Book 3 for 2025 book bingo: "In the Lives of Puppets” (2024), by TJ Klune.
( My basic thoughts. I wish I liked this book! But alas. )
( Some bitchier thoughts I didn’t include in the post I put on tumblr. )
Book 3 for 2025 book bingo: "In the Lives of Puppets” (2024), by TJ Klune.
( My basic thoughts. I wish I liked this book! But alas. )
( Some bitchier thoughts I didn’t include in the post I put on tumblr. )
Book 2 for 2025 book bingo! For the “Published Before 1950” square (so many options... I love to read older books!) I selected the original “The Adventures of Pinocchio” (1883), translated by Carol Della Chiesa in 1926.
All I knew about this book was that it was different from the Disney movie, and that instead of the wise and friendly Jiminy Cricket as Pinocchio’s conscience, there’s a talking cricket that tries to advise Pinocchio until Pinocchio smashes him to death with a hammer. (I think Stephen King mentioned this in something of his–maybe “Danse Macabre”?). So I considered myself warned, and wasn't really at risk of tonal whiplash.
As promised, this is a pretty dark story–Pinocchio is mostly a pure chaos agent, kind of like Curious George except with violence and death, plus always someone looking to trick/prey on/take advantage of you. The narrator delivers morals, but for most of the book they come across (to me, at least, in translation and from my different historical context) as brightly tongue-in-cheek, since once a moral gets set out, Pinocchio generally smashes right through it. He’s not malicious per se, but he is entirely impulsive and only does what he wants to do, and then cries about it afterward in self-pity once he has Fucked Around And Found Out. Then he gets rescued somehow, and heads back into the FAFO cycle.
I enjoyed the Fox-and-Cat sections, because of the difference between what Pinocchio knows, how the narrator describes things, and what we as readers (if we can get the hang of unreliable narration) know or intuit. They’re con artists, they have unacknowledged cover stories and nefarious plans, while Pinocchio (and the narrative) is taking them entirely at their word. I can’t remember when I first learned to navigate narrative unreliability in my own childhood reading, but I definitely came to love that feeling.
The last section of the book feels different–the stated morals start feeling more serious, and Pinocchio starts doing kind and positive things without being forced to. That means the sense of humor changes too–it kind of filters away, as does the sharp irony and the layers of unreliability. And a few earlier events get softened–like, the Talking Cricket reappears toward the end of the book without any explanation, scolds Pinocchio for the hammer thing, delivers a sententious moral, and Pinocchio apologizes and agrees with him. Definitely different than the Pinocchio of the earlier sections. (Although interestingly, Pinocchio may have Plot Armor, but even once the book has gentled a bit, other characters still die–like, Lamp-Wick, someone who convinced Pinocchio to misbehave, doesn’t get rescued from being turned into a donkey the way Pinocchio was rescued. He’s bought and then worked to death, and dies in a sad on-page scene.)
I read more about the book afterward and found out it was originally a magazine serial, so it all makes perfect sense, the episodic nature and the tone change and whatnot. Wikipedia also said that the serial originally ended fairly early on, when Pinocchio is punished by being hanged by the neck from a tree and dies (whereas in the book he’s hanged and almost dies but is rescued). (Man, my childhood books were never like this.)
It really benefited Collodi to start up again with a fixit, given how popular the happy-ending book version became all over the world. It’s hard to imagine a dead-at-the-end version becoming as beloved in places like the U.S.–at least in my sense of children’s literature at that time, it wouldn’t have much room for such a pitch-black tone.
(My thoughts on this book already showed up on tumblr, but this DW version has more in it, because I feel freer to express myself. See previous post re: my odd relationship to making text posts on tumblr... :D )
My first read for 2025 book bingo! I chose the "literary fiction" square to start, and read "Everything I Never Told You" (2014), Celeste Ng's debut novel. I'd never read anything of hers, so I was curious.
When I first picked it up, I was worried for a minute about whether it would count as "literary fiction", a mode that gets argued about a lot and carries class connotations with it, so I'm not always sure what it's supposed to include. But I went ahead, because I saw the "literary fiction" tag on various reviews and in the public library (along with things like "mystery").
But then I was reassured, and also cracked myself up, when I got into the story. Oh look, a repressed unhappy suburban family who absolutely cannot communicate, with a dad who's a professor who sleeps with one of his own pretty female students, and someone dies, and there is closeted homosexuality. Literary fiction bingo! It's even set in the 1970s--like, welcome back to "The Ice Storm".
Nothing wrong with heaps of common tropes, of course--hell, I love lots of tropes, I write & read fanfic. :D It's just funny how snobby some advocates of Literary Fiction can get, when it can be just as predictable as any other mode (in good ways and bad). And this is an enjoyable book, despite how much I may sprain my eyes at professor-student adultery-to-comfort-his-own-angst blegh (not a moral thing, I'm probably just at Bitch Eating Crackers* level with its use in fiction, so I end up falling out of the story too much).
*(Bitch Eating Crackers: shockingly, the idiom doesn't have a Know Your Meme entry. The short version is that it came from this comedy postcard on the someecards site back in the day with the text "Once you hate someone, everything they do is offensive. 'Look at this bitch eating those crackers like she owns the place.'")
The book was a good read in general, flew by, and juggles POVs and timelines and various pieces of information in interesting ways (who thinks what, who means what, who misinterprets what, who knows or doesn't know what) that kept me involved.
The issue of race, Chinese-American specificity, plus being set in a mixed-race family in a very white milieu, that's all very particular and interesting, as is the intersectional way it includes the issue of being a woman in male-dominated spaces and cultures (and resisting or not resisting certain modes of culturally-defined womanhood within socially feminized spaces too). It grounds those situations so well through character, the details of daily life, all of that. There was a satisfying conversation where the Chinese-American husband is like 'you don't know how it is to be The Other in a sea of the dominant/oppressive culture' (I'm paraphrasing, he doesn't talk like that :D ) and the white American wife tells him details of how it was to soldier through chemistry classes chock-full of men who harassed, belittled, tormented, and overlooked her. Luckily, it doesn't become an Oppression Olympics situation...they come to understand each other and their potential intersectional similarities very late in the book, but better late than never.
And as someone who was a child in the 1970s, the historical 70s-ness usually felt pretty spot-on. Although I have no memory of an unlocked seatbelt triggering a chime at that time--but, we didn't have new cars, so as that function was rolled out I might've just been late to experience it.
I appreciated the tiny future glimpses at the very end, a comforting way to wrap up what had been a pretty sad story. It did make me wonder if that one line about touching the bump on Jack's nose is supposed to indicate eventual requiting! It would need to be unpacked, and actually struck me as a good basis for fanfic--so I went and looked, and of course there are like thirty-something Jack/Nath stories on AO3. :D
Speaking of Nath... my mind initially heard that as Nath with a short-a, rhyming with bath, until we learned it's short for Nathan. But nevertheless, I had to stop and correct myself so often throughout the entire book, forcing myself to think of it with the long a. It's absolutely a verbal nickname for Nathan, no problem, but visually it wasn't intuitive. I think the more typical rules of English spelling/pronunciation kept intruding on me.
Anyway, I'm glad I read it, and appreciate the bingo square giving me the push.
2025 book bingo: the rationale, the card
Jan. 6th, 2025 12:20 pmI ran across a cool-looking post on tumblr, a bingo card for "2025 Book Bingo". And I thought that would be a fun way to help me shake up my reading choices this year...I always have some book or other on the go, but often when I don't know what I feel like reading next, I fall yet again into a re-re-re-re-read of some old favorite. (Nothing wrong with old favorites, of course, but sometimes I overdo and am not re-reading out of an active choice but purely because I feel stuck.)
I posted a little report on my first book for the bingo on tumblr the other day, but once I was ready today to post my second one, I found myself strangely hesitant. Not sure why, and I did eventually post it...but for some reason it feels too weird for me to post things like that over there.
Maybe it's because I almost always just use tumblr for 1) browsing pictures, and 2) reblogging other people's posts?? I initiate very few posts--iirc, probably mainly fic announcements. Hmm. I really don't know why, honestly, but there's something about a set of personal book reports that feels more Dreamwidthy for me.
In any case, that's how it feels, and who even knows how my brain works, so I figure I'll put them over here. (Maybe I'll crosspost them on tumblr? Maybe the practice will help me feel more comfortable with it?? Maybe???)
This is the card I'm working from:
I posted a little report on my first book for the bingo on tumblr the other day, but once I was ready today to post my second one, I found myself strangely hesitant. Not sure why, and I did eventually post it...but for some reason it feels too weird for me to post things like that over there.
Maybe it's because I almost always just use tumblr for 1) browsing pictures, and 2) reblogging other people's posts?? I initiate very few posts--iirc, probably mainly fic announcements. Hmm. I really don't know why, honestly, but there's something about a set of personal book reports that feels more Dreamwidthy for me.
In any case, that's how it feels, and who even knows how my brain works, so I figure I'll put them over here. (Maybe I'll crosspost them on tumblr? Maybe the practice will help me feel more comfortable with it?? Maybe???)
This is the card I'm working from:
Happy New Year!
I wrote two stories for Yuletide this year: my assignment, and one treat.
The assignment was for what's probably my very favorite Mary Renault novel, "The Mask of Apollo", about an Athenian actor in the 4th century BC. He gets caught up in the events surrounding Dion of Syracuse and his attempt to liberate Sicily, but that's not the point, really. The things I thrive on in this book are the characters, the emotions, and how it's all so well grounded in the life of a working actor.
The story is set after the events of the novel but before the years-later epilogue, and is about Niko's recovery from the real-life tragedy he's just lived through, via his work on a new play, his realizations about his craft, and of course his (canon) beloved Thettalos, who's on his way to becoming the towering figure in the field that he is in real-life history.
I found it such a pleasure to write, even though I had never written fic in first-person before (the novel is first-person past-tense as well)...I had always wanted to tackle something about Niko facing the emotional aftermath plus his own middle-age all at once, and about him finding his way out (not solo by his bootstraps, but within his whole context of life and work and art and love and whatnot). But I hadn't yet been able to really think my way into it, until now. This assignment was perfect timing, and as Niko found answers for himself, I felt comforted too.
I made up almost all of the plays mentioned in the story, though the playwrights are real. I think it's possible to read the story without having read the novel, in the sense that most of the important context is embedded in it, but of course I'm so familiar with the book that it can be hard to tell...
The dance of nature forward far (8221 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mask of Apollo - Mary Renault
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nikeratos/Thettalos (Mask of Apollo)
Characters: Nikeratos (Mask of Apollo), Thettalos (Mask of Apollo)
Additional Tags: Ancient Greece, Theatre, Established Relationship, Catharsis, Acting, Gods
Summary: No one drew attention to my increasing efforts and difficulties—not at performing Aigeus or Athene, which weren't going badly, but in the role of Nikeratos, son of Artemidoros. Perhaps I had them all fooled...or perhaps they were kind.
The treat was for my eternal love "The Sting" (1973).![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
simplecoffee had some really fun prompts, so I couldn't help myself... h/c with hurt Johnny? Trains?? YES PLEASE! She also mentioned Outsider POV, so I gave that a whirl as well, and ended up really enjoying the OCs whose lives are briefly visited by these two pining blue-eyed grifters. As prep, I read a couple of books by real-life Depression-era hobos, a man ("Beggars of Life: a Hobo Autobiography") and a woman ("Sister of The Road: The Autobiography of Boxcar Bertha").
As with the first-person POV for Mask of Apollo, I realized I had never written Outsider POV before, so this year was a year of learning and stretching for me for sure...
Slow Freight to Omaha (3704 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker, Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s)
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker (The Sting)
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, POV Outsider, 1930s, Hobos, Yuletide Treat
Summary: "I'm all right," one of them was saying, hoarse and breathless. "I'm okay. It's all right, it's nothing." He sat up, one arm held to his chest, yellow hair hanging in his eyes.
I hope everyone had as good a time as I did this year! ♥
I wrote two stories for Yuletide this year: my assignment, and one treat.
The assignment was for what's probably my very favorite Mary Renault novel, "The Mask of Apollo", about an Athenian actor in the 4th century BC. He gets caught up in the events surrounding Dion of Syracuse and his attempt to liberate Sicily, but that's not the point, really. The things I thrive on in this book are the characters, the emotions, and how it's all so well grounded in the life of a working actor.
The story is set after the events of the novel but before the years-later epilogue, and is about Niko's recovery from the real-life tragedy he's just lived through, via his work on a new play, his realizations about his craft, and of course his (canon) beloved Thettalos, who's on his way to becoming the towering figure in the field that he is in real-life history.
I found it such a pleasure to write, even though I had never written fic in first-person before (the novel is first-person past-tense as well)...I had always wanted to tackle something about Niko facing the emotional aftermath plus his own middle-age all at once, and about him finding his way out (not solo by his bootstraps, but within his whole context of life and work and art and love and whatnot). But I hadn't yet been able to really think my way into it, until now. This assignment was perfect timing, and as Niko found answers for himself, I felt comforted too.
I made up almost all of the plays mentioned in the story, though the playwrights are real. I think it's possible to read the story without having read the novel, in the sense that most of the important context is embedded in it, but of course I'm so familiar with the book that it can be hard to tell...
The dance of nature forward far (8221 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Mask of Apollo - Mary Renault
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nikeratos/Thettalos (Mask of Apollo)
Characters: Nikeratos (Mask of Apollo), Thettalos (Mask of Apollo)
Additional Tags: Ancient Greece, Theatre, Established Relationship, Catharsis, Acting, Gods
Summary: No one drew attention to my increasing efforts and difficulties—not at performing Aigeus or Athene, which weren't going badly, but in the role of Nikeratos, son of Artemidoros. Perhaps I had them all fooled...or perhaps they were kind.
The treat was for my eternal love "The Sting" (1973).
simplecoffee had some really fun prompts, so I couldn't help myself... h/c with hurt Johnny? Trains?? YES PLEASE! She also mentioned Outsider POV, so I gave that a whirl as well, and ended up really enjoying the OCs whose lives are briefly visited by these two pining blue-eyed grifters. As prep, I read a couple of books by real-life Depression-era hobos, a man ("Beggars of Life: a Hobo Autobiography") and a woman ("Sister of The Road: The Autobiography of Boxcar Bertha").As with the first-person POV for Mask of Apollo, I realized I had never written Outsider POV before, so this year was a year of learning and stretching for me for sure...
Slow Freight to Omaha (3704 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker, Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s)
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker (The Sting)
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, POV Outsider, 1930s, Hobos, Yuletide Treat
Summary: "I'm all right," one of them was saying, hoarse and breathless. "I'm okay. It's all right, it's nothing." He sat up, one arm held to his chest, yellow hair hanging in his eyes.
I hope everyone had as good a time as I did this year! ♥
2 Spy Game presents!
Dec. 28th, 2024 10:02 amHappy Yuletide to all! I got two stories this year, both for the super-slashy, very beautiful 2001 movie "Spy Game", which is chock-full of intense emotions and extreme competence. I always think that anyone who enjoys a heist or con movie will also enjoy this one, since Robert Redford spends the entire non-flashback core of the film being interrogated and supposedly backed into a corner, while actually he is setting a whole plan of his own deftly in motion. ♥
The main gift lightly dips in to Nathan & Tom's life together over time in the job, as Nathan thinks he's controlling Tom, while unbeknownst to him, Tom is figuring him out. I really enjoyed the use of those "four lies" from canon:
old school (1780 words) edit: by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
simplecoffee
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy Game (2001)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tom Bishop/Nathan Muir
Characters: Nathan Muir, Tom Bishop
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Ambiguous Relationships, Canon Compliant, During Canon, Mild D/s, Praise Kink, mild bondage, Honour Bondage
Summary:
And then there's a treat set entirely post canon, that puts them into an isolated snowy cabin (I am always glad to see an isolated snowy cabin!), cozily grounded in the physical details of daily life:
A Different Memory (2888 words) edit: byhafital
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy Game (2001)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tom Bishop/Nathan Muir
Characters: Nathan Muir, Tom Bishop
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
The main gift lightly dips in to Nathan & Tom's life together over time in the job, as Nathan thinks he's controlling Tom, while unbeknownst to him, Tom is figuring him out. I really enjoyed the use of those "four lies" from canon:
old school (1780 words) edit: by
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy Game (2001)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tom Bishop/Nathan Muir
Characters: Nathan Muir, Tom Bishop
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Ambiguous Relationships, Canon Compliant, During Canon, Mild D/s, Praise Kink, mild bondage, Honour Bondage
Summary:
Four lies that now have to be true.
And then there's a treat set entirely post canon, that puts them into an isolated snowy cabin (I am always glad to see an isolated snowy cabin!), cozily grounded in the physical details of daily life:
A Different Memory (2888 words) edit: by
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Spy Game (2001)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tom Bishop/Nathan Muir
Characters: Nathan Muir, Tom Bishop
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:
One month into his retirement, Nathan Muir receives an unexpected visitor.
Dear Yuletide writer!
Oct. 15th, 2024 12:05 pmHello, Writer! However you ended up writing something for me, I thank you--I'm glad and grateful. ♥
A note about treats, in case it's relevant: yes, I am all for them!
(Also, let me say that you'll notice it's very common for me to ask for some of the same fandoms from year to year. If you've written for me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! I do--it's just that I am still-and-always in the mood for more of these characters and I love them so much. And I am greedy. :D)
If you already have something in mind you think I'll like, go ahead and write it! I want you to enjoy yourself.
If more information about my preferences would help and inspire you, then here's some:
( Some of my preferences )
Here are my signups, in alphabetical order: KeixYaku (TV), Peacemakers (2003), Spy Game (2001), The Sting (1973)
( KeixYaku (TV) )
( Peacemakers (2003) )
( Spy Game (2001) )
( The Sting (1973) )
Thanks again for writing for me--I appreciate it! *\o/*
A note about treats, in case it's relevant: yes, I am all for them!
(Also, let me say that you'll notice it's very common for me to ask for some of the same fandoms from year to year. If you've written for me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! I do--it's just that I am still-and-always in the mood for more of these characters and I love them so much. And I am greedy. :D)
If you already have something in mind you think I'll like, go ahead and write it! I want you to enjoy yourself.
If more information about my preferences would help and inspire you, then here's some:
( Some of my preferences )
Here are my signups, in alphabetical order: KeixYaku (TV), Peacemakers (2003), Spy Game (2001), The Sting (1973)
( KeixYaku (TV) )
( Peacemakers (2003) )
( Spy Game (2001) )
( The Sting (1973) )
Thanks again for writing for me--I appreciate it! *\o/*
Can't believe I haven't posted at all since msmoat died. I'm still missing her a lot, and I wish her DW hadn't been deleted. I don't know whose decision that was. Sigh.
One big part of my radio silence lately is that I've developed a stubborn case of tendonitis in my dominant arm (the thumb/wrist kind), which has been a real problem. Not just because my work involves a lot of varied use of my hands even outside of typing, but also because my main hobby and so much of my interaction with friends are via the computer.
I wrote a little story foramedia's ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
guardian_wishlist, for instance, but haven't answered any of its comments just yet. Or, like, it's Yuletide season, and putting together my letter and signups is slow and ouchy.
But I'm out here! Just having some hard times, is all.
msmoat died. I'm still missing her a lot, and I wish her DW hadn't been deleted. I don't know whose decision that was. Sigh. One big part of my radio silence lately is that I've developed a stubborn case of tendonitis in my dominant arm (the thumb/wrist kind), which has been a real problem. Not just because my work involves a lot of varied use of my hands even outside of typing, but also because my main hobby and so much of my interaction with friends are via the computer.
I wrote a little story for
amedia's guardian_wishlist, for instance, but haven't answered any of its comments just yet. Or, like, it's Yuletide season, and putting together my letter and signups is slow and ouchy. But I'm out here! Just having some hard times, is all.
PFL/msmoat passed away this morning
Jan. 18th, 2024 03:23 pmI'm sorry to report that msmoat died this morning. Though I'm glad to say that she was at home, where she wanted to be, with family, and with a beloved friend taking the best care of her.
przed and I visited her right before New Year's Eve, and she had some very happy memories of all the people she met and spent time with via fandom. She really was something special.
Icon in her honor--for her love of the lads, and all the enjoyable and fulfilling creativity they, and fandom, sparked for her.
msmoat died this morning. Though I'm glad to say that she was at home, where she wanted to be, with family, and with a beloved friend taking the best care of her.przed and I visited her right before New Year's Eve, and she had some very happy memories of all the people she met and spent time with via fandom. She really was something special.Icon in her honor--for her love of the lads, and all the enjoyable and fulfilling creativity they, and fandom, sparked for her.
Well well well, look who got to write Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin for Yuletide this year! :D :D :D
(Spoiler: it me)
Below the waves, the ocean (8273 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Angst, Drowning, First Aid, Trust, Feelings Realization
Summary:
It was like an early present just for me, to get to write Jack/Stephen hurt/comfort slash feelings realization etcetera, with a focus on protectiveness, guilt, and who gets to sacrifice himself for whom (Jack: "Me, duh" Stephen: ">:["). I mentioned to some friends that, as happens so often in the hurt/comfort I write, especially for these guys, the physical injury is really the least of anybody's problems. ♥
I'm grateful tomarycrawford for her cheerleading and beta help, and to the_shoshanna and msmoat for discussions and cheering-on! The whole process was such a pleasure, even when I was having my typical late-story "OPE, DIDN'T THINK THROUGH HOW THIS BIT IS ACTUALLY SPOSED TO HAPPEN" feelings.
(Spoiler: it me)
Below the waves, the ocean (8273 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Angst, Drowning, First Aid, Trust, Feelings Realization
Summary:
How long since the bubbles had died? It felt too long, a deadly eternity. But Stephen couldn't count, and didn't: he simply rolled himself over the edge of the gaping hatchway and fell.
It was like an early present just for me, to get to write Jack/Stephen hurt/comfort slash feelings realization etcetera, with a focus on protectiveness, guilt, and who gets to sacrifice himself for whom (Jack: "Me, duh" Stephen: ">:["). I mentioned to some friends that, as happens so often in the hurt/comfort I write, especially for these guys, the physical injury is really the least of anybody's problems. ♥
I'm grateful to
marycrawford for her cheerleading and beta help, and to the_shoshanna and msmoat for discussions and cheering-on! The whole process was such a pleasure, even when I was having my typical late-story "OPE, DIDN'T THINK THROUGH HOW THIS BIT IS ACTUALLY SPOSED TO HAPPEN" feelings.Oh man. I got FIVE YULETIDE STORIES this year, and they are all so wonderful and so lovingly tailored to me, I am overflowing with gratitude and joy. Which I first typed "overglowing", which I am ALSO doing. I recommend these stories!!
Two are for the Japanese BL "Old Fashion Cupcake", about a pair of salarymen who fall in love over desserts. Two are for "The Sting", about a pair of Depression-era grifters. And one is for the "Lord Peter Wimsey" mystery novels from the golden age (1920s-30s), focusing here on Peter's manservant Bunter as well as Peter himself.
First, the Old Fashion Cupcake stories--one of them is my official present, though I admit I wasn't a hundred percent sure which one. I think it's the first of these two:
( Old Fashion Cupcake stories: 'Next to You' and 'Old Fashion Road Trip' )
Then there are two "The Sting" stories, coming from really interesting different angles:
( The Sting stories: 'Timing and Lighting' and 'the last train to wherever you need to be' )
And then the Lord Peter Wimsey story!
( Peter and Bunter: 'Lord of Misrule' )
I am awash in riches, and I deeply appreciate and savor every single one of them. ♥ !!!
Two are for the Japanese BL "Old Fashion Cupcake", about a pair of salarymen who fall in love over desserts. Two are for "The Sting", about a pair of Depression-era grifters. And one is for the "Lord Peter Wimsey" mystery novels from the golden age (1920s-30s), focusing here on Peter's manservant Bunter as well as Peter himself.
First, the Old Fashion Cupcake stories--one of them is my official present, though I admit I wasn't a hundred percent sure which one. I think it's the first of these two:
( Old Fashion Cupcake stories: 'Next to You' and 'Old Fashion Road Trip' )
Then there are two "The Sting" stories, coming from really interesting different angles:
( The Sting stories: 'Timing and Lighting' and 'the last train to wherever you need to be' )
And then the Lord Peter Wimsey story!
( Peter and Bunter: 'Lord of Misrule' )
I am awash in riches, and I deeply appreciate and savor every single one of them. ♥ !!!
Dear Yuletide writer!
Oct. 15th, 2023 12:12 pmHello, Writer! However you ended up writing something for me, I thank you--I'm glad and grateful we share these little fandoms. ♥
A note about treats, in case it's relevant: yes, I am all for them!
(Also, let me say that you'll notice it's very common for me to ask for some of the same fandoms from year to year. If you've written for me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! I do--it's just that I am still-and-always in the mood for more of these characters and I love them so much. And I am greedy. :D)
If you already have something in mind you think I'll like, go ahead and write it! I want you to enjoy yourself.
If more information about my preferences would help and inspire you, then here's some:
( Some of my preferences )
Here are my signups, in alphabetical order: Hot Fuzz (2007), Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers, Old Fashion Cupcake, The Sting (1973)
( Hot Fuzz (2007) )
( Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers )
( Old Fashion Cupcake )
( The Sting (1973) )
Thanks again for writing for me--I appreciate it! *\o/*
A note about treats, in case it's relevant: yes, I am all for them!
(Also, let me say that you'll notice it's very common for me to ask for some of the same fandoms from year to year. If you've written for me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! I do--it's just that I am still-and-always in the mood for more of these characters and I love them so much. And I am greedy. :D)
If you already have something in mind you think I'll like, go ahead and write it! I want you to enjoy yourself.
If more information about my preferences would help and inspire you, then here's some:
( Some of my preferences )
Here are my signups, in alphabetical order: Hot Fuzz (2007), Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers, Old Fashion Cupcake, The Sting (1973)
( Hot Fuzz (2007) )
( Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers )
( Old Fashion Cupcake )
( The Sting (1973) )
Thanks again for writing for me--I appreciate it! *\o/*
...I actually wrote something! Wow.
Gift-givers (2151 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng/Ye Huo, Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng, Chu Shuzhi/Ye Huo
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Ye Huo (Guardian), Guo Changcheng
Additional Tags: Made Up Dixing Customs, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Summary:
It's a gift foramedia for her Guardian wishlist. ♥ I hadn't been able to write for quite a while now, but my mood and morale have been improving, and I got a craving to make up some kind of Dixing custom.
I really like the many things Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo have in common, but I was wondering--Chu Shuzhi was in prison for so long, what if it turns out that there's some aspect of Dixing life and customs that they actually don't have in common, without them knowing? So, you know...make up some emotionally-important Dixing festival and then make it painful! :D
I'm glad I gave it a try; hopefully this will help get me warmed up for Yuletide. (And I'm glad to be able to giveamedia a little something, after the things she's kindly written for me.)
Gift-givers (2151 words) by Dorinda
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng/Ye Huo, Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng, Chu Shuzhi/Ye Huo
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Ye Huo (Guardian), Guo Changcheng
Additional Tags: Made Up Dixing Customs, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Summary:
Chu Shuzhi tries to re-visit a custom from his past.
It's a gift for
amedia for her Guardian wishlist. ♥ I hadn't been able to write for quite a while now, but my mood and morale have been improving, and I got a craving to make up some kind of Dixing custom.I really like the many things Chu Shuzhi and Ye Huo have in common, but I was wondering--Chu Shuzhi was in prison for so long, what if it turns out that there's some aspect of Dixing life and customs that they actually don't have in common, without them knowing? So, you know...make up some emotionally-important Dixing festival and then make it painful! :D
I'm glad I gave it a try; hopefully this will help get me warmed up for Yuletide. (And I'm glad to be able to give
amedia a little something, after the things she's kindly written for me.)A belated but heartfelt thank you
Apr. 19th, 2023 06:54 pmYou know, in late February, a very kind but anonymous soul paid for a year of premium Dreamwidth for me! It's just so kind and so thoughtful, I was verklempt, and yet I never even said thank you.
To that kind soul, Thank You. I'm on DW every day, whether or not I'm posting, and it really helps my morale at all times. Which means that YOU do.
(And everyone else out there, You do too! ♥)
To that kind soul, Thank You. I'm on DW every day, whether or not I'm posting, and it really helps my morale at all times. Which means that YOU do.
(And everyone else out there, You do too! ♥)
PFL/msmoat's surgery went well!
Apr. 14th, 2023 02:12 pmVia PFL's Pros fannish grapevine (♥), I have heard that her surgery "went as planned or better", and she was awake and talking afterward, though of course very tired! That's all the news, since now comes the lengthy minutiae of staging and other doctory business. But it was so nice to hear.
PFL/msmoat is in the hospital
Apr. 10th, 2023 05:33 pmAnyone out there who knows msmoat (she writes under PFL), please spread the word. She gave me permission to tell whoever I want, but I don't have a lot of specifics--she's very tired and thinking and texting are hard for her right now.
The short version is: she wasn't feeling well when we spoke on Saturday, and then on Sunday night her relatives took her to the ER. She said "turns out I have something growing in my brain", and the doctors want to operate as soon as possible, maybe tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday.
I have contact info for her brother, but I haven't written to him yet. If/when I get more news, I'll report back!
In the meantime, this is all I know, but I told her of course all her friends out here will want to send her love and care and good wishes! Her DW ismsmoat, her Livejournal is ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
msmoat (though I think she hasn't been using that one lately--but a lot of her Professionals fandom friends are still there).
msmoat (she writes under PFL), please spread the word. She gave me permission to tell whoever I want, but I don't have a lot of specifics--she's very tired and thinking and texting are hard for her right now.The short version is: she wasn't feeling well when we spoke on Saturday, and then on Sunday night her relatives took her to the ER. She said "turns out I have something growing in my brain", and the doctors want to operate as soon as possible, maybe tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday.
I have contact info for her brother, but I haven't written to him yet. If/when I get more news, I'll report back!
In the meantime, this is all I know, but I told her of course all her friends out here will want to send her love and care and good wishes! Her DW is
msmoat, her Livejournal is msmoat (though I think she hasn't been using that one lately--but a lot of her Professionals fandom friends are still there).Look at the surprise present amedia wrote for me!!
Only What You Bring With You (3356 words) by Amedia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei (Guardian), Two OC villains
Additional Tags: Capture, Torture, Hallucinations, not as scary as the tags suggest, Bugs & Insects, Zombies, Chu Shuzhi has feelings and doesn't understand them, Puppy of Purity Guo Changcheng, Idiots in Love, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Slash, Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Food as a Metaphor for Love
Summary:
I certainly DID enjoy it anyway, and strike the 'anyway'. It's a suspense-action setup, but with both Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng not at all the predictable victims their enemies expected:
1) Tie Chu Shuzhi up and torture him? Meh. Must be Tuesday.
2) Send Guo Changcheng through a gauntlet of creepy hallucinations to break his mind? You must not have met Changcheng, because he will be compassionate and friendly to EVERYTHING.
:D :D :D
amedia wrote for me!!Only What You Bring With You (3356 words) by Amedia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei (Guardian), Two OC villains
Additional Tags: Capture, Torture, Hallucinations, not as scary as the tags suggest, Bugs & Insects, Zombies, Chu Shuzhi has feelings and doesn't understand them, Puppy of Purity Guo Changcheng, Idiots in Love, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Slash, Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Food as a Metaphor for Love
Summary:
Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng are captured by unexpected enemies.
Note: I set out to write something angsty, incorporating prompts from Dorinda's Yuletide letter, but as soon as I put pixels to screen, the fic looked at me and said, "No. I can be morbidly humorous or partially crack, but I refuse to be angsty." It was very firm about the matter. So ... this is not precisely what I set out to write, but I hope y'all enjoy it anyway!
I certainly DID enjoy it anyway, and strike the 'anyway'. It's a suspense-action setup, but with both Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng not at all the predictable victims their enemies expected:
1) Tie Chu Shuzhi up and torture him? Meh. Must be Tuesday.
2) Send Guo Changcheng through a gauntlet of creepy hallucinations to break his mind? You must not have met Changcheng, because he will be compassionate and friendly to EVERYTHING.
:D :D :D
3 Yuletide presents!
Dec. 29th, 2022 09:32 amIt was an especially lovely surprise this year, since I had to default due to Emergency Family Circumstances, not only still to receive a Yuletide gift, but in fact to receive three!!! All different fandoms, and all so comforting to the soul during a difficult time.
The two stories in the main collection:
Five Times Meng Shao Fei and Tang Yi’s Life Was a Fanfic Cliché and One Time It Wasn’t (3007 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trapped (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Meng Shaofei/Tang Yi, Jack | Fang Liangdian/Zhao Li'an | Zhao-zi
Summary: Tang Yi has never read fanfic, but his life bears a remarkable resemblance sometimes. It’s probably Meng Shao Fei’s fault, but here we are.
As I mentioned in my comment, after starting their relationship inside an Enemies-to-Lovers tale, of COURSE Tang Yi and Meng Shao Fei would end up inside five other classic tropes. :D This story gives snapshots of fake-dating (fake-real-fake-dating?), h/c wound-tending, One Bed, and more, and Tang Yi and Meng Shao Fei behave accordingly. I especially like the Tang Yi POV voice, it has a very nicely complex mixture of his many aspects, from competence to deep vulnerability to perfectionism to anger, all topped with sheer heart-eyes adoration of Shao Fei. ♥
Scene on a Balcony (1965 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sylvia Marriott/Eiluned Price, Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Eiluned Price, Sylvia Marriott, Gerald Wimsey Viscount St George, Helen Duchess of Denver
Additional Tags: Smoking
Summary: 8th October 1935 and it's the wedding of the year - Lord Peter Wimsey and Miss Harriet Vane have finally tied the knot. But the wedding breakfast (served at the Dowager Duchess' London house) is getting a little heated. So the balcony is an excellent place to which to escape.
I had really been feeling a wish to be able to spend more time with minor Wimsey-canon characters Eiluned Price and Sylvia Marriott this year, the butch/femme-ish domestic couple who are Harriet's deeply protective friends. Here I got a very nice little moment out of time, during the (offscreen) festivities after Peter and Harriet's wedding, with Eiluned running into, of all people, Peter's scapegrace nephew Jerry. Two characters with very different approaches to life, and yet, given Jerry's canon weakness for strong older women, I should have seen it coming. :D
And the treat in the Madness collection!
together we lay down (4114 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, 5 Times, Sharing a Bed, Exhaustion, Hiding, Undercover as a Couple, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Communication Failure, Confessions, Undercover As Prostitute, Kissing, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Five times Henry and Johnny shared a bed, for good reasons, bad reasons, and then, at last, the best reason.
SIGH, so many of the tropes I absolutely love, knitted into a blanket of FEELINGS and wrapped around characters I adore. It's an Only One Bed + Five Things, and the bed is not the same bed, but the ongoing throughline is, winding Henry and Johnny tighter and tighter. I love this Pining Henry so much, and it's an extra joy to be able to see, through Henry's eyes clouded with longing and fear, little hints of Johnny figuring things out and coming up with his own return tactics. Also, seeing Johnny through Henry's loving eyes is sizzlin hot. :D
The two stories in the main collection:
Five Times Meng Shao Fei and Tang Yi’s Life Was a Fanfic Cliché and One Time It Wasn’t (3007 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trapped (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Meng Shaofei/Tang Yi, Jack | Fang Liangdian/Zhao Li'an | Zhao-zi
Summary: Tang Yi has never read fanfic, but his life bears a remarkable resemblance sometimes. It’s probably Meng Shao Fei’s fault, but here we are.
As I mentioned in my comment, after starting their relationship inside an Enemies-to-Lovers tale, of COURSE Tang Yi and Meng Shao Fei would end up inside five other classic tropes. :D This story gives snapshots of fake-dating (fake-real-fake-dating?), h/c wound-tending, One Bed, and more, and Tang Yi and Meng Shao Fei behave accordingly. I especially like the Tang Yi POV voice, it has a very nicely complex mixture of his many aspects, from competence to deep vulnerability to perfectionism to anger, all topped with sheer heart-eyes adoration of Shao Fei. ♥
Scene on a Balcony (1965 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sylvia Marriott/Eiluned Price, Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Eiluned Price, Sylvia Marriott, Gerald Wimsey Viscount St George, Helen Duchess of Denver
Additional Tags: Smoking
Summary: 8th October 1935 and it's the wedding of the year - Lord Peter Wimsey and Miss Harriet Vane have finally tied the knot. But the wedding breakfast (served at the Dowager Duchess' London house) is getting a little heated. So the balcony is an excellent place to which to escape.
I had really been feeling a wish to be able to spend more time with minor Wimsey-canon characters Eiluned Price and Sylvia Marriott this year, the butch/femme-ish domestic couple who are Harriet's deeply protective friends. Here I got a very nice little moment out of time, during the (offscreen) festivities after Peter and Harriet's wedding, with Eiluned running into, of all people, Peter's scapegrace nephew Jerry. Two characters with very different approaches to life, and yet, given Jerry's canon weakness for strong older women, I should have seen it coming. :D
And the treat in the Madness collection!
together we lay down (4114 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Sting (1973)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
Characters: Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, 5 Times, Sharing a Bed, Exhaustion, Hiding, Undercover as a Couple, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Communication Failure, Confessions, Undercover As Prostitute, Kissing, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Five times Henry and Johnny shared a bed, for good reasons, bad reasons, and then, at last, the best reason.
SIGH, so many of the tropes I absolutely love, knitted into a blanket of FEELINGS and wrapped around characters I adore. It's an Only One Bed + Five Things, and the bed is not the same bed, but the ongoing throughline is, winding Henry and Johnny tighter and tighter. I love this Pining Henry so much, and it's an extra joy to be able to see, through Henry's eyes clouded with longing and fear, little hints of Johnny figuring things out and coming up with his own return tactics. Also, seeing Johnny through Henry's loving eyes is sizzlin hot. :D
The "rez accent"
Nov. 28th, 2022 07:26 pmI have my DW reading page subscribed to the RSS feeds for some blogs and whatnot, which is very handy. (And recommended! It brings various readables all to one central place so I can wallow in them.)
The languagehat linguistics blog (dw's rss feed page is https://languagehat-feed.dreamwidth.org/) linked today to a great article on Voice of America about the "rez accent" (Native American English), and some of its linguistic characteristics. Really interesting, and with some links to video as well.
I'm linking via languagehat because on that blog, unlike so many other places, the comments are worth reading!
The languagehat linguistics blog (dw's rss feed page is https://languagehat-feed.dreamwidth.org/) linked today to a great article on Voice of America about the "rez accent" (Native American English), and some of its linguistic characteristics. Really interesting, and with some links to video as well.
I'm linking via languagehat because on that blog, unlike so many other places, the comments are worth reading!
Grindr, 1890
Nov. 22nd, 2022 02:21 pmWhile running an unnecessarily protracted errand, I was listening to my favorite Sherlock Holmes radio adaptation, like I do (the one produced by Bert Coules, honorary fangirl ♥ ). And I am again reminded just how gay the premise of "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" is.
Holmes' client, Mr. Scott Eccles, explains just how he came to be staying overnight in This Guy's house, when the next morning This Guy had disappeared and was soon found dead. And the basics go like this:
So let's see, we have:
* The very important (?) and relevant (??) facts that he's a bachelor, and that Garcia was the most handsome man he's ever seen
* "In some way we struck up quite a friendship"
* "He seemed to take a fancy to me"
* "One thing led to another"
* Now it's time to stay with him for the weekend!
I left the last paragraph in despite the "half-breed" term (yecch), only to say that it does indeed seem a raaaaaather queer household, but Scott Eccles seemed fine with that until people up and vanished...
Holmes' client, Mr. Scott Eccles, explains just how he came to be staying overnight in This Guy's house, when the next morning This Guy had disappeared and was soon found dead. And the basics go like this:
"I am a bachelor," said he, "and being of a sociable turn I cultivate a large number of friends. Among these are the family of a retired brewer called Melville, living at Abermarle Mansion, Kensington. It was at his table that I met some weeks ago a young fellow named Garcia. He was, I understood, of Spanish descent and connected in some way with the embassy. He spoke perfect English, was pleasing in his manners, and as good-looking a man as ever I saw in my life.
"In some way we struck up quite a friendship, this young fellow and I. He seemed to take a fancy to me from the first, and within two days of our meeting he came to see me at Lee. One thing led to another, and it ended in his inviting me out to spend a few days at his house, Wisteria Lodge, between Esher and Oxshott. Yesterday evening I went to Esher to fulfil this engagement.
"He had described his household to me before I went there. He lived with a faithful servant, a countryman of his own, who looked after all his needs. This fellow could speak English and did his housekeeping for him. Then there was a wonderful cook, he said, a half-breed whom he had picked up in his travels, who could serve an excellent dinner. I remember that he remarked what a queer household it was to find in the heart of Surrey, and that I agreed with him, though it has proved a good deal queerer than I thought.
So let's see, we have:
* The very important (?) and relevant (??) facts that he's a bachelor, and that Garcia was the most handsome man he's ever seen
* "In some way we struck up quite a friendship"
* "He seemed to take a fancy to me"
* "One thing led to another"
* Now it's time to stay with him for the weekend!
I left the last paragraph in despite the "half-breed" term (yecch), only to say that it does indeed seem a raaaaaather queer household, but Scott Eccles seemed fine with that until people up and vanished...
