Ramblings of a total Zack girl

My face still hates me--I can't follow a whole train of thought because I get distracted from how my sinuses feel like there is AN INVISIBLE GIANT PUSHING ON MY FACE--and today was very lazy. I frittered away a morning re-reading holiday fics (next up: Star Shaped; I would put Lying Next to Me on my list except that it is mine and I wind up skimming bits of it for typos about once a month and the holiday feeling has worn off; I re-read Thereafter You Have It instead, which is technically a Christmas fic because it covers, like, more than a year and THERE IS TOTALLY CHRISTMAS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE THERE; and of course I include elf!Brendon) and spent the afternoon shopping with Friendiest for Christmas gifts.

Then I came home and fussed at the jewelry I am making for my mother's gift and watched more of The West Wing, which, y'all, all of you who told me that when Sorkin doesn't lose his mind and start writing pure crap (GIP, in honor of this statement) he is a genius? I believe you all the way now. Can I marry C.J.? Or Abby? Or Josh? I'm sure we can get around the part where they are fictional characters.

And then I took a bath with special clogged-sinuses bath salts and started re-reading Rose in Bloom, because Friendiest and I watched Little Women a couple of nights ago and I'm on an Alcott kick. Subtle-as-a-brick moralizing and all, I really kind of love that she was a feminist in her own way and that she thought marriage should be about equal partners and she was trying to make people take their girls out of corsets and eat porridge.

Rambling because, see above, sick: apparently I ramble when I am upset in my mind or in my body, which is news--the body part, I mean, I've always known I ramble when I am upset in the head. Sorry about that.



I would like to especially mention that I love Spencer and Brendon, and I love the people who spent all yesterday and today e-mailing me about college fic and "we"s. I love that I am in a fandom where we do that.

Waiting for the database to go live so I can get my classes back; thought I might as well make a post of these.


For harriet_vane, ( Top Five Reasons Spencer Loves Brendon )

and

( Top Five Reasons Brendon Loves Spencer )

These apply to all the Brendon and Spencers in my head, btw, even the platonic ones!

For teaforbryony, Top Five Moments of Brendon Adorability I Have Concrete Evidence of On My Computer

For gemmi999, ( Top Five Favorite Moments in Bandom )

For mrsquizzical, ( Top Five Pieces of Zack Canon )

For geminigalaxy, ( Top Five Favorite Panic Authors )

For thespatz, ( Top Five Favorite Fic Tropes )


For flamingsword, ( Top Five Indentifying With Zack Moments, In Fic or RL )

Oh, gag, California, I DID NOT NEED THIS TODAY.

I am going to go re-read Spencer's Out interview until I feel better.

DUDES. IT FEELS LIKE A REAL ALBUM IS COMING!!!

Look at the pretty picture!

Oh, Shane, we love you.


ETA: Also, I would like it noted that South African accents are my Kryptonite, and if Spencer Smith comes back with one I cannot be held accountable for the part where I steal my father's credit card, fly to California, and wander the streets of L.A. until I see, pounce on, and ravish said drummer.

Boooooooored.

I was meant to finish ripping audiobooks this morning so that I could take them back to the library (they have to go back today), but I got distracted by harriet_vane informing me that Brendon is the youngest of nine and also that Panic performed for Brendon's church when they were still the Summer League. (WHAT?? SERIOUSLY. WHAT COULD THEY POSSIBLY HAVE PLAYED? DID HE TEACH THEM THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC FOR ELECTRIC GUITAR???...okay, fine, realistically it was probably, like, a talent show where they just had to find a church-appropriate cover they could do. But still. The mind boggles) and sunset_mog informing me that the disturbingly Haley-like woman who accompanied Ryan to the VMAs years ago was not Ginger, but in fact a publicist or something like that.

In between this we discussed things like what Brendon's ward must have thought of Ryan and his weird ear-plug thing, baby!fic, and what music Zack is likely to be disgusted by. It was all very, very fun, but I should have been ripping while I e-mailed because now I have nothing to do while I wait for the stupid CDs to finish. I even finished my last Heyer, dammitall, and have nothing to read.


Boooooooored.

So exactly one year ago today, I announced to the world that I knew which one wore flipflops, and therefore I possibly needed to be smacked with a ruler.

As I told liketheroad when she did an end-of-the-year meme, every time I did one, all my answers ended up being, "bandom bandom bandom boys bandom friends bandom stories bandom bandom bandom." So I decided to do an end of the year review on my bandomversary instead.



This has been the most...incredible year. I have learned that Zack is my favorite, that Spencer in a beard is the prettiest thing on the earth, that all of My Chem are enormous dorks, that Brendon and cuddles are the surest way to touch my heart. I have learned that I am head-over-heels for Greta Salpeter, and that I love her band's sound.

I have found a muse that makes me want to write and write and writewritewrite--do you know I have posted NINE fics this year, and have fourteen in progress? The year before I posted two.



More--MOST OF ALL--I have found the most incredible friends. I have people whose days I can make brighter with a single LJ comment, and who return the favour. I have people who listen to me cry. I have discovered that one of my favorite people in the whole damn world lives in New Zealand--how would I ever have discovered that if we weren't both fathoms-deep in love with Panic at the Disco? How would I ever have written anything without harriet_vane filling my head with bunnies and liketheroad squeeing at me until they were all written? All of you have listened to me and laughed with me and squealed with me, and I'm so incredibly touched and honoured and lucky to have you in my life.



So I want to say thanks:

Thanks to Skids, who made me read it.

Thanks to emilyray, sociofemme, and calathea, for loving bandom in public so that I let her make me read it, since I knew they had good taste.

Thanks to all my pre-bandom friends, who didn't hit me with rulers, and who have stuck by me despite my tendency to flail over tiny ridiculous boys.

Thanks to Panic, the Hushies, MCR, FOB, and all the others for existing, for being themselves, for their music and their lives and their ridiculousness.

But most especially, thanks to all of YOU, whom I've met through our mutual insane love of these people, for being awesome friends, and for being yourselves--the girls I've come to love, adore, and positively cherish in this past year.


It's been an incredible trip for that girl a year back eying Ryan's makeup with faint alarm and telling her friend that she was sure these boys were very nice, they just weren't her type. I know she mocked and rolled her eyes and turned up her nose. I'm absolutely positive she never dreamed she'd arrive in a place where she adored this band so much she saw them perform three times in four months.

Thank god for awesome fic, that made her change her mind. Thank god for ridiculous boys, who made her fall for them. Thank god for the world's most amazing friends, who welcomed her right on in.

Thank god for bandom. It's been an awesome year.

SPENCER HAS STUBBLE AGAIN! THANK THE LORD! *throws confetti*

Spencer, if you will let it keep growing I will throw a party.

Also, Brendon, your hat fills me with joy. Even more so if, as I suspect, you borrowed it from Ryan.

( Party with the Cobras=Light Beer and Plastic Guitars; dude, I love our boys )

OMG GUYS.

I knew I recognised his face from the "balancing Zack" story from somewhere! It's from when people ask them what "Nine in the Afternoon" means!

He was HIGH.

DUH.

It explains SO MUCH.

THINGS ABOUT M&G BEFORE I FORGET:

--Spencer says his mustache is because Zack is growing his beard in, so Spence decided to shave his off. Balance. Personally I still think this is a cover for the bet he lost, and you will not convince me otherwise

--relatedly, in giving the DBC speech, Zack stopped and corrected himself--wait, Spencer doesn't have a beard anymore, he has a "wierd little mustache thing"--my sentiments exactly, Zack.

--however, I will say it's not as bad in person and when he's had enough sleep so he can look out through his eyelids

--Bden's applebottom is round and firm and tight. Zack promises. (!!!!!!!!) (ot3 of shame ftw)

--Zack was two cookies in before he realised they were full of hair

--There IS a don't be creepy reason for only using their sharpies; Zack didn't elaborate and frankly I'm not sure I wanted him to; urgh

-- the new keyboardist is Adrian and he uses the phrase "broke my face"

-- I spoke sensible English and remembered to ask Spencer about the shave and give Brendon his card; I forgot to tell Ryan I like the blog, tell anybody I'm excited for the new album, or look semi-sane in the picture. But I didn't tell Spencer his mustache makes me sad, so on the whole I think I win

--Zack wouldn't let me film, sorry!

--we need a bandom version of fiddlesticks; I spent most of our ridiculously long wait with an awesome girl my own age who clearly knew ALL about them, but I couldn't quite make myself ask her if she has an OTP

--this tour is very BADLY organized and Zack said so; watch out, y'all, I predict his mood will only grow worse the more he has to deal with it (he was awesome once we were past all the enormous problems caused by the venue etc, but MAN he was pissy up to then)

SPENCER.

SPENCER, WE DID THE MUSTACHE THING.

WE ALL AGREED IT WAS A MISTAKE.

SPENCER, I AM SAD NOW.

( Just in case someone on my flist has not had their eyes violated yet )

However, Ryan's coat, Jon's...Jonness...and Brendon's eyebrows make up for a lot.

NOT QUITE THE MUSTACHE. BUT A LOT.