Hope you all had a great Christmas

[dragojustine]

Yuletide is by far the awesomest part of the fannish yearly calendar. This year I wrote a main story and a last-minute Treat. (The main story, which I researched for weeks and though about for a month and worked on for days and days, has one comment as of this writing. The dashed-off treat has 12. There’s no accounting for the vagaries of the Claw, I guess. I’ve been told that staying Zen about these things is one of the secrets to being happy in fandom. I am trying.) That said, I got a wonderful present! And have found more than enough beautiful stories already in just the tidgy bit of surfing I was able to do on Christmas Day.

First, the personal pimping:
Unspoken, the Name for Home. (Ursula LeGuin - Earthsea series).
This one, my present, is lovely. It's a small glimpse of Ged and Tenar and Tehanu after the events in Tehanu. My mystery author obviously understands so well what makes Earthsea so different from, and more powerful than, other young adult fantasy. This is steeped in everyday heroism, in the quiet importance of home and family, the deep magic of growing and teaching and names and community.

Imposter. (Birds of Prey)
I beta'd for this. The author is new to fandom and nervous. I know nothing about the fandom, but it seems to involve a female superhero being protective and kicking some butt, with adorable super-heroey action. If you know the fandom, go! *little shoving motions*

Then, before you do any other Yuletide reading, you need to see these two things:
How to HAve Fun At Yuletide, by emily_shore.
Is it genuine advice? Is it a parody? Is it a journal entry? I don't know. What I do know is that if you have been trying to figure out this Yuletide thing, figure out why we are all so utterly insane, why we seem to love this exchange so much, why it all seems so bizarre, whether you want to join in... this is a good place to start!

One-Night Fandoms: A Tribute to Yuletide. Multi-fandom vid by eruthros and thingswithwings.
This vid is a tribute to casual sex, unrepentant and joyful. It is also a tribute to the one-night fandoms, all the millions of shows and movies and books and every damn thing that we fling ourselves into with wanton abandon at Yuletide, to all the cultural texts that shape us and move us (and move us to fic!), the texts that retain their power and hold our love even if we only go back to them once a year. This is a manifesto of polly-fannishness, and a documentary of the sheer joy that creates an exchange where Winnie the Pooh and Casablanca and Terry Pratchett nestle side-by-side.

Recs list to come: Original list of 115 fandoms knocked down to 70! I am going to bed.

Comments

[erda-3.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this because I feel so left out, and I just don't get it.

[dragojustine.livejournal.com]

Aw. That's too bad! I only watched and betad and hung out in the chat room last year, but it was the highlight of my whole fannish year. Participated this year, and once again, highlight of my fannish year. Next October you can totally ask me about it- I successfully recruited a newbie this year, and he had tons of fun! It's good to have a Yuletide buddy. And really, it's a blast.