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Family Business, by newkidfan
May. 19th, 2010 05:47 pmInstarec! Dean's an FBI agent. Castiel is an assassin. Great editing.
Find more videos like this on BAM Vid Vault
Find more videos like this on BAM Vid Vault
Ah HELL YEAH, this is an insta!rec. This vid is freaking awesome. The song is Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums, by A Perfect Circle, and the vidder is TikiTyler9.
I needed some downtime and this served perfectly. It's got tight editing, great scene choices and lots of blood, literally. go.back.to.sleep is rife with violent and disturbing imagery, so proceed with caution. It's sort of a... distillation of the violent elements of the show - none of the humour, and all of the horror.
I needed some downtime and this served perfectly. It's got tight editing, great scene choices and lots of blood, literally. go.back.to.sleep is rife with violent and disturbing imagery, so proceed with caution. It's sort of a... distillation of the violent elements of the show - none of the humour, and all of the horror.
The Things, by Dr. Peter Watts
Jan. 7th, 2010 07:53 pmMy new favourite story: The Things, by Dr. Peter Watts. It's a retelling of the 1982 movie The Thing, from the point of view of the alien.
It is fantastic. Read now.
It is fantastic. Read now.
I was so much more, before the crash. I was an explorer, an ambassador, a missionary. I spread across the cosmos, met countless worlds, took communion: the fit reshaped the unfit and the whole universe bootstrapped upwards in joyful, infinitesimal increments. I was a soldier, at war with entropy itself. I was the very hand by which Creation perfects itself.
So much wisdom I had. So much experience. Now I cannot remember all the things I knew. I can only remember that I once knew them.
I remember the crash, though. It killed most of this offshoot outright, but a little crawled from the wreckage: a few trillion cells, a soul too weak to keep them in check. Mutinous biomass sloughed off despite my most desperate attempts to hold myself together: panic-stricken little clots of meat, instinctively growing whatever limbs they could remember and fleeing across the burning ice. By the time I'd regained control of what was left the fires had died and the cold was closing back in. I barely managed to grow enough antifreeze to keep my cells from bursting before the ice took me.
I remember my reawakening, too: dull stirrings of sensation in real time, the first embers of cognition, the slow blooming warmth of awareness as body and soul embraced after their long sleep. I remember the biped offshoots surrounding me, the strange chittering sounds they made, the odd uniformity of their body plans. How ill-adapted they looked! How inefficient their morphology! Even disabled, I could see so many things to fix. So I reached out. I took communion. I tasted the flesh of the world—
—and the world attacked me. It attacked me.
World War Z
Nov. 30th, 2009 09:21 pmOn ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
outlawpoet's recommendation, I'm listening to the audiobook of Max Brooks' World War Z. I found the whole thing conveniently on YouTube. It seems that the audiobook doesn't have all the content of the actual book, but since I've been meaning to get around to reading it, and haven't, this is a good start.
If you've read it or not, I highly recommend the audiobook. The voice acting is superb - the cast is top notch - and the stories are all visceral and immensely affecting.
The book is an oral history of the world wide zombie war. It takes the form of survivor interviews that span the globe, and the outbreak from start to finish. Brooks pulls no punches, and it goes without saying that the subject matter might be triggering. He's also done his research. He's thought out so many of the possible political, economic and social affects of the dead walking the earth. It's a really smart, really thorough work.
Run, don't walk.
outlawpoet's recommendation, I'm listening to the audiobook of Max Brooks' World War Z. I found the whole thing conveniently on YouTube. It seems that the audiobook doesn't have all the content of the actual book, but since I've been meaning to get around to reading it, and haven't, this is a good start. If you've read it or not, I highly recommend the audiobook. The voice acting is superb - the cast is top notch - and the stories are all visceral and immensely affecting.
The book is an oral history of the world wide zombie war. It takes the form of survivor interviews that span the globe, and the outbreak from start to finish. Brooks pulls no punches, and it goes without saying that the subject matter might be triggering. He's also done his research. He's thought out so many of the possible political, economic and social affects of the dead walking the earth. It's a really smart, really thorough work.
Run, don't walk.
comcis, fic, stuff...
Jul. 24th, 2009 04:45 pmAs I said on Scans Daily:
Go here for two pages of mice tradesmen and one of interior art.
My much delayed book club post on Wonder Woman: the Hiketeia is up. It ran longer than I thought it would. Still, I hope we get some good responses, because I want to tear apart the Batman and Wonder Woman characterizations in the book, which I find fascinating. I'm really partial to Wondy stories that borrow heavily from Greek literature, which is why I like my Perez, Rucka and Simone Wondys so much. Ruck and Simone (more than Perez imho) are both interested in a Diana who lives in the modern world, but has strong, strong ties to the ancient world. Wondy needs that as a character. Anyway, check out book club for more on Hiketeia, which is a great Wondy story.
For those comics fans who aren't following the book club, our schedule for the fall is... interesting.
August: Justice League International Vol 1
September: JLA: Tower of Babel
October: Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
November: Pride of Baghdad
Some books are super-conventional, others not so much. It'll be fun, no doubt. As I've never read JLI and only skimmed Tower of Babel, my posts on the first two will be ~fresh~ and hopefully unprejudiced. ;)
In other news,mctabby is once again hosting the Cat's Birthday Drabblethon. Prompt submissions are now open. It's one drabble based on a randomly assigned prompt, over the course of the weekend. Not exactly onerous, and wholly hilarious.
Also, there was fic for me this week.
Intimate was written for me as part of this year's Weasley Fest.
Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
This moment with Hermione felt more intimate than any moment before in his life.
A Sympathetic Ear (Last Assignment Remix) is a remix of my Someday They Will Be Scarce.
Xander/Anya, OC
With his long journey of Slayer rescuing almost done, Xander meets someone he can open up to.
Last night
Go here for two pages of mice tradesmen and one of interior art.
My much delayed book club post on Wonder Woman: the Hiketeia is up. It ran longer than I thought it would. Still, I hope we get some good responses, because I want to tear apart the Batman and Wonder Woman characterizations in the book, which I find fascinating. I'm really partial to Wondy stories that borrow heavily from Greek literature, which is why I like my Perez, Rucka and Simone Wondys so much. Ruck and Simone (more than Perez imho) are both interested in a Diana who lives in the modern world, but has strong, strong ties to the ancient world. Wondy needs that as a character. Anyway, check out book club for more on Hiketeia, which is a great Wondy story.
For those comics fans who aren't following the book club, our schedule for the fall is... interesting.
August: Justice League International Vol 1
September: JLA: Tower of Babel
October: Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
November: Pride of Baghdad
Some books are super-conventional, others not so much. It'll be fun, no doubt. As I've never read JLI and only skimmed Tower of Babel, my posts on the first two will be ~fresh~ and hopefully unprejudiced. ;)
In other news,
mctabby is once again hosting the Cat's Birthday Drabblethon. Prompt submissions are now open. It's one drabble based on a randomly assigned prompt, over the course of the weekend. Not exactly onerous, and wholly hilarious. Also, there was fic for me this week.
Intimate was written for me as part of this year's Weasley Fest.
Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
This moment with Hermione felt more intimate than any moment before in his life.
A Sympathetic Ear (Last Assignment Remix) is a remix of my Someday They Will Be Scarce.
Xander/Anya, OC
With his long journey of Slayer rescuing almost done, Xander meets someone he can open up to.
Comics recs
Jun. 17th, 2009 04:51 pmOver on SD 2.0 besamim posted some Persepolis. If you haven't already read it, this post could be your gateway drug! I reced the book here.
Maus, by Art Spiegelman: Yes, I know this one gets reced everywhere and by everyone, but I'm genuinely fond of Maus. Firstly, the art is wonderful. If you're coming to comics from cartoon strips, webcomics or indies, you'll be comfortable. If you're coming to it from mainstream manga or superhero comics, it's a bit of an adjustment. Stripped down and cartoony in the best possible way, it packs an emotional wallop. As does the story, of course. For those out of the know, Maus is a kind of bio of Spiegelman's father's experiences in Hitler's Europe. It's a very personal bio though, which is what makes it so powerful. (ha ha Triestine, I'm using the word in spite of your distaste for it).
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon: This is a really interesting read, but beware the odd jingoistic excesses. The book is the 9/11 Commission Report, all ~500 pages, boiled down into an easy to read graphic novel. The pencils and layouts are good: clean and readable, for comics veterans or noobs. It helps that the artist did his research. Everyone from Bush to the 9/11 terrorists are recognizable as their real world counterparts. I should warn you that there are some dicey portrayals of arabs and other people of colour, and a fair amount of rhetoric throughout.
Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud: An interesting read for comics veterans and noobs. Scott McCloud's mad writing and drawing skills are on display throughout. His illustrations are clean and readable, and his explanations clear and concise. He takes on the difficult task of answering questions like: what are comics? what is the vocabulary of comics? and, how do comics do what they do?
Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips: I've reced this series all over the internet, but strangely, not in my own journal. Criminal is a dirty, noir series, heavily influenced by 70s crime and blacksploitation films. Everything about it is gorgeous and dirty and bleak as hell. Each trade is a self-contained arc, following a character in the nameless, broken-down City. You can read them separately, in any order, but I recommend starting with vol one and reading straight through though. While the stories stand alone, they're part of an organic network. Places and familiar faces are revisited, if only briefly. Criminal is unflinching, but never gratuitous. No shock tactics, just character development, Themes, and honest, human emotional.
Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson: I'd been reced Transmet about a million times before I finally read it, for the NSD book club. It's very Ellis: packed with neato sf tropes and profanity. It's also a lot of fun. Spider Jerusalem, the gonzo journalist protagonist, is certainly fun to follow, but for me the star of this book is the art. I spent more time picking out the visual references and easter eggs, than I did reading the books. ;)
Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon: This series is not for everyone. But that's Garth Ennis for you. It's violent, profane, crude and dirty. There are few admirable or redeeming characters, and the humour is quite often offensive. Preacher is the story of the Reverend Jesse Custer, who's been gifted with the Word of God, his girlfriend, the kickass Tulip, and best friend, Irish vampire Cassidy. It's a supernatural/religious/adventure series, where the adventures are more Tarantino than heroic, and the influence of western movies is endemic. John Wayne makes regular cameos and one of the series' antagonists, the Saint of Killers, is based on Eastwood's character in Unforgiven. Longtime readers might remember that Unforgiven is a favourite of mine, so it's no surprise that the Ancient History arc, which explores the Saint's backstory, is one of my favourite of the series. Along with everything else, Preacher is frequently hilarious and thinky; it has Hidden Depths.
Scalped, by Jason Aaron and RM Guera: Scalped is set on an American Indian reservation that's gotten rich off casino proceeds. Only, not everyone is sharing in the wealth. The ordinary residents of the reserve are poverty stricken, and abused by their corrupt band chief Lincoln Red Crow. FBI agent and former reserve resident, Dashiell Bad Horse, is sent in undercover, to help bring down Red Crow's organization from the inside. There are some significant issues with the portrayal of Native Americans in this series. Aaron tends to get sloppy, and mix and match the histories of different tribes. Watch for the random totem poles. o.O But don't let that put you off entirely. Aaron gives good hard boiled and grit in this series. The narrative is consistently tight and layered, and the art is gorgeous.
Apache Skies, by John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco: Apache Skies is a beautifully illustrated series that follows Rawhide Kid on his last adventure. The Apache Kid has been murdered, and his friend, Rawhide Kid is out to track down his killers. Along the way he meets up with Apache's former lover, the incomparable revolutionary Rosa, and they team up to bring down the rail baron who ordered Apache's death, and rescue a group of Apache children, who've been consigned to a residential school. It's a classic, highly political western, about a queer cowboy and an Apache woman, teaming up to fight racist, capitalist white guys. And it's really, really good.
The Lone Ranger, by Brett Mathews and Sergio Cariello: This is an ongoing series published by Dynamite that gets much less attention than it deserves. It's good, guys. The series begins with an origin story that retains the vital elements of the Lone Ranger mythos, but updates it. Apparently some fans of the classic serials were (and continue to be) unhappy with the graphic violence. Obviously I don't see the problem. ;) I'm not sure what to say about this book, except that it makes the Lone Ranger cool again, and it treats Tonto as a human. Instead of a sidekick, he's a fully realized character; brother and ally to the Lone Ranger. There's a purity of purpose to the Lone Ranger that this series captures beautifully. It's easy to see how western comics informed the development of early superheroes, because this Lone Ranger could comfortably stand beside Superman.
Maus, by Art Spiegelman: Yes, I know this one gets reced everywhere and by everyone, but I'm genuinely fond of Maus. Firstly, the art is wonderful. If you're coming to comics from cartoon strips, webcomics or indies, you'll be comfortable. If you're coming to it from mainstream manga or superhero comics, it's a bit of an adjustment. Stripped down and cartoony in the best possible way, it packs an emotional wallop. As does the story, of course. For those out of the know, Maus is a kind of bio of Spiegelman's father's experiences in Hitler's Europe. It's a very personal bio though, which is what makes it so powerful. (ha ha Triestine, I'm using the word in spite of your distaste for it).
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon: This is a really interesting read, but beware the odd jingoistic excesses. The book is the 9/11 Commission Report, all ~500 pages, boiled down into an easy to read graphic novel. The pencils and layouts are good: clean and readable, for comics veterans or noobs. It helps that the artist did his research. Everyone from Bush to the 9/11 terrorists are recognizable as their real world counterparts. I should warn you that there are some dicey portrayals of arabs and other people of colour, and a fair amount of rhetoric throughout.
Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud: An interesting read for comics veterans and noobs. Scott McCloud's mad writing and drawing skills are on display throughout. His illustrations are clean and readable, and his explanations clear and concise. He takes on the difficult task of answering questions like: what are comics? what is the vocabulary of comics? and, how do comics do what they do?
Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips: I've reced this series all over the internet, but strangely, not in my own journal. Criminal is a dirty, noir series, heavily influenced by 70s crime and blacksploitation films. Everything about it is gorgeous and dirty and bleak as hell. Each trade is a self-contained arc, following a character in the nameless, broken-down City. You can read them separately, in any order, but I recommend starting with vol one and reading straight through though. While the stories stand alone, they're part of an organic network. Places and familiar faces are revisited, if only briefly. Criminal is unflinching, but never gratuitous. No shock tactics, just character development, Themes, and honest, human emotional.
Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson: I'd been reced Transmet about a million times before I finally read it, for the NSD book club. It's very Ellis: packed with neato sf tropes and profanity. It's also a lot of fun. Spider Jerusalem, the gonzo journalist protagonist, is certainly fun to follow, but for me the star of this book is the art. I spent more time picking out the visual references and easter eggs, than I did reading the books. ;)
Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon: This series is not for everyone. But that's Garth Ennis for you. It's violent, profane, crude and dirty. There are few admirable or redeeming characters, and the humour is quite often offensive. Preacher is the story of the Reverend Jesse Custer, who's been gifted with the Word of God, his girlfriend, the kickass Tulip, and best friend, Irish vampire Cassidy. It's a supernatural/religious/adventure series, where the adventures are more Tarantino than heroic, and the influence of western movies is endemic. John Wayne makes regular cameos and one of the series' antagonists, the Saint of Killers, is based on Eastwood's character in Unforgiven. Longtime readers might remember that Unforgiven is a favourite of mine, so it's no surprise that the Ancient History arc, which explores the Saint's backstory, is one of my favourite of the series. Along with everything else, Preacher is frequently hilarious and thinky; it has Hidden Depths.
Scalped, by Jason Aaron and RM Guera: Scalped is set on an American Indian reservation that's gotten rich off casino proceeds. Only, not everyone is sharing in the wealth. The ordinary residents of the reserve are poverty stricken, and abused by their corrupt band chief Lincoln Red Crow. FBI agent and former reserve resident, Dashiell Bad Horse, is sent in undercover, to help bring down Red Crow's organization from the inside. There are some significant issues with the portrayal of Native Americans in this series. Aaron tends to get sloppy, and mix and match the histories of different tribes. Watch for the random totem poles. o.O But don't let that put you off entirely. Aaron gives good hard boiled and grit in this series. The narrative is consistently tight and layered, and the art is gorgeous.
Apache Skies, by John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco: Apache Skies is a beautifully illustrated series that follows Rawhide Kid on his last adventure. The Apache Kid has been murdered, and his friend, Rawhide Kid is out to track down his killers. Along the way he meets up with Apache's former lover, the incomparable revolutionary Rosa, and they team up to bring down the rail baron who ordered Apache's death, and rescue a group of Apache children, who've been consigned to a residential school. It's a classic, highly political western, about a queer cowboy and an Apache woman, teaming up to fight racist, capitalist white guys. And it's really, really good.
The Lone Ranger, by Brett Mathews and Sergio Cariello: This is an ongoing series published by Dynamite that gets much less attention than it deserves. It's good, guys. The series begins with an origin story that retains the vital elements of the Lone Ranger mythos, but updates it. Apparently some fans of the classic serials were (and continue to be) unhappy with the graphic violence. Obviously I don't see the problem. ;) I'm not sure what to say about this book, except that it makes the Lone Ranger cool again, and it treats Tonto as a human. Instead of a sidekick, he's a fully realized character; brother and ally to the Lone Ranger. There's a purity of purpose to the Lone Ranger that this series captures beautifully. It's easy to see how western comics informed the development of early superheroes, because this Lone Ranger could comfortably stand beside Superman.
(no subject)
Feb. 24th, 2009 11:58 amscottyquick wanted some comics recs. I figured I might as well repost them here. Y: the Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Gurerra: At times contrived and soapy, this one goes for the head and the heart. Start with the first volume and keep reading to end, if you like it. And as a bonus, the fourth trade Safe Word has a little theraputic kink.
Madame Xanadu, by Matt Wagner and Amy Reed Hadley: Shoujo-inspired art with hard-edged, urban fantasy elements, and a story that takes place in and around history and myth. See MX in Camelot, Xanadu, revolutionary France!
Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel: Cartoony art, the politics of the personal and growing up queer in a family funeral home. Obviously this one will try to break you a couple of times, but this is a restrained and thoughtful memoir. Bechdel doesn't go for the cheap shots.
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi: Another memoir, this time about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Part one is very much a coming of age story, it deals directly with Satrapi's adolescence, as she tries on different hats (Marxist? Muslim?). Part two looks at her return to Iran as an adult, and her coming to terms with who she and her homeland have become.
Pride of Baghdad, by Brian K Vaughan and Niko Henrichon: A pride of lions, formerly kept by Hussein Jr as pets, unexpectedly gains their freedom during the 2003 bombing of Iraq. The lions, who've spent their whole lives in captivity, have to navigate the ruined urban landscape, avoid other newly free predators and soldiers, and learn how to take care of each other. Stunning art.
Sensational She-Hulk, by John Byrne: Lawyer by day, fourth-wall-breaking superheroine by, er, day, Jennifer Walters is the Sensational She-Hulk. *insert sparkles here* This book is by turns hilarious, sweet and kickass. She-Hulk is that rare character who can bring light-hearted cheesecake and srs business.
She-Hulk, by Dan Slott (and others): See above. This is a cracktackular update of Sensational, with Jen working at one of the strangest law firms you've ever seen, and fighting threats minor and cosmic. One of her colleagues is a time-lost cowboy. Another is a speechless android. Run, don't walk.
Supreme Power, by JM Straczynski (and others): JMS reboots Marvel's alt-verse take on the Justice League. Relentless, unforgiving and dark, but well worth a read. Like Watchmen, Supreme Power is interested in the dark side of superheroing, but this maxi series has a sizable SF bonus, in the form of Hyperion (Superman analog) and Power Princess (Wondy analog), who are manifestly alien in a way that few mainstream heroes get to be. Another bonus is the deep interest JMS has in the relationship between race and the American dream.
Marvel 1602, by Niel Gaiman and Andy Kubert: An Elseworld take on the Marvel Universe - what if the Richards and crew were 17th century adventurers? What if the x gene manifested in the time of the Spanish Inquisition? Great art and epic story telling.
Cable & Deadpool, by Fabien Nicieza (and others): OMG HILARIOUS! See She-Hulk but with much, much more violence and the stakes upped to the fate of civilization and humanity as we know it.
Mouse Guard, by David Peterson: Sword-wielding mice discover a shadowy conspiracy to overthrow the mouse government, in a gorgeous, medieval forest. Hell, just check out the scans I posted here.
The Avengers Volume Three, by Kurt Busiek and George Perez: Great art and great story lines, this is one of the best intros to Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It starts with a classic action-packed, team-building issue (Avengers continuity is full of Who Will Be on the New Team issues - it's almost become a ritual now), and makes with the old school superheroics from then on.
The follow up Johns and Austen runs are worth a read too.
Uncanny X-Men, by Chris Claremont: This stuff is delicious crack and a must-read for any superhero fan. Claremont's prose is out of control purple - he never uses one descriptor when he could use six; he never lets the pencils speak for themselves. He's got a William Moulton Marston kind of interest in women and bondage, but in his book, the women do the tying up.
French Milk, by Lucy Knisley: The comic travelogue and memoir of the author's trip through France with her mother. Great cartoony, expressive art, and very personal, intimate story-telling.
rec me shoujo / watch three vid recs
Feb. 21st, 2009 06:40 pmI'm looking for some shoujo manga and anime that's not nauseatingly twee. Flist? Oh, and I have two video recs, and a short rec for you today.
k-os - 4, 3, 2, 1: for good humored, stop motion popping. ( Read more... )
Ladytron - Tomorrow: is all soft focus impressionism, and crazy-flying-jellyfish surrealist fantasy. ( Read more... )
Phil and Olly (future shorts) - The Black Hole: "A sleep-deprived office worker accidentally discovers a black hole - and then greed gets the better of him..." ( Read more... )
k-os - 4, 3, 2, 1: for good humored, stop motion popping. ( Read more... )
Ladytron - Tomorrow: is all soft focus impressionism, and crazy-flying-jellyfish surrealist fantasy. ( Read more... )
Phil and Olly (future shorts) - The Black Hole: "A sleep-deprived office worker accidentally discovers a black hole - and then greed gets the better of him..." ( Read more... )
So I participated in the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
hetfic Summer Ficathon.
noveltea wrote me Eternity in a Moment (XMM, Scott/Jean). It's an adorable vignette with them doing some stargazing. What I like about it is how she balanced the ordinary and Romantic! aspects of their relationship. They're both any other couple, and people with too-big destinies.
I wrote Someday They Will Be Scarce (Buffy, Xander/Anya), foryviwriting. Post S7, with Xander remembering Anya, when he comes across an old favourite in a rack of pirated dvds. "He finds himself thinking around her, around the edges of the her-shaped hole in his life, because that’s easier than mourning her honestly."
This is the first Buffy fic I've actually finished. I've got a Giles story on my hardrive that's perennially 500 odd words from complete. For some reason I find Buffy to be an incredibly difficult fandom to write in. I think it might be the language, which I've given up on getting right. Anyway, I'm not entirely satisfied with this story. The prompt was "I never loved nobody fully / Always one foot on the ground." And I thought, hey that's very Xander. It's a really melancholy story, and I'm not sure if I got across how much he genuinely loved Anya, while at the same time being really crap at being in love.
The movie he finds is Casablanca. There's a certain point in S5 or 6 where Anya starts to look like she could have just stepped right out of film noir. Xander of course, has always wished that he were a smooth, romantic hero (which is part of why he hated Angel for so long). So I thought hey, here's a movie that would initially baffle Anya, but she could grow to enjoy, and one that Xander would secretly love, while making fun of it publicly. It's also a movie about a relationship that ends while the love continues, which is very Xander/Anya.
Anyway, the challenge of writing in a fandom that doesn't really, er, 'speak' to me, was it's own reward, I guess.
hetfic Summer Ficathon. noveltea wrote me Eternity in a Moment (XMM, Scott/Jean). It's an adorable vignette with them doing some stargazing. What I like about it is how she balanced the ordinary and Romantic! aspects of their relationship. They're both any other couple, and people with too-big destinies. I wrote Someday They Will Be Scarce (Buffy, Xander/Anya), for
yviwriting. Post S7, with Xander remembering Anya, when he comes across an old favourite in a rack of pirated dvds. "He finds himself thinking around her, around the edges of the her-shaped hole in his life, because that’s easier than mourning her honestly." This is the first Buffy fic I've actually finished. I've got a Giles story on my hardrive that's perennially 500 odd words from complete. For some reason I find Buffy to be an incredibly difficult fandom to write in. I think it might be the language, which I've given up on getting right. Anyway, I'm not entirely satisfied with this story. The prompt was "I never loved nobody fully / Always one foot on the ground." And I thought, hey that's very Xander. It's a really melancholy story, and I'm not sure if I got across how much he genuinely loved Anya, while at the same time being really crap at being in love.
The movie he finds is Casablanca. There's a certain point in S5 or 6 where Anya starts to look like she could have just stepped right out of film noir. Xander of course, has always wished that he were a smooth, romantic hero (which is part of why he hated Angel for so long). So I thought hey, here's a movie that would initially baffle Anya, but she could grow to enjoy, and one that Xander would secretly love, while making fun of it publicly. It's also a movie about a relationship that ends while the love continues, which is very Xander/Anya.
Anyway, the challenge of writing in a fandom that doesn't really, er, 'speak' to me, was it's own reward, I guess.
(no subject)
Apr. 24th, 2008 08:54 pmsmallfandomflsh is a new flashfic comm for small fandoms - all small fandoms. It's like insta yuletide and I'm kind of in love with this idea. The first challenge is: Virgin.Whether we’re talking a fresh, pristine snowfall, an unexplored wilderness, a Bloody Mary, or sexually inexperienced . . . go ahead and twist the challenge however you want, it’s up to you.
***
Now for more
remixredux08 recs:Things Kept (Caliban Bass n' Drums Remix)
Doctor Who
Harriet Jones has always had her reasons, and always had her pride.
Great Harriet voice here. The author does a nice job too, of weaving in and around canon.
Savile Row (The Glass Menagerie Remix)
Doctor Who
He makes suits to order, bespoke.
Martha and Ten go suit shopping and the tailor isn't quite an ordinary human. Nice look at the two through new eyes. This a lovely story and a very cool *remix*.
The Great Bikini Incident (The Key to Time Remix)
Doctor Who/Buffy
Dawn’s suspicious of the three electricity inspectors outside her sister’s Rome apartment.
This a cute fic. That's about all I've got - very cute.
Nor Gloom of Night (The Cairo Postscript Remix)
Highlander
There are days, Joe wonders if Methos is worth the trouble.
I love stories about Methos being discovered as an immortal. This is kind of one of those. Joe pov, and nicely done - enough so that I wish it were longer.
Surrender (the end that crowns the pain Remix)
Battlestar Galactica/dueSouth
Character death and general weirdness ensues. I like this, it's a moody RayK/Fraser story, and I love those. I just don't think the author toof the general weirdness far enough. BSG+DS should equal roughly 60,000 metric tonnes of cracktacular weird. Disappointingly normal, but still very much worth a read for the RayK, RayV and Stella characterization.
A Princeton Odyssey (Alexander Pope Is Turning In His Grave Remix)
House
A night on the town, in heroic couplets.
Srsly. I think the concept sells itself. In case it doesn't, have an except:
O Muse! do sing to me of 'Ventures grand,
The great and glorious Exploits in the Land
Of Princeton, where resides our Hero true:
A Man with Razor Tongue and Eyes of Blue
Who makes Fun of the Morons, heals the Sick,
Outwits Disease with Mind and Med'cine quick,
Annoys his Friends by acting like a Dick,
Delights in fig'ring out what makes Men tick,
Lives by the Credo that Ev'ryone lies,
And swells with Pride each time a Patient cries.
I has a remix!
Apr. 20th, 2008 12:50 amPacking for the Crash (The Black Brothers Variation), a remix of Salt the Earth
Harry Potter, Gen, Regulus Black
If he lives through this, maybe Sirius will be happy to see him.
I went and reread Salt the Earth, after the reading the remix. I wrote it four years ago, so you have to forgive me for not remembering the exact details. *g* Holy zombie Jesus - I'm making it my project for the summer to edit my old fics for typos. Yikes.
So the remix is fab. My remixer shifter the pov to Regulus, and took a look at his own leave taking from Grimmauld Place. I like how it works as a remix - it's both a sequel, and another take on the original story. And it's just a nice read. S/he's got a great Regulus voice, and has their relationship down.
I've only just started reading the stories, but so far I've liked:
Goldfish Bowl (Glass Houses remix)
X-Men Movieverse, Bobby/Rogue
It's hard being normal in the goldfish bowl.
Sweet, with good Bobby characterization.
Weasleys Wizard Wheezes: The Ministry Disapproved Edition (The Liability Remix)
Harry Potter, Gen, Percy
From the Desk of Percival Ignatius Weasley, Concerning the twins' latest product line.
Ok, seriously - hilarious. Percy takes a look at his brothers' catalog.
Double Act (The Straight Man Stand-In Remix)
House, Adult, House/Foreman
Whatever it was, it wasn't with Wilson.
Understated, despite how these two can bring the drama. And hot.
I completely forget everything else I was going to write about. Huh.
Harry Potter, Gen, Regulus Black
If he lives through this, maybe Sirius will be happy to see him.
I went and reread Salt the Earth, after the reading the remix. I wrote it four years ago, so you have to forgive me for not remembering the exact details. *g* Holy zombie Jesus - I'm making it my project for the summer to edit my old fics for typos. Yikes.
So the remix is fab. My remixer shifter the pov to Regulus, and took a look at his own leave taking from Grimmauld Place. I like how it works as a remix - it's both a sequel, and another take on the original story. And it's just a nice read. S/he's got a great Regulus voice, and has their relationship down.
I've only just started reading the stories, but so far I've liked:
Goldfish Bowl (Glass Houses remix)
X-Men Movieverse, Bobby/Rogue
It's hard being normal in the goldfish bowl.
Sweet, with good Bobby characterization.
Weasleys Wizard Wheezes: The Ministry Disapproved Edition (The Liability Remix)
Harry Potter, Gen, Percy
From the Desk of Percival Ignatius Weasley, Concerning the twins' latest product line.
Ok, seriously - hilarious. Percy takes a look at his brothers' catalog.
Double Act (The Straight Man Stand-In Remix)
House, Adult, House/Foreman
Whatever it was, it wasn't with Wilson.
Understated, despite how these two can bring the drama. And hot.
I completely forget everything else I was going to write about. Huh.
FIC REC
Title: Snape/Daredevil in a Nutshell
Author:tartanshell
Fandom: HP/DD
Excerpt: Two men sit before the drinks. One is a tall gent with long, greasy black hair, dark eyes, and a huge nose. A huge scar mars his neck and face. He is clad in black; sits warily. The other man is masked, wearing a red leather devil costume. He sits with the casual grace of a true master of martial arts and legalese.
Why you should read it: LULZ!!1!
***
Recently Tony Stark apologized to She-Hulk re the whole shooting-her-cousin-into-space-sleeping-with-her-under-false-pretenses-and-depowering-her thing. On CBR writer Peter David said:
Guys...it's very simple. After everything that Tony did to her, she's running around in the red Hulk series like nothing happened. When I first started writing "She-Hulk," I had NO idea she was going to be used in that series, allying with Tony Stark as if the status was quo. In fact, it's entirely possible--considering how early I started working on the book (keep in mind I was writing scripts beyond where Dan had finished scripting)--that not even Marvel knew at the time that She-Hulk was going to be there. So now we've got two wildly different portrayals of She-Hulk in two different books, and I felt I needed to lay at least SOME sort of groundwork for at least the BEGINNINGS of, at best, a truce between Tony and Jen.
You can dissect it into the ground if you want, but given the givens, and considering I didn't want to do something cliched and obvious like having She-Hulk and Iron Man slug it out for 22 pages, this was the best I could do for now.
Which is basically what I thought. *g*
***
Why I Hate Iron Man
He just goes out superheroing with no real impetus, and no real style. He's a walking ray gun, but without the Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon for readers to relate to.
Well. I do actually think that Iron Man has a distinct character. I find it bizarre that he's even suggesting that Iron Man doesn't have a personality. Dude (pre-secret-identity-reveal) had friends, and a nickname, and personal nemeses. You can't have those things without a personality! How many toasters do you know with nemeses? Excluding the blonde bombshell model of toaster. *thinky frown* But this silliness is a post for another day, when I will have examples, and possibly scans prepared.
(I seem to recall a conversation incrimsonquills' journal about the differences between Tony Stark and Iron Man - link?)
Title: Snape/Daredevil in a Nutshell
Author:
tartanshellFandom: HP/DD
Excerpt: Two men sit before the drinks. One is a tall gent with long, greasy black hair, dark eyes, and a huge nose. A huge scar mars his neck and face. He is clad in black; sits warily. The other man is masked, wearing a red leather devil costume. He sits with the casual grace of a true master of martial arts and legalese.
Why you should read it: LULZ!!1!
***
Recently Tony Stark apologized to She-Hulk re the whole shooting-her-cousin-into-space-sleeping-with-her-under-false-pretenses-and-depowering-her thing. On CBR writer Peter David said:
Guys...it's very simple. After everything that Tony did to her, she's running around in the red Hulk series like nothing happened. When I first started writing "She-Hulk," I had NO idea she was going to be used in that series, allying with Tony Stark as if the status was quo. In fact, it's entirely possible--considering how early I started working on the book (keep in mind I was writing scripts beyond where Dan had finished scripting)--that not even Marvel knew at the time that She-Hulk was going to be there. So now we've got two wildly different portrayals of She-Hulk in two different books, and I felt I needed to lay at least SOME sort of groundwork for at least the BEGINNINGS of, at best, a truce between Tony and Jen.
You can dissect it into the ground if you want, but given the givens, and considering I didn't want to do something cliched and obvious like having She-Hulk and Iron Man slug it out for 22 pages, this was the best I could do for now.
Which is basically what I thought. *g*
***
Why I Hate Iron Man
He just goes out superheroing with no real impetus, and no real style. He's a walking ray gun, but without the Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon for readers to relate to.
Well. I do actually think that Iron Man has a distinct character. I find it bizarre that he's even suggesting that Iron Man doesn't have a personality. Dude (pre-secret-identity-reveal) had friends, and a nickname, and personal nemeses. You can't have those things without a personality! How many toasters do you know with nemeses? Excluding the blonde bombshell model of toaster. *thinky frown* But this silliness is a post for another day, when I will have examples, and possibly scans prepared.
(I seem to recall a conversation in
crimsonquills' journal about the differences between Tony Stark and Iron Man - link?)"No, I don’t," Rodney said – although, well, he sort of did, except for the just part. "No, no, I.... He’s my friend, we – we like each other." He thought about that for a second, and it sounded...right. "We like each other," he said. John gave him a supremely skeptical look, and Rodney said, "What? Just because we don’t have that much in common at first glance doesn’t mean we – appearances can be deceiving, you know! It’s – we’re – look, it’s like Mr. Fantastic and the Thing, you wouldn’t necessarily know – but they’re really very close! They have years of history, they went to college together!"
"Okay, I know, but– Wait a minute, I thought I was Mr. Fantastic."
"No, no – what? Are you crazy? Reed Richards is a genius, he’s an inventor, he’s a master of alien technology, he’s a fucking physicist! No way in hell are you Mr. Fantastic!"
"Yeah, but...I’m the leader," John said, looking a little wounded.
Rodney relented and patted his shoulder, which changed John’s expression from wounded to don’t touch my shoulder. "The Human Torch can fly," Rodney said consolingly.
"Did not the Thing begin his career as an Air Force test pilot?" Teyla said. They both looked at her blankly. "I have researched your Fantastic Four," she said coolly, crossing her arms. "I see no reason I cannot be Mr. Fantastic, too."
"Oh, now, come on!" John said, throwing his hands up. "We can’t all be Mr. Fantastic!"
Satisfaction, by Hth and Caroline
"Okay, I know, but– Wait a minute, I thought I was Mr. Fantastic."
"No, no – what? Are you crazy? Reed Richards is a genius, he’s an inventor, he’s a master of alien technology, he’s a fucking physicist! No way in hell are you Mr. Fantastic!"
"Yeah, but...I’m the leader," John said, looking a little wounded.
Rodney relented and patted his shoulder, which changed John’s expression from wounded to don’t touch my shoulder. "The Human Torch can fly," Rodney said consolingly.
"Did not the Thing begin his career as an Air Force test pilot?" Teyla said. They both looked at her blankly. "I have researched your Fantastic Four," she said coolly, crossing her arms. "I see no reason I cannot be Mr. Fantastic, too."
"Oh, now, come on!" John said, throwing his hands up. "We can’t all be Mr. Fantastic!"
Satisfaction, by Hth and Caroline
