All is Translation, and All of Us Lost in it

Dear Yuletide Author...

Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:10:08 GMT

Hey there, Yuletide Santa! I feel like my letters are pretty much the same every year, but the same holds true pretty much every year. Basically, you're awesome. I've got quite the mixed bag of fandoms this year, and being familiar with any one of them means you have pretty fantastic taste. Second of all, my only hard and fast rule for Yuletide: no pressure! I'm a very easy person to write for. There are lots of things I like, and I want you to have fun with this. ♥ You can choose to disregard this letter and go your own way if that's what's easiest for you. But if you're the type who does better with more direction, here are some general things I enjoy in fic:

- Hard-won happy endings! Conflict and intrigue is awesome, but I generally prefer things to end on an upbeat note.

- I am all for characters who love sex and own their sexuality, but I tend to skim sex scenes.

- Favorite things in fic: strong group dynamics, interesting power balances in relationships, a good mystery, an air of creepiness, plotty fics that spotlight characterization, banter, and humor.

- Least favorite things: non-con, excessive angsting, character death, casual treatment serious issues, and romantic relationships trumping friendship/family. Also, love triangles. Shudder.

And here are some notes on the specific fandoms:

The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey

I am in love with these books, and I love Will Henry the most. Having had some high-maintenance bosses in my day, I feel his pain, but mostly I love his complexity and layers and flaws. I love that he serves different roles with different people, and I'm especially interested in his messily codependent relationship with Pellinore. Sometimes they're good for each other and sometimes they're very much not, but either way, I find it all weirdly heartwarming.

I am not picky, though, so as long as you feature Will, I'll be all over it. His relationship with Malachi in the first book was awesome, and I love Von Helrung, Lilly, and all the other characters, so you can go in whatever direction you like!

And The Final Descent basically gutted and killed me, so something set during the first two books would be preferred. Not fluffy, per se, because this is Monstrumologist, but darkly heartwarming would be good!

ParaNorman

Eeeee! I loved this movie! I am a sucker for kids who see things that no one else can see, so I would absolutely love a story further exploring Norman's world, especially after the events of the movie. He's balancing real, human relationships with the spirit world for the first time, so how does that work out for him? How does the town react to him now?

If you'd like to make it more slice-of-life, that's awesome, and if you'd like to go in a creepier direction, I am all for that, of course. I'd just love to see anything more in this universe.

I know Mystery Kids is a big thing in this fandom, but no crossovers please! I haven't watched Gravity Falls, so I'm afraid I wouldn't know what was going on!

Sleepy Hollow

This show seriously snuck up on me with how much I love it, and how much I love Ichabod and Abbie. And I have a thing for distressed dudes being rescued by amazing ladies anyway, so my id is coming out to play here. I REGRET NOTHING.

I am big on the creepy, but if you don't want to write something like that, I am so very flexible. I love when Abbie helps Ichabod adjust to modern times, so anything slice-of-life with the two of them would also be so amazing.

Also, I really just want him to be all respectful to her and in awe of her fabulousness and kiss her hand at some point. Because eeee.

The Conjuring

My love for this movie cannot be adequately expressed. Married ghosthunters who battle the powers of evil and also are totally adorably uncool? Count me in. I also really love that the movie passed the Bechdel test with flying colors and how strong Lorraine is.

My request pretty much covers it all: I'd love a winter-y ghost story, either in vignette form or as a longer narrative. Terrifying is good, but if you'd prefer to focus on their relationship rather than the creepy bits, that would be just as fantastic!

Mushishi

This is one of those fandoms where you can basically do anything and I will be indescribably happy. I love the quieter, more isolated feel of the chapters focusing on Ginko and the mushi, but I love when the recurring characters turn up. I requested Adashino because I love the prickly friendship between him and Ginko (and I'd love a fic where that began to thaw - platonically or otherwise) but I love Tanyuu and Nui, too, so wherever your brain takes you, I'd be happy to read it.

Natsume Yuujinchou

For whatever reason, my heart is set on Natori becoming a tragically well-intentioned villain, looking to take the Book of Friends in order to protect Natsume. (Of course, I would hope it would work out in the end, but still!) But anything with these two would be absolutely amazing.)

Bonus points for Japanese folklore things, and for the Fujiwaras - I love how kind and supportive they are, and I'd love to see more of them.

Thank you, Yuletide Author, and happy writing!

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And now for something completely different - random fanfic

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 17:57:25 GMT

Oh, lovelies. There's so much I need to recap for you. But until I am in a more coherent state of mind to do so, have some Welcome to Night Vale fanfic I just wrote while waiting on my notes from my hopefully-future-editor.

Date Night - In which Carlos and Cecil go on their third date, and Carlos begins to accept that this is his life now. Set after The Sandstorm.

(And if you are a horror/sci-fi lover and have not yet listened to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, DO IT DO IT DO IT.)

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Becky watches The West Wing for the first time

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:13:41 GMT

I feel like I am having the incorrect reaction.

I should be thinking more about the way our government is run and considering the Serious Issues this show brings up and stuff.

And instead I am like

THESE CHARACTERS ARE THE RIDICULOUS TYPE-A POLITICOS OF MY HEART. I WANT TO SQUISH ALL OF THEIR FACES.

So yeah, needless to say, I have spent the past week alternating between giggleflailing with glee, weeping into my pillow, O_O-ing at some of the FLAWLESS SEQUENCES this show has pulled off, ~~coming up with a secret plan to fight inflation~~, and yelling "GET THAT EMMY, GET IT" at various actors.

The only downside, though, is that I can see the beginnings of Sorkin's writerly vices and problematic points that make his later work tough for me to take, and it makes me sad. Dude seems to write awesome female characters when he isn't trying, and when he is trying to write a Strong Female Character, it is sort of terrible. Dammit, Sorkin. WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLL.

IN ANY CASE. Time to press on with Season Three, and hope that it is as compulsively enjoyable as the first two!

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Dear Yuletide Santa...

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:16:34 GMT

Hey there, Yuletide Santa! I feel like my letters are pretty much the same every year, but the same holds true pretty much every year. Basically, you're awesome. I've got quite the mixed bag of fandoms this year, and being familiar with any one of them means you have pretty fantastic taste. Second of all, my only hard and fast rule for Yuletide: no pressure! I'm a very easy person to write for. There are lots of things I like, and I want you to have fun with this. ♥ You can choose to disregard this letter and go your own way if that's what's easiest for you. But if you're the type who does better with more direction, here are some general things I enjoy in fic:

- Hard-won happy endings! Conflict and intrigue is awesome, but I generally prefer things to end on an upbeat note.

- I am all for characters who love sex and own their sexuality, but I tend to skim sex scenes.

- Favorite things in fic: strong group dynamics, interesting power balances in relationships, a good mystery, an air of creepiness, plotty fics that spotlight characterization, banter, and humor.

- Least favorite things: non-con, excessive angsting, character death, casual treatment of -isms, and romantic relationships trumping friendship/family. Also, love triangles. Shudder.

And here are some notes on the specific fandoms:

The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey

I am in love with these books, and I love Will Henry the most. I'm an assistant myself, so I feel his pain, but mostly I love his complexity and layers and flaws. I love that he serves different roles with different people, and I'm especially interested in his messily codependent relationship with Pellinore. Sometimes they're good for each other and sometimes they're very much not, but either way, I find it all weirdly heartwarming.

I am not picky, though, so as long as you feature Will, I'll be all over it. His relationship with Malachi in the first book was awesome, and I love Von Helrung, Lilly, and all the other characters, so you can go in whatever direction you like!

And if that direction happens to include some near-future-fic in which older-Will and Pellinore kick ass together, you will hear no complaining from me.

ParaNorman

Eeeee! I loved this movie! I am a sucker for kids who see things that no one else can see, so I would absolutely love a story further exploring Norman's world, especially after the events of the movie. He's balancing real, human relationships with the spirit world for the first time, so how does that work out for him? How does the town react to him now?

If you'd like to make it more slice-of-life, that's awesome, and if you'd like to go in a creepier direction, I am all for that, of course. I'd just love to see anything more in this universe.

Homeland

This is a wonderfully-written show in general, of course, but my favorite thing about it is Carrie and Saul. They are such a platonic OTP for me. As equals, they have this awesomely contentious relationship and are constantly pushing each others' buttons, but they'll always end up falling back into that supportive, loyal teacher-student dynamic, and they have each others' backs forever. They just sort of make me cry in general. ;;

This is a situation where I'm really good with anything. A prequel of sorts would be so interesting (that line from the season one finale about how she used to call him Mr. Berenson? SO MUCH HISTORY IN THAT) but a missing scene from canon would be great.

Prince of Persia: 2008

... so I basically just want another game, but that's a bit of a tall order, so let's just go with 'anything would be awesome.' The Prince and Elika are one of my favorite twosomes, so whether you want to write them post-epilogue or at an interlude during the game itself, I will love it. I could also go for some backstory on The Corrupted if you wanted to mix it up a bit.

I'm really looking forward to your fic, Yuletide Santa! ♥

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SCREAM

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:02:27 GMT

( Spoilers for Homeland 02x02 )

homg I love this show so much.

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Legend of Korra

Sat, 19 May 2012 23:14:31 GMT

WHY IS THERE NO NEW EPISODE NEXT WEEK

I WANT IT ALLLL

ALL THE EPISODES

OF THE ENTIRE SERIES

NOWWWW

Ugh I have not felt this way about a show in a long time, where I just can't hold still because I want the next episode soooo badly. Korra, you are my forever girl.

( Disjointed episode 7 babbling, as well as some spoilers from S2 of the original series )

In conclusion, GIVE ME MOOOOORE. MOOOOOOOAR.

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Re: The Avengers

Sat, 05 May 2012 22:19:37 GMT

My crush on Tony Stark: continuing and predictable. This movie was no exception. I STILL LOVE YOU TONY.

My girlcrush on Natasha Romanoff: newer, but still predictable. I figured I'd fall in love with the character when she actually got things to do (*side-eyes Iron Man 2*), BUT SHE WAS SO AMAZING. Natashaaaaa. I hope you get your own movie. Maybe a prequel?

AND YET, WITH ALL THIS OTHER AMAZINGNESS ON MY SCREEN, THE BIGGEST RAGING BECKYCRUSH AWARD GOES TO BRUCE BANNER? I DID NOT CALL THAT ONE.

(Cap was not in the movie enough, but he gets an honorable mention for being adorbs.)

Please tell me there are at least 10,000 new Bruce/Tony BFF fics in the fandom right now. AND FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS THE MOVIE WITH ME. ♥ Possible spoilers in comments!

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Sherlock support group

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:31:02 GMT

How on earth did the guy who wrote the worst episode of season 1 write this pristine emotional torture?!

( Spoilers )

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Yuletide Reveal

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:17:01 GMT

Iiiit's the Yuletide reveal! Which means that today I not only get to find out who my authors were (I see you there, lacunarity), but I get to reveal what my own fic was.

This year, I wrote Amateur Genealogy for one of my favorite TV shows, Justified.

This was a really tough one for me to write. The show is so well-written, and the Raylan-Tim-Rachel dynamic is my favorite ever, so I had a lot to live up to. I loved what season two did with the theme of family, and I was really struck by the showrunner's comment in an interview that they had to drive a wedge between Raylan and his 'marshal family' in order to resolve some of the issues with his family in Harlan, so I really wanted to write a little coda for the marshals.

The thing I really love about their relationship is that it's very unique for a crime drama. It takes the badass, gunslinging protagonist and shows how he has to function within this environment, unlike on other shows where the crime fighter has all of his quirks excused because he's so brilliant. Rachel and Tim have treated Raylan as their equal from the start: he gets saddled with an unpleasant informant in season one because he's 'the new guy,' and it's clear that he's expected to pick up coffee and file paperwork like everyone else.

And then in season two, regardless of what's going on in Art and Raylan's relationship, they all have each other's backs. Rachel and Tim each get an episode where Raylan is acting as a support system for them, and later in the season, they do whatever they can for him, even if he's not the type to come to them with his problems. I really wanted to play around with that dynamic, and how Rachel and Tim react to everything that happened at the end of season two. I'm sure it'll get Jossed, but a girl can dream.

I wasn't really expecting the reception I got, and I'm really glad people liked the fic! It seems everyone is as big a fan of Rachel as I am, which makes me happy. I played around with a couple different POVs, but hers was my favorite: I think her family situation gives her a different perspective, and I love that she's fairly warm with her coworkers even though she's not really a warm person in general. That, and she's just so cool. Hello there, raging girlcrush.

In any case, I had a great time, and I hope my recipient had as much fun reading it!

And for posterity's sake, here's everything from previous Yuletides:

( List with links )

2010:
The Lonely Traveler for Mushishi anime/manga

And now to enjoy the last few days of my vacation. It'll be nice to get back to work on the book, even if I don't feel the same about the day job. I'll be finished soon, so if anyone is up for another round of the Original Fic prompt trees, maybe I'll start up another one?

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Merry Christmas!

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:11:29 GMT

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a wonderful Christmas yesterday, and that everyone else had a wonderful Sunday. ♥ I am with my family and we are all happy and healthy, so my Christmas wish came true, but in the material world I made out like a bandit. I now have a new phone, a coffee maker, some gorgeous new fashion items, the Slings and Arrows box set, books, some kitchen stuff, and lots of shopping ahead courtesy of my pile of gift cards. I am a lucky, lucky lady.

I was also a lucky, lucky lady re: Yuletide, because I got two wonderful Natsume fics! Tiny Sideways Wishes is an adorable Natsume-Taki-Tanuma fic that made me scream and flail a lot, and By your side I rest my soul is a lovely story in which Natsume gives Tanuma a long-overdue explanation. They are both fantabulous, so do check them out!

How were your days?

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Dear Yuletide Santa

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:05:48 GMT

Hey there, Yuletide Santa!

So basically? You're awesome. I've got quite the mixed bag of fandoms this year, and being familiar with any one of them means you have pretty fantastic taste. Second of all, my only hard and fast rule for Yuletide: no pressure! I'm a very easy person to write for. There are lots of things I like, and I want you to have fun with this. ♥ You can choose to disregard this letter and go your own way if that's what's easiest for you. But if you're the type who does better with more direction, here are some general things I enjoy in fic:

- Hard-won happy endings! Conflict and intrigue is awesome, but I generally prefer things to end on an upbeat note.

- I am all for characters who love sex and own their sexuality, but I tend to skim sex scenes

- Favorite things in fic: strong group dynamics, interesting power balances in relationships, a good mystery, an air of creepiness, plotty fics that spotlight characterization, banter, and humor.

- Least favorite things: non-con, excessive angsting, character death, casual treatment of -isms, and romantic relationships trumping friendship/family. Also, love triangles. Shudder.

And here are some notes on the specific fandoms:

The Monstrumologist - Rick Yancey

I am in love with these books, and I love Will Henry the most. I'm an assistant myself, so I feel his pain, but mostly I love his complexity and layers and flaws. I love that he serves different roles with different people, and I'm especially interested in his messily codependent relationship with Pellinore. Sometimes they're good for each other and sometimes they're very much not, but either way, I find it all weirdly heartwarming.

I am not picky, though, so as long as you feature Will, I'll be all over it. His relationship with Malachi in the first book was awesome, and I love Von Helrung, Lilly, and all the other characters, so you can go in whatever direction you like!

And if that direction happens to include some near-future-fic in which older-Will and Pellinore kick ass together, you will hear no complaining from me.

Tumbling

All the characters in this drama are adorable, but Tsuchiya in particular is my favorite. I love when the tiny, sweet, innocent characters are the ones with the backbone of steel, and in general, Kiyama was the one to bring that side out most of the time. I would love a fic that explored that dynamic: where Kiyama may be the older, tougher one, but Tsuchiya is the one who got Kiyama into tumbling and yelled at the team when they didn't notice he was struggling. And although I ship them like burning, gen is totally fine.

Natsume Yuujinchou

As I said in my optional details, Japanese folklore is awesome, and the way it's approached in the show is equally awesome, but my favorite chapters are the ones dealing with Natsume and how he navigates his new relationships with Tanuma, Taki, Natori, and the Fujiwaras. I particularly love how protective Tanuma and Taki are of Natsume, and how they want to understand him better but never pressure him into telling them anything.

Prince of Persia 2008

... so I basically just want another game, but that's a bit of a tall order, so let's just go with 'anything would be awesome.' The Prince and Elika are one of my favorite twosomes, so whether you want to write them post-epilogue or at an interlude during the game itself, I will love it. I could also go for some backstory on The Corrupted if you wanted to mix it up a bit.

Thank you for reading my letter, Yuletide Santa! I look forward to reading your fic! ♥

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Margot's Room

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:05:32 GMT

Good evening, everyone! I am huddling inside from the awful (RIDICULOUS) October winter storm, and taking a little break from rewrites since I got my chapter done around noon today. Scoooore.

So I come to you tonight with a nice Halloween rec: Margot's Room by Emily Carroll, the genius behind last year's awesome horror comic His Face All Red. Margot's Room has a very interesting layout: each line of the poem, IN ORDER, corresponds to a spot on the picture where you click on to get to separate parts of the comic.

(Trigger warnings for horror, blood, and loss of a child.)

( Some spoilery discussion under the cut )

Enjoy! And Happy Halloween!

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Things that make me happy lately

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:01:06 GMT

Thing 1: The Persona 4 anime

So yes, I was concerned when they announced Souji's name would be Narukami Yuu, which is basically the most ridiculous name ever. But then this anime turned out to be incredibly entertaining and fun, SO I TAKE IT ALL BACK. ♥ The game music? All the shout-outs? BLASE DEADPAN SNARKER SOUJI/YUU WHO JUST CARES SO MUCH ABOUT EVERYONE? Was there any way I was supposed to resist this? Also, the way they're doing the True Selves gives me Legitimate Feelings every time. I LOVE THIS.

Also, apparently I was way more used to Jonny Yong Bosch as Adachi than I thought.

Thing 2: Tumbling

glass_icarus and I, being awesome, often watch things together and turn on the snark. Those things, by nature, tend to be a little bit cracktastic. So when she suggested a J-drama about a high school all-male rhythmic gymnastics team, I assumed it would be full of crack, as well.

AND THEN I HAD ALL THE FEELINGS. AT THE SAME TIME. ALL OF THEM.

I will be writing up a proper flail post on this later, and probably requesting it for Yuletide as well. For now I will point you to this awesome rec post. You will laugh! You will cry! You will ship everyone and their (awesome) mother! YOU WILL FEEL ALL THE FEELINGS, TOO.

Thing 3: The fact that every other movie coming out lately seems to be a Victorian ghost movie

ONE OF THEM HAS DANRAD

AND THE OTHER ONE HAS AN AWESOME LADY GHOST HUNTER

I love everything.

What's making you happy lately? ♥

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Character meme!

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:55:35 GMT

So before I get down to edits for the day, I thought I'd do this fun meme. :D

List fifteen of your favorite characters from different fandoms, and ask people to spot patterns in your choices, if they're so inclined.

1. Shirogane Naoto, Persona 4

2. Cat Chant, Chrestomanci

3. Tenma Kenzo, Monster

4. Ginko, Mushishi

5. Natsume Takashi, Natsume Yuujinchou

6. Will Henry, The Monstrumologist series

7. Kaburagi Kotetsu, Tiger and Bunny

8. Elika, Prince of Persia '08

9. Claire "Lightning" Farron, FFXII

10. Tony Foster, the Smoke series

11. Jacuzzi Splot, Baccano

12. Fakir, Princess Tutu

13. Sun-Hwa Kwon, LOST

14. Veronica Mars, ... Veronica Mars

15. Hiccup, How to Train Your Dragon

(And bonus round: BALFOUR, HAVEMERCY. Because Balfour.)

Well, one thing I can tell you right off the bat: LOTS OF PROTAGONISTS. Also, my favorite guys tend to be adorable but have secret spines of steel, and my favorite gals tend to be very driven ladies with 'protector' roles in their respective canons. But I wonder if there's anything else...

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The Sixth Original Fiction Drabble-thon

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:55:34 GMT

Ack! So sorry, guys - I forgot to crosspost. The Sixth Original Fiction Drabble-thon is underway!

Do come play with us, and bring your friends!

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Come play with us, Danny

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:32:30 GMT

So! Would anyone be interested in a round of the Original Fiction Drabble-thon?

I know I really need it! I'm feeling pretty stuck lately. I did a bit of writing last weekend, but for the most part, I have a lot of half-formed ideas but I can't pin them down. The last round sort of fizzled out, but if you guys are game, I'd love to give it another go!

(For those of you who are new, the Original Fiction Drabble-thon is a prompt tree-style, hopefully low stress opportunity to play around with original fic ideas. Click on the tag to see previous rounds!)

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LADIES NIGHT

Mon, 16 May 2011 01:38:36 GMT

Okay, in lieu of actually writing (fail) I want to revive this meme to prove to everyone that "I hate female characters because they're written badly" is NOT AN EXCUSE. I feel like this isn't even a representative sample! I had to make myself stop!

( 100 Female Characters I Freaking Love )

Okay that's 110 and I have to stop.

YOU SEE NOW?

LADIES ARE AWESOME.

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You mean I write posts that aren't about agent-hunting? OMG.

Tue, 03 May 2011 14:21:37 GMT

So I will stop talking about agents for this point, except to say this: HE SAID HE'S "LOOKING FORWARD TO DIGGING IN," AHHHHHH. ♥

Ahem. Okay, done.

Fandom babble! Take note: I'm discussing some of the more unsavory aspects of the show, so trigger warnings for racial/sexual matters apply.

( Game of Thrones. If you're looking for straight-up squee, this is not the place for you. )

... I feel like now I should point you guys to a show you can enjoy without reservations. SO MAY I DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO TIGER AND BUNNY? It's an adorable anime about a reality show about superheroes, and it is massively, massively entertaining. And it's all on Hulu! Watch it!

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Linkblogging: Submitting Your Manuscript

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:16:57 GMT

So while I spend my lazy Sunday watching TV and waiting for beta comments on my edited MS, I wanted to share some essential links for any of you looking to go on the agent hunt in the future. Some of these links heavily skew towards YA information, but they're extremely useful anyway:

Generally Useful Sites:
Agent Query - Search for agents by genre.
Absolute Write Bewares, Background Checks and Recommendations - Whatever agency you're looking at, it has a thread here.
Query Tracker - Looking into agent response times and submission guidelines, and make a spreadsheet of your own submissions.
Preditors and Editors - A listing of agents and agencies that keeps track of spam artists.
Literary Rambles - This blog has "Agent Spotlights" on several different kidlit-representing agents. It's awesome because they include as much info as possible, including specific likes and dislikes.
Publishers Marketplace - One stop shopping for all industry information. Sign up for the Publishers Lunch newsletter!

Agent Blogs:
Kristin Nelson's Blog - Extremely informative and helpful. The best part of this blog is that she posts and analyzes her clients' original queries.
Nathan Brandsford's Blog - Though he's no longer an agent, he still has great publishing industry info.
Mary Kole's Blog - Great information on the slush pile, the manuscript review process, and lots of beginners' writing mistakes.
Janet Reid's Blog - Hilarious and informative all at once.
Miss Snark - The blog may be defunct now, but the archives are well worth a read.
The Rejectionist - A (now former) agent's assistant ruminates on books, writing, reading, etc. Totally hilarious.

Query Help:
Query Shark - Janet Reid critiques queries! And she doesn't hesitate to point out when something works for her, either.
Writing A Killer Query - Elana Johnson's workshop is one of the best and most thorough. She breaks query down into five separate parts and walks you through all of them.
Query Letter Hell - If you are very brave and really need help cracking that query, this is the equivalent of query letter boot camp. You need an account at Absolute Write to access this forum.

Some Top Agents/Agencies Who Represent YA:
Writers House
Andrea Brown Lit
Curtis Brown Lit
Fine Print Lit
Dystel and Goderich
Nelson Agency
Maass Agency
Harvey Klinger Agency
And that's just a few to get you started.

I hope this is a good start! ♥

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Re: Justified 02x09

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:19:21 GMT

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Holy crap

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS, THIS SHOW.

JUSTIFIED FOR ALL THE AWARDS EVER.

One of these days I am going to write an essay about how the writing in season two has been the most amazing ever and all the relationships are just utterly fascinating x 10, but I have about 1000 other things that need to get done so for now I'm just going to keep shrieking.

Just. Oh my God, you guys, if Margo Martindale doesn't win an Emmy I will storm the castle. Mags Bennett is one of the most interesting, charismatic, absolutely terrifying villains I've ever seen on TV.

Also, someone could write an entire academic paper about all the parent-child relationships in this show. (And judging by the promo, I am even more convinced that Art is surrogate-daddy. "You just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll just keep cleaning up after you.")

Also also, I would like some kind of spin-off in which Raylan teaches Loretta how to fight crime.

Also also also, "The only thing we're on the same side of is, like, THIS CAR."

In conclusion, Boyd Crowder.

(Is anyone else watching this show? Do you like well-written noir Westerns with a twisted sense of humor? WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE? GO WATCH!)

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Various and sundry

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:22:27 GMT

So I am sitting around watching the Oscar pre-show after a fairly low-key weekend. I mainly took time off from writing (though I still wrote a couple scenes) because for the latest time in this story, I think, I'm at a pretty natural stopping place. Or, rather, once I finish this chapter I probably won't really stop until I reach the end, so this is my only chance!

Holy crap, you guys, I can't believe that I'm going to be querying a novel again by late May/early June. I go back and forth on how confident I am every day. Sometimes it's like "I really hope I make it happen this time!" and other times it's like "YEAH, GO AHEAD AND TRY, YOU'LL BE AN INSPIRATION TO HACKS EVERYWHERE." It's more often the former than the latter, at least. Either way, I'm really excited to get started on the editing. I've got a lot of tweaking to do!

Speaking of publishing, I've been devouring books left and right lately! I've been bringing in books to work for when I can grab a quiet moment - I think I'll bring Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet tomorrow so I can finally finish it. I think I'm going to start bookblogging on my tumblr so I can have a record of all my reading in 2011. I still have plenty to get through on my bookshelf, so I can use those to somehow distract myself from all the awesome sequels I'm waiting on later this year. And aren't we getting a new DWJ book at some point? UGH. ALL THESE GREAT UNPUBLISHED BOOKS NEED TO COME TO MEEEE.

Also, randomly, all this Red Carpet footage makes me want to go shopping. Judging by the state of my closet, that is the worst idea ever. Maybe I'll see if anything ready for Salvation Army first.

Yosh, I will now turn my full attention to the broadcast. Got any Oscar predictions, guys?

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BOOOKS

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:46:28 GMT

So I figured I should actually make posts that are not related to writing! (I am probably going to finish another chapter within the next few days. God have mercy on our sooooouls.)

Instead, I thought I'd do a few mini book reviews/recs, since I'm getting some books read again! I'm going to keep 'em fairly spoiler-free, but if you're the type who likes to know as little as possible about the book before going in, I would give this post a miss.

( The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon )

( White Cat )

Next up (in no particular order):
Half World
Graceling
The Magicians
The Hunger Games
The Monstrumologist
The Maze Runner
Prophecy of the Sisters (represented by my dream agent - MY HOMEWORK)

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:09:11 GMT

So as usual, I make no promises - but since it's Valentine's Day, I want to give it a try!

Give me a pairing, original or fannish, and I'll write a little drabble for them.

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This week in fandom, and recs!

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:32:10 GMT

The King's Speech

This movie! ♥ THIS MOVIE. It's like they took the usual Oscar-bait formula and made it charming and adorable. And now I know why Colin Firth has been going around calling Geoffrey Rush his "geisha girl."

I saw it with a coworker, and she is rooting for The Social Network for the Oscar pretty hardcore. She loved King's Speech, but she wants Social Network to win because it's 'more personal.' I have not actually seen Social Network - I will probably see it just to stack its chances against the other movies, but it will probably make me angry for various reasons.

But even so! I generally do like to root for the more 'personal' movies, like Slumdog, Little Miss Sunshine, or Juno. But I think that King's Speech, unlike a lot of Oscar-bait movies, was much more focused on the relationships than the historical setpiece or the Important Issues. And that's why I'm rooting for it. ♥

Also, DID I MENTION ADORABLE.

Black Swan

Okay, so I went into this expecting it to be like Perfect Blue: The Ballet Edition. And I really liked it! But as I watched it I thought, "Eh, it's not really that messed up."

You all are probably giving me a look right now. I would also be giving me a look right now. But I thought compared to Perfect Blue, it was pretty linear!

That said, it was delightfully twisty, and I loved the last quarter of the movie in all its trippy glory. I went home a little worried that I was going to find Winona Ryder in my kitchen. Someone more informed than I can provide a better analysis of how misogyny in the ballet world was portrayed, so all I will say for now is, I do believe Natalie Portman will be snagging that Oscar.

Heavy Rain

This is a very interesting game, with even more interesting gameplay. It's basically an interactive murder mystery movie - or as I like to call it, "the most ominous game of The Sims ever."

I'm just sort of getting into the action now, but it's really fascinating so far. There are quite a few different choices you can make, and they're not obviously good or bad like in most games. Said choices even make the plot splinter in different directions. The story can even continue when one or more of the characters dies. I can't wait to see how things go when I get further!

I am still getting attached to the characters, though. There was one I really liked, but then I got the worst spoiler ever and now every time I see them I'm like "WAS IT ALL A LIIEEEEEE." I think I enjoy playing the FBI agent the most, though. He has random futuristic FBI technology, and I am fascinated by his accent.

More on this later!

Justified

I SAW A JUSTIFIED PREVIEW TODAYYYYY. Eee! Raylan being a dork! Boyd blowing shit up! Art being exasperated! RACHEL HAVING SCREENTIME! Next Wednesday! I am so excite! omg this showwww ♥

Aaand recs!

I have a rather terrifying week coming up at work, and I will be lucky to get out of it alive. Therefore, I require things to unwind with after work! I will take anything - TV shows, movies, manga, reading material, anything. ♥ Any suggestions?

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This is so late

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 14:52:39 GMT

Sorry, new people! I got distracted by writings. That happens a lot.

Anyway, this post is to welcome Yuletide folks and other new people to this journal! My name is Becky, and I'm happy to have you here. ♥ If you'd like to ask a question about me or tell me a little about yourself, feel free to do so in the comments!

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