Tag: semper-ama

Few Words Wednesday

semper-ama:

They get Zach all set up in the guest room, and then Chris grabs a couple beers from the fridge and they go out to the back patio. Noah trots around reacquainting himself with everything, while Chris and Zach sink into the lounge chairs by the pool.

“This is nice,” Zach says, resting his beer bottle on his knee and closing his eyes, like he’s trying to soak in the ambiance. “God, it’s so nice. I think it’s like 40 degrees back in New York right now.”

Here, it’s a beautiful, balmy night. There is barely even a breeze, and even though the sun is going down, it feels as comfortable as if they were sitting inside. Chris watches Noah sniff around the vegetable garden for a few moments, then turns to look at Zach, smiling. “I remember you complaining that the weather never changes here.”

“Yeah,” Zach sighs, sounding resigned. “I’ve come the conclusion that I’m full of shit.”

“Man, you should have just asked me. I could have told you that a long time ago.”

I need this.

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

Haha, all you guys are better people than me. I mean, I’m sorry for Scalia’s family and all those who will miss him, but I think we will all be better off without him on that bench. And I’m excited Obama gets to pick another justice.

That was my first thought too, but I think Congress will just sit on the nomination since it’s an election year.  I’m pretty sure there is no time limit on how long they can dick around and do nothing (as is evidenced by their utter inability to do their jobs).

And by the way, I’m officially tagging all Scalia-related posts with ding dong the witch is dead…feel free to borrow it.

I couuulldd be wrong, but I think as soon as the president puts up a nominee, the procedure for confirmation has to start. It could take weeks to interview the nominee and everything, but it’s not like they can just choose to ignore it altogether. And once it goes to a vote, people can filibuster, but there’s a limit to how long someone can read the phone book. 😛 It’s very unlikely that they’ll put it off basically a whole year. And if they do, the president can just make a recess appointment once the Senate goes out of session, I think? 

And given that it’s possible that the Senate will be majority Democrat after the next election, it would be really dumb for the current Senate to not make sure that they get SOME say in who the nominee is. If they put it off and put it off, it’s possible the person who ends up there will be even more liberal. (Unless they’re arrogant enough to think they’re going to keep control.)

I love that you’re such an optimist… I want someone confirmed in case the country is crazy enough to elect Trump (the number of times I’ve been shocked by my fellow Americans is mind-boggling, frankly).  

Actually, since the court case in 2014, Congress actually has to say it’s in recess for recess appt to be legal…so as long as someone is in congress every three days, even if it’s not the full congress and they aren’t actually working, I think the recess appt are blocked.  Either way, they’d have to be confirmed by congress within a year to stay.

Oh man. I know it does make me sound like a pie-in-the-sky idealist, but there is no way Trump is going to be president. There is just no way. If he does end up getting the nomination, it would only be GOOD for the Democratic candidate, whoever they may be, because keeping Trump out of office is going to be a way more compelling reason for moderates and swing-voters to show up and vote for the opposite guy than love of the opposite guy would be. Trump snagging the Repub nomination is the best thing that could happen for the Democratic party in the next election, IMO.

Then again, I am 100% a pie-in-the-sky idealist. 

Oh huh, I did not know that. I guess we’ll see how it plays out! Either way, I think it’s more likely than not that the next Supreme Court justice will be of an at least slightly liberal bent. And it would be so hard to be worse than Scalia anyway…knock on wood…

I agree it would be hard to be worse.  So here’s hoping…

Regarding a Trump presidency, that is exactly what I thought until New Hampshire.  Now I’m scared.  I think you’re right…I’m just getting old an risk adverse and would rather not have a heart attack next November waiting to hear.  Especially if it ends up being Bernie and Trump… Moderates would have a hard time in that scenario, I think.  As much as I love Bernie, I think most swing voters would find him as unpalatable as Trump, and I’m not sure which way they’d go.

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

Haha, all you guys are better people than me. I mean, I’m sorry for Scalia’s family and all those who will miss him, but I think we will all be better off without him on that bench. And I’m excited Obama gets to pick another justice.

That was my first thought too, but I think Congress will just sit on the nomination since it’s an election year.  I’m pretty sure there is no time limit on how long they can dick around and do nothing (as is evidenced by their utter inability to do their jobs).

And by the way, I’m officially tagging all Scalia-related posts with ding dong the witch is dead…feel free to borrow it.

I couuulldd be wrong, but I think as soon as the president puts up a nominee, the procedure for confirmation has to start. It could take weeks to interview the nominee and everything, but it’s not like they can just choose to ignore it altogether. And once it goes to a vote, people can filibuster, but there’s a limit to how long someone can read the phone book. 😛 It’s very unlikely that they’ll put it off basically a whole year. And if they do, the president can just make a recess appointment once the Senate goes out of session, I think? 

And given that it’s possible that the Senate will be majority Democrat after the next election, it would be really dumb for the current Senate to not make sure that they get SOME say in who the nominee is. If they put it off and put it off, it’s possible the person who ends up there will be even more liberal. (Unless they’re arrogant enough to think they’re going to keep control.)

I love that you’re such an optimist… I want someone confirmed in case the country is crazy enough to elect Trump (the number of times I’ve been shocked by my fellow Americans is mind-boggling, frankly).  

Actually, since the court case in 2014, Congress actually has to say it’s in recess for recess appt to be legal…so as long as someone is in congress every three days, even if it’s not the full congress and they aren’t actually working, I think the recess appt are blocked.  Either way, they’d have to be confirmed by congress within a year to stay.

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

Honestly though, is it possible I’m having Pinto fic difficulties because both things I’m writing are Zach POV when the last BAJILLION words I wrote were Chris POV? Yeah, I think it’s possible.

Likewise!  All of Bleary is Chris POV, and now I’m writing a new multi chapter in the same ‘verse in Zach POV?  What was I thinking?

Were you like me and thought it would be a fun challenge to write from a different POV? And then realized too late that “fun” and “challenge” don’t go together? xD

But to be serious, I find that Chris POV is my comfort zone, and I really wanted to get out of it, but I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

I’ve written other things in Zach’s POV… Assumptions and Revelations is all him.  But in this ‘verse, other than a short that was mostly dialogue, it’s all from Chris.  And I think maybe I don’t have this Zach’s voice down yet…I think that’s part of the problem anyway.  Also, I need to make him more sad/worried without making him neurotic, and so far it’s a difficult line.

Yeah, I’ve written Zach POV too, in some of my mid-length things like Peel Away and Sing the Words Wrong, but never in anything long, and I think that’s my main problem. It’s hard to settle into his voice for the long haul. I tend to relate more to the Chris in my head than the Zach in my head, even when I tweak him for story purposes. 

But I imagine it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re trying to write IN THE SAME ‘VERSE from a different perspective. That’s gotta be hard. my sympathies to you! But I’m sure you’ll get it right. The snippets have been great!

Thanks!  It’s really feel like I need to do more alpha work before I write more… just decide how the scenes in my head will fit together and where the turning points REALLY are, because I keep changing my mind.  I don’t usually have so much trouble with that part.  Glad you’ve enjoyed the snippets so far!

semper-ama:

ato-the-bean:

semper-ama:

Honestly though, is it possible I’m having Pinto fic difficulties because both things I’m writing are Zach POV when the last BAJILLION words I wrote were Chris POV? Yeah, I think it’s possible.

Likewise!  All of Bleary is Chris POV, and now I’m writing a new multi chapter in the same ‘verse in Zach POV?  What was I thinking?

Were you like me and thought it would be a fun challenge to write from a different POV? And then realized too late that “fun” and “challenge” don’t go together? xD

But to be serious, I find that Chris POV is my comfort zone, and I really wanted to get out of it, but I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

I’ve written other things in Zach’s POV… Assumptions and Revelations is all him.  But in this ‘verse, other than a short that was mostly dialogue, it’s all from Chris.  And I think maybe I don’t have this Zach’s voice down yet…I think that’s part of the problem anyway.  Also, I need to make him more sad/worried without making him neurotic, and so far it’s a difficult line.

semper-ama:

Okay, I had a shitty day. I spent about 50% of it crying. Please send fluff. Happy Pinto fluff. Please? Recs? Anyone?

Oh noes!  I’m sorry to hear that. 

Hmmm.  Don’t really have any recs for new fluff. 

So…  imagine Chris is finally home from London for the holiday and he and Zach are completely looking forward to some down time together.  Zach has made all of these plans — dinner reservations and movie nights — but Chris keeps falling asleep at 6pm because of jet lag.  So they stay at home and Chris sleeps with his head on Zach’s lap while he reads on the sofa.  Then Zach is invariable wakened around 3am by a very randy boyfriend rutting against him or giving him stealth blowjobs.  And Chris never does get on the right timezone before he has to go back, but it’s a great holiday anyway, and “jet lag” becomes an inside joke meaning sleepy middle-of-the-night sex.

Few Words Wednesday

semper-ama:

Wow, it feels like it’s been a long time since I did this. Have some words from my ~next big thing~.

—–

The ranch cleaned out the last of his money–both his inheritance from his parents and the windfall he got from his last movie.

How could you even think of quitting now? his agent asked. Next time, you could snag a lead role.

He dreamed of that once, being the star, the one everyone turned out to see. He dreams of it still. The limelight comes with strings though, and those strings he couldn’t live with. Already there were whispers. Someone in production caught that waif of a production assistant Miles coming out of his trailer one to many times to be totally overlooked, even though people turn their heads for these kinds of things usually. Don’t ask don’t tell. Hollywood’s worst kept secret. Zach didn’t want to be them. He didn’t want to act 24/7, not just when the cameras were rolling. So he’s hiding instead. Lesser of two evils.

He got his taste, after all. Maybe he was only meant to have a taste.

It’s beautiful here anyway, and familiar. Though it is probably five times the size of the ranch he grew up on and is in much better shape, some things don’t change. The smells. The sounds. The soft velvet of a horse’s nose. The pleasant ache at the end of a hard day of work. He resented it when his dad made him haul hay bales and muck stalls as a kid, because he always thought he was meant for better things than physical labor. Now, he isn’t sure if he feels worthy of it. It has never been his forte.

That’s why he can’t run it by himself, as the crunch of gravel on the front drive reminds him. Time to meet the help.

I love Dearly Departed but Chris wouldn’t last two seconds if the world actually went to shit because he’s completely harmless and has the survival skills of a toddler

jimmmypie:

silent-bridge:

semperama:

Hi, nonnie. I’m pretty sure that you didn’t mean anything by this comment, but I just wanted to let you know that this is not really the kind of message a writer wants to get the day after they post something, especially something that they worked really long and hard on. I write fanfiction, emphasis on the ‘fiction’, and I’m not really concerned with whether Chris would or wouldn’t ACTUALLY survive an apocalyptic situation. (Although I strongly disagree with you that he has no survival skills, and…also that he is harmless tbh, because I think he is no more or less harmless than your average human being, which is to say that everyone has a breaking point.)  What I am concerned with is writing interesting fiction.

Now, I’m pretty sure you’re that anon who is just really enthusiastic about Chris and who I get messages from a lot, and you probably weren’t trying to be mean or criticize my story or anything, but I just want you to be aware that that’s how it comes across. It’s not a good idea to go to someone’s inbox and question their characterization. Characters have to be slightly tweaked to fit alternate universes all the time, and honestly I think what I wrote is less off-base than “completely harmless and has the survival skills of a toddler”. I get that Pie is super duper cute sometimes, but come on. He’s a competent adult, a grown man who lives alone and takes care of himself, and very intelligent. I think he has better odds than a lot of people. But hey, at the end of the day, it’s all make-believe, so it doesn’t really matter! 🙂

Well said.

Agreed!  Harmless people can also survive. They can survive by being smart instead of being aggressive or hurting people. 

Actually, I thought Semper did a fantastic job of translating both boys’ “hobbies” into excellent survival skills.  Chris really does have a garden, and really might know more than an average Joe about how to get an abandoned one going, and maybe even how to can.  That’s critical for their survival.  And Zach’s love for animals easily translates into him being helpful caring for their protein sources.  If only the internet were up so they could find out how to make cheese.  Maybe some local library has books.  Anyway, one always has to suspend disbelief in these post apocalyptic stories, since we really don’t know how society would break down and what would remain, and which of our modern skills would still be relevant (my Excel spreadsheet skills would be quite useless).  But if anything, I found that the mix of skills spread over her group of people seemed very realistic, and grounded in what I know of typical characterizations of the boys.  And Zach and Chris are both used to being active, even if it’s typically for roles.    It all felt very real to me.

Pinto Big Bang

semper-ama:

Title: Dearly Departed
Author: Semperama
Artist(s): @silent-bridge and @nostalgia-in-starlight
Beta: @rabidchild67
Characters/Side Pairings: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Minor Original Characters
Rating: Explicit
Tags/Warnings: Post-Apocalypse. Survival, Established Relationship, Breaking Up & Making Up, Divorce, Flashbacks, Major Illness, Major Character Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Character Death
Word Count: 68,390
Summary: Chris and Zach are in the middle of divorce proceedings when a deadly pandemic sweeps across the globe, decimating the world’s population. When Zach falls ill, Chris has no choice but to take him out of Los Angeles in search of somewhere safer, where they have a hope of survival. What he finds is a tiny group of people who have laid claim to a campground in the San Bernardino mountains, where they have turned to isolation and simple living as a means of survival. With circumstances forcing them to work and live together, Chris and Zach must work through their bitterness and old wounds, until they realize that even if loving each other was hard, losing each other would be harder.

A/N: Well, it’s been basically a year in the making, off and on, but PAHC is finally here. I am so thankful for all the support you guys have given me while I wrestled with this thing. Extra specials thanks to RC, whom I could not have done this without, and to Jouissant and Jupiter, who also cheered me on and gave great feedback. ❤ And thank you to my WONDERFUL artists, whose work you can find linked below. Credit to that lovely cover up there goes to @silent-bridge! 

Link to story: Here
Link to art: Here and Here