silly.

Okay so I have this dilemma.

Right now, I'm absolutely positive that I want to move away from Iowa. It's not that I don't like it (well, I. I just. I have complex feelings about it, basically.) it's just - I need to be somewhere else for a while. If I don't, and I end up spending the rest of my life here because I didn't get off my ass and go somewhere I'm gonna hate myself.

My problem is, I have no idea where I want to go. My dream place would be London, but uh I am not a MAGICIAN and am in fact a POOR YOUNG PERSON WITH NO HIGHLY SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS so that's pretty much a pipe dream, unless I get into a grad school over there or something. Which, LOL yeah let's dream a little bigger.

I know I'd like a somewhat mild climate (Iowan winters, ugh, I'm so done) and lots of culture, and reliable public transit so I hopefully wouldn't have to fuck around with a car, but other than that I've got nothin'. So I'm asking all you fine people, if you're so inclined, to talk at me for a bit about the area where you live.

What would you tell someone who wanted to move there, basically? Pros and cons? Invitations to crash on your couch? (lol I'd be careful with that one I am fairly sure that nobody wants to see my cranky ass in their living room first thing in the morning) Would you tell someone to live where you live? Or do you absolutely loathe it and want to preemptively warn me away? I'm hungry, babies. Feed me.

(If you're uncomfortable talking about where you live in a public post, I'd be more than happy to screen your comments, just let me know.)

Ugh, I almost wish I was one of those Midwestern people that dream about moving to NYC or something. At least then I'd have a goal. All I know right now is that I don't wanna be here. Where I'd like to be is the hard part.

So, this is a thing that has been happening for years, but it's gotten a lot worse lately and it is just. SO fucking annoying. SO annoying.

Membership at theborogoves is NOT OPEN. That means CLOSED. All fic there is ALREADY PUBLIC. If you run into a link that says members only, that is NOT AN INVITATION FOR YOU TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY. That means that THAT FIC IS NOT PUBLIC ANYMORE.

Repeat: ALL FIC AT THEBOROGOVES THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE PUBLIC ALREADY IS. IT'S ALL PUBLIC. WE ARE NOT HIDING FIC FROM YOU. THIS IS NOT A TRICK. SERIOUSLY.

So when you PM me at my journal asking me about this, please know that you're basically telling me that you didn't even bother to look at the profile for the community, which says all of this quite clearly. (I even changed it just now to extra extra big letters since it seems to be a problem for everyone! Does that help?) Also know that I cannot reply to you UNLESS YOU HAVE PRIVATE MESSAGING TURNED ON. (Seriously this has happened like 5 or 6 times by now, really??) So basically you're asking me an annoying question and then forcing me to ignore you. Awesome. Great work.

Also know that I am not going to fucking hunt anyone down anymore to answer your stupid question that you could answer yourself by taking two minutes and reading the rules to a community that you are asking to join. I am not your mother and I am beyond sick and tired of getting these messages all the time and having to repeat myself over and over and over. You guys. For real. This is not that complicated. It's in the rules. I've said it several times in mod posts. I don't know where else to put it.

FIC IS PUBLIC. FRIEND THE COMMUNITY TO READ. ONLY WRITERS ARE MEMBERS. WHICH IS WHY MEMBERSHIP IS CLOSED. THE END.

deep breath. okay, I'm sorry for the rant you guys, and please know this is not directed at any specific person that has sent me a message, but rather is built up bitchiness from like, 5 years of getting the same PM over and over again (5 years! I created this community in 2007! That's 5 years! Ridiculous!). I know that individually these are all probably very nice people and would feel bad for annoying someone and also most likely are young/not familiar with LJ etiquette, but seriously. Read the rules before you PM the maintainer of the community. This is basic common sense, am I wrong?

I am now employed! What up!

Starting next week I'll be the director of the tutoring center at a college here in Des Moines. It's part time, but the pay is actually not bad (enough for me to get my own place eventually (!!!) if I choose to do so) and it's only part time in the evenings, which leaves me ALLL DAYYYY to write and send stuff out and do other things and such.

I mean, you guys, I'll have a salary and everything. I'm really taking this "pretending to be an adult" thing seriously, huh.

LIFE WITH DEREK IS OFFICIALLY COMING BACK. THIS IS HAPPENING. NEW CANON IS HAPPENING.

YOU GUYS, LWD FRIENDS, WHERE ARE YOU, HOLY SHIT, LET'S HAVE A GROUP HUG, THIS IS AMAZING

I'M SO TOTALLY GOING TO DO A PIMP POST AS SOON AS I CAN STOP MAKING DOLPHIN NOISES, BECAUSE THIS FANDOM NEEDS TO BE A THING. ARE YOU LISTENING EVERYBODY? YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS SHOW.





(UM, EXCUSE ME TEEN WOLF, REMEMBER WHEN MICHAEL SEATER AND ASHLEY LEGGAT DID A PODCAST IN WHICH THEY ACTED OUT A SCENE FROM A DASEY FIC, YES THAT REALLY HAPPENED AND YES IT WAS GLORIOUS SO ACKNOWLEDGE PLEASE)

From jeyhawk/tumblr:

Pick a trope from this list and provide a fandom/pairing and I’ll tell you something about the story I’d write for that combination (i.e. write a snippet from the story or write not!fic or tell you the title and summary for the story I would write)

1. genderswap
2. bodyswap
3. drunk!fic
4. huddling for warmth
5. pretending to be married
6. secretly a virgin
7. amnesia
8. cross-dressing
9. forced to share a bed
10. truth or dare
11. historical AU
12. accidental-baby-acquisition
13. apocalypse fic
14. telepathy
15. High School / College AU





Reasons I abandoned my recipe meme: because I've been subsisting on coffee and spearmint gum for the past two weeks. I am significantly less happy with the lack of good food in my life but I've also lost like five pounds. I don't think that's a good thing, though.

I also have signed up for, let's see. 3 Teen Wolf exchanges. With the amount of writing I've been producing lately I don't think I'll have any trouble but still. Jesus Christ.

So my pod_together project just went live, which was a joint effort with the lovely bessyboo. Check it:

The Dog Days Are Over
Life with Derek, Derek/Casey, Basically Casey wanted a dog, is how it started, and what Casey wants, Casey gets. Derek's not sure who wrote that rule but he takes serious issue with it.

I forgot to put it in the notes that thebucketwoman did a beta read for me, but you're in there now! SORRY SORRY ILU.

Please go check it out because Bess did a fantastic job, and she made some adorable cover art and I'm very proud of what we managed to scrape together between both of our troublesome deadline habits. If you're not familiar with the fandom, all you need to know is that they're type A stepsiblings in love, and who doesn't want to read about that? NOBODY!

I'm getting pretty ace at this cooking good food thing. Check it out, cuz I'm excited!

( Roasted Zucchini Mint Salad and Chocolate Orange Cloud Cake )

I made all of it with spaghetti carbonara and BAM! Everyone loved me. Because this is delicious, and also maybe because I left the pancetta fat in the sauce when I made the spaghetti. Either one. Fuck dieting.

GUYS GUYS GUYS

Since I apparently have fic ADD lately, I've abandoned figuring out the next chapter of the Teen Wolf bunny rabbit thing and apparently started a huge, epic Spider-Man fic. Because, uh, why not.

It's sitting at about 10,000 words right now and it will probably be around 20k when it's done, maybe. I dunno. I've seriously written this thing over the course of like three days, and I have the whole plot convalescing in my head and I'm super excited about it.

I would use it for something like the Marvel big bang, but sign ups are closed. Off topic: I really, really hate that big bangs close author sign ups right away. It's like, what if I didn't know about it?! What if I come up with a huge story in the beginning of August that I'd like to use for a big bang but the only one available closed sign ups two months ago?! Even though there's still plenty of time for me to finish and get the story edited in time for the due date in September?! Goddamn it!

This has happened to me like five or six times, I cannot even tell you. Frustrated.

( Rambling included; spoilers for the Avengers and the new Spider-Man )

So, would anyone like to read it? I could use some opinions. It's very plot driven, so don't expect anything special, but I am super psyched about this piece and I'd like to have someone to talk about it with. I realize this is like the fifth time I've asked this this month, but any takers?

I am a tad drunkity-drunk right now, but I would like to share this with the world/reading page/people Googling my fic:

I went to my little brother's first real gig as a paid, professional musician tonight and he fucking killed it. You guys, he is amazing. I cannot even tell you.

I am not even being biased as most sisters would be, I am in fact being as entirely truthful as one could possibly be in the state of intoxication that I am currently enjoying: he is Going Places and I am so proud of him, I can't even. I can't.

He sang and played his guitar like a mofo and he was engaging and dynamic and basically was a rock star, and this dive bar he was playing at ate it up and it was just the best. Literally the best.

Verklemmt, I'm verklemmt, is what I am. I did not even mind seeing all these people I went to high school with there, who are now truckers/fat/pregnant/have no teeth.

Going Places! I love my brother and am very lucky to have him. I also love all of you guys, and the whole world, really. But especially my bro.