Fandom Snowflake Days 8 - 11
Jan. 21st, 2020 07:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
narya_flameDay 8
Rec at least three fanworks that you didn't create.
I mentioned that I've been spoiled for gift fic this year, so here, let me share some of the shinies:
Without a Word byindependence1776 . Haunted by the past two years of his life, Maglor returns to the home he vanished from.
Indy wrote this for me for Darkest Night 2019. A gorgeous, sorrowful and delicately disturbing modern day Maglor tale. Gen; 3k words; T; creator chooses not to warn.
A Last Adventure by Tanaqui. Just what kinds of trouble might the adventurous Belladonna Took have got herself into, to make Gandalf remember her so fondly?
A cosy haunted house tale starring my favourite rebellious Hobbit lass. Gen; 4k words; G; creator chooses not to warn.
A Little More Action byelwinfortuna . Fingon takes the initiative, not just in rescuing Maedhros, but in love as well.
A gift for Multifandom Drabble 2019. The wonderfully talented Amy does so much in just a few words. M/M; 100 words; T; creator chooses not to warn.
A Mystery! by Tish. An excerpt from a page that fell down the back of the settee.
I often moan about the smaller Tolkien canons being underappreciated, so I'd be remiss not to mention this gem, based on The Father Christmas Letters. Gen; 100 words; G; no warnings apply.
Letters Home From the War bybunn . Letters between Elemmírë, the great poet-singer of the Vanyar and Amárië, beloved of Finrod, and between Ingwion, Captain of the Vanyar Host in the War of Wrath, and his father Ingwë, High King of the Elves.
Rec at least three fanworks that you didn't create.
I mentioned that I've been spoiled for gift fic this year, so here, let me share some of the shinies:
Without a Word by
independence1776 . Haunted by the past two years of his life, Maglor returns to the home he vanished from. Indy wrote this for me for Darkest Night 2019. A gorgeous, sorrowful and delicately disturbing modern day Maglor tale. Gen; 3k words; T; creator chooses not to warn.
A Last Adventure by Tanaqui. Just what kinds of trouble might the adventurous Belladonna Took have got herself into, to make Gandalf remember her so fondly?
A cosy haunted house tale starring my favourite rebellious Hobbit lass. Gen; 4k words; G; creator chooses not to warn.
A Little More Action by
elwinfortuna . Fingon takes the initiative, not just in rescuing Maedhros, but in love as well.A gift for Multifandom Drabble 2019. The wonderfully talented Amy does so much in just a few words. M/M; 100 words; T; creator chooses not to warn.
A Mystery! by Tish. An excerpt from a page that fell down the back of the settee.
I often moan about the smaller Tolkien canons being underappreciated, so I'd be remiss not to mention this gem, based on The Father Christmas Letters. Gen; 100 words; G; no warnings apply.
Letters Home From the War by
bunn . Letters between Elemmírë, the great poet-singer of the Vanyar and Amárië, beloved of Finrod, and between Ingwion, Captain of the Vanyar Host in the War of Wrath, and his father Ingwë, High King of the Elves.With the odd intrusion from Finrod, because Finrod likes to turn up uninvited and just start doing his thing.
Bunn wrote me this gorgeous epistolary fic for Worldbuilding 2019. It moves seamlessly between delightful (mis)adventures in Valinor and the sorrow and terror of war. F/M; 6k words; G; no warnings apply.
The Refusers byhhimring . A short piece featuring wandering Maglor and his reflections on Avari: the idea of them and the reality.
A beautiful, skilful vignette full of character insight and worldbuilding. Himring's writing is beautiful. Gen; 328 words; T; no warnings apply.
Surrender and Certainty byflameandsong . Sören and Claire get a house in St Andrews, and begin their new life together. Their paths cross with a certain wandering Elf.
When Verhalen mentioned he'd like to write Claire with his OC Sören, I wasn't expecting this funny, heartwarming and emotional novella to be the result. Part of the Homeward Bound universe and sits within the wider multiverse we play in, but works as a standalone too. F/M; 38k words; E; no warnings apply.
Nights of Masks byspiced_wine . Maglor, in his persona of Mark Lowry, is being tailed to Venice. Vanimórë, following information received, is concerned about the nature of the tail, and decides to go to Venice — during the Carnevale.
This is part of the Summerland series that Spiced and I co-write, featuring characters from both our 'verses, but works as a standalone. Spyfic with Elves, and a glorious setting to boot - I could *feel* Venice. Gen; 4k words; M; no warnings apply.
Day 9
Promote at least one canon that you adore (old, new, forever fandom).
I'm going to pick on one of the smaller Tolkien canons I love - The Fall of Arthur. This dark, austere narrative poem is only partly complete but I love it in its own right, as well as it being a fascinating insight into Tolkien's relationship with medieval language and literature. Throw in a fay Guinever, some blink-and-you'll-miss-them allusions to Middle-earth, and a gorgeous, sorrowful, misty evocation of post-Roman Britain, and I'm there with bells on.
Day 10
Talk about a creator/someone who inspired you.
I can't pick just one!!
I've been in Tolkien fandom for more than twelve years now - lurking at first, too shy to say anything to these amazing authors who were kind enough to share their visions of Middle-earth, and then eventually plucking up the courage to post my own fic.spiced_wine and Pink Siamese were an incredible support, and I devoured their writing and the worlds they built, admiring, imitating and learning. Pink taught me so much about language, and I absorbed Spiced's work to the extent that I've adopted characters (or, maybe more accurately, they've adopted me?).
I'm a terrible magpie and I know that I've also borrowed, consciously or subconsciously, fromdawn_felagund , pandemonium_213, ziggy, Jael, independence1776 , hhimring and Russandol. Where I know an idea is borrowed I give credit, but I am guilty of just absorbing things and only realising months or years later that it wasn't originally mine.
bunn gets a category all her own because her art repeatedly inspires me to make fic I had no intention of writing XD and raiyana is a terrible enabler who listens to all my silly ideas and then helps me to work out which ones aren't silly.
Finally, I've had a lot of fun over the last few months playing in a shared multiverse withspiced_wine , flameandsong and chantress (who I am in awe of for her wonderful podfics). I'd say that "no more universes" is my new year's resolution, but I know I wouldn't keep it, so there's really no point...!
Day 11
Recommend a fannish or creative resource.
I think I've seen most of my favourite Tolkien resources recommended already, so I'm going to be all cheesy and say that your most important resource is yourself. I used to hate the phrase "write what you know", thinking it meant I could only write about places I'd been and experiences I'd had - but actually, it's about learning to put your own emotional truth on a page, whether you're writing fantasy or science fiction or horror or crime or Literature with a Capital L. That emotional truth is different for everyone because we've all had such different lives. Tapping into it is what makes your work authentic and uniquely yours. You've seen how the quality of the light shifts when the sun rises behind that particular rock formation in the fields near your home. You know how you felt when you dropped your favourite toy in the shopping centre, and you never got it back. You remember the quirks of the kind lady who lived next door to you, and the colour of your grandfather's flowerbeds in spring, and that time when you got off a train into a new city and fell head over heels in love with the place. Use that stuff. Nobody else can.
Bunn wrote me this gorgeous epistolary fic for Worldbuilding 2019. It moves seamlessly between delightful (mis)adventures in Valinor and the sorrow and terror of war. F/M; 6k words; G; no warnings apply.
The Refusers by
hhimring . A short piece featuring wandering Maglor and his reflections on Avari: the idea of them and the reality.A beautiful, skilful vignette full of character insight and worldbuilding. Himring's writing is beautiful. Gen; 328 words; T; no warnings apply.
Surrender and Certainty by
flameandsong . Sören and Claire get a house in St Andrews, and begin their new life together. Their paths cross with a certain wandering Elf.When Verhalen mentioned he'd like to write Claire with his OC Sören, I wasn't expecting this funny, heartwarming and emotional novella to be the result. Part of the Homeward Bound universe and sits within the wider multiverse we play in, but works as a standalone too. F/M; 38k words; E; no warnings apply.
Nights of Masks by
spiced_wine . Maglor, in his persona of Mark Lowry, is being tailed to Venice. Vanimórë, following information received, is concerned about the nature of the tail, and decides to go to Venice — during the Carnevale.This is part of the Summerland series that Spiced and I co-write, featuring characters from both our 'verses, but works as a standalone. Spyfic with Elves, and a glorious setting to boot - I could *feel* Venice. Gen; 4k words; M; no warnings apply.
Day 9
Promote at least one canon that you adore (old, new, forever fandom).
I'm going to pick on one of the smaller Tolkien canons I love - The Fall of Arthur. This dark, austere narrative poem is only partly complete but I love it in its own right, as well as it being a fascinating insight into Tolkien's relationship with medieval language and literature. Throw in a fay Guinever, some blink-and-you'll-miss-them allusions to Middle-earth, and a gorgeous, sorrowful, misty evocation of post-Roman Britain, and I'm there with bells on.
Day 10
Talk about a creator/someone who inspired you.
I can't pick just one!!
I've been in Tolkien fandom for more than twelve years now - lurking at first, too shy to say anything to these amazing authors who were kind enough to share their visions of Middle-earth, and then eventually plucking up the courage to post my own fic.
spiced_wine and Pink Siamese were an incredible support, and I devoured their writing and the worlds they built, admiring, imitating and learning. Pink taught me so much about language, and I absorbed Spiced's work to the extent that I've adopted characters (or, maybe more accurately, they've adopted me?).I'm a terrible magpie and I know that I've also borrowed, consciously or subconsciously, from
dawn_felagund , pandemonium_213, ziggy, Jael, independence1776 , hhimring and Russandol. Where I know an idea is borrowed I give credit, but I am guilty of just absorbing things and only realising months or years later that it wasn't originally mine.bunn gets a category all her own because her art repeatedly inspires me to make fic I had no intention of writing XD and raiyana is a terrible enabler who listens to all my silly ideas and then helps me to work out which ones aren't silly.Finally, I've had a lot of fun over the last few months playing in a shared multiverse with
spiced_wine , flameandsong and chantress (who I am in awe of for her wonderful podfics). I'd say that "no more universes" is my new year's resolution, but I know I wouldn't keep it, so there's really no point...!Day 11
Recommend a fannish or creative resource.
I think I've seen most of my favourite Tolkien resources recommended already, so I'm going to be all cheesy and say that your most important resource is yourself. I used to hate the phrase "write what you know", thinking it meant I could only write about places I'd been and experiences I'd had - but actually, it's about learning to put your own emotional truth on a page, whether you're writing fantasy or science fiction or horror or crime or Literature with a Capital L. That emotional truth is different for everyone because we've all had such different lives. Tapping into it is what makes your work authentic and uniquely yours. You've seen how the quality of the light shifts when the sun rises behind that particular rock formation in the fields near your home. You know how you felt when you dropped your favourite toy in the shopping centre, and you never got it back. You remember the quirks of the kind lady who lived next door to you, and the colour of your grandfather's flowerbeds in spring, and that time when you got off a train into a new city and fell head over heels in love with the place. Use that stuff. Nobody else can.
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Date: 2020-01-21 08:57 pm (UTC)YES. You’re so absolutely right with this.
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Date: 2020-01-21 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 09:26 pm (UTC)Thanks for sharing!
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Date: 2020-01-21 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 10:03 pm (UTC)as youknow" is beautifully put and I agree.Also thank you for the rec <3 <3 <3
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Date: 2020-01-21 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 10:18 pm (UTC)Do you know if there's an audio version of Fall of Arthur? I bet it'd be great read aloud.
I love this.
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Date: 2020-01-21 10:22 pm (UTC)And thank you :D
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Date: 2020-01-21 10:33 pm (UTC)That is a beautiful paragraph on writing what you know. Thank you.
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Date: 2020-01-22 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-21 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 08:53 am (UTC)And whatever you may borrow, you very much make your own. So, magpies for the win!
I also really love that interpretation of "write what you know".
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Date: 2020-01-22 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 11:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-22 09:07 pm (UTC)