...having been breathed out

Raging anglophile; dacshund owner; BBC drama junkie and Sherlock fanfic writer; costume/clothing/design aficionada; former punk rocker; bisexual androgyne and anti-gastronome.

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Reblog With an Irrational Fear

shazari:

kotaline:

intergalacticwanderer:

There’s probably some I can’t think of right now, but one I can remember is that ticks freak me out.

One time my dad killed one in the room I was in, and he had to smash it twice because it didn’t die the first time; it was still twitching even after being half squished ugh. Ended up having a near freak out and had to have one of my online friends calm me down. Even just thinking about it is giving me the jeebies *shudders*

fish oh god i’m really nervous around them and THERE’S ONE RIGHT BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW

Irrational Fear: That a spider lives on the underside of the trackwheel of this mouse, and one day I’ll scroll down and it’ll get me.

Diving bells. Also extends to deep water scuba, but I dislike even thinking about diving bells.

(Source: crudemattr)

Permalink butyouwould:

may twelve
butyouwould.com photo | music | video

Love this. It reminds me of a slightly older Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. Lovely shadows.
Permalink 22drunkb:

roane72:

roane72:

Look what ardatli made me!! A lovely tour poster for Pull the Stars. I’m legit grinning like an idiot over this. Going up on the master post when I get home. :)

Reblogging this because I am still utterly delighted. :)

Ooooh.

Waitwaitwait. I just realized that PORTLAND IS ON THIS POSTER. Roane! Is this true?? IS PORTLAND THE STOP AFTER SEATTLE??? Are they playing the Satyricon??????? It’s where Kurt met Courtney!
(I may be a little tipsy, so forgive the ardent enthusiasm. But this is the first sensible rationale I’ve EVER SEEN for Sherlock & John to be in my town. VERY EXCITING IF TRUE.)
(Oh also, haha: No pressure if not! Never mind the crazy Portlander…)
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roane72 replied to your photo: Well, I officially have a complete rough draft of…

I LOVE THIS. SO SO MUCH. It’s perfect.

THAT IS MY FEELING ABOUT IT TOO. :-)

gorgeous!

Yay! Gorgeous and happy-making.

This is gorgeous! I’m starting to read your fic (finally!) and am definitely loving it.

Thank you so much, AGG! It’s funny you should be starting TVH now because I currently have After Love open in a tab and am just starting on it too. And am totally loving it.

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Commenting and gift economies

turifer:

I’ve been thinking a lot about comments and commenting lately.  Apparently I’m not the only one, go look at havingbeenbreathedout’s tumblr for interesting thoughts on it.  That post inspired this, but as is glaringly obvious, I’m *very* slowly figuring out tumblr, so we’re just going to go with a link and my thoughts in this post.* 

I am fairly new to the world of fanfiction.  For a while, I would read the occasional fic and that was it.  At some point I realized that I was reading rather a lot of fanfic and it was… a hobby.  (Sounds so much better than obsession, doesn’t it?)  I derived enjoyment and entertainment from these stories that I was reading for free. 

This started me thinking about the fanfiction economy.  Clearly no money can change hands, due to the nature of the product, so it’s more along the lines of a gift economy.  Creative types can contribute to the economy by writing fic or producing art.  What about us non-writers/non-artists?  I don’t like feeling like a freeloader.  To me, here’s where comments come in.  I can take the time to let someone know that I liked their story and that I appreciate their effort.  I can indicate there is a demand for their supply. 

I’m still feeling my way around commenting—what feels appropriate and what doesn’t.  For example, I don’t post negative comments.  Why would I? Someone has gone to the trouble of creating something and posting it out there for the world to see.  That takes guts! Even if I don’t like it, kudos to them for creating something.  No one’s forcing me to read it.  I also don’t really post concrit, because I’m a little unsure of myself there.  I’m not a writer, so it feels… presumptive of me to comment on that aspect of their writing.  If someone asked me personally to provide feedback on their writing that would be a different matter, but it feels a little inappropriate or rude to post a comment about grammar mistakes or homophone abuse even if the rest of the comment is about liking the fic.**  I’m not really sure where I’ll end up on that. I’d love to hear thoughts on it. 

Most of the time I feel like I post utterly inane comments that boil down to “I like your story! A lot!” I feel a little embarrassed about this, but I figure it all goes under the golden rule.  I personally am thrilled (completely and utterly thrilled!) when someone so much as mentions in passing that they’ve read a word I’ve written, reblogs a link I’ve posted, &c. I figure other people must derive some pleasure from seeing that someone’s enjoyed their work, and my embarrassment about the quality of my comments seems a small price to pay as thanks.  And yes, of course what I really want to do is write witty and pithy comments worthy of Dorothy Parker.***  Well, that sure as hell isn’t going to happen, so I comment as I can.****

[snip]

***I wonder if there’s Dorothy Parker fanfic? Or is that just every short story in The New Yorker since? Of course, Dorothy Parker’s comments would probably have ended in tears, so maybe it’s all for the best. 

****Hah—I’ll be the John Watson to the authorial Sherlocks! Brilliant! Amazing!

I wonder if there’s Dorothy Parker fanfic? Or is that just every short story in The New Yorker since?

YES, TOO PERFECT. 

But seriously, turifer, I think we may secretly be the same person? One of my BFFs made a documentary film about gift economies, so I could immediately relate to your analogy here. And it sounds like we are similarly new to the fanfic world, and figuring out our relationships to it, and maybe even have similar journeys to have arrived here. So, high-five!

And yes, I agree with what you say here that it’s easy to feel embarrassed when your comments aren’t “up to snuff” somehow, but like you say, giving good commentary is an art like anything else, another way to contribute. So it makes sense that it would take regular practice before we’re consistently good at it, I think.

Permalink Well, I officially have a complete rough draft of the last two chapters of The Violet Hour! It still needs editing and beta-ing, but the story is, in essentials, done. Crazy.
AND TO CELEBRATE, look at the amazing paperback cover that leontinemay designed for me! Oh man, I love it. We were talking about how The Violet Hour is the kind of story ideally suited to reading in beat-up paperback form, something you discover in a house at the beach and curl up on the sofa to read during a lazy afternoon. AND NOW HERE IT IS. Thank you so much, Leontine, it’s awesome. (font credits - more detail at AO3.)
(And PS, it’s apparently just the day of righteous fanfic art/covers; you all saw the rockin tour poster that ardatli designed for roane, right? So much talent!)
There may be some drinking now. Yes.
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Little girl, you have a lot to learn

  • My coworker: The games I played as a kid always depended on what my sister was reading at the time.
  • Me: Your older sister?
  • Her: Yeah, so we had, like, "house in the Australian Outback," "house in Manhattan," "house in wheelchairs." We went through a period of playing house where we were roommates and we both worked in a diner where we wore roller skates.
  • Me: Classic.
  • Her: And we would flirt with customers who came into the diner, who were for some reason always named Montgomery Clift and Rock Hudson.
  • Me: Haha, somehow I think Rock and Monty weren't too interested in you.
  • Her: Mysteriously, they always seemed more into each other.
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sophiahelix replied to your post: Thank you all. :-)

I….am not sure why my smiley had a dollar sign for a mouth when I typed it. Does that mean something rude?? I hope not.

LOL, I thought maybe it was because the smiley was drunk. Much like I am going to be after I eventually finish this scene.

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Thank you all. :-)

Well, this scene still isn’t 100% written, but I did have a brainwave about how better to structure it this morning, so I think things are moving along. Thanks so much, everyone, for your encouragement. :-)

pale-fire replied to your post: This is ridiculous.

You can do ittttt! It’ll be bittersweet but then 50s FEMSLASH.

Yay, thank you! 50s femslash is a remarkable enticement. :-)

sophiahelix said:

Awww, I understand — the writing mentality is so irrational! Hope you can celebrate your accomplishment with some drinkies. :$

Oh BELIEVE ME, there will be drinkies. :-)

theopoeisis said:

This is the writer version of post-partum depression.

Well that comparison makes me feel validated. Thanks, theopoeisis. It’s good to know other folks go through similar things.

turifer said:

You will be sad, but there will be other joys ahead. Hopefully lovely long written pieces of joy. With smut.

LOL! LET THERE BE SMUT. Indeed.


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eccecorinna replied to your post: This is ridiculous.

it’s not ridiculous to be sad about finishing something. but go go go you can do it! (we’re all here to cheer you on on the way to the finish line.)
I hate that blue maw that sucks joy out of accomplishments. Would rewarding yourself with some exciting fanfic or fic help ease you through it?
I understand completely. I went from “holy crap I wrote a novella” to “NOW what?” in about 24 hours.

Aw, thanks, guys. I think I just need to shut down Tumblr, bite the bullet and write the silly scene. And yes, good call Songster, I should reward myself with some lovely, guilt-free reading as soon as this thing is off to the betas!

adiprose replied to your post: This is ridiculous.
SEQUEL. OBV.
Sometimes it’s harder to finish something than to start it. …That said… Sequel. ;)

Yes! Sequel! It will exist, but still…it’ll be different, y’know? It will be set in Paris, in 1921 or 22, and deal more in-depth with the Daniel character and Sherlock’s backstory. And will have a scene based on this piece. What what? :-)

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This is ridiculous.

I have, like, 500 words left in the whole of The Violet Hour and it’s a pleasant little bit of smut and I neeeeeeed to finish so I can edit and get it to my betas, but I

just.

can’t.

bring myself to write it because then the whole thing will be over and it’s the first long piece of fiction I’ve EVER written and I’m afraid I will be sad.

Ugh. Boo hoo, whatever. Suck it up, whippersnapper.

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nympheline replied to your post: Just walked inside for a moment…

don’t worry. he’ll improve when his older sibling decamps to the north of england with his questionable spouse.

LOL! But oh, the uncomfortable fortnight beforehand when we’ll all have to hang out with the pair of them…