The correlation of salvation and love

Kind of mired in the usual post-Vividcon sense of worthlessness and failure, watching the vids sink into the black holes like they usually do. I kinda thought this year I might have made a couple vids that more than a few people would like, but not so much. Though the auction vid was the one I worried over most at the beginning, because you always want that to be what the person who paid for it likes, and I was so lucky that killa loved the vid I made for her. And it's cool that some people were intrigued by the visuals and want to seek the movie out.

It was really, really hard to come home to the house without Olive here. She usually ran away from me as fast as she could, trying to avoid being squished and kissed, and get out of the house as I struggled with my luggage, and it made me pretty weepy to not have her here. But Blues was exceptionally lovey-dovey from being alone so long, and that was a bonus. He loves being visited when I'm gone, but no one's as big a deal as I am, apparently.

I did have a great time with the wonderful killabeez sightseeing in Chicago and staying at a super posh hotel, and meeting up with my darling devilpiglet for dinner and crying crystalline tears over Bucky and Steve. We took a river tour focused on architecture, and that so did not disappoint. We had awesome pancakes, too, at a place I can't remember the name of, and dinner at a swell place that seemed kind of like an old speakeasy or something. I really needed the mini-vacation and it helped keep my mind off Olive a bit.

There were a couple of really amazing things that happened while I was at the con, though, that made me feel better about the vid situation. The first was that I got a surprise notification that I was listed as a co-author for a podfic of one of my stories, that I kind of love but that has never had much readership at all, Opportunities in Freelance. It was only the second time I've ever had a podfuc of a work, and I squeed so hard I think I broke myself.

[podfic] Opportunities in Freelance (41 words) by gwyneth rhys, reena_jenkins

And then, a couple days later, I got a notice that reena had also podficced Your 21st-Century Boy. I am so thrilled that someone would want to do that, and if you are at all inclined toward podfic, give them a listen, they are both lots of fun and the cover art, especially for Opportunities in Freelance, is so delightful.

[podfic] Your 21st-Century Boy (47 words) by gwyneth rhys, reena_jenkins


And then the thing that knocked me over--a few weeks ago, auslandischwasser (thanks! fixed!) made a fanmix for the playlist that Steve listens to while running, which Sam made for him, in Things We Lost in the War. She had written to me about the story back when I posted it, and we'd got to talking about what Sam might have put on that playlist, and so Sweatin' with the Oldies was just such a joy to see. I highly recommend it, I think it really captures Steve and Bucky and Steve's mindset in the beginning of the story! (And it's both our headcanons that Sam would be a Rihanna fan.) I'd never really inspired anyone to do anything, so having a fanmix inspired by a fic was just such a thrill.

I never expected that she'd make a second one inspired by the same fic. But I got the email when I was at the con and feeling pretty down, and it just. Flail. Major Kermit arms flail. I listened to all of it on the plane, and I was in tears after I'd finished. It's really truly Things We Lost in the War in musical form. I can't figure out how to link with the cover art, but you can find my reblog of the Sing Me to Sleep fanmix here and there's a note about the track listing--one of the songs isn't available on the Spotify version. If you love Steve and Bucky, give it a listen because it's just gorgeous and perfect and wonderful and I can't believe something I did inspired something so lovely.

So yeah, those things definitely helped with the negative VVC ions. I'm even signed up now for Spotify and 8tracks.