laceblade | Entries tagged with livejournal

From the text of an e-mail sent to me by LiveJournal, reminding me that my paid account will expire in 12 days:

If you have any questions or requests, please contact us by replying to this email. We want to keep you happy. :)

MY RESPONSE WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST EPIC E-MAILS THAT I HAVE EVER WRITTEN.

Crossposts: http://mystickeeper.livejournal.com/455365.html

So do I have to go to Dreamwidth to read your journal now?
No; all entries will be cross-posted to LiveJournal, using Dreamwidth's easy-peasy cross-post feature. Even if I write a locked post, you will 1) be able to see it on LiveJournal, and 2) comment on it on Dreamwidth using OpenID.
HOWEVER! I personally consider icons an expressive part of the posting experience. Once my paid LJ account expires (in September), I will only have 6 icons at LJ (or however many you get).

Oh! I'll be generous and buy you a paid account!
Please don't! I don't want LiveJournal getting any money on my behalf. If you want to spend money on me, ask me for my Amazon wishlist, :D

Are you deleting old LiveJournal posts, meaning I can't search your tags any more?
No. I will be copying everything from LiveJournal over to Dreawmwith, but all of the posts will remain on LiveJournal.

Will you still read my journal if I only post on LiveJournal?
Yes, I will.

How can I leave you comments?
You will have to leave comments on Dreamwidth. Instructions on how to do so will be included at the bottom of every LiveJournal post.

Ugh! So you mean I need to have a Dreamwidth account to leave you comments?!
No. You can leave a comment using OpenID. (But you can also get a DW account if you want one.)

I don't have an OpenID account!
Yes, you do. No, really. If you have an account with Google, Blogger, LiveJournal, or a handful of other websites, then you already have an OpenID account. This means that your comments will appear as "[your username].livejournal.com." It also means that I can give you access to the same posts on Dreamwidth as I can on LiveJournal.

How do I get my own Dreamwidth account?
You need a code.

Here are some codes for you to use. You don't need to comment or ask permission; just copy and paste and use them. Take as many as you want; if you want to make roleplay journals, or multiple accounts, you go right ahead.
BG4WG2TG8VT2GAAAFTPE
EAYXBZE8NCP23AAAFTPG
F27ZPM6K4FB7JAAAFTPH
CA8H9SVYV7YH6AAAFTPJ
TQH3FA35424RDAAAFTPK
FJKXE8HGYTDJMAAAFTPL
JG2ABPBFCXBQTAAAFTPM
Q7R5RC6VVGMFJAAAFTPN
BVC79JKMC2W49AAAJV3H
5HHVC4YZXVD65AAAJV3J
ZM56V58PW2V8YAAAJV3K
YSG4Z65286XYRAAAJV3L
WDAYHYTJHE2AWAAAJV3M
YH4HR5J4HYH92AAAJV3N
TFVE36BY4V9Q7AAAJV3P

Alternatively, try the DW code_sharing community.

Crossposts: http://mystickeeper.livejournal.com/454244.html

There is this business of Dreamwidth. This post is not about my own posting habits (I have yet to utilize my DW account for regular posting), but rather about the way in which I follow you people.

Because I have friended many people both here and on Dreamwidth, I frequently become annoyed when I go to DW, as many posts there are ones I've already read here, and it is irritating to sort through them to find the ones I haven't read yet.

I hope to solve this problem with a poll. You are of course welcome to leave comments to this post, advising me where best to read you. Whether I follow you on DW or LJ, you will not lose "access" to my private posts in any way. However, I wish to only follow *your* posts in one place: LiveJournal or Dreamwidth.

And for the record, my public posts are still cross-posted to my blog, which is where this business began in the first place, almost a decade ago.

ETA: I have answered the poll myself for anyone wishing to confirm my own habits!

[Poll #1503067]

Current Mood: productive

I've been reading all kinds of commentaries on the season finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and have added ones I like to my memories. My most recent favorite is here, by

coffeeandink. I corrupted my boyfriend with this show! He watched the entirety of season 2 in the last week! Unfortunately, Ausiello reports that it won't be renewed for a third season. Ausiello is a pretty solid source, so far as TV news goes, but this is pretty disheartening. A lot of press coverage keeps focusing on Summer Glau, too. Yeah, she was fantastic in Terminator, but I'm just as ready to follow the careers of just about every other actor on the show, Dekker and Headey especially.

wrdnrd is still accepting submissions for a zine on class here.

As for this Dreamwidth business.....I am very grumpy about all of this moving nonsense! I just settled down here and am already cross-posting on Blogspot! (Technically, cross-posting from Blogspot to LiveJournal). I guess I should register with an OpenID account (I don't have an OpenID account?!) so that I'm entered in the lottery, as I seem to keep missing my chances when friends post with, "I have an invite code! Post here!"
I do not use LiveJournal at work! :[

I registered for a Delicious account so that I can help out with a collaborative project, but I don't really understand it yet. Am I just supposed to bookmark websites I frequent on a relatively frequent basis? It's not supposed to be used for articles I read an enjoy (like Digg), is it? I figured out how to embed it in my browser, and that's about it.

Current Music: The Bitter End - Placebo

So, I was actually writing play-by-play notes last night while I watched the episode. As usual, they mostly contain caps lock. Also under the LJ-cut are links to various LJ posts and articles on the Internet.

I was talking to

sasha_feather and

were_duck yesterday about how I've never been upset about a show of mine being canceled before. Shows that ended while I watched them were already past their prime (The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica). Shows that ended while they were still good/serviceable (IMO) were already out on DVD and not airing any more when I picked them up (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Veronica Mars). So if TSCC ends up being canceled (which seems extremely likely, given the numbers), I am glad at least that it got many more episodes than Firefly. Still, there is so much ground to cover. And while I don't have much of a head for business, it seems like the release of a new Terminator movie could certainly revive interest in the franchise. Maybe a shorter third season will be announced for Spring of 2010? GETTING IN TIME FOR JUDGMENT DAY.

Also....it really bothers me that people compare the cancellation of Terminator to the cancellation of Dollhouse. Yes, I'm watching that show too, but even in the few episodes it has to tell a good story, it really...isn't. In fact, it's just uncomfortable and insulting most of the time. In my mind, the two are not comparable. Crying Whedon fans make me cringe - he really got his chance this time around, and in my mind, is blowing it.

Anyway!
( My caps lock squee and links to the writings of others lie behind the cut. )
If you like the show....Addresses and e-mail addresses.

ALSO....Dreamwidth is super annoying to me. I was on Blogger. I was settled there! And then I was like, okay, LiveJournal, you will be my main platform. I've been blogging for so long that moving all my posts manually and locking the private ones is taking MONTHS! And now, everyone's moving to Dreamwidth anyway, making it impossible for me to still add you people's posts to my memories. IT IS VERY IRKSOME, INTERNET.

Current Mood: distressed

Just so everyone knows,

iconomicon makes some really bad-ass icons. SUCH AS THE ONE USED IN THIS POST.

I still remember that one time when

sasha_feather was driving and we dropped off

antarcticlust and he answered the door and I was like, "OH MY GOD,

sasha_feather, THAT IS THE ICONOMICON!" I am no longer awe-struck when I hang out with him UNTIL HE POSTS NEW ICONS AND THEN....

It's like that scene with Will Ferrell in "Elf," when he's like, "SANTA?! I KNOW HIM!"

Current Mood: hyper
Current Music: Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

in_a_name is accepting suggestions through February 4th, so it's time to go there and make some!

in_a_name is a multifandom crossover fandom, and the prompts are made based on characters' names. The slashes between the names do not necessarily indicate slashfic.

For example: John Connor and Connor Angel. THINK OF THE POTENTIAL FOR ANGST, PEOPLE.

The prompt post is here. Making a prompt doesn't mean you're volunteering to write fic. So let your id out and think of some awesome things! Also read what other people have posted. My favorite thus far might be

general_jinjur's Judith Butler/The Butlerian Jihad.

I think that the anime/manga media lend themselves well to this sort of thing. Think of all the Reis, Sakuras, and Hitomis out there.

Also another reminder for

halfamoon, which lasts for the first 14 days of February, and exists to celebrate female characters of all fandoms. I have one post planned with certainty.

Also, I'd like the world to know that the bar I was in last evening played the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack the entire time I was there. It was the extended album, with clips of Japanese dialogue interspersed between songs. IT WAS AMAZING.

Current Mood: excited

I fucking love eggnog. It's the perfect combination of sweet and creamy and I love the way it coats your throat with goodness.* Whenever I happen to be standing in my kitchen (read: the area between the bar and the wall with fridge/sink/stove that is in my one-room efficiency), I pop the carton open and snag a mouthful. Amazing. Why is this beverage only available during wintertime? I think it would be equally satisfying on a hot summer day.

*First person to make a "That's what she said" joke gets stabbed.

Are the Japanese just like, ridiculous health conscious? Every time someone gets a cold or a fever in manga, it's like they've been diagnosed with about-to-die-liver-cancer. What's with all of the people passing out all the time? How come every time someone falls down in the hallway, they land in the nurse's office with cotton balls and cleaning stuff.

I feel like I should feel guilty about not working on Ghost Hunters in nearly a week. But I was suddenly desperately wanting to devour books, so I'm just going to let it happen. I'm not giving up on the story, though, and would still like to write a bunch more this month. Remind me to kick myhself in the butt and do something.

Lately, I have the strong urge to read Moby Dick. Nevermind that I have detested everything I've read by him thus far....I think Herman Melville is different than Charles Dickens, for me. I think he's redeemable. I'm sure he'll find redemption in my mind through Moby Dick. Now I just need to get me a copy of Moby Dick and hope it doesn't suck.

I had other things to write about, but alas, they are saved on a Notepad document at home. Oh no, I hope LiveJournal is still up!

Rejoice, loyal blog-readers of mine who refuse to go over to LiveJournal! LiveJournal.com is down for the next three hours for some server-transfers, so you get to see this post before any of them! Still, they have more points in my book because they leave way more comments than you guys do, :D

Hey! So, I made an LJ community for support during National Novel Writing Month. The community is

scribes_solace I'm really bad at coming up with titles, sorry. Also, I'll try to pick a prettier layout.

For now, though, if you're doing NanoWrimo, you should totally join! Also, feel free to invite your friends. I just wanted something smaller than

lj_nanowrimo, because that comm has over 1700 people.

If you're writing blog posts instead of writing a novel, that's okay!

I intend to use it as a place to put my daily updates and progress stuff, so the people who read my journal normally don't want to kill me for the spam.

If anyone has suggestions on rules, etc. let me know.

The end!

So, I made a mood theme! But it doesn't show up in my journal, :( I want to figure out how to make this shiz work, so that I can make a NANA mood theme! It will be so awesome! But only if other people can see it, :(

Pictures show up next to adjectives on the page where I can edit mood theme stuff. They just don't show up in my posts. This is obviously sad for me.

Current Mood: frustrated

I tried to make a custom mood theme last night, but it didn't work, :/ I uploaded the pictures to my LJ gallery....can you not link to LJ images? Even from within LJ? That seems pretty silly to me! I need a new image-hosting service anyway, though. I've been using my University's for the last four years, but I'm obviously not a student any more.

I still have follow-up Geek.Kon posts to make.

For now, I have a few hobby-related goals:
1) Read more novels. It's been scientifically proven that nothing will impair my manga-reading habits, so I think I'm just going to spend more time focusing on novels while at work, and not worry that I "won't have time for" manga. Today, I've been tearing through Octavia Butler's Dawn, first in the Xenogenesis trilogy, which we are reading this month for Wiscon book club. I also have piles of unread books, now including the books recommended by Sarah Monette, not to mention Sarah Monette's own books!

2) Watch more anime. I kind of miss it, and I think I've now figured out that I can get TV shows like Arrested Development from the library, and should use my Netflix account for watching anime series.

Last night, I watched the first three episodes of Veronica Mars. It was pretty good, I think I'll enjoy watching this show. Please don't spoil me! I'm sure I've picked up a few spoilers through LJ-osmosis, but overall, I know nothing. I'll be glad to watch this series for fun, and don't really feel the need to blog extensively about it, as most have you have either seen it or already heard of it.

For now.....LOL to the Paris Hilton guest role in episode two, AND ( Spoilers for an indeterminate point in the future. ) For now, I really appreciate the biker gang vs. preppy Orange County boys. And, of course, Veronica herself. WIN.

Current Mood: okay

[Poll #1268291]

Anyway, Geek.Kon.

I spent time with

sasha_feather and

owlface1, and

were_duck. I was also able to chat for reasonable amounts of time with

berzerker_prime and

britrock37, both of whom are heavy-lifting planners for the convention. I fangirled Sarah Monette (

truepenny), telling her I loved her recent posts about revenge tragedies, and received book-buying advice from her in the dealer's room. We even saw

bipagan!

I have enough brain functions for bulleted lists, so I'll do that.

*I liked that this year, more space was reserved for the convention, and all of the gaming stuff: RPGs, CCGs, LAN party, Super Mario Smash Brothers and what-have-you were all in a separate building (but still close and connected by a foot-bridge). I'm assuming that the people who like this stuff like it all being in one place. I liked it because I don't care about that stuff, and it was separated from all the stuff I was interested in: panels, vendors, and anime viewing.

*I watched the first two episodes of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles. Overall, I like the manga better, as expected. I think the art style in the manga is pretty neat, and it's lost in the nature of animation. Yuki Kajiura music gets pretty old pretty fast, too, and felt overly dramatic. I think this is just a general rule for me with CLAMP. In every instance I can think of, I prefer the manga version of their stories to the anime version.

*Attended SF Films of 2008; left pretty early on. Still, admired the comprehensive list of every sci-fi movie from 2008!

*Stuck around in SF&F TV Shows long enough to offer up my opinions of Terminator and Fringe. Was skeptical about panelist's opinion that Heroes is the best sci-fi show on TV. For white fanboys, maybe.

chrome_kitten has decided to stop watching the show after seeing the season 3 premiere (which I personally have yet to see), but she's had a great number of posts dissecting the show's representation of race and gender. This post analyzes the presentation of the Heroes centerfold in this week's Entertainment Weekly. This one offers a list of things she would have changed about season 2 to make it better. Pretty much every point involves giving more power to the female characters and people of color on the show. It might be hard for some people to hear.....because Heroes is their favorite show! But looking at how gender and race are represented in the media you spend time with is always important. It doesn't mean that you have to stop, but just give it some thought. It's hard not to read

chrome_kitten's posts and not realize that Heroes really is all about white men. As she says:

to me, its biggest failing is that it still assumes that viewers can't get into stories that aren't centered on white, male characters. Characters of color are relegated to the background or to stories that are ultimately only important in how they affect the Petrelli storylines. Women are also generally either pushed to the background or are only foregrounded in terms of their gendered fucked-upedness (e.g. Niki/Jessica) or their potential for weekly torture porn (e.g. Claire). And as usual, heaven help the women of color. These portrayals are the primary reason why I've given up watching the show. I suspect that the writers, directors, producers, advertisers, etc. think they're being clever, insightful, or edgy; but really, they're just being lazy.

*Only lasted about 5 minutes in the Fanfiction panel. I didn't think any of particular depth was being discussed.

*

britrock37's CLAMP panel was a delightful romp through all of CLAMP manga, ever, complete with PowerPoint slides. I thought it was a good overview for people wanting to know more about their work.

*Attended "Speedy Singularity" and "Build a World" panels. Lots of time was spent on Hard SF, which I'm not really interested, but I appreciated

truepenny's presence.

*Purchases:
Revolutionary Girl Utena button
fanart bookmark of Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender
fanart bookmark of Sailor Moon
fanart bookmark of Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club
Hammered by Elizabeth Bear (as recommended by

truepenny
Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly (as recommended by

truepenny)
Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly (as recommended by

truepenny)

*

sasha_feather, make sure you find me tomorrow, because I have

were_duck's copy of Buffy, season 6 for you.

Differences of Wiscon and Geek.Kon that stand out for me, for the curious
*Geek.Kon strives for PG-13 fun, and lots of high school kids go. I like this. It's a safe space for them to totally freak out with each other, which I'm assuming is hard to find in high school.
*I love Wiscon, but Wiscon sucks in regards to anime content. I don't have a ton of fun in the dealer's room at Wiscon because yeah, I obviously like books, but I can get them from the library, and only one table sells cheap used ones. At Geek.Kon, there's all kinds of anime merchandise that makes me ridiculously excited, and I can't buy it anywhere else. Wiscon's cool, but you can buy books all the time, and I like being able to buy unique things at a convention. Also, at Geek.Kon, there is a room devoted to anime viewing all day, both days. Easy to run, nice for relaxing, and lots of varied content.
*The panels are a lot better at Wiscon. Still, panels are pretty much all that Wiscon does, aside from allowing attendees to plan their own parties, so that makes sense.
*There's lots more cosplay at Geek.Kon, at least of the anime variety, which I can easily recognize and appreciate. Of course, this also means there's more scary cosplay, :[ How come so many young girls dress up as Chii from Chobits?!

So, I finally took advantage of the sale and got myself a paid LiveJournal account. I have so many icons now! It's pretty much amazing. I'm wondering why I got 35, instead of 30? I mean, I'm okay with it. Just wondering.

Geek.Kon is today. Looking forward to socializing, and possibly making a purchase or two. I hope to see some of you guys there.

I was trying to decide which bag to take with me today, and then the answer came to me clearly: "Duh! My Mokona bag!"

So, LiveJournal is having a paid account sale right now, but the "sale price" for a year's price is $20, as opposed to their "normal price of $25." But wasn't their normal year-long price $20 like, yesterday?

I've been considering getting a paid account for a while now (MUST HAVE MORE ICONS), and I guess now might be a good time?

EDIT: Mmmmkay, I apparently can't read. What exactly is the difference between a recurring payment and a one-time payment? You still have to pay every year. I don't get it.

So, I found Allyson Beatrice's Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? quite interesting. The book is about Internet cult fandom, exploring societal norms on the Internet, and how communities are created. Beatrice specifically focuses on the Buffy fandom, so references to people such as David Fury, Tim Minear, and Joss Whedon left me slightly awe-struck.

It was interesting to read about the Buffy community in its hey-day. For the most part, my intersections with fandom occur on LiveJournal. It's an interesting tool for social networking, because the entire premise is that everyone has their own journal - their own story, their own space, each with their own set of rules. Each person controls the conversations they initiate, the people on their honored "Friends List," etc. So for me, it was interesting to be reminded of what Internet forums are like, as I haven't spent time on one in years (unless one counts the UW Anime Club forum, but as we all know each other in real life, issues like trolls never occur).

I like how Beatrice desribes the Internet as a great way to find other people with similar interests.

Internet communities coalesce around a common interest, and sometimes a secret shame. From breast cancer survivors to people who have a diaper fetish, a community of people gather to discuss whatever it is that consumes or interests them. If your community revolves around a "dorky" topic, it's difficult to admit to others what you're typing out into the broadband in your spare time.

She also takes care to point out the strange stigma surrounding genre-fiction fandom.

And yet, there he was, waering Michael Jordan's game uniform. No one in The Coffee Bean blinked, or stared, or whispered. No giggles or pointing. No name-calling. Nothing unusual.
Now picture some guy dressed, as, oh, say, Gandalf the Gray from Lord of the Rings. Or Legolas, the girlie-looking elf with the heavy metal hair. ... It stops being cute at some point. However, it is acceptable for a fifty-two-year-old man to paint a bull's-eye on his giant gut and jiggle it while naked from the waist up in twenty-degree weather behind the goal post at a Packers game, while wearing a giant wedge of cheese on his head. ... Sci-fi/fantasy fans don't get Super Bowls and playoff games as an excuse to let their hair down and be obnoxious with fannish love; they have conventions and parties. It's much the same concept, but I think we drink better beer.

Beatrice points out a couple of commonly-known Internet "laws" about rules, such as Godwin's Law (as an online discussion grows larger, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches) and Snacky's Law (whenever two or more groups of people are arguing, inevitably, someone on one side willcompare the group on the other to "those bitchy girls who made everyone's life hell in high school.").

I just finished watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time, so I miss out on knowledge of community reactions when the show actually aired. I never knew that a certain character's death upset so many people. However much I liked the character, it was a damned good episode. Also...fictional characters can provide great inspiration to other people, but I can't imagine being so wrapped up in a fictional life that I would issue death threats and the like.

I also hadn't been aware that the movie Serenity was so unprofitable. I also found it interesting that the author found the original Firefly pilot script and premise awful, in that it was too depressing (if I read her correctly, I could be wrong). I love the premise of Firefly, but then, I like my shows dark.

Anyway, if you're interested in understanding Internet fandoms a little more, I recommend the book. I also recommend it if you're interested in Joss Whedon's work in any way. Beatrice spearheaded the fan movement to save the TV show Firefly, planned parties attended by Joss Whedon and various actors and writers, and has made some great connections throughout the years. Thus, she has some great stories.

As an added bonus, her writing is funny and smart, and the book was a quick read.