schneefink

If you are curious about Vampire Survivors, there is currently a month-long charity drive where you can get a free copy of the base game + latest DLC with proof of a blood donation (or financial donation to a related organisation, or a post on social media) here: Blood for the Bloodmoon

It is a very fun, easy game for if you want to spend some time (or a lot of time) not thinking too much but getting the fun brain chemicals for killing more and more monsters with increasingly fancy weapons and characters. As a bonus, the bestiary is hilarious.

Last day of the month still counts. Both time travel and outsider PoV are tropes I love so combinations are a treat.

The Stranger Inside My Son, by Mademoiselle_A, Modao Zushi/MDZS
80k, gen with background canon pairings
Summary: Jiang Cheng goes back in time and decides there are a lot of people he won't give a damn about in this new life.
But Jiang Fengmian doesn't know that.
Why I like it: Jiang Fengmian is the last person to realize that Jiang Cheng changed. He has no clue what is happening, and seeing the changes through his eyes is a lot of fun, with all the things he has no chance to understand but the reader of course does. I really enjoyed the fix-it, too.

panoramic by remrose, Project Hail Mary
10.8k, gen
Summary: "I'll keep you updated. In the meantime, go back to sleep. When you need to worry, I'll tell you."
"Heh." Ryland ran his hand down his face. "It's terrible you know that it actually makes me feel better. What would I do without you?"
"Explode at a colleague at a conference and get expelled from academia and become a middle school teacher." Eva said, promptly.
"Wow, you've thought about that way too hard." Ryland laughed. "Middle schoolers might not vape in class, though. Maybe I should switch."
"Let's not joke."
or: fourteen conversations where ryland grace doesn’t realize eva stratt is a time traveller
Why I like it: Ryland & Eva friendship <3 this was lovely. Do I think it is plausible, eeeh, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Guard by CheshireSense, Bleach
18k, Ichigo/Kisuke
Summary: Later, Kisuke will remember and tease, "Were you really obsessing over me, Ichigo? Oh my, I have my own personal stalker!", and get an elbow to the face for his troubles.
At the moment though, all he can think is I've impressed someone, and I'm safe, and - looking at his new lord - Who are you?
Why I like it: Another wonderful thing about time travel + outsider PoV is that it often comes hand in hand with competence porn, and this one, where Ichigo is part of the Shihouin clan and takes Kisuke as his ward, has that in wonderful spades.

My mom invited LB, my cousin, and I to see "Tosca" at the St. Margarethen Quarry recently. I love open-air operas, they can do such cool things with the stage. This one had an actual cannon on a cliff that at one point shot a signal high over the stage and made a statue fall down, and then several more cannon shots later, very cool. And also the altar and the church and and and, and of course the music - it was a great experience.

I looked for good pictures of the stage (maybe I'll upload my own later) and instead found a full recording on Youtube, but tbh it only looks a fraction as impressive. I think the closer focus is probably a big part of that; at one point my mom offered me her opera glass but I only tried it out for a little while and then gave it back because I liked seeing the entire stage much better than being able to make out the singers' expressions.

I didn't know much about Tosca before and was surprised how many current themes there were, love vs other convictions and abuse of power and sexual coercion and betrayal etc. I joked with LB afterwards that as far as operas go this one was one of the less tragic ones:

spoiler

at least Cavaradossi was happy when he died...

Trying to list all operas I've seen live (though certainly not in this order, and not counting operettas):
- Aida, at the Arena di Verona
- Carmen, at the St. Margarethen Quarry
- Eugene Onegin, at the Vienna State Opera (pretty sure it was there, at least)
- Boris Godunov, at the Bolschoi Theater in Moscow
- The Troubadour, at the Lake Stage in Bregenz
- Cinderella, in Paris
- Tosca, at the St. Margarethen Quarry

I thought it'd be more, but if so they don't come to mind right now. I've seen several more as recordings, like Madam Butterfly and Der Freischütz, mostly because of my mom because recorded operas just don't feel the same.
I think I've also seen Die Zauberflöte live when I was little?, I think I remember snippets but I'm not entirely sure. I'm almost certain I've seen at least parts of it live, but it might have been at the children's opera or some other kind of adaptation.
And barely any at the Vienna State Opera, too, I might have to keep an eye out for a good opportunity. ... Actually upon further thought I'm almost sure I saw "Eugene Onegin" at the Volksoper (ETA: LB thinks that is unlikely, but that it might have been at the Theater an der Wien), which would mean I've never seen an opera at the State Opera. Definitely need to remedy that eventually.
We also wanted to go to "The Flying Dutchman" at the quarry last year but unfortunately it rained that evening. But we're already planning to see "Rigoletto" there next year, I look forward to it.

Once I got back from my vacation I finally started playing MIO: Memories in Orbit. The trailer looked very promising and I'd seen many positive reviews, but I suspected it would take a while so I waited until I knew I had more time for it. That was a good decision, because as always with metroidvanias it's important to keep track of things and that's easier if it hasn't been too long.
I've been playing for two weeks now and I'm having a great time. It started a bit slow but then opened up massively. The game is gorgeous, the exploration is very satisfying, the abilities are fun to use, and the story is finally starting to unfold in more detail. (I already look forward to watching someone else's playthrough afterwards.)



( The first 38.5 hours, full of spoilers )

Back to MCYT recs this month, category "not Hermitcraft or Life series" (though I did sneak one Hermit RPF fic in there.) Most do not require canon knowledge I think.

( Under the cut: Vampires SMP poetry, 2x MCSR fic, Hermitcraft RPF fic, Philza RPF fic, SMP Earth art, Lifesteal SMP spreadsheet, Rats SMP art, DSMP fic )

Cheers for me making the monthly rec post not in the last week :)

Have some SGA fantasy AUs!
(I knew I wanted to rec the first two and then I went looking for more featuring John as Damsel in Distress at one point, but sadly they either were not fantasy AUs or no longer accessible online.)

A Clear and Different Light by sholio and naye
85.4k (+32k sidestories), fantasy AU, McShep + team
Summary: Rodney McKay, raised by a pod of telepathic whales. John Sheppard, mage with fae blood. Teyla Emmagan, rune-scientist. Ronon Dex, winged soldier. On the waystation of Atlantis, they're about to become embroiled in an age-old war against a brutal enemy.
Why I love it: Whaleverse!! I love the whaleverse, and I can never be objective about it; my first posted not-commentfic was an epilogue for it, Respite, because I wanted even more of the beautiful h/c. That was great and also the plot with scary enemies and the worldbuilding and the team feelings.

The Bearskin Cloak by HorridPorrid
59.2k, fairy tale/fantasy AU, Ronon + team
Summary: After everything he's ever known has been destroyed, Ronon stumbles into the magic-thick forests of Atlantis. When he accidentally frees two strangers from a cruel trap, he realizes old enemies still spin their wicked plans. An enchanted prince, a cursed city: Ronon's fight has just begun. (Inspired by: The Traveling Companion by Hans Christian Anderson)
Why I love it: This is such a good fairy tale and adventure, with scary enemies and desperate plots and daring rescues, always a joy to reread.

A new history of Captain John Sheppard, HM Aerial Corps, and M. Rodney McKay, Esq., FRS, with the Captains Emmagan and Dex, late of the West Indies by sheafrotherdon
15.7k, McShep + team, Temeraire AU
Summary: . . . composed from a great number of actual surveys; and other materials regulated by many new scientifick observations of their Affections and Masculine Virtues. Drawn up from the Journals which were kept by the several Commanders, And from the Papers of M. Rodney McKay, Esq., FRS; In One Volume, written by A Lady of Quality.
September 1811, Halifax, Nova Scotia: His Majesty's Aerial Corps stand ready to welcome new additions to their number; an expedition late of the Antipodes.
Why I like it: Very good fusion/crossover, and I love the warm atmosphere.

Damper by michelel72
25.6k, ~urban fantasy AU, Teyla & Rodney
Summary: Teyla Emmagan (C.W.El.E., L.W.M.) and Dr. Rodney McKay (C.W.El.F., Ph.D., Ph.D.) are hired to investigate an anomalous geological development, but they soon learn much more is at stake.
Why I like it: Teyla & Rodney are such an underrated pairing, and this was one of the fics that made me realize that. I really like the character voices, the element-based modern magic system, and the adventure. The epilogue A Few Small Repairs is also great and very warm.

After I was recently reminded of the vast treasure trove of SGA fic, I spent some time updating my bookmarks with working links where possible, and that of course led to me rereading many fics, and suddenly the month is almost over before I could get a proper list together, so just have some of my favorites. Still themed though because I'm not in the mood for the effort it would take to shut up the little voice in my head saying that's required for a proper rec list: Stargate 'verse crossovers with significant pre-canon canon divergences. These also happen to be some of my favorite SGA fics.

Retrograde series by LtLJ
107k (main series) + 22k of extras, mostly gen, SGA/SG-1 crossover, canon divergence AU
Summary: The Atlantis expedition has been lost for three years. SG-1 goes to find them, and arrives just a little too late.
Why I love it: I love (real and perceived) betrayal stories so this was already catnip to me - something which applies to all of these, come to think of it. Also some good old-fashioned whump, action, rescues, bonding, plot, comfort... So, so good. Very high up on my list of favorite fics I've read.

Gypsies, Pirates, and Thieves by auburn
372.2k, John/Rodney/Vala, SGA/SG-1 crossover, canon divergence AU
Summary: Vala Mal Doran and her partners, renegades Jehan abd-Ba'al and Meredith McKay, hijack the Tau'ri ship Prometheus and leave the Milky Way behind in search of the Lost City of the Ancients, Atlantis.
Why I love it: Action, rescues, bonding, plot, this time with a touch more past trauma and codependency and a larger cast. The second part in the series is my favorite (and the one I've reread most often, though that's also because it's significantly shorter then the others.)

Raiders of the Seven Systems by LtLJ
32.2k, gen, SGA/SG-1/Firefly crossover, canon divergence AU
Summary: John Sheppard leads a crew of Athosian space pirates in the Pegasus Galaxy. They rescue Earth refugees Rodney McKay and Sam Carter, but then things get complicated.
Why I like it: Space pirates! Also Zoe Washburn is there. This is kind of the space pirate!John version of Retrograde, at least vibes-wise, and I am here for it.

Unnatural Selection by auburn
164.4k, John/Todd & John/Rodney, SGA/SG-1/SGU crossover, canon divergence AU
Summary:Human error, operant conditioning, survival instinct and evolution as horror. An examination of the SGC's failure to anticipate and prevent the losses of Atlantis and the Alterran survey ship Destiny. One year after the first, the second Earth Expedition to Wraith-occupied Atlantis is diverted to an Ancient ship and struggles to survive with no way home and enemies within, while John Sheppard, considered a traitor by everyone who once knew him, tries to hold onto what humanity he has left and save them all.
Why I like it: Featuring the horrors of being marooned on a space ship that's falling apart with people you can't trust and struggling to survive, Wraith xenobiology and worldbuilding, transformation/body horror, and much more in a delicious mix.

MCSR Ranked season 10 playoffs were very exciting! With triumphs and heartbreak, depending on who you were rooting for. And I was rooting for Infume, so…

But I still don't really want to get into MCSR as a fandom, apart from the sports aspect, and one of the reasons is because currently the overwhelming majority of top runners are men. There are active efforts to include more women, from tournaments to casters etc., and I appreciate that and maybe it'll be different at some point, but that's the situation currently.

[Insert a paragraph here about all sports comes with narratives and there's not really an unambiguous dividing line between that and RPF; maybe some other time.]

I was reminded of that again because I saw glimpses of discussions in another MCYT fandom about male characters getting more fandom attention than female characters. (Flight SMP, and people point it out here in particular because it's a rare case where men are actually the minority on the server, which is fair; though otoh one of the men in question is one of the most famous people on the server by far so he already had more fans and it's a small fandom to begin with.) Some people are making good points and others really aren't, as usual. I get annoyed when people try tell me I need to do fandom a certain way.

My main fandom at the moment is Hermitcraft, which is a server with 26 members, 22 of them men. Of the four, Cleo is one of my favorite Hermits period; I watch probably more videos by Pearl, Gem, and False than I would otherwise because I want to support them. I do like Pearl and Gem and their videos a lot, I just don't feel as actively fannish about them, at least not as much as the rest of my favorite (male) Hermits. (And I like False in general but idk it's just not quite my vibe.)

I had a brief Hades 2 phase recently (I still play sometimes and enjoy it but my enthusiasm has waned) and it was really nice for a change to be in a fandom with so many female characters, where (bonus) those were also the characters I was most interested in: Melinoe, Hecate, Medea… (not the canon f/f romances, sadly. I still haven't finished those storylines because I dislike both options.)

Idk where I was going with this. Now that I think about it maybe I should think about some of those Hades 2 fic ideas a bit more.

I was distracted last week because of exciting RL things and completely forgot about April recs. The first missed monthly rec post in over two years >.<

So, a quick one. I gave a short powerpoint presentation on my SGA fandom nostalgia in a Discord server recently (I joined SGA fandom almost twenty years ago, wow) and that reminded me of some SGA crack classics.

The Epic Tale of Rodney & John, Two Girl Scout Cookies In Love (The Pix or it Didn't Happen Remix) by Krim
0.4k + comic, John/Rodney, explicit cookie porn
Summary: Cookie porn, crumbs, strong language, extreme crackiness. Very image-heavy. No spoilers.
Why I love it: This is exactly what it sounds like and it's glorious. A classic.
Tragically I couldn't find a working link to the podfic/-video version by busaikko anymore, please let me know if you have one.

Stargate: Atlantis - The Post-Trinity phenomenon by iibnf
List of post-Trinity fics
Summary: [These are all McKay/Sheppard unless otherwise noted. This is not a list of recommendations, you can take it as a thematic list, instead. What I'm looking for is the classic Post-Trinity Mean John/Woobie Rodney concept, not other stories that may be set after Trinity but don’t deal with that particular issue.]
Why I love it: The Lemon Chicken Ratings list. A masterpiece.
Sadly a quick check showed that many links are no longer working, unsurprisingly, but even the list on its own is very much worth reading.

The Eternally Unnamed by lavvyan
John/Rodney, crack
Summary: Ketchup!John/Pea!Rodney: "Ketchup and peas don't go together."
Why I love it: Lavvyan has written a ton of beautiful crack but this might be my personal favorite.

I have a word document with links to SGA fanworks that's 14 pages long. I'm sure many links sadly don't work anymore but now I'm tempted to go through them again, reread a few more stories, maybe rec some... Always too much to read and not enough time.

I planted two wild strawberry plants in my living room window box today :)

Last year I was lazy and didn't plant anything after the many herbs I had before all died (after I barely used most of them.) But this weekend I visited a botanical garden ~fair with a friend and she convinced me to get the strawberries, fingers crossed they'll grow and I can eat some. Apparently they can have fruits the whole summer.

I want to put some sage with the strawberries, and some flowers in the box of the window that is hard to open, and some herbs in the box on my kitchen window sill but I haven't decided yet which ones of parsley, chives, basil, and mint. Maybe all four will fit, even, if I can put them close together? Maybe I'll just go to the once-a-week-every-spring gardening stand nearby and see what they have/say.