forget your Unified Theory of Everything

Oh, I forgot to say, since I'm wishy washy and back from outer space, you should probably de-friend that RSS feed if you had it goin'.

I kept hearing about North and South from bbccostumedrama, but I kept getting it confused with that Civil War mini-series by the same name. Anywho, it's an adaptation of a novel Elizabeth Gaskell wrote in 1855. I am only familiar with Gaskell through another BBC adaptation, Wives and Daughters. W&D is alright because it has a nerd in it, a Victorian nerd, but overall I wasn't overwhelmed. But it's period romance!

Y'all should've seen what Mr. Daroga did when I said I wished I had a period hat. Yes, he did go there. Halfway through watching N&S I emailed my_daroga to tell her I loved it, so obviously she needed to see it. Now that I've watched the other half, I doubt she'll like it as much as me. There's certainly not much of a sense of irony or humor in it, and it tends to be socially concerned and moralistic. Now, I like things to be socially concerned and moralistic, as long as I don't feel preached at, or that I'm being told the difference between right and wrong.

But I do have a kink for Heroines Trying Very Hard To Do The Right Thing Because It Is Right, which I think might be less interesting to some than Clever Heroines Who Make Mistakes, Forgive Themselves, And Move The Fuck On. The former is Elinor Dashwood, you know, with her Sekrit Pain. The latter is more Lizzy Bennet. (In fact, these differing styles of heroines could bear more scrutiny, maybe one day I will do a post. Maybe it will involve pastries. Or something.) The point is, N&S did hit it a bit on the head at the end, had some rather too cheesy moments. At one point it actually said, "For the children! You must, for the children!" . . . but what I'm saying is this is probably why I liked it. I'm the sort of person who goes to Sound of Music Sing-A-Longs and says the line, "Oh please, Captain, love them; love them all!" right along with Maria. So, I dunno. The film might interest only a narrow cross-section of the ole flist.

( So only click if you care about period romance. Or floofy skirts and Victorian hairstyles--ya hai thar r pictures. Or Industrial Revolution politics and the changing class systems of the times. Or the suffering of the human condition. Only click if you care about human dignity, and pride and love. Or the children. I tell you, click for the children! )

ADMIN NOTE: This will be my last post. All other posts will be on my InsaneJournal. You can add my ij feed to your lj here. --The Quitter

*

So, I wrote Now The Shining Sun Is Up for hd_holidays. It's a Harry/Draco story about dealing with the long-reaching social and political effects of war.

Although it really needs so much more work, I'm kind of happy with the story. It could've been so much better, really shiny, but as it is it got across the gut of what I really wanted to get across, I think. And that was why I entered the ficathon. You know I hate ficathons and only enter them because I love Lynne and Chrislee. But I've been trying to write H/D for a whole year now, and while I have millions of pieces of things on my comp, I've yet to really spit out one whole thing. For this ficathon I started about five different stories, 30,000 wasted words all told. It was in the last two days I wrote this one, and then the mods of the fest were nice enough to let me send in my second draft (which took another week or so to write, on top of moving) to post. The final draft would've been tighter, with excess talk cut out, and a couple vital moments added--but if I'd've had the time, I wouldn't rewrite this fic, just polish it up a bit. In TKPspeak, that means I'm a bit proud of it.

In other news, it was bizarre being a part of a fest with anonymous gifts, much less in a fandom I'd never participated in. Since no one in H/D fandom knows who I am anyway, I thought it wouldn't make much difference if I was anonymous or not, and that the fest would be a good way to get the story out there without having to wave my arms and say, "look at me!" Makes it weird, though, when people think they know who wrote it. Especially if they think it was mistful, which was flattering and also weird and also worrisome (i.e. I'm inspired by her writing! But am I "inspired" too much?). At any rate, it was pleasing and surprising the way people responded. It wasn't a mega hit or anything, but I don't really think the unpolished nature of the fic merits that. But there were people with really thoughtful comments who really appreciated what I tried to do with the story, which warms the cockles of my heart. (Not the mussels of my heart, though. Or even muscles; that's so purely clinical.) Since I've never participated in a fest like this before, and since I know no one in the fandom, it was weird to watch the comments trickle in--I kept wondering where they were coming from and who they were. Kind of like when I wrote Oroboros, the commenting on which was a surreal experience completely. In other words, I'm glad I did it, even if I've been stressing pretty much four months over it.

So, all five of you who read H/D, pls to be letting me know what you think, if you're so inclined as to read. I'll be reposting it on IJ in the next few days.

Next up is anelith's H/D, which I <3 so much I need to stop talking about it and just finish it!

stultiloquentia wrote Harry/Draco.

O, my heart. *clutches weakly*

I have no business doing this as my participation in the past three ficathon type things I was in has been so harried and kinda craptastic, and I haven't even read the IWRY Marathon entries yet! But I figure it's alright as I'm just casing your interest...Actually sign ups won't take place until February or so (only if there is enough interest). Enough excuses! Here is my idea for the ficathon:

This ficathon wouldn't be for everyone. It would be for people who identify as primarily Buffy/Angel fans or Buffy/Spike fans. NB: I don't mean for people who only identify that way; for instance, I "identify" as a B/Aer, but I do love me my Angel/Spike and Buffy/Faith and Buffy/Connor and Angel/Wesley and so on, and I have read an enjoyed a number of Buffy/Spike fics. But if you ask me what my favorite 'ship is in the 'verse, I'd definitely say B/A. So ends the explanation of who this ficathon would be for, and the rest of you can stop reading.

The idea behind the ficathon is that all the people who identify as B/Aers would try to write a quality B/S fic, and all the people who identify as B/Sers would try to write a quality B/A fic. I was thinking that if there were around an even number of B/Aers and B/Sers, each B/Aer could get partnered to a B/Ser. These "partnerships" could mean various things, something as traditional as each partner makes requests and the other has to write to one of their requests*, or maybe the partners could kind of discuss their ideas and process as they write.

( More info on a Proposed Buffy/Angel, Buffy/Spike Ficathon, for B/Aers and B/Sers )

I will give someone something for making me an icon with VK as Pete Campbell on it that says: "Pete: the new Draco."

Because they're both so shameless in that they will do anything to get ahead, to the point of falling on their faces and looking completely ridiculous. And then they are ashamed, or maybe not ashamed so much as bitter towards the people who made them seem somehow objects of shame. AND THEN THEY GET UP AND GO SHAME THEMSELVES AGAIN, out of their bitterness, or whatever. They have no clue!

And I have no clue why they fascinate me so.

Gimme, now.

P.S. germaine_pet and anelith, I am still working on your requests, and sorry for the long delay.

For those of you who have sent fb on my IWRY fic: thanks so much! I am rewriting the fic, which is why I haven't posted it here. Hopefully the newer version will be better.

Meanwhile, I have read NO IWRY fics this month, but I do look forward to getting to them some time when I am less harried. I'm really excited about some of the stuff I'm seein'.

P.P.S. Happy first day of Hanukkah!

P.P.P.S. You know those daroga people? Their band is lame and their dog smells like old chicken.

Hi everyone! I'm in Seattle.

I met the awesomest sauciest of people on the way, but which one is which I shall never know. seraphcelene, kita0610, fodian, and dakingrl take the cake. Cakes. They all have frosting on top of them and gooey innards. Okay that sounds dirty. Which is was meant to. I will reveal all their dirty secrets post haste. Watch this space. Or actually my IJ.

Speaking of up and moving and living in a new place, which I wasn't, how pretentious is it that some people feel the need to name their houses? Very.

eta: I didn't mean it.

( Me me me! )

But enough about me!

( You you you! )

This year I am reapplying to grad school. I'm applying to all the schools to be admitted into two different programs: the Creative Writing MFA and the English MA. I feel like if I don't get into the former I probably have more of a chance with the latter. So far, the schools I'm applying to are:

Washington University in St Louis, University of Florida, University of Texas, New York University, University of Houston, Saint Mary's College of California.

I'm also looking into University of Michigan, Otis College of Art and Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, University of New Orleans, Emerson College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of New Hampshire, Rutgers University, City College of New York, The New School, Sarah Lawrence College, Syracuse University, Ohio State University, Chatham University, University of Pittsburgh, University of South Carolina, Vanderbuilt University, Goddard College, George Mason University, Hollins University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, anywhere that does MFAs in Creative Writing in Alaska, University of New Brunswick, University of British Columbia anywhere that does MFAs in Creative Writing in Canada, University of East Anglia in the UK, anywhere that does MFAs in Creative Writing in any English speaking country such as the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, and English MA programs anywhere in Europe, particularly the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Poland, and English MA programs anywhere in the world, including Argentina, South Africa, India, China, Russia, and Egypt.

Um, so. The purpose of this post is to ask if anyone has any advice on any of these universities, any of these locations, any English MA programs, any Creative Writing MFA programs, any grad programs, getting into grad programs, writing portfolios, and stuff. I'm just trying to gather any info I can on the process of choosing and applying, as I have failed so spectacularly in the past.

So how 'bout that Buffy 6 comic?

When I was first getting into POTO, someone linked me to this fanvid someone made of the ALW POTO Overture...dance mix...played over this...anime. I always remembered it forever because 1) it creeped me out. 2) it's utterly fascinating how well this anime seems to fit POTO. 3) I spent hours and hours wondering what the anime could possibly be about. 4) there were skulls and roses and stuff, and sad phan that I am, I get all fascinated by flowers and death.

Anyway, so I mentioned the vid to my_daroga, and she hadn't seen it before. Thank god for YouTube.

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For instance, remember that Angel and Spike are Harry and Draco thing? I really, really want to write more of that.

( spoilers for Deathly Hallows )

The rate at which I come up with ideas is alarming. (The rate at which I execute said ideas, say oh never, is also alarming.) ( For instance, take this modernized teenybopper Camelot story. )

eta: *but they call him Wayne. Oh, snorfle.
Notice how I call "ideas" just taking the same stories and characters and giving them new names. Except none of the names are new. I am unoriginal and bland. Except for all these ideas, which are unoriginal and cool.

And now, a million bajillion Harry/Draco fics which I have either started and will probably never finish, or will never even start. I just want them out of my head, but they will not go. These are really rough ideas so full of RANDOM and rambling that you'll choke, probably. So, you know, hand at the level of your eyes, and that. ( The Harry/Draco fic idea list. Is long. And really really rough. I would not read this unless I was terrifically bored. Which I am. )