pearwaldorf | Entries tagged with snowflake challenge

(doing these all out of order because I'm behind and also I don't care)

In your own space, talk About A Creator/Someone Who Inspired You.

One of the bits of advice I would give every writer/storyteller is to play or watch TTRPGs. (I guess you could also go do improv classes, but those cost money and you can't do them from home, usually.)

I started watching Critical Role mostly as a curiosity. I was aware of D&D, but it was never a thing I'd really participated in. I watched the D&Diesel one-shot and remembered being really impressed by the DM (who I did not know at the time), and it took me forever to realize he was also the DM for Critical Role.

I think the thing CR taught me that was most useful is to just throw yourself into the story. It's not the end of the world if you make a choice in your story (RPed or written) that doesn't work out. There will always, always be opportunities to try again. Before in my writing, I was very hesitant to take risks, however one chooses to define them. Being immersed in a narrative where players are forced to make a choice, any choice, or the story grinds to a screeching halt was incredibly useful in breaking down that fear of failure? taking risks? It didn't always work out (Keyleth and the clouds) or advance the story in a meaningful way (the one with the cows), but it was entertaining and everybody seemed to be having fun so that's what's important.

And as creators and people, the CR cast/crew are my role models for how to interact with fans and the sordid business we call Hollywood. I know they got a lot of shit for selling Adventures of Vox Machina to Amazon Prime, but it's not like there are a whole lot of options out there for digital media distribution. I feel like they've been as transparent as they can be when they fuck up (the Wendy's thing was goddamn surreal), and they're honestly trying their best.

Matt Mercer is such a sweet, lovely man and I can't believe there are people out there who would ever try and take a swipe at him. (And not just because they'd have to get through Marisha first.) I appreciate that he's been so open about his brain monkeys and impostor syndrome, as well as how we're all just giant bundles of neuroses trying desperately to create connections with each other, and how those connections can make us better, kinder, more empathetic. Obviously he's not perfect nor should he be put on a pedestal, but that's the sort of energy we need more of in the world.

In your own space, make a list — anything between one and ten things is a sweet spot, but don't feel constrained by that! - of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, or that you'd like someone to make for you.

Like last year, a complete novice's guide to vidding, perhaps an overview of what free/cheap software there is available these days. I didn't know about Filmora 9 until one of the Warlock Party House people introduced me to it. It doesn't really work for me, but I can see how it would work for other people, especially with how easy it is to add effects and transitions.

A guide to subtitling your fanvids, and how to make YouTube's autotranscribe make it easier. Somebody mentioned they wanted to do this for one of their crackvids, so I am investigating the process and writing it up.

I stole this from

minim_calibre because it's great:
People to tell me in great detail about their favorite thing they've written, why it is their favorite thing, and author information about what went into the making of said thing.

A decent Good Omens sugar daddy/baby fic. idc if it's AU, canon, roleplay or wev; or who's what. I just need these two idiots being awkward and fraught about power dynamics and possibly accidentally falling in love against all common sense.

People telling me where they found my fic. Sometimes I'll get a random surge of kudos on an old thing and figure I've been recced somewhere, but I don't know who to thank.

Somebody, something to explain to The Youngs/younger fandom generations that fandom is not necessarily a side hustle/springboard for your actual career, nor is it about becoming a "content producer" or "securing an audience". I mean, if that's what you want out of it go crazy, but I'd like people to know you can just do this for fun.

Pimp Your Favorite Communities, Fests or Challenges!

One of the things I do miss about Old Internet is the way community was more consciously created. Part of this was because of the way Old Internet was structured, but also the way Web 2.0 became so much more diffuse.

I love

festivids, the rare fandom vid exchange. I don't participate but I always love seeing what comes out of it. Here are some recs I've made for previous years.

I don't think Wintersend is still going, but it was a lady-centric Dragon Age exchange, and there were so many great stories that came out of it.

The Warlock Party House Discord is relatively new. A bunch of weirdos who really liked Slow Show decided there needed to be a place for meta about the SlShVerse, fic of a TV show that doesn't exist, and a place to actually sort of make the canon for said TV show. It's a ridiculous, wacky thing and I am having so much fun in it.

In your own space, talk about your fannish history.

Depending on how you want to define it, there are three places this can start.

If we are to speak of fandom as a thing I loved so fiercely it was almost beyond comprehension, Star Wars. I saw A New Hope when I was six or seven and I was done for. There was a glorious summer in 1997 where movies were $3 each and the theater near my house played all three Special Edition movies. The prequels were a very bad time for me and required about a decade of rehabilitation via transformative work before I could be all right with them. The Force Awakens gave me back a part of my soul I didn't realize was missing. After I saw Knives Out, I very much wonder what a The Last Jedi would look like without studio interference. I don't want to talk about Rise of Skywalker right now.

If you consider it a social activity, I would say it started with the X-Men cartoon in the 90s. There was a girl in middle school who also loved it, and we would have very serious conversations about Saturday's episode on Monday. There is very little I remember about the show itself, but I can tell you my first NOTP was Scott Summers/Jean Grey.

If you're defining it as fandom qua fandom in the form we know it today, X-Files and the AOL messageboards. We got dial-up when I was 12 or 13, and I've pretty much spent it all online since. The AOL X-Filesaholics bulletin board was my first fandom home, and I still keep in touch with a few of them today.

The actual list, as best as I can remember, in chronological order:

( Read more... )

In your own space, introduce yourself!

I probably should have a sticky post about myself, as opposed to places where you can find me/how you might expect to interact with me here, but it's probably more useful to rewrite these things from scratch, just to see what you think is important for people to know about you.

So, hi. My name is Alice. I also answer to Pear, since it has been part of my handle for... a very long time. (It does not have anything to do with Gossip Girl as people have surmised.) I live in the Seattle area with my husband and cat. I have a degree in library and information science which sometimes comes out in the oddest (fandom) contexts.

I have been in fandom since the mid 90s, so liking things a completely normal amount is pretty much the only way I know how to live.

I started writing fic a few years ago and then I got derailed by a bunch of shit for a couple years, some personal, some political. About six months ago Good Omens the series burst into my life like the fucking Kool-Aid man and also the words came back so I'm pretty happy about both of those things. I signed up for the Good Omens Rom Com Event so there will be some sort of long-form AU in my future I'm excited to write.

Dreamwidth is kind of a weird random space for me now. Sometimes I write things that feel a little too personal for Tumblr, or too long, or too niche. Occasionally it will be an archive for some things I wrote on Twitter and want to find again.

Day 8

In your own space, post self-recs for at least three fanworks that you created. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I am still pleased by a couple short character pieces I did for campaign 1 of Critical Role: can we get a little grace (Cassandra de Rolo) and Kintsukuroi (Kynan).

I am usually an incredibly slow writer, so I'm very pleased this piece (nsfw) I banged out (heh) in less than 24 hours for the Adoribull porn challenge holds up quite well.

Here is a terribly melancholy Bodhi/Galen piece I did for Chocolate Box a couple years ago.

I feel like one of the nicest things is getting enough critical and emotional distance from things you've written that you can legit enjoy them. I'm quite proud of this Karen/Foggy/Matt porn.

Day 6

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your wish-list if you feel comfortable doing so. Maybe someone will grant a wish. Check out other people's posts. Maybe you will grant a wish. If any wishes are granted, we'd love it if you link them to this post.

I would like a modern (as in post-2008) guide to vidding for beginners. Not how to find source or use a NLE type stuff (that's easy), but incredibly basic things like "wtf is a NLE, why shouldn't I use iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, how to clip, do I even need to clip?" It was all stuff that I thought would have been easily accessible, but was super not. I can write one, but if somebody else has already done the thing, that's even better.

More fic for Critical Role campaign 1 rare(r)pairs. I feel like the big ships just took over when they became canon (like Percy/Vex) and elbowed out consideration for anything else. Grog/Keyleth, Grog/Vax, Percy/Pike, Pike/Vax? (And a real fucking long-shot, but Kynan/Jarett?) Give it to meeeee.

Concrit on my writing and vids from people I trust is always something I want/need, but it's hard because it's kind of time-intensive.

I need new icons, now that I'm back on Dreamwidth. The problem is I don't really know what things I want icons of. The big stuff is covered, but I have so many other slots to fill!

Day 3

In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favorite interview, a book, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

First, a salty digression you are free to skip.
( Read more... )
I don't remember where I was when I first saw Many Moons, the first video from her EP Metropolis Suite 1: The Chase. But I can tell you it blew my goddamn mind. 2008 was still in the tail end of some real bad years for (pop) music, when "Bad Romance" felt like a revelation, and Many Moons wasn't like anything I'd ever heard before. It still isn't.

Everything about the video is high-concept and sci-fi as shit, but centers a black woman--many copies of a black woman in fact. The way she connects the plight of the androids and the black experience isn't original to sci-fi or probably even Afrofuturism, but the way in which she does it, in just six minutes? This is stellar worldbuilding that makes you want to immerse yourself in everything it has to offer.

I'm not going to lie, it's pretty dense, and like I said, high-concept as shit. It's not meant for everybody, but for the people it speaks to, it does so very strongly. I'm so glad we get to see more of the world she started building in Metropolis in Archandroid and Electric Lady, and whenever she wants to finish up Cindi Mayweather's story, there are lots of people who will be glad to hear it.

Day 2

Rec at least three fanworks that you didn’t create. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Below are the last three fics I read and enjoyed. I also made a list of fics from this year's Yuletide that I liked, and here are my gifts.

when you and I collide by

lizzen (Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen/Jon Snow)
(S7 spoilers I guess, incest)
I don't actually go here but sometimes I read the fic anyways? The first chapter is some nice PWP, the second is melancholy reflection.

Ebb and Flow by

ladybug_21 (Aquaman, Atlanna & Vulko backstory)
(spoilers for movie)
Really dig this deep dive (heh) into a relationship that's hinted at but not explored at all in the movie.

some sun has got to rise by

allapplesfall (Critical Role, Pike-centric)
(spoilers for campaign 1, death of a parental figure)
This wonderfully chewy long fic about Pike dealing with Wilhand's death is really really good and made me cry multiple times because it has hit me in the goolies about the death of a grandparent.

Day 1

In your own space, talk about your Happy Place—the things that give you joy, calms you or keeps you sane. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I find putting things in order very soothing. Which is both unsurprising (I have a library and information science degree) and hilarious if you know how messy I tend to be. ( tag wrangling digression/grumping )

Nowadays, I scratch that itch doing work for crtranscript, a fan project that captions episodes of Critical Role. Mostly I edit and timeset captions. It's a thing I'm damn proud to be part of, because it has such tangible benefits for so many people, and the work we do is professional caliber.

I also do a weekly cat care shift at a local shelter. Usually I'm in charge of the kittens, and the other person does the cats. It's very satisfying to see immediate results of the things I do, even if sometimes it results in unpleasant litterbox disasters. I enjoy watching the kittens become less shy and more outgoing, and spending time with the ones that are already friendly and well-socialized.

Lest you think I am nothing but virtuous, I also spend a great deal of time laying in bed playing stupid mobile games. Right now there's a lot of Angry Birds Match, and various Picross games (Two Eyes is my current favorite, Hungry Cat Picross is more difficult but you get a cat and unlockable customizations). They scratch the same sort of putting things in order itch the other things do, but with less positive impact.

Day 10

In your own space, share your love for a trope, cliché, kink, motif, or theme. (More than one is okay, too.) Tell us about it, tell us why you love it, give us some examples and recs. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

To no one's surprise, I adore fake relationships, especially with its other companions, pining and forced intimacy. There is something delightful about having to pretend/deny/suppress you don't have feelings for somebody while you're pretending to be in a relationship with them. And then when everybody figures it out, it's great too! It is the best trope of all time and I can't get enough of it.

Recs (The Force Awakens, MCU, Sleepy Hollow) below the cut! If you have recs for fake relationship fics in any fandoms we have in common, please please leave them in the comments.
( Read more... )

Day 8

In your own space, make a list of at least 3 things that you like about yourself. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I am adaptable to changing circumstances, and can usually figure out how to deal with them.
I try to be kind, and recognize that becoming a good person is a journey not a destination.

I am learning to let go of the dumb judgmental things but hold fast on the important stuff.

Day 06

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your wish-list if you feel comfortable doing so. Maybe someone will grant a wish. Check out other people's posts. Maybe you will grant a wish. If any wishes are granted, we'd love it if you link them to this post.

Yuri On Ice
Please tell me somebody has written the Phichit and Yuri practice kissing with each other fic, and done it well. It doesn't have to be romantic, I just want shenanigans and Phichit teasing Yuri about imagining it's Victor he's kissing.

[edit:] My friend

notcaycepollard wrote this lovely and beautiful fic for me and it's so so great and you should read it.

KOTOR 2
I just want more fic and meta in general. I read through everything on AO3, and friends have linked me to some stuff on ff.net, but unless there's some secret cache hiding on a Star Wars messageboard from 2006, there's not much out there.

General
I always like recs for vids in fandoms I'm into. Hell, if the vid is well-done and I'm even vaguely familiar with the canon, I'll watch it.

Concrit on my writing so I know where I can improve. I could ask my writing buddies, but it's such a laborious task. Also I can't ask any randos because I need to hear this from somebody whose writing I like and respect.

Day 5

In your own space, post recs for at least three fanworks that you did not create.

OK, this I can do. One of the things I always liked to do before I became a creator was to shove things I liked into people's faces, and somehow people liked it as opposed to telling me to go away.

This will be mostly fic and vids, for various fandoms I'm currently into.

Yuri On Ice
(Victor/Yuri unless indicated, spoilers for entire series)

Morning Breaks in Saint Petersburg by neomeruru (nsfw)

Yuuri moves in with Victor in Russia and makes himself at home, with some help.

This is sweet and lovely, and then lovely and hot.

taking over this town by kevystel

Yuuri lets himself believe.

This is beautifully, achingly perfect.

Death of a bachelor (vid) by vityanikiforova

This song is absolutely perfect for both of them.

back for more, back for more by chii (nsfw)
The one where Victor helps Yuuri into his skates and is stepped on, just a little bit.

That should probably be enough for you to figure out if you want to read it or not.

flung out of space by rhapsodies (Mila Babacheva/Sara Crispino)

Sara Crispino has purple eyes and a heart-shaped smile, and Mila is screwed right from the start.

I know we don't know much about these ladies, but I'm still delighted by the relationship that's been built in this fic. I also love this Victor.

KOTOR 2

to balance the weight we've swallowed by thissugarcane (f!Exile/Atton)

Atton recovers beautifully, even throws her a wicked grin. "The pinnacle of our working relationship, Surik," he counters. Just for a moment, he sways into a fighting stance, before casually slouching against the turret pedestal. Meetra watches his hands, his feet, as he flows from fighting form to slouch, and despite herself, is drawn in.

I like the way this unfurls, the way they circle around each other until they meet.

here we are safe, here in this quiet by persiflet (Bao-Dur & f!Exile)

He knows people assume this problem of his started after Malachor, but to be honest it was always there. Malachor just made everything more difficult.

This is perfect and melancholy, and the Bao-Dur voice is great.

Selfish by Kian (f!Exile/Atton, Carth)

The Exile says goodbye to the wrong man.

The Exile has a conversation. Oh, this aches.

Star Wars (various)

I seem to have a difficult time finding good Star Wars vids, so I'm going to just huck a bunch of these in here.

I Ran by HoneyMonsterNoNo (Kylo Ren, Rey)
Moody, nicely opposes the two characters.

Sum of our Parts by janicerands (Finn/Rey)

rey & finn figure out the hero business. and also fall in space love.

Flares by skywalkcrs (Luke)
Beautiful and made me very emoshe.

Wait For It by pixiedanes (Leia)
Leia keeps losing, keeps going.

There are a great many force4ham mashups, but this one was deeply, deeply affecting.

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by ohvienna (Han/Leia)
“I really wanted something different for us.” She thought of her daydreams of the two of them flying across the galaxy together, carefree at last. - Star Wars: Bloodline

This is so sad and it fucked me up so much, especially after Carrie Fisher died.

Can't Hold Us by R1GHTEOUS (Clone Wars, clone soldiers)
Maybe one day I will stop having feelings about the clones. Today is not that day.

Dragon Age

Some of the most unusual and beautiful fanworks I've ever seen are made by

unklarity, who makes character-themed boxes. I run a Merrill themed blog on Tumblr, and she made a full-sized and a mini one for her. They're filled with all sorts of wonderfully witchy things like candles, stones, and other things representative of the characters. Please check her tag for more of these lovely things.

Day 03

In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Fannish

Meet or exceed word count from previous year (~50K, let's say)
Write something 5/7 days of the week
Once a month or more, comment on a fic you've read and liked, preferably from an author you've not communicated with before.

Real life

Clean something (doesn't have to be big) every day
At least 15 minutes of exercise 5/7 days of the week
Eat one fruit and/or vegetable every day

Day 2

In your own space, share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life. Something that impacted on your consciousness in a way that left its mark on your soul. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

The first fanwork that comes to mind is I Had No Idea I Had Been Traveling, by RM and kalichan. It's this beautiful, sprawling epic fic series that spans Davies-era Doctor Who and Torchwood: Jack/Ianto mostly, but so much more. To be honest, most of the reason I watched Torchwood was so I could read this.

In my head, it feels like Sandman, the way a piece of art steps across the landscape and leaves everything changed afterwards. It's not like I hadn't read fanfiction before (I'd been doing so for many years when I came across it), but this series blasted my horizons wide open to what a determined author could do with the canon gives you and expand upon it more than the show ever could. It is queer, kinky, and deeply, achingly true, and I am grateful for it.

This is my first year doing the Snowflake challenge. I had not heard of it before.

Day 1

In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can be your favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator.

Let's go with a little bit of everything, I guess.

already the world entire (Captain America, Steve/Sam, ensemble)
The one where Sam Wilson gets actual wings. I feel like this is a very typical me fic: a series of gentle anecdotes, a little melancholy, but it all works out in the end.

we wore the jacket for the longest time (The Force Awakens, Finn/Poe/Rey)
The most popular thing I've ever written. I still like it, so I'm glad it resonates with people.

Your happy welcome in, my heart at ease (Iron Man, Dr. Wu and Yinsen backstory and friendship)

This is the one that I always feel like deserves more attention than it ever got, despite being a fic about two side characters.

Away. To. (vid) (The Force Awakens, ensemble)
This is a rather abstract, conceptual vid that I'm still pleased with.

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Entries tagged with snowflake challenge

Snowflake Challenge 2020 #10

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