Ex Caerulo

Mass Effect 3 fic: A Blind Purpose 4/?

Mon, 07 May 2012 06:42:11 GMT

Summary: Commander Jules Shepard, a talented combat engineer of the Alliance Navy, decides that this time, they would fight the Reapers by their own means. Rule no. 1 of tech school is, “If you didn’t build it or know how to take it apart—don’t use it. Better to use your own than tech that’ll bite you in the ass someday.”

A “What if Shepard didn’t use the Crucible?” fic.

Archive of Our Own link.

FF.net link.

I won't be doing commentary for this chapter because quite frankly, I am bloody tired. (And sometimes I don't know if people actually read these things.) So if anyone has any burning questions, feel free to message me in some way. ^^ I will try my best to answer.

I will say this much though: I don't own Homestuck, L4D2 and I guess Shaun of the Dead. References are just references, 'kay?

Oh, and for those wondering why you got two messages from FF.net’s message system about a new chapter, I ah, had to make grammatical fixes to it. » This is what happens when your beta-readers are busy, and by the time you get a message from one of them that they have read the fic, you’ve already posted the damn thing (after, of course, scouring the document yourself for possibly the 10th time to the point that you’re not actually reading anymore, but letting your headvoice tell you what you think is there). OTL I really need beta beta-readers. Preferably ones who have played all THREE ME games. Blah. /grouchy

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Mass Effect 3 fic: A Blind Purpose 3/?

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:07:53 GMT

A “What if Shepard didn’t use the Crucible?” fic.

Archive Of Our Own link here.

FF.net link here.

( Chapter Two - Commentary )

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Quick Update: A Blind Purpose Chapter 2

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:08:45 GMT

I am at 7, 862 words and counting. Damn. Did I mention that I wasn't going to write 8k chapters ever again?

...Damn. Editing this is going to be such a bitch.

Also, I told myself I would write an omake for this chapter. @___@

This update will be out this week! I promise! Let me just get through my double exam tomorrow! (And one more on Monday!)

In other news, has anyone ever heard of Berserker by Fred Saberhagen? Because there are some damn interesting parallels in his book... ^^

(Nobody prolly reads this, but I like being able to whine about how tiring writing can get. :P)

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A Blind Purpose Update

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:11:48 GMT

Chapter 2 is almost at 4000 words. I plan to write at least 2000 more, depending on how cooperative the characters will be. It's been slow-going mostly because of two things: a) university shit (because I have a trimester system, and this semester is almost over, ergo, things happen) and b) quality-checking. It is actually to the point that I think I am more fussy about my writing than my beta-readers. :| I just have a certain standard when it comes to writing fanfic, and I try to meet that standard whenever I can.

So expect Chapter 2 sometime this week or early next week.

If anyone is reading this (which would surprise me, if people did), I am actually looking for a beta-reader. Mostly because I feel bad for bothering my friends, and mostly because both of them have an incomplete knowledge of the MEverse. One of them has only played through most of the first game (because he is a very busy guy), and the second one has only played ME2 and ME3. So for anyone who is interested, drop a comment here, message me on my FF.net account, or email me, because I think my profile shows my email. :| In any case, I don't bite, and I enjoy having Mass Effect conversations with people! :3 Just know that Liara/Fem!Shep is my OTP, and I get twitchy when other people talk about other pairings. I am open-minded to other pairings, I just cannot read them, unless neither Liara nor Fem!Shep is involved. If you are a burning Thane fan, we can talk about Thane, sure. Garrus? Garrus is damn kickass! Mordin? I would go straight for Mordin, damnit! But, just don't pair them with Fem!Shep (or Liara) while I am around. :| I am a simple-minded person. My heart has only room for one OTP.

I just have two things to say for those who might want to be a beta-reader: a) I prefer having a very informal relationship with them, so if you're one of those types who just goes through a grammar check and is very stiff and set in their standards of grammar, I appreciate your professionalism, but I have writing classes in university, and I do not want to further traumatize myself. b) I am more concerned about things like the flow of a story, whether or not people talk too much (as I admittedly, have a weak spot for off-tangent banter), and if a scene does not give away enough information to the readers, and so on. I am not asking for a close reading. I just want to know if there is anything that needs clarifying or if any scene feels weak and needs to be strengthened. Heck, if you don't know what to talk about, I'll give you a list of questions. I'm very open to conversation. ^^ (See pairing restrictions above :P)

With those things out of the way, I think I will collapse in my bed now. <3 Today was tiring. And stressful. And I just feel dead.

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Mass Effect 3 fic: A Blind Purpose 2/?

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 02:42:43 GMT

A “What if Shepard didn’t use the Crucible?” fic.

Archive Of Our Own link here.

FF.net link here.

( Chapter One Commentary )

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5 Reasons Why I Want to Strangle the Entity Known as Bioware:

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:15:17 GMT

1) The need to use the service known to mankind as Origin, the dreaded Steam-wannabe that fails at just about everything.
2) The counter-intuitiveness of said service. Not only have I been forced to download Mass Effect 2 more than once (I am on my third try), but I have also been forced to uninstall stupid Origin--but not so I can get rid of it--just so I can re-download the damnable installer again.
3) Did I mention, Origin, that Steam has never given me any fucking download problems? Tell me right now why I shouldn't bloody well pirate this game when I own it on my console and on the PC, hmm?
4) The fact that I need to play Multiplayer mode in Mass Effect 3 just so I can get the maximum War Readiness crapola. I would really rather not game with strangers. Kthx.
5) The Mass Effect 3 ending. Not so much because the ending was sad and Shepard could possibly die, etc, etc. The reason why I am angry about the ending is because I am following some really good Mass Effect fanfic writers out there, and some of them feel discouraged to write more now that the ending has reared its ugly head for all to see. Thanks for ruining it for them.
Honourable mention: The default choices that you get when you play without an ME2 import. Just be glad my friend is forgiving despite the fact that she has gone through the trauma of seeing Eve die because default settings say, "You did not let Mordin keep Genophage cure files" or when both the geth and the quarian attacked each other despite her choice to let both live because a) Legion isn't there, and b) apparently, the quarians will attack the geth anyway. Thanks a lot. Apparently, being a Paragon isn't really a good thing if you don't have the history to back it up.

/end rant

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Where Did the Time Go?

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:45:11 GMT

Two months ago, all I could think about was the piles of Kim Possible fanfic I had to read and the plot bunnies that lingered in my head. Two months ago, I hadn't even known what Mass Effect was really about, only that I heard that it was good and that I should try it sometime.

So I did.

Which is why I haven't been around these last few weeks. I've been too busy lately, playing the franchise and adoring the different fanfics that it had to offer.

And then I watched the ending of Mass Effect 3, frustrated tears sliding down my cheeks, anger swelling in my chest... Suffice to say, I slept very little that night. And the next...

So I've decided to write fanfic to ease the pain. I have several plot bunnies that I would like to explore. So far, I've finished Atlas, a Post Priority: Thessia fic dealing with Shepard's feelings about Cerberus and Thessia. I also plan on working on an alternate ending one-shot, a multi-chaptered story where Shepard chooses not to use the Crucible, and possibly even an AU where Shepard, an Alliance military officer, pursues the enigmatic archaeologist, Liara, while on shore leave, and the entire Reaper invasion just never happened. I'm sure there are plenty more stories I'd like to write, but these are the ones at the forefront of my mind right now.

Hopefully, I manage to work on these stories despite the upcoming end of the semester, with its promise of painful essays and programming projects and sinister exams looming in the horizon.

But hey, I've never let that deterred me before. :3 //school work is totally gonna suffer (LOL)

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Review: LJ58's Kim Possible: Devil's Child

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:27:27 GMT

( I have opened a can of gummy worms... )

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The Kim Possible Master List of Fics to Review

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:09:03 GMT

The Kim Possible Master List of Fics to Review

As I have mentioned before, I am going to write a review on a number of Kim Possible fanfics that I have read. These are all my opinions, so you are in no way obligated to agree with them. This list is also subject to revision, so feel free to recommend other Kim Possible fanfics. As I am a KiGo shipper, I will mostly focus on reviewing KiGo fanfic. Unless I mention the main pairing in the fic, please assume that the main pairing is KiGo. ^^ I might also read gen, het, yaoi and yuri fanfics, although I must admit, I have a strange aversion to Kim/Ron or Shego/Drakken ships. I just cannot read them. I do like Drakken and Ron as characters, and it's really too bad that they get marginalized in some KiGo fanfics, but I just cannot read them with Kim and Shego. :/

( The List... )
This list will grow once I have read more fics on my separate to-read list. x)

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Writing, Reviews, and Life

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:57:41 GMT

My Kim Possible craze is going strong! Although I have just finished watching the four seasons of Kim Possible, I am still doggedly determined to write a fanfic or several in this fandom. Yay! That said, I have not yet released any fanfic online because I am not sure which one I should focus on. As of right now, I have Operation KiGo (which is very likely to be released), Alter-Kim, and My Name Is all in various stages of completion. Furthermore, I have several other ideas that I want to explore as well that have yet to be tried out. :/

So, in short, the Kim fics will come out in due time. I just need to write as much as I can and find out which one I really want to work with the most. x)

Also, I have taken it upon myself to write reviews on different Kim Possible fanfics. Since I was introduced to the fandom by Sobriety, one of the best KP fanfic writers out there, I was so disappointed to find that Sobriety hasn't been mentioned in TV Tropes. :/ Also, some of the fanfics that I have read from the TV Tropes rec list weren't really my cup of tea. Thus, I decided that I would just talk about them--the good and the bad. This is all subject to my opinion of course, so others are welcome to disagree. They are even more welcome to recommend me new fics. *nudgenudgewinkwink*

That said, I will be posting the Review List in a separate entry and link all of my reviews there later. x) It will be my personal list as well, in case I want to reread my favourites. ;D

(Yes, yes, this is what my life is right now. So it would be redundant of me to write about my life. xP)

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More than Just a Fleeting Fancy

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:43:31 GMT

I started Operation KiGo (called the Love Doctor back then) as a sillyfic response to all of the wonderful KiGo fanfics that I've read thus far. It was meant to be a page long fic (or two) that I was just going to write for a while so that I can let some steam out and move on. It wasn't even supposed to be FF.net post-worthy.

I moved on.

Several months later, I was drawn back in by Sobriety's Acting Out, which wasn't even a KiGo fic, but which enticed me back into the fandom nonetheless. I ended up watching the series, and now I want to write Kim Possible fanfics very much.

Operation KiGo and Alter-Kim (working title) are two fanfics that I am working on right now. Since most of the KiGo stories that I have read show Dr. Drakken in a bad light and often push Ron to the side as a minor character, I wanted to write my own fanfic where these characters have a bigger role to play. Dr. Drakken gets his redemption, and Ron isn't just that guy who broke up with Kim. I will also be dealing with more serious villains, and the grey areas will be more prominent. I won't make it too serious though, as I am a lighthearted writer, and like lighthearted storylines. I do love angst though and I hope that I will have a chance to play with that in my fanfics. (Contradiction is my middle name. :D)

Anyway, here's to hoping that I stick to this project for quite some time! @__@

And here's to hoping that I don't die from my classes this new semester. :/

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Crossovers and Fanfic

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:52:15 GMT

I think if I see a picture of Kim or Shego cosplaying Resident Evil characters I would just die. /sighs longingly

Damnit! Now I want to write a Kim Possible/RE crossover. I can just see Jill or Claire getting awfully clingy with Shego and Kim looking ready to shoot someone. :'D I mean, uh, what? Seriously though, I think I can fabricate a story where Team Possible + Team Badass (Shego and Drakken) will work together to aid the STARS team. x3 It can even be gen! I don't mind! As long as flirting is allowed. I like flirting with people. :3 Also, I like shooting zombies. There's just something therapeutic about heads exploding in the TV screen. Srs.

Yes, I got this from looking for RE icons and reading KP fanfic. P: But it's really doable! And it doesn't have to be silly! Well, perhaps a bit.

Wow, I think I might actually write this. o__O Huh.

OMG, new Tomb Raider is pretty.~

Ah-hem. Moving on, I actually opened this DW to write about a fanfic I'm currently reading. It's called Another Time, Another Place by StarvingLunatic. It's a really good fic. One thing I've discovered with StarvingLunatic's works is that, they're very nice to read, but you should only read one fanfic at a time. By this I mean, don't marathon his/her fics because you will get sick and tired of them easily. I know this for a fact because Kim and Shego remain pretty much the same despite the different settings/plotlines the author uses. There's consistency there, which is awesome, but it also means that you can get tired of reading his/her works really quickly after a while. I haven't even finished some of StarvingLunatic's works yet (Walking the Line series, Honour Bound) because it just gets tiring after a while.

That said, I still like reading all of StarvingLunatic's works. This one in particular is nice, although I can't help but look at it from a psychological perspective. P: (A tangent I'd rather not go into.) But I do like the ah, the plot. I won't spoil things for you, but upon further reflection, it does have a similar flavour to her other works. Shego always ends up being the more competent adult while Kim ends up as the somewhat ditzy genius. /shrugs Not that I mind. It totally works. And I really do like StarvingLunatic's style of writing.

Perhaps I will write a proper review later. I did promise my friend that I would write him a Rec List. ;)

And to end this on a happy note, I shall leave this entry with a really nice Ghost Trick link. <3 Kudos to thatpokemonkid for giving me the link. :'D You rock, my dear.

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Guilty Pleasures

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:44:38 GMT

If I didn't have the attention span of a mayfly's lifespan, perhaps I would have been justified in wasting my days away writing original fiction. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked in my writing plans and ended up doing a Kim Possible marathon. Now, this shouldn't take more than a few days, but considering my short attention span (previously established as being very short indeed), I can't even watch properly as I get distracted every episode. I'm serious. :|

That said, Kim Possible is my guilty pleasure right now--the rainbow-coloured unicorn in my closet.

It doesn't help that I adore Drakken so much. Or that I ship Drakken/Ron. (Well, I like KiGo just as much. But I mean, come on. That comes with the territory. It's an unspoken truth. No need to reaffirm it.)

Oh, and did I mention that Shego is damn hot? I melt every time she goes on screen. :'D Her voice is just utterly heavenly.~ (I have a weakness for sultry voices. /sighs And competent women. /doublesighs)

That said, here's to hoping that this particular obsession of mine won't ebb until after I've finished writing this silly KiGo ficlet! (Although I might write a Drakken-centric story too. We'll see. It depends on how long I can ride this wave.)

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Reflections

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:22:58 GMT

Like a flickering lamplight, I am drawn to this site once more. I fear that I do not give enough justice to DW. I have had such a strange last couple of months. In between struggling to get papers in on time, writing erratically, forcing the cogs inside my head to turn faster so that I might produce more pleasant shit for people to read (My friend claims my kind of shit is golden. Make of it what you will), and juggling social events in my free time, I have forgotten to write here. I suppose it is because I feel that I lack an audience. The increasing popularity of sites such as tumblr and facebook has made this kind of journaling a strange, perhaps even outdated form of keeping your friends up to date with the goings on of your life. The kind of crowd that now attracts a website like this is a reading crowd that wishes to devour the works of others, chew these things thoughtfully in their mouths as they prepare their constructive criticism.

Still, I will try to maintain this at the very least. It is more than I can promise when compared to my decaying FFnet account where I have not really posted anything new in the last few months.

Surprisingly, I have a clear conscience when it comes to fanfiction. I wonder if it is because I have such a removed perspective from my fanfics now. Oh, I still enjoy writing them from time to time, but they are not as appealing to me as they used to be. "I grew up and out of it," would be far too easy an answer to say. More like, "There are too many things that interest me at the moment."

A funny thing about my obsessions is that they are like flames. They burn strongly but die quickly. Thus, I unfortunately have a very short attention span as a result. This is just another one of my strange mood swings.

I read Lestaki's Windows of the Soul for a while. It is a beautiful fanfic, one that I will always go back to whenever I can. In my very biased opinion, it is one of the best love stories I have ever read because of the writer's style. He loves to describe and he loves to analyze a person's feelings, thoughts, ulterior motives, ambiguities--tries to capture the elusive in his writing. Whenever the two main characters ponder, especially about the other, they build such a beautiful profile that every chapter feels almost like an unsent love letter, detailing the other's best and worst qualities, reaffirming and reinventing how they feel about each other.

I like it very much. I wish I could somehow write like that. Not that I want to copy his style. Rather, I want to try and capture human thought and human expression through figurative language. Lestaki just does a good job of that.

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Visual Novels

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 03:40:51 GMT

After playing Christina Love's don't take it personally, babe it just ain't your story and Digital Story, I want to make one. I imagine doing it like it was a prezi, but with multiple options. :3 I just wish I could draw well. And had the time for it. ): I love learning in University. I just hate doing homework. >> It's never the kind of homework that I'd rather do you know? Maybe if all of our assignments somehow required creativity, I'd be more into it. But they're not. ):

Oh well. Here's to another dull week, with the only spotlights of my life being the collaboration that I am writing with my friend. >>

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Busy Days

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:58:28 GMT

A month has already passed and writing here has already been shifted down the list of things that I wish to do during my free time. Happily, I at least was able to write lots these last few weeks, particularly in a collaboration story that I am writing with a friend (Google Docs is godsend :'D) as well as in many different RP threads created by my friends. :3 Of course, my writing is a bare trickle compared to other writers, but I am happy nonetheless. Progress should be celebrated. Not criticized.

That said, I doubt I will be able to write anything coherent here for a while. Busy days are ahead, and I don't know how much time I have that is still solely mine. At least I am able to use my sister's old laptop now, so hopefully, having that with me at school will inspire me to write more than I normally would. :D

Cheers, and a happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada and a happy Columbus Day to everyone in US of A. :'D

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Richard III

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:53:57 GMT

I love watching plays. There's something interactive about it that one cannot quite experience from a movie. I especially love how it can make one feel, and the energy that radiates from the performers.

I have not watched other versions of Richard III but I must say that the Richard in this play was quite exquisite. He truly embodies the predator in his spider-like appearance, and in his mannerisms. His actions are just explosive when he is mad, and downright creepy when he is charming and silver-tongued. The battle at the end between him and the future King Henry the VII reminded me of a mythological struggle between man and supernatural beast.

The anachronistic elements were strange to me, but otherwise, it was a fine play. :') I am so thankful to my English teacher who invited me to watch this brilliant production. D:~ I am seriously going to miss her.

EDIT:

I've included a trailer from the play I watched. :3

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MY FANDOMS (THE ONES I'VE WRITTEN IN AND THE ONES I PLAN TO WRITE IN SOMEDAY):

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:56:53 GMT

( The List. )

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I Have a Mountain

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:12:20 GMT

It is a pyramid of books, stacked in my mind's eye, a to-read list that is constantly shifting in priority as the days pass by. I think I need to schedule "blackouts" where I will not go near the computer and do anything I consider fun just to get these readings done. _@ Guh. This is why I haven't been posting lately. ): Too much responsibilities.

Also, I ended up reading comics all of Saturday and wanting to write a story as a result of reading said comics. >> We'll see how that goes.

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This Week's Blargh! Brings You...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:36:35 GMT

( //Lost Girl rant )

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Outtake#1: Schedules

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:03:07 GMT

A cup of cold coffee in one hand and a planner in the other--this is how I start my Monday morning. Without a solid plan for the week, I just might go insane. (Although admittedly, I started my Monday morning reading from one of my textbooks, spewing a string of curses under my breath as I struggle to cover said textbook, and finally penning the title with a calligraphy pen so as to prolong the inevitable reading that I must continue to do. But all of this does not count as I am sure further Monday mornings will not follow such a ritual. Except perhaps the bit about reading.)

I do not like my erratic schedule. As a recent high school graduate (though, I suppose, graduation does not occur until the 23rd), I am used to a compact schedule where most of my morning and a bit of my afternoon is spent at school. I can wake up at 6:30 A.M. reassured that this is how every day would be like. Alas, that reassurance is now gone, replaced with a messy schedule that must have been planned by a drunken monkey that simply pointed at random blocks of the day and proclaimed that I must take my classes during those periods of time. Oh how I hate thee, silly monkey.

And now, my 15 minutes is up, as my schedule proclaims (although it felt more like 30), and I must go back to my readings.

Until then, I will yearn for the freedom to write ramblings such as this while studying for my class.

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A Sudden Fancy

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:38:49 GMT

I took one look at this site and, like an infatuated school girl, fell in love with it almost immediately. It helps that it is familiar in its LJesque format. Better yet, it does not have those awful, pesky ads that make going to livejournal a bit of a chore.

I tried creating a blogspot in the hopes of having a dumpster of ideas where I could store these half-formed, barely coherent plotlines and hope that some bum starved for a plotbunny might go through my disorderly blog and find a meal-and-a-half amongst my rubbish. Heh. But honestly, I just needed a place to dump my ideas and clean my conscience of guilt at the thought of never letting these ideas see the light of day in some form or another.

Having said that, I will be moving my ideas here, where I feel more comfortable posting my various lunacies in whatever form I feel like posting them in. So if you happen to see a string of letters mashed together to make a badly imitated copy of one of Picasso's works in the future, just ignore it. That's probably just me channeling an internet virus at 3 A.M. in the morning when I should be writing a paper for school or writing a long overdue next chapter to one of my various written works.

I will be imposing to myself some kind of pattern in the future once my writing cogs have been cleaned and my university jitters have been quelled. Perhaps a M-W-F update with themes on each day, or sommat. I have yet to decide.

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