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Fic Directory
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Jan. 1st, 2030 @ 05:44 pm
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To save people digging through back-entries and the like.
First Steps:
13038 / 15000 words. 87% done!
( All neatly collected and catalogued. )
Also, tags for quick reference:
Character Sheets - Doctor Who - All Drabbles - All Oneshots - All Prompts - All FanficCurrent Mood:  Determined |
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Reviews: The Scarlet Pimpernel, DW: The Krillitane Storm
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Jun. 30th, 2010 @ 07:38 pm
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As promised. See, I'm being good about reviewing the books I read, even if I'm not so good about writing or blogging stuff right now.
(Still haven't watched the last three episodes of Eleven. I also haven't listened to the last hour of Legend of the Cybermen, the first half of which is utter brilliance. Guess which is likely to happen first on the Who mountain).
This month, we have... a classic that inspired the superhero genre, and a Doctor Who book that's absolutely fantastic!
The Krillitane Storm (Tenth Doctor Adventures, Christopher Cooper)
Now that I have a job, I'm starting to think about moving out, and that requires me to pare down my library until it can fit in one room, never mind one bookshelf (gulp). One of the places I'm most likely to hit is the DW books: three out of every four of them are pretty crap, certainly not worth another read. Mostly I keep reading them so I can find the good ones: so far, that's Prisoner of the Daleks, Autonomy... and The Krillitane Storm.
( In fact, I'd say it's better than both of those. )
Read this one. For God's sake, read it. There's no filler here, no deus ex machinae or grinning villains with no agenda but to rule/eat/be evil. Every character's a person, every plot point is laid in advance, every page is a new experience. With the exception of that one half-page where things go a bit skewiff, this is what these books should be.
*Relatedly, the single best written version of the Tenth Doctor I've ever read can be found on pages 213-214.
The Scarlet Pimpernel (Baroness Orczy)
Technically I read this one first (my reading pattern goes real book - Who book - real book), but as is probably obvious I'm a bit fired up about The Krillitane Storm. So.
( In which I try not to accuse a genre-creator of being cliched. )
But mostly, when I spend more time analysing a piece of media as I read it than enjoying it as I read it, something's gone wrong. |
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4th Ed race: Time Lord
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Jun. 29th, 2010 @ 08:47 pm
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So, I'm not online much any more. My job is eating my posting time, although I'm still reading my flist. Reviews of The Scarlet Pimpernel and DW: The Krillitane Storm should be coming soonish, I hope.
But tonight... I'm in a geeky mood tonight, oh yes.
Dungeon and Dragons 4th Edition: Time Lord
RACIAL TRAITS
Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +2 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Gallifreyan, Common, choice of one other
Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 History
Eladrin Education: PHB p38
Eladrin Will: PHB p38
Cold Resistance: Equal to 5 + one-half your level
Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes: PHB2 p8
Regeneration: Starting from 11th level, once per day when you die you choose a stat line from page 18 of the Player's Handbook and assign the numbers randomly to your stats, overwriting the originals. Your class, skills, feats etc stay the same. You may reassign stat-ups if you wish. You regain all hit points, healing surges and expended powers. You miss out the rest of the encounter* but your regenerated character can re-enter the plot immediately afterwards. This power may be used a maximum of 12 times, ever.
*Because you're rewriting your character sheet, obviously.
(Haven't watched eps 11, 12 or 13 yet. Have them on my hard drive, just... ehhhh. Maybe this weekend.)Current Mood:  geeky |
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Reviews: Darkest Powers Trilogy (Kelley Armstrong), DW: Night of the Humans
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Jun. 6th, 2010 @ 05:16 pm
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Darkest Powers Trilogy (Kelley Armstrong)
There are plenty of writers I admire. But when I grow up, I want to be the unholy love child of Charlie Higson and Kelley Armstrong.
Okay, maybe not. Mostly, I want to be Armstrong, with all of Higson's horror and none of his overdescription.
Which isn't to say that Armstrong doesn't do horror, of course. She does, usually in the same breath as the action, mystery and romance.
( And holy crap, did I just read a rape scene in a YA book?! )
Night of the Humans (Eleventh Doctor Adventures, David Llewellyn)
( This is the Gyre - the most hostile environment in the galaxy. )
My Amazon order arrived today, complete with Age of Bronze 3: Betrayal. Ooooooo...
Also, finished that godawful chapter at last! Only one more to go!Current Music: The Outsiders: Time Won't Let Me |
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EvanyaFic: Delayed Reaction
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Jun. 1st, 2010 @ 08:16 pm
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My, but my characters are active at the moment. I've got Irien fangirling Jo's character Peren, Tranan and Pat laughing at her from the safety of one of Tranan's inpenetrable boxes, three Time Tots soldiering bravely on to the conclusion of First Steps in the face of ghastly prose and incoherent plotting, Charles serenading Dora, Vortigern demanding to know why he can't be a villain and in a corner, mostly separate from the madness, Regan and Meredith redrawing their world map again.
Therefore, fic!
Title: Delayed Reaction
Rating: PG
Fandom: Evanya (RP)
Genre: Character sketch
Characters: Irien
Wordcount: 121
Author's notes: Evanya is the world that my RP group's current campaign is set in. Irien's my character, and this is just a random bit of character-building for her.
For those not familiar with the campaign, it's worth explaining the following:
- Irien's mother was the court spymaster, 'the Shadow', and faked her death when Irien was eight.
- She died shortly before this scene, and Irien is now the Shadow in her place.
/\/\/\
( Nobody could understand why Irien didn't cry when her mother died. )Current Mood: creative Current Music: Die Fledermaus: The Laughing Song |
| » He's on the booze again |
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After the crop circle in the shape of pi a couple of years ago, you'd think the Doctor would be more careful.
But no. Looks like he's drunk again.
May. 26th, 2010 @ 11:52 am
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| » Eleven: Things That Are Still Bugging Me |
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I enjoy the Eleventh Doctor, I really do. I laugh at his jokes, I've appreciated plenty of the plots he's been given and I'm rapidly falling in love with one of his companions.
But I don't love the Eleventh Doctor. I'm not fannish about him. He's ephemeral to me: I watch the show and enjoy it, and I then forget about it to such an extent that if asked to give a blow-by-blow description of the most recent episode twenty-four hours later I'd usually struggle to remember what the alien of the week was. Certainly every week thus far when I've sat down in front of iPlayer to watch the new episode, I've found myself wondering what happened last week.
By contrast, I listened to Wreck of the Titan over a week ago and could probably still give you a pretty good description of events, maybe even quote some dialogue. This despite the fact that it's twice as long and I listened to it in a fairly noisy office, while doing my paid job* and being interrupted constantly by real life.
*Which is basically copy-pasting. If I needed to use my brain, I wouldn't be listening to Who... probably ;)
I don't know why Eleven doesn't touch my heart. That bugs me, but I can't really answer it. There are some things that are probably related, though.
( Arc plots, reactivity and Amy Pond. SPOILERS for all S05 )
May. 25th, 2010 @ 10:00 pm
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| » DW: Amy's Choice |
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Jesus Christ, can we please stop with the Elizabeth I references? Nothing kills my buzz faster than being invisibilised for the sake of a stupid running joke. That misery and humiliation also puts the episode firmly on my 'never watch again' pile, which is a shame because ( spoilers )
But seriously, Moffat. Asexuality is a real thing and there's only one asexual superhero in the entire corpus of Western media (not to mention only four ace characters!). Do me a favour: stop ripping my heart out.
/\/\/\
On the subject of ace characters, The Big Bang Theory makes me so very, very happy. Thank you, Chuck Lorre. You are Doing It Right.
May. 16th, 2010 @ 01:34 pm
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| » Sledgehammering the Fourth Wall |
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Optera: [looks straight at camera] "The wall is not steady! We must break it!"
I really, really hope that was intentional, but given that The Web Planet was aired in 1965 I doubt it.
She was right, though. The fourth wall is pretty unsteady in Doctor Who...
May. 14th, 2010 @ 09:13 pm
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| » The writing process |
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A selection of notes from the original handwritten latest 1,000-ish words of First Steps:
***
"I don't know,” Flabbaduckarusa says. “The author's lost the plot again."
"Oh." Snail frowns, trying to think. "Well, I suppose you need to communicate some key information to me, then we can go and look for Tagalong. Corridor scenes, donchaknow."
"OK then."
***
[ARGH]
***
Waaaaay too adult.
...
[Dead doll]
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Lots of decent stuff here, but it needs mixing up more: guilt WITH introspection, not after kthxbai
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WTF
***
And that's it. The very last thing written in this notebook is 'WTF' in red ink.
So, you know.
This chapter, ugh. Hates it, precious, we does.
May. 3rd, 2010 @ 06:44 pm
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| » DW: Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone |
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I would just like to state in public and for the record, that I think ( SPOILERS ).
That is all.
Time will tell if I'm right or not, of course.
May. 2nd, 2010 @ 07:06 pm
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| » For humble_yoghurt |
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2440 / 8000 words. 31% done!
Apr. 26th, 2010 @ 09:03 am
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| » Surprises! |
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Holy crap, Steve Davis beat John Higgins!
And Doctor Who was back on form, too.
Lots of reviews to type up: unfortunately, since I'm still trying to get my desk at work ergonomically correct, my RSI is playing up. I'll do them later.
(No comment on River Song. I pray the Doctor turns out to be wrong on this one.)
Apr. 24th, 2010 @ 07:11 pm
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| » Random media observation of the week |
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With the number of times Schuester's encouraged Finn to sing about his problems so he can work them through and the mounting evidence that it will never, ever achieve anything except a punchy angry number every few episodes, you'd really think they'd consider, I dunno, sending him to the counsellor? Who's a regular on the show?
What does Emma do, anyway? There's more counselling done through song (badly or otherwise) at this school than through her.
Ah, Glee. You're so silly.
Also, I love Kurt.
Mercedes: Look, we're not saying the dude's playing you...
Kurt: He's playing you.
Apr. 23rd, 2010 @ 08:38 pm
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| » Review: Atlanta Nights |
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I'm about five years late to the party, but after several long, hard months I've finally finished Atlanta Nights by the SFWA Travis Tea.
( Like Jane Yolen, I stayed upright reading it. )
Atlanta Nights: A terrible book that certainly should never have been accepted for publication. But not as bad as The Eye of Argon. Not by a stretched columnar clastic rock deposition.
Apr. 23rd, 2010 @ 09:42 am
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| » Third time's the charm [Victory of the Daleks] |
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But first, a sign of the times:
So by episode three, we should be all settled down, accustomed to the new Doctor, and able to start making some comment about trends in the series.
Which means that by episode three, I have to say... I'm actually still not settled.
( SPOILERS beyond this point. )
Hm... I might sit next episode out, at least for reviewing. I hate River Song, and although I agree that Blink is excellent, the weeping angels don't exactly terrify me. So if I review it, be it good or bad, I'm likely to just end up wanking about it. And believe me, you don't want to see an asexual wank...
Apr. 18th, 2010 @ 02:07 pm
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| » I HAVE A JOB! |
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I HAVE A JOB I HAVE A JOB I HAVE A JOB I HAVE A JOB I HAVE A JOOOOOOOB
Apr. 13th, 2010 @ 01:19 pm
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| » [SPOILERS] DW: The Beast Below |
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Bernard, I have served eleven governments in the past thirty years. If I had believed in all their policies, I would have been passionately committed to keeping out of the Common Market, and passionately committed to going into it. I would have been utterly convinced of the rightness of nationalising steel, and of denationalising it and renationalising it. On capital punishment, I'd have been a fervent retentionist and an ardent abolitionist. I would have been a Keynesian and a Friedmanite, a grammar school preserver and destroyer, a nationalisation freak and a privatisation maniac; but above all, I would have been a stark, staring, raving schizophrenic. - Sir Humphrey Appleby
( And this applies to stories, too! )
Apr. 12th, 2010 @ 12:43 am
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| » Never watching THAT again |
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So apparently, the FBI has never conceived of the concept of triangulating the point of origin of multiple connected attacks from their locations. In addition, this procedure - when finally brought to their attention - requires a long equation to be specially generated (because nobody's ever thought of doing it before) and is so out-there and unusual that the courts won't accept it as proof of, well, anything.
Yeah.
Numb3rs: failing at maths AND forensics!
Apr. 9th, 2010 @ 08:03 pm
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