Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

Recs

-Gemini, by [info]only_passenger. Very short Buffy/Faith, full of moments with subtle, heavy depths of meaning; vivid, compelling images of Faith; and hotness/introspection/hotness.

-ninebillion is an LJ community set up for us to explore the faiths/religions of characters we love. "Faiths/religions" includes everything you can think of, and some things you can't, from Angel's lapsed Catholicism to Roslin's prayers to the Lords of Kobol to Octavian's Roman sacrifices. Sign up for the fic exchange, where you can write and recieve fic about the faiths of characters you request from multiple fandoms.

-Considering my experience with [info]hd_holidays was the only thing that got me to finish a Harry/Draco fic, I signed up for another fest. They're looking for even more people to join, so if you've ever considered writing Harry, Draco, Snape, or some combination thereof, here you go:

Banner by [info]passthebutter

-The Darogas' band, Landlord's Daughter. They sound like awesome does.
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Monday, January 7th, 2008

JM in ur tv rearrangin ur ovaries

And on the eighth day, God made Jimbo.

Why did He not make me cable? Nevermind that I would be the time travelling messianic son of Cyclops and a Jean Gray Clone; I wants.

eta: link courtesy of everywhere.
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Sunday, January 6th, 2008

So, I wrote Now The Shining Sun Is Up for [info]hd_holidays. It's a Harry/Draco story about dealing with the long-reaching social and political effects of war.

Although it really needs so much more work, I'm kind of happy with the story. It could've been so much better, really shiny, but as it is it got across the gut of what I really wanted to get across, I think. And that was why I entered the ficathon. You know I hate ficathons and only enter them because I love Lynne and Chrislee. But I've been trying to write H/D for a whole year now, and while I have millions of pieces of things on my comp, I've yet to really spit out one whole thing. For this ficathon I started about five different stories, 30,000 wasted words all told. It was in the last two days I wrote this one, and then the mods of the fest were nice enough to let me send in my second draft (which took another week or so to write, on top of moving) to post. The final draft would've been tighter, with excess talk cut out, and a couple vital moments added--but if I'd've had the time, I wouldn't rewrite this fic, just polish it up a bit. In TKPspeak, that means I'm a bit proud of it.

In other news, it was bizarre being a part of a fest with anonymous gifts, much less in a fandom I'd never participated in. Since no one in H/D fandom knows who I am anyway, I thought it wouldn't make much difference if I was anonymous or not, and that the fest would be a good way to get the story out there without having to wave my arms and say, "look at me!" Makes it weird, though, when people think they know who wrote it. Especially if they think it was [info]mistful, which was flattering and also weird and also worrisome (i.e. I'm inspired by her writing! But am I "inspired" too much?). At any rate, it was pleasing and surprising the way people responded. It wasn't a mega hit or anything, but I don't really think the unpolished nature of the fic merits that. But there were people with really thoughtful comments who really appreciated what I tried to do with the story, which warms the cockles of my heart. (Not the mussels of my heart, though. Or even muscles; that's so purely clinical.) Since I've never participated in a fest like this before, and since I know no one in the fandom, it was weird to watch the comments trickle in--I kept wondering where they were coming from and who they were. Kind of like when I wrote Oroboros, the commenting on which was a surreal experience completely. In other words, I'm glad I did it, even if I've been stressing pretty much four months over it.

So, all five of you who read H/D, pls to be letting me know what you think, if you're so inclined as to read. I'll be reposting it on IJ in the next few days.

Next up is [info]anelith's H/D, which I <3 so much I need to stop talking about it and just finish it!
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Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

Feeler for interest in B/A - B/S ficathon

I have no business doing this as my participation in the past three ficathon type things I was in has been so harried and kinda craptastic, and I haven't even read the IWRY Marathon entries yet! But I figure it's alright as I'm just casing your interest...Actually sign ups won't take place until February or so (only if there is enough interest). Enough excuses! Here is my idea for the ficathon:

This ficathon wouldn't be for everyone. It would be for people who identify as primarily Buffy/Angel fans or Buffy/Spike fans. NB: I don't mean for people who only identify that way; for instance, I "identify" as a B/Aer, but I do love me my Angel/Spike and Buffy/Faith and Buffy/Connor and Angel/Wesley and so on, and I have read an enjoyed a number of Buffy/Spike fics. But if you ask me what my favorite 'ship is in the 'verse, I'd definitely say B/A. So ends the explanation of who this ficathon would be for, and the rest of you can stop reading.

The idea behind the ficathon is that all the people who identify as B/Aers would try to write a quality B/S fic, and all the people who identify as B/Sers would try to write a quality B/A fic. I was thinking that if there were around an even number of B/Aers and B/Sers, each B/Aer could get partnered to a B/Ser. These "partnerships" could mean various things, something as traditional as each partner makes requests and the other has to write to one of their requests*, or maybe the partners could kind of discuss their ideas and process as they write.

More info on a Proposed Buffy/Angel, Buffy/Spike Ficathon, for B/Aers and B/Sers )
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Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Happy Halloween!

Me me me! )

But enough about me!

You you you! )
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Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

Insomnia Post!

You know you love them.

Okay, lemme just say: I've been not posting for a bit and not commenting very much, and kind of hanging back where fandom is concerned, not for any specific reason, just 'cause I do that sometimes. And I've been trying to work through RL crap and it's not very pleasant. So then I go and do this post asking for help about grad school and for some reason because I'm stupid I doubt anyone on my flist can help me, and then I figure I've been a ghost so long people won't even remember who I am anyway. And then . . . you all respond and you give me all these names for people to ask and you give me good advice and you talk to me on AIM and you talk to your English prof parents and you do big long comments with so much I didn't know, and my heart grew three sizes. Again, just like it did with that article about the pink shirts.

Thanks, guys. Thanks so much. I should've known I can count on you. Oh, and just for being so awesome, I am now going to keep you updated on my grad school applying process. I know you all were just dying to hear about it. Maybe that will help me stay on track, anyway.

Oh, and the only thing second best to remembering why you love your flist and fandom and the wonderful world of online community with the passion of a thousand fiery suns? Is when someone asks to translate something you've written, and then does. It puffs me with pride, even if all the characters look like question marks on my computer (how do I change that?)

And now we come to the insomnia part of our program!

TKP's Super Duper To Do Before Next Week Or Maybe Before She Dies List )
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Friday, September 14th, 2007

Of Great Doctrinal Import, Guys.

Baby, I know you wanna show that thon, tha-thon-thon-thon.

-METATHON: Let's get metaphysical, metaphysical. Are you intimidated by meta? Now you don't have to be, with this easy one-two-three meta-thon(g)! Wear it, and all your fears about getting physical wear away!

I could totally be a scary announcer guy. But anyway, really, [info]seraphcelene is asking us to do something really easy, something we want to do anyway, and something I've heard a lot of you say you want more of. She's asking us to talk about our writing. You can write a DVD commentary, an in depth analysis of control dynamics between your male and female characters throughout your entire body of work, or answer the question, Why Do I Always Write About Cheese? It's a chance to talk about yourself. Indulge yourself. It doesn't have to be difficult or mind-bending to be informative or illuminating to others. Sign up to write about why you write what you do: here.

-MARATHON: It's time for the IWRY Fic Marathon again. For those of you who don't know, it's a ficathon focused on Buffy/Angel. It's into its fourth (fifth?) year, and imo it's one of the things that helps keep Jossverse alive. Even if you don't write B/A, this is an excellent chance to try your hand at it. [info]chrisleeoctaves always makes this event a pleasure in which to participate; for the entire month of November there're new fics by all kinds of writers, one each day. Please consider signing up, before I do something drastic like volunteer to write two which I know I can't do, but am thinking about doing anyway because I'm worried about the lack of participants.

-FICATHON: [info]kangeiko is gauging interest in a faith ficathon, in which participants will write fics celebrating the faiths of different characters. As Kangeiko says, the character you write about doesn't have to have a strong on-screen/page relationship to his/her faith. Rather, you as the author has to determine what that relationship might be, and how it affects the character. Kangeiko uses the example of Firefly--Book is very religious, obviously, but how did Mal become so disillusioned? What is Inara's faith? Does Jayne have one? I think this would be a really awesome ficathon. State your interest here.

-For those keeping up with Another One Like It Tomorrow, posting will resume this weekend. I'm so sorry for the long delay.

-As for where I've been, thanks to all of you who've been concerned. I'm fine, and hopefully will be more active online soon. I owe some of you emails and others of you fb and others of you crazy souped up Phantom of the Opera plotlines, K, I'm looking at you. I miss you guys!
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Friday, August 10th, 2007

Did I shave my legs for this?

I still have much to say. My tongue still feels all tied.

If you have not, I highly recommend that you read this letter to LJ. If you are interested in the questions being asked there, I highly recommend that you sign.

I don't really care what their answers are, because I'm leaving regardless (but I did sign out of morbid curiosity).
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Friday, August 3rd, 2007

LJ, you are the weakest link. Good bye.

For info about the latest LJ/6A fuck up, [info]liz_marcs is, as ever, an excellent resource: here.

For guides on saving your journals and other journaling resources, [info]kangeiko has a great list of links: here.

Lastly, I urge you to join [info]fandom_flies. It's about discussing fandom's options for leaving LJ. I was so ready to leave when the first strike out happened. I'm even more ready now.

Pls to be leaving links, opinions, your thoughts, feelings, any relevant info here. Let's all keep abreast of the situation, here.
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Monday, July 30th, 2007

FIC: Another One Like It Tomorrow

YAY BUFFYVERSE. I said I would periodically remind people that this fic is being posted at [info]tkpfic just in case you weren't into daily updates and want to read in chunks. So, here ya go!

Title: Another One Like It Tomorrow
Length: estimate: 90 chapters
Rating: Overall, NC-17.
Warnings: Overall, hard language, explicit sexual content, violence, torture, rape, and character death.
Summary: Angel has to live the day from "I Will Remember You" over and over and over again. Like Groundhogs Day.
A/N: This fic is about Angel going gray then dark then coming out at the other end of the tunnel, sort of. There's a very strong B/A focus. There's also suggestions of/explicit scenes that have Angel/other characters, mostly slash.

Another 7 chapters of this fic have been posted. One small note: if you read the beginning of this over at ff.net, I've since combined what were chapters 9 and 10 over there, so 10 is the first new chapter for you.

If you want to begin at the beginning (a very good place to start), here's chapter one.
If you read the first chunk and want the next big chunk, you can start at chapter six.
Or you can just access all the chapters here.
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Sunday, July 15th, 2007

FIC: Another One Like It Tomorrow [Author's Note]

Today I'm starting to post a fic I've been writing for more than two years, since right when I started getting into the fandom of Buffyverse. It's called "Another One Like It Tomorrow". It's Buffy/Angel-centric, though it also has Angel/various others, all slash. It's about Angel descending into darkness and finding his way back out again. It takes place in early AtS season one.

So far, this fic is 180,000 words. It is 7/10 written; a middle part and the ending aren't written yet. I never wanted to post this as a WIP. I also wanted to cut it a lot and get it beta'ed before sharing it with the public. But I've lost a lot of steam in these two years, and after a lot of thought, I've decided that working on posting it might do a lot to get me stoked to push on through and write the final 3/10. As such, I decided the right thing to do was to post it for the [info]lynnevitational, which is partly about finishing things and keeping alive that Jossverse spirit.

I'm going to post the fic in pieces, about a chapter a day or every other day. As I post, I will be working to finish the unfinished pieces so that the missing parts should be written by the time the posting gets to that point. There should be no long delays for anyone following along, waiting for me to write.

There are several reasons I'm posting this way,explained under this cut. )

If you are averse to reading a WIP, there will be an announcement at the end that it is complete, with a link to all the chapters, and you can read it then. If, however, you are interested in following along as every new chapter as it is posted, I suggest you friend [info]tkpfic. That journal will be used exclusively to post this fic until posting is completed, at which time you may want to defriend it. If you're not sure whether you're interested in following along, watch this space. There will be a weekly notice on this journal with links to the week's worth of updates. That way you can read it in chunks if you like, or just be reminded that something's being posted over there you may want to read.

Reasons you may not actually want to read, otherwise known as me whining and being anxious about posting this. )

Lastly, I owe a debt of gratitude to [info]chrisleeoctaves. She's read most of this, but cannot be blamed for any glaring small errors or major faults. Mostly, she encouraged me, caught a bunch of little errors, and offered quite a few broad comments that hopefully will really change this fic for the better.
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Saturday, June 9th, 2007

And for fandom's next act...

[info]heatherly's post supports responsible and/or thoughtful writing about concepts such as rape, incest, and pedophilia.
[info]xanphibian's post posits that fandom behaves responsibly in regards to that kind of fic through labeling and warnings, and that the fic behind such warnings is important to us as fans and women.

[info]xanphibian covered most of my opinions on this, but I have two additional points. The first point I want to make as someone who has never suffered any form of abuse, sexual or otherwise, who was lucky enough to never ever be touched in a wrong or uncomfortable way, who had a great childhood. And still has gangbang rape fantasies.

POINT ONE. )

POINT TWO. )
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Monday, June 4th, 2007

Fandom, Inc.

Hopefully you're seeing posts about [info]fanarchive. Hopefully you've heard about the comm and its project. Hopefully you're interested because I truly believe this is one of the coolest things I felt I had a chance to be a part of.

They're making history over there, guys. )

Even if you're not sure you want to get involved in the bigger stuff, I recommend joining the comm and keeping tabs about what is going on. This is about us.
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Livejournal Questions

This actually has nothing to do with the recent drama.

I have a confession to make. I'm a genius. But I'm really tragically stupid also.

THINGS ON LIVEJOURNAL I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. )

In other news, The Sound of Music in Sparta. (link courtesy [info]imnotacommittee.)
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Thursday, May 31st, 2007

6A/LJ's Response

I'm sure everyone and their mom will see this in the morning, but for anyone who's awake now:
Six Apart's CEO apparently has something to say.

eta: Frankly, this was very close to the Best Projected Response I felt we could hope for. The entire fiasco is framed as a mistake, something they're heartily sorry for. What I don't see is a) anything like a promise ensuring they'll never do anything like that again, and b) [in addition to the admission that they want to keep the comms and users trying to "prevent and understand" things such as rape and incest] an explicit admission that comms and users that portray these things in fictional settings for fictional purposes will not be targeted.

I'm still not giving LJ any money. I'm still going to write my snail mail letters. I'm still going to harp on about acting, so that we can make sure this never happens again.

I'm keeping my account at GreaterJournal. I'm keeping my voice. And I am keeping my outrage.

I'm forgiving. But I'm not forgetting.

[info]fandom_counts
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Wednesday, May 30th, 2007

What You Can Do

A Guide Organized In Ascending Order Of Requisite Activation Energy


Get counted. Aside from all the drama, this is interesting in an abstract, statistical sense: "how big is fandom, really?" Stand and be counted here. No strings attached, just a head count of members of fandom on livejournal.

Take this poll. Similarly statistically interesting, but also possibly useful in determining how loud our voice might be, is "how much do we as fandom spend on lj?" Take this poll, again, no strings, just a count.

Boycott. If you're upset about what's happening, one of the most important things you might do is something you've been meaning to do for always: save your money. Don't renew accounts, buy virtual gifts, more icons, or a permanent account next month. Cancel automatic payments.

Sign petitions. The least you can do is sign your name to a petition. I'm not actually sure how much this does, but it's something to do. here are some.

List your complaint. Similar to signing a petition, you can leave a specific complaint here for Livejournal administrators and stuff to see. Many people are mentioning dissatisfaction as customers, and resolve not to give 6A/LJ money for accounts, gifts, and features.

Stay informed. You can do this by joining comms such as [info]innocence_jihad, [info]fandompays, [info]reasonedspeech. Also keep your eyes on [info]metafandom and [info]fandom_lawyers. Personally, I got an acount at GreatestJournal and joined the comm fandomtossed.

Email your complaint. (See below as to why this option is less effective than the next step up). Some form letters for your emails are here, here, and here.
Send these to feedback@livejournal.com or privacy@livejournal.com.

Pick up the phone. I'm inclined to believe two things I've garnered from reading up on this: 1. Six Apart is the company behind Livejournal, and it would be more effective to contact that company. 2. It would be more effective to contact Six Apart by phone than through email. Here's how.

ACT. It's being expressed all over that fandom has power, both insofar as number of heads and financial contribution. Maybe we do. Maybe if we do the things on this list, we can make a difference in regards to the actions of Six Apart and Livejournal. Maybe if we all stand up and walk out, singing Alice's Restaurant, Six Apart will see that even if their advertisers pay them more, their advertisers are there in the first place because fandom comprises such a large number of users. I don't know.

What I do know is that fandom has power as a culture (as I found best expressed here). We may not be effective enough to unsettle Six Apart. We may not be strong enough to present a serious threat to something like Fanlib. But we are strong and effective enough to organize, speak out, fight back, and persevere.

As much as the cynic in me wants to sit back and say, "nothing we do is going to make any difference", I'm not going to do that, because fandom is about all about having a voice. Even if it doesn't get heard, we need to use it, and use it until it's hoarse and then use it some more. There's no point in self-expression if you don't self-express.

eta: What I mean is, think about who we are, what we are, and what we can do. Examples of this kind of thought and suggestions for more action are here, here, and here.
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This is pretty much what I have to say right now.

I'm interested in porn.
I'm interested in rape.
I'm interested in pedophilia.
I'm interested in incest.

To clarify, and I shouldn't have to, I'm interested in fictional porn, rape, pedophilia, and incest.

To clarify even further, which I rather resent since everyone should be interested in this, I'm interested in your right to write fictional porn, rape, pedophilia, and incest, whether I want to read it or not. Which for the most part I don't.

I'm not interested in getting censored, getting silenced, or getting kicked off livejournal. Which (so far, and as far as we know) lj can do, is doing, and feels it must for legal reasons. And, in response to that, I'm interested in what we can do to protest such actions, to Six Apart and whoever or whatever else is involved in whatever is going on.

Because in the end, what I'm really interested in is not censoring or silencing myself. I'm not interested in getting scared or anxious about this. You want to kick me out of the house, kick me out, but I'm not stuffing my dirty magazines under my mattress. I'm not interested in changing my interests lists or locking down old posts.

Because in the end, what I'm really interested in is porn, rape, pedophilia, and incest, and there's not a damn thing anyone else can do about that.
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Friday, April 13th, 2007

27 Things That Have Made Me Happy Today. Before 2pm! )

So, what's going great? What's going down? What's all around? I'm putting on a virtual kettle of tea.
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Thursday, March 29th, 2007

Artist

Note to self: Yoshitaka Amano.

He's the dude who did the artwork for the Final Fantasy III booklet. I recognized his work immediately.

The reason this is so important to me is I used to stroke pictures like this all through my youth. Which is possibly why this is what people look like in my head. If I bother to look at the people in my head which in general I don't. But this is what you might look like. Especially if you are an original (particularly fairytale, fantasy or sci fi) character of mine. But it's possible this is what you look like--yes you, internet person. Seriously. Some of you have looked like this in my head. Not in so much detail. But you might have very swirly clothes. Or be Asian.

cut for graphics )

Ahh, I'm happy I found this guy. And now I have to go buy my sister-in-law his book about fairies. I need to go buy myself that book. Yay. I feel like I discovered part of my personal history.
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Sunday, March 11th, 2007

River/Connor smackdown!

Ok, not really, but wouldn't it be cool?

Probably you guys know this already because you're this freakish hive mind with super sonic powers, but I'm excited about it anyway. Even if you have already done your stinger waggling bee dances of buzz over it, or whatever. You bunch of weirdos.

A pilot with Summer Glau. Possibly appearing naked in a sizzled out hollow of earth! Hopefully afterwards she's stealing leather, sunglasses and a motorcycle to the tune of 'Bad to the Bone'. Because that would be kinda hot? )
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