Seattle, thistlerose, and a few confessions

[rynne]

Just got back from Seattle (well, a couple hours ago really, but I've been doing other things), and squee! it was fun. :D Though apparently Seattle was in the middle of a heat wave and the temperatures were in the eighties for two of the days I was there. And then I come home and the flight attendant on the plane announces that we're in the nineties. *snicker* Some heat wave...though I suppose it's hot, for Seattle. Another point towards moving to Washington--the weather. *loves rain muchly*

Anyway, after looking at Puget Sound in Tacoma and UW in Washington, I think my first choice for college is Puget Sound. Beautiful campus, my tour guide was an English major and he said he really likes the program (though OH MY GOD he was so like my ex-boyfriend that it's not even funny. They seem to have the same sense of humor and same enthusiasm and if tour guide's hair was straightened, he could probably pass for ex's twin. *thwaps self* Do not think Bad Thoughts about the tour guide!), and I think I prefer a smaller campus than UW. Not that UW isn't a good school--it's still in my top three--but it's so...big. And if I went to Puget Sound, I'd get the benefits of small town life in Tacoma, but big city Seattle is less than an hour away by car (about an hour and a half by bus), and I could go in when I have time.

But anyway. The best part of the trip was, by far, meeting thistlerose. Squee! She's such a sweetheart. *g* And I made a Footpad for her. Fans of Footpad may see him here, now that thistlerose has taken pictures of him and figured out how to put them on the computer. He is lopsided (which Thistlerose said was all right, considering Sirius wasn't very good with sewing charms *g*), but he is black and has floppy ears and blue eyes and a pink tongue, and I rather like him. But then, he's Footpad. What's not to like? *g* Whorish sockpuppet indeed.

Anyway, the first night, Thursday, I met her at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, which was open until nine and therefore useful...or it would have been if it hadn't taken us an hour to find it! Seattle's streets are so confusing! But we made it there and met Thistlerose, and she's great. We went through the museum really quickly (though there was this one really cool Japanese firefighter's jacket that had this demonic spider on it...:D *is tempted to use the spider icon*) and then sat and talked in this one room that looked like it was for kids. We made a bit of origami too, but neither of us knew how to make more than one thing :p. And then Friday we met for dinner and ice cream.

But yes. thistlerose is lovely. :D I'm so glad I got to meet her.

*cough* I've got a confession. Don't kill me now. *eyes flist warily*

...I don't think that shoebox_project is TEH BEST THING EVAR OMG!!!1!1

I like it, of course. I've squeed with allisonblair about it. It's very funny, especially the career advice and Remus's dreams. And I'm going to be very happy, I'm sure, when the R/S finally becomes more than UST. But you know I wasn't here on Thursday, and I didn't even think of shoebox_project until I browsed my flist and saw people squeeing over it, as usual.

I like the fic. I think it's rec-worthy and deserves its Niffle. But I'm not obsessed with it, I could do without it, and I don't think it would be horrible if something JKR wrote contradicts it (as some people are calling it canon).

Another confession, which I already just told alpheratz a couple hours ago, but which I just randomly want to say because it seems to be virtually offered to me everywhere.

Unlike most of the rest of the world, I do not like chocolate. Or at least, I don't like chocolate in doses larger than a Hershey Kiss or Tootsie Roll (which are the only bits of chocolate I will eat).

I'm not allergic to it. I just...really can't stand the taste, mostly. And smelling too much of it makes me feel almost ill sometimes.

*shudders* Save me from chocolate and how it's absolutely everywhere!

Also, happy birthday casirafics! And happy belated birthday memorycharm! :D

Comments

[idroppedarice.livejournal.com]

omg, leik, h0w cud u say SBP isnt teh beSt tHiNg EVAR???!!21forty-two!!1!

Heh, no, I love it though. And yes, I am one of those people who want it to be canon. Forever. And JK shouldn't mess with it. I've honestly never liked a fic so much, it's kind of disturbing. But I understand people who don't like it... actually, no, I don't. Hee.

I'm so glad you had a great trip! And am so jealous that you got to meet a fandom friend. Though, you went to Seattle? I mean, Rooney lives in Seattle. *pines*

*huggles* Am glad you're back! <3

*uses SBP icon in the hopes to convert you to our fanatical cult, even though the icon isn't particularly great*

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

Ahh, Shoebox Project! I do understand the squeeing, as it's remarkably well-written... but calling it canon is a TAD much. I must admit I haven't read the whole thing yet, but the first few chapters were fun, and the chapter where WPP are beginning to turn into Animagi is just laugh-out-loud hilarious. (Sirius: "And you could throw something, and I could catch it, and it would NEVER STOP BEING FUN!") (Didn't look up that quote, but it's close enough.) But still, I hope this doesn't develop a life of its own and become the New Cassie Claire, with squeeing fangirls and overhyped recs and suchlike. Ugh.

Don't like chocolate??? Wow. Although, I get a lot of funny looks 'cause I don't like chocolate ice cream.

*wanders off to devour a Nestle bar*

[thieving-gypsy.livejournal.com]

Agreement on the SBP thing. :D

I do love it, VERY VERY MUCH. It's hilarious, and adorable, and the pictures make me squee, but I'm not going to reorder my LIFE with Thursay as the centre of my universe.

But I do love it. <3

[rynne.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree. It ain't canon if JKR hasn't written it, folks. And ladyjaida and dorkorific, while immensely talented people, are not JKR. And I'm not as attached to it as many of the people on my flist seem to be, so if I see someone saying that anything JKR writes would be wrong to them if it contradicts Shoebox Project...definite eyebrow raise moment. I for one have never mistaken something in fandom/fic for something in canon or vice versa, and I'd like to keep it that way. Shoebox Project is an enjoyable fic with nice art to go with it, and nothing more.

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

heh... posted and then deleted a few thoughts because I wasn't sure I wanted to turn it into a massive discussion :) , but the short version: yeah, I'm really enjoying Shoebox. No, it's not canon. Yes, it irritates me whenever anyone calls any fan-produced product canon. But it doesn't mean you can't love it, of course. 'sall I'm saying this time. :)

And big thanks for the birthday wishes!

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Ahaha and I've already replied :p. I doubit it would turn into a massive discussion though, as my journal is first of all not that popular, and I think more people would agree with you than disagree. I love fics, and sometimes I like them more than parts of canon, but canon's still canon and fic is still fic. *shrug*

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

*laugh* yeah, 'tis okay. I just school myself SO HARD into diplomacy that sometimes I don't let myself get vehement about very much at all....

glad you agree, though. :)

[chimbleysweep]

Oh, thank god I'm not the only person who isn't obsessed with Shoebox. *traitor*

[pockettheroach.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I've read parts of it. And it's nice, and I like it, but I'm not a squeeing fangirl of it and I don't really read it regularly.

(I read Stealing Harry for the first time yesterday and I just might become a squeeing fangirl of that. :D)

[sheryll.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing then that if you ever come up here to visit me a trip to the Hershey is out of the sightseeing list? Actually, after about 5 minutes of the tour, the smell of chocolate turns my stomach. I generally settle for a couple minutes in the gift shop only, buying anything that's greatly on sale, and then I'm back out of the place. :-D

My daughter loves chocolate and can't eat it, something we discovered at Easter about 6 years ago. We told her to eat as much as she could that weekend because she'd likely never get any again.

[(Anonymous)]

Frankly, it's terrible. Full of plotholes galore and one of the weakest characterizations of Remus out there. The concept is terrific, but all this mindless squee scares some of us out of offering some very valid concrit to the authors.

And I need my lunch money.

[prettyveela.livejournal.com]

I'm starting to feel out the loop, lol

[immortalis.livejournal.com]

I actually don't read SBP at all. I read the first chapter and I didn't like it, so I stopped reading it. And I'm getting really, really sick and tired of all the squeeing from everyone on my flist because I really, really don't see what's so great about it. I'm so glad to hear that there are other people who aren't crazy about it.

[greenwitch.livejournal.com]

Hah, I haven't even seen the userinfo page for shoebox project yet :D I'm so terrible, right?

Oooh, but I get vacation this week... other than packing, I'll get to it...

[paradox01.livejournal.com]

I've read a bit of the SBP and thought it was great - but if JKR writes more about MWPP and some of it doesn't fit with that.. well, quite honestly, who cares? Fanon is good, and on a number of occasions fanfiction is better than JKR's stuff (my opinion) so let fanfiction be fanfiction and canon be canon.

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

Luckily we, ourselves, aren't actually calling it canon. *shifty eyes* And we are actually just writing this fic because it is ... really, really fun to write it. We're not doing it to create canon, we're not doing it to be squeed over, we're doing it for the same reasons we're always doing it: because it's a great way to have spent our summer, because our writing mojo is fabulous, because we really, really enjoy it.

But dude, we are the first ones to say it's just a fanfic. I hope that much is clear.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Hey, babe! It was so cool meeting you!!!! (And your mom and sister. Tell them I said hello!) Squee! Footpad shall be treasured forever and ever. If Sophie doesn't get him. She's made a couple of attempts, but I distracted her with a faceless black sock (which belongs to my roommate *headdesk*).

I like shoebox_project quite a lot, but I don't really understand its following. It's well written and I like the integration of dorkorific's artwork and it's funny (which is why I like it so much) but I don't think it's the best thing ever. Definitely great, but there are stories I like better. Of course, my opinion may be influenced by the story's length... I have a short attention span, so I tend to go for one-shots.

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

Wah. See, I don't think that shoebox_project is 'TEH BEST THING EVAR OMG!!!1!1' either. It's something dorkorific and I started for fun and continue for fun and, as it hasn't stopped being fun yet, we haven't stopped writing it yet. We're not saying it's canon; we're not asking people to say it's canon; we're not sending it to Rowling demanding she acknowledge it as canon. It's just a fic! It's a big fic, it's a long fic, it's a fic we play hard on, but just a fic. We have never said, and never will say, anything more than that. It is, even, a relatively light fic -- again, we just wanted to have fun with a pairing that is really, really depressing. The reaction it has garnered wasn't something we expected or even intended. It's lovely to have a popular fic! There's also a lot of crazy pressure and a lot of weirdness and a lot of people criticisizing it, a lot more than if it had stayed relatively unknown -- as you can see, there's a lot of anonymous criticism, rather than non-anonymous, constructive criticism, which believe me, I am always, always grateful for! And while I'm in no way complaining about anything -- this fic, for me, will always remain something I do for fun with dorkorific, nothing more and nothing less -- I just wanted to make sure that's clear. :)

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

Shoebox Project is an enjoyable fic with nice art to go with it, and nothing more. Again, dude, I am the first to agree with you on that.

[dorkorific.livejournal.com]

offer it!!

please offerrrr iiiiiit. you have no idea how happy it makes us to get concrit on this thing--if you honestly don't feel comfortable doing so in a public forum, email one of us--rave@dombillijah.com or jaidajones@gmail.com, because, like, yeah! of COURSE we don't expect or want everyone to be obsessed with it, and we want to know what you think of it regardless of your level of obsession or even, you know, liking--if you feel like you have valid and interesting stuff to say, i think i can speak for jaida too when i say that we'd love to hear it and then we could address it. so yeah.

i'll totally take your lunch money though if i don't like what you have to say. and then i won't let you sit at the cool kids' table at lunch. and i'll write mean things about you on the blackboard before homeroom. consider yourself warned.

[dorkorific.livejournal.com]

agreed. two thumbs up!

but also: how can you not like chocolate?! CHOCOLATE! it's so...chocolatey! really, you are more to be pitied than censured.

actually one of my best friends doesn't like chocolate either. or pie. so i have experience with your strange strange brethren. i for one can manage to be the Bigger Person and forgive you. :)

[troubadour118.livejournal.com]

So glad you had a good time! <3!

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

Luckily we, ourselves, aren't actually calling it canon. *shifty eyes* And we are actually just writing this fic because it is ... really, really fun to write it.

oh, yeah. totally. I envy you two, really. It looks like you're having a blast. :)

[latentfunction.livejournal.com]

Shoebox is fun, and I adore reading it, but I don't reread it, which for me is the biggest indication of what I like. I mean, I printed out Stealing Harry (omg, soo long) because I wanted to reread it so much. And hey, when it comes down to it, I still like thistlerose's stuff more.

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I read it for fun, because dude, you two are very talented people and it's a fun fic. But then I look at cult_sbp and all the people on my flist who post entries that consist of "Is it Thursday yet?" and I just want to facepalm. It's not either of you or the fic that has made me want to say all this, it's the obsessive cult that's now following it. This was NOT intended to be in any way negative to either you or dorkorific (I frankly wasn't expecting you to see this, considering how large your flist is), more just an expression of how bemused I sometimes am when looking at things like cult_sbp and all the other things its spawned. And heh, I've been wondering what you two thought of your sudden fame and immense fangirling over this thing! :)

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Well. I like pie, at least. *g* But chocolate makes me feel ill and gives me a headache if I smell it for too long, much less taste it! But like I tell everyone when I inexplicably don't like something that others do...more for everyone else if I don't eat any. :p

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

Actually I am allergic to chocolate, myself. So we shall be chocolate-less, together.

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

And heh, I've been wondering what you two thought of your sudden fame and immense fangirling over this thing! :)

Most of the time I just go "Whoa" a la Keanu Reeves. In other words, my brain is pretty stunned beyond actual thought about it. Most of the time I try to continue on blithely! Writing! And not thinking.

[rynne.livejournal.com]

The first chapter is meh. I might have stopped reading at that point, if I didn't trust ladyjaida, whose writing I love, to make it get better. And it does, really. Parts of it are very funny and quite original (or at least I haven't seen them before, and I've read...a lot of MWPP fics). But yeah. I like it, but I'm not crazy about it, and if it wasn't for the innovative humor, maybe I wouldn't still read it. *shrugs*

[rynne.livejournal.com]

So far I've only reread the really funny bits (Sirius with a dog in his head, the career advice, and the literary wet dreams. :p), but no, I don't really want to reread it. Not like Stealing Harry/Laocoon's Children (though part of it is that I know Shoebox will end unhappily, or at least we will know that it would have if it had gotten far enough, and SH/LC won't. I like happy endings. thistlerose is going to have a happy ending too *g*. And I like her stuff more than Shoebox and SH/LC. :D).

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Well. I like SBP, but I'm not obsessed with it. There's fics I like a lot more. And I still have not seen anything in this fandom, not even Stealing Harry, that will displace a Final Fantasy VII fic as absolute favorite fic ever.

I hope you get to meet Rooney, and soon. You two are so sweet...*g*

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I understand the squeeing and I like it and it's funny, but I'm not obsessed with it. It does look like it might become the New Cassie Claire, though--already about as many people have friended SBP as have friended epicyclical. It's a good fic and all, but I don't think I want to read all these people on my flist writing entries that just consist of Shoebox squee, or "Is it Thursday yet?" :p.

Nope, don't like chocolate, ice cream or not. *g* I don't mind, though every one else seems to...many of the people I know seem to think it an affront to them that I don't like it. *shrugs* People baffle me sometimes.

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Heh. I don't mind Hershey Kisses, but if it turns your stomach after five minutes (and I assume you like chocolate), then I fear what it will do to mine! Of course, this is assuming I can get up to Canada anyway, which I'd like to...

[rynne.livejournal.com]

Agreement on all points. Sometimes I like fanfic better than canon, but that does not make fanfic canon. At least dorkorific and ladyjaida don't want to make it canon!

[ashesofautumn.livejournal.com]

Shoebox Project. Well, for one the Sirius Black makes my eyes bleed. But when I detach SB!Sirius from canon!Sirius, it's an all right fic/project.

Although hasn't it ALREADY gone against canon? Part fifteen has Fudge as Minister of Magic. I thought Fudge didn't become Minister until around the nineties?

But, wow. It must be lots of pressure with such a large following.

I'm one of those people who likes chocolate but I'm not nearly OMGCHOCOLATE. I don't claim to need it to live. It tastes pretty good overall, but I couldn't eat it everyday and not feel sick to my stomach.

[rynne.livejournal.com]

I noticed that, about Fudge. I think it's more likely an oversight than a deliberate deviation from canon. But Fudge became Minister in early-mid eighties, I think--he got the job instead of Crouch because of Crouch's treatment of his son, so I'm inclined to think that it wasn't that much after his son had been sent to Azkaban.

I don't mind SB!Sirius because his "love" for "McGoogles" amuses me very much. *g*

[sheryll.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I totally love chocolate and the smell of the factory still turns my stomach. Definitely not the place for you. There's lots of better things to do here, and they're much closer than the Hershey factory, which is about an hour away. Would be great if you made it up here sometime. My house always has room for company in the summer. :)

[latentfunction.livejournal.com]

Yep. If I ever went OMGTHISFICISMORECANONTHANCANON (and if I do please slap me, because umm FANon not real), it would be Thistlerose's.

yup

[prettyveela.livejournal.com]

It does look like it might become the New Cassie Claire, though--already about as many people have friended SBP as have friended epicyclical.

You have a good point and honestly? I think it's time for a new fic to cross over into our fandom. How long has her Draco trilogy been out?

Wow

[prettyveela.livejournal.com]

I just have to say that you seem very humble and a good person. I've decided to fangirl you for your likeable qualities and not for Shoebox Project.

*fangirls you a bit*