Not all those who wander are lost

I'm back (!!)

2020-05-29T05:28:20Z

Hi! I'm back (sort of). I was recently talking to malenkayacherepakha about fandom and fandom spaces. We were discussing the ways in which various platforms support different kinds of fandom interactions, and it made me want to come back to Dreamwidth. So, here I am! I’m excited to see a few more of you around :)

Also, if you’d like to share, I’d love to hear how you feel about different fandom platforms. I’m fairly new in fandom, so I didn’t experience it in its LJ days, or even before, but I am so interested in learning about what it was like then! Nowadays, my fandom experience consists mainly of Tumblr and Discord. I enjoy the organization of the Discord server (I’m a bit of a nerd), and all of the lovely people I’ve met there, but it can often feel like everything moves quite quickly. If you miss even a day, then it feels like the conversations speed on without you. I love the visual aspects of Tumblr, but in much the same way as Discord, it can often feel like things move fast.

Hope everyone is safe and well <3

cheers to the new year (and new decade)

2020-01-02T21:13:08Z

We seem to find ourselves here once again, at another turn around the sun. I guess that’s what they mean when they say time is linear, right? I remember someone once told me that time speeds up as we grow older. I’m scared because time already feels as if it’s moving so fast that I can’t keep up.

2019 was definitely a year. When I was asked to describe the year in three words, I said “challenging, growth, and home.” The first half of the year was definitely the most challenging part, as I struggled to find work that did not exhaust my body and mind. The second half of the year was challenging in different ways. I had found what I thought would be a perfect job on paper, but actually turned out to be mind-numbing admin work that bored me to tears. But, I learned how to exist in a new city where I knew very few people and was not fulfilled by my job. I started to figure out how to create a fulfilling life—the ingredients that when combined, would bring me the life that I would be most satisfied with. I know that this will be a lifelong process, but currently, my ideal life has a certain balance of work, travel, friends, food, books, learning, and adventure. I know that while my life needs to have some semblance of routine, I don’t want it to become boring or staid. I know that living in New York makes me the happiest that I could be right now. All the parts of the city that I hate, the crowds, the subway rats, the heat in the summer, I can bear because of all the parts of the city that I love—the view of Manhattan in the morning from the M train crossing the Williamsburg bridge, the museums filled to the brim with history and art and beauty, the endless amounts of new food that I can try, the way that there’s always something new to be experienced, both in New York, or very close by, to name just a few.

Although I still don’t have my life all figured out, in terms of the day-to-day that will bring me the most satisfaction and joy, I do know that it’s okay to be where I am. I am learning to not only embrace this liminal space, but to truly revel in it—to love the weird, scary, terrifying place where anything is possible. I know that I want to write. I want to write stories; I want to write about my life; I want to write about others’ lives. I want to share my words and my sentences. I’ve always been scared to say that so definitively, as if doing so will scare away the ghost of my success. As if admitting that I want to write is as good as admitting that I want to fail, since who makes it as a writer? I’ve realized that being a writer looks different for everyone. I’ve considered an MFA in creative writing, and know that I will be pondering this for a while. I am a creative soul and I want to do creative things.

For the past year, I made some resolutions that I kept and some that I did not. I did a good job with visiting museums and incorporating exercise into my daily routine. I read more published works, gave serious thought to what I wanted to do with my life, practiced my Spanish, worked on developing my personal style, and tracked my expenses. My goals related to creativity, of both the fandom and non-fandom related variety, did not work out as much. In making room for reading published works, I sort of drifted away from fandom.

I started dating, which has been an adventure in and of itself. I don’t know how I feel about it. It’s been interesting to meet new people, but I’m not sure what I want out of it, or what my intentions are, but I’m going to keep trying. I’m going into 2020 with an open mind. I actually wrote a piece that will (fingers-crossed) be published soon in an online publication.

For 2020, the new year and new decade, I’m not going to make a list with 20 resolutions, because 20 is a lot and I’m lazy. Instead, I’m going to write a bit about the things that I am looking to do in 2020:

- A big one that I’m hoping to do more of this year is be creative. For me, this has meant many things over the years, but for 2020, I want it to be incorporating creativity into my routine as much as possible. I want to get back into writing regularly, both journaling as well as more structured types of writing. Sometimes, I think that I create this barrier in my mind that everything that I have to write has to be perfect and articulate and important and earth-shattering, and that’s just not reality. I just want to get words on a page, so I’m going to try to lower my expectations about what I want to write. I am going to do Get Your Words Out again, and I think that I want to try the 240 days again. I originally pledged 120 days because I didn't even come close to 240 in 2019, but I’m ready to try again. If an MFA is the route I choose to go, then writing regularly will be a good thing to aspire to do. I also want to get back into photography, to possibly get a film camera and learn a bit about the dark room. I want to create a blog about my love of New York Subway Stations and songs about New York Subway Stations. I want to get a keyboard and play more.
- Although New York feels more like my home than some places I’ve lived, I am hoping to make it feel even more so. I want to make the space that I’m living in even more homey, to put decorations up, clean up common spaces, and make it my space. I’ve treated so many places I’ve lived as transient places, because that’s what they were, but I think that I’m going to be in New York for a little while.
- As I did in 2019, with visiting as many museums as I can, I am hoping to continue to discover new neighborhoods and parts of New York. I’ve been to a lot of places both near and far, but I want to see even more. I want to go to the Bronx, and to actually make it up to the Cloisters, to name a few. I also don’t want to stop visiting museums. I’ve also enjoyed exploring more of the Northeast, and hope to keep doing it!
- I’ve cultivated many new friendships in the city, and in the new year, I hope to continue to grow those relationships. I also hope to make new friends, to build my network of support. Having meaningful friendships is something that I need to have a life that I am happy with. I am also excited to maintain the friendships that I have and to hopefully send at least some snail mail.
- In terms of politics, I still need to find the best way to keep up with news without feeling constantly overwhelmed. I want to talk with other people to see what they do, and see if they have any advice for the best way to stay informed. Going hand-in-hand with wanting to maintain my Spanish, I think that reading BBC News Mundo could be a good place to start. I also want to find some podcasts that have a good mix of both international and domestic news.
- I am interested in cooking more diverse food, in expanding my repertoire and trying new and challenging dishes. First order of business will be getting more spices, and then figuring out what I want to try.
- In terms of money and finances, I managed to track them in 2019, but I want to do a better job of budgeting in the new year.
- I also want to find a volunteering project that is meaningful to the community and to me.
- I want to read 30 books in 2020! I want to read as many of them by diverse authors. I loved the Asian-American lit I read this past year, and hope to continue to do this in the future. I also want to read more graphic novels—I love the combination of visual art and words.

I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by. I’m tentatively hopeful about what the next one will bring— I feel like my “adult” life is settling down into what it is going to be and I’m excited about the kind of life that I’m going to create. Happy New Year to everyone! Hope your year is filled with joy, inspiration, and lots of laughter :)

Snowflake Challenge Day 1!

2019-01-02T04:37:44Z

I’m excited to be participating in The Snowflake Challenge for the first time!

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.

There are many things that bring me joy and keep me sane, from conversing with a really really good friend to reading a really really good fic to the smell of the grass just after it rains or the feel of the salt spray at the beach. I love the calm of late night or early morning, when it feels like no else is truly alive but you. I find peace when I’m alone in crowded spaces, like traveling on the metro or going to a busy plaza.

One of the things that brings me the most happiness is eating really good food with really good company. I think that eating delicious food is one of my favorite things in the world, and that combined with the love and support of truly wonderful company makes it all the better. I think sharing a meal together can facilitate a truly warm and comfortable environment where it’s easier to connect with others.

When I’m alone, I seek my Happy Place in reading, both books and fic. I find comfort in curling up in bed with a good book or fic, a hot cup of tea or coffee, and just losing myself in the words on the page.

I also find peace and calm doing yoga and exercising. It helps me to forget about all my worries, and just focus on moving my body (and sometimes the pain that goes along with not regularly exercising haha).

to a new year and a new(ish) me

2019-01-01T02:46:48Z

As 2018 comes to a close, it seems that the thing to do is write some sort of wrap-up/New Year’s Resolutions post. Sometimes I still feel like we’re closer to 2010 instead of 2020, which I know emphatically is not true, but it still feels true to me. I can’t believe both how fast and slow this past year has gone—I can honestly say that it was simultaneously the most challenging and most rewarding year of my life. I traveled more than I ever have with a group of friends who are like family, and I worked at one the hardest jobs of my life where I would spend 30 minutes lying in bed each morning convincing myself that I had to go to work. Against the beautiful backdrop of some of Eastern Europe’s most stunning cities, from Krakow to Budapest to Prague, I struggled with isolation, and sadness. I know that I grew so much as a person, became more comfortable being me, but it came on the heels of an intensely challenging experience.

At the moment, 2019 still holds all the hope of a fresh year—a place where the possibilities feel endless. I just moved to a new city, which I am ecstatic to be in. Unfortunately, I don’t have a job yet. I have a group of truly wonderful roommates, and am hopeful to make more friends. Despite all the uncertainty of the moment, I feel that this is the right place for me to be. I feel comfortable in a way that I haven’t felt before, even in the town I grew up in. I feel like there is a place for me here, and I know that things will work out.

So, to start out this new year, I’m going to think about the various aspects of my life that I truly want to focus on. Since it’s 2019, I’m going to try to list 19 of them (~~but that’s a lot so idk if I’ll get there~~). They may feel like resolutions, and I guess that’s more or less what they are, but I am going to give myself the space and grace to fuck up. They’re not going to be goals with numbers attached, but rather more general efforts that I want to make. I can get very obsessed with number-oriented goals, so usually find more success with a different kind of focus. Without further ado, here they are! (Also, these are in no particular order.)

Make creativity a habit - I recently pledged 240 days for Get Your Words Out.
Work on pieces of original work - I currently have a short story collection that I want to write about my time abroad in the Czech Republic and a possible novel idea
Write fic that is unrelated to fests - although I’ve not written a ton in fandom, what little I have done has been entirely for fests. I want to create more fannish works that aren’t for fests
Work on incorporating diverse characters into the stories that I tell - This is such an important one for me, and it’s something that I can talk about until I’m blue in the face (representation matters!), but I’ve yet to actually put my money where my mouth is, as the saying goes. So in 2019, I’m going to work on both my fic and original work telling stories about people who aren’t straight, white, men because there’s enough of that in the world.
Find a creative partner or group that can hold me accountable for my creative pursuits
Visit as many museums as I can (and as cheaply as I can) - the city I moved to was New York, and there are so so so many museums that I cannot wait to see!
Incorporate exercise into my daily routine, whether it be yoga in the morning or going to the gym, or doing pilates
Read more published works - after reading strictly fanfic for two years, I started reading published works, but I want to read more! I feel like there’s so many good books that I’ve yet to read. I also want to read more short stories, poems, and non-fiction works.
Find a way to stay abreast of politics without feeling overwhelmed, whether it be articles, podcasts, etc. - I’ve struggled with not being completely devastated any time I read the news, and so have (unfortunately) stopped engaging almost entirely. So I’m hoping to find a way to stay informed about politics without feeling like I’m drowning. If anyone has advice, I’d love to hear it!
Give serious thought to what I want to do with my life - I know this sort of sounds absurd as a resolution, but I’ve been floating in this weird liminal space where I have a degree, but I don’t know if/how to use it. I also don’t know what kind of work I want to do, like research, grad school, or what. So I’m hoping to, if not figure it out (I probably won’t lol), at least think about it.
Make more friends in fandom! - Fandom has been part of my life for a few years, but because of my lurker status, I haven’t made many friends. So I’m hoping 2019 will be a year of new friends <3
Find a spiritual community - I was raised Protestant Christian, but I don’t know how much I still ascribe to those beliefs. I do, however, feel a craving to find a place where my spirit feels fed, whether that be through a church or a mosque or a synagogue, or something else entirely.
Practice my Spanish - I took Spanish all throughout middle school, high school, and college, but I haven’t maintained it as much as I’d like. I’m hoping to find a buddy who forces me to speak only in Spanish.
Get back into photography
Reintroduce myself to the joy that is playing piano - I took lessons until I was 18, but haven't played in many years and I miss it so.
Develop my personal style - this transitional period has made me question my entire wardrobe, and I’m interested in curating a capsule wardrobe (once I find a job lol).
Actually manage and track my expenses - this feels like the most adult thing on this list. Prior to this year, I’ve been spending money willy-nilly, hoping that I have enough. I’m going to make an effort to keep track of my spending and hopefully even manage to save some.
Send more snail mail! - There is no joy like sending or receiving mail the old-fashioned way, so please do let me know if you’d like to be pen pals :)
Pick up a new creative habit - maybe try arting? maybe knitting?? I just want to learn something new!

So there it is, my 2019 list of resolutions! I can’t believe I thought of 19, but these feel right. I’m excited to see what this new year brings. Happy New Year to y’all <3 May your year be filled with happiness and creative inspiration :)

Introductions!!

2018-12-28T16:30:06Z

Hi! My name is Sara and I'm relatively new here :) I've been a lurker in the Harry Potter fandom for a few years, but recently decided I wanted to become more involved. Fandom has given me so much, from countless of hours of entertainment to a chance to really explore different aspects of my own personal identity. Storytelling and writing have always been important in my life, but I've never felt confident enough to put anything out there. I feel like fandom is a space where I can start to share my work, a space that is welcoming, friendly and supportive! So I'm excited to be here and to meet new people :)

If I've added you, hello! I am currently on AO3 as glittering_git and on Discord under the same name! I also have a tumblr, but who knows how long that will last...

In order to make writing more of a habit, I recently pledged to do Get Your Words Out in 2019! My primary goal for the year is the 240 day Habit Pledge! This is my first time ever doing something like this, so we shall see how it goes. My secondary goal is to write 75K. I plan to work on a variety of projects, both fanfic and original fiction. I have a couple of ideas floating around for various short stories, novels, and of course, fic!

So thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to friend me or whatever it is we do here! I’m excited to see what the next year brings ♥

25 Days of Draco and Harry

2018-12-28T16:25:14Z

On a whim, I decided to participate in slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry. I had never participated in a daily prompt challenge, nor posted a fic over a series of days, and wanted to try something new. I thought it'd be good for me to have to write and post something every single day, as I'm someone who is a bit of a perfectionist and so tinkers with fics until they're just so. This usually means that it takes me a while to write, edit, and post a fic, (or I never post...), mainly because I'm so worried that no one will like it. So to force myself to just write, I did 25 Days, and I think that it was incredibly good for me! I wrote most days, and completed a fic that was 25 chapters. I've linked the fic below. I hope that you enjoy it!

Title: That's Not a Secret I'll Never Tell
Author: glittering_git
Summary: Harry and Draco have been secretly dating for a while and have finally decided to tell their friends. They’ve chosen the perfect setting: their ten-year Hogwarts reunion. It turns out that it’s not such a surprise after all.
Word Count: ~15,000
Rating: E
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Thank you so so so so much to yaoidiscussions and lets-g0-0n-an-adventure for the beta. You were both extremely helpful and supportive in this endeavor! A huge thank you to the lovely slashfoxes, for being there day-in and day-out, for offering many words of encouragement, and generally squeeing over this fic with me! This was my first time taking on a project like this, and it would not have been possible without all the support of my betas! Thank you for coming along with me on this journey—I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed working with you ♥

Thanks to all of the mods for making this fest possible!

Thank you to you, the reader, for being there throughout this journey! I loved each and every one of your comments, kudos, and support ♥ I hope that you liked this story as much as I liked writing it!

Happy holidays :)

Title from the Gossip Girl intro

Come find me on tumblr!

Updates and Holiday Fest Claiming :)

2017-02-19T01:28:44Z

In what would probably be the theme song of my life, if I was cool enough to have a theme song, I’m writing when I should be doing real life work. Sighs. But alas, real life is no fun, and so I find myself once again writing, or at least attempting to write.

I apologize for taking so long to post anything new — I was sort of waiting for hd_owlpost to post reveals so I could do a big claim for fics, but was actually just using that as an excuse, and then RL sort of got away from me and I didn’t end up doing any of that.

But, now I’m here, and I’m attempting to do a fic claiming post!

First, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in hd_erised and write for ravenclawsquill. Since this was only my second fest, I was — and still am — learning the ropes. But I’m excited to continue learning and improving as a writer :)

Wait for Me to Come Home.

Title:Wait for Me to Come Home
Author:glittering_git
Recipient:ravensclawquill
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating:NC-17
Word Count: ~9k
Warnings:Light D/S
Summary:Draco might not like the Christmas holidays that much, but he sure does like Potter. If only he could admit that to Potter, or even to himself. A non-linear story about recognising what has been right in front of you the whole time, and maybe, just maybe, being happier because of it.
Author's Notes: I would like to start by thanking my wonderful beta, sabethea , who did a lovely job of catching all of my mistakes and brit-picking, helping to make this story come together in a cohesive manner. I would also like to thank my lovely bestie, L, for always being there for me and my fanfic adventures. Ravensclawquill, I sincerely hope that you enjoy this fic! I tried my best to incorporate at least a few of the things that you asked for—I really liked your statement about what you love most about Harry/Draco and tried to capture some of that here. A huge thank you to the mods of this fest for doing such an amazing job and for their continued patience, encouragement, and kindness! Title is from Ed Sheeran’s Photograph.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

Then, I got to write three fluffy pieces for hd_owlpost. It was really fun to participate in this fest because it felt relatively low stress, and it produces such a high volume of amazing works.

A Bed for Next Time.

Gift from: glittering_git
Title: A Bed for Next Time
Summary: Harry looked up from the table, taking in Malfoy’s slim body, his rolled up shirtsleeves—the Dark Mark on display like it was a tattoo one got to be rebellious at 16. And the problem was, in this too hot Muggle club, with Malfoy dressed in leather trousers and a white button-down, it looked good.
Word Count: 1,200
Rating: NC-17
Contains: (Highlight to view) *SPOILER* Anal Sex, Rimming
Notes: Kerrilee, I hope that you enjoy this brief oneshot about these two boys. I took your club!fic idea and went with it. To the mods, thank you so much for all of your hard work, kindness, and patience with this fest!

Black Dildos and White Elephants.

Gift from: glittering_git
Title: Black Dildos and White Elephants
Summary: Draco brings a gag gift to a white elephant gift exchange. Potter’s there and chooses Draco’s gift. Why, oh why, does the world hate Draco?
Word Count: 1,900
Rating: PG
Notes: Persephone, I hope that you like enjoy this piece about these two boys! I took the white elephant prompt and the Draco Malfoy living in the Muggle World and was inspired. A huge thank you to the mods for all of your hard work, kindness, and patience with this fest!

Watchers of the Sky.

Gift from: glittering_git
Title: Watchers of the Sky
Summary: What is Harry’s favourite constellation? I’ll give you one guess...
Word Count: 500
Rating: G
Notes: Kikimay, I hope that you enjoy this little drabble about these two lovely boys. I would also like to thank the wonderful mods for running this fest—for your kindness, patience, and encouragement!

Also, I received many lovely gifts for this holiday season, that I’ve linked below.

persephoneapple wrote this adorably fluffy piece for me for hd_erised :)

enchanted_jae wrote this hilariously adorable ballad for me for hd_owlpost ♥

marysaik wrote this lovely story that involves Charlie and dragons and is just oh so wonderful for hd_owlpost :)

kitty_fic made this amazing aesthetic for hd_owlpost!

Currently, I’m working on a fic for hp_kinkfest as well as for Fandom Trumps Hate.

I’m also hoping to slowly become more active on here :)

I hope that everyone else is having a good February ♥

to a new year and the same(ish) me

2017-01-02T03:49:05Z

It seems fitting that this first actual post is happening on the first day of a new year. My journal is literally a blank slate, ready and waiting to be filled with words, in one form or another. I'm going to be really honest and say that I don't really know how to use LiveJournal correctly, but I'm excited to learn. So please bear with me as I learn, and I promise it'll get better (albeit slowly... I'm the turtle in this scenario... slow and steady and all that).

I've made quite a list of resolutions for this year, but I think that they're all mostly attainable. I don't do well with resolutions that have a specified goal, with specific numbers, as I often miss a day and then don't feel the motivation to keep going. So this year, most of them revolve around efforts that I can make on a more regular basis, like taking care of myself better or being kinder―to myself and to others.

I'm excited to see what this year has in store―finishing a thesis, graduating from university, hopefully travelling, and much more―and excited to make new friends on LiveJournal! Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to introduce yourself! I love meeting new people :)