| fandom is my (mostly) happy place |
[Jun. 14th, 2010|11:38 am] |
Dom and Sean Bean are in a movie about bored rich guys playing war (ETA: it's currently called "Soldier of Fortune" and there's more info and pictures on ![[livejournal.com profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif) dom_media (members only) and the Dominic Monaghan Resource.)
I looove this photo ( Dom and Sean Bean dressed as soldiers )
( This is not a beecake )
I don't usually inspire fic, but ![[personal profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) lannamichaels asked for a prompt and wrote a bittersweet 10-year-anniversary Lotrips fic: We Are Famous; Our Hearts Are Legends. The second-to-last line totally gets to me.
And as part of that fandom clan wank*, ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif) mochibuni wrote: I bet JK Rowling is thrilled, fucking thrilled I tell you, that Harry is having a Slytherin leather pants gang bang somewhere with Hermione watching over the proceedings while sitting on top of a gilded hippogriff throne I challenged her to write it, and she did, even more crackficcy! with JRR Tolkien as her unsympathetic psychotherapist: The JK Rowling Sessions.
* my only comment on the clan wank is that articulate people should not reply quickly and publicly when someone seems to attack them or things they love. Actually, none of us should post in public in that situation, but the more eloquent a writer, the bigger a hole they dig for themselves. |
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| update: Peter Jackson might direct the Hobbit Movie |
[May. 31st, 2010|03:16 pm] |
Hah! I said not to trust the agent! Peter talked to the New Zealand Dominion Post aka stuff.co.nz, and said:
Jackson met studio representatives yesterday to begin the search for a new director but wouldn't rule out directing The Hobbit himself if a suitable person could not be found.
"If that's what I have to do to protect Warner Bros' investment, then obviously that's one angle which I'll explore," he said. But stepping in as director would be difficult as he had signed writer and director contracts with Hollywood studios for two other films, with one likely to begin next year. "The other studios may not let me out of the contracts."
Lots of caveats there but it's better than nothing.
ETA: correction, it's stuff.co.nz, my favorite New Zealand site |
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| bad news about The Hobbit movie |
[May. 31st, 2010|11:59 am] |
The funding for the Hobbit movie is taking too long, the goddamn shitty studio executives around MGM acquisition couldn't finance their way out of a paper bag. They're not just delaying The Hobbit, they're screwing it up.
( Guillermo del Toro has to pull out of the project )
ETA editorial fussing + better icon + cut because of next entry |
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| USAians, don't be shy |
[Mar. 27th, 2010|01:19 pm] |
Health care reform is all very well and good, but I want all my fandom friends to be well and secure right away dammit! So I found some places that might help.
I had a boyfriend working for the 1980 Census (yes, I'm that old), and they kept him on for months after the first wave was over. So please consider applying: it can't hurt.
( apply for jobs with the Census )
Americans tend to be conflicted about asking for government help except when they are automatic and/or we feel we've earned it, like unemployment benefits. But we can't really be self-sufficient, not now or here. We need backup, and that's what government should be for.
( You may be eligible for medical coverage )
( more possible benefits ) |
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| Lotrips WIP rec #5: The Little AU |
[Mar. 18th, 2010|10:41 pm] |
A Viggo/Orlando/Karl ménage à trois AU, this series generally tracks real events in these actors' lives from 2000 to the present. A lovely series of vignettes, just slices of life: some blissfully happy, some intense, some frustrated. There's sex but that's not the point, the real story is of love. |
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| Lotrips WIP rec #4 - Beyond the Sea |
[Mar. 18th, 2010|12:01 am] |
Long, involved, satisfying AU wherein a stressed-out New York social worker (Dom), on a cruise where he meets a singer (Billy). Their characters are complex and realistic enough to make it more than a simple romance, and the sex is wonderful. Supporting roles by Sean Astin (social worker), Elijah (cruise ship steward) to Liv (manicurist). The first series, Beyond the Sea, is complete; the second, Threadbare Gypsy Soul is progressing nicely.
Warning: Realistic NYC social worker failures includes Details of child abuse and death.. |
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| Lotrips WIP rec #3 - The Heart of Ciara |
[Mar. 16th, 2010|08:58 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | recs | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | quixotic | ] |
Sean Astin is an Earl in Regency Britain who meets his heart's desire, falls madly in love, and insists on bestowing his family's heirloom gem. Elijah appears in Society as an empty-headed fop, but he is determined to help his sister marry an Englishman who will love and protect her. There's also a thief named "Le Petit Papillon", a cruel aristocrat, a doughty street urchin, a novelist mistress, at least one balloon, an incisive Countess, and true love, all written in delightful period style. The journey is the reward.
My Lotrips recs featuring Sean Astin
ETA: fixed two bad links, what was I thinking? |
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| Lotrips WIP rec #2 - The Beguilement |
[Mar. 15th, 2010|08:48 pm] |
The Beguilement by itstonedme
Gorgeous sensuous AU series in which Orlando is a designer, Elijah a high-end prostitute, but none of that matters when they meet, and two years later, meet again. Beautifully written explicit sex with a strong emotional connection between them. Cameos by Dom and Ian McKellan. Most sections are about 3,000 words. First sections are standalones, later ones are more of a series. All of it compelling and hot as hell.
Other Elijah/Orlando fic recs |
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| Lotrips WIP recommendation #1 - Incline of Trees |
[Mar. 14th, 2010|10:42 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | recs | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | enthralled | ] |
A WIP is a Work In Progress: an incomplete series. I enjoy reading them in installments, though I know many other people don't. My favorites are finished enough to be satisfying as they stand.
Incline of Trees by kiltsandlollies and almaviva.
AU Billy is a professor at a British university and Dom is a student. They meet and find themselves falling in love. Yearning, angst and deep love, along with smoking hot sex and D/s and more angst, it's fabulous writing. Start with Acting on a Crush, as it was the beginning of it all: you can go back later.
I was going to post them all at once, but I have too many and want to give each their chance to shine. So: a WIP of WIPs (kinky!)
ETA: link to all my fic recs |
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| Fic: "Please. Sir." (Billy/Dom, NC-17 D/s) |
[Feb. 17th, 2010|12:11 am] |
Finally managed to post a new Push/Pull/Push fic!
Title: "Please. Sir."
Authors: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) msilverstar and unstealthy
Pairing: Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Dominance/submission, beating
Disclaimer: Fiction, not true, we made it up
Summary/Excerpt: "I want to see you see yourself," Billy says, a little sternly, "see you obeying me."
Series Note: This is set in an alternate universe where Dom, Billy and Rachel Weisz have a happy kinky ménage à trois, with only a little angst: chronological list. This one is set in New Zealand, May 2000.
"Please. Sir." on livejournal || on dreamwidth || Ao3 later |
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| fandom love |
[Jan. 24th, 2010|06:12 pm] |
I've really admired the fannish generosity in the help_haiti community. They already have over $45,000 in confirmed donations, and may double that.
I won lotrips fic by: sema427 (formerly semaphore27, she's back!), lobelia321, v_angelique, viggorlijah, and foxtales: fangirl squeee!!!!
So I made my donations to the help_haiti group for UNICEF. and the Doctors Without Borders emergency relief fund. Why that fund and not their Haiti fund? Because non-profits and charities have to work under a zillion constraints, and earmarking donations to specific funds just adds to that, and makes them less able to handle future crises. A good post on the topic. |
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| You'd think by now I could keep track |
[Jan. 16th, 2010|10:29 am] |
Why did I think my birthday was tomorrow instead of today? ( I blame the calendar people )
Thank you to everyone who wishes me well. It makes me feel lovely! What I'd like in fandom, (besides a bunch of handsome naked actors, more lotrips, my writing mojo back, and a pony), is for people to read my recs! They're at diigo.com/user/msilverstar (an experiment, some truncated descriptions) and delicious.com/msilverstar, msil_fanfic_rec feed on LJ, ![[syndicated profile]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png) msil_fanfic_recs_feed on Dreamwidth.
<3 fandom and you wonderful dear people, thank you for being so fabulous! |
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| my take on LJ Genderfail |
[Dec. 15th, 2009|09:18 am] |
For quite a while LiveJournal has had three profile options for gender: male / female / unspecified. Someone decided to "fix" that, for whatever commercial or gender-normative reason, and limit choices to male and female.
But LJ is full of people who do not fit into either of those two options, and get righteously pissed off. rm posts about how wrong this change is, and synecdochic explains more and suggests polite but firm feedback.
This works: LJ backs down and promises to remove the offending code.
Crisis averted, but people may want to take a look at Dreamwidth, http://dreamwidth.org They have split off the code into something better than an LJ clone, and are building a sustainable business based on subscriptions rather than ads. They keep adding cool new features, the most important of which is separating a subscription (see someone's journal posts on your reading pages) from access (let someone see locked posts of your own). I have a bunch of invitation codes, please just let me know if you want one. |
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| I <3 Riverkids |
[Dec. 13th, 2009|10:01 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | world | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | grateful | ] |
There are so many worthy causes in the world, but one of mine is The Riverkids Project, which helps kids and families in Cambodia. It's terribly common for girls and women to get lured or kidnapped into sex work, and the Riverkids workers help them avoid that and escape if necessary. I learned about this from an LJ friend and the project just touches my heart.
There are great also presents at The Riverkids Shop, where 100% of profit goes to support the kids. They ship so fast, even from Singapore, about four days; they beat Amazon to my house at least twice! I have a embroidered flower purse that makes me smile every time I look at it. |
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| we are all special snowflakes! |
[Dec. 7th, 2009|09:07 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | fandom | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | chilly | ] |
 <3 to all my friends and acquaintances! LJ can't possibly have enough pressies for me to give them to everyone that I like! So: a photo of a real snowflake, by fwwidall on flickr.
Also, I break out my seasonal icon, Viggo in drag with a menorah crown, made by the talented absolutefiction. |
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| fanspam! |
[Nov. 8th, 2009|06:20 pm] |
I'm not doing NaNoWrimo, but am doing WriSoMiFu (Write Something You Miserable Fuck). I've written 1663 1403 words of what's going to be some very kinky character development for Billy in our Push-Pull-Push universe. Also going to be posting a new fic there tomorrow, finally
 Charlize Theron went to the AFI tribute to Viggo this week. Shame her dress is so fugly. I thought the GoFug girls would hate it, and I was right. It's all pretty awful, but that hemline is all kinds of fail. via just_jared, I think.
There's a really good interview with Viggo on the CBC site for the show The Hour. He shows up about 28 minutes in, saying he drove from New York state and got stuck at the border: he's clearly a bit punchy and silly, makes Leafs jokes (Toronto hockey team) in the middle of describing The Road (very spoilery), and generally seems a bit sillier than normal. Link from viggo-works.
Dom with a snake on his head ( cut for squicks )
Short documentary on Sean Bean's movie Cash, has ( Sean in an amusing pompadour hairstyle ) link via bean_daily
And finally, ( Sir Christopher Lee! ) |
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| USAians and Canadians, time change tonight |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|11:19 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | world | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | awake | ] |
This is the "Fall back" switch from Daylight Savings Time, so set your clocks to 11 pm at midnight or whenever: you can always check timeanddate.com, just to be sure. I'm going to try and think of it as an extra hour to sleep in or get things done.
ETA to add Our Neighbors To The North |
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| Geocities sites will be gone soon |
[Oct. 11th, 2009|01:17 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | fandom | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | worried | ] |
Geocities is closing down on the 26 October 2009, and they're going to just delete everything on it. So if anyone has a site there, be sure to save a copy on your local hard drive.
I think these parts of fandom history are worth saving! There are several ways to keep the content on the web:
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| So ridonk! |
[Sep. 13th, 2009|09:32 am] |
(via hope) - long video clip of John Barrowman in shorts and high heels, queering the song "I Kissed a Girl". |
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| Good Hobbit Movie News |
[Sep. 8th, 2009|10:15 pm] |
Positive news, Tolkien estate settles 'Lord of the Rings' wrangle, so there's no legal shadow over The Hobbit film going ahead. It seemed like this was coming, but is good to see it happen.
Also, Guillermo Del Toro went onto the TORn forums, talking about the the episodic nature of the Hobbit as a story. He says, Thorin & Co repeatedly go:
BANQUET-TRAPPED-FREED (Trolls, Goblins, Spider, Elves)
...
when studying for PANS LABYRINTH, I found out that the "predictable outcome" of these episodes is part of the charm of this particular form of tale. So, don’t be afraid, we are truly trying to preserve the charm of it- the whimsy of it
...
We need to make sure there are "long lines" emotionally (growth, friendship, etc) amongst Thorin & Co and dramatically (how episodes "build" upon each other ) that will make everything feel more fluid.
(there's more, all good.) This is very reassuring, and gives me hope that they'll get it right. |
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| my delicious runneth over |
[Aug. 24th, 2009|12:49 am] |
I have been making so many recs, I love reccing, I want all appropriate people to see the gorgeous fic! I also have about 800 recs at delicious.com/msilverstar, maybe you'll like some of those...
My main fandom is now and always will be Lotrips. But I've branched out a bit, and rec fic in lots of other fandoms (including ones like SGA that I don't even watch), because good stories are worth sharing.
So: ( my last 12 recs: lotrips, bandom, merlin, torchwood )
That would be lotrips, bandom, merlin (mostly RPS and/or AUs), and doctor who/torchwood. Feeds are at delicious/rss/msilverstar, msil_fanfic_recs on LJ, msil_fanfic_recs_feed on dreamwidth.
I would post recs here more often if it wasn't such a huge pain in the ass. This took me hours to fix up and I hate the format. Anyone have a nice delicious to LJ/DW script that runs on Macs? I'll run a command-line program in the Terminal if I have to. |
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| webcomic recs for kidlet? |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|01:53 pm] |
I'm looking for webcomic recommendations for my kidlet (she's now 9, she was 3 when I got sucked into fandom, wow). She has read and liked Get Medieval, Gunnerkrigg Court, and the Order of the Stick so far. She likes silliness, puns and adventures. Also, minimal angst and violence; and young sympathetic characters are always good. Thanks in advance from both of us!
PS I've been reccing a bit lately, Lotrips and otherwise, at delicious.com/msilverstar |
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| gorgeous new Billy & Beecake picture |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|10:39 pm] |
 Beecake just posted a link to this via their @OfficialBeecake account on Twitter: click the (+) button on twitpic to get the huge version:
(cross-posted a bit. actually, a lot.)
ETA: all of their current stuff is at Myspace/BeecakeBand
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| California Prop 8 Fail |
[May. 26th, 2009|10:48 am] |
The fail was back in November when a small majority of voters went against equal marriage rights. The state supreme court just upheld the proposition, because they are bound to decide on the law rather than principle. At least they also confirmed the legal marriages during the interim. But it's not the court's fault, it's the voters' fault, so that's where we have to fight it next.
MarriageEquality.org has a list of protests and actions (mostly in California).
DayOfDecision.com has another list
There are twitter reports from the Sacramento protest at twitter.com/stop8dotorg and from San Francisco at twitter.com/geminiwench with lots of pictures. More coming at twitter #rejectprop8
Couragecampaign.org is proposing a Meet in the Middle demonstration reaching out from the coastal liberal cities to the more conservative inland California.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win -- Ghandi |
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| photogenic Viggo |
[May. 24th, 2009|11:57 pm] |
 From the Italian-language magazine Sport Week, via the wonderous viggo-works
*is happy fangirl*
ETA: Italian, I should have known! |
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| last chance for Lotrips Remix... |
[May. 20th, 2009|04:50 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | fandom | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | thoughtful | ] |
It's the very end of sign-ups, so if you've been wavering, go quick and join in, please! lotrips_remix
I'm seeing those anon feedback memes, but probably won't participate. I try hard to leave fb on specific stories, and rec them (unless I've lost their url, which does happen). Anyone who might want writing feedback, I'm up for it. I personally like it best at beta stage, so there's scope for making changes. <3 you all! |
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| WTF, F/SF? Learn to listen, k? |
[May. 18th, 2009|04:02 pm] |
I've been quiet about Mammothgate (Racefail 09 part deux), partly because it's so easy for me to understand the blindness going on there. I doubt I would have even noticed the assumptions, much less thought of speaking out against them. I just didn't see it either, completely missed the wrongness of handwavingly undoing the existence of all Native Americans for the sake of an interesting story.
Though I have learned that listening is a whole lot better than trying to justify oneself about things that matter like this. The author and defenders didn't think: would they have argued so much if it was a huge anachronism they missed, or a quote from someone 100 years later? Why not shut up and learn, and maybe say Oh shit, I screwed up.
Following a bunch of links I found a fabulous essay by a woman of color writing Science Fiction/Fantasy, Nalo Hopkinson: Looking for clues It's all good, articulate, emotional and inspiring. My favorite bit is this:
... by Samuel R. Delany, which comes from a speech he gave at the Studio Museum of Harlem: "We need visions of the future, and our people need them more than most."
Which is true and right and meaningful but she follows immediately with this:
And yet, that isn't really why I write science fiction and fantasy. It's more like the result, not the reason. Or like the air I'm breathing when I sit down to write.
I hope, very much, we can go on from there. |
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| trying this again |
[May. 1st, 2009|06:04 pm] |
Dreamwidth invites - I have a couple left ETA none left evening of May 1st, but I should get more eventually. So, if you want them, please comment and I'll do what I can. There are already nifty new features (like comment preview, whee!) and bugs fixed daily: it's pretty exciting to be around.
( DWO stuff - for interested parties only )
Happy May Day in any case!
(this is a repost of a cross-post because my first one failed. It's been a week like that.) |
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| Swine Flu is not gonna kill you |
[Apr. 28th, 2009|10:56 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | world | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | quixotic | ] |
a) "pandemic" just means it's everywhere, not that it's killing everyone. don't panic
b) there have been no deaths outside of Mexico, at this point
c) my tame scientist says that there are probably a lot of infected people in Mexico who have not reported symptoms, so even if there is a death rate of 0.01%, that's enough to explain those numbers
d) wash your hands, a lot. If you work with kids, make them wash their hands
e) some good sources of real information (inspired by  linaelyn )
panic is silly |
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| journaling and stuff |
[Apr. 22nd, 2009|07:26 pm] |
thefourthvine says: Sometimes you may say to yourself: all these people have me friended. And yet I posted a story (or a link, or four extremely compelling pictures of my cat, including one where she almost had a ribbon on her head) and many of them have not commented! You may wonder why. You may even be downcast in your wonderment and confusion.
She has been doing some careful research on this very topic, and she has all the answers. WHAT a relief to have it put in perspective that way ;-) If you are a lurker, that's OK with me. But just so you know, even short comments on any of my posts are precious. I am always greedy for more.
Plus: GIP. That there my icon is me, in my Big Chair, all blurry but that disguises all my chins. That is my laptop with my old-style rainbow apple sticker. I use the other one too much in my work persona.
This text is supposed to follow a test cut tag. It wasn't working on crossposting from DWO yesterday. Let's see if it does today. And some more Dreamwidth stuff:
+ zarah's post on Dreamwidth for Dummies
+ zvi's excellent post on How to follow someone who has moved to Dreamwidth (or most any other journaling /blogging system).
PS I have no invite codes, but probably will on April 30. Just tell me if you want one. |
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| I am wilted |
[Apr. 21st, 2009|09:19 pm] |
It's been really hot here. Way beyond my normal tolerance, as the temperatures are usually in the 70s F/ 20s C. Yesterday it was 91 F / 32.8 C! Today 89/ 31.6. I know that's normal summer for lots of people (even 10 miles inland or south), but we're wusses. Berkeley has eight to twelve really hot days a year, so we don't have air conditioning, even a swamp cooler, and our house just gets hot and stays hot. So please forgive me when I sound a bit addled and/or do not comment on something.
( crossposting test did not keep my cut. grump. )
I'll be cross-posting for the foreseeable future, I couldn't leave my peeps at LJ/JF/IJ! *clutches you all* |
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| amazonfail |
[Apr. 12th, 2009|02:46 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | wank | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | angry | ] |
Amazon has just re-defined pretty much every book in their Gay and Lesbian section as "adult" and removed their "sales rank" and listings in the bestseller lists. As though their existence is too scary for children. I'm a mom, gay is just a word for some of our relatives: how dare Amazon try to make them disappear?
This is just wrong and stupid. One author of a non-explicit gay YA book, markprobst , got this explanationIn consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller listas. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. For more WTF? see the list of suppressed books, including Brokeback Mountain, Edmund White's A Boy's Own Story, Tipping the Velvet, Heather Has Two Mommies, and Challenging Homophoba: Teaching About Sexual Diversity.
Not affected: heterosexual novels including violent rape and/or explicit rape (Laurel Hamilton, etc.) And their featured blog of the day includes a trailer for the video game Terminator:Salvation (rated teen). So it's clearly not violence they're worried about.
What to do: use the word #amazonfail on Twitter and blogs, at the very least. Link to the smartbitches redefinition of Amazon Rank. Gosh, Amazon has some blogs with comments enabled. We could... comment.
(cross-posted, sorry) |
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| LJ down for maintenance |
[Feb. 3rd, 2009|09:10 pm] |
They really did plan it this time, maintenance window. LJ should be back up around two hours from now (now being 9 PM PST / 5 AM GMT) |
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| Sir Terry Pratchett! Really! |
[Dec. 31st, 2008|04:56 pm] |
via ithiliana, Sir Terry was on the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to literature. and he (of course) is gracious and charming about it.
May the rest of the New Year be as good to all of us!
PS slashababy fics are up, and I even wrote one, solo, wheee. |
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| I am a lemming |
[Nov. 30th, 2008|01:26 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | memes | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | amused | ] |
( I am lemming, hear me roar )
ETA: I don't send holiday cards (I used to try, but then it was February...). So please don't feel you should send me anything. Let's just make some time for each other, soon. Even if you've been lurking, I'm curious about who you are and what you like. |
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![[info - dreamwidth.org]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_other.png)
