while they did live happily ever after

I READ SAVING FRANCESCA.








Also the Demon's Lexicon series and Team Human (which was surprisingly emotional at the climax and had some interesting characterization bits amid an otherwise shallow-but-entertaining read) and The Last Unicorn (which was beautiful and which I need to read in one sitting). I had to return all the others but I'll get them back, and I have Unspoken and The Marriage Plot and Code Verity

but

Saving Francesca

not only reminded me of how wonderfully lucky I have been in love

but also

just

so perfect.

flawless.

wonderful.

tightly plotted and everything is doled out at just the right moment and also it's hilarious and I care so much about all the characters and I'm so happy and

go forth and read it RIGHT NOW.

All right, anyone who's spent time with ten-to-eleven-year-old boys and girls,

what are they like?

I have some ideas but it's been a while since I've spent a lot of time with that age group, so, you know, any observations you have about the age group would be welcome.

ALRIGHTY LJ

NOBODY IS POSTING (INCLUDING ME)

who actually still visits this site on a regular basis? And what, exactly, is that regular basis? This is just me being curious I'm not going to go anywhere and half of us are also Facebook friends but you know.

ALSO if you are not spending time here, are you spending it on another site, or are you too busy being consumed with ~*~real life~*~?

also I am trying to decide which project I should work on over this whole nine-month deployment thing. I am slowly getting more settled and accepting that This Is My Life ("yeah! I spent the majority of my first year of marriage apart from my husband! so much for 'alone time before having children'" mostly I jest but it is partially true sob) and so once I beat ME2 and then ME3 and Kaidan comes back and tells me he's sorry and he loves me and I can say IT'S OKAY, I LOVED YOU ALL ALONG much to Quark's disgust as that happens and I get on a schedule (studying Old English? Who has to study for a...language course...sob) I will be WRITING and I have to finish Godbaby fic

(snippet NO STEALING: The pounding grows quieter. I am afraid to look over the wall, and I do not know why. I have only ever spoken to Mother and to the elves. Mother taught me a greeting, but I do not know if the girl—if it is a girl—will understand me. And she is only one person, and Mother told me to find a town. I think that if I wait, she and the animals will go away. I am good at sitting still for hours, at hiding from the sight of those around me. I will wait.

The grass itches at my hands, but I do not move. The smell of the animals is strong and unpleasant, but I do not cough. The sun becomes brighter and brighter in the sky, and sweat drips into my eyes, and I barely blink. I am not here, I think. I think of nothing else.)

but also I want to work on a novel so that WP has something to read that is my fanfiction. Top choices are Goblin Novel (probably he would like it best, but it needs serious serious work because I wrote it during first semester senior year which was INSANE and Pictash spends a lot of time in a library doing research) and 2010 NaNo That Went Nowhere (the two main characters don't have names, also they are basically a younger version of Nevalle and Tanithar) (her name is either Theresa or Tabitha, but Tabitha is too close to Tanithar and I don't like the way Theresa looks, though I like the sound of it) (anyway it's my Generic Fantasy Novel in the same way that the Goblin Novel is my Subversion of the Generic Fantasy Novel). SUGGESTIONS WELCOME.

okay okay time to go eat lunch and borrow Quark's shower and pay my rent and get a library card WOOT.

♥

eta: MY UPSTAIRS NEIGHBOR IS WATCHING SLEEPING BEAUTY is it wrong to want to knock on their door and tell them how cool they are. (Actually I think they have small children, but still. This has made my early afternoon.)

( all the feels contained here could be summed up in the following gif )



ANYWAY so to do things, here are some requests for prompts, because I'm even too lazy to write these days. (I hate rainy Mondays.) Expect drabble-y things in response.


1. Give me a character or pairing or something and a "five times" prompt.

---

2. Comment, and I'll do an insta-drabble ficlet thing, prompted from whatever icon you use.

---
4. Give me:

1. A line from a song or a poem.
2. The title of a book.
3. A color.
4. An emotion.
[5. A fandom, if you like.]

still alive

looked pretty

made it back to Savannah

trying to plan a honeymoon

zomg so much new stuff

also handsome husband (HUSBAND) gasp

pictures forthcoming

just wanted to let y'all know I love you but there is no way I'm catching up on my flist, so if you posted anything I need to know about your lives/discussions you think I'd find interesting, please please please feel free to link me. It might be another week or two, as The Husband (HUSBAND) (I AM A WIFE WEIRD) is giving me sad puppy eyes for being here and not looking at honeymoon destinations, but I will need something to do while I wait to find out if I'm going to be here long enough to make getting a job worthwhile.

also bought a brand-new memory foam mattress to replace my darling love's squeaky squeaky God-knows-how-old how do you sleep on this thing it is so uncomfortable what do you mean you don't have an egg crate coil mattress. LOOK AT US ACCOMPLISHING GROWN-UP TASKS.

also am happy. am so, so happy.

:-)

So, just to remind everybody, this got started because Beth and Quark were both like I JUST DON’T LIKE SCI-FI AND I DON’T KNOW WHY, and so I decided to start theorizing as to why, because part of me loves sci-fi, but I’m also with them—I haven’t encountered much (outside of the Star Wars books, and many of those are not as readable when you’re 24 as they were when you were 10) that I actually enjoy.

So, uh, what conclusions have I reached again?
( cutting the conclusion because otherwise you’ll just read this and not the rest of the post also it occurs to me now maybe I should have done a series of posts they’d be shorter )

So, hopefully maybe, this kind of explains what I see as reasons for why Beth and Quark struggle with science fiction.

( Things I Have Not Covered )


All right, this is now officially open for discussion. Where have I gone right? Where have I gone wrong? What am I missing? Suggestions for continued reading on my part? Authors who might fit into a category of MWT-esque writing within sci-fi and thus appeal to Beth and Quark? If I were to begin a self-guided reading tour of classic science fiction, where should I start? Who’re the big authors of the 1970s? 1980s? GUIDE ME.

Feel free to link to this too--I simply ask that, having admitted my ignorance up front, people not attack me for it. I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN.


In other news, life is going well, getting married in twelve days, need to find a way home between now and then, family drama has lessened if not gone away completely, did an Engaged Encounter weekend last weekend that was SO AWESOME and am now like 99% ready to be married (remaining 1% is BAAAAAAAAAAAW FAMILY, like Goose pulling a “noooooo older sister don’t get married and leaaaaaaave meeeeeeeeeee”). And I have officially probably spent way too long on this, so, time to hit post!

♥



back to gender!

back to the other problems!

back to the definitions!

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

On why people like Beth and Quark might not like science fiction
( spelling it out for completion’s sake )

And I am definitely not trying to say science fiction is superior to space opera—they’re simply two different ways of addressing the concept of HUMANS IN SPACE OR ON OTHER PLANETS OR WITH MASSIVE TECHNOLOGICAL ABILITIES AAAAAAAAH THE FUTURE IS SO COOL. Science fiction has serious drawbacks, as previously mentioned, but its focus also allows for a cleanliness in its approach—and perhaps it simply is best suited for short fiction.

On why people like Quark and Beth might not like space opera
(Note: I’m going to start using the phrase “sci-fi” to refer to “stuff that is marketed as science fiction but really is space opera.” Feel free to create a link between this and "SyFy" as a further indication of the denigration of science fiction in its true form as a genre.)

( obviously the answer is ‘$7.99 for a three-hundred-page paperback’ )

one other problem that I forgot to fit in earlier but which needs to be said

back to the definitions!

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

So three things.

1) I went to Barnes and Noble today because I have a $35 gift card to spend and left feeling extremely discouraged, in part because they didn’t have the one book I was looking for (WP has requested Catholicism for Dummies because he is a darling dear) and mostly because there’s such a narrow selection of books available there. I KNOW there are many more (good) books in the world than what’s represented at B&N (why oh why is the Paranormal Romance section so large), but if it’s not a classic, recent release, or bestseller (the latter two of course are absolutely no recommendation of goodness), it’s not there. I’d rather go to a used bookstore because I know there will be a bigger selection and I can pay a more reasonable $1-5 for a paperback instead of $8. But I also know that I have developed an almost crippling case of new-book wariness. I can never find the YA books y’all talk about, and the ones I do see don’t appeal to me, and as far as “adult” fantasy book/series go I’m never sure where to start and whether or not I’m going to get what I actually want from it.

And there’s a lot a lot a lot of hack writers out there, or mediocre writers with pretty good plots who have churned out book upon book because they keep selling (R.A. Salvatore), but it’s been so long that I’ve had lots of time for pleasure reading that I’m not as open to just taking a bazillion books home from the library and blasting through them, maybe loving one or two and not caring about the rest. I’m going to join the library in Savannah as soon as I get some mail to my name and hopefully that will help—I’ve fallen out of the habit of library-going. Anyway the point was that since I’ve had so little time for reading, I’ve wanted to find books that I know I will enjoy, which are beautifully written, and I have no idea where to start looking. I AM AFRAID TO TRUST.

And the longer I go without reading, the longer I go without writing, because the two feed each other.

Help. (Right now I’m in the mood for a bit of the mythic, I think? Unnamed queens and dragon-fighting heroes. Quarkie, I looked for the Riddlemaster books but haven’t found them yet. I also looked for Curse of the Chalion and they didn’t have it either.)

( 2) I am reading a book now! )

3) This leads me into what was going to be a comment on beth_shulman’s journal and is getting too long and is probably going to keep being long so, here you go. She was talking about not liking science fiction, and then Quark commented about having no idea where to start in science fiction (like me and all books it seems these days), and so I was like okay look guys I think we need to do some redefining.

REPLYING TO THIS BECAUSE why make my own comment when I can just piggyback off Quark.

So first I think what we have to do is make a difference between "science fiction" and "space opera" because the two are different things. The original Star Trek generally falls into the former while Star Wars is squarely in the latter. I mean yes in recent years books have come out with schematics of SW ships and the like, but my parents have old from-the-seventies books of Trekkies trying to work out the actual science of warp drive. People are Star Wars fans for the Force, the story, the epic battles; people are Star Trek fans for the technology and the struggle with big questions and ideas and the limits of humanity.

(also I am having SO MANY IDEAS brb jotting things down)
(oh boy settle in for the long run. This sucker is almost ten whole pages in Word, FYI.)

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that I have been meaning, for years, to do a more academic exploration of this, beginning with just reading everything in terms of the development of sci-fi. I own a few mid-60s copies of a couple of the Science Fiction & Fantasy-type magazines (I bought one that has the last installment of Dragonrider by Anne McCaffery--until then I had no idea that the book made its debut in serialized form) and I've read several short stories, but I'm woefully lacking on Asimov and Anthony and Clarke and pre-sex-with-myself Heinlein and the like. For years I considered myself a sci-fi fan just because I've read over 100 Star Wars books.

(Halfway through this is occurred to me that sartorias could show up at any time and blow this whole thing to bits with things like “actual knowledge” and “having read all these things”—LET ME KNOW IF I’M ON THE RIGHT TRACK.)

Suggested accompanying music.

Also I don't even remember what the OP was about. I'm just going to go with it now.

So, really, we have two different things going here--"science fiction" and what I'm going to call "space opera." I think most of what people end up reading falls more into the latter than the former.

onto the definitions!

1) AH I'M A WEEK BEHIND IN KORRA I need to fix that tomorrow morning before the next episode airs. SO, A WEEK BEHIND.

But shipping-wise I'm pretty neutral (I don't mind the apparent endgame ship but I'm not rabid about it) and so I'm able to just sit back and enjoy EVERYTHING, and EVERYTHING is so freaking awesome. Uh I haven't watched it in three weeks so I don't have anything specific in mind to talk about, but, you know! Korra! WATCH IT.

2) I finally read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, which led to a conversation between beth_shulman and myself that led to my realizing this:

So is it sad? Yes. Did it make me cry? Oh yes, though I mostly managed to keep it to sniffles. Did it occasionally frustrate me or seem a bit impossible? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. In the end, I really like his books--they deeply connect with me on an intellectual level, so while I'm not always emotionally invested as deeply as I might be, I'm definitely challenged and entertained. And this one slipped through and hit some emotional spots too.

If, uh. Any of that made sense. IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU INTERACT WITH JOHN GREEN? It was definitely better than Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I need to reread Paper Towns. I want him to write more kickass female characters. I think that bit above about me saying that I connect intellectually if not emotionally actually is an epiphany for me re: John Green's books. (Like, I didn't really like the main character of Paper Towns all that much, but I LOVE what [John] [Green] [what do I even call him] did with the deconstruction of the woman-on-a-pedestal trope.)

and Beth said I wouldn't say I have very specific taste, but I do tend to like books if they're strong in writing and in characterization, and to me, he isn't strong in characterization. So maybe that's why I keep reading him.

and I thought these were good points. Granted, it's been a very long time since I read a book for fun, and I'm just dipping my toes in the water here, but, yeah, those were my thoughts.

Also reading it I couldn't help thinking about philia_fan especially because Hazel has to drain her lungs and yeah.

3) So I just remembered that finishing TFIOS is why I started watching Big, which is in the process of airing, and despite the fact that it seems to be heading into student/teacher relationship land, she was really only his teacher for like two days, and ANYWAY the student is trapped in the body of Gong Yoo of Coffee Prince fame, and they are not only showcasing his marvelous acting skills but also his post-mandatory-military-service physique. So. You know.

Anyway it's adorable so far and I hope to keep watching it.

4) I STARTED VIRMIRE LAST NIGHT. Yes I am very slowly playing my way through Mass Effect 1. I am enjoying it immensely and I am afraid to see what they change between 1 an 2 but oh well.

Anyway I'm a femShep, although this is the first Bioware game where I have actually wanted to go through the trouble of trying to play a male character for the sake of romancing one of the het female characters. Most of them (Bastila, Dawn Star, Morrigan) I haven't wanted to romance (didn't like, didn't care about, found the female friendship to be so satisfying that a romance couldn't possibly complete), but omg I am in love with Ashley Williams I love her so much. I love her family and her belief system and her tactical analysis and she's a badass and I love her. She is my femShep's BESTFRIEND, although obviously they both understand rank and regulation and all that jazz.

And then there's Kaidan.

For those of you who are skipping this section anyway, here's a comparison of Ashley and Kaidan:
[SCENE: Inside a very fancy tower with lots of decorative water features and plants and impressive staircases leading up to the Galactic Council's meeting chamber.]
Ashley: THOSE STAIRCASES AREN'T JUST DECORATIVE, THEY'RE HIGHLY DEFENSIBLE. THIS WOULD BE A HARD PLACE TO LAUNCH AN ASSAULT ON.
Kaidan: I like the fountain. It's very soothing.

basically I am romancing him because he is SpaceCarth and his voice is so soothing and I love it. I tentatively know why femShep is interested in him (i.e. why it's not one-sided because it is obviously that he just thinks she hung the moon and would do anything she asked), but she's having serious issues with the whole rank regulation no-fraternizing thing. Which is also part of why he's opened up so much to her but she hasn't felt she can reciprocate; all she can do is be quietly attracted. Anyway, at the moment he doesn't seem as damaged as Alistair or even Carth was--I mean, yeah, sad backstory, but it was fifteen years ago--Alistair is young, and Carth's tragedy was fresh. (Other Bioware romances to compare to include Sky--who was just a wimpier version of Carth I thought--and Anders--who doesn't count because it felt less like romancing him and more like manipulating him just for the sake of controlling him did I mention what a horrible person Thistle Hawke really was.)

What else. I like the battle mechanics I think. I LOVE the space travel and I love the Mako the way everyone loves the Mako and I'm SO CLOSE to finishing all the survey quests (side note: Goose finished ALL THE SIDEQUESTS. She only looked at the internet for help ONCE. My sister, ladies and gentlemen, has beaten the game before me).

PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL ME FOR ANYTHING. ANYTHING. I LITERALLY AM JUST BLOWING UP GETH OUTSIDE THE VIRMIRE OUTPOST THINGIE. I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING YET.

5) You know this is my LJ and so I'm going to babble about twinfic for a moment. See, back when I was playing Dragon Age, I had an impossible headcanon character, because I enjoy coming up with that sort of thing, and anyway it was an AU thing where Elissa Cousland was a mage, and so at age five she got sent to the Circle, but since her father is, I dunno, the Teyrn of Highever, her family did come to visit her occasionally and she was allowed to be in contact with them, the idea being that once she passed her Harrowing she would become Mage in Residence at Highever under the watchful eye of several templars, etc. etc. etc. AS IF THIS WAS NOT AU-Y ENOUGH Elissa also had a twin brother named Aidan who grows up normally at Highever. When the Blight started, Elissa got recruited into the Grey Wardens and Aidan escaped Highever by the skin of his teeth, went to Redcliffe, and proceeded to get roaringly drunk and occasionally help fight zombies. Shenanigans ensue in which each sibling thinks the other one is dead, eventually Aidan gets found and recruited to help join the team, Elissa falls for Alistair much to everyone's chagrin, etc. etc. etc.

The point of all that is that I have a history of this sort of thinking, so the fact that while I was figuring out my femShep's name I realized she has a twin sister should not be surprising. The difference here is that I never actually did an Elissa/Aidan playthrough, whereas Emma Jane Shepard totally has a twin sister named Catherine Elizabeth. (Their dad was deployed and their mom named them after Jane Austen heroines.) Both girls are biotics (Emma's a Vanguard), and they both enlisted (or whatever it is you have to do in order to become an officer in the Alliance) and went through training together and all that jazz, and then Emma went off to become a Marine and Catie went into Naval Intelligence, and while Emma went off and became a galactic star, Catie got buried so deep in Intelligence that they ended up wiping her from all official records. Basically, they've got a perfect Shepard analogue that they can send off if they want to and no one would know it's a twin and not the original because even those who know that two of them exist can't tell the difference.

And of course Emma is the ~*~serious~*~ one and Catie is an expert mimic/the outgoing popular one and yes they're almost thirty but WHO CARES, I JUST WANT TO WRITE MISTAKEN IDENTITY FIC ALL OVER EVERYTHING.

NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO CUT, OFF TO SAVE THE GALAXY.