Perfect Angel

So in honor of it being Sunday, I thought I'd post a little snippet of what's written of Chapter 9 of That Which is Greater.  I wrote some of the chapter and passed it off to the magnificent Course Jester, and this is just a short snippet because the blog's been dead, and I'm hoping to distract everybody with the fact that Fates 49 is still only 20%*...

A distraction that works better if I don't point out that fact first.  Smart, Frea.

But either way, enjoy the scenelet!

- Frea

*At the time this blog post was written!!

The Vanishing Frea

So a bunch of random announcements to throw together on this blog post, which means it's going to be a mishmash of my different thought processes.  It's really amazing that Fates is a long as it is, considering that in my everyday life, I cannot follow a single train of thought from one station to the next.  But anyway, here we go!

Fates:

The next chapter will be dropping on Tuesday.  Yes, if you look at the progress bar, it says it's in beta right now, as of the time of writing this post, but I do have a lot of reasons for pushing it off.  Among them:

A) My beta and I both have other projects going on right now.  And before you get excited, those projects are unfortunately 95% school related.  It's coming up on the end of the semester, which means I have three major projects and exams due soon.

B) Work has been kicking my butt.

C) Once 48 is posted, I won't be posting another chapter until chapter 52 is almost done, so I'm hoping that between now and Tuesday, I can finish 49 and be halfway done with 50.  It's ambitious, I know, but cheerleading will get me to write so much faster than, "Why you gotta be like that, Frea?" Just, you know, a note.  And yes, I have a reason for holding those four chapters so that I can post them quickly together, and no, I'm not going to share it.

That Which is Greater:

I'm pleased to announce I've finally roped somebody into writing part of it taken on a co-writer!  Greater was never intended to be anything more than "doodle" writing, which is why it was on Tumblr and my other blog before it ever hit fanfiction.net, and I've been attempting to tempt some of my favorite writers to add to Violet Bartowski's awesomeness.  Good news!  I finally landed my big fish!  Look for the next chapter to be a collaboration between the great Course Jester, and me!

Ebooks:

Speaking of Course Jester, have you seen his newest short story?  No?  Well, get on over there to fanfiction.net and have yourself a good read.  And in honor of his updating, I went and updated not only the format of his ebooks, but I added the new short story as well.  And he has a catchphrase now!

You can download the updated version over here!

(Early reviews are in; the book cover doesn't lie!  It IS better than a sharp stick in your eye)

Other Stuff:

I've seen a lot of people mention that grammar is something that trips them up, especially after my last post on how to format your dialogue.  While I was surfing around the other day, keeping up with the book industry, I chanced upon this great website called Grammar Girl.  She covers a wide range of topics and she does it in a clear, fun, and concise manner.  Your brain gets a new wrinkle with every page visit!  Check it out.

And that's all she wrote (until she went and worked on Fates), folks!

Have yourself a wonderful day!
Frea

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WEP!!!!!!

So, funny story:

I had it in my head that April Fool's Day was Wepdiggy's birthday, which I thought was appropriately apt and fitting.  But the thing is, I don't celebrate April Fool's Day, as I prefer people not to know when I'm pranking them, so I didn't do this design yesterday, as I didn't want people to think it was a prank.  However, the joke was on me, because it is actually today that is Wepdiggy's birthday.

Whoops.

What can I say about the fantastic Wepdiggy that his mug shot from his birthday party last night can't?  Not much, but I've now officially known him for around a year, and I'm glad to have met him!!  His friendship, his witty contributions, his awesome way of looking at life, his writing, and just the fact that he is everything you think he would be and more...all of that?  Makes him pretty great.  So here's to you, you fantastic fish.  I've decorated the blog just the way I feel it should be decorated on your big day (aka, I've 'cocked it all up for you!), and I'm sorry that I didn't have time to write you that epic Adorable Psycho story, The 405 Gets Plowed Again.

Happy Birthday, Wep, from all of us here at Castle Inanity!  You've never looked so good for 58!

:)

Frea

44 Times Chuck and Sarah Fell in Love

So this week, I was having a blast on Twitter. Well, first, I should explain something. There are two principles at work here that you need to know.

The first principle is twofold: I can make an alternate version/ending to any story, and I get about three major story ideas a week.

The second principle is something mxpw and I have talked about a lot, in that Chuck and Sarah's story is timeless.  It transcends the modern age, even though Chuck is a computer nerd and Sarah likes her creature comforts.  I mean, you only have to go to the section to find that out. Of the many fanfictions, there's a few set in the wild west, a few fantasy settings, so and so forth. The love story transcends all, and the characters are actually extremely malleable.

With that in mind, the other day, I dreamed up a really, really interesting (to me, anyway) AU, and then tweeted about it on the Twitter. A few of my readers joked that I come up with too many stories, and perhaps proving them right, I jotted down a few adaptations. I've listed them here, for your viewing pleasure. Some of them were submitted by others.

Hit the break, and enjoy!

Heroes, Descendants of Heroes, and Your Everyday Joe

So a favorite author of mine died a few days ago.  I don't know how many of you have read anything by Diana Wynne Jones, but she's the brilliant author of wonderful stories like Dogsbody and Howl's Moving Castle, both of which I enjoyed immensely.  She's the reason I know anything about Guy Fawkes Day, in addition.  The deaths of both Ms. Jones and of Brian Jacques makes this an extremely sad year for me and my childhood/adolescence.  Christopher Chant and Sophie and Mariel of Redwall will live on forever in my imagination because of these brilliant writers.

There's more, and less depressing stuff, after the break.

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the Muuurder

Chuck vs. the Muuuurder

Season 4, Episode 19, air-date March 21, 2011

Chuck's leadership skills are tested when someone is found murdered in Castle. Ellie picks up a hobby that worries Awesome, and Morgan is stuck in the middle when the Buy Morons take on the neighboring Large Mart.

In this episode review, Frea discusses her girlcrush on Kristin Newman, she accuses Wepdiggy of murder, and I just try to keep up with her. Good news, everyone! This was an episode both Frea and I largely enjoyed. Want to see why?

Click the link and you'll find out.

Just a Note About Chapter 47

If you read Fates, read the chapter first.  Then come back.

Instant Reaction: Chuck vs. the Muuurder

Tweet: The return of the Greatest Chuck Live-Tweeter of all time. T-minus five minutes. #Chuck419

Addendum: I felt like it was necessary to announce my return. It felt a bit like the moment when Jordan announced he was coming back to basketball, wearing the four-five. Or, if you don't like me, when Tiki Barber recently made a passing comment that he'd like to return to football.

As a a side note: I have eliminated a lot of my reply tweets because I felt like they didn't add anything to the discussion. That being said...


Reply Tweet, from mxpw99: I don't remember going anywhere...

Addendum: AH HAH. AH HAH HAH HAH. Very funnie, Maximus. This guy, I tell yah.


Tweet: Ellie is turning into her father. Holy crap. #Chuck419

Addendum: She's going to build a room dedicated simply to that computer, and there are going to be a bunch of backup serves and GODDAMNIT CLARA CLOSE THE DOOR and then Clara is going to go in anyway and get zapped with by a computer program that OH MY GOD IT PUTS INFORMATION IN YOUR HEAD and... wait I've heard this story before.


More after the jump, folks.

Announcement!

So I'm on my way to bed to prepare for the annual O'Scanlin St. Patty's Day tradition of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and drinking either Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper while we eat our corned beef (hey, we're at least a little Irish) and pinch each other, even if we're wearing green or not, but I wanted to say this:

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs. the A-Team

Chuck vs. the A-Team

Season 4, Episode 18, air-date March 14, 2011

Chuck worries about his job as new agents are brought in. Chuck and Sarah suspect Casey is going on rogue missions. Morgan tries to make the best of things with his new roommate.

It's the return of Klemmer! One of us (Frea) has made her opinions of the work of Klemmer well-known on this blog, up to and including the DO NOT WANT meme dog when his return was announced. So with that in mind, how did this episode fare?  Did Klemmer rightfully earn his place at the same table as LeJudkins and Newman?

You'll have to click the link to find out.

Catching Up!

Hi, everybody!

I'm back, sort of.  It's my spring break, which means I don't know what this next week will bring, but we'll see.  I don't really have much to say or any grammatical rants to make, but you should click the "Read More" button anyway.  I don't think you'll regret it:

That's What She Said!

I’m going to address a pet peeve today, and I apologize in advance for the toes I’m about to step on, but it can’t be helped. I’ve got to say something.

Today’s topic:



How to Format Your Freaking Dialogue

3 Reasons I Love Chuck Again (and some tips on how you can, too!)

Those of you who know me, and honestly anyone would listen is probably aware of how down I was on our little show once upon a time, back in Season 3. It got so bad that my once favorite show was suddenly causing me more grief than it was joy. That's not a good place to be. Wow, and I just read Justin's article, and I realize I'm starting to sound like that. But no worries, this is positive.

Promises.

See after the cut, if you don't believe me.

The Art of Cadence

The above is a short scene from one of the greatest movies of all time, Stripes. And it’s an example of a cadence (of which I know several, as I was in ROTC for awhile and did some running in formation). And yes, I’m going to take something I saw in Stripes and apply the same principles to writing. Because I am just that crazy.

Wanna know how crazy?  Hit the break.

Break Writing #1

So for those of you that may not know, I have recently returned to the work force, doing an hourly job (working overnights, of course, so my schedule is going to get even weirder) while I pay for my schooling. My shifts are always nine hours long, with an hour off for lunch. During orientation, I brought a notebook and spent the entire lunch break penning away or checking Twitter on my phone (because I'm OCD like that). I have decided that, pending major homework assignments, I am going to try and write at least one paragraph on each of my sitting-down breaks, and I'll share as I go along (unless it's a major, major spoiler, like the time Sarah goes and--oh, whoops, almost gave away Fates's greatest secret (I see you snapping your fingers over there, Ayefah)!).

So here it is, a snippet from my writing from my first day on the job. And you'll be happy to know, it's Fates. Hit the break for it:

Alas

No new Fringe tonight, but you can enjoy what we thought of last week's episode, just because I don't have my post on cadence done yet.  Lou keeps these great podcasts on his blog (including his Chuck podcast with some awesome people).  And I'll post last week's here, just for your listening pleasure, if you like Fringe.

:)

Frea

mxpw vs. Frea - Chuck vs the First Bank of Evil

Chuck vs. the First Bank of Evil
Season 4, Episode 17, original air-date February 28, 2011

So some stuff happened in the episode. I think Chuck had a mustache, Sarah was a Princess Bride, Morgan embraced the Force, Casey did...stuff, Vivian became confused, Ellie played Dr. Frankenstein, and Jeffster swore fealty to a king. And that is your episode summary, courtesy of mxpw.

Frea is fully embracing her odd circadian rhythm and is currently sleeping. And, well, when the MBO is away, the minions will play. Here's this week's review, up before Friday, though technically it wouldn't matter if it was posted on Friday. If you don't know already, no new Chuck next week. Not cool, NBC, not cool.

The Event, nobody likes you. Please go away.

Sincerely,

Angry and deprived Yvonne Strahovski fans.


***

Chuck...Let's Be Friends, Yeah?

It only really struck me yesterday. Not sure why. Even I had noticed how events were moving in the direction. The lack of inspiration to write fanfic. Not keeping up with spoilers. Slowly rising dissatisfaction with the show. But for whatever reason, the idea only fully coalesced in my head yesterday.

My Chuck Fandom died.

Yeah...I'm not a die hard Chuck fan anymore. Hell, I'm not even a dedicated or even regular Chuck fan anymore. I'm just a Chuck acquaintance. My subconscious has told Chuck "I like you, we had some good times, but we're just not working out anymore. Let's just be friends."

Chuck is my latest television ex-girlfriend.

4x17 Icons!

Had way too much energy this morning. Made icons. See, even Chuck there is happy for me. You know the drill, if you want an icon feel free to take it, but let me know in the comments that you did as a courtesy.

:)

Frea

eBooks, eBooks, eBooks!

As of this time (yes, it's 4:30 in the morning at my time, yes, I've been up for four hours, and yes, this sleeping schedule makes absolutely no sense and yet seems to fit me perfectly since I just got a job working overnights while I'm in school), I have yet to see Chuck vs. the Evil League Bank of Evil or whatever the episode's called.  The room with the DVR is currently occupied by a sleeping individual.  She may be a Chuck fan, but I highly doubt her devotion goes as far as letting her favorite sister watch at 2 in the morning.

Pity, that.

But yeah, I just wanted to let everybody know a few things.  I took a bit of a hiatus to work on real life stuff, but I'm back and I'm going to try and do a chapter a week until Fates is finished.  No idea how well that will work but we can hope.  You can send all bribes donations to the cause to pepper4frea@yahoo.com, set up by the awesome BDaddyDL.  Can't actually say whether I'll check the actual email or not, as I'm notoriously scatter-brained, but you know how I am about my Dr. Pepper.

Also, I've had a lot of fun playing around with eBook formats.  I read on my Kindle a lot, and I like my Kindle books to actually look like books, so I made the ePub and Kindle versions look like an actual novels in my updated version of Walker's Eleven, which finished a couple of hours ago, according to the author.  You can download that here and you can also download Wepdiggy's fantastic Sarah vs. the Alternate Universe, which is formatted in the old style (no indents, spacing between the paragraphs).

For the record, the Walker's Eleven PDF is indented and has the spacing between the paragraphs, but the ePub doesn't have the paragraph spacing.  In addition, if you have "justified" turned on, the indents will be a little ragged in appearance.

If people really hate the new Kindle/ePub format, I can go back to the original without any problems. Just let me know.


Anyway, my apologies for being so out of it lately.  Big things happening in my life had to take priority, but I said I'm going to finish What Fates Impose, and I mean it.

Frea