QOTD: On limitations in art

Jan. 17th, 2026 11:24 am
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[personal profile] brithistorian

I am reminded of a statement by the former mayor of Bogotá, Antanas Mockus, a politician who employed artistic strategies in his office: "When an artist goes to prison, they take a piece of chalk and draw a line some centimetres from the wall to define their space, so they can have a bit more restrictions (sic). But by making those restrictions they in fact liberate themselves." A line can be a border and simultaneously an assertion of freedom. Being able to decide on your own limits, your strengths and weaknesses, is always empowering, offering a certain degree of sovereignty even in the direst situation.

Joanna Warsza, "Open Mic: Joanna Warsza on the Art of Open Group," *Artforum," October 2025, p. 110.

I've been thinking about this since I read it an hour or so ago. I think the quote from Mockus helped Warsza to set up for presenting her idea, but I don't think Mockus (at least as presented in this quote or — as I think is likely — in this translation of his quote) appears to quite understand what was going on in those prison cells. I don't think the artists wanted to "have a bit more restrictions (sic)," but instead, as Warsza put it, to "decide on [their] own limits."

When I was younger and studying poetry in school[^1], I never really understood why someone would choose to write poetry once prose had been invented, which seemed to me to be a superior method for conveying ideas. It's only later, as I learned more and started producing art of my own, that I learned the potential value of working within a set of restrictions, whether self-imposed or those of a traditional form. And looking back, I wonder if this value of restriction is something that my teachers could have explained to me, or if it's something that I had to figure out on my own in order to understand it.

[^1] Confession: I never really liked or (apparently) understood poetry.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #9

Jan. 17th, 2026 08:01 am
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[personal profile] thatjustwontbreak posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge

Introduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5 * Challenge #6 * Challenge #7 * Challenge #8 *



Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #9 )

And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner featuring an image of a wrapped giftbox with a snowflake on the gift tag. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.


Vidding Year in Review

Jan. 16th, 2026 03:00 pm
extrapenguin: Northern lights in blue and purple above black horizon. (Default)
[personal profile] extrapenguin
Slightly delayed by the fact that I only published 3 vids last year, even if I did finish a fourth and have a fifth only in need of like 10 seconds of clip. Anyway.

...Actually, let me publish the fourth one real quick. I vidded it last summer so I'll have it count here. So! Here's the 2025 published vids:

SW ST: Is There Anybody Out There? [community profile] vidukon_cardiff
Fox Volant: My Loss [community profile] ficinabox
Fox Volant: Sister Moon [community profile] ficinabox
SW ST: Wide Awake
(The unpublished fifth, Free Me, one is also SW ST, and part of my vid album project like the other two.)

2025 vid review )

Not a full media update

Jan. 16th, 2026 03:27 pm
china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
[personal profile] china_shop
1. I am ridiculous and not even managing to keep up with Dreamwidth.

2. Just listened to Bujold's Penric's Demon in audio. Aww!

3. Watching Younger on Netflix, and wow, nothing dates an American show like all of the regular cast members being white. In New York. (Other than that, it's light fun and about what I'm in the mood for. Kind of like an Amy Sherman-Palladino show with less wealth porn.) Also started season 2 of The Pitt, despite intending to rewatch season 1 first.

4. (Burying the lede.) Andrew's surgery went well! We played two games of Scrabble this morning. I'm spending most of my time at the hospital.[a] Halle is confused by his absence and seeking an injunction.


[a] I've spent so long in North American fandoms that I've forgotten when we put "the" in front of "hospital", but I'm pretty sure this is one of those times, it being a specific hospital.

Asking for your help

Jan. 15th, 2026 07:12 pm
anotherslashfan: "We exist - be visible" caption on dark background. letter x is substituted with double moon symbol for bisexuality (Default)
[personal profile] anotherslashfan
Hi! I haven't really been using dreamwidth much this last year - somehow, my focus shifted towards both the Korean learners community I joined on discord as well as towards Bluesky.

In any case, recently friends came together to start a fundraiser for a friend whose family will have to leave their current home by February 1st without having any other affordable housing lined up.

I'm sharing here in case anyone sees this - if you can, please pass the link along.

We're especially interested in any advice on how our friend might be able to find a job, so if that is something you can point me towards, I'd be super grateful.

Our friend is a young person living in Durban, South Africa.
Link to the GoFundMe campain.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #8

Jan. 15th, 2026 10:09 am
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[personal profile] scribblemoose posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge
Introduction Post*
Meet the Mods Post

Challenge #1
Challenge #2
Challenge #3
Challenge #4
Challenge #5
Challenge #6
Challenge #7

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.


Challenge #8 )


And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on. 

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

Snowflake Challenge: A flatlay of a snowflake shaped shortbread cake, a mug with coffee, and a string of holiday lights on top of a rustic napkin.


Fandom Snowflake Challenge #7

Jan. 13th, 2026 02:58 pm
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[personal profile] teaotter posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge
Introduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5 * Challenge #6 *


Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #7 )

And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

End-of-year wrap-up meme for 2025

Jan. 14th, 2026 10:29 am
china_shop: Bert and Ernie have a rubber duck (Bert & Ernie with rubber duck)
[personal profile] china_shop
2023 meme | 2021 meme | 2019 meme | 2018 meme | 2017 meme | 2016 meme | 2015 meme | 2014 meme | 2013 meme | 2012 meme | 2011 meme | 2010 meme | 2009 meme | 2008 meme | 2007 meme | 2006 meme

Meme! I've missed a couple of years, here and there, but I really want to maintain this tradition. In the interests of getting this done, I'm going to omit any questions I get stuck on. ;-p

But first I'll start with three self-recs from 2024, when I didn't do this meme.

  1. After the Waiting (10,195 words, Guardian, outsider POV on the SID & on Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan's new relationship, post-canon)

  2. The Best Thing for Everyone (8,726 words, Time of Fever/Unintentional Love Story, Go Hotae/Kim Donghee, bridging the gap between the two canons, angsty ending with hope for the future)

  3. Breakage and Repair (5,247 words, Guardian, Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, post-canon, angst --> get-together)


My 2025 fanworks and modding )

The Meme (for 2025) )

The Challenge is Coming...

Jan. 13th, 2026 01:24 pm
tjs_whatnot: (Default)
[personal profile] tjs_whatnot posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge
 I promise!

Our volunteers are from all over the world and have lots of different schedules so we can't always guarantee to have it at the same time each time. I know the last one was really late and that has made everyone (me included) nervous, but it is going up today within the next two hours. Thank you for reaching out. ❤️❤️

Update: Cincinnati chili

Jan. 13th, 2026 01:08 pm
brithistorian: (Default)
[personal profile] brithistorian

Today I finally had sufficient time around lunchtime to try Cincinnati chili. I fixed it according to the article on "How to Eat Cincinnati Chili Like a Local" and then sat down to eat it. I didn't like the first bite. So I ate some more, hoping it would get better with further exposure. By the time I had eaten half of the serving, I gave up and decided I just didn't like it. So I disposed of it, brushed my teeth, then brushed my teeth again because I could still taste it in my mouth. I wish I liked it, because the concept sounded interesting, but I don't.

I think I might try eating "regular" chili on spaghetti, because it wasn't the "on spaghetti" part that I disliked, but in the meantime I'm over here eating peppermints one after another to try to clear the taste in my mouth. (I'm really not trying to be overly dramatic here. It's just very rare that I try something and don't like it, so I'm having trouble coping with it.)

Monday Music Meme

Jan. 12th, 2026 11:09 pm
extrapenguin: Prince Yu (Xiao Jinghuan) from Nirvana in Fire, beaten bloody, mussed up and smiling. (nif jinghuan smiling)
[personal profile] extrapenguin
This week's entry is from 2015, rather than my self-imposed 2020 onwards; OTOH, it's the only actual answer to this prompt.

a song that makes you cry
Stratovarius - Shine in the Dark


These guys are not (yet?) on Bandcamp; OTOH, the runner-up (I Wish, by Battle Beast) is up there.


prompts under the cut

a song you discovered this month
a song that makes you smile
a song that makes you cry
a song that you know all the lyrics of
a song that proves that you have good taste
a song title that is in all lowercase
a song title that is in all uppercase
an underrated song
a song that has three words
a song from your childhood
a song that reminds you of summertime
a song that you feel nostalgic to
the first song that plays on shuffle
a song that someone showed you
a song from a movie soundtrack
a song from a television soundtrack
a song about being 17
a song that reminds you of somebody
a song to drive to
a song with a number in the title
a song that you listen to at 3am in the morning
a song with a long title
a song with a color in the title
a song that gets stuck in your head
a song in a different language
a song that helps you fall asleep at night
a song that describes how you feel right now
a song that you used to hate but love today
a song that you downloaded
a song that you want to share

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #6

Jan. 11th, 2026 04:06 pm
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[personal profile] tjs_whatnot posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge
Introduction Post* Meet the Mods Post Challenge #1 * Challenge #2* Challenge #3* Challenge #4* Challenge #5 *

Sorry for the delay! It's been... a day. But no matter! Hopefully you had some time to catch up, to talk with new friends... or to nap. 😍

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #6 ) And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

[personal profile] ciexmod posting in [community profile] anime_manga
 [community profile] consent_issues_exchange is in need of pinch hitters for multiple requests that have anime & manga fandoms!

Exchange rules:

All works must have either a Mature or Explicit rating. Fic must be at least 1,000 words and must include a beginning, middle, and end. Authors should avoid stopping mid-scene. Art must be one finished piece of clean line art on unlined paper, or digital equivalent. Sexual content with dubious consent or non-consent must appear in the work. See the complete rules for details, especially if you aren't familiar with this exchange's "xcon" terminology.


To claim a pinch hit, email ciexmod@gmail.com. Include your AO3 handle, the AO3 handle of the pinch hit you're claiming, and the pinch hit number. The deadline for these pinch hits is January 15th, 2026, 10:00 PM US EST.

PH 12 - 吸血鬼すぐ死ぬ | Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu | The Vampire Dies in No Time (Anime), 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime)

View this request in the automagic app

Request details )

 

PH 23 - SK8 the Infinity (Anime)

View this request in the automagic app

Request details )

 

PH 27 - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)

View this request in the automagic app

Request details )

 

 

PH 33 - 地獄楽 | Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (Manga), 地獄楽 | Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (Manga), Blue Lock (Manga), Haikyuu!!

View this request in the automagic app

Request details )

 

Me-and-media update

Jan. 11th, 2026 04:55 pm
china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
[personal profile] china_shop
Previous poll review
In the Comfort food poll, 55.6% of respondents said their preferred comfort food is chocolate, and 46.7% said savoury carbs. In ticky-boxes, 'juicy intricate poetry words' and 'pushing on through' came second equal (40% each) to hugs (80%). Thank you for your votes! <3

Reading
I listened to half an m/m romance audiobook that I selected for one of its readers (Will Watt), but the overuse of "fucking" as an intensifier (and in particular, the repeated phrase, "he was so fucking hot") kept making me roll my eyes. It might be a faithful reproduction of the inner monologue of a first-year uni student, but I don't read romances for verisimilitude. So I switched to The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, read by Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune, seen mentioned on my flist. I'm halfway through and enjoying it immensely. ETA:
Warnings.Contains past emotionally abusive relationship, stalking, and PTSD.


A little more Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain in hardcopy. Nothing in ebook.

Kdramas
Andrew and I have nearly finished The Guest. I want to ship the OT3, but I don't really care about the priest. (Sorry, priest guy! Alas, you are not my type.) Still, it is a great (gory/horror-y) show, and I've conveniently forgotten some of the developments. We just have one episode to go.

A bit more of While You Were Sleeping, a few episodes of Cashero (I'm not sure I'm in the mood for established relationship, but otoh, Junho! ♥), and a marathon-running BL called Mr. Heart, which was sweet but extremely slight.

Where is the next Love Scout/Family by Choice/whatever??

Other TV
Finished Stranger Things, which got so complex that I lazily stopped following the logic and just watched it as a collection of scenes. But I enjoyed those well enough. So glad they got their victory lap.

Three episodes of Heated Rivalry.
Minor spoilers; tl;dr not my thing. Wow, I'd heard it was fanficcy, but I wasn't prepared for the total absence of anything resembling an external plot. Like, not even a figleaf. Not even a hockey arc. How??

Anyway, my prediction that it's probably not for me has proven correct. Like, I can tell that the show is made of crack (in the addictive sense), but I'm not into super-buff dudes, and I didn't like the 'fucking but feeling kind of miserable about it' vibe I was getting from Hollander. He deserves better.

But I kept going for episode 3, and I'm really glad I did. There was the coffee smoothie shop not-AU and ♥Kip♥ and his friends and family. And Scott, who fell for Kip in 2.3 seconds like a parched man stumbling into an oasis and, okay, is messed up, but at least self-aware and ~able to communicate~ and ~say nice things~! They were such a breath of fresh air! All the "smoothies" for both of them!

So that (predictably) is me. And I'm actually kind of relieved, because while the show is compelling and well-acted, it's not what I want in a fandom, and anyway, I'm hardly even managing to keep up with my quiet corner of Guardian fandom atm.
I may watch the last three episodes at some point, idk. Wishing those of you who're into it all the very best with your new addiction!!

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, Cross Party Lines, Letters from an American, more of Our Opinions Are Correct (Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz's podcast) including the Murderbot episode, Tech Won't Save Us, the starts of a few other things.

Writing/making things
I've been practising drawing, and picking up art supplies in bits and pieces. The moldable eraser is magic.
Have a couple of sketches.



(Imperfect, but I think it's identifiable, which is not nothing. I darkened the linework a little in Paint.NET.)

For my future reference, this all started because I wanted to draw Bingo from Bluey!, which led me down a Youtube Art Videos For Kids rabbit hole. Then I bought new colour pencils and was noodling around with them, and people said nice things about some of my doodles... :-)
Art Youtube For Adults is also really lovely, btw -- full of super-talented people being encouraging and helpful.

I've written a treat for [community profile] fandomtrees, but I need to make some edits, and I have no attention span. Chances of my finishing it are about 90%, and chances of any further treats are more like 30% at this stage. Maybe one day I'll be able to make art gifts...

Life/health/mental state things
My arms are gradually improving, but I'm anxious about them. Andrew's having an operation this Thursday; I'll need to be able to bike and drive and cook and so on, and I'm still sore half the time. So I've started swimming again. (I stopped partly because I was avoiding public spaces where I couldn't mask, and partly because my long post-lockdown hair stays damp all day. But the outdoor pool is open for the summer, so I'm going for it.)

I just bought a small $2 desk at a junk shop so that I have a workspace to retreat to downstairs while Andrew's recuperating on the couch in the living room. I'll see how that goes.

I have a hand-me-down mini air fryer from my parents which I still haven't taken out for a spin. Quick/easy meal suggestions very welcome, especially if they're things I can throw together late at night, post hospital visits. (NB: I don't do onions or brassicas.)

Good things
Andrew, swimming, drawing, Kdramas, Guardian, Zhao Yunlaaaan, modern medicine. Cat:



Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 50


Do you meditate?

View Answers

yes, regularly
4 (8.0%)

yes, from time to time
11 (22.0%)

I used to
6 (12.0%)

I used to occasionally
4 (8.0%)

what you mean by 'meditate'?
7 (14.0%)

no
21 (42.0%)

other
3 (6.0%)

ticky-box of being squeamish about fingernail clippings
2 (4.0%)

ticky-box full of hockey show squee
6 (12.0%)

ticky-box full of feeling kind of zonky
20 (40.0%)

ticky-box full of skipping across treetops and dancing through the clouds
23 (46.0%)

ticky-box full of hugs
37 (74.0%)

A Reckoning of Swords 6-10

Jan. 10th, 2026 08:05 pm
kalloway: (Xmas Ornaments 3 Deep)
[personal profile] kalloway
Alas I did not post on either Weds or yesterday. ^^;;

Archiving is behind between being off-schedule, dead tired, the sprained ankle, and taking a chunk out of my right index finger while working on a car. But I did do a bit earlier and will keep gnawing at it. I even wrote a ficlet for [community profile] 100fandoms and may try for a goal of finishing up that project this year. (As said every year.)

Finished up the HG Lfrith Pre-Production kit; it's nice looking but the backpack is a grenade and I suspect it'll go on a shelf never to be touched again or I'll bag-n-tag the backpack and let it be free. Unsure. Next is RG Justice who'll complete a ragtag order from November that I joked was actually a D&D party. (RG Justice, HG Calibarn, 30MF Priest, SD Dynames, 30MM Horse)

One of my other projects is a bingo card of lists. Most of these, I should have printed out already and just need to find them. The rest, ??? Things like [profile] season_of_kink cards, [community profile] 31_days lists, prompts from [community profile] 100words and [community profile] anythingdrabble, and [community profile] drabblesoup... A lot of these have significant presence in my plotbunny book so it'd be good to kind of get myself level with them. (And, as above, [community profile] 100fandoms!)

Boxen are on the way to [personal profile] tainry and [personal profile] torachan, and I caught up with [personal profile] purplehellebore to exchange gifts so Xmas is officially over. Whew! (I may still have one or two notes for folks on holiday_wishes, but I'll take care of that as I can.)

I'm also going to need to find the full prompt list for an old multi-chapter KH2 fic (each chapter was vaguely themed) if I ever want to try to finish it. The list/comm it was for was on LJ but I don't know if it's still there and I haven't been able to consistently access LJ in years.

Well, I have a lot of notebooks to dig through...

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #5

Jan. 9th, 2026 09:24 am
reeby10: closeup of a blue snowflake with a dark grey background and the words fandom snowflake in the upper left corner in white and blue (fandom snowflake)
[personal profile] reeby10 posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge
Introduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 *

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #5 )

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.
kalloway: (GBF Lanceysmile)
[personal profile] kalloway
Hikaru no Go vol. 1-23 (Yumi Hotta/Takeshi Obata) - I mentioned HikaGo last month as my actual advent countdown, even though I don't think I was quite on schedule... Anyway, I still really like it even though it should have ended with vol. 17. I should really write a few little bits of Hikaru/Akira.

Whistle! vol. 1-24 (Daisuke Higuchi) - a re-read from a very long time ago and while I still really liked the first half, the second half just didn't carry the weight and bogged down. Whistle! is about soccer, and starts off with a junior high team but the stakes just keep getting higher and higher and the end is really meh. I suspect there was some editorial meddling or something? I think I'll let this go...

Uta~Kata - a rewatch, still lovely, but it's not as strong as some series about magical adolescence.

Astro Boy vol. 1 - a more recent Astro Boy anime that was fun enough but I can't imagine hunting down the rest. I think my favorite 'modern' Astro Boy is the CG movie.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise (Overloaded & Decepticon Island) - this was pretty good story-wise but the designs/animation are kind of ugly. I think this is only the second RID disc I've ever found and yeah, I'd watch more but ??? (Same that iirc there's no collections of Rescue Bots, which sucks because Rescue Bots is cute.)

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues - pretty good and fairly funny but I also feel like attempting to replicate the sheer everything of Spinal Tap is a pretty impossible task. However, the cameos are amazing and holy shit does Elton John still have a strong voice.

Don't Rub Yourself Against My Ass!! (Sakira) - about the most meh BL manga I picked up like a decade ago and then forgot about. It can also go. The main story is about an ex-cop and it's really explicit but it's just not my cuppa.

Gundam Wing & Endless Waltz - for Christmas, of course. I feel like my mental timeline of Gundam Wing was weirdly off; some things happened way before I thought they should, some far later. Time to finally read the new manga...

(no subject)

Jan. 8th, 2026 09:39 pm
kalloway: (KG Cesario Fuzzer)
[personal profile] kalloway
One day, I would like to wake up without fresh horrors waiting. This week has not been the day.

I also, via means unknown, fucked up something in my ankle on Monday and have been hobbling around ever since. Like, I literally have no clue what I did. Nothing looks discolored and it's only a tiny bit swollen, so ??? But of course, that calf is now achy from walking funny.

Weekend plans are, unfortunately, to basically sit/lay around and heal up.

The Firebird

Jan. 8th, 2026 10:50 pm
extrapenguin: Northern lights in blue and purple above black horizon. (Default)
[personal profile] extrapenguin
Didn't, like, actually go to the ballet, but I wanted to see the Firebird and uhhhh good luck seeing that outside of Russia. So I turned to YouTube, and found this recording, in all its 360p glory. It's a short ballet, less than 50 min long, and the music is by Stravinsky.



As for who performed it, well, I also found this recording of what looks to be the same production (with more close-ups) that says it's from the Bolshoi Ballet.



This one (same props etc) claims to be Mariinskiy, though. It also has more pixels if you absolutely require 1080p. They made some changes to where the Firebird is during the bit where Ivan is taunting Koschei with the egg which I don't like (in the original, the effect is that she's really enjoying it; the revision, not especially).




Pingu, I do not ballet; plz give synopsis
The Firebird: woman in red
Ivan Tsarevich: dude in red
Tsarevna: of the women in white, the one with the special costume
Koschei the Deathless: evil sorcerer dude with the staff

Ok so. Ivan is a prince, going to this enchanted wood (either to hunt the Firebird, investigate WTF is going on, or just to hunt). There, he sees the Firebird by golden apple tree and manages to capture her. She struggles to free herself, but he prevails. Then he realizes that the Firebird cannot live in captivity, and he sets her free. As thanks, she gives him her feather, with the promise that if he wields it, she will return.

Next it is dusk and thirteen princesses, captives of Koschei the Deathless, come to play with the golden apples of the tree. Ivan enters and has a Moment(TM) with the youngest, Tsarevna; they fall in love. Then trumpets summon the princesses back. Ivan wants to follow but is warned off. (The wall has a bunch of dudes who tried and were turned to stone.)

Of course our heroic prince doesn't care and opens the gates, setting off 198751834 alarms and all of Koschei's demons come at him. He fights some off before being subdued. Koschei himself then appears and tries to turn Ivan into stone. Ivan, in the nick of time, summons the Firebird.

The Firebird knows exactly what to do. She saves Ivan and makes all under Koschei's spell dance until they're exhausted and fall asleep. Then she tells Ivan the key to Koschei's immortality: he has his soul hidden in an egg that is hidden in a box.

Ivan, of course, immediately sets out to get this box. He gets out the egg, waking up Koschei, and taunts him for a moment before making the omlet.

Final scene: the warriors from the wall have been de-petrified, and reunite with their lovers, the twelve princesses. Group wedding! Ivan and the Tsarevna appear and also get married. They open the gates and walk away from the forest.


Anyway! I really like the Infernal Dance section, but also just the Firebird herself. She's sharp and powerful and her language of motion is so completely different from all the "classic" ballet protagonists that I can't help but love her.

Snowflake Challenge #4

Jan. 7th, 2026 11:51 am
stardust_rifle: A blue snowflake. (Snowflake Icon)
[personal profile] stardust_rifle posting in [community profile] snowflake_challenge
Introduction Post * Meet The Mods Post * Challenge #1

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

On many of the fannish websites we use, our history is easily compileable into "pages". When we look back through those pages, sometimes we stumble upon things that we think are rather cool.

Challenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page

Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!


Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.

And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

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