*Does a little giddy dance*
The days are getting longer! Not long before I'm not commuting in the pitch black :D
(Yes, yes, yes, I chose to move to Scotland and I knew very well what the weather and the daylight hours were like. All I can say is that those long, cool summer nights are worth it!)
The days are getting longer! Not long before I'm not commuting in the pitch black :D
(Yes, yes, yes, I chose to move to Scotland and I knew very well what the weather and the daylight hours were like. All I can say is that those long, cool summer nights are worth it!)
Hello, dear worldbuilder!
I'm so pleased to see this event back after the original mod stepped down. Thank you so much for creating a gift for me; I love the concept of this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.
I've included some prompts below, and a general list of things I love to see in fanworks, but as always, if you're inspired to do something different then please ignore all of this and follow your heart. This is not a shopping list and I would just like my lovely creator to have some fun with whatever we matched on.
I'm so pleased to see this event back after the original mod stepped down. Thank you so much for creating a gift for me; I love the concept of this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.
I've included some prompts below, and a general list of things I love to see in fanworks, but as always, if you're inspired to do something different then please ignore all of this and follow your heart. This is not a shopping list and I would just like my lovely creator to have some fun with whatever we matched on.
( Read more... )
Fic: Kindly Meant
Jan. 21st, 2023 02:29 pmRating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Olórin; Maglor
Word Count: 408
Summary: Olórin's warning to his friend is kindly meant - but not well received.
Part of the Summerland series.
( Read more... )
Warnings: None
Characters: Olórin; Maglor
Word Count: 408
Summary: Olórin's warning to his friend is kindly meant - but not well received.
Part of the Summerland series.
( Read more... )
DIY Snowflake: Day 14 - The Rec Challenge
Jan. 14th, 2023 07:16 pmI am going to cheat a little here, as what I'm going to recommend is not a fanwork in the traditional sense, but I do think it's something to be aware of as we go about our fannish lives. ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elwinfortuna speaks very eloquently on the issue, so I am going to recommend their essay on identifying and avoiding scammers, grifters and toxic people in fandom.
Elwin's post is not locked. I am leaving this unlocked too, to maximise visibility. However, comments are off as I'm currently not up for a big public discussion on the subject.
elwinfortuna speaks very eloquently on the issue, so I am going to recommend their essay on identifying and avoiding scammers, grifters and toxic people in fandom.As Elwin says, it is important to remember that the majority of people we meet in fandom are exactly what they seem - fellow enthusiasts of something you love. Most people I've met in online spaces are delightful and I'm so glad I know them. Bad actors are few and far between - and it's also important to remember that not everyone you dislike is toxic/abusive/manipulative etc.. Those words, I believe, should be used carefully, or they lose their meaning. Still, just because those individuals are rare does not mean they are not out there.
Elwin's post is not locked. I am leaving this unlocked too, to maximise visibility. However, comments are off as I'm currently not up for a big public discussion on the subject.
Fic: A Whisper of the Old World
Jan. 13th, 2023 09:26 pmRating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Olórin; Original Character(s)
Word Count: 207
Summary: A brief moment in the woods between two old people who are more than they seem...
Warnings: None
Characters: Olórin; Original Character(s)
Word Count: 207
Summary: A brief moment in the woods between two old people who are more than they seem...
( Read more... )
Hello, fellow dragon-lover!
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I'm very excited we're a match; I love the whole concept of this exchange, so honestly, you can't go wrong here whatever you decide to make.
( Read more... )
Dear creator,
Hello, and thank you so much for making a gift for me! This is one of my favourite fandom events; I'm so pleased we're a match, and I can't wait to see what you're inspired to make.
( Read more... )
Goodbye, Kei.
(no subject)
Jul. 15th, 2022 10:08 amYesterday I was down at the beach with my dog. He was off-lead, it wasn't too hot, and the sight of him charging about in the surf (and coming back when I called him!! Such a good boy!!!) was wonderful - like sunny balm for the soul.
He takes so much joy in life. It's delightful. Maybe we should all be more dog...
"Citizen of Nowhere" Lamb Stew
Apr. 18th, 2022 04:14 pmThis dish came into being semi-accidentally. I'd bought the lamb for the purpose of making lamb stew, but hadn't settled on a recipe – and in the end I made one up.
It was one of those meals that I threw together without thinking too hard about it, but looking back at what I'd made, I could see the influence of so many beloved friends and family members. My grandmother, whose cast-iron casserole dish I cooked this meal in, and who taught me that the way with any fatty meat is to cook it low and slow for a very long time. My French aunt, who showed me just how many savoury dishes are improved by wine, anchovies and garlic. Her Algerian mother-in-law, who put olives in pretty much everything, and who would never let you leave her home until you'd accepted something to eat. My school friend's father, an Indian doctor who taught me about spices while his son and my brother played drums and guitar in the garage. (He also convinced me to like spinach – an endeavour at which my own parents had failed for seventeen years.)
It made me think about how grateful I am for the opportunities I've had to try different things, to visit different countries, and to love across borders – which in turn got me feeling pissed off about Brexit, which honestly isn't difficult to do. So this is a stew from a proud Citizen of Nowhere – a dish which cannot fairly claim to be from one country (it certainly isn't Scottish, despite being made in my kitchen on the outskirts of Edinburgh) and is all the more magical for that.
( Read more... )
Fandom Snowflake: Day 8
Jan. 15th, 2022 03:29 pm
In your own space, celebrate a personal win from the past year: it can be a list of fanworks you're especially proud of, a gift of your time to the community, a quality or skill you cultivated in yourself, something you generally feel went well.
I'm going to keep this pretty straightforward. I was really proud of my fic With the Dawn in his Eyes, which I wrote for this summer's TRSB. It's literary RPF, which made it quite a change and a challenge for me, but I was pleased with how it turned out. J. R. R. Tolkien and Geoffrey Bache Smith, before and during WW1. Rated T. 5k words. Choose not to warn.
Hello, dear worldbuilder, and happy 2022!
Thank you so much for creating a gift for me; I love the concept of this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.
( Read more... )
Thank you so much for creating a gift for me; I love the concept of this exchange, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.
( Read more... )
Fandom Snowflake: Day 7
Jan. 13th, 2022 11:54 am
In your own space, tell us about 3 fandom resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy.
The Silmarillion Writers' Guild is an incredible fandom-specific archive and community with a fantastic reference section, monthly challenges, a dedicated Discord server and wonderful mods. Their character bios are invaluable for quickly tracking down information spanning multiple disparate sources.
Tolkien Short Fanworks is a community for very short texts from all Tolkien fandoms (word count up to 1000 words, especially 500 words or less), such as ficlets, all types of fixed-length forms, and poetry. There are monthly prompts and formal challenges, but you don't have to follow these; all short texts are welcome.
(SSP incoming) - I co-mod the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang, which brings together artists and writers from across the various Tolkien sub-fandoms (books, movies, games, beyond). Artists submit visual prompts to be claimed by writers, who then write a piece of fiction (min. 5k words) based on the prompt chosen.
Snowflake Challenge: Days 4 & 5
Jan. 10th, 2022 06:52 pmHad a busy few days, so playing catch up!
Day 4
In your own space, make a list of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, and/or that you'd like someone to create or do for you.
This year I've seen so many people wishing that fandom would chill the F out and be a bit nicer, which I definitely agree with. In that spirit, I'm going to adapt something from my Silmarillion Writers' Guild holiday wish list, which was intended to encourage people to take a breath and look at the world, but also to use their fannish instincts at the same time:
Notice the world around you; find (and photograph?) a little corner of it that makes you think of your favourite fandom setting. That could be a tapestry that reminds you of Cintra, a weird landscape feature that could have come straight out of Star Wars, a ruin that Marcus Flavius Aquila might have seen in all its glory, a bar where you think the Avengers might gather, or a flower you think Sam Gamgee would love.
If you feel comfortable linking to pictures in the comments, I'd love to see what you come up with!
Day 5
In your own space, talk about an idea you wish you had the time / talent / energy to do.
Hmm. Well, my Tolkien fic ideas list is enormous, but I've accepted that I'm never going to write everything on it, and that's OK; I'm not going to beat myself up over the ones I don't get to. The list is a lovely resource to have in its own right.
I can't really think of much else that would be relevant to this particular challenge, so I'm calling that done!
Day 4
In your own space, make a list of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, and/or that you'd like someone to create or do for you.
This year I've seen so many people wishing that fandom would chill the F out and be a bit nicer, which I definitely agree with. In that spirit, I'm going to adapt something from my Silmarillion Writers' Guild holiday wish list, which was intended to encourage people to take a breath and look at the world, but also to use their fannish instincts at the same time:
Notice the world around you; find (and photograph?) a little corner of it that makes you think of your favourite fandom setting. That could be a tapestry that reminds you of Cintra, a weird landscape feature that could have come straight out of Star Wars, a ruin that Marcus Flavius Aquila might have seen in all its glory, a bar where you think the Avengers might gather, or a flower you think Sam Gamgee would love.
If you feel comfortable linking to pictures in the comments, I'd love to see what you come up with!
Day 5
In your own space, talk about an idea you wish you had the time / talent / energy to do.
Hmm. Well, my Tolkien fic ideas list is enormous, but I've accepted that I'm never going to write everything on it, and that's OK; I'm not going to beat myself up over the ones I don't get to. The list is a lovely resource to have in its own right.
I can't really think of much else that would be relevant to this particular challenge, so I'm calling that done!
Snowflake Challenge: Day 3
Jan. 5th, 2022 09:06 pm
In your own space, put some favorite characters into an AU, fuse some favorite canons together, talk about your favorite AU/fusion tropes, or tell us why AU/fusions aren’t your cup of tea. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
This one is right in my sweet spot! I am a huge fan of crossing multiple Tolkien canons together; I love teasing out the links between his various works. Here are a couple of my efforts from the last twelve months:
Are Met In Thee Tonight - Finrod meets an old acquaintance when he follows the call of the wild one midwinter night. A crossover between The Silmarillion and The Father Christmas Letters, with Annatar as a very literal and famous Bringer of Gifts. Not rated, but probably a T at most.
Gone With The Harp's Echo - There was once a young man who could move between worlds, and he fell in love with a fairy... Modern day Maglor, original characters, Arthurian legend, and a dash of Smith of Wootton Major. Rated T.
I also co-write the Summerland series with
spiced_wine, which is a fusion of both our 'verses.Worldbuilding Exchange 2022
Jan. 3rd, 2022 08:50 pmWorldbuilding Exchange will run again this year; sadly the mod has decided this will be the last year it runs, although it looks like some folks are already planning to start a similar event for next year.
Highly recommend this event; it's a multi fandom swap with a very unique concept, and has been thoughtfully run every year I've taken part.
I had said no more fic swaps after I failed miserably at femslashex, but I love this one, and if it's the last time...
Snowflake Challenge: Day 2
Jan. 3rd, 2022 10:32 am
This is my fannish goals post! I'm keeping it fairly light this year and not setting too many specific targets; this is more about prioritising where I focus my fandom energy.
1. Finish the gift fic I started for
spiced_wine about one of her OCs - should be achievable in the near future, a lot of it is already hand drafted.2. Work on my two longer WIPs, Summer's Song and The City Over The Mountains. More progress has been made on these than the current posted wordcount would suggest, but I'm not holding myself to finishing either of them this year, especially given what the world threw at us all during 2020 and 2021.
3. Give some love to the unpublished WIPs, snippets and ideas lurking on my desktop. (Dependent on progress on Point 2, as well as on time and inspiration.)
4. Make sure that everything on my desktop is actually backed up, in case of another laptop disaster.
5. Run TRSB again. Already in train; the mod team are at work on schedules and updates!
6. Continue building a pan-Tolkien fanfiction archive. This originally started as a bit of a secret squirrel project when Faerie blew up; I wasn't sure I had the time or capability to do it, and I didn't want loads of people asking me when it would be done. Still, enough people do now know about it that I don't mind sticking "make some progress" on this list as a goal. No promises as to quantity or speed of progress. No ETA exists at the present time.
7. Get better at using Canva for edits and moodboards, since Adobe have put so many features behind a paywall now.
Late - and I missed a week due to being away, but hey ho. I was actually looking for the first of these two poems, but ran across the second while searching for it, and decided to post them both.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
But Edinburgh is a mad god’s dream
Fitful and dark,
Unseizable in Leith
And wildered by the Forth,
But irresistibly at last
Cleaving to sombre heights
Of passionate imagining
Till stonily,
From soaring battlements,
Earth eyes Eternity.
Scotland
Scotland
It requires great love of it deeply to read
The configuration of a land,
Gradually grow conscious of fine shadings,
Of great meanings in slight symbols,
Hear at last the great voice that speaks softly,
See the swell and fall upon the flank
Of a statue carved out in a whole country’s marble,
Be like Spring, like a hand in a window
Moving New and Old things carefully to and fro,
Moving a fraction of flower here,
Placing an inch of air there,
And without breaking anything.
So I have gathered unto myself
All the loose ends of Scotland,
And by naming them and accepting them,
Loving them and identifying myself with them,
Attempt to express the whole.
Carrot, Dill and Caraway Soup
Oct. 3rd, 2021 03:11 pmToday I needed soothing, fuss-free, veg-based food (I've just been in Cornwall for a week with the in-laws, and they are lovely, but they don't "do" vegetarian, let alone vegan). I was craving the bright sweetness of carrot soup - but I am one of those people for whom coriander tastes like soap, so I'm forever tinkering with different herbs, spices and complimentary flavours to add in. This is what I came up with this time, and I think it worked pretty well.
Could be made in a much bigger batch and frozen, if needed.
Could be made in a much bigger batch and frozen, if needed.
Carrot, Dill and Caraway Soup (makes 4 lunch portions)
In a medium saucepan, warm a couple of tablespoons of rapeseed oil on a low heat. Roughly chop 2 medium white onions and a stalk of celery, and fry gently in the oil with a tablespoon of caraway seeds and a few good grinds of black pepper.
While the onions cook, peel and slice 500g carrots. Add to the pan once the onions are soft, then pour in 800 ml hot vegetable stock. Add a couple of bay leaves, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 mins. While the soup cooks, chop approx. 20g dill fronds.
While the onions cook, peel and slice 500g carrots. Add to the pan once the onions are soft, then pour in 800 ml hot vegetable stock. Add a couple of bay leaves, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 mins. While the soup cooks, chop approx. 20g dill fronds.
Once the carrots are soft, remove the bay leaves, add most of the dill (keeping back a handful for sprinkling at the end) and blitz until the soup is smooth. (Add a little warm water if you think it's too thick.)
Gently reheat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve, topped with a final sprinkling of dill (and a few drops of oil and/or a dollop of sour cream, if you're feeling fancy, but today I was definitely not feeling fancy).
Gently reheat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve, topped with a final sprinkling of dill (and a few drops of oil and/or a dollop of sour cream, if you're feeling fancy, but today I was definitely not feeling fancy).
