Good Afternoon

Two Gargoyles on the top of Notre Dame cathedral.

Lutetium

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. Lutetium is the 13th story in my Chemistry series, and tells the story of Max, Victoria and Kate's summer holiday in Paris. It's largely a travelogue, but there's also a character story for Kate. I've also included a photo gallery below, from

Writing

Oh, for the Rainbow!

I've been a fan of the musical Wicked for a good long time -- I've seen the show three times and listened the soundtrack countless more. I must confess, however, that while the novel it's based on is on the very lon list of novels I've started, it's also on

Writing

Being Evil Has a Place

It's International Fanworks Day again! Last year, I used it as a kick in the behind to get me into finally posting some of the fanfic I'd been working on, since one of them conveniently matched AO3’s challenge prompt. This year I decided to write something specifically for the

Writing

Fallin’ to Pieces

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. When I started writing Piece by Piece, it was supposed to be a shortish Max/Dana story with Kate as a strong supporting character. Somewhere along the line, Victoria decided she wanted to barge into the story, and I realised that it

Fanfic

Life in Pieces

This series is another spin-off from my Echo Park anthology. It consists of two parallel stories in the same timeline but from the perspective of different characters. Piece by Piece (posting chapters) First person Max/Dana Fallin’ to Pieces (posting chapters) Victoria’s journal You can find the series on

Writing

Broken Bond

This post contains spoilers for the Chronicles of Alsea. The Chronicles of Alsea rapidly became one of my favourite book series after first coming across them over the Christmas holiday last year. Unfortunately, what with lesbian science fiction being a somewhat niche market, my usual shiny-new-canon search for fanfic turned

Writing

Piece by Piece

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. This will be the penultimate story in my Echo Park anthology, and I wanted to try my hand at a new ship, so I decided to go for a Max/Dana pairing set after the Sacrifice Chloe ending. Somewhere along the line,

Writing

Oranges and Lemons

This post contains spoilers for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight. So, I was re-reading the Buffy season eight comics, and I was reminded of certain… annoyances. In particular, the whole Buffy/Satsu thing almost feels like it’s there purely to set up the gag where pretty much every

Writing

Oxygen

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I've posted the antepenultimate story in my Echo Park anthology, and this time it’s about Maximum Victory. Rather than trying to find a way to get those two characters together post-game (or even during it), I decided to go for a

Fanfic

Chemistry

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. This series is a spin-off from one of the stories in my Echo Park anthology. It’s set in the alternate timeline where Chloe is disabled; initially this was because I wanted to write a Max/Victoria story using the very different

Writing

Heads

I've just posted another story from my Echo Park anthology, which is an entirely unnecessary crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rather than chasing down Skye, Phil Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. team are investigating a temporal anomaly in coastal Oregon. Can they help Max & Chloe wrap

Podcasts

Alice Isn’t Dead

So, I’m kinda late to the podcast party. I dimly remember looking at them when the phenomenon first took off, deciding that they were mostly like talk radio, and losing interest. Fast forward a few years, and I find myself reading a fanfic called Four Girls on the Road]

Writing

Satellite News

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I’ve posted another story in my Echo Park anthology. Having played with stories following each of the endings to the game, some where I magically hand-wave away the storm altogether, and one where I combined the worst of both, It's time

Fanfic

Flash Gordon

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I've posted the first chapter of a new story in my Portland Ninja series, itself a spinoff of my Echo Park anthology. It continues the story I began in Buck Rogers, but with more of a focus on Max’s super-heroic exploits.

Fanfic

Tell All Your Friends

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I’ve posted another story in my Echo Park anthology. This is another Kate/Victoria fic, but unlike Bug it takes place immediately following on from the game. It’s set in another branch of the multiverse where Max doesn't have her

Fanfic

We Can’t Rewind

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I’ve posted another story in my Echo Park anthology. This one has the title which basically inspired the series in the first place. The lyrics suggested a post-Save the Bae fic, and a setting borrowed from the album title. You can

Fanfic

The Portland Ninja

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. So, one of my readers left a comment on a one-shot story in the Echo Park series, saying that they hoped I’d continue it. That’s not something I’d originally planned to do, and the story doesn’t really feel

Fanfic

Seven Days in the Sun

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I've posted another fanfic in my “Echo Park” anthology. The idea for Max & Chloe taking a trip to Disney World came naturally from the song title, but I no longer remember how I ended up with Chloe & Rachel as Rock

Politics

Why I’m Voting Labour

When I still lived in Oxford, I had the luxury of voting for the party I most closely identified with, as it was a seat held by the Lib Dems (at least until they donated us part of David Cameron’s constituency in time for the 2010 election.) That’s

Politics

Whatever you do, VOTE!

Decisions are made by the people who show up. If you don’t vote[1] then you give up your right to complain about what the government does until the next election. Conversely, if you vote for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party[2], don’t come crying to

Food

Summertime, and the salad is easy…

Salad days are here again! Of course, this being a British summer, it's anyone's guess how long it's going to last. Still, it's the perfect excuse for a big bowl of fresh vegetables every night, along with a selection of cheeses, continental meats, and a slice or two of quiche

Fanfic

21st Century Meltdown

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. I've posted another fanfic in my “Echo Park” anthology. The genesis of this story was the idea of Kate wanting to get a semicolon tattoo as an indelible reminder of everything she went though. A little out of character? Perhaps, but this

Fanfic

Buck Rogers

This post contains spoilers for Life is Strange. Buck Rogers was the breakout single for Feeder, so I didn’t want it to end up being nothing but a title for one of my Life is Strange stories inspired by Echo Park. I’d recently read a fic with Max

Food

Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Everyone loves mac ‘n’ cheese (except the people who don’t.) It’s quick and easy, and an excellent comfort food. And, yes, it’s still quick and easy even if you don't make it from a packet. Let me explain. The way I was taught to make white sauce

Fanfic

Standing on the Edge

I wrote in my post about the Echo Park anthology about how I started writing fanfic for Life is Strange almost immediately after completing my first play-through. This story is the most direct descendant of those initial scribblings, having started out as my idea of how the other ending might