A Study in Contradictions

So. Yes. My lovely exciting new job? Didn't work out. I've already talked a lot about it on twitter and I'm not sure I want to go into it again but. Yeah. It sucks and it makes me sad to think about how frickin' happy and hopeful I was.

But, as ever, my internet family are being amazing. I am, according to the notes attached to the various cards, notes, pictures and postcards I've received "in the process of getting a group hug from the internet. If it doesn't make sense yet, stand by."



YOU GUYS FOR SERIOUS I CANNOT EVEN. They are all so beautiful and HANDMADE and wonderful, oh my god. Thank you so, so much *takes a breath* vandulocity  kaiserkuchen miabee023  sarkysnarky  khasael pigrescuer  branquignole  hanelissar  moogle62 playwithfyr  and the rest to come. I have never been so sad that there's no post on Sundays. I don't know who the mastermind(s) behind the project but oh my god, thank you and I like how it looks like you are quoting me. I love it when you quote me! #mystery #excitement #bears

In other excellent news the fic that I produced for pod_together  with the fabulous nielrian  is up on the AO3! Hurray! It is a Kurt/Blaine summer job fluff extravaganza called Haven't Let You Out Since I Let You In and you can all see what I meant when I said my sunburn was karma. And also experience the wonder that is N's reading, her Kurt voice is so perfect, y'all, I cannot even. PERFECT. I have listened to her say "cliché" over and over. I should probably post it places to be completist but I am so laaaaazy today.

Also I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows P2 at the midnight showing and it was very satisfying and upsetting and I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT HARRY POTTER. It really makes me want to write HP fic again. Maybe we should have "Fandom Will Always Be There To Welcome You Home" fic writing, reading, reccing fest or something.

So, yes, this is mostly an entry of things that I will have more to say about later. Whatever. It's like, 2am here and I need to have achieved something today apart from finally convincing my boyfriend to just download the first season of the West Wing so that we can watch it. He's been holding out for buying the DVDs for <i>years</i>. We are late to the party, sure, but oh, what a party!

Hey guys!

Coupla things before we get this show on the road.

1. I have a new email address. One that is not my whole name and so I can share with the whole internet! It’s muchadoaboutcogs at gmail and you should send me things. Just sayin’. I was most, MOST annoyed to find out that someone had already taken the username “laliandra”. NAME STEALER Barrowman*shakes fist*

2. Apparently I am not allowed to wake up mad at my boyfriend for the stuff he does in my dreams. Even though he bought a monkey and we live in a really small house and the stuff the monkey had to eat was really expensive and the monkey didn’t even like me.

Awesome, so, now that those things are out of the way, PODFIC!

I love podfic, a whole bunch. I have a whole huge folder of podfic saved to my computer. In case you didn’t know, podfic is fanfic read aloud, like an audiobook. It’s pretty much one of the best inventions ever because it means that you can have fic anywhere, anytime. It’s also really cool and interesting to see how people interpret things, because having a story read to you is such a different experience to reading it yourself. I’ve always loved being read to, and I love fanfiction, so, it’s so perfect! I’m always really proud to be friends with three really great podficcers - podklb  , shiningartifact and longcarrides  . Podfic is still pretty small in terms of fannish endevours and the people who do it are, in my opinion, pretty undervalued. Obviously making an audio version of a fic takes a terrifing amount of time and effort, and they don’t get a lot of credit and by credit I mainly mean comments - the currency of fandom.

One of my stories has been podficced! shiningartifact recorded “Say I’m The Only Bee In Your Bonnet” and the way she reads it is just amazing. Like, you can hear the leer in Eames voice, and the way that Arthur tries to be mad at him but isn’t? So perfect. I have blanket permission out on my stories if anyone wants to record them, because to me it’s one of the highest compliments that you can be paid, that someone wants to spend more time with your words, although I know not all authors feel the same. Anyway, her podfic (not just of my story but obviously I love mine best because of how it is mine) is awesome. Check it out!

And I’ve had a go at podficcing myself, I took part in The Awesome Ladies Podfic Anthology and my computer decided to add a fun effect! If by fun you mean infuriating and by effect you mean persistent buzzing noise. So that was annoying, but it was a great insight into how much work podfic is. I mean, it’s really good fun, I recommend it, but the editing, oh boy. There are times when I enjoy writing edits, mostly when I get stuff back from my beta with things to fix and I’m like, yes, I can totally fix this and make it better! It’s like solving a puzzle, WIN! It helps that my beta leaves me feedback that is useful AND witty. But there are also times when I’m like, maaaaan, fixing this is going to be hard and take a lot of worrrk.

All of which is a lead up to saying, I did another short podfic while I was staying with brimtoast in New York. And there is no annoying buzz, hurrah! Just me, well, my voice as Ada Lovelace (history fangirl moment!). To record stuff in her apartment you have to go sit in the closet. So, you can imagine that while you listen; me, shut in a cupboard in the dark, talking and gesticulating to myself.

ANYWAY. My god, woman, how many words does it take you to say, here, I made a thing, you can listen to it if you like, all feedback appreciated, have a nice day.

A Light Broke In Upon My Brain
Author: kitausu
Written for the Real Woman Fest
Download here

 Hey guys!

I have about 4 posts that I want to make queued up in my head, so here we go! This one has the vague theme of "I made a thing! Would you like it?"

First of all, I took part in podklb's amazing Awesome Lady Podfic Anthology project for the halfamoon  fest, which celebrates fabulous ladies. A whole bunch of awesome podficcers read ficlets from the Awesome Ladies Ficathon. 

You can download the anthology as a podbook here (right-click and save), and there are alternate ways to download at the master post (for example, you can browse by fandom and DL individual files).

It was a really great project to be a part of, I had a lot of fun recording my two ficlets and I've listened to the whole thing all the way through once and plan to re-listen approximately five billionty times. There are over 70 ficlets read by many really amazing ladies, and I know I'm going to enjoy it so much. Even the fandoms that I don't know, I have loved the ficlets for.

Anyway, podklb is a superstar for organising and collating it, and all the readers did a bang up job, so y'all should DOWNLOAD, LISTEN, COMMENT, PROFIT \o/

I recorded two ficlets, one from the Awesome Ladies Ficathon and one from the Real Woman Fest. I've never recorded anything properly before and it was difficult and strange and great. You can download and listen to them if all you want is to hear my Mysterious Cadences but I really recommend the whole project :D

Also, yes, I am aware of the horrible background buzz. I tried, god knows how I tried to get rid of it, but essentially Audacity hates me and my face. Woe. 

I'd love to know what you thought of them!

It All Makes Sense In The End
Fandom: Dr Who 
Original Ficlet by chaletian  

I love Amy Pond. Like, infinite amounts of love for her. And Eleven. And Rory. So, this was super fun for me, and I got to do an Eleven ramble and OH AMY, YOU ARE THE MOST SASSY AND WISE AND FABULOUS.

After All These Years.
Fandom: Kate Winslet RPF
Original Ficlet by gretazreta 

So podklb was like, I would die of happiness if someone recorded this and I aim to kill please. This fic is lovely and lyrical and so, so smart, and Kate's actress POV is perfect and it makes her and Leo make so much sense to me. 

Aaaaaand for nearly a year the lovely brimtoast and I have been running this little thing called bookdeyada_club (which used to be at a journal but we've made into a comm). It's an extremely cool fandom centric bookclub. Which is to say, we all come from fandom so when we talk books we use internet language and talk Fake Boyfriend tropes and sometimes I say ridiculous things like I think fanfic is our fairytales and people agree and there is unadulterated squee. It's a really friendly, smart, comfortable place and I love it a lot.

We read a book every month. Members nominate a book and then we have a comm wide vote to pick. Nominations for our next book open on Monday!

And seeing as we've moved to a proper community and we're getting older and wiser, we are having a membership drive of sorts! So if this is something you think you'd like please join us (watch me try and fail to sound creepy. Join usssss). Or help us pimp our lovely club with these amaaaaaaaaazing banners that the super talented miabee023 made for us :D


Other than that, how are all y'all? Any questions? Let's talk *chinhands*