elanya

Still trying to post here semi-regularly at least... let's see. Maybe some cuts this time as there is a lot to review!

Writing and exchanges
I got three very lovely works for Candyhearts this year!

The first is an absolutely GORGEOUS artwork for Fangs f Fortune. Just look at the lighting and the sky let alone the beautiful men :3
At Last, The Shoreline (0 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 大梦归离 | Fangs of Fortune (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Zhao Yuanzhou | Zhu Yan/Zhuo Yichen
Characters: Zhao Yuanzhou | Zhu Yan, Zhuo Yichen
Additional Tags: Doomed Lover's Bridge, Except they undoomify it for future generations, Illustrations, Post-Canon Fix-It
Summary:

Created for @ Measured_Words as part of the CandyHearts 2025 Exchange

Do not repost anywhere, and do not re-use/recreate. Sharing link is fine and welcome <3

--

Then two original works, one long and more character driven about a living weapon and the idealistic politician he gets assigned to protect, which has a lot about, hmm, systemic injustice and freedom and so on in it, and I really appreciated and enjoyed:
Live and Die by the Sword (8627 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Dehumanized Man Trained To Be A Human Weapon/Kind Man He Is Ordered to Protect
Characters: Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Power Dynamics, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Electrocution
Summary:

Glynn, a member of the minority party, is given a Weapon to help protect him against political assassinations. He soon comes to realize how naive he is about a lot of things.

--

And then a shorter but much steamier one about two regency gentlemen in a marriage of convenience, one more quiet and bookish, and the other a notorious rake, learning a little about each other and what they want on their wedding night:
A Convenient Arrangement (3284 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Characters: Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Wedding Night, First Time, Virginity, Marriage of Convenience, Regency Romance, Hand Jobs, Come Eating, Feelings Realization, Top/Bottom Dynamics, Open Relationships
Summary:

"There is no need to put yourself to any trouble," Tobias Hawksworth said, shortly after ushering his new husband into the manor's great hall and making initial gestures of welcome. "We both know that this is merely a convenient arrangement, after all."

"Certainly," replied Avery Sinclair, still awestruck by the ancient dwelling he now found himself inhabiting. Not merely inhabiting, but, as of a few days before, married to its master. Granted, Hawksworth Hall was well past its prime, relegated now to the younger son of the noble family, while his elder brother the earl's chosen abode was a new and exceedingly expensive mansion near the city, with all the modern amenities. Hawksworth Hall had begun life as a fortification, in the days when a lord needed to be wary of raiding brigands and invaders from the neighbouring county, and it showed in its isolation and austere, faded grandeur. "We need not bother one another too much, I presume."

"Only as much is necessary for public appearances and the like," his husband agreed, smiling. "I'm pleased we see eye to eye on this matter."

--

CSH is still in the anon period so I won't talk about what I WROTE for that one yet :3

I also signed up up for the Lunar New Year: wood Snake flash exchange through the EAD server, where I got a very cool travelogue type piece about a merchant travelling through a mountain community and the unique cultural practices of the region where they marry their snake god into the community every 7 years. I didn't give a ton of guidance for my request yet my author came up with something that was very much to my taste, with a lot of cool worldbuilding and character details:
The Weddings of the Orthi (2709 words) by ProwlingThunder
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character/Original Snake God
Characters: Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, snake gods, Snake Cultures, Mountain Cultures, Weddings, Debaunchery, Explorers, Worldbuilding, 1st POV, 1st person
Summary:

~Excerpt from the journal of Niratin Kore, explorer, of his journey to the continent beyond the world, once he returned to his homeland of Ossur, penned at the behest of His Majesty in the year 1407.

--

I also wrote two pieces for that one, my assignment piece for JJK, and a smutty treat for Diablotin after I convinced Nary to nom and request it ;) I think it you are into naga sex it probably reads well enough without any canon knowledge ;p I am also deeply amused that there were two JJK stories written for the exchange and BOTH of them (mine included) involve turning Toge into a snake ;)
New Year, New Me (1343 words) by Measured_Words
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Inumaki Toge/Okkotsu Yuuta
Characters: Inumaki Toge, Okkotsu Yuuta, Panda (Jujutsu Kaisen), Zenin Maki
Additional Tags: Snakes, Lunar New Year, Year of the Snake, Developing Relationship, Character has snake-like traits, Transformation, Alternate Universe
Summary:

Yuuta comes back from his travels abroad for the new year, but finds Toge a little out of sorts.

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Snex (Snake Sex) (1722 words) by Measured_Words
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Diablotin
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Justen Olivier/Xandhìl Órecalo/Sirris
Characters: Xandhìl Órecalo, Justen Olivier, Sirris (Diablotin)
Additional Tags: Shapeshifting, Naga, Double Penetration in One Hole, not that hole, Kissing, Sexy, Ritual Sex, Oral Sex, Hemipenes
Summary:

Xan and Justen agree to help Sirris with an experimental ritual to worship Serpent

--

I also wrote a PH for another exchange still in anon, but the recip for that one was really happy with it so yaay!

Otherwise, I'm still poking away at the next AWRR AU instalment, which will probably take me 10 million years :x

"Reading"
Since I last update on my audiobook consumption, I finished listening to the Odyssey, and listened to the only Georgette Heyer audiobook in my library system, a fun mystery called Footsteps in the Dark. I really enjoyed the narrator, Maureen O'Brien, but I didn't even see anything else she's narrated in the system, booo.

Nary also got me an audiobook I'd asked for (suggested by my friend Earis) called The Theatre of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today by Bryan Doerries. This was a theatre project started by the author to try and give people (soldiers mostly, but also people working the carceral system, and people offering end of life/palliative care) rare opportunities to share their experiences in an affirming and (hopefully) healing context, by relating to the content of the plays. basically, looking at the material as timeless and human, and in some case expressing things in way that people who have been through the depicted can connect with in ways that classicist studying the material may not be able to access. It was a really fascinating and powerful book, narrated by Adam Driver, who is one of the many actors involved in the actual productions. I'd recommend it also, if it seems like your jam but I might NOT recommend listening to it in public like I did. It was sometimes really emotionally fraught and challenging (but in a good way). It was interesting to listen to in the context off contemporary American politics, where we are seeing cuts to mental health services, as well as other health supports, for veterans. Especially considering how some of the material related to members already being feeling left out to dry by their superiors. Just a big oof.

I finished that, and luckily one of my library holds came in right away, this for a rec off Bluesky for books that have good audio versions. So now I am listening to World War Z by Max Brooks. I had read part of it on vacation before, where it was one of those book I pulled off a shelf somewhere but couldn't take with me, but had kind of always meant to pick back up, except how I'm real bad at reading (well, at making time to read). The audio production is very good, with a full cast of voices, but this is also a real interesting one to listen to in a modern, "post"-covid world, watching Americans fight to have to maintain their democracy.

I did sign up for another audible thing at half price for three months, since it will let me keep my credit purchases afterwards, and another friend let me know that there are some free things on there that I can listen to also. Unless I come across something else or another hold comes in, those will probably be next!

Still looking for recs - my library selection is a bit anemic, but I do have a few audible credits to play with as well.

Other life stuff
In other news, hmmm... my work place is polling station for early voting in the provincial election, and I'm pleased to see the turn out there! I will be voting on the day, as the early voting station is well out of my way, but the regular one is right where my bus gets off on my usual route home, and also like a block and a half away from my house, so that just makes more sense. Somehow, my roommate, who came home on Thursday and then left on Sunday to go visit an out of town partner, didn't realize that there was an election? even though we have a lawn sign? IDK. They are away and will be down in the US for their follow up surgery appointment on the actual election date, but fortunately our local NDP is very committed to helping people figure out how they can vote and has let them know how/where they can do it when they are here for a few days next week, in between trips. Fortunately, our riding (and most of our city) is pretty solidly NDP. Unfortunately we are looking at probably another conservative win overall :/ The only good thing about *that*, which a more politically attuned friend pointed out, is that typically we don't usually see the same party in power federally as is in power in Ontario. So I guess we'll see. I think it is unlikely that anyone will win a federal majority at least, and that is probably for the best?

What other life stuff.... I finished another puzzle, of Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night" - the cobblestone area was The Worst. But I did it! My youngest nephew did the border and left the rest of it to lure me. He likes to help a little but I think he also likes to see me finish them ;p I enjoy puzzles but I tend to hyperfixate on them once I'm sat there and make Bad Decisions about things like food and sleep and social commitments. They are very satisfying to my brain though.

Work is work, the same as ever, though I did talk to a friend yesterday about some of my frustrations, about how a lot of things feel like being set up to fail or having no support, but also how there is no real avenue for change, either, so it hardly seems worth bringing it up to my boss. But there aren't really a lot of other jobs like mine out there, and certainly not locally, and I'm not in a position where I could, or would want to move.

Dogs are good! Hades like having me home more, and I'm trying to make sure that he gets quality time with me, playing of doing training and such. He's such a sweet boy, I wish I was better able to help him with his reactivity, but it is challenging, living where we do in a neighbourhood with so many other dogs, and not having a car or anything to take him somewhere else. But I think we are doing okay, we have ways to help him some when we have strangers in the house - our house is old and very compartmentalized, so it is easy to give him space. Not the best, but better than nothing.

I think that's just about everything that's news with me? Or that I can think of, anyway...