reflectedeve: Janet proudly holds out a cactus which was definitely not the item requested (not a girl - not a robot - buggy)
Happy New Year, friends. I really hope 2022 is an improvement!

I may do some kind of personal ramble/reflection thing later, but for now I thought I'd just go ahead and share some stuff I made, since we have Yuletide and Multifandom Doodle reveals today!

reluctant bedfellows thumbnail


Five doodles in four fandoms under here! )

That's a pile of art, and yet, just a FRACTION of the prompts I wanted to draw for. I have a whole list leftover, and I really hope this event runs again, because it was so much fun. I would heavily encourage anyone who likes to draw or doodle to join in if it does, regardless of whether you think of yourself as "good" or "an artist." It truly was for everyone, at every skill level, and was such a fun, open-hearted, enthusiastic experience across the board.

And then there's Yuletide.

narrative context
The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
ART & Murderbot (subtext-y gen), G, 7.3K
"It gave me context for the emotions I was feeling, I managed not to say." -Exit Strategy

A short ramble. )

Once again, I did not manage to treat, and was in fact writing furiously down to the wire on my main assignment. Perhaps by next year I will have figured out some better time management strategies? Or at least nailed down a better regimen of ADHD meds.

I've also only read a small fraction of what I wanted to from the archive, naturally. I hope to share some recs later on.

Anyway, more personal stuff later, maybe. I'm feeling jazzed up about working on my [community profile] rarefemslashexchange assignment, and of course, my OTHER favorite exchange, [community profile] chocolateboxcomm, opened for sign-ups today. Making things! It's the best part of every year, and seems like a great way to kick off this one.
reflectedeve: Pearl from Steven Universe, in a tux and top hat (Default)
Nearly at the end of the year at last. Happy holiday season, friends; I hope you're all cozy somewhere with people you love and/or good things to do.

It has been really wonderful to be home with my family again for Christmas, after the miserable isolation of last year. I feel incredibly lucky that we were able to swing it; that we don't live far enough apart to require flying, and that my brother and his girlfriend were willing and able to come get me in their car so I didn't have to carry the risks of mass transit home to my parents, both in their early seventies. It has been a mostly peaceful, occasionally very goofy time; certainly a respite from my life in the city (though I'm nearly ready to go back - I miss my cat).

I'm looking forward to reading some of the Yuletide stories I've set aside on the train and leaving lots of belated but heartfelt comments on the delightful variety of [community profile] multifandomdoodle works! Speaking of which, if you haven't, you should seriously check out the Multifandom Doodle archive. This exchange is really living up to its promise of inclusivity and low-pressure fun and general goodwill. I don't suppose we could have it quarterly? ;)

I received a really lovely gift from each of those exchanges:

tingle, Sex Education, Lily-centric, 1946 words, M
A contemplative journey through Lily's creative inspiration and endeavors, from childhood viewings of Star Trek through a modest adult side career as a writer of delightfully weird and retro-futurism-tinged self-published erotica and cozy domesticity with Ola and their kids. <3

Poor Jody ..., The Locked Tomb, Judith/Coronabeth, G
Pre-series, an incorrigible Coronabeth flirts with a rigidly uncomfortable Judith at a Third House party. Sheer delight!

As ever, I want to keep this fandom train rolling a bit longer, so I'm signing up (to draw) for [community profile] rarefemslashexchange and [community profile] chocolateboxcomm (currently in sign-ups and nominations, respectively). My writing brain needs a rest ... I am pleased with how my Yuletide story came out, but I struggled with it more than I have in years.

Oh, and I finally saw Die Hard last night (yes, for the first time). Honestly, a bit bloodier than I'd have preferred, but it certainly had its moments.
reflectedeve: Kamala Khan, as Ms. Marvel, hugs Lockjaw the huge dog (supercuddle - puppy)
This is such a weird year, and a weird/sad holiday season; I’m so grateful to fandom for being my constant through all this. I’m making characteristically slow progress through my "marked for later" list, and I’ll hopefully get some more recs out later, but I don’t want to wait to show off my awesome gifts:

what slows down the nights to a long lingering crawl
The Queen’s Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Gen-ish (Irene/Eugenides, Helen/Sophos), T, 2.3K
A lovely, peaceful, and sometimes bittersweet look at much of the main cast of the series post-canon, with insights into the fragility of peace and the ongoing complexity of politics and royal life, as well as love and companionship.

To Brie or Not To Brie
Gamechanger - L.X. Beckett
Gen-ish (pre-Rubi Whiting/Gimlet Barnes), G, 1.5K
Multi-layered meta exploration of the fannish culture around semi-scripted VR game celebrities in the social media heavy world of this sadly obscure book, with some lovely pre-canon pining! I was blown away to receive a treat in this fandom. It’s great, and more people should read the book, enjoy this fic, and write more!

Also, for anyone who is still feeling the gift-giving spirit and creative momentum, [community profile] fandomtrees is ongoing! You could leave some lucky fan a ficlet, or a drawing, or maybe some recipe or book recs! Here are some trees with no presents yet.

fandomtrees banner


My own tree is over here, and while it lists a few specific fandoms/prompts/etc, any little thing in the fandoms I love (and the prompts in my past exchange letters) would fill me with joy. Which I have to admit ... I could really use more of right now. Things are really hard. I know they are for just about everyone else, too.

Much love to you all - I hope you’re happy and safe and with loved ones (human or otherwise).
reflectedeve: Ruby, in umpire gear, smiles up at Sapphire who is leaning on a baseball bat (unfused - flirting - space queers)
[community profile] femslashex reveals are up! I had a lovely time creating this year, as always.

single long black & white comic panel showing two young women apparently sitting in a darkened room full of drapery. A curvier, blushing girl is tilting her head back, blushing, eyes closed, as a dark-haired girl with her hand at the other’s nape leans in over her shoulder with an intent, passionate expression. text reads 'you and I are one'

ardor (Carmilla, Carmilla/Laura, T)
"... with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs ..."
for [archiveofourown.org profile] KannaOphelia

Floriography (This Is How You Lose The Time War, Red/Blue, G)
Another form of esoteric, archaic epistolary communication ...
for [archiveofourown.org profile] Shadaras

stay put (Wayfarers Series, Rosemary/Sissix, T)
One advantage of mammalian girlfriends: they’re so WARM.
for [archiveofourown.org profile] Stonestrewn

I also received an absolutely delightful Original Fiction story from [archiveofourown.org profile] TheseusInTheMaze, about a witch in trouble who transforms into a cat to escape, only to land in the very inviting lap of a visiting queen ... and quite understandably, struggles to find the will to change back: Shapes, and Their Influence.

I'm deep in Yuletiding now, naturally. And also, this looks like it could be a lot of fun ... I think I might put up a "tree." (You should too! I'm hoping to do some treating.)

fandomtrees banner


Life is ... really, really difficult right now, in a quiet, grinding way. I am going to indulge in as much fannish holiday nonsense as I can possibly manage, because egad, do I need an escape.
reflectedeve: Adora yanking Catra forward by her Princess Prom lapels while Catra grins unapologetically (mwahaha - dapper and malevolent)
I am so very pleased with my [community profile] femslashex assignment. It's exactly the sort of thing I want to be working on right now - the biggest challenge will be settling on one idea (and not overextending)!

Trying to turn my brain to Yuletide nominations is proving to be a little bit of a struggle just at present. (Honestly, I'm having a really hard time focusing on anything with more than surface attention. It's part of being out of steam for what a 5-alarm fire the whole world is and has been this year, and I hope I get a second wind soon.)

Some things I'm considering. )

Well, I have time to ponder, I guess. Hopefully I'll have more brain-space this weekend.
reflectedeve: Ruby, in umpire gear, smiles up at Sapphire who is leaning on a baseball bat (unfused - flirting - space queers)
Happy New Year, friends. And happy Yuletide reveals. :)

This was clearly not going to be the year when I could pull off more than one fic (potentially next round’s goal? life things depending anyway), but I did receive what was very much the prompt of my heart. I did my best to do well by it:

refraction and recombination, for [personal profile] halfeatenmoon
Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers (specifically the second book, A Closed and Common Orbit)
Sidra/Tak, Teen & Up, 8,858 words
Summary: Tak takes Sidra to a different kind of party, Sidra dabbles in Aeluon color language, and her sensory analogues might be trying to tell her something.

Herein lies a ramble. )

Man, that was fun. I’m so glad [community profile] chocolateboxcomm exists so I don’t immediately go into fandom withdrawal. I have plans this year that preclude much fannish participation for a lot of it, probably, but this should be a good easing off.
reflectedeve: black & white photo of two white girls, 1920s-era, snuggling with a book. (book love - shared experience)
After such a long, intense holiday season, it’s been extremely lovely to relax and spend time reading this year’s Yuletide crop! I have so many more I want to read, but since I’ve already been more thorough than I manage most years, I thought I’d put together some pre-reveal recs for a change!

First things first: I received two gifts this year, one in the main collection and one Madness treat. They’re both really fantastic - I am the luckiest to have stories for two of my obscure fandoms, written by such talented writers. <3

The Enchanted April - Elizabeth von Arnim
Do You See Me?
Lotty Wilkins/Caroline Dester, G, 5447K
This lovely fic is everything I could have asked for - it effortlessly takes up the dreamy, atmospheric quality of the source’s prose, puts plenty of delightful bite into Lady Caroline’s POV, and fixes the major painful problem I had with canon, beautifully. The sweetness of Lotty and Scrap’s dynamic is complimented by the cathartic reworking of Scrap’s reaction to Mr. Briggs. So good!

Chronin
Travelers
Mirai Yoshida/Hatsu, G, 1093K
Aaah! I’m so beyond pleased to get fic for this! It’s a delightful little post-canon conversation between Mirai and Hatsu that showcases everything I love about their dynamic (the way Hatsu challenges Mirai and all her expectations at every turn) and pokes at the whole topic of time travel a bit more. Deftly written and full of possibility. <3


I’ve been reading all over the archive in whatever order fancy takes me, and trying to really mix things up, so I haven’t read every story in nearly any fandom that has more than one. Here are some entirely random favoritesin 14th Century RPF, Captain Marvel, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Gideon the Ninth, The Good Place, Oxford Time Travel, Slings and Arrows, Victor/Victoria and Wayfarers. )

I’m looking forward to sharing a bit about my own story after reveals. After all these years, Yuletide continues to be one of my favorite fannish holiday traditions, period. And I really needed it this year!
reflectedeve: Pearl from Steven Universe, in a tux and top hat (Default)
Egad, I am so sleepy.

This ... is an unusually and especially intense holiday season in many ways. My partner had top surgery two weeks ago, so I've been spending a great deal of time a few towns over at their place, caring for them and helping my metamour around the apartment. (I also cooked half our Thanksgiving meal, but that's standard!) This weekend, one of my dearest friends is having a baby shower (my second nibling is coming soon), and the weekend after that, I'll be attending (and briefly cameoing in) an unusual theatrical production which will have emotionally high stakes for my entire family of origin. And I mean, you know. Yuletide, Christmas and Hanukkah presents and a lot of cross-state travel.

Is it 2020 yet?

Really, all of this (hopefully including that performance) is good stuff, it's just ... so much. All crammed together. Gah.

Anyway, I did want to share my [community profile] femslashex piece! It's post-film Edith/Lucille from Crimson Peak, and I had the most splendidly self-indulgent time with all the crosshatching.

femslashex 2019 submission thumbnail
Click here to see the whole thing at the AO3!


I also received a lovely bit of Rachel/Kitty futurefic from [archiveofourown.org profile] Sheliak, A Future, Brick by Brick. My forever OTP. <3

And now it's back to what is totally my dream Yuletide assignment! If only I can stay awake!
reflectedeve: Selina Kyle: "GEEZ, Holly, relax ... next you'll be arguing about whether SPANDEX is really functional or not." (spandex - comics are on crack)
The Yuletide tag set is up! And ... I've already gone through the whole damn (beautiful) thing and am going to have a very impatient week waiting for sign-ups to end. I'd say this has something to do with the residual energy coming off the convention I exhibited at this weekend, but really, I'm always like this.

There's still the fandom promo post to go through, though, so yay. And speaking of which, I did posts for four rare book fandoms which I'm considering for this year:

A Song For A New Day, by Sarah Pinsker
Rock’n’roll, rebellion and community organizing in a dystopian near-future of shut-ins and near-total corporate homogenization.

In The Vanishers' Palace, by Aliette de Bodard
Lesbian dragon/human master/indentured servant slow build romance with built-in (older/teen) kidfic. I mean, come on.

The Future of Another Timeline, by Annalee Newitz
In a world where time travel is a discovery science, an apparently naturally occurring phenomenon known to humanity from the earliest days of civilization, the past is editable. And the Daughters of Harriet, a secret feminist society dedicated to improving history for women and people of color, are finding themselves in the middle of an edit war with a shadowy men’s rights organization.

The Witch Family, by Eleanor Estes
Amy loves telling stories, mostly to her best friend, Clarissa … and her stories are also true. So when she banishes (or excuse me, “banquishes”) Old Witch to a glass hill for her wickedness, she soon peoples that world ... It’s a childhood favorite of mine, and as an adult, I’m fascinated by how metatextual the whole thing gets.

I love this time of year so much.
reflectedeve: black & white photo of two white girls, 1920s-era, snuggling with a book. (book love - shared experience)
Life's been a bit rough lately - post-big-event/project slump, I think, plus the mild continuing strain of a quasi-long-distance polyamorous relationship. But hey, fandom exchange season to the rescue! I'm pretty pumped about my [community profile] femslashex assignment, and now [community profile] yuletide nominations are open. :D

the usual sort of dithering herein )

I'm ridiculous, don't mind me. Work is really boring right now.
reflectedeve: Ruby, in umpire gear, smiles up at Sapphire who is leaning on a baseball bat (unfused - flirting - space queers)
Note for my lovely Yuletide author(s?): I’m flying to the UK from the US on Monday night. Which means I will arrive in England with my polycule Christmas morning, both zombified and with social obligations. Not sure when exactly I’ll have the opportunity to read the three(!!) lovely and exciting gift fic I see on my AO3 profile. Know that I am super excited and can hardly wait! But my squeeful comments might be a little delayed.

Also, so yeah, I’m spending a week in England with my partner and metamours! I haven’t been out of the country in about nine years, which is absurd. I’m deeply excited, even though I tragically won’t be making the short trip up to Scotland that I was hoping for. There will have to be other visits, clearly.

Huh, I definitely kind of missed this. Maybe 2019 will be the year of journaling revival for me, whether or not there’s a real fandom/community resurgence here.
reflectedeve: black & white photo of two white girls, 1920s-era, snuggling with a book. (book love - shared experience)
You're the BEST. )

Specific preferences/prompts/etc by fandom, in alphabetical order (absolutely not order of preference, I wouldn’t even know where to start):

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women )

That Inevitable Victorian Thing )

Wayfarers )

Wayward Children )

The Witch Family )

...and I'm stopping. I get excited, but hopefully it's not overwhelming? Optional details are optional! Have a blast, dear author. <3
reflectedeve: Selina Kyle: "GEEZ, Holly, relax ... next you'll be arguing about whether SPANDEX is really functional or not." (spandex - comics are on crack)
Well, apart from the fact that everything is terrible I love this time of year so much. I have my favorite indie convention coming up this weekend, [community profile] femslashex stories and art have just been revealed, [community profile] yuletide assignments are out ... and of course there's Halloween and (theoretically, sometimes) cool, crisp weather and changing leaves, etc.

My [community profile] yuletide assignment is exciting and challenging and I am thrilled with it; I can hardly wait to start reviewing the source material! And check out the not one but two amazing femslash gift fics I found in my inbox this weekend ...! Both answering requests I've been stubbornly making for years, too. <3

Favors: Killjoys, Dutch/Delle Seyah Kendry, Explicit. The hot, aggressive but relatively light fake relationship/kinky sex story I've been dying for since season one!

Allegiances: Craft Sequence, Tara Abernathy/Catherine Elle(/Seril), Teen. One of my favorite pairings in one of my favorite series, brought together by an uneasy working relationship and an uncomfortable (but inexorable) divine connection. JFC, I'm delighted.

Sigh, I suppose I should get back to work, which is very boring today. Before I do, though ... I was poking around the [community profile] yuletide community for the first time in ages, and I came across something intriguing: a challenge for folks who would enjoy receiving art treats for their Yuletide requests. Be still my overambitious fanartist heart!

Basically, people are leaving comments if they'd welcome fanart treats, and you should all go add yourselves immediately to: the Wrapping Paper Challenge on dreamwidth or on LJ. YAY.
reflectedeve: Toph punching Katara in the arm, backs to the viewer. (this is how I communicate affection)
Happy New Year (I hope)! It's the season for holiday fanwork reveals. I wasn't as prolific as I was hoping this season, since life kind of got in the way, but I did write my one [community profile] yuletide fic and contribute two pieces of fanart to the [tumblr.com profile] startreksecretsanta.

Or Something (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Kim Pine/Envy Adams)
Set after the events of the film; Kim Pine is just stopping by her unassuming, mostly-deserted local watering hole to grab a drink and avoid her grad school applications, when to her surprise, she runs into the former frontwoman of The Clash At Demonhead scribbling away in a notebook in a corner booth. Well, bothering random rockstars is as good a procrastination method as any, right?

Writing this pairing was a fun challenge, especially since I primarily stuck to movie canon, in which Kim and Envy don't particularly interact ... and their characterization is somewhat streamlined. I did wind up pulling a little bit of background from the comics, playing off Envy's history as an anime fan, with the result that I couldn't resist including bonus fanart. )

dancing with the devil (Star Trek: DS9, Elim Garak/Benjamin Sisko)
For this, I wound up playing off the first part of the quote referenced by the episode 'In The Pale Moonlight,' one of my very favorites from all of DS9.

you can let your monster out (with me) (Star Trek: TNG, Deanna Troi/K'Ehleyr)
Ahaha, so this came out like some kind of bodice-ripping romance novel cover. However, after rewatching the TNG episode 'The Emissary,' I think I might need to revisit this pairing, because damn! I did always love K'Ehleyr; it's a shame she only gets two appearances.
reflectedeve: Kamala Khan, as Ms. Marvel, hugs Lockjaw the huge dog (supercuddle - puppy)
Oh my gosh. I just have an embarrassment of fannish holiday riches this year ... I'm a little beside myself. <3 How is everyone so awesome?

This has been, as I've said before, an extremely difficult year for me on a personal level, as well, of course, as on the larger social/political scale, and just. I can't say how grateful I've been for my fannish and online communities. This is just above and beyond. <3 (I am completely exhausted, because I stayed up until about 4:30 a.m. trying to finish art presents for my family, after spending the bulk of my 'free' time for the last few weeks working on commissions. So that's totally why I'm tearing up. No, really.)

For [community profile] yuletide, I received three lovely stories:

The Kerkylas Society (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Phryne/Mac, Explicit)
In which blackmail and untimely death are plaguing a discreet Melbourne ladies' club, and Mac brings Phryne in to investigate. The plot is, of course, a bit sad and difficult, but handled well. The characters and their relationship are delightfully true to the material.

Interspecies Anatomy Lessons (Wayfarers series, Rosemary/Sissix, Explicit)
A porny little tag to the scene where Rosemary & Sissix get together in The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet, complete with delightful silliness, frank exploration and comparative anatomy. Just what I wanted, jfc.

Tea and Time Travel (Oxford Time Travel, gen, General Audiences)
Set immediately after the end of All Clear: Verity Kindle and Kivrin Engle step in to offer Polly Churchill some advice and support in her disorienting position, returning home subjective months and literal years later than ever intended. The post-time-travel historian solidarity I wanted so badly! OMG, so great!

And, for [tumblr.com profile] startreksecretsanta, this adorable fic:

My Dear Doctor by [archiveofourown.org profile] justabrain (Garak/Bashir, General Audiences)
On-station fake relationship fic! :D Delightfully tropey and fun; when Bashir hesitantly proposes that Garak pretend to be his boyfriend to set some visiting aliens at ease wrt his trustworthiness (since they value serious relationships as a sign of the same), Garak predictably goes right for it. It's just the right kind of fluff for this versatile pairing, and makes me so very happy.

How many times can I use variations on "delightful" in one post? But seriously, the warm fuzzies are just through the roof over here.

I need to get some sleep, and then I'm finally allowed to start reading A Stitch In Time and thinking (even more) about lizard aliens, lies and betrayal ... ;)
reflectedeve: Pearl from Steven Universe, in a tux and top hat (Default)
(Do people not use Yule Goat anymore? I didn't notice last year.)

Thank you thank you! )

Canon-specific details for each of my fandoms (including the prompts from my sign-up), in AO3 tag list order:

Craft Sequence )

Oxford Time Travel )

Wayfarers Series )

Excalibur (comic) )

Killjoys (tv) )

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries )

All right, I’ll stop teal-deering all over the place, here. Thank you again, so much. I hope you have fun, and good luck this [community profile] yuletide season!
reflectedeve: Pearl from Steven Universe, in a tux and top hat (I think you mean - weirdo braintwin otp)
Woo, I got hired today! For a temp job, but it's meant to go until the end of December at least, and it pays perfectly decently for the area. Thank goodness; things were starting to get a little intense.

Also, almost as soon as I posted last time, I discovered that [community profile] yuletart sign-ups open on October 14! You should sign up! Multifandom fanart times for everyone! (Now I just have to figure out what to ask for. Tricky.)
reflectedeve: Frank Iero posing with a painting of himself (covering "his" mouth). (c'est ne pas un frank)
Cecil Baldwin, as played by Danny Pudi, in the NCVR booth

Sometimes you just have to post something to force yourself to stop tweaking it. I am not totally satisfied with this first piece of Welcome to Night Vale fanart ... hopefully I can improve on it? But here's a stab at Cecil Baldwin as played by Danny Pudi, because I find that particular casting kind of irresistible.

Mmmm, fanart, how I miss you. I continue to find myself completely swamped with projects, which I am certainly not complaining about, but still. I really want to do some kind of holiday exchange or something. I don't suppose anyone's heard anything about [community profile] yuletart this year?

I had another thought, but ... IDK if people would be into it. I was thinking it might be fun to do some kind of tiny gift exchange with various of you lovely people. Kind of a mini-reversebang thing ... say, you write me a comment-ficlet with one of our shared fandoms/pairings/etc (probably I will post a suggested list or something), and I do a little illustration for you in return. Would there be any interest in such a thing?

I don't know, it's just an idea right now ... but per usual, I miss fannish participation (and my fanpeople)! And I'm in a multifannish mood.

In other news, I spilled tea on my poor old laptop a few days ago, and now I no longer have an apostrophe or down-arrow key. Not a debilitating predicament, but pretty annoying! Bah.
reflectedeve: black & white photo of two white girls, 1920s-era, snuggling with a book. (book love - shared experience)
Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, bbs ... and if you don't, I hope it's been a good day regardless. <3 I woke up this morning (late; Midnight Mass and then working on presents into the wee hours) to find a cardboard-tube sword propped against the railing outside my door, with a note taped to it: "EN GUARDE, SCALLIWAG!" So I walked downstairs into a swordfight with my brother first thing (and won, incidentally; I miss fencing).

Yeah, we're in our mid-to-late twenties, but you know. It was a good start to a pretty great day. I also nearly made my father cry with the illustration I'm working on based on his annual holiday poem (although I'm not sure I really capture it; really, I'm biased, but he's good).

There's a kind of bizarrely cartoony plastic Gandalf watching over me, and I meant to spend the afternoon reading Yuletide fic ... but instead was completely sucked in by Asterios Polyp, which is every bit as fucking fantastic as people said when it came out a couple years back. Good god. I can only dream of being as accomplished and well-rounded a cartoonist as Mazzucchelli someday. (From Batman to this! Ugh, talk about a comic that really makes full use of all the things the medium can do, gah. Inspiring and intimidating as fuck.) Maybe I can get a couple stories in before I help out with dinner. Or maybe I'll start sketching compulsively.

Much love.

Profile

reflectedeve: Pearl from Steven Universe, in a tux and top hat (Default)
Lilith

October 2024

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
131415 16171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags