maggie touches grease with her hands

snowflake challenge
.. Day 2
In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you didn't create.

. the value of daughters by odditycollector - this was spurred by the fridging of Lian Harper over in DC Comics, but the frustration and anger and pain in it relate to so much more when it comes to women's functions in modern media and storytelling.

. very deliberately waiting by gloss | the simpsons, manjula/marge - I can't get enough of this story. Older women in a suburban archetypal US town, empty nests, lost husbands, backgrounds and temperaments completely different, and yet. I stopped watching The Simpsons a few years ago because it became a soulless hipster wasteland, but this story reminds me of all the the sad, enduring, tender sweetness the show had when it was at its best.

. horns of a deer, feet of a tiger by softintelligence | iron man - Tony Stark, growing up Vietnamese-American. I'm not a dude, I'm not Vietnamese, and I'm not US American, but there's still so much to recognize in this. It's beautifully done.

. the third student by schemingreader | sherlock holmes - If you're a person of colour who loves the Holmes stories, it's something of a bittersweet experience because at some point, a person who looks like you will pop up and be described in the most demeaning and ugly ways imaginable. And then you just have to sigh and anesthetize yourself a little bit with the old things-used-to-be-different saw so you can enjoy the rest of the thing. Well, this story gives a voice to one of those prop characters, and does it marvellously.

. 春雨 (spring rain) by mercredigirl | firefly, simon and river tam - One of the things that was worst about Firefly was the lack of main Asian characters, and I always wondered why they couldn't have made the Tams -- I mean, really -- Asian, at least. This story does something with that and what it's like for the Tams in a world where everything is visibly tagged with their culture but the people themselves barely exist.

. every superhero need his theme music by glockgal | batman, hip-hop rpf, pop rpf - Kanye as Batman and Lady Gaga as Mr. Freeze. I don't think I need to say anything more. Except I decided to name the piece, lol.


I think I went for kind of a vague theme here? Heh.

What time is it? It's Yuletart Time!!

I didn't sign up this year because I am not terribly artistic and I need a year to recover from the past two, ahahah. But fortunately other people are not losers like me!


++Content notes are grey-blocked within brackets; highlight to read++


. winter cold | bleach -- unfamiliar with the fandom, but I really enjoy the soft smokey greys and candy-cane reds in this; it reads as so Christmassy to me. {no warnings}

. "...and she rules the skies with lunar goodness." | avatar: the last airbender -- grown-up Sokka and oral traditions! Adorable. {no warnings}

. last night at the warehouse | inception -- you know what I like best about this? That Eames is the slightly unsure almost demure one, and Arthur's all up in there. Whoot! {smoking}

. with an x on the floor | my chemical romance -- this has that really cute, slightly oldskool, character-design-driven feel to it, like a cartoon by Filmation or Dic. Remember those? I DO. {spider}

. catch me if you can | merlin/bon cop bad cop -- I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEBODY CROSSED THESE TWO SOURCES!! And in such an adorable way -- I can't stop squeeing! {non-graphic tentacles}

. victor paper dolls™ presents kiss me katniss: the girl on fire | the hunger games -- dear heavens, I LOVE when people use Yuletart time to do stuff like this! So, so innovative, from the concept to the execution. {girl in underwear}

. filling in for the big guy | young justice (comic) -- everything you could want from Tim-Kon-Bart holiday shenanigans; what's not to love? {mild violence, physical restraint}

. the island | slings and arrows -- wow, this reads and looks and tastes like an indie comic -- but one of the entertaining, engaging kind, not the kind that thinks it's better than you! {language}

Check these out, and keep checking the comm! There's new fantastic stuff up every day.

I've totally been motoring through these fics! Many thanks to zvi for helping me out with some more useful warnings-coding than my own makeshift uselessness.

++Content notes are grey-blocked within brackets; highlight to read++


. scooby-doo, daphne blake, and so on and on and on by hyacinthian | scooby-doo -- I have no particular fondness for Scooby and his humans, but I certainly liked this peek at Daphne-world and how central she really is to their adventures and therefore their raison d'être. {peer pressure}

. art is a lie by moirariordan | lady gaga -- Thirty years later, how does one remain relevant? the answer is: try just hard enough and don't join if you can't take a joke. {no warnings}

. love in technicolour by corposant | the archandroid -- Janelle Monae's latest album about the robot deity Cindi Mayweather is certainly deserving of fic; also, there's a little gem in it for we popslashy types. I won't lie, I laughed and wiggled in my chair in delight. {capture}

. a perfect haircut every day by uptheapples | gilmore girls -- All of the things Lane dreamt for herself, and could have been, laid out here in the most heartwrenching way. I had a LOT of problems with what canon did to Lane, and while I can't say this story soothed me, it was grimly satisfying to finally see it all addressed. {no warnings}

. blow me bluebell bubbles by chaletian | harry potter -- Alice Longbottom, at St. Mungo's. I can't remember her in the book very well, and the prompt was far more light-spirited than what this story actually is: a tiny snapshot of a shattered woman, robbed of everything that makes her *her*. This thing gave me chills. {mental impairment}

. born to fuck each other one way or another by bluerosefairy | la confidential -- I often wondered what happened to Inez after the awful events of the movie, and this is ... well, it's not pretty, but for the space of this story it seems entirely likely. {rape trauma, violence, racism, dysfunctional relationships}

. in my leather jacket, jeans, and motorcycle boots by kitasu | 500 days of summer -- One of the most nagging things about this movie was never getting Summer's pov, and this upends it and does just that. It also reminds me why (even though I like JGL a lot) Summer made more sense to me than Tom did. {no warnings}

. the catch is you stay and see what becomes of us by anythingbutgrey | where in the world is carmen sandiego -- There's almost no way to describe this, except that it's Carmen and Waldo, getting lost and getting found. {no warnings}

Lori demanded that I do some recs so she'll know what to read from the recent ficmemes, so the rest of you have to suffer as well. *g*


++Content notes are grey-blocked within brackets; highlight to read++

For the Awesome Ladies Ficathon, I'm linking to the prompt comment for context. Also I'm not bothering to code usernames, dammit.


. houses out of cardboard boxes by omfgsh | the oc -- I always did love Julie Cooper, and this feels exactly slap-on right: she's clever and insecure and wanting and strong, no deviations into secret woobiedom or ordinary bitchery. {unexpected pregnancy, classism}

. only a rebel from the waist downwards by janie_tangerine | 1984 -- I really like the sense of sexuality in this, how Julia uses the power in it but also derives so much pleasure. It's a balance you don't get to see often for female characters, especially in dystopic fiction. {illicit sex, control}

. lethal poison through the system by asimaiyat | star trek reboot -- The voices here are fantastic (Jim's lapse on formalities, heh!), and I am utterly in love with this Uhura and her fine fierce endless desire to *do* more and *be* more. {civil conflict}

. hedge witch by white_aster | harry potter -- Minerva McGonagall in a backwoods!AU, which is unexpectedly and most incredibly fantastic in every possible way. I love fandom sometimes, I really do. {no warnings}

. worlds away by hyacinthian | x-men -- Jubilation Lee, as American a girl as all fucking get-out. I can't even tell you how much I adored this one. {racism, runaway, mild violence}


For the Racebending Revenge challenge:

. 春雨 (spring rain) by mercredigirl | firefly -- Simon and River and the names they should really have for the people they should really be. I love the show and I love the characters, but I was always upset with the fact that they weren't Chinese when -- out of *everybody* -- they seemed like they were coded to be. This makes me ache for what might have been. {some of the fic uses Chinese language fonts, so there may be an accessibility issue; fic itself deals with imperialism, racism, references to abduction/torture/rape}


Just random but awesome:

. the third student by schemingreader | sherlock holmes -- Anybody who's read any of the canon knows it's full of shitty colonialist tropes in-between the more fun Holmes-Watson shenanigans; I remember as a girl wincing at the way Watson wrote about this Indian student while at the same time being grateful somebody Indian like me was even *in* the canon.

So, um, yeah, this is a cathartic and beautifully-written story without being all anvils and Special Lessons. It also eviscerates the whole PANIC! TERROR! in fandom about white people writing chromatic people and being "attacked" no matter what, because reading this fic, I connected with Daulat Ras as *hard* as if I'd written his voice myself. I can't recommend it too highly, even though it kind of makes me feel raw enough that I haven't left feedback yet (sorry, bb!). {racism, colourism, colonialism}

More Yuletide recs. I should be done just in time for the next Yuletide.

static | playing by heart rpf - I had no clue there was a fandom for this. But it's Gillian Anderson, it's Jon Stewart, and it's just the perfect little slice of never-gonna-be.

the way to a woman's heart | the addams family - I felt almost guilty reading this, because it's like peeking into Morticia's love-diary. Strange, ghoulish, and delicately erotic.

just desserts | futurama - exactly the sort of tightly-planned batshittery that the show was all about! The Leela voice in this is astonishingly accurate and the whole thing is a delight.

diamonds are forever | ocean's eleven - I know, I know, but ignore the title and go read this anyway, a funny and stylish little vignette of how Danny and Rusty first started working together, with all the best elements of their relationship.

faith is blind (but that doesn't mean there are no eye rolls) | bible (old testament) - I had no clue what to expect here, but it's a very clever and stylistically gripping story that had me love Sarah from beginning to end.

hyacinth bucket versus technology | keeping up appearances - this is a scream: Hyacinth Bouquet discovers the internet! I could absolutely hear all of this dialogue in my head, from Hyacinth's nasal pronouncements to Richard's put-upon suggestions.

Since Yuletart is over, I wanted to get in the last batch of recs:

. the frozen charm | stardust - there's something almost unsettling about this picture, and the way it looks like the figures might move when you glance away. I love the soft pencils.

. last minute shopping | persona 4 - the movement and personality in this piece is so strong, which is especially neat considering the monochrome colouring.

. catch it! | howl's moving castle - I was honestly startled to see this, because it looks like it was stolen straight from the movie animation. Unbelievably fine.

. harlock | leijiverse - the soft blotty look of this is so appealing; he's like delicious gummy candy.

. x-23 | x-men - It's been donkey years since I looked at a new X-book, but this picture gave me that old familiar surge of excitement! Is she Asian in the comics, though? She looks awesomely Asian in the picture!

. "better than mama!" | half-life - cute and funny, and I like the juxtaposition of the bright cheery colours with the computeryness of the subject matter.

. left for dead | team fortress 2/left 4 dead - for something so gory and horror-filled, this picture has a cheery nonchalance that's terribly amusing.

. pride and prejudice | pride and prejudice - this is what the comic should have looked like! Astoundingly adorable, but the characters themselves give it some bite.

. jealousy | batverse - gloriously dissolved soft pastelly paints, and Selina and Cass.

. i want to believe | harry potter/the x-files - kooky crossover idea, but the fabulous artwork makes the it work! Duchovney is scarily spot-on.

. fascinating | star trek reboot - NOTHING I CAN SAY WILL PREPARE YOU FOR THIS.

. kings and queens of narnia, magic kiss | chronicles of narnia, merlin - both of these are incredible, especially for being such different pieces of art. I feel like the spirit of one has been applied to the other, which is very cool.

. the girl wonder | batverse - oh, Steph, doing what the other Robins did only backward and in heels. This picture captures all of her intensity and life in glorious colour.

Whoo! That was a lot of art.

Yay, they did something with the archive and now I can go through the Yuletide stories in no particular order!!

. we should have met in finavir | tigana - I am not really one for fixer-upper fics, but so *much* went to hell in Tigana that it's nice to have one, especially for the inexplicably hot Dianora and Brandin.

. a matter of convenience | merlin rpf - this story manages to have a cute puppy and it *doesn't annoy me*. How is that even possible? Also, this version of Colin & Bradley forever, please.

. never met a more impossible girl | delilah (song) - uh, the only "Delilah" in song form I know is the Tom Jones version, and I'm pretty sure this ain't it. But it's a great broken-fingernailed messy-drunk heartbreak little story even if you don't know the proper song.

. bittersweet | beauty and the beast (disney) - ahahah, all my recs today are coming with caveats, and this time it's this: despite the bookishness that makes her a fan favourite, I always thought Belle was kind of a simpleton. But this story gives her a little more edge, and makes Beast more unsure without making him mush, and despite living up to its title there's wee touches of the ridiculous that make everything all the more poignant.

. ali of finghington bluff | lawrence of arabia - I always liked Ali a lot, and this tense snippet of a story outlines his character very well while addressing a sore, much-contended event in Lawrence's life.

. all your heart-melodies | lilo & stitch - WHAT THE HELL THIS STORY MADE ME CRY SO HARD. Also, the Stitch in my head sounds like cathybites.

. sick | children of men - a sharp little snippet of Kee and Miriam, one woman not daring to hope and the other not even knowing what to hope for.

Also, I forgot to mention that along with that awful 1978 Little Women, we also saw Godspell (the movie) for the first time over the holidays. I tell you, even top-drawer BC bud can't remove the horror of realizing that Clown Jesus dresses right.

Yuletide:

. but not forgotten | watchmen - a fig of a story, plump and so rich it's almost nauseating. All of the different elements of Dan are in here so brilliantly, his intellectual primness and hot desire and wistful longing, and playing that off Rorschach is one of my favourite things for this fandom.

. shadows and shade | watchmen - if you've ever wanted to know more about Silhouette, here's your chance, in firm and shadowy pieces carefully doled out.

. old | velvet goldmine - when I was a stupid teenager, I hated Mandy for all the usual reasons slashers have. Now that I'm a grownup, I read this fic and see all the pain and loneliness, the betrayal, the hope and bravery, and like her all the more.

. we'll make it an adventure | up - if I had any criticism of the movie, it would be that we didn't get much from Ellie's voice. This story takes care of that. If you cry at the end, well, you've been warned.

. nothing left to hide | twin peaks - okay, so -- everybody in Twin Peaks has issues, I mean, *clearly*. This story isn't exactly what I imagined Bobby's to be, but goddamn, the writing's so pressure-cooked perfect that I can't help considering it.

Yuletart recs:

. hobbit wonderland | lord of the rings - it looks like felted Hobbit art, all cheery and homespun!

. what do stars do best?! | stardust - Don't know the movie, but it made me laugh!

. citadel | world of warcraft - This is just lovely -- such delicate and evocative watercolours, which I absolutely didn't expect for this fandom.

. the justice society of tadfield | good omens - a great example of how simple pencil sketches can convey so much personality and life.

. a logical solution | star trek reboot - Delightfully silly, and I like the comic-book style to it.

. another illyria | angel - You all know how I felt about the whole Fred/Wesley thing, but this art almost makes up for it. Icy and fantastic.

. batjack and captain robin | the marvelous misadventures of flapjack - Don't know the book, but both of the arts for this fandom have been adorable!

. thorns | merlin - winsome and filigreed, full of breathtaking charm.

. the final flight of the boomerang | avatar: the last airbender - I'll admit, the notes and whatnot made me laugh almost as hard as the actual and fabulous comic strip art!

I know I may have missed thanking people individually, but thank you all so much for the happy birthday wishes! I really needed them this year due to having a huge and stressful fight with the parents on my birthday, which turned out best in the long run but was still pretty draining to have on Christmas Eve, as you can imagine.

I hope you're all having a lovely time with however you're spending it! I have played a lot of Beatles Rock Band, eaten and drunk with abandon, tasted a princess cake for the first time, and finally seen the Twilight movie. Y'know, I expected to be uninterested in the story (I was stupid in love with Anne Rice's vampires as a teenager, and once I stopped giving a shit about them that was it for me and vampire love stories), but I didn't expect the actual movie -- like, script and filming and atrocious sound -- to be so unrelentingly awful as well! WOW.

Anyway. Have some popslash MTYG recs!

. will you be - nick escapes from his ugly childhood life by doodling a superhero, and doesn't quite grow out of it. The story starts off well-written but rather familiar, and then it turns out that you didn't see that ending coming at all, which I quite like.

. to love, to grow, to hide, to show - I confess I like older!Briahna in a story rather than baby "adorable" versions. And this one includes her in a well-chosen way, which makes sense because it's a nice gently rollicking yarn about reconnecting.

. mistletoe man - the only thing I don't care for in this story is the title. *g* Seriously, this is the year for mild romantic stories that slyly become something a little different, and I'm really enjoying it! This one is written with just the dashes of intriguing character backstory that I like, not to mention the flawless dialogue.

. hold up, cowboy. - JC is working on his thesis, and AJ is working on the rodeo. Very nice character interaction, with just enough pepper to make things really interesting. I know shit all about rodeos, but I know a wee bit about academia and JC needs to read some more Fran Markowitz and put his mind at ease, poor boo. *g*


Yuletide recs soon. But for now, go check out operation 80, a super-awesome challenge wherein we re-write classic Star Trek episodes with the Rebootverse characters. I am doing The Changeling!! Although really I should have chosen Gamesters of Triskelion, and written that green-haired Shahna chick as Lady Gaga.