That's me. Or us. However you choose to see it.
	Hello, my name is Meljean, and I am a 'shipper. Okay, my name is not really Meljean, but we will pretend that it is. It's not really Josephine, or Ugly_Girl, either (although I have been called both through various circumstances over the course of my life.) You can call me whatever you choose. I've read fanfiction for years, starting with X-Men fanfiction in 1994, reading it through a text only browser on a 14.4kbps modem; however, I've been a 'shipper much longer than that. First, it was Gambit/Rogue 'shipping, at a time when I didn't even know that fanfiction existed. Then, Mulder/Scully. And, finally, after reading Kingdom Come – and that great scene where Diana calls Bruce an 'aristocratic bastard' – a Bruce/Diana 'shipper. I didn't really write fanfiction for many years, though; frankly, there were so many Gambit/Rogue and Mulder/Scully fics out there that I never felt the need to write. However, at the time I began writing In Darkest Light, there were very few fics that had a Bruce/Diana relationship at the center; and, since Tullberg didn't seem in a hurry to finish his, I got my fix by writing my own. Yes, my 'fix.' I'd be lying if I said this wasn't an addiction.
Fanfiction by Meljean Brook: In Darkest Light (R) WW vs. Storm (a joke) The Industry Joke Untitled (incomplete) (R) The Themyscirians (WIP) (R) Fanfiction by Josephine: BM/WW Get It On (NC-17) BM/WW in the Real World Diana and the Unicorn (R) BM/WW Don't Get It On World Without Wonder (incomplete) Fanfiction by Ugly_Girl: Tell Me Lies Haunted (R) The Ultimate JL Songfic The Thong Songfic First Kisses Under Cover (NC-17) Iced Mocha (NC-17)	In Darkest Light was my first attempt at fanfiction. Originally, I expected it to be about thirty or forty pages, and the only real scene I had in mind when I began writing and posted the first chapter at fanfiction.net was the one in which Diana changes into Batman's costume for a night, after they have sex because of a spell (somewhat inspired by JLA: Basic Instinct by Darth Yoshi); I had some vague idea of them traveling to the Underworld eventually, and the main theme (after the romance, of course) was Diana trying to come to terms with her grief over her mother, and her feelings of failure in Man's World. I'll be the first to admit the story got away from me, taking on a life of its own until I had added the Joker and the gods from the "Gods of Gotham" arc, a little bit of a mystery, a huge Underworld scene and Donna as the initiator of the spell that got them into trouble in the first place. (And, ahem, a word about that 'spell' – what Josephine says in "Batman and Wonder Woman Don't Get It On Anymore" is true: I did just put that sex scene in the beginning to get the damn thing out of the way, so that the question of the fic wouldn't be, "When are they going to do it?" And, something had to get the two together initially – and I wasn't smart enough to think of a different way of doing it. So, the spell it was.) Six months later I finished the story; I am still somewhat dissatisified with the ending – it feels too rushed to me – but overall I'm pretty happy with it. At the time, however, I was ready to throw in the fanfiction towel – writing a story that large (especially when I really should have been trying to write publishable stuff) is not only time consuming, but after a while I began to dread trying to work on it, because it seemed never-ending. But, eventually it did end. Thank goodness. I really didn't intend to write any more stories at that time; I had a sequel in mind to IDL, but knew I wouldn't want to spend the time writing it yet. I had just spent a goodly chunk of time writing about two spandex clad comic book heroes falling in love, and I was a little shocked, surprised, and ashamed of myself, even as I was kind of proud of the work I'd done. So, because I have an irrepressible sense of humor, especially self-deprecatory humor, I created the pseudonym "Josephine" and decided to make fun of myself and my obsession with Batman and Wonder Woman with my Batman and Wonder Woman Get It On series (NC-17, no children, please). Originally I thought I'd do quite a few more installments in that series, but then… It happened. I wrote Batman and Wonder Woman Spend Time in the Real World. Initially, it was supposed to be a purely humorous story in the vein of the Getting It On series, which probably is very evident in the opening scene of the story. My addiction asserted itself over my humor, and I ended up writing a serious story that wasn't a romance, but a tale of friendship between Bruce and Diana. And, although I'm a die-hard 'shipper, this rather platonic story is still one of my favorites. Next came Diana and the Unicorn, which is my favorite of the stories I've written. This was another case in which the tale I'd intended to tell transformed into something completely different. Inspired by A League of One graphic novel, and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (I love the animated movie, but the book is simply beautiful and amazing), I had intended to write a story in which Diana falls in love with a man who is really a unicorn, and make it a tragedy. It wasn't supposed to be a Batman/Wonder Woman shipfic, but as I was writing it the possibility that they had a former relationship occurred to me, and I wrote that story. Instead of a tragedy in which Batman watches Wonder Woman love and lose, they end up rediscovering each other. I'm an incurable romantic; I simply can't help it. I've reconciled myself to the idea that I can't write an unhappy ending. Next, I began World Without Wonder, an Elseworlds fic that played with the idea the idea that is tossed around so often by Bruce/Diana detractors: that Diana is some kind of fascist. She begins the fic as exactly that; but her reasons are slowly revealed throughout the story. Although this story is technically unfinished, I think it can be read as a complete piece, and the action following the first chapter can be left to the imagination of the reader. I had hoped to finish this story, but have realized that I probably won't take the time to do so. In any case, a much better, darker story that imagines the result of a battle with Darkseid can be found in Artemis's Legacy. My last fic as Josephine ended as I began, with Batman and Wonder Woman Don't Get It On Anymore. This is simply a humorous comment piece on the change in policy at fanfiction.net, barring NC-17 stories. At that time, I intended to stop writing fanfiction. My reason for starting – the shortage of WW/BM stories – was not a problem any longer, since more writers had begun creating their own stories starring my two favorite heroes. So, although I didn't stop reading, I did stop writing (except for one very, very short beginning chapter of an Elseworlds fic that will remain Untitled and unfinished. Yep, that one really is going to be turned into a real story.) In my search for Batman and Wonder Woman fics, I ran across a message board for the JL Animated television series, wherein there was a nicely-sized group of Bruce/Diana 'shippers. They had written several fics, but almost all of them were written in a young adult style (as the board was populated primarily by younger teens.) During my period writing IDL, I came into contact with a fan who was also an author of young adult fiction, and she urged me to try my hand at that genre. So, when I came across the board, I decided to try to write a shipfic in the young adult style, and Tell Me Lies was born (I really despise this title, though.) It is a sweet fic, I think, but the genre for which it was intended really shows in the writing: the characters lack a bit of complexity and realism, misunderstandings serve as plot devices, lots of angst, etc. Then I stopped writing again, until Artemis came along, and urged me to write a fic for a writing challenge that had been posted on the board. So, I wrote Haunted. This is the only one of the few longer stories that I wrote where I pretty much knew where I was going, and how I was going to get there from the beginning (and although I tried to end this one sadly, I again turned it into a happy ending by adding the last chapter. If you like unhappy endings, don't read the last chapter). It shows in that the plot is a little more cohesive than in my other fics; and, although I was still writing this for the JL message board, I dropped most of the young adult style. I like this story, for the most part, and it was very fun to write a ghost story. I work on shorter, more entertaining pieces every now and then (like the Ultimate Songfic, The Thong Songfic, First Kisses, and a chapter for darkamazon) and try to fight off rabid 'shipper-haters (see The Industry Joke) but, except for one story that I intend to write this winter (an Elseworlds story inspired by Beowulf and suggested by Artemis) and a couple of smutfics, I am focusing most of my attention on 'real' (i.e. possibly money-making) fiction. I do not intend to write a sequel to IDL at this point; although I have the plot and idea outlined, it will simply take too much time away from other things that I need to take care of – like my baby, grad school, and a possible (please, God!) career in writing. So, I'll still be 'shipping away – I am just going to do it a little more quietly.
	Art on this page by Blane, and Al Rio.