kiki_eng: Breakfast at Tiffany's - Holly Golightly - Audrey Hepburn (woman in evening wear & sunglasses stands before shop window) (breakfast at tiffany's)
4ever by [archiveofourown.org profile] jarrow
D.E.B.S. | 3:04 | G | Amy/Lucy
Summary: We ain't gonna live forever...
Music: 4ever by The Veronicas
     +[archiveofourown.org profile] jarrow's got a note just over their vid embed that reads, in part: "happy lesbian hijinks." That's this vid. They are so gay and the movie is so camp and it is glorious pop-driven wallow in Amy and Lucy's love story in all of its camp gay glory.

If It Isn't Her, It Isn't Here by [archiveofourown.org profile] gwenfrankenstein
D.E.B.S. | 2:52 | PG-13 | Amy/Lucy
Summary: My imagination is rattling its cage.
Music: If It Isn't Her by Ani DiFranco
     +This is one of those vids that very much is weaving its audio with its visual, to the tune of lyric and visual matches and there's so much atmospheric groove in the song, too, so it's this mix of precision and vibes that's immersive and satisfying. (They fall in love to Ani DiFranco: it's super gay and great.)

Love At First Sight by [archiveofourown.org profile] heresluck
Glee | 2:36 | G | Kurt/Blaine
Summary: Then there was you.
Music: Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue
     +It was love, guys. I have so much nostalgia for what I watched of early seasons Kurt and Blaine and that representation in that ridiculous show, and just - the instant *hearteyes* and singing and dancing and mild pining and kissing and pop music. It is here and it is fantastic.

am I only dreaming? by [archiveofourown.org profile] thingswithwings
GLOW | 1:50 | PG-13 | Arthie/Yolanda
Summary: A tribute to this beautiful little love story!
Music: Eternal Flame by The Bangles
     +This made me *chinhands*. Two women dancing and being in love with each other in the '80s.

come home to my heart by [archiveofourown.org profile] dollsome
Good Omens | G | Aziraphale/Crowley
Summary: In your car, the radio up / We keep trying to talk about us / I’m someone you maybe might love. Falling in love with the world, and each other. An Ineffable Husbands fanvid.
Music: Supercut by Lorde
     +They're doing the best they can, and they're so in love, and they've been so in love for so long, without quite saying it outright, and my heart.

Saving Me & You by [archiveofourown.org profile] purplefringe
Imagine Me & You/Saving Face | 3:29 | G | Luce/Rachel, Wil/Vivian
Summary: Lesbian love in London and New York. A fluffy vid for Imagine Me & You and Saving Face.
Music: Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer
     +Gay fall lesbian vibes! Gay fall lesbian vibes! Sometimes that is all I want, but yeah, this is a great interweaving of the two narratives and all of their little matching tropes. It brings me joy.

Under Pressure by [personal profile] violace
The Martian | 3:45 | G
Summary: "Every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. This is so fundamentally human that it's found in every culture without exception."
Music: Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen
     +I love the Neil deGrasse Tyson open and the optimism. A pop-y film narrative vid with some great beats.

Dancing in the Dark by [archiveofourown.org profile] starlady
Marvel | 3:18 | PG-13 | Kamala Khan
Summary: You can't start a fire without a spark.
Music: Dancing in the Dark by Lucy Dacus
     +The song choice is gutting and perfect. Kamala Khan, and her friends and neighbours and family and neighbourhood, and yeah.

Our Version of Events by [archiveofourown.org profile] alwaystheocean
Pride/Rent | 4:43 | G
(no summary)
Music: Read All About it, Pt III - Emeli Sandé
     +Queer community and activism in the face of all of the shit that gets thrown at us. There's a bit in Pride where Mark is like, you know who Thatcher also hates, yeah? So we're going to be friends, the gays and the miners, because fuck Thatcher in particular, and that's kind of a lot of this vid, friends, but also just a good life strategy in general: band together with the other people that are getting stomped on.

Take Me Out by [archiveofourown.org profile] jarrow
Saving Face | 3:13 | PG-13 | Wil/Vivian
Summary: Wil needs to get her shit together and ask Vivian out already, for crying out loud.
Music: Take Me by AJ & Aly
     +The '80s-inspired soundtrack and some of the cuts are giving, like, dueSouth fanvid, in the best way. Except it's a textually queer source and so it is so, so much better. (I love them and this makes me happy.)

I Know A Place by [archiveofourown.org profile] heresluck
Sense8 |4:34 | PG-13
Summary: Don't you be afraid of love and affection.
Music: I Know A Place by MUNA
     +Friends and lovers, up against the world together, and basking in the sun, too.

Skeleton Song by [archiveofourown.org profile] Isagel
Slings & Arrows | 3:42 | G | Geoffrey Tennant & Oliver Welles
Summary: Skeleton, you are my friend.
Music: Skeleton Song by Kate Nash
     +Oliver and Geoffrey, and Geoffrey's relationship with their continued relationship. (Brilliant.)

Crowded Table by [archiveofourown.org profile] Isagel
Star Trek | 4:19 | G
Summary: The plural of queer is family.
Music: Crowded Table by Joshua Radin
     + Disco. Queers in space taking care of each other, doing space things with their friends.

Gold by [archiveofourown.org profile] ohvienna
Star Trek | 1:29 | G | Deanna Troi/William Riker
Summary: “Because we have to be willing to go through that door to what’s next.”
Music: Gold by Kina Grannis & Jome
     +I haven't seen Picard, so all I'm getting out of this is Troi and Riker, older and in space together again, hugging and kissing like they've kissed before, with a sun-dappled green past or future apart or together, spangled with twinkle lights.

Undress Rehearsal by [archiveofourown.org profile] findmeinthealps
Taskmaster RPF | 3:32 | PG-13 | Alex Horne
Summary: "There is an unfortunate amount of my flesh in this one." - Alex Horne
Music: Undress Rehearsal by Timeflies
     +Alex Horne and a lot of his Taskmaster tropes - exposing his flesh, getting sprayed by water, and generally being used.

How You Like That by [archiveofourown.org profile] marah_sarie
Under the Queen's Umbrella | 3:04 | G | Queen Im Hwa-ryeong
Summary: If you come for Queen Im Hwa-ryeong, you best not miss.
Music: How You Like That by BLACKPINK
     +All the shots in this are gorgeous. Queen Im Hwa-ryeong's imma fuck you up face is a thing of beauty. (I haven't seen this drama, but this vid is excellent.)

Exile by [archiveofourown.org profile] frayadjacent
Xena | 4:48 | G | Xena/Gabrielle
Summary: My complicated feelings about the Xena series finale.
Music: Exile by Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver
     +I really like the inclusion of all of the other bury your gays clips - they make this video and really hammer in what the finale ending was and how unnecessary it was.
kiki_eng: whale wearing headphones that connect to a heart (whale music)
When [archiveofourown.org profile] rageprufrock published Drastically Redefining Protocol in 2008-2009 I gleefully read it, and when [personal profile] zoetrope posted their Drastically Redefining Protocol Trailer (2009, February 2) I made everyone I knew who had seen at least the first episode of Merlin and had some idea what fanfiction was watch it.

It ate my brain.

It's a minute and fourteen second long vid that uses a very small selection of footage from the show itself - it's mostly DVD extras, I think, and other sources that I've never seen. The footage has been worked with, worked into other footage, overlaid with other images. There's an ongoing theme of lights, which is such a nice match for the tinkly-ness that Badly Drawn Boy's Once Around the Block has. Like [personal profile] rageprufrock's fic, [personal profile] zoetrope's trailer follows the conventions of its genre, and it has the kind of endearing indy-ness to it that a mid to late noughts queer story has, with darker colours and soft focus in places.

Trailers are love:
Fanworks for fanworks fill me with glee - they're such a wonderful expression of creative community and I love the shorter format that trailers tend to. I cut my fannish writing teeth on drabbles and the focus of short formats is something that still appeals to me - I feel like it gives you the freedom to work and re-work as a creator without jeopardising completion, so you can spend time playing with and manipulating footage, and there's something breathtaking about a short work that gets it right.

The only vid mentioned in this post that I still have access to is [personal profile] zoetrope's Drastically Redefining Protocol Trailer, but I still remember how [livejournal.com profile] newkidfan's Realm of Dryads made me feel, something like fifteen years after my first watch and over a decade since my last. I remember trees and the suggestion of fog and the music like a knife. I remember a kind of breathlessness.

[livejournal.com profile] newkidfan's work continually threw me. I'd watch it and think to myself it's 40 seconds long - how are they doing this? And it was with instrumental music from soundtracks and working source footage, and I think integrating other footage (it's been a long time since I've seen a [livejournal.com profile] newkidfan vid), and building for emotion.

[livejournal.com profile] newkidfan's vids and fanwork trailers more generally have been foundational to how I understand and approach vidding.

The vids that have lived in my drafts have been set to instrumental music and all about building feeling. The vids that live earmarked in my imagination have a really annoying multi-source aspect. Some day, if I live long enough, I am going to crack, go on a Hewligan binge, and make that McShep AU fanvid, and it's going to be because I learned how to watch fanvids in SGA fandom.

(This post has been living in my drafts for fifteen years and popping back into a draft that's nearly old enough to vote is an experience. It's been a reminder to save the fanworks that I love when I can, of the precariousness of file hosting arrangements in general, and of the value of metadata. Sometimes metadata is the only thing you have left. Sometimes metadata is all that fans leave behind. They stop updating somewhere and don't leave behind their new address, so you wonder if they're still out there being fannish, if they're still out there at all.

I feel like it's a weird thing to be posting about fanworks that are inaccessible, that I don't have copies of, but I still care, so I am. I know that there are other people out here who will remember these vids, and I also know a kind of archivist's delight of sifting through pieces of the past that you will never know.)
kiki_eng: whale wearing headphones that connect to a heart (whale music)
I went to a parade this summer where I ended up pretty close to some noisy anti-gay come-to-Jesus types - which really shifted that parade experience into attempting to build a protective wall of sound for the other attendees rather than just being at the parade - and then I came home and realised that I wanted a vid playlist for Pride that I didn't have. This is it.

01. Cockroach Motherfuckers by [archiveofourown.org profile] eruthros and [archiveofourown.org profile] thingswithwings | Multifandom | 3:53 | PG-13 | 2023
Summary: A celebration of all the queer characters you can't bury. Or, if you do bury them, they don't stay down for long.
Music: Tubthumping by Chumbawamba
     + Cockroach motherfuckers. Yes. I love that there can be a multifandom vid of this, that there are enough unburiable queers in media now to build this, that the bury-your-gays trope has been subverted like this over and over and that we have these canonical characters that will just keep coming back. There is so much violence and gore in this. They get knocked down, but they get up again, and they dance in their blood-stained aristocratic finery, painting the floor red as they move across it. They dance, and drink, and fuck, and live, over and over again. They pull themselves out of the trash and claw their way across the ground and they survive. This vid feels like an anthem of queer resilience and queer resistance.
(They're never gonna keep us down.)

02. Tightrope by [personal profile] sweetestdrain | American Idol RPF | 3:23 | G | Adam Lambert | 2010
Summary: Just keep dancing on it.
Music: Tightrope by Janelle Monáe
     + Adam Lambert's arrival in mainstream American media felt a lot like Jack Harkness' entry into Doctor Who; suddenly and unexpectedly there was someone from a major television property being queer and joyful and themselves, and it was glorious. This vid is Adam's Idol voyage, post-Idol media relations, and a whole lot of glittery leather-clad triumph.
(You dance up on them haters // They trying to take all of your dreams but you can't allow it.)

03. Go High, Go Low by [archiveofourown.org profile] eruthros | Lil Nas X RPF | 2:44 | PG-13 | Lil Nas X | 2022
Summary: We go high / we go low
Music: Go High, Go Low by Dope Saint Jude
     + A celebration of Lil Nas X and his gay agenda, which includes A+ aesthetic choices and relentless trolling. It's a joy. This vid feels a bit like those SGA fics where McKay would rant at the bigots; there's something super satisfying about seeing someone take down hateful assholes with the perfect riposte. The combination of chaos gremlin for justice and a high aesthetic graphic embrace of queerness is fantastic. (Coming out on April Fool's day was clearly very on brand for him.) It's a really great fuck-the-haters, embrace-the-self vid.
(We go high and we go low and we don't ever show no signs that we go slow.)

04. Just Dance by [archiveofourown.org profile] Anoel | Queer as Folk (US) | 2:54 | G | 2009
Summary: "So the "thumpa thumpa" continues. It always will. No matter what happens. No matter who's president. As our lady of Disco, the divine Miss Gloria Gaynor has always sung to us: We will survive."
Music: Just Dance by Lady Gaga
     + Set entirely at Babylon, it's a celebration of the gay club scene, full of glitter, strobing lights, and movement. There's so much movement in this that it's immersive, to the extent that there are a couple sequences in this that make me feel a bit overwhelmed, like maybe I have, in fact, had one too many at the club. It's thoroughly a dance vid, in footage and in purpose - it was made for Club Vivid - and it is so very completely and consistently that thing, that it is very accessible for someone with no source knowledge. We are together on the dance floor.
(Just dance, gonna be okay.)

05. Shape of You by [archiveofourown.org profile] Butterfly | Multifandom | 3:52 | NC-17 | 2017
Summary: A brief and flirtatious dip into a happier side of queer media, containing both older and newer source.
Music: Shape of You by Ed Sheeran
     + Sensuality and sexuality in, yeah, some of the happier queer media out there. One of the levels that I enjoy this vid on is purely look at this relatively happy shiny queer media, look how sparkly it is and another is what a great celebration it is of the physicality of the sexuality that it depicts. It's really lovely to have something so uncomplicatedly joyful and pop-y.
(I'm in love with the shape of you.)

06. Black Tie by [archiveofourown.org profile] such_heights | A League of Their Own (TV) | 3:33 | G | Max, Carson | 2023
Summary: You will find the clothes that fit.
Music: Black Tie by Grace Petrie
     + Source material I do not know but have been informed by delighted parties of its canonical queerness. Finding yourself and your people and flourishing within systems of oppression. Both the song and the visuals are liable to fuck you up. The entire opposing team walks an injured player to home base, and Grace Petrie sings to their teenage self about never surrendering to a narrow view of gender; I am programmed to be emotionally devastated by both. It's cathartic, and the woman in the final frames of the video looks so, so happy, and so very gay.
(postcard to my year eleven self // girl, you're gonna be so happy)

07. Each Feather and Each Spangle by [archiveofourown.org profile] leanwellback | Community | 2:39 | G | Dean Pelton | 2012
Summary: It's time to open up your closet. Dean Pelton and his love of costumes.
Music: I Am What I Am by John Barrowman
     + This has been one of my favorite queer vids for a long time, because it has Barrowman doing his version of the Broadway musical La cage aux folles' gay anthem, because it's about a canonically queer character, because it's about him consistently being himself, loudly. Dean explores explores his sexuality, gender expression, and self - and he wears a lot of who he is literally on his sleeve, showing off everything in his closet. He does his own thing. He lives his own truth. It's amazing. The vid is all of that. It's uplifting and has some good comedic moments in it.
(I bang my own drum, some think it's noise, I think it's pretty)

08. Mighty Real by [archiveofourown.org profile] metatxt | Kiki | 3:56 | G | 2018
Summary: You make me feeeeel, mighty real!
Music: You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester
     + Kiki is a documentary film about youth of colour getting into the New York ballroom scene and what their lives look like. This vid shows youth finding community, learning to dance, vogue-ing, doing drag, and exploring and becoming and celebrating themselves. It's about the kiki scene as a safe haven, and it's lovely. There's so much dancing in so many different places.
("[...] more than anything, I love.")

09. Get This Feeling by [archiveofourown.org profile] BeatriceEagle | Multifandom | 3:18 | G | 2020
Summary: 22 years of queer representation in western children's TV.
Music: Everytime We Touch by Cascada
     + This is another vid where - I'm just so happy that there's enough source material to make it, that shows like Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power exist now, that there is an increasing body of varied queer representation available for children. It's an unrelenting rainbow-filled joy set to a mid noughts Eurodance techno hit.
(want you in my life)

10. Hold On by [archiveofourown.org profile] heresluck | Heartstopper | 3:27 | PG-13 | Nick/Charlie | 2022
Summary: Grab and hold on tight. (Or: Nick Nelson wants to hug Charlie Spring. Like, a lot. Before he figures out anything else, he knows that much for sure.)
Music: hold on by flor
     + This adorable queer teenage romance that I haven't seen: the animated leaves! The sparks! The light! The thing where they are clearly the main characters and life is going pretty well. The contrast between this and the queer teenage representation that I found as a teenager. This is amazing, and just so incredibly happy. This vid is like distilled photogenic wholesome teenage romance.
(the reason that I come alive, come alive, it lives in your eyes)

11. Crowded Table by [archiveofourown.org profile] sandalwoodbox | Papa & Daddy | 3:48 | G | Damian/Jie Li | 2022
Summary: A place by the fire for everyone.
Music: Crowded Table by Joshua Radin
     + More source material I haven't seen - about family, found and otherwise. Queer people living their lives, and going to pride, and being friends, and lovers, and children, and parents, with every aspect of their lives fully existing. I really love that about this vid, that it shows their life with such wide scope and does such a good job of highlighting their love and their humanity.
(everybody's a little bit broken, and everyone belongs)
kiki_eng: Annie Monroe of The Like wearing sunglasses (bandom) (Annie wearing sunglasses)
dates for iftar by [archiveofourown.org profile] eruthros
Breaking Fast | 2:37 | G | Mo/Kal, Mo & Sam
Summary: Food and love and friendship during Ramadan.
Music: Leila by Clarissa Bitar feat Abby Abdel-Khalek
     + So one of the things that this vid has gifted me is the knowledge that this film exists: it's a film about a queer Muslim man, set during Ramadan, who brings a boy home, and there's a HEA. There are some great shots of food, and people enjoying food. There's also a wonderful tension in this vid: there's music and feelings and mistakes and ridiculous gestures and the best *chinhands*-inducing ending scene.

The Phoenix by [archiveofourown.org profile] thingswithwings
The Expanse | 3:10 | R | Camina Drummer
Summary: tryna see my descent?
you're gonna have to play the tape backwards
Music: 5 out of 6 by Dessa
     + I continue to not watch The Expanse but deeply enjoy it in vid format. This is great. One of the tags is "polyamorous cyborg space queer" and the vid appears to be about Drummer being a badass action hero, leveling up their competency, and building connections.

Long Way to Come Here by [archiveofourown.org profile] absternr
Fast Color | 2:37 | G | Ruth, Lila, Bo
Summary: take your heart back from where you left it
Music: Get Up by Caitlin Canty
     + More source material I haven't seen - this one or its vidder does that cinematography thing where every frame is like a picture - strikingly and functionally composed. So that's a delight and there's this lovely slow unfurling of the film's narrative over a country song that's a satisfying match to its rural setting and has a king of hopeful yearning upward thrust to it.

WORK THIS BODY by Katie K
Haikyuu!! | 2:57 | G
I will work this body
Music: Work this Body by WALK THE MOON
     + Have I seen any of the source material on this list? Yes, but not this. Sports anime dance vid. The sport is volleyball. They are probably in high school and as the vid unfolds the cuts get faster and hit the beat more. It's ridiculous (because sports anime) and I love it. Team-building and friends and rivals and training sequences and over-the-top effects. It's a joy.

Math by [archiveofourown.org profile] Rhea and [archiveofourown.org profile] sandalwoodbox
The King: Eternal Monarch | 2:04 | G |Jeong Tae Eul/Jo Yeong/Lee Gon
Summary: It may be a nerdy way to flirt, but Lee Gon's love is like the square root of two.
Music: The Square Root of Two by Countercurrent
     + There's so much math and OT3 and comedy and drama in this. Jaunty and adorable.

Go High, Go Low by [archiveofourown.org profile] eruthros
Lil Nas X RPF | 2:44 | PG-13 | Lil Nas X
We go high / we go low
Music: Go High, Go Low by Dope Saint Jude
     + A fuck-the-haters celebrity dance vid, heavily enriched by Lil Nas X's fuck-the-haters social media presence. There's a lot of text - largely tweets - integrated into this and if you're like me you'll be watching this multiple times so that you can pause and read all the things, and also revel in the continually A+ aesthetic choices.

Bang! by [archiveofourown.org profile] teyla
The Lost Tomb | 2:51 | G | Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling
Summary: All the best faces of Wu Xie.
Music: Bang! by AJR
     + Another vid whose source material I don't know at all: this vid pulls from six different sources with six different actors playing the same character, so I have no idea what is happening, but it's action-adventure-comedy full of clip transitions on the beat and split screens to the lyrics "bang, bang, bang" with some solid visual lyric matches, so it's a solidly good time.

1941 by [archiveofourown.org profile] rhoboat
Marvel | 3:01 | G | Peggy Carter
Summary: Follow the beat and let it ring.
Music: 1941 by Klaypex feat. Virian
     + A Club Vivid vid tagged "Electro Swing", this vid does just about exactly what you'd expect. Lots of punching, power-walking, and action scenes.

Flyweight Love by [archiveofourown.org profile] such_heights
Marvel | 3:22 | PG-13 | Jane/Thor
Summary: "She likens it to a kite; it flies higher when a longer length of string is unleashed."
Music: Flyweight Love by Vienna Teng
     + Airy and romantic. Full of stars, the mysteries of the universe, adventure, separation, longing, and dorks in love being charmed by each other.

My Strongest Suit by [archiveofourown.org profile] periru3 & [archiveofourown.org profile] Tafadhali
M*A*S*H | 4:07 | G | Klinger
Summary: In negligée or formal, Klinger's anything but normal.
Music: My Strongest Suit from Aida
     + A celebration of Klinger and Klinger's many outfits to a musical theatre song.

Dance Apocalyptic by [archiveofourown.org profile] eruthros and [archiveofourown.org profile] thingswithwings
Multifandom | 3:38 | G
Summary: I really really wanna thank you for dancing to the end.
Music: Dance Apocalyptic by Janelle Monáe
     + Multifandom dance vid of the end of times. I'm always really impressed when vidders manage to integrate drastically different footage - live action with animated, different animation styles, and black-and-white with colour; there's some spot-on transition work in this and it's a great dance vid for these times. I'm especially fond of the repeated "smash, smash" motif.

No Place Like Home by [archiveofourown.org profile] thingswithwings
Multifandom | 4:13 | G
Summary: A multivid of queer people living and thriving in rural spaces and small towns.
Music: Glasgow (No Place Like Home) by Jessie Buckley
     + Queers in rural environs being and finding themselves and their people. This vid is schmaltz and also like being punched in the face with fix-it-fic for my youth.

Nice Don't Make No Money by [archiveofourown.org profile] hartknyx
Ocean's Eight | 3:25 | PG-13
Summary: Sugar and spice makes everything nice but nice don't make no money
Music: In Women We Trust by Tanerélle
     + This is so smooth and hits so much of the criminal joy of the film - I just want to watch these women commit crimes and get what they want, forever. I really love the cheers moment about halfway through this and just the extent to which this vid picks a vibe and commits to it. Glorious revelry.

Ne Me Quitte Pas by [archiveofourown.org profile] purplefringe
Pushing Daisies | 3:39 | G
Summary: The truth is that there are a lot of people like you, us, with strange hobbies or talents or gifts and we try to hide it because we’re afraid that it makes us seem weird or turn people off, but that’s a mistake. What makes me unique has bought every person I love into my life.
An ensemble vid for Pushing Daisies, to Ne Me Quitte Pas by Regina Spektor.
Music: Ne Me Quitte Pas by Regina Spektor
     + Spektor's beat structure is such a great match to the series' comedic rhythm. An excellent ensemble vid that's chock full of colourful joy.

Shots by [archiveofourown.org profile] mithborien
Robin Hood: Men in Tights | 3:40 | G
Summary: "Because, unlike some other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent." Made for Club Vivid 2017.
Music: Shots by LMFAO ft. Lil Jon
     + There's something about an incredibly stupid dance tune - there's so much possibility for vidded delight. The source material's a good tonal match for the song and, yeah, there's something about sardonic masculinity here in paticular. All of the shots with the arrows are also great: excellent recurring bit.

Odds Are by [archiveofourown.org profile] Nestra
Schitt's Creek | 3:02 | G
Summary: We're gonna be all right.
Music: Odds Are by Barenaked Ladies
     + Schitt's Creek, BNL, and character development. Emotional journeys, comedy, positivity, things falling apart and getting put back together, better. Sweet.

Blindfold by [archiveofourown.org profile] littleheaven70
Secretary | 4:37 | NC-17 | Lee/Edward
Summary: "Put both your hands on the desk palms down."
Music: Blindfold by Morcheeba
     + Tension, kink, and the plot of the film, basically (so there's self harm and domestic violence in another of Lee's relationships). The song's a great temporal fit for the film and a smoky delight.

Wait for It by [archiveofourown.org profile] RhaegalKS
Star Trek | 2:18 | G | Kirk/Spock
Summary: Between Generations and the events that triggered the Reboot, Spock is alone for nearly 100 years. Fortunately, Vulcans are very patient.
Music: Wait for It by Leslie Odom Jr.
     + Hamilton and Star Trek are another great tonal match, in a *chinhands* kind of way, and then it's this amazing tragic space opera. The beginning is in black and white and then there is colour and we are moving through space and everything is excellent. Dramatic and satisfying.

Gasoline by [personal profile] melodytree
Yuri!!! on Ice | 2:41 | G | Victor
Summary: Victor's pre-canon depression
well my heart is gold but my hands are cold
Music: Gasoline by Halsey
     + This entire vid is edited like a fabulous skating routine, which is to say with dead-on physical and emotional beats.
kiki_eng: Laena Geronimo of The Like playing violin (Laena playing violin)
Thirteen! Thirteen dramas that I have finished since covid hit, and have remembered - full-stop, and also sufficiently well to have some grasp of the ending. (There is at least one drama that I definitely watched all of, but I can tell you nothing about the ending; I have emotionally bonded and remembered that part of it, not at all.) So: these are the dramas that I have watched recently(-ish) that I have found compelling. They are basically entirely(?) absurd romantic comedies because I have been leaning hard into the escapism these past few years, and also because: I like a romance, I like a comedy, and I like some crack treated seriously. Some of them are less comedic or absurd than others.

These dramas represent a very small fraction of all of the dramas that I have tried to watch in this period. I fail out of a lot of dramas. I fail out in the credits, in the first or second episode, or half-way through the series. Sometimes it's just not the particular vibe that I want to be watching in that moment. Sometimes I get bored. Sometimes I have to back away for a bit because of my embarrassment squick and then I just never come back. Other times I'll be watching something, like, through my hands with the sound off, and I'll make it through - embarrassment squick isn't a death knell, but it is a challenge. My most frequent nope out of a drama is probably misogyny, or, it's the one that pisses me off the most, because it'll be like I love these characters! They have great chemistry! ...they're doing what now? ...and they're just... going to... continue to keep doing that and also make it worse. Great. Bye. There are levels of fucked up and strange that I can tolerate or be bizarrely fascinated by, which does not exclude misogyny, but ideally things get better. I like character growth and seeing relationships modeled that don't normalise abusive behaviour, so the stuff on this list might contain less of that, or just enough other stuff to have balanced my rage. YMMV.

9 Modern )

4 Historical )

Three Fics

Mar. 26th, 2023 10:29 pm
kiki_eng: Annie Monroe of The Like wearing sunglasses (bandom) (Annie wearing sunglasses)
This entry was written for [personal profile] hollowhearts' prompt, "rec 3 of your all time favourite fics and talk about why you like them".

These are all fic that I've read over and over, downloaded to my device and carried around with me like a security blanket. I have read them on public transit, bundled up in queues, and on dark nights without internet.

meditations ex post facto by [archiveofourown.org profile] singlecrow
Guardian | 9,253 words | PG | Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Summary: "It is very tedious,” Professor Shen agrees, setting down his cup of tea. “I admire your forbearance.”
“I have no forbearance,” Zhao Yunlan assures him. “I get drunk a lot and throw things.”

or, the lawyers AU that no one asked for.
     + This is the one fic that I've been carrying around with me lately - I have an old phone with storage limitations, so this really is my de facto desert island fic right now. I love it. It is team and minor shenanigans and being kind of incompetent at bits of your life and in a little bit of awe of those around you that have their shit together, who are accomplished and wonderful and great, and finding your people and maybe being more competent than you've let yourself realise. It's about idealism and the utter shit show that is administration and the world we live in in general, which is eminently relatable. It's also a stylistic delight, peppered with wonderful lines like, “I am a paragon of virtue. I have all my own teeth and I’m a lawyer. Any mother would be proud.” It reminds me of The West Wing and of Slings & Arrows, a bit, with the way that it approaches life, and it is just about the perfect length, to take me out of the world for a little bit, and return me happier, soothed.

Rumor Has It by [archiveofourown.org profile] gyzym
Glee | 8,351 words | R | Santana Lopez/OFC
Summary: In which Santana Lopez learns the hard way that a life can never be ruined, only lived, and lived, and lived.
     + I read this fic a lot during a time in my life where I was shifting gears a little bit and also actively seeking out in-person queer community, trying to shape my life into something other than it had been. That's kind of what this fic is: it takes Santana from the end of high school to her early thirties and has her meeting her people, figuring out what she wants to do with her life and building that. Santana reconciles with her past in this as a result of that process of finding herself, and that's an important narrative, I think.
I've a visceral negative reaction to the question, "If you could change anything in your past, what would it be?" Because it has felt like such an awful invasive question, and because I don't know who I would be, without that awful thing. Without any awful thing. This is a fic that takes that holistic view and has a character that embraces themselves in answering that question for themselves*, and I just really appreciate that.
*It's never explicitly posed, for the record.

(This Is) Not a Statement by [archiveofourown.org profile] seperis
American Idol RPF | 57,331 words | NC-17 | Kris Allen/Adam Lambert
"You get you don't have to take up a grand gesture lifestyle so I feel secure in your affections, right? I feel pretty secure."
     + It's been a few years, but I have read this fic so many times, and have done the thing where you finish reading and immediately begin rereading the fic - more than once, probably. I loved Adam and Kris' friendship in the beginning of this, how it doesn't quite follow the carefully set out borders of straight male friendship, how it reminds me of, like, intense female academic friendships from the era of Boston marriages, filled with a kind of queer romanticism and friendship in the absence or presence of a sexual relationship. I like the slow unfurling of that friendship into something else. I also like how Katy isn't "shrill", doesn't die, has her own goals, and the dissolution of their marriage is a slow thing. I like how Kris and Adam have fights, and talk about boundaries.
I like that this fic deals with sexual assault by a fleshed out original character, and that it is a teaching thing, a yes, men can be the victims of sexual assault and that assault is never excused, not the victim's fault. I like how fleshed out the characters and their relationships are, that Adam and Kris each have their own separate friend groups and coworkers, and also have relationships with the people in each other's lives.
There's a kind of lush pulpiness in this work that I am forever weak to, and a depth and intensity that I find really compelling; it has things to say, about the media representation of Adam Lambert and about relationships in general. I have a lot of fondness for it.
kiki_eng: text: "i ate ALL your bees" (Black Books) ("I ate all your bees.")
[personal profile] hollowhearts prompted, "share a piece of fandom meta you think everyone should read (either general or fandom-specific)" and I don't know if I believe that there's one piece of fandom meta that everyone should read. There's stuff that I've enjoyed immensely and that has enriched my life, but, I do don't know about this everyone should read business.

Except that I do believe that there are foundational genres of meta that kind of set you up as a fan. These are:

• A history of fandom and fanfiction in its own right and in the context of the wider literary canon, especially as part of that canon.

• The history and development of the AO3. (If you spend a lot of time on it or that website is otherwise important to you.)

• The patriarchy and you: racism, phobias, and oppression within fandom.

The first genre has a lot to do with external validation and seeing yourself in the world, and so my rec for this evening is:

The Boy Who Lived Forever by Lev Grossman, which was published in 2011 by Time and remains the best overview of fandom for outsiders that I've ever read - it's not a bad overview for insiders, either - though the landscape has shifted a bit in the intervening years.
kiki_eng: Breakfast at Tiffany's - Holly Golightly - Audrey Hepburn (woman in evening wear & sunglasses stands before shop window) (breakfast at tiffany's)
Other Means by [archiveofourown.org profile] dewdropfae
Dresden Files | 31,952 words | NC-17 | Dresden/Marcone
Summary: Set post Battle Ground.
Harry negotiates, with interludes for beer and punching.
     + John approaches Harry for magic lessons. Obviously they end up fake dating and real fucking. Featuring a Harry with a bit more practicality than his younger self and a John that's about the same, really.

You Could Be the King, but Watch the Queen Conquer by [archiveofourown.org profile] phoenixyfriend
The Good Place | 11,161 words | PG-13 | Eleanor/Chidi, Tahani/Michael, Eleanor/Chidi/Tahani
Summary: When Tahani hears that her little sister is getting married, from what seems like every news site on the planet, she knows what's coming. She knows the media's focus on her will start to shift to why she isn't married yet, and her reputation can't afford another hit after Cleveland.
So she hatches a plan. Platonically marrying a man over twice your age is a good plan, right?
(Funnily enough, it works out perfectly.)
     + An absolute joy of a story wherein Tahani gets everything she wants, and so does just about everyone else.

Heal Thyself by [archiveofourown.org profile] astolat
Harry Potter | 46,905 words | PG-13 | Harry/Draco
"Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.
“What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at:
Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.
“Oh, I thought you might,” she said. “Well, goodbye.” And off she wandered again in her addled way.

     + What I really enjoy about this fic is that it has Draco suffering, facing an uphill slog, recovering from his youth, and accidentally becoming a better person. I like the way that he stumbles into his choice and that things are hard for a long time before they get better, and that when things do get easier there are still bits of his life that he's dissatisfied with. It's comforting.

Party Invitations and Falling in Love with Your Sworn Enemy: A Tactical Guide by [archiveofourown.org profile] dustmouth
Harry Potter | 129 pages | PG-13 | Harry/Draco
Summary: Chronicling the trials and tribulations of one Draco Malfoy, employee of the Godric's Hollow Postal Office, and the events unfolding around the hottest local party in the calendar year. Featuring: Owlengitis, bingo-based plots, and Julie Bumble's questionable neighbourhood erotica.
     + A 129 page comic of small town enemies to lovers hijinks. The pencil drawings are charming. The character expressions have a Beaton-esque quality about them at times. Draco wears a ridiculous hat. One of the lines is: "It must, at this juncture, be acknowledged that the plan has gone a little awry." I am not sure what more you could want.

The Trouble with Wanting by [archiveofourown.org profile] waldorph
Harry Potter | 60,313 words | NC-17 | Harry/Draco
Summary: Draco Malfoy is cleared of all charges; this is what happens next.
     + Of tattoos and old curses and houses, the friends that are your family, and falling in love. A Draco-centric story with the surviving Slytherin friendships front and centre, about building, after Hogwarts and the war.

Waiting patiently... by [twitter.com profile] Villanargh
Killing Eve | art | G | Eve
     + The colours in here are lovely and there is such expression on her face, and texture in her scarf.

“kate bishop. i’m pretty much an avenger. at your service.” by [tumblr.com profile] daisyann-jpg
Marvel | art | G | Kate & Lucky
     + Really hits the style of the comics. The poses here are evocative and the posters in the background are a nice touch.

Achievement Unlocked by [archiveofourown.org profile] miscellea
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System | 51,283 words | PG-13 | Luò Bīnghé/Shěn Yuán;Shěn Qīngqiū
Summary: One day, after five years of reasonably peaceful marriage with only a few kidnappings and sex pollen incidents, Shen Yuan is sent back to his old body without warning. Luo Binghe makes a deal with an alien entity calling itself the System to perform a mission in exchange for the ability to bring his husband home.
The mission is simple; [Uncover secret transmigrator plotline and flesh out the character wiki!]
At least it will be once he figures out what the words ‘transmigrator’ and ‘wiki’ mean.
Or: That one where Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe don’t realize they’re in a domestic fluff bonus chapter.
     + One of the tags here is "Reverse Transmigration AU", which is always hilarious - there's something about storybook-type characters having to interact with some approximation of the real world that I find both comical and satisfying. There's also some great world-building in this, including fleshing out Shen Yuan's family the character wiki.

Starstruck by [archiveofourown.org profile] Camorra
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System | 19,844 words | NC-17 | Luò Bīnghé/Shěn Yuán;Shěn Qīngqiū
Summary: His phone buzzes again and Shen Yuan scoops it up irritably. It’s another message from DemonHeart.
DemonHeart: you seem to be a Luo Binghe fan
DemonHeart: we can get you access to him
Shen Yuan scowls.
PeerlessCucumber: do I look like I was born yesterday?
The response is instantaneous. A picture pops up on screen. Shen Yuan vaguely recognizes the woman that plays the drums, still in full stage makeup. Next to her, arm slung around her waist, is a face Shen Yuan would know anywhere. Luo Binghe, giving a wry smile to the camera.
DemonHeart: he’s a fan, you know
PeerlessCucumber: where exactly would we be meeting
     + This one is tagged "Hannah Montana AU". A modern AU wherein Luo Binghe is an idol; Shen Yuan has been his fan for years and deals with being oblivious. Comedy.

AQ by [archiveofourown.org profile] x_los
The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Star Trek | 15,348 words | NC-17 | Luò Bīnghé/Shěn Yuán;Shěn Qīngqiū
Summary: Before he rose to captaincy, Shen Yuan attended a briefing given to all command level officers in Star Fleet that outlined the scope of the Q threat. According to Admiral Picard's report, the omnipotent Q are devious, amoral, unreliable, irresponsible and definitely not to be trusted
Orphaned stowaway Luo Binghe doesn't even know he is one.
     + A perfect fusion AU. Of course Luo Binghe is a Q. Of course there is eventual codependency and xenoporn. Startlingly like canon fic, which is basically the ultimate measure of fusion success.

Know All Your Enemies by [archiveofourown.org profile] BAMFspock
Star Trek | 351,857 words | R | Kirk/Spock
Summary: "The thing about being able to tell what people are feeling and thinking is that people generally don't like that."
Jim can't deal with his problems, so he deals with everyone else's instead. Spock can't deal with his emotions, so he pushes them all away. Starfleet can't deal with a post-Kelvin universe in any way except badly.
And what exactly is t'hy'la, anyway?
A story about dangerous conspiracies, doomed crusades, inadequate coping, imperfect control, important connections, and taking care.
     + The summary does a really good job of capturing the tone and style of this fic, which I quickly devoured in its entirety. Full of plot and feelings.

We are Stardust, We are Golden by [archiveofourown.org profile] idiopathicsmile
Stranger Things | 26,374 words | R | Steve/Eddie
Summary: It starts like this: Steve, waiting in his car to pick up Dustin and friends from a session of their Chutes and Ladders club or whatever. Waiting kind of impatiently, to be honest, even though it’s not like he has anywhere else to be because Robin’s busy tonight and, as he well knows by this point, saving the world doesn’t get you a girlfriend or glory or even a second age-appropriate friend, it just gets you another evening shift at Family Video and a long personal to-do list.
In the spring and summer of 1986, Steve Harrington contends with the biases of the day, hatches several plans, and finally really gets to know Eddie Munson.
     + I love this story because it has a character who calls out people's bigoted shit and rants a little. I love it because there's DnD as a teaching tool and queers finding each other and obliviousness and just a tiny bit of pining.
kiki_eng: Annie Monroe of The Like wearing sunglasses (bandom) (Annie wearing sunglasses)
In your own space, post the results of your fandom scavenger hunt. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. A favorite character
The Phoenix & the Ash by [archiveofourown.org profile] Aria
The Untamed | 3:30 | R | Wei Wuxian
And my back is aching, my belt's too tight / I brought a chisel tip to this pencil fight
Music: 5 out of 6 by Dessa
     + Wei Wuxian is the latest in a string of similar characters that have been ruining me since childhood. I love him so much.

2. Something that makes you laugh
Chicago's Most Wanted by [archiveofourown.org profile] Speranza
due South | 42,595 words | NC-17 | Fraser/Ray K
"Of course he got the money--he's Fraser, he's organized, he's a fucking criminal mastermind, what do you think?!"
     + Every reread fills me with fresh glee. Fraser has amnesia and takes up crime, Fraser-style.

3. A bookshelf
Milkshake by [archiveofourown.org profile] mithborien
Gunpowder Milkshake | 2:26 | PG-13
Summary: "Close your eyes, baby girl."
Music: Milkshake by Kelis (Dawin Remix)
     + A library of guns, and a gun-fight in a library. There are a lot of bookshelves in this. I thought about choosing a resource for this item, but you know what, more people need to watch this, and know about this action film.

4. A game or hobby you enjoy
The Stars and Scones Bakery and Coffee Shop by [archiveofourown.org profile] LuciaZephyr
Dresden Files | 42,863 words | NC-17 | Dresden/Marcone
Summary: In which Harry is the best baker in Chicago, but still ends up starting a few fires along the way.
     + I'm a really big fan of the bit where Harry gets drunk and makes baklava. I, too, enjoy baking, and also bakery AUs. A really solid story where Harry deals with his trauma in very in character ways, and lives his life.

5. Something you find comforting
Made With Love by [archiveofourown.org profile] Rhea
Kinou Nani Tabeta? | 1:28 | G | Kakei Shirou/Yabuki Kenji
Summary: Food and love.
Music: Hang On Little Tomato by Pink Martini
     + Domesticity. All of the food. This is so lovely and soft.

6. A TV show or movie you hope more people will watch
How You Get The Girl by [archiveofourown.org profile] absternr
Couple of Mirrors | 3:15 | G | Xu Youyi/Yan Wei
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl

Music: How You Get The Girl by Taylor Swift
     + Me. I am the person that needs to watch this TV show. Pretty femslashy historical drama.

7. A piece of clothing you love
Picspam: Costumes in Inception by [personal profile] bennet_7
Inception | picspam | G
So the purpose of this picspam is to examine the work that went into these costumes, tease out what they say about the characters, and generally just heap praise upon Jeffrey Kurland because, dammit, someone should.
     + Arthur's boots. The detailing, the colours, the way they disguise themselves as shoes. I've been in love with these things for over a decade. [personal profile] bennet_7's 2011 breakdown is fantastically thorough and offers a great rundown on what good costume design is and does.

8. A thing from an old fandom
The Student Prince by [archiveofourown.org profile] FayJay
Merlin | 145, 222 words | NC-17 | Arthur/Merlin
Summary: A Modern day Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love...
This story was inspired by the thought of Prince William of Wales (and indeed the current Max von Hapsburg) studying at the University of St Andrews; it is also, as the title suggests, at least a little inspired by the operetta 'The Student Prince'.
     + I fell in love with this fic with Merlin and Gwen meeting and bonding on the train. It's an incredibly satisfying read. I find it weird to think of Merlin as an old fandom, but it came out in 2008, so I'm pretty sure that qualifies.

9. A thing from a new fandom
and so does sharp grass by [archiveofourown.org profile] freshmarigolds
Extraordinary Attorney Woo | 777 words | G | Choi Su Yeon/Woo Young Woo
If Choi Su-yeon was the spring sunshine, Young-woo guesses that she must be the winter sky.
     + I came to this show and fandom for the gay and this is a little tiny piece of delight. I'm about halfway through the show now and with the exception of episode 3 (where the show gets its suicide warning) so far it's all adorable fuzzy episodic legal drama with hijinks.
kiki_eng: text: "i ate ALL your bees" (Black Books) ("I ate all your bees.")
In your own space, tell us about 3 creative/fannish resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy. (One or two is fine, especially if you're in a smaller fandom or like many people at the moment, fannishly adrift right now) Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

iNaturalist "is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. It's also a crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool." (What is it, 2022.)

I use iNaturalist for that, and also for creative projects. Sometimes I filter all of the observations that have been made globally to find out something like what the most common birds recorded in January in Seoul are, or I'll filter all of the photos of a species by their photo licensing type if I want to find a reference to use.

I can also search for sounds and find a cricket on Jeju Island in September. The songs of birds, insects, and amphibians vary by region and season. iNaturalist can be used as a tool to help you find the right bird song to include in your podfic, whether your characters are birders or not. You can know that your wildlife sounds are accurate, whether or not anyone else does.

InsectSingers.com is another great resource. It has "[s]ong recordings and information on acoustically signaling insects, especially cicadas of the United States and Canada." - there's a lot of variation in cicada song between species. You can listen to a sampling of different songs here to get a bit of an idea.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library is a good resource for photos, audio, and video recordings of birds, and you can find a lot of amphibian sound recordings there, too, because some frog sounds are pretty similar to bird sounds. The Cornell Lab also has eBird and Merlin, which are both useful for exploring birds and bird identification.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an excellent resource if you're into invertebrates, birds*, gardening, or life on this planet. They're an international nonprofit focused on science-based conservation work. Among other things they've got region-based guides for protecting pollinators and publications on things like mosquito management, conserving plant stems for native bees, and insectary cover cropping in California. If you want to write a character into these things, or if you're interested in these things yourself, Xerces is a good place to start.

*roughly 96% of terrestrial birds feed their young insects (Are declines in insects and insectivorous birds related?, 2021)

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