Amal Nahurriyeh

META: Mary/Maryam: Mary Morstan in BBC Sherlock and Truth May Vary

2014-10-28T16:51:51Z

This is a meta both on the third season of Sherlock and the fic I have in progress, Truth May Vary. It contains spoilers through the current chapter (chapter 14) but none past that; it also contains spoilers for series 3 of Sherlock.

( The figure of Mary Morstan can pose a problem. )

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Book Review: The Weirdness, by Jeremy P. Bushnell

2014-08-03T23:28:33Z

I picked up a book at the library, pretty much at random; it had a cool cover (observe) and a cover quote by Charles Yu, so I figured it was readable.

It is more than readable. The Weirdness is a giggle-fit-inducing book, the kind where you end up giving fist-pumps in the middle of chapters because something awesome happens, the kind where you pass it to the other people in the room so they can read a particularly good bit. (I would have read it aloud, but it was about the possibility of renting a Zipcar to have a private space to have sex, and my kids were in the room.) It's funny, and manages to keep the tension and--dare I say it--the weirdness running until the end.

The protagonist, Billy Ridgeway, is a walking Brooklyn hipster stereotype--the earnest young man holding down a menial job and barely managing to navigate his relationship with his girlfriend while trying to write A Great Novel. And it is, very much, a 'guy' novel--Billy has trouble connecting with women, his thoughts on sexuality are not terribly enlightened, he lives in a cloud of unexamined privilege--but, luckily, the novel doesn't have these problems. Female and non-white characters are as roundly portrayed as others, and, in fact, get to save the day at several key points.

The novel kicks off with Billy, clueless and hungover, getting a visit from one Lucifer Morningstar, who wants to make a deal with him (he has a PowerPoint and everything). The twists and turns that Billy goes through in trying to figure out whether to make a deal with the Devil, how to make said deal, and what to do when it all goes tits up at various points are incredibly satisfying to watch. What's particularly good is that the novel manages to pick up on all the threads that it drops at various points--all of the various elements that could just be the random detritus of Billy's life end up having some kind of meaning in the end, usually at least a little bit hilarious.

I loved this novel as two kinds of person--one, someone who spent my twenties living in Brooklyn, hanging out with hipsters and struggling artists, and so therefore recognizes Billy and his crowd--a slightly exaggerated version of what life is really like for folks like that, as absurd as it is and worthy of mocking. Second, I loved it as someone who loves very, very realistic supernatural AUs in (fan)fiction--yes, we're in the service of Satan and having to go fight a powerful warlock, but why did we decide to drive? Traffic this time of day is awful on the west side. It's a very satisfying read, nicely twisted together, genre savvy (even though its protagonist isn't, not really), and very funny.

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FIC: Truth May Vary (BBC Sherlock, Rated M)

2013-12-14T03:55:09Z

(I know, I never write, I never call. I'm blaming it on a longass semester and the gradual death of my personal laptop, which means all my logged-in-as-Amal internet takes place on my phone. But anyway, I am writing a thing.)

Truth May Vary (2703 words) by amalnahurriyeh
Chapters: 1/12
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mary Morstan, Mycroft Holmes, Original Characters, Cameos from the majority of the recurring characters
Additional Tags: Post-Reichenbach, Not Season/Series 03 Compliant, Racebending, Mental Illness, Kid Fic, Divorce, Emotional Infidelity, (actually emotional polyfidelity but people are dumb)
Series: Part 7 of Truth May Vary (Post-Reichenbach series)
Summary:

Seven years after Sherlock's death, John's life is normal.

And then it isn't.

Posting plan is every 2-3 days. I've got the first 4 chapters written, and the rest solidly outlined; my weekend plan is called chapters 5-7, which is totally plausible, given that last weekend was called chapters 2-4...

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My wife is a terrible beta.

2013-07-15T04:09:32Z

Leigh: How's it going?
Me: A thousand words tonight. On the new thing. Here, read.
Me: *highlights first two paragraphs*
Leigh: *reads* Nice.
Me: There's a loaded gun on the mantlepiece. Did you catch it?
Leigh: Let me look. *reads again* Where is it?
Me: *highlights relevant text*
Leigh: Oh, that. I thought that was too obvious, I thought you meant something subtle.

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help_syria

2013-07-08T00:46:06Z

OK, so I was too late to find out this existed to participate as an offerer, but help_syria is an auction to raise money for the UN's fund for Syria. Beyond the fact that shit in Syria and in Syrian refugee camps in Turkey is pretty dire (and leaving aside the fact that humanitarian aid isn't actually going to fix the fact that the civil war is spinning its wheels in the bloodiest possible way), the auction is pretty small and bids are still low, and a bunch of excellent Sherlock authors are participating.

So! Go there! Donate money! Bidding ends at 6pm UK time on Monday, which is 1pm New York time (I assume y'all can convert from there).

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boring writing post

2013-07-06T05:20:59Z

2600 words tonight. The first chapter of Truth May Vary. \0/

Now, the rough draft deadline for queer_bigbang is August 1. Can I write ten thousand words between now and then? Absolutely. Can I write the entirety of this story? Ha ha ha the odds are not in my favor, not if I want to accomplish anything else, like, you know, my job. Plus, the posting deadline is in the first month of the school year. Yeah, let's not write a novel-length for for the first month of my new job, that's a bad idea.

I'm wondering if maybe I should dig around and see if I've got another 10K story that's about queer stuff in me that I could knock out. I mean, I know 10K sounds like a lot, but Ravish Me is 10K, you know?

Like, could I stretch the Sherlock/John story that totally steals its plot from the Fountains of Wayne song The Girl I Can't Forget to 10K? (key tag: ffs sherlock that is not what grindr is for)

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amalnahurriyeh @ 2013-06-13T15:25:00

2013-06-13T19:26:52Z

Recommend-A-Game

In case anybody either wants to rec me games, or get recs from other gamer-folks. Not that I know if I'm really a gamer? I do end up with injured wrists because of the Wii fairly often, though.

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Today on Tumblr:

2013-06-03T18:21:48Z

It's Blogging for LGBT Families Day today on the internet. I posted something not-that-long, but I did it on Tumblr, so people might see it. It's here: The Same and Not-The-Same, and it basically runs through the past four weeks in our life with an emphasis on what's the same for us as queer family and what's not quite the same. I should mention that it includes discussion of miscarriage, since we/Leigh [how do you quantify that?] had one last week. People on Tumblr/Twitter probably know this already...but I'm probably going to have to process some on here at some point soon. When I have the energy to write words.

If you're an LGBT parent--and I think I have some--think about posting something today on Tumblr or elsewhere about your parenting life! And then you can share it at Mombian here!

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Rec I promised amyhit

2013-05-07T02:00:28Z

Just a Kiss (19695 words) by emmagrant01
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Characters: Greg Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes
Additional Tags: Five Times, Case Fic
Summary:

Five times John and Sherlock kissed because of a case and one time they kissed for real.

Hey amyhit, this is the kissing for a case fic. Because I'm on my phone and lazy.

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Fic: Doubt Looms Over The Mind (BBC Sherlock, Sherlock/John-ish gen, warnings for mental instability

2013-04-30T01:04:11Z

Again, too lazy to do a proper repost, so have the link to the AO3 version:

Doubt Looms Over The Mind (2124 words) by amalnahurriyeh
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson
Additional Tags: Suicidal Thoughts, Doctor Who References, Sherlock Is A Bit Not Good, Murder, Paranoia
Series: Part 6 of Truth May Vary (Post-Reichenbach series)
Summary:

He does not see things. But sometimes he remembers.

Getting close to the part where I actually have to start writing the long version...

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Recs for Elementary fic?

2013-04-29T15:01:14Z

I think I may be a reccer at 221b_recs for May (and if not, I'll probably take a turn soon). I've noticed that there's nowhere near enough Elementary fic getting rec'd, which is a damn shame. So, since I have a bazillion Elementary fans on my flist: anyone have recs? I'm interested in genfic, and I haven't seen the show, but I don't care about getting spoiled, so anything's cool. Stories featuring Ms. Hudson and/or Clyde would be particularly appreciated. Or if there's awesome fanart, send that my way too (it's a multimedia recs comm).

(Next step: conquer my fear, watch the fucking show. You have no idea how useful tumblr has been for this--I have gotten used to these people's faces, so now I can process their existence! \0/ Plus, I love Candis Cayne so much omg. I can't be the only person who was addicted to Dirty Sexy Money on my flist, can I?)

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amalnahurriyeh @ 2013-04-18T12:29:00

2013-04-18T16:32:59Z

Thing I just said in a fb chat with a friend who is deal with extended family drama:

it is REALLY FUCKING HARD to interact with people who are being heinous towards you with a clear rememberance that they have that of god within them.

because they are working VERY HARD to cover that shit up

Quakerism for people who swear a lot.

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Today in getting humiliated by my kid:

2013-04-12T00:48:46Z

Isk in the supermarket, pointing at a box of Uncle Ben's brand rice: Look. Barack Obama rice.

Amal and Leigh: *don't know whether to burst out laughing or weep*
Amal: *points out that Uncle Ben does not, in fact, look like Barack Obama*

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Fic: These Things They Go Away (Truth May Vary)

2013-04-10T17:29:55Z

I am too lazy to repost this today. So, here, go find it on the AO3:

These Things They Go Away (738 words) by amalnahurriyeh
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Characters: John Watson, Mary Morstan, OMC
Additional Tags: Kid Fic, parenting, Not series 3 compliant
Series: Part 5 of Truth May Vary (Post-Reichenbach series)
Summary:

Here was someone who felt he had full right to take over his life, ordered him to do ridiculous things at all hours of the night, expected him to respond immediately when summoned, and couldn't be arsed to say thank you at the end of it half the time.

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amalnahurriyeh @ 2013-03-29T14:22:00

2013-03-29T18:23:17Z

if you have feelings about Truth May Vary you should weigh in on this important question.

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FIC: The Birds All Left (Sherlock (BBC), Truth May Vary-verse, Molly-centric)

2013-03-28T02:57:09Z

Title: The Birds All Left
Author: Amal Nahurriyeh (amalnahurriyeh/amalnahurriyeh)
Summary: Molly says good-bye a little later than everyone else.
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes & Molly Hooper friendship fic
Rating: PG
Warnings: just some sad.
Angst-level: sad but not crushingly
Timeline: Takes place somewhere between five and six years after the events of The Reichenbach Fall, in the Truth May Vary universe.
Disclaimer: Intellectual property is a capitalist fiction designed to oppress the working fic-writer. That said, I don't own them either.

You can also read it on the AO3.

A/N: Written for louisebrealey's birthday. I am kind of ashamed of this fact, but, well. No shame in fandom, and I think we can all agree Loo's a badass. Unbeta'd, because leighnahurriyeh fell asleep on the couch before I could hand her the computer. Let me know if you see typos, etc.

Returning to type: the title is from Your Bones, by Of Monsters and Men. I included a link in the text to give a visual reference for one of the objects mentioned in the fic.

( She kneels down and pulls the weeds, letting the soil fall back to the ground from around their roots. )

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FYI

2013-03-25T20:59:35Z

I want to thank whoever left the Caseyverse prompt at queer_fest which I didn't seed in there via memories_child. And to let y'all know that, if someone not-me wants to claim it, you totally should; I'd love to see someone else write Casey. If it doesn't get written, I'll probably take a shot during amnesty.

Or, go claim something that isn't that one! Claims are open through Monday.

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amalnahurriyeh @ 2013-03-23T23:51:00

2013-03-24T03:55:32Z

1. Fall in the driveway and bruise the shit outta your hand, two days before a Brief But Very Important Business Trip involving international travel.
2. Write moody poem about aging.
3. ????
4. Profit?

(For newcomers, pathological_needlepoint is my non-fanfic writing journal. Someday, it will be home to things other than my poems. Maybe. I hope.)

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Ridiculous Music, Awesome Vids: A Recs List

2013-03-23T17:22:06Z

As you all know, I have a hell of a weakness for cheesy pop music. Like, I just spent a couple hours doing Serious Academic Writing to Rihanna. Anyway, this also manifests in a desire for vids that use these songs, preferably to highlight the ridiculousness of the superserious canons I love.

Anyway, this is a brief recs list for Sherlock vids that use contemporary pop music to either make a point or mock my beloved show. Notes on each. These are all from YouTube, and not found via any scientific searching method.

You can also take this as a place to tell me about vids you love for the show, or songs you really want to see vidded, or direct me to the Mulder/Scully vid set to Umbrella that I desperately want to exist.

( Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Glee Cast: I am not kidding about the cheesy-awesome music here )

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amalnahurriyeh @ 2013-03-21T23:23:00

2013-03-22T03:28:44Z

Today, when we went to Walmart to buy ink cartridges, Leigh discovered that The Hobbit was out on DVD. So we went to the movie rental store and borrowed it for the night. (Yes, we have a meatspace movie store we can drive to where they hand us physical DVDs. Also we rent movies from there. It really is the dark ages up here.)

Anyway, Leigh and I watched it tonight. We liveblogged it as we watched on our tumblrs. You can read all of my posts here and hers are here.

I don't think we said anything interesting. I displayed an unfortunate affection for Smaug's eyeball and the specter of fire-roasted kale, though.

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"This arm is the external wall." "There are two external walls." "The one with exploding windows."

2013-03-18T04:08:45Z

leighnahurriyeh and I just spent a good five minutes making arm gesture diagrams of the 221B layout in order to determine if it is possible for John and Sherlock to sit on the couch together to watch television.

(Conclusion: no. But if I decide John is using his laptop to watch torrented episodes of Doctor Who that he missed because he was deployed, then yes.)

Having a live-in co-fan is super helpful.

(ps: SEE WHAT I DID THERE IN THE USER TAG.)

(pps: don't get excited, it's more Truth May Vary angst.)

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Trufax:

2013-03-16T04:50:22Z

It is possible to experience watching The Reichenbach Fall viscerally, and by viscerally I mean my actual stomach hurts. At least I didn't cry this time? Wait, I'm crying now, it's apparently a delayed fucking reaction.

Anyway, Leigh and I rewatched both serieses this week. If you don't follow me on tumblr, my random thoughts as we did so are:

here: ASIP & TBB
here: TGG
here and here: THoB
here: TRF

I didn't write any notes on Tumblr for ASiB because I was too busy being in love with Irene Adler.

...OK, seriously, I just changed my icon from my default to the one of Sherlock on the couch and now I'm crying again. Changing it to Molly...there, not crying, just thinking about how I need a better Molly icon.

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heads up

2013-03-15T15:17:49Z

No XF prompts so far at queer_fest. Go drop some--or some "any fandom" prompts, that works too. Prompts end at midnight California time. I'm going to go leave my Samantha gen prompt before I forget. And others if I can remember.

If someone wants me to write Casey's coming out talk with Mulder, they should prompt it, because I totes will.

I did see some Sherlock ones (though none that excite me, so far--I didn't go through all the pages) and at least one Fringe one, so that's good. But more prompts is always better.

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in honor of the day sherlock fandom lost its shit for the bazillionth time

2013-03-12T04:20:20Z

I think I checked tumblr about every half an hour today, just to see people flapping their arms and making noises. Metaphorical noises.

(If you weren't aware of this, the cause was this twitter post. Don't go to the #grapes tag on tumblr if you don't want to be very confused.)

This feels suspiciously like the winter of 2007/2008. You know, when a certain (terriwonderful)* movie was being filmed. I liked that winter. I knocked up my wife that winter. I passed my first comprehensive exam that winter.

I became Amal that winter, actually. Though she took six months to park herself on teh intarwebs.

Anyway, it's a good feeling. Though I am, in fandom terms, something approaching middle-aged (if not an old lady). Probably my position right now is best expressed through this cartoon by my favorite fanartist, shockingblankets.

IN CONCLUSION, I have not had the emotional energy to play much at f_march_madness, but if you haven't already voted I would like to STRONGLY suggest you vote for the amazing and wonderful Molly Hooper, who suffered the key indignity of having her fucking name misspelled in the poll. Molly is great. You should vote for her. I'm sure whoever she's up against is nice, but Molly Hooper wears underwear with little skulls in bows and pink kitten sweaters and cuts up dead people for a living. She's like Dana Scully with no seriousness at all. She's loyal and smart and strong and she deserves all of our votes, because she's the best. The end.

* I type the first half of the word "terriwonderful." Leigh is leaning over my shoulder. "Terrible," she says. "No," I say, "look." She reads what I wrote. "Terrible," she says. "SHUT UP I LIKED IT," I say. "You're one of very few people," she says.

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Fic: Hold Your Hopes, It's Now (Sherlock, Gen, T)

2013-03-06T00:12:37Z

Title: Hold Your Hopes, It's Now
Author: Amal Nahurriyeh (amalnahurriyeh/amalnahurriyeh)
Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Genre: Gen
Characters: Mycroft Holmes, Anthea
Rating: T
Warnings: none
Angst Level: medium
Timeline: About 5years post-TRF. Sherlock is still "dead."
Summary: There was something that Mycroft Holmes could not work out. He detested this.

Also available at the AO3, as is the rest of the series. Not necessary to have read the others to follow this one.

Author's note:

Title is a misheard lyric from Mountain Sound by Of Monsters and Men. (Warning for Extreme Icelandic Hipsterism in that video.) The actual lyric is "hold your horses now," but I'm sticking to my version, because I like it better. (My son swears it's "hold your horses down," but I'm pretty sure he's wrong, too.)

Thanks to the indefatigable apocryphile/cityesm for a beta & britpick, as always, and to leigh_nahurriyeh for lending me her Mycroft ~~feels~~ for a few thousand words.

( Ms. Devetzi? May I have your assistance for a moment? )

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