Fly, Fly to the Western Sky

Status Report

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 22:56:40 GMT

1. Working outline for RMSE fic, done.

2. Between Dependency and Addiction c.3 is about 75 % done.

3. Nommed a few more things for @juletide, very very excited for Juletide.

4. Got an adorable NYR, must write up a rec when possible. Stinz now has multi-chapter fic! I'm so proud of this tiny little Barrdom.

comments

State of the Exchange

Sun, 14 Jun 2020 17:16:38 GMT

1. Still working on canon review for RMS, also hoping to throw together a treat or two, but we'll see. Either way, I get to consume a nice media.

2. Multifandom Drabble Exchange is opening sign-ups today. It's a short, one-week exchange for drabbles. It matches on fandom (no characters) and preference for single, double, and/or triple drabbles. It's a perfect exchange for someone who wants to try exchanges without much pressure, and also yielded me this lovely Stalky & Co fic last year.

3. Chapter 2 of 'Between Dependency and Addiction' is nearly finished.

4. Fandom Giftbox is open for sign-ups! No pre-noms required! Sign up without the pressure of having to make something. The idea is that the collection doesn't open until everyone has at least two gifts, they can be as small or big as people like, and you can DNW specific media types.

comments

Yellow Journalism - part 06

Thu, 28 May 2020 13:30:58 GMT

This one is for the ladies. Both Anglophone, although one of them probably also spoke French as expected of lady.

(Also the last Yellow Journalism to be unsourced - If I write more, and I probably will, they'll be backed up by sources.)

(I'm always happy to quote my sources on previous writings and admit mistakes made via personal bias, providing that the inquiry is done in good faith.)

( Elizabeth Dido Belle, 18th Century England )

( Charity & Sylvia, Early 19th century America )

comments

Bingo!

Thu, 21 May 2020 18:21:21 GMT

Yay, Rich Text is back! Expect more history soon.

In the meantime, here's my bingo card for Banned Together Bingo, a writing bingo based around reasons for banning media, made in protest of fanwork challenges/communities banning specific themes (Incest, noncon, villains, etc). Every possible Bingo square is based on a reason that a book was banned, and the list of prompts is pretty amusing to scroll through in itself. They range from 'understandable given the context' to 'missed the point by thirty miles' or even 'You could have just written 'Homosexual themes', but chose instead to elaborate on how it had been 'sugarcoated with cute penguins' because that was clearly the most dangerous part'.

Some of these are going to be extremely easy given my fandoms - Firearms is going to be fun, as will Werewolfism. And let's not even get started on Criticism of British Policies.

( Bingo card after cut! )

comments

RMS 2020

Wed, 20 May 2020 14:37:00 GMT

Hi, dear writer! Thank you for writing for me!

( Enemy at the Door )
( Colditz )
( Biggles )

( Stalky & Co )

( The Ninth Configuration )

( Beetle Bailey )( Desert Peach )

( Likes )-Tenderness
-Kissing
-Injured participants
-Gentle noncon
-Dubcon-verging-on-noncon
-Slow, gentle lovemaking
-Heated, passionate hatesex
-Manhandling

( DNW )

*Canon divergence is fine!

**IE Characters being unrealistically accepting of homosexuality, not conforming to gender roles, being openly socialist in the 16th century, etc(Unless already established in canon).

***I love human/non-human relationships, especially with culture clashes! The sexy part just isn't my thing. Sensual touching of human parts is fine, vauge implied sex scenes without details are great, so is fade-to-black

****Smut as part of a story is fine and out-right wished for! Just don't make it the entire fic.

comments

Recht, Links! 06

Sun, 10 May 2020 11:29:33 GMT

Again, Rich Text is still not working. So have some extremely old-school copy-pasting links.

Rheinsberg - 1740 and All That
https://rheinsberg.dreamwidth.org
A Comm dedicated to information and debate on the intriguing court affairs of Frederick the Great. Well-written and translates source material. I cannot recommend it enough!

Pasta with Peaches
https://justhungry.com/pasta-peaches-and-basil
A savoury-sweet dish that can be eaten as is, or alongside your preferred type of proteins.
(Recipe is vegan and kosher, as far as I can tell)

Into a Bar
https://intoabar.dreamwidth.org
A low-pressure ficathon, sign-ups open until the 17th!
First, pick a character! Then, pick several canons that do not contain that character. Then, the mods randomise what character your initial character gets to meet. And then, you write a story of at least 500 words where the characters meet in a bar, and what that leads to. Ideal for sci-fi fandoms, or historical fandoms grouped around a specific setting.

comments

Yellow Journalism - part 05

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 11:11:15 GMT

Today we will talk about two brave soldiers. One was far more attractive in 18th century getup than many other of his time, which is a feat in terms of universal beauty. The other was not as handsome in a procreational sense, but still very cuddly and adorable.
( Private Woytek of the Polish Artillery. Southeastern Europe, WWII )( Chevalier St-George, 18th century France )

comments

Yellow Journalism - part 04

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 20:20:03 GMT

Aka, The Nazi Issue.

( Nazi Titanic, or 'Joseph Goebbels and the Very Expensive Film' - Germany, WWII )
( Unlike Resistance Heroes from the Channel Islands, WWII )

comments

YELLOW JOURNALISM - PART 03

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 11:14:15 GMT

I was going to talk smack about Nazi Germany today, but I think that's best left for after the Spring holidays end.

So here's a story about a German practising Ethical Piracy instead.

( Felix Von Luckner - 1881-1966 )

comments

Yellow Journalism - part 02

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 10:19:37 GMT

Next up: Nazis are funny, taking a look at 'effective propaganda techniques' and resistance fighters fighting tooth and claw.

But before that, let's drool over a female athlete.

( America, first half of the 20th century. )

comments

Happy Spring Holidays! + Egg Cream

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 13:34:11 GMT

Regardless of wether you celebrate something important, or just the fact that the Judeo-Christian holiday gives you extra money/free time to spend.

Today, I'm going to share a recipe enjoyed at the start of the 20th century, when carbonated drinks were En Vogue. Carbonation stations known as 'Soda Fountains' used to serve pretty much anything carbonated and mixed with taste syrup, so carbonated milk became a popular sports' drink.

(This was largely an American thing, at least I've had very little luck finding information on it in Europe. Either way, this recipe is from the US.)

This particular variation has several tales of origin, but the one I prefer is that it was originally made with raw eggs. Mixing eggs or egg yolk into coffee, béchamel sauce, and every single food between heaven and earth was a quick and easy 19th century way to increase protein and calories for a population that laboured and walked far more than we do today.

I have yet to try it with raw eggs, but hope to do so soon.

( American Egg Cream )

comments

Saragarhi - 21 Sikhs VS 10,000 Afghans

Sun, 05 Apr 2020 22:14:30 GMT

This story had been told by many others more experienced than I; But I am going to give it a try, still. Again, most of it is scribbled together from wiki pages and articles and should not be taken as gospel.

( Colonial India, 1897 )

comments

Yellow Journalism - Part 01

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 23:05:16 GMT

Coming up: Review/rec of Enemy At The Door, a series set during the occupation of the Channel Islands.

Inbetween, here's a few cobbled-together pieces on two guys at the European courts. They are largely unedited and hastily scribbled while cross-referencing Wikipedia and related sources. Do not take them as gospel.

(Both of these guys are also woefully underrepresented in the world of period drama. This is a shame, both of them had interesting careers that would lend themselves well to court drama and war stories respectively.)
( Adolf Ludvig Gustav Fredrik Albert Badin - 1747-1822 - Sweden )

( Abram Petrovitj Gannibal - 1696-1781 - Russia )

comments

Finnish hottie in Fenno-Russian theatre takes 30 pills of meth, goes on bender

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 20:09:25 GMT

Aimo was a cute young man in the army, fighting against the Russian invasion. Aimo was in charge of the methamphetamine. Aimo needed to take a pill and accidentally took the whole bottle.

Aimo got lost and ran into Russian soldiers.

Swedes have a stereotype of Finns as extremely hardy rednecks.

Aimo is probably why.

Translation and original post by /ErkkiKekko on Reddit

Article on Wikipedia containing pictorial evidence of Hotness

comments

Snowflake Challenge 15 - Tiny Fics for Tiny Fandoms

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 20:52:29 GMT

This Snowflake Challenge is about making a Challenge.

Do you have a tiny fandom? Is there some old, obscure video game for which you want fic? A local film that won't ever get an international release? Some rock band prime for RPF, except they disbanded in the 80's? Get started right now! Write 100-300 words worth of fic!

Use this random prompt generator if you feel low on ideas.

Post it in the comments, or post it whereever and link to it here.

comments

Snowflake Challenge 14 - Trope/Kink/Scenario

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:04:52 GMT

Still planning on doing the previous challenge, was suddenly whisked away on a trip and was thereafter not in condition to do that challenge. Boo. Still might.

Wound Care/Bandages

This seems to be a niche trope. I'm not even sure if it counts as one? Is it a kink? It can be hot in a scenario with touch-starved characters, especially if they end up turned on by the intimacy, or kink on the consensual S/M aspects.

Anyway, wound care/bandages. There’s something very intimate about caring for someone’s wounds, especially when there may be some animosity between the parties: Sarah may despise the ground that Heather walks on, but not enough to let the risk of infection finish Heather off. It allows Sarah to display tenderness, even though she seldom does, while Heather is submissively or reluctantly allowing pain to be administered: Removing old wrappings, rubbing disinfectant over the wound, and finally pressing a new bit of gauze to the wound. And Sarah has no choice, because it’s all for her own good. Depending on the circumstances, it may even be welcomed as relief after an extremely stressful situation, or a moment of well-needed domesticity. It may even be finished off with a kiss, or a pat on the head, or just some base-touching banter.

comments

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 00:26:54 GMT

Finished Persona 5!

Here's what I liked about it.

( Spoilers Below )

comments

Pokémusings

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 23:11:10 GMT

Let's talk about Pokémon! (Because Persona 5 is longer than I thought.)

Nintendo's stated that the new Pkmn DLC is meant to replace the third game. Gosh, I sure hope so. Mainly because I'm not that good at replaying pkmn games from scratch anymore, although that just might be an issue with the game/story not being my cup of tea in regards to the last few generations. But also because I'm not too confident that Nintendo would be able to fix Swish as it is now. The price tag for the expansions is extremely steep, so I have very high hopes for this. The fact that 'dozens' of new clothes and hairstyles would be included was a definite hype-factor. I really hope that a) There will be Shorts, and b) We're not just talking about recolours.

Serebii.net lists the following information: The Isle of Armor is the first Expansion Pass. The areas here include beaches, forests, caves and dunes with many Pokémon. It has a dojo run by the trainer Mustard and you will face new rivals including Klara in Sword and Avery in Shield.

The Crown Tundra is a wide area which contains various mountain areas and small communities.

New Rivals are good, and I love that they seem to be putting some of the 'cut' gym leaders back in this way(?). Avery has the dumbest, most perfect hat for a PokéBritish Psychic-type user. I can't wait to see him 'in action'. I really hope that both of the rivals will feature in both of the DLC. Also, a wide array of beachy/island-y environments sounds a bit like a Safari Zone, or That One Long Route leading to Firtree in RSE. I really hope that it'll be a big area with lots of cozy stuff to explore.

The Crown Tundra sounds super cozy in a different way. It sounds very much like an endgame area, sort of like the Elite Four. The 'Little Communities' has my psyched that there will be one or more small mountain settlements to explore and find lore in. Some of the pre-released footage contained a ruined house! Eeee! Maybe this will be similar to what was envisioned for that haunted unexploreable house in the castle town.

(It's like Pokemon finally realised WHY people like the console games, and are doing their best to make up for the multiplayer shitshow.)

comments

Snowflake Challenge 11 - Reccing a Resource

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:49:20 GMT

(I'll do #10 eventually. I know that I don't have to, but I really do want to. Just not now.)

Your Local University Library
Or, Why Every History Fan Ought to Consider the Local University Library (At the very least, a trip to the nearest one with a Humanities department).

(It should be mentioned that I currently live in a country where Universities are free. Other countries may have restrictions on public access.)

As you all know, I’m a big fan of history. Where does one find books on history? Why, the Library, of course. And seldom the regular ones. Especially when one loves literary fiction and cultural history. The following resources have helped me very much while researching fic, essays, and original prose.

Essays analysing historical literature
Gives a better background of how and why the characters act the way they do. Also tells you about things that were obviously implied in text/media to a reader of the time, but may elude your own eyes. They’re both good for discovering new canons, or finding other points of view to compare your canon with, as well as entangling all the hidden secrets in the historical context of your canon.

Sourcebooks
This is essentially books collecting treatises, letters, magazine columns, etc on how people of the selected period viewed whatever the sourcebook is about. Such as womanhood in the 18th century, the idea of privacy throughout history(A multi-volume work), or how the Victorians thought about ’Home’.

They’re more densely packed than Essays, and can feel a bit overwhelming unless you know what you’re looking for. That said, they’re very good for getting the whole picture quickly, especially if you’re writing a story dealing with wholly unfamiliar ground, or original fiction.

Libararians
Stacked for time? The librarians will help you! Tell them nicely what you need, and they should be able to tell you where you should be looking, or what keywords to use. This is invaluable. Especially if you speak two languages and are only used to using words that mean something vastly or slightly different when directly translated.

Extra Stuff
Your university library, if well-known and/or famous, may have obscure old first or second editions of classics. They may also have books that belonged to their authors. Even if not well-known or famous, your library may still have access to journals written on your desired topics.

comments

Snowflake Challenge 09 - Reccing Canons!

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 19:12:08 GMT

And for the next Snowflake Challenge, we're meant to promote a canon. Since I've already hammered on and on about Desert Peach over here, I'm taking the oppertunity to rec two 19th century-ish canons, one of which is also by Barr.

Pandora’s Choice
( 1840's North America, written and published during the 2010's )( Art Samples )
( Setting based on early 20th century Germany, Published and Written from the 1970's-1990's )( Setting based on early 20th century Germany, Published and Written from the 1970's-1990's )
( Art Samples )

comments

Snowflake Challenge 08 - Recs a Plenty!

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 13:18:12 GMT

For the next challenge, here are some recs for fics that I have enjoyed during the past year.

( Desert Peach & Stinz )
( Video Games (Pokemon + Persona 5) )
( Toward The Terra )

comments

Snowflake Challenge #7

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 10:23:57 GMT

Today's challenge is about self-recs, so here are the two works that I feel most happy with. Most of them are short, because short fiction is kind of my thing at this point.

Green Grass Grows All Around - Pokemon (Piers & Marnie) Piers raises Marnie when their parents leave. Written for Writing Rainbow Green.

Confession - Original Work (Male confessor/Priest) This is my longest work to date, a story centered around pining and religion in rural Sweden, written for Pining Exchange 2019. While I love writing about the 19th century, I'm more confident in writing OW set in places familiar to me, hence the footnotes and setting.

Wedding Preparations- Desert Peach (Udo - - - > Pfirsich)

One of my shorter works, featuring Udo and an unmentionable crush.

(Apologies for the shoddy formatting - Am operating from mobile.)

comments

Snowflake Challenge 06 - Fannish Wish List

Sun, 12 Jan 2020 02:25:25 GMT

I am quite devoted to a small fandom (Donna Barr!) and thus don't really expect anything on this list to be fulfilled.
(To regular readers: Am about to beat Persona 5, should have feedback on that in a couple of days.)

1. For the Donna Barr fandom to grow bigger with at least one or two people. (Stinz features Centaurs! Slice of Life! It’s over here! For free!)

2. Desert Peach fic! Be it gen misadventures or slash(Winzig/Udo!), or romantic soppiness with the canon couple. (Drabbles are great.)

3. More fanart of Desert Peach. And Stinz. And Andri. And especially Sgt. Kirchen. And Udo and Rosen and Pfirsich, and - Fanart is just the best, OK? (I’d be over the moon if one of my fics were illustrated, but really, any fanart at all is great.)

4. A beta for Desert Peach/Stinz. Someone who knows the canon and is willing to try and call out shoddy characterisation, tell me if the scene is doing what I want it to, and so on. Grammar and SPAG not necessarily needed.

5. For more people to write medium or long-ish comments on fics based on Barr canons. It doesn’t even have to be my fics, it’s just fun to see people engaging in/with the fandom.

6. A working anon prompt meme for Barr fandom. Don’t ask me how or why. This is my wish, and it gets to be as Out There(tm) as it gets.

7. Digital copy of Hader and the Colonel, or at least a version that doesn’t cost over 20 USD to bring out of the US.

8. Recs for good (historical, no fantasy or alternate history) canons set during WWI that are not originally in English, and have good English/Swedish translations. Preferably featuring banter and dark comedy.

comments

Snowflake Challenge 04 - Fannish Goals for 2020

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 13:29:05 GMT

Here come the New Year's resolutions.

Things I would like to do in the coming year:

-Write more longfic.
To that end, I'd like to try participating in exchanges with a higher minimum wordcount, and hopefully be able to finish a Small Fandom Bang fic of at least 10,000 words. (Some of it will probably involve 'learning to plot' things before I write them down on paper.)

-Take on more Pinch Hits.
Preferably for rare and obscure canons.

-Finish Persona 5.
Have I mentioned how much I love P5 right now!? It's so good! And the 'normal' difficulty is just in the sweet spot between 'easy enough because I've played enough Persona games to know where this is going' and 'challenging enough'.

comments

Snowflake Challenge 03 - Favourite Exchanges/Communities

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:03:24 GMT

(Skipped #2)

Exchanges

Chocolate Box

A low minimum exchange(300 words) Takes both fic and art. Also has massive attendance, making it a very good place to ask for small fandoms. I highly advise writing at least two treats to help fill boxes.

Multifandom Drabble Exchange

Takes only fic between 100-300 words. More drabbles for everyone!

What I really love about this challenge is that you can choose what length you want to write/receive. Do you want to write only 100 word drabbles? Are you only interested in getting 200 word double-drabbles? This can be arranged. Personally I always request triple Drabbles, since my fandoms are rare and I don't expect treats. But the treating culture is very big! There's a list of treatless people on the main comm, and seeing it dwindle down to zero is intensely satisfying. Treating is very easy, and so are grabbing PHs.

It also has a writing period of a week. So no feverish refreshing or endless pining for gifts to shake.

Community

Barrvaria
A small, but kind-of active comm that holds Donna Barr fanworks. We go through the Black Books, have links to Desert Peach fanfiction, and hold a large amount of where-to-find-Barr's-comics links.

Note: Membership is screened, but anyone interested in Barry's work is welcome!

comments