Instant Human...

I thought I'd better put something up top here, because there's not so much below any more.

For reasons that have nothing to do with anything online, most of my journal is now locked to private. Since it would have taken forever to do this individually, all the fic has ended up private as well.

Sorry if this has messed up your bookmarks. I'm working on getting all my fic up to the Archive of Our Own, and heretoutopia is still up and running. Recordings are still at the audiofic archive, and all the relevant links are below.

I'm shy, but friendly, so feel free to add me to circles/friendslists at will, and do drop in to say hello. The kettle is always on around here.

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Where I live when I'm not here

Fic at the Archive of Our Own
Most of my stories are here now, apart from the Sic Transit Tempus ficverse.

Sic Transit Tempus masterpost
All my Torchwood stories live here, but the only unique content is the STT stuff.

Stories written by others (and me), read by me
Stories written by me, read by me and others
Sometimes I write, sometimes I read, sometimes I do both.

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Just for the record, I give blanket permission for anyone to podfic, make art, remix and generally creatively re-use my writings and recordings. If you drop me a link, I will do my best to send everyone else there to squee at it as well.

I've decided that my New Year officially begins on Monday 14 January. That's mostly because yesterday, I was somewhere that was sunny and 25 degrees. Today I'm somewhere that...isn't.

We very much enjoyed the sunshine, even if Gran Canaria turned out to not really be for us. We've been to Menorca, Mallorca and Lanzarote, and in all of those, it's quite easy to get away from built-up areas, and to drive through nice scenery. The roads in GC mostly go through industrial areas, and nothing quite sat comfortably. Still, it was sunny, and we had a flat with a balcony that made you feel like you were in the sea, so it was worth it.

As I've got a few days before 2019 offically starts for me, I thought I'd get these book notes posted while I remember them! I won't dump it all in one post, as I have quite a lot to say about each one, but let's start with my last book of 2018.

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On the plus side, since applying a sticky heat patch first thing this morning, I can now move my head almost 90 degrees! Not either side, 90 degrees in total, but it's a start. Sleeping propped up on pillows has really done one on my neck :/

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I've set myself up with a Pillowfort.io account, mostly so that I could snag my Jadesfire username, rather than having to add numbers to it. I haven't done much other than log in yet, and working out how it all fits together will be next week's job, but if Tumblr folks migrate there, at least I can now follow them. Hopefully cross-posting will be possible, via IFTTT if nothing else.

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I'm decidedly miffed that my cold arrived just as I was getting properly fannish again. I'd planned to record a bunch of treats for #ITPE (a podfic exchange), and I was just getting into the swing of writing. Neither have made any progress for the last fortnight, and I've accepted that they're not going to. Some years, Stuff just happens, and all you can do is roll with it. At least I got my main gift done early for #ITPE, and I meet the minimum for the Big Bang I'm signed up for, and can carry on in the New Year.

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We're having a small housewarming tonight, which I'm really looking forward to. It's not an all-at-once thing, more a drop-in-when-you-can thing. Low key and friendly, I hope, and it'll just be nice to have people in the house. Once we've done it once, I think it'll be easier to keep the social thing going in the new year.

Honestly, though? It's also easier to gear up for it knowing I now have a dishwasher to put everything in afterwards. It's amazing how much difference that makes!

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Today was supposed to be a slow, quiet one. Then I had a request to rush through a huge pile of books, on a day when neither my head or arms will move properly. This should be... interesting...

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As I said in an earlier post, I am a strong believer in better living through chemistry. On Monday night, after having to come home early because my cough was scaring my colleagues, I took a Night Nurse.

That might not sound like very much, but for me, that's a nuclear option. For whatever reason, I'm incredibly sensitive to the sedative that's in them, and even if I only take one, I'm non-functional on the day afterwards. On the plus side, over the years, I've found it to be an incredibly effective near-cure for my colds. So the last of the sniffle is lingering and making me cough, but I don't feel like I have "A Cough" any more, which is a huge relief.

J has suggested we get NN in liquid form instead, so that I could take a quarter dose, in the hopes that it would help without turning me into a zombie. If anyone has ever tried liquid NN, you'll understand how effective I find it to be when I say I'm actually considering this as an option. It feels like it's the result of an experiment to find the foulest substance a human being can consume, but at least it works.

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I'm actively avoiding Twitter, Facebook and all kinds of news pages today. It took me over a year to crawl out of the depressive hole that Brexit dumped me in, and I have no intention of going back. My MP is actively anti-Brexit, I wrote to her with my support, and I sign everything that comes across my Twitter feed. If I don't keep a lid on the anger and frustration, it will eat me a live, and I can't afford that right now.

Still. There was a quite a lot of screaming into pillows while I was alone in the house yesterday.

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To combat the above, yesterday, I did some light baking for our housewarming party tomorrow night. I'd already made a Certosino, but wanted to make some biscuits and mince pies. By serendipity, I found that Nigella's Frangipane mince pie recipe uses 2 egg yolks, and her riciarelli (almond biscuits) recipe uses 2 egg whites. I hate waste, so it seemed like the way to go!

I didn't have the same kind of flour for the mince pie pastry as the recipe, so my pastry was very crumbly. It wouldn't roll out with a rolling pin, a glass or a jar, so I ended up just squashing it with the heel of my hand, and pressing it into the case when it inevitably cracked. It doesn't seem to have done the finished product any harm, even if my muffin tin is clearly twice the size of hers, and I only got 14 mince pies instead of 24. On the hand, one broke on the way out of the tin, and when that happens, you have to eat it. Those are just the rules.

And they do look very cool. I'm going to make another batch tonight, J is picking up savoury stuff and glasses (Waitrose lend them for free!), and I think we'll be all set.

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...all set as long as the guy who says he wants to buy our 50 moving boxes actually turns up tonight. Otherwise, we're going to have to lug them all up the stairs again if we want the living room back.

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It appears my cold has moved onto the sneezing phase this morning. I definitely prefer it to coughing, although I have a horrible feeling that they're going to want to share me. Maybe I can persuade them to fight each other to the death.

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8.33am and it's dark outside thanks to the rain. It's a very mild December - we had deep snow at this time last year - and it's messing with my head. I rely on a cold winter to reset my brain, and I know in the years when we don't get it, I cope poorly in spring. It'll be okay, just something to be aware of for next year if the temperature doesn't drop.

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I left work at lunchtime yesterday, which was a good choice. At home, I then spent hours feeling guilty about not doing things there, even though I was there specifically not to do things. Even though it's ridiculous, it's a feeling I can never shift unless I'm literally too ill to get up, and it drives me mad. I've dragged myself in this morning, because The Thing that has been looming all week must happen today. But then I'm going home, and to bed properly this time!

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This week, the chickens on the M&S meal deal were HUGE. Normally they're big enough for 2-3 people, but this week, they're big enough for 4-5. The 2-3 person chicken does us 2-3 meals, by the time we curry it, so I'm fully expecting to still be eating the 4-5 person chicken next week. During weeks like this, when I cannot brain enough to cook, they're brilliant. Also, the apple frangipane cake that came as the dessert option looks yummy. I never take for granted being able to afford to buy these deals (they're usually £10/£12 for main-side-dessert-drink). When I'm out of spoons, they're lifesavers.

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NERD ALERT. I know there are some crocheters around, and as I can't talk about this on my Instagram because they're a present, I thought I'd put it here. I'm making my Mum some fingerless mitts for Christmas (at her request) and am using a pattern I've made twice before. It's fiddly, but great once you get going, and I find the thumb construction immensely satisfying.

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I'm finding the unfolding discussion on the dream fandom platform Google Doc absolutely fascinating. What's striking is how people are referring to other platforms, picking out the functionality they like. DW scores well for threaded comments, chronological timeline and content policy, but suffers for the lack of a like button, and image hosting. People like the reblogging aspect of Pillowfort (which I'm intrigued to explore), but don't mention many more features from there. Some stuff from Reddit has come up, and I saw 4Chan mentioned as well. I like the idea of snagging the best features of previous platforms, and the idea of a 'core' account with multiple online personas is being explored, which I'd also be interested in.

It's all theoretical, of course. But it does mean if someone decides to have a go at it at some point, they'll have a pretty detailed document to start with.

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Is there any indignation to match that of a man who discovers a squirrel is not only eating the peanuts he put out for the birds, but who also discovers that said squirrel has chewed a larger hole in the plastic feeder in order to better access said peanuts?

J is very miffed. And we need a new peanut bird feeder. Preferably of reinforced steel this time. Tiny gun emplacements have also been mentioned.

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I have to ring the council today to sort out our council tax. I'm not sure if we messed up or they did (SPOILER: I THINK IT WAS THEM) but either way, it means I have to use the phone. Bah.

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We haven't done much Christmas shopping yet, as our families are fairly low-key about these things, but I did start a batch of limoncello for J's Aunt. I looked up some recipes which boil down to "pour vodka on lemon rind. Leave. Add sugar water. Leave." It feels a bit anti-climactic to do so little for something with such a fun name, but there you go. Maybe I'll try and make an awesome-looking label for it.

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Me, on getting out of bed this morning: Huh, maybe I'm little better today.
Colleague, seeing me when I get to work: WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?

so that's encouraging.

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Maciej Ceglowski, the owner of Pinboard, who often talks about his experience with fandom when Delicious died, has asked for similar input as Tumblr implodes.

Anyone who wants to look at the GDoc, it's here. Anonymous edits, comments etc are welcome, on the same model as last time. I'll be honest, I was looking at it thinking "most of this is already built into DW, or *could* be if there was the revenue to pay more developers". The important missing thing for Tumblr refugees is reblogging and gifs, I think, as well as being able to 'like' rather than have to comment.

I'll watch it for the next few days, and am trying to find a succinct way of expressing my own wants/DNWs. It's only just started so is moving too fast for me right now.

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[insert annual 'it's dark and I'm miserable' paragraph here]

The SAD is kicking my butt at the moment. I'm using my lightbox, and we've had enough sunshine on some days that my tiredness is at exhaustion level but not beyond. It's the mood that's the killer, making it hard to get anything done beyond basic survival.

Bah. I hate November. For the last few years, I've made a point of doing MUCH Christmas decorating and planning and enjoying, as I find it takes the edge off December. But November is always horrendous (not as bad as February, but nearly) and apparently this year is no different. I'm going to make a point to get out in the sunshine at lunchtime today, even though what I want to do is crawl under my desk and not come out.

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It's taken me a while, but last night, I finally finished Iron Fist S2. I'm now caught up on Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, with only Daredevil to go. As that was my gateway series, and the one I'm most attached to, I've left it for last and avoided spoilers as far as possible. That might not last - I usually have to read plot summaries to get my anxiety down to a level where I can actually watch things with characters I love - but I'm going to give it a try.

In that spirit, I'm putting everything under a cut, so assume spoilers. I've tried to put some white space between them in the hopes that if you only want to read one, you can!

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[heavily drawing on last year's letter...]

Dear Podficcer,

Thank you so much! I think the only thing I really want to emphasis this year is that Gen is my bag. This winter is going to be my most stressful for many years, so warm and cosy Gen is my dream gift. All the family-feels and team-bonding!

LOVES: I love friendship fics, team fic, found-family feels, action, humour and crack!fic, and I have a competency kink a mile wide. I don't mind sad stories, as long as they don't have an unrelentingly miserable ending - I enjoy bittersweet and melancholy things very much. AUs are my guilty pleasure, especially fusions and 'fork in the road' type fics. Fics that fill gaps in canon, or fix plot holes are awesome.

While I love Gen, I'm more than happy to have a background romantic pairing in a fic, canon or not, I just prefer the fic not to be *about* the romance.

DON'TS: Romance, Zombies, bullying, slave or coffee shop AUs, graphic sex/violence, and I'm strongly emetophobic.



FANDOMS:

I'll read in most of the fandoms I've written in (here's the list and I also have some bookmarks), and it's safe to assume that in all these fandoms, if it's 'team bonding', I will love it!

For specific fandoms:

The Defenders: Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, The Defenders
I love all the characters in all of these, both main and supporting, and I don't hate Danny Rand, but would rather he wasn't the focus. Colleen and Clare, on the other hand, are <3. As I very much parse the Jess & Trish relationship as familial, I'd rather not have anything with them as a romantic pairing, even in the background. I'm up to date on all the second seasons, and will have seen DD S3 by the time ITPE posts. Team fic is my jam for this fandom.

Critical Role: Campaign One
I especially adore Percy and Keyleth's friendship, and Pike and Grog's. While I don't dislike them, I'd prefer something not Vax or Scanlan-focussed.

MCU
I have a HUGE soft spot for Thor being both goofy and competent, but love all of the Avengers pretty equally, whether on their own or in any combination. Pepper Pots Rules is one of my favourite tropes. Because I'm all about the warm fuzzies this year, I'd prefer something pre-Infinity War, or a post-film fic where everything is okay again.

Brooklyn 99
As well as team fic, I love the individual friendships, particularly Rosa & Charles and Jake & Terry. Captain Holt is my hero, so any fic centred on him is great.

Rivers of London
I ADORE the books, but Peter Grant/Thomas Nightingale is a NOTP for me in fic. Any wacky adventure would be awesome, especially with Sara Guleed or Zachary Palmer.

Sherlock Holmes (BBC or ACD)
I enjoyed the first 2 seasons of Sherlock, so would love case-style fic or Sherlock & John friendship fic set in that time period. I'm not crazy about S3 onwards! Anything set in ACD-era canon is wonderful.

Doctor Who (classic and new)
I'm pretty omniverous when it comes to The Doctor, but my favourites are Eight, Nine and Five. I love Martha Jones with the passion of ten thousand fiery suns, so anything centred on her is awesome.

Star Wars: Original or Sequels, The Clone Wars
While I didn't always love what they did with her, Rose lit up The Last Jedi for me, so anything focussed on her would be wonderful. But I love all the films, and all the characters, so anything warm and fuzzy would be awesome. I'm slowly working my way through The Clone Wars, but am loving it so far. Anything exploring the friendships there, I'd love.

Sapphire and Steel
This is a tiny but passionate fandom, with some great episode-style casefic. Something weird and offbeat comes with the territory, and I'm happy for any and all supporting elements to be there too.

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