hedwig_dordt

Reading Women Challenge: January Report

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 09:42:55 GMT

The last two years, I participated in the Popsugar Reading Challenge, but this year's prompt set didn't do much for me. I'm about the only person who put 'reading less' as a New Year's Resolution - mostly because I want to write more. I support the Reading Women Podcast on Patreon, so I was excited to see their reading challenge looks promising.

In January, I have completed two prompts:

Prompt 11 A book featuring a religion other than your own: Ongehoorzaam (transl of Disobedience), by Naomi Alderman. It's easy to forget that this was her debut novel, because it's such an interesting, well-written book. Also: really satisfying ending. That seems to be a mainstay of her work.
Prompt 10 A book about a woman athlete: Rosebud Atletiekclub voor vrouwen (transl of Runner Girl), by Carrie Snyder. I think this is what is often labelled 'women's fiction', because it's literature that puts a woman's story center stage. It's a good read, gives a believable insight in the time period. I can't attest to the veracity of aging but it feels true.

I just started the Bonus Prompt A Book By Jhumpa Lahiri: The Namesake. I'm only on page 60 and it's so.freaking.good. Again, I can't personally verifiy if what she describes is accurate, but it feels true.

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Gen Fic: Derek & Kira

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 10:33:08 GMT

Title:After thus accounting / For an improbable situation
Summary: Derek seduced his boyfriend, and now his friend wants some pointers. So he teaches Kira a few moves.

link

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Sir, that's my emotional support hellsite

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 09:07:42 GMT

I've had my first flagged pic set on tumblr - a photoshoot of Serena Williams.

Not sure how I feel about that.

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[Currently Reading] The Poppy War

Sat, 05 Jan 2019 10:58:36 GMT

One of the great things about The Poppy War is the way they respectfully work in traditional lore with newer insights:

"There are five principal elements present in the universe - get that look off your face, it's not as absurd as it sounds. The masters of old used to believe that all things were made of fire, water, air, earth, and metal. Obviously, modern science has proven that false. Still, it's a useful mnemonic for understanding the different types of energy.

"Fire: the heat in your blood in the midst of a fight, the kinetic energy that makes your heart beat faster. Jiang tapped his chest. "Water: the flowing of force from your muscles to your target, from the earth up through your waist, into your arms. Air: the breath you draw that keeps you alive. Earth: how you stay rooted to the ground, how you derive energy from the way you position yourself against the floor. And metal, for the weapons you wield. A good martial artist will possess all five of these in balance. If you can control each of these with equal skill, you will be unstoppable."

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Sir, that's my emotional support hellsite

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:40:34 GMT

Yes, I stole that title from a tumblr post.

I logged off on all my devices as part of the tumblr log off protest, but dammit, I miss it so much.

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March Report

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 16:33:46 GMT

Just the stats, for archiving purposes:

Popsugar Reading Challenge: 17/40

A book turned into a movie you've already seen: Julie & Julia
A book involving a heist: Lies of Locke Lamora
A book about time travel: Doomsday Book
True Crime: Zijn bloederig plan (His bloody plan)

Popsugar Advanced Challenge: 2/10

A cyberpunk book: Cinder

GYWO: I've written 8 days, adding up to 2,284 words.

Oh well, at least the elections are done

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Monthlies

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 08:28:27 GMT

GYWO

9 days worked out out of a 10 day goal (elections are really kicking my butt)
2174 words written this month
1 fic submitted for a writing contest

PopSugar Reading Challenge

13/40 of the basic prompts

New additions in February:

Sarah J. Maas, Hof van Vleugels en Verwoesting (Court of Mist and Ruin)
Gregory Maguire, Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Jeanette Winterson, Gut Symmetrie

1/10 of the advanced prompts

Agnès Abécassis, Soirée Sushi

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My E0,02 on the Black Panther

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 07:09:35 GMT

There’s a lot of discussion on the bigger picture question, as to who is right: T’Challa or Killmonger. I humbly suggest the movie is making another point.

Quite bluntly, Killmonger just wants to reproduce the hierarchies of power, just with different people at the top. Which might be satisfying, and long overdue, but it’s not justice in the long term.

King T’Chaka chose to kill to keep Wakanda a secret and then lied, or lied by omission, about what happened. That lie poisoned a lot of the family tree.

Now, T’Challa seems to understand that in our age of surveillance, keeping Wakanda a secret is no longer possible. The end of Killmonger signals that T’Challa doesn’t want to replicate the hierarchies with someone else on top. T’Challa now has the chance to try something else, to interact with the world in an attempt to make it better.

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Advantages of being an adult with a fandom secret identity

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 08:46:28 GMT

Making passwords that are understandable to you alone are relatively easy.

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Aro spec character?

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 10:54:32 GMT

Darling Husband and I are watching The Fall, a magnificent detective drama, led by an absolutely stellar Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson.

Gibson has at least three one night stands ("sweet nights" as she calls them) with men over the course of the show, and absolutely zero interest in dating them.

Which begs the question: is Stella Gibson aromantic?

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January Stats

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 10:58:59 GMT

January is Officially Over, which means stats!

GYWO Habit Pledge: 14/31 days written (goal: 10)
PSRC: 7/40

The next book in a series you've started: Hof van Mist en Woede (Court of Mist and Fury)
A book set in a country that fascinates you: Wat nu, kleine man? (What now, little man?, set in 1920s Germany)
A book about death or grief: Grief is a thing with feathers
A book by an author of a different ethnicity then yours: Waar is onze moeder (Take care of our mommy)
A book about mental health: Een man van veel
A book that's published in 2018: Dark State
A book with an ugly cover: Ik neem je mee (The Cinderella deal)

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Accident of Birth

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 13:28:34 GMT

Written for Chuck Wendig's flash fiction challenge. The prompt: the danger of undeserved power. A fairytale of sorts.

Accident of Birth

The messenger holds out the envelope, and the King accepts it with a nod. He offers it to his wife: “will you do the honours?”

She takes it from him, and opens it. Carefully, she slides out the sheet of paper that will confirm their daugther’s rights to the throne. Her eyes scan the lines, she frowns, goes white, and with a thump she faints. Two ladies in waiting rush to her side, with a handkerchief and some water to bring her back to consciousness. The princess grabs the letter and reads it.

“Oh thank god,” she says, “no wonder I’m terrible at this.”

“What does it say?” a courtier asks.

“I’m not the princess. Can’t be. It’s not in my DNA.” The Princess holds up the letter. “See that, dad? It’s not my fault. I literally wasn’t born for this. No wonder I’m shite at it.”

“Language,” her father says automatically. He sits down next to his wife, who is starting to regain consciousness. “Are you feeling alright dear?”

“Yes. I assume the fact that I’m lying on the floor means that actually just happened?” the Queen says.

“Yes!” the princess screams. “Yes it fucking does!”

“Language,” her mother says.

The princess has an epiphany: “Does that mean I can marry Rose now?” She scans the room: “Rose, if I don’t have to become the next Queen, does that mean you do want to date me?”

“It does mean we have to figure out who does become the next heir, though.” Rose points out.

“Oh crap, a quest.”

“Language!” at least four people chime in.

“You don’t understand – you have to come!” the Princess exclaims. “I diverted a dragon, bartered with dwarves for clothes warm enough to trek through these mountains, and exchanged riddles with the witch.”

The hospital director looks her over: “You don’t look like a princess.”

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story. Baby mix-up: you should’ve been raised at court to do… court-stuff. I was actually raised at court, but I’m terrible at it. I was never supposed to be a princess.” She considers what she knows of the director: clearly the same age, but running a complete hospital. So: ambitious, capable, mind for logistics, and likely good with people. Likely won’t respond to direct flattery, but indirect might work. “Look, what our country needs is someone who can make it run smoothly,” she says. “And clearly, you can run things.” She relaxes a bit when the director doesn’t challenge that. She realises they’ve gathered an audience of nurses, doctors, and patients in their pajamas. Some of them cautiously nod. “I have nothing to offer but the image of a party girl and some outdoorsmanship.”

“You slayed a dragon,” the director offers.

“Diverted it – I couldn’t kill it.”

“See: you’re a good person! You’re young, you can still learn.”

“No, I mean, I was physically incapable. That was one huge monster.” The Princess shudders at the memory. “You know what, come with me to the palace, meet my folks. They’re lovely people – in their own way – and get a feel for the position. If after a year or two, you decide it’s not for you, you can always go back to running your provincial hospital.”

The director frowns: “Two years is too long. Six months.”

“Eighteen.”

“Fifteen.”

“Twelve?”

“I don’t know why I’m agreeing to this.” The director says, but she shakes the princess’ hand. “Twelve months. And the palace provides funds to run the hospital in my absence.”

“Done,” the princess says amiably. “You’re making the right call here.”

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GYWO 2018

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:57:12 GMT

I enlisted for the habit pledge, convinced I was going to fail a lot, especially at first. But it seems I'm not doing too badly. In my bujo I copied in the regular challenge I had for myself last year: 250 words a day. The habit pledge of 10 days per month have the crucial advantage of not being cumulative: what I do now does not help or hurt my work in - say - August.

But so far I'm doing quite well with developing a writing habit.

(according to a piece I read earlier today, it takes about two months to make a habit stick, so we'll see how that goes)

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It seems I need to listen to an audiobook

Wed, 20 Dec 2017 12:42:16 GMT

I think I even have one queue'd up on my phone, I just didn't get around to listening/reading it. Maybe I should count listening to a narrative podcast?

Anyway, here's my 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge Update.

A Book...

recommended by a librarian: Kees van Beijnum, De Offers
that has been on your TBR for way too long: Erich Remarque, Van het westelijk front geen nieuws (All quiet on the western front)
of letters: Mary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
an audiobook: -
by a person of colour: Octavia Butler, Parable of the talents; Laila Lalami, The moor's account
with one of the seasons in the title: Elizabeth Strout, Winter
that is a story within a story: Anthony Horowitz, Magpie murder
by multiple authors: James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes
an espionage thriller: Charles Stross, Empire Games
with a cat on the cover: Régis Hautière, De oorlog van de Lulu's
by an author with a pseudonym: Georges Sand, Mauprat
a bestseller from a gnere you don't normally read: De ontdeugende hertogin; Joe Hill, The heart-shaped box
by or about a person who has a disability: Lois McMaster Bujold, Borders of Infinity
involving travel: Cormac McCarthy, De weg
with a subtitle: Anne Carson, De schoonheid van de echtgenoot, een fictie essay in 29 tango's
that's been published in 2017: Empire games, Het eind is ons begin
involving a mythical creature: Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the lightning thief
that never fails to make you smile: China Miéville, The Last Days of New Paris
about food: Anna Thomas, Love soup
with career advice: Cal Newport, Diep Werk
from a non-human perspective: Charlie Stross, Saturn's Children
a steampunk novel: Steampunk’d (okay, that’s a short story collection)
with a red spine: Noodweer
set in the wilderness: Jeff Vandermeer, Vernietiging (Annihalation)
you loved as a child: Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl
by an author from a country you've never visited: Ramez Naam, Nexus; Hiromi Kawakami, De koffer van de leraar
with a title that's a character's name: Posy Simmonds, Tamara Drewe
set during wartime: Terry Pratchett, Monstruous Regiment
with an unreliable narrator: Justine Larbalestier, Leugens
with pictures: Posy Simmonds, Tamara Drewe; Neil Gaiman, Black Orchid
where the main character is a different ethnicity than you: Parable of the talents; Tas van de leraar; Saturday's kinderen; A Brief History of Seven Killings
about an interesting woman: Mary McCarthy, De groep; Elena Ferrante, Mijn geniale vriendin
Set in two different time periods: Charles Stross, Empire Games
with a month or day of the week in the title: Ayesha Harruna Attah, Saturday's kinderen
set in a hotel: Kenneth Cameron, Winter at Death’s Hotel
written by someone you admire: Femke Halsema, Pluche
that's becoming a movie in 2017: Madeleine L’Engle, Een Plooi in de Tijd (A wrinkle in time
set around a holiday other than Christmas: A.B. Yehoshua, Vriendschappelijk vuur
first book in a series you haven't read before: Leigh Bardugo, List en Leugens
you bought on a trip: Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

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2018 writing pledge

Sat, 16 Dec 2017 10:05:05 GMT

hedwig_dordt.dreamwidth.org/hedwig-dordt.tumblr.com

Habit Pledge:120D Apprentice

Statement of writing goals:

SuperCorp Identity Porn;
at least 1 original fic writing contest submission;
Birthday fic for Fightyourdragon

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I MADE IT

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 08:07:40 GMT

On the train to work, I added the ending to my Secret Santa project, which pushed my 2017 word count over 75,000 words. Which means that I've made my GYWO pledge!

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Sooooo cloooose

Thu, 24 Aug 2017 20:06:08 GMT

I crossed the 70,000 words written just now, which means I'm close to hitting my goal of 75,000 words.

In spite of being on 2 boards, running a book club, writing a political program and being part of the campaign team.

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PopSugar Reading Challenge update: July

Sun, 16 Jul 2017 12:03:08 GMT

Completed prompts for the regular challenge. Incomprehensible titles are likely in Dutch.

A Book...

recommended by a librarian: De Offers
that has been on your TBR for way too long: -
of letters: -
an audiobook: -
by a person of colour: Parable of the talents, The moor's account
with one of the seasons in the title: Winter
that is a story within a story: Magpie murder
by multiple authors: -
an espionage thriller: Empire Games
with a cat on the cover: De oorlog van de Lulu's
by an author with a pseudonym: -
a bestseller from a gnere you don't normally read: De ontdeugende hertogin, The heart-shaped box
by or about a person who has a disability: Borders of Infinity
involving travel: De weg
with a subtitle: De schoonheid van de echtgenoot, een fictie essay in 29 tango's
that's been published in 2017: Empire games, Het eind is ons begin
involving a mythical creature: Percy Jackson and the lightning thief
that never fails to make you smile: -
about food: Love soup
with career advice: Diep Werk
from a non-human perspective: Saturn's Children
a steampunk novel: -
with a red spine: Noodweer
set in the wilderness: Vernietinging
you loved as a child: Artemis Fowl
by an author from a country you've never visited: Nexus, De koffer van de leraar
with a title that's a character's name: Tamara Drewe
set during wartime: -
with an unreliable narrator: -
with pictures: Tamara Drewe, Black Orchid, De oorlog van de Lulu's
where the main character is a different ethnicity than you: Parable of the talents, Tas van de leraar, Saturday's kinderen
about an interesting woman: De groep, mijn geniale vriendin
Set in two different time periods: -
with a month or day of the week in the title: Saturday's kinderen
set in a hotel: -
written by someone you admire: Pluche
that's becoming a movie in 2017: -
set around a holiday other than Christmas: Vriendschappelijk vuur
first book in a series you haven't read before: List en Leugens
you bought on a trip: -

27/40 prompts fulfilled. Sometimes a title fulfills more than one prompt, sometimes a prompt has more than one title that fills it. I'll think of a reporting solution for this at some point in this year.

There are also a number of advanced promts:

A book recommended by an author you love: -
a bestseller from 2016: -
A book wih a family-member in the title: Saturday's kinderen
A book that takes place over a character's life span: -
A book about an immigrant or refugee: De ambassade van Cambodja
A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of: -
A book with an eccentric character:
A book that's more than 800 pages: currently reading
A book you got from a used book sale: Borders of Infinity
A book that's been mentioned in another book:
A book on a difficult topic:
A book based on mythology: Percy Jackson and the lightning thief

4/12 prompts fulfilled, 5th prompt fill underway.

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GYWO June 2017

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 18:44:08 GMT

A lot belatedly, my stats for June. I got a new job, which is fantastic, but boy, does it show up in my productivity, which was... uneven to say the least.

Words written in June: 8815
Percentage of monthly goal: 144%
Total words written in 2017: 63802
Percentage of annual goal: 85%

Break down in projects:

Original Project #2: 2605
The Hour Drabble: 300
Godling AU: 750
Elementary poly fic: 554
Dydia ficlet: 901
Derek & Scott ficlet: 1035
Chris/Victoria fic: 1838
Chris & Noah ficlet: 832

In other news: I need to start polishing up some of the ficlets I wrote for 7 Days 7 Stories to beta-readable and eventually publishable fic.

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PopSugar Reading Challenge update

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:40:04 GMT

In an attempt to diversify my reading habits, I'm taking the PopSugar Reading Challenge. So far: 20 out of 39 prompts, and about half a year to go. I have a few books checked out from the library that meet prompt requirements, so I'm on track.

A book that's been on your TBF for too long:
~~A book recommended by a librarian:~~
A book of letters
An audiobook
~~A book by a person of colour:~~
A book with one of the seasons in the title
A book that is a story within a story
A book with multiple authors
~~An espionage thriller~~
A book with a cat on the cover
A book by an author who uses a pseudonym
~~A bestseller in a genre you don't normally read~~
~~A book by or about a person who has a disability~~
~~A book involving travel~~
~~A book that's published in 2017~~
~~A book involving a mythical creature~~
A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile
A book about food
A book with career advice
A book from a non-human perspective
A steampunk novel
~~A book with a red spine~~
~~A book set in the wilderness~~
~~A book you loved as a child~~
~~A book by an author from a country you've never visited~~
~~A book with a title that's a character's name~~
A novel set during wartime
A book with an unreliable narrator
~~A book with pictures~~
~~A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you~~
~~A book about an interesting woman~~
~~A book set in two different time periods~~
A book with a month or a day of the week in the title
A book set in a hotel
~~A book written by someone you admire~~
A book that's becoming a movie in 2017
~~A book set around another holiday than Christmas~~
~~The first book in a series you haven't read before~~
A book you bought on a trip

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The one where Derek ships Ichabbie

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 14:00:33 GMT

Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Derek Hale & Scott McCall
Background: pre Derek Hale/Braeden, pre Scott McCall/Stiles Stilinski
Word Count: 1046

The one where Derek ships Ichabbie

Stiles doesn’t watch police procedurals on principle, Lydia and Kira only care for period drama if there’s ballgowns and romance, Erica and Boyd declare that supernatural stuff on tv just annoys them these days, Malia doesn’t really get tv shows yet. Which makes the Sleepy Hollow marathon something that Derek and Scott do together with the two of them. They’ve planned it so that they can watch the first season finale on Sunday afternoon and Scott can still make it to family dinner afterwards.

“I can’t believe they did that!” Derek yells at the innocent laptop screen. “Can you believe that?” Scott shrugs. “They had a perfectly good badass woman carrying the show and they swap her for the white girl.”

“You’re just grumpy Ichabod and Katrina are back together.” Derek takes a deep breath, clearly about to go on another rant. “It’s okay, I get it,” Scott says. “It feels personal to you. You are clearly Ichabod, and the parallels between Abbie and Braeden are so screamingly obvious it seems almost on purpose.” Derek deflates, not entirely sure what to make of Scott’s observation. “And look at Braeden: a beautiful woman, a competent one at that, clearly not in need of being rescued by you. If anything, it was the reverse.”

“Though I’m not exactly a revolutionary soldier.”

Scott looks at him flatly. “Well excuse me, but I brought my laptop so we could watch this show.”

“You like the show,” Derek says gruffly.

“Every now and again it’s relaxing to have other people deal with the demons for a change,” Scott grins. “Given our lives, this stuff feels like a documentary sometimes. Demons, possession, creepies from other timezones: been there, done that.”

“Got the video,” Derek reflexively supplies.

“Anyway, I’m just saying, you seem a man out of time some days.”

“Just because I like books…” Derek starts.

“Books are fine. It’s very much your thing and that’s fine. You are just very picky about which part of modern life you accept.” Derek looks like he wants to argue the statement, but Scott continues. “Which is a good thing. I mean, I like Call of Duty as much as the next guy, but it’s not for everyone. Possibly nothing is for everything. I’m just saying, you clearly identify with Ichabod. Which is fine, he’s a white guy, he was made for you to identify with.”

“I just can’t believe they relegated Abbie to Purgatory to release Katrina in her stead.”

“Sacrificing a black woman to release a white one, unheard of,” Scott says sarcastically. Derek crosses his arms and looks at Scott defensively. “What? You know I’m right. Anyway, all I’m saying is, if you and Braeden ever start dating for real, you have your coordinated Halloween costumes sorted.”

“I don’t think she feels about Ichabod that way.”

“Boy, do you ever need a tumblr account. We need more romance for black women that doesn’t bring them down. Their chemistry is amazing, he treats her right - or at least he tries. You treat Braeden like a person, which is important. Like someone to cherish. Ichabod does that to Abbie too. It’s the trust between them, how they rely on each other that makes the show run.” Scott is relieved to see Derek’s hands unclench. “And I think there’s parallels between you and Braeden there too. You trusted her to help you protect yourself. You had sex with her, perhaps a little sooner than you wanted to?” Scott looks at Derek expectantly to see how he’ll respond.

“It’s something I could do for her.” Derek says softly. “Give her pleasure.”

Scotts looks softens: “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that you can still associate sex with pleasure. But you withdrew a bit after that, I guess? Since she’s not around anymore?”

“I told her to go on without me.”

“And she did?”

“She did.”

“Do you miss her?”

Derek goes quiet again, weighing his words with extra care. “I think we missed our window,” he eventually says. “She moved on. It’s fine.”

“And when she comes back?”

“If she comes back, I’ll deal with it. We’re fine. We didn’t have a dramatic break-up or anything. She’s not even really an ex.”

“So you’re mourning a lost opportunity?”

“I guess?” Derek exhales slowly. “It’s fine though.”

“It doesn’t have to end like this, though,” Scott says, the eternal optimist. “Abbie might not stay in Purgatory forever and you might get a second shot with Braeden. I do think we’re not watching the final season of Sleepy Hollow though. If this annoyed you, then that ending will really piss you off.”

Derek grins slyly: “Oh I know it will. I read the reviews online.”

“You what?” Scott grabs a pillow from the couch and whacks Derek with it. “You cheated! You checked the spoilers!”

Derek ducks, and dramatically rolls off the couch, grabbing a pillow. He throws it at Scott, who dodges it with ease. “Of course I checked the ending,” Derek throws another pillow, “I am very careful which parts of modernity I embrace.”

Scott laughs while accepting the hit: “Should have seen that one coming.” Derek hides behind the couch, clearly waiting for another throw, but Scott just plumps it up and puts it back in its place. “You can come out now,” he says, “I declare spoiler checking amnesty. Alpha’s privilege.”

Derek gets up, pulling his shirt straight, “I’m not sure that’s how alpha privileges work.”

“I’m sure it’s in the by-laws somewhere. If not, I’m just going to ex cathedra it. I’m a true alpha, you have no idea what I can do.”

“You have no idea what you can do.”

“True. Which is where you come in, as the resident pack historian. And if we’re lucky, you’ll bring us another human badass investigator.”

“We already have one, I thought?”

“Stiles? Sure. But really, we can’t have too many in this place.”

Derek sits back down next to Scott. “If I ask out Braeden if she comes back, you know, properly. Will you ask out Stiles properly?”

Scott freezes: “what do you mean?”

“Well, if I’m ‘clearly’ still hung up on Braeden, then you’re clearly hung up on Stiles. So: I do my bit, you do yours. Deal?”

“Deal.”

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60,000

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 08:08:38 GMT

With my second piece for 7D7S, I've crossed the 60,000 words written this year, or 80% of my stated goal.

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Five times Chris Argent and Noah Stilinski bonded online and one they did it IRL

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 08:05:49 GMT

Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Chris Argent & Noah Stilinski
Rating: gen
Word count: 1311

The fic idea that has been bouncing around in my head since I realised that both Chris and Noah had lost their wives. So maybe Noah had some pointer on dealing with that?

Five times Chris Argent and Noah Stilinski bonded online and one they did it IRL

After the funeral, Noah presses a small business card in Chris’ hand. Chris turns it over, but it only has a url. Noah looks a bit uncomfortable: “Look, I’m not going to tell you to talk about it, but you’re not the first person to lose their partner. So if you’re looking to talk to someone who understands, there’s a forum.”

“Thanks sheriff,” Chris says, and tucks the card away into the pocket of his jacket.

“Call me Noah,” he says.

1: Claudia’s birthday

Almost_jason_bourne signed on

JohnnyCage signed on

JohnnyCage: today would’ve been her birthday. Went to her grave with Kiddo. When we were there, I realised he’d been without her as long as he’d been with her

JohnnyCage: but hey, I didn’t drink, so there’s that

Almost_jason_bourne: that is still years ahead for me. Must be a weird notion.

JohnnyCage: apart from kiddo, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But every year that passes, as kiddo grows up, it’s like the rest of my life just keeps going on.

JohnnyCage: today I had the realisation that I might be taking grandkids to the grave one day

Almost_jason_bourne: I’m not sure if that’s awesome or depressing

JohnnyCage: bit of both, really.

JohnnyCage: though kiddo suggests I could start dating again

Almost_jason_bourne: do you want to?

JohnnyCage: in theory? Maybe. In practice: haven’t really met anyone interesting, I guess.

Almost_jason_bourne: there’s no timeline for these things, you know

JohnnyCage: thanks for throwing my words back at me

Almost_jason_bourne: any time :)

When Chris logs off from the chat, he feels a little lighter. He empties his coffee and wonders if he could arrange to meet JohnnyCage in real life. He could perhaps drop a hint when he goes on another business trip.

2: when Noah almost figured out his son’s sexuality

Almost_jason_bourne signed on

JohnnyCage signed on

Almost_jason_bourne: Did you finally catch the new Bond?

JohnnyCage: Yes, kid and I went yesterday

JohnnyCage: M’s death hurt. Kiddo cried I think, it was like Bond lost his mother.

Almost_jason_bourne: la generalissima was really smitten with this incarnation of Eve

JohnnyCage: Kiddo is smitten with the new Q. Not sure if he wants to be him or do him, you know.

Almost_jason_bourne: Is it time for the “you know you can tell me anything?”

JohnnyCage: We’ve had that conversation. Or at least, I tried

JohnnyCage: He says he’s not gay -and I believe him

JohnnyCage: he’s had a crush on a girl for years

JohnnyCage: and even if he didn’t, his best friend couldn’t keep his mouth shut if he tried

Almost_jason_bourne: He could be bisexual?

JohnnyCage: That would

JohnnyCage: that would explain

JohnnyCage: so much

JohnnyCage: definitely time for the “you can tell me anything” speech

Almost_jason_bourne: you’re welcome. Whatever you say, it’s going to be better than what my parents said.

JohnnyCage: i’m sorry to hear that.

Almost_jason_bourne: it’s a long time. Finding the wife kinda helped.

JohnnyCage: anything i should avoid?

Almost_jason_bourne: “it’s just a phase”

Almost_jason_bourne: “don’t think you can bring a man into this house”

Almost_jason_bourne: don’t force his hand, he might be in the process of figuring it out himself. Oh and fair warning

JohnnyCage: oh god

Almost_jason_bourne: crushes on close same-sex friends are pretty much a par on course, and a source of of teenage angsting

JohnnyCage: now i’m wondering if they’ve ever shared a bed since puberty kicked in

Almost_jason_bourne: ah, you know which one it is

JohnnyCage: pretty much. Well, there might be another one.

JohnnyCage: there’s no way i can un-think any of that, right?

Almost_jason_bourne: if he wants to talk to someone who’s been there, i’m here.

3: When Allison started dating again

Almost_jason_bourne online

JohnnyCage is signing on

JohnnyCage: how was dinner?

Almost_jason_bourne: awkward anyway

Almost_jason_bourne: She had wanted to take her boyfriend.

JohnnyCage: That’s no fun. Did you manage to salvage anything?

Almost_jason_bourne: Eventually.

Almost_jason_bourne: I pulled the “I’m only doing this because I love you” card

JohnnyCage: Does that still work on her?

Almost_jason_bourne: sort of

Almost_jason_bourne: she’s doing her homework

JohnnyCage: you’re doing better than me.

JohnnyCage: Is he allowed in your house?

Almost_jason_bourne: they’re doing homework together right now. No sleepovers

JohnnyCage: what do his parents think of the dating situation

Almost_jason_bourne: not in the picture

JohnnyCage: ?

Almost_jason_bourne: orphan.

Almost_jason_bourne: I just want her to be safe, and she keeps throwing herself into danger

JohnnyCage: I know that feeling

JohnnyCage: my friend tells me ‘keeping her safe’ is not what you’re supposed to be doing though

JohnnyCage: you’re supposed to give them what they need to deal with whatever life throws at them

Almost_jason_bourne: I’ll keep trying to remember that

Almost_jason_bourne: but she’s so young

JohnnyCage: gotta go, duty calls

Almost_jason_bourne: at this hour?

JohnnyCage: crime never sleeps

JohnnyCage signed off

Almost_jason_bourne: are you

Almost_jason_bourne signed off

4: When Allison and Stiles graduated

Almost_jason_bourne: la generalissima is graduating in a few weeks

JohnnyCage: Congrats! (she is the in the same year as kiddo, I remember)

JohnnyCage: how do you feel about it?

Almost_jason_bourne: mixed, tbh

JohnnyCage: thb?

Almost_jason_bourne: To Be Honest

JohnnyCage: right

Almost_jason_bourne: the Mrs was great at these events. I’m pretty sure la generalissma really misses her too now - it’s as if she’s extra not here.

Noah stops himself from typing to allow Almost_jason_bourne some time to write out what he feels.

Almost_jason_bourne: we moved around a lot, so la generalissma eventually got held back a year. I was worried she’d stop caring about school, but that hasn’t happened. I’m even weirded out that she hasn’t.

JohnnyCage: does she have a group of friends that care about academics?

Almost_jason_bourne: now that I think of it: her best friend is a certified genius, her boyfriends works both try to put in the work. So yes, I think so.

JohnnyCage: sometimes peer pressure helps, I suppose

JohnnyCage: if the norm is working hard, that’s what they’ll do

Almost_jason_bourne: oh, you’re not going to tell me it’s my own fault for burying myself in work?

JohnnyCage: you have a therapist for that, I’m sure

Almost_jason_bourne: my therapist doesn’t tell me these things!

JohnnyCage: maybe you need a better therapist :)

JohnnyCage: did I do the face thing right?

5: When the house got too quiet

Almost_jason_bourne online

JohnnyCage is signing on

Almost_jason_bourne: hey, you’re back!

JohnnyCage: yes - kiddo has successfully moved to college. How was your weekend?

Almost_jason_bourne: same - moving la generalissima to her new campus and trying not to cry that she’s too young to be out there on her own

JohnnyCage: maybe we’re too old to be out here on our own?

Almost_jason_bourne: speak for yourself. I can cook my own meals!

JohnnyCage: right for the jugular

Almost_jason_bourne: anyway, so I’m playing an old record V used to love and tell her that we did good.

JohnnyCage: I’m taking a drink tonight and pour one out for her

Almost_jason_bourne: that’s quite pagan :)

JohnnyCage: we have Polish roots, which means there’s pagan elements buried everywhere

JohnnyCage: pun not intended

Almost_jason_bourne: hey, I’ve noticed we’re online in the same timeframe a lot, even with your working hours. Do you think maybe we should meet irl some time?

Chris sits down in the coffeeshop where he had agreed to meet his online friend. He stirs his coffee aimlessly. The doorbell jingles and he sees the sheriff coming in. The sheriff surveys the crowd, and his eyes settle on Chris. For a moment, Chris fears that he’s coming to bring bad news, but he’s in civilian clothes and he doesn’t look troubled. That’s when he realises and his face breaks in a smile. As the corners of his mouth start curving he sees realisation dawn on the sheriff’s face as well. Chris gets up to greet him.

“Noah, good to see you,” he says, trying to shake hands, but the sheriff is not having it and hugs him instead.

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I can't believe you didn't tell me

Sun, 11 Jun 2017 08:42:42 GMT

Fandom: Teen Wolf
Main pairing: Derek Hale/Lydia Martin
Background pairing: Scott McCall/Stiles Stilinski
Wordcount: 901
Additional tags: getting together, outsider pov, fluff, seven days seven stories

I Can't Believe You Didn't Tell Me

Scott is doing the last bit of clean-up in the living room so that they can have pack night. They don’t have it as often as they did in college, and Scott takes up hosting only about half the time, the rest of the pack takes turns. He smells Stiles’ excitement before he hears it.

“Scottie,” Stiles yells from the kitchen, “Derek is holding open the car door for someone - did you know Derek was bringing someone? Is that…? Derek and Lydia are holding hands!”

“Took them long enough!” Scott answers from the living room.

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t see that coming?” Scott says. “Well good for you on being over that, then.”

“Good for you, you mean,” Stiles grins. “Wait, you knew?”

“I suspected.”

“When did that happen?”

“The first inkling was about six months ago.”

The pack meeting is winding down, as the betas start saying their goodbyes before heading to their homes. Lydia opens her backpack and turns to Derek.

“So, I’m working on this text,” she opens, and Scott is surprised to have her scent spike with anxiety, “and I need a second pair of eyes on them. You do translations, right?”

Derek leans in, to look over the text. “French. Seventeenth century?” he estimates.

“Which is why I’m asking you.”

“It’s not my specialisation, but I will happily see what I can do, and maybe put you in touch with someone who knows more?”

“Excellent. Can I come by tomorrow afternoon?”

Derek smiles, “sure. I’ll probably be doing nothing more exciting than the crossword.”

They smile at each other slightly wider than the promise of seventeenth century French text warrants, Scott thinks to himself, but then tells himself that he is neither a mathematical historian nor a linguistic specialist. Possibly they’re just happy someone sees the value in their respective pursuits.

“Really? She had him help her with her homework?” Stiles yelps. “If I’d known that works I would have been so much more successful at dating years ago!”

“Second hint was a little later. Do you remember when we went to see Black Panther for the second time?”

“Of course.”

“So, I kinda ran into Derek there.”

Scott is at the cinema to pick up their tickets. He’s old fashioned that way, he likes having the physical tickets on hand beforehand, and scrapbooking them afterwards. He looks up when he smells a familiar scent. Derek is on the phone looking up at the listings.

“Nine sounds doable. We could have dinner beforehand?” Scott smiles a little, it’s been long since Derek looked so hopeful. “No, I’ll book us a table, you focus on writing, I will provide the rewards.” Scott tries to figure out who Derek is talking to without hearing the voice. Lydia is at Berkeley working on her PhD in mathematics, and that’s the only person Scott knows to be writing anything. Lydia and Derek? “Okay, I’ll see you Friday, now write. Bye!” Derek hangs up. “Hey Scott,” he says, “picking up tickets too?”

“Yup, we’re seeing Black Panther.”

“Oh nice.” Derek tries to sound enthusiastic about a superhero movie.

“Not really your speed, I know. What are you seeing?”

“There’s an open air screening of an Italian movie next week. I’m making sure we have tickets.”

“Romantic,” Scott comments. “Who’s the lucky one?”

“I am,” Derek says with a shy smile. “It’s kind of new, we’re still figuring it out. We both have... histories. We’re taking it slow.”

Scott nods in understanding, and moves over to hug Derek, scent marking him. “You’re a good guy, Derek. Anyone should be lucky to have you.”

Stiles walks in the living room, gesticulating with emotion. “You knew Derek and Lydia were dating, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t know for sure. I figured they’d tell us when they were ready.”

“Six months, Scott!”

“I know. As I said, long time coming. I think they got together about two weeks ago.”

Scott goes for an early grocery run on Saturday morning while Stiles is still at the Sheriff’s station. He doesn’t sleep well when Stiles has the night shift anyway. He is surprised to see Derek there, who clearly has not been sleeping much over the night, but smells delighted anyway. Scott walks up to him, and spots blueberries and fresh milk in his cart.

“Good night or good morning?” Scott asks. For once in his life, Scott has managed to startle Derek. He should probably scrapbook that event.

Derek recovers quickly: “both.”

Scott smiles, and nods at the cart, “I think that’s a safe bet. I won’t keep you. Have fun.” He spots a strawberry blonde hair on Derek’s shirt and carefully says nothing about it. “I’m going to find the spinach. Stiles has had the night shift, which means I have to feed him vegetables today.”

“You do that.”

Derek seems unwilling to hug for once, probably still high on the scent of his lover, and Scott does not want to spoil a good thing for his beta. They nod and go their separate ways.

The doorbell rings, and Stiles goes to open. Scott listens in from the living room, idly tugging at the corner of the table cloth.

“I can’t believe Scottie knew before I did. Congratulations, you traitors, I hope you make each other really happy.” There's a rustle of clothing that likely means Stiles is hugging them both.

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Ao3 stats

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 15:42:05 GMT

In 2014 I checked how many kudos per hit I was getting for a while. And then I fell out of the habit. I figured I'd bring it back, because I've written a lot of femslash the last couple of years.

So, what gets most kudos per hit?

title	kudos	hits	rate	pairing	Fandom
I like the future already	7	48	14,6	f/f	teen wolf
A hug in a mug	6	47	12,8	f/f	teen wolf
Bonded services	468	3803	12,3	m/m	teen wolf
Three is tradition	20	176	11,4	m/m	teen wolf
something that they say is very rare	22	254	8,7	f/f	bondlock
Love is a many splendored thing	356	4179	8,5	m/m	teen wolf
You belong with me	144	1901	7,6	m/m	teen wolf
Worst.soulmark.ever	32	423	7,6	f/f	teen wolf
Mission: Domesticity	113	1796	6,3	m/m	bond
Beyond Call of Duty	46	731	6,3	m/m	teen wolf
A measure of pleasure	7	117	5,9	f/f	Gone with the wind
Tell me the truth about love	281	4945	5,7	m/m	bond
Take this waltz	8	146	5,5	f/f	teen wolf
Nature’s way of giving	118	2274	5,2	m/m	teen wolf
Diana’s Bow	15	314	4,8	f/f	Pride & prejudice
The beautiful songs that have meaning	10	219	4,6	m/f	teen wolf
An adult activity	56	1374	4	m/m	suits
All the songs make sense	137	4304	3,2	m/m	suits
Three ways we say the one thing	7	325	2,1	f/f/m	teen wolf

My very niche-y Teen Wolf femslash is nrs 1 and 2. My very wide-appeal sterek fic is 3. My Suits stuff doesn't get much love.

And what gets read?

title	kudos	hits	rate	pairing	Fandom
Tell me the truth about love	281	4945	5,7	m/m	bond
All the songs make sense	137	4304	3,2	m/m	suits
Love is a many splendored thing	356	4179	8,5	m/m	teen wolf
Bonded services	468	3803	12,3	m/m	teen wolf
Nature’s way of giving	118	2274	5,2	m/m	teen wolf
You belong with me	144	1901	7,6	m/m	teen wolf
Mission: Domesticity	113	1796	6,3	m/m	bond
An adult activity	56	1374	4	m/m	suits
Beyond Call of Duty	46	731	6,3	m/m	teen wolf
Worst.soulmark.ever	32	423	7,6	f/f	teen wolf
Three ways we say the one thing	7	325	2,1	f/f/m	teen wolf
Diana’s Bow	15	314	4,8	f/f	Pride & prejudice
something that they say is very rare	22	254	8,7	f/f	bondlock
The beautiful songs that have meaning	10	219	4,6	m/f	teen wolf
Three is tradition	20	176	11,4	m/m	teen wolf
Take this waltz	8	146	5,5	f/f	teen wolf
A measure of pleasure	7	117	5,9	f/f	Gone with the wind
I like the future already	7	48	14,6	f/f	teen wolf
A hug in a mug	6	47	12,8	f/f	teen wolf

Apparently, my ace!Q 00q fanfic gets read a lot, which might have something to do with the fact that I've recced it a lot. My Suits thing gets clicked on, even though people seem not to like it a lot? And then there's the sterek fics, which of course is a hugely popular pairing.

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