There's a lot going on in my head right now. It's very distracting, and I'm trying very hard to find one thing to focus on, but my brain's bouncing all over the place.
So here's one thing out of the way:![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
snowflake_challenge
This is a hard question, because *everyone* in fandom is a creator. So to narrow it down, I decided to name the people who have broken my brain with their work this past year in one way or another.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
punkpinkpower, who has changed my entire thought process about Samurai into something much, much deeper than 'it's cool' and 'Antonio/Jayden is adorable and hot! ♥'. From the first time I read We Love Like Fools, it forced me to start thinking about the darker side of Samurai, to get into everything that dedication and heritage demands of this team, and seriously think about it. I can honestly say that *all* of my Samurai stories have been influenced by her ever since.
Walutahanga broke my brain ages ago, when she first posted The Way, which details exactly how Ryan's mind might work after being raised by humans. I've never been able to look at him the same way since. *Everything* she writes does this. All of her Dino Thunder stories examining Trent's time when he was evil and all the potential drama after it's over, Living Through The Blitz, which compares the way villains are dealt with in Bridge's time versus the rest of his team in Overdrive. (And very nearly made me hate Adam, which I never would have guessed could happen.) Memory Lapse, which forcibly reminded me just how fucked up The Zeo Crystal Saga really was when I first read it ages and ages ago, and stuck with me long enough that I remembered it instantly when I found it again. And more recently, Visitors, a Dino Thunder/Stargate Atlantis crossover that shows how Power Rangers are seen by a military that's never dealt with any of them before, and very bluntly reminds us that what Rangers do and are is not normal to the rest of the world.
arytra hasn't broken my brain recently with her stories, per say, but she has given me loads of lovely team crossover fics that make my heart happy. She's also got me fairly convinced that it is possible to fit Justin in with ANY other team and not only make it adorable, but make it *work*. In a more brain-breaking way, she's gotten me putting a lot of serious thought into A Squad lately, and Samurai, and how/why things happened the way they did. The Essence of Betrayal is mostly her fault, as well as parts of Ambiguous Living Spaces.
In contrast, Wordsplat is my go-to person for Tony/Steve fluff when I'm in the mood for Avengers, because the things she writes always have me torn between laughter and turning into romanticized goo. scifigrl47 has given me several FABULOUS series which involve things like an army of semi-sentient flying Roombas, a sentient toaster that hates bagels (much to Hawkeye's dismay), lots of Dummy Awesomeness, and general Avengers hilarity that has me giggling hysterically for hours. Gilmare gives me ALL THE BATFAMILYFLUFF, and it is WONDERFUL. There is the equally lovely paganpunk2, who also writes BatFamilyFluff, but tends to focus more on the father/son bond between Bruce and Dick. And Mara, who writes excellent MentorTommy and lovely and funny views of Dino Thunder and Samurai.
It's safe to say that Sailormoon, Gundam Wing, and Power Rangers have all changed my life in one way or another.
-Trying to think of an answer she hasn't talked to death already-
Magic's Pawn, by Mercedes Lackey. Brother lent it to me back in high school, because we shared a love of fantasy novels and he was insistent that it was a good series. I fell in love with Vanyel instantly, in his struggle to find himself and be accepted, with the humor of the story and the fascinating and detailed magical world built around it.
And then Vanyel had a crush on Tylendel, and my jaw dropped.
Literally.
It was the first time I had ever read a homosexual character outside of fanfiction. It wasn't the first time a book broke my heart, but it *was* the first time it kept me reading anyway. It was the book that introduced me to what I later developed as Soul Bonds in FtD. To this day, I can re-read that book over and over and over. It's my favorite in the trilogy, and currently my favorite of any of her series that I've read.
A fanwork that changed my life would be Being Transgender means, by Tristanjsolarez. I'd gone browsing DeviantArt for inspiration to help me write Inside Out. There were a lot of beautiful, terribly heartbreaking pictures, but this one in particular ... Something about the expression on the pony's face, combined with the harsh words and the scratchy way they're written. Something in the harsh colors. I can't really put a name to it, but ever since I first looked at it it's changed the way I've viewed what it means to be transgender. Not because I was prejudiced before, but because I didn't understand it. This picture made me see that I still don't, and likely never will.
So here's one thing out of the way:
snowflake_challengeThis is a hard question, because *everyone* in fandom is a creator. So to narrow it down, I decided to name the people who have broken my brain with their work this past year in one way or another.
punkpinkpower, who has changed my entire thought process about Samurai into something much, much deeper than 'it's cool' and 'Antonio/Jayden is adorable and hot! ♥'. From the first time I read We Love Like Fools, it forced me to start thinking about the darker side of Samurai, to get into everything that dedication and heritage demands of this team, and seriously think about it. I can honestly say that *all* of my Samurai stories have been influenced by her ever since.Walutahanga broke my brain ages ago, when she first posted The Way, which details exactly how Ryan's mind might work after being raised by humans. I've never been able to look at him the same way since. *Everything* she writes does this. All of her Dino Thunder stories examining Trent's time when he was evil and all the potential drama after it's over, Living Through The Blitz, which compares the way villains are dealt with in Bridge's time versus the rest of his team in Overdrive. (And very nearly made me hate Adam, which I never would have guessed could happen.) Memory Lapse, which forcibly reminded me just how fucked up The Zeo Crystal Saga really was when I first read it ages and ages ago, and stuck with me long enough that I remembered it instantly when I found it again. And more recently, Visitors, a Dino Thunder/Stargate Atlantis crossover that shows how Power Rangers are seen by a military that's never dealt with any of them before, and very bluntly reminds us that what Rangers do and are is not normal to the rest of the world.
arytra hasn't broken my brain recently with her stories, per say, but she has given me loads of lovely team crossover fics that make my heart happy. She's also got me fairly convinced that it is possible to fit Justin in with ANY other team and not only make it adorable, but make it *work*. In a more brain-breaking way, she's gotten me putting a lot of serious thought into A Squad lately, and Samurai, and how/why things happened the way they did. The Essence of Betrayal is mostly her fault, as well as parts of Ambiguous Living Spaces.In contrast, Wordsplat is my go-to person for Tony/Steve fluff when I'm in the mood for Avengers, because the things she writes always have me torn between laughter and turning into romanticized goo. scifigrl47 has given me several FABULOUS series which involve things like an army of semi-sentient flying Roombas, a sentient toaster that hates bagels (much to Hawkeye's dismay), lots of Dummy Awesomeness, and general Avengers hilarity that has me giggling hysterically for hours. Gilmare gives me ALL THE BATFAMILYFLUFF, and it is WONDERFUL. There is the equally lovely paganpunk2, who also writes BatFamilyFluff, but tends to focus more on the father/son bond between Bruce and Dick. And Mara, who writes excellent MentorTommy and lovely and funny views of Dino Thunder and Samurai.
It's safe to say that Sailormoon, Gundam Wing, and Power Rangers have all changed my life in one way or another.
-Trying to think of an answer she hasn't talked to death already-
Magic's Pawn, by Mercedes Lackey. Brother lent it to me back in high school, because we shared a love of fantasy novels and he was insistent that it was a good series. I fell in love with Vanyel instantly, in his struggle to find himself and be accepted, with the humor of the story and the fascinating and detailed magical world built around it.
And then Vanyel had a crush on Tylendel, and my jaw dropped.
Literally.
It was the first time I had ever read a homosexual character outside of fanfiction. It wasn't the first time a book broke my heart, but it *was* the first time it kept me reading anyway. It was the book that introduced me to what I later developed as Soul Bonds in FtD. To this day, I can re-read that book over and over and over. It's my favorite in the trilogy, and currently my favorite of any of her series that I've read.
A fanwork that changed my life would be Being Transgender means, by Tristanjsolarez. I'd gone browsing DeviantArt for inspiration to help me write Inside Out. There were a lot of beautiful, terribly heartbreaking pictures, but this one in particular ... Something about the expression on the pony's face, combined with the harsh words and the scratchy way they're written. Something in the harsh colors. I can't really put a name to it, but ever since I first looked at it it's changed the way I've viewed what it means to be transgender. Not because I was prejudiced before, but because I didn't understand it. This picture made me see that I still don't, and likely never will.
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This means a lot to me, thank you for including me in it. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3