boys! in an absurd beauty

Hello and Thank You!

2016-10-19T04:45:15Z

Tough day on top of a tough four weeks on top of a though couple of years at work that are really not so bad, but have me constantly wondering 'is work really supposed to be this hard, and feel this lonely?', and today, after years and years in which my fingers and my screens have found other comforts, today, my fingers typed 'li' into a browser window and I was like 'what the eff do you want to get out of that fingers?" until I remembered that those letters used to bring up my LJ friends page.

So I went and checked it out, and SO MANY FAMILIAR FACES! Still out there, still doing stuff. I suspect I've dropped off lists and people's radars and all of that, and that's ok, I'm not really active here anymore, and that's a choice I made, but just wanted to send out the happy feelings of a hello and a deeply felt thank you for still being here, still doing stuff, being so brave, and teaching me how to be a better person, with love and smarts, and links, and kindness. I can't tell my organizer colleagues how LJ is really what woke me up politically, to racial inequity and the deep racism in the US, to feminism in a way I didn't know I was missing, to just thinking about how words impact other people and making myself examine how and why to say what I say and do what I do, but it did, and thank you all for that too.

Keep it up. You guys are awesome.

Snowflake Challenge!

2013-12-30T17:14:15Z

So excited for this year's snowflake challenge! I've dabbled in so many fandoms this year, and then fallen DEEPLY into HockeyRPF, and I'm looking forward to celebrating it! Yay! Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Things to Celebrate!

2013-12-01T21:44:12Z

Planning and executing a ridiculously delicious vegan feast! (Pictures not to be had, because we were too embarrassed at how we were stuffing our faces!)
Watching the Penguins win a game with schneefink across continents!
Delighting in HOW MOTHERFUCKING BADASS Katniss in in Catching Fire! (Spoilery thoughts below.)
Decorating a Christmas tree with dear friends!
SO MANY cuddles with my bunny.
Realizing that I root for the Penguins EVEN IN FIC. Oh man.

Hope everyone else with the American Thanksgiving holiday has had a good break, and everyone else a delightful weekend! If you haven't seen it, this Sesame Street Hunger Games parody is pretty great.

KATNISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, this movie was pretty great. The movies have done SUCH a good job by taking a universal perspective, rather than just the Katniss perspective, it's really amazing. I had also forgotten HOW AWESOME all of the tributes were. JOANNA!!! FINNICK!!!! But all of them, I just, sigh. LOVE. And the clothes were soooooooooo much better. SO GREAT. Effie's butterfly dress, and the flames on Katniss and Peeta when they were in the chariot, SO IMPROVED. Clearly this is just a lot of flailing, but I really enjoyed it.
Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Perhaps we will know anything if we ride for long enough.*

2013-10-01T07:46:40Z

I have loved loved loved seeing people posting to DW and LJ these days. You guys are awesome! In the spirit of posting little things more often, I just listened to the Subway episode of Welcome to Nightvale and am just DYING.

HOW ARE YOU SO PERFECT, SHOW?!?!

I honestly don't understand. Transit as a portal to infinite space/time knowledge?! I am refraining from quoting the whole thing with exclamation marks, which, to be honest, is how I feel most episodes, so.

In other news.

Hockey! Yeah, so, I fell into hockey RPF. Sid/Geno, hearts in my eyes! The worst/best is....I've also decided to actually follow hockey. I mean. I love baseball. But I already care more and have listened to more preseason hockey games than I ever have of baseball. I've looked up sports bars in order to see where I can watch games. I've considered subscribing to the digital service that would allow me to see some games. (But not the playoffs, come on!) I know about "lines" and "power plays" and "hat tricks." I finally understand the appeal of the large, HD television. (The ice, it's so clear! I can actually see the puck! Oh god, who am I?!) Don't get me wrong. Obsessing about hockey is somewhat necessary because there isn't much fic, but I read through most/all of what was on AO3 and am now going back and basically reading it all over again. SO MANY FEELINGS.

In case you are now wondering, man, what made her think it was okay to jump straight into sports RPF (not that one needs a justification or excuse), well, Generation Kill? And in fact, BOTH of these can be blamed on a combination of thefourthvine and soul-bounding fic, which is apparently a weak spot I have. More on this later. Perhaps.

And with that, one final thought........at the moment of greatest despair and hopelessness, when you least expect it, a shuttle bus will come to you.*

*Welcome to Nightvale, Episode 29, Subway Crossposted on Dreamwidth

SGA Appreciation

2013-09-02T19:12:00Z

Over on SGA Saturday, it's SGA Appreciation week, where we're all reccing various fanarts that are related to the theme of "team."

I was going to go exploring and read some new fic, but then I realized that's what everyone else's recs are for! So, instead, I went to my pinboard and saw what I managed, in my haphazard tagging, to tag with "team."

Two Bells by Punk
It's McKay/Sheppard, but SO LOVELY AND TEAM. I just. SIGH. I love Punk, and could probably rec most of my favorite stories of her under the "Team" theme, but man, this one is a good one. John sits (volunatarily!) blindfolded in the dark, and his team stops by. <3333333!!

Firepower by penknife.
Gen, and though the author's summary is "How Rodney stopped worrying and learned to love his P90," it's that + all kinds of learning to work together as a team. I do super love the team out on missions, getting shot at and being bemused by alien customs.

A Beginner's Guide to Interplanetary Economic Policy by thingswithwings
Speaking of alien customs. This is a short one, with a McShep-y flare, but, ah, who better to share off-world customs with than your team?

I, Rodney by Alex
I had completely forgotten about this one, and it's LOOONG. Rodney's a robot! Teyla is awesome! Given that I'm in part 1 of my re-read, who knows what else could happen. Gen.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Ugh, Steven Moffat, and some related and unrelated recs!

2013-04-01T05:29:57Z

Created a "Fuck you, Steven Moffat" tag just for this. Satisfying.

Doctor Who: I was super super super super SUPER irritated that the plot of this episode seemed to somehow rest upon the fact that Clara doesn't understand wifi. WTF?! She's not 70! I have been telling myself that's it's all plot related, so we'll see, but the the whole "Is it a demon?" "No a woman!" thing was not plot related, and UGH.

Oh Doctor. I know you are kind of creepy, it's actually your deal, but the amount of time this episode that you watched over Clara sleeping and then camped outside of her house, it was especially creepy. But then, I never did find Say Anything romantic, so.

Also, the fact that the powerful villain at the center of this episode ended up getting regressed to the point of baby talk was pretty upsetting, and I know it was supposed to be, but again, why is it always the women who get put to bed and made into children.

All that said, I did really like the Doctor collecting money for the amazing appearing TARDIS, and it was cool to see so much of London.

On a happier note...

Recs! These are mostly ones I stumbled on from thefourthvine's recs, which are amazing and wonderful, but they're old rec posts and even older works (mostly?), and I felt the need to share the love.

First up, Two Atoms in a Molecule is an SGA, John/Rodney vid...but it's also SO MUCH MORE THAN A VID. The animation is lovely, I want to frame it and put it on my wall, but sadly that's hard to do with animation. It's really cool though, and pretty funny as well. Oh John Sheppard.....

OMG is another vid, this time Doctor Who/Torchwood! And it's about my favorite part of Doctor Who: the companions. It's pre-Amy, which is too bad, because especially now that she's gone, I'd love to try and think of them all together--is that even possible? Hmm. But, anyhow, it's great. Companions!! The song is strangely perfect and somewhat hilarious as well.

For Your Information is Merlin, Arthur/Merlin fic. Modern AU, in which Uther is both awful and trying as hard as his tiny tiny heart can try, and it's lovely, you should read it!

Finally, In Our Kingdom By the Sea, which is, quite literally, an Inception story melded with the Little Mermaid. But GOD, it's good. First, forget the Disney version and think dark, darker even than the Han Christian Anderson. Basically it goes from there, and ugh, so good.

Next time, we'll explore a subcategory: Soul-bonding but not! Whoo! Crossposted on Dreamwidth

FANDOM!! HEARTS!

2013-03-29T05:38:54Z

Wow, it's been nearly a year since I last posted here. WHOOPS! I will confess, I've written several posts in my head, they just never quite made it to web-paper. BUT, there have been SO MANY fandom heart moments lately, and also, I miss you, the internets! I continue to refuse to do the whole tumblr thing, but that just means I feel all disconnected, etc. So, here's to posting a giving back a little.

1) VERONICA MARS MOVIE, OMGOMGOMG. I honestly can't even. Veronica Mars is and always and forever will my the show that my heart loves most of all. When it ended, I realized that I would never love another show quite so much, if only because, for some things, there is only so much room. There are only so many shows that one is truly willing to be a part of campaigns and spend significant amounts of personal moneys for, and VM is it for me.

I mean, they are so beautiful and snuggly, COME ON.

Veronica Mars reintroduced me to fandom (oh, that summer after the first season, slowly dipping my toe into those fanfic waters), and was the reason I got a LJ account at all. The show I wouldn't have discovered if it weren't for the old version of Television Without Pity! Just, SO MUCH GLEE. SO MUCH.

2) OH ELEMENTARY. Honestly, this show is quite possibly the best. Well, no, I won't lie, I'm not that fond of the NYC setting. Maybe it's just I get enough of it with Castle, or if I'm just feeling a little midwest pride and wishing it could have been Chicago, but whatever. Let's set that aside, because THIS SHOW. The last three episodes have been more amazing than the last, and while I've been enjoying it quite a bit, I really never thought I would get to the point where I would choose it over Sherlock, but it happened, and I want to tell you why.

2a) There really is something to be said when a TV understands its own advantage, ie, the slow burn. And theirs has been done so well. Time to get to know each other, test each other, and truly come to appreciate each other. It's something that miniseries and movies have a harder time with, and this show got it just right.

2b) The proposal! Stay on permanently. Not as my sober companion. As my companion...I am better with you, Watson. I am sharper. More focused. Difficult to say why, exactly. Perhaps in time I'll solve that as well.

2c) The training!!!@! I just love how serious he was about training her. The first episode after she accepts his proposal, they'll be at a scene, and he'll be Sherlock-ly explaining something, and then will stop and ask her to explain. And Lucy Liu is of course wonderful and does it in a way that's all awkward but yes, doing it, and Sherlock is so nonchalant about it! And then the next episode: he gives her a case!

I mean, honestly guys, I love the look and feel and overwhelming emotion of the BBC Sherlock, and I won't stop, despite really disliking Stephen Moffatt quite a bit, but can you imagine Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock ever giving his Watson a case and being encouraging and helpful about supporting Watson in solving it? Ahahahaha. NO. And that's ok, he doesn't need to be, but I love Johnny Lee Miller's Sherlock, and I love love love Lucy Liu as Watson, and I'm so glad this show was picked up for another season.

3) FIC, I LOVE YOU. Here's a couple I've enjoyed recently. You go enjoy them too!

Toomuchplor's et les mots croisés (Inception, Eames/Arthur) -- I love plor's writing, I would read it all day (and sometimes do!), and I love how she challenged herself here to do a real mpreg (I know!) and mmm, it's good. Technically a WIP, but in a way that won't leave you hanging.

Shem's A hit, a very palpable hit (Pride and Predjudice, Kitty/other) -- I KNOW! I forgot how I stumbled on this, but I'm glad I did! It was a little like reading the historical romance novel version of P&P, and pretty fun. I love Kitty, and how it's silly and good all at once.

Après moi le deluge by Lake (beyond_belief) (Generation Kill, Brad Colbert/Nate Fick) -- Someone else recced this, and I LOVE IT. Just discovered there is a sequel, which is also excellent. It's soul bonding, but in this super realistic way? I don't know, go read it. I'm not in this fandom, I know nothing of this fandom, but this is a super excellent story.
Crossposted on Dreamwidth

nothing to see here...

2012-08-25T06:32:29Z

Move along, move along

Smiles, frowns, ups, downs

2012-05-16T05:26:10Z

KDRAMA I LOVE YOU!!!!! Lots of thoughts on this to follow, but first, I wrote something! Yay!

Title: A Few Minutes More
Pairings: Rodney/John
Warnings: None
Words: 269
Summary: It was quiet, finally, when John found Rodney sitting out on the pier.

...

And I have soooooooo many thoughts about so many things. I probably shouldn't try to squeeze them all into one post, but they are all connected, so maybe I can be clear and concise rather than rambling and long-winded? We'll see.

1) Falling in love...with a show.
There are many ways to look at this, but what I've been pondering lately is that heady feeling you get when you start to really fall for a show. Maybe it's the characters (maybe it's the actors), maybe it's how it's filmed or how it portrays women or maybe it's what fandom makes of it, but you guys know what I mean. Someone once suspected a friend of mine of having a crush on someone when she was in the middle of watching Doctor Who for the first time. And I love that analogy, because in some ways it rings so true for me.

Recently (see the opening to this post), I've been falling in love with Kdrama. Having actually only watched a total of two Korean dramas (though note: in the past 2/3 weeks), that's a bit of an exaggeration. But I've been staying up late, watching or reading or thinking about kdrama, and much of my time walking to/from work has been occupied when wondering why it attracts me so, even though it's kinda dumb and occasionally misogynistic and just isn't going to be there for me in the long term. Le sigh!

But then of course, especially with TV, this sense of falling in love becomes a little obsessive! I only want to watch X and read about X etc etc. And that experience translates to fandom as well.

Which brings me to...fandoms I have loved.

I struggle with my relationship with SGA. Somedays, I can remember what it felt like to be in love with the show and the fandom, but I don't really feel it. Other days, I'll read a lovely story or two and feel my heart go all a-flutter.

I wanted to define this as "I love you, but I'm not in love with you" but I'm not entirely sure that's true.

Thoughts? Advice?

2) Kdrama, I love you like a summer day
Here's a pie chart that depicts my current understanding of why these shows are so fun. (Yes yes, nerd, etc.)

You'll notice that my current theory relies heavily on the fact that these shows tell stories that are primarily about relationships. (Het romantic relationships, so far, so it's a limited field, I grant you.) But I find something very very intriguing about that. Does the US have anything similar? All of our TV (I think!) is more plot driven. Obviously, I love a good detective story, but I think there's something very compelling about having the relationship be the focus of the story and not a side story that's brought to the forefront when higher ratings are needed/whatever.

But that also brings me to point 2b, which is: these stories all END. Like a really really long BBC miniseries. That's the only comparison I can come up with, because for the most part, it's only really movies that have a defined beginning and end, and while it's much more difficult for a movie to satisfyingly flesh out and build on character relationships like I really want to see (and thanks for that Mr. Whedon), because television doesn't end until higher ups cancel it or the lead actor wants out, etc, you can't have a plot line about relationships being the driving force. (Or, you can, and you can become entirely wearisome and ridiculous. *glares pointedly*)

3) And for anyone who's made it this far, let me HIGHLY reccomend Dramabeans as your source for awesome recaps and commentary on many many many kdramas (including ratings!) and netflix and Dramafever for sources to WATCH kdrama. Dramafever has ads, but is otherwise free (for now??), so if you're interested head on over. I can say that while NOT the best television I've seen (or even close), I found Boys without Flowers somewhat hilarious (both purposefully and not) and strangely addictive (Dramabeans called it a magical narcotic cocktail, or something similar, which seemed right to me) and Personal Taste which had some problems but was less absurd and had some astoundingly sweet and wonderful moments. I will also admit that both of these feature the actor Lee Min-Ho, who is kind of a great actor as well as being very pretty.
Crossposted on Dreamwidth

The Power of the Narrative Compels You

2012-05-09T04:45:03Z

See title. At some point kinda late last week, I signed in to netflix to see what there was to entertain me. And what there was, was a whoooole series of recs for K-drama. First: have these been on netflix all this time and I'm only just seeing them?? What other wonders does netflix hold? Because second: ADDICTED. Or at least, I became immediately addicted to one in particular, Boys Over Flowers. It's only 25 episodes (about an hour each) and it's like the best kind of soap opera, where the plot moves forward at a pretty rapid pace. (Seriously, in my searching for some kind of community, I found some reviews complaining about the slow pacing of the second half, but clearly those people had never suffered the glacial pacing of daytime American soaps.)

But anyways, back to the title of this post. The general plot of the story is a pretty good one. Headstrong poor girl gets thrown into a rich school and people torture/fall in love with her. A classic, right? The thing that baffled me about my own reaction is HOW QUICKLY I fell into liking her ostensible romantic partner even though at the beginning he was SO SO AWFUL. Just, an unbearably awful human being in every possible way. I think part of it is the acting, in that he's actually pretty good, and also that I am a sucker for characters being in love with other characters and that love making them a better person. Ugh, I am disappointed in myself for just writing that, but IT'S TRUE. It's a powerful story for a reason, I suppose.

Do you guys have this problem? When you know in your heart and your mind that character X needs to STAY FAR AWAY from character b, but in your other heart you want them to live happily ever after?

Annnnnnnnnd, anyone else out there watching Korean dramas? Recommendations? Thoughts? I want to watch more, but I'm worried I stumbled on one of the better ones, and, well.

Ok, and for people interested in something other than k-drama, hermette posted a Merlin/Arthur video that I can't stop watching, go get sucked in here.

And I think everyone and their mom already knows about esteefee's hug fest, but I wrote a tiny SGA hug and am considering more. More hugs you guys!

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

An SGA rec and random TV commentary

2012-04-07T20:37:04Z

Rec!! I don't normally post recs from SGA Saturday, because I love every single everything that is posted there, but we only had one entry last week, and it's an uncommon pairing, which means most people (myself included) probably wouldn't seek it out. But instead of doing that, you should read it!

Reel Genius
Author: Panisdead
Pairing: Jennifer Keller/Teyla Emmagan
Rating: NC-17

The characterization of both Jennifer and Teyla is amazing, and the sex is hot and fun and the whole thing is so incredible dead on right that it demands an audience.

TV Talk:
1) Saw the Hunger Games last Friday and I LOVED IT. I think it helped that it had been a while since I read the book, so the details were fuzzy, but Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were GREAT and I loved the sets and I thought it was appropriately brutal and awful. Cinna! EFFIE! <333!! I am legit looking forward to the next one, and mostly not thinking about the third.

2) It's months and months late, but DOWNTON ABBY! MY HEART!!! Seriously, the Christmas special was so wonderful. I still can't believe poor Lavinia got killed off like that, but I like how horrible Matthew looked for weeks after, and Anna! Oh god, I cried so much with Anna those last few episodes. How will the Bates story line be resolved??? I love it.

3) I continue to be baffled by how much I dislike Mad Men and yet am compelled to watch it.

4) KORRA!!!!! Did you guys catch the first two episodes on Korra Nation?? REALLY loved them, and it seems like it's going to be an entirely different series.

More recs!
Foothold
Author: esteefee
Fandom: SGA

It's a Sentinel crossover, and I can say as someone who has never seen a Sentinel episode: you don't need to. It's GREAT. John is a new "recruit" to the Mountain, where Rodney is sciencing away. And there's adventures and sexual tension (and sex!) and misunderstandings of the most marvelous kind, and technology mishaps, and John is SO JOHN and Rodney is also exactly himself, and I highly recommend it.

Freedom's Chance
Author: ladysorka
Fandom: SGA

It's a sci-fi AU for the SGA (and some SG-1) characters, and it's really really good. It felt a little bit Firefly, though more in the dystopic sci-fi future with a faceless "core" than anything else, and Rodney is FANTASTIC, as is John and, oh, the whole thing. Go read!

they'll find our bones together
Author: M_Leigh
Fandom: Inception

APOCOFIC. It is BLEAK you guys. BLEAK. And I really loved it. Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Farscape, Sherlock, and some SGA fic

2012-02-20T20:00:18Z

schneefink is watching Farscape for the first time, and it's making me very happy AND making me want to rewatch episodes.

So I went to Netflix and randomly watched "The Flax" (s1e12). (Sidenote: why doesn't Netflix have a random play? Of stuff you've starred or watched repeatedly or that they think you'll like? That would be awesome. Anyhow.) -->Farscape, the Flax. SO GREAT. It's one of those times when Rygel appears to be his usual self-involved, horrible self, but using his Rygel-ian skills, not only stalls the bad guys for time but tricks them into going off in the wrong direction. I love it when Rygel is a jerk AND gets to save the day. Sometimes I think Rygel is my favorite character, y'all. (And also I LOVE how fond Crichton is of him sometimes. Aww.)

This is also the episode where Aeryn is teaching John to fly and calling him stupid, natch. And then things break, and she has to do tech repairs (fails) and John teaches her CPR (thankfully, that works), AND, she admits that she doesn't want to die alone. Plus making out and secret smiley smiles.

as;ldk;lsada. THIS SHOW, I HAVE FORGOTTEN.

Hmm, it also made me want to go back and watch the episode where Aeyrn has to figure out science on her own, and it's adorable, but I'm not sure I can deal with the drugged out bits.

Ok, ALSO, I'm sure everyone has seen this, but just in case....madseason drew this fantastic genderbent Sherlock and John (totally SFW) right here and then some super awesome ladies were like heeeey! and matched the drawing in real life. AMAZING!!. Seriously, I love fandom. <3333!!

Oh, and I wrote some SGA Saturday things lately.

Some Kind of Cure, a Jennifer-centric slice of life in a world post-breaking up with Rodney. It's a little ridiculous, but not cracky.
5 Modes of Transportation in the Pegasus Galaxy, which is basically what it sounds like, except instead of writing about puddle jumpers and feet like I'd meant to, I wrote about feet and carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. And other things.

The next SGA Saturday prompt is THREE WEEKS (that's practically enough time to write 10,000 words people!) and based on a quotation of Robert Anton Wilson.

“We have been told over and over that 'you can't change human nature', but the study of emic realities shows quite the contrary, that almost anything can become 'human nature' if society defines it as such.”

Thinky huh? All sorts of fandom works are welcomed at SGA Saturday, including the expected fic and art, but also rec lists! We'd love to see lots of people there. Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Two things, one happy, one sad

2012-02-18T04:39:33Z

Journalist Anthony Shadid died yesterday (2/16), from an allergy attack while he was reporting from Syria. It's been in the news today. Fresh Air rebroadcast the interview they did with him last December, which was the first time I'd heard anything about him personally (despite his multiple Pulizer Prizes.)

It was one of those interviews that stuck with me. A slice of life from the Middle East in this time of change, and a picture of the people behind the news. I can't imagine how his family and loved ones must be feeling, though, of course, hearing about his death has saddened me, both for the man and for the work he was doing. One of the other things that struck me through the Fresh Air interview back in December was how matter of fact he was--about being afraid, about making choices and having those sometimes be the wrong ones. But most of all about how important it was to tell the stories of the people in these countries. And I guess I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you. To Shadid, and to all of the journalists, all of the writers, everywhere, doing that work. Thank you, so so so much.

On a lighter note, NPR panned This Means War but said nice things about Tom Hardy, so I will take it.

All the performers seem more than game — even Hardy, who would seem to be the odd man out here; he's a superb and chameleonic dramatic actor trying his hand at silly comedy for the first time.

Everyone loves Tom Hardy! <33333333333333333333333333. In the spirit of cherrybina , FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE:

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Snowflakes and Twitter

2012-01-20T07:53:53Z

Item 1: Snowflakes...So I kind of flaked out on that whole Snowflake thing huh?* I think the posting everyday thing was a bit overwhelming! But I loved that challenge, and kind of hope to get back into it. Maybe one a week? Let's start now.

Snowflake Day 6 (late edition)
In your own space, rec at least 3 fanworks you thought you wouldn't like (because they weren't your fandom or they pushed against your boundaries or you thought you just wouldn't be interested) and that you ended up loving.

This was a hard one for me. Not because I haven't enjoyed fanworks that I never thought I would, but because it's hard to remember what the trigger was. Easier with pairings/fandoms, so I'll start there.

1) Snape/Neville, Harry Potter. Terrifying, right? But then you read Night-blooming Heartsease by Julad and asdlksda;lk. Holy shit, you guys, this story. GOD. I just. I can't talk about it, honestly, but it's so good. I guess I haven't gone searching for other Snape/Neville since then (still seems like a bad idea), but this fic showed me it could work.

2) I kind of want to say "anything by busaikko. How to put that into words? Boundary pushing, I think is the right category. Her stories can sometimes strip away that layer of fiction, if that makes sense. They feel very raw. I think its in part that you aren't guarunteed a happy ending with her, though it's not as if every story is character death or whatever (definitely not), but they are entirely, utterly, human, every time, and that means they can hurt, but in the very best way. And I honestly think some of her stories have broadened my understanding of the world and people.

3) So, I want this last one to be BDSM, or D/s, or something along those lines, but I just CAN'T REMEMBER what it was that made me say: "Oooohh, I get it." I mean, not that I can't think of great stuff, but what was the game changer for me? No idea! And my bookmarking just hasn't been good enough to account for it. So maybe I'll leave this hanging for now, and if anyone reading this wants to chime in with possible suggestions, or your own moment of conversion, that would be awesome.

Item 2: Also realized I'd never pointed out the lovely John/Rodney story I got for Christmas! (when one things leads to another) Follow Along, by peet4paint . And then, because I am TOO LUCKY, she wrote me another fic, totally unrelated that's here. Yay, too much to handle!

Item 3: SHERLOCK. I saw the Scandal...and had mixed feelings (including some really high highs), but I'm DYING not having seen the rest yet. Thankfully, friends and I will be watching tomorrow and then I can read all of the reviews, etc. I have been bookmarking everyone I've seen on my flist, because I know I will need to do some flailing once they are done. Oh Sherlock!

Item 4: Finally made myself a fannish twitter! Find me, and tweet fannish delight my way! @nella_citta

*I giggled to myself, but did not actually mean to make the pun there. Does that make it better? Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Flashpoint, SGA fic

2012-01-10T05:09:03Z

So, Flashpoint, Season 2, Episode 10.

I'm just going to focus on the totally inexcusable fact that the show thought it was ok to kill off the underdeveloped black character and not the fact that I am not able to stop crying. :(

I should probably post about something else, huh?

Ok, well, I wrote a story for SGA Secret Santa!

Winter Spelled Backwards
John/Rodney
PG
3260 words
No warnings
Summary: Beware the ice!
Notes: I found this strangely difficult to write, for all that it's fluff with a little gentle hurt/comfort thrown in. Well, actually, since I was trying to have hurt/comfort + plot, and didn't really achieve that...yeah.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Rec!

2012-01-07T03:08:33Z

After seeing the movie for the third time esteefee got inspired to write perhaps my favorite pairing in the recent Sherlock Holmes movie verse: Holmes/Watson/Mary.

Title: Jack in the Box
Author: esteefee
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/Mary Morstan/John Watson
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: N/A
Words: 11,207
Summary: After Holmes returns there are recriminations. And then changes, subtle and insidious. There might be a plot afoot. If only Holmes were more of a detective.

It's told from Holmes's perspective, which is probably the hardest voice to get right, but she really captured these characters for me, in a big way. The way they move so quickly between being serious and silly or happy or nervous, etc felt so much like the best parts of the movie, and there are moments where I SEE RDJ's face as Holmes, and it's really just marvelous. Go read!!

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Three Things Make a Post!

2012-01-04T05:45:27Z

1) FLASHPOINT. Holy shit you guys. I was chatting with joandarck and esteefee the other night and they mentioned this show I'd never heard of called Flashpoint. It has Enrico Colantoni! It's on Netflix streaming! Sold, I said. And, as it goes, just a few days later, TOTALLY OBSESSED. Jesus, how is it so good? It also has the Pink Power Ranger, whom I love! I could go on, but I'll wait for now.

2) SGA Saturday Fandom Appreciation
Over at SGA Saturday, we're hosting a kind of fandom appreciation challenging, riffing off of the awesome 15 Days of Snowflakes that akamine_chan is hosting and some other fandom appreciation events held in the past. It's a month long thing, so you should definitely go and check it out! There's a comment challenge (self-regulated) and a growing list of recs for a variety of SGA fanworks. Super exciting! Check it out.

I'm combining posts here, but I'm NOT combining recs. Come on, surely I can do three SGA recs and three more of anything fandom? Yes, I think I can!

Tis the time of year to be grateful for holiday fic exchanges, and SGA Secret Santa is pretty awesome, as are the mods who have been running it for us for ages and ages.

However, I sometimes find the shear amount of fanworks produced a little overwhelming. SO MUCH fic, where to even start?! And so I often end up relying on rec posts from other folks to help get my feet wet, so to speak. So I just want to call out a couple that I've relied on in the past to help get me into the spirit.

First up: runpunkrun does rec posts for lots and lots of fandom exchanges and festivals, and I am always so grateful. Check out her first rec from SGA Santa here, and stay tuned for more in the future.

(Oh, and I will also include what is perhaps my most favorite fic in all of SGA fandom (possibly best fic ever?): The King of Atlantis. It's silly and goofy and perfectly John and Rodney and teamy, and then the last paragraph sweeps me off my feet. Almost literally. Go read!

Next: tropes wrote, in one of those very early smooch festivals....ok wow, searching for this was HARD, but totally worth it. It's a Post-First Strike snippet, and even years after I read it, totally gut-wrenching, in the best of ways. I read this before I'd seen the end of Season 3/beginning of Season 4, and the visuals and sense of urgency and desperation, SO GOOD. This is my canon for those epsidoes, absolutely.

3) Snowflake Day 2

Inspired by my bookmarks on Pinboard (which, does Pinboard count as a work of fandom? <3333333), a random assortment of fic, essay, and just general awesomeness.

So, this first one is really just on the off chance that anyone reading this journal loved Veronica Mars and hasn't read A Strange New Story Every Time by gyzym . That show had some ups and downs, but I don't think I've truly loved any television more, and this satisfied all of my cravings for the "10 years later" that I always wanted. READ IT! Warning: if you haven't watched VMars, and you read, some pretty HUGE plot points will inevitably be spoiled.

(Ok, but you didn't watch Veronica Mars, so who cares? Fine, go read this is not a chick flick, some hades/persephone from 2009, but inspired by the Greek myths told thousands of years before.)

Second up, a quick checklist: Is there gender equity in your TV? Read through the seven very clear, very simple points that ivanolix put together and find out! Chances are....maybe not. I will warn and say it's one of those things that you can't unsee--even the best of shows have a hard time making every check point (including Flashpoint, at least up to the point I've seen, and oh, Merlin, all Sherlocks ever, Inception...yeah.) Which....is RIDICULOUS. But I can't even begin to say how much I love and appreciate fandom for helping me articulate these kinds of things. Not just in gender issues, but in everything, and this essay is one of many many examples (most of which I sadly did not bookmark) of essays that have helped me broaden my mind and enabled me to speak with more authority on these kinds of issues. \o/ fandom!

Finally, I just want to call out lamardeuse as one of my number one fandom resources. Her SGA fic is AMAZING (the AUs you guys, I just ;lads;lkasa!) but more than that, she's lead me to nearly all of the fandoms I've found a home in these tough post-SGA days. Merlin, Sherlock the movie, Sherlock BBC....and through those places, Inception, which, yeah, I'll admit it, I have been crushing on FOR MONTHS.) Anyways, she gives recs, she does episode reviews, and she's not afraid to criticize shows when they fail and celebrate them when they succeed. I know I don't say thank you enough to her, so I'll say it now, and make sure to say it with the next post. (At least, the next one I can read. I really need to get my hands on a Scandal in Belgravia. SIGH.)

4) There is no 4! Back to Flashpoint, in the hopes of seeing number 7 from that checklist materialize....
Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Snowflake Day One!

2012-01-02T08:56:20Z

I'm a bit late on this, but it's such a great idea and I want to participate, so here goes. Three fanworks. I love being all self-reflective, so while these may not be the best ever, they all taught me something about writing fic (what I like, what's effing hard, etc.)

Unexpected in Common Hours (Teyla, ~1,300 words)
This is the first more-than-1000-words fic I wrote in SGA fandom, and I am not really sure where it came from. I was reading about the Chicago World's Fair (where Charles Ferris debued his "Ferris Wheel," which of course made me think of John. I had all kinds of ideas about Rodney being an inventor that John falls in love with, but then instead this story turned out to be all about Teyla, and a bit of her what was going through her mind while she was pregnant. It made me realize that while I really love to read John/Rodney, I tend to be more or equally interested in writing about the women characters.

There was still smoke in the sky (Elizabeth, ~500 words)
See, more of the women! I loved the "orange" prompt on SGA Saturday (if I do say so myself) and immediately pictured that scene during the Siege where Rodney and John are staring up into the shield that's a glowing orange from the constant barrage of Wraith ships. It's one of my favorite images from the series, and I thought I had some kind of fatalistic story about John and Rodney that would come from that inspiration, but instead: Elizabeth. I think I loved the idea of her character more than the reality we got on the show, and it was interesting to get into her head for a moment here.

Where to Start Over and How to Begin (John/Rodney, ~15,000 words)
Ever since I was a little child, trying to write stories of my own, I've had difficulty being brief AND having plot. This story could probably be thousands and thousands of words longer, but thankfully I had a deadline, so I actually finished the thing. This was also my first time working with a beta, and I was completely and ridiculously spoiled by skaredykat. I am still awed at the time she put into helping me make this thing an into something I'm proud of. Yay for betas!!!

Umm, and as a bonus, I'm just going to point to SGA Saturday over here. It's this little comm that esteefee and I randomly started up at the beginning of the summer, and it's taken on a life of it's own. I thought at first it would force me to write a story a week, and I did, but then other people took that challenge on and it's just awesome. Yay little comm that could!

Also, I updated my sticky note there at the top of my journal, so check that out (permissions and pinboard links.) Crossposted on Dreamwidth

SGA Smooching

2011-11-13T19:53:51Z

I smooched! It makes me so happy that gaffsie revived one of my favorite things about SGA fandom (hint: the KISSING), so I'm especially excited that I finally wrote something for it. There's time for you to write or draw or create something too! SGA Smooching ends tomorrow, Nov 14th, so get to it!

Here's my little smooch.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Podfic: Why so awesome? (Some recs)

2011-11-11T18:51:39Z

I've been taking some long and boring plane rides recently and thus was thinking about how much more sane and happy podfic makes me, and then it turns out it's Podfic Awareness Week, so yay for good timing and deadlines making me actually follow through.

This is certainly not all inclusive, but these are the podfics on my iPod right now, and thus they are the ones that have been helping to make me sane and happy person.

FayJay reading Wordstrings' An Act of Charity/Paradox Suite/Death and Resurrection of the English Language
Sherlcock BBC Fandom, Sherlock/John.
Download them here.

I find the stories I read and like in the Sherlock fandom tend to revolve around a "what the eff is going on in Sherlock's head?" question, and Wordstrings stories, in some ways, are a really direct attempt to answer that. Which I LOVE. They are fascinating and devastating and brilliantly written.

FayJay's reading of the inside of Sherlock's mind here is perfect. I love her voice for Sherlock, deep and snooty and lovely, and how it's not the same as the inside of his head voice. Plus, she really produces her podfic, songs at the beginning and end, just perfect.

Dodificus reading Kaneko's Intersections
Stargate Atlantis, John/Rodney
Download mp3 here, though I have a audiobook file, so it must be out there somewhere.

How much do I love stories about John and Rodney in Antarctica? SO MUCH. This one is that, and all of this amazing back story for John and Rodney. I think one of my favorite parts of the story is how they are both somewhat flayed open--Rodney is constantly being pretty gross, and John just wants him, and it's lovely.

Dodificus's reading makes me really happy. I love hearing Rodney's happy voice and his worried voice and John's laconic voice and his stressed out voice. She's got this lovely Australian accent, which isn't how my American mind is used to hearing all of these stories, but every time I listen, I love it a little bit more. I can't really even say why, but her reading is fantastic and it makes me love both John and Rodney a little bit more.

Winkingstar's reading Setissma's Wide Open Ocean
Stargate Atlantis, John/Rodney
Download here.

This is one of those stories I read just as I was falling into SGA fandom, so it's always been near and dear to my heart. It's funny to read/listen to it now, because it falls pretty far near the edge of the SGA fanfic bell curve. It's still John and Rodney, but in such a different context that they seem a little different on the surface. John, for instance, does not drive fast machines and wear cocky sunglasses.

Winkingstar's reading is really perfect for the tone of the story. Quiet, almost emotionless. But then once Rodney shows up, there's this increase in the life and bounciness of the voices that fits the story perfectly.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

There's my show!

2011-11-02T03:58:04Z

Oh Leverage! I've been downloading and watching Season 4 while doing crafty things, because this show just isn't good enough to distract my full attention. And while the Hardison/Parker/Eliot dynamic that I love has been better this season, there's always too much Nate for me. Anyways, so I mostly watch and try to ignore how dumb it is and just enjoy Parker being awesome, which is thankfully something this show also likes, AND THEN, Season 4, Episode 7,

.......Hardison gets into life threatening trouble and ignoring-all-plot-points, Parker gets all emotional about caring for people (seriously, Beth Riesgraf is like, 10 times the actor of any of them) and then after he's saved, Eliot GRABS Hardison in a HUGE hug and says "never do that again" into his NECK and I watched it three times!!!

You guys! You DO love each other! A group hug between the three of them would have been better, obvs, but it was delightful. Yay, more please! Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Ain't Seen the Sunshine Since I Don't Know When, and a couple of PSes

2011-09-26T02:11:56Z

So it turns out I wrote a story for McShep Match! My first time writing something for that challenge/fest, and it was really fun. The story is a bit of a fusion with Spirited Away, which basically translates to me stealing from Miyazaki's fantastic universe and writing what a friend called (much to my honor) "whimsical and wonderful. a total adventure." So if you'd like to read a whimsical adventure story starring John Sheppard, with a Rodney who has degrees in theoretical atramentium energy and the mechanics of coniliet technology, a Teyla who wraps her friends in yarn, a Ronon who once considered environmental terrorism, and a John who calls himself Shep and doesn't know why...give it a try. Oh, and also: misty train! The misty train is key.

Title: Ain't Seen the Sunshine Since I Don't Know When
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Rodney
Rating: R-ish
Words: 11,901
Thanks and Acknowledgements: To skaredykat, who was a total inspiration and threw amazing idea after amazing idea at me when I first proposed this story to her. To gottalovev for jumping on the train at the last minute and making this story actually make a little bit of sense. Thanks for working through your vacation!! Any and all remaining mistakes and confusion belong to me. To all of the music various lovely people uploaded for our writing pleasure and the whole of Team Sheppard! It was fantastic being part of that community while I was struggling to write this epic (ha, epic for me!) story. And finally to the mods of McShep Match, who ran a seamless and wonderful fest for the 5th year in a row. Happy Anniversary to you guys!!

Read it at the AO3.

(And since I'm posting about things I've written, I figured I'd finally take the time and do a little fic index, so go here for other stories of mine.

Finally, while I still have a lot of McShep Match reading to do, there are some awesome people who have done rec lists (and I totally admit, I squeed like crazy to myself to find I was on some of them. Thanks you guys!!) But anyways, check out almostnever, runpunkrun, and winterelf to start.

Crossposted on Dreamwidth

Help!

2011-08-07T22:42:37Z

Anyone out there have time to do a last minute beta for a McShep Match story? It's a little less than 10K, and I mostly just want someone else to read it and tell me that it makes sense....

Cookies and my undying gratitude accompany this request!

Crossposted on nellacitta.dreamwidth.org

Mind = blown

2011-06-04T06:27:54Z

SGA + Inception. It's....SO PERFECT. Honestly, the amazing fic you must go read (If I Were To Go Back To College, by auburn ) is an SGA AU set in the Inception universe, and it's just incredible. It's so incredibly Rodney and John , and at the same time the science and the potential for making up science that's so key to Inception is perfect for SGA. (Seriously, is this the first crossover/au like this?? It seems so obvious in retrospect!! But I always feel that way about brilliant AUs.)

Check this out: Rodney's got a lot of differences with most of the accepted wisdom of dreamshare.

RIGHT??

And then I fell completely in love with: The way he smells after coming out of somnacin sedation, always just a little sweaty and acrid, the breakdown chemicals leaching out of his skin.

I mean.....YES. Anyways, don't want to quote too much, but I highly reccomend. I think it'd be really enjoyable for anyone who hasn't seen Inception, and I'd be really interested to see what someone who is in Inception fandom but who was never in SGA thinks.

Crossposted on nellacitta.dreamwidth.org

For SGA Saturdays, past and present

2011-05-29T04:08:56Z

Come one, come all, to a new SGA community where your lovely co-mods (myself and esteefee) will give you a prompt every week in order to inspire a little SGA love.

*drumroll*

SGA-Saturday!

We're doing one word prompts and keeping the response time short to support drabbles and off the cuff participation. (Though of course, more involved fanworks are always welcome.) I myself am excited to be immersing more than my little toe into SGA again--a fandom that has warmed my heart for many years. Bring your friends!

Crossposted on nellacitta.dreamwidth.org