To be clear, the SOJ OC-centric Defiant Dragons Sonataverse tie-in I mentioned last post did exist as a concept before my brain decided to randomly hand me 1500 words of it. I think it would be neat to explore some of the regular non-protagonist people involved in that whole revolution. I just wasn't planning to work on it until after we got through at least Forsaken Road and broken beaten damned (if only because one of the OCs in question has a cameo in the latter and it'll flow better if people meet him as a one-off before getting the whole backstory).
Oh well. Inspiration's inspiration, even if it feels a little Calvin and Hobbes.
Oh well. Inspiration's inspiration, even if it feels a little Calvin and Hobbes.
Me: Okay, brain, can we please work on Sonata sequels now? I did all the other stuff...
My brain: On it, boss! You meant the SOJ OC-centric Defiant Dragons Sonataverse tie-in, right?
No, I did not, but sure, why not, I'll write it...
My brain: On it, boss! You meant the SOJ OC-centric Defiant Dragons Sonataverse tie-in, right?
No, I did not, but sure, why not, I'll write it...
My FWF First Place Winner - Category: "Best Use of Prompt" - Shocktober Edition
Title: Things Counter, Original, Spare, Strange
Fandoms: due South, Wristcutters
Rating: Mature
Category: Gen, M/M
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Characters: Robert "Bob" Fraser, Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski, mention of Uncle Tiberius Fraser, mention of Diefenbaker (the half-wolf, not the former Canadian Prime Minister), mention of Nanuk (from Wristcutters), mention of Raife Kneller (from Wristcutters)
Word count: 400 (quadruple drabble)
Summary: Sergeant Robert Fraser -- dead Robert Fraser -- knows first-hand that All Hallow’s Eve is when The Veil between the living and the dead is at its most thin...but he doesn't know anything about Halloween-themed sex toys until Ray Kowalski has something to say about it.
Author's Notes: Written for the recurring Firewhiskey Fic Challenge, a 48-hour period during which fanworks creators drink "adult beverages" or "do the 420" and create their fanworks "under the influence" with no editing allowed. Participants then view all the fanworks and vote on them in the categories of Most Coherent Entry, Least Coherent Entry, Funniest Entry, Favorite Entry, Best Use of Prompt, and Best Smut.
Fic on AO3.
AO3 Link | A Shared Lunch (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Drabble, Domestic Fluff
Summary:
Drizzt had set the basket of food and jug of cider on the table, then gone back to his room to clean up, thinking he had plenty of time.
He came back to find Alustriel already dividing the portions onto plates, the cider poured (and likely warmed by her spells).
"I thought it was my day to treat us with our lunch? And you are early."
"My last appointment sent her regrets, and why should I not help? You hunted it, in a fashion, and this is me preparing it."
He kissed her, smiling in the kiss.
"You spoil me."
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Drabble, Domestic Fluff
Summary:
They trade off who handles lunch
Drizzt had set the basket of food and jug of cider on the table, then gone back to his room to clean up, thinking he had plenty of time.
He came back to find Alustriel already dividing the portions onto plates, the cider poured (and likely warmed by her spells).
"I thought it was my day to treat us with our lunch? And you are early."
"My last appointment sent her regrets, and why should I not help? You hunted it, in a fashion, and this is me preparing it."
He kissed her, smiling in the kiss.
"You spoil me."
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, ed. Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman (2018) [part 3]
Nov. 18th, 2025 04:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pauraqueThis is part three of my book club notes on A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. [Part one, part two.]
Something I learned in this meeting that I did not previously realize is that a number of the authors in the collection are best known for YA. This does explain why it was shelved under YA in the library, which I have to admit I did not see as significant given that I also had to visit the YA section to find Dracula (because their copy is part of a series of "classic canon" repubs marketed to teens). I had noticed that some of the entries certainly are YA, which I don't consider a bad thing in itself, but in this batch of stories we did experience a disconnect between the marketed-to audience and ourselves.
"Nothing Into All" by Renée Ahdieh
( An embittered brother and a doormat sister run across goblins that can turn anything into gold. )
"Spear Carrier" by Naomi Kanakia
[Note: This book was published before Kanakia came out as trans, so it lists this story under her former name Rahul Kanakia.]
( A look at the Mahabharata from the POV of one of the five million soldiers in the climactic battle. )
"Code of Honor" by Melissa de la Cruz
( A Filipina vampire seeks belonging in New York City. )
"Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman
( In a war-torn country, a boy disguises himself as a girl to infiltrate a munitions factory. )
Something I learned in this meeting that I did not previously realize is that a number of the authors in the collection are best known for YA. This does explain why it was shelved under YA in the library, which I have to admit I did not see as significant given that I also had to visit the YA section to find Dracula (because their copy is part of a series of "classic canon" repubs marketed to teens). I had noticed that some of the entries certainly are YA, which I don't consider a bad thing in itself, but in this batch of stories we did experience a disconnect between the marketed-to audience and ourselves.
"Nothing Into All" by Renée Ahdieh
( An embittered brother and a doormat sister run across goblins that can turn anything into gold. )
"Spear Carrier" by Naomi Kanakia
[Note: This book was published before Kanakia came out as trans, so it lists this story under her former name Rahul Kanakia.]
( A look at the Mahabharata from the POV of one of the five million soldiers in the climactic battle. )
"Code of Honor" by Melissa de la Cruz
( A Filipina vampire seeks belonging in New York City. )
"Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman
( In a war-torn country, a boy disguises himself as a girl to infiltrate a munitions factory. )
Tags:
- book club,
- books,
- books: author: elsie chapman,
- books: author: melissa de la cruz,
- books: author: naomi kanakia,
- books: author: renée ahdieh,
- books: editor: ellen oh,
- books: editor: elsie chapman,
- books: genre: fantasy,
- books: genre: speculative fiction,
- books: theme: family drama,
- books: theme: magic,
- books: theme: mythology & folklore,
- books: theme: religion,
- books: theme: vampires,
- books: theme: war,
- books: type: short stories,
- books: type: young adult,
- books: year: 2018
I missed last week; don't want to let another one go by. 3 things:
1) I'm not sure why but the holiday commercials are rubbing me the wrong way in a wronger way than usual this year. Like, in a way that has me yelling back at the television because they are so wrong--so over-the-top crass and commercial and try-hard. I don't dare look at the Hallmark movie slate right now, even if the goal is to make fun of them, because I'm sure their vibe/messaging will piss me off even more and I'm just not in the mood.
2) Even as I typed the above, the first snow of the season started falling and is sticking to the lawn outside my office window. It's very pretty--the big, fat, white flakes you get when the temperature up in the clouds just clicks over to freezing. Of course my weather app says, "Heavy rain forecasted for the next hour." At least it got the fact that it's precipitating correct, which is not always the case.
3) Sunday my sister and I took the kids Christmas shopping. We all want to get it out of the way ASAP this year, especially with their performance schedules. The Madrigals group JuneBug is in has 30 performances scheduled between Thanksgiving and the holiday break! I got the better end of the deal (for me)--JuneBug wanted to go to the big mall up in Appleton, and he wanted his mom to go with him to help him decide. For him, deciding is a whooooole process--gotta look at everything that's available, do the math, consider what they've asked for and what's available and what he thinks they'll really like, and once he's done all that, weigh it against the other gifts he's planning to buy and whether he should get things now or take his time to think about it and see if something better turns up or something goes on sale. The kid can spend an hour in a mall kiosk. I love him, but that much time in a mall makes my skin crawl.
Magpie, on the other hand, is a power shopper. She's scoped out possibilities and noticed what people say they like ahead of time. She also had a survey she'd filled out for the people she's shopping for with sizes and things they like. We marched into TJ Max and had two gifts bought in 15 minutes flat. Even had time to stop for lunch before the place where she wanted to buy the gift for her dog opened. She spent more than she'd been planning on for a couple items (she, too, has done the math), but she'll get more allowance next week and that will allow her to complete her shopping before Thanksgiving. Ms. Efficiency. I LOVE shopping with her.
Okay, that got really holiday themed; between the snow and the past 4 weeks of setup for our annual Nutcracker exhibition here at the museum it's hard to ignore the season, even if it's starting far earlier than I'd like. I have to go make some coffee. Even the SAD light isn't energizing me like it usually does today, but if I drink the coffee past lunchtime I'll be up until midnight and my whole borked-up sleep schedule will get even worse.
1) I'm not sure why but the holiday commercials are rubbing me the wrong way in a wronger way than usual this year. Like, in a way that has me yelling back at the television because they are so wrong--so over-the-top crass and commercial and try-hard. I don't dare look at the Hallmark movie slate right now, even if the goal is to make fun of them, because I'm sure their vibe/messaging will piss me off even more and I'm just not in the mood.
2) Even as I typed the above, the first snow of the season started falling and is sticking to the lawn outside my office window. It's very pretty--the big, fat, white flakes you get when the temperature up in the clouds just clicks over to freezing. Of course my weather app says, "Heavy rain forecasted for the next hour." At least it got the fact that it's precipitating correct, which is not always the case.
3) Sunday my sister and I took the kids Christmas shopping. We all want to get it out of the way ASAP this year, especially with their performance schedules. The Madrigals group JuneBug is in has 30 performances scheduled between Thanksgiving and the holiday break! I got the better end of the deal (for me)--JuneBug wanted to go to the big mall up in Appleton, and he wanted his mom to go with him to help him decide. For him, deciding is a whooooole process--gotta look at everything that's available, do the math, consider what they've asked for and what's available and what he thinks they'll really like, and once he's done all that, weigh it against the other gifts he's planning to buy and whether he should get things now or take his time to think about it and see if something better turns up or something goes on sale. The kid can spend an hour in a mall kiosk. I love him, but that much time in a mall makes my skin crawl.
Magpie, on the other hand, is a power shopper. She's scoped out possibilities and noticed what people say they like ahead of time. She also had a survey she'd filled out for the people she's shopping for with sizes and things they like. We marched into TJ Max and had two gifts bought in 15 minutes flat. Even had time to stop for lunch before the place where she wanted to buy the gift for her dog opened. She spent more than she'd been planning on for a couple items (she, too, has done the math), but she'll get more allowance next week and that will allow her to complete her shopping before Thanksgiving. Ms. Efficiency. I LOVE shopping with her.
Okay, that got really holiday themed; between the snow and the past 4 weeks of setup for our annual Nutcracker exhibition here at the museum it's hard to ignore the season, even if it's starting far earlier than I'd like. I have to go make some coffee. Even the SAD light isn't energizing me like it usually does today, but if I drink the coffee past lunchtime I'll be up until midnight and my whole borked-up sleep schedule will get even worse.
AO3 Link | Not So Deadly Questioning (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Gilad Pellaeon
Additional Tags: Drabble
Summary:
The silence on the bridge spoke volumes to the terror they had Known. Pellaeon questioning orders had everyone running the roster, trying to determine how close to the danger they would move when the Grand Moff Admiral eliminated the officer.
"It is good that you question," were not words any of them expected. "There are intelligence points that are kept solely within my planning agenda," Thrawn continued. "I ask, Captain, that you trust in my grasp on these matters, given my survival and track record?"
Everyone relaxed slightly when Pellaeon agreed, wondering when Thrawn would kill him out of sight.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Gilad Pellaeon
Additional Tags: Drabble
Summary:
Everyone holds their breath when Pellaeon questions
The silence on the bridge spoke volumes to the terror they had Known. Pellaeon questioning orders had everyone running the roster, trying to determine how close to the danger they would move when the Grand Moff Admiral eliminated the officer.
"It is good that you question," were not words any of them expected. "There are intelligence points that are kept solely within my planning agenda," Thrawn continued. "I ask, Captain, that you trust in my grasp on these matters, given my survival and track record?"
Everyone relaxed slightly when Pellaeon agreed, wondering when Thrawn would kill him out of sight.
Greetings and salutations, friends! I hope the week that was has passed easily for you and that you've had some successes to share with us today.
Please do tell us how your fitness journey has been the past week. You know we won't judge, no matter what you report.
( My Week in Review )
Have a great week ahead and good luck on reaching your fitness goals!
Please do tell us how your fitness journey has been the past week. You know we won't judge, no matter what you report.
( My Week in Review )
Have a great week ahead and good luck on reaching your fitness goals!
A convenience store is a world of sound. From the tinkle of the door chime to the voices of TV celebrities advertising new products over the in-store cable network, to the calls of the store workers, the beeps of the bar code scanner, the rustle of customers picking up items and placing them in baskets, and the clacking of heels walking around the store. It all blends into the convenience store sound that ceaselessly caresses my eardrums.Keiko has worked at the same convenience store her entire adult life. Outside the shop she's bewildered by unspoken social rules, but inside it, there's an explicit protocol for everything—how to stand, how to smile, how to say good morning. In this well-defined and orderly world, she is happy and fulfilled. The only problem is that as she ages into her thirties, her family increasingly pressures her to abandon that world and pursue marriage and children instead. But if all they want is for her to have a man in her life, maybe all she has to do is grab the nearest unattached man and fake it for their benefit?
I'm trying to think of the best way to describe this book. It's devastating and hopeful, hilarious and dark as fuck. The summary makes it sound like a fake-dating romp, and it does have elements of that... except the guy Keiko fake-dates is a disturbed misogynist who thinks the world is against him (we'd call him an incel, though I don't know if that maps exactly onto Japanese categories of disaffected men) and when Keiko takes him in she considers that she'll probably have to feed him at least once a day and wonders if it'll be a problem that she's never had a pet before.
Keiko is obviously autistic (though the word isn't used) and she is kind of my hero. Her deadpan literalism lays bare the absurdity of society's expectations, and while her difference makes her vulnerable, she's far from helpless. The depiction of what she goes through is so on point. I was especially struck by the character of her sister, who's the closest thing Keiko has to an ally in her family. She gives Keiko tips on how to explain why she still works at the convenience store in a way that "normal" people will accept—but when it comes down to it, what she really wants is for Keiko to change. This kind of... conditional scaffolding is familiar to me, and was one of many aspects of the book that made me feel like if I didn't laugh I was going to cry.
I have no idea what reading this book would be like if you weren't autistic. For me it felt like having a conversation in my native language after only speaking a foreign language for years and years and years.
Poll #33840 Bring Back the links
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 18
Do you want me to bring back the Various Links posts?
Yes, please
16 (88.9%)
Nah, we see enough of that on our own
0 (0.0%)
tick tick boom
2 (11.1%)
If you weren't here before I stopped these, I would basically gather all of the recs I'd posted in my server, organize them a bit, and share them on ... Sundays? I think.
AO3 Link | Both of Them? (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lando Calrissian, Han Solo [Star Wars Universe]
Additional Tags: Implied Relationships, Drabble
Summary:
"Did ya really have to go and hit on him too?"
Lando stared at Han a moment before he started laughing, joined by Chewbacca in the mirth.
"Of course you went for both, you sly dog," Lando finally said to defuse Han's fuming. "Pretty certain they're both the kind to decide their way for themselves."
"Yeah but… you always have all the right words!"
Han flinched as Lando moved, then an arm was slung around his shoulders. "Han, old buddy, you have your own charm. Just keep doing what you do for Leia."
"Backing off on Luke?"
"Not a chance."
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lando Calrissian, Han Solo [Star Wars Universe]
Additional Tags: Implied Relationships, Drabble
Summary:
Lando is very amused
"Did ya really have to go and hit on him too?"
Lando stared at Han a moment before he started laughing, joined by Chewbacca in the mirth.
"Of course you went for both, you sly dog," Lando finally said to defuse Han's fuming. "Pretty certain they're both the kind to decide their way for themselves."
"Yeah but… you always have all the right words!"
Han flinched as Lando moved, then an arm was slung around his shoulders. "Han, old buddy, you have your own charm. Just keep doing what you do for Leia."
"Backing off on Luke?"
"Not a chance."
Making roasted carrots always makes me feel like a Redwall character. Yes, I am roasting delicious veggies (in rainbow colors, because why not, rainbow carrots were on sale) and then enjoying them while I read a book with a small animal snuggled up next to my legs.
I should really do a re-read of some of my favorite Redwall books this winter. I'm trying to do more reading anyway, and those are quick.
I should really do a re-read of some of my favorite Redwall books this winter. I'm trying to do more reading anyway, and those are quick.
AO3 Link | Owed a Favor (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Batman [Movies 1989-1997]
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth
Additional Tags: Drabble, Post-Break Up
Summary:
Alfred raised one eyebrow at his charge arriving alone for the night.
"I presume the absence of Miss Vale is the reason you insisted on driving yourself to the date?"
Bruce grimaced. "She's got a prime opportunity to do some reporting in Hong Kong," he deflected.
"And were I to inquire on the ultimate ownership of the press agency she will be going there for, would I find it under one of our ledgers?"
That got silence and a pointed removal of his coat at first, which Alfred took.
"No," Bruce said, relenting. "But someone did owe me a favor."
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Batman [Movies 1989-1997]
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth
Additional Tags: Drabble, Post-Break Up
Summary:
Alfred is a bit disappointed.
Alfred raised one eyebrow at his charge arriving alone for the night.
"I presume the absence of Miss Vale is the reason you insisted on driving yourself to the date?"
Bruce grimaced. "She's got a prime opportunity to do some reporting in Hong Kong," he deflected.
"And were I to inquire on the ultimate ownership of the press agency she will be going there for, would I find it under one of our ledgers?"
That got silence and a pointed removal of his coat at first, which Alfred took.
"No," Bruce said, relenting. "But someone did owe me a favor."
AO3 Link | Paris Trip (150 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Superman
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Perry White
Additional Tags: Drabble and a Half
Summary:
"Lane! Kent!"
Clark hastily put his pen down and stood up, taking that first stride and nearly bumped into Lois. He paused and made the gesture for her to precede him, not that she'd ever done much more than glare. He followed behind her, and shut the door at Perry's irritable wave at that.
"Yes, Mister White?" Clark asked after Lois's more irritated "What is it?"
"Talk to Daphne for tickets; sending you both to Paris to cover their reaction to the Euro Parliament elections," Perry said. "Try not to get off-beat on this one!"
Lois smiled. "Thank you, Perry."
Clark was suspicious of that sudden shift in her voice and mood, but he followed her out with a 'yes sir', to go see Daphne. Paris might be an interesting place to visit, without it being about world peace or saving the world.
Lois seemed to see it as good.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Superman
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Perry White
Additional Tags: Drabble and a Half
Summary:
It's business; why's Clark nervous?
"Lane! Kent!"
Clark hastily put his pen down and stood up, taking that first stride and nearly bumped into Lois. He paused and made the gesture for her to precede him, not that she'd ever done much more than glare. He followed behind her, and shut the door at Perry's irritable wave at that.
"Yes, Mister White?" Clark asked after Lois's more irritated "What is it?"
"Talk to Daphne for tickets; sending you both to Paris to cover their reaction to the Euro Parliament elections," Perry said. "Try not to get off-beat on this one!"
Lois smiled. "Thank you, Perry."
Clark was suspicious of that sudden shift in her voice and mood, but he followed her out with a 'yes sir', to go see Daphne. Paris might be an interesting place to visit, without it being about world peace or saving the world.
Lois seemed to see it as good.