Fun Way to Make Yourself Crazy!
Jan. 24th, 2016 | 10:37 pm
You know that thing, where you have the internet and accidentally read some stuff and start self-diagnosing weird and unusual conditions? And then there's the next part, where you have to talk yourself down, because you don't have nose cancer or whatever, it's just WebMD or Wikipedia making you paranoid?
AFTER YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A COUPLE OF SELF-DIAGNOSES CONFIRMED BY ACTUAL DOCTORS, THE NEXT PART GOES AWAY. FOREVER.
Like, when I was 19 and diagnosed as major depressive and started on medication, I ended up going to the doctor and telling her that the antidepressant was making me crazy in unfun new ways and I was pretty sure I was actually bipolar. So she ran me through some questions and yes, bipolar.
And a couple years ago I read this comedy article about fictional characters with undiagnosed mental illnesses and had a huge "UM..." moment and figured out I probably had schizoid personality disorder. Which I brought up when I started back on my meds and the therapist at my intake was like "yeah, it's on your chart from 2006...did they not mention that?".
Most recently there was that Criminal Minds episode with the girl with polycystic ovary syndrome and my doctor and I talked and the conclusion is I need to get an ultrasound, stat.
So. You know. Now there's this article on sensory processing disorder that's sounding REAL familiar and I basically feel like I need to never read anything about real life ever again.
(But seriously, my whole family has a weird and intense thing with food and textures. And lots of motion sickness/sleep disorders. And stress migraines/photophobia. And there's a creepy posture chart where the apparently fucked up version looks a lot like my x-rays.
You have no idea how much I DON'T want to have a family sit-down about who has been diagnosed with what and what that means for the Family Medical History. At least five of us are on psych meds for reasons we Do Not Talk About.)
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IT STARTED SO INNOCENTLY
Dec. 22nd, 2015 | 06:48 pm
My dad always has a shit-ton of flash drives in a box on his desk, because he gets them as swag at conferences and stuff. So I grabbed a couple today, looking for an empty one to put his present on.
I plug the first one in, it’s not empty, so I’m about to close it when…I see a document labeled Will1.
Obviously you see a will, you open it, right? I have read/watched too many mysteries to NOT read a mysterious will.
Except LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES, INTERNET. DO NOT OPEN WILLS. YOU LEARN THINGS YOU NEVER IMAGINED.
MY DAD HAS A SECRET CHILD.
(A SECRET CHILD WHO EXPLICITLY GETS NOTHING IN THE WILL, BECAUSE APPARENTLY IF YOU HAVE A SECRET CHILD AND DON’T MENTION THAT YOU’RE NOT LEAVING THEM ANYTHING ON PURPOSE, THEY CAN SUE FOR PART OF THE ESTATE. LIVE AND FUCKING LEARN!)
…Obviously I googled her immediately. And I seem to have found her.
Why am I so sure, you might ask? Because her first name is spelled unusually (Karlye), she comes from the right area - which happens to be middle of nowhere Oklahoma, so not a huge pool of possibilities to start, and oh, one other thing: when I logged into Facebook for the first time in months, just so I could maybe see more of her profile, SHE HAD ALREADY SENT ME A FRIEND REQUEST EVEN THOUGH WE DON’T KNOW ANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE. EXCEPT, APPARENTLY, OUR DAD.
WHY IS MY LIFE A SOAP OPERA. WHY DO I HAVE TO ASK THAT SO OFTEN. THE WHOLE “YOU’RE THE REASON YOUR DAD AND I ELOPED TO TEXAS AND MADE YOUR GRANDMA SO MAD THAT 25 YEARS LATER, SHE WILL BE ONE OF THE TWO GUESTS AT YOUR COUSIN’S SECRET WEDDING” SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLENTY FOR ONE PERSON. LET ALONE THE “BROTHER IS DATING THE DAUGHTER OF YOUR MOM’S SECOND (COMMON-LAW) HUSBAND AND BY THE WAY, YOU HAVE A SECRET HEIRLOOM OF HER DAD’S FAMILY IN YOUR APARTMENT”. BUT NO. THE UNIVERSE HAS TO GO FULL-ON GODDAMN SECRET BABY.
!!!!!????!!!?
UPDATE: SHIT GOT WEIRDER.
So I was venting to my best friend about the WTFness of it all and she thought she recognized the name, so she got on secret-sister’s Facebook.
APPARENTLY SHE USED TO WORK WITH THE GIRL’S ADOPTED MOM, WHOSE SISTER WAS THE BIO-MOM. NOBODY EVER SAID A WORD ABOUT THE BIO-DAD AND NOW WE KNOW WHY.
Secret-sister is ~18, so was conceived about two years after my parents’ divorce and before he and my stepmom were really a thing. Which makes the secrecy SO MUCH WEIRDER.
I just. Does my grandma know?! Do I tell my brother? How do I bring this shit up without going into “I felt mystery-plot-device obligated to open this will, but that is not the point right now”?
UPDATE UPDATE: I JUST REALIZED THE CONTEXT OF A WILL MEANS HE WAS LITERALLY PLANNING TO TAKE THIS SHIT TO THE GRAVE.
[Note: Post copied from tumblr, because that is where I was when my feelings exploded. They have exploded approximately three more times since, most recent best summed up as "IT IS TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, AKA, THE LAST TIME THIS YEAR ME, MY DAD, AND MY BROTHER WILL BE IN THE SAME ROOM. AWKWARD SECRET-KEEPING OR EPIC SHITSHOW?"]
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Recs!
May. 3rd, 2015 | 04:12 pm
The actual, pretty, project-of-my-heart version will someday go live at
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Mixed Bag!
Mar. 4th, 2015 | 11:32 pm
I housesat for my dad last week, which afforded me the opportunity to play Saints Row IV. I bought the game of the century or whatever edition for like $8 in January only to realize, after two days of downloading, that hey, this game is not compatible with XP. That game is fucking awesome, except for the number of missions that require me to drive cars or motorcycles. Tanks and aircraft I can totally handle, but the "steer with A & D" mechanic is BULLSHIT. I failed Matt's loyalty mission upwards of eight times before I started clawing at my own face and had to stop, because I COULD NOT keep close enough to Nyteblade. Playing as the bisexual Latina President of the United States is seriously the best, though. And I would play the main Asha quest again just for the dialogue. ♥
I also got to spend the week hanging out with my cat and y'all, I keep forgetting how goddamn weird he is. Like, don't get me wrong, I couldn't have ended up with a cat better suited to me if I had designed him, but seriously. Giant fucking weirdo. He does this thing? Where he steals my elastic hairbands, but only if they're used and smell like my hair. And then he will carry them around and play with them and place them in the center of his food and/or water bowls. On the other hand, he is the chillest cuddler of a cat I've ever had. Most cats, you move more than twice and they are out, they can find a better place to sleep. With Fred, I can move me, I can move him, I can lean the chair back, whatever. He will legitimately lay on me for 6 hours or more. I say 6 hours because that is pretty much the longest I can have a cat on me and not fall asleep, but I have spent 12 hours in the recliner and woken up to find him in the same spot, so.
Just surfacing from a deep dive into Hobbit fandom. Or into Bilbo/Thorin, really. I kind of have a fandom hangover? From a poor dismount?
It's like you acquired a fuckton of delicious chocolate and then after you ate a bunch and it was amazing and you went for more, you found out that actually, you had eaten all the chocolate and all the enticing stuff you were staring at was in reality CAROB.
In other words, that feeling of "why does this story have so many fucking kudos when it is blatantly a poor imitation of the awesome story I read earlier" times a bunch of stories in a row = bitterness and ennui. And stalking keelywolfe and scarletjedi for updates.
Can't wait for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Friday! Also excited for: Battle Creek (first ep free on Vudu), Community (March 17!), and CSI: Cyber, because I have a weirdly deep affection for James Van Der Beek? It's not even mostly Dawson's Creek related (I was definitely a Pacey girl); he just seems so willing to laugh at himself and it's really fucking charming.
I've been watching various episodes of QI and the Big Fat Quiz on youtube and being jealous of British game shows. American game shows do not get to tell that many dirty jokes. Noel Fielding requesting "a blowie from the puppet" to participate remains the best.
Currently looking through old ebook recs for authors I need to check for new books. Mary Calmes has something that looks awesome, but after her last few, I'm trying not to get too excited. Spotted an interesting looking Robin Roseau scifi on Amazon and am torn between "space trade and culture clashes are two of my favorites! ROWNT FOREVER" and lingering "it's a TRAP" feelings from the Madison Wolves series (FUCK that series, SO hard).
Fingers crossed for something good, because I am like...three disappointments away from a long cranky wallow in "shit I have read before that I know won't hurt me".
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Ebook Feels
Oct. 23rd, 2014 | 10:15 pm
Anne Tenino's Poster Boy was good, as was her short from the Haunted Blender anthology, Horny. I totally hope she pulls a Whitetail Rock and turns that 'verse into a whole thing, btw. The mythology was great.
Read the latest Mary Calmes and was disappointed, but it wasn't the hot mess that Floodgates was. Turns out Sinnerman falls firmly middle of the pack for the Warder series, in terms of quality. Reread Timing, After the Sunset, Cherish Your Name, and Acrobat to remind myself that I really do love her.
Oh! The latest Lyn Gala is fucking amazing and I highly recommend it. Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities. Cannot wait for the next one. It is so fucking good for my xenokink heart, you guys, ROWNT ARE THE BEST. ONDRY'S POV IS THE BEST. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS THE BEST.
Heidi Cullinan's latest, Tough Love, was pretty good; I didn't like it as much as the preceding book, but a lot of that is probably my casino/logistics feels. I did have to check out for a big chunk of the big emotional unburdening scene because explicit needleplay makes me yeesh.
Kendall McKenna's newest addition to the Strength of the Wolf series was really good for big chunks (new guys comes in and cleans house is a weirdly big trope with me, I'm discovering), but felt like it got a bit muddled toward the end.
FINALLY read Xanthe's Ricochet and enjoyed it overall (didn't have to skip big chunks like I did Coming Home!), but the spoiler billionaire played weirdly for me. Would absolutely buy another book in the series, although not the direct sequel about the widowed sub events seemed to set up. That, I would skip.
Read MJ O'Shea's Loveblood and it was superweird, in that it was an a/b/o fic with fade-to-black yet still alluded to knotting? I am not sure how that reads if you're not familiar with the trope. I am also not sure what the hell was up with the pacing in that book. There was a fuckload of pining, but the obstacles got cleared up real fast once the alpha had one conversation with his parents about a fact he'd known apparently for months. Also there's a whole orientation swap that never really gets explored/explained. Would not recommend.
Currently deep in a pile of Megan Derr. Sad forever that Midsummer Baker and The Jewels of Bangkok aren't full-length novels, because I heart them deeply. I like Stone Rose a lot; Poison made me crazy. The villain literally tells someone her motive and he spends like two chapters going NO, that CAN'T be what she meant! I couldn't even with that. Also, do not read that shit out of order because a big chunk is devoted to a couple from previous books. The Bastard Prince was pretty good for the most part; I called most twists ahead of time, but that may just be my extensive soap opera background. I really liked Of Last Resort - seriously, you guys, she gives such good worldbuilding - but not In Despair. Torn on whether or not to read With Pride. The King's Harem was good, although I wish we'd gotten more Fahima, because I love her.
Still love Dance with the Devil - and that 'verse - the most.
ETA: Expanded/error corrected now that I'm not on my phone.
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So, Kindle Unlimited
Oct. 10th, 2014 | 06:35 pm
I don't think I'd pay $9.99 a month every month, but I HIGHLY recommend at least giving the free trial a whirl, especially if you like queer and/or indie ebooks. I've picked up a bunch of stuff - since I don't have wireless access, I've been using the apartment complex's computer to download the allowed 10 books to USB, return them, and download 10 more, repeat as needed. When your Kindle syncs, all books not currently checked out will be removed from your device.
I read a few articles about how the authors are getting paid and it looks like some people get paid as soon as the book is downloaded, but a lot don't receive payment unless the book has synced past 10%?
Recommendation time! I would definitely suggest getting all four anthologies Megan Derr has made available, since they're normally on the higher end (for m/m - the f/f book is right on average). If you have an interest in Robin Roseau (TRAP!), I would grab them on a trial basis, because, as I've ranted before, there is EXTREMELY shady stuff re: consent. I won't lie; I'm still acquiring her books, because MAYBE THIS TIME. I like the writing! It's just that inevitably, the relationship dynamic will take a turn that enrages me (FREE MICHAELA).
Go the Fuck to Sleep is available! I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You was fucking adorable. I grabbed a bunch of meta-fantasy, like NPCs, The Dark Lord's Handbook, Off to Be the Wizard, and Critical Failures (all as yet unread).
Evan Currie, aka Tenhawk, has a lot of books on offer. I'd recommend Steam Legion in particular. Seal Team 13 made me sad, but that's probably because I'm emotionally attached to the fanfic version, which has Xander and logistics and ALL the crossovers (Darien from Invisible Man, Sara from The Craft, Sam from Supernatural, Dade from Hackers, Jake from Jake 2.0, and others all on a special monsterhunting squad? MY BELOVED FOREVER).
Handily, if you search an author name instead of going to their author page, the filter options on the left will let you isolate Kindle Unlimited eligible books, if any qualify.
ETA: Also, there is just a fuckload of porn. So if you crave some centaur gangbangs or gay Krampus action or forbidden triceratops love, but don't want it showing up in your Kindle items forever, Kindle Unlimited is THERE FOR YOU.
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GUYS GUYS GUYS
May. 17th, 2014 | 06:23 pm
Apparently she joined a while ago? But since ff is the third easiest archive to download from (AO3, then TtH, then ff, because every downloader ever interfaces with ff), I never really had a reason to look for her elsewhere and then I google searched because I was too lazy to pick her profile out of my favorites and bam!
Anyway, I have to quote my previous rec here: "I also find her endlessly fascinating...she writes in only one fandom, and 95% of her fics are the same pairing, yet there's such a breadth to her work. She's written, what, four or five Draco-is-a-Veela stories? But Veela Struck isn't like the Silence trilogy isn't like Jericho Rose isn't like A Year's Temptation. There's a rape recovery story, a story about two survivors bonded in trauma, a steadfast and unrequited devotion becoming new love story, a story about circumstance and inevitability and incompatible obligations. I love that a lot, the way she keeps turning the ideas that interest her over to find new angles instead of giving up on them after a try or two."
ALSO THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO MORE DRACO-IS-A-VEELA STORIES SINCE THEN AND THEY ARE AMAZING. GLORY BE IS DRACO THE VEELA ASSASSIN AND THEY FALL IN LOVE BETWEEN MURDER ATTEMPTS. A CHOICE OF WINGS HAS HARRY THE VEELA MATCHMAKER AND AWESOME SYMPATHETIC MAGIC AND DRACO THE INCREDIBLY PICKY. SHE SHOULD TEACH A MASTERCLASS IN THIS SHIT.
Also if you dig Harry/Draco/Snape, enjoy at least half a million words of poly goodness.
Now I'm going to go read some Benevolently Snarky Dark Lord Harry, because it is amazeballs.
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So Full of Judgment
Apr. 11th, 2014 | 09:48 pm
BUT SERIOUSLY, MASTERLIST YOUR COMPLETED ENTRIES. AND MARK WHAT ROUND YOU ARE ON. I SHOULD NOT SO VERY OFTEN BE REDUCED TO GOING THROUGH YOUR COMM'S ENTIRE ARCHIVE/CALENDAR AND LOOKING FOR COMPLETED ROUNDS BASED ON NUMBER OF POSTS IN A GIVEN MONTH.
And if you ARE going to make me link to an entire month instead of a single neat post, please make all posts FIT IN ONE MONTH. There are only a handful of bangs where they legitimately NEED multiple posting months and I haven't even looked at those bitches yet!
On the other hand, GUYS. Did you know that South Park fandom has an AMAZINGLY WELL-ORGANIZED big bang? I LOVE THEM. They're on friggin' round five! Well, technically, three - they do a big bang, then a reverse bang, then a big bang, etc. SOUTH PARK FANDOM. NEVER SAW THAT COMING.
On the other other hand, there are so many big bangs that have zero rounds completed even though they'd gotten all the way to artist claims and it just makes me sad.
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Temporary Big Bang Post
Apr. 5th, 2014 | 10:46 pm
( So fucking many, for real.Collapse )
( The not-quites.Collapse )
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Everything Is Terrible
Feb. 2nd, 2014 | 12:51 pm
There's since been a police report, because I didn't know at the time that you even could call the police for stuff like that if there weren't threats or something physical.
And then the friend that I work with, who persuaded to get this job, had her last day Friday and left me with a manager that I kind of want to yell at a lot. Which is complicated by the fact that when I was hired, our district manager was very careful to ask if I would have a problem working under a manager younger than me, because they'd had to let somebody go for taking constant issue with her. I do not give a fuck about her age, I care about a) the on-the-job training that I never fucking got, that I have literally been to other branches and seen, b) the fact that this last week makes TWO Saturdays I have had to come in and work on my day off, without pay, and that for NEITHER of them did she give me one of the tip cards we're supposed to get for going above and beyond the job (it's only worth $10, but that is still fucking better than $0), and c) that she's folding volunteer work into her manager position in such a way that she's planning fundraisers for Relay for Life every two weeks and everybody gets voluntold to bring stuff and shamed in front of everybody else if they don't. It's a good cause and all, but I literally cannot afford to spend ten to twenty dollars on it out of every paycheck.
Like I said, not one thing to do with her aga, ALL to do with shitty management choices.
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Here, Have Some Book Recs!
Sep. 8th, 2013 | 01:04 pm
music: Fall Out Boy - The Phoenix
( Explanation/babble.Collapse )
( Straight to the recs.Collapse )
( Too Stupid to Live quoteCollapse )
*AMANUENSIS WROTE A BOOK, Y'ALL. I literally shouted holy fuck when I read the author bio. I honestly can't remember who's fannishly out under their professional pseuds, so I'm leery to name names, but there are three or four just off my flist. It's like seeing a familiar author pop up in your new fandom, except superweird.
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I Am Still Baffled and Ecstatic
Jul. 9th, 2013 | 10:06 am
Not a good day or even a great day, it was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I got exactly enough sleep, everything I ate was delicious, I did everything I wanted, I didn't worry about anything, it was amazing.
Like, if heaven was time loop, it would be July 2, 2013.
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I Am Freaking Out
Jan. 17th, 2013 | 08:46 am
So I could use some luck, if you've got it to spare.
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I Need Book Recs
Dec. 21st, 2011 | 03:01 pm
HELP, PLEASE?
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Most Interesting Day at Work Ever?
May. 25th, 2011 | 11:35 am
Everyone was completely uninjured, so I get to be flippant.
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Hello, LJ!
Mar. 17th, 2011 | 07:50 am
Quantum Shenanigans (The Schroedinger's Timeline Remix) - Time travel.
Monster Baby (Love Is Crazy) - Nonhuman lovers.
Take Only What You Can Carry: Even More Treks Through the Multiverse - Crossovers.
Dream Bigger - Arthur/Eames stories (Inception).
This Girl Is Taking Bets - Stories featuring female characters.
I Get My Kicks Above the Waistline, Sunshine - Gen.
Words Are a Terrible Thing to Waste - Prompts.
Don't Come Over All "Indier Than Thou" On Me - Small fandoms.
Niche Is Neat - Small fandoms.
And Not Even Gravity Will Hold Us Down - Inception fic.
A Dream Is a Wish We Can Steal - Inception fic.
Minilist: Again/Before - Harry Potter time travel stories.
Sing We Joyous, All Together - Yuletide
Minilist: Combat Baby (Don't Go Quietly) - Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles fic.
Minilist: Privacy Issues - ESP.
Minilist: The Operations of Our Understanding - Sherlock fic.
But Fish Like Bikes - Het.
Minilist: To Rise, And Fight Again - Jim Kirk.
Minilist: Your Inevitable Unhappy Ending - The Social Network fic.
Minilist: I End And You Begin Who Can Say Where - Fusion fic.
Minilist: Where Would We Be (If I Were Yours) - The BDSM 'verse(s).
Minilist: We'll Be Someday - Jackie/Hyde fic (That '70s Show).
Minilist: Nobody Loves You When You're Dead - Zombies.
Minilist: All Roads Lead - Marcus/Esca stories (The Eagle).
Minilist: Cherry - Virgins.
Minilist: Comforts Other Than Love - Gen.
I kind of feel bad about how few lists I did, but hey, big bang!
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(no subject)
Nov. 10th, 2010 | 04:00 pm
I am once again trying to map my fannish timeline, if you're wondering.
I mean, some people can track their first foray into fandom back to the day, but I didn't get pimped in by a friend. I went looking for spoilers and found fic completely by accident. Then I spent an indeterminate while as a monofannish het-OTPing feral fan before I even found Fanfiction.net (in March or April of 2003 - I joined 05/03, but I remember it took me a while to figure out how potentially awesome Author Alerts were). There was a forum? And the Dog-Eat-Dog Archive, which I can't even find referenced anywhere anymore.
And all this went down four computers and three email addresses ago, so CLUES ARE SCARCE.
And it's not a big deal, I guess, it's just. Fandom, you know, this giant amazing ball of crazy where I'm my most honest, my most engaged and passionate and joyful. It deserves an anniversary, okay.
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"Job" Is Not "Life"; "Job" Is, In Fact, Detrimental To "Life"
Oct. 1st, 2010 | 10:15 am
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Big Bang Going Live!
Sep. 19th, 2010 | 02:50 pm
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Hilarious Convergence:
Sep. 8th, 2010 | 07:46 pm
Robots need love, too
They want to be loved by you,
They want to be loved by you...