wherein Liz is cryptically happy

Ha! Editing victory is mine. :-D

And on that note, I am going to bed, since it would be 3am by the time I got the damn thing formatted correctly for posting, and that's a weird dead time. Also, I'm tired and would like to do one last run-through in the morning with fresher eyes.

But still. Victory!

(And sleep.)

[Fic] "Untimely Ripped" -- Homestuck

At last I have finished editing that anonymeme fic I've been talking vaguely about for a while now. It is now up on AO3! (Please read that version rather than the kinkmeme version, since I have made some significant edits and also some small extensions.)

Untimely Ripped: Most spellbooks are bullshit. Everyone knows this. But they're made of words and you need words to fill the hole in the center of your mind, so you flick through this one at the same mechanical pace you read a cheesy romance yesterday and plan to read a stupidly anachronistic spy thriller tomorrow. The clock on the living room wall ticks rhythmically above your head. Outside, light November rain mists down on the fallen leaves and dormant grass. Damara's cat watches you disdainfully from the mantel. You turn another page.

And then a spell title jumps out at you: For the Restoration of Life After Untimely Death. (10,775 words) [kinkmeme version, for historical reference]

Notes: This story was written in response to the following kinkmeme prompt from duendedefined/damaramegido: Aradia is told that there's a way to bring her sister Damara, who had killed herself a few months prior, back to life. This could happen either in a sci-fi setting (medical experiments?) or an urban fantasy setting (magic?), I don't really mind. Aradia immediately accepts, and the procedure/spell/whatever goes off without a hitch.

And Damara is not happy to be back.

Basically Megido family sadstuck with Aradia trying to give her sister a second chance.

I took the urban fantasy option, though the setting is suburban/rural rather an actual city. It's set in a slightly alternate version of western New York -- primarily because I am at heart a lazy writer, but also because Ithaca in November is very atmospherically conducive to stories about depression so I figured I'd write that general landscape into the story.

wherein Liz talks about bratwurst

Apropos of nothing in particular:

I mentioned a while ago that eating at Dano's Heuriger had inspired me to acquire some bratwurst and sauerkraut, with the intention of making bratwurst-and-sauerkraut sandwiches. It is basically impossible to buy actual proper bratwurst in your average American supermarket, and even the closest variation I could find is beer-infused... but while I strongly dislike beer on its own, it's fine as an ingredient in bread or fried-fish coatings, so I took a gamble. (The brand is Zweigle's, made with Rohrbach Highland Lager, FYI.)

I am pleased to report that the results are quite tasty. The sausages are helpfully pre-cooked, so I have simply been frying them (one at a go) in my smallest pan with some butter. I also brought the sauerkraut to a boil the first time, just in case something nasty had gotten into the package, but with my second sausage I didn't bother reheating it. (I mean, it's pickled. It doesn't exactly go bad.)

There can be slight technical difficulties with keeping the roll together under the combination of somewhat damp sauerkraut and a hot sausage, but that is what napkins are for. :-)