Fannish options & enthusiasms: September 2024

[brightknightie]

Here are some recent fannish things I've happened to see and would like to share:

Spotlight: Comics author Jed MacKay concluded his magnificent 3.5-year run on Doctor Strange. His storytelling there was so deft, warm, and human -- and so rich in genuine comics heritage -- that, when I bumped into it by accident, it pulled me back to monthly comics after decades away. I so regret losing him from this book. But I don't want him to burn out! He's currently writing 4 others, including Avengers and X-Men (not Uncanny X-Men; Gail Simone has that).

Ficathons, fests & communities

• Create & engage
  • trickortreatex is an exchange themed on stories that are "tricks" or "treats." Nominations close 9/08 and sign-ups 9/18. Due 10/24.
  • flashbackfest is a challenge celebrating early fandoms that are special to folks, however each participant wishes to define "early" and "special." Due 11/30.
  • smashthechampagnebottle is a challenge to write the first fic for a 'ship in a fandom. (It's stepping in as a temporary stopgap for launchtheship, which seems to be MIA this year.) Due 11/15.
  • communal_creators is a low-key challenge to create works of all kinds and support creators, inspired by NaNoWriMo. Sign-ups close 9/14. Due 10/15.
  • drabbleonficathon is a prompt-fill challenge. Prompting closes 10/01.
  • mdzsexchangehub is an exchange for AUs inspired by global fairy tales, folktales, legends, and mythology. Nominations close 9/16 and sign-ups 9/30. Due 11/16.
  • au_challenge is an AU challenge community with bingo cards and prompt tables.
  • trope_of_the_month's September theme is "role reversal."
  • allbingo's September theme is "pirates."
  • story_works's September challenge is "secret."
  • pinchhits is a forum for back-up fills in fannish exchanges. For example, wipbigbang and enemiestoloversex are currently seeking pinch hitters.
• Enjoy & share
  • fancake (themed fanfic recs); September theme: "missing scenes"
  • het_reccers (m/f fanfic recs)
  • gensplosion (gen fanfic recs)
  • recthething (fanwork recs)
  • fanart_recs (fanart recs)

Some new things coming this fall that I'm looking forward to:

• Games
  09/26: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for Nintendo Switch
• TV
  09/15: Moonflower Murders, S1, PBS, 6 episodes
  09/18: Agatha All Along, S1, Disney+, 9 episodes
  
• Movies
  09/18: Transformers One (Paramount/Hasbro/New Republic)
  09/27: The Wild Robot (Dreamworks/Universal)
• Books
  10/22: The Wood at Midwinter (set in the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) by Susanna Clark
  10/29: The Grey Wolf (Chief Inspector Gamache #19) by Louise Penny

Note: "Recently:FK" is now "Recently:Enthusiasms."

Comments

[switchbladeeyes]

The Wood at Midwinter (set in the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell)

Oooooooh, going to have to check that out!

[brightknightie]

Did you perhaps see Clark's The Ladies of Grace Adieu some years ago? It's a short-story collection also set in the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

I suspect that Clark's never going to manage the sequel promised when the novel first came out, and that's not only fine with me, it indeed feels completely appropriate as a part of its meticulous nineteenth-century-ness -- they didn't do sequels then the way we do now.

[switchbladeeyes]

No, I had no idea there were other works set in this world. I'm going to check it out from the library!

Did you see the miniseries they made of the book? I thought they did a good job.