Otter's Rock

I need a beta for a BSG story

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:47:58 GMT

Characters: Bill Adama (knowledge of the new Caprica series a plus)

Specifics: this shouldn't need much in the way of spelling/grammar help, but it needs an outside view to make sure that it hangs together and makes sense and the theme and tone work. It's mostly a character study of Adama and his views on/interactions with Cylons, and it's set in late season 4. It's just under 3k words, and I'm not sure that it works as a coherent whole. It may need things added to it or taken out or re-written, and I'm too close to it to be able to see where the problems are.

Reason number ten billion why I prefer DW to LJ

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:34:13 GMT

The Affiliate Thing (ganked from rydra_wong):

LJ would like you to know:

Last week, we became aware that a recently-implemented script was overwriting affiliate referral fees for some of our users. Once we confirmed this, our Ops team quickly removed the script. Please be aware that, while we may beta-test other affiliate scripts down the line, we will take greater measures to ensure that no existing user-referral arrangements are impacted in any way.

In other words: they will be redirecting your links to slap affiliate codes on them and make money out of them in future.

As comments from the reps indicated, the "mistake" this time was that it stripped existing affiliate codes (thus massively violating the affiliate agreement with Amazon and pissing their lawyers off).

But hijacking your links and redirecting them through a third-party site for fun and profit? That was the point.

Stay classy, LJ. Stay classy.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:05:52 GMT

I finally have a plot bunny for [Bad username or site: [livejournal.com profile] bsg_remix @ livejournal.com] !!!!

That is all.

Invite codes!

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:10:07 GMT

I have Dreamwidth invite codes, free for the taking to whoever wants them! Comment with your e-mail and I will send them, first come, first served (Comments will be screened, so you don't have to worry about your email hanging out there). Also, since the Remix Redux will be hosted on AO3 this year, if you want to participate you need an invite code, which they will be happy to send you. (Also, if you're going to participate in the Remix, you need to friend remixers_lounge so you can stay current with what's happening.) AO3 is a multifandom archive run by fans for fans, on new code written just for it, and so far I'm loving it. It's a lot more flexible than, say, ff.net, and I love the tag system.

Fic: Both Alike in Dignity

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:13:21 GMT

Title: Both Alike in Dignity
Author: beatrice_otter
Fandom: Superman movieverse
Characters: Lara Lor-Van, Jor-El
Word Count: 1,338
Summary: Lara knows what she wants in life, and how to achieve it.
AN: Yeah, yeah, I know, in canon Lara is either an astronaut/scientist or a librarian. Given the discrepancy and how few Superman stories even mention her (and how few of those tell us what her profession was), I think I can safely make up what fits my story.

( The House of El had been one of the most prominent of all Kryptonian houses since the days of barbarism. )

Fic: Pescadero

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:02:17 GMT

Title: Pescadero
Author: beatrice_otter
Fandom: Terminator
Character: Sarah Connor
Word Count: 501
Summary: Before and after.

( Before being sent to Pescadero State Hospital, Sarah Connor’s dreams were the ordinary kinds of nightmares you got when killer robots from the future were out to kill you and your young son. )

It's been a while since I've gotten an entitlement comment on a story

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:47:59 GMT

Comment on "Summer Experience" via the Pit of Voles:

Nice try but there are some questions you should answer.

First of all:
Who is Dr. Baums Wife ?

You leave more Questions than "Born to run"

Gee, thanks, reviewer. Never mind that that's not the story I was telling. Or that, in any story/vignette that small, there will be far more questions raised than answered. That's the point. That's why I love reading and writing them: they raise questions and make you think and leave you a lot of space to fill in your own ideas.

Fic: Summer Experience

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:18:18 GMT

Title: Summer Experience
Author: beatrice_otter
Fandom: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Characters: John Connor, Kyle Reese
Word Count: 1,314
Summary: After “Born To Run,” John Connor finds his way back to his own time and prevents Judgment Day. What’s life like for Kyle Reese in a world where the apocalypse never happened?
Spoilers: nothing specific

( Two weeks after Kyle started his summer internship at CyberSolutions Research Group, his third year of college, his new boss threw a party for all the interns and new hires. )

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:20:31 GMT

I have written more fic in the last month than I have in a long time. I'm feeling so good about it. (I just wish more people would comment, but that's a fic writer's lament.) I posted two fics in the last week, I have another at the betas, and I have three ficlets ready to be posted which I'm not going to bother to have betaed, which will hopefully be spaced out through next week. (One Superman fic, one Star Trek Reboot fic, and one Sarah Connor Chronicles fic.)

Also, I have tried out the new TV lounge they created out of a dorm room. (I approve, but I would still rather have the dishwasher.)

Fic: All the Difference

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:11:53 GMT

Title: All the Difference
Author:beatrice_otter
Fandom: Star Trek: TOS
Characters: McCoy, Spock
Beta:tielan
Word Count: 2,130
Summary: “We like to think we’re so much better than our ancestors, that we’ve got all these problems of bigotry and intolerance licked, and we go out into space to spread our enlightened ways, and end up making the same mistakes.”

( Leonard McCoy hesitated, his hand over the door chime. )

Fic: Orphaned Days

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:11:33 GMT

Title: Orphaned Days
Author: beatrice_otter
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Characters: Daniel (Seven)
Spoilers: All of BSG, none for Caprica which I’m not watching.
Word Count: 6,022
Betaed By: lls_mutant
Summary: The Final Five weren’t the only ones Cavil exiled to the Colonies.

( There was a hard surface under him. Hard, and cold, and oddly rough, like one of the sections that had been hollowed out of rock but not finished yet. )

Why won't Windows Media Player do what I tell it to?

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:22:54 GMT

I enjoy watching fanvids. I download a lot of them. I prefer to watch them in Windows Media Player, since that's what I use to play DVDs and CDs and I'm familiar with it and it will play most everything. For example with Quicktime movies I can usually just tell them to use WMP as the default player and (assuming they're saved in the correct folder) they pop up in WMP under the "Video" tab.

So what I can't figure out is a) why this new fanvid I just downloaded is only showing up in the "Other Media" tab instead, unlike any other vid I've ever downloaded, and b) how I can get it to go to the "Video" section just like all the other fanvids and videos of various kinds.

Help!

TTH Drabbles--Challenge #95

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:05:54 GMT

Title: A Burden Shared
Author: beatrice_otter
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #095—swifter, higher, stronger
Fandom: BtVS/Atlantis
Notes: Sequel to “Reflexes” and “Back in Atlantis”

( A Burden Shared )

Title: Potential Problems
Author:beatrice_otter
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #095—swifter, higher, stronger
Fandom: BtVS/Sound of Music
Notes: Sequel to “A Problem Like Maria,” “Georg’s Surprise,” and “Freedom”

( Potential Problems )

Title: A Superhero Team
Author: beatrice_otter
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #095—swifter, higher, stronger
Fandom: BtVS/DC Comics

( A Superhero Team )

Title: All This Has Happened Before
Author: beatrice_otter
Rating: PG
Word Count: 200
Challenge: #095—swifter, higher, stronger
Fandom: BtVS/Battlestar Galactica

( All This Has Happened Before )

Title: Duty
Author: beatrice_otter
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #095—swifter, higher, stronger
Fandom: BtVS/Shakespeare (Henry V)

( Duty )

Title: Play-time with Sweetums
Author: beatrice_otter
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #095—swifter, higher, stronger
Fandom: BtVS/The Muppet Show

( Play-time with Sweetums )

Fic: Five AUs I will never write

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:37:15 GMT

Here it is, a BSG fic (or ficlet collection) that is not my bsg_remix. Gah. BTW, I still need a beta for a different BSG fic (also not my remix)

Title: Five AUs I will never write.
Author: beatrice_otter
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Rating: PG
Characters (in order of appearance): Saul Tigh, Laura Roslin, Anastasia Dualla, Billy Keikeya, Kara Thrace, Daniel, John Cavil, Natalie, Ellen Tigh, Leoben Conoy, Sharon Valerii, Sharon Agathon. Plus various OC Cylons.
Warnings: None
Spoilers: the whole series; nothing from Caprica.
Word Count: 3,581
Author’s note: If anyone wants to take any of these and develop them, go for it!

( The one where Adama was one of the Final Five, instead of Tigh. )

( The one where Dee said yes to Billy when he asked her to marry him. )

( The one where they found a prisoner on the Resurrection Ship raid besides D'Anna )

( The one where the Rebel Cylons were smart and secured the Resurrection ships and hub before starting their coup. )

( The one where Cally didn't shoot Boomer. )

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:28:59 GMT

I have written 1800 words of BSG-fic today. It was not for bsg_remix, where I have yet to select a story.

Fic: Processing (Star Trek: The Next Generation, PG)

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:50:33 GMT

Title: Processing
Author: beatrice_otter
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Rating: PG
Characters: Data, Deanna Troi
Warnings: none
Episode Related: Descent, I & II
Word Count: 1,900
Written For: winged_mammal in help_haiti
Betaed by: newsbean
Summary: Sometimes having a thing is not so pleasing as wanting. Data, after Descent.

( 5.6 seconds after Data pressed the door chime, he heard Deanna Troi's voice. )

Need two betas: Star Trek Reboot and BSG

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:45:46 GMT

Hey, I need two betas!

One is an Uhura-centric Reboot post-movie piece about her dealing with Vulcan culture. It is slightly under 12k words

One is a BSG pre-series fic about Daniel, the Cylon model that John wiped out. It is 6k words.

Help!

Remix is coming!

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:51:49 GMT

If we're starting to think about fandoms for the Remix ... Redux, I suppose I should get off my tail and finish the three stories that are almost done, right?

One is a Spock/Uhura post-movie fic that needs betaing by someone who knows Vulcans.

One is a TOS Spock and McCoy fic about racism that needs to be finished (probably another 500 words or so, is all, knock on wood) and then betaed.

One is a pre-series BSG fic that needs one final scene and betaing.

Then I need to go through the list of fandoms I almost qualify for and see if I have a short plot bunny or two that can be whipped into shape in time.

Also, I really need to take a closer look at my bsg_remix remixee and pic a fic. (And much as chromaticvision sounds interesting, I don't have an appropriate plot bunny floating free atm, nor do I have time to do it in addition to the two remixes.)

Need a Star Trek Beta!

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:49:12 GMT

The first draft of my help_haiti story is done, and I need a beta! It's 1900 words of Data gen, post-Descent.

Six TTH drabbles--mistaken identity challenge

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:13:14 GMT

Title: Strangers in Airports
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Challenge: #093—mistaken identity
Fandom: BtVS/Criminal Minds

( Strangers in Airports )

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

( Crossing Timelines )

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

( Who Watches the Watchers )

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

( A Visitor from Valhalla )

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

( Wrong Redhead )

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

( Just Another Politician )

PUMZI

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:28:01 GMT

hradzka pointed out the trailer of a Kenyan SF short that's playing at Sundance, and OMFG I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Fic Rec: Forward Momentum by bracketyjack

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:17:17 GMT

If you are a fan of the Vorkosigan series, you absolutely must go read Forward Momentum by bracketyjack now. (And if you've never read the Vorkosigan series, you need to go read it and then go read Forward Momentum.)

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

Here's my comment to the story:

First, are you by any chance a devotee of Golden Age literary science fiction, as well as of LMB? Because there is a strong trend in that era for authors to start their stories with a revolutionizing technology, explained in a scientifically plausible way, and which then drives the story. (In this case, that is the frames.) They were also filled with a great deal of talking, of telling-instead-of-showing, but done in the most thoughtful manner possible. There is also an underlying understanding of the world as harmonious, of the perfect being humanly possible, of a faith in goodness and truth and virtue as being always triumphant, a kind of innocent simplicity that is the product of a pre-Vietnam Americanism. They are also very stylized. When reading this story, I had the most curious feeling of reading one of those stories. This novel feels like them, both in obvious structural ways and in its inherent optimism. It was oddly like reading, say, one of Asimov's Robot stories.

Second, while you tie things up neater than I think LMB herself would ever choose to do, you have her characters, settings, and underlying themes down cold, for which I salute you. The melding of her tone and that of the Golden Age is odd in places, but ultimately works, perhaps because LMB herself is in many ways shaped by authors before her. She is more subtle in her themes, at times, and while she lifts up truth and justice and goodness as the earlier authors did, she does so in a way that makes clear that for her, their value comes in the striving for them, that they can never be won without cost, that perfection is impossible but should still be sought. The only way the melding of the two understandings is possible so seamlessly in a work without pain is that the pain has already happened; you have woven in the pain from all the earlier works (both what is shown and not shown) and used that as the emotional framework of your story.

I'm not sure if I have explained myself as coherently as I would like. But this is a major accomplishment, and I salute you.

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:05:47 GMT

So, racism's been a recent meta topic, does that mean it's time for feminism?

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

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

Go. Read now.

Life and Star Trek

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:28:54 GMT

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

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

Help Haiti--what I'm offering

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:21:14 GMT

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

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