The Mandelbear&#39;s Reading

Ducks.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2842616.html

... is like this. And no human being deserves to live like this, and many are far worse off than this.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2842308.html

This story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," and "Birthday Girl."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mind control. Inferences of past child abuse and other torture. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: A mission in Russia introduces the Avengers to the Winter Soldier. Steve wants Bucky back and will stop at nothing to make that happen. Everyone else helps however they can.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Sibling relationships. Fix-it. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. BAMF!Avengers. Vulgar language. Drama. Rescue. Hurt/Comfort. Emotional whump. Survivor guilt. Friendship. Confusion. Mind control. Memory loss. Slow recovery. Nick Fury makes stupid-ass decisions. Fear of loss. Arc reactor. Fluff. Nonsexual ageplay. Making up for lost time. Tony Stark has a heart. Games. Trust issues. Safety and security. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Obadiah Stane's A+ parenting. Food issues. Multiplicity/Plurality. Sleep issues. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Yoga. Personal growth. Family of choice. ALL THE FEELS. #coulsonlives.

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

I wasn't at home much, so while I did get the funeral home stuff notarized & faxed to them (and a copy made for myself), and while I did get the check and originals into the mailbox... I did not have any time at home that wasn't on the County Courthouse's lunch hour. *headdesk*

Tomorrow, I call them and see if I can get the ball rolling on heirship.

Havva Quote
It was very poor construction, I thought. Yes, enduring, but the mismatched steps would have had the workers responsible flayed. What dignity was there to a sacrifice who tripped? Worse, would the gods smile upon a priest who sprawled upon the temple stairs? Would they honor one who fell and broke his neck upon them? And the potential to place oil on an already uncertain stair... The Shunned could easily assassinate priests or even a Bride, as a simple "accident."
But at least there was the grabbing-pole, and I kept a hand on it as I descended, with Dar behind me.
--Crucible, by me

( INwatch+Bookwatch )

( Dragons under fold )

Crossposts: http://archangelbeth.livejournal.com/1522042.html

thnidu

Amazon announced Kindle Worlds today, describing it as “the first commercial publishing platform that will enable any writer to create fan fiction based on a range of original stories and characters and earn royalties for doing so.”

See James Nicoll's LJ post and the discussion in the comments (20 so far). Definitely read the comments. It's also on DW, but no comments there yet.

Crossposts: http://thnidu.livejournal.com/1269128.html

kshandra

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Current Mood: Miserable
Current Location: Bed
Current Music: Doug listening to the Giants game out front
Crossposts: http://kshandra.livejournal.com/1318411.html

dejla

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Current Mood: discontent

solarbird

...it would need to have end credits.

A fan has provided some.

You're welcome. ^_^ (Courtesy lj:gamera_spinning.)

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: End Theme, Madame Vastra

elf

Amazon has a new plan: KindleWorlds, licensed fanfic venues for short stories. Currently, they've got licenses for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries and promise more on the way.

The rules include:
* Amazon gets the right to publish for the length of copyright.
* Amazon sets the price, usually $1-$4; looks like it's based on length.
* Exclusive to Amazon. (The license is with Amazon, not the author.)
* Royalties are different from other Amazon works, but not offensively low.
* No "pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts."
* No "offensive content, including but not limited to racial slurs, excessively graphic or violent material, or excessive use of foul language."
* No crossovers.

Ohghods. On the one hand, hmm, licensed fanfic, yay? On the other... ohlook, it's a Fanlib redux. Very much a "color inside the lines" proposal here, with the caveat that the authors can get paid.

How much fic is going to be grabbed from FF.net and reposted as Amazon ebooks? And will someone (Amazon, Warner Brothers) go after the authors or FF.net for having the same content for free without the license? I hope the OTW is on top of this one.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pirates of Venus opens by tying together several of Burroughs' worlds. A friend of the narrator's calls him to say he has received a message from Pellucidar; the friend had intended to search for a missing person, but Tarzan had "persuaded him of the folly of such an undertaking." He then hears from a person who is planning a trip to Mars. He doesn't seem likely to meet John Carter in this book, though.

The space traveler takes off in a vehicle which reaches 7 miles a second by the end of the runway; this somehow doesn't crush him to death, and no mention is made of the damage done by the ground zero shock wave. For all his planning, he somehow didn't notice his course would barely miss the moon; the moon's gravity slings him into a completely new trajectory, which by pure chance takes him to Venus. Not just toward Venus, but grazing its atmosphere so that he can parachute out. This is a 1932 book, so it would be unfair to point out Venus's atmosphere would kill a person in seconds; that's minor by comparison.

I continue reading, secure in the knowledge that the book can't get any sillier ... or can it?

Current Mood: amused

Lately I've been watching some episodes online of Star Trek: The New Voyages. It's very good video fanfic, much better than Abrams' first attempt. (I haven't seen the second, and nothing I've heard makes me want to.) As with the original series, there are obvious problems, but the spirit and imaginativeness allow a lot to be forgiven.

An episode I just watched involved a familiar situation: Scotty had to crawl into a Jeffries tube to fix something that threatened to destroy the ship. In this case, high radiation levels made it very dangerous. The repair itself was very simple; its simplicity was a plot point. I found myself thinking, "Why don't they just send a robot in to do it? Oh, wait — this is science fiction, not real life."

lizcommotion shares a big list of coping techniques, sorted by purpose.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2841246.html

This story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," and "Birthday Girl."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mind control. Inferences of past child abuse and other torture. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: A mission in Russia introduces the Avengers to the Winter Soldier. Steve wants Bucky back and will stop at nothing to make that happen. Everyone else helps however they can.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Sibling relationships. Fix-it. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. BAMF!Avengers. Vulgar language. Drama. Rescue. Hurt/Comfort. Emotional whump. Survivor guilt. Friendship. Confusion. Mind control. Memory loss. Slow recovery. Nick Fury makes stupid-ass decisions. Fear of loss. Fluff. Nonsexual ageplay. Making up for lost time. Tony Stark has a heart. Games. Trust issues. Safety and security. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Obadiah Stane's A+ parenting. Food issues. Multiplicity/Plurality. Sleep issues. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Yoga. Personal growth. Family of choice. ALL THE FEELS. #coulsonlives.

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

If any one of you reading this is in the US, and you die without a notarized will, filed at your county courthouse, your descendants/heirs/friends are TOTALLY ENTITLED to dig you up and re-strangle you. Got that?

*swears in authentic Anglo-Saxon*

Have paid for this month for the storage unit. Have gotten the papers needed to arrange for the cremation. Must still pay the funeral home. Must do those last two before going on Long Drive tomorrow. And next... I need to figure out which [anglo-saxon redacted] papers I need to somehow file with the county courthouse!

RE-STRANGLING, DO YOU HEAR ME? TOTALLY JUSTIFIED.

Havva Quote
The trouble is that if the author wants the dragon to come swooping unexpectedly out of the mist in front of the viewpoint character, he/she has to have some idea how that dragon found and followed that character in all that fog, and whether it’s plausible that a large, reasonably intelligent flying creature would go swooping around in a forest or city when it can’t see where obstacles or the ground is. (If the dragon has the kind of sonar bats do, fine…but if the author doesn’t think about it, there are likely to be inconsistencies over the course of the story that undermine the author’s credibility with the reader.)
--http://pcwrede.com/blog/action/
(Dude. Dragons with bat sonar. Awesome.)

( INwatch+Bookwatch )

( Dragons under fold )

Crossposts: http://archangelbeth.livejournal.com/1521527.html

catvalente

A dream from last night ever-so-slightly too long for Twitter:

Queen Elizabeth had died and a young princess was being crowned Queen Anne. She was certainly not a princess that actually exists in real life. Long, lovely black hair that she wore down for the occasion, swept over her shoulder and flowing down the front of her white dress, obscuring all the medals and sash. She had thin silver crown. I was a flutist playing in the orchestra for the coronation.

Anne started crying in the middle of her coronation speech. A crowd of ministers with pelican heads rushed to console her and guide her away from the crowds. We had to stop playing and wait for her to return. But she didn’t.

Ages went by. We finally started playing just to entertain everyone, anything we could think of. Then no one could think of another song and we all got up and started dancing with our instruments and each other on the floor of Westminster Cathedral until the flute section all turned into crows and flew up to roost on the buttresses. Anne was hiding up there, too. Her black hair flowed under her gown to become big black wings.

And then: alarm clock.

Mirrored from cmv.com. Also appearing on @LJ and @DW. Read anywhere, comment anywhere.

wcg

One more birth.

One more death.

Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years.( Read more... )

Crossposts: http://wcg.livejournal.com/959666.html

filkertom

At least until Saturday. Anne and I think it rocks -- good voice acting, fast-moving tight script, good animation, Black Widow's cheekbones -- what else do you want?

Crossposts: http://filkertom.livejournal.com/1705187.html

Here is a brilliant essay about sexism in culture and literature, using the extended metaphor of llamas.

From time to time, I mention that I am different from most people, that my mind doesn't work the same way. And one of the more dramatic examples goes like this.

*movie with cannibalistic scaly llamas*

Me: "This is stupid. Llamas are fluffy."

Normal person: "No they aren't."

Me: "There is a fluffy llama. Look, llamas are fluffy."

Normal person: "WTF? Everyone knows llamas aren't fluffy!"

Me: "Also they hum."

Normal person: "How would you EVEN KNOW THAT?"

Me: "By knowing some damn llamas!"

Normal person: "ZOMGWTFBBQ! Shut up now!"

Me: *write fluffy llamas*

I'm social teflon. Everyone saying something that is observably false does not convince me that they are right. It convinces me that everyone else is crazy. And of course, they think I'm the crazy one, because when there's a disagreement of claims, I go looking for evidence and I favor factual examples over people's beliefs. This is really, really unpopular. It drives many people bugfuck.

On the other hoof, it's great for crowdfunding. You want some fluffy llamas? Bring 'em. I'll write something. I'm really good at filling cultural gaps that way. I enjoy it. I actively look for this stuff, because it leads to stories that haven't been told a million times. Fresh stories are often better stories; they hook readers more and harder. I like that a lot. I like it as a reader, a writer, a reviewer, an editor, a prompter, a donor ... everything. I just like it.

And yes, real llamas do hum. I learned this at the county fair one year when somebody brought llamas. Because I am a writer and everything is research it never really shuts off. I am a fountain of random weird trivia like that, and that's where I get the cool concrete details that I drop into my writing.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2841073.html

My friend Marina Bonomi tipped me to this steamfunk movie project, "Rite of Passage." They had my attention at Harriet Tubman + John Henry + steam fiction.

Steampunk: it's not just for white blokes anymore. I am so thrilled to see someone else working that angle.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2840661.html

catsittingstill

So you may recall I built a canoe rack a year or two ago. And it has been serving its purpose admirably and I've been pretty happy with it. The main structural elements were pressure treated 4 x 4s (pressure treated wood is the stuff that looks greenish brown) and the bracing and the actual bars that the canoes rested on were plain 2 x 4s (spruce, I think; I don't remember.)

A couple of afternoons ago I was looking thoughtfully out of the kitchen window (my rack is in front of the kitchen window) and saw a large black bee emerge from the bottom of one of the 2 x 4 bars... and fly away.

Shit! Carpenter bees!

I went outside promptly to investigate. Carpenter bees gnaw perfectly round holes in wood -- a bit smaller than a dime. They tunnel into the wood and I think they set up housekeeping in there. Having them in my canoe rack was totally unacceptable because while they hadn't bothered the canoes yet, and probably wouldn't bother the hulls in any case, they might be persistent enough to get through the varnish and into the fittings--the gunwales, the seats. I couldn't have that. Also once they settle in they send out scouts and might start attacking anything else made of wood nearby, which includes parts of the house.

Something Had To Be Done.

I went to the hardware store; they thought they had a bee trap but were still testing it. As an interim measure Kip and I moved the canoes off the rack, moved the rack away from the house, and sprayed it with the wasp poison Kip bought last summer when we had the burrowing wasps in the front yard. (What IS it with Tennessee and horrible insects?)

The bees were utterly unimpressed. The update from the hardware store was that the bee trap did not work. I decided that the thing to do was remove the infested parts, rebuild the rack with clean wood, and paint it. I bought 2 new 2 X 4s and Kip picked up oil-based stain. This morning I took the rack apart (I am SO glad I used screws to put it together) and inspected all the pieces for bee holes. Only two bars had been infected, so I put them in a contractor grade trashbag and wired the top shut. I cut replacements for them, put everything back together again, and put stain all over everything.

Those horrible bees were already sniffing around the new bars when I opened the can of stain.

I finished at pretty near 11 am this morning. I figure that is a good morning's work. I hope it works.

My story "The Museum of Mortality" (Part 1 and Part 2) has been sponsored by Amelia Margetts. It is now visible to the public.
Brelig works in a museum while recovering from a sea monster fight.
Brelig works hard to regain his stamina for warsailor work.

This is a sequel to "Without Fail" so if you haven't already read that, I recommend starting there.
Warsailor Brelig meets License Master Alaaffi on a cruise ship.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2840333.html

ysabetwordsmith posting in

crowdfunding

What cyberfunded creativity projects have you recently donated to or participated in as a fan? What have you viewed? What prompt calls have you sent inspiration? What made them special enough to attract your support?

What do you want that you haven't been seeing, or would like to see more of? Do you have ideas that you want to prompt, but aren't sure what creator would be a good match for them?

Current Mood: busy

NASA has issued a grant for the development of 3-D printing of food. Think of it as the first crude version of Star Trek's food replicator.

solarbird

Bone Walker, the soundtrack for The Free Court of Seattle, has its very first blue tag on the Big Board.

Blue means ‘finished.’

There are many more blue tags to go, but this is a major milestone, because as of yesterday, all of the session tunes sets have yellow or blue tags. All of them.

Mirrored from Crime and the Blog of Evil. Come listen to our music!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: I am Bender, Please Insert Girder | Futurama

amaebi

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filkertom

Flowers.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2840167.html

This story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," and "Birthday Girl."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mind control. Inferences of past child abuse and other torture. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: A mission in Russia introduces the Avengers to the Winter Soldier. Steve wants Bucky back and will stop at nothing to make that happen. Everyone else helps however they can.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Sibling relationships. Fix-it. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. BAMF!Avengers. Vulgar language. Drama. Rescue. Hurt/Comfort. Emotional whump. Survivor guilt. Friendship. Confusion. Mind control. Memory loss. Slow recovery. Nick Fury makes stupid-ass decisions. Fear of loss. Fluff. Nonsexual ageplay. Making up for lost time. Tony Stark has a heart. Games. Trust issues. Safety and security. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Obadiah Stane's A+ parenting. Food issues. Multiplicity/Plurality. Sleep issues. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Yoga. Personal growth. Family of choice. ALL THE FEELS. #coulsonlives.

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10. Skip to Part 13.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

May is for finishing open storylines. You can enter the May 2013 Raffle with comments, credits, or donations.

Fiction: Aurora’s World: Opal: Talking to Margery (part 3) talks about the creation of the races.
Sponsored Fiction: Afterlife: Samael: Talking to Gabriel reveals how some angels are daunted by losing contact with other spirits as they move on.
Sponsored Fiction: Afterlife: Samael: Visiting Earth introduces Samael to an interesting woman.
The World Walkers: Unknown World: Thalia: Meeting the King shows someone held for positive rather than negative reasons.
The World Walkers: Unknown World: Iola: Being Summoned demonstrates how spells can go awry if a sentient world dislikes your objective.
The World Walkers: Siaral: Maud: Peacock Dragons sound like lovely creatures.

The World Walkers: Quiar: The Case of the Counterfeit Enchantments (part 8, 24th continuation) explores more about Meriwether's past lives.
The World Walkers: Quiar: The Case of the Counterfeit Enchantments (part 8, 25th continuation) deals with further implications of the counterfeiting.

Other Fiction: The World Walkers: Unknown World: Jetta: Saved By Cough Medicine (part 2), The World Walkers: Unknown World: Rayner: The Seventh Son of a Seventh Daughter, The World Walkers: Taithmarin: Freya: Freya’s Arrival (part 2)

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2839838.html

Got in touch with the place where my sire's body got sent, and gave the nice fellow there the data to fill out the death certificate. Will be shelling out some cash (probably a couple thousand) for a cremation (the nice fellow is going to email me the stuff I need to sign, get notarized, and fax back, tomorrow), which is one of the few things that A: I know he'd have wanted and B: I am on board with complying with. Then -- also tomorrow -- I have to see about obtaining (and taking over payments for) the storage unit that he had STUFF in. (All this, in the hopes that the videos he had of my grandfather (who was born in 1900 and who died in... 2002, 2003? Blight, I forget...) didn't get destroyed. See, he also was storing some stuff with one of his few remaining friends, whose house burned down. *headdesk*)

OH HAI STRESS.

(I will say, saying, "[relative] died and I want to take over the payments on the storage unit" to the storage company's home office gets you a fair amount of information about where the unit is, and who to call about it. Probably the "I want to take over payments" part is the magic incantation.)

Wonder how many death certs I'm going to wind up needing? Only ordered 1. Maybe I should up the order tomorrow. -_-

[Again, for those who tuned in late -- please, no condolences. I was estranged from him for a number of reasons, and had long-ago mourned the loss of the Daddy I thought I had. This is just... a royal pain.]

Mental note: print out a list of all my passwords and accounts sometime, triple-seal it, and stick it in the safe deposit box along with at least a will-type object.

(No quote today. Too -_-. Quote tomorrow.)

( INwatch+Bookwatch )

( Dragons under fold )

Crossposts: http://archangelbeth.livejournal.com/1521319.html

thnidu

Hat-tip to bensanaz, who sent me this with the superscription
"I don't know what inspires someone to mash up these two songs but I'm glad it did."
(YouTube 3:12)

Current Mood: weird
Current Location: home, at desk
Current Music: это, конечно!
Crossposts: http://thnidu.livejournal.com/1268793.html

thnidu

Correspondence with my personal assistant (aka batman), with in-line discussion:

thnidu wrote:

batman wrote:

Arrived at 11:46.
Cleaned, Swiffed.

Thanks. How are we doing with the supplies?

Doing Good.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB2GboGOuTI for more.

Current Mood: groan
Current Location: home, at desk
Current Music: the fan
Crossposts: http://thnidu.livejournal.com/1268526.html

filkertom

Horrible. Please, please, if you live or were traveling anywhere in the area, sound off so we know you're all right.

Crossposts: http://filkertom.livejournal.com/1704638.html

I have posted the half-price sale for the

rainbowfic Vellum list. Come browse some bargain poetry!

Current Mood: busy

filkertom

Live video feed from News 9, thanks to CJ Cherryh on FB. Get your asses down, stay safe.

ETA: Holy crap. Lots and lots of damage, houses smashed, at least one school devastated. Lots of debris in the roads, lots of cars tossed all over the damn place, many with people still in them. And it's still going on. Please please please stay safe and check in when you can.

Crossposts: http://filkertom.livejournal.com/1704343.html

mdlbear

Just a gratuitous icon post, to show off the sign on our gate.

Don't be alarmed by the location -- Colleen is just in for another endoscopy, having a gallstone removed. She should be waking up soon.

Current Mood: strange
Current Location: UW Hospital gastroenterology waiting room
Current Music: Bigger On the Inside
Crossposts: http://mdlbear.livejournal.com/1505412.html

mdlbear

It's been a long month so far, but not nearly long enough. We've been packing the apartment, and running a van-load of boxes down to Rainbow's End nearly every day -- we're just having the movers take the furniture from the apartment. We'll have the Memorial Day weekend to clean up. Oh, did I mention the movers? Right.

Moving day for North Starport is this coming Friday. GLEEP! House! Move! Yard! The other reason I've been down at the house nearly every evening is to water the newly-sodded lawn. It's gorgeous. And the deck. And...

At the same time, I'm worried. There's no turning back from here -- this had better work. I think it will. That doesn't keep the late-night doubts away completely, but it helps. I'll probably still miss the Starport from time to time, but Rainbow's End is wonderful.

Lots of great links; I don't really have time to go over the list. That's what happens when you don't post for nearly three weeks -- I have to get *out* of that bad habit.

( raw notes )

Current Mood: stressed
Current Location: UW Hospital gastroenterology waiting room
Current Music: wheelin'
Crossposts: http://mdlbear.livejournal.com/1505247.html

filkertom

Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Star Trek: Into Darkness -- whatever's floating your boat.

Crossposts: http://filkertom.livejournal.com/1704033.html

gingicat

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Crossposts: http://tigerbright.livejournal.com/1403958.html

filkertom

It's looking like eastern Oklahoma, southwest Missouri, and northwest Arkansas will be taking the brunt today. But the system stretches from Mexico up into Canada, and it'll likely get a boost when it reaches the Gulf, so watch out for "regular" storms as well.

As usual, weatherdude from dKos has the 411.

Stay alert, stay safe, check in after it's past.

Crossposts: http://filkertom.livejournal.com/1703823.html

From a New York Times news story:

Mr. Pfeiffer [a senior adviser to Obama] accused Republicans of exploiting three issues — I.R.S. political targeting; the attack in Benghazi, Libya; and the Justice Department’s subpoenaing of phone records from The Associated Press — for political purposes, even as he urged them to work with the administration on legislation to revamp the immigration system and trim the budget deficit.

In Pfeiffer's view, having a political purpose is a bad thing. This is a view which is born of pragmatism, the idea that "what works" is all that matters, and that a systematic or principled approach is wrong. We heard the same view in Hillary Clinton's "What difference does it make?" in response to questions about why the administration spread false information about the cause of Ambassador Stevens' murder in Benghazi. Obama declared, shortly after taking office, that "we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards" as a justification for ignoring the Bush administration's crimes. In this viewpoint, there is no wrongdoing; at worst, "mistakes were made."

Usually pragmatism is invoked selectively, to avoid being challenged on principle. Should the power of the IRS be sharply curtailed? Should speech be made less free because there are allegedly vast mobs of Muslims who will rampage and kill whenever they're offended? Should the administration be able to bypass the courts to go on fishing expeditions against journalists? These are political issues. But in the pragmatist approach, there's only deal-making and compromise. This often comes down to "You want other people's money? I'll help you if you help me."

That last is what "politics" often means in ordinary use. From originally meaning the philosophy and art of government, it's come to mean the art of deception and lying. But what Pfeiffer was talking about was having a "political purpose" in the sense of establishing principles of right and wrong in government. Lots of people agree with him, at least to the extent that as long as the Democratic Party is more likely to provide them goodies, they won't criticize Democrats' actions. But when there's nothing left but a chase for goodies at other people's expense, where are they going to come from?

Once a friend of mine said that a family member told him, "You can't eat principles." He replied, "You can't eat without them."

naamah_darling

Anyone here repaint 12" fashion dolls? I know I have a few of you who do BJDs and Monster High.

I have just obtained, dare I say it, a VERY cute Ken doll and I want to make him live up to his potential as an adorable little thing.

I do the pony repaint thing, but this is fundamentally different.

What internets resources do you recommend?

Sweet Christ do not let this be the first step down the BJD path. I SO cannot afford.

Crossposts: http://naamah-darling.livejournal.com/623564.html

Here's one way to plot a novel.

Current Mood: busy

Gamer cakes.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2838356.html

Read the rest of this entry »

... for Gay Pride.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2838253.html

gridlore

There is too much to explain in detail, too much even for a summary. So I'll be brief.

To every stupid, lack-of-prior-planning, moron I dealt with; may a moose become erotically obsessed with your ass.

To every single airline I had to deal with tonight: may your trip to paradise involve a flight on your own airline, with a tricky connection in Chicago.

To my whiny, piss-ant drivers (not all of them, but a select few): may you be evicted because you didn't make enough money after demanding that every job that inconvenienced you be taken away.

and finally, To the webmasters at United and American; may your lives someday depend on machinery that is as stable and dependable as your fucking "track flight" pages.

But I have to give a shout out to the drivers who dealt with all the shit tonight professionally, calmly, and who asked "how can I help?" I'll remember you guys when I get add-ons and juicy trips.

Current Mood: drunk
Current Location: Santa Clara, Ca, 95050
Crossposts: http://gridlore.livejournal.com/1911097.html

annathepiper

And now, to finish up my posts about going to Victoria at the beginning of April, here’s the recounting of what we did on Sunday of that weekend! The previous posts, for those of you who may have missed them, are:

Friday, in which Anna and Dara declare that 6:30am is not an actual time of day, in which a ferry is taken, in which the Royal BC Museum has HOLY SHIT MAMMOTH!, and in which Fernwood has a highly awesome open mic
Saturday morning and afternoon, in which much wandering of downtown Victoria is done, in which Anna’s new mammoth is photographed having adventures, in which books in French are bought, and in which Anna acquires SURPRISE GUITAR!
Saturday evening, in which Anna and Dara have a spectacular time seeing Le Vent du Nord, in which Anna’s mammoth meets a polar bear, and in which there is photographic evidence of fiddle players

On to the final leg of the Victoria adventure: Sunday!

Mirrored from angelahighland.com.

This story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," and "Birthday Girl."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS, Bucky Barnes, Nick Fury.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Mind control. Inferences of past child abuse and other torture. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: A mission in Russia introduces the Avengers to the Winter Soldier. Steve wants Bucky back and will stop at nothing to make that happen. Everyone else helps however they can.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Sibling relationships. Fix-it. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. BAMF!Avengers. Vulgar language. Drama. Rescue. Hurt/Comfort. Emotional whump. Survivor guilt. Friendship. Confusion. Mind control. Memory loss. Slow recovery. Nick Fury makes stupid-ass decisions. Fear of loss. Fluff. Nonsexual ageplay. Making up for lost time. Tony Stark has a heart. Games. Trust issues. Safety and security. Howard Stark's A+ parenting. Obadiah Stane's A+ parenting. Food issues. Multiplicity/Plurality. Sleep issues. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Yoga. Personal growth. Family of choice. ALL THE FEELS. #coulsonlives.

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9. Skip to Part 12, Part 13.

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