xojemmaxo | Reading

The theme challenge for this month is Moon (Please include the tag challenge: moon when you post.) Theme challenges have to do with fic choice. Since this month's challenge is 'moon' your story has to be related to that theme one way or another.

The shape challenge is 'c shape' (tag challenge: c shape). This should be at minimum 7 squares, ie:

OOOOO
OOXXX
OOXOO
OOXXX
OOOOO

Shape challenges require that you complete a specific shape of squares on your card. If you complete a shape challenge by the deadline, you’ll win a cheat. If your card already has the shape formation before the challenge starts, you can only count that challenge as completed if you fill at least one square on your card within the challenge time period.

You can pick the challenge you prefer or do both if you're feeling ambitious. Once you’ve posted the podfic required to fulfill the monthly challenge, please comment here to let us know you’ve completed the challenge.

If you complete a challenge, you earn a cheat. If none of the challenges appeal to you, you can also earn cheats by commenting on other people's podfics.

What are Cheats?
Cheats are rewards that allow participants to manipulate their cards so that they can be finished more easily. There are 2 kinds of cheats: shifting squares and swapping out squares. Shifting squares allows participants to swap locations of two squares on their card. Swapping out cheats allow you to discard one of your prompts entirely from your card and replace it with a prompt of your choosing from the Prompt List.

kingstoken posting in

fancake

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death
Pairings/Characters: Stede/Ed and Stede/Ed/izzy
Rating: G
Length: 2252 words
Creator Links: charlieloverboy
Theme: Uncommon settings, unconventional format & style

Summary: FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
Video title: “Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED”
From WIRED Entertainment

Reccer's Notes: This fic is written like it's the transcript of a WIRED interview, the ones where the celebrities answer google's most searched for questions about them. It's a modern AU where Ed and Stede are rock stars and its implied that Izzy is Ed's manager. I'm not sure how the author did it, but they got the tone and how most celebrities speak in these interviews spot on, while also telling us a narrative about Ed and Stede and heavily implying Ed/Stede/Izzy.

Fanwork Links: AO3

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Hilda the Plus-Size Pinup
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Hilda
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 100
Creator Tags: IN SPACE!, Drabble, wonder, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide Madness, Drabble Invitational
Creator Links: (AO3)

Missy; (Dreamwidth)

bring_me_sugar

Theme: Uncommon Settings, Drabble, In Space, Old Fandoms, Sense Of Wonder, Small Fandoms

Summary: Hilda makes it to space - the universe is vast, but she's one with it.

Author’s Notes: For Topaz_Eyes.

Reccer's Notes: Hilda takes her exploration of The Great Outdoors to the next level. This is a gift-wrapped illo-op; I’m envisioning her in a brilliant red Latex Space Suit with an emergency backflap—in homage to her winter longjohns.

Fanwork Links: Here I Am, by

Missy for

Topaz_Eyes, for Yuletide Madness 2020.

Current Music: ”The World Is Just Awesome”.

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

Our theme for October is uncommon settings!

These are places you don't commonly see represented in fanworks, either in a specific fandom or fandom in general.

The tag for this round is: theme: uncommon settings

If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance.

( Rules! )

( Posting Template! )

( Promote this round! )

Reblog on Tumblr | Reskeet on Bluesky | Retoot on Mastodon

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski, Diefenbaker
Rating: Teen
Length: 1929
Creator Links: seascribble on AO3
Themes: Food and cooking, First time, Friends to lovers, Domestic

Summary: Ray is actually starting to like oatmeal.

Reccer's Notes: Set towards the end of the quest to find the Hand of Franklin and afterwards, once their relationships's established, this story weaves together scenes featuring Ray Kowalski, Fraser, Dief, and food of various types - some delicious, some less so, and all telling the tale of their relationship. Lovely.

Fanwork Links: A Balanced Diet (or, Four Vaguely Interrelated Vignettes about Ray, Fraser, and Food)

mific posting in

fanart_recs

Fandom: Red White and Royal Blue (RWRB)
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Henry/Alex
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: sagedrewthis on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: Gorgeous colours and a cute pumpkin-flavoured pic, as we're edging into October.
Link: happy Halloween

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Madison Miller, Jeannie Miller
Rating: G
Length: 1552
Creator Links: Punk on AO3
Themes: Food and cooking, First time, Humor

Summary: Rodney doesn't know whether he should go for the ice cream or Sheppard's mouth.

Reccer's Notes: A charming first time story where Rodney's lust for a real-vanilla ice cream cone is transmuted into lust for John, with Jeannie berating and cheering them on from the sidelines. Fun, and an excellent outcome for everyone except the ice cream!

Fanwork Links:
Text on AO3: Vanilla
Podfic read by Punk: Vanilla [podfic]

miss_marina95 posting in

amplificathon

This is the official post for the sixth annual Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology! This year, the anthology contains 57 podfics, featuring 52 characters of color, read by 18 podficcers.

This year's optional theme was: persistence.

cover art by

silverandblue

Listening options:

The Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology VI podbook, (m4b format, 63 kbps, 153 mb, 05:30:53), with chapter stops for individual podfics

A zip file (236 mb) with all the anthology podfics in mp3 format

A spreadsheet with direct audio links or links to the AO3 pages where you can download individual anthology podfics and leave feedback

Links to the text of the fics, where you can go to leave kudos and comments for the wonderful authors, can be found in the "comments" section in the metadata of each mp3 file as well as in the spreadsheet. Thank you to

Avanie,

godoflaundrybaskets,

wilfriede0815,

wjgravity, and

cosmicology for technical beta. We also thank the 5 cultural sensitivity betas who lent their time and knowledge to this anthology.

The bonus collection for podfics longer than the maximum for the CCPA and/or extra submissions can be found here.

You can find the full AO3 collection for this year here. Please feel free to leave feedback/comments on this post! You can also follow the podficcers to their individual AO3 accounts to find more of their work:

429_CarCrash,

AirgiodSLV,

bluedreaming,

blackglass,

cosmicology,

deepestbluesky,

farkenshnoffingottom,

flowerparrish,

godoflaundrybaskets,

kbirb,

kitsuneheart,

LittleRedRobinHood,

mific,

MistbornHero,

pezzax,

semperfiona,

Tipsy_Kitty, and

wilfriede0815.

Current Mood: accomplished

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian, Wen Chao, Wen Zhuliu
Rating: Mature
Length: 1,113
Content Notes: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Anonymous Author, Cornetto body horror, Cornetto torture, Cornetto autocannibalism, Cornetto necromancy
Creator Tags: alternative universe, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Cornetto gore

Theme: Food & Cooking, AU: Anthropomorphic, Crack, Humor, Horror

Summary: Jiang Cheng is an oreo cornetto who had his flavor core melted by the Flavor-Melting Cornetto, Wen Zhuliu. To save his brother, Wei Wuxian gave his flavor core to Jiang Cheng. Somewhere out there in a Chinese convenience store cooler is an oreo-topped cornetto with chocolate flavor inside, an example of false advertising.

After being thrown off by the second-rate kornetto, Wen Chao, in a place where other cornetto fears to be dumped in - the public park trash can- Wei Wuxian learns a forbidden cultivation, the power to recycle discarded and melted cornettos.

With an army of broken wafer cones, torn cornetto wrappers and puddles of melted ice cream, Wei Wuxian makes a name for himself as the Founder of Recycled Cornettos.

Watch him as he calls on all the discarded cornettos to exact revenge on the Wens.

Reccer's Notes: The atrocities of the Sunshot Campaign…if everyone were sapient Cornettos. (Presumably inspired by the donghua’s jarring and anachronistic injections of Product Placement into the narrative, which became a running gag among the fandom.)

I’ve tagged this as Humor, because some readers will receive it thus, but there’s a quote by

glorious-spoon on Tumblr that I think summarizes my own reaction:

i don't usually go for crack fic, but there's something really beautiful about fic that takes a cracky premise and plays it utterly straight, to the point of genuine human pathos that's only enhanced by the sheer ridiculousness of what's actually happening

(Source (glorious-spoon’s own Tumblr is locked): https://phoenixcatch7.tumblr.com/post/795027167614550016)

Fanwork Links: Grandmaster of Recycled Cornettos, by Anonymous.

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: M/M; Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian; Jiang Cheng vs. Lan Wangji; Jiang Cheng & Lan Wangji; Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian; Jiang Cheng, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: 2,024; 19:36
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, Jiang Cheng the F-bombardier
Creator Tags: Post-Canon, Humor, brother-in-law-ly bonding, jc is an angry grape who won't admit he and lwj are friends, but (and u didn't hear this from me) they kinda are
Creator Links: (Fic)

chinxe; (Podfic):

GodOfLaundryBaskets

Theme: Food & Cooking, Fandom Classics, Humor, Podfics, Post-Canon, Working Together

Summary:
Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji cannot stand each other on the best of days, which is why them being forced to work together can only end in disaster and/or attempted murder.

Right?

Author’s Notes: For Bendisa.

This was written as a thank you present for mei (marimoflower on twitter)!

… if you couldn't tell, jc + lwj is one of my favourite dynamics to write...love me a pair of emotionally constipated dumbasses...

Reccer's Notes: Jiang Cheng, sneaking into the Cloud Recesses kitchen to cook for his ailing brother, finds Lan Wangji there with the same intention; in a glorious duel/duet of sniping pettiness, Wei Wuxian’s brother and husband contend, and then cooperate, to commit lotus rib soup.

Fanwork Links:
Fic: proof by contradiction, by

chinxe for

Bendisa.
Podfic: [Podfic] proof by contradiction by

GodOfLaundryBaskets for

sisi_rambles.

Current Music: “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You)”, by Tony Orlando and Dawn.

glitteryv

The Story of Minglan

A 2018 historical drama with 73 eps total.

The premise

Sheng Minglan's childhood is rather terribs. Her mom was the second (and lesser) concubine of a court official. Lin Qingshuan (played by Gao Lu) is the first concubine. She's a woman who schemes every which way in order to get her daughter Sheng Molan (played by Shi Shi) an advantageous marriage.

Because of her father's neglect, the core of Minglan's childhood is abt surviving Lin Qingshuan's traps and abuse. Things take a dark turn when Minglan's mother dies under v. suspicious circumstances. At only 8 years old, Minglan decides to follow her mom's advice (to hide her intelligence and high observational skills) cuz that'd make her a target.

Thankfully, tho, she comes under the protection of Old Madam Sheng (played by Cao Cuifen), her paternal grandmother, who educates and raises her.

The story then jumps forward in time (around ep. 5) from Minglan's childhood to her teen years (by now the character is played by Zhao Liying.) Minglan begins to go to a co-ed school alongside her other 5 siblings. It's while there that she reunites with Gu Tingye (played by Feng Shaofeng), the second son of some noble. [NB: they'd first met when they were children, then parted ways. So their dynamic is a bit more casual and friendlier than expected.]

What follows are a lot of ups and downs that continue after Minglan and Gu Tingyue enter into an arranged marriage. The dramarama steps on the pedal…

FTR, this is way less of a romance and more of a Slice of LIfe type of family drama. The focus is split between Minglan & Gu Tinguye, Minglan's family (including all of her cousins), Gu Tingye's fam, their friends, enemies, etc. It's a HUGE cast.

What makes Minglan likable and interesting to watch (at last to me) is that she's extremely clever in finding the solutions to all sorts of problems. Also, she's got a flair fo sussing people out. And so, whenever there's any kind of trouble, she's able to solve it in a way that makes sense. Her methodology makes sense because the drama shows her learning (from her grandma and a few teachers) things such as how to maneuver around AND through conflicts, the value of patience, and how to prepare plans B, C, and D in case plan A fails, etc. She is (at least for a while) a v. proactive character and that adds to the overall fun.

Meanwhile, Gu Tingye has a darker-than-expected past that makes him an outcast of sorts in the eyes of his immediate family and (to a certain extent) society at large. So he has to make his fortune w/o any familial support and that's a neat change from the regular deregular Male LI. He's complex enough to make him an interesting character to watch.

As a CP, they had a surprising amount of chemistry. [Fun fact: the two actors fell in love, married a few months before the drama premiered, had a kid, and (sadly?) got divorced 3 yrs later.] Fair warning: if you're looking for the characters to be lovey-dovey with each other, then you're gonna have to wait a LONG while! Both MCs have other suitors at different times in the story (and some of them are quite compatible with each MC.) Once the CP marries, tho, the true love aspect of the story actually kicks off. I like the idea of married ppl falling in love with each AFTER getting hitched.

This drama also has good cinematography. Most of the main villains--at least up to the point I stopped watching--are great (the actors make them quite hateable.)

I watched the first 43 eps, btw (so I bounced a little past the halfway point.)

The child actors (who again, only stuck around for the first 5 eps) are ridic good. And the adult cast is talented as well.

Do I have any criticisms?

The pacing is v. slow at times.

I also have a bit of an issue with something that begins toward the end of ep 5 and continues up to ep. 11. Like I mentioned before, Zhao Liying starts playing Minglan in ep. 5. Per the story, Minglan's 15-y.o….but Zhao Liying was 31 when she filmed that drama. Her styling (w/r/t to her hair and makeup) goes so hard in trying to make her look teenager-y that it magnifies the age difference between character and actor.

This problem also happens with the male lead. Gu Tingye is meant to be around 19-20 at that point in the story. However, Feng Shaofeng was 40. The drama works around this by keeping the cameras into soft focus mode for a handful of episodes until enough time passes in the drama and the character is slightly older.

You can most deffo tell they're WAY OLDER than they're supposed to be. It looks as ridic and O__o as you can imagine. So it's up to the viewer to make their peace/accept this just like it is.

MOVING ON.

My yays abt this drama started to wilt around ep. 35. There's a specific repetitiveness to the conflicts that pop up that gets tiresome quick. It'd go like this: XYZ character hates Minglan, they want to bring her down or, at the v. least, "teach her a lesson". Minglan, somehow, outsmarts them. Rinse and repeat. ON TOP OF THAT, it's super weird how EVERY NEW CHARACTER (especially female ones) hates her.

Also, there's a certain "dumbing down" of Minglan once she gets married. Frex, she moves into a new home with her husband. As soon as she's settled in, a whole 'nother batch of characters start to plan how humiliate Minglan. LITERALLY FOR NO REASON.

I gotta mention that BEFORE THE MARRIAGE, Minglan would've not only figured things out, but also come up with Plans A thru Z on how to counterattack anyone. However, now that she's married, she spends a lot fo the time wringing her hands while going "IDK what to dooooo". It's bizarre AND frustrating to see a previously clever lead suffer in silence episode after episode.

Some ppl have argued that, as a married lady, she now has to consider her actions cuz they'd affect her husband's life at court. I don't buy it. To me, it's v. much "previously awesome character gets depowered now that she's married JUST BECAUSE WE SAY SO."

What's the FMC's plot armor level?

Moderately high. She does suffer a lot of abuse and neglect as a child (this isn't depicted in a graphic way, but it's something that's brought up a few times.) Still, she usually manages to overcomes the obstacles rather unscathed.

How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

NO IDEA. As I understand it, the last third of the drama turns a lot more political. Which is something I like. However, I was so annoyed with Minglan becoming a doormat that I couldn't sit through one more episode.

Do I recommend it?

Yeahhhhhhh? IF you think you'll enjoy a mellow, domestic, and slow paced drama that focuses on the families and less on the CP, then this might be worth checking out. Again, the love part of the story is there, but not really intense, IMO.

FWIW, I did wanted to stick with it cuz I love Power Couple Dramas, but there we are. I do need to point out that my opinion is v. much that of an outlier as this is one of dramas that a ton of ppl do like (if not love.)

Queerness level

Nonexistent.

Le trailer

I couldn't find one w/English subtitles, but I wanted to give y'all some idea of the things I've complained abt so here you go:

Watch on YouTube

reena_jenkins

Hello there, friend!

I'm in a bit of a fandom lull right now, so I'm only asking for a few fandoms this year - but I'm sure whatever you make will make me smile. I’m @reena-jenkins.bsky.social‬ on BlueSky, reena_jenkins on AO3, @reena_jenkins@mastodon.social on mastodon, and reena-jenkins on tumblr. Here's what I'm asking for as listed in semi-order of preference (AKA what I’d love the very, very, very most to the things I'd also love the very most, except I really really would like something Stranger Things or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood this year if you have it in you):

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
Specifically, the first video game (aka "KOTOR") featuring Revan.

Specifically specifically, female Revan-centric stories.

Further specifically, the interaction between:

- Revan and HK-47 (murder buddies!)

- Revan and Mission (mentoring! crime family bonding! Mission never knew Revan before the amnesia so it's a whole "You love me for ME" thing)

- Revan and Bastilla (you fucked with my head but we have a soul-deep connection. Does delving into that connection make me as bad as you?)

- Revan and Malak (pre-canon DEEP EMOTIONAL FORCE CONNECTION WHILE STANDING UP FOR A CAUSE AND LEADING SOLDIERS AND BREAKING AWAY FROM ALL WE'VE EVER KNOWN ONLY TO SHATTER INTO BROKEN VERSIONS OF OURSELVES PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER).

I don't know why the heartfelt amnesiac with a traumatic backstory just gets me every time, but.....this particular story is So Good For Me like that. I am in love with the Pending Doom and trauma of the Mandalorian Wars era, the Sith War era, and the KOTOR 1 timeline. (I know very little about Revan's storyline in SWTOR, and I don't really care to.)

I would also happily accept Mando Wars era stories that deal with KOTOR II characters, like Meetra, Kreia, and Bao-Dur. I don't know the full story of the KOTOR II game, though, so pre-canon is preferable.

(If you’re looking for fic and stymied by how short the BP Authors list is for this fandom, you could hit up revanchxst, nymja, or basketofnovas on AO3 - they’re all podfic-friendly/blanket permission people. OR you could repod one of the KOTOR fics I’ve already recorded, and I would be a very happy clam.)

STRANGER THINGS

I have been in Stranger Things fandom since just before ITPE 2022, and I've seen everything except Season 1 (I started my Stranger Things journey with Season 4 and worked backwards, but Season 3 is absolutely my fave of them all). I have strong Steve Harrington feelings (don't we all), and the t-shirt to match. Things I would love to hear about:

- gen fic centered on Steve & Dustin or Steve & The Party, because I am personally targeted by Reluctant Babysitter Adopts All The Children

Steve & Robin sharing the brain cell and getting into Shenanigans (possibly life after high school? possibly dealing with their co-trauma? )
Eddie/Chrissy (WHYYYYYY AM I LIKE THIS? WHY IS MY FIRST SHIP IN 36 HOURS THE TWO KIDS WHO ONLY TALK FOR 6 MINUTES IN THE WHOLE SHOW? AND THEN THEY BOTH DIEEEEEEEEEEE. AU Where Chrissy Lives And Is A Self-Rescuing Cheerleader and I will give you a crisp high-five, please)
Steve/Eddie (Eddie has a type, and that type falls into the Prep category.)
Eddie/Chrissy/Steve
the Stranger Things equivalent of Case Fic/Monster of the Week
Max Mayfield
fic where any of the Party has powers/is secretly a Number
I will tentatively accept Steve/Billy if it's along the lines of "oh Fuck the Upside Down got me fucked up and now i have to re-organize my entire life in the aftermath and This Is How You Grow As A Person" or if it's murder husbands.
TIME LOOOOOPS

- Please do NOT give me anything that is a direct reference, reaction, or response to Season 5 as it's airing. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to be able to watch the new season as it drops, or if I'm going to spread it out, and I just don't know right now if I'll be able to appreciate your story choice as fully without the new season under my belt.

Fullmetal Alchemist (:Brotherhood, or All Media Types)
- I have not read the manga, I have not seen the live-action, and I haven't watched the 2003 OG anime in any significant way since I was a high school babysitter and the family I sat for had Cartoon Network's Adult Swim mumbleteen years ago. I have not seen Conquerer of Shamballa but I know the broad strokes. I don't particularly care about spoilers, and I'm totally fine googling anything I'm unfamiliar with in fic if necessary.

- I very recently watched the whole of FMA:B in consecutive order with deliberate intention, and it awakened long-dormant (ie, pre-my time in fandom-on-the-internet) feelings about the Brothers Elric. I will take Ed/Roy, I will take Ed/Winry, I will take Ed/Ling, I will take 500 scoops of Al/Mei with sprinkles of Xiao-Mei, Panda In The Big City on top. Riza/Roy is delicious, Rebecca Catalina/Havoc/Breda is my crackship for the ages based entirely on just that single photo in the end credits of FMA:B, and I live for every possible futurefic permutation of arm/no arm/alchemy/no alchemy. Pretty much the only thing I'm not down for is fic that disregards Al's importance to Ed, or otherwise minimizes his impact on the story - if it gives vibes of Al as a Sexy Lamp, I'm not likely to enjoy the story, no matter how engaging the rest of the fic concept is.

- I once told my roommate, "In the FMA Stargate AU, Fort Briggs is the Atlantis post and Olivier is John Sheppard." We both agreed I was 10000% correct in this assessment.

STARGATE: ATLANTIS
I love this show, I love this team of misfit goober loser geniuses, and I want to chew on the walls of every season's unresolved plot threads. I'm reviving my love of SGA after a ~10 year hiatus from actively creating podfic in the fandom, and everything hurts (in the good way, I swear!) just as much now as it did then. Back in 2012, I did the thing I do for a lot of my fandoms, where I watch most of the show but not all of it......and finally, just before the 20th anniversary of the whole freaking show, I have successfully completed watching my way through the back half of season five and NOW I HAVE SEEN 'VEGAS' WITH MY OWN TWO EYES.

I will read whatever permutation of John/Rodney you can come up with (Modern AUs, Roleswap AUs, any one of a hundred different point-of-divergence AUs, Rodney falls first but John falls faster, John stays a bug and Rodney loves him anyway, Serial Killer/Psychopath On A Leash AUs, THE ONE WHERE THEY'RE GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, Genderswap AUs, literally anything). I have a deep and throbbing heartboner for John/Ronon fic (John gives Ronon a safe place to rest and Ronon gives John a home to build together), a lovely and persistent comfortzone of Team OT4 in every permutation, and I can be easily swayed to just about any other Atlantis-based pairing if you try hard enough.

- The only thing I'm not down for is John/Todd, because I don't CARE how much weird wraith sexual chemistry they give John in an interrogation room - it just doesn't do it for me.

Fayjay's podfic of "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" has re-written my brain chemistry over the course of 14 years - literally, there are parts of that podfic I'll listen to specifically to knock myself out/fall asleep on airplanes - so if that helps you with a starting point, I'd say check out the works pages of auburn, telesilla, smilebackwards, or squaresarenotcircles on AO3. SGA has so many BP authors and it's been a joy lately to roll around in the fics I sorta-kinda-remember and then be surprised by new waves of fondness.

DCU: Cartoons and Comics

The Batfamily, The Arrow Clan, the Teen Titans/Young Justice crew

Pairings I enjoy include:

Tim Drake/Jason Todd

Tim Drake/Kon-El (aka Conner Kent)

Tim Drake/Roy Harper

Tim Drake/Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain

Artemis Crock/Wally West

Jason Todd/Roy Harper

Jason Todd/Roy Harper/Koriand'r

Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen

Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy

I have been blaming #ITPE for the way I spiraled into DCU for the last 7ish years, and I'm not going down quietly this time - I'm dragging everyone else into this mess of feelings along with me. I'm interested in the 'next gen' characters, the sidekicks - basically, if they show up in Teen Titans (comics & cartoon) or Young Justice (comics & cartoon), I'm happy. There's also the original gang in Red Hood and the Outlaws comics (Roy, Kori, and Jason - I'm not caught up on the Jason-Artemis-Bizarro run, so please ignore those fics), a host of general Batfam and Gothamites, and the Arrow Clan - I'm happy with mostly anything shippy or gen, just no Bruce/any of his kids, Ra's/Tim, or Dick/Damian, please. (Also, I still haven't seen the live tv show Titans yet.)

Star Wars: (the non-KOTOR stuff)
- Original Trilogy Era A New Hope through New Republic Reconstruction, including s1-3 of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett (excluding the Ahsoka show, bc I'm still working through my Sabine Wren feels)
- Prequel Trilogy movies and Clone Wars cartoons
- Star Wars: Rebels

I'm interested in stories about team missions, Jedi Master/Padawan bonding, Time Travel AUs, Kanan Doesn't Die AUs, slice-of-life stories, Sabine-centric Mandalorian Culture stories, and anything that has a crossover with Original Trilogy characters in either direction of their personal timelines. I love Time Travel Fix-Its, mission fic set during the Empire's reign, getting together stories, Force Sensitive Leia Organa, anything with Mara Jade. Stories from the time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, about Leia and Han and political intrigue and building a government, are totally my jam. Also, crossover with Rebels or Solo (ex: Luke being chased by an Inquisitor, Leia getting intel from Ahsoka, ENFYS NEST AND QI'RA DOING ANYTHING) would be deeply appreciated. I will chew on the walls for Clone culture! Mandalorian culture! Tatooine slave culture! Jedi temple padawan shenanigans!

I'm partial to Obi-Wan-centric stories, Mandalore is my favorite planetary destination (they have a culture of adoption! they're a warrior culture that nearly took over the galaxy! they're pacifists who don't really know how to be peaceful! there's political intrigue left, right, and center! they have badass space-iron armor!), and if you can find anything where Quinlan Vos is a major character I'll love you forever. If you find me a story involving Seventh Sister, I will straight-up swoon all over you. (Also, I have this REALLY COOL photo of Seventh Sister from a Star Wars Nights event in MGM a few years back, and I'd be more than happy to give it to you for use as coverart if you want. Feel free to pass that request through the mods, and I will die happy.)

I'm here for:

Leia Organa/Boba Fett

Leia Organa/Han Solo

Leia Organa/Han Solo/Luke Skywalker

Kanan/Hera

Sabine/Leia

Space Family as Found Family

Kanan & Ezra Jedi Bonding

Ahsoka & Kanan & Ezra Jedi Bonding

I'll take any and all of the below:

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Padme Amidala

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Padme Amidala/Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze

Ahsoka Tano/Barriss Offee

Ahsoka+Clones gen

Jango Fett+Boba Fett+Clones family bonding

Quinlan Vos/ANYONE I'LL TAKE ANYTHING ESPECIALLY OBI-WAN OR ASAJJ VENTRISS

I don't love Zeb/Kallus as much as the pairings listed above, but I'm happy to read about them as a side-pairing. No Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan, please.

(Because I'm feeling kinda lazy, I'm going to copy/paste a couple lists from last year's #ITPE letter.)

Things That Make Me Love This Story

-crossovers

-happy endings

-twisty or creepy endings

-dark and twisted AUs where are the good guys are serial killers or psychopaths or career criminals but you root for them anyway

-Stargate Atlantis AUs

-Sith AUs

-not!fic

-Buffy the Vampire Slayer AUs

-snappy banter

-found families

-Time Travel Fix-It fics

-vampires

-AUs where Character X never died, and then you get to see how canon gets warped by their presence

-situationally-induced cuddling

-fluff

-X-Men AUs

-High-School-Into-College AUs

-epistolary stories

-stories where Character X is a demon/Special Kid/uses their Gift for devious or scandalous affairs

-Accidental Boyfriends

-Pretend Dating

-scheming

-stories that leave you thinking and pondering and contemplating, even after it's all over

-threesomes, foursomes, moresomes (where the relationship is a Thing, not just an orgy of Guest Starring Limbs)

-werewolves

Things I Do Not Dig

-unwarned-for character death (I don't mind if you have to kill off a character in the course of your storytelling duty, but warn me ahead of time, please)

-cross-generational incest (I'm alright with incest - see all the Wincest I've recorded - but parent/child is not my thing)

-angels having any kind of sex (it throws up all kinds of Catholic Guilt flags. Interestingly, however, I have no problems at all with demons having sex)

-I can't remember the exact term, but stories where altar-boy!X (or demon!X, or doubting-his-faith!X) seduces Father Y (let's just leave the clergy out of this altogether, okay? Let's make it easy for everyone, and skip over Catholic School AUs for now, too)

-angst (I'm in this for the escapism; unless under very specific circumstances, if I wanted to be depressed I'd take my headphones off and pay attention to crappy reality)

-bestiality (of the there-is-actually-an-animal-involved-with-my-genitalia kind, not the sometimes-I'm-a-werewolf kind)

-stories that lack internal consistency (I'll spend the whole time picking apart the logic holes, instead of appreciating your performance)

-First Person POVs (though oddly enough, Second Person POVs really work for me...)

-people eating people (don't care if they're alive or dead, cannibalism squicks me out)

-stories where the Joker is "not that bad", or romanticizing the Joker/Harley relationship

Also, most authors I podfic these days have Blanket Permission - and if I've podficced more than one of their stories, chances are, I'd love to hear you read me another one. As for my podfic-listening habits, my work commute is around 45 minutes from door to desk - if you wanted to make me something that would last me an entire morning trek, I'd be super psyched. I enjoy music in podfics, as well as sound effects, if that's something you'd like to play around with. I feel comfortable listening to anything from PG to NC-17, so feel free to record whatever inspires you.

I can't wait to hear from you, new friend! I swear, I'm gonna be better this year about the community-interaction portion of #itpe.... but in case I don't respond to your podfic in a timely manner, please consider this a heartfelt and pre-emptive THANK YOU for making me a present - I just know it's gonna be awesome.

Current Mood: chipper

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Hilda the Plus-Size Pin-up
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Hilda, Hilda’s animals, Hilda’s viewers, Hilda’s kindasorta personified sourdough strains.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,947
Content Notes: Author Tract (COVID hygiene); canon-typical near-nudism; COVID-19 quarantine and the stresses thereof; Food Porn; music and instrument care nerdery; social media; some of Hilda’s chickens are for meat; sourdough nerdery; vintage textile nerdery.
Creator Tags: Epistolary, Pandemics, Recipes, Yuletide, Yuletide 2020
Creator Links: (AO3)

ellen_fremedon, (Bluesky)

ellenfremedon, (Dreamwidth)

ellen_fremedon, (Tumblr)

fremedon

Theme: Food & Cooking, Epistolary, Gen, Modern AU, Old Fandoms, (Secret) Hobbies, Small Fandoms

Summary: Welcome to Off the Grid at Chez Hilda, updated every Friday or whenever I feel like it. My artwork is at the Patreon link, and I don't need to remind lovely folks like you to like and subscribe, now do I?

Reccer's Notes: Hilda in 2020 is a rural lifestyle vlogger, addressing her audience from COVID quarantine and coping with lockdown in her characteristic down-home resourceful fashion (chaining canon illustrations into a storyline.)

The modernized context turns her repurposable-as-clothing floursacks into a vintage estate artifact, rhyming two historical periods of struggle and make-do as she renders them into masks. In the course of her expositions on things like feral cat rescue and wafflemaking, she casually drops evidence of an impressive and wide-ranging education; this is a woman who, in her witty conversational folksiness, gladly learns and gladly teaches. (Wonder if she and Manly Wade Wellman’s John the Balladeer ever met?)

This Hilda lives in a community, though; as the quarantine grinds wearily on, she grows increasingly fretful in her seclusion, mounting the soapbox to rant about neighbors who refuse to mask or isolate (this is 2020, before vaccines became available), and the parasocial companionship of her audience becomes increasingly precious.

Oh, and Hilda shares a recipe for her hybrid sourdough/baking powder waffles, complete with considerate substitution suggestions for various dietary limitations. (“This batter keeps in the fridge for a couple days, allegedly. I’ve never managed to test it.”)

Fanwork Links: Hilda Shelters in Place, by

ellen_fremedon for

Topaz_Eyes, for Yuletide 2020.

beatrice_otter posting in

fancake

Fandom: Marvel Comics, MCU
Pairings/Characters: Kamala Khan, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson,
Rating: Not rated
Length: 5k
Creator Links:

kyburg
Theme: food, trauma, team, characters of color

Summary:

It's a service day at the Masjid. Lentils, rice and everything nice.

What isn't nice are some the memories.

Good people make you their friend. Good friends know how to get to the heart of the matter.

Reccer's Notes: This is about the Avengers meeting Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel. But it's also about friendship, and trauma, and memory, and moving on.

Fanwork Links: To The Heart

croissantkatie

this is a placeholder, full letter coming soon!

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: Explicit
Length: 2696
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: trophic on AO3
Themes: Food and cooking, Established relationship, Humor, Just plain fun

Summary: John wants a cupcake. Rodney wants a blowjob.

Reccer's Notes: This story focuses on UST between John and a cupcake which Rodney uses in a light dom/sub scene to wind John up. It's funny, very hot, and features a nicely pouty, turned-on John, a deviously masterful Rodney, and a delicious cupcake.

Fanwork Links: Devil's Food on AO3
and there's a podfic: Devil's Food [podfic]

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: due South
Characters/Pairings: Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio, Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio/Benton Fraser
Rating: Mature
Length: 1878
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: seascribble on AO3
Themes: Food and cooking, Polyamory, Domestic, Friends to Lovers

Summary: Benton has no reason to think anything in Chicago has changed during his absence.

Reccer's Notes: There's not a lot of food in this, but the Rays do make Benton dinner - even if it turns out that Ben's the main course. Some excellent Ray/Ray banter, a sensible discussion, UST finally requited, and a very hopeful ending. Fun, hot, and heartwarming - and the food sounded tasty, too!

Fanwork Links: Dinner and a Movie

glitteryv

Under the Moonlight (YouTube)

A 2025, 36-episode historical drama.

The premise

It's the story of Luo Shu (played by Hu Bingqing) who was abt to debut as a courtesan. Due to ~plotty reasons, she got a job with Han Munzi (He Peng), the new local magistrate, as a kind of consultant detective of sorts. (I know, I know. Just go along with this.) Then, Qi Menglin (played by Zhai Zilu), the governor's son, showed up and SOMEHOW ended up tagging along in the investigations.

I'd heard some rumblings abt this drama and was confused as to why it wasn't more popular.

Hu Bingqing as Luo Shu gave a solid performance: her pragmatic view of things and cleverness w/r/t the way ppl behave. As for the rest of the cast, the majority of them were good. Especially the actors for the secondary characters.

The mysteries (well, I only watched the first two out of the 10) were actually cool. They were complicated enough to warrant a few episodes per case. The solutions were logical too. NGL, the mysteries are a big part of the reason why I stuck with the show (even as I had soured on other things.)

Do I have any criticisms?

Well...😬

My ability to suspend my disbelief was nearly broken. I understood that the premise was pretty ridic to begin with. But then, for reasons, Luo Shu (once she stared consulting) did a crummy job in disguising herself as a man. Which included her fake persona being given the rank of captain which EVERYONE IN THE MAGISTRATE OFFICE (down the lowest ranked officer) was A-OK with... 🙃

What makes this so OTT was that the crimes were V. SRS BIZNESS (including sexual assault and grusome murders). At times, I had to ignore the fact that Luo Shu (despite her good powers of observation) had received ZERO training for this kind of job, but OK, drama. XD

THEN, there's the casting of Hu Bingqing as Luo Shu. OTOH, she could convey a character who's ultimately optimistic, focused, smart, and dedicated. OTOH, however, the show made it v. clear that her character was EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. This was brought up many times during the first 2-3 eps.

Unfortunately, though, Hu Bingqing looked (at best) to be around 10 yrs older. FTR, she was around 31-32 when they'd filmed this drama. In an ideal world, the character would've been aged up OR the production team could've cast someone closer to the character's age.

After all, Zhai Zilu as Qi Menglin was 21 when the drama was filmed (the character's supposed to be 24, IIRC.) This meant that, when the characters are together, Hu Bingqing looked like an older relative of his or someone who is deffo older than him.

Again, Hu Bingqing acted the fuck out of that character, BUT she carrieed herself as someone who is way more mature than the character was supposed to be (given the whole 'SHE'S 18!" thing.)

And then, there's my SECOND issue: Qi Menglin. He's handsome and had some charisma. That said, his personality in this drama was so childish that it put me off. I think this character would've fit better in another type of drama (a romcom one) vs. plotlines that go IN abt how someone killed someone else. So, seeing him bumble his way and act all jokey rubbed me the wrongest of ways. .

AND FINALLY, I didn't believe the CP at all. At first, Qi Menglin was v. rude and bratty toward Luo Shu cuz he thought she's a guy. Once he discovered the truth, he decided to court her cuz why not? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I didn't like how hard the show tried to make the CP happen. ALSO BASED ON

SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING

he never really grew out of that jokey/prankster mode? And eventually they get married, but not cuz she fell in love with him. Instead, it's more like he wore down her resolve

Which NO, THANK YOU. I'M NOT HERE FOR THAT. As I understand it, the romance was supposed to be a slow burn. Unfortch, there's ZERO chemistry cuz there's NO attraction between them, LOLsob. Instead, they had sibling energy. IJS

What's the FMC's plot armor level?

Fairly strong. Bad things have happened to her (such as being sold to a brothel when she was young, almost getting sexually assaulted onscreen, etc), but all of the terrible things happened to other characters and not her in the end.

How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

NO IDEA! I bounced before any of this was brought into the story. BUT, I'm sure there's some dramarama afoot in the latter half?

Do I recommend it?

No. It's not a terrible drama, but all of the things I complained abt added up to a big "let me stop here and move on." I only watched 6 out of the 36 eps. The series is available on YouTube.

Queerness level

There's a ~vibe between the Magistrate and his second in command that's sort of explained as the two of them being lifelong friends? Though they deffo have MARRIEDS vibe, IMO.. FTR, the show makes it v. clear that neither character is queer (but when has that stopped anyone, LOL?)

Le trailer

I could only find this version of the trailer. It has Portuguese subtitles. Trigger/Content Warning: The first 25 seconds show people getting murdered by different methods. It's graphic enough (there's blood (no gore, tho) and violence) for me to give a heads up.

Watch on YouTube

turps

Sadly Bluey has had her first bump.

Driving down a road in town that's terrible for people illegally parking on both sides so they can easily get to the nearby Greggs, we were driving behind a lady, who stopped, and then reversed, when a car going up didn't stop, taking up all the available space in the middle of the road. How she didn't see our car behind hers I don't know, but apparently she didn't.

Thankfully, the damage is cosmetic only with a few scratches, and if it wasn't a mobility car we'd probably just leave it or try and get some matching car paint. But, that's not an option, so an insurance job it is.

Pauline's 80th birthday party went really well yesterday. We picked Corey up at 2, and were at the venue for 2:30, Pauline wanted a late afternoon/early evening party so she'd get home in good time, and it worked out nicely. All her family was there, and my aunt and uncle came too, the first time I'd seen them for over a year.

The catering wasn't the best as the chef at the pub we were at had walked out a few weeks ago, and they'd had to arrange outside catering, and instead of the big buffet that was paid for, there were only platters of sandwiches, crisps and cut up cheese. So, Pauline had to buy extras herself, arranging for people to bring 5 large cakes, sausage rolls, cheese rolls and quiches. But, at least the hot beef sandwiches were provided as ordered, and while there wasn't a huge variety the cobbled together buffet was tasty. Plus, we got to bring leftovers home, and is it even a family party buffet if you can't do that and eat slightly stale leftovers on the night/next morning?

If you're interested I posted a couple of photos of us and the kidlet on my instagram here

Unsurprisingly, my brother didn't turn up. He did send a beautiful bouquet but I wish he'd realise Pauline would always appreciate seeing him more than an actual gift.

It was great spending time with Corey, and he was telling me he and his girlfriend have managed to get MCR tickets which made me so happy for them. If I can't go, at least I know they are and will have a great time.

By the time we'd taken him back to Gateshead and got home it was getting toward eight, and it took me about five seconds to get in my pjs, get under the heated blanket with the cats and watch Strictly. After all, it's what Saturday evenings are made for.

beatrice_otter posting in

fancake

Fandom: Hawkeye, MCU
Pairings/Characters: Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Bucky Barnes
Rating: teen
Length: 5k
Creator Links:

aimmyarrowshigh
Theme: food, team,

Summary:

“I’m not saying you need to decide right now. Or any time soon. But someday, you might want to walk away. And you’re luckier than most of the… superheroes… that I’ve ever known because you know what normal looks like. You know how to be normal. You can go back to normal if it’s what you want. And I know it’s not what you want right now, and I respect that, but I’m glad that it’s an option.”

Or, Clint and Kate challenge each other to prove they're the better New Yorker because they know the best food spots. Truths about superhero life and life in general come out along the way as they eat through the five boroughs.

Reccer's Notes: I love the humor and the support, and the way Clint mentors Kate.

Fanwork Links: Slice of Life

Profile

xojemmaxo

April 2013

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Page Summary

podfic_bingo_mod in podfic_bingo - October Challenge 2025: Moon
kingstoken in fancake - Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED by charlielover
full_metal_ox in fancake - Hilda the Plus-Size Pinup: Here I Am, by Missy.
runpunkrun in fancake - Round 179: Uncommon Settings
mific in fancake - due South: A Balanced Diet by seascribble
mific in fanart_recs - happy halloween by sagedrewthis (SFW)
mific in fancake - SGA: Vanilla by Punk
miss_marina95 in amplificathon - Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology VI!
full_metal_ox in fancake - Mo Dao Zu Shi: Grandmaster of Recycled Cornettos, by Anonymous.
full_metal_ox in fancake - Mo Dao Zu Shi: proof by contradiction, by chinxe; podfic by GoLBPodfics (GodOfLaundryBaskets).
glitteryv - Fannish 50 S3 Post 42: CDramas I've DNF'd Part 2
reena_jenkins - ITPE 2025 (we're on tumblr this year!)
full_metal_ox in fancake - Hilda the Plus-Size Pin-up: Hilda Shelters in Place, by ellen_fremedon for Topaz_Eyes.
beatrice_otter in fancake - Marvel: To The Heart by kyburg
croissantkatie - dear festividder
mific in fancake - SGA: Devil's Food by trophic
mific in fancake - due South: Dinner and a Movie by Seascribble
glitteryv - Fannish 50 S3 Post 41: CDramas I've DNF'd part 1
turps - (no subject)
beatrice_otter in fancake - Hawkeye: Slice of Life by aimmyarrowshigh

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