I misunderstood the point of this ride

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, bbs ... and if you don't, I hope it's been a good day regardless. <3 I woke up this morning (late; Midnight Mass and then working on presents into the wee hours) to find a cardboard-tube sword propped against the railing outside my door, with a note taped to it: "EN GUARDE, SCALLIWAG!" So I walked downstairs into a swordfight with my brother first thing (and won, incidentally; I miss fencing).

Yeah, we're in our mid-to-late twenties, but you know. It was a good start to a pretty great day. I also nearly made my father cry with the illustration I'm working on based on his annual holiday poem (although I'm not sure I really capture it; really, I'm biased, but he's good).

There's a kind of bizarrely cartoony plastic Gandalf watching over me, and I meant to spend the afternoon reading Yuletide fic ... but instead was completely sucked in by Asterios Polyp, which is every bit as fucking fantastic as people said when it came out a couple years back. Good god. I can only dream of being as accomplished and well-rounded a cartoonist as Mazzucchelli someday. (From Batman to this! Ugh, talk about a comic that really makes full use of all the things the medium can do, gah. Inspiring and intimidating as fuck.) Maybe I can get a couple stories in before I help out with dinner. Or maybe I'll start sketching compulsively.

Much love.

Oh jeez, I am having such a crazy morning, you guys. We have a huge deadline next week, so I've been pretty hunkered down, but there's this Halloween decoration painting party tonight, and I've just realized that I have to run it single-handedly. (My boss slipped a disc and my coworker's leaving early for a family wedding.) Ahahahaaa. Thank god I'm actually in really good shape for said deadline, and I managed to scrape a much-needed night out. (Complete with the most swoonworthy alum buying me a drink and kissing my hand. She was kidding around, but you know, nice.) I have a lot of energy right now.

Anyway hi! I haven't had much time to think about fandom lately, shocker. Although I keep right on listening to deeply fanon-y Teen Wolf podfic while I'm working. (I want all the pack dynamics, so that's good, but I really crave fic that shows us how they got there from the interpersonal mess they are in the show.) And lately a few things have been filtering through; I might have to try and celebrate my deadline with fanart!

I'm sure everyone in bandom has already seen this by now, but this interview with Gerard, Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan from New York City Comicon last weekend fills me with glee. The Killjoys comic, finally. I'm not going to lie, I'm at least as excited for this as for the "new" music. Gerard and Becky are such a dream team, and I love the Killjoysverse so much; I'm absurdly excited to get more story.

Also, I've been marathoning Warehouse 13 all week, and wondering why on earth I didn't get to it sooner. It has some definite issues, but some fantastic characters (I love Claudia so much, especially), and um, hello, femslash. I have such a ridiculous crush on H.G. Wells, and I really hope there's fic ... although honestly, it's so blatant that I'm getting a little frustrated that they haven't just paired them up in canon. (Unless that happens in the current season, which I'm not caught up on yet.)

Well, I should stop babbling, finish my work shift, and try and offer some comfort to the twenty-year-old classmate who is moping around in my office about her first unrequited crush. (Alas.) How are you all? I miss you!

Um, so, I finally caved and got myself a fannish tumblr. Because I was tired of not being able to reblog all the ridiculous Teen Wolf and Avengers gifsets without mixing them with future ~professional social networking. (And, I confess, because all the Teen Wolf fanart seems to be over there.) My life is stupid.

Sorry for there being two of me everywhere. Zero obligation: any art that goes there will go here too! On the other hand, if you have a tumblr I don't know about yet, I'd like to ... hook me up?

That done, I'm running off to Montreal with my mom & brother for a couple days, which will be lovely, although I won't be able to read any more Teen Wolf fic (or draw totally professional things that are still really not family-friendly, ahem) until Sunday night or so. Have a lovely weekend, kids.

Texts from last night (in cartoonland):

Oh god my voice is gone. Next time I'm not doing it with a boy who can scream like that. [...] But I did try to show off and make Gerard proud.

(There was karaoke. Only the second time I've ever been drunk enough to do that done it, and I tried to sing "Welcome To The Black Parade" as a duet with my departing friend. And then I got talked into "Gin Joints" and "Sugar We're Going Down" before I gave it up for the night. Ow.)

Hey guys, hey. Busily scribbling away over here on my BBB art and the usual comics, babysitting a guinea pig and generally watching the summer population dwindle (although we'll have an influx of workshop attendees soon). Also, I finally, finally got to watch both Iron Man 2 and Captain America last week! WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME ABOUT PEPPER/NATASHA?! (Okay, somebody might have, but I wasn't paying attention, and I am now.) Good god. More on that soon. Also, I was not particularly shocked to find that Captain America is basically one of the most well-put-together movies in the whole set; not only was the character himself delightful, but I just thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling and the historical setting and pulpy feel of the thing. Of all the Avengers films, that was the one that screamed COMIC BOOK MOVIE at me in a way that I could really relish.

I need to actually do some things for this fandom soon. Mostly I've been lurking around tumblr enjoying the fanart and the constructed-reality .gif sets (kind of the best thing ever ... even though you could not pay me enough to see this upcoming Spider-Man flick). Maybe I should create a fannish account over there (oh god, not again).

Also I'm thinking about dying my hair red (not quite Gerard-colored; more of a dark cherry red), while I still have this forgiving grad school environment to play in. I haven't done at-home hair dye since the beginning of college, jeez ... any tips, anyone?

Oh gosh, you guys, I am so ready for spring break right now. This semester is meant to be mostly about our long final projects, but we have a handful of small assignments as well, and somehow mine all wound up due in the same three days or so. Vectors and graphic design exercises! Presentations about changing publication models for independent creators! Creating a 92-page script breakdown for a comic combining Chicago in the 1920s with the basic plot structure of Disney's Aladdin!

Also there was an oddly heated discussion about webcomics (a topic that's coming up over and over again in our open presentations - probably because it's not our faculty's strongest area). I am mostly fond of my classmates, but occasionally some of them can be such snobs. It'll be good to get away for a few days, catch up on all the bandomreversebb fic, and finalize my script in the peace of my favorite cafe. And hopefully, when I get back, I can talk someone into going to see The Hunger Games with me.

The suddenly gorgeous weather has kept me buoyed up a good deal, at least. Also, there was a pretty great birthday party for a classmate last weekend (it involved a stew potluck and a birthday spanking queue) that then moved to karaoke night at the bar, where I somehow found myself singing "Time After Time" with a couple of my favorite people (never ever again). So I can't complain too much. But some R&R would be good.

So this has been going around: Pick up the nearest book to you. Turn to page 45. The first sentence describes your sex life in 2012.

Aaand, I had Raina Telgemeier's Smile out from the library. So: "Ow!"

(Or if you want to consider the whole first tier of the page the first "line:" "Ow! Ow! Ow!")

Well, I mean to say, gosh. Anyway, hi! I'm sorry, guys; I fell right off that Snowflake bandwagon, didn't I? Only I got kind of caught up in this fannish project I've been working on ... it's coming along beautifully, if I do say so myself, and I'm pretty sure a bunch of you will like it. :D Eee, I am excited.

Of course, classes start next Tuesday, and I fully expect to disappear for a good two weeks into a Major Project of Doom (so the second-years and alums assure me). But I'm hoping to be a little more present after that!

I've spent the second half of my break largely on my own, chattering away with a few people on chat, expanding my ~artistic horizons, and demolishing the bottle of Baileys my mother got me for Christmas. And consuming media. I listened to the entirety of the Hunger Games trilogy on audiobook in a matter of days, which was ... ouch, okay? JFC, people have not been kidding about that. Also I went and watched all of Once Upon A Time so far, and and I am finally almost caught up on Parks & Rec. I have not touched Sherlock and am unlikely to do so in the future, but I have started listening to the Sherlock Holmes BBC radio dramatisations with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams. They're rather delightful.

So yeah, no big news from me (yet), but I have to say, the sheer quiet of these weeks has been immensely replenishing. I should go; I have half an hour left to my shift before I can go draw more naked ladies in stockings! And it's snowing!

Apologies; this is late for the majority of holidays, I believe, except New Years! As is just about everything I've tried to accomplish this year. I have this bad habit of treating most of my vacations as convalescences; my main resolution this year, naturally, is to try to stop overdoing everything. (No really.)

It's been a lovely bit of R&R, although I've barely even scratched the yuletide surface or spent much time online; too busy tripping and falling into Connie Willis' Blackout/All Clear. (Another problem I have in re overdoing things: reading in moderation does not come naturally!) That said, I'm absurdly excited about the abundant Downton Abbey fic this year, and what I have read (mostly Blue Beetle and Community), I've enjoyed immensely. I may have to do recs; I don't remember the last time I did that!

( Anyway, have some brief RL blather about Christmas. )

( Also some belated Sherlock Holmes reaction! )

Ack, must cut this short (rather than discussing any Christmas specials I may have watched yesterday - oh, Downton Abbey), but hi, I hope you're all having a lovely winter, holiday season, last few weeks, etc!

Oh, man. :( I really wanted to spend this afternoon writing a big locked post about my pre-grad-school week (complete with pictures), and drawing, and maybe flailing a bit about the new episode of Doctor Who. But, after a long, amazing day of used furniture* shopping and hauling and wandering around a nearby college town discussing nontraditional relationships and artistic influences with my classmates, eating pretty excellent gelato ... I returned home last night mysteriously sans wallet. Today, in between running errands all over the local big box strip (Home Depot gives me such a headache), I was calling multiple shops, university & town police departments, and various offices of my bank (which, as it turned out, had fucked up my change of address), trying to get things sorted out. Bleurgh. Nobody has found my things (either to return them or attempt to make illicit use of my debit card); maybe they fell down a drain? But it's going to be a week or more until I have cash (I can buy groceries with my checkbook) or can make much in the way of online purchases, and I guess I'll have to carry my passport around for awhile.

I just finally got home and had lunch about half an hour ago. Oh, and also? The hot water wasn't working this morning, so I haven't showered. UGH.

But hey. I have internet in my apartment now, as well as actual chairs, and I'm more or less fully unpacked. Tomorrow's orientation! And the summer intern and I did conduct all those errands while rocking out to Ani DiFranco in her car (she is adorable and reminds me very much of home; I'm sad she's leaving this weekend). I still remember all of the lyrics.

Life is mostly awesome, but now I am going to take a shower.


*and clothing - I found this gorgeous vintage black brocade car coat in the basement of an antique store that I am splurging on because I look and feel amazing in it ... bad student.

Well. There's a loaded Uhaul out in my parents' driveway; in about eight hours I'll be on the road to the little town in Vermont where I'll live for the next two years. Finally. \o/

Of course, there's a hurricane which appears to be about to tear right up the coast after me, the day after that. Everyone's battening down their hatches, and I guess I'll do the same ... as soon as I've gotten myself (and all my possessions) into them. What even is this year.

I don't expect to have much in the way of internet this weekend, since I doubt we'll be able to set it up in the apartment until at least Monday (and if there's much storm damage in my area--not likely, but possible--who knows), so ... stay safe, everyone. ♥

I'll see you in the funny papers.

So, um, July swallowed me whole, apparently. Wow.

Tomorrow's my last day at work! I've been doing this academic administrative assistant job for three and a half years now, which has been ... pretty damn significant. It's the job I left home to take, in order to save for grad school and get some experience actually living ~out in the world. And while it hasn't exactly been doing anything I love (and has always, always been temporary) ... it's been a pretty great place to work, and I've grown up a lot while I've been here. So there's a bit of mixed emotion involved.

Still, ugh, freedom.

I'm off home to see the Decemberists with my brother this weekend, and then back for my very last week in Somerville; I'll be moving out on the seventh, and spending a few weeks in the Valley with my parents before heading north to start school. It's all a bit of a whirl at this point! I sort of wish I'd left myself more time between the end of my job and my departure, but at the same time, I'm already pretty bad at goodbyes ... I tend to either draw them out forever until it gets really tedious, or I sort of turn on my heel and go without a word. This is almost a happy medium! I should get a chance to spend time with most of my local people in between packing and financial stuff and my last couple of driving lessons. (Did I mention I'm learning to drive at last? And I picked the Boston area to do it in? Yeah, that ... hasn't been boring.)

There have been fun things going on, too! Most recently, I attended a Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight showing for my roommate's birthday, and showed up in terrifying vinyl platform-heeled boots that were originally purchased for a Brian Slade costume in college. (I did not fall over, even during the Time Warp, though there was some wobbling.) And tomorrow night, I've been invited to a Labyrinth viewing party; costumes are apparently encouraged. I just ... yes.

And I'm sure those of you who would be interested have already seen this, but the Legend of Korra trailer released at SDCC looks amazing, holy fuck.

There hasn't been nearly enough art, but the stuff I've done has been extra enjoyable, perhaps to make up for that.

Anyway, enough boring RL blather. I'll be back to post art, or ramble about composite-canon fandoms (oh, X-Men: First Class, I wish I had TIME for you), or rant about the relative lack of media with primarily female casts, probably after I get this moving thing done. (I'm looking forward to my mini vacation so much: time to do whatever art I like, before the assignments start rolling in!)

Also, ugh, this DDoS thing is dragging on and on ... and while I'm on that, if you know anyone who might like a Dreamwidth code, feel free to point them my way.