2corbies

Podfic: Resonant's "Loving North", and album love

2corbies — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:34:29 GMT

I've recorded a podfic of Resonant's Loving North. It's Fraser/Kowalski, rated NC-17, and its one of my favorite stories. I had lots of fun recording it, but I'm not satisfied with my Kowalski-voice at all. I'm really just too stuffy to sound like a Ray!

The original story can be found on Resonant's website: http://trickster.org/res/loving.html
The podfic is at megaupload at: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q68T4EH0.

On other fannish fronts, my partner and I spent a lovely weekend visiting with jjtaylor, who showed us the videos for My Chemical Romance's new album, and I am so psyched! I doubt I'll ever be seriously into bandom, but I have a not-so-secret guilty love of MCR. I adore intricate, layered music that tells a story (The Decemberists "The Crane Wife" is my favorite album ever) and, apparently, that extends to post-apocalyptic emo hardcore. I suspect we'll be listening to the album on loop on the drive home tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it.

It's always the little things

2corbies — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:37:46 GMT

And would you believe, the "irreparable markup errors" that rendered my first draft of the rewatch reaction post unreadable, and which I procrastinated for *months* rather than fixing, were because of smartquotes?

Sometimes I really hate computers.

"Flashback" Rewatch Reaction

2corbies — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 03:40:46 GMT

I now present an exceedingly tardy rewatch reaction post for Flashback, which we watched on 9/19/2010 (late>=never). This was the last episode of Season 2, and the last episode where Vecchio was our primary Ray. lucifuge5 long ago posted the reaction to the rewatch of "Burning Down the House" from the same date.

This is a very emotional time for all us fangirls. As lucifuge5 reminds us, we're in the last leg of the rewatch-- the whole thing will be finished in December. But, after that, the rewatch crew is planning to get tackle some of the other C6D stuff, starting with Slings and Arrows. So stay tuned!

As usual, most of the reaction stuff here is fairly light and fluffy (though these two episode have triggered more introspection than most, I think.) if you're looking for serious analysis, we recommend you skip on over to Truepenny's excellent blog, which has a lot to say about the change-of-Ray, and certainly informed our own conversation.

akamine_chan couldn't be there, so lucifuge5 did the honors as cat-herder in chief rewatch captain this week.

On saying goodbye to Vecchio and finishing S1-2
We were all sad to see Vecchio go. cyberducks took it hardest. Lotte and I both felt we'd gained a better appreciation for him thanks to the rewatch. helens78 offered him snuggles and the certain knowledge that we'd be seeing him again soon.

On the coming of RayK and the beginning of S3-4
We were also uniformly excited by the beginning of season 3. thursdaynext_27 and lucifuge5 shared a moment of squee. magelight5 "loves Ray V dearly, but [she is] unabashedly a Ray K fangirl." Luce and I both agreed that, while we like Seasons 3-4 best, seasons 1-2 are really necessary to appreciate them. One of my friends outside the rewatch is of the opinion that S3-4 is really RayK's plot arc, and that Fraser's was largely completed in S1-2. We don't get much more new characterization of Fraser from this point forward. Cyberducks is terribly conflicted, saying: " I kinda like the writing better in the first two seasons and some of the Fraser characterisation and some of the best eps are in the first two seasons - but the last seasons have RayK and their partnership which I also love."

On the structure of the episode:
On the other hand, most of us really dislike the structure of the episode. lucifuge5 goes as far as to say: "That's what I don't like this [episode] while feeling relieved that it's not the series finale. That would have been FATAL." cyberducks and thursdaynext_27 note that it really seems like a throwaway episode, strung together on a budget after CBS had made the decision to cancel the series. The heist subplot notwithstanding, its basically just a clip show. Though, helens78 observes, there real problems with the characterization of amnesiac!fraser (see below). It's nice to see some of the clips from old episodes. The ones of the Riv, of Dief and Victoria (angst!!) were lucifuge5's favorite. But we also could have done with some more clips from the better shot shows, like "Chicago Holliday," and helens78 points out the ridiculousness of actually having clips from this very show towards the end. The endcredits with all the laughs and bloopers were excellent, however, and made us sad to see Vecchio go.

On the Improbability of the plot:
The heist subplot (did it actually think it was the main plot?) was pretty ridiculous. lucifuge5 thinks the thieves are terribly obvious, though I'm sad to note that nobody would be that nice to a woman in a burkah these days. I can't figure why they picked this stupid heist thing as the frame plot, though as Luce points out, it is what gets us the amnesiac!Fraser, which provides most of the episode’s interest. thursdaynext_27 and cyberducks do appreciate the wife and the girlfriends teaming up on the douche bag banker, but podfic_lover can't figure out why four such attractive women would have been with him in the first place! All in all, we don't feel like the heist is a strong enough plot to carry it's part of the episode.

On clothes and fashion:
One of the things about this being Vecchio's last major episode is that we get a recap of his wardrobe! helens78 is amused by his gigantic 90s suits from S1, and lucifuge5 misses the old tacky Vecchio. thursdaynext_27 notably does not miss Vecchio's S1 look, being quite partial to his wardrobe in S2. We generally agree that, however endearing some of us might have found the horrible wardrobe of season 1, Vecchio was a much better dresser in Season 2. His hair was also better. As thursdaynext_27 points out, it looks pretty odd, longer than we're used to and all slicked back, in the first few episodes. Moving away from Vecchio's clothes, we also get to see a fair number of clips of Fraser's old brown uniform, which we will otherwise never see again (sadly, however, we don't get any clips from the one episode where he wears the blue uniform, which is, I understand, what real Mounties actually wear to work. . .)

On Amnesiac!Fraser
thursdaynext_27 and helens78 both instantly notice Amnesiac!Frase's use of profanity-- he says "hell" in two separate sentances. how_obscure notes, however, that he still says "Oh dear." lucifuge5 thinks "that amnesiac!Fraser is pure Paul Gross. The Who the hell am I and his facial expression, etc." Lotte agrees. luzula also agrees, but it’s part of why she dislikes the episode: “it's like seeing the actor behind the character, which I always hate.“ luzula is also the one who notices that "It's almost like Fraser turns more American when he's having amnesia. . . .maybe it's like he's taking over Ray's personality in some way?" how_obscure wonders if it’s “possible that he's forgotten all of the experiences that helped form his personality?” lucifuge5 also finds it more than a little "chilling to see the Fraser we know vanished." I agree-- I think that “when he's not being Fraser he's being Anti-Fraser-- all his own worst inclinations.”

cyberducks introduces the idea that " amnesiac!Fraser proves that all his Fraserisms are a choice," and lucifuge5 points out that "A lot about Fraser is choice vs. duty." They are entirely in agreement with truepenny’s excellent analysis of this episode.

So, all in all, there’s a huge contrast between our Usual Fraser and amnesiac!Fraser. helens78 notes that “He's so *stiff* [in the pilot], like everything he's saying is still covered with grief -- Fraser, I mean. It's such a departure from S2 Fraser.” I notice how “even Fraser thinks Fraser's crazy”-- amnesiac!Fraser can’t believe he jumped onto a moving van.

There are definitely more than a few kinky undertones (and overtones-- the finale, anyone?) to this episode. helens78, lucifuge5 and cyberducks all comment on the irony Fraser wondering if he’s “being punished” by his living situation. It definitely seems to hint at a masochistic streak in the character and, of course, next season, he’ll be living in his office-- and even worse “punishment.” And his desk has so many erasers! helens78 and cyberducks both think it hints at a rubber fetish. Me, I think the guy’s just OCD. Must be prepared for any mistakes he might make!

lucifuge5 notes that “the fact that Fraser doesn't talk to Dief adds a little bit of doubt to the idea that he can have conversations with him.” spuffyduds42 feels that “he just doesn't KNOW, luce. . . he's gotta BELIEVE”

As Lotte points out, it’s also terribly ironic that the first thing amnesiac!Fraser remembers is seeing his dead father. I agree, especially since its something Ray doesn’t know about. And he also seems to feel *something* from Thatcher-- again, something that Ray plays off as not being true. Though, of course, as helens78 notes, even amnesiac!fraser doesn’t really pick up on Thatcher's hints, but he did pick up on Rhonda flirting with him...” I sort of think it’s because “amnesiac Fraser seems to have a much more conventional sense of male/female relations.”

Plot Bunnies:
From podfic_lover: How did RayV get this picture to create the postcard later on?
From lucifuge5: Fraser NEVER recovers from his amnesia. At least not completely. The Ray swicheroo happens and he remains a Mountie.
Also from lucifuge5: Thatcher takes advantage of amnesiac!Fraser. Kinda dub-connish?
From endcredits: Christina! Rrrrr. I love her! Even if she did shoot Frase in the hat,” to which lucifuge5 adds: I still say she should have teamed up with Victoria. It woudl have been epic.. . . Or maybe some super-villaness gang: Christina, Tammy and Victoria team up.
From helens78: I am trying to figure out why I have never thought of pairing Victoria with Maggie before. . . Victoria starts off trying to use Maggie to get to Fraser, but ends up falling for her. But of course, with Victoria, falling for someone doesn't mean she's gonna reform...
From podfic_lover: Fraser has multiple personalities in him, some able to drive, some not;...
To which Lotte adds: and some can play poker, some not
podfic_lover thinks they might all be a bunch of Mounties, and how_obscure thinks: Maybe this is his one non-Mountie personality showing up?

So that’s it for the Flashback reaction post. Absurdly late, but not never-- we will at least have a complete set. If you haven’t had a chance to join us for the rewatch yet, please feel free to drop by: 2pm every Sunday on Skype. Check out the getting-to-know-you meme on akamine_chan’s journal (on LJ or DW), as well as her excellent list of all posts related to the rewatch. And we hope to see you there!

So much for the sabbatical. . .

2corbies — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 22:15:25 GMT

You know, it's hard not to talk about one's job, when one's job takes up the bulk of one's time, waking and sleeping, weekdays and weekends, every day one is not physically incapacitated or out of telephone range. It's a little bit maddening.

So I got called back in to work at the first possible minute after my disability leave was up, and I have been going at it since. I've been so busy clearing the backlog that I've barely written in weeks, and I've been entirely out of social circulation since I got back. I think I've finally got it all under control, at least to the point that I can turn some of my attention back to more enjoyable pursuits. At least I hope so.

Anyway, nuff said 'bout the job.

I had my reaction post for "Flashback" half-finished before I got called back, and will happily finish and post if people think it's still worthwhile at this late date . My goal for this week is to finish at least one of the stories I've got in plot-complete draft form and post it somewhere-- on dw or lj, if I can't get it to AO3-worthy fully beta'd readiness. Time to restore some balance to the life.

2corbies — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:53:03 GMT

So, I thought I'd say a few words on my habits as a writer. I come from a family of writers, and I have occasionally considered trying to make a living at it. (My sexual orientation, come to think of it, is probably best described as "writers and geeks.") Since I was a kid, I've produced an enormous volume of fiction, much of it original, but most of it fanfic. When I was in college, I paid almost $2000 to recover a damaged hard drive which contained several gigs of pleasure writing. I once spent two years on a fanfiction epic for a very obscure anime called "Legend of the Galactic Heroes."

I never finished my LoGH epic. Nobody ever read it. I still revisit it, or one of it's better spinoff stories, from time to time. Same with the several dozen partial novels I have lying around. Needless to say, I'm not seriously thinking about writing for a living anymore (which is a good thing, considering how most of the folks I know feel about it).

But, that's the kind of writer I am. I'll spend years on something that's never going to be finished and never going to see the light of day. So, really, writing stuff, even short stuff, which gets finished and edited and actually posted for people to read? That's a huge step for me. I am in complete awe of authors, in fandom or IRL, who produce large volumes of finished work. I have absolutely no idea how they do it.

But I still write a lot more than gets finished. I'm actively working on at least a dozen due South fics, and have maybe twice as many that are dead-ends I've discarded, or stuff I've gotten to the point of needing a beta, and then balked. I love prompts, but they are the enemy because they give me more ideas, and tempt me to start new projects before the old ones are finished.

(I'm actually the same way with yarn craft, my other major hobby. Fiber stores are deadly. I routinely have to buy a new drop spindle, because I've got a project on all the ones I have. And I honestly think the reason I crochet more than I knit is because you can take the crochet hook out of the project, and use it on another one, without having to worry so much about raveling!)

So. A reference on helens78 's journal led me over to this writing tracking website 750words.com. It gives you points for writing at least 750 words a day, which, I've discovered, takes me about 20-30 minutes. That's if I only write 750 words-- usually at that point I'm on a roll and I'm good for at least 1500. So, in the last week I've written close to 10,000 words for the due South Kinkmeme here and on lj. What of it gets posted will likely be unattributed, 'cause I'm rather shy. Posting something, whether fanfic or a podfic recording, is a major effort of will-- actually pimping it on the noticeboard is huge. Participating in fandom is something I took on as a sort of personal challenge, and I'm so delighted that people seem to like my stuff!

At this point in my life, I'm relatively content with my writing habits. That definitely wasn't always true-- when I was younger, I'd beat myself up over every unfinished story (which resulted in a lot of psychic bruises, believe you me). But, now, I've come to terms with doing things for enjoyment, without much expectation of excellence or lust of result. Whether yarn, music, reading, writing, exercise, whatever, my time is so limited that I have to be able to set it down when needed, with nary a second thought.

I've been absolutely bored to tears while I've been out of work these last few weeks. But, in lots of ways, the enforced idleness has been wonderful-- and wonderfully productive! It's the first time in years I've been able to devote hours a day to reading and writing and other things I enjoy. I hope I'll be able to keep some of the lessons I've learned (750 words a day, maybe, please?) when I go back to work. But, if not, so be it. It's still been a nice sabbatical.

dS snippet: "Distancing"

2corbies — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:23:08 GMT

I wrote a snippet in response to helens78's plot bunny from last week's rewatch of "All the Queen's Horses". The snippet won't make much since if you're not familiar with the episode. It's based on a specific moment, when Bolt disconnects the caboose car and leaves Fraser and Frobisher alone to stop a train hurtling towards a nuclear explosion. Bolt keeps Thatcher (with whom Fraser has recently shared a Moment) as a hostage and Frobisher has to bodily stop Fraser from jumping after her, choosing to abandon their main objective in favor of rescuing her.

So, here it is:

Distancing

He was more than half expecting to be shot in the back.

He could almost feel it: the shock of impact, sudden sharp taste of pain in his mouth, the startling helplessness as his legs collapsed beneath him. The delirium that would follow. The poem, already rising to his lips as snow fell around him. . . I caught this morning morning's minion. . .

But no, it was Frobisher's hand on his Sam Browne that held him back. Frobisher spoke in his ear, telling him to let her go, let her go.

"But, sir!" and she was disappearing, disappearing, distancing. She had a gun to her head and her hands were at their sides, but she had the same fear in her eyes, as if he was the only one who could possibly save her. He wanted to- oh, how he wanted to go, and to hell with everything else. He would desert all of his duty, abandon every thought of honor and justice if he could just save her.

Please, he had never, ever asked for anything else for himself, would never ask for anything else if he could just save her. . .

His treacherous body would not move-- damn it, Frobisher was an old man, he should be able to pull free, easily-- and he thought his legs might collapse under him after all. His pulse thundered in his ears and his breath grew short; his vision narrowed until it was almost as dark as a cold Chicago night. No brightness besides her face, shrinking in the distance.

He felt as though he were floating, disconnected. He thought: "anxiety, panic reaction, flashbacks, all symptoms of post-traumatic stress." All symptoms which had not troubled him since he had left the hospital and gone north with Ray. Ray. . . who was not here.

Ray was not here to save him from himself this time. It was entirely up to him; Benton Fraser was the only one who could save, not the Inspector (who was not Victoria-- she was a Mountie, not a criminal and she was not without her own resources), but the countless civilian victims who would perish if this terrorist's plot came to fruition. He braced himself against the rail of the train car, focused on the feel of movement and vibration, and listened to what Frobisher was actually saying.

Replied: "She is my superior officer, sir." He watched the train vanish into the distance, her face no longer visible. And, yes. . . Sheer plod makes plough down sillion shine and blue-bleak embers fall, gall themselves, gash gold vermillion. . .

He shook off the snow and the memories, straightened his tunic and turned, returned to his duty.

Thanks so much to luzula and andeincascade for the excellent beta work. I'll be putting it up on the AO3 as well. Feedback always appreciated!

Request for beta?

2corbies — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:30:55 GMT

As I said in the "All the Queen's Horses" rewatch reaction post, I've been working on a snippet inspired by 's plot bunny about Fraser watching Thatcher leaving on the train, and the parallels with Victoria. I was wondering if I could impose upon someone for a quick beta. It's about 450 words, and I'd love to have someone take a look at it, point out the rough edges that need a polish, and give an opinion on general workability of style and content (it's sort of stream of consciousness, which either works or it doesn't, and I can never tell with my own writing. . .). Help with a better title also wouldn't go amiss-- I think I stole this one from somewhere, but I can't remember where.

*goes back to canning tomato sauce and editing podfic!*

"All the Queen's Horses" Reaction post

2corbies — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:56:11 GMT

Welcome to the rewatch reaction post for “All the Queen’s Horses”. As usual, most of the commentary is on the lighthearted side. Scoot on over to Truepenny if you want a literary-style analysis of due South. She has an excellent breakdown of what the Fraser/Thatcher kiss might- and might not- mean.

This is, of course, one of the classic episodes of due South, a favorite of most of ours. I think Shar spoke for all of us: “i'm so excited! the singing! the dead!bob! the kiss!” We also agree that this is one of Thatcher’s best episodes. She looks lovely in the serge, and her performance during the action sequences is also something we all would have liked to see more of.

thankyoukindly likes the “'you're dead' jokes” at dead!bob’s expense, and thursdaynext_27 suggests “a montage of all the times Fraser reminds Dead!Bob he's dead.” Shar suggests that “an oh dear montage” would also be appropriate :-D

The opinions on Frobisher’s flatulance jokes are mixed. luzula and thankyoukindly are not great fans, while myself and lucifuge_5 think that Leslie Nielsen makes it all worth it. And, the flatulance does have plot value, what with Frobisher’s invulnerability to the gas, as helens78 points out.

thursdaynext_27 has her ear on the commentary and notes that “Leslie's dad was RCMP, and he showed PG how to lace up the boots properly”

Thatcher’s inspiratoinal speech and the stiff mounties are hillarious, but the singing is definitely excellent. Much fangirl squee about singing mounties.

thursdaynext_27 wonders if “this the first episode that PG wrote?”, since he did get the teleplay credit, as akamine_chan points out, “with John Krizack (his writing partner) and Paul Quarrington, who passed away lasdt year:

lucifuge_5 notes that, even on a train, Fraser just HAS to jump out a window, which generates our first plot bunny: “maybe Fraser's Mountiness disappears if he doesn't jump out a window”
thursdaynext_27 thinks this episode “is taking toilet humor a bit too literally”, but helens78 figures that “this is one of those moments that makes you go, "Yeah, Paul Gross is a DUDE. The man is TOTALLY A GUY." and wants to “see Fraser's "guy" moments -- you never really see them in the show”

At this point Thatcher changes into her serge, and we spend a few minutes appreciating how well she wears it. There is general agreement that she should spend more time in uniform.

Frobisher and dead!Bob’s conversation about the the great yukon double-douglas fir telescoping bank shot is very amusing, and spuffyduds astutely notes that “they don't show the 2 of them in the same shot until frobisher believes him.”

RayV shows remarkable ability to multi-task, negotiating with terrorists while playing poker in his living room. And he looks good doing it:thursdaynext_27 appreciates his sweater vest, and “helens78 notes that “Ray's outfits this season have been so lovely.”

Frobisher and dead!bob’s interaction in the train’s engine compartment is telling: very reminiscent of Fraser and Vecchio’s dynamic. "When you hum, it always means something" says Frobisher. Though, luzula notes that, in some ways, it’s almost more like Fraser and RayK in MOTB.

thankyoukindly notes that “on dS, feds = most incompotent force possible”, as the FBI comes in to (cough*botch*cough) take over the investigation.

lucifuge_5 thinks that Vecchio looks like a college professor and wonders “how come there aren't any teacher!Vecchio fics?” helens78 suggests that “schoolboy!RayK /teacher!RayV roleplay” or even “slacker!RayK and disciplinarian!RayV and caring counselor!Fraser :D” might be even better.

Welsh’s geeking out over the musical ride is very amusing and inspires some speculation. He’s such a mounty fanboy: why does the musical ride haunt him so?
[2:22:05 PM] Thurs / lj user=thursdaynext_27: OMG, DS so needed a musical episode.

thankyoukindly notes that “dS apparently almost had a musical episode, Jay Semko wrote songs for each character and everything.” The rest of us wish it had been filmed!

lucifuge_5 notes that Bolt demonstrates a curious understanding of D/s when he explores the dynamics implied in tying Fraser and Tatcher up together. Like , I was distracted wondering “why Yummy thatcher is still half buttoned up?” luzula and helens78 note that it’s “like a fuck or die fic!” akamine_chan thinks that “this scene sooooo calls for more. like naked bodies and sex kind of scene. i nominate someone else to write it.” I will also have to take a pass, as I’ve tried to write it in the past and just couldnt’ get the creative juices flowing. helens78 suggests a premise: “Thatcher decides that there should be mandatory training in this sort of scenario so that people can more easily escape from handcuffs. Things go... awry.”

Overall, I think said it best: “this is a great scene - and fraser and thatcher the combined beauty makes the screen combust!” And the fanservice angle was lovely, as helens78 pointed out: “It was like, ‘Dear show: not only do you give me the fanservice with some Fraser/Thatcher UST, YOU GIVE ME HANDCUFFS TOO. Can I have your babies now?’”

lucifuge_5 goes “all googly-eyed by action!Thatcher,” as she comes to the rescue, (“or the anti-rescue” as thursdaynext_27 puts it), on top of the train. We agree that this is probably Thatcher’s best episode, though “Eggmen” (thursdaynext_27) and "Seeing is Believing" (lucifuge_5) are good also.

The kiss scene on top of the train was very appreciated. Shar remebers “thinking this was so romantic when i was young. . . “i still do.” lj user="luzula" think thatcher’s windblown hair is lovely. helens78 makes the most pithy comment: apparently, Fraser “can really only make himself vulnerable like this when his life is on the line, these days. *pets him*”. akamine_chan has had her fill of UST and desperately needs someone to write her Fraser/Thatcher fic pronto :-D

The addition of Fraser’s damaged hat to the scene is hillarious. thankyoukindly loves “how dS can never take things seriously for too long,” though luzula questions whether “the top of the hat [would] really have been sheared off like that?” As points out, it could just be part of the magical realism-- but it could also be an inhernet limitation in the Stetson of Invulnerability! Shar thinks maybe “kissing weaknes it”, and lucifuge_5 figures that, “when it comes to hormonal urges becoming realized, the Stetson's force field weakens. . . .which is WHY Fraser takes it off when kissing RayK (or RayV or Turnbull or whoever)”

thursdaynext_27 wonders”what they would've done w/ Fraser & Thatcher if CBS had done the 3rd season”

Ironically, many of us agree that Bolt is not a great villian. thinks he’s “prtty blah,” and Shar feels that “he is so annoying and TURNED ON BY HORSES!” and give us “confusing evil/santa vibes.” I think he’s not a strong enough villian to hold the story, and akamine_chan feels that he’s “kinda creepy, in spite of his cheer and beret.”

As Bolt takes Thatcher away on the train, helens78 and have another impressive set of observations:
lj user=helens78: And Fraser's first instinct is to go with Thatcher.
marion: just like his first instinct was to go with victoria
lj user=helens78: really, imagine what that's like for him -- another woman on a train that's disappearing into the distance

akamine_chan wants helens78 to write some awesome fic about it. Hels demurs but agrees that “something that really hammers on that parallel would be AWESOME. Someone needs to write that. *nodnodnod*” I got inspired and am working on a snippet.

thankyoukindly notes that “both rays have quite interesting nicknames for thatcher,” which helens78 says is because they’re jealous of her. That makes spuffyduds wonder if there are “any 3some fraser/thatcher/either ray fics out there?” Nobody can think of any, and lucifuge_5 nominates Spuffy to write it, which helens78 and akamine_chan second.

akamine_chan notes that the A plot “really is "speed" before keanu reeves was born.”

helens78 appreciates Buck’s shot at the switch (and without a scope, no less!), but spuffyduds notes that “bob's clearly embarrassed by how he made the shot. it must be "i closed my eyes and prayed" or something.”

We are much amused that the mounties wake up singing, without so much as an interruption.

and Shar agree that Frobisher and the other mounties joining Fraser to ride after bolt is a great moment. And, of course, Fraser and a whole bunch of mounties on horses are excellent. Even dead!Bob gets his own dead!horse, which gives us “canon for ghost!animals!” as helens78 points out. The only problem with the final scene, as luzula notes, is “thatcher being the maiden in distress.” I don’t like that she doesn’t get to ride her own horse, though akamine_chan does remind me that she gets to take out Bolt personally.

With respect to Thatcher’s many conditions on the possibility of ever kissing Fraser again, helens78 loves “how she builds in an "unless", even if it is wildly unlikely.” wants someone to write the story where “Fraser somehow manages to set up the exact same circumstances in order to get to third base with Thatcher.” luzula remebers that there *is* such a fic already, and digs up the link: http://icepixie.livejournal.com/469382.html

There is general agreement that the ep, as a whole, is one of the best. I think lucifuge_5 sums it up for all of us: “It's one of those eps that has everything: action, romance, hot Thatcher looking yummy in her Mountie uniform.” And, sadly, “Body Language”, which follows it, doesn’t really maintain that level of quality.

Plot bunnies generated by All the Queen’s Horses:
- all mounties are required to be able to play the guitar
- “maybe Fraser's Mountiness disappears if he doesn't jump out a window”
- show us Fraser’s guy moments!
- RayV as college professor
- schoolboy!RayK /teacher!RayV roleplay
- Welsh's experience with the musical ride. Why does it haunt him?
- more of Fraser and Thatcher tied up on the train. Do they practice escapism to avoid a recurrence? Do we see another way the scene could have gone? So much possibility!
- any Fraser/Thatcher fic-- the UST is just so thick in this episode!
- Fraser somehow manages to set up the exact same circumstances in order to get to third base with Thatcher.

For information on the actual musical ride, check out the wikipedia page, and the RCMP’s own info page. I, myself, have never seen it, but I understand that a fair number of people in the dS community have.

So, that’s it for this week. Please join us for the rewatch next week, Sunday 9/12 at 2:00pm EST, to watch “The Duel” and “Red, White and Blue.” If you’re shy about joining the conversation without knowing anyone, check out akamine_chan’s Getting-To-Know-You-Friending-Meme-Mixer-Thing-a-ma-bob at DW or LJ. And take a look at the Rewatch Rewrite community for ongoing plot bunny ideas.

We’re coming up on the end of S2, so a big change is on the horizon!

New Fanfic

2corbies — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:43:35 GMT

I recently posted a couple of new fics to AO3:

Passage: F/K, Teen, set during CotW. More or less a songfic, for which I apologize, but the bunny just would *not* get out of my head till I wrote it.

Often: an explicit F/V UST masturbation piece. I wrote it as a character study for a story that didn't get written, and thought it might stand alone, but it is some fairly angsty porn.

I'm going to have more time for fic in the immediate future-- thanks to an unfortunately serious injury, I'm out of work for the next couple weeks. I'm hoping to be able to use the time to catch up on my reading (both bookish and ficcish), and I'm at least going to be able to keep up with the sunday rewatch!

I'm finishing up a couple of short Speranza podfics for posting some time this week. I've discovered that, as much as I love Speranza's stuff, it's hard for me to read aloud-- her writing and my speaking just don't match up very well. I'd still love to tackle one of her longer pieces, but it'd require even more editing time than is my usual.

more podfics!

2corbies — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:03:35 GMT

I've recorded a couple more short podfics of arrow00's stuff. Will add audiofic archive links when available.

One Small Thing:
due South, F/K, NC-17, runtime 13:52
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?igmymyjtzhu
Text: http://arrow00.livejournal.com/6771.html

All of Us Drown:
due South, F/K, PG, runtime 9:35
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?e1omkozmmwy
Text: http://arrow00.livejournal.com/12841.html

In other news, I got an ipad a few weeks ago and it is *awesome* stuff for playing on the internet. And, for a touch typist like myself, it's pretty decent for writing as well. I did most of the work for Transcanada on the ipad, and it was easy-- though some of the formatting errors on AO3 are definitely due to incompatibility between the ipad's pages program, googledocs, and the googledocs program on the ipad. Anyway, as I expected, almost all of the things I would use a computer for I can do just as well, or better, on the ipad-- as well as some things I couldn't do on a computer at all. Which is great, because one of the big reasons to get the thing was to get me off of my partner's computer, so she can use it for her own work.

But, what I haven't found for my new toy- ahem, tool- is any reasonably priced sound editing software. So it's cramping my style, podfic-wise. Possibly, this is for the best, considering how scattered my attention has been, and how limited my time is. So, for now, I'm trying to go with the limits of my tools, and focus my attention on writing.

Fanfic: Transcanada, for LGBTfest 2010

2corbies — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:37:57 GMT

I've posted my entry for the 2010 LGBTfest!

Title: Transcanada
Fandom: due South
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 7066
Summary: Fraser cradles Ray in his arms and wonders, desperately, what he is going to do when Ray wakes up. He was certain to notice the breasts.

Links: LGBTfest or AO3

Feedback is always welcome!

Podfic: 5 things Fraser does not say

2corbies — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:46:09 GMT

Finally finished podfic project #2: Arrow00's 5 things Fraser does not say to Ray Kowalski.
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rated: NC-17
Runtime: 41:41
Mediafire Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?eyrizt2zwz0
Audiofic archive link: http://audiofic.jinjurly.com/five-things-fraser-does-not-say

I took a ridiculous amount of time editing this. I don't think I'll ever actually be happy with my own reading of something.F Every time I listen, there's one more thing I think I could get better, one more spot I could fine tune. Those folks who do many-hour, novel-length podfic readings? Hats off, I have no idea how you do it. I may work up to that with time, but my next few projects will be short ones-- until I finish some of my own fic, and learn how to get past my own perfectionist tendencies!

Feedback is more than welcome, as always.

6/27 ETA audiofic link

LGBTFest entry

2corbies — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:09:52 GMT

I have volunteered myself for an lgbtfest prompt: "1192. Due South, Benton Fraser, Post-CotW No one in Chicago knew - or needed to know - about Fraser's history, but living off a dogsled in the Northwest Territories made it hard to hide that he'd never been able to afford even top surgery. (Fraser is FtM)."

I've been looking for something to set as a goal for myself, but even the fairly generous timelines of DSFlashfiction aren't something I can usually meet. That prompt put a couple of ideas in my head, though, and I'm confident I can write something in response to it in two (!!) months. I'll probably be stalking people for beta-reads in a month or so. I'll run it by my usual beta-editor, but I suspect this is a bit outside her comfort zone.

I've been really frustrated by my own lack of focus lately. Not that it's unusual but, I've actually managed to complete a couple of projects (modest ones, but still) now. I've probably started more than a dozen story ideas in the last month, put a fair amount of fairly unproductive time into one long piece I've been working on for a while, and I have no less than four podfics recorded and waiting for editing. I just can't seem to get anything finished. Part of it is my god-awful schedule, but a lot of it is just my own inability to focus on anything for more than 30 seconds. Hopefully having a goal will help with some of this.

That said, it's wierd that this prompt is the one that grabbed me. I usually try to write close to canon---it's a major flaw, really, and stops me from making the kind of fantastically creative leaps that characterize the very best fic. So why on earth I glommed on to such a canonically impossible fic idea is a bit of a mystery. I mean, gender identity and the transgender experience is something that's always been of interest to me, but still-- odd. Could be either really fantastic, or god-awful.

We'll see where it goes. Hopefully, I'll get it done in time!

Fanfic: Adventure and An Exact Definition

2corbies — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:01:09 GMT

I've posted two more fics to AO3, listed below.

Title: Adventure
Fandom: due South
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 7209
Summary: An invitation to a wedding. Originally written in response to the ds_flashfiction Marriage Challenge during Winter Amnesty.

Title: An Exact Definition
Fandom: due South
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1720
Summary: This is hardly the time for Fraser to attempt an exact definition of his sexual orientation.

The second piece is basically a prequel sketch to the first. Both of these are sketches I wrote in preparation for a longer and more plot-heavy piece I'm working on.

All of these are basically about same-sex marriage in Canada. One of the strange things, for me, in watching due South, is how much the world has changed since the show aired. It's not even 15 years old but, back when it was on air, making the homoerotic subtext into actual text would have been impossible. Now we have Logo. Back when it was on air, the characters would have had to be completely closeted. Now, they could get married (and it's hard for me to imagine that they wouldn't). It's interesting thinking about a fandom, and a fandom relationship, that has spanned so much change. It has me thinking about how much change we can expect in the next 15 years. Hence the futurefic, and the marriage fixation.

Not everything I'm writing is on this narrow theme. I've got a bunch of other ideas in process, and a couple more podfics I'm tinkering with. I really, really want to get in on the new round over at stop_drop_porn but I'm just not in a position to work to deadline. So, alas, I'll just have to watch from a distance and try to write in parallel.

Podfic: The Question of Ghosts

2corbies — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:02:06 GMT

I've recorded Arrow's The Question of Ghosts as a podfic.
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Rated: R
Warning: Primary Character Death (and still a happy ending!)
Runtime: 42:37
Mediafire Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?otwjiwymm4n
It will also be posted on the Audiofic Archive.

I'm not perfectly happy with it-- my reading rhythm is off in places, I did a bit too much of the monotone thing, and I don't think I really got Ray's voice very well. But it will do.

Feedback, please!

On Archive of Our Own

2corbies — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:25:41 GMT

I'll be posting my stories on Archive of Our Own: http://archiveofourown.org/users/2corbies/. The only thing up there at the moment is a Due South snippet I wrote for a friend, entitled Dewey Decimal : http://archiveofourown.org/works/40867 . It's a teen-appropriate pre-slashy character piece, with references to Fraser/Victoria and intimations of Fraser/Vecchio.

More to come!

introduction 2corbies

2corbies — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:35:45 GMT

This is journal for my creative works, mostly fanfic. I'll be posting links to things I've written or otherwise made, and links to things that other people have written that I particularly like. I'll also be using it to participate in online fandom. This is not where I'll be talking about my life, or my philosophy, or my job, or my politics. I've got lots to say on all of those topics, but it goes elsewhere.

At the moment, I intend to make this entire journal open-access, so there should be no need for anyone to friend me if they want to read. Likewise, the people I friend are just the people whose journals I want to read while I'm signed into this account. My IRL friends know where else they can find me.

I am not a fan of LJ, and I plan to migrate off the service once there's a viable fandom presence elsewhere. Until then, I won't put much actual content here, only links to content I've posted elsewhere. I apologise for the inconvenience, but I also sincerely apologise for the ads. I could get rid of them by paying for a membership, and that's exactly why I won't.

I'll clearly label everything I write for content and intended audience, but I don't like the MPAA rating system and I'll mostly be avoiding it. I write a lot of sexually explicit stuff, so believe me when I say something is for mature readers only. I write a lot of slash, so if gay porn isn't your thing, please don't read it. With that in mind, this journal is listed for mature readers only. No one who isn't of age to read pornography should be looking at it. That didn't stop me when I was younger, but there you have it.

I always appreciate constructive criticism-- even more than compliments, actually, I love getting advice on how to improve. But I do expect the rules of common courtesy to be respected.

If you have any questions, drop me an email or a comment, and I'll be glad to answer.