\o/

Have mainlined first six MLP eps. So, so awesome. Huge babydyke!crush on Rainbow Dash: NOW EVEN MORE HUMONGOUS! Also: Pinky Pie, HOW ARE YOU SO AWESOME? HOW? (Oh. Twilight Sparkle. Hello, sixteen-year old self. *facepalm*) Fuckit, I even love Rarity, who is the sort of character I normally can't stand, except: AWESOME! ("I cannot let such a crime against fabulosity stand." SO AWESOME!)

Okay, okay. Must tear self away from ponies and make dinner. BUT PONIES!!!!1! :D :D :D

So I've been casting about for somewhat productive things to do with my time, because there's only so much time one can spend on an application letter, and writing ... doesn't seem to be happening right now, blah. So I decided, instead, to poke around Open University for a bit, as I apparently qualify for a fee waiver, and applied for an ILA account, so we'll see what happens there.

I also started running -- technically speaking, I suppose that should be "I started running again," but considering I've not done any regular running since well before I moved to the UK, and I was (am, really) so horridly out of shape I'm having to ease myself into it much more than I did last time, ... yeah. On the bright side, I've just finished week two of this training plan, and so far, I've done the whole thing every time, without being badly out of breath (not bad for a smoker, I think), and with no soreness at all.

Unexpected side benefit, whether from the running or from the stretching before and after I don't know, but for the first time since I stupidly injured my hamstring when I was 16, I can touch my toes again! \o/

And on a completely different note, my mother had decided that since I'm turning 30 this year, she's taking me on holiday. To Lesbos. My mum is awesome. :D

Dear Edinburgh world: why is it so difficult to find the shoelaces I want, dammit? 160cm or up, flat, black. That's all I want! Stop trying to fob me off with shorter and/or round laces already! :(

Today in hair experiments: Princess Anne Braid (with the single braid twisted into a bun type thing). It actually doesn't look half bad, even in the back, and I only needed three bobby pins to secure it, but it does make me look weirdly more grown up and, I dunno, matronly. o_O Though that could be handy should I apply for a job where they want "mature" candidates. Hrm.

Discovery of the day: my local Domino's has a phone number ending in 666. It's the pizza of the Beast! Excellent! (Apparently, the Antichrist is cheesilicious. :D )

So I have a new gadget (the m105 to be precise). It's old, but I got it second-hand for a Euro when I was over in Belgium, and as an e-reader alone it would have already given me the money's worth, and then I discovered that I can, with just a few clicks, turn my worldbuilding wiki into navigatable ebook and take it with me to go write at Starbucks or something. WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS MY GLEE! :D Between this and my recent discovery of how to make decent-looking maps in PhotoShop, my worldbuilding just got a shitload easier. \o/

(The really funny thing about all this tech geekery is that I surround myself with software and gadgets for the worldbuilding and, to some extent, the plotting, and then I go and use index cards for plot-tracking, and I write longhand with a fountain pen. I'm ... special. Yes.)

And speaking of geekery, I need a favour. I'm trying to import my LJ into a wordpress.com blog (so I can then export it from there -- I'm not moving to WP.com, don't worry :) ), but I have 6,000+ entries, more comments than I dare contemplate, and limited online time. If someone could do the import and leave it running until it's finished, I'd be eternally grateful. It wouldn't take up any bandwidth, it just needs to be running in a browser tab for a few hours, I think. *makes begging eyes at flist*

Um, hi everyone. I'm still alive, just busy with RL and things and whatnot. To make up for my absense, have some self-indulgence!

When Zombies Attack: A Commentary, with bonus cut scenes! (Posted to DW because it's too long for LJ.)
When Zombies Attack: A Dark Comedy In Three Acts (The original, just in case.)

So, where is the place to be for Hogmany this year, then?

So. Um. There I was, re-reading Cleo's Twilight recaps (CRAAAAAACK!) and I had an instance of Fridge Logic that might actually be an instance of Fridge Brilliance, and I am so not linking those because TV Tropes is the reason I'm (still) up at this hour anyway and --

What I was trying to say: Jacob went after Bella because he somehow semi-imprinted on The Egg That Would Some Day Be Renesmee, right? Except surely Nessie is made of both an egg and a sperm, so shouldn't he have also semi-imprinted on Edward? (Or, more hysterically accurately, on his balls?)

... I cannot possibly be the first person who's thought of this, people. Somebody reassure me that I'm not before I start writing fanfic, because that would require me to actually read the damn books, and no.

*waves at the internets* Quick update on the State of the Melle: visiting the family in Belgium, had a lovely 29th birthday on Sunday, and found out that I am actually, genuinly, related to an actual, genuine Saint, which is kinda awesome. :D

And yes, assorted pushy people, I'm working on fic. :p

Dear HP wiki: your assumptions that every female character in the HP books will take on her (future) husband's surname upon marriage is seriously starting to grate. Cut it the fuck out already. Also to be cut out posthaste: not distinguishing between book and movie canon a lot of the time. I should not have to dig through half a dozen pages to find, by accident, an offhand confirmation of what I'd known in the first place; namely, that it's never confirmed in the books if Draco's actually taken the Dark Mark.

Yeah, I've been doing rather stupid amounts of "research" and such for this damned fic, trying to see if my ideas fit in canon and all, and harvesting bits and pieces of canon for my own nefarious purposes. I think I can fit the story in with/around and/or extrapolate from canon, as long as I sort of handwave the epilogue away, and since that was the preferred reaction of fandom to the epilogue anyway, last I looked at it (which, admittedly, was something like three years ago, and even then briefly, but still), works out fine! \o//

(Really, I say "stupid", but it's HP, research is often expected and applauded. It's not like I spent hours of my life pondering which websites would survive if the internet went down in a big ball of zombie-fuelled flames. Or trying to get Google drunk enough to forget I ever asked it if one can carbon date a vampire. (... I was pondering a Firefly/Buffy crossover, shush.))

( Warning: contains lots of blithering about this damn plot bunny I have. Non-spoilery for the story, but obviously spoilery for the HP books. Also, contains more than your RDA of parentheses.Collapse )

So here I am, tentatively dipping my toes back into HP fandom, and I stumble across this, which is awesome and hot and nggg, and best of all it's new (... since the last time I checked in on this fandom, that is) and not written by either me or one of the, like, three people I managed to bully into bribe convince to write it for me and BWEEEEEE!

Oh, HP fandom. Baby, if you wanted me to come back that badly, you should have said something sooner! <3!

Damned MoM!Lee story keeps trying to write itself in my head. Actually, no -- if it was writing itself, I'd go along with it, because at least that implies some sort of plot or at least a coherent narrative. What it does instead is throw random scenes at me and leave me to figure out how to fit together, and what the point of it all is. AUGH! *shakes bunny like a baby* PLOT ME DAMMIT!

Assorted thoughts and ramblings, in list form:

• So apparently, in an attempt to outlaw same-sex marriage, Texas appears to have accidentally outlawed marriage altogether. WHOOPS! Bwahahahahah!
• So hey, did you hear a Belgiasn is now President of the EU? \o/ I cannot quite articulate exactly how weird it's been to hear him described as this "great unknown", because ... it's Herman Van Rompuy. The man's an institution. o_o (Also amusing: hearing the various mispronunciations of his name on assorted newsprogrammes. English speakers and diphtongs do not mix, people. Hee!)
• This morning on the news: the LHC is back online, huzzah! \o/ I probably shouldn't have watched that before coffee, though, because my first thought was, "Huh, I wonder if anyone's yet done a (probably gay) porn called The Large Hardon Collider." *faceplant* (Someone really needs to get on that, though. It could be a whole line of porn aimed at geeks and nerds! With lots of sexy glasses!)

Finally heard back about my flat -- there was some certificate the landlord was waiting on from the Council, I think, which is why I've been in limbo for like three weeks, not knowing when I was going to be able to move in and thus unable to organise anything, augh -- and I'll be getting the keys on Monday, and moving in on Tuesday/Wednesdayish. \o/

(Is anyone with a car likely to be in the neighbourhood of the Royal Mile at any point between Monday and Wednesday, by any chance? I can shlep most of my stuff from the hostel to the flat (Milton Street), but I made the mistake of carrying my telly over from the Bridges, and that left me aching for days. I can get a cab for not much money, but if anyone's around anyway, I'd be most grateful for a lift for at least the telly. Thanks!)

*goes to flail at BT to get a damn phone line already without £100+ installation charge, because WTF?*

So what does it say about me that my initial reaction, after "ZOMG I HAVE ALL THIS STUFF TO DO!!1!" was "Oh, good, that means my chances of finishing NaNo will go up!" Because past experiences suggest I work better under pressure, you see. *facepalm* And speaking of NaNo ...

NaNo Wordcount: 16,724/50,000
New Daily Wordcount Goal: 3,025 words

I'm somewhat displeased that what should have been an excercise in fluffy self-indulgence suddenly for all Political! Intrigue! on me, but whatever. As long as the story tells me, in the end, what's going on, it's all good.

[ETA] Fixed invalid markup and daily wordcount. My competence, let me show you it! Also fixed some stuff in the chapters I just posted, sigh.[/ETA]

NaNo Wordcount: 10,885

Daily Wordcount Goal: 2,445

*brandishes pen* Onwards and upwards! I'm going to try and see if I can maybe get double that today, and possibly tomorrow. I have coffee, I can do this!

So today marks the 20th aniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. What this means for me is that I've been alternatively blubbering and feeling really old whenever I watch the news, which is usually three to four times a day, sigh.

I have a very vivid memory of watching the wall fall, live on the news. It wasn't the first time I became aware that the world was bigger than, like, my immediate family (that was Chernobyl, which I don't recall seeing on the news, but I do remember my mum and gran talking about the potential fallout), but it was the first time I felt actually connected to current events. It's also one of the few really vivid memories I have from before I was about ten -- I can still easily recall sitting crosslegged on the floor in front of the couch, watching the telly.

(I actually spent years convinced this had to be an inaccurate memory, because the wall fell around 10 PM, which was way past my bed time, surely? Except it was a Thursday, so I would've been up late to watch Dallas anyway, and my parents confirmed that they'd have let me stay up to watch something this historical if I wanted to.)And then I became a news junkie in the worst way for the next decade or so, until 9/11 somewhat overdosed me on it and the subsequent Bush shenanigans forced me to put myself on a restricted news diet for a while, sigh.

But to return to my orginal point: Yaye 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall! Excuse me while I go be easily manipulated and blubber some more.

Dear Television Advertising,

Why was John Lydon trying to sell me butter last night? I mean, I'm not one to get all "OMG SELLOUT!", because whatever, but ... butter? What? My flabber is officially gasted, here, people. o_O

Also, what the shit is this? Are you serious?

Now I'm boggled and despairing for humanity. Thanks a lot, douchebags.

Going back to her NaNovel,
Melle

Title: When Zombies Attack: A Dark Comedy In Three Acts
Author: Sofie K Werkers
Fandom: ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com/cinemassacre.com
Pairings: Many, both explicit and implied.
Warnings et. al.: Some death. Also, zombies!

Summary: The Mad Scientist community cordially invites you to attend the Zombie Apocalypse.
Date: 1 August 2009, 2 September 2009 - 24 September 2009
Wordcount: 20,150
Archive: Please ask.
Email: femgeek@gmail.com
Feedback: If you like this story, please let me know. If you don't, please let me know why not.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters in this story; they belong to their creators/actors/whatever at thatguywiththeglasses.com and cinemassacre.com. Also, none of this actually happened (as should be obvious to you since I assume you’re not currently hiding from the slavering zombie hordes, and if you are, don’t you have better things to do than read fanfic?), and none of it is intended to be taken overly serious.

In other words, if you’re reading this and getting angry at the very concept of fanfic about internet personalities, just close the tab, move on, and repeat to yourself: "It’s just a story, I should really just relax."

Dedication: To Amy, for beta services and putting up with my flailing panic about this damn story.

Overture: Back To The Future
Act One: One Year Later ([ETA] Now with 100% less broken images! *facepalm*[/ETA])
Intermission: Strange Things Afoot At The Circle K
Act Two: Welcome To The Special Hell
Intermission: Do Not Feed After Midnight
Act Three: Don't Look Back
Epilogue: Round Up The Usual Suspects

I HAS A FLAT!!!!1!one!!

THERE IS NOT ENOUGH CAPSLOCK IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, PEOPLE! \o/ regular access to a computer -- my computer! Quite possibly proper internet access again! Not to mention all my stuff! I could cry right now, honestly.

The one downside -- well, okay, there's a couple, like that everything including cooker and heating is electric, but whatever. The one thing that currently makes me flail is that I'd be moding in during the second half of November, so right during NaNo crunch time. Because I wasn't already flailing hard enough about NaNo, obviously.

But: FLAT! \o/

... Excuse me while I go and make lists of things I need to do and get and fill out before then, argh.

So after like a week of trying dozens of shops from various PoundSavers to expensive little boutique stationery shops with no result other than some strange looks when I asked for refill pads without a margin ¹, I finally found what I was looking for ... at Tesco's. Where I go get food pretty much every day, and where it apparently never occurred to me until last night to look for a refill pad.

I think God might be fucking with me again. *eyes the sky warily*

^{1 Because apparently I'm the only person in the world neurotic enough to resent it when the paper tries to tell me how wide or narrow a margin should be, or indeed that I should have one at all. Okay, so I am weird about this, a bit, but dammit, I'm a writer, we're allowed to be weird and neurotic! Hell, I use index cards, even, which definitely puts me in the "weird and neurotic, possible loony" bin.}

Today in pre-NaNo panicking: my writing brain is apparently in a handwriting mood, which is fine as far as I'm concerned, but I don't have enough writing paper left for 50,000 words, and I cannot for the life of me find writing paper without a bloody margin in this country. Hell, it was difficult enough to find it in Belgium, anymore. Augh!

And yes, dammit, I am that picky about my writing implements and accessories. I've been using the same fountain pen for over eight years even though the wood on the handle is starting to crack, because I can't find one that fits my hand as well, and ideally would have a wood handle as well, or at least not a metal one.

*goes to flail at edinburgers and Google about conundrum*

... And while I'm flailing, I should probably go and make sure I'm registered for this year, shouldn't I? (If I'm not back in two days, send help. The NaNo boards have a tendency to be second only to TV Tropes when it comes to sucking one in for days and countless open tabs. Sob.)

I'm still wavering a little about what to write, as well. Probably self-indulgent fantasy fluff, because that was how I won the one time I actually finished NaNo, but there's a couple of other ideas floating around my brain that I'm poking at to see if they want to go anywhere. Watch this space for further updates, I guess?

So after, um, several years of vague hip trouble, I finally went to the doctor about it, and now I have a referral for an X-Ray (just in case) and physiotherapy. Official description of the problem, as written by the doctor on the form: "Bilateral clicking hip trouble". (What, I don't even warrant some gratuitous Latin? Pft! Doctors these days, honestly.) I also got a mole check, which was all clear, yaye!

... And then I (slightly) sprained what I presume to me my gluteus maximus. That's right, people, I sprained my arse. Because I'm just that special. *facepalm*

Dear internet: please stop trying to eat my beta e-mails to ruby_fruit, dammit. *shakes tiny impotent fist*

So after more than five years, my AlphaSmart's batteries finally threw in the towel. Five years, and the equivalent of two or three of the bigger HP books, on a single set of three AA batteries. I'd say that's pretty damn good value for money, there. :D *pats Gimli*

I'm feeling a little at sea without anything to write, right now. I suppose I could try and finish the Firefly wingfic, or start plotting my NaNovel, or something, but ... Meh? The wingfic feels weird after being stalled for so long, especially since I'm no longer reading a lot in the fandom, and it feels too early to start plotting for NaNo.

Maybe I'll just go get myself a book of Sudoku or sommat.

Today in Melle's Hair Experiments: French braid! Because I was too busy last night to do the rag curls. The braid part is doing okay, bu the tucked-in bit is looking/feeling a bit suspicious. Hrm.

Today in the Zombie Apocalypse: First draft is FINISHED! \o/ Word count comes in at just over 20k for this draft. (... That's almost half a NaNovel, dear god.) Next up: editing, and then it goes off to beta tonight.

[ETA] Fic: off to beta. \o/ *goes off for well-deserved nap until fic coems back in need of rewrites* [/ETA]

So with my hair now officially well past my shoulders, I decided it was time for a little experiment with rag curls. I think I need to put them in earlier in the evening so my hair's completey dry by morning, and I should probably put in more rags with smaller chunks of hair, especially near my neck, but overll, I'm declaring this experiment a qualified success.

(Yes, Anna, there will be pictures as soon as I can, once I've tweaked it to my satisfaction. :D )

It still feels really weird, though, but that's probably just because my hair's not been this long since was, like, fifteen, and this is the first time I've had my hair actually loose -- I've been putting it in a pony tail since it was long enough, and even before that I tied it up to avoid any resemblance to a mullet. I'm sure I'll get used to the feeling of having OMGhair, though. (It feels so girly, OMG!)

(Other things about having OMGhair I'll have to get used to: having to adjust it when turning over in bed to avoid getting a face ful of hair, and finding long hairs everywhere, my god but I forgot how much I shed. D: And of course, as mentioned above, I'd forgotten exactly how long my hair can take to freaking dry, so now I'm trying to readjust to keeping it dry during my morning shower so I don't end up with a head cold. Sigh.)

Oh, fuck you, Spoony. Now I want a pirate AU. (... Get on that, fandom!)

*puts the bunny inna box* (Oh, shush, it's not like it'll be lonely; it can keep the cowboy!bunneh company.)

[ETA] On a wholly different subject: ILU, Shirley Bassey. Flash some leg my way, bb. <3[/ETA]

The zombie apocalypse story is pretty much entirely plotted, and the only thing left to do is the actual writing, which, now that I know where I'm going, will be easy enough. As long as the characters don't go sneaking about behind my back again, that is.

(Yeah, I'm having some minor title issues due to a) my ignorance of video games post-dating the NES (There's The Sims, and WoW, and, er, that's all I can think of), and b) my continuing struggle with my brain, which keeps suggesting overly British titles and references. Sigh.)

Total word count of part two: 6,500 (approx.)
Current total word count: 12,500 (approx.)
Times yelled at certain character for dropping increasingly less subtle hints about things and not telling me about it: about half a dozen
Times demanded certain characters stop with the meta: same
Times yelled at assorted characters for randomly (and somewhat appropriately) hooking up behind my damned back: one -- so far

*flops*

Excuse me, I need to go venture into TV Tropes to try and find appropriate (or rather, suitably inappropriate) titles for the third part. If I don't come back, have a drink to my memory or something.

Current wordcount on the zombie story: 9,331.
Plus about two pages written but not yet typed up, and I think if I put in a good day's work, I might be able to finish part two by tonight. *flops*

(Oh, hey, I wonder if I'll jinx myself if I dare optimistically muse about maybe getting this thing done and off to be beta'ed by the end of the week? TIME WILL TELL!)

I think the telly is trying to make up for almost destroying my soul or something, or maybe IKEA is just trying to remind me of how much I love them, because there was a commercial on yesterday that I, frustratingly, cannot find on YouTube in its entirety.

It starts with a man coming home, trying to turn on the TV and finding a new, big flatscreen in the other corner from where he's expecting the TV. There are, I think ,a few other things he finds have changed, and then he sees his wife in the (new! improved!) kitchen. He goes over to her as she's holding out a spoonful of whatever it is she's cooking, only to be left looking silly as it turns out he's not the intended recipient, and instead she feeds it to another woman. It's Change Time.

I love IKEA. :D

And in completely different news: I'm going to have a lot of fic to catch up on when I'm done with the Zombie!fic, aren't I? (I avoid reading fic in a fandom I'm writing in, for fear of ... I dunno, call it "cross-contamination". I've been known to avoid entire genres, or even avoid fiction altogether, when I'm writing non-fanfic, as well.) Which is to say, I apologise for not commenting and encouraging and whatnot, and I will be catching up ... probably in October. :D

• BR: HP&HBP: "I would say it's a love triangle, but it's more of a love octagon." -- Love squiggle, honey, it's a loe squiggle. (This reference brought to you by an RPG that's been over for more than five years.)


• At4W: Zero Patrol: "Feminist senses" -- LOFF!


• NC: Alone in the Dark: TOO MUCH AWESOME TO QUOTE! Spoony! (You make a habit of breaking into people's homes, then?) Linkara! "Honey"! "I like to wear women's clothing"! Singing! SO! MUCH! AWESOME! \o/ (And Spoony's commentary makes it even better!)


• NChick: Armageddon: ... Way to give me a nosebleed from lesyay, there, dammit. *fetches tissue, soldiers on*


• At4W: Blackest Night: A "complicated and toroughly inappropriate" escape manoeuvre -- Yeah, I DO NOT EVEN! Also, more singing!

So I'm caught up typing up what I wrote so far of the Zombie Apocalypse fic, and it totals just under 6K now. I've about a scene and a half left to write for part one, and then there's two more parts after that, though I'm not sure if those'll end up quite this long, but still.

(I just hope this damned thing is done by, oh, October, so I can have a bit of breathing space in which to panic about NaNo. Except it'd have to be done a lot sooner so I can rewrite and retool and have it beta'ed and AUGH!)

Also, I keep finding myself researching the weirdest shit for this damned story. Thank god for wikipedia.

a) You make some noncommittal noises, or acknowledge that no, it's not a crime. You then thank her for her time, finish the interview, and continue trying to find who killed this guy.

b) You try to gently point out that whether or not she voluntarily went to his room doesn't really matter, because the moment he took away her ability to consent (or withdraw consent) by drugging her, any sexual contact he had with her would be rape, although it would've been difficult to prosecute. You then give her contact details for a rape counsellor or similar, finish the interview, and continue trying to find who killed this guy.

c) You gravely intone, "Not yet," and then just ... stand there.

Everyone: "OMG THE INTERNET^* IS DOWN!"
Melle: *has noticed nothing, as was off swimming*

^* For values of "the internet" that mean "LJ, twitter and Facebook".

Clearly, this proves I should not be allowed to have a life. Or something.

Offered without comment:

Who is going to want to see Downey Jr. and Law make out? I don't think it would be appealing to women.

- Former Post movie critic Michael Medved, re: rumours that there's a fair bit of subtext in the new Sherlock Holmes movie.

( This entry is about TGWTG.com fandom. Skip if you have no idea what that is. :DCollapse )

• Things I Do Not Like On a Sunday Morning: Waking up at ass o' clock 6AM and being unable to go back to sleep.
• Things I Really Do Not Like On a Sunday Morning, Especially at Ass O' Clock 6AM: Turning on the telly for the early morning news and having Sarah Palin blither at me about seeing Russia from her house.
• Other Things On My TV This Weekend: Tom Felton on some game show, talking in his own accent and weirding me out by doing so. o_O
• I'm trying to finish a Firefly fic I haven't touched in nearly two years. Cover me, I'm going in.

Title: Wait, What?
Author: Sofie K Werkers
Fandom: ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com/Angry Video Game Nerd
Pairing: Nostalgia Critic/Angry Video Game Nerd
Warnings et. al.: Contains smut of the straight variety, rather a lot of foul language, probably more Britishisms than is technically healthy, and several times your Recommended Daily Allowance of injokes. Also a complete lack of beta reader.

Summary: "I AM A WOMAN— wait, that's not right."
Date: 21 - 29 June 2009
Archive: Please ask.
Email: femgeek@gmail.com
Feedback: If you like this story, please let me know. If you don't, please let me know why not.

Disclaimer: These guys/characters do not belong to me, and also, this is fiction. You know, that thing where I make things up out of whole cloth? Yeah, that. Also, please don't kill me.

Dedication: To aunt_zelda and emeriin. And by "dedication" I mean "blame". And by "blame" I mean "A plague on both your houses! Sob."
Author's Notes: So the thing about being in a fandom of three is, if the other two have posted fic, you're kind of obliged to take a turn. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it, dammit!) And then you have to join the Fannish protection Programme, change your name, and live out the rest of your sad little life hiding from the mob.