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DCU musings [Dec. 13th, 2009|03:56 pm] [ Tags | dcu, fandom talk ] [ Mood | horny ] Specifically, porn. (What? it's Sunday, I'm allowed some porn! And since there doesn't seem to be any of the good fresh kind around, I have to think thinly-disguised-as-meta thoughts about porn instead.) Even more specifically, kinky porn. ( Bruce and his Robins -- not everyone's cuppa cognac, therefore: cut. ) Now, if only I had the writing skills to pull off something in this vein... grrr! *frustratedly kicks things* Link Speak!

Narrative kinks: communication failure? [Nov. 15th, 2009|05:12 pm] [ Tags | dcu, dl, fandom talk, sherlock holmes, star trek, tarik, writing ] [ Mood | pensive ] I've been thinking about narrative kinks lately, and the many different ones I have. A major one I came up with is a kink for silence. Not enforced silence (gags, or the like), but the kind of silence that arises because the characters fail to communicate. That may well be because somewhat distant, emotionally repressed characters are whom I tend to like best.* And while having these characters' emotional floodgates burst can be its own kind of emotional porn (if written well), the version of events I will actually believe in (as opposed to possibly-prefer-in-a-happy-fanatsy kind of way) is the one where communication fails to happen. Or happens, but fails to be conclusive, or satisfying. This doesn't have to be, but tends to be more pronounced, in pairing fic. Because you can have the characters have sex and still not be happy, or really "get" each other. And I, for some reason, absolutely love that. And if communication does eventually happen, after what I can sometimes see as years of failed attempts (take, for example, Kirk and Spock at the end of ST:TMP), I find it is infinitely sweeter and has more of an emotional impact. But, see, I don't even need an eventual happy ending for this kink to work. Quite the opposite: in most cases, I prefer the silence to be terminal. I also think there are numerous ways to play with this: while there's the possibility of having characters speak but not really understand each other on more than the surface level, there's also that of having them be silent, but still communicate to a certain degree via physical cues. I must say I find the misunderstandings resulting from both equally tempting. * And boy, is that list long: Mr Spock (pre-V'ger), Raistlin Majere, Sherlock Holmes, Bruce Wayne... to name but my primary fandoms. Also, Tarik from my original stuff. Link Speak!

Interesting meme, stolen from Kindkit [Oct. 6th, 2009|09:54 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, meme ] [ Mood | productive ] Name a character I've written fic you know I'm fannish about, and I'll answer the following questions about him or her: 1. What would your character kill for? What would they die for? 2. What would they refuse to do under any circumstances? Why? 3. What do they dream about? 4. What’s their biggest fear? 5. What single object would they be most hard pressed to part with? Why? 6. What is their fondest memory? 7. What is their worst memory? 8. What or who was their most significant influence? Expound. 9. What do they believe makes a successful life? 10. What makes them laugh? 11. What are their religious views? 12. What is their greatest strength? 13. Do they have a fatal flaw? If so, what is it? 14. Who is the most important person in their life? 15. If they died, who would miss them most? How would they die? Link Speak!

Really, brain? [Sep. 7th, 2009|11:53 am] [ Tags | fandom talk, outlander, perdido street station, writing ] I often dream bizarre stuff, and I often dream fannish stuff, and occasionally, both things mix, but usually it's vague, fragmented and I don't remember much. But last night I dreamed I was on vacation with Lord John(1), of all people, who collected me from home in a flashy convertible and one of those oversized US caravans, whereupon we headed for the beach and (after being locked in a supermarket all night(2)) spent all day ogling surfer boys together. (And let me tell you, that's an odd experience with someone dressed in an 18th century British officer's uniform.) I've realised that as far as platonic co-habiting goes, you couldn't do much better than Lord John. (In fact, the list of "characters I'd move in with" is scarily short -- though still longer than my list of real people. ":-/) I hope we see some more of him in the new book than we did recently. (I fear I may well be the only person with an emotional kink for John/Jamie/Claire scenes, and that makes me sad, because this way no one pesters Gabaldon into writing them.) (1) I've been rereading Outlander in preparation for the new book coming out this month, and also gushed about the books to Hyel, so that may be it. (2) I suspect that was because I forgot to shop before the weekend and therefore had neither bottled water, nor toilet paper, and -- worst of all -- no chocolate for all of yesterday, so sleep sent me shopping.) ~~~~~~~~~~ In other news, I've started reading China Miéville's Perdido Street Station (thanks to Vulgarweed, who recced it a while ago, and Dingsi, who provided a link for free downloading). Let me just say, HOLY FUCK, NIGHTMARE FUEL!!! The overall feel is what you'd expect from a steampunk fantasy novel: a mixture of Victorian London and dystopian sci-fi, complete with alien races. But at the same time, it's something very different, and I'm not yet sure whether I love or hate it. I've put off continuing reading to such a degree that I even made some progress with my original stuff (you could almost call it self-defence O_o), but the idea of putting it away for good doesn't seem possible, either. Detailed review definitely forthcoming when I'm done. Link Speak!

Mmmm, cozy! [Sep. 3rd, 2009|07:34 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, life ] [ Mood | happy ] [ Music | The Scorpions ] According to the windy, cool (YAY!) weather outside, it's almost time for this autumn's first tea. (I find tea in warm weather somewhat repulsive.) I think I'll have the annual little ceremony on Sunday. Right now I'm happily wrapped in my bed (I don't care what time it is -- no one sees me!), with my beloved shiny blue satin bedclothes on the duvet and my fluffy zebra bedspread under me, freshly showered (note to self: don't shave in the semi-dark -- the bathroom is disgusting enough without puddles of blood all over the place), have my favourite PJs on, my laptop along (which didn't work on the bed in the old place, so yay) and a bar of almond chocolate by my side, and can watch the low sun paint the storm-tossed tree in front of my window golden from under the dramatically towering clouds. My life is waaaay too good, people. (Well, except for how it'll be awful this time next year and the small matter that I currently can't seem to get any writing done. *sigh*) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And I think the final word on SurveyFail'09 should be this. Let's end this one on laughter, not tears, shall we? Link Speak!

General update [Sep. 2nd, 2009|10:06 am] [ Tags | fandom talk, life ] [ Mood | cheerful ] [ Music | Gossip ] I think I'm getting the hang of this whole jogging thing. It was almost easy today! I suspect the main issue was that I was running too fast before, with too long strides and therefore constantly out of breath. (I'm more of a sprinter than an endurance person, always have been.) I made an effort to go slowly today, and voilà! But it also helped that the weather has cooled down a bit and I bought a new bra. Bras are love! Other than that, things are not all that great: I'm still procrastinating my assignments and without a proper deadline there's no end in sight, I'm having a major spell of future!angst, and several of my friends have relationship trouble -- which for some reason they all tell me about. Of course, it's flattering to be the confidante, but I sadly doubt I'm the right person to offer useful advice, my first and last "real" relationship having ended when I was barely fourteen and all. I hate being unable to actually help, but maybe just being there to listen is better than nothing? *sigh* Well, at least it makes me feel less frustrated about being single when everyone else is paired up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In fandom news, SurveyFail'09 continues merrily. Several of the aca-fans have written formal letters to the researchers' university, complaining about their shoddy methods (like biased questions, or altering the survey in mid-research -- WTF?) and IP-logging without consent. *rubs hands* I can't wait to see the epic smack-down! I hope someone remembers to inform their publisher as well, so their overpriced piece-of-crap book deal goes down the drain. And because fandom wouldn't be fandom without obeying Rule 34, someone wrote ResearcherGuys RPS! Awesome. Let them get a taste of what fandom does best: porn. Hopefully the lovingly detailed description of them getting it on with each other will squick them out enough to run for the hills and never look back. Leave us in peace, damnit! ETA: As of tonight, 9 pm, the shitstorm seems to be coming down! *glee* Boston University denies affiliation with these guys or their 'research' project, they do not have scientific funding or acknowledgement from anywhere else, either (which explains why they thought they could get away with shoddy research methods and patronising behaviour -- fandom is a bunch of pervy thirteen-year-old girls after all *snort*), and lead idiot Ogi Ogas locked his personal journal down after it got swamped with several pages worth of macros and biting commentary in response to his letting his ass hang out with derogatory terminology. Good luck with ever rebuilding yourself a scientific reputation -- not! Which shows again: Don't fuck with fandom, for fandom will fuck back! And we will use our biggest, shiniest strap-on and no lube whatsoever. Link 2 comments|Speak!

Taking this here so as not to harsh other people's squee in their own journal [Aug. 17th, 2009|09:19 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, star trek ] [ Mood | bitchy ] My f-list keeps on gushing about the new Star Trek movie... How they love the actors and the new universe and how active a fandom there suddenly is. And I? I feel stabbed in the gut whenever people say stuff like that. I wanted to like the movie and be happy about my resurrected fandom, I really did, but by now I've come to resent it deeply. I've even defriended most Trek-related comms. I resent the new!actor picspams and how it's pretty much impossible to find decent TOS fic now, even harder than it was before the movie, because people just mix Reboot backstory and characterisation into everything and I FUCKING HATE IT. Those are not the characters I love! It's just an AU, and not even a good one! Link 2 comments|Speak!

I think the heat is affecting my brain -- all I see is so... shiny! [Jul. 1st, 2009|09:42 pm] [ Tags | challenges/exchanges, fandom talk, hornblower ] [ Mood | hot ] I've watched the entire Hornblower miniseries now... (And why isn't there more? Whyyy? The last episode was awful! Don't let it end on that note!) I definitely have a new fandom. It's so very shiny! Pretty men in silk stockings all over sexy uniforms! Sailing ships so lovely they basically constitute a new kind of porn! Cannon! Explosions! Funny hats! But mostly, pretty men. And lots of subtext between them. Oh yes... Now I need fic recs. Come on, folks, I know you have them! Preferably epic ones! As to pairings, I'm pretty much game for anything; it's amazing how many possibilities there are, really. Well, it is the British Navy. My favourite ships so far are Horatio/Archie and Horatio/Bush (also, I crave Horatio/Archie/Bush... it must exist somewhere, right?), though I think the most constant one is Horatio/Pellew, I just doubt it ever goes somewhere, with all the formality between them. (But I'd be glad to be proven wrong on that.";-]) But you can also make a good case for lots of others. Pretty much the only thing I don't want to see is Horatio/Matthews, because, well, father figure. (Why, yes I do have double standards where DCU fandom is concerned, why do you ask?) And feel free to rec good gen as well! And I'm wondering whether to sign up for Genre_Twisting with my shiny new fandom. Because it's not like I'm still busily procrastinating Kink_Bingo or something... *cough* Link Speak!

All alone again... [Jun. 28th, 2009|10:42 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, hornblower, life, lj friends, nobody, recs, star trek, star wars, travelling ] [ Mood | sleepy ] I spent the entirety of last week with Spacelogic, and it was awesome! She got me into the BBC Hornblower miniseries (sooooo pretty *activates shallow fannish enjoyment mode*), roughly a decade after I read the books, enlightened me as to what that MST3K thing everyone talks about is (it's Mystery Science Theatre 3000, a show that snarks the worst movies ever made -- I'm not sure I like it, as it's a bit overly colourful and silly, but the movies are really awesomely bad and snarkworthy, even though I prefer to do my own snarking), and installed the magic that is Firefox (no, I didn't have that before because I didn't think there was a way for something this awesome to be free -- yes, I fail at computer geekery badly). In turn I gave her some TOS novels to read (I have more than 50 of those -- geek rep saved), got her hooked on Temeraire (and, more importantly, into Laurence/Temeraire), made her watch the deconstructive silliness that is the first Nobody movie (the second part is a lot funnier and very OT3ish, but it's sadly not on Youtube -- and why is there no fandom for either? You're all fired!), and almost gave her food poisoning. (She was even more shocked about my eating habits than most people, but gracefully went along with exotic-to-her stuff like my special rolled-up pancakes with tuna-creme-fraiche filling -- and survived.) I'm somewhat glad to be alone again, antisocial hermit that I am, but I'll miss the fannish and political discussions, as well as the language geekery dearly. I wish she didn't live half a world away. *sadface* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In non-fannish real life news: - Michael Jackson is dead. Which apparently means that, from one moment to the next, no one will dare say anything negative about him for quite a while, no matter how justified it might be. Hypocrites. - It was my 23rd birthday last Friday and it was absolutely meaningless, as every birthday since my 18th has been. I kind of miss the time when birthdays were all exiting and actually changed something. Now you just grow older and closer to senility every year. - It seems there will be a camping trip with friends this summer after all. (I did post that with the breaking apart of my circle of friends and all, it looked like I'd have to go back to camping alone, didn't I?) Only, instead of the entire clique, we'll be but three, and instead of the by-now-traditional trip to the Netherlands, we'll go to one of the German Islands. - I've gotten a wedding invitation from a formerly quite good friend I haven't seen or spoken to in over two years, who's now about to marry a guy I've never met in my life -- or even knew existed. But well, I'm happy she remembered me. The only problems: a) I don't like weddings, b) I'm almost 100% sure that my former-best-friend-I'm-still-not-over-losing will be there, which could be awkward, c) it's sort of implied that significant others are also invited and I'll probably be the only person without a date there yet again (not that I care much, but the mock-concerned condescension from people I see every year or so is starting to grate on my nerves), and d) I do not have the foggiest notion on wedding etiquette (other than general good behaviour, like not overdoing the drinking and keeping the stains on the tablecloth at a minimum). Therefore, etiquette questions to the German f-listers: 1) Do I absolutely have to wear something fancy? Because the only suit I own is the one I wore for my graduation and it's a size too small by now, not to mention desperately out of style, even with the worst of the bellbottoms sewn inwards. Is there any way whatsoever to get away with jeans and a blouse instead? 2) How much money is the minimum for presents etc? Is it all right to buy one collectively with another friend or would that look weird coming from a non-couple? Because we are all starving students and can't afford something expensive, especially if I have to invest in new fancy trousers beforehand as well. 3) There is no remark in regards to feedback on the invitation. So, should I send confirmation of my coming or will not answering automatically be assumed as such? Since the only weddings I've been to since I was a kid (where I spent them playing with the dogs under the table), were ones I was hired waitressing, so any and all wedding-guest-behaviour-related advice is welcome! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And apparently the internet exploded with wank while I was away? And on a topic that's been beaten to death several times before, too. Congrats. *eyeroll* Why not rant about this instead? Bacardi's feminism (and just generally human decency) fail. Or, to lift your mood: Chewbacca slash. No really. Not Han/Chewie, sadly, but I take what I can get, so Chewbacca/Jack Harkness it is. (I don't have half a clue about Torchwood, but even I am aware of the Jack Harkness-would-sleep-with-just-about-anyonething cliché, and this story really is fun!) Fellow language and/or mythology geeks will like this very entertaining post about recent car-naming facepalm. Link Speak!

Writing and (inappropriate) music [Jun. 14th, 2009|02:10 pm] [ Tags | dcu, fandom talk, music, writing ] [ Mood | guilty ] [ Music | Vaya con Dios -- no, my roommates aren't home, why do you ask? ] You know how you associate certain music with certain fandoms? I have that very strongly. It helps a lot when you need to get yourself in the mood for writing something. Sometimes it's a general association (a band and a fandom), sometimes a specialised one (a song and a character or pairing), but in one way or another, it's always there. Most times it even fits, as with Enya and LotR, general sixties music and Star Trek, or Metallica and my original fic. But sometimes a pretty weird combination comes from somewhere and just... sticks, against everything I try. That's the case with Gotham and Vaya con Dios. Yes, you heard that correctly. Vaya con Dios. And Gotham. *facepalm* And the thing is, I don't even like the band (or their style of music in general) all that much. They have some good songs, yes, but several really horrible ones, too. Not to mention that songs about broken-hearted mafia-brides and stories about gay vigilantes tend to... uh... clash a tiny little bit. They aren't character-specific, or pairing-specific (luckily, because that would be brain-breaking though one day I'll totally write cheesy 1920s AU Birdboys-in-drag fic set to Nah Neh Nah, at which point you should probably shoot me for the greater good), but somehow this kind of music, where you imagine a smoky-voiced lady in a long dress singing depressing, half-jazzy-half-sea-shanty songs to her gangster-clientele in a shady, dark, run-down club by the docks, fits my film-noir image of Gotham very well. (Especially songs like Forever Blue, At the Parallel, Time Flies, Stay with Me, Just a Friend of Mine, Far Gone Now and my unbeaten personal fave in this context, Night Owls (Listen and tell me that's not Gotham!), but actually, most of their vast discography work. Bonus: Don't Cry for Louie The ultimate Matches Malone song. Tell me you don't see it, I dare you!) Actually, I'm somewhat horrified and disturbed by this whole thing. Alright, more than somewhat. WTF, brain? This much cheesiness isn't like you! D-:> Feel free to laugh -- or better yet, commiserate: Tell me your most inappropriate writing music! Link Speak!

*rant* [Jun. 11th, 2009|11:22 am] [ Tags | fandom talk, star trek ] [ Mood | bitchy ] Oh come on, Star Trek fandom! I like how you've come back to life recently (even if I'm not fond of the reason why) and that so many new people have joined, but what really bugs me is the nasty little habits they brought with them. Yes, I'm referring to weird pairing smushes and misspelt character names here. But mostly? Nu!Trek. WHAT THE FUCK, PEOPLE? Is it so much bother to type this tiny, tiny word correctly? NEW. There, was that hard? NEW. New!Trek. Doesn't that just look so much better? Not everyone speaks your weird yod-dropping dialect, you know. (Yes, I know I'm ranting about this so I won't have to deal with the larger issues. So what?) Link 5 comments|Speak!

Urgh... [Aug. 7th, 2008|05:49 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, life ] [ Mood | busy ] [ Music | Nickelback ] Procrastination reaching critical levels. Five and a half days to go. Twenty pages still ahead. At least I've gotten started on the research. (Insofar as I've gotten - though not read - some books from the library. *cough*) Slowly, the necessary feeling of "Wuuuaaaaahhhhh, I CAN NEVER MAKE IT THIS TIME" is kicking in. Still don't want to, either. Modern history just bores the hell out of me, especially if it's all about treaties and economy stuff. I'd much rather go back to my sweet life of horseriding and reading porn. (Te's latest novel-length fic is out! YAY! *bounces* Only, I've already read it through in less than three nights. *sadface*) Anyway. I'm now leaving to a) giveback tons of other people's stuff I borrowed and found during a bout of procratination-induced tidying, b) buy tons of chocolate and licorice to carry me through the acute phase of the paper panic, and c) go to the cinema with A and T to see the new X-Files movie. I want to see if it's really as bad as everyone said, or if there's a slim chance of reviving my interest in an old fandom, after all. In any case it's sure to bring a ton of memories back. Melancholy cinema for the win. Link 1 comment|Speak!

5 Stories I'd Like to See Meme [Aug. 3rd, 2008|03:30 pm] [ Tags | dcu, dl, fandom talk, lotr, meme, outlander, temeraire, writing ] [ Mood | hopeful ] [ Music | Billy Talent ] ( Because all the cool kids are doing it. ) Link Speak!

Scrubs [Jul. 17th, 2008|08:22 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, scrubs ] [ Mood | disappointed ] I've never been truly fannish about Scrubs (in the sense of obsessively catching every episode, reading or writing fic, or hunting down info on the net) but it was nice, amusing comfort TV - much like Xena used to be when I was twelve, only with less butchered mythology and more sensible clothing - and I used to watch it whenever I was accidentally home and had a TV at the time. I could identify with JD's daydreaming, blundering and social awkwardness, slash him with Turk (or with Dr Cox, when I was having a sadistic day *g*, it's both almost canon anyway), laugh a little and leave cheered. But lately... I have the feeling the series isn't what it used to be.( Cut for (possibly spoilery, though Germany is a season or so behind anyway) rambling... ) Yeah, I know, the whole thing's not really important, but I felt like ranting (while I procrastinate my actual writing for the deadline of Penknife's challenge, which is tomorrow) and desperately wait for someone to post something interesting to read *hint hint*). Link Speak!

Movie love!!! [May. 18th, 2008|10:38 pm] [ Tags | fandom talk, indiana jones, movie reviews, star trek, x-files ] [ Mood | procrastinating again ] Major squee for Being Human! Dingsi helped me procrastinate by sending me the links to this pilot for a British series-yet-to-come, about -- wait for it! -- a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost room-sharing. Which is as fun as it sounds, but also has lovely serious moments, as well as loveable characters. It also has the added benefits of being so slashable that the subtext is shamelessly made into text and having the hottest vampire since Anne Rice stopped writing good books. (Though in a mostly different way.) If you ever wondered what my type of guy looks (and behaves and moves and talks) like, he's the perfect example. *drools heavily* The only thing that I really disliked -- especially in the light of the recent discussions in fandom -- was that the only important black character is also the movie's bad guy. Just no. Other than that, it's seriously squee-inducing. Well, I'll leave it to Dingsi, who promised that he'll have a "pimp post" up in a few days, to explain more (and with screencaps). I'll just link then. Seriously, people, go find the whole thing on youtube! Unrelated to that, cinema seems determined to bring my childhood back this summer: Indiana Jones IV, X-Files II and, most importantly, the new Star Trek prequel. The first is bound to be fun in a pop-cornish way, but I'm not sure about the latter two. X-Files stopped being such tremendous fun after Mulder and Scully became a couple and had a relationship and tons of angst instead of... well, the way things were before: funny and creepy by turns, but never sappy. Not all series benefit from introducing "personal" plotlines for the protagonists, especially not something as episodic as the X-Files. And Star Trek... Well, I've practically been a fan since I was a toddler, because my granny used to watch the series while ironing. (Her fondness for William Shatner may well be a reason that I spent years walking around with ironed socks on my feet.) On the one hand I'm happy people still care enough about TOS to make a movie about it, fourty years after the end of the series and over ten years after the last movie, but on the other hand, I doubt my ability to accept new actors for my beloved characters instead of the ones I was imprinted on from an early age. It just won't be the same. In addition, while I don't doubt that a plot focussing on Kirk and Spock during their time as cadets will be slash fodder par exellence, it blatantly contradicts canon. (Series AND book canon even.) Also, a huge part of the ship's appeal is the initial difficulties they have getting used to each other. Moreover, I'm going to miss the rest of the crew. (They can hardly get the entire bridge crew (and Scotty) together in the same configuration as ten years later by some huge event of cosmic chance, now can they?) Friends, I'm conflicted about this. In case you couldn't tell. Link Speak!

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