Zorp is dead.

Poetry Friday: I Did Not Keep Your Letters | Gabriel Gadfly

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:49:13 GMT

I read them,
and then I threw them in the trash,
but make no mistake, I read them.

I swallowed them whole.
I filled my eyes with every word,
I sewed them in patterns
into my flesh of my body,
at night I wake to entertain the ghosts
lounging in my bedroom
with impromptu recitations
of your letters, of your thoughts,
of the shape of you in words

but I could not keep your letters.

I could not let them languish
in a dusty box, fermenting
into poisons in the closet dark.
I could not let them lie in wait,
like coiled paper vipers
ready to strike the hand that strays
too far and stirs the den.

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Your daily space news of the...day... That seems redundant.

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 07:17:04 GMT

Anywho, the NYTimes has two very good articles on the intentions and landing of The Curiosity, the car-sized explorer which landed on Mars yesterday. If everything was as complicated as this first article says it was, and as well-thought-out, I am incredibly impressed with how far NASA's come from just a few short years ago, when the new lens of the Hubble telescope didn't fit because someone measured in centimeters, not inches. (Or was it inches, not centimeters? I always forget.)

Of the two articles, I'm most impressed by the first one because it actually gives us all the information we could want about The Curiosity. (Though I do want to know what happens to that ship that just goes off to crash a third of a mile away. What if *that* ship crashes exactly where something incredibly cool is? Shouldn't it be equipped with rock-destroying lasers, too?

A Drop-In Looking For Signs of Company.

If all goes as planned, the friction of Mars’ thin air rushing past the heat shield will have slowed the spacecraft to 1,000 miles per hour. A 51-foot-wide parachute will pop out, generating up to 65,000 pounds of drag force. Then the heat shield will pop off so that the radar can find the landing site in Gale Crater.

Even with the parachute drag, the spacecraft will be barreling toward the surface at 200 miles per hour. Next it will cut away the parachute and ignite its descent engines to slow down further.

The last three NASA rovers — Sojourner in 1997 and Spirit and Opportunity in 2004 — had similar landing systems, except for the final step. For those three, a cocoon of air bags inflated around the rover, which was then dropped the last 50 feet or so, bouncing and rolling until it came to a stop.

But Curiosity, about the size of a Mini Cooper, is five times as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity, making air bags impractical. It would be equivalent of trying to cushion a car hitting a brick wall at highway speed without any damage to the car.

Instead, Curiosity will be lowered by cable all the way to the ground from the hovering rocket stage in what NASA calls a sky crane maneuver. Once Curiosity bumps into Mars at a gentle 1.7 miles per hour, the cable will be cut, and the rocket stage will fly off to crash about a third of a mile away.

and the follow-up article:

Curiosity Rover Lands Safely on Mars

The success validates a $2.5 billion bet that NASA took in embarking on this ambitious mission. While the spacecraft has performed flawlessly since its launching last November, that is only after NASA overcame technical problems, delayed launching by more than two years and poured in hundreds of millions of dollars as the price tag rose from $1.6 billion.

The landing, involving a seemingly impossible sequence of complex maneuvers, proceeded like clockwork: the capsule containing Curiosity entered the Martian atmosphere, the parachute deployed, the rocket engines fired, the rover was lowered and, finally, the Curiosity was on the ground.

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Something to Cry About: Report from the Kitchen Floor (Trigger Alert)

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:59:24 GMT

You keep going to school because there are so many adults there with the power to validate or reject you. Rejection is best; it gives you a chance to be a better girl. You ask people, “Are you sure you like me?” You want strangers to promise to love you forever. You don’t trust that the people who do love you won’t change their minds. You bully your brothers, your lovers, your friends. You apologize and apologize and never feel forgiven. If you are lucky, your parents will be the last people who hit you. You will live much of your life fixing your face up, lest someone give you something to cry about.

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Bullet-pointed things. (Which are really dashes instead)

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:12:46 GMT

-I'm translating a court case (for money! Wheeee!!) set in Colombia and I'm at the point where I have maaaybe 10 hours left to go and all I can do is stare at these pages and go "noooooo you cannot make me. Pleeeeeeease don't make me, pleeeeeeeeeease" and then I go watch Person of Interest and have feelings. Since Reese cannot, I am making up for them with plenty to spare. Apparently.

-Also while I was screwing around I watched the last couple episodes of Community. Which - I nearly died with glee at what I want to call Digital Get-Down but was really Digital Estate Planning. ( Spoilers for month-old episodes. I guess. ) And those costumes were supremely rad.

So, I'm prepared to treat this last episode as the series finale. It wrapped up everything nicely, and was adorable and funny and, frankly, FUCK YOU, SONY. You have lost my trust.

-HUNGER GAMES. HUNGER GAMES. I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT HUNGER GAMES. I am halfway through the second book and currently on a forced break because it lets me think and digest the book so much better. Even though it feels like I will die if I don't read the next part. I really strongly feel that there's some message in these books that compare our society with the one displayed via Panem, but that I'm just too stupid to see it. I keep saying "it's an allegory for...for...for..." and NEVER REACH A CONCLUSION. But, wow, do I want to talk for hours about every little thing in this book.

-Hmm. I'm overdramatic about the word die.

-Laurie was here, visiting me, which was both lovely and money-draining because despite her attempt at planning, she didn't really have enough money for food. So...most of that came from me. Which, okay, she'd do the same for me...but she's got a job and I really, really don't. But, to be fair, she bought food for the first 3 days. So that was good, I guess. And also, she's the one who hooked me up with the translation job, so money will be coming from there in a few months.

-I have this bird, which looks kind of like a jackdaw, come to my balcony every day and dig through my plants to see if there are worms there. There are not, bird. Go away. I cannot communicate this more clearly than I already do, by charging you and yelling every time we see each other. YOU ARE KILLING MY PLANTS. I DO NOT LIKE IT.

-I'm sticking with Once Upon a Time because my family loves it and it gives us something to talk about, but it's pretty consistently been disappointing since they hit double-digit episodes. I still love the female characters, but I don't love their development of Mary Margaret. ( I don't think these even count as spoilers anymore, but...just in case. )

-Okay, well, now I have to get some work done. Time to put my big girl boots on and finish at least one more page.

-I HEART KATNISS. KATNISS 4-EVA. etc, etc. (But, boy, can she be dense sometimes. Come on, girl! Get it together!) Also: the third book ends in a threesome, yes? DON'T TELL ME IF THAT'S NOT THE CASE. I KNOW IN MY HEART OF HEARTS THAT IT ENDS THAT WAY, JUST AS ABED AND TROY MARRY AND HAVE LOTS OF DREAMATORIAM FUN TIMES.

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Holy shit, my finals are done.

Fri, 11 May 2012 03:51:10 GMT

I think I'll go pass out, now.

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Hellooo, Ladies and Gents.

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:23:36 GMT

I have a lot to say about a certain lacrosse game last night, but I'll save that for when I'm pissed again. In, like, an hour. (And don't have a 15-page paper due later in the day. Which will be, like. Tomorrow. FUCK THIS SHIT, I'M READING SPOOF ARTICLES.)

Mitt Romney vs. Paul Rudd as Bobby Newport: WHO WILL WIN THE RACE FOR POTUS?

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Go for it!

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:22:09 GMT

I took the OTW Community Survey!

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Poetry Monday...further west of me: Fire and Ice

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:59:22 GMT

By Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

("I hold with those who favor fire." This line just kills me.)

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For Kirin.

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:02:56 GMT

And whoever else might enjoy it. :-)

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Posting this because I find this girl so very adorable

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:18:07 GMT

And, well. It's a bangin' song. :-D

Here for those who cannot see the embed.

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Man, the fanfiction just writes itself, doesn't it?

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:30:02 GMT

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poetry poetry poetry

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:53:24 GMT

This TED talk by Sarah Kay emphasizes everything I never knew about spoken-word poetry. She takes something terrible, and makes it beautiful, and something beautiful, and makes you laugh. Link here for those who cannot see the embed.

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Three weeks later I was in Tunisia, killing a man.

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:05:25 GMT

Ahahaha, best new icon ever! Thank you, oxoniensis !

Man, this icon deserves something wonderful. Unfortunately, all I have for you are some hasty fic recs. Super hasty.

Chick Habit, by cjmarlowe
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Charlie/multiple, Charlie/Neville

WARNING: D'you know, I actually can't think of a single warning for this fic. Maybe: Charlie dates a lot?

This is one of those stories that doesn't quite feel like a story, it feels like you're watching something unfold just as it's happening. Their motivations are human, they characters are flawed, and their voices are perfect.

"Haven't worried this much that I'm going to sit on one of them since Ron and Ginny were still in nappies," said Charlie, brushing off his chair as though he might've missed one of them. Little Fred giggled at him.

"Yes, but you sat on me on purpose," said Ginny, making sure her three were all resettled after the interruption.

"Only because I'd convinced you it was a game," said Charlie. "You loved it so much you used to climb into my things when I wasn't looking."

There was the distinctive pop of Apparation from outside, and Charlie looked uncertainly towards the door. There was no family left to arrive, and unexpected guests were not always good news. Even this long after the war.

"Oh, that'll be Neville," his mum said, though. "I invited him after I heard about Hannah. The poor boy actually thought I'd let him spend Christmas alone."

It's a Love Story, Baby, Just Say Yes, by svmadelyn
Fandom: Hockey RPF
Pairing: Kaner/Tazer

WARNING: ~FEEELINGS~ "Kaner tries to fuck his way out of love. That goes as well as you might imagine." So, also, loads of one-night stands.

The thing I love about this story is that it incorporates loads of favorite fic tropes without following any of the formulas to the letter. There come points where, in any other story, *this* would be the pivotal moment. (And I read, and love these stories as well, believe you me.) Just Say Yes, *this* moment comes 1, 2, 3 - as many as 7 times. I didn't stop to count. I probably missed a few. But as you read, you don't find yourself predicting events as they unfold, and the fic sucks you in, more than you thought possible. And, of course, svmadelyn 's writing never disappoints.

"You were gonna retire to a shack on Lake Toews with all the babies," Kaner says, and he sounds weirdly miserable about it.

"Right," Jonathan says. "So you didn’t want me meeting the future Mrs. Toews at a bachelor auction?"

"I don’t want you meeting a future Mrs. Toews," Kaner says, and Jonathan waits for him to finish the sentence, but Kaner’s totally passed out.

"Thank you for saving me from that terrible fate," Jonathan says, smoothing the covers over Kaner and switching off the light. He wonders though – maybe front row girl who got sane would've been it. Maybe she was the person he told Michigan Avenue he was looking for - Someone cool and down to earth and maybe somewhat the opposite of me. Less goal-oriented, and spontaneous and free with how they plan their life. Or don’t plan, so to speak.

It's a weird and ultimately irrelevant thought, so Jonathan pushes it out of his mind, shuts off the lights in Kaner's place, and locks the door behind him.

You may begin cooing now. This is probably right where I did.

By The Book, by gqggqt and SidneySussex
Fandom: The Avengers
Pairing: Clint/Coulson

WARNINGS: Torture, injury, forced drugging, and all the kinds of things that go along with this.

This is a hard read, but it's a great one. There is so much backstory imagined here, so much that went into this fic before it was actually written, it's actually tangible.

There is a slight misstep in the binocular sights and a sudden cloud of dust on the opposite side of the ravine, and then everything goes dark for both of them. This is the high point of the operation.

I may have teared up a bit at the end, but you'll never know for sure. And if you know what's good for you, you won't ask, either.

This is Halloween, by swing_set13
Fandom:~~#NOTMYFANDOM~~ Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek/Stiles

WARNING: Uh, if you've seen the movie, or can even take a random guess at what a show like "Teen Wolf" is called, you're in for no surprises at all.

This was clever, imaginative, and fascinating. So many re-writes of The Nightmare Before Christmas end up simply copying the movie with different character names saying the same lines. This went a little into the future, and showed us another side of the consequences of Jack's adventure into Christmastown.

Stiles knows he's a weird kid. What with his dad being sheriff of Halloween Town and his mother the fairest Christmas snow angel in all of Holiday Land. They apparently met when The Pumpkin King went on a holiday bender and stole Christmas. Though it doesn't help him now as he runs through the graveyard and up the spiral hill. Jackson and his vampire groupies hot at his heels.

And since I put that fic...

I also had to include this one.

It Fills Up My Head And Gets Louder by addandsubtract
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Jackson/Stiles

WARNING: Not Derek/Stiles. And painfully, truly, awesome.

I've never even seen this show, but, oh my god, is Jackson a tiny little ball of teenage pain and emo. And how wonderful is it that Stiles somehow finds that attractive? This fic has some of the best pining I've read, and I read a lot of hockey fic, which is usually 100% pining, with a dollop of oblivious handjobs on top of that. This, this is like, that to the nth degree. And it is my crack.

I'm just saying: me and this fic? Are never to be parted.

Derek doesn’t kill him, but it takes three days for the bite to take. Jackson sweats and shivers and clutches at the sheets in a bedroom that definitely isn’t his and probably isn’t even Derek’s. It smells like mildew and charred wood. He stares up at the ruins of the ceiling, at the clouds passing over the barren tree branches, and wonders what excuse Derek has given his parents. If he’s even bothered. He wonders if Scott has been to see them, instead. He wonders if anyone would give a shit anyway.

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I'm totally okay with how mushy this is.

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:40:12 GMT

I just spent the loveliest 4 days ever with aneas on her gorgeous island. I'm in a hurry, but I have just enough time to leave you guys this beautiful photo she took while we were strolling on the beach the night I arrived.

I have learned so much and become a more interesting person because of fandom. And I'm so grateful for everyone in it, because without you guys, I would not be who I am today. I wouldn't know half as much, and I wouldn't have taken a trip like this on some emails and a gut instinct,and I certainly would never have met you, aneas . I miss you!

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OMG, YOU GUYS, TUMBLR IS ADDICTIVE.

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:27:58 GMT

WHY DID NO ONE WARN ME???

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I have a lot to share, but very little idea of how I want to go about it.

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:01:43 GMT

Yes, so.

1. I uploaded a (well, what for me was a fuckton) of icons the other day. I'm currently massively enamored of my Natasha, Avengers Assemble! icon, but I fully expect to flip through all of them at one point or another. I wish I had the same icons available on LJ, but I honestly can't talk myself into giving LJ any of my money considering how very little interest the corporation seems to have in the people who pay its bills, so. LJ people, if you actually want to see my icons (and I promise you, they're bangin'), click over to my dw icons here. I always mean to talk about how I really prefer female icons because, well, I'm female and there's something intrinsic in that which I feel a photo of a man just really can't represent, no matter how fantastic it / he is. That's not to say I don't have icons with guys as the focus, but...I use them infrequently. They're just not me.

Anyways, all this was by way of saying I love my pretty new icons.

2. Things I have read and think you should read!

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by jibrailis
Fandom: Avengers
Pairing: Steve/Tony

I don't have a good summary other than the author's: "After contracting an Asgardian virus, Tony starts forgetting things. And people. And Steve." It's....in a nutshell, yes, I suppose this summary works. But it's so much more than this. It's the uncertainty of knowing your own body is betraying you and not being able to figure out what to do. It's falling in love with someone you're certain is worthy - more than worthy of your love - but doesn't love you back. It's watching other people live their lives and feeling stuck in your own. In the end, these are such small words for such a big story; you have to read it for yourself to see. And you won't be sorry you read it.

Disclosures by gqgqqt

Fandom: Avengers
Pairing: Clint/Coulson

Again, the author's summary is, technically, correct, but this story is so much more. "Phil Coulson is miserable, distrusted by most of SHIELD, and still doesn't remember why. It's only going to get worse before it gets better." And boy, does it ever get worse. ( Spoilers, sort of? If something that happens in the first 2 pages of text can be considered a spoiler, then, sure, this is totally a spoiler. ) As a reader, you experience such frustration at Coulson's forced inactivity, at his inability to remember even what happened. But this story is so well-built and rounded-out that you're left savoring that frustration because it's as real as your own.

The Greedyhearts by weatherfront

Fandom: Inception
Pairing: Arthur/Eames

Okay, I read this a million years ago, just like I know everyone else did, but it popped up again on my pinboard a few weeks ago and I had some time on my hands. Haha. Wow, that seems like a million years ago, too. But enough about my sad, spinsterish, bluestocking life (Go Bluestockings! Hey, that should totally be Smith's football team's name! Wear it with pride, ladies), and more about this fic. It's...it's funny, in a way Ifrit only can manage. It's lovely and funny and...here. Read this snippet, and if you aren't sucked (back) in, I'll be a duck.

He launched an official website," says Arthur. "That asshole launched-- I can't believe this."

"There's a 'statement of purpose' section," says Yusuf, and clicks.

STATEMENT OF PERPOSE, says the website in large orange letters. MY NAME IS EAMES. YOUVE PROBABLY HEARD OF ME. IM POSSIBLY THE GREATEST THEIF WORKING TODAY, AND BETTER THEN MOST OF THE ONES NOT WORKING TODAY. I STEAL ART, I STEAL JEWELS, I STEAL ANYTHING YOULL PAY ME FOR.

"Even his website offends my eyes," says Arthur.

I CHARGE BY THE HOUR, it continues. THIS INCLUDES TIME SPENT IN PLANNING. EQUIPTMENT AND COFFEE WILL BE CONSIDERED BUISNESS EXPENDITURS. MY CONTACT INFORMATION IS NOT FOUND ON THIS WEB SITE BECAUSE STEALING IS ILEGAL, BUT YOU PROBABLY KNOW HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME IF YOU REALLY NEED TO. ENJOY THE REST OF MY WEB SITE!

"What's on the rest of his website?" asks Arthur.

"There's a 'photographs' section," says Yusuf, and clicks.

AKA: The one where Eames is a thief and his loot is Arthur's heart. GO TO IT, MY LOVELIES.

3. And now for some random links that I love.

Letters of Note: To My Old Master
A letter from a freed slave to his old master, who has apparently asked him to come back and work for him again. If this doesn't make you laugh AND cry, you have no tear ducts, apparently. Because cyborgs don't produce tears. (Or do they, and they're made of lubricant? Hmm. This bears some thinking.)

lolclicks.net: The Broomstick a Real Witch Rides
:-DDD YOU HATE ME NOW, DON'T YOU? S'okay, I kind of hate me, too.

The Real Definition of Googling Yourself.
According to Tracy Jordan.

11 cheap gifts guaranteed to impress science geeks
I am definitely using this for my computer-nerd uncle. Though, honestly, it's sad when my "computer nerd" uncle and I love the same websites and use machines the same way and *he's* considered a computer nerd and I'm not.

Earthbag construction
Ohhhh, this is cool. And makes me want to go help build these so all our houses can be green. :-D

YES. To everything that's happening in politics right now: YES.

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Mishmash of announcements and...stuff

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:24:01 GMT

Absolutely none of this hangs together in what at all would constitute a coherent manner. Oh, well.

1. First and foremost, ladies and gentlemen, on Wednesday,deviouskirin had a baby! And he looks as perfect as can be. <3 Go wish her well, or something.

2. 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes. Good article. I was happy to see I did know the difference for about half of them, but the others I'm going to have to watch out for.

2b. You Can't Make This Stuff Up. Terrible, terrible headlines. I laughed way too hard. I think maybe my favorite was "The duck refused medical treatment".

3. If you're a student or working on a project or anything, check out evernote. I haven't had a chance to use it a ton yet, but from what I'm seeing, it's useful and idiot-proof. Which you know because I can use it.

( Beneath the cut: romance novels, the state of me, rec, television and more. This got long! ) Additonally, the heroine is kind of manipulative in a way that makes me want to tell her to stop taking stereotypes about women so seriously.

9. Ohhhh, speaking of. robanybody came up with the coolest casting idea for a Sherlock series: Lucy Liu as Sherlock, Regina King as Watson, and Ming Na as Mycroft. I want to add Tiffany Theissen as Lestrade. Or possibly Retta(, who STILL hasn't gotten her own storyline on Parks and Rec. I'm not bitter). Who's going to write this script and sell it, people! I want to see hands up right now.

10. Uh.....I love my thesis advisor. So much. I walk the same way as he does for a while to get home, and as we were walking out after our last meeting, we got to a flower seller who's always outside Bernabeu who he's apparently friends with. When we got there, they asked who I was, and he said I was his best student (\0/!!) and then they gave me carnations and a rose! They're gorgeous, and they're still sitting in my kitchen in some water. I don't ever want that kind of day to end. <3

11. Holy shit this has gotten long. Okay, last thing: this song via renay . Apparently these ladies are Swedish? Who knew?

Here for those who can't see embed.

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This just happened. To me. I DID THIS TO MYSELF.

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:43:04 GMT

( CUT FOR LARGE IMAGES. ALSO FOR RIDICULOUSNESS. AND PORN. )
CAN'T. STOP. LAUGHING.

HAPPY GALENTINE'S DAY, GALS. SORRY MY GALENTINE'S DAY ENTRY WAS SO RIDICULOUS.

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DO YOU KNOW WHOSE BIRTHDAY IT IS?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:55:20 GMT

SCOTT DOES. :-DDDD

Happy Birthday, Scott. I hope they continue long after the floods roll back. (See what I did there? Didja see?)

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life is the length of my smallest dream

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:08:38 GMT

So today was a weird day, but it ended nicely, with plays and fic, a couple cool vids and wine and oreos with my flatmate. We are totes classy. Don't you doubt it for a minute.

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Brownie update. 'Cause you wanted to know. Yeah, you did.

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:34:13 GMT

Woooh yeah, okay, used waaay too much butter on those brownies. It's like brownie-flavored custard underneath a delicious, delicious cookie-like crust.

It's so hard measuring in metric when you're not actually measuring and have no desire to look these things up!

Also: probably used too much water.

The custard is mouth-wateringly chocolate, though. Mmmmm.

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and time would be a distant memory

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:20:35 GMT

Today has been...a nice day. It didn't start out that way - I woke up late (already missed class at the gym) and with those low, disgusting sort of cramps that don't go away but aren't sharp enough to actively prevent you from doing things: you just want to lay in bed all day and hug yourself and moan.

But they did go away, and I had a nicely productive afternoon. I got one of my course packets printed, and bought some stuff from the pharmacy, bought a plant to keep my lonely little rosemary company and potted it. I'm truly impressed with this rosemary plant. When people tell you rosemary is a hardy little thing, they're not kidding. This plant survived a move, not getting watered for almost two months and myriad other plant-negative circumstances.

I can take care of only a certain number of things at a time, and when Charlie supplanted (haha) my plants (yes, they used to be plural. Don't ask about the others. I'm sure the rosemary lives in fear of me doing to it what I did to them.) and I was the one responsible for a) finding a new place b) visiting it c) cleaning d) signing the lease e) holy shit the CLEANING and f) THE CLEANING. Thank God my roommates are doing some of that now, but...the plants fell kind of into last place on my list of chores. I've been babying it for the past three weeks, buying it plant food, taking it in at night and putting it out in the morning when the sun is just hitting, making sure it sits in the southernmost window, etc. It's shown a marked improvement, certainly, and it's always gratifying to see results.

I also made a delicious tuna casserole out of stuff I had lying around (baked in my new oven!), mailed a little something to a certain someone (coughcough aneas coughcough), ran to the grocery store for a few essentials, just finished making some brownies, took out all the garbage and recycling, folded my laundry and have not done a single bit of homework since I got home. That last one's not so great, actually. But I have tuna, rice, cheese and broccoli casserole (mmm, it was delicious) for dinner, should I want it (and I do), brownies for dessert, the gym tomorrow morning, and more than enough time to finish the three articles I'm supposed to read for tomorrow. Not enough time to finish the book, sadly, but I'm over halfway through it and it's more a commentary on society than being in possession of an actual plot, per se, so that'll be easy enough to finish on my own time.

And I'll leave you with this song that one of the instructors at the gym kept singing along with, in between giving very calm instructions on which yoga position we'd be moving into next. I really tried to keep my giggles down, but it was adorable. Link here for those who cannot see the embed.

( Spoiler. Though, really, can I really spoil a 3-minute music video for you? It's pretty obvious what's going to happen, anyways. )

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:-\

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:45:02 GMT

I have got to learn when to keep my mouth shut. Millions of people are Wrong On The Internet every day, and I'm most certainly one of them.

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Random stuff and an oven!!!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:06:16 GMT

Pick up the nearest book to you.
Turn to page 45.
The first sentence describes your sex life in 2012.

"Long Dead's Longevity". (Kerouac)

Yeah, I don't know. 0_0 Does that mean I will continue to get none? 'Cause that would suck.

ETA: Maybe it means I will get an undead boyfriend! ...ew. Yes, I am biased against necrophilia.

So, today has been productive so far! I seem to be doing an okay job of kicking my jet lag. Hahahah, right. Talk to me at 5 pm.

But Mark and I went to Al Campo, which is the closest thing I can find to a Target, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart here. We bought an oven (yay!) so we can cook real meals again, some bowls and mugs for the kitchen, towels, posters to decorate the living room, and other assorted goods such as tape and extension cords. I'm really excited about the oven. In other news, a nap seems like a good idea right now, since I've got English classes to give tonight and boy am I fading fast.

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Rec: Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army, the Army Was the Place to Find Romance!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:49:26 GMT

When I told deviouskirin that her Christmas present would be in the form of a recs list (because I am fiscally poor but fictionally rich hahah), I really didn't expect what form, exactly, that recs list would take. I really should have, given how we met, but I did not. So, here you have it, my first military-themed recs list. Boy, howdy, was that a rich vein to mine. deviouskirin is not alone in this; fandom loves its boys in...well, whatever color you're thinking of, we've probably got.

Note: this is not a comprehensive military-fic rec. That would be nothing short of insane, requiring years of my life and a tagging system that goes beyond my comprehension. No, this is purely military-related (some only military-adjacent, or requiring a slight stretch of the imagination to the past or future of the characters) fic and vids that I have enjoyed, and now have the driving desire to make others read.

To begin:

Duende by astolat
Fandom: Master & Commander
Pairing: Jack/Stephen

WARNING: Bondfic, so it could be construed as dubcon. Also: bondfic. And some of the most oblique references to sexual acts you'll find in fic, ever. Some pretty explicit ones, too.

"Why would you acquiesce to this?" Maturin said, as though Jack's breaking the silence had loosened his tongue. "You are young to be bonded in any case; you ought to be matched with someone five years your junior, not senior, and you cannot think me a prime candidate."

Jack blushed; it was hard to know how to answer this without being rude. Yet Maturin was being very frank, and he felt it freed him a little from ordinary bounds. "I will be honest, sir: I am none too eager to be bonded just yet. It is early in my career, and I have made no name for myself with which to merit a—a choice of partner, but you must see, the offer cannot be refused," he concluded, a little desperately.

"Ah. I see." Maturin dropped his head and turned away, leaning upon the railing. "Did you reject him, or fail to reject his wife?"

The world-building astolat does with this fic is remarkable, up to, and including the smallest details. I want to know so much more. How did this system get started? What other powers do people have? How do they get them? And last, but certainly not least: can I have some?

Get Some by hackthis
Fandom: Generation Kill
Pairing: Brad/Nate

WARNING: The High School AU of your dreams.

A tiny, balled-up wad of paper sails right over Nate's shoulder, bounces off the middle ring of his three-ring binder and rolls to a stop just shy of falling onto the floor.

Nate flicks it away with his thumb and index finger.

Brad definitely wants attention.

Seconds later another wad of paper lands on Nate's desk. And then another. And another.

It's attack by spit balls, minus the spit. They agreed not to do the spit thing anymore after that unfortunate incident where one spit ball went wide and ended up across the aisle and attached to Maureen Trotsky's glasses. She didn't appreciate that much.

Godfather appreciated them being late for practice because they had detention even less.

And yet, something that feels suspiciously like a spit ball lands on Nate's exposed neck, right above the collar of his shirt.

Nate's been slimed.

This fic was my introduction to GK and the reason I got into GK fandom at all. Nate, Brad, Poke, Ray, Walt, and every other character you could name from GK is not only recognizable here, but believable. hackthis translates them into an earlier age bracket but makes you believe that this is exactly how they'd be as high-schoolers, as people just growing into themselves.

Every Marine a Wolfbrother Series by dira
Fandom: Generation Kill
Pairing: Too many to mention

WARNING: Definite non-con/dubcon in the second in the series. References to it elsewhere.

Bo was the tallest wolf in the platoon--her shoulder came up almost to the bottom of Evan's flak vest--but not the biggest. She was lightly built, with narrow shoulders and long legs. She had short, sleek fur that was brindled in pale and darker tan. She was desert camouflaged all by herself. Fick had told him that her known ancestry in Saudi Arabia went back to the sixteenth century; Bo's mother had been brought to the US after the Gulf War, when everyone realized that desert wars might just be a big thing in the next few decades. It made the woodlands camo on her MOPP suit even more ironic than everyone else's. Without the MOPP suit, Bo herself would be able to just disappear into the sand out here.

Of course, not being able to see Bo was sort of an unnerving thought. Evan realized that a half second before he felt Bo's muzzle jab into his thigh from behind. He took a staggering step forward, and then kept going, letting Bo move him across the impromptu encampment. Their goal turned out to be the little bit of shade available next to the command vehicle. Even looked down at her when they got there, and Bo gave him another shove on the hip, backing him up against one of the wheels. When there was no further Evan could back away from her, she snapped her teeth a couple of times.

Evan stood very still.

Fifteen feet away, Fick turned his head and called out, "She wants you to sit down and stay where she can keep an eye on you."

This series is an excellent fusion of worlds, and for those unfamiliar with the fuse-ed world, brings to mind Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small series in combination with...well, something where people and wolves share minds. It is telepathy on a certain level, but without the sinister implications that telepathy among humans has; the difference comes from the wolves. They do what they think is right, and serve as a massive ego check on their humans at times. Trombley might be a different story, but, well. It's Trombley.

Kings of the Air by FabulaRasa
Fandom: Top Gun (1986)
Pairing: Iceman/Maverick

WARNING: Deals with DADT, internalized homophobia and sex that starts with punching. That last part's actually pretty awesome, in context.

Ice took another drag of the cigar and scooted aside as Maverick made his way past ‎him, and the slap on the back became a smaller, and much less noticeable, squeeze of ‎his arm, because Ice knew, of course Ice knew. Those fucking eyes like chips of glaciers, ‎there was nothing they missed. Maverick let himself squeeze back, just a little—more of ‎a brush, just to say yeah, I know you know and I'm okay with you knowing, because ‎fuck but it felt good not to be alone with the thing in his chest.‎

Oh, this story. This story. You know that story you've read in that tiny, tiny fandom that spoiled you for all and any other stories in that fandom? That there's no other story you need after that? This is that story.

Like all love stories actually are, it's lovely, long and complicated. I could read it a dozen times and I'm sure I'd still miss dozens of subtleties from the world we live in that have slipped inside. This story picks up where Top Gun left off and, even if you've never seen Top Gun (I sure haven't) it makes complete sense. I feel like I've seen Top Gun, I've read this story so many times.

O Captain, My Captain by novembersmith
Fandom: Temeraire books
Pairing: I kind of feel like I shouldn't spoil that for you, even though if you've read the Temeraire books this is based on, you'll know immediately.

WARNING: Talking dragons. Magic. Things like that.

"I beg your pardon," Laurence said finally, raising his voice over the mountain wind. The young man whirled around and stared at him. He had rather extraordinary eyes, Laurence noticed. The color was oddly arresting: a deep, drowning blue. The older gentleman and the young lady only smiled at Laurence, and the gentleman doffed his hat.

In this version of our world, there is a branch of the military that flies dragons. That's pretty much all you need to know to get the story, though I will heartily recommend the books.* This story captures what makes that world so intriguing while novembersmith puts hir own spin on things.

National Pastime by dira / dsudis
Fandom: Live Free Or Die Hard (2007)
Pairing: John McClane / Matt Farrell

WARNING: What seems like PTSD to me. Also, the harrowing thought of falling down the nosebleed stairs at a baseball game.

Matt made it about two crutches-swinging strides from McClane's car before he actually looked up at their destination. "Oh, man, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Shut up, it's a great idea," McClane said easily, matching his stride to Matt's slow, painful pace--swing crutches, hop, breathe, swing crutches, hop, breathe...

Matt looked up at the stadium as they got closer, his eyes tracing the slanting concrete. There were people walking behind the grating. "Wait--those are ramps. Did you say those tickets were upper deck?"

"Nothing like the upper deck at Shea in July," McClane said, in a hearty, two-working-legs, not-even-wearing-a-sling-anymore kind of voice that made Matt want to punch him a little bit.

K, I know you said you love you some Die Hard. Well, there's a ton of good Die Hard fics out there (and by "ton" I really mean not many fics at all, but I've yet to stumble across a truly bad one, thank god for good writers) but this is far and away my favorite. Which is why I'm justifying putting two works by the same author into the post. Please don't hunt me down and beat me with a computer cord; I understand I've broken a reccing law, but I did it for a good reason! The spreading of joy and fanfic throughout the land! 'Tis a noble cause, one I shall pursue until my dying day. Or until the Internet breaks. Whichever comes first.

The Lovely Couple by celli
Fandom: Marvel, Avengers
Pairing: Clint/Coulson

WARNING: One of my favorite tropes: undercover married!

"Sir," Coulson said, "these covers are--"

"Real people," Fury said. He was smirking, the asshole. "Conveniently out of town for the next few weeks. It's always easier to get real people in the door."

Clint met Coulson's eyes over a picture of two men who bore the faintest resemblance to them, locked in a passionate kiss in front of a courthouse. Coulson's face was neutral as always, and damn it, if he wasn't going to react neither was Clint.

"I'm sure we'll make a lovely couple," Clint said, and forced a smile. "Honey."

Oh, they do. They do. :-D

Average Avengers Local Chapter 7 of New York City by hetrez
Fandom: Marvel, Avengers
Pairing: Steve/Tony

WARNING: After this fic you will want to go volunteer in your local senior center. Don't fight it.

The reporters start out easy. Maybe they're hoping to lull the team into a false sense that they're not the devil. Or maybe Fury put the fear of himself into them. Either way, it's hilarious.

"Ms Romanov, how does it feel to be named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People?"

"Mr Odinson, how are you liking Earth so far?"

"Mr Stark, what's it like to be part of a team instead of flying solo?"

"What's your favorite thing to do in your free time?"

To which the answers are,

Thor: "Visit my wonderful Jane."

Hawkeye: "Go see a Mets game."

Steve: "I support my local union."

Tony coughs until his eyes water.

And I'll just leave you with the official summary: "Steve and Tony accidentally start a national do-gooders association and fall in love." Who can resist that?

Vids

To Touch The Face of God by destina
Fandom: NASA

WARNING: WOW.

My eager craft through footless halls of air. 
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue 
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace 
Where never lark, or even eagle flew. 
And, while silent, lifting mind I've trod 
The high untrespassed sanctity of space, 
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

I can't quite explain why every time I watch this I cry, but I do. There's something about people willing to put their lives on the line for the good of mankind, or scientific exploration, or just a thirst to learn that is heartbreakingly wonderful.

Sorrow by trelkez
Fandom: Avengers, Marvel, Captain America

WARNING: Uh, spoilers for Captain America, I would guess. Also, in case you didn't know, he ( spoiler? maybe? ) at some point. (I have not seen the movie or read the comic books, and yet, I feel pretty unspoiled by this vid.)

This encapsulates what it means to be Captain America. And, in true Marvel Comics fashion, it seems to mean to be sad, alone, and to be trying your hardest to do the right thing. And it makes me want to give you a hug and some Oreos.

*I think, at this point, pretty much everyone knows who wrote them, and I will admit I feel kind of awkward about the overlap in this post, but since naominovik is so gracious about fanworks, I didn't think it would be in terribly bad taste.

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