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i am postponing the Animu Boston: Chinese Porno Cartoon Tragedy writeup for a few days, mostly because my brain is still a pile of slush swimming in beer and liquor, and also i forgot my camera so i am hoping other people will upload pictures of some of the fab things i saw/did over the weekend.
I BET YOU ARE ALL TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED.
so i am going to shower you all with
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bri_ecrit:We can all feel a little sucky about our writing ability sometimes. So this is the meme to try and deal with that. Comment here and I'll give you detailed love for as many of your fics as I can. Afterwards, post this in your own LJ and spread the love.
I EXPECT MANY COMMENTS FROM MY MORE WRITER-LY EL-JAY FRIENDS. EVEN IF YOU'VE ALREADY RESPONDED TO SOMEONE ELSE'S. EVEN IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE FIC TO YOUR NAME. THERE IS LOVE
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Date: 2010-04-08 03:02 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-04-08 07:31 pm (UTC)From:You can tell the sign of a good con, when the hangover takes several days to recover from lol!
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Date: 2010-04-10 08:50 pm (UTC)From:There's so much I love about your writing, both in style and plotting, but what really sticks out is the way you set a scene. Interregnum has a palpable sense of dread from the opening line, This is your Happy Ever After has joy practically bursting under the surface, and Nine Months feels...not confused but there is a real feel of disorientation/surprise in each chapter. On a 'macro' level there is also a great deal of well-done world building in Interregnum that is also presented in a very readable manner (unlike some writers, who have richly detailed worlds presented with all the eloquence of a history textbook
coughtolkiencough).Your dialog between characters is wonderful to read. Writing uh...i guess i'd have to call it 'witty banter' is difficult - more often than not, verbal duels tend to come off as forced and predictable, where the conversation has an obvious progression and conclusion. The conversations between Ivy and Siegfried are always a surprise; I never find any of the 'tells' that so often plague one-on-one conversations. The progression feels natural and unexpected at once.
I also admire the sexual undercurrents you put in your scenes - Ivy waking up Siegfried in the latest chapter in Interregnum comes to mind. Very sexually charged without using explicit language, and the way the tension is left unresolved makes the resulting 'sparring match' much more intense, both emotionally and physically.
BASCIALLY you are a wonderful writer and i am always glad to see new stuff from you, even if i am a bad e-friend and don't always comment ;(
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Date: 2010-04-13 10:09 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-04-09 02:57 am (UTC)From:(this goes for any other anons who write and are reading this, too. i - i don't bite!)
ANYWAY. meme! i can only talk about what you've written for Left 4 Dead, though... ^^;
One thing I love about your writing is the...how to say this...the indirect way you describe physical scenes. I find it most noticeable in sex scenes but it's also in action sequences, and, well, i guess everywhere, but ANYWAY. What I mean is, you...have sentences, word choices, that are extremely evocative - not just in a visual way but in an all senses way - that are also unique and original, but not...overbaked in the way 'indirect' writing sometimes becomes.
I also really admire the way you can charge simple moments - gestures, conversations, looks - with a great deal of emotional weight without using an excess of words. For example, this end for one of your music meme drabbles always stuck out for me, enough that I remember it months later:
They find the matches soaked through and useless, and Ellis throws them in a way that robs the air of any lingering warmth. Rochelle saves it, however, by offering the boy her waterproof boots, and Ellis laughs because, damn, Rochelle's feet are small.
Nick wonders, for a moment, why he was the only one to wrap his matches in plastic. He almost says something but instead thinks of signal flares, molotovs, cigarettes, and Ellis shakes and shivers because that's how things have to be.
So much said in a few sentences, there!
(not meme-related, but: i started on that Francis/Zoey request BUT it kind of blew up in my head to something all multi-chaptered and LONG and i wanted to wait until The Passing came out to see what happened to them post-game BUT since that seems to be delayed I'm waffling between what I want to do....just wanted to let you know i didn't forget/ignore your request. ^^; )
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Date: 2010-04-10 06:18 pm (UTC)From:I actually work ridiculously hard at that whole brevity thing. Tighten up those lines, you know? It's so heartwarming to know that my efforts haven't gone unnoticed. T_____T
I totally have to do this meme now... Everyone deserves to feel this good about their writing...!
(Non-Meme: Unffff! That's so good to hear! Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure it'll be amazing, and I cannot wait! Can I have a hint of what's on your mind? If not, that's fine! Now you've made me want The Passing again--yesterday, I was content to wait, curse you!--but now I need character interactions, you have no idea.)
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Date: 2010-04-08 07:50 pm (UTC)From:And LOL, the GLaDOS eyeball thingy. 8D
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Date: 2010-04-11 12:27 am (UTC)From:anyway
i can only talk about the one L4D2 Nick/Ellis PWP BUT THAT'S ENOUGH FOR PLENTIFUL SQUEEING.
you write some of the most satisfying PWP in the L4D fandom. You're explicit without crossing the line into obscene, detailed without becoming tedious, and I especially like how you can describe why a certain bit of foreplay or kink is appealing - the specific sex acts aren't just thrown in there because hey-i-guess-thats-what-happens-in-gay-sex.
And as far as Nick/Ellis interaction goes...I like how there's so much fun between them! In most N/E fic there's an awful lot of angst and dramallamas between the two before (and sometimes during) the sexytiems, which is fine, but L4D2 definitely has a humor-horror vibe to it and it's wonderful to read fic where that feeling is preserved.
IN CONCLUSION i would love to see more
PR0NSfic from you ;]no subject
Date: 2010-04-11 05:48 pm (UTC)From:Awwwwwwwwwwww. *feels loved* :D
Yeah, there's often too much angst and drama in N/E fics. I feel like if they were going to fuck, they'd have fun doing it. ;D I mean, it might be the last time they do it in their lives, right? Ahahaha.
More pr0ns will be coming, don't you worry. :3
And LOL, this is totally random, but I had a dream last night that you and I were like in a real-life Left 4 Dead. XD I remember we were in a saferoom, and a Smoker came up to the door. He tried to tongue me but I grabbed it before it got me and you shot him to death. XD And then somehow the saferoom door opened, and a Witch came in. Next thing I knew, it was dead on the floor. LOL, you were BADASS. XD I don't remember much else after that. ^_^;;
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Date: 2010-04-09 05:51 am (UTC)From:I can't go wrong with tentacle hugs, calamari or takoyaki. Oops...(I'll play)
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Date: 2010-04-11 09:45 pm (UTC)From:so. meme time!~
I think I've mentioned elsewhere how much I enjoy the way you write Siegfried, but it bears repeating: you write a wonderfully multi-faceted, layered Siegfried, one that manages to incorporate all of the different personalities Namco's foisted on the character in a way that is believable and natural, not forced. I'm especially fond of how...astute you write him - in Bitter Frost, even if he's not certain about Soulcalibur's motives/true nature, he's not completely blind to them, either. It's a much more interesting approach than the big dumb heroic swordsman archetype most other writers (including the game's :| ) slap onto him.
This is specific to the latest chapter of Bitter Frost, but I think your Hilde is pretty much perfect. Her speech, her confidence, her mannerisms are exactly what one would expect from someone in her position. And that you managed to write very formal dialog without it becoming overly ornate or needlessly complex is an impressive achievement. (I, for one, probably couldn't do it XD )
(sorry it took so long to reply, LJ bein' a douchebag & me being naturally pokey makes for slooooow replies ._. )
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Date: 2010-04-10 02:36 am (UTC)From:THISMY NAME SO THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH TO SAY, BUT YOUR ALLCAPS COMPEL ME TO OBEY I GUESSAhhhhhhhh that orb is fucking fantastic.
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Date: 2010-05-02 07:10 am (UTC)From:Country Fried has a level of sophistication and development that I have only seen from, literally, two other fic writers. (both who, I believe, were working on doctorates in English, fwiw) The dialog reads like things people would actually say, while the internal narration is consistently hilarious without being over-the-top or forced. I swear, the moment in Chapter 3 when Ellis blows up at Nick is one of the funniest things I've read in ages and it's one of the few times I could genuinely hear something written being 'said' by a character. (And really, your fic is full of those moments but that one was the first to come to mind.)
What else, what else...I am so impressed with the way you make the expected feel unexpected. In terms of plot progression, Country Fried is fairly standard but what makes it great is the fact that all of these developments feel natural; the drama and the angst and the sex and cuddly bits are all earned. There are lots of fics where Nick is reluctant and Nick and Ellis have a big gay fight after hot sex and then Ellis gets -gasp- HURT and Nick saves him in dramatic and violent fashion. Yours is the only one where these tropes don't feel forced. I am always surprised or touched or horrified or whatever it is i am supposed to feel reading your fic, instead of "Oh well okay then, get to the money shot now pls"
in short, your writing is amazing and you are amazing and tbh, the sheer quality of your work intimidates me a
lotlittle. XD that last part is no one's fault but my own, though.ANYWAY i hope you can finish chapter 6 soon~
I will see your dissertations and raise you a GED, other fanfic writers. Burn. lol. /douche
Date: 2010-05-03 04:34 am (UTC)From:I've tried my best to come up with a way to express my feelings regarding this comment without sounding like an asshole, but as I think we're the last ones here, I'm not going to bother:
For all of the other amazing things you said, I am inexpressibly thrilled with your comments about the plot progression. You've described with shocking precision the goals I hoped to meet with Country Fried. Like, down to the fucking letter. When I decided to write a fic for Jae's Christmas present, I set out to write what I most wanted to read, but could never find: A story that works Nick/Ellis organically into the narrative of the game itself, utilizing all those beloved tropes, but with believable adult characters and emotionally realistic development. I didn't want an experimental couture gown, I wanted a nicely tailored, classic little black dress. To be honest, I've never been certain that I could pull it off. While the feedback I've received has been immensely flattering, my dearest secret wish was for someone to really see the formula behind it, but praise the tailoring and construction. Now that someone has, I want to frame it and hang it on my wall forever.
Of course, I never meant for the fic to break 15,000 words or ever see the other side of New Orleans. Now that I've broken into post-game territory, my original goal is quickly becoming redundant and I may well crash and burn. 8D;; Having my dearest secret wish fulfilled is both exciting and horrible, because I can't not bring it to the ending I have in mind and the pressure is enormous. On the other hand, it provides even more motivation to carefully examine what I'm doing with the story out on my own. So! That's two favors I owe you, Ms Jaenea.
BTW: Once I have a full rough of chapter six, I'm going to post it in a flocked Dreamwidth entry, since only you, Anna, and Jae are on the list. When I do, please feel free to offer any criticism you want. -O- I will need it.
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Date: 2010-04-14 05:38 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-04-17 12:00 am (UTC)From:there are so many things I love about your writing, but what stands out most strongly (for me, anyway) is how defined your character's voices are - not just in dialog, though you write some of the sharpest conversation I've read in fic - but in internal thoughts as well. It's most clear when you write from Raphael's point of view, where you routinely capture not just his unique blend of logic and madness, love and hatred, but the eloquence and refinement one would expect with his background. In works like A Generous Love and Dark of Night, there's this...quality in the sheer structure, the word choice and the way you word sentences, that make me think: Yes, that is Raphael. It's distinct from Cassandra's voice, who's bright and forceful , and Kilik, who you write with so much suppressed longing and understated gentleness I could scream while reading him.
Also, what first struck me with your writing is the skill in which you subvert reader expectations. Sometimes, it's just a simple, devastating choice of words - She still suffered a deep, abiding love for her family from A Generous Love comes to mind - and sometimes, in fic like Nature, Nurture and Balance, the ending is the rarest and most satisfying kind - surprising but inevitable. You're one of the few authors where I am willing to read a trope I normally hate because time and again you have proven that you write for characters, not to fulfill plot conventions.
tl;dr: you have some of the best characterization I've read in fic, and you make the OC CHILDREN PLOX work. that's KIND OF AMAZING, NGL.
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Date: 2010-04-17 08:06 am (UTC)From:And you are far, far too kind—I worry about my characterizations liek whoa, so hearing that they don't totally suck is a huge pick-me-up (especially in terms of Raph—my GOD, is he a pain in the ass. Although I just wrote Siegfried for the first time and he's infinitely worse, at least for me).
And subverting tropes is just way, way too much fun; I blame my obsession with The Twilight Zone and horror fiction twist endings. If I can successfully pull it off, all the better. :)
(OC children are such a gamble; I barely even consider my work in the same category because TBH I could care less about the kid in "Nature, Nurture". I actually got a review asking what the kid's name was, and I was like, "...dude, I have no idea. I just popped a quarter into the chain of babies at the supermarket and this was the first one that came out.")