The Way of the Wombat

OK - I've missed a few but I'm catching up - so 2 for the price of one here!

( post a rec for at least three fanworks that you did not create )

And now for another one - ( In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing. )

Tomorrow I owe the Winterwitch a picture of some cookie cutters...

I know it can get kind of quiet in January - and I've seen posts about this on my Friends List. Now it occurs to me that that has only been amongst my Tolkien fandom friends, and so I have decided to spread the word a little to my friends in other fandoms. And, of course, participate myself.




What's it about - I quote; Every day for the first 15 days of January, we're going to post a fannish challenge. It could be something as simple as reccing fanworks to talking about what you love about fandom. Follow the instructions to complete the challenge. Sometimes you'll be asked to post to your own journal and drop a link in the challenge post. Sometimes you'll just need to say "I did it!" in the comments of the challenge post.

It looks like a fun, low-pressure way to celebrate fandom. The home journal is on Dreamwidth, but you can participate wherever you choose, and only do the days you choose. I can't guarantee to do every day, but I promise to do at least half.

It is now 3 months before WriterConUK. And I would so love to see some more friends there.

It is a weekend get-together for fandom types - be you writers, artists, readers, vidders... The icon shows two of the fandoms that usually have a person or two there - but there are also Dr Who fans, Buffy fans, Sherlock fans, Supernatural fans, not to mention the fans of Forgotten Realms, Avengers, Merlin, Stargate, Vampire diaries, 'anything Danish' (Hmm - Carlsberg and bacon butties seems a reasonable fandom to me, but I have a feeling it is not quite what she meant!).

We chat, hold a quiz, chat, eat stuff, drink at the bar, gossip for a change, have talks on fandom related stuff, chat, eat Danish pastries (AHA! something Danish for Ningloreth!!), discuss cocktails as a change from fandoms, have a few more talks about fandom things, have a geeks' raffle (fandom related prizes - you bring one, you take one home - rather than winning your own geek...), chat about what we've won, eat more stuff... It is just a really fun weekend. I always learn something new, meet someone new, and laugh so much it hurts.

So - if there is any chance of getting to Coventry between the evening of 9th August and lunchtime on Sunday 11th, please, please, come and join in! There is always an offer from our chairgeek gillo, on the Sunday afternoon, to show anyone who would like her to either central Coventry or Kenilworth Castle. (The castle is fascinating and, as it is almost in her back garden, she does excellent guided tours.)

If you are already a member of the LJ Community then the sign up post, with the details, is here (it's FLocked as we ask for a few details about you - like your fandoms, and any dietary requirements).

if you aren't a member the details are all in this post.

If you don't have either a Live Journal or a Dreamwidth one, you can read that second post and, if you want to come, just e-mail me, send me a PM, whatever. There is no problem with you coming at all.

And don't worry that you won't know anyone - you'll know me!. And you will soon feel as if you have known others for ages too.

I have recently taken over as the admin of a community I have belonged to since it began - and this is really just to bring the community to the notice of more people, especially as I know there are a lot of people on my FL who like taking pictures, and some of you may not know the group exists.

photo_scavenger gives a weekly prompt to inspire you to go out and take a picture... or to look through the pictures you have and post one of those - we really don't mind.

One prompt a week, one picture a week (or a couple if you can't quite make your mind up).

This week the prompt is 'Gateway or Entrance' as we are entering 2013 - examples of past prompts include each colour of the rainbow, music, plants, toy, body part... a real mixture of ideas which suggest all sorts of things to different people.

So if you like to take pictures, or just look at other people's (although posting is the aim...), then come along and join us.

Even if it is not your thing, you could re-pimp if you know you have friends who might be interested...

I had today off work - it is Tynwald Day - our equivalent of July 4th, more or less.

I fear I did not go to Tynwald to hear the laws being promulgated.... I spent the day being fairly lazy; it was the first not-raining day for ages, and I did some washing, hung it out, sat reading outdoors for a while, and then went shopping. S2C spent the day in bed, as he was at work last night and tonight, and D-D was busy with friends. I was happy with my own company - life at work the past three days was hectic and mentally tiring.

But I have also spent time tidying up my tags, so that all the Returnverse stories are now actually tagged 'Returnverse' as well as with their individual names - just in case anyone wants to read them here. Although, to be honest, it is probably easier to do so at TtH or Faerie. But I feel so much more organised for having done it!

Within the Tolkien fandom there has been a very polite and restrained kerfuffle - at least by the standards of some other fandoms I could mention... resulting in the organiser(s) of the big awards event pulling the plug on everything.

This is a bigger problem than some of the similar things in Buffydom, for example, as the MEFAs had eaten all other awards up - they are the only ones. Or were. It was a very short lived kerfuffle, too - from the first mention of a new ratings system - which is what annoyed people - to the 'Thank you and Goodbye, this Group/Community is now closed' posts took less than a week, I think!

I really think those involved with the organisation must have been pretty stressed out by running something so big, before anyone questioned the new rules, so that it was almost a relief to them to take their ball and go home. Otherwise it would either have been resolved or died down...

On the community that had sprung up about two days before that, to discuss the rules changes, someone basically said "OK - there's no point in just going 'Oh Dear...' Do something about replacing them!" So, being curious, I have found myself following it all, chipping in here and there, and am now fascinated by the way that a group of over 40 people are getting themselves into task forces, discussing policy, categories, ratings, finance and so on in an intelligent and organised fashion...

And you know me - can't keep out of something like that - so have joined a task force, or maybe two.

If anyone in the Tolkien fandom is interested the community is HERE. I really hope it will all come together - even just watching all the workings being done in public is fascinating.

WriterConUK got its name from the big WriterCon event in the USA; however our, smaller, UK group is certainly not specifically for writers. You are also very welcome if you are involved in the art side of fandom, or you beta, or just enjoy reading fanfic/looking at fanart and hanging out with other people who think that all the above are a perfectly reasonable way to spend your time.

If any of that sounds like you, you think you might like to come to the annual WriterConUK event in Coventry next year, and would like some say in just when it will be, go to the poll and join in the democratic date deciding process!

Come and join in the fandom fun - there will be lots of it! Come and meet me in the flesh - of which there is also lots, I fear!

Registration for our fandom get-together in Coventry is now open. I know this because I posted it... HERE at writerconuk.

This year - so that we don't clash with the Olympic football taking place in Coventry in August - we are meeting in May - Friday May 25th to Sunday May 27th to be exact.

I would encourage all my UK friends to think about coming down for the weekend - the idea is that (despite the 'Writer' bit in the name - we took our cue from a US event to start with...) you are welcome whether you are a writer, a beta, a vidder, an artist - or a reviewer/reader. You really don't even need to be involved with fandom, to be honest; if you keep a live-journal you are a writer! But most of those who gather in the Ramada Coventry for the weekend are in some way involved in fandoms - kazzy_cee writes about what fandom is here.

It is so nice to meet people face to face - to be able to chat over coffee about geeky things and feel amongst friends.

Worried that you wouldn't know anyone? You know me if you are reading this on my journal. And remember everyone who goes only knew one or two of the others, only online, before we first ventured to a get-together. And I think everyone who has met up with our fellow online fans face to face have found we are instantly friends - even with the ones we hadn't even met online before!

Of course I do have a bit of a vested interest - I am the group's treasurer and have to fret about enough of us coming to pay for the meeting room... but I would so want to meet you all anyway! And really - a weekend with friends, no cooking, no washing up, laugh so much you might need pelvic floor exercises - how can you resist?

Hurrah! Long weekend! Although I have a feeling I might have to spend some time making a hundredweight of carrot cake; whenever we do anything at church that involves cake I get guilted into making it - "You will be making carrot cake, won't you? I particularly want some of your carrot cake." You can get bored making carrot cake after a while...



Now for the PIA. Especially for friends in the UK and Europe - although all are welcome - if you are at all interested in the annual get-together that is WriterConUK (anyone in any sort of fandom very welcome - writer, reader, beta, artist, vidder whatever!) but have thought 'Mid-August is not a good time for me...' then please, if you haven't joined the community before then do go and join so that you can Help decide when next year's event will be - go, vote for the months you are most able to come!


Second PIA (or possibly pimping...) Wonder why I'm using my Éomer icon? Friends who read in the Tolkien fandom you have got to go and read - MY HUSBAND is writing Éomer/Lothiriel... Actually it is an adventure story involving the Rohirrim, the Haradrim, Drow - but there is Éomer/Lohiriel romance, too - and rather well written romance even though he finds it the hardest bit to do. Legolas is in there, too - and he also writes a good Legolas & Gimli friendship I have found!

And if you are likely to have time on your hands this weekend - either because of the extra day off or, and keep safe folks, because you are holed up avoiding the big storm but still have power, then don't forget all the wonderful stories that were written for The Lord of the Rings Big Bang!.

Have you ever come across those stories that are headed 'Five times someone did X, and one time they didn't'?

There is something of that ilk at Twisting the Hellmouth that sparked my husband's interest enough for him to start his own set.

Tolkien-friends may well be amused by the first one - Size Matters Not - but perhaps not if you are a hobbit person who is easily shocked...

Are you bored yet? Now that all the festivities of Christmas and New Year are over, the decorations are down, the January Sales have been exhausted, you've been back at work for a couple of weeks and got rid of the backlog... and you want an excuse not to start the spring cleaning.

If you want something to keep you occupied I have a couple of suggestions.

For friends who like to take photos - why not join The Photo Scavenger Community?

A new theme each week for you to interpret as you will and post a picture. Not onerous - but fun. And it would be so much more fun if there were more members... You don't even have to go out and shoot a new pic if you have the perfect one for the week's theme already on file.

For friends who like Tolkien - there are plans to hold the first ever Tolkien Big Bang. If you are like me, you may not know what a Big Bang is - well, I know now, because I read the info!

Writers commit to a story of 20,000 words or more before July, artists to do art work to go with the stories. So if you aren't a writer, but like doing artistic stuff (in which case I admire you enormously), it might be a new and interesting challenge for you. Think of not only the films to help with Lord of The Rings, but all the lovely things you could do with trees, lakes, rivers, jewels.... go on - you know you want something to stop you getting bored!


This was going to be purely a pimping post - but there is something else I really must share, too. I have just had a review of "Return of The Key" left at Twisting the Hellmouth. It starts

After reading AEMI's Serpent In Paradise, it's impossible for me to enjoy any other LOTR fanfic.

Then it goes on to, I guess, quote large chunks of their preferred fic... (here is the whole review if you are interested!)

I was a bit gob-smacked as to how to reply. I settled for Oh, how sad. I am sorry that you didn't enjoy this one .

I came to the conclusion the reviewer must have been bored to have read as far as the epilogue when they found it impossible to enjoy it!