Some things that glitter may be gold;

Starkid Returns 2022

2022-09-30T16:44:01Z

You all know Starkid. Only 6 more backers before we find out some Jangle Tour locations, please consider donating five bucks or whatever.

If you do not know Starkid, you're welcome.

Long Time No See

2019-07-28T15:21:08Z

Friends, I'm in Chile with the Astronomy in Chile Education Ambassador Program and I need to grow my non-LJ social media network. You can find me on FB of course, but I want to point you to my work Twitter @augsburgastro as well as my personal instagram @rhyejess. Check out the fun things I am doing here in Chile and see lots of cool pics. Much love, thanks!

New StarKid Project

2018-06-21T20:46:40Z

I'm a huge StarKid fan and you should probably be too-- or maybe you are and don't remember. Either way, consideer whether you have a few bucks to help towards their next project. Indie theater matters!

The Second Amendment

2017-10-04T16:16:14Z

To those who support the Second Amendment-- so do I. The Second Amendment's spirit is not only commendable, but vital for the perseverance of a representative democracy. I completely agree with you on this. But do you think a handgun or even a hunting rifle or even a semi-auto hunting rifle would stop our government from killing US citizens if it wanted to? The US is a nuclear power. The 2nd amendment was written when government soldiers used guns, not when they used drones and icbms. Civilians with guns are no match for the US military might. A hunting rifle is not a deterrent if the government is coming for you. The Second Amendment is not literally about firepower. It is about the power of the people to overthrow their government. Guns are not what we would use to overthrow a dictatorial government in the 21st century. We'd use the internet. I'd like to see the 2nd Amendment used to validate net neutrality. In the Arab Spring we saw that internet connections were vital to a modern revolution. We're seeing the same in Catalonia right now. In fact, if net neutrality ever dies, I'd like to sue the government for denying my Second Amendment rights. I'd like to see it get to the Supreme Court and broaden the interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Also, we need to stop blaming "mental illness" for mass killings. Don't group the criminally violent with someone with a non-violent mental illness such as "schizophrenia, other psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder"*. These are NONVIOLENT illnesses. Whatever it is that causes someone to do what was done in Las Vegas, it is something that does not have a name or a clinical test. The appellation "evil" is actually a good one, since these actions are unforgivable, unthinkable, and not rooted in known mental illness. You also can't predict who might be evil. And even if you could, you still can't punish someone who hasn't committed a crime. Stop linking me, as someone with a mental illness who has never hurt anything bigger than a spider, with these crazies. Just stop. How dare you tell me that you're going to take away any of my fundamental rights because I have depression? Say it to my face.

*(Elbogen, Eric B., Paul A. Dennis, and Sally C. Johnson. "Beyond Mental Illness." Clinical Psychological Science 4.5 (2016): 747-59.)

Friending Meme

2017-05-25T05:23:30Z

♥ COME MAKE SOME FRIENDS TO YELL WITH ABOUT THINGS ♥

The Last Refuge [Beauty and the Beast 2017]

2017-05-18T14:48:10Z

Title: The Last Refuge
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Pairing: LeFou/Gaston, Belle/Adam, Past Stanley/LeFou
Rating: R/Mature
Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, descriptions of domestic violence
Word count: 14,741
Summary: A Gaston redemption story. This is a prequel to Le Fiston.

The Last Refuge @ AO3.

Spring Rumble @ Calendar Squares!

2017-05-10T02:28:00Z

Le Fiston [Beauty and the Beast 2017]

2017-05-09T02:46:53Z

Title: Le Fiston
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Pairing: LeFou/Gaston, Belle/Adam
Rating: NC-17/Explicit
Warnings: This one carries a fluff warning. I rarely write anything this fluffy.
Word count: 27170
Summary: Choose your favorite Gaston redemption fic, and this one comes after it. I wanted to imagine a world in which Gaston and LeFou are living together happily in a village full of people that accept them. However, no story can work without conflict. Being accepted by the village has made self-acceptance easy for Gaston. When Gaston's son tracks him down, though, Gaston's instincts tell him to hide his relationship with LeFou. Or, what happens then reality leaks into Gaston's fantasy happy ending.
Notes: There's something sweet, and almost kind about Gaston. I hate that canon essentially throws him off a building and no one cares because he's obviously the Bad Guy(™) and apparently only the rich dude is allowed to have redemption. It hurts my heart that anyone would consider another human being trash like this. Troubled? Violent? Angry? Yes yes yes. But still worth saving. So since this is all a fantasy, let's do it!

Le Fiston at AO3

Dark Web [Harry Potter]

2016-12-08T22:23:00Z

Title: Dark Web
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Remus Lupin/Sirius Black
Rating: NC-17/Explicit
Warnings: Sexual slavery, on-screen rape
Word count: 6687
Summary: When Sirius hears rumors about wolf-men hybrids running a porn site, he is eager to check it out. He did not expect to be drawn into a sexual slavery bust. And he definitely did not plan to fall in love.
Notes: Thank you to brighty18 for beta reading this and to the mods of rs_games for running RS games and for being lenient with me more than once. Written for rs_games for the prompt: #43 - "When I was fifteen, all I wanted was to go off to some other world, a place beyond anybody’s reach. A place beyond the flow of time.”

- But there’s no place like that in this world.

- Exactly. Which is why I’m living here, in this world where things are continually damaged, where the heart is fickle, where time flows past without a break."

- Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

HERE @ Archive of Our Own.

Holiday Cards

2016-12-05T06:13:18Z

I will be sending out holiday cards. I might still have some addresses, I might not. If you want to make sure you get one, comment to this entry, where comments will be screened, or if you are not comfortable doing that, PM or e-mail me. If I haven't signed up at your own holiday card post, I no doubt missed it and I'd love it if you linked me.

Melisandre is Tested [Game of Thrones]

2016-09-23T21:54:51Z

Title: Melisandre is Tested
Fandom: Game of Thrones (TV universe)
Character: Melisandre
Summary: Melisandre, just exiled, realizes who Jon Snow is, and knows now how she must serve him.
Rating: PG
Word count: 1410
AN: I can't promise that there won't be more of this. I'm curious about Melisandre's adventures in the south now that her loyalty is unshakable. Also a little bit of my head-canon leaked into here. I don't think it's likely that Melisandre, who has been a Red Priestess for a long time, never found a candidate for Azor Ahai before Stannis.

HERE @ vintageflame

Assumptions and Expectations [Harry Potter]

2016-01-24T21:45:43Z

Title: Assumptions and Expectations
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Remus Lupin/Sirius Black
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2534
Summary: Sirius and Remus decide over Christmas to try out something more than friendship.
Notes: Written for leontinabowie as part of rs_small_gifts. I know many readers, like Remus, may not know a lot about asexuality so unfortunately this turned out a bit like a primer. I am not asexual so this is based on second-hand research and I would appreciate any corrections. Thank you to leontinabowie for the prompt, and I think there may be more here to explore! Thank you to mindabbles for a very speedy beta-reading.

HERE @ vintageflame

Dad

2015-12-30T06:18:34Z

My dad visited from Christmas eve until he flew out this morning. Everything was totally great until yesterday, when Andy went back to work. My dad suddenly lost it at us.

My dad called my son a mean kid to his face and then told me my messy house is ruining my kids and that the fact that I won't get rid of my dogs proves I've picked my dogs over my kids. He said all of this in front of my four year old while I did nothing but cry, mostly because I did not want to fight in front of the kids.

I asked him to leave so he went to his hotel and he had a very early morning flight but I was so afraid because snow was coming but his plane took off on time.

He was verbally abusive to me when I was 3 to about 10. Now I'm feeling a little frightened and lost. Please just reassure me that my house is not so messy that I am running my kids for life or whatever. I already know I have the least mean kid of all time. Get this, he also said my son is a little behind with speaking. Those who know him will know how ridiculous that is to say!

Ultimately, I know he was way off base. My house is messy but not, like, cps messy, and I think there are much much more important things in the lives of children than clean houses. But it was weird when he started yelling at me how I was suddenly a ten year old, frightened, and believing everything I was hearing with all my heart. I can't let him say things in front of my son because I can't let my son internalize these things like I did. And even now when I know he was spewing crazy, I still find myself repeatedly justifying that fact to myself.

My mom says to expect it to get worse as he ages. He is 70 and very active but his dad was dead of a heart condition by this age and his mom lived to be 84 but extremely senile. His mom was emotionally and physically violent all her life so it's hard to say if she got worse as she aged.

I'm feeling better now that he is out of the state. But I have decided I do not want to be alone with him without a man present ever again because that was frightening. And he respects men more than women and never says anything mean to me in front of Andy.

Plus he kept commenting on how "desegregated" Saint Paul is. I think the word you are looking for is diverse.

Where We End [Harry Potter]

2015-06-30T02:56:53Z

Title: Where We End
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: G
Word count: 486
Character: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black
Notes: For hh_sugarquill challenge, "Oh where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?" (Pompeii by Bastille). Placed 3rd.
Summary: Sirius is innocent according to the ministry, but he still has sins to answer for.

HERE @ vintageflame

7 Icons & 3 Banners

2015-05-10T23:30:49Z

[7] Harry Potter Icons
[3] Harry Potter Banners (Gryffindor)

Teasers:

HERE @ shikon_icons

Vote for R/S at Mugglenet poll

2015-04-22T14:07:45Z

Originally posted by rissabby at Vote for R/S at Mugglenet poll

Hello - I don't know if this is appropriate to post here, but R/S slashers might want to check out the OTP poll on a side-bar at http://www.mugglenet.com/. R/S are the only slash couple on the poll. As of this post they are at 13% with 329 votes. You don't have to sign-up to vote. It's just fun and informal.

Weightloss Goals

2015-04-20T03:54:29Z

This is revamped from August 2012. Since I cracked my phone screen today. So sad that before getting pregnant with Bethany I was already researching the best place for archery lessons.

✘ When I hit 260 pounds, I will get a laptop.
✘ When I hit 248 pounds, I will get a massage. (-10%)
✘ When I hit 245 pounds, I will take archery lessons.
✘ When I hit 230 pounds, I will learn to sail.
✘ When I hit 223 pounds, I will get a massage. (-10%)
✘ When I hit 215 pounds, I will join a volleyball team.
✘ When I hit 201 pounds, I will get a massage. (-10%)
✘ When I hit 200 pounds, I will take riding lessons.
✘ When I hit 185 pounds, I will take ballet lessons.
✘ When I hit 181 pounds, I will get a massage. (-10%)
✘ When I hit 170 pounds, I will take a vacation.

Let's do this thing.

vintageflame digest: harry potter

2015-02-16T01:06:30Z

more than I ever did
Remus/Sirius; PG; 152
Love is not love that doesn't acknowledge our faults.

four, two, five
Remus; PG; 209
The day after.

forgiveness
Remus/Sirius; G; 105

Fic: A Comfort [Harry Potter]

2015-02-15T20:02:57Z

Title: A Comfort
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Remus/Sirius
Recipient: For epithalamium, originally posted here @ rs_small_gifts.
Rating: PG
Word count: 1184
Summary: Sirius sets out to help Remus battle arthritis... with the help of the world's second-ugliest Christmas jumper.
Notes: For the prompt "Ugly Christmas jumpers. Bonus if they match." And also includes a bit of the wild card challenge: "Old men being cranky together." Not canon compliant as Sirius never died. Beta-read by teagues_veil.

HERE @ vintageflame

I hardly ever make icons any more, here have 12 HP icons

2014-09-19T19:58:34Z

[12] Harry Potter & Cast

Teasers:

HERE @ shikon_icons

Purples and Blues [Harry Potter]

2014-06-25T02:43:30Z

Title: Purples and Blues
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 123
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Summary: Sirius's new favorite colors.
Notes: For heartsignite's prompt "purple and blue"

HERE @ vintageflame.

Odd Man Out [Harry Potter]

2014-06-25T02:10:45Z

Title: Odd Man Out
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Word count: 102
Pairing: Remus/Sirius, James/Lily
Summary: Peter is the odd man out.
Notes: For erzsebet's prompts "Marauders going camping" and "Peter characterized where it's not believable that the others would ever want him around"

Odd Man Out @ vintageflame

Icon Dump

2014-06-02T03:13:09Z

[15] Harry Potter & Cast Icons (Plus one banner)
[06] InuYasha
[01] Avatar: The Last Airbender
[01] Game of Thrones
[01] Heath Ledger

Teasers:

HERE @ shikon_icons

Stock Icons (Mostly Travel & Space)

2014-04-22T02:49:00Z

[59] Stock

Teasers:

HERE @ shikon_icons

Friending Meme

2014-04-18T19:00:26Z

Yes, the Harry Potter fandom is still alive! Come make new friends and relive old moments! Going on now!