pentapus

Yuletide reveals! Super late! Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (plus some gifts)

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 01:22:20 GMT

I wrote:

The Mountain of the Rightful Emperor by pentapus
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Sanada Ryo/Xiu Rei Fuan a.k.a. Kento, Ensemble cameos
"Welcome to the Middle Kingdom," Kento said, switching to Japanese.

"Uh, yeah -- it’s nice," Ryo said.

So I was the worst anon ever this year. Even forgetting the egregious use of geology, my backpacking trip to China, and a Ryo headcanon I mentioned in my yuletide letter (Ryo dancing! Come on, who doesn’t want that?!), I literally told Spoke two years ago that I wanted to write her a story where Kento and Ryo worked at Kento’s Uncle’s guest house. ( lots more rambling )

I received:

Yoroiden Samurai Troopers

Rites by penitence_road
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Mia, Kayura, Ensemble
If purity were in the work of purification, they'd be all set. But that's not really how these things work. Or, The Netherworld's Trust-Building Exercises Are Pretty Hardcore. Features everyone, but stars Mia and Kayura.

Longfic! With Mia and Kayura! And Kayura trying to be a proper traditional girl while also ruling a demon underworld. I loved Mia and Kayura feeling each other out. The background that penitence_road gave Mia (French Catholic) made her even more of an outside observer, an interested academic observing Shinto practice in the netherworld, and I really liked that take on it.

Sleeping Arrangements by alessandriana
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Mia, the Ronins
In the aftermath of the first battle against Talpa, they go home.
(Blatant fluff.)

Nrrrgh, so good. Exactly my kind of fluff -- cuddling with an air of hurt/comfort and lingering peril. Like, Ryo literally does not wake up for the entire story. He is so wiped out from all that Killing-Talpa business that he has to be carried from room to room by Kento as the story progresses. I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT WORKS FOR ME, BUT OH GOD, DOES IT WORK. Also, the Mia POV was great here as she tries to keep track of everyone while being wiped out herself. There’s a bit where she has to stop and stress by herself for a moment, but instead, she falls asleep leaning on the laundry machine – I have done that! I have totally done that! I mean, it was more college finals than demon attack, but it still happened.

Torii by Shusu (Sameshima_Shuzumi)
Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Kayura, Ronins
We're the unsung handymen of the netherworld. Only because Lady Kayura banned karaoke.

This was hysterical, and what really made it for me was the solid world-building underneath. There are some great descriptions of magic and the netherworld in here. And then everybody’s characters are fantastic. It gives it that real feel that just makes humor for me. And Kayura’s POV!

Books of the Raksura – Martha Wells

Too Wise (to wait till those wolves make nice) by mpatientdreamr
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells , Moon, Ember, Song, Chime, Jade, Malachite
Indigo Cloud Court has a couple of visitors.

Malachite! Moon! And some perfect Raksuran characterisations. Loved Ember especially – Moon thinks of him as basically the same as the royal clutch, Ember only listens to Moon when he wants to! Also, the author said she had been worried about making Moon cranky enough, which, yes, haha, perfect sum up of the Moon writing process -- always make him crankier.

Lonesome Son by mpatientdreamr
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells , Moon, Ember, Pearl
Pearl and Moon talk about Ember.

And then she wrote me another thing about Ember!

Alien Song by mpatientdreamr
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells , Frost, Thorn, Bitter
Frost, Thorn, and Bitter during Flower’s funeral.

This was a neat look at the Royal Clutch and their position as outsiders to Indigo Cloud.

Lilo & Stitch (2002):

Leaving the Nest by trollprincess
Lilo & Stitch (2002), Lilo, Nani
Lilo takes one last surf before she leaves.

This was great. Introduces a very real source of worry while also letting good things happen – and all told nicely through dialogue and character interaction. A great glimpse of Lilo and Nani’s future with David and Lilo’s unusual babysitters. AND LILO CRIES AT E.T. FOR TOO LONG, OH MY HEART.

Jhua Tehrqua by failsafe
Lilo & Stitch (2002), Lilo, Stitch
Stitch struggles with listlessness and fears of being replaced one night when Lilo's all grown up.

This is a sad one, guys. A very depressing future in which Lilo and Stitch go to space, but Stitch is still not considered a free citizen. An interesting read since it wasn’t a vision I would have had of the Galactic Federation. She’s got some great descriptions of Stitch’s body language in here, really brings home the ouch.

The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells

A Lady’s Education by misura
The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells, Madeline
They all have things to teach her.

Really nice, quick glimpse of Madeline’s interactions with the main cast.

The Hanged Man’s Prodigal Son by misura
The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells, Arisilde
Arisilde on the brink.

Arisilde, oh my heart. ;_;

and she is the woman by misura
The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells, Madeline
Two choice pieces of gossip arrived from Vienne that week, in short succession of one another.

I fucking love gossip in fic, guys. A quick spin on the existence of a Sherlock/Watson-like duo in the books canon. Madeline gets to be a novel heroine! And the way each character reacts differently is great. Madeline’s reaction being my favorite. :D

comments

Yuletide letter

Sat, 12 Oct 2013 19:12:10 GMT

Oh ideas.

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 02:04:55 GMT

I have drawn 9 sketches (for 8 people signed up) for Treehouse Reversebang: Books of the Raksura, and I still have half a dozen ideas that I am going, "AW, WHY DIDN'T I DRAW THAT."

So, it's... uh... fun so far.

me: So I still want to draw 1) Moon's colony-not-destroyed AU, 2) Moon surrounded by other consorts, 3) Jade with some strong emotional expression -- possibly "murder", and 4) Hmm... can't remember. Stone in the sea realms maybe, or just Stone and Moon. Or Moon with a scary queen.
Ileliberte: doing what with a scary queen?
me: Being threatened by one? Mutual threats? Skeptical stares?
Look, I just want Jade to kick the shit out of somebody.
Ileliberte: ok, valid point. XD

comments

Treehouse Reversebang: BOOKS OF THE RAKSURA

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 04:32:37 GMT

ETA: These sign-ups are permanently open. I will let you know how quickly I can make you a prompt depending on RL at the time.

(5 sec guide: Raksura are shape-shifters with interesting politics, reversed gender roles, and sharp claws. I recommend the books.)

The Basic Idea
I will draw you a BOOKS OF THE RAKSURA picture as a prompt for a BOOKS OF THE RAKSURA story. Your story must be about 1K words (or more), and it must be written so that the picture (on some level) makes sense as an illustration for your story.

Here are some of the previous prompts I’ve drawn: Finished Treehouse Reversebang

Deadlines and Finished Stories
I will give you a mostly-finished sketch within a month of your request. Please pick a reasonable deadline for yourself (e.g. 2-3 months post receipt of picture). When your story is finished, the story will be posted with embedded art to AO3 with you and me as coauthors. Then we wait for fame and glory.

PLEASE DO
Expect that your picture might have ANYTHING in it. You are happy about this! It's a challenge!
Interpret your prompt in ANY WAY that works for you. If I can draw anything, you can write anything.
Keep me updated on how you are doing, even if how you are doing is AWFUL AND QUITTING IN TEARS.

PLEASE DON'T
Realize you don't know what to write, feel guilty, and go AWOL so I don't get mad at you. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I WILL GET MAD AT YOU. The instant you email me to LET ME KNOW what your status is, that is the instant I stop being mad. SCOUT'S HONOR.

If you’re interested, please comment to this post with
1) email
2) your deadline (a date or a period of time)
3) a statement that you are ready for anything
4) Preferred characters and likes/dislikes (I will try to respect these as long as they don't get too specific)
5) You may have ONE hard no-go, be specific (e.g. NO NON-RAKSURAN AUs or NO UNHAPPY FACES or NO BABIES) [Note that my pictures will NEVER have explicit sexual content.]
6) Would you want to (a) see 2-3 sketches of possible prompts and choose which one I should finish OR (b) be surprised with a finished prompt?

This fandom is small. I can probably draw as many pictures as people want. If too many sign up, I'll pick a mix of people I know and people I don't.

And some final PLEASE DOs: ask questions, and share this link with anyone you think would like to participate. :)

P.S. I LOVE DOING THIS, GUYS. THANKS FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE. ♥

comments

Some stories I recently posted to AO3

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 20:58:50 GMT

Today I started posting my old Yuletide and some other stories to AO3 (yes, I know one of them I just posted last night, but I forgot AO3 was a thing!):

King's Sword, Kingdom's Own (NYR 2008)
Tortall - Tamora Pierce, Raoul, Alanna, Jonathan, Thayet, Gary

"This," Raoul mimicked Haryse's gesture, "is the natural outcome of too many days spent reading about supply line logistics. I'm preserving my health of mind."

As Jonathan gathers the pieces of his kingdom in the wake of the coronation rebellion, Raoul can't shake a feeling of creeping stagnation.

The Protection Racket
Leverage, OT3 UST, Parker, Alec, Eliot

Eliot doesn’t look at her when she sits down. He’s got his fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose like he’s got a hangover. That’s when Alec notices they aren’t speaking to each other.

Transitions
Books of the Raksura, Moon, Jade, Chime, a little bit OT3, a little bit not

“You are not going to get stolen,” Jade said. It was almost the only thing she’d said since it’d happened.

Searching for Sharks (NYR 2008)
Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Mendanbar/Cimorene, Modern AU

"Sharks, sir? Really?" Willin said. "Forgive me, it's just--are you sure this is the image the company wants to send?"

The Enchanted Forest meets the Pacific Northwest, academia, virtual reality -- and Cimorene.

comments

Snippet: Books of the Raksura (Jade/Moon, Moon/Chime)

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 04:32:08 GMT

Here, have a bit of Raksuran nonsense. (5 sec guide: Raksura are awesome dragon-gargoyle people, queens are dominant, and I recommend the books.)

Transitions by pentapus
Books of the Raksura, Moon/Chime/Jade
"You are not going to get stolen," Jade said. It was almost the only thing she’d said since it’d happened.

ETA: I remembered that AO3 was a thing! I like AO3.

comments

WIP: Books of the Raksura, Malachite/Dusk

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 01:52:54 GMT

I have 5 pictures to draw, with deadlines and everything, and after filling up about 30 photoshop layers with unsuccessful hockey sketches, I ended up doing this (which is actually something I owe umino_gaara, so I don't feel too bad):

( 700 words of Sundown, WIP, in which Malachite has never killed a Fell or led a colony but is sort of a playboy )

comments

Art and Icons: Avengers, Raksura, Death(s), Hockey, Community, Person of Interest

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:28:34 GMT

Finished! Here are the completed icons.

Preview:

1-2. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, requested by ithildyn and mizz_destiny and astridv
3-4. Books of the Raksura, requested by monanotlisa, everbright, snarkydame, and sort of ileliberte and (even more sort of) spoke
5-9. Deaths: Death of the Endless (Sandman), Methos (Highlander), and Death (Discworld) requested brilliantly by lillian13
10-17. Hockey RPF, Sid and Geno, requested by james and thehoyden
18. Community, Leslie Knope eating a waffle, requested by runpunkrun
19. Person of Interest, Mr. Finch and Mr. Reese (maybe those are their names?), requested by astolat

( Avengers, Raksura, Sandman/Highlander/Discworld, Hockey RPF, Community, Person of Interest )

And here's the large versions...

This was a totally brilliant suggestion by lillian13. And I love the big picture. Making icons from this that were recognizable as, like, people with faces, was awful. Looking at you, Methos. Thanks for nothing.

( The rest of them... )

comments

Art: Jade, Moon, Chime from the Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:56:51 GMT

So marycrawford won my yuletide guessing game (immediately and with no hesitation -- which also happened with my KakaIru fic, so I guess I was predictable this year), and she asked for an illustration from Children of the New Court and gave several options. I chose the scene where Chime is putting jewelry on Moon.

(marycrawford,by the way, wrote a fantastic yuletide fic of her own in another Martha Wells verse:

When the Sea is, Fall of Ile-Rien, Tremaine, Ilias, Gilead
Tremaine had been living in Cineth for more than a month now, and so far, none of her more pessimistic predictions had come to pass. She hadn’t gotten anyone killed, not even Cletia; she hadn’t added Ilias to her previously dismal record of broken relationships; and she hadn’t been homesick for Vienne at all.

which I enjoyed immensely.)

Anyway, here goes:

comments

Yuletide Reveal: Children of the New Court (Books of the Raksura)

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:05:18 GMT

For Yuletide I wrote:

Children of the New Court
Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells, Moon/Chime, Jade/Moon, Moon/Chime/Jade, No warnings

Chime had his hands full of babies.

A few months ago I posted a huge rec + fanart for the Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells (The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, and The Siren Depths). Which showed me 1) that lots of people had already read them, 2) some more people were going to read them, 3) and we were all totally thinking that Yuletide and the Raksura would be great pals.

I started writing this story in November before the third book came out. ( Lots more about 'Children of the New Court' )

In other words, I am so happy with this story, and happy that fans of the books seem happy with it too. And hey, I've got a dozen pages of foreign embassies and predator attacks and secret crossovers with The Element of Fire: Raksuran AU lying around that I like to pretend I'll do something with.

Happy Yuletide everyone!

Gifts!

castle in the clouds by spoke
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors, Gen, No warnings

Seiji calling him on deck was not to be ignored under any circumstances, but the urgency in his voice this time had Ryou up the ladder in a flash.

The fandom of my heart now and forever! And this story is huge on character and she got them right. <3

And a yuletide madness story in a fandom I never thought I'd receive...

Are you there? by hydrangea
Scrapped Princess, Pacifica/Fulle, Shannon/Senes, No warnings

Glimpses from an unwritten story.

Scrapped Princess! I'd resigned myself to this being that yuletide request I always enter and is never fulfilled. Senes and her boiling-over emotions! Shannon and Zefiris their crazy robot dragon and captain relationship! And bringing back the sci-fi aspects of the fantasy story! :D

comments

Dear Yuletide Author letter

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:34:33 GMT

Dear Yuletide Author,

Before I say anything else (and I’m going to say a lot, it’s just my way), thank you for signing up to write some of my favorite wee fandoms. Every fandom I requested this year is a fandom in which any story, of any shape or size will make me happy. So write the story that grabs you.

I threw a number of prompts at you because I know for me, "Write anything!" is the most difficult thing to write. I am a sucker for world-building, plot, and fully-formed characters, even in small doses. If you want to come up with a plot arc and then write me 1000 words of the second to last scene or 1000 words of the first, I will be right there with you.

Now, as far as I'm concerned you can take that paragraph and go, but if you would like more clues, what follows is an extended digression on likes, dislikes, and those wee tiny fandoms I've requested.

( More on that... the infamous optional details )

Fandoms:
(Last year, when I was binge-reading everyone else’s yuletide letters, I realized that I wanted to read everyone’s prompts and their comments, not just their comments on their prompts, so I included my prompts in mine this year.)

( More optional details: The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells, Scrapped Princess, Ronin Warriors/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers )

That’s all for my requests. I hope you found something in there that helps you. If not, no worries. You are writing a story in a wee, tiny fandom of my heart. I already love it. Thank you!

Cheers,
Pen

comments

Book rec and art: Jade and Moon from The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:06:59 GMT

Okay, so you should just read all of Martha Wells' books on principle, but in particular, you should read the The Cloud Roads. It is extremely fandom compatible.

The first books by Wells that I read were magical steampunk stories rooted in different eras of Western history -- the baroque era, the industrial revolution, the 1930s -- populated by characters and cultures very recognizable to us. I loved them. The Cloud Roads... it's like Wells took the idea of a fantasy universe and decided to go with it all the way.

How to describe the Three Worlds? Basically, take every Star Wars, Star Trek, and Tolkien species and all their crazy, overblown concept art architecture and stick them on one planet. There are cities on flying islands, giant pyramids draped with vines in the middle of rivers, and magical societies living inside of trees as big as mountains. Think Pandora times 10. Even the "normal" humans you meet tend to be blue or green or maybe just have tusks, which is a lovely reminder that there is no "default". For the huge variety of made-up species in the books, the world is deliciously coherent. Because you see it through the eyes of its inhabitants, it all feels like it's supposed to be there, duh.

Unlike a lot of stories with this set up, our main characters are gloriously not-human. Moon, the POV character, is a shape-changer who can shift between two forms -- a human form and a super badass gorgeous gargoyle form. When the story starts off, he's been orphaned at a young age and has spent the last few decades trying to fake it among the non-shifter societies he's encountered. He's kind of awful at faking it, it turns out, but he knows by now that he can't stand living alone, so he keeps trying. It doesn't take long for you to figure that he can handle himself, but you still want to bundle him up and hug him a lot.

Also, guys, I know lots of you have an interest in reversed and/or altered gender roles. Wells has created a central species for her stories with some key, fundamental differences that lead to a whole host of really interesting implications for gender politics in the story. I want to read so many stories about the politics, but I guess it's okay that there's also, like, fights and stuff. Also, I won't lie, it is kind of hot.

So, guys, if you have even a little bit of a kink for world-building or found family or playing with gender roles or just the right amount of hurt/comfort, read these books!

By the way, they are also FUN. Yes. The world it builds is so much fun you will want to read about a hundred fusions where all your favorite fannish characters end up in the Three Worlds. (I still can't decide if Steve Rogers would be a consort, a warrior, or a soldier. Is Jane Foster a mentor or a queen?)

Trust me, you are going to want fic.

And when that happens, come find me because I want there to be a fandom for these books, like, yesterday. It can't just be me and ileliberte squeeing over IM at each other, right? (Well, okay, it demonstrably can).

And guys, I'm not even telling you about the taciturn, badass old guy that will instantly become your favorite character. Mainly by standing around and being inscrutable and then letting children climb on him. And he likes kids because -- did I mention the gender roles? -- he's basically the world's equivalent of a dowager queen. A dowager queen who can tear your house down with his bare hands. Seriously.

comments