Welcome to the circus

This is how I can tell I'm PMSing: every other song iTunes is pulling up reduces me to tears.

As I said to musesfool: "I think by this point in my life I am pretty inured to 'In My Life' but NO." And then "Under Pressure" came on, and I was reaching for the tissues.

However, my crying over "Under Pressure" led me to YouTube for the live David Bowie/Annie Lennox version:



I think that's my favorite live performance, ever. In the top two, at the very least.

And then I found a video of them rehearsing the song with Queen for the concert, hilariously notable for two things: 1) Bowie smoking all through the song and 2) George Michael watching them, singing along like a big fanboy:



That may be the fondest I've felt about George Michael in years.

Title: Eternity in a Kiss
Author: snacky
Fandom: Mary Poppins
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: Features a few "blink and you'll miss it" crossovers.
Summary: Bert tells of his life with Mary Poppins.
Notes: Written as a New Year's Resolution fic for Yuletide 2011. I started this story a long time ago, and seeing the prompt was the inspiration I needed to get it done. Thanks to crantz and musesfool for looking it over.

( Bert was 17 when he first fell in love with Mary Poppins... )

Please take this vampire poll. Thank you!

Poll results and the meaning of FHB revealed here!

Yuletide reveals are live, so now I know who wrote my gift:

Relevé (6395 words) by calliette
Fandom: Ballet Shoes - Noel Streatfeild
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Petrova Fossil/Original Male Character, Posy Fossil/Original Female Character, Pauline Fossil/Original Male Character
Characters: Petrova Fossil, Pauline Fossil, Posy Fossil, Sylvia Brown
Summary:

The Fossil Sisters are all grown up and navigating their way through relationships and careers. With the name Fossil no longer just their own, it's time to revisit their vow.

It was just what I asked for! Future!fic and how their lives turn out after the book ends. Thank you again!


And I wrote this one:

Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful (2945 words) by Snacky
Fandom: Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Elizabeth March, Josephine March, Margaret March, Amy March, Marmee March, Theodore Laurence
Summary:

"I never thought I would make it into space."

for sanj. I had so much fun with this story!

The original prompt I received with the assignment said, "I would love an AU that changes either the events of the story or the setting." And I immediately thought to myself, "Oh, well, it has to be Little Women in SPAAAAAACE!" and then when I saw sanj's Yuletide letter and she mentioned a space setting, I knew I had to do it.

The hardest part was the temptation to rewrite the entire story and set it in space. I mean, my original opening scene for the fic was the opening chapter of LW, where Jo says "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents!" but all of it with space references - Jo wanting to be a fighter pilot, Amy wanting new space boots, etc.

The one idea I latched onto right away was Beth being a computer program, and that was the story I kept coming back to. After I finally decided there was no way I could rewrite the entire novel (:D), I had narrowed it down to two ideas - Beth in the computer, and Jo wanting to be a fighter pilot. But that wasn't working either - the two plots weren't meshing together. So finally I realized the story was really about Beth, not Jo (I KNOW, IMAGINE!) and I cut the Jo stuff and just focused on the Beth part.

The inspiration for it was the chapter in LW where Beth tells Jo that she knows she's dying, and that she always knew she wasn't like her sisters and when they were all making plans for the future, she could never see herself growing up and leaving home, and never really wanted to. So that was my starting point - that Beth could never imagine herself in space, and the story became how she got there.

It was a lot of fun to translate LW into the future and into space. I tried to stay faithful to the original story, and to Beth's character and voice. And I really didn't want it to be a parody, which might have been easier! Beth's not the the strongest character in the original, but I felt like I had a good grasp on her and how she'd react in these new situations. I totally have to thank musesfool and rthstewart for their beta help with it - they both reminded me of bits from the original story that had to be put in (limes!).

It's pretty much everything people say they hate in fanfic: first person POV, all narration, no action, heh. But I was very happy with it in the end, and sanj liked it, and I got some very lovely comments, so all is good!

I also wrote:

Eternity in a Kiss (1178 words) by Snacky
Fandom: Mary Poppins (1964), Mary Poppins - P. L. Travers
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bert (Mary Poppins)/Mary Poppins
Characters: Bert (Mary Poppins), Mary Poppins
Summary:

Bert's life with Mary Poppins.

for panavatar, which I had originally intended to post as a Treat, but then I missed the deadline by oversleeping, so I posted it today in the New Year's Resolution collection.

I started this story a while back and never finished it, and then I saw her prompt and was like, "HEY THAT IS WHAT MY STORY IS ABOUT!" so that was the kick in the pants I needed to finish it. :D It's Bert's story of his life with Mary Poppins. Who knew I had all this backstory for Bert! It came as a surprise to me! Also, Mary Poppins is everyone's nanny, so this story has some crossover allusions.

ETA: And duh, of course I have to thank musesfool and benedict/crantz for looking it over and the beta help!

ANYWAY, it's not exactly a reveal since I just posted it today, but for the sake of completeness, there you have it.

I have nothing of substance to report, people. Instead, let's meme:

Give me a pairing and I will tell you:

who is the big spoon/little spoon
what is their favorite non-sexual activity
who uses all the hot water in the morning
what they order from take out
what is the most trivial thing they fight over
who does most of the cleaning
what has a season pass in their DVR
who controls the netflix queue
who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working
who steals the blankets
who leaves their stuff around
who remembers to buy the milk
who remembers anniversaries

Hit me up.

You guys, I am making great progress on my Yuletide story! Not so much on my Big Bang story. But I am not here to talk about my failure. Instead, I will talk about the Three Sentence Ficathon:



It's so much fun! You all totally need to go over there and leave some prompts and fill some too! Then link it everywhere so more people can come and play!

I've had a bunch of prompts filled:

Narnia, Caspian, follow the story to the end

Narnia, Pevensies and Tirian, "i don't think this is where we're supposed to be"

Northern Exposure, Joel/Maggie, goodbye doesn't mean forever

Narnia, Peter/Caspian, both can be king

Narnia, Susan/Peter, a day like no other

Madeleine L'Engle's Chronos/Kairos books, Charles Wallace, no one knows but me

Thor, Darcy Lewis/Clint Barton, shooting things is fun

And I've filled some myself:

( Battlestar Galactica (2003), the Galactica, the old girl's still got some kick in her )

( Demon's Lexicon, Alan/Sin, how to lie in the face of death )

( Young Avengers/Journey into Mystery, Billy and Teddy babysit Serrure while the Avengers are away. Shenanigans ensue. )

( Thor/Captain America (2011), Darcy Lewis/Steven Rogers, did you just taser me? it's a hobby )

( NFFR Superhero League, any, meals in the club house are kind of hit and miss )

( Chronicles of Narnia/The Silmarillion, Susan/Maglor, those left behind )

( The Authority, Jenny Qantum & Jenny Sparks, somebody has to save the world )

( My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr, Link/James, it takes a few years but they get their act together )

( The Chronicles of Narnia, Susan & Lucy Pevensie, jewelry )

( Narnia, Susan, languages )

( Battlestar Galactica (2003), Helo, pictures on the wall )

( Narnia, Pevensies, post!Narnia, it's a cold and it's a broken )

( Narnia, anyone but the Pevensies, the children of Narnia )

( Narnia, any of the Pevensies, you never forget your first )

( Chronicles of Narnia, Susan & Edmund, if I only could make a deal with god, and get him to swap our places )

( Narnia/Battlestar Galactica (2003), Starbuck/Peter, said the joker to the thief )

( Chronicles of Narnia/The Silmarillion, Susan/Maglor, unbreakable oaths and bonds )

Now I have to get back to Yuletide. No rest for the wicked! :D

I know, I know, several days late! I am sorry, but have been completely off the grid for the past week - not by choice, just due to power and internet loss because of a big snowstorm last weekend.

So, here's the list of remaining songs:

Human, Mr. Brightside, Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town, Sam's Town, When You Were Young - The Killers
Fidelity - Regina Spektor
Harbor - Vienna Teng
More Than This - Vanessa Carlton
I'll Hold My Breath - Ellie Goulding
Magpie to the Morning - Neko Case
Anchorage - Michelle Shocked
Rock 'N' Roll Ghost - The Replacements

And here's the folder where they all are, if you want to download any of them:

http://www.mediafire.com/?d632slp308uf1.

I hope you all enjoyed Rocktober!

Oh, we're getting close to the end! Here's today's song:

The Man Who Isn't There, by Oren Lavie
Look at the sky / It belonged to a guy that I know / and I thought I forgot long ago

Kind of spooky and gorgeous, isn't it?

Your rocktober song for today:

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, by Vampire Weekend
Can you stay up / to see the dawn / in the colors / of Benetton?

Today, we have a theme! Royalty! :D

A King and A Queen, by Okkervil River
But the best thing for you would be queen, so be queen

The Queen of Lower Chelsea, by Gaslight Anthem
And the gravity hangs on all the selling points you had / should've stayed and been the Queen of Lower Chelsea

Princes of the Universe, by Queen
Here we are, born to be kings / We're the princes of the universe

Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle, by The Mountain Goats and Kaki King
I saw some guys dressed up like sorcerers / blue robes that flowed above the ground / they came and went and I was frightened for my life / I tried not to make a sound

Here Comes the King, by X-Ray Dog

The Kings and Queens of Narnia

Today, we have a cover of the theme song from M*A*S*H:

Suicide is Painless, by Manic Street Preachers
The game of life is hard to play / I'm gonna lose it anyway / The losing card I'll someday lay / so this is all I have to say...

The song is played over the film's opening credits (and as the opening of the TV show, although without lyrics), and is sung in a scene of the movie, where the M*A*S*H unit's dentist has decided to commit suicide*, and everyone gathers for a last supper/funeral for him.



*Spoiler, if you haven't seen the movie: He doesn't.

*************

When I was in grammar school, I was in the school chorus, and our music teacher had us sing this song for our parents and families at the school's Spring Festival performance. I honestly don't know what she was smoking, or why no one else on staff thought it was odd for a bunch of 10 year olds to be belting out "Suicide is painless, it brings on many changes, and I can take or leave it if I please!" But I do remember the parents in the audience glancing around uncomfortably as we sang.

However, it was the Seventies, which is probably the best explanation I have of why 1) no one thought it was an odd song choice for kids; and 2) no one got fired over it. Hell, our parents were probably like, "At least it's a good lesson for them to learn!" And I can take or leave it if I please...

This is one of those songs I have no idea where it came from. I don't remember downloading it or buying it, but I must have, unless iTunes has some music breeding program I am unaware of.*

Anyway, it's always like a surprise when it comes on!

Borders and Time, by The Rankin Family
You have drifted so far from me / the winds of change have swept you away





*not a hard thing to believe, really.

I think this song is the epitome of angsty manpain, but I like it anyway! Guilty pleasure, I guess.

Superman (It's Not Easy) Live, by Five for Fighting
I can’t stand to fly / I’m not that naive / Men weren’t meant to ride / with clouds between their knees

Aw, it's not easy to be Supes. :(

Have some songs from the sixties today!

In My Life, by The Beatles
But of all these friends and lovers / there is no one compares with you

It's kind of hard to pick just ONE Beatles song.

Creeque Alley, by The Mamas and The Papas
McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire in L.A., you know where that's at / And everybody's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

I kind of think the Mamas and the Papas were despicable people, but man, they made some great tunes.

The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy), by Simon and Garfunkel
Hello lamp-post, what cha knowin'? / I've come to watch your flowers growin'

It reminds me of the SNL skit where Mark Wahlberg talks to animals. :D

My Back Pages, by the Byrds
Ah, but I was so much older then /I'm younger than that now

Sorry, Bob Dylan, I like this cover of your song better than your version.

The Weight, by The Band
I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide / when I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side

I love The Band! If you don't love them, don't tell me, I don't wanna know.

Gimme Shelter (Live), by The Rolling Stones
Ooh, see the fire is sweepin' / my very street today

Okay, this is from a live bootleg from the 90s, but since the song is from the 60s, I declare it still counts. :D

Still playing catch-up with Rocktober! Hopefully will be back on track tomorrow with a song a day!

Today two songs, which are kinda the same song, but not really:

Jet Boy, Jet Girl by The Damned
We made it on a ballroom blitz / I took his arm and kissed his lips

Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand
Ca plane pour moi moi moi moi moi

Hello! Have some songs from the 80s!

Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
Poor old Johnny Ray, sounded sad upon the radio / broke a million hearts in mono

Peekaboo by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Golly jeepers / Where’d you get those peepers? / Peepshow, creepshow / Where did you get those eyes?

Dreams by Van Halen
So baby dry your eyes / save all the tears you've cried / Oh, that's what dreams are made of / 'Cause we belong in a world that must be strong / Oh, that's what dreams are made of

Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo
I wish I was in Tijuana / eating barbequed iguana / I'd take requests on the telephone / I'm on a wavelength far from my home

Let's rock out with The Who:

Baba O'Reilly (Live)
Don't cry / Don't raise your eye / It's only teenage wasteland


Now, I've never been much of a Who fan (sorry, Who fans) but I do like this song. Maybe because of its nonsensical lyrics (the only bit that makes any sense at all is "They're all wasted!"). Or maybe it's my fond memories of my brief career in radio, when every one of the DJs I worked with refused to play this song when people called in to request it, because no one ever got the name right. "Oh my god, you GOTTA play Teenage Wasteland, it's my favorite song, man!" They all took great joy in saying no.

Yes, I like this song because it reminds me of people being music snobs. :D

It's also the theme song for CSI: NY, which misses being the best CSI by a long shot (sorry, Gary Sinise fans). I mean, if you don't have Las Vegas, and you don't have HoCaine, there's not much point, is there?

There are birds outside trying to build a nest on the air conditioner.

( The cats do not like this! )

Hello! Today have a seriously fun song from House of Heroes:

God Save the Foolish Kings
We’re outcasts only 'cause we chose to dream / we’re princes who’d rather dine with thieves / we’re honest only 'cause the truth it cannot hide / God save us the foolish kings

One of those songs where I am singing along with a huge smile on my face.

Today, a selection of songs by Hawksley Workman!

I have to thank lirimaer for introducing me to his music and for sharing so many great songs with me. Here's a few I really like:

Jealous of Your Cigarette
No king, no prince with gold ring pinky / I suggest that we do something kinky

Goodbye to Radio
Goodbye to radio / goodbye to the things that we know

When These Mountains Were the Seashore
before clocks kept track of the time / when day lead gracefully into the night /before two fish that dreamed to fly / got suspicious of a miracle / and asked themselves why

September Lily
September lily / I see your dark side / I see the reasons / For all your crying

Seen about the flist:

The first five people (or possibly more) to comment on this post get to request that I write a drabble/ficlet of any pairing/character of their choosing. In return, they have to post this in their journal, regardless of their own writing ability level.

I suppose it should be a fandom I know, but I will do my best to accommodate! :D

Title: Sing Down The Stars
Author: snacky
Recipient: edenfalling
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: Characters, situations, settings, belong to C.S. Lewis/Walden Media.
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: Assume spoilers for The Silver Chair/canonical character death.
Summary: Rilian returns to Narnia, and his story begins.


( Sing Down The Stars... )

Author's notes: Written for the 2011 Narnia Fic Exchange, for this prompt: Rillian having to prove he's himself (and not enchanted) upon his return to Narnia, possibly dealing with Miraz's son or other descendants trying to claim the throne.

Thanks to my betas, unsuitenedt and rthstewart, for all their help. And thanks to edenfalling for such a great prompt! I'd had this story in mind for a long time, so when I saw it on your list of prompts, I jumped on it. Bookverse, not movieverse, as requested, although I took the liberty of giving Ramandu's Daughter a name.

If you're interested in a Narnia Big Bang, or a longer version of a fic exchange or fest for the Narnia fandom, I have a post open for brainstorming right here. Please come join us!

rthstewart started it, with AU fic of her TSG series, where we learn that she ships Peter/Camel.

Then anastigmatfic took that AU to the Florida everglades and happened to mention that Edmund and Susan were in Russia.

Ruth wondered what they were doing in Russia, and I ( had an idea... )