Fannish round-up for 2014

[st_aurafina]

Today was the first real scorcher of summer: 41 degrees C and an extreme fire risk. There was a nasty, scary fire in the north of the state, and a closer but smaller and better controlled one at Framlingham, but they're both coming under control as the evening rolls in. Our visitors went home yesterday, which was a wise choice. I wouldn't want to be on the roads today through the Otways, with the fire risk this high.

I don't really know how the new house behaves in the heat, but so far, with the shades down and the lights off, it seems to be holding at a nice temperature. The ceiling fans really help, too.



Fic for 2014:

I didn't write as much as I wanted to, but I did post two big bangs, both of which I'm really proud of.


Naked in Barings (812 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sanctuary (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nigel Griffin/James Watson
Characters: Nigel Griffin, James Watson
Summary:

Nigel wakes up naked and chained to a bed in Watson's cellar. Things could be worse.

Flying Lessons (551 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Doctor Who (2005)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/River Song
Characters: Clara Oswin Oswald, Twelfth Doctor, River Song
Summary:

The Doctor's regeneration brings chaos to the TARDIS, and Clara searches for help.

Two-in-Hand (735 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Abbie Mills, Ichabod Crane (TV)
Summary:

The crisis is over, and Ichabod is in the stables.

The Long Game (777 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Regulus Black/Severus Snape
Summary:

The night Regulus was named as a traitor, Severus wrote two lists.

Thylacine (21169 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: Sanctuary (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Helen Magnus, James Watson, Nikola Tesla, Imogen Worth, Declan MacRae, Henry Foss
Additional Tags: The Five, Victorian, Australia, Cryptozoology
Summary:

Helen Magnus was resigned to taking the slow road back to the twenty-first century alone without changing history. Then Imogen Worth was found alive under the rubble. Now, with an unexpected ward and paradox at her side, the road to the future has taken a startling turn.

Ride a White Horse (33302 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: X-Men: First Class (2011), Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey, X-Men (Comicverse)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Irene Adler (X-Men)/Raven | Mystique, Raven | Mystique/Angel Salvadore
Characters: Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Armando Muñoz, Raven | Mystique, Irene Adler (X-Men), Angel Salvadore, Alex Summers, Sebastian Shaw, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, Sean Cassidy, Janos Quested, Rolan (Valdemar), Gwena (Valdemar), Fred Duncan
Additional Tags: mindbond, Charles is a Companion, sparkly telepathic ponies, Telepathic Bond, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Valdemar fusion
Summary:

With Mindspeaking as powerful as his, the safest place for Xavier was Companion's Field, where he's lived all his life alongside his only friend, Raven the Changechild. Erik is determined to stop Schmidt, Ancar's mage, from ever harming another child; he has no time to nurse a shaky Mindbond with a Companion of Valdemar. And Raven wants Xavier to find his Chosen, but cannot allow him to face danger alone.

Mr Saxobeat (1006 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Captain America (Movies), Young Avengers, Hawkeye (Comics)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kate Bishop/America Chavez
Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, America Chavez, Stig Svante Stockselius
Additional Tags: Eurovision, Epic sax solo
Summary:

Kate has a terrible plan, but America is willing to indulge her.

Lion Salient on a Field of Gold (6289 words) by st_aurafina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince)
Characters: Damen (Captive Prince), Laurent (Captive Prince)
Additional Tags: Future Fic
Summary:

Laurent will be damned if he'll let an assassin kill him in King Damianos' court.

WIPs:

I've got 50K of Winter Soldier fic just waiting to be jossed by Agent Carter in a week or so. *le sigh* It's worth it for more Peggy canon.


OMG, I just found a file in my WIP folder, entitled "Warehouse 13 a/b/o plan". Um.


st_aurafina: i woke up really early
st_aurafina: and i couldn't get back to sleep
st_aurafina: so i was thinking about lady a/b/o
st_aurafina: and wondering how it worked
st_aurafina: and then i started plotting one
st_aurafina: and i can't stop help me
st_aurafina: i was hoping it would be all a dream
lilacsigil: ...what fandom?
lilacsigil: so how does it work?
st_aurafina: warehouse 13
st_aurafina: and like, what if the warehouse is the alpha?
st_aurafina: and so agents are usually betas
st_aurafina: but HG isn't
st_aurafina: so it gets complicated when they debronze her


I have no idea what I was thinking, but I kind of like it?



This closet is full of awesome crap!! This was for... something Warehousey:



---
Claudia had learned to ignore the sensation of being watched. The Warehouse was a creepy place, sometimes; Mrs Frederic's cryptic suggestions that it was sentient made a lot of sense. There were occasions when there were reasons for this feeling: Lady Troubridge's monocle had a habit of dropping, oh, so casually into Claudia's cleavage until she threatened to paint the lens black.

This time, though, Claudia's neck prickled with unease as she finished off the inventory check on domestic appliances. Before she started a new aisle, she went to find Pete, who was ostensibly assigned to inventory detail.

She found him, splayed across a rug-strewn sofa, tears streaming down his face.

"Dude," said Claudia, and crouched beside him. "Are you okay?"

Pete swiped a dusty sleeve over his face. "No. I'm definitely experiencing feelings of abandonment."

Claudia biffed him on the head. "Overreaction much? Myka will come back, you know. She and HG are working a case."

"No," said Pete. "This is different, deeper, more intense. I think I need to clarify my relationship with my mother. Or something." He wrinkled his forehead. "I wonder if I was breast-fed?"

"Ew, TMI!" Claudia leapt away. "That is just… this just doesn't sound like you at all, Pete." She walked around the sofa until she found the tag. "Dude, what is it with you and random Artifact encounters?"

Pete shook his head and curled into the foetal position then slipped a thumb into his mouth. "I need to go back to the oral phase, and work this stuff out," he mumbled.

"Pete," said Claudia, in a calm and rational voice. "It's time to get up now. You're lying on Freud's couch. Please, Pete. Get up before you get to the next phase. I do not want to hear about your need to withhold."
---


There's 3K of this, with pirates. Later, Helena murders someone with a vole.




TV and Movies:

Winter Soldier! Oh, man, I mean, I'd read the comics, and I liked the story, but the movie punched me in the feels big time.

X-Men: Days of Future Past: Surprisingly did not get fannish about this. I mean, I liked it. I loved it. But I did not write for it.

Person of Interest: We have inhaled two seasons, and are launching into the third. Love it! It took me a while to get into, and I still find Mr Reese deeply odd. I haven't investigated the fic department of this fandom, but do people write him as, like, the embodiment of the Machine? I find him easier to deal with if I can tell myself that somehow Finch built a walking, talking, empathy-impaired android. (Now I'm ear-wormed with a creepy Cliff Richard song.) Although we've just had the episode where Root identifies the Machine as female. But anyway, I strongly suspect I'm going to be all about Shaw/Root. Also I love Carter. Also I know what happens.

- Battlestar Galactica: I mainlined this while we were moving. I had to do it alone, because it's hellishly handheld and vertigo inducing, plus lilacsigil doesn't do apocalyptic fandoms. (Although I'll argue it becomes less apocalyptic in later seasons, though not less handheld.) One of the benefits of watching a show long after it has finished is being able to google for the really bad episodes and skip over them.

Oh, my love for the ladies of this show. Oh, my incredible crush on Katee Sackhoff's shoulders.


- Longmire: I'm midway through season 2. I started this for Katee Sackhoff (omg, she needs to be in it more, what a waste!) but I'm staying for Lou Diamond Philips. I did not honestly expect to enjoy it as much as I am. But it needs more ladies, lots more ladies. I can ship Walt/Henry with no difficulty, but I really need some lady ships.

- Sleepy Hollow. I would not have picked you as my DNF show this year. Seriously, what a freaking disaster you turned into. I am so sad for your clever, media-savvy actors who know the ship is going down.

- Doctor Who, you lost me when Twelve told Clara she was fat. What the actual fuck was that. Not that I won't keep coming back - I am always going to come back, it's a lifelong thing.

Ugh, that finished up depressing. I will cheer myself up by looking to the future. I am looking forward to Agent Carter. So very much. Please don't suck, please don't be gross and weird. I have The Librarians ready to watch as soon as my schedule settles down a little. Person of Interest Season Three is fun so far. *hugs self gently* It's okay, bb.



Comics

I was so glad to come back to comics this year! Not that I think the stupidity and grossness of the industry has lessened, but my volcanic rage at the stupidity and grossness has simmered down enough that I can now enjoy the good things.

Ms Marvel! So adorable, and so full of ridiculousness and glorious heroism.

Hawkeye. So unexpectedly droll, so unexpectedly leading me into using a smush name for a ship. America wasn't even in it, and yet I am team Amerikate.

Young Avengers. For the Amerikate!!

Loki: Agent of Asgard. I'm only six issues in, but it's awesome. (I am apparently supposed to read Journey into Mystery, but I remember when lilacsigil read the last issue and something SO AWFUL happened that she walked around the house randomly bursting into tears. So I'm never going to read that, because I don't do sad endings.)

Thor! I'm only two issues in, but I love lady!Thor! Also Malekith is walking around with dude!Thor's arm wrapped around his neck like a stole, and it's hilarious and camp. I feel like he'd be great on Project Runway.

I also did a re-read of the Winter Soldier arc in Captain America, because of my many feels about the movie.




Fic Read

I read and recced a lot this year, for me. *proud* Two standouts:

This, You Protect (64326 words) by owlet
Chapters: 33/33
Fandom: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers
Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Pepper Potts, Clint Barton
Additional Tags: Humor, I hope humor anyway, cursing, Protection, Strong feelings about coffee, slightly off-canon, Steve is sassy, sam is sassy, Bucky is sassy, Everyone has their sassy pants on, just accept that grilled cheese is the perfect food, old people are Team Bucky
Summary:

The mission resets abruptly, from objective: kill to objective: protect

Ugh, it's over. *gross crying* Where am I going to get my pick-me-up now? A new chapter seemed to come just when I was feeling miserable or cranky. And now it's over. Which is great. But sad.


Life of Crime (35399 words) by neveralarch
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Marvel 616, Hawkeye (Comics)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Clint Barton/Carol Danvers, Clint Barton & Kate Bishop, Kate Bishop/America Chavez, Barney Barton & Clint Barton
Characters: Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes, Carol Danvers, Kate Bishop, Barney Barton, Maya Lopez, Steve Rogers, Tracksuit Mafia, Lester | Bullseye
Additional Tags: Deaf Clint Barton, Edgeplay, Consensual Kink, Polyamory, Supervillain AU, also lots of other characters and implied pairings but these tags were starting to get out of hand
Summary:

As a supervillain supercriminal contract worker with a morality deficit, Clint Barton leads a glamorous life. You know, stolen cars, dangerous women, a really confusing relationship with a meddling do-gooder, the works. It's pretty awesome. Except for, uh, medical bills, the mob, and being on the run all the time. That part isn't all that awesome.

(A supervillain AU where Clint shoots arrows at people and gets beat up a lot. So, not really that much of an AU.)

This is the one that brought me back to comics, so I really have to nominate it as the best fic I read this year. It's why I had to read Young Avengers and Hawkeye. I think I'm going to go re-read it now.



Yay, it's cooler here now, finally! And I have coffee jelly and vanilla ice-cream. And tomorrow is going to be slightly less scorching than predicted! 2015, you're not so bad, so far.

Comments

[lonelywalker]

a walking, talking, empathy-impaired android. (Now I'm ear-wormed with a creepy Cliff Richard song.)
I think I prefer these lyrics.

[st_aurafina]

Yeah, me too. Seriously.

[monanotlisa]

There's 3K of this, with pirates. Later, Helena murders someone with a vole.

She WOULD.

AND I LOVE THE SNIPPET PLEASE POST ALL OF IT, or better yet, write more? :) /Warehouse13 love

[st_aurafina]

It's a deadly vole.

And yay! I think I want to write more? But I bailed on the last season, and I think I need to understand at least where Claudia finished up. I will move it from the back burner to the front, and see how it goes.

[clare_dragonfly]

Nope. No. Uh-uh. Just pretend the fifth season didn't exist. For your own good. I wish I could...

[st_aurafina]

A ha ha, this is why I stayed away! But I do want to know where Claudia ended up, so I guess I can watch it on fast forward or something.

[musesfool]

Where am I going to get my pick-me-up now? A new chapter seemed to come just when I was feeling miserable or cranky. And now it's over. Which is great. But sad.

Yes! Also I wanted MORE. More of Steve and the Olds. More of Bucky and Natasha and Natasha laughing soundlessly at him! And always more of Steve and Bucky being smartasses to each other.

[st_aurafina]

Oh, man, the Olds were the best! And sassy!Steve is the best. It was all the best, really.

[lark_ascends]

Stay safe!

[st_aurafina]

We're all good! Everything nearby is under control.

You stay safe, too. Scary weather.

[clare_dragonfly]

I hope you survive the heat!

I don't really know anything about a/b/o but your ideas are delightful. And so is your fic snippet.

[st_aurafina]

It's much cooler now, thank goodness.

I don't really know anything about a/b/o either! I think I need to research but there's like, one f/f fic ever. I think it's Supernatural RPF.

[salinea]

journey into mystery is sooooooooo worth the pain.


BSG, I'm still doubtful whether it is worth the pain, even though I love so many of the characters and the score and the cinematography and the drama. But shit, the writing, it is shit.

[st_aurafina]

I really enjoyed BSG for the most part - I only skipped a couple of episodes that were poorly reviewed.

[salinea]

It is a very divisive canon! XD

[kaffy_r]

I'm trying to catch up with other peoples' journals, and I remembered that I wanted to squee with you over "This, You Protect." It was sometimes one of the only good things in my day, and I, too, and happy/sad that it's over. I am cheering your multiple fics, and also want to start watching Longmire again, and start watching The Librarians for the first time, because it's got a lot of things I love, including that guy from Leverage. Heh.

Also, BSG and Starbuck and Roslin and ALL the Sixes are glorious. That is some of the best television ever, but I'm not sure I could watch it again (even though I was one of the few people who enjoyed, for various skewed powers of "enjoyed", the ending, and I don't know if you've seen it so I'll say nothing more.)

Uhm. Anyhow, hi! From the future, or at least many days after you wrote this!

[st_aurafina]

OMG hi! We are watching the pilot episode of The Librarians, and I AM IN LOVE. (Except for the cancer subplot - why does everything need a cancer subplot? That's not fun.)

I have watched all the way through BSG - I can see why people had a problem with the ending. I was okay with it - I mean, they had to end it somewhere, and what they did made sense. I do think they left Starbuck's storyline kind of unfinished though. I wanted her to fly off with Sam who was obviously going to become the hybrid for the Galactica. Him flying the fleet into the sun was a little disappointing. I love living ships or ships with brains!

Oh, but the best best best thing was the Cylons - I loved all the Cylon episodes, and their developing culture and the weirdness of being a newborn civilisation with that much self-awareness. And the Sixes, oh, I loved all of them. And the Threes. And the storyline with the Final Five, and yeah. So much love.

Now I'm going to go find all the fic.

[kaffy_r]

I wanted her to fly off with Sam who was obviously going to become the hybrid for the Galactica.

I agree, totally - they should have had any of the Cylons who wanted to follow Kara and Sam agree to take the fleet (or at least some of it), and head off to be a defense force against any remaining One-loyal Cylons (because you know there were some left out there), and also to have adventures, and also to explore the relationship between Kara and Hybrid!Sam.