I love good guys

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

Spotlight: TVA: Time Variance Authority #1-4
I had no intention of picking up this comic. Then I learned that the Sylvie character from the Loki TV show would be in issue #2, and I thought, well, I'll try that one issue... and here I am now with all 4 issues to date, having enjoyed Katharyn Blair's writing enough that I'm recommending it. ( Read more... )

Ficathons, fests & communities

• Create & engage
  • fkficfest elected 5 prompts for this year's stories, which come due May 24.
  • all_worlds_of_mccaffrey is a new community celebrating Anne McCaffrey in the lead-up to her 100th birthday in 2026.
  • saturdaymorningex is an exchange for cartoon/animated fandoms, with nominations through April 18, signups through May 9, and works due June 20.
  • caseficexchange is an exchange for investigations of all kinds, with nominations through April 13 and works due July 11.
  • spring_renewal is a spring-themed prompt fest, with prompting through April 6 and fills through April 30.
  • idproquo is an exchange for self-indulgent (well, recipient-indulgent!) works, with signups through April 7 and works due June 1.
  • bitesizedfandomsex is an exchange for canons consumable in ≤8 hours, with signups through April 8 and works due May 25.
  • whumpex is an exchange for "whump"-themed works, with nominations through April 12, sign-ups through April 27, and works due May 27.
  • unconventionalcourtship is a challenge for stories based on a Harlequin (Mills & Boon) novel summary.
  • sweetandshort is a challenge community for weekly small creations with 4 prompts/month.
  • fic_promptly is an ongoing promptfest community.
  • trope_of_the_month's April theme is "crossovers."
  • allbingo's April theme is "aesthetics."
  • pinchhits is a forum for pinch-hits in exchanges. For example, the_mane_event is seeking pinch hitters.
  • whenisitdue tracks many more events than I note here!
• Enjoy & share
  • fancake (themed fanfic recs); April theme: "outsider POV"
  • gensplosion (gen fanfic recs)
  • het_reccers (m/f fanfic recs)
  • fanart_recs (fanart recs)
  • recthething (fanwork recs)

Sidelight: TLOZ on Nintendo Switch 2
Price and release issues aside -- neither of which are Nintendo's fault -- I am still hoping to be able to buy the Switch 2 I saved for. Even if I can't, someone will, and there will be transcripts, YouTube videos, and wiki updates sharing the new stories, which is the important thing! ( Read more... )

snowflake_challenge '25:- Share [a] favorite piece of original canon

• Memory only:
  A bald man and a curly-haired woman in ordinary clothes, together in a dark, crowded movie theater, enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark. Suddenly, ghostly snakes writhe out of the screen! The woman gasps, recoils, stands, and heads down the row of seats. Only she sees the snakes. Concerned, the man follows her to the lobby, where the lights reveal that his skin is red -- literally, artificially, synthezoid red -- and he asks her if she's all right. As she tells him about the snakes and her suspicions, she gestures and transforms her ordinary clothes into a scarlet and magenta super-hero costume with a swirling cape and peaked headband. "I will come with you," he volunteers. "No," she puts her hand on his arm. "This is a job for the Scarlet Witch. You enjoy the movie. If I'm not back by dawn, gather the Avengers and come running!"


• Double-checking:
  It's one page + one facing panel. The costume transformation is unseen, elided with a "Soon, outside..." transition. And the final lines are actually: "The Scarlet Witch must find out why!" / "You do not want me to come with you?" / "No, my love -- your strength must be kept in reserve. If you do not hear from me within twenty-four hours, notify the Avengers and come running!"

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

Spotlight: Four episodes in, I'm enjoying Agatha All Along very much, and confidently placing my trust in Jac Schaeffer -- the creator and head writer of WandaVision & creator and showrunner of Agatha All Along -- to serve the story, the characters, and the audience well. I've been a comics fan since c.1984, so my MCU opinions are non-standard, but this show seems to me to hit all the stops. Fingers crossed. And if you want to start this one cold, with no MCU background, you actually can! (Though it would be ideal to come in with WandaVision under your belt.)

Ficathons, fests & communities

• Create & engage
  • hlh_shortcuts, the annual Highlander story exchange, is switching from hand-matching to AO3-automated matching, and will use a pre-populated character tagset instead of a nominating period. Learn more and contribute.
  • yuletide exchange preparations are in full swing. (My dear Dungeons & Dragons cartoon (1983) did get nominated this year, after missing last year. Yay!)
  • latetreatbonanza is an event to help motivate finishing miscellaneous unfinished gifts. Due December 24; reveals December 25.
  • spook_me stories are due on October 20.
  • trickortreatex gift reveals come on October 31.
  • uk_fandom_weekend is a small event in Manchester the weekend of October 25-27.
  • trope_of_the_month's October theme is "supernatural beings."
  • whatif_au's October-November challenge is "supernatural."
  • allbingo's October theme is "Fall Fest."
  • pinchhits is a forum for pinch-hits in fannish exchanges. For example, multifandomtropefest and fandomgiftbasket are currently seeking pinch hitters.
• Enjoy & share
  • fancake (themed fanfic recs); October theme: "happy endings"
  • het_reccers (m/f fanfic recs)
  • gensplosion (gen fanfic recs)
  • recthething (fanwork recs)
  • fanart_recs (fanart recs)

All the "in production" TV shows that I presently watch and wait for:

• Agatha All Along (Disney+, new episodes weekly through October '24)
• Strange New Worlds (Paramount+, Season 3 expected in 2025)
• My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon Network, renewed for Season 3)
• Call the Midwife (PBS + BBC, Season 14 expected to reach PBS with the Christmas special in December '24 and the rest of the season in March '25)
• Vienna Blood (PBS + BBC; Season 4 expected in early '25)
• All Creatures Great and Small (PBS + BBC, Season 5 reaches PBS in January '25)

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