Whispers

That is how I felt today when I come back from lunchtime munchables and found my poor baby internet had died ignobly, given up the ghost, and taken most of my work for the afternoon with it.

:headdesk:

Well, it's back and higher speed than we've had before with a new router that's not supposed to die at random intervals. Yay!

In the meantime, what have we done with ourselves? (Yes, I know. I use the royal 'we.' This is a trait that can be annoying but not easily discarded.)

Well...

1. We made a handful of our pairing20in20 icons. The whole set is due by the 3rd, but Emma/Charles is quite interesting to pull off.

2. We completed the front and back cover and three and a half pages of the comic, Darkholme & Xavier, Vol. 1, "The Baby and the Bath Water."

3. Before the internet died, we reformatted and calameo'd about 7 fics.

4. We're working on our website and will soon have a lovely network of the LJ, original fiction WP, grammar whore WP, writing LJ, and FF. Soon is relative.

5. Did RL work. Some. It's tough to do when most of it is supposed to be done online.

6. Read "Conflict of Interests" by lithiumlaughter. If you haven't read it yet, hie thee over and get yourself an eyeful. This is awesome.

:hugs to all:

Next project: pairing 20in20 icons for Emma/Charles. Whatever possessed me?

It took a while, but I finally got the kiss one to come together. Had to swipe from another movie and manip. And now I got to figure out which one I like best (leaning toward 01) and get on to the next grand challenge. (shipping noncanon is a pain for icon-making, but I wanted a challenge, and so I have one)

01

02

03

I love therefore...
• I'm a sucker for beautiful worldbuilding and this has made me wish once again I was an artist so I could make Vardin as beautiful as I envision it: The Morae River by Brynn Metheney.


I read therefore...
• Eight Against Reality | Panverse Publishing
So this is one I won from the lovely Juliette Wade, whose story opens this collection. Eight SFF short stories. Overall: well worth the buy.

"The Eminence's Match" by Juliette Wade was fabulously written and well nuanced. My only gripe is I wanted more. It didn't feel finished to me, but ah well. It was awesome anyway.

I normally like Aliette de Bodard and everything she writes. I hated this story of hers—"The Lonely Heart," I think—and actually cut it out of my book so I'd never have to see it again.

This was followed by a squid scripty/story thing. It was gross. It didn't merit my scissors—yet, anyway—but I won't reread it. Ever.

Now, "Man's Best Enemy" by Janice Hardy was an awesome little adventure story with a lot of heart and big, nasty dogs. I doubt they'll ever redomesticate these guys.

"Kip Running" by Genevieve Williams disappointed. The action was great, the idea was great, the goal and lack of achieving it was a letdown. The story didn't mean anything, unless it was, "Don't live in a fantasy world."

"Spoiling Veena" by Keyan Bowes was...um...interesting. Veena was certainly spoiled, but it was portrayed as all working out okay. I was uninspired and did not really like it. Kids are not meant to always have their way.

"Dancing by Numbers" by Dario Ciriello was a bit odd with multiple universes through one dancer finding her center of focus, but it reminded me of some of L'Engle's best work and I admit, I enjoyed it. Not sure if it'll become a reread for me, but it was definitely nice for a one-off.

"Love, Blood, and Octli" by T.L. Morganfield was exactly what I would have expected from Aliette de Bodard, a god with two opposing natures and the humans battling for power or goodness. I loved this story.

Best of the batch: "The Eminence's Match," "Man's Best Enemy," and "Love, Blood, and Octli." I give it an 8 out of 10.


I write therefore...
• Complete: Giftfic for ineedmyfics. So excited. Weighed in at 1110 words all said, and I finally figured out the names of these two characters (mentioned once each in a 500 pg book!). And it's good too!

• My regular fiction pen name has been suffering lately. I need to get 2-3 items written for the week and am coming up brain-dry. Somebody, please prompt me.


I hope therefore...
• I want to find a good artist for Vardin. But... I am currently on the poor side. So, hm. I'm trying to think if there's anyone I know that would be willing to illustrate for free to start and we put a tip jar out for their art. Of course, first I got to finish some more stories.

• This post is an exercise in patience. My goal is to only post one major post with all the brain litter I've collected throughout the day. (Note to self: don't count on it, but try anyway.)


I think therefore...
• I think I'm going to let ficspam die by way of neglect. It never did for me what I was hoping, and it's gorgeous, but I like 15_minute_draft better. Eventually, I want to get all my websites up better, instead of just trying to move the whole lot of madness onto LJ.

• I don't think I like AO3. I've tried it again and again, and it's a pain to upload on, it's a pain to browse on, and it's a pain to use. Plus, nobody there knows me, and I don't feel like transferring 70 fics to a place that doesn't really seem to have much use for me. I won't pull it down, but I think I will let my AO3 account die by way of neglect.

• I've noticed Calindria and Vardin are quite similar in tone. However, I still want to keep the work separate 'cause there is such a different focus. Haven't figured out yet if the different pen name is enough on that front.

• Patience is a virtue—that I am still acquiring.

And I'm not ready.

:glares at internet that resurrected less than 5 minutes ago:

Must clack this lunch break. Heaps to do, heaps to do.

femgenficathon

1. A Deadly Woman

We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. | The Cure is ripped from Rogue's genetics by a mysterious time traveler. She is offered the assistance and training of the Institue or the dubious aid of a terrifying scientist. Instead she turns to the Guild of Thieves that has embraced her for their own—and her own dangerous mind.


2. Rehab

We specialize in the wholly impossible. | Four bright young women had come together at long last to address a growing and vital need in the mutant community: vigilante rehabilitation.

Ideas on which four women I should use? I love Rogue and Kitty, but I want to add some other people that aren't vigilantes, and I need two.

---

StoryTime: The Blue Princess

Charles thinks Raven's too old for bedtime stories. It's so much easier to just read her his textbook. [1, 2, the illusive 3]

---

It's Hour Come Round at Last for in_the_blue



It's La Femme Nikita with Operations!Nikita, and I want it perfect for my own sake and totally stand-alone if you haven't seen the show. Yeah.

---

Sorry to lithiumlaughter. Body Heat is beyond my brain cells at the moment.




See you on the other side of the stories!

Those of you who like to read my stuff know I like Gambit. A lot. However, as the lovely mwffj pointed out, there's a side of him that doesn't get half enough attention.

Let's start with

banter. He's exceptional at it. It's also rarely sexual in nautre.

REMY: Wanna go find a bar and start a fight?
LOGAN: I don't think you could fight a kitten right now.
REMY: 'Course not. Kittens fight dirty. I'll just sit int the corner and kick people in your direction.
~ X-23, Issue 12

Also see any of the quotes I use to open chapters of Without a Trace.

Which brings me to

humor. Not my forte,b ut I love it when it's done right. Almost all my favorite quotes of his are funny.

PHOENIX: I think the more nervous you get, the more jokes you crack.
GAMBIT: Shh . Ancient family secret.
~ Uncanny X-Men, #333

I don't know if this is just an acquired skill (that I don't seem to be successfully acquiring), but most of my humor is purely situational. :sighs:

Or maybe I'm reading the wrong fics. :sets chin on hands and thinks:

FF.net finally gets my Divergent category loaded and characters loaded and it won't keep any characters selected and the story shows up on my profile with Zhang Fei as the character. Pardon moi?

I never dumped FF.net and never wanted to for two reasons:

1. As a reader, I've never found a fanfiction site I prefer for easy tracking, reviewing, etc. It makes my life easy.

2. As a writer, my largest audience is there. I'm known; I know; we have community. It's an awesome thing.

And since I had over thirty stories, many multi-chapter, before I even considered switching, it was too much of a bear. I hate losing reviews, readers, and putting in the HUGE amount of work involved in picking up roots.

And then there's PM.

All these people I used to ask for help for so many things disabled PM and now I don't have a French title for All's Fair. I alternate chapters for Remy and Rogue; her titles are in English, and his are in French. For Without a Trace and his All's Fair titles, I asked abthetis, now ab26. And now, she's got PM disabled and I'm freaking out.

Seriously wondering if I should switch platforms. Or something.

Disconsolately yours.

My To-Be-Read List

1. The Ante | luciademedici

2. Figments of Illusion | pygmymuse

3. The Monster in My Garden Shed | pygmymuse

5. Election Day | stormkpr

6. Original Fic Teaser | pygmymuse

7. Branded | wolverine6claws


My To-Be-Drabbled List for 100wordstories
Not to be confused with the to-be-written list, which is huge

1. first encounter | second chance
2. only human
3. family
4. waiting
5. another way


My femgenficathon Idiocy
Never let it be said the scribbler exercises writerly restraint

28) We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. -- Abigail Adams (1744-1818), second First Lady of the United States.

Now I've just got to reread the rules. Hmm... When is that due?

So I promised I'd have something to show for my crazy, prolonged absence. And I do!

Behold! Original fiction.
Behold! The project that has commandeered my sister's life, and thus, mine.

Additionally,( Read more... )

note to the scribbler ~

Never let an idea get in the way of your story.

~ the scribbler