Snowflake Day 4

[jadesfire]

Day 4

In your own space, create a fannish wishlist. No limits on size or type of fanwork; just tell us what you’d like to see. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. And if you grant a wish, do the same thing!

Would you like a story for a little fandom that’s got no traction? Would you like a trope written for a popular one? Maybe you have an amazing idea for a set of song lyrics but no way of setting them to music. Maybe there’s a piece of fanart you’re craving, or you wish you had icons for your favorite show. Maybe you want someone to talk about a book with. Maybe it’s something vaguer; maybe you’d like recommendations for new canons to try, or you’d like people to take a look at your fanworks and let you know what they think. Maybe you’d like to make more friends here, or on another platform; maybe you’d like an inbox to squee into or comment fic.

Oh gosh, I am ABSOLUTELY going to be trawling the comments on this one, compiling my writing inspiration list for the year. woot!

For myself?

1. People to chat to. I'm aiming to be better about posting in this space, and I miss talking to people. I work a fairly solitary job, my ME keeps me from socialising too extensively in real life, and I noticed I was turning into a hermit. So please feel free to add away, even if you're not sure - I like that DW separates 'subscribe' and 'grant access' so that you can get to know each other at a less intense pace. And I'm going to try to be better about commenting on my list too.

2. Art for literally anything I've written. As someone who can't draw a circle around a penny, and has only the most basic of image editing skills, the world of fic/podfic covers is a strange and wonderful one. I've been getting better at it, but I'd love some for my Yuletide fics in particular.

3. Music recommendations. Last year saw me discover Vienna Teng and The Wailin' Jennies, but I'd love for you to tell me what my bands of 2018 should be. I like melody, tight harmony, Country, Rock and Pop. Don't worry if it's really old and you think everyone already knows it. I have lots of problems getting to know new music, and probably haven't heard most of what you'd consider classics! I'm not looking for a long list, just one or two YOU MUST HAVE HEARD THISes.

4. Comments. On podfic especially (not just mine - just search for your fandom and podfic on AO3 and see what happens, or see my Day 3 post for recs), but on any fic. I particularly like the idea of commenting on things that don't have any comments. On AO3, find your fandom, put "sort:>comments" into the 'Search Within Results' box, and it will sort the list so that fics with the least number of comments are at the top. I guarantee you'll make an author's day!

5. analise010 made this their request, and I can only echo it: Add a transformative works statement to your profiles, stating what you're happy for people to do with your work. It's like a lure for podficcers, if you'd like that for your fic, and also for remixers and artists. It's even helpful if you want to tell people to Keep Out! There's no wrong or one way to do it, but it's much appreciated if you feel you can.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Lauren Alaina, "Road Less Traveled"

Kesha, "Praying"

If you like either song, check out the whole album.

[summerstorm]

I'm surprised to see an Idol alum here so now I'm gonna be curious and check that out too. But mostly wanted to second the Kesha rec. Honestly, I think Rainbow was my song of the year? It was definitely my song of the two-week meltdown in September, but in a good way. I don't like much of Kesha's old music, as much as I love her, but this album super did it for me.

[alexseanchai]

I actually had no idea Alaina was on American Idol till just now? I simply heard that song on my brother's favorite country station one day and it spoke to me.

[summerstorm]

She was! She was on the season Scotty McCreary won. She was runner up. They kinda blend in my head by now but I think this was the season that had one of my absolute favorites in the history of the show, Haley Reinhart. She's not full country but she is so good.

[jadesfire]

Ooh, thanks for those. I've heard of Kesha, but not Lauren Alaina. I enjoyed both tracks so will have a listen to the rest and see what I think.

Ta muchly :D

[alexseanchai]

Woot woot!

[summerstorm]

You sound awesome and I need more friends as well, so I'm adding you. Hopefully this year I'll move on from posting so damn much about my mental health struggles and also post about other things, but we'll see I guess. :p

I'm bad at music (I literally 'discovered' Miranda Lambert last year; I mostly know of people but never listen to their stuff) but since you mention Vienna Teng, I'm gonna try my luck -- try Sarah Slean (I'm currently listening to Set It Free a lot; old favs are Sweet Ones and Society Song) and Diane Birch (All The Love You Got is my new fav; old favs are Valentino and Magic View). I also got back into Michelle Branch this year and The Wreckers' one album is still great, if you haven't listened to it.

[jadesfire]

Bless you, I'm pretty boring, really, but I'm working on it :) Nice to meet you!

I...don't know who Miranda Lambert is. Is there anything in particular of hers I should check out? I'll work my way through the others, thanks. The clips I've found very much sound like my kind of thing, so it's something to look forward to next week when I go back to work :D

[summerstorm]

She's like, huge in country? I mostly know her because I used to be into American Idol and The Voice, and back then Miranda Lambert was married to one of the Voice coaches, plus her songs showed up on both shows every now and then (I don't know if Lauren Alaina did any, but I know Skylar in S11 did Gunpowder & Lead at a bare minimum.)

Her stuff ranges from softer country (Only Prettier) to angry, super-fun-to-rock-out-to bits (Mama's Broken Heart, Kerosene) to makes-you-cry-when-you-least-expect-it ballads (The House That Built Me). I also liked her stuff with Pistol Annies, especially Hell On Heels and Takin' Pills.

[summerstorm]

oh, she also has a duet with Carrie Underwood, while on the Idol topic, but it...fucking sucks, imo. LOL

[jadesfire]

Ah, okay, that makes sense. I'm in the UK, only listen to podcasts and podfic, and don't watch much TV, so it's generally safe to assume that I don't know ANYTHING about culture from the last few years outside fandom. I appreciate the recs, especially for someone with a big back catalogue. I'd like to explore country music more, so this is perfect! Thanks :D

[summerstorm]

haha, yeah. I'm in Spain myself so all of this is fandom osmosis. I did live in London for a year in 2014/2015 but I can't say I picked up *culture*, lbr. And I definitely don't pick up any culture in my country. If you like anything specific of Miranda's I can probably point you to more; I explored a lot of her catalog in 2017.

[naye]

How into folk are you? Because I am inordinately fond of both Oysterband and Runrig, two British (well, Runrig are Scottish!) bands that I personally confirmed had a target audience about a generation or two older than myself, but they definitely to melody and tight harmony.

Oysterband have a fabulous album with folk singer June Tabor: Ragged Kingdom. Some beautiful old (as in, generations old) folk songs on that one. They also have an album called The Oxford Girl and Other Stories which I would be remiss in not mentioning to you.

A couple my favorite Oysterband tracks:
The Early Days of a Better Nation, which is a beautiful and inspiring anthem.
The Deserter

A couple of my favorite Runrig tracks:
Proterra
Road Trip

[jadesfire]

I'll try them, but don't have a great track record with folk. I do tend to prefer the very old stuff rather than newer, and I trust you, so I'll give them a go :) I mean, with a title like that, I have to, don't I?!

[naye]

I listen to a lot of different stuff though, so I can try calibrating my recs for you!

Also I put a blanket permission up on my profile. I used to have one, but I've been so unproductive I took it down, but hey. You never know - so now it's back!

[jadesfire]

Woot! \o/ Blanket permissions can just sit there - I've been podficcing stuff from 5 years ago recently, because blanket permission was there. So you never know :)

Aw, bless you. I think because I like so little music, I tend not to know how to articulate *what* I like. And saying 'Vienna Teng' doesn't help, because her music is so varied.

I think... I like songs, which is why some of that folk works for me. I like harmony - I love the Dixie Chicks for that - and dislike things with loud beats (apart from when I don't). It's hard to define, but I like intelligence in songs - I know what I mean! Sort of, 'oh, you wanted to say that, and that's how you did it, that's clever'.

Having said that, my most listened-to albums are compilations, so I think I also like variety in an album.

I have no idea if that makes any kind of sense to anyone but me!

[naye]

Oooh, have you heard any of Dar Williams' music? She's a singer-songwriter who has lovely lyrics and a beautiful voice - she uses a guitar where Vienna Teng plays the piano, but I think there are quite a few similarities between them?

The Christians and the Pagans a Christmas song about being different, and family, and goodwill all around <3

When I Was A Boy about how gender roles can chafe and constrain (love the twist in the last verse)

If I Wrote You (acoustic version) - I think I first heard this in an SGA vid for Sheppard??

Fishing in the Morning and this was always my Happily Ever After headcanon song that didn't really have any footage to vid but that was kind of the soundtrack of a fic about friends growing comfortably old together.

Mercy of the Fallen
And I hope someday that the best of Falstaff's planners
Give me seven half-built manors,
Where half-dreams may dream without end.

Let me know if that's more to your tastes and I'll see what other recs I can come up with. ♥

[jadesfire]

Ooh, no, I haven’t heard of her! I’ll give them a listen and let you know :)

[naye]

So I ended up on a nostalgic music binge today and - have I recced you October Project before? Because if I haven't I am moving them to the top of my rec list they were everything to my fandom newbie self. There's probably not a song on their 1993 and 1995 albums I haven't songficced (in my head!) and I think they might mesh really well with your tastes?

October Project, 1993.
Falling Further In, 1995

Some favorite tracks:
Deep As You Go
Dark Time
Ariel

[unfeathered]

Can't help with any of the music stuff, I'm afraid, but as I just said to Donutsweeper, I am going to try really hard this year to actually find the energy/confidence/words to comment on things, both here and on FB. I know personally how much it means to have people comment, even if sometimes I can't come up with anything to say in response!

[jadesfire]

It's really nice to see you here again! I think, especially when you're out of the habit, it takes real effort and thought to talk to people again, so go easy on yourself :) We're all working this out all over again!

[unfeathered]

Aww, you're so sweet! It's nice to come back to old friends!

One thing I do know, though, the more you start (or continue) conversations, the easier it becomes! :-)

[ardyforshort]

My music rec for you is Brian Fallon. He had a band called The Howling Weather (they still play with him now he‘s a solo artist) and has one called The Gaslight Anthem and I love all their stuff. His solo album, Painkillers, is very Springsteen-y. If you look him up on YouTube and add the word „acoustic“ you can find tons of acoustic versions of his songs that he‘s sadly never put on an album. He has a new album out in Feb and I am very excited about that.

Happy to be DW friends with you.

[jadesfire]

Ooh, yes, that is very much my kind of th8ng, thank you! I’ll enjoy digging into those :)

Hello! I’m hoping the snowflake challenge will give me enough momentum to keep posting so there’s something here worth subscribing for ;)

[philomytha]

Hi, nice to meet you! You have a lovely reading voice :-).

I have recently discovered the music of Stan Rogers, which is kind of ironic as my dad loves Canadian folk music and raised me on a non-stop diet of all sorts of Canadian music, but somehow Stan Rogers never featured even though he's one of the greats. So perhaps he hasn't come your way either, in which case start with Northwest Passage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVY8LoM47xI. I've found with all of Rogers's songs that the first time I hear it I think 'meh' and then a bit sticks in my head and I have to go back and listen again to remember how it went and then somehow I've listened to it on repeat for an hour.

And I can vouch for transformative works statements, because even in the tiny fandoms I write in, people show up now and then and make podfic of stuff I write, and it's great <3. I am a very audio-oriented writer, I hear words in my head as I write, I don't visualise much, so hearing how my words come out in other people's head is really special to me. If that makes sense?

[jadesfire]

Aw, thanks :) I could tell from your writing that these were words... not *meant* to be spoken exactly, but certainly heard as much as read. I do know exactly how what you mean, and I’m so pleased the reading did them justice.

Ooh, intriguing, thanks. I confess to knowing even less about Canadian music than British, so I’ll definitely check Stan Rogers out. Thanks!

[teigh_corvus]

I just checked my profile, and realized that no, I DID NOT put up a Transformative Works Statement like I said I would LAST YEAR. *facepalms* So I'm gonna do that now.

And I've enjoyed even the brief interactions we've had thusfar, as you are lovely. :) Would you like to be anti-recluse buddies?

[jadesfire]

hoorah! podfic for ALL!

And yes, definitely. Here's to getting out more :D

[fairyniamh]

I am not sure if you care about the language of your music, but I will toss out my favorites:

Oomph - I prefer their German version over the English

D - Japanese rock, yes, the men in this band are as beautiful in real life as they are on the screen, and yes, they are all men.

Jonothan Young - He mostly does covers, but he has a lovely voice.

Malinda Kathleen Reese - You've probably already heard her, but her Google Translate versions of songs are always good for a chuckle. Plus, her voice is quite nice.

[jadesfire]

I don't care at all about the language - my favourite is Pacific Islands, which means I still have the songs from Moana in my head three months after I saw it :)

Nope, not heard of Malinda Kathleen Reese. If nothing else, this post has made me realise I know NOTHING about music. Hoorah for new ideas! I'll check all of these out, thanks!

[silveradept]

I'm going to give you three groups, all of whom may or may not be on YouTube or otherwise, and you can say yes or no to them.

Machinae Supremacy - the vocalist for the songs is always nasal to me, but they throw down with guitars and the like when they go instrumental. May be shading too far out into metal-like territory, but I like them.

Tally Hall - a quirky band who made it into an O.C. soundtrack when that was on, but I like their sound.

TC and the Roadmasters - they're a blues band primarily, but they do a great cover of "Ain't No Sunshine", which Vienna Tang mashed up with "Lose Yourself" in an epic loop build.

[jadesfire]

I'm about to go away for a few days, but I've added these to my list for checking out, thanks. I'm up for exploring anything at the moment. When you don't really know what music you like, you have to try everything to find out!

Thank you :D

[sholio]

You might like Josh Ritter! It's hard to describe his music - it's a little folky, a little pop, a little alternative; I think he's kind of in the same general area as Vienna Teng, music-wise, even though their individual sounds are different. It's possible that he's a little too much on the folk end for your tastes, but here are some of the songs of his that I like:

Still Beating
Lantern
Long Shadows
Girl in the War

Lately I've been getting back into some of the pop artists I used to like as a teenager, including Billy Joel (My Life never stops making me want to get up and dance, and Allentown is an underrated gem); Peter Cetera, the former front man for Chicago (sample solo tracks: And I Think of You, Feels Like Heaven, Dip Your Wings), and the late, great Tom Petty (Room at the Top has been on repeat lately; some better known songs of his - Free Falling, Learning to Fly).

[jadesfire]

Ooh, fab, thanks. We're out for the next few days, but I'll check them out when I next have internet.

I've actually heard of 2 of the last 3 ;D I didn't know Free Falling was Tom Petty, and I saw all the outpouring of tributes when he died, so maybe I'll start there. I'll let you know how I get on!

Ta muchly :)

Music recs

[knight_tracer]

I also just "discovered" Vienna Teng this year, she is amazing. I've recently been listening to Haim, Warpaint, Christine and the Queens, Hayley Kiyoko, and Halsey.

Do you like filk/fannish music? There's a great Buffy podcast (Buffering the Vampire Slayer) that does awesome songs at the end of each instalment about the episode they just discussed. I have the first two albums on almost perminent rotation.

Re: Music recs

[jadesfire]

I’ve tried a couple of episodes of Buffering the Vampire Slayer, but think I need to give it a longer run. Filk isn’t usually my sort of thing, but I’m aware that sometimes, I don’t give things a chance to grow on me, so I’ll try a few more!

Thanks for the recs :)

[pi]

Music recs! Vienna Teng is awesome. Not sure if the rest of our music taste will jive but based on what you described you might like

Girly Man (Lovely harmonies, folk/rock): Even If, speechless, Young James Dean, the shape I found you in, Genevieve, Fall Stories

BOY (Nice harmonies & melody, ladies duet): Little Numbers, New York, We Were Here, Drive Darling

Oh Wonder (mellow, pretty, some nice harmonies: Midnight Moon, Technicolor Beat, Shark

Mary Lambert (nice melody, sometimes pop-y) Know Your Name, Secrets, She Keeps Me Warm

CHVRCHES (more upbeat/pop-y, less intelligible lyrics but interesting melody/musical patterning) Science/Visions, Clearest Blue

Frou Frou (interesting melody/lyrics) Let Go, Psychobable, Must Be Dreaming
&
Imogene Heap (who lead Frou Frou): Glittering Cloud, The Walk, Hide & Seek, I’m a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch

Sarah Harmer (more country-feeling folk/indie): Dandelions in Bullet Holes, Lodestar, Escarpment Blues

Indigo Girls (nice harmonies): Become You, Love Will Come To You, Cedar Tree, Power of Two

Dar Williams (nice lyrical clarity, melody): Are You Out There, Beauty of the Rain

ERA (Choral, church-y [catholic hymns] music, but rock style): Ameno, Enae Volare, Divano,

Allie X (very pop-y, some danceable): Prime, Alexandra, Paper Love

Years & Years (upbeat, pop, some danceable) Shine, Real, Memo, Foundation, Take Shelter

Random song recs:
The Magic Between Us - Venus Hum
Waltz (waltz in blue) Jean-Jaqcques Burnell
Coin Laundry - Lisa Mitchell
Neopolitan Dreams - Lisa Mitchell
Fantasy - LAMA

[jadesfire]

Oh wow, thank you so much!!! My plan is to work through an album a day, and looking at this, I’ll be doing that for the next few weeks. Wonderful, and much appreciated!

[bardsley]

I come baring random song recommendations! I have no idea if you'll like these...

First, Emilie Simon has an amazing version of Come As You Are.

Something a little more rock that never fails to put me in a good mood is Dorthy's Raise Hell.

And, there is the incredibly catchy Invader Invader by the Japanese Queen of Pop, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Finally, if you don't like any of these, I hope that the German Techno Remix of the Rubby Ducky Song makes you smile.


Also, subscribing to your journal. Hi!

[jadesfire]

Ooh, fab thanks. I’ll have a listen through these and let you know how I get on.

And hi!

[mierke]

Music rec: Would you be so kind - Dodie

I discovered Dodie this year and I enjoy her music so much. Thought I'd spread the love!

[jadesfire]

Lovely, thank you. I’m going to have a great time exploring everything here!

[mf_luder_xf]

I'll admit, this challenge is the most I've posted in several years and when I do post, it's all fandom related, but we have a few fandoms in common, so I'm friending you!

[jadesfire]

Hello! Welcome aboard. Sometimes, things around here even make sense :)