fluent at last in the languages of the sea

Grabbed from profshallowness: "Post a single sentence from each WIP you have (or as many as you want to pick). No context, no explanations. No more than one sentence!"

( everything I have is a WIP, because I have become incapable of finishing anything )

Some of that has survived a hard drive crash and two new computers and still remains unfinished. Huh. I should work on that.

I don't usually have a problem with cognitive dissonance watching the same actor in two different roles - usually it's awesome, in fact. Like, Michael Shanks? Pop up on Burn Notice, Eureka, Sanctuary, Andromeda, whatever the hell else you want and I'll probably shriek with delight.

But David Lyons? On ER? This I cannot do.

My brain is very sure he should be in the Navy. I think it's maybe an accent thing? Aussie accent, Aussie show?

Or just a matter of too much Sea Patrol. Who knows.

I made a vid! 'Tis a little rough in patches, whether it's me or Windows Movie Maker or both I'm not sure (leaning towards the latter), but it does what I wanted which is to be all "I love this show! And these characters! And there is a boat!"

Ah. Yeah.

So, if any of you actually watch (or have even heard of) Sea Patrol (little Aussie Navy drama) the vid is under the cut. I hope.

( Tales to Tell: Sea Patrol, season one )

Don't you just hate that moment in writing when you realise that, for your plot to work, your characters have to be stupid?

Or does that only happen to me?

I am off to bed, and in the morning I am going to attempt to figure what to do with this story. It's Nikki Caetano. She's many things, and dumb is not one of them.

I need a Nikki icon. Have some Racetrack instead.

Quick rec: we just haven't written you yet by profshallowness. It's all about women, and the character we love, and all the stories that are waiting to be told. It's short, and beautiful, and totally worth your while. Go read.

Wow. So, long time no post.

I'm just coming out of a two week long new fandom blitz in which my life was utterly devoted to Aussie drama Sea Patrol. I watched all 39 episodes in eight days and am now rewatching the show grabbing clips for not one but two fanvids. I don't even know.

The fourth season starts airing in Australia tomorrow, but I'm having a fanbrat moment and am not entirely sure I wish to acknowledge it's existence because ( widely publicised casting spoilers )

So apparently there's a guess the first lines of your favourite* books meme going around?

Here's mine:

1: Harriet Vane sat at her writing-table and stared out into Mecklenburg Square. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, guessed by profshallowness

2: Roger, aged seven and no longer the youngest of the family, ran in wide zig zags, to and fro, across the steep field that sloped up from the lake to Holly Howe, the farm where they were staying for part of the summer holidays. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, guessed by aquila1nz and curiositykate

3: The year Janet started at Blackstock College, the Office of Residential Life had spent the summer removing from all the dormitories the old wooden bookcases that, once filled with books, fell over unless wedged. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, guessed by aquila1nz

4: Prone across her unmade bed, arms and legs limply dangling, Lawrie Marlow raised a thought. "What d'you call today? Last Day because of holidays or First Day because of term?"

5: "If only I knew what to do with you girls!" said Dick in worried tones. The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, guessed by aquila1nz

6: The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, guessed by curiositykate and aquila1nz

7: In my first life, I lived with my mother, and my older brother and sister, Crick and Stella, and with my father when he wasn't on the road.

8: Mrs Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops, and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferrited out the whys and wherefores thereof. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, guessed by aquila1nz

9: Harriet was trying to explain to Sport how to play Town. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, guessed by aquila1nz

10: Arry opened the door to call the cats.

* Favourite books subject to change without warning tomorrow.

My mental state at the moment is pretty much 'OMG the Unit OMG Scott Foley OMG flail'. I am on a Quest for the second season on DVD at a reasonable price; I think I'm down to TradeMe, because across ten shops (five chains in total) I have found exactly two copies of season two, both at the insane price of $74. There is not a TV series in the world I would pay that for. (I got season one for $25 at one branch of JB Hi-Fi; it was $54 at another. Dude. That's a big price difference.)

My life. So hard.

But oh, show. Oh, boys. My slash goggles - weak at the best of times - are in overdrive on this show, between Mack and Bob and Hector and Charlie, and I squeed when Mack called Bob 'puppy' in 'Exposure', which I think means fandom has corrupted my brain. And 'SERE' - any episode that involves the boys stripped down to their underwear and cuddling Bob is going to make me blissfully happy. Total fan service, yes?

Two weeks ago I was geeking out over the 4400 and scribbling away at some Tom/Diana fic, and now, beyond occasionally listening to the theme tune on YouTube, my brain is all 'what is this 4400 of which you speak?'

And here's the thing. Soon enough I'll be wildly passionate about yet another show, combing the internet for spoilers, hunting down DVDs at bargain prices, writing fic I'll never finish, and every couple of months I'll get homesick for the boys and watch an ep or two. Oh, brain. I wear myself out.

I don't know what it says about me that I've been listening to the theme song from 'the Unit' for the best part of the day. (Except that I'm a sucker for military dramas and men in uniform and wow, there are some pretty boys on that show. Scott Foley and Max Martini, I'm looking at you two. Lots. And lots.)

Also, Max Martini is the awesomest name ever and totally sounds like a comic book character.

So apparently there's this meme going round where you post an excerpts from your WIPs? Well, I have about a hundred WIPs and too much time on my hands, so:

( 'Gathering Moss: the Collected Letters of James Turner', Swallows and Amazons, implied Captain Flint/Squashy Hat )

( untitled JJ/Emily, Criminal Minds, tag to 'To Hell and Back' )

( untitled SG-1 fic, Road Not Taken 'verse, Lorne, Rodney (Lorne/Sam Rodney/Sam )

( untitled SGA/Alias crossover, Lorne/Weiss )

( untitled SGA/BSG crossover, Lorne/Racetrack )

( untitled 'gateverse, Lorne/Davis )

( untitled Mal/Kaylee, Firefly )

( untitled BSG, Racetrack )

... I am beginning to see why I never finish anything. And also that my brain apparently thinks Evan Lorne is the little black dress of every fandom ever.