cosmic_llin

Festivids 2016-2017!

2017-01-25T21:37:45Z

I made two vids this year!

Title of vid: Make Them Gold
Recipient: Talumin
Fandom: DC Super Hero Girls
Music: Make Them Gold by CHVRCHES
Summary: I will be with you in the fray.
Content notes: No standardized notes apply
Unsigned length: 03:31

I really enjoyed making this vid! Folks, if you haven't seen this show, it is the CUTEST, it's all about DC superheroes being at high school together and it's full of friendship and teamwork and all that good stuff.

Irritatingly, I haven't yet been able to render the signed version without weird green flashes appearing every few bars, so watch this space on that one, and in the meantime here's the unsigned version again:

Download:http://www.mediafire.com/file/gyfmqmxhmx47ytc/sharks_signed.wmv

This was such a wonderful vid to make! I quite like sharks, but having made this vid I'm even more of a fan of them than I was. I really wanted the vid to be tranquil and beautiful, and it was a very tranquil and beautiful experience to vid! Usually I vid things with more of a concrete structure so it was really freeing to do something a bit looser!

Title of vid: Majestic Shark Sharks
Recipient: frith-in-thorns
Fandom: Shark (2015)
Music: Storms in Africa by Enya
Summary: Sharks are beautiful.
Content notes: contains brief scenes of shark birth.
Unsigned length: 03:38Download:http://www.mediafire.com/file/gyfmqmxhmx47ytc/sharks_signed.wmv

This was such a wonderful vid to make! I quite like sharks, but having made this vid I'm even more of a fan of them than I was. I really wanted the vid to be tranquil and beautiful, and it was a very tranquil and beautiful experience to vid! Usually I vid things with more of a concrete structure so it was really freeing to do something a bit looser!

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Festivids! Huge, Miss Fisher and Bake Off

2016-01-17T20:42:35Z

I made three things for this year's Festivids! Here they are:

Song: Sway, by Bic Runga
Fandom: Huge
Warnings: none
Summary: Alistair, Athena and identity.
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/3twv9p2b3yzyp62/sway_signed.wmv

Song: All Rise, by Blue
Fandom: The Great British Bake Off
Warnings: none
Summary: You try to pray, but the jury will decide
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/6tajaft5f0s82w8/all+rise+signed.wmv
Notes: the idea for this one came from my excellent friend Andrew, thanks dude!

Song: Rescue, by Yuna
Fandom: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Warnings: canon-typical violence - guns and fighting
Summary: We don't need no rescuing, we're ok.
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/n2oejeedeiypyhn/rescue+signed.wmv

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Vid: Touch the Sky (Multifandom)

2015-06-20T15:01:03Z

Song: Touch the Sky, by Julie Fowlis
Fandom: Multifandom
Warnings: none
Summary: As strong as the seas are stormy, and proud as an eagle’s scream. Pre-teen girls rule the world.
Download: https://www.mediafire.com/?b2wx4klqvdkft06

Notes: Most of the sources I used are fairly easy to track down, but here are links to info on a couple of the short films I used - the Facebook page for Little Girl's War Cry, the story of a young Maori girl's experience with domestic violence; and a streaming link for Hoverboard, about a Native American budding inventor who is inspired by Back to the Future.

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Looking for Suggestions - History Vidshow

2015-03-29T16:50:53Z

I'm running a history-themed vidshow for this year's VidUKon, and I'm currently looking for recs!

I'm after any and all vids with historical settings, but I'm especially keen to hear ideas about less popular historical eras, non-Western history and marginalised people in history, since I figure those will probably be harder to track down and I want to have a broad variety of things!

You are very much encouraged to self-rec if you have something you think might fit the bill! :D

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Vid: Home (Bunheads)

2015-03-01T21:04:18Z

So this weekend I accidentally a vid? I've been wanting to vid Bunheads since we watched it all over a few days a couple of months ago, and I'd had this song in mind almost from the start. Lately I've been engaged in a slow and steady clipping process for a couple of quite big and involved vids, and on Friday night I suddenly had an urge to just vid something really quickly and get it out there without thinking about it too hard, and this seemed to fit the bill! So here it is, in its unbeta-ed glory.

Song: Home, by Ingrid Michaelson
Fandom: Bunheads
Length: 4.07
Size: 147mb
Download: HERE
Content Notes: None (hmm... apart from, to be safe, a bit of blurry motion)
Summary: Michelle, Fanny, Sasha and the Paradise Dance Academy.

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Festivids! \o/

2015-02-14T19:09:55Z

Festivids! :D

2015-01-18T12:29:34Z

So, this year for Festivids I received not one but two absolutely wonderful M*A*S*H vids! This one is an utterly gorgeous and perfect Margaret character study, and this one is a thoughtful and lovely Father Mulcahy one. I love them both so ridiculously much! <3

As to what I made, this year I made four! I had loads of fun with my assignment and I also made treats for the first time! \o/ Thanks to carawj for her epic patience and assistance during this process! Here they all are (subtitles coming later since I am slooooow):

Song: You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile, Annie Cast (1982)
Fandom: The Addams Family Films
Length: 2.03
Size: 71.5 mb
Download: HERE
Summary: When Wednesday Addams smiles... be afraid.
Content Notes: some flashing, cartoonish violence/murder attempts, vague allusions to self-harm and suicide, large quantities of fake blood, white people dressing in Native American costume

Song: Beth Yw'r Haf i Mi, by Catrin Finch
Fandom: Maleficent
Length: 2.10
Size: 107 mb
Download: HERE
Summary: Maleficent looks back on her relationship with Aurora.
Content Notes: some flashes in transitions

Song: Flash, Bang, Wallop, by Tommy Steele
Fandom: Pole to Pole (Michael Palin's travel shows)
Length: 2.01
Size: 72 mb
Download: HERE
Summary: "I always wanted to be and explorer, but... it seemed I was doomed to be nothing more than a very silly person." - Michael Palin.
Content Notes: none

Song: Perfect Day, by Miriam Stockley
Fandom: Swallows and Amazons (1974)
Length: 2.08
Size: 74 mb
Download: HERE
Summary: All of this world is for children who play.
Content Notes: none

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Dear Galentine's Day Author...

2014-12-28T18:21:43Z

Dear Awesome Galentine's Day Author,

Thank you so much for writing for me! I'm sure I'll love whatever you come up with! I'd be thrilled with anything for any of the characters I've requested, but here are some ideas to get you started!

( Under here! )

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Dear Yuletide Writer...

2014-10-21T07:44:22Z

Greetings, awesome writer person!

Thanks very much in advance for writing something for me! I'm very excited to see what you come up with and I'd be overjoyed to read anything at all in any of the fandoms I've requested, so if you get inspired for something that doesn't match my suggestions, no worries! Do your thing! This is all just to help you if you want stuff to go on. Also it is totally fine if not all my requested characters are in the fic!

( More details, at length! )

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Dear Festividder!

2014-10-21T07:43:59Z

Dear Awesome Vidder,

Thank you in advance for making me a vid! \o/ I'm sure I'll love whatever you make, but here are some ideas in case you want some concrete suggestions!

( Things! )

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Two Vids!

2014-09-05T19:26:58Z

So, here are two vids! One I just finished today and one I made weeks ago and forgot to post here...

Song: King and Lionheart, Of Monsters and Men
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Length: 4.21
Size: 94mb
Download: HERE and subtitles HERE
Notes: Huge thanks to carawj and usuallyhats for betaing, and touchdownpossum for clip suggestions and cheerleading!

Song: Puppy Love, Dolly Parton
Length: 1:42
Download: HERE and subtitles HERE
Featuring: 101 Dalmatians, Bolt, Beethoven, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Oliver and Company, Wishbone, The Littlest Hobo, Star Trek: Voyager, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Space Buddies, Snow Buddies, The Aristocats, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Little Mermaid, Warehouse 13, The Legend of Korra
Notes: This was a birthday present for carawj ! I’ve been meaning to make it for a while so I’m really pleased I finally got around to it! Apologies for the terrible size/aspect ratio issues, for some reason this one gave me a lot of trouble! (I’m not kidding when I say I really don’t understand the technical side of vidding!)

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Dear Star Trek Friendshipfest Writer...

2014-07-11T23:01:35Z

Hello fabulous writer person! Thank you in advance for writing for me! :)

I'd be thrilled to receive anything for any of the friendships I've chosen, so do what works for you, but here are some ideas to get you going if you want them! :)

( Under this here cut... )

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Star Trek Friendshipfest!

2014-07-06T11:53:33Z

Hello all!

I'm running a Star Trek friendship-themed ficathon...

Details here...

At the moment we're in the tag nominations stage, so if you're thinking of participating, check out the profile/FAQ and then head over to the tagset and check out which friendships are nominated so far, and nominate any extra ones you might like to write or read about!

Actual sign-ups open on July 12, until July 20! Tell your friends! :)

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Vid: Long Live (Star Trek)

2014-06-29T22:22:42Z

Song: Long Live, Taylor Swift
Fandom: Star Trek
Length: 5.19
Size: 120mb
Download: HERE and subtitles HERE

Reblog: HERE
Summary: Long live all the magic we made.

Notes: This vid wouldn't have been possible without silly_cleo - not only did she find the song, she also spent what amounted to literally hours making spreadsheets to help me with the structure! Huge thanks also to carawj for support and viewing of multiple drafts! And thanks to everyone who gave encouragement and suggestions throughout! :)

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Vid: In the 99 (The Hunger Games, Effie and Katniss)

2014-05-12T19:34:43Z

Song: In the 99, by Vienna Teng
Fandom: The Hunger Games
Length: 3.35
Size: 76.16 Mb
Download: HERE and subtitles HERE
Summary: Effie, Katniss, the Districts and the Capitol.
Content Notes: Violence consistent with canon (ie, quite a lot implied and shown in brief snippets, but nothing graphic up close). Lots of fast cuts, blurry/jerky motion etc.ual setting
Vidder's Notes: This was made as part of the Aims Vid Album, a project to vid all the songs on Vienna Teng's new album. Check out the masterpost for more information. Thanks to [Unknown site tag]shinyjenni for betaing and carawj and silly_cleo for helpful comments and support!

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Call for Vids!

2014-03-29T12:44:47Z

So it looks like I’m making a Pride-themed vidshow for Vidukon, the awesome vidding convention happening in Cardiff in June!

I’m looking for suggestions for vids to include - I need vids that explore queer/LGBTIA/GSM identities and relationships of all kinds.

I’d love any and all suggestions, especially things that are harder to find (in both media generally and vids) - trans characters, asexual characters, people that aren’t two pretty white dudes (although if you know of something with two pretty white dudes that would be a good fit, do please suggest that too!).

Any ideas?

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December Talking #11

2014-01-28T20:28:41Z

chaila said: Sell me on the Vorkosigan saga! I know nothing! :)

Ooh! A fun one for my last post for this December Talking thingy! The Vorkosigan series is basically a big old family saga about an aristocratic, politically-powerful family on a world that's kind of like Space Imperial Russia.

Now, some instinct tells me the way to get chaila into a series is by pushing the awesome women angle... and the Vorkosigan Saga is really, really good for that. Cordelia is one of my favourite characters in anything ever - she has this way of solving problems with a combination of quick-thinking, amateur psychology and just jumping and seeing what happens, and she really gets people, and she uses that skill to literally change worlds. Alys knows everybody and everything and exactly what needs doing in any situation, and her smooth elegance is the packaging for a will of iron and a kind heart. Elena and Elli are both breathtakingly competent soldiers, and both of them figure out what they want and need and go for it, in very different ways. Taura is just wonderful and adorable and deserves all the hugs. Ekaterin is brave and smart and strong and passionate. And that's before you get to all the Koudelkas, Laisa, Tej, Helen Vorthys, and a dozen other beautifully-drawn, amazing side characters. And because it's a saga, and all of these women are either members of or peripherally involved with the central Vorkosigan family, you get to see most of them change and grow over the course of several decades and it's always a pleasure to watch.

I mean, I don't want to tell you lies, the (arguably) central character of the whole series is a guy, but he's 1) surrounded by varied and amazing women characters, and 2) absolutely fascinating and totally lovable in spite of his many major flaws, and that's coming from me, the person who's just not that interested in dudes in fiction.

There's so much good stuff going on in these books - political intrigue, spaceships, really good, thoughtful, consistent world building, some interesting sex/gender stuff (although some elements are kind of awkwardly dated, it still comes out pretty much positive overall), discussion of various types of prejudice and how it can be fought against, interesting points about different ways of having and using power, jokes both silly and clever and stories of every sort. Because of the sheer number of books in the series, sometimes it's space opera and sometimes it's a farce and sometimes it's a comedy of manners and sometimes it's just 400 pages of heartbreak that you'll want to throw across the room.

But the most consistent thread running through the whole series is family and identity - what makes you who you are, how the people you love help make you, and you make them in turn, how you change as you get older, how your perspective changes with you, how family is not always blood and blood is not always family, how you distinguish yourself from others and how you identify yourself with them, what makes a family and what makes an individual. These books have some of the deepest and most thoughtful explorations of these questions I've ever seen in literature.

Now, if that interests you, a few tips for how to get into reading them:

( Mild spoilers if you want to go in 100% unknowing... )

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Vid: ABC (Sister Act I and II)

2014-01-12T17:25:13Z

Song: ABC, Jackson 5
Fandom: Sister Act Movies
Length: 2.52
Size: 64mb
Download: HERE and subtitles HERE

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December Talking #10

2014-01-11T17:29:12Z

narrativian said: Optimism - where you find your strength, how you renew your hope for the future. Or you can talk about pessimism. But optimism's more fun :-)

Ooh, this is an interesting one!

( Ramblings... )

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December Talking #9 (Shush I know it's January let's just pretend...)

2014-01-03T22:56:45Z

usuallyhats said: If you were given the chance of creating a totally new TV show, and it couldn't be related to any existing one, what would it be like?

Ooh! These sorts of questions are so hard because they call for specificity when it's much easier to make a long list of all the possible things that I'd want to cram in!

Hmm... if I was doing it right now, I'd probably want it to be a space show, because I miss space shows, dammit! All the genre TV right now is urban fantasy or zombies or somesuch, and while that's awesome, space is just really cool. So yes, it would be a space show, but totally different from Star Trek because only Star Trek can be Star Trek.

Tonally I'd want it to have something of Star Trek's optimism though - maybe the future isn't perfect, but everyone tries their best. I'd also want it to have some of the weirdness of Farscape, the dramatic weight of BSG and the mundane ordinary-folk-in-space-ness of Red Dwarf or Futurama or Firefly or Space Precinct.

Obviously the next step is to add lots of ladies. So an ensemble show, with scope for lots of different roles and types of people. I was thinking of making it about a space shipping/delivery business but then I realised that basically is Futurama, so, hmm. But you know what, this is all just imagining right now, so I can fill in those details later. What matters is that there are a bunch of ladies of various ages, appearances and backgrounds hanging out in space together, having friendships and rivalries and professional disagreements and surprise parties and families and sex and book clubs. And it's funny but sometimes it's serious but never too serious and everybody gets an acceptable amount of character development. And then it gets seven seasons and a movie. (Yes, I know it's "six seasons and a movie" but I was raised on Star Trek and Buffy.)

(Ask me again tomorrow and I'll probably have five other totally different ideas.)

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Happy 2014!

2014-01-03T21:49:19Z

Good Things I Did in 2013:

* Spent lots of quality time with good friends
* Lots of writing
* Lots of reading
* Sold a short story, saw another one in print after selling it in late 2012
* Saw Bonnie Langford perform again
* Visited Rome for the first time
* Went to Vidukon, one of my favourite cons ever
* Attended not one but two folk festivals
* Went to Nine Worlds, one of my other favourite cons ever
* GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Seriously you guys it was wicked awesome)
* Pitched to two different literary agents
* Visited the delightful city of Bristol for the first time
* Saw Vienna Teng live
* Went to Bletchley Park
* Sang in my third big concert with my choir

Good Things I Plan/Hope to Do in 2014:

* Spend lots of quality time with good friends, both the ones happily nearby and the ones harder to reach
* Lots of writing
* Lots of reading
* Get a novel published - I've hoped for this at the beginning of every year since I can remember, and I haven't achieved it yet but every year it doesn't happen teaches me more about how I might eventually get there
* Get a new job - my job was ideal until it wasn't. Regardless of how convenient it is in some ways, I need something more interesting and challenging
* Visit Iceland and Japan - the first is coming up in a couple of weeks, the second's in April! We are very spoiled this year
* Attend Vidukon and Nine Worlds, and probably at least one folk festival
* See more live music - Taylor Swift and Dar Williams are already locked in, I'm looking out for more, and I'm also hoping to catch up on some musical theatre soon
* Generally have epic adventures

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Yuletide Happened!

2014-01-03T21:31:21Z

I'm pleased with how Yuletide went this year! I got the most awesome fic - it's Swallows and Amazons fic set during WWII, about Nancy and Dot, and Titty and Peggy, and it's wonderful and sweet and perfect. <3 I don't want to say any more for fear of spoiling it, but it's worth reading if you like wartime stories (and, ahem, lesbians) but don't know the canon well.

I wrote two stories, one M*A*S*H Hawkeye/Charles story and one Liveships/Rain Wilds story about Alise and Amber.

Hope everyone else had a good Yuletide!

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Dear Galentine's Day Author

2013-12-29T23:57:02Z

Hello awesome Galentine's Day person! Thank you in advance for writing something for me!

( Details aplenty inside! )

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December Talking #8

2013-12-23T21:34:13Z

carawj said: Talk about a book of your choice that I made you read. ;D

This is an interesting question, and to be fair over the years Cara has made me read some individual books, but she's more likely to make me read epic sagas spanning thousands of pages and dozens of books... ;)

One of these was the Robin Hobb series that starts with Assassin's Apprentice and is still going on some thirteen (?) books later. All of the books are massively thick and hugely complicated, with multiple slow-moving interweaving plots, various different forms of magic that can be performed by different people, court intrigue, gossip and scandal, long passages of introspection, and surprising revelations.

It took me a while to get into them - Fitz, the narrator for the first trilogy, is a really interesting character, but at first it was tricky to plough through his pages and pages of grumping around being miserable about how hard his life is. (It IS pretty hard, to be fair, poor Fitz. <3) The world-building and the awesome side characters got me through, and now I adore Fitz, although I still find myself rolling my eyes at him a bit.

What I really love about Robin Hobb is the depth and thoughtfulness of her characterisation. She's created some of my favourite female characters of all time, and some of my favourite male characters too - and I know a writer is good when they actually make me care about dudes. ;) Every Robin Hobb character has layers and layers that gradually peel away over the course of the books until you - and usually they - discover who they really are. Almost every character you hate when you first meet them, you end up loving them at the end because you understand so perfectly what brought them to where they are. Characters who start out afraid, weak, childish and annoying learn and suffer (often horribly) and endure to become brave, strong, mature and loveable. And their paths are never predictable - Robin Hobb sets up a situation and then flips everything sideways so nothing happens the way you expect.

Basically they're awesome!

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Frozen!!!!

2013-12-17T11:51:06Z

( Warning: unmitigated squee (and spoilers) )

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