smutty_claus' Friends [entries|friends|calendar]
smutty_claus

[ website | Smutty Claus community on LiveJournal ]
[ userinfo | insanejournal userinfo ]
[ calendar | insanejournal calendar ]

Damn you, work! [29 Nov 2009|03:41pm]

twilightsorcery
[ mood | annoyed ]

So, as you might have noticed, I've been out of fandom for a while, then a "omg sorry I'll be back soon!" post, then nothing again for months. Rinse and repeat.

Well, there's a reason for that, and the reason is that I work for a software company that has no idea how to develop software. In places where they know how to make software, there are four stages:

1. Go find out what the requirements are. Talk to the people who need it and figure out what things they absolutely have to have or you may as well not bother.

2. Develop the specs. Decide how the software is going to work. Make wireframes to get some feedback from the people who are going to be using it, so they can tell you that they really don't need Field X but they have to have Field Y.

3. Work out a timeline. Estimate how long each task is going to take, figure out how many programmers and how much time you have. Remove the least important features to make sure your ship date works.

4. Actually write the code.

Project managers handle stage one for a lot of projects at once, getting a list of features that need to go out and coming up with an approximate ship date. Then they get the programming team to handle stage 2, work with them for stage 3, and then when everything's settled and all the higher-ups approve, they give the programmers the green light for stage 4.

There is almost always some issue that comes up right before the ship date, which means the programmers work overtime for a week or so to get it out on time. It's just one of those things.

My company? Does not do this. They are PERPETUALLY in "OMG SHIP IT NOW THE WORLD IS ON FIRE!!!!" mode, because nobody plans anything in advance -- somebody realizes something needs to be done, some manager who's never written a line of code in his life decides how long it's going to take, and they inform tech lead, who says nobody's available (because everything *else* is on fire). At no point in this process does anybody ever gather requirements, much less design anything, because the people calling the shots don't know anything about programming and don't want to -- even though they run a software company. They just have a vague fuzzy idea that "our customers need X" and don't bother to figure out what it's going to take to get X until the customer's screaming that they need it RIGHT NOW OMG.

We do not have ship dates, because we should always have shipped yesterday. And because the world is always on fire, the programming team is expected to work insane hours to get finished with an ill-defined project as soon as possible after an arbitrary deadline somebody set without knowing what would need to be done by then.

And that is why I haven't been around, even though I always think I will soon. I hadn't yet figured out that I don't work for a normal software company but for Heads On Fire R Us.

ARRGGH.

1 comment|post comment

Smallville Slash Archive status, WhitFic Archive status [29 Nov 2009|12:50pm]

elke_tanzer
[ mood | calm ]

Another perspective on the saga of the SSA: http://enderwiggin24.livejournal.com/133864.html

Short version: Yes, the archive contents will be sheltering at AO3 at some point. Now that the archivists-in-absentia problem has been dealt with, that work can begin to proceed.

<3

Also, Minotaurs was the sole-archivist for the WhitFic Archive (also Smallville-related, but separate from the SSA), and I'm connecting his Dad with the AO3 (which I expect to proceed very smoothly), so that archive will be sheltering at AO3 at some point as well.

(Yes, Minotaurs' server is still functional and DNS is still working in the meanwhile, for his fannish and nonfannish customers.)

This entry was originally posted at http://elke-tanzer.dreamwidth.org/1017422.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Holiday Fests [29 Nov 2009|11:23am]

kaellite

So, here is what I am participating in this season:

HP Yule Balls (fic sent to mods yesterday)

Harry Holidays (Fic sent off two weeks ago)

Advent Drabbles (on IJ).

On that last, I now have 8 drabbles written.  The 7th one took a surprise turn (shocking even me), in that I am headed for a pairing I didn't anticipate and don't think has been ever written before.  But it's all good as it gives me the impetus to include a ship I very rarely get to write. It also adds another pairing (is a threesome considered a 'pairing?), I hadn't planned on and which will require me to go not only into the EWE area but AU as well as it means ignoring two deaths that JKR wrote.

Oh, well.  So what?  Those were an obvious mistake on her part anyway.

I don't think I'll be watching any Kirk/McCoy fests as, while I like them, I have a soft spot for Bones/Chekov, or Kirk/Chekov, or all three.  Sorry Inell
post comment

AO3 + writing [29 Nov 2009|12:06pm]

torino10154
So I've been a very busy bee the last few days.

~I helped [info]alisanne by tagging some of the [info]adventdrabbles from the last two years (which starts again on Tuesday--mark you calendars!! *\o/* ).

~I finished (FINALLY) my Kinky Kristmas fic for [info]daily_deviant (thanks to [info]jadzialove for her expert beta skills ♥)-will email that in tonight.

~I just uploaded a bunch of fic to AO3. I have to say AO3 is pretty shiny. I haven't tagged my fics properly yet. But I did put up my collection of last year's adventdrabbles for example.

Here's my list of works I've added so far. It's really cool to see the variety of fic all in one place. From fluff and romance to chan dub-con incest or bestiality. *vbg*
6 comments|post comment

Daily dragon spam [29 Nov 2009|10:51am]

unbroken_halo
Thanks [info]sassy_cissa for all your help!

Little Secret's scroll and eggies: Adopt one today! ~*~ Adopt one today! ~*~ Adopt one today! ~*~ Adopt one today!

Halo's scroll and eggies: Adopt one today! ~*~ Adopt one today! ~*~ Adopt one today! ~*~ Adopt one today!

Little Halo's scroll and eggies: Adopt one today! ~~~ Adopt one today! ~~~ Adopt one today! ~~~ Adopt one today!
post comment

Thirty Days of Spam...Day 29 - Audience Participation [29 Nov 2009|12:19am]

accioslash
WriSoMiFu Day 29 - Recs for Fics synonymous with hot )
7 comments|post comment

[28 Nov 2009|07:50pm]

allifer
Clicks?

Adopt one today! Adopt one today! Adopt one today! Adopt one today! Adopt one today!
post comment

Pray for me, people, I'm tipping my toes into Freeform tags... [28 Nov 2009|07:02pm]

elke_tanzer
[ mood | Baffled ]

And WTF, fandom? How is it that no one has uploaded a story into the AO3 with the Freeform tag "Topping from the Bottom"???

This entry was originally posted at http://elke-tanzer.dreamwidth.org/1017128.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Favorite New (Old) Author...Henry James [28 Nov 2009|08:24pm]

kaellite

I have a confession to make.

At some point in my education, I willfully skipped over the works of Henry James.  I think it had something to do with a distaste for the Victorians (Dickens not withstanding) and finding that school or era of writers to be overly descriptive and ponderous.

It was my loss.  For someone who loves the whole school of "Film Noir", James was at the forefront.  Nevermind that he wrote of women in crinolines and men in brocade vests.  Henry James knew what people are like in the most secret part of their souls; how they will set traps for others out of greed or so-called love and fall into the snare themselves.  How they will destroy themselves and others out of petty selfishness.

One only has to read "Washington Square" to understand his grasp on 'ordinary evil'

I have just finished "The Wings of The Dove" and in it's own way it is as violent, as cynical and as devestating as any novel (or adaptation thereof) by Cain, Hammett, Chandler and the rest.

Now on to "The Aspern Papers"
post comment

BloMo28: Buying BL books.... [28 Nov 2009|08:47pm]

lore
[ mood | working ]
[ music | dogs hacking ]


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

Put everything on pre-order at Amazon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

love, lore

post comment

Joyeux anniversaire [28 Nov 2009|05:00pm]

septentrion1970
[ mood | good ]

à [info]snapinou. J'espère que tu as passé une bonne journée

post comment

From Twitter 11-27-2009 [28 Nov 2009|02:05am]

littleroo27


Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

post comment

BloMo27: US BL publishers.... [27 Nov 2009|11:57pm]

lore
[ mood | predatory ]
[ music | P&P 2005 Soundtrack ]


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yen Press began offering some BL titles late last year.

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

Go! Comi thinks it sells BL titles.

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

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

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

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

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

love, lore

post comment

Thirty Days of Spam...Day 28 - Discovering Fan Fic [28 Nov 2009|12:13am]

accioslash
WriSoMiFu Day 28 -Let's talk about your first time )
16 comments|post comment

Drabble: In Vitro, PG, Harry, Kingsley, Severus [27 Nov 2009|10:56pm]

torino10154
Title: In Vitro
Characters: Harry, Kingsley, Severus . . . after a fashion
Word Count: 100x6
Rating: PG
Warnings: Unexplained plot, vaguely creepy
Disclaimer: Not mine. They belong to JKR.
A/N: Originally intended for [info]snarry100 but it got weird. Too weird.

In Vitro )
26 comments|post comment

I'll write you a drabble, ficlet... Rare Pairs [27 Nov 2009|01:01pm]

kaellite

I seem to be in drabble/ficlet mode today.  So far I have written a Kingsley/Nevillle

Here....

http://kaellite.livejournal.com/390486.html

And a Charlie/Kingsley

Here

http://kaellite.livejournal.com/390889.html

So...

As I want to write more, if you want to request a combo (one from column A and one from Column B) from the following charries (no Charlie/Kings as I have already written close to 700 words today on them)..and give a smutty prompt...I will write

Charrie List:

1 Roger Davies                                               1. Colin Creevey
2. Oliver Wood                                                  2.  Terry Boot   
3. Twins                                                             3.  Dennis Creevey
4.  Kingsley Shackelbolt                                 4.  Euan Abercrombie (See the opening feast in OOTP)
5  Neville Longbottom                                     5.  Jimmy Peakes
1 comment|post comment

Fic; Kingsley/Charlie Ficlet...Home For the Holidays [27 Nov 2009|12:43pm]

kaellite
Pairing: Kingsley/Charlie
Rating: NC-17
Word Count-684
Warnings; Slash, Dom Kings, Sub Charlie, Unbeta'd

Disclaimer: Not mine, I do not own.  I am not making a profit from this, it is purely for fun (though if they were mine...Rocks Fall, Everyone dies..especially Fred and Colin, wouldn't have happened."

Author's Note: Ficlet for Mal, my favorite AIM RPG partner (Love her Sirius and Charlie, or my Chris Creevey and Neville do), and just a great friend.

Summary: Charlie allows himself this treat only at Christmas time


 

click for fic )
1 comment|post comment

FIC: Christmas Bonus-HP Drabble [27 Nov 2009|12:01pm]

kaellite
Pairing: Kingsley/Neville
Rating: R/NC-17
Word Count: 227 (So it''s not 100 words, exactly, sue me...you wont' get much)
Warnings: Um..slash...

Disclaimer: Not British, not rich, not addled (Rocks Fall everyone dies. anyone?), just playing with them

Summary: It is time for Neville's Christmas Bonus


 

Ficlet for Softly Sweetly )
1 comment|post comment

Thirty Days of Spam...Day 27 - Another Srs Question [27 Nov 2009|08:08am]

accioslash
WriSoMiFu Day 27 - Aunt Accio really needs a nap )
22 comments|post comment

[27 Nov 2009|12:27am]

allifer
Here are my dragons!

Adopt one today! Adopt one today! Adopt one today! Adopt one today! Adopt one today!
post comment

navigation
[ viewing | most recent entries ]
[ go | earlier ]