rants and ramblings of utter randomness

Hey. Holding this spot because I don't want to get deleted (not even sure if they're doing that, but just making sure). I would love to come back to fandom, but I'm a fan searching for a fandom these days. Still drawn to due South, so send me some fic recs/communities? I bet things have changed since a few years ago. Here's a pretty pic to break up the boringness of this post. Oh, and happy Pride!

Day One: In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can be your favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator.

I don't know if I'm "defined" by anyone, since I write so seldom, but here are three I like:

1. Fraser Being Fraser is a meta on writing Fraser I did for ds_workshop, and it may be the piece I'm most proud of. I think I did a pretty complete character study of Fraser and how to write him without falling into traps of cliché and fanon. I know a lot of people tend to shy away from writing Fraser because they find him difficult to write. He's always been easy for me--it's like he makes camp in my head when I'm writing--so even though I'm not a huge self-pimper (to say the least), I still refer people to this when they're having trouble writing Fraser. Because you can never have too much Fraser.

2 Where the Women Are Strong, the Men are Good-looking, and the Mounties are Above Average. Written for the second DS Flashfiction Badfic Challenge, I had more fun writing this than any other fic I've written, ever. I'm a big fan of A Prairie Home Companion, and I've wanted to write a Guy Noir/dS crossover since a comment conversation I had with isiscolo a few years ago. I was very pleased with the way it turned out and the positive response I got--even my non-fandom pro-writer housemate liked it. :)

3. Light the Sun. dS Seekrit Santa is my favourite fic challenge, and I never miss a year, even when (like this year), I've been away from fandom a lot (POLITICS ATE MY *SOUL*, PEOPLE, and I'm trying desperately to get it back!). This was the first story I wrote for dSSS, back in 2006, and also my first real dS story (aside from one horrible attempt at NC-17 which may have come first but that I'm pretending doesn't exist and you should too). I really like this one--I think I managed to make it sweet without tipping over into sappy, and I even managed to write Vecchio in a way that doesn't make me cringe (note: I love Ray Vecchio so, so much--it's just that his voice doesn't come to me easily).

More character meme answer. This time, from andeincascade (HI ANDE, I MISS YOUUUU!): Benton Fraser!

* How I FEEEEEL about this character.

Fraser has a very special place in my fannish heart. If he isn't my favourite character ever, he's right up there in a dead heat with them that are.I would love to have him for a friend, and if he were my enemy I'd run off and hide on another PLANET, because he'd find me no matter where I ran on Earth, and being on the receiving end of a pissed-off Benton Fraser would be all kinds of scary. I love his sense of right and wrong, and his fierce, unwavering loyalty. I love his idealism and his passion. I love how when he talks you can actually hear the parentheses and semicolons. I especially love that he isn't perfect, even though he wants desperately to be. He has a dry wit and a stealth sense of humour that I only dream of coming close to having.

Fraser is probably the character who is most like me in any of my fandoms (although he is a much better person and much, much prettier *g*). I want to be Benton Fraser when I grow up, only without the baggage. I don't know whether I want to shtup him or talk to him for hours, or both. Probably both.

* All the people I ship romantically with this character.

Ray Kowalski--it's canon, dude. They literally ride off into the sunrise together. Ray Vecchio, too, yes--I've actually written F/V a couple of times-- but it's usually as part of an OT3, and only in fanon. I tend to look at Vecchio in canon as Fraser's soul-brother. They're so much more than just friends, but their love bends toward philos rather than eros. Which doesn't diminish it from his love for Kowalski--Fraser would die in a heartbeat for both of his Rays.

Also, and definitel not least--Meg Thatcher. I ship Fraser/Thatcher hard, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I love, love Thatcher. I wish there was more good Fraser/Thatcher fic out there (it does exist, though--icepixie and tanyareed have both written excellent Fraser/Thatcher fics (some of which are up at fraser_thatcher * My non-romantic OTP for this character.

Fraser and Ray Vecchio. See above. (and I do write, and read, F/V and F/K/V. But gah, platonic!F/V is so lovely. I don't understand why platonic is almost universally considered Less Than, when it's equally as awesome, dammit!). I also have to put a plug in for Fraser's entirely wonderful relationship with Diefenbaker. I'm all about platonic!F/V/D. :D


* My unpopular opinion about this character.

Fraser is not shy with women in whom he's interested. I mean, um. Victoria, anyone? Sure, he's uncomfortable with unwanted attention from women who look at him as a sex object. But when he's interested, OMG, he's interested. Guh.

* One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon.

Wow, hmm, I dunno. I definitely wish he'd have not worn the red serge so much in seasons 3 and 4. I also wish there would have been more of him working with both Rays.

A while back I wrote an entire post for ds_workshop called Fraser being Fraser, in which I say a bunch more about Fraser. I also wrote a GIANT personal backstory for him. If you read both of those (and I'd love it if you did!), you'll pretty much get my feelings about who Fraser is and why I love him so. very. much.

In conclusion, Benton Fraser, RCMP.

For those of you who don't have ds_recsredux on your flist, I thought I'd let y'all know that ifreet has asked me to be guest reccer over there for December. I'll be doing character study recs.

My first post is all vid recs, and you can find it here. Yay, recs!

Meme from patchfire, which I'm finally answering:

Comment on this post. I will choose seven interests from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so others can play along.

My answers (complete with video link, picspam, and too many words)( are under here. )

I've had the basics of this post for days. Apparently I'm going through a lazy phase. Or maybe I'm just plain lazy.

• First of all, stormymouse, I did indeed get your card and the gentlemen who came with it. You guys are the best ever. :) I'm a little afraid to try him out. I need some courage, dudes.
  
  
• Fannish meme from aukestrel, among others:
  
  ( mix-'n-match meme )
  
  
  
• Speaking of aukestrel: This thread makes me want to make a dS Tarot Deck. Like, a real one. I bet there are places online where you can put your own images on cards and things. Anyone know of one?
  
  
• mr_t00by's birthday was yesterday. He's eighteen, OMG. Yesterday we went to the Chapel as one of his presents. We stood up almost the whole time because standing room has a much better view of the field than the bleacher seats. Two national anthems, three-ish hours and thirteen runs (nine of ours, four of theirs) later the Sox had won, which means that I can hold my head up in Toronto next week. The only problem is, now the Evil Empire is in second place. eltonroo, you must throw Good Wishes at your team so they can pull back ahead of the Yankees. Just the Yankees, mind you, and after today's game. Don't go getting carried away or anything.
  
  
• Fannish Notice: scally has posted some high-quality screencaps from Murder Most Likely over here (three guesses which one is my favourite). Usually MML caps are blurry unless you make them tiny but these are sharp and clear and good-sized. scally has now taught me how to get the same results: stop the video before capping. It takes longer, but I tried it today on something else and it worked! Yay!
  
  
• Speaking of picspam, these are gorgeous:( four hi-res pictures under here )
  
  
  Oh, Martha. They're from this play which I had no idea ever existed. I really, really wish I could have seen it. I need a way-back machine. More pictures are here. Left click on "right click to download" to see the hi-res versions or, um. Right click to download. :)
  
  
• Still not have seen OotP. I was supposed to today, but the friend I was going with didn't call me and I have to work this afternoon anyway. Bleh.
  
  
• My hair is short. Like short. Maybe I'll post a picture sometime if I can have someone take one I could bear posting. I like the hair, mind you. It's just pictures of myself in general I can't stand.
  
  
• Still not sure who I'm voting for in the Democratic primary, although Dennis Kucinich is saying some interesting things about some of my top issues, like health care, NAFTA, immigration and climate change. I don't agree with his take on all of the issues but for the most part I think he makes a lot of sense. I don't think he has a huge chance of winning the primary, let alone being elected President, but boy, he makes me think. I have to look at everyone else, too; he's just the one I started with because songdog said I should. *g*
  
  
• Two cool bits of trivia I learned recently:
  
  
  • Keifer Sutherland's grandfather was Tommy Douglas.
    
  • Andrea Yeager is now an Episcopal nun.

Wow. This took longer than I thought. A lot of stream-of-consciousness, and woah, it really does help me as far as writing goes. Some of this stuff I didn't know before I started.

( Pseudocanon meme answers, part the first: Benton Fraser )

Seriously, I had to stop myself. Oh, the sheer meta of it all.