Fandom Snowflake challenge: Day 1

[terajk]

Day 1 of akamine_chan's Fandom Snowflake Challenge:

In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can beyour favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator.

It's easiest to do this by focusing on the last criterion. No points for guessing what these things have in common! :D

1. The People with Disabilities Being Awesome Commentfic Fest

A fest I hosted for last year's three_weeks_for_dw. My very first involvement with online fandom was access_fandom's Festibility fest, which celebrated characters with disabilities and was lots of fun.

I was amazed at the response the PWD Being Awesome fest got, loved everything people wrote, and can't wait to do it again this year. The major change I'd make (so far) is to open it up to more/all kinds of fanworks: art, vids, filk, poetry, FSTs, etc. (And there are still fabulous prompts there!)

2. Apex (ATLA, Azula)

I wrote this for white_lotus's Lunar New Year Gift Exchange last year. It's helpful to remember it now, as I panicked about it, too. It didn't turn out the way I'd originally thought it would, but it's still the most complex thing I've ever written. It's also the first time I dealt with Azula's disability directly. (She got me back by making me do geometry and have to deal with my disability directly AT THE SAME TIME. Jerk.)

3. Correspondence (ATLA, Zuko, Azula)

Oh, man, is it hard to get these two to have a conversation they don't want to have. There was so much balking and complaining and, "Yeah, you're ending the story now, right?" I had to break out the "Obey the Captain" shirt, it was so bad. But I also got to fill in some gaps, and put something in that I left out of Apex out of fear.

4. Stars (Ranma 1/2, Ryoga, Ranma, Akane)

I'm proud of this story because, on the one hand, I really, really wanted it and, on the other, was terrified of it because it made me feel exposed and vulnerable in a way that nothing I've written before ever has. (And the parts that made me feel most exposed and vulnerable to write are actually my favorites.) One difference between Ryoga and I is that I have a "safe place" (my house) and he doesn't. I always thought he should have one. Then I read melannen's Lost and Found, which actually deals with this (eee!), and gave me the courage to write this story.

But I was also terrified that I'd break something, because Ryoga is also a really awesome and capable guy! Who can beat up a bunch of dudes at the same time and use his own angst as a weapon! I was really worried about making him look weak and/or helpless, or about turning Ranma into Ryoga's savior or something. So it was very important that Ryoga have some explicit "I'm going to handle my disability the way I want" power.

Comments

[littlebutfierce]

I really, really wanted it and, on the other, was terrified of it because it made me feel exposed and vulnerable in a way that nothing I've written before ever has. (And the parts that made me feel most exposed and vulnerable to write are actually my favorites.)

I love when I can make myself do this sort of writing, & I love to see other people doing it (& talking about doing it, b/c if none of us are talking about how scared we are, then... it's pretty lonely. Not that I am, er, great in admitting any of this).

I like the banter in that fic -- & I also like that you treat Akane better than canon seems to (sulk. I've seen a chunk of the manga, ages ago, so I shouldn't have been so irked when I watched the first ep of the live-action the other night, but my head wanted to explode).

[terajk]

I love when I can make myself do this sort of writing, & I love to see other people doing it (& talking about doing it, b/c if none of us are talking about how scared we are, then... it's pretty lonely. Not that I am, er, great in admitting any of this).

I love it, too. Sometimes it feels like no one else would ever feel like that, since all you see is the finished fic.

I also like that you treat Akane better than canon seems to (sulk. I've seen a chunk of the manga, ages ago, so I shouldn't have been so irked when I watched the first ep of the live-action the other night, but my head wanted to explode).

I haven't seen the live-action series/special yet, but...OH GOODNESS, NO. Ugh. Akane!

Akane was the best martial artist in town before Ranma showed up and brought everyone else out of the woodwork. She breaks cinderblocks! She beats up mobs of dudebros every day on her way to school! But then the manga sort of...forgets that. Boo.

I really want fic where Ranma and...okay, especially Ryoga give her training from hell, so they can all have adventures and kick ass and take names. But it's hard, because while Akane could totally take the training from hell, I don't think Ryoga could. (His heart of glass is so easily shattered! Especially if Akane got into it and was all, "I'll kill you, you jerk!")

[littlebutfierce]

Sometimes it feels like no one else would ever feel like that, since all you see is the finished fic.

Totally! & even if it's the most heart-wrenching emo fic ever, sometimes I just think... the author is really good at pretending to be anguished or wounded or something. Heh. Maybe that's partly cuz I get nervous sometimes wondering how many of my own wounds I show w/o meaning to.

Hm, my partner's seen all the anime & read (iirc) all the manga, & says that the live-action pretty much is spot-on for how it treats Akane. I mean, I could see that maybe there was room, if they wanted to reinvent a little, to have the "ugh, it sucks to be a woman" & Akane needing protection being really heavy-handed, & then critique that as the series goes on. I kind of feel like they're not going to, though? Which is a shame, cuz boy-Ranma is played by one of my favorite people from Tumbling, girl-Ranma is doing an amazing job, & Akane is played really well too. They do have her being a badass, but then... there's so much of Ranma whining (I know, it's what he does) about the suckiness of being a woman, & then Akane needs to get saved a couple of times (which my partner says is a trend that doesn't really change?) etc. etc. etc. :/