krisomniac

1.
So I've made no secret of the fact that I really enjoy beta-reading. This perhaps relates to my secret desire to be a type-A control freak, to be the first kid on line to a new movie every time, and to be totally honest with people about their work (something they generally don't want once it's posted in the public domain.)

The best perk, however, is that I get to read some of the amazing stuff that's getting ready for spn_50states. And if this is any indication of the plotty wonderfulness to come, it's gonna be REALLY good.

I'm recc-ing it already.

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2.
My July fic round-up consists solely of Conditioned Air. I think I prefer doing these lists at the end of a season than at the end of a month; I just don't write that quickly.

On the writing front, however, my longish Supernatural story is coming along nicely--despite the fact that it decided to be written in past rather than present tense about two chapters in. Perhaps it will see the light of day in the near future.

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3.
Meme time because it looked fun and it's catching.

Ask me anything you want about any of my stories: how I thought of the idea, what I did to write it, what I was thinking when I wrote it, what I feel about it now, what I wish I'd done differently, etc. Or ask any of the characters from particular stories something you want to know, and get an answer from them. Or both.

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4.
And a final note: (because I happened to be watching Dead Man's Blood last night.)

( Anyone notice that Luther sounds an awful lot like Dean sometimes? )

First, are you reading Lessons Learned by lyra_wing? If not, get your bum over there and get on it, people!

This is a tight and highly addictive WIP that she's updating every day, for those of you who can't take the suspense *coughisitSeptemberyet?*

It's set six years in the future, the story of two boys who need the brothers' help. She brings back some of my favorite characters from season one and explores the impact that Sam and Dean might have had on their lives. It's a set-up for a giant angst-a-thon but instead, Sam and Dean are genuinely happy, and that? That is how I like my Winchesters. It's an engaging story--I have no idea where, exactly, the plot is going to take us, funny, tight dialogue, and enough slashy goodness to satisfy anyone's lusts.

"Think of it more like those old kung-fu dudes in the movies," says Dean.

Sam laughs a little. "You just need the long white beard. And subtitles."

"Come on. It's just like that. These young students seeking a wise master to teach them the secret ways to kick ass."

Really? This story has it all. Go. Read it. Now.

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Second, a little bird said that there are spoilers floating around. That little bird is going to eat them, before I can read any. But seriously, I get the feeling that in my cushy little corner of fandom, most people are trying to remain spoiler-free.

[Poll #769549]

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ETA:
Everyone who answers and replies and is unspoiled, gets to be part of the club, with official positions and everything. :D

(Friday afternoon loopiness has officially hit me hard.)

So, this is something I've been thinking about for a little while, and I'm curious. In a youngish fandom, where the selection of authors and stories (at least on LJ--I don't really do ff.net) is rather small, how critically do you read?

There is some fantastic work out there for this fandom. (For a few examples, here's my list of spring recs from a few weeks back.)

There is some crap.

But there's a whole hell of a lot in between.

There are good stories written with mediocre style or convoluted sentence structure. There are clever stories, well written, that clearly ignore canonical fact (we have birthdays and or death days for almost every character--CHECK THEM, people).

In the HP fandom I used to frequent, I was a very picky reader, only reading and commenting on stories that were smart, interesting, and well-executed. Here, I've tried to do the same, but I think I may be missing out on a lot of the good that's out there.

So, here's my question to you: What are your standards in this particular fandom? What sins do to ignore? What makes you hit the back button?

Go.

Um. Since I know there's more than one of you on my flist who enjoys these dorktastic things as much as I do:

Go read monkiedude's Complete Supernatural Season One Dudemeter

It answers questions such as:

How many times, in the average Supernatural episode, does Dean pick a lock? call Sam "dude"? call Sam "Sammy"? do the brothers speak in unison?

One more reason to love this fandom: Dean uses the word "dude" on average 1.4 times an episode.

The number of times I've wondered about things like this while watching the show...

And now the data is assembled in one place. With pie charts. Go, wallow in the beautiful geekiness of it all.

Perhaps the only statistic that have yet to be adressed, are "chain-link fence jumping" and "getting tied up, trussed up, handcuffed, and caged." Just saying. They do it well.

I want to Hug the fandom and the books and everything about everything today! So consider yourselves all smothered, squished, and generally treated like a litter of puppies in the hands of a first grade class.

FIRST. GO READ Fires of Bone by ignipes. It may be one of the best stories I've laid my paws on in a good while. It's AU and everything that the genre should be. It's atmospheric -- prose you could take on a long walk round a lake, or picnic with and get drunk on a Friday night. It's funny and sweet and sad, touching and intimate. But above all, it's so very REAL. It is something that could have happened. Reconciliation is harder than doubt and suspicion. A war tears people apart. Secrets Secrets are no fun, and Prophesies come in all shapes and guises.

SECOND. lazy_neutrino is my personal Hero. I got niffled!! Did you know it was my birthday? Or do I believe in the marriage of fate and coincidence? Basically, I'm just tickled. I'm on the verge of inventing words and talking in gobledygook (which is doubtlessly very beautiful if you are a goblin, but for the rest of us...)

Even my parents shipped cards and birthday wishes (and a very small box. Mwa ha ha.) Down to Australia.

This entirely makes up for the final exam I take in eleven hours and the paper I must write before it.

SO much LOVE. I'm drunk on it! Tipsy and tweedling, and I want to give it away before I BURST of it! So, here. It's June 8th - more or less - Have some purple, pear-shaped, chocolate-flavoured, Gemini-glomping, Dylan-lyrical love from me!!

ETA: Once you're done reading those stories, and getting your obligitory love fest from Sydney, go read lacylu42's new Jack Sloper/Andrew Kirke story. If you don't remember, these two are the new Gryffindor beaters after Gred anf Forge leave. That's about all the mention of them in canon, but Lacy has given them lives and stories, personalities and a friendship that is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. I am in love with those boys... Find their opus Still here

that is all.