I went down a nostalgia rabbithole at the weekend and read a bunch of old journal entries, so I thought I'd come here to confirm that yes actually, things really were better in the old days - and also to say hi to probably the same three people who follow me on all the other social mediases. *waves*

well why not eh? Nicked from starshipfox

1. First Name: Duckie. Is one of my names people actually call me.

2. Age: 47 wtf

3. Location: A fine medieval city known as Norwich, because that is its name.

4. Occupation: I slog away in the Local News mines, in a 'making it look nice' capacity. It's a dirty job but someone's got to mine all that news.

5. Significant Other: None, I'm too weird for all that nonsense now.

6. Kids: oh my god, where?

7. Brothers/sisters: Unfortunately

8. Pets: Plants. My mum has a cat called Grayling who is my sister in fur. She is very soft and very loud and very old.

9. List the 3 biggest things going on in your life: Being old. Living in the horror that is 2022. Er. Dinner. To be honest I don't really have any, just lots and lots of small ones. For example: plans include knitting a new jumper, learning some more things to play on my charity shop ukulele, maybe do some drawing, and try to write down some of the poems and stories in my head before they disappear.

10. Where and for what did you go to School for? That's a badly construction sentence, isn't it? I went because it was the law. But if you mean continuing education, I did a two-year diploma in General Art and Design, and then a three year degree, also in Art and Design. In the wondrous magical metropolis of Ipswich, UK.

11. Parents: The traditional two - my dad died in 2018 and my mum does the Times cryptic crossword every single day of her life and has lots of Hobbies.

12. Fandoms: Ah, many over the years... But if you're reading this you probably know that, let's face it. I've not really been all that fannish lately, although occasionally vague Feelings are stirred, to what end I know not - it doesn't necessarily lead to reading or writing anything. So I just sit with the Feelings, or bleat about them on Twitter and Tumblr. Often the things stirring them are quite silly, but beloved. Ghosts did it, and now Our Flag Means Death is doing it. Which I haven't even finished watching, but I've promised myself I have to clean some of my flat before I'm allowed. Problem: surgically attached to sofa for life.

How did I never notice that almost every single post I made on this journal was duplicated?

Anyway, hello. I'm afraid I have very little to say these days and can barely remember how to post, but I'll bloody well do it anyway!

hello, this is a crossposting test - exciting, I know! One day I may post actual content again.

Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hamilton - Miranda
Rating: Teen & up
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton
Additional tags: AU - Newspaper; AU - Modern Setting; Take Your Fandom to Work Day
Summary: Aaron Burr works in the design department of a regional newspaper office. Alexander Hamilton works downstairs, in the newsroom where it happens.

Local Matters

*new fandom klaxon*

I went to my Saturday morning writing workshop today, and our theme this week was the London Underground. This is what I wrote.

( why am I posting this here, you ask? I do not know! )

Hello, I've spent this holiday season really pushing my limits - I've broken my own record for speed-eating a Co-Op pack of mini sausage rolls all by myself, and I'm well on the way to transforming into a very beautiful slug.

God knows what happened this past year - I've forgotten most of it. I know I went to Wales at one point. I joined a local Saturday morning writing group, who are a bit like the Breakfast Club if they were in a fairground hall of mirrors. And I started enjoying Doctor Who again, which was nice. This year I've already done something I've never done before - I made hollandaise sauce, thanks to birdgerhl 's recipe on Twitter. Twitter and the internet in general continues to give me life, while slightly ruining it at the same time. Ah well.

Other things I've managed to do while being crushed by the iron grip of social media: posted a Yuletide New Year's Resolution fic, which was meant as a Treat, but although technically finished on Christmas Eve, needed some time to rest and mature in the dark. Anyway, it's a gen fic in the very popular @TLFTravelAlerts fandom, about commuters and climate change and tea:

Metroland

Also, to continue a theme somewhat, I've rounded off my year of monthly 'stuff I wrote on the train' blog posts: Sidings. So that's that done. I might think of something else to do with it this year, or I might not.

Merry January, all of you.

Actually, this was meant to be a ghost story for several Christmases ago, but better late then never, eh?

Title: Till the Boys Come Home
Fandom: Downton Abbey/20th Century RPF
Characters/relationships: Ivor Novello/Thomas Barrow
Rating: Mature
Wordcount: 7600
Summary: Ivor Novello spends New Year's Eve at Downton Abbey, and encounters some things that go bump in the night...

Read at AO3

Wondering if anyone would be willing to read a fic for me? It's 7600 words -ish, and it's Downton Abbey but it's sort of about Ivor Novello and ghosts and sex and class and war and stuff. Also it's written in first person in the form of a letter. I can hear you all champing at the bit as I type.

As usual, it's mostly to check for mistakes and root out obvious crapness and so on. Any offers of help gratefully received, but no need to feel obliged. Ta!

(Hello, I wrote a small thing. Warning: may not make much sense if you haven't seen the episode.)

Title: Silent Retreat
Characters/relationships: Robert Lewis & James Hathaway
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1700
Summary: Problems with words. And Lewis and Hathaway in a beer garden again.
Notes: Set immediately after the Season 9 two-part episode Magnum Opus. Spoilers for that episode and Season 9 generally.
Additional tags: friendship, bisexuality, episode tag, beer, pubs, drinking, sexuality, relationships, family

Read at AO3