SNOWFLAKE CHALLENGE #4: ME ME ME

[queenslayerbee]

 

IceBreaker Challenge! Tell us about yourself. 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.

I'm gonna cheat just a little bit, because really, I find talking about myself extremely difficult. But! Lucky for me, I already had to do such titanic effort when I had to introduce myself on January 1st for my brand new author's newsletter (#selfpromo). So I'm just going to borrow from that section. If you want to read the rest (writing updates, an excerpt from an upcoming story, recommendations), you'll have to click the link :P

I was born in 1996 in Spain, where I’ve lived for the past 27 years, moving back and forth between my city and my hometown for my various temp jobs (paralegal in the city, farm work in the country, and camp counselor during some summers).

This 2023, after some really bumpy years, I finished my law & politics degree, and my long-term plan is to… keep studying (and working), this time with the goal of attaining a particular position as a public servant that will both give me a comfortable salary & means, and require me to travel a lot outside the country like I’ve always wanted. It’s not an easy position to attain (or an easy job to do once you attain it), and I anticipate it’ll take me a couple more years to get there, but right now it feels worth the extra effort, both for what it entails and for its perks.

For the first time in I don’t even know how long it feels like my life might finally be somewhat on track *knocks on wood*, and I think that’s going to mean good things for my more artistic side. I don’t think writing for a living is something I would want to do even if I could do it, but writing is certainly what I love doing most in the world, and I’m happy to say I’m moving forward with that too.

What do I write? Mainly fantasy, and speculative fiction in many forms; always directed at adult audiences, and always, always centered around women. The tone and specific subgenre varies, but it’s true I tend to work on the grim, melancholic side of things. If any of that sounds up your alley, you’ll find it here.

And just to tell you a few other things about myself… I do some amateur photography; I’m weirdly fascinated by owls; I want to re-learn how to play guitar; I love everything purple/lilac/maroon/etc.; I just started learning Arabic; and I am currently deep in the clutches of Detective Comics Comics.

As for an ice breaker... ask me a top 5 [insert anything here] in the comments, and I'll reply!

Comments

[alexcat]

My best friend is working in Spain this year. I hope to visit in September.

My husband was an Arabic linguist in the military many years ago

[queenslayerbee]

Nice! I hope you enjoy the visit. Depending on the city, I might be able to recommend some places.

[mekare]

Mmmh Top 5 Spanish musicians/bands/singers/entertainers? I‘m always interested in music from other countries!

[queenslayerbee]

In alphabetical order (I'm terrible at picking favourites):

-Amaral. Indie/folk/pop rock band from the 90s, still playing. A Must in Spanish music. "Hacia lo Salvaje" is one of their less known songs, but probably my favourite.

-Amistades Peligrosas. Pop/fusion duo active from the 90s till this day. I only really started listening to them this past year (mostly their oldest albums, with the original duet. It's changed around, although now they're reunited). I'm a big fan of blasphemus songs so ofc I love "Adán y Eva" and "A mala idea" (about Cain).

-Bewis de la Rosa. Another discovery of this past year. She's this young artist that sings what she's called "rural rap". Quite unique, really good, with weird & interesting videos all around. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I love her songs, especially "Dolor Pa Florecer"

-Mägo de Oz. Folk metal/goth band. Another Spanish Must, especially "Fiesta Pagana" (a classic), although I have a soft spot for "La Dama del Mar".

-Montserrat Caballé. Probably our most famous opera singer. I get opera isn't for everyone lol, but for something a bit more accessible, she has a few songs with Freddie Mercury! "Barcelona" is their most famous, but my favourite is "Ensueño".

[phantasmalpoison]

Music recs for music in other languages are always so useful, it can be hard to know where to start, so I really appreciated this. Some fun and varied choices.

Bewis de la Rosa seems just my thing, and I enjoyed listening to her album. I think Me Estoy Oxidando and Mal Agüero were my favourite, and I'm just seeing now they're together in one music video. Both fantastic, anyway.

Also, Hacia lo Salvaje is anthemic, great song choice.

Congrats on finishing your degree!

[queenslayerbee]

I'm glad you enjoyed them! I discovered Bewis in a short-film festival I went to last summer; she presented the Me Estoy Oxidando/Mal Aguero video there, as well as Dolor Pa Florecer (just with sound). Those are my three favourite songs of hers.

Amaral is simply too iconic. As I said Hacia lo Salvaje isn't as well-known, but practically anything else they've written is known to everyone by heart.

Thank you!

[lumiosecity]

It’s really cool that you’ve finished your degree; I wish you the best in pursuing your goals!

As a fellow captive of Detective Comics Comics, I’ve got to ask— top five characters? I know Jason has to be up there, but I’m curious about the rest.

My top five, in no particular order, are Joey Wilson, Raven, Roy Harper, Stephanie Brown, and Tara Markov :]

[queenslayerbee]

Thank you!

Well Jason Todd is my #1, no surprises there xD. After that, things get muddier, and often I'm swayed by the comic arcs I happen to be enjoying at a given moment (although ofc there are likely candidates, and those that would neverrrr make the cut lol). Right now I'd say... Kara Zor El, Dick Grayson, Talia al Ghul, and Donna Troy.

I do like all those you've listed, btw! Especially Stephanie. I need to read more old (Teen) Titans stuff...

[lumiosecity]

You have really good taste— especially on Donna and Talia, I love them to bits!!

[queenslayerbee]

Donna's one of those dc characters whose story is irritatingly convoluted and I'm barely beginning to unravel it lol, but she's great and the mystery is part of the appeal. And Talia has gone through some of the worst writing known to dc fans asñdlfja, but when things are good... omfg. She's so tragic and complex *-*

Another few favourites, Just Because: Barbara (strictly new earth, but tbh I'm just a new earth gal, generally speaking), Cass, Steph (yeah, I lean bat 😔. but I'm trying to diversify!!), Selina Kyle (especially Gotham's version), Diana, or Zatanna.

[lumiosecity]

Oooh, great taste all around. I haven’t read many bat comics other than some of the big self-contained stuff (The Long Halloween, the Demon trilogy, Year One); I’m mostly a Titans kinda person. I’m trying to get into more bats, though! I’ve been meaning to read Jason’s time as Robin up to ADITF, but it’s gotta wait until I tackle my physical reading list.

Some more of my own faves, just because: Koriand’r, Kole Weathers (she’s so tragic!! so much potential!!), Slade Wilson, Grant Wilson, Adeline Kane. (I’m waiting until I read the ‘92 Deathstroke run to form a proper opinion on Rose, since I know she’s wildly different in every single adaptation and I want to dig into the source, but I like her too!)

[queenslayerbee]

Rn I'm reading Titans (1999); it's a somewhat different team (although it includes most of the classics: Dick, Koriand'r -who I love too-, Roy, Donna, Wally, Garth, and Victor, it also features a few others, including Grant!), but I'm really enjoying it. My plan is to read the first 20 issues for now; they're written by Devin Grayson, who is definitely infamous but from what little I've read so far, a really interesting writer (I haven't read her most controversial stuff yet, but I intent to. I like to form my own opinions lol).

Oh, I love Jason's original Robin tenure. I think it's something one should read to avoid falling for the blatant slander and misinformation written after his death lmao. Beware, there are a few storylines from pre-crisis that later were considered part of new earth canon, and therefore canon for post-crisis Jason. Because DC is Like That. I can give you the reading order if you want, if you do end up deciding to read it? I've certainly given a lot of thought at how they'd fit in the timeline so that it makes some sense lmao.

I know the characters after Koriand'r less (although Slade is a love-to-hate type for me xD). I want to read more Rose in particular, since she gets shipped with Jason here and there and I'm low-key curious.

[lightbird]

Congratulations on finishing your degree!

I've visited Spain a couple of times and I love it. What a beautiful country! And the food is delicious.🙂

[queenslayerbee]

Thank you! And yeah, I'm biased, but I personally think our cuisine is the best one in the world xDD. Olive oil... *insert heart eyes emoji*

[tjs_whatnot]

Yay for finally feeling like you're getting your life in order. I'm right there with you--unfortunately I'm in my 50s so... ;)

I love melancholy, speculative fiction centered on women and would love to read more. Sadly, I don't think the link transferred over in the cut/paste. :(

And finally, here's a Top 5 for you since I too want to travel:

Top 5 Places an Out of Towner Should Visit in Your Town/Country:

[queenslayerbee]

I think one probably never feels like their life is fully on track, fwiw ^^U. But since it's been an uphill climb the last few years, I welcome something clearer lol.

Huh, weird. It works for me, but I'll c&p it here just in case: https://queenslayerbee.substack.com/p/new-year-newsletter

1. I really recommend the north coast, especially if you travel in the summer. Softer summers xD. And it's truly, truly gorgeous. I loved Asturias, in particular. If you like mountain parages, los Picos de Europa are a beautiful place. If you go in August you get to see the start of a piraguism competition lol. And in autumn, although it can get freakilishly cold, the views get unreal and stunning practically anywhere in País Vasco. I love a good beech so I try to visit those.

2. Mérida. Aptly named "Little Rome". There are remains from Ancient Roman Empire times and they're more than worth the visit. It's also a small, tranquil city.

3. The exact opposite in that sense is Madrid, the capital. You WILL leave with a headache lmao. But you can do practically everything there! Museums (with free days and great offers), theatre, historical buildings, practically every social or physical activity you can think of...

4. Granada. Honestly I don't remember anything in that city (I visited it last as a child) EXCEPT the Alhambra. But that's enough reason to go. It's a group of castles and gardens from the time of muslim rule in the area and it's one of the places one MUST visit if they have the chance.

5. There are so many gorgeous cities and natural parages... Toledo, Cuenca, Cádiz, Barcelona... I'm gonna recommend the Canary Islands if you think you'll like a semi-tropical climate because I did love the last time I visited. It was February, NOT tourist season, perfectly warm and comfortable without being too hot, so peaceful... I know it must be horrid in the summer, but in February it was perfect xD. It also goes all out in Carnival, which depending on your taste, can either be reason to go then, or to avoid it lol.

[majorr]

That feeling of having your life going right is priceless, and I'm glad you're in that space. :) (Also, owls are getting shout-outs today. My mom just compared me to one earlier. Yay owls! Although, I think I'm probably more like those penguins that go sliding over the ice on their bellies when they fall behind their waddling penguin buddies. hahaha)

Top Five TVD moments! Could be a mix of anything: scenes, episodes, character introductions, lines, plots, villains. Anything that made it one of your favorite shows.

[queenslayerbee]

I've always felt a weird sense of ~kinship with owls lol. No idea why, but it's there.

Hmm... choosing just five moments/things from my favourite show is difficult and ngl, part of me just wants to pick 5 Caroline moments (she's my favourite character, period. In and outside TVD xD), but I'll try to diversify!! Somewhat.

-Caroline x vampirism in general. Her transition was really good, as was any moment where she was shown appreciating it (for the power it afford her, the relative safety, etc.).

-Bonnie deciding to live in 6x13.

-Caroline and Elena's conflict during the sirebond. More for the subtext than what was presented, but I could talk for days about my issues with the show on this front, so.

-Klaus' speech about humanity to Rebekah during prom night.

-Okay I can't resist just inserting Caroline's switch off arc here. I think it's perfect, especially all the emotion pertaining Caroline-Liz.

[majorr]

A+ list. Especially your last pick. Do my eyes water every time I watch that Liz arc and all the fallout? Why, yes, yes they do. Just so good.

[queenslayerbee]

Season 6 is my favourite one, and it's mostly because of Caroline's (and Caroline&Liz's) arc. I remember than when I watched 6x14 for the first time I had to go hug my mother xD

[tsuki_no_bara]

my mom and i went to spain fourteen years ago (!!) - barcelona, granada, and seville - it was such a fabulous trip. the alhambra was amazing altho the most beautiful building we saw might be the palau de la musica catalana. i mean, holy cow. we also had some yummy paella. there's still a bunch of places i want to go - it's such a big country! and we were only in madrid long enough to take public transportation to the airport - especially santiago de compostela and the end of the camino.

[queenslayerbee]

The Palau is BEAUTIFUL. I got to visit it for the second time this year.

And yes, for a relatively small country (in comparison to others, at least), it doesn't feel like that when you start listing the places you should visit in it smh. I still haven't been to Santiago, for example.

[svgurl]

That's great about your life feeling like it is on track. Good luck on your journey to becoming a public servant! I hope you get there soon.

Top 5 places you would like to travel to?

[queenslayerbee]

Thank you!

I went with countries I reallyreallyreally want to visit, because if I got more specific and went with cities, we'd be here all day lol. In no particular order:

-Egypt.
-Turkey.
-Japan.
-Russia.
-Brazil.

I also want to return to Rome and visit the other Italian cities I didn't get to see: Venice, Florence, Milán...

Hi, here from Snowflake.

[pronker]

Owls are the best! Burrowing owls are common in my neck of the woods and it's grand to see them pop under when you approach.

I've top 5 to ask because I'd enjoy a visit to Portugal, home of my forebears, and then I'd scoot right over to Spain where I'd visit a friend in Zaragoza, sooooo ... top 5 places to visit in Portugal?

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[queenslayerbee]

Ahhh I love burrowing owls. They always look like they're judging your choices xD

Unfortunately I haven't gotten the change to really see Portugal, despite it being so close :/. I've only been to Oporto, years and years ago; I did enjoy my visit, espeically the cultural and historical buildings, so I'd recommend it.

Other people I know have recommended Cascais, in the south, Sintra, the Benagil cave tour (if that's your thing), and of course, Lisboa, and the pics they've shown me of their travels make those places look absolutely beautiful. They're all on my list of places to visit, if I have the chance!

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[pronker]

I appreciate the recs re Portugal and I'm cave-philic! I'd enjoy any caving. One of these days ... :)

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[queenslayerbee]

I'm glad I could be of help!

[miss_grimwood]

Glad to hear things are going well for you lately! I’m about to start a speculative fiction module, so top 5 works of speculative fiction?

[queenslayerbee]

Thank you!

That list is very broad lol; "works" includes books, films, etc., and speculative fiction is basically anything that departs from realism. With that in mind, right now I'd say, in no particular order:

-"Monstress" by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. The world in that comic has me absolutely captivated.

-The Essence of the Equinox series by Camilla Andrew. I met this indie author in tumblr, and fell in love with her fantasy world, quite different from what you usually get in temporary fantasy, her flowery prose, and her way of writing horror with it. She has a novel and a shorter novelette/prequel published, as well as a couple short stories in magazines, and is going to publish another novel (2nd in a trilogy) at the end of this year. You can find her stuff here; IIRC there was an offer to get the first book's ebook really cheap rn -and she often runs those.

-Frankenstein by Mary Wollstoncraft Shelley. Probably my favourite book, when it comes down to it.

-Pan's Labyrinth. That film is very important to me.

-The Vampire Diaries, for how much that show influenced my teenage years and turned me into the cynical woman I am today xD

[sushiflop]

Boy can I relate to this; I too just finished my Big Kid Degree recently (this past spring) a bit later than many others in my cohort, and am looking forward to settling into a job with a more stable salary and more stable... lifestyle in general.

I've never been to Europe but I would really love to travel to Spain at some point. What are your top 5 places in Spain actually? 😂

Also what kind of farm work do you do? That sounds so lovely but I know it must be backbreaking hard work too!

[queenslayerbee]

The job I want comes with a lot of travel and thus certain built-in instability lol, but just the kind I'd like. It'd also come with a fixed position and a steady income, which ARE the kind of stability I need :P

In no particular order:

-Madrid. It can be a mess of a city (too big, too populated), but whatever you might want to do, 99% chances you'll find it there. There are countless museums with free offers, places practise any sports activity, escape rooms, great food... next time I'm there I'm planing to go to the Ice Palace to ice skate and to eat in my favourite Chinese restaurant.

-Los Picos de Europa. Mountain range in Asturias. That area has beautiful views all around, but those were my favourites.

-La Alhambra in Granada. Beautiful palaces and gardens from the times of muslim rule.

-If you like art nouveau, DO go to Barcelona and visit Gaudí's buildings, even if it's just from the outside (they are tourist traps, so the queues can go for a while lol; plus most of them, you'd need to pay to enter). My favourites were the Palau de la Música and Sant Pau (formerly a hospital, now a museum).

-I tend to prefer the beaches up north, where it doesn't get as hot in the summer, but I really liked Peñíscola (east) and Cádiz (south). I mean, more for the areas and the historical buildings than for the beaches, I'm not a beach girl xD, but still.

[sushiflop]

Predictable, built-in instability with a steady income... sounds pretty great tbh! I have lived and worked abroad and would love to do so again eventually, so we'll see how that goes in my new field I guess...

Thank you for your answer! I'm an outdoorsy type and like beaches and hiking but also beautiful buildings and city life, so this is a nice mix. :)

[queenslayerbee]

I meant to reply to the question about my work but I realised I forgot lol. It's mostly agriculture, really. Depending on the season, I help with planting/maintaining/watering/recollecting etc. In large terrains, mainly olive and pistachio plants.

[sushiflop]

Sounds satisfying. I've done greenhouse work before and it's nice in perhaps a similar way.