graculus

Jeez, is it August already? How exactly did that happen? Not that you'd know it was summer by the weather we've been having around here - after basking in July, we're now in monsoon season it seems. Fine if you're equipped for it, but definitely designed to keep us Brits all pasty and pale (no change there, then!).

In other news, I'm enjoying the fact that because it's summer holidays and all the kids aren't at school, I can get from home to work in 25 minutes. Though I wandered into a supermarket on Friday afternoon, playing hooky from work, and discovered where Dante got his inspiration for the Inferno. Thank heaven for 24 hour supermarkets!

I also have a New Boss as of the end of July, replacing the Old Boss who drove me insane at times - she had a nasty tendency to go from zero to crazy-ass at the slightest provocation and you couldn't always see it coming. New Boss seems much more level-headed at present and anyone who comes in and says 'I like my workers to be happy' can't be all bad, surely? Certainly we've had some minor (and some not-so-minor) crises since New Boss started and whereas Old Boss would have been on the ceiling and/or micromanaging what I was doing, New Boss has just let me get on with it. This is all a little too novel for myself and the other managers so I'm sure we're all waiting for the other shoe to drop...

The au_bingo thing seems to have worked in terms of getting me writing again and hopefully this will continue, despite lack of encouragement. Pffft. Apparently giving myself a choice between housework and writing also works as an incentive!

And finally, for now, I've booked myself a week in Menorca in October - that'll give me a chance to recover from connotations and I cannot deny the Maturin connection with Mahon was a pull. It should still be nice and warm, but not too hot for tramping about during the day and relaxing with a book and a glass of wine at night. Looking forward to it already! :)

Another for au_bingo...

Title: All the Sinners Saints
Fandom: Wild Wild West (tv show)
Prompt: Future: Dystopia
Words: 1600
Warnings: None
Summary: In which a routine mission goes all to pieces...

( All the Sinners Saints )

Signed up for au_bingo in the hope that this might prod me to writing something, so ( here's my card: )

There are times when my icon is accurate, rather than sarcastic, and this is one of them. Here we are midway through December (and exactly how did that happen?) and I've just finished my 4th week in my new job. \o/

Which I am enjoying a lot, more even than I thought I would, so that's excellent news. In the last few weeks of working my notice from the previous job, I'd definitely had moments where I wondered if I knew what I was letting myself in for and whether this was a good idea. It definitely was. However, I'm not sure I ever really knew the meaning of the word 'busy' before, as some days now I can get to work, then look up from what I'm doing and 4 hours have passed and it's lunchtime.

Likewise, I'm struggling with the whole concept of driving to and from work all week and still having petrol in the car. This is not something I have been used to. Not that, so far, I have turned the not-driving time into productive fic-writing time, but that's because I'm a putz.

Speaking of driving, I keep seeing a sign on the way to work advertising Christmas cockerels and turkeys for sale - why would you buy someone a cockerel for Christmas unless you really disliked them?

Also, I have finished my submission for this years' Down the Chimney over at muncle, only 24 hours late, so hopefully sithdragn will not be breaking out the pitchfork and firey torch for my benefit.

Title: The Night of the Maison Blanche
Author: Graculus
Fandom: Wild Wild West
Pairing: Jim/Artie
Rating: NSFW
Word count: 5470
Summary: Years ago, on a mission to New Orleans, Artie met someone who would change his life. Then he met James West.


( The Night of the Maison Blanche )

Title: The Night of the Dime Novels
Author: Graculus
Fandom: Wild Wild West
Pairing: Jim/Artie
Rating: NSFW
Word count: 6600
Summary: Timed-out zine fic from Gentlemen Never Tell 10 (the last of that series! *sniff*) - Somehow, it all seemed a little too good to be true...

( The Night of the Dime Novels )

Feeling slightly guilty because I appear to be using the UNCLE kink!meme as my personal fic playgroud, as I get the feeling I've written more than everyone else put together. *shifty eyes* Indeed there is even fic I have owned up to, here.

I'm currently working my way through the dvds and am almost to the end of season 2. I saw that the next episode was Batcave and just couldn't help myself - I had to watch it. Had to!

( In which Clemency gets at least one thing very very right... )

Gacked from luthien: Post a single sentence from each WIP you have (or as many as you want to pick). No context, no explanations. No more than one sentence!

Like the person I gacked this from, I have gone for 'no more than one paragraph' instead, otherwise it's not as much fun... ;)

( Yep, I am the queen of prevaricating WIPs )

In case anyone is interested, here's a link to my story for the 2008 muncle Down the Chimney challenge, which had its big reveal recently:

The Best-Laid Plans Affair (in which Illya Kuryakin has a Cunning Plan). ;)

The picfor1000 challenge is up for the New Year, with sign ups closing on 30th December - I've done this twice now and somehow managed to completely miss a couple of the challenges as well, with no apparent rationale on my part for either participating or not.

Essentially, you get assigned a picture which is your inspiration for a story, but the catch is that it has to be exactly 1,000 words and that's much harder than it looks.

In other news, am currently rewatching Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and remembering just why I bought a copy of the dvd.