#rocinanteweekend

[jamesholden]

#RocinanteWeekend || Day One: Favorite Fanworks

Yeah, I’m recycling my gifs from the character appreciation weeks WANNA FIGHT ABOUT IT? THEY’RE ALL EXCELLENT. @elevenjaneives, @cachekakusu, @nourgelitnius, @the-roci, and @whenimaunicorn have always inspired me and pushed me in my own fanworks with their incredible gifs, fics, edits, mixes, and not to mention long ass discussions with me about everything from comparing meta to what color tint I should use on a gif. You guys worked tirelessly for as long as I’ve known you or as long as you’ve been in the fandom and I really couldn’t imagine this place without your works and your voices. 

And of course included in this group should be @silver-89, @camiillustrates, @e-ripley, @flaminglambo, @yemme, and @ladyrhaenys for bringing us some of our favorite and most beautiful and adorable artworks and gifsets. There are so many incredible people who work hard to make content for The Expanse to spread the word and share appreciation and it’s just so amazing. Being a creator in fandom is often a thankless and sometimes frustrating and disappointing job, but you all handle it all with such grace and persistence. You just rock. Please don’t ever stop creating for whatever you love!

[the-roci]

I’m on enough NyQuil to kill a grown moose, but I can’t drift off into a stupor without giving a shout out to some of my favorite creators! 

So, here it is, #RocinanteWeekend:  Friday, December 1st –  Fanworks Friday

@nourgelitnius  - I can read your writing ALL damn day. Fiction, meta, eating  dinner in the rain, you’ve got such a way with words. And I’m here for all of it, especially for creating ways diseases can mutate to create zombie strains. 

@whenimaunicorn - You literally hold such a special place in my little fandom heart. The OG of fiction, getting me involved in ships in a way no one else quite has. 

@rociposse - From your sets to helping inspire me when I don’t have it in me to create, this fandom wouldn’t be the same without your presence! 

So many more creators to shout out, too. @rosefinnrey, @e-ripley- you both make incredibly beautiful gifs. @camiillustrates and @fluorescentwolf - your art is amazing and it always makes me so happy to see if pop up on my feed. @elevenjaneives @harveybirdman @diver5ion quality folks with quality gifs. Of course, @silver-89 with your damn fics that cna make me feel things and lose my shit in the tags. @the-rocinante some of the best writing in the fandom, hands down. 

It may be a small fandom, but the people, creations, and words are such, such quality. 

[nourgelitnius]

#Rocinanteweekend

It’s getting late, but I wanted to get this out before I forgot. I wanted to list some of my favorite Expanse fan-created content and creators. 

Art

First off is @officialamosburton for THIS wonderful piece of art that she was so kind as to make off a prompt I gave her. Every time I see it my breath gets stolen from my lungs. It perfectly conveys the symbolism from the books.

Second is @thevulturesquadron , who created THIS beautiful piece that breaks my heart. It’s the exact moment I stopped trying to hold back my tears when the episode aired. When I gave in to the beauty of these two characters and the grief they’d caused me. 

Fanfiction

There isn’t much fanfiction in the land of The Expanse, but @whenimaunicorn has me constantly on the edge of my seat, waiting for Bobbie and Alex to glance at each other. To talk and to touch. Her stories One Night On Mars and A Stable Orbit leave me wanting more on each reread. And her smut A Warm Place not only introduced me to a wonderful Nine Inch Nails song and some quality smut, it explored Amos and Peaches and her path to believing she has a second chance at life to make things right. 

@rociposse  ‘s story Mamihlapinatapai so perfectly conveys that awkward in-between of people waiting. Waiting to know whether to take a step forward or a step back. To keep their distance or to touch the one who holds their heart. And all within the confines of a small moment in time, surrounded by friends and loved ones. 

And of course @jaqofspades  ‘s Kowloon Feint. It was so much more than I could have hoped for.

Gifs

Listen, this fandom wouldn’t be anywhere without the giffers. As someone who makes them, I know just how hard it can be and I am constantly amazed by everyone who manages to crank them out and do so beautifully. You have my admiration and respect.

In no particular order (basically as I go through my tag and see who made them)

@the-roci @rociposse @roccinante @roslin @elevenjaneives @rememberthecant @yemme @cachekakusu @diver5ion @jaylahz @harveybirdman @bobbie-draper @rosefinnrey  

I know there are many more of you, but I can only spend so long going back through my tag and finding those who have giffed.

Thank you for all you do, keeping this fandom alive in snippets and moments, in highlights and correlations. 

[syllic-wyrd]

Friday, December 1st –  Fanworks Friday: Let your favorite creators know how much you appreciate them by reblogging one of their pieces or writing up a post about their works overall so the rest of us can follow and enjoy their art!

@e-ripley, @collsssss, @the-roci, @the-rocinante, @rociposse, @whenimaunicorn and there’s so many, many more that I am missing. I’m only on my first cup of coffee, so my brain is still winding up for the day.

There’s so many amazing gif creators, artists, and photoset creators that really know how to piece things together and create visually stunning things. They also put together fanweeks to celebrate characters and watch weeks that gear up for new seasons, things that let us interact with each other. They also do amazing meta analysis and discussions, never backing away from touchy things while at the same time keeping everything civil.

I look forward to seeing everyone’s discussions and creations with the new season and book! I’m sorry I missed tagging more people because there’re plenty more that deserve to be a part of this post.

Set up by @orbit-publishing

[thevulturesquadron]

#RocinanteWeekend:   Friday, December 1st –  Fanworks Friday

Big shout-out to @nourgelitnius who’s not only an AMAZING writer but also such a lovely person. I am so grateful I found her when I joined the fandom because back then I knew no one who had seen the show or read the books. 

We’ve spends so much time talking about the characters, different AUs, meta on what’s in store for the the story, and so on. And in all honesty I owe her a lot. I’m horrible when it comes to being productive but everything that I created for this fandom is because she’s a real motivator and because I had on repeat her perfect playlists:  Homeostasis is actually how I met her, and to this day I can’t have enough of listening to those songs.  

I am so happy to have met you through the fandom, and each time I get a sneak peek at your AU stories I feel like I am about to implode with happiness at how well you write these characters.

Kisses!  ❤

[the-roci]

#Rocinanteweekend

1. What was your favorite book? I know I’m in the minority with this one, but Cibola Burn takes the win. The world building is amazing, and for the first time, I really felt the scope of the world. Out of all the books, it also felt the most sci-fi? A new planet and alien lifeforms that seem plausible and realistic, plus whole new terrain to explore…yes please! I also really liked Naomi and Alex teaming up, it was a refreshing change. The only thing missing was their POVs, which are incredibly lacking, and important. For that reason, I almost went with Nemesis Games, which is a very close second. And man, now that I think about it, it may be my favorite. Mainly because of Naomi and Alex’s bits, but it’s too late to go back. 

2. Least favorite?

Babylon’s Ashes. Lemme tell you, getting though Babylon’s Ashes was a struggle. To the point that I almost jumped ship. Makes me pretty skeptical for Persepolis Rising, especially with the things I’ve read/heard about it, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.

3. Are your favorite characters from the show the same as the books?

For the most part. Naomi, Alex, Avasarala, and Amos. The show upped Drummer to a major degree, and also Fred Johnson. I also love love love love love Tilly, but I’m guessing she won’t be included in the show, which hurts my black little heart.

4. Are there any other SF books you’d recommend to your fellow Expanse fans?

Generally, I really like weird books – like, really weird books. And while I don’t like comedy, a lot of these books have a comic element, so maybe I do like comedy? Anyway - hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy remains my favorite series. This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong comes to mind second. And okay, technically this is the sequel to John Dies at the End, but it can be read as a stand along (at least, I think so?), and it’s so much more bizarre and mind-bendy than the first.  Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany is also good mind trip, even though the writing isn’t my favorite. I can honestly go on, so if you want to talk about weird books – or even better, recommend one, hit me up!

[jamesholden]

#RocinanteWeekend || Day Two: Roci Family Reunion

Yeh Boi I’m the Captain! This sucks! Time to pick my crew I GUESS because I ain’t running this dang ship by myself!

My XO/#2: This is a toughie. I would HAVE to say @whenimaunicorn. My girl. My ROCK. My viking queen. She’s been really supportive of me and really gives me good advice and help even when she’s struggling. Get ready to do half my work too.

My Pilot: You think this isn’t going to go to @nourgelitnius? WRONG. She knows the ins and outs of how Alex flies the ship better than anyone,so of COURSE she’s my first pic to fly! Creative, tough, reliable, incredibly wonderful... all great qualities I need in a pilot.

My Engineer Help Person: Yeah I definitely spilled coffee everywhere, ’m a mess. But I’d call @the-roci first because she’s always been ready to give me input in my gifmaking and edits so if I need help fixing something when I’d break it, she’s my go-to.

But really I’d need a bigger crew. Too many good people out there in need of an idealistic but scatterbrained leader.

[nourgelitnius]

#Rocinanteweekend

1. What was your favorite book? That would have to be Nemesis Games. There is so much about the books to love. The first being the rest of the Roci crew finally have their POV chapters. Second being the family feels. Third being McGuyver Naomi. Fourth being missile surfing. Fifth being the Razorback. And sixth being the Rock. Honestly, the list can go on and on and on, but it’s better for people to just (re)read the book. The whole book is gold.

2. Least favorite?

Babylon’s Ashes. That may change should I ever decide to read Persepolis Rising. Based on what we know about the next book, unless someone I completely trust, especially about how they view Babylon’s Ashes, comes to me raving about it, I most likely won’t, so, for now, it’s Babylon’s Ashes. Not going to get into my reasons for this, but if you wanna know why, let me know.

3. Are your favorite characters from the show the same as the books? Basically. I mean, I fell in love with Miller and Julie in the books, and the show kept that love going. Then I fell in love with Bobby and Chrisjen, though I fell in love with Chrisjen through the books, not through the show, even though I adore Shohreh. And then I slowly fell in love with Alex, and tripped into loving my murder puppy Melba. I already know I love Cas’ Alex, and I cannot wait to see Nadine’s Melba. 

4. Are there any other SF books you’d recommend to your fellow Expanse fans?

The Expanse series has been my first foray into sci-fi books, though I have been a fan of the movie/tv genre for a long time. I’ve tried to read books recommended by others, but often find they are too buried in the sci-fi genre. Part of what I like about the Expanse series is that sci-fi is the setting, it’s not the story. Sure, we have aliens, but they aren’t there for sci-fi purposes, they are there to shake up humanity and open a future. To make everyone question and react. 

I like sci-fi that is about humans. If you know some books like that, feel free to share them with me and I will check them out.