Emma - sharing the love. (That sounds ruder than I meant it to.)

Valentine's Day - not so popular out here. I am endlessly amused by young things calling it 'VD', though. VD used to mean something quite different, although still connected, in a twisted way, to a celebration of love.

There was some great Emma fic for Valentine's Day this year, which is fantastic and ironic, because (as most of the fic concluded) Valentine's Day is a festival that she would regard as cheap and tawdry.

to some point fixed and unknown (Scott/Emma, rated PG) by musamea makes just that point, as Scott is musing on Emma and Jean, and how their views on Valentine's differ. I love how this fic shows Scott and Emma defining the parameters of their relationship, and how the two of them reconcile (or don't) Scott's love for Jean.

Speculation, (Emma/Scott, rated PG), by tanya_ltp is a sly look at life inside the fish-bowl environment of a live-in school, where everyone knows everything about everyone, and that doesn't even include the complications of having a telepathic teacher. It's clever and funny, and the students are wonderfully written.

Here We go! (Scott/Emma, rated PG) by asitiswhenitwas deals with the aftermath of a student trip to the mall. Not to be missed, if only for the story of Scott Summers versus Dance Dance Revolution.

Bruised (Jean/Emma), rated R), by sionnain is a snap-shot of an altercation set during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. It's hot, and dark, with Jean and Emma using the tension developing over Emma's interest in Scott to burn away past horrors.

Champagne Wishes (Emma Frost/Tony Stark, rated R), by likeadeuce sees a chance encounter between Hellfire-era Emma and a dapper Tony Stark (who most certainly isn't Iron Man), on an icy Valentine's night. I love the connection that is evident between these two people who are seeking to change their lives. Even if you know nothing more about Iron Man than what you've read here (i.e. that he's a guy called Tony), read this. It's crystalline and sad and full of possibilities. There should be lots of Iron Man fic, and hopefully likeadeuce will kick off a new trend.

Go! Read! Share the love of Emma! (Now I'm just being puerile.)

That's Melbourne City

To the creators of the "That's Melbourne City" commercials,

I refer to the following advertisement, representing the city of my birth:

( 'That's Melbourne City' - cut to spare flists )

While I'd like to congratulate you on a fair representation of man/giant love, please amend the following misconceptions about Melbourne:

- that, of all our attractions, the most exciting is a music shop in an alley
- that we encourage violent aerial assault on women
- that Melbourne is completely beige

Congratulations on making us all look like serial killers! I look forward to a tourism boom.

Much obliged,

Me.