pimping and an update on supposed "christmas cards"
Okay, first things first, because I just found this out today, and it has me LIVID:
I know I promised something like 20 of you Christmas cards. I mentioned I was going to be late, and I apologised. But I finished them, and the day I was to take a bunch of buses to get the errand done on my day off, my mother said she had to hit the post office anyway, and she'd take them for me and get them sent off (there were cards and a few small boxes). So I gave her the cash and the bag that contained everything, and I thought all was well.
Guess what I found still in her van this afternoon?
YES. The cards/boxes.
Mentioned it, and she said she ran her stuff in and "forgot" mine. Also apparently forgot to mention she forgot it. She told me she'll give me the cash back when we see each other next (given our respective work schedules, that'll be a few days from now).
SO. I am going to actually send these MYSELF, absurd commute to/from the post office be damned. Unfortunately, since some of those cards/packages contained PERISHABLE BAKED GOODS/CANDIES, I have to sort of redo those. Because...ew. Very few of the cards were actually Christmas-themed (if you're part of a fandom I'm in, they were not specifically Christmassy). Actually, in the long run, I suppose it's better, as the majority lend themselves QUITE well to Valentine's Day themes.
Of course, I had planned to do something else for Valentine's Day for a few friends (based on comments to an LJ entry I did FOREVER ago, and also by how long things would be in postal transit), but now I'm considering putting that on hold, or just doing 2 trips a week apart. Then again, Valentine's Day's not all that far off (eep! I'm supposed to post Kinkfest that day). The few of you I was/am sending things from your Wish Lists...well, either they'll still be in Christmas paper, or I'll find something a bit more general/Valentine's-y.
Also, now's the time to request a card now, if you didn't at Christmas. Comments to this are NOT screened, so feel free to PM me your address if necessary (also, since it's been so long, if you aren't even sure you requested a card, feel free to check). Oh, and I have cards that are themed for three different fandoms. Please, feel free to request a specific one (since some of you overlap. In fact, some of you are in ALL THREE). Available fandoms are Harry Potter (slash), Inception (general), and The Demon's Lexicon (general). Even if I've already taken your name and address, it's not too late to put in a specific request.
NOW. MOVING ON.
To balance the irritation, I'm also pimping two fics made of awesome! These are the two that were written for me for Yule Balls and Harry Holidays.
First up, my gift from Harry_hols: " The Sixth Stage", by leo_draconis . Nearly 14k of angst (with a happy ending, because, well, it's LEO). Her summary: Draco finds himself unable to cope after his mother's sudden death. Throwing himself into his Auror work seems like a good idea, until his supervisors force him to take a leave of absence and attend a support group to stop him from killing himself or someone else in his grief. When his group leader turns out to be none other than Harry Potter he's convinced he'll never be able to follow through with it, but as he moves through the stages of grief he begins to discover that his old rival is exactly who he needs to help him heal. (warnings: Angst, mention of character death. (NOT either of our boys)). Rated R.
I loved this fic! Psych was one of my majors in college (the other was creative writing), and I love fics that tackle the subject. Also, I love seeing one or both of the boys a bit broken (sorry boys!), and how their relationship progresses within that framework. This was lovely and cathartic and I just felt so much for them both. Draco has his moments of being an utter ass, but it's believable within the story (especially if you've ever gone through the grieving process or someone close to you has), and there are moments you just want to cuddle him and tell him things will be all right. I highly recommend this, if you haven't already seen it at the fest or in her LJ, especially if you want some angst that gets better and leaves you feeling pleasantly worn out and released.
Second, my gift from Yule Balls: " Love, Jockstraps, and Other Mishaps", by cathouse_mary . 4.5k of this awesome mix of humour, angst, and smut. Her summary: School behind them, but not their obsessions, Harry and Draco try to make their way in the world and navigate the complications they present each other. (warnings: Some bondage, mild mindfuck). Rated NC-17.
Oh lord, I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. I don't have any familarity with the author, but I wish she wrote more H/D. I'm aware that my particular kinks list often contradicts itself, and trying to combine some of my preferences can easily leave other authors frustrated (or make some run away screaming), and my squicks compose a fairly large chunk of what others prefer to write. But somehow this author managed to hit a good many of my buttons in a short period. The author has a very distinct voice unlike any I've really read before, and it caught me right away. We get both POVs in this one, which works quite well. And it contains Quidditch, shower!smut, hate!sex, both of them a bit broken (Draco especially), and some serious snarky banter. One of my favourite lines: Though, if you were Potter, it was better than likely that you had Opportunity beating on your door at all hours, calling you on the floo incessantly to grovel and offer blow-jobs. Has so much of the stuff I love for something this length, plus some seriously hot shower smut.
I demand suggest you go read these fics, if you haven't already. They're both amazing, but in completely different ways.
(Oh, and some day I'll get around to posting my own fics from this fest...and the others I've still not posted here. I fail on this front, so hard. I just had a number of fics pile up on me, as far as deadlines go, but between yesterday and today, I'm essentially caught up again. Also, I NOW HAVE A LAPTOP AGAIN. I WILL HAVE IT WITH ME SO I CAN WRITE AT WORK ON MY BREAKS AND LUNCHES.)
I'll try to post all my past fest fics within the next month (so as not to overload anyone's flist). And since I will have a computer and not just my phone, I'll even post a link to the second round of the Arthur/Eames Last Drabble Writer Standing that goes up tomorrow! First round, there were something like 6 people who ended up with zero points (likely all due to no votes for either favourite or least favourite). Inception (Arthur/Eames) fans, I'm hoping you'll vote and make it a real competition (even if no one votes for MY drabble--I'd just like to see the good ones get some more love)!
I know I promised something like 20 of you Christmas cards. I mentioned I was going to be late, and I apologised. But I finished them, and the day I was to take a bunch of buses to get the errand done on my day off, my mother said she had to hit the post office anyway, and she'd take them for me and get them sent off (there were cards and a few small boxes). So I gave her the cash and the bag that contained everything, and I thought all was well.
Guess what I found still in her van this afternoon?
YES. The cards/boxes.
Mentioned it, and she said she ran her stuff in and "forgot" mine. Also apparently forgot to mention she forgot it. She told me she'll give me the cash back when we see each other next (given our respective work schedules, that'll be a few days from now).
SO. I am going to actually send these MYSELF, absurd commute to/from the post office be damned. Unfortunately, since some of those cards/packages contained PERISHABLE BAKED GOODS/CANDIES, I have to sort of redo those. Because...ew. Very few of the cards were actually Christmas-themed (if you're part of a fandom I'm in, they were not specifically Christmassy). Actually, in the long run, I suppose it's better, as the majority lend themselves QUITE well to Valentine's Day themes.
Of course, I had planned to do something else for Valentine's Day for a few friends (based on comments to an LJ entry I did FOREVER ago, and also by how long things would be in postal transit), but now I'm considering putting that on hold, or just doing 2 trips a week apart. Then again, Valentine's Day's not all that far off (eep! I'm supposed to post Kinkfest that day). The few of you I was/am sending things from your Wish Lists...well, either they'll still be in Christmas paper, or I'll find something a bit more general/Valentine's-y.
Also, now's the time to request a card now, if you didn't at Christmas. Comments to this are NOT screened, so feel free to PM me your address if necessary (also, since it's been so long, if you aren't even sure you requested a card, feel free to check). Oh, and I have cards that are themed for three different fandoms. Please, feel free to request a specific one (since some of you overlap. In fact, some of you are in ALL THREE). Available fandoms are Harry Potter (slash), Inception (general), and The Demon's Lexicon (general). Even if I've already taken your name and address, it's not too late to put in a specific request.
NOW. MOVING ON.
To balance the irritation, I'm also pimping two fics made of awesome! These are the two that were written for me for Yule Balls and Harry Holidays.
First up, my gift from Harry_hols: " The Sixth Stage", by leo_draconis . Nearly 14k of angst (with a happy ending, because, well, it's LEO). Her summary: Draco finds himself unable to cope after his mother's sudden death. Throwing himself into his Auror work seems like a good idea, until his supervisors force him to take a leave of absence and attend a support group to stop him from killing himself or someone else in his grief. When his group leader turns out to be none other than Harry Potter he's convinced he'll never be able to follow through with it, but as he moves through the stages of grief he begins to discover that his old rival is exactly who he needs to help him heal. (warnings: Angst, mention of character death. (NOT either of our boys)). Rated R.
I loved this fic! Psych was one of my majors in college (the other was creative writing), and I love fics that tackle the subject. Also, I love seeing one or both of the boys a bit broken (sorry boys!), and how their relationship progresses within that framework. This was lovely and cathartic and I just felt so much for them both. Draco has his moments of being an utter ass, but it's believable within the story (especially if you've ever gone through the grieving process or someone close to you has), and there are moments you just want to cuddle him and tell him things will be all right. I highly recommend this, if you haven't already seen it at the fest or in her LJ, especially if you want some angst that gets better and leaves you feeling pleasantly worn out and released.
Second, my gift from Yule Balls: " Love, Jockstraps, and Other Mishaps", by cathouse_mary . 4.5k of this awesome mix of humour, angst, and smut. Her summary: School behind them, but not their obsessions, Harry and Draco try to make their way in the world and navigate the complications they present each other. (warnings: Some bondage, mild mindfuck). Rated NC-17.
Oh lord, I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. I don't have any familarity with the author, but I wish she wrote more H/D. I'm aware that my particular kinks list often contradicts itself, and trying to combine some of my preferences can easily leave other authors frustrated (or make some run away screaming), and my squicks compose a fairly large chunk of what others prefer to write. But somehow this author managed to hit a good many of my buttons in a short period. The author has a very distinct voice unlike any I've really read before, and it caught me right away. We get both POVs in this one, which works quite well. And it contains Quidditch, shower!smut, hate!sex, both of them a bit broken (Draco especially), and some serious snarky banter. One of my favourite lines: Though, if you were Potter, it was better than likely that you had Opportunity beating on your door at all hours, calling you on the floo incessantly to grovel and offer blow-jobs. Has so much of the stuff I love for something this length, plus some seriously hot shower smut.
I demand suggest you go read these fics, if you haven't already. They're both amazing, but in completely different ways.
(Oh, and some day I'll get around to posting my own fics from this fest...and the others I've still not posted here. I fail on this front, so hard. I just had a number of fics pile up on me, as far as deadlines go, but between yesterday and today, I'm essentially caught up again. Also, I NOW HAVE A LAPTOP AGAIN. I WILL HAVE IT WITH ME SO I CAN WRITE AT WORK ON MY BREAKS AND LUNCHES.)
I'll try to post all my past fest fics within the next month (so as not to overload anyone's flist). And since I will have a computer and not just my phone, I'll even post a link to the second round of the Arthur/Eames Last Drabble Writer Standing that goes up tomorrow! First round, there were something like 6 people who ended up with zero points (likely all due to no votes for either favourite or least favourite). Inception (Arthur/Eames) fans, I'm hoping you'll vote and make it a real competition (even if no one votes for MY drabble--I'd just like to see the good ones get some more love)!