Do y'all want to do the Not My Ship comment ficathon sometime? Like, I don't know, today? Or next week? At some point? Any point? Is there still interest in this?

+ Listening to coverage on NPR about how people from Connecticut (what do y'all call yourselves?) are split in their support of the Patriots vs. the Giants, I got bitter and pissed off. I shouldn't care. But I do. Because grown-ass adults can talk about "loathing" a team and talk about "redemption" when it comes to sports, and that is totally socially acceptable and nobody questions it. But if I was to go on any media outlet and talk using that same sort of language about ships or character arcs or the depth of my feelings about the stories I invest in, people would think I was weird and either mock or pity me.

I hate the world.

+ Okay, so apparently these ugly-crying gifs of KBell that I've been seeing around have something to do with sloths + Ellen? I really love KBell, so I kind of want to watch whatever this is, but sloths really, really freak me out? Like almost as much as komodo dragons, which are currently number one on my list of animals that freak me out (my list makes much more sense than my sister's, which is comprised of squirrels and fish. I don't know either). Something about the way they move is just scary as anything to me. So can I watch this video without being horrified? Can I close my eyes during the sloth parts and just watch the KBell parts, or is it mostly sloth parts? Ugh. Just writing the word grosses me out.

I use my Andrew icon for this post because he is the only celebrity I would believe can understand the depth of my feelings (about anything. about everything. just feelings in general). Andrew Garfield: Emotional Evangelist is your sponsor for this post.

+ So I overslept, which meant I ran out the door, which meant that I didn't take my pills, which means that I will probably be feeling like I want to die at about 1:00 when my brain chemistry starts FREAKING OUT. Oh, anti-depressants. The things you do to me.

+ Anyway! I have a question for y'all who are X-Files-y inclined.

( x-files question )

+ And another question: if I want to change the text on my journal so that all of it (in the entries/comments) is in a darker font so that I can read it a little better (I love the color scheme, but it does require some eye-straining), what code do I need to look for in the CSS? I've changed a few colors, I thought, but nothing seems to have changed, so I must be changing the wrong thing, I guess? Any thoughts?


+ snickfic's latest fic revived all of my Jo Harvelle feelings and now I want ALL the fic where Jo's interacting with Dean (shippy or non, I don't even care). Any recs, y'all?


+ I miss Leverage already.

+ And a quick poll:

[Poll #1815188]

Do you ever go back and read something you wrote quite some time ago and think, "Damn. That was actually pretty good. Where did that come from?" And just have no idea where it came from because you can't imagine that line/scene/insight actually coming from you because it's more than you think you're capable of?

Or is that just me?

Although my flist might not be the best place to ask this:

Are there many Buffy/Angel fics where Buffy and Spike are really good friends? Because I was thinking the other day about how much I enjoy writing Angel as a friend to Buffy and Spike in my future 'verse, and how much I enjoy whenever he pops up in other people's stuff in a similar way. And I was wondering if the other side of the "shipper debate" (whatever--like what you like! I don't care! Am I supposed to get upset about it or something? I don't!) enjoys writing a Buffy-Spike friendship in the same way. Anybody know?

This is a list of things I would like to read but have a difficult time finding. So if you know of anything that meets these requirements, I will love you forever!

+ Martha/Mickey fic. Because I was thinking about how much I love them and how I could have actually shipped them if RTD HADN'T DECIDED TO GO THERE FOR THE SAKE OF A ONE-LINE JOKE when they deserved so much more. Like, something that shows me who they are together and how they work. Bonus points if it includes some actual explanation of what happened to lovely Dr. Tom.

+ Plotty Moffat!era!Who fic. Featuring Eleven and Amy and Rory and River. Anyone know of any? Or, alternatively, any Amy/Rory fic. Basically I love Rory. Current obsession. It's okay.

+ Good 3rd Gen Skins fic. I have zero interest in Mini/Franky, though, which I imagine elminates a lot of stuff that's out there? But any good gen or het stuff would make me happy.

+ Actually, come to think of it, I'd love any good het or gen Gen 1 fic, too, because I never read much of it.

+ I know GRRM ~frowns upon~ fanfiction, but if there's any fic at all with Jon&Arya family times or Jon/Dany shipping, I would read the heck out of it.

+ Is there ANY Kelly Bailey fic out there? I imagine that all of the Misfits fic is either Nathan-centric or Simon/Alisha (fandom, you are so easy to predict). But I am a Kelly stan and would like to read about her.

+ Caroline&Stefan friendship fic? Bonnie/Jeremy anything at all? Elijah/Katherine? Elena/Bonnie/Caroline friendship fic? Damon and Stefan being brothers fic? Basically anything that doesn't involve shipping Elena in some capacity? Because all the TVD fic I've seen (outside comment fic ficlets, which are lovely but short) has been Elena-shipping, and I really have no interest in that.

+ Preemptively asking for X-Files fic. Because I'm only almost through with S3 (I know! I'm moving slowly! But I'm savoring!) but I am eagerly looking forward to reading fic. Shippy, gen-y, whatever. I know there's years and years worth of stuff, but I have no idea where to start looking for the good stuff. Recs?

+ Parks and Rec fic that has the feel of the show.

Anyone?

I say British here because the books I read where I picked up these spellings were British, not because I’m ignoring the existence of other countries who spell things that way.


Not too crazy about all those extra “u”s, and I like the letter z, so we’ll keep that one around in things like “realize.”

But!

Judgement. LOOKS WRONG WITHOUT AN E. QUIT YELLING AT ME WITH YOUR SILLY RED LINE, SPELLCHECK!

Grey. I usually use “grey” to talk about a pretty or natural shade of grey—mist or the sea or clouds or something. On the other hand, I use “gray” when I’m talking about something more metallic or ugly—concrete or an ugly building or something.

I’m sure there are others, but those are the ones that leap to mind. Got any of your own? And if you are from not-America, is there any American spelling you actually like better? English as a second language speakers, which did you learn when you were taught the language? American or British spelling and pronunciation? I AM INTERESTED.

Also, Oxford commas forever and ever and ever.

I have decided that I need to waste yet more time on fandom instead of, you know, cleaning or writing my novel or having a life of some kind, and I want to make graphics. HA. Does anybody know of any good beginner-level tutorials on just basic stuff to make pretty, pretty pictures? I...don't even know where I would start because I am hopelessly incompetent about things like this.

Thank God it is finally the weekend is all I have to say. No wait--I also have this to say:

SCREW YOU, JOHNNY DEPP. YOU ARE OVERRATED. KEEP YOUR GRUBBY HANDS OFF MY ORIGINAL OTP.

And since I never actually answer all of y'all's questions whenever I post memes, I figure this time I'll let you do the work. Also, you can cheer me up about living in a world where people KEEP MAKING REMAKES OF THINGS THAT DON'T NEED TO BE REMADE. See also: Being Human, Skins, etc., etc., and so forth.

Out of utter curiosity, if I was chained up in your attic (I prefer attics, basements are damp and cold, attics theoretically at least have windows), and I had to write you one story, what would you request? (demand?) Or alternatively, what's something you always hoped I'd write but know is never going to happen?

I expect some really fantastic answers to this.



Question: how do you reply to things on Tumblr? People are reply to my posts and I feel technologically challenged since I can't figure it out.

So I'm way behind on answering comments again, but I've been reading an article over on Jezebel about a make-up free week challenge, and it got me to thinking.

I don't wear makeup as a general rule. I wear lipstick sometimes (I put it on maybe once a week, and it's always gone after I eat/drink something) and very, very occasionally mascara, but other than that? Nothing.

Part of the reason is that I never learned how to apply it. My mama only wears lipstick and sometimes eyeliner, and quite a few of my friends in high school didn't wear it either. My older girl cousins lived far enough away that they weren't around to teach me, either. My BFF has flawless pale skin and naturally beautifully bone structure (also, the best hair EVER) and never wears it--she definitely doesn't need it (I, on the other hand, know I would look "better" if I wore it, probably). So I just...didn't ever wear it. The times I've put on eyeliner, I make a big mess (also, I'm petrified of anything getting near my eyes. Eye doctor appointments? Nightmare!) and can't draw a straight line. I wouldn't know how to match my skin tone. I don't have flawless skin, but the once or twice I put on powder (not even foundation), it drove me craaaazy, so I didn't do it again.

There are other reasons. Time, for one. Ten minutes of putting on makeup or ten more minutes of sleep? I go with sleep every time. Expense. Makeup is expensive! And you keep having to replace it! It's ridiculous!

There's also the fact that I resent that men's faces are deemed acceptable all on their own, but women have to paint over ours before we go out in public. Although some guys look hella sexy with eyeliner. This societal demand that women wear makeup in order to look professional/acceptable/whatever enfuriates me to no end.

I also hatehatehatehatehate guys who say they prefer a woman to not wear makeup, but what they really want it for a woman to look entirely perfect and made up...without anyone being able to tell that they're wearing make-up. When they see what their girlfriends look like without it they're disgusted. GRRRR.

One of my friends told me a story about how when her grandmother got married back in the 50s, she would wake up earlier than her husband every single morning so that she could put her makeup on before he woke up. And she didn't take it off until after he went to bed. Her husband never saw her real face for decades. I cannot imagine.

Which is not to say that I judge women who do choose to wear it (though I'm endlessly annoyed by the "too much" look, but I realize that's my own issue). I know a lot of people have a lot of fun with it. When I watch Carmindy on What Not to Wear, she makes it look fun and simple. My little sister and all my cousins wear it (I have no idea where Sis learned to do it, since she didn't from me or our mama. It's an eternal mystery). And I know it really does instill some women with confidence, and with as looks-obsessed as our culture is, I can't blame them at all.

[This all reminds me of how whenever I straighten my hair, people FREAK THE HELL OUT. Like, suddenly I'm attractive or something. And they tell me I should do it all the time! Like it didn't take an hour and a half to get it to stay that way! I'm never going to devote that much time in my day to it! It drives me crazy.]

Most people in my life never comment on my lack of comestics, though my mama constantly badgers me to put on some lipstick. To placate her, I took her with me about a month ago to one of the counters in the mall and had the lady pick out a shade that would look good on me. IT COST FIFTEEN BUCKS. FIFTEEN. FOR ONE TUBE OF LIPSTICK. This is insanity to me. I cannot afford this.

[eta] I also want to talk about how employers can require you to wear makeup/heels/whatever and FIRE YOU WHEN YOU DON'T. Yeah, you probably need to wear makeup if you're in the performing arts so that people can see your face from a distance. But if you work in a bank? Or any other kind office? THIS MAKES ME STABBY.

So I'm wondering, because the vast majority of my flist is female--do y'all wear much makeup? If so, why? If not, why? What's your routine like? Who taught you how to apply it? Do you judge women who do/don't wear it? Talk to me!