Right now ...

[blamebrampton]

I have two fics to update, one new one to sketch, a novel to work on, a house to clean, five fics open in tabs to read, about 40 recs outstanding and still 2/3 of hd_hols to look at.

What am I doing?

I am obsessively renewing my email in case the hd_worldcup listings come out. Because I am now officially keen, and both the teams I put as first and second choice are filled with really really magnificent people including actual people I know. I think that age, nationality and natural stoicism aside, I may very well be squeeing.

Which means I will not make it through the ballot and will be reduced to tidying my house. Oh well, I find all the best stuff that way ...

Comments

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Worldcup listings or invites were supposed to go up yesterday- I don't know why they were delayed. But don't fret! You have an excellent chance of making it into the fest, given the odds.

Both mods are American, and it's not yet 7 am on the East Coast, so I'm betting the list comes out while you're sleeping. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's like being four and the day before you turn five! Which, if memory serves, ended in me falling asleep somewhere around 3am and waking at lunch, bereft that I had missed my first morning of fivedom!

I am consoling myself with the fact that I have a reasonable statistical chance and also selected the two less popular teams. And I have made blood offerings to Osiris, so that should help, too. (OK, it was a bad paper cut, but it was a GOOD dedication.)

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Awww! *hugs five-year-old Blame*

I really hope you make it, and if you're on my team, that will be the icing on the cake.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I was so happy that you received your first choice!! I did an AM dance of glee, which was very dodgy but heartfelt.

Birthdays are terrible, when I was very little I convinced myself that I will die the day before one so that I will NEVER KNOW what my presents were. Do not let your young children read or watch King Lear, it makes them bleak and prone to drama.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

I didn't really care which team I got on, as long as it didn't interfere with the genre I wanted to write. The only one I didn't want was Epilogue because I just wrote an epilogue-compliant fic and now I want to do something a little different.

And I wouldn't think King Lear would be good for kids. Even if performed by puppets. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT PUPPET LEAR? As SOON as I finish my Faust puppets, it is the next classic on my list.

Lear was actually the play that broke me, Dad was always appallingly gloaty about the "My daughter is not even in school and reads Shakespeare ..."* thing. One day I came to him with my much-loved Complete Works clutched to my bosom and said "They all died!"

"Wha?" was his eloquent reply.

"Cordelia, Lear, Gloucester, all dead ... there is no fairness, no justice, just death. There's just death and then nothing!"

"Aren't we the little existentialist?"

For the NEXT TWO YEARS I went to bed every night chanting "Fairies, fairies, fairies, think of fairies, not the yawning maw of oblivion. FUCKING FAIRIES, DAMMIT!"


*Because you keep her around adults all the time and she has no child friends ... To be fair, it wasn't so bad as all my lack of socialisation was ignored my all my schoolmates under the great and shining fact that my grandparents bred horses and PONIES.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Can I possibly persuade you to post pix of your puppets? LOL, I would love to see puppet!Shakespeare or puppet! Goethe.

If I ever made a comedic film about lawyers, I would have a character who makes trial objections through puppets while the character himself maintains a deadpan expression.

And who can resist PONIES! I had only toy horses myself.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's Marlowe, really, so to be honest it's Faustus. I will once they are finished! (And once I have a Flickr account, but that will be before they are finished!) I decided that Mephistopheles should be a woman dressed like Elizabeth I, because you know Marlowe would TOTALLY have been thinking that ...

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Hmm, interesting angle! Or a male puppet in drag.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

well, since he's a fallen sexless angel ... both and neither, really ... the teeny tiny costumes are largely done, the bodies jointed, but I am still rubbish at carving heads, so I either need to do a sculpting course or else pay someone to do the heads (I could swap costumes if I knew someone who did this!)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oops! Pressed send too fast! It should be sockpuppets. Sockpuppets in real life are COMPLETELY UNABLE TO BE ARGUED AGAINST!

If I was my appalling acquaintance who was cheating on his wife, I would have denied everything via a sockpuppet and she would have been too distracted to kill me. He is so stupid.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Sockpuppets (I started typing that with a c!) certainly would have added a surreal flair to that situation. I think more people should use that ploy.

And what happens if you try to argue with a sockpuppet?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, the past puppetshow I did was all static images (drawings and illuminations on sticks backed with card, some pop-up gags), and then some sockpuppets.

Because I hadn't really slept for a month by then, I was a bit mad after the performance and ran around with one of the sockpuppets making unreasonable demands. When people said no or otherwise argued, the puppet:
a. did the open-mouthed muppet head-waving thing
b. tongue-kissed them with its socky felt tongue (NB use clean socks)
c. made inappropriate suggestions regarding where socks could be worn.

I swear that none of this was conscious on my part, it was the sock! But people very quickly stop arguing with the sock and either burst out laughing or beg you to go away.

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

I love it- it's the sock id bringing out your subconscious impulses!

And a dirty-sock puppet would of course have a filthy mouth. In which case people would be running away...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Was evil sock. Had 30% synthetic content.

I'm luverly! And I always make sure to have clean socks and undies ... especially given the high running over incidence ...

On the topic of which, loved Sansa's new fic but need another hour to write a comment that doesn't begin "I hate cars!!!"

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

How do you know who got what? The sites don't seem to say.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I am CUNNING!! (Like a weasel, I tell you.)

http://community.livejournal.com/ewe_cup/profile and, for the others, substitute ewe with canon, fanon and epilogue.

You can see why I really want to play ...

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

I see.

Well, good luck. I'd say you are assured a place.

:)

[lackofmendacity.livejournal.com]

Ahahahah, you are cunning indeed. *is impressed and swoons a bit* ;D

And best of luck, sweetie, I hope you made the list. :) *hugs you tight*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I did! EWE! Thanks *hugs you back!*

(And yes, all those cunning journo skills once devoted to ferreting out financial records of bad guys and early films of starlets can now be more happily used in fic!)

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

You have a pretty good chance, don't you? I hope you do get in! I know you'll do well. Good luck! (Although I doubt you'll find out 'til morning - it's still early in America).

Time differences suck, huh? It was driving me nuts when I was waiting for Torchwood. XD

I was so tempted to sign up for hd_worldcup. Probably a good idea that I didn't, considering all the other fandom commitments I seem to have compiled in the last few days.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's a ballot, so the same chance as everyone else, I think, unless they are skewing the ballot to take team choices into consideration, in which case a slightly better chance since I chose the unpopular teams.

Still, I will be able to throw myself at Beltane if I am a reject, so it's not all bad news. And I'll have more time to read, which is good, because I have all these talented friends (looks at you meaningly)

Sydney is the most annoying time difference; too far ahead of the world for most stuff, without being first! Damn New Zealanders! Ooh ... you said Torchwood ... I still haven't watched it! THAT will help!

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

There weren't too many more applications than there were places, were there? And, like you said, team choices ight make an impact. Anyway, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

Beltane would be good. I'm doing inspried (the animagus round) for fiction, instead of art, which is a change. Plus the Harry/Cedric challenge. Eeep. HAHA, me, talented? *collapses laughing* I am going to suck so much. It's scary.

I know! Canberra is just as bad. It's raining here - is it raining there? I like the rain. :) And, YES. Watch Torchwood!! It is awesome! *dreamy sigh*

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

I meant inspired, obviously, not inspried. And might, instead of ight. It's too late. *headdesk* I wish I could edit comments. I would love a paid account.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I knew exactly what you meant.

I can tell you for a fact that the best writers in the world make appalling and idiotic typos all the time, which is why I will never lack work. Hurrah for mistakes!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Raining here, too, I am so happy! My garden may yet live!

Of course you're talented, so shush. You will be great. And the animagus theme is so exciting, as is Harry/Cedric. I am doomed never to catch up on my fandom reading, and may as well abandon all hope of re-reading Tolstoy. (I'm actually happy to drop War and Peace off the list, once was enough!)

Will watch Torchwood. Jack improves everything.

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

Yay! Rain just means more weeds for our garden, but I still love it. Rain is so dramatic.

It is! I started the Harry/Cedric today, and I'm itching to start on inspired, but we don't get our assignments 'til Feb. Occasionally I do something that I don't hate, but it's very rare. But I did get an odd review today, which I am almost absolutely sure was supposed to be complimentary, but confused me. It said that I was a drama geek, and that my ending to my big chaptered snarry reminded him/her of how they narrate in the theatre. They also said that an indie film could be made out of my fic. Now, personally, I like indie films and I take this as a compliment, but I'm not entirely sure...

My problem is that I never have enough time to read all the books that I want to. All my time is being devoted to reading fanfic I have been trying to for ages, and reading the many books I have bought over the last few months. Plus, my friend wrote a 90 000-word fic that I swore I would read. But I'm not loving it so it's hard to get into.

He does. And Ianto. Mmm...Ianto.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I saw the upcomings on the ep I downloaded ...
Tosh: So it's the end of the world, we're all going to die ...
Owen: Right. We may as well all have sex.
Ianto: Just when I thought the end of the world couldn't be any worse.

Is it still raining down there? Tis here and is lovely!

I think that they were going for a compliment that they could not carry off. I would have said that your work has a satisfying original drama to the actions and narratives without ever falling into dramatic cliches.

And 90K fics deserve all the delays they get!

[who_la_hoop]

*frets* It's the 18th! I want to know if I got in! :)

(Still got so much of hd_hols to read as well!)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

If we fail, we should start a support group!

[who_la_hoop]

Totally! We can construct a shrine to mourn for our lost hopes.

Woe will be us.

(Hee!)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

See, I am finding that all my happy plotiness is quite diluted by the absence of you and Romaine and a few others. What we need is the Biggest Fest Ever ... we should spend this year learning and then mod it next year, after which we will probably realise why it isn't done that way ...

[who_la_hoop]

Awww, don't be silly! *pokes you* :D You must spend much time doing happy plotting and us observers will cheer you on! *waves little "hurrah for blamebrampton" flag*

Also: I think the Biggest Fest Ever might be called hd_holidays, lol. I still haven't read all the fics, woe. *slaps my own wrist* The sheer quantity just got overwhelming!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

True, I'm still only 1/4 of the way through, too.

Still not as much fun without you, though I do like the flag ...

[romaine24.livejournal.com]

Ditto! I just had to stop in and check before work. arg!!!

Good Luck!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You, too! I may have to go to bed and wait till morning. Because I am so GOOD at being patient. Balls.

[romaine24.livejournal.com]

Well, hell, I'm at work now and no listing. I'm thinking the odds of making it for a permanent position are not so good. Given that the artists and their back up postions and author back-up positions are included in the number they mentioned for available spots. *meep* Usually, I'm a glass is half-full type of gal, but for some reason not today. Maybe it's just because I haven't had enough coffee yet.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It is NOT FAIR, I tell you.

[romaine24.livejournal.com]

I've recovered! Work was just absolutely horrid yesterday, and I just wasn't a happy camper to start with when this happened. However, my husband rearranged our family vacation to July, so I can go to Sectus in Chicago in August. That just made my night.

Now go SQUEEEEEE!!! or I will bap you on the head (virtually, but it will still hurt).

Who_la_hoop and I will have fun reviewing and voting. *weg*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Squee ...

However, SECTUS?! YAYYYYY! have a great time!

[raitala.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I really want to get into hd_worldcup too! I am encouraged by your assessment that ewe is less popular, fingers crossed we both get in. I don't know whether as an artist I have a better or worse chance of getting in. *joins you in obsessively refreshing email*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Hello, team-mate! I was V happy to see you there!

[libby-drew.livejournal.com]

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!

GO TEAM EWE!!!!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! INDEED!

IS bad, though, because will miss NQdonne and AM v badly, but is with YOU, so yay!