katyabaturinsky

...so have a few recs. There's some stuff from the spn_j2_bigbang -- though none of the über-dark stuff that's been posted lately, ye gods -- and a few bits from the mcshep_match fest. I do enjoy anonymous fests like that, as I am generally guilty of gravitating towards familiar authors; without names attached, I read a lot I might otherwise miss. (Not that that's always a good thing, though...yikes.)

( Lots o' recs: SPN gen, SPN /, SGA /, DH4 / )

In other news, not much to report; work's getting nuts again (hello busy season, how I've missed you -- not), I'm loving having the house to myself for the summer, I'm completely avoiding the latest wank, and I've not been terribly impressed by the summer movies so far. (Except Wall-E, which was the best Pixar movie I've seen since the old pre-Disney days. And I haven't seen Dark Knight yet; I am looking forward to that.) Don't know that I can force myself to sit through Hellboy II; every time I see the bad guy, I find myself wondering, "when did Lucius Malfoy have a love child with the Wraith Queen?"

Hope all's well with you lot, and that you're staying cool and dry.

Because I really didn't think it was possible to love you any more than I already did. Silly me -- your latest special commentary blew that theory out of the water. To wit:

Then came Mr. Bush's final blow to our nation's solar plexus, his last reopening of our common wounds, his last remark that makes the rest of us question not merely his leadership or his judgment but his very suitably to remain in office.

"Mr. President," he was asked, "you haven't been golfing in recent years. Is that related to Iraq?"

"Yes," began perhaps the most startling reply of this nightmarish blight on our lives as Americans on our history. "It really is. I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander in Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Golf, sir? Golf sends the wrong signal to the grieving families of our men and women butchered in Iraq? Do you think these families, Mr. Bush, their lives blighted forever, care about you playing golf? Do you think, sir, they care about you?

You, Mr. Bush, let their sons and daughters be killed. Sir, to show your solidarity with them you gave up golf? Sir, to show your solidarity with them you didn't give up your pursuit of this insurance-scam, profiteering, morally and financially bankrupting war.

Sir, to show your solidarity with them you didn't even give up talking about Iraq, a subject about which you have incessantly proved without pause or backwards glance, that you may literally be the least informed person in the world?

Sir, to show your solidarity with them, you didn't give up your presidency? In your own words "solidarity as best as I can" is to stop a game? That is the "best" you can do?

If you can, I strongly suggest watching the video. Reading the transcript just doesn't do it justice.

Not for fans of the Bush administration. No, I take it back -- must-see TV for fans of the Bush administration. (The 3 of them in existence.)

( Group Work = SATAN'S HANDICRAFT )

...

*koff*

OK, really sorry about that. So tired I was hallucinating while I drove home tonight. I would seriously kill for some uppers right now. (Or sleep, but *that's* not going to happen. Gotta finish this last group paper and then my last individual paper, for which I had to get an extension, thanks to all the extra work I had to do on these mofo-ing group papers.)

So to make up for all the bile-spewing and vitriol, have a couple of ( recs - SPN, DH4, SGA )

Through tomorrow, May 3, seasons 1-3 of SGA are on sale for $25 each at your local Best Buy, and also online at http://www.bestbuy.com.

SPN gen:

No Bravery by estei - A note-perfect coda for 3x13, poignant and melancholy. (gen)

SPN /:

Last Outpost of All That Is by eighth_horizon - A masterpiece. Guess who slept through the end of the world? (Whoops.) Apocafic that manages to be simultaneously poignant and melancholy but ultimately hopeful and satisfying. (It's a sign of brilliance when you can write happy ending post-apocalypse stories, I tell you.) This is start-to-finish brilliant, with note-perfect voices and a terrific sense of mood. (Sam/Dean)

And be sure to read the amazingly gorgeous coda to "Last Outpost," Not for Sampson in the Temple by maygra. So beautiful. (Sam/Dean)

Me and the Devil Blues by britomart_is - A deceptively simple future!fic that's ever so creepy. Love the slow reveal in this. (Sam/Dean)

DH4 /:

Shut Up by fools_game - The thing about Matt is, he doesn’t shut up. Fabulous, from start to finish. Fantastic John POV, spot-on Matt voice, and hilarious interaction between them. And the last scene is just...guh beyond the telling. (John/Matt)

Also, anyone have any good SGA recs of late? I'm way out of the loop there.

Posting before I forget these.

SPN gen:

I Am The Very Model by vorpalblades - Love this clever, funny AU. The demon army on earth decides it's had enough of being leaderless, and makes Sam its de facto general (despite his lack of interest in the job). Sam decides he can live with that. A highly entertaining tale with a laugh-out-loud ending. (gen)

DH4 /:

From a Rut to a Groove by lamardeuse - A terrific (and yay, long!) fic that I loved; John's POV was perfect from beginning to end, and I adored Matt here. This is a sequel to her fabulous Life, Mid Crisis, and it complements that first story perfectly. Together, these two stories present a wonderful look inside this odd couple relationship, and they beautifully illustrate how even the strongest guys are vulnerable (and wow, stupid) at times. (Matt/John)

On the Mating Habits of Middle Aged Action Heroes by kita0610 - A first time that really sizzles. Love John's voice in this, and Matt's need, and the heat between them. (Matt/John)

Mornings After Nightmares by poisontaster - Another in the marvelous series by this author, and a beautiful little slice-of-life tale that shows the guys settling in to one another. Lovely. (Matt/John)

SGA /:

OK Computer by cesperanza - A long, entertaining read with a very satisfying ending. (And I'm not saying anything more for fear of spoiling it.) (John/Rodney)

It's a cornucopia of recs tonight, including some stuff in fandoms I haven't visited in years. :)

( SPN gen & / recs, SGA gen & / recs, MFU / rec, DS / rec )

I really need to read more DS and MFU, particularly DS. (Fraser & RayK 4evah!) Must look for recent recs, methinks.

Apparently I'm now a fan of a pairing that includes a character I previously would have considered completely, entirely, and utterly unslashable. (You know, back before fandom ate my brain.) Um...yay?

( Live Free or Die Hard / recs (McClane/Farrell): )

Yeah, I don't know either. Evidently the crabby-old-hardass-bickering-with-sarcastic-young-geek dynamic just sucked me in. Or something. :::facepalm:::

( SPN / recs: )

( SGA / recs: )

And also, OTW is open for membership!

Copied from mrlnpndrgn:


I scored a Far Out
100% on the
Quiz by SheGoddess: Lose Weight Fast

Wow, that brought back memories of listening to my parents' 8-tracks. And our black-and-white TV with no remote and about 8 channels, including UHF. Mmmm, good times. (Except for the polyester. And the hairstyles. Scaaaaaaaaaaary.)

Now if it'd been a quiz on music of the '80s? Maybe 10%. On a good day. (Thank god for grunge in the '90s -- I finally started listening to the radio again when that hit the airwaves.)

SPN RENEWAL IS CONFIRMED! \o/\o/\o/!!!

Seriously, my joy cannot be contained. THANK YOU, CW!! (I take back all my snarky comments about the rest of your craptastic lineup. No, actually, I don't, but I love you anyway.) I promise to tune in faithfully every Thursday and watch the show live, even if that means enduring your twelve BILLION commercials. Such is the depth of my gratitude.

And, lest we forget -- there are still another 4 eps to come later this season! WHEEEEE!! Is it official that it's 4? I read 3-4 in the NY Times, but 4 elsewhere. Whatever, it's all good.

So I will not be deprived of my weekly dose of angst! and violence! and ominous foreshadowing! and angst! and Samn'Dean bickering! and Bobby wanting to smack their fool heads together! and angst! and Dean cruising skeezy chicks in bars! and Sam's pissy disapproving glare-o'-doom! and angst! and stupid civilians messing in things they don't understand and needing their idiot asses saved! and the Metallicar! and cock rock! and angst! and bad diner food! and cheesy motel rooms! and myths & urban legends that scare the ever-loving crap outta me! and teenage boy humor! and pretty decent special effects (especially considering their shoestring budget)! ... and oh, did I mention the angst?

Now that I've wallowed a bit -- and since I haven't really posted with regard to SPN at all of late -- here are a few ponderings and ruminations on the recent State of Our Show: ( Click for navel-gazing-type stuff about the show, with NO SPOILERS for anything not yet aired in the U.S. )

In sum: I'm really looking forward to the last bunch of eps of S3, and of course, all of S4! (God, I just love saying that.)

Official news links regarding renewal are here on Variety.com (about halfway down the article), and here at TV.com, although I'm not sure how "official" that site is.

Sorry for the excessive squeeage. More than a little sleep-deprived at the mo.

Happiness and joy, the magnificent Surfacing zines from Duet Press have timed out, and the stories are now being posted by their respective authors.

I still think the 2 zines are a must-have for any fan of McKay/Sheppard -- they're beautifully edited and put together, they include some amazing fic and spectacular art, and it's so nice to have a zine on hand for times when your hard drive heads south on you -- but for those who'd prefer to read online, here are links for those stories I've seen so far (along with the gorgeous art):

Surfacing I:

Cover Portrait of John & Rodney by Lorraine Brevig

Perpetual Motion by ltlj

A Left-Handed Relationship by mmmchelle

The Stonemason’s Buildings Want For His Hands Again by synecdochic

Normalize by rageprufrock

Mousetraps by troutkitty

Portrait of John & Rodney (color) by Lorraine Brevig (not posted online)

Weddings, Plural, and a Yak by cesperanza

Heart of Glass by flambeau

As Wide as the Sky by seperis

Gotta Dance! by scribblinlenore

Portrait of John & Rodney (black & white) by Lorraine Brevig (not posted online)

Diplomacy in Waltz Tempo by wickedwords

Suffer Me Not to be Separated by auburnnothenna

Surfacing II:

Cover Portrait of John & Rodney by chrysothemis

Mr. Karaoke by kormantic

Portrait of John (black & white) by chrysothemis

Just like Schrödinger's Cat by lamardeuse

No Way Out But Through by cjandre (now online!)

Portrait of Rodney (black & white) by chrysothemis (scroll down a bit)

Never Have I Asked An August Sky by hth_the_first

Ordinary Life by shalott & cesperanza

A Faltered Hinge by lilysaid

Duet by misspamela

The Highwayman by trinityofone (not posted online)

Portrait of John & Rodney (black & white by chrysothemis (scroll down a bit)

The Fiery Hound of Lo'r Mawra by skoosiepants

What It Brings The Rabbit by giddygeek (not posted online)

Slither by liketheriverrun

If you do find links to any of the items I have marked as not posted online, I'd appreciate it if you would let me know so that I might update this list. Thank you kindly. :)

( The inescapable movie quote meme. )

Hmmm -- I'm detecting a certain lack of diversity in my favorite films. Must ponder.

( SGA /: )

In SPN land, last week's 3x11, Mystery Spot, is clearly the ep that launched a thousand fics. For which I am truly thankful.

( SPN gen: )

( SPN /: )

( SPN gen: )

( SPN /: )

( SGA /: )

As always, I'm terrible at keeping up with LJ/IJ, so if you read a great SPN (gen or Sam/Dean) or SGA (John/Rodney) story in the past couple of months that you think I might like, I'd love it if you'd leave a comment with a link -- I'm sure there's tons of great stuff out there that I've missed!

For this semester, anyway. Last final was yesterday, grades will be available this Friday; nothing but work and a bit of time off for the next month, praise be to whom-/whatever.

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And -- oh miracle of miracles -- I actually managed to send out holiday cards this year. :::boggles::: (That's definitely this week's sign that the apocalypse is upon us.) So if you got a card from me out of the blue, I hope it didn't strike you as too terribly stalker-esque; I had your address saved in my contacts for one reason or another, and given my general lack of time at this stage, I simply went down my list of contacts and sent out cards to those I thought might still be somewhat current.

Some of my contacts were pretty old, so I didn't trust them and didn't send out cards; also, some I know have changed in the past year or two, so ditto there. If you're at all interested in receiving seasonal tidings, etc., drop me a line at katyabaturinsky at hotmail dot com and I'll post something in your general direction. :-)

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Oh, and nice article mentioning the MFU DVDs in my local paper last Friday, available online here. As the lead article of the entertainment section, it included a full-color photo of the disks and case, which sadly is not included in the online version; still, nice mention of NS and IK (the writer is clearly a fan, bless him).

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Also, here are a few SPN / and gen recs, and one SGA / rec -- I've been bad about missing stuff of late, so I'd love to hear recs for good fics that you've enjoyed (especially in SGA, which I know has had some nice pieces posted lately).

SPN gen:

The Skin Horse by kellifer_fic - Sam isn't the only one with powers; Dean's just kept his at bay for a while, but that's about to change. Wonderful characterization here, as there is in all of her SPN fic (and SGA, for that matter). (gen)

Silent Protest by eloise_bright - A quick snapshot of baby Sammy, young Dean and a frazzled John at the dinner table. Hilarious. (gen, obviously) She's one of my favorite writers in this fandom.

SPN /:

All is Bright by lyra_wing - A coda to 3x08, "A Very Supernatural Christmas." This is exactly what I see happening the minute the camera stopped rolling. Lovely. (Sam/Dean)

Leader of the Pack by astolat) - The year's up, and Dean's ready to face the music; Sam's not in agreement, however, and decides to take matters into his own hands. The consequences are terrifying -- albeit occasionally hilarious -- but Dean's pretty sure he can handle it. (Sam/Dean)

Driving Down the Darkness by nutkin - An epic look back at S1 through the lens of a slowly changing relationship between the boys. This is beautifully crafted and paced, with spot-on characterization and pitch-perfect voices for both Sam and Dean. Gorgeous work. (Sam/Dean)

SGA /:

Male Enhancement (The Soul and the Company Store Remix) by Leah (leahwoof) - John's a renegade AI who's gone off the grid and taken refuge with Rodney, who doesn't realize quite how unique his new "PlayFriend" truly is. It's a cracked-out premise, but this is actually quite a moving tale that nicely incorporates this A/U storyline with canon, all in a lovely long story that I couldn't put down. (Rodney/John)

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Off now to drive up to the lake and check on the house up there -- I'm sure there will be a mouse or ten in the traps :::shudder:::, and must check to make sure thieves haven't stripped out the copper piping in the basement. (Wonderful world we live in.) On the upside, however, my MFU DVD set should be waiting for me at the P.O. -- woo-hoo!

Most of these have been lingering on my desktop for weeks and weeks, so you've probably seen these stories rec'd elsewhere, with the possible exception of a few of the newer pieces. But on the off chance you haven't, ( click here for SGA and SPN / recs )

I know it has already passed, but belated best wishes anyway. I hope you had a wonderful day!

Apologies to all to whom I owe replies, communications of one sort or another -- I have not forgotten you, and I love you alllllll ::waves feebly:: -- but I'm in the midst of tax crunch at the moment (a dozen-plus combined & separate returns due 9/15, close to 30 due 10/15, and man, some of them are complicated, holy cow), plus school (and what genius decided midterms would be the week of 10/15? ::stabbity::)...and thus I have about as much energy as a wet dishrag these days, I'm sorry to say. Will try to muster up energy to actually interact this weekend.

In the meantime, have some SPN and SGA / recs (a couple of these are older, but one's new, as I indulged myself tonight):

Old Country by astolat - The Winchesters meet the wizarding world. Yeah, Dean thinks it's nuts too.
The clash of cultures is hilarious in this, and Dean is perfectly in character. (Sam/Dean)

Two Queens by belyste - Dean's finally had enough of everyone thinking he and Sam are a couple, and decides to change a few things. Dean's voice is so spot-on in this, it's amazing. (Sam/Dean)

Where You Want to Be by semivowel I adore the way she writes all of the SGA characters, especially John and Rodney. Nicely long and plotty, this is a treat from start to finish. (John/Rodney)

...to blktauna, who led me down the garden path of eternal damnation fandom and slash lo these many years ago. Hope you had a very happy day, doll -- maybe one of these years I'll actually make it down your way and we can have a belated celebration Little Poland-style. ;-) In the meantime, give all the boys a hug for me. (Especially Gaspard.)