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Hm. I think someone (finally?) got around to refusing an exchange fic I gave them back in 2014. It no longer even says " for ______" in the notes. I mean, it's not entirely surprising. They never kudosed the fic, nor commented, and never acknowledged the story at all so far as I can tell. I'm guessing it wasn't to their tastes (they did leave me a blank slate to write with), although the story appears to have been to the tastes of my regular readers over the years. A Question Of Loyalty (3995 words) by tielan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Maria Hill & Peggy Carter, Maria Hill & Original Female Character, Maria Hill & Phil Coulson, Maria Hill & Melinda May, Maria Hill & Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill & Steve Rogers, Maria Hill & Pepper Potts, Maria Hill & Nick Fury
Characters: Maria Hill, Peggy Carter, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts, Original Female Character, Alexander Pierce
Additional Tags: Character Study, Friendship, Loyalty, What Makes Her Tick, Backstory, Post-Movie(s), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Summary: Who is Maria Hill loyal to? (The answer is worth fifteen years, and takes some time to explain.) It's not one of my standout works, but I think it's the best and most concise distillation of who Maria is in the MCU, and formed a significant bedrock for my depiction of her.
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 Challenge #12
In your own space, tell us who you would recast in a film, tv series or webseries, or maybe someone voicing a cartoon or videogame. Or who would you cast to play a character in a book, comic or maybe even your own fiction! Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.Or is there a book or comic which you'd love to see made into a film, series, or video game? This one's easy. Right now, while we're in the throes of epic medieaval fantasy TV shows, I'd like a DAUGHTER OF THE EMPIRE series, based on Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurtz's novels, following Mara of the Acoma's rise through the politics of the Tsurani - at least as far as the conflict with Jingu of the Minwanabi and her success. I don't have casting for it, but a bunch of unknown actors would be fantastic for the main players, maybe a big name or two for a couple of the guest roles. John Cho as the Warlord Almecho, perhaps? Yes, there would have to be a rejig in the balance of male/female characters, since, apart from Mara, there aren't really any other major female characters, nor roles to put them in. But added side plots could bring in new characters and add layers of mystery and spice to the known storyline, so it's not a "this happens, then this, then this, then this, exactly as it happened in the books." In the midst of all this anti-Asian sentiment, it would be fantastic to add an element of fantasy that is primarily driven by non-white characters (at least until the second book). And it wouldn't have to just be racially East Asians, either; there's a lot of room across the breadth of the Empire for a variety of skin colours and cultural backgrounds (and perhaps could provide a commentary on colourism, too). Besides, I can just imagine Lady Isashani, legendary beauty of Tsurannuani and politically astute mother to the new Lord of Xacatecas, played by a forty-something black woman with a commanding presence. Tags: #12in, snowflake challenge
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The period turned up and turned the start of this week into an exhausting ball of pain and suffering. I also have to update my COVID period tracker and send it off to the person doing the research. Alas, one of the work servers went down over the weekend - a major one that is the gateway between the organisation's finance systems with an external banking system, and which deal with payroll. And a pay run is due this week. The server maintenance is not specifically our area, but it affects us, because we are the finance system, and I deal with 'the finance is connected to the gateway' part before the gateway connects to the banking system, which means I'm the point of contact for a lot of the issues that are cropping up. Still, at least my stress is not as bad as the guy who had to rebuild the gateway server. He didn't end up getting a weekend at all, and they need him here at work this week, so he's not going to get TIL anytime soon. Meanwhile, payment things are not happening and need to be sorted out in the next half-hour. And my connection has just gone down... Okay, sent that mail off. -- Really want a cup of tea. Also, could do with a couple of hours extra sleep rn. But that's nothing new. Skipped my gym workout last night because: pain and exhaustion loopiness. Went down the road and got takeaway, that was about as much as I could manage. Better sleep this morning, but still not 100%. Okay, tea made, connection issues sorted, now to this new bit of work. Also: trying to work out if I have leftovers from last night's dinner for lunch or dinner. I'm thinking lunch because I can't be bothered trying to work out dinner right now. Need to do more running/fitness but the humidity is 80% and over and it's just awful. And running is not fun with my right toe feeling twitchy and tender now and again. Tags: life
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 Challenge #5: In your own space, talk about an idea you wish you had the time / talent / energy to do.I want to start making political music videos. A climate change/Aussie bushfires video to Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning, targeting not only PM Scott Morrison and his Hawaiian trip at the height of the fires, but also things like the Australian newspaper and columnists' insistence that It's All The Fault Of Arsonists No Climate Change Here, and the botched-up 'rebuilding program' that has barely given any money to anyone. Two years later, a whole bunch of folks are still unable to rebuild. A video about politicians who mouth platitudes to Roy Zimmerman's Thoughts And Prayers, which is about gun control, but boy it would do quite nicely for Australia's right-wing politicians. (But someone should really make one for gun control in the USA.) I want to make one about the way the AU Feds have screwed up all the time that we bought them by isolating (nationally, state-wide, local area, and household) and social distancing and masking and vaccinating...only to watch our infection rates soar. Oh and one about Scott Morrison specifically, to the tune of Razzle Dazzle from Chicago. I don't know if it would reduce my feelings of helplessness in the political arena, but if I had a bit more time and a bit more ability to stomach watching politicans yabber on, I'd give it a try. Tags: snowflake challenge
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I requested a booking for a local AirBnB, to get out of the house and have the chance to do some writing.
Late Sunday night, they asked me to cancel the booking. No explanation given, no reason, no actual response to my query. Just "please cancel your booking". I'm a bit grumpy about it, actually. I was looking forward to being able to write in a new space, and both to be denied that and the lack of explanation is really getting on my nerves.
It was really close - like 5 minutes drive away. I wouldn't have had to catch public transport, I could have slept in my own bed and come home at night and eaten my own food. But, no. Just "please cancel your booking" and that's it.
I'd have been perfectly okay with a reason, but from a couple who are allegedly "so friendly" according to all their reviews, I'm feeling more than a bit miffed.
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Early night, had the light out by 10:15pm, woke up briefly at 11:30pm, fell asleep again either before or during the fireworks. Or possibly was nearly roused awake by them? IDEK.
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I was never as attached to Betty White as other people. She seemed like a most excellent human being, though. I did see someone suggest that Ms. White dragged 2021 out with her, kicking and screaming, like Gandalf and the Balrog.
The image tickles my fancy.
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The new year is rather warm so far. I want to go to the beach, but I cannot be bothered at this point in the afternoon. 8am? Sure thing! 5pm? Nope.
Anyway, this morning, I woke around 5am, arose at 6am, drove to a clinic, waited in a car queue until 8am, got PCR tested by 9am, had an oysters-and-wine burnch at 11am, napped at midday, ate 'lunch' at 3pm, had the results by 4pm... Took a nap at 5pm, let the chooks out at 6pm. Dinner by 7pm, write by 8pm, and probably bed by 10pm...
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Tomorrow was going to be going to lunch with SSIL-J's parents and the parentals (and maybe SSIL-J's sister) which would have been a nice chance to get to know them. Alas, SSIL-J's parents are now close-contacts and can't make it.
So I'm going down to the beach, perhaps ~7am. Try to do some laps in the lap pools, meet a friend at 9am, probably have brunch.
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Still feeling "bronchial". I think that this year I'd better get that seen to: it's been there for most of the year, and while it gets driven back by antibiotics, it never actually leaves. I don't know if something else is happening, but if so, I'd like to know.
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Bridgerton Season Two is out on the 25th March! I am quite excited.
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Okay, dinnertime.
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I decided not to go up to visit the friend on the farm. All my COVID rapid antigen tests come back negative (they're the 90% accuracy sort), but I'm still tired and exhausted and 'bronchial' (as I've been on and off for months), and I didn't want to be expending the effort of navigating a strange place and my health and the risk levels all at once. So I called my friends at 6:30am this morning (yes, they were awake) and told them I wasn't going. I feel a little bad that it meant the guy who I was supposed to be sharing driving with would have to drive all the way up himself, but... I've rested most of the day, laid in bed and read. The chest still isn't feeling great, although a couple of puffs of ventolin helps. Also, I'm feeling a bit overheated, although that could be because I've been cooking for the last hour. At this point, sadly, I think that the assumption truly is going to have to be that anyone who is doing anything out in the community (even basic shopping) is likely to contract COVID. ( politics, bureacracy, what happens when you let economic conservatives have the reinsCollapse )Finally, I would like to state here and now (if I haven't already) that contracting COVID is not a moral failure. It's not "The Covid Prosperity Gospel" where you do all the right things and therefore you will never get COVID. It's risk mitigation. And although you can mitigate risk, you can reduce risk, it is really hard to entirely remove it. Tags: auspol, covid19, health, politics, rant
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Well, they knew it was a boy ahead of time. Born Christmas Day around 10pm.
And, good news, it sounds like stepbro J is making an effort to be even-handed about the grandparents (3 sets) getting to see the kid.
So, J&J are planning to go over to the parentals on Wednesday with newborn nephlet. SSIL-J's parents may be there (parentals were making noises about inviting them over for social time when we turned up on Boxing Day), and we have been invited to come along.
I should make them a bag suitable for carrying ALL THE BABY THINGS around in. In my copious spare time, right...
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Got my booster shot today. Arm is sore. I'm a bit tired, but I was a bit tired when I woke up this morning so that hardly significies.
Uh, and I did a couple of things on the 'to do' list from last night after I got the shot. But I did lie down for a couple of hours. Now I'm writing journal entries.
I really want to make cake. Or something. But tomorrow is preserving day, since we bought all the fruit for a fruit platter for Christmas Day which didn't end up happening, so we have all this fruit, which B1 claims she'll get through and I am highly skeptical. Like, the melon. And two bags of grapes. And a bucket of apricots. B1 only eats one meal a day, there is no way she is getting through ALL the fruit.
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My YT fic got all the response in the first twelve hours after archive opening. But the recipient has responded and so it is all good.
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Last night, around 10:30pm, we get a message from our aunt. Our cousin's boyfriend ("friend") is COVID+, and our uncle went to visit cousin & bf the day before yesterday, unmasked. They're all double-vaxxed, but just to be safe... The Sheriff of Nottingham got his wish: Christmas got cancelled. The day was basically going to be us (me and the Bs, parentals), uncle & aunt, cousin & bf, cousin and cuz-in-law and their four kids. Cousin & CIL and their fam live down south - about 50 minutes drive across the city. They decided to stay home - they also have CIL's mum, and someone else staying with them (a single mum). Cousin & BF are isolating, so are uncle & aunt, and we had Christmas Eve lunch with the parentals yesterday. So cancelling made sense rather than trying to relocate. Tomorrow was going to be parentals, sistren and I, and stepbro-J and stepSIL-J, who are pregnant and were due on the 23rd. This afternoon ~3pm, baby started moving. So they might have a Christmas baby, but they'll still be in hospital for another couple of days (here in Australia, I think they keep you for at least three days). And with cases on the rise, hospitals have changed up the visiting options. So...no hospital visits this year. If they even want us to visit. (We are not quite the 'red-headed stepchildren' in the scenario, but out of all the family, we are probably the farthest branch, and the one that is last on J's list.) The gist of it is that lunch tomorrow is still on, but without the people that we really wanted to see. *sigh* I feel like fate, the universe, God, doesn't want us to get to know SSIL-J. J&J started dating during the pandemic, we didn't meet her until around Christmas last year, they were married in Jan. Then they go pregnant. I was going to visit them out west in August...and then Sydney/NSW went into lockdown. I was hoping to see them when they got to Sydney...and then they were busy. And then I was hoping to see them tomorrow...and the baby is coming. IDK. Maybe it's all pointless: they're a decade younger than me, I'm the spinster stepsis, the person that nobody has ever asked to godmother a kid, not someone that people particularly want their kids to emulate - at least, not in my circles where people have kids... Anyway, this is the first Christmas in all my 45 years where I haven't had somewhere to be on Christmas Day. I know there are people who do this as a matter of course, year after year, but it's a new experience for me. Not entirely a bad one, but...I rather like Christmas for the people and the food. Tags: life
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Still feeling 'bronchial', but the RapidAntigens (Tuesday, yesterday, today) come back negative. No point in trying to get a PCR until at least Monday, I think. Then I'm due to head up to a friend's farm in the general region of antivax-Central, Australia, staying for at least a few days, possibly an entire week. Going with friends - all from Sydney, vaxxed, and the friends who own the farm are also vaxxed. My friends from Sydney are camping outside; I've opted to stay in the house. Problem is, according to inquiries, around 15% of the people who'll be staying at the farm won't be vaccinated - we're not sure why not; allegedly they're not antivaxxers or medically fragile. HOWEVER, as I said, general region of antivax-Central, Australia. And I am suspecting that most of them will be staying in the house. I've asked the host about it - particularly about the guy I'm sharing a (long)room (curtain separation) with. I'll have the booster by Monday, but it really takes 2 weeks to kick in with full protection. And, yes, I can play health roulette; data is suggesting that while you can catch Omicron more easily while vaccinated, vaccination reduces the severity. Still, one would much rather not, thank you very much. Also: weather indications are that it's going to rain quite heavily while we're up there, which is going to result in a lot of staying inside, rather than roaming outside. *sigh* Freaking bloody Dominic Perrottet (NSW Premier) finally put health measures back in place (mask wearing, QR codes, venue limits) but it's really a case of too little too late. ( ten days is a long stretch in COVID timeCollapse )This is not the post I wanted to make on Christmas Eve, but it's getting made because I just want to put my thoughts down somewhere and I'm afraid you guys are it. -- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyous Yule, and please look after yourselves - physically, emotionally, mentally - in the coming days. May we all have the best season available to us. ♥ Tags: covid19, health
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Negative result. Got a good night's sleep - around 6 hours - and am feeling less 'bronchial' than yesterday (when it felt like my bronchial tubes had their own nervous system). Crap, just realised I should have something to eat. 'scuse me. -- Temp tomorrow is going to hit 35C in the afternoon. I'd like to beach early (ie. go when I wake which is ~5:30am right now) but I also like it to be warm when I beach and temps at 7am predicted to be only about 20C, soaring as the day goes on. (It's going to be really crazy hot out in the northwest Australia, though. CRAZY HOT.) -- Am trying to see if SSIL-J is available for meeting this weekend before baby is due (23rd Dec). I kind of doubt it; she probably has a gazillion friends who are higher. But it's worth asking. -- Just have a new chicken that we're minding for the holidays. She's used to being top chook, Shantung (new brown) is accustomed to being top chook, and even though we've got them separated, there's a lot of dominance challenge noises going on. It's going to be a noisy couple of days... I've already apologised to the neighbours - they have a teenage daughter who's still in bed (at noon). Dad doesn't mind, but I think Mum is a bit more concened about daughter's sleep. Oh well. Hopefully they'll calm down some. Maybe. -- And as it turns out, I didn't have breakfast. So all I have in me is a cup of coffee. Must remedy that, STAT. Tags: chooks, covid19, family, health
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I had my first summer social! GOOD: It went well! People enjoyed it! (There were only 4 people and they were 'regulars' in visiting. That's fine.) BAD: After everyone left for the evening, suddenly I felt like my chest had a hole in it. GOOD: Panadol helped me sleep. BAD: I think something I ate gave me issues. GOOD: I was planning to go for a COVID test anyway. BAD: I wonder if the antibiotics I was taking for the foot masked the chest issue (I've been having chest issues for at least 9 months tbh), and now that I've stopped taking them, the bugs have come back with a vengeance. No test results yet. COVID is shooting back into the 1000s here: a week ago, we were at ~500 cases, today it's ~1700. And our state premier (maybe two months in the job) is the 'don't let the economy die' neocon economist sort, so there'll be no further lockdowns happening in NSW, and screw the health professionals. I am absolutely shattered (woke up 1:45am, went back to seel 2:30am, woke up 4:30am, went back to sleep 5am, woke up 7am...) and have to return a report on a new technology that we'll be implementing next year, and have to prepare the chook guest house for a chicken that we were willing to 'kennel' during the holidays when it was mentioned a month ago, but which we never heard back from the owner about. Until this morning. Dear reader, they are leaving tomorrow. Oy. The rising COVID cases has made me a little chary of putting on the summer salon for the rest of the summer. It was one thing while our numbers were reasonable, but the increase in case numbers and the complete lack of any kind of restrictions (it's all "personal responsibility" now - and, of course, "personal risk" if you end up catching COVID) - is really concerning. Tags: covid19, health, life
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Last night was the last night of Bible Study for the year. Private schools are out, public schools keep going to...the end of the week? Maybe? ps. Dear NSW Education Minister: a teacher's strike at this time of year is the least disruptive time, even after a year of COVID, lockdowns, and whatnot. Also, don't say that the Teachers' Union hasn't properly negotiated: your government locked the Dept of Education into a marginal (inflationary) limit for salary raises, then tell the Teachers' Union that they have to negotiate with the Department for their pay, then tell the public that the Teachers' Union hasn't approached the Ministerial office about payrises. I'm sorry, that is, frankly, bullshit. Anyway, we had a potluck with amazing food (approximate dishes arranged: one green salad, one potato dish, two desserts, and the hosts provided the meat and bread), the adults ate in one room, the kids ate in another, we had some good conversations and sharing about histories. ( Sel's Summer SalonCollapse )Now I have to work out how to phrase/arrange/get this happening...
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