I figured it would probably be a good idea to set up a permanent list with all my fiction for easy access. So, here goes.

Samurai Champloo( Read more... )

Bleach( Read more... )


This post will be periodically updated with new fic.

Thank you all for being amazing and supportive and just mwah. The situation is not good but I also don't want to dwell on it more than I have to.

Instead, I'm going to try to focus on becoming a Unitarian, taking online courses, and possibly writing some goddamn fic already.

I just wrecked the first car I've ever owned. The car my parents helped pay for as a graduation gift.

I feel like scum.

I haven't updated since the move, although I know lotus_seed and quakey have been brought up to speed on what's going on with me and my life. Here's the recap for all those who haven't yet heard:

I toasted farewell to my friends in Ann Arbor, chucked half my worldly possessions, put the rest in the back of my grandfather's Prius, and on August 14 he drove me to western PA, where we met my father, transferred my things into HIS Prius, and then drove the rest of the way to West Point the next day. I spent my first night in my new apartment the 16th, intending to walk in to my first day of work the next morning. That night, my washing machine malfunctioned and dripped from the second floor down to the first, where I was sleeping. Trying to get this sorted out--as well as a problem with the water heater and with the gas not being turned on--meant that I did not return to the apartment for another two weeks.

But the next morning I did start at my new job, and was immediately greeted by two out of my seven subordinates being such tremendous assfucks that after my first day of work I had a massive panic attack that involved uncontrollable shivering, weeping, and vomiting.

No, I did not get a wink of sleep that night or the night after. Yes, I went back to work the next day. And the day after and every weekday since, save the holiday. Yes, I am staying in the job, for now. Yes, I am also in the market for another one ASAP.

Every minute of work sucks (even when my boss is telling me that I'm doing amazingly well in a very difficult situation) and my apartment is giving me many headaches and I am very dependent on my parents for help getting around (until the deal struck today goes through on Monday and gets me a Prius of my very own to pay insurance and gas on) and I hate this area even MORE than I did in high school and I have no friends.

I am trying to address these things. It goes...but not very fast.

After two days of constant panic attacks bad enough that I could not eat (at least, eat and keep it down) or sleep, my father got me a referral to a psychiatrist. With a prescription pad and everything. It took another week before I could see her but let me just say very loud and clear GOD BLESS XANAX AND REMERON. They are the reason (well, that and my family's constant help...but I pay for that by being subject to nagging) that I am functioning well enough to handle my job-stress and then come home and maybe halfway enjoy my leisure hours and make preparations for finding something better to do with my life.

Memorial Day weekend I spent with Lotus and Quakey at Kumoricon. It was awesome, if a little disorganized and WAY crowded, they were even MORE awesome, not least for putting up with me being homesick for Portland (where I've never lived), jetlagged, off my Xanax for drinking purposes, and wound up by all the positive stress of having fun and being away from Highland Falls. Also, ladies, you both had the most wonderful shocked/horrified expressions when I told you that the only grocery store in town does not stock soy sauce. Shoulda snapped a picture of it with my camera.

2 days in Portland made me question my life decisions like no one's business. I don't think it helped that I started PMSing liek whoa shortly after getting home...still, crying in the airport because you had to leave a city you've barely even seen in daylight is pretty extreme even for PMS.

Still, I'm doing something about it now, like the psychiatrist told me to. I have my resume updated. I'm looking into a Master's of Public Administration program that's offered at night on the base. I'm getting a car to get some mobility. I reserved a room in a hotel in Brooklyn for this coming Friday, so that I can go to the benefit party/book reading for Julia Wertz of The Fart Party and then just flop into a comfy bed without riding the MetroNorth all the way back home at a scary time of night.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.



Also, today I accidentally locked myself out of my apartment and solving the problem meant my dad knocking a hole in the door. So the title of this post is "Ass" and I'm sticking to THAT, too.

...resurfacing with a real job, at least for the next 8 months or so. Starts on the 17th, involves supervising 7 people who are all older than I am. It's in West Point, so I'll be crashing with my parents until I find an apartment or someone in need of a roommate. Also, I will need to buy a car.

Thus, I subject you all to another to-do list. Sorry guys.

1. Sort through belongings and decide what does not need to travel.
2. Pack, bitch, pack.
3. Finish major project at work.
4. Train replacement at work.
5. Get hair cut.
6. Buy camisole that actually matches power suit.
7. Find keys--might actually be top priority.
8. Locate apartment and get references.
9. Price tiny, efficient cars.
10. Eat at that cool new sushi restaurant before leaving town.
11. Schedule flight to Portland, OR for Kumoricon.
12. Buy Canada costume.
13. Dispose of perishable food items.
14. Investigate individual health care plans.
15. Freak out a little.

AH HAZ A PLAN.

My degree is complete. My graduation ceremony has come and gone, as have my relatives.

So this is the next stage of life.

I elected not to do job-hunting during the school year on the premise that given graduating college, searching for jobs, and keeping my sanity...I could only do two out of three at once. And I'm a bit attached to the sanity by now.

Fortunately, I can keep my part-time job for the duration of the summer (and even pick up some extra hours) and that will cover my living expenses at the co-op for that period of time. I'm going to use my spare time to carpet-bomb with my resume in hopes of finding a full-time job somewhere. (And if you hear of any place that needs a librarian, archivist, or records manager, please let me know.)

If I haven't gotten any offers by the end of the summer, I have enough in savings to survive unemployed for several months while I keep looking. Longer, even, if I can find a crappy job to supplement that. I'm probably going to move out to Portland, OR, in that case. The economy sucks all over but in Michigan it's so far down the toilet that I can see Elvis...and as long as I'm going to be unemployed, it might as well be somewhere I like.

And now it's time for me to thank each and every one of you on my f-list for supporting me through my grad school odyssey. It's been a long, tough journey but the end result is worth it and I couldn't have done it without you. THANK YOU.

(My mom's dad used to be a college guidance counselor, he is AWESOME for school advice.) It's the long, slow, screaming tumble of the last semester of a degree, trying to get all the ducks in line to graduate at the same time as dealing with the usual end-of-term crazy of exams and papers and also make arrangements for moving and working and whatever else after commencement. So far, my head's still mostly above water. We'll see how long that lasts.

For my own reference and for anyone who would like to gawp at my pathetic life, a to do list:

• March 30 - Turn in paper to remove last incomplete before graduation.


• April 1 - Finish 8-page wiki article on 'openness' and review of Scott's wiki article.


• April 3 - Turn in final paper summary/biblio for History of the Book.


• April 10 - Turn in last response paper for History of the Book.


• April 13 - Turn in case study for Library Management.


• April 20 - Presentation for Digital Libraries.


• April 22 - Turn in final paper for Digital Libraries.


• April 25 - Turn in final paper for History of the Book.


• April 27 - At-home final exam for Open Textbooks.


• May 1-2 - AUGH NO NOT THE RELATIVES!

Also, I need to buy a hood and tassel for graduation at some point. Library science is lemon yellow. Well, as long as it's not brown like natural resources or pink like music...

Classes have started up again. I somehow manage to make it through lectures and discussions without doing ANY readings whatsoever and still not make a fool of myself in the classroom. I did this all of last semester and STILL had an A- average. Maybe I'm more of an adrenaline junkie than I'd thought.

My uterus continues to be a heinous bitch but at least the Magic Blue Pills (aka naproxen sodium) are enough to beat her into submission.

The heat went out in the entire house for more than 24 hours a week ago Sunday. This lead to an emergency visit from the co-op maintenance crew to fix the boiler while we all huddled together for warmth. Then one of the two dryers broke. Now we are tiptoeing around and eyeing the roof nervously.

Fifth winter in LOLMICHIGAN and this one is making me go WAIT WAIT DID THE TOWN ACCIDENTALLY GET MOVED TO MANITOBA??

Canada needs hugs. Just going to throw that out there and let you question my sanity/go bawwwww/grope Ottawa as you will.

SRS QVESTION. So, there are a lot of fanfic writers on my f-list, even more fanfic readers. For all of you who are involved in the fic scene in one way or another, what do you think the purpose of writing fanfic is? How seriously do you think it can be taken? Is it only valid as a stepping-stone to original writing, or as a crutch for poor writing?

I will tell you upfront that I think that derivative works, the larger category within which fanfiction belongs, can be entirely legitimate artistic endeavors in their own right and that it's no negative reflection on an author to stick with fanfiction if it's the genre they find most fitting and satisfying.

But then, I hug Canada.

My dragon hatchlings and eggs are having a bit of trouble. Would anyone mind clicking on them?

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Hey out there, I hope all of you are enjoying your respective celebrations (or lack thereof)!

Since I suck at writing cards and prefer not to engage in the consumer-frenzy of exchanging gifts, this year I am making charitable donations inspired by and in honor of the people I am proud to call my friends. The three charities selected are all rather topical, related to issues we collectively struggled with in the past year

The first was Planned Parenthood, because women in my life have had to struggle more than they should have with the cost of birth control and with the way the economy is going, more and more of us are going to have to be making hard choices in that area. Planned Parenthood is one of the few truly affordable options left.

Next was Lambda Legal, because we've come so far in the legal battles for queer rights but there's still so far to go. It has hit home in bad ways for people on my f-list. Lambda Legal has been involved in these court cases for decades, especially in the 2003 Supreme Court decision that overturned sodomy laws.

Finally, because so many of my friends are struggling with the costs of education for themselves and their children, the third charity selected is the Harlem Children's Zone (which I first learned about on This American Life). It provides children in an impoverished neighborhood with preschool, community centers, and other programs to give them a real chance to succeed.

Anyway, thank you ALL for being my support and my inspiration. You are amazing and this is the least I can do to acknowledge that and pay it forward.

Peace and love, y'all, peace and love.






(And, if you are in a mood to spread a little cheer, please click my dragon eggs!)
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I know this is something I've ranted about a fair bit already, but to celebrate the fact that it is now less than a month to the changeover, I'm going to give my personal argument against the politicization of government bureaucracy in general and the current fucktards leading the free world in particular. Lotus, Quakey, Alex, and Shayne have already heard most of this one.

( More rant than you can shake a stick-figure at )

LONG STORY SHORT: BUSH ADMINISTRATION DELIGHTS IN THROWING SPANNERS IN FUNCTIONAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS. CIVIL SERVANTS STICK PINS IN REPUBLICAN VOODOO DOLLS.

If you've never heard of it, it's a speck of land in the Pacific Ocean. It was strip-mined almost into oblivion for decades, which brought in a ton of money that got squandered in the early 1990s.

So the government went into deeply shady off-shore banking and issuing passports to...well, Al-Qaeda, among other people.

Then they found a new source of money: being Australia's Guantanamo Bay. Thank dog, the new Australian PM shut it down a year ago. (Along with apologizing to the Indigenous Australians for historical abuses. I'm starting to like this guy.)

The US tried to get in on the potential for complete oblivion that being in the asshole of the world's biggest ocean offers. One of the conditions the CIA wanted for their involvement was Nauru signing on to a resolution that exempts the US from war-crimes charges.

Is there any single sleazy act that this country has NOT committed in the past eight years? What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck...




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GET WITH THE PROGRAM AND STOP WITH THE RANDOM JITTERS. CALENDAR SAYS YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE THE EXCUSE OF PMS.

NOT THAT THE CALENDAR HAS EVER STOPPED THAT BITCH UTERUS-SAN.

OF COURSE, CALENDAR ALSO SAYS THAT IT IS THE LEFT ASSCHEEK OF WINTER AND WINDOW SAYS THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE MUCH DUE TO SNOWSNOWANDMORESNOW. PLZ TO NOT BE MAKING WITH THE SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER. THIS WAS TOTES NOT ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST.




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So, I've been working on a job-hunting strategy, something I've mentioned to quakey already. Trying to apply for jobs WHILE finishing a degree that makes me irritable and crazy would result in...exponential irritable and crazy. I'm more likely to simply pick a city large enough to have a decent number of libraries/archives/records management type jobs (as well as a constant need for register clerks, stockers, waitstaff, etc) but with low enough cost of living that I can survive on my savings (~$15,000, as long as I don't have to buy a car right away) for up to six months. Alternatively, I could move somewhere with a bit higher cost of living if there were someone I knew there who I could split rent with. So far, I've been considering Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Atlanta, and Vancouver, BC. Does anyone have suggestions for places that might fit my criteria? Any of you looking for roommates come May?



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So. Have any of you ever taken a course where your final assignment was to tell the professor what he could do better next time....and the only thing you could come up with was "Sod off teaching and go get a job as a turnip farmer instead"?

Am not quite at that point with this professor. But an honest response to the question would be, "Don't let me take this course when the sum total of my interest in it is the precise number of credits offered."






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Lotus was totally blown out of the water by all the nice things you had to say. Truly a fine bunch of human beans.



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My partner in crime, crimes against fashion, and fashion against crimes, lotus_seed, has a big exam tonight that she's been stressing over. To cheer her on, won't you please tell her how awesome she is over at this meme?












ETA: And because I am a weak-willed but slow lemming,

[The old flame you don't see very often any more but whom you still really enjoy getting together with for a few drinks and maybe a pleasant nostalgic romp in the sheets.]
Bleach, sadly. After the Mayuri vs. Szayel fight, I've lost all interest except for a few select characters. (QUINCIES REPRESENT.)

[The mysterious, dark, gothy one with whom you used to sit up talking until 3 a.m. at weird coffeehouses and with whom you were quite smitten until you realized he really was fucking crazy.]
Harry Potter, for an embarrassing confession. As much I loved the books in high school, actually seeing the fandom online made me go AW FUCK NO.

[The one you spent a whole weekend in bed with and who drank up all your liquor, and whom you'd still really like to fuck again although you're relieved (s)he doesn't actually live in town.]
Mushi-shi. The canon is so self-contained and quiet that fangirling it is a bit hard, but it totally was the inspiration for my own fic "Year of the Boar".

[The steady.]
At this point, Tsubasa/Holic specifically and CLAMP in general. So much to poke at there that I don't think it will ever fade away.

[The alluring stranger whom you've flirted with at parties but have never gotten really serious with.]
Doctor Who. I watched the first and second seasons of the revival series, but given the size of the Who canon,

[The one you hang out with and have vague fantasies about maybe having a thing with but ultimately you're just good buddies 'cause the friendship is there but the chemistry ain't.]
Loveless has ended up this way. I just don't know why.

[The one your friends keep introducing you to and who seems like a hell of a cool guy except it's never really gone anywhere.]
D-Gray Man. I know it well enough to check up the new chapters from time to time, but I've never caught up on the archive.

[The one who's slept with all your friends, and you keep looking at him and thinking, "Him? How the hell did he land all these cool babes?"]
Naruto, although I understand that when it first came out it was a lot fresher and it was the "first slightly embarrassing fandom" for a lot of people.

[The one your friend has fallen for like a ton of bricks and whom she keeps babbling to you about on the phone for hours, and you'd be happy for her except you just know it's going to end badly.]
Twilight

[The one who gave you the best damned summer of your life and who you measure all other potential partners against.]
Samurai Champloo. There are at least 5 people on my f-list who I first met in that fandom and have stuck by since then. It was my first time into anime fandom.

[The one that you will cheat on your steady with.]
X/1999, because sadly the X and Tsubasa fandoms have a bit of animosity.

[The one that you’d look up on Friends Revisited]
Horatio Hornblower, because there are times when one just NEEDS nerdy, ambiguously gay British middies.

[The one that you’d change the locks on]
Lord of the Rings, not for being aggravated at the fandom, but because I said some stupid stuff and couldn't forgive myself.

[First love]
Sherlock Holmes. Uh, wow. THAT brings back bad 8th-grade-and-dialup memories.

[The one you first slept with]
Gundam Wing, as that was the fandom that introduced me to yaoi and also to sex in fic more generally.

[The one who seduced you, fucked you over and broke your heart in a million pieces then laughed about it.]
Sherlock Holmes as well. I had a very, very fragile ego and a lot of other problems at 14 that the other fans I talked to didn't know anything about. Totally not their fault and at least I learned a lot from the experience.

I am REALLY jittery tonight, for no apparent reason. Can't keep my mind on anything, am failing at getting done what I need to. The only way I think I'll make it through this homework assignment is if I can divide my focus.

Thus, a request for small distractions. Not big ones, just, like, 5 minutes worth of HAI COOL. Please?