And I'm back. A mere 14 months since my last post. /o\ I know sometimes I'm like, I'll do the thing in a bit, I'm just not ready right now, but this is perhaps taking it kinda far? Then again, I did just take 3 weeks to do my dishes, so my DW updates may not actually be the worst of it. IDK. I've been thinking about fandom lately and how LJ used to be this big communal place for so many of us, and how culture and assumptions change depending on the platform, and how lucky I feel to have been in LJ fandom when it was really going, how much I learned and how central it was to my life in a lot of surprising ways. I actually attribute a lot of how I approach adulthood to being on LJ back then, for instance. Now I'm mainly on Twitter and to a lesser extent AO3, and both are obviously great (latter more than former, also obviously) but DW is still kind of the best for fandom, I think.

Like, on Twitter I'm constantly holding back and self-editing, for a few reasons. First, I don't want to be spoilery, so it's hard to squee in any amount of the detail I'd prefer. On DW, you just add a cut and voila! Same for the other issue, opinions that could harsh someone else's squee. I really don't want to be that person who brings down a room when I don't like something that's otherwise being enjoyed, or if I just have a negative opinion that I feel like sharing. Again, the cut tag is magic. There's also random non-fannish folks sliding into your mentions at random times; I miss the sense of being at a private sleepover with other fanpeople. That said, I feel like I'm beginning to see more fannish content on Twitter, like maybe we've all been defeated by politics and just want to go back to a happy place for a little while, and that's been fun.

But anyway, DW/LJ are awesome and I'm sorry to have been gone this long.

Very little has changed since my last post. I'm still at the synagogue, only with a better attitude. Looking back at my last post about working there, I think it was before I ever took time off for a vacation, and that changed things pretty radically for my headspace. Rest. Perspective. More rest. You should not go more than a year without some kind of break, if you can. This I have learned. So I am a better person and employee now, plus they hired me a supervisor and totally changed up the staff dynamic there, for the better, and I am looking to rock the projects on my plate.

I'm also still driving at the hotel, but mainly on weekends since working on nights and weekends before was making my therapist purse her lips a lot and hold her tongue in a way that suggested this was not actually good for me. I love it there, just maybe I need time to myself some days. That all said, I may go looking for another hotel since I'm not getting enough weekend hours here. I have some financial goals that I'd love to make headway on this year and the hours are a big part of that.

The other big news is the new kitty in my house! She is about 8 years old and came from the Humane Society, where her name was Zuzu. But we all know that Zuzu was a diminutive used by Azula toward her brother, so I changed her name to Zuko as is proper. Zuko likes to lie in my lap and purr, chase her tail (trufax, she spends long minutes twirling in circles trying to catch it), pass out in a happy food coma in my lap after eating, and attentively watch 8-hour-long videos of birds and squirrels eating seeds on YT. I adore her a ridiculous amount.



So, I just posted a bunch of AO3 links to stuff that's been written for or by me. Exchanges have been the real impetus for most of my writing in the last few years, but I'm hoping to change that, maybe set up a moratorium for the rest of this year. Move away from deadline-driven writing and back to something more spontaneous--in addition to finishing up the various commitments I've made to people through fandom auctions.

I have a lot to say about Avengers and Killing Eve and OMG! DS9, but it will have to wait for a more civilized hour. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. <3

This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/192142.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

And now links to my own fic since the last (long ago) update here!

( 18 fics beneath the cutCollapse ) This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/191967.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Hello hello! A personal update is coming, but first I wanted to share some recs! These have been given to me over the last two years or so (gulp) in exchanges and I hope you will enjoy them if you haven't already!



( click!Collapse ) This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/191523.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Hello out there. :) I keep meaning to post, but RL is always sweeping me away, mostly to work and back, and I never feel quite like I'm in a headspace for anything but work or resting up to go back to work. It's not really conducive to fandom space.

( work travailsCollapse )

And work feels like a microcosm of Portland, tbh. I wonder if I just don't need to be someplace where the overall culture is a little different, maybe where there's a little more diversity, so you don't always run into people who have the exact same assumptions and values. Someone told me there is a big lesbian community in Santa Fe. Does anyone know if that's good place to live?


Anyway, that's work. I actually am going to my second job tonight (which is mostly kind of fun and a good outlet), but in the meantime I realized I can try to detox a little. I really hate how DW doesn't let you page back more than two weeks when you're trying to catch up on posts. But I guess that's motivation to get on here more often.

One question: How is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so consistently amazing? I just watched the 100th ep and it made me cry at least twice. Kind of afraid of what's next. Yoyo keeps doing the foreshadowing thing.... I'm also nearing the end of a Brooklyn 99 rewatch that is delightful. And in January I mainlined all 6 seasons of White Collar, which was love. Next I have to decide between the new season of Shannara, the new season of Jessica Jones, catching up on Doctor Who, and really getting started on SW: Rebels.

I've posted some fic recently, and got some awesome gifts in some exchanges, so I'll share those soon, maybe today. It's funny, I don't always have the patience for all the (fairly minimal) coding that takes.

Things I'm looking forward to:

- possibly getting a new planner
- my parents visiting in April (we're spending a week in Canada)
- Bitchin Party, just before my parents get here
- seeing Semiramide on Wednesday
- rewatching Black Panther

I should also mention, in January my cat got sick and pretty soon after I had to help her go to rest. She wasn't the world's worst roommate, but sometimes she liked to audition for the part, and under all the aggravation I kind of respected her for it. Either way, my place feels very empty without her underfoot and meowing during my TV shows, and really hilariously glaring balefully at all my friends, and curling up by me wherever I went. Rest in peace, stupid cat.



This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/191430.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Dear PurimGifts Writer/Podficcer,

Thank you so much for writing/reading for me! This exchange has become a favorite part of my Purim practice, which is maybe a little weird, but seriously, who wouldn't want to spend Purim reading fic about ladies, viziers, and suchlike? Honestly the best, and thank you for being part of it.

This is where I tell you that no matter what you write/read, I will be excited and happy and grateful. It's probably also the part where you roll your eyes and say, "Everyone says that, but then they get a fic not to their taste and only tragedy can follow." Well, I'll be honest: my tastes have widened and mellowed over the years, so I'm serious when I say I'm just really curious to see what other people have to say about my fandoms. So write what interests you, please don't worry too much about me, and I guarantee we'll both be happy. <3333

I requested way too many fandoms. *lol* Please forgive the sparse notes, it's just way too many to go into detail. I thought I'd just say what I love about the fandom, and/or some jumping off points for fic, plus preferred pairings in case that matters. NOTHING is required; these are just thoughts you can go with or ignore as you please. :)

Star Wars: TFA - I ship all iterations of Rey, Poe, and Finn. Also Han/Leia. I love how heroic everyone is, and how they all become friends and family despite the terrible conditions of their lives and the evil of their enemies. Resiliance and hope are good themes here.

Star Trek Reboot - Mainly a Kirk/Spock shipper. I love their friendship too, and Jim and McCoy's friendship as well. Space adventures are always fun. Maybe winning an argument. Or moments where stuff they see in space (or just with each other) are truly stunning and moving.

Greek/Roman Mythology - I don't think I have a favorite myth, although Ariadne and Persephone come to mind. Does Medea count as a myth? I won't tell if you won't. I wonder what would have changed if goddesses had claimed the sky, sea and underworld instead of gods?

Jewish Scripture and Legend, Midrash, Tanakh - My favorite thing is when people do a deep read of the texts to find narratives that are both supportable and unexpected. Also, queering of the text. I really doubt you'll find a tale from these sources that I wouldn't be interested in.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Right now I'm kind of dying for Fitz/Simmons/Daisy, but I also like a lot of other pairings, including Daisy/Robby, just plain FitzSimmons, Daisy/Simmons, Yoyo/Mack, Coulson/May. Afraid I'm not big on Ward, so maybe steer clear of stories involving him (though if that's what really moves you, go for it). These guys all make me so happy. I like the bond between Daisy and Coulson a lot, the mutual respect and affection. Anything with any of the team just hanging out or interacting in between adventures is good.

MCU - God, I'm such a multi-shipper here. You probably can't go wrong. I love when they're all getting along and living together in Avengers Tower, but I also wonder what would happen if you stuck them all on a spaceship together way out in the Negative Zone or something.

Daredevil (TV) - I've always loved Matt/Karen but could be persuaded in other directions. Anything team-y with Matt, Foggy and Karen. Or maybe just focused on Matt and Foggy after Foggy finds out about Daredevil, esp if Foggy doesn't get all weird about it like he does in the show.

Elementary - I love the deep deep deep respect Sherlock and Joan have for each other. It's my kyptonite. That and what passes for normal in their house as they live with each other.

Fairy Tales - I love it when fairy tales get all queered up. Love love love. Doesn't even matter which one.

Galavant - I mainlined both seasons of this once, really enjoyed it, and have no idea what to ask for in fic. Show me what you like about it?

H50 - I'm a few seasons behind, so maybe no recent spoilers. Steve/Danny is wonderful, as is teamfic. I like h/c in this fandom, esp of the whump variety.

Merlin - I like Merlin/Arthur. Magic getting Merlin in trouble, Merlin and Arthur being partners in crime, helping each other out of trouble, all is great. Plus Gwen is also great. Canon really didn't give us enough Gwen and Merlin getting into trouble together antics.

Newsies - David/Jack is love. David's sister (Sarah?) also has so much story left to tell. I always wonder what happened to her after her brother ran off with her boyfriend.

Road to El Dorado - I totally forgot why I put this, but I did love this movie. Show me why you liked it too?


Likes: found family, solving problems together, relationship negotiation, shenanigans, plot, h/c, tropes, women being awesome, plotty character exploration, romance, what if?, realizing your married/dating, telepathy

Dislikes: non-canon AUs, crack, crossovers, non-canonical death, breakups that last, pwps, ooc, character/pairing bashing

Note on shipping: I like gen too! Ships are noted here just for reference. This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/191113.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Dear marvelismarvel writer/artist,

First of all, thank you for making me something! No matter what you decide to make, I know I'll enjoy the heck out of it. So make sure to have fun, and if you don't find any of the thoughts below appealing or helpful, please let go and do your own thing. I say it in all my author letters, but it's true: I love seeing YOUR vision more than my own, because that's where the spark is going to be.

In case you'd find it useful, though, here are some thoughts about my requests:

Daredevil (TV) [Matt, Karen, Foggy]
This show. These characters. I love them each individually and together. I love Matt and his one-man war on crime in his backyard, and how he fights almost without caring how bad he gets hurt, as long as he makes a difference. And how he's so sweet as a friend and competent as a lawyer. I love Karen, and her unyielding need for the truth in any situation (and how Matt saw that and respected her enough to finally give it to her). I LOOOOOVE Foggy and his care for both Matt and Karen, and all their clients, and for the three of them together as a team. In fact, that is the next thing I love, the three of them together as a team. I know it will happen again if I wait long enough in the show, but if you're inclined, something with the three of them being team-y would be awesome. If you're interested in something shippy, I'm kind of on the Matt/Karen side of the Force but could be persuaded in other directions.

The Defenders (TV) [Any character]
I had mixed feelings about the show, but never about the characters. If you wanted to write an AU of how they all met, or just of a couple of them meeting or seeing each other again, then that would be really fun. Or some h/c or all of them together and having to solve a problem.

MCU [Bruce/Natasha; Bucky/Natasha]
With Bruce and Natasha, I feel it's okay to wave away (violently) that clunky and offensive scene in Ultron and build on their other interactions and the themes they share (damn that scene, it makes me so defensive about liking this pairing). If that's a project you're into, yay! If not, I totally understand. You might be more into Bucky/Natasha, then? Because boy do they share themes! And they have a secret history! I really love this pairing a lot too. With either pairing, I think getting-to-know-you stories would be fun, since all of these characters put up so many barriers but are deeply in need of relationship. I also like h/c and team stuff for them. Falling in love--but not sorta shyly in love--more like rocked by the intensity of how in love they are. If you chose MCU but not the pairings (does it let you match that way? I have no idea.), then please write the story in your heart with the characters of your choice. I honestly am having a hard time thinking of anyone I wouldn't be interested in (Maybe Dr. Strange lol.)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. [Skye/Robbie Reyes; Skye/Jemma; Skye, Trip, Fitz, Robbie, Coulson, May]
So Skye is one of my favorites because she's snarky and sort of world-weary but always working so hard to create a better world. I love her passion for protecting inhumans, and how she sort of really needs a just cause to be working toward, from the first episode even. When paired with Robbie, I enjoy the way they're so alike but different in these key ways, penance vs vengeance. They had such great chemistry; it would be fun to read something where they're out trying to be normal people on a date or something but being heroes gets in the way. Or one of them maybe goes way overboard and has to get pulled back to the shallow end by the other and they fall in love. With Jemma, the show sold me on Jemma/Fitz (it was an easy sell), but I still enjoy fic where Jemma and Daisy get together based on their many shared experiences of trauma and how cute they find each other. It wasn't in the tagset, but I also enjoy Skye/Trip, Jemma/Fitz, and May/Coulson.

General Likes
hurt/comfort, tropes, women being awesome, men respecting the hell out of awesome women, happy endings, plot, plotty character exploration, non-au, what if?, romance, realizing you're married/dating, telepathy, horror

General Dislikes
non-canon AUs, crack, permanent death, breakups that last, unhappy/unresolved endings, pwps, ooc, character/pairing bashing

This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/190779.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

G'mar tov to everyone who made it through High Holidays!

# This year I managed the holidays for the temple where I work. We hold them offsite and a lot is involved in the prep and follow-up, so it's almost all I've been thinking about for a few months. And yes, after a few months of thinking about almost any project, it is bound to become incredibly dull and tedious to you even as all the prep comes to fruition around you. I'm happy it went well, and gratified to have received some recognition, but damn, am I done with it. Hoping next year will be less all-consuming.

(My one regret about this job is that the denomination of the temple is not one that does much for me religiously. To be fair, those are few and far between, but I miss a slightly more traditional service, and could go for a lot less guided meditation. It would be less of a problem for me if I wasn't required to be around to be sure everything runs smoothly and to manage volunteers. /whining)

# In an effort to think about other things, I started the second season of Daredevil last night. OMG those characters are so damn lovable. Next: Luke Cage, then I'm even going to watch Iron Fist before I get to Defenders. Lately my life has been about delayed gratification, so why not?

# I go back to Twitter on Thursday! It's good; my head has cleared from when I left two months ago, and I miss the people there more than I'm annoyed at the craziness, so it's probably the right time.

# I took part in a fic challenge somehow! And tielan wrote me a sedoretu! It's so full of love and healing and has such a great take on Laura Barton, you guys should all go read it now!

The Road That Leads To Home (1595 words) by tielan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Laura Barton/Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton/Laura Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov
Characters: Natasha Romanova, Laura Barton, Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes
Additional Tags: Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Sedoretu
Summary:

He surveys the land before them as the Wakandan plane hovers over the landscape, and Natasha tries to imagine it through his eyes.
“A farm?”
“A safehouse.” Somewhere to recover, with no lingering ghosts, with nothing to trigger his responses, even now the programming has been taken out.
The expression on his face is bleak. “And is it safe for them?”

# Looking forward to Yuletide and marvelismarvel!

# Off now to clean up the apartment and eat something. Tomorrow I get another evening off work and I don't want to think about anything but Foggy and Matt and Karen. <3

This entry was originally posted at https://desertport.dreamwidth.org/190639.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

# So I did the unthinkable a couple weeks ago and gave up Twitter for the next two months. It was getting to be too much, politically, and I needed a break to center myself and remember/decide where I'm at, rather than reading where a lot of strangers are. The thing is not everyone on Twitter is a stranger and I miss trading random comments during the day with friends and fangirls. On a brighter side, I think I'm feeling less stress (at the expense of being less informed).

# The new job goes well. I am driving people to and from the airport and it is super chill. Using the downtime between trips to plot my current exchange fic.

# I wound up signing up for that online teaching course (in which I learn to teach online) because of course I did. Given a chance to overcommit myself, I will always choose to. The class is fine, though some of the assignments are tedious and feel like busywork. It ends in a week, though I plan to be done in a few days. I'm probably NOT going to teach for a while. I'm not feeling it, I already have a second job, and nobody's asked. But it will good to have the option in the future. Ideally, I'll spend some time creating learning modules recreationally when I feel like it. Course design is actually pretty fun when there are no deadlines or time limits. I'm struggling with those lately.

# I just finished a project for when I'm awake but too braindead to do anything complicated. I took all my podfic files and regularized the tags so that author name, reader name, fandom, pairing, etc are all in the same place, allowing me to sort by each. Now when I want a specific kind of podfic, I can actually find it. Yay!

# It's so weird, I can't wait for work in the morning. Ready for coffee and laying out the newsletter. I am so bizarre lately.

This entry was originally posted at http://desertport.dreamwidth.org/190376.html.

Dear Writer,

Thank you for writing me something!

Please write the story you want to tell, and don't feel beholden to anything I say here. I'm just putting down some thoughts in case you want a little direction. I'm such a multishipper that it's pretty hard to scare me away with a pairing, and I'm interested in stories that come from the writer's heart and sense of what's interesting.

I'm also cool if you venture outside the tags to add more characters or pairings.

For each fandom, I'm just going to throw out a few prompts that come to mind--which you are NOT required to do.

Captain America Movies - Falling in love. Madly, deeply, unequivocably in love.

Marvel 616 Getting in trouble together and only regretting it for form's sake.

Star Wars - Relationship negotiation. Figuring out how to do things you never did growing up. Getting help and learning to accept it. Telepathy with the dead.

Merlin - Morgana the hero. Gwen, the dragon, and her destiny.

SGA - The Pegasus Galaxy is full of new germs. And aggressive animal life. And even more aggressive floral life.

general likes Plot, conflict, resolution of conflict, happy endings, mysteries, banter, tropes, tropes, tropes, all the tropes, non-au, what if?, romance, realizing you're married/dating, telepathy, horror.

generally no deathfic, breakups that last, unhappy/unresolved endings, pwps, AU, ooc, character/pairing bashing.

his entry was originally posted at http://desertport.dreamwidth.org/190101.html.