows, she represented an 'old money' set and looked down upon socialites like the Vanderbilts who represented 'new money,' especially from the booming railroad business. Mrs. Astor split her time between a townhouse in Manhattan—where the Empire State Building currently stands—and a mansion in Newport called Beechwood. Ward McAllister Played by: Nathan Lane Known for: Hobnobbing The social climber became famous for coining the term 'the 400,' referring to the 400 most influential people in New York. He was one of the first of his Manhattan crowd to summer in Newport, Rhode Island, helping to make it a destination for some of the country's richest families. As The Gilded Age shows, he fell out with many of the socialites when he started leaking stories about them to the press and published the 1890 tell-all Society as I Have Found It. Mamie Fish Played by: Ashlie Atkinson Known for: Themed parties The socialite was known for hosting outrageous themed parties at her Upper East Side townhouse, country estate in the Hudson River Valley, and her mansion in Newport. At one party, guests could only talk in 'baby talk,' at each other while dressed up as dolls. At another, they fed peanuts to elephants that roamed her property. Charlotte Drayton Played by: Hannah Shealy Known for: Scandal As The Gilded Age shows, the daughter of Mrs. Astor became the talk of the town when it was revealed that she cheated on her husband James Coleman Drayton with their neighbor Hallett Alsop Borrowe. James challenged Hallett to a duel, but died of a heart attack before the duel could take place. In The Gilded Age, Charlotte's socialite mother is afraid she won't be able to appear at a ball with her daughter given all of the gossip. JP Morgan Played by: Bill Camp Known for: Being a titan of industry He built his reputation in railroad investments, the largest industry after the Civil War, focusing on mergers, reorganizing failing lines, and restructuring debt. According to the JPMorganChase website, when he sold William H. Vanderbilt's shares of NY Central Railroad stock in 1879, that represented 'the largest block of stock ever publicly offered at the time.' When he funds the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad through the sale of $40 million in bonds, it represents "the largest transaction in railroad bonds ever made in the United States.' Russell Risley Sage Played by: Peter McRobbie Known for: Being a railroad magnate After representing the Whig party in Congress (1853-1857), he became one of the richest men in America from investing in the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway and other railroads, often with fellow financier Jay Gould. He was also invested in Manhattan's system of elevated railroads and what became the Western Union Telegraphic Company. In the last years of his life, he focused on moneylanding. In season 3 of the Gilded Age, he stands in the way of George Russell's railroad scheme. John Singer Sargent Played by: Bobby Steggert Known for: Portraits and impressionist paintings. One of the most influential artists in the Gilded Age, he was greatly influenced by Claude Monet. The American's most famous painting Madame X (circa 1884) caused a scandal at the time for depicting socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau with a dress strap hanging down off her shoulder. He was forced to repaint the strap. In The Gilded Age, the Sargent character paints Gladys' portrait. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Played by: LisaGay Hamilton Known for: Writing Harper wrote for anti-slavery newspapers and was the first African American to publish a short story. She helped enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad and was a member of the American Women's Suffrage Association. In The Gilded Age, Peggy Scott invites Harper to address the elite women in the show about the importance of advocating for women's suffrage. Mary H. Dickerson Played by: Christina Clark Known for: A dressmaking shop in Newport, R.I. Dickerson was the first Black woman to own a shop on the bustling commercial strip of Bellevue Avenue. She owned a number of properties in Newport that are still standing and donated the proceeds to organizations that supported Black life in Newport. Through a Newport women's league, she even helped establish a daycare center. Frederick Kirkland Played by: Brian Stokes Mitchell Known for: Being one of the most influential leaders in Newport, R.I. The character is based partially on Reverend Mahlon Van Horne, pastor of Newport's Union Colored Congregational Church and the first Black member of Rhode Island's General Assembly. In his 1887 sermon 'The Negro in Rhode Island: His Past, Present and Future,' he spoke of the racial wealth gap and how important it is for Black people to own their homes and businesses so that they could pass on their wealth to the next generation. T. Thomas Fortune Played by: Sullivan Jones Known for: Journalism As the editor of the New York Age, aimed at Black readers, he was one of the most prominent Black journalists in the United States. Fortune helped edit the autobiography of leading Black intellectual Booker T. Washington, and his civil rights organization, National Afro-American League, is considered an important predecessor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In The Gilded Age, Peggy Scott works for him and sparks fly, leading to an awkward encounter in Season 3.
Cosmopolitan
5 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
The Gilded Age Season 3 Schedule: Here's When New Episodes Come Out
For those of you who like beautiful costumes, fun set design, people with money, and low-stakes drama, you're in luck: The Gilded Age is back for season 3. The show follows a group of high society New Yorkers in the 1880s as they try to climb the ladder and stake their claim amongst America's most powerful people. It's dramatic and frothy all at the same time, and that's why people love it. So when can you watch the new season? That's what we're here to discuss. Here's everything you need to know about catching The Gilded Age season 3. Tonight!! Major news. The show premieres Sunday, June 22 at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max. SUBSCRIBE TO HBO MAX There are eight episodes, which is the same amount we got last season. The first season was nine episodes, though, so I am going to feel a little bit bitter about that for the foreseeable future. We've been robbed! Just kidding. Episodes air every Sunday night from now until August, and they hit HBO Max every Sunday night at 9 p.m. EST. There's only one per week, too, so you won't have tons to catch up on if you miss a week. Here's whenever every episode will drop:
