straightforwardly

► ...I should have looked at this questionnaire-thing more closely, because today's topic is a variation on a question I hate answering: Three Of Your All-Time Favorite Books. (I just really hate being asked for what my "favorite" of anything is, because I very rarely only have one, single favorite.)

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is my default answer to this question, as it's the closest thing I have to a "favorite". I read it for the first time when I was in the fifth grade, and I remember thinking that I had never read something so beautiful before. Each time I read it, I'm in awe.

Northanger Abbey is my favorite Jane Austen novel. Not only does it have my favorite love interests in the form Henry Tilney, it also has one of my favorite heroines and my favorite main pairing in an Austen novel. Plus, it's just an incredibly amusing read— I grin all the way through it, and I'm convinced that it had what is perhaps the best opening chapter I have ever read.

Finally, I also really love Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde. It satisfies my love for dragons (particularly those in human form), inhuman characters who don't act like they're just humans with special powers, and an excellent subtle romance. If you think that I don't ship Selendrile/Alys hard, then you are wrong, because I really, really do.

► Yesterday, I had a mildly panicky moment. I... thought that Yuletide fics were due at 18:00 (in my time zone) today. Then I checked out the countdown timer they provided on the post, and I am so glad I did, because I was very, very wrong— they were actually due at 11:00 in the morning.

I'd already outlined and worked a little bit on my fic, so I wasn't completely screwed over, but I definitely ended up staying very late to finish writing it. I'm... not completely happy with it, since the direction it went in meant that I couldn't write about quite a few things I'd meant to cover. Still, it's finished now. Maybe I'll write a few treats now, if I can find the motivation / don't get completely distracted by Dragon's Age. Or maybe not. We'll see.

So, Yuletide reveals, anyone? I've never done a reveals post before, so apologies for any missteps/awkwardness.

As I (think I) mentioned before, I wrote a total of three fics for Yuletide, which is both less than I wanted to and more than I thought I would.

( why don't you be the writer / and decide the words I say )

And that about wraps it up! Yuletide was an incredible amount of fun for me this year (or, well, last year now), and I'm looking forward to participating next year. This year. I still need to get used to saying that.

Dear Yuletide Writer,

First of all, thank you for being a lovely person. I hope you don't mind long letters, because I enjoy writing them. I do believe optional details are optional, so please don't feel pressured by anything written here. This is meant to open up your options, not constrain them, as personally I prefer it when my recipients give me something to work with. As long as you treat the characters I love with love and respect, I'll probably be more than happy with what you give me. ♥

( and there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears / and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears )