rose_griffes: hand holding sword (sword)
Friday, May 1st, 2020 12:03 pm
1. Are you an Essential Worker?

No.

2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?

I don’t drink.

3. If you have kids... Are they driving you nuts?

No kids.

4. What new hobby have you taken up during this?

No new hobbies, although some older ones are getting dusted off. Baking, for example: not my thing, too exact, but sometimes you just want a freshly-baked item. (I cook plenty, but that's less science and more art.)

5. How many grocery runs have you done?

I was averaging one a week but now I'm trying to make it two weeks. I have a decently-stocked pantry, so I should be able to wait a while... except that I also have garden projects that occasionally require things that I can't quite replicate at home.

6. What are you spending your stimulus check on?

Garden stuff, donations to local food bank, not sure what else yet.

7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?

Helping my middle brother's family to pack their belongings before they move. A trip to London--it was going to be my first time there!


8. Are you keeping your housework done?

Mount Clean Laundry never fully disappears. I'm doing better at random chores that I've been putting off--like power-washing the patio furniture. (Next up: assembling the power spray-painter thingy and trying to paint some furniture.)

9. What movie have you watched during this quarantine?

The Farwell and Jupiter Ascending.

10. What are you streaming with?

Netflix, Amazon Prime. Pulling out some old DVDs, too.

11. What's your go-to quarantine meal?

Leftovers of whatever I made the day before. I'm also still making jar salads as well, two or three at a time. (Build a salad in a mason jar, from wettest ingredients at the bottom to driest ingredients at the top. They stay good in the fridge for several days. Shake to serve, pour into a salad bowl, and voila.)

13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid?

Paranoid? No. Stressed? For sure.

14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time?

Only briefly. But per my colleagues' anecdotes, mine is by far the worst internet connection when we're having video meetings.

15. What month do you predict this all ends?

Depends on how one defines an ending. Obviously we're going to need a much greater testing capacity, which includes personnel, equipment, reliable tests, etc. It's going to be a while.

16. First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine?

Go out to eat with friends. Watch a movie at the theater. Assuming we still have movie theaters at that point.

17. Where do you wish you were right now?

In Oklahoma, visiting my brother's family in their last few days in the state.

18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most?
Movies. Church. Just seeing friends.

19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?

No, although I'm not really a hand sanitizer person, so I didn't ever have any in stock... Also, the only reason I didn't run out of toilet paper is because my roommate has a Costco membership, and she bought some for me. I was out of luck at my usual stores.

20. Do you have enough food to last a month?

Probably so, but I wouldn't enjoy that last stretch.
rose_griffes: (Default)
Saturday, February 8th, 2020 04:35 pm
Tis a friending meme!
The Good Place Ladies

(Click on the picture and it will link you there.)
Tags:
rose_griffes: (eiffel)
Saturday, February 1st, 2020 08:42 pm
My brain was doing weird things this week--hormones? Food issues? The ongoing mystery of my body? At any rate, this is a belated finale for the "Make me talk (in January... er, February)" meme. From [personal profile] selenak: Day of your choice: France - any favourite places/regions/cities? Favourite era of French history to visit if you could?

Commentary first. Much like cultural definitions of human beauty in the USA, in American culture we have an emphasis on western Europe as THE standard for beauty in historical sites. We aren't taught to value the beauty of our own indigenous cultural heritage in the same way, nor to appreciate the beauty of other parts of the world that aren't in that subset of a specific western European aesthetic.

That being said: France really does have SO MANY beautiful places. The French as a whole value their own cultural heritage; also, aesthetic appeal is important to cultivate for its own sake.

Plus, I'll admit, I was always THAT girl growing up: the "I love French!" girl. I read translations of novels by Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas BY CHOICE, not because I was assigned to do so. I always wanted to go to France, even though that was a wildly unrealistic (budgetarily impossible) dream for my early years.

So. I think I'll split this into multiple categories. Pics back here are mine--so if I didn't have any photos on this computer of a specific place, there aren't any pics. )
rose_griffes: James Ellison from the Sarah Connor Chronicles (ellison)
Thursday, January 16th, 2020 05:09 pm
[personal profile] grimorie said: January 16 - What was your fandom at the start of the decade and the end of the decade, do you think your tastes have changed since then?

Oooh, down the rabbit hole! I looked at my livejournal / dreamwidth posts from 2010 - and early 2011, because I got a bit carried away. So let's see:
  • Battlestar Galactica ended in 2009, but I was still fairly active in that fandom in 2010. I was co-mod for the BSG fanfic remix for a third year.
  • I made this Dreamwidth account and started cross-posting in 2010.
  • I continued my mild flirtation with Doctor Who fandom; I loved Martha Jones and Mickey Smith. Watching the show months or years after the episodes aired shielded me from the worst fannish reactions.
  • I did a “thirty days” favorite female characters challenge meme over several months. In fact, the last posts are in 2011; here’s a round-up list that links to the original livejournal posts.
  • Lost had its sixth and final season in 2010. I wasn’t as fannish about it as BSG but it was a landmark show: the last big network show to have a weekly following. I used to go to watch parties with co-workers and we talked about it at lunch.
  • For the first time I participated in the big Yuletide fanfic exchange. It was exciting and scary. 
    • That also meant signing up for AO3, and posting fic there. At the time most of us were posting fanfic on livejournal--either on our own blogs or dedicated fannish comms. 

BSG was my first online fandom; since my focus in 2010 remained primarily on that show, this means that I was still in a fandom bubble. On livejournal I mostly interacted with other BSG fans (even if some had moved onto other shows), and in spite of some occasional drama, it was a fairly mellow experience. This is at least in part because I’m a white and able-bodied woman, so I was a) not as observant about problems as I might have been, and b) I wasn’t the target of fannish ire.

In the last decade that bubble burst. The way we watch television has dramatically changed. Our use of social media has moved from site to site. It’s not just that I was in a bubble; we’re also just having different experiences as a whole--as fannish consumers and creators. This includes how we interact with the content creators, which is--well, let’s just say it’s often messy. 

A decade later I would say that my tastes have changed. In 2012, after the first season of Person of Interest, I made a personal vow not to start watching new shows focusing on two white men. Around the same time (it might have been 2013?) I accepted a challenge to read books by people other than white men for a year.

My tastes broadened in many ways and got pickier in other ways. Also, I have a new appreciation for the size and pace of fandom on Dreamwidth. Yeah, we’re a tiny group here. But also, it’s not twitter or tumblr or instagram, or whatever else.

Current fannish likes: 

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) continues as a source of inspiration. Mostly because Gaby Teller’s life experiences from birth to age 24 are almost a complete blank slate, other than historical information about Germany from 1938 to 1963. 
    • So... anyone else interested in doing a TMFU fanfic remix challenge? Because I could be persuaded to attempt organizing something. 
  • The Witcher (Netflix). I don’t know if this will go anywhere other than “Fun to watch! I love the women! They’re awesome and terrifying!”
  • The Expanse. I still have season four to watch. It’s available; I just haven’t taken the time yet. 
  • I’m looking forward to reading more books by Leigh Bardugo in the Grisha-verse. 
    • There’s gonna be a Netflix show. I’m not sure what I think of that. Guess I’ll find out in several months. 
  • Anticipatory woohoo for Wonder Woman 84 this summer. Woohoo!
rose_griffes: line drawing of Matilda from the Raoul Dahl books (bookgirl)
Thursday, January 9th, 2020 07:42 pm
Question from [personal profile] aurumcalendula: Favorite book you've recently read?

That's easy enough: the Shadow and Bone trilogy (also known as the Grisha trilogy, I believe) by Leigh Bardugo. By far my favorite book (series) of 2019. But if you've been here a while, y'all have seen the evidence of my sudden starry-eyed love of it. Fortunately, I have at least one more book in the Grisha verse to read.

The Shadow and Bone trilogy reminds me of The Witcher (Netflix) in some ways! A story chock-full of the usual tropes from tales of magic, but executed in interesting ways that allow female characters to have plenty of space in the narrative. To be more accurate, though, in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, there's no doubt of who the lead is: Alina. Her POV is the only one within the novels, other than the intro and outro for each book, which is a 3rd person narrative fairy tale introduction or recap.

If I step back to 2018, then Justina Ireland's Dread Nation was a favorite novel. I already have book two on auto-buy for when it's available.

I've enjoyed recent books by Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London series) and Seanan McGuire (so many books!), just to name two other authors who are perpetual favorites and actively publishing. Also, I'm currently waiting for my next Ross Agency mystery from Delia Pitts; great for a bluesy, soulful look at life (and death) in New York City.

Thanks for the question! You can still ask a question for this month if you wish.
rose_griffes: picture of a poppy in Italy (poppy2)
Saturday, January 4th, 2020 10:59 am
[personal profile] daybreak said January 4: Who is your favorite ship on The Good Place? (I'm nothing if not predictable!)

Hee! Who could have guessed that DB would ask a question about shipping?!

Um. In a not-surprising not-twist, my favorite ship is the main canon ship, Eleanor and Chidi. It's the pairing that I felt invested in first, and it's the pairing that helps drive a lot of the narrative--whether that's a platonic version or romantic.
  • Michael brings them together for the purpose of torturing them both.
  • It works... but also, Eleanor genuinely starts becoming a better person.
  • So does Chidi! They balance each other well. 
  • Michael himself starts to change as he begins to believe in the potential of humanity. 

I enjoy some of the other pairings on the show; Janet and Jason are hilarious, but I also like Tahani and Jason. But Eleanor and Chidi is definitely my focus... when I have a romantic focus.

(I absolutely adored it that the show went for "soulmates probably aren't real", and that Chidi just went with it. And chose Eleanor. As someone who almost always dislikes soulmates in fiction, it resonated. What can I say... it's way more romantic to me when someone chooses someone else.)
rose_griffes: (twilight--sex now?)
Friday, January 3rd, 2020 03:24 pm
Hiiii, I am procrastinating putting away the Christmas decorations. In lieu of doing that, I stole these questions from... er, someone I follow here.

I have a total of 68 fics uploaded to AO3. That's not every fanfic I've ever written, but it's certainly a large majority of them.

What are your first and second most common work ratings?
Teen and Up (32)
General Audiences (22)

What’s your most common archive warning?
No Archive Warnings Apply (49)
Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (10)

Perhaps the latter was a default setting when I imported some fanfics from Livejournal to AO3 because I'm not really sure why most of them would include that.

Do you consider yourself an adventurous writer?
I write for fun. I write when an idea won't leave me alone. It's not a master plan of "learn how to write X better", it's just "must be able to write X in order to finish this #!& fic".

Come to think of it, the novel-length fic I wrote back in 2012--that was an adventure for me. So I'll own the adjective for that fic.

and it goes on )
rose_griffes: picture of cat napping on the ground (catnap)
Wednesday, January 1st, 2020 10:39 pm
[personal profile] fleurviolette asked: January 1 - TV shows that you didn't expect to like, but ended up enjoying? (This can apply to netflix shows as well!)

So, just under the deadline for the date selected... I think I'd pick Unbelievable, because "a show about rape" was not an instant must-watch for me. I saw a few people mention liking it and read a little bit about the real-life case that the show begins with.

Also, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance goes in this category because I wasn't particularly interested after the first episode, but was glad later that I kept watching.

The Passage had a brief but entertaining run in this group as well: the book series went from "MUST READ" to "Okay" within three books; the show condensed a lot of plot points--to its benefit--and cast a more diverse group of actors. I liked it! Not great tv, but fun enough. Too bad it was canceled after just that one season.
rose_griffes: (Default)
Tuesday, December 31st, 2019 04:11 pm
A hastily-composed 2019 fannish year-end meme:

Your main fandom this year?
Just based on the number of posts with those tags, I'll say Star Wars and The Expanse.

Your favorite film watched this year?
Not a stellar year for movies (from what I actually bothered to see), to be honest. The live-action Aladdin was fun and pretty; also, I had a good time watching Captain Marvel and Aquaman.

Your favorite book read this year?
For the sheer enjoyment factor: Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone (Grisha-verse) trilogy.

Your favorite tv show of the year?
The Expanse.

Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
Unbelievable--a show that is so much more than just "a show about rape". It's proof that media can sensitively handle the topic, and a new high bar for other shows to meet. Also, the police work was realistic in ways that most shows don't bother doing: the mundane mixed with dogged determination and luck.

Your biggest fandom disappointment?
Let's just go with the Star Wars sequel trilogy. It wins this category for two years in a row now: the ongoing realization that a) they had no plan and b) they were never going to do the amazing things with Finn that they could have done.

Your tv boyfriend of the year?
These next two categories always make me laugh. It's not going to be Holden from The Expanse--the actor is attractive but no. So... how about Chidi from The Good Place?

Your tv girlfriend of the year? Ooh, DCI Cassie Stewart from Unforgotten. Dedicated! Kind! Thoughtful!

Your biggest squee moment of the year? Re-reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy and catching a lot of the deliberate narrative call-backs and foreshadowing.

The most missed of your old fandoms?
Hm. how about--I miss the hyperfixation phase from watching The Man from U.N.C.L.E. for the first time in 2018. I have unfinished fics! I miss the high of brain going into full media crush mode! It was awesome to have so many fics to read by other people!

The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Um... dunno? There are things I want to watch or read, but that list is constantly shifting.
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rose_griffes: Sarah Connor and her knife (no fate)
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 08:40 pm
Grabbing this from [personal profile] grimorie. You can see her post here if you want to steal ideas from her followers.

It's time for the (first) annual January Talking Meme! (I've never done this before, even though others have for years now.)
Rules:

Pick a date in January and give me something to talk about. TV, books, movies, music, poetry, fandom, writing, food, travel, fictional characters (&/or pairings) and all of their feelings, stuff about my life, whatever. You don’t have to be following me or ever have commented to request a topic.

If you’re doing the meme, I’ll leave topics for you, too! Nudge me if I miss your post. You can suggest multiple topics/dates. If you want to give a topic and no date, I’ll fill that in.

January 1 -
January 2 -
January 3 -
January 4 -
January 5 -
January 6 -
January 7 -
January 8 -
January 9 -
January 10 -
January 11 -
January 12 -
January 13 -
January 14 -
January 15 -
January 16 -
January 17 -
January 18 -
January 19 -
January 20 -
January 21 -
January 22 -
January 23 -
January 24 -
January 25 -
January 26 -
January 27 -
January 28 -
January 29 -
January 30 -
January 31 -
rose_griffes: Detective Joss Carter, from Person of Interest (carter)
Sunday, May 5th, 2019 07:05 pm
Grabbing this meme from [personal profile] selenak.

Give me a fandom and I'll tell you:

Favorite Male Character
Favorite Female Character
Least Favorite Character
Favorite Ship (if any)
Favorite Friendship
Favorite Quote
Worst Character Death (if any)
This made me so happy you have no idea Moment
Saddest Moment
Favorite Location
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rose_griffes: (fangirls)
Sunday, December 16th, 2012 05:33 pm
Okay, here's the meme about TV shows I watched (or didn't watch) in 2012: back here )

Since I only have one more fanfic I'm going to write this year--at least, that's all I have planned--here's my version of the fanfic meme. In 2012 I wrote fifteen stories in three fandoms. Person of Interest was the main fandom, but I also wrote a crossover with Doctor Who and one final Battlestar Galactica fic (a remix). This isn't counting tiny fics posted in the comments or on Tumblr. Total word count is around 71,000 75,000. That's more than the three previous years combined, I believe.

fic-writing meme, using my own categories )

My mostly-complete fic index, which you can use to find stories I wrote and then leave extravagant praise on them.
rose_griffes: Wonder-Woman carries Batman (wonderwoman-batman)
Monday, June 11th, 2012 09:33 pm
Stole this from Ray.

A: Comment to this post if you want me to tell you why I think you're fabulous.

and/or

B: Give me a link to one of your stories (or vids, or meta posts, or something else) that you want me to see and I will flail about that instead/ or as well. It can be something I've already commented on (and you want more detailed feedback), or something I missed, or whatever.
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rose_griffes: Detective Joss Carter, from Person of Interest (carter)
Thursday, May 10th, 2012 05:54 pm
Because I'm procrastinating other stuff, here are my top five stories on AO3, based on hit counts:

back here )

Okay. Now someone needs to fix dinner for me.
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rose_griffes: (pinocchio)
Monday, January 2nd, 2012 05:31 pm
In 2011 I wrote eight stories in three fandoms, two of the them new to me (Person of Interest, Parks and Recreation). I also wrote several comment-fics throughout the year, all of it for BSG. They're scattered around here and there. You can get to most using the myfic tag. Total word count (leaving out comment-fics) around 21000. Nearly the same numbers as in 2010.

fanfic meme thingy for 2011 )

my mostly-complete list of fic
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rose_griffes: Leslie Knope loves her pancakes (pancakes)
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 03:50 pm
Five years and two months ago I discovered fanfiction. Five years and two weeks ago I woke up with an idea for a story that wouldn't go away until I finished writing it. Then five years ago today I made my own livejournal account so I'd have a way of posting that story somewhere online when I finished it (about two weeks after that).

In other words: happy LJ-versary to me! To celebrate, I'm reviving an old meme:

Comment here with three* of the following options, and I'll respond with the answers of...

a.) Why I have you as a flister
b.) The icon I associate with you
c.) The thing we don't share in fandom that I find fascinating
d.) Why you are so incredibly awesome
e.) The first conversation I remember having with you, if I can remember it
f.) My favorite story of yours, or the thing I love most about your fandom writing/fanfics
g.) One thing about you, non-fandom related, that I want to know more about
h.) a link (or pic or something) I think you'll like

*or whatever number of options you want
Tags:
rose_griffes: Sam Anders and Kara Thrace, k-i-s-s-i-n-g (kara/sam)
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 08:06 pm
Comment with a fandom, or two, or five; books, movies, tv shows. I'll tell you my favorite character, my favorite couple and what I like about the pairing, and... whatever else I'm supposed to say about them. Alas, I am too late/lazy to look up anyone's recent-ish version of this meme. You can tell me what else I should say, if you wish.

It's for SCIENCE, by the way. (Heh.) I thought I had figured out the key to my own (fictional) pairing preferences, but now I'm not so sure. Possibly I was too sick to be making sense when I figured out this supposed key.
Although the common cold really shouldn't cause that much loss of sense. *snickers* Possibly my favorite pairings have NO common ground?
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rose_griffes: Wednesday Addams (wednesday)
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 08:24 pm
My first day of Lent was not particularly successful. Lent isn't a traditional Mormon thing, but I decided to go for it--time to cut way down on my sugar consumption and since we do celebrate Easter, I thought it would be a good way to lead up to it.

And then after washing dishes I accidentally broke my nice glass cake pan today, and after sweeping (and sweeping and sweeping) I snarfed down the last of the candy in my home.
stupid broken cake pan >:(

Well. As Scarlett says, "Tomorrow is another day."

Have a couple of fanfic memes. First, here are some unfinished fics I have lingering on my computer/in the fic notebook )

And that five fics of your own that you'd save if you were forced to delete the rest meme. Why would I be forced to delete the rest? )

There ya go. Now back to paying bills and rewatching "The Plan." Again. While taking notes. (Sam and Jean are very demanding.)
I'd rather be watching the last of season one of Fringe.
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rose_griffes: Caprica Six with Athena visiting her in brig (cylons - six and eight)
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 05:52 pm
Hey, fanfic writers! The next round of BSG remix is coming up soon! We'll probably open sign-ups by the end of the week. More details soon. We steal borrow a lot of the rules from the multifandom remix challenge, but it's just for BSG writers here. (That's inside the comfort zone; I don't know about you, but that's great for me.)

Having written appreciation posts for more than thirty favorite female characters, I declare that particular challenge done for now. Here's a list with links to all my posts: cut for length )
rose_griffes: Laura Roslin says to beware her sexy teacher glare. (doom)
Monday, January 10th, 2011 03:30 pm
I'm sure some of you who know me well were wondering which other female character from Battlestar Galactica I was going to choose. The problem is I couldn't choose; instead, I'm paying tribute to almost all them. Warning: image-heavy.

this isn't comprehensive )
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