For seven years and still counting, Letterboxd has been a space for me to share my love for film, along with other forms of art I particularly enjoy namely, television and literature. Once in a while, I write about how certain films deeply resonate with me because I see reflections of myself in the character(s). Several people I know in my small circle also write about how their favorite films influenced their lives.

Being in Letterboxd for years now, I occasionally visit Paint Drying to read entries from fellow film enthusiasts. It’s a corner in Letterboxd where everyone can write about almost anything and everything. I’ve always wondered what my first entry for Paint Drying would be; should I write a poem about the mundane things in life that I found worth living for? Should I write about a television series I’ve just recently finished, considering TV isn’t available yet on the site? Should I write about Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe! and how it’s become a favorite song of mine? These are just some of the several questions that endlessly swam in my mind as I tried to figure out what my first entry for Paint Drying would be.

In the past years, I’ve been in countless online communities for film, television, and literature. Of course, I have my favorite characters, favorite pairings, favorite episodes and scenes, I have engaged in various discussions about theories, and all that. If you’ve been in such communities, you get what I mean. Members of the community also share their talents in creating various fan-made content such as art, fan fiction, video edits, and the like. They share these for free for all the members of the community. As someone who’s extremely into reading, it wouldn’t be a surprise to say that I’m partial to fan fiction the most. I extend my gratitude to all who create fan content; they help keep the community alive through their work and talents. Again, they share these for free. It’s nice to be part of safe and friendly communities where everyone has a common interest.

With that being said, at long last, I’ve finally set my mind on what my first entry for Paint Drying should be. I dedicate this piece to a fellow writer, a writer who inspired me to go back and continue writing for my own pleasure and indulgence and to strive to be a better writer to tell the stories I have in mind. It’s a combination of a review and an appreciation write-up for my favorite work of hers. She goes by the handle “namelessblade” and wrote my favorite fan fiction entitled “wander your own land". It’s an alternate universe story for Yellowjackets primarily focusing on the main characters Jackie and Shauna. Labeled as “Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence”, it offers the readers another perspective of what could have been Jackie and Shauna’s relationship should the events from the first and second seasons been different.

It’s my favorite fan fiction ever written due to various factors such as the writing style, structure and organization, and characterization. For its writing style, Nameless writes with much clarity through vivid and detailed descriptions. I’m impressed by how she’s able to capture the environment in such a realistic way that you can feel the atmosphere and the surroundings of the setting, from inside the cabin and out in the wilderness. The warmth (or lack of it) of the fireplace in the cabin and the harsh coldness of winter are pictured so well. Nameless’ use of descriptive language and literary devices is remarkable; it helps the readers to be engaged with the story. Her style when it comes to dialogues is as natural as how conversations can be given the context and being canon compliant with the source material. It was also fun being able to recognize lines directly lifted from the TV series and how they were incorporated into the story seamlessly. Wander your own land’s prose is brilliant and will immediately hook you right from the start.

The tone and mood of Jackie and Shauna’s dialogues and internal thoughts flow so easily, it’s exactly how I expected it to be based on the series. Nameless’ approach to Jackie’s internal thoughts is very special to me because she’s my favorite character; I connect and relate to her in so many ways in the TV series, and with Nameless writing her in such a realistic manner, wander your own land has become a personal favorite of mine. I’ve connected with WYOL Jackie the way I’ve connected with TV series Jackie. Nameless writes internal thoughts eloquently and with so much emotion that I built a strong connection with WYOL Jackie. I’m extremely grateful for how well she wrote and handled Jackie so carefully and accurately, I can say with great confidence that WYOL Jackie and TV series Jackie are just one and the same character. That’s how well Nameless was able to capture Jackie as a character. Jackie is one of my all-time favorite characters ever, so it really means a lot to me how Nameless was able to write her with so much life and humanity, with extreme care, sensitivity, and attention to detail.

Adding to tone and mood, Nameless also expressed her doubt in her skill to write intimate or sensual scenes. When it came to such scenes, I was pleasantly surprised by how it was written with passionate warmth and romantic heat at the same time. Every gentle touch and kiss will definitely leave readers craving for more. There are also several scenes where characters experience physical pain; it’s impressive how Nameless describes pain because they feel so real to the point that I feel like I am the one going through it. Nameless can easily navigate between moods in scenes; there’s a perfect balance with serious & somber and humorous & comedic moods as she can fuse these together without the reader feeling an abrupt change or jump within a scene. In short, everything comes naturally. The transitions between scenes are also done logically and coherently. Just like how you can tell a movie is edited smoothly. 

Furthermore, Nameless pays close attention to body language and facial expressions. I am a big fan of just how descriptive her writing is. She shows and doesn’t just simply tell. When I’m reading, I find it extremely satisfying when there’s attention to such details, particularly facial expressions and body language; these matter to me as a reader because they enhance my engagement with the characters and the story. It helps me to be in touch with the characters on a far deeper level. Sensitive and complex matters concerning eating disorders, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, cannibalism, and violence were approached thoughtfully and with great care; I find Nameless' writing exceptional and deserves the highest of praises because of this. As a writer, Nameless can easily evoke an emotional connection between her readers and her characters. I already love Jackie and Shauna as my personal favorites, but with her writing, I was able to love them even more, something I never knew would be possible.

Diving further into Nameless’ characterization, I’d also like to highlight how emotions in wander your own land are so raw and palpable, there are moments where you’ll cry, have your gut feeling like it’s being twisted, laugh with Nat’s innuendos, and feel nervous and terrified of what’s to come. One of my favorite scenes is when Jackie holds Henry for the first time. Nameless describes how love is so natural, pure, and instinctual. It’s one of the most beautiful passages I’ve ever read, counting every piece of literature I’ve read in my whole life. It’s extremely touching it actually made my heart ache, yearning for such love and care. Jackie and her love for Henry like he’s always been a part of her life tugs at my heartstrings. It’s so precious and delicate, I look forward to more of Jackie and Shauna as parents to Henry in the future chapters.

Jackie and Shauna are the main focus of the story, but it’s evident how Nameless also paid attention to the other characters such as Nat, Lottie, and basically the rest of the Yellowjackets team. Her attention to detail is commendable; it makes the readers have a connection to all the characters especially with the humorous tone of other characters such as Misty and Melissa’s lines and the playful attitude of Natalie towards Jackie. Nameless’ approach to writing Shauna is equally remarkable with how she writes Jackie. Personally, I find Shauna a difficult character to write, but Nameless makes it seem so easy despite the complexity and countless layers of Shauna as a character.

My personal favorite detail is when Nameless drops and references movie titles throughout the story. As a huge film enthusiast, it immediately puts a smile on my face. I found myself grinning from ear to ear when Nat and Jackie talked about Star Wars, and when Shauna was offended that Jackie said it was just “a movie series”. Wander your own land felt more personal to me because of this tiny detail. It’s fun when things I love blend together. Overall, my favorite aspect from this fan fiction is the characterization. Nameless totally blew me away with how she wrote Jackie and Shauna.

Wander your own land felt like an actual novelization of Yellowjackets’ alternate universe because it stayed true to the source material, most specially with characterization. Consistency was evident throughout all the released chapters; it’s a cohesive story with a smooth and natural flow of the narrative. I’ve thought about writing a review for each chapter but ultimately decided to write an all-in-one instead to capture what I thought about it in its entirety so far (it’s an ongoing story, so there’ll be more chapters released in the near future). From what I gathered in Nameless’ introductory note, wander your own land is her first attempt at fan fiction; taking this into consideration, it’s hard not to be impressed by her talent in writing. Wander your own land is just one of the many fan fictions I’ve read in and outside of Yellowjackets, and I can say with much sincerity that it is by far, the best one. Truly, the best written fan fiction I have ever read. Definitely my all-time favorite. Truthfully, I’m on my second reread of it. I simply can’t get enough of it. It’s also the first fan fiction I immediately reread after I finished my first read. Wander your own land is utterly captivating, it was impossible for me to stop reading and turning on to the next to see what happens next. 

If you’ve watched Yellowjackets and a big fan of Jackie and Shauna as individuals or a pairing, I urge you to read Nameless’ wander your own land. Of course, you should watch the first and second seasons prior to reading because it is closely anchored to the source material, most specially the characterization. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had as a reader and lover of literature. And as someone who’s pursuing higher education, this is also one of my motivations to research and write more about this area of emerging literature, the area of fan fiction, particularly its positive impact on readers and writers alike.

As I have just said, I highly recommend reading wander your own land. It’s also a perfect time to read it while we wait for season three! Don’t hesitate to leave comments on Nameless’ page, every comment is appreciated!

A huge shoutout to Angie (employedhamster) as well, she’s drawn several artworks inspired by wander your own land and her Yellowjackets artworks overall are just so wonderfully done! 

(Since I’ve mentioned there were movie titles namedropped in wander your own land, I’ve also created a film list inspired by it!)

P.S. I’ll be writing about wander your own land again once the story’s concluded!