Meta Roundup

the_willow: Fairy Tales & Fables: "But this webcomic hit me all over again with the fact that there's never an explanation of why those created worlds DON'T have PoC. Why am I so hung up on providing an explanation for why my Robin Hood Character or Fairy Godmother isn't white?"

stele3 noticed that some people have problems commenting with OpenID because they need to constantly re-login on IJ, and wrote a quick guide ("Permanent login for OpenID").

branchandroot: The charge of action scenes and the flexibility of porn: "And this, it comes to me all over again, is why writing sex is just like writing tennis or swordfights or any other kind of action. All action, in print, has to mean something."

musesfool: what you need to get the job done: "Characters are (fictional) people. Generally, they do not think in finely wrought literary phrases, let alone tired cliches like "the lustrous locks of her ravens-wing hair swung gently as she climbed down the stairs to answer the door."
(Also, she's looking for tips for writing a third person omniscient narrator.)

draconic_voices: SGA (yes, "Whispers" I'm looking at you): "... what bothered me the most was the complete lack of realism in the military interactions. For God's Sake, SG-1 did military (sometimes badly, but usually they managed chain of command &respect for superior officers pretty well) for 10 years, shouldn't SGA be able to at least manage that."

babydraco wrote a series of meta posts about The Chronicles of Narnia, comparing the movies with the BBC series (here and here), and general thoughts on the fandom / participation therein.

andreth_47: untitled post: "Is that what you mean when you all talk about your "muse"? That person who's doing the writing, because if it's not you, then who the hell is it?"

[Queer as Folk, detailed episode discussion, i.e. spoilers] xie_xie_xie: The great 513 debate: "Nothing I said here may apply to your reasons for loving or hating 513. But I think there ARE reasons why we do either, or even why we're ambivalent about it, and sometimes examining those reasons instead of just reacting emotionally can reveal new perspectives that we'd have otherwise missed."

blktauna: untitled post: "I think I'm missing what the consensus of misogyny is. Is it the dislike of _all_ female characters? Is it dislike solely because they're female? Can you not like them because they are crap characters or do you have to like them just because they're female?"

elfwreck: Bring on the political RPF: "So... anyone know any good RPF/RPS sites for political figures? About pundits? Anything that explores minor character traits, or takes promises to their extremes, or makes a plausible case for how they'd act in weird emergencies?"

Meta (with polls)

yourlibrarian: What is RPF anyway? About different strains of Real People Fiction and whether it is actually fanfic. Closes with an RPF opinion poll.

loqia: Porn for the Rest of Us: "People admitting that they "skim sex scenes" in fics is surprisingly common. Hell, I do it too; especially if it's getting in the way of some other type of porn. Identity Porn is one of my favourites, but it's only one of many ..."

carodee: Who you are is how you write: "I can see that my writing has real flaws; I also have strengths that I lean on a lot to cover the flaws. The not so strange thing is that I can see how my writing style is completely shaped by the way I walk through life."

xie_xie_xie: Please close the canon on your way out: "I love taking the whole, closed, completed work and then drawing strands out of it [...] I simply can't imagine feeling that way about a story that's still being written."

celandineb: Writing and reading chaptered fics: "One of the things about fanfic (besides the fact that we're all playing in someone else's sandbox) is that longer stories are frequently posted serially, either as each part is written or after the whole is complete (especially if it's really long). There are pluses and minuses to this, both from the reader's and writer's perspective." Also has a poll on reading/writing preferences.

Privacy / Legal Issues

For Gmail users (in case you haven't heard the news yet), a hacking tool has been introduced that automatically steals IDs of non-encrypted sessions and uses them to break into the accounts. The developer is planning to release it in a few days. You can protect your accounts by switching to SSL permanently. If you're unfamiliar with the procedure, blue_rose posted a step-by-step guide and also linked to a patch that would ensure that Gmail Notifier is still working afterwards. I'd like to include two off-site links, an article on HungryHackers.com which explains how Gmail and the hacking tool work, and for Firefox users there's the extension Customize Google, which can also help remove or block unwanted content, including ads and Google Analytics cookies.

skuf wrote a quick tutorial on how to block LJToys from tracking you on LJ/IJ/clones (Firefox only).

morgandawn mentions the RIAA’s Anti-Piracy Trade Agreement Wishlist.

Meta (posts are from the 15th and 23rd, but I don't want to pass them up -- my apologies for not including them earlier. I'm trying to change that, as stated in the previous entry.)

spacelogic: How Star Trek Made Me A Feminist, and Why I Don't Think STXI Is Going To Be Worth It: "I remember being freaked out by the first episode, being wary of the next several, and gradually being won over. And at some point during the entire process, I came to a shocking realization: Star Trek was more feminist than a lot of more modern TV/film productions."

the_willow: Watching The Show In Your Head (Pt 2): When You Can't: "I guess I feel like there probably needs to be respect for the fact that when you can't watch anymore, it means there's too much weighed on the side of dislike and disappointment. And those weights can be aspects of racism, sexism, classcism, national isolationism or just not enough plot ..." (talks about "Monk" and SGA as examples)

Hi! Uh, I suck at introductory stuff, so I'll get straight to the point, okay?

You'll have noticed that the updates have been very infrequent. Of course, I never started out with a strictly set posting schedule in the first place, but it's been getting worse. The overall posting activity on IJ has increased over the year, while my own spare time and energy have decreased, and I finally admit that I can't keep doing this newsletter on my own.

I'm really sorry that I didn't react earlier... I kept hoping that I'd soon have more time on my hands again and things would get back to normal, you know? Well, that was rather stupid of me, as it only reduced the usefulness of this asylum for everyone, and I apologize.

Fact is, if I want to maintain meta_roundup and do regular updates, I'll need help. I'd definitely need someone help me collect links, and perhaps even someone who'd help posting individual issues.

As a first step, I've created a poll in my journal to ask who'd be willing to become a compiler or editor, and see what I/we could work with in theory. Comments are open, for questions and discussion. All news and decisions will also get posted here.

The poll will stay open for a week. In the meantime, I'm going to post a regular roundup issue on Wednesday.

Thank you for your patience, and for sticking with this project over time; meta_roundup had its first 'birthday' a few days ago, actually (Aug 3rd), and I remember how anxious I was in the beginning whether it'd even get that far. *feels nostalgic*

[RPF / bandom] stele3: Thinky thoughts about the Wall Of Some Kind: "We might not be able to get those real people to stop reading our fanfiction (and the characters we write); but we can and should squarely define those two as separate and distinct."

caithyra (in fanficrants): Sex without consent is rape...: "I can't get over the non-consensual wave that's being written (not the one when the writer knows and is aiming for writing non-con, but rather, those who thinks it's a perfectly normal and healthy relationship), because it scares me. Are there really so many fans out there who believes that it is healthy?"

rubyfruit_pixie: Informal writing survey! :D: "What do you like to write when it comes to fanfiction?"

[Harry Potter] ravenna_c_tan asks whether there's any interest in a Snape/Draco/Harry Smut Fest, and for thoughts on format & participation.

IJ Note: The stats (http://www.insanejournal.com/stats/) hadn't updated in a while, but are now live again. Raw txt data: http://www.insanejournal.com/stats/stat s.txt.

the_willow: More On Nice vs Mean (Fannish): "Do only one set of feelings matter? Or only one set of feelings from one group of people?"

[Harry Potter] iamisaac (in metametameta): Severus/Remus in canon: "3000 words or so of meta about moments in canon where a relationship between Severus and Remus looks like a real possibility."

[Queer-as-Folk-centric, but also general discussion] xie_xie_xie: Wherein I am intolerant in the extreme: "If you ever wanted proof that I do not in fact rule the universe nor even this tiny little molecule of it that is the Queer as Folk fandom, the existence of QAF mpreg is it. [...] I think there's something really, truly scary and strange about serious "real world" mpreg fic."

[Dr. Horrible] andreth_47: Dr. Horrible Meta: The Goggles of Disguise: "I was thinking about that in regard to Dr. Horrible, 'cause supervillains wear costumes too of course, and I suddenly realized that disguises/costumes/illusions are a pervasive theme in Joss's latest work of genius."

Refresher course: branchandroot explains how to use OpenID when you don't have an IJ account.

[allgemeine Diskussion, plus Eindrücke über Generation Kill] mllesatine: Heut mach ich mir kein Abendbrot, heut mach ich mir Gedanken!: "Jedenfalls geht mir in letzter Zeit so einiges zum Thema Slash, Feminismus und meinen Fandoms im Kopf rum. Warum sind zum Beispiel die Fandoms, die ich am meisten liebe, nur von Männern bevölkert?"

I decided to split the issue, not just because the list of meta links is unusually long (sorry), but also so that the people who are either thoroughly up-to-date on the whole FanHistory.com/partly_bouncy debate, or just fed up with it, can just skip part a (which appears below this one).

[Queer as Folk] Two posts by xie_xie_xie:
The Dreaded B/J FF Syndrome: "I don't believe it's possible to understand any of the characters, pairings, or storylines in isolation. I think that nearly all of the arcs are interwoven, and issues in one pairing -- say, Drew and Emmett -- are reflected in and reflect issues in another -- say, Brian and Justin."
and A Writerly Reflection on Post-Series Fic: "I watch 513 now and every bit of what happens after in my own fic feels foreshadowed and certain to me. It permeates my viewing of the series finale. [...] Do other writers feel this way, if you write post-series fic?"

[The X-Files] musesfool: mulder, it's me: "And while in some ways the entire show was about how we all lack agency, that larger forces are always working against us, one of the things I always loved about Scully was that she was her own woman - she evaluated the evidence and came to her own conclusions."

versaphile: Fandom FTW: "No matter how good you are, there is always someone who does it better, or can write snappier dialogue or more amazing plots or vivid descriptions. And whatever they're amazing at, there's something they're not amazing at that someone else is better at. It can't be a competition."

the_willow: My Fandom: "... when at the end my constructive thoughts and analysis result in utter frustration because nothing changes in the source and I feel personally hurt by the exclusion of people of colour, or the inclusion of stereotypes and just plain foolishness - I walk away."

elfwreck (in metametameta): OTW discussions: "... I don't think any kind of agreement will be reached if only the pro-OTW posts are allowing unlimited discussions. And that's disappointing--because I don't want those who want privacy, or who fear legal reprisals, to be entirely sidelined."

telesilla: Sit down, suck it up and STFU: "Since it's apparently perfectly all right to tell other people how they should and should not participate in fandom, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon."

xie_xie_xie: On opinions: "What it really is, is this: I'm an editor and all day long, I get articles sent to me by amateur writers -- experts in their fields, but not professional writers. And I can usually tell which were written by women, and which by men, because only the women qualify every fucking thing they say with "I feel," "it seems," "I believe," and "in my view."

brownbetty: Cheater's guide to Conlang in fiction: "Okay, so, you want your work of fiction to have a language in it that isn't an Earth language. Unfortunately, all the languages you speak are Earth-languages! (Except if you speak Klingon or Quenya, I'll grant.) How to get around this?"

elfwreck (in metametameta: Back to Basics: Slash Thoughts (a list of slash-related questions to spark conversation)

andreth_47: A Tongue-in-Cheek Plea to Slash Writers: "I'm here to beg, oh writers of smut, you people who bring me porn and whom I adore, that you stop and think really, really hard before writing any of the following things into your hot manlovin' sex scenes. Because they make Ianto cry."

I split this issue because of content and length - part b has the general and fandom-specific meta.

For this part, I tried to narrow down the posts to discussions originating on IJ or helpful summaries/roundups, to avoid repetitions.

The first post to draw attention to it was lucario's entry in 07refugees, Seems like fandom is starting to turn on itself. It basically consisted of a link to Dejana's LJ post, but sparked some discussion.

carlanime later shared information that the FH wiki article had been removed, and adds some thoughts on privacy.

Eventually, elfwreck updated metametameta with a link roundup and chronological summary of the events.

Related posts:

cluegirl: Hey, remember that Sally Jesse Rafael show where the gay guy got outed, then murdered?: "Reporters, journalists, bloggers, fans, Wiki/archive owners, and anybody who deals in information and bills it as 'data' or 'facts', take note; You DO bear responsibility for the harm done with the information you choose to release."

randomsome1: Math is ugly. : "Is fandom massively spazzing out over ff.net, or the membership dues paid to an essentially dead organization, or any of the other half-dozen things that are making money off fans/fanworks? No, they'd currently rather be piling on Fanhistory for being a dotcom, for having a single ad per page, and for Laura H. trying to market the thing."

Note: Spoilers for the TV fandom posts (definitely for Doctor Who, quite possibly for Avatar and Scrubs).

stele3: Freedom of Speech? Not Online: "There is no such thing as free speech online, not in places like LJ, IJ, MySpace, or Facebook. There is only what they allow us to say."

brownbetty asks: "If you were designing a 6 credit, second year course on "Our Fannish Heritage", that is to say, in imaginary Fandom U where you inculcate fresh young fans, what would the syllabus look like?"

lore: Coming out of the Yaoi closet....: "So, you want to read some Yaoi manga, do you? Well, here's what I know, based on my usual roam-and-learn web-surfing."

[Doctor Who] yonmei posted about the S4 finale in regards to Donna and the Doctor's character / characterization.

[Avatar: The Last Airbender] beccastareyes discussed parenting and parent/child issues in the series, with focus on Toph.

[Scrubs] shadowvalkyrie wrote about the perceived change in tone and focus in the later Seasons.


InsaneJournal:
News about siteschemes: there's now an option to remove (or add) Tweak and Tweak says via the browser settings. Additionally, CSS style sheets to do the same in user styles are listed here.

LiveJournal [links go to LJ]:
SUP are going to bring Basic Accounts back, but with ads (see original LJ news post). This goes for ALL Basic accounts, old or new. There's a discussion in 07refugees.
Also, spam on LJ seems to be increasing - not just anonymous spam comments, but from registered journals, who also use off-site links "disguised" as tags in their posts. Liz_marcs has more info, and a list of the mentioned journals to copy-and-paste into the admin console is here. For a list of other measures to take, read voiceboxx' comment. Most of these apply to InsaneJournal, too.

[Harry Potter] helkamaria: Voldemort and the Ministry: "Anonymous commented on DTCL that villains are scarier when we don't see them, personally, but rather their sinister influence, which got me to think about the two main villains in Harry Potter: Voldemort and the Ministry."

[Stargate] justhuman has a theory and poll on gender bias in genre writing, mainly SF&F, and how (if) that relates to SG1/SG:A.

branchandroot wrote a follow-up post on the previous entry about ratings, and the comments received: Let’s get the requirements issue out in the open, then.

skuf has a poll on the spelling and definition of fic-kink/fic!kink.

IJ news: In announcements, there's a poll on the available siteschemes and which one should be the official default look of the site. Additionally, a new alternate sitescheme has been uploaded: "a black and white theme (sans-tweak and tweak-says for those that don't like him)", called Monodramatic.

[Doctor Who] versaphile: Claws of Axos: "An interesting contrast between New Who and Classic Who is that while Classic!Master came up with increasingly crazy schemes that usually backfired on him, technically Simm!Master bucked that trend."

[Harry Potter] In continuation of the discussion generated by previous posts, bohemianspirit (in snapedom) wrote Still Further Thoughts on Prejudice in the Potterverse and Snape's Worst Memory: "'Prejudice against Muggles and Muggleborns,' 'On using the term 'racism,' and 'Ethical considerations in the scene in Snape's Worst Memory' are discussed behind the cut ..."

carlanime: Gossip and history and attention, oh my.: "I don't have a favourite soap opera; I have fandom." (Also discusses the Fan History Wiki.)

On ratings:

elfwreck (in metametameta): Ratings: Worksafe, Standard, Mature, Explicit: "... I don't like rating the reader rather than the content. I want fics (and arts and vids) rated by what's inside them, not by who's expected to find that most appealing."

branchandroot: First, the purpose of the system: "My impression in my own fandom sector, anime fandom, is that [the NC-17] rating is used more as advertising than for restriction. [...] In some ways, then, it seems to me that we have taken in the MPAA focus on sex and subverted it."

Meta

alchemia posted a list of mainstream/canonical Mpreg examples.

elfwreck (in metametameta): Class issues in U.S. television: "Okay, let's make it a game. The rules are: Name a show, or if we're really lucky, some shows, that are centered around lower-class or working-class characters, and are not sitcoms."

[SGA] telesilla: it's been 3.4 weeks since the last time my fandom showed its ass: "In a conversation--which has since been frozen--elsewhere today, more than one person said they were glad the dreads stayed because they made Ronon look more alien. Actually, the word "non-human" was used. I'm sorry, but what?!"

[Harry Potter] In snapedom, there were two recent posts comparing anti-Muggle sentiment in HP to racism; Playing the Race Card: Is Anti-Muggle Prejudice Really the Unpardonable Sin? by bohemianspirit, and an untitled followup commentary by ether_bunny.

Other

squeaky started a Weekend Sale for Permanent Accounts and Insane Userpics, ending on Sunday at 8:00 p.m., and also asks for reports on still existing site bugs.

For Firefox users who also use LJlogin to manage their InsaneJournal accounts: Firefox 3 does not support LJlogin. I've read about at least ten other addons not working, either (e.g. CookieSafe), but apparently there's a workaround for at least some of those. darkrose posted about it here.

InsaneJournal

There've been some discussions on ideas worth mentioning. viridescence asked for a way to better organize and edit userpics, e.g. by implementing a tagging system. 15 discusses the need for a paid support staff and if/how this could be managed.

Meta

cluegirl: Oh, now that's just sad...: "I've just figured out something rather awful; fanfic has spoiled me for 'real' books."

tigresslilly: Fanfiction Post: "Question: Does anyone else find that they are reading R, NC-17, X, or whatever adult rating for fanfiction porn reasons and then skipping the porn? [...] And as long as I'm unleashing my fanfiction secrets, anyone else read so much fanfiction that they can't keep the canon straight anymore?"

the_rck wrote three (untitled) entries with thoughts on fic writing: about inspiration (be it taken from canon or the fic of others), narrative kinks, and what you need to get the feeling you can write fic for a specific fandom.

opengoal posted on Mpreg, its appeal and possible precedents (or lack thereof).

torino10154 has questions about threesomes in fic (the given examples are from Harry Potter, but the questions are more general).

stewardess comments on the upcoming Dreamwidth Studios, based on the LiveJournal Open Source codebase, in Dreamwidth: Not The Answer For Me.

[Supernatural] yourlibrarian wrote about supporting characters in SPN and the way they relate(d) to the two main characters.

Polls

A while ago, reijamira created a poll to gather information on how people feel about a Supernatural newsletter on IJ. Follow-up poll and discussion of the options so far.

lilithilien's poll on journalling preferences was linked in the previous issue; in this post she discusses the results.

First things first: InsaneJournal's ads have been reverted back to using Google text ads only. (announcement)

Now, on to the meta ...

[Spoiler] lenija: Y: The Last Man, über Enden. Potentielle Minispoiler ohne Cut. Weil.: "Früher mochte ich keine offenen Enden, weil ich immer wissen wollte, was weiter passiert. Und daß es nicht aufhört."

das_dingsi: Meandering thoughts on the "watch something else" argument: "Inevitably, someone responds with "well, why are you still watching it? can't be that bad, then, huh?!" or "meh, just watch something else / something better". -- And I get where they're coming from, I just think it's not that simple."

yourlibrarian: SPN Writing in S3: "Some months ago I wrote about what I thought were the best written episodes of S1 and S2, and I thought I'd do the same with S3 now that it's ended. Since we have nearly a third fewer episodes this season I'm going to choose the top 2 instead of top 3 – Mystery Spot by Jeremy Carver and Jus in Bello by Sera Gamble."

musesfool: have you come to raise the dead?: "But I was also thinking about season 3 of Supernatural, and a couple of conversations I've had about it recently, specifically, about the structural and pacing issues, and how Kripke really does remind me of a fanfic writer."

In F-List By Stealth, loqia explains how to bulk import someone's entire f-list into GoogleReader, and talks a little about friending/feed lists in general. (Note: I know that it's mirrored from a blog and says that comments are preferred on the original, but as comments on IJ aren't disabled, I'm listing it here.)


On LiveJournal's updated policy quidelines

bethbethbeth posted the guidelines in her journal, the original post on the lj_policy community is here.

elfwreck ponders whether it's worth "switching back" (or what would be needed to reach that point).

In light of LJ's announcement, lilithilien created a poll on journaling preferences and the factors that would possibly influence one's posting habits.

shadowvalkyrie: Feedback thoughts: "Somehow, when you write a fic for someone, you expect getting a reaction -- any reaction -- from them."

yonmei: Class on TV: "Just out of interest, what's your impression, imaginary Internet people, of the difference between class representation on British TV and American TV?"

kabal42: US laws that fandom, no, heck that everyone! needs to be aware of: "Yesterday it was brought to my attention that security personnel at US airports now can search, copy and keep (a copy of) any data you carry with you into the States. [...] The staff are not necessarily educated in knowing the difference between lawful and unlawful use and transport of copyrighted material, nor in the difference between fiction and reality with regards to certain laws."

elfwreck (in metametameta): Warnings for "chan;" archive content policies: 'So... while I'm pondering, I'll open it up to the f'list: what do you consider "chan" is? Or "underage sex" in fanfic? [...] For a rating system of "chan/not-chan," where do/would you draw the lines, epecially when normal human biology isn't involved?'

the_willow: How Slash Changed My Feminism: "The best thing about reading slash and slashy coming out stories was watching male character after male character do this questioning of self and this questioning of what they'd learned from society. And I realized that I'd never questioned what I'd learned from society about men."

[Supernatural] chal created a wishlist of "Things I Would Love to See ..." in Season 4. (Discusses some events from S1-3.)

Polls:

aristoboule asks how you find new communities/asylums, and what factors influence your participation (or lack thereof).

celandineb on the use of sensory description in fic, particularly smutty fic, and reading preferences.

First, there have been issues with e-mail notifications. A few of the comments to one's own journal can be seen at this page, which shows up to 50 of the most recent comments.

Second, I apologize for making you wait so long for a new update. At first it was due to issues with the site resulting from the move to different servers, meaning I couldn't access it, nor the part of my journal that stores the link roundups. But the rest of the delay is entirely my own fault, and I'm truly sorry for that.
So, because of this, there are a few entries that are (by newsletter standards) practically ancient by now. But I'd feel bad for not including them. Those are:

• yourlibrarian's In praise of comments, discussing feedback from the perspective of a reader who also likes reading the comments, and with a poll on it
• branchandroot's Machina, pathos and conflict, on disability in anime and the symbolic components of the portrayals
• nekocat's "House, M.D." character meta Amber as a Feminist Icon? (Or: Why Amber is Awesome)
• the_willow's Meta thoughts on usage of the word "pimp" in fandom
• stele3's "Girl" is not an insult

More Recent Meta

elwing_alcyone: But of course: "Like I said, I like Joss Whedon's work, and I consider myself a fan. But I think he's coasting by on the perception that he's a feminist, without really thinking things through carefully."

vain: Musings on concrit and the nature and necessity of wank: "You have to either stand by what you said and agree to disagree or concede the point. In either case, there's no need to ram your opinion down anyone's throat. Doing so leads back to step four of this cycle: Wank."

[Supernatural] brownbetty: The way to insult a demon is to call it a woman: "People have argued that this is a difference merely of degree, and Dean's lack of respect for women has been apparent from season one. This is true, but the difference between lack of respect and contempt is one of degree, and I can tolerate the first, but not the second in my entertainment."

[Battlestar Galactica] amilliondays: thoughts on BSG, short version: "I still love it. I still love the women from it. I'll watch it to the end, because ultimately my problems with it aren't enough to dampen my fondness and adoration for the things I love about it, for the addiction it feeds. -- But it's still got problems."

[Smallville] odditycollector: A hero's best archenemies are a study in opposites. That's why Clark fights *Brainiac*.: "But then I realized that the problem was just that I was working from the wrong mental model. I'd tuned in expecting some sort of superhero drama, when really I was watching a comedy. It's a parody about these characters who've been sucked into the orbit of Our Hero Who Has An Important Destiny Trust Us... only Our Hero has the brains of a guinea pig and the characters spend most of their time making sure he doesn't walk around with his underwear on the outside of his pants or something."

[cartoon animation in general / Avatar: The Last Airbender] branchandroot: Avatar pick up, VA musings: "The other thing that trips me up, unfortunately, seems to be endemic to US cartoons, and that’s the voice acting. [...] You know. That problem. The one where you listen and think “s/he’s not acting; s/he’s just reading”.

firefly124: Neat bit of meta, found via [info]a_bees_buzz, and some of my related thoughts on AU's: "As with the examples I gave, sometimes you choose to go with the unrealistic option that most people will buy anyway because that's what will work without bogging things down."

rood: Why I think the FanFictionNetBot is a Bad Idea: "Some of you may have heard of it, some may not. The Fan History Wiki now uses a bot to integrate ff.net user data into their database."

lenija: Retrospektion. Spirale geht nicht zu. ;): "2003 habe ich angefangen, Fanfic zu lesen, doch ich wußte damals noch nicht, daß es eine große Internetgemeinde gibt, die auf allen möglichen Niveaus über ihre geliebten Texte diskutiert und deren Mitglieder sich zu einem großen Teil auch darüber definieren, Teil des Fandoms zu sein."

This week's prompts on metametameta are disability-related (inspired by the Blog Against Disablism Day).

Userpics were temporarily switched off because IJ's slowly getting moved to the new server, but should be back up now. Some icons might have gotten lost in the process, but after the move is completed, it shouldn't happen again, ever. squeaky's cleaning up the ads, too. Busy week.

stele3: The Dreaded Meta: Fic Warnings and Literary Ambitions: "The topic for today: warnings on fanfiction for character death, rape, child abuse, the romantic pairing, and other plot points." (Spoiler for the fourth book of The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett -- there's a warning, though, so that you can skip the paragraph in question.)

lilithilien: World Cup thoughts: "I've been consuming massive quantities of fic lately with the hd_worldcup. Being asked to judge/grade them has been such an interesting experience, and I'm learning more about what I like about fics. [...] I'd be very interested to hear how the rest of you read fanfic (even if you're in a different fandom), and particularly how you are scoring fics in this competition."

And helkamaria is looking for due South and SGA reccers.