Snowflake Challenge - Create a Wishlist
Feb. 1st, 2022 05:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peasinaAs I slowly recover from podfic burnout, I thought catching up with (aka starting to tackle) some of the challenges from the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
snowflake_challenge would help get me back into the swing of things. I had planned to take part throughout January, but life happens. I'm grateful Snowflake lets your go at your own pace with their challenges - the low pressure is nice :-)
Like last year, I'll do the challenges I like the most and skip over the ones that don't do it for me. They also won't be in any logical order!
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Peasina's Wishlist
Some of these are recycled from my recentholiday_wishes wishlist and some are shiny and new for 2022.
snowflake_challenge would help get me back into the swing of things. I had planned to take part throughout January, but life happens. I'm grateful Snowflake lets your go at your own pace with their challenges - the low pressure is nice :-)Like last year, I'll do the challenges I like the most and skip over the ones that don't do it for me. They also won't be in any logical order!
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Peasina's Wishlist
Some of these are recycled from my recent
holiday_wishes wishlist and some are shiny and new for 2022.- Leave feedback on my fanfic – If I’ve written anything at
flowerdeluce that’s RTYI, a comment would make my day!
Trade with me on Pokémon TCG Online – I’ve never done this! If you wouldn’t mind showing me how it’s done (or want to find out together), that would be amazing.I've finally braved going into the public trading area myself and... am not sure what I was worried about! Trading online is so much fun :-D- Rec me fic for The Terror – I've recently joined the fandom for The Terror and would love some recs for any Harry Goodsir/Henry Collins fics. As long as it's not a setting-change AU or genderswap, I'm interested! My existing bookmarks for this show are here.
- Podfic my fic – Fellow podficcers, may I suggest: Delivery (a series of gen epistolary works in postcard format in various fandoms, each about 130 words), and Fragments (a gen Russian Doll fic where Nadia and Alan try to escape their timeloop, 3.4k).
- Tell me about a fannish space I might not know about – Do you hang out somewhere outside the normal fannish spaces (Dreamwidth, Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, Pillowfort, YouTube, AO3)? Tell me about it! What's the vibe there? I'd love some new places to explore.
- If you listen to podfic/audiobooks, share your listening experience with me – How do you listen normally? (E.g., earbuds, over-ear headphones, speakers, tablet/phone speakers?) Why do you listen instead of reading? Where do you usually listen? (In bed, on public transport, in your car?) What kind of voices do you enjoy listening to? (Deep, female/male, accents, slow/fast pace?) Do you like it when the reader does subtle or obvious character voices? Do you like sound effects or background music? Do you ever read along while listening? Do you prefer to download or stream? As a podficcer, people's listening habits and preferences are very interesting to me and could help me with my podficcing, too!
Rec me podfic(s) to record for Awesome Ladies Podfic Anthology – I'd like to take part inThe anthology is closed now. I didn't manage to record anything for it, but I'm looking forward to listening once it goes live!awesomeladiespodfic again, but I'm not sure I have the energy to hunt down works to record right now. If you know or have created a work with permission to podfic that focuses on a female character and is 1,500 words or less (as per the event's rules) and does not contain explicit sexual content, please send me a link. I can't guarantee I'll record it, but I'll be grateful for the assistance.- Tell me your favourite place(s) to visit in London – So, you know that thing where you live in a city but you never really explore it until someone comes to visit? Well... that. (Covid too... *sigh*) Tell me about somewhere cool you visited in London that I might be able to go. Could be a little cafe, a market, a street with particularly nice architecture, a shop selling cool stuff, even a big touristy type thing or a whole area. I'd like to have somewhere fun to go!
- Share some writing advice with me – This could be a link to something online, advice/tips that have stayed with you, or anything that helps you in your process. If you want to go as far as offering constructive feedback on one of my works, that would be great.
- Write me a ficlet – Triple drabbles (exactly 300 words) are my favourite fic format ever and I'd be chuffed if you'd like to write me one. I'd love anything for Brackish Okun/Milton Isaacs (Independence Day), Deanna Troi &/ anyone or solo (Star Trek: TNG), or Goodsir/Collins, Goodsir/McDonald, or Goodsir solo (The Terror). Feel free to DM about this if you want more detail or surprise me! I can offer a canon primer for Independence Day if you'd enjoy the challenge of writing canon blind!
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Date: 2022-02-01 11:40 pm (UTC)Here are some Terror Goodsir/Collins recs:
- Never Let Me Go, by jolly_utter. Goodsir and Collins find comfort from each other after the dive in Episode 1.
- Letters, by TheGreenMeridian. Harry being away on the sledge party doesn't mean they can't still write notes to each other.
- No Hope for Salvation (Kept Me from Sin), by galactic_roses. Collins seeks help in the sickbay, and he's lucky that Goodsir is there.
- like a dream, by bastaerd. “It’s that the trouble begins when my head hits the pillow. When I lose myself over to sleep.”
“You have nightmares?” (Just in case: this one is very sad!).
*
As for things that help with writing, I love prompts! I'd write nothing without them! So... feel free to give me one (or more) for a Terror ficlet, if you like, and I'll see what I can do! :D
I like writing about fandoms set in the past, so my favourite thing ever is the
I also like this site, and this one, which I found thanks to another DW friend, so I'm passing it on! <3 I find both very useful!
I also love doing writing sprints, usually 30 minute ones, either on my own or with a friend. I find them very helpful and motivating. If you've never done one, I totally recommend them--they are not overwhelming, and give a sense of accomplishment, no matter how small! :)
(Also: I need to share the fact that I saw "Independence Day" at the movies when it first opened... and now I feel ancient, haha!)
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Date: 2022-02-02 12:03 am (UTC)Thank you so much for the Goodsir and Collins recs - I don't know any of them, so I can't wait to read. I had another fic open for this evening but I've read that one hundreds of times - tonight, I dine on exquisite recs!
Woohoo, yay for prompts. I find them super inspirational too. And deadlines. So many of my fics wouldn't exist had I not had a deadline looming and someone I was excited to drop a present to :-D And oooh, prompts for The Terror 0.0 This is an exciting prospect. Do you like prompts to be more open (like, "thaw" or "sharing a bed") or have more detail (like, "Goodsir must cut off Collins' clothing following an injury")?
The historium looks like a lovely place. I'm super tempted to ask for a bingo card to inspire some historical podfics! Perhaps I will after I finish my current podfic bingo card :-D
I've just been playing with some of the writing exercises at your first link and I already know I'm going to have lots of fun with these! 'Take Three Nouns' especially! And the second one oh my goodness, it gave me: Henry Collins / Harry Goodsir - 'catching snowflakes', 'trapped together', and 'explosions & hospital stay'. I'm in love with this!! Those couldn't be more perfect. Thank you for sharing these.
And yay for sprints. I've done those with a friend before and they're always so fun. They also stop me from doing that thing where instead of writing NEW words for your fic, you just sit tweaking or simply re-reading the existing ones XD
That is a very awesome fact, haha. Does it make you feel more ancient that the 20th anniversary sequel came out six years ago now. *muffled scream*
Thank you again for this lovely comment. This is my face right now >> :-D
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Date: 2022-02-02 01:31 am (UTC)I think I'm better with open-ish prompts, like some of the 3SF ones, or the ones you get from that generator! Isn't it super useful? The
They also stop me from doing that thing where instead of writing NEW words for your fic, you just sit tweaking or simply re-reading the existing ones XD
I have NO IDEA what you mean! XD Haha, but seriously, the struggle is real!! I wish I could be better at not overthinking every single word, but stuff like sprints hopefully helps...
Does it make you feel more ancient that the 20th anniversary sequel came out six years ago now.
Fuuuuuuuuuuck! For some reason, that's even worse! XD
tonight, I dine on exquisite recs!
XD Enjoy!
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Date: 2022-02-03 04:59 pm (UTC)Three from the Ersatz Genremixer *heart eyes*
1. Phobias and cuddling
2. "I made this for you"
3. Key to their heart
(It also gave me "hostile climate" lol.)
Three from Writing Exercises
4. First line: "As he flicked through the letters, a small, handwritten envelope caught his attention and his heart began to thump."
5. Three nouns: rope, knife, intimacy
6. Random word: bait
Three from me
7. Looming
8. Cure for stomach ache (or headache!)
9. Falling asleep on someone's chest
And one from my unsuspecting friend I requested a random fic prompt from
10. Playfighting
:-D
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Date: 2022-02-03 06:30 pm (UTC)XD XD XD Very accurate!
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Date: 2022-02-07 09:11 pm (UTC)"I made this for you" + Key to their heart (Goodsir & McDonald)
(I shamelessly stole the idea from your 3sf ficlet--yay tea! <3)
Dr McDonald can't pinpoint the moment it started--all he knows is that this has become a routine of sorts. A lifeline, if he is honest with himself.
(These days, he always is.)
These days, his hands, his arms and his eyes are always tired, always cold--and so is his heart. He still has enough logic and practical thinking within himself to avoid despairing--at least for a while longer. Still, sometimes it all becomes too much--too sharp, too cold.
But, when everything fails, he knows that Harry is there.
He still wonders--how does Harry always know? He doesn't know for sure, but he is grateful beyond words.
"I made this for you," Harry might say. Or, perhaps, he doesn't say anything--he simply carefully places the teacup on his desk, and his hand on his shoulder--the same care in that motion, or perhaps more. Such small things, he thinks, and yet so important. Try as he might, McDonald can't tell which one of these things is the warmest, the kindest, or the most tender. The most meaningful.
But he treasures them both alike, so: does it matter?
It is indeed a routine of sorts, with its own quiet schedule. They sit together, talking of nothing in particular, and then allow the silence to take over. The steam from the cup curls around them like a small, friendly fog that keeps the cold out, and he feels that there is room to breathe here--for a moment, there is room to hope. And Harry looks at him, with that smile that lights up his eyes and keeps the cold away, and which he has come to cherish like a treasure. And something within his heart unlocks and thaws and melts, and basks in that warmth--and he decides that it really doesn't matter.
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Rope, knife, intimacy (Silna)
The ground is cold, but familiar. The ice knows her, and she knows the ice. They know each other, like old friends--like souls finding each other, dancing in the white wind.
Outside, she sits, and she thinks of her dreams--of birds, of snowflakes, of dark water, of little stones and sad, unknown faces.
She waits. She is not afraid.
She looks at the shining stars and the smooth, deep sea. And she listens. The air is white and cold--always alive. And, blowing from the north, here comes the voice of the wind. Here it is--sharp, like her knife, but (also just like it) not unkind: it always speaks, and says something to her. And she always speaks back. And the soul of the caribou speaks too: it speaks to her own soul. It whispers dreams and visions as she threads the ropes. And these motions she knows by heart feel like hands holding hands--like home.
Around her, again, here is the warm embrace of the ice, familiar and intimate--infinite in its wonder. And here is the wind, again, its voice growing stronger, almost joyful, almost bright--almost like the lights in the sky.
The ice takes a deep breath. The wind laughs.
Yes. Here is an old friend.
She looks out, into the distance. When her eyes fail, she keeps looking. She dreams, but she is not afraid. The sun is out there somewhere--she knows. And here it comes, the light playing upon the wings of the seagull, red and gold and alive, silently laughing as it dances in the wind. Here it is--here is the soul of the ice, threaded with her own. Here is the home within her--yes, like hands holding hands.
Her soul takes a deep breath. It beats with silent laughter. It dances along with the world.
------
Cure for stomach ache (or headache!) (Goodsir/Collins)
He looks around the sick bay, and everything looks as weary and cold and beaten down as he is feeling. Yes, there's the instruments, the medicines, and all these trusty, useful things. But, out here, they really don't matter.
Harry knows it quite well by now: there is no cure for anything out here, not even for the most simple aches. It is too cold, too dark--too hopeless.
He doesn't mean to give up--he really doesn't. But the shadows are raw, the ice is sharp like glass, and if he can't help, if he can't soothe even the smallest pain, then he feels useless--he feels that he has nothing left.
He shouldn't indulge in these thoughts, he knows. He shouldn't give into the cold, into this lack of warmth and certainty and solid ground--this seasickness of the soul that makes him lose all hope.
No, he should hold on. He should fight back against the cold.
And that is when he realises. That is when he knows.
When he sits with Henry, and rubs his back, or strokes his hair or his temples, or simply talks to him and keeps the shadows at bay, he feels that he can do something, no matter how small. Perhaps, there is still something left within him--something true, something good. And if he can ease Henry's pain, even if only for a moment, Harry thinks that it counts for something. Yes, he has to believe it does.
He looks at their hands, threaded together, like lifelines, like anchors, and thinks that, maybe, there is some wonder left, here in this place. Maybe there is a way back to the surface, waiting to be found. He isn't sure. He doesn't dare to hope. But, just in case, he doesn't let go.
-----
Falling asleep on someone's chest (Bridgens/Peglar)
His face is red from the cold, and the snow still clings to his hair. Harry--bless him!--was only supposed to stay for a minute, John thinks, a little smile playing like a spark in his tired eyes. But he doesn't mind--not at all.
How could he?
He won't lie: he would welcome the chance to sleep. But he doesn't. Instead, he chooses to become a safe harbour, if only for a moment--to pretend that it is not that cold or sad and hopeless out here, to build a refuge, a little home, just for the two of them.
He looks down at Harry, curled up close to his breast--the soft, familiar feel of him, the beat of his heart like a beloved, familiar lullaby. Asleep, with one of his hands holding John's, and the other one still clutching the book he has borrowed to take back to Terror, Harry looks younger--happier, John thinks. And he feels his heart at ease, for the first time in months. Even after all these years, he marvels at this perfect fit, this sweet silence, ths home between them. He commits this feeling to his memory, and he threads it into his heart for safekeeping--for remembrance.
It is very quiet here, and John can almost imagine the sound of the sea--sweet, almost like a dream. Harry sighs and mumbles something about coffee and comfort--and his eyelids flutter slowly, but he doesn't wake. He nestles closer--his head (still touched with snow) on John's shoulder, and a peaceful smile on his face. And the precious, dear sight of him makes John think of poems and flowers, of sunshine and clear, blue skies, of warm rooms and homecomings: of things and places to be that are far, far away from here--but, for a moment, so close.
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Date: 2022-02-08 10:20 am (UTC)The Goodsir and McDonald fic is so freaking lovely ahhhh!!! The steam from the cup curls around them like a small, friendly fog that keeps the cold out, and he feels that there is room to breathe here--for a moment, there is room to hope. Oh god. This is so beautiful. I love these two so much! I love your writing so much! I now want tea so much! XD
Silna's story, ahhh!! Your descriptions of Silna's world really remind me of how Susanna Clarke described magic in JSAMN. Around her, again, here is the warm embrace of the ice, familiar and intimate--infinite in its wonder. How do you do this with words?!
Poor Goodsir in the Goodsir/Collins one :'( It's so bittersweet yet hopeful. It hurts, but it hurts so GOOD. When he sits with Henry, and rubs his back, or strokes his hair or his temples, or simply talks to him and keeps the shadows at bay, he feels that he can do something, no matter how small. <<< LOVE <3
The last one! THE LAST ONE!! My heart doesn't know how to contain this much love. Reading this is like looking directly at the SUN. I can't even pull out a line because every one is the best one. It's so tender and beautiful and makes me nostalgic for a time I wasn't alive! <3 <3
I'm going to be messaging you more about these, but my word I love them all so much thank you so much for writing them!!
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Date: 2022-02-09 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-10 11:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-10 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-13 11:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-01 11:53 pm (UTC)I despise any kind of soundscaping to the depth of my soul. Intro music is fine, at the start and end of the book, but I do not want mood music or sound effects in the actual story. I only want people to do accents if they can in fact do those accents. There's nothing more painful than an actor who can't do an English accent at all trying to do a lot of character work in one. I'd rather they just spoke in their own accent and let it be. I do like accents if they're done correctly, or singing if the person can indeed sing. Pitching up for women is okay as long as it's not squeeky squeeky, down for men is usually fine regardless. I can go for any amount of emoting, though I tend not to like laughing or screaming in place of "he laughed" or "he screamed." So I guess I tend more towards reading the text than acting the text.
All the fic I was thinking of turns out to be either 1,600 to 1,700 words or by an author who doesn't have a permission statement. :(
Here's two from fic in a box with open permissions
Gabby from Man from Uncle saves the day (rated M for violence): https://archiveofourown.org/works/35029504
A poem about Persephone: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34770442
This is a neat story about the queen with the cats from LotR, person is open to podfic, but would like to be asked first: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33961144
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Date: 2022-02-02 12:12 am (UTC)Do you dislike soundscaping because it distracts you from the words, or that you prefer to imagine those sounds yourself, or something else? Thank you for the detail about your preferences - it's fascinating to me! I've heard lots of styles and audio still finds ways to surprise me (such as, I've yet to hear a scream, but I have heard a lot of acted laughter!)
Thank you so much for those fic links - I'm drawn to the poem especially <3
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Date: 2022-02-02 12:18 am (UTC)I guess want to imagine the sounds? It's definetely distracting, anyway. I first ran into it with Serial Box productions, and it was just such a weird choice for me, and I wished I could turn it off. Then someone did a whole NOVEL soundscaped (The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin), and I really, really hope that's not a trend. Argh! If I have a warning that's a thing, I will avoid a book and read it on paper.
LadyBrooke did a bunch of poems for that fest. It was really cool!
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Date: 2022-02-10 11:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-10 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-09 04:42 am (UTC)6) I listen to podfic (and TTS, for that matter) with over-ear noise-cancelling headphones when I'm just going about the house, doing chores or handwork, etc. Occasionally also in the car.
I don't really have any voice preferences, and enjoy but do not miss the absence of sound effects and/or background music. I do really love outdoor-type recording, where you can hear the background of a park or backyard or something like that.
I usually only listen to podfic of fic that I've read first, because otherwise I can lose focus for a bit and then get lost in the narrative. (A benefit to TTS, where it's easy to scroll back and read if necessary.) Since I only need to read when I've lost my place, it does't really work to have the text open when I'm listening.
I always download unless I'm listening to micro podfics (under 300 words or so) where I will likely still download (like I download every fic I read) but may stream in the browser. I have an audiobook app that I use for podfic that I adore, so anything else just doesn't measure up. (Bookplayer on iOS)
I prefer to download directly to my phone, though the files are stored in my cloud, so it's really onerous to edit the metadata (I'd have to pull it up on my desktop and then re-import it to my audiobook app on my phone). That's why, even though I don't really care if a podfic has a cover or not, or how the metadata is formatted, I deeply appreciate the presence of any kind of metadata (i.e. please give me a title and the writer & podficcer in the artist field).
I hope this kind of feedback is interesting!
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Date: 2022-02-10 11:51 am (UTC)What you said about downloading will definitely impact my metadata process. (My current metadata proccess is: none, haha.) I never add anything because I assume people don't download my podfics. Also, because I exclusively use a work computer, I very rarely save podfics myself. If something doesn't have an option to stream, I usually won't listen. (It might sound counterproductive that I make fannish stuff on a work computer, but I have less control with downloads, so it's tricky...) As I plan to record longer works this year, I'm definitely going to look into metadata and start adding it. I rememebr a prior Voice Team teammate made a guide to metadata once - I'll be studying that!
Thanks again for your detailed feedback <3
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Date: 2022-02-19 04:12 am (UTC)Do you happen to have a link to the guide? That might be a helpful resoruce to having in my bookmarks for sharing (if it was publicly posted).
Thank you for all the insightful questions; it was really interesting to answer them.
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Date: 2022-02-23 10:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-24 03:46 am (UTC)