Holidays and Yuletide
Jan. 1st, 2017 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foxinthestarsI'm having some computer trouble right now, but I still have my laptop so it hopefully shouldn't be debilitating. (Disruptive for me, but I can manage.)
Anyway, now that the new year has begun, my belated report on Christmas and timely report on Yuletide!
First, Christmas! We had a nice laid-back day with some special food but nothing too overboard --- my family has an heirloom Chicken and Dumplings recipe that's become our traditional Christmas dinner. My parents and sister seemed to like the gifts I got them, and what I got was:
-A new MP3 player. I hinted really hard to my Mom for this one. Recently I figured out how useful one of these could be as a white noise machine, and my old one's battery was pretty well shot. If no one had gotten it for me, I would have gotten it myself. (So yeah, I ditched the packed-in music and now mine is loaded with coffee shop chatter and rain and ocean waves and such).
-A good game controller for my PC. Specifically an XBox 360 wired controller, from my sister. The lack of a good, functional controller was really crimping my options on the PC, both in terms of like Steam games and emulators, so I was glad to get this!
-An MST3K DVD box set. It's become pretty traditional for my folks to get me these at Christmas and birthdays and I am SO GOOD WITH THAT. This is an especially good one, the 25th Anniversary box with "Moon Zero Two," "The Day the Earth Froze," "The Leech Woman," "Gorgo," and a bonus disc including the two consecutive episodes of the Joel-to-Mike host hand-off, "Mitchell" and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."
-And a manga volume, the official translation of Akatsuki no Yona, vol. 1. (More on this below.)
I didn't stay up for New Year's Eve. I had a long drive to my UU Church the following morning and wanted the sleep. With the reputation 2016 has earned for itself, it was tempting to actually see it end, but then I thought no, I don't owe this awful year the solace of my company. 2016 deserved to die cold and alone.
But for me, the winter holiday season has also come to mean Yuletide!
I got two gifts. My main gift:
And a treat posted in the Yuletide Madness collection:
This is actually the second time I've gotten a fic on that same Zelda II prompt, but I've liked them both, so why not keep going with what works? Particularly, like I said in my thank-you comment, I just love thinking through little on-screen details of old video games and incorporating them into the story, so dealing with how it affected original-game Zelda to be stuck behind a wall of fire for all this? And doing it in the context of familial warm fuzzies? WIN. This story totally deserves more attention than what it's gotten.
(Speaking of, if I can insert a bit of griping before I get to the big squee, I have to wonder what I'm doing wrong. Here are the hit-counts of the longest fics in the collection:
1. 190
2. 119
3. 404
4. 501
5. 81
6. 279
Yeah, that respectable but noticeably smaller number is me. Is this just what happens when you write about an anime/manga with spoilers through volume 19 or so? Does it need more porn or shipping? Do I suck at summaries and tags? Am I griping for no good reason? Well, I can't gripe too much because...)
And then, since I'm more about giving than receiving in these events...
You guys, I wrote THIS:
This is BY FAR the most ambitious thing I have ever written for an exchange. The runners-up are less than half as long, less demanding in terms of characterization and structure, and one of them was already partly-finished when the exchange started. In fact, this is the third-longest completed fic in my entire fannish oeuvre. It is indeed the fifth longest work in this year's Yuletide collection (see, this is why I put my foot down with myself this time and said "no treats, you're doing enough"). It was a serious challenge to get it done on time, but I am so proud of how it turned out, and all griping aside the responses have been awesome. (So awesome I've caught some warning glimpses of "situational perfectionism" -- like "what the heck am I supposed to do next?" -- but I know it for what it is and I basically know what to do; whatever I'm doing next, just keep throwing words at it.)
And I wrote it in my brand-new fandom that I have been trying not to even talk about so as to maintain my cover!
When the Yuletide nominations came out, I took them as an impetus to watch some anime that looked interesting or that I'd been meaning to get to*, and OMG I am so glad one of them was Akatsuki no Yona! This is like my new thing! East Asian historical fantasy adventure with (bitter)sweet and powerful emotional bonds between everyone, a determined badass heroine, prettyboys full of quirky charm and tragic backstories and... OMG, how to even describe it. I of course have those scars on my soul that still cry out for something "like Fushigi Yuugi but good," and this is probably the best balm I've found yet**, but even saying that feels like selling it short! OMG, I hope the anime gets another season.
And OMG, I hope it doesn't rip my heart out. You never know with an open canon (and I was trying to do shit when chapter 133 came out and wrecked me for a day or two), but I'm cautiously optimistic. It acts like it has its heart in the right place. Every time someone says that the ones with the heritable powers are somehow replaceable, someone else chimes in to say "no they're not, don't be stupid." And then there was this one scene with the actually-well-done slow-burn flagship couple:
HEROINE: But I want to protect you, too!
HERO: You shouldn't say that.
HEROINE: Why not?
FOX: (reading, jaded) Because toxic masculinity, yeah yeah... (rolls eyes, turns page...)
HERO: Because it's distractingly hot when you do that.
FOX: ~~~<3
Yeah, if my folks hadn't gotten me that manga volume, I would have had to get it myself. I do need to get 2 and 3 and wait for the others...
So yes, it's been a good holiday season overall! Now, to try to get back to normal and/or figure out what that is...
*I also watched Yurikuma Arashi and really enjoyed it, but I don't think it ended up getting requested, and it's the kind of thing where, like, the characters are there as allegorical roles more than people full of quirky charm who you cuddle and squee over? Really good brain candy that's progressively pro-lesbian, I highly recommend it, but not fandom material for me in the same way.
**12 Kingdoms was seriously not the same thing, and Saiunkoku was good for a while but seemed to wear out its welcome before it ran out of episodes and I never actually finished it.
Anyway, now that the new year has begun, my belated report on Christmas and timely report on Yuletide!
First, Christmas! We had a nice laid-back day with some special food but nothing too overboard --- my family has an heirloom Chicken and Dumplings recipe that's become our traditional Christmas dinner. My parents and sister seemed to like the gifts I got them, and what I got was:
-A new MP3 player. I hinted really hard to my Mom for this one. Recently I figured out how useful one of these could be as a white noise machine, and my old one's battery was pretty well shot. If no one had gotten it for me, I would have gotten it myself. (So yeah, I ditched the packed-in music and now mine is loaded with coffee shop chatter and rain and ocean waves and such).
-A good game controller for my PC. Specifically an XBox 360 wired controller, from my sister. The lack of a good, functional controller was really crimping my options on the PC, both in terms of like Steam games and emulators, so I was glad to get this!
-An MST3K DVD box set. It's become pretty traditional for my folks to get me these at Christmas and birthdays and I am SO GOOD WITH THAT. This is an especially good one, the 25th Anniversary box with "Moon Zero Two," "The Day the Earth Froze," "The Leech Woman," "Gorgo," and a bonus disc including the two consecutive episodes of the Joel-to-Mike host hand-off, "Mitchell" and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."
-And a manga volume, the official translation of Akatsuki no Yona, vol. 1. (More on this below.)
I didn't stay up for New Year's Eve. I had a long drive to my UU Church the following morning and wanted the sleep. With the reputation 2016 has earned for itself, it was tempting to actually see it end, but then I thought no, I don't owe this awful year the solace of my company. 2016 deserved to die cold and alone.
But for me, the winter holiday season has also come to mean Yuletide!
I got two gifts. My main gift:
Master (1123 words) by theravenwrites
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chalice - Robin McKinley
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Liapnir reflects on his return to humanity
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chalice - Robin McKinley
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary: Liapnir reflects on his return to humanity
And a treat posted in the Yuletide Madness collection:
Pyrophobia (1941 words) by Ysavvryl
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Friendship
Summary: After a sleep of hundreds of years, Princess Zelda finds a new family with the current Princess Zelda.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Friendship
Summary: After a sleep of hundreds of years, Princess Zelda finds a new family with the current Princess Zelda.
This is actually the second time I've gotten a fic on that same Zelda II prompt, but I've liked them both, so why not keep going with what works? Particularly, like I said in my thank-you comment, I just love thinking through little on-screen details of old video games and incorporating them into the story, so dealing with how it affected original-game Zelda to be stuck behind a wall of fire for all this? And doing it in the context of familial warm fuzzies? WIN. This story totally deserves more attention than what it's gotten.
(Speaking of, if I can insert a bit of griping before I get to the big squee, I have to wonder what I'm doing wrong. Here are the hit-counts of the longest fics in the collection:
1. 190
2. 119
3. 404
4. 501
5. 81
6. 279
Yeah, that respectable but noticeably smaller number is me. Is this just what happens when you write about an anime/manga with spoilers through volume 19 or so? Does it need more porn or shipping? Do I suck at summaries and tags? Am I griping for no good reason? Well, I can't gripe too much because...)
And then, since I'm more about giving than receiving in these events...
You guys, I wrote THIS:
Not All Chains are Forged of Iron (let me go ~ don't let me go) (31231 words) by foxinthestars
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Yona (Akatsuki no Yona), Jae-Ha (Akatsuki no Yona), Zeno (Akatsuki no Yona), Ensemble, and some special appearances I'd rather not spoil
Additional Tags: Ghosts, Past Child Abuse, Canonical Character Death, Possession, Hand injury, Spoilers (through manga chapter 108), going for canon feel, no ships are sunk, supports Yona/Soo-won, supports Yona/Hak, Healing is Messy, Healing is Awesome, Green Dragon Village, Original Dragons memories
Summary: A search for an ancient relic leads Yona and her friends to Green Dragon Village. Jae-ha refuses to go with them — it’s enough for him to have broken his chains and moved on — but ghosts from the past have other ideas, and they will force Yona to confront the chains binding her own heart.
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Yona (Akatsuki no Yona), Jae-Ha (Akatsuki no Yona), Zeno (Akatsuki no Yona), Ensemble, and some special appearances I'd rather not spoil
Additional Tags: Ghosts, Past Child Abuse, Canonical Character Death, Possession, Hand injury, Spoilers (through manga chapter 108), going for canon feel, no ships are sunk, supports Yona/Soo-won, supports Yona/Hak, Healing is Messy, Healing is Awesome, Green Dragon Village, Original Dragons memories
Summary: A search for an ancient relic leads Yona and her friends to Green Dragon Village. Jae-ha refuses to go with them — it’s enough for him to have broken his chains and moved on — but ghosts from the past have other ideas, and they will force Yona to confront the chains binding her own heart.
This is BY FAR the most ambitious thing I have ever written for an exchange. The runners-up are less than half as long, less demanding in terms of characterization and structure, and one of them was already partly-finished when the exchange started. In fact, this is the third-longest completed fic in my entire fannish oeuvre. It is indeed the fifth longest work in this year's Yuletide collection (see, this is why I put my foot down with myself this time and said "no treats, you're doing enough"). It was a serious challenge to get it done on time, but I am so proud of how it turned out, and all griping aside the responses have been awesome. (So awesome I've caught some warning glimpses of "situational perfectionism" -- like "what the heck am I supposed to do next?" -- but I know it for what it is and I basically know what to do; whatever I'm doing next, just keep throwing words at it.)
And I wrote it in my brand-new fandom that I have been trying not to even talk about so as to maintain my cover!
When the Yuletide nominations came out, I took them as an impetus to watch some anime that looked interesting or that I'd been meaning to get to*, and OMG I am so glad one of them was Akatsuki no Yona! This is like my new thing! East Asian historical fantasy adventure with (bitter)sweet and powerful emotional bonds between everyone, a determined badass heroine, prettyboys full of quirky charm and tragic backstories and... OMG, how to even describe it. I of course have those scars on my soul that still cry out for something "like Fushigi Yuugi but good," and this is probably the best balm I've found yet**, but even saying that feels like selling it short! OMG, I hope the anime gets another season.
And OMG, I hope it doesn't rip my heart out. You never know with an open canon (and I was trying to do shit when chapter 133 came out and wrecked me for a day or two), but I'm cautiously optimistic. It acts like it has its heart in the right place. Every time someone says that the ones with the heritable powers are somehow replaceable, someone else chimes in to say "no they're not, don't be stupid." And then there was this one scene with the actually-well-done slow-burn flagship couple:
HEROINE: But I want to protect you, too!
HERO: You shouldn't say that.
HEROINE: Why not?
FOX: (reading, jaded) Because toxic masculinity, yeah yeah... (rolls eyes, turns page...)
HERO: Because it's distractingly hot when you do that.
FOX: ~~~<3
Yeah, if my folks hadn't gotten me that manga volume, I would have had to get it myself. I do need to get 2 and 3 and wait for the others...
So yes, it's been a good holiday season overall! Now, to try to get back to normal and/or figure out what that is...
*I also watched Yurikuma Arashi and really enjoyed it, but I don't think it ended up getting requested, and it's the kind of thing where, like, the characters are there as allegorical roles more than people full of quirky charm who you cuddle and squee over? Really good brain candy that's progressively pro-lesbian, I highly recommend it, but not fandom material for me in the same way.
**12 Kingdoms was seriously not the same thing, and Saiunkoku was good for a while but seemed to wear out its welcome before it ran out of episodes and I never actually finished it.
