Stolen from fadingembers' photostream, because I do that. I feel it really captures our friendship, too.Aren't we beauteous.

Or at least, I would be if I could marry a liquid. But as always, those damn conservatives are keeping us down. Don't they know I just want to be free to love?!Ahem. I went on a grocery run Thursday night and bought another 12-pack of Coke Zero because the water in my apartment smells kind of icky. (At least, that's the excuse I used.) Today it's Monday and I have one can left.I think I have a problem.I have to say, having tried Diet Coke and Coke Zero both, I don't know why anyone drink Diet Coke, which tastes like liquefied metal mixed with wood shavings. Coke Zero is so much better, and so much closer to the flavor of regular Coke. It's not perfect, but it's good enough. It's like that guy at a party who's not really conventionally handsome, but has something interesting about him, whether it's an unusual haircut or a cool shirt, and you start talking to him and before you know it you're totally grooving each other.What the heck makes them so different? They appear to be, basically, just two different kinds of Diet pop, except one's hideous and one is delightful. Maybe it's because taste buds have been accustomed to Diet for too long, but if it were based on actual quality, they'd pour all remaining Diet Coke down the drain, burn the recipe and have a holiday to celebrate of the greatness of Coke Zero (at least by comparison).

E-MAIL YOUR FRIEND, H0R. YOU KNOW OF WHICH I SPEAK.<3

It's not as compelling as the teaser or trailer, but hot damn I can't wait for this movie. Cannot fucking wait.

So there's this thing called MyMiniCity where you make a teeny sim-like city and don't have to download anything, and it gets improved when people click to visit it, one click per day per person. I am a lazy sod and it's cute, so I made one.Come visit The Broncos!

What Is Your Battle Cry?Lo! Who is that, prowling through the mini-mall parking lot! It is Jaina, hands clutching buzzsaw hand extensions! And with an ominous scream, her voice cometh:"For the love of beatings, man, that's some good coffee!!!"Find out!Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?created by beatings : powered by monkeys

Days like this, I am grouchy enough to wish someone would start a petty internet snark fight with me, because then I could vent without having to worry about the feelings of anyone I like over something that matter.Fuck it is cold in here.

"Mmmm," I thought to myself, snuggling between the blankets. "I sure am well-rested. What a good sleep I had."Cracked an eye open. It was 8:52."Oh...shit."

At midnight last night ;) Two fellas and one lovely lady.I think I'm doing well so far!

Pics still coming--I need to find my damn camera cord, and that'll probably happen when I clean my room. It was all nice and organized, but then came the pre-con packing frenzy, and then the post-con fling things about while unpacking frenzy...yeah. I'll have to get on that tonight.Overall, I quite enjoyed Ohayocon `07! It was nice to be back on my "home base" con after missing a year due to being a poor-ass intern. The con itself broke the "every other year, Ohayocon is organized and awesome" rule that sarcasticval and I deduced, which sucks, but the company more than made up for it. The weekend felt both old school as well as a new experience. It's been a while since we've conned with fadingembers and irenak, so it felt like the Prawn Room days of old, but these days we've moved on to Bleach and other things instead of Trigun (we travel in herds!) utenatai joined us for the first time after I was all "YOU SHOULD COME TO OHAYOCON, TRUFAX" and she was all "OK."For once, it was an Ohayocon where people didn't have to wait around at the airport forever (eh heh heh...sorry guys.) arafel, fadingembers and I ended up on the same flight together, with two or three strangers also Ohayocon-bound. True story: on the bus from the economy lot to the terminal, I immediately recognized two nerds as con-goers when they looked at my Orihime hairpins and proceeded to grin at me the entire drive. Then one of them tried to be all sauve by lifting my suitcase from the bus shelf for me all "See you at the con ;) ;) ;)". Douche. As luck would have it, they were sitting two rows in front of us, and when they overheard me calling my editor to get some info on the FUNimation rep I needed to meet with, they swooped in to "helpfully" hand me Lance Heiskell's card. (Lance is at EVERY com. Having his card is not a sign of insider status.) I don't know, maybe it sounds bitchy when you read about it, but at the time these guys really needed an "I'm not gonna do you" smack.We met irenak at the airport and my dad came to pick us up. Hot-tub relaxation was had at my parents' house, and arafel instantly won my dad's approval by showing him pictures from her trip to St. Andrews. Later, Dad asked me very seriously not to drink and drive at the con. I think he has the wrong idea about what it is we do at cons. (Read: We bring both more alcohol and more anime than we ever actually use.)sarcasticval is a saint for suggesting the Drury Inn instead of the con hotel. It was a little more expensive, but connected to the con hotel through the food court, and if you take into account the fact that you could actually get a Drury elevator in less than ten minutes, it took even less time to get there. There was also free breakfast, booze and snacks. We had a suite and it was great and we celebrated by jumping on the bed. Hi, we're 12. At around midnight, we snagged utenatai from the airport, where Southwest was all "ZOMG we're in ur airport, losin' ur bagz. Except we're just faking you out haha here they are."Let's not even talk about the registration debacle on Friday--fadingembers has that covered. I'm just curious about exactly what went down with Ohayo leadership in the past year. I'd been under the impression that it was only the old webmaster they had a problem with, but considering the ridiculous lack of a back-up plan for computer problems along with the utterly craptastic program guide (it was Kinko's-worthy at best) and I really do wonder. Friday was cosplay-as-Fuu day, since that is a pretty costume I can pull off with my own hair. I'm also fond of that costume since it's the first one where I had to do the work to find all the accessories that really made it work. We hooked up with scathachdhu and her sister Celeste. Dinner was BD's Mongolian (oh baby, I have MISSED you) and because we are who we are, someone made a penis joke involving an elephant JUST as the waiter walked up. XD That night was the return of Casey's Bad Fanfic Interpretive Dance. It was glorious.Saturday was the Bleach photo shoot and it was awesomesauce. Well, the shoot itself was all right--not as cool as the Katsu shoot when Menos Grande, Don Kanonji and Buddy Christ showed up and the place went apeshit--but we were really cool as a group. utenatai and I were Caped Rukia from recent manga chapters, fadingembers was Matsumoto, arafel was Diva Bount Yoshi from the fillers, and irenak was Hiyori, and sarcasticval was Soi Fon. No lie, everyone looked fabulous. fadingembers especially embodied the part, but I think that was casting to type, so to speak. (My favorite part: when she stuck out her boobs for a cheesecake, some guy standing by me said "Oh, I have GOT to get a picture of this.") Oddly, there was a lack of 6th division representation--one Renji, no Byakuyas. Too bad. Later that day I got to interview Caitlin Glass, VA of Winry. She gives good interview. Sneak preview: "Aryan babies" came up in humorous context. No, seriously. Dinner was a 15-person extravaganza at Bucca di Beppo and a thousand props to arafel for swinging into action and organizing everything. (Did I mention BDB is a family style restaurant where everyone shares?) Because we are all Huge Nerds, we had to gather around fadingembers' laptop to watch Bleach 109 and the End of Fillers.Not much went on Sunday--there were the inevitable final trips to the dealers room and artist alley, and then the goodbyes. utenatai and I did an awesomesauce photo shoot that I can't wait to get the pics for. I didn't do much at the dealers room this time around. A couple tchotchkes for work, a doujinshi with a hilarious cover that I must scan, and that Rukia and Kon PVC statue I've wanted for ages.All in all, it was a fun weekend and I'm glad I went. Looking forward to the next one I can attend with my favorite group of perverts.

I think my head crater is going away. :(This is probably, technically, a good thing. It means head healing, and lord knows my brain needs all the help it can get. But at the same time...I'm gonna miss my crater, a little bit. We've become pals. (He won't confirm his name, but I think it might be Paul.) In memorial to Paul, I'm gonna tell the story of how we met. I gave a brief version shortly after it happened, but because lately I have this this about wanting a record of interesting things that happen to me, here's the extended version. After taking a shower on Thanksgiving, I was putting stuff away in the guest room I was staying in, which is where my sister-in-law's neurotic cat likes to hang out, even though she gets freaked out by strangers. Against the wall, perpendicular to the bed, was a giant set of drawers with molded corners that was a bit higher than bed-height. Think of the furniture in an L shape. Without getting to my knees, kinda crouched/swung my head down to see of Crazy Kitty was still hanging out under the bed. She wasn't. Without being terribly aware of the space around me, I swung my head back up. Mr. Bureau Corner Molding met with the back top of my head.Ow.I know it hurt, in the same way I know the sky is blue--it was an objective fact I knew immediately, but it was less pain than a sudden and immediate focus of my entire consciousness on the spot where I hit my head. This feeling can be summed up as "OH SHIT."I knew immediately I'd hit my head REALLY FUCKING HARD and this was bad. Actual thought process: "Am I going to pass out? Shit, I hit my head really hard, I might pass out. Is it getting black? Fuzzy? No? Okay then." This happened in the space of maybe two seconds. And then I reached up to touch my head and felt...a hole.THAT freaked me out. It wasn't a skull fracture or anything--you couldn't reach in and touch my brain and make me suddenly crave mangos or something. It ended up not even needing stitches. But shit, your hand isn't supposed to go IN when you touch your head! AHHH WTF. And then the second time I pulled my hand away, there was blood on it.This was a job for Mommy. So I staggered out onto the landing and hollered that I had hit my fuckin' head REALLY hard and I needed HELP arrrrgh. And yes, there was crying involved. And Mommy and Daddy (at times like this, they are truly Mommy and Daddy) came and made everything better and helped staunch the bleeding since my arm got tired doing it and when they say head wounds bleed, they are NOT KIDDING. Later, I looked at the bloody tissue in the trash and there was a lot more than I expected. Eyyurrggh. I was left with a hole in my head ("crater" seemed to be the best term since it didn't go all the way through, like a portal to my brain) and an l-shaped cut where the corner hit it.It's been two months now and you can still feel it's there if your finger brushes the right spot. (I remain amazed that some people actually WANT to touch it. Ew.) But it's definitely...filling in? It's more shallow, definitely. Flatter. Less obviously the result of a wound instead of a natural flat spot on the head. It might not be there in another month. I'll kinda miss it. It makes my head more interesting.

And what's that I saw in the street?Could it be...street chickens?YES! YES, THEY WERE STREET CHICKENS!I asked my doctor about them. She said they belonged to the neighbors, but sometimes got out, or were let out. Her house is on the edge of some woods, but they weren't part of a flock of rogue wild chickens or anything.They do have rogue wild turkeys, though.

Anime Insider's 50th issue top 50 anime ever50. Vision of Escaflowne49. Saikano48. Berserk47. Kino's Journey46. Cardcaptor Sakura45. Fantastic Children44. Irresponsible Captain Tylor43. Giant Robo: The Animation42. Twelve Kingdoms41. Azumanga Daioh40. Urusei Yatsura39. Astro Boy38. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust37. Fruits Basket36. Night on the Galactic Railroad35. Excel Saga34. Trigun33. Read or Die OVA32. Princess Mononoke31. Gunbuster: Aim for the Top!30. Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal29. The Place Promised in Our Early Days28. Planetes27. Samurai Champloo26. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket25. Princess Tutu24. Serial Experiments Lain23. Galaxy Express 99922. Patlabor the Movie 221. Tokyo Godfathers20. Gankutsuou19. My Neighbor Totoro18. Boogiepop Phantom17. Paranoia Agent16. Grave of the Fireflies15. Haibane Renmei14. Ghost in the Shell/Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex13. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind12. Now and Then, Here and There11. Fullmetal Alchemist10. Macross Plus9. Akira8. Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro7. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade6. Neon Genesis Evangelion5. Revolutionary Girl Utena4. FLCL3. Millennium Actress2. Porco Rosso1. Cowboy BebopI'm sure you can guess which ones I fought for. Whatcha think?

So a deer hit me!I keep meaning to write about this. Whoops. It was a week ago today, so let me assure you in advance, I am fine, and indeed, a deer hit me and not the other way around.So I was driving to my therapist's place (oh irony), home of the street chickens, when out of the corner of my left eye, I see a deer dashing into the road. Luckily, I wasn't going too fast to begin with, and I have good enough reflexes that I slammed hard on the brakes. I'm pretty sure I saw skidmarks when I came back the other way later. I slowed enough that I didn't hit the deer, but the deer crashed into the driver's side door. We were all face to face. I was like, "Why you gots to be this way, deer, all crashing into my ride?"Afterward, it scampered off, looking a bit dazed but okay. My left side mirror had bent in toward the window, but that's okay, they're designed to do that, though I noticed the next day that the glass was gone. No body damage to the actual car, which is good. And no damage to me other than the momentary psychological sort, which resulted in me shaking a lot and popping half a Xanax as soon as I got to the therapist's office.And to think I go there to feel better.

I want to thank everyone for their incredibly kind words and outpouring of love to me this week. One thing I've learned is that I already miss my Grandma more than I imagined. When I lost my other grandparents, I didn't love them any less, but I shared them with my 12 aunts and uncles and all of my cousins. This grandma was just ours and I was not ready to let her go. I don't want her to be gone; I want to go home, go to her room and find her beaming at me and ready for a hug. Another thing I've learned is that I am a lucky sumbitch to have as many people who care about me as I do. Thank you all.Tomorrow I'm getting up very early and flying home to Ohio for the memorial service. She will be buried next to my grandfather Marcus, who died before I was born and who Grandma always missed.As part of the eulogy my mother plans to deliver (she's my paternal grandmother, but I think Dad might not be able to do it himself without choking up) she collected some memories of Grandma from my brother and I.Here are my brother's: > I remember Christmas eve in North Baltimore when I was 5 or 6, waiting for> Grandma to arrive (after dark) in her big grandma station wagon full of> presents. Grandma always brought huge shopping bags full of presents for> the grandkids. I could barely contain myself and watched out the window> for her. Every pair of headlights I saw, I thought was her. Every time> it wasn't her, I was always disappointed. When it was finally her I was> always very excited and had to run out and help her with the bags of> presents.>> I remember staying at the farm with her for a week in the summer while mom> & dad went on vacation (rafting?). We sat on the porch swing and watched> the cows in the field across the road. We made steaks and 7-up floats.> We went fishing at the pond and I remember she tried to cast the lure into> the pond but her backswing was too far and the hook got caught in the back> of her dress. She couldn't get it out so we had to walk back up the steps> into the house (carrying the fishing pole) so we could find the scissors> to cut the hook out. I remember that being really funny and we both> laughed about it for a really long time.>> I remember helping her in her store and when she sent me up the street to> central market in McConnellsville to get food for our lunch. I remember> her letting us pick out candy from her hallmark store to eat.>> I remember her favorite thing to do was to play checkers. She always> played checkers sitting in dad's big beat up lazy boy chair (that mom> eventually made him throw out). We put a board on her lap and used that> as a table to play on. She always played to win and never, ever, let me> win. She didn't rub it in my face but she never went easy on me either.> I think that made me want to beat her that much more. I don't remember> how old I was when I first beat her, but I know I had been trying for a> long time. I am sure I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I'm really> glad she didn't let me win.> Grandma always made the gravy at Thanksgiving. That was her job and it> was always the best.Here are mine: Some things I remember about Grandma:She always had beautiful, elaborate cursive handwriting that looked old-fashioned to me when I was younger. It was hard for me to read, but very pretty to look at, and I always knew it was hers just from glancing at it. She would always sign her cards "All my love, Grandmother Hanson" and I knew that she did give us all of her love.I learned to play checkers from playing her. I always enjoyed challenging her, but I'm not sure if I ever managed to win. She had a very sharp mind and was a strong player. I think I was happy just to get the the back row so I could say "king me!" She was a tough enough opponent that even that much could be difficult. I didn't think of it at the time, but playing against her made it easy for me to think of doing my best until I earned success on my own as a normal thing.I remember waiting for her to arrive with her dog, Princess, for Christmas. She drove all the way from McConnellsville, which seemed very very far away at the time. We were little kids back then so we knew Grandma meant presents, but it also felt like the family was complete once she got there.I remember how much she loved her dog. Grandma always had a very warm heart, and Princess seemed like her best friend. She thought boxers were the most beautiful dogs around. Princess recognized us and was happy to see us when she would come with Grandma for a visit, and it felt like getting to play with a very furry four-legged cousin.I remember stopping in at Carriage Court to see Grandma before my prom. She always liked us to go out and do new things and come tell her about it, but it was a special treat for her to see me all dressed up to go out. It was fun for me too because I got to show off, like I was walking the red carpet in her room. She made me feel more beautiful.I remember listening to her tell embarrassing stories about Dad's childhood over and over again. They were still very funny to me. Dad always got a little embarrassed and thought it was silly to hear them for the hundredth time. That just made it funnier to me.It felt like a long drive to visit her farm when we were younger, but we always had a lot of fun walking out by the pond to see what was there. I would look for frogs. The first dragonflies I ever saw were there, and I thought they were the biggest bugs I'd seen. It was fun and exciting when we would walk down by her creek until the water was too high and we would turn back. I felt like an explorer because we saw things in nature there that we didn't usually see at home.I remember having a long talk at the kitchen table with Grandma one time, talking about things I had done and showing her lots of pieces of art I had made, like the red cardinal I painted and the elephant I made out of clay. She told Mom and Dad later that she had really enjoyed our conversation. It's a happy memory for me because I think we were getting to know each other more then. I liked that I could share things with her to show her more of who I was.I think my favorite memory is her smile when she saw me on a visit she didn't expect. She always let us know how much she loved us and how proud she was. More than that, I know she liked us, too. Her smile made me feel warm inside, that someone could be that glad to see me. It was just made of happiness.Her name was Betty Hanson and she was a wonderful person. Not a perfect person, but a wonderful one. I was lucky to have her.I love you, Grandma.

So, um, how much of a dork does it make me that, upon uploading the final chapter to the longest fic I've ever written and clicking the status over to "complete," I feel a little like bawling?

I started to fill out the year-end meme that's been going around, but quickly realized...I just didn't feel like it.So here's my year in LJ posts.-I returned to Ohayocon for a mini-reunion with a big group of friends.-I bid farewell to Head Crater #1. Little did I know #2 was on the way!-HOLY SHIT, LOOK WHO'S THE NINTH ESPADA. Still the best Bleach moment of the year.-My terrible plane karma culminated in an emergency landing in Denver on the way to Wizard World LA.-Anxiety and depression manifested in weird breathing issues and I ended up getting multiple chest scans, then therapy, which helped more.-I saw...STREET CHICKENS.-Anime Insider reached 50 issues.-Weird animal interactions continued when a deer hit me, not the other way around.-My grandmother died.-I finished my first long multi-chapter fic.Today I'm celebrating the new year by (hopefully) beating Final Fantasy XII, finally. I'm looking forward to 2008. Like I told people last night at Casey's party-I tend to assign numbers personality, and 8 is friendly. So I think it'll be good. I'll do my best to make it so, anyway.

Found this on Facebook, cut out the ones that don't apply to me since I didn't go to high school here. lovediamond, how true is this? -You spend virtually every weekend at the Mall.-You know by mall, that meant Palisades. It's one of the biggest malls in the nation, and you're completely bored by it.-You are Jewish, or at least all of your friends are.-You have almost run over a deer or a Hasidic at least once.-You know there's nothing to do in Rockland.-Nobody outside of Rockland has any idea where it is.-When you want to jog, you always go to Rockland Lake but never make it around more then once.-You get offended when someone says that Rockland is "upstate." Especially when these people are from Long Island, and you're closer to the city than they are.-Regardless, you still consider Orange County upstate.-You get excited when your town is mentioned/portrayed on NYC-based shows like Law and Order.-Driving around aimlessly is accepted as a thing to do.-Diners at 2AM are also acceptable, even though the food sucks and is overpriced.-You use the Palisades Parkway to get anywhere thats more than 5 minutes from you.-You know what town Rosie O'Donnell and DMX have houses in, and you've driven around looking for them.-New housing developments go up every few months, even when you thought there was no more space.-You always hear rumors that random famous people are building/moving into Rockland (Madonna, Derek Jeter...).-You wonder how the Nanuet Mall is still open each time you pass it.-Although you look down on New Jersey, you always get your gas there.-You understand that the Ja Rule song "Always On Time" takes place in Rockland (I'm just outside Jersey, past the Palisades.)

This was the best year I've ever had, both quantity and quality-wise. Eee. The number of fics is about the same as 2006, but I know the word count is way higher, though I haven't checked the specific amount. I'm satisfied with the officially posted fic, plus I've got a series-in-progress with a certain cohort, a sorta-sequel to DI to be edited yet, and a couple more ideas just itching to be written down. Woohoo! Onwards and upward to 2008.The fics:1) Blood Roses This uniform means something. Momo hopes she can live up to it. Hinamori and Aizen a progression of a captain/vice-captain relationship and what's left behind.This was the second assignment I did for flashfic_bleach and I was really not feeling it that month. I still wish I could have come up with something stronger, but maybe character introspection pieces aren't so bad once in a while. Other people seemed to like it more than I did, though, so that's nice.2) Departures Rukia's got miles to go before she sleeps. All that's left is to say goodbye to Ichigo at the train station.Written for ichi_ruki's 12 Days of Ichigo Torture challenge, this is sort of a counterpoint/inversion to Circles, the fic I wrote last year where Rukia likewise gets exiled. It wasn't polished, being written in a day and all, but I liked the conflicted emotions of the moment in time. I'd love to read about Rukia exploring Japan on her own, but there's no follow-up for this one. It is what it is.3) Hush Little Baby As with all the battles Ichigo has witnessed and fought of late, it comes down to a clash of wills. Nell, Ichigo, and the horror that is bedtime.This has been thoroughly jossed by now, but I could never imagine Ichigo just leaving Nell in Hueco Mundo. Small!Nell already seems to have half-adopted him as her new daddy, and I couldn't resist taking that further.4) Notes on a High School Scandal The worst rumors are the ones that could be true.My entry for the ichi_ruki 2007 fanworks contest. For the second time in a row, I could not contain my verbosity in order to keep it in one LJ entry. I don't think anyone got that the title was a riff on the book/movie "Notes on a Scandal" so that makes it seem kinda lamer. BUT NOW YOU ALL KNOW! The first half of this flowed like water, the latter half was like pulling teeth, but overall I'm still pleased with the result and I had fun doing it. I'm most proud of the fact that I successfully wrote a fic that has Ichigo and Rukia making out on a rooftop pre-Soul Society and still managed to fit it into canon so it actually could have happened.5) The Nuclear Family Fireworks, fish tanks and thou: the extended Shiba family gathers for a visit.So raynos and I once chatted about how it would've been crazy but kinda fun if one of Aaroniero Alulieri's two heads-inna-jar had been what was left of Kaien and Rukia had taken it home with her to live in a fish tank. One afternoon I got the image of Rukia ordering Ichigo to lift a baby up to the tank so Kaienhead could see, and that was it, I sat down and wrote this fic in one sitting. I was experimenting with a new style of voice, and that was fun. This is probably the most insane thing I wrote this year, but also one of the most fun, and it got a really good reaction.6) Playing by Heart A man, a band, a plan. After the war, Chad gets back to real life the only way he knows how, but his friends aren't about to let him do it alone.My third assignment for bleach_flashfic. Chad is hard to write; despite this being a Chad-centric fic, I had the most trouble with his perspective and the easiest with Rukia's bits, no surprise. Hooray for genfic! The driving force to finish this piece was to have Renji in a fetish club man-corset, I'm not gonna lie.7) A Secret Between Them (And All Who Would Behold It) Those who hold their secrets the closest often don't see the ones all around them.My Remix fic of tenebris' "A Secret Between Them" (naturally). I've always liked that fic, so I'm happy the Remixed version didn't suck, and most importantly, that Ten liked it. It was a lot of fun to write the different perspectives. From easiest to hardest, they probably ordered Karin, Isshin, Renji, Kon, Chad.8) Setting Sun, Rising Moon Half a century ago, Ichigo became a substitute shinigami while he was still alive. At the end of that life, it's time to become the real thing, but with death come unexpected challengesnot the least of which is that presented by seeing Rukia again for the first time in years.By far the most popular fic I've ever written, but it's also the first time I managed to conceive, plan, and write a long multi-part fic like this. I like the fic itself, but I'm most proud of having had the discipline just to get to the finish line.9) Undertow There are many ways a person can love. Kaien, Rukia, and what might have been.My first bleach_flashfic assignment, and by far my favorite fic of the year. This is the closest a fic has ever come to matching exactly what was in my brain, and it just poured out to the point I was writing thousands of words a day. It's probably egotistical, but oh well; I like to think that if Rukia and Kaien had ever had a relationship, this is how it could have gone. I wanted to see if I could write an affair that was sympathetic without being fully justified, and I think I did it. I'm sort of in love with the Kaien I wrote in this fic and I keep wanting to do more with him, but I said exactly what I wanted to in this one. I'm also bizarrely pleased with the title, possibly because I suck at coming up with them and I thought of this one right away. It goes with Kaien's whole ocean theme as well as the theme of the story.The memeLooking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?I thought I'd write a larger number of stories...not sure if I planned my word count, but I think I hoped to write more in general, so I know I did that. I didn't expect working on DI to prompt me to start writing all the time.What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2006? Kaien/Rukia. I've always been intrigued by the notion, and I thought Kaien would be a good guy to lose one's virginity to, but I didn't think I could ever get past the whole married thing. Too much guilt. But when the pairing was one of hakuren's specific requests for flashfic, I used that as a prompt to force myself. If I had to put them together, how would it go? The answer came easier than I thought it would.What's your favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest? Undertow. It was one of the most fun to write and the best. Also The Nuclear Family because it's so cracktastic, but seems to work somehow. XDDid you take any writing risks this year? (See above for unexpected pairings, etc.) What did you learn from them?Undertow was a tightrope balancing act, making the adulterers sympathetic without letting them off the hook. Writing Chad in Playing by Heart and Hinamori in Blood Roses were risky acts as well, simply because I wasn't entirely comfortable doing so, which could've led to some really crappy fic. I think I learned that, while I've still got plenty of areas to improve, I can do more than I think I can if I just try.Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?Write more gen, try a few new pairings, finish editing and post elopefic, write some RenRuki and The Waystation and the What Ukitake Was Doing While Rukia Was Missing fics. (Also: think of titles for fics.) Write some Avatar fic, possibly some Pushing Daisies fic if I can work up the courage.From my past year of writing, what was...My Favorite Story:Undertow, see above for why. But I'll give a nod to Setting Sun, Rising Moon as well because I got to indulge my inner melodramatic.My Best Story:Again, Undertow. Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe:Blood Roses, which went for a while without any reviews at all on ffnet...then again, I'm not sure it deserves all that much appreciation anyway, so I don't feel particularly slighted by the powers cosmic.Most Fun:Hush Little Baby. Nell + Ichigo + Unwilling Fatherhood = WHEE!Most Disappointing:Hmm...Blood Roses. The style kinda outweighs the substance of it.Most Sexy:I don't think any of them are especially sexy. Maybe SSRM/DI just because it has sex in it, or Undertow because I tried to build up the attraction in different ways prior to the actual act.Story with a Single Sexy Moment:SSRM/DI, chapter 4. Ichigo and Rukia play doctor.He leaned in closer. So, wheres this pain?Ah. Yes. She hopped up to sit on the examination seat and and took his hand, guiding it up from her knee to just under the skirt she wore. Somewhere around here, I think.He looked at her with dark eyes for a long moment. Im done with hours for the day.I dont have to return for quite some time, she replied.He shut and locked the door.Hardest to Write:Playing by Heart. Chado, just because you don't say much to your friends doesn't mean you can't talk to the people trying to write about you! C'mon, please?Most Unintentionally Telling:Setting Sun, Rising Moon, aka HELLO JAINA IS A BIG MCLARGEHUGE SAP AND MELODRAMA FIEND OF THE HIGHEST ORDER.

This year, I decided to do a recs list of what I found to be the most enjoyable fics I read in 2007. I'd like to call it a best of the best list, but I'll be honest and say heyI'm not totally impartial and objective. If your taste is the opposite of mine, well, flee now! Plus my fic exposure is pretty limited to what comes across the flist, what gets recced to me and what I see on The Pit, so this isn't all the good stuff from 2007. Also, some of these were written for me in bleach_flashfic so I'm even more biased there. But I think these are pretty damn good reads. Spoilers within for various canons.Avatar: The Last AirbenderTitle: "Male Bonding" by ali_wildgoose and rawlesSummary: As much as she intensely dislikes it, Katara understands why Zuko had to join them. What she doesn't understand is why he and Sokka have to spend every waking moment in each other's company.Why you should read it: It's tremendously funny and brings out the utter dorkiness that resides within both Sokka and Zuko, Sokka's pimpness aside. It's also wonderfully touching, and shows perfectly why Sokka and Zuko could end up getting along a lot better than either ever expected.BleachTitle: "All We Know of Heaven (That Which We Are Not Meant to Grasp)" by raynosSummary: Young Rukia and a mysterious shinigami make a deal.Why you should read it: Maybe it's egotistical to include a remix of one of my own fics, but frankly, I think Ray did it better. So, how did Rukia end up with the hogyoku? I love believable fics with characters in their younger days. Spot-on portrayal of Urahara.Title: "Annoying Acquaintances" by saucy_kateSummary: Post-overlord Aizen gets drunk with Urahara, Isshin and KyourakuWhy you should read it: Did you READ the title? Some of the best crack humor of the year.Title: "Diamond Girl" by kay_willowSummary: Ishida has to bring a date to his father's fundraising gala. Only one girl will do.Why you should read it: Ishida and Rukia! ISHIDA AND RUKIA. It's a date of convenience, not exactly a romance, but it hints at why these two would be evil together if they ever joined forces. Be still my heart.Title: "Dinner Party" by _debbiechan_Summary: Ishida Orihime throws her first grown-up dinner party. Duck and cover.Why you should read it: Rarely do futurefics get the dynamic between all parties down well, but this fic really nails it. Sweet but not cloying, funny but not a parody, this is an all-around great read. The mix of emotions that occur when one starts to grow up is palpable. I could really relate to this one. One of my absolute favorites of the whole year.Title: "Emptying the Nest" by cccpirateSummary: There's a lot to do to prepare Rukia for her impending wedding. Ever the dutiful older brother, Byakuya makes it happen.Why you should read it: Unless and until more Byakuya+Rukia sibling fics are posted, this is the quintessential version of awkward, awkward Kuchiki brotherly love. With so many preparations to make, there are countless funny bits (just wait until Rukia gets to the lessons on bridal decorum) but it also twists one's heart at how much Byakuya loves her without really being very good at showing it.Title: "Fever" by katsudonSummary: When Rukia falls ill, Renji does what he can to help her.Why you should read it: Rukongai childhood fic! Beautifully woobie Renji! Captures their younger dynamic very well, with a heart-twisting end that just makes you want to give Renji a good squeeze.Title: "Forty-Six" by maevethSummary: So, how did the murders of the Central Forty-Six go down?Why you should read it: Because it's creepy in a way rarely seen in Bleach fic, despite the series being about a bunch of ghosts.Title: "How Yachiru Got Her Man" by oarthesecondSummary: Yachiru's on a mission. Her target: sweet Byakushi.Why you should read it: Sweet, delicious crack. (This is grown-up Yachiru, by the way.) If you like funny, you'll probably like this. DON'T YOU LIKE FUNNY?Title: "Hush" by hallowdSummary: Rukia sleeps with her ghosts that rest ill at ease. Byakuya looks after her as he best knows how.Why you should read it: Quiet and melancholy in that way Byakuya can be, this is my other favorite Kuchiki sibling fic. Short, but it says exactly what it needs to.Title: "Ichigo's Funeral" by _debbiechan_Summary: A shinigami captain doesn't need a living body, but shuffling off the mortal coil is only the beginning for Ichigo.Why you should read it: This provokes a lot of the same true-to-life emotions that "Dinner Party" does, which is fitting since it takes place prior to that fic, but if you yearn for fic dealing with Ichigo and Tatsuki's friendships and the fallout his new lifestyle has had on it, this is the fic for you.Title: "Janken" by empath_eiaSummary: Renji learns to let go.Why you should read it: If you are a sucker for the Renji->Rukia dynamic and enjoy believe doggie angst without it being gratuitous torture, this is the one for you. Made all the better for the presence of the academy trio, whose enduring friendship is a welcome dynamic.Title: "Keepsake" by overtoned (f-locked, but it's easy to join the comm)Summary: Once, a long time ago, Kuchiki Rukia gave something to Hisagi Shuuhei that he's always kept safe.Why you should read it: Because it makes the crack pairing of Shuuhei/Rukia actually believable. Not exactly a happy fic, but beautiful in its way.Title: "The Language of Flowers" by scathachdhuSummary: Urahara pisses off Yoruichi. She reacts accordingly.Why you should read it: Ever wonder what the characters are off dorking about when we don't see them? This is one perfectly believable answer. Utterly nails their long-suffering best friendship.Title: "Pirate House" by scathachdhuSummary: It's Yachiru's birthday and the Eleventh Division knows how to party.Why you should read it: Because I nearly wet myself laughing at it. Scathach takes the nuttiness of the Eleventh and bounces it off a bunch of other characters, to great effect. Each division's choice of present is especially fun.Title: "Shinigrimmy" by scathachdhuSummary: Grimmjow's been purified and forced into service as a shinigami. He finds his own ways of coping.Why you should read it: More excellent yet oddly believable (if you tilt your head sideways) crack pairing fic. Grimmjow's personal habits once he becomes a shinigami are fabulous. Combine that with Rukia's irritation at being his babysitter and this has all sorts of potential as a ficverse.Title: "Special Training" by lovediamondSummary: Ukitake has to have a talk with his young subordinate's significant other.Why you should read it: It's too short for me to describe without ruining it, but let's say it's a damn funny all-dialogue fic that shows just how diplomatic Ukitake can be.Title: "Through Endless Sands" by geofountSummary: Orihime talks to ghosts. Sometimes, Ulquiorra listens.Why you should read it: This is a difficult fic to read, but it's got everything I find intriguing about the dynamic between Orihime and Ulquiorra. Haunting and lovely.Title: "True Love and Swirly Skirts" by _debbiechan_Summary: How Orihime falls in love and how she just falls.Why you should read it: This is an excellent character study that isn't just a bunch of rambling on a character's thoughts. Some very nice insights into why Orihime is who she is, why she falls for Ichigo, and the process of heartbreak. Even if you are not an Orihime fan, if you can read this and not have even a smidge of sympathy for her, you have no heart.Title: "A Winter's Tale" by hallowdSummary: In the end, Ichigo breaks. Rukia tries to pick up the pieces.Why you should read it: Now this is what a one-shot should be. Self-contained but with a feeling of expansiveness that makes the world it's in truly believable, it explores an interesting question: what if death isn't the worst thing that could happen to Ichigo in the winter war? Rukia gets to be awesome and we get to see some new sides of different characters and enjoy Aino's gift for great dialogue. A very cozy story to enjoy with hot chocolate.SupernaturalTitle: "Salvation Lets Their Wings Unfold" by raynosSummary: Mary Winchester had a past.Why you should read it: I don't read a lot of SPN fic, but I love this version of Sam and Dean's mother and where exactly the Impala came from. Good reading.