A Study in Contradictions

Oh man, I am so tired at the moment, and my best girl from school is here, and so I'm totally relying on Past!Lal having achieved things to put any substance at all into this post.

Luckily Past!Lal hasn't been too bad. At least she took some pictures to pretty up the place. And my friends continue to have opinions worth chronicling. Which is handy.

So! I went down to my boyfriend's parents house for a massive family party. After much preparation (during which Nat and I had the most middle-class argument ever. It was about bunting.) many friends of the family and neighbours and extended family descended on the house.

Every second conversation I had, summed up.

Me: Yes, I'm Nat's girlfriend.

Party Guest: OH! When are you getting married.

Me: *thinks* fuck RIGHT off I am TWENTY FOUR YEARS OLD.

Me: *actually says* You should ask (boyfriend's older brother) and (girlfriend)! *forced laugh*

I also met a girl who sat down by me and declared "I love this cake. I would marry this cake. I would make love to this cake." So apparently my willingness to discuss frosting sex is something even strangers can sense. Pictures! Party balloons, party tent, party dress and shoes.


Me: *posts (different) picture of self in dress to Twitter*
Twitter: CONGRATS ON THE BOOBS!
Me: *is very unsurprised*
Then on the following Monday I met my wonderful marmfish loves hanelissar, playwithfyr, hanelissarand altogetherisifor a day of geeky frolics in London Town. We had the best time. We went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the IMAX in exciting 3D, picnicked outside of Foyles and left TDL bookmarks about the place.

And then we went to see the preview screening of Let's Kill Hitler! SO MUCH EXCITEMENT, OMG.I managed to take one, very faily picture on my phone but oh, wow, you guys, I was SO CLOSE to the front it was AMAZING.


You can read my recounting of this marvellous event at my tumblr. And if you want to talk about the episode, I can finally do that! YESSS. Not spoiling people has been really hard.

Still very conflicted about Steven Moffat. For those of you playing along at home!

The very next day, having got the bus back from London, which takes 6 hours and meant I fell into bed at 6am, I had a hanelissar to stay. She was good to me in my times of sleep deprivation, and we only wept on each other about our Big Bangs a very little bit. A forest for my pines etcetc. Also there was baking, as per. We made all manner of chocolate chip cookies. Pony cookies! Ship cookies!

For his birthday Nat got tickets to Sunday at Leeds Festival, hurrah. It. Was. Awesome. I mean, it was cold. But awesome. I got to see the National live, which I've wanted to do for an age, and I got to see my best friend Lil be in charge of lighting a whole stage, and go stand with her in the technical area which makes you feel all fancy. She is a fabulous lady doing fabulous things in a completely male dominated industry and I couldn't be prouder.

And at the end of the night we saw Pulp and it was the perfect festival experience, thousands upon thousands of people dancing and singing and yelling lyrics into the night.

LEEDS! MUD! SUNSETS! MUSIC!

In the morning I discovered that I'd sent Moog an email at 2am. I do not remember typing this email, but my inbox suggests otherwise. In it, among other, crazier things (and by that I mean all caps versions of the ridiculous AUs that we are not writing, oh no, that would be ridiculous, what, why are you looking at us like that), I continued a conversation that had started a week or so ago on Twitter.
playwithfyr

Hey lovely flist!

Sorry about the hugely long entry of meme-ish doom that was my last post. I had fun, though!

There are a few things that either got lost in the word onslaught or are just awesome and I wanted to share.

LIST OF AWESOME 

1. In case you missed my GLEEFUL TWITTERING or the fact that I mention it every other sentence, I'm going to America! WHEEEEEEEEEEEE! I have flights booked now and everything. And by everything I mean a snazzy dress to wear to the Jamboree and an approved visa waive thing.

So far the plan looks like this

23rd March - Fly to New York \o/

23rd March to 30ish March - BE IN NEW YORK. Hang out with brimtoast . Bake her and her boyfriend cupcakes. Keep their cats out of the frosting. Wander the park (or possible The Park).  See a show. Ride the A train. ??? . It's a vague plan. If anyone wants to come hang out, have coffee or a beverage of your choice, that would be awesome.

Travel to Boston

31st March to 1st April - FANDOM CONVENTION OMGOMGOMG. Or muskratjamboree as I believe people who are not one giant ball of squee are calling it *g*. Much Glomping! Fangirl sleepovers with brimtoast , shiningartifact , novembersmith and swiiftly (yes we are all sharing one hotel room. No, I do not think we will get a lot of sleep) Attend panels! Convert many people to the awesome of bookdeyada! Try not to make an idiot of myself in front of amazing many people! PROFIT!

At some point - Return to New York

5th April - Turn 24 (Oh my god)

6th April - Return home /o\

2. My work contract has been extended! Whoo! Until the end of February, possibly a bit longer. Which means that I will be able to sort out my finances and also be able to afford to actually do some things in New York. I mean, the thought of having this job for too much longer is kind of upsetting but NEVER MIND *thinks of the money*

3. The company I work for are having a ball to celebrate the company's 10th birthday and new product launch. Which means I get to go to a swanky do for free and drink swanky drinks and wear a very swanky dress. That is to say, my old prom dress that I am jazzing up for the occasion. I've dragged it from house to house for 5 years, it's good that it's finally getting some wear. Also that I get to be all, oh, this old thing, I just CUSTOMISED IT MYSELF *is the most hipster*

4. The ever fabulous kaiserkuchen drew amaaaaaaaazing The Hunger Games art for yuletart which everyone should go marvel at. My new goal in life is to have Kaz draw me beatiful and kickass outfits and then have someone make them for me. Look at those dresses, people! Paper dolls are made of WIN, I used to have sets and sets of them when I was younger. Plus this art is somehow fashionable, lovely and creepy as all hell so, you know, KUDOS TO HER.

5. I got a really incredible cupcake book for Christmas (my relatives know me so well! My Granny, as she tends to do, also bought me incredibly fabulous jewellery because she kind of rocks like that) and it has so many recipes in it that I just keep reading it over and over in a bakery daze. It's like porn. But I love it extra specially because it has a recipe for Tiramisu cupcakes! This is only truly exciting news to people who have read the Inception coffeeshop AU but OMG I CAN MAKE TIRAMISU CAKE. Now all I need is an Eames to make the coffee.

OKAY STOPPING NOW. How is everyone? Do you want to talk about cake?!

I swear, I've been trying to upload these pictures everyday for ever. Ok, I may be exaggerating. But that's what it feels like. It's been a bit of a week, to be honest.

I have been distracted by work (which, that's a whoe other post) and going to the ballet (<3) and not being able to shake this damn cough (When you sound like Satine at the end of Moulin Rouge, it's never a good sign) and doing edits and then Word losing 13 pages of them (*shakes fist*).

Huh, actually, when I put it all down, it's been more than a bit of a week. But life goes on, and so must this meme.

So, these are the things that y'all wanted to see! If you have ever sent me anything, keep your eyes peeled...
( Books and Bling, under the cut... )

So, there we are. Worth the wait?!

So, I am now a working girl.

No, wait.

I am a Person with a job and a title and everything. It is European Relations Executive. Most people I know's reaction can be summed up as such

.... AHAHAHAHAHA.

Anyway, SOME people were slightly less hysterically amused and decidedly more awesome. Like kaiserkuchen , who drew me AN AWESOME PICTURE OF AWESOMENESS.

( Srsly! )

!!! Hi Kris hi!

And by some fluke, she drew Kris sitting on an EXACT COPY OF MY CHAIR AT WORK. Look at his adorable PLAID TROUSERS AND EXPRESSION OF SRS BNS. This means I should add Sexy Librarian Kris AU to my List of Things To Write List*, right?!



You know how sometimes people on your friends list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when were they working THERE? Since when were they dating HIM/HER? Since when!?" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you should already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.

If you like, copy the topics below, erase my answers and put yours in their place, and then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration. One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out.

You guys feel free to ask for further explanation or anything you have ever wanted to know!

FIRST NAME: Lal! Well, not really. But really! I guess half of you know my real name by now, but I really love being Laliandra, it's so pretty.


AGE: 22. Mmm, symmetry.


LOCATION: In front of my laptop, my far too cold attic bedroom, my delightfully multicoloured house, my cobbled street, my city, The Frozen North, En-ger-land.


OCCUPATION: I actually have one of these now! I translate and write blurbs about perfume (it is hard to resist being passive aggressively bitchy about Paris Hilton's perfume) and put things in boxes and tell people where their stuff is (usually where it is supposed to be). I have to get up CRAZY early, and get the bus to work. But the people I work with are cool and put up with me saying things like "OMG Anderson Cooper's mother has her own perfume!" and "Oh damn, I shoulda used the subjunctive there. Want to know something cool about the subjunctive?"


PARTNER: Is a word I dislike. Unless you use it for Partner In Crime. I do have a boyfriend, who goes by the name of Nat round here, and we have been going out longer than we both like to admit. Luckily we are both really conflicted about being romantic! <s>He makes me smile</s>


KIDS: They're great! I genuinely like children and have the Gift when it comes to making babies smile. I used to be a children's party entertainer. But oh god, not for MANY years. I want to do a lot of unchild-friendly things first!


BROTHERS/SISTERS: Nope! Make sweeping only child statements AT YOUR PERIL.

PETS: Sadly not. I have had many over the years, but uni life is not for pets. Me and Sal very nearly bought a kitten last year. We really shouldn't be left alone with fluffy things...


LIST THE 3/5 BIGGEST THINGS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE:
@ My new job
@ Organising meet ups with various peoples
@ Planning going to see my Dad in South Africa and catching some sun and some Test Matches there, too.
@ My WIP/ Things to Write List**
@ Trying to get my bed mended (lame but important! It could fall apart under IN MY SLEEP)

PARENTS: My parents met at my Dad's birthday party. He was dressed as a chorister and my Mum thought he was gay (Drama student, you see). The next party was thrown my Granny (Dad's Mum) and was a tarts and vicars theme with a genuine priest and a genuine prostitute. Granny was the Madam. This should probably tell you all you need to know about my family. My Dad is tall and has distinguished grey streaks in his hair. He writes adverts for a living, or he does occasionally, mostly now he bums around South Africa. He is a great cook and a hopeless speller. He is obsessed with penguins. Both my parents had South African fathers and non SA mothers. My Mum was a bluecoat and when she was 20ish ran away to Spain to become a go-go dancer and when that didn't work out she sold her own blood to buy her ticket home. She used to leave me notes everywhere. She was madly in love with David Bowie and Stephen Fry. She worked in marketing, so I think about advertising more than is normal, I fear. She never forgave me for not growing one shoe size more so that she could steal my shoes like she stole my jackets. I stole right back, of course.


WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS? Well, like C, I think I have separate groups. I have the friends I went to school with (one of whom is getting MARRIED in less than a year!). They are mostly silly, darling, spectacularly geeky boys, apart from Cat and Lil. Who are still silly, darling and geeky, but also very foxy ladies. I've known them all a long time. We have History. We mostly keep in contact by phone and Facebook these days, but I'm still glad I have them.

Then I have my uni friends. Apart from a couple of people, they have all sadly upped sticks and moved South. Apart from Nat and Elliot, and I'm keeping a careful eye on them! Anyway, most of my unii friends are marvellous, smart, funny and girls. I lived with 3 amazing ladies while at uni, and I miss them so badly! I need people to watch Strictly Come Dancing with, talk literature with, discuss our invisible friends and Gaudi and Falafel, our imaginary goldfish, with... But I'm going to see them all in London soon!

And then I have you guys! I have my fabulous spammers, I have Kaz to text me 7 times in one hour about Adam Lambert. I have the Marmfish (seriously, people, MEETUP?!). I have the lovely C to drag into fandoms with me. I have my Campfire ladies, who are so marvellous I have no words. OHTEATHREE, OKAY? I have some dear friends who I chat with through the internet and I'm happier for it.

So, OMG, that got much longer than expected! As a reward, footly bits aka footnotes.

* The List - Lessons in cookery for TDL marmfish, Something Royal-y for Havemercy peeps, Love is Not a Zero Sum Game or Venn Diagrams are fun!, A Beginners Guide to Bromancing, Sexy Librarian AU ;), More Postcards from Nowhere, More NbNW.
** - WIPs - Kradam talk food, game shows and ninja-ness for Kaz, YULETIDE, SPAU,

Snippets and explanations given freely and with love to anyone who asks. You made it this far, you deserve a reward!

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. ( Lemon of Sorcery? )

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?)( Picnic the first )

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.
( CLIVE )

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?
( Picnic the second )

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.
( I heart LDN )

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.

This post is especially for two fantabulous sets of ladies, the very shiny marmalade_fish , and the ever beloved Ladies of Spam.

My first fandom meet up was amazing! I had so much fun! I mean, I suspected that I would, seeing as I spent a ridiculous/insane amount of time with many of my fellow fishes in the chat. I wish you all could have been there!

I got the bus to London, which wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. Also, when I was waiting at the station...

Guy: *appears to be staring at my boobs*
Lal:*raises eyebrow*
Guy: No, sorry, oh god, I was just trying to see what the last line was!
Lal:*looks down at zombie bf tee* Oh, sorry. It says "He's a zombie."

Later I met hanelissar and had coffee and made excited noises at her, then we found altogetherisi and we all were a little dazed and delighted together.

The signing was at Murder101 club and was filled with many charming people, like playwithfyr , who made us a marmalade fish sign to attract fellow fishes, because we felt marching up to people and asking them their thoughts on lasagne might be a little too strange. And I met my fellow Sekrit Nefarious Organising Woman pigrescuer and also littlered2 , both of whom were sporting very excellent tee shirts, and lots of other super cool fun people whose names escape me (so sorry!).

The Author herself was very sweet, very witty and knew who I was, which still makes me happy to think about! The infamous 'they' claim that you should never meet your heroes, but that, my friends, is a lie.

In short, everyone I met was someone I could have talked to all night, and I was very sad when I had to leave. Like I said, I've never done anything like that before, and I feel all kinds of lucky to have stumbled across such a great fandom, Even if people keep blaming me for things on the chat...


VERY IMPORTANT ETA: The wonderful bryoneybrynn  is giving away a free copy of The Demon's Lexicon. Go here to enter!


Also, for my other lovely ladies (and anyone else who wishes to hear my dulcet tones), I present my AudioSpam, in which I say 'um...' a lot, and showcase my terrible language skills.

Here!

I hope you like it bbs!