Oh hey, I actually wrote something again. It's been a while! I think it's put me in the mood to do some upcoming holiday writing... ;D

Title: The Cat in the Pumpkin Patch
Main Character: Steve Harrington (with Jim Hopper and Eleven in supporting roles)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,915
Creature Prompt: Evil Cat
Summary: It's a good thing Steve isn't superstitious. But maybe he should be.
Notes: Written for the 2022 Spook Me Mult-Fandom Halloween Ficathon. Cross-posted to AO3 and Livejournal. The artwork prompt used for the story is included at the end.

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Steve wasn’t superstitious. Like, at all.

( The Cat in the Pumpkin Patch )

This summer I watched the 2014 movie "What We Do in the Shadows," a mock documentary comedy about vampires (I love anything Taika Waititi does). Then in September, I binge-watched the first two seasons of the TV series that is based on it. OMG, it is simply laugh-out loud hilarious. I love it so much, even more than the movie. And Nandor/Guillermo is the first slashy pairing I've had feelings for in a long time. The third season is now currently airing on FX, and while it hasn't been quite as sharp as the first two seasons IMO, it is still delightful. Anyway, I wrote this year's second Spook Me fic for this show...


Title: The Plant Slayer
Main Characters: Nandor the Relentless, Guillermo de la Cruz, Nadja, Laszlo Cravensworth, Colin Robinson, the Documentary Crew
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,066
Creature Prompt: Plant
Summary: Things get weird(er) when Nandor replaces all the candles in the house with potted plants.
Notes: A humorus spooky fic, mostly gen ensemble but with minor Nandor/Guillermo. Setting: late Season 2. Written for the 2021 Spook Me Mult-Fandom Halloween Ficathon. Cross-posted to AO3 and Livejournal. The artwork prompt used for the story is included at the end.

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"House meeting!"

Nandor waited a beat, then cupped his hands to his mouth. "House meeting in the library!" he clarified.

( The Plant Slayer )

Late notice, I know, but I've been trying like the devil to get concrete information on this whole thing before posting about it.

Tonight at 8:30 pm Central Time, the ATX Festival is hosting a virtual Oz reunion with Tom, Lee, Dean, Kirk, Terry, and Harold. It was originally supposed to take place last June in Austin, Texas but got cancelled because of the pandemic. Rather than cancelling the festival again this year, the organizers decided to take it all online. The Oz reunion is in a Zoom format and was actually recorded last week.

Tickets for the entire festival cost $150, but you can purchase a day pass for only $25 (plus about $5 in taxes/fees) HERE and watch the reunion that way. That's what I've done.

EVEN MORE EXCITING THOUGH ------>

As part of the festival's additional content, Tom Fontana wrote a 15-minute short film called "Zo" starring Lee and Dean where they reprise their roles as Beecher and Ryan O'Reily in an Oz "sequel." You can watch this short with the purchase of your day pass. (I think you can actually watch it by buying a day pass any day from now until the end of the festival on June 20.) I've just finished watching and *FLAILING*. It was OZSOME and leaves you wanting so much more! IT'S JUST SO EXCITING TO HAVE NEW OZ CONTENT.

Plot bunnies ------> hop, hop, HOP!

I am all better now! But the month of November was just an awful, Covid-filled blur for me and my family.

It all started on Friday, November 6, when my teenage son came home from hockey practice with a fever and sore throat. We took him in for a Covid test, then quarantined him in his room, sterilized common touch points, began wearing our masks around the house, etc. He was only sick for about 3 or 4 days, but the damage had been done. His test result came back positive, and a few days later I came down with it.

I had a 100+ degree fever that lasted over TWO WEEKS, tightness in my chest, cough, runny nose, loss of smell/taste. Nothing serious enough to require a doctor's visit, but for several days, I couldn't even get out of bed. Then, despite quarantining myself, my husband caught it as well, although his case was a relatively mild one like our son's.

Needless to say, Thanksgiving was ruined. My extended family had decided back in October to cancel Thanksgiving (and Christmas, too) so as not to run the risk of exposing my elderly parents to the virus, but I had still planned to do something special for my immediate family. Instead, my two older sons spent Thanksgiving alone in their college apartments, while we ate some pre-made subs grabbed from Walmart for our "Thanksgiving dinner."

Thankfully, everyone is now mostly recovered. For a while, I had issues with a lingering cough and fatigue, but I've spent the last couple days putting up Christmas decorations and felt good.

This should probably be the point where I give an ending spiel advising everyone to wear masks, social distance, wash hands, etc. And you should! BUT, we did all those things. We've been doing all those things DILIGENTLY since March. Literally the ONLY places my son had been the two weeks prior to getting sick were school and hockey practice, both places where everyone is masked up and taking extraordinary precautions. And we STILL caught it. All it took was one opening somewhere, and it can happen no matter how careful you are.

So please, PLEASE, do all you can to isolate yourself until there is a vaccine available. Especially if you or anyone close to you has underlying health conditions. I am an active, healthy, middle-aged (*cough*) woman, and this thing still knocked me on my ass.

Here's to a making the Christmas season is a merry one, despite the lack of "celebrating." :)

I wrote a story! A longer-ish story! It's been a while!

Happy Halloween, my fellow Oz peeps!

Title: Strangers in the Night
Main Characters/Pairings: Tobias Beecher/Chris Keller, Holly Beecher
Rating: PG-13 (some gruesome imagery)
Length: 9,400
Creature Prompt: Zombies
Summary: In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, Chris loses Toby in the woods.
Notes: Set in a post-series world where Chris didn't die and Toby doesn't hate him. Written for the 2020 Spook Me Mult-Fandom Halloween Ficathon. Cross-posted to AO3 and Livejournal. The artwork prompt used for the story (which is actually from the 2019 Spook Me collection) is included at the end.

______________________________________

Chris shivered uneasily as a strong breeze swept through the woods, rustling the withered leaves on the trees. He zipped up his jacket and contemplated the endless stretch of greens and browns that surrounded them. An ominous cold knot began to form in his stomach.

"I think we’re lost."

Less than thirty feet away, Toby stood motionless, his head down. He gave Chris no sign to indicate that he’d heard what he’d said. Instead, he continued to stare silently at something in his hand, transfixed by what he saw.

"I said," Chris called out, louder this time. "I think we're LOST."

( Strangers in the Night )

Last week I ordered this book about a plague-based apocalypse that severina2001 had recommended, and yesterday it arrived in the mail:



Great timing, huh? Somehow, I'm not quite as enthused about reading it as I was a week ago. I'm worried that I might need it as a survival guide now.

Also, that B/K apocafic AU I've been working? Not so enthused about that, either. Granted, it's zombie-based, rather disease, but still.

Like everyone, I have been especially disturbed by the speed in which everything has happened. Here in Michigan, my family's life has been upended in about a dozen significant ways since Wednesday morning, but I know it's nothing worth complaining about. We're all healthy (for now) and that's what important. Although I do worry about my elderly parents, who don't seem to fully realize the gravity of the situation. (I told them not to leave their house, and they thought I as joking.)

Stay safe, my friends. ♥

My Twitter friend @marchriska tweeted this Oz meme (original source unknown), and I thought it was too hilarious not to share. Slutty!Beecher for the win. :D

Earlier this month, Tom Fontana gave an absolutely fascinating interview with a podcast called The Crime Story where he talked about the making of "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Oz." The interview is over an hour in length, but there is also a written transcript that you can read (if you're like me and don't have the patience to sit and listen to audio for that long). I highly recommend checking it out:

The Crime Story Podcast with Kary Antholis, Episode 33: Tom Fontana, Homicide, and Oz

In looking through the podcast's tags, I discovered that David Simon did a four-part interview with the show in September, totalling nearly three hours (!) in length. I haven't read/listened to those episodes yet, but I'm guessing they're insightful as well. Here is a link to part one of Simon's interview:

The Crime Story Podcast with Kary Antholis, Epiosde 24: David Simon, The Wire, The Corner, and Homicide

Which reminds me... I never did finish watching the end of Homicide. I still need to watch the last half of the last season (so, about 10 episodes) and the two-hour TV movie finale. I sort of lost some interest in the show in the last season after Andre Braugher and Reed Diamond left. But now I'm feeling somewhat motivated, and I think I'll move that back up to the top of my To Watch list.

And, in semi-related news... Lee appeared in the CBS show "Bull" on Monday night playing a prosecutor, and ohmygoodness he looked particularly scrumptious (WOOT he shaved!). Here are a few bonus screencaps for your viewing pleasure:

Oh hey, I just realized that I never archived the four drabbles I wrote for April's Comes on Little Cat Feet drabble tree at oz_wishing_well. Better late than never! (And the spooky nature of the first two are perfect for a Halloween re-reading! o_O)

_________________

Prompt: forming a protective barrier, from ozsaur
(Murphy)
Word Count: 219

( forming a protective barrier )
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Prompt: bone shrine, from severina2001
(Groves)
Word Count: 136

( bone shrine )
_________________

Prompt: midnight, from severina2001
(Beecher/Keller)
Word Count: 169

( midnight )
_________________

Prompt: we have to talk, from cmk418
(Beecher/Keller)
Word Count: 100

( we have to talk )

Last month, I wrote some stories and created some artwork for the Fandom Giftbox fest over at Dreamwidth. The reveals were recently held, and here's a list with links to my contributions.


Stranger Things (fic):

Peace of Mind on AO3 (G, 1,400 words)
Summary: Steve and Nancy share an awkward conversation after Barb's funeral. Later, Dustin makes Steve feel better, and Steve makes Dustin feel better.

Family Video Night on AO3 (G, 1,700 words)
Summary: When it comes to the Scoops Troop, the more things change, the more they stay the same.


Harry Potter (fic and artwork):

Resourcefulness on AO3 (G, 1,000 words)
Summary: Harry is sorted into Slytherin house, where he discovers the uniquely unifying power of sports.


M*A*S*H (artwork):

Heart + Soul + Mind on Dreamwidth


I also did a quick pinch hit for a rare fandom--the 2018 movie Game Night (starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams). Unfortunately, when I was getting ready to post the story, I realized its genre (kidfic) was one of the wisher's explicit Do Not Wants. Oops. It wasn't something I could just edit out, so I now have this extra story just lying around. Maybe I'll post it around Christmas (which is when the story is set) to AO3, even though there is literally only one story in that fandom posted there. Ah well, lesson learned! :/