falling off the crack wagon

It says something about me (I am yet to determine what that something is) that this poem reminds me so strongly of Xena's series finale, "A Friend in Need." ( Mark Strand, ''The Next Time'' )

(I have the beginnings of a Jan/Mel story inspired by this that I really ought to finish.)

I like Strand's work for non-fannish purposes, too. You probably know him for "Eating Poetry," but I appreciate him for being a wag ("It is easier for a needle to pass through a camel / Than for a poor man to enter a woman of means") and I adore "The Remains."

Hi, guys. I did something more than a little self-indulgent: ( Two Murphy/Rachel manips )

Title: Seven Things About Susan
Fandom: Babylon 5/RPF (Pundits)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: As may be inferred from the presence of one Susan Ivanova, this is a work of fiction and does not purport to be a factual representation of Rachel Maddow's life. Ivanova, meanwhile, was created by J. Michael Straczynski.
Notes: This scenario is ripped off from bessemerprocess's wonderful subconscious, and is a comment fic that outgrew the comment box.

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I spent some QT at DeviantArt today, and realized that I haven't done a Rachel-goes-to-DeviantArt post in two years!

• Remember my search for non-rage-inducing Wonder Woman art? Check out this redesign of Diana's costume by overgrownbat. Now with 100% more pants! (Also check out the boob-window-less Power Girl costume.)
  
• A lovely Golden Age Wonder Woman by trisaber.
  
• A plethora of Robins by overgrownbat: Jason smoking, Tim, and Steph all grown up.
  
• Genderbent Bruce, also by overgrownbat. (I would enjoy reading this AU, jus' saying.)
  
• Batman and Robin by northernbanshee.
  
• I love the faux 3D effect on ratscape's Flash.
  
• Look, kids, Captain America!
  
• Rikki Barnes as Nomad by Rafael Albuquerque. (Okay, I haven't followed Marvel for some time now, so first I saw this picture, and then I googled who the hell it is. What you need to know is: cute girl + double-breasted shell jacket + goggles = Maybe I need to get back into Marvel.)
  
• To continue a theme, a fly girl by fortheloveofpizza.
  
• Jack and Stephen (of the Aubreyad) having a laugh by Steampunk-Girl. (Check out her gallery for lots more Jack/Stephen art.)
  
• Because TF2 and Cooking Mama needed to be crossed over.
  
• An awesome art deco scene (conveniently wallpaper-sized!) by ekster.

A long time ago, I bought the first Queen and Country TPB, but I ended up selling it because I didn't like the art. Now I'm ready to give the series another chance, simply because Rachel keeps pimping it. Recently, I found out that she likes Ex Machina, so now I've got to catch up on that (I've only read through #29). And in the same interview, she rec'd Identity Crisis, so I might have read that, too. (Life so hard.)

I've been watching a lot of TV lately. I'd like to thank bessemerprocess for convincing me to give The Unusuals a try. I devoured it, and it is easily one of the best ensemble dramas I've ever seen. As much as I like Nathan Fillion, it is a goddamn crime that Castle was renewed but The Unusuals was not. My issues with Castle, let me tell you them:

Kate Beckett is not a real character; she is a glorified plot device. She matters in one way: she resists Castle's charms. Unless the writers make Kate believable as something other than a reluctant romantic interest (and having her come to work looking like a raccoon and execute arrest warrants in heels does not make her believable as a cop), the series is untenable. Barring an early cancellation, one day she will cease to be reluctant, and how can you write about a couple when one member is defined by not being a part of said couple? But more than that, the prospect of her relinquishing her reluctance disturbs me. Let me quote this fantastic review of It Happened One Night:

In the Platonic ideal of this type of romantic comedy, two likeable (yet flawed) people come together and clash, but then each of them grows a little, straightens out their flaws while preserving key elements of their individual selves, and learns something key about the other person, whereupon both of them can then meet in the middle, in a conclusion that's essentially egalitarian in spirit. It Happened One Night, however, is not that film....[T]he only character who really has to change her tune is Ellie. There is no meeting in the middle: she's the one who has to "come around" to liking Peter, not vice versa.

Castle is impetuous during investigations, but he keeps being rewarded for this, so it's not as if he has to modify that behavior. Furthermore, we are shown early on, via his relationship with his family, that he is a good man. What, then, is left for him to change? No, the only one who has to change is Kate, and I am not interested in watching her will being worn down to accommodate his.

I've also been watching Boston Legal. I've been wanting to read somniesperus' crossover with DWP, and now I want to cap Candice Bergen when she 's crackverse age and maybe make manips oh help me. ANYWAY, Boston Legal is rather pathetic in comparison to The Unusuals: despite the large cast, so far (through 1x09 "A Greater Good") it only has two real characters, Alan Shore and Denny Crane. The fact that all three female characters either are, have been, or want to sleep with Alan is...execrable. If Candice is not awesome (I haven't gotten to her introduction yet), I will cry.

More recommended free MP3s:

• Billie Holiday - All of Me [Amazon]
  
• Billie Vision and the Dancers - Summercat [Last.fm]
  
• Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed [Amazon]
  
• The Metasciences - Four-Color Love Story [Last.fm]

Title: The Good Life
Pairing: Murphy Brown/Rachel Maddow
Rating: R
Disclaimer: As may be inferred from the presence of one Murphy Brown, this is a work of fiction and does not purport to be a factual representation of Rachel Maddow's life. Murphy, meanwhile, was created by Diane English.
Summary: "Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on." — Samuel Butler
Notes: Finally, a proper sequel to Holding Pattern!

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Via Adventure Gamers again: Animation Arts, co-developer of the Secret Files series, has announced Lost Horizons, a point-and-click adventure set in 1936:

Nazi henchmen are traveling the world over, searching for occult weapons to help with plans for further conquests—and for a key artifact to unlock the mythical Shambala. When Fenton Paddock, a former British soldier and hapless smuggler, is asked to find a lost expedition in Tibet, he has no idea that his search is going to lead him through three continents, and eventually to a secret that could turn the whole world upside down...

I enjoyed Secret Files: Tunguska; while the romance subplot is a bit crap, the puzzles are logical and the game is pretty. And you know I love some interwar action! Lost Horizons is scheduled to be released sometime next year, first in Germany, then over here.

On the basis of Kotaku's favorable review, I started playing Battlefield Heroes, which is in open beta. It's set vaguely in WWII, pitting Royals (Brits) vs. Nationals (Nazis). It's basically Team Fortress 2–lite, but it's free. (Like Free Realms, you can customize your character's look via micro-transactions.) It's imperfect, but I'm liking it. My player name is Promachos; you should friend me. Sadly, the opportunity to dress as an SS officer has attracted a small but noticeable population of anti-Semites. I enjoy reporting them. And griefing them.

Via Jezebel, Daria coming to DVD next year.

From AdventureGamers, LucasArts back catalogue picking up Steam:

[T]he re-imagined Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition will be released on July 15th. For Xbox 360 owners, the game will be available through Xbox Live Arcade, while PC gamers can turn to Steam or unidentified "other online distribution channels". The new version features updated graphics, a new control scheme, re-mastered musical score, and full voiceovers, or the option to play the game as it was originally released.

That isn't the only LucasArts adventure in the news today, however. While not receiving enhanced treatments (at least at this point, though fans can always hope), the company also announced the "first batch" of older titles to be made available through Steam on July 8th. The list includes the likes of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, LOOM, and The Dig on the adventure front, among games from other genres.

While there are no indications what other games are planned for release in this way, the company is promising more to follow in this "new mission to revitalize its deep portfolio of beloved gaming franchises."

Please, oh, please update the graphics on Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Please? I've been such a good girl lately. (Oh, and a re-done Grim Fandango with better controls would be awesome, too.)

You know how TRMS has been on hiatus? Well, this is what she's been up to.

Title: Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
Pairing: Murphy Brown/Rachel Maddow
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: As may be inferred from the presence of one Murphy Brown, this is a work of fiction and does not purport to be a factual representation of Rachel Maddow's life. Murphy, meanwhile, was created by Diane English.
Summary: The men in Murphy's life bond with Rachel over America's pastime.
Notes: This is a midquel to Holding Pattern: it covers a portion of the time between that story's flashbacks and present day. It also references Love Is Like a Bottle of Scotch, because a crackverse has taken up residence in my head.

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I recently visited Newport, which was a popular vacation spot for American elites during the mid-nineteenth century. The mansions there are beautiful, and disturbing. While on the cliff walk that winds behind many of these houses, my friend and I stumbled across a wedding. "How fantastic," he enthused as we slunk past. "White-gloved servants!" I, of course, did not agree. A recent post on Missives from Marx (a blog I heartily recommend) expresses my feelings perfectly, and more pervasively:

Consider the following pic of the Titanic's first-class cabin. Beautiful, right? But you should ask yourself about the flip side: what social relations made this beautiful cabin possible? [...] So, you see a great plantation mansion, I see slave quarters. You see $1 flip-flops, I see a sweatshop. You can't have one without the other.

So, yes, as you may infer from this and my earlier post about playing in an idealized past, I'm still trying to figure out how I can, or if I should, enjoy things that are part and parcel of unequal power structures (she typed on her computer).

Rachel Maddow was on Charlie Rose last week, and she gave a tremendously thoughtful and interesting interview about foreign policy, Obama, and, well, herself. Her comments about coming out make me think of the Rachel/Murphy crack; I have a midquel to Holding Pattern very nearly done, if only I can get to a Pawsox game.

I come bearing...unfinished Grey's Anatomy fic? Yes, it's true. I don't watch Grey's Anatomy anymore; I never came back after winter hiatus, so my last episode was 5x10 "All by Myself." I wrote this after 5x03 "Here Comes the Flood," and, as I said, it is (a) unfinished, (b) didactic, and (c) not remotely in line with later episodes, but I like some of the dialogue. Besides, the world always needs more Meredith & Cristina. ( Read more... )

Check out Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI, Smith '84) discussing the recent crumb from Obama on TRMS. Y'know, After Ellen might be an incestuous vblogging circle jerk, but they are right that visibility matters, because seeing two out lesbians talk politics on my TV (my iPod, technically) is darn cool.

According to a NYT/CBS News poll released today, an overwhelming majority oppose preventive detention, which makes me think of Little Brother. You see, Little Brother (released under a Creative Commons license, and so available for free) is one of my favorite books and, back when I was young and stupid (circa Jan. 20, I mean), I was saddened to think that it would lose its plausibility and thus relevance. But then Obama made his indefinite preventive detention speech and, while most of me was busy feeling disappointed, a little bit was cheered that my evangelical mission to get Little Brother into the hands of every fourteen-year-old in this country should continue unabated. (It really is a fantastic book to donate to libraries. And I am trying to figure out how I might teach with it.)

ETA: Little Brother has been optioned by Don Murphy (Natural Born Killers, From Hell).

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Via the Hype Machine, I found this fabulous, fabulous train-inspired mix. Have I told you that I <3 trains? Because I <3 trains. But one of the songs, "Klang Klang" by Hangedup, does not remind me of trains. It reminds me of climatic fights, possibly against robots, and that reminds me of role-playing pulp with musical accompaniment.

Robin Laws suggests using stings ("quick clusters of notes signaling a jolt or transition," like Law & Order's doink doink) to end scenes. I myself am curious about using background music. Saluki Regicide & Mystified's album Ancestral Technologies (also released for free under CC) has some interesting tracks: "Electric Stoplight" for a possibly abandoned (but possibly not) military base or underground installation, plus the remix of "Air Ship" would work well for some place like this. And "Neitsytmatka" by China Steamengine is pure laboratory.

(Your soundtrack: "The Old Days" by Dr. Dog, free from Amazon.)

Remember the debate over what steampunk is doing if it's not offering a critique? Well, today Nostalgia: a Sport for the Privileged appeared at Racialicious. As someone who enjoys pulp and film noir, this is something I've been grappling with quite a bit. (I also recently read my first Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and there are still skid marks where my brain screeched to a halt after one of the characters said, so casually, n*****.) There's a supplement regarding the interwar period's racism, sexism, and homophobia in the works for Spirit of the Century, the pulp pickup role-playing game I like so much, but it is inescapably a privilege that my thinking beyond "More zeppelins! Gorilla piloting a biplane!" is, well, supplementary. (And on that note, I just bought the bitchingest straw fedora. Center crease with a front pinch, plus none of that skinny brim nonsense.)

RM demonstrating business up top, party down below during the 06/09/09 show:

I don't normally talk about clothes here (or possibly ever), but reasonably priced cargo skirts are rare birds indeed, so I want to share this one in the Sundance Outlet. There are two hip pockets for your hands and two snap-closure cargo pockets for your things. I can't wait until I move so that I can go contra dancing more often. (See, these two things are related, because contra dancing is much more fun in a skirt, but you can't have a reticule hanging from your elbow.)

To lend some utility to this post for those of you not on the prowl for a cargo skirt: If you've been stalking me on Last.fm, you know that I've had Midnight Boom, 69 Love Songs, Fantasies, and O My Heart in heavy rotation recently. Songs from each album:

• The Kills - Cheap and Cheerful
  
• The Magnetic Fields - I Think I Need a New Heart
  
• Metric - Gold Guns Girls
  
• Mother Mother - Wrecking Ball

While anxiously awaiting my delivery of The Sims 3, I obsessed about the rowhouse I'm moving into this summer. I once stayed in this gorgeously decorated B&B (their photos come nowhere close to doing it justice) that struck me as not unlike what Janice Covington and Melinda Pappas' house would look like (it certainly didn't hurt that they had a '30s station playing on satellite radio). Ever since, it's been in the back of my mind to decorate my house like that of a pulp archaeologist. I love the mixture of classic dark woods with mementos from adventures and art deco—perhaps some art nouveau—accents, which is why BioShock is basically like porn for me. (I don't know if BioShock 2 will be a very good game, but I'm confident that it will be a very pretty one, and that's more than enough for me.) And here's a porthole mirror, in case anyone (certainly not me!) wanted to decorate a la Rapture.

I am in love with this adjustable lamp (from JCPenney, of all places), and I do need one for my desk. (I also need a real desk, but that'll be a bit costlier.) I also need wall hangings. I already have Greg Maletic's Tomorrowland poster, and I could pair it with some of Steve Thomas' work (esp. World's Fair Shanghai, Sail Neptune, Venus by Air). Here are more sfnal travel posters for you to admire (hat tip to thelastgoodname, if I remember correctly). Also: Futurism, building a fake future in hopes that the real future will show up to mate with it. And because I have a little Marxist in me, the Fraternal League of Robotic Persons.

I'm thinking about getting a Griffin RocketFM to transmit music from my computer to a Crosley radio downstairs (that's right, my new apartment has two floors!), but I'm not quite sure if that would be a good investment, given that I will have to share with a roomie. I barely spend any time in my living room at present, largely because my computer is not there, but I'd like to change that, so we'll see. Also, is this globe not thoroughly awesome? (Albeit impractical for this stage of my life.)

(And I officially changed my "real life" tag to "meatspace," because the interwebs are definitely part of my real life.)

Title: Love Is Like a Bottle of Scotch
Pairing: Murphy Brown/Linda Ellerbee
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: As may be inferred from the presence of one Murphy Brown, this is a work of fiction and does not purport to be a factual representation of Linda Ellerbee's life. Murphy, meanwhile, was created by Diane English.
Summary: ...but a bottle of Scotch is not like love. Episode tag for 1x20 "The Summer of '77."
Notes: I started this before I finished Holding Pattern; consider it part of my canon for that Murphy. Title/summary ripped off from Stephin Merritt.

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I rewatched the fight scene in Gossip Girl 2x06 "New Haven Can Wait" more than once tonight. "I'm gonna eff you up!" LEIGHTON <3 (And another <3 for the take where she spanks Blake.) God, why can't the entire show be the Blair (and, by extension, Serena) hour? DIAF, Humphreys.

I've been going through my drafts folder, trying to marshal my WIPs. I thought that some of you would like this Indy/Marion scene. This is the story they're telling at the beginning of The Charm.

( ''Don't move.'' ¶ Indiana's eyes snapped open. Marion was aiming a gun at him, one that looked suspiciously like his gun. )