Brain Flotsam V2.007

Ok, I can't imagine not reccing Rana's entry in the snarry_games, it is just that much awesome. All the entries have been amazing, actually, but I want to be sure this one sees a wide audience.  I think that even non-Snarry fen can find joy in Rana's animation, because it gives the boys a fantastic and creative alternate ending without being explicitly slash. It could be seen as deep friendship, even. However you interpret it, it's just beautiful, and her character design for the older Snape and adult Harry is worth a look.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation by littleblackbow/chibitoaster
post-war story, rated PG.  links to Quicktime video or YouTube.

(Full Disclosure: Yes, she's on my team. Take a look anyway. It's worth it!)

My latest shipment from the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club has arrived! Yay, three new CDs, including Harry and the Potters. 
I shall listen while I attempt to finish my hp_art_project submission.

I may have asked this before, but I don't remember the answers and they have probably changed anyway.

Where do you fic writers archive or post your stories, outside of Livejournal?
I know a few people have set up their own archives, but they still post to other places for readership or whatever.
Someone recommended fiction alley to me, and someone else said OWL, both of which sound like they're pretty good, but what do I know?
I also am working on an archive version of my fic, since I have to re-think it given character limits on chapters.

Anyway, I'm just curious, if you are an author, do you distribute your fic more widely than just LJ/IJ/etc, and if so, where?

Cheers.

Okay, so I engineered it to get Snape...
When the quiz is so obviously weighted it's easy to do. Heh.
When I actually genuinely answered the questions this was the result.
( hahahahaha )

w00t!

At my class this morning at the Urban League, several people read it and gave me funny looks, but only one lady asked, "Hon, what's Hogsmeade?"

Fantasy Magazine » “The Chosen One” Vs. The One Who Chooses:

“The Chosen One” is a very specific trope in F/SF. Whether by a seer, some higher power or force, or simply because of their particular bloodline, characters are chosen for some great destiny that often includes a fight between the forces of good and evil. A prime example of this is Harry Potter from the very popular series by J.K. Rowling.

ok, so:

a) yesterday I got stopped twice on my commute by police blockades for the presidential convoy. Quite a delay that made.  Whee.

b) the cable went out in our neighborhood at 10:30 this morning, and I am making this post from a restaurant in the Montrose where the Harry Potter Meetup had dinner.

c) I have written almost 800 words of my new story which I hope to finish this weekend for my general group. Also posted a new chappie of the fanfic.

So far I have been taken as the Dark Lord six times, McGonagall once, and Bathilda Bagshot once.
"Nagini" has killed four Snapes and I've been AK'd by one for giving his cohort bunny ears during a photo.
Fun times.

I danced with Snape at the Wrock Concert tonight (The Mudbloods, w00t!) !!!!

!!!!!! He gave me a rose! !!!!!!

That is all for now.

I realize that given the nature of auctions, there will probably be a flurry of action toward the very end, but bidding does end in less than a week. So here is a re-post of my stuff before I depart for Portus and a much more limited net presence.

For LJ's livelongnmarry fandom auction for marriage equality:

Offer: Digital Portrait (with single print)
and
Offer: Digital Portrait (with single print) II

I actually went out and bought this green nightmare fantasia pseudo-medievalish pre-packaged costume for the Masquerade at Portus. It may need some emergency re-tooling, but at least it was relatively cheap and I didn't have to sew that stretch velveteen. Eek. We hates the stretch fabrics, we does. (Although the Magical Mystery Sewing Machine may make that hate disappear, we'll have to try it sometime and see. It sewed a button on my dad's shirt like magic, yo! A button. Fwee!)

Anyhow.
You know what else is annoying? Going to a masquerade wearing glasses. Most masks are right out.

Otherwise, I think I'll be wearing street clothes under my (home-made!) cloak for most of it, and carrying a tote bag of art supplies.

And wearing a bright green snake plushie. Maybe if I drape myself in black some Death Eater cosplayers will mistake me for the Dark Lord and do my bidding. Muahahahaha. Mostly, I expect I will be finding art-related activities or squeeing in mad fangirl glee over Wizard Rockers. (Ministry of Magic is playing! Eeeeee!)

I'll be at the hotel Thursday morning. See some of you lot there.

More because it's an interesting exercise in commission work than because I am expecting big money for a charity, I have posted for LJ's livelongnmarry fandom auction for marriage equality.

I posted two listings, each for the same service, digital portraits of characters or people.

Offer: Digital Portrait (with single print)
and
Offer: Digital Portrait (with single print) II

I am debating putting up one for a portrait in traditional media, probably graphite/colored pencil/ink/watercolor or some combination thereof. 
What do you think?

The only two decent photos from ApolloCon:
Demonic Robot Toasters in the ConSuite:

The one on the left is a Cylon with a moving LED light and sound effects that say "frakkin' toaster".
The one on the right is a Demonic toaster and I forget what its sound effects were.


My new hat for Portus.

Ooogh, this morning was rough, but yay! for the Con Suite and breakfast. Kaffeeklatsch with Rosemary Clement-Moore first thing, then various volunteering and things then panels and fun stuff. Got to see GoH Allen Steele on a panel, finally, plus some other fine guests. And everybody admired my hat. The panels were great! I had an awesome time.

Tear-down took a wee bit, then Dead Dog, then homeward bound in the rain. And now I'm home.
And totally exhausted.  Whew.

So... just got back to the room after downing two beef Ramen cups, a crapload of cheese and pita, and some chocolate with bacon in it at the ConSuite. (This year's ApolloCon ConSuite is da bomb, by the way. Fantastic.)
I ate all that stuff to stop myself from weaving slightly after the Scotch Tasting, which this year was themed, "All Glenfiddich, All the Time".  We sampled several varieties and ages, including one Limited Edition Toasted Oak 12-year Old that was only sold in the UK and France. Nice, smooth, but not terribly exciting compared to the others. Still, a great time just to see a special non-American edition.
I really enjoyed the 18-year-old, although the 21-year-old was quite smooth and flavorful. Something about the warm finish of the 18-year-old just hit me exactly right. 

So I hung out with folks in the ConSuite for a while after that and it was fun and great and I finally felt like I was getting a little slice of the real ApolloCon instead of being on my own with the work (setting up/taking down/running errands, which I am totally happy to do but it does take me away from active activities. Plus I haven't gone to any parties and I wonder if I'm really missing a third of the Con by not going to any. Next time, or next con, perhaps).

Now, I sleep. Fun kaffeeklatsches and panels to go to tomorrow, plus I may actually stick around long enough for Dead Dog Party this year.

Whee-ha.

I'm wearing my "I'm blogging this" t-shirt so I suppose I actually should.

Friday was set-up and I spent several hours being a loyal minion. Also got to meet some cool people, played the Audience Plant and then the Voice of the Zombie Horde during the opening ceremonies, went to the Artists' Reception, and sat in on some kaffeeklatches and panels.

Today has been busy. Went to the Arists' Workshop with Brad Foster this morning. Awesome. Really great time, although there were your usual conversation-hijackers in the group. Seems you can't really escape those at any con.
Went to a few panels, then of course I had to do my own. Fun times. The board room actually filled up, and several people stayed until the very end of the hour to talk tarot and storytelling. It was great.
The other workshop I did was a costume DIY activity that was poorly attended, so we closed up early and I went down to wait with the hordes for the masquerade.
Great music, fun costumes, funny MCs... it was a good time.
Now I've been doing various running-around and some sitting in my room decompressing before Scotch Tasting.
Speaking of which, I should get going to that.

More to come.

Oh, and I acquired a *rockin' awesome* witch's hat for Portus, guys.

Oh. Hey.

Judgment.
( quoting and stuff )
It's like my brain is just leaking tarot bits all over!

Ok, is there a name (preferably a British term) for the junior partner in a firm who gets all the grunt work or the worst clients or the crap travel assignments? (this is a Wizarding Law Firm, or whatever the term would be - not sure if they are solicitors or what, I should look into that)

This is sort of mild corporate hazing, I guess, the testing stage for a new person (and in this case it's Pansy Parkinson coming to work for Hermione and Susan Bones so there's History there) - but is there a name for that person or that role?

I am drawing a blank.

Also, if anybody wants to wax eloquent on their idea of what a Wizarding Law Firm would look like, or what British firms are like (or the difference between a barrister and a solicitor, although my historical fiction reading seems to indicate that only one of those would be able to appear in formal court?), please feel oh so very free to do so.

Cheers!

OK, I have re-assessed and re-assigned more cards.
The Hanged Man and The Tower have been totally re-imagined. Harry is no longer the Hanged Man, which I'm sure will make a few folks out there happy.  I know that's not a popular choice with all the tarot folks out there.
I think I found a better option - Regulus, falling into the pool of Inferi.

Also, even though the imagery seems written for a typical tarot deck, I have decided to move away from Dumbledore's death on the Astronomy Tower as The Tower card, and go with something I felt had a more immediately devestating impact on Harry.  So The Tower is now Sirius falling through the Veil.

The Wheel is giving me hives. Change, fate, luck, unexpected events. I've thought of Tonks, or perhaps Bill. Nothing is firm with this card yet.  It used to be just the circle of House Point Hourglasses, but I'd really like to have a character in there instead.  Hm. Maybe this one needs to be Draco! Woah. I may need to ponder that. Early morning is apparently when my lizard brain comes up with *fantastic* possibilities!

Judgment is also a bit frustrating, although I really like the idea of the Sorting Hat the composition is driving me mad. It seems like the initial Sorting Ceremony doesn't really fit the card, so do I instead choose a moment when someone is pulling out the sword? Or do I look again at the whole card? The Heirophant gave me this sort of trouble until I moved totally away from my initial idea and embraced something different. 

Well, I am surprised at how terribly disappointed I feel over not being in the LMoM winners, even though I knew from Day 6 when I had that unfortunate power failure that the rules would not allow it. Just goes to show how little things get to me.

So I need to do something new and maybe a bit more developed art-wise. I am working on a new tarot card, but those take days to do and I am not feeling it at the moment. I feel very proud of the LMoM work I did, but I'd like to get better at expressing emotion instead of simply anatomical accuracy. I feel like a lot of what I have been doing of late is rather sterile, even stale. I'm not sure how to fix that, really, except to draw more and more and more and hope that something spills over eventually. I really admire the work of some of the other artists in the challenge, who managed to bring an intensity and *movement* even to their sketches that I would really like to emulate, although our styles do differ.

Thus I need to dive back into doing some more elaborate stuff. I have three exchanges in the queue but the first deadline isn't for a month, so I've time to noodle around a bit and vent some of the angst.
Just for kicks, here's a poll.
What should I draw next? Feel free to leave something more challenging in a comment. Poll #1860 Art Therapy
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

What to draw next?