hikaru

Dear Yuletide Author...

You write things, I am filled with glee. Simple? Simple. I ramble a lot in the optional-details-are-optional section, but if what I'm rambling about doesn't strike your fancy, then just write what you want. I'll be happy, I can pretty much guarantee it.

( Extra blather.Collapse )

In re: my requests:

( Newsflesh Trilogy - Mira GrantCollapse )

( Kushiel's Legacy - Jacqueline CareyCollapse )

( Texts From Last NightCollapse )

( Tallahassee (Album)Collapse )

Why yes, I was reading shortly after the new year started.

January
Books
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

Comics
Lady Mechanika #1, written/art by Joe Benitez
Scarlet #1-3, written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Alex Maleev
American Vampire #1-10, written by Scott Snyder and Stephen King, art by Rafael Albuquerque and Mateus Santolouco

February
Books
How Did You Get This Number, by Sloane Crosley
The Girl Who Played Go, by Shan Sa

March
Comics
Morning Glories #1, written by Nick Spencer, art by Joe Eisma
American Vampire #12, written by Scott Snyder, art by Danijel Zezelj
Carbon Grey #1, written/art by Hoang Nguyen and others
Scarlet #1-4, written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Alex Maleev
Mystery Society #1-5, written by Steve Niles, art by Fiona Staples
Batgirl Vol. 1 - Batgirl Rising, written by Bryan Q. Miller, art by Phil Noto

April
Books
Black Sabbath: Master of Reality (33 1/3 Series, by John Darnielle
Methland, by Nick Reding
Comics
X-Files/30 Days of Night #1-6, written by Steve Niles and Adam Jones, art by Tom Mandrake
Rat Catcher, written by Andy Diggle, art by Victor Ibanez
Scarlet #5, written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Alex Maleev
American Vampire #10-11, written by Scott Snyder, art by Mateus Santolouco
American Vampire #12, written by Scott Snyder, art by Danijel Zezelj
American Vampire #13-14, written by Scott Snyder, art by Rafael Albuquerque
The New York Five #1-4, written by Brian Wood, art by Ryan Kelly

May
Books
Shopgirl, by Steve Martin
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, by Randy Frost
Empty Mile, by Matthew Stokoe
Comics
Morning Glories #1-9, written by Nick Spencer, art by Joe Eisma
The Walking Dead #1-78, written by Robert Kirkman, art by Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard
Green Wake #1-2, written by Kurtis Wiebe, art by Riley Rossmo
Feeding Ground #1, written by Swifty Lang, art by Michael Lapinski
Spontaneous #1, written by Joe Harris, art by Brett Weldele
Shoot #1, various comic one shots (Vertigo Resurrected)

June
Books
A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin
A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin

July
Books
A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin
A Feast for Crows, by George R.R. Martin
Comics
The Cape, written by Jason Ciaramella and Joe Hill, art by Zach Howard
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1, written by Scott Snyder, art by Sean Murphy
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2, written by Scott Snyder, art by Sean Murphy
Lady Mechanika #1, written/art by Joe Benitez
Lady Mechanika #2, written/art by Joe Benitez

DUDE, I GOT MORE AWESOME BIRD!FIC.

The Mysterious Production of Eggs/Fake Palindromes, Real Palindromes. "There's something special that they're looking for. Unique and defiant of classification. Beholden to no one, wild. Female. This is you." This is seriously just magnificent, 500-some words of (what I read as) an alternate universe, and it reads perfectly with the song, with little verbal tics as nods to some of the other songs. Just go read it, it will make you want more. This is all.

Community, Creative (Non)Fiction. "Abed writes what he knows. And some other stuff, which may or may not end well." Abed writing fan fiction about the study group. The dialog here is just spot on perfect.
History of Film. "I hate it when we do genres. Next time, I at least want some kind of warning." Another spot-on story, with the dialog and characterization. I love all the little genres, and the fact that everyone pretty much just plays along.
Mandatory Futures in Make Believe, Jeff/Britta. "Fake families out of real ones." GUYS, THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD COMMUNITY FIC THIS YEAR. The Dean makes everyone take a family planning class. Wackiness and perfection ensues.
pretty cool, Troy/Abed. '“Maybe Superman just really likes Batman more than the girls,” Abed says, noting more things on his clipboard. Or: plans, not-plans, and a science project involving colorful hermit crabs.' This is a perfect, perfect little story about Troy, Abed, and potentially gay hermit crabs. It is glorious, and sweet, and I love it.
Introduction to Escapology. "The Dean decides that celebrating National Bubble Bath day is his newest brilliant idea. Naturally, chaos ensues. A very special episode of Community." This could, and should, be an actual episode. Bubble baths for everyone!
The Study of Life in the Universe. "Troy and Abed decide to look to the skies for their final project in Professor Duncan's class." This is really a perfect Troy-and-Abed-have-an-adventure story.
The Closest Approximation, Troy/Abed. "It occurs to Troy one day that a lot of Abed's films involve the two of them having sex." Again, seriously, I can't flail enough over the quality of the Community fic. This is seriously awesome. Also, there's a nod to Britta/Jeff/Annie, which made me glee a little bit.
A Visit From Whitman (Or, 'Twas the Day After Christmas Vacation). "When the study group seems to be missing the day after Christmas vacation, Troy and Abed have no choice but to investigate. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is planning something." There is poetry and cuteness and adventures and WHEEEEE.
On a Steel Horse I Ride. Troy/Annie/Abed, '"Road trip," Abed says, nodding approvingly. "One car. Seven people. A country's worth of dramatic situations ripe for both comedy and tragedy."' Every fandom needs a great roadtrip story and a great OT3 story. This is both.
Psychological Factors In Costume Design. Troy/Abed, "Jeff did one uncool thing and now his life is ruined forever. What he needs is revenge on Troy and Abed. Or maybe karmic justice; "revenge" sounds so Old Testament, which really isn't his style." This fic contains THE BEST FLASH MOB EVER, and one of those Community-style life lessons. Also, if Troy/Abed isn't your thing, you can still read this, just skip the last section.
Special Seminar in Romantic Comedy. Troy/Abed, "It was a perfect romantic-comedy moment in a perfect romantic-comedy situation." This story involves a bake-sale, Britta-on-controlled-substances, and a delightful 30 Rock/Conan semi-crossover.

Die Hard, The Day is Saved. 'Sometimes even badasses need a day off. Lucy McClane is going to make it happen or there'll be hell to pay.' Set after Live Free or Die Hard. John, Matt, and Lucy are all bad-asses who just want a normal Christmas.
Chuck Norris and John McClane walk into a bar.... "How tough is John McClane?" A series of vignettes centered around some reworked Chuck Norris facts. It's perfect.

District 9, There's this girl I like. "For Wikus, there is only one reason to make it through." A bittersweet post-movie story.

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (Andrew Bird album), The Red Card. F/M, some disturbing themes. "A palindrome is the same thing backwards and forwards. A fake palindrome just looks that way." THIS IS WHY I LOVE YULETIDE, because things like this exist. "Fake Palindromes" is one of those songs that has a life of its own. The album version is so mild as compared to the wild piece it's become in Bird's live show, and it's a song that's easy to underestimate until you start to tear it apart, and when you do, you wind up with powerful stuff like this. The end.

My browser is full of a million Yuletide tabs and I'm never going to get to read everything.

BUT HERE, CHECK OUT WHAT I GOT:

Andrew Bird's The Mysterious Production of Eggs, De-mystifying the Production of Eggs. "All the Warwicks want is for the chickens to be able to produce more eggs." OMG YOU GUYS, A FIC ACTUALLY ABOUT the mysterious production of eggs. IT IS PERFECT. There are ridiculously colored chickens, and SCIENCE, and food, and a bad-ass woman highway robber, and I LOVE IT, THE END.

And for other things I've read so far and enjoyed:

(500) Days of Summer, make me dance (i want to surrender). "Summer/Husband.This is not the beginning. This is only the meeting of two people, one of whom you already know, a little and the other? the other is a stranger to you." A story about Summer meeting the man she winds up marrying. This felt really true to the movie, and also made me feel better about Summer's sudden change of heart about relationships.
30 Rock, The Peanut Butter Incident. "Liz/Jack, Liz and Jack go on a first date, but it's all for show. (Or is it? Or is it?)" A fake date, some perfect banter, and just a hint of adorableness.
Bad Romance (music video), I'm a Free Bitch. "Racquel was sent to the Haus by her parents to become the perfect girl. But she came out a Monster." This is basically a perfect fleshing out of the storyline we see in the video. Which I now want to go watch again and again and again, while reading this story.
A Complete History of the Soviet Union As Told By A Humble Worker Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris, An Incomplete History Of History, As Written For Yuletide, In Five Acts And An Epilogue. "What's the point of it all, when you’re building a wall, and in front of your eyes, it disappears?" Okay, first, go watch the music video. Then go back and read the fic. Your mind will be blown. Tetris as a metaphor for life, indeed.
Crossover: Hotel California (Eagles' song) and For Your Entertainment (Adam Lambert album). (Costing not less than everything) "A couple of hours later, he spies a glow in the distance." A fight, a flight from home, a mysterious hotel, and finding yourself when you thought you were lost. Perfect, and the two canons wind together so well.
Dexter (books), Dexter by Daylight. "We will enjoy ourselves as a family--as though love is something we are capable of--and I will do my Dexter Daddy best to follow in Harry's footsteps. Dexter and his Dark Passenger spend a Sunday with Cody, Astor and Brian." This follows the books, which are very different from the TV show, but regardless, the voices of the characters and Dexter's narration are perfect.
The Hurt Locker, Escape Becomes The Habit. William James/JT Sanborn, "In the last days of Bravo's tour, things have fallen apart for Will. He does what he always does; he pokes the snake. This time, the snake is Sanborn, and he's not afraid to strike back." Because every vaguely homoerotic military movie needs angry first time hate!sex. What?
Law & Order: SVU, Gardens Are Not Made by Singing. Munch/Fin pre-slash. "The radical nature of potatoes, compost and John Munch." I don't know if I can call this cute without Munch and Fin coming to life and finding me and Judging Me for it, but, damn, this is pretty cute, in a completely IC sort of way.
MythBusters RPF. Like Bottled Lightning. Gen, pre-show. "They watch the sun rise in the desert, and Jamie gets to ride in a helicopter, and they fire off three thousand horsepower of rockets and send up a cloud of dust that can be seen more than a mile away, and the tips of Adam’s ears and his nose and a little triangular patch on his collarbone all burn crispy in the sun. On the ride back Jamie is happy, deep-down glow type happy like he hasn’t been since the first year M5 broke even." This is just a perfect little look at the show before it was a show.
A Softer World (webcomic), maybe next year is the year (maybe last year). "Even after an alien invasion and a takeover by a dystopian government, life still has to go on somehow." I have a soft spot for stories like this, little vignettes and the apocalypse and life going on despite it all. I saw this prompt go across the pinch hitters list, and I'd half a mind to try my hand at it myself, but I'm so glad that someone else did, because I never could have created this awesomeness.

Dear Yuletide Writer:

I WILL LOVE WHATEVER YOU WRITE. Let's just get that out of the way right now. Seriously, I will be gleeful.

I feel like my Yuletide letter is always completely unhelpful, but I'll write it anyway.

In re: ships, I am okay with anything. Het, slash, gen, whatever. I love porn but I love plot more, so don't feel like you need to write fic with Lots of Gratuitous Body Parts if it's not you or it doesn't fit the fic. (Conversely, I am just fine with PWP, if that's what your brain creates for Yuletide.)

In re: plot, go wild. I love big, long, plotty things, and some fandoms clearly lend themselves more towards intrigue and wacky hijinx than others do. I love AUs and twists on the universes and "what would happen if..." sorts of things. Really, the most important thing is having the fic feel true to its source. Characterization, voice are key. My favorite fics are the ones where I feel like I could print them out and stick them seamlessly into the original canon.

In re: content, in general, I am okay with just about anything. I don't like crack fic or things that are vastly OOC. My only no-gos are real heavy BDSM, torture or extreme physical violence, things involving bodily fluids, bestiality, and mpreg. I don't know how any of these things would come up, but being in HP fandom has made me neurotic about listing these things. If you write the Kushiel's fic, I know some of these things may creep in, which is okay in moderation, but again, it's all about tone and keeping true to source. Things I especially love: missed connections, unrequited love, forbidden relationships, quaint but humorous series of misunderstandings, cuddling, hurt/comfort, angst, exploration, spur of the moment sex, quiet moments, realistic relationships (you just know that someone hogs all the bed and forgets to do the dishes). Feel free to check out my fic journal (_regarde) to get a glimpse of what I've written, since that may give you a better idea as to what I like to read.

In re: my requests:

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (Andrew Bird album)
This is a beautiful, gorgeous Andrew Bird album, the first of his that I really fell in love with, and it means the world to me. Last year, I requested and got some fantastic Bird-related fic from Yuletide, and, well, hell, why not give it a try again? Like I said in my signup, I don't care what you write. Put the album on and just let magic happen. I've got a bunch of posts about Bird and his music here on my LJ, which I've helpfully unlocked.

If you're stumped on ideas, though, you needn't go any further than Bird's lyrics themselves to see a fascinating universe just full of stories dying to be told. I put these in my sign-up, but for anyone perusing who isn't my recipient, just check this out:

All of the songs tell such interesting stories in their own right: the strength and control of the woman in Fake Palindromes ("some lonely night we can get together / and I'm gonna tie your wrists with leather / and drill a tiny hole into your head"), the sudden societal change in Opposite Day ("and those who can't quite function / in society at large / are gonna wake up on this morning / and find that they're in charge"), the ironically timely apocalypse of Tables and Chairs ("after the fall / there'll be no more countries / no currencies at all / we're gonna live on our wits / throw away survival kits / trade butterfly knives for adderal"). The lyrics give you all you need to write a story. Immerse yourself in Bird's world and have at it.

Kushiel's Legacy
My main request is Phedre/Joscelin/Hyacinthe, which would just MAKE MY LIFE to read. I don't really care when it's set. Maybe a slight AU where Hyacinthe doesn't go off to Alba at the end of the original trilogy, or maybe something that takes place during the Imriel trilogy. This could be so, so hot, and I see precious little OT3 fic, and there should be more of it, the end. I'd like to see a little bit of plot with it, because these three can't just fall into bed together without there being some angst or drama. I'd like this to not be an established trio sort of thing; in other words, I'd like this to be the first time they've gotten together like this.

If you're not into them as an OT3, then just a friendship fic is great, too. The three of them work so well with each other, especially as the series goes on and they all become more comfortable with where life has taken them. And really, with this canon, just about any pairing or scenario would make me happy. Like I said in my signup, Phedre/Joscelin, Phedre/Hyacinthe, Phedre/Melisande... hell, if you feel very adventurous, I'd love to see someone come up with a plausible scenario for Joscelin/Melisande.

The Time Traveler's Wife
From my signup, I'd most like to see more of Henry's life before he meets Clare. It's clear from the book that he's absolutely no prize, especially around the time he's with Ingrid, but we only get a few glimpses of that time in his life.

There's not much else to this than that, really. The book is about Henry and Clare's story, so it makes sense that we don't see much directly of Henry's past, but I'd love to see more of it.

Dear Internet:

Using the word "choice" in re: a person who is transgender is probably not appropriate, right? I sat in on an HR training given by an outside firm and the trainer referred to being trans* as "man who had chosen to live as a woman". (& vice versa) Any time the word "choice" is brought up in re: sexuality or gender identity, I get a little uncomfortable and mentioned to the trainer that she may want to rephrase. she asked to talk with me further to hear more & I'd like to not be just like "it made me feel weird." If it is, in fact, incorrect to say that, can anyone point me to some resources I can share with this trainer to illustrate my point?

Thanks.<3

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

I know we're all waiting for the Yuletide servers to stop being robust, lulz, but BUT BUT MY YULETIDE FICS ARE THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD.

• those that will judge will say you're aloof, a fic inspired by Andrew Bird's Noble Beast.  Go read this; you don't need to know or like the music or anything, it's just a gorgeous story no matter what.  I literally LITERALLY did a squeal of joy just upon seeing the notif in my inbox for this fic.  From the first line, "Sometimes you think you could just kill for a major chord resolution; it's better than this hardscrabble plea for understanding, for acceptance; it just flat hurts too much," I was totally TOTALLY sold.  The little details are incredible; either this writer is from Chicago or has spent time here or is a fantastic researcher, hello line about taking the 146 bus from the museum, omfg.  The story's so sparse but gets its point across in just a perfectly heartbreaking way, and oh, all the little nods to other Bird songs, from the title (MX Missiles) to "we all live in a capital I" and the "tank of hungry fishes" and Fiery Crash.  
• Mistletoe and Other Such Crimes Against Feminism, a Community ensemble fic, set after the Christmas episode.  AHHH Community, it is pretty much hands down my favorite new show in just about ever and I am ALL EXCITED about getting fic for it and for the fact that there's more Community fic in the archive and dfjghdfg.  Shirley throws another holiday party, only this one's a little more equal opportunity than the last one.  The characters are all spot on perfect and this is like the greatest follow-up to that last episode.  Shirley means well with a multi-denominational manger, Jeff is still a douche but we love him anyway, Abed is Abed because that's the only way you can describe him, and in the end, everything manages to not work out and work out perfectly at the same time.

Yuletide writer(s) - because maybe you're the same person, for all I know? - if you see this, know I TOTALLY LOVE THESE FICS and will properly squee on AO3 once I can get the comment page to do anything. XD

Dear everyone who isn't my potential fic-writer for Yuletide: feel free to ignore this.

Otherwise, read on...

Hello, and welcome to your TERRIBLY BELATED Yuletide letter. I don't really have much to say, but I figured I should at least give you a little something more to work with. Maybe. I don't know. This is really the least helpful Yuletide letter ever, I think.

( Read on, oh brave writer.Collapse )

* So Gmail is apparently totally busted for my ISP. It's a DNS issue, apparently. Fail. If you for some reason have pressing information to email me, send it to sarah@howsmyliving.com , thanks muchly.

* My boss told me today that she is going to try to get my job title changed and pay grade upped, making me an associate (which is the lowest rung on the officer totem pole). I think my technical title would change to something like Employee Relations Officer I. She ran the idea past her boss today, and didn't get it completely vetod, which is a good sign. She asked me to compile a list of my job duties, in order to show that a majority of my job is way above Administrative Assistant level. This could be awesome if it actually works. It would be even more awesome if they "promote" me and then hire an administrative assistant to actually do administrative assistant stuff, like answer phones and sort mail and make copies. I don't want to leave my job because I don't like it; I want to leave because I am underpaid for my skill set and education level, and have little mobility at the moment.

* My blog has been getting crazy amounts of hits from somewhere (well, crazy for my standards), and I don't know where. It makes me happy.

* The guy who designed the Saturday night gig poster for Andrew Bird's show just friended me on Flickr. Crazy stuff.

* Radio Milwaukee has the Friday night (full band) show up as a free download/podcast. You should go check it out.

* My photos for the second night (solo show) are up on Flickr, and the review is here on the blog.

* I didn't really mention it in the review, but St. Vincent was fabulous as an opener. That girl can make some noise. Annie Clark is so very pretty, and so very talented. Her dress, however, was incredibly short and kept hiking up as she played, which made everything awkward because she's pretty, but that doesn't mean I want to look up her skirt. It also made photo taking difficult because I didn't want to be the asshole putting an upskirt shot of the poor woman out there on the internet.

* Mad scientist or mild-mannered professor or whatever you want to describe Mr. Bird as, the moral of the story is that sometimes he cracks my shit up.

The strangest thing someone has shouted at me while I was performing was: I remember playing in New Orleans years ago and there was this guy dancing on a table screaming “Sexual chocolate! Sexual chocolate!” And I guess like three years ago there was a guy in San Diego and in the middle of the song “Why?,” which is full of pregnant pauses, he was like, “Don’t quit your day job!” He was pretty awesome. I was like, “Fucker, I haven’t had a day job since I was 22, how’s it goin’ for you?” Well, I didn’t say that, I just thought that.

* Additionally, THREE SOLO SHOWS AT FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN. These shows had been rumored to be happening ever since Lollapalooza-time, but I never heard anything official about it until today. Fourth Presbyterian is this absolutely gorgeous church up by the Hancock, and it will make for an amazing concert space. They're not traditional Andrew Bird shows by any means; they're going to be largely instrumental, more designed creating a relaxing, cheerful atmosphere than a way of showing off Bird's recorded works. I'll be at all three shows, and at this point, I might as well just start sending a portion of my paycheck straight to Andrew Bird or something.

* Eventually I'll have something else to talk about. Today is not that day.