Otter's Rock

The first draft of my help_haiti story is done, and I need a beta!  It's 1900 words of Data gen, post-Descent.
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Title: Strangers in Airports
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Criminal Minds

( Strangers in Airports )


Title: Crossing Timelines?
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Torchwood

( Crossing Timelines )


Title: Who watches the watchers?
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Highlander

( Who Watches the Watchers )


Title: A Visitor from Valhalla
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Stargate: SG-1

( A Visitor from Valhalla )


Title: Wrong Redhead
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Harry Potter

( Wrong Redhead )


Title: Just Another Politician
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Star Trek Enterprise

( Just Another Politician ) This entry was originally posted at http://beatrice-otter.dreamwidth.org/161219.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

hradzka pointed out the trailer of a Kenyan SF short that's playing at Sundance, and OMFG I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!
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If you are a fan of the Vorkosigan series, you absolutely must go read Forward Momentum by bracketyjack now.  (And if you've never read the Vorkosigan series, you need to go read it and then go read Forward Momentum.)

In this story, set post-Winterfair Gifts and AU before Diplomatic Immunity, bracketyjack takes LMB's famous dictum for coming up with character-centered plots (figure out the worst possible thing you can do to a character and then do it to him or her) and takes it absolutely opposite (figure out the best possible thing you can do and then do it).  It works surprisingly well when combined with a note-perfect depiction of (almost) all characters and the Vorkosiverse in general, particularly underlying thematic and historical aspects of it.  (Okay, I didn't quite like the way she handled Ivan.  But he was such a minor bit-player in this story that it didn't bother me much.)  bracketyjack calls this novel the companion-piece to a scholarly essay he/she has written about the Vorkosigan books, and I believe it; there is an astonishing amount of meta packed into a lot of places, mostly moments of clarity and analysis from people who are, after all, exceptionally smart and perspective and have enough pieces of enough puzzles to put much together when they decide to.

Here's my comment to the story:
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So, racism's been a recent meta topic, does that mean it's time for feminism?

I guess so.  Because I just read two awesome essays on the ugly underbelly of misogyny in slash fandom in general.

Why can't a woman be more like a man? by bookshop 
On female characters "not being good enough" by tielan 

Go.  Read now.

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Right now I'm at a seminar that's just absolutely wonderful.  The class has been great, and there's been free time to wander around Seattle and do touristy things.  Also, this afternoon I was able to go out with my brother and sister-in-law, and we had a great time.  The problem is, my left hip has never been quite right, and all the walking I've done this last week has it screaming.  (It's gotten worse since I was a kid and all it did was make learning to do the breath-stroke harder than it should have been in swimming lessons.)  I know, I know, if I were a better girl and did more exercise, it would not hurt as much now.  And there are a lot of people who have worse problems than me.  It is still Not Fun to get back to my host home at 9:00 at night and have to hold both the wall and the rail to make it down the stairs.  Not-quite-thirty-year-olds aren't supposed to have these kinds of problems.  But the class has been absolutely wonderful.

Also, winged_mammal won me in help_haiti and has several very interesting Data gen prompts to choose from, which I am looking forward to writing as soon as I'm not in a seminar anymore and have time to re-watch episodes and think.  (BTW, does anyone know if TNG episodes are available online anywhere?  I only have season three on DVD, and the eps I need are later in the series.)

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help_haiti is a community for people who are offering works (particularly fanworks) for sale, all proceeds to go to Haiti relief.  My offering post is here.

Please, folks, the Haitians need a lot of help, and they're going to need a lot of help in the long term.  Whether you want to buy a fanwork or just give directly, I know times are tough but every little bit helps.  My charity of choice is LWR, which is an organization with a long history of good work around the world.
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I have just signed up to write for:


trekreversebigbang 


It sounds like a lot of fun!  Artists make fics, and then authors fic them!  And the commitment of 6k words is doable.  (I can't write long stories on a deadline, they don't percolate through my head like that.  Alas, without a deadline, I get too easily distracted by the shiny of other stories.)
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So, my fate is in the hands of the Oregon Synod's Candidacy Committee.  They were going to decide whether I would be allowed to go on internship again last Thursday, but said they didn't have time to actually see me, so I shouldn't even bother to show up, and they'd make the decision based on paperwork and reports from various advisors and mentors.  (This was more than slightly nerve-wracking, as without their approval I can't go on internship, and without internship I can't progress any further in my program.  Most probably, if they hadn't said yes, they would have said I had to wait a year or two ... but I'll finish the academic stuff this coming semester, so I couldn't just keep going to seminary, so I'd have to get a job for a year, in this economy, good enough to live on and start paying back my student loans on.)  I was told it was probably a good sign that they didn't feel the need to see me, because that probably meant they were going to support me, because if they were going to turn me down they'd want to tell me to my face, and if they were wavering they'd want to see me in person.  Nevertheless, the waiting was Not Easy.

I've known this date for months.  Thursday afternoon I sat by the phone and waited for them to call me and let me know.  Friday afternoon I kept my cell with me and charged up, but was too chickenshit to actually call and ask.  Monday the office was closed.  Today, I called.  Turns out, they were waiting until they had the formal letter of notice to my candidacy committee written, and were going to notify me by emailing a copy.  I am so relieved!
( Excerpt from the letter, for those interested. ) Our committee attests that Anna Haugen has demonstrated significant commitment and maturity by taking a difficult and painful situation and using it for deep and valuable personal growth, learning, and skill development.  We always hope that students will do so when difficulties arise during candidacy, and it is very heartening to see such follow-through, intentionality, and openness to change.  We will continue to hold Anna in prayer over the coming months and look forward to learning of her internship assignment in March.  We pray God's blessing upon her unfolding discernment and trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to shape and empower her for the sharing of her many gifts within the body of Christ.</div>

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I just got good news--I'm going to be allowed to go on internship again this next year!  Yay!

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It's a Reboot Spock/Uhura piece, set on the new Vulcan homeworld.  It's been done for a while but the person who was going to beta it never got back to me, and I'd like to post it, but I'm worried that it's too talky and dense.

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Okay, I have my new laptop all set up the way I want it.  There is one problem: certain interactive websites aren't loading content.  Neither Farkle on Facebook nor Vimeo videos will load properly.  The rest of the page comes up, but it's just blank where the game or the video is supposed to go.  I have the latest version of Flash player.  Help!

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So, I got a new computer for Christmas.  Yay!  However, the copy of Microsoft Office that came with it HAS NO E-MAIL PROGRAM!  It doesn't have Microsoft Outlook!  It doesn't even have Outlook Express!  I would like Outlook or another e-mail program with all of the same features that I can import all my Outlook stuff into.  Any suggestions, O Reader?

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I wrote two fics:

Rio Bravo: My Three Good Companions.  This is a post-movie story to showcase the wonderful camaraderie of the three main characters.  Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and Walter Brennan.  It's a little formulaic, but it's about the height of that genre.  For classic Westerns, it doesn't get much better.  I am always amazed at how much gets packed into each frame, how much good acting and directing there is.  For example, the first five minutes of the film set up the action for the whole rest of the movie, and does so clearly and brilliantly without using any words at all.  The audience simply doesn't need them.  (Also, it is one of Wayne's many later films that works to counter racist stereotypes either subtly or blatantly.  Wayne's only friend in town outside his deputies is the owner of the hotel, a short cheerful Hispanic man.  Carlos shares the duty of comic relief with Walter Brennan, but in the shootout at the end he shows up to provide ammunition and covering fire while the white citizens of town hang back and watch from a distance as if this battle to protect them is merely an afternoon's entertainment.)

Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles:  Eudaimonia.  I always loved the underlying philosophical questions of SCC, particularly between Ellison and John Henry, and this was a wonderful excuse to explore it, so I jumped on this pinch-hit as soon as I spotted it.
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A listing of all my fic.  My personal favorites are marked with asterisks.





Crossovers:
*    Parallels.  Babylon 5/Star Trek: Deep Space 9.  “Surely you’ve heard enough stories of glorious triumphs to recognize the pattern.  And to know of the horrors you don’t see on the surface.”  Vir on Minbar, before Sic Transit Vir.
     An Apocalypse in Metropolis.  BtVS/Superman Returns.  Faith, Andrew, and a newbie Slayer get sent to Metropolis when the Council's seers predict an apocalypse.
     White House Slayer.  BtVS/West Wing.  "Chosen" has repurcussions for Donnatella Moss.
     What She Wants.  BtVS/Atlantis.  Faith gets what she wants, and she wants McKay.
*    Witching Hour (the Oops Remix).  A find-your-soulmate spell goes wrong (just prior to Lover's Walk, during the whole "clothes fluke" thing).
     Reboot: the Chase.  Star Trek: the Next Generation/Stargate: Atlantis. 
     Stranded.  (Drabble)  BtVS/HP.
     1969.  (Drabble) BtVS/SG-1.
     A Quick Snatch and Grab.  (Drabble) BtVS/Atlantis.
     Reflexes.  (Drabble) BtVS/Atlantis.

Stargate: SG-1:
     Settling In.  What was it like for Jacob, in the early days?
     Do Not a Prison Make.  Her mind had been a trap for too long. Sarah, after Osiris.
     In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening (the Neighbors Remix).  What Jack fights for.  Post-season 8.
*   Pale Battalions.  Teal'c goes home after a glorious battle in Apophis' name.
     Consequences.  Broca AU.  It's sequel is New Lives.

Stargate: Atlantis:
     Arrows.  A mission gone wrong.  John/Teyla.
     Smooth.  Mensa-verse AU.  What Rod didn't notice at the time.
*    Adrift.  Misbegotten missing scene.  To fly a Wraith hive ship, you must be a Wraith.
     Scribbles.  What Kaleb Miller thinks about his wife's math and the events of McKay and Mrs. Miller. Note that Jeannie is the one who calls it 'scribbles.'

Batman Begins:
     Legacy.  After the funeral of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Alfred and Lucius have a quiet talk.
     A Night at the Manor.  Black-tie parties aren't really Jim Gordon's thing.

Battlestar Galactica:
*   Four Times Saul Tigh needed a drink (and one time he didn't).  Spoilers for Crossroads Part II
     Alone in the Silence.  Post-Resurrection Ship 2.  Lee Adama is a Cylon.

Buffy: the Vampire Slayer:
*    What a Father Is (the DNA Remix).  "I realize you’ve a dearth of male role models in your life, but a father is more than just an older man who happens to be around or who just happened to supply half your DNA." What the monks didn't tell about Dawn.

Star Wars:
*   Lessons Learned.  Anakin and Obi-Wan.  Third birthdays, in the temple creche and a slave ship.

Honor Harrington:
     A Picture of Happiness.  Honor and Paul visit home. Missing scene from Field of Dishonor.

Terminator:
     the end of the world as we know it.  Post-Terminator 3.  Their first night in the bunker, having to learn about each other.

If there's a theme this year, I think it would be taking minor/secondary/forgotten characters and showing just how awesome they are.

( Addams Family (Movie), Alien(s), Ballet Shoes, Beauty and the Beast (Disney), Calvin and Hobbes, Casablanca, Love Actually, Marvel Comics, Peter Wimsey, Rio Bravo, The Sound of Music, Temeraire, Terminator, Vorkosiverse )


Yuletide Madness!
( Anthropomorfic, Calvin and Hobbes, Static Shock ) This entry was originally posted at http://beatrice-otter.dreamwidth.org/157211.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I received the wonderful Turning Points, a Ballet Shoes future-fic.  It's set in the fifties, the three girls meeting up as they're all facing shifts in their careers, and talking everything out and it's a wonderful exploration of where they would all be, twenty years later.

(It's turning out to be a kind of Ballet Shoes Christmas--my old childhood copy was worn out, so I got a replacement copy of the same edition with the same illustrations, and also a copy of the 2007 movie version starring Emma Watson, which I highly recommend.  And then a Yuletide story!)

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So, I'm going through the list of Yuletide requests, looking for something I can write in time between helping Dad bake goodies and getting ready for church and all.  There are so many that I love but couldn't do justice to even if I had time to write them.  I am dying with hope that someone writes the prompt for Elizabeth Bennet, Longwing captain, in the Temeraire universe.  Because that would be made of win.
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Ganked from fandom_wank : a wank about those snowflake v-gifts on LJ, and how they weren't personal or anything.  To quote a commentator:

This is a rant. About snowflakes. That are not sufficiently special.

Wat.

It's too early for Christmas, and yet it's come anyway.

On other news, the unfulfilled request list is up at Yuletide.  It's open to all who want to take a crack at writing a story in a day, whether or not you participated in Yuletide.  Oh, and if you don't get it done in time, it can always be added after Jan 1 as a New Years Resolution.
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So, I'm going through the list of last-minute pinch-hits for yuletide and I have a problem.  There are too many I want!  There's one in particular that I have a gorgeous plot bunny for, but it's too big to do in a fandom I've never written in in the time I have available.  There are others I know I could write, but I've written in that fandom before and it's not as big a draw.  And for two of them, my canon is on the other side of the country (perils of living in Oregon and going to school in Pennsylvania--whatever I need is always at the other place, without fail).

Have picked one and sent in the request--we'll  see if I get it.

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