I got a series of reviews the other day on my AIW fanfictions, and someone on tumblr who wasn't even talking to me wrote that the hot-tub fic lives rent-free in their head, and I just *shrug* really appreciate that all those pages and hours weren't for naught and they're still being enjoyed. I'm not even done yet, there will be more, and this encourages me.

Maybe even some day the fic with Dodgson will be online. I don't know...

I've nothing to do between classes, so I figured that I would update.

I'm on my way to finishing Trying Tuesday, but I feel like I don't know what it is that I want to do from there. One part of me - the part that hasn't grown up or changed for three years - enjoys writing AIW fanfiction. She wants to write another one. She has already started it and feels like now she has the ability to do it justice because she has reconciled with Wonderland after kind of a drift. She thinks she might actually need to keep that part of her fully ablaze, and with there being episodes more than a month apart (as wonderful as their being posted at all is), this is really the way to plug herself in during the wait. And she wonders if she needs to do this because for some reason being back to school and around people is frustrating her, and her first video production class is frustrating her. All she actually wants to do is go home for Winter break already, in a way, and Wonderland is a little like Winter break, she guesses.

But then there's the other part that considers NaNoWriMo is just around the corner, that time of the year where she picks up something of worth and proves once again that she fails at completing it. It's just a ritual of life for her by now. November means taking out the dusty novel notes and pretending she has a fighting chance. She'll have support by her friends, a writing buddy who pushes her to complete the goals, and the joy of working on her story of five years. She knows it should be done. Not only that, but that she should enjoy it.

BUT, there is another part. And she's listening to Fleetwood Mac on the bus and fantasizing about the juxtaposition of Ellen and Hutter, from her freshest passion and newest project. She can imagine all of the beautiful illustrations, she's coming up with new details of that story often. She knows if she gave herself a goal for November to write this script, a goal like Script Frenzy's, she'd succeed somehow and enter December excitedly instead of dejectedly.

But which side is going to step in front?

It's taken WEEKS just to finish this AIW fanfiction. It will be my longest yet, but it still has been a struggle to find time, and for something where deep thought is not required. Nosferatu in Love and He's There will have to be treated like children.

Sometimes I honestly miss my days in community college. I miss taking two classes and being inspired by the campus. Something about it made it home - this university does not have those spaces that I enjoyed back home. On that subject, I miss having my home, having a comfortable, quiet home where I can leave my room, I can sit by the sliding glass doors and look at the plants rimmed with sunlight. If I want to, I can go out there. We have a yard. I can go to the kitchen, make tea, sit at the bar, pretend I'm with Hare. I can read, I can contemplate, or I can watch the changing leaves on our wooden porch surrounded in my mom's flowers. I'd better stop before I get too mushy to go to class.

I guess what I was getting at with that last paragraph is that it has always been difficult to squeeze in writing, but it was a little easier back then. I wasn't stuck in an unknown city, in a little apartment, always having to do full-time in school. I love school, but I love writing as much. There was once more of a balance.

Oh, decisions!

I've got 15 minutes until I leave for Japanese Literature. Decisions will have to be made later. Or maybe on the way there and back, I'll pick what happens in November.

-J

This is kind of a bitter-sweet update, but things have gotten better about Nano since I last posted!

Um...*sigh* Oy. It's never a fun thing to say, but I haven't been working on more of HT; I've kind of given it a tiny rest, maybe until finals are over next week? It's so much to think about, I don't think I can have all of this test-cramming at the same time. It sucks that I couldn't be prolific this month, it really does, but I had every intention of working on the story through December and January as well. Really, until it was finished, so I'm trying to keep that in mind.

However, between the school work, I've been in a lighter mood - I picked up Paper Mario and started playing it again and it's been extremely easy! I'm such a pro at it now, I know exactly how to beat enemies, get rich on coins, and make the coolest recipes at Taste. T's. XD I'm so excited to get to the Shiver City/Crystal Palace level. lol (And speaking of which, I texted Kate about finishing pt14 with me that she has neglected for two months, when she gets back from Washington. She didn't say yes or no, so maybe there's hope?...) Either way, I'll be pressing all December that CP3 be done. I won't take another year of failure, I just won't. She can be annoyed with me all she likes! >:D

Okay, point of the entry:
I decided to pick up an idea I came up with months ago and run with it! And what do you know, it's working out great! I have story-gold here. I'm so excited to be able to post what I've been writing but there's no beginning yet.

The story I'm doing is Trying Tuesday, AIW fanfic obviously, spoofing Freaky Friday, about Rabbit and Hare's bunny tension rising to the heights of needing a Chinese lady to give them fortune cookies that make them switch bodies.

It's been great fun. Really really. I think I needed something like this to get me more excited about writing again, and then when I go back to HT, perhaps it will be easier. Not only that, but it's boosted my word count!

20081 / 50000 words. 40% done!

20,000! So now I have doubled my record with this thing. I guess it is probably good not to have reached 50k words. Every year I can have a goal that doesn't involve looking like an over-achieving douche that makes others feel self-conscious. (Oh wait, was that my self-consciousness talking?) I'm just teasing. I have nothing against those that thwomp the finish line. Good for them.

I can't post since I don't have the beginning, but here, let me share some with you, I just have to. @_@

"Are you going somewhere?"

"The Queen is going to ki-" Rabbit started offhandedly. Hatter tightened his lips. "... I need to see Rabbit."

"Rabbit? Why the hell would you see him?"

He spit into the sink and used an orange cup to rinse, leaving Hatter in anticipation. "It's a long story," he answered, coldly brushing him out of the way and rushing past the attic, almost tripping over Hatter's crap strewn over the floor in the process.

"You're not gonna floss?" Hatter wondered aloud, following him.

"Yeah, like I'd put my hands in his mouth- I mean... It's just that important. I have to go now," he emphasized, flashing Hatter the whites of his eyes. He looked around downstairs for any clue as to what was going on, with Hatter hovering over him the entire way, until he reached the door empty handed.

"Wait!" Before he could properly react, a hand came around his back and he slipped awkwardly out of a hug. Hatter briefly glanced at his hand which had been swatted away. "I don't get some sugar before you go?"

"Are you meaning to tell me that you are happy just snatching up my body and never giving it back?!"

Hare suddenly frowned. "No... It's not that... I just think it's kind of fun being you. How else would I ever get to spend so much time around the Queen?! She let me have one of her poptarts this morning!"

"N- wait!" Hare plead, placing a hand on his forearm. "Why don't you... stay here and keep me company?" He flashed a smile and Hatter could not remember a time he had seen so many of Rabbit's teeth. His disbelief at being asked was not lost on Hare at all and the smile drooped as quickly as it came. "I-I-I'm just rather tired, and I could use some... you know, sense of huma~ like yo'a~s." That sounded really British, he thought.

Writing for Rabbit is awesome. ♥ * ♥ * ♥

Oh, dear. I make it out like AIW is way more important to me than Phantom of the Opera. They're both equally important. I just find the AIW characters so poignant and refreshing sometimes.

Before I go, though, I thought I should say that I plan to watch a new POTO movie that I haven't seen before - the 1983 TV movie starring Maximilian Schell and Jane Seymour. It has shit reviews, but the Phantom Reviewer says it's definitely worth a watch, and the previews I've seen... if nothing else it looks like it has a really CREEPY phantom... Some of the shots I've seen just to show him in the room are cool looking. Actually, I also want to finally see Herbert Lom in the 1962 movie. Those are the two I have never seen for some reason.

Okay, listen to me prattle.
Bye!

....Igh.

I don't know why, but I have just lost it. I felt pressured this month, then I haven't written for over a week, and I think I just need more time to plan this out. I don't feel good about my serious-writing right now and telling myself what I have to work on whether I want to or not is taking the fun out of being creative. I could be getting more done as a whole by stopping with the limits.

I'm going to take my time figuring out what happens between now and when Mariam does somethingggg~ which I will not say to preserve the unknown. Then I will do ch43 when I'm damn ready.

I still broke last year's Nano record. I still broke it by like 7,000 words! I could still break it by more.

But no more pressure. >o<

Is it cheating to add on to your word count with writing for a different story? I might do that. I want to do an AIW fic again. Yes, again!

I'm still gettin' my Phantom on, though, I promise. :) I just moreso want to appreciate it right now, rather than try to pull a rabbit out of my freaking ass that will never reach the heights of the interpretations I love. I'm putting a better translated version of Leroux on my Christmas list (in the form of an Amazon card, rather.)

SPEAKING OF WHICHHH,
Automatic addition to my favorite phantoms, John Owen Jones. He is spectacular. His high notes make me sway and go "jesus" every single time.  THAT'S the way a phantom's supposed to make you feel! *curls fingers*

Also, he's adorable. Rather than feeling intimidated by him, I think I'd just want to hug him and pat him on the tummy. lmao It was sweet at the end when he said "come see us!"

Oh hey look, he sings it in English.

Somebody say something. I miss getting comments. :/

Oghhhhhh~ *cry* So yesterday was my deadline on working on the AIW site. I was able to do a rough draft of the about/production/history page and the welcome/chuckleheads/dvd/updates page, but for the past few days it's been the characters page only. I always knew it was going to be a big feat!

All of the bios are done, except the Tweedles have really short descriptions, and I couldn't find quotes for everyone from the top of my head. With Alice, I couldn't even think of where to find one because of how boring she is. lol

I caved, about the pictures, though. I didn't want to give myself the trouble of drawing and coloring them all when life-action photos would do but the urge just came and I wanted the graphics to be consistent, so...


{Click to Enlarge}


Obviously I'm missing like 6 characters, and they are not colored yet! I told myself during November it would be okay to work on them here and there when there's time.

Here are the other drawings, for around the site. :3





So~~ That's what I got done this month! Plus a few colored buttons. Oh! And an interview with that adorable bunny above this sentence.

I actually have a lot of old pages from the site that I was working on a while ago, like for the episodes, links, and merchandise pages, so there isn't a terrible amount of stuff to do more besides lots of wonderful art. ♥ It'll have to be a December thing.

On that note, I've got to start on planning He's There now! Just kind of waiting for the right day to come... Tonight's homework, tomorrow I'll be pooped from school, so Tuesday sounds good.

I just want to make sure when I start planning that I have an open mind and I can think of the story from the perspective of someone reading it (or watching it? :D). Also, I need to rummage for things that need tying up and see if I can tie them together in an interesting way.

The next 10 chapters... all I can really say without spoilers is -- the ability to be as he has been will be exhausted. She will learn how much it utterly sucks to be stalked once she has fallen in love with him. Like a rollercoaster - up, up, up... she can see the whole world!--DOWN.

Oh, excited...

But kind of uncertain, too. Those days, where you could play with this idea; entertain the characters; build it up, are gone. We have to face the consequences of our actions.

Eep!

Well, I've got plenty of reason to be inspired to work on this, since I will be the totally hawt Robert Phantom for Halloween this year. lmao We're going thrift-shopping for my hat some time soon.

♥

And as for CP3 and the AIW one-shot, they may still happen. Kate's been flaky on me this whole month, but you can't be a hopeless writer. I would love to do that Halloween story, though. :)