fray-adjacent

Title: Statuette
Fandom: Steven Universe
Vidder: fray-adjacent
Music: Emily Haines
Summary: I couldn't keep to myself. Pearl; order and chaos; collective joy and liberation in Steven Universe.
Notes: Contains spoilers for all of Steven Universe and a few clips from SU: The Movie and Steven Universe Future, but no spoilers for SU:TM and one spoiler for SUF, which might not be noticeable out of context. There are some fast cuts and fast motion but no flashing stutter cuts.
Premiered at (Virtual) VidUKon 2020

Download | Youtube | AO3 post

 

snowflake_challenge Day 3:

In your own space, post recs for at least three fanworks that you did not create. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. goodbyebird iconned Xena: Warrior Princess! I have heart-eyes for these and will be grabbing some if/when I get my paid account back*.

2. I love maariamph's adult!Steven fanart. Favourites: watering plants; charging on lion; hanging out with Connie.

3. restfield's amazing Drusilla manip.

*I'm planning to re-purchase my paid account once I get back in the habit of posting regularly. Please don't take this as a subtle hint that I want someone to gift it to me!

Past memes: 2016 | Um apparently I only did this once before?

1. Your main fandom of the year?

Steven Universe, as last year. But also a certain creative decision made during Season 4 of The Mindy Project knocked my socks off and massively increased my commitment to that show.

I also listened to Hamilton A LOT, and spent way too much money buying tickets to see the show this year. But I never really got into the fandom side, so I'm not sure it counts.

2. Your favorite film watched this year?

Arrival. It was so beautiful and hopeful and wonderfully told, and I looooovvvved all the process stuff in it.

3. Your favorite book read this year?

Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho, for being delightful and filling my soul just when I needed it. Also Black Wolves by Kate Elliott, which was a slow burn but so good, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (narrated by Adjoa Andoh -- I alternated between reading and listening on this one), and the audiobook of Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (narrated by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskill).

4. Your favorite TV show of the year?

Steven Universe. This season of Orphan Black was also excellent, and left me happy that the show hadn't ended with three seasons as originally planned (and as I'd wished when S3 finished).

5. Your favorite online fandom community of the year?

Dreamwidth, but I haven't been engaged much with online fandom at all this year.

6. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?

Underground -- but I think that might be the only new show I watched in full this year? I have not been watching much and when I do I generally rewatch old stuff for comfort, or watch my few ongoing shows: Steven Universe, The Mindy Project, and Orphan Black.

Underground got some flack for being more of an action-drama than its premise suggests, but I kinda loved it. I mean, why shouldn't runaway slaves get to be action heros? And the ending left me So Excited for Season 2.

7. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?

I finally read Uprooted, and while in some ways it was better than I expected, it was also a lot more violent than I expected and I just wasn't feeling it. Though calling that a disappointment is a major stretch. I mostly really liked the book.

8. Your TV boyfriend of the year?

Rahul Kohli from iZombie is outrageously attractive to me, so I'll choose him even though I only watched one episode of the show. Certainly not any of Mindy Lahiri's boyfriends.

9. Your TV girlfriend of the year?

Mindy Kaling. I have heart-eyes for her.

10. Your biggest squee moment of the year?

Every. Single. Moment. of the Steven Universe episode Last One Out of Beach City

1. Your main fandom of the year?

In terms of passion as expressed through reblogs of fanart on Tumblr, Steven Universe. It was also the fandom I was most excited about, in addition to my ever-present love for Buffy and Xena. But I did make the Buffy vid of my heart (even if it didn't quite live up to my hopes).

2. Your favorite film watched this year?

Wild. It was such a lovely film; Witherspoon's performance was great, plus it had so much beautiful US West Coast scenery, how could I not love it?

3. Your favorite book read this year?

The Outskirter's Secret, by Rosemary Kirstein. I re-read the whole series early in the year and that one's still my favorite, though I've come to adore The Lost Steersman almost as much.

I also read and fell for the Imperial Radch books this year, but I don't know how to choose a favorite. Most people say Ancillary Justice is the best, but Ancillary Sword introduces most of my favorite characters (Tisarwat! Mercy of Kalr! Kalr 5!) so I'm not so sure.

4. Your favorite TV show of the year?

Steven Universe!!!!!! I also thought Jessica Jones was excellent, though none of its characters really pulled me in and stole my heart (Malcolm and Luke came close a few times). I started Supergirl but am still only four or five episodes in, more for external reasons than not wanting to watch the show, which I enjoy very much.

5. Your favorite online fandom community of the year?

Dreamwidth, still, but I'm pretty active on twitter. I feel like both of those things are at least as much about chatting with/reading blogs by friends as they are about participating in fandom per se. A lot of this is because the things my friends are talking about are not what I'm into. Or I get into it after my friends have already kinda gotten over it. Also, for many reasons I find myself less inclined to discuss my fannish obsessions online than I used to. I do adore the Xena watch happening at ladybusiness.

6. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?

Steven Universe!!!!! I remember when people on twitter were talking about it and I was like, "whatever, a kid's show about a little boy is not my thing." Especially because white male child prodigies are a trope that I hate. (Steven's not a child prodigy, but I might have perceived him as one before I started the show.)

But I gave it a chance and I am so glad, because now I can say I have three favorite shows instead of two. The plotting, the storytelling, the mythology, the characterization, the relationship-building, the political and ethical positions show show carves out: every single one of these things is well done. Mostly incredibly well-done. Plus the music is fantastic, art is lovely, the voice acting is incredible, the show genuinely makes me laugh, it can be downright creepy (in a good way) at times, and UGH EVERYONES FACE. It's one of those shows where my favorite character changes from episode to episode, because they're all so good. It is earnestly hopeful and that hope is earned. This show knows my heart.

7. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?

Orphan Black. Everyone has talked about how plotty that show is, and throughout S2 many criticized the show for how convoluted the plots were getting. I didn't care as long as I had my character beats -- Sarah being ruthless and loving and never stopping trying, Helena loving children and her sistras, Felix making me laugh and warming my heart, Siobhan being a badass -- and interesting relationship dynamics. But S3 really struggled under the weight of the plottiness. Only one episode really worked for me. The second half of the season was better than the first half, but I finished the finale wishing the show was over, feeling they'd wrapped it up in a pretty good place and I wish they'd just left it there, instead of introducing *more* new plot elements for a fourth season.

8. Your TV boyfriend of the year?

John Jacobi on Killjoys. On one hand I find it embarrassingly predictable how much I like him (he's funny, he's lower-case-n nice, he wants to do right in the world, he's not particularly muscley for Hollywood), on the other hand it's surprising because it is super rare for me to find male tv characters who I really like and connect to.

Honorary mention to James Olsen from Supergirl who is great.

9. Your TV girlfriend of the year?

Deedee Magno-Hall, who voices Pearl on Steven Universe. Yes I chose a character for boyfriend and an actor for girlfriend.  I love her voice and her performance! Also Rebecca Sugar. Also Xena, forever. <3

PS If I die tell Mindy Kaling I love her.

10. Your biggest squee moment of the year?

Hmm. When Steven began singing "Giant Woman" in the episode of the same name, and the whole show just clicked. ( spoilers for late S1 to mid S2 Steven Universe )

11. The most missed of your old fandoms?

I miss my old devotion to BtVS, when I would discuss it online all day and rewatch whole episodes just to see if I agreed with one of the points in someone's meta, and when I vidded Buffy early on. I don't think I'll ever have that level of fannish passion again.

12. The fandom you haven’t tried yet, but want to?

I've just started Sense8, which I like well enough so far. I keep meaning to try The 100, and The Legend of the Seeker, both of which I think I'd like. I just never want to take the time to watch new shows now.

I'm more excited about getting back into books. Reading feels a lot more accessible to me than television, since I can do it on the train into work and while eating breakfast and so forth. I'm also wanting a broader range of stories and characters than I often find on television. I just finished Black Wolves and am planning to read more Kate Elliott. I'm also planning to read Chris Moriarty's Spin series (on luzula 's very convincing rec) and Fire Logic (the, erm, logical choice from this "which lesbian SFF should I read" list, though that list has lots of candidates!).

13. Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year?

More Steven Universe. I'm also looking forward to catching up on Supergirl and to Luke Cage's show. I might see Batman v Superman, or I might just wait for the Wonder Woman supercut.

The world probably needs more Connie icons, so I made a few. Feel free to take with credit! Comments/concrit are always welcome and appreciated.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS WATCH STEVEN UNIVERSE

But I'm at a conference, and I promised Mr. Adjacent (who is as fannish as me about this show -- I think it's his favorite, like ever) I'd wait and we'd watch the whole Stevenbomb together this weekend. Well, actually it was a mutual promise.

But I am awash in Pearl/Rose feels and Steven Feels and Connie Feels and I have a hunch about Sardonyx and if my hunch is right it's gonna be AWESOME. Ugh, how can I wait four more days????

I was pretty disinterested when The Mindy Project came out because I'm not usually drawn to stories that focus on romance (no disrespect to those who are, it's just not my cup of tea), and the whole "professional woman succeeds in work but fails in love" added an extra layer of unappealing. However, I read an interesting interview with Kaling in a waiting room magazine a couple years ago, and I adored Kaling's character in The Office. In December we finally got around to giving it a try.

At first I had mixed feelings. I loved Mindy Lahiri almost immediately. Her boisterous charisma, her love for her job, her romanticism, and most of all her confidence and unwillingness to apologize for herself, are all my fannish catnip. Also, Mindy Kaling has incredible comic timing and writes and performs her character so well. But everyone else was completely unfunny and uninteresting, the Dianne/Sam thing with Danny left me cold (that trope usually does) hot with rage at what an asshat he was.

But the show evolved, something with the writing or acting gelled and it started to work better for me, maybe mid or late S1. Though Mindy is still the center of it for me, I enjoy the show as a whole more than I did at first. I'm not thrilled about recent plotlines and I maintain that ( spoiler for season 3 ). But really, as long as she keeps being a badass gynecologist and eating doughnuts and making me laugh out loud more than most things on television, I'll be fine with whatever this show does.

In February we watched Empire and fell under the spell of Cookie Lyon. There was a lot to like, but Cookie and Porsha's dynamic was my favorite. The finale was so upsetting though! I just want everyone to unite against Lucious and support each other. (Actually I'm not sure I want Andre in on that.)

One thing I liked about it was that despite having an ostensible anti-hero main character, the show avoided the things I hate most about that trope by giving it a strong ensemble with all the characters having agency. I never feel manipulated into rooting for someone I detest because the show actively encouraged me to root for Cookie, or Jamal or Hakeem, often against Lucious.

Also, I have never seen a show that appeared to be written not just about, but also FOR, Black people, to the extent that Empire is. Like I feel like this show really doesn't care much about its white audience and is very interested in Black points of view. To the point that the show even employs a Black stereotype of a scheming, manipulative white woman. It's refreshing to see (not so much the stereotype I suppose, but the rest of it).

After mourning the season finale of Empire and the series finale of Parks and Recreation, we watched all of Broad City. I predictably fell in love with Abbi and her goofy face and their friendship. It has an unrequited lady-love thing that for some reason doesn't bother me. The show is fun and adorable and I liked it a lot. The season 1 finale -- directed by Amy Poehler! -- was my favorite episode.

I recently started watching Bunheads with a friend -- I haven't had a tv date with a friend since I left Seattle, so I'm really happy to be doing that. I spent the whole pilot going "WTF is happening I hate this trope why does chaila like this show well I guess I better trust chaila not to lead me astray oh the lead is having sex she likes and now she's dancing with Emily Gilmore things are looking up WAIT DID I HEAR THAT PLOT TWIST RIGHT IS THIS SHOW MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR MEEEEE?????". I spent the next two episodes basking in the glory of those last few minutes of the pilot and delighting in the general absence of men *anywhere*. And adoring Bunheads!Emily Gilmore. And the teenage girls who are all very cute. I'm looking forward to more.

Finally, we've recently started Steven Universe and it's super adorable and fun. I would like it to spend more time with all the Crystal Gems, I don't enjoy the scenes with Steven without the Gems as much as I do the whole group. I'm like 6 or 7 episodes in so no spoilers!

I'm still watching and mostly enjoying Elementary, but I don't have anything to say about it. At all, ever, lately, now that I think about it. :/ I do enjoy reading fannish interpretations on Tumblr, and I always love Elementary fic.

I stopped watching Sleepy Hollow after the episode ( early/mid S2 spoiler ). I didn't hate quit (though if anything were to get me to, that'd be high on the list), I just lost motivation, especially when I kept hearing general fannish unhappiness at it after that. I heard the finale was good. I still intend to watch it, it's just a matter of carving out the time and motivation.

Mr Adjacent and I started a Buffy rewatch about a year and a half ago, and we stalled out on season 6. Which used to be one of my favorite seasons, but lately I don't have it in me to watch characters I love suffer like that. Anyway, we finally pushed through (I watched the last 4 episodes without him) and are enjoying S7 quite a bit. I'll never be a S7 detractor -- though I do tire of Buffy's speeches.

I can't wait for Orphan Black to start up again!