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Jan. 10th, 2013 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pensnestOh dear, quite a hiatus since my last post. What have I been doing?
I've been in that odd frame of mind where it's easier to read (somewhat mindlessly) and not go to the effort of making a response. Rarely have I been so grateful for the Kudos button, which means I don't feel quite so guilty about enjoying a story and not having the wherewithal to say so to the author.
I have been busy trying to get some organisation for 'The Mikado' done, including going to auditions and then scrambling around for people to fill the parts for which we don't have any volunteers. Man. One of these years I'd love to direct a show that lots of people really, really want to do, and have no shortage of candidates. This is not one of these years.
Plus, I've been revisiting the Olympics. I got the BBC's Olympics dvds and the C4 Paralympics set for Christmas. It's all very Brit-centric, of course—I dunno if they've released other versions for otherwhere in the world, probably not—but it's remarkably exciting. I remember watching That Saturday withephemera and nopseud, and how surprised we all were by our own involvement. I begin to understand the hockey mania that has infused my friends list on LJ—the emotions that sport rouses are quite addictive. Naturally, the broadcasters play these up as far as possible, but there are *so* many inspiring stories, so many huge emotional peaks—I quite often found my chest welling up with reaction to something, and dammit, it isn't even live!
It was also very interesting watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony with a commentary by Danny Boyle, who was in charge of devising it. There's all kinds of detail in there that you just don't have time to pick up on a first viewing. Plus that incredible dancer in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Straight to the heart, that one.
Well.
Okay, now I've been revising the rehearsal schedule, and it's time to get back to some fannish stuff. A catch-up on the Snowflake Challenge.
Day Three: Comment to someone you haven't ever interacted with before or introduce yourself to someone you've interacted with and friend/follow them.
Well, I'd been leaving comments on a bunch of unexpectedly brilliant Yuletide fics, so I'm counting this one as done.
Day four: 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.
Well… I didn't do this on day four because, really, I can't think of anything I particularly *want*, at least, not that anyone can give me. The only thing my fannish heart perennially desires is Moar Feedback, because I can never have too much. My stories are all up here on my website and most of them are on AO3 (where I am also pensnest), so if you feel like indulging me, pray do!
Day Five: Stretch yourself a little and try something new. Go play in a new fandom or with a new pairing. Try working in a new medium. Or consume different fanworks. Give that new fandom a go. Listen to a podfic or watch some vids if you haven’t before.
Again, it's something I have been doing for quite a while, and Yuletide gave an extra boost. I will rec one story that struck me as bringing a really interesting 'voice', which is Babel by cjmarlowe. It's from the POV of Trevor Hirschfield, a quadriplegic wheelchair rugby player, it's basically his thoughts as he sits in the food hall with his teammates (and Oscar Pistorius walks in) and it's just brilliant.
Day Six: In your own space, pimp three comms or challenges and explain why you love them.
My first love has to be Make The Yuletide Gay, the successor to Don We Now Our Gay Apparel as the popslash Secret Santa exchange. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it, and I hope enough people feel the same way about it to ensure that it continues, even though it has become pretty much the only time the fandom does anything during the year. Which is a pity, but another matter.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fancake, on DW, is a really fun source of recs. Sometimes the theme is something in which I take little interest, and in fact, I haven't managed to rec anything so far—partly because it feels as though all the stories I want to rec had their day in the sun years ago, and perhaps people aren't interested now. Then again, there are plenty of recs for The Sentinel, so perhaps I should just roll up my sleeves and track down some of those wonderful stories.
As for a third…. hmm. All my icon challenge communities are gone now, and I'm not really taken with the new styles of icon challenge that exist currently. I don't know that I really have another favourite, at least, not a community that I can honestly say is active.
Day Seven: In your own space, share something non-fannish about yourself. A passion or a hobby or a talent, something that people might not know about you. We are more than just our fandoms.
Well. I do a fair bit of this kind of sharing anyway, so let's see.
I have my amateur theatre interest, and have started (very slowly) to post about being in amateur theatre for the Blog100 challenge. And I have knitting—although knitting practically seems like a fannish interest, as so many fans also seem to be yarn addicts like myself. I was inspired initially by being given Kaffe Fassett's "Glorious Knitting", and have knitted many of the patterns in it, but more recently I've been inspired by members of my local knitting group, plus posts on DW, and have taken up quite different things like socks and lace and seamless knitwear. Would that I could knit quickly enough to keep up with my ambitions! Currently engaged upon a stashbusting entrelac shawl.
I'm basically a person who likes to create stuff, one way or another—art/craft has been a constant theme throughout my life, just as writing has. It's actually genetic; there's a strong artistic streak running through my mother's family. Her siblings include a cabinet maker, a sign writer, a potter, and the next generation includes the successors to the cabinet making and pottery businesses plus a carpet designer.)
When the kids were small there was a phase of salt dough creation, mostly inspired by the craft stall at their school's annual Christmas Fair. I've painted blown eggs, I've made an occasional papier maché bowl, I was inspired by my mother-in-law to do a tapestry (half-cross-stitch) picture which was mostly not in half cross-stitch at all, but in long stitch and gobelin and a kind of random, because it contains water and trees and reeds, and these things do not work in half cross-stitch. Also, the printed canvas had a boat *right in the middle*, and the final work has no boat, and looks much the better for it. I call it 'La Barque (a disparu)'.
These days, it's mostly card-making and glass painting. Indeed, I'm feeling a bit of an itch about the glass painting, as my personal craft store (I'm not kidding, I'm really not) is out in the conservatory, which at this time of year is too perishing cold for me to go out there and make anything. If I bring the glass paints inside, they'll hang around in the dining room for months. I'd better not.
Day Eight: In your own space, talk about setting yourself a fannish goal. Big or small, it doesn't matter. Some examples: complete a bingo, sign up for a Big Bang, write that fic you've been thinking about for years, podfic that story that you love, make a fanmix for your fandom, post that bit of meta or reclist you keep putting off.
I really want to complete the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fanfic100 challenge. I've done about 94 stories, and I know what I'm going to write for the rest, I just… haven't. Yet. Gah.
Day Nine: In your own space, create a fanwork. A drabble, a ficlet, a podfic, or an icon, art or meta or a rec list. A picspam. Something.
Hah. I'm creating the artwork for one of the Dragon Big Bang stories. I can't post it right now, but it's there. Drawn by hand, even!
Day Ten: In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing.
This time it has to be aboutnopseud. She's the person who lured me into popslash, thereby bringing an enormous amount of joy into my life. She's my co-runner of Camp Sparkle, and host of many a sparkly weekend in between camps. She runs MTYG (I help a bit, but she runs it).
What's more, she writes wonderful, wonderful stories. There are, admittedly, a couple I won't read again. list price hits my embarrassment squick, and nobody reads livin' doll twice... and there may be stories in there that other people won't want to read for, er, various reasons. But even so, what an amazing collection.
There's Things to do in Orlando when you're dead, co-written with Torch, and one of my earliest popslash reads. Zombies. Lance being all competent and a bit scary. Chris being, well, Chris. Never fails.
There's and you'll notice my smile (is like kool aid), in which Lance smiles at people, and they smile back, and then... and Chris notices. Hilarious.
There's the 'town of tiny vampires' au, for which I was in at the conception(!), temperance, providence and honesty.
And a whole bunch more. Plus, she wrote two of the best stories in this year's MTYG, and usually does, even though she's also adminning like a whirling dervish *and* beta-ing for about half the people entering the challenge. *And* she's improved a bunch of my own stories with her mad beta skills. It's intimidating, or at least, she would be if she weren't so much fun to be around.
I've been in that odd frame of mind where it's easier to read (somewhat mindlessly) and not go to the effort of making a response. Rarely have I been so grateful for the Kudos button, which means I don't feel quite so guilty about enjoying a story and not having the wherewithal to say so to the author.
I have been busy trying to get some organisation for 'The Mikado' done, including going to auditions and then scrambling around for people to fill the parts for which we don't have any volunteers. Man. One of these years I'd love to direct a show that lots of people really, really want to do, and have no shortage of candidates. This is not one of these years.
Plus, I've been revisiting the Olympics. I got the BBC's Olympics dvds and the C4 Paralympics set for Christmas. It's all very Brit-centric, of course—I dunno if they've released other versions for otherwhere in the world, probably not—but it's remarkably exciting. I remember watching That Saturday with
ephemera and nopseud, and how surprised we all were by our own involvement. I begin to understand the hockey mania that has infused my friends list on LJ—the emotions that sport rouses are quite addictive. Naturally, the broadcasters play these up as far as possible, but there are *so* many inspiring stories, so many huge emotional peaks—I quite often found my chest welling up with reaction to something, and dammit, it isn't even live!It was also very interesting watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony with a commentary by Danny Boyle, who was in charge of devising it. There's all kinds of detail in there that you just don't have time to pick up on a first viewing. Plus that incredible dancer in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Straight to the heart, that one.
Well.
Okay, now I've been revising the rehearsal schedule, and it's time to get back to some fannish stuff. A catch-up on the Snowflake Challenge.
Day Three: Comment to someone you haven't ever interacted with before or introduce yourself to someone you've interacted with and friend/follow them.
Well, I'd been leaving comments on a bunch of unexpectedly brilliant Yuletide fics, so I'm counting this one as done.
Day four: 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.
Well… I didn't do this on day four because, really, I can't think of anything I particularly *want*, at least, not that anyone can give me. The only thing my fannish heart perennially desires is Moar Feedback, because I can never have too much. My stories are all up here on my website and most of them are on AO3 (where I am also pensnest), so if you feel like indulging me, pray do!
Day Five: Stretch yourself a little and try something new. Go play in a new fandom or with a new pairing. Try working in a new medium. Or consume different fanworks. Give that new fandom a go. Listen to a podfic or watch some vids if you haven’t before.
Again, it's something I have been doing for quite a while, and Yuletide gave an extra boost. I will rec one story that struck me as bringing a really interesting 'voice', which is Babel by cjmarlowe. It's from the POV of Trevor Hirschfield, a quadriplegic wheelchair rugby player, it's basically his thoughts as he sits in the food hall with his teammates (and Oscar Pistorius walks in) and it's just brilliant.
Day Six: In your own space, pimp three comms or challenges and explain why you love them.
My first love has to be Make The Yuletide Gay, the successor to Don We Now Our Gay Apparel as the popslash Secret Santa exchange. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it, and I hope enough people feel the same way about it to ensure that it continues, even though it has become pretty much the only time the fandom does anything during the year. Which is a pity, but another matter.
fancake, on DW, is a really fun source of recs. Sometimes the theme is something in which I take little interest, and in fact, I haven't managed to rec anything so far—partly because it feels as though all the stories I want to rec had their day in the sun years ago, and perhaps people aren't interested now. Then again, there are plenty of recs for The Sentinel, so perhaps I should just roll up my sleeves and track down some of those wonderful stories.As for a third…. hmm. All my icon challenge communities are gone now, and I'm not really taken with the new styles of icon challenge that exist currently. I don't know that I really have another favourite, at least, not a community that I can honestly say is active.
Day Seven: In your own space, share something non-fannish about yourself. A passion or a hobby or a talent, something that people might not know about you. We are more than just our fandoms.
Well. I do a fair bit of this kind of sharing anyway, so let's see.
I have my amateur theatre interest, and have started (very slowly) to post about being in amateur theatre for the Blog100 challenge. And I have knitting—although knitting practically seems like a fannish interest, as so many fans also seem to be yarn addicts like myself. I was inspired initially by being given Kaffe Fassett's "Glorious Knitting", and have knitted many of the patterns in it, but more recently I've been inspired by members of my local knitting group, plus posts on DW, and have taken up quite different things like socks and lace and seamless knitwear. Would that I could knit quickly enough to keep up with my ambitions! Currently engaged upon a stashbusting entrelac shawl.
I'm basically a person who likes to create stuff, one way or another—art/craft has been a constant theme throughout my life, just as writing has. It's actually genetic; there's a strong artistic streak running through my mother's family. Her siblings include a cabinet maker, a sign writer, a potter, and the next generation includes the successors to the cabinet making and pottery businesses plus a carpet designer.)
When the kids were small there was a phase of salt dough creation, mostly inspired by the craft stall at their school's annual Christmas Fair. I've painted blown eggs, I've made an occasional papier maché bowl, I was inspired by my mother-in-law to do a tapestry (half-cross-stitch) picture which was mostly not in half cross-stitch at all, but in long stitch and gobelin and a kind of random, because it contains water and trees and reeds, and these things do not work in half cross-stitch. Also, the printed canvas had a boat *right in the middle*, and the final work has no boat, and looks much the better for it. I call it 'La Barque (a disparu)'.
These days, it's mostly card-making and glass painting. Indeed, I'm feeling a bit of an itch about the glass painting, as my personal craft store (I'm not kidding, I'm really not) is out in the conservatory, which at this time of year is too perishing cold for me to go out there and make anything. If I bring the glass paints inside, they'll hang around in the dining room for months. I'd better not.
Day Eight: In your own space, talk about setting yourself a fannish goal. Big or small, it doesn't matter. Some examples: complete a bingo, sign up for a Big Bang, write that fic you've been thinking about for years, podfic that story that you love, make a fanmix for your fandom, post that bit of meta or reclist you keep putting off.
I really want to complete the
fanfic100 challenge. I've done about 94 stories, and I know what I'm going to write for the rest, I just… haven't. Yet. Gah.Day Nine: In your own space, create a fanwork. A drabble, a ficlet, a podfic, or an icon, art or meta or a rec list. A picspam. Something.
Hah. I'm creating the artwork for one of the Dragon Big Bang stories. I can't post it right now, but it's there. Drawn by hand, even!
Day Ten: In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing.
This time it has to be about
nopseud. She's the person who lured me into popslash, thereby bringing an enormous amount of joy into my life. She's my co-runner of Camp Sparkle, and host of many a sparkly weekend in between camps. She runs MTYG (I help a bit, but she runs it). What's more, she writes wonderful, wonderful stories. There are, admittedly, a couple I won't read again. list price hits my embarrassment squick, and nobody reads livin' doll twice... and there may be stories in there that other people won't want to read for, er, various reasons. But even so, what an amazing collection.
There's Things to do in Orlando when you're dead, co-written with Torch, and one of my earliest popslash reads. Zombies. Lance being all competent and a bit scary. Chris being, well, Chris. Never fails.
There's and you'll notice my smile (is like kool aid), in which Lance smiles at people, and they smile back, and then... and Chris notices. Hilarious.
There's the 'town of tiny vampires' au, for which I was in at the conception(!), temperance, providence and honesty.
And a whole bunch more. Plus, she wrote two of the best stories in this year's MTYG, and usually does, even though she's also adminning like a whirling dervish *and* beta-ing for about half the people entering the challenge. *And* she's improved a bunch of my own stories with her mad beta skills. It's intimidating, or at least, she would be if she weren't so much fun to be around.