Chaz
New Orleans, LA USA
* Mason? Reyes? Get your asses out here. I need to punch somebody. *
Have I ever told you how much I love Jackie/Reyes because I do. I love how they're so different than the other couples you write, I love that they say things like “Save it so you can give me a baby. Save it for love” to one another and I love that their whole relationship is all about grabs for power and emotional denial.
They’re sexy, funny, hateful and totally in love with one another which makes me like them all the more. They’re becoming my favorites BJ so write another one-shot soon!
-Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 01:13:55 (EST)
Neece
Heat Is Back In Ft.Myers, FL USA
* It's all good in the Wood. *
Bj: lmao to the Male Revue - It was the third time that I went, and I swear - they get more X Rated ;-)
I understand that the tenderness involved in receiving oral is going to take some getting use to, and you're well on your way to finding out.
-Monday, March 08, 2010 at 14:58:50 (EST)
Wood
* It's all good in the Wood. *
Anika - I am sorry about it being cold im sure it will warm up soon... Even though its cold you can still have alot of fun there id love to visit Jamaica :)
-Sunday, March 07, 2010 at 21:36:57 (EST)
Anika (Het)
Jamaica
@Wood
It's not very warm currently, there's a cold front for over a week now.
-Sunday, March 07, 2010 at 20:30:40 (EST)
Wood
Neece - I agree with you too.... Although Bj's plan is to create confrontation but im ok with that and I like that she knows this. I am 100% honest with her even if it hurts me in my plan. Keep on tell her Neece :)...
-Wood
-Sunday, March 07, 2010 at 13:55:22 (EST)
Wood
Anika - Thank you for the comments I think you are 100% right :) I know you have to be loving it in Jamaica right now I wish I was there in the heat... and natural lol
-Wood
-Sunday, March 07, 2010 at 13:52:52 (EST)
Wood
Gypsi - Yes i have read her work everyday its amazing... I do feel like im an elephanant in her jungle here its amazing and love it. I think the same way you do. A woman should have the hair she is given its very beautiful. BJ's sent is amazing and drives me up the wall. I feel like an animal around her and thats why we have adopted this lifestyle. No clothing in the home and no shaving anything I think legs are ok to shave but im sure the legs will become hairy in time for BJ. About the deodorant it takes time I would say a week before it starts to feel good. I think it stays on your skin for a long period of time. I recommend not rushing and relaxing and thinking its natural its the way its supposed to be. I can smell when I start to get aroused now. Sometimes I smell her scent on me :)... Sorry if i went on and on but I think that should answer your questions :)...
_Wood
-Sunday, March 07, 2010 at 13:51:00 (EST)
Anika (Het)
* It's all good in the Wood. *
@BJ the poor phone would prolly melt
but first you have to get up off of your ass and enlist.
working on it, I swear!
-Sunday, March 07, 2010 at 01:15:09 (EST)
bj thornton
Need To Unleash, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Anika: that picture is the only stimulation i have these days, so i take it with me wherever i go. i don't know why i don't have it on my phone. :)
@ Gypsi: isn't it weird though that he's here? i'm not complaining; i'm just sayin'. to my knowledge, Wood only reads my blog and some of the stories that i point out to him. since i've known him, that's been the last chapter of LTD, some Arthur & Gwen, and Jackie & Reyes.
@ Neece: wow about that male revue! shit, the ones that i've been to are like a broadway show. you don't actually get close to them, damn. regarding the embarrassment of getting off, for me, it's only with that particular way. i dunno, i just can't deal with laying there and all that tenderness and shit. i know it's some kind of block because it's not like i don't like it; the cringe factor isn't in the physical part. the Irishman was trying to break me off of that, but that was near the end of our thing. :shrugs: i'd rather get laid any day.
beej
-Saturday, March 06, 2010 at 17:06:47 (EST)
Neece
30Degrees In Fort Myers, FL USA
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
*Hey Wood!*
@Bj: I've been reading your tinkering, and your last one struck a chord with me. The expectation of being hurt by another in relationships and the self-conscious of being pleased...Two months ago, I went out to a male revue with my sister and some other family members and the 'entertainment' was in full effect! During one act, the performer finished one of the women off on stage with his hands and LICKS his fingers! Women were losing their minds and throwing cash all over the place, but the chick on stage was hiding her face with her shirt and you could see her chest rising and falling/her back was arched - we all knew what happened but her reaction puzzled me. It got me thinking, 'why was she embrassed?'
Getting off shouldn't be something to be embrassed by - we should embrace it because The Sh*t is Amazing! To connect with another person(or yourself) in that way is really a gift. So, I say let Wood continue to read you like sheet music - I know from experience that learning to read sheet music may be hard at first, but the more you read it, the easier it becomes to understand and you'll soon be able to making sweet music from it
;-)
-Saturday, March 06, 2010 at 01:26:53 (EST)
Gypsi
Bx, NY *It's all good in the Wood*
Hey Wood! It's so weird that just a few wks ago we were two centing about you with BJ and now you're here. I don't know how to feel about that. It's like the big elephant is in the room. But since you're here, I like you as long as BJ likes you. Have you read her writing works? If yes, what would you say is your favorite and why? Also, I like the whole natural thing. I wish more men would tell women to grow back their vagina hairs and just be women. It freaks me out to hear that men actually like a woman with a vagina that looks like a child's. *Shivers* I also like the idea about going without the artificial scents. I like perfume, but I do think people miss out when they can't smell their mates true scent b/c it's covered up by perfume and they start to think that's how their mate really smells or starts to think their natural scent is wrong. I do feel deodorant is needed. I tried the natural ones and it just wasn't good.
-Friday, March 05, 2010 at 21:37:24 (EST)
Anika (Het)
Jamaica
* It's all good in the Wood. *
You and that pic! I can't..it's cold and I ain't got no one to warm me up.
As a firm believer in not letting past hurt hold you back, I'm glad you're giving this the good ol college.
-Friday, March 05, 2010 at 19:02:51 (EST)
bj thornton
Overbooked, AL USA
* It's all good in the Wood. *
@intellectual: lol, no apologies, the point of a pub address is that you can come when you wanna. :) LTD is off in boot camp shaping up to be a real novel. dunno for sure when i will release it but by Fall at the latest and with an epilogue.
@Wood: "imagine your on top of me sitting on my stomach..." AAAAAND you lost me again. don't think i don't know what you're up to, coming in here, talking about clench-worthy stuff and riling me up!
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. now i've got the shakes, shit.
beej
-Friday, March 05, 2010 at 16:20:15 (EST)
intellectual titmouse or just Teri
Jersey City, NJ USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
sup, lady! been a minute since i wrote you a 'hello' and no time like the present. been a while since i've been here in general (sorry for that). feeling kinda weird and your writing always cheers me up, so i came over to re-read my fave (the way you play it). and *gasp* dominoes is gone! i know you probably have an entry addressing it, but i thought i'd show my shock-n-horror over it as well.
-Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 23:03:22 (EST)
Wood
Matel - I still enjoy wearing clothing I just dont condone it in the house especially if kink is involved. I am sure you guys dont know the whole story and never will but.... with her just the smell of her near me drives me wild. Especially since shes naked and natural my pheromones go wild along with hers are so intense. But I think the rest should be locked away :) youll have to fill in the blanks from there hehe...
-Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 22:40:59 (EST)
Wood
* It's all good in the Wood. *
BJ - Full mount is easy... imagine your on top of me sitting on my stomach. Your legs would wrap around my waist (high) from the top of my hips to the lowest part of my ribs. From there you would squeeze and I would have little if any control at all.
-Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 22:36:20 (EST)
Wood
Dear Mae,
No I am not self conscious at all. If I am home I am free to be how ever I like. Being in my skin and showing it feels amazing. Its so nice to see a reaction from BJ of how my body reacts to her if you know what I mean. Feel free to ask more questions if I didnt answer it :)
-Wood
-Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 17:29:00 (EST)
bj thornton
Busy, AL USA
* It's all good in the Wood. *
@Mae: lmao. i am self-conscious but not nearly as much as i used to be. i'm hard pressed to believe that anyone could lack self-consciousness completely. for me, though, i think there is a disconnect between what i may/may not like about my appearance, what other people may think, and how that affects my mood. typically, i decide on an attitude before i approach people or a situation, so what they think bounces off of me. on the other hand, if my mood sinks internally, i get in a headlock, but still that doesn't much affect my self-confidence, i guess. there's only like, three people who can touch my confidence really, but i don't know if that's a good thing about me. because i pick out a swagger and i roll with it like armor. so getting out of the car and facing Wood came down to two things: 1)putting on my armor (bitchface), and 2) contemplating a realistic end game. a man coming out of his house naked to meet me meant that i was getting laid. worst case scenario was that he would display disinterest show an interest in doing it again, and i'd realize, "okay, he's not really attracted to me; i'll go home." worse things have happened. but it was not magical "i'm too sexy" confidence that got me out of the car. it was a willingness to see what would happen if i did, no matter what that was. and actually, getting over the big reveal fast like that was really relaxing in the end.
have fun with Aggie. :)
beej
-Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 16:07:47 (EST)
Mae
USA
@ Wood and Beej: Wow so you're officially my favorite couple on this site and not even made up. Sweet. Thanks for telling my about your sister, a model? Lol she's too pretty for me then. BUT I hope it's still Ask A Question Day because i would like to know if you are both self conscious? I feel like beej will say no since I read the blog but what about you, Wood? Asking because there is No Way I could get naked out of a car. And I do water sports so i'm in a bikini alot but not the same. Which beej is one reason you rock is you go for it. Sorry I'm kind of drunk right now waiting for Aggie!! Going on Spring Break to Tahoe. I'll get her to come back and say something.
Mae
-Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 21:59:09 (EST)
bj thornton
Overbooked, AL USA
LMFAO peeps. i almost don't know where to start.
@lovethewombats: making him handcuff himself is a good idea. i was wondering how i would manage it. Wood said he'd teach me to be sly and quiet with the cuffs, but i don't trust him. he's being too helpful and instructive and thus obviously not scared at all of the threat that i pose. good question about the nudity, btw. i kind of wondered the same thing myself but didn't ask since i stood to suffer from a bum answer.
@MIE: "the wonderful malfunction that is Jackie and Reyes." i'm glad you feel that way as i'll probably be writing quite a bit about them soonish in the attempt to clear my head of...
Wood. :sighs: i dunno what i'm going to do with you, coming up in here spreading around advice and charm and shit. you're like, the poster child for kink, lmao. i agree on a) the merits of being the way that you're supposed to be. it was very empowering for me to be just exactly myself and to be wanted like that; and b) the fact that being nekkid a lot enhances the sexy. you don't have to guess how much a dude is feeling you when you can see and touch it. regarding your grappling tips, you lost me at "full mount." i didn't hear anything else but my own speculations after that. you can give me a demonstration later.
@Matel: lmao about your sister! omg, my younger sisters were very close in age and used to beat each other to a pulp. re: Wood being a threat to capitalism, you have a point. right off the top of my head, i can't think of anything that i would rather be wearing than him.
hee.
beej
-Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 18:39:08 (EST)
Matel
Prozacville, My Bed Blah land
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
Hellooo
*furiously taking notes at lovethewombats and Wood (Oh Hi by the way!!!). I need to try the techniques on my sister, just for fun of course. She's that huge and i'm tiny, so I suffered a lot growing up. Worse thing : I'm the freaking oldest in the family!!!*
And lol Wood, I think you could lead the whole clothing economy to bankruptcy with your way of life. You are a threat to capitalism. Big Brother's watching you.
Interesting theory though.
-Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 13:58:05 (EST)
Wood
Dear my beloved,
A good technique for grappling and ground fighting is to gain the upper hand you move towards the persons head that you are trying to control. The most powerful position is "full mount" say you got to this point... you legs would be wrapped around the top of my hips and below my ribs interlocked with feet for a tight squeeze. If you also were to somehow have my hands locked in as well under your legs you would have the perfect position and I could not gain the upper hand in anyway. I hope I was able to give you some pointers for the upcoming events lol tickets should be sold to this show! lol its going to be insane fun.
Miss you,
Wood
-Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 00:29:42 (EST)
Wood
Dear lovethewombats,
Being nude never stops being sexy, its about being able to take what I desire most at anytime I want. I have a great desire to be the way im supposed to be. I dont think clothing should be involved in the house. Thats why we also take enjoyment in being outside even when its cold or hot because of the different feelings. Hope I answered your question.
-Wood
-Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 00:19:31 (EST)
MIE
in class, ca usa
* Mason? Reyes? Get your asses out here. I need to punch somebody. *
I came to comment on the wonderful malfunction that is Jackie and Reyes, but I got sidetracked by reading other peoples comments. Now I don't remember what I wanted to say besides I need to find a pair of handcuffs, a harness and a fine man as soon as possible. Oh and I would feel like a major tool if I didn't say hello to Wood. Hello Wood.
-Tuesday, March 02, 2010 at 17:27:31 (EST)
lovethewombats
Navy, yes ma'am. didn't mean a technical shoulder lock but if you get one arm around his shoulder and one around his neck from behind, you'll have a leg up. and you can make him handcuff himself. :) lol i think this is the first thing i have a good comment for since i don't know anything about writing and just usually say "like the story thanks." since it's Ask Wood Questions Day, i have one.
Dear Wood, Hi. How are you? I had my reservations at first but you have grown on me. My question is, why be nude so much? Doesn't it stop being sexy?
ta.
-Tuesday, March 02, 2010 at 13:28:51 (EST)
bj thornton
Amused, AL USA
* I need a big steamy plate of sweet baby Jake. *
@lovethewombats: okay, the shoulder lock that i googled does look hard and painful, girl. aren't you in the Navy? you've probably had training. not me so much, lol.
@ Wood: since you're taking questions, i would like to know the technique for how to roll from under to on top of, oh let's say, a really tall dude. thanks.
beej
-Tuesday, March 02, 2010 at 12:17:39 (EST)
lovethewombats
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
get him in a shoulder lock, beej. it's not that hard. :)
-Tuesday, March 02, 2010 at 04:55:12 (EST)
Wood
Alabama US
Mae, I do have a Sister but she knows nothing of this lifestyle she actually models in L.A. shes very pretty. I am a lucky guy to have a Sister like her I miss her.
PS - Stun guns are out of the question! LOL
-Monday, March 01, 2010 at 23:59:04 (EST)
bj thornton
Bad Bama Jamma, AL USA
* I like big Troys and I cannot lie. *
dance class preempted today. bummed.
@ Mae: LMFAO. Wood does have a sister but i don't think kink runs in his family, so to speak.
the stun gun story: so in the kinky comm, i started a thread to see if any of the other ladies had tips on how to subdue a giant. i mean, there's dominatrixes galore on there so i figured somebody had to have been in my shoes before, right? wrong, so far. i guess most men just volunteer to lay there. one chick suggested, "stun gun. from behind." when Wood asked about what i'd been up to yesterday, i mentioned the thread, and he said, "hmm. well, if you ever do that to me, i'll never see you again." i was like, not planning on it. i told the stun gun girl, "do unto others..." etc. so Wood said that he was going to leave his own comment. i told him not to get smart, and he said that he planned to be encouraging but clear that stun guns are not something to joke about. anyway, so he asked if i'd read his comment, and i didn't see it. time went by, then i got a guestbook email, and then i laughed my ass off when i saw that he'd commented in two cents. we talk a lot about what i write about him, so i guess he thought the thread was here on the site. i was like, "jesus, Wood, the guestbook girls are going to freak out." and he was like, "why? i was very definitely anti stun gun." yet another reason why i find him so delightful. these kinds of conversations are a writer's gold.
now that it's out there, if anyone does have any tips for how to sneak up on a giant, holla.
beej
-Monday, March 01, 2010 at 16:17:15 (EST)
Mae
USA
beej, I feel like Caris right now, and I'm going for it.
Wood, um, Hi. You have a brother? I'll take a sister. We can work something out. A cousin would be fine too. Let me know. Okay, thanks.
:o) Love, Mae
PS beej, gotta ask... a stun gun?
-Monday, March 01, 2010 at 13:29:39 (EST)
bj thornton
Amused, AL USA
@ nuri: yes, "leaving marks comes in many different types of packaging," as does love. and Jackie/Reyes is love undercover, i think.
@ Mae: well, that was cute for the story, but in real life, i can't do anything to Wood that i wouldn't want done to me.
which is why @ Wood: even if i knew where to get a stun gun, i wouldn't. that chick was talking out of her ass. and next time, leave your encouraging comments in the right place, silly boy.
beej
-Monday, March 01, 2010 at 00:47:26 (EST)
Wood
Alabama US
Well I am amazed at the responses. I cant wait to see you again baby I miss you and wish you were here with me. I need all of you to give her some good ideas. Anything goes... but please no stun gun... you can loose bodily functions lol. Bye BABY!
-Monday, March 01, 2010 at 00:10:38 (EST)
Mae
USA
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
Beej and Wood, sitting in a tree, f-u-c-k-i-n-g. :) Probably not supposed to be super cute, but it's Super Cute! Hang in there. I think you're doing fine. Very excited for if you tie him down and if there is a choke chain involved like Jacks. Yes, read it, loved it. I lassoed a guy once, only for a few seconds, but it was fun.
-Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 14:16:19 (EST)
nuri
* Mason? Reyes? Get your asses out here. I need to punch somebody. *
new jackie/reyes, new jackie/reyes!
i just had to come fangirl for a sec. haven't read it yet, but welcomed surprise.
and ita on everything said about graphicness. leaving marks comes in many different types of packaging.
-Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 00:14:36 (EST)
bj thornton
Woody, AL USA
@ Gypsi: re: why i don't write really graphic sex scenes. what you said here sums it up: "I love a good detailed love scene too, but when a writer details emotions as well in love scenes( as you did in many of your stories) it takes the love scene to another and deeper level."
to me, sex scenes, like arguments and classic romantic comedy misunderstandings, are supposed to be in the service of the story, and a story is supposed to feel organic in terms of plot development and style even if the premise is a little extraordinary. like, it's not everyday that a girl moves in with two gorgeous men, falls in love with one and befriends the other. but the way i wrote LTD, the characters all interacted the way that you and i interact with people, for the most part, and that's what makes a story feel real.
in a lot of romances that i've read, the sex scenes feel like a departure from the main plot line and almost like a dirty indulgence for the reader. the sex is usually extra nasty or else extra lovey dovey, and then the story goes back to the romance almost as if to say, "this is the part that you are supposed to take seriously, reader. the sex was just a side dish," and i don't like that. i think sex is something to take seriously, or to laugh about, or to cry about, or to react to the same way that a character reacts to everything else. sex deserves the same tone and literary trappings. so i try to keep my sex scenes in the flow of the way that i write everything else, with the same level of character introspection and nuance and significance. i try to be sparing with heavily loaded sex words and i avoid euphemisms like "her nether lips" and "his love shaft." playing hands off with naming sexual parts is suggesting that there is something intrinsically disdainful about the body, and there isn't. at the same time, the story of sex isn't in the body parts but in how the body feels, how the heart feels, how the mind reels, and how the lovers intended all of that to happen. sex is only as good as what we mean by it, is my motto, and that's what i aim for when i write.
so far in my writing, i've mostly had loving and inclusive sex scenes because i've been writing about people who fall in love. as i begin to write about people who are in love already or people who are struggling to love, the sex will be different, but those will probably be limited run projects here on the site, free stuff. i mean, i'm a romance writer, and women pay for the experience of falling in love. as a reflection of my own life, hmm... i borrow most of my sexual scenarios from things that i've done, but then i import the details into true love scenes that i've never felt. i've been in love, once, but it wasn't true love. by true, i don't mean perfect and lasting forever, but i mean a love that can't be denied. a love that you can't talk yourself out of. you can walk away from it, but you'll know without a doubt what you gave up, and it will haunt you. i want to believe that love can be like that, even if i don't get to keep it forever. actually, i just want to believe that romantic love can be stronger than me because so far, i've been able to walk away from men and stop hurting like the love never happened. family love and friend love have both left deep marks on me, but not the love of a man so far. so i write about that because i want to see it manifested.
which brings me to Wood. i would love it if he left a mark on me, not a bad one but a lasting one, and he seems intent upon doing that. you were right about invoking Lucas on this one; the similarities grow all the time. yesterday, i think, i asked him if he's been sleeping well because of his schedule. he said, "not really. i keep looking over thinking you'll be there." that's what it is to him, to miss me. it's physical but not just physical. he fucks like a pro and snuggles like an old married man; i don't know what to make of that shit. but you're right about this: "Sometimes the people we meet are not suppose to be there forever, but while they are there, they help us grow and become better and stronger even if at first it seems like there are f**king us up." that's what i'm rolling with and hoping to take away from this. Wood is only fucking with the things in me that need some straightening, so even if i resist and go batshit and run him off, i'll be that much more ready for the next go round, and that's something to be grateful for.
thanks for your great question/comment.
beej
-Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 22:39:10 (EST)
Gypsi
Bx, NY
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
I really think that Wood is really into you. And I do agree that you need to push back and try to get him angry. He might back off, but that's ok because if he comes back you know he's for real. I think Wood is a good guy just from what I heard. He's honest and he's thinking about you two being together in the future. He might not be contacting you all the time , but that could be because he wants to give you some space. He might be really crazy about you, but doesn't want to push too hard in fear that you will go away. Sometimes the people we meet are not suppose to be there forever, but while they are there, they help us grow and become better and stronger even if at first it seems like there are f**king us up.
I'll admit, I never been in a serious relationship and it's because I'm scared of getting hurt. Well, that and the fact that I want a certain type of guy and can't seem to find that kind of guy that's attracted to me as I am to him. But if I wasn't so scared, I would probably have had that by now. So I say, give him a chance. But hey, this is coming from a woman who's afraid to approach guys so I admire you for being so open with yourself to other people.
Also, I have a writer's question. It seems to me that you are very open sexually and comfortable in your skin. Yet, I notice that in your stories, the love making is loving and sweet and not overly graphic. I like that because so many other romance novelists these days are so graphic with their sex scenes. It's sometimes good to read, but sometimes I just feel that it's a little too much sex and not lovin', know what I mean. I love a good detailed love scene too, but when a writer details emotions as well in love scenes( as you did in many of your stories) it takes the love scene to another and deeper level. When you write your love scenes, do you write them like that because you agree that being too graphic is not necessary or that you feel you might scare us readers away? Do you feel that it's not you to write sex scenes in a way that may or may not reflect your real life?
-Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 18:39:08 (EST)
bj thornton
Dull Monday, AL USA
@ dusty: shaving your head to piss off a sister is BOSS. re: Morgana, i completely agree that is she like a Greek tragedy. i can't hate her because she's suffering from hidden choices that weren't even hers to make, all that Uther did, and whatever happened with her father and Morgause. but i also do find her scary because i think that her dark side is going to spring from excessive fervor instead of from lacking heart, like Uther. with Morgs, i see her trying too hard and destroying things like a giant trying to pet a butterfly.
@ Matel: i read up on Prince Mark and it said that he was a first class jerk, so i went for it, lol. it's nice way to put Arthur's pratitis into perspective, because Arthur could have been a serious ass. re: "nappy hoe," i like it; pretty much sums up my two of my main traits, lol. re: "I think you act like the guy in the relationship with all the distant behaviour and control while thinking like the woman with all the self questioning and fear to fuck it all up. So maybe you should try to relax and enjoy." yeah, i'm trying to do that and am failing so far. can't seem to relax this constant vigil against letting someone else get the upper hand. ah well, if i fuck it up, it won't be the first time, and at least the weekend would have been worth it.
beej
-Monday, February 22, 2010 at 15:15:18 (EST)
Matel
Prozacville, Work Sleepyland
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
Hellooo
@ dusty : dude, seriously, stop readin my thougths, they ARE private! Lol, no seriously I love your take on Morgana and the different relationships presented in the story. Love.
If your Morgana had been male she would have been Hannibal and Cesar rolled into one. Power hungry, ruthless, cruel. Loved the new tack, dusty said everything so I won't act like the two cents sponsored parrot, just wanna say that I really appreciate the flow of the writing and the realness and sometimes darkness you bring to your realm. And you made Tristan's daddy look like a complete tool! Ballsy much?
Concernin the hair, I'm one of the so called 'nappy hoes' (can't remember the guy who said that, it was meant to be racist but it makes me laugh everytime. It's bad I know), I permeated it once when I was a kid cause my mum wanted me to be like everyone else (my mum is something else, I think she would get along well with yours. Guilt trip is her MO) but now thanks to my parents heritage my hair is a bit like yours with a small tinge of Erykah Badu's thickness. However, my lazy self doesn't like taking care of it so I do cornbraids instead. I don't really care about how I look but hair is the only girly thing i indulge in although a dream of mine would be to shave it all up but I'm freaked out it's not gonna come back again so it's still gonna be a dream for a couple of years.
The more you write about Wood, the more I like him. He's fun and a real zen dude. Just like Gwen needs a good dose of Arthuritis Pratitis maybe you should indulge yourself with a good dose of cool cattitude and take it a day at a time, letting the ships fall where they may. Feel free to tell me if I cross the line but I think you act like the guy in the relationship with all the distant behaviour and control while thinking like the woman with all the self questioning and fear to fuck it all up. So maybe you should try to relax and enjoy, not thinking if it's the real deal or not. Easier said than done I know, but he obviously likes you the way you are, and he took it all in stride while you judge and dissect his every move and that's before he even threw you anything at all, lol, so maybe you should take it in stride as well and let go a bit (granted not good for the ego), it doesen't always have to be a battle of wills. This way you could teach Wood to let go of his spartan attitude and mode de vie and transfer his fiery in bed to the other parts of his life. It's win-win even if you don't stay together.
And as a seasoned second-guesser, i guess we always have to go through all the twisty detours before hitting the direct route (cause you know, where's the fun in not torturing your freaking mind?!) so maybe your friend passive aggressive mode is because she feels a bit left out. dunno my two cents :)
Anyhoo, thanks for the update and good luck for LTD. I still haven't read it. My mind doesn't wanna compute with it being the end so I keep it for when I'll be in a very happy place so I won't get depressed at the end of the read.
Take care
-Monday, February 22, 2010 at 14:20:26 (EST)
dusty
Canada, Canada
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
In regards to hair, reading all the comments…I have had it shaved (mainly to piss of my half sister, who insisted on me being in her wedding party, years later I still giggle about it.... super perfect people annoy me), have donated it to my bosses wig during cancer and am back to very long, in all the stages and in btw., there is always thoughts of, maybe if you.. then your hair... would look... Genetically I went after my white side, not my Chinese side, thus frizz and my hair are the best of friends, despite my objection (not to mention a few other annoying kinks). There are days, I have accepted my faith, true happiness with my hair will never be found, other days I curse and Nobel prize to the person who invented the elastic band.
Back to my original reason for posting.... Morgana, she is turning into a complex character and my thoughts on her are all over the place. You can’t even hate her, but more fear her. She reminds me of an ocean, all calm and perfect and underneath the volcano is about to erupt destroying everything in its path. With all her court finesse, intelligence, she could embrace her powers and neutralize Uther, until the day her “brother” becomes king and help create the Camelot she would want. It almost looks as if she replaces Morgause with Uther in some way, I don not believe that she is truly evil, but a puppet, a bit of a Greek tragedy. In her hate, not only would she hit Uther by lightening if she could, she would probably strike all of Camelot. In her hate she does not discriminate. It is as if she resents Uther that he is top dog and not herself. For all the bravado and public perfection, she seems weak in character, aimless, easily to be influenced, incapable of stepping outside of her own needs (thus her weakness). It leaves her more vulnerable to Morgause: “Come here and I give you want you want Morgana.” Not realizing that if she is to give in, she will give Morgause what she really wants and not what Morgana wants. Her need to have Gwen remain in her realm, as she currently is, is almost frantic, obsessive. “As a child the things that are mine” now that spoke volumes. Where as Arthur would have sent Gwen from ear and eye sight and then dealt with Mark. Morgana had a display of power, look who I am, look what I can do. If you really have it, you don’t have to show it…. It is odd, that Morgana never really noticed Gwen and Arthur becoming closer, for a woman who is very adept at court intrigue. Arthur best remember his childhood squabbles and how to outmaneuver sister dearest. Interestingly enough, despite Gwen being devoted to Morgana, she does not trust her enough with the dealings/feelings she has for Arthur. Does Gwen deep down know something is just not kosher? Is it part of a catalyzed for Gwen, realizing the whole she is. It is almost if Gwen subconsciously has picked a side, she just has not realized it.
You got to feel for Arthur, Gwen is a warm and caring person to all, to date, he only gets that benefit when he is injured and or weak in some form. Granted there are ulterior self serving motives for Arthur, but him wanting to find out Gwen’s birth father, is in contrast to Morgana, Arthur sees Gwen as his equal, he also knows for them to be together, she needs the formalities, to fill the norms set by the court they live in. He is a warlord, see the goal and strategically move towards it. When Arthur speaks of her ““Your beauty, your grace, your fine mind, and—” he sees her true her, however Gwen herself is not there yet… On a side note, Gwen trusted Arthur with this information, but never Morgana. It might have been the first leap of faith she has taken with him. I know I had a gazillion things to say and I hope it makes sense or some of it. It is a great in btw the line story to read and I am enjoying it tremendously. Thank you for sharing!
-Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 23:53:26 (EST)
bj thornton
Kinky, AL USA
@ Mae: i dunno why, but Wood's good qualities stand out when i write about him. it's like reading what he says the second time, i go, "damn, he comes up with some shit, doesn't he?" whereas the first time around, i'm only scrutiny mode and trying to see if he could mean something shady by what he's saying. so i will likely continue to write about him just to keep up a sense of balance, lol. re: hair, OMG MY EX WANTED LOCKS TOO. the Irishman; he was not blonde but White, and he was desperate for them. i NEVER understood that and was constantly trying to talk him out of it. he even started getting his hair corn-rowed for awhile. i was like dude, if you want a fresh haircut, go get your regular hair cut awesomely. he had a good head of hair for a guy, but he would always go to the barber and come back with the standard SuperCuts White Guy Style #5. :shrugs: lmao, with him, it was definitely grass is greener syndrome. thanks for all your cool comments. :)
beej
-Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 14:59:40 (EST)
Mae
USA
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
It's mymadeupname again. :) I hope you tell us more about Wood. It's my must see TV, lol. I think Tori was being a good friend BUT i think she could have said that before and not after. why take away the heart shaped glasses after you had a good time? Not Cool.
Long story warning about your hair (if you can't tell, i really like your blog, lol): I came here because my friend Aggie was reading "Preaching To The Choir". I was reading it on the other site but I didn't finish so I found it here. maybe a year later lol but i did really like it ahd Aggie had moved back to Puerto Rico and i missed her. Aggie is half Black and half Puerto Rican and we are both smartie butts like Michaela. We did a lot of water sports, and Aggie had her hair in braids or else she would get a blow out but she didn't like it anyway. i told her all the time "Aggs, get dreadlocks!" i wanted them so bad for myself lol because i have very fine blonde hair. So me and Aggie got some together. I thought i was going to look like Angelina Jolie from "Gone In Sixty Seconds" and..... let's just say i didn't! roflmao. i got a buzz cut but Aggie still has heres, and they turned red!! So Cool. I was very jealous. So Aggie used to come to my house a lot because she couldn't go to Fajardo for dinner, lol. My mom is a rich White lady who loves Oprah but doesn't know any Black people if you know the type. So after that movie "Good Hair", my mom yelled at me about those dreadlocks that i tried to get!! She said I was so insensitive, and me and Aggie lost our shit completely. My mom was SO mad that we laughed at her like that. But I saw that movie and my favorite part was the chemist with the soda can and then Chris Rock said, "That is a good perm." So Funny. But if anyone wants my stupid hair, you can have it, lol. The grass is always greener, right? Thanks for all your cool blogs.
Mae
-Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 12:33:34 (EST)
bj thornton
Kinky, AL USA
* Lucas needs to lay it on me. NOW. *
lmao, if "kinky" isn't the catch all, be all phrase around this joint, i don't know what.hahahaahh
@ Neece: the Bob Marley hair? oh man, see if you can find a picture similar to it so i can see that. i'm going to assume that if you're using a kinky weave, you want something low maintenance and something with a crisply defined style that won't just look like it's going everywhere. i'm not a natural stylista, but i use a braid-out for a structured style. the picture of me in the 80s shirt is the only example that i have up there, but i've improved my braid-out technique since then. i'll do one this weekend and post a picture, but basically it looks like fingerwaves. it falls and swings and stays neat three or four days, and i don't even tie my hair up at night or put anything on it. but this is how i do my braid-out: wash, condition, aloe vera, then i get out and plait my hair into about thirty small braids. i put a side part or a middle part in the front for style, and then i part my hair with my fingers, staggering the parts like bricks. then i go to sleep and let it fully dry. in the morning, i unbraid it but it's more like unraveling it and trying let each braid separate into three neat strands. shuffle it around to conceal wicked part lines (which i always have because i don't part with a comb), and then that's it. i suggest a braid-out because you can always try it two days before you go to get your hair done just to see if it works for you. and if you hate it, go get your hair done again, lol.
@ Het: omg, my hair knots like crazy too. that's part of the reason i don't fuck with combs. trying to keep knots out of my hair is like trying to sieve sand out of the ocean. No Poo has worked really well for me i think because i have sensitive skin anyway. the less stuff i put on my skin the better. the main thing that i will say about No Poo is that it doesn't work very well if you are attached to petroleum based styling products. when i first tried No Poo, i was still using anti-frizz serums and VO5 and shit, and the way that stuff sticks to your hair, you have to use shampoo to get it out. but there are a bunch of Low Poo lines that have come out with hair care products that match them, and i would advise them to anyone rocking a 'fro. to me, the fro is fragile and delicate and airy, requiring a light touch. it naturally wants to ruffle up like bird feathers; weighing it down is telling it not to be itself, and a lot of the women who ask me about my hair don't seem to get that. they are still thinking, i have to tame my hair to do that when in reality, my hair tells me what it's going to do and i either comply with a hair tie or i don't. UGH TO JHERRI CURLS! i went through that madness for a couple of years. no hair style ever required more products, youch. i almost got locks once too. i made the appointment and all, but when i showed up, the locktician wasn't there, and i took it as a sign, lol. the only reason that i still regret it is because i was going to get my locks dipped in pink, and i still want the pink! i'm just, you know, phobic of hair salons.
@ nuri: "i'd relearn how to work with it so as not to raise my blood pressure." yeah, my first couple of years were frustrating because no one that i knew was wearing a natural and so i had to figure it out myself, and i kept coming at my 'fro with a "tame your hair" approach. again, when women ask me about my hair, after they make the face, they usually say, "well, mine wouldn't do that anyway. your grade of hair is 'better' than mine," and bullshit, bullshit. hair grading rules are geared toward what responds well to relaxers. softer, more porous hair gets mushy with a relaxer and always seems to be a bird's nest dry and nappy or relaxed and wet. then even when a 'fro is fresh off the chopping block, it's short and in shock and is usually getting combed and oiled within an inch of its life. i had to untrain my hair from products and styling to let it find its curl pattern. because it would look all spiral and awesome wet and then it would dry into a cloud. i had to adjust products and figure out what was leeching the moisture out of it and what was disrupting the curls. it took a few weeks for my hair to find its own way, but that's what i have now, virtually self maintaining hair. it's not so different from the way that dreadlocks form. our hair wants to spiral together into tendrils; finger combing it is the only thing that keeps me at curls and not at dreads. but the hair care is about the same.
as far as dealing with the really short hair, i think that's the main thing that keeps a lot of women from trying it. i mean, once you cut off your hair, you are stuck there until it grows, and what if you hate it? truth to be told, i didn't have the face for a really short fro. it didn't look super cute on me, but twists did, and as soon as i had a little height on the top, i was in business. those first couple of months were about getting over it and relearning my face, actually, before i relearned my hair. i'm not a proponent of natural is the "right" way to go. i'd rock a sleek pompadour ponytail more than once a year if i thought that three hours of styling were worth one day of Rockabilly chic. but imo, there's no substitute for knowing what your hair was supposed to look like. choosing straight hair should be like choosing a haircolor. i mean, it should be a choice not a compulsion because women are so scared that they'll be ugly with what God gave them. that shit just breaks my heart.
to everyone: the hair thing, to me, is like the weight thing. wherever you are scared of something, you will walk and talk scared, and that affects your attractiveness before anything else about you. being fierce is always eye-catching though. fierce comes in a lot of packages and turns heads every time. the thing you have to understand is that when you stop being scared of shit, all the mean eyeballs that are sinking their teeth into you now won't matter anymore. the men who don't notice you now are not really going to start noticing you on the other side, but you won't care anymore. that's what you have to look forward to, shaking that weight off of your shoulders finally, not becoming popular but becoming carefree and awesome. you will attract a whole new set of people who are drawn to awesomeness, and you will develop a taste for what is rich and deep and exciting and bold and whatever else floats your boat, and that right there is what a life is supposed to consist of. life is supposed to taste good, and you owe yourself that before its over. if you don't taste it, you don't have anybody to blame but yourself. don't get to Jesus and have him feeling sorry for you over shit that you could have changed. i plan to meet Jesus at the bar for a tequila shot. some of y'all need to be there with me.
beej
-Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 20:55:38 (EST)
Neece
Kinky Ft Myers!, FL USA
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
Since I've been home from school, I've been wanting to do something different to my hair - you know - kinda like shredding old skin...For about 4 years, I've been twisting my hair with this kinky-like weave (It's packaged as the 'Bob Marley' hair,if that gives you an idea of what it looks like. I don't think Bob Marley would call it that, though.lol) I haven't used a relaxer/perm on my hair in 5 years, so my sisters REFUSE to braid it for me anymore =( It's tough trying to go nautral...sigh..
But it's something I wanna do for my inner self. Any suggestions, bravebird?
-Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 18:50:03 (EST)
nuri
a little warmer brooklyn (but i'm still not satisfied), ny @het: you would look great with locks. i'm so enamored with my mom's.
-Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 12:26:06 (EST)
Anika (Het)
Jamaica
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
I love and am jealous of your hair. I wanna do it with mine but a) it's normally too hot for a fro and b) my hair esp my ends knot like a mofo. I have read up on the no poo method and wanna give it a try but I wanna wait til I'm done with my dermatologist's treatment first.
Aww, I never wanted to perm my hair but I was going away to boarding school and I didn't know how to maintain it and my aunts saw fit to jherri curl instead of teaching me, yeah. Had it for 2 year till I took a scissors to it, felt great, then got pressured to jherri curl it again which lasted like 3/4 years then i just stopped, cut off the ends and been natural ever since but I'm getting tired of combing it. I considered dreadlocks for a while but I'm still not sure I can commit and my hair was breaking horribly but now that it's not I'm gicing it thought again.
-Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 08:54:56 (EST)
nuri
perpetually frozen brooklyn, ny
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
didn't even expect you to post this on the same day. i should've known, lol.
if i were to write out the story of my hair, it would read half exactly like yours, and half the opposite. i don't remember life before having and dealing with permed hair, i've always defined myself with longish permed hair, and it's only been veeeeeeeery recently that the entire process has irked me. before, it was just a necessary part of life. but the more ppl i know who transition, the more it's gotten beaten into my head that i don't have to go through this. it's not even really worth it anymore; my hair cooperates for about 2 days after it's been freshly done (whether touched up or just washed), and then it's a wrap. back to pissing me off.
but i'm such a wimp when it comes to my hair: i haven't washed my own hair in about 5 years. during high school and early college years, it was just way too much to deal with; i got overwhelmed and mad at how difficult it was to get through washing it (i have super thick hair that mats up as soon as water hits it), and then from wet back to looking normal. but it's probably like that bc it's caught bt 2 worlds. if i chopped it off and started over, i'd have much less to work with and i'd relearn how to work with it so as not to raise my blood pressure. but in the meantime, i vowed to myself those 5 or so years ago that i'd make sure i always had the funds to have someone else do it to give myself some piece of mind. 5 years is a long time and i'm just about over that way of thinking. an exactly like yours moment: i finger my new growth everytime i get it and it feels awesome. i've always wanted to see that potential long and wild and free.
i've never seen no poo explained that way. thank you for putting it in lamen's terms. that's what i need to wrap my psyche around a new idea: simplicity. of course i could count on you to break it down. and yeah...i can see the dollar signs circling that collage of the simple products you use and DAMN are they small and shiny and gorgeous compared to the huge ones i have circling my own head.
and so many pics! love me some pics. bb!beej is adorable and she's definitely still inside of you. and i know prom!beej is already pushed back into the shadows, but i have to say your outfit is CLASSIC. werk it.
one of my biggest concerns is that i'm not going to have any idea what to do with really short hair that needs a lot of tlc to flourish and i'll panic. but that last timeline of pics calms me down a bit. hair and hair length (along with so many other things) are only just for now and how you feel reflects how you look.
thanks for giving me lots to think about.
-Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 03:35:38 (EST)
bj thornton
Tinkering, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
@ DLady: i pulled LTD because it has gone off to training camp to be a real novel. the lovely Nuri is going to design the book cover, and we are currently developing an epilogue/short story of Feroze and Makeda's trip to ATL to meet the Solomons, so there should be about three chapters worth of new material in the final cut plus whatever i revise in the meantime. i dunno for sure when LTD will be (self)published, but it will be out at least by 10/10/10 (Nuri's birthday), if not before.
re: Foxney and Dellomi: there will definitely be more Foxney. i plan to do a sequel to "Finishing Touches" probably in the summer. Dellomi... eh, i have a story in the stash that i was going to write about them before i mutinied that 'ship and didn't because PrP worked my nerves so bad. i'll think about pulling it out. it's a possibility, slim but possible. if i write for them, though, it will be AU 'cause i refuse to delve back into the show. thank you for asking and for leaving a comment. :)
for everyone: the plan between now and September when i get my books out, is to write fanfic and perhaps a few one shots for my original couples. after Lady Alight, i'll move on to the next Legacy episode, and then i'll play it by ear. for sure, i will be finishing Merlin S2 fics, the Foxney sequel, and at least the next two Legacy episodes. i want to write for the Covenant, but that's kind of heavyweight and i'm going lightweight while i write in private. i also had an idea for a Jake & Michaela one-shot that should materialize sooner rather than later. we'll see, but the point is that i will not be writing another free novel until winter.
@ MIE: ah, a cruise? where'd you go? i'm desperate to go on one. i may treat myself this winter if i get the books off like i'm supposed to. re: the blog, lol, being candid is not exactly the same as being brave, but i'm pushing toward bravery, and i think i log a little more of it every time i tell myself the truth about something that i did and then have to reread it later. i remember when i first started blogging, it was just like when i first started to write online/in public. i had an urge to distance myself from what i wrote because what if it sucked, or what if i turned out to be an asshole? i had nicknames to hide behind for a long time. but when i started my site and put my name on it, that was a big first step in having to decide what i stood for and having to declare it, to myself especially. the hardest part of anything is what you have to go to bed with at night alone by yourself, and i wanted what i put to my name in public to match what i go to bed with at night. it was the only way to sleep in peace, and the only way to be significant to the women in my tribe. people know when you are lying or glossing over shit. there isn't a meter to put on it, but i find that whatever the topic is, people respond when i am saying to them, "you're not the only one." the beauty is that when you, for example, comment on the blog, you are saying to me, "beej, you're not the only one either," and that gives me some extra juice to keep going with the tribe and for the tribe.
re: Wood: &%$#@*+_)(*&^%$#@$%^&*(!!!!!!!!!!!
past couple of days, i've been letting it marinate. i want to go easy and free into his next invitation, but that's easy to say from three hours away from his house. though freaked out, i was still amused and emotionally indifferent through the handcuffs and the mud; it was just fun. i was cool; i was okay. then the dude took me to bed, and the whole game changed, and... i dunno if it's happiness to get worked like that. it was a good thing but too fucking much. lmfao, and i have a blog waiting in the wings about it, and i thought i was cool enough to write it, and here i am freaking out in a comment all over again.
:sighs:
beej
-Friday, February 19, 2010 at 22:10:15 (EST)
DLady
Miami, FL USA
* I wish my boss were a Fox. *
What's up with "love throws..."? I don't see it on the siteanymore. Also, I'm sad that it ended. Are you going to do anymore Fox and Whitney or maybe a Dell and Naomi?
Thanks for all you do. Love your work
-Friday, February 19, 2010 at 21:18:11 (EST)
MIE
home sweet home, ca usa
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
This is a late response to your latest blog addition but I just got back from a cruise. One of the things that I admire about you BJ is your bravery. Being as open and honest and candid as you are is not something that many people can do. I hope that you continue to be brave and go for this thing with Wood. I live a lot in regret, always missing out on things that have an amazing potential to make me ridiculously happy. I'm making myslef change because living like that is not fun at all. I hope you don't headlock yourself into submission and miss out on finding more beautiful things with Wood. You deserve this happiness, anytime you can hold a guys balls and it gets you to sleep, you know you've found a good thing. Even if it is short-lived. (Which I don't think it will be)
-Friday, February 19, 2010 at 16:06:15 (EST)
bj thornton
Reset, AL USA
@ mymadeupname/Mae: yes, you can say whatever you want, lol. i appreciate it and am trying to get a grip, actually, by not thinking about it anymore and doing something else. que sera, sera.
beej
-Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 07:46:39 (EST)
mymadeupname
ita with Matel and Gypsi. Wood is a keeper, and since you are honest, wtf are you thinking being "so fucked up" to him? i'm a fan, reader, commenter, so i hope that means i can say, beej, get a grip. i think he'll come back, girl, and you must try more. you would tell Marlowe the same. i read that story! Lucas stayed open for her. Gypsi is right that Wood is your Lucas! go for it!!!
with my real name because it's so important: Mae (yes, like Mae West. blame my parents)
-Monday, February 15, 2010 at 18:53:47 (EST)
bj thornton
Miserable, AL USA
@ Matel: last chapter of LTD came out really well, so you should enjoy it. a little surprise hotchacha. ;) re: blogs and balls: being scared as taken me to all of the nightmare places in my life. telling the truth is lighter life-affirming fare, if you can believe it. re: "life is so much more difficult and complicated when you're in a constant state of second-guessing (sometimes i feel like i live in a straitjacket)" LMAO!!!! i'm going to start saying that, "i feel like i live in a straitjacket." perfection in phrasing, that. re: Wood: "it must be incredibly scary and reassuring at the same time." i dunno why that's true, but it is very definitely true. the motherfucker scared the hell out of me. i'm still scared.
re: curves: i'm in a good place about my body confidence, i guess because i constantly challenge myself to blow out expectations. a bit narcissistic of me, i think, but whatever. i know that there are women who read my blog who appreciate my willingness to talk about my size and yet not be self-deprecating/constantly on a diet/also not "Blubber Is Beautiful" and constantly focused on my size above other experiences. i think chicks read the blog because i embrace my size and how it gets me where i go. i don't lament, and i don't need a support group about it. i go with gusto as a big girl in the world, and i think that's what makes my adventures interesting to other women of size. the primary attachment is to the adventure, and the secondary interest is, "wow, she pulled that off looking like i look?" or some such. in a recent blog, i went into numbers just because i know someone reading the blog was thinking,"she's not as big as me. this would never happen to me."
BUT IT HAS, children. it happened to me, stretch marks and bitch face and acne scars and nappy hair and all. thus i will say again, WHATEVER YOUR SIZE IS, YOUR GAME NEEDS TO BE ABOUT GOING INTO THE WORLD WITH THE GUSTO TO DO YOU. lean on God and love yourself. it may not take you to happily ever after, but it will take you to an amazing right now.
@ Gypsi: scarily, i think you are right with the connection between Lucas and Wood. when i first started with my ex, the Irishman, i was convinced that he was the Lucas because he got me by way of sexual conversation. but that was only occasional with him. body talk didn't run as deep with the Irishman as it does with Wood, nor does the whole personality. the Irishman was jovial, conversational, flirtatious. Wood is quite spartan except in the sack where he goes with the gut punch every time. everything is happening all at once, emotional and otherwise, and then everything is unbelievably calm. and as a freaky sidebar, Wood served in the Army as well as Lucas did and has all kind of boxing and work-out shit right across from his kitchen where i made the silliest, salty, fatty recipes ever, children. have you ever felt really frivolous? well, i have.
Wood didn't punch anybody and get kicked out of the Army; he is not volatile like Lucas, which perhaps is why he's even more intense than Lucas was as a character. Wood turned on the power and perception for this, and then he turned it off for that. i have no idea what matters to him really, and that's why it's scary. because i know exactly what mattered to me while i was with him, and he knew too and called me out on it. i couldn't call him on anything, and i fucking hate it, to be honest. this is when i understand Marlowe to a tee. when your strength is based in being perceptive and being really real, and then you come across someone even more real than you who can call you on your shit? it's unsettling like a mofo. i hold no mystery for a guy like Wood. he just wanted to be there with me, i guess, and what if he doesn't anymore? i have no influence over that, and everything that i knew about my charms and talents recoils.
i'll have a whole blog about this soon, when i can get my head around it. i'm drinking tequila now and trying to act like it didn't really happen, like it was something that i dreamed up. i am so fucked up.
beej
-Monday, February 15, 2010 at 15:45:43 (EST)
Matel
Prozacville, Work Blah land
Hellooo,
First, FREAKING YAY you finished LTD! haven't read yet, just doing a happy monwalk to celebrate the finale.
Second, I've just stumbled on your blog, and well, wow, obviously you got balls and i admire your courage to let it all out there, real and raw. AS an over-analyser myself, I empathize, life is so much more difficult and complicated when you're in a constant state of second-guessing (sometimes i feel like i live in a straitjacket)which makes your little escapade to the wonderful world of Woodland that much more important and enjoyable (yeah I'll go on a wild guess and assume you liked your week-end (understatement of the ages)).
That Wood seems like a keeper, I love his coolness and confidence. it must be incredibly scary and reassuring at the same time. Happy you had a beautiful (and game changing? maybe?) experience!
and on a completely shallow note, consider yourself lucky you look like a woman, compared to the matchsticks girls like me who are as flat as the freaking horizon line LOL (the funny thing is my metabolism doesn't allow me to gain weight, which sucks majorly), I even consider flat my middle name. IF I ever get to meet god (if he exists that is), i'll be like 'Dude, seriously, what were you thinking?'. So, really, enjoy your curves, they're to die for:)
-Monday, February 15, 2010 at 06:56:12 (EST)
Gypsi
Ok, you know I love Marlowe and Lucas and said before how from your personal experiences, I thought you seemed a lot like Marlowe even though you said you didn't see it as much. But when you talked about Wood, I was like, he sounds like Lucas. How you said he's quiet and serious yet passionate. I mean, it's like that story is coming to life or something. Esp. when you said how you feel a little stunned( for lack of a better word) because it turned out better than you expected. How natural it seems. Hey, I say if it's that good, don't let it go! Know what I mean? As always I love your realness. BJ, what are your thoughts?
-Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 22:56:06 (EST)
bj thornton
Sprung, AL USA
*Wood is my mood*
@ Sav: lol, so glad you had it as a Valentine's treat. :)
hope you all had a ball, ladies. still with Wood; gonna go get all i can before this sale ends.
b never had it this good ever before jeezy
-Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 22:20:00 (EST)
Sav
Summerville, SC USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
I'm goo and it's your fault.
-Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 22:22:43 (EST)
bj thornton
Woody, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@Bo: :combined applause for Nuri: she doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, letting her life out like that, but we both know that it is. she gave me a lot of personal stuff to work with, not just her favorite colors and songs, but her quirks and fears and longings. she let me have opinions and make suggestions about her life; not everyone could tolerate that, especially knowing that i try to tell truths and not truisms. VERY BRAVE STUFF. can't be said enough. this story wouldn't have had a heart if she hadn't had the 'in for a penny, in for a pound' attitude.
re: "It is writing the future, making up a blueprint for what hasn't happened yet and may not happen, that is infuriating and quite terrifying. I now understand exactly why people avoid things like this, lol." SO MUCH WORD. i think it's because when you try to see into your future, you have to confront what you have to do to get what you want, what you need to change, give up, or start doing. then there's also coming to terms with time as a quantity, and so many people are scared of that. let me know if you ever share your story; i'd like to read it. :)
beej
-Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 10:57:51 (EST)
BoBo
The Land of unplowed sidewalks, DE USA
* I wish my boss were a Fox. *
I finally read Chapter 14. I didn't want it to end, but all good things must. It only matters what you take with you, and I take Makeda and Feroze with me wherever I go. Their story, along with the others in this story, will stick with me (and not just because I plan on buying this book when you publish it). I love watching love happen, and that is exactly what this story was. It is the little things, the small moments that leave big impressions. It's the risk, the fear, the ability to see it and grab it. Love is a verb, and Makeda and Feroze proved that in spades.
It's been a pleasure to be able to read this story. I said it once, but the courage to write it and the courage of Nuri to let you is awesome at the least. And if you ever doubt your abilities, drop me a line. I'll be more than happy to tell you where you can shove that doubt. And I'll say it with love (I can be a bit blunt at times, lol). Just, thank you, thank you, thank you for this story.
-Friday, February 12, 2010 at 21:13:05 (EST)
BoBo
No more snow PLEASE!!!, DE USA
* I need some Tender Loving Cary. *
Wow, BJ, that statement is profound and completely true. It's hard to think of yourself in the future sense most of the time. Even innately selfless people live in the now of the near future. I know I do. Not that I'm always selfless (although I'm not always as selfish as I should be either), but hopefully you get my point.
I'm not really a blogger, or a tweeter or a LJ person (although I do have one that I don't use. At least Nuri hasn't yelled at me about it...in a while anyway. I deserve it though). I am working on a story (because I need another one) that is about my life, and that is my "blog" if you will. The past, the retelling of what's already happened, flows well. It may sting a little at some points, but it still isn't hard (just focusing a voice and the like) It is writing the future, making up a blueprint for what hasn't happened yet and may not happen, that is infuriating and quite terrifying. I now understand exactly why people avoid things like this, lol.
But what you said below helps. It's motivation to keep plugging away. As Janis (well, Janis to Kris Kristoferrson) "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose" I SO want to get to the point in life where I have nothing left to lose. Not in the "I'm all alone way", but in the "I truly have what I want and need most in life, so screw the rest" kind of way. That's a long, long journey and I'm learning that daily I suppose. Kudos to your for sharing yours out loud.
And also, I would like to applaud my friend Nuri in public (for however public this is) for being so very brave and so very inspiring as to open herself up to the telling of this story. I know you're an amazing writing, but it still takes guts for that type of trust to happen. And I applaud you for doing her story justice. The end result has and will stay with me for a long time.
-Friday, February 12, 2010 at 20:01:22 (EST)
bj thornton
FUCKING SNOW, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ mymadeupname: thanks, lady. thing is, i dunno if i'll be able to see Wood if the snow doesn't go away. :( as far as being brave, it's a mind game that you play with yourself. don't think that i don't second guess myself or cringe when i put this stuff out there. but that's exactly why i do put it out there in the end: i need not cringe, not about my size or my urges or my history, and i need to tell myself that since no one else will. i need to be my own advocate, and so do you. often, i bounce my current choices off of the eternal future. wherever we end up with God, all truths will be made bare, and i have no business concealing things that are an important part of my story if they will come out anyway eventually. it's just another way of being more free.
beej
-Friday, February 12, 2010 at 16:55:19 (EST)
mymadeupname
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
i love your new blog. i am not that brave. can't wait to hear how it goes with Wood.
-Friday, February 12, 2010 at 15:13:11 (EST)
bj thornton
Woody, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Neece: in line at FYE? lmao. you always have the best stories about where you were when you read something. so glad that you enjoyed it. :)
beej
-Friday, February 12, 2010 at 14:10:05 (EST)
Neece
StraightUpBliss, FL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
*CAUTION! DO NOT read new chapters of the Inktrix material via your cellular while waiting in line at FYE - People will not know how to respond to the random 'Oh,oh,AHH!' or the sudden glow of your grand smile* HOTrod,Nuri, and of course BJ - Thanks! I swear, in this chapter, I saw Feroze take the possessive/passionate hold like Sean, and the charming/'come herether' of Fox and still maintain his own inner swagger ;-) The man gives a great speech, I could hear the joy and conviction in his Brother of the Bride speech. You guys are gems to me, and again - thank you for such an amazing story =)
-Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 21:23:08 (EST)
bj thornton
Grateful, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
@ nuri: THANK YOU, for totally going for it and not holding back. it was a tremendous act of friendship and trust on your part, and i gave you back the best that i had. this is once in a lifetime magic, and i feel it every time i reread. :) i applaud you.
beej
-Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 15:35:05 (EST)
nuri
winter sucks, ny
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
i might have shed some tears at the end. i have no problem with admitting that. shed because it's over, and because of how beautifully it ended. between everyone: soheil/shabby, wolf/kerri, hints of razi/bo, and CLEARLY, mack/zee. i'll leave detailed comments to a personal email, if i can ever formulate any, lol.
what else is there to say? i love this piece beyond measure and i'm honored to have helped make it happen. you continue to blow me away with your talent, i can't wait to read what you come up with next.
-Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 13:17:21 (EST)
bj thornton
Woody, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Cheri D: thanks, doll. :) Feroze definitely left his mark on me as well. he turned out to be so much more than even i had planned.
@MIE: lol, the Persian delights keep increasing all the way to the end. enjoy.
beej
-Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 12:40:13 (EST)
MIE
hehe, ca usa
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Oy Vey, Persian Delights?!! I was supposed to save the rest of this story for tomorrow and get some homework done but now I must know what these delights entail. I'm off to finish the story. Darn you BJ and your amazing stories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 00:39:39 (EST)
Cheri D
Brandywine, MD
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Love it, love it, love it. Feroze definitely stands out in my mind as one of the most memorable characters (and not just because of his possessive suaveness that was emphasized in this chapter lol) He's speaks from the heart and has a depth that is only surpassed by his passion. Makeda is a lucky, lucky woman lol
Great job and thanks for sharing doll!
-Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 23:49:10 (EST)
bj thornton
Accomplished, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
@ MIE: lol, i've heard this before about Shabby, but she is what she is. hopefully you weren't at the end when you said that because she does improve somewhat.
beej
-Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 22:51:38 (EST)
MIE
irritated, ca usa
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
I want to slap the taste out of Shabnam's mouth. Her actions affect so many people and she's trying to be all defiant when she doesn't even know how much work people put in to hoping her alive.
-Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 22:47:29 (EST)
bj thornton
Inky, AL USA
@pomegrate: with the exception of Vampire Diaries (i am boycotting the CW for trying to remake La Femme Nikita), i'll be writing more episode commentary on LJ as soon as i have time to catch up on my episodes, lol. :) i haven't watched any TV in a couple of weeks now.
b jeezy
-Tuesday, February 09, 2010 at 10:45:55 (EST)
pomegrate
Hi,
I quite enjoy your POV on some episodes and was wondering if you plan to do the remaining ones as well.
-Monday, February 08, 2010 at 13:56:38 (EST)
bj thornton
Cold, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Neece: i haven't seen that one yet, but i'm sad in general. UB was really finding its footing again this season. :sadface:
@ MIE: "Operation Trench Dig." lmao. yeah, making yourself better is hard fucking work. i wouldn't worry about being bitchy about it, as long as you're doing it. maybe getting pissed will help; i tend to cut to the chase when i'm pissy. kind of like when you set yourself to clean out a closet, and it goes two ways: a) you can either go painstakingly and nostalgically through each item, make a mess, but not really get rid of anything; or b) you can make a keep pile and a trash pile really fast, shovel the trash in a bag, throw it out, and then go shopping for some new dancing shoes to put in your closet. getting pissed tends to help me stick to plan B, lol.
if you ever want to share your writing or discuss at length, my email is always open: holla@bjthornton.com
beej
-Friday, February 05, 2010 at 11:19:28 (EST)
MIE
garden tools, ca usa
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
I read your response to what I wrote, slept on it and decided that I would get my shovel out today to begin Operation Trench Dig. Even though it's only the first day I realized three things: It hurts trying to make oneself better, I can be quite the bitch when I'm working on self improvement, and that I need to write it out. To that end I pulled out my laptop started a new document and that is were I shall keep my thoughts. Even though it might momentarily mess up my bliss I'm on the path of unearthing my ignorance.
-Friday, February 05, 2010 at 04:35:35 (EST)
Neece
Detty Fever, FL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Sigh. Just watched UB and all pissy! Why are they canceling this show again? Oh, yeah - TPTB have lost their friggin' minds - that's why. The scenes with Wili/Mark/Her Drag Impersonator were good. So glad we got to see Ms. Williams showcase her other talents =) Of course I loved, Loved Mark's last line about Betty and Daniel, 'I'll just leave so you too can make love.' (Not sure about the exact wording, but something to that effect)
Sigh. Ya'll were right (again!lol) about Cary - southern gent or not - he's gonna be in my daydreams at work tommorow ;-)
-Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 23:23:49 (EST)
bj thornton
Woody, AL USA
* I like big Troys and I cannot lie. *
@ Tori: :hip bump: i'll ignore that other word and say that "painfully honest" is my bag, babes. :)
@MIE: we're the same people, i think, or else the things that i write about wouldn't be of interest to you. only difference is that i have a malfunction that makes it not hurt me to be self-revealing; i don't even really feel it. directing that toward the work that i have to do, and then sharing with other people who have work to do, that's what makes a gift of the malfunction. God is the ultimate recycler.
"live better, harder, stronger or if it will just be one of those blips of true light that I tend to ignore for the bright and often flashy lights of denial and mediocrity."
i usually have to hear things at least a dozen times, over a few years, and from someone that i trust to be in my head (HotROD) before i stop ignoring them. being willing to keep the shit that you need to hear in your ear or in front of your face is all that courage really requires. it doesn't matter if you flinch or if you don't act on it right away. as long as you keep it in your face, knowing that you want it, the rest of you will rally and will take it on when you have the chops to follow through to the consequences. i've moved blindly and frustratedly into big personal triumphs just by frequently reminding myself, "I want this and not that. That sucks. This looks good." i frequently claim to want the wrong damn things, but it's better than slugging along like you're happy where you are if you're not. most of my writing is about reminding myself what looks good, keeping it on my mind and in my face, and that has yielded fruit so far.
before i wrote (lol, it's hard for me to remember the B.C. period), i used to keep collages on my walls. i spent a lot of time being the only Black chick around a lot of White women, and that can do funny things to your self perception as their body issues are not typically the same as ours. all i really mean by that is that their scale starts in a different place than ours; their small is typically not the same as our small, in an ass or a boob or a hip swing. if you listen to them talking about what they don't like about their bodies long enough, you can start to feel like a hopeless case especially if you're plush like me. so what i did was, i started a collage of magazine photos of Black women who i thought were beautiful or who looked like me or whatever, and i arranged them artfully in a big cascade right over my dorm room bed. soon, i expanded to women of all colors who had something slammin' and awesome going on that i wanted to have going on. it was the first thing i saw every morning and the last thing i saw before i went to sleep; it guarded my dreams and what i thought of myself when i looked in a mirror. it kept me sane.
don't let ideas in your head that don't need to be there. shoveling bullshit out of your head is where a revolution starts, and maybe that's what you're doing. it's not the going to war part of finding your gusto; it's the trenching in and getting ready to fight for yourself part. but it may be the most important part because when you start getting shelled and attacked, from other people and even from your inner punk, knowing how to trench in and block shit out will keep you from quitting whatever it is that you are trying to do. if it's about body size, here's a mind game that i constantly play with myself and that works wonders: it takes a month to lose ten pounds, but it only takes fifteen minutes naked in front of a mirror to stop seeing what you don't like and to start seeing what works. as soon as you stop bitching yourself out about what you don't like, it's a new day and a different conversation.
what you tell yourself about your body is what you are telling other people to think about your body; it's all up in your posture and your carriage. tell a different story, and you will be free in a way that no one can take from you because you made that magic.
beej
-Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 22:30:15 (EST)
MIE
grateful, ca usa
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
I read a lot of your blogs today, starting from the oldest one and I feel like I have to say thank you for being honest about yourself to people like me. Strangers with voyeuristic tendencies who have a shit load of things left to discover about themselves, about the worlds around them and about what really matters. To cut out the ambiguity and get to the point I have to say thank you for this exact line "There are definitely two things less sexy than fat Black chicks; worry warts and pity parties" Self-pity and I are old friends and I don't really like to hear that my old friend is unattractive. I don't know what I'm going to do with this bit on enlightenment. If it will push me towards accepting myself so that I can get my head out of my rectum and love and live better, harder, stronger or if it will just be one of those blips of true light that I tend to ignore for the bright and often flashy lights of denial and mediocrity. Either way thanks for being bold, it makes living in small print seem even more like bullshit.
-Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 20:43:18 (EST)
Tori
InMyHead,
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
Aww isn't that sweet and painfully honest? I know the word 'sweet' will make you cringe but that's okay cause 'I do that!' You just made my shit day! *hugs*
-Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 19:26:55 (EST)
bj thornton
Bermuda Triangle, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ mymadeupname: lol at the handle, still. rss? not nearly as hard as i thought, and to anyone else who wants to subscribe to the guestbook or the blog, you can find the rss link in the catalogue sidebar. re: Wood, well, i might have fucked it up already. if not, i'll let you know whether you can have him in about a week and a half. ;)
@ Neece: you should enjoy Cary. he's not actually a Southerner, but he's a gent and a hottie besides. enjoy.
the fog is lifting, kids. should be back to business as soon as i can get some sleep.
beej
-Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 14:09:53 (EST)
Neece
Workin' that 9 to 5, FL USA
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
LMAO! Bj: We ain't mad at cha! A persuasive dick and charming personality is too hard to pass up =) In the mean time - I'm gonna start reading about Cary and Ruth. Southern gents always know how to hold my attention and I've heard good things about Cary, so I'm sure it'll be a great read.
-Wednesday, February 03, 2010 at 10:52:03 (EST)
mymadeupname
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
what ur saying on your blog is fucking awesome. crazy and awesome. and thanks for the rss feeds. i hope it works out for you and Wood, but if not, can i have him? lol.
-Tuesday, February 02, 2010 at 15:19:51 (EST)
bj thornton
Woody, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Neece: wow, lady, i appreciate your candor and that more than me has gone to this level. yeah, i figured that talking about this experience would mark me for "One Of Them," but lol, i have enough black marks on my record not to give a shit. to know that it opened conversations for you is SINSATIONAL (misspell intentional). life is limited by the places that we don't go to, and just because we may go someplace on vacation doesn't mean that we intend to live there. but a woman must have the courage to visit. those things in our lives that shrink from challenge and scrutiny are the weak things. the strong parts of ourselves stay in the ring with gloves on and welcome all comers. i think most of my experience with Wood will stay on the blog, but it is renewing my interest in Jackie and Reyes for whom i'd planned a bisexual and kinky relationship, so i think that Jackie and Reyes will be my next free/practice offering toward the end of this year.
to everyone: i know that i'm behind on my updates, but please understand that WOOD IS FUCKING WITH MY MIND AND IS SHAMELESSLY TRYING TO MAKE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM. i can't concentrate, children. gimme a little time to get out of this fog. a persuasive dick and a charming personality will make me dizzy every time.
@ MIE: girl, i dunno how i write these sweet boys so well either. they always come out better than my rude boys. i can't quite substitute Jake for Cary, but i can see the appeal. Cary had a certain saucy quality. he was holding back to be respectful to Ruth, but he was after that ass from day one. surprisingly, i think Falling has the most really hot sex scenes in one story even though it's about two very sweet natured and loving people. their love just exploded into all this chemistry and caring. i wish i'd realized what i had when i started that story; i would have put more effort into it. the writing was a little uneven, intense in some places and too fast in others. but overall, i feel like it is very satisfying, and it has been the sleeper hit of the site. so glad you liked it. :)
@ Bo: LFN FOR THE WIN. and seriously, who do we need to talk to about a network full of cancelled shows? shit, if i had some money, we could launch it ourselves because it would make BANK.
beej
-Monday, February 01, 2010 at 23:19:57 (EST)
Bo
Almost home, DE USA
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
OMG, did someone say La Femme Nikita? I used to watch that show all the time. My mother thought it was totally weird, but that was my first cable love post child hood cartoons on Nick. That show was just dark enough, and Michael was hot in the weirdest of ways to me. I stopped watching in S4 I think, but they still did that show dirty.
I would STAY watching a network of cancelled shows honestly. There are too many good ones that were hung out to dry IMO. I bet you it'd be the most popular network on TV by far.
-Monday, February 01, 2010 at 22:04:49 (EST)
MIE
blah, ca usa
* I need some Tender Loving Cary. *
Ohh Cary you beautiful man. I don't know what it is with you and sweet boys Ms. Thornton but I love it ever so much. I'm thinking Jake might just get replaced as my favorite sweet heart. Although Cary isn't as sweet as Jake I still want to stir him with some lemons and water and have myself a nice big ol' glass of Cary-ade.
-Monday, February 01, 2010 at 15:32:02 (EST)
Neece
Ft Myers, FL USA
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
Is there gonna be a BDSM short story in the works? lol - I have always been intrigued by S&M and such, but whenever I mention it to my friends in the past - they would all clam up and tell me that I'm too 'out there' for them....Though after reading your latest few tinkerings - I've shared them with my best friend and he Finally had an honest conversation with me about it! So, again, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I hope Wood 'measures' up ;->
-Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 19:42:32 (EST)
bj thornton
Unwound, AL USA
* I like big Troys and I cannot lie. *
@ Esmino: "I'm really upset about Ugly Betty though, cause for me, here's the first show that's not centered around some woman whose skinny, perfect, blue eyed, blond and white (no offense to anyone who is :S) this show really broke some boundaries and they succeeded to make something that was smart and quirky." WORD. that's exactly why i started watching, to put my viewer interest/ratings into a female lead that promoted a new standard of beauty. the writing declined for me in S2 and plunged in S3, but i stuck with it as long as i could to support a plush Latina on her way up. i thought this S4 retooling meant that the network was trying to support UB, but it looks like not. :(
@Matel: seriously, someone needs to start a network full of cancelled shows and see how many viewers they get. most of my deep tv loves are not even the shows that i fanfic, but they were all cancelled prematurely. this is why i will be so pissed if they retool LFN because USA cancelled it and bitches had to fight tooth and nail for the underripe mini fifth season that we did get. lol, thinking back on how much i hated that, maybe that's why i'm so flimsy about TV now. you can never rely on networks to keep up with stories that are worth telling. i'm subconsciously avoiding heartache.
beej
-Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 11:18:53 (EST)
Matel
Prozacville, My Bed Sleepyland
The worst is not even that they remake LA FEMME NIKITA, which is blasphemy in itself, nah the worst is that it's this teenage network made for brainless fangirl squee, where any notion of subtlety or, gasp, complex characters is banished or antinomic of their realm, aka the CW that does the remake! It's like asking Michael Bay to remake 2001, Space Odyssey or Jerry bruckheimer to produce an arthouse film.
To be honest US tv has lost some of its superbe this past couple of years as the only shows that keep me tuned now are MadMen, Sons of Anarchy and VD as my guilty pleasure. There's the same amount of creativity but execs and the audience as well aren't interested in risky, original, non standard creations anymore. Which is a shame cause most of the cancelled shows were the most interesting in the tv landscape in my opinion (I still mourn my beloved Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls and Dirty Sexy Money, sniff).
-Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 10:15:42 (EST)
Esmino
I feel you on that. If you notice now most of the shows are remakes, and more often than not there remakes that are a major FAIL in comparison to the original. I'm really upset about Ugly Betty though, cause for me, here's the first show that's not centered around some woman whose skinny, perfect, blue eyed, blond and white (no offense to anyone who is :S) this show really broke some boundaries and they succeeded to make something that was smart and quirky ... so what does the network do to repay such creativity? They cancel it, it speaks volumes doesn't it.
-Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 07:17:46 (EST)
bj thornton
Pissed, AL USA
* Mason? Reyes? Get your asses out here. I need to punch somebody. *
@Esmino: i know, right??
and now i find out that the fuckin' CW, right after getting in my good graces with Vampire Diaries, is trying to REMAKE "LA FEMME NIKITA." THIS IS SACRILEGE. THIS IS SUPREME FUCKERY THAT HAS AROUSED MY LATENT IRE OVER "LET THE RIGHT ONE IN" BEING REMADE. I AM ANGRY.
if this LFN remake goes through, i am quitting network American TV for good. i'll be watching the BBC, HBO, and reruns of old shows that should never have been cancelled for the rest of my life, trufax.
beej
-Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 00:15:35 (EST)
Esmino
They're canceling Ugly Betty! What's next Christmas!? awful.
-Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 18:31:19 (EST)
bj thornton
Diverted, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
@ Bo: i swear, the fine turns that LTD has taken comes from the group think that went into this story. from the very start, there were a lot of good hands in this pie, and i feel like we all built this thing together. i couldn't be more proud, and i must say that 12 & 13 are the most fun that i've had on a re-read in a few years now. working on 14 today; should be finished this week.
re: Lucy, when i first wrote her, i was going to make her daffy. then when she actually showed up, daffy wasn't enough to explain a) why Amir would have let her go when he obviously really loved her at first, b) why he would have taken his kids away from her, and c) why she would have let her kids go so far away. snobbery and a non-malicious self-centeredness seemed to explain it. Lucy just doesn't have it in her to be a mum, and nobody doubts it, and nobody's fighting it either.
re: Wolf, lol, whenever i imagine him spouting off all of this advice, i see pleasure on his face like he enjoys having something useful to put in about as much as he cares what Makeda does with it. early on, i saw him warming up to the idea that he could teach this virgin so much because he's such a lech; i think it made him feel good about himself at first, and then he grew to really care for her.
beej
-Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 15:26:47 (EST)
Bo
P-Town, VA USA
* I wish my boss were a Fox. *
Also, if Arwen is the medieval version of Foxney, then why couldn't Chad be Lancelot? Seriously, it would've at least been interesting.
Okay, needed to get that out, lol.
-Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 09:37:29 (EST)
Bo
P-Town, VA USA
* I wish my boss were a Fox. *
Right, so how do I comment on perfection? I loved 12 and 13 SO, SO much. So many one liners. Makeda's "I'm on a diet" stands out because I imagined the facial expression that accompanied that lie, lol. I loved her moment of realization while naked after the dress. I love how Feroze said it first, how they both said it. I love how he said he didn't know what to say, that it showed just how scared he was too. I love that Makeda might finally understand that she's the only one who doesn't buy into her awesomeness.
Can I just say, I love Wolf. I love his growth, I love that he is patient with Makeda even though she and Kerri seem to be the only ones with the power to wound him in this story (I'm sure his family has that power, but we don't see them). Friends pull your card too, lol.
Oh Bo, so much love (I mean, obviously). She calls em' like she sees them, and again, it's cool to have someone who has Makeda's interest first. Not because she's malicious or dislikes anyone, but that's her cousin. Makeda needs that because I think it's the only time she believes the advice is completely genuine. Especially since Bo is not there. Her reactions and thoughts are pretty visceral in all of this. And her ragging Razi, good times. Someone help him tap into his inner Leonard Nimoy (whom I find incredibly sexy btw).
I did NOT expect for Feroze and Shabby's mom to be such a...snob. It certainly explains a lot, but yeah, I wasn't prepared. Like a couple married for 20 years, you still surprise me, lol.
-Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 09:33:27 (EST)
bj thornton
Up Tempo, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
@ nuri: lmao. "giddily satisfied" is a very high compliment.
@ Neece: yeah, Bo brought the funny for serious. if i write a sequel to this, she may have to move to NY. Whedon is a secret genius, as far as i hear. i haven't explored all of his stuff (including Dollhouse), but i like the sorta sci-fi vein that he taps.
@ Esmino: merci beaucoup. :) i find that i want a Feroze too; he has really captured my heart as i've developed him.
@ MIE: wow, that's cool that Lucas & Mo have taken on new layers for you. several readers have told me that they didn't care for Saying Yes as much as Subtext because they felt like SY wasn't a natural extension of the romance in Subtext, but i disagree. to really know Mo is to know that she's a hard sell, and to know Lucas is to appreciate that he's scarred. dunno what it means to you, but i'm delighted that the stories are worthy of a reread for you.
@ Denise: thanks! yeah, i've got a pretty strong signature style for better and for worse, lol. i think that Arthur & Gwen are medieval Foxney anyway, so i'm glad that you were able to transition into them. and that you like LTD means a lot to me because LTD means a whole lot to me. much heart in that story. :) thanks for letting me know that you like it.
beej
-Monday, January 25, 2010 at 21:36:35 (EST)
Denise
Miami, FL USA
* Lucas needs to lay it on me. NOW. *
I love your stuff. First got hooked thru the Fox & Whitney story lines. I am a huge fan of the couple. It I'd thru these stories that I have come to love your writing style. As matter of fact I became a fan of Arthur & Gwen due to your stories. I just want to say, keep doing your thang!!! I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter with Feroz and Makeda.
-Monday, January 25, 2010 at 19:43:10 (EST)
MIE
rain again, ca usa
* Lucas needs to lay it on me. NOW. *
I meant to read about Jake and Mike but along the way Slo Mo and Lucas grabbed me. If I can remember correctly it's been about a year since I first read Subtext and the sequel to Subtext and yet I feel like I can understand it so much more now. I wonder what has changed about me so that the thoughts and actions of the characters seems less like fiction and more like something I can understand in my real life. Hmm... something to think about.
-Monday, January 25, 2010 at 18:16:00 (EST)
Esmino
Montreal, Canada
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Bonjour!
Just dropping by, I've been silently reading and truly amazed, all I can tell you is when I grow up I want a Feroze. lol, lovely work. Take care:)
-Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 23:00:04 (EST)
Neece
Fort Myers, FL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Let me try this again - since the rest of my post didn't make it the last time ;-)
So glad that it was revealed that Feroze said 'I love you' first but was afraid to make it known to Makeda the first time - to me it kinda showed Makeda that she's not the only one who's sometimes doubting herself / afraid of saying the wrong things. And she's right - Feroze Does have a knack for saying the right things in a tense moment (lucky girl, 'cause most guys I meet CONSTANTLY say the worst shit in a tense moment! lol) Glad that Bo's back in chapter 13 - Bo is to Makeda as Shabby is to Feroze, And the chick brought good comic relief - speaking of which - LOVED the scenes between her and everyone at the club (thanks for the shout out to Dollhouse - can't believe they're getting rid of that show after only 2 seasons 'cause I really like it =<) Kerri & Wolf's costumes = :). Feroze last statement before dancing with Makeda = ;-) Thanks!
-Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 00:23:09 (EST)
Neece
Great Bliss Being Back Home, FL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
LMFAO! Just read chapters 12 and 13....sigh
-Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 19:14:46 (EST)
nuri
bk, ny
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
:: cannot compute all the that just happened in 13 ::
:: giddily satisfied after reading ::
:: will try to come back and be more coherent later ::
-Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 19:04:32 (EST)
bj thornton
Blah, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Cheri D: regarding authentic difficulties for them, i just wanted to show that every good thing has its extreme tendencies and hard undersides. in Makeda and Feroze, their very shining qualities work wonders when directed at others but cost them a lot personally. loving someone, especially in a romantic relationship, is a lifelong balancing act between what someone costs you, what you can afford to give, and what you stand to gain. and a woman has to really know what she's worth in order to gauge what she can afford and what she deserves. i didn't want Makeda to "wise up" and stop being her nurturing self. but i did want her to look down the lines of her life and see the threads that had gotten her where she was. because its a romance, she lucked up on Feroze and its wonderful. but nearly missing wonderful is the reality, and its not worth it to linger in half-formed habits when pushing yourself a bit further, loving yourself a bit more, and approaching life with that little bit more confidence can make the difference between sliding by and arriving. an accomplished, integrated life should feel like a series of arrivals not steals. we women have to do all that we can to connect to our inner awesome, to try to make our lives a dance toward love and not a long wait.
re: Arwen at C_L, i am happy to be blamed for that addiction, lol.
thank you for your comments, and i'm so glad that the story is satisfying you.
beej
-Friday, January 22, 2010 at 11:59:01 (EST)
Cheri D
Brandywine, MD
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
I really loved how the last chapter brought all of Makeda's insecurities to a boiling point. It really emphasized that need for her to accept herself and love herself for who she is before she can accept that love from someone else.
And poor Feroze. He's been tripping and stumbling every step of the way, and I can't help but adore him. They have so much to work on in terms of opening the lines of communication. I particularly like the authenticity of the difficulties they both face in traversing cultural boundaries. Having dated outside of my race, I understand that its not something than can be rectified overnight. Great work, as always!
And on a side note, I totally blame you for getting me hooked on Gwen/Arthur over at camelot_love ;)
-Friday, January 22, 2010 at 00:32:57 (EST)
bj thornton
George!!!, AL USA
* Reid's convincing me that the only thing better than bad is badder. *
@ Gen: hey there. C_L is indeed amazing. ITA on the show's little neglects; Merlin so often seems to whet my appetite for a character arc and then not satisfy the hunger, and thus i write fanfics. it's funny because i love the humor of the show, but in fics i like a little levity to keep my interest balanced out. so glad that you're enjoying the fics. there should always be more as i don't see my interest slacking.
beej
-Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 23:07:49 (EST)
Gen
Chicago, IL USA
I'm here via Camelot_Love on LJ. I've been lurking and reading, and wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your writing. You have a wonderful grasp of every character you've written thus far, and I especially love your insight into Gwen. There's so much more to her under the surface, and my hope is that with series 3, we'll get much more insight for her character, as well as Morgana. The show has a terrible tendency to allow both female characters to remain underdeveloped, and reading your work gives me the satisfaction that the show neglects. Looking forward to more, as well as reading your fics for Haiti. CL is an amazing comm. and I'm proud to be a member there.
Take care,
Gen
-Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 22:07:30 (EST)
bj thornton
Sex Therapy Waiting Room, AL USA
* Trent's playing it MY way. *
@MIE: jinx. driving through Montgomery yesterday, i thought about Jake and Michaela. oh, and Bonnie is the shizz. i've been almost making it to one of her shows for three years now; i need to get my act together and go. hmmmm. i haven't written a one-shot for my OCs in a minute, and Jake and Michaela could use a revisit.
@ Bo: Uhura it is because it'll play into a fun conflict that i was planning for Bo and Razi.
@ dusty: i love your character insights. :) and here's another stunner with Portia. when i wrote The Steadfast & The Furious, i had an exchange in which Portia suggested to Arthur that she knew Morgana, but i cut it. i guess Portia was telling me then that she knew truths, as you've said. and giddy Gwen is a delight, isn't she? i'm convinced that her heart is an effervescent place that she's guarding behind being demure and helpful. in this instance, her disappointment is rough as we know from the show, but in hurting so much, she must realize how much she cares. she lost this particular bet, but she must still learn how to gamble. that's how i see her process: stepping out on faith not just for the outcome (of being with Arthur) but mainly for the experience of Arthur and all that loving him will do for her as a woman. the future queen in her needs to take this risk. if she only went to Arthur after he gave her the glass slipper, so to speak, he would have had a servant for a wife and not A WOMAN to be reckoned with.
beej
-Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 12:25:34 (EST)
dusty
still cold, Canada
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
There is something to be said about exquisite brain candy! And this sure is the dark chocolate version with cherries! I like Portia; it felt as if she can see people not for what they pretend to be, but for who they are. It is not the guy with tattoos that should scare you, but the one who wears a tie every day and the really good one on Sundays that should idea..... Gwen taking that leap of faith and knowing what is to come, makes you chew your lip, only read with one eye, to make it less painful. I loved her enthusiasm, her giddiness, and this is probably the first time, that we have seen her "openly" in love and so I was btw one eye open and just smiling at Gwen being adorable with Pen. Sure glad she talked to Pen not Morgana. If I give your lord a sign, ............he’s had me, he’ll be so disappointed.” Oih... for Gwen to take this next step, believing she will go up in cinder, it is heart breaking, that she cannot see herself beyond the current role that she occupies. Gwen needs to discover herself and with jumping into the love game, perhaps Arthur has started that snowflake on top of the mountain. Thank you for sharing a wonderful new chpt!
-Monday, January 18, 2010 at 22:23:23 (EST)
BoBo
Bo has a thing for badass throwback women IMO. So her costume would pay homage to some kickass XXer of from the 50s, 60s or 70s. I can see Uhura, the Nichelle Nichols version. Either that, or she'd do something INSANE like wear a tattered white dress with one arm missing as an homage to the character of Dana, and subsequently, to Octavia Butler. That's keeping it geek (and now I might have to do that next Halloween. But I'd have to explain myself too often, lol).
If those two don't work, I've got nothing, lol.
-Monday, January 18, 2010 at 19:43:56 (EST)
MIE
rain, ca usa
* I need a big steamy plate of sweet baby Jake. *
My mom bought Bonnie Rait's greatest hits CD today and I realized two things. Number one: I love Bonnie Rait. Number two: I need to re-read Preaching to the Choir.
-Monday, January 18, 2010 at 19:21:16 (EST)
bj thornton
Faith Restored, AL USA
* Loving friends eclipse careless strangers every time*
@Michele: lol, i figured Wolf was ready to stop waiting on her and pull a new stunt. thanks for the episode rec. i'll try to check it out when i have time. weekend work for Haiti pushed my schedule back, and LTD 12 is over due. lol, i didn't know you came in right after Seacliff too? lol, this is the power of Seacliff then: even the aftermath sucked us both in.
@ nuri: funny enough, i did have another scene with Morgana & Gwen. LA3 was supposed to close with Gwen at the castle giddily waiting it out and Morgs being like, i want to talk to you about my night last night, and Gwen being all, i have plans, and Morgs being pissy like, what could you have to do. cut that short trying to post fast for ff.net and drum up goodwill. lol, i won't be making that mistake again. but this fic wraps around E210, so there will be scenes with Morgs/Gwen and Arthur after the episode's canon close. we also need more of Arthur's reaction to it all, we really do. re: Gwen's writing, when i saw the episode, i was thinking, "would she even really know how to write? or Merlin, why would he be literate?" but since they are, i thought that it would be charming way to show what an effort she had to make as a contrast to how little it costs Arthur to make gestures in general.
@ Noel: re: "it picks up on some traits of who the actor is in real life", lol, DON'T START, babes. we talked about this. i cannot start my week leaking over into real life 'shipping; it's not good for my sanity, lmao. but i'm glad you like the story; it's turning out better than i'd expected.
beej
-Monday, January 18, 2010 at 12:10:24 (EST)
Noel
Lost at Sea,
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
I just read the first three parts of Lady alight, wow, I have no words at the moment. But I must point out this passage:
"I know that you have a practical mind. I do too, of necessity, but in my heart, I am an idealist and so are you,” Arthur insisted ardently. “I know because you keep ideals kindled in me. Why do you allow them to die inside yourself?”
This is such a mind-blowing passage because it not only rings true to the character of Arthur and the situation to which both he and Gwen find themselves but also picks up on some traits of who the actor is in real life.
Awesomeness!
-Monday, January 18, 2010 at 02:48:34 (EST)
nuri
bk, ny
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
all the hope in LA3 just makes me melancholy, knowing what's to come.
i LOVE the idea of gwen having bought the parchment, ink and quill it took to write the love note with her hard earned money. and you've not missed a detail...i'd never thought about gwen not writing very often. thinking she might have forgotten how and her handwriting being unkempt just all fits.
interested to see if you write another scene bt morgs/gwen before the unappreciated canon bland!morgs/distraught!gwen scene before the tourney. and uther just sucks.
loved pen here :) keep writing him in.
-Monday, January 18, 2010 at 00:43:30 (EST)
Michele
Good News, Baltimore, MD USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
bj,chapter 10 of LTD was well worth the wait! Every line from the segment about Kerri and Wolf was sooooooo satisfying! I loved how he turned the tables on her;ignoring her phone calls, showing up at her work place looking gorgeous and at the office watering hole with a beautiful woman on his arm. Too funny! And their fighting foreplay and then encounter in the ladies room was so hot and delicious! I can't wait for chapter 12. Now I have some good news for Foxney fans:I found a site where they run complete episodes of Passions. Now one wonderful poster has posted the episodes she has from 2003 and 2006,so that would include most of the Foxney LA story. This is the first time that I'm seeing any of the LA stuff because I came in right after Seacliff. I can't believe that actually getting a chance to see it! If anybody is interested go to http://z10.invisionfree.com/THM/index.php?act=idx You'll have to register and once you get in and find the Passions site look for this heading (Here's my episodes from 2003 and 2006 that I have..........ethanandtheresa09) You're going to have to let the show run for about ten minutes before you can start fast forwarding or else it'll stop tape and the words "connection problem" will come on screen. If this happens just click off and cliff the tape on again. bj,I haven't had a chance to watch many-there's so many of them-I've been dipping in and out, but you definatley have to check out the August 21,2003 and August 22,2003 episodes. In August 21,2003,there is a kiss between Fox and Whitney(of course it's one of Fox's fantasies) that is so succulent that it might have been written by you. And in the August 22'2003 episode Fox is just so sexy and cute talking about how much he loves Whitney . I look at Justin in these scenes and I can't believe how they ended up destroying this wonderful storyline. Talk about have the bitter with the sweet.
-Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 18:38:05 (EST)
bj thornton
Spitting On Timidity, AL USA
*Helping Haiti*
my bullshit tolerance got knocked down a couple more pegs last night. i am in a MOOD.
@ lovethewombats: thanks. :)
-Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 13:48:02 (EST)
lovethewombats
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
BEAUTIFUL:
"Hunger fisted around the root of her, but she did not want food. Gwen cast restless eyes around the great room of her home. It was too small a place to admit ecstasy; it was just big enough for dreams, and thus dreams were all that she’d had to hold at night for her whole life. Gwen spent a long cold moment reliving her past, and then she rose and went to the table to write the words that would ignite her future."
ta very much.
-Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 01:10:40 (EST)
bj thornton
Compassion, AL USA
* HELP HAITI*
@ dusty: thanks! you said so many things that i agree with, but in particular, i like your take on Morgana. funnily enough, your comment as follows was fresh to me even though i've been writing in this vein: "Where as Arthur's jealousy was more open, Morgana's is more hidden, treacherous. Though she lost her parents and there is that whole "I am a witch, Uther would kill me" fright, Morgana has been indulged by Uther and by Arthur, she never had to face the level of "reality" and "consequences" Gwen had to face. IMO she is full of dangerous idealism."
very well said. i also liked this comment: "Morgana enjoys Margarite's company, as the later is a child."
i feel like all of that was dancing around in the back of my mind, but to have it laid out clarifies my approach to these relationships. thanks for your discussion. :)
beej
-Friday, January 15, 2010 at 23:01:13 (EST)
dusty
Cold, Canada
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
This is bloody marvelous! I definitely have to read this again! The second chpt very much built on the first one and it went at lightening speed. Arthur versus Morgana it would seem, both having a very different perspective of Gwen and each of their idea on who Gwen is, should be directly and indirectly serves their purpose. Arthur IMO, has a more rounded view on who Gwen is, it is a bit ironic he is the one who is viewed as the snob, but truly is the one who wants Gwen exceed, reach her full potential, he sees that if/when she comes out of her shell, she fits right into court, as a leader. Him seeing her gracefully multitask and translating this into a future setting at his side is exactly what Morgana does not want to see. Perhaps she does see it and thus she tries to belittle Gwen, for her Gwen's personal growth and having to "share" her with Arthur, Morgana sees as a personal loss. Where as Arthur's jealousy was more open, Morgana's is more hidden, treacherous. Though she lost her parents and there is that whole "I am a witch, Uther would kill me" fright, Morgana has been indulged by Uther and by Arthur, she never had to face the level of "reality" and "consequences" Gwen had to face. IMO she is full of dangerous idealism, she loves the idea of justice, equality etc, but not at her expense it would seem. If Gwen became her equal, it would alter her world, it no longer would allow her to be seen as the benevolent mistress and "rob" her of an "adoring" "friend". Morgana enjoys Margarite's company, as the later is a child. Her hate for Uther seems to have grown/transferred to Arthur (very foreshadowing). Arthur's comment on the tavern now being full of blood, had me chuckle, I love a good social commentary! In that part I was actually rooting for Morgana. This is a total side note I always chuckle at the most popular Arthur version that Gwen leaves him for Lancelot, the story was written at the height of witch burning and persecution of women, during a zealous religious quest, the only good women in it all was Arthur's mother, as she gave birth to a male, all other women did not fair to well in that story. I think that the legend and its many varying stories is a social reflection of our times. I am very curious, how this will play out……… this is most delicious
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 23:03:09 (EST)
bj thornton
Sex Therapy Waiting Room, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
@ nuri: went to town, rented a suite, and settled in for the winter. :) with merlin, i generally diminish him because he gets so much of the show. glad you like it! problem solving the seamless fit is half of the fun.
beej
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 19:29:22 (EST)
nuri
ny, ny
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
so, you really went to town on the filling in of holes in this 2nd chap of lady alight, didn't you? i can readily see all the work and brain power you put into developing a seamless storyline. i almost don't believe it, but for sure this fic could've been produced on screen if merlin were made in a bigger format. needless to say, i loved it. the idea of one of the topics of the alliance meetings being christianity so fits, and morgana's mood swings being a product of that, at least partially. i mean, just everything. great, great job. you also wrote merlin perfectly -- his lovable goofball antics, although i understand why arthur wanted to ring his neck when he sent gwen over. only created drama. uther calling her a wench...woosaa.
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 17:10:19 (EST)
bj thornton
Sex Therapy Waiting Room, AL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
why did i have to run up on Robin Thicke's "Sex Therapy"? i'm not even his biggest fan like that. my mind wasn't even *there*. :sighs: the damage is done now.
@ Matel: so glad you're enjoying LTD. :) it's my best yet, and i hope to always be able to say that. re: "Morgana bursting in flames when she'll learn about them. The show cowardly dropped the ball on this but I didn't really expect them to do it justice, so I'm happy your awesomeness will tackle this sensitive issue."
WORD. there was so much interesting going on in S1 between Arthur/Morgana and Morgana/Gwen. even in the first few episodes of this season. i don't think it's a triangle per se and definitely not centered around Arthur, but there's a struggle. i was first inspired when Morgana bitched Arthur out about going after Gwen, and then when Arthur watched Gwen and Morgana hugging at the end of the Lancelot episode. i won't go into it all now as i intend to LJ about it, but i have ideas, all wicked of course.
@ lovethewombats: lol, thanks. i think the foreshadowing made it pop along with Morgana being freaky.
@ Bo: yeah, Shabnam is teetering on the brink of some serious denial. with her and with trying to protect Makeda, Feroze needs to figure out fast that love doesn't always mean coddling and shielding the women in his life. poor boy. he tries so hard though.
I LOVE THEM PLAYING HOUSE TOO. that's going to come up in 12 as a simultaneous pro/con of their relationship. and i must say that Feroze has been good therapy for my opinion on domesticity. especially since sex isn't on the table, i've had to push my mental landscape to create other kinds of intimacy for them, and it's produced the sense that they've earned what they have, like you said.
lol, Bo is scheduled to return in 13 and 14. it's so funny though because when i was pelting nuri with research questions, she asked the same thing. great minds think alike. oh, Bo needs a Halloween costume if you would care to specify something.
@ Matel: hello again. :) re: "your writing is becoming more visual, setting up tableau-like sceneries." thanks, i was worried about that actually. i'm still not comfortable with conveying so much less subtly of movement and mental nuance, but i'm grasping that there will be a time and place for that. the way i tell the story should conform to what's going on. before, i was so determined to write the purplest prose that the style hampered what the story encompassed. the swift style covers a lot more story and has a lot more movement. by cutting to the chase, i ended up with a new scene; arthur at the feast wasn't even in my original outline. the ease of the new style allowed me to move quickly from feast night to the next day. lol, what i think i've discovered is the amazing utility of starting a paragraph with, "The next day..." as opposed to an intricate orientation into the character's minds. that bit comes out anyway as they move about.
i like Morgana a little scary too. i feel like she should be off balance at this point. she's going through such a struggle and upheaval within.
@ jann: thanks. so glad you're enjoying it. :)
beej
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 12:56:58 (EST)
jann
* Lucas needs to lay it on me. NOW. *
you were wonderful. your works for merlin are truly one of a kind and i like the way you write. please keep up the good work :)
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 09:17:42 (EST)
Matel
Nouakchott, At work Mauritania
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
Yep definitely hit your stride, your writing is becoming more visual, setting up tableau-like sceneries. Matel likes:).
Smooth as silk, all the pieces of the puzzle slowly coming into play .
And I like your Morgana she’s something fierce and a bit scary sometimes.
Marguerite is nagging me not to relegate her as a background character as she seems way more important than a mere little serving girl. Must be the gypsy voodoo aura or the flaming hair.
And hellooooooooooooo Merlin, nice to see you popping to indulge in the love fest.
You’re quickly becoming my chunky monkey flavoured fanfic version of Ben&Jerry’s:)
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 06:48:40 (EST)
A Bo by any other name...
Dirrty Burg, VA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Look here, Love Throws Dominoes is doing a whole lot right now. Poor Mike. She drops the l word (okay not directly) and the timing is all wrong. The thing is, in life, you can't tell that to your feelings. The only job your emotions have is to be emotions. Your brain can only do so much, you know? Shabnam is a wreck and can't really contribute to this one way of another. And what's more, her brother's love life isn't exactly a distraction in my opinion. And Amir clearly has some issues he needs to work through. I know Feroze is trying to protect Mike's feelings here, but she's a big girl. Doesn't mean it doesn't suck, but honesty works with her, you know.
I LOVE them playing house though. No Feroze, it's not crazy to think that way after four months. It's your gut and your God trying to tell you something. I do love how we see the WORK it takes with these two though. My mother tells me all the time that even the best relationships are the hard work. Sometimes thankless, sometimes draining. These two seem to prove that saying right, lol. They are still learning, because four months is such a short time. Even with instincts at work, you still have to know how to say things and you have to adapt when shit blows up. Like now.
And Kerri needs to go ahead and admit the obvious. Will Makeda be upset, maybe. But her feelings aren't going to change for Wolf, so she might as well take those lumps up front. Plus, Makeda isn't the type to not be happy for her, even if she does sprinkle in some sarcasm every now and then.
I want to know where Botswana is? Not to say this is how the story should go, but to me, she's the only one who would have Makeda and only Makeda's interest at heart right now (not even Makeda can claim that, although she's getting there, kind of). I see her as Southern enough, but not to the point where she wouldn't tell Amir where to stick a shovel or something like that. Hell, she doesn't even like Kerri. She's very good at walking that line, but if she needs to get buck, it's on. Just an observation.
-Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 00:32:40 (EST)
lovethewombats
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
Lady Alight 2: might be the single best piece of Arwen fic that i've read. lemme check: YEP. ta.
-Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 19:27:03 (EST)
Matel
Spleenville, My Bed Depressed land
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
haha yeah it's pretty hard to change natural writing habits, I gave up on writing concise and clear sentences a long time ago, lack of willpower I guess, or my convoluted mind just wants no reigning on its main mean of expression, my literature teacher used to hate me in high school lol.
Wow I never noticed the name game you had with Gwen, I adore those kind of subtleties because that is nail hits head in kaiser soze like proportions, not quite visible at first but when you do notice it's like the most obvious and cunning thing ever. and yes as much Arthur gets a good kick in the ass from Gwen, she's being hypocritical in shying away from her well needed verbal smackdown too, but she has as much to gain as to lose, pretty hard to let your inner Tyler Durden out and exchange safety for risk, honesty & freedom , without the sure reward of happiness. She's all the more brave to take on this opportunity, it can be so comforting sometimes to let your control on your life taken away from you (no choice and no responsabilities, the two things people are so scared of, but also the most liberating ones).
And I'm drowning in epic glee of anticipation for your Morgana bursting in flames when she'll learn about them. The show cowardly dropped the ball on this but I didn't really expect them to do it justice, so I'm happy your awesomeness will tackle this sensitive issue. the sure thing is Morgana loves Morgana and Morgana's prized possessions, maybe Gwen's change will be seen as a betrayal and will push her further to the Dark Side. Can't blame her, if anyone called me Morgie I would turn to the Dark Side faster than you can say hello...
BSG ... sigh, since you haven't seen the finale I'll keep quiet but I wish they had stopped the series on the penultimate episode. They dropped the ball big time in the last episode but still the not so good finale won't stain the awesomeness that is this show. I still miss it so much, it's not even funny. Concerning the music it's so funny how Bear Mc Creary's music would suit a darker version of Merlin:
Passacaglia would be the Guinevere Anthem
The Shape of Things to come would suit Arthur's hopeful rise to the King of a peaceful and diversified Camelot
Baltar's cult is perfect for Morgana's embrace of her inner Darth Vader
and Gaeta's Lament is made for Uther's tragic downfall.
oof long post, rambly much? BTW, I just finished reading your LTD story and WOW, I'm speechless, which is a feat! awesome can't even begin to describe it, it made my week along with the return of Being Human followed by the guilty pleasure VD. The new year starts in style!
Off to bed, take care
Matel
-Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 19:22:06 (EST)
bj thornton
Pendragon Harem, AL USA
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
@ lovethewombats: lol, OUTCONUS? i had to look it up. sounds like you're in the military, ma'am. glad i can entertain you; i feel like i'm doing my part.
@ Matel: re: "You make it seem like you’ve hit your full stride with the characters. You cut off the heavy descriptions to go to the heart of your story and leave all the decorum out of at the door allowing the right words to convey their force without being smothered down by too much watery description (yes I hate descriptions, sue me).It was flowing smoothly, every event and new piece of information unfolding one by one with no hiccups, no slowing down."
THANK YOU FOR NOTICING! i really made a concerted effort, and it's starting to be less of an effort to think about what should be there and shouldn't and more like it just occurs to me, "hmm, that doesn't feel right. you need not describe what they could say, beej. just write it down." i got this same advice on a Covenant fic last year, and you see how long its taken to implement. practice, practice.
re: "Arthur’s prattish, spoiled, “I get what I want even if I don’t deserve it “ behavior is the best suited to make Gwen believe in herself."
exactly. i think she needs an injection of Prat, and Arthur's just the one to deliver it. not that i want her to become boss-bitchy, but Gwen is a servant in her mind. that's the problem. it's not just a job. the free thinking woman in her has come out in glimpses and mostly around him, and that is what Arthur has attached to. and that for me is the difference between Arthur/Gwen and Morgana/Gwen: Morgana loves Gwen as she is, half-formed, because servile and doting Gwen fits with Morgana's own internal development. Arthur loves what Gwen will become; he loves a future Gwen, an unbridled Gwen. i think that in S1, when Gwen let things slip around him, for the most part she didn't see a consequence except perhaps a slap in the mouth for speaking up. she would make a verbal slip, and maybe it felt good, but they were isolated events in front of someone who shouldn't have cared at all. to have Arthur care very much and hold her to task on those slips is the thing that's boggling her mind. he's holding her accountable for being real with herself, and that's hard because once she confronts how she really feels about him, she must contend with all of the dissatisfactions in her life. she will not be able to pretend that she loves being a servant, but what will she do with that dissatisfaction if she must continue being one? he cannot guarantee that she will become more than this. at best, she's thinking that he could make her his mistress, but then her life would depend on him and she'd have no independence.
so with Morgana/Gwen, i agree that it is not a best friendship, and i'll be defining their relationship quite clearly in this story. Morgana/Gwen is a big part of the plot. i had Morgana calling her "Gwenie" in an earlier tack, and i've repeated it here again to play into the name game that i've been using throughout the stories. it's very significant to me that Arthur uses "Guinevere" and not just because it sounds so good coming out of his mouth. "Guinievere" is her grown up name; it's a regal name. "Gwen" is easier to handle, and that's what most people want her to be. "Gwenie" is a childish derivative. it connotes affection, but it's also Morgana's way of establishing power and insisting that she and Gwen are not equals, for Gwen is not free to call her "Morgie." i think that Morgana does love Gwen but in a mostly self-serving way. Gwen is her refuge and confidante; Gwen fills up what Uther depletes. so...
spoiler warning
(Lady Alight spoiler)
i think that Morgana thinks of Gwen as her own cherished possession, and it'll be interesting to see how Morgana reacts to finding out that Arthur has been playing with her things, is all i'm saying. ;) ha haha hahaHA
(end spoiler)
ah, BSG. i came in when it was already in the fourth season, went out and bought the previous seasons within two weeks, glutted myself on the glory, and then i fell off of it completely. i couldn't get to the TV on time for the airings, and it's not a show where one can skip episodes. i've managed not to read any spoilers about how it ended, so i plan to pick it up again whenever i find the time. but i will check out those songs and report back. BSG was indeed a masterwork in TV series character development, angst, and everything that i love so much.
beej
-Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 12:02:49 (EST)
Matel
noouakchott, my bed mauritania
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
Aaah Schlieze! I think i edited my comment:)
the THIS is absolute perfection bit was directed to that quote :
" His brows snapped together. “Why do you ask me that so often, as though I am some foolish child run away with a fairy tale? I know that you have a practical mind. I do too, of necessity, but in my heart, I am an idealist and so are you,” Arthur insisted ardently. “I know because you keep ideals kindled in me. Why do you allow them to die inside yourself?” "
-Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 05:52:47 (EST)
Matel
Nouakchott, My Bed Mauritania
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
I think I did a moonwalk when I saw this posted, thank you for helping alleviate my Merlin and A/G withdrawal. Honestly, and quite subjectively, I think this is your best piece along with Kindling in the A/G territory, as far from each other as these 2 pieces are on your A/G spectrum. You make it seem like you’ve hit your full stride with the characters. You cut off the heavy descriptions to go to the heart of your story and leave all the decorum out of at the door allowing the right words to convey their force without being smothered down by too much watery description (yes I hate descriptions, sue me ).It was flowing smoothly, every event and new piece of information unfolding one by one with no hiccups, no slowing down and I love how, as opposed to your previous tacks bar the last one, the pace of the story is pretty fast and direct, as a build up for what’s to come. Tremendous work, if this style is any indication of how you will write your next books, then I can only count the days before I hear about the new kid in the writing block.
Onto the characters:
THIS is absolute perfection. Love stories are ten times more beautiful when they fall upon those who think themselves not suited for them and try as they might not to get out of their comfort zone, they are ultimately faced with a choice to embrace it or to run away from it (most people and myself would choose the get out of jail card so don’t worry Gwen we completely get it, the only problem is not all of us have Lancelot types for handy replacements, lucky bitch). And Arthur’s prattish, spoiled, “I get what I want even if I don’t deserve it “ behavior is the best suited to make Gwen believe in herself and get out of that safe vault she created for herself.
Question: Morgana calls her Gwenie in this installment. Is it on purpose or just random? I never truly bought the we are the bestest bff of the world cause class difference isn’t that easy to erase Even if they ARE friends, it will always be more one sided mostly because Gwen is shy and unassuming while Morgana is individualistic, manipulative but sometimes cruel in her rashness without being aware of it. She’s always in a power struggle against the establishment and men so she tends to forget herself when with Gwen. I don’t know she’s a very interesting character psychology wise.
Last but not least, I’ve been listening for months to Bear McCreary’s music pieces for the soundtrack of BattleStar Galactica, one of the greatest masterpieces the TV landscape as ever produced. Anyway he wrote 2 stupendously and achingly beautiful songs called Passacaglia & The Shape of Things To Come, 2 variations of a same song, and it completely made me think of Arthur and Gwen. It’s no PJ Harvey or NIN or Tool awesomeness but it completely conveys what these two are.
Here’s the youtube link to check it out, downloading it is a bitch, lol, : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sRXNLFKi_U
Hope you have a great and productive new year.
Take care
Matel
-Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 05:43:35 (EST)
bj thornton
Bad, Bama Jamma
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
@ dusty: welcome! i remember you from ff.net. WE DON'T DO GUILT HERE, so feel free to check that at the door and just enjoy yourself. i write fanfic because i like it primarily, because it's fun secondarily, and because others may enjoy it tertiarily? is that a word? point being, you need not feel pressure to comment nor should you feel discouraged from lengthy gushing/discussion. especially as Arwen is a favored topic around these parts, and i love a good comment/discussion about them.
i started the "behind the scenes" stuff because i love what the show is aiming for and what the actors are pulling out of the lighthearted fare that they are given. sometimes i wonder whether i would really want Merlin to be as intense and mature as what i right, and i'm not sure. my gut reaction answer is yes because then there would be sex. but on the other hand, i enjoy the frothy comedy of the show. all i wish is that the show didn't sacrifice scenes that develop characters for scenes that are pure froth. and so i fanfic. :)
re: "It is very intense, I have this impression that your version of Arwen it either goes very well for them or it could end up in a great tragedy. It is an ever consuming love."
so well said! that's exactly how i feel about them. to me, Arwen is epic not because they are destined to be together but because it is necessary that they be together. they are elemental to each other: she is the air to his fire; she is the water to his earth. i've been slower conceptualizing Gwen than i've been with Arthur, but now that i have a grasp on her, i agree with you that she is enigmatic and subtle in her power. i don't think she's soft so much as smooth, like a river stone worn down by the dictates of her life, but she's still made of strong stuff and can be impenetrable.
re: "perhaps the love she feels for Arthur, scares her, it could destroy her. Her mother being part of what scares her, making Gwen "less" than wholesome background, added a layer to Gwen, nothing is more boring and annoying then super perfect people."
so glad that you like the background that i've created for her. i feel that it explains so much about her. and i agree that she is scared of loving Arthur. who wouldn't be when the man stands to turn everything that she's built on its head, when the man proposes a great gamble with a celestial but uncertain payoff? within romantic cliche, Gwen is supposed to be swept away by all that Arthur represents: power, wealth, good looks, physical prowess. she's supposed to not look a gift horse in the mouth. but i would find that mindless and boring, if she fell for the glamour of it all. Arthur wouldn't have had a reason to grow and neither would she.
re: "Arthur and Gwen might not have made physical love to each other, but the windows you have given us, they have on another level, their back and forth and intensity at times can only be described as sensual eroticism, a build up… glimpses of a mental connection…"
this is exactly how i feel about the acting on the show! though their kisses and interactions have been chaste, the chemistry between them smolders, and i feel like there need not be a distinction between what is loving and what is sensuous. especially for the time period (and in my research, i have placed my Arthurian legend around 10 A.D.), that they refrain sexually is an oddity that i've translated as being a mark of Arthur's high love of her.
re: Pendragon, he's the secret hero! lol, i get so many cute comments about Pendragon. i almost feel like i need to give Pen a lady love so that they can have a litter for the future Arwen spawn. we'll see.
beej
-Monday, January 11, 2010 at 22:48:54 (EST)
dusty
Northern Hemisphere, na Canada
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
I had the best of intentions to comment much earlier and I think I have on ff, so my guilt is a tad lessened...As a reader I do have a pet peeve with people reading, enjoying a story and then not commenting, after all a person has put their heart and soul into it a thank you would be the polite thing to do, no?!That said I don't have an lj account but getting of topic..... guilt, guilt, guilt….
I very much enjoy your interpretation of what happens btw Gwen and Arthur "behind" the scene. It is very intense, I have this impression that your version of Arwen it either goes very well for them or it could end up in a great tragedy. It is an ever consuming love that if allowed neither could do without the other. Arthur, IMO is closer to discovering or perhaps already has the kind of love he has for Gwen, where as Gwen (granted we have had only glimpses of her feelings) is a bit of enigma. On the one hand she spouts honour, honesty etc.. on the other hand when it comes to Arthur (and she upholds him time and time again to all what is noble), she is chicken... a big chicken. She caters to his needs and moods but will not take that leap of faith he has offered. Setting aside the whole servant bla bla bla issue, it seems to me that since everyone dear to her has left her, perhaps the love she feels for Arthur, scares her, it could destroy her. Her mother being part of what scares her, making Gwen "less" than wholesome background, added a layer to Gwen, nothing is more boring and annoying then super perfect people. Arthur leaving the ball in her court, something has to push Gwen over the edge to take that leap of faith... I suppose it came in the form of competition.
Arthur and Gwen might not have made physical love to each other, but the windows you have given us, they have on another level, their back and forth and intensity at times can only be described as sensual eroticism, a build up… glimpses of a mental connection…..
As prior mentioned I have the best time reading your chpts, as you also give the reader food for thought and my opinion on both characters at times goes back and forth.
I hope some of this made sense.... also kudos for tinkering with the darker side of Camelot, I am aware that the show is a family show, but being able to read a fan fiction story that strays from the English manicured garden is very refreshing. Gwen realizing that Arthur can not be just sweet and kind and that hard decisions, made me squeek... and I don't squeek. Last but not least, I love Pendragon........
-Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 22:31:47 (EST)
lovethewombats
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
so. BEEJ. a chat.
Shaken? how did i miss it? presumably over the holidays. i was OUTCONUS and you come and go from FFnet in a finger snap. what can i say except if you wish to revisit Arthur nailing Gwen to a table top, you have the thumbs up from me. once over that, was in love with her absent mother story line. makes so much sense and is realistic somehow but not traumatic.
and now i see there will be more Arwen soon. RIOT! i'm in love with it all, the new stuff, the old stuff, the side stuff that i didn't know was here. won't delve into the tinkering just now; i've too much to say. except: i appreciate your in-the-face. i live on a boat mostly with a lot of cock-swinging mates, and you are my refuge. you and the occasional nail polish indulgence. ta.
-Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 17:36:53 (EST)
bj thornton
Bad, Bama Jamma
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
@ Neece: lol re: "[Shabby] couldn't let Mack leave the room? Sigh." yeah, Shabnam always seems to be on a hardheaded mission to help others, but her helping Feroze and Makeda is like locking them in a room with a bull. they'll be back center stage as soon as next chapter. there's only three more left, but they will be gloriously romantical and loverly and funny and hallmark momentous and such. Feroze will show that he's grown, but so will Makeda. a marriage of true minds may require an impediment to prove itself worthy of true love's crown, no?
this coming week will be full of joy, peeps: LTD, Arwen fic, and new smink interviews. pretty much a writer's paradise at this point.
beej
-Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 14:33:41 (EST)
Neece
2WorldsCollide, FL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Oh! I knew Amir was gonna be some serious trouble! And Shabby! I feel so bad for her, but REALLY?! She couldn't let Mack leave the room? Sigh. Now that Amir knows Makeda and Feroze are in each others hearts (he'd have to be blind Not to see that there's something between them) he's gonna pull out all the stops to pull them apart, so I'm kinda glad Shabby's staying with her bro. Can't wait for their relationship to become center stage and for Feroze to show that he's 'grown'....lol I probably sound like a loony, but I had to share =)
-Saturday, January 09, 2010 at 21:01:51 (EST)
bj thornton
Bad, Bama Jamma
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
@ Cheri D: lol, i don't usually like to mix my fiction and politics either. that may be why Dominoes is working out so well. i went into it knowing exactly how i didn't want it to veer into the dire and depressing. i focused on what was meaningful and what created character conflicts, and that's how we ended up at so much heart. i just said that to nuri the other day actually; i feel like the story owes its heart to her and HotROD. without the two of them, Makeda and Feroze would just be two people in an apartment making eyes at each other.
@ lovethewombats: 'sup! yeah, i remember you from FF.net and FP.net. it's a very high compliment to me that you really feel the stories. :bows: i strive for that. but let's not go throwing the word "art" around because then i'll have to start having standards and stuff and won't feel free to veer off into the silly and the smutty when i feel like it. ;)
re: Arwen fic, consider me squeezed. i had an insomnia induced major plot revision for my next piece just a few nights ago. owing to some excellent discussions at camelot_love on LJ, i've picked a path and that fic is now in the coming soon queue. i'm planning to wrap LTD by january's end, and i've got Arwen and the next Legacy episode slated to start in February. 'course if the juice start flowing sooner than that, i'll go with it.
thanks for speaking up, peeps. comments make enjoyment out of what feels like work sometimes.
beej
-Saturday, January 09, 2010 at 14:32:12 (EST)
lovethewombats
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
ita w/cheri d. i've been dogging you since the jake and michaela days. with feroze and makeda, i should say that you really impress me. i'm always surprised. not like the movie of the minute, what's so shocking!!! more like when it's charming, i'm CHARMED. when it's moving, I'm Moved. when it's sexy, etc. i feel like i just discovered that emotion. i believe that's called art. well done. and as i'm coming out of the woodwork, consider this an additional squeeze for Arwen fic. ta.
-Saturday, January 09, 2010 at 00:42:55 (EST)
Cheri D
Brandywine, MD
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Seriously, Love Throws Dominoes is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Usually I'm not into fiction that contains underlying socio-political implications, but this story has a lot of heart. And I think the cultural clash in this piece is definitely on a broader scale than your other stories, which really adds a different dimension.
Keep up the amazing work dude!
-Friday, January 08, 2010 at 22:00:05 (EST)
bj thornton
Bad, Bama Jamma
* I'd change my name to Guinevere just to hear Arthur say it. *
@ Jan: i am also fascinated with "the intrigues of the court" and with the social politics involved in Gwen and Arthur's romance. my next Arwen fic will play heavily into that for the Sweet Dreams episode. thanks for your comment; so glad that you are enjoying them.
beej
-Friday, January 08, 2010 at 11:05:32 (EST)
Jan
Copenhagen, Denmark
Noelani recommended I check out your Arwen fics and I am happy she did. Even here, centuries after the legendary king’s youth, the intrigues of the court still spurs my interest and curiosity. I am really looking forward to finding out how you develop the romance between Gwen and Arthur, from what I've read, the set up has been very well written and seamlessly aligned with the actual television episodes.
-Thursday, January 07, 2010 at 12:15:51 (EST)
bj thornton
insomniac, AL USA
* I like big Troys and I cannot lie. *
@ Neece: looks like Troy is closing the gap. i'm not surprised that he has the skills to convert women to his worldview, 'cause dude was BIG.
erhmm.
thanks for the tip about the dialogue transitions; another friend said the same. i'll work on it. :)
beej
-Tuesday, January 05, 2010 at 20:06:22 (EST)
Neece
Stalling....Stalemate, FL USA
* I like big Troys and I cannot lie. *
LMAO! Just finished reading both Q&A's - thought I would be leaning more towards Lucan (lovin' that name btw) due to his more smooth approach and his way with words. Though it was Troy's crazy country swagger that got my vote this week!
Clarity/clear pace on LTD: There were 2 parts when I wasn't sure who was saying what lines (the restroom scene & when Makeda/Feroze hear Wolf/Kerri upstairs). Once I re-read it, I caught on =)
-Tuesday, January 05, 2010 at 03:23:15 (EST)
bj thornton
Insomniac, AL USA
* I need some Tender Loving Cary. *
I'M SO TIRED.
@ nuri: will make margaritas of legend when i get to NY. involves a little cooking and all so it makes one feel really accomplished. re: smink polls, it's like a six month competition so you'll have plenty of time to change your vote, change it back, etc. and a lot more stuff to go off of.
beej
-Monday, January 04, 2010 at 10:55:14 (EST)
nuri
bk, ny i honestly can't decide between lucan and troy, so much so that i couldn't pick a tagline. voted 'torn' in the poll. those interviews were hilarious. especially troy's. and then lucan is just sexy as anything. idk idk! i need more to go off of, and even then i probably won't want to choose.
sigh, and i still have a chap of ltd to indulge in? you spoil your fans so.
-Sunday, January 03, 2010 at 16:54:32 (EST)
nuri
bk, ny
* Sometimes your tinkering feels like a rain dance for our tribe. *
margaritas are my fave. i want to taste those margaritas of legend now.
your Horse knows where he's going. try not to worry.
-Sunday, January 03, 2010 at 15:57:30 (EST)
bj thornton
Insomniac, AL USA
* I wish my boss were a Fox. *
@ Noel & MyMadeUpName (lol): i'm loving Lucan too, but i think the first excerpt from H&H is going to sway some people toward the comedy. we'll see.
@ Neece: loved this:"I loved how well Makeda explains the meaning behind the titling of LTD's - it reminds me of how we as family,friends, and/or enemies can come together, sometimes its not perfect, but it still can be for the best."
re: Wolf/Kerri: after writing Whit in FT, i knew Kerri had established herself as a free agent and needed a renaming. once she transformed, i knew it was on. :)
LTD readers: i dunno who might be paying this level of attention, but did anyone notice an improvement in pace and clarity in 10? i'm really trying to nail my levels in terms of effective prose, fluid but not hindering, and i feel like LTD 10 hit the mark finally. lemme know what you think.
beej
-Sunday, January 03, 2010 at 13:55:10 (EST)
Neece
Fort Myers, FL USA
* I wish Feroze would throw me a bone. *
Bj - Sigh. Really, the fact that you're Not a published author right now still shocks me! Just finished reading Ch 10 of LTD and about to reread it =) I loved how well Makeda explains the meaning behind the titling of LTD's - it reminds me of how we as family,friends, and/or enemies can come together, sometimes its not perfect, but it still can be for the best and I needed to be reminded of that, so on a more personal level - thank you.
Now earlier on during this story, you said you weren't sure what was gonna go down with Kerri/Wolf and I was kinda looking forward to them Not getting together and becoming just friends with a crazy history between them. However, after THIS Chapter - I don't see them even having that as an option - it's gotta be all or nothing - just as Wolf declared in the restroom ;-) And I love how Feroze/Makeda are blossoming! And that ending - Man - that ain't right! lmao - you know we're dying to see what develops =) Keep doing whatcha do Bj!
-Sunday, January 03, 2010 at 03:00:35 (EST)
MyMadeUpName
* I like big Troys and I cannot lie. *
I'm voting for Troy so far. He's funny.
-Saturday, January 02, 2010 at 12:30:36 (EST)
Noel
It's Breezy at Sea,
* Lucan's already got me gushing. *
Lucan is the one and you just had to throw in that Lancelot message? The 'yeahs' seemed so 'British'; does he had that crisp Brit accent? Anyway, I vote for the Gush.
-N
-Friday, January 01, 2010 at 17:23:25 (EST)
bj thornton
Pendragon Harem, AL USA
* Lucan's already got me gushing. *
@ Gypsi: round two is the girl's interviews. i'm doing plot outlines all this weekend, and Kemet and Lucan were first in line to tell me their story to the tune of PJ Harvey's "Black Hearted Love." lemme just say that Troy's got his work cut out for him to beat Lucan in the hot and heavy department. lol, Kemet already has her chapter one full of sex. that's probably the excerpt that i'll post once its written.
@ Michelle: oh, i've had a good look at that dude, and damn, damn, damn. i totally didn't think of him for my mental picture of Lucan, but he would do very well.
in other news, i finally figured out the rest of Love Throws Dominoes. i'm working on it today, and it should resume next week sometime, for those of you who've been waiting.
beej
-Friday, January 01, 2010 at 16:30:33 (EST)
