Beware: The Chibis Have Taken Control!

For those of you who were around and offered kind words during my freak out last night, thank you and I’m sorry I didn’t respond. *sigh* Really the whole thing was just so stupid.

( Because I didn't want to put this on tumblr, thank you very much. )

Wow. Two posts in one week. I don't know what to say about that. ^_~ Anyway, as usual, I'm keeping this space for things I don't want easily searchable. Which, in this case, means two things: 1) my thoughts about Will leaving Les Mis and 2) talk about starting therapy again.

So... here we go?

( So, I hear Will's leaving Les Mis on May 10th... )

( Therapy Talk )

Writing was such an unbelievable struggle for me this year. I felt like I hadn't written anything worth a damn in terms of word counts. So, I really wanted to do this this year to see if it really had been as bad as I thought. And going through, it's easy to see why I thought it was so bad. I had huge swaths of time with no writing at all. But even if it can't compare to my 2010 word count (which was almost 370,000 and I don't think I'll EVER match that again), I did write over 100,000 words this year... and that's not nothing. (I also still have a few days left and a certain Courfeyrangst story to finish for kingess​ and that Courf/Feuilly Annie thing I may try to write, too, so we'll see. ;D)

(ETA: I also just realized that some of those blank months might have had chapters of FYFM or Muet in them. But I don't think they did.)

To absolutely no one's surprise, everything that wasn't written for Yuletide was Les Mis, this year. This is the first time that I've ever been this fandom focused. Even in 2010 when I felt like I was ALL HAIR, ALL THE TIME, I still varied it up more than this. And looking at it... I can't help but wonder if maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe I've become so narrow focused on Les Mis that it's tripping me up.

...or it could have been the stress of returning to school while holding down three jobs and being really sick. That might also have had something to do with it. :-P ANYWAY. Whatever the reason, I seem to have FINALLY overcome my writer's ennui in the past month or two and I am very, very grateful. Whether that was due to the inspiration of the Yuletide multi-fandom experience or the ending of the semester of work and school is anyone's guess. I'm not going to question it, I'm just going to enjoy it. ^_^

( Here's the breakdown for anyone who wants to see it: )

kingess is very smart and this was a Very Good Idea and I am VERY EXCITED. ^_^

Dear Courfeyrangst Fest Author (a.k.a. kingess ^_~),

First and foremost I'd like to offer up a huge "Thank You!!" to you for writing a story for me. I know how difficult it can be to put any part of your creative process into the hands of another individual, so I will treat that trust with the care and respect it deserves by trying not to be too greedy or selfish in my requests.

In the interest of brevity (and because this is such a specific thing we're doing here, I'm just gonna cut the general likes, etc. section entirely and move on to specific requests. ^_~

Specific Requests (in no particular order):

1. Courferre -- Sick fic

I love hurt/comfort in all its wonderous variety, I really do, but there is a special place in my heart for sick fic. So what do I like in a sick fic? Actual angst and worry are nice (as in there is an actual risk of non-recovery). I also like when the person who always cares for everyone else is the one to fall ill, extra points if they're ashamed at having to be taken care of. I'm not a fan of huge amounts of whining in my sickfic -- whoever's sick can certainly act sick and want to be taken care of, but when that turns into copious amounts of obnoxious whining where they end up pushing everyone else away, it pushes me away, too. :-P Cuddling and nesting behaviors (if appropriate for the illness) are nice.

And let's face it… I want Courfeyrac being the one to get sick. ^_~ Bonus if he's been running around taking care of things for everyone else and hiding the fact that he's feeling unwell until he either collapses or Combeferre or Enjolras finally notices and then copious amounts of caretaking and cuddling ensue. ^_______^

2. Courferre -- Holiday angst and comfort

OK, I realize that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. O_o;;; So I'll try to explain. OK, so we all know that Courfeyrac is the first one to love a party or celebration or a holiday. But I also really love the idea of there being some angst in his past that makes a particular holiday kind of melancholy and sad for him. And maybe no one ever notices because by the time he's given in to the sads, they've all gone home to their families and no one is there to see it. But maybe he and Combeferre get snowed in/piled up with work/can't get home for whatever reason for this year and Courfeyrac tries so so so hard to make this the perfect holiday for Combeferre and Combeferre can just see how he's breaking around the edges and wants to do something about it and-- well. I don't want to box you in too much, but basically Courferre holiday that starts with Courfeyrangst and ends in cuddles and comfort and maybe a roaring fire in the fireplace. ^_^

3. Courferre -- Mental Illness prompt (for lack of a better description O_o;;;)

OK, so as you can probably tell, I'm a huge fan of Courfeyrac hiding when things aren't perfect or going well for him. I really think he's the type who could be quietly bleeding to death and not let anyone know because he wouldn't want to worry them or shift the focus to himself like that. I think he'd fuss over the little things that everyone knows are inconsequential -- mud on his pants, losing his hat, the hideous store mannequins dressed in their 80s finest being an affront to good taste everyone, things like that that don't really matter -- but when it comes to the big things... he'll take those secrets to his grave rather than burden his friends. And I kind of love the idea that there could be something really, really wrong with him, mental illness-wise, and he'd keep that so close to the vest that not even Combeferre and Enjolras would know... until one day he just can't quite hold it together and he gets caught out. Cue Combeferre and/or Enjolras trying to help him cope when he won't even admit there's a problem. Beyond that... you can take it in any direction that suits your fancy. ^_^

*deep breath* And I think that's it. ^_^

Thank you, again, and HAPPY COURFEYRANGST FEST! :D
A grateful recipient

I am done with my Yuletide nominations, finally. O_o;;; I was pretty happy with the idea of Island City, Jeremiah and Dark Visions, but then someone else went and nominated Dark Visions. Which was awesome, because it left me free to nominate something else, but... I choked. O_o;;; I had such trouble picking a third fandom that I almost didn't. But last minute I had a flash of nostalgia and checked out the fic totals for the Mighty Ducks movies and it's WELL under the 1000 fic limit. And dude... Mighty Ducks. *_* And on top of that, apparently less than a week ago, the Ducks HAD A REUNION and Marguerite Moreau did a ton of pictures and posted them all on Instagram. *wobble eyes*

Here's all the pictures:
Averman, Karp, Mendoza and Moreau, Flying V, Mendoza, Germaine, Moreau, Banks, Portman, Gunner Stahl, Goldberg, and last but not least... ConnieandGuy (OMG, I CAN'T, SHE ACTUALLY TAGGED IT THAT WAY. TT^TT)

(ETA: Oh gosh, there are more:
Everyone, Gaffney and Moreau, More ConnieandGuy, More group shots, Karp, Moreau, and I think the director? Seriously though. The gift that just keeps on giving. XD)

*coughs* So, yeah. There's my third nomination. And I feel ~mildly~ bad for not nominating her as a result, but... well. :-P Only four character slots. *sigh*

SO. Final noms go to...

Island City (1994)
Characters
Greg 23
Michael Mindy
Connie Sealle
Andy Sealle

Jeremiah (TV)
Characters
Markus Alexander
Jeremiah (Jeremiah)
Erin (Jeremiah)
Theo Coleridge

Mighty Ducks (Movies)
Characters
Guy Germaine
Adam Banks
Jesse Hall
Charlie Conway

I'm sitting in the lab, proctoring yet another exam and I'm bored out of my skull. I'd like to write, but the problem is... I've had caffeine and it's made me really, really jittery, so I'm not managing to settle and work on one of the things I should work on.

So... It's been a while since I've done a prompt day, so I thought I'd toss it out there. :)

How about something new and different?

Crossovers.

Give me two fandoms (and a character from each fandom) and a prompt word or phrase, and we'll see what my caffeine-twisted little brain can come up with. ^_~

Any fandoms tagged in the "fanfic" tags on the right are free game, as are any fandoms I've written for on AO3.

^_^

((ETA 10/20/13 12:47 PM -- OMG, author, I’m so sorry. I finally sat down to read this whole thing through and it was LITTERED with SPaG errors and sentences that didn't make sense and prompts and ideas which could have been worded MUCH better. I think I've caught most of the trouble spots now, if you want to give it a reread. Sorry, again! OTZ))

So... a general ahead of time warning… I'm a bit verbose. I usually don't know when to quit talking. So, uh… hope you're comfy? ^_^

And without any further ado…

Dear Yuletide Author,

First and foremost I'd like to offer up a huge "Thank You!!" to you for being willing to write a story for me. I know how difficult it can be to put any part of your creative process into the hands of another individual, so I will treat that trust with the care and respect it deserves by not being too greedy or selfish. I am already happy that you are willing to write a story for me in a fandom of my choosing and with characters of my choice. It would be the icing on the cake if you are willing to include my other requests, as well, but ultimately if they don't work for you, please feel free to ignore them. ^_^

( Notes on rating, kink and general likes/dislikes )

Specific Requests (in no particular order):

(For some of these, I don't have specific prompts in mind. Having done these challenges before, I realize that can be both a blessing and a curse. :-P So, for those for which I have no prompt, I'll try to tell you what I like about those fandoms and characters to at least give you a little guidance. Of course, as mentioned above, you're welcome to ignore everything I say if it doesn't work for you. ^_~ Onward!)

Also… I want to add this as a disclaimer. The length of my babble for each fandom IN NO WAY indicates a preference level. For example, I'm going to be more verbose about Island City than the others, mostly because I'm assuming that no one else knows what it is… since no one offered it and no one else requested it. Other than that, length of verbosity has more to do with where I was when I wrote that segment of the letter and how many plotty thoughts I have on each show than on which one I like most. ^_^

You are free to utilize any prompt I toss out there or none of them. If reading what I like about the characters/worlds sparks a fic idea in your head, feel free to ignore the prompts and run with it. ^_^

( 1. Red 2 (2013) -- Victoria Winslow (Red 2), Ivan Simanov (Red 2), Sarah Ross (Red 2) )

( 2. Dark Visions - L. J. Smith -- Gabriel Wolfe, Rob Kessler )

( 3. Next to Normal - Kitt/Yorkey -- Gabe Goodman, Diana Goodman, Dan Goodman, Natalie Goodman )

( 4. Eight Days of Luke - Diana Wynne Jones -- David Allard, Luke (Eight Days of Luke) )

( 5. Island City (1994) -- Greg 23, Michael Mindy, Connie Sealle, Andy Sealle )

*deep breath* And I think that's it. Like I said, if any of the details I provided don't work for you, feel free to toss them out the window and write what's most comfortable for you. If you are happy and excited about what you're writing, I'm sure I will love it. Passion comes across and I do not in any way want to dampen yours. ^_^ I certainly won't object if you want to accommodate me in my far-too-verbose additional requests, but as stated many times, totally not a requirement. ^_^ Go with your gut. The fact that you're making something for me, at all, is plenty enough to have me thrilled and excited and bouncing for joy. ^_^

Thank you, again, and HAPPY YULETIDE! :D
A grateful recipient

It's official, guys. I'm going to Canada in November! I have my flights and hotel booked and my tickets bought. I will get to hang out with redjacket and my tumblr friend doh-rae-me and see Aaron Walpole AND Ramin Karimloo play Valjean, and Earl Carpenter play Javert, and Melissa O'Neil play Eponine and Jonathan Winsby play Courfeyrac and I AM JUST SO EXCITED, OK? XD

Also, work has been keeping me hopping... a lot. Which is both good and not good. 6 day, 50-60 hour weeks do NOT sit right with me. At all. I've been running myself into the ground and I'm exhausted. So, I decided to resign from my Saturday morning job. I will not miss it and I am super glad to have finally reclaimed my weekend. ^_^ And the permanent sub job I picked up at a prestigious private school is a way better choice for classroom experience. ;) Also, my boss at the university has asked me to teach two sections of the class I teach next semester instead of one. Which is awesome and comes with more than twice the salary and some side-benefits like vision and dental, but I'm starting to feel like she's looking at me like a cow from whom she's getting free milk. *sigh* I WANT THAT FULL-TIME FACULTY POSITION, DAMN IT. :-P But, in the meantime, this is a step in the right direction, so I guess we'll just have to see.

Anyway, after all this running myself into the ground I've been doing, my friend C invited me to come see a show with her last night. On the one hand, I was exhausted and didn't want to be bothered going anywhere. On the other hand, we hadn't hung out in a while and I haven't been seeing many shows lately and I wanted to go.

( So, I went. Thoughts on what we saw (Romeo and Juliet) below the cut. )

tl;dr?
There are some good things going on and some people I would highly recommend in their parts, but I'll be the last one to insist you should see Romeo and Juliet. ^_~

Well, guys. It's finally happened. I ran a deadline to ground and it beat me. I had a fic due for a ficathon 14 minutes ago... and it's not done. Reveals aren't for another week and I did warn the mod that I needed another day, but... yeah. Missed deadlines do NOT feel good. :( On the upside I only have like... one more scene to write and some editing to do before it's finished, but... still. That's no excuse.

OTOH, one of the reasons I missed said deadline was because zoicite and I got to see Hadley Fraser (possibly my favorite Grantaire ever and one of my biggest theatre crushes who I NEVER thought I'd get to see live) in a show tonight. And the show was awesome and he was awesome and I'm way too tired to speak coherently about it right at the moment. BUT! If you have a chance to see The Machine at The Armory... you totally should.

And on that note... I'm going to go try to wrap this thing up so I can get some sleep because I'm driving to freaking Rhode Island tomorrow (with my mother in the car) to see Josh Young in Evita BECAUSE I'M INSANE.

...and because I really, really want to see Josh play Che. But, that's besides the point. ;)

(Also, Aaron Tveit's new album? Pretty fucking amazing. ^_____________^ ...and, damn it, now I'm all asquee about Next to Normal, again. -.-;;;)

I've been having thinky thoughts this morning.

As some of you may know, I have this little Les Miserables obsession I've been cultivating for the past few months. And as part of any healthily growing Les Mis obsession, one begins to wonder about the book which started it all -- Les Miserables, affectionately called "The Brick", by Victor Hugo. These days, it's easy to pick it up free from B&N for the Nook, or Amazon for the Kindle, or simply off of Project Gutenberg. The point is, for someone only starting to dabble in the idea of reading that monstrosity, I wanted to dip my toes in first.

( So, I did. )