Lurker's Corner

`. . . anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment." -- Robert Benchley, in Chips off the Old Benchley, 1949,

...then there is a book you need to get around to reading/listening to and that is The Art of Procrastination by John Perry.

It's a two hour listen, so presumably a quick read. (For reference, most popular novels are between 10 and 15 hours and the non-fiction I listen to starts around 20 hours and I think 39 hours is the longest in my audible.com library.) The book is all about identifying oneself as a "structured procrastinator" and leveraging that brain quirk to advantage.

Read the essay that became the first chapter here. I really can't come up with better reasons to read/listen to the book that aren't made abundantly clear (to the right people, though there's certainly not much shame in not being a procrastinator if that's the way your brain rolls) in that essay.

Two things are recommended before reading this story:
1. You've either seen the movie Inception, or know why Dom Cobb has this crazy impossible task to do.
2. The slashy vibe between Arthur and Eames has to have thwapped you upside the head.

Why am I recommending non-explicit slash? Because it's a hysterically funny look inside the crazy, crazy brain of Dom Cobb, post-movie. Tragic, his whole world is, filled with dangers to his little angels through no fault of his own. (snort) At least he has back up.

Sentient Toaster FTW!


Some Things Shouldn't Be a Chore (link to all four chapters on one page at AO3)
by: scifigrl47
AO3 Summary:
 Steve takes things like personal responsibility and respect seriously. Tony's got people he pays to take care of that kind of thing, and anyway, he's pretty sure that he's going to die of some exotic disease in his workshop, because Dummy's still a little spotty about what is 'clean' enough to put on an open wound. The rest of the Avengers are in this for personal gain, except for Clint, he just enjoys being a dick.
 And some things shouldn't be a chore.

's Summary: A chore chart goes up at the Avengers Mansion. Wackiness ensues. Avengers + Roombas alone worth the price of admission. Captain America + Manslut!Iron Man is frosting on the cake. I dig the sequels, too.

Rating:Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories:Gen,M/M
Fandom: The Avengers (2012)
Relationships:  Steve Rogers/Tony Stark,  Clint Barton/Phil Coulson
Characters: Steve Rogers,  Tony Stark,  Thor (Marvel),  Natasha Romanov,  Bruce Banner,  Jarvis (Iron Man movies),  Phil Coulson,  Clint Barton,  Sentient Toaster
Additional Tags:  Humor,  Fluff, Pre-Slash, Domestic, Author has mental issues
Series:  Part 1 of the In Which Tony Stark Builds Himself Some Friends (But His Family Was Assigned by Nick Fury) series

Pimpin' crack, yo. I was actually looking for an epic AU that paired Steve McGarrett and John Sheppard, and found this series, "Feelings Are Boring," in a completely different universe (Trek 2009) and genre, i.e., crack. There are only two stories so far  totaling about  23k words and I am again recommending a story (the second, with the slash in it) before finishing. (Tries to be if not ashamed, at least a little chagrined. Fails.)  I mention that I haven't finished yet because the discrepancy between the movie (absent mom, jackass stepfather,) and this story may be explained, but then again, why? It's crack, pretty hot crack and has already involved recasting Kirk's mom as a liberating foul-mouthed engineer who calls Pike "command bitch" and a species of intelligent cats with a warrior bonding ritual.

First story: One Foot in Front of the Other by lazulisong.
Summary: Winona is called to fix the cock-up of the Yorktown's engines. She uses one of the science-bitches to help her do it
Gen,  1390 words.

( Favorite quotes, cut for the spoiler sensitive )

Second Story: Feelings Are Boring, lazulisong
Summary: This is not exactly what Jim thought the 'exploring strange new worlds and exotic civilizations' was about. Also, Vulcans are kind of crazy. Jim and Spock go through a alien ritual, which, yes, changes everything -- he's hoping for the better. Spock just wants to get through this with his sanity, if not his dignity, mostly intact.
Rated as Gen, M/M. (I'd call it full contact or pants-on gen and am not quite 1/2 way through) 22k words. Oh, and illustrated, FTW.

( Favorite quotes, again behind the I'm!Not!Spoiling!Cut )

Did I recommend this story? I can't remember and don't tag consistently enough, I guess.

I don't even know what the fandom shorthand for Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series is and didn't actually read past the second book because, still a little touchy from the Jean-Claude vs. Richard Zeeman drama in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter fandom, I dropped out when I heard Ms. Plum couldn't make up her mind between two hotties, either. (Given that the series has gone to eighteen novels with no apparent resolution in sight, I feel slightly vindicated; on the other hand, Plum isn't banging everything that moves, breathing or not, so I could be missing a bet here.) This entire story is told from her point of view and the character list below leaves out a lot of people from the show and the books who do pop up.

F'rinstance, the interaction between House and Grandma Mazur makes the whole thing worth the price of admission all by itself. The monster truck rally is just gravy!

So, House-Stephanie Plum crossover with a non-explicit House/Wilson 'ship (unless you begrudge visible m/m kissing) told from Stephanie Plum's point of view, and far more credible as a crossover than I would have expected. Also, fall-off-your-chair funny in a great many places.

I did have the occasional concern that House was a little too visibly compassionate, but he is seen from another point of view and pretty focused on Wilson, so I can squeeze it into his character for the purposes of this romp.

Question for Stephanie Plum fans: is the car thing a running gag? She really goes through that many?

Data from archive of our own:
Bounty Hunter Bedlam by hwshipper
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandoms: House M.D., Stephanie Plum - Evanovich
Relationship: Greg House/James Wilson
Characters: Greg House, James Wilson, Stephanie Plum
Additional Tags: Crossover, Crime, Caper Fic, Humor
Challenge: house big bang
Collections: House M.D. Big Bang Challenge - Round Two
Words: 27093

The actual wank? She is no impor'ant...this extraordinarily image-heavy satire on ship wars is, however:

"My Fandom Is Batshit Insane" - Today on Jerry Springer

Non-explicit slash, het, and, uh...other relationships implied. Well, as subtly as Jerry Springer's show implies anything.

Received via e-mail from nialla42, and probably rec'd already on her LJ, but for the non-overlappy bits:

Spoiler Warning Page for "Serenity in 2000 Words or Less

In the immortal words of Our Lady of the Stargate Breadbox, "spew level = chartreuse!" Again, all spillables to minimum safe distance. Potty break before reading. Massively spoils entire Serenity plot.. Language no fouler than what you'd encounter in the movie, except Joss translated all that into Chinese.

Hysterically funny. Go, be, read.