The Dark is Rising...

Yuletide 2019 Letter

cienna — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 02:30:30 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

Yay! So happy it's Yuletide time again this year and I apologize for the delay in my letter as this week has been crazy! I am not super picky and am probably going to enjoy whatever you write from gen to smut. I generally enjoy most tropes and cliches and am much more interested in character moments than complicated plots, but I do love casefic, particularly if it's creepy. The prompts I've listed below are only suggestions so if you have an amazing idea for a fic that would work well in one of these fandoms then definitely go for it!

Likes:

Hurt/Comfort either physical or emotional
angst with happy endings
humor
wilderness survival
mindbonding
awkward first times (and first times in general)
action/adventure
slow build romance/sex scenes
amnesia
aliens/demons/whatever made them do it
pining
misunderstandings
close friendships

Dislikes:

unhappy endings
deathfic
established relationship
curtain fic
fluff
kid fic or anything involving babies
extreme dark fic
bdsm
PWPs
non-canon AUs

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Requested Characters - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up through The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either.

I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Requested Characters - Xie Lian, Hua Cheng

I love this novel so much! I finally finished it thanks to Yummysuika's amazing translations so I am up to date. I would love a missing scene that takes place before the novel ends and involves some sort of H/C scenario or them being cute and oblivious together. Alternately, I really enjoyed the first book of the novel involving the corpse bride. Anything dark and creepy like that I enjoy so it would be fun to see some sort of case they have to work on after getting together. I also LOVE Shi Qingxuan so seeing him involved in any capacity would be amazing.

バチカン奇跡調査官 | Vatican Kiseki Chousakan | Vatican Miracle Examiner (Anime)
Requested Characters - Roberto Nicholas, Josef Hiraga Kou

This show really worked for me. Despite being super crack-filled, it has everything I love. Gay priests working together on cases, crying faces, and creepy ridiculous storylines. In all seriousness, Roberto and Hiraga are one of those practically married couples that I adore. I do feel like Roberto's feelings for Hiraga may not be completely pure (which he has some angst about), and Hiraga is pretty much completely oblivious to that fact. I'm always up for casefic about these two and would love one or the other of them getting hurt/sick/poisoned, etc. I'm fine with them acting on their feelings or with a fic that just focuses on their close friendship.

鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime & Manga)
Requested Characters - Hashibira Inosuke, Kamado Tanjirou

I just recently got interested in Demon Slayer, so although I did finish the anime I haven't gotten very far in the manga yet. However, I'm totally fine with spoilers. I wasn't sure if I would like Inosuke at first but I ended up being totally sold on him after how quickly Tanjirou was able to get him under control. I feel like this is a pairing where I would enjoy some nice praise kink. I do feel like Inosuke is very starved for human interaction and particularly for someone who pays the kind of attention to him that Tanjirou does. I would love some h/c for them too or maybe some wilderness survival. Alternately, a fic of them just hanging out in the recovery cottage and getting closer would be fun. I enjoy Zenitsu too so feel free to include him.

Yuletide 2018 Letter

cienna — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 01:41:09 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

Yay! So happy it's Yuletide time again this year! I am not super picky and am probably going to enjoy whatever you write from gen to smut. I generally enjoy most tropes and cliches and am much more interested in character moments than complicated plots, but I do love casefic, particularly if it's creepy. The prompts I've listed below are only suggestions so if you have an amazing idea for a fic that would work well in one of these fandoms then definitely go for it!

Likes:

Hurt/Comfort either physical or emotional
angst with happy endings
humor
wilderness survival
mindbonding
awkward first times (and first times in general)
action/adventure
slow build romance/sex scenes
amnesia
aliens/demons/whatever made them do it
pining
misunderstandings
close friendships

Dislikes:

unhappy endings
deathfic
established relationship
curtain fic
fluff
kid fic or anything involving babies
extreme dark fic
bdsm
PWPs
non-canon AUs

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Requested Characters - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up through The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either.

I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Requested Characters - Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian

This is my current obsession and I am super into it at the moment. I'm up to date with the current chapter of the novel that has been translated and if you've read farther, I'm not terribly worried about spoilers, so don't let that put you off an idea you really want to write. I love the dynamic of their relationship and how much Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian despite him being completely oblivious. My favorite time period is probably them as adults after the 13 year separation, but I'm not opposed to something set during the time when they were younger. I would love something involving h/c (as always) or Wei Wuxian suddenly realizing how much Lan Wangji is trying to protect him. I also enjoy most of the other characters including Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, Lan Xichen, Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Wen Qing and of course, the cutest zombie, Wen Ning, if you want to incorporate any of them.

Vatican Miracle Examiner

Requested Characters - Roberto Nicholas, Josef Hiraga Kou

This show really worked for me. Despite being super crack-filled, it has everything I love. Gay priests working together on cases, crying faces, and creepy ridiculous storylines . In all seriousness, Roberto and Hiraga are one of those practically married couples that I adore. I do feel like Roberto's feelings for Hiraga may not be completely pure (which he has some angst about), and Hiraga is pretty much completely oblivious to that fact. I'm always up for casefic about these two and would love one or the other of them getting hurt/sick/poisoned, etc. I'm fine with them acting on their feelings or with a fic that just focuses on their close friendship.

Guardian (TV)

Requested Characters - Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei

Another couple that's practically married in canon. I think I have a type. In any case, these two are the cutest! Shen Wei's extreme obsession with Zhao Yunlan is very fun, as is Zhao Yunlan being super into him from the beginning, and the constant flirtation. I would love to see them working on a case we didn't get to see in canon, preferably with one of them getting hurt or sick. I think wilderness survival would be fun with them, or something that takes place in Dixing (since you could pretty much do whatever). I do love how protective Shen Wei is, but I would also love to see Zhao Yunlan having to protect him for a change. I have also read the novel up to where it is currently translated and am fine if you want to incorporate any elements of that.

Yuletide 2017

cienna — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 23:56:38 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

It's Yuletide time! It seems like it comes around so fast every year. I enjoy anything from gen to smut as long as it focuses on the characters I requested. I generally enjoy most tropes and cliches and am much more interested in character moments than complicated plots, but I do love casefic, particularly if it's creepy. The prompts I've listed below are only suggestions so if you have an amazing idea for a fic that would work well in one of these fandoms then definitely go for it! (Sorry for the letter delay - I always fail at completing the letter on time!)

Likes:

Hurt/Comfort either physical or emotional
angst with happy endings
humor
wilderness survival
mindbonding
awkward first times (and first times in general)
action/adventure
slow build romance/sex scenes
amnesia
aliens/demons/whatever made them do it
pining
misunderstandings
close friendships

Dislikes:

unhappy endings
deathfic
established relationship
curtain fic
fluff
kid fic or anything involving babies
extreme dark fic
bdsm
PWPs
non-canon AUs

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Requested Characters - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up through The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either.

I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
Requested Characters - Sukeroku, Kikuhiko

I missed this show when it first came out somehow, but once I started watching it I was hooked. I am a huge fan of best friend type relationships, especially ones where the two characters in question are practically married like Sukeroku and Kikuhiko. I personally ship them quite a bit but would also be happy with gen fic that explores their relationship, or even something that takes place when they are younger. Alternately, something that takes place when they are living in the countryside with Konatsu would be cute. I do enjoy their relationship with Miyokichi as well and would enjoy seeing what happened if they had all ended up living together like Kikuhiko had hoped. I love historical genres and things that take place in different time periods so that is also part of the appeal for me as is the creepiness of the second season. And of course I am always up for anything involving hurt/comfort.

Samurai Flamenco

Requested Characters - Gotou Hidenori, Hazama Masayoshi

This show was was definitely right up my alley, with the superhero premise and the relationship between the main characters. I loved how they resolved it, with Masayoshi basically realizing his feelings for Gotou. I also loved the realization about Gotou and his phone at the end (trying to be vague because spoilers). That kind of angst is right up my alley and I would love to see a fic dealing with that issue in particular. I also enjoy casefic a great deal so something where they are working together on a case or trying to solve a mystery would be fun.

Spiritpact

Requested Characters -Yang Jinghua|You Keika, Duanmu Xi|Tanmoku Ki

I got into this after the anime came out and I can't say that I'm complete up to date with the manga, but I have read quite a bit. I think something where Yang Jinghua/You Keika went temporarily evil might be fun with Duanmu Xi having to resolve the situation. Even better if Yang Jinghua hurt him during the evil state. And of course I'm always up for a fic where they deal with all their issues and end up getting together. I enjoy both the Japanese and Chinese versions of this, so feel free to use whichever names you prefer.

Yuletide 2016!

cienna — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 13:00:29 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

I can't believe it's Yuletide time again already! Don't worry, I am fairly easy to please. I enjoy anything from gen to smut as long as it focuses on the characters I requested. I generally enjoy most tropes and cliches and am much more interested in character moments than complicated plots, but I do love casefic, particularly if it's creepy. The prompts I've listed below are only suggestions so if you have an amazing idea for a fic that would work well in one of these fandoms then definitely go for it! (Sorry for the letter delay - I didn't know matching would be so fast this year!)

Likes:

Hurt/Comfort either physical or emotional
angst with happy endings
humor
wilderness survival
mindbonding
awkward first times (and first times in general)
action/adventure
slow build romance/sex scenes
amnesia
aliens/demons/whatever made them do it
pining
misunderstandings
close friendships

Dislikes:

unhappy endings
deathfic
established relationship
curtain fic
fluff
kid fic or anything involving babies
extreme dark fic
bdsm
PWPs
non-canon AUs

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Requested Characters - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up through The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either.

I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

Tales of Zestiria
Requested Characters - Sorey, Mikleo

I just recently got into Zestiria when the anime came out and I devoured everything I could find related to it immediately. I am a huge fan of best friend type relationships and angel/human so Sorey/Mikleo was immediately a huge draw. I personally ship them quite a bit but would also be happy with gen fic that explores their friendship. I enjoy the Arthurian feel of Elysia and enjoy Sorey's interactions with the other seraphim and his friendship with Alisha so I would be fine with them being included.

I would love to see any sort of hurt/comfort scenario with Sorey or Mikleo getting hurt or weakened and the other one worrying. Or maybe an adventure where they are exploring ruins and get in over their head. I also enjoy post-game fic where Sorey and Mikleo find each other again (preferably involving a lot of angst) and anything involving amnesia (resolved at the end).

不機嫌なモノノケ庵 | Fukigen na Mononokean | The Morose Mononokean (Manga)

Requested Characters - Abeno Haruitsuki, Ashiya Hanae

This show was a pleasant surprise to me. I am a huge fan of Natsume Yuujinchou and enjoy anime and manga involving youkai so I definitely knew I was going to give it a chance. I wasn't the biggest fan of Abeno at the beginning but he definitely grew on me. I love how protective he is of Ashiya and how he tries to hide it whenever possible. I also think any sort of fake dating or forced soulbonding fic for these two would be hilarious. A casefic where they work together to help a youkai and Ashiya ends up in unexpected danger would also be fun. I do ship Ashiya and Abeno but I am fine with gen fic too as long as it focuses on their relationship.

Christmas Card Poll Time

cienna — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 20:37:28 GMT

It's that time of year again! That time where you guys vote on the best Christmas card idea and takadainmate and I mostly ignore your votes and do whatever we want! But still, it's tradition. :)

View Poll: Christmas Card Time Again!!

Comments are screened so so if you would like a card please leave your address here unless we already have your address from last year or it has changed! Once again, everyone is welcome and you don't have to send us anything! (Unless you have some extra tentacles or crying faces you don't need...)

Yuletide Letter

cienna — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 15:20:32 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

I'm so happy we matched! Don't worry, I am fairly easy to please. I enjoy anything from gen to smut as long as it focuses on the characters I requested. I generally enjoy most tropes and cliches and am much more interested in character moments than complicated plots, but I do love casefic, particuarly if it's creepy. The prompts I've listed below are only suggestions so if you have an amazing idea for a fic that would work well in one of these fandoms then definitely go for it!

Likes:

Hurt/Comfort either physical or emotional (this is a big one!)
angst with happy endings
humor
wilderness survival
mindbonding
awkward first times (and first times in general)
action/adventure
slow build romance/sex scenes
amnesia
aliens/demons/whatever made them do it
pining
misunderstandings
close friendships

Dislikes:

unhappy endings
deathfic
established relationship
curtain fic
fluff
kid fic or anything involving babies
extreme dark fic
bdsm
PWPs
non-canon AUs

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up through The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either. I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

Noragami - Yato, Yukine

Something that everyone should watch/read if they haven't gotten around to it! Noragami is a 14 volume manga/12 episode anime (second season is currently airing) about a middle school student who is hit by a car while trying to save someone who runs into the road. This person turns out to be a minor God called Yato and the girl, Hiyori, is transformed into a part phantom. Yato's weapon (shinki) ends up being a middle school boy called Yukine who died very young of unexplained reasons. Yato and Yukine have are bound together in an interesting way where every time he steals or does anything considered a sin Yato knows immediately and it physically hurts him. Eventually they all become close friends and it turns into a kind of found family situation.

I would love a fic that explores Yato and Yukine's relationship more. Maybe something about Yukine's past that suddenly comes up and causes angst. Or anything hurt/comforty where one of them gets hurt or Yukine is hurting Yato unintentionally. Gen or slash is fine (nothing too graphic for these two) and I'm totally fine with Hiyori being included too. I'm fairly up to date with the manga so don't worry about spoilers.

Ore Monogatari - Gouda Takeo, Sunakawa Makoto

Ore Monogatari is an adorable 9 volume manga/24 episode anime that deals with an extremely large and muscular high school student, Takeo Gouda, who doesn't have much luck with girls because they all seem to end up falling for his attractive best friend, Makoto Sunakawa. Until he meets Rinko Yamato who he saves from a molester on a train. Yamato falls for him instantly and they have a very sweet love story.

I adore Yamato and Takeo's relationship but I would also love to see more of his relationship with Suna. I enjoy how he is pretty much the only one who can make Suna laugh and how Suna seems to tag along on all of his dates with Yamato. I love OT3 stuff or slash, (as long as Yamato is okay with it) or just a gen fic that explores Suna and Takeo's relationship more closely. I am a huge sucker for h/c so something where one of them is sick or hurt would also make me very happy.

The Goblin Emperor - Maia Drazhar, Csevet Aisava

This is definitely my favorite new book of the year! Maia is absolutely adorable and I loved his interactions with pretty much everybody. That being said, I thought his interactions with Csevet were especially sweet and I would love a fic focused on their relationship. I would definitely enjoy something where Maia is sick/hurt and Csevet has to take care of him or is worried about him. Or maybe a missing scene showing how upset Csevet is after the assassination attempt. I love the Nohecharai as well and how much they care about Maia and would be happy to see them involved in some way.

Owari no Seraph - Mikaela Hyakuya, Yuuichirou Hyakuya

Despite having a fairly depressing premise I love how this show focuses on family and especially on the idea of found family. Yuu loses his first found family but despite all the pain he goes through he is able to care about others again, and how he and Mika never forget each other or their connection.

I love how Yuu and Mika still consider each other family even though so much time has passed since they were together and their absolute devotion to each other. I like the idea of them being stranded somewhere together or trying to survive in the wilderness and having to deal with Mika's need for blood and all the issues between them. I love all the other characters too so feel free to include anyone else you would like. I am fine with both slash and gen as long as it is focused on their relationship.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Jonathan Strange, Gilbert Norrell

This is an amazing book and I love all the details and world-building. I also enjoyed the TV mini-series so I am happy with details from either. Mr. Norrell is my favorite character and I find him incredibly endearing. Anything focusing on his relationship with Strange would make me happy. Them having to learn how to deal with each other on a regular basis when they are trapped together in the eternal night could be very entertaining! Alternately something dealing with how they escape or the magical world.

Festivids Reveal

cienna — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 13:42:03 GMT

Title: Fear and Loathing
Vidder: cienna
Song: Fear and Loathing by Marina and the Diamonds
Fandom: Natsume Yuujinchou
Length: 3:18
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: lots of angst and sad bb!natsume
Summary: And the sky is clear, is clear of fear.
Vidder notes: Created for sarashina_nikki as part of Festivids 2014. Thanks so much to my lovely takadainmate and ontogenesis for their beta-ing services!

Fear and Loathing - Festivids from Takashi Natsume on Vimeo.

Christmas Card time!

cienna — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 21:32:21 GMT

Let's see, I've managed to sign up for four exchanges so far this year! yuletide, festivids, batfam_exchange and deancas_xmas. We'll see if more get added to the list!

Also, it's that wonderful time of year where takadainmate and I do our annual Christmas card poll!

View Poll: Christmas Cards!

Festivids Time Again!

cienna — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 15:05:49 GMT

Dear Festividder,

So happy we're a match and that it's that time of the year again! I've been looking forward to this for months! To be honest, anything you do with my chosen fandoms is probably going to make me happy so don't worry too much about pleasing me. I'm also not too picky about music choices. I prefer slower, more angsty songs to upbeat stuff, but if it really goes with the vid don't worry about it. I am not a huge fan of dance music or stuff you would hear in clubs. Otherwise, anything goes really.

DRAMAtical Murder (TV, Game)

I love pretty much every pairing in this show. I would be happy with a vid focusing on everyone, or on Aoba's relationship with Noiz, Ren, Clear, or Koujaku. I haven't played the game yet, but I'm not particularly concerned about spoilers if you want to include any scenes from the game.

K (anime)

I think this is a really beautiful series visually and I love all the fights and magic stuff going on. My absolute favorite characters are Kuro and Shiro so I would love a vid focusing on their relationship or just on the Silver clan in general.

Karneval

Karneval is a series that I wasn't sure if I would like going into it, but it really grew on me. I particularly loved the character of Gareki and his relationship with Yogi and Nai and how they became a little family. Even just a character study of Gareki with some emphasis on his tragic back story and how he found happiness would be interesting.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

My love for Master and Commander is boundless and anything involving the relationship between Jack and Stephen would make me very happy!

Natsume Yuujinchou

This is a really beautiful show that makes me very happy! I'd be fine with a sort of gen Natsume's life vid that invokes the dreamy atmosphere of the show. Otherwise I do really like the relationship between Natsume and Tanuma and between Natsume and Nyanko-Sensei.

Mushi-shi

This show is incredibly beautiful! I would love pretty much anything you would want to do with it. I do really enjoy the episodes that are slightly creepy. I'm up to date with Mushishi Zoku Shou as well if you want to include any footage from that. Something focusing on Ginko would be fun too.

Noragami

I absolutely adore this show and would love pretty much anything involving it. I do feel like the found family relationship between Yato, Hiyori, and Yukine is the heart of the show. I would love a vid focusing on that or on Yato's relationship with Yukine.

Yuletide!!

cienna — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 00:11:45 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

I'm so happy we matched! Don't worry, I am fairly easy to please. I enjoy anything from gen to smut as long as it focuses on the characters I requested. I generally enjoy most tropes and cliches and am much more interested in character moments than complicated plots, but I do love casefic, particuarly if it's creepy. The prompts I've listed below are only suggestions so if you have an amazing idea for a fic that would work well in one of these fandoms then definitely go for it!

Likes:

Hurt/Comfort either physical or emotional (this is a big one!)
angst with happy endings
humor
wilderness survival
mindbonding
awkward first times (and first times in general)
action/adventure
slow build romance/sex scenes
amnesia
aliens/demons/whatever made them do it
pining
misunderstandings
close friendships

Dislikes:

unhappy endings
deathfic
established relationship
curtain fic
fluff
kid fic or anything involving babies
extreme dark fic
bdsm
PWPs
non-canon AUs

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up through The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either. I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

Rush (2013) - Niki Lauda, James Hunt

I absolutely loved Lauda and Hunt's relationship in the film and how it changes over time from annoyance to tolerance to feelings deeper than either of them would care to admit. My very favorite scene in the film is when Hunt beat up the reporter who asked Lauda the question about his wife and suddenly you realize just how much Hunt actually cares. I don't think James quite realized the extent of his own feelings until Niki's accident either. I love h/c so anything with James visiting Niki in the hospital or that takes place after the accident would make me very happy, and I would be fine with that leading to a first time. Angsty, confused, antagonistic sex that takes place before they realize their feelings for each other would also be amazing! I think a mindbonding fic with them would work really well too!

DRAMAtical Murder - Seragaki Aoba, Koujaku

Okay, I haven't gotten around to playing this game yet, but I hope to very soon! I enjoyed the show a lot. I actually like Noiz, Clear, Ren, and Koujaku pretty much equally as far as pairings with Aoba so I'm fine with any of them being included. But it's totally fine if you just want to focus on Aoba and Koujaku since they're the ones I officially requested. I thought the flashback scenes with them were really cute and would love more of that and how their friendship developed. Anything leading to a first time would work for me too.

The Turn of the Story - Elliot Schafer, Luke Sunborn

Everyone should read this immediately! It's an amazing novella that's available free online: HERE! The sequel, Wings in the Morning is part of a fantasy anthology called Monstrous Affections and is a must read as well.

I finished The Turn of the Story all in one night and I absolutely loved it! I love all the characters, but I was definitely shipping Elliot and Luke from the beginning. I would love literally ANYTHING with them. Missing scenes, stuff with them as kids, a canon AU, or a continuation of what's going on after Wings in the Morning. I also think wilderness survival would be really fun with those two. I'm fine with Serene being included too because I adore her!

Noragami - Yato, Yukine

Something else that everyone should watch/read if they haven't gotten around to it! Noragami is an 11 volume manga/12 episode anime about a middle school student who is hit by a car while trying to save someone who runs into the road. This person turns out to be a minor God called Yato and the girl, Hiyori, is transformed into a part phantom. Yato's weapon (shinki) ends up being a middle school boy called Yukine who died very young of unexplained reasons. Yato and Yukine have are bound together in an interesting way where every time he steals or does anything considered a sin Yato knows immediately and it physically hurts him. Eventually they all become close friends and it turns into a kind of found family situation.

I would love a fic that explores Yato and Yukine's relationship more. Maybe something about Yukine's past that suddenly comes up and causes angst. Or anything hurt/comforty where one of them gets hurt or Yukine is hurting Yato unintentionally. Gen or slash is fine (nothing too graphic for these two) and I'm totally fine with Hiyori being included too. I'm fairly up to date with the manga so don't worry about spoilers.

[Vid] Drumming Song - Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

cienna — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:23:18 GMT

Title: Drumming Song
Vidder: cienna
Song: Drumming Song by Florence + the Machine
Fandom: Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Length: 3:42
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, major spoilers for the whole series
Summary: Why revenge is never the answer.
Vidder notes: Created for joyo as part of Festivids 2013. Thanks so much to gnine for her exporting help plus beta duties! ♥

Download link: Drumming Song

That time of year...

cienna — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 01:42:46 GMT

Things have been kind of crazy lately! Just moved to a new city and started a new job so I'm still getting used to things. I'm really liking the job so far! I have my own cubicle, (which apparently is something I always dreamed of) and I should be doing quite a bit of international traveling. I think it's going to take me awhile to get used to living in such a small city, but luckily it's only an hour's drive from Nashville so I'm not completely isolated. Still have to work on getting out and meeting people. I wish there was a secret fandom password or something. It would make life so much easier!

I have also signed up for millions of exchanges once again! Very excited about Yuletide and Festivids! (Neither of which I've actually started on.) Also modding the batfam_exchange as well as deancas_xmas for which sign ups are very much still open if anyone is interested!

In any case it's time for the annual Christmas card poll! takadainmate and I have worked out a system to once again do Christmas cards together even though we are in different countries! We're magic like that!

View Poll: Holiday Cards

Festivids !!

cienna — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 23:12:13 GMT

Dear Festividder,

So happy we're a match and that it's that time of the year again! I've been looking forward to this for months! To be honest, anything you do with my chosen fandoms is probably going to make me happy so don't worry too much about pleasing me. I'm also not too picky about music choices. I prefer slower, more angsty songs to upbeat stuff, but if it really goes with the vid don't worry about it. I am not a huge fan of dance music or stuff you would hear in clubs. Otherwise, anything goes really.

The Hollow Crown (2012)

I fell for this series and fell for it hard. Pretty much anything involving it would make me happy. My favorite is Prince Hal so anything with him would be amazing! Maybe something involving his relationship with Falstaff, or his father, or both. I also loved Richard II so I would be happy with a vid involving him too.

K (anime)

I think this is a really beautiful series visually and I love all the fights and magic stuff going on. My absolute favorite characters are Kuro and Shiro so I would love a vid focusing on their relationship or just on the Silver clan in general.

Karneval

Karneval is a series that I wasn't sure if I would like going into it, but it really grew on me. I particularly loved the character of Gareki and his relationship with Yogi and Nai and how they became a little family. Even just a character study of Gareki with some emphasis on his tragic back story and how he found happiness would be interesting.

Lark Rise to Candleford

I would especially love a vid focusing on Dorcas Lane as she is my absolute favorite. Any relationships along the way would be fine to include. I also really love the Pratt sisters and their relationship. Other characters I like include Thomas, Margaret, Minnie, and Alfie. I'm not a huge fan of Laura, Daniel, Queenie, Twister, or Emma and Robert Timmins, but I don't mind if they're included minimally.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

My love for Master and Commander is boundless and anything involving the relationship between Jack and Stephen would make me very happy!

Natsume Yuujinchou

This is a really beautiful show that makes me very happy! I'd be fine with a sort of gen Natsume's life vid that invokes the dreamy atmosphere of the show. Otherwise I do really like the relationship between Natsume and Tanuma and between Natsume and Nyanko-Sensei.

Whitechapel

I just got into Whitechapel recently and I really love the creepy disturbing atmosphere of this show, so a vid that portrays that would be amazing! I also love the relationship between Chandler and Miles. Or something focusing on Kent and his tragic crush on Chandler and Chandler continuing to be oblivious.

Yuletide Letter!

cienna — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 23:27:54 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

Yay, we're a match! I honestly am fairly easy to please. I'm happy with anything from gen to smut as long as it is focused on the characters listed. My favorite tropes are probably hurt/comfort, amnesia, mindbonding, aliens/demons/whatever made them do it, and fics involving survival in the wilderness, but it's fine if you want to do something else too. I definitely prefer angst to fluff, but I don't mind if it's a little fluffy. If it's a fic involving smut I prefer lots of build-up with no porn until the end. I enjoy smut in fic, but I'm not a huge fan of PWP's. I also prefer first time fics to established unless the characters are already basically together in canon (like Jack and Stephen). The only thing I really don't like is death!fic and fic with unhappy endings. Happy endings for me, please! I'm also not a huge fan of non-canon AUs but I'm not completely opposed if you think it would work really well for the characters. The prompts I've given are only suggestions, so if you have an amazing idea for a fic in one of these fandoms that you think would work well, go for it! Just no coal, please! :)

AO3 Name: cienna

Aubrey-Maturin Series - Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin

I adore this series of books! I have read up to The Yellow Admiral so I am fine with spoilers up until that point or even something based on just the film canon. The heart of the book for me is definitely Jack and Stephen's relationship so anything dealing with that is going to be a win. I love how they are kind of opposites, with Jack being completely useless on land and Stephen being kind of inept with sea-related things, and the humor that goes along with that. It can be either platonic friendship or slashy, I am good with either. I love h/c, so something where one of them gets hurt or is threatened in some way and the other one freaks out would be amazing. I also love fandom tropes like mindbonding, amnesia, demons (whatever) made them do it, omegaverse, survival!fic, etc. I really like Sophie, so I'm fine with her being mentioned or included, but I'm not a big fan of Diana, purely because of all the crap she puts Stephen through. For me Jack and Stephen are basically married, so I'm good with either established relationship or first time for them.

Rush (2013) - Niki Lauda, James Hunt

I absolutely loved Lauda and Hunt's relationship in the film and how it changes over time from annoyance to tolerance to feelings deeper than either of them would care to admit. My very favorite scene in the film is when Hunt beat up the reporter who asked Lauda the question about his wife and suddenly you realize just how much Hunt actually cares. I don't think James quite realized the extent of his own feelings until Niki's accident either. I love h/c so anything with James visiting Niki in the hospital or that takes place after the accident would make me very happy, and I would be fine with that leading to a first time. Angsty, confused, antagonistic sex that takes place before they realize their feelings for each other would also be amazing!

K (Anime) Isana Yashiro, Yatogami Kuroh

The end of this anime basically killed me. So beautiful! What I would really love is a fix-it fic where they find each other again after Shiro disappears. Maybe with a bit of angst and pining thrown in on Kuroh's part. He has to continue living his life, traveling around with Neko, but he never gives up on finding Shiro. Alternately I would enjoy a cute first time fic involving h/c that takes place before Shiro disappears or a fic involving a trope like amnesia, demons (whatever) made them do it, mindbonding, etc.

Free! - Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto

Haruka is absolutely my favorite character in Free! I just adore him and his obsession with water as well as his adorable semi-married relationship with Makoto. My favorite part in the series is probably when Makoto was worried and waited at Haruka's house for him to come home. So sweet! I would love anything with the two of them having misunderstandings that impedes them getting together, someone getting hurt, or any sort of angst. I also love all the other characters in the show, especially Rei, Nagisa, and Gou, so feel free to include them as well if you're so inclined. I've seen all of the anime and listened to both the drama CDs, so everything is fair game.

Whitechapel - Joseph Chandler, Emerson Kent

I just recently started watching Whitechapel and I really love both the creepy disturbing atmosphere and the characters. I would particularly enjoy some sort of h/c scenario involving Kent and Chandler, leading to a first time. I absolutely love pining and oblivious characters so you can see why this pairing appeals to me! I also really love Miles so I would be happy to have him involved or any of the other characters from the show. And based on what we've seen so far in the show I definitely wouldn't be surprised to see Miles matchmaking. Alternately if you prefer gen, I would be happy with some h/c without a first time and maybe just a fic developing their friendship.

Fall TV

cienna — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 14:37:23 GMT

Yay, premiere season is finally upon us! I have quite a few shows on my list for this year -

Definitely watching

Person of Interest (Sept. 24) - Definitely the show I am most excited for! Bring on the Reese/Finch and the Shaw, Root, Carter and Fusco being awesome! Kind of sad that they moved it to a new night so I can't watch it together with Elementary anymore though.

Elementary (Sept. 26) - I didn't love the season finale despite how awesome Natalie Dormer is, but I'm still excited for the new season.

Grimm (Oct. 25) - Not excited about some spoilers I have heard for this season, but still very interested to find out Nick's fate in the season premiere.

Supernatural (Oct. 9) - NO MATTER HOW BAD THIS SHOW GETS I WILL NEVER STOP WATCHING, DAMMIT! Plus Cas's new situation is something that is just impossible to resist.

Downton Abbey (Sept. 22) - Very sad about the lack of Matthew, but I am totally on board with this as long as they don't put Mary and Branson together. Ugh. XD

White Collar (Oct. 17) - I'm not hugely invested in this show, but I will continue to watch because Peter DeKay and Matt Bomer never stop being adorable. Plus Mark Sheppard!!

The Walking Dead (Oct. 13) - I'm not super happy with some things that happened in the finale, but I will still give this a try.

New Shows

Almost Human (Nov. 4) - Have to give this one a try because the premise sounds interesting and also Karl Urban!!

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Sept. 24) - Yeah, there's no way I'll be able to resist this. Hope it ends up being good!

Shows I don't admit to watching

Survivor (Sept. 18) - Yeah, I just can't stop. It's an addiction.

Anime

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club - Still watching this. It never stops being ridiculously hilarious and adorable.

Magi: The Kingdom of Magic (Oct.) - I will definitely be watching this, but I need to finish season 1 first.

Kyoukai no Kanata (Oct.) - A Supernatural based dark fantasy anime based on a series of light novels, this one looks vaguely interesting so I will at least give it a try.

[Vid] Cosmic Love - Batman: Under the Red Hood

cienna — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 03:29:00 GMT

Title: Cosmic Love
Vidder: Cienna
Song: Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine
Fandom: Batman: Under the Red Hood - Jason + Bruce
Length: 4:16
Size: 71.9 MB
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, major spoilers if you haven't seen the film
Summary: But then it stopped and I was in the darkness, so darkness I became...
Vidder notes: I actually made this vid back in November and have held off posting it, just because I couldn't give up making changes. It worked out well because then I could use it for Vividcon! Lots of thanks to the London batclub! Especially miki_moo who dragged me (and multiple other people) into bat fandom. Also to takadainmate for her usual amazing beta duties!

Download link: Cosmic Love

Anonymous Commenting

cienna — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:17:37 GMT

Just went through and deleted about 30 spam comments so Anonymous commenting is again off! Not sure why I turned it back on again to begin with. Evil spam. XD

DCSS Vid: Shot Through the Heart

cienna — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:22:48 GMT

Title: Shot Through the Heart
Song: You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi
Fandom Supernatural - Dean/Cas
Length: 3:27
Size: 59.5 MB
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, cheesy 80's music, sexual innuendo
Spoilers: Up to episode 8x07
Summary: Loosely based on the prompt - With all the shit they've been through, they just want to put it aside for a bit and have a happy Christmas.
Artist notes: Created as part of the deancas_xmas exchange for thinlizzy2. Lots of thanks as always to takadainmate who always remembers every scene Cas has been in! As well as to the other people who were subjected to various versions of this vid.
Download Link: Download at Mediafire/Download at Sendspace

Shot through the heart,
And you're to blame
Darling, you give love
A bad name.

An angel's smile is what you sell
You promise me heaven and put me through hell.
Chains of love got a hold on me
When passion's a prison you can't break free.

OH! You're a loaded gun ... yeah
OH! There's nowhere to run
No one can save me, the damage is done!

Shot through the heart,
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part, and you play your game
You give love a bad name.
You give love a bad name.

Paint your smile on your lips
Blood red nails on your fingertips.
A school boy's dream, you act so shy
Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye.

WHOA! You're a loaded gun
WHOA! There's nowhere to run
No one can save me the damage is done.

Shot through the heart,
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part, and you play your game
You give love a bad name.
You give love...

INSTRUMENTAL

OH! Shot through the heart
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name.
I play my part, and you play your game
You give love a bad name.

Shot through the heart
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name.
I play my part, and you play your game
You give love a bad name.

You give love...
You give love... bad name
You give love...
You give love... bad name
You give love...
You give love... bad name

FADE OUT

Festivid Reveals

cienna — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:55:20 GMT

And festivid reveals happened! I realized belatedly that going back and changing the date stamp on my post doesn't allow it to show up on my friends' flist, so I thought I'd through the link up here. I ended up making a Downton Abbey vid (all characters), Glad You Came, for hollywoodgrrl. It's over here!

Pretty busy with all the stuff that's involved with making an international move at the moment. I'm not very happy about it, but am pretty much resigned to my fate at this point. I have less than two weeks to somehow get rid of all of my stuff that won't fit in two suitcases and a few boxes. I've decided to get rid of all of my English books since I can always buy them again later and the Japanese ones are harder to replace. Then have to go through my clothes and see what I need to keep. Everything else is headed to the charity shop. Also need to find someone to replace me in the flat! Ack! Really don't want to have to pay rent for March when I won't be living here. But I did get to meet Kieron Gillen (Writer for the new Young Avengers and the bb!Loki arc of Journey Into Mystery) at Comic Mart over the weekend! That was very fun! Plus we got spoilers for Young Avengers #3! Yay!

Festivid Recs

cienna — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 12:59:30 GMT

Haven't had a chance to go through all the Festivids yet, but I do have a few to rec, including my gift vid which is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! It's for Batman: Under the Red Hood and is beautifully angsty and filled with incredible editing.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

This Night by anonymous for ME!

And a few other vids that I loved:

Brideshead Revisited

Mowgli's Road by anonymous for alley-skywalker

The Hollow Crown

Somewhere a Clock is Ticking by anonymous for condnsdmlk

Florence + the Machine music videos

Cosmic Love by anonymous for Mithborien

I'm sure many more recs will be coming! And the complete master list is over here!

cienna — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:51:56 GMT

Got some lovely fics for Yuletide this year! It's always so exciting to get two fics!

Dreams (1003 words) by Sententiae
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Madara, Natsume Takashi
Summary:

There are places Madara doesn’t like to visit, and the foremost of these are Natsume’s dreams.

Princeling's Prologue (1633 words) by astraev
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley
Characters: Mary Crawley, Matthew Crawley, Edith Crawley, Doctor Clarkson, Sybil Crawley
Summary:

Matthew promised to build the kingdom, as Mary promised to grow the princeling.

And not my gift, but I have no words for how much I loved this Master and Commander fic. Seriously, read it immediately if you like Jack and Stephen or mind bonding!

On Solitude (15123 words) by Toft
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, Preserved Killick, Barrett Bonden
Summary:

Jack and Stephen accidentally become telepathically bonded, but Stephen still has to complete his mission in Minorca.

Also ended up completing two vids for the deancas_xmas exchange! I got roped into a pinch hit at the last minute, which was kind of a bit of a mistake as I had millions of other things I needed to be working on, but oh well. Really need to post those at some point. But I am super super excited about festivids kicking off tomorrow! I'm pretty happy with the vid I made and I'm hoping my recipient will like it. *fingers crossed* Just have to stop myself from making last minute changes. It's so hard to stop editing vids. That's why I still haven't posted my Batman - Under the Red Hood vid.

Currently still in denial about possibly leaving so I'm still doing job searching and trying to find some options to stay in the country. We'll see if anything pans out.

Festivids Vid: Glad You Came

cienna — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:35:09 GMT

Song: Glad You Came
Artist: The Wanted
Length: 3:12
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Size: 54 MB
Recipient: hollywoodgrrl
Summary: My universe will never be the same...
Download link: Mediafire
Vidder's notes: Lots of thanks to my sister Audrey for her helpful beta as well as her input on the song selection! Extra special thanks to Downton for being so endlessly entertaining. There are a few small changes in this from the original version. Spoilers up through the Season 3 Christmas Special.

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came

You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

I'm glad you came
So glad you came
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

It's that time again!

cienna — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 21:18:11 GMT

So somehow I've managed to sign up for four holiday exchanges this year. yuletide, festivids, deancas_xmas, and of course the best exchange of all - batfam_exchange! And yes, I have started exactly 0 of these so far.

In other slightly Yuletide related news - It's that time of year again! The time where takadainmate* and I have the poll to decide what should be on our Christmas cards!

View Poll: Holiday Cards

(If you're confused about Dick, the icon might be a hint.)

Comments are screened, so if you would like a card please leave your address here unless you will be coming to the Christmas Merlin Meet in which case we will be giving you your card in person! Once again, everyone is welcome and you don't have to send us anything! (Unless you have some extra tentacles or crying faces you don't need...)

Batfam Exchange!

cienna — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 20:31:37 GMT

Just on the off chance that anyone reading my journal is into batfam -

Sign-ups are open for the Batfam holiday exchange!

This is an anonymous exchange for fic, artwork, and vids. Sign-ups will be open from now until November 7th. Please go HERE to find out more and sign up!

Anonymous Comments

cienna — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 20:20:14 GMT

Had to stop allowing anonymous commenting on my lj since I've been getting unbelievable amounts of spam comments. If you don't have an lj and want to leave a comment just message me and I'll turn it back on. Hopefully this is only temporary.

Also, yay, almost Halloween=good excuse to use my Buffy Halloween icon.