For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is a music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncountered:
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.


Remembrance Sunday lets us remember the fallen. It's not about the rights or wrongs of the combat in which they fell. It's about knowing that there are families who have lost fathers and mothers, sons and daughters and brothers and sisters. The fallen don't choose to die.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end they remain.

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Title: Liar Liar
Pairing: Neville/Luna, "Rolf"
Word Count: 100
Rating: G
Challenge: Written for neville100's prompt #94: Neville and his women
Disclaimer: I am neither J.K. Rowling nor any of the corporations to which she has licensed her creation.

( Liar Liar )

I am so done with being sick. I can haz a day where I can breathe through my nose and I'm not hacking up a lung now plz?

( In which the LIS work is overwhelming )

( Teaching stuff )

Also did the grocery shopping today, though SO did a couple of other errands (picking up dog food, for instance). Now going to go start working on the Greens and Herbs Tart we're having for dinner, since it takes a while. It's going to be more a side dish than a main dish this time, along with turkey sausage for SO and pulled pork for me, plus pureed turnip/potato/carrot, and pomegranate for dessert.

Oh, and I shall pimp again the 3fan_holidays ficlet fest! Signup post is here; so far there's only 3 folks signed up, plus me. *makes puppy dog eyes* C'mon, you know you want to write a holiday drabble or ficlet for someone and get one in return!

Okay, I'm in not too bad of shape with this assignment, I guess, unless I've woefully misinterpreted what it's supposed to do. The instructions were... terse. But my brain is seriously shutting down, so I'm going to quit working on it for tonight and come back in the morning.

CSA this week included: daikon, red radishes, turnips, a few little carrots, garlic, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, turnip greens (in addition to those on the turnips), dandelion greens, and purple beans. [Still around from previous weeks: cherry tomatoes, radishes, daikon, turnips, acorn squash, butternut squash, beets.] Turnip puree again, probably; cook some of the red radishes for SO; plain steamed beans; lettuce salad. I might turn the other greens into a tart (don't have that recipe online yet). I also have a recipe for shrimp with cherry tomatoes and feta (also not online) and have a pound of frozen shrimp, so maybe that (using last week's tomatoes, which are now about ripe).

Other than that... Taught classes. Got prep done for Monday for both classes. Had a meeting. Dealt with work email. Dictated about 800 words each on two different fics; one for a fest, the other DD. Played some with Juno.

Now waiting for SO to get home. He'd indicated he was going to try to get home early tonight, but that didn't happen; he decided he really needed to work out since he hadn't all week. Okay, fair enough, and I worked on the assignment meantime. But if he doesn't get back soon, we probably can't have our Friday night date since restaurants around here close pretty dang early even on weekends. So we'll see. There are some leftovers if we end up not doing anything tonight.

Title: Stating the Obvious (written for Week Seven /snarry_ldws on LJ)
Author: joanwilder (RaeWhit)
Pairing: Harry/Snape
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 300
Genre/Cliché: Romance
Word: disfavor
Summary: Knowing the truth is important, but hearing the words, priceless.
A/N: ♥ to jadzialove for beta reading. I owe drabbles to accioslash (who clearly has my M.O.), and lemondropseven for correctly guessing my entry! I'm working on 'em.

( Stating the Obvious )

Thanks to the most diligent alicit, we all now have a Harvest sprite on our scroll! *smishes her* Please turn the eggs and pet the dragons if you wish. Mind the teeth.

Little Halo's scroll and hatchling:

Little Secret's scroll and hatchling:

My scroll and eggs: ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A while back I pre-ordered the Blu-ray versions of the "Ultimate Edition" or whatever they're calling it of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. In the process of proving last night that the thing in the Fry's ad which showed a set of all five films on Blu-ray was not this edition, but just a boxed set of the films, I noticed that the "Ultimate Edition" is also available on DVD for about ten bucks cheaper.

I thought well, there must be something extra on the Blu-ray version, or maybe I didn't know I had a choice. I looked at both pages on Amazon, though, and aside from the fact that the Blu-ray crams both the theatrical and extended cuts on a single disc whereas that takes up two discs in the regular DVD version (3 discs and 4 discs total, respectively), I couldn't see any difference.

The television that is hooked up to our Blu-ray player (read: our PS3) is, um, kind of the opposite of HD, so while we can watch Blu-ray discs we don't get to see any of the actual benefit of buying in that format. So unless there's something different about the content, there's really no reason for me to pay the extra money.

Can someone reality check me here, and make sure there's not something I'm missing? Because if not, I think I'll cancel the Blu-ray order and go for DVD instead.

from a recent post by Wil Wheaton:

I've been struggling lately to turn a lot of ideas I have into actual stories. I kind of feel like my writing mojo has taken a temporary leave of absence, and the harder I look for it, the harder it is to find. It has been incredibly frustrating.

This morning, in Warren Ellis' BAD SIGNAL e-mail, he said:

At least half of all writing involves just sitting and staring into space. Letting your brain out to hunt down ideas, bringing them back all warm and bloody between its teeth.

This is something that I knew to be true, but had temporarily forgotten. As writers, it's vital that we meet our deadlines, of course, but we also have to build time into our work schedule to read books, take walks, visit doctor whisky, play with our dogs, and do the other things that may not look or feel like work, but are integral to our creative process.


The image of one's brain as a cat or hunting hound bringing back warm, bloody game was amusing. Also, IHNJ, IJLS "doctor whisky". lol.

Many happy returns, highlyeccentric!

Just a reminder that signups will be open for five more days! So if you've been putting off signing up, what are you waiting for? We've already had a terrific response, but there's always room for more!

Here are some banners to help recruit people and to share the (wizard) love!

<a href="http://community.livejournal.com/wizard_love/96472.html"><img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/ragdoll/pic/0003aaz1"></a>

( More banners here! )

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Once again, thanks to the most wonderful alicit we've got one more Harvest hatchie on our family scrolls. Pet the dragons and turn the eggs carefully! Thanks!

Little Halo's scroll and hatchling:

My scroll and eggs: ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Did not get nearly as much done, work-wise, as I hoped. More household/personal stuff.

( Done dids: )

3fan_holidays will be running once again! This is the small ficlet fest I mod, now in its fifth year. Wow. It's a low-commitment, very friendly little exchange; participants only have to write as few as 100 words (up to 2000 max), in one of three fandoms: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Pirates of the Caribbean. You don't have to be familiar with more than one, and you can request fic in a fandom you're not comfortable writing. Go here for the info/signup post, and spread the word!

Finally finished and posted the next installment of HotM. I need to edit/submit a fest fic, finish another (which is becoming rather longer than I thought initially), and start on December's DD. Phew. Then there'll be Yuletide fic to write, too, and 3fan. Clearly my sanity is, hm, marginal when it comes to all this.

• Worse Things to Do [Kirk/McCoy, adult]: The last night that he and McCoy are in Atlanta, Kirk finally meets Jocelyn. Here at IJ.

1. yuletide sign ups have started. I'm still deciding on my fandoms. I have at least one given but I'm still deciding on the others. But this is one of my favourite time of the year.

2. Good grief. I feel like I spent all day in meetings today. But I did have lemon cake with my tea this morning. Nom nom nom.

3. Fireworks going off outside my window but am still dithering about going to a proper display. I'm going to be shattered tomorrow after work but will be out and about on Saturday. Maybe just looking at the pretty from my window with a glass of wine in my jim jams.

4. Went to see Fantastic Mr Fox. I was disappointed in it as an adaptation but as an animation, - it was very cool. It was light and fluffy but with some major fetish fuel for the furries.

5. *yawns* Thank fuck it's Friday tomorrow.

6. Is there someone on my flist good with layouts? If so, can you design me one and I will offer some kind of exchange. I feel like a change but don't understand stylesheets.

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/4543801.html
http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/4544200.html

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html

It's horrible.

Fort Hood is home to about 60,000 people. It is about the size of a city. It is the world's largest military base.

It happened in the solider readiness center which is the area where soliders get the last medical check-up before shipping out and coming in.

CNN is saying that ABC out of Waco (which is near Kileen) said the shooters named is major Malique Nadal Hassan.

There is 12 dead. 11 are victims. Of those 11 one was a civilian cop contracted as military police. One of those civilian MP's killed the shooter.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/reports-of-mass-shooting-at-fort-hood/?hp

Update | 7:41 p.m. Given that Thursday’s shooting spree took place at a readiness center, where troops were about to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, the subject will certainly turn to combat stress. A description of the work of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, where Major Nidal Hasan, the suspected gunman who was killed on Thursday at Fort Hood, says this:

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) addresses both the invisible and visible wounds of war through research, education and consultation. The invisible wounds of war include the mental health consequences of deployment. These can range from normal distress to the treatable mental disorders of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Warrior wounds can also involve health risks such as increased use of tobacco, alcohol and/or drugs that can result in violence to self, spouse and/or children.

Update | 7:22 p.m. Information about Dr. Nidal Hasan posted on a Virginia Board of Medicine Web site includes a note that he saw patients at Darnell Army Medical Center Monday through Friday.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2009/11/05/officials_shooting_suspect_dis.html

Officials: Shooting suspect discussed suicide bombings, other threats online
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 07:30 PM

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:

Federal law enforcement officials say the suspected Fort Hood, Texas, shooter had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.

One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.

“To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause,” said the Internet posting. “Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers.”

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2009/11/05/official_fort_hood_shooting_su.html

Official: Fort Hood shooting suspect not dead
By American-statesman staff | Thursday, November 5, 2009, 08:17 PM

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspect in the Fort Hood shootings, has not been killed and is in stable condition at a hospital, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said at a press conference at Fort Hood.

He is in custody at an undisclosed hospital, Cone said.

Three soldiers taken into custody after the shootings were released, he said. Investigators believe Hasan acted alone.

“Evidence does not suggest this was a terrorist event,” Cone said.

One of the first people to shoot Hasan was a civilian police officer who was shot but survived, said Cone, who added that earlier reports of a civilian officer dying were incorrect.

I have been hard at work! And I have to say, not one of my art pieces so far look like they were remotely drawn by the same artist! XD I've experimented with a lot of new things, so expect surprises :)

Progress so far:
Snupin Santa - done, waiting to be mailed!
Snarry Holidays - done, waiting to be mailed!
Snapely Hols - done and delivered!
HP Yule Ball - in outline form
Smutty Claus - not started
DmHG Fic Exchange - not started
HP Genfic exhange - half done
Wizard Love - waiting for assignment
HP Valensmut - not started

This is on top of my NaNoWriMo (currently at 8k, and I'm hoping to get to 12k tonight) and the Fic That Ate My Brain and Sold My Soul, aka Pain Management, a Snape/Hermione post-war BDSM fic. It grew from a short little smutty one-shot to a 5-chapter story with PLOT!

I posted to HP betas, but no-one's replied so far, so I'll try prodding the Flist. I need someone who's good with transitions. I generally can come up with some really decent plot and characterisation, but my strength is in short, emotionally-packed vignettes. So longer stories with one or more transitions can be a bit of a struggle. A beta good with Britishisms would be dearly loved as well!

All but the last chapter revolve around purely consensual het and BDSM, and a variety of kinks - not all the chapters are written yet so I can't tell you for sure what all will end up included. The last chapter DOES have some dubcon and torture and a bit of slash with other characters. Happy ending though, never fear!

If you're willing to work with me, please comment or drop me a line - I have gmail accounts to match my IJ accounts :)

Global treaty could throw file-sharers off Internet after ‘three strikes’ (November 05, 2009 - Raw Story - Daniel Tencer)

File-sharers could be jailed under proposed ACTA provisions

Leaked details of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement being negotiated in secret by most of the world's largest economies suggest Internet file-sharers could be blocked from accessing the Internet if they are repeatedly accused of sharing copyrighted material, say media and digital-rights watchdogs.

And the worst-case scenario could see popular Web sites like YouTube and Flickr shut down because of a provision in the treaty that would force them to monitor everything uploaded to the site for copyright violations.

Internet law professor Michael Geist published details of "leaked" portions of the discussions on ACTA on his blog Tuesday, as a new round of ACTA negotiations began in Seoul, South Korea. The US, along with all the countries of the European Union as well as Japan, Canada, Australia and a handful of other countries, are involved in the negotiations.

"The provisions would pave the way for a globalized three-strikes and you're out system," Geist blogged Wednesday, referring to a proposal from copyright holders to have Internet service providers cut off service to anyone accused at least three times of illegally sharing copyrighted material.

"This means that your entire family could be denied [access] to the Internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel," blogged tech writer and digital-rights supporter Cory Doctorow.

Doctorow also noted that another provision being proposed for the treaty would mean "that ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability."

And, as Geist noted in a follow-up article on Wednesday, the proposed treaty could end up seeing file-sharers jailed for sharing copyrighted material, even if they had no financial gain from the transaction.

Geist wrote that the treaty, as currently proposed, would "extend criminal enforcement to both (1) cases of a commercial nature; and (2) cases involving significant willful copyright and trademark infringement even where there is no direct or indirect motivation of financial gain. In other words, non-commercial infringement could lead to criminal penalties."

"The US government appears to be pushing for Three Strikes to be part of the new global IP enforcement regime which ACTA is intended to create -– despite the fact that it has been categorically rejected by the European Parliament and by national policymakers in several ACTA negotiating countries, and has never been proposed by US legislators," writes Gwen Hinze at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

ACTA negotiations were being held entirely in secret until this past May, when the Wikileaks Web site released a 2007 draft proposal.

The Obama administration has resisted attempts to make the negotiations public, though it did make an exemption for a long list of senior executives at major corporations.

In June, the administration announced it would continue the ACTA negotiations started under the previous administration.

ACTA is being touted as an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. It's not. It's a vastly reaching copyright enforcement law that will be far more powerful, malicious, destructive than DMCA. This treaty is being designed in SECRET by members or people, whom we do not know their names because of "national security" as agents of our government and 40 other nations.

As a citizen of this nation YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHT TO EVEN LOOK AT THE WHAT THE TREATY IS PROPOSING! As a worker of any big company you do, but you have to sign a non-disclousre agreement in compesation of being able to read it.

Why? Because the Government, Bush and Obama, have deemed this as a National Security necessary secret.

Other Nations have sued or been given a look at the all powerful secrety treat that is still in the works. It's been in the works since 2007. But us? Oh no, we are given the National Security excuse and told that is all we need to know.

Now we know. Now we are pissed and now we are scared. Because now we know, through a leaked document, what this treaty is about to propose.

Have any of you EVER downloaded music, video, images, wrote fanfiction? Because now through ACTA if you have and if you have been given a take-down notice by the propose owners of the copyright material that you have SUPPOSEDLY violated, then after three times your ISP will be ordered by the GOVERNMENT to take away your homesteads internet service.

That's right, your internet service of your instead house/apartment, etc.

That means even if you yourself have NEVER downloaded ANYTHING at all and only use your computer as a means to surf the internt to check your e-mail but your kid or husband has then ALL OF YOU lose your internet.

This is also most likely going to be in addition of some fine for violation of copyright law and even possibly JAIL TIME!

Don't believe me? Think I'm just over reacting to things?

Then read what the experts are saying:

* That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability.

* That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel.

* That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright.

* Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even if doing so for a lawful purpose (e.g., to make a work available to disabled people; for archival preservation; because you own the copyrighted work that is locked up with DRM)
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/03/secret-copyright-tre.html

( cut )


LINKS on what ACTA is:
Lawfont.com: ACTA: here we go again? (Australia)
Lawfont.com: Geist on ACTA (Australia)
Electronic Frontiers Australia (Australia)
InternetNZ alarmed by latest ACTA leaks (New Zealand)
ip-watch.org
WikiLeaks: ACTA search
Wiki Leaks: Talk:Classified US, Japan and EU ACTA trade agreement drafts, 2009
Wiki Leaks: Classified US, Japan and EU ACTA trade agreement drafts, 2009
Petition to Obama - keionline.org
The ACTA Internet Chapter: Putting the Pieces Together
ACTA Negotiations, Day Two: What's On Tap
ACTA Internet Chapter Leak Signals Far-Reaching Copyright Policy
Leaked ACTA Internet Provisions: Three Strikes and a Global DMCA
ISPs Soon Forced to Police Your Internet Behavior?
Secret Anti-Piracy Treaty Turns ISPs into Pirates
EU Breaks Deadlock in Debate Over Right to Internet Access (November 05, 2009 - PC World - Paul Meller, IDG News Service)



That is it. I've had it about these fucking companies influencing laws and governments and getting their fucking way. I've had it.

I'm emailing my congressman. I'm linking to these articles. they have got to know this isn't about piracy anymore this uninforcable and its trying to censor the internet!!

I'm going to write out a long e-mail to my local newspapers.

It is time that we stood up and told these fuckers, no more. Just because I do a little downloading here and there does not mean I am not entitled to my rights as a human being.

this law will make it to where the burden of proof lies on me that I didn't break the law. It is almost impossible to defend against this law. They could say I illegally downloaded music when maybe I just ripped a cd I bought to play music on my computer.

Or about webpages or youtube. They could say that all the film about the Iran Riots and Protests is copywrited and if I uploaded any of it that I'm a pirate.

This, this is fucking insane.

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Signed up for Yuletide! At the time of my sign-up, no one else had either requested or offered any of the four fandoms I picked. *holding thumbs* They are:

Anne Perry - Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series - Charlotte Pitt
Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah - Sime/Gen series - any characters
Norah Lofts - The Maude Reed Tale - any characters
Rumer Godden - Thursday's Children - Doone Penny, Ruth Sherrin

I'm actually posting this before I complete the sign-up, so I can put a link to it there. (And cross-posting just 'cause I always do, and besides, maybe some of my f-list will be interested.)

( Dear Yuletide writer, I've been a very good girl this year... )

day four of updates in journal:

I'm doing well on my nano - keeping up with the goals, at least. I would like to get another 500-700 words written tonight, but if I can't, it isn't the end of the world.

I will have new buttons and keychains come morning, and that's what's important.

Work is going to be insane for the next few days. I'm honestly not sure how I'll get through it all. Good thing I'm healthy now~!

( Although this is a short one )

Also, yay! My gift in the fall_fantasia exchange was posted yesterday! It's called "Unveiled," and is Draco/Sirius with a side of Severus/Harry. Postwar and PG, and I enjoyed it very much.

Turn my eggs, please, if you wish otherwise just scroll on past.

My scroll and eggs: ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Well we all know how Main's Prop 1 went. 87% of it counted and it went to the YES. I call voter fraud and a recount. Nate said it would be NO by 70%. Something is wrong here.

Oh btw, Main passed the medical marijuna distributing bill. So they get their dope but no gay marriages.

Houston is most likely going to have a gay Mayor.

New York City elected two Asians to office, one citywide as comptroller and the other in Manhattan as councilwoman.

Boomberg wasted a lot of money to get his squeaked by win. Which is pissing off the Democrats because the Democratic Party didn't even campaign hard for their guy.

Washington is about to extend domestic partner benefits to same sex parters. In essence they are getting the separate but equal clause of 'gay marriage' not in name. Nate Silver is suggesting that maybe the GBLT should focus on this a compromise to get the benefits to same sex parterns. But we all know that once it gets passed (Nationwide) it will eventually get challenged in the Supreme Court because separate but equal is unconstitutional in all regards.

It seems that Austin passed it so that it is expanding COBRA+ to domestic partners. Since you know in 2006 Texas made the constitutional amendment where Gay Marriage and Civil Unions are not ALLOWED or RECOGNIZED.

And ALL 11 propositions passed in Texas.

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They Might Be Giants was awesome in concert again.

This time it was the Flood show. They played all of Flood (not in order), including some songs they never play in concert like minimum wage.

Anyway, my ears are ringing and I need to write another hundred words or so before I pass out (if I can).

October's been over for a while now. Annnnnd I almost forgot to crosspost my daily_deviant fic again. *shifty eyes*

Title: Ladies in Waiting
Characters: Madam Malkin/Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Almost-but-not-quite infidelity, improper use of a wedding dress, table!sex... yeah, I'm grasping at straws here. :P
Themes/kinks chosen: Hyphephilia: arousal by touching fabrics or garments
Word Count: ~4400
Summary: I'm acutely aware of how this garment will cover her body, how every square inch that I've touched will touch her, in turn. It makes me wet.
Author's notes: According to HP Lexicon, Madam Malkin has no canon first name, which would generally scare me off from writing from her POV, but there was no way she wasn't being the one to get this kink (professional robemaker + fabric kink = destiny, y/y?). So for convenience's sake I went ahead and named her Melvina. And then I went and wrote the fic in first person because seeing the made-up name all over the place weirded me out. LOL. ...there was a point to this note, at some point. Many thanks to woldy for the beta!

( Ladies in Waiting )

Got back yesterday from the annual Halloween weekend away. (Can it be called annual now on the grounds that it's happened more than once?) We went to Cadhay House which was so beautiful and just outside Ottery St Mary. It was pure Weasley country and despite just having 200 year old china just lying around, it was such a lovely weekend.

Photos to follow when I get round to sorting through them from my phone.

The Magical Amount A Rita and Lockhart fic. Rita walks the line of being bitchy and being snarky and Lockhart is just a tosser and it's just funny.

I have some more fics left to read in my tabs but that will have to do for now.

discussion on fanfic and copyright

This doesn't sound right to me. Despite the OP's having "talked to a copyright lawyer" and "looked it up" (re: US copyright law) I think there may be some misunderstanding and also some mixing up of copyright and trademark. My understanding is that when I write a story featuring Harry Potter at Hogwarts or anything else recognizable from the series, yes, I am making use of someone else's intellectual property without permission, i.e., I am infringing on JKR's rights (setting aside for the moment arguments that fanfiction should be considered either 1. parody or 2. transformative enough to be protected also, edit: "use of property w/o permission" =/= "infringement" under all circumstances, obviously, and I didn't mean to imply such; I was referring to this specific kind of use, and whether it is "transformative" or merely "derivative" and therefore typically requiring of authorization remains undecided). But the specific sequence of words I choose to set down my plots and descriptions, isn't that copyright mine as soon as I manifest it, like any other work? For example:

"I was just curious," she continued in the same low voice, and let one corner of her mouth quirk in what she hoped was a cutely mysterious fashion. (She was only eighteen, after all, and just starting to learn the fine art of seducing eighteen-year-old boys, something which was probably easier than she suspected at the time.) "I wanted to... I wanted to see you."

That's an excerpt from one of my Lily/Severus fics. Is this passage magically the property of JKR because I happened to use characters recognizable as her creation? (notice that they are not named here, although they are elsewhere) She (or her agent) can tell me to cease & desist and/or claim damages, but that doesn't transfer the production/distribution rights to her, does it? It just means that her right to dictate how her intellectual property is used trumps my right to produce/distribute my own (infringing) work?

edit: Long story short, I'm correct that those rights don't somehow lie with the creator of the original work, and the OP has since corrected herself (nothing to do with me, I didn't comment there). Those interested in this topic may like to read elf's comments on the subject on my DreamWidth post, since she's someone I consider very knowledgeable about this sort of thing (dare I say, immersed in it).

( More lists )

Also, fall_fantasia has started posting; this is a small exchange, in which I am one of the participants. Since there are only ten people (one fic posted daily), I'm trying to make a real effort to read all the fics (unless there's something that squicks me, natch). The two posted so far have been most enjoyable.

(Crossposted to LJ)

I am looking for ONE site for uploading my Harry Potter fanfic *and* fanart. So I need a site that will accept ANY rating and ANY pairing, as well as art. T_T Not asking for much....just the moon, aye? @_@

But seriously, I promise a nice smutty drabble of 100-300 words, ANY pairing, your choice of a kink, in return for helping me find a site that can do this.

Was a bit of a bum this week but I had some extrordinary circumstances going on in RL. seriously don't want to get into that right now. But I did manage to finish a few things. ownficfest will be posting the reveals soon, and fall_fantasia has started posting so YAY!

Completed:

Detention(Harry/Severus, NC-17, 1,100)

Lily's Diary (Marauder Era; Lily/James, baby Harry, Remus, and Peter, PG, 346)

Weekly/monthly drabbles/ficlets/fics:
1. snape100 changes every Sunday
2. harry100changes every Monday
3. draco100 changes every Monday
4. snupin100 changes every Tuesday
5. slythindor100 changes when the mod remembers *g*
6. neville100 changes every Thursday
7. snarry100 changes every Thursday
8. lupin100 changes every Saturday
9. daily_deviant 2nd of every month

Fests
1. severus_shorts due Oct 31st
2. snapelyholidays due Nov 13th Started
3. harry_holidays due Nov 20th Planning
4. daily_deviant's Kinky Kristmas due Nov 30th Started
5. snarry_swapdue Dec 14th Planning

Thanks to the lovely alicit I have a Harvest egg! I am also trying to match up my other dragons by pairing so if these don't gender correctly they are up for trade, if anyone cares for one. They are fairly common dragons with the exception of the Black and Green dragons.

My scroll and eggs: ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

No wonder our system is so damn broken. they our robbing us blind.

U.S. Medical Prices Highest In the World
Posted by: Cathy Arnst on November 02

There is a set of charts flying around the policy blogosphere today that starkly illustrates why the U.S. devotes almost 18% of its gross domestic product to health care spending, while other wealthy nations spend no more than 10% or 11%: Because we pay far, far more per unit of care than any other country.

The 36-page document was put together in September by the International Federation of Health Plans, which represents 100 insurers in 31 countries. It consists of a number of charts that show the difference between what the U.S. pays for any number of medical services, and what other industrialized countries pay.

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Tomorrow is election day in some states. Some for Governors others for Mayors.

For us in Texas we have 11 Constitutional Amendments going up for vote.

The Burnt Orange Report has a great lowdown on what they are and what major newspapers are endorsing and their own endorsements.

Me, No on Prop 1-3, Yes on Prop 4-8, No on Prop 9-11.

I know a lot of people support Prop 9 (Open Beaches Act) and Prop 11 (Eminent Domain) but I'm against them. First, 9 is taking people's property away from them in cases of land eroison that cause public beaches to become private property. And 11 is just going to screw up the emminent domain laws more than what it is already is and will not FIX/REFORM them. Not to mention that Governor Goodhair (Perry) and Hutchinson and the Texas Tea Party LIKE it!

And seriously there are some amendments here that are ridiculous. Did Prop 5 and Prop 7 really have to exist? Seriously, couldn't we have made LAWS and not constitutional amendments? I know 7 is to add the National Guard to exempt that already has everyone else added...but couldn't we have just tossed the old amendment out and just made a new LAW that did the same thing?

What about Prop 5? A constitutional admendment to dictate how apprasial boards work in concert with each other?!

And Prop 10?! "Proposition 10 would ... allow members of governing boards of Texas emergency service districts to serve terms not to exceed four years." --League of Women Voters Guide


Austin Chronicle: YES. "But trivial, and this belongs in ordinary legislation, not the state constitution."

El Paso Times: YES. "This would provide more continuity and experience on the boards."

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: NO. "This is goofy. There's no good reason why board members of obscure districts in Harris County should have longer terms than members of the Texas House."

Houston Tea Party Patriots: No Endorsement.

Sen. Kirk Watson's "Watson Wire:" YES. It "would lengthen the term of emergency services district board members from two to four years."

*sighs* *shakes head*

Oh for god's sake why can't Texas do something logical for a change!!!

Title: Once More into the Breach
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 333
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Prompt: vendetta
Warnings: AU with respect to certain canon character deaths, obviously
Disclaimer: Title belongs to Shakespeare, and nothing else is mine, either.
AN: Just a bitty NaNo-distraction-drabble – thanks to bewarethesmirk for giving me a prompt and putting up with me. She is, as she always is, wonderful. :)

( Once More into the Breach )

( Cut because, well, boring to anyone else )

Okay, this is a lame-o post, but I'm determined to do it. At least a quick update.

Things are crazy busy at work, and I get the feeling that this is going to be a MEGA overtime week. Good for next paycheck, not so good for my mental health.

I'm also doing nano this year. I'm up to about 3850 words so far, so making good progress. I think this whole "write and just let it flow" thing is a great way of getting things done for me.

Of course, I'll need a beta in December. A MEGABETA 'cause it's OMGBAD now. :P Not time to go and edit yet though.

My daily_deviant fic is up, and while it's not the one I had planned on using, (maybe I'll get back to that one day) I do hope you'll enjoy it.

Title: Detention
Author: unbroken_halo
Characters/Pairings: Harry/Severus
Rating: NC-17
Kinks/Themes Chosen: Costumes
Other Warnings: wall sex, role playing, bottom!Snape
Word Count: 1,100
Summary/Description: Severus supervises Harry's detention.
Author's Notes: Err… I chickened out of the clamp/torture fic I had planned, so you get Snarry instead, yay! Thanks to eeyore9990 for the encouragement and the superfast beta! *mucha smoocha* darling.

It's snarry_ldws time again! Only four drabbles left, so reading and voting and being awesome will take but an instant. :D

Title: Walk of Shame
Prompts: Non-magic AU, "way to go, Harry!"
Summary: Last night was good (incredible), but it's over now.
Rating/Warnings: R
Word Count: 300
Notes: This was non-magic AU week, so I took the opportunity to turn Hogwarts into the Enterprise and Harry and Snape into Chekov and McCoy and write blatant gift!fic for _beetle_ for being AWESOME and GLORIOUS. But then this whole scene might just be plagiarized from one of her actual ST fics so I dunno how much of a gift it is...*shoves fic at teh beetle and runs away*

( last week's drabble )

Have you voted yet?

snarry_ldws

Week Seven drabbles are up! This time the topic is: Romance. The phrase is: 'disfavor, disfavoring, or disfavorable'. We're down to four drabbles this week, and still in the running are alisanne, joanwilder, la_dissonance, and literaryspell.

Go HERE to read and vote. Awww, c'mon, it's ROMANCE this week, and you know you wanna read them!

Like last week, anyone who correctly guesses which is mine will get a drabble of their pairing of choice. It's becoming easier to get a drabble from me, you realize, as the odds are now 1 in 4. (Reply to this entry; comments are screened.)

How to know you spend too much time in fandom...



My son made a horrible mess with his play money. Just now, I'm cleaning it up and catch myself thinking, 'Why did I buy him Muggle play money?'



I think someone needs a break from writing. :D

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Okay, did 3 loads of laundry, large amounts of cooking, and talked with my mom for an hour. Have also completed one of the LIS assignments and turned that in; still have 4 chapters to read for that class, also 3 articles for the other plus an assignment and online discussion, by Tuesday. Did not get any grading done, so will have to work on that tomorrow as well (this batch needs to be graded by Wednesday; there's another lot of papers coming in tomorrow for the other class, too).

On the plus side, I got an extra hour of sleep this morning? Now if I could only get that every morning...

And we finished watching The Magdalene Sisters tonight. Very good film (based on a true story, apparently), albeit quite depressing. Netflix rocks; I love being able to get less-common films so easily.

Title: A Vulcan's Best Friend
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 486
Rating: R
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Prompt: "Tentacles are a Vulcan's best friend"
Warnings: err, bondage? Sort of?
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( A Vulcan's Best Friend )

Title: Correct Behavior
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 358
Rating: R
Pairing: Spock/Chekov
Prompt: voyeurism
Warnings: what the prompt says :p
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( Correct Behavior )

Title: Not Sure He Should
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 252
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: McCoy/Chekov
Prompt: barely legal
Warnings: well, like the prompt says … they are of age. Barely.
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( Not Sure He Should )


Title: For the Sake of the Morning After
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 105
Rating: R
Pairing: Spock Prime/Spock
Prompt: mutual masturbation
Warnings: err, I've been assured by several lovely people that this pairing doesn't actually count as incest, but idek, ymmv, and all that.
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( For the Sake of the Morning After )

Title: The End of the High
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 143
Rating: R
Pairing: Kirk/Sulu
Prompt: adrenaline
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( The End of the High )

Title: First Base, and Other Earthly Metaphors
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 237
Rating: R
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Prompt: frottage
Warnings: what the prompt says, lol
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( First Base, and Other Earthly Metaphors )

Title: Like Magnets
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 399
Rating: R
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Prompt: prostitution
Warnings: mention of dub-con
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( Like Magnets )

Title: (In)convenient Circumstances
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 350
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Sulu/Chekov
Prompt: lap-sitting
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( (In)convenient Circumstances )

Title: The Uniform Makes the Man
Author: lesyeuxverts
Word Count: 163
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kirk/Bones
Prompt: uniforms
Disclaimer: Not mine.

( The Uniform Makes the Man )

Our biggest turn-out yet: 84 trick-or-treaters this year, between 6 pm and 8 pm when we blew out the pumpkins, turned out the lights, and had our dinner. SO carved Johnny Cash on one of the pumpkins (using a stencil) and was disappointed that no one recognized him, although several people commented on the high carving quality.

( CSA )

( Menus )

Now though I need to work on two different LIS assignments and do some grading. Whee. Granted I did no work whatsoever yesterday for either teaching or classes being taken, so... yeah. Must catch up. Just don't feel like it much.

Can anyone tell what he is singing?