Book Reviews

Challenge #5

In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.

Be sure to check out other people's wishlists. Maybe someone will grant your wish! Maybe you will be inspired to grant a wish! If any wishes are granted, we'd love it if you link them to this post.


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.

Links to my works for the first two.
fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/11790/

Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fardell24/works

1. Fan art or Podfic of my works.

2. Reviews or comments for my works that have no reviews or comments. (But the art scammers have muddied the waters in being able to check if a fic on fanfiction.net has reviews or not at a glance, so even if a fic appears to have reviews, it may not.)

3. Feedback for the WIPs in my Dreamwidth or Tumblr (given that I'm hardly getting any feedback on the various forums I'm posting them to.)

4. Recs for new fandoms that are either slice of life (dnw soap operas), Space Opera, or LOTR style fantasy.

5. Recs for forums where WIP fics can be critiqued.

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.

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.

Alternate History and Althistory
Two Alternate History forums. The former has other aspects to it, including a fandom subforum, but writing and discussion of alternate history is the focus. I have been involved with the communities related to alternate history about as long as I have been writing fan fiction.

Challenge 3
Today’s challenge is a chance to express your love to fandom, and what better way than a love letter? If you feel really creative, the letter doesn’t have to come from you. You could write as your favourite character, someone completely fictitious or your past or future self - or just as you in this moment.

Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

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 if you wish.

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.


Fandom: More than just expressing oneself creatively by engaging in one's interests. It is a community or group of communities. This allows for support and interactions over those interests. This varies from fandom to fandom, but this is the core of what the experience should be.

Scarlett Investigates
Scarlett O’Connell hadn’t expected to be investigating a sabotaged play. She just wanted to learn to improve her art while investigating minor campus mysteries. She had made some backdrop pieces for the campus production of The Tempest and had arrived at the college’s theater to find something wrong. The stage was a mess. She saw that the curtain had fallen completely. “Something’s not right here,” she said as she fidgeted with her tablet.

“It’s a curse,” someone said nearby,

Scarlett turned, and saw that it was Daniel Fields, a theater student on her floor. “What do you mean?” she asked, as she fidgeted with a keyring in her pocket.

“Minor incidents have been occurring all week.”

“All week?”

“Yes, mostly broken props, but now the curtain has fallen,” Daniel answered.

“Sounds like sabotage,” Scarlett said as she sketched the scene.

“What do you mean?”

“That these incidents aren’t just the normal chaos of theater.”

“How can you be sure?” Daniel asked with skepticism.

“I’m not certain,” Scarlett admitted. She was certain, something about the curtain having fallen and Daniel admission of minor incidents, piqued her interest and she knew she wanted to find out what was going on. “I’m going to investigate,” she declared.


“Wait, Scarlett,” Daneil said as she ran off. “You can’t just…” He paused as she dashed through a door backstage.


Backstage, Scarlett wondered where to start. “I’ll need to know who’s involved in the production. But who would have the cast sheet, and would it be comprehensive?” she asked as she absentmindedly sketched the scene around her.

“You there!”

Scarlett turned. “Um, I’m investigating,” she said to the girl who was coming towards her.

“You shouldn’t be here!”

“I know, but I can help!”

“How?” the other girl asked, as she tossed her long brown hair back like a supermodel.

“I notice things that others don’t. I’m Scarlett by the way.” Scarlett then held out her hand.

“You don’t know who I am, Scarlett?” the other asked in faux surprise.

“Should I?” Scarlett asked with a slight bounce, her eyes wide.

“I’m the lead actress of this production, playing Ariel.”

“Still no clue.”

“I’m Victoria Calder! I can’t believe you don’t know who I am.

“Oh, that Victoria Calder!” Scarlett said. She had indeed heard of the theater major who was known for her diva attitude and epic tantrums when her demands weren’t met in a timely manner. “Sorry, I hadn’t put face to name.”

“Unbelievable!” Victoria said with a huff. “Still, Scarlett.”

Scarlett’s attention had wandered.

Victoria snapped her fingers. “Hey!”

“Sorry. ADHD,” Scarlett said.

“Right. You shouldn’t be here.”

“You said that before. But I can notice things others miss.”

“You seem sincere,” Victoria said. “But only if I supervise you.”

“No.”

“What was that?” Victoria responded, tears coming to her eyes.

“I said no,” Scarlett said, not wanting Victoria to be a possible millstone.

“I can help!” Victoria added with her voice raised and actual tears beginning to flow.

“No!”

“Victoria balled her hands into fists and started to screech.”

Scarlett resisted the urge to block her ears . It was too much. ‘Not an overload, not now!’ she thought. “Alright,” she said. “You can help.”

Victoria calmed down and wiped her tears with a handkerchief embroidered with her initials. “Thanks,” she said.

Scarlett was still little overwhelmed. “What have you noticed so far?” she asked as she fidgeted with her sketchbook.

“Some things,” Victoria answered. “We can talk in my dressing room.”

“That would be good.”


Victoria’s dressing room was chaotic, but it was quieter than the backstage complex outside. Scarlett relaxed a bit, although she was still overstimulated.

She sat on one of the side chairs. “Now, what do you know?”

Victoria began. “It was during the initial read through. There was a loud crash that interrupted us as we reached the scene where Caliban recruits the two sailors.”

Scarlett sketched the scene, showing Caliban as bestial. “Maybe someone is objecting to the way Caliban is portrayed,” she blurted.

“No differently than the way the Bard originally wrote it. Just’s not jump to conclusions!”

“Sorry. I was musing aloud. Something I do. I don’t have much of a filter,” Scarlett admitted as she tapped her stylus against her tablet.

“Must you do that?”

“Do what?”

“The fidgeting,” Victoria exclaimed.

“Sorry. It helps me focus.”

Snowflake 2026
Challenge #1

The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

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.

*I know some people do Snowflake differently, and aren't looking for engagement (and that's totally valid), so reacquainting yourself and stating your intentions with your pre-established circle works for this challenge too. ❤️

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.


Participating in the Snowflake Challenge allows me to start off in the new year in a way that would give me opportunities to interact with various other fans.

2021: https://fardell34.blogspot.com/2021/12/church-notes-in-2021.html

2022: https://fardell34.blogspot.com/2022/12/church-notes-2022.html

2023: https://twitter.com/fardell24/status/1741335515847381307

2024: https://x.com/fardell24/status/1873231036752318711

2025: https://fardell34.blogspot.com/2025/12/church-notes-2025-overall.html