... or, my new camera arrived yesterday! *\o/* GIVE ME PHOTO PROMPTS, PEOPLE. (locations are also welcome for those passing familiar with the city!)

also, because i need to reorganize my shit-that-needs-doing priorities:

Title: house a pump in four chambers
Author: glass_icarus
Rating: G
Word count: 387
Prompt: June 23rd: Junjou Romantica, Usagi/Misaki, I need you more than you know.
A/N: Title borrowed from Erin Grace Brooks's Concerning Starling's Law of the Heart.

( Misaki slouches against the kitchen counter, glaring balefully at the breakfast plates. )

hi guys! i am finally back post-film-shenanigans (i actually skipped out on them today as i overslept & also figured they didn't need me for much else, as i can neither film nor edit), and dear god but that shit is exhausting.

i haven't been online properly for the last couple of days, but i've been lurking about imochan's Remus/Sirius love post quite a lot, and ( OH MY GOD, you guys. )

anyway, all babble aside, i managed to write a couple of drabbles! :D i am really kind of rusty, but have a repost anyway:

Title: to the waters and the wild
Rating: PG
Summary: Written for prompt 2 over at the R/S love post.

( Some nights, Remus gets restless waiting for the moon to rise. )

***

Title: love letters to (in) literature
Rating: G
Summary: Written for prompt 3 at the love post.

( Sirius likes to steal Remus's books. )

this is just a quick note to say that i will probably not be around much this weekend, if at all; i am helping a friend shoot a video (?!?!), which promises to be... interesting. by which i basically mean cracky funtimes ahoy!

some updates on the fannish front, before i disappear:
- i finished one of my springkink stories! \o/ my first attempt at Junjou Romantica, ahaha. it is very short, mostly because i am still stuck on the other fic i owe (which i am contemplating rewriting, once again... *headdesk*).
- the lovely inksheddings wrote me an R/S ficlet! i am a bit late on the pimping, but it's sweet and quietly hopeful, which is just what i needed. (Remus breaks my heart a little bit, but that's par for the course in this fandom, really.) oh, HP, i don't think i'll ever truly quit you. &hearts &hearts &hearts
- i might be watching Anne Hathaway perform in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Park! \o/) on Sunday night, and thus may not be able to a) watch Merlin D: & b) host this weekend's squee-fest. this is v. disappointing, but i am (alas!) unable to be in two places at once. next weekend THERE SHALL BE SQUEE again, i promise! &hearts

SUPER-SPECIAL ETA: Remus/Sirius love post!! go, go, GO! &hearts :D

RIP, Michael Jackson.

So, at one point during Mammothfail, sartorias hosted this discussion about the relationships between the reader, the author, and the text. One of the discussion topics was this statement:

For the longest time at school we were told that the text existed in isolation. That what the author said about the text might be interesting, sometimes was laughable, occasionally insightful, but always it was irrelevant: the text must stand alone.

It took me some time and consideration to figure out exactly why I was uncomfortable with the idea of an "isolated text," but eventually I came up with this response [comment here]:

My problems with the "text in isolation" are these: First, yes, you can read a text without reading all the associated commentary, criticism, author's notes, etc. In that sense, one might consider it "isolated." However, I don't know if the author's thought processes, the influence of the author's social contemporaries, or the inherent biases of the author's point of view or identity, can ever be divorced from a text. Is it ever truly possible to divorce the storyteller's voice from the story? I don't believe it is. Even if you ran a thought experiment by, say, removing the authors' names from different pieces of work and reading them all together, you would at least be able to discern the ways in which they viewed or examined women versus men, people of various races, people of various ages and abilities and sexualities and countless other markers.

Second, and no less important: the very act of readership makes the text a dialogue, between the author and the reader, between one reader and another, all the social contexts of the former and the latter colliding. Isolation is quite literally impossible, because to isolate the text would be to remove the reader from the story. What use, then, for the text? What kind of intellectual conversation would there be if the author was simply shouting into a void? There would be no value in writing, in telling a story, without someone to pick up the conversation at the other end, even if it is only the writer, several years down the road.

Given the current debate about warnings, I am starting to think that more people ought to be considering their ideas about writing & readership, and their positions as readers & writers. I think we've all heard countless things about "artistic vision" and "authorial intent" by now, so I'm just going to get to the point: If you are going to write a story and post it on the internet, you are starting a dialogue, no less than an author does when publishing a book. (In fact, posting it on the internet makes the dialogue even more immediate: a published author can presumably avoid reading fan mail, whereas feedback on a story posted on LJ, IJ, DW, etc. goes straight to the writer's inbox.)

When you are having a conversation, it is common courtesy to take the opinions and concerns of the people you are talking to into consideration, and to treat them with respect. You are not, as the initiator of the conversation, owed anything from the people you are talking to, nor does your status as initiator grant you some sort of power or authority over those people.

There are more things I could say, but you know what? Lots of other people have said them [warning: triggery subject matter in posts & comments]:
- impertinence: Sexual Assault, Triggering, and Warnings: An Essay [Warning: Very explicit discussion of sexual assault and the nature, anatomy, cause & effect of triggers. Is itself triggery.]
- such_heights: A little warning would be nice
- giandujakiss: The warnings thing
- thingswithwings: again? we're having this debate again?

[Preface for the people with the Poky Sticks: I am now working on both fics, and am making headway- in plotting, if not necessarily in actual word count at the moment. \o/]

So, I break radio silence today with an offer! For my fellow US fans who did not manage to pull together Merlin-watching parties in RL, let us have a squeefest over here on LJ, Y/Y/MFY???? YOU ARE ALL HEREBY INVITED: 8PM, RIGHT HERE. THE PRESENT COUNTDOWN IS APPROXIMATELY 40 10 2 -6 MINUTES, WTF. *throws doors open* :D

ETA: SRSLY, NBC, IF YOU DO NOT GET THIS MOTHERFUCKING GOLF OFF MY SCREEN AT 8PM RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, I WILL COLLECT THE LEGION OF MERLIN-FEN AND HUNT YOUR ASSES DOWN MYSELF. FAIL.

ETA 2: MOTHERFUCKING FINALLY! *\o/* :DDDDDDD OMG COLIN. &hearts

01. a couple of posts i have seen on the election situation in Iran that you may find interesting:
- On Recent Events in Iran by yasaman, which includes a couple of non-US-media links and also some good thoughts on why US meddling would be a bad idea
- this post by one_hoopy_frood, which i've already seen reposted at least twice

02. as wanderlight knows, i am technically Not Allowed to be on LJ/DW right now because i am still not finished with today's springkink fic yet! however, my boss is on a college-visiting trip with his son this week and thus i am multitasking at work, trying to write moar without actually having source materials at hand (sort of a good thing because bringing manga to work would probably be a Terrible Idea, even in my lab, but at the same time i am severely lacking in canon details! D:). you are all hereby granted a Poky Stick if you see me floating around later tonight without having posted fic, okay?? i would really like to make my deadline this time.

03. GQMF meme via karanguni! comment so i have something to crack my shit up in my post-writing haze, okay bbs? &hearts

( ahahaha SCREWED. )

basically, brain, i'd like you to stop faffing off now plzkthx.

ETA: wow i am LATE on pimping this, but ciderpress has announced the 3rd edition of the Asian Women Carnival! \o/ \o/ the host is Jha'Meia, and the submissions post is here; deadline is 8/15; optional theme is "Intersections between Culture and Sexism."

also, a note from ciderpress regarding the Carnival (emphasis mine):

The carnival was intended to be *about* Asian women rather than an Asian women *only* carnival. This is partly because the global issues of race, identity, gender and class etc affect everyone and I think it is important to explore and discuss (and learn about) the intersection of communities, issues and common and uncommon experiences and listen to a diverse range of voices, all of which have valuable things to contribute to the discussion. It is also partly because Asian women are daughters, mothers, sisters, colleagues and friends. What affects our lives and makes us who we are in turn affects our relationships with our brothers and sisters, our parents, our children, our colleagues and our friends and changes them. I know I have things to say about my identity as an Asian woman. I also know that my brothers, my father and my friends all think about and have things to say about Asian women and how we relate to their own personal experiences and their views on race, gender and feminism etc. I personally welcome submissions and work by Asian women, Asian men and non-Asian allies, and hope that the conversations springing from the AWC can and will include all these voices, even within the narrow focus that the carnival has. I would also like, as both yeloson and deepad have both kindly suggested, in a (hopefully soon-to-be!) future edition, to have an Asian Women Carnival based on the theme of Asian men and children.

if you, lovely flist, have any thoughts to share, i'd love to hear them! &hearts

I have far too many writing projects to offer you a birthday prompt right now, but there shall be a snippet of Sekrit Project!Gwen for you later tonight, and also an epic plotting session when I have finished (or possibly while I'm procrastinating) my first springkink fic. For now, though, have some e.e. cummings:

( Introduction )

&hearts &hearts &hearts!

&hearts the second edition of the Asian Women Blog Carnival is now posted! *\o/* go forth and read, but treat the entries with respect!

&hearts i am going to see Yo-Yo Ma tonight, for free, in Lincoln Center. on the program: the Silk Road Project. i have no words for how much i love my city, at times like these. will edit with pictures, if i can manage it!

it is beautiful outside after yesterday's all-day Rain of Doom, so have a list of happy things:

- karanguni is killing me with Reboot goodness these days: New, and Stumbling Forward! &hearts &hearts &hearts SPOCK. LOVE. THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.
- i spent, uh, all of last night/this morning mainlining Darker than Black! MADE. OF. AWESOME. and also, OMG HEI &hearts &hearts &hearts *GLEEFACES* if any of you guys have watched the anime, BRING ON THE SQUEE. :D
- have started (finally) on one of my springkink fics! it is only exposition so far, but, uh, yay for exposition?? *g*
- it's partyteimz this weekend: random bbq invite of random to be followed by birthday party tonight, and then free outdoor salsa party tomorrow evening, with possible kayaking/park expedition in the afternoon! oh, summer, how i love thee.
- i went to the library today, for the first time in ages! borrowed for consumption either tonight or tomorrow in the park: Neil Gaiman's Stardust, Meredith Pierce's Darkangel (i have been meaning to reread this one for ages). \o/!

i hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

01. FIRST THINGS FIRST! i have pimped this one already, but seriously, guys- if you have not read karanguni's awesome Reboot!fic of awesome, you should totally get on that RIGHT. NOW: To The Enterprise: of Warp Barriers, Captains, and Other Scary Things. Scotty! Spock! Kirk! Chekov &hearts! fans of ensemble-fic and/or the science/engineering-type geekery, eat your heart out. :D

02. watched Angels & Demons last night, which was pleasantly entertaining, if necessarily more graphic than the DaVinci Code. Ewan McGregor = best casting choice ever for the camerlengo, yum. &hearts :D i wasn't as absorbed in it as i was in the DaVinci Code, probably because Angels & Demons was a more interesting book than the DaVinci Code and i therefore remembered more plot points, etc. still, it was a good movie; i'd definitely watch it again, though i wouldn't pay money to do so. *g*

03. adding to the reclist because i had an episode of book!glee yesterday, thanks to yasaman's recent mention of ( Santa Olivia )

speaking of my reclist, ( some other books i forgot to add: )

how are you guys faring this week?

Nothing new here, flist; feel free to scroll on by!

( HP [Remus/Sirius] )

( Merlin )

( Guy Gavriel Kay )

( Antique Bakery )

( Good Omens )

( Kyou Kara Maou )

( His Dark Materials )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to whymzycal! *\o/* *\o/* For you, a return to that eternal question: Is the goldfish cosmic, or is the cosmos a goldfish?

001

002

Also, a couple of stories you may not have seen, following the theme of live long and prosper:
- Delta Delta Vega (or Dude, Bro) by zarathuse
- untitled commentfic (in progress?) of AWESOME by karanguni [ETA: This has now been COMPLETED and REPOSTED! To The Enterprise: of Warp Barriers, Captains, and Other Scary Things *\o/* *\o/* GO! READ!]

AND, while we're talking crazy futuristic shenanigans, take a look at Project Natal! THE GAMING OF THE FUTURE, IT IS HERE. AND AWESOME. And... talking to you from your screen, and reading the shit you doodle on your piece of non-virtual paper, and. Yeah. Um. Am I alone in thinking that's also kind of freaky as hell?

Anyway, I hope you had an amazing day! &hearts :D

***

In other news, I signed up for Remix last night. Welcome back, insanity! &hearts

... so, um. that thing i said about summer and friends and plans? they are hijacking my life, for real, IDEK. i had a crazy good weekend spent sunning and dancing and making mango salsa (when not dealing with my friend's latest debacle in his great series of unfortunate moving events), but i clearly need to make a bigger effort not to default on my upcoming fandom/internet commitments! :S

anyway, this time i return from Unexpected Short Hiatus bearing gifts! first, some Joshua Bell, as i promised ego_chan and leandergasped: The Red Violin Chaconne for Violin & Orchestra &hearts

also, in lieu of that ( bigass icons post i didn't make earlier: )

001-003: Junjou Romantica artbook
004-010: Freida Pinto
011-026: Stigma

so, how are you guys? have i missed anything from you this weekend? hurl your links at me, go!

before i go to bed early in an attempt to catch that free AI concert tomorrow, a collection of the awesome i have been subjected to today!

&hearts Merlin macros of WIN, by franticsga
&hearts Uhura macro & Star Trek: TOS, kindly linked to me by skywardprodigal
&hearts such_heights's Reboot!delicious which is comprised of FICS MOST EXCELLENT
&hearts Reboot icons posts at icontent, which are hilarious and fab!

wish me luck in going to sleep/waking up; with my insomniac habits, i'll need it!

... wow, so Memorial Day Weekend swallowed me whole before I knew it. 0.o Plans and plans and plans; summer is truly here! \o/ Anyway, I shall attempt to play catch-up on internet things, but if there's anything over the last couple of days that you'd like to bring to my attention, go ahead and poke me! &hearts

One quick announcement for magnetic_pole before I tackle my to-read list:

api_recs is a community for reccing books, movies, tv shows, radio shows, and other media that deal with the experience of Asians living outside Asia. Know of any good movies, books, etc. about the experiences of East Asians, Southeast Asians, South Asians, and Pacific Islanders living in US, Canada, Britain, Australia, Latin American or elsewhere? Rec them here!

I AM WATCHING A M/M SAME SEX BALLROOM COUPLE ON SYTYCD.

STRAIGHT GUY WITH GAY GUY.

THIS WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE AWESOME IF THEY WERE BETTER DANCERS OH MY GOD.

ETA: if my friends were on this show, they could have done that so much better. :\

There's a code you learn if you live outside the system, outside the limitations of words and numbers. It's a code not hackable by anyone who lives inside the boundaries, written in flesh and blood, skin and bones. Tradition, diaspora, culture, race; the stories and histories of generations of people whose voices have gone unheard: we who live in the margins own all of these things, are all of these things, whether or not we are consciously aware of them, and it is an ownership that can never be taken away.

Outside of the system, you learn that people won't listen to you if you aren't always polite; if you raise your voice; if you say or do things that don't belong in their perceptions of reality; if you bring up the system at all, much less question it. Outside of the system, you learn that people won't see you if you dress in certain ways; that they'll only look at your clothes if you dress in other ways; that sometimes even if you were to stand in front of them naked, the only thing that would register would be the color of your skin, and that only when it suits them to notice.

Other people have written about this better than I can, this position of being on the outside, looking in. Other people have spoken in answer to the people who think that fiction is unimportant, that a story is- can ever be- "just a story." Other people have even addressed what it's like to be someone like me. As for me- well, I don't much feel like repeating myself.

Today I will not address the people who profess to be "blind to race," even with the best of intentions. Today I am not speaking to the people who look at me with blank stares and ask why this matters, because today is not for the people for whom I am not in the room when I don't have my model minority mask on: diligent, polite, holding my tongue.

Today is for my sisters and brothers, the people who share the space outside the lines, if not the precise color of my skin. Today I want to sit down next to those who are listening. I want to hear you tell whatever stories you choose to share; I want to hear your voices raised in laughter and celebration, or in tears of catharsis. Today I want to give my voice to this collective shout, so loud that it reverberates around the world, and know that I- that we- are not alone.

Outside these walls, the world is full of glorious color, of beautiful faces and rich, powerful voices. Hold the door for me; let's walk together into the sunshine. &hearts