I've been thinking some of how useful it is to have one's fics beta-read -- I don't always, especially not for short, off-the-cuff, pieces, but every time I do the story turns out better for it. (And on the occasions where I've had two people beta for me, they've also pointed out different things, so even more useful ( Read more... )

It just struck me that part of the reason why I don't like woobiefication of antagonistic characters, apart from the OOC-ness/cliches/the way it usually makes the characters less interesting, is the way it often tends to read as an attack on the characters who are being antagonised in canon: if they are not written as directly or indirectly ( Read more... )

I've realised that for an atheist I'm pretty drawn to religious themes in fiction -- not so much religious angst, though that can also be interesting, but stories where characters take comfort in their faith, where religion is all about love and grace and not about oppressing or controlling people. I guess the theme of unconditional love is what ( Read more... )

Today it's been six weeks since I wrote my first Les Misérables fic. Since then, the fandom has caused me to have ALL the reactions: from happy to sad to turned on to angry to nauseated to crying (for good reasons and bad) to impressed to irritated to infinitely amused. What an emotional rollercoaster.

... I mean, I just sort of wandered into it ( Read more... )

I've been thinking of rereading Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness for some time, so when I stumbled upon a second-hand copy of The Unlit Lamp, Hall's first novel (though it was the second one to be published, in 1924), I decided to give it a try. As it turned out, I'm very glad I did. It's not a very pleasant or happy story, but it's gripping ( Read more... )

I finally went to see The Adventures of Tintin. Overall, I found it delightful in many ways and I'm glad there's going to be a sequel. Still going to post some thoughts, most of which will be rife with spoilers.

First of all, a disclaimer: I haven't read Le secret de la Licorne/Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge for years, and my memories are a bit foggy ( Read more... )

1) Some nice things from this weekend:

* In a fit of extravagance, I bought a bag of exclusive Kenyan coffee which was more than twice as expensive as the one I normally use. It's delicious.
* I got to hang out with a friend I haven't seen much of lately.
* I didn't study at all (OK, I probably should have, but at least I'm rested and prepared for ( Read more... )

You know what annoys me every time I see it? When people participate in fic exchanges and fail to comment on the story they received. It's just so... rude. It's rude even if the 'gift' isn't all that great, but somehow it gets worse if the story is jaw-droppingly good. I can squee and flail and tell the author how wonderful I think the fic in ( Read more... )

(Warning: nerdy HP-related rambling ahead ( Read more... )

One year ago, I had no idea about what the Deathly Hallows were, or about the fact that Gellert Grindelwald, whose name we had barely heard, would turn out to be not only Dumbledore's ex-friend/ex-lover, but also one of the hottest most interesting characters in the Potterverse. It's quite fun to think about!

I never signed up for the Grindeldore ( Read more... )