Have you ever read a fanfic that really sort of sticks with you? One that is just so good that it rivals its source material/ could fit right into the source material without anyone noticing that something was fishy? Well, I was on tvtropes.comlast night (I've heard people talk about how it devours your life, but I never knew the full extent to which this is true until I realized that I'd been on the site for three hours without stopping) and, whilst playing that game of -follow-the-link, which is the main means of navigating that site, I came to the entry for Mind Rape. At the end of the entry, they gave examples of this trope in TV Shows/Anime/Movies/Literature/etc, and, in this particular instance, from FanFic. The link they gave was to The Very Secret Diary, a story that chronicles the time in The Chamber of Secrets during which Ginny is communicating with Tom Riddle through the diary/Horcrux (is that a spoiler? Oh well.). It basically consists of their conversations, and shows how Tom got gradually more and more manipulative and powerful, until he's basically in complete control of Ginny. Tvtropes gave it as the fanfic example of Mind Rape, mind you, and it is very obvious why. However, it is also a damn fine piece of writing, and I recommend it without hesitation.
Just, you know, in case you needed a little more Mind Fuckery in your day.

Happy reading!

p.s. Did I mention how bomb the new Harry Potter movie was? Because it was the best of the movies so far, albeit different form the book rather markedly at points. Maybe this is just because I don't really remember the sixth book? I guess I'll just have to re-read it. Later days, all.

( GODDAMIT TORCHWOOD; SPOILER WARNING--DO NOT CLICK IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN CHILDREN OF EARTH, YET! )

Here, it's dangerous to click alone. Take this:


You'll need it.

Oh, god, because I totally need to like another German musical, right?
Ah, well, too late. So, show of hands--who remembers the book Rebecca that we had to read/had the option to read for school a while back (or was it that my sister had to read it, and I ended up reading it because it sounded creepy and awesome)?
I remember adoring the book--it was like a creepier, more haunting version of Jane Eyre (which I did enjoy, mind you) with a more appealing male love interest, IMO.
I think you can see where I'm going with this. As it turns out, the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, also known as United Stages Vienna (the same people who commissioned the Elisabeth musical from the same creators), also commissioned a musical version of Rebecca. So of course I checked it out. And of course I have fallen absolutely in love with it. I am perfectly justified, I think. Sure, there is no homosexual subtext between attractive personifications of Death and pretty blonde princes, but the music is amazing, and Uwe Kroger (the original Death) plays Maxim DeWinter! And I adore him, not least because he resembles John Barrowman to an odd degree at certain angles, especially with the dark hair he has in this role.
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWAv1Gr9Nq8
Embedding disabled by request, agh.
This is one of my favorite songs by far--it's called, creatively enough, "Rebecca," and it's sung by Mrs. Danvers, who is here played by Susan Rigvava-Dumas.

She is so completely amazing I cannot even handle it.

But the best thing about this musical--well, maybe not the best thing, as the musical itself is really the best thing--but something absolutely spectacular?
IT WILL BE COMING TO BROADWAY IN THE SPRING OF 2010 IN ENGLISH.
I may wet myself.
There are English demos of some of the songs on youtube, including some sung by Pia Douwes, the original Elisabeth. This one is translation of the one above:

(The video in this one is from the 1940 Hitchcock film, but the song is what's important.)
Another favorite of mine, also sung by Mrs. Danvers, oddly enough, is Sie Ergibt Sich Nicht, which is haunting and creepy and fantastic.
Here in the original German:

And here translated and sung by the wonderful Ms. Douwes:


I cannot wait to see this on the Broadway stage. I'm already trembling with anticipation. My Spring Break? Yeah, I'll be spending that in New York. Anyone care to join? XD

I swear, I am going to have to learn German for the musicals. But, considering that Broadway hasn't given me anything to strike my fancy since Grey Gardens, what else is a girl to do, hm?

p.s. Wy oh why does there also have to be a Jane Eyre musical that seems promising but that I cannot watch because James Barbour plays the role of Rochester?! Oh, god, he has such a good voice, I am starting to remember why I had such a thing for him. XD

Besides gaining like twenty pounds, anyway. Words cannot describe how much I will not be wearing a bathing suit anytime soon.
I've been sleeping an inordinate amount, especially in the days after my grandmother and two cousins left, and I've gotten through the first two seasons of 30Rock and the first 12 episodes of the third season. That show is hilarious; if you haven't checked it out, you really, really should.
Spent some fifty dollars on books the other day--two books of poetry by Sylvia Plath, and two by Allen Ginsberg, and they are all completely amazing. I would love to make a living as a poet; it must be incredible. Really, I just want to live a life that inspires poetry that people are willing to pay money to read. I also got a book called Hero by Perry Moore--I went over to the "young adult" section and picked one at random, as I felt I needed a nice, easy read to take a break from the non-fiction bender I've been on. XD Plus, there was an endorsement by Stan Lee on the cover, which just completely sealed the deal. I didn't actually read the back of the book until I got home, (I know, risky of me, huh? XD) but when I did, this is what it said:


"The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his dad, Hal's, pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he's been asked to join the League--the very organization of superheroes that spurned his father. The most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.
But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide, but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League.
To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagines. To find happiness, he'll have to come to terms with his father's past and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be."


I'm sorry, are you telling me that I just inadvertently purchased a book about a gay superhero?! I literally stayed up all night finishing this. XD It was the perfect blend of hokey predictability, surprising poignancy, and thinly-veiled references to well-known superheroes--and the character development was great. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. God how I love books. But anyway. XD
Getting my laptop soon--hopefully--and I am too excited for words. I really want the Sims 3, as well.
Been getting some writing done, too, which has been nice. And Walter's back from the watch-shop!
My sister and I went to the supermarket yesterday, as we had nothing else to do. I bought a huge glass jar full of peanuts, and now I'm using it as a glass. It's awesome. I drank a jar full of soy milk yesterday, and I am just sad enough a person for this to be really exciting to me.
BUT! I finally got my hands on a copy of Formerly Known as the Justice League. I can't wait to read it.

Dear Writer's Block,

you are full of suck and fail, and I am really not all that fond of you at all. In fact, were I that sort of person, I would be inclined to go so far as to say that I pretty much hate you. Now that I do not have to focus on schoolwork 24/7, I would really love to get some writing done for funsies. However, you are currently sitting on my keyboard/fingers/pen/insert-writing-implement-here. You came to visit sometime back in flipping 2007. I think your kitchen is done being re-modeled; you can go home now. I need the guest room for other people.
I am kicking you out. Feel free to take your collectible Batman glasses and leftover Chinese food with you (but not the teapot, as I have grown quite fond of it).

No love, but plenty of enthusiasm,
Erin

p.s. Pleasepleaseplease go away and leave me alone and don't force me to have the landlord forcibly remove you because it will be messy and probably loud and the other people in the building will think I am a jerk.

So, in my quest to be even more of a massive dork than I already am--an accomplishment I wouldn't have previously thought was possible, really--I have not only discovered another (semi) historical musical, but one that is entirely in German. It's called Elisabeth, and it's about the wife of Austrain Emperor Franz Joseph I. Alright, consider my interest peaked. However, while searching for video of the musical (it's in German, yes, and that does mean that I can understand very little of what is actually being said, but the music is pretty great, and I am particularly fond of this little gem in particular;
It's called Die Schatten Werden La(one of those funny little a's with the dots above it)nger, and it is so cool. Also notice the slight homoerotic undertones? Yeah, I didn't even know about that when I first started looking into it. That was a plus.)
(Now, once you have watched/listened to that a couple dozen times--and you will, it is just that good, I am going to move on. Because, you see, I'm not writing this post just to share Elisabeth with you all--oh no.)
--and this is continued from up there somewhere, before the attack of parenthesis--I discovered the existence of something incredibly cool: the Takarazuka Revue. It's an all-women group of performers in Japan who put on, like, legitimate musicals. They've done Elisabeth, as well as The Scarlet Pimpernel and they (I'm assuming) wrote a PHOENIX WRIGHT musical, the concept of which is just so epic that I'm going to embed the video in all of its crazy Japanese glory:


So, yeah, basically this is just the coolest thing ever. Period. If I was Japanese, I would be willing to kill to be a part of this.
My opinion? We need to start an American version of this, stat. Hell, I'll start it. I know we've been talking about doing a an all-girl version of Assassins anyway. XD

AB '09; here's to:

feeling out of your Elephant
rap battles
"God bless America!!"
other people's internal monologues
Max and the Green Lantern
racing down escalators-temporarily-stairs in heels
wedgies in black (and yellow) vinyl
our quadruple wedding
Stargate
large ice cream cones
inadequate zippers
economy-size cranberry juice
Squeaky and Bonbo
snap-crotches
party hummus
being a 9.9
"My biggest fear in life is dropping my ice cream. And spiders."


And remember: it could be worse-you could be frog people.

Because of my father--who can name Admiral Archer's beagle off the top off his head (was it Athos?)--I've been a Star Trek fan since I was roughly six years old, and I used to stay up late/early every week day to catch re-runs of the original series at two in the morning.

So, logically, I've been wetting my pants in excitement for this movie since I first heard about it at ComicCon--and fought like a dog for the Spock poster, which, probably thanks much in part to the tiny outfit I was wearing at the time, now graces my wall. However, because I was in Georgia when it first came out, today was the first day I had any free time to go see it.

Long story short? I approve. Oh god I approve. Reasons? Explosions in the first minute and a half, lines straight out of the show--Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!--excellent casting, great plot, oh, and Leonard-frickin-Nemoy.



And have I mentioned how hot Kirk is? Because he is really hot.
Even Spock is above the usual level of attractiveness. Which really messes with my psyche, as he was my childhood hero, and I really do not need to have the hots for him. >.>

Flew back from Georgia at the butt-crack of dawn this morning--longest flight of my life, though really I was probably the best-rested member of the team. Mock Trial Nationals were a blast, even if our lack of preparation time (ie; we got two weeks with the case while everyone else had five) left us with a rather unfair disadvantage. I enjoyed being a lawyer immensely, especially when it meant making up some half of my cross examinations on the spot based on the evidence the other team had introduced. I do not, however, love walking around--and riding crowded public transportation--in the heat and humidity of Atlanta in heels and a wool suit.

But how awesome was that aquarium?!?!

Getting back into the swing of school is going to be an adjustment--between having the swine flu, mock trial and Cabaret I've missed so much class that I am almost frightened to go back to class, and I have at least three tests to make up--one being the Math Test of Certain Death and one being the Chapter 29 test for AP Euro. Oh, and have I mentioned that I have my AP Psych exam in two days and have barely had time to study at all?

And yet, I am enjoying myself. My little brother's Confirmation was today, and afterward we went out to eat with a bunch of related familial beings, and I was treated to having my legs put to sleep by my little cousin, who insisted on coming over to sit on my lap to watch my brother play Mario Kart. It was wonderful.

I ought to get some sleep. Anyone remember sleep?

Internet!

God, I turn my back for three seconds and you let the Watchmen kinkmeme get up to 29 pages?!

What in heaven's name were you thinking?!

On the inside, I'm crying, because I will never have the patience to go through all of them.

I guess I'll...just go do homework or something.

Responsibility sucks.

I spent all day Tuesday watching the entirely of Cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model on Oxygen.

I've spent the past two days (roughly) lounging in bed, coughing. (For those of you who were wondering, I've got an upper respiratory infection with some mild inflammation in the lungs. I got an inhaler. :D)

I haven't done any actual schoolwork since Thursday.

After having little or no access to the internet for the past three weeks, I have given up on ever catching up on my flist.

I've finally given in and gotten a facebook. I still love lj more. :3

Now, I've been a huge superhero fan since I was little, but recently I've been wanting to get into comics in a bigger way, and, for some reason completely beyond me, I decided to start this endeavor with the Marvel Civil War series. (Formerly Known as The Justice League and I Can't Believe it's Not The Justice League are next on my list; Blue Beetle FTW!!!)



Well, honestly, I'm pretty sure I started here because the series looks really, really cool. But there's nothing like endeavoring to enter into the comic book universe to make you realize how little you know about comic books in general. I felt particularly intelligent when I was kneeling down in front of the shelves at Borders, staring at the twelve million different volumes of Civil War with absolutely no idea where to start. Cue me turning to my brother.

"Which one is first?"

He kneels down next to me and points. "The one that says 'Civil War'."

"They all say 'Civil War'!" I reply despondently.

My brother looks at the shelf. "Well, yeah, but see how they all have, like, subtitles? Like how that one says 'Front Lines'? That one just say 'Civil War'. That's how you know it's first."

"Oh...why does that one say 'Iron Man'?"

"That's from Iron Man's perspective. That one says 'Captain America' because it's from his perspective."

"That's awesome! Is it the same story? Can I get that one?"

"Well, you could get that one, but I would get, you know, the first one first."

"Alright, so I'll get that one. What about the other ones? Does it matter what order I go in? It has to matter, right?"

"I'm not sure. I...don't think...so..."

"Which one does Captain America die in?"

My brother looks at me like I have just asked him about Spiderman sprouting wings and learning Russian. "That doesn't happen in Civil War. That's in a separate thing. It's called 'The Death of Captain America'."

Cue me being totally lost.

So, in the end, I bought the first volume, and the Iron Man and Captain America ones, but I feel this might require further research. But I'm halfway through the first volume, and loving it desperately.

Plus, the two-page spread where Spiderman unmasks totally puts me in my happy place in a very unwholesome way. om nom nom nom nom

I was reading through the Watchmen Film Companion the other day, and I was beyond excited to find that the Minutemen all had their own little character pages, even though they weren't--understandably--quite as long as Nite Owl's and Rorschach's etcetc.
And along the side of each page it had the name of each character, along with the name of the actor that they were played by.

( And I noticed something strange. )

The mock trial state finals were last night at the Rhode Island Superior Court, pitting the epic force of nature that is the St. Mary Academy Bay View Mock Trial team against Mount St. Charles. It was definitely one of our more difficult trials--alright, our most difficult trial--and I was certain up until the moment that the decision was announced that we were going to lose.
You know, I think if we had lost at this stage in the game, it would've driven us crazy.
As a team.
But we didn't.
Depsite the fact that Dr. Bingham's testimony and cross-examination were inturrupted by two seperate emergency evacuations--there was a sparking wire that was causing smoke, so I am told--which led to us huddling outside in the cold and rain and the fact that our defendant had an anxiety-induced asthma attack (the firemen had to give her oxygen, and there was talk of bringing her to the hospital), we were able to clinch the victory. Brit got up on the stand and testified, and she was excellent. Paige and Diana were on fire.
In the end, we won by one vote; seven jurors to six. Literally a victory by the breadth of a hair.
Also, after climbing up seven flights of stairs in four-inch heels, I'm pretty sure childbirth's going to be a piece of cake.
But I digress.
Words cannot describe my elation, they really can't.
I cannot wait for Nationals. Our new case is a federal assault--a murder that the defendant was claiming was in self-defense. There are a couple of police officers involved, so I should be all set, though unfortunately there are no witnesses involved in the park service.
Maybe I'll be a lawyer. (hinthint)

The Watchmen thread over on the /coq/ board on /pco/ has gotten me absolutely addicted to Dollar Bill/Mothman, and, the other day, someone posted a page from the Minutemen sourcebook that had a plan of minutemen HQ, which showed that Dollar Bill and Mothman had offices next to one another.
Then someone mentioned how they bet Bill always went right instead of left when he went to the bathroom, in hopes of running into Mothman, which was probably the cutest mental image I have ever had in my entire life.
Which leads me to this; I'm actually posting fic on my lj.
I posted it on the thread last night, and I'll probably post it to strapsandstars later, but for now I'll just leave it here.

This is inspired in big part by another fic someone else wrote in a similar vein, which was quite cute.
( Adjacent Offices )

All in all, I'm really rather plesased with the results.
Hope you enjoy!

Dear Northwestern,

You are beautiful, and I love you immensely. I am very glad to hear that the feeling is mutual. :D



See you in the fall!!!!!!

Lots and lots of love,

Erin


p.s. HOMGHJJKHKIEUFHKSEJFHALSEKFNASGJKLAHDF, YOU GUYS I GOT INTO NORTHWESTERN!!!!!!!

Decisions, decisions, man.

Snagged this from thinkofaname. I commented, she gave me three names.
Warning for HUGE pictures. But huge pictures that are also gorgeous, so.

( Let's play, shall we? )

EDIT: You know, looking back on this, I really must say that I think Nite Owl wins for the Marry category. I'm not sure what I was thinking before--I actively want to marry Dan Dreiberg. XD

I was going through all my files on my computer to see what I could get rid of, and I came across some pictures that I stole off Roz's computer a while ago. They're making me get all gooey and nostalgic, so of course I'm going to force them on all of you.

( A Shoebox Halloween )

Look at how cute I am we are!
Memories, you guys. Memories.


When did I have that much hair? O.O

I am so ridiculously addicted to these things, everybody.




I've gone through three bags since the sixth.
They are so good. My mother has informed me that they are going to rot my teeth, but I have decided that I don't care.
I don't need teeth to eat hard candy.

Now, it is no secret that my guinea pig, Danny, and I have been waging a silent war with one another from the very day I brought his furry ass into the comfort of my bedroom, as he is a horrid and ungrateful little tart. And yet, for some unfathomable reason, I continue to feed him and give him water and change his bedding (oh yeah, it's because I do not want a dead guinea pig).
Today, as per the allergy doctor's orders, my mother (while I was stuck in bed unable to keep down ever water--I still want to know what I ate that triggered this; it was horrifying, due to lack of anything else to do, I actually did homework) went to the store and bought new bedding, food, and hay for Danny, since I'm allergic to everything he was using before. Together, my mum and I replace all the old pine-shaving bedding, clean out the cage, sweep out every dark corner of my bedroom, and fix everything back up like new with Danny's nice clean recycled-paper bedding and alfalfa cubes to replace the Timothy Hay. Now, for this to happen, the guinea pig has to be out of the cage, and it is up to me to restrain him in the meanwhile. Usually when I have to clean out the cage, I do it by myself, meaning that there is no extra set of hands to hold Danny while I work. The first time I had to do so, I just set him down on the bed; I figured, hey, he's a pretty smart little guy, he'll realize that it's a long way down and just sort of tinker around until I'm done. Well, I was right and wrong. He didn't jump. He did, however, take a nice long leak on my down comforter. Since then, I've put the little demon on the floor in an open cooler while I clean the cage, but he has managed to stay dry since. So today I think to myself, we've come a long way, Danny and I. You could say we're almost friends--at the very least I think we've come to the mutual understanding that I assure that he is fed and watered and not hanging around in his own excrement for extended periods of time and that if he does not shut up and let me sleep at night I will not hesitate to put the cage in the hallway and let him become acquainted with the cats (I've never actually done this, but I have threatened to do so several times, and I think he believes that I would). Maybe, just for once, I could hold him while my mum changes the bedding. Cut to me sitting on the edge of my bed, cuddling the monster, who is trying madly to get away. After a while, he stops struggling. I scratch the top of his head affectionately. He shoots me a stink eye. We're a regular Abbot and Costello.
And then, slowly, I feel a warmth begin to spread on my right thigh.
The little ingrate peed on me.
I hope he's fucking happy with his clean new cage and hypoallergenic bedding.
The douche.