laliandra | We all love fandom, it's such an awesome place

My LJ is ONE! *gives LJ cake*. More on that later.

You guys, I am IN a fandom. I mean, I have other fandoms, I love other fandoms, I write for other fandoms. But I've realised that I am in the

marmalade_fish .

It's a weird thing for me, because I am usually a lurker extraordinaire. And I'm not a very good fangirl, in many respects. I could never be in a ship war. I can overlook adaptation decay. For me, fandom is more about getting to meet people who love what you love, being able to share that. Fandom is my Happy Place, and I've totally lucked out with the people I've met through it.

Which is why when there was a chance to go meet my fellow marmfish for a picnic, I couldn't say no!

Firstly I stayed up far too late watching American Idol with Kara, so the only sleep I got was on the coach. But I managed to make it safely to Victoria and meet Boo ( who had made us labels! Cute labels with pictures!) and then Play and then PR and then Van and Rav and Isi.

We trailed through St James Park holding our jar of marmalade aloft. God only knows what people thought we were doing. The lure of the marmalade netted us Emily and Evenine, who had arrived that morning from Australia!

And then we picniced, in between talking non stop about books and films and generally getting distracted half way through sentences.

We also read out Sarah's fabulous Half Blood Prince Parody. I was being distracted and so got stuck with All Other Roles, which meant I got to be Luna AND Filch AND Cormac.

This is probably my favourite picture, in which Dumbledore (

playwithfyr ) councils Harry (

ravelqueen ) while indulging in an Eccles Cake.

And then we spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get a picture of us all, battling the Great Evils of camera timers, falling over supports, PR running too slowly and General Smiling Fail.

But here we are, a merry band of marmfish, and a bonus Fake News Interloper (can you spot him?)

Then we went for a walk around Fair London Town, which included nearly getting run over outside Downing Street, navigating by luck and an encounter with this statue.

Van: Does that statue just say "Clive"? Who is Clive?
Me: It's-
Van: Wait, there's something else. I think it says... Clive the Man Whore?
Fishes: Fall about laughing
Van: So good they built him a statue.
Me: Um. It's Robert Clive. Clive of India? Never mind. I like Clive the Man Whore better.

We spent the rest of the day on The South Bank, then it was back to PR's for me, play, Rav and Boo. We got pizza (ordered under the name Fish), and played Guitar Hero and chatted until 3am, in our nest of duvets and sleeping bags and soft toys.

The next day we took turns supervising Play making cupcakes. It's not that we don't trust her, it's just that she encourages people to play with fire. Me and Play may have turned them into more half icing half cake creations, which we took to our picnic outside Foyles. Foyles is, in fact, a bookshop, the perfect bookshop, in fact. It had a window display of many lovely supernatural books including The Demon's Lexicon, and deckchairs and grass upon which to picnic. What could be better?

And then, THEN, we went to the IMAX to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. With 12 whole minutes of 3-D! We had to rope two random people into joining us to get a group ticket. They were looking somewhat perturbed at the prospect until they found out they didn't actually have to sit with us.

Which was probably a good thing.

3-D Trailers: *Start*
Fishes: Ooooo!
Rav: *Clutches Lal's arm everytime something comes towards them*

HBP: *starts*
Fishes: OOOOO! Hi 3-D Hottest Waitress In The World!

Dumbledore: *touches Harry's arm*
Van: *Holds up a finger*
Lal: Score One for Innapropriate Student/Teacher moments!

Draco Malfoy:*glowers, prettily*
Rav: OH DRACO *reaches out for screen*
Lal: Remember Ladies, Draco Malfoy is not your boyfriend.

MUCH QUOTING FROM

sarahtales 's PARODY LATER

Snape: *pushes Draco up against a wall*
Van: Twenty Two!
Lal: This would be the most hardcore drinking game EVER.

Burrow: *burns down*
Lal: I always forget that this isn't canon. It only happened in fanfic. Oh dear.
Rav: Wait, really?

Film: * Is generally funny, touching, perfectly teenager-y, beautifully shot and well acted*

Fishes: Discuss the hilarity of Wizarding Genetics. You get to look like you father! But with your mother's eyes! That's how genetics works, kids! Also, Final Count of 36 innapropriate moments.

Then we went and bought books. Well, I say we bought books, I stealth read books and Van bought erotica. Then we found our very own busker! Or at least one that seemed to fit with the marmfish agenda.

Busker: *sings song about an alien*
Fish: Do you know any songs about zombies?
Busker: Um. No. But here is something similar! *sings song about serial killer*
Fish: *cheer*
Other Spectators *notice matching Demon Mark Necklaces, edge away from Potential Death Cult*

Then he sang rude songs and blamed us. The rest of the fish blamed me. I am resigned to such things.

Then we had to leave for trains and coaches and the like, after group hugs and pendant hugs and tube shenanigans, I got to Victoria Coach Station. FIVE MINUTES TOO LATE.

Lal: *phones PR*
PR: Oh man, me and Rav are just about to go into the theatre. If you'd only phoned five minutes earlier...

So I got to sit outside the National Theatre for 3 hours. It was surprisingly fun, actually, because London is cool and interesting, and the theatre has a square outside it full of people reading and picnicing. Plus it is very pretty at night.

And then we went back to PR's and me and Rav talked about language for three hours. PR mostly slept, then claimed not to be sleeping every half hour or so. So I did not mind missing my coach all that much. Especially because the next day I got to witness

PR: *runs into room where Rav and Lal are sleeping* I GOT IN!
Which was her way of informing us that she got marvellous A-level results and is going to her first choice university.

And I got to have Japenese food with Rav (student of Japanese) and find out that she has been to my friend from school's house, because he is a friend of a friend. How random is that? Marmalade Bonds of Destiny!

And then I went home, finally!

A Good Time Was Had By All.