"...and he was usually so good at saying what was on his mind, but... but this was different.

Because to bring it up would be to imply that she was curious, and that was only another uncomfortable conversation that he didn’t want to have. Then, there were the other two options: first, that she wouldn’t care at all, and second, that she would be relieved . He wanted her to be relieved by the news (or, he wanted to want it, at any rate), but he didn’t think he could tolerate seeing her relief."

(New post, b/c its not the same without the italics)

Hey, Potter. Hey, Potter. Hey Potter. Potter. Potter.


I drew a picture of you.


No, I'm not shooting myself in the foot and watching AVPS.

Thursday, 12/30

The first half of Chapter 29 reads like a video game... like, an RPG-ish one. Legend of Zelda: Orcarina of Time status.

Also, Lily = MacGyver
And Lathe just corrected someone's grammar.
I'm enjoying writing this chapter.

We'll see if I finish it tonight... if so, post tomorrow. I'll keep ya'll updated.

Happy Thursday!

HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS. I leave for a FEW hours and I come back and I miss all the sex talk!


Okay more stuff to say, lol. First of all--Todd said it all about Twilight. Yes, yes, and yes.
Nia @ 5:20 actually had me second guess James and Carlotta having sex. And made me LOL. But now I'm just more concerned about their protection.
First Donna/Lathe convo: I forgot about that, lol.
GILMORE GIRLS FOR THE WIN.


And.... the most important question of them all...

Is Carlotta prettier than Lily?
Well, funny story. In the original "Not that he was comparing them...." scene written for Chapter 27, there's kind of an answer that. But I'm a fucking idiot and lost ALL the James and Carlotta scenes after the first one and had to rewrite it, and some stuff got lost in translation. I have since found said scenes, and I could post them, but idk, it's kind of awkward now.

I would say, objectively, Carlotta's got all the stuff. She's skinnier and she tans and she has long perfect hair. She has that hair, that gets wet and dries and still looks perfect automatically. What the fuck is that about? But Lily's cute, and when two people are both pretty, who is "prettier" can very subjective. It's like, okay, who's prettier--Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn? Most people will have a definite opinion, but you'll get a lot of different answers, and most reasonable people will understand that some people are gonna have a different pick.

James is fucking adorable.

That is all.

12/28

Hello everyone!

First of all, thank-you, Bree's tumblr, for showing me the new United States of Pop was out =). Pretty good, but I think 09 was a better mash-up, and I'm wondering in what universe "Bad Romance" is part of 2010...?

Second of all, the Master Plan of TLAT got a little revamp in the last few days. All that means is that I added a new chapter to the first half of seventh year, which I have not done since.... a while. At any rate, anything I've told you happens after Chapter 33 is now pushed down one chapter. Otherwise, this news is meaningless to you.

Third of all, I have a tentative title for Chapter 29. "Old, New, Ballroom, and Blue."

And, I was gonna do more non-spoilers, but those are hard. Excerpts are easy. For instance...

“You’re stronger than I am, aren’t you?”

James rolled his eyes. “Have you seen yourself, Twig?”

“None of that, now,” Lily replied coolly. “I dislocated Nick Mulciber’s jaw once, if you remember.”

“Don’t be cute,” retorted James. “What do you need?”

Have a wonderful evening/whatever time it is wherever you are!

Love,
Jules

Non-Spoilers

So, here are some non-spoilers for Chapter 29, especially for Sam, who requested them.

Basically, non-spoilers are things that are in Chapter 29 that are true, but don't actually spoil anything.

Lily is wearing purple nail varnish.


Frank and Alice will boil water for tea. 


James will NOT die (despite Lily's previously spoiled threats)


Something happens with a desk and a door.


Music for the chapter:  
 
          "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor (title song)
          "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King (also John Lennon) 
          "Drumming Song" by Florence + the Machine
          "Atmosphere" by Joy Division

Other stuff I put on the Chapter 29 playlist:

                "Ceremony" by Radiohead (Joy Division/New Order Cover)
                "Precious Stone" by Pete Yorn
                almost the entire Sigh No More album by Mumford and Sons
 

Writing

Home quite early. Nursing Asti left over from Christmas morning mimosas and writing a PG-rated sex scene for Chapter 29. The lights are flickering in my room. Dementors are probably involved.

Happy Sunday/Early Monday!
Love,
Jules

December 26th

So, I have a schedule for writing, which I am totally behind on, because my life is a soap opera. However, if I am home early this evening and don't sleep tonight (;-P), then I should be back on schedule to update by the new year.

Christmas hangover mini excerpt:

“Girlfriend, eh?” scoffed Falstaff to James. “Personally, I thought you looked better with the ginger.”

Love,
Jules

P.S. FUCK YOU, COMPUTER! Lol, I totally just found the parts of Chapter 27 that I thought I accidentally erased: ALL THE FUCKING JAMES AND CARLOTTA SCENES, which I then had to REWRITE. At least one was better the first time.

Merry Christmas!

Okay, you guys, so I don't know how much I'll be around until the 26th, so I'll post an excerpt as an early Christmas present now. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (even though that was at the beginning of Dec.), and, just generally, Happy Holidays!

Love,
Jules

P.S. the beginning of the excerpt is a repeat of the end of the last chapter... not a remarkably similar conversation =)

Questions, 12/23

Happy Birthday silver_thunderbird!

Question answering time =)

Did Carlotta's name come from "The Little Mermaid?"
 Sadly, no. She was originally "Marcia," because I wanted to give her a trendy 1970s name that was vaguely Italian, but there were too many "Mar" names in that dormitory. I settled on Carlotta, because it's kind of a mysterious name... I don't know "mysterious" is the right word, but I was inspired by the dead lady in Hitchcock's "Vertigo" who is supposedly possessing Kim Novak.

Will Lily find out about James/Carlotta in the next chapter?
James will definitely tell Lily one of the two big developments that occurred in Chapter 27.

Will there be a big Carlotta/Lily smackdown?!?!
There will be lots of metaphorical hair-pulling, but Lily will try to steer clear of it. Her loyalties are going to be very confused for several chapters, though. That being said, Chapter 31 is called "Carlotta Delenda Est," for any History geeks (or ancient Latin speakers) who might be able to explain that =).

Is Sarah McKinnon the Sarah that James lost it to?
Negatory. Different Sarah. Sarah Meyer.... not that that name has any meaning to you, because Sarah Meyer plays no role in TLAT, though her whole life is planned out in my head =P. Sarah McKinnnon, on the other hand, will have significance later on.... circa Chapter 34.

Who is the Ravenclaw prefect for that year?
That is a GOOD question. There is a reason I just put "the Ravenclaw prefect" in Chapter 28. Because I didn't want to go look up whether or not I put him in the story yet. I have a chart  that says that "Martin Shakeworth" is the prefect, but I might have introduced someone else in the actual story. Eventually, I will have to research this further, but I'm procrastinating.


Have a fantastic Thursday, everyone!
Love,
Jules

Unfathomably Murderous

“Okay, I understand why you’re angry...”

“Angry? Angry was ten minutes ago! I am furious. I am unfathomably murderous!”

“You need to calm down and listen to me,” said James. “There’s...”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. Don’t talk to me like a child, especially not after that stunt. If we get out of this any time soon, I am never speaking to you again. Do you know why?”

“Um...”

“Because you’ll be dead, and I don’t speak to dead people!”

-Chapter 29

Concerning Chapter 28 Again

SO, here is a more full post-Chapter 28 post. Spoilers, obviously.

This chapter was very Lily-centric. It was entirely from her POV, except for one interlude, and I know you probably want James's perspective on all this Lily-proximity in light of recent Puppy Killing events (read: Carlotta), so... you'll get that. Chapter 29 is much more mixed with regards to perspectives. The scene at the beginning (with Lily in the dress) will be shown again, obviously, but from James's POV. Also, you'll get James's take on his first Chapter 28 encounter with Lily (at her house).

Also, Chapter 29 will feature some really, really, really cheesed off Lily. Also also, James will tell Lily one of the two big developments that occurred in Chapter 27, and there's some more Sam.
And I THINK Chapter 29 will be less weird than Chapter 28. But really, these two chapters were supposed to be really strange and fast, because its Lily's POV and Lily is experiencing them as strange-and-fast. In Chapter 29, Lily's got a little better standing, though, so she'll get more of a chance to shine. Also, there's more James POV, and James sees things differently. ;-)


Anyway, there are some more thoughts on the last chapter.
Loves ya all.
Cheers,
Jules

EDIT:
And also, regarding Donna: "Off Dreaming" had a good question, and I responded to her, but I forgot to copy and paste it onto here, like I was going to, so here goes an inferior recap. 
Paraphrased Question: Wtf, Donna?
The thing about Donna is that she likes to play by the rules, generally speaking. For instance, in Chapter 2, when McGonagall is questioning them regarding who started the fight in the Entrance Hall, Donna is very hesitant to lie to a teacher, and Donna is not often hesitant. She's very focused on her career and her future, and she doesn't want to stand out in the way that her parents did (i.e. being "heroic." See: conversations with Lathe in Chapter 25). She already feels like she took a leap by going to the protest at all (ditching work, no less), and so staying is just a little further than she wants to go. ALSO, she has more responsibilities to consider (i.e. her siblings, and how her actions effect them), so it's not entirely as though she's wussing out. 

That being said, there's a scene in Chapter 29 that I'm pretty happy with, because it it means both mild shipper-ness and redemptive kickass-ness for Donna. 

Concerning Chapter 28

The Drinking Song  of Chapter 28.
The Marauders' theme song for this chapter and always. (This is the wrong version, damn it, but I can't find the version I want)

Okay, guys, Chapter 28 is all posted. Three times now, actually. Go read that before reading any further =)
It's a really weird chapter, and I don't know my own feelings on it... I think I'll like it better once it has all played out. 

Son of a bitch, I forgot to thank the reviewers at the end of the chapter. I was just so stressed by the Brits! Kidding, I love you. And thank you to all the reviewers!

I sincerely hope I can get Chapter 29 up before the New Year, but we'll see.

Other things: Bree, whenever you read this-- you blogged the gif of JGL smashing dishes. I need to think of a prize for that.
Brits: GO TO BED! I LOVE YOU AND YOUR COUNTRY BUT YOUR LACK OF SLEEP IS MAKING ME SLEEPY! 
Shopaholic: aww, glad you like the story =)


Cheers,
Jules


Oh, and...
PERSONAL fav part of the chapter: "It's a metaphor, damn it!" =)

Just added Lily saying "New Topic" to Chapter 28. ;-)

Tuesday, 12/21

First of all, Happy Winter Solstice! If that's your thing...

Second of all, the chapter may or may not get posted today. I have to work this afternoon, so there's a possibility it won't. But if not today, then tomorrow for sure.

Have a fantastical Tuesday!

Cheers,
Jules

Donna gon kill you.

Some Music That I'm Loving Right Now

So, I will update before Christmas. Hopefully Tuesday.
Happy Sunday!

Fun Facts

So, going into work today, I had this total romantic comedy moment, where I was walking along, minding my own business, before I was viciously attacked by a puddle of mud (not the band--a legit pool of wet dirt). Graceful and elegant as I am, I slipped and twisted my ankle. The coffee I was carrying in my left hand didn't spill a single drop, which is inane, because those stupid Starbucks lids spill all over my hand if I walk kind-of-quickly, but when all five-foot-eight-and-three-quarter inches of me epically stumbles into an abyss of mud like something from youtube or America's Funniest Home Videos, every liquid ounce remains in the cup.



So, I caught myself with the non-coffee-bearing hand, but still ended up half covered in mud, had to go home to change, and was half an hour late to work--though my boss was totally chill and I brought scones, so it's fine.


Why is this a romantic comedy moment? Because slipping in mud is SO something Katherine Heigl would do to meet James Marsden in a Not-Very-Good-I-Totally-Own-the-DVD rom com. And yet, as I ruined (okay, temporarily dirtied) a particularly well assembled outfit of skinny jeans, a red ribbed t-shirt, black peacoat, green scarf, and converse tennis shoes, propelling my ankle into mild discomfort excruciating pain, no attractive, taller-than-me-and-within-a-reasonable-age-bracket guy in a three-piece-suit rushed up to my assistance. Jude Law was noticeably absent. Neither Hugh nor Cary Grant appeared. GERARD BUTLER WAS NO WHERE TO BE SEEN!


I was alone with my bitterness and that fucking coffee.
There was also pidgeon, but even it didn't try to help.

The moral of the story is, do not do things that would get you laid in a romantic comedy, because in real life, they just mean you have to change your outfit, and you're half an hour late to work.
Or, to put it in internet jargon:
Expectations verses Reality

(My expectations veer towards Gun-Toting JGL, because that situation totally called for weaponry, although, other incarnations would be totally acceptable as well)

Now, on to things you care about.


Friday Saturday Fun Facts!
(because I forgot to post on Friday)


1. Protective!Sirius also makes an appearance in Chapter 28.
2. Kingsley, Lathe, and Moody all definitely in Chapter 29.
3. James will be escorting two lovely ladies under the Invisibility Cloak
4. Excerpt:

But she had already drawn her wand. James’s was in hand, too, as were many of the others’, but they all seemed to be waiting for something. Lily saw no need to wait any longer, and so, before James could protest further, she closed her eyes, gripping her wand tightly in her fist, and whispered the word:

“Phoenix.”

Update soon. promise.
Love,
Jules

 

Think of the puppies!

ANYWAYS,  I love the range of feedback on the last chapter. It ranges from people being like, "Goodbye, Jules, this is the end," to one Stellaaaa's single line review consisting entirely of: "I want James and Carlotta to shag before he gets with Lily."

THINK OF THE PUPPIES!

But for seriously, thanks, you guys. Not sarcastically, honestly, I'm very grateful =)

I hate saying WHEN I'm going to update, because I'm always wrong, lol. I am predicting that I'm going to get a lot of writing done tonight, though, so I'll keep ya posted.

Questions Questions Questions

for Tuesday, Dec. 14th

Will Jules draw Lily? Or James? 
My James renderings never live up to my expectations, but there's some fabulous fanart out there for him already =). For instance... here! (Always been a fan of this artist too) As far as my stuff goes, Lily's drawn, but she gets posted last... I think besides Lily, there are three pictures left to be posted that have already been done--Prudence Bloody Daly, Clancy Goshawk, and Shelley. Clancy has not been formally introduced into the fic yet (possibly referenced once), but (YEAR 7 SPOILERS) she's gonna be in a weird love triangle involving a male OC with whom you are already familiar and a Marauder. So it would be pointless to post her before her introduction. Shelley will go up with Chapter 30, and Prudence will follow, and then Lily. It's all so systematic. Oh, and I have a rough Adam sketch, who doesn't fit into the series of TLAT heroines (or she-villains, depending on your POV), but I might throw that up if/when I get around to cleaning it up a little.

How long/many chapters will the story be?
I don't have an exact number. I have a fairly accurate guess, but I don't want to SAY... Idk why, I just feel like it will diminish my enthusiasm to finalize. But, I have accurate, fairly detailed outlines through Chapter 45, which--as of this moment--is almost almost the end. It's just a little before the EPIC CLIMACTIC SCENES!!!!!!! But I don't like talking about THE END, so I won't =). Fun fact that will be all but meaningless to you is that, as of NOW, according to my outline document (fabulously and originally saved on my computer as "document1"), Chapter 45 is named (YEAR 7 SPOILER) "The Third Letter." Oh, snap. Of course, that's subject to change. For example, Chapter 27 was called "The Head Girl" since I wrote the outline (circa Chapter 10), before it received a change-of-focus-and-title pretty near the end (now, "Land of Dreams").

"Carlotta, seriously? Could you sink no lower?" 
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
No, I kid, I kid. Loves ya =D

Where the heck is Sev?
Chillin' out, maxin,' relaxin all cool and shootin' some b-ball outside... I have no idea what I'm on. Apparently, I can't write the word "chillin" without immediately going the "Fresh Prince" route. ANYWAY, he's a busy little bee, and we see him again once the school year starts.

What's your average page count?
A fucking lot. And you're definitely right about the increase. At the beginning, they were around 25... these days I'm lucky if I'm under 50. Chapter 27 was only 52; Chapters 26 and 23 are the longest, I believe, with around 67 pages.

And that finishes up the questions.
To the One Whose Name is Also Jules,
Cool stuff! Lol, I have no dish with the East Coast! I'm going there next month! Woot! But I'm going to Florida, so that hardly counts (I feel like as long as I'm traveling in January, I shouldn't be going to the OTHER place with no snow gosh darn it. However, my adorable niece is in Florida, so it will be fun). I have not explored the East Coast nearly as much as I want to, though... I've only really been to NJ and NY, and I really, really wanna go to Massachusetts. That being said, agree to disagree--the West Coast is my baby.
SO jealous you live in Europe! Near Transylvania, no less! Although, if we're talking Eastern European vampires, my mind goes straight to "Dracula" rather than "Twilight."

Anyways, I'm done for now. Have a lovely Tuesday!
Cheers,
Jules

Glegh

Not counting a break I just took to gush about California, I just spent an hour looking for the absolute BEST cover of "All I Want For Christmas Is You," because I fucking love that song, but I've never been a huge Mariah Carey fan.

This is what I have become.

Now I'm going to go read about liberation ideologies and sleep. The point of this post? Oh, there is none. I wrote a total of ten pages for LAT today, though.

Also, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but it was a lot easier to find kickass covers of that.

one last thing, in honor of all the Dr. Who talk, one of the greatest things ever, as one of you so wonderfully reminded me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj6fjtzaqPg

Monday 12/13

Sometimes, I thoroughly abhor being a girl. ohmygodmyabdomeniseatingitselfIknowit.

That being said, I wrote a bunch yesterday and now have coffee, a bagel, a need to procrastinate in studying for my Modern Ideologies final, and incapacitating pain that eliminates the incentive to ever move from my current position. yaylife!

Alrighty, don't say anything mean about me, cos I'll be around ;-P.

Love,
Jules

P.S. Arthur Weasley has officially made his cameo.

Sunday

Okay, last excerpt I'm giving. I'm just such a spoiler whore, and I didn't post yesterday, so I feel obliged to give you something good.....

“What’s it like... Hogwarts?” [Sam] was watching the words overhead, too, and had apparently been taken captive by the last one.

Lily raised her eyebrows. “It’s... brilliant. Didn’t you ever go?”

“I went,” said Sam. “Got sorted into Hufflepuff, though, and as far as Mum was concerned, that practically made me a squib. So she decided enough was enough and brought me home.”

“Oh...”

“It was years ago,” Sam went on, grinning. “I reckon I’ve moved on. But all the same, I wonder how it must be to... to always be around people one’s own age.”

“You were taught at home, then?” asked Lily curiously, and Sam nodded. “Well... it’s brilliant. I wish I could say it wasn’t, but... everything there is—fantastic. Always new.”

“The castle’s hundreds of years old, you know...”

“Mmm, but it’s—it’s always changing. You never know what to expect. And there’s always something to do, and something to find out, and... I don’t know. There are... twice as many things to find out as there were before I knew that I was... y’know—a witch.” Lily bit her lip, trying to find a downside. Unable to think of any, exactly, she tried a different tactic: “But you grew up in a pureblood house, so—I reckon you’ve got all that there.”

“Maybe,” said Sam evasively.

Lily frowned. “Anyway, that’s why I’m here.”

“Oh?” Her companion brightened a little, amusement in his blue eyes. “I thought you were here for my cousin.”

“Oh, because I’m a girl,” said Lily sarcastically, “and my only concern is boys.”

“No, because my cousin is an absolute dish...”

Yes, yes he is.

Cheers,

Jules

P.S. ETA on the next chapter? Within a few days.......
P.P.S. Thank you to everyone for their sweetness and "get well soons." =)

Productive Death

Ugh, I'm dead. Not really, just feeling generally awful, which means, Goodbye, Friday night plans. =(

On the bright side, while I'm all snuggled up amongst blankets and a space heater, I might get some writing done...
After I bawl my fucking eyes out watching "Little Women," that is.

Cheers,
Jules

P.S. I feel like it sounds like I'm snuggling with a space heater, which is not the case. The space heater is a safe distance, not surrounded by blankets or papers or flammable objects or me. But it does make my freezing room significantly warmer.

Thursday, 12/9

Family info for OCs and semi-OCs and a few canon characters.
Adam McKinnon: Adam has at least three older sisters, Audrey, Felicity, and Sarah. Sarah is the only one that I have plans to actually introduce in the story. She's in Chapter 28, and she's gonna have a bit of a role later on. The McKinnons are pureblood, as of a few generations.

Marlene Price: Marlene has a flaky mom, Vivian, with whom she lives, and a dad whom she barely knows (as mentioned in the last chapter). She also has a half-brother (mentioned briefly in Chapter 25), who is muggle, named Laurence, about eight years older than her, and in the military. Marlene is named, in the context of the story, at any rate, for Marlene Dietrich. Her brother is named for Laurence Olivier. In an original version of the story, we actually met Laurence and Vivian Price, and there was some drama there, but that storyline got cut.

Donna Shacklebolt: most of her family history is in the story. Kingsley is her older brother, of course, and he was a seventh year when she was a first. Bridget is six years younger than Donna, Isaiah is a year younger than Bridget, and Brice is about four years younger than Isaiah. Weird spacing. Donna's parents died during her fourth year, as is discussed occasionally in the story.

Lily Evans--you know all about her. =). Petunia's a few years older, and their dad died of cancer when Lily was a third year.

Mary MacDonald-- middle name "Elizabeth" (of course) and lives in London, where she grew up in the same building as Marlene. She's an only child, and her parents adore her.

Peter Pettigrew-- middle name "Phillip," lol, at least to me. His mum's a witch, his dad was a muggle but ran off some time ago, and Peter doesn't know much about him. God, the dads in this story are awful. Three out of the five characters I've listed have moms but no dads... I'm like fucking J.J. Abrams or something**...

Lathe-- Lathe has a huge, involved back story in my brain... that's not terribly important to LAT.

Now, for interesting things!
I wasn't gonna post anything spoiler-y today, because I gave three spoiler bites yesterday, but I figured: wth, might as well, right?
1. Almost the entirety of Chapter 28 (and quite a bit of 29) takes place at a canon location that has not yet appeared in TLAT.
2. James will see the inside of Lily's house.
3. Lily won't see the inside of James's house......... until Chapter 29. And a "Pride and Prejudice" reference will inevitably be made.
4. 28 and 29 are both really weird chapters. At least, that's my evaluation of them.

So, have a fantastic Thursday!
Cheers,
Jules

Wednesday 12/8

When I'm lazy, I just do the date for a title. When I'm half-dead, I forget to put a title. **Fun fact!**

So, Wednesdays are my days I'm at school all fucking day, and I usually don't get anything useful done. Except, sometime in between Film and History, I got mega inspired and wrote like... the whole end of the chapter! YAY! Now I just have to finish the middle.
Things that amuse me that provide no life-shattering spoilers for Chapter 28:
1. A brief appearance by Arthur Weasley, who asks the timeless question: "Excuse me--are you a Weasley?"
2. A drinking song will play a minor role... listening to the seminal classic, "Seven Drunken Nights" might help mildly with your appreciation of the next chapter
3. Protective!James

And, no lie, the first two might get cut if, in re-reading the crumpled pages of my notebook, I realize that they don't fit properly within the chapter. But I think it should work, so I will fight to keep them... particularly number 2. =)

Anyway, Happy Wednesday!
Love,
Jules

12/7

Writing a chapter 28 exchange between Lily and Sam. Had a total "Glee" flashback as I wrote "Sam" and "Evans" in the same line.

Clearly...

I should be in bed.

Questions 12/6

Lily, in a pretty accurate manifestation of how she appears in my brain.

(source)

So, anyways, question-answering time:

Will Carlotta be listed as "in a relationship" by Chapter 30?
 Yes. She will be listed as "in a relationship" through chapter... oh, wait, there's no way I'm giving that away.

Is Shelley in Italy?
Negatory.

When are you updating, bitch?
End of this week? Maybe? Possibly?

Monday

First of all, Tumblr is STILL down, and I am most unhappy. What, exactly, am I supposed to do without "The Frenemy?!" Oh, yeah, write TLAT.

Second of all: I'm so proud of my little brother! Though my efforts to force him to read the HP books before he saw the movies were fruitless (to be fair, he was like four when SS came out in theaters), he is now, finally, reading them. He just returned my copy of PoA, so I quizzed him on the differences between the book and the movie, just to make sure, before I lent him GoF. I'm such a good older sister.

Third of all--ETA on the next chapter? Erm.... I'm not sure. I'll update this blog again tonight, when I know how much writing I've gotten done this afternoon.

Fourth of all--LOOK WHAT I FOUND! Copy-and-pasted on one of my giant stock files, I found a "deleted scene," if you will, from Chapter 23 ("To End a Year"--the last one at Hogwarts that included a bunch of flashbacks to previous years). It's nothing too exciting, though... just a Frank/Alice flashback that got deleted, because that chapter was already almost 25,000 words long, and it didn't really add anything. Anyway, here it is:

“Griffiths, Alice,” called Professor McGonagall, and a tiny witch with curly blond hair stumbled forward. She nearly tripped twice on her way up to the Sorting Hat, and when she sat down, she could be seen blushing before most of her face disappeared under the rim of the hat.

Eleven-year-old Frank Longbottom had never been so relieved in his life. “Griffiths, Alice” had single-handedly given him hope. So far, every student to be sorted had looked calm or excited—at worst, a tad nervous, but mostly under control. None of the six first years that had been sorted prior to Griffiths, Alice had conveyed half of the anxiety that Frank felt.

But now, with the Sorting Hat down to her nose, Griffiths, Alice positively trembled. She continued to tremble, right up until the moment that the Hat shouted: “Gryffindor!”

And then she calmed down right away. She was beaming when she replaced the hat on the stool and rose, practically skipping to Gryffindor table. And, once again, Frank was hopeful. If Griffiths, Alice could be that frightened of the Sorting and still make Gryffindor, might not he be so lucky? And, a few minutes later, when “Longbottom, Francis,” was called forward, he was that lucky.

He sat down at Gryffindor table right beside the curly-haired blond.

“I’m so glad I made it here,” she whispered, while “Pritchard, Joseph” became a Ravenclaw. “Seems the best to me, by far. My older brother is a Hufflepuff, but I wanted Gryffindor.”

“My cousin is a Hufflepuff fourth year,” replied Frank. “And my mum was a Ravenclaw. But my dad was a Gryffindor.” Here, he beamed.

Griffiths, Alice held out her hand. “I’m Ally,” she said.

“Frank.”

They shook hands. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Griffiths, Alice looked around on the table at the empty plates. “Now, how long d’you reckon before we get to eat?”

And, strange as it may seem, that was the moment that Frank Longbottom fell in love for the first (and last) time.

Like I said--I'll post again tonight with more info on update time for Chapter 28. Much love!

Cheers,
Jules

Carlotta Meloni in audio format.

Okay, that was fun. 

So, as of now, I'm thirty pages into Chapter 28. It's also very difficult to write about sweltering heat when it's pouring rain outside, but there you go. 

“Alright, fine,” said Remus firmly. “Prongs, the thing that really matters here is that you’re completely over Lily. So are you?”

Remus Lupin, Ladies and Gentlemen. Happy Sunday!
Love,
Jules

Marlene-ness

I am such a good friend--going to see HP for a fourth time, because my poor innocent friend hasn't seen it yet! SIIIIGH.

Kay, well, first, here's Marlene pics. =)

And here's Marlene post Chapter 27

And here's the photobucket link to the collection so far: http://s1003.photobucket.com/home/ItAteMyHand

Password: lifeandtimes

okay, I'm really going this time.

12/4

So, content wise, I'm approximately halfway through Chapter 28... Maybe a little more. But I usually get a lot of writing done on Sundays, so that should be good.
Also, I decided I wanted to read Donna/Lathe fanfiction the other day... before I remembered that I invented them both and there IS no fanfiction for them. Damn it.

Here's a big old snippet from the chapter:

In an unexpected ending to the strangest thirty-six hour period of her life, Lily found herself sliding her feet into her brown high-heeled sandals. There was no hope for her hair, so she pulled it into a single plait, which she hung over her right shoulder and tied with navy ribbon. She brushed a light dusting of blue powder on her eyelids, applying a veneer of pink lipstick over her chapped lips and enough ivory concealer to fill in the imperfections on her face, incurred through the last day and a half of madness. She felt odd, blinking her eyelashes over the mascara brush and surveying the finished product in the looking glass: her flower patterned navy blue peasant dress (which revealed two thirds of the legs she had shaved only minutes before), the gold bangles that hung on her arms (half concealing bruises from that stupid door), and the large hoop earrings she had worn to Petunia’s wedding (an eternal five weeks prior). Yes, it was an odd sight indeed. The unmistakable air of exhaustion (exhilarated, excited, proud exhaustion) that presented itself in her mirror image was the only clue that the last thirty-six hours were anything more than an unusual dream.

Love you all
Cheers,
Jules

Question

Okay, I have a question for you all. Gideon and Fabian? Twins or not?

HP-Lexicon is utterly useless. I kind of like them as twins, because twins run in a family and I love them as the precursors to Fred and George. So I might just go ahead with that, unless anyone can recall any canon fact that says differently...?

Random Things

You people are wonderful. Because you are so wonderful and apparently don't loathe the prospect, I shall happily update this blog regularly. Hit a rough patch in Chapter 28, but I think I have it ironed out.... eh, ignore my mixed metaphors. 

ANYWAYS, there is one tiny thing. That quote that I gave yesterday? It's Remus.

Which will make a lot more sense in the context of the conversation. Out of context, it definitely sounds more Sirius-ish. At any rate, here's one of Sirius's contributions to that conversation:

"What happened to 'the quaffle and the snitch?!'"

What indeed, Sirius?

Also, as some of you all know, I am obsessed with music. So, here's something that entertained me more than it will probably interest anyone else. LIFE AND TIMES MUSIC! Lol, not really, but just music that goes with every chapter, either because it actually fits (lyrically? thematically? rhythmically? idk) or because I say so.

Chapter 1 (Prologue)- "Laughing With" - Regina Spektor (of course)
Chapter 2- Good Girls Say I Love You- "Like a Rolling Stone" (Bob Dylan),
Chapter 3- To Start a Year- "Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley), "Salt in the Wound" (Delta Spirit)
Chapter 4- Snaps and the Second Week- "When the Devil's Loose" (A.A. Bondy), "16 Military Wives" (The Decemberists)
Chapter 5- The Shape of Things to Come- "Revolution" (The Beatles), "Rebellion (Lies)" (Arcade Fire)
Chapter 6- Conversations- "Letters from the Sky" (Civil Twilight)
Chapter 7- Failures of Courage- "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (The Platters), "Electric Twist" (A Fine Frenzy)
Chapter 8- Dates with Ravenclaws- "Cheated Hearts" (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs), "The Shape of My Heart" (Noah and the Whale)
Chapter 9- The Art of Walking- "The Step & the Walk" (Duke Spirit)
Chapter 10- The Connection- "With a Little Help From My Friends" (The Beatles), "The Shape of Things to Come" (Bear McCreary)
Chapter 11- The Trouble with Angels- "You Can't Hurry Love" (Diana Ross)
Chapter 12- Merrily, Merrily, Merrily- "Come Together" (The Beatles), "Sing" (Travis), "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Judy Garland)
Chapter 13- Something Realized- "A Woman Left Lonely" (Janis Joplin)
Chapter 14- Two Steps Forward- "Everybody Loves Me" (OneRepublic--hey, don't mock me. This is the James chapter, and this is one of my James songs =P), "Just Like Me" and "What I'm Looking For" (Brendan Benson), "Steady as She Goes" (The Raconteurs) [James has a lot of songs, obviously]
Chapter 15- What Snape Did- "Creep" (Radiohead: okay, this is an easy Snape song, but I can't help myself. The lyrics exude Snape-itude. "Karma Police" also works).
Chapter 16- Anatomy of a Red Rose- "Sea of Love" (Phil Phillips)
Chapter 17- The Harpers- "Wake Up Little Susie" (the Everly Brothers), "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" (Pink Floyd)
Chapter 18- March- "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Rolling Stones), "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5--my ultimate Frank/Alice song)
Chapter 19- The Quaffle and the Snitch- "Show Me What I'm Looking For" (Carolina Liar), "West Coast" (Coconut Records), "Oh No!" (Marina and the Diamonds... unquestionably Donna's theme song)
Chapter 20- Moments- "Gotta Figure This Out" and "Love Save the Empty" (Erin McCarley), "Pursuit of Happiness" (Kid Cudi--or, if that's not your style, Lissie's fabulous cover)
Chapter 21- Life is But a Dream- "Polite Dance Song" (The Bird and the Bee), "Brain Stew" (Green Day)
Chapter 22- Out- "Die Die Die" and "Paranoia in Bb Major" (The Avett Brothers), "Comes and Goes (in Waves)" (Greg Laswell), "His Master's Voice" (Monsters of Folk)
Chapter 23- To End a Year- "Wake Up" (Arcade Fire), "Wells" (The Expendables)
Chapter 24- Contra Mundum- "Summer in the City" (The Lovin' Spoonful), "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" (The Avett Brothers), "Gospel" (The National)
Chapter 25- The Week of the Demands- "The Funeral" (Band of Horses), "Hey Jude" (The Beatles), "Little Lion Man" (Mumford & Sons)
Chapter 26- The Wedding- "Rhapsody in Blue" (George Gershwin), "Say It's Possible" (Terra Naomi), "Your Song" (Elton John), "The Way You Look Tonight" (particularly the Fred Astaire version, although Frank Sinatra works, too) "Something in the Water" (The Jealous Girlfriends)
Chapter 27- Land of Dreams- "Polite Dance Song" (The Bird and the Bee... Again, yes, if for nothing else than the opening scene =P), "The Traitor" (Sea Wolf), "Portions For Foxes" (Rilo Kiley), "Junebug" (Robert Francis), "White Sky" (Vampire Weekend)
Chapter 28- Phoenix- "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" and "Peace Train" (Cat Stevens), "Stand by Me" (John Lennon), "We Used to Be Friends" (The Dandy Warhols)

ANYWAYS, I'm going to write a little more before turning in. Much love to you all =)

All of the Angst-ing

“This point is—all of that... all the whining, all the scheming, all the not smelling like tobacco, all the angst-ing...”

“I did not angst...”

“ALL OF THE ANGST-ING will have been for nothing!"