enemyofperfect | Snowflake Challenge #6: Wishes

What do I wish existed in fandom or that I could get my metaphorical hands on? Let's see...

I'd love to find more reaction posts or thinky meta for shows I'm watching! So I guess right now, that would be Stumptown, The Good Place, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and maybe Fleabag. (And Sym-Bionic Titan, although that's a decade old...)
I'd also love more meta on pretty much any topic. I feel like I used to follow a lot of blogs talking about things like gender, kink, writing, psychology, politics... And of course I still see posts like that, but I feel like a lot of the discussion has moved to twitter, where it's harder for me to follow, so I'm always looking for more.
Longfic recs in fandoms I read in, or even in fandoms I haven't! I don't mind jumping into the deep end for a story that has rich characterization, cool worldbuilding, and/or soothing angst.
Recs for original short stories available online, especially if they're SF or fantasy. I always forget how much I like getting tastes of new characters and worlds until I click on a story and remember again. #OwnVoices a plus!
Fanfic with inventive new premises, like rionaleonhart's awesome FFXV fic Becoming Strangers, in which Ignis wakes up to find that none of the other bros remember who he is. That's not an established trope, as far as I can tell, but once I read it, I was like, damn, why is it not??
Active kink memes for fandoms I'd like to write for! meme_of_interest is still responsible for the only smut I've ever posted, as well as a couple of gen ficlets (and a lot of WIPs). I'd love to get to experience that kind of energy again.
And of course, I'd be incredibly delighted by any fanworks inspired in any way by my own. I'm still tickled that one of them was translated into Russian, and that was years ago. ♥

Since I've seen other people mentioning community norms they'd like to see for this challenge... I guess I'd also wish for fans who are privileged in some way, especially fans who are also in the majority, to do a better job of listening to people who don't share that privilege. If cis feminists would listen to trans women, for example, or if white fans like myself did a better job of listening to fans of color, I think we'd all be the better for it.

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yup.... i'm very much "disappointed but not surprised" about some discussions that are still going on :/

oooh yay! i love rec'ing stuf!
okay so i remembered one that is actually not bleak. it's "black, their regalia" by Darcie Little Badger and it's one of the short stories i read in the last few years that stayed with me for a while. actually, all of the short stories in that edition are fantastic, there's also one by NK Jemisin that i highly enjoyed.

then there's "the great silence" by Ted Chiang, which was actually part of an installation but i found it more enjoyable to read. here's the installation though.

and then there's "the flower" by Louise Erdrich, which is very haunting but so beautifully written. it's not really fantasy or SFF but it has one element (but it could also not be magic, depending on how you read the story)?
i'm really not sure about this one, personally, i really enjoyed it but i know it's not for everyone.

lmk if you'd like content warnings for any of them!

also, if you read them, let me know what you think!! :D

Oh, Ted Chiang has written some great stuff, I will look forward to reading another story of his! And thank you so much for all three recs -- so far I have read "The Flower", which is definitely both haunting and beautiful. It's the kind of story that's so intensely itself that I have a hard time knowing what to say about it, but the contrast between the grotesque horror that chased them and the other-worldly kindness that came to her in glimpses was so good.

the great silence actually the only thing i've read by Chiang! is there anything you'd recommend?

yesss, i agree. i had to reread it a couple of times to fully digest it. i also loved the sharp contrast between the two different forms of masculinity (one agressive, violent destructive and the other kind and graceful) of the two men around her. the ending really gutted me though, but in the best of ways. i guess colonial forms of violence really are monstrous in how pervasive their effects are.

hope you enjoy the other recs!

I think the most memorable Chiang I've read is "Story of Your Life", which is the novella the movie Arrival was based on, if that tells you anything. Very interesting aliens, and a very striking take on the nature of reality, I guess you could say. (ETA: Also I think it'd have an archive warning if it were on the AO3, so let me know if you'd like content notes!) It's published in his collection Stories of Your Life and Others, in which I also especially appreciated "Liking What You See", iirc.

I love your thoughts on "The Flower"! It definitely does a lot with dichotomies, I feel like -- there's also the way that almost every character in it, from Wolfred all the way to the dog, can be a source of both help and harm, depending on the context. And then the ending underscores how rare happy endings are when your world is being systematically dismantled from the outside, I guess.

I can say today that I have enjoyed the other recs, thank you! I think "The Great Silence" works better for me as an essay than a story, kind of, if that makes any sense -- I'll have to watch the video and see if that changes how I feel about it. But "Black, Their Regalia" is so good, oh my gosh! I love how it's matter of fact about how bad what they're facing is, but without giving up humor or hope. It's a subtler kind of seriousness, but one I really like.

Edited 2020-01-18 05:19 (UTC)

i'm neither familiar with the short story, nor the movie. but i'll take a look!
would you recommend reading the novella first?
the only thing i'd like a warning for atm is suicide and self-harm. do those come up in the story?

agreed! i also like how nature is almost a force of its own in the short story...

true, the great silence is more of an essay than a short story. i read it as part of a short story collection which is why i rec'ed it as such.

either way, i'm so glad you liked my recommendations! it's always fun to share stuff i enjoyed :D

I don't remember suicide or self-harm in "Story of Your Life", at least. And I haven't seen the movie, so I'm afraid I can't really advise you on that, but if you end up seeing both, I'd be interested in how they compare for you!

That's a great point about nature being its own force, too! But yeah, I hope what I said about "The Great Silence" didn't come across like a criticism of you, because I'm super glad I got to read all three pieces and then come back and talk about them with you! I think I've been a lowkey fandom hermit for too long, because I'd almost forgotten just how fun it is to have someone else to discuss the things I read with. And it's so fun!

thanks so much for the information on content warnings! <3
i'm making a bingo card for books to read this year, and i'm including "story of your life" after our conversation ^^

no worries, it really didn't come across as criticism. and even if you hadn't liked it, i wouldn't be upset or offended. i know taste varies & sometimes stuff just doesn't vibe with people, for a lot of reasons.
it really is fun :D

Oh wow, a bingo card for reading books is such a cool idea. I've seen it for writing fics, but never for that, and I love it!

And I'm glad we're on the same page about different tastes. And the fun of talking about stories! <3

Snowflake Challenge #6: Wishes

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