learning how to Dreamwidth

[libraralien]

Doing a whole "About Me" felt very daunting, so just combining some assorted information about myself and also what I am up to lately.

- My username is a combination of "librarian" and "alien". I thought it was very clever when I came up with it, but I have been asked before if it's some variation on Libra, so maybe the joke isn't as clear as I thought at the time.

- I am a librarian. I am not a Libra. Probably not an alien.

- I volunteer with the OTW. I've never posted about it a lot, but it's not a secret. If you have any questions about the TOS or Open Doors, those are the areas I work the most with, so feel free to ask.

- I write a bit, but I don't consider myself serious about it. I've only ever written one shots so far. I have fun ideas and little scene inspirations, but I have never felt I had a big story to tell. (I also really like reading one shots. I feel like I see a lot of people talking up fics they love by mentioning how long they are, but I prefer shorter ones; 5-20k words is my ideal range. The fact that my favorite type of fic is smut probably plays into this.)

- The fandoms that were new to me this year that I got into were Lord of the Rings (which I read and watched for the first time) and Leverage. As far as fandom tastes go, I also have a preference for closed canon. This often means quieter fandoms, but I don't mind.

- Oh! I also got into the Aubrey-Maturin books this year. I am exactly half-way through the series and intend to finish them all, but am taking a bit of a break right now (Though I have found myself starting to idly wonder what Jack and Stephen are up to and if it isn't time to dive into the next one.)

- I have been trying to get into Due South but I keep getting distracted by other things, mostly books. I am 2/3 through season 1 and just haven't gotten obsessed. I am not giving up though, I think there is something here for me and I just haven't found it yet.

- As for current reading, this week I finished Swordheart by Ursula Vernon in about 2 days. Absolutely gulped it down and it was delightful. Tonight I finished A Room With a View. I've loved Maurice for a long time and decided it was time to try some other Forster. I am still dithering on what I want to pick up next; possible Bujold's Paladin of Souls, as I really enjoyed the first book in the series.

- What I really want to read is the copy of Hogfather I checked out from the library, but I am saving it to reread while I am visiting my parents over the holidays. I just have to stare at it longingly until then.

If you just friended me recently (or if we've already met elsewhere, honestly), feel free to comment and say hi, if you'd like! Or ask me about anything I rambled about. I am still learning how things work around here.

Comments

[troisoiseaux]

Hi! I love the Aubrey-Maturin books, although I got about halfway through the series and... not so much gave up as got distracted by Life and then suddenly I hadn't read any of the books since high school. :O Which one do you like best so far?

[libraralien]

Perhaps the hardest I have laughed at a book in recent memory was the scene in Post Captain (I think it was Post Captain?) with Stephen's Woolen Garment and the Bees, so that one is definitely up there. I also really enjoyed the on-land romantic hijinks that made up the first half of that one.

I also really liked HMS Surprise, especially when Stephen has to perform self-surgery and while recovering, deliriously spills the depths of his soul to Jack, while Jack sponges cool water on his fevered body.😍 You don't get much better hurt/comfort than that.

Do you have a favorite?

[slashmarks]

Hi! I read Swordheart last week. Isn't it great?

[libraralien]

It was so great, I didn't want to stop reading it and absolutely devoured it! I think it was the first book of hers that felt like a Capital R-Romance (as opposed to fantasy with romance) and she really nailed it for me. I was not expecting to get more books in the world, so it was a joy to explore it more. And of course now I am dying for the 2 more books that I hope are to come after it.

[troisoiseaux]

I think HMS Surprise has to be my favorite, because it's got espionage! Hurt/comfort! Debauched sloths! It's got a lot of good Maturin scenes, and I must admit that as much as I adore Aubrey, Stephen is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. (I have a soft spot for characters that are very, very good at what they do but are absolute messes in any other situation.)

And yes, Post Captain is delightful. :D Pride and Prejudice and Post Captains!

[isis]

I loved the Aubrey-Maturin series, though part of the reason I loved it was that although I devoured the first three books, I read the rest much more slowly. I think that they are best savored individually, with palate-cleansers of books of other genres in between, so that you never feel overwhelmed. When you start wondering what Jack and Stephen are up to, yep, that's the time to pick up the next one.

I actually watched due South the same way, in fits and starts, though mostly because I'm not very good at watching stuff. I enjoyed the show, though it felt to me as though it underwent many focus-shifts along the way. It's one of my sentimental old fandoms, but I am completely out of it now.

[rahirah]

Welcome to Dreamwidth!

I love Ursula Vernon! I first found her Digger comic on the web, and went on to her novels from there.

[seascribble]

Aaaahhhh so many people of my acquaintance have been getting into due South lately and I love it. I've been rewatching it and it's so great. I hope it clicks for you soon! I definitely think the second half of the first season (especially the ending and the beginning episodes of S2) is where the emotional payoff really starts clicking, so maybe you'll feel that soon?

I read and reread Aubrey Maturin through high school but haven't had a chance to go back since--my first true fandom! So good.

[libraralien]

I have not read any of her comics! I dove into her T. Kingfisher novels and next thing I knew I had read all of them. It's so nice to find an author where you know you will happily read anything they write.

[libraralien]

Yeah, I am discovering they are repetitive enough (not in a bad way, but in a kind of comforting way) that they are more enjoyable with some breathing room between them. I may also have started taking longer breaks between them when I realized I will still be wondering what adventures Jack and Stephen are getting up to next even once I have finished them all.💔

Maybe taking a similar leisurely pace with watching due South isn't a bad things after all.

[libraralien]

I think something will click! I keep feeling like I am this close to getting really into and just not quite getting there. I think part of it is the rhythms of tv episodes and dialog are quite different than what they are now and it takes some getting used to? The dialog beats actually reminds me of Buffy a little sometimes (though to a less extreme degree), and I ended up watching all of that eventually. Also, can you tell me what the deal is the the lowercase d in due South? I have seen in both ways, but lowercase is the fandom convention it seems?

I had no idea so many people liked Aubrey-Maturin! They seem so Dad Lit. But I totally get it, since I am loving them and loving them in a fandom way. Once I started reading them I was so mad nobody had ever told me how funny they are!

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Nice to meet you! :) Assorted reactions:

Ooh, that's so nice that you're part of what the OTW do!!

I did read your username as a hybrid of librarian and alien, for the record.

Lord of the Rings, yay!

And Hogfather: YASS! Great book to reread over Christmas.

[libraralien]

Nice to meet you too! I am looking forward to rereading Hogfather, I haven't read it since high school. I think it will be fun to revisit while it is Seasonal.

[seascribble]

Oh, that's true! It is a VERY 90s show. But I watched way more tv in the 90s than I ever did from 2000ish to, like, graduate school, so maybe that's why they clicked for me? I've kind of always been stuck in the 90s, despite being quite young then.

I believe the lower-case "d" it just comes from the way it's written in the credit sequences? I never received any explanation other than that.

Aubrey-Maturin are peak Dad Lit, but charming and ROMANTIC Dad Lit!

[sleepyquail]

MAN I love Hogfather so much!! I sometimes forget how many random Pratchett things have kind of wormed their way into my general lexicon, and then one day I'll just be like "oh yeah, the Sock Eaters have been at it again!" and everyone just looks at me all confused. XD Think I might have to have a little reread :D

I keep thinking I need to revisit Bujold actually. I read Shards of Honor and wasn't massively impressed for some reason that I actually can't remember right now. But I hear that the Miles ones are better?

[slashmarks]

Yeah, I bought it in the evening and finished it before lunch the next day. I am not normally a big straight romance reader, but this one worked for me! And I agree that getting more books in this particular world, especially set in a different but adjacent location, was fascinating and I greatly look forward to more. (Especialyl Angharad's book!)

[libraralien]

I actually haven't read any of the Vorkosigan books! The Curse of Chalion was the first Bujold I have read, because the series was shorter and less of a commitment, and I generally am more inclined to fantasy than sci-fi. I do intent to give the Vorkosigan series a try eventually, though.

[silverusagi]

I work in a library! Though I am not a librarian.

I remember watching Due South when it was airing! I was just a kid, so I only vaguely remember it. But I rewatched all of it several years ago on YouTube. I definitely liked seasons 3 & 4 better than 1 & 2, but all of it was a cute show.

[ride_4ever]

Speaking of cons, have you considered Escapade, the world's longest-running annual slashcon? (I'm in charge of the Escapade Welcommittee, so yes, I am pimping it here.)

[ride_4ever]

Also pimping due South, and happy to share squee and recs about due South or any Canadian Six Degrees.

[ride_4ever]

*waves to sea*

And excellent getting to talk and hang out together at ConFab.

[ride_4ever]

*waves to isis*

[ride_4ever]

The lower-case "d" in due South is the preferred fandom spelling because that's how it's done in the show logo (same as I've got tattooed on my arm).

[ride_4ever]

Yes, that is why the lower-case "d" in due South: following the style used in the credits.

[libraralien]

I have definitely considered Escapade! I just have never been to LA, or the West Coast much at all. But it is definitely on my radar and I hope to make it there some year soon!

[libraralien]

I will try to get back to watching soon and make a post after I have so we can squee about it!

[seascribble]

Yes, very nice to see you!