Exploding Poohsticks

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 17
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~8,650
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: The Death Eaters stage a prison break at Azkaban.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 16
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,645
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: A rift grows between Dylan and Theodore, and Lupin's attempts to befriend Theodore alienate the Gryffindors.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 15
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,030
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: Sirius tries to apologize to Snape for the Shrieking Shack prank, but Snape isn't willing to accept his apology.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14

*smacks head*

Good news: Starfighter has been updated!

Bad news: I FORGOT ABOUT IT WHEN YULETIDE NOMS CAME AROUND. And it didn't make the list from anyone else either. Arrrgh.

It's like...if you stay home on a Friday night, you must have eclectic tastes. Right? It's certainly not Loser TV for Losers, nooooo. ~_^

(I am kidding, really!)

Ghost Whisperer
I didn't watch the early seasons of this show, trying to tell myself I wasn't interested, but I have a hard time resisting supernatural anything. I mean, I watched Charmed for a few seasons, for gawd's sake! Plus, I have to admit, Jennifer Love-Hewitt is awfully...Lush. It's actually not a bad little show. Usually, the ghost is put to rest at the end of the episode, and any mytharc the series flirts with fits into the regular episode. Ok, the husband's not bad either.

Ugly Betty
Bright, colourful, wacky, fun! I'm a little sad that more people don't watch Ugly Betty. I love the entire cast; I can't think of one character I don't adore. *clings to it*

Medium
This show is smart, the family and characters are real, and NBC is staffed by fools. The End.

Monk
The first half of this last season, the show was cruising hard. The cases were almost nonexistent, and the "bits" were tired. But now that we're into the second half, it's like a light went on and the people involved realised that they only have a few episodes left to say goodbye to one of TV's most original characters. If you watch The Mentalist or Numbers, you have Mr. Monk to thank.

Psych
Oh. How. I. Love. This. Show. Shawn and Gus are a great team, and I love the premise, of a man so observant that people wouldn't listen to him until he began doing his psychic schtick. It's funny, it's fun, it's smart. I actually like Corbin Bersen for once. If you have no idea what Psych is about, then ask me more, because this is a show you should be watching.

White Collar
Jury's still out on this one. The SO likes it, but I have a hard time cheering for criminals.

Sanctuary & Stargate BSGUniverse
Um, we have bazillion episodes sitting on the TiVO. Does not bode well. The first episode of Stargate Universe was a huge downer, and people keep telling us it finds sub-levels from there.

So, who's home with me? ^_^

love, lore

Tuesday morning I took Truck to town. It was one of those do-it-now impulses that I am prone to, and I reasoned that 9am on a weekday morning would probably give me the least amount of traffic to contend with. (Not that there's much traffic out here at any time. If I pass three cars on that road it rates as rush hour.) There are some curves on the winding road down into town that I don't even like in the Toyota, since they don't have a shoulder and there is a steep drop on the outside. However, I reminded myself that Truck is only six inches wider than the Toy, and off I went. No problem. I drove to town, turned around in the museum parking lot, and came back--for a total round trip excursion of twelve miles. Now I feel a lot more relaxed about driving the thing.

This morning I bagged Chuck's three-piece suits for the trash. He worked for IBM for 17 years and I worked for Xerox for 18. When we moved up here, we both brought along our suits, and I packed my high heels as well. Naturally we never wore any of it, but who was to know? My suits are still in boxes in storage, somewhere, but his suits were hanging in the closet covered with a film of dust. They were beautiful wool suits, and Chuck got them from a Hong Kong clothier who was recommended to him by another IBMer. We called the guy Hong Kong Harry. He came to the Los Angeles area every six months or so and took a motel room. Customers came into have their measurements taken, selected what fabric they wanted, and handed over a check. About a month later some absolutely gorgeous wool suits showed up in the mail.

I kept putting off doing anything with the suits, telling myself that I could offer them to the local Little Theatre group, or maybe recycle the cloth. Some women do that; cut their husband's old clothes up into largish squares and sew them together into comforters. I finally faced the fact that I was never going to do either of those things, so away they go. It has only taken me nine months.

This is for alisanne, eeyore9990, sassy_cissa, and unbroken_halo (who've been there from the beginning), and everyone who's ever spent time with us. I want to let you all know how much the chats and all the word wars have meant to me over the last few (is it almost three now??) years. I was initially ecstatic to find a group of like-minded, slash-inclined geeks with whom I could talk on a regular basis, OMG! It was amazing how physical distance never seemed to matter and I felt like you all were right there in the room with me at times. Giving and receiving so much feedback and encouragement helped my writing to improve more than I can possibly comprehend. It's been great watching all of us change and grow as writers and artists.

If you don't know what the heck this is all about, the explanation is here.

I've been wanting to rec this movie for a long time, and since it's National Blog Posting Month, I thought that now would be a nice time to do it. Love and Honor, directed by Yoji Yamada, is a movie about a samurai, but it's not your typical samurai action flick with a lot of swordplay. There is a duel towards the end of the movie, but the emphasis is on the characterization and the story. It has a quiet, thoughtful feel to it, but don't mistake "quiet" for boring--I found it very compelling.

Warning: Contains a few spoilers below the cut.

Thursday Night is over-packed night. Between rushing home and the two TiVO tuners, I almost get to watch everything that interests me tonight. But I'm only going to talk about a few shows....

Bones
I really need a Bones icon! There was some criticism of the show last year. But this year has been consistently strong in terms of characterization and acting. I think the only character who occasionally suffers is Bones herself, and that's because it's hard to keep a character "obnoxiously innocent", which is how Bones started out, and how, some writers still try to write her. But that hardly matters when the other characters are so alive, fun, effervescent and cool-in-a-smart-way. And David Boreanaz has only become better and better in his role and FBI Agent Seeley Booth, who has become so much more than a wise-cracking tough guy in Boreanaz's hands. One TV commentator says almost every week that Bones is the most unappreciated show on television. Don't let Bones get by you.

Flash Forward
This show is intense, and it has a mystery that threatens to be somewhat solved by the end of the season (gasp!). It feels like Lost without all the baggage of 5 seasons. So why not check it out and get in on the ground floor of a fascinating show that promises an actual payoff come May?

Fringe
I'm one of dozens of people that I've read saying, "I watch Fringe, but Anna Torv bugs the hell out of me". Anna looks too much like Cate Blanchett on first glance, so I always end up doing double-takes. But...Joshua Jackson and John Noble...now those are two men I could watch read the phone book, so why not suffer the Blanch-ette to get a weekly double-dose of adorable men? One online friend calls it "The Walter Bishop Show", which is a moniker I could get behind. Oh, yeah, and there's a plot...just think X-Files with more dopplegangers and you'll be able to jump right in.

Project Runway/Models of the Runway
Again, this is a show that could be on anytime...and on any channel! This has not been a great season of PR, but it was still good enough to be considered must-see TV, compared to a raft of other reality shows. Lifetime added a half-hour show after PR, Models of the Runway, which is about the model competition that's also always been involved with the show. Honestly, though, I don't think we need it. The models weren't as empty as you might think models are, but I don't watch PR for the model-bonding and cattiness, I watch it for the designer-bonding and cattiness. ~_^

And now I need to go make a Bones icon so I can replace the icon on this post with it later! I've been meaning to make one for ages, but I keep putting it off. Well, no more!

love, lore

Pimping for HP Kinkfest. Look under the cut for a very pretty picture. (And many more sexy banners at the comm itself.)

( Read more... )

Wow, this is a hard one. Have you ever felt something about someone (their presence or aura, something they exude, a way you feel around them) that you can't quite figure out how to express in words? I have that with you. I sense something powerful about you that I can't begin to describe.

You're intelligent, diverse, strong, passionate, and genuinely interesting. You have a lot of love to give. Your writing is wonderfully vivid with complex layers of feeling. I'm truly fortunate to have been able to spend time with you, and I look forward to seeing you again at some point.

If you don't know what the heck this is all about, the explanation is here.

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 14
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~8,950
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: Snape and Dylan answer Voldemort's summons, and finally learn what the Dark Lord wants from Dylan.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 13
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,425
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: Snape worries about his Slytherins, and Lupin is disturbed by the form that Dylan's Patronus takes in DADA class.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 12
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,390
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: Dylan serves detention with Lupin, but finds that it's not quite what he had expected.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Well, tonight, there was a big load of nothing on until 10, but normally, Wednesday brings GLEE!!

Glee
I'm not sure there's anything I can say to make you love this show. It's like...a peppier Freaks and Geeks with singing. You either know how to roll with that, or you don't, you know? Me, I can rollllllll. It makes me a wiggly, happy puppy each week and as long as it stays on the cheesy side of soap opera, I'm there! The second the show starts to take itself seriously, the shark will have been turned on its belly for a good jumpin'.

Eastwick
OK, so I like an unrealistic girl!power show or two, and this one is due to be canceled at any minute. Still, I love magic, I loved the original theatrical, and it's not like there's a lot of other interesting shows on Wednesday. If Eastwick is canceled, Wednesday will become a wasteland with Glee an island in the middle. Sheesh!

Top Chef
I can't count on Top Chef being on a regular schedule, so I'm talking about it here, even though I don't count it when I talk about Wednesday being a wasteland. This season has been nice, but the strongest chefs have been obvious from the beginning, and now that we're down to the end, they're all still around. No big surprises here, but I adore Padma and Tom, so I'm always entertained, even with a sub-par season.

Finally, just to revisit V - The first episode ended stronger than it began. Plus, I know the SO is going to make me watch it anyway, so I guess I'll be hanging with it for a while longer. That final fight scene was awfully cool. Also, is anyone else jonesing for Lost now that they've seen Elizabeth back on the small screen? Hee!

I wish I could bounce back faster from this sickness. I still am coughing and dealing with congestion every day and I feel weak and run-down. I can only hope it was N1H1, because I don't want to have gone through all this just for a regular flu.

love, lore

Just a big thank you and hugs to all who sent well-wishes on my having caught (and apparently caged deep in my lungs) the scourge of the ages; i.e. - h1n1.

I'm *still* badly fatigued and ill. I can manage sitting up a couple times a day and using the laptop, but most of the time I'm down and coughing my torso muscles into painful jelly. There is no energy for anything else.

I miss my flist. I hope to catch up eventually. For now... recovery.

I leave you with these words of wisdom: Letter to young American women

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 11
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~7,620
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: Lupin receives a letter with a mysterious warning, and Sirius finally begins to grow up; also, Branwen finds a replacement for Kreacher.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 10
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,870
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8)
Summary: Lupin and Branwen return to teach at Hogwarts.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

MangaBlog reported yesterday that DMP will be publishing Kizuna, which had been out of print in the US since BeBeautiful went out of business. This is very welcome news, since it's one of my favorite yaoi series--maybe now I can get that missing 6th volume! I have volumes 1-5 and 7-8 of the BeBeautiful editions, but wasn't able to get 6. I found a used Japanese version, but I haven't had time to translate it, so I still haven't read 7 and 8 yet. I found a summary online, and I think I'll probably just flip through and look at the pictures, then go on and read 7 and 8, since it's kind of dumb to just leave them sitting on my bookshelf, unread; it just really bugs me to read a series out of order. It sounds like DMP will be publishing them in double-volume omnibus form. Of course I want to get the volumes I don't have, but I'll have to think about whether I want to buy the ones that I already have--if it's a nice edition and/or has extras, then maybe I will. I do want to support the publisher for picking up this series, after all.

Also, Deb Aoki at Manga About.com posted a reader's choice list of must-read yaoi manga. Some of my favorite titles are on here, along with a few that I don't really like, and some that sound interesting that I haven't read yet. Definitely worth taking a look at.

I'm so glad Jan introduced us when I was moving to Philly, because you're all-around awesome. You're one of the most intelligent and diverse people I've met, either in or out of fandom. Beyond that, though, you're loads of fun and genuinely nice. I miss having you around Philly!

I've watched your art develop and grow, and your talent astounds me. Your work is gorgeous and vivid and carries real feeling.

Now go draw me some Snack and/or Snupin and/or Cain/Glitch, gaaaah!! ;)

If you don't know what the heck this is all about, the explanation is here.