Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2020 - Day 1

[maplemood]

Challenge #1

In your own space, introduce yourself!

Hey! I've never gotten around to writing an actual introductory post for this journal and (let's be honest) probably never will, but here are the basics: I'm maplemood (on AO3 and DW, mapleymood on Tumblr); I'm in my 20s, almost (but not quite) through with college, and a big reader. I also write--in theory a whole bunch of things but in practice mostly fanfic.

Over the past couple months I've tried to be more systematic about writing up and posting my thoughts on the books I read. I'm still not very systematic about it. I love both fiction and nonfiction, especially nonfiction having anything to do with a.) true crime, b.) the age of sail, or c.) literary or cultural criticism, though overall I read more fiction. Recent-ish favorite authors include Jia Tolentino, Lindsey Barraclough, L.A. Meyer, Elif Batuman, Ned Vizzini, and M.R. James. I used to read much more children's and YA and plan on getting back on that this year. 

Fandom-wise, my only real requirement is that I feel emotionally connected to the story in some way. Still, I do love an angsty found family dynamic or an angsty/problematical romance dynamic, and most of my fandoms reflect that. I got started in Marvel, especially the Netflix show 'verse and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies; I don't write in either anymore (at least not for now), but they'll always be some of my first loves, and I've got a special soft spot for them. These days I'm kind of ping-ponging between fandoms. The latest all-consuming obsession was Anais Mitchell's musical Hadestown, which I still love an absolutely unreasonable amount.

Some Other Stuff:

1.) My favorite Disney movie is Treasure Planet.
     i.) On that note, if it's a book, movie, or show adaptation of Treasure Island, there's a good chance that I've at least heard of it; other favorite Treasure-Island-adjacent stories are Muppet Treasure Island (duh), the 1934 film version starring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper, and, of course, Black Sails. 
2.) I prefer used books to new books.
3.) I've been slightly obsessed with lighthouses since I was a kid. 
4.) I do my best to never reread old writing, for a definition of "doing my best" that includes "sometimes rereading and almost always regretting it." I'm not the biggest fan of my finished work, especially the farther back it goes. But I do love the process of writing, and that just-for-a-second feeling of having finally pinned down exactly what you wanted to say. 
5.) I love horror and ghost stories, the more gothic the better.
6.) Between Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, I'd have to go with Wuthering Heights, though I've read and loved both. 
7.) I'm also slightly obsessed with vampires, pirates, podcasts, urban legends, musicals, Russian classical lit, and mermaids. In no particular order. 

Comments

[maplemood]

It's a very tortured choice, obviously...but I love me some dysfunctional romance on the moors.

[maplemood]

Emily's just the best. I love them all, too, but she'll always be my favorite.

[maplemood]

I have! It's been a while, so I don't remember it super well, but I did enjoy it.

[troisoiseaux]

I literally just started rewatching Black Sails!! :D

[maplemood]

!!! It's SO GOOD, isn't it? I'd meant to watch it for years and finally got around to it earlier this year last year, and was completely blown away. Anne's a big favorite, of course, but it's one of those shows where I love pretty much everybody, even the villains.

[troisoiseaux]

Jack is overwhelmingly my favorite, because I definitely have a type (chaotic disasters with a heart of gold buried somewhere under layers of sarcasm and flippancy.) But yeah, I do love pretty much everybody, except Charles Vane, because fuck that dude.

(Actually, I love Dufresne, and I'm surprised by what an unpopular opinion that seems to be? I'm terribly endeared by nerds on ships, and I find his heelturn from long-suffering accountant to leading - and winning - a mutiny against Captain Flint absolutely hilarious.)

[maplemood]

Jack is wonderful, and I have such a soft spot for Jack/Anne (and Jack & Anne & Max, in all their combinations). I will say that Vane...I'm not sure if it's genuinely a case of the better parts of his personality slowly coming to light or more of a hostage situation where you just spend so much time with his character that he eventually becomes more tolerable, but I liked him much better at the end of his story than I did at the beginning.

I love Dufresne, too! Especially in season 1, where he has the most developed arc, I think (the bit where he finally has to fight and prove himself in battle is SUCH a memorable moment).

[perspi]

Hello, it's good to meet you! The found-family dynamic is my weakness, I'm telling you!

[maplemood]

Good to meet you, too! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Oh, yeah. I just love it so much; it's the whole reason I got into fandom, really.

[spikedluv]

Found family is such a draw!

I prefer used books to new books.

Friends of mine own a used book store and I love to go inside and browse. I've gotten many a present there.

I vaguely recall college . . . *g*

[maplemood]

Used bookstores are the best! The one I regularly go to is honestly one of my favorite places.

[tippetariuswrites]

I love used books too, especially when they're cheap! Every so often I pick up a bunch of paperbacks so I always have something new to read... only downside, not enough shelves.

[maplemood]

I hear you. I really do try to set limits for myself, since I don't have the space for a huge amount of books, but it's tough for sure.

[sunlit_stone]

"an angsty/problematical romance dynamic" I read this and I was like, Queen's Thief for the win XP And Reylo too, maybe? (I'm definitely with you on this one, though, especially in the angst department. ...there's a reason one of my favourite Star Wars ships is Anakin/Obi-Wan. And I've always loved Cherik for much the same reason, too...)

I reread the QT series for my Yuletide prep and aughhh, the Gen/Irene romance is just so good! It's halfway to heartbreaking, too. The moment where she sees him sleeping and thinks he's dead and realizes she loves him...the way she resents the gods even before that for delivering him to her...or when she says she build a temple to them after all and see them worshipped forever if they just bring him back to her...the way he dreams about her dancing then torturing him...the kidnapping plus proposal!!! So good!!!

[maplemood]

Oh, definitely. The Queen's Thief was formative for me in that way (and in a lot of other ways, but yeah...angsty problematical romance!), and Reylo definitely continued the trend! I don't need all my ships to be as angsty, or angsty in the same way, but if there's not a bit of that thrown in there, where's the fun?

Ooh, I try to do a reread every couple of years or so, and all those moments are favorites; I'm also such a sucker for a romance seen from an outsider's POV, so The King of Attolia was total catnip for me. I absolutely love the moment when Costis realizes that yep, Irene actually does love Gen--so, so good.

[sunlit_stone]

Mm-hmm! I'm always a sucker for romances where they're in opposite sides of some struggle, for instance.

And yes, that moment is completely amazing <333 I love Costis' growing view of their relationship throughout the book, it's fantastic.

[maplemood]

Or romances where they've fallen in and out of love a whole bunch of times, and all the tensions that come with that! (I haven't seen this trope as much in books as I have in movies, shows, and musicals, but it's still a good one.)

Costis in general is such a great narrator. I love how his stolid, wonderful honorable-ness bounces of Gen's...everything; they have such a fantastic dynamic. I was ridiculously happy when he showed up again in Thick as Thieves.

[sunlit_stone]

I don't think I'd been previously exposed to that trope (possibly because I mostly tend to read?) but now that you're mentioning it I'm like...damn. That definitely sounds like it's up my alley.

And yes, Costis is amazing, as a character and narrator both! <3 I love getting an outside perspective on him in TaT, too.

[maplemood]

Two great recent examples of that dynamic (off the top of my head) are Hades and Persephone from the musical Hadestown--where they've been married for a bazillion years already and are going through a pretty rocky patch--and the Witcher books, which I got into thanks to the TV show; in the books Geralt and Yennerfer have been breaking up and making up pretty much since they first got together, and all the banter they have thanks to that is pretty delightful.

[sunlit_stone]

Oooh, thank you! And I'm sorry for not replying earlier--I'm starting a new job soon, and I've been running all over the place getting ready for it. (Today: The Haircut, since I hadn't cut my hair in...god, probably at least a year and a half before this.)

Pursuant to this conversation, actually, I came across this review and thought of you! It's only a second-chance relationship and not an nth-chance one, but I thought it might still be of interest to you?

[maplemood]

Oh no, you're fine! You can probably tell that I'm a bit all over the place right now, too--last semester of college, so everything needs to get done and it feels like nothing's getting done, while at the same time I'm almost always busy and always tired. Good luck on your new job!! I hope you settle in with the minimum amount of stress. <3

Oh, that looks fantastic! Totally right up my ally. Second chance or nth chance, I'm all about those once bitten, twice shy romances!

[madeline_gwydion]

Hi there. :-)

I found this via the snowflake challenge. My journal is still pretty new and I'm looking for people with whom I have interests in common. Between books, Age of Sail/True Crime, books, writing and...books, we seem to have quite a few things in common. *g*

No, seriously, I've also been wanting to write about my reactions to/thoughts on what I'm reading, so I think I'm going to enjoy reading about yours. :-)

[maplemood]

Thanks for stopping by! Age of sail and true crime are two of my forever obsessions, so it's always great to meet other people who are interested.

[madeline_gwydion]

Of course. :-)

When you happen to come across something good - especially something AoS related - drop a hint and I'll add it to my reading list.

[maplemood]

Will do!