snowflake challenge #3

[svgurl]

Challenge #3:
Create a wish list of fandom things (podfic, graphics, playlists, canon recs translations, research help, vids, sky's the limit!) that you'd like to receive.

Forever hoping for the machine that will take the ideas out of my head and turn them into the fics I've been imagining. :D

Fandom Wishes:

Online resources: Where do people go when they're trying to find out more information about a new city/state/country? Or even careers that you don't know anything about.

Music recs: I like pop and alternative

Book recs: I love historical mysteries (and contemporary that has minimal explicit violence), modern and classic/historical romance, and I'd love to get into "lighter" scifi

Someone to brainstorm/talk about fic and fic ideas with

Fics, fic recs, fanart/icons, fanvids, and/or fanvid recs for my favorite ships:
Gilmore Girls: Rory/Jess, Rory/Paris, Luke/Lorelai, Lane/Dave
MCU: Bucky/Natasha, Bucky/Sam, Natasha/Pepper, Natasha/Sam, Nebula/Rhodey, Peggy/Steve, Sam/T'Challa, Sam/Erik Killmonger, Steve/Tony
Smallville: Clark/Lois, Clark/Oliver, Clark/Lois/Oliver, Lois/Tess, Lois/Lana, Lana/Tess
Suits: Mike/Harvey, Donna/Rachel
Ted Lasso: Keeley/Roy, Keeley/Roy/Jamie, Sam/Jamie, Ted/Rebecca
stock icons (or links to posts with these things): books, coffee, sunsets/sunrises, seasonal (fall, winter, spring, summer), desserts, ocean, lighthouses, writing

Comments

[sparrow2000]

This is a super list of wishes.

Re your first one, when I'm setting a fic somewhere I haven't been before I got to the city or municipality website and have a look at what they're focused on. I also go onto street view and virtually walk up and down streets so I can see what neighbourhoods look like. You Tube is also great if you want to see places as someone will nearly always have posted a video of themselves walking through an airport, riding a tram, walking through a park etc so you can get a sense of what a place is like. Just a few thoughts of things that work for me.

Good luck with your rec requests. If I think of anything, I'll do another comment :)

[svgurl]

Street view is a great idea! I didn't think of that one. I didn't realize that YouTube would have that info but it makes sense. I was trying to get the atmosphere of someone who lived there rather than just visiting and that sounds like a very useful way to figure it out.

Thank you so much! :D

[smallhobbit]

When you find that machine, do let me know!

Have you tried the Crown Colony books by Ovidia Yu? They're set in Singapore and begin in the mid 1930s, and continue through the Japanese occupation.

[dolorosa_12]

I second that rec! I love that Ovidia Yu series!

[svgurl]

I definitely will! :D

I haven't heard of it, but I will add it to my list. Thank you for the rec! :D

[hamsterwoman]

By “lighter” sci-fi do you mean funny or cozy (or the opposite of “hard” sci-fi) ?

[svgurl]

Yup! I love the world building and I know many are focused on struggle and revolution in some forms, but I get overwhelmed with all the heavy themes and it takes longer for me to get through the book. Legends & Lattes is already on my list. :)

[jellyfishlover]

As far as light sci-fi goes, I, Robot by Issac Asimov might interest you, as it's a handful of short stories focused on humans and robots, no aliens or anything of that sorts and the first one is set on earth, if I remember correctly. Wool by Hugh Howey might also be something your interested in: No robots, aliens, or any fantastical elements but it does take place in a distant future where people live underground in a big silo and the protagonist eventually sets on a mystery solving adventure that keeps on getting bigger!

[svgurl]

That sounds good! I recognize the title/author but didn't know anything about the book itself. The second one definitely sounds up my alley because I love a mystery. Thank you for the recs! :D

[wearing_tearing]

I have two book recs for lighter Sci-Fi:
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - Scalzi calls this a "pop song" of a novel because it's super lighthearted and, personally, very funny. It does mention the pandemic, though!
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - I found this to be less of a full novel and more of a series of connected short stories about a found family making its way through space.

And for Historical Mystery, I recently started reading the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn and am loving it!

[svgurl]

A pop song of a novel definitely sounds like what I would be looking for. And found family (a trope I love) + space is a winning combo.

I will make sure to look up the series you mentioned as well.

Thank you for all the recs! ♥ :D

[musyc]

pretty_pixels
ghostsighs
vivid_place
witchbabyicons
oraclegreen

Fairly heavily represented in my stock icon collections!

[svgurl]

Ooh, perfect! I didn't know about any of these comms and am excited to go through them. Thank you for the recs! :D

[tsuki_no_bara]

two music recs:

taleen kali who's a little rocky, a little poppy, a little guitary, and has a kind of 90s voice that i really like.

the amazing devil which is a weird kind of alt-folk that scratches a very particular, very nostalgic itch for me. if you ever watched the witcher, this is joey batey's band.

and two book recs:

record of a spaceborn few if you like the long way to a small, angry planet. same universe, mostly different characters. (full disclosure: i read them both but like record of a spaceborn few a little better.)

space opera by catherynne m valenti. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy meets eurovision. parts of it are pretty serious but then you have various alien species competing in intergalactic eurovision and that's fun.

[svgurl]

Thank you for the music and book recs! I haven't watched The Witcher, but I do know who Joey Batey is. I haven't read 'the long way to as mall, angry planet' but I will check them both out. That second one definitely sounds like a lot of fun and what I'm looking for! :D

[lebateleur]

Oh! I can do historical mystery book recs:

Miranda Carter's The Blake and Avery series is currently at three books that combine excellent historical detail with really great characters. (Bonus: there is a small but very dedicated fandom on AO3/DW.)

Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry seeries is also excellent--currently at four books and I've loved each one more than the last.

Finally, I am an eternal flagwaver for Paraic O'Donnell's The House on Vesper Sands, which is one of my favorite mystery novels—and novels—ever.

[svgurl]

I've wanted to read The Blake and Avery series, but haven't gotten around to it yet. The other two sound interesting as well. Thank you for the recs! :D

[glassesofjustice]

You might check out the alternative professions tag on fancake for some ideas on career research. I thought there was a specific comm for explaining jobs but I couldn't find it.

[svgurl]

That's a good idea! I haven't thought of it and I will try. Thank you for the suggestion! :D

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Where do people go when they're trying to find out more information about a new city/state/country? <<

Okay, this has several broad branches:
1) Its tourist info. They all have some, and you'll find cool stuff there that won't pop up anywhere else. Use websites or hit a rest stop for paper flyers. Good for occasions like, "My character is vacationing in Kansas, what is there to do there?"

Search (name of location) + tourism OR attractions OR "things to do in"

2) Geographic type stuff. This search approach will get you maps, demographics, and statistics useful for things like "I'm writing a Korean character, where in America are Korean immigrants common?"

Search (name of location) + maps images OR demographics OR statistics OR "everything you need to know about"

3) Resources for people moving in. This gets you a smattering of housing info, jobs, local laws, weather, etc.

Search (name of location) + "moving to" OR "welcome to" OR "I'm new in"

>> Or even careers that you don't know anything about.<<

College websites. They often have "what you can do with a major in X" and on a good site the careers under it will be links to pages about those jobs.

Search (name of career) + "majors" OR "degree" OR "how to become a"

Job websites. These get you information on what the job is about, how many people do that work, whether the field is growing or shrinking, common pay levels, etc.

Search (name of career) + "job prospects" OR "salary"

Also hit the writer section of any bookstore, because there are "careers for your character" guidebooks.

Re: Thoughts

[svgurl]

Search (name of location) + "moving to" OR "welcome to" OR "I'm new in"
Oh, that's a good idea. I know there is a lot of information out there for visiting places, which I have definitely looked up when I have my characters go on vacation, but I was curious on how not to fall into stereotypes or sound like too much of a tourist when I have a character live in a place I've never even visited.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Careers

[ysabetwordsmith]

I forgot to list the career book I actually have:
https://www.amazon.com/Occupation-Thesaurus-Writers-Vocations-Careers/dp/099929637X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
This whole series is brilliant for research.

Re: Careers

[svgurl]

Oh, interesting. I hadn't heard of that one. It sounds very useful though. Thanks!

[majorr]

Nebula/Rhodey! 😍 I really loved Trust and Caring by Rivulet027. And Gentle as Every Touch by LearnedFoot is a gift I received that your wishlist inspired me to go reread, and yep. Still tender and awesome and fills me with joy for this ship. Haha I’m behind on the MCU, haven’t seen the newest Guardians movie, so I don’t know about more recent stuff. I have a forever soft spot for these two, though, and I hope you enjoy the fics. :)

[svgurl]

I just love their dynamic and thought they would be so good together, but I haven't actually gone around looking into fic. I love LearnedFoot's writing so I will definitely check that one out and the other you mentioned. I am with you on being behind - out of Phase 4, I've only seen TFATWS and Wakanda Forever. :D

Thank you so much for the recs! I was so excited to get them! :D

[badfalcon]

ooh for historical mysteries I can recommend the Wrexford & Sloane series by Andrea Penrose, I read 5 of the 7 last year and I'm about to finish book 6 with book 7 queued up on my kindle. They're set in Regency London with a lord/scientist and a satirical artist solving murder

[svgurl]

That sounds good! I love unique detective duos. Thank you for the rec! :D

[tarlanx]

I think you have likely seen all my STOCK icons for various on your list but, just in case:

1. sunrise/dawn
2. coffee related
3. book covers
4. characters reading books

All my non-fandom icons in one place

[svgurl]

I'm sure I missed a couple and it's nice to get a refresher, since I'm not sure I saved them the first time around. You make beautiful icons. Thank you so much for the links! :D

[linky]

For music recs: I really enjoy White Denim, who I feel fits the alternative category. I really like the different sounds for each of their songs, some of them have this psychedelic rock vibe too.

[svgurl]

I haven't heard their music but I will check them out. Thank you for the rec! :D

[scintilla10]

Where do people go when they're trying to find out more information about a new city/state/country? Or even careers that you don't know anything about.

It might sound weird, but to be honest, I find that reddit is often a good place for crowd-sourcing local information about a place or details about things like particular careers. Subreddits for particular cities, interests, or professions can have pretty deep archives of threads and topics, and you can search to find if other people have asked questions similar to what you want to know.

Some professions also have professional organizations (could be state-level or national) that might give you an understanding of the general competencies, certifications, etc. for that career. (Though they might not be as helpful for day-to-day on-the-ground experience in that job.)

Also, if you ever want to brainstorm/talk out fic ideas in our shared fandoms or ships (Sam/Bucky and Roy/Keeley/Jamie come to mind particularly!), then feel free to send me a DM. :D

[svgurl]

That makes sense. I haven't gotten into reddit and don't know how to really navigate it but I can definitely would have the right information, with their variety of users.

Thank you for all the suggestions! :D

Haha yes I would love that! I would definitely love to have someone to chat with on some Sam/Bucky fics I'm trying to work on - I am currently struggling with an long overdue fake dating/How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days fusion. Also, it goes both ways! If you ever want to chat, I'm happy to listen too, on either of those ships/fandoms or anything else we have in common. :D

[hannah]

The bands Explosions in the Sky and Public Service Broadcasting come to mind.

[svgurl]

I'll check them out. Thank you for the recs! :D

[cal1pso]

Are music recs ok in other languages other than English?

[svgurl]

Late reply is late, but sure! Outside of English music, I've only listened to Hindi, but I am willing to give it a shot. :D

[peaked]

Someone to brainstorm/talk about fic and fic ideas with



I can always make you some stock icons with those themes if you like!

[svgurl]

LOL You're the best! ♥ I know we don't have a ton of ship/fandom overlap so I didn't want to be like "BURIES LISTEN" XD Though now I may bother you about my Rory/Jess bookstore au that is slow going.

Thank you! Your icons are great! I will keep that in mind for sure. :)

[marginaliana]

A book rec for lighter SF: Divinity 36 which I read recently and am recommending all over the place.

And for music, have a listen to Joywave. I love them.

[svgurl]

I haven't heard of either of those but I will definitely check them out. Thank you for the recs! :D

[meridian_rose]

Forever hoping for the machine that will take the ideas out of my head and turn them into the fics I've been imagining. :D We all need one of those :D Even just for the first drafts so we could edit it into perfection!

I've got downloads of stock icons in past from
https://roxicons.livejournal.com/
https://sanya4.livejournal.com/
https://eyesthatslay.livejournal.com/tag/icons

(some of those also do fandom posts but I've mostly downloaded their stock icons, and mostly seasonal in nature; that last one is where I got my writer icon from; sadly some icons fallen victim to photobucket debacle but many are still available)

and more recently
https://silverdelver.dreamwidth.org/
as well as yourself and other lands of magic members tarlanx and sandy 97

[svgurl]

Yes, that is how I feel! I just need something to get it going for me so I don't have to do all the work making the ideas in my head sound as I hope they will lol :D

Thank you for the recs! I will check those out.

[brokenhighways]

Someone to brainstorm/talk about fic and fic ideas with

*raises hand* *waves* *jumps up and down*

Also, I have a self-rec for SV Clois if you're into longish fics - Light Up The Sky. :D

The first thing on your list - Reddit is the place to lurk. I know there are a bunch of posers on there, but it can be useful. Pinterest, too! And even Wikipedia (and its related sites), wikiHow, etc.

[svgurl]

♥ Aww, thank you! You know I always love chatting with you so I will definitely take you up on that. I'm easiest to catch on Discord these days but if you prefer email or something that works too. :D

I'm subscribed to your AO3 and have meant to read that one, but time has, as always, gotten away from me. I appreciate the rec and the reminder! It sounds really good and I'm halfway through the first chapter and already hooked.

Reddit does seem to be a solid resource and that is a good point about wikipedia related sites. Thank you for the recs and suggestions!