By Registered Owl Post

If anyone's in a position to do a bit of betaing, I could do with one for a couple of stories?

(1) a HP medium-length oneshot, usual sort of style for me, as much as anything to say whether the characters and storyline seem halfway plausible

(2) (by Wednesday, probably deliverable Sunday/Monday) a shortish Yuletide oneshot, cracky AU of a well-known but little-ficced fandom -- can't specify which unfortunately, but it's one you probably know enough about to comment on!

It's that time of year again ... if you'd like a card from me, comment to this post (they're screened) with your name & address and any design preferences. Actually, given my usual awesome efficiency in such things I should probably have posted this sometime in mid-August to give myself time to get things organised, but there you go. :)

Answers to the music lyrics -- and yes, I would be pleased to have all of these on my iPod if I ever get one! Congrats to atdelphi and ozma_katiebell with seven each, which is more than I usually get in these things. :) YouTube links added for many (I'm amazed that people have actually done videos for some of these).

1. All that I possess is my existence, vagrant more or less -- Joe, Inspiral Carpets
2. You ain't been blue, no, no, no, you ain't been blue -- Mood Indigo, Duke Ellington (answered by ozma_katiebell)
3. I stand in the distance I view from afar -- Confide in Me, Kylie Minogue
4. She's got a smile that it seems to me -- Sweet Child o' Mine, Guns 'n' Roses (answered by atdelphi)
5. I was born in a cross-fire hurricane -- Jumpin' Jack Flash, the Stones (answered by a_t_rain)
6. For a while we must part, but remember me sweetheart -- Till the Lights of London Shine Again, Joe Loss and his Band
7. Whenever I need you, you give me such a run around -- The Harder I Try, Brother Beyond
8. If I could make a wish I think I'd pass -- The Air That I Breathe, Hollies (answered by lucie_p)
9. First I was afraid I was petrified -- I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor (answered by atdelphi, nineveh_uk, ozma_katiebelland lucie_p)
10. Well the kids are all hopped up and ready to go -- Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Ramones
11. We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout [recentish version] -- Jackson, Joaquin Phoenix/Reese Witherspoon version from Walk the Line (answered by atdelphi and lucie_p)
12. Um, I've noticed you around. I find you very attractive -- Would You?, Touch & Go
13. There's something wrong with the world today, I don't know what it is -- Livin' on the Edge, Aerosmith (answered by atdelphi and ozma_katiebell)
14. The way she walks, the way she talks -- Girl of My Best Friend, Elvis version
15. Doesn't take much to make me happy and make me smile -- Best Of My Love, Emotions
16. You got a nasty reputation, we're in a sticky situation -- Raise Your Hands, Bon Jovi
17. Over and over, I try to prove my love to you -- Personality, original Lloyd Price version
18. Wait until the clock hits midnight, minute past I'm out the door -- Jumpin', Liberty X
19. I wasn't jealous before we met, now every woman I see is a potential threat -- Lay All Your Love On Me, Abba (answered by ozma_katiebell and lucie_p)
20. I want you to know that I'm happy for you -- You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette
21. Cut my life into pieces -- Last Resort, Papa Roach (answered by atdelphi and ozma_katiebell)
22. Where it began, I can't begin to know when -- Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond (answered by atdelphi and ozma_katiebell)
23. Downtown, we'll drown, we're in our never splender -- I'll Tumble 4 Ya, Culture Club
24. Help comes when you need it most, I'm cured by laughter -- Waltzing Along, James
25. Close my mind shut out the world, walk into my private Harlem -- Memories Don't Leave Like People Do, Tom Jones
26. I was alone I took a ride I didn't know what I would find there -- Got To Get You Into My Life, Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers version (answered by a_t_rain)
27. Boul ma sene, boul ma guiss madi re nga fokni mane -- 7 Seconds, Yousou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry (the language is Wolof apparently, and no I'm not claiming I knew that)
28. Here's the thing, we started out friends, it was cool but it was all pretend -- Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson (answered by virginia_bell and ozma_katiebell)
29. You're sailing softly through the sun, in a broken stone age dawn -- Strange Magic, ELO
30. Outside another yellow moon punched a hole in the nighttime -- Downtown Train, Tom Waits (answered by atdelphi)

Would anyone be prepared to do the usual high-speed-turnaround, basically sanity-check-only beta of a femgenficathon story? Always assuming I finish it of course, which is not at all guaranteed. The fandom is Doctor Who and the main character is Liz 10.

Snapped out of my kitchen window in the back patch of the flat below, a local feline lying hiding in wait for ... um, something. After a quarter of an hour or so or sitting perfectly still, it gave up and moved on.



UNDERCOVER CAT IS UNDERCOVER.

Seen on about four LJs one after the other, so jumping on the bandwagon:

If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.
— Alfred Hitchcock

When I write a story, what do you immediately look for?

... would doubtless be a good band name, but in this case it's a meme and a thought:

Go look at your blog/journal. Find the last Fandom-related thing you posted. The characters in that post are now your team-mates in the Zombie Apocalypse. How fucked are you?

So I draw the Doctor (actually two versions, Ten and Eleven), River Song, Amy Pond, and Reinette.

It's not looking good for the zombies.

And while we're talking about River etc, a thought regarding The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang, spoilery for A Good Man Goes To War:

( And the plastic centurion? )

The migration of accounts to Dreamwidth is getting to the point where I really need to look into taking advantage of the transfer options it offers. So ... is there anyone here who would vehemently object to me making copies of all my LJ posts on DW, including copies of all comments as much as is possible? I can remember this being a contentious point some while ago, although the heat seems to have gone out of it subsequently.

If I do shift the main journal to there I'd still be taking advantage of the cross-posting option to post anything new to LJ too, of course.

Also, if anyone needs a DW invite code I seem to have 14 of them lying about the place doing nothing. PM me if you want one.

I did a couple of ficlets for this just to keep my hand in, both Doctor Who (Ten-era) and about 250 words each:

Paleolinguistics (The Deliberate Word Choice Remix) -- The Master realised there was something he'd completely overlooked. (Original by astrogirl2)

Gone for a cup of tea (back in six months) (The Sportsmanlike Conduct Remix) -- How do you stop bitter warfare between the Church of the Blessed Rugby Sevens and the Hallowed Temple of Five-a-Side? (Original by netgirl_y2k)

Icon of my childhood, and more recently adulthood for that matter, gone. I wandered onto the wrong floor at work and saw it on the big screen newsfeed. Hadn't even known she was ill. Ouch.