Passing For Normal

intoabar is about to open signups for the next round, and they're allowing collaborations. Yay!

I would like to team up with a writer. You write; I'll podfic your story.

My details are here on LJ or here on DW.

Perhaps that's not the best choice of subject line, since I think that song is about drinking? Ah, well.

A couple of you lovely people who know me really well have noticed that I went missing for a while and checked in to see how I'm doing, with the reflection that with me, silence is nearly always bad. Which... yes. As usual.

Toward the latter part of last month I was about to post a light therapy update. Though it was still early days, I had noticed that since I'd started using the SAD light, I was laughing out loud more often, and generally finding things funnier. Those are both good indicators that it was (and is) working.

( But then I got knocked down. )

But I get up again. One of the things I appreciate most about myself is that even though my brain chemistry is wired for depression, my fundamental nature is cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic. And it does keep reasserting itself, helping pull me back up onto my feet when life knocks me off them.

( Good things have been happening even through the shitstorm. )

And as a side benefit, during the not!flu episode when I was too sick to read or watch any new-too-me media, ( I started a comfort re-listen of the Vorkosigan audiobooks. )

Fannish joys: Though I was derailed from podficcing for a while by the health crap, I'm now back into it and regaining my momentum. It's deeply rewarding to be able to participate in fandom and contribute something creatively. That's actually pretty huge. And on the anticipatory side of things, ride_4ever is planning a visit here in September. OMG fangirl face time! *happy dance* \o/

And in non-fannish joys: ( Yesterday I spent the morning watching a Cattle Sorting competition at the local fairgrounds. )

So... yeah. The downs have been pretty fierce. But life goes on, and I get up again. :-)

This work in fifteen voices, one for each author... wouldn't that be a blast? The author is pro-podfic, so I'd be tempted to try helming it as a collaborative project, except that I'm already up to my neck in podfic projects for the next few months and can't take on another major one for a while. Though I could read one bit if someone else were to run it...? *smiles winningly*

Regardless, I love this and rec it most enthusiastically. Go! Read! Laugh!

If Shards of Honor had been written by... (4048 words) by avanti_90
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Aral Vorkosigan/Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan
Characters: Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Aral Vorkosigan, Reg Rosemont, Lieutenant Radnov, Ensign Dubauer, Konstantin Bothari, Yeoman Nilesa, Korabik Gottyan, Simon Illyan, Ges Vorrutyer, Dr. Mehta
Additional Tags: As written by other authors
Summary:

Excerpts from Shards of Honor, as written by fifteen other famous authors.

Any of y'all who podfic, would you like to make a wee contribution to the Sid Project?

I need one line of dialog recorded for the Phone Jack collaborative podfic:

"Sir, Colonel Mitchell is on the line for you."

The speaker is Walter Harriman (aka Walter Davis), the guy in SG-1 who dials the gate and calls out the chevrons and such. It's an ordinary message about an ordinary phone call, as far as he's concerned.

Anyone care to volunteer? And if so, do you want credit on the cover?

ETA: Got it covered. :-)

I've got the Sid Project underway and it looks like I'll be doing at least four, possibly five podfics of her work, depending on my stamina.

I'd like to see her podfics given worthy, wonderful covers. Sadly, all I can manage myself is embarrassingly mediocre Paint images, and while I can live with that on other my other works, it just doesn't feel like enough in this case.

So I'm putting out an early call that I'm looking for one or more fanart creators who would like to make covers for any or all of these Stargate SG-1 podfics.

Please feel free to pass the word along if you know of anyone who isn't reading this but might like to contribute.

Many thanks!

ETA: People are signing up, so I have put a master list on the corresponding LJ post. Please go there to see what still needs art and to claim something to work on. If you aren't able to post on LJ, leave a comment here saying what you'd like.

ETAA: Got 'em all covered. (So to speak.) Many thanks to everyone!

I should know this, but...

Would Bob Fraser pronounce "progress" (noun) as "prah-gress" or "pro-gress" (the latter with a long O)?

Yes, I'm podficcing. Actually, editing podfic. I recorded it both ways and then forgot to check which was correct. HAAALP???

ETA: PRO-gress it is. TYK!

Last year I saw a lot of people posting on LJ and DW about the Lightspeed magazine Kickstarter project Women Destroy Science Fiction! that resulted in a huge special edition full of SF written by and about women plus bonus Fantasy and Horror editions funded by meeting stretch goals.

This year they're doing Queers Destroy Science Fiction! and I don't think I've seen anyone posting about it, so I thought I'd put up a PSA. It's 3 days away from the closing date and while the initial funding goal was met early on, followed by a series of stretch goals, at the moment they're less than $500 away from the major $40K stretch goal that will bring a bonus "Queers Destroy Fantasy!" special edition.

LIGHTSPEED was founded on the core idea that all science fiction is real science fiction. The whole point of this magazine is that science fiction is vast. It is inclusive. Science fiction is about people, and queer people, no matter how they identify [Gay, lesbian, bisexual, demisexual, asexual, pansexual, intersex, transgender, genderfluid, genderqueer--anyone who fits within the QUILTBAG], are a big part of that. We always have been. We're just sometimes hard to see. So, in the interests of visibility and breaking stuff, here we are to show you just how wide the spectrum of sexuality and gender identity can really be.

Part of our goal with this project--and indeed, our dearest wish--is to get as many queer creators involved as possible. Show the world that we are legion, we are amazing, and we are a part of the great, glorious landscape of the science fiction genre (right before we burn it all to the ground).

Writers may wish to note that they're currently open to submissions for this project.

Stargate SG-1 fandom recently and unexpectedly lost a beloved member of the community and fanworks creator. I didn't know Sid, but I know a number of people who did know her and who treasured her friendship, and I liked her writing very much.

I would like to podfic one or more of her stories as a tribute to her, honoring her memory. The problem is that she never posted a transformative works policy anywhere, so there was nothing to indicate whether or not this would be okay with her.

I've been in touch with some people close to her, and the consensus is that she was generally pro-fanworks and had enjoyed podfic of other people's work, so she'd almost certainly have been pleased about this. (Maybe, somewhere, she is.)

All this has brought a couple of things to the forefront of my mind, and I'd like to encourage all of you to think about them, too.

1) Please post a transformative works policy somewhere easy to find. Say how you feel about people making things inspired by your own work. Podfics, remixes, spin-offs, art, fanmixes, craft work, and anything else your creations might inspire others to make. You could grant blanket permission, or it could be blanket refusal, or you could allow some things and disallow others. It's all up to you. But make a decision about it. Post it. Make it easy to find. Put it on your LJ/DW Profile pages. Put it on your AO3 Profile. If you have a Sticky post for your fanworks index, put it there or link to it. Please.

1a) akamine_chan recently posted a thoughtful and helpful meta essay on what to do if you want to encourage and enable podficcers to record your stories.

[meta] So you wanna be podficced? (1010 words) by akamine_chan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Meta - Fandom
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Podfic Meta, Meta, Podfic
Summary:

So you wanna be podficced? Here's a handy-dandy guide that may help you get your wish. I make no promises, though.

2) Read about Fannish Estate Planning and think about naming a Fannish Next-of-Kin, just in case someday you might get hit by a bus or step through a portal into an alternate universe or get beamed onto the Enterprise and whisked into the future or otherwise leave this life and your fanworks behind. What will be the fate of your fanworks when you're gone? Is there someone into whose hands you can put them? Someone who can make decisions about them, or make sure your wishes are carried out? It can help make sure that your creations live on and that your choices about them are honored.

Disclosure: I've only done the first of these things myself, so far. #2 is a big one, but at least I've started my inner wheels turning.

Or at least I hope so.

( Depression, its symptoms, and my attempt at light therapy )

Anyone feel like doing a podfic cover or two? Both are due South stories.

Hirsute Angry Thief by bluebrocade is gen humor; it's set at the 2-7 and features Fraser, RayK, and Dief plus the usual supporting characters.

Lies, Neckties, and Ballistics by china_shop is an F/K casefic story with lots of character exploration.

I recorded both of these for dSSS but didn't have time to wrangle cover art for them in time for the exchange. I'd love to make audiobooks of them and cover art would be terrific and much appreciated.

In other news: Today I posted my podfic recording of Ublarpassik by andeincascade, a marvelous post-quest dS story that I love like breathing. akamine_chan made a lovely cover for it. <3