Words of Wood

So back in January I said how I was kicking around a post-finale fic idea which would probably turn out to be REALLY long and everyone here encouraged me? Well, I finally finished it. I've been posting in chapters to AO3 and managed to keep a good buffer all the way through so that I had plenty of time between writing, editing and posting. (Except for the epilogue, which took me three weeks to write.)

It's the longest thing I've ever written by a good 5k. I'm incredibly proud of it.

Title: We're not pure of heart, but we're sure of aim (Wolf 359)
Word count: 52,300 words
Characters: Renée Minkowski, Isobel Lovelace, Hera, Doug Eiffel, Daniel Jacobi, Miranda Pryce, Dominik Koudelka
Pairing: Gen focus with Dominik/Renée, Renée/Isabel, mentions of past Jacobi/Kepler
Content/Tags: Post-Finale Fic, Deal-with-it rather than fix-it fic, Post-Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst for everyone, multiple POVs, Friendship, Bad Decision, LLF Comment Project, Low-key alcohol issues, An endless amount of angst-filled conversations, workplace drama, Artificial Intelligence, Heists, vague diversions into political drama, Hurt/Comfort, AI Rights Crusade

Summary: Going home is never simple, even when home exists. Sometimes it doesn't. For the Hephaestus survivors, "home" is no guarantee of comfort, or even safety, and there's still Goddard Futuristics to contend with. And a brand-new person named Miranda.

AO3 link

My epic post-canon Wolf 359 fic of All My Feelings is currently 20,221 words. I estimate it's... not quite halfway through.

I also think this is enough of a buffer to start posting this week. (I'm aiming for chapters on Wed/Sat.) Given the amount of my brain it's been occupying, I don't think there's any danger of me not finishing it.

Mostly I want to post it because I really want to talk about it and all my theories for the characters post-canon and for where plot might take them. I have so many thoughts.

Hello! Welcome to my letter.

General likes: Hurt/comfort (this is my fave genre), team feels, characters supporting each other, episode tags/missing scenes

Dislike: Pure fluff, sex scenes (fade-to-black is my preference!), AU settings (all the canons below I feel are really strongly tied to their setting)

Specific fandoms:

Wolf 359
Isabel Lovelace & Renée Minkowski, Mr. Koudelka/Renée Minkowski, Isabel Lovelace/Renée Minkowski, Hera & Renée Minkowski, Hera & Isabel Lovelace, Doug Eiffel & Hera

As you can possibly guess, Minkowski and Lovelace are my favourite characters. I love how they've gone from suspicion to absolute trust and will each risk themselves to save the other. I also love Hera and the relationships she has with the crew.
I'm very fond of the early season 4 dynamic between all four main characters, and also definitely subscribe to the opinion that all of them are living together in a house on Earth post-finale.

Fic-wise, I'd love either something dealing with a slice of daily wtf/peril on the Hephaestus, or something back on Earth of characters adjusting or failing to do so. (You'd be welcome to include Jacobi in this if you wanted!)

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October Daye
October "Toby" Daye/Tybalt, Raj/Quentin Sollys, Dean Lorden/Quentin Sollys, Bridget Ames/Etienne, October "Toby" Daye & The Luideag, Quentin Sollys & Raj, Dianda Lorden & October Daye, Raj & Tybalt, Raj & Quentin Sollys, Quentin Sollys & Tybalt, Quentin Sollys & October "Toby" Daye, Chelsea Ames/Raj

This is a canon where I actually *am* interested in seeing what more normal daily life is like for the characters, especially since we see most of them purely through Toby's eyes while some crisis is going on. Especially with the human/&fae character combinations, I love stuff where one of them introduces the other to a cultural thing that's very normal to one and completely bizarre to the other, and I guess this also works with fae characters who each come from very different backgrounds.

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The Old Kingdom
Lirael & Sabriel, Ellimere & Sabriel, Lirael & Sameth, Ferin & Lirael, Ellimere & Sabriel & Sameth & Touchstone, Lirael & Mogget

I'm really interested in the workings of Sabriel's family, and also how Lireal learns to fit into both it and her new role (and how they adapt to her appearance, new expectations for Sam, etc). Something set before Goldenhand, while everyone's still getting used to it all, would be lovely. Or something set not long after Goldenhand and dealing with events from there, including now Ferin's experiences settling in.
I didn't list Nick in the tags, but I'm not at all averse to him being included.

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Vorkosigan
Simon Illyan/Aral Vorkosigan/Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Simon Illyan & Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan

In this fandom I am all about the relationship between Cordelia & Illyan (gen or part of OT3), and hurt/comfort for Illyan. I have a definite preference for fics set during the regency. I also really like Alys, so feel free to include her (as friendship or preship) if you want!

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Sunless Sea
Anything dark and atmospheric, using whichever characters you like (or even no characters at all) would be wonderful. I feel this game is so much about the whole experience and the atmosphere and the setting, while all the characters are so open to interpretation, that I don't really hold any particular "canon" in my head and just love seeing other people share what they get out of this game.
(I really hope this isn't so loose as to be completely unhelpful...)

I entered the Big Bang twice, as an artist and as an author.

I was matched to make art for ars_blindperson's story (thumbnails below, full-size images are embedded in the fic:

Digital Sunset Skies (by ars_blindperson)
2400 words, gen, Hera & Maxwell, character study.
A deeper look into what could have and may have happened in Memoria.



I also wrote a story that I'm really pleased with, and was matched with starnoirs who drew a picture I feel really captures Minkowski's expression during most of the fic. Please click through to see!

Every Mistake Gets Caught On Tape
6300 words, gen, Minkowski & Lovelace & Hera & Eiffel, action&hurt/comfort.
Minkowski is unimpressed with Hera showing interest in astronomy, since based on their track record everything in space is trying to kill them. Especially comets. She should also probably be getting more sleep, because mistakes get made otherwise.
Also featuring useful jobs, pining for regulation dress, delicate wiring, and unacceptable levels of perforation.

Apparently I've written... four Wolf 359 fics since I posted anything here. Wow.

Cracks in our hearts and heads Lovelace&Minkowski h/c angst, 4500 words
Sorting through Hilbert's lab is more difficult than anticipated, particularly for Lovelace. Then it's outright dangerous, although still preferable to certain necessary conversations.

NASA doesn't have these problems Minkowski&Eiffel&Hera friendship fluff, 1300 words, warning for spiders
"Enough!" Minkowski ordered. She waited for silence. "Now, calmly and sensibly, someone tell me what the hell is going on?"
There was a long, tense pause.
"Hera's trying to kill us all, is what," Eiffel said.

I'll be next to you when it all falls through Minkowski angst, Minkowski/Koudelka(/Lovelace), back-on-earth AU, 2900 words
Minkowski's been doing fine. She has her crew to look after.
Without them, maybe not so much.

A Small Favour Lovelace/Minkowski awkward fluff, 1600 words
Lovelace started laughing. At her, obviously. Minkowski hoped she wasn't still attempting to cut her hair while doing so. She kept her eyes closed so that she wouldn’t have to find out.

I also have a loooooad of art which you can find on my art tag on tumblr.

Wooo, fannish productivity!

(Also I am delighted to apparently be running, as my wife put it, the Wolf 359 fandom pyramid scheme, where I have at current count got 8 people listening and 6 of them have been actively recruiting more fans. Keep it up, guys. This tiny fandom can still groooooooow!)

...I have literally just realised the two sentences in my icon are the wrong way round. It will now really annoy me until I'm motivated enough to remake it, because I don't think I saved a draft copy. (If you are reading this in the future where it in fact starts with "I'm the commander" then please ignore this.)

Anyway! Episode 54 of Wolf 359, was, as promised, A Lot, and I wrote a ridiculously ott-angsty missing scene on the bus because MINKOWSKI AAAAAAAAGH!

Under Control, 500 words. SPOILERS. On the Hephaestus, everything is completely fine.

(I think I'm going to stop posting fic on DW again because I don't think anyone reads it here. Straight to AO3 seems to be the way to go these days.)

Then I realised that it fills the "slaves" square for my hc_bingo card, and therefore I have completed a bingo line! The first time ever I have done so in the actual challenge period rather than scraping in under amnesty.

I will be back before too long with a new bingo card!

ETA: Loooook I got a shiny (and very thematically apt) graphic! :DDDD

Title: Just Breathe (Wolf 359)
Word count: 1700 words
Characters: Renée Minkowski, Isobel Lovelace, Hera
Pairing: Gen-ish, also M/L-ish. However you want to read it I guess.
Content/Tags:Set during early season 4. Friendship, hugs, panic attacks. Fills the "hostile climate" square for hc_bingo.
AO3 link

Summary: Minkowski may have nearly died horribly, but the important thing is that she didn’t. So it’s all behind her now. No underlying trauma. Really.

( Read more... )
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Yeah, you're all sick of me now. I know.

Grab, share, whatever :)

Hello! I've done lots of fun things recently, like celebrate our first wedding anniversary, go on holiday to Finland and experience (and accidentally staff at) Worldcon in Helsinki, but I am writing this post to let you all know about the most important thing that has been in my life this month.

It is the podcast Wolf 359. It is my new fannish shiny and it has completely taken over my brain. It is also a really tiny fandom, and I am at the stage of all-out begging my friends to listen too.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (and feel free to link this post around!)

That said, the early episodes are a little shaky in the way of new productions -- it takes a while for them to find their feet and the story they want to tell. If you want a skip list, listen to ep 2 and then ep 8 onwards. Ep 12-13 (two-parter) is where it REALLY takes off. These early ones are all about 15-20 minutes each.

Anyway, that's enough prelude! So, basic premise and characters:

Setting: Wolf 359 is a red dwarf star. Around it is orbiting a slightly clanky space station, the USS Hephaestus. On board is our crew, who have at the start of the show been up there for just under 500 days so far on a scientific research mission which has produced basically no results, at the behest of a corporation called Goddard Futuristics, which in the AU of the show was apparently born from the fusion of Boering and Apple. Everyone is fed up and random weird shit keeps happening. THEN PLOT STARTS.

Doug Eiffel: He is the communications officer. By now he would much rather be back on Earth. He's the POV character, and it took me a little while to warm up to him (I am primed to find comic relief dudes not interesting) but now he is lovely. If you like loyalty kink then stick around.

Lieutenant Commander Minkowski: She is in charge. Kind of out of her depth. She is very much THE RULES WILL SAVE US ALL except when rules are actually stacked against her and lead to heartbreaking angst instead. She is also I WILL PROTECT MY CREW AT ALL COSTS. She works so hard and tries so hard and is so idealistic and finds it really hard to be flexible and I love her inordinately is what I'm saying.

Doctor Hilbert: Incredibly morally ambiguous older scientist. He is very plot-relevant but not so much part of the team team. (He is also played by the same voice actor as Eiffel, so this isn't short-changing him.)

Hera: She is the AI who runs the station. She is... not great at some things but she tries very hard. She also is a massive enabler of bad ideas (and good ones!). She develops fabulous relationships with Eiffel and Minkowski. The show goes really deep into AI and personhood and disability stuff with her, it's wonderful (and more than a little heartbreaking).

Additional characters joining the cast later are [spoilers] but include another really badass lady and there is lots of her and Minkowski being badass and competent with and at each other.

Other things which the show features:
* Amazing competent military ladies in space
* Lots of early mysterious plot threads which actually become coherently woven into each other and answered
* Loyalty kink EVERYWHERE
* Really compelling and emotional storytelling
* Ethical quandaries and fallout
* Ridiculous space science
* Really lovely and subtle examination of AI
* Loads of character and relationship (gen) development
* It's really funny! (when not stomping on your feels!)

So... maybe give it a try? ALSO as a taster I offer a clip from a live show they did. This link should set to start at 05:33, which skips the intro (with spoilers) and goes into character interaction. If you watch for a little bit you might get an idea of whether you might enjoy it. (As long as you stop before or at the 30 min mark you will again avoid too many spoilers.)