thedeadlyhook

Caffeine is a WONDERFUL THING. God, I love mornings. The whole day ahead of you, and with a nice hot mocha in the tummy, energy to burn. Neurons sparking. Ahh.

Doesn't it just make you wonder about the discovery of coffee beans and tea leaves, and how long it must've taken for humans to figure out the right dose? Primitive drug experimentation - stick a plant in your mouth, and find out what happens. Science, people!

Anyway. That thing, that I said above, about sparking neurons. *g*

I haven't posted in yonks, so I have a whole list of backed-up notes and recs and other business - in the interests of making things manageable, I'll just quickly rip through the list:

New Community
wip_out, dedicated to helping fanfic writers finish their languishing WIPs. It's the brainchild of the wonderful st_salieri, who asked me to be her co-moderator on the comm. Take a look, share your own to-do list, or just listen in as we try to formulate some working tips and tricks. C'mon, it'll be fun! Like a New Year's resolution-y thing.

Joooiiin ussssss...

Slightly Related to Above, As In, Kind of Like Writing Tips
part 1 and part 2 of things learned about writing from RPG campaigns, or role-playing games, and all of it so true. You know your story's on bad footing when the RPG test - how would a group of players react to this scenario? - doesn't pass muster, i.e, if you send people into a dark dungeon, you'd better have a good reason why nobody thinks to check for traps. (They're drunk and/or distracted is good for one use; after that, you're on your own.)

Another one from metafandom, an answer to the eternal question of what is 'canon' to you? The discussion mostly boils down to two essential topics: a) what you consider official, and, b) having made that determination, how constrained by it you feel, for fannish purposes. Since both are governed by personal taste, the end-of-the-day consensus for pretty much any fandom is what the most people accept as true... which is rather nicely populist, come to think of it, with the creator (and critics) as the "elite." Heh!

I ran across this one when I absolutely had no time to engage in the discussion but I'd bookmarked it as neato-keeno: ludditerobot's post about Blade Runner and Deckard's possible Replicant status. I'm impressed by the analysis, especially on the name consistencies.

Fic Recs
quinara's fic Resolution. It's a Buffy and Xander friendship fic written in response to the comics, and it really hits the spot for me - yes, this is the sort of thing I wanted to see. Sigh. ( Slightly related thoughts on writing styles and the BtVS comic )

Riding the Clutch by only_passenger. Hot, steamy, angsty, raw NC-17 Spike/Buffy. What, you need another reason to click? Really, really good. Also, if you're not following her story In All the World, you're missing out. It's a hardcore AU which makes Buffy's Sunnydale existence seem a bit like a children's story, but captures the essence of Spike/Buffy all the same. Disturbing, violent, erotic, and sublime. Go read.

Just For Fun
Interested in a pet duck? Well, y'know there's a website for that. Of course. There's also Goats.com. Have I mentioned Toys's recent goat obsession? Don't be surprised if I pipe up someday with the announcement that we'll be moving to the country to open a goat farm.

And finally, Wagner's Ring Cycle of Operas Summarized in Easy Fanspeak. Surprisingly incest-friendly!

(I post using my Doctor Block icon from Grindhouse in honor of having finally acquired the DVD from the used collection of our local King of Video Rental Stores, Le Video. Yay for being able to watch Planet Terror any time I want!)

After the landmark heron sighting in the park the other day, I made a pact with myself to not go walking without a camera on me... and then I remembered why I hadn't been doing that, because when I have a camera on me, all I do is take pictures. But fortunately, there happened to be a lot to see, as in OMG, BABY CHICKS EVERYWHERE!! An embarrassing number of fuzzy gosling pictures are now in my galleries. (Click the picture to go to my galleries and see more and bigger pics.) ( Baby Geese )

Sightem of the morning: in the park, a small, brown, finchlike bird (I'm getting better at telling the different breeds of water birds apart, but it'll be awhile before I can ID all of the various hoppers and tweeters and peepers clogging the bushes around here), flew up to a car, perched on the edge of a door by a rearview mirror, and started bonking its little beak against the glass, repeatedly. Considering that I also saw geese going cuckoo at each other around the lake in a very not-normal way, I'm guessing this is mating-related - aggressive, get the hell out of here, you, you, other male, you!, or possibly an attempt to pitch woo, let me kees you - ow! - let me kees you - ow! - let me --.... you get the idea.

Birds are FUN.

Also, the cormorant I keep seeing around the lake seems to have a favorite perching log, and the wigeon population favors one specific bush to hide under. I'm getting better at this watching thing.

I saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers at the lake today! And this on top of the Ring-Necked Ducks, and Pie-Billed Grebes I've been seeing lately. Birds are just... cool.

And check out this photo site for birds. See close-up photography, such as this shot of a Double-Crested Cormorant, prove that life on Earth can look freakier than any alien species we can picture. I mean really, that eye. Too neat.

I guess I need some kind of bird icon, don't I?