EveKnight75

Anne Rice? Lee Goldberg? Take your pick, there's a long list out there.

Those two rules may be the only reason they're still there. Apparently, the community before it was deleted. I'm more than willing to report it, but someone else will have to troll it. Some of my entries reveal that I'm actually Indian despite the fact that I look kinda white.

My LJ wasn't attacked during the fiasco and I was surprised because of my interest in incest. Later, I found out that I had used the term "incest fiction" and hadn't realized it. My LJ isn't popular. I have a small friends list. I don't post actual fics on my LJ. The reviews I reply to never have questionable content. I don't list too many interests. I agree that the fiasco was stupidity on their part. I think they should try to learn a little more about the concept of fanwork because it creates a sizeable portion of their userbase. Still, I don't think I'll be moving from LJ. I don't like posting pictures of myself online. I don't have many pictures on FaceBook as it is. That takes MySpace out of the question. There are other blogging sites available, but I don't think any of them can match LJ in terms of popularity. LJ's probably learned its lesson. If they mess up this badly again in the near future, then I may consider leaving, but for now I stay put because it'll be easier for those who read my fics to find me on LJ.

The thing is, neither of those fics are one-shots, neither have a "Complete" tag on FF, both have a WIP tag on AFF, both have a "hiatus" sign that's been up forever. I think I only got one stupid review on my one shot that indicates that the person didn't seem to get that it's complete. And here it is: I have a sneaking suspicion she meant to review the other fic in the same fandom (there's a portrait of Jan and Peter look-a-like from several centuries ago, and the Jan look-a-like is pregnant). That's why I chose to simply overlook the review.

PMs are pushing the matter. I do think your reply was harsh, but it certainly wasn't unwarranted. Both of my biggest fics haven't been updated in over a year, and I've still gotten reviews within the past week. Instead of "update soon please!", I'm getting "It's been over a year and you haven't updated, so I have to assume that you're not going to. Still, I wish you would because this is an amazing story and I'd really like to read more." Best guilt trip ever.

I think both original characters and fanfic characters are equally challenging in their own way. When it comes to fanfiction, it is important to keep them in character. It helps that there's already a base to work with, but that's not enough. When you write a story, you have to develop the characters as you go along. It can be challenging to develop a fanfic character and keep it IC without ending up with an extremely flat stereotype. In that regard, it's important not only to know the surface of the character, but what's lurking beneath as well. In my case, it's especially important because the majority of the fanfic characters I work with happen to be teenagers, so their personalities are permanently on the cusp of transition as far as canon is concerned. Reading a character for yourself isn't that hard at all. Making sure that your audience is in general agreement with how your reading of a character is reflected in your writing is quite different. I've always found it easy to create the base for an original character. Aside from names, it's effortless. What's a lot harder is building on that character and keeping the character consistent. Sure, you have the right to do whatever the hell you want because it's your character. But do you want to create a crappy character? I don't think anyone does. It's a lot more challenging to build a character with depth and keep the character consistent at the same time. The surface of the personality is fairly easy to create, but creating the layers underneath is one of the biggest challenges.

Time for a birthday cuddle, yes it is, you cute little kitty you! (Squirm and I'll squeeze harder). EDIT: I came back to run a check before breakfast and your title's changed. Somebody decided to leave you a special present.

Did I mention that I have a fear of needles? The only piercings I have are one in each ear. That was done when I was 3 years old, so it obviously wasn't my choice. I'm not upset about it because I do wear earrings frequently. I do get temp tats every now and then. I love playing around with mehendi (which is what you call henna tattoos). Other than that, I don't think I could ever get extra piercings or permanent tattoos because I'm terrified of needles. It's bad enough that I have to use them on a daily basis and I'll leave it at that. Perhaps I'd be willing to go so far as to get an extra piercing in each ear if I really wanted it that badly, or maybe a nose piercing (I could get away with that very easily). Too bad I don't really want it. Permanent tattoos would be a sticky area for me because I can't think of any artwork that would represent me well for the rest of my life, outside of the lame zodiac sign or my name written in Sanskrit. I wouldn't worry about the skin that much if it's not my stomach (my waistline fluctuates year-round) because no one on either side of the family starts to look over 40 until they hit 70. That means that I'm pretty much guaranteed not to have wrinkles or sagging skin until I hit that age; and I have my own doubts about surviving to that age, much less past it.

(Inspired by Ada's rant) I'm glad I get to yell at and train my diabetic nurse and dietician. Really, really, glad. I'm also happy that I get to switch off with another patient every 6 weeks. Just to keep them on their toes. At least we get revenge on two medical assholes. I'm not saying that all medical practitioners are assholes. I'm just saying that those who - think they have the right to withhold information - are deliberately evasive when a patient asks a question - choose to use complicated language precisely because they believe the patient won't understand it are assholes. I may not be in any medical field, but I do understand the jargon. thank you very much. It's kinda inevitable when you research your own illnesses, and half of your relatives are in medical fields, your own parents included. Seriously though, I demand to see all of my files and read them regularly. In fact, I have my own photocopies filed away at home. I also pester my doctors/nurses in the politest manner possible. I constantly remind them that my health stinks already, and it's best for both sides if I know everything because the biggest hurdles are mine to tackle. They can give me pills but it's up to me to control my diet and exercise. Usually, they see the reasoning and go along with it.

Actually, that last bit is good to hear. I'm working on a sequel for someone else's fic (with fanblessings, no less). I have an excerpt done that I wanted to test out on an adult audience, but I was slightly apprehensive about posting it. The thing is, the other person's fic is rated T and therefore on FFN only. The author in question is an adult and does visit AFF, but isn't a member. If I was going to post the excerpt, I wanted to do so with a link to the first fic so that I could give proper credit. Since FFN is a free public site, I guess I'm in the clear.

Elvy, you just reminded me of something. I had already edited deathbyhedonism's fic for spelling/grammar errors and sent it back several months ago. The fic was never re-posted. I'm gonna contact him again on that. It is nice to have other people looking out for your work. I agree with you on that. It's the manner they choose to go about doing so that counts to me. I believe you should give the author a say in the matter instead of attempting to fix the situation for them yourself. This applies even more strongly when you don't have an established relationship with said author you're supposedly defending. I'm afraid I simply can't fully agree with "there's no need to get involved in a drama war if you're not at fault even if your name's involved". If your name's involved, your work and reputation is at risk. Get involved, but don't attempt to make things worse. Try to contact the other party and make peace, try to diffuse the drama war, and defend yourself without attacking the other party no matter how tempting it is. As far as I can see, the situation has been resolved, but precisely because I chose to worry about it. Diana Mystery chose not only to flame a first-timer, she did it by accusing the person of plagiarism, throwing my name in there, then insulting deathbyhedonism by name when reviewing my fic. She also admitted that she reported the fic in order to "help me out". I had never even heard of Diana Mystery before then. Do you see why I felt a bit insulted at that point? It's one thing to be condescending to me. I can handle that even if I don't like it. Once I get over it, I try to look on the bright side and be happy that my work left a favorable impression. What I don't appreciate is some stranger creating a potential flame war in an attempt to "help me out". Someone else who didn't know about the situation could have come along and easily misinterpret things so that I look like a snob and an elitist. Despite the fact that I wouldn't have had done anything wrong in the first place. And I honestly wouldn't have been able to blame them because it's all too possible that I would have done the same in their position (but I'd be more passive and simply not refer to or review the "snob"). Indeed, this would have happened if not for two things. deathbyhedonism turned out to be a mature adult and realized that I was not at fault. Considering the way things have been at AFF lately, most people in his position would have spread nasty rumors about me, try to gather a posse against me, and flame the hell out of my fics. I was lucky! The other thing was sweetblood's intervention. I actually have known her for a long time, and she's fairly well-recognized as a reviewer in the fandom. After she read Diana Mystery's review on my fic, she contacted me and informed me of the situation. She herself had reviewed deathbyhedonism's fic and saw the similarities, but didn't file any reports. She's one of the biggest reasons I was able to fix the situation with deathbyhedonism. She chose to inform me of the entire situation involving my own fic and let me deal with it. That is "helping me out". It's not enough to simply not encourage a flame war. It's important to take active steps to discourage it and diffuse the situation, especially when you're in a primary position to do so.

madlodger: I only wear the boxers when doing the chores. Nothing underneath that because I've already mentioned my fondness for going commando. Agaib: What a kyoot wittle kitty! I'm gonna hug you and love you and squeeze you and cuddle you and never ever let go![/Elmyra]

I will avoid wearing a bra whenever I can. This includes loose t-shirts (I don't own a white one and likely never will), sweaters, sweatshirts, and hoodies. Unfortunately, I can't always get away with it. My breasts are large and my nipples are perky. I try to avoid padding whenever I can. I don't ever wear minimizers because I'm satisfied with what I have and they only add to the pain anyway. I don't own a strapless because they're practically impossible to find in my size. Other than that, I have an eclectic collection of bras. I have convertibles, balconettes, demis, push-ups, bustiers, corsets, front-hooks, and halters. My personal favorites are the balconette, demi, convertible and bustier. The first two provide a great support balance between size and perkiness. The convertible is great during the spring and summer when I wear a lot of tank tops and strapless tops/dresses. The bustier is great for camouflaging the extra pounds I gain during the holidays and exam periods. I like corsets when I can wear them as a costume piece.

With the way things are progressing, maybe the topic description should be changed to "Not just for men anymore."

At my thinnest, I'm a 38D. On average, I'm a 40D. Combine that with a slim frame below the chest, and instant back pain. At least I can get guys to look up and keep their eyes on my face. I think I was 14 the last time I wore a sports bra. Once I was 15, I hit 38C and they became too uncomfortable. They're tight, they provide weak support, and I'm the furthest thing from an athlete you'll find. So I ditched 'em. I think we may need a trans-thread. A lot of us girls seem to enjoy wearing men's underwear. As for bras, I think we can create a poll if we stick to the basic options. Of course, it'll have to be someone who has more knowledge of bras than I do. Leon: not that fond of garters or stockings myself. I have great legs and I like to show them off, but I prefer to have henna designs drawn on them and let 'em go bare. Corsets, on the other hand...

Certain Characters "Sacred"? I think that topic complements this one nicely, and there's a lot of responses there that tie in to this topic. Not merge-worthy, mind you, but still a nice pair the two make. LONG POST AHEAD! -------------------- Let's start off with a popular fandom so that people know what I'm talking about. I'm sick of Ron-bashing and Ginny-bashing when it comes to Harmonians. It's possible to get them together without attacking the Weasleys. If Hermione prefers Harry, Ron would step aside no matter how much it hurt him because he wants both of his best friends to have happiness in their lives. Ginny managed to get over Harry relatively well the first time around - she can do it again. I've never liked Harry's character myself. I consider him a Stu. He's speshul, narrow-minded, prejudiced in his own way, foolish, and stubborn. And I'm not sure he's as disappointed about his fame as he makes himself out to be. Frankly, I was glad when they revealed what I had suspected all along - Dumbledore planned every little detail so that Harry would survive and win during the earlier years. Am I going to bash him if I choose to write a R/Hr fic? Hell no. I may hate him, but Ron and Hermione love him (platonic!) and Harry loves them. If anything, I'd concentrate less on writing Harry and make sure that I'm neutral about him in my writing whenever he show up. -------------------- Now we can move into my fandoms. I'll start off with Martin Mystery. The most popular pairing is Martin/Diana. I think there's only one Martin/Marvin, two or three Diana/Marvin, and a bunch of CC/OC. The only character I've ever seen bashed in this fandom is Marvin. Marvin is a somewhat stu-ed version of Martin. Marvin's looks, clothes, and interests mirror Martin's. The difference is that Marvin is cooler. He's popular at school. He's smart. He's more athletic. He's had his own comics published professionally. He travels frequently. Girls drool over him. Guys wanna be him. He's perfect. The only person who doesn't like him is Martin. Diana, on the other hand, is crazy about him. They use this scenario to have Marvin become Diana's abusive boyfriend and then Martin rescues Diana and it's twu wub. First of all, Marvin has never displayed a romantic interest in Diana, or any girl for that matter. Second of all, he starts off being nice to everyone, including Martin. After about 10 fics are written bashing him, we see an episode where Marvin becomes less stellar. The first time, he messes up a mission. The second time, he's an asshole because he's stuck in the Arctic thanks to Martin and he hates the cold. The third time, he acts slightly insane because he's possessed. It turns out that Marvin's not so perfect after all, but he's nowhere near evil. The incidences of Marvin-bashing had died down at that point, but made a re-appearance for the sake of the pairing. This despite the fact that Diana's crush had died in the third episode featuring Marvin. I just don't get it. They don't interact with Marvin often enough for Marvin to have much of an impact on their lives. If Marvin tried to attack Diana, Diana would kick his ass. She's smart, level-headed, and beats up Martin on a daily basis. That, and she's a paranormal investigator and a field agent to boot. Give her some credit. The most ironic part is that if Martin and Diana got together, he'd be one of the only humans who'd have an open mind about it and give it a chance, because of his exotic travel background. The only other ones who'd accept it are their two friends, one a caveman, the other an alien. Their boss would find that it hinders their work and the rest of the world would be disturbed because they're step-siblings. -------------------- Everyone's remotely familiar with the Brady Bunch, right? Everyone in that fandom gets bashed at one point or another for the sake of parody, so sorting out the worst of it is a true chore. Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. (and that's the correct spelling folks!) I admit that I hate her too, but I keep it out of my fics and that's not easy considering that I have to work with her a lot. She's often turned into this stuck-up bitch who's either a prude or a slut. Pick one because either one will work to her character's disadvantage. She choses to deliberately humiliate Jan, lead Greg on, make things worse for Alice, and rub her perfection in everyone's face. In canon, I admit that she does need to tone her pride down a bit and she does need to think before she speaks. Still, she's never been deliberately evil, and she does care about Jan. Bash her in parodies all you like, but keep it out of the other genres unless it serves the plot well. Jan gets bashed a lot too. She's ugly, whiny, insecure, doesn't fit in, and doesn't try to change the situation for herself. She's easy to pick on. She's one of my favorite characters, but sometimes I get fed up with her too (especially when she chose to alienate all of her siblings). But you have to look at the other side of her as well. She had to compete with Marcia constantly. She had to put up with freckles, braces, glasses, clumsiness, lack of talent, lack of friends, lack of perkiness, and lack of hope. You needed her to offset the rest of the family. Eventually, she grew into her own person, and you have to admit that every time she discovered just the tiniest bit about herself, she became a lot more pleasant because she was comfortable for a change. Not to mention that she ended up being hotter than Marcia. Carol. She's often portrayed as a lazy ass who heaps all the work on Alice, doesn't care when it becomes too much for Alice, pays no attention to her kids, and does nothing but her hair and nails. Carol does need a few lessons when it comes to giving equal attention to the girls (she tends to neglect Jan and Cindy and she favors Greg over Marcia often). She could stand to do more around the house and get a job. (I think she published an article one time and that's it). But she's not a lazy ass who cares only for her looks. She's donned jeans and sweatpants several times, she's not afraid to get muck on herself, she helps with the cooking and cleaning, she organizes the kids, and she tries to be a good mom. It's not that easy when you have 6 kids. Cut her some slack. I don't think I'd be as forgiving about the paid job thing, but it was the 1970's, so I'll let her off the hook for that one. And finally, Alice. I think the funniest thing about Alice-bashing is that the people who do it are her biggest fans and it's all done in an attempt to sympathize with her. People who don't like her do bash her, but it's mild. Those who don't like her portray her as a lazy old woman who doesn't do much and is there for the free room and board. Even then, they devote about a paragraph to that and leave her alone in the rest of the fic. The fan-bashers turn her into a psychopath who gets fed up with the Bradys and kills them off one by one in the most gruesome manner possible because they're all ungrateful brats who make her work too hard and don't pay her enough to put up with their shit. OK. They can be ungrateful brats. She does get fed up with them. The first time someone made a parody of Alice the homicidal maid, it was hilarious. The second time, it was just annoying. Get some new ideas. If you want to write a fic portraying how much you love Alice and how bratty the Bradys are, stick with canon and have her walk out on them. It's simple. -------------------- I read a lot of Life with Derek fics. Not here at AFF - the quality stinks. The majority of the fans are Derek/Casey shippers. There's a smattering of Derek/Sam shippers. There's maybe one or two Sam/Casey, Derek/Emily, and Sam/Emily shippers. Let me clarify on the characters. Derek and Casey are two teenagers who have become stepsiblings recently. They're both the oldest, they're the same age, and they're complete opposites who constantly argue and get on each other's nerves. Despite all that, there is a definite tension and chemistry in the air, and you can tell that they do care for each other when push comes to shove. Sam is Derek's best friend, and he ends up dating Casey (to Derek's severe disapproval). Emily is the next-door neighbor who has a huge crush on Derek, and happens to be Casey's best friend. Thanks to their on-screen chemistry, the majority of the fans end up being Derek/Casey shippers. One popular method of getting them together is by bashing Sam. Sam happens to be quiet, sweet, and easy going. The most common method is turning him into an evil rapist. If not that, an abusive boyfriend. Turning him into merely a cheater is doing him a kindness. It's completely OOC for him. He tended to let Casey make the decisions and do the talking, and he later agreed to a mutual breakup and managed to remain friends with her. I get that he's a boring character and that he's in the way of our ship, but what the hell did he do to deserve this kind of attack? On top of bashing Sam, they make Emily ultra-jealous and have her attack Casey, either physically or through the rumor mill. Derek's popular so it wouldn't hurt him too much. Casey, on the other hand, is a nerd. If the pairing is Derek/Sam, Casey-bashing can be found. Mercifully, it's not automatically found in every fic and even then only one of them was truly cruel to her. In the cruelest one, they turn her into a homophobic shrieking feminazi. Casey was a feminazi in one episode, but that's the main episode where Sam fell for her and she got over her nazi phase by the end of the episode. She is a drama queen, but a harpy she is not. She's also the type who stands up for equal rights constantly, so being homophobic doesn't fit. On the other end of the spectrum, she blames herself, turns emo, and becomes a stalker/voyeur. Casey's level-headed and strong-willed. I don't think so. Frankly, I can easily imagine both Derek and Sam being gay. Sam has full lips, curly blond hair, and blue eyes. Combine that with his personality and we have an effeminate man. Derek's character is not effeminate in the least, but the actor who plays him is. Derek also tends to have a new girlfriend each week, which can be an early sign of homosexuality. Still, if they turned out gay for each other, Casey would be upset then get over it. Now for the third pairing where character bashing is often present: Sam/Emily. For some oddball reason, they have the two pair up by breaking up Sam/Casey and Derek/Emily first. Apparently, Derek and Casey were having an affair the whole time - with each other! So of course, the only reason Sam and Emily wound up together was for initial revenge, then discussing the moral repugnance of their exes, then finally just being happy together. Part of the revenge and repugnance is announcing the affair to the whole world, only to find out that the whole world approves, at which point both Derek and Casey start acting like true sluts and Sam and Emily end up hated by all. Voilà! Everybody has been bashed!

I actually got my passcard as a gift. But then I bought one as a gift for someone else. So that evens things out, doesn't it?

I like to wear men's cotton boxers on days where I have to deal with a lot of physical chores around the apartment (and always a dark color). I find them more comfortable than women's shorts (too tight). I also like to wear men's silk boxers to bed sometimes, especially on really hot nights when there's guests sleeping over. I didn't mention it before because I didn't think that would be considered as underwear (well it is underwear but I don't wear it as such).

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I prefer going commando. That means no underwear whatsoever. If I'm wearing a skirt, I will wear a pair of panties if only for the sake of decency. Even then, they're the silky, lacy stuff that looks really good but doesn't go up the crack. Don't be surprised that I don't know the names of each cut. I avoid bras when I can, but that's not always possible because I'm large and perky (family blessing/curse). I own a lot of strapless bras because I have a habit of wearing tank and tube tops. The strapped ones are always the lacy/silky ones that push in and up. They provide the best support and make me feel pretty. Let's not use the spoiler tags or TMI warnings here - we've all progressed far past that stage a long time ago.

I'm a girl but I voted anyway. I prefer to go commando whenever I can get away with it.

Which is kinda sad when you really think about it.

(Yahoo! News) Dancing jailbirds in Philippines become YouTube hit (ABC News) Boogie Behind Bars: Inmates Dance the Days Away (BBC News) Philippine jailhouse rocks to Thriller The videos are quite entertaining. What really caught my interest is how the videos came to be. The dancing routine wasn't created as a form of punishment (though the prisoners initially viewed it as such). It was implemented as a compulsory exercise regimen during their incarceration. It's also supposed to teach them discipline and boost their self-morale. What I'm wondering is how they managed to hire a professional choreographer. Still, it's a rather novel concept and I like the idea behind it. If it actually works in reducing repeat crime, all the better.

He never sang "Blame it on the Rain". Have you forgotten about the lip-syncing scandal already? That's the reason the other one offed himself! As it is, they've already mentioned since the beginning of the movie series that they're going to be exclusive and cast thespians from the U.K. only (exceptions being characters who are supposed to be from another country). They're not going to cast a German who failed his English enunciation lessons. Forgive me. My MTV-generation age is showing.[/OT] I've never heard of Sean Bean before now, but after googling him, I'd have to cast my vote for him too.

:wistful: I remember when I turned 20. HEAD FOR THE HILLS!

dumps bucket of cold water on poly I'm sorry but it had to be done. [/derail]