BloMo30: Being a good reader & commenter in fandom gift exchanges.... [30 Nov 2009|11:59pm] lore [ mood | creative ] [ music | Star Trek DVD ] OK, I said I would write on the good kind of commenting/feedback in fandom exchanges (and in general) for my final NaBloPoMo because tomorrow starts all the holiday gift exchanges. But, I have a tendency to babble about these things, which can be too much information in a messy pile of paragraphs. I should try to keep it simple, right?, so that those considering delurking to comment won't be overwhelmed by the very idea of it. To that end, here is one of my famous lists, the kind where my comments get longer as I go along. ^_^ 1. No heavy criticism - Most exchanges are anonymous; the creators can't defend themselves until the end of the month, so your comments sit out there making you look meeeen and the creator's friends froth at the mouth. 2. You just have to give one critical comment? - Say what you liked about the gift and that you have some critiques you'd like to pass on through the mods or that you will leave when the gifter is revealed. Something like, "I have some concrit for you, but I'll come back to leave it when you're able to address my comments as yourself," would be nice. 2.5. No flames! - Think you have the right to criticize anyway? Ok, I won't argue with you on that, fandom has been debating it for years. But be sure to address your issues with the gift without getting personal about it. The story sucks, not the author. 2.75. Don't impose your ideas on "how things should be" on creators during exchanges - Remember, they are creating a gift based on someone's specific wants and desires. If you think Remus would never wear a ponytail, don't complain about or disagree with Remus having a pony tail. That's a comment based on your preferences - which, really, never reflect well on you even outside of exchanges; they just look worse in the context of an exchange. 3. COMMENT ON YOUR GIFT - In the last two years, I've been seeing gifts go unacknowledged all over the place. I think this might be the height of rude in an exchange. You might not like your gift, but you should at least let the creator know you saw it. 3.5. So you hate your gift... - Fine, it happens. Not everyone is a strong creator. Pick out a phrase or two you like and note them, or choose an event in the fic you *did* like, and use that for your comment to your gifter. Say something positive and thank them. You don't have to squee. You don't have to lie. But an effort was made on your behalf and you should thank your gifter for that much. If your gifter sees through your good comments and knows you didn't like the gift, at least they know you saw it. Most creators are dying to know what her giftee thinks, and if it's good or bad, knowing is the most important thing. Plus, again, at least acknowledging your gift makes you look like less of an asshole. ^_^ 3.75. Lighten up on your gifter - Sometimes, it seem like people expect the perfect gift in an exchange. Try to remember that your creator isn't psychic (probably). Your gifter can only create based on what was in your sign-up. If some of the elements you asked for are in your gift, and no elements you specifically forbade, give your creator points for that and try to enjoy your gift as it's given. 4. If you read or looked, comment! - Lurkers, this one's for you. Say something, even if it's just "Enjoyed" or "Thank you". Exchange gifts are not like regular works where the creators control the entire piece from start to finish, and, therefore, should be happy with their result, regardless of how many comments it gets. Exchange gifts usually cause creators to step outside their comfort zones or to try something new. Most creators work hard to create just the right piece for someone, and on a deadline. In other words, there's usually more blood, sweat and tears in an exchange piece than usual. Make the extra effort. Comment. 5. Remember where you're posting - If you're reading a gift's replies and you see an icon you love, please don't tell someone you love her icon and then forget to comment on the gift. In other words, don't start up side conversations without first making sure you let the creator know what you thought of the gift. It's just another seriously rude thing I see both in exchanges and on posted creations in general. Now, please don't interpret the above as messages just for snupin_santa-ers. I've been in and watched all sorts of exchanges. I'm speaking from years of reading along, not as some targeted message to lupin_snape members. Also, please note, these are my suggestions for commenters and readers. There's no rule here you have to follow. That said? Don't forget to Stuff the Stockings... ~_^ love, lore

Teh CUTE, it killz me! [01 Dec 2009|01:07am] joanwilder 2

Reminder... [30 Nov 2009|11:50pm] r_grayjoy [ mood | busy ] While I'm taking care of last-minute submissions and prepping them for posting... Posting starts at noon (U.S. Eastern time) tomorrow, December 1!

Sweetheart, I think you should let me hold your grudge for you... [30 Nov 2009|11:37pm] cluegirl [ music | People Like You -- Thea Gilmore ] ... I might possibly need someone to beat me soundly about the head and shoulders until I manage not to sign up for hds_beltane this year. Because I am a NaNo Loser, and I don't deserve to subject myself to more deadline shenanigans in the wake of that debacle. Especially with the balance of TF left to write. I'm a loser, baby, so why don'tcha kill me? In other news, I saw a bald eagle over the Hudson river on Saturday. He was playing in the thermals, and freaking the seagulls out, just a hundred feet or so above the water. He was also stunningly gorgeous, as such birds tend to be. Contractors. All of them have different notions. So far, the one I trust best hasn't given me a number, but I'm hoping he'll come back in the ballpark, because I would SO like to work with him over any of the others. One of them's blase over the project, but will only say 'we got to do this hourly. However long it takes, that's how much it's gonna be.' which... um... how about "no"? Does "No" work for you? And the other one's rather hysterically ballooning the project to include three more feet of sill plate, and sistering five or six joists. and repointing masonry, and just... geez, man! We already had the city engineer look at it, and he TOLD us what we needed to do, and it wasn't anything like alla that. I just want our guy to come back in the right range. So we can stand a chance at getting this hole plugged up before the snow flies this year. Is that so much to ask, really? I am also, apparently, vaguely ill. And I do mean that qualifier exactly; this is nothing specific, except for painfully swollen glands in my throat, profound lethargy, eye pain, and a sort of thickish feeling in my eustacian tubes. Luckily, I know where the NyQuil is kept, so with luck, I can sleep this bug off before it gets a solid hold. I made beef barley soup today. It rocked, and was not even bad for us... aside from the salt content, that is. And now I'm going to bed. 1

Hiiiiiii. [30 Nov 2009|10:18pm] snegurochka_lee [ mood | accomplished ] *comes up for air* OH GOD, FLIST. Is there any better feeling in the world than finishing a deadlined-fic and sitting back, cracking a beverage of your choice, and just, like, not writing fic for at least 24 hours? a;lskjdf. I like writing fic, don't get me wrong. But that feeling you get after finally finishing something you've been sort of chewing on for awhile? Yeah. That's a damn good feeling. :D Fic-writing binge included making a pot of coffee and writing several thousand words on my birthday last week, which, aaaaaah, how awesome is that?! It was a great day overall, for several reasons, and thanks so much to everyone who wished me well or got me awesome v-gifts and things like that. ♥ ♥ ♥ ! I really appreciated it. Fic-writing in pyjamas with coffee and chocolate! Nothing better. I have fic recs from like a hundred years ago that I need to write up, and how on earth is it already December 1 tomorrow?! Well, better do it tomorrow, or you'll all be distracted with shiny holiday fests starting. :) Speaking of which... you're all posting about which ones you'll be watching, so, sure, here goes: my one real commitment is smutty_claus, because that's the only one I'm in, but I'm also going to keep an eye on snupin_santa, naturally, and probably hp_yule_balls and/or hd_holidays a little bit. And! r_grayjoy kindly reminded me this morning that I have potential gifts coming from prompts I submitted to daily_deviant's Kinky Kristmas fest! Not that I'd forgotten it was happening, but I did forget I'd left prompts a few months ago. *headdesk* I just went back and checked my prompts and THEY ARE AWESOME and got claimed and stuff so I'm super excited to see them. :) By the way, listen: I tend to run around the internet leaving prompts wherever they're solicited, so if you've ever claimed one that is meant to have names attached (I always assume they're just sort of going in an anon pile) and written something for me and I haven't seen it because I fail, point it out to me PLEASE. :) Random: smutty_claus and Kinky Kristmas have my favourite banners and icons so far, though. Hiiiiii, sexy women in lingerie and boots and stuff. ♥ No matter what fests you're following, though, be sure to take a second and leave a few words of feedback if you see something you like. It doesn't have to be long, and it doesn't have to take much of your time, but OH MY GOD it means the world to an author or artist to know you saw and liked their stuff. :) Signing off with a teenyfic!rec: The Old School Tie by hereticalvision (Harry/Scorpius, PG-13, 300 words). This was the winning entry in last week's Harry/Scorpius Last Drabble Writer Standing contest, for the theme of 'detention,' and it was this wonderful, creative take on the theme. Totally made me smile. *re-uploads holiday icons, whee!* 4

DRABBLE: Roland Emmerich Only Wishes... (Hikaru no Go fandom, 205 words) [30 Nov 2009|07:25pm] amanuensis1 [ mood | silly ] [ music | Heather Dale, "Medusa" ] I finished my second run through the anime series of Hikaru no Go the other day. Time for a drabble. Title: Roland Emmerich Only Wishes... Fandom: Hikaru no Go Summary: "The quake, centered in Tokyo..." Word count: 205 A/N: Unabashed crack. ( The apocalypse does indeed begin with a whimper... ) 1

Quick rec: "The Border House" gaming blog [01 Dec 2009|01:02am] das_dingsi The ABOUT text for this blog is as follows: “The Border House is a blog for gamers. It's a blog for those who are feminist, queer, disabled, people of color, transgendered, rich, poor, middle class, gay, lesbian, and others who belong to marginalized groups, as well as allies. Our goal is to bring thoughtful analysis to gaming with a feminist viewpoint and up-to-date news on games, virtual worlds, and social media.” And it actually has members of these groups as contributors! See chooseareality's intro post for an example; she's a trans woman and a lesbian. (Text might make you choke up a little, for mostly good reasons.)

Wheee! [30 Nov 2009|09:50am] eeyore9990 I just submitted the last of my official fest fics for the holiday season. One day early, whoot! I still have a few pinch hits due throughout December, but it feels good to have the "official" stuff out of the way. And one of the pinch hits is at about 75% complete, so yay! Today is going to be jam-packed with RL-ness, though, so hopefully I can carve out time tonight to finish THAT fic and then get started on the next one. I can't believe everything starts posting tomorrow! It seems like I've been waiting forever (and/or praying for deadlines to not approach so quickly). Okay, so if you want to catch my fics, they will be posted throughout December on the following communities/asylums: • harry_holidays • daily_deviant's Kinky Kristmas • snapelyholidays • snarry_swap • severus_lucius's Romance Fest • happy_trekmas And... I think that's it? There'll also be a couple of my fics in the Severus Shorts Birthday Celebration. Anyway YAY! Holiday fest season, whooooooooot!! What will y'all be following? 10

November blogging: Day 30 [30 Nov 2009|11:00am] scribbulus_ink [ mood | surprised ] Wow, I made it! I posted every day this month! I'm shocked, frankly, given how November exploded in unexpected ways, but I think it was good for me. If nothing else, it helped me break out of my non-posting rut, so while I may not continue posting every day, I think I'll post more than I have been prior to this month. Random things: - Snupin Santa begins posting tomorrow! I probably am going to stay up until midnight and post the first gift then, because I'll be up until 11:00 watching Castle anyway, so I might as well stay up an extra hour to launch the fest. PS: I <3 Castle and Nathan Fillion so freakin' much. - Over the weekend, I discovered a new iPhone trick, which I didn't know about before. If I tap on a phone # in the browser, email, or notes, the phone will dial it. Excellent! - My downstairs neighbor moved out over the weekend! I hope whoever moves in next doesn't play music loud enough to make my furniture vibrate. I've seen people on my flist talking about which fests they're in and which ones they're following. I'm in four - Snupin Santa, HP Yule Balls, Yuletide, and Snapely Holidays - and I'll be keeping up with those, along with Harry Holidays and Kinky Kristmas. This isn't to say I'll be reading everything that's posted for all of those! Sorry, but no. There are certain pairings, genres, and kinks that I simply won't look at, which helps narrow the field. Time and energy permitting, I'm planning to branch out and try different pairings and to read Yuletide stories in the fandoms I'm most interested in, and I do plan to rec as well. We'll see how far my good intentions take me! This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/518841.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals. 1

POLL: I'm taking prompts at LJ to up the year's fic count! [30 Nov 2009|10:10am] iulia_linnea I've posted my tentative yearly wrap-up for 2009, and I'm now polling for inspiration to meet last year's fic count. Drop on by! :)

EXTRA LONG: Light as Iron, Singed as Pearl (H/D, NC-17) [30 Nov 2009|08:29am] pornish_pixies [snegurochka_lee] Title: Light as Iron, Singed as Pearl Author: snegurochka_lee Pairing: Harry/Draco Rating: NC-17 Word Count: ~13,800 Warnings: Dom/sub. Bondage. EWE. Summary: The owner of the elite BDSM club M. had not gained his reputation as the most coveted Dominant on the scene by taking on just any riff-raff submissive who asked. It would take an unexpected letter to convince him to accept a new client, but it might turn out to be the biggest mistake he ever made. Notes: Written for hd_career_fair last month for this prompt. "Thank you" does not begin to cover my gratitude to the divine marguerite_26, whose handholding, beta work and modly prodding went well beyond the call of duty. Light as Iron, Singed as Pearl

Twilight =/= Crimial Minds. Really. [30 Nov 2009|06:20am] the_minx_17 As seen in a Morgan/Reid comm... ...because I'm a little obsessed with New Moon at the moment... Then, honestly, go look for Twilight comms. Because Reid doesn't even know what Twilight is (a canon fact that I heart totally) and I'd prefer to keep it that way. 24

BloMo29: Dogs, fandoms and me.... [29 Nov 2009|11:57pm] lore [ mood | curious ] [ music | Storm Chasers ] Today is the last dogs day. Mostly, I'm relieved, because we were able to be around for them 24-7 while my sibling traveled, and that availability ends tomorrow. They're a lot of fun when you have time to devote to them (well, let's face it, the SO had more time to devote to them than I did, but still), but I'd feel bad having dogs full-time on our schedule. Still...*pang* ***** karasu_hime asked "How is it after all these years, you still have so much love for Lupin_Snape? Why not go to a new fandom? Why don't you branch out in other fandoms?" Good questions...get ready for some babble. My only other major fandom was X-Files, and I was pretty much a lurker, although my love for novel-length fic was solidified there. I put my toes in the participatory waters, but there was a lot I didn't understand about fandoms then. Luckily, XF was a starter fandom for 90% of the participants, so there was a lot of understanding to go around. I think I was so very into XF because the series was lacking for me in a lot of ways. I wanted to see Mulder and Scully happy, and, of course, they were miserable on TV. I firmly believed that they were building such a convoluted history with one another that they were ruined for other people. They'd have huge chunks of their lives they couldn't really explain to other people, kind of like soldiers who have seen combat - unless you've been there, it's very hard to understand. Anyway, that's why I kept seeking out the fan fic. XF fandom was big on post-episode fics, which helped fill a niche in a bad episode, and it was big on longer stories that tried to tie together all the diverging plot threads that we now know Chris Carter had no intention of tying together himself. There was *need* there. When I went looking for HP fic, the books were unfinished and I wanted to read more of the boy hero and his friends. I was jones-ing for some good fic to tide me over, and I thought HP fandom would be similar to XF. I was wrong - the early days of fandom saw a lot of bad writing and unfinished WiPs - but I was still able to ferret out some good stuff, of course. It was a long wait between GoF and OotP. Meanwhile, I tend to compartmentalize entertainment. I can find straight-up fiction off a book shelf. What I couldn't get (or couldn't figure out how to get) was a story with some actual sex between the characters that I wanted to have sex, dangit! So, I tended to gravitate toward the R and NC17 ratings when I looked for fic. That worked out fine in XF, but in HP, I was all about the kids when I first entered fandom, and after a while, reading sex adventures with kids started to bother me. Personally, I think 15-17 is a little young to be having sex, but stories that aged the kids up didn't always ring true to me. Then I accepted slash into my life. I love Snape and Lupin together because I haven't met two characters so well suited to being each others' happy endings. Writers often unconsciously create connections, themes and metaphors in their works, and I think Rowling didn't realise how well she had suited Snape and Lupin - two survivors of the first war, schoolmates, touched by darkness, lonely outsiders, half-bloods, impoverished, and Snape has practical skills that can help Lupin while Lupin has social skills that can help Snape. Maybe if I find two other characters that I feel desperately need to be with each other, I will go looking at another fandom. But I doubt I would ever love Snape and Lupin any less. In fact, I look for Snapes and Lupins in all the entertainment I peruse now. They've become baseline characters for me. To go back to Karasu's other questions, I seek out fandoms when the entertainment somehow commands my dedication without fully satisfing me. I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer around the same time as XF, but I never went into the Buffy fandom because the show alone hit that spot inside me that said "this is enough". I think I've also stayed so long in HP because it's a book series. I was able to read to immerse myself in the world, learn the terminology and how it works through repetition of reading, which then gave me the confidence to eventually write in the HP world. Visual fandoms are much harder for me to become "proficient" at writing or discussing, so I'm more likely to end up lurking. Maybe now that I've had a taste of being social in a fandom, I'm less interested in going back to lurking. And as for adding other fandoms to the one I'm in now, I love grazing in real life when it comes to food, but not with fic. I want to read everything that pertains to a subject in which I'm interested. That's why I had to compartmentalize HP by eventually finding an OTP - there was far too much to read and see and I have the kind of grab-hands that want it all, now. Only, it's unrealistic for me to even try to enjoy all of fandom, so if I can't have it all, I'll just have this little OTP piece with occasional look-sees into the wider fandom. Splitting my focus among several fandoms would send me loopy. So, I guess if I can find a niche some day in a new fandom with a firm OTP and a canon in which I feel well-versed, I'll branch out. Until then...Snape/Lupin 4evah! love, lore 1

Thirty Days of Spam...Day 30 - Favorites [30 Nov 2009|12:12am] accioslash ( WriSoMiFu Day 30 - How do you decide on your favorite fics? ) 5

In Lieu Of An Actual Update... [29 Nov 2009|10:06pm] dementordelta This makes me insanely happy-- Santa Claus is Coming Out. Santa and Geppetto! Who knew?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year... [29 Nov 2009|04:30pm] r_grayjoy [ mood | excited ] ...is nearly upon us! And by that of course I mean FEST SEASON! ::runs around in little circles and throws Santa-shaped confetti:: In case it isn't obvious, I'm just a little bit excited about the holiday fests starting. I've already created spreadsheets for keeping track of what I've read. ::is a big dork:: From the mod end of things, everything for Kinky Kristmas is caught up and ready to start running on Tuesday. The stuff we've received so far is fantastic. No matter what other fests you plan to follow next month, you definitely want to keep an eye on daily_deviant! Aside from that, the only fest I'm participating in this year is snapelyholidays. So of course I'll be trying to read/view and comment on as much as possible over there. It was a fab fest last year, and I expect it to be awesome again this year. Other than that, I'll be picking and choosing from hp_yule_balls, snarry_holidays, harry_holidays, and lupin_snape's Snupin Santa. And I'll be posting recs, of course! We'll see how long I can keep up with all that. ;) So, f-list, tell me: What fests are you participating in this year? Where will you be reading/viewing and commenting? And remember: No matter what fests you watch and participate in this year, be sure to take a few moments to express your enjoyment of the works you view and read. Without the wonderful authors and artists, there would be no fandom as we know it. ♥ 9

Ouphe's/An Ouphe's fics *retires sub-pseudonyms* [29 Nov 2009|12:54pm] iulia_linnea As I'm wont to do, I went away and played as someone else for a while. Now that I'm engaging in a fandom tidy-up, however, I thought that I'd move these fics here. I hope that you enjoy them. :) fodirteg prompted me with Luna: purple, confidence, gurdy root. Originally posted under the sub-pseudonyms of ouphe (DW) and an_ouphe (LJ) on 23 August 2009. ( Ravenclaws Do It by the Book ) vegablack62 prompted me with Neville, Orange, bemused, Weasley grandfather clock with nine golden hands that told the condition of its members. Originally posted under the sub-pseudonyms of ouphe (DW) and an_ouphe (LJ) on 23 August 2009. ( The Tick-Tock of Fatherhood ) lalaith_niniel prompted me with Lucius: purple, envy, ever-bashing boomering. Originally posted under the sub-pseudonyms of ouphe (DW) and an_ouphe (LJ) on 24 August 2009. ( Splintering ) soberloki prompted me with George: red, despair, non-explodable luminous balloon. Originally posted under the sub-pseudonyms of ouphe (DW) and an_ouphe (LJ) on 24 August 2009. ( Fraternal Order ) Title: Clarity without Mirrors Author: iulia_linnea (Originally posted under the sub-pseudonyms of ouphe {DW} and an_ouphe {LJ} on 25 June 2009.) Character: Luna Lovegood Rating: PG Warnings (highlight to view): For light angst and mentions of past minor character death. Word Count: 1830 Summary: A ten-year-old Luna teaches herself to scry (and banishes a "demon" in the process). Disclaimer: This piece is based on characters and situations created by J. K. Rowling, and owned by J. K. Rowling and various publishers, including but not limited to: Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended by the posting of this fic. Author's Note: Thank you, Kay, for beta'ing. ( Clarity without Mirrors ) 1

November Blogging: day 29 [29 Nov 2009|12:10pm] scribbulus_ink [ mood | rushed ] I've finally updated Takes the Cake with another chapter! Between grading, other work stuff, Snupin Santa, and preparing for the memorial service, I've had little free time in which I haven't felt totally exhausted and brain-dead, so the editing process on this story has ground to a screeching halt. I've been working on it as I can, though, so it shouldn't be too much longer before the remainder is up. Before anyone can pipe up to complain about posting WsIP in the first place: 1) the story isn't a WIP; it's complete. It just hasn't been edited. 2) I thought I'd be finished long before now! Normally, I either edit and post our collaborations all at one go or I edit quickly and post as I finish editing, which takes a matter of days at the most with a steady stream of updates along the way. Because of RL, things didn't work out that way, which happens. All I can say is, it's not our usual pattern to string things out this long without regular updates, which I hope our readers realize. Anyway, must zoom. I've got to get dressed and run out the door, but I wanted to post right quick first since I'm not sure when I'll get home tonight, and I didn't want to break my November Blogging streak this close to the end! This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/518442.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals. 2

FIC: The Invitation [29 Nov 2009|02:37am] joanwilder Title: The Invitation Author: joanwilder aka RaeWhit Pairing: Harry/Severus Rating: PG Warnings: None Word Count: 707 Disclaimer: It all belongs to J.K.R. Summmary: A long-standing invitation is finally accepted. A/N: Written for angela_snape for correctly guessing my entry in snarry_ldws. She requested Snarry with a Yule theme. ( The Invitation ) 12

Thirty Days of Spam...Day 29 - Audience Participation [29 Nov 2009|12:19am] accioslash ( WriSoMiFu Day 29 - Recs for Fics synonymous with hot ) 20

navigation [ viewing | most recent entries ] [ go | earlier ]