So, after far too long in waiting, the first chapter of "Convergence" has been posted.  The title of the chapter is "Reunion".

Fic summary:
Everything should have been perfect, but life never is. When Draco is faced with the choice between what is right and what is easy, he risks losing everything – Harry, the war, and even himself. Despite the warnings and the risks, Harry isn't about to give up on the boy who was once willing to die to save him. However, what Harry doesn't know and what Draco can't remember may destroy them both. (The sequel to "Eclipse"; HP/DM)

Before you read the fic, you must read the Author's Notes (which didn't make it through a glitch in the FA upload process):

I'm going to be running a roundtable discussion at Prophecy.  I'd like to have some feedback on the title.  First, the topic is the characterization of canon males in slash fanfiction.  Here's the original abstract I submitted:

So, here are the possible titles:

1. "Canon Boys; Writer's Toys - The Characterization of Males in Slash Fanfictiction"
2. "Canon Boys; Fanon Toys..."
3. "Canon Boys; Slasher's Toys..."

Other suggestions are highly welcome, but I need to come up with something ASAP.  So, of these three, which do you like?  And do you have any better ideas?  Anyone?
*offers chocolate as a reward*

Someone linked me to this in my previous post.  I'd never seen if.  If you haven't seen it yourself, you must.  REALLY.
Music Video: "WE DIDN'T START THE FANDOM"

And I've seen plenty of HP filks and music videos that sucked, because they were too emo, or the words didn't fit the actions quite right, or something, but this one was good.  I laughed SO hard.  It just worked.
Voldemort: "Professional Pirate"

Enjoy.  Besides, after all this insanity, we need a good laugh.

OH!  And for those of you who didn't read the news... LJ is going to reinstate some of the journals and communities that were suspended.  We're still waiting to see which ones will come back, but for now, not all hope is lost.  The best part, however, was the nature of the press release:
In which the LJ Big Wigs say, and I quote, "Well, we really screwed this one up."

*thud*

I think Colbert would like this:



But in the end, it all comes down to Iraq.  And that's tonight's Word.

I've started a new journal, over at GreatestJournal.  Here's the address:
http://mijan.greatestjournal.com/

First of all, you should know that I am NOT giving up my LJ account yet. In fact, I plan to cross-post between these two journals for now, until I see which becomes the more active journal site for the fandom. It only makes sense. However, if you want to stay active with my journals, please friend me there as well. It will also let me know who still actively follows my journal. I'll also attempt to be more active on my new friends list. Please friend me to be friended back!

I think I may also use the new journal to be the site of my next wave of fanfiction. No decisions yet, but with everything going on, I think my fandom interest is sparking again. I'm still building the new journal. The layout will change. I need to upload userpics. I still have a ton to do for Prophecy and Sectus, and that's taking a lot of time. I'm still in the process of settling into life in Kansas with my girlfriend, </a></b></a>fiona_fawkes.  *squees softly*

Anyhow, post on the new journal to be friended!  Time to rebuild, even as the old village burns.  Besides, I like a good bonfire.  Will someone bring the marshmallows?

Sorry for the CAPS, but I needed your attention.  We need to see just how many LJ's out there are fandom LJ's.  There are 13 million LJ accounts.  Time to see how many of us are fandom. 

GO HERE:
The Fandom_Counts Community

Join.  That's all you need to do.  Don't post.  Just join, and be counted.  EVERYONE.

SPREAD THIS LIKE WILDFIRE.  Post it on your journal.  Post it on your Yahoo Groups to catch people who might have forgotten to friend you.  TELL EVERYONE.  This will be good.

What the hell is happening?  First FanLib, then these maverick renegades on a holy mission to purge the internet of "perverts" like us?  Communities disappearing?  What happened to freedom of speech?

I've been reading all the posts, the articles, and the links.  I have much to say, but nothing to say right now.  My brain hurts.  My stomach feels slightly queasy.  I feel like crying a bit, but I'm too tired.  I want to strike back and DO something.  I want to make some Important Phone Calls.  I want to storm into an office of some high-and-mighty with a copy of the Constitution.  I want to do something... but right now, I just want to beat my forehead softly against my desk and ask, repeatedly, "WHY?"

Oh, how I love my fandom.  And there's going to be SO much to talk about at Sectus and Prophecy (and not just the damn 7th book). 

See you there.  Bring the ammo.

**I realize that most of you who are following the FanLib stuff already know all of this.  However, I finally took the time to look into the FanLib business model, and all that shit.  Suffice to say, I didn't like it.  I need to vent.  So, if you've already read enough FanLib rants, feel free to skip this post.  If you haven't read this stuff, and you love your fandom, seriously, read on...**

I just returned home from Heartland Pagan Fest.  Four days in the woods, on the most incredible piece of land, meeting some of the most wonderful people.  I was shocked that such a thing could exist in Kansas, but seriously people... it was amazing.  There were some workshops, and some group rituals.  The field where I camped with fiona_fawkes and her friend Lari was gorgeous.  Tree-lined, with a beautiful ring of trees at one end, and a large bonfire pit in the middle.  We held a ritual there one night ourselves.  Some of the people on our field were fire performers, and we had an amazing show, with more than half a dozen drummers.  There were fireflies everywhere, sparkling.  We had a few thunderstorms roll through, and after one of them, while we could still see the lightning in the distance, Fi and I took a walk in the moonlight, and with the light fog from the rain, and the fireflies dancing just above the grasses, with the lightning painting the backdrop... it was pure magic.  I'm still in awe. 

Every night, there was a giant bonfire and a dancer's circle.  The drummers played, while people danced around the fire, many of them partly or f ully naked.  I joined in, of course.  The whole event was "clothing-optional".  Some people walked around naked, most were at least partly clothed, but many women went topless.  There was just a wonderfully freeing sense of "anything goes, just be respectful," and it was a wonderful sense of openness.  There were a few people who were just a bit creepy in their nakedness, like a couple of the men who seemed more interested in the nakedness itself than in the pagan/spiritual experience, but most people were simply enjoying themselves.  It was more of an appreciation for the human form, in a fun-loving, light-hearted sense, rather than creepy perving.  Even the showers were literally co-ed naked, and nobody flinched. 

The people up in First Field where we camped were wonderful, and invited Fi and me to join their group.  There was just so much positive energy, you could feel it.  People helping to set up tents for each other and pitching in to make sure that nobody's chairs were left out in the rain.  Sharing stories and jokes and spiritual knowledge.  Running around naked in the rain.  Laughing and singing randomly.  Everyone bringing food to the main bonfire and sharing with everyone else.  Passing bottles of mead around the circle and making sure that everyone had some.  Even the kids were great.  You could tell they'd been raised with good morals, and a very balanced sense of who they were.  It kinda gives me hope for the future.  And I felt that I could really trust everyone there.  Hell, I seriously felt that if I had dropped a hundred dollars in loose bills, with no way to identify that it was really mine, whoever found it would literally search the entire site looking for the owner, and nobody would falsely claim the money.  I wished I'd been raised Pagan.

I attended Circle/Ritual called Women's Mysteries.  My energy is far more masculine than feminine, even though I'm a woman, and I don't often work with Goddess energy.  Still, it was a very good experience.  The women were lovely people, and had a very deep understanding of their magic.  The ritual was so nicely done, and I loved it.  Next time, however, I want to make it to Herne's Hollow and work with the energies there.  I think it will suit me more.  I also went to a magical gardening thing, and enjoyed it immensely.

There's also a contingent of people who enjoy "fetish" stuff.  I ended up doing an impromptu flogging demonstration out by the main bonfire, and the guy who owned the flogger was amazed.  He said, "She uses that thing better than I can, and I made the flogger myself!"  I don't think he knew how many ways there were to throw a flogger, but I hope to encounter him again.  He and his wife were very nice, and he seemed sincerely interested in learning how to improve his technique.  He also had a very healthy view of S&M, and how it's so much more than just finding ways to inflict pain.  Either way, I'm bringing my whips next time.

Most of the fun, I think, was just meeting with new people, sharing, and learning.  I can't wait until next year. 

I think I'm going to like Kansas.

I'm desperately hunting for pics from the convention.  Has anyone posted anything yet?  I'd love to see the pics.

AND... has anyone reported on that "No Mary Sues in Slash"  presentation?  I want to see if that wench got what she deserved (harassment from educated slashers).  Any reports?  And if you don't know what I'm talking about in regards to that presentation, here's the summary:

No Mary Sues in Slash: Gender Envy in Erotic Fanfiction
Lelac Almagor
Slash writers often express contempt for the heterosexual Mary Sue story, which they perceive as “too close to the ‘sentimental love religion’ of the romance novel.” But I argue that slash fiction is in fact a more radical and less hopeful response to the same fear and worry surrounding female sexuality that motivates the heterosexual romance. Slash authors and audiences construct sexual power and success as impossible in a female body, but readily attainable in a male body. The hard question is whether the work of slash can contribute materially to the alleviation of the discontent it expresses.

Okay, completely random post.

I was sitting here, with my girlfriend, on the bed in the spare room at her parents' house (we're visiting for the night), and I leaned over to kiss her, and suddenly...

QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!

There's a freaking yellow toy duck.  Fuzzy.  Big.  An insane shade of Big Bird yellow.  And it QUACKS when you squish it. 

Apparently, I'd squished the duck.

I think I've been traumatized.

*QUACK*

Now, it's sitting on the floor, staring at me.

Help?

Well, not Oz, but Kansas.  That's close, right?

So, yes my loves, I'm in Kansas now.  Settling into life with my incredible, wonderful, absolutely awesome girlfriend.  Did I mention that I'm in love?  Oh, well, just in case... yeah, I've fallen hard.  All the way to Kansas.  I'll be visiting the norhtheast as often as possible.  There are so many friends back there that I already miss.  Plus, do you HONESTLY think I could live the rest of my life in KANSAS?  No, both me and woman-of-my-dreams are moving back to the northeast.  Probably not the Boston-Metro area, but probably within an easy drive of Boston.  In the meantime, we're doing little home improvements.  I finished some projects yesterday... garden on the back patio, finishing a cedar chest, etc.  We're also looking for a new bed, getting ready for a big barbeque this weekend with some friends, and a bigger thing next weekend.

So, yeah... this weekend... I had considered taking an impromptu trip to New Orleans.  As some of you know, I'm going to Prophecy and Sectus, but hadn't planned to go to Phoenix Rising.  Because I'm closer to Lousisiana from here, I'd thought about just going, but there are so many things going on here.  If it weren't for the barbeque this weekend, I'd go, but between all the things going on here, and the fact that I just purchased the plane tickets for the other two conventions, I decided to stick with the original plan.  So, to all the people who were hoping I'd change my mind and go to PR... sorry loves.  But, come visit me in Kansas?  A few of us are actually considering holding an "unofficial convention" sometime this year.  Basically, a major slasher's get-together.  More on this later.

In other news... I've been carving wands like crazy.  I'm getting much better at this, and some of my pieces are absolutely gorgeous.  I might be getting a vendor's table at Sectus, depending on how many I carve by the end of next month.  I'm putting one wand in the charity art show at Sectus, too.  I hope to have at least 50 completed, and my biggest hope is to be able to cover the cost of attending the conventions this summer with the sale of my wands.  (I'm taking orders!)

And finally... I'm sorry, I haven't posted the first installment to the sequel to Eclipse yet.  "Convergence" has taken a back-burner to moving, settling in, and everything else going on.  I just haven't been in a writing mindset.  I promise, soon.  *sigh*  Someone hold me to that, okay?

Anyhow, I've got to get going.  We're heading out for the activities of the weekend.  I'll talk to everyone soon.  And... SQUEE!  The conventions are coming up!  (People at PR... tell me how it goes, okay?)
*hugs*

So, the time is coming up fast.  Plans are in place.  Apartment is cleaned out.  Trailer hitch is installed and U-Haul is reserved.  (I'm kinda excited about towing the trailer... something I've never done before.)  Loose ends have been tied up with the Army.  Friends have been visited.   Timeline has been established.  Boxes are packed.  Stops along  the way have been set, and a route has been outlined.  This is REALLY HAPPENING.

I'm a bit stressed, I'll admit.  I'm afraid of things going wrong, or that I'll forget something important - not like forgetting to pack an item, but forgetting to take care of a loose end that I need to handle immediately.  And this is a HUGE change for me.  I'm quibbling over new career paths, and plans for the summer.  I still need to reserve my plane tickets to London for Sectus, which I'd previously held off until I knew if I'd been flying out of Kansas City or Boston.  And while this is what I want, more than anything, it's still a bit scary.  Just such a big change.  My girlfriend is definitely worth it... more than worth it.  (Have I mentioned lately that I'm definitely in love?)

Well, I'm nothing if not independant and adventure-seeking, so this is just a big adventure.  Right?

Now, on another note... I've got almost my whole route set.  I was going to stay in Connecticut the first night, because I'll be leaving New Hampshire a little bit late on the 4th (I need to actually load the trailer on Friday morning), but the person with who had invited me to stay has a wedding shower to attend, and she's in the wedding party.  She had totally forgotten about it when she made the offer.  SO, I need a place to stay on Friday night, somewhere between Connecticut and the eastern part of Pennsylvania.  If you want to see that part of my route, use Google Maps to get directions from Hartford, CT to Scranton, PA.  I need to make some distance that day from New Hampshire, but I don't think I could make it any further than Scranton PA, at the absolute FARTHEST.

Er... does anyone live in that area?  Anyone who'd like to have a friendly, Hobbit-like creature and her pet snake spend the evening?  I'll bring homemade chocolate chip cookies!  :D

So, the impossible is about to happen.  This confirmed diehard Northeastern girl is moving to the midwest.  The love of my life is in Kansas, my job in Cambridge pissed me off for the last time (I heard that the lab has descended into chaos in my absence... HA!), and I've decided that I need a positive change in my life.  Time to move in a new direction... and that direction is WEST!

I'll be leaving the area either on the 29th of April, or the 3rd of May.  I'm waiting on one piece of information before I pick a start date, but either way, it's coming up fast.  Of course, I could always stay in hotels, but as I've always preferred, if I can take advantage of the opportunity, I'd much prefer to hang out with fellow fandom people on my way!  If you live somewhere between Boston, Massachusetts, and Kansas City, Kansas, and you'd like for me to stop by and visit for lunch, or stay overnight, LET ME KNOW!  I'm planning my route now, and I'd love to plan my trip around some fandom fun.

I'm comfortable sleeping on a sofa, so don't feel like you need to have a fancy guest room or anything like that.  A space couch, an air mattress, a piece of floor for a sleeping bag... it's all good!  Much better than some random motel I find by the side of the highway.  *shudder*

So, if you want to see if you're anywhere near my route (and there are several ways to get there, so there's some flexibility... you don't need to be right on a straight line between the start and finish points), and you'd like to let me stop by, post a comment and let me know!  Or, if you know someone in the fandom who might not have seen this post, but who lives near my route and is friendly, point them my way!

And... SQUEE!  I'm moving!  OMG... I need to PACK

(And... OMG SQUEEE!  The Red Sox just swept the Skankees!)

I just received an e-mail from the Prophecy people with the following:

"We are pleased to inform you that your proposal for a roundtable entitled "Characterization of Canon Characters in Slash Fanfiction Writing" has been accepted by the vetting committee as a part of Prophecy's daytime Formal Programming. Congratulations!"

There's obviously more to it, but in short, I've been accepted!  So, now that I have that assurance, I want to tell everyone about it, and ask you to attend!  I wanted to have a guided round-table style presentation discussing how fanfiction authors approach the characterization of our canon males in slash fanfiction.  I've noticed that people often approach writing characters differently, depending on if they're going to be gay or straight, despite the fact that the personality of the character really shouldn't change.  At least, I don't think it much should.  Either way, I proposed a discussion and here's what I submitted:

Hi Everyone!

Okay, so I know I haven't been posting lately.  To say that I've been busy and exhausted would be the understatement of the year.  The super-quick update:
- I'm job-hunting.  In my current job, I'm completely essential to the running of the entire department.  I'm the manager for a lab of 120 research scientists.  My previous supervisor was transferred to another department, and I'm doing his job AND my old one... without a raise.  No health insurance.  It's bullshit.  So, I'm taking my talents elsewhere.  The Broad Institute of MIT wants to hire me.  I'd manage the lab AND be one of the scientists on a major genome sequencing project.  VERY exciting.  Here's hoping that I get the job.
- Took a couple of weeks off from Iaido, but I'm going to get back to it.  I love it too much.  I've just been too tired.
- My pool team won our league championshits.  YAY!  But then, one of my teammates on my pool league got arrested.  So now, every team member is even more essential.
- Writing.  Yes, writing.  I've finished the first chapter of "Convergence", but I haven't gone through the work the beta's did, and I haven't posted it.  However, I've begun work on the second chapter, and it's coming along nicely.  I'll actually try to post the first installment this weekend.

And... that brings us to... THIS WEEKEND!  I'm currently just outside of Kansas City at my girlfriend's (fiona_fawkes) house.  I'll be here until Monday.  I was supposed to be here early yesterday morning, and my flight got cancelled, so I had to spend the entire fucking day in an airport instead of in my girlfriend's bed.  Sucky, yes?  Thank Merlin for the USO.  Still being in the Army has certain privilages.  They had a huge widescreen TV on which I watched Stargate, amazing reclining leather armchairs on which I napped, and free food (sandwiches, cookies, cinnamon buns and cakes, orange juice, coffee, and soda), and just really friendly people.  The volunteers were so kind-hearted, and it was nice to interact with other soldiers in a non-training environment.  Despite my bitching about the Army as an organization and the politics involved, I want everyone to know that Soldiers are GOOD PEOPLE.  And by nature, we all care about each other.  So, considering that I was trapped at the airport for over 8 hours, it wasn't too bad.

Anyway, now I'm at my girlfriend's house.   Happy, squee, bliss, YAY!  Did I mention that I'm in love?  Oh yeah, in case I didn't mention it... I think I'm in love.  She's so awesome.  *grins like an idiot*  And seeing as I'm in Kansas... are there any more fandomers in the are who might want to meet up?  Kareoke anyone?

Well, I must be going.  Squee!  I'm on VACATION!!!

*snogs all*
~Mijan

PS.... OOOH, Fiona is giving me a backrub.  Did I mention that I love this woman?

Decided to give this quiz a whirl. Was completely unsurprised by the results. Well, except for Hinduism. I don't know too much about that. But the rest of it? Not surprised.</p>

You scored as Buddhism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Buddhism. Do more research on Buddhism and possibly consider becoming Buddhist, if you are not already. In Buddhism, there are Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is suffering. (2) All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment, and grasping that result from such ignorance. (3) Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. (4) The path to the suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. These eight are usually divided into three categories that base the Buddhist faith: morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration. In Buddhism, there is no hierarchy, nor caste system; the Buddha taught that one's spiritual worth is not based on birth. </td> Buddhism 96% Paganism 83% Hinduism 79% Christianity 63% Satanism 54% Islam 50% Judaism 33% agnosticism 33% atheism 29% Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com

Hi loves.  It's a miserable day here in Boston.  My boss decided to "work from home."  Yeah, fucking right.  He's sitting on his couch in flannel pyjamas, drinking hot chocolate, and watching '80s movies.  I'm at work today.  Yep, I walked to work in this delightful weather.  I'm inside now, and I'm keeping myself busy enough.  I'll probably stop at the gym, then continue home and roast myself a little cornish hen with stuffing and squash for sides.  Sounds like a good stormy-day dinner.  Sadly, I'll be celebrating it alone.  My sweetheart is in Kansas, but... she warmed my morning, all the way from there, with a little bouquet of roses on my LJ.  So, I'll try to go one up.  Here's my cheesy Valentines Day poem:

It's Valentine's Day, and in the street,
There's slush, and snow, and rain, and sleet.
The winds are fierce, the skies are grey,
I don't think I'll go out today.

But in my house, it's nice and warm.
There is no trace of wind or storm.
And you just made my morning shine,
You said you'd be my Valentine.

Many snoggles and huggles and kishes-on-the-nose to my sweetheart.

And an extra thankee and huggles to emmagrant01for the LJ gift!  Squee!  *huggles* 
(Believe me, I needed it today.)

Has anyone else been having REALLY vivid, strange, inexplicable, or just generally fucked-up dreams lately?  I have, and a few of my friends have said the same thing.  I'm wondering if it's coincidence, or a local phenomenon, or something that's affecting people on a broader scale.  (Things like that fascinate me.)  So, if you've been having unusual or vivid dreams lately, let me know?  You don't have to provide details unless you want to... which would actually be kinda cool.  But mostly, I just want to know if you've been having strange dreams over the past week or so. 

And on another note... SQUEE!  I've got a shiny new refrigerator!  It's all stainless steel and titanium, freezer on the bottom, with lots of details and places to put stuff.  And best of all... it doesn't sound like the engine of an ancient Mack truck every time the compressor starts!  (My old fridge was about to die.)

So... weird dreams?  Throw 'em at me!

~Mijan

I just needed to say...

JKR had better NOT fuck this up!

I feel better.  
Sorta.