greetings from the left coast

I got to wax a little bit poetic about JK Rowling & Harry Potter over in Adventures in YA Publishing today. That was a lot of fun.

In case you didn't know, I got my start in fanfiction in the Harry Potter world, and went on to fame and fortune as a beta reader and staff member at the now-defunct Sugar Quill, where I had the (now-embarrassing) screen name Lady Narcissa. I didn't know any better at the time! We had some fun there, though, especially on roleplaying days. I could use all the lingo and say it was siriusly fun (Sirius was my first-ever RP character! Talk about a challenge!), and fess up that it was me behind the Sirius character at the Quill. I was also Lucius Malfoy there, and a few other characters on RP days. I sure don't remember them all now! James. Bill Weasley. More, I don't know who all! Sirius always got mobbed. I remember a 48-hour period where I didn't even see my family, I was so busy with Sirius's responsibilities at Grimmauld Place. Phew.

That was a long time ago. Don't tell anyone that these days I can barely tell the difference between Expelliarmus and Alohomora, okay? Thanks. Must be time for a re-read!

(I know I'm a little early, hush. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day.)

kit_the_brave requested a fandom mashup: two characters who wouldn't normally encounter each other meet while Christmas shopping.

( No gag gifts, please... )

Why am I not surprised that half the requests I got for this December meme are for Harry Potter stories? YOU GUYS. Actually, I met so many people here through that fandom, and now I'm tempted to do an entire series reread on the New Year. Who's with me?

For today, bitchet requested A Black Family Christmas, so here goes.

( Deck the Halls with Heads of House-Elves... )

This has been a tough, tough month, but I managed to write some things.

- a Hell on Wheels drabble. >> (LJ)

- a Kara Thrace (Battlestar Galactica) story from a prompt from ceitfianna. Spoilers through 3x13 (Taking A Break From All Your Worries). >> (LJ)
- a Sirius Black (Harry Potter) story from a prompt from misslucyjane >> (LJ)
- a pre-canon Sam Anders (Battlestar Galactica) story from a prompt from silveraspen. >> (DW)
- a fairy tale as told by Howell Jenkins (Howl's Moving Castle) from a prompt from vivien. Spoilers for Howl's Moving Castle. >> (DW)
This prompt post is still wide open (DW | LJ). I would love to write something for you.

- a Sam Anders (Battlestar Galactica) story as a gift for lostinapapercup. Full series spoilers. >> (DW | LJ)

Keep a poor girl from smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo getting bored?

First eight people who comment with a prompt, I'll write you a ficlet. You know my interests and fandoms, so have at it.

Edited to add: YOU PEOPLE HAVE LOST ON THE BRAIN! Don't let the number of comments fool you. I have room for more.