If one more person tells me I should see a pharmacist for my cold...

[st_aurafina]

Things happening right now:

- X-Files friending meme
(Hi to the new peeps!)

- femslashex is open for sign-ups!



That what have you been up to meme:

So what have you been up to?
Um, work, random medical stuff that seems to take an age but never really gets done. I still have a cold. This is the cold that never ends, it goes on and on and on, my friends. It's not even that bad, it's just that every time I think I've kicked it, something stressful happens and it stops in the doorway, turns around, and gets comfy again.


Major life changes? Same old same old?
My grandfather passed away last week. It was sort of expected - he was 94, he had dementia and was quite frail - but it was also kind of a shock. I am weirdly sad, though I wouldn't say we were close, and I'd definitely say we had some conflicts. I don't know, mortality and all that, I guess, and I was sad for my dad who has cared for him. And nobody wants to see their tiny Nonna crying broken heartedly at the door of the hearse. (But she told me she was glad that Dad got him a really fancy coffin with brass bits and so on. I'm glad that made her happy.)

It was deeply weird to be around family members from whom I am estranged. Need to unpack that later with the therapist. But I got to meet my little sister's boyfriend, which was nice. He's from a very conservative background which has been a source of conflict between them - I think we were the first gay people he's ever met - but I think it was really gutsy of him to go to the funeral, and if he's willing to do that to support Nat, then I'm giving him some Brownie points.


What fandom are you in/do you spend most of your time in?
- MCU fandom, still working on the Captain America fic. Currently embedded with Howard in WWII.

- Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter, smashing out my marvel_bang. I thought I'd missed the deadline but because I'm doing my own art, I get more time, which is supposed to be for actually doing the art, but I'm still finishing the writing, oops. Currently hanging with Peggy Carter in 1946.

- GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF omg, but mostly on Tumblr. I love Bake-Off time, yay!

- Sense8 - I've finished, and I really want to write some fic. But I have to Mavel Bang first. And omg, NaNo is looming.

Where do you hang out online?
st_aurafina
st_aurafina
st_aurafina
st_aurafina.
Oh, and dansnark, if you want to see a million pins of art journals and crochet scarfs.


What are you reading?
I am having such a crappy time reading right now. My concentration has been busted for months. I read fic, and I'm having iddish fun reading through ckingsbridge's novels. She's got the kink and the cuddling, it's all beautiful.

What are you watching?
Hannibal, for the last time. My non-spoilery finale reaction: Omg, Hannibal, you're the worst. No, Hannibal, stop! Stop! What am I watching? Is this fic? THIS IS FIC, ISN'T IT? THIS ONLY HAPPENS IN FIC!!

Killjoys:
This show is awesome and almost everything I wanted Firefly to be. Four episodes in, still think it needs moar actual queer. But otherwise so far, I love it. Love Dutch, love her team, love the brotherly relationship, love the zingy UST, love the world building. Love the ship.

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Because we've got access to it via Stan, and the ridiculous luxury of being able to dial up any episode any time is heady. I'm mostly cherry-picking favourite episodes. We just watched Time's Arrow, and I love Guinan.

What are you making?
I'm still crocheting the epic blanket, but I keep taking detours to make other small projects. I'm working up an infinity scarf for me. FOR ME. (I mostly give everything I make away.)

What are you squeeing about today?
Hannibal, but it's a slightly nervous, somewhat confused squee. That scene from the credits, wtf, we will be debating that for years.

If you could rope old fandom friends into a new fandom, it would be...
I don't rope people into things! But there's a lot of new stuff out there. Hey, is anyone watching X Company? It has some damn pretty people, but I don't normally do real life war fandoms. (Only, you know, Winter Soldier, and that one amazing episode of Sanctuary.) Is it really sad? Or just regular sad?

I should really watch/read/dive into _______ and then come talk to you about it!
Come and tell me about anything! I'm nearly all caught up on TV now, I'm going to need more stuff.

Comments

[aerye]

Currently embedded with Howard in WWII.

:)

Although—damn, that's gotta be a fun place to be!

[st_aurafina]

It is fun! Howard's a bit of an areshole, in a delightful way.

[senmut]

Feel better, friend.

[st_aurafina]

Thanks bb, same to you, I know you're dealing with something similar.

[vass]

I'm sorry for your loss, and that it means dealing with the family stuff.

And I'm sorry about the cold -- that doesn't sound fun.

Which ckingsbridge book would you recommend for someone who's never read one?


Recs: hmm. If you need more TV... maybe Steven Universe? Short and adorable cartoons, features three non-binary crystal-based aliens who use female pronouns, and their adoptive half-human half-crystal-based alien son.

Books: (you knew I was going to say this) have you read Ancillary Sword yet? It is a lot less work to read than Ancillary Justice, if that helps. More fannish, in some ways.

And Ancillary Mercy is coming out in early October, and you can get the first chapter by joining Ann Leckie's email list, and the second and third chapters if you've preordered Mercy.

[st_aurafina]

Thanks bb. It went pretty well, mostly because I went armed to the teeth with lilacsigil and a tupperware container of homemade raisin cookies for the trip home.

I am so bored of this boring cold and my boring snot. /possible TMI?

The thing with Steven Universe is that lilacsigil told me she read a body horror thing about it and that I shouldn't google it. And I don't know what it is but it scares me.

I am going to read Ancillary Sword, but I think you're underestimating my level of brain fail right now. It's like - if you read ckingsbridge's stuff, you'll know what I mean. I need non-stressful, easily parsed archetypes.

Anyway, about her stuff - she has a whole range of iddish stuff from mpreg to slave universes, and it's really easy for my brain to follow the patterns of the story telling. I don't mean in a predictable way? But in a way that sticks to the rules of the trope. Kind of Lackey-esque, if you know what I mean.

I like her in 'Strong competent kind man takes care of fuck-up' mode, and I like that she writes iddish slashfic without throwing female characters under the bus. It usually takes me a couple of chapters to get in, and some I've nearly backed out of because the trope set-up hasn't worked for me yet, but the pay-off is worth it.

Hearthkeeper is the only one on the AO3. I liked the worldbuilding - I really like it when someone bothers to build a cultural setting for D/s that holds up.

Control is the one I nearly backed out on in the first couple of chapters - it's fuck-or-die, and I don't always like that. The plot is good, though, and I was galloping through later on. She generally does really good plot in with her tropes.

[vass]

The thing with Steven Universe is that lilacsigil told me she read a body horror thing about it and that I shouldn't google it. And I don't know what it is but it scares me.

*googles* Oh, yeah, did she mean the... oh, or that one too... Wow, okay, yeah. I see where she is coming from.

It's not a gory show, but there's definitely a lot about people's bodies being transformed in ways that are disturbing to them and, potentially, to the viewer. I haven't minded it so far (I am four episodes in) because the episodes are super short and always end safely in the way of Saturday morning cartoons. But your mileage could well vary.

I am going to read Ancillary Sword, but I think you're underestimating my level of brain fail right now.

That is completely fair. I meant that Ancillary Justice is a lot of heavy lifting the first time around, with the worldbuilding and the extended flashbacks, and Ancillary Sword has like 10% of the worldbuilding and none of the flashbacks.

But yeah, if your brain has a toothache and needs very soft foods only then it is still a solid food.

Thanks for the recs. Soothingly Lackey-esque engagement with tropes definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. I'll check her out.

Is your cold that one that everyone seems to be getting? I decided not to have dinner with fasangel this week because she had it and I was afraid.

[st_aurafina]

I don't know what kind of cold I have, but I think it's found its forever home. Le sigh.

if your brain has a toothache and needs very soft foods only then it is still a solid food.

Such a good explanation. Seriously.

[vass]

If it's the cold/flu thing I've been hearing about, it seems to have a very long duration. :(

Such a good explanation. Seriously.

Thank you. I've been having some brain-toothaches of my own, so I get it.

[escritoireazul]

You and your family are in my thoughts.

I am really looking forward to the fics you mentioned.

[st_aurafina]

*hugs* Thanks for that.

I'm looking forward to finishing them!

[retsuko]

I'm sorry to hear you're feeling poorly, and that your grandfather passed away. No matter how much these things are anticipated, it's still a bit of a shock.

I want to second the above rec for Steven Universe. I'm super into comics right now, and I don't know what you get down under, but I'm really loving Ms. Marvel and Zodiac Starforce looks like it has some serious potential.

I have very mixed feelings about Hannibal. I have a friend who recommends the hell out of it, and I think she has good taste, so... But I'm really, really tired of serial killer narratives, since so many of them hinge on mysognistic ideologies, and cannibalism hits my squicks very hard.

[st_aurafina]

*hugs* Thank you.

I think, if cannibalism is a squick, you should stay far away from Hannibal. It is really great and funny and beautifully shot, but fundamentally the base story is that food is people. The misogyny isn't so high in this show, though, I have to say. Hannibal'll eat anyone really.

[lark_ascends]

*lots of gentle hugs*