rsadelle

After this post, I'm no longer going to check or crosspost to LJ. I'll leave my LJ up for now, but may change my mind about that later. You can still find me on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3: rsadelle, rsadelle, rsadelle, rsadelle.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/517217.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Fic Roundup

Undoubtedly (1286 words)
Fandom: Eroica Yori Ai o Komete | From Eroica with Love
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Klaus von dem Eberbach/Dorian Red Gloria
Characters: Klaus von dem Eberbach, Dorian Red Gloria, Klaus von dem Eberbach's father
Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Coming Out
Summary:Klaus turned toward the voice with dread. He had his hand on Eroica's lower back and they were standing close together; there was no mistaking what they were pretending to be.

Not the Most Terrible Thing (1141 words)
Fandom: Eroica Yori Ai o Komete | From Eroica with Love
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Klaus von dem Eberbach/Dorian Red Gloria
Characters: Klaus von dem Eberbach, Dorian Red Gloria, Klaus von dem Eberbach's father, Dorian Red Gloria's Mother
Additional Tags: Coming Out
Summary:Because of Eroica's warning, Klaus was prepared when he arrived at the Schloss to find his father waiting with a pair of women, one older and one younger. He gave orders to the butler before he went in to join them. He might not have noticed the resemblance without Eroica's warning, but he had been fending off eligible young women for years and recognized the type.

Resource Sharing (3476 words)
Fandom: James Bond (Craig movies)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q/Alec Trevelyan, Q/Alec Trevelyan, James Bond/Q
Characters: Q (James Bond), Alec Trevelyan, James Bond
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sharing, Threesome - M/M/M, Double Anal Penetration, Spanking, Dom/sub
Summary: Q experiences what it means when James says he and Alec share everything.

Goals

Report on March:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story. - Check!


• Edit/post the Pitch thing. - No, but I did start a series rewatch.


• Work on the Sherlock post-finale thing. - Check!


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired. - Check!


• Say positive things on Twitter. - Check!

Goals for April:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story.


• Finish a rewatch and edit/post the Pitch thing.


• Work on the Sherlock post-finale thing.


• Work on the Felix story.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired.


• Say positive things on Twitter.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/517100.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Last week I listened to this episode of Insights at the Edge (transcript also available at the link) where the guest was Rabbi Rami Shapiro. Rabbi Rami was a congregational rabbi for twenty years, and now teaches on being a holy rascal and what he calls "perennial wisdom." Tami, the host, asked him about moving away from Judaism. He describes Judaism as, "It's all about God as a male superpower somewhere," talks about issues with the idea of Jews as the "chosen people," and says that many organized religions treat a service as something to just get through. The whole time I was listening to that, I kept thinking, "That's a really narrow view of Judaism." Then I went to a Saturday morning torah service, and thought, "Oh, now I see what you mean." It felt like we were just doing things to get through them without any time to think about what they meant. Also, I discovered that where I know the Friday night service very well, I knew almost none of the Saturday torah service.

There's another part in the podcast where Rabbi Rami talks about the "house-church movement where people who don't feel comfortable at church are just getting together. They pray something, they read something, and then they just have conversations. ... I think what people were hungry for was conversation," which made me laugh because conversation is the last thing I want out of a religious service. I'm not even all that interested in the teaching part - I have a lot of other avenues in my life for that. The other thing that made me laugh is when he says, "we didn't have a cantor so we had whale song instead—recorded whale songs," because I thought, "You don't need a cantor; just sing!"

The combination of listening to Rabbi Rami's thoughts on Judaism and going to a Saturday morning torah service (with a cantor) really helped me define what I want out of a religious service. First, I want a slow, gentle approach to prayer where you get to really think about and feel what you're praying. This is particularly true for me in a Jewish service because I don't read Hebrew, so I'm always trying to follow along with the transliteration while skimming the English translation to see if there are things I don't want to say. Secondly, I want to sing or chant with other people. We chant in my yoga class, and my yoga teacher has various things she says to get people to not feel embarrassed or weird about it and just chant. I find chanting easy because I grew up Jewish without speaking Hebrew, so for me, singing with other people in a language I don't speak is my idea of collective spiritual practice. Part of what I like about Friday night services versus the Saturday torah service is that we sing a lot of songs I know, and when I started going to services on occasion again, what I wanted was to sing with other Jews. Lucky for me, our current rabbi does a contemplative service one Saturday morning a month that's an hour of chanting and guided meditation. It's really lovely, and I do really feel a connection with the divine during that experience. (I feel a little bit guilty sneaking out after the contemplative service instead of staying for the torah study afterwards, but, again, the conversation/learning part is not the valuable piece to me.)

In February, the rabbi's adult education class was "An Intro to Jewish Angels," so at the February contemplative service, she did a guided meditation with angels that I found really moving. (Also interesting: I had a very clear image of the personification of three of the four of them.) It probably helps if you've already done some chanting and breathing first and pause to breathe into each of these, but here it is as best I can remember it: Close your eyes. Take a few breaths. Now imagine to your right the angel Michael, the one who is like God. You may feel some warmth or see a light. Now imagine to your left the angel Gabriel, the power of God. In front of you, imagine Uriel, the light of God. At your back, imagine Raphael, the healer. Now feel the angels surrounding you in their warmth or in their light. Rest in their light. Now from above, feel the light of God pouring over you like honey.

I really love the divine light guided meditations the rabbi's done at both of the contemplative services I've been to so far. For a secular version of a filling yourself with light meditation, I also recommend Danielle LaPorte's Light Scanning Contemplation (at her site, registration-free Soundcloud version).

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/516623.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Fic Roundup

Rosie Watson gen snippet, 600 words
No one else Rosie knows has a dad and an Uncle Sherlock and an Aunt Molly and a Mrs. Hudson and an Uncle Greg and an Uncle Mycroft. Uncle Sherlock's parents are her Nana and Grandad, but they're not her dad's parents, and her dad and Uncle Sherlock aren't married like her friend Charlotte's dads.

Chain of Command (7834 words)
Fandom: James Bond (Craig movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond & M | Gareth Mallory, James Bond/Other(s), James Bond/Della Leiter/Felix Leiter
Characters: M | Gareth Mallory, James Bond, Bill Tanner, Eve Moneypenny, Felix Leiter, Della Leiter, Original Female Character(s)
Summary:Gareth learns to work with Bond.

I Need Noise (2800 words)
Fandom: xXx (Movies)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Becky Clearidge/Adele Wolff
Characters: Adele Wolff, Becky Clearidge, Serena Unger
Additional Tags: BDSM, Suspension, Bondage
Summary:Half the building was dedicated to Becky's workshop setup. It was an industrial space with exposed beams that made it easy for Adele to strip down, throw the silk over a beam, and get herself suspended before Becky came into the room.

Goals

Report on February:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story. - Check!


• Edit/post the Mallory story. - Check!


• Edit/post the Rosie Watson snippet. - Check!


• Work on the Pitch thing. - Check!


• Work on the Sherlock post-finale thing. - Check!


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired. - Check!


• Say positive things on Twitter. - Check!

Goals for March:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story.


• Edit/post the Pitch thing.


• Work on the Sherlock post-finale thing.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired.


• Say positive things on Twitter.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/516571.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Espionage is a Family Affair (78403 words) by nagapdragon
Chapters: 41/41
Fandom: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom, James Bond (Craig movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Characters: James Bond, Q (Bond - Craig movies), Eve Moneypenny, Female M (James Bond), Q | Major Boothroyd, Alec Trevelyan, Miscellaneous Double-0s, R - Character
Additional Tags: Angels, Magic, Slow Build, Dysfunctional Family
Summary:

It's common knowledge that angels make good weapons and terrible soldiers. They're hard to kill, hard to catch, and leave a swathe of destruction wherever they go. That's why MI6 likes them.

James Bond, Agent 007, is one of the most devastating weapons MI6 will admit to having. Explosions follow his every whim and he's nearly impossible to kill, despite the best efforts of terrorists worldwide. He's second only to the weapons MI6 pretends don't exist- archangels are only a theory, after all.

Aren't they?

What I liked: This story is so good in such a creative way that when I made a quick list of highlights of 2016, I put reading this story on it. I reread it this week, and it was just as engrossing and amazing the second time around. While it is a Bond/Q story, the main focus is on Q, his family, and the plot.

One of the most incredible things about this story is the worldbuilding. nagapdragon builds a whole culture and history around the angels, their existence, and their powers. Each chapter begins with a passage from an in-world reference work, mission report, or gossip site that gives us the background that fills out the world around Q's experiences. One of the other strengths of the story is the mix of strong relationships. In the story, Q and his twin sister Vivi are M's children, Major Boothroyd is their uncle, and Eve is their cousin. We get a really good sense of the strength and meaning of those relationships, as well as Q's relationships with the Double-0s who make up their chosen family and the characters we meet later who I won't spoil for you. I also enjoy a lot of the little bits around the angels. When I think about this story, I usually think first about the blueberries.

There is a fair amount of canon-typical violence and a bit of textual nudity. There is no sex in the story, so it is safe for work.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/516271.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I'm going through a periodic recalibration of how I spend my time and energy. I find this happens every few years when I look at what's important to me and how I'm actually spending my time and try to realign my life so those match better. Some things that contributed to that this time around:

lakeeffectgirl went on a Twitter hiatus, and then I discovered how much of my Twitter interaction was with her. Because of that, I started reading Twitter only when I was at home. One of my rules for myself is that there are Twitter accounts I only read when I'm at work. Those are the accounts that tweeted and retweeted a lot of political things. I found that I was calmer and less anxious when I wasn't reading those all the time. Now I'm checking Twitter only once a day, and I've turned off retweets on or muted a few more people so it's manageable. Me constantly feeling anxious and upset wasn't doing me or the world any good.

I listened to this interview with Nancy Colier (a transcript is also available at the link). She's the author of a book called The Power of Off: The Mindful Way to Stay Sane in a Virtual World, which my library has so I might read it at some point. What I really liked about her perspective was that it isn't "no technology ever!" but rather to be mindful about how we're using technology and how that affects us. That framing helped me to notice how I felt different when I wasn't reading Twitter all the time, and to think about how much time I really want to spend reading things I don't really care about that much on the internet versus doing other things I want to do.

A side effect is that when I'm not reading Twitter all the time and therefore (a) not hanging around to see what people might tweet and (b) less anxious, then I'm more likely to turn off my computer earlier and either go to bed early or go read a book and then better notice that I really am tired and ready to go to bed on time (or early).

I've been trying to remind myself on a semi-regular basis that I want to feel light, giddy, deeply present, and connection. Sometimes that's helping me put whatever's happening or what I'm feeling into perspective.

Some things I'm doing instead of compulsively reading about the state of the world:

Reading books. I belong to two book clubs now, both of which meet once a month. I'm trying to read about a book a week which means I read the two book club books and then two whatever I want to read books each month.

Writing. I had a really hard time writing for the first month or so after the election. There didn't seem to be any point. Writing fic seemed so frivolous. Plus, I had a hard time doing much of anything that wasn't trying to absorb reality. I saw a few things about the importance of making art in dark times, but none of them really stuck until I read this piece from Sophia McDougall. This was the thing that let me find inspiration: "But if they hadn’t been there? I thought, looking at my friend. Who was fierce and bright-eyed and smiling. Those useless satirists and artists and musicians pouring their spirits into their art and watching it land on the floor of history like that dropped custard pie? What if there was nothing to look back on in those times but a culture in militaristic lockstep, or perhaps worse, slumped in dead-eyed indifference?" There are a lot of things I can't do or change about the world, but I can write stories for other people to enjoy. I can do my part to make sure that the world isn't all despair. And I can do this easily because I find writing easy. "It's not enough. It's not enough," McDougall says. It isn't, and I'm not sure how much I believe art can really change the world for the better anymore, but the alternative seems even worse. And then there's this: when I'm having a rough time and the world seems bleak, fan fic is where I turn for comfort, solace, distraction, the vision of a different kind of world. I can be that for someone else. That seems worth doing.

Connecting with people. Part of my goal in joining the two aforementioned book clubs was to meet new people who might be potential friends. The first one I joined is run by our apartment complex social directors, and I liked it so much that I joined a second one, which is sci fi/fantasy book club through Meetup organized by a queer woman I also met at a local acquaintance's holiday party. I've been making more of an effort to reach out to and make plans with my two local friends. I've been sending more emails, both as part of a what we're up to on Twitter hiatus thread with lakeeffectgirl and as a practice of sending more frequent brief notes from whatever's happening in my life to our larger friend group. In doing this, I've been thinking about Gretchen Rubin's family's updates emails: "Our motto is 'It's okay to be boring.'"

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/515908.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I promised I would share this if it worked for me. I uploaded a pdf version and an .odt (LibreOffice Writer - should probably be openable in Word) version. Note: the .odt version does not look right in Google Docs because of the formatting stuff, but I thought it would be useful if you wanted to download it and make some adjustments to it.

The hard part about this is that I find I'm putting some of the same things on the "what didn't work" and "to do/change/fix" lists every week. I'm really working on not reading fic late in the evening and consequently going to bed too late.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/515678.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Fic Roundup

I did not post any fic in January.

Goals

Report on January:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story. - No.


• Work on the Mallory story. - Check!


• Work on the Pitch thing I started writing. - Check!


• Maybe work on the Red Riding Hood story. - No.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired. - Check!


• Say positive things on Twitter. - Check!

Goals for February:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story.


• Edit/post the Mallory story.


• Edit/post the Rosie Watson snippet.


• Work on the Pitch thing.


• Work on the Sherlock post-finale thing.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired.


• Say positive things on Twitter.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/515445.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

A follow-up to my best books I read in 2016 post: The Fire Starter Sessions was on that list, and I got around to reading it because Danielle offered the audio course (the audio version of the book minus the introduction plus fillable/printable pdf versions of the worksheets) for free last year. I already had a copy of the book, so I read the chapter the evening before, listened to the audio in the morning, and worked on the worksheets off and on during the day. She's offering it for free again this year (you have to sign up for her email list, but you can always unsubscribe if you don't enjoy it), and if it seems interesting to you at all, I definitely recommend it. I enjoyed spending focused time on it every day so much that I've since made it a practice to do/read/listen to something inspirational at least a few times a week.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/515161.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

A friend asked me if I had any favorite Sherlock fic, so here is a whole post of recs. This isn't meant to be a comprehensive rundown of every Sherlock story I've liked, or even all the ones I've loved, but just a sampling of things I really like to get you started.


Nature and Nurture (203273 words) by earlgreytea68
Chapters: 57/57
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Mrs. Hudson, Harry Watson, Greg Lestrade, Sally Donovan, Molly Hooper, Sarah Sawyer, Mike Stamford
Additional Tags: Babylock, Parentlock, Kidlock, cloning
Series: Part 1 of Nature & Nurture
Summary:

The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

What I liked: John and Sherlock raising a clone of Sherlock and falling in love! The baby learning to talk! Everything about this was delightful. There are also some fun timestamp things in the rest of the series.


An Avalanche Of Detour Signs (56053 words) by gyzym
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Molly Hooper/Lestrade (Inspector), [Molly Hooper/Jim Moriarty], [Molly Hooper/Sherlock Holmes (unrequited)]
Characters: Molly Hooper, Lestrade (Inspector), John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Anthea (Sherlock), Sally Donovan, Anderson (Sherlock)
Summary:

In which Molly Hooper gets a job, gets a degree, breaks a heart, has her heart broken, falls in love, keeps a secret, saves a life, runs a morgue, falls apart, pulls it together, and finds exactly what she didn't know she was looking for--not necessarily in that order.

What I liked: This is a really good Molly story and I also greatly enjoyed her relationship with Lestrade.


Indecorous (55424 words) by Basingstoke
Chapters: 25/25
Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Mary Morstan/John Watson
Characters: Harry Watson, Lestrade (Inspector), Dimmock (Inspector), Mrs. Hudson, Ella Thompson, Mummy (Sherlock), Mycroft Holmes, Sally Donovan
Additional Tags: Asexual Character, Bondage, Squirting, Hangover, Nightmares, PTSD, Threesome - F/M/M, Triggers
Series: Part 2 of Yes Yes Yes
Summary:

In which John learns to balance a kinky girlfriend, an asexual boyfriend, a ten-inch cock, his sister, the neighbours, his friends, and his blog. Some are more balanced than others.

What I liked: This has some really interesting kink and kink negotiation, plus a wholly different Mary than most. (Written before Mary appeared on the show, of course.)


Series: At Least There's The Football by sheffiesharpe
Words: 178,992
Works: 14
First story:
Aftermath (5617 words) by sheffiesharpe
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade (Inspector), Lestrade (Inspector)/OMC
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Anthea (Sherlock), John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Lestrade (Inspector), Sally Donovan
Additional Tags: one Holmes is as difficult as another, Getting to know you, talking about football, Snark, dry socks are important
Series: Part 1 of At Least There's The Football
Summary:

Lestrade arrives at the pool after the explosion and finds someone else is already there.

What I liked: So many feelings! Family (found and blood), Anthea backstory, cooking.


Series: The Sustain Stories by maybe_amanda, onemillionandnine
Words: 151,422
Works: 4
First story:
Sustain (or Concerto for the Famished in D Minor) (70679 words) by maybe_amanda, onemillionandnine
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, Sarah Sawyer/John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Molly Hooper, John Watson, Sarah Sawyer, Lestrade (Inspector), Mycroft Holmes, Mummy (Sherlock), OCs
Series: Part 1 of The Sustain Stories
Summary:

"So now you're behaving like a six year old 'cause he didn't take you along on his honeymoon?" Lestrade said. "Grow the hell up."

What I liked: This series is so good. Kidfic, Sherlock's thought processes, multi pov, casefic. Do be forewarned that the case later in the series has offscreen violence toward women and some onscreen Moriarty violence/creepiness.


Precious Things (people) (5663 words) by rozurashii
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock/Lestrade
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes
Summary:

Few things cause Sherlock to feel uncomfortable.

What I liked: This is a soft, lovely thing set after The Great Game, with cuddling.


Self Service (9478 words) by Calico
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Lestrade (Inspector)/John Watson
Additional Tags: Threesome m/m/m, Double Penetration, Barebacking, sub!Lestrade
Summary:

Gratuitous porn, remixed as a favour from another fandom's double penetration prompt. Yeah, I'm not sure what the redeeming feature is either...

What I liked: This is super hot. I also liked the framing where we know what's happening from the beginning, but when we get into it with Lestrade, we also forget that it's not real.


Ain't Seen the Sunshine (Since I Don't Know When) (26592 words) by emungere
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: John/Lestrade pre-slash
Characters: John Watson, Lestrade (Inspector), Mrs Hudson, Anthea, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes
Series: Part 1 of Ain't Seen the Sunshine
Summary:

"I have two sons," she said. "Ages five and twelve. They're very bright, and I don't say that as a doting mother. I say that as someone who's seen their IQ scores and discovered that the elder was writing essays for a number of university students at fifty pounds a paper."

What I liked: This is an age difference AU where John becomes Mycroft and Sherlock's nanny. I love stories where John comes into their lives and is not here for whatever nonsense they've been allowed to get away with so far. There are some sequels, and also an associated blog.


The Adventure of the Three Bedirrags (11238 words) by marysutherland
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Lestrade (Inspector), Sherlock Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Characters: Greg Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, John
Additional Tags: Case Fic, preslash
Summary:

A policeman's work is never done, even when he's supposed to be on leave. Lestrade casefic gratuitously ripped off from ACD's The Three Garridebs.

What I liked: I really liked watching Lestrade do casework, and his relationship with Sherlock is fun.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/514869.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I read either 40 or 44 books in 2016, depending on whether you count unique books read or instances of reading a book. Of those, a little more than half (23) are things I read for the first time. (Methodology note: this only considers books finished; I left out the one I gave up on halfway through.)

Top 5 books/series I read for the first time in 2016
Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst - YA mystery/thriller with magic that does some amazing things with point of view and verb tense.

The Graces by Laure Eve - YA, witchcraft, mysterious/charismatic family, new girl in town, somewhat reminiscent of The Craft.

Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson - YA dystopia with magic that I both enjoyed and kept thinking about for days afterwards.

His Fair Assassins trilogy (Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph, Mortal Heart) by Robin LaFevers - This is the medieval assassin nuns of the god of death YA trilogy I never knew my life needed.

The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte - I found this very inspiring, even taking into account that parts of it are more directed at entrepreneurs.

Top 5 books/series I re-read in 2016
The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy - By far my favorite Maeve Binchy novel.

Chalion series (The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, The Hallowed Hunt) by Lois McMaster Bujold - Good fantasy novels with a fascinating theology and people with intense feelings.

Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold - Sci fi, interesting politics, including the gender politics. The only scene I vividly remembered is on page 563. The book is 590 pages long.

The Labyrinth Gate by Alys Rasmussen - This is my second favorite fantasy novel built around a Tarot-style card deck, and I enjoyed rereading it.

Attolia series (The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings) by Megan Whalen Turner - This is another excellent fantasy series with an interesting fictional religion.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/514808.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I've imported my LJ into Dreamwidth and I'm cross-posting for now. (I may switch to only using DW later.) If we're not friends on DW, friend me or tell me who you are! Are any of you using LJ only, or is it time to give up reading my LJ friends page altogether?

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/514369.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Stories For Me

all that is good (10136 words) by sevenfoxes
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Bourne (Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jason Bourne/Nicky Parsons
Characters: Jason Bourne, Nicky Parsons
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, unprotected sex
Summary:

You think about Landy, how the hearings meant to expose corruption instead started to swallow her whole, destroying the last genuinely good person you knew at the CIA. You think about Vosen and Conklin and Abbot and all the fucking men who hid behind the flag and a thick line about patriotism while pursuing their own agenda, their own power and money. You think about your father dying alone, believing you were gone, that the last of his family was dead.

“There have to be consequences,” you tell him.

That is the difference between the two of you. Jason wants to be left alone.

You want vengeance.

What I liked: NICKY! I was really excited to get a story all about Nicky. This does a really good job of alternating past and present to flesh out the characters and their relationship. Plus reproductive choices.


make haste from Babylon (3990 words) by Addison R
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Killing
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Stephen Holder & Sarah Linden
Characters: Sarah Linden, Stephen Holder
Additional Tags: Soul Bond, Writing on Skin
Summary:

This must be the new guy, but he sure doesn't look the part.

What I liked: SOULBONDING. I won't give it all away, so suffice to say there's a match to shapes that I enjoyed, and also a pull to keep them together.


Other Stories I Enjoyed

A Divinely Attractive Arrangement (5895 words) by Fahye
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Love and Friendship (2016)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sir James Martin, Lord Manwaring, Lady Susan Vernon
Summary:

A selection from the Private Diary of Sir James Martin of Martindale. Concerning Peas, Friendship, the state of Blessed Matrimony, and several wonders of Modern Medicine.

What I liked: This is absolutely hilarious. The characterization is spot-on, and I laughed all the way through it.


Exclusive, Mutually (1507 words) by youjik33
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Arrested Development
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: George Oscar "Gob" Bluth/Tony Wonder
Characters: Michael Bluth, Lindsay Bluth Funke, George Oscar "Gob" Bluth, Tony Wonder
Summary:

“You realize they’re only even having a wedding for the attention, right?” Michael asked.

Lindsay looked at him quizzically. “Well, yeah, why else?”

What I liked: This is an outsider pov on Gob and Tony Wonder's wedding. It's funny, and I also suggest listening to the mood music linked in the notes as you read.


Aviens Rex (1603 words) by sumeria
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: birdsrightsactivist (Twitter)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bird (birdsrightsactivist) & Original Character(s)
Characters: Bird (birdsrightsactivist), Original Male Character(s), Original Child Character(s)
Additional Tags: Twitter, Yuletide, epistolary?, no politics
Summary:

In which Brad and Steve just want to have a picnic and a Tyrannosaurus is only another kind of bird.

What I liked: This is a very funny story told in tweets where we see both sides of Bird's interaction with a family having a picnic.


They Call it Undercover Work for a Reason (But Not That Reason) (8273 words) by greywash
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy (2015), Olympics RPF
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nancy B. Artingstall & Susan Cooper, Susan Cooper/OFC, Susan Cooper/Nancy B. Artingstall/OFC (ish), Susan Cooper/Rick Ford, Susan Cooper/Rick Ford/Nancy B. Artingstall (ish), Nancy B. Artingstall/the Italian men's Olympic rowing team
Characters: Susan Cooper (Spy 2015), Nancy B. Artingstall
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, the olympics, Actual Bids for the 2024 Summer Olympics, (but everything else is made up), (definitely 100 percent made up), Los Angeles 2024, Paris 2024, Budapest 2024, international espionage, Adventure, The CIA: Have Fun and See Europe While Hitting Lots of Dudes in the Face, Rivalry, Hatesex, Alternate title: The Dr. Seuss Compendium of Hatesex, Would you do it on a plane?, Would you do it at a party?, Would you do it in an alley?, Would you do it on a Ferrari?, Cephalopods, Oh my God Rick Ford be better at your job, Susan and Nancy 2017 World Tour, I have 'friends' at the American embassy, Everything author knows about French accents they learned from Harry Potter IV, (sorry France), Irresponsible use of Google Translate, (sorry everyone), shh shh you have a head wound, maybe guest starring some famous person's second cousin once removed or something just because, also there's a yacht
Summary:

"Cooper," says Crocker. "We've had word of an agent trying to undermine the American bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics."

"Do we care about the Olympics?" asks Nancy.

What I liked: This is exactly as absurd as a Spy story should be.


10 Things I Hate About Reunions (17278 words) by BryroseA
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kat Stratford/Patrick Verona
Characters: Kat Stratford, Patrick Verona, Bianca Stratford
Additional Tags: Partial epistolary - text messages, Post-Canon, the 2nd chapter is just the story stripped of all formatting for accessibility
Summary:

Is there anyone less likely than Katerina Stratford to go to their high school reunion?

Well...maybe there is one person.

What I liked: I loved the mix of Kat and Bianca's relationship and the improbable coincidences that happen because of Bianca's scheming.


And All The Roads Are Blinding (7978 words) by moemachina
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kat Stratford/Patrick Verona
Characters: Kat Stratford, Patrick Verona, Bianca Stratford, Cameron James
Additional Tags: Lovers to Friends to Lovers, Sisterhood, Social Media, History of Technology
Summary:

In the years after high school, Kat tentatively becomes friends with her ex-boyfriend Patrick. And then Bianca gets married.

What I liked: The slow reconnecting, and also the bits about Bianca's relationships with her exes.


Days Gone Down (1614 words) by Nomad
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Eroica Yori Ai o Komete | From Eroica with Love
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Klaus von dem Eberbach, Klaus von dem Eberbach's father, Dorian Red Gloria
Additional Tags: Future Fic, Yuletide Treat
Summary:

An aging Klaus has a conversation with his father.

What I liked: Aging, the connection between Klaus and his father, the mix of that serious conversation with the ridiculousness that (of course) occurs when Dorian shows up.


Friday Night Bracing for Monday (21485 words) by Addison R
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Good Will Hunting (1997)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Will Hunting/Chuckie Sullivan
Characters: Chuckie Sullivan, Will Hunting, Morgan O'Mally, Billy McBride
Additional Tags: Sharing Clothes, Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed, Postcards, Canon-typical language, Families of Choice, Past Violence, Past Child Abuse, Post-Movie(s), Yuletide 2016
Summary:

Chuckie grows up a little, and Will moves back to Boston.

What I liked: Stories about people growing up and getting their lives together are my faaaavorite.


The Dame's Only Doing It for that Doll (1561 words) by major_general
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Guys and Dolls - Loesser/Swerling/Burrows
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sarah Brown/Sky Masterson
Characters: Sky Masterson, Sarah Brown, Nicely-Nicely Johnson
Additional Tags: Rule 63, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sky Masterson, Misses Clause Challenge
Summary:

Sgt. Sarah Brown runs a mission on her own terms in the years after agreeing to a Boston marriage with Sky Masterson.

What I liked: Lesbian Sky Masterson! Also the effect of a gangster and a missionary making a life together.


Renovation (2712 words) by faithfulcynic
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Practical Magic (1998)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Bridget "Jet" Owens, Frances Owens
Additional Tags: Humor, Siblings, Magic, The House has Opinions, Franny watches HGTV, Jet wants another brownie
Summary:

Every decade or so, Frances has the urge to renovate the House and every decade or so the House has other plans. Jet always gets caught in the middle.

What I liked: I enjoyed the House's personality and the battles it has with Frances.


Stories By Me

Every Single Holiday (4043 words)
Fandom: Spy (2015)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Susan Cooper/Rick Ford
Characters: Susan Cooper (Spy 2015), Rick Ford, Nancy B. Artingstall
Additional Tags: Dick in a Box, 5+1 Things
Summary:When it comes to gift-giving, Ford's repertoire is somewhat limited.

First Choices (2017 words)
Fandom: Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: the Bastard (Chalion), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Summary:A growing number of L.G.B.T. Quintarians are choosing to devote themselves to gods other than the Bastard.

Life to the Kingdom (2097 words)
Fandom: The Huntsman (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman)/Snow White (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Snow White (The Huntsman), Sara (The Huntsman)/Snow White (The Huntsman), Snow White/William (The Huntsman)
Characters: The Huntsman (The Huntsman), Sara (The Huntsman), Snow White (The Huntsman), William (The Huntsman)
Additional Tags: Threesome - F/F/M, Infidelity, Future Fic
Series: Part 1 of The Huntsman: Future's Hope
Summary:When the kingdom of the north had been freed and the mirror's shards taken to Sanctuary, Eric and Sara returned to Snow White's kingdom.

Hope Of Our Hearts (4031 words)
Fandom: The Huntsman (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman)/Snow White (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Snow White (The Huntsman), Snow White/William (The Huntsman)
Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Snow White (The Huntsman), William (The Huntsman), The Huntsman (The Huntsman), Sara (The Huntsman), Ravenna (The Huntsman)
Additional Tags: Future Fic, Past Infidelity
Series: Part 2 of The Huntsman: Future's Hope
Summary: When the Heir to Snow White's kingdom, who was known to the people not only by her name of Hope but also as Hope-of-our-hearts, had reached her majority, word came from the kingdom to the east that they were being harried at their eastern border by an army of nearly supernatural strength.

This entry was originally posted at http://rsadelle.dreamwidth.org/514182.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I took a slightly different approach to coming up with goals this year. I really like Danielle LaPorte's year in review exercise, so I did that, and looked at what the new year looks like if it's full of what works and the themes from the highlights of the last year. I've also been revisiting The Desire Map and reworking my way through the core desired feelings process, and here are the feelings I think are going to work for me (at least for now): light, giddy, deeply present, and connection; or, possibly, the more syntactically parallel: light, giddiness, deep presence, connection. (I think the first three might be different flavors of the same thing, but they feel different enough that it's worth keeping all three.) I thought about those two exercises when making goals for this year.

Do regular life check-ins. I think I'm going to create a structure/worksheet for this (I'll share it if I do). The basic idea is that I want to check in with myself every week to see what's working, what isn't, what was great, what I want to change, and what I want to stop doing.

Create and strengthen connections. Do at least one thing every week to strengthen connections with existing, new, or potential friends. Do this with local people at least once a month.

Go on vacation/take time off. Take time off from work at least once a quarter. Go to the beach (any beach). Take a vacation of some sort with Molly.

Attend to my spiritual life. Do something every day that draws inspiration from something outside of me. I have a daily yoga and meditation practice, and there's a different sort of inspiration/spiritual lift that comes from taking in wisdom/inspiration/spiritual teaching from outside of myself.

Make time to take in art. Take in some sort of beautiful, unusual, and/or innovative art every month. This may include: attending dance performances, reading something very different from what I usually read, spending time with beautifully illustrated children's books from the library, going to an art exhibit.

Speak up. Part of this is an intention around making the world a better place over the next year(s). For a specific, measurable goal: write something non-fiction every week. I'm not sure if these are things to post here or on Tumblr or if I should start a Wordpress blog like a Real Blogger. Advice, suggestions, and opinions welcome!

Take care of my health. Specifically here: get the gum grafts done, and start taking melatonin before it really becomes summer to see if it works better that way.

Save money. This did not happen. On the bright side here, I pretty much broke even.

Take care of my car. I had the timing belt replaced, got the recall-based maintenance done, and had the check engine light looked at (repeatedly - it's mysterious and temperamental, but at least they were able to smog it).

Take care of my health. I saw a new doctor; did some things that made my summer depression better; and took time off once a quarter, including three non-consecutive weeks during the summer. I did not get the gum grafts done.

Local connections. Things I did to create and strengthen local connections: I joined a couple of meetups, and tried befriending some people I met at one of them. (They later moved two states away.) I joined my apartment complex book club. Two local friends and I have been doing coffee shop writing dates every few weeks. I also went to services a couple of times (one Friday night and one Saturday morning), which was nice and I will probably do again. Socially, it's kind of weird since we moved here when I was three. It's hard to feel like I can just be myself when half the people there know my mom and knew me when I was a kid and probably have some idea about me that may or may not have any relation to reality. I would take any advice anyone has about navigating that sort of social situation.

Fic Roundup

Every Single Holiday (4043 words)
Fandom: Spy (2015)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Susan Cooper/Rick Ford
Characters: Susan Cooper (Spy 2015), Rick Ford, Nancy B. Artingstall
Additional Tags: Dick in a Box, 5+1 Things
Summary:When it comes to gift-giving, Ford's repertoire is somewhat limited.

Trial and Error (15520 words)
Fandom: James Bond (Craig movies)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James Bond/Q, James Bond/Original Female Character(s)
Characters: James Bond, Q (Bond - Craig movies)
Additional Tags: Aftermath of Violence, Sexual Dysfunction, Bad Sex, Established Relationship
Summary: Things are not the same when James wakes up in Medical after three months out of contact with MI6.

First Choices (2017 words)
Fandom: Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: the Bastard (Chalion), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Summary:A growing number of L.G.B.T. Quintarians are choosing to devote themselves to gods other than the Bastard.

Life to the Kingdom (2097 words)
Fandom: The Huntsman (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman)/Snow White (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Snow White (The Huntsman), Sara (The Huntsman)/Snow White (The Huntsman), Snow White/William (The Huntsman)
Characters: The Huntsman (The Huntsman), Sara (The Huntsman), Snow White (The Huntsman), William (The Huntsman)
Additional Tags: Threesome - F/F/M, Infidelity, Future Fic
Series: Part 1 of The Huntsman: Future's Hope
Summary:When the kingdom of the north had been freed and the mirror's shards taken to Sanctuary, Eric and Sara returned to Snow White's kingdom.

Hope Of Our Hearts (4031 words)
Fandom: The Huntsman (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman)/Snow White (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Sara (The Huntsman), The Huntsman/Snow White (The Huntsman), Snow White/William (The Huntsman)
Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Snow White (The Huntsman), William (The Huntsman), The Huntsman (The Huntsman), Sara (The Huntsman), Ravenna (The Huntsman)
Additional Tags: Future Fic, Past Infidelity
Series: Part 2 of The Huntsman: Future's Hope
Summary: When the Heir to Snow White's kingdom, who was known to the people not only by her name of Hope but also as Hope-of-our-hearts, had reached her majority, word came from the kingdom to the east that they were being harried at their eastern border by an army of nearly supernatural strength.

Goals

Report on December:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story. - No.


• Work on the Mallory story. - Check!


• Edit/post the bad sex story. - Check!


• Post Yuletide fic. - Check!


• Work on/finish/edit/post Yuletide treat(s). - Check!


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired. - Check!


• Say positive things on Twitter. - Generally.

Goals for January:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story.


• Work on the Mallory story.


• Work on the Pitch thing I started writing.


• Maybe work on the Red Riding Hood story.


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired.


• Say positive things on Twitter.

Part 1: I feel scared to talk about how scared I feel for fear that the admission of vulnerability will make me more of a target, for either negative comments or well-meaning dismissal of my fear. I'm a woman, a lesbian, and a Jew. One side of my family is Jewish. The vast majority of my friends are women, queer people, people of color, and/or people with ongoing health issues that require care. I feel terrified about what will happen to us, to other vulnerable populations, to our country, to the world in the next year, four years, however many decades the next president's nominees sit on the Supreme Court.

Part 2: A prayer for the new year and always:

May our hearts be open.
May we be thankful.
May we choose love over hate, kindness over contempt, compassion over fear.
May we choose creation over destruction, peace over war, hope over despair.
May we choose the liberation of all over power for the few.
May we believe the stories of others and may our stories be believed in turn.
May our wishes for life, health, and happiness extend beyond the borders of our own families, our own communities, our own countries.
May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy, love and light.
May our hearts be open.

Fic Roundup

I did not post any fic in November.

Goals

Report on November:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story. - No


• Work on the Mallory story. - Check!


• Edit Yuletide fic. - Check!


• Work on Yuletide treats. - Check!


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired. - Check!


• Post one thing I'm thankful for every day today through Thanksgiving. - I hit all the days, but not daily.


• Say positive things on Twitter. - Some.

Goals for December:

• Work on the each 00 has their own Q story.


• Work on the Mallory story.


• Edit/post the bad sex story.


• Post Yuletide fic.


• Work on/finish/edit/post Yuletide treat(s).


• Write miscellaneous snippets as inspired.


• Say positive things on Twitter.

Today I'm thankful for having enough that I could make a donation to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. #NoDAPL

November 22
Today I'm thankful for getting all my Thanksgiving grocery shopping done.

November 23
Today I'm thankful for my friends. You're all great. Even the ones who aren't reading this. ♥