abby82 | Reading

snowflake_challenge: Tropes: "Talk about your favorite tropes (themes, motifs, cliches) in media or transformative works."

I've been musing on this Snowflake prompt since it posted. Just yesterday, I finally looked up the proper fannish/genre terms for my own most favorite kind of story (not previously having known there were terms for it!). Apparently, the vocabulary is "noblebright" (fantasy) and "hopepunk" (sci-fi). It seems these terms have nuances beyond their genre associations, but together they seem to orbit the general target of the stories of my heart.

I've previously tried to express this storytelling approach and way of understanding by quoting Lois McMaster Bujold on "choosing the hard right over the easy wrong," Saint Teresa of Ávila on "no hands, no feet on earth but yours," and Forever Knight on "the girl or the cup." But, unanchored, misconceived, those could be made to lead to despair, nihilism, hopelessness, and that's not at all what I want. Now, I do love to read tragic and sad stories! By all means, serve me character death! Serve me whump! But I want it in a world of meaning, a universe where the characters' choices and efforts matter. I want characters who fight for the good and the better and the right, whether at the closest, tiniest level in their own lives or at the widest, grandest level for all lives. I want stories that never preach cynicism to the reader.

The worlds in which these favorite character types live are of course full of woe. There are monsters and villains and tyrants who sometimes, perhaps often, win the day. But they won't -- can't -- win eternity. The stories emphasize that caring -- love, community, honesty, self-sacrifice, justice, mercy -- is brave, powerful, and dangerous to oppressive systems and all forces of darkness. Hope isn't just a feeling; it's a chosen determination about how to live. Actions have consequences. Characters have agency. Good and evil are different and the difference matters.

When a hero falls, his god embraces him, even if his world never did.

(Now that I have these words, I need to update my profile and standing "Likes & dislikes" post.)

brightknightie

Aurora volume two is available for pre-order now, to be on shelves in bookstores by April 21! Learn about the volume and get pre-order links. I've pre-ordered my copy of volume two through my local comic shop. My copy of volume one is loaned to a friend.

This is, of course, the Andrews & McMeel edition of the fantasy webcomic by Red of Overly Sarcastic Productions. Read it online from the start for free. Essentially, this is a semi-medieval-like fantasy world with a rag-tag found-family party (with the internal dynamics of a superhero team) trying to save each other and their world from a sorceress who has figured out how to kill deities and is very into that for as-yet unrevealed reasons, plus the primordial power of the void given consciousness and accidentally released by one of our gang, plus being pursued by the ostensible forces of good who don't understand what's changed. But of course while the plot and bad guys are intriguing, the attraction for me is the heroes, and their motivations and damage and choices and powerful friendships.

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Anne Teldy, Carson Beckett, Radek Zelenka, Jennifer Keller
Rating: Explicit
Length: 18,013
Content Notes: Graphic depictions of violence. Jeannie, Rodney's sister, has died long before the story starts. Academic ethics are somewhat compromised!
Creator Links: Telesilla on AO3, helens78 on Audiofic Archive
Themes: Crack treated seriously, First time, Friends to lovers, Animal transformation, Werecreatures, Complete AU, Interspecies pairing, Research, Worldbuilding (I had difficulty finding actual tags to reflect some of these because while there's a minor character werewolf in this, most of the Weres aren't wolves.)

Summary: John Sheppard has had over twenty years to come to grips with the fact that every four or five weeks, he turns into a mountain lion. Like most Were, he accepts that that's just the way it is, and so he's not particularly interested when he learns that researchers at the local university are trying to to develop drugs that will help Were control their cycles. Then he meets Dr. Rodney McKay, a brilliant but irascible biochemist with reasons of his own for spearheading the university's Were research and John suddenly finds himself struggling with more than just his attraction to McKay.

Reccer's Notes: Werewolves, or in this case, Werecreatures in general, are a popular crack fantasy trope. This story's excellent as it turns the fantasy trope into a real minority of individuals having Were genes, forced to change cyclically to an animal form. In this story's interesting worldbuilding, Were are discriminated against and find it hard to get jobs and live as full members of society. John is a werecougar and he meets Rodney who's a scientist running a research trial to test a new drug intended to suppress mandatory cycling. The story is crack "taken seriously" as there's no fantasy element. This is a genetically-driven thing, with Were a slightly different species to humans. Their cycles vary according to gene expression, and aren't moon-driven. Plus, in this world, Telesilla shows the politics of discrimination against Were, with John initially resisting the research as he's angry that they're yet again being viewed as humans with a sickness that needs treatment. The story has lots of plot and drama, a great developing relationship with Rodney, and a satisfying conclusion. Very much recommended!

Fanwork Links: Where the Brave Dare Not Go, it's locked to AO3 so here's a Wayback link
Excellent podfic by helens78 here

brightknightie

I'm sure that I must have read or been told this long ago, but I didn't take it fully on board until recently. The BOTW Hero of the Wilds armor (outfit) is the Zelda '86 garb. And we're meant to know that. The elevator pitch for BOTW must have been: "What if the very first game, but with everything today's systems can offer and fans have come to love?"

It dawned on me 400+ hours into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as I ran out of ways to delay confronting the Calamity and saying goodbye. When I personally earned the "Hero of the Wilds" outfit and began leveling it up, it hit me. The Wilds set -- green cap, green tunic, brown long-sleeved shirt and short trousers -- is the ultimate tangible reward for exploring (beating all 120 base-game shrines), specifically described in-game as "the warrant of the true hero," "meant for a hero who travels the wild lands," "just your size," "wearing it just feels so right," etc. etc. With the DLC and amiibos, I have found sets for some other distinctive Link outfits from the other games. Their descriptions are not like this. The others emphasize the specific ancient hero who sailed the seas, or battled the twilight, who is not you, the player character in BOTW. This set is in the base game, not bonus material, and it is explicitly for you, you who have traveled the wild lands, just like the first Link from 1986. (Also, this is the only set that can be leveled up as high as the knight's set. The knight is who the Hero of the Wilds was in the pre-Calamity past; traveling the wild lands is who he is in the post-Calamity present.)

Naturally, of course, one game does not replace the other! Both are on the timeline (cough). BOTW is explicitly and provably long after all the others. And Zelda '86 is known, I believe, to be set wholly in the foothills of the Eldin region, less than a quarter of known Hyrule, aside from all the infinite other differences. But. Both are set in a fallen society, where the surviving people hide from roaming monsters, and Link must search and search and search for how to help bring it the peace to begin to repair itself and emerge from its darkness.

And he does. ♥ Well, if you beat the games. Which I did not do as a child on a relative's console in the '80s, for sure. But will do soon, now.

nicholas_lucien

Ninth challenge is to talk about my favorite tropes.

snowflake_challenge
So I guess I'll talk about my favorite tropes or themes to write (since I will read almost any type of story).

Right now, songfics are a favorite to write. Not a fan of just posting lyrics or having the characters sing them (not a fan of musicals)/play on the radio, apparently (after looking this up) I like "lyrics as narrative," with the plot of the story following the lyrics. Its just fun to get it to fit.

I also like constrained writing, where you put specific rules or limits on the story. I've done two of these - one was following several characters across one night doing thier life and interacting and talking with each other with a Rashomon effect but the limitation was no spoken dialogue, and the other story was how one character thought of another and the story was an acrostic one with the letter of each paragraph spelling out the character's name. Also still trying to do the 100 word drabble, but haven't gotten there yet.

Enemies to lovers trope come up a lot in my main fandom since, cannon-wise, the two characters are enemies when we first see them.

I also really like patching up canon gaps, inconsistencies, plot holes, that sort of thing, whatever that is called. I don't fix it with like a dream sequence or ammesia, or hand-waving like that, but logical and canon-compliant fixes. Those can be harder to do but that's what makes it more fun.

Current Mood: sleepy

nicholas_lucien

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Current Mood: cold

laurajv posting in

fancake

Fandom: Star Trek
Pairings/Characters: Kirk/Spock
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: 4188 words over 2 stories
Creator Links: almondrose at ao3
Theme: Crack Treated Seriously

Summary: "an AU where the enterprise is a VSA ship filled with vulcans"

Reccer's Notes: This short series (two stories, "logical" and "illogical") is one of my favorite pick-me-ups. Captain Skirk of the VSA's exasperation with his CMO's insistence that Spock is human slays me, as does said CMO's reaction to encountering his alternate-universe human self.

Fanwork Links: vulcanterprise

sfbbmod posting in

smallfandombang

Authors, this is your rough draft submission post!

Don’t freak out, though, your rough drafts aren’t due today. I’m putting up the submission rules early so that people who have their fic finished, or were having computer or internet issues, could submit their rough draft early if they so wished. (And, to be fair, not getting all of the submissions in one day would also benefit me, as well. *g*)

The rough draft submission date is next Saturday, January 31, so you still have a week to get your fic to the “required” 8,000 words/80% completed place if you haven’t already. (And yes, I used quotation marks because I’m flexible about that so long as you will A) have your fic finished by the final draft deadline of March 31 and B) have something substantial to send to your artist after claims – claims open on February 7 and the matching reveal will be made on February 14.)

( All about submitting your rough draft... )

Coming up:

The Artist Claiming Post(s) will go up on Saturday, February 7. Artists will claim a story from the summaries, which will be posted anonymously. (The Sneak Peak post will go up at least 24 hours prior to the Claiming Post, though I’m shooting for 48 hours to give all the artists time to review the summaries.) The Matching Reveal post will go up on Saturday, February 14. At that time I will send out e-mails to the author/artist partners with contact information.

It will be up to the author to provide the story to your artist, as well as any other assistance (ie, screencaps) that your artist might need. It is imperative, especially with a multi-fandom challenge such as this one, that you communicate with your artist.

NOTE: Artist sign-ups will remain open until the claiming period has closed (or until all fic have been claimed), so if you’re aware of an artist (remember, we also accept fanmixes, podcasts, vids, etc as fanart) who might be interested in this challenge, please point them to the Artist Sign-Up Post. Thank you!

If you have any questions, you may comment here with them, or contact me at sfbbmod@gmail.com. Comments will be screened.

bluerosekatie posting in

smallfandomfest

Title: how good I could have been
Author: bluerosekatie
Fandom: Rockman | Mega Man Classic (video games)
Pairing/Characters: (use full names rather than initials or nicknames)
Rating/Category: Gen, Teen
Prompt: Rockman | Mega Man Classic (game), Dr. Light & Blues | Proto Man & Rockman | Mega Man, how good I could have been
Spoilers: Spoils Mega Man 3 pretty much entirely.
Summary: Proto Man lived past the end of Blues’ story — and he hoped Dr. Light had forgotten about him. He didn’t plan to find out.
Notes/Warnings: Contains a self-harm depiction.

Read it on Ao3 here!

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Game Changers series
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Rating: Explicit
Length: 4639
Content Notes: Discussion of unplanned pregnancy and of abortion as a treatment option. Brief mention of a tapeworm analogy.
Creator Links: SirMxALotts on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, AU, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Mpreg, Established relationship

Summary: Most people in Shane’s position would call a doctor after two positive tests, but Shane isn't most people, so instead of doing that, he takes 17 tests over the course of two days.

Final result: 16 positive, one negative.

Reccer's Notes: A classic crack trope this time: Mpreg. The reason why a man could become pregnant in this AU isn't given, nor why Shane did nothing to prevent it (or didn't expect it), but it has happened so he faces a choice. This is where the "taken seriously" part comes in, as it's the same difficult choice any woman faces with an unplanned pregnancy. Rather than an unrealistic tropey outcome, Shane (after ignoring the whole problem for a while) finally talks to Ilya about it and makes his decision. I enjoyed the realism and the way Ilya was supportive without trying to persuade Shane one way or the other. We don't see the final outcome, but the story covers enough so that we know Shane's decision.

Fanwork Links: nothing but some heartburn, baby

kalloway posting in

small_fandoms

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soricel posting in

smallfandomfest

Title: Overlap
Author: soricel/freevistas
Fandom: Sense8
Pairing/Characters: Nomi Marks & Lito Rodriguez
Rating/Category: G
Prompt: Closeness

On AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78102826

( Read more... )

evewithanapple posting in

vidding

Title: House
Music: House - Charli XCX feat. John Cale
Fandom: The Black Phone (Movies - Derrickson)
Summary: ". . . other houses, the lights were dim, and with some houses they were almost out and I didn’t know the people who lived there. I’d get a feeling from these houses of stuff going on that wasn’t happy. I didn’t dwell on it, but I knew there were things going on behind those doors and windows." - David Lynch
Warnings: Canon-typical abuse and violence against children; suicide by hanging
Links: On AO3 | On Tumblr | On DW

tafadhali posting in

vidding

Title: Gimme Sympathy
Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Music: "Gimme Sympathy" by Metric
Pairing: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Summary: We're so close to something better left unknown

AO3 | DW | Tumblr

brightknightie

snowflake_challenge: Wishlist: "Create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts."

Years ago, I mentioned that I would love to read a thoughtful Rurouni Kenshin/Highlander crossover, and

skieswideopen recommended one from FFnet -- indeed, a substantial one with a substantial sequel. That happy memory, plus several folks setting good examples, reminded me that the comfortable thing for me to do with this prompt is to ask to receive recommendations, if you happen to have some. Here are a few:

I'd enjoy some recommendations of really well-written and thoughtful gen The Legend of Zelda stories, any game. More specifically, stories that dig into some aspect of the lore/worldbuilding/themes of their game society, along with strong characterizations -- probably, but certainly not necessarily, starring NPCs. (Favorite approaches to Link can differ so. Some are brilliant; some are not.) No villain stories, of course, including Tingle, please: good guys and ordinary folks and tragic failures preferred. (And possibly redeemed monsters, where relevant. What does it mean in Twilight Princess that the King Bulblin chooses Link over Ganondorf at the last and appears in the end credits?)

I'd enjoy recommendations of well-written Dungeons & Dragons (cartoon, 1983) stories that I have not already read, or perhaps have not read for a long time. There are not that many on the AO3. While I'd prefer gen or canon ships, I'll happily read well-written romance, including non-canon ships, as long as they do not pair any of our heroes with villains, and as long as they are age-appropriate and era-aware (our gang are adolescents or teenagers in the '80s and in their 50s today). I think I'd particularly enjoy "returned from the Realm" or "grew up in the Realm," but canon-like adventures are always most welcome.

And while the Rurouni Kenshin/Highlander crossover that

skieswideopen recommended years ago was very good, I still wish to read one focusing more on Kenshin's decision never to kill again, and how that moral direction intersects not only with HL's game's imperatives, but how it intersects with the moral imperatives of HL characters like Darius, Grace, the false Methos, Richie, and Duncan.

What recommendations might you like that I can supply?

spikedluv posting in

smallfandomfest

I can't believe it's almost the end of January already! There’s just about 12 days left to get your fanwork submission or pimp posted this round! (Or make another claim. *g*) Good luck!

falena posting in

fancake

This is my first time posting here, hope I'm doing it right

Fandom: The Pitt

Pairings/Characters: Mel King/Frank Langdon

Rating: Explicit

Length: 15,986

Creator Links: Lirazel on Ao3, lirazel

Theme: Crack treated seriously, (not really) unrequited love, (something) made them do it, sex pollen

Summary:

There are all kinds of protocols in place to prevent this sort of thing, but of course they mean exactly nothing when faced with the reality of emergency medicine.

Frank and Trinity both complain that Mel has no sense of self-preservation, but she’s actually a very careful and responsible person. Despite what they say, she never puts herself in danger if she can help it, she feels that she makes level-headed decisions even under pressure, and even if she usually finds people hard to read, she’s read The Gift of Fear and is pretty sure she can tell when someone has actually malicious intent.

Pretty sure until, with no warning at all, a patient—Griffin Jackson, white male, 27, complaining of chest pains—pulls out a tiny jar of neon-yellow powder and pops off the top.

Reccer's note: This is a classic fandom trope (sex pollen) treated seriously. Mel and Frank are just co-workers in canon, but in canon it's obvious they have a connection and this fic explores how much they might grow to mean to each other, and it does so while keeping them (and all other characters that appear) tremendously in character. The sex is, of course, very hot too. :D And the fic also does consent right!

Fanwork Links: i want to be the one patrolling your border

Mods, we need a tag for The Pitt and the pairing too maybe, please? Thank you.

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Cliff Marleau, Connors
Rating: Mature
Length: 5144
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Descriptions of illness, choking, vomiting.
Creator Links: Ragazza_Guasto on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, Pining, Getting back together, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Angst with a happy ending

Summary: “Can you believe it? How the hell did he end up bagging her?”

Ilya stared, brain not comprehending what his body already seemed to, that Hollander was dating-

“Rose fuckin’ Landry! How does the lamest guy in the League-”

He knew that smile. He thought it was for him, just for him. But it wasn't.

“No,” he whispered. His stomach spasmed.

“You good, Roz?”

Why would he- How could he-

They were holding hands…

“Rozanov? What the fuck?”

He jumped up from the table and stumbled for the front door, just barely making it through before the first mass of petals came up. He heaved as he ran, trying desperately to get away from the pavement, somewhere he could hide what was happening.

Unfortunately, his teammates had followed, because of course they would. He saw a photo of Shane Hollander holding hands with a movie star and promptly threw up.

Who wouldn't be curious?

Reccer's Notes: Hanahaki disease, where a sufferer of unrequited love starts bringing up flowers, has to be one of the crackiest tropes ever. In this story Ilya develops Hanahaki after seeing the pics of Shane going out with Rose Landry. But it's not some gently romantic fluttering of petals from his lips, it's bloodily bringing up a hard, painful tulip bulb, then more flowers, more bulbs. I guess the trope always has a potentially serious outcome (death vs requited love) but to me the "treated seriously" aspects here are the medical details and treatment, the painful and unromantic way the disease affects Ilya, and the way the fic cleverly incorporates his family history, via his mother. Ilya gets very sick indeed before Shane finds out, with inevitable results. Well written, and a great read.

Fanwork Links: All I Do is Stay Winning
All I Do is Stay Winning (podfic by sd_ryan)

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Pairings/Characters: Bumblebee/Ironhide
Rating: Not Rated (I’m going to say Teen And Up; this is brazen steaming erotica, but performed in terms that circumvent meat-centric censorship laws.)
Length: ~800
Content Notes: Alien biology, fusion as relationship, Pervy Human Fancying, size difference, transformation kink
Creator Links: (AO3)

crimsonclad; (LJ)

crimsonclad

Theme: Crack Treated Seriously, Pre-AO3 Works, Rare Pairings, Robots, Androids & AI, Worldbuilding, Xeno/Alien Biology

Summary: It was many years since Bumblebee had taken a lover, and as he looked up at Ironhide, he could feel his body trembling. "What do you think we will become?"

Ironhide smiled, and the familiar metallic sound of that motion made Bumblebee shiver. "I don't know, 'Bee. But I can't wait to find out."

Author’s Notes: Perhaps I am more comfortable writing porn with no recognizable gonads????

Reccer's Notes:

Bumblebee's first partner-- so long ago-- had been a sweet thing, and the result of their coupling-- a windmill, turning lazily in the winds of Cybertron-- had been as gentle and solid as their relationship. Once, in the later days of the war, Bumblebee had thrown caution to the wind and mated with an old friend turned traitor, temporary truce formed through their mutual desperation. The result had been a ravenous sawmill, capable of churning through any kind of metal. The sheer power had been intoxicating, but afterward, Bumblebee had felt empty, used. Lonely.

But so many years later, curving up against Ironhide's warm bulk, he knew this would be different. He knew they couldn't help but become something wonderful.

This is another fandom where I scarcely go (and therefore don’t know how common this trope is), but transformation and fusion here become an ecstatic discovery in ways that anticipate Steven Universe. (And don’t miss the avalanche of gleeful bawdy squee in the comments!)

Fanwork Links: WHAT. WHAT., by

crimsonclad on LiveJournal.

Current Music: “Love Rollercoaster”

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abby82

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brightknightie - Snowflake challenge '26: #9 (Favorite trope)
brightknightie - Aurora volume 2 is available for pre-order
mific in fancake - SGA: Where the Brave Dare Not Go by Telesilla
linky in fandom_on_dw - Tokurecs January 2026 Monthly Self-Reccing Period
brightknightie - The most key clue that BOTW 2017 is Zelda 1986 reimagined
nicholas_lucien - Snowflake Challenge #9 Your Favorite Trope(s)
nicholas_lucien - Snowflake Challenge #8 Talk about your creative process
laurajv in fancake - Star Trek: vulcanterprise, by almondrose
sfbbmod in smallfandombang - SFBB15: Rough Draft Submission Rules
bluerosekatie in smallfandomfest - Fanfic, Rockman | Mega Man Classic (video games), Dr. Light & Proto Man & Mega Man, could've been
mific in fancake - Heated Rivalry: nothing but some heartburn, baby by SirMxALotts
kalloway in small_fandoms - February 2026 Small Fandoms Drabblethon
soricel in smallfandomfest - Fanfic, Sense8, Nomi Marks & Lito Rodriguez, Closeness
evewithanapple in vidding - Vid: "House" [The Black Phone]
tafadhali in vidding - New Vid: Gimme Sympathy (Heated Rivalry)
brightknightie - Snowflake challenge '26 #5 (Recs wishlist)
spikedluv in smallfandomfest - SFFest38: Fest Nearing An End!
falena in fancake - The Pitt: i want to be the one patrolling your border by Lirazel
mific in fancake - Heated Rivalry: All I Do is Stay Winning by Ragazza_Guasto
full_metal_ox in fancake - Transformers (Bay Movies): WHAT. WHAT., by crimsonclad.