Songs About Trains

I had a great Yuletide, you guys - the story written for me was a wonderful Aubrey/Maturin fic. I started the series on audio at the beginning of 2014 and am just past halfway through; it's made my commutes a delight. This story by LadyOscar captures what I love about their relationship - if you're a fan, you should read it, and if you're not into them already, this shows a lot of what's wonderful about them.

The Doctor's Fruit (1672 words) by LadyOscar
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin
Additional Tags: Fluff, Humor
Summary:

Jack is vexed by a peripatetic fruit.

I also got a perfect little treat of The Toast's Monks Inventing Things:

Who Are Best Friends (235 words) by Katherine
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Two Monks Inventing Things (The Toast)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:

The first monk ventured, "A fox and a lion, could they hug?"

And my assignment was Parks and Rec! My recipient had mentioned wacky AUs, and thanks to all of the Patrick O'Brian I've spent a few months wanting Captain Leslie Knope of the Royal Navy, so I had a ton of fun writing this:
How I Wish I Was in Pawnee Now (4024 words) by Janet Carter
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Parks and Recreation
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Characters: Leslie Knope, Ann Perkins, Ben Wyatt, April Ludgate, Andy Dwyer, Ron Swanson, Tom Haverford, Donna Meagle
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe
Summary:

In which Captain Leslie Knope mounts a daring rescue.

Happy 2015!

Hi, Yuletide writer - I'm excited that you're writing for me, and I hope the assignment is a fun one for you! If you have ideas in mind already, you can ignore the rest of this. I've loved every story I've received in the past; I think I've been lucky but also I'm easy to please.

In general, I love the canons I've requested and like things that are in keeping with the tone of the original (but also sometimes ridiculous tropes). I am awfully fond of all of the characters, and I want good things for them. I like stories about people who like each other. I'm good with fic of any rating.

( Original requests and a tiny bit more detailCollapse )

Happy new year, you guys! The holidays were pretty good for me; this was the first year Giddy and I spent Christmas itself together - she was a champ at staying a week with my family, and we were rewarded with plenty of good baby-niece time.

I loved the yuletide story written for me - it was QAF-UK, which I've been requesting for years, and it's lovely post-series Stuart/Vince, funny and sweet and working in other characters nicely. Thank you to Philipa Moss for writing it!

You want me to leave it there (4645 words) by Philipa_Moss
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Queer as Folk (UK)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Stuart Alan Jones/Vince Tyler
Characters: Stuart Alan Jones, Vince Tyler, Hazel Tyler, Bernie, OCs
Summary:

“Maybe I’m not your partner,” said Vince. “Maybe I’m your companion.”

And I had fun writing Diana Wynne Jones fic for swan_tower - Christopher Chant is one of my favorite characters:

Ninth Life (2219 words) by Janet Carter
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Christopher Chant, Flavian Temple
Summary:

Christopher had to find Millie. He just needed one thing first.

Weird coincidence, I just looked at the recipient's lj and it turns out that she wrote a book I just checked out from the library on Tuesday, A Natural History of Dragons. I haven't started it yet, but it looks like fun; I think I saw it on NPR's year-end recs?

Thanks to the aforementioned audiobooks, I haven't been listening to much new music lately, so, here you go :D

1. Avicii - Wake Me Up
2. Fall Out Boy - Alone Together
3. Sweet Honey in the Rock - Wanting Memories
4. Brandi Carlile - What Can I Say
5. David Gray - Babylon
6. Avett Brothers - Swept Away (Sentimental Version)
7. Polaris - Coronado II
8. Eddie from Ohio - Woman of Faith
9. Ralph Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music
10. Montell Jordan - This is How We Do It

Day four: What are you afraid of?

Being judged, making mistakes, making phone calls to doctors/hair salons/mechanics, bugs with too many legs, parking tickets, losing touch with people.

I feel like I've written this answer before, or at least mentally drafted it - did I do this meme 6 months ago and forget?

2. 20 facts about you
( What if I don't number these and just pretend that it's 20?Collapse )
3. A favorite quote

I hate picking favorites, but this is an awfully good one - I was looking around for wedding-appropriate Kurt Vonnegut readings, and didn't really expect to find anything, until this turned up, from A Man Without a Country. Giddy's sister read it during the ceremony, and then people went around repeating it, which was pleasing every time.

And now I want to tell you about my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is. So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.

SORRY FOR ALL THE SMUG MARRIEDNESS, YOU GUYS?

Sorry, Yuletider, it's been a busy couple of weeks! Letter on its way, or past letters below probably give some idea of what I like. Thank you for writing for me!

And a belated update - if you see this but you already have an idea of what you'd like to write, please run with your inspiration! If not, I apologize for the lack of request details or prompts; I just looked back at my request and see that I didn't even link this letter for each fandom correctly.

In general, I like things that are in keeping with the tone of the original canon. But I'm also up for a little crack/cliche in most of these (probably doesn't apply to The Perilous Gard!) - marriage of convenience, bodyswap, undercover in a gay bar...I like friendships and people who really like each other. I also love fic that shows me what happens next. I'm good with fic of any rating.

For QAF(UK) (which I wrote a little more about last year) and 21 Jump Street, I definitely ship the characters I requested and would love something about their relationship, slash or gen. For Miranda and Bloom County, I just love those quirky worlds, and want more of the humor and the characters interacting (any characters you like, although I would like some Penny in Miranda fic)! And for something a little different, I always loved the book The Perilous Gard and would be intrigued by another take on it - maybe Kate's life after the book ends; maybe something from the Lady's point of view (backstory? or during the book?), or something about Alicia's story.

Thank you again, writer! I hope you have fun with your story; I can't wait to read it.

This weekend was baller status. Fast and Furious Six and Fall Out Boy were both A+++++, would scream at again. Fast 6 was an over-the-top delight. And Fall Out Boy is still one of my favorite bands; it hit me hard when the lights went down. They played a great setlist, they were enjoying themselves, Pete wore something stupid - it's hard to ask for more :D

I saw them for the first time in May 2007, and in another six years from now I hope that it's still fun for them, and that I'm still seeing them with some of my girls (but less Ticketmaster ridiculousness), and that Fast 12, set in outer space, is setting new box office records.

Last night people were showing off prom dresses, and I got home and wanted to find a picture of my favorite fancy shoes from 1998. FIRST GOOGLE HIT FOR "90S EMBROIDERED PLATFORM SANDALS", although mine were even better - they were silver, not black. Wore them with a black stretch velvet dress and a choker necklace, heck yeah. I definitely kept those for years into the 2000s, too. But how great is that 90s-keyword item title? "rave club kid clueless".

That led into a google image loop of 90s fashion. Meanwhile there's a new radio station playing a satisfying amount of 90s/early 2000s R&B. I'm happy to listen, but a little alarmed that Destiny's Child and early Usher are retro now?? Do the kids of today really think of that like I thought of 80s music?

Everyone who is older than me is rolling their eyes right now. And now, for a completely different era, I'm going to go back to reading Little Women for book club. I'm not sure I've ever read the whole thing before - I was more into L. M. Montgomery than Louisa May Alcott when I was a kid - but I've definitely seen the Winona Ryder movie enough times that I'm hearing some of the scenes in the cast's voices. It's preachier than I remembered, but I'm enjoying it.

I meant to post this before reveals, but I got such a delightful Pitch Perfect story for yuletide by brandnewsoul:
Say You Believe It (1546 words) by brandnewsoul
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Aubrey (Pitch Perfect), Chloe (Pitch Perfect), Beca (Pitch Perfect), Fat Amy, Stacie (Pitch Perfect), Cynthia Rose, Lilly (Pitch Perfect)
Summary:

In which Aubrey is introspective and the Bellas bond over the Spice Girls.

GREAT group bonding, and I loved this Aubrey POV, especially her perspectives on Chloe. And Spice Girls \o/

I got to indulge in late 90s/early 2000s nostalgia for the story I wrote, too:
In the Middle of the Ride (4145 words) by janet_carter
Fandom: Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kenny Fisher/Denise Flemming
Summary:

“I am not young enough to know everything.”
― Oscar Wilde

"We was young, and we was dumb, but we had heart."
― Tupac Shakur

I'm really glad lovelypoet requested this - it was a ton of fun to revisit that movie, and Denise and Kenny were always my favorites. And thanks as usual to giddygeek for betaing and general encouragement!

I haven't read that much from yuletide, but what I have read has been pretty great. Judging by what I gravitated towards, what I'm into these days is Person of Interest and The Mindy Project :D

Went back to work yesterday after a low-key week at my parents'; rang in the new year happily in Boston with fiancee and friends last night; and am looking forward to 2013. Happy New Year!