I'm bored today.
Working on my Big Bang, because I posted chapter 14 of A Lot to Live Up To, and Fridays tend to be Big Bang days. It's going slowly right now, though. It's funny- I know exactly where this scene is going, but I'm finding it harder to build the suspense. No, not so much suspense. Feeling of dread. ::must go back and read
brennanspeaks's last chapter of Beyond the Line again:: I've got the outline for the whole thing, minus exactly how I'm dealing with the Opera House, but this one scene is just... Ergh.
prophetkristy requested the recipe for Chocolate Truffle Cakes. Make these with caution- they are restaurant quality good and really, really rich, and surprisingly easy.
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.) Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour (or use Pam for baking ;) ) a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Set aside.
2.) Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or a saucepan set over very low heat), whisk occasionally until smooth (if doing over direct heat, stir much more than occasionally.) Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining tablespoon sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume (will work just fine with a mixer, too), about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined. (Batter will be thick.)
3.) Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin, swirl tops with back of a spoon. Bake until the tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn out onto wire racks, reinvert, and let cool.
These are best about 20-30 minutes out of the oven, when they're still warm but you don't burn your mouth. For leftovers, wrap cakes individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate. They will feel very hard when you take them out of the fridge- microwave for 20-30 seconds and they're just perfect.
If you need a fancy dessert, these are perfect with vanilla ice cream and raspberries.
ENJOY!
And now, two memes:
Ask me my fannish Top Five [Whatevers]. Any top fives. Doesn't matter what, really! And I will answer them all in comments. (Or maybe a separate post, which is the way that a lot of people seem to be doing it.)
and in case anyone's actually interested:
I'll post the first line of my full-length fics. You choose one and comment with a drabble/ficlet starting with the same line, unrelated to the original story. Ready? Go!
(Theoretically) BSG specific:
1.) As soon as Helo's off the Raptor, Hera's running towards him, her arms outstretched and her dark curls bouncing.
2.) "Vice President Zarek, this is Lieutenant Felix Gaeta."
3.) "You don't have to do this," Helo insists.
4.) Billy gaped at Gaeta. "You're kidding, right?"
5.) One of the few things Felix had been able to save was the picture of his fathers.
6.) "Listen up!" Helo shouted over the racket. "We need a new call sign for Lieutenant Agathon!"
7..) When the news circulated that Lieutenant Dualla had killed herself forty-five minutes ago, Louis's first thought was one he would spend the rest of his life trying to forget.
8.) It was Tigh who'd gotten him out of the brig and brought him here.
9.) "You want us to WHAT?" Felix said, gaping.
10.) New Caprica was cold.
11.) "Gods bless whoever thought to bring booze on this frakking ship," Jean says, knocking back a shot.
12.) "You know she's only XO because she's sleeping with the Commander," Dee heard someone say.
13.) If there were things more tedious than listening to Captain Karl Agathon outline a military mission for the exploration of a sector of space for substances other than algae, Tom wasn't sure what they were.
(Theoretically) HP specific
14.) The Wizarding World was celebrating, and with good reason.
15.) "YOU DID WHAT?" Sirius roared.
16.) "I see…" Professor Sinti peered at the cards, "death."
17.) "So what time does Lover Boy get here?" Lily drawled, sprawling across Petunia's bed and propping herself up on her elbows.
18.) "You're not big enough. You're not old enough. You're not strong enough. You're not brave enough. You're not exciting enough." Regulus Black had heard those words over and over for fifteen years.
19.) When Sirius Black was fourteen, he told James Potter that it seemed ironic for his parents to go to church, because anyone who approved the mass genocide of Muggle-borns didn't exactly have a Christian attitude.
20.) The Sorting Ceremony went exactly like Theodore Nott thought it would.
21.) "You want to WHAT?" Professor McGonagall asked, eyes popping out of their sockets.
22.) "Padfoot, what did you get for number eighteen?"
Very non-specific
23.) "If you networked, I could send the algorithm over to you a lot easier."
24.) "Fire."
25.) The breeze was getting stiffer, ruffling through his hair.
26.) There was still a pile of papers on the desk.
27.) It's dark outside, almost as dark as space.
28.) It was a night made for storms.
29.) Dirt. Would there ever be a time in his life again when he wasn't covered in dirt?
30.) The falling of night did not make the air any cooler or any easier to breathe.
Working on my Big Bang, because I posted chapter 14 of A Lot to Live Up To, and Fridays tend to be Big Bang days. It's going slowly right now, though. It's funny- I know exactly where this scene is going, but I'm finding it harder to build the suspense. No, not so much suspense. Feeling of dread. ::must go back and read
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.) Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour (or use Pam for baking ;) ) a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Set aside.
2.) Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or a saucepan set over very low heat), whisk occasionally until smooth (if doing over direct heat, stir much more than occasionally.) Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining tablespoon sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume (will work just fine with a mixer, too), about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined. (Batter will be thick.)
3.) Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin, swirl tops with back of a spoon. Bake until the tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn out onto wire racks, reinvert, and let cool.
These are best about 20-30 minutes out of the oven, when they're still warm but you don't burn your mouth. For leftovers, wrap cakes individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate. They will feel very hard when you take them out of the fridge- microwave for 20-30 seconds and they're just perfect.
If you need a fancy dessert, these are perfect with vanilla ice cream and raspberries.
ENJOY!
And now, two memes:
Ask me my fannish Top Five [Whatevers]. Any top fives. Doesn't matter what, really! And I will answer them all in comments. (Or maybe a separate post, which is the way that a lot of people seem to be doing it.)
and in case anyone's actually interested:
I'll post the first line of my full-length fics. You choose one and comment with a drabble/ficlet starting with the same line, unrelated to the original story. Ready? Go!
(Theoretically) BSG specific:
1.) As soon as Helo's off the Raptor, Hera's running towards him, her arms outstretched and her dark curls bouncing.
2.) "Vice President Zarek, this is Lieutenant Felix Gaeta."
3.) "You don't have to do this," Helo insists.
4.) Billy gaped at Gaeta. "You're kidding, right?"
5.) One of the few things Felix had been able to save was the picture of his fathers.
6.) "Listen up!" Helo shouted over the racket. "We need a new call sign for Lieutenant Agathon!"
7..) When the news circulated that Lieutenant Dualla had killed herself forty-five minutes ago, Louis's first thought was one he would spend the rest of his life trying to forget.
8.) It was Tigh who'd gotten him out of the brig and brought him here.
9.) "You want us to WHAT?" Felix said, gaping.
10.) New Caprica was cold.
11.) "Gods bless whoever thought to bring booze on this frakking ship," Jean says, knocking back a shot.
12.) "You know she's only XO because she's sleeping with the Commander," Dee heard someone say.
13.) If there were things more tedious than listening to Captain Karl Agathon outline a military mission for the exploration of a sector of space for substances other than algae, Tom wasn't sure what they were.
(Theoretically) HP specific
14.) The Wizarding World was celebrating, and with good reason.
15.) "YOU DID WHAT?" Sirius roared.
16.) "I see…" Professor Sinti peered at the cards, "death."
17.) "So what time does Lover Boy get here?" Lily drawled, sprawling across Petunia's bed and propping herself up on her elbows.
18.) "You're not big enough. You're not old enough. You're not strong enough. You're not brave enough. You're not exciting enough." Regulus Black had heard those words over and over for fifteen years.
19.) When Sirius Black was fourteen, he told James Potter that it seemed ironic for his parents to go to church, because anyone who approved the mass genocide of Muggle-borns didn't exactly have a Christian attitude.
20.) The Sorting Ceremony went exactly like Theodore Nott thought it would.
21.) "You want to WHAT?" Professor McGonagall asked, eyes popping out of their sockets.
22.) "Padfoot, what did you get for number eighteen?"
Very non-specific
23.) "If you networked, I could send the algorithm over to you a lot easier."
24.) "Fire."
25.) The breeze was getting stiffer, ruffling through his hair.
26.) There was still a pile of papers on the desk.
27.) It's dark outside, almost as dark as space.
28.) It was a night made for storms.
29.) Dirt. Would there ever be a time in his life again when he wasn't covered in dirt?
30.) The falling of night did not make the air any cooler or any easier to breathe.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-07 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-07 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 02:11 am (UTC)(And, I have a bunny for #25!)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 03:42 am (UTC)#5.) Hoshi's "I'm so in love" smile in the webisodes. Because let's face it= we all know Hoshi was a glorified extra. But the way Brad Dryborough managed to radiate love without getting sappy... that's what won me over as a shipper.
(I can't find a screencap of the "I'm in love" smiles, so have an "I'm the admiral" smile.)
#4.) Christian's "I'm so in love" smiles in Moulin Rouge!. Because they are pure love.
#3.) Calvin's evil smiles. Because they are the absolute best... even if I am POSITIVE I will be seeing them on my boys.
#2.) Any time Kaylee smiles. Do I need a reason here?
#1.) Hera Agathon's "I have my mommy and daddy" smile. Because I'm sorry, but I really thought the fighting Agathons should have died. (I didn't want them to, but I was totally expecting it.) And this scene made me SO happy they didn't, even if I still think it was the wrong choice and the Eve thing was dumb.
Bonus, only because of fic smile: The Tom Zarek-Felix Gaeta smile at the end of Blood On the Scales. Because in that smile, I felt like Youth's Final Luxury was set as canon in my head :) (See icon)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 03:55 am (UTC)Good one, btw.
5.) Can I say all of Youth's Final Luxury? No? Then let's go with Tom and Felix reconciling with each other after the Circle. That's something I really would have liked to see, given their alliance later.
4.) Alex and Andrew from "I'm No Superman". I love the idea of Felix mentoring some kids, and I really liked that moment where he found the picture of the man sitting with a dog in the graphic novel and put it on the Memorial Wall for Alex and Andrew.
3.) The scene in this last chapter of ALTLUT where Hoshi asks Dee to go to the trial while he works CIC. (Or really, any Gaeta/Hoshi scenes that would have not made it looked tacked on.) But I like that one because it ties into Baltar and it ties into the trial and it's actually vaguely important.
2.) Narcho's personality. I like my Narcho, who's a lot of bravado, but at the same time is struggling to make the place he deserves on Galactica, doesn't quite fit in, and has a good heart but doesn't always say the right thing (but in a different way from HotDog!) I wish we'd seen more positive stuff coming from the Pegasus crew. The only one that didn't get his very own shiny black hat (or totally ignored) was Hoshi, and that's only because they killed off Felix and Dee and SOMEONE had to run the CIC. But Narcho was also an interesting foil to Starbuck, and I wish they'd done more with that.
1.) Lee and Hoshi pinning the picture of Zarek and Gaeta to the Memorial Wall, from Internal Exiles.
Bonus: I haven't put it up yet, but I know where Dee and Lee got their wedding rings. I want that to be canon, too :)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 04:25 am (UTC)“No,” said Sharon, shaking her head. “I do.”
“The Admiral trusts you, you’re already wearing the uniform. You don’t have to prove yourself. This is dangerous Sharon, if someone mistakes you for another cylon...”
“I’ll be alright Helo. I have to do this. And not because of the Admiral.”
Sharon hadn’t seen another cylon since she’d boarded Galactica. She barely remembered what her own people looked like, let alone what it was like to be one of them. Down on New Caprica, there would be no running from them. She’d have to confront her past with every cylon she saw. And when she did, she’d know. So no, this wasn’t for the Admiral. She just wanted to be sure that she’d made the right decision.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 04:46 am (UTC)I was thinking that for someone who doesn't write much Helo, there were a lot of Helo opportunities for people here!
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 12:44 pm (UTC)must... resist... temptation...
(This looks like fun. But I have a planned fic I'm supposed to be writing and it involves rewatching parts of BSG. On top of that, the fic that's demanding to be written right now is from a different fandom entirely. I may come back in a couple of weeks and do this!)
Hm. Top Five funny moments onscreen with Felix Gaeta. (Actually funny or darkly funny are both acceptable.)
"I'm in love" smile
Date: 2009-08-08 04:08 pm (UTC)The Best Medicine (Part 1)
Date: 2009-08-08 06:29 pm (UTC)Felix didn’t even turn at the sound of Louis crunching across the sand to stand beside him. “Helo says we need to be back at the Raptor in fifteen minutes.”
Felix didn’t say anything. He kept his gaze fixed on the ruined skyscrapers on the opposite shore.
Both Doc Cottle and Louis had initially insisted Felix stay on Galactica, knowing full well that he really shouldn’t have even been back in CIC yet. But when Louis saw that Cottle and Felix were too drained to trade their usual sarcastic barbs with one another and Cottle throw his hands up in surrender so quickly, Louis had given in, too. He still didn’t understand why Felix wanted to see the burned-out husk of Earth so badly, though.
Sam ambled down the shoreline a few meters off, head hanging and hands shoved deep in his pockets. He looked up at Felix and Louis and briefly picked up his pace as if to come over to them, but Louis shook his head and smiled weakly. Sam’s shoulders drooped, but he took the hint and wandered back in the direction he’d come from.
Louis knew he should still be furious with Sam, but it was so hard to sum up the energy to rage at someone who looked so sad and guilty. In fact, he felt too worn out to be angry at anyone, even Starbuck. Even Dee.
“Wind’s picking up,” Louis said, shuffling a step closer to Felix so their jacket sleeves brushed against each other. He looked at Felix out of the corner of his eye. His expression was as cold and unmoving as if his face had been chiseled out of stone.
“Baltar said that before the disaster, this place had a tropical climate. Sun and blue skies and warm ocean breezes,” Felix said flatly.
Louis could feel his blood pressure rising. That was one person he always had enough energy to hate. “That son of a bitch—I told him I’d frakking kill him if he or any of his crazy disciples came anywhere near you again—”
“Don’t kill him,” Felix said, his expression, though still not happy or even relaxed, softening a little. “He’s still very clear on what you said to him after the trial. I approached him, and nothing happened.”
“Okay,” Louis said in a tone that expressed anything but him actually being okay with Baltar.
They stood together in silence, watching the slate gray waves lap up onto the ash gray beach, until Felix mumbled, “This has all happened before, and this will all happen again.”
Louis groaned.
“What?”
“You’re quoting scripture,” said Louis. He sighed. “That’s never a good sign.”
The Best Medicine (Part 2)
Date: 2009-08-08 06:30 pm (UTC)He was losing Felix. He’d felt it most acutely since Dee died, that Felix was slipping away into some dark place where Louis couldn’t follow. He wanted nothing more than to pull Felix back from the brink and hang on to him for dear life, but he had no idea how.
“No. You’re wrong. Scripture’s wrong.” Felix turned, brow furrowed. Louis was certain this was the first time Felix had ever heard him even question the Sacred Scrolls.
Louis locked eyes with him and pressed on. “People can be better than this. People have been better than this. I don’t give a frak what scripture says about a ‘caravan through the stars.’ Even if this has happened before,” he said, holding one hand out to indicate the horizon, “Galactica is different. Galactica doesn’t happen every time.” He knew what he had to say next, and how dearly it would cost him, but Felix was worth the price. He couldn’t face Felix when he said it, though. “Pegasus was proof of that.”
Louis realized he’d squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Felix’s fingers caressing his cheek before he saw them. He opened his eyes, and Felix gently turned his face. He could see Felix understood the weight of what he’d just said but that Felix was at a loss for what to do next. Felix’s hand hesitated, and he leaned in but stopped short of being close enough to kiss him.
Finally, Felix reached up and flicked the brim of Louis’s hat, which was the same style as the one the Admiral had worn when he went down to the planet. “You look ridiculous,” he croaked, mouth twisting into something that started out with the intention of being a grin but ended up looking like a desperate attempt to hold back tears.
“I do not,” Louis said with a matching expression. “It’s military issue. Can’t look ridiculous.”
Felix grimaced and snorted. “What the hell kind of comeback is that?”
He made a noise somewhere between a choke and a chuckle, then another. Louis felt his chest constrict as he bit back a snicker, though he knew it wasn’t even all that funny. Felix was the one who gave up first and started full-out laughing, but soon, both of them were in hysterics, leaning on each other as tears streamed down both their faces.
“Gods, I needed that,” Felix said when their laughter finally died down, sniffing and wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand.
“Me, too,” Louis said as he stooped to pick up Felix’s crutch, which Felix had dropped at some point during their laughing fit. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Then Felix and Louis trudged back to the Raptor, leaving behind no echo on that beach which hadn’t heard laughter for thousands of years and wouldn’t hear it again for thousands to come.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 10:13 pm (UTC)Er, sorry about the TL;DR.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-09 05:51 pm (UTC)4.) The deleted Day In the Life scene with Dee, where they're giggling over Roslin/Adama.
3.) "Got any porn in there?"
2.) The Starbuck-Gaeta bitchfight in Disquiet Follows My Soul
1.) The toilet scene. Yes, I'm totally mature ;)
Re: The Best Medicine (Part 2)
Date: 2009-08-09 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-10 08:27 pm (UTC)Must go run errands. Chapter 14 is in another tab, taunting me.
Re: The Best Medicine (Part 2)
Date: 2009-08-11 03:52 am (UTC)Glad you liked it!
PS: I had completely forgotten that this was the first line from "Softly Tread" when I wrote it. Kinda eerie, that this fic was on Earth I and the original was on Earth II...