lauren3210

Hello everyone!

I've been absent for a long time, and I left quite abruptly, I know. Early last year my step-father was diagnosed with cancer, and it kind of threw our entire family into hell for a long time. We had some good news just before Christmas though, and things are looking good in that respect, and now things have calmed down a bit for us. So I feel up to coming back to fandom, and I thought I'd dip my toes by chatting to you all again!

Good things that happened in 2018:

Eryn turned 18! She took her A Levels, did fantastically well, and she is now a student at Goldsmiths University of London, studying Sociology and Anthropology! Leaving her there in the middle of London was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life, but she loves it there. She's made loads of friends, is enjoying her classes, and having fun learning to live with a bunch of other 18 year olds who also have no idea how to adult. Look at this gorgeous thing; I must have been incredibly good in a past life to have deserved her:

Madison came top in her year at school! She got all the GCSE options she wanted, and is currently participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, because she's a little over-achiever, haha!
We had a chat with Imogen's teachers, who are happy to use male/neutral pronouns for them, which has made Imogen feel a lot happier. We're currently trying out new names.
Ben got the all clear after his second surgery (oh yeah, that was a thing that happened to us as well), and he's back at work and happy.
I gave up my job! It wasn't making me happy, because I kept getting refused a move into the sector I have TRAINED FOR, and I spent most of my time frustrated and biting my tongue against yelling at everybody. I feel much happier now.

And now I'm going to ask you a question (a sneaky way to get you all to talk to me again, haha) - for the writers out there: Is there a particular fic of yours that you go to when you're feeling a bit down about your writing, because the comments make you feel like a fic-writing genius and make you want to write again? If so, which one is it? I need a rec list, basically, lol. Mine is Five Weddings and a Funeral, because the comments on that one make me feel as though I am floating on air.

Anyway, hope your start to the new year have been awesome for you all, and I'm glad to be back! xx

Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/49406.html

So, I missed my last couple of weekly check ins, but I haven't really had much to report - I'm still writing, still reading, still working, still parenting, and there's not much happening with me other than the usual. BUT,

smirkingcat tagged me in this meme, so I figured it was a good opportunity for a catch up with everybody, so:

Post 10 facts little known about you and tag 12 other people with it.

1. Other than my piercings and my engagement ring, I don't wear jewellery. I don't like things hanging off me, so necklaces and bracelets are annoying. Plus they tangle in my hair, which is already tangled enough, thanks very much!

2. I also never wear a watch, mainly because I can't tell time on a clock face.

3. I don't own a handbag, and I have a terrible tendency to put my keys and/or purse in whatever shopping bag I've picked up along the way. I've accidentally binned my keys on more than one occasion due to this.

4. Although I write left handed, I am right handed for everything else. I also have really nice handwriting for a leftie, everyone comments on it!

5. I don't like wearing things on my feet; as soon as I come in the house, my shoes and socks come off and I walk around barefoot.

6. I'm allergic to pepper. It doesn't cause anaphylaxis, but it does make the back of my throat itch if I swallow it, or breathe it in while it's being ground. It makes eating out a bit of an uncomfortable experience.

7. I have an irrational fear of tomatoes. I don't like the taste, or the texture, and the sight of thoses seeds just sort of hanging there, suspended in that jelly like substance turns my stomach (I've given myself goosebumps just typing this!).

8. I love action films. The more explosions or extended fight scenes a movie has, the more I'm going to enjoy it.

9. I am the same height as my father and brother, while my mum is a tiny person (only 5' 3"). My oldest daughter is also a tiny person, so I look like a giant next to them, haha!

10. I can be super controlling. I hate it when Ben tries to clean around the house, because he doesn't do it right. He tries to tell the kids to do their share so they learn some responsibility, but I always take over because I can't stand watching them do it wrong.

I'm not going to tag people, just gonna open it up to anyone who hasn't been tagged yet and fancies joining in! xx

Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/48935.html

Hello everybody! I am back as promised, to keep you all up with the scintillating goings on at Chez Lauren! (Mainly ironing, to be honest.) As I was saying in some emails exchanges recently, I'm hoping that these little updates will help me keep the doorway for communication open for me, because I have a tendency to withdraw if I don't do something regularly, and I kind of dropped the ball last year, so. Here I am! *waves dorkily*

I've been writing this week! I've been writing H/D! I was persuaded to sign up to the Harry/Draco Big Bang, and I got so excited that I managed to knock out 13k words in just two days! I'm very excited about this fic, to be honest. I just have this feeling that it will end up being really good (for me, anyway), as long as I can manage to pull it off. So, watch this space!

I'm also writing original stories, as I do. I have a few ideas for some short stories, so I'm thinking that if I manage to knock a few of those out, it might give me the confidence to finally finish one of the novel length ones. Who knows, it could work...

So, Imogen's school managed to make it into the national newspapers this week *headdesk*. The head teacher has been accused of "student segregation", and I had no idea it was even happening! Apparently, the school asked for a donation from each student for some lunchtime play equipment (skipping ropes, bats and balls, that kind of thing), but only 80 or so of the 450 pupils actually paid it. And so the teachers decided to put the 'paid' kids in one playground to play with all the toys, and the 'unpaid' kids in another playground without it. And everyone went nuts over it. I was one of the ones who hadn't paid (because they put the call out over Facebook and I'm not on fucking Facebook so I had no idea it was even a thing), so when I heard what was happening I asked Imogen why they hadn't told me. They said that it didn't matter to them, because the 'paid' kids were allowed to invite one 'unpaid' kid to go play with them, and Imogen had always been picked. So like, on the one hand, yay for me having a trans kid that's so fucking popular, but on the other hand, how dare this school do that?? I have myriad issues with this school, but Imogen is happy and accepted there, which is the most important thing for them at the moment, so I don't really kick up too much of a fuss. But I admit to being a little vindictively amused when I showed up at school one morning to find Press from the Guardian, the Independent, and the fucking BBC there to get soundbites out of some of the parents, haha! Good Lord, what a mess.

Oh, and Eryn is starting to get responses from universities! So far, Exeter, Bournemouth, and Goldsmith's in London have sent out conditional offers - she'll need three Bs in her A level exams, which she should get no problem. We're just waiting on Kent and Oxford Brookes universities to respond now. I'm very excited and also feeling slightly sick, with a very definite urge to wrap her up in a blanket and refuse to let her go, lol!

Love to you all, and hope 2018 is starting out well for everyone! <3

Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/48699.html

This is me, popping in to wish all of you a wonderful 2018!!

Last year wasn't so awesome for me. There were hospital appointments, scary surgeries, my favourite cat died unexpectedly. And then, to end the year, my last grandmother died just 3 weeks before Christmas. It would have been her 98th birthday on Boxing Day, and she had a long and wonderful life, and she passed away peacefully in her sleep, but I am really going to miss her. I had the flu over Christmas, and am only now getting back on my feet, and I am woefully behind reading all of the wonderful Erised fics - so many long fics this year! I am catching up slowly, though.

I managed to reach my Goodreads goal of 200 books last year. I actually read more, but I kept forgetting to update on GR. But to be honest, roughly 90% of those were m/m romances, and some of them were quite short, so I feel as though I cheated a little. So, this year, my new goal is 25 books, but I'm going to limit those to classics, or best-sellers, things like that. The first books on my list are Atonement and Wide Sargasso Sea, and that second one will probably prompt me into rereading Jane Eyre, so there we go.

I'm also gong to try and start posting once a week on here, just to try and keep up with everybody. I kind of let it slide last year; there was a lot of RL stuff going on and so fandom felt like a little too much pressure on top of that, but I think now it might have been a little uplifting, instead. So, with that in mind, I'm going to sort of keep a little diary on here, about what I've been up to and how family life is going, to try and keep the doors of communication open.

I have a couple of resolutions, of course! I want to stop smoking finally (she says, holding a cigarette while typing), and I want to lose a bit of weight. Ben is taking me to Peru in a few years for my 40th birthday, and I want to be able to hike all the trails without dying. Who knows, maybe if I start now, I'll get there in time?

I'm also going to continue writing, of course. I have a couple of ideas for some multi-chaptered fics, as well as the original stories I have languishing in my gdoc files. My goal is to complete at least one of each this year, maybe more if I can manage it.

Anyway, I hope 2018 brings wonderful things for all of you, and that everybody stays happy and well for the rest of the year! <3

Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/48466.html

The past couple of months, I feel as though the universe hates me. Like, I've done something really terrible, something so bad that karma can't wait to get back at me and just needs to throw all of the shit my way just to make things even.

Ben had his surgery. And everything went as well as it could possibly go, and he's well on track for a full and complete recovery. Which is awesome, and so NOT a bad thing, but it was really fucking stressful for a long while, and I just didn't have a lot left over to deal with everything that's come since.

So my cat died, and part of me is very logically minded so I'm like it's just a cat, but then the other side of me can't stop crying myself to sleep at night because he's no longer laying on my feet.

I was at the hospital myself while Ben was there, because I've had a lot of gynaecological issues and I was hoping to get them sorted. I was originally going to have ablation therapy (they stick a balloon up into your uterus and burn away the lining, giving relief for a few years), but when I got there, my consultant told me it wasn't a good idea because of my blood clotting issue. So then I had to go back to someone else and go all through my history again to work out something else. I used to be on the combined pill, because it was the only thing that worked, but when I had my pulmonary embolism during my second pregnancy, they told me I couldn't go back on it. So I've been suffering from all these issues for 13 years. However, it turns out that what they wrote in my patient history was that I had experienced a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the leg) rather than the blood clot in my lung during pregnancy, and THAT was the only reason why I couldn't go back on the pill. So, I have been suffering from heavy cramping, periods that last 10 days or longer, such a heavy flow that I literally can't stand upright without a cascade down my legs, clots the size of my palm, FOR NOTHING. So I'm back on the pill, which is a good thing, but I'm so angry about it I can barely articulate it.

Then, last week, I started getting pains in my right shoulder. It got so bad, pain radiating down my arm and making it all numb and tingly, that my mum took me to the hospital to get it checked out. Turns out, I have a herniating disc on the C7 vertebra, putting pressure on the right brachial nerve. I had to stay in hospital for a couple of days while they monitored the swelling, because if it didn't go down, they would have had to perform spinal surgery before I completely lost the use of my right arm. It did eventually go down, but I am still in pain and on drugs, which makes it really hard to do stuff around the house, which I am still doing on my own because Ben's still recuperating.

Fuck 2017, to be honest.

Oh, on the plus side, I have 2 brand new kittens, who we've called Samson and Jackson - Sam and Jack for short - and they are just adorable! Sam is a grey tabby who can get into anything if he just tries hard enough. I found him in the washing machine yesterday. Jack is an orange tabby (with orange spots on his tummy!) who is an angry little ball of fluff - he hissed at the tv cable this morning when it got in his way. They are just 2 wonderful spots of brightness in a dark November, and I love them.

Current Mood: drained
Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/48341.html

My cat died yesterday. I woke up to the sound of him crying, and found him on the floor at the bottom of my bed. By the time we got him to the vet he was barely breathing, and although the vet tried everything he could, my baby died a few minutes later from heart failure. It all happened so fast; he was fine the night before, yelling at me because it was raining, chasing after the laser pointer with the kids, forcing the other cats to wait until he chose a bowl before they were allowed to eat. And then he was just... gone.

He was just... the loveliest cat. He was 3 feet long and weighed 21 pounds, when he sat on your lap he made your legs go numb. He slept around my baby bump when I was pregnant, and would corral me into bed every night. He slept between my feet, and would curl one paw around my toes. He liked to snuggle under my chin and purr in my ear until I fell asleep. He hated the rain and would check every door in the house, then shout at me when I couldn't make it stop. He liked to be carried around under my arm like a baby, and would shove himself between me and Ben at night, just in case Ben got any ideas. He used to jump on my kids when they got back from swimming lessons and suck their hair because he loved the smell of chlorine.

Birdie was my black and white angel, and I miss him so much my heart aches.

Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/48119.html

So I've been kind of absent lately, I know. There have been birthdays I've missed, emails I haven't replied to, friends' important moments in their lives that I haven't taken a moment to comment on. Please know that I know this, and that I'm sorry, and that even though I haven't been around, I have been thinking of all of you.

Ben had his operation yesterday though, and so far all signs are pointing to it being a total success. He's awake and talking, only slurring a little, which the doctors insist is just leftover from the anaesthetic (16 hour surgery!), his memory seems fine, and all his movements are coordinated and good - he can even walk already, even though he's a little wobbly. His fine motor skills are a little bit off still (he dropped a cup this morning), but even though Ben's concerned, his surgeon assures me it will go back to normal while he's recuperating. He's going to be in hospital for the next week, and if everything continues as it is, he'll be back at home by next Friday and back to work by the new year!

So yeah, that's a HUGE weight off my mind! And hopefully, once he's home again, I will feel settled enough to do more than just lurk in fandom. I know you've all got important stuff going on too, and I'm sorry that I've been too preoccupied with my own to offer you all my support, but I hope you know that you have it, whether I'm able to express it or not.

<3 <3 <3

Current Mood: happy
Crossposts: https://lauren3210.livejournal.com/47693.html

I've just written my first 1k for my

hd_erised fic!! I'll admit, I've been moaning a bit about this one, because the things my giftee loves are just a touch off the mark with what I usually write. Not that I'm complaining or blaming the mods or anything, because I know they work really bloody hard to give something to everyone that they can feel comfortable writing, and it's not always going to be perfect. And, after 3 years of truly excellent match-ups for me, I'm absolutely okay with this one being a bit more of a challenge. It's just, a bit hard to get it going, and to get really enthusiastic about the process. But I've started it, which is always the hardest part, and I have a cheerleader to keep me going, and even my trusty beta has promised to hold my hand, even though she's no longer involved in fandom, which is really sweet and encouraging, so I'm sure I'll find my excitement again soon!

So, I came back from holiday a couple of weeks ago, and it's taken me this long just to get back to normal. I must tell you all my experience, because OMG was it a rollercoaster! Okay, so some friends of ours convinced us to go on a coach trip to Spain. They went last year, and they had loads of fun, meeting new people during the 26 hour (!!) drive across France and through the pyrenees (I think? Some mountain range, anyway). So we decided to give it a go, because all the kids would keep each other amused (they have 3 too) and us grownups would have some other adults to talk to. And everything went fine, it was chucking it down with rain on the ferry, Eryn abandoned us to go chat up a boy (because of course), we all watched some movies on the private TVs on the seats, and we chatted and tried to fall asleep and everything was good. Until 1 in the morning, somewhere in Northern France, when the fucking coach broke down! So we were stuck there, on the top floor of this bloody double decker coach, for NINE HOURS OMG. It was boiling, we were swimming in our own sweat, and Imogen (plus a few other younger passengers) ended up being sick due to dehydration. The French police brought us food and water (because the trip organisers couldn't be bothered), and we ended up arriving at the campsite 13 hours later than we should have. I basically had to play I Spy for 12 hours as well, because the replacement coach they found for us didn't have the TVs, and the seats didn't recline, so I had to amuse Imogen for the entire trip through France. It was a fucking nightmare, omg.

Spain was lovely, though. It's been a few years since I've been, and I'd forgotten just how hot it gets there! I even managed to get sunburn (Me!!) on my boobs - ouch! - because I sorted out the kids and Ben and totally forgot about myself, as you do. Imogen went just about able to swim, and came back able to dive like a dolphin and knowing how to snorkle with the fish. We all got lovely tans, Eryn lost her favourite bracelet in the sea, and we all discovered a new Dutch dish that we all absolutely love (it's called 'patat oorlog', and it's chips with raw onion, mayonnaise and satay sauce, which sounds like it really shouldn't go together but it really does and it was amazeballs omg). So yeah, other than getting there, we had a great time, and I'd love to go back again another year - although probably not via coach, haha!

The kids are still at home for the summer, and they're all starting to get on each other's nerves (and mine), so I can't wait for school to start up again. Eryn got her AS level results yesterday, and she got an A and 2 Bs! She's very happy, and ready to buckle down and get even better results next year, so she can get into a good university. She wants to go to London, which is going to be expensive for us, but if she wants it, we'll sort it for her.

I'm writing a new HD fic, as well as the Ersied one. It was an idea I had, and I don't know if I'll ever finish it, but it would be nice to write a fic again just for fun and because I feel like it, rather than for a fest (although those are always fun too!). Plus, I'm in the middle of rewriting one of my older HD fics into an original story. Well, I say 'middle', but what I really mean is that I'm right at the start. I'll get there though. Maybe...

And... I think that's it? Hope you guys are all happy and well, and I'm going to try commenting on people's posts again - I'm constantly reading them when I don't have time to reply, and then I forget to come back, but I'm working on fixing that!

Love to you all xx

Current Mood: determined
Crossposts: http://lauren3210.livejournal.com/47415.html

So, i've kind of been MIA for the past couple of months. I've missed birthdays, stopped commenting, stopped posting, just... stopped. See, my laptop stopped working (technology tends to do this around me, seriously, ask my family, they all agree it's the weirdest phenomenon); the screen suddenly decided to show me nothing but white fuzz, and while it worked when I hooked it up to the TV, that didn't really help much except for when I wanted to stream something to watch. So, no writing, no LJ scrolling, and no fic reading either (because I can't get that shit to work on my phone).

Then, Ben became ill, like, really ill. It turns out that his congenital hearing defect plus the accident he had as a child (he sliced his face off by falling through a window and had to have several reconstructive surgeries when he was a toddler) have combined to create a gaping hole behind his left eardrum, a hole that has now filled itself with a tumour. It's benign, which is a relief, but it's also still growing, and if it isn't removed soon it may start eating into his brain, so he has to have surgery. And it's a big one. They have to saw into his skull and remove the bone - from temple to an inch or so behind his ear, remove the tumour, then replace the skull. It's brain surgery basically, and we've all been kind of freaking out about it. Luckily, due to Ben's profession, we're not exactly going into this blind - my kids play with the kids of the surgeon who's going to be doing the operation - so we're a bit better prepared than others might be. But still, it's really freaking scary. Add to that my own operation - ablation for my women parts - and we're all kind of floundering a little bit.

And then, my Tumblr account unexpectedly blew up. Turns out, some (probably nice, I keep telling myself they're probably nice) person screencapped a post I wrote about Eryn 3 years ago about something cool she did at school once. So now, I'm being bombarded with hate messages, people telling me I'm a liar, that I'm an attention seeker, a bitch, I should fuck off and die, that my daughter should fuck off and die. Someone even told me I was fat which, while they're not wrong, was a little disturbing. Of course, I've also gotten some lovley messages of support too, but they're being buried by the hate. I've tried to look at it all pragmatically, because intellectually I know that anon hate is just a thing that people do because they can and that it's not really about me, but it's taken a bit of a toll. I find myself flinching a little whenever I log on, just waiting for the new influx of hateful things people have decided I deserve today. It's made me feel a bit nervous of fandom in general, actually.

BUT, now I have a new laptop that actually works (for the time being). I'm glad I managed to get it sorted out now, because I would have hated to have missed out on signing up for

hd_erised ! So, now I'm going to catch up on some fics I've missed out on, and remind myself that fandom can be awesome! I've missed you guys!

Crossposts: http://lauren3210.livejournal.com/46640.html

So, like everyone else seems to be doing, I have made an account on DreamWidth and am in the process of importing my LJ posts over here. I hope I've done it right *fingers crossed*. I'm still figuring out how this new site works (is there a friends page? How do I find people?) but hopefully I'll work it out. With any luck I'll have done the crossposting thing right, so if you feel like following me over here, please feel free to do so - mainly because I suspect that it will be easier for me to find you guys that way! So yeah, do that.

I am currently dying of a cold that has lodged itself in my sinuses, and I feel like I am about to sneeze 100% of the time. But at least the weather's nice, so I am able to put my washing out on the line, which is nice. The girls are all gorgeous, horrible little brats as usual, and Ben is his usual grumpy asshole self, and absolutely nothing has changed in my life since my last post. When did I get so boring?

Crossposts: http://lauren3210.livejournal.com/46335.html

Someone has made a collection on AO3 and has kept them 'unrevealed' without telling the authors.

I received a comment on another fic of mine, letting me know that my story for last year's

dracotops_harry fest had been added to a collection entitled 'Drarry', and that they could no longer view it, even though they had previously commented and bookmarked it. When I checked, I found that it had disappeared from my list of works, and the collection had at least 20 other unrevealed works in its list. I suspect that the creator has probably made a mistake, making a 'collection' of their favourite stories, without realising what an actual collection does to the fic itself. It's easy enough to fix - I just went in and removed my fic from the collection - but unless you know to look for it, you won't know that your fics aren't viewable. So, just letting you know that you might want to check your backlists and see if any are missing so you can remove it from the collection.

And if some people could repost this on their journals/tumblr/etc., that would be awesome, because I know there are many awesome H/D fic writers out there that don't have me on their flists!

Just a quick post to claim the two fics that I wrote for

hd_owlpost this year:

Title: Ribbons and Bows
Recipient:

kitty_fic
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1586
Summary: Harry comes home from work to a prettily wrapped surprise.

Title: Grey and White
Recipient:

vaysh
Rating: G
Word Count: 3 x 100
Summary: The world outside is grey and white.

Thank you to everyone who commented or recced or left kudos! And for those of you who have not yet seen the marvelous gift

potteresque_ire made for me (and if not, seriously, where have you been? It's the bestest thing ever oh my God), here is a handy link: 9 Days of Snowmen. Go and scream about it and then leave lots of love!

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope everyone had a good weekend? It's a good day for me, because I finally have my laptop back, yay!! *jumps up and down* I'd just decided that I was going to try and post at least once a week, even if it was only to say "I have nothing to say", because I'm trying really hard this year not to just withdraw and go quiet on people, and then my laptop broke. It took Ben a couple of weeks to get around to looking at it for me, but it's up and running again now - although just barely, and I'm going to need a new one soon. But at least I now have something to type on, even if I am frantically backing up everything I write to gdocs just in case the laptop dies permanently. So anyway, hi!

Reading woes (here, have a random rant):

Has anyone ever read something that has made them so angry they're speechless? Because I did that last night, and I'm still not over it. The book was written by one of my favourite m/m writers too, which made it doubly shocking. I tried really hard to get the anger out in a GR review, but then I stupidly read the other reviews and I got angry all over again! Basically, the MC's love interest is this emotionally abusive cuntweasel (a word I used a lot in my review, because it fit so eloquently), but for some reason everyone else seems to think that's hot. "He's so awesome, so patient, so sweet, why is this book so short I need more Jack!!" UGH, so gross. And I'm so mad about it.

Comment woes (less of a rant, more thinky thoughts):

I got another weird comment on my bonding!fic, Unexpected Consequences the other day:

Fantastic drarry. Hermione turning into a Draco fangirl was not my favorite though. In particular her making excuses at the Burrow was entirely offputting given Draco nearly killing Ron and being the reason a werewolf could maimed Bill for like. That was shockingly unbelievable in an otherwise epic fic.

Still all in all well done.

And at first I wasn't too bothered, because I thought the 'complaint' (for want of a better word) was written respectfully, and everyone's entitled to their opinion, so I just replied with my own and a 'thanks for reading'. But the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I get, especially after I went back to the moment in question in the fic and reread it. Because all Hermione does is agree with Harry's reasons for agreeing to the bonding spell with Malfoy, and helps him come up with ways to make sure that no advantage is taken of him while in that position of powerlessness under Harry. That doesn't sound like a 'fangirl' to me, but just a basic decent human being who cares about people's rights - the rights of all people, not just the ones she thinks deserves them. And I guess it makes me a little uncomfortable to think about, because the Trio are meant to be these shining examples of humanity at its best, doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do, and if these people aren't supposed to respect whomever they come across, what does that say about us all? I just... can't stop thinking about it I guess, and I'm probably thinking way too deeply about one person's opinion of my stupid little fanfic, but I guess I just... don't understand.

Okay, now I'm gonna go do some work in the hopes of getting paid, and then try to read a book that won't give me a rage conniption! Have a great start to the week, guys! <33

So, how many of you guys have discovered the delight of the show Crazy Ex Girlfriend ? Because let me tell you, it is the BEST thing ever!!! For those of you that don't know, the show is about a Jewish, successful New York lawyer who, while in the middle of a nervous breakdown, accidentally runs into an ex-boyfriend that she hasn't seen since she was 16. The next thing she knows, she's moving from NYC to California, convinced that if she can just get back together with Josh Chan, her life will be perfect. AND, because her mental breakdown is happening in the style of a musical (because being in a musical during college is the last time she can remember being happy) she and everyone else around her sings songs, hilarious, ridiculous, sometimes fourth wall breaking songs. So anyway, season 1 was fucking fantastic, but I kind of lost a bit of love for the show after one of my fave characters left, but the other day I was catching up, and the New Guy sang his first song, and I AM IN LOVE SEND H E L P. He's gorgeous, and he sings beautifully, and also there was a discussion in an elevator about the Harry Potter books and he proudly admitted he was a Slytherin and I can't help it, I just love him!! His song was a fantastic and hilarious parody of Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud, and honestly, Rachel Bloom is my idol, because this woman writes, composes, acts, sings, dances, directs, AND produces, and I don't understand how one person can be so talented.

But ANYWAY, here, look at this wonderful song and then go watch the show if you haven't already! And if you have, please let me unleash all of my Nathaniel Plimpton feels all over you!

Do you guys ever get a comment where you read it and just think, what is the point of that?? I got one on one of my time travel fics, and I'm just sitting here scratching my head, going whaa?? This is what they wrote:

okay but now what youve got here is a paradox. if harry kissed draco coz of the future, then why did the original harry kiss draco? because he wouldn't have seen a future in which he immediately kissed draco because he hadn't kissed draco in his future.

Like, okay?? But did you like it or?? Do you have anything to add that isn't just pointing out the general point of a time travel fic? HOW DO I EVEN REPLY TO THIS?

People are really fucking weird sometimes, y'all.

... Is

dracotops_harry one of those fests where submission is open ended? As in, if I don't sign up immediately but before posting begins I've managed to create a fic that fits an unclaimed prompt, would they accept it as a submission?

It's just, the last time I wrote for this fest, I didn't have a great time, and I later worked out that it was due to the sexual dynamics restrictions - I write both Top!Harry and Top!Draco in my fics, and sometimes as switches, and it all depends on the story I'm trying to tell. BUT, I've had a look at the prompts list, and found a couple that have intrigued me... I'm just not sure I can commit if I don't know that the story will take me to a Top!Draco place, if that makes sense? I just don't want to waste the mods' time by saying 'hey, yeah, I'll do this one!', only for me to either have to drop out or have a miserable time trying to get words out on something that doesn't feel right, you know?

I know I've talked about this before, but I can't remember which fests worked like this and which didn't, and I can't find the damn post to check, so if someone could help me out, I'd be grateful! <3

It's reveals time!! And yep, this was my fic! Honestly, I'm surprised mine wasn't the most well-guessed on the poll because of all the LEANING Draco did, haha! I'm always making him lean in my fics *happy sigh*. I had such fun writing this story, and this is absolutely all down to

capitu's wonderful help. I was floundering and frustrated until she came along, and she turned it into a joy to write. This fic would literally not exist without her invaluable help, and I owe her all the cookies and hugs in the world! I'm so so happy that

themightyflynn enjoyed her gift, and I was seriously overwhelmed by the response it's gotten - so many comments and recs! I've been squealing like a kid on Christmas morning over every single one. Thank you all so much!!

One thing I did want to mention, because a couple of people commented on it specifically: Verity, the stunning, sexy date of Harry's. I'm not entirely sure where she came from, but I kind of fell hard for her, and I'm so glad she stood out to readers too - as a plump, softly inviting girl myself, that positive response means more to me than I can express. I love you guys.

Title: Five Weddings and a Potions Accident
Recipient:

themightyflynn
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco (side Ron/Hermione; Dean/Seamus; Ginny/Blaise; Neville/Hannah; Luna/Susan)
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~19,500
Warnings: A lot of sex, and boys being oblivious
Content/Enticements: Auror!Harry and Healer!Draco
Summary: In which Harry thinks he’s a playboy, everyone else knows better, and Hermione will kill Seamus if Ron tries to collect on that bet.
Author's Notes: To my dear giftee: After stalking your LJ, my brain kind of latched on to the idea of Auror!Harry and Healer!Draco, and this was somehow the result. There’s rather more sex than I usually write, so err, ‘sorry’ and/or ‘you’re welcome’, I guess? The biggest thanks to my Alpha reader, who singlehandedly turned this process from a frustrating chore into a joyful challenge, and to my beta, who somehow always manages to find time for me. Any remaining mistakes are my own, and absolutely nothing to do with these two wonderful ladies. Kisses to the mods for yet another wonderful fest. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

Happy New Year everybody! I've decided to write down my personal goals for 2017, in the hopes that it will push me to complete them, so, here we go!

Quit smoking. I'm currently on day 3 of this, and it's going quite well, actually. I'm getting moments where I desperately want a cigarette, of course, but they're not too often. It's also not as hard to write as I thought it would be - I chainsmoke when I write - so that's a definite plus!

Quit Diet Coke/eat healthier. I am hopefully having an operation some time this year, and I want to be as healthy as possible for it - it's gonna hammer me to pieces as it is, I don't need to also be overweight and prone to illness too.

Complete at least one room in the house. I always start decorating a room, and then move on to something else before finishing it, which means I have a bunch of half-finished rooms and it's driving me crazy. I'm going to do it this year, though.

Finish an Original Story. I have about a dozen of these things hanging around, and my goal is to finish at least one, to the point where I can send it out for submission.

I also signed up for the GR reading challenge, and I put myself down for 200 books, which averages out at around 4 books a week. I'm hoping that at least some of these will be the ones still sitting on my TBR shelf, rather than jjust Kindle re-reads (I do that a lot).

I've seen a lot of you talking about Dreamwidth, and cross-posting there, just in case the server move does something nasty with our LJs. I'm going to look into that and see if it looks like something I can achieve without getting too frustrated.

I hope you all have a wonderful start to the year, and that 2017 is better for us all than last year was! <333

Hello everybody!

Wow, it's been ages since I last posted, but with the exception of being busy with RL and busy writing gifts for various holiday fests, I haven't really had that much to say. It's all been same old, same old, you know? But now, with Christmas nearly here (fucking shit, I still have so much to do!), I thought I'd use this spare half hour I've found to have a chat with you guys! <3

The bad stuff first: It was Ben's office Christmas party on Friday, and it's always great fun. They rent out a hotel for the night, and we drink and dance and chat and drink some more, before stumbling up to bed in one of the rooms, and then we get breakfast with everyone in the morning before going home. And of course, because this is my life, my period started the morning of. So instead of partying with Ben's friends and colleagues, I was in and out of the loo and suffering cramps and generally feeling uncomfortable the entire night. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Holidays, parties, anniversaries, weddings, you name it, I'll have my period on it, because my body hates me. UGH.

But that wasn't the worst of the night, oh no! I also went to get my hair cut, because I like to have my hair looking lovely and straight every so often, but my usual hairdresser wasn't there on Friday, so I got someone else. I asked him to cut off the bleached blonde on the end - he left an inch of it. I asked for long layers - he didn't clarify how long, and instead gave me basic layers. I asked him to blow dry it straight - instead he just ran a dryer through it and then brought out the straighteners for a full five minutes. The upshot is that I now have layers shorter than my chin, with an extra clump left at the bottom like some kind of fucked up mullet, with an inch of blonde at the ends of my very dark hair, and instead of my hair being silky smoth and straight, it was fluffy and fuzzy, with a middle part, something that I haven't had since I was 8 years old. It's an absolute fucking nightmare, and I washed it again as soon as I got home hoping that the curls would hide the worst of it, but it still looks completely horrific, so now I'm going to have to keep my hair up for the next 3 months until the layers grow out again. I seriously want to kill him, oh my God.

And the good stuff: I'm making a Christmas hamper for my mum as a present this year, and I went shopping to see if I could get everything, and I managed to get the whole lot, including the basket and the trimmings, in one trip! I am nearly done with ALL of my Chrsitmas gift shopping, and what I don't have yet I at least know what's left to get, so I'm feeling very accomplished right now.

I got some lovely gifts over at

hd_owlpost! I'm waiting until the end of the fests to pimp them out, because I figure everyone's reading whatever they have time for right now, and will appreciate a few recs once everything's finished. But I adored them! One was a comment on one of my earlier fics, and it seriously made me cry, it was so fucking lovely!

I got a Christmas bonus this year, as my company has being doing well recently (it's been a few years since the last one) and we've decided to spend it on a holiday next year. We're still thinking about where to go - Eryn and I both fancy a Greek island, but the others are talking about the US. No offence guys, but I'd really rather be flying in the opposite direction to Trump if I can possibly help it.

I'm writing again! More specifically, I'm re-writing the original story that I lost earlier this year, which feels so wonderful. It was such a massive hit to my muse, and I've found it so difficult to concentrate on anything else, because the story has been nagging at me while my brain has been too busy crying over the loss to begin again, so the fact that I've been able to make a start has been a huge relief. Maybe I'll actually get to finish it next year!

I now have two days left to finish getting ready for Christmas, because we go to Ireland on Wednesday to begin our celebrations. Hopefully I'll get everything done in time, although I suspect I'll be taking stuff still unwrapped as I usually do every year. One of these years I shall become more organised! I won't be online much over the next ten days or so, so if my

hd_erised gift posts during then, my comment may be a couple of days late, just as a warning.

I hope you all have wonderful holidays, and I'll see you all in the New Year! ♥ ♥ ♥

Current Mood: accomplished

I’ve been thinking about writing a post about this for quite a while, mainly because every time I sign myself up to a gift fic fest such as

hd_erised, I am never entirely sure what I want to say when it comes to my preferences. I mean, if anyone were to ask me which I prefer, I would say Top!Harry/bottom!Draco, however, some of my favourite H/D fics ever feature explicit Top!Draco/bottom!Harry, and I’ve been trying to figure out why that is for the longest time. And so, as I’m currently in the home stretch of my Erised fic and have a lot of other projects that could do with some time being spent on them, I am of course procrastinating terribly by thinking about this instead so, here I am!

( Read more... )

Okay, I’m gonna go write now, because I’ve procrastinated long enough (damn it). Back to your regularly scheduled Friday night on LJ!

Current Mood: procrastinating
Current Location: bedroom
Current Music: youmeatsix

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Hi Everybody

Update and a meme!

Weekly update

Happy New Year Everybody!

Sometimes, life really sucks

I'm so sad

Good News!!

Hello!

shuffles feet Um, Hi?

WTF LJ

IMPORTANT PSA FOR ALL H/D WRITERS!!

(late) fic claim: Ribbons and Bows; Grey and White

waves sheepishly

Help I have a new character crush!

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Okay, someone remind me...

Erised Fic Claim: Five Weddings and a Potions Accident

2017 goals

It's Christmas Time, and I'm rushed off my feet...

Top/bottom Sexual Dynamics and My Preferences