User:	scribbulus_ink
	Date:	2009-11-29 12:10
	Subject:	November Blogging: day 29
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	rushed

I've finally updated Takes the Cake with another chapter! Between grading, other work stuff, Snupin Santa, and preparing for the memorial service, I've had little free time in which I haven't felt totally exhausted and brain-dead, so the editing process on this story has ground to a screeching halt. I've been working on it as I can, though, so it shouldn't be too much longer before the remainder is up.

Before anyone can pipe up to complain about posting WsIP in the first place:

1) the story isn't a WIP; it's complete. It just hasn't been edited.

2) I thought I'd be finished long before now! Normally, I either edit and post our collaborations all at one go or I edit quickly and post as I finish editing, which takes a matter of days at the most with a steady stream of updates along the way. Because of RL, things didn't work out that way, which happens.

All I can say is, it's not our usual pattern to string things out this long without regular updates, which I hope our readers realize.

Anyway, must zoom. I've got to get dressed and run out the door, but I wanted to post right quick first since I'm not sure when I'll get home tonight, and I didn't want to break my November Blogging streak this close to the end!

This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/518442.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals.

	User:	lupin_snape (posted by scribbulus_ink)
	Date:	2009-11-29 12:02
	Subject:	Update
	Security:	Public

Takes the Cake by Arionrhod and McKay has been updated with another chapter. It's up to ~32,000 words. Non-magical AU, rated R.

Note: I realize this story is being updated more slowly than our collaborations usually are. It is finished, but I'm the one who does the editing and posting of our collaborations, and I'm not withholding it on purpose to make people wait for more; I'm editing and updating as I can after being body-slammed by the usual end-of-semester grading madness plus an unexpected RL event that has eaten up what little free time I have at present.

I promise I will get the remainder edited and posted as soon as I can. However, I'd appreciate understanding and patience, rather than pointed comments about withholding feedback/ratings/whatever because it isn't finished.

Thanks very much!

	User:	lupin_snape (posted by alicebs)
	Date:	2009-11-29 16:41
	Subject:	Looking for fiction
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	anxious

May I ask if anyone has on file the story "Revelations" by Adrienne? It is the third part of her (unfinished) trilogy, "Perdition", "Redemption" and "Revelations", one of the best early Snupins I've ever read, in spite of the depressing themes it addresses (incest and child abuse). I thought I had saved it, but have recently discovered that in last year's computer crash, it has been lost.

	User:	snupin100 (posted by nimrod_9)
	Date:	2009-11-29 07:50
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

	User:	scribbulus_ink
	Date:	2009-11-28 21:12
	Subject:	November Blogging: day 28
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	tired

The holiday fest season is almost upon us, and along with it is the eternal question: "How do I give feedback on fest gifts?"

The answer is, there is no right or wrong way. The exception to that statement is when the fest in question has specific rules about feedback. The standard rule most fests have is "no flaming", which I think is a rule we can all get behind for obvious reasons.

"No con crit" is another rule I've seen popping up in fest rules lately, but I know that issue isn't as clear-cut as the flaming issue. Some people say gifts shouldn't be criticized while others say just because it's a gift doesn't mean it's exempt from critique. I don't really want to get into the pro/anti concrit argument, so we'll leave it at that.

So, yeah, as long as you're following the rules of the fest, there's not really a right or wrong way to give feedback. Now, that isn't to say that people won't complain or react negatively in other ways. For example, there are a few authors/artists who disdain squeeful comments and lament the lack of lengthy, "meaty" commentary, but they are in the distinct minority. The vast majority of authors/artists love feedback in any form they can get it, and "OMG that was awesome!!!" is just as welcomed as a 2 page treatise.

I think that more than any other time, fests - especially holiday fests - are a time to celebrate the joy of giving and to share in the pleasure of receiving. It's a time to be happy for the gifts being shared, not just with the recipient, but with everyone. Yes, that story/art was created for someone specific, but the rest of us are getting to enjoy it too, and I think that's part of the collaborative fun that fests generate. They give all of us more of what we want most, and I think we ought to express our thanks for that with a simple, "I enjoyed that. Thanks!" comment. It'll make that author/artist's holidays a little brighter.

With that in mind, I hope people will take the time to leave a comment on the gifts they enjoy in whichever fests they follow, especially people who are inclined to lurk the rest of the year. Fest authors/artists have been waiting for weeks, perhaps even months for their work to debut, so any feedback is a gift to them in return. As long as your response expresses your enjoyment, then there's no wrong way of expressing it. There's no such thing as too short or too simple, and you don't need a degree in English to leave good feedback. All you really need is enthusiasm!

For myself, I intend to do more reccing and commenting in December once things calm down at work and in RL, and I intend to continue into the new year, especially since I'm going to rec at crack-broom again in January!

This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/518269.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals.

	User:	lore
	Date:	2009-11-28 20:47
	Subject:	BloMo28: Buying BL books....
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	working
	Music:	dogs hacking

I could go on and on and on about this, giving lots of details and links, but you know, after a couple years at this, I have a method that works for me:

Put everything on pre-order at Amazon.

Yes, I know Amazon has some potential lurking evil, but I am monitoring them and if their evil ever becomes full-fledged, then I'll figure out something new. Until then, pre-order works for me. I have a card I can dedicate to it, the titles come out sporadically enough that I'm not actually spending the total amount of my preorder at once (far from it), and Amazon guarantees that I'll receive the lowest price the book was at throughout the pre-order period. If I buy a book at $10, and at some point, it goes on sale for $9, I receive a $1 refund notice. Nice!

And Amazon generally offers the BL books from 20% to 38% off. Not a bad deal when I still want to support the BL publishers by buying their books from a marketplace that gives them credit for the sale. I feel like I receive a discount and the publishers still make some money, which is a bit more fair to me than having to purchase the books full-priced from a publisher storefront like Akadot (which is DMP's store site).

I know pre-ordering isn't ideal for everyone, and OMG you can end up with a lot of mail to follow from Amazon (you have to approve some delays and not others, and I have no idea why), but it is nice to have a new title or three show up every month, and it's nice to know you WILL get a copy if Amazon decides to order only the bare minimum of books from the publisher.

Of course, this method works best for someone like me, who's likely to read or try to find most BL books eventually. I definitely became tired of hunting, hunting, hunting for the books and the best prices. Amazon lets me be lazy about it at a discount. Huzzah!

*****
November 30's BloMo will be about making good comments/giving good feedback in holiday exchanges (and in general), because December 1 will see most holiday exchanges getting underway and there will be a rush of excited commenting. Also, the Snupin_Santa lurkers might want to try to come out and participate in Stuff the Stockings, so a confidence-boosting guidance post might help them.

If you have any feedback/commenting tips you'd like me to consider for my post, please let me know what they are before November 30.

love, lore

	User:	dianamoon
	Date:	2009-11-27 23:01
	Subject:	Of Twitter Musings
	Security:	Public

• 18:25 Oh man... December is gonna be such a heavy fanfic reading month with SnuSa and Star Trek Advent Calendars and old BigBangs to catch up...XD #
• 19:21 can cake ever be too sweet? let it be known from here on out. yes, yes it can. #
• 20:59 i dunno why but gonna contribute to #Aladdin being a TT. I believe it's the only disney movie to have successful/good sequels & tv spin off #

	User:	lore
	Date:	2009-11-27 23:57
	Subject:	BloMo27: US BL publishers....
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	predatory
	Music:	P&P 2005 Soundtrack

A while back, I wrote an overview of the BL publishers that existed about two years ago. Time for a quick update!

DMP's BL imprints are June, 801 Media and Doki Doki.

June used to be known for pretty tame BL fare, but now it has become a better mix of tame-to-racy. 801 Media is still the imprint to go to for more explicit stories. Doki Doki is an imprint created to cater directly to a Japanese publisher. Most of the DD releases have been BL tales, but not all, and most of the BL titles have been the kind of tame June used to be known for. Still, people seem to appreciate the DD titles for what they are.

Aurora Publishing has the Deux line as well as the Luv Luv line for Girl Love titles.

I think if Deux existed on its own, it might still be a healthy company. As it is, Deux releases have slowed to a crawl with the rest of Aurora's titles, and I'm seriously worried for Aurora's survival. The Duex imprint put out some excellent titles over the years. You should look into them soon, before they all go out of print and everyone in the world starts chasing the titles for stupid prices.

Tokyopop's BL titles usually end up under the BLU imprint (this could confuse Snupin fans ~_^).

Tokyopop has admitted that their BLU titles always sell well, yet the company treats the imprint like a red-headed step-child (for those who don't recognize the saying, like it doesn't belong to them). The web site, long neglected, is just now showing signs of life this month, and releases have still been coming from the imprint, even if it's only about 1 title a month. BLU titles are rarely anthologies, and they usually have only mild BL content, although there are a couple exceptions to this.

Yaoi Press - the publisher's name kinda speaks for itself.

There is nothing but Original English Language BL to be found here, ranging from super-dark to sickeningly sweet - in fact, most of the YP titles exist at one of the two extremes.

Netcomics - This company has an interesting set-up. You can read chapters of a book online for very little money. When a title becomes popular enough (and, probably when Netcomics has gathered up enough capital in general), it is then printed and offered for sale as a book.

Netcomics has put out some eclectic work over the years, ranging from Korean titles with only implied BL to some fairly explicit works. You never quite know what you're going to see next from NC, and their release schedule is sporadic, with no titles for months and then three at a time. I'd say that this is the place to go for edgy material, exciting new artists and a-typical BL reads.

Yen Press began offering some BL titles late last year.

They seem to have taken to Lily Hoshino, and their other BL title so far is also fairly explicit, so I'm hoping for good things from Yen Press next year in terms of BL. They put out nice, compact little books.

Go! Comi thinks it sells BL titles.

No, seriously, Go! Comi's only true mature BL offering is Wendy Pini's Masque of the Red Death. Cantarella is considered mild BL at best and then the most recent books GC listed as BL this year were...not. They were general stories with very bishie characters. I'm not sure where Go! Comi is headed next with BL, but I'm hoping it will at least swerve back into true BL waters.

Media Blaster's BL book imprint is Kitty Media. I don't suggest going to the site. In fact, just go here, it will make your life easier.

Kitty media books are generally the most explicit tales out there, and while I hammered the company a couple years ago, I have to admit, the books have steadily improved at KM. Series are published from the beginning, rather than starting in the middle, and the translations and paper quality seem to have improved. The books themselves are still among the smallest in size, but good paper goes a long way toward readability.

Yaoi Generation is a new publisher, dating back to last year.

So far, YG has put out 4 volumes of a 5-book series over the past year and a half. It finally announced its next two titles around the time the 4th book came out. Honestly, I don't see this glacial pace as a bad plan. Sure, I'd love to have lots of new titles to pick and choose from, but I'd much rather the publisher take it slow and steady than to see it put out a bunch of work all at once and then fold from too much overhead. I was surprised when YG announced itself just as the economic crisis started, and even more surprised when the first book actually came out. YG seems to have a plan, and I think as long as the people behind YG stick to the plan, YG can become an exciting new company - one I'll still be talking about in two more years. ~_^

love, lore

	User:	lupin_snape (posted by bronze_ribbons)
	Date:	2009-11-27 20:29
	Subject:	Moonshadow update
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	busy
	Music:	Muppeteers, "If Just One Person"

Stories added to Moonshadow, the Snape/Lupin archive, during the past two months:

Title: Alpha Male (29 K)
Author: sweetmelodykiss


Title: Back (4 K)
Author: astopperindeath


The archive is located at http://www.ssf-moonshadow.com

Also, the Crack Broom masterlist-by-author is now current.

	User:	scribbulus_ink
	Date:	2009-11-27 20:23
	Subject:	November Blogging: day 27
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	exhausted

Here's a piece of advice for anyone who is participating in any kind of LJ/IJ/DW based fest at any time of the year: when you email the mods, include your journal user ID, especially if your user ID isn't the same as your email address.

If your email address is the same as your journal ID, it makes things a little easier, but it would still be nice to include your ID nonetheless.

Here's the thing. Unless you communicate via email with the mods outside of the fest enough that it's reasonable to assume they know to associate that email address with you, chances are the mods will have no clue who's emailing them and will have to take the extra step of consulting a spreadsheet in order to figure it out.

When a fest mod is juggling 30+, 40+, 50+, or more fest participants, they are not going to remember who everyone is. They might not know you, they might not interact with you outside of the fest, or they might not remember. There are people who have participated in Snupin Santa just about every year, and I still wouldn't know them from an email address alone, much less know all the new people who rotate in and out each year.

So if a fest mod asks you to include your user ID and/or the name of your recipient in your emails, please try to remember to do it. It's not just a busy-work request; it can save the mod a little extra time (and let's be honest: a little extra irritation) if they know who they're dealing with straight-away instead of having to look it up. Trust me, trawling through a spreadsheet and looking for one person's email address out of 50-60 (or more) names is a pain in the ass.

This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/518068.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals.

	User:	lupin_snape (posted by drusillas_rain)
	Date:	2009-11-27 15:04
	Subject:	Recipe Project: Easy Brownies
	Security:	Public

Title: The Way of the World

Author: McKay (scribbulus_ink)

Commentary: McKay's "Way of the World" contains some wonderful domestic scenes between Snape and Lupin in the kitchen, where, for example, Lupin teaches Snape how to cook (and survive) in the muggle world.

McKay already posted a great recipe from the story, so I hope no one minds that I'm posting one for brownies inspired by this delightful scene:


Excerpt:

"Laugh at me, will you?" Severus snarled. "You'll pay for that!"

And suddenly, Severus reached into the bowl, scooped up a huge handful of batter, and advanced on Remus.

"No -- Severus, you wouldn't!" Remus stared at him, wide-eyed, as he began backing away.

"Oh, wouldn't I." Severus' voice was a silky purr now, but his smile was pure evil.
( Remus couldn't help but think that batter-covered Severus would have been even better. )

( Easy Brownies recipe )

	User:	lupin_snape (posted by jin_fenghuang)
	Date:	2009-11-27 22:16
	Subject:	ART: Smooch, PG
	Security:	Public

Title: Smooch
Author/Artist: jin_fenghuang 
Rating: PG
Pairing(s)/character(s):Snape/Lupin
Summary: Just a sweet little kiss
Warnings: none
Notes: This drawble is for r_grayjoy  , who writes the most awesome limericks ever XD

	User:	dianamoon
	Date:	2009-11-26 23:01
	Subject:	Of Twitter Musings
	Security:	Public

• 23:05 @Shuttlecock actually, when i go to conventions, i can survive on 5 hours as long as it's a solid 5 hours. If not, i tend to oversleep lol #
• 10:54 at tanforan seeing 2012 #

	User:	elfflame
	Date:	2009-11-26 20:24
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Let's see--

1000 words of NaNo today. I'm at least a day behind as far as wordcount goes. Very frustrating. But I am getting there.

Gaming machine attacked by toxic malware today, so I lost at least an hours worth of time, and had a bit of a fit trying to get the bloody thing *off* my computer. *sighs* Gone, now, but really not a happy thing.

For those of you who have followed my family issues with my mother's side of the family--good thanksgiving this year. There were only eight of us total, so it was nice and quiet, which means no huge blowups.

	User:	snupin100 (posted by alisanne)
	Date:	2009-11-26 22:20
	Subject:	Past Time
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	calm

Title: Past Time
Author: alisanne
Word Count: 100
Rating: PG
Challenge: Written for snupin100's prompt #236: Teeth
Characters: Remus/Severus
Beta: sevfan
Authors Notes: Just once I wish we'd seen this side of Remus in canon.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

Past Time

	User:	scribbulus_ink
	Date:	2009-11-26 21:50
	Subject:	Further Thanksgiving Festivities
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	full

It's the Pilgrim's Bounty holiday in Azeroth, with food-related daily quests and themed garments offered as a reward for fulfilling the quests.

Why, yes, as a matter of fact I do bring my penchant for cross-dressing to Warcraft.

( My Blood Elf Death Knight in a dress: )

I did get a turkey caller as a quest reward, which I assume lets you summon a turkey to kill in order to help you make the required turkey meals for one of the quests. However, when you summon the turkey, it arrives with a great big heart over its head, which promptly shatters when it realizes you aren't a prospect turkey paramour, and it's labeled "lonely turkey". I couldn't kill a lonely turkey! I just let it wander free and haven't used the turkey caller again because I felt so guilty.

This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/517717.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals.

	User:	lupin_snape (posted by mailroomy)
	Date:	2009-11-26 20:33
	Subject:	the invisible line
	Security:	Public

Title: the invisible line
Rating: R
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Warnings: unbetaed, post-DH.
Word Count: ± 2,050 words.
Disclaimer: Not mine, I'm just borrowing them for my twisted means.
Summary: maybe one day we won't need to stay in the dark.

	User:	scribbulus_ink
	Date:	2009-11-26 07:31
	Subject:	November Blogging: day 26
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	rushed

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it! Happy almost-the-weekend to those who don't!

Real post later, if time and family allow. Count one fly-by, lore. ;)

This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/517550.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals.

	User:	lore
	Date:	2009-11-26 05:09
	Subject:	BloMo26: T-Day....
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	hungry
	Music:	dogs snoring

I wonder how many National Blog Posting Month entries today will be quickie "Happy Thanksgiving" notes, or will make Thanksgiving the topic or will just have Thanksgiving in it?

Because hey, no one loves to reduce a holiday down to math more than me.

Have a good one, loves. May Morimoto himself guide your hands if you're cooking. *gobble gobble*

love, lore

	User:	dianamoon
	Date:	2009-11-25 23:01
	Subject:	Of Twitter Musings
	Security:	Public

• 10:52 @nathantamayo =) #
• 12:05 halfway thru my volunteering @ project open hand. having a nice lunch =3 #
• 21:07 @jothorp Thanks for the thanks =D it was a long day but a good one. ^_^ #
• 21:13 long, fun day volunteering. Am glad to be able to sleep in tomorrow. Now time for a bit of Assassins Creed II~! =D #
• 21:38 Boo, everyone online is apparently too busy to chat... i may do something crazy and go to sleep at a normal hour! *gasp* #