tag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948A World Awaymusings on fandom, writing, and lifeMilieva (Mils)2020-12-15T14:23:10Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:170833I'm a Wicked Lady2020-12-15T14:23:10Z2020-12-15T14:23:10Zpublic2I keep failing to keep any sort of blog or anything. Maybe I should be using this for a morning pages type brain dump in the morning before I start writing.<br /><br />Anyway...<br /><br />Yesterday we got yet another scam caller pretending to be from our internet provider. <br /><br />-<br /><br />Caller: "I'm calling from Sky about your internet connection. We're showing that your connection is broken. Can you check your router and see what lights are on."<br /><br />Me: "Oh, that's probably because my router's in the closet." (We do actually have an old Sky router on a shelf in the linen cupboard)<br /><br />Caller: "What?"<br /><br />Me (explaining patiently): "Our router's in the closet. It's not ready to come out yet."<br /><br />Caller (suddenly exasperated with me): "And you're a wicked lady" *Hangs up*<br /><br />-<br /><br />That might be the highlight of my week so far. We'll see what happens the rest of this week.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=170833" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:170607Of Rubbish and Turnips2020-08-01T13:28:13Z2020-08-01T13:28:13Zpublic3It seems I need to completely rearrange some bits of the back garden so we can get our bins back in during the week. <br /><br />For most of the past year or so, we've just been leaving our wheely bins out in the communal area where we take them for collection, even though technically we're not supposed to. But everyone does it, and dragging the things out of the garden can difficult when they are full, especially the rubbish bin. <br /><br />But some <em>absolute turnip</em> has recently been dumping whole bags of garbage in our bin. <br /><br />I'd been wondering how it got so full so quickly lately. And why I was struggling to manage keeping it a reasonable volume. A walking vegetable has obviously failed to read the <em>great big rainbow house number</em> on the lid. <br /><br />The theories abound on who is doing it. <br /><br />There's the possibility that it's a child being sent to take out the rubbish and just putting it in the first bin they find, but my theory is that it is an adult who is trying to hide their sins. Especially since at least one of the bags was full of McDonald's and other fast-food wrappings. And the recycling bin has been filled up with Irn-Bru cans. <br /><br />All of this after there kept being a weekly Pizza Hut box shoved in our bin for months before lockdown (Half the time in the <em>recycling</em> bin, because fools just want to ruin a whole bin lorry full of recycling with their greasy pizza crusts.)<br /><br />Mostly, I am full of rage today about that, but my general annoyance could also stem from the mere three hours of sleep I got last night, and the fact I am really late sorting out what I am going to eat for lunch.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=170607" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:170272Death, Writing, Cute Dramas, and Rather a lot of rambling...2020-07-16T13:59:30Z2020-07-16T14:03:11Zpublic3I keep thinking I should post something to say that "Hey! I'm still alive and doing okay." But I just don't have anything too exciting to talk about. I mean, if I were being honest and posting the big events in my life the past few months, it would just be things like "One of my grandfathers died and I can't go the funeral for health reasons" followed a few months later by "Another grandfather died and I can't go the funeral because Covid." I'd really liked to go one whole year at least without a family death. If anyone wonders why I don't read books or fic with major character death, it's because over the past decade I have yet to go a full year without a family member passing away. (The 'joy' of large blended families, eh?)<br /><br />Honestly, the most exciting thing that's happened in the past month is the fact we can now order our shopping online again, as more people are going out to the shops again. <br /><br />I'm really struggling this month with my mental health. Everything is frustrating and not the least bit interesting. I know getting out would help some, but going for walks has been a bit difficult the past few weeks between the pouring rain and the fact the nerves in my left leg have decided that numbness is boring, so they need to change things up with stabbing pain. Not to mention, I'm less likely to go out for a walk on my own, and by the time Down is finished with work and we've had dinner, I'm ready to go to bed, as I tend to be up four or more hours before she is, thus am ready to sleep well before her. (I really ought to work out how best to work around the cats being convinced 6:30 AM is breakfast time. That's probably going to involve having a second sleep once they've eaten, like I did this morning.)<br /><br />This is obviously affecting my writing. These last few chapters of Cursory Education are a struggle to write. I know what I want to happen but I can't see the scenes in my head. And as I am more of a visual person, this is making writing them difficult. And I'm really frustrated because I wanted to have them finished before it was time to post them. As I had the first few chapters finished and these outlined, I thought it would be no problem, and yet... UGH! (I do have the draft of the net chapter finished. It just needs editing. I'm now just working on the final one. Writing emotions is SO HARD!)<br /><br />One bright spot for today is the fact my DVD set of 逃げるは恥だが役に立つ (We Married as a Job) arrived today, so I'm currently binge-watching it while tidying the sitting room and typing up this journal entry. I found it when I was looking for a marriage of convenience story. I've watched a number of dramas that fit the description, but this is so cute and perfect, and I love it. We watched the whole of it online, and then I ordered the DVDs. I've been wanting to rewatch it for weeks, but have been waiting for the DVDs as I prefer watching things on the TV and unhooking any of the other devices just to plug my laptop into the TV is annoying. (Not enough HDMI ports.) <br /><br />It's a slightly different dynamic than I am writing, but it's enough to make me think about things. And give me ideas of where I could go with my fic. Also, it's just cute and missing most of the elements I find annoying in romance dramas.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=170272" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:170194A little mistake = A whole lot of headaches2020-05-13T08:01:57Z2020-05-13T08:01:57Zpublic1I messed up with my medication last week. I somehow took my morning tablets one evening, rather than taking the evening tablets, meaning I didn't have all the correct medication on Saturday morning, as I didn't want to mess up the hormone tablet that is labeled with the days of the week. But that still means my hormones are hella messed up this week.<br /><br />One lousy day of missing a single tiny tablet after accidentally doubling up a day or two before and I am feeling awful. <br /><br />I hurt. I'm on some very strong pain medication, and I still hurt. It's frustrating. (I'm pretty high on the surgery list when the non-essential stuff opens back up at the hospital, so we'll get some of that sorted in the next few months, hopefully.)<br /><br />And the way it messes up my brain chemistry is awful, especially when I'm already not in the best mental space thanks to the current situation. I had one of the worse downward spirals yesterday that I have had in a while. It's scary to be inside my head sometimes. <br /><br />I don't know what to do to keep myself from doing that again. It's not the first time I've done it. It happens when I'm distracted and tired and forget that it's not 7 AM but 7 PM and yes, those are all tablets I take, but not at this time. I just automatically count to make sure everything is there, and either there are six in the morning or two at night. And if it is either of those numbers I just automatically take them.<br /><br />I've been managing to do some writing the past few days. Most of it is just bits of nonsense for Guru to HouseHusband. I keep flailing random future scenes into 4theWords every so often. And then I try my best to focus on getting more of the bit I am trying to focus on finished. I'm getting so close, but it's so hard to keep any concentration on anything. Double that when my body and brain are conspiring against me.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=170194" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:169732Allergies suck2020-05-02T07:15:49Z2020-05-02T07:15:49Zpublic2Honestly, this past week has been awful for my hayfever. I'm not even sure what in particular is bothering me at the moment aside from possibly everything. I know there are fields of flowers I am very allergic to blooming at the moment. Really big agricultural fields. Because it's awesome being allergic to something that is a common crop plant in your area. Also the house is a mess and I haven't hoovered enough recent, so not only is the carpet covered in cat fur and dust, the cats kick it all up into the air when they get excited and run about. I really need to do something about it, but just hoovering right now is making my eyes itch. <br /><br />We did get a new air filter a few days ago. I opened it yesterday, and having two of them running in the house does seem to have helped a bit. My eyes stop stinging and I am able to breath again. <br /><br />The past two years have been rough for my allergies, and I am thinking that might have to do with a number of factors, that include one of the medications I am on. Even with my usual hayfever medication, it's just difficult.<br /><br />I still really need to get back to work on deep cleaning the house again. But I need to do it in smaller chunks than I want to. When I get super focused on it and work too hard, I regret it for several days afterward, as my body is just not up to too much activity at once. So I have to decide what I want to do in a day. This is why I keep trying to make myself focus my writing energies earlier in the day, so I can get some words out and not feel like I've failed to write anything by the end of the day. Especially because the end of my day is rather early since I start my day rather early, thanks to the cats. (I was hoping to sleep in a bit today, but guess who woke me up at 5:50AM.)<br /><br />There's not much else I can think of at the moment, but I thought I would try to keep this better updated, and also start including writing updates over here again rather than overloading my author's notes on AO3. I may waver back and forth between posting them on a regular entry or by themselves, but here's what my writing has looked like this month:<br /><br /><h3>Writing Updates:</h3><br />The past month, I've been working on From Guru to House-Husband almost exclusively. I honestly have been struggling to find the concentration to work on anything else. I'd say that it's because this is light and fluffy and complete nonsense, but I've actually done a ridiculous amount of research for it. Though, a lot of the research has involved planning an over the top fictional wedding, so... that could be part of why it's been a lot of fun.<br /><br />I had planned to work on one of my books (working title: Tea Corner) for camp NaNo this past month, but I just couldn't find the interest or concentration for it, and given the current state of life the universe and everything, might as well just play with a project that is amusing me, and is amusing everyone else. But the book does have several thousand words written and a pretty solid outline, so it should exist at some point. Hopefully toward the end of the year if I get things sorted out right. I just keep getting stuck on certain little bits of it.<br /><br />I'm currently managing some good chunks of the next fic in Guru to HouseHusband, and I hope to start posting it in another week or so, but I want to have the full draft finished first. It's going to be multi-chaptered, but it's not super long. <br /><br />I've had a look at Sanctuary this week, and I need to find the outline for the next chapter. We're still in the bit that wandered off a little from the original outline, so there is not much written already for the next chapter unlike some previous and later chapters that have a number of scenes written in fits of inspiration and for various NaNoWriMos. There's a lot of plotty stuff happening in this bit, and I keep getting a headache when I'm trying to sort it all out.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=169732" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:169672And you say I don't post!2020-04-27T07:24:47Z2020-04-27T07:25:23Zpublic10<span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://postynotemusing.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://postynotemusing.dreamwidth.org/'><b>postynotemusing</b></a></span> is over here calling me out over on <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://jer832.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://jer832.dreamwidth.org/'><b>jer832</b></a></span>'s journal for the fact I keep saying I'm going to post more often and that I never do. <br /><br />Well, here. I'm posting.<br /><br />But honestly. I do keep saying that I am going to post more and I don't. I probably should. Maybe more as a little bit of a venting opportunity and a way to let those who care know how I am. (Which is complicated at times right now.)<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://milieva.dreamwidth.org/169672.html#cutid1">Cut for excuses as to why I have not been posting.</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />I've been more or less awake since 5:41 this morning. I am wondering if one of the neighbours has had a shift change because that is exactly one hour earlier than the cats normally wake me up, so it being light earlier doesn't seem the most likely excuse. <br /><br />Yes, I do use my cats as my alarm clock.<br /><br />Neville is a very good alarm clock. He's one I can't ignore. I can 'snooze' him. If I open the door and tell him to go away, he comes back about ten minutes later to bug me again. (The cats are not allowed to sleep in the bedroom because Neville likes to snuggle my face and I am technically allergic to cats.)<br /><br />You see, I have to feed my cats at set times during the day, and all three have to eat separately (Two are on special diets, one is on a weightloss portion, and one is allergic to the others' food.). They don't get breakfast until I get up, and I try to keep their breakfast at about 7:00. But that means I am usually woken up at 6:40-ish because Neville either realises that it takes me 10-20 minutes to actually go through my morning routine and make it downstairs to feed him, or - most likely - that's about the time one of the neighbours is leaving or doing something in the morning.<br /><br />And I can't go back to bed after I feed them without leaving the door open, because Neville likes a morning cuddle after breakfast and will just sit outside and cry if I haven't sat down and held him for a little while. He's cut, but such a brat. The other two don't really care what time meals are, but he tells me very loudly if he thinks I have forgotten.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=169672" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:169411Greetings. Long time no see.2020-03-26T13:15:58Z2020-03-26T13:15:58Zpublic7Things aren't super exciting over here, as we all well know. Hanging out at home all day loses it's shine really fast. <br /><br />Basically, I've been spending most of my time at home for well over a year, dealing with a number of pain issues. And the medication I've been taking for them has been messing with my ability to write, and I definitely let this journal fall to the wayside. <br /><br />Maybe now is a good time to revive it. <br /><br />Right now, I'm staring out at our shed/summer house that's filled with all sorts of nonsense and trying to decide how best to tidy it up enough I can turn it into some sort of writing space. It's going to involve rather a lot of work. I probably need to accept that I am going to need to empty everything out and start over rather than just shoving things around. But I'm going to try to do it bit by bit for a few days instead, moving shelves and such around so it's not quite so full feeling. There are a few pieces that can go up in the loft now that we installed boards up there. <br /><br />But just moving things around so I can fit a table in the corner would make for a good trial of the idea of a writing shed.<br /><br />The current table I plan to use is the little camp table I bought to be a second table surface for sewing on, as the original table I wanted to use - my old folding table - is too big to fit where I want it in the space. Our shed is just too narrow for a six foot long table. The little camp table is a good trial, and we could get in something else to stay in there, should it work. <br /><br />I still want to get some light paint to paint the inside to make it brighter in there. Which feels silly right now, but if it works as a writing space, I think it would be a good idea. It would not only freshen it up, but would make it brighter in there even when the sun's not shining into the little dirty windows.<br />Paint is one of things one can still order online here. I've been poking around at various DIY places that still deliver and have been debating getting timber so I can build the plant shelves that I keep wanting to buy so we can get more plants tucked into our tiny garden, while not feeling like we're completely blocked in all the time. <br /><br />I don't know. It all feels like I'm trying to find busy work to avoid thinking about much of anything.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=169411" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:168480We have a new rice cooker!2019-01-16T15:18:01Z2019-01-16T15:18:01Zpublic0Things are pretty quiet around ours this week. (Which obviously isn't a bad thing.) So the biggest excitement of the week so far is that we now are in possession of a new rice cooker.<br /><br />Technically, it's being sold as a 'multi-cooker', but aren't all rice cookers basically multi-cookers if you try hard enough? <br /><br />It wasn't like we actually needed a new rice cooker, because our old one has been working fine. But the old one is the rice cooker that <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/'><b>down</b></a></span> bought while studying abroad in Japan back in 2006. And being Japanese, it wants to run on 100V as opposed to the 230V that the UK uses. This means that we've had a transformer nearly the size of the rice cooker sitting on the floor in the corner near where we use it for the past two years, so getting a new cooker means we can clear up some floor space in our tiny kitchen. (This is more exciting than it should be.)<br /><br />The thing is, we have been looking for a UK rice cooker for a while to solve the space problem. So far we've only found one that is a proper simple rice cooker, not a pressure cooker, not just a weirdo slow cooker thing. This has cooking rice as it's top function.<br /><br />And it's not that different from our old one.<br /><br /><img src="https://milieva.dreamwidth.org/file/7173.jpg"><br />(New one on the left, old one on the right)<br /><br />I need to get back to answering some comments this week, and I want to make a few posts about daf yomi. Then there's the <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/'><b>snowflake_challenge</b></a></span> posts I want to catch up on. Perhaps later this week.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=168480" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:168444Oh no. It's Tuesday!2019-01-08T12:15:19Z2019-01-08T12:15:19Zpublic2Last week I signed up to attend a book group thing with a local Meetup group. It's for a book that I am familiar with through having watched the musical dozens of times growing up, so I thought I'd give the book a shot.<br /><br />Well, it's now Tuesday, and I haven't actually gotten myself to sit down and read the book. I've been distracted by a half dozen other things. I spent most of yesterday folding the washing and tidying and cleaning, and other completely boring tasks. Then I got distracted again by the Draco/Harry fic I've been reading the past few days (how I love AO3's download as mobi and OpenDyslexic font). I still haven't finished reading the fic, and I haven't started the book. It's 12:14pm. The meetup is at 7pm, and I'll have to take at least two buses to get there. <br /><br />I guess I know what I am doing this afternoon.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=168444" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:168190Snowflake Challenge - Day 32019-01-03T23:03:34Z2019-01-03T23:04:13Zpublic5<blockquote><span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/'><b>snowflake_challenge</b></a></span> Day 3<br /><br />In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favorite interview, a book, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.</blockquote><br /><br />One of the most wonderful additions to canon that CLAMP has written for Rayearth are hidden in little short omake bits at the ends of the Scenario Collection (script books for the second half of the anime series). It gives you more details into the characters personalities.<br /><br />Things like the advisor who sings karaoke to let off steam, the brooding character who turns into a hug monster when he has a little bit of alcohol, or how one character knows where the other keeps his lockpicks (and that he liked to use them to eat cake with when in need of other utensils).<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=168190" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:167928Snowflake Challenge - Day 22019-01-03T09:55:12Z2019-01-04T11:23:42Zpublic8<blockquote><span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/'><b>snowflake_challenge</b></a></span> Day 2<br /><br />Rec at least three fanworks that you didn’t create. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.</blockquote><br /><br />I don't read very many fandoms, so here are a few Harry Potter fics that have made me happy this past year. In order from shortest to longest.<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/13792248">A Store of Happiness</a></strong> by <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/coyotesuspect/profile'><img src='https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico' alt='[archiveofourown.org profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='16' height='16'/></a><a href='https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/coyotesuspect/'><b>coyotesuspect</b></a></span> <strong>Sirius/Remus - G</strong> 10845 words<br />Harry spends the summer after his third year living with Sirius and Professor Lupin.<br /><br /><strong>Rec note:</strong><br />Mostly, this one just made me giggle. Especially with Sirius and Remus trying to keep their relationship a secret - badly.<br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/9794657/chapters/21995357">What We Pretend We Can't See</a></strong> by <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/gyzym/profile'><img src='https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico' alt='[archiveofourown.org profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='16' height='16'/></a><a href='https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/gyzym/'><b>gyzym</b></a></span> <strong>Draco/Harry - M</strong> 131,086 words<br />Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.<br /><br /><strong>Rec note:</strong><br />This is a fic I have reread multiple times this past year. It's just... It's a fic I want to hug for hours. I think the best description of it is in the Notes: "It features all of my favorite things: gratuitous depictions of cooking, at least one character who is clinically incapable of shutting his mouth, and borderline-unhealthy drinking partaken of by 20-somethings whose lives aren’t quite what they thought they were going to be, somehow."<br /><br />I have it saved to my kindle, and I plan to keep it there.<br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/4701869">Oh God Not Again!</a></strong> by <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/Sarah1281/profile'><img src='https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico' alt='[archiveofourown.org profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='16' height='16'/></a><a href='https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/Sarah1281/'><b>Sarah1281</b></a></span> <strong>Basically Gen - G</strong> 150,731 words<br />So maybe everything didn't work out perfectly for Harry. Still, most of his friends survived, he'd gotten married, and was about to become a father. If only he'd have stayed away from the Veil, he wouldn't have had to go back and do everything AGAIN.<br /><br /><strong>Rec note:</strong><br />This fic is glorious. I found it because there was a post on tumblr going around about it, and it lived up to the hype. Harry accidentally goes back in time and wakes up on his eleventh birthday with all his memories still intact. It's also basically a glorious fix-it for Sirius's death (mysterious disappearance through the veil), as well as fixing a number of the things that I found annoying about the books. Harry claims his future knowledge comes from his psychic scar, which annoys Hermione SO MUCH, and Luna totally believes him about being from the future, because of course she does.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=167928" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:167640Snowflake Challenge - Day 12019-01-03T09:37:36Z2019-01-03T09:37:36Zpublic2Slowly catching up on the things I want to be doing, as well as the things i should be doing.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/'><b>snowflake_challenge</b></a></span>Day 1<br /><br />In your own space, talk about your Happy Place—the things that give you joy, calms you or keeps you sane. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.</blockquote><br /><br />Like many, I can't say that my 'happy place' is exactly a place. I like my home, and I tend to love curling up in blankets with cups of tea - especially on cold and rainy days - but I would have to say that the place I retreat to when the world gets to be too much to handles is fandom.<br /><br />More specifically, Magic Knight Rayearth. <br /><br />It's a tiny little fandom. Many of the active fans know or know of one another. I've been drifting in and out for nearly two decades, and I run a little forum dedicated to the series. It's quieter now than it was when it first started, but I keep the lights on, because there are still people who like visiting.<br /><br />I love all of the friends I have made over the years because of this tiny little fandom. So far, I have met seven of them in person, I would happily meet more. Many of us disagree on pairings and like different characters, but most of us get along just fine despite that. We're too small of a fandom for proper shipping wars. But this also makes it a quiet place to retreat to. Friendly faces, and a few comfort fics to read.<br /><br />No matter what other fandoms distract me, or pull me away, it's a place I'll probably keep returning to for the rest of my life.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=167640" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:167400Snowflake Challenge2018-12-31T20:00:03Z2018-12-31T20:00:03Zpublic0I'm going to participate in the <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org/'><b>snowflake_challenge</b></a></span> again this year. Last year, I didn't get very far. Only a few days in. Maybe this year I will do better.<br /><br /><a href="http://snowflake-challenge.dreamwidth.org"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/mL4rxW8.png" title="source: imgur.com" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=167400" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:1671202017 Fanfiction Year in Review2018-12-26T22:48:48Z2018-12-26T22:50:44Zpublic0I realised only just now with everything that happened last December, I never actually posted the Year in Review post. I was going to start the one for this year, but I thought I would actually post this one first. Unfortunately, a backdated post will still show up in your reading pages.<br /><br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://milieva.dreamwidth.org/167120.html#cutid1">2017 Fanfiction Year in Review</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=167120" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:166783Meeting Online2018-12-19T14:29:12Z2018-12-19T14:29:12Zpublic8<b><span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://questionoftheday.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png' alt='[community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://questionoftheday.dreamwidth.org/'><b>questionoftheday</b></a></span> asks:</b> Have you ever met anybody important to you (a friend/significant other/etc.) online? How did you meet and are you still close with them? Have you ever met face-to-face?<br><br><b>My answer:</b><br /><br />I have so many wonderful friends I have met online over the years. Many of whom I've known through my tiny little Rayearth webforum. I've met about... eight of the members in person now. I've met at least one person I knew from the Doctor Who fandom in person when I was visiting DC one year. I also have a few people I regularly send holiday cards to this time of year (I've slacked off on that, and I'm sorry guys. I need to get back on that.), but the most notable person I met online was my wife, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/'><b>down</b></a></span>.<br /><br />We started talking some twelve years ago now, all because we were both writing fic for the same pairing on Fanfiction.net. So, this is truly a case of "Both of us think these two nerds would have an insane amount of chemistry if they were older", and honestly, we still agree that they do. We're still writing fic about them.<br /><br />We chatted for a year or two there at the beginning, but life and stuff got in the way and we lost touch while I found a new fandom and made more friends. Then Tumblr happened and I started <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://fuckyeahrayearth.tumblr.com'><img src='https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico' alt='[tumblr.com profile] ' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' width='16' height='16'/></a><a href='http://fuckyeahrayearth.tumblr.com'><b>fuckyeahrayearth</b></a></span> and ended up finding her again. We started talking even more frequently and while things were coming to pieces in my personal life at home, I had this person I had known for years, still there, still talking to me.<br /><br />We met in person the first time because I simply invited myself over. I basically said "That bit of England looks like it could be fun to visit, so I'm coming to stay", and we had a great time as friends, meeting up in London with a few other friends from the same forum. I also learned a lot more about myself on that trip, and that played heavily on what happened in my relationship back home.<br /><br />After my husband and I officially parted ways, down and I were talking seriously about getting me to England, so we could date.<br /><br />And that obviously worked.<br /><br />Because I am sat here at my dining table in little ol' Norfolk, England writing this post on my journal.<br /><br />Life is strange and complicated, but I do think that things eventually work out for the best if you put effort into making it happen. And I don't know. I am rambling nonsense.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=166783" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:166582About this Journal2018-12-19T13:02:38Z2020-04-02T15:01:36Zpublic2Hi, I'm Mils. I write fiction and fanfiction, and sometimes I do a little art.<br /><br />Most of the posts you'll find here is chatter about books and movies and things that I've done recently that were interesting to me. Sometimes I have posted rants about goings on in my life, but there currently isn't too much drama in that department. But if I do get personal, I tend to lock those posts, rather than venting in public.<br /><br />I am open to anyone subscribing to my journal, you don't have to tell me why. If I think you look interesting too, I may also subscribe quietly only to pop up and comment on your entries as they appear on my reading page. I do not subscribe to journals who post a lot of political commentary, as a rule. I have too much anxiety in my life without politics invading my quiet spaces. <br /><br />But if you want to come and introduce yourself to me, this is the place to do so. I do like a good conversation. That's why I came back to Dreamwidth.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=166582" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:166358Enchanted Felbrigg2018-12-17T10:00:37Z2018-12-17T10:00:37Zpublic2Last night, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/'><b>down</b></a></span> and I went to Enchanted Felbrigg, which is a holiday event held at Felbrigg Hall. They have a little story and all sorts of lights and storytelling activities and so forth. It's obviously aimed at families with young children, but it's also fun to see the wood lit up with so many lights. <br /><br />It was the last night, and it was so crowded. There were families and people everywhere and I got completely overwhelmed and I fear I may not have been all that much fun to be with. I ended up sounding a bit like a whinging child myself. The lights were too bright, there were too many people and I was grumpy about all of this. I couldn't even bring myself to stay in the little glen with the glitterball because there were too many bright lights. (And poor Down loves the glitter ball...) <br /><br />Now it seems that I am probably suffering from a cold and that would probably account for being low on spoons. I still need to go into the city today to return a book to the library and put a cheque in the bank, but I might come back home and sleep after...<br /><br />Probably not, though.<br /><br />It's so bright and sunny today, which means it's going to be so cold.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=166358" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:165914いつかティファニーで朝食を2018-12-14T12:59:36Z2018-12-14T12:59:36Zpublic4So, I started watching Itsuka Tiffany de Choshoku wo on Viki. The literal title translates as It Will Be Breakfast at Tiffany Some Day, but it's just called A Girl's Breakfast over on Viki. <br /><br />Of all the things to start watching out of the list of shows they have in Japanese. There are a few others I am curious about, but I started watching the one that is still being subbed. But, this also keeps me from binging the whole thing in one go, because my Japanese is not good enough to follow more than very simple conversation. When I first watched episode six (not noticing that the subs were only at 60%) and the subs stopped halfway through. All I could get was that there were feelings and they were working them out, but actual details... nope.<br /><br />It's an interesting drama so far. <br /><br />There are four characters, but it seems to focus on the first, Mariko, who really likes breakfast and the feeling of togetherness a good breakfast can have with the ones you like. But all four women have some complications in their lives that I think are worked out through these longtime friendships - they've been friends since high school.<br /><br />Mariko - She and her longtime boyfriend no longer see eye to eye, so she moves out and her story seems to be about that so far.<br /><br />Noriko - Works at a bar and seems to be in a sort of complicated relationship with the manager, and she's also kind of seeing the part-time guy on the side, and is realising she's not happy like this.<br /><br />Risa - A yoga instructor. I'm not entirely sure what her backstory is (I think I may have missed it) but she's possibly now got a thing going with an old high school crush.<br /><br />Shiori - A housewife, who sometimes feels like her friends are passing her by while she stays still. Things are not so great with her husband in the beginning, but they seem to be getting better. (Communication helps!)<br /><br />Looks like the subs are now a little over halfway done on episode 9, so I should be able to watch it at the weekend. If anyone else is interested in watching it, A Girl's Breakfast is available to stream (legally even) on Viki. (<a href="https://www.viki.com/tv/35761c-a-girls-breakfast">Here.</a>) The whole series, parts 1 and 2 are up, but only 8 1/2 episodes are subbed as I type this.<br /><br />Also, there looks to be a manga. I might have to go hunting for that while I wait for more episodes to be subtitled.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=165914" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:165869Definitely Not Tokyo is an annoying hobby2018-12-12T19:12:45Z2018-12-12T19:12:45Ztiredpublic0I've spent half the day poking at Definitely not Tokyo, and I feel like I haven't gotten anything accomplished. I am attempting to remove all of the copyrighted images from the website. So, no more artbooks scans and that sort. I need to make some things to replace a few of the images, or it will not be the most exciting website that ever was - nothing but text and links.<br /><br />But I think it is about time I cleared the decks and tried to make a website that respects the creators wish to not have their work plastered across the internet. <br /><br />I started this project in the early 2000s and I am still nowhere near where I want to be with it because I keep staring at the to-do list and crying. I need to just try to do it in small chunks (add a new profile here, write a new episode summary there) even though part of me just wants to do it all in one swoop and be done with it, only needing to tweak and add new information as more comes forth, but that's an impossible ambition and all the content takes time to compose, so... here we are, 13 years on from the creation of DNT on psynos, and I am still barely closer to what I want it to be.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=165869" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:165531Flight Before Christmas2018-12-11T10:18:44Z2018-12-11T10:18:44Zpublic2I was wanting to watch Christmas at Pemberley Manor last night on Christmas 24, but the player decided it didn't have access anymore. While trying to get it to connect, we got bits of Flight Before Christmas, an equally silly looking romance starring Mayim Bialik.<br /><br />But that means we get an openly half-Jewish character in a Christmas movie.<br /><br />But as TVPlayer decided not to play both audio and video on the movie. I was able to find it on Amazon for $.99, and I'm watching it this morning while waiting for my Tumblr to download.<br /><br />I am slightly confused by the mother getting iced cookies out of the oven... <br /><br />30mph gusts of wind grounding a plane??? Okay... If you say so. <br /><br />So far, this is total nonsense. And a total holiday movie trope fest: Grounded plane, strangers forced to share a hotel room - which is the honeymoon suite.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=165531" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:165373Comments, comments, comments2018-12-11T08:45:44Z2018-12-11T08:45:44Zpublic2Been clearing out my unread comments on AO3. Those counters in the corner where it tells you how many days it has been since you received the comment are just a trigger for guilt. <br /><br />What do you mean it's been over 100 days since I received this lovely heart-felt comment? <br /><br />How has it been so long? Have I really been holding on to it for over three months?! <br /><br />So, yes. I have now cleared all my unread comments - replied to most (not all the replies). Now I have a small empty section in the bottom right corner of my AO3 home screen. It feels good to have that cleared out. Now to do the same over here? Though I only have 19 unread things in my inbox, and some of those are just <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png' alt='[site community profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/'><b>dw_news</b></a></span>.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=165373" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:164985It's that time of year again...2018-12-10T16:53:04Z2018-12-10T16:53:04Zpublic2The time of year where I stop being able to breathe and look around to figure out where the damn Christmas tree is hiding.<br /><br />This weekend, I went with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://down.dreamwidth.org/'><b>down</b></a></span> and her parents to a Medieval Christmas concert. It was really interesting. It's fun to actually hear these older instruments being played. Large recorders, and the nonsense that is a crumhorn among them. I think we also spent a fair amount of the time before the concert just staring up at the ceiling. <br /><br /><img src="https://psynos.net/photobox/images/2018/12/10/ringland1.jpg" alt="ringland1.jpg" border="0"><br /><br />I just love the detail! Look at the fanvaulting! All of this done in the 14th and 15th century. It is a lovely church. If cold as anything.<br /><br /><img src="https://psynos.net/photobox/images/2018/12/10/ringland2.jpg" alt="ringland2.jpg" border="0"><br /><br />A little bit more detail down toward the altar, and one offending Christmas tree. There was also greenery in all the windows, and more at the back of the church with the advent candles. <br /><br />By the time we left, my chest was tight, and I was headachy and ill. I felt better after getting home, taking my inhaler, and having a quiet cup of tea, but... it still wasn't nice. <br /><br />We left with a few CDs and a book about the instruments, so we can enjoy more of the music on our own time without the breathing difficulties.<br /><br />While I appreciate the humor in being literally allergic to Christmas. I would rather I wasn't. I do wonder how many trees I am actually allergic to. I know spruce and fir, and whatever else tends to be cut and brought in for Yuletide, But I am also allergic to Eucalyptus. (That made trying to use some specific shampoos and things interesting before I reread ingredients. Also, Vicks vapor rub is out for me.)<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=164985" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:164756NaNoWriMo 2018 Day 302018-11-30T12:37:55Z2018-11-30T12:37:55Zpublic4<img src="https://milieva.dreamwidth.org/file/6691.png"><br /><br />It is my first time ever winning NaNo, and I am proud of managing to do that. I didn't manage to make my 50,000 words with just Sanctuary, as I had a few bad days and got distracted by about 6,000 words of other stories in the middle of the month. <br /><br />But I think I have managed a decent start on the rest of Sanctuary. I have most of the major plot points sketched out.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=164756" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:164457NaNoWriMo 2018 Day 82018-11-08T21:20:51Z2018-11-08T21:20:51Zpublic1It's 9pm and I have a total word count of 17,269 words written for NaNo so far. <br /><br />That's 3,936 words above the 8th-day target of 13,333, so that's good. <br /><br />Currently, I am writing from a vague outline I made on day three. It's just a broad stroke overview of what I plan to happen from here on out in Sanctuary with slightly more detail as to what each scene might be under some of the broader strokes. I haven't written all of those yet, and I know I have rather a lot missing, and this is failing about half the detail, so... Who knows how much I will get written this month.<br /><br />I was horribly ill yesterday, or I'd probably be even further ahead. I'm trying to see if I can get Sanc mostly thrown together in broad strokes by the end of the month. I doubt half of it would even be close to publishable polish, but it's looking good, as far as working out the holes I've been poking at and wondering how to fill them.<br /><br /><br />And as Down is also doing NaNo, and now behind, I'm not sure when the next chapter of Sanc will be finished with the editing process and ready to post, but until then. There is a lot of work going on in the background.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=164457" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2012-07-16:1667948:164349NaNoWriMo2018-10-29T17:58:13Z2018-10-29T17:58:13Zpublic3I've decided to give it a go again this year. I have yet to actually manage 50,000 words because I always get distracted some time in the middle of the month, but no matter. <br /><br />I still haven't decided what I want to write. <br /><br />I could work on Sanctuary. Just do a slam through the end of the fic and get as much of it down as I can.<br /><br />There's that other fic rewrite I keep toying with, but that would be a depressing way to spend the month, probably.<br /><br />There's the other nonsense fic that has the Knights lose the translation spell. Just as Umi gets a new fancy government job, so that's fun.<br /><br />And as what reared it's head the other night, there's the novel thing about two fic writers who mostly flail at each other's stories until they end up meeting and think "Oh, I think I might like-like you... Oops..."<br /><br />No idea. I still have a day and a half to think about it. I was hoping to have the draft of the next chapter of Sanctuary up and ready to go, but... that's not happened yet. I'm still struggling to get the whole "meeting the parents" thing down properly.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=milieva&ditemid=164349" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments