cookiegirl

Day 9

Post at least three recs for fanworks that you have created.

Ugh, self-recs, always a joy! I mostly post White Collar fic and art, so here's a few recs for works in other fandoms, just to mix things up a bit!

The Walking Dead: Like Home (Beth, Daryl) - Tiny dialogue-only ficlet featuring Beth, Daryl and some hypothetical cushions. I love the challenge of the dialogue-only format, and I miss seeing these characters together onscreen. At only around 200 words it's a quick read and might make you smile!

How to Get Away With Murder: In Control (Michaela/Asher) - Short fic about Michaela struggling both with coming to terms with her own desires, and opening up to Asher. I enjoyed writing this and feel like I captured some of the awkward power struggle at the beginning of their relationship.

Suits: Stop the World (Mike, Harvey, Donna) - This was a fandom stocking gift and I'm not sure anyone other than the recipient ever read it. It's not something I would have normally chosen to write, but I'm pleased with the way it came out. Might be worth a read if you're not looking for a happy ending!

Day 10

Share your love for a trope, cliche, kink, motif or theme.

I love a good trope. There's a whole ton that I adore. I get excited when I see them being set up on screen or in a fic. "What's that, you guys have to pretend to be a couple while undercover on a case? Or you're lost and cold and you're gonna need to strip down and cuddle? Or wow, you're trying to book into a hotel and there's only a double room left even though you need two single beds? EXCELLENT NEWS."

Basically, anything like pretending to be a couple, cuddling for warmth or having to share a bed works so well for me because I love the way those scenarios test friends-who-secretly-have-feelings-for-each-other. I love it when the situation starts with reluctance, sniping, bickering, etc, and develops into something else: a slight softening or progression in the relationship, a begrudging revelation of something about themselves that makes the two grow a little closer, or even occasionally a full-on move from friends-to-lovers. I'm a shipper at heart, so a situation that makes the two people I ship spend time in awkwardly close proximity is a win.

If you have any fics like this, please go ahead and rec :D

Day 11

Share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life.

There are three that come instantly to mind. Firstly, Buffy. Buffy had such a strong influence over the person I grew up to be. I started watching when I was around twelve and it was my favourite show throughout my teenage years. It affected everything from my sense of humour, to my moral compass, to my speech patterns, to my perception of fantasy and storytelling. And, years later, when on a Buffy forum, it finally introduced me to the concept of conventions, something I didn't even know existed in this country until then. I went to my first couple of conventions and a love was born.

Secondly, Torchwood. It brought me back to Livejournal, and to writing, and to being fannish. It was really the first show I read or wrote fanfiction for, with a couple of small exceptions beforehand. It was my first experience of being a fan online at the same time as part of a show was airing, and that experience was wonderful.

And thirdly, White Collar. I discovered White Collar when the Torchwood fandom was waning, and it helped me stick around Livejournal. It helped me to make some more amazing online friends, and it helped me to develop from writing short ficlets to proper stories. It gave me characters to believe in, and who inspired me. <3

Day 5

Recommend a fannish or creative resource.

My first reaction to this was... "Well, I just google everything I need"! There's not one particular wiki or transcript site that I automatically go to. However, having looked through the other comments in reply to this challenge, I'm stunned by the amount of amazing prompt generators and writing help-sites that have been recommended, and I'm determined to start exploring and using them more. After all, there's no point always thinking that I'm rubbish at working out plots if I don't at least try to use some of the resources that are specifically there to help write plots! /o\

As for resources that haven't already been recced by others, I do recommend this youtube channel I've recently come across by alexrainbirdmusic. It's filled with lovely playlists of folk and indie music that are so relaxing and uplifting, and make great background music for writing as they're not too distracting.

Day 6

Leave feedback for a fanwork. Or multiple fanworks. It can be as simple as I liked this to a detailed list of all the things you loved about the fanwork.

Done! \o/ One of my aims at the moment is to check out and comment on all the fics that were written for the most recent round of wc_reverse_bb , as I didn't have time to do so when the fics were first posted. I've started with Locked Up by walking_tornado which is a tense Sara-centric fic about her search to find her sister. There are some sweet Sara/Neal moments for shippers too.

Day 7

In your own space, create a love meme for yourself. Let people tell you how amazing and awesome and loveable you really are.

In all my years on Livejournal, I've never participated in a love meme. Because: SCARY. And awkward. And scary.

But I'm determined to complete this challenge! So, um, please feel free to express your love/affection/vague indifference towards me in the comments via words, gifs, crochet, etc. And if nobody replies, then we'll just all pretend this never happened, right?

Happy New Year, all!

To kick off 2018, I'm going to try the snowflake challenge. Join me?




Day 1

In your own space, talk about why you're participating in Snowflake and, if you’ve participated in the past, how the challenge has affected you. What drew you to it? What did you take away from it? What do you hope to accomplish this year?

I haven't properly participated in the challenge before, though for the last couple of years I've seen friends doing it and thought it looked like a brilliant idea. I've loved reading other people's take on fandom, looking at their recs and just enjoying their enjoyment of the wonderful fannish world we inhabit. Each year I've intended to participate too, and then it's got away from me, as so many things do. But this year I've at least managed to start it!

I love that this challenge is all about celebrating fandom, and the connections we make within it. I'm not sure how I would have gotten through the last few years without knowing that fandom, and the lovely people I've "met" through it, were there. Knowing that there are others out there who share your passions, who aren't afraid to declare their love for a show or a movie or a book or a celebrity, who get happiness from finding others who love the same thing, is wonderful. Having a space to do those things, that encourages discussion the way that journaling platforms like dreamwidth do, is something to be very thankful for.

There is so much bad to see in the world. So much heaviness and sadness both personally and internationally for so many of us. I think in these times it's even more important to celebrate the things we love and to support and encourage each other in enjoying fandom, creating works and sharing them. And to appreciate and nurture the friendships we make through fandom, and the way that they extend beyond that.

I am looking forward to sharing 2018 with you guys, and to getting to know those of you I've only recently connected with.