World Enough and Time

Why am I not talking about Our Flag Means Death here? I have so much to say. I've posted a little on Twitter (yup, wrong name, no, not sorry) but I find Twitter awkward to use.


Today I re-watched episodes 2x06 (Calypso's Birthday) and 2x07 (Man on Fire). Yes, I see why some viewers are concerned, but I see this as the point where things fall apart before coming back together. Oh, Stede. Oh, Ed.


● I love it that the title of "Man on Fire" is visually represented in the flaming guy, but it's so very clear that the actual character who is "on fire" is Stede. And with two meanings: that he's on fire because his energy is up with his new successes and popularity; and "on fire" because because, like a dumpster conflagration, he's bound to be left with everything in ashes.


● Olu, Archie, and Jim are leaving The Revenge? Really? What's that all about?

● Loved Fang and Roach having a spa day.

● I liked the line about Ed and Stede being innkeepers, but I hope they don't leave the sea. Or the Revenge. Could they make the Revenge into a floating inn?

● Loved it that Ed is still protective of Stede.

● It broke my heart that Izzy sang the tender (yet edged) love song to the crew while knowing that Ed, the man he had loved, was cementing his relationship with Stede, the man he had hated. And he sang on, and congratulated them. Who would have ever thought, in season one, that Izzy would end up breaking my heart?

In the early 1990s one of my favourite fandoms was the DC comics "Legion of Super-Heroes", though before that and after that I've been mostly a Marvel girl. It was the right comic at the right time - and it was so good, any time would have been the right time. I'm talking about the "Five Years Later" run by the Giffen/Gordon/Bierbaum/Bierbaum team.

Since then, I've been in other fandoms, and life has taken twists and turns I didn't want or plan, which took me far away from the Legion. Then recently, partly due to whim and partly due to invitations by my friends in two terrific apazines, "APA 247" and "Interlac", I have returned to Legion fandom. One of the things I am doing is reading all the LSH stories ever written. Is this masochism, completism, intellectual curiosity, or simply fun? Time will tell. Currently I've read something like 85 out of... what, a thousand? More? Still counting.

So I've also been refurbishing my apartment. Putting pictures back on my walls after painting. I felt like a change, so I dug out my box of original art collected over the years; I was thinking of putting up the sketches of Shang-Chi I bought from Mike Zeck and Gene Day long ago. But while looking through the pile of art, I discovered a treasure I'd forgotten. Something I was wishing I had: an original page of LSH art. It's page one of "Legion of Super-Heroes" vol. 4, issue 15 (February 1991), featuring one of my favourite characters - Brainiac 5. It's autographed by the artists, Keith Giffen and Al Gordon.

Now framed and on my wall in all its 9-panel glory.

I have lately been cataloguing the stories I have on Archive of Our Own, with a view to getting more of my stories online - especially the ones that only appeared in fanzines, but also the stories that were online in various archives that have disappeared. Especially the stories I wrote for "The Professionals".

Which has also of course got me rereading some of my old stories, and remembering more.

I really enjoyed writing for "theatrical_muse" on Livejournal, both as Gwen Cooper and Aral Vorkosigan. Does anyone know if there's another site like that still in existence?

My tastes and desires don't change much from year to year, though new fannish loves get added to the mix. Do some get lost in time? I don't think so. I still love the things I loved at four years old - I'm thinking "Winnie-the-Pooh" here, though there are other things.

I'm always happy to get new prompts for stories about beloved characters, and always happy to get stories, so it's a good trade.

As last year, the template here is taken from triplesalto.

Hello and welcome to my Yuletide letter! Thank you for writing for me.

AO3 name: fajrdrako
General likes: Competence, heroism, adventures, slow burn romance, passionate feelings, first times, five-times fics, happy endings. Good grammar and good spelling and that more nebulous thing, good style, are all very important to me - more important than story content. I love in-character fanfic that makes me feel I know a character better than I did before.

Smut Likes: Detailed explicit sex, sex in which the characters are really eager for it, M/M, F/F, MMF, FFM, threesomes or sexual groupings of any configuration, bisexual characters, teasing, romantic sex, passionate feelings, bondage, sexual tension and/or delayed gratification.

DNWs: unhappy endings, character death, rape, extreme changes from canon characterization, explicit gore and violence.

Fandoms Requested this year:The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner, Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner, The Anarchy RPF, The King (2019), and Warchild Series - Karin Lowachee.
~
Fandom 1: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner( Read more... )

Fandom 2: Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo( Read more... )

Fandom 3: Swordspoint series - Ellen Kushner( Read more... )

Fandom 4: The Anarchy RPF( Read more... )

Fandom 5: The King (2019) (Comics)( Read more... )

Fandom 6: Warchild Series - Karin Lowachee( Read more... )

I took commodorified up on her offer of reading a story over the phone, and she read me a Vinyl Cafe story I'd never read before, in which Dave sets out to move an electrical outlet in the kitchen. It was delightfully funny and I am most grateful to commodorified for the laugh.

I love being read to. Good readers are worth their weight in gold. It's not like an audiobook - yes, I like them too, but that's a different kind of media. Having a person actually reading in person (even if on the phone a few miles away) is different, and better.

Today: I started cataloging my books. Yesterday I sorted them by author and subject, and put them onto the shelves. Today... well, writing down all the titles and authors into a spreadsheet on my tablet was harder than it sounds. I did two and half shelves - maybe 100 books - and decided to call it a day.

Made shepherd's pie for supper, in the slow cooker, with sweet potatoes. It turned out lovely.

Sheila, Ian and I watched an episode of Luther, which I didn't much like. I don't like stories about serial killers, and it was all rather dark and intense.

Audiobook du jour: "The Talisman Ring" by Georgetter Heyer.

Day 44 of yoga.

Day 127 of Duolingo. I've been doing Duolingo a lot longer than that, but I took a break for a couple of weeks back about 140 days ago.

World of Warcraft: Pet battles and archaeology, bringing Azurdil the Blood Elf Paladin to level 86.

It strikes me that a journal of my days in semi-isolation might be a good idea. Might be fun, even. I find that I am as busy as ever, working (at my computer from home, using remote computers); studying Esperanto; helping my housemates rearrange the kitchen; playing World of Warcraft with a level 81 Blood Elf Paladin; and doing yoga one to three hours per day, with Tai chi exercises in between. Plus making supper for my housemates and watching TV with them in the evenings.

Really, kind of boring to talk about. Or is it? These are not normal times.

A few observations:

- It seems that a lot of people in the United States can carry on normally, from what I see on Facebook. Not possible here. The city is shut down except for food and medical services, I think. Which is good.

- I don't feel out of touch with my friends, because we are texting and phoning more than ever. But there are certainly people I miss, really a lot, one of them cute and furry.

- I would like to find more time to read, even more than time to write.

- My favourite yoga teacher is streaming free yoga classes daily on Facebook at 7 p.m. EST. Since I haven't been able to take his classes for several years, I am thrilled.

- I am looking for good, simple recipes for suppers. So far I've been getting enthusiastic reviews from my friends who are eating my meals, but a little more inspiration would be good.

I could write the same intro every year, but I'm not going to. Not quite. My tastes and desires don't change much, though. I'm always happy to get new prompts for stories, and always happy to get stories, so it's a good trade.

As last year, the template here is taken from triplesalto.

Hello and welcome to my Yuletide letter! Thank you for writing for me.

AO3 name: fajrdrako
General likes: Competence, heroism, adventures, slow burn romance, passionate feelings, first times, five-times fics, happy endings. Good grammar and good spelling and that more nebulous thing, good style, are all very important to me - more important than story content. I love in-character fanfic that makes me feel I know a character better than I did before.

Smut Likes: Detailed explicit sex, sex in which the characters are really eager for it, M/M, F/F, threesomes or sexual groupings of any configuration, bisexual characters, teasing, romantic sex, passionate feelings, bondage, sexual tension and/or delayed gratification.

DNWs: unhappy endings, character death, rape, extreme changes from canon characterisation, explicit gore and violence.

Fandoms Requested this year: A Discovery of Witches (TV), Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch, Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner, Unstoppable Wasp (Comics), Warchild Series - Karin Lowachee, .

~
Fandom 1: A Discovery of Witches (TV)( Read more... )

Fandom 2: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch( Read more... )

Fandom 3: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo( Read more... )

Fandom 4: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner( Read more... )

Fandom 5: Unstoppable Wasp (Comics)( Read more... )

Fandom 6: Warchild Series - Karin Lowachee( Read more... )


I might add that these are all guidelines and hints, not rules!

My fantic requests at The Archive of Our Own Trick or Treat Challenge 2018

AO3 name: fajrdrako

General Likes: Competence, heroism, adventures, slow burn romance, passionate feelings, first times, five-times fics, happy endings. Good grammar and good spelling and that more nebulous thing, good style, are all very important to me - more important than story content, genre, or type. I love in-character fanfic that makes me feel I know a character better than I did before.

Smut Likes: Detailed explicit sex, sex in which the characters are really eager for it, M/M, F/F, threesomes or sexual groupings of any configuration, bisexual characters, teasing, romantic sex, passionate feelings, bondage, sexual tension and/or delayed gratification.

DNWs: unhappy endings, character death, rape, extreme changes from canon characterisation, explicit gore and violence.

Fandoms: Marvel 616 - Young Avengers (comics), Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold, Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett, Marvel Cinematic Universe.

~~~
1. Fandom: Marvel 616 - Young Avengers and Hawkeye (comics)

Kate Bishop is fascinating, and so are those around her. I love the sexual tension I see between her and America Chavez, but all the Young Avengers characters were interesting and it would be full to follow up on them individually or together. And surely Loki is the god of Halloween.

~~~

2. Fandom: The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold

This is a series full of wonderful characters, but Aral Vorkosigan is the one I find most fascinating of all. His strength and fragilities, his openness to change, his respect for Cordelia, his love of Miles... his interesting marriage. And his troubled youth: art, the military, and a dark relationship with Ges Vorrutyer. Any of this is fun to play with.

~~~

3. Fandom: Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett

A complex hero, a man of illusion and passion - who hides his true feelings most of the time, except in moments of truth with those he cares about. So many angles. So many dilemmas. And what lay behind his nightmares?

~~~

4. Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Natasha Romanoff: Sexy, smart, capable, guarded - what makes this amazing woman tick?

~~~

5. Fandom: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

Eugenides, hero of a hundred facets. Anything about his career, his relationships, his decisions, his hopes, fears, successes and failures. Thief of hearts; king of ideas.

~~~

6. Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery

Michael Burnham has had a topsy-turvey career in a life with many identities: Is the real Michael human or Vulcan, traitor or patriot, opportunist or lover? If ever a life was haunted by surprises! I'd like to see some exploration of some of her dichtomies and decisions, and the things the universe (and the Klingons) have thrown at her. Or just a glimpse of the ghosts that haunt her.

~~~

6. Fandom: Game of Thrones - TV

Tyrion - another trickster hero. I'd love to see anything about him - a Lannister cast out by the Lannisters.

~~~

7. Fandom: James Bond (Movies)

Ahh, the enigmatic and ingenious Daniel Craig. What motivates Bond? Who and what does he love, or hate? Does anything frighten him? What would he consider a trick, or a treat?


~~~

8. Fandom: James Bond (Movies)

Ahh, the enigmatic and ingenious Daniel Craig. What motivates Bond? Who and what does he love, or hate? Does anything frighten him? What would he consider a trick, or a treat?

~~~

9. Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant, the young apprentice. Thomas Nightingale, the experienced wizard. London has already thrown all its spooks and horrors at them - what does All Saints Eve mean to them? To they celebrate with candy, or batten down the hatches? Bonus marks for including Toby.

~~~

10. Fandom: Lucifer (TV)

How does a demon like Mazikeen handle a day for the demons to play in? Or Lucifer, Lord of Hell, what does he make of the day? Is it a hedonistic treat or another torment? What do they want, and how do they get it?

~~~

It snowed last night; no more of those nice clear sidewalks. I may go for a walk anyway.

Today's yoga was chair yoga with Saadia Gomez. Again, it helped me to feel better, and I liked the teacher's manner. Two things I particularly liked: the participation of her dog Charlie, and her ending sequence, with the palms together between the eyes, then at the lips, then at the heart:

Hands to the eyes - so that we always see the truth
Hands to the lips - so that we always speak the truth
Hands to the heart - so that we always receive the truth

Lovely!



Saadia Gomez