Akuni

The end of Bleach? And new Who!

2012-02-01T19:14:19Z

Wow. Big news - I had to check it wasn't April 1st.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-02-01/tite-kubo-bleach-manga-to-enter-final-arc

If it's true, I think it's a good thing. The last story arc didn't interest me at all, and even if/when the hidden meaning and importance is made clear in the future (like the Vaizards), I still say it's poor storytelling. I love the characters and it'll be sad to say goodbye, but I'd rather have a good end than to have it drag out too much.

Here's hoping Bleach goes out with a solid story we can remember fondly. :)

In other news, a few weeks ago I finally (finally!) took the plunge and embraced the new series Doctor Who. I started at the (new) beginning with the 2005 eps, and against all my expectations I was instantly taken back to the show I loved as a kid. It had all the charm, with a modern twist. One of the best returns I've ever seen, keeping the spirit of the old show alive while moving forward with new ideas. (Also, Weeping Angels are creepy as hell - fantastic monster design!)

That said, I've just started series 5 and I'm having a hard time adjusting to Eleven (after thoroughly enjoying Nine and Ten). Hopefully his characterization will grow on me after a few more episodes.

What's everyone else up to these days?

Bleach 460 [spoilers]

2011-08-18T00:50:21Z

Gotta say...

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! \o/ Hi guys! I've missed you all so much!

Seeing the shinigami again is the best. I'm dying to know what else has changed besides Rukia's hair and rank. Anyone got any predictions?

Bleach 459 [spoilers]

2011-08-03T15:13:55Z

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, Bleach pulls it out of the fire and back into the awesome. Big spoilers below the cut.

Rukia! Promoted! HELL YEAH! And apparently with a haircut (that or he forgot how to draw her, hehe). I'm so pleased to see there's been progress in SS as well. Can't wait to find out what else has happened since last we saw them!

Ichigo's new outfit and zanpakutou are interesting. Mostly the same, but with some changes. The ribbon is gone, but he's got the chain from his bankai on this sword now, and the outfit has some new wrappings and a new sword belt. It's been forever since I've felt there was something interesting to analyze in Bleach - really takes me back to when it was fresh and exciting for me!

Chuck

2011-06-13T23:13:05Z

So I've just watched Chuck. Why didn't anyone mention this goofy little show to me before? It's really pretty silly, but it's fun (if predictable) and I quite liked it. Granted, there were some rough spots in the later seasons, but it was still enjoyable. I'm looking forward to seeing how the show wraps up in its final season.

Being a spoilerphobe, I waited until I was finished to see what the fandom was like. About what I expected, though there's one thing I thought would be more popular. Where's the love for spyteam OT3? For me, the best part of the show was the TEAM - Chuck and Sarah and Casey - and I was always happiest when the teamy goodness flowed. Maybe they're already just too darned teamy for anything else? Or maybe my fandom-fu is rusty. (I didn't ship it canonically or anything, I do enjoy good platonic team stories, but I thought it might be fun to dabble in a different direction in fandom...)

Canadian election

2011-05-02T11:30:53Z

Hi guys.

Canadians, please go vote today. We need some stability in our government, and low voter turnouts just aren't giving us that. Please let your voice be heard, even if that means spoiling your ballot in protest (IMO a valid statement; YMMV).

Canadians, take notice

2011-04-13T15:49:04Z

Exaggeration, rhetoric, fear-mongering, or terrifying truth? All I know is, the idea scares me.

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5733/125/

How could this possibly fly? This is CANADA, ffs! We need to know more. Anyone with any info please do drop it in a comment. Thanks.

akuni @ 2010-12-24T12:58:00

2010-12-24T16:58:48Z

Here we are again, years later, and once again I'm drawn back to this series. This time, it was by readers asking where the Covenant PDF was. Um... oops? *sheepish* The worst part? I even had it mostly ready to go, I just got caught up in other things and somehow never got back to finish it.

So I've tidied it up (though it still needs a good hard edit), and put it up for those who like to download stories and read them offline. :)

http://www.akuni.ca/Covenant.pdf

Happy {insert holiday of choice here}, everyone! I wish you all a very fun and safe holiday.

Come As You're Not, Halloween 2010

2010-10-30T02:53:55Z

I am made of fail. I've been so busy with work, I haven't even tried to keep up with making LJ posts.

Even worse than that, I forgot about karaokegal's Halloween event this year! How could this happen? I love this event! I look forward to it, and enjoy the challenge of whipping myself into unexplored realms of writing.

So here's your (extremely belated) reminder about the Come As You're Not Halloween fandom party. Stop by and enjoy the costumes, even if you've only got time to throw a cheap Dollar Store mask on yourself. :)

For those not in the know, the point is to write (or draw, or vid, or whatever other fandomy contributions you can think of) something that is unlike your usual. If you're a fluff bunny, write angst. If you like het, write slash. That sort of thing. It's great fun, and I've learned something useful about my writing each time I've participated.

I think this year the best I'll be able to do in the time I've got will be a drabbley-type thing, but I'm going to do my best to get something done. Oh work, please don't eat my life for just a few more days...!

Hope you're all doing well! :)

LJ security concerns

2010-09-02T01:46:56Z

The next big LJ drama: http://news.livejournal.com/129190.html

I'd like to think it goes without saying that I don't want any part of this, and I don't want anyone on my flist to make me a part of this. But I know not everyone shares my attitudes toward Internet privacy, Facebook, Twitter, or the separation of the RL self from the online persona, so... please, please don't bring anything from my LJ into outside forums. Thanks. :)

Wish I had the time to make a proper update post, but I'm swamped right now with a big work deadline and a looming parental visitation. This is a very good thing, but prepping for it all eats up most of my time. Plus I suck at updating regularly when I'm even a little bit busy. >_>

Hope you're all doing well! I'll try to make a good post again soon, full of squee for all the fun things I've watched, thoughts on recent Bleach chapters, and other stuff like that.

Sept 10 edit: Hey look, Russian spam bot commenting on this post with a ton of porn links. *sigh* Things don't look good for my future on LJ.

Sept 14 edit: And another. Is this a pingback thing or what?

FMA & CivV [spoilers]

2010-06-11T15:45:07Z

Mostly squee ahead. Spoilers abound for both. :)

FMA final chapter was terrific. Action, resolution, romance! I was a little sad at first that Greedling was being separated, but of course I was glad that Ling would be able to be his own man again and be a good emperor. And Greed finally got what he wanted, which was nice; he was an interesting character that I never really appreciated until the Greedling merge.

Ed grew! Hee hee hee! I was shocked at how much taller he'd grown than Winry between the two hugs. And Al drinking milk was a fun nod. Mei grew, too, which is nice.

The photos at the end were delightful - puppies! And babies! OMG. That was the most adorkable sorta-proposal I've ever seen. Oh Ed, you're lucky she understands you and still loves you anyway. *g*

I was happy for everyone's ending. I know Roy and Hawkeye will take care of the country together, and everyone will continue their lives. Including the Ishvalans, which is great.

The only thing that surprised me is Ed giving up alchemy. Holy crap. That's pretty big. But I like that he's still going to study it; he still knows the science of it, and his insights will help make alchemy better. Awesome. :)

In other news, the new Civ5 website went live, and oooooh the animated/voiced leaders are nifty. I was so excited after watching them all, and I went to a couple different forums to see what others thought. Which just made me annoyed at the world. Generally people are pretty happy with this as-yet-incomplete info, but there are always a few rotten apples. Whining and bitching about having to wait for an expansion for <their favourite civ>, griping about why every entry doesn't have the same amount of info, etc. It's a WIP FFS, this is a PREVIEW. It's a special treat (well okay, and a marketing ploy, but still), not a slap in the face.

Reminds me why I am in lurker mode most of the time these days, as I was mentioning in a convo to someone else just last week. Right now I'm happier just enjoying things in my own quiet corner.

FMA 107 [spoilers all over]

2010-05-12T17:44:21Z

Big spoilers under the cut for anyone who wants to squeal about the latest FMA chapter. :D I don't have an FMA icon (wut?!) so have a Fizzgig instead. :)

OH MY GOD. Al!! I was tearing up badly, not because it was sad (though it sort of was) but because the emotions were simply overwhelming. Beautifully done.

And GreedLing... oh Greed. I never expected to like you, but with Ling's influence you're not so bad. You could have what you really want, if you tried.

I'm mostly in shock at how much of a punch this chapter packed. We've been waiting for this since day 1, and I thought it happened in a great way. Though now I'm wondering about Ed's leg, and how that'll work. Is he gonna rip it right off of Truth when he goes to fetch Al? *g* Seriously though, I think Ed will end up keeping the automail leg, for a lot of reasons that I'm too \o/ to want to type up just now. :)

Guh. Awesome.

TV talk - The Big Bang Theory

2010-04-28T20:37:28Z

We just blew through all three seasons of The Big Bang Theory. What a fun show! It was similar to when we watched Avatar: The Last Airbender - funny half-hour episodes that you just gobble up like candy until they're all gone and you're looking around for more.

They're still tv people, but they've got the basics of Geek Life pretty well. I have those discussions, about comic books and sci-fi and... well, I just really get a charge out of seeing it all presented in a positive way. Sure, they still take the cheap shots (like the denizens of the comic book store and what the presence of a female does to them), but exploiting a stereotype for comedy is a tried and true sitcom staple, so I expect that. Plus, really, it is funny. *g* Even if the guys at my comic shop have no trouble dealing with me and the other regular female patrons. I think being fellow geeks trumps the girl factor.

I have a huge nerd-crush on Sheldon. I know, I have no idea why, it's just... he's really adorable, even if you'd want to choke the life out of him if you had to spend five minutes in his company. :p And yeah, I know it's wrong and not gonna happen, but I ship Sheldon/Penny like burning. :D

So who else watches? :D

Boston Legal, overwhelming epic BFFness

2010-04-14T16:47:31Z

By now, my flist should know that I really enjoy a good friendship story. There have been some good ones over the years, ones that still stick with me and make me smile.

I've recently discovered another amazing friendship, one that charms me utterly in its depth and sincerity.

Why didn't someone tell me about Boston Legal sooner? My mother-in-law has been telling me about it for years, but she didn't mention the quirky humour, the bold discussion of difficult issues, or the epic love between Alan and Denny. We throw that word 'epic' around a lot these days, but such beautiful BFFness is rarely seen.

Any other fans? I'm ~~only~~ ~~halfway through s3~~ ~~at the end of s4~~ done watching the finale now, so let's talk about the whole series. :)

Look Ma, I got birthday fics!

2010-04-06T18:43:04Z

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes this weekend! I get warm fuzzies to have so many people thinking of me. :)

My weekend was spent mostly painting and cooking and preparing to paint and cook, all of which involves soul-sucking amounts of shopping (I am not a shopper). I've fallen a bit behind with emails and IMs, but I'm slowing clearing the backlog.

I wanted to share the three (eee!!) fics I received for my birthday. They're all focused on Renji and Ichigo, and all quite different, but there's a common theme of awesomeness running through them all. :D You'll see when you read them.

'A Little Advice' from zeffyface, who really knows how to push my "OMG I love this kind of thing!" buttons. *grin* It's got Ichigo and Zabimaru, so you already know it's going to be fun and sassy.

'Retirement' from cmc42, a sad but comfortingly hopeful look at something that could all-too conceivably happen between Ichigo and Soul Society. Naturally, Renji features prominently, and wonderfully.

'Surprise' from kiyala, which surely surprised me to see her writing NC-17 RenIchi! What surprised me even more is how well a dedicated IchiIshi OTPer captured the essence of fantastic RenIchi banter and incorporated it into a spicy scene. It's hard to believe she hasn't been writing these two for ages.

You guys are terrific, thank you so much! ♥ ♥ ♥

Bleach 397 [spoilers like mad]

2010-03-26T04:34:53Z

Massive spoilers for Bleach ch397!

OMG OMG!! *punches air a dozen times* YES YES YES YES YES!

Holy shit, this is what I've been waiting to see. This next week's wait is going to be torture.

Ichigo. Isshinigami. SHOWDOWN. *spazflailsquee*

update on me, and Dragon Age!

2010-03-23T19:04:09Z

Hey all. It's been a while, life's been busy. Phew!

First I was sick, which I thought was the flu everyone else around me had but turned out to be a horrible chest infection that knocked me out for weeks. Then just when I was getting back on my feet from that, there was a bout of food poisoning, from which I am now recovering. Extra bad luck all around this winter. So, hopefully this means I won't get a cold this summer, right? Right?

On the up side, I've spent my downtime well. I helped my folks with some long-distance house hunting, and spent some time catching up on my gaming. Played WoW with the hubby, got seriously excited about the announcement that Civ V is on the way, and burned through Dragon Age: Origins. Thank you, BioWare, thank you thank you thank you.

Please, oh please tell me there are others here who've played DA:O? I fell hard and fast for this game - the story, the characters, the asskicking. I've just started Awakening, so please no spoilers for that yet, but feel free to go whole hog on DA:O chat! (Anyone...?)

What've you guys been up to?

questions and a meme

2010-01-28T20:52:49Z

Tagged by r0ck3tsci3ntist!

A. List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag seven people to do them.

1) I really prefer to read my flist in chronological order. So, if I don't read on Saturday and Sunday, on Monday I have to go back several pages and catch up from where I left off.

2) I'm right-handed, but I use my left for things that make other righties look at me funny. I cut meat with my left hand, and switch the brush and hair dryer between both hands with no difficulties.

3) I deeply regret letting my music slide after high school. It was great for keeping my lungs strong despite my asthma, and I miss that aspect of my creativity. Working to decipher a score, where once I could sight read fairly well, was somewhat distressing.

4) On a related note, I cannot play stringed instruments. They defeat me completely. I can play or teach myself to play any wind instrument, though.

5) Cooking from scratch isn't a hobby for me, it's a way of life. I make big batches of whatever I can, and freeze it for those days when I don't feel like cooking. I'll occasionally pick up pre-made if I'm unwell or feeling lazy, but most of the time I prefer to prepare our food myself. This includes making my own sauces and baking bread every week. I'm unhappy whenever a job eats into my time to the point where I have to cut back on this, and I really feel for friends who've had to give it up because of the hours they have to work.

6) I have the best in-laws in the world. :) My husband and I both get along amazingly well with each other's families, and genuinely enjoy their company.

7) I like marathoning stuff. If I pick up a tv show or book series, I want it all right now. The immersion is a neat feeling, and worth the vaguely unsettled feeling I get once it's done.

Tagging people, oh dear, I don't usually do that. Everyone should do this! :) But okay, I'd especially be interested in seeing this done by:

moshesque annieroo2 whymzycal sekra despina_moon conjure_lass taintedkibou

And for those who don't care about any of that, have a meme from cmc42. :)

Ask me one fandom-related question in the comments. This can be fandom-specific, general, or about fandom/lj stuff/fic writing/etc. in general. Favourite character, favourite moment, unpopular opinion, something about a fic of mine... whatever. Wackiness encouraged. Once I answer, you can ask again.

Go nuts. :)

memeing

2010-01-26T18:47:26Z

This one's from whymzycal.

Reply to this meme by saying "Nice nice very nice," and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your journal and explain what they mean to you. If I don't know you well, I'll probably give you some odd wordage. I'm sure none of you are surprised by this.

The words she chose are: pot roast, supernatural, knitting, reading, anti-spoiler

pot roast

Okay this one's a little creepy, because I was already marinating a roast to make for dinner last night when you sent this! OooEEEooo! :)

Pot roast is yummy. I like marinating a roast and slow-roasting it. The first night I do up the full dinner (potatoes, veggies, gravy, fresh bread/rolls), then after that it's sliced thin for sandwiches - either simmered in the leftover gravy for a hot sandwich, or cold sandwiches with mustard.

I try not to serve up too many big meals that are centred around massive chunks of meat (except ham - I make a lot of ham, because ham is too good not to), so we don't have them regularly, but we do enjoy a good roast.

supernatural

Eeeeeeeeeee SPN! Wait, did you mean the Supernatural tv show, or supernatural things in general? Either way, it excites me. I've lived in haunted houses before, known people who were downright creepy sometimes with their uncanny 'knowing' of things.

As for the tv show, I love SPN! It's not a great show - I'm fully aware of its flaws. But I really enjoy it. They get better and better as they go along, and I always find something that makes me laugh, or wave my hands in the air. They've learned not to take themselves too seriously while telling a very serious story, and that's what keeps me coming back. Sure, they're fighting rubber suit monsters and being very angsty, but they do it in style. ;) Classic rock, classic car, classic good vs evil. That's a pretty good combination. :)

knitting

I finally learned to knit a year and a half ago, after a lifetime of being completely useless at it. I've been crocheting since I was in single digits, so knitters in my life were always expecting that I could knit, too. Nuh uh. It wasn't until I sat myself down in front of YouTube with a ball of yarn and a pair of bamboo needles that it clicked. Knitting is a great deal of fun, but mistakes are deadly. If I'm very, very careful, and very, very lucky, I can fix a mistake that goes down a few rows in a simple pattern. It's neat that you can do that with knitting, but oh I miss being able to unravel things quickly the way I can with crochet. I haven't perfected the art of repositioning the needle a few rows down and then just tearing away. I still mostly do it a stitch at a time. x_x

I saw a gorgeous set of rosewood needles a couple weeks ago and I think I have to have them. They're costly, but they're supposed to be fabulous to work with so I'm going to splurge. Ooh, and I have to prepare a post to show off all my recent knitting, now that the last of the xmas packages have finally reached their recipients.

reading

I've been a voracious reader since I was 3 (or so I'm told). Once I got to the point where I could get through a book by myself, there was no stopping me. When I was older I started pulling books off my parents' shelves, which offered popular novels, textbooks, encyclopedias, and the classics. I'd read Homer long before he came up in my Greek Lit. classes. :) I used to read more than one book at a time - there'd be a bedtime book, and a bathtime book, and there were always school books that needed reading, too.

So yeah, I was a big ol' book nerd. *laugh* These days, I've slowed down with the reading. I actually stopped for an entire year once, without realizing it, because all my spare time was spent writing. That was a scary thing to realize, because I believe if you don't read, don't keep exposing yourself to new writings, then your own work won't grow as well as it could. I make time for reading now, and it makes a big difference in keeping my writing fresh.

anti-spoiler

Yes indeed, I am anti-spoiler when it comes to my entertainment. Not because I'm some kind of purist, but because I like to find things out in the moment, as I'm watching/reading. Some people love knowing all they can ahead of time and anticipating the big reveal. That's not for me. I've had people say it "shouldn't" take away my enjoyment of something to be given inside information ahead of time, but I think that's silly. People enjoy things in different ways; when it comes to appreciating something, there's no right way or wrong way, only the way that is. So yes, telling me spoilers does affect my enjoyment because a lot of my enjoyment stems from finding things out in sequence, as the story unfolds. Others derive their enjoyment differently, and that's cool, too. Whatever floats your boat, baby - just don't drill a hole in mine. ;)

And as I've been tagged elsewhere, tomorrow will mean another meme! I feel all popular. :D

fic meme & zombie quiz

2010-01-19T16:52:09Z

Argh, I give up! I've been resisting this meme for weeks, but I finally have to give in.

If you could have me write a fic specifically for you, what would it be like? Fandom, characters/pairing, genre, plot elements, kinks (if applicable)... what's your ideal fic from me?

I'm not saying I'm going to write it, mind you, I'm mostly just curious as to what story you would want me to tell. If something stirs the muse, well, who knows. :) For the sake of the exercise, please limit yourself to one or two ideas - the point of this is to choose the most desirable, not to make a laundry list of everything you've ever been interested in. *g*

And just for fun, a zombie quiz!

Created by Oatmeal

Hehe. Zombies are always fun. :)

memeishness, & Muppets+Queen [video]

2010-01-07T16:26:35Z

Silly quiz time! Nabbed from cmc42 . :)

Your result for The Fan Fiction Personality Test...

The True Fan

OOC is blasphemy, canon is everything.

Once you fall in love with a movie, book or TV series, you are loyal like an old dog. You take fanfiction quite serious and use it as a substitute after the canon ran out.

You are probably a walking dictionary of your favourite fandom and you are picky about what you write and read. The closer to the "real thing" fanfiction is, the more you like it.

You rather explore a character in all depth, see new sides and learn more about them than creating new characters or mix up the situations they are in.

Take The Fan Fiction Personality Test at OkCupid

Hmmm... interesting. That's mostly true - but the groupings and limited options in some of the questions makes that more luck than anything, I expect. Not that anyone really expects real science (or good grammar) out of an internet meme, haha!

ETA: Muppets do Bohemian Rhapsody. 'Nuff said! :D

Hehehehehe!

Supernatural fanfic - 'The Morning After' [Dean/Castiel; PG-13]

2010-01-06T16:17:53Z

This is a 'Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, thanks for being awesome!' present. :)

Title: The Morning After
Series: Follows ‘The Night Before’ by moshesque (read that first)
Author: Akuni
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Genre: Romance, Humour
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Set right after 5x03 'Free to Be You and Me'
Word Count: 905
Summary: Dean thinks he's messed it up after all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, I’m just borrowing it for a while.
Distribution: This is just for whymzycal, so no. :) Crossposted eventually.

Dedication: For Whymz, because she is awesome.

A/N: Whymz not only managed to keep my secret that I was writing for Mosh in a Secret Santa exchange, but she also found time to beta that fic despite being up to her eyeballs in her own Yuletide writing. I thought such awesomeness warranted something special. :) So, when I read Mosh’s gift for her, it just felt right to add to that scenario. Thanks for everything, Whymz! ♥

This is for Whymz, but I have the feeling she’ll have to wrestle for joint custody with sekra, who has been trying to vortex me into the Dean/Cas camp pretty much since Castiel showed up. There, I’ve officially written it now, are you happy? *g*

Thanks to moshesque for the beta and general all-around greatness. :)

The Morning After

For Cas's sake? Yeah right, my ass. Oh God, don't think about asses. Or God. Oh hell - oh definitely don't think about Hell.

Dean is so screwed.

Don't think about that, either. Fuck! No... Damn—

Son of a bitch!

The cheap motel sheets, tangled and sweat-soaked, itch his back, but Dean doesn't move even a single muscle. He can always feel the night before in the morning after, and he's not ready to acknowledge the familiar satisfied buzz, or that sweet ache in his limbs that mark a night well spent.

It doesn't help that his brain keeps playing him the highlight reel, not only in Technicolor and surround sound but with perfect recall of the full five. He can feel soft flesh under his rough hands, and smell the sweat and potent musk of sex. He can see a dark head thrown back, and hear the throaty gasps of discovery and pleasure. He can taste...

The taste still lingers in his mouth, because while Dean has been a straight arrow all his life, he believes there are some things a man should experience before he dies, and Dean isn't the sort to leave a job half-done. It hadn't been that bad, actually it was sort of a thrill to see the kinds of reactions he could pull, right up until the end, where he gained a new appreciation for one Cindi Nevers of Ackley, Iowa. As soon as this apocalypse thing was over, he was going to send her some flowers. And maybe a fruit basket.

The itch at his back was driving him crazy. Telling himself not to be a wuss, Dean took a deep breath and wriggled against the scratchy sheets. The immediate relief spreading down his back was almost enough to drown out the other sensations – the sore lips, the tight burn in his calves, and the clicking in his wrists that sent him reeling toward the memories of heat and salt and wracking pleasure.

And then, without knowing how, Dean knew he wasn’t alone in the room anymore. Steeling himself, he turned his head and opened his eyes, his gaze landing unerringly on the person he knew he’d see.

Castiel stood next to the bed, looking as rumpled and vaguely concerned as he always did. They stared at each other without speaking, tension building in the air as the seconds ticked by.

“You’re back,” Dean blurted, unable to stand the intense silence anymore.

“I brought breakfast,” Castiel announced solemnly. He lifted a brown paper bag, out of which he pulled a tub of yogurt and a bag of apples.

“Shouldn’t this be the other way around?” The lame joke fell out before he could stop it. “You know, forbidden fruit and all that?” Wincing, Dean snapped his mouth shut.

“These apples are perfectly safe,” Castiel replied, producing two plastic spoons from somewhere. “They are Cortlands.”

It was all too much; Dean shook his head. “What’s going on here, Cas?”

Castiel cocked his head. “I believe it’s called ‘breakfast in bed’ – a popular tradition the morning after two people have shared a night of intimacy.”

Dean blinked. “Breakfast in bed?”

Castiel nodded.

A weight lifted off Dean’s chest, and a bark of laughter bubbled up out of his throat before he could stop it. “This is your idea of a...”

“...a romantic gesture,” Castiel finished. He frowned slightly. “Did I do it wrong?”

Dean chuckled. “No, you got it right.” There was no way he was going to disappoint Cas on this one. Apples he could do just fine, and he’d save one to take away the taste of the yogurt he was gearing up to choke down.

“So we’ve got yogurt and apples.” Dean sent his stomach a silent apology. “Breakfast of champions.”

Castiel looked at him for a moment, then withdrew a lumpy package from an inside pocket of his trench coat. The scent of charred meat and grease wafted up Dean’s nose. He sat up, clutching the sheet around his waist with one hand as Cas offered the package to him with a small smile.

It had been squished a bit on one side, and it was only lukewarm, but an angel had brought him a burger for post-nookie breakfast in bed, which had to be some kind of minor miracle. Probably a sin, too, but it was hard to worry about that just then. Dean looked at the burger in his hand, and then at the yogurt and apples on the table. “That was a joke?”

“A proper diet is no joke,” Castiel deadpanned, then his eyes crinkled as he smiled wider. “Yes, that was a joke.”

Dean grinned and moved his legs aside as he unwrapped his burger. “Have a seat,” he mumbled around a huge mouthful. The bed dipped as Castiel sat beside him, his customary stiffness temporarily replaced by the same easy, casual movements he’d grown into the night before. He rested his weight on one arm and watched as Dean tore off another bite.

“Wamt fome?” Dean asked, holding the dripping burger out. To his surprise, Castiel leaned closer, bracing himself over Dean’s lap as he sank his teeth into the thick meat, all without breaking eye contact.

Dean swallowed hard, and lifted one finger to wipe at the juice running down Castiel’s chin.

He didn’t even mind that the burger was stone cold by the time he got to finish it.

END

Harry Potter fanfic - Tease [James/Sirius; PG]

2009-12-27T12:31:28Z

Merry Christmas, Mosh! ♥

Title: Tease
Author: Akuni
Universe: Harry Potter
Pairing: James/Sirius
Genre: Romance
Spoilers: For sure for PoA and OoTP, but let's say the whole series just to be safe.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1604
Summary: A hair-raising realisation in a single strand of time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I’m just borrowing it for a while.
Distribution: This is just for moshesque, so no. :) Crossposted eventually.

Dedication: For Mosh, because she is awesome. Written for a writing group Secret Santa exchange.

A/N: I did it, Mosh! I wrote HP! Probably not the kind of story anyone would’ve expected from me, but it’s good to shake things up now and then. :) Your prompt was tons of fun, and this was unexpectedly easy to write once I got in the groove. (You probably guessed it was me by all my not-answering, and by the fact that you didn't do the beta. I didn't have the heart to tell you bigger fibs than I already did. ;) )

Thanks to annieroo2, who by guessing which name I'd drawn in the SS, was able to help me brainstorm ideas and make sure I didn’t choose something totally stupid.

Special chocolate-covered thanks to whymzycal for her fantastic beta work. You rock like an awesome rocking thing! :)

Tease

‘This is a really stupid idea.’

‘Are you kidding? This is brilliant.’

James bit back a yelp as Sirius trod on his foot. ‘That’s what you said the last time, and we ended up with detention for a month.’

‘And yet you’re here,’ Sirius pointed out as they slipped through the widest gap they’d dared open in the Library doors.

‘Yes, well, someone has to be, and Remus’d never believe it if I asked for help on the Charms essay since he saw me finish it last week.’

‘Pity, really,’ said Sirius regretfully. ‘Peter’s a fabulous sneak. You, on the other hand, are all tall and elbows and—hang on, the cloak is…’ James stood still and held his breath as Sirius gingerly tugged the end of the cloak out of the door. ‘Honestly James, if you grow any more, we’re going to need another one of these next year.’

They fell silent as they threaded the tables, heading deeper into the Library. Pausing at the edge of the Restricted Section, they were careful not to trip any of the Boundary Hexes as they stepped over the rope. It wasn’t until they’d safely bypassed the barrier that they shrugged off the cloak.

‘Where’d you reckon we should start?’ James eyed the ponderous shelves stuffed full of books. Thick, leather-bound tomes rested next to tall codices. One shelf held only slim vellum scrolls, which were warded with such heavy magic that not even the bravest rule-breaker would consider touching them.

Sirius pulled a crumpled bit of parchment from his pocket. ‘Might Makes Right: The Art of Magical Persuasion is supposed to have stuff on involuntary transformations and forced-state hexes, so either with the Transfigurations books or the Dark Arts section.’

‘Maybe check the latest medi-journals, too,’ James suggested.

‘Good thinking. I’ll check the Dark Arts.’

‘And be quiet this time. Pince has chased you off twice this week. I wouldn’t be surprised to find her waiting in the stacks to catch you.’

‘That old bat.’ Sirius snorted. ‘She couldn’t catch a niffler with a sack of new Galleons.’

‘Maybe not,’ James replied as he strode down the aisle towards the Transfigurations books, ‘but Filch could, so we’d best get this done fast. I swear he’s got some eighth sense for when we’re out, and it tells him the absolute worst time to show up.’

*
‘Nothing?’

James shook his head and pushed Might Makes Right across the table to Sirius. ‘Nothing useful. Unless you want to know how many people died while Anura Amphibia developed the counterspell for the Bufonis Curse?’

‘Not really.’

James rubbed his eyes and swallowed a yawn. ‘D’you really think the answer could be somewhere in these books?’

‘I don’t expect to find someone’s jotted a cure, no.’ Sirius frowned and flipped towards the back of the tattered orange book he was studying. ‘But there might be a clue as to where to start.’

‘Why’s this so important?’

Sirius rolled his eyes and opened his mouth.

‘Yes I know why,’ James said hastily before Sirius could give him a smartass answer. ‘I mean… why is it so important right now?’

Sirius was silent for a long moment. When he finally replied, he was unusually grim. ‘The year’s almost over. In two months, we’ll all go home. That’s all right for you and Peter, but Remus will have to spend every full moon locked in a cage and drugged to his very long teeth.’ Sirius’ lips twisted in a grimace. ‘On the plus side, I might be able to find something in my father’s library. There’s an entire bookcase that needs to be Concealed whenever the Ministry sends someone; there’s loads of books I can check.’

James didn’t know what to say to that. Sirius’ family was a touchy subject, and Sirius’ black humour (oh ha ha, Potter) only stretched so far. ‘That ought to keep you out of trouble for at least a week,’ he said lightly, hoping to stave off the dark mood he could see brewing. Sirius’ brow furrowed. ‘It’s only another year, Padfoot.’

‘That’s another year too many,’ muttered Sirius, hunching further over his book.

James sighed and pushed himself up from the table. ‘We’re out of time,’ he said ruefully, stretching one arm over his head. ‘We’ve got Quidditch tomorrow.’

‘Right.’ Sirius stood, still reading. ‘Oh here, this looks interesting. A spell to force an Animagus back into their human shape.’

‘What would you want that for?’ James moved behind him and peered over Sirius’ shoulder. ‘Though I suppose it’d come in handy if you were an Auror chasing down someone who could turn into a lion or something.’

‘Or an elephant.’

‘Imagine your animagus being an elephant.’ James grinned. ‘The size of your body would finally match your ego.’

Sirius dug his elbow into James’ side. ‘Funny, Prongs.’

‘Here, I’ll put away Might Makes Right.’ James hefted the bulky volume. As he replaced the book and returned to their table, he could hear Sirius muttering to himself somewhere in the stacks.

All at once the muttering broke off, and there was a mighty clatter and a muffled curse.

‘Sirius?’ hissed James, darting towards the noise. He rounded the corner to an astonishing sight. Sirius stood ankle-deep in a spill of books, some of which were still fluttering, and some that were flapping at the edge of his robes. One book had fastened itself to Sirius’ hair, one long strand caught firmly in its pages.

Bemused, James watched Sirius make a grab for the devilish thing. ‘What—’

‘Don’t just stand there, get it off!’ Sirius continued batting at the book, which seemed to take great delight in lurching away from his fist and yanking his head around.

James pulled his wand. ‘Finite Incantatum,’ he whispered. The books at Sirius’ feet stilled, but the book at his hair only flapped its deep magenta-striped cover at James and continued to tug Sirius’ head about.

‘Bloody miserable cursed…’ ranted Sirius, the rest of his hoarse whisper lost under the sound of dozens of pages being flipped.

James took careful aim. ‘Alohomora.’ He tried not to laugh as the book gave a frustrated twirl, then spat out the well-chewed lock of hair before it fell, landing on top of the pile.

‘Damned thing nearly scalped me!’ snarled Sirius, combing his fingers through his hair and shooting dirty looks towards the still-twitching book. ‘Is there a bald spot? If there is, so help me—’

James peered at the back of Sirius’ head. ‘Don’t think so.’ He lifted a handful of Sirius’ thick black hair, and gave it a tug for good measure. ‘It’s not going anywhere, either,’ he joked.

Abruptly, Sirius pulled away, face flushing. He shook his head, sending his hair flying about, and straightened his clothes.

‘Er…’

‘Stings a bit.’ Sirius shrugged. ‘Must’ve got a bigger bite than I thought.’

James frowned. ‘Really? That’s a hell of a papercut. I should do a Disinfection Charm on it.’

‘It’s fine,’ said Sirius shortly. ‘We should get going – we don’t want to get caught, and that blasted book might start up again.’

‘Let me see, Sirius. Merlin knows what’s on these things, and we don’t want to have to explain what happened to Madam Pomfrey.’

Sirius clenched his fists, then nodded jerkily and looked away. ‘Be quick.’

James carefully lifted the mass of hair to inspect the scratches on Sirius’ scalp. He cast Disinfection Charms on the worst of them, then circled around to do the other side. Through it all, Sirius stood rigidly, eyes fixed straight ahead.

‘Finished?’ Sirius was sweating and breathing like he’d just run a race.

‘Almost,’ murmured James, leaning in closer, fighting a shiver as his cold hands soaked up the heat radiating off Sirius' neck.

‘That’s enough,’ croaked Sirius. He nudged James away with his arm.

James gave the hank of hair in his hand an offended yank. ‘Look, don’t be a prat, just let me—’ Sirius toppled against him, and James froze as something hard burned against his hip. Oh holy hell. James' heart thudded madly, his gut flipping over in a not-unpleasant fashion. Sirius’ frantic eyes bored into his, and then a firm shove sent James sprawling down the aisle. ‘What the—Sirius!’

‘Leave it,’ Sirius grated, snatching books up off the floor and shelving them hastily.

James silently watched the quick, nervous movements. He thought about the desperation in Sirius’ terrified gaze, and he considered the curious twist in his belly when he’d felt the heat of the hard ridge that had pressed against him.

Pushing himself up on his elbows, James swallowed around the constriction in his throat and took a deep breath. ‘I don’t think I can do that,’ he said quietly. ‘My best friend pitches me down the hall for no good reason and I’m supposed to leave it?’

Sirius glared. ‘No good reason?’

‘No good reason,’ repeated James firmly. He scrambled to his feet and brushed dust off his robes. ‘You about finished with those books, Padfoot?’

Sirius stared, then nodded.

‘Good, then we’d best be off.’ James slung his arm around Sirius’ shoulders and steered him back towards the table where they’d left their notes and the invisibility cloak. Without stopping to think about how he’d explain the black eye he’d get if he was wrong, James grasped the strands of hair tickling the back of his hand and gave them a deliberate pull.

Sirius whipped his head around. ‘Don’t tease me,’ he said hoarsely.

‘I’m not,’ replied James, pulling again. A nervous smile tugged his lips as a slow grin spread over Sirius’ face.

END

Merry Christmas everyone!

2009-12-25T21:31:17Z

Have a puzzle game. :)

http://www.continuitygame.com/

Hope you're all having a great holiday week. ♥

Alice - SyFy miniseries [spoilers]

2009-12-12T14:32:02Z

Who else watched Alice? I need to squee!

(No peeking, Mosh!)

Loved the imagery and costumes. At first, I was looking around for all the details, but I quickly got swept up in the story. Some of it was the standard fare you'd expect, but they put some nice twists on a lot of things and kept it interesting the whole way through.

The characters were terrific. Jack kept me guessing until quite late in the game, though I had the Hatter pegged before part 1 was over. Charlie, oh Charlie you're lovably crazy (can't even say 'eccentric', pretty sure he's just crazy as a box of frogs). The King and Queen of Hearts were just the right amount of twisted (and fun, too, because as most of you know I've been on a Star Trek binge for the last little while, and it was nice to see Colm Meany again). :)

And on a fangirly note, I ship Alice & Hatter like burning. :) So it's fortunate they had the ending they did. I loved that part, I really did. I was afraid for a second that it was going to be an "it was all in her head, but here's the real-world version of him that she can use as a replacement" thing, so I was really, really glad to see it was truly him (in retrospect, this isn't the type of story that would do that, but I'm so used to shows spoiling a good thing in the end, I think I can forgive myself the momentary fear). Got myself a wee bit of a crush on Hatter, too. It's always the charming roguish ones for me...

Overall it was four hours very well spent. I think I'll buy it when it comes out on disc.

What did you guys think? thecheshirekatt, I'm especially looking at you. :)

Thank you, and a Star Trek funny [video]

2009-12-07T17:02:16Z

Thank you, lovely LJ friends! I am enjoying my cookies and cocoa. ^_^

A little something my hubby sent me this morning. Since I am currently in TNG s2 of my 'Rewatching All of Star Trek' marathon, I found this especially funny. *g*