5 memes from all over
Aug. 17th, 2015 11:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dhampyresaWhat can I say. I like memes. (And my brain is a weird place, especially lately.)
1.
I currently have 39 works archived at the AO3. Pick a number from 1 (the most recent) to 39 (the first thing I posted there), and I'll tell you three things I currently like about it.
2.
Pick any passage of 500 words or less from any fanfic I’ve written, and stick that selection in the comments. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what’s going on in the character’s heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you’d expect to find on a DVD commentary track.
My fic is here on archiveofourown and here on dreamwidth. Most of it overlaps, but not everything.
3.
Give me a topic or fandom and get a fanmix for it.
4.
Give me the title of a story I've never written and feedback telling me what you liked best about it, and I will tell you any or all of the following:
the first sentence, the last sentence, the thing that made me want to write it, my soundtrack/theme song for writing, the biggest problem I had while writing it, why it almost never got posted, the scene that hit the cutting room floor but that I wish I'd been able to salvage, and/or something else that I want readers to know.
Or you might just get the story. Who knows?
5.
Pick any of the fics from my fic from archiveofourown and I'll tell you my soundtrack for it.
(Bonus: ♥♥♥ U R AWESOME: A LOVE MEME ♥♥♥ // my thread. Page topping on page 6!)
1.
I currently have 39 works archived at the AO3. Pick a number from 1 (the most recent) to 39 (the first thing I posted there), and I'll tell you three things I currently like about it.
2.
Pick any passage of 500 words or less from any fanfic I’ve written, and stick that selection in the comments. I will then give you the equivalent of a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what’s going on in the character’s heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you’d expect to find on a DVD commentary track.
My fic is here on archiveofourown and here on dreamwidth. Most of it overlaps, but not everything.
3.
Give me a topic or fandom and get a fanmix for it.
4.
Give me the title of a story I've never written and feedback telling me what you liked best about it, and I will tell you any or all of the following:
the first sentence, the last sentence, the thing that made me want to write it, my soundtrack/theme song for writing, the biggest problem I had while writing it, why it almost never got posted, the scene that hit the cutting room floor but that I wish I'd been able to salvage, and/or something else that I want readers to know.
Or you might just get the story. Who knows?
5.
Pick any of the fics from my fic from archiveofourown and I'll tell you my soundtrack for it.
(Bonus: ♥♥♥ U R AWESOME: A LOVE MEME ♥♥♥ // my thread. Page topping on page 6!)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-18 02:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-19 05:46 am (UTC)If so, then...
For the first meme: 29
For the second:
"Excuse me?" Loki says, extra emphasis on the first syllabe and flailing, limbs flying. "Fehu, you can't prove I had anything to do with that, uruz, what gives you the right? Baldr was my friend too. And thurisaz..."
"Loki," Odin says, not letting him finish, "just this once, keep your tongue."
Loki snorts. "It's never just this once with you and always with the orders."
"Please, old friend," Odin says and that shocks Loki into silence.
The host continues, seemingly unaware of their exchange. "No force can extinguish this evil but you!"
Loki opens his mouth and Odin holds up a hand. Loki rolls his eyes, but does not speak.
"When you lived through this night," Odin says, "you only did so thanks to the hearthfire."
"Oh," Loki says and grabs at Odin, pulling him back and throwing him as far as he can be thrown. Loki is a lot stronger than he looks and Odin is lighter than he used to be, so that's pretty far.
Loki flashes over to Odin's side. "I must be buying into your wise man bullshit, because it didn't occur to me that you wouldn't know that -"
"I never lived through that night," the host screeches and it is no host.
"A ghost," Loki says, "a fucking ghost and you never even noticed? What's wrong with you?"
Grief. Grief is what's wrong with him. Grief for all he's lost and all he's yet to lose.
Odin snatches Loki's arm and tugs him closer.
Now, they're back in the waking world.
Or perhaps not.
"Enough with the hugging," Loki says, but makes no move to get away from Odin.
"I thought," Odin starts. He lets Loki go.
Loki spins, hair whipping through the air. "There's your problem, right there."
"Our problem," Odin corrects. He means this both ways.
Loki smiles, crooked and scarred.
For the third: best frenemies. (Sort of like you characterize Odin and Loki, but not limited to them specifically.)
For the fourth: I really love how your fic Burn to Ash deals with Ragnarok, particularly how it manages to highlight the difference between the Norse conception of fate and the more common modern conception of fate derived from the Greeks, despite focusing on an instance where the difference doesn't seem like it should matter. I also loved how, even though you didn't ever explicitly describe the relationship everyone had before it all went to hell, it was very clear from their interactions how they used to be and how they used to feel about each other. That whole fic was incredibly subtle and frankly I would go so far as to call it sublime.
For the fifth: Nameless
(ETA: also, I'm totally "borrowing" these memes, ty.)
(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-18 03:38 pm (UTC)Meme 1: Fic n°29 is Punica Fides. To this day, it remains one of my favourite things I've ever written. I like the shifting circumstances of their various first meetings and it's off-set at the end by a last meeting instead. I like the idea of Hannibal + Scipio vs aliens! I like the way the gender presentation of Hanna and Caesia shifts in the second chapter and how they remain the same anyway. I like how they do remain the same throughout. (I like that the dates are Ab Urbe Condita and the title, because I am a giant nerd.) My favourites are the third one (Cannae, 537 Ab Urbe Condita), especially with the His blade on Hannibal’s throat, he says, “you’re not going to call the guards.” It’s not a question. / “You’re not going to kill me.” This isn’t a question, either. exchange, and the second to last one (Trasimene, 536 Ab Urbe Condita) because I like the implied relationship between Hanna and Maharbal, the And I care, Publius Cornelius Scipio, because I can only hope that when next we meet, you will remember that I did not let the brightest mind in Rome die." / "You would let me live, knowing what you know, knowing what I know?" exchange and the simplicity of Hanna walks away. This time, Caesia does not follow her. as an ending line (okay, so it's probably my favourite). I just like this fic a lot.
Meme 2: That's from Embers, which is a Norse myth fic and in particular fic for Sundown:Whispers of Ragnarok (not that the whole album was out at the time). It draws a lot from Hearthfire.
I always imagine Loki as being in motion. He's never still. Here, he's gesturing wildly, under the impact of indignation. He's using the futhark alphabet to number his objections to what the ghost just said. The group has a Futhark song, so it's a bit of a callback to that.
It's not the first time (but it may be the last) that Odin has asked Loki to keep his tongue. (One of the songs, iirc it's "Ice and Fire" has a line about how "a wise man knows when to keep his tongue", so that why that specific phrasing.)
Loki's never been good with following orders and he's always resented that Odin gave them -- not that Odin noticed. It's one of those tiny wedges that got between Loki and Odin in time.
Odin pretty much never called Loki his friend even when they weren't enemies, so of course Loki's shocked that he'd do it now.
"No force can extinguish this evil but you!" is lifted directly from the song and Odin's next line is very close to another line from it.
Okay, so I am stupidly proud of the hot/ghost pun, so sue me.
It's one 100% intentional that Odin's thought of all he's yet to lose leads directly into him pulling Loki closer.
And again, with Loki's words not matching his actions -- it's something I've tried to keep throughout that fic that neither of them are lying, exactly, but that doesn't mean they're saying the truth, either. Tricksters to the very end, those two.
I like the idea that Oin and Loki's fatal flaw is essentially the same, that they both think too much (of themselves and in general), and it just manifests in different ways. That's why Odin says "Our problem", because they're in this mess because he thought wrong this time, but more generally they're in the Raganrok mess because he thought wrong too (and then it's that thinking is their fatal flaw).
There's several references to Loki's smile in this fic and I think "crooked and scarred" is my favourite. You know how earlier there's the line "[Loki]'s smile is cruel. Odin did that"? This is a callback to it. Loki's scarred smile -- Odin did that, too.
Meme 3: The fanmix will be coming soon to a omputer near you.
Meme 4: I started to want to tell this story when I realised that the völva's and Cassandra's are both self-fulfilling, in completely opposite ways: the völva because she's believed and Cassandra because she's not.
There was going to be a scene about golden apples, but I realised that the way I'd written it made too many parallels between the Hesperides and Ladon and Eve and the serpent and I didn't want Biblical imagery in this fic (plus, it left poor Idunn all alone in the cold). Mostly I just really relly wanted to parallel the fall of Ilion and the fall of Asgard and there was no space for that scene in this fic.
The first thing I knew about this fic, as soon as I decided to write it, was that the first and last lines needed to parallel each other and reflect Cassandra's transformation into the völva. Hence, "In the end, they don't believe Cassandra" as the first line and "In the beginning, they believe her".
Meme 5: Nameless is a fic I wrote in an afternoon, right after seeing some people talk about how the names on wrist trope would be so very confusing with Romans -- and then of course I had to go and worldbuild the shit out of it (seriously, I thought about biology and cultural implications beyond the fall of Rome) -- because I wrote it in an afternoon, it doesn't really have a soundtrack. You're welcome to pick another fic, if you want.
On the other hand, Mika's recent song Staring At The Sun would have been a good fit for it, I think.
(You're welcome.)
(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-19 11:15 pm (UTC)A lot of your Embers DVD commentary is very feels-inducing. A couple things I'm curious about, though...
Loki's never been good with following orders and he's always resented that Odin gave them -- not that Odin noticed.
Why didn't your Odin ever notice?
Odin pretty much never called Loki his friend even when they weren't enemies, so of course Loki's shocked that he'd do it now.
Is this another idea borrowed from Sassafrass? Or something you came up with? If you don't mind, I'm curious about this idea.
and then of course I had to go and worldbuild the shit out of it (seriously, I thought about biology and cultural implications beyond the fall of Rome)
I have just one word to say in answer to this: AWESOME.
And, funny thing...
because I wrote it in an afternoon, it doesn't really have a soundtrack.
That is exactly what happened to me with this meme, LOL. I ended up choosing a reasonably fitting song and suggesting it, too. Great minds not only think alike but coincidentally face the same problems? XD
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-03 11:45 am (UTC)Can I have a mix for a quiet apocalypse? If not that, then maybe one based around manipulation?
(I'm in a better mood than my choices may indicate, I swear).
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-19 04:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-21 01:24 am (UTC)I am totally okay with non-English songs. Go for it.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-18 01:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-18 11:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-10 01:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-08-23 01:34 am (UTC)"Bats Sleep Upside-Down"
Batkids having a slumber party! ♥_&hearts My favorite part was Cass being unexpectedly good at painting nails (even Tim's!), and Damian crashing the blanket fort was ADORABLE.
Meme #2:
(From "Highway to Hell")
Glencoe, Illinois has a lakeside café with a beautiful view of the lake. Sometimes, early on clear, crisp and cold mornings like today, the Chicago skyline floats slightly over the horizon. It shimmers, the way mirages do.
At a table in the café sits Illyana Rasputin, ragged fingernails and sword calluses wrapped around a bone china cup.
The people do not seem to care or do not notice that there is a wanted criminal in their midst. The note on her teacup saucer pointed towards the former. It reads “Always good to see you, be sure to come back soon and thank you again for everything”.
She sips calmly at her tea and says, “I can tell you’re here for me, but not, I think, for the reasons most are.”
Layla and Lorna explain the situation to her, how X-Factor is going to Hell in a handbasket and the world is coming along for the ride.
“When last I used my power, I tore the world apart and brought Hell to Earth. You do not want me on your side.” Illyana’s hands are shaking slightly around her cup, long nails clicking against the porcelain. She is not lying but she is not telling the whole truth, either. There are dark shadows haunting her eyes, remnants of hellfire and divine wrath.
Layla does not trust anyone whose nails grew that long, that fast, without turning to claws.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-09 03:33 pm (UTC)The thing that made me want to write this fic was almsot my biggest problem and why it almost didn't get posted. see, I wanted to write a fic in which Cass and Steph hung out with Tim in 'limbo' from the nu52 (because nu!Tim is nothing like preboot!Tim) but then Damian died, so he had to come and hung out with them too, which was very depressing. It took me forever to realise I could just set it in preboot, because my insteinct is always to try and be compliant to the most current canon. As you can guess, this is not great for writing comics fic!
I was originally going to give Jason a bigger role, but then I realised that it's not really a slumber party until someone falls asleep halfway through.
In my head, this fic is kind of sequel/epilogue to "Team Phoenix", the Jason + Steph team-up fic I've been working on for ages, but it's neither explicit nor necessary. Which is good, because that fic isn't posted yet.
Meme 2:
Glencoe, Illinois is a real place. I wasn't able to find any information on whether or not it actually get mirages, but as far as I can tell it should be able to.
I specifically mentionned her fingernails in that line to hopefully get the reader to go "...wait" at the "long nails" later on. She has sword calluses, because have you seen that sword she waves around? And the cup is "bone china" because that lets me drop "bone" in there to be all ominous.
One of the things I like doing when I write is giving a sense that the world exists beyond the story. The note's a part of that -- once upon a time, Magik saved this random US town from eldritch creatures, so now the place is kind of a safehouse for her.
Magik's power is teleportation so she has zero fucks to give that someone tracked her down. She has her exit ready, always. Continuity-wise, this is set after AvX, so she's on the most wanted list because of what she did while under the influence of the Phoenix Force.
I liked using "going to Hell in a handbasket" in a much less metaphorical way than it's usually meant. (In general, I love using figurative/metaphorical expressions literally.)
She's referring to events from AvX and, like Layla says, not entirely truthfully. She's 100% serious about "ou do not want me on your side", though. Illyana doesn't really trust herself, especially lately. And here we have the "long nails", contrasting the "ragged nails" from before, which leads directly to Layla's thought in the next paragraph. I'm fond of "remnants of hellfire and divine wrath" as a descriptive phrase; I feel it captures post-AvX Illyana pretty well. Plus it sounds good.
Illyana has direct control over her physical form, iirc, and here her control is slipping a bit. Layla adds the "without turning to claws" because she's thinking about Rahne.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-10 12:21 am (UTC)This is hilarious and also very true.
Glencoe is actually not that far from where I live! I mean, it's not close, but you can drive there.
once upon a time, Magik saved this random US town from eldritch creatures, so now the place is kind of a safehouse for her.
Is that a thing that happened in X-Men and I missed it? Or is it a thing that happened in the backstory for your fic?
“When last I used my power, I tore the world apart and brought Hell to Earth. You do not want me on your side.” Illyana’s hands are shaking slightly around her cup, long nails clicking against the porcelain. She is not lying but she is not telling the whole truth, either. There are dark shadows haunting her eyes, remnants of hellfire and divine wrath.
This whole paragraph is really nice--it flows really well and the details are great.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-10-10 01:44 pm (UTC)Thanks a lot!
(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-03 12:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-09-18 03:42 pm (UTC)15 is The Nameless City, Or: "Doctor Doom and Stature's Excellent Adventure" (3100 words, Young Avengers/FF (Comics), Cassie Lang & Victor von Doom).
1.
They tell you power corrupts, but they never tell you what that means. This is what it means: thunder burning through your veins, turning to dust what makes you you, making an empty shell of a hollow heart. Power corrupts absolutely, until it is absolute and all that's left of you is a puppet wearing your face. There is joy in oblivion and you give yourself gladly to it, because you cannot remember anything else mattering this much.
This is also why Victor gave the power back. What he becomes he will become as himself, or not at all.
I really like these two paragraphs, the creeping horror of the first one (the switch to second person makes it all the more creepier) and the characterisation counterpoint of the second -- I really enjoy writing Doctor Doom and he really does have a habit of achieving power through external means (the absolute powers mentionned in the fic, but also the Emperor Doom arc, for exemple) and always he gives it back, because he's far too proud to owe anything to anyone.
He has a really interesting relationship to power and that's one if the themes in the fic. I think I nailed it.
(Also, I love "making an empty shell of a hollow heart" so damn fucking much, as a line.)
2.
"I cannot believe," Cassandra says, on one of the very rare occasions they are in the same room, "that Doctor Doom owns the complete collection of every Star Trek series."
"If it makes you feel better," Victor says, "consider that they do not belong to Doctor Doom but to Victor von Doom."
She thinks a moment, her fingers brushing the DVDs' spines. "You know what? I think it just might."
(It references one of my favourite tiny pieces of canon, that Doctor Doom is a big nerd who watches Start Trek.)
The other main theme in the fic is the relationship between Doom and Cassie -- and through that the relationship between Victor-the-person and Doom-the-mask. Because he likes to pretend these are one and the same, but finding the places where they don't fit is a lot of fun and really revealing.
There's a reason the only time he refers to himself as Doom in internal narration is "Don't call me Victor," Doom says (I like that the reply to that "I saved your sorry butt from Cthulhu," she says, "I can call you whatever the fuck I want." is a callback to "Don't call me 'dude'." and how the fact that this is her reply now, compared to her answer then, shows how much she changed, too).
3. The attention to detail. I tend to be a writer who packs my fics full of references both to the original canon and other things, especially when I'm writing over-thinkers like Doom.
There's so much comics canon referred to in this fic. (I R COMICS.)
There's also the appearance of actual Lovecraftian creatures, because that trend I had of randomly referencing Lovecraft whenever I wrote Doctor Doom (Strange Aeons has, besides the title, at least "in the mountains of madness" and "The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be." while Retrograde has "the secret lore of the ocean" and "the Doom that came to Latveria") had to come to something eventually, which it did.
Also, Tolkien.
I just really like that fic a lot. I know it's not perfect -- it's certainly not as tightly written as it could have been and the pacing is a bit off -- but I still think it's good.
(Fanmix to follow at some point in the future.)