We Can't Rewind, We've Gone Too Far

Post delayed by a vacation and then PMS. More thoughts than usual, though, and anyway it's definitely in time for Reading Wednesday.

Recent: Finally finished My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, but fast enough that things did not really sink in, or not all at once. It was good, interesting cultural differences and similarities, probably won't read the sequels.

Reread Steadfast, by Mercedes Lackey. This is not a good book, people. I knew that when I started it. In terms of pacing and plotting and unnecessary digressions and historical accuracy and giving agency to characters it is very very badly done. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Which is maybe what I need, given how much I get tied into knots about the free fanfic I write for fun needing its theme to be supported by a coherent narrative arc.

I read some of T. Kingfisher's commentary on fairy tales in The Halcyon Fairy Book and most of Lace Making by Eunice Close (published by a tiny Canadian press in 1975, don't go looking for it). I tried to reread The Bacchae for catharsis purposes, but it was a not-great Victorian translation and I didn't get very far. I did find out that Alan Cumming played Dionysus twenty or so years ago and the trailer for that is on Youtube.

Read A Phantom Lover by Vernon Lee, which was good for what it was but I did have to force myself to it. On the drive with consultingpiskies I finally managed to articulate that I am just not up to unfamiliar fiction right now, and maybe that's okay.

I read all of May Morris: Arts & Crafts Designer at the library, which is the book of an exhibition of her work and was absolutely gorgeous and also gave me feelings about her relationship with her father, so that was great. And on the theme of the English Arts and Crafts movement, English Embroidered Bookbindings by Cyril Davenport, which might have been improved with more practical knowledge of embroidery but was generally good.

Also read Meet Me on the Other Side by Sparklepocalypse, RWRB 1890s cowboy AU. I could be nitpicky about a couple historical attitudes but basically this is just a really good romance novel and I liked it.

Current: Rereading Swordheart by T. Kingfisher. I really want to know more about the Temple of the White Rat's embroiderer(s). Like, maybe Zale does their own embroidery, but in that case I would have expected them to take a project along for the wagon ride. For a while I was carrying this around with me everywhere, but now that I am getting to the climax things are going more slowly.

Just gave 3/5 of my library books back unstarted due to the fiction realization above. I have two digital craft books to flip through, and also some from the Antique Pattern Library, and Chats on Old Lace and Needlework by Mrs. Lowes. Look, basically what I want to do right now is get overwhelmingly caught up in craft projects and never talk to anyone ever again. I won't, because there is Christmas shopping to do and people I am trying to make friends with and so forth, but that's probably where my head's going to be all month.

Various RWRB fanfics going on still. Oh, and there's been more Madame C—. Thank god for Madame C—.

Future: I still have The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor by Shaenon K. Garrity and Christopher Baldwin out from the library, which really does seem fun but I don't know if I have the brain for it. I would also like to get through more of my AO3 Marked for Later list before Yuletide adds a bunch to it, but, well. (I didn't sign up for Yuletide this year, not because I didn't think I could manage it but because I suspected I would hate the process, and that was a good decision.)

If all else fails I will relisten to the Roaring Twenties Magic audiobooks while sewing.

Hi! Thanks so much for writing for me, and congratulations on your evident good taste!

If you want to benignly internet-stalk me to get an idea of my interests, Tumblr and AO3 are probably a better idea than DW. However, my previous Yuletide-related posts are tagged here.

This year I requested Band Sinister by K. J. Charles, the Roaring Twenties Magic series by Allie Therin, and Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms by Mercedes Lackey. I am happy with any fic rating or length, and welcome treats.

A large and random list of things I like in general: worldbuilding, hurt/comfort, huddling for warmth, teamwork, competence, adventure, lesbians, ethical dilemmas, loyalty conflicts, people being clever, twisty plots, gender issues, sibling or sibling-like relationships, epistolary fic, backstory, pining, physical affection, queerness, philosophy, romance, UST, found families, mythological and literary allusions, polyamory, slash, het, femslash, passionate platonic friendships, hidden worlds, cities, banter, complicated plans, beautiful landscapes, angst, puns, magical realism, history, social class issues, older women with major roles, case fic, period accuracy, gen, smut, pwp, diversity of opinion, secret identities, fairy tales, specific sense of place... Feel free to use any of these, do not try to use all of them.

Dislikes: I do not want child- or pregnancy-focused fic, or high school AUs, or fic entirely centred around a wedding or wedding preparation. I'm not interested in incest or graphic depictions of rape or gore or torture.

Generally I am all for alternate universes, but in these fandoms the setting is a lot of the draw for me, so perhaps not wildly alternate ones.

Fandom specific thoughts and optional details:

( Band Sinister by K. J. Charles )

( Roaring Twenties Magic by Allie Therin )

( Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms by Mercedes Lackey )

First of all, the Retired Beekeepers of Sussex are no longer holding events, and while their journals are still archived online I thought I should put this on AO3:

Title: Discretion
Rating: G
Universe: ACD Holmes
Characters: Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes
Warnings/Enticements: Character Study, Victorian Attitudes
Summary: Mrs Hudson overhears something, and is thrown into an ethical dilemma.
Word Count: 722

On AO3

And here is a (very brief) second chapter to a fic from September:

Title: Far to Go
Rating: T
Universe: Marvel
Characters: Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes
Warnings/Enticements: De-Aging, Implied Child Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Natasha Romanov Backstory, Angst, Paranoia, Hurt/Comfort, Natasha Romanov Needs a Hug, But She Certainly Wouldn't Accept One, Sign Language, Blizzards, Handcuffs, Unreliable Narrator
Summary: "You know the kind of thing: scientists make something, realize they have no use for it and no one sane would want it around, and then instead of destroying it like anyone sensible would they stick it in a high security containment facility and forget about it until someone steals it, and we have to go and steal it back. They say it’s only dangerous if you drink it, we say great, we’ll have it back by Tuesday, and then Natasha touches the bottle and loses twenty years."
--
It's a test. Of course it's a test. She must have been drugged. This must be a false mission set up by the Red Room. These men must be Red Room too. She just has to figure out how to pass the test.

Right?
Word Count: 5417

On AO3

And finally, from a shameless self promotion angle, if you are waiting impatiently for Yuletide to open, have a fic recommendation:

Title: Strike the Harp and Join the Chorus
Rating: T
Universe: The Hidden Almanac
Characters: Reverend Mord, Pastor Drom, George the Crow
Warnings/Enticements: Episode Style, History, Canon-Typical Weirdness, Mentions of Human Sacrifice, Mentions of RPF (Real Poultry Fiction), Characters Participating in Yuletide, Holidays, Humour
Summary: It was on this day that the gifts in a holiday fanfiction exchange were revealed. It is the Feast Day of Yuletide, and in the garden, there are stories.

Be Safe, and Remember: You Are Not Alone.
Word Count: 3400

On AO3

So there's still technically time to change my mind, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to sign up for Yuletide this year. I'm pretty sure it's a good decision and I seem to be in a mental state where I'm not castigating myself for it, but I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I just ... have a lot of things to do this fall and I want signing up for a challenge to seem fun rather than another obligation.

Instead I am going to finish at least four of these lingering WiPs and work and apply for college. And do math. With Jean Claude's help.



Anyway, I wrote lots of (mostly) Clint/Natasha snippets here.

So I feel guilty about not reccing my Yuletide fics because yay Yuletide fics, but I am at a massive spoon debt (and less than halfway through various seeing-family things, and the difficult day is tomorrow (but the awesome day is the day after that)) and typing this on my phone, so I will just say that they are at the top of my AO3 gifts page and there is awesome reverse Polly Oliver and also cute awkward superheros being cute and awkward, go look.

No Sunday Six last week because I forgot.

No Sunday Six this week because Yuletide is the worst, why did I offer this fandom? *bangs head against keyboard*

Hi! Thanks so much for writing for me, and congratulations on your evident good taste!

If you want to benignly internet-stalk me to get an idea of my interests, Tumblr and AO3 (both linked in the sidebar) are probably a better idea than DW. However, my previous Yuletide-related posts are tagged here.

This year I requested The Comfortable Courtesan, A Brother's Price, Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, and Silk (comic). All of these are fandoms in which I would absolutely love to see any fic at all, so do not worry if the prompts below aren't specifically inspiring to you. I am also happy with any fic rating or length.

A large and random list of things I like in general: worldbuilding, hurt/comfort, huddling for warmth, teamwork, adventure, lesbians, ethical dilemmas, loyalty conflicts, people being clever, twisty plots, gender, sibling or sibling-like relationships, epistolary fic, backstory, pining, physical affection, queerness, philosophy, romance, feminism, UST, found families, mythological allusions, polyamory, slash, het, femslash, hidden worlds, cities, banter, complicated plans, beautiful landscapes, angst, puns, magical realism, history, social class issues, passionate platonic friendships, older women with major roles, case fic, period accuracy, gen, smut, pwp, diversity, secret identities, fairy tales, specific sense of place... Feel free to use any of these.

Dislikes: I do not want child-focused fic. I have a major embarrassment squick, I don't like incest, and I'm not interested in graphic depictions of rape or gore or torture. However, I can be sold on most consensual kinks.

Generally I am all for alternate universes, but (with one stated exception) in these fandoms the setting is a lot of the draw for me, so perhaps not.

Fandom specific thoughts and optional details:

( Read more... )

Hi! Thanks so much for writing for me, and congratulations on your evident good taste!

If you want to benignly internet-stalk me to get an idea of my interests, Tumblr and AO3 (both linked in the sidebar) are probably a better idea than DW. However, my previous Yuletide-related posts are tagged here.

This year I requested The Comfortable Courtesan, Lord Peter Wimsey, A Brother's Price, Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Le Fruit Défendu, and the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

A large and random list of things I like in general: worldbuilding, adventure, lesbians, ethical dilemmas, people being clever, twisty plots, gender, sibling or sibling-like relationships, epistolary fic, backstory, hurt/comfort, pining, physical affection, queerness, philosophy, romance, feminism, UST, found families, mythological allusions, polyamory, slash, het, femslash, hidden worlds, cities, banter, complicated plans, beautiful landscapes, angst, puns, magical realism, history, passionate platonic friendships, older women with major roles, case fic, period accuracy, gen, smut, pwp, diversity, secret identities, fairy tales... Feel free to use any of these.

Dislikes: I do not want child-focused fic. I have a major embarrassment squick, I don't like incest, and I'm not interested in graphic depictions of rape or gore or torture. However, I can be sold on most consensual kinks.

Generally I am all for alternate universes, but in these fandoms the setting is a lot of the draw for me, so perhaps not wildly alternate ones.

Fandom specific thoughts and optional details, to be taken more as suggestions and jumping-off points than requests:

( The Comfortable Courtesan )

( Lord Peter Wimsey )

( A Brother's Price )

( Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms )

( Le Fruit Défendu )

( The Enchanted Forest Chronicles )

Well, it's a good thing I finished my Yuletide assignment early, because this depression is not making things look good for finishing the treat I've got half done.

(Or even yumadrin. Oh dear.)

ETA 27th: finished treat, no drabbles, go me.

I got three lovely Yuletide gifts, and yes I am ridiculously lucky.

whistling through these driftwood bones by lady_peony, which is about Miranda (from The Tempest) and is magical and poetic and brilliant.

A Girl Worth Fighting For by prettysophist, which has Mulan! Managing to be perfect and realizing she doesn't have to be and cross-dressing and in love.

Thorns by wolfraven80, which has Morwen and Telemain being decidedly Morwen and Telemain -ish. It's so very much of the Enchanted Forest.

And I wrote one fic, and four drabbles.

My Assignment: Resources and Rescues for coyotegestalt - Cimorene and Morwen talk and run into someone. This was lots of fun.

Drabbles: 12 Dancing Princesses (angsty)
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) (porn)
Howl's Moving Castle (parenting)
Scott Pilgrim (female friendship)

And they all seem to have been pretty well-received.

And I also wrote Mine Is Forever, a short sequel to Just How This Would End, for Consulting Piskies for Christmas. Because I have a girlfriend, you guys. <3_<3

And I have two BBC Sherlock ficlets hanging around that I think I haven't mentioned here. (I am writing this while pretending that half of my tumblr dash isn't off watching the special. I find the contrast between the Victorian trappings and the BBC actors and characterization to be really upsetting somehow.) Anyway. All Was Absolute Silence Behind Us is a missing scene for Faerymorstan's fix-it Johnlockary Biscuitverse, and Utility is basically a meta theory in drabble form.