phyncke: (Default)
You guys — the LOTR swap fic is back again and sign ups are happening NOW.

My Slashy Valentine — you write a story and someone writes one for you — it is amazing and totally fun. Best thing ever. I was hoping it would happen and it totally is. You want to do this. The link is below for more information. All is explained at the post! Do it!

https://slashy-santa.livejournal.com/93942.html
phyncke: (Default)
My latest one!
Title: Maedhros' Journal
Author: phyncke
Character(s): Maedhros/Fingon, Fingolfin, OC’s
Rating: G
Beta(s): Aglarien
For: Slashy Valentine 2023
Gift for: Sylanna
Note: The Silmarillion
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of JRR Tolkien and his estate, and I have borrowed them for my own amusement and for yours I hope.
Summary: Fingon gifts Maedhros with a journal, quill, and ink after his rescue from captivity and this is the result. Fingon promises they will take a journey together when Maedhros is recovered.


This story is dedicated to the memory of my friend, Keiliss. I will always enjoy her gifted writing. I miss her.



Link here -
https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/112274575
phyncke: (Default)
My story is finished and I sent it off to be read today. The ending might need some work but I am overall happy with it. Woot. Just in time as it is due on the 7th. Cutting it close. Yay!
phyncke: (Fleur de Lys)
So have been writing some last night and today so far and feel like I got a good amount done. I started with basically nothing and now I am at 2153 words. Feeling a lot better about it now and like I have something. I am thinking it will be a 5000 word story. The story is structured as little bursts of entries so it is writing pretty easy - and I am writing from a new POV which I really like. I am enjoying it a lot. I can do this. Woot. I really don't see this story having any sex in it. It is just not that kind of story. I cannot see it.
Anyways. That is my update.
phyncke: (Default)
Hey all - so I was going to do the Snowflake Challenge but I am way behind on it and I got covid from my trip back east. I think I picked it up on the plane. I heard lots of people coughing on the plane so think I got it on the long flight back. No one in my family in New Hampshire was infected so I am thinking that is the likely explanation. I was pretty sick the first weekend and at first it seemed like a really bad cold. I did a couple of home tests and they came up negative but something told me to go to the city site and get an official test done and that one was positive. I am unsure about the accuracy of the home tests and the false negative thing. I could also have been testing too soon - that might have also been it. I felt pretty sick at first and truly exhausted. Covid is exhausting. I met with my PA at my doctor's office and she prescribed me the anti-viral PAXLOVID and that really kicked things into gear. Those are like horse pills and you take three of them at once, twice a day for five days but they really seem to work. It kicked the covid thing pretty well. I had some lingering tiredness but most of the symptoms are gone. I still get a slight runny nose but not too bad. I never lost my sense of taste which is ok with me.

I went back to the testing site this week and tested negative so I think I am in the clear now. So that is good.

One thing about covid - I thought I would be able to work with it but really could not do anything but be sick. I tried to read email and do things but quickly had to stop that - my brain was not functioning very well. The brain fog is totally real. I signed off work and took a week off using my sick time. We don't get covid time anymore so I had to use my sick bank. I have a lot built up from the pandemic so it was not a problem. I have a good amount of sick time. That it what it is for.
Covid does impair the brain. Just saying that. I could not read very much while I was sick with it and it was really limiting.

Anyways - I am feeling much better and that is what has been going on. I got covid. I am way behind on my Slashy Valentine story so that is problematic.
phyncke: (Snowflake)
Hi all - posting in on New Year's Day! I got back from the East Coast here on Thursday and have been down with a bit of a cold from my flight. I have tested for covid twice and it seems like it is just a cold - my tests were both negative for covid. I am going to go to the city testing site and do a PCR test just to be sure on Tuesday - just have to rule things out.

I don't do anything for New Year's Eve. It was nice and quiet here. I cooked a nice meal and watched the LOTR movies at home (theatrical releases). Seemed like the perfect way to spend New Year's. I don't drink really and I don't like to be on the road on Dec 31st either. I was pretty tired from the cold and so I was asleep by 9:30 pm - very boring here. I usually don't make it to midnight and I find the New Year's Eve shows pretty boring too. Really, who cares anyway?

I was on the East Coast visiting family and had a nice time. I stayed with my parents who are very elderly and it gave my brother a break from caring for them for 9 days. I got to see how my parents are doing and I concluded that they need some help there in their daily and weekly management and that we should put in place some home health people to assist them. They need help with things like food prep, house cleaning, and things like that. So my brother and I are going to see what we can do. I did a bunch of research about companies in the area that do services so we have the info. The trick is getting my parents to accept the help. That is the tricksy part. They are very resistant to anything there - but they really need it so hoping we can make this happen.

We did some fun things there too - my SIL planned some fun activities for the holiday - we went to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Palace Theater in Manchester, NH. Just a beautiful show based on the Dickens story with amazing costumes and music there. Love this. I have seen it once before and they go every year. We also went to see Bob Marley the comedian for my brother's birthday and he is hilarious. Very funny show - side splittingly funny. Loved that. I also took my brother out for sushi a few times and we had a nice Christmas Day.

Good times. I got my Slashy Valentine assignment and it is nice and open ended. I better start on that right away before it gets away from me. Time has a way of passing quickly on that.

Back to work on January 3.

Hope you all had a great holiday time and happy new year to you. May 2023 be a better year for all of us.

2023
phyncke: (Fleur de Lys)
Hi all - I will do a real post soon (promise) but I am here with a promo about the Tolkien fan fiction swap called My Slashy Valentine (MSV) and sign ups are open now so run on over to the post linked below and find out more about it. You can get a fic written for you and then you write a fic for someone else - and the prompts are always interesting. 

Here is the info 
https://tolkien-slashy-swaps.dreamwidth.org/81430.html

This one is dedicated to Keiliss - our fandom friend who passed away in August 2022. She wrote in this swap a lot - just about every year. 
Hope you will join in - we would love to have you. 

And an update is coming - I will do that soon. Love to all! 

 
phyncke: (Default)
Hi all - the MSV stories have posted and I thought I would post in with mine - it is called Aftermath and is a Maedhros-Fingon story in the aftermath of his rescue. I hope you enjoy it! 

You can find it here - 
https://archiveofourown.org/works/36889183

Thanks!  
phyncke: (Default)
Hi all - I am here - I am recovering from knee surgery which is quite a thing to recover from really. I had no idea until it happened what it really is. It is pretty major. I am going to be on crutches for a few more weeks and this is a total drag. I had a torn meniscus that needed to be repaired. I did not do it in any kind of exciting way - it was pretty much routine wear on that. Nothing dramatic. It was pretty hairy at first - the first few days - but now it is minor pain and the inconvenience of not being very mobile. I am getting help from friends and neighbors and going ok. I am pretty much stuck in my apartment - on the top floor of my house here and trying to exist within this space. I have to go out for a follow up appointment this week so will see how I do with the stairs here. I have lots of stairs going up into my apartment. Kind of a drag and I am really not good on the crutches. I am in lousy shape and not very strong. After this is over - I am going to get stronger - I will do that much. This makes me want to get in better physical shape for sure.

So I finished my Slashy Valentine - MSV. I had a panic and wrote the very understanding mods and asked for an extension that I ended up not needing. I snaked this one in under the wire and it is posted on the archive. I kind of like the story. It is warming up to me and since I never get any comments on my stuff - I don't expect much there. I am not a popular writer on AO3 so people don't read my stuff. I am just glad it is done. Whew.

That is about all that is new with me. MSV and surgery. I am watching the Olympics now too. Loving that. I did not watch the ceremonial stuff. That is sort of my personal protest of China's human rights abuses - but I am watching the sporting events. I do like to see them get the medals so I watch the medal awardings - but I did not watch the opening ceremony and will not watch the close. That is all propaganda and stuff. So skipping that. It's all about the sports for me this time. So that is what I am doing on that. I am glad the US did a diplomatic boycott. That says something.

Hope all is well with you there and that you are safe and healthy. It seems like omicron is winding down and maybe things will get back to normal? I just don't know. We have over 900K people dead here. How can we go back to normal? Seems insane to forget that this many people have died.

Anyways. Onward.
phyncke: (Fleur de Lys)
I started my MSV story today and made some progress - close to 1000 words on that for starters. Hoping to continue at this pace. Woot. I am hoping to have a nice, short, manageable story. Please let it be so.

Jaws has been on AMC today. The first movie and now the second one. I really love the first one but the sequels were not very good. But that first movie was brilliant. Always love to watch it.
phyncke: (Jaded Girl)
Extra day off this week - President's Day - relaxing at home with some coffee - lots of coffee and watching the Australian Open on my little TV. It is raining out here in Berkeley, CA so it is a morning to stay in the house in my PJ's and sip a cuppa. I am enjoying the time off and the tennis on the TV.

So the Slashy Valentine stories were released yesterday and I am really enjoying those. I read through a few yesterday and will look at more today. Some great stories. I am going to post the link to the story list here so you can check those out if you want to. They are all in the Tolkien fandom and some excellent stories. Loving these. Lots of talented authors.

Link to LJ:
https://slashy-santa.livejournal.com/91699.html

Link to DW:
https://tolkien-slashy-swaps.dreamwidth.org/79937.html

Hope you will enjoy some good stories - if you do - be sure to leave KUDOS and COMMENTS on the stories. Leave some love.

Hope all is well with you and have a great day!
phyncke: (Clouds - default)
Title: All Is Not Lost
Author: phyncke
Beta: aglarien
For: My Slashy Valentine 2021
Recipient: Sylanna
Characters: Maedhros/Fingon, Fëanor, Nerdanel, Anairë
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They are the property of JRR Tolkien and his estate. I have borrowed them for my own amusement and for yours, I hope.
Summary: Maedhros and Fingon grow up together and develop more than a friendship during the Years of the Trees. They meet an elven woman who tells them their future but then she disappears. Who was she really? They never forgot what she told them.

Link to AO3:
https://archiveofourown.org/collections/2021_MSV/works/29010474

Hello

Jan. 28th, 2021 09:09 am
phyncke: (Fleur de Lys)
So I was not feeling the Snowflake Challenge from yesterday so I opted not to do that one. That is ok - we don't have to do all of them. Best not to force these things.

I got good news at work - they are postponing the furlough program. It was supposed to start Feb 1 2021 and now they are going to start it next fiscal year which is July 1, 2021. It is a reprieve of sorts. That means that things are not so dire and looking better. So I will take that. I had already taken a furlough day this week but I converted that to a vacation day and that was that. I think a bunch of people had already started taking chunks of furlough time so I don't know what will happen with that. They will have to figure something out. But I am glad - my pay will not be reduced just yet. That is the good news.

I am really missing Teddy but I am trying to make sure my other kitty, Bear is ok. He seems to be. He is eating ok and I am playing with him a lot to make up for Teddy not being here. He needs stimulation and interaction. So I have to be his buddy now that his feline buddy is not here. So I am working on that and ensuring he gets good running around time here. Don't want a depressed cat here. So being there for Bear is very important.

That is about all I have - it has been raining here so I have not been able to go walking that much. We lost power one night this week so that happened. It was only for about 4 hours. Not too bad. It is pretty cold for the Bay Area so definitely trying to keep warm here.

That is about it for me. I don't know what to do with myself now that I have finished my MSV story. I posted that this week and it is done. No more stressing about it. I am happy with how it came out so I hope my person likes it. I can stress about that and worry about how it will be received. So I will do that.

Happy Thursday, all. Almost the weekend. Looks like we are getting good weather for a few days so that is looking up. Stay healthy there and stay safe.
phyncke: (Jaded Girl)
Ok - I can write about writing now - I am spending the day writing today. No other plans but to write my Slashy Valentine. I have 4829 words and am at the good parts. The naughty bits. The slashy parts. It is going well. I am hoping to finish today or get most of it done. I have not written smut in a while but this story sure wants to be naughty. I usually don't do smut but this is going there for sure. I have to do what the story wants so that is what I am doing.

Inaugural is two days away. We have troops amassed in DC and all over the country because they think Trumpists are going to cause trouble. This is a really sad state of affairs but better safe than sorry. These people are not going to go quietly away. There are a lot of them and they believe what Trump says about the election - they think it was fraudulent and that we stole the election. I have friends that believe this and they think they have proof of it. They don't but they think they do. So it is a sad state we find ourselves in. There are 74 million of them - I don't think all of them feel this way. Fox TV is losing viewers so that is something. There are enough of them to cause trouble, as we have seen. So keep an eye out - I think we need to be observant. Biden has his work cut out - lots to do to recover from the Trump years.

It will take time but I am encouraged. More optimistic than I have been in a while. The Trump years were hard but those will soon be behind us. Trump can slink out of DC and then be prosecuted for all that he has done. One can only hope.
phyncke: (Fleur de Lys)
I am really enjoying the blog here - so I will keep it up. Not sure I will keep up the daily thing but I will try. Again, I wrote in my dot journal. I got new stickers today so I used those. I found a bunch of cool sticker people on Etsy and bought them there. I got coffee stickers and succulents. I just ordered the succulents today and cannot wait until I get those. I am really into the stickers - I use them to decorate my entries - it is kind of like the graphics were that I used to post with on here. I still have all my graphics - just have to figure out my photobucket access. I forget that right now. Once I get that going, I might start using graphics again. Kind of let that lapse.

So today in US politics - Moscow Mitch is obstructing the further aid to the American people. He objected to Bernie Sanders motion in the Senate today in a total dick move. So now Bernie is threatening to filibuster and keep them there through the New Year holiday. Yes, Bernie! I looked up what a filibuster is because I was not totally clear on what it entailed and here is what Wiki had to say -


Filibuster is a tactic used in the United States Senate to prevent a measure from being brought to a vote by means of obstruction. The most common form occurs when one or more senators attempt to delay or block a vote on a bill by extending debate on the measure.


Anyhoo. I am all for Bernie doing this and let those guys work through the holiday. They can just do that. This is all over a $2K payment to people during a pandemic. Other countries are doing so much more and they won't even do this so yes, GO BERNIE! I guess they have a military bill (override of Presidential veto) they want to pass and he is going to obstruct that and see if he can force a vote on the $2k payment to the people.

I took another walk today and went out with my friend J**** to Alameda today. We just did a drive around. No stopping anywhere. It was nice to look at the ocean there and see the beach. We might go back tomorrow to walk along the beach and do that. Sounds like a nice idea to me. I am really liking walking right now. Feels good to move. I get depressed when I just sit around.

I did no writing on the story today so that was not good. I will try and work on it a bit tomorrow. Hopefully, I will.

Anyhoo - that is all I have. Hope all is well with you there. Stay safe and healthy.
phyncke: (Fleur de Lys)
Here I am with another update - I am off work right now so I have time to update here. I also started a bullet or dot journal as we are calling it in my circle so I am in the mood for writing entries. I do an entry every day in that. A co-worker gave me the journal so I thought I would make use of it. I got some stickers to put in it to make it cute and fun. It feels really good to get back into journaling in all these different ways. Who knew I had so much to say.

I worked on the story (MSV - Slashy Valentine) and I now have 2005 words on that. It feels like it is in good shape. I got it to a good stopping point today and I need to think about where it goes next. So a natural pause and think. I don't write with an outline really - I just write the story and see where it takes me. That always works for me. So it is going good so far and I hope to keep writing each day.

Today, I took a nice walk with my friend J***. Both of us were feeling lazy but we did a good 45 minute stroll down College Ave in Oakland. We did not go in any of the stores - we stayed outside with our masks on. I feel like outside activities are safer and it is risky going into places. We kept outside and avoided people on the sidewalk and did a good long walk. I felt better after so it was good. I had coffee at home after - trying to minimize my spending and not get coffee out so much. It is $5.00 a pop on that and it adds up to a lot if you get a coffee every time. My coffee is good enough. It hit the spot today so it worked for me.

I probably have not told you all this but my Mom, who is in her 80's, has Alzheimer's spots on her brain. Her neurologist is not overly concerned and basically says she has the brain of a person in their 80's. The one thing I notice is that she has trouble finding words. She wants to say something and cannot find the word. Her memory is very sharp and all that. It is just affecting her language recall a bit. So that has happened. They want her to work on her balance and do some PT so she is doing that.

Anyhoo - this is pretty much today's update. I did do something funny - I got annoyed because the local radio station stopped playing Christmas music right on Dec 26. So I wrote them on their website and old them I thought they could give us a few extra days of the holiday music. Technically, Christmas goes all the way into January so a few more days would be nice. I am sure they won't reply but it felt good to write it.

The other thing I did today was write all my representatives in Washington about the pathetic legislation they just passed. It does a lot of things but it sure does not help the American people very much with direct help. So I told all of my people - Senate and House - my feelings on that. If you live in the US and are so inclined - I suggest doing the same - it is very easy to go on the Congressional website and find your people and send them a message. You will feel better. I know I do.

So I did a lot of writing today - feeling super productive. Hope you are doing well there and staying safe.
phyncke: Icon by me (Rydia of Myst by schellen)
So I have made a good start on my Slashy Valentine story today - I wrote 1632 words on it and it is moving right along at a good pace. I hope it keeps on at this rate. Please let it keep going like this. I kind of like it too so that is good. It is rare that I get going this good on a story so I am hopeful that this will go well. Yes. I hope to get most of it written during my vacation and getherdone.

I am feeling good about this Christmas and the staying safe thing. I feel like it is important to not congregate or mix with other households and so I am not doing that. This is just one year and we will have other years so I can live with this. I hope other people are doing the same. I really do. From what I can see most people are. So that is good. Hopefully there won't be another surge after this holiday. California cannot take much more - we are pretty much at hospital capacity and I saw today that LA hospitals are running out of oxygen. That is how bad it is getting. Out of oxygen. Hope they figure that out soon.

I am limiting my news right now. I feel better when I don't have CNN on 24/7 here. It gets me all stressed out and agitated. I am ok with reading the news - but watching it is stressful. I have this nice Yule Log on the TV and I am watching that. I hope that is on for a while. I really like it.

Keeping on here.
phyncke: (Jaded Girl)
So in the post-Hanukkah thing - which is really Christmas and New Year's - my family is adjusting to the pandemic scene. We are trying to coordinate a Zoom get together for all of us for Christmas Day so that we can all see each other and hang out for a little bit. This presents a challenge getting my elderly parents with the program but I put my brother in charge of that. He has to set them up with Zoom and a webcam. We will see how this goes. Getting my Mom to even agree to it was the first part - she is very anti-technology so that was something. She is actually excited about the Zoom thing so hopefully we can make this happen.

I finished up work for the year yesterday and am so glad. I know I work from home but I really need a break from things and it is nice not to have to track emails and be on the computer all day. Less stress. Today, on my first day of vacay, I woke up at 5:30 am and could not get back to sleep. Not sure what that was. So I got up and made coffee and put the Yule Log on my TV and just hung out. I have things to do today so I just started the day. I hope I will be able to sleep in some during my break. I guess I am an early riser anyway but it would be nice to sleep in til 7:00 or 8:00.

So I signed up for Slashy Valentine and got my assignment. I don't anticipate any problems but I am waiting for inspiration to hit me on it. Ye newe idea. I would like a nice short story burst to get this done. I even opened MS Word and put a working title in the doc but nothing came to me. So technically I have started. LOL. Wish me luck. I will keep you updated in the usually Slashy manner. Hopefully not too much pain and suffering this time.

I want to wish everyone on my friends list Happy Holidays - I hope you are celebrating safely during this time and keeping healthy. Much love to you!
phyncke: Icon by me (Rydia of Myst by schellen)
So - I got a nice email and so I signed up for the Slashy Valentine. I am so rusty with the writing - it will be a really difficult year on writing fanfic this time. I really think so but gotta try, you know? Why not. I am home a lot and what else am I going to do. I cannot go anywhere. It is not like I am busy. The pandemic, you know. I don't have that excuse for not writing. This will be good. Maybe it will jump start some creativity. It could just cause pain and suffering but who knows? I know I won't be alone - I will drag you along with me, dear reader. I guarantee you that. Every painful step.

Ha! Look for the Slashy Valentine posts on the Friends List. I think the sign ups are still open. Note that this is a Tolkien Writing Swap.

Here is the post for you on LJ -
https://slashy-santa.livejournal.com/91041.html
Go sign up! You can do it!
phyncke: (Green Pattern)
Hi all - it is Super Bowl Sunday and I am here with an update. I got sick last week - a cold/flu that had me out of work Thursday and Friday. I think I am over the worst of it though I still get tired pretty easily. I am trying to take it easy. I am doing a football party of one today for the Super Bowl. Thinking I will nap during the game and keep up with it that way. I love football naps - sleeping to the sound of that crowd.

I finished my story, y'all. [profile] aglarien1 did a valiant beta and I have uploaded my story to the archive. It I done and gone. It ended up a little over 3000 words. Not bad.

Hope all is well with you and yours there. Enjoy the day.

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