This is my life

In your own space, opine on the future of fandom. This can be positive, negative, ambivalent; about fandom as a whole, your own fandom(s), or your own plans. Alternately, what do you hope fandom will do? Imagine a best-cast scenario, and tell us what that would look like.

Well, I'm a terrible futurist, so I'm not going to guess where things are going to go. For some reason I can do this when writing fic, but trying to imagine it IRL is just a lot more difficult. I guess because it's fine for me to put my own desires on my fic - that's kind of the whole point! - but there are so many other people's desires and wants and I don't feel like I could even guess what those all are, so how could I then guess what the results of them would be?

So what I'll do instead is put up a few wishes for fandom in the future.

I wish that folks that engage in fandom hate will realize that it doesn't help anyone, and hurts themselves, too. I wish that they are able to learn how curating their fandom experience means more joy for everyone, and developing an open mind about other people's wants and needs will make them better, more compassionate human beings. That the diversity in fandom is a feature, not a bug, that the broader the scope, the more we can do in fandom.

I wish everyone more fannish squee, whether that means more canon material, finding their fannish spaces, or having the time and energy to engage.

I wish everyone positive interactions with fans and fandom, and I hope they get even a fraction of joy out of fandom that I have, because it has brought so much richness to my life and I want to share every bit of that with every bit of fandom I can.

In your own space, rec three fanworks that you did not create.

These could be your all-time favorites, fanworks that fit a certain theme, or the last three fanworks you read/viewed/listened to and loved. If you’re looking for a way to make today’s challenge more *coff* interesting, how about rec’ing in small fandoms or rare pairs? A compilation of fanworks that make a great introduction to a fandom?

For the purposes of this challenge, a fanwork is defined as any creative endeavor for a fandom – fic, podfic, art, crafts, vids, meta... If you love it and someone else created it, please share it!

Don’t feel limited (or obligated) to make three recs. One or two is good, and so is a dozen. Just share some fandom love!

A little late today; life's getting super busy. But I got an amazing gift, so that's definitely my first rec. I wrote it, but honestly, Jelly's read makes it 1000% better. She's just such a delightful reader, and the cold read format is also super hilarious.

[Coldread] Your Voice in My Ear by jellyfishfire
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF, UNIQ (Band)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean
Characters: Wang Yi Bo, Xiao Zhan | Sean, Cho Seungyoun | Woodz, Li Wen Han, Zhou Yi Xuan, Kim Sungjoo (UNIQ)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Battle of the Bands, Radio, Getting Together, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic, Podfic Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Coldread
Summary: Yibo can hardly sleep with all the stress from school and UNIQ's upcoming performance. A late night radio station introduces him to a soothing voice and kind soul.

The second one is a truly lovely tentacle fic. I am a big fan of tentacles, and they're not huge in MDZS, but this is a good use of them - and not the kind we tend to see (resentful energy tentacles being the most common, I think). Good fun, lovely established relationship WangXian.

slip'n'slime (7764 words) by la_dissonance
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Tentacles, Slime, Kink Exploration, wwx's canon pain kink, wangxian's canon consent play, Roleplay, they are so horny for each other in any bodily configuration, Tentacle Sex, Anal Sex, xeno no-genitals sex, Post-Canon, Bottom!LWJ, Established Relationship, Light Bondage
Summary: The tentacle climbs up Lan Wangji's forearm and tugs him closer. This time it's his turn to shiver. The feeling is — like nothing he's experienced. Cool and slippery, strong but not the strength of muscles. Soft. He wants to feel it all over.

(Wei Wuxian accidentally gets cursed, which results in an impromptu sex vacation. It goes great for everyone involved.)

The third one is a lovely fic about losing a golden core and leaning into what that means instead of trying to figure out how to hide it from everyone. Wei Ying learning to make use of disability aids is really great here.

Elder, an Aesthetic (8359 words) by MarbleGlove
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Characters: Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Niè Huáisāng, Wēn Qíng (Módào Zǔshī), Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Qǐrén, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Fix-It, Post-Sunshot Campaign (Módào Zǔshī), this might be crack
Summary: Wei Wuxian always enjoyed picking an aesthetic and really leaning into it. As an adolescent, he was joyous, entitled and high-born; during the war, he was dangerous and threatening. After the war, he was lost. But then he found his new aesthetic: Elder of the Jiang Sect.

There are many many more in the world, but it's late and these are three I have enjoyed in the last week, which is all I can do for right now. :)

In your own space, celebrate a personal win from the past year: it can be a list of fanworks you're especially proud of, time you spent in the community, a quality or skill you cultivated in yourself, something you generally feel went well.

This challenge is fairy open, and is based on people looking back on the last year and thinking about their personal wins.

What I want people to remember for this challenge is -- wins can be giant, small and everything in-between. Did you finally finish or publish that novel you've been working on for years? Did you get those bookshelves reorganised? Did you learn a new skill? Did you do something you were scared of? Did you post a certain number of fanworks at A03? Did you master the perfect gooey brownies? Those are all examples of wins and they all count. Just something you can look back on and think, I did that, and I'm proud of that.

But, we know life can be hard for us all at times, so please don't think you have to only share big, memorable wins. If you look back at last year and all you can think to say is, 'I survived' well that counts too.

Man, 100% last year was a survival year. This year will also be a survival year. Work is absolutely fucking bonkers. Despite that, I did achieve a few things. I worked my ass off for a really difficult but truly amazing concert in the fall. I recorded a 65 chapter, 100+k word fic over the period of a couple months. I did, somewhere in there, get a boatload of work done. My office (which I am only nominally supervising at the moment) has done well in my absence and is still flourishing.

I'm a little disappointed with my fanworks output last year (especially my writing), but I tell you what, I still did a hell of a lot, including and outside work, and that's pretty awesome.

In your own space, interact with a community or a fic.

This is a bit odd, as it's tough to interact with a community or fic in my own space, lol, but I get what they mean.

I read an adorable little short that I commented on last night, so I'll rec it here, as a way to bring my interaction to the community that is my dwircle. :D

Dazzle Like a Diamond (4118 words) by Tsukimiko_san
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Niè Huáisāng, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Lán Qǐrén
Additional Tags: Dragon Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Crow Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Cloud Recesses Study Arc (Módào Zǔshī), Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, No Angst, ok maybe a tiny sprinkle of angst but like, usual lwj thinking wwx is just teasing him, it doesn't last long, Getting Together, they are both so whipped, Boys Kissing, Courting Rituals, no beta we die like mdzs female characters
Summary: Wei Wuxian can't stop thinking of Lan Wangji having every single shiny thing he finds.

Or: crowxian unknownly courting dragonji. that's it, that's the fic.

This fic was absolutely as adorable as it sounds. Totally worth the read, I think, for anyone.

In your own space, tell us about 3 creative/fannish resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy. (One or two is fine, especially if you're in a smaller fandom or like many people at the moment, fannishly adrift right now).

I always think of DW communities here, but I realized that one of the last times I did this, I had started a reference list for MDZS and BJYX things.

It's out of date now, probably could use some updating, but I'm not going to bother at the moment. I am actually going to rec three DW communities.

For multi-fandom recs: fancake, which has found me some truly terrific pieces in a number of fandoms, including MDZS

For multi-fandom prompts: fan_flashworks is a delight and has a nicely organized structure

For multi-fandom fests, exchanges, and the like: fandomcalendar is a fandom staple

If you got the opportunity to add one thing to the canon of any of your fandoms, what would that be? Maybe there’s a character who didn’t get much of a backstory/storyline and you’d like to do something with them, maybe a show was axed too soon and you had thoughts on what could happen in a subsequent season, maybe there’s a new episode you’d like to have added.

In your own space, add something to your fandom’s canon.

This is such an interesting ask. I can't tell if it's supposed to be basically the same as "create a fanwork" or basically the same as "create a headcanon" (which I firmly believe IS a fanwork, and just as valuable as any other fanwork, but it is a specific STYLE of fanwork so...). The other option is to discuss what I would do if I had creative control over the IP.

The first is easy and I have done several and I'm not super interested in creating a fanwork on the fly today. The second is very interesting but takes more time than I want to put into it to properly think of something interesting. The third is SUPER interesting and is about the right amount of commitment and time I'm willing to put in today.

MDZS is tough because there are SO MANY canons. I don't know the donghua or the manhua super well; I think I could probably find links to them but I'm not going to bother. I haven't read the book in years and despite NEEDING a reread, I'm not going to do it today, certainly. So I guess that leaves me The Untamed. If I had creative control over that IP and lived in a fantasy world where I had all the money I needed, access to the wildly popular original actors, and no pressure from outside forces, I would create a short season of The Untamed where WangXian officially, on-screen, get together. I wouldn't want to write the episodes, but spitballing for ideas, I'd love to see the following:

* A WangXian confession of some sort
* WangXian First kiss
* Lan Sizhui coming to the Jingshi to see Lan Wangji and having the two of them be in a moderate state of undress
* Working out what the future means to them; will Lan Wangji give up his chief Cultivator position so they can travel? Will Wei Wuxian move to the Cloud Recesses?
* Lan Qiren dealing with... everything
* SOMETHING to do with Lan Xichen (I have too many ideas and too little investment to care what this is)
* Yunmeng Shuangjie make-up sweater
* Wei Wuxian telling Jin Ling about his mother... and reluctantly his father
* Casefic with the juniors (these would be the delightful filler episodes)
* Moar Wen Ning. All the Wen Ning. I don't care what, just. All Wen Ning, all the time.

Possibilities, but I'd be okay without them:
* A REAL wedding for WangXian
* Lan Wangji whump and Wei Wuxian saving the day (there's plenty of the reverse out there)
* Something something Nie Huaisang (fuck it - make HIM Chief Cultivator, that'd be fucking HILARIOUS, and also would take Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian scheming to make it happen, I think, and how to scheme above and beyond the master schemer would be amazing)
* An actual child for WangXian? Adopting some small child after a night hunt?
* Exploration of Lan Sizhui's history, and him coming to terms with what his current clan did with his previous one
* Jiang Cheng having to figure out the succession of the Jiang clan (possible marriage/children plotline for him? Wei Wuxian as a matchmaker?)
* Outlining WHAT, exactly, Lan Jingyi's bloodline is (related to succession issues for the Lan clan)
* Some kind of moving forward of Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen

What would you like to see?

So sperrywink had a really rough year and decided to do a forward-looking post instead of a backward-looking one. As my memory is garbage, I too am thinking this would be a wise decision! I'm very bad at documenting what happened in a year. It's too long, I can't remember last week much less last January! So yeah, if people want to know what's happening with me, it's gonna be through my cold reads, because if you listen to them in order, it really would be a year in review because I talk about all that shit.

But I am going to steal Sperry's idea and do a forward-looking meme too! Lucky sauerkraut is all about looking forward and pushing good thoughts into the future to bloom when you get there. Sperry went by general life area, which I think is great, though my areas are a bit different to hers.

( Home )
( Health )
( Fandom )
( Music )
( Money )
( Work goes last even though it takes up the most time )
( Okay, ACTUALLY last is this year's lucky sauerkraut spell. )

Decided I wanted a drive and some podfic today, so I loaded up Waiting for Spring written by theivinghippo and read by mulberry_graceful, and listened to loving talk about baseball and Chicago while I drove Lakeshore Drive.

Then I stopped for the best ice cream I've had in my life bar none, Oberweis. It's a really good day.

In your own space, tell us who you would recast in a film, tv series or webseries, or maybe someone voicing a cartoon or videogame. Or who would you cast to play a character in a book, comic or maybe even your own fiction!

Oh, I do love a good casting. When I first started writing, it was basically only nominally fanfic, in that it took one minor character out of a movie I saw once and ended up with a cast of dozens from all over the place, and basically I just... cast actors in roles based on what I wanted. I knew what they looked like, but they were OCs so I wasn't concerned with their characterization. It was called Vampire Greg. It was actually, if I recall correctly, a crossover of two actors from two very old movies, and the original bit of it was written by a friend of mine, but it was then rapidly expanded to include all of our crushes from all of our fandoms and I ended up writing the bulk of it over the next several years. It survives, under lock and key (in this journal, lol), but it's probably not anything I'll take back up. If I can't get to Impromptu, which is a dozen years old, I'm not going to get back to Vampire Greg, which is almost twenty years old. But it was a blast to cast folks, and I now always cast OCs when I write them, just so I have a good idea of them in a scene.

I've seen some really brilliant recastings in my time, and I've done some mental castings of my favorite books, but it's been a while, and it doesn't really work for my current fandoms, so I'm going to opt out of doing a casting right now. I can't wait to see what other people come up with though!