Snowflake Challenge #3

[cinefarious]

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.


This challenge definitely feels the most difficult for me! I always feel like I'm overstepping asking for things! But I think it's such a great thing to put out in the world as well, and I hope to see some wishes I'd be able to fulfill. <3

1. Book recommendations! I'm currently reading through the Drizzt series (3 in), the Dragon Age series, and I have Legends and Lattes waiting. I recently finished reading Thirteen Storeys as well. I'm obviously very into medieval fantasy and a good psychological horror. I tend to enjoy more flowery, descriptive works, and I'm really hoping I can find a great fantasy novel with bisexual characters. And I love anything to do with magic!

2. I'd love to see more art of Iwai from Persona 5. There's so little of it out there, and he's such a handsome and lovely character.

3. I'm always down for fic! I've participated in exchanges in the past/currently, and it means I've always got a handy letter full of likes and plot ideas. You can find my most recent letter here.

Comments

[sparrow2000]

I know what you mean about this being a difficult challenge. I always feel so pushy asking for things but you are right, putting things out into the world to see what manifests and also looking to fulfill other people's wishes is a lovely thing.

It's a long, long time since I read any medieval fantasy so not sure I can help here. Re psychological horror, the first thing that springs to mind is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (the original novel). Apart from that The Binding by Bridget Collins isn't horror, but I did find it quite unsettling and the two main male characters are good both together and apart - and there's angst by the bucket as well so it might be worth a look.

Good luck with getting your other wishes fulfilled. :)

[cinefarious]

Thank you so much! The Binding definitely sounds up my alley! I'll check out both of these. <3

[wendelah1]

Have you read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia? It was a big hit at my book club.

[sparrow2000]

I haven't read that. Thanks for the rec. I'll put it on my list! :)

[musyc]

Robin LaFevers, His Fair Assassin series. Partial description from Amazon: "In fifteenth-century France, the convent of Saint Mortain provides sanctuary to girls seeking refuge from the cruelty of the outside world. But sanctuary comes at a price—and each of Death’s handmaidens pays it in blood.

Grave Mercy is where the story begins, when seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes the brutality of an arranged marriage by joining the convent. An assignment brings her to the high court of Brittany, where she must navigate treason and temptation—especially when the master she serves demands the life of the man she loves."

Anne Fortier, Juliet. Also partial from Amazon: "Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy.

This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever—a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei. In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy."

[cinefarious]

Thank you so much! I think I've seen His Fair Assassin recommended before, and with a second recommendation I'm definitely going to be checking that one out! And I'll definitely look into Juliet as well. You're so kind to leave these.

[lyntergalactic]

oh, the way i grinned when i saw "dragon age series"! those books don't get enough love, imho. wheresabouts are you in the series?

also, please enjoy this small, completely unproofed ficlet:

When they're still a ways from the town, Carver reins in his horse. He sits in the saddle, frowning, and stares at their destination. It's close enough to make out the silhouettes of buildings, but far enough for them to not have much definition. Cullen stops beside him, gesturing for his mabari to do the same, and waits.

"I never thought I'd come back here," Carver says finally. "Part of me wanted nothing more than to leave when I was young. And then when we fled to Kirkwall..."

"Part of you wanted to go back," Cullen finishes for him, "even though you knew it wouldn't be the same."

He reaches out to rest a hand on Carver's shoulder. It's a little uncomfortable, what with the space and bit of height difference between them caused by their mounts, but the thought of not offering comfort is worse. "We can skirt around it, if you like. It'd be easy enough to dip south and find the Highway again further East."

Carver shakes his head. "No. It's alright." He reaches up to pat Cullen's hand and gives him a small smile. "If you can brave Honnleath and your family after all these years just to introduce me, I can see how Lothering's rebuilt since the Blight."

He gently takes Cullen's hand in his own. Presses a kiss to his knuckles, then gives them a cheeky nip that Cullen can't really feel through the leather of his gloves, but fondly rolls his eyes at nonetheless. "Thank you," Carver says. "Now come on, if we want to get there before midday, we can't just stand around like this."

Even as he nudges his horse into a trot, he tosses a smirk over his shoulder. With a huff, Cullen follows him, the mabari close on their heels. "Remind me again why I asked you to come with me on this trip?" he asks.

"'Cause you love me," Carver says.

Maker help him, but he does.

[cinefarious]

I'm not very far sadly! I read The Masked Empire first, and I loved the hell out of it. I love Orlais and the entire Winter Palace plot point in DA:I made me so happy. Since then I decided I wanted to read them all. I recently finished the Stolen Throne and I've started The Calling.

I love this ficlet so much! For such a brief moment between them it breathes so much life. You captured what I loved about their dynamic. The serious, older calm of Cullen to Carver's more youthful brattiness. The little bite to his knuckle gave me life! (And I love that they have their mabari companion with them.) The simple fact that they are revisiting their past was so lovely, and even just their awkward height difference making comfort difficult, but no less necessary was beautiful.

I appreciate you sending this my way! It made me so happy. <3

[lyntergalactic]

stolen throne is one of my favorites! really made me appreciate loghain as a character more. asunder is probably my other favorite, so i hope you enjoy it whenever you get to it :>

you're very welcome!! it was a delight to get to write something real short and for a pairing i don't see as often as i'd like 💜 cullen and carver are honestly two of my all-time favorite npcs from these games and any chance i get to smoosh them together, whether paired or not, is incredibly fun.

[cinefarious]

100%. I gained such a huge appreciation and love for Loghain through that book. I look forward to getting to Asunder knowing you love it!

Cullen and Carver are also two of my all time favorites! I want all the complicated characters. Thank you again <3 I feel so seen.

[hannah]

The Kingfisher by Amy Clampitt and Strike Sparks by Sharon Olds come to mind.

[cinefarious]

Thank you very much for your recommendations!

[alexseanchai]

not medieval fantasy, the setting is more Renaissance Venice ish, but perhaps still relevant to interests: the Rook and Rose trilogy by M. A. Carrick? here's some free short fiction in that universe, so you can decide if you like the style and worldbuilding

[cinefarious]

I appreciate the recommendation! Renaissance Venice sounds lovely.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> This challenge definitely feels the most difficult for me! I always feel like I'm overstepping asking for things! <<

You might like How to Hack the Snowflake Challenge with tips for handling different challenges, including this one.

>> I'm currently reading through the Drizzt series <<

*chuckle* Back in my fangirl days, and when this series was so new that Larry Elmore's paint was barely dry on the cover study for one of the books, Bob Salvatore and I made each other late to a GenCon panel because we were talking and lost track of time. He'd never met someone who could see their characters before -- he described his experience as a telephone conversation. It was fun.

It took all weekend for Bob to talk Larry into selling him that cover study. They were adorable.

>>I'm obviously very into medieval fantasy and a good psychological horror. <<

You might enjoy some of my writing. Drop by during any open prompt call, check the theme, and ask for whatever you want in that area. I write the whole QUILTBAG and queer prompts are always welcome, my readers love that.

>> I tend to enjoy more flowery, descriptive works, and I'm really hoping I can find a great fantasy novel with bisexual characters. And I love anything to do with magic! <<

Happily there's a lot more queerlit now than there used to be, so bisexuality is much easier to find. I like the Goodreads lists:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/90739.Best_Fantasy_Books_with_Bisexual_Main_Characters

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/bi-fantasy

One of mine is Antimatter and Stalwart Stan. You can find a list of my QUILTBAG characters here.

>> 3. I'm always down for fic! <<

allbingo will be running a Valentines fest in February. Drop by at the beginning of the month if you want to get a card (DIY or public card) or the end to read people's fills. Bisexual and other queer characters are not rare.

Also keep an eye on fandomcalendar because sometimes people throw a fest for a specific sexuality. I know I've seen bisexual before, but the timing varies.

[nonesensed]

Very well phrased re: "putting things out there"! Fandom is all about exchanges and I definitely get inspired by seeing what ideas about shared fandoms other people have, be they fic prompts or meta or what have you. I do feel rather awkward when I post my own wishes and prompts, but I don't think other people look "selfish" or "spoiled" when they post theirs - I just find it inspiring and engaging. I suspect that's the case for other people too when they see what I've posted. An important reminder ☺️

I gotta second the Rook and Rose trilogy by M. A. Carrick recommendation!!! Great characters, great plot, great worldbuilding (queernorm world!) 💖 I have about a million other book recs on top of that, but if you're specifically looking for a fantasy book with a bisexual main character, hmmm, have you read the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling? Also, all of the main cast in Martha Wells' Books of the Raksura series are ethically non-monogamous aromantic bisexual winged lizard people, and it's got a fun fish-out-of-water theme. Oh, and while the main character isn't bisexual, I'm still going to recommend The Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan because it's such a cozy yet thrilling series (especially the final book in the series!)

Aaand I'll stop there, or I'll leave you a whole wall of text to read through, and that's no fun 😅

[cinefarious]

You're very sweet, and I agree. I certainly just feel excitement when I see people with inspiring wishes. I like to see people so excited about what they enjoy.

I will absolutely take those recommendations. I like the sound of all of it! I looked up Nightrunner as well, and I bet I'd enjoy that. And I'll definitely look into the Memoirs of Lady Trent. Cozy yet thrilling sounds lovely. <3

[nonesensed]

💖💖💖💖

I hope you have fun reading! (But don't worry if there's recs of mine you don't enjoy - that'll just give me data for better recommendations in the future 😁)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>This challenge definitely feels the most difficult for me! I always feel like I'm overstepping asking for things!<<

You might like How to Hack the Snowflake Challenge, which has tips for this and other challenges.

>> I'm obviously very into medieval fantasy <<

Consider World of the Five Gods.

>>I'm really hoping I can find a great fantasy novel with bisexual characters.<<

Best Fantasy Books with Bisexual Main Characters

If it doesn't have to be a novel, I have a list of my QUILTBAG characters.

>>And I love anything to do with magic!<<

A Terrible Fall of Angels (A Zaniel Havelock Novel) Hardcover – Big Book, August 17, 2021
by Laurell K. Hamilton (Author)
Meet Detective Zaniel Havelock, a man with the special ability to communicate directly with angels. A former trained Angel speaker, he devoted his life to serving both the celestial beings and his fellow humans with his gift, but a terrible betrayal compelled him to leave that life behind. Now he’s a cop who is still working on the side of angels. But where there are angels, there are also demons.

Hunter (3 book series)
Paperback Edition
by Mercedes Lackey (Author)
Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it's taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky. To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect only the most important people.

Briarheart Paperback – October 4, 2022
by Mercedes Lackey (Author)
Miriam may be the daughter of Queen Alethia of Tirendell, but she's not a princess. She's the child of Alethia and her previous husband, the King's Champion, who died fighting for the king, and she has no ambitions to rule. When her new baby sister Aurora, heir to the throne, is born, she's ecstatic. She adores the baby, who seems perfect in every way. But on the day of Aurora's christening, an uninvited Dark Fae arrives, prepared to curse her, and Miriam discovers she possesses impossible power.

A majority of what I write is fantasy. The latest magical setting is Quixotic Ideas, which has a landing page alllmost ready for the reveal. It starts with "The Qui to Everything."

You can catch me during any open prompt call and ask for whatever you want based on the current theme. This weekend's crowdfunding Creative Jam will be on "Jealousy."