rusty_halo

Dude. I go off LJ for a couple of weeks, and no one bothers to tell me that Dumbledore is gay?

I mean, I read him as gay anyway (Dumbledore/Grindelwald was the slashiest thing since ... well, since Remus/Sirius), but I see the world through slash goggles. I'm pretty stunned that she actually came out and said it.

Yes, I'm annoyed that it's not canonical. Yes, my shipper heart is pissed that she didn't follow it up with "and Remus and Sirius were bisexual."

But. Mostly I think it's cool that she said it at all.

[X-Posted]

I'm making InsaneJournal my main journal for now, but for the time-being, I'll also be cross-posting to my LiveJournal. (Eventually I will stop posting in LJ, but I'll give plenty of warning when that happens.)

I picked InsaneJournal because, compared to its rivals, the server is faster and the code seems more up to date. The account-creation process is easier than that of JournalFen and its dictator is more benevolent than that of GreatestJournal (which is no better than LJ in terms of random deletion of users). I am still awaiting a real non-profit alternative, though.

So, anyway, a couple of things about InsaneJournal, if you're also thinking of moving:

* It's ugly, but you can fix it! Go here to change the default site layout. Some of the options are still ugly, but the text-only version is as clean and simple as you can get. (This is not your journal style; it's the site style).

* You can change your journal style; InsaneJournal supports S1 and S2 styles. (Go here to do so if you already have an account.)

* You can still read your LJ friends via syndication. Instructions here.

* Free users could only have 100 friends. Well, they just changed it to 250. Yay!

* You can buy a permanent account for only $40. It comes with tons of features. I bought one.

* I'm trying to keep my FL at InsaneJournal up-to-date (ie, I'm trying to add anyone on my LJ friendslist who creates an InsaneJournal). I'm terribly haphazard about this, though, and have probably missed people. It's not intentional; just let me know if you want to be on my FL in any of the other places.

(Thanks to miggy for pointing some of this out.)

Other stuff:

* I loved fodian's post about why disturbing art should not be banned.

* elfgirl summed up the repulsiveness of Six Apart's stance on pro-anorexia communities. While frequently contradicting themselves, Six Apart has said that even if artwork depicting underaged characters engaging in sexual acts is legal, they think it's icky and don't want it on their servers. But they allow hate speech and groups that teach young women how to kill themselves, "because it's legal." Having already said that they'll delete legal stuff if it offends them, we can only assume that they're okay with racism and girls starving themselves?

(I'm not saying these disgusting communities should be deleted; I'm hugely in favor of free speech. But if you're going to selectively decide which "legal but icky" stuff you're going to delete, isn't actual people being hurt worse than fictional characters having sex?)

* "User Generated Content" & Ownership: The User as Citizen - a great post about the larger issues at stake here.

* We're on Slashdot.

And in real-life news:

* I went to see Juliette and the Licks (Juliette Lewis's band) play five acoustic songs at the Union Square Virgin Megastore the other day. They were really good. Juliette is a passionate singer and amazing performer, and the band was energetic and fun. Plus, the crowd was pretty small--you could just walk right up to the stage, and the band was just walking around interacting.

I bought their album, and it's okay, but the live performance was much better. If you get a chance to see them, I highly recommend it.

* jaydk and I went to see Harry Potter 5 in IMAX again last night. That's the fourth time I've seen the movie, and the second in IMAX. It's just so cool! (Still not Alfonso Cuaron cool, but what is?) Then we stayed out late having dinner and talking endlessly about Harry Potter. It's fun to share an obsession! (She loves Remus, I love Sirius, so we squee over the same moments but for totally different reasons.)

She keeps telling me that I *must* read a story called "Beyond the Veil" by Helene, but I can't find it anywhere. (All the Google results lead to broken links.) I don't suppose anyone out there knows where I could find it?

We're ridiculously excited about DragonCon; check out the YA Lit Track schedule. (I am totally going to check out at least one Cassandra Clare panel this year! And I'll totally be polite and sit in the back and not snicker.)

And the Goth Track schedule is looking pretty good, too, although I'm upset that they've scheduled what looks like the most interesting panel ("The Craft of Songwriting" with Andy Deane, Rick Joyce, Rogue, and Voltaire) on Monday at 2:30pm, when I'll already be gone. :( (Although the good news is that I'm going to Disney World for the Pirate Party on Monday night with jaydk and drujan--yes, drujan is finally coming to DragonCon!)

[Cross-posted to my InsaneJournal].

There are NO SPOILERS in this post. None at all. This is just my observations of the four Harry Potter parties I went to on Friday night. I'll post my book reaction in my next post.

Wow, so um, I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I got started late because I went to four Harry Potter release parties. I mean, I figure, if you live in Manhattan and Manhattan gets taken over by Harry Potter mania, you ought to experience it. Once in a lifetime thing, you know?

( Union Square B&N )

( Scholastic's 'Harry Potter Alley' )

( McNally Robinson's 'Harry Potter for Adults' )

( And I finally get the book at the Lincoln Center B&N )

And my reaction is coming up, um, as soon as I write it....

A funny post about fangirls.

Great post about history/interpretation/narrative.

I'm still all achy from that Audioslave mosh pit. Stupid drunk assholes.

Watched a bit of Queer as Folk last night, and realized that I've become an actual B/M shipper. I suppose this is a result of all the discussion and fic-reading I've engaged in recently. This was the first time I've watched the show from this perspective, and it was weird. In this episode, Michael snuck away from Dr. Asshole to bring Brian junk food and get drunk, because Brian got accused of sexual harrassment. They were so adorable together OMG!

Not that I expect them to be together on the show or anything, I just enjoy watching them. And reading fic about them. (I keep getting bits of Chase's story confused with canon, which makes sense; I've read it three times, and seen the series only once.) I'm the same with Remus/Sirius--I love them together, but no expectations, duh.

I was never really a shipper with Spike. I'd read anything as long as it was written well... though I became a bit of an anti-S/B shipper at the end there. Well, and I've got a bit of a S/A kink--not that I'd ever want them together, I hate Angel, but good S/A fic can be so hot (for the exact same fucked-up power dynamic reasons that I'd never actually approve of the relationship).

I saw Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on Friday. It was mediocre, though it had some funny bits; at least it wasn't bad. Zaphod was funny, probably the best part, along with the little clips from the Guide. The tacked on love story was nauseating. Marvin was stupidly designed, but Alan Rickman was good. Whenever he spoke, I imagined a teenage Snape.

My roommate called today and said he's moving out. I don't even have the energy to be upset. Anyone want to come live in the East Village in a small expensive apartment with two cats and a Brian/Michael shipper?

Yeah, didn't think so. Off to Craigslist....

Tonight, I plan to get drunk on Mexican beer.

Have you guys read this? The Third by Thamiris. It's a Harry Potter/Smallville crossover (Lex Luthor goes to Hogwarts) that's actually, surprisingly, exceptionally good. (NC-17, Sirius/James, Remus/Lex, Remus/Sirius, Sirius/Lex.) I had a hard time getting past the premise, but ended up loving the story.

I also read everything so far of shoebox_project this weekend. It's entertaining and all, and the pictures are amazing, but there's only so much teenage boy goofiness you can read before you start wishing for something more substantial. (Though I thought it got more compelling as it progressed.)

I didn't read any Spike fic this weekend. Yes, I feel guilty. Please don't kill me.

I'm really not a masochist at all, so I can't figure out why I keep reading Sirius Black centric fic when it ends up depressing the hell out of me. Even happy silly marauders stories upset me, because we all know what happens in the end. And even in the happiest school days fic, the writers always have to be "clever" and throw in some veiled foreshadowing--"Gee, wouldn't it suck if we all turned evil, died horribly, or ended up entirely alone?" And then how are you supposed to enjoy the rest of the story?

I hate that I get so emotionally involved in fictional worlds.

Also, this weekend, I listened to a lot of Common Rotation (as I read fic, did laundry, cleaned house, and played catch-the-laser-light with my cats). I'm really looking forward to seeing them again in Oakland (it's been almost three whole weeks since I've seen them live!). And I'm feeling annoyed at myself for going to two Eric Kufs solo shows and not really caring. I wish I'd paid attention, because he actually sings really pretty. (The hidden track at the end of the The Big Fear is my favorite.)

I was going to say other stuff, but I can't remember what it was and I'm tired and I have to go work now. Stupid energy-draining job.

Oh, and I got my photos back from Writercon, and I will post them once I figure out how to get my scanner working again.

Saw Common Rotation last night at psubrat's house. They were excellent, and it was very kind of psubrat to have everyone over. (Thank you, psubrat, for having us! And thank you chenanceou and jerrymcl89 for bringing me and soulmate815 along with you.)

It feels very strange (in a good way) to be sitting on someone's living room floor with a bunch of your friends, watching a band play immediately in front of you. Especially when one of those band members played a sociopathic sexbot builder on a show you used to be obsessed with. It's just ... a surreal experience.

Tons of people were there; it was wonderful to see everyone. I miss them all already. I'm very glad to know that, between WriterCon, Vulkon Oakland, DragonCon, and London, I'll be seeing nearly everyone again before the year is over.

(The car ride totally killed me, unfortunately, so I'm sorry if I wasn't great company. I'm especially sorry for ignoring everyone on the car ride back, but I really just had to zone out and pretend I was somewhere else.)

I feel so utterly dead today, but I'm going to try to see Common Ro again tonight anyway. I'm going to guzzle a couple of those energy drinks and then rush from work to catch the LIRR out to this park in Long Island where they're playing free. (Nice thing about the LIRR? Trains usually don't make me motion sick.) I just need an excuse to have road-trip adventure type things, y'know? And Common Ro is as good an excuse as any....

And, off topic, have I mentioned how annoyed I am that my brain insists on Sirius Black as a new obsession? It's really not good. I mean, yes, fascinating character, and wonderful fic, and a large fan community ... but ... I spend the whole time on the verge of tears! And the littlest things are liable to push me over the edge -- like the icon on this post [ETA: the icon on this page, top left, labelled "harry>>death>>unknown"] as I was scanning my friends list. Everyone at work must think I have really bad allergies, as I sit at work with tears periodically streaming down my face throughout the day.

(It's weird, how emotional I get over fictional things. It's not that I can't separate fantasy from reality. It's more like, when I get upset about some sad thing that happened in fiction, I always think about how, given all of human history, similar horrible things have happened to real people. And it's so sad and unfair!!! And so on.)

anniesj wrote this gorgeous, amazing, heart-breaking Sirius/Remus fic that made me cry at work. Read it here.

I'm currently compulsively reading my way through musesfool's RL/SB recs list, which is awesome. Very helpful to someone who is new to the pairing....

I've never had an OTP before, but I really do love this pairing....

I'm eating a varied box of gorgeous, delicious heirloom tomatoes from the Union Square greenmarket. I love that place.

( apartment bitching )

I haven't been reading Buffyverse fic. I'm at the point now where my instant reaction is to recoil at even the mention of it. I'm just so not into that universe anymore at all, and I so hate what Mutant Enemy did to it. I was a fan of soulless Spike, not of soulled Spike, and yet I spent ages watching miserably this character who replaced/destroyed the character I loved. The idea of doing that for even one second longer is pretty horrifying. Sorry.

Here's an idea, though. I'm feeling guilty about ignoring fanfic writers who might want their recent work archived on my site. If you're one of those people who I've archived before, could you possibly send me a list (with links) to your recent finished-ready-to-be-archived work that might fit All About Spike? I find that quite a few writers have a hesitancy to promote themselves this way, but believe me, this will make it much easier on me. Otherwise I worry and panic and think "I've missed so much that she's written lately; there's no way I'll ever catch up, so why even bother?" Whereas if you just list it for me, I can catch up easily and not feel like I'm missing something.

ck594us did this, and notice, I read and archived her recent work very quickly.

Of course, if it's a pain to do this, don't bother. But if you're wishing your stuff was archived at AAS, this would make it happen much more quickly.

I think I'm probably going to stick to reading Spike fic from authors I've read and archived before, or else stuff that's hugely highly recommended. I'm not going to just randomly pick up a Spike fic and start reading it anymore. I'd like to; I really enjoyed running my website. But I'm just so not interested in the topic at all.

And this damn Harry Potter fanfic keeps calling me....

And just to clarify for the millionth time, I'm not going to shut All About Spike down. Not for years and years and years, if ever. It's an archive, it should be there for people to read and reference, even if I'm not updating it anymore.

Okay. I made an attempt to catch up with LJ last night. *backs away slowly, hands in air*

Seriously. We're, like, eating each other alive now, or something?

Um, I'm glad I missed most of it.

Actually, I suppose the abundance of kerfuffles makes sense right now. It's not a conscious "well, the show is over, so let's create drama by fighting with each other." It's just ... the show is over, so the whole landscape of Buffyverse fandom is changing. There's bound to be a few earthquakes in the process. Groups that once were pretty stable, or were used to slow degrees of change, are suddenly shattering and shifting. And plenty of (formerly repressed?) steam is spewing out in the process.

We're all drifting away, or moving on to different interests, or still focused on the same thing but watching our friends drift away. And it's especially difficult to watch people you admire, or have bonded with, drift away into something else, especially something you find completely lame, or offensive, or whatever. And so on. At least, that's how I'm understanding it; it's better than "well, everyone's all got PMS at once."

So I'm just going to be off in my corner posting pictures of my cats and having nothing insightful to say.

Actually, I'm sort of wondering where I'm going to end up, interest-wise. I'm trying very hard to start reading RPS, because such amazing people are writing it. (If kita0610 and wiseacress and _jolielaide are this into it, it must be worthwhile. And I'm missing good fic by not reading it!) So we'll see. I have issues, not moral but emotional, which I may or may not overcome.

Or maybe I'll get into Sirius/Remus fic. I adore Sirius Black, and I suppose Lupin's as good a partner as any (alas, I don't really get the appeal of Lupin on his own, despite jaydk's attempts to convert me). Plus, lots are people are into it now thanks to the third movie. ( spoilers for book 5 )

I feel sort of lost, not having a passionate interest driving me onward. Nothing has really grabbed me emotionally yet. But then, it's also neat to be sort of interested in lots of things, instead of passionately obsessed with one thing. And, well, much better than passionately hating one thing.

I'm sort of ... posting for the sake of posting, right now. I don't actually have anything to say. These entries always embarrass the hell out me when I read them later.

Oh, here's something. I have no clue what this means, but whatever.

( clique meme )

I should really archive some fic today....

Well, must get going for now, as my coworkers are taking me out to lunch. Quite nice of them. :)