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I've grown increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of random people who I don't know reading my journal, and since I've been finding myself f-locking almost every entry as of late anyway, I thought it was high time I went friends-only. I'm always open to new friends, so if you'd like me to add you, please comment here, and I'm likely to add you. I have no requirements for adding, just comment first and tell me who you are and where you know me from, and we'll go from there. If you add me, it'd be nice to hear from you once in a while!

Since I'm locking up the shop, you can't really tell much about me or about what you'll find on this journal. What you'll see if we're not LJ pals is my fandom stuff--fanfiction, FSTs, icons, and the occasional AMV. If you add me, you're going to see a lot of other things as well. So I'll go ahead and tell you a little bit about myself!

( Want to know a bunch of random information about speaky_bean? Click here! )

I decided that I should put together a master list of the fanfiction and original stories that I have posted on my journal. Searching through tags every time is a pain, and anyway I like looking at the list. It gives me a good sense of what I've accomplished and what I still want to accomplish with my work. Anyway, it's all here. It won't include everything I've ever written--the fanfiction I pounded out in high school and middle school is nowhere to be found--but from the beginning of college on, here's most of what I've done.

Note: The original fiction is locked and is staying locked. If you are not on my f-list, you cannot see it. The only one that isn't locked is Centipede Centipede Centipede, because it links to an online literary journal where it is published. However, the fanfiction is all unlocked for your perusal.

( Writing Master List )

I celebrate Christmas Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. The reason for all these celebrations is that different members of my family have chosen different days to have their "Christmas." How I celebrate these things has varied over the years--up until my mother stopped talking to most of her family, Christmas Eve was spent at my Great Aunt's house, and tended to involve an avalanche of gifts. Lately, it's involved going to midnight mass at a Unitarian Church. New Years Eve used to be spent hanging out with my friends, eating a lot of food, and walking around the city at midnight, but this year it will probably be spent working. New Year's Day is my grandmother's Christmas, so if I can get the day off of work, I'll be spending it with her. Oh, and every year my friend reka's family has a Christmas party, and while that is definitely a Christmas celebration, I still see it as separate from

I don't celebrate these holidays for religious reasons, despite the church attendance. While I do find many aspects of Christianity to be quite beautiful, I identify as agnostic, and so I don't see Christmas an an opportunity to express religious beliefs. I see it as a time to reconnect with loved ones, and an opportunity to get people nice presents that I think they'll enjoy. Some people would probably accuse me of being spiritually void for that reason, but I feel no shame in valuing enjoying the people I love and making them happy more than something that I do not believe in.

Title: Coming Home
Author: speaky_bean
Word Count: 5,249
Chapter: 1 2
Warnings: None
A/N: Here's Chapter Two! It took a while to write, in part because it's rather long, and in part because my writing job is taking up a lot of my writing time, but it's done. As a reminder, this story is about Judai showing up on Shou's doorstep after ten years of absence. It deals with how the other characters react to his return. This one is also from Shou's point of view. Read on, and you'll meet Shou's wife Kotomi, and his older daughter Yukie, who can see Duel Spirits, just like Judai. Judai wants to act as her mentor, but Shou has other ideas.

( With half a fried shrimp dangling from her mouth, she says, 'is the brown fuzzy guy next to your head one of those things? He's funny. He's saying Kuri Kuri. Can I pet him?' )

My dear friend Carly, known on Livejournal as ugly_kitties, is starting her own indie Lolita clothing line. It's called Corazón Caramela, and you can check out her Etsy site here. She's an excellent seamstress who has been making her own clothing for years. She has managed the Lolita fashion show at Otakon several times, and she is currently studying at FIT in New York City. I love her work, and you should all take a look-see.

About

Hello! I'm Carla, a long-time lolita and New York City native, and Corazón Caramela is my indie lolita line that I am finally opening after two years of showing at the Otakon Ultimate Lolita Fashion Show.

I draw my inspiration from growing up in Manhattan and from various favorite designers and brands of mine. If you love the over the top style of Angelic Pretty, the loud graphic prints of Tokidoki, or the urban glitziness of Betsey Johnson, C♥C is for you! Please stand by as more fabulous designs are completed and added over time.

( Here are some examples of what she has up on the site. )

If you're a fan of Lolita fashions, of if you know someone who is, you should look at this site. The hairbows make great accessories for any outfit, Lolita or not.

Title: Coming Home
Author: speaky_bean
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Word Count: 4,285
Chapter: 1
Warnings: None
A/N: Ever since I finished watching GX, I've been thinking about how what happened in the Dark World, and Judai's subsequent actions, would affect the other characters emotionally. Canon makes some reference to this in Season Four, but they skimp on psychological development in favor of more action. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did make me rather curious as to how certain people felt about it, in particular Shou and Johan. Thinking about that gave birth to this fanfic.

This story takes place ten years after the events of canon. That means spoilers, so stop reading right now if you haven't seen the whole series. Everyone has been living their own adult lives for years, without Judai. One day, after years of being out of contact, Judai reappears on Shou's doorstep. The first chapter deals primarily with Shou's reaction to his return, but later chapters will deal with other characters as well. This isn't going to be a joyful reunion story. It's about the complicated relationships the characters share, and the trauma caused by the events of the Dark World. I hope that this sounds good to you, and that you'll enjoy reading the story. This is a work in progress, so suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to ich_bin_puppy and aphotic, for their invaluable help!

( Judai is here and the sun is lighting up his tangled hair like a halo. Shou slams the door in his face. )

Your reward for reading is: Falling by the Comas.

Here's my latest AMV! Once again, it's a GX video, and it's the one I talked about in a recent entry. It's about Fujiwara Yusuke and his severe psychological issues, and it's to a song called When I Go Away by Levon Helm. Please have a look and let me know what you think. Youtube messed up the timing by a half-a-second, but I think it's alright. Thanks for taking a look.

The Yu-Gi-Oh 15 Word Project

Get Your Game On!

♥ Write a fifteen-word microfic about anything in the Yu-Gi-Oh world. This includes DM, GX, and 5Ds.
♥ Post it.
♥ Write as many as you want and post them all.
♥ Comment on other people's sentences.
♥ Make sure to specify which series you're working with, and please rate your sentence for potentially inappropriate/offensive content.
♥ Anything goes--any pairing, any concept, anything.
♥ Have fun!

This idea was shamelessly stolen from lazyotter, when she hosted it for the Death Note fandom.

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Pairing: Marufuji Shou/Yuki Judai
Theme set: Alpha
Title: Love Love Hate Love
Author: speaky_bean
Rating: R
Warning[s]: Two of the sentences talk about unsatisfying sex. There are also mentions of character death.
Notes: I finally finished my claim at 1sentence, and here it is! This is my interpretation of Shou and Judai's relationship, should they end up having a romantic one. I tried to have a good mix of cheerful fun and miserable sadness. This spans their entire relationship, from the early days of Season 1 to their lives once they've been separated.

( When Shou tells Judai that he is the moon to his sun, and that he will revolve around him forever, it doesn't even occur to Judai to remind him that the moon revolves around the Earth. )

A few people have asked me how I make the chocolate I've been making recently. It's an incredibly simple and versatile recipe, which yields delicious results, so I'll post it here for you all. Feel free to try it!

Ingredients and Tools

1 bag of chocolate chips. I usually use Ghirardelli milk chocolate, but any variety is fine.
1 cup of a filling of your choice. For this example we will use pretzels, but you can use literally anything you can think of. In addition to pretzels, I've made this with candy cane, and walnuts and cinnamon.
1 mold and/or ice cube tray. I use an ice cube tray which has a hexagon shape at the bottom. This makes the chocolates look like actual candies instead of like ice cubes.
2 bowls
1 microwave and/or a double boiler saucepan
1 spoon

How To Make

Phase One: Begin breaking your ingredients into small pieces. I said to use a cup, but it's up to you to determine how many pretzel bits you want in your chocolate. A cup is a good guidepost. Break them into the first bowl.

Phase Two: Pour the chocolate chips into the second bowl. The easiest way to melt it is to use a microwave. I've found that this doesn't affect the flavor much at all. If you do this, you should only do it for thirty seconds at a time, to avoid burning it. If you decide to use a double boiler, fill the bottom saucepan with water, and put it on a low heat. Once the water is hot, but not boiling, place the chocolate chips in, and stir. Either way, you're finished when the chocolate is smooth and you no longer see the outline of the chips.

Phase Three: Combine the pretzels with the chocolate, and stir until it is evenly distributed. You may want to mix in the salt at the bottom of the bag. This isn't healthy, but it's delicious

Phase Four: Use your spoon to pour the chocolate mixture into your mold. Smooth out the top with the bottom of the spoon, once you're finished.

Phase Five: Place a covering of some kind over your mold. It may come with one, but if it doesn't you can use saran wrap or even tin foil. You just want to make sure your chocolate isn't exposed. After you do this, place the chocolate in the fridge. After approximately four hours, you should have a lovely batch of chocolate. Cooling time may vary, so it's best to do this the night before you plan to eat or gift the chocolate, so you can be sure that it will be ready on time.