We need a hood ornament

I sure can make a meme last

Sun, 11 May 2008 05:54:04 GMT

elsibet34 asked about my thoughts on big budget film production, and since I went to see Iron Man not long ago, I thought I'd combine the two thoughts.

Well, I love a good story. Not that most big budget films have anything to do with a good story. But here's the thing, I LOVE summer movie season. I will endlessly go and see shitty comic book movies and stupid action movies. Summer blockbuster bloated budget madness is something I greatly look forward to, so I think I've never really considered what I might think about the waste.

I think the writers should get more money, even if they suck. :P

Iron Man was great though. It was definitely big budget action comic nonsense, but it wasn't horribly written and it had a great actor--which is probably the only reason it wasn't ridiculous and bad.

I think the only thing that offends me about the mentality of the movie business is that they so underestimate the public. They won't give us anything but the same old shit over and over again. I mean look at the recent Rambo, Rocky, etc remakes. They're doing another Hulk movie (though .... Ed Norton! it might be good and I will so go see it!) and they're rehashing Indiana Jones (so excited!) but all the same.... come up with something new Hollywood. I miss the time when movies were fucking epic. GWTW? Huge musicals, complicated stories. I swear they honestly think we're morons now. Yet, I really enjoy a moronic movie sometimes. Obviously I'm conflicted.

I sort of despise most Indie movies. I'm sorry, and I like the quirky ones sometimes. Juno was ok, I hated Napoleon Dynamite, Amelie! hah... and you know, the tons of others that my too hip roommates made me watch that never got really famous and so I don't remember anything about them besides that they were tedious.

I guess really I'm not much of a movie watcher. I always feel like I could be doing something more productive (or lazier) with my time, and that they take too long to watch. I get impatient with them. If I'm going to be involved... I want a book that I can put down and go back to.

I suppose I didn't really have any thoughts on the budgets. hah. Oh well.

Hey, that was pointless rambling. Now I want to know Elsi's thoughts and see why she asked me about that.

Internets be damned, it doesn't exist.

Mon, 05 May 2008 03:04:00 GMT

Do you ever get these perverse desires for fanfic in a fandom that you know is not going to have any good fanfic.... or really... even a fandom? I do all the time. I don't know if it's because I've corrupted myself into seeing fanfiction in everything, or because I'm (supposedly) a writer and I always think there's more to the story or.... something else (masochism?). The internet is so frustrating.

Right now I have a sordid desire for:

1. Gone With the Wind fanfiction. Preferably involving some sort of angry and unhappy threesome of Ashley/Scarlett/Rhett after Mellie's death. I may write it. I will settle for any sort of passable GWTW fanfic. There is none. If you know of some location wherein there may be something sort of readable, please let me know. I dared dip a toe in ff.net and I cannot tell you my HORROR. I knew better.

Hmm.... perhaps Mellie/Scarlett? anyone?

2. Old Kingdom fanfic. Here is a fandom that doesn't even seem to exist. I don't understand it. The books are lovely. I don't really understand why I want to see fanfic for it, since there's no slash to be had in the books that I'd want to get anywhere near, but just the same... there has to be someone who has written it?

3. FDR/Winston Churchill. YES I WENT THERE

4. Poirot/Hastings. (gross, but I care not). I want this in a buddy fic to end all slightly slashy buddy fics.

5. Darcy/Bingley. I know.

That's all I can think of for now. What odd desires are lurking in the back of your fic addled minds?

y'all, seriously. I hurt myself laughing.

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:37:29 GMT

I have claimed a table. Not one you eat at.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:21:48 GMT

10_cracks: Table C - Firefly Crew Crack

C:1 Mal loses a bet to someone on the ship.	C:2 Jayne gets a pet.	C:3 River goes shopping.	C:4 Wash is given a harem.	C:5 Kaylee takes on a Reaver as a passenger. He just looked so nice!
C:6 Serenity comes to life and she's got a few things to say.	C:7 Simon, a bullwhip, and a mustache.	C:8 Inara is kidnapped by hillfolk.	C:9 Zoe, a clown, and no gun in sight.	C:10 Book - someone takes a liking to "the hair."

Wild Card: Replace any ONE prompt with a prompt from another table.

Whee! Boo! Yaye! OMG OMG OMG

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:51:10 GMT

Yeah, I dunno, I suck at titles.

Uhm, right. I'm supposed to like Owen this season but I still don't. Still looks like a frog. Last episode with the black contacts? Even more like a frog. It's shallow, but his character is also incredibly annoying.

I don't really either feel one way or another about his death beyond the fact that I don't get it? I mean, it may be a stretch, but I like to think there might be some overarching idea to a season of Torchwood--oh wait no, I hurt myself laughing. I can't go on. Really though, what ..... point does this serve other than to make Owen even more inhuman and well, to prove they can have zombies. There's really nothing wrong with that, every show could use a zombie every now and then.

I watched the whole season monday when I was nasty sick. It was so cute. I'm not sure it'll be a favorite fandom, but I did really enjoy it. Now get to work writing me some Awesome fic people! and I don't mean good fic, well it could be good. But it must contain Awesome. and Casey. Or maybe Chuck. Hell, throw them all in. What's up with the main chuck fic comm not being slash friendly? GTFO really. (being mature today)

* Arrested Development - Tennessee
* Boyz II Men - Motownphilly
* Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
* Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up
* Divinyls - I Touch Myself
* En Vogue - Free Your Mind
* Extreme - More Than Words
* Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
* Hootie And The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
* Jesus Jones - Right Here Right Now
* Len - Steal My Sunshine
* MC Hammer - U Can’t Touch This
* Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
* New Kids On The Block - Step By Step
* Nirvana - Lithium
* Paula Abdul - Opposites Attract
* Poison - Unskinny Bop
* R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts
* Santana feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth
* Savage Garden - I Want You
* Seal - Kiss From A Rose
* Sir Mix A Lot - Baby Got Back
* Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
* Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
* Spin Doctors - Two Princes
* Stone Temple Pilots - Plush
* Technotronic feat. Felly - Pump Up The Jam
* The Cranberries - Zombie
* Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
* Wilson Phillips - Hold On

In some ways, so disappointed, in others-- I am going to ROCK Ice Ice Baby. I have no shame.

gahh, internets. GAh!

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:25:04 GMT

I've been trying to find recs for xx_squish_xx's big damn rec post. She doesn't call it this, and I probably wouldn't if I'd had any sleep lately, but there it is. In any case, I've been looking through old bookmarks and memories and such and...

every fucking link I click has been deleted.

WTF?

It's not that there's not new fic that I love, there is, it's just that some nostalgic part of me is like... awhh I have to rec what I loved when I started in this fandom. Stupid transitory nature of the stupid internets.

GAH!

*hate*

ETA: D'oh. And uhm, If you haven't rec'd anything to the post yet, pay no attention to my frustration.

Go here and rec before she cuts us all off and makes us look like jerks for not rec'ing. :P

allo

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:25:33 GMT

So I'm feeling a bit critical. It's not really as bad as it sounds. I want to offer something, but I don't want to sound egocentric about it. It's just that I sort of miss having writing workshops. What I'm offering is a critical reading of your fanfic. It should be something that is ... well firefly, and I'll have no advice to offer about sex scenes because I'm shit at writing them so it should be no more than R rated. It should be something you've already posted because I want you to consent to have it posted here (under lock and filter) once I'm done evaluating it (for discussion purposes). It should also be relatively short and a one-shot because until you have the entire story there's really no way to say what's working and what's not. I'll provide story, grammar(ish), flow, characterization, etc. advice.

So there it is. For whatever my opinions and advice are worth, I'm offering them. In depth con-crit is fun!

I know, I should just go back to school.

If you are interested though, leave me a comment and suggest which fic you'd like to have done. I'm so dorkily excited about it.

ETA: got 3

D'awh

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:49:33 GMT

So, two people mentioned me in their "you make my day" posts. Thank you elsi and monkey, I hope you both know that you make mine as well. Here's my list.

cheshire_monkey
It was the best day ever when I randomly friended her.

elsibet34
Who else enjoys bats and horror as much as I do and is still such a lovely person as I am? only you! (I kid) ♥

xx_squish_xx
Fabulous sense of humor, great friend, talented artist! I ♥ you muchly.

glimmerite
Knitting genius! Who goes from scarves to socks and hats and who knows what else as fast as you did! I forsee designing in your future :)

ana_grrl
I will read almost anything you write (whether I know the fandom or not lol), you are my favorite Jayne/Simon writer ever. *loves*

rinalin
I miss you and your writing! ♥

maantre
For your infectious (not in that bad way ;) love of music, for your writing, everything! :)

valiant
Your fic, your posts about ANTM, your unashamed love of .... all the things you love, and COZIES. I really love you and your cozies.

bookaddict43
For not saying anything about the fact that I have yet to finish her flista gifts. *coughs*

And my off lj friends, who will never read this, but they know why I love them.

sleeeepy, and fic!

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:38:13 GMT

Dear God,

Why didst thou invent singstar? Or perhaps it was the devil. In either case, why let us play it for four hours without realizing what we were doing? DEAR GOD.

Me

No seriously, that game is so fun. It's so simple, yet.... addictive. Which is probably the key to success. (note to self: create something like that so that we will be rich someday).

I did a couple more of the five times memes that I asked for prompts for...uhm... in July? hah.

This one was requested by bookaddict43

Five times Jayne didn't say what he was thinking

This one was requested by wildannuette

Five times Xander didn't hate Angel

Good night, and good luck. :)

Collaborative fic?

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:41:03 GMT

So, would anyone like to write a comments fic with me? It's likely to be slow going and such as I don't have much time to access the internet right now, but I'm not fussed about deadlines for having it complete or anything.

I want it to be firefly, and this is the prompt: Lockdown

Why is the crew on lockdown, what happened, what do they do?

I don't care if this turns out cheerful and hilarious or doomsday, I just want to be able to write here and there when I've got a bit of time (and I want to enjoy it with others). So it will work like this. You can write as much as will fit in a comment. Just drop a comment first saying "I've got next". You can track this entry and keep up with it by clicking on the thumbtack at the top (er, I guess this layout has no thumbtack--but it has a "track comments" link). Here, I shall start. (PLEASE JOIN ME)

I is meme night

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:22:29 GMT

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line(s)* from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly (No lyric hunting! That is cheating!)

This may turn out very embarassing. I'll admit right now I skipped Jumping Jack Flash because I have no idea what kind of hurricane he's saying it was. Isn't it crazy how even when you put it on random it tends to clump the same group's songs together. I think it does it to piss us off.

~~01. I (title) myself today, to see if I still feel.~~ Hurt--Johnny Cash cover ;)--guessed by scribewraith, dubbage42, ferretwho, and elsibet34
~~02. Oh you get me ready in your 56 Chevy.~~ Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?--Paula Cole--guessed by wily_one24
03. We're the best partners this world's ever seen.
~~04. Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste.~~ GnR--Sympathy for the Devil--guessed by grey_hunter, wily_one24, dubbage42, and elsibet34
05. Well I woke up today, and the world seemed a restless place.
06. (title), are torn and bent.
07. Boys and girls of every age, would you like to see something strange?
~~08. I must have been through about a million girls.~~ Fooled Around and Fell in Love--though I honestly have no idea who sings this version--guessed by executrix
~~09. Nightime sharpens, heightens each sensation.~~ Music of the Night--Er, it's a stage version, sung by...? heh.
10. (title), (title), won't you spare me over til another year?
~~11. I touch the fire and it freezes me.~~ Walk Through the Fire--Buffy and such--guessed by lots. (is tired of typing names)
~~12. (title), my love has come along.~~ At Last--Etta James--guessed by xx_squish_xx
~~13. It's not easy having yourself a good time.~~ Scissor Sisters--I Can't Decide--guessed by ferretwho
~~14. You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life.~~ Abba--Dancing Queen
~~15. I hate the world today.~~ Bitch--Meredith Brooks
~~16. Love is like a bomb baby c'mon get it on.~~ Def Leppard--Pour Some Sugar on Me
~~17. When I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that's the best.~~ Norman Greenbaum--Spirit in the Sky
18. You know the first time that you tried to kill Harry, my dad told me it was really scary.
~~19. After one whole quart of brandy, like a daisy I'm awake.~~ Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered--Ella Fitzgerald version--guessed by executrix
~~20. She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories.~~ GnR--Sweet Child of Mine (though the Sheryl Crow version is on there somewhere too

and wow, that could have been worse, but it could have been less embarassing as well. ;)

meme

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:52:07 GMT

85 words

Touchtyping

Though I am ocd and did this over and over until I got a better amount. On average I would say that I type 75 words a minute on that stupid test. I say that it's flawed though, because a lot of typing fast is about anticipating the next word and with the crazy jumble they give you, there is no way to do that. Obviously, I have thought about this too much.

<3, big fish, brandenburg :)

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 05:49:07 GMT

Happy birthday Monkey person!

I have a confession

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:35:23 GMT

I haven't mailed them yet.

I suck

and the mome raths outgrabe

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:40:40 GMT

I want to do that five times meme. Prompts? ♥

all boy slash.

Firefly, Harry Potter, or Buffy.

???

hug ficlets, for joy! (or not)

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 02:35:35 GMT

Ages ago I asked for hug prompts. I wrote a few truly crap "hug" ficlet things. Here, read them! hah. (I have now given up on the other prompts, I lose at this)

Requested by noandwhere

*************************
Spike/Xander--Between seasons five and six when Buffy is of the dead
*************************

"Xander?"

Xander glanced up from the book he was ostensibly studying for demons that oozed orange puss. Apparently everyone else had already grown tired of looking and wandered off. The only one left in the room with him was his "roommate" and tenuous comrade--the fangless one.

"Xander" Spike repeated.

He truly thought that if he never had to speak to Spike they would be much friendlier to each other. "What, Spike?"

"Can I have a hug?" Spike smirked.

Xander rolled his eyes. "My neck's not bleeding anymore. The cut wasn't that bad."

Spike looked disappointed and glanced back down at his book, then back at Xander. "You sure?"

Xander scrunched his face. "yes. Now stop looking at me."

"Can I just check?"

"No."

"C'mon!"

Xander took a deep breath. "No, Spike."

Spike pouted. "i just wanted to have a lick."

"You think the prospect of you licking my neck makes it sound better?"

The vampired shrugged and leered. "Might."

Xander scowled. "Doesn't."

"Haven't had fresh human blood in ages."

"And I care because?"

"Aren't you lot supposed to be the white hat fuzzy wuzzies? Looks like you'd care about my welfare, psychologically speaking."

"We're not PETA."

Spike growled. "And all the times I've saved your ass..."

"Still doesn't mean I'll let you lick my neck."

"Right. I won't help anymore then."

"Fine. Don't need you around anyway, O Annoying One."

"Right."

Xander sighed. "Aren't you going then?"

"Going?"

"In an away kind of fashion?"

Spike shook his head. "Still have to look after the Bit. I'll just watch your ass get eaten next time the orange puss thing comes around."

Xander rolled his eyes again.

"Don't know waht the big deal is anyway," Spike continued. "S'not like you're using that blood."

"You know Dawn would be devastated if I got eaten." Xander said triumphantly.

Spike scowled. "Humans."

There was silence, and Xander went back to his book. He knew though, that it wouldn't be long, and sure enough...

"You could wipe a bit on your finger and--"

"Oh for God's sake, Spike. You can't be that hungry."

"M'starvin, mate." His grin was toothy.

"If it will make you shut up--"

Spike crowed.

"But if you tell anyone..." Xander whispered.

"Sure, sure, you'll stake me dead."

"Good and dead," Xander affirmed, getting up and walking over to the vampire.

Xander sighed as Spike licked his throat. "This is disgusting," he said, " and not at all sexy."

Spike mmm'd.

"And you smell like puss. Orange puss. It's distinct."

Spike absently agreed. "Oh you too, pet. Love it."

Xander grimaced. He really hoped none of the others decided to wander back in soon.

This one requested by bugchicklv

*************************
Marcus/Jayne (Angel/Firefly Cross)
*************************

"So lemme get this right. You're me in the future?"

"No, you are the future. Obviously I'm being punished by The Powers."

"Powers?"

"The Powers that Be, the ones that control the balance of good and evil."

Jayne scrunches his face and laughed. That sounds like some kind of religiosity. Anyway I thought you said that an Angel killed you. You some kind of preacher?"

Marcus sighed and drank another long gulp of his disgusitng drink. "he wasn't an angel--his name was Angel, and I can't die--it's part of my contract."

Jayne nodded. "your contract with them powers."

"Yes."

Jayne guffawed and downed his drink, throwing one arm over the other man's Armani clad shoulder. "You're crazier than a reformed Shepherd in a whore house."

This one is sort of non-slashy Mal/Jayne. As requested by rinalin.

*************************
Mal/Jayne
*************************

That girl hugs everygorrambody. Hugs on Simon just about twenty four hours a day, though that's only right seeing as they're some kind of a "couple". Jayne shook his head--that was, if "couple" was what you called people who spent half the day ruttin and the other half yelling at each other. Not that Simon ever yelled.

Saw her huggin on the girl one day. Jayne still don't think that's quite safe.

Course, she's always touching and pettin on Inara. That one's lucky. He's imagined lots of times what that must feel like. Not that he wants to get that close to Inara. There's somethin tells him that woman would take his hand off.

Now Kaylee's up on the catwalk holdin on to Mal like he's her Daddy and somebody's just hurt her feelings real bad at school. Huh. Don't seem right really.

She never hugs Jayne. Don't ever touch him like that. Sure, she'll hit him on the arm or take a piggy-back, but a hug--

Not that he wants a hug.

--and it ain't like he's the only one she stays away from.

She don't ever touch Zoe. No one touches Zoe anymore.

Maybe, Jayne thinks, he's like that too--untouchable. He smiles, that kinda makes him sound tough. It's a good thing ain't none of them seen him with his mama.

"Jayne?"

Jayne shook himself and looked up. "Yeah, Mal?"

Mal looked from Jayne and back up towards the catwalk. "Somethin the matter?"

"Nope."

Mal stared him down. "You gonna tell me why you were studyin us so hard?"

He shook his head.

"Jayne," Mal barked, "You got a problem you best spit it out."

Jayne growled low to himself. "Was just thinkin about Kaylee and the way she's always hugging people," he mumbled.

Mal laughed shortly, then frowned. "You best not have any designs about--"

"No!" Jayne interrupted. God knows, they'd had that discussion plenty enough times. "Just thinkin about how she's really huggy and affectionate with everybody but me and Zo."

Mal rolled his eyes. "We've been in the black too long. We hit landfall tomorrow, you can go and get yourself "hugged" right away."

Jayne shook his head. "Ain't that kinda thing."

The captain sighed. "Well, you ain't botherin Kaylee about this, she's got enough on her mind."

"I know."

Mal nodded and turned to go, one hand on the stair rail and stared at his feet. "Jayne, if you really need..." he stopped and shook his head bemusedly.

Jayne snorted, and Mal shot him an evil look over his shoulder as he clambered up the stairs.

"Hey, Mal?" Jayne called after him.

Mal stopped.

Jayne shifted and glanced around nervously. "If you don't mind real bad--" he laughed nervously.

Mal hung his head and clomped back down the stairs. "This once. But maybe I'll talk to Kaylee for you tomorrow."

Jayne grinned.

aand there they are. :)

New Community ff_workshop

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 04:00:13 GMT

Yes! another new community. This time though, it's something that I've wanted for some time. I finally talked cheshire_monkey and xx_squish_xx into being crazy enough to do it with me. Well, you know, not it--just a community.

Think about the times you've posted a fic that you've been working on, and you're not really sure about it. You post it to your journal and wait for people to tell you they love it or hate it and why they love it or hate it...but let's face it, you really only ever get comments from the people who liked it enough to take the time to push the reply button and type something in. That sort of feedback does little for your writing (though, it's mighty good for your ego).

Times, they are a' changing. Yes, we've started a community that will function like a writer's workshop. Fics will be posted without the author's name, reviews will come in that aren't based on friendly bias. Ideally, there will be constructive criticism that will truly help. I hope that we'll be able to build a community of Firefly fanfic writers who love to talk about writing. So...come and join us? Please?

We plan to start up very soon, but we'll need submissions! Email anything from a set of (2) drabbles to a short one-shot fic, to ffworkshop(at)gmail(dot)com. ♥

hugs...now I feel cheesy

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 06:10:55 GMT

Bah, I keep meaning to reply to comments and... ya know, read my flist, but I keep falling asleep. haha.. Also, there's this post I've been meaning to make but it will have to wait--because I'm sleepy.

This post is just to say, that we all need a little fluff...and I want some fluff. I want to write some hug drabbley ficlet things. So, if you feel like it, and you want a hug...thing, drop me a pairing in the comments. I promise to write them all eventually. ♥

Any pairings or crossovers, odd or otherwise (I'm an omni-shipper), from...

Firefly
Buffy
Angel

O-M-G Yay (fandomy things)

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 23:15:35 GMT

Hee! Of course I was already going to watch Drive--but... HEE Mel is gonna be on it. How perfect is she as Mal's sister? I mean Nathan's....Alex, dear god, whatever.

Now I want to write a fic where Mel is Mal's sister. What kind of twisted mama did they have to name them Mal and Mel anyway?

Dearest cheshire_monkey loaned me the first season of BSG, annnnd I might have watched it all in one night (I'd already seen the mini series). No one told me the first season was so SHORT. I may have to go and buy the second one, maybe. So, here are my thoughts on ~~yaoi~~ BSG. Apparently I'm striving to be as shallow as possible in this post, ye be warned.

Lee = SO CUTE... also... let's talk about this:

They could so be related. Michael should mention this in his bid to end up on BSG..hah. Or, no, maybe not--I suppose that could be a bad thing. Though, I don't know how. *stares*

and another one, just because ... *stares* what? oh... was I talking?

Anyway, now we know where Lee gets all his angst. Obviously some of it was meant for Michael's character Lamb on VM, and they mistook this Bamber guy for him, and whammo... he ended up with all the angstcicles.

MOVING ON.

I get this feeling that I'm going to hate and despise Starbuck later on, but for now I like her. Also *blush* cause she's pretty. There should be an emoticon for rolling eyes. Or, perhaps I should grow up and stop typing little picture faces on the internets.

I love the woman that plays Rosilin. I think she's gorgeous and I wish my hair looked good the color she has hers. The character though, I mean, she's great and all but *yawnz*

Oh Edward James Olmos, you had me at So say we all. OK, so actually it was long before that. Shh.

Stop being so emo, Sharon. You're becoming a boring robot. So hot though.

Six (is that her only name?): you're very angular, and also, blond.

Gaius. I finally got to see where cheshire_monkey's "Gaius Dance" icon came from. Bwahahaha, context makes it even better. I don't usually like the weasely bastardy characters, but I like this guy. He's hilarious. Mostly because I imagine being around him and the way he acts insane when talking to his imaginary friend, would be fun.

Uhm.. I'm forgetting people.

OH... well obviously the Chief and Helo belong together forever. Lee can join them.

To sum up, I don't usually love the heavy angst--but so far so good. lol

Once I get to season three (at the end?) there will be Badger! I mean, Mark Sheppard.

When did I turn into such a fangirl?

Fic: Firefly: Zoe: Sometimes In and Out of Words

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:56:26 GMT

Title: Sometimes In and Out of Words
Rating: PG
Pairing: Zoë POV. Mentions of Zoë/Wash and Jayne/Simon, etc.
Warnings: Character deaths
A/N: Thanks to cheshire_monkey and xx_squish_xx for lending me their eyes and brains as betas :)

Summary: Based on the premise that Mal dies shortly after the events of Serenity. This is Zoë, through the 15 years after the deaths of Wash and Mal.

Sometimes In and Out of Words

Yesterday:

“Zoë, you comin? We got work to do.”

“Yes, sir.”

Today:

Some days Zoë almost hated this crew. Some days it just about made things bearable to have them around. Today was bad, yesterday had been worse.

Tomorrow:

She can hear em all discussing her, and what they’re gonna do.

Three Days:

“Zo?”

Kaylee didn’t descend into the bunk. Thank God she knew better. Though, if Zoë were gonna talk to God these days, she’d have more to say to him than a thanks. There would be words.

“Zoë?” Kaylee calls down again. “We’re only a couple minutes out.”

Zoë acknowledges by pushing the button to close the hatch of her bunk.

Four Days:

They’d made him up real nice, if he’d been almost anybody else. Put him in his old uniform, and decorated him with all the medals he swore he’d never won. All Zoë could think was that they’d been in his bunk and touched his things.

Didn’t get the coat quite right though; it didn’t hang properly on a corpse. Of course, it never had on any of the thousands she’d seen wear it. Weren’t nothing that should have made her think he’d be any different. Still, he’d always worn it with a look like he was born to wear it. Now she guessed that wasn’t so.

He’d belonged on 400 acres on Shadow.

She reaches out and tugs on the hem of the coat, straightens his hair. He’d hate to get to hell and have bad hair.

The thought almost makes her smile, but then Mal is already at wherever he's going, and he’d had the nerve to leave her behind. He was just another hun dan she was gonna have words with some day.

2 months: 12 days:

“Captain Reynolds is it?” The Alliance officer had peered down his nose at their paperwork, the way that Simon used to look at Jayne. It was funny, though she didn’t suppose the officer would end up taking their paperwork to bed. Was starting to feel more like he was in the market for a Firefly.

“I was under the impression,” the officer continued, “that Captain Reynolds was male.”

“Not male, Mal. It means bad. Bad has nuances though, layers.”

Zoë shot Simon a look that said in no uncertain terms to shut his sister up.

“I’m Captain Reynolds now.” Zoë stared the man down as Jayne slipped in behind her and fiddled with that knife he loved so much.

“You were his wife?”

She glanced at the rest of them, gathered around and staring at her with stupid looks on their faces.“That I was. Now if you’ll get yourself off my boat, I’ll take my crew and be on my way.”

Nothin the man could do about it. The warrants on Simon and River Tam had expired.

Inara comes to her later, delicate knocking on the shell of her self-imposed prison. She supposes she owes the woman something so she yells it up to her. “It wasn’t like you think, Inara.”

There’s a rustle of fabric. “I loved him,” Inara whispers it into the metal and Zoë imagines it traveling through the conduits and rivets of the ship itself. If there was anyone that could get the message to Mal it was Serenity.

“I’m sure it was enough for you, but it don’t count legally” Zoë says, not particularly kindly. The woman had said no. Zoë wasn’t here to make her feel better about putting career first. It’s a decision every woman makes. She’d made it, she’d lived with it, she expected everyone else to as well.

Six months:

Unification day’s just passed. The fighting on Persephone is worse.

New London reports the assassination of Blue Sun CFO Daniel Byswang. Government officials claim Mr. Byswang was a member of the military council, but was in no way involved with decisions regarding the border moons—as had been previously claimed by the perpetrators of this atrocity…

She switches off the Cortex and sighs. She’d been in the military since before she’d been anything else. The “New Independents” were out there running around like they didn’t know their asses from their eyeballs. What they needed was a gorram lunatic leader who knew just what to do. That won’t her, but she was a soldier. It was time she got back to Monty about that wave of his. She was gonna have to speak to the crew.

Nine months: One day:

“That was too close, Zo.” Jayne scrubs his hand down his face. She’s noticed lately he looks about 20 years older than he did last year, and she wonders what has aged him.

When she looks into the mirror now she sees the lines of stress and heartache. Even if the rest of them don’t know the cause of each of her lines—she does. She feels limp all over, and used. She knows if they run foul of the Alliance one more time, they’re gonna get blown out of the sky on sight.

“I’ll speak to Monty, Jayne.”

Jayne glares at her. “You could just say no. It’s your gorram ship, Captain.”

He didn’t follow her when she walked out. It was a damn good thing too, or he would have needed his boyfriend to patch him up.

1 year:

She stops by her first husband’s grave and watches his happy face repeat over and over again. She can’t even remember what he was saying in that capture, but she can still hear the cadence of his voice late at night when she tries to blank out the rest of the world. Wash looks so young. She sits down and rests her head on the stone, staring back at Serenity where it rests in the dust.

Mal is smiling from his capture. It’s that way of smiling he had, knowing and smug as a son of a bitch. Zoë smiles back. Stupid hun dan.

She tries to think of what came before the war and Mal and Wash. In her mind it’s just a haze of something so far gone that it doesn’t bear thinking on. In some ways she’s terrified that someday Wash and Mal will end up the same way with her. But it’s not possible, it can’t be. They were all she had.

She clings to what she has that’s solid. Both of them loved the ship; she tries to feel grateful that Mal forced her to make sure she would end up with it.

She would try to find a way to love it as much as they did. She bent down and promised them.

2 years: 1 month:

...battle lingers on in Beaumonde’s largest city. Battallions of Alliance soldiers are facing a few strongholds of Independent mercenaries on the outskirts of...

Monty’s last wave had been less than hopeful. Zoë decides she’s gonna do what she should have done in the last war. Go down fighting. Mal was right, you never leave Serenity Valley once you’ve been there. They’d been damn fools to try.

2 years: 5 months:

Against all odds Jayne, Simon, and River join on as volunteers when she takes up her post in the Independent army officially. They've made River a natural assassin. Simon thinks the Alliance might have something up their sleeves to stop her, but so far they ain’t pulled it out of their asses.

In the Independents doctors do double duty as soldiers and eventually Simon doesn’t even seem to mind manning the repeater, killing far more than he saves.

Jayne dies while Simon shoots everything in sight. She’s never seen the doctor show so much emotion about anything but his sister. In the end Zoë doesn’t think it’s really about Jayne anyway. With Simon, it’s about losing one more thing to the Alliance. Pretty soon he joins River in her duties, and it turns out he has an aptitude for more than one kind of crime.

Serenity’s still parked with the dead on that dusty planet. She’s as good as dead, and in her cramped dugout with twenty other stinking soldiers, it’s what Zoë feels the worst about.

4 years:

She feels like she’s let them down. She lays down between their graves and tells them about how she lost their family.

“Inara’s trying her best to rebuild the guild. Simon’s doing real good in the local government, though River ain’t never gonna be the same.”

Zoë reckons sympathy for the girl is a large part of his success though. Simon’s got even less personality now than he did before. The war killed something inside him.

Serenity looks awful.

Zoë smiles into the wave though she don’t really feel it. Maybe she’s almost dead inside too, but she’s still got a little something in her.

“Hey, Kaylee,”

“Zoë!” Kaylee screams and motions to someone in the room with her to come over. “Look who I found in the infirmary near my folk’s place.”

Zoë nods. “Monty, you’re a sight.”

He shakes his head and grins just as big as he ever did. Zoë takes note of how he’s got his arm around Kaylee.

“I wanted to ask you two somethin,” she starts.

8 years:

They carry legal goods. It's not worth it to Zoë to fight for more coin than it takes to keep them alive. Then one day, they don’t even have to do that anymore.

“Doc?” she glares into the screen.

“I’m sorry about the landlock, Zoë, I just wanted to make sure you couldn’t leave before I could get away to come and see all of you.”

“You take the gorram lock off and we’ll wait.”

Simon nods. “I’m sorry, Zoë. I didn’t think.”

“When did you ever?”

When he does get to the ship he looks ragged. Not his clothes, himself. She maybe should have said something when he showed up with luggage and his sister in tow, but what was she gonna say? You don’t turn away family. He’s got all that money, and he’s changed over the years anyway. He’s so good with Kaylee and Monty’s little one that she overlooks River’s vacant stare.

The girl doesn’t seem to walk around on her own anymore. Simon has to hold her hand and pull her along. He tried once to explain to her what had gone wrong. Zoë didn’t understand, except that River had maybe taken all she could—then left the world.

Zoë can’t really blame her.

Occasionally she finds the girl left around the ship like a toy that hasn’t been put away.

10 years:

They bury River next to the rest. Simon says it’s what she would have wanted, and who is Zoë to argue. She don’t even ask what finally killed her. Sometimes when she looks in Simon’s eyes she knows. It’s a blessing really.

12 years:

She doesn’t go and visit their graves anymore. They parked Serenity there when there was nothing even Kaylee could do to keep her in the air anymore. They’d built some houses and farmed and traded. They provided haven to other men who liked to sneak about the verse, but no matter how hard Zoë tried to see Mal in them—they were just thieves and smugglers.

Every now and then there would be a glint in the eye of the mercs that would remind her of Jayne. Wasn't him though. They were probably just as horny as he always was.

She doesn’t even bother to look for her Wash in the pilots.

15 years:

Eventually others came and set up in their little settlement. Kaylee liked to joke about them being a colony of ex-convicts and worn out soldiers. Most days Zoë stayed away from the rest of them though.

At night, every third or fourth week she would sneak to Serenity and crawl down in her bunk. The hatch always worked and so she thought Kaylee must be keeping things in order still, even if the old girl couldn’t get into the air.

It pained Zoë, it was like keeping her on life support when she’d been dead for years. It was like the way River lingered on in the end. She knows she should do the ship a kindness and let her die.

But she can’t help herself. She only ever sleeps well when she’s in the bed she shared with Wash, on the ship she shared with Mal, in the womb of the soul that kept them all wandering around the ‘verse free for so many years.

15 years: 1 day:

She should get up and head back to the colony. They’ll be looking for her. Truth is, she doesn’t want to, and she thinks she barely even cares.

15 years: 2 days:

Simon should mind his own gorram business and go back to that Jayne substitute he took up with.

15 years: 3 days:

She saw Mal last night. He dropped down in her bunk and sat on the side of her bed and told her what pain the pigu she was being to the rest of them. Weren’t really him though, she knows that. Something wasn’t quite right about his voice. If it had been him, he wouldn’t have gotten away with just a grin. She thinks she could still beat him into the ground if she got the chance.

15 years: 4 days:

If dyin ain’t workin out, she guesses she’ll have to live. She wanders out of the ship and walks to their graves for the first time in years. She can’t hear Wash’s voice anymore, not even when she closes her eyes and hopes as hard as she can. Mal’s smile don’t look smug no more, just nostalgic.

It makes her laugh to think she’s so nostalgic herself. She’s not a sentimental woman except, it seems, when it comes to her men. No, it wasn’t just the men. Sitting here, she can survey most of her own.

Book there in the back, and Mr. Universe. River to one side, Mal and Wash. There was even a stone for Jayne, though is body was back on that moon. On the other side of the rise is the colony, and behind her Serenity watches over them all from her little hill in the sand. She’s always watched over them, and always would.

Zoë’s eye is drawn again to the wistful smiles her boys left behind. They wouldn’t have wanted their girl to die, so even if she’s grounded—Zoë will try to make sure things fly true. She could wait a space longer to tell them how she felt about being left.

¤ ¤ ¤

“Zoë, you comin?”

She focuses her eyes on Kaylee and smiles.

Kaylee smiles back. “Everybody’s waitin on ya.”

She stands, and nods to the toddler Kaylee carries on her hip. “Where’s that husband of yours?”

The mechanic rolls her eyes. “He’s out at that dive of a bar that Jimmy started up again. I swear, if that man don’t stop drinkin like he is—we’re gonna have words.”

Zoë laughs. Neither of them will know how lucky they are for their words.

Hee

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:06:31 GMT

Happy Birthday Adam Baldwin, you... creepy republican damnably sexy beast. :)

Here Zoe is groping his biceps

Here he contemplates how sexy Simon is, and how much he'd love to shag him

Here he is contemplating how fucking sexy Wash is in that flight suit. Rawr!

Here he is after Wash said he wasn't interested (because of Zoe)

It's ok, they made up

Here he assumes the position for Mal. Bwahaha

Now, his "look at my chest" pose...

Here, he's very dirty after having sex with Kaylee in the mud

Now just random sexy...

Mephistopheles?

Here he looks too much like my brother. GROSS

And here... he would like a hug. It's his birthday dahlings, give him one!

14 ficlets....a long time coming

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:01:47 GMT

So, awhile ago I got in a writerly mood, but not for anything large, so I asked for drabble prompts. Last night, I finally finished them all! Here they are in all their glory.

Pairings include: Mal/Simon, Simon/Jayne, River/Jayne, Simon/YoSaff, Jayne/Inara, Book/Jayne *smirk*, etc.

For sansets
Prompt: Jayne/Simon--Knives

For earthwhatwere
Prompt: Jayne/River--Today
Note: Set very far post Serenity.

For joymaro
Prompt: Jayne/Simon--Allergies

For wildannuette
Prompt: Jayne/Simon--Uncomfortable Situations

For meimei42
Prompt: River--Danse Macabre

For xx_squish_xx
Prompt: Simon/Jayne/Mal--Brains vs. Brawn
Note: Pre-slash

For prehistoric_sea
Prompt: Mal/Simon/Jayne--Medical Ethics
Note: Implied slash and het

For autumnxchild
Prompt: Mal/Simon--Whispers

For elsibet34
Prompt: Crossover: Veronica, Snape--Snape and Lilly's past
Note: Terrible, I should not write Veronica Mars fic. Ever.

For rinalin
Prompt: Jayne/Inara--Upside Down

For dubbage42
Prompt: Crossover: Firefly/Dr. Who--Jayne, River--TV
Note: No actual Dr. Who characters.

For _turtledove
Prompt: YoSaff/Simon--snow
Note: It's really more implied Mal/Simon, YoSaff

For cheshire_monkey
Prompt: Book/Jayne--Diagram
Note: Is really more Mal and Kaylee talking about the idea of Book/Jayne.

Annddd I wrote this drabble at promptsomeslash for scifiroots around the same time when I was asking for prompts. I haven't linked to it yet so here it is.

For scifiroots
Prompt: Mal/Simon--Mistletoe

LoL!!

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 03:19:20 GMT

I'd like to thank the writers, producers, etc., of Veronica Mars for finally freeing me of the necessity to ever watch it again. It's not even for the huge reason of Lamb biting it, which by the way is causing a fucking hilarious reaction over on rack_of_lamb, but any combination of things.

I wasn't expressly against any sort of Logan/Hannah... wait...is that her name? hah...action, but wow, making her into a less interesting version of early Veronica--in order to pique Logan's interest--is sad. Sad times eleventy.

I love Mac, and Weevil. The next show should just be an hour of them getting it on. Then I'd watch it.

Seriously though, if they've honestly killed off Lamb--it's the sort of pathetic last ditch attempt to maintain viewer-ship that irritates the fucking shit out of me. I'm not irritated with killing a character off - it has to be done sometimes, and Michael will be in other things that I will watch. It's the gimmick of the writing that offends me. I swear. I loved this show for the writing people, what has happened?

Edit: I didn't even mention the "I wuz dyink of a brain dizeeze and had myself kilt" plot line, because it fills me with the capslock of rage. :) Veronica's new job is, apparently, help boys escape the country.

Edit the second: I'm getting even more capslock the more I think about it. As I just realized (yes, I'm little slow), they tried to Joss Lamb! They did that whole, shoot the mirror, no I'm ok, Oh shit I'm dead! thing. BUT THEY DIDN'T PULL IT OFF

also? lulz. haha.

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:19:06 GMT

Hello people...

Looky looky looky what I did!

Yes, it's more icons. But it's Badger and Tracy! HEE I love Mark and Jonathan... and .... well others.

valentines gifts holds back spew

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:18:05 GMT

*eg* I hereby dedicate these to xx_squish_xx and cheshire_monkey (even though she knew they were coming). Happy Valentines you two! you won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to use them, I'm just making a gesture.

(25) Indiana Jones

These are open to others as well, should you love Indiana Jones as much as we do.

Previews:

They're here at one_eyedwilly