the light in me will guide you home
Books:
what I've just finished
How to Be Both by Ali Smith. When I posted about it last week, I thought I was barely half done and thus, considered it kind of a slog, but then I discovered that because of a quirk in the narrative structure via ebook, I was actually very close to the end, and so it became less a slog and more of a cute read that was probably too clever for its own good? I feel like language-wise, the Francisco section was really fabulous despite the Serious Literary quirks of some of it, while the George section was good but also not anything new if you've read any YA (by which I mean, I liked it, but was surprised to learn it had been shortlisted for the Booker prize).
Speaking of YA, The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness was very enjoyable, though I don't think it took the premise quite far enough. I loved that the stereotypical Chosen One story was played out in the chapter headings, but I don't think they were absurd/funny enough. I mean, they were pretty funny (the names! the fact that they use the card catalog instead of the internet! the love triangles! the super old creatures wanting to hang with high school kids!)? But I feel like it could have been funnier.
Otoh, I did like the rest of the story, foregrounding the peripheral characters - Mike and Mel et al. aren't even Zeppoes, they're not even involved (except for how Jared kinda is) but their story is just as important as the indie kids' and they do in fact save the world (well, Jared does) despite their non-Chosen status.
I thought the handling of Mike's anxiety was pretty spot-on, and though I can't personally vouch for the OCD or eating disorder stuff the way I can for the anxiety, I did think that was well-handled too. I was really afraid that both his and Mel's mental health issues would be magically fixed, but I'm SO GLAD Ness didn't do that. They were given the offer, and I have to say, in reality, I would hop on that so fast, if someone told me they could rid me of the generalized anxiety+depression cocktail that's consistently stewing in my brain chemistry, but for a novel, I really wanted them to avoid the quick and magical fix.
The Fracking King by James Browning, which I didn't finish so much as abandon about halfway through, because meh, life's too short. It literally starts with things ON FIRE, so you'd think it could only go up from there (more novels should start with things being ON FIRE. YOU KNOW I LIKE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS) but then it did the stupid thing of backtracking to months earlier to tell a lot of dreary and not really believable backstory and meh. The most interesting character, Rick, was barely around and the narrator was such a sad sack that I just didn't care. Less about Scrabble and the sad crew team and more about SETTING WATER ON FIRE BECAUSE FRACKING IS TERRIBLE AND RUINING THE ENVIRONMENT. Like, I couldn't tell if it was so over the top miserable because it was supposed to be funny or if it was just failing completely at being serious and at being funny. I don't know, and sadly, I don't care. I think this was an Amazon kindle freebie, because I sure hope I didn't shell out any cashy money for it.
What I'm reading now
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, which is about Margaret, the co-proprietor of a rare book store, being summoned to write a biography of Vida Winter, a best-selling novelist who has never told the truth about her life story to anyone. So far I'm enjoying it.
***
TV:
The Flash
Okay, so I've said before that Grant Gustin is my mental casting for Gansey in The Raven Cycle, even though he's too old to be a high schooler, but holy crap, Earth 2 Barry Allen is basically my mental image of post-collegiate Gansey, with the glasses and the bow tie and the hot/nebbish combo. I am not even joking.
Anyway!
So while I had some problems with this, plot-wise (so Jessie never tried to interpret Helmet Guy's tapping before? And once she and Barry figured out he was trying to communicate, they didn't go with an easier/faster method, like, "Tap once for yes and twice for no, and we'll ask some pointed questions"? And then how everyone was just going to LEAVE HIM IN SPEEDSTER JAIL until Barry said they had to get him out? Also, Cisco didn't try to actually vibrate to free Barry/bring him up to Earth 2 frequency, whatever? Nobody thought to ask him to try?), the character interactions were pretty great, so I'm okay with that.
But! Am I right in suspecting Helmet Guy is actual Earth 2 Flash Jay Garrick, and "our" Jay is Earth 2 Hunter Zolomon, who stole Jay's speed and is possibly in cahoots with Zoom (I don't know that he's actually Zoom, because they were shown in separate universes at the same time? Unless time travel? But why would Zoom's costume be modeled on Barry's and not Jay's if that were the case?), unless that's all a red herring and he's actually Eddie? Or Zoom is Eddie, cast into Earth 2 by the singularity thinger and driven mad by revenge over it? Or Earth 2 Eddie? I don't know. Too many possibilities. I'm guessing Velocity 9 is going to come into play in making Wally a Flash though.
Meanwhile, Earth 1 was a complete yawn. At least next week we get KING SHARK. THEY'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT.
Agent Carter
So was doing two hour blocks always the plan once they pushed the show back for the SotU, or are they burning it off because the ratings are so bad? Either way, I sure as heck enjoyed that.
I was like, "I LOVE THE JARVISES SO MUCH" and then BOOM! Ana Jarvis got shot. NOOOOO! She cannot die. I refuse to allow it or accept it.
♥DOTTIE♥ ZOMG SHE IS SO GREAT. SHE AND PEGGY NEED TO HAVE SO MUCH ENEMY SEX. Though I have a hard time believing Jack Thompson really got the drop on her. Whatever. It meant we got the great scene where she can't even take Vernon Masters seriously as a torturer and then Whitney Frost walks in and terrifies the insouciance right out of her. SO GREAT. Also, the red and black dress at the ball! SUCH A BLACK WIDOW OUTFIT.
Whitney's sure going to be sad she killed her husband when she can't find a man who accessorizes as well as he can. What are the odds she was going to wear that fascinator ANYWAY, dumbass. IT WAS RIGHT THERE AND MADE OF THE SAME STUFF/COLOR AS HER OUTFIT. SURELY SHE MEANT TO WEAR IT ALL ALONG.
I don't know why I ALL CAPSed that.
Anyway! Dottie! Telling Peggy that the SSR is rotten to the core and she can't even see it. The thing about this show is that despite knowing that Peggy gets out from under jerks like Thompson and an actual male and pale evil cabal, to form SHIELD with Howard, WE ALSO KNOW that SHIELD is just as riddled with corruption from the start and ugh. It makes me so sad to know her whole life's work THAT SHE HASN'T EVEN DONE YET is going to be the source of so much misery and terror.
But the individual moments of it are SO GREAT. Everything with Jarvis! I love his partnership/friendship with Peggy SO MUCH! Souza not giving into Masters' thugs! ♥ANA♥! Whitney trying to appeal to Wilkes with the things they have in common as marginalized geniuses and him not buying it on scientific grounds. I don't know what they're doing with him, but I hope he doesn't die or turn evil.
ETA: How could I have forgotten "The F Stands for Freedom." HOLY CRAP. That had to be a poke at Ultimate Cap. Hilarious.
Jeeze, could my "insights" about television be any shallower?
***
I posted a story yesterday:
New Territory (at AO3)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Ahsoka, Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan (Anakin/Padmé); adult; 8,660
In order to complete a mission, Anakin and Ahsoka are forced to have sex with each other, and then they have to deal with the awkwardness afterward.
I'd been idly kicking the idea around for a bit, but somehow on Sunday I suddenly had ALL THE WORDS for it. The whole thing was written in two days, and while I feel like it probably is what most people would leave as drawer fic, if I expend that much energy writing, I'm damn well going to post it. I might have gone overboard on the notes and warnings though. I can't decide. I also can't figure out a bunch of other stuff (did I undersell the creep factor by too much? are the ending conversations too repetitive?), which a beta probably would have fixed, but I just wanted it out of my head and out of my wip folder. *hands* Now I can focus on other stories again.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/819239.html.
people have commented there.
what I've just finished
How to Be Both by Ali Smith. When I posted about it last week, I thought I was barely half done and thus, considered it kind of a slog, but then I discovered that because of a quirk in the narrative structure via ebook, I was actually very close to the end, and so it became less a slog and more of a cute read that was probably too clever for its own good? I feel like language-wise, the Francisco section was really fabulous despite the Serious Literary quirks of some of it, while the George section was good but also not anything new if you've read any YA (by which I mean, I liked it, but was surprised to learn it had been shortlisted for the Booker prize).
Speaking of YA, The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness was very enjoyable, though I don't think it took the premise quite far enough. I loved that the stereotypical Chosen One story was played out in the chapter headings, but I don't think they were absurd/funny enough. I mean, they were pretty funny (the names! the fact that they use the card catalog instead of the internet! the love triangles! the super old creatures wanting to hang with high school kids!)? But I feel like it could have been funnier.
Otoh, I did like the rest of the story, foregrounding the peripheral characters - Mike and Mel et al. aren't even Zeppoes, they're not even involved (except for how Jared kinda is) but their story is just as important as the indie kids' and they do in fact save the world (well, Jared does) despite their non-Chosen status.
I thought the handling of Mike's anxiety was pretty spot-on, and though I can't personally vouch for the OCD or eating disorder stuff the way I can for the anxiety, I did think that was well-handled too. I was really afraid that both his and Mel's mental health issues would be magically fixed, but I'm SO GLAD Ness didn't do that. They were given the offer, and I have to say, in reality, I would hop on that so fast, if someone told me they could rid me of the generalized anxiety+depression cocktail that's consistently stewing in my brain chemistry, but for a novel, I really wanted them to avoid the quick and magical fix.
The Fracking King by James Browning, which I didn't finish so much as abandon about halfway through, because meh, life's too short. It literally starts with things ON FIRE, so you'd think it could only go up from there (more novels should start with things being ON FIRE. YOU KNOW I LIKE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS) but then it did the stupid thing of backtracking to months earlier to tell a lot of dreary and not really believable backstory and meh. The most interesting character, Rick, was barely around and the narrator was such a sad sack that I just didn't care. Less about Scrabble and the sad crew team and more about SETTING WATER ON FIRE BECAUSE FRACKING IS TERRIBLE AND RUINING THE ENVIRONMENT. Like, I couldn't tell if it was so over the top miserable because it was supposed to be funny or if it was just failing completely at being serious and at being funny. I don't know, and sadly, I don't care. I think this was an Amazon kindle freebie, because I sure hope I didn't shell out any cashy money for it.
What I'm reading now
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, which is about Margaret, the co-proprietor of a rare book store, being summoned to write a biography of Vida Winter, a best-selling novelist who has never told the truth about her life story to anyone. So far I'm enjoying it.
***
TV:
The Flash
Okay, so I've said before that Grant Gustin is my mental casting for Gansey in The Raven Cycle, even though he's too old to be a high schooler, but holy crap, Earth 2 Barry Allen is basically my mental image of post-collegiate Gansey, with the glasses and the bow tie and the hot/nebbish combo. I am not even joking.
Anyway!
So while I had some problems with this, plot-wise (so Jessie never tried to interpret Helmet Guy's tapping before? And once she and Barry figured out he was trying to communicate, they didn't go with an easier/faster method, like, "Tap once for yes and twice for no, and we'll ask some pointed questions"? And then how everyone was just going to LEAVE HIM IN SPEEDSTER JAIL until Barry said they had to get him out? Also, Cisco didn't try to actually vibrate to free Barry/bring him up to Earth 2 frequency, whatever? Nobody thought to ask him to try?), the character interactions were pretty great, so I'm okay with that.
But! Am I right in suspecting Helmet Guy is actual Earth 2 Flash Jay Garrick, and "our" Jay is Earth 2 Hunter Zolomon, who stole Jay's speed and is possibly in cahoots with Zoom (I don't know that he's actually Zoom, because they were shown in separate universes at the same time? Unless time travel? But why would Zoom's costume be modeled on Barry's and not Jay's if that were the case?), unless that's all a red herring and he's actually Eddie? Or Zoom is Eddie, cast into Earth 2 by the singularity thinger and driven mad by revenge over it? Or Earth 2 Eddie? I don't know. Too many possibilities. I'm guessing Velocity 9 is going to come into play in making Wally a Flash though.
Meanwhile, Earth 1 was a complete yawn. At least next week we get KING SHARK. THEY'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT.
Agent Carter
So was doing two hour blocks always the plan once they pushed the show back for the SotU, or are they burning it off because the ratings are so bad? Either way, I sure as heck enjoyed that.
I was like, "I LOVE THE JARVISES SO MUCH" and then BOOM! Ana Jarvis got shot. NOOOOO! She cannot die. I refuse to allow it or accept it.
♥DOTTIE♥ ZOMG SHE IS SO GREAT. SHE AND PEGGY NEED TO HAVE SO MUCH ENEMY SEX. Though I have a hard time believing Jack Thompson really got the drop on her. Whatever. It meant we got the great scene where she can't even take Vernon Masters seriously as a torturer and then Whitney Frost walks in and terrifies the insouciance right out of her. SO GREAT. Also, the red and black dress at the ball! SUCH A BLACK WIDOW OUTFIT.
Whitney's sure going to be sad she killed her husband when she can't find a man who accessorizes as well as he can. What are the odds she was going to wear that fascinator ANYWAY, dumbass. IT WAS RIGHT THERE AND MADE OF THE SAME STUFF/COLOR AS HER OUTFIT. SURELY SHE MEANT TO WEAR IT ALL ALONG.
I don't know why I ALL CAPSed that.
Anyway! Dottie! Telling Peggy that the SSR is rotten to the core and she can't even see it. The thing about this show is that despite knowing that Peggy gets out from under jerks like Thompson and an actual male and pale evil cabal, to form SHIELD with Howard, WE ALSO KNOW that SHIELD is just as riddled with corruption from the start and ugh. It makes me so sad to know her whole life's work THAT SHE HASN'T EVEN DONE YET is going to be the source of so much misery and terror.
But the individual moments of it are SO GREAT. Everything with Jarvis! I love his partnership/friendship with Peggy SO MUCH! Souza not giving into Masters' thugs! ♥ANA♥! Whitney trying to appeal to Wilkes with the things they have in common as marginalized geniuses and him not buying it on scientific grounds. I don't know what they're doing with him, but I hope he doesn't die or turn evil.
ETA: How could I have forgotten "The F Stands for Freedom." HOLY CRAP. That had to be a poke at Ultimate Cap. Hilarious.
Jeeze, could my "insights" about television be any shallower?
***
I posted a story yesterday:
New Territory (at AO3)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Ahsoka, Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan (Anakin/Padmé); adult; 8,660
In order to complete a mission, Anakin and Ahsoka are forced to have sex with each other, and then they have to deal with the awkwardness afterward.
I'd been idly kicking the idea around for a bit, but somehow on Sunday I suddenly had ALL THE WORDS for it. The whole thing was written in two days, and while I feel like it probably is what most people would leave as drawer fic, if I expend that much energy writing, I'm damn well going to post it. I might have gone overboard on the notes and warnings though. I can't decide. I also can't figure out a bunch of other stuff (did I undersell the creep factor by too much? are the ending conversations too repetitive?), which a beta probably would have fixed, but I just wanted it out of my head and out of my wip folder. *hands* Now I can focus on other stories again.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/819239.html.
people have commented there.