Oh, I have waited too long. *shame* The oldest link in today's Link Salad is First Impressions of THOR (spoiler free). That was posted May seventh. I am going to webmistress hell.

The next one is still fairly timely, thank the Internet Gods. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES shoots and rumors arise! has some interesting leaked pictures and some speculation.

Then, even though right now we are in the grip of Doctor Who's mid-series gap, when Tween Girl's Design for a TARDIS Used in "The Doctor's Wife" was posted, it was quite timely. We salute our young member of the Geek Sisterhood!

Then, the one that took the longest to produce because I am a crap transcriptionist, Leviathan Wakes: A Chat with the Authors. (During which I developed a brain crush on Daniel Abraham and gently teased Ty Franck about his somewhat misleadingly dickish persona. Heh.)

Then, more Batman news and speculation in Breaking Down: The Dark Knight Rises, Part 1 Bane. If that is really Tom Hardy, he's got some SHOULDERS on him, is all I have to say. O_O

Then we had Absolutely the Last Note on Hobbit Casting* in which there is squee for Lee Pace and Stephen Fry and speculation about what role Benedict Cumberbatch might play. I love looking back on this, because I so called it with Smaug. I am smug about Smaug, yes.

Then there was Hollywood's Idea of Geek Girls: Awkward But Gorgeous. We've been over this ground before, but it bears repeating. :)

Some of you will recognize the meat of the next article, since I posted it here first. Fright Night Remake - Unnecessary But Anticipated has much smexy goodness of the David Tennant variety.

Then, in One of Us! One of Us! we have a discussion about how Geekdom attempted to exclude Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella, on the basis of her looks. Prejudice is ugly, and evidently fandom thinks Geek Femmes must be as well. *eyeroll*

Yesterday, I posted one of the articles I am most proud to have on GeekaChicas so far this year. A Novel Approach is a hard, statistical analysis of the Hugo Award in teh Novel category, broken down by gender. This is our contribution to the (ongoing) gender kerfuffle in genre circles. It's written by a very smart woman who is entirely familiar with the concept of scientific and academic rigor. Plus, it has graphs. Bless my geeky soul, I love it.

For the LOTR/Hobbit fans, Figwit Lives!

Nightsky takes a look at the recycled non-news Breaking! Breaking! WOMEN DISCOVER SPECULATIVE FICTION!

In response to fandom's recent lost of one of its first female icons, A Tear, Sarah Jane? Elisabeth Sladen 1948-2011

In Mv2.3's final article, we take a look at The Celebrated Pioneer of Electronic Music--And Us.

Finally, Nighsky revisits the Kindle debate with Deep thoughts on ebooks from someone who’s owned a Kindle for nearly four months now.

Last night I had a chat with my BFF, and she was much more excited about this whole "finished a draft" thing than I am. I think it's probably because I understand how much work it still needs, and am mentally in a space of dealing with the specific issues, while she is far enough back to see the big picture. (Finishing something like this is huge for me -- I know this intellectually-- but it doesn't feel important right now.) I mean, I can foresee a time when I will relax and be pleased with myself, but I'm not sure when I will spontaneously feel like celebrating, is all. I mostly wrestled with worries over word count and the like. (It's too long, isn't it? Will my revisions cut it down, or will I end up cutting it in two? Yadda Yadda)

She kept saying something like, "It's an exciting time to be you!" *grin* I can see where she's coming from with that, but I am not particularly excited to be me at the moment. *shrug*

I dreamed that I was at a party and somehow David Bowie was seated at my table, just across from me. It was awkward. Someone kept telling him that it was an exciting time to be me, and he seemed about to compose a song, sort of like that awful scene in Extras:



But it turned out okay. He was actually very kind, and I thanked him for all his awesome music and got all weepy, but in a good way. Sort of. I'd say it was more like Troy and Levar Burton:



***

I talked with my wise reader Saturday night (after attending the Caesar parade and coming home staggering under the weight of the beads I caught - I don't flash, and I have never seen anyone flash at any of the dozens of Mardi Gras parades I've been to). In any case, she liked the ending. I was afraid it was too optimistic -- I had been inclined toward a darker ending at one point -- but she thought it showed the character arc better this way. I hope the story shows Lethe getting stronger, or finding her strength (and choosing to express that strength in non-violent ways, even though, for her, violence is an option). She also expressed tremendous affection for the sisterly relations between Lethe and Selah, which pleased me a lot, and Selah as a vivid 13 year old girl, which made me very happy. I know I've got somethings wrong, but I was glad that the female relationships were solid.

I have little bits of secondary character POVs scattered through the thing, though, and I'm not entirely certain how to deal with them. I'm going to merge two of them into one character, and nix the POV of a third entirely. There is a fourth that I might be able to cut, though it sets up the subplot very nicely. (See, I'm into the nuts and bolts of it, and I like being here. It feels natural -- more natural than the writing did in the first place, half the time. So, I'm hopeful.)

***

Another good friend has started writing for GC, and I'm excited about it. She blogs elsewhere as The Insect Advocate, and has written several nonfiction articles as a freelance writer. Also, I enjoy her poetry, which has had some success. I'm rather a fan, actually, and feel a bit unworthy of her stated intention to write something for GC every week as an exercise to keep her hand in. I really have so many wonderful people in my life, who are apparently quite irrationally fond of me. I do not feel deserving of their regard. To be honest, I'm rather in awe of it.

In any case, check out her little snippet, Hexapod Haiku Poetry Contest.

Here are a couple of Korean cable channel trailers for Sherlock (the first is my favorite, the second is just too cheesy). However, this is a cable channel, I think this a bromance gimmick and not an indicator that Koreans are slash-obsessed.





***

In honor of my eldest son's surrealist short story "The Floor is Lava" being up fro publication in his school's literary mag, I give you this:

http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_162_if-everything-was-designed-by-5-year-olds_p2

***

I watched Jekyll this week, and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Well, until the something-jumps-out-at-you coda, and the painfully snigger-worthy American accents, but it's still better than 90% of American television.)



***

I also posted some Some Awesome Videos by Geek Femmes over at GC.

I missed pimping it by a few days, but there is also Nightsky's 25 years after Challenger which is more than worth a look.

***

Still trying to work myself up to making something myself. I want a personality transplant.

***

Also, if you haven't friended angrybeige, I sincerely suggest that you do. Her Sherlock comics are totally cracked.

I have been very BAD at posting links since, like, Thanksgiving. So, here's a round-up of all the cool articles I have failed to promote in this space. *headdesk*

The first was Happy Harry Potter Day, posted on the day Deathly Hallows part 1 came out, or thereabouts. *headdesk* It has a couple of cool/cute videos with the cast and one obsessed fan. :D

Then there was Harry Potter and the Awesome Fan Experience by the incomparable Beatrice Blythe. It's part review and part fannish observation, but all FUN.

Then there is a video, Geek Parenting 101: How to Talk to Your Kids about Star Wars.

And part of our pre-holiday giving series, $15 gets you $25 at Kiva by Nightsky.

There were the 12 Days of Geekmas, beginning here and continuing here. It's really cute. There's more, too (here, here, and here), but the season has kind of passed. :( My bad.

Just the thing for that Holiday Spirit, Mv2.3's Cthulhu Carols -- Holidays Filled with Love...craft.

Then there's Nightsky's The BLF Knocks One Out of the Park about a particular bit of billboard modification by the Billboard Liberation Front. Awesome!

Then Mv2.3 chimed in with A (Dated) Holiday Exclusive about Merrily Manson, the Marilyn Manson Christmas recording.

Then more of our pre-holiday giving showcase, by Beatrice Blythe, Change the World, Win Awesome Prizes! Focusing on Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilders fund raiser for Heifer International.

Amalia the Savage popped up with news about Thor Poster and Teaser in Theaters!. It's getting closer, people!

Pearce then took a look at new film "reboots" in New Films - Hit It and Quit It Already!

In the run up to Christmas, we had Peta Jinnath Andersen with Geek Chic for You Tree - 3 Geeky Christmas Ornaments Everyone Can Make. I tried them with my nieces over the holiday, and fun was had by all. ;)

Then there was the unforgettable Rudolph the Regular Reindeer. Classic!

Jessenovels treated us to more THE DARK KNIGHT RISES NEWS with news, rumor and speculation about the next Batman film, set to film soonish here in New Orleans. :D

Alpha Lyra then shared a fun article all about Chocolate! Yum.

Then Nightsky revisited the ebook debate in Book++. Some really interesting discussion in the comments, too.

Amalia the Savage then shared some Wisdom from the Saga of the Voslungs, which I found really interesting.

Pearce stayed on top of the Movie beat with her review Tron: Eyecandy and Nightsky celebrated the solstice with Sol Invictus.

On Christmas Eve, Mv2.3 treated us to some original fiction with "Slay Ride" - A Christmas Tale.

On New Year's Eve, I posted a compilation of GeekaChicas' Top Ten Articles of 2010. A fun look back and Femme Doctors and other popular articles.

The most recent article is The Doctor Says Hello Christmas, Goodbye Geronimo by Peta Jinnath Andersen. We've had so much fun with Doctor Who this year! :)

You've probably heard of it, even if you haven't experienced it. Fan fiction peeps call it "post-fic drop" but I've heard pro writers call it "post novel ennui" or a couple of other things.

But what it is is that thing that happens after you've accomplished a goal, finished something that was important to you, or generally taken some action that involved exposing yourself in some way, or resulted in some amazing growth or revelation on a personal level.

The first thing to happen is generally the joy of accomplishment. In fan fiction, it's getting to the end of a story and sharing it. Even if the feedback is immediate and very positive, eventually it will peter out, and then the darkness comes.

I think for pro writers it is probably different. You finish a story, send it off, wait to hear whether the place you sent it wants it, etc. The process is somewhat longer, and involves little dips. You finish the story. You're proud of it, or at least think it is pretty solid. You've been working hard on it, and it is at least as good as you are capable of making it. You send it out.

Then maybe you put it out of your mind, or you obsess about the details you may have got wrong. The process of rejection or acceptance, possibly followed by a series of even more tweaks. Then you get reviews, maybe. The point is, good or bad, when it's over you feel it.

This week I finally got my hand back in writing for GC. It wasn't my best work, but it was playful and fun. I inserted myself into it, and outed myself as a lusty heterosexual. It sounds weird to say that, but it's true. Coming from my background, there is something transgressive about admitting, or openly reveling in, one's sexuality.

I think my post-article drop had two components. The first is that I linked to it from my personal Facebook page, so that my college (Presbyterian), middle school (fringe Evangelical) friends, and former next door neighbors (young earth creationist Baptists) now all pretty much know that I make a habit of sexually objectifying men.

Just thinking about this makes me smile like a loony. It's liberating, see. But anytime you fight your way out of a mental box, you find yourself OUTSIDE that box going, "Whoa. Where is this? What do I do now?" The box may have sucked, but it was familiar.

The second reason for my post-article drop is tied to something you may have noticed - I have been posting pictures of myself different places for a week or two. (I posted a picture of myself making a rude gesture in the article.)

( Some of them are here, under the cut, to spare you. )

Now, the reason I've been putting my stupid face all over everything is that I'm trying to get used to it. I have a serious aversion to being filmed or photographed, which is fine, except I want to start making videos for GC. Since I don't have an easy stand-in, and to do the things I want to do requires a face/personality, I *have* to get over myself.

So, you're being subjected to pictures of me because I have to get over myself. It's not an ego thing, like I'm thinking I'm so hot that of course you want to see my goofy face every day.

I apologize for subjecting you to my neuroses. If it is any consolation, doing this makes me really freaking uncomfortable. It's just something I have to do, to get over my issues and accomplish what I want to accomplish. It's baby steps, see.

So, I had a major post-article mood drop yesterday, despite the fact that the hits on GC spiked and Filament linked to us and the publisher sent me a nice email. Possibly because of it. The thing is, if I'm going to accomplish what I want to accomplish with GC, I'm going to have to do it myself. To do that, I have to get over my self-image anxiety, and to do that, I'm spamming the world with my goofy mug.

Please bear with me.

... and it's about a sexy women's magazine with with intelligent articles. Check it out: Filament Magazine: Man Candy for Women with Brains.

I think I did pretty well for being a bit rusty.

***

In other news, I posted this video to my Facebook feed with the comment, "This is an amazingly honest interview." It is an interview with a very successful pastor who recently came out as gay to his church:



I got an email saying that an old college buddy had responded to it. His comments below the cut.

( A blast from my past. )

I didn't get the chance to respond, because he deleted his comment. Possibly because he didn't want to get into it with me, either because he caught his fallacious argument, or (more likely) because he knows I am intractably opposed to treating LGBTQ people as second class citizens and he would not change my mind. I hope it wasn't because he thought I would get mean or nasty with him, because I would not have.

Still, this video gives me hope for meaningful change that does not require people to reject their religion wholesale in order to treat others as equal. (Personally, I consider taking an action that would hurt another person for no good reason (i.e. denying them a right I take for granted, such as being able to marry someone I love) to be opposed by most religions on their most basic level. I hope that others will come to see the cultural persecution of people who are different in this light. Actually, I know they will, just maybe not in my lifetime.)

Oy, what a day.

This has been a great week for content on GeekaChicas. I'm really proud of it this week. ;)

Let's start off with Mv2.3's thought-provoking, I'm a Cybercitizen. Now What? What exactly are our responsibilities to our fellow human beings on the internet? If someone tells you they have the intention of committing a crime, what do you do? The comments add some layers to the discussion, too.

Then comes another issue-driven article by Sweet Clementine, A Woman's Perspective on a Man's View of the Ultimate Betrayal. Again, half the joy of this one, for me, was in the comments on the article, which is a clear-eyed reaction to the old saw that men are unfaithful because they are intrinsically unable to abstain from sex when it is offered. I personally think this position takes a very dim view or men, but this article is more of a dissection of that rationale, if you accept the basic weakness of men as a given. It's very thoughtful and thought-provoking and makes me proud of GC in general.

Just for fun, we have Lego Star Wars: Bombad Bounty which gave me the giggles in a big way.

I'm really excited about Taoism and the Eleventh Doctor by Nightsky. It is a follow-up to her Taoism and the Tenth Doctor from last year.

I just *love* her take on all things DW, and seriously suggest that you click on Nightsky's tab and read any of her stuff that you haven't already. She puts forth an analysis of the show that is thorough and psychologically valid. I'm impressed when any show can stand up to that sort of scrutiny, to be honest. I love reading her take on all things Whovian.

For those who like adult beverages, there's Pearce's Have a Geek on the Rocks.

Then we have Nightsky's short and to-the-point reportage on the Munsters remake, In Honor of October....

Lastly we have Mv2.3's October -- When Death Gets Jiggy.

In anticipation of creepy fun later in the month, I have a volunteer to write some horror shorts for later in the month. (I'm a little nervous about this because I have never read his work and have no idea of its quality, but it should be interesting, either way.)

In the category "Geekiest Blog." Would much appreciate a vote. ;)

Edited to add link. D'OH!

http://miss-s-b.dreamwidth.org/1091912.html


Also up for voting today is the "Sexiest Blog" category, and one of my favorites, Male Submission Art, is up for it.