Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Dear Origific Authors: Fanfiction Writers Are Not Stealing “Your” Opportunities
I’ve been reading a lot today about the changing nature of publishing. Mostly, I’ve been going through Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog archives on the subject, in case that kind of insider talk is of interest to you.
To sum up: the traditional publishing industry is hella borked, and everyone’s feeling the pain. This should come as no surprise, as technology is enabling a wave of new business models - suspect and legit alike - to flourish and die in rapid cycles, so nobody can say they have the One Single Surefire Answer for how to get books in readers’ hands. Which means that the big lumbering behemoths, the oldskool publishers, the Big Six, are floundering and panicking and nobody looks good or dignified* or clean no matter how hard they try.
I work in publishing, btw. Well, my actual ‘job’ is in publishing, but I’m also a freelance artist and I help run several conventions. Plus I have a Vested Interest in fandom, obviously. So I see a lot of weirdness on every front.
Recently, I shared an article on FB (yes, I know it’s a flawed platform, but it’s still useful for a few core reasons behind all the privacy-bullshit advertising clutter) with my RL friends about one of those One Direction fanfics getting a deal to be tidied up for ‘real’ publishing. And an author!friend - who’s been published in the past, mind, not an aspiring-to-be-published-eventually author - remarked, “No wonder I’m not getting responses from editors anymore.” Like fanfiction is stealing her chances, her contracts, her readers.
Which is complete and utter bullshit. I didn’t even know where to *begin* taking that statement apart, but I think I’m starting to grok the fundamentals now.
BEAR HUG
the most uncomfortable bear hug ever experienced by john bearson. sherlock tried another way but turns out large heads and stubby arms
are not conducive to bear hugging.
Do you ever look up from reading a book and get disoriented because you’re actually in your bedroom or class or somewhere that isn’t the story?
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE OMG
There’s more of us?
(Source: notmydate)
So at one point Captain Kirk has to send the current navigator off to do something in another part of the ship and he says, “Lieutenant Uhura, take over navigation,” and she just does and it is no big thing. So to anyone out there who ever said that Uhura was only a glorified phone operator, SHE CAN TOTALLY FLY THE SHIP SO THERE.
(image from TrekCore)
Star Trek gets deep
Star Trek always gets deep.
Why is there very little utility to women’s clothing? Why don’t we get pockets which actually open? Why do we have to put up with the ‘false pockets’ that are frequently sewn onto women’s jackets and pants to give visual interest without ruining the ‘line’ of the garment? Why, when pockets are actually present, are they so rarely large, stable, or loose enough to accommodate a phone or a wallet? And why, given this is the case, do women go on to cop so much flack for carrying handbags around with them?
Oh wait. Is this one of those double standards which we feminists are always going on about; one of those innocuous little things which everybody just accepts because it is the norm?
Women carry handbags. It is known.
But why? I have watched my male friends get ready to go out. They slip their wallet into one pocket, their keys into another, their phone into a third pocket, and some of them even still have spare pockets large enough to carry a novel for the journey. Those of my friends who wear women’s clothes, though, face an entirely different situation. If they are wearing the right jeans or jacket, they may have up to two usable pockets (not at all guaranteed). However, in most cases they won’t have any pockets at all. Utility and style rarely meet in women’s fashion, so they grab a bag.
Contrary to all the jokes, most women don’t ‘have’ to leave the house with everything they pack in their day-to-day handbag. Most of the items in a woman’s everyday handbag are in there because, if she’s going to have to carry it anyway, she might as well make it worth her while. Excuse us for making use of the one useful item we find in our wardrobes.
Kara, “The Feminist and the Handbag” (via athenasaurus)
Oh lord, don’t get me started on this. This is a little thing that highlights a big equality problem between men and women. We need the same supplies as men to do the same job. When I stocked shelves it was impossible to find pants that would hold my wallet, my box knife, my badge, my keys, my gloves (I worked dairy/frozen) and my phone. I actually ended up not carrying my wallet or keys at all. Fuck if I’m carrying a purse *ever* but that certainly wouldn’t have helped on the job.
My husband? He holds all of that plus his insulin, packets of honey in case his blood sugar drops (or a vial of glucose tablets), glucometer, headphones, markers, and pencils. With plenty of room to spare. I’ve even seen him slip paperback books into empty pockets.
(via solluxisms)
I remember watching I think it was Project Runway and the contestants had to design a new uniform for female postal workers. The one designer put utilitarian pockets on her design, and the judges yelled at her for it. They said something about it not being flattering, because you know, the key part of any uniform is not that it works for the job, but that it shows off your body in the best light possible.
(via jetpuffedmarshmallowsandsunburns)
YES I recently found a gorgeous vintage jacket with two INSIDE POCKETS.
DO YOU KNOW HOW EXCITED THAT MADE ME
I can now walk around with no handbag and retain an air of ~mystery~
but that’s a real rarity to find.
(via benedictatorship)
(Source: blonde-cyborg)
(Source: pursuitofcreativity)
For Let’s Draw Sherlock! (also a contribution to Red Pants Monday)
So, what if John’s tan did extend above his wrists? Ha! Anyway, yes, this is a digital painting of John Watson (with his bulldog, Gladstone - sadly absent from the show) based on the Coppertone Girl from the original 50s ad. Deepest apologies to Martin Freeman… Well, I’ll probably leave this looking like a WIP, because damn his legs! (MY ART TAG)
oH MY GOd