e

READ

I finished Call It Intelligence by talkingtothesky! It's such an interesting S3 fix-it. ( A bit of spoilery commentary... )

I've enjoyed several DA:I fics of Stonestrewn's lately, most notably Glass Cabinet (Tama Bull, gen, 1k, agonizing) and Writing love all over, in which Cassandra and Josephine are fangirls together and, over the course of 8k, fall gradually in love. It's such a gorgeous depiction of fannish feeling as well as romance, and I especially loved that this particular version of Cassandra is ( spoiler? )

Long-distance call by LadyGwenllian is an adorable Yuri on Ice fic in which Phichit helpfully explains a few things to Yuuri before the whole Victor-in-Hasetsu situation can get too out of hand. I especially appreciate that it gently pushes back against the fat-shaming that struck me as YOI's biggest (only?) flaw.

Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) by Delphi is exactly 8k of original romance between one Benny Zalman, who serves gin and occasionally breaks bones at a mediocre speakeasy, and Abe Hirsch, the strangely mesmerizing new piano player classing up the joint. Very well written and incredibly charming.

The Axiom by pauraque is ~1.5k exploring Data's perspective in an episode of Star Trek: TNG I never saw, but I love it to pieces despite my ignorance, because it's just so heartbreakingly thoughtful in what it says about what it's like to be an android who, axiomatically, cannot feel. Do mind the warnings in the tags.

Finally, I've been perusing some of susiecarter fics after enjoying their Witcher fic last week, and I think this song is about you is my favorite so far: 11k of Cullen POV as he and Dorian pine over each other like beautiful fools. The use of roleplay and storytelling towards the end as a way to share painful and delicate truths is particularly well done.

WATCHED

Stumptown episode 1x15, "At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles". What a title, oof. But the episode is good fun, as Stumptown tends to be.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine through episode 7x03, "Pimemento". It's a fun episode! I just don't seem to have much to say about either it or "Captain Kim".

LISTENED TO

Now that Chocolate Box is done, I can admit to being super into this MS MR cover of "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow without risking giving anything away! Note that the lead vocalist changes the lyrics so she's singing to a boy rather than a girl, but I love her delivery and the moody feel their performance gives the song.

( Two more. )

READ

I still seem to be taking a break from The Fifth Season, but I did read a book this week: Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer, which is a YA novel, adorable and suspenseful by turns, about an AI and their teenage friends. I was surprised by the ( content note ), but I really appreciated the story's deliberate and thoughtful inclusion of nonbinary characters in particular. Plus, the AI and their friends! Are all so adorable! ( I felt a particular affinity for... )

I also read Masked Ball by Waid, which is another excellent Holmes/Watson fic for the original stories, this one with a fun case to play the pair against.

Retrieved from Impossibility by phnelt is a delightful Eliot/Parker/Hardison first time AU in which Eliot is a cyborg. It is delicious.

Finally, and for me most atypically, I read something like 60k of a WIP on ( an anon meme. )

WATCHED

( Doctor Who through episode 12x05, "Fugitive of the Judoon". )

( Stumptown 1x13, "The Dex Factor". )

I've also rewatched the first two episodes of Leverage with an eye towards participating in the conversation over at the_rewatch_job, although so far I haven't actually managed the participation part, whoops. I really feel like I'm appreciating the show more the second time around, though -- I think having some familiarity with characters already helps a lot with my investment in the shenanigans.

( Cut for US politics. )

But more cheerfully, have Garden of your Mind by sandalwoodbox, a lovely Critical Role vid set to a musical remix of Mr. Rogers!

In the brief window left by a Snowflake challenge that doesn't involve posting anything, have some belated Wednesday things!

READ

( Many fanfics, mostly short. )

In the world of origfic, I (28M) created a deepfake girlfriend and now my parents think we're getting married by Fonda Lee is exactly what it says on the tin, and basically amazing.

I'm also reading Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (previewable here), and it certainly makes a bold impression! Necromancy, spaceships, impassioned teenage rivalry, a heroine fond of the longsword and of disreputable comics. In addition to the general atmosphere of biting sarcasm and abusive hazing, there is ( a grisly detail worth warning for ). But I've been enjoying myself so far!

PLAYED

Seedship, a lovely poignant little game where you're an AI trying to find humanity a new home among the stars. I don't seem to be very good at that job yet, but maybe someday?

WATCHED

The last two installments of Parallax by Adam Westbrook (mentioned previously). I'm glad I watched this; it's entertaining, thought-provoking, and not a minute longer than it needs to be.

This Is My Story, which is introduced here by LeVar Burton. Six short personal accounts of racism in America, five from black men and one from a black woman. I think Burton's own story hit me the hardest.

The Witcher 1x01, "The End's Beginning". ( I don't think this is my kind of show. )

Sym-Bionic Titan 1x06, "Shaman of Fear". The enemy monster in this episode had a really cute design. Apart from that, still a low-investment watch, which is sometimes exactly what I want.

( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel through the end of season three! )

( Fleabag 1x01. )

( Stumptown 1x10, "Reality Checks Don't Bounce". )

( The Good Place 4x10, "You've Changed, Man". )

READ

Many fanfics!

Dragon Age: iodhadh's So a Crow, an Enchanter, and a Ben-Hassrath Agent Walk into a Bar..., accurately tagged Zevran Arainai's Amazing Self-Preservation Instincts, is a bit of fun Zevran/Iron Bull following a foiled assassination attempt.

Yuri!!! on Ice: hood & glove by Fahye and featuring gorgeous illustrations by hawberries, is 12k of beautiful fairy tale romance between Otabek Altin and the shapeshifting fae Yuri. The balance it strikes between enchantment and irreverence is exquisite.

Fire Emblem Three Houses: Speak Your Secrets, Stay Your Tongue by stunt_muppet is for a fandom I know nothing about, but it's got a languid teasing female dom pegging her eager husband, which is really all I needed to know.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Overhaul by scaramouche is a rare thing in fandom: a fic in which one character (Tony) is hopelessly pining after another character (Steve) who is fully aware of the first character's attraction, but doesn't return it, until he does. I thought my love for mutual pining could not be eclipsed, but the premise of this fic thoroughly captured my interest!

Pride & Prejudice: Not Every Gentleman by hele, a novel length work starring Edward Bennet, has a tricky, delicate premise it takes many chapters to fully reveal. Its own author seems hesitant to recommend it, and I see why -- it's the sort of thing people are likely to have strong feelings about, and my own feelings vacillated as I read it. But ultimately, I have to appreciate the nuance of its ending, which rejects too-simple conclusions and offers the beginning of something precious and new.

( For anyone seeking spoilers... )

The Good Place: The Ethics of Narcissism in the Afterlife: A Case Study in Rortian Pragmatism by Mosca is by now jossed -- unsurprising in fanfic for a show so full of twists and turns! -- but still delightful. It's genuinely written as an academic study, complete with footnotes, while also containing excellent character voice and even a touch of smut. But also, it's made me really interested in the work of philosopher Richard Rorty! I feel like I have to find more about him now!

WATCHED

The Good Place 4x08, "The Funeral to End All Funerals". It's a little thing, but ( something I really appreciate about this show... )

Stumptown through episode 1x06, "Dex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll", though I haven't gotten to this week's episode yet. But I am enjoying this show so much! Won't you join me in enjoying this show?

READ

Much of fanfic, as usual. My favorite might be A Fire and a Conflagration by iodhadh, which is 16k of Doran and Iron Bull exchanging poems that start out merely ribald and grow increasingly intimate. ( My favorite poem... )

Returning to the theme of things fannish osmosis does and does not convey, I'm kind of tickled that ( Dragon Age spoilers ).

WATCHED

( The Good Place 4x07, "Help Is Other People". )

( Doctor Who through the 2017 special "Twice Upon a Time". )

Also, inspired by two intriguing posts by giandujakiss, I've started watching Stumptown and am now four episodes in! I was starting to write a little summary of what I love about it, but actually, I think I'm going to sit on that and give it a post of its own once I'm caught up. It's really fun, though -- not particularly complex, but refreshing.