my moral standing is lying down

RIP David Bowie

osaraba — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 15:21:44 GMT

I realize now that I thought he'd just live forever.

YAY Cat fostering!

osaraba — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:30:16 GMT

Last week we brought home our first foster cat, Zoe! A super chill, sweet and affectionate 10-year old with an ear issue who has surgery scheduled for this Wednesday. We're bringing her back to the ASPCA today so she can be prepped for her surgery, but we're hoping to take her back home with us afterwards, for another two weeks.

What a sweet kitty! <3

We looked into cat fostering via the ASPCA for a variety of reasons: as sort of a test run to gauge the extent of Rich's allergies... and his willingness to take Claritin every day. And maybe eventually to see if we might come across a kitten or cat that he's less allergic to, and keep it. That would really be ideal since I'm dying to have a cat again. It's insanely sweet that he's willing to try this out, and of course I'm grateful. I want this to work, but in the end Rich's health is top priority.

Does anyone have any experience with shots to reduce pet allergies? Just wondering how expensive/intensive they are?

Inception doggy!

osaraba — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 14:21:08 GMT

Just came across this random article about a dog who started following an extreme sports team doing a 430-mile long distance race while they were travelling through an Ecuadorian jungle.

Adorable, right?

One of the guys gave him a meatball and basically had a friend for life; he's arranging to adopt him now, and bring him back to his family in Switzerland.

It's really too bad this guy isn't named Dom. Because he named the dog Arthur. And guess who's really excited to meet the dog? The guy's daughter, Philippa.

Hah.

11 apartments (between us) in 7 years.

osaraba — Wed, 14 May 2014 19:14:15 GMT

I'm pretty sure I mentioned last year that Rich reeeeally didn't want to move out of our old place at the end of his 12-month lease. And who can blame him? He's moved 6 times in the last 7 years (I've moved 5 in the last 7), but technically, we moved after 1 year and 3 months, so I guess it doesn't count?

Anyway, we're all moved out of the old place (where we shared a small 2-bedroom with a roommate) and into a small 1-bedroom! I've never gotten the chance to live alone (sadly, as it's something I wanted to do), but fortunately this is only a step removed from that. It's not the same as living alone, but it's definitely not the same as living with a roommate, even if you're pretty darn close with them.

I'm super excited for this new place as it's got tons of natural light-- something the old place didn't have. And not to mention, it's now HALF A BLOCK from the train I take to work every day. So I've cut what used to be a 12-minute walk to the train down to a 1-minute walk. It's pretty much the NYC-work-life equivalent of rolling out of bed and going to class in your pajamas. Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying Bushwick? It's pretty nice (as long as you look out for where you're stepping).

In other news, I randomly watched the new P!ATD video (This is Gospel: Piano Version) and then watched the regular version (after not having heard it since shortly after the album release) and... LOL apparently I'm TOTALLY IN THE MOOD FOR PATD RIGHT NOW. Who knew? Watching the video even made me want to read (and re-read) fic that I haven't been interested in for years now.

TBH I don't expect this feeling to last but it was nice to have it. I miss my stint in bandom; obviously online friends are too much fun for me to handle!

Watched the first minute of the BTS video for TIG which led me over to this other video by the same director, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Last thing... NYR IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALLLLLS! I can't believe we fucking won against the Penguins in an AWAY game 7. It feels pretty great to be a Rangers fan right now!

Announcement!

osaraba — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 20:39:17 GMT

So I guess if you haven't seen from over on facebook... Rich and I are now engaged!

Hah. It's a weird feeling because I'm actually not a fan of marriage in general -- in particular, the social expectations and stupid preconceived notions that go hand-in-hand with being "of marriageable age". (Though obviously on a personal/individual level, I completely understand the desire to announce one's love and commitment to your partner before your community.) This is something we've talked about at length... even before we started dating.

But since people tend to ask about "The Proposal"... there really wasn't one. For which I'm super thankful as I'm clearly not a fan of stereotypical rites/traditions. I'm mostly telling people that he joked about the idea until I got so used to it that I finally asked him when we were going to actually do the deed. Mostly that's true! But I do tend to leave out the pragmatism which underlies the motivation to marry: namely, various legal benefits wrt kids and healthcare.

Still, I'm very happy about it, despite my conflicting feelings on the institution of marriage. I'm also REALLY looking forward to the party! If you know me at all, you know I love a good party!

Juice cleanse complete!

osaraba — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:22:36 GMT

And I survived! It wasn't actually bad at all, though I highly recommend you have lots of stuff planned to distract you on your cleanse days. For me, Friday and Sunday were easy as pie, because I had stuff to do; I barely noticed the fact that I was drinking juice and not eating.

Saturday, however, was kind of awful because I had nothing to do. What I really wanted to do was go and be outside and hang out with friends, but you know what I do when I go out and hang? Eat. And drink. If I'm at home, I tend to snack. So being "stuck" at home most of the day on Saturday was not the smartest idea I've ever had. Rich was fiiiiine on Saturday; he had FFXIV to keep him occupied pretty much all day long. Eventually I kicked myself out of my funk by doing a short workout which really re-energized me and perked me right up.

I was never hungry and never felt physically tired or lacking in energy. Saturday was emotionally a bit rough, but it's hard to tell exactly how much that had to do with the cleanse. I did think about crunchy snacks a lot (a LOT), but I was never genuinely tempted to break the cleanse. And I talked about food all. the. time. But, you know, I love food and I love talking about it, so it wasn't a huge departure from the usual.

For the next week I'm doing a post-cleanse diet (same as the pre-cleanse diet) which transitions into/out of the juice-only cleanse. This means no chicken or beef, no grains (pasta/rice/bread), no dairy, no fried foods. I'm going to try to put it off for as long as possible, but my first order of fries has got to be a good one! (...maybe I should make a special trip to Pommes Frites in the East Village.)

If you're into Magic: the Gathering, Rich does a weekly column ("What We Learned") over on Hipsters of the Coast. This week he blogged about the juice cleanse and how taking care of your body makes for a better Magic playing experience.

Just juice.

osaraba — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 18:41:31 GMT

So I started a 3-day juice cleanse today. I've had 2 so far and I'm surprisingly not even feeling hungry. I say "surprising" but of course it shouldn't be. Still, I've noticed that I'm thinking quite a bit about chewy/crunchy snacky things (like nuts and chips) moreso than thinking about a huge cheeseburger or something similar. I'm clearly missing the crunching experience.

I'm excited and nervous about what the next 2.5 days will be like!

The awkward return...

osaraba — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 01:42:10 GMT

It's been a LONG--- holy shit, it's been a year! Since I last updated.

My life's completely different from when I was in LA, and pretty different even from a year ago, having been back for only about a month at the time. I've now been working at the NY headquarters for almost a year, as a data auditor for compliance purposes, and it's definitely not what I'd imagined. It's also not anywhere near as interesting as the research I'd been doing for them in LA, so that's a whole can of worms that I'm not really ready to open just yet.

I've also been living with Rich for a year now, and that's been pretty great. Not having lived with a partner before, I had no idea what it could or would be like, and so I've discovered that sometimes it's wonderful and other times it's frustrating and challenging. It's been great, though.

OMG-- I wish I'd been more consistent in updating LJ over the past year, so that I could have chronicled what it's been like living in this Bushwick apartment. It's been one thing after another and I'm SO fed up with being here. First the fridge kept breaking and it took months to get the landlord to finally replace it with a new one instead of trying to repair it (and half the time it was actually Rich repairing it)! Then we had toilet tank problems, hot water issues, frozen/burst pipes, and most recently no heat! It's been a crazy winter, I know, but the landlord must wait til everything's on the verge of broken (or IS broken) before fixing it. I've absolutely had it up to here with it! Luckily we're now in a month-to-month situation, so I've been looking for another place when possible. At this point we're looking for a place to ourselves, so it's much more difficult to find an affordable place in some of the neighborhoods we'd prefer for social and daily-commute reasons.

For a few months we had an awesome roommate, Daniel, who's 23 and SO MUCH FUN. We all got along really well and I totally count myself lucky to have him as a friend! We still get together every so often for drinks or brunch, etc. Our current roomie, while very nice and reliable with the rent... well, he just isn't a guy I can relate much to. On top of that, his schedule is completely random (not the typical 9-5 office job), so it doesn't offer many opportunities for us to bond over anything. He let us know recently that he'd been thinking of moving come September, but since his girlfriend's roommate might be moving out in June, that will likely change.

To be honest, I'm pretty glad about that. If Rich and I can find a place of our own for June, that would be ideal.

Hopefully I'll be back on here a bit more consistently; I miss having my LJ community to come home to! <3

Sex Is Not The Enemy FICATHON #5 - Round-up Post

osaraba — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 05:07:56 GMT

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who signed up and participated!
(I really love running this little ficathon, so I'm suuuuuper grateful to everyone who participates -- it's ALL OF YOU who keep it going!!!)
I'll be updating this list with any late posters, so please check back!!

ashesandghostff - You're Behind My Eyelids (When I'm All Alone)
bookblather - Femme Fatale, sweet sweet
ionthesparrow - Take, Eat
nerdwegian - All The Darkness I Have Worn
pkelfin - These Things Are Fun
radioaches - lightning to my thunder
sashataakheru - Challenge Accepted (also on AO3), Reveries of a Solitary Night Walker (also on AO3)
shipwreck_light - Jealous of Roses
torakowalski - The Wind Blows The Night Time My Way
ukiyo91 - Shower Power

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

SINTE #5: weekly reminder post

osaraba — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 04:11:18 GMT

TRACK COMMENTS TO THIS POST
to receive weekly reminders (once a week for the next three weeks), counting down to deadline: Thursday, Feb 13!

And please remember:

THERE'S STILL TIME TO REQUEST A PROMPT! Just head over to the original post and submit your sign-up request!
If your prompt doesn't work for you, just request a new one!
If you finish your fic early and want additional prompts, don't hesitate to request more!
You can use prompts that have been assigned to others after completing your first one.
If posting to Archive of Our Own (AO3), use the "Sex Is Not The Enemy" tag.
Post links to completed works as replies to your sign-up request in the original post.
ENJOY!

sex is not the enemy FICATHON! (#5)

osaraba — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 16:21:09 GMT

Signups for the FIFTH annual Sex Is Not The Enemy FIC/ART-ATHON are now open!

Info & Timeline:

Based on your sign-up request you will be provided a picture for which you should write a story of at least 500 words, or produce a piece of art. All pic prompts will be taken from sex is not the enemy.
Creative works can be either from any fandom or original; sex of the participants should remain consistent. [To clarify: If your picture involves one male and one female, you should create something that has one male and one female. Positions within the picture can absolutely be swapped, and gender flipping is absolutely welcomed.]
Once you have finished with your prompt pic you are welcome to request another, or to use the prompts that have been assigned to anyone else - your prompt will be linked in answer to your comment here. Anything produced as a part of this fest should be posted in your blog/on your website/wherever, then a link should be posted as a comment to this post. A round-up post will be made the day after the deadline.

Sign-up requests due: Wednesday, Jan 15th
Prompts assigned: Thursday, Jan 16th
Works due: Thursday, Feb 13th

*Latecomers to the signing up will still be issued prompts but I cannot guarantee a timely response.

Sign-up requests:
Copy and Paste this into your sign-up comment; delete only those with which you are uncomfortable.

Participants: Solo - Two - Threesome - Group Sex
Sex: Male - Female - Male/Male - Male/Female - Female/Female - Male/Male/Female - Female/Female/Male - Male/Male/Male - Female/Female/Female - Male group - Female group - Mixed group
Nudity: No Nudity - Implied Nudity - Some Nudity - Full Nudity
Level of Intimacy: Bodily contact - Kissing - Implied sex - Full sex

Please help spread the word!

It's not vanity.

osaraba — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:22:46 GMT

So now comes the post where I talk about how much weight I've lost in the last year and how awesome it is. I gained a lot of weight when I was in Indonesia because I wasn't able to be even as active as I normally was in NYC (not that I was super active anyway). Between coming back from Indonesia and going to LA I'm sure I lost a bit of weight and continued to do so in LA. But starting at the end of July last year I really started focusing on working out, and being more aware of what/when/how much I ate.

I did the Curves Complete weight loss plan for 3 months-- most of it is stuff I was already aware of, but having to stick to an actual plan, and having access to a whole bunch of easy recipes was really key for me. After the first 6 weeks I honestly stopped paying so much attention to recording everything and just continued the habits I'd created.

So, in the last 8 months -- from when I actually started counting -- I've lost a total of 50 lbs. And though the rate of loss has certainly slowed, it hasn't stopped.

It feels AMAZING.

I haven't been "dieting" so I don't expect to suddenly start gaining the weight back unless I get into another headspace where I just don't care. But honestly I think I'll be able to get back on track eventually, should that happen. Because now I know how to do it, successfully; I'll be able to do it again.

This is the smallest I've been, ever, since the first time I was this weight/size, probably somewhere back in junior high (7-9th grade). I can tell the difference, mostly just because of how my clothes don't fit anymore, but mostly I don't feel like I look that different. Which is perfectly fine. Though occasionally I'll catch a certain angle in the mirror and I'm like, wait, is that MY neck/collarbones/shoulders/face?

The best part (besides being able to fit into more clothes I like) is being able to do things I could never do before, like sit cross-legged on a desk chair, or comfortably circle my arms around my bent legs while sitting. It's just easier to MOVE. And I keep touching myself. Like, I can feel my ribcage -- so weird!

Anyway, it's all pretty exciting, and I'm just quietly happy with my progress. No matter how the whole new job/NYC/Philly things work out, going to LA last year was probably the best thing I could've done for myself.

Hello from NYC!

osaraba — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:18:55 GMT

Ahaha, so I've been back in NYC for almost three weeks now. It has felt simultaneously much shorter and much longer than that. I've been mostly helping out my mom with my father who's been sick (in and out of the hospital for the last 6 weeks). He's home now and doing a lot better but there are still moments where his stubbornness overrides what little good sense he has and it basically creates a lot of problems for all the rest of us. =/

My first week back I interviewed at the headquarters of the company I was working for in LA. It wasn't an interview for a specific job at first, but the head of Research was looking to create an Audit & Compliance department and because of the apparently glowing recommendations from my boss and the head broker in LA, I'm going to be doing that for them come April 8th.

This is going to be a step up in responsibilities, though -- it's much more of a career-type job than just a work-to-make-money type job. So I'm kind of scared and nervous about it because I'm somewhat of a slacker even though I try not to be. But I'm going to be hired as a consultant for the first few months, which will give us all a chance to see how this works out, on both sides.

So that does sort of throw my Philly plans up in the air for now -- if the job doesn't work out then I can still go to Philly but if it does actually work out... well, it may turn out to be worth staying in NYC for anyway. I definitely have mixed feelings because I really wasn't ready to be back in NYC quite yet. But there's also living with Rich which has been pretty awesome so far. <3

When did my life get so complicated?

I miss LA though.

PAX East in Boston is only 5 days away now. I'm pretty excited to be going to a con with so many friends again. It's been a while. There are a few panels I wouldn't mind attending but you know me, what I'm really looking forward to is the drinking/partying! =DDD It's kind of ridic that Muskrat Jamboree (which I'm not going to, sadly) is going to be like a mile away. I'm going to try to drop by and say hi to people if possible.

Sex Is Not The Enemy FICATHON - Round-up Post

osaraba — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:06:26 GMT

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who signed up and participated!
I'll be updating this list with any late posters, so please check back!!

beef_wonder3 - Forever is composed of nows
blossomdreams - Pleasant Surprise
bookblather - Memory, This, Skin Hunger, Five Boyfriends Penny Dumped (And One She Kept), You and Your Hand
eledhwenlin - A Sight to See (also on AO3)
empathapathique - Safe to Shore
ionthesparrow - Pause Here
katiemariie - cool me down before i jump into your thighs (also on AO3)
loveflyfree - I was Yours and You were Mine
sarcasticsra - Loud, What I Want
sashataakheru - Hedgehog's Dilemma (also on AO3), Waiting for the Night (also on AO3)
shipwreck_light - Jealous of Roses
subluxate - Newspaper Photos Are Not Sexy, Ibiza, Swept Away, Pinned
torakowalski - These Things Take Forever
zoi_no_miko - For Now (also on AO3)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

what is it they say about "best laid plans"...?

osaraba — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:06:20 GMT

Ahahaha, I got laid off.

My last day is this coming Friday, though my boss let me know this past Friday. I went home a little early and told my roomies and quietly freaked out a little. Went to the gym. Then I relaxed because whatevs, I just had to figure out what I should do about it: look up California Unemployment, see if I'm eligible; look up jobs on Craigslist and other sites, start sending resumes out.

I did those things.

I can't even remember what the context was when I jokingly said "I should just move to Philly", but then the thought just got stuck in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more seriously appealing it became. Several weeks ago I'd decided that I was going to stay in LA for only another year before going back to NYC. Mostly because of Rich. So my thinking is: if I've got only a year to sow my wild wanderlust-oats, I need to make the best of it; if I was going to struggle with finding a job (for who knows how long) and maybe not be able to do things because of making only enough money to survive rather than go out and doing fun stuff, I'd rather spend a year doing that in a place I've never lived before, experiencing something completely new and different.

You probably think I'm crazy. I don't blame you; I kind of do, too. But I talked it out with a few people who've got good, rational heads on their shoulders, and I think this is actually going to work out.

I'll be going back to NYC first, for a couple of months, to work and save up some money for the cost of moving to Philly (rent/security/furniture/etc.) where I plan to live for about a year before returning. I'm ridiculously sad I'm going to miss all of the new friends I made here, though. And most especially, my two awesome roomies elipie and likeaglass. This past year just couldn't have been as fucking awesome as it was without them!

But I'm not gonna lie -- though it wasn't the motivating, or even the tipping factor -- it's a huge plus that Philly's only 2.5 hours away from Rich, and my family, and so many of my closest friends. (And also the NY Rangers.)

So here's the fun part: ROAD TRIP 2: EAST COAST BOOGALOO!

LOS ANGELES >> ALBUQUERQUE >> OKLAHOMA CITY >> ST LOUIS >> CHICAGO >> PITTSBURGH >> NYC

1 YEAR IN LA!

osaraba — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:19:20 GMT

Yesterday (Tues 1/29) was the one-year anniversary of me being in Los Angeles. It's been an awesome year here, on so many levels. I've met some cool new people and love & miss my NYC friends even more. But I needed to do what I did, I needed that huge change; it's been nothing but good for me.

I'll let my twitter speak for me today:

Let's talk about screaming orgasms.

osaraba — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:55:21 GMT

Acadia was reading hilarious badfic one-liners to me last night and though I don't remember the line, it started a semi-serious conversation about screaming orgasms. I don't know about you, but screaming orgasms aren't a regular thing, in my experience. Shouting? Much more likely. Keening? Hell yeah. Screaming? Not so much.

Unless we're talking about edging. In which case, SO HOT OMFG. Also, makes sense, right? Thus appropriate.

Okay, so I don't want to dictate what words people can and can't use to describe fictional orgasms, but the use of "screaming" seems to have really lost its meaning.

Does the (over-)use of screaming to describe an orgasm throw you out of a story as much as it does me? Why do you think people use that particular word? Is it because of the unrealistic depiction of sex in the majority of porn? Any other thoughts? I'm curious now.

Still working out the kinks.

osaraba — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:51:37 GMT

I want to comment on everyone's posts! I missed you guys so much and I didn't even realize. Sorry, that sounds so shitty of me. =/ But it's been so long since I've been around I feel slightly awkward about it. Like, "Oh hi, yeah, it's been a year and a half since I last exchanged comments with you. Maybe you don't even remember why we friended each other."

So many people on my flist are talking hockey and it's SURREAL. At the risk of sounding like a hipster, I've been into hockey for longer than I've been on LJ, and the relatively recent hockey(RPF)-fandom explosion of the last few years still boggles! It's awesome though, don't get me wrong! It's exciting and I CANNOT FREAKING WAIT TIL SATURDAY! I'll be watching the Kings/Hawks opener with two hockey fandom fangirls at LA Live (next door to the Staples center) -- do I wear my Kings shirt or my Hawks shirt?! And then going back to my place after to watch the NYR/Boston game on NHL Gamecenter Live. CANNOT WAIT.

Sad things happened this week with Pekoe. See previous posts for clarification. I compartmentalize reeeeallly well so I'm doing okay. Other than when I talk about it with my sister Liz or my bff Maryann, it's still sort of unreal. I always have severe delayed reaction with these things, I think. =/

Going to a metal show tomorrow (Friday) night to see Down with some guys I met at a Sword concert back in... November? No, mid-December. Won tickets so I didn't spend money I don't have. Also carpooling so I can DRINK!!! Which is good, because I needed the excuse.

Oops, sorry for the quick ups/downs! I feel like I'm reporting on what I've been doing while away from LJ, as if I have to catch you up on what's passed. Hah, I assume this will change into more organic posting soon enough.

SINTE: weekly reminder post

osaraba — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:16:18 GMT

TRACK COMMENTS TO THIS POST
to receive weekly reminders (once a week for the next three weeks), counting down to deadline: Wednesday, Feb 13!

And please remember:

THERE'S STILL TIME TO REQUEST A PROMPT! Just head over to the original post and submit your sign-up request!
If your prompt doesn't work for you, just request a new one!
If you finish your fic early and want additional prompts, don't hesitate to request more!
You can use prompts that have been assigned to others after completing your first one.
If posting to Archive of Our Own (AO3), use the "Sex Is Not The Enemy" tag.
Post links to completed works as replies to your sign-up request in the original post.
ENJOY!

There's just no way to catch up on everything all in one post!

osaraba — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 01:40:04 GMT

Some things of note, though:

It's been almost a whole year now since I moved to LA! I can hardly believe it. It feels simultaneously longer and shorter. I've made some new friends! No one super close but it's been great nonetheless.

In September I FINALLY found a job! I'm now a research assistant at a commercial mortgage brokerage. My favorite coworker, Olga, is also a big hockey fan, so how could it possibly get better? Well, I could really be making a bit more-- that's something that I'll have to face soon. I wouldn't mind staying at this job for a considerable time but I'm barely making ends meet right now so something's gotta change.

Anyway, because I got a job, I finally switched my car title, registration, and license over to CA, which made me feel like a super-amazing adult (for like a week or two). (Previously the car was still titled to my parents, so.)

Back at the end of July, we adopted two adorable kitties from a shelter and they have been the sweetest (and the most annoying), but they've been a constant of awesome in my life.

Dublin is the dark tabby; Pekoe is the calico.

Unfortunately, Pekoe was just diagnosed with FIP, a disease that presents in cats under two (Pekoe will be 9 months at the end of January) and is terminal in pretty much all cases. She's hanging in there but she hasn't got much longer. I'm so glad to have had her but I'm so sad I don't have more time with her. She's just the sweetest kitten. <3 It's all extremely bittersweet.

In other happy news, though, NHL LOCKOUT IS OFFICIALLY OVER! It's been sad and boring without hockey. I miss the Rangers so much. I went to a charity game here in LA, which was fun, and then to the (more serious) charity game in Atlantic City when I went back to NYC around Thanksgiving, and then to an ECHL game in Ontario, CA (60 miles away from LA). But it's just not the same. I MISS MY BOYS! These last few weeks I'd even started to watch football! (I'm currently watching the Denver Baltimore game as I type! Ahhhh it's been so intense!)

BTW, it's also been a little over a year since Rich & I started dating and ahaha, it's still going well, considering it's a pretty long-distance thing. I'm really happy about it. =D

Anyway, I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but if I did, this year's resolution would be to get back into posting and reading on LJ! So I hope to be around a lot more than I have been!

Soooooo, let me know what's going on with you guys! Or ask me questions about moving to and living in LA, or whatever else you're curious about! At the very least, go check out the SEX IS NOT THE ENEMY FICATHON! (It's a 500-word minimum, so you KNOW you have time to contribute!) Sign-ups are still open, and prompts will be assigned on Wednesday!

sex is not the enemy FICATHON!

osaraba — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 05:20:27 GMT

Signups for the fourth annual Sex Is Not The Enemy FIC/ART-ATHON are now open!

Want a slightly less work-safe graphic? Here you go!

ETA: ROUND-UP POST HERE!

Info & Timeline:

Based on your sign-up request you will be provided a picture for which you should write a story of at least 500 words, or produce a piece of art. All pic prompts will be taken from sex is not the enemy.
Creative works can be either from any fandom or original; sex of the participants should remain consistent. [To clarify: If your picture involves one male and one female, you should create something that has one male and one female. Positions within the picture can absolutely be swapped, and gender flipping is absolutely welcomed.]
Once you have finished with your prompt pic you are welcome to request another, or to use the prompts that have been assigned to anyone else - your prompt will be linked in answer to your comment here. Anything produced as a part of this fest should be posted in your blog/on your website/wherever, then a link should be posted as a comment to this post. A round-up post will be made the day after the deadline.

Sign-up requests due: Tuesday, Jan 15th
Prompts assigned: Wednesday, Jan 16th
Works due: Wednesday, Feb 13th

*Latecomers to the signing up will still be issued prompts but I cannot guarantee a timely response.

Sign-up requests:
Copy and Paste this into your sign-up comment; delete only those with which you are uncomfortable.

Participants: Solo - Two - Threesome - Group Sex
Sex: Male - Female - Male/Male - Male/Female - Female/Female - Male/Male/Female - Female/Female/Male - Male/Male/Male - Female/Female/Female - Male group - Female group - Mixed group
Nudity: No Nudity - Implied Nudity - Some Nudity - Full Nudity
Level of Intimacy: Bodily contact - Kissing - Implied sex - Full sex

Please help spread the word!

Nope, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

osaraba — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 06:28:22 GMT

I'm back! I've been meaning to post for a while (I FINALLY GOT A JOB OMG YAY), but I realized it's time for the SEX IS NOT THE ENEMY FICATHON!

I'll have a post up for signups on Thursday. In the meantime, would you mind starting to spread the word? I'd hate for this lovely little fic fest to die out. <3

So, theoretically, if I were interested in returning to Inception fandom...

osaraba — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:40:11 GMT

...would you guys be able to facilitate that?

I'm on the precipice here and all I need is a bit of a nudge. Pull me into your waiting arms, Inception fandom. I miss you bad; I want to squee like I used to, I want that rush of blood, that sensation of overwhelming ~feeling.

Do you have any epic recs for me, starting around oh, a little over a year ago?

I saw the TDK trailer last night when I went to see Spiderman and I practically swooned when I saw JGL. Yeah, you were probably thinking I was about to say T-Hard, but no, JGL totally made me think of Arthur when he says that line about Mal, to Ariadne, "She was lovely." And all of a sudden I couldn't wait for all the Inception/TDK crossover fic that I just KNOW is going to come out of this.

And then, I just started watching that show, Person of Interest and it made me think of Christopher Nolan. Ugh, I'm not even sure why! But then I started thinking about some of the recurring themes in his works, and I... I think I may have gotten myself interested in Inception fandom again, basically.

I also think that when Looper comes out I may have some intense desires for Inception/Brick/Looper crossover fic, which, ugh, I may end up writing drabbles for.

I'm going to be at San Diego Comic Con this year (for somewhere between one and four of the days, so if you're going to be there and want to grab lunch together or something let me know!), and I'm really really hoping I'll be able to go to the Looper panel. I have such a hard-on for Rian Johnson, IDEK.

The quick summary of my reaction to the Spiderman movie, btw, is: Eh. I was mostly bored/didn't feel much emotional connection to any of the characters, but the acting was darn awesome. Emma Stone stole the show, she and Andrew Garfield had amazing chemistry, and the best scene was that suuuuper adorable/awkward scene in the school hallway.

X-GAMES TOMORROW!

osaraba — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 22:28:14 GMT

You may all know how into hockey I am, and have been since the 97-98 season. But what you may not know is that I was a big fan of the X-games (BMX, in particular) from several years before that, though I sort of let it go for a loooong time.

I was reminded of my interest last week when I discovered that the X-games were being held in LA (as they apparently have been for like, the last 10 years), this coming weekend! Hahahah, how's that for serendipity? I'd wanted to attend X-games events SO BADLY when I was younger and then here they are, just falling into my lap unexpectedly after having just moved here! Right place, right time, I guess.

Of course I picked up tickets to two events -- BMX Vert (my faaaave!) and BMX Big Air on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. I am suuuuper excited! And though I've been completely out of the scene for 10 years, I've been watching footage from last year's X-games and yeahhh, I love Stevie McCann's style so I'm rooting for him to win Gold this year. Jamie Bestwick's had a nice run (5 years in a row), but it's time for someone else to step up and grab it. =D

I couldn't help but remember how HUGE an athlete-crush I had on Dave Mirra, who dominated the BMX scene when I was into it in the mid-90s. *___* So I checked out the wikipedia article on him where I discovered he'd been roomies with Ryan Nyquist (another big name in BMX, whom I also loved) and lololol like a fucking typical slash-fangirl my immediate thought was, OH MY GOD IS THERE ANY FIC FOR THAT?

I doubt I'll find any, but I'll have to try anyway.

JFC, I actually remember watching this. Like, on TV. As it aired.

...and CRAP, whatever happened to BMX Doubles and Flatland? Those were the bessssst.

fantasy + military fiction is like, my fucking FAVORITE.

osaraba — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:25:08 GMT

I think this series was started just after I'd stopped shooting up with Merlin fic. But it's almost a year later and not only is it GOOD, but it's also almost 500,000 words of it. I'm only just started part 3 now, but I can't express how fucking happy I am to read really fucking well-written military fiction in ANY fandom, and even moreso in Merlin fandom!

My one gripe so far is that of Arthur's characterization in part 1, but he's gotten a lot better as the story moves forward.

I can't recommend this highly enough, and I'm not even halfway through yet! I suspect it'll take me til at least tomorrow to finish, but I can already tell that I won't want it to end.

Loaded March (series) by Footloose. Eventual Arthur/Merlin. Modern AU. The reason SAS Captain Arthur Pendragon can't keep a communications specialist in Team Excalibur because none of them are good enough. And then Lieutenant Merlin Emrys gets assigned to his squad, and Arthur does everything he can to prove that Merlin isn't good enough, either. Except he is.

ETA: So unfortunately I have to admit that there's some odd (maybe internalized?) misogyny sprinkled throughout this otherwise awesomely epic fic. It's not relegated to a specific character or two, so there really isn't an "in-character" excuse. It does make me a bit uncomfortable but the rest of the plot is so darn good it still outweighs the unfortunate parts. So there's a bit of a trigger warning for you. =/

And yes, I realize that everyone has probably already read this. But dammit, someone should've told me about it! =P

This makes me want to reread pretty much everything by David Weber, who writes the best military sci-fi EVER. But of course, that reminds me that there are a few of Weber's series I have to catch up on. \o/