[1] 2013 was quiet and slow for me, but I'm glad I managed to write a few short pieces.

My 2013 Fanworks

Snow!Helga-as-Cecile (Snow sculpture, Hey Arnold!, Helga)
Snow!Bliss (Snow sculpture, Hey Arnold!, Dr Bliss)
Manor of Shadows (Poem, HP Fandom, Narcissa)
Cold to the Bone (Flashfic, Merlin Fandom, Merlin-centric)
Cloaked (Flashfic, Merlin Fandom, Arthur & Merlin)
Stolen Minutes (Flashfic, Merlin Fandom, Gwen-centric with Gwen/Merlin feelings)
Hand in Hand (Double drabble, Roswell, Isabel/Maria)
Nulled Redemption (Flashfic, Merlin Fandom, Mordred reincarnated)

<3


[2] I've found a 15 Days of OTP Challenge that I like! This is what it will look like:

( 15 Days of OTP ChallengeCollapse )

( Day 1: Your Ultimate Favorite OTPCollapse )

A few months ago I dug the Wii out of the box and was surprised to find that it worked. For years, I thought it was broken, lol. It's nice to have it back and I've been having lots of fun with it.

My besties bought me Mario Kart Wii for Solstice and now I have discovered the awesomeness of wifi multiplayer! I'm sure wifi gaming is old news to most gamers, but it is shiny new to me and basically I just think it is the coolest thing. :D I have to limit myself though because I hurt my hand recently and it isn't good to play too much. But if any of you happen to have Mario Kart Wii and want to play together sometime, let me know, because that would be awesome. I've only played against anonymous people so far.

Also, it is December 24th and I am avoiding thinking about Merlin. :P Hard to wrap my head around the fact that it has been a year. Definitely not ready to re-watch that finale yet. Maybe next year. Or the year after...

Those of you who create fanworks, what types of mediums have you explored during your time in fandom? Writing, art, vidding, podficcing, cosplay, etc? I'd love to hear what you've experimented with and what you've enjoyed the most.

[gif]

I feel like my earlier years in fandom were more productive, when I was experimenting a lot. These last few years I kind of settled just into writing, but now my interest had declined. Maybe I should step away from writing and try something new. (Not likely a new fandom though... I still like my old ones too much. :D) The first fanworks I fell in love with were vids, which I was exposed to at the first few Xena conventions I attended. I've always wanted to try vidding. Maybe that should be my new thing to try in 2014.

Hope you guys are doing well and have a bright holiday season. <3

[1] On a whim, I asked my friend to cut off 7 inches of my hair this past weekend. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm thinking of going even shorter! It is just below my shoulders right now.

[2] [After the haircut we went to see Gravity.] Gravity was excellent. I have been kind of obsessed with it since I saw the preview last spring. After all this anticipation, it did not disappoint. It was the most original and satisfying movie I've seen in ages. *happy sigh*

[3] Recently finished the second Buffy Xbox game. Those games are SO FUN. They are both great in their own ways, but overall I suppose I prefer the first one. More funny and a wider variety of vampire enemies, I think, plus some great moves and weapons that were left out in the second one. Also the second one had a few too many sexist video game cliches. On the other hand, the second one lets you take the reins of lots of great Buffy characters, and has more playtime. Next female protagonist video game on my list: Alias.

I'm compelled to join the chorus and say Happy Merlin anniversary. :) Five years ago I watched the pilot because I wanted to see Anthony Head in a fantasy series. Needless to say I fell hard for the show for many reasons, Anthony Head being just one of them.

It's still the fandom I spend the most time in. Recently, I've been reading as many paperlegends fics as I can (there are 100+ this year! :O) and I absolutely have to share a link to the beautiful post-finale one I finished reading yesterday. I highly recommend it:

Swimming with the Sidhe by gwyllion (Merlin/Arthur, Mature, 54k)

No one likes a story that ends with a hero’s death and broken promises. As Merlin watches the wooden boat drift away with Arthur, he regrets that he ever believed a word that Kilgharrah told him about the bright future Arthur would bring to Albion. Fortunately, he is greeted by a new mythical advisor, the Calming Manatee of the Calming Manatee meme. Only this docile sea creature can help Merlin through this difficult stage in his life so he learns to love himself and gets his happy ending with Arthur.

( My happy thoughts regarding the ficCollapse )

[1] So the Fantastics Beasts film is a real thing, right? Because I fell for some HP-related pranks before and I don't want to get prematurely excited, lol. It sounds really good. I love that it is to be set it the HP universe yet is completely disconnected from Harry and his generation.


[2] ( Unrelated, let me picspam you with Aveline de GrandpréCollapse )

( Game trailer looks amazing!Collapse )

Did you know prompting is open at hp_scroogemas, the upcoming HP holiday fest for dark fanworks? Open until the 17th! Prompt away!

So yeah. My head is full of: ??????

Whatever it is, Francesca and Craig plotting can only be good.

:D

[1] My niece had her first day of preschool today and loved it. <3

Also, there was no rain or nice boys with umbrellas saying, "I like your bow because it's pink, like your pants," so I suppose that is ultimately for the best. ;P

( appropriate gifCollapse )

She did wear a bow, but it was black, like her shirt. (She's kind of going through a goth phase. Apparently four-year-olds can do that.)

[2] I'm terrible at motivating myself to write lately. I do have one poem I've been working on with some enthusiasm, but slowly. I've got other ideas but not many that I can find the motivation to realize. I sit and stare, and type out a bit of junk, and get angry that it's not good, so I do something else.

Lately I've been letting myself get sucked into video games. Been playing the first Buffy game on Xbox, which I've never beaten before. I'm almost to the end now and it's SO FUN. Pretty sure the show's writing team was involved, because the dialogue is spot on and hilarious. My favorite part is when a vampire runs up to me spouting some evil line and I immediately stake him before he gets to finish. :P Staking vampires in general is very, very satisfying.

[1] Okay. There are a ton of fabulous dark events happening in HP fandom this year and I am trying to keep track of them:

+ darkarts_drabs is going on again.
+ Imperius Challenge sign-ups start Sept 1st at hp_darkarts.
+ hp_scroogemas darkfic winter holiday fest prompting begins Sept 1st.
+ darkwitches begins posting in November.
+ hp_darkarts will be posting 12 days of dark fanworks in December.

Did I miss anything? It's so cool to see all these things going on.


[2] ( Took a sorting quiz!Collapse )

What Hogwarts House(s) do you guys sort yourselves into? Is that the House you fall into when you take a sorting quiz?

Just a little FYI: I'll be away from home for five days and probably offline for the duration of that. I don't think I'll be around on my birthday. I should be home August 5th. Ciao for now!

I have podfic recs! That is assuming anyone has time in between listening to Welcome to Nightvale eps. ;P (Just poking fun, I love WtN too. <3) I've been digging through the archive and listening to lots of long podfics lately and some have been blowing my mind with their awesome.


It Doesn't Mean You Can Explain the Ocean read by appleguese, written by rageprufrock
SPN, Sam & Dean, Teen, 01:35:50

There are noises in the cosmic grapevine about three women in Savannah, about prophesy and oracle and older gods than even they know the words for, and Dean hears about it from a waitress at the counter of a diner off the side of a North Carolina freeway.

I listened to this on a whim and holy cow, it was so good that it sent me on a Supernatural podfic binge. To be quite honest, I rage-quit SPN a few seasons ago, but this fic gave me positive, nostalgic feelings toward these characters again. They have an interesting relationship and I love the way this fic explores it. I understand there are a few different versions of this podfic -- I might try the others as well, but I adore appleguese's version and will be keeping it on my mp3 player.


The Bitch read by appleguese, written by stele3
SPN, Sam/Dean, Mature, 01:00:52

Post-Folsom Prison Blues. sevenfists requested that Dean wind up as Sam's prison bitch. I... concurred.

I like prison fic very much to begin with, especially when they explore prison power dynamics like this one does. Definitely some dub-con here, btw. I love how appleguese voices Dean's dialogue especially, it's so on-the-nose that I can't help grinning periodically.


Hands Down read by dark_dreymer, written by drsquidlove
BtVS, Giles/Xander, NC-17, 01:11:54

After Giles' hands are injured in an accident, he is dismayed to find himself entrusted to the care of one Xander Harris. He is further dismayed to realise Xander is not irritating him at all.

Another first for me: Giles/Xander. So deliciously UST-y, hurt/comfort-y, and hilariously, perfectly in-character. Dark_dreymer provides a delightful voice for Giles' POV. This podfic is a definite keeper. :D

[1] I love the new home page. I like to see all the stuff that is relevant to me and my interactions right on the top rather than site-wide popular stuff. Also, LJ has not yet forced me to use the new friends page (which I don't care for), so... points for LJ!

[2] Femslash AU Fest, you guys!! Lots of prompts, no fills yet! D: Maybe some of you want to join in? I posted some Merlin, Xena, and Roswell prompts so far.

[3] Have any of you watched Roswell? I know it's an old show, but I am watching nothing new these days, so I can't fangirl over anything except old stuff. I've been marathoning it and loving it all over again (my first watch-through was maybe 5+ years ago). It's such a great show. I love everyone. Especially Kyle. Especially everyone.

title: Cold to the Bone
pairings: Merlin/OMC, Merlin/Arthur subtext
rating: R
word count: 500
summary: Merlin was in bed with someone when Arthur returned. (Post-series, modern era.)

Flashfic on DW

It's catsintheattic's birthday! I hope your day is special and bright! <3<3

The following poem is a gift for you, written with our shared love of the Malfoys in mind.


Title: Manor of Shadows
Characters: Narcissa, Draco, Lucius
Length: 23 lines; 193 words
Rating: PG
A/N: This was partly inspired by Federico Garcia Lorea's poem Casida of Sobbing which I read in the Against Forgetting poetry anthology. It also fills the "isolation" square on my darkfantasybingo card.


( Narcissa has removed every curtain by handCollapse )

I hope you're having a good day, marcosbnpinto! I've got a little something for your birthday.

( A certain snow-woman...Collapse )

I also have a tiny fic. While the snowman was something I did some weeks ago, the ficlet I finished today especially for the occasion. I hope you enjoy it.

title: Leaving and Coming Together
fandom: Hey Arnold!
characters: Dr Bliss, Olga Pataki
words: ~440

( Leaving and Coming TogetherCollapse )

wooly_bear?? D:


I hope you're okay, wooly!

It used to be my annual tradition, but I haven't done it in a few years, mostly because snowman-making opportunities were fleeting and I procrastinated. But not this year! And here she is...

( 'There's one thing I still don't understand. Who are you?'Collapse )

She's also on deviantART and tumblr.

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!

ETA: P.S. my past HA snowmen are Arnold, Gerald, Principal Wartz, and Sid.

For anyone interested, the annual Valentine's friending frenzy is starting over at hey_arnold!

[1] It's that time of year again when I debate whether or not to continue the annual Hey Arnold Valentines friending meme at hey_arnold, lol. The fandom here on LJ is very quiet these days. Virtually vanished, in fact.

[2] I am still making my way through my first X-files watch, LOL. I am at 9.07 (John Doe). This show is so masterful with its suspense! And I'm always impressed with the creative ways they let the stories unfold. Initially, I was finding it a bit difficult to enjoy the character of Reyes this season, but after watching 9.07 I have new appreciation. She was badass in that one.

[3] On my DW, I have a question about Arthur's bane. I'd be curious to hear any of your thoughts!