Beth Winter

Dear Yulewriter,

I am dipping my toe into requesting again after a few years of just writing as a pinch hitter. I'll be delighted with anything for my fandoms, but here's a few prompts to get you started:

General dislikes: I'd rather avoid sex-related tropes and kinks this time (mentioning sex and relationships is all right, just no detailed sequences or sex-centered setups like A/B/O). Humiliation is very much a don't, in both sexual and non-sexual contexts.

The Green Bone Saga - Fonda Lee - Kaul Hiloshudon

I'd love anything with a young / pre-Pillar Hilo. That phase where he's reckless and pin-sharp and knows he can fall back on his brother and grandfather. Shenanigans, plotting, an early conflict with Ayt and her Horn and Fists? I love the Maiks of course, and Lan and Shae and Emery and really everyone, so whoever you feel like featuring. The flashback in Jade Legacy is my favourite part of the books. Alternately, older Hilo recalling those days and reflecting how much he had to change as Pillar? Dad!Hilo is always good too, with anything from newborns to argumentative people in their 20s who are far too much like him for comfort.

The Shadow Campaigns - Django Wexler - Janus bet Vhalnich and Winter Ihernglass

I love the way their brains work both separately and together. Just make them interact and I'll be happy. Maybe talking about a hypothetical future? Or their respective special traits? Gender as a concept? Or drop them somewhere they have to fight their way out of with their brains. Like a court intrigue.

云之羽 | My Journey to You (TV) - Gong Yuanzhi

I love the irascible poison genius fashion plate goblin to bits, so I'll be happy with any story centered on him. New illness or interesting poison threatening the compound? He needs something from Zishang or Ziyu and has to play nice to get it? I absolutely adore his dynamics with Shangguang Qian so more of their verbal sparring / her attempts to flirt would be delightful, especially if it's post-show and she's pregnant (or is she?) or dealing with a baby. Yuanzhi's bedside manner and research habits would be a great five things and one subject. Or is he really one of the people not allowed to interact with the outside world? Because he and Shangjue tracking down Wufeng plots in the jianghu would be delightful too.

Jianghu-wise for crossover potential, I'm most familiar with The Untamed/MDZS and other MXTX novels, Nirvana in Fire and Word of Honour. Feel free to bring in OCs as well if needed. Like, Yuanzhi has to have a tailor for all those fancy outfits...

(Please note that while I see the potential for a sexual or romantic relationship with Gong Shangjue, I don't want to deal with it in this story. Enmeshed and emotionally codependent, yes please.)

苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil (TV) - Dongfang Qingcang and Dongfang Xunfeng

Are you getting a theme for sibling dynamics here? I'm an only child but I do like reading about family issues. Xunfeng is such a delightful bundle of said issues, related to his dad and otherwise. Feel free to set it whenever - pre-imprisonment, mirroring reflections during said imprisonment, Xunfeng's various plots, or the thwack he must have given Qingcang over the head when he finally reincarnated. If you don't want to write introspection, just drop them in some sort of trouble - mundane or magical - and let's see how they deal with being forced to work together to find their way out. Or maybe Qingcang turns the tables and tries being the mastermind to force Xunfeng to do his bidding for once?

Fandom specific DNW: Please no redeeming their father or making Qingcang in particular forgive him. The whole arc where he explicitly doesn't was cathartic for me.

All other cast appearances welcome. Someone probably needs to knock their heads together anyway. Again, no incest please.

Dusting off this Livejournal just for Takarazuka fandom purposes. Has it really been 19 months since I posted anything relevant?

Meme from everyone else who's dusting off their LJs lately:

1. What have you been up to in the last year or two?
2. What is the last Takarazuka show you saw and what did you think of it?
3. What was your favorite Takarazuka show of 2013?
4. What actress surprised you the most in 2013?
5. What do you think about the 100th anniversary so far?
6. What troupe you do think will win the Sports Day Festival? (And what troupe will you be rooting for regardless?)
7. What shows do you want for 2015?

( Read more... )

(Real life remains unstable with added cold, but hey, optimism.)

This year I wrote two stories, both of which I'm rather proud of:

The Emissary - Spirited Away, genfic

A twenty-years-later casefic with a teenage female OC narrator and lots of Japanese folklore - I had a moment of trepidation there before hitting post. But hey, it got fantastic comments and kudos, and recced to boot! It's making me feel much more optimistic about writing again, that's for sure :)

Between the Shadows - Takarazuka RPF, genfic

When I saw yumenotatsu's request go out for pinch hit, I remembered I did have a very good idea for it. I actually wrote a lot more, but couldn't quite find the ending without a 20K-word supernatural plot that I ran out of time to type...

And my story was written by the lovely Perch - Oniisama-E angst turning to victory, Ephemeral Flower Floating on a Reflection Made of Sound.

First of all, thank you to anyone who actually addresses my requests :) It's been a hard year, and thus all of the below are about my absolute favourite characters who triumph against adversity (well, except for St Just, but then I want a St Just that survives).

I read very widely - adventure, character studies, slice-of-life, comedy, mystery, drama, romance are all good. I love genderfluidity themes, meta and references to mythology and folklore, as well as the Takarazuka Revue. The only thing I very firmly won't read in stories is animal harm, though for this Yuletide I'd also ask you to scroll through any very graphic descriptions of violence and dismemberment, as well as graphic sex scenes and any descriptions of humiliating situations.

My AO3 name is Beth Winter (BethWinter).

( Oniisama E, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu / Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Rose of Versailles )

You're supposed to be very young indeed for the wild jaunts along the lines of spending 13 hours on a bus just to see a rock concert. I decided that yesterday was my last chance to do it while, technically, in my twenties. (Or just over the line, since I was born at 6AM.)

And, well, it was Queen. QUEEN. I learned English from their lyrics, and Freddie Mercury was the first famous person over whose death I cried. And they've never done a concert in Poland. Ever. Until yesterday.

20 thousand-plus people in a giant stadium. 20 thousand-plus people knowing and loving and singing every line of every song. Brian May with THOSE guitars, 25 metres from me. Brian Fricking May, with endless solos and acoustic songs and I have no idea why his guitar didn't catch on fire. And Roger Taylor (assisted by his son as second drummer and how precious is that), and dear gods can he still sing.

And hey, Adam Lambert. Whom I've followed since American Idol, because you have to support upstart musical actors with delusions of grandeur. Who loves Queen as much as we all do, and you could tell. He wasn't trying to be Freddie, the Departed God of our common religion; he was the priest of this ritual, guiding us and travelling with us for the songs where Brian and Roger were busy making instrumental magic. His voice broke during Show Must Go On, his breath catching just like mine did. I had a hunch he could do this justice.

This ranks in my top two of favourite birthdays ever, along with Yamaguchi von Krolock in Tokyo. I think spending my birthday out of town may get to be a Thing.

Who Wants to Live Forever

Show Must Go On

I do think fannish activity centres are moving to Tumblr, and I never posted that much about real life. Especially when it tries to eat me, like it did throughout the last month. Last week was egregious, with a 14-hour day to cap it, so I'm looking forward to a slightly lighter schedule.

And for those interested - I managed to get the muse kick-started. Thus far, four longhand pages of a Doctor Who/Avengers crossover, wherein Steve has a Type, Tony Relates, and Thor cannot believe fairytales are real.

Recipe adapted from Every Cake You Bake (Polish-only). Makes low-maintenance delicious fluff, like a cheesecake but much lighter.

( Lemony goodness )

It's been quiet, which is - good, I think. It's starting to turn into spring.

I've gone back to Echo Bazaar, which has removed the daily action cap, so it's even better for new users now. If you want to give it a try, you'll need a Twitter account (or Facebook), and please let me know - I can invite people now, and inviting will probably give both me and you something nifty :)

Related to Echo Bazaar, I managed to max out my data limit on the phone. It just means throttled bandwidth, but lack of surfing ability has left me occupying myself with Obenkyo Japanese flashcards on my commute. I think this "learn more Japanese" thing may be working.

I'm overdue on quite a lot of commentary about recent revue happenings (retirements mostly, alas), but I just ran into a clip that really drove home why the kuroembi / tailcoat otokoyaku dance is my favourite set fragment from any revue. It's as stylised and full of set elements as any traditional Japanese dance, and yet when you have so many otokoyaku moving in unison, it's magic. The flair, too, the way each movement is carried out with flourish and grace.

I need to bookmark and download this, because it is Takarazuka.



Originally posted at Dreamwidth - comments

Look! I managed four stories this year, though all are short, and written in a haze of sleep-deprived exhaustion. Theme of the year: AAAAAANGST.

Dance of Mirrors: Rudolf, Elisabeth, Death

For hawkwolf who was my Santa before and requested focus on Rudolf and Elisabeth's relationship. This is very much musical-based, with less reference to how broken Rudolf was in real life. Their last Christmas, a last talk, a last decision. (Gen, mental illness themes.)

God and Chance: Les Miserables AU

The challenge was, more or less, "Fantine survives and marries Valjean". I managed to turn it into feminist angstfest deluxe, based mostly on the 25th Anniversary cast.

Radgeber für Verliebte: Tanz der Vampire

Again an irresistable (somewhat crack) prompt - Herbert pursuing Alfred with chivalrous rather than predatory tactics <3

At the Flip of a Coin - Downton Abbey AU for 2x08

I love the characters of Downton Abbey. I do not love the plot. This is a (short) attempt to make it more interesting, for fyrie who as usual shares my opinions ^.^