deepfriedcake

Christmas stories, huh? Give me a minute... In the meantime, thanks to Eledgy for an early holiday present, her story Turns Out There's a Process, written in her perfect Eledgy style. So very happy your writing drought is over and we get to enter your Stars Hollow world again. Minute's up! OK, I came up with three: The Truth, Actually (I was thinking about this while watching the Love, Actually special) Sugar and Spice, Naughty and Nice (Note: this one is rated M, from the good ol' days when Outtabreath was around.) Dreaming of Reality by oh-no-she-dien't. (Maybe this one isn't actually Christmas-based, but it always makes me think of a Christmas Carol, and since this is my list, it's on it!)

Hi! Is anyone still around? Just consider this a PSA. I posted a new story at FF last week and was shocked to learn that the whole email system for alerts has changed. (My own fault, it's been so long since I've been there.) Anyway, you now need to "opt-in" for emails, and you need to update it every 6 months. The other thing that I learned is that the PMs from the FF site and those coming from the app are completely different. So if you messaged me from the app, I just saw those a few days ago! (Surprise!) Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! I hope to have another new story up within a week or so...and there should be more coming! Miss you guys!

"Where's the ka-pow?" Come here, Lady. I got your ka-pow right here. Geez, she annoys me no end. But other than the so-called Queen of Trends, I continue to enjoy the show. I laugh at probably 60% of Amy & Nick's jokes, ("Are your legs tired from going that far to get to that joke?"), and I'm in awe of the creativity and talent of the craftspeople. It's a pleasant escape for an hour a week. Although I agree that Daddio's previous creations haven't equaled his competitors offerings, I thought that his dollhouse and tools made more sense than "track your pollinators" did. Or were they being judged strictly on their builds and not the ideas behind them? Were they all supposed to be displayed outside? Because if so, I don't know how the clothing one would keep the items dry. I guess I'd like more of an insight into the judging criteria. I was wondering if Maria had cut one of her peppers in half vertically, and then placed a half on either side of her cabinet, if that would have been enough to get her through? Or was she just so far behind that there was no time left for any kind of a fix? I really liked her idea of a neighborhood recipe/spice exchange, though!

Whatever the issue was, it seems to have been resolved. Chapter 9 is now up and readable! One thing learned is that the FF app still worked even as the website was stuck in limbo, so FYI in case it happens again. Junie, I've never posted at Ao3. I went over to make an account when they first began, and found out someone else had already claimed deepfriedcake! I mean, how dare they?!?! I settled on therealdeepfriedcake, but never did anything more. At the time I was still trying to bring my stuff over from BWR to FF, and the idea of transferring everything to yet another site exhausted me. But it's a good idea to have backup. Guess that's what I should do in my spare time!

Edited to add - never mind. It was there for a bit, now it's gone again. Sorry, I'm out of ideas. Hello, anyone out there! FF is having some sort of major problem. I made the mistake of updating "More Than a Memory" yesterday and the chapter is not showing up, although I guess notices went out about it. I've been getting all sorts of PMs and messages about it, and of course, there's nothing I can do to fix it! What I have done is to copy the entire chapter to my profile page at FF, and that seems to have worked. So if you're desperate, fingers crossed you can read it there. GRRR. I AM SO STRESSED OUT. This was supposed to be a happy, good thing, and instead it's just another irritation. Thanks for hanging in there! Let me know if it did work and you're able to read it. Take care and stay safe, everyone!

Let's see if I still remember how to do this... Eledgy has been a busy lady! (Which makes us readers extremely happy!) Variations in the Key of Luke has a beautiful epilogue to savor. Four Out of Five Agree is a new, perfectly fluffy story to enjoy! Make sure to drop her a line after you read this awesomeness!

I loved that. I was apprehensive during the build-up to the finale, but this last episode presented one of the most soothing and joyous takes on the afterlife that I’ve ever encountered. Which is why I’m now stunned at how many other viewers saw the end as a form of suicide. Please note, I’m not saying you’re wrong in your interpretation. I’m just amazed at how humans can all view or read the exact same thing but come to wildly different conclusions based on their own unique thought processes. To me, though, the door was not an ending. I mean, why use a door as a symbol for the ultimate end? A door can be an exit or an entrance, but in any case, it’s the method you use to go somewhere else. You shut the door on something or open it to find something new. No one knew what was going to happen when they went through that portal. Even Janet didn’t know. Eleanor walks through and we see the beautiful firefly sparkles whooshing up past the redwoods and softly falling to earth, (to Arizona, I hear), where they (she?) provide a push to some rando guy, which in turn gives her pal Michael something he’s always longed for. But…is that really the end? Or do the firefly sparkles (Eleanor’s essence) continue on and on for untold Jeremy Bearimies? Do they continue to touch people and encourage them to do good in the world? To be kind, if at all possible? What if eventually a whole bunch of those sparkles find each other and mass together? What if that creates a whole new plane of existence, or a new star, or a new planet, filled with beings that live and grow and die, and need to navigate through the Good Place themselves? I really don’t think the door is an ending. I think it’s just the pathway to whatever comes next. And when the air inside your lungs feels like the air outside your body, that’s when you know it’s time to open it and go on to the next level. This show has been amazingly beautiful, heartbreakingly thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining. Who would have ever thought that a show which occasionally relied on fart jokes would also be the one that finally prompted me to open philosophy books? I think I’m going to be watching all of these episodes over and over again, and will probably find something new in them each time I do. Congratulations to everyone who had a hand in making it. Your point totals have to be through the roof!

I know we've all rolled our eyes at how certain players in past seasons had idols magically appear in front of them, but you know what? I don't care anymore. I want Janet to find an idol every day. I want her to wake up with an idol tucked into the palm frond over her head. I want her to stumble over them on the beach. I want her to find them dangling on a string as she goes to the well with a note proclaiming "Janet! I'm for you!" I want Rob and Sandra to break into camp, ninja-style, and give one to her on the sly. I want her to be able to play an idol every single tribal from now until the end of the game. That's the only thing that will take the disgusting taste of last night's episode away. On a related note, I also want Rob and Sandra to sneak into every immunity challenge just to sabotage Aaron. Jeff: "And from out of nowhere, Aaron drops everything and has to start over!" Dean seems to be coming out of this relatively unscathed, but don't forget he ended up voting for Kellee. So much for gratitude. Ugh. Please don't tell me that this season is going to end up with me being forced to root for flaky Noura. I've been pulling for Elaine, but after last night - unless she can somehow explain her siding with the Feely Dan liars - I'm done with her, too.

Last night I started shouting "No, no, no!" the second they showed the leather handle straps in the teaser. Although I would enjoy visiting the leather shop, it does look cool. But how do you clean those? What happens when something dribbles all over one of them? I've enjoyed the color schemes and designs more this season than in the past, but this episode was a head-scratcher for me. I know I'm not young or edgy or cool, but I hate the exposed ducts. All I can think is that whoever buys the place is going to have to encase those someday. I also had a strong aversion to the horizontal railings on the front porch - it looks unfinished somehow to my eyes. The biggest miss was not finding space for a half bath on the first floor. They kept saying that this place was meant for entertaining. So you're entertaining a ton of people, and you want them to all troop upstairs to the bedroom space to use the bathroom? I didn't get it. I do love this show, though. Mina and Karen have really grown on me. They're like your former weird neighbors that you only get to see occasionally now. They still make you laugh, but you're glad they don't actually live next to you anymore. I enjoy trying to keep track of their convoluted family tree. Baby Jack is adorable, almost as cute as my two grandsons. As a fellow Hoosier, I really want to visit Indy and drive past some of these renovations to see for myself how they look. Road trip!

I thoroughly enjoyed this show. As so many others have mentioned, I would love to see it expand to an hour so that more techniques and skills could be explained. I felt that we were getting more insights into the process as the contestants were eliminated, but it still wasn't enough. I want to understand what the different tools do and how they know which to use, and I really want to see more of the steps to add color into the piece. I never warmed up to Deborah, and I tried! (Solidarity, Sister!) Even in her last installation, everything she did seemed like it belonged in the pop art week. Technically, I understand that what she did was amazing, but it just seems like you shouldn't have to explain in detail what your artwork represents. I mean, the egg...was her? Hee, I get it, it just seems like being too deliberately obtuse. Meanwhile, Janusz's work was always so beautiful and accessible. I know, I know - it's in the eye of the beholder, right? Also agree that it would help to hear more of what the contestants wrote in their explanation of their works. Did the host vote? In future, I think they should have two evaluators (!) who know glasswork, plus a guest who is an expert in whatever the subject is. I totally understood the need for a wine expert for the decanters, but those guests should be offset by those who know about the glass. Again, JMO! Hoping for another season!

Amen to this! We still watch this show weekly, but it no longer delivers the punch it used to. Personally, I hate that they keep shortening the forging times and throwing more obstacles at the contestants. I want to see sturdy, well-made knives that are capable of withstanding the testing. I want to see all three knives being worthy contenders for the win. I don't want someone to win just because their knife didn't break until the sixth strike, while the other two only made it to the fourth blow. If J and Ben are determined to try and destroy the knives in testing, then for goodness sake, let the contestants have the time and materials they need to survive. The fun in the show is getting to see ALL of the judges put the knives through their tests. How many times have David and Doug not even gotten their hands on the knives at the end? The best contests are the ones where the final decision comes down to the tiniest of nitpicks, because both contenders made such beautiful knives that were able to meet the testing requirements. I want the contestants to shine. I want to be amazed at what they can accomplish. OK, there's my rant of the day!

I've been lurking on this forum for years and years, as this show is one of my guilty pleasures. Every week I think that I need to jump in and join the fun but just never find the push to do it. Well, Angie J was the push. Hi, y'all! There was so much gold in this dumpster fire of an episode, but one of my favorite exchanges was between sweet Angie and her daughter regarding the plate of onion rings and...cheese curds? Not sure what the other fried objects were. Anyway, (paraphrasing): Angie: Those look hot. Desiree: They are hot. Watch out. You'll burn your mouth. Angie: (Chomp-gulp-chomp) Oww! Ouch! I also was inordinately tickled that every time they showed Angie videochatting with Dr. Now on her phone, TPTB felt the need to put on the screen: ON PHONE - DR. NOWZARADAN. You know, just in case we didn't know who she was talking to. I have so many questions about Justin. Where did he disappear to? Was he a dad, too? I saw a card or something on the dresser that said "No. 1 Dad." (And...no.) One picture showed him holding a child whose face was blurred out. I haven't re-watched the episode yet (but oh yes, I plan to) but I thought the tattoo on his arm might have said "Rule" something? Although I like "Kale" much better! I also thought that Desiree reminded me of a daughter of another poundticipant. She had the same sort of sweet, round face, and wore one of those thick headbands around her hair all of the time. I'm terrible at recalling names of former episodes, except for the trainwreck ones. I think I could write a novel-length response concerning Angie, but I'll let it go for now! Thanks to all of you for so many laughs over the years! I promise I'll be back!

Oh, wow! Mags! Hi Mags! *waves frantically* Wish I could see you in Denver! I'd bring all of your books to get autographed, some of them for the second time! Have a great trip. Don't know if anyone still remembers me, but even if you don't, I wanted to recommend a new author. Previously Anonymous just posted her first story at FF. It's adorable and definitely worth a read! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12985488/1/

"Peacocking manchild" is going to be my favorite phrase for quite a well, I suspect.

Goodness, we are absolutely swimming in fabulous fanfic right now. I'm just going to throw some titles out here, but this is in no way an exhaustive list. These are just the ones I've noticed recently by authors I know are dependably awesome, or some new titles that drew me in. Handful of Barbie posted 2 chapters this morning of a new story, Let It Go. One of my favorite, quirky authors, Musical Redhead, is now exploring The Life and Times of Georgia Hayden in the most satisfying way. CoffeeDrinker has a complete 3-chapter story posted, Women of Questionable Morals, Revisited. Here's one that I plan on reading someday when I can handle it: Benefits, by Meags09. I read just enough to know it's going to kill me. I laughed so much over the third chapter of The Dragonfly Guest Register, by LanieSullivan. That's some damn fine...writing. If you want to encourage a new author, try Pop Tarts or Mallomars, That is the Question, by Petit97. Sweet title from a sweetie! PurryCat posted a new chapter of Change of Address. I know there are more but I ran out of time! Thanks so much to all of you who continue to write and share your ideas with us!