Does anyone remember the first story that used the idea of Squibs being the changelings of the Muggle world?

I really want to use that motif in one of my stories, and I’d love to credit whoever was the first writer to use that idea. I know I’ve come across it in several stories, but for the life of me I can’t remember which they were.

Also, I’m agonising over my sshg_exchange prompts.

I’m scared that my prompts are too long and too detailed and that the mods will whip me.

kribu and ayerf tagged me for the “people who make your day”-meme.

( That means a lot right now. Thank you! )

Make a list with ten persons who make your day. Whoever is on that list, is tagged, unless they already did this meme!

The problem with that meme is that picking only ten persons is impossible. In an average week there are many more than that who make my days better, both online and offline.

So this list just happens to reflect the last few days and will probably look different next week. Therefore, and in no particular order:

1. aranel_took, for being the best friend I’ve ever had.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. And just imagine, I’d never have “met” this wonderful friend if I’d have allowed my prejudices to keep myself from reading her LOTR fanfic story about Éowyn and Merry falling in love. That really proves how you should never underestimate the impact of tiny, silly choices on your life. You never know where something may lead, in the worst and in the best possible way.

2. allada, who is the best surprise of the last twelve months.

She showed up on my virtual doorstep completely out of the blue, told me that “Apprentice” had inspired her to paint again and gave me the first of many beautiful illustrations for my story. Since then she’s been a great and supportive friend. I am looking forward to meeting her in real life one day. ( you!!! ) This new friendship is also one of the thoughts I cling to when I’m feeling down. Because it shows that sometimes, just like that, wonderful things may happen.

3. ayerf, who I talk to about anything and everything almost every day.

Working on POP with her is also one of the best beta-reading experiences I’ve had so far. Initially I shocked her with my thoroughness (going after too many participle or past perfect constructions with a magnifying glass …), but I think both of us thoroughly enjoy discussing writing and her story by now. (Btw, I’m really looking forward to the next chapter. *hint hint*) She’s also wonderfully patient, and has a great sense of humour. I totally miss her when I can’t chat with her for a few days.

4. kribu, who is also always willing to chat with me or to listen to me.

She makes me learn bits of Estonian by including that in her status messages on MSN/YIM. She’s helped me pick out my new camera, which was a long, painful process from first explanations in January to a loooooong discussion a few weeks ago. Her brilliant pictures leave me in awe and inspire me. And sharing job woes is sometimes sooo important to preserve one’s sanity.

5. jcd1013, who is such a lovely and kind person.

She just took time out of her really busy schedule just to look over one of my stories to help me with the medical background. (I’m so much looking forward to chat with you over the weekend! I’ll be online for most American afternoons/evenings on Saturday and for most of the American day on Sunday). Also, she comes up with such lovely, inspiring and uplifting links. (Like this one, for example: “Where the hell is Matt?”)

6. jenwryn, who wrote a poem for me/my story.

I still can’t quite believe that. And who just took the time to read and think through my latest crazy idea. And who posted something very poginant on her lj today, which I’ll repeat here, because I think it’s really something we should remember:

“Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world.”

7. leany75, because she’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

For years now. Offline and online. Ever since I have discovered the truth in the saying “Friendships are for a season, a reason or for life”, I value the rare friendships that have the potential to last for a lifetime even more. And she’s such a friend. For bad days and good days and everything in between.
(Oh and Leany: remember the skirt you made for me? I’m getting lots of compliments for it this year!)

8. fliewatuet, who’s a wonderful friend offline and online.

She listens to me whine without turning a hair and keeps cheering me up with pictures of sunsets and simply by being there.

9. Everyone on my flist who went to Portus. And everyone on my flist who went to Portus Envy.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a blast, either living vicariously through thousands of brilliant pictures and posts, or unleashing creativitiy in such a wonderful, chaotic explosion.

It’s been GREAT!

And I can’t wait until I have the time to continue the stories I started for Portus Envy and fill up the last prompts … stupid job …

10. Everyone who nominated “The Apprentice and the Necromancer” for The New Library Awards and everyone who voted for it.

I never expected that. While the story is certainly not underappreciated counting comments and hits, the fact that it’s only available at FFNet and on my own website keeps it certainly from being as well known as some other “hits” of the season posted at Ashwinder, The Petulant Poetess and OWL. Also, to be perfectly honest, what with its length and weird formatting and the x-over aspect, I didn’t think it had one chance in a million against six other great stories. So, you totally made my day.

And the BONUS POINT: Everyone who visits my blog, and especially those of you who leave a comment and talk to me.

I’ve got this nifty gimmick called “Statpress” that lets me know how many visitors I have on my blog, where they come from and what they look at. It makes me squee on a regular basis. It also makes me wonder why so many people come and go in silence. But mostly, it makes me squee. And the many lovely conversations we’ve had over here, they make me so happy. There are simply too many people to name who’ve made me happy with their comments, made me think, smile, wonder … hypnobarb1, hobgoblinn, bluzkat, machshefa, annietalbot or a_bees_buzz come to mind, but that list is by no means complete. Thank you!!!

However, I would also like to include another list here. Of people who have drifted away, maybe just from fandom or LiveJournal, maybe from online life as such. Which is perfectly normal and healthy and necessary. But I still miss them. And I think it’s a good idea to admit that now and again.

So here are ten people I miss, again in no particular order.

1. allie_meril, who’s drifting in and out of ljland for many reasons, good and bad, which I absolutely understand. But I still miss you.

2. dawn_felagund, whose focus has shifted a little and who is also incredibly busy with a gazillion things offline and online that cut down on her flist time. Which I know and appreciate and I know how to get hold of her when I really need her , too. But I still miss her.

3. gwynnyd - we’re moving in different circles now that rarely touch. I really need to drop her a line again.

4. narwen_almiriel. I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow up into an amazing woman. A very busy and successful woman, too. I hope one of these days we’ll manage a lengthy chat again.

5. mikekellner, who’s having a quiet year. I’m always happy to hear from him.

6. Aeneid, who left fandom and lj-land. Glorious were the nights spent in The Laughing Oliphaunt.

7. aliana1, who grew up when I turned my back and drifted off into her offline adult life when I wasn’t looking.

8. crowdaughter and
9. palfow, friends and commenters on “Apprentice”, who had to stop reading the story because of real life issues. Their insightful comments regularly made my day. (I miss you and I hope things are going better for you!!!)

10. telperion1, who’s one of my best online friends, and who’s having such a hard, hard year and is also so very very busy offline that she’s rarely on YIM these days, and at the same time I’m too brainded to even attempt to comment on her scholarly lj entries. Here’s hoping for better days!

ETA: Just looking at those two lists reminds me once again of how much richer my life has become since I started writing fanfic and dove into the worldwide wilderness of online life.

Thanks to scribblesinink and tanaquilotr for alerting me to this. I had no idea.

If you’re as clueless as I am:

Snagged from jenwryn.

01. What curse word do you use the most?

Working mainly from home, I don’t get the opportunity to talk much. The hour a day that I actually see my husband, I usually don’t curse. When I’m working at the museum or volunteering at the community centre, cursing isn’t exactly appropriate.

But when I bang my toe against a hard surface, I might yell: “Ach du gottverdammte Scheiße!” Which happens to be German for “God-damn shit!”

I’m also very partial to the curse that was - afaik anyway - coined by Diana Gabaldon: “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ on a piece of pizza.”

02. Do you own an iPod?

No. I own a Shuffle and a Nano. I’m poor …

03. What person on your flist do you talk to the most?

aranel_took, my bestestest friend. Also ayerf and leany75. And kribu.

I’m toying with an idea that might be interesting for fanfic writers who also write o-fic and who are not yet professionally published (including those who don’t want to brave the cruel world of pro-fic publishing).

Right now I’m at the stage of “I’m having this crazy idea … what do you think?”

So if you’re interested in crazy ideas, please comment (and if I don’t have your e-mail addy, include that in your comment - I’m not ready to share this latest brainchild with the public even in flocked posts).

Is anyone willing to look over “Candyfloss Days” for me?

I would be very grateful!

ETA: Big thanks to Septentrion and Juniperus!

So I had to attend a meeting tonight (8 pm to 10.30 pm, and I still have to work a few hours now).

Meeting went the way meetings go (meaning, if I missed more by attending than by staying away).

But, when I walked into town for the meeting, I was thinking about what I would say if anyone were to ask me “Hey, how are you? What are you up to at the moment?”

(I live in Franconia; the chances of encountering an emotionally responsive Vulcan are significantly higher than someone actually asking ‘how are you’.)

So here’s what I came up with:

“Hello, my name’s JunoMagic.

Right now I’m translating award-winning novels of contemporary emotionally positive literature. I’m also working as a manager of a rural institution devoted to the collection and display of objects of lasting interest to members of the historically challenged generation.

In my free time I enjoy Chinese poetry of the 9th century and work on pop-cultural re-interpretations of turn-of-the-century fantastic literature for young adults, specifically aspects of gender and age, and especially the figure of the moral outcast.

Apart from that I create post-modern miniature art using mixed media techniques.”

Translation:

Lately, that would be “The Poems of the late T’Ang”, Chinese poetry from the T’Ang dynasty (before 1000 AD), translated into English by A.C. Graham in the last century.

I feel this must be how Elvish poetry will appear to the mortal reader. You read the lines, they may touch you deeply, yet they remain elusive, centuries beyond your grasp. Too far removed in historical, cultural or linguistic understanding to be more tangible than a breeze for the non-expert.

It is an interesting experience.

Here’s one I like:

The Grave of Little Su

by Li Ho (follow the link to a site that has a bit of information about the poet, as well as translations of a few poems in German and English, and better yet, the poems in Chinese writing, so you get an idea of how much like paintings they look)

I ride a coach with lacquered sides,
My love rides a dark piebald horse.
Where shall we bind our hearts as one?
On West Mound, beneath the pines and cypresses.

(Ballad  ascribed to the singing girl Little Su, c. A.D. 500)

Dew on the secret orchid
Like crying eyes.
No thing to bind the heart to.
Misted flowers I cannot bear to cut.
Grass like a cushion,
The pine like a parasol:
The wind is a skirt,
The waters are tinkling pendants.
A coach with lacquered sides
Waits for someone in the evening.
Cold blue candle-flames
Strain to shine bright.
Beneath the West Mound
The wind puffs the rain.

Today’s poem in the Writer’s Almanac was also very good.

The Layers

by Stanley Kunitz

I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being
abides, from which I struggle
not to stray.

(Read more …)

CC Attribution picture by mandj98

And here’s an excerpt from a poem that I’ve had in my EverNotes for a few weeks now:

To the Desert
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

…
You taught me how to live without the rain.
You are thirst and thirst is all I know.
…

(Read more …)

Today, exactly one year ago, I was waiting for tomorrow-exactly-one-year-ago,

and for the mail,

and for a package from amazon.de,

and for “Deathly Hallows”.

And here’s what I was doing while I waited, I quote my entry from exactly one year ago:

… I’m spending the evening reading HP fanfic.

Specifically, I’m reading fanfic novels of more than 100,000 words with the pairing of Hermione/Snape.

A new OTP! ♥

Among the first stories I read were Ramos’ “Hinge of Fate” and “Unfinished Business”, “Shades” by Orm Irian, “Before the Dawn” by Snarkyroxy (which is still my all time favourite, the favourite of favourites) and “Forbidden Fruit” by Leraiv Snape. Within days I was a member of the WIKTT Yahoo Group and had discovered Ashwinder, The Petulant Poetess and OWL.

(And on August 2 I started writing HP fanfic … that story is still a WIP, because the Apprentice plot bunny rudely elbowed it aside. But one day in the distant future, I do plan to return to it …)

To celebrate my first anniversary of reading the first OTP of my life, here be story recommendations.

If there are one or more people on your friends list who make your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the Internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

This month we’re having a plot bunny exchange over at the writers’ workshop I moderate together with the lovely aranel_took.

So, if you’re in the mood for writing, wander over to there_n_back, and have a look at:
Fic Request Challenge, or Here There Be Plot Bunnies!

And because I am completely shameless, I’ll repost my requests here. Feel free to come closer. I have beautiful bunnies free to a good home!

Fandom: Pern/Anne McCaffrey
Pairing: Menolly/Masterharper Robinton
Prompt: Remember that scene on the ship where he sends her away because she is too young and he is too old? I want an AU starting there, and ending with them together!

Fandom: Twilight/Stephenie Meyer
Pairing: Edward/Bella/Jacob
Prompt: Threesome smut please; I’d like everyone alive or happily undead and a happing ending. Not necessarily pure fluff, but I won’t say no to that.

Fandom: Earthsea/Ursula K. LeGuin
Pairing: Gen
Prompt: A story about a winter spent in the tower, learning the true names. Or a story about the Immanent Grove.

Fandom: Alanna of Trebond
Pairing: Aly/Nawat or Daine/Numair
Prompt: The first time. NC-17, please. A touch of Angst would be appreciated. Maybe h/c? I do adore some dungeon smut now and again. *g*

Fandom: Winnetou
Pairing: Winnetou/Old Shatterhand
Prompt: Smut. NC-17. Pretty please. If you can work their horses, a glorious sunset and a campfire in, so much the better!

My dad called me today with bad news …

One of my favourite teachers from way back when is very sick. He taught religious education for Protestant students. He was supposed to have his retirement party next Tuesday. Now he might be dead by then, and will see at the most a few weeks of his retirement. (Cancer, what else.)

I remember him as a cheerful, cunning, small, sturdy man with grey curly hair and beard and sparkling eyes. Very intelligent and knowledgeable. With a big heart and a fabulous sense of humour.

For those of you who know the “Alanna of Trebond” series by Tamora Pierce: he looked exactly the way I always imagined Sir Myles of Olau.

If you have a prayer to spare …

Stolen from Organ-ic Chemist: Answer the questions with exactly two words.

1. Where is your cell phone?

somwhere else

2. Your significant other?

is asleep

3. Your hair?

long, dark

4. Your brother?

no brother

5. Your sister?

no sister

6. Your favorite thing?

my laptop

7. Your dream last night?

kissing Severus

8. Your favorite beverage?

red wine

9. Your dream/goal?

getting published

10. The room you’re in?

my study

11. Your ex?

ex who?

12. Your fear?

my death

13. Where do you want to be in 10 years?

still alive

14. Where were you last night?

working late

15. What you’re not?

blissfully happy

16. Muffins?

yes? where?

17. One of your wish list items?

Macbook Air

18. Where you grew up?

in Europe

19. The last thing you did?

my job

20. What are you wearing?

blouse, skirt

21. Your TV?

does work

22. Your pets?

both asleep

23. Your computer?

is purring

24. Your life?

at least

25. Your mood?

Grumpy, depressed.

26. Missing someone?

oh yes

27. Your car?

no car

28. Something you’re not wearing?

a necklace

29. Favorite Place?

writing stories

30. Your summer?

pretty awful

31. Love someone?

always, forever

32. Your favorite color?

bordeaux, black

33. Last time you laughed?

last weekend

34. Last time you cried?

no idea

35. Who will repost this?

the willing

I’m not sure if it isn’t a huge mistake. But … anyway. I think every second comment I received for “Not a Mistake” was clamouring for more. Then Whitehound hounded me about the backstory of the thing. (Hey, it was supposed to be a one-shot. One-shots don’t need a real backstory!)

Of course the Muses are smirking now.

Hmpf. Anyway, I have sent off a mail to my wonderful medical advisor, Redheaded Snippet.

So everyone who is interested in “No Mistake”, while I don’t have time for writing this week, I have time for thinking and I hope it makes you happy that I’m actually thinking about that story.

First POV of the second chapter will probably belong to Rose at St. Mungo’s. Chah!

Apart from that I’ve been thinking about BoD (which I bloody well should!). I’ll have to re-read the first 13 chapters. Up next is probably a Ministry Banquet in honour of the election of Cornelius Fudge as President of the European Magical Union. And if anyone thinks that’s major bad news, I can only confirm that impression. Oh, and in “Appetite”, Bumblebee and Hermione are headed for a quite spectacular row.

Now if I only had time to WRITE, I’d be one happy JunoMagic.

As it is … I’m still thoroughly grumpy, cranky and disgruntled. Meh.

Talk to me?

I still need to work for an hour or two and I’m bored and lonely.

So if you see this, say something? Anything? Pretty please?

First of all, let’s blame someone. In this case, roh_wyn. Who said that everyone who reads her answers should consider themselves tagged.

I like that.

Devious.

So if you are reading this, you are TAGGED.

Also: there’s a MEME still running over here.

Don’t be shy. Just jump in. And I promise that the spam question for my blog won’t permanently scar you. (Yet: I’m still working on finding a spam protection that allows me to ask questions like “Who is Severus Snape’s one true love?” and if you answer Lily, you will be told that this is NOT the blog for you.) But really. Everyone can comment over here. All you have to do is put in a name, any e-mail address (or something that LOOKS like an e-mail address) and answer a simple maths question. Okay, I admit that 2+2=4 is a question I cannot always answer. But mostly, leaving a comment here is NOT difficult. And I will reply. And I won’t eat you. Or anything.

I really like meeting new people in online land. So if you feel like saying something, just DO IT.

1. Which book would you like to jump into and why?

A year ago that question would have been easier.

Now …

… I still would like to open that pub in Middle-earth together with my husband. So LOTR.
If I had to go to school all over again, I’d really prefer Hogwarts. Gryffindor, RAWR!
I’ve also always been partial to the Earthsea series.
And of course, there’s Pern.

Not to mention my own worlds.

2. What do you do before bedtime?

Work. Listen to music. Read. Drink wine or whisky or absinthe. Chat.

3. What’s on your current reading list?

“Magic Burns”, “Reading Lolita in Tehran”, a Nora Roberts trilogy, the new Ken Follett. Various fanfics.

4. What is the city of your dreams and why?

Corus.

I’ve been to a few cities. Berlin, London, Chicago, Vienna, Munich … I’m not all that keen on them. But I think I’d like to see Corus, especially since we’ve learnt more about the Lower City in the new series.

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I’ve got a sideways brain like Dawn. Probably I’m an introvert with strong extrovert tendencies. Or simply, I am what I am. It’s too late in the game to change that.

6. When was the last time you checked out a book from the public library, and what was it?

That would be some book I needed for my o-fic research last year. Something about female identity in the Middle-Ages, I think.

7. Do you trust easily?

No.

But I do. It beats the alternative.

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?

I am married. And my husband knows that I’m attached to Snape and Elrond. For some reason that doesn’t bother him. I wonder why.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?

Too much. I’ve been thoroughly unhappy for around four weeks. Each day is a battle. But I’m not about to give up. " class="wp-smiley" />

10. Do you have a good body-image?

I used to have a really bad body image. Right now, I’m not at all happy with my body because -I- am thoroughly unhappy. Apart from that, I’ve had more than 30 years to get used to my body. I don’t think I’m pretty, but at least I’m alive. It beats the alternative.

11. Is being tagged fun?

Actually, I enjoy being tagged. It’s nice to know that someone thought of me. And I still can decide if I am going to do that meme or not.

12. What are your guilty pleasure shows?

Sadly, I have no time for something like that. If I had time, it would be Buffy, Angel, Charmed and Highlander.

13. What is one of your biggest pet peeves?

A minute ago, I’d probably have been able to answer that question. I generally don’t like stupidity and cruelty. But that’s not really pet peeves. I am certain I have a host of minor complaints from the weather to how dishes are served in the restaurant to how comments are phrased, but I just can’t remember right now.

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

She’s a lawyer. But she’s on my flist nevertheless.

15. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?

“Praam” by Palbasha Siddique. And it’s all jcd1013’s fault.

16. What’s your favorite item of clothing?

A pair of bordeaux coloured velvet tights.

17. What’s better: to give or to receive?

A happy balance.

18. What’s the first thing you notice in people?

Handshake. Or the YIM or LJ icon.

19. Would you bungie jump from the Empire State Building for $10,000,000?

Of course. I do need money. And I am sure it would make for an interesting experience I could use in a novel or story.

20. What were your parents going to name you if you’d been born the opposite gender?

Trapper Geierschnabel. And if you don’t understand that, it’s all for the better.

Oh, and: everyone who reads this and feels like playing should consider themselves TAGGED!