stgulik

Gifts from afar!
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I have the last chapter of Lay Me Low, and you donnn't!

nyah nyah nyah

I enjoyed the inaugural sshg_promptfest so much, I probably spent more time reading than I should have, given that they still do expect me to work for a living and occasionally make dinner out there in the 3-D world.

My entry was called Hyperbole, which was based on a delightful prompt put up by tophoenix. I had a great time writing it. I really got into the challenge of having two characters banter through means of letters sent across very long distances. I despaired of doing this right, so at one point I put everything on hold until I could acquire a used copy of 84 Charing Cross Road. Unfortunately, Frank the bookstore manager didn't banter. Remember? All the bantering was on Helene's end! Which makes it less like 'bantering' and more like 'oddly American attention-seeking behavior.' Oh well. It was back to square one on that front.

I'd like to express deep, borderline-creepy love for my alpha, teddyradiator, who subtly discouraged me from making the whole story take place in San Francisco. Thanks also to the wonderful and funny nagandsev, who must have thought I was drunk when I emailed her, but who puts up with me quite politely now. Finally, excellent work, iulia_linnea and Charlotte, moderators for this event. They stripped out all that was maddeningly time-consuming from the SSHG Exchange model, and came up with a more streamlined exchange. Still, they're going to run this twice a year? Very brave!

 Check out my new fingerless gloves, made by teddyradiator!


They are warm. And you can still text in them, which is awesome.

I requested Ravenclaw colors, and she went above and beyond to find just the right yarns for the job. It was so sweet of her. Thank you very much, Teddy!

One of my coworkers is 38 and is gunning for our boss's position. "I want to become a manager by the time I'm 40," she told me. To that end, she's giving herself a year to make it happen here, or else she will move on.

I admire her for having ambitious career goals. But I've never wanted to manage others. Like Dumbledore, when I get too much power, it goes to my head in negative ways and I tend to make life miserable for those around me. I'm better off in my specialty field. My goals involve getting very competent at the job I have now.

So, here are all my goals for 2013:

( The List )

Yesterday, someone on TPP left a comment on Droxy's Folly, specifically regarding one of the chapters toward the end where Severus makes a crucial discovery. She said the imagery in that particular scene reminded her of a video that's been going around, of this red fabric that appears to dance in the breeze.

Here's the video she mentioned, and I agree, it's hypnotically beautiful, just like teddyradiator's description in the story. Enjoy.

Well, all good things must come to an end. Last Friday, I got voted off in the ongoing snupin_ldws drabble-writing challenge.

My gosh, this whole challenge was a kick in the pants! I loved every week and I spent hours obsessing on each story. It really opened my eyes to my own potential, as well as my shortcomings. And as my lovely cheerleader pointed out, I made it to the top three before elimination, which is pretty far for someone who had never written fanfic before.

Next Tuesday is the last round! So show the finalists some love and vote by Friday, June 22.

I posted three of them on TPP, and the validators were truly professional and easy to understand, but I found the process itself a little nerve-wracking.  It's like the old cliché about doctors making the worst patients. Pretty sure I'll just post everything  here next week and be done with it.

What's up with you on this fine Sunday? How about doing some web-surfing with me?

* The incomparable ladyapplesauce posted a beautiful fanmix set dedicated to Remus and Tonks over in the remus_lupin community. There's some beautiful music posted. Even the narration is luminous. Check it out.

* It looks like HP fans are taking over some acreage in reddit. First we had a Harry Potter page, then a subreddit dedicated to fan fiction. Now there's even a Snape subreddit. It's not as organized as lj's community, and the group as a whole seems younger than we are, but I see strong signs of obsession dedication among the members; could get interesting.

* Although it's well past Christmas, teddyradiator is posting her Christmas fic, Choose Something Like A Star, on Ashwinder this month. Chapters are going up as fast as I can beta them! It's a lovely, sentimental story about getting a second chance at life and love. Even if you read this on Teddy's lj page over the holidays, be sure and check it out, in honor of Severus Snape's birthday tomorrow.

For those of you following teddyradiator's fantastic story Lay Me Low, take a look at this gorgeous manip by bulletimescully.

Taking up my friend Teddy Radiator's latest meme, I asked her to come up with five questions for me to answer about myself. They were tougher than I thought they'd be!

1. Why SS/HG? What is it about Snape that appeals to you?

Well, even in the books, Snape was to me the most complex and enigmatic character JKR fashioned. As we learn about him, he gradually morphs from a bad-tempered yet grudgingly dedicated educator (Sorcerer's Stone), to a man whose youth was marred by torture at the hands of bullies (POA), to a dark, inscrutible spy (OotP) and cold-blooded murderer (HBP). Yet in the end his true nature redeems him. There's so much to Severus Snape, and I'm constantly amazed and impressed by the depths you writers are able to plumb to fashion him into a worthy character, time and time again.

2. You - earth, air, sky, water - which one and why?

Air, because I am constantly dreaming about flying. In my dreams, I am on the verge of figuring out the knack to flight, I'm sure of it.

Once I was a teacher's aide in a first grade class. We were on a field trip, and to pass the time while walking from place to place, I told the group that we live on the bottom of a big, big sea of air. I even got them to swim down the sidewalk in a long line, our arms flapping as we walked. It was awesome.

3. What do you like the most about your spouse?

Wow, just one thing? I guess I'd have to say it's how dedicated he is to being in the here and now. Everything he undertakes - his job, his family, his music - he puts his whole energy into; there's not a cynical bone in his body. 

4. What would you like to be your significant impact before you leave this earth?

I would like to affect positive change in the particular area of public policy where I work in my state. To make a long story short, I'm working with a team that's getting ready to suggest ways to connect people with certain services that are funded, but hard to get plugged into due to bureaucracy. If our changes are good enough and can be implemented, it would help a lot of people.

5. Other than fanfiction, who is your favourite author and why?  

It's a toss-up between John Steinbeck and Neil Gaiman. Steinbeck for his stunning ability to make the ordinary come to life, and Gaiman for his humor and all-around creativity.

Now I guess it's time for me to pay it forward! If you would like me to ask you five questions, leave a comment ...