Trabia Garden

Karaoke! At an actual karaoke place, this time, meaning we were largely limited to actual hits rather than the obscure nonsense we tend to sing at home.

I arrived a few minutes after the starting time, so the others had already gone in. I didn't know the surname of the person who'd booked the room, so I told the receptionist, 'I'm looking for a group of millennials with interesting hair.'

'You're in room seven,' he said, sagely.

For my first song, Rei and I performed 'Scream' from High School Musical 3, with all the intensity we could manage. It was swiftly followed by another guest's pick of 'The Emptiness Machine' by Linkin Park, which really brought home how thematically similar 'Scream' is to a Linkin Park song.

Tem wasn't able to come along, alas, but asked us to perform 'Livin' on a Prayer' in xyr honour; Rei and I dutifully belted it out. It was fun! Very difficult song to sing without dramatic arm motions. We did not manage to resist the dramatic arm motions.

I also fell prey to the temptation to gesture dramatically when joining in on another guest's pick of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' later on. At one point, during this song, I turned and saw that all the people in the room had turned on their phone torches and were waving them in time to the music.

(NB: when I say 'all the people in the room', I mean about five people, but please feel free to envision me bringing the house down in front of a massive crowd if you'd like.)

My other performances:

- 'Teenage Dirtbag' was another person's pick, but it was one I'd been thinking about singing myself, so I took the second microphone. The whole room sang along with gusto.

- When I'd warmed up enough to get overambitious, I attempted 'All the Things She Said' by TATU and 'Savior' by Rise Against. Both very fun; both very challenging!

- I did 'Dreams' by the Corrs. One member of the party, not having realised it was a cover rather than the Fleetwood Mac original, expressed confusion at this 'dance remix'.

- As a favour to my twelve-year-old self, I performed 'Hunter' by Dido, a song I loved when I was a kid. In my head, I'd tied it to my childhood dragon obsession; a friend of mine told me that the music video featured a dragon, and I didn't realise until I was an adult and actually watched the video that this was an outrageous lie. I was sure other people would know this one, but apparently not, so I ended up doing an unanticipated solo!

- I correctly judged that most of the room would know 'Immortals' by Fall Out Boy. Everyone sang along with this one; it was fun!

- A guest who'd gone to the loo came back into the room during my performance of 'How You Remind Me' by Nickelback and said, 'Oh, this song,' damningly. Another person also expressed unhappiness when I chose this song for home karaoke earlier in the year. Karaoke is not a place for taste. Every time this song gets a disparaging comment, I'm just going to perform it again, louder.

And a few notes from performances by other people:

- We all ended up on our feet, doing ridiculous synchronised backing dancing, during a solo perfomance of 'Lay All Your Love on Me' by ABBA. Great fun.

- I forced Rei to sing 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! at the Disco because they'd recently read a songfic based on it and were cursed to be unable to take it seriously. 'I'm going to murder you,' Rei informed me, as I handed them the microphone.

- The people singing 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash also struggled to take it seriously, and it was very funny to see them losing it laughing while attempting the very sombre lyrics.

- The songs everyone could join in on were a real blast. 'Rasputin' immediately followed by 'Stacy's Mom': an incredible combination. I also enjoyed everyone singing passionately on the chorus of 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Girls.

- 'Maybe I should add this to my Bill/Dipper playlist,' Rei commented to me during 'Murder on the Dancefloor' by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Shortly afterwards, they spotted me making notes for this entry and expressed concern that I was going to expose their Billdip playlist plans. I was actually just noting that most of the room ended up on their feet and dancing during the song, but, because I was so amused by Rei's reaction, I'm now also telling you that it's going onto their Bill/Dipper playlist.

I went to a karaoke place for the first time last night, to celebrate Rei's birthday! And I had a blast.

Rei and I opened by dueting on 'Start of Something New' from High School Musical, appropriately enough. I was singing Troy's part, and I very much experienced Troy's arc in that song: I started out feeling awkward and selfconscious, and then got increasingly into it as the song went along.

My other performances from the evening were 'Eye of the Tiger', 'I Want It That Way', 'Carry On, Wayward Son' and 'Stacy's Mom' (tragically cut off just before the first chorus as we ran out of time), and nobody is allowed to question my taste in music. A couple of members of our party were really good singers (I'm still reeling from one person's excellent performance of 'Gee' by Girls' Generation, which I'd never heard before), so I was nervous before I worked out the perfect strategy of 'sing songs you don't have to take too seriously'.

You could quite fairly suspect that I'd have chosen exactly those songs either way. I certainly got into them; I gestured so dramatically during 'Eye of the Tiger' that I accidentally hit the person standing behind me.

Afterwards, we went to a restaurant and, as we found ourselves seated in a private room, were able to converse with great enthusiasm and very little restraint. A couple of the people who'd come along were new to me, but I had my suspicions that they were fandom people (one of them had reacted to 'Eye of the Tiger' in a way that made it clear she'd been in Supernatural fandom), so I asked them if they were on AO3 and we swapped usernames.

Turns out one of them had already read my Taskmaster fic If No One Moves, completely by coincidence! She was friends with Rei, but Rei hadn't pointed her towards it; she'd been recommended my fic by a third party. I was bewildered but delighted.

It was a really lovely evening! When my food arrived, I was so excited from getting to meet new people and chat about fandom that I had to take a moment to calm down before I could eat. I never really got back into the habit of going out with friends post-lockdown; I hadn't realised I'd missed it!

Had a week's break in Devon with my parents! It was very pleasant, but I don't have any particular shenanigans to report, so I'll just offer this picture of a chicken I met instead.




Holy shit, look at that chicken. It's the most magnificent bird I've ever seen. It looks like an alpaca.




Also, some cows who want to know what I'm doing on their turf.

Dartmoor reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy XV, actually: the wild, rocky landscape; the broad roads winding straight through it.

In Torquay, I recalled that I'd been there as a young child, and my cousin had tried to teach me how to play Cluedo (Clue in the US). I'd refused, because the idea of a board game about murder seemed scary to me.

I mentioned this to my mother.

Riona: I just went, 'Murder? No, thank you.'
Mum: Yes, well, you're rather a fan now, aren't you?

I hadn't realised my mum was so aware of my fondness for murder. (Strictly in a fictional context, I should clarify.)


Every time I rewatch timeless masterpiece High School Musical, I'm surprised by how much I still love it. Troy and Gabriella are genuinely cute. Chad carries a basketball literally everywhere and it's great. So many of the songs are a delight to belt out. NO NO NO NO (NO NO NO), STICK TO THE STUFF YOU KNOWWWWW

(My attempt to render the chorus of 'Stick to the Status Quo' ('No no no no (no no no), stick to the stuff you know! If you want to be cool, follow one simple rule: don't mess with the flow, no, no') in fridge poetry:

no no no
be with what you have learnt
if you want to be jazzy say yes tyrant
do not meddle in the river)

Also, I'm constantly astounded and delighted that they got an entire film out of the question 'is it possible to like basketball... BUT ALSO SINGING?'

We were introducing the film to Rei's girlfriend.

Rei's Girlfriend: I can see how someone might like High School Musical ironically.
Former Housemate C: I don't think Riona's ever liked anything ironically.

There are a handful of Elton John songs I've always really liked - 'Your Song', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', 'I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues' - but I didn't know much about the man himself and I didn't have any particular plans to see Rocketman. The sum total of my previous knowledge about Elton John:

- he has red hair and likes tinted glasses
- he's good at music
- he's gay, and my mum remembers exactly where she was when she received this earth-shattering news

I'm glad th_esaurus persuaded me to see the film with her yesterday, because I enjoyed it a lot! Some notes:

- No kid has ever had more fun than the child actor who got to perform 'The Bitch Is Back'.

- 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' has never caught my attention before, but the scene in the film was great fun; it really kicked things off after the opening. So much energy!

- RD claims that the 'Honky Cat' sequence is basically 'I Want It All' from High School Musical 3. My objection to this: Elton John already has everything Sharpay wants! Fame, fortune, sparkly outfits, cute boys. Elton John is living Sharpay's dream.

- I assumed Elton John's speed at songwriting was exaggerated in the film, but apparently not; here's the man himself setting an oven manual to music on the spot.

- I really liked the film's depiction of Elton's first kiss with a man. This fleeting, unexpected, powerful moment that left him going '????? oh no'.

- The 'Your Song' scene was painful and lovely. I really felt Bernie's agonising position of 'I really care about this person and I know they're in love with me and I don't love them back'.

- (The text message th_esaurus sent me while ironing out an Elton/Bernie fic idea is one of my favourites I've ever received: and it would be second person POV so i don't have to write "said elton john" at any point.)

- Last weekend, when I visited my parents (who had recently seen Rocketman), my dad said, 'There's a certain amount of gay sex in this film, and actually I thought it was quite erotic.' This was all I could think about during the sex scene. I was very unhappy.

The surviving members of Linkin Park have put out an official music video for 'One More Light' in memory of Chester, and noooooooooooo I can't handle this. It's a beautiful video, and in a way it's cathartic, and I'm glad to know they've been doing something creative to work through the pain, but also I sobbed so hard while watching this that my chest physically hurt afterwards. These poor guys. I wish I could hug all of them.

Mike did a radio interview as well, and it's really good to hear from him, but also there's a part where his voice starts to get unsteady and it's absolutely unbearable. I think I'm torn at the moment between 'it's really good to hear from the guys and know they're still around and haven't just stopped functioning' and 'I've spent so much time worrying about the pain they're in, and now that pain is even more real because I can see and hear it'.

Linkin Park is still my primary fandom, which means that I've been thinking about this most of the day, every day, for two solid months. It's easier now, but it's still a bit miserable. I'm desperately awaiting the new Dangan Ronpa game's release, hoping it will successfully distract me. Please just let me worry about fictional deaths for a while. No more getting invested in real people. I've learnt my lesson, I swear.

This whole thing has given me a little more faith in humanity, at least. I've seen so much kindness, so many complete strangers reaching out to each other, offering love and support to Chester's friends and fans and family. At heart, people really want to help those in pain.


On a lighter note, here are a couple of incredible things I have seen recently:

- this reinterpretation of High School Musical's 'Get Your Head in the Game'. (This link is actually to a reblog on the Tumblr account I secretly have, but I wouldn't recommend following it, because it's nothing but sobbing uncontrollably over Linkin Park. This blog is still the place I actually talk about things. Tumblr doesn't really suit me.)

- the trailer for American Vandal. Rei and I booted up Netflix, saw the description for this show, went '???????????????????' and had to watch the trailer. We're afraid to watch the show itself in case it doesn't live up to the trailer's promise.

I spent today with reipan and Yuffie, two of my closest friends. We rewatched the first and third High School Musical films.

Oh, a making-fun-of-ridiculous-films session! I thought, when the idea of a High School Musical rewatch was proposed. This should be fun!

I had evidently forgotten that there is not a shred of irony in my love of High School Musical. I love those films in an absolutely sincere, wholehearted way. I love the characters. I love the songs. I love TROY AND GABRIELLA, HOW ARE THEY SO CUTE, IT'S OUTRAGEOUS. I started crying towards the end of the third film. I'm not even ashamed.

(Well, perhaps I'm slightly ashamed.)

We had a bit of a singalong when we knew the words (we knew the words, it turned out, to possibly too many of the songs), and I noticed that I always gravitated towards singing Troy's part when he featured in a song. I think I feel a sort of kinship with him because we both have enormous eyebrows.


Because evidently a High School Musical singalong wasn't ridiculous enough, we also accidentally watched (or rewatched, in my case) all six episodes of Free! to date. Afterwards:

Riona: I'm still trying to work out how I can write about Haru losing his virginity to a swimming pool.
Rei: I think he'd just lose his virginity in a swimming pool, but be thinking about the water the whole time.
Riona: Maybe that's the real reason Rin's so annoyed with him.

This is going into the 'UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WRITE THIS' file, right next to 'the cast of High School Musical are locked down and instructed to kill each other in a Dangan Ronpa situation'. Even though I'm having ideas about the High School Musical/Dangan Ronpa crossover, no matter how hard I try not to. If you're not Sharpay, there's an obvious advantage to committing the first murder: everyone will assume that the murderer is Sharpay, so you've got a good chance of getting away with it. But I'm not going to write this, I swear.


Speaking of Free!: somehow I seem to end up 'shipping a new Haru pairing with every episode. This is an exaggeration, but not a large one. I think I'm now 'shipping Haru/Rin, Haru/Makoto, Haru/Kou and Haru/water. Haru/water beats all the others senseless, of course, but I still seem to be well on my way to 'shipping Haruka Nanase with everyone in the world, possibly including you.

I didn't think Haru/Makoto would ever really catch my interest - it just seemed too nice and functional - but the depth of Haru's concern for Makoto in episode six really touched me. And I'm fairly certain by this point that Makoto is at least slightly in love with Haru. Sorry, Makoto; you're going to have to compete with every body of water in Japan.

I'm a young woman on Livejournal. I see my friend's posted a series of adverts, so I check them out, and I'm laughing so hard I wreck your car.

Somehow.

Despite being in my room.

Why is your car in my room, anyway? That's just asking for trouble.


Here's a meme I haven't done in a while!

- Write a list of characters and number them.
- Input the number of characters into this random number generator as the maximum and generate two numbers.
- Ramble about how the corresponding pairing/partnership/general interaction would (or, indeed, wouldn't) work. Perhaps write a snippet/one-sentence fic for it if you're feeling brave.
- Repeat to your heart's content.

(Although I haven't actually done this meme in over a year, I've kept my numbered list and continued to add characters to it as new ones enter my awareness and my affection, hence frankly ridiculous numbers like 143 cropping up in here.)


( Represented below the cut: Peep Show, Pokémon, Just William, Glee, Silent Hill, Sherlock Holmes, Disney's Mulan, Supernatural, Kingdom Hearts, High School Musical, Waterloo Road, Fullmetal Alchemist and, erm, Arnold Schwarzenegger. )


Finally: have you always wanted to see strangely adorable zombie ultraviolence set to an upbeat Japanese pop song? zarla knows you have, and she has provided. (She's made an entry about it here, if you'd like to learn about some of the detail that went into it or leave her a comment.)

Tales of Riona's Family: once upon a time, my father went into a McDonalds' bathroom. They had, he noticed, installed rather fancy new urinals: stainless steel, set into the wall.

There he was, happily pissing away, when another man walked past.

"That's a sink," the man said.


On the subject of public toilets: if you have a room full of ladies, in case ladies are required, and you wish to put a sign on the door conveying this, how do you word it to avoid the mistaken assumption that the door leads to the ladies' toilets, rather than simply to a room containing ladies? 'Room Containing Ladies' is a bit clunky. 'Ladies' or 'Ladies Room' obviously wouldn't work. 'Lady Room', whilst not usually used to signpost a lavatory, could be taken for an attempt at 'Ladies' Room' by a grammatically challenged signwriter.

This is genuinely the sort of thing I think about from day to day. I was pondering this a little while ago, and eventually asked reipan for help. She suggested 'Ladies Within', which I think is rather delightful.


You know what would be amazing? A rewrite of the Twilight series, with Sharpay from High School Musical in the role of Bella. She would severely test Edward's resolution not to kill, not by smelling delicious but by constantly pursuing him and forcing him to sing upbeat duets with her. I would laugh incessantly.

("And the best part is you already sparkle, so we don't even need the sequined outfit!"

"Please leave me alone.")

Oh, yes, and of course she would demand that Edward turn her not because she wants eternal life but because she wants to glitter in the sunlight, ignoring Edward's protests that vampires have a responsibility to hide their existence. Also because being turned into a vampire makes you super hot. Not that she's not super hot already, obviously, but being a little more fabulous is never a bad thing.

Because this was quite fun the first time I tried it, I'm giving it another go!


- Write a list of characters and number them.
- Input the number of characters into this random number generator as the maximum and generate two numbers.
- Ramble about how the corresponding pairing/partnership/general interaction would (or, indeed, wouldn't) work. Perhaps write a snippet/one-sentence fic for it if you're feeling brave.
- Repeat to your heart's content.


( Fandoms represented: Doctor Who, High School Musical, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts, Scrubs, Avatar, Silent Hill, Supernatural, Pokémon, Neverwhere. )

Dear fanfiction.net: I do not want to come back to an anonymous review telling me I should 'fucking die'! This is a distressing message to receive at one in the morning! But I deleted it and I'm still alive, so nyah.

(I don't think it was personal; I think someone was probably just wandering around and posting impolite reviews at random. Alternatively: someone really, really hates Silent Hill crossovers. Still, I could have done without it, and should any of you feel like saying, 'hey, Riona, I think you are a pretty okay person who does not deserve to die for a Doctor Who/Silent Hill crossover you wrote four years ago, even if it wasn't great,' it would be gratefully received.)


Oh, yes, coming back. I have spent the past week in the south of France with my family, which was lovely, even if the start was slightly inauspicious:

Riona: I've forgotten to pack my swimming costume.
Riona's Father: Don't worry; you can swim in your knickers.
Riona: Oh, God, I forgot to pack any knickers!

In what I can describe only as a sudden mad fit of paranoia, I didn't mention beforehand that I was going to be absent from the Internet. I'm sorry! I hope you are all well and happy.


Here is an exchange that genuinely took place during the holiday:

Riona's Father: I think this is going to be the year you blossom.
Riona: 'Blossom'?
Riona's Mother: He means find your niche, find your place in the world.
Riona's Father: No; I mean get laid.
Riona: augh


Other events of the week:

- I saw a tiny dreadlocked girl and a large dreadlocked man having a dance-off. This pleased me.

- My father named his Panama hat 'Hatty' and sulked because my mother dropped it on the floor. I - I don't know.

- France is full of sexy animals drinking Orangina. It is weird.

- Sitting in the back of the car whilst one's mother listens to counteragent's podfic of one's Supernatural/High School Musical crossover and occasionally laughs in the front: simultaneously one of the weirdest and one of the most gratifying things I have ever experienced. I have a good relationship with my family, but I'm always very hesitant to show them my fanfiction, so I'm delighted that she enjoyed it. (counteragent's fabulous reading probably had a good part in that.)

- On Thursday night, I dreamt that I met a Lugia-Mew hybrid. It flew right up to me and looked curiously into my face and it was adorable. Then I watched an episode of Pokémon in which Professor Oak kidnapped Ash and Gary and set them a series of challenges to test their relationships with their Pokémon. Ash and Gary were on fairly friendly terms and also it was a musical.

It was the best dream ever.


If you have posted anything you think I ought to see in my absence, please point me towards it!