.:Live.Laugh.Love:.

Hello and Goodbye

2021-01-07T03:54:07Z

I don't know how many people are still active around here, but I've certainly not been in quite awhile. And I've decided that the time for me to be on lj is at an end. But since I would like to get back to a more journal platform, I've revived my dw! Anyone who is on there, feel free to hit me up :)

(I will still potentially be using lj for exchange stuff, but I don't forsee my personal journal seeing any more posts.)

Art: In|Servitude (Naruto, ShikaNeji & KakaNaru)

2020-09-29T20:26:54Z

My third and final art for this year's wipbigbang! The author unfortunately wasn't able to finish for the bang, so no link atm. There were some great visuals in this epic fic that I wanted to incorporate into the art, particularly around a scroll that gets described. Transferring my sketches to the final art was, as always, a bit of a bumpy ride, especially since I realized I didn't quite have the skills to do a lot of it to my satisfaction. But I like how they came out anyway!

In|Servitude
Author: Nemmy
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Shikamaru/Neji, Kakashi/Naruto
Summary: In order to find out the truth behind his sensei Asuma’s supposed suicide, Shikamaru, the young heir of the Nara clan, will turn over every brick and shingle of the capital, even if it means risking his family’s reputation and safety by making an enemy of the bakufu and possibly the entire shogunate, even if it means exacerbating the already antagonistic rivalry between Naruto, adopted son and heir of Daimyo Tsunade and Sasuke, the youngest son of the house of shinpan Daimyo Uchiha, even if it means repeatedly clashing with Hyuuga Neji, the young and dogmatic bushi, who looks down upon Shikamaru for his humble origins and detests him for his reckless disregard for the courts and the customs alike.

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Art: death first to vultures and scavengers (Star Wars, Kylux)

2020-09-09T20:53:37Z

Second art for this year's wipbigbang! A little late bc I had to travel on short notice... Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this moody, atmospheric fic, and I was so happy to get to do art for it :) I had a bit of trouble translating my original sketch for the cover into the final project (originally there were going to be figures going down the stairs, per the fic), but I think all in all the art turned out really well!!

death first to vultures and scavengers
Author: technorat
Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Pairing: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Summary: Kylo Ren is tasked by Snoke with the retrieval of a set of Force-sensitive cultists from Arkanis. Hux is not at all what he had expected of them.

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Art: Meet Me in California (IT Movies)

2020-08-16T15:43:51Z

First art of this year's wipbigbang! I was super excited to do some IT art since that's been my hyperfocus fandom this year lol And it was such a good fic!! It made me laugh and cry and honestly I'm already looking forward to a reread lol

Meet Me in California
Author: Regina_Writes
Fandom: IT Movies
Pairing: Richie Tozier/ Eddie Kaspbrack
Summary: In which a dick measuring contest goes terribly wrong (or right, depending on your perspective) resulting in the union of Derry's two resident doofuses--a union that both are too scared to define.

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Holiday Cards!

2019-11-10T15:32:40Z

It’s that time of the year again… i.e. Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Winter is coming up and I want to send some Christmahanukwanzastice cards!

I’m doing my address collecting a little differently this year, so if you’d like a card from me, just fill out the form bellow! You can decide whether or not you want stickers, glitter, or a drabble. Feel free to request a card even if we don’t talk or follow each other. The more the merrier!!

Reeby’s Holiday Cards

reeby10 @ 2019-03-22T13:48:00

2019-03-22T21:48:22Z

Join us at wipbigbang
Sign up March 23-April 13 and Finish Your Sh**!
This is a Big Bang with one goal in mind: to clean out your drafts folder. These are stories that were unfinished for whatever reason, that authors returned to and completed, and the art that goes with them! All fandoms welcome!

some updates!

2019-02-28T05:36:55Z

The last (ie all the international and fic ones) of my holiday cards have been sent! Finally... Sorry I am so terrible at getting those out on time. I mean, I got them sent earlier than the year before, so I guess that's a plus? I will endeavor to keep improving lol

Updated the rest of my horror movie a day watches! I had it updated on pillowfort as I was going but forgot to update it here, whoops.

Also updated my Yuletide Recs. Still reading my way through the collection, so there'll likely be at least one more update to it. At some point.

Starting prep for wipbigbang. New round will start mid March, and we've got a lot of changes/improvements to try to implement this year in order to make it less overwhelming to run. Wish us luck!

I haven't checked my flist in... probably two weeks at least. Life has been rough as usual lol Mostly due to depression and doing a lot of cleaning to avoid actual responsibilities. But I'm gonna try to catch up on everyone's entries soon!

reeby10 @ 2019-02-26T16:45:00

2019-02-27T01:45:51Z

Femslash February Ficathon hosted by CLOCKWORK_HART1

Oscars 2019

2019-02-25T00:37:11Z

The Oscars are tonight! I'm excited to see how it goes this year. Even though I'm kind of side eyeing some of their nominations lol But you know, it happens.

I didn't make as much of an effort to watch the nominees this year, thus my opinions are probably even more narrow than usual. Also it just feels like the Oscars came up so fast this year?? I didn't have time to watch as much stuff after nominations in preparation. Anyway, I watched a grand total of 8 of the nominees this year, which is 1 more than I saw last year, which is cool.

So here's my list of watched nominations, plus short reviews:

A Quiet Place
I really wish I'd seen this movie in theaters bc I think it would have been a better overall experience, but it was still a really good movie. I liked that they really wove ASL and the daughter being deaf into the movie, and it was pretty obvious to me that they'd taken the actress' thoughts into account when filming. The world, I think, was a little shallowly built, and I didn't find it really scary at all, but I think it did well on building tension and suspense.

Bao
Oh my gosh, this short was so good! The style was adorable and I really enjoyed the story. I don't really know what to say other than the whole thing was adorable and heartbreaking and I loved it.

Black Panther
I mean everyone knows by now this is pretty much the best MCU movie lol It was beautiful and emotionally compelling and action packed and just fantastic with the world they built in Wakanda. It's obvious that a lot of time and effort went into the worldbuilding, from the costumes to the hairstyles to the accent to the architecture. (Can I mention how pissed I am it didn't get nominated for makeup? Bc it so should have.) This movie was so good, and it (along with Thor: Ragnarok) really helped revive my Marvel love after the dull, repetive, obnoxiousness that the franchise has been lately.

BlacKkKlansman
I'd heard this movie was good from a couple ppl, though I hadn't heard a lot of it overall. And it really was very good! John David Washington was fantastic in the lead role, and I really loved his and Adam Driver's dynamic. It was definitely difficult and very emotional subject matter, but I think the movie did really well with it. I especially liked the current clips at the end bc I think it's easy to think about the based on real life part of the movie being in the past, we've moved on from there, etc., but that really showed how so many of the exact same things are happening still.

Incredibles 2
This movie was a bit disappointing tbh. The first one was so good, but this one... I guess it felt rushed and unfinished? Like they'd taken so long on making sure the animation matched the first one and then realized the movie needed to come out and they didn't have the story quite finished. A lot of it was that it felt like they were trying to make Bob the main character, even though ostensibly Helen was, and trying to make his actions seem... well, like he wasn't being selfish and self-centered about everything. Which he dfinitely was. But I did enjoy seeing more of Jack Jack's powers and seeing some new supers up close.

Mary Poppins Returns
I know a lot of ppl were worried about this one bc the original is so beloved, but I really think they did a good job. It was a fun movie and looked great, and I think they were really respectful of the original while also making this one very distinct. I do wish Julie Andrews would have made a cameo like Dick Van Dyke did, but I think that was my only complaint. Other than the Meryl Streep scene was a little cringey. I dunno what it was about it, but I didn't enjoy the scene inside her house as much as I'd expected.

Roma
Everyone was talking about how good this movie is, but I think it was just a bit too art house for me. So slow, too long, and for me really not engaging. There were glimmers of important things happening, but none of it felt like it mattered. Plus it was in black and white, which I really don't like just in general. I think they did it to make it look more artsy, which worked, but also the end credits were white text on an off white and grey screen so. I just really wasn't impressed with this.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I heard so many good things about this and when I finally got to watch it, it so didn't disappoint! It's a really beautifully done video, both art and story wise. Which I know everyone else has said in reviews, but seriously, it bears repeating. I was hooked the entire time and could have easily sat through hours more of it lol Miles was such a fantastic character, esp getting to see his various relationships, both with his family and with the other Spiders. Also surprise Chris Pine, which I was obv thrilled with haha

And now, since I obviously know so much about it (lol), my predictions:

Best Picture: Black Panther
One of the best movies of the year lbr. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if one of the others wins, but I think Black Panther derserves it most bc it's just the whole package.

Lead Actor: Christian Bale, "Vice"
I honestly think all the nominees in this category have a fairly even chance of winning. But they seem to really love Vice (which tbh looked kind of terrible to me), so I think this is most likely.

Lead Actress: Glenn Close, "The Wife"
I have heard nothing about this movie at all except she was great in it. I don't even know what it's about! Olivia Colman and Lady Gaga both have good chances as well imo, but I'd be really surprised if Glenn Close doesn't win.

Supporting Actor: Adam Driver, "BlacKkKlansman"
I'm not sure this is the most likely one, but it's the only movie I've seen in the category, and I really did think Adam Driver was really good in BlacKkKlansman. Otherwise, I think it might go to Mahershala Ali.

Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite"
I don't know why I think she'll win, but that's my gut instinct. As much as I like Amy Adams and Emma Stone as actresses, I don't think they'll win it.

Director: "BlacKkKlansman," Spike Lee
Several ppl have said that it's time, which is probably true, but also I think it was a fantastically directed movie. I don't think the others can stand up to it, honestly. (And if Yorgos Lanthimos wins I will scream, and not in happiness lol)

Animated Feature: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
I mean, honestly, is there another choice? Spider-Verse was absolutely amazing, whereas Incredibles 2 was mediocre and while I didn't watch it, Isle of Dogs looked... not great.

Animated Short: "Bao," Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
I dunno about the others tbh, but this film was so freaking good.

Adapted Screenplay: "BlacKkKlansman," Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
Lbr, it'll probably go to A Star Is Born, but I think BlacKkKlansman had a really solid screenplay.

Original Screenplay: "Vice," Adam McKay
A bit of a tossup tbh. I don't think Green Book'll win though, if only bc of all the problems that came out about it after it was released.

Cinematography: "Roma," Alfonso Cuarón
While I side eyed the end credits and actually didn't like the long/still shots that made up most of the movie, Roma certainly had some very distinct cinematography. I think that'll be enough to get it a win, despite the others sounding like strong contenders.

Best Documentary Feature: "Minding the Gap," Bing Liu and Diane Quon
I know Free Solo has done really well in a lot of the other awards, but just from what I've seen of Minding the Gap, I think it should win.

Best Documentary Short Subject: "Lifeboat," Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser
I know nothing lol

Best Live Action Short Film: "Detainment," Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon
I know nothing here either lol

Best Foreign Language Film: Roma (Mexico)
I didn't like it, but everyone's been raving about it, so I figure it's got a good chance.

Film Editing: "Bohemian Rhapsody," John Ottman
It's gotten good reviews and done well in other awards so.

Sound Editing: "A Quiet Place," Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
I feel like sounds was the most important part of this movie so.

Sound Mixing: "Black Panther," Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
I'm still a little iffy on what this category covers, but I think Black Panther probaby did it best lol

Production Design: "Black Panther," Hannah Beachler; Jay Hart
A couple of the others also have great production design, but I think Black Panther did it best. I wouldn't be mad if Mary Poppins Returns wins though.

Original Score: "Mary Poppins Returns," Marc Shaiman
Black Panther had a good score as well, but I feel like Mary Poppins Returns is much more likely to win.

Original Song: "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born," Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt
I've been unimpressed by what I've seen from the movie, but they've seemed to love this. I'd actually be surprised if A Star Is Born doesn't win something for music.

Makeup and Hair: "Mary Queen of Scots," Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
It's a period piece and from the trailers it looks like it has good hair and makeup. I'd be surprised if either of the others wins, but if Vice does I'm gonna be pissed.

Costume Design: "Black Panther," Ruth Carter
They better win. Like, as good as some of the other costumes look, there's just straight up no competition.

Visual Effects: "Christopher Robin," Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould
I know one of the others is more likely to get it, but I don't want them (barring First Man, which I don't care about) to win.

I'll likely be liveblogging on my Oscars 2019 tag on pillowfort (and/or possibly on twitter?), so feel free to watch me be completely wrong in real time!

ETA: I got 9 out of 24! Two better than last year, booya :D

reeby10 @ 2019-02-11T21:10:00

2019-02-12T06:10:32Z

I'm hosting this week at comment_fic! All of the themes this week are about different types of love, in honor of Valentine's Day coming up. Come prompt, fill, and have fun! :)

Language Meme

2019-02-01T21:57:06Z

Snagged from daria234 :)

1. My native language. English

2. Which languages I know. Some Spanish and Japanese, definitely not fluently.

3. Which languages I am learning, or want to learn. Still working on getting my Spanish and Japanese up. I've also worked on and off on ASL, Esperanto, and Russian. I'd really like to learn German and Welsh, but honestly I want to learn ALL the languages lol

4. Does anyone in my family speak a language that I don't? Nope. My parents' Spanish is way worse than mine, and that's the only other language they know.

5. My favorite language to listen to. I love listening to people speak Japanese. I also really like the sound of Scandanavian languages and Arabic.

6. My least favorite language to listen to. Can't think of one.

7. My favorite word in my native language. Hmm not sure. Maybe queue bc it's just a funny looking word. I saw it used in a fic the other day when it should have said cue and I giggled a lot lol

8. My favorite word in my second language (if I know one). Embarazado means pregnant in Spanish, but gets confused for embarrassed, which I think is pretty funny :D Also 怖い means scary in Japanese but sounds similar to the word for cute.

9. My favorite word in a language I don't really speak. презерватив means condom in Russian. I just like the way it sounds and it was one of the first Russian words I learned lol

10. A list of my favorite words in any language. defenestration, sitar, atelier, bamboozled, 大好き... that's all I can think of

11. A song I like in a language other than English. Because I was a total weeb in hs, Lacrimosa by Kalafina, which was a closing song in Kuroshitsuji, and Kanashimi wo Yasashisa ni (悲しみをやさしさに) by little by little, which was an opening song in Naruto. Also I really love both songs by The HU, which is a Mongolian heavy metal/folk metal band.

12. If I could pick one language to learn automatically without having to work for it, which language would I choose? Greek! It would make my Hellenic Revivalist heart happy lol

13. Have I ever seen a whole movie in a language I don't understand? Yep. Mostly if I'm watching non-English movies I watch them in Japanese, but I was president of a foreign language club in college and we did monthly movie showings, so I saw a lot of movies in different languages.

14. A language I like, but wouldn't put the effort into learning. Chinese in any dialect. Japanese has been hard enough and Chinese is even more difficult!

15. A short introduction of myself in a language other than English: 私はリービーです、そして私の日本語はとても悪いです。

surprise day off!

2019-01-30T20:25:47Z

Left work early today, about halfway through the hours I normally do, because there was literally nothing to do. The region I work in covers the midwest and since basically that whole area is completely frozen rn, apparently no one is ordering anything... Which is fine, I don't mind leaving early. I actually offered to since I was bored and cold and I can have that at home lol

So instead, I'm having second breakfast and watching last weekend's ice skating championship and then I'm going to go get groceries. I really need to get some more snacks for work, so I'm glad I have the chance to go. Otherwise my mom was just going to get groceries herself and I can't trust her to get the things I want or need. I may see about stopping at the comic book shop while we're out too. I think I'm like three weeks behind on picking up my subs, whoops.

Then when we get back, I need to try to get through some of my to do list. I've at least got to contact a prospective editing client, since I should have done that days ago. I'd also like to do some more cleaning, which is what I spent most of yesterday doing. I did some yoga over the weekend and it was really nice and I'd like to pick it up again. It's been years since I did yoga regularly. But I need space and currently my bedroom is a bit of a mess. Cleaning that up should also hopefully help with how blech I've been feeling lately. I know clutter makes my anxiety worse, which just makes everything else worse too, you know? And maybe I'll take a nap because I'm feeling pretty sleepy rn...

so many exchanges

2019-01-23T04:33:17Z

Only three weeks into the year and I'm already feeling the strain of taking a hiatus from fic exchanges... I keep seeing promos for exchanges and I really really want to do them. But I can't, bc I'm trying to be mindful of my own limits and not overstress myself. There are just so many interesting looking exchanges, both old and new, and it makes me a bit sad not be doing them. Also I'm used to going from one exchange fic to the next exchange fic with very little down time, so it's been weird to just... not have anything in particular to do. I haven't done a lot of writing so far bc of that, whoops.

But! I did sit down to write and finished up the first of the fics I plan to do for WIPBB Challenge. It's one of the only events I'm allowing myself to participate in this year since I run it, so maybe that's why I'm going so hard on it. Bc believe me, I rarely have anything finished sooner than the day before it's due lol

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 15

2019-01-16T06:45:09Z

Day 15

Talk about why you participated in Snowflake &/or what you got out of it.

I started doing Snowflake in 2014? 2015? Somewhere around there. For me, it's a way to start the year by connecting with fandom and revisiting the reasons why I love it so much. Esp bc end of year wrap ups can sometimes make me realize how crazy and stressful the previous year has been and make me doubt my fandom participation. Snowflake is a restart. I like having the prompts to talk about the things I'm into and why I'm into them, plus seeing the things that other fans are into. There aren't many chances for that, at least not on this scale, so that makes it special. Basically it's just a big ol' two week fandom love fest, and I just really really love that!

Ilu Snowflake, thank you to all the mods and other participants for being awesome <3

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 14

2019-01-16T04:15:40Z

Day 14

In your own space, talk about what you think the future holds for fandom.

I, like pretty much everyone else it seems, really don't know. I think one of the problems (?) with fandom is that it's so big and diverse, and it's only getting bigger. That makes it difficult to make broad proclomations about the future. Especially when issues with the internet and government regulations are so up in the air as well... Anyway. Here are more just some of my thoughts on the subject of the future of fandom:

Megafandoms will continue to overshadow smaller fandoms and be hubs of toxicity. Megafandoms are accessible to a lot of ppl (which is not itself a bad thing), and they're the kind of things that it's easy to create a fandom identity around. That is, from what I've seen, where the bigger problems come in. Both bc of just the size of them and the way ppl make them so personal, there's a lot of toxicity and it becomes more highly visible. So I think we'll continue to see that more and more.

Fandom will remain/continue to be on multiple platforms. Tumblr had mostly become the nexus of fandom, then they shot themselves in the foot (even before December tbh) and ppl had to decide where else to go. Pillowfort and Dreamwidth seem to be the biggest contenders for replacements atm, but I don't think either of them can take Tumblr's place. Dreamwidth isn't the... style, I guess, that most fans prefer these days, and as much as I'm enjoying being on Pillowfort, I don't think they're going to be able to attract enough ppl with their currently stalled growth (as well as some questionable mod decisions). I am on the fence whether it's good or bad that the platform behemoth has gone down (I mean, I'm happy not to be on Tumblr anymore, but elsewhere is just so slow in comparison) bc I'm not sure fandom needs to all be in one place. I mean, everyone prefers different platform styles, and even different fandoms have norms that work better on different platforms. I think fandom will remain scattered over several platforms, with more new ones coming up. We'll see if any of them can overtake the others.

Streaming services will die off, or at least become conglomerates. This isn't necessarily fandom, but it's something I was talking to a coworker about today. There are so many streaming services and more being announced all the time, and it's becoming unsustainable. Paying for one streaming service is fine for most ppl, two ok, but then we're getting to the point where you have to have a dozen streaming subscriptions to watch all the things you might want to watch. It's expensive, and that's already being shown in increased pirating numbers. So I think pirating will continue to grow again until they realize that having all these individual streaming services isn't something that's going to work.

And I guess that's all I've got for now lol I may be in a bit of a mood and not feeling very charitable to anything, much less fandom, so this may come off a bit... I dunno, fatalistic? But I don't think the future of fandom is negative per say. It's just different. I've been in fandom for over ten years and it's changed a lot, the changes just seem faster and more widespread now. So I dunno.

reeby10 @ 2019-01-14T22:13:00

2019-01-15T07:13:42Z

Join us at wipbigbang for the WIP Big Bang Challenge
Do you have WIPs that are too short for WIP Big Bang? Do you need a push to finish them? This challenge is all about getting short WIPs finished. Post your finished works between now and February 15th, when they will be revealed for International Fanworks Day. Any kind of fanwork and any fandom is welcome!

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 13

2019-01-15T05:45:59Z

Day 13

In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private.

I already posted up my goals for the year, which are really my broader goals for the year, so I wanted to do some more specific ones for this. I have two writing goals, one for finishing a WIP and one for an original piece, but I would love love love to do more than that. So here are some of the (many, many) specific stories I'd like to get done this year in no particular order:

Fanfiction

In Abeyance (Supernatural, Denny + others). I only got about half of it written for wipbigbang in 2016, so I'd like to finish it up. I'd also love to get more fics in the series written since this was planned to be a 200k+ word series, but that's further down on the goals list since I'm not very into SPN atm.

Change is in the Air (Supernatural, Edbett). This fic is basically my baby, and I'm really disappointed with myself for not finishing it for wipbigbang in 2018. (Are you seeing a pattern here?) But there's really only like one more chapter to write so I just need to get on it.

Like a Lamb to Slaughter (Harry Potter, Harrymort). Another unfinished bang fic, this time for Tomarry Big Bang in 2018. I don't know why my brain shut down on this about halfway through, but I really want to get it finished bc it's one of the best things I've written I think.

The blasphemous Gabriel/Joseph Bible fic I've been wanting to write for around ten years now. It's got angel/human slash and mpreg, so I think it'll be the perfect thing to post for Christmas!

I've had in my notes to do a The Librarians Jenzekiel fic with antagonistic daddy kink for ages and man do I want to finally do that. Will require a rewatch of the show though.

Original

Current doc title is "basically lesbian chopped" and it's... pretty much just that. It's about two girls who compete on a teen cooking show and become friends and keep in touch afterward and eventually get together.

For NaNo in 2017, I decided to do a series of short stories and one of the ones I started was m/m centaur erotica. Yeah lol But it seems like it'd be a fun one to finish.

Another NaNo 2017 story, though this one I didn't get to more than plotting. Bascially it's the camping trip from hell where a bunch of dudes go deep wood camping and go missing one by one.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 12

2019-01-14T00:52:53Z

Day 12

In your own space, create your own challenge.

I feel like I talk about it a lot, and my challenge last year was pretty much the same too, but so far I haven't thought of a challenge I feel is more important than:

Comment on things.

Comment on fics, comment on art, comment on vids, comment on graphics, comment on podfic, comment on whatever else you're into consuming. Just comment! Fandom is built on community and interactions. It's built on comments. Without comments, we're all just sitting out here in the wide open internet wondering if anyone cares. It's not a good feeling to put your work out there and feel like no one is paying attention. And the only solution is to comment and keep commenting.

I know it can be hard to comment because you don't know what to say or you don't think the creator will care or you don't have time. But it doesn't have to be a big thing or take more than a couple of seconds! Just a couple of words like "I love it!" or "Thank you for posting this!" is enough, and I promise you that the creator will appreciate it. But if you do want to learn to write more in depth comments, there are resources for that. And if you only have time right then to say "love it longer comment later" then that's ok too. Creators love to see that people are appreciating their work, and that is what keeps many of us creating. You might just make someone's day with your comment. So keep commenting!!

(I also stand by my previous challenges if you need even more challenging :))

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 11

2019-01-13T19:30:26Z

Day 11

In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it?

I wrote up a thing in response to a discussion on the fanfiction pfio comm last week that pretty much covers most of this. It was focused on writing longfic, but it's still relevant, so I'm just gonna stick that here:

It's taken me a long time to write longer fic. And honestly, most of my fic is still under 5k, much of it even under 1k, and my longest fic is only about 18k. Part of that has been finding out what works best for me for writing and outline. Which I think is something everyone has to experiment and figure out for themselves bc what works for one person isn't going to work for another.

Used to, I never outlined anything. Now, I outline almost everything if I expect it's going to be over a couple hundred words. It's really helped my writing overall and helped me do longer fic. Basically I start with an idea and then do a bullet point outline (on the first page of my doc so it's easy to reference) of where the fic is going to go. That doesn't always mean I know exactly what is going to happen, or even what the ending will be, but it gives me something to follow. Which I think is especially important for long fic and/or ones that I get bogged down in for whatever reason. That way I can take a break with something else (whether working on another fic or just going to do something that takes my mind off of it) and be able to come back and still know what I had planned for the fic. That used to be a big problem for me, that I'd get frustrated and go work on something else, then when I wanted to work on it again, I had no idea what to do next.

My bullet point outlines usually include just the big things (like Character A goes to the coffee shop and sees Character B), but if I have some more specific ideas or even actual lines in mind, I add them in so I don't forget them (like Character A says "Wow, that's beautiful!" when Character B shows new tattoo). Generally I can figure out how long a fic is going to be by how bullet points I have, though that sometimes varies by fic. Usually for me, though, each bullet point is a scene of a couple hundred words. So if I know I want something to be long, I can figure out if I need more scenes or which ones I'm going to need to expand on.

I have previously posted chapters of a fic before I've finished the whole thing, but I think I'm going to avoid doing that anymore. It hasn't worked well for me since almost every WIP I've posted has remained unfinished. I guess I lose my momentum when I'm trying to post as I'm writing. In any case, my goal is to finish long fics and then start posting them chapter by chapter. That way posting it can maybe work as my motivation to finish if I start getting bogged down by the length.

So yeah, that's what I do! I'm happy to show examples of my outlines if anyone would like to see :)

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 10

2019-01-13T05:39:55Z

Day 10

Create a fanwork.

I've been making quite a few icons to fill wishes for day 6. Here are a few of the alternates I made :)

End of the Year Meme

2019-01-12T01:54:19Z

Snagged from impala_chick. I'm a bit late, whoops.

1. Your main fandom of the year?
Probably Harry Potter. I wrote and read a lot in HP in 2018.

2. Your favorite film you watched this year?
Venom! There were a lot of good movies, and several I saw multiple times, but Venom is still my favorite.

3. Your favorite book read this year?
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram. God, this book was so fucking good.

4. Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
The HU were definitely my favorite new listen. They only have two songs up so far, but they're both fantastic.

5. Your favorite TV show of the year?
My Babysitter's a Vampire. I marathoned both seasons in two days and I just? love it? so much? I need me a third season!

6. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
I guess the It 1990 Reddie fandom? A lot of great fic for my two fave babies, and even though it's an old fandom, there's still pretty good movement in it.

7. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
Other than JK Rowling as a general concept, I was really disappointed by It 2017, which I didn't watch until 2018. It was just not anywhere as good as the 1990 version imo.

8. Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
I never really know what this means lol My favorite character? The actor I have a crush on? Idk.

9. Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
See above.

10. Your biggest squee moment of the year?
I saw Ludo in concert again :DDDDDDDD

11. The most missed of your old fandoms?
I've had a lot of Naruto nostalgia. And I guess just anime/manga/video game nostalgia for the time when I was really into those things. I still go to anime conventions occasionally and I really don't know anything about the scene anymore, and that makes me want to get back into it.

12. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
There are a lot of things I've watched/read that I want to actually write some fic for. Hopefully I'll get to at least a couple of them this year! The bff has also been trying to get me into Yuri on Ice, which I've been considering bc above anime nostalgia and I just really love figure skating.

13. Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Oh man, there are a ton of movies coming out in 2019 that I'm super excited for like Shazam!, Hellboy, Men In Black: International, John Wick 3...

As for my writing:
This year I wrote and posted: 47 fics

Total wordcount: 75,275 on AO3

Overall Thoughts:
It was ok year for writing, but I was extremely stressed by all the exchanges/fests/challenges I was doing. Which is why I've decided to take a break from them in 2019. It's nice to have excuse to write so many fics, but I want to write more for myself and less specifically for other ppl. Also I need to get better about posting to AO3 things that have been originally posted elsewhere.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
My goal was 75k, which I just barely made over, so about what I predicted!

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Probably the most surprising thing is that I wrote for Confident by Demi Lovato.

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
Ummm, everything at the last minute? I wrote the entirety of Not So Lonely (The Flash, Harrisco) the day it was due...

What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
Change is in the Air (Supernatural, Edbett) is kind of my baby, even though it's unfinished bc I'm a terrible mod, bc I started it years ago on a day that remains my best writing day by word count. Also There is Nothing Permanent (Arrival, gen) bc I wasn't sure how it would come out, but I really like how it did.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
State of Emergency (Confident - Demi Lovato, Demi/Michell) had the hell coded out of it via css skins (with much thanks to the bff!) bc I wanted to have documents and newspaper articles. It was interesting to do and I definitely want to try similar things with fics in the future bc it looks pretty great if I do say so myself!

My best story of this year:
Like a Lamb to Slaughter (Harry Potter, Harrymort) definitely. Unfinished bc I suck, but I think it's a really good and well written fic, and it's been very well received so far.

My most popular story of this year:
By both hits and kudos, it's A Deal's a Deal (Harry Potter, Charlie/Draco and Draco/dragons). If there's one thing I've learned in my years in fandom, it's that ppl love their dirty, kinky porn :D

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Well, my least kudosed fic is Ode to a Hug that Almost Was (MCU, Thorki), which I think is a shame. It's a poem, which I think may be part of why it's not so popular, but honestly I think it's hilarious and fun so.

My least favorite story this year:
Three Shakes and a Dozen Pies (Justice League, Barry/Bruce) or Both, Both is Good (Young Justice, Roy/Wally/Roy). I just don't really like how either of them came out :/

Most fun story to write:
I wrote three The Following fics this year, all Roderick/Mike (and for the bff lol), and they were super fun to write. I just really love their dynamic and getting to torture Mike lol

Story with the sweetest moment:
The Wind Knows Best (Harry Potter, Dreville) is basically just a whole ooey-gooey, sweet fic so.

Story with the single sexiest moment:
I'd say Until Such a Time (MCU, Thoki) both bc it's got some pretty sexy stuff and I think it may be the only non non-con sex I wrote, whoops.

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
I mean, honestly I read a lot more "wrong" fic than I write, so I'm not sure even my dragon fucking fic hits that lol

Most overdue:
I started Change is in the Air (Supernatural, Edbett) in 2014, so definitely that one even if it's still not finished.

Most eye roll-worthy title:
Fried Food and Sugar (The Flash, Harrisco) or Three Shakes and a Dozen Pies (DCEU, Barry/Bruce). They're just really dumb titles and I'm sorry lol

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
I don't think there were any?

Hardest story to write:
Train Ride (Harry Potter, Pansy/OFC). I struggled a lot with writing this and didn't get nearly as much written as I'd planned. Hopefully I'll work on a continuation soon.

Biggest Disappointment:
Probably Both, Both is Good (Young Justice, Roy/Wally/Roy). I just couldn't get it the way I'd pictured.

Biggest Surprise:
I guess Ideas into Reality (MCU, gen) bc it's OC centric and that's really not something I write much of.

Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
Probably Replacement Family (Teen Wolf, Chrisaac). It's, uh, very much an id fic for me lol And on a less porny level, touch me (touch me like you wanna do) (The Flash, Harrisco) with Harry being so touch starved...

Favorite opening line:
“You want me to… become a sex slave for Roderick,” Mike said, feeling like he was hearing someone else talk from far away. -- Better to Pretend (The Following, Mike/Roderick)

Favorite closing line:
Ren, as ever, was bad for his self control. -- (Wouldn't be) The Last Time (Star Wars, Kylux)

In conclusion:
It was a long year bc half of these fics I wouldn't have even said were written in 2018 lol

Fic-writing goals for 2019:
I'm taking a year hiatus from fic exchanges, so I'm hoping to write a lot more of the fics I really want to write and the ones that I've put off bc I was too busy with exchange fics. I've got quite a few rarepair and small fandom fics in mind to write. I'm not going to concentrate on word count or number of fics or anything, though, just to write more fics for me.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 9

2019-01-10T07:26:37Z

Day 9

Commit an Act of Kindness.

I've been making a lot of icons to fulfill wishes from day 6, as well as fulfilling a few other wishes as I'm able. I think that counts for this?

Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 8

2019-01-10T06:24:30Z

Day 8

In your own space, post self-recs for at least three fanworks that you created.

Five self recs instead of three bc I can :D And bc I have a lot of fic and had a hard time deciding, even just narrowing it down to what was posted in 2018. And I was gonna do some non-fics, but I don't seem to have done much of anything non-fic in the past year? I need to work on that.

Bake and Date (The Flash, Harrisco). This one was fun, plus I mean one of my tags is mentions of '# a dick shaped cupcake bc why not' so...

Fear of Loss (Daredevil, Fiskley). I haven't even really been in this fandom since s1, but I still love this ship and I loved getting to write a fix it for my fave.

Ode to a Hug that Almost Was (MCU, Thoki). I had so much fun writing this poem!

State of Emergency (Confident - Demi Lovato, Demi/Michelle). I worried about this fic a lot, but it turned out so cool with all the coding the bff helped me do for it. I know it's a small fandom, but it's really accessible since it's a music video so I wish more ppl would read this lol

There is Nothing Permanent (Arrival, Gen). I'm really proud of this fic bc it's very different from my usual in terms of style, but I think it turned out really well.

100 SFF books

2019-01-08T20:31:40Z

Snagged from snickfic, apparently originally from Tor. As far as I can tell, a list of all women writers, though some of the things they included are a bit odd to me. Like there's at least one novella, one poem, and one album, plus some women writers I'm very surprised aren't on here. But mostly what I learned from this is that I need to read a lot more lol

Italics = books where I have read others by the same author
Bold = books I have read
* = books I liked and would recommend
~~Strikethrough = books I could not finish~~

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)
The Stolen Lake by Joan Aiken (1981)
*Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (2001-2010) - some of, at least
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō by Hitoshi Ashinano (1994-2006)
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)
Stinz: Charger: The War Stories by Donna Barr (1987)
The Sword and the Satchel by Elizabeth Boyer (1980)
Galactic Sibyl Sue Blue by Rosel George Brown (1968)
The Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold (1989)
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (1987)
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler (1980)
Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey (2010)
The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter (1996)
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (2015)
Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant (1970)
The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas (1980)
Gate of Ivrel by C.J. Cherryh (1976)
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (2015)
Diadem from the Stars by Jo Clayton (1977)
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973) - I watched the movie lol
Genpei by Kara Dalkey (2000)
Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard (2010)
The Secret Country by Pamela Dean (1985)
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany (1975)
The Door into Fire by Diane Duane (1979)
On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (2016)
Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott (2006)
Enchantress From the Stars by Sylvia Louise Engdahl (1970)
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle (1983)
The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss (1997)
A Mask for the General by Lisa Goldstein (1987)
Slow River by Nicola Griffith (1995)
Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly (1988)
Winterlong by Elizabeth Hand (1990)
Ingathering by Zenna Henderson (1995)
The Interior Life by Dorothy Heydt (writing as Katherine Blake, 1990)
God Stalk by P. C. Hodgell (1982)
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (1998)
Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang (2014)
Blood Price by Tanya Huff (1991)
The Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes (1980)
God’s War by Kameron Hurley (2011)
Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta (2014)
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (2015)
Cart and Cwidder by Diane Wynne Jones (1975)
Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones (2014)
Hellspark by Janet Kagan (1988)
A Voice Out of Ramah by Lee Killough (1979)
St Ailbe’s Hall by Naomi Kritzer (2004)
Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz (1970)
*A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962)
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier (2005)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974)
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (2013)
Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee (Also titled Drinking Sapphire Wine, 1979)
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (2016)
Wizard of the Pigeons by Megan Lindholm (1986)
Adaptation by Malinda Lo (2012)
Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn (1979)
Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy (1983)
The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald (2007)
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen McHugh (1992)
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre (1978)
The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip (1976)
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees (1926)
Pennterra by Judith Moffett (1987)
The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe (2010)
Jirel of Joiry by C. L. Moore (1969)
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2016)
The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy (1989)
Vast by Linda Nagata (1998)
Galactic Derelict by Andre Norton (1959)
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (2006)
Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara (1993)
Outlaw School by Rebecca Ore (2000)
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor (2014)
*Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (1983)
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy (1976)
Godmother Night by Rachel Pollack (1996)
*Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti (1859)
My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland (2011)
The Female Man by Joanna Russ (1975)
Stay Crazy by Erika L. Satifka (2016)
The Healer’s War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (1988)
Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott (1985)
Everfair by Nisi Shawl (2016)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski (1986)
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (1970)
Up the Walls of the World by James Tiptree, Jr. (1978)
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (1996)
The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge (1980)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (2017)
The Well-Favored Man by Elizabeth Willey (1993)
Banner of Souls by Liz Williams (2004)
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (2012)
Ariosto by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (1980)
Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga (2005-present)

Fandom Meme

2019-01-08T05:58:08Z

Snagged from author_by_night

1. Name one of your favourite characters: Voldemort

2. Name one of your favourite villains: ~~like every character I like, see above~~ Armitage Hux

3. One actor that you look up to and why: I am kind of in awe of Ezra Miller's fashion sense. Also Chris Pine has a lot of really interesting things to say, especially recently about sex, nudity, and society.

4. One actress that you look up to and why: Anne Hathaway. She does a lot of really good social and charity work, and in general she just seems like a really smart, kind person.

5. Favourite episode from any show you watch? (Or just an episode you love) I'll go with Young Justice 1x18 Secrets since I talked about that recently!

6. Favourite show and why? This is hard bc I watch a lot of tv, but probably the one closest to my heart is The Following. Which is probably a bit fucked up considering it's about serial killers and cults, but you know, that's kind of my thing...

7. If you could live in any fictional universe which one would you live in? The Last Witch Hunter! I really really love the magic and witches in that.

8. Name 3 OTPs: Harrymort, Kylux, and McShep are some of the long lasting ones

9. One character you have a crush on: I... don't think there are any? There are plenty of characters I love, just not in a crush sort of way I guess.

10. One of your favourite fandoms to be in and why? Pinto! I have met so many fantastic people, and it's in general a chill, fun place to be. Many of my best fandom experiences, esp irl ones, have been bc of Pinto. Love mah beans <3

11. Describe (insert show here) in three words. Hannibal: Courting via murder.

12. Favourite book: Rn it's Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram bc hot damn it was good.

13. One band that you love? To the surprise of everyone, I'm sure, Ludo lol

14. Favourite cast: Probably the Stargate Atlantis cast. They're pretty great individually and I've heard good things about them from when they were filming.

15. If you were a fictional character in (insert universe here) what would you probably be doing and what life do you think you would have? Let's go with The Witch Hunter from the earlier question. I like to think I'd be a witch and hopefully a non-dead friend of Chloe's lol Idk what kind of witch I'd be...

16. Who do you think is a misunderstood character? Hmm I dunno. I'm a big fan of villains so I guess I could talk about any of them, but the one that's coming to mind is Dumbledore. Who is considered a wonderful, good character by the majority but who I think is the true villain of Harry Potter for many reasons.

17. Which character do you wish you were siblings/best friends/dating with? I wanna be friends with AOS Jim Kirk. He sounds like he'd be fun :D

18. Which Hogwarts house are you in? Slytherin! I usually get sorted Ravenclaw, but Slytherin is my choice.

19. What are three things you've learned from one of the shows you watch? Love is painful. Most of your problems can be solved through murder. Someone is always lying... I didn't say they were good lessons lol

20. If you could be a writer for any show you wish, how might you develop the plot/characters? I think I would have been fantastic as a writer on Teen Wolf bc imo the meta I wrote for the show was so much better than what actually happened lol See my ideas for magic!Stiles, Peter raising the Hales from the dead, faking Victoria's death, Mr. Lahey murdering Mrs. Lahey, the kanima master being dead...

21. What's one of your favourite quotes from a show you watch? "Here we are, a bunch of psychopaths helping each other out." -- Freddie Lounds in Hannibal

22. Favourite type of AU? I honestly love almost all types of AU. Fake relationship is my most favorite thing, though I also very much enjoy coffee shop AUs.

23. Write a brief headcanon for one of your OTPs: Not one I mentioned in the earlier question, but Joe/Ryan is still one of my many OTPs. So at the end of The Following (spoilers if you haven't seen it), Joe is executed and Ryan fakes his death to like... protect his family or whatever. The whole third season, Joe talks about him and Ryan being soulmates, and my headcanon is that they literally were. And not just that, but the kind of soulmates that when one dies, the other dies very soon afterward. I think that Ryan didn't actually fake his death, he really did die on that bridge and it was his ghost visiting his family in the hospital afterward. I mean we saw dead!Joe anyway, so I think that once Joe was killed, Ryan just couldn't live much longer without his soulmate, as antagonistic as they had been. (Someday I will write this fic...)

24. What's one show you don't watch but you're still in the fandom? I don't think there are any shows I don't (or didn't) watch but I'm still in the fandom. Usually that's video game fandoms for me lol

25. Why do you love the shows you watch/books you read/fandoms you're in? I am a very character-centric person. I like canons with good characters and fandoms that really delve into those characters in fun and interesting ways. The fandoms I'm in are usually ones that I've really connected with a character or ship and just can't bear to give up after the canon.