Wear the colour that you want to cling to

[dolorosa_12]

It's the last sunshine_challenge prompt today: violet. The challenge mods are encouraging participants to use this prompt as a way to offer [things to] others to bring a little sunshine into their lives.

I can't make graphics or vids, and I can't reliably write fic on the spot (unless it's for one of my tiny book fandoms-of-one, which I suspect is an unlikely thing for anyone to request).

But what I can do is cheerlead, comment, and essentially provide a lot of enthusiasm. (Seriously, every Yuletide I set myself the goal of commenting on at least 50-70 fics in the main collection, and at least 20 in Madness, and I generally do so.) And so what I am offering is this: comment with a link to one fanwork (art, fic, vid, fanmix, graphics, whatever you choose) that you are especially proud of, and I will leave you a comment either on Ao3 or Dreamwidth. It doesn't have to be a fanwork you produced for sunshine_challenge (you don't have to be participating in the challenge at all), just something you made and feel happy about.

Obviously it will be easier for me to make a substantive comment if I am familiar with the fandom, but I will do my best even if it's not something I know much about. Likewise, I will be quicker at commenting on visual fanworks, or shorter fics than on 100,000-word epics, but if the latter is what you want to share with me, I will comment eventually!

Today's post title is brought to you by the lyrics of this excellent song:

Watch on YouTube

A quick update on 28th July

I am overwhelmed with the response to this offer, and I am definitely looking forward to reading (and commenting on) all your fic, but it might be some days before I get to it. If you haven't had a response from me yet, it's definitely going to happen, but it may not be before the weekend. I will update this post again when I've commented on everyone's fics.

Comments

[enemytosleep]

You mentioned book fandoms, and then I thought of a little scene I wrote for the Dragonlance series (think high fantasy, D&D sorts of stuff): Reveal Thy Secrets

Thank you for joining us this year. ♥

[dolorosa_12]

Thanks for the link! I haven't read that series, but the fic was a great character study, hinting at so many things going on outside the scene.

[cornerofmadness]

Oh cool fun offer. here. is my AO3 dashboard (which hopefully you can see). If you see a fandom you like pick any story. (and if you want a drabble from me check out my post)

[dolorosa_12]

We don't share any current fandoms, but I did spot that you'd written fic for The Raven Cycle, which is still a favourite fandom of mine — and also that you've written extensively for Angel and Buffy, which are definitely forever fandoms of mine! I've commented on the Raven Cycle fic, but I may go back later and read through the Buffyverse fics as well!

[cornerofmadness]

Thanks so much. I appreciate it. If you do circle back to the Buffyverse, I hope you enjoy it

[olivermoss]

Such a kind offer!

We don't seem to have fandoms in common, but hopefully this Jeeves and Wooster fic is approachable.

[dolorosa_12]

Oh, that was delightful! I've commented more specifically over at the fic, but I thought I'd also say that although I'm not in that fandom, I have read some of the books. You've definitely captured their spirit well in the fic. Thanks for sharing!

[olivermoss]

Thank you so much :) I spend a lot of time trying to get the tone of the story just where I want it, it's part of why I post to slowly :)

[lyr]

Knowing your preference for literary fanworks, I will point to my Beauty and the Beast fairytale Rough Diamond. It's one of my older stories (first Yuletide!), but still one I'm pretty proud of.

[dolorosa_12]

You're right to be proud of it: that fic is an utter delight. I hadn't read it before, and I am so happy that you brought it to my attention. (I've left a more detailed comment over on the fic itself, but suffice it to say that I loved it.)

[lyr]

Aww, thanks! I'm so pleased you liked it.

[luzula]

Awww, I remember that I podficced that! It was ages ago--not sure I would dare to listen to it now. *g*

[lyr]

Oh no, I still love your version! You should put it on AO3 so I can link to it as a related work.

[luzula]

A while ago I uploaded most of my podfics to AO3, but not my very earliest ones...I suppose I just don't like them much anymore--they are so extremely slow! But I suppose that maybe I should upload them anyway--I always think it's a pity when authors take down fic that I enjoy but that they might be self-conscious about.

[luzula]

Awww, what a nice offer! I won't inflict my 50K fic on you. : ) How about this filk song?

[dolorosa_12]

That was so, so beautiful! A really accomplished piece of work, with so many layers of thought going into it.

[luzula]

♥ ♥

[silveradept]

There are a lot of works that I liked and would love to receive comments on, basically much of my entire listing there, but if I have to choose one, specifically, then it would probably be Around The Campire: Preliminaries: Pardon Me, Wife.

But if there some other one in the list of things that you would rather comment on instead, then do that.

[dolorosa_12]

Wow! That fic absolutely blew me away. I can't believe I missed it during the 2017 Yuletide, because it is so much up my street that it is outside my front door!

I'm an ex-medievalist (although I specialised in the literature of an earlier period and a different language/region), and I am always thrilled to read fic that does clever things with medieval literature while conveying the essence of the original work(s). Thank you so much for sharing that fic, I genuinely adored it.

[silveradept]

Hee, I chose wisely!

Where was your specialty? We can both probably have a chat about the Medium Aevum (and I went on to graduate school and a different profession entirely after getting my degree) because it's a big period and there's a lot going on no matter where you are in the world.

[dolorosa_12]

I have a PhD in medieval Irish literature, and my thesis mainly focused on pseudohistorical and onomastic texts, most of which were from the tenth, eleventh or twelfth centuries. I've written the odd bit of fic that incorporates medieval Irish literature, although rarely the actual texts which I studied for the PhD.

What were your own specialties/interests when you did your degree? I'm definitely always happy to talk all things medieval!

I left academia after getting my doctorate and now work as a librarian.

[silveradept]

Another librarian, huzzah!

Your field of study sounds very interesting (and I got to learn what onomastics means!), and now I want to know more about what you studied.

Mine is an undergraduate, and my thesis focused on the idea of the chivalric romances as reflecting different ideals of behavior for the mounted class, using Ywain, Perceval, Beaumains, the Dung-Cart Lancelot (not the strongest chapter there) and Gawain and the Green Knight as examples of the shifts in attitude over time.

There was very little research I could find at the time about what the rituals, oaths, and obligations of behavior a member of the mounted class took on when I was doing the research, or I would have probably stuck more closely to a thesis on "what behaviors did a knight swear to when they became one, and what behaviors did they actually engage in?", although I might have still found some very useful material in making comparisons between actual manuals of knighthood, chivalric romances, and harsh reality.

💜

[oldtoadwoman]

You are absolutely the best! I love getting comments so much.

shiny "book" covers from which you can pick a fic, fandoms and word counts are listed so you don't get in over your head (like if you want to leave a comment on my 72k novel based on an obscure fandom, sure, but I think you can find something short in a common fandom)

I recommend stearing clear of the Game of Thrones stuff as they're kind of crap and not a lot of thought went into any of the drabbles. Though I did invent a new word that I'm very proud of for the Star Wars / Harry Potter drabble. :-)

Re: 💜

[dolorosa_12]

I ended up picking the Good Omens/Supernatural crossover. I haven't watched SPN in ages (I think I gave up around the end of season 7), but the two universes seemed perfect for a crossover, and yours is brilliant. I enjoyed it immensely!

Re: 💜

[oldtoadwoman]

Thank you! And mega-kudos for being willing to do this for so many people. Fandom is most fun with interactions, someone to share the giggles with and I think every writer craves feedback. So yours is the perfect gift to fandom.

Re: 💜

[dolorosa_12]

Feedback, conversation and interaction are my favourite things about fandom, and I definitely try to do my best to encourage them, so I'm really happy that so many people have been willing to throw links to their fic my way so that I can comment on them!

Re: 💜

[oldtoadwoman]

I love having a nice back-and-forth interaction with someone, yet part of my brain is always whispering at me that I'm probably just bothering the other person. (Am I being rude if I keep replying like I'm trying to have "the last word" or am I rude if I don't reply and they were expecting me to say something else?) Otherthinking is one of my worst habits.

[paulamcg]

I've been so happy to see your offer – that I've made one in my challenge post, here!

Interaction is the reason why I'm a fanfic writer. I've loved (and missed) reciprocity in commenting, and it's also lovely to receive a self-rec and compose a comment when it's sure that the creator appreciates feedback – while I could just assume that everyone loves comments.

There are a lot of fics I'd be thrilled to get comments on – all in the Harry Potter fandom. In case you don't know HP or aren't particularly interested in it, perhaps you'd like to read Anywhere and Back Again or Here I Am Anew and meet only one canon character far away from the canon settings. Those fics were written fifteen years ago and have no comments on AO3. In case you don't mind more HP characters, I'd be happy to have my first ever comment on a fic written last year, soon after my hiatus, for instance With Tender Patience, or My True Disillusion (which is a lot shorter than the others I've mentioned). A comment on anything here will be a precious gift!

[dolorosa_12]

Interaction is definitely why I'm in fandom as well, and it can be hard to get much of that if you write in smaller fandoms, or for closed canons. I try to be the kind of presence in fandom that I would want other fans to be in relation to me: someone who interacts enthusiastically with others, who leaves comments on fanworks, and who participates in exchanges, challenges, fests and so on beyond the bare minimum requirements of the event.

[paulamcg]

Thank you for your reply – and for receiving My True Disillusion so wonderfully!

Perhaps surprisingly, it can be hard to get feedback for fic written in a mega fandom and about a (once) super popular pairing. On the other hand, in such a fandom there are always opportunities for interaction in all kinds of events, and I hope I, too, have become a more active positive presence, enthusiastic to participate in anything and ready to give attention to and appreciate other people's work regardless of genre, pairing, rating, sometimes even regardless of canon.

[iberiandoctor]

What a lovely offer, Ronni ♥ Let me make the same one to my followers (a much much smaller circle than yours ;)), and please let me reciprocate - recc me something of yours!

You've already read the two Lions stories I've written, and I've read yours ♥, so let me send you across another historical story in a fandom-of-three: Restoration-era French RPF politicians, who lived with and were buried together at Pere-Lachaise (my historium pimping post is here!). IRL, Manuel didn't live to see the 1830 Revolution, but he does in this fix-it from Yuletide 2019: L'Homme qu'il n'aurait pas quitté.

If RPF isn't your bag (it isn't many people's bag!), here's my Yuletide Call Me By Your Name story - three different AUs in which an academic and an academic's son reunite after their summer of love: Nostos.

[dolorosa_12]

I'm so happy to see how enthusiastically people have responded to this offer. I'm in fandom for the discussion and sense of community, and try to do my best to be the sort of fan I want to see in my main fannish spaces (Dreamwidth and AO3) — someone who comments on fanworks, contributes to discussion, and so on. It's so nice to see that people still want that!

I have no issue with RPF if involves figures who are no longer alive and events no longer in living memory, so your Restoration-era French politicians are fine! I view that kind of RPF as historical (fan)fiction. (And obviously I have no problem with people writing and enjoying RPF of living individuals, I just don't want to read it!)

Please don't feel any pressure to reciprocate — you've already read my Lions of Al-Rassan fic and commented extensively. If you still feel moved to read more, the fic of which I'm probably most proud is The Heart's Gold Thread, which is a post-canon story which weaves the characters of Amal El-Mohtar's 'Seasons of Glass and Iron' f/f fairytale with the stories of other mythological and folkloric women. My other favourite work of mine is Like Bitter Chocolate, written for Robin McKinley's Sunshine novel. This is a 5 times + 1 fic featuring baked goods (with recipes) and supernatural beings.

[lirazel]

It's a bit on the longish side, but I was really proud of my Seraphina Yuletide fic from a couple of years ago, if you want to check that out. If you'd rather have a shorter option, here's The Handmaiden fic from the year before that.

I had fun looking through your fandom list on AO3 and seeing all the book fandoms you've written for! Definitely going to be checking out your Six of Crows and Sunshine fics!

[dolorosa_12]

Ahhhh, Seraphina! I love those books so much, so linking me to fic for that fandom was a great idea!

Thanks also for your own comments on my fic — I appreciate them!

[schneefink]

No specific fic to showcase rn, but that's a lovely offer, thank you :)

[dolorosa_12]

I'm glad you like the idea! I'm in fandom for the comments, discussion and interaction, so I try to do my fair share of all these things when I can!