shanaqui: Raijin and Fujin from Final Fantasy VIII. Text: got your back. ((RaijinFujin) Got your back)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 14th, 2011 09:48 pm
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Claim: the fandom in general
Specific characters: Seifer, Raijin, Fujin
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set V, #1, Things I'll never say
Rating: G
Warnings: N/a
Summary: The posse, reunited.

The Three of Us )
shanaqui: Squall from Final Fantasy VIII. ((Squall) Jacket)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 12th, 2011 10:06 pm
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Claim: the fandom in general
Specific characters/pairings: Squall, Irvine (Squall/Irvine)
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set V, #2, Touch
Rating: PG
Warnings: N/a
Summary: Irvine doesn't ask for anything, even if he did just have some of the best sex of his life.

If You Ask )
shanaqui: Zell from Final Fantasy VIII, not looking so good. ((Zell) Urk)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 12th, 2011 07:13 pm
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Claim: the fandom in general
Specific characters: Squall, Zell
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set V, #9, Change
Rating: G
Warnings: N/a
Summary: Zell offers himself up as a sparring partner.

Substitute )
shanaqui: Selphie from Final Fantasy VIII. Text: we've no time for later now. ((Selphie) No time)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 8th, 2011 11:36 pm
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Claim: the fandom in general
Specific characters/pairings: Irvine, Selphie (Irvine/Selphie)
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set V, #8 Home
Rating: PG
Warnings: Sap
Summary: Reminiscing on a lazy morning.
Notes: It's the getting-back-into-fic-and-this-fandom deal again. A doodle with words, more than anything.

Where the Heart Is )
shanaqui: Seifer from Final Fantasy VIII. Text: burn. ((Seifer) Burn)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 7th, 2011 08:39 pm
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Claim: the fandom in general
Specific characters: Seifer, Squall
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set V, #10, Always this way
Rating: G
Warnings: N/a
Summary: When it's all over, Squall goes to the usual place, just like always, to meet Seifer.
Notes: As I said before, feeling my way back into a) fanfic and b) this fandom. So this'd be more along the lines of a doodle than a polished work of art, if it were fanart.

The More Things Change )
shanaqui: Squall from Final Fantasy VIII. ((Squall) Jacket)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 3rd, 2011 09:17 pm
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Claim: the fandom in general
Specific characters/pairings: Squall, Rinoa (Squall/Rinoa)
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set V, #3, Breathing
Rating: G
Warnings: Squall and his attendant issues.
Summary: Squall lies awake at night
Notes: Feeling my way back into a) fanfic and b) this particular fandom. So this is... it'd be more along the lines of a doodle than a polished work of art, if it were fanart.

Dreamless )
glinda: sky pirates (stardust)
[personal profile] glinda   May. 16th, 2010 03:06 pm
Stardust! Pick you medium, it started as a graphic novel, became a book and then became a movie. Fond of its earlier incarnations though I am, its the film version that I'd like to talk about.

Stardust is the story of Tristan Thorne, a shop boy from the village of Wall - a sleepy little English village which guards the gap in a wall which divides the realms of England and Stormhold. Tristan sets off to bring back a fallen star (in order to win the heart of Victoria) only to discover that, because Stormhold is a magical kingdom, the fallen star is not a lump of celestial rock but rather an injured young woman who isn't going to take being kidnapped lying down... However, Tristan is the least of her problems with a trio of witch queens after her heart, some blood thirsty princes after her necklace and some fearsome sky pirates along for the ride the race is on.

The film is a much lighter creature than the book version, clearly aimed at a much younger audience having more humour and swashbuckling, along with a more hopeful ending. The fandom is pretty tiny, it was bigger around the time that the film came out but as that was the best part of three years ago it has noticeably trailed off. There's plenty of humour and high adventure which makes it a great fandom for gen fic as well as romances of pretty much every variety. Apart from the central duo of Tristan and Yvaine who have an excellent line in sarcasm and banter, there are a plethora of supporting characters to write about and explore.

Tristan's Parents: First off we have Dunstan (a young scientifically minded man from Wall) and Una (Princess of Stormhold and unwilling captive of Ditchwater Sal) who haven't seen each other since Tristan was conceived but may get a second chance now he's grown up.

The Lamia: Witches seeking eternal youth, they're after the fallen star and will stop at nothing to get what they need from her.

Skypirates: Fearsome fighters of the air, collecting and selling lightning on the black market, led by the fearsome Captain Shakespeare (a man with a blood thirsty reputation and a fondness for classical music and cross-dressing).

Ghostly Princes: In order to ascend the throne of Stormhold the heir in question must kill off all their competitors, not easy when there are seven brothers all as bloodthirsty as each other. Unfortunately for the dead siblings they have to stick around as a ghostly greek chorus until the new King is established.
viklikesfic: Black and white Leonard McCoy from new Star Trek movie looking skeptical (bones skeptical)
[personal profile] viklikesfic   May. 15th, 2010 07:04 pm
This is a pairing so overlooked to be hard to find fic I want to rec for, but I wanted to talk about it anyway. Hey, maybe meta might encourage folks to write!

So, why do I like McCoy/Sulu? I think they fit together well. They're both sort of unassuming, but at the same time fiercely loyal and highly competent. They fit my competency kink like whoa. There's enough unknown about their backgrounds to allow for a bit of tinkering or coming up with commonalities. In my favorite of my own stories for this pairing, a kink meme fill called Too Much Is Not Enough, I played with that lack of information to slot them together in a sort of comfort-based D/s relationship. (I'm not linking the story because I don't want to disqualify myself, since the kink meme is on LJ, but you can get there by clicking the fic index link on the left of my DW, then clicking Star Trek and scrolling down to McCoy/Sulu.)

And of course, nobody can deny that Karl Urban and John Cho are easy on the eyes. There's not really an obvious top, so if you're writing porn you can do whichever you like, or write them switching, which I love to do. And of course, they can always get together and bitch about how ridiculous Jim is.
shanaqui: Fuuka from Persona 3. ((Fuuka) I might seem fragile)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 15th, 2010 11:44 pm
I was going to draw names tonight for two people to get thirty DW points (a month's paid time), but I found there's only one contender. I will draw on Monday morning: get a post in (either the overlooked fandom/pairing/character love, or a fic for your claim) to be put into the draw.
shanaqui: Akihiko from Persona 3, punch. ((Akihiko) Smack a bitch)
[personal profile] shanaqui   May. 1st, 2010 04:20 pm
Fandom: Hills and Rivers Remain
Claim: Hills and Rivers Remain
Specific characters/pairings (if different): Alan, Dean, Viola
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: I, #2, By my side
Rating: G
Warnings: N/a
Summary: The seeds are here, even here, and they don't know it.

Young Apples )
shanaqui: River from Firefly. ((River) I walk alone)
[personal profile] shanaqui   Apr. 30th, 2010 05:56 pm
Fandom: Hills and Rivers Remain
Claim: Hills and Rivers Remain
Specific characters/pairings (if different): Alan, Viola, reference to Zelgius
Theme set + Theme number & prompt: Set I, #7, Letting go
Rating: G
Warnings: N/a
Summary: A man and a woman stand in the midst of the destruction, ready to begin again.

Out of Ashes )
shanaqui: Aeris from Final Fantasy VII. ((Aeris) Breeze)
[personal profile] shanaqui   Apr. 30th, 2010 03:12 pm
The Fionavar Tapestry is a trilogy of books by Guy Gavriel Kay: The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire and The Darkest Road. It draws on a lot of different mythology, and I think it was probably influenced by a great deal of other fantasy writing, but it also creates something new and beautiful. I was sent the first book by a friend who warned me that my first reaction would be to scream "Lord of the Rings self-inserts!", which was entirely true, but he also told me that if I stuck with it, I would adore it -- also true.

I don't think there's a series of books that have ever made me cry as often as these. The characters all became very dear to me the first time, and more so in each subsequent reading. All of them have their flaws, but all of them change and grow. All of them have their pain to deal with, too. The books are very emotionally intense. Here is a little extract from early in the first book, one of my favourite parts:

"You idiot!" Paul shouted, his chest heaving. "You scared the hell out of me!"

Kevin blinked, then the too, too much boiled over. "You shut up! I scared you? What do you think you've been doing to me since Rachel died?"

Paul, utterly unprepared, was shocked silent. Trembling with emotion and adrenaline afterburn, Kevin spoke again, his voice raw. "I mean it, Paul. When I was waiting at the bottom, I didn't think you were going to make it down. And, Paul, I wasn't sure you cared."

Their heads were close together, for the words to be heard. Schafer's pupils were enormous. In the reflected moonlight his face was so white as to be almost inhuman.

"That isn't quite true," he said, finally.

"But it isn't far wrong. Not far enough. Oh, Paul, you have to bend a little. If you can't talk, can't you cry at least? She deserves your tears. Can't you cry for her?"

At that, Paul Schafer laughed. The sound chilled Kevin to the core, there was such wildness in it. "I can't," Paul said. "That's the whole problem, Kev. I really, really can't."

"Then you're going to break," Kevin rasped.

"I might," Schafer replied, scarcely audible. "I'm trying hard not to, believe me. Kev, I know you care. It matters to me, very much. If... if I do decide to go, I'll... say goodbye. I promise you'll know."


That is the sound of my heart breaking all over again!

It's epic fantasy, with lots of very Tolkien-ish aspects -- this is true. It's undoubtedly somewhat derivative. But the writing is beautiful and the characters are wonderful and everything is so very hard won -- no slinging magic around painlessly here.

There's so much in the way of potential ships. Even most of the canon ships are not properly explored. So much in the way of friendships to be explored, too.

I, obviously, think it's wonderful. Most of Guy Gavriel Kay's writing is.

(I actually have two Fionavar Tapestry fic claims in this comm!)
shanaqui: Arthur from BBC Merlin, riding a horse. ((Arthur) Once and future prat)
[personal profile] shanaqui   Apr. 27th, 2010 11:09 am
Kicking things off with my mini-essay about my favourite overlooked fandom, as per this post. You don't have to do it the same way as me, but if you're stuck for what to do, take this as an example!

My personal love affair with The Dark is Rising sequence, by Susan Cooper, started when I heard the radio adaptation. It's certainly an adaptation: characters and plots missed out and truncated, details changed to suit the format. But the voices of the characters in my head are still the ones given to them in this adaptation, for the most part. Especially Merriman. If anyone wants to listen to it, send me a PM and I shall arrange it if possible.

I didn't read the books until I was sixteen or so. Oh, I think I came across them, maybe even read one of the five, but I didn't sit down and read them in order until then. Over Sea, Under Stone was okay: an Arthurian Enid Blyton story, almost. The real love affair started with Will Stanton's story, The Dark is Rising. I was fascinated by the myth and magic and history that Cooper wove together. I was fascinated by Will himself, both an ancient creature and a young boy, all at once. I loved his quest, and I loved his family. I loved the feeling I got, even at sixteen, that I should probably crawl into the safety of my bed.

Greenwitch draws together characters from both of the preceding books, and here again was realism -- antagonism between the young characters, jealous belligerence -- and magic, all at once, and here was Will, on another quest.

The Grey King is probably my favourite, though. The Arthurian elements of the series kick up another notch, and Will finds himself manoeuvred into Wales. The morality isn't black and white: the most truly good character is not one of the Light, the supposed good, but a human being. The Light is revealed as cold and cruel, in a way, despite the way it does everything for the best. And my favourite character joins the series, Bran Davies, with his pride and arrogance and pain and -- I admit this is a big attraction to him for me -- his Welshness. There's a level of this story which the child reader will not necessarily understand or relate to, of pain and difficulty, in the figure of Bran's father, Owen Davies.

Silver on the Tree brings everything together -- all the characters, all the magic, all the little hints from the other books. Each of the characters has a part to play in the fight, even the human ones. And again, there's very adult pain and betrayal. One of my favourite quotes comes from this final book:

"For Drake is no longer in his hammock, children, nor is Arthur somewhere sleeping, and you may not lie idly expecting the second coming of anybody now, because the world is yours and it is up to you."


The fandom is small to non-existent. There's fic, but not a steady supply of new stuff. I write fairly actively for it, but for so many people, it's a series they read as children, with young characters, that they wouldn't think of making their actual fandom. But there's so much here to play with, so many lovely character dynamics -- some which are more explored than others in canon, and others which could be explored further. There are so many amazing characters, even the minor ones -- Stephen Stanton! John Rowlands! -- that deserve attention. There's so many heartbreaking angles to what might happen to Will after the events of the final book. There's so much growing up the characters still have to do.

(Personally, I'm probably an oddball. The main pairing I've seen in fic is Will/Bran, which I do adore, but I also like Bran/Barney and Simon/Will and Will/Jane and Bran/Jane and...)

A fic rec, to coax people in: The Ascent, by Annakovsky. Gen, plotty, a bit of a fix-it to a part of the end that people often don't like.

You can find my more detailed reviews of each book here: Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, Silver on the Tree.
shanaqui: Hayner, Pence and Olette from Kingdom Hearts II. Text: a world we're meant to see together. ((HaynerPenceOlette) Together)
[personal profile] shanaqui   Apr. 26th, 2010 05:20 pm
In honour of [community profile] three_weeks_for_dw, this comm is going to open up a little and be a bit different. This will only last for the three weeks, but I want to encourage content and participation.

So, the idea is that over the next three weeks, you don't have to claim something to get involved. You don't have to be a fic writer, or an artist. Just post an entry, preferably over three hundred words long (but I won't be checking), telling the comm about your favourite overlooked fandom/character/pairing. You define overlooked (although if you try to say Supernatural is an overlooked fandom, I'll give you some odd looks).

Tell us about your tiny fandom of one. About your deep and abiding love for Missouri Mosely's character. If you're the only one in the world who ships, say, Lucifer/Jo, then go ahead. Tell us why.

Remember to use LJ cuts if it gets long, and especially if you include screenshots or spoilers.

But! That's not all. As with the other comm I mod, [community profile] relevant_productivity, everyone who posts something to this comm will have their names entered into a draw. It doesn't matter if you post fic for your claim, or if you post meta about your favourite overlooked fandom/pairing/character. Multiple posts will mean multiple entries into the draw. The two people I randomly pull out at the end will get a month's paid time paid for by me.

The content does not have to be kept solely on Dreamwidth for you to be entered into the draw. I know that [community profile] three_weeks_for_dw is about generating new and exciting content for Dreamwidth, so it's preferred, but it's also about getting people to join in, and find new awesome things on DW. I'm not going to say you can't join in the fun if you're not committed to DW.

Any questions?
.

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