It's time to sign up for the November WIP challenge!

Some people join the challenge midmonth, or comment on check-in posts without signing up, which is fine -- I'm glad there's a way for the challenge to be useful in a variety of ways.

But for those of you who find the commitment of signing up useful, please leave a comment with the below information.

Signups will be open until the end of October.

• Level of challenge: 1 chapter, 1000 words, 1 fic finished, whatever you like
  
• Fandom(s) involved: if you know at this point
  
• What you're looking for from the challenge: this could be as vague or specific as you like: someone to be accountable to, someone to remind you to write, someone to bounce ideas off, etc.
  
• What you could offer other participants yourself: ditto!
  
• How people should contact you: DW message, e-mail, IM etc.
  
• Time zone: useful for seeing who might be up for a writing session at a time convenient to you
  

Copypaste below:

<b>Level of challenge:</b> <b>Fandom(s) involved:</b> <b>What you're looking for from the challenge:</b> <b>What you could offer other participants yourself:</b> <b>How people should contact you:</b> <b>Time zone:</b>

I couldn't continue to run this challenge without assistance with the daily check-in posts. Many thanks to everyone who's helped with the check-ins before!

Please let me know if you'd be interested in helping out. A week per person would be ideal (I usually assign weeks running Sunday-Saturday just for consistency). I'm happy to help come up with suggestions for discussion topics (& Friday or Saturday is usually the general chat/snippet/beta-seeking etc. post).

(& if you've completed a fic through the challenge, don't forget our collection on AO3! If you need AO3 invites, let me know.)

Welcome back to the party, everybody. What have you been doing?

— Thinking. Maybe a little, maybe a lot.
— Writing.
— Planning and / or researching.
— Editing.
— Sending things to the beta.
— Posting!
— Relaxing, taking a break, etc.
— Other stuff-ing. Look at the comment.

And what is your plan of action for your writing this week, if you have one?

mystery_mansion: a comm for all fictional mystery, crime and detective-related fandoms (in whatever medium). News, reviews, discussion, links, promotions, fests, fanworks of all kinds etc. etc.

Title: Finding Forward
Pairing: Thirteenth Doctor/Missy
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "Forging blindly ahead is a well-honed strategy of mine," the Doctor admitted wryly. "I can do that any day. Now, forward? That's proven a bit more difficult, you see."

AO3 | DW

Title: Ice
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairing: Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters
Music: Ice by Sarah McLachlan (The Freedom Sessions version)
Summary: Susan, Talia, and Psi Corps.
Notes: Inspired by Katharine's vid Ice. A huge thank you to gwyn for sending me a copy of Media Cannibals Tape 3 so I could see Katharine's vid! Thank you also to mswyrr for being an awesome beta!

References to Talia's fate in Divided Loyalties.
Quick cuts and flashes, particularly at 2:20 - 2:22, 3:08 - 3:10 and 3:15 - 3:19.


AO3 | DW | tumblr | youtube

Title: Shock To Your System
Fandom: NCIS: New Orleans
Pairing: Sonja Percy/Tammy Gregorio, Hannah Lee/Tammy Gregorio, Eva Azarova/Tammy Gregorio
Music: Shock To Your System by Tegan & Sara
Warning/ Notes: quick cuts
Summary: Gregorio's chemistry with ladies in general and Percy in particular

AO3 | tumblr | youtube | DW

CON.TXT 2018 will be held again at the Residence Inn Arlington Pentagon City in the exciting Pentagon City neighborhood of Arlington, Va., just across the river from Washington, D.C. Events will begin the morning of Friday, July 27th and go through the afternoon of Sunday, July 29th.

RATE: $139 (plus tax) for a king studio; $159 (plus tax) for a queen/queen studio or a two-bedroom suite. (All rooms have a sofabed in addition to the specified beds.) This is a special CON.TXT rate, and it is guaranteed only until the beginning of July. Reserve early to ensure you get the type of room you want!

RESERVATIONS: There are two handy ways to book your hotel room.

• Call 800-331-3131 and reference the CON.TXT Women in Media Event at the Residence Inn Pentagon City to make a reservations at the group rate.
• To book online, click on this direct link: CON.TXT Women in Media Event.

Note: If you book online and attempt to make your reservation to check in prior to 7/26/18 or stay beyond 7/30/18, the system will respond that there are no rooms available. Also, if you are booking a room for two or more people, you will need to call the hotel after booking the room to add the additional names to the registration. (If you are planning to check in together, you are not required to add the names ahead of time; this is mostly useful for people who will be checking in separately.)

FACILITIES:

• Wireless high-speed internet access is available for free in all rooms and common areas
• Full kitchens (including a refrigerator, stove, and cooking implements) in every room
• Grocery services and fast food delivery are available
• Free hot breakfast buffet available daily
• Sofa which unfolds into a sofa bed in every room
• All rooms are smoke-free
• Pets are allowed with an additional charge (note that pets will not be allowed in con functions)
• Free hotel shuttle within 3 miles of hotel
• Located in a busy, active neighborhood, with easy access to nearby restaurants, fast food, grocery shopping, etc.
• Easy access (2 blocks) to Pentagon City Metro station (Blue and Yellow lines)
• Indoor pool and fitness center
• Hotel business center with computer, printer, fax, etc.
• All con functions will be held on a single floor

If you have any questions or encounter any issues, please don't hesitate to email us at info@con-txt.net.

October's theme continues with a discussion of mourning customs. Remember, if you become a Patreon backer, you get a photo every week -- and at higher levels, the opportunity to request topics or read behind-the-scenes essays!

Hi,

I have been using OpenID in order to comment on LJ communities as I don't want to have an LJ account for obvious reasons.

I used to be able to log in just fine and post comments and create posts etc. But I recently got a new computer and went to log in and comment and it told me I needed to validate my email address. So I clicked through to a link and then clicked the link that was in the email that LiveJournal sent to my email address.

When I click this link in the validation email, it takes me to a page titled:

"Please, verify that you are human"
When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.

Then there's a continue button to click on. I click the page and it looks like it's doing something, but it takes me back to the same page again and I remain unverified and now unable to comment or post on any communities.

Any ideas as to how I can get LJ to actually verify the email address for my OpenID account? Thanks!

I've noticed that while I have text size scaled up (zoomed in) for easy reading and typing, the "comment" field still gives me very small text. The "subject" field is also in small text. The main text entry field is larger, though, confusingly.

Is there any way to change this?

Thanks!

Little by little we get over the hurdle, past the obstacle and little by little we make a difference. We may not have the time, the energy, the power or the ability to tackle the whole, but if we examine things carefully we can find the bit that we can do, the progress that we can make - the steps that begin the journey.

In the middle of the week, we have our anti-procrastination day. It's a great opportunity to look carefully at the things we've been avoiding starting and thinking about why we aren't getting anywhere with them. There are any number of reasons and it really doesn't matter what they are, they were good reasons before, but now is our chance to reevaluate and to begin to look for a way past them. Remember - this comm is not about having to manage to complete the whole of a task in one go, it's about finding first the way to start and then the way to continue it until we can overcome it. Tasks don't have to be daunting and beyond us, because all we're looking for at any time is the next step.

Can you think of something that you'd like to begin? Something that bit by bit you could overcome? What's today's part of that task going to be (or tomorrow's if today's is the planning stage)?

The "nuclear football" is the nickname for a briefcase of codes the President of the United States can use to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike at any time, for any reason, with about five minutes elapsing from the moment he gives the order until the moment the missiles launch.

I don't care what you think of the current president, or the past one, or any that might come in the future. I care about the fact that no one should have that kind of unfettered power. No one should be able to start World War III on a whim.

And the good news is, we can take that power away.

Courtesy of Rachel Manija Brown, who started the "Pull the Football" social media campaign, here's what you need to know.

Both House and Senate have bills to prevent the President from launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike without a congressional declaration of war. They're both called the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017. (S. 200 - Senate, HR 669 - House.) Passing those bills may literally save the world.

How to save the world:

1. Contact your representatives in Congress. Ask them to co-sponsor the bill NOW, before it's too late.

2. Contact EVERYONE in Congress who might want to prevent a nuclear war. Usually people only speak to their own representatives. But with the fate of the entire world is at stake, it's worth contacting everyone who might listen.

3. Promote the Pull The Football campaign on social media. Trump isn't the only one who can use Twitter. Get on it and start tweeting #PullTheFootball.

Share this post on Facebook or Dreamwidth. Put up your own post on whatever social media you use. Ask your friends in person. If you know anyone in the media, contact them to get the word out. If you're not American, you can help by publicizing the campaign on social media that Americans follow.

How do I contact my representatives?

1. Resistbot is a free service that will fax, call, or write your representatives for you. Just text the word "resist" to 50409 to begin.

2. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the representative of your choice.

I've contacted everyone. What now?

Contact them again. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. One water drop can be brushed away. Many water drops make a flood. Call, fax, or write as often as possible. Set aside 15 minutes every day to make as many calls or faxes as you can in that time. Relentlessness works - it's why the NRA is so successful. If they can do it, we can do it.

What do I say?

Page down for a sample script. Or speak or write in your own words.

Democrats to contact:

Every Democrat not currently sponsoring one of the bills. Thank them for their courage and service to the nation, and ask them to act now to save the world.

Thank the Democrats currently sponsoring the bills. There are 57 in the House and 9 in the Senate. Especially, thank Congressman Ted Lieu (sponsor of the House bill) and Sen. Edward Markey (sponsor of the Senate bill). Encourage them to step up their efforts to make it pass.

Republicans to contact:

The Republicans listed below are the most prominent who have voiced concerns about Trump. This is not an exhaustive list. There are more Republicans who might be receptive. For instance, all the House Republicans who just voted for more aid for Puerto Rico, and all Republicans who are retiring from their seats and so not worried about getting re-elected.

Sen. Bob Corker (202) 224-3344) warned us that Trump is setting the nation on a path to World War III. If you only contact one Republican representative, contact him. Thank him for his courage and urge him to follow through on his convictions.

Rep. Walter Jones (202) 225-3415 is the only Republican to support the bill. Thank him for his courage and urge him to get his colleagues onboard.

Other Republican senators to prioritize contacting: Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham, Orrin Hatch, Dean Heller, John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, Marco Rubio, and Ben Sasse.

Sample Script

Hello, my name is [your name.] I'm calling to ask Representative/Senator [their name] to co-sponsor the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017. (S. 200 - Senate, HR 669 - House.)

I believe Republican Senator Bob Corker when he says we're on the brink of World War Three. No one benefits from a nuclear war. But we can stop it if we choose to. This may be the most important action Representative/Senator [their name] will take in their entire life. It may literally save the world. I urge them to co-sponsor the bill restricting first use of nuclear weapons. Thank you.

*

Don't tell yourself "it could never happen." Don't rest in the assumption that nobody would really launch the nukes -- it's all just posturing, right? We need precautions in place to make sure we don't wake up tomorrow morning to annihilation.

Or don't wake up at all.

It's time for another question thread!

The rules:

- You may ask any dev-related question you have in a comment. (It doesn't even need to be about Dreamwidth, although if it involves a language/library/framework/database Dreamwidth doesn't use, you will probably get answers pointing that out and suggesting a better place to ask.)
- You may also answer any question, using the guidelines given in To Answer, Or Not To Answer and in this comment thread.

This year we are partnering with Eventbrite to handle our registration process. Click the orange button on the CON.TXT website, and you will be taken to our Eventbrite page where you can sign-up and register. If you pre-registered at CON.TXT 2016, we will be automatically registering you with Eventbrite, and you will get a confirmation email at the address you gave us when you registered. If you do not receive that confirmation by October 25th or are unsure if you already pre-registered, please email us at registration@con-txt.net.

The price for a full weekend membership is currently $100. This price will increase to $110 on February 1st, 2018, and will increase agin on May 1st, so don't procrastinate too long.

---

Introducing our theme for CON.TXT 2018: The Joy of Fandom

Let’s face it, things in the real world are starting to look a bit dystopic out there, and we’ve begun to wonder if we’ve entered the darkest timeline. It’s a time when we all need Bob Ross to paint us some happy little trees, or some happy little clouds.

When we REALLY need that fix-it story.

The joy of fandom is our ability to remix, reshape, and rewrite our favorite media into something that pleases us. We change endings, we bring characters back to life, we reimagine Harry Potter as South Asian or Peggy Carter as Captain America, we put hobbits in coffee shops, boybanders in space, and Alexander Hamilton in a zombie apocalypse, we explore infinite timeline diversions, and most of all, we make our favorite characters get laid, fall in love, destroy their enemies, save the world, and buy some curtains. And always remember, there are no mistakes in Bob Ross paintings, just happy accidents.

Fandom is not always perfect, and it’s not always the safe space we wish it were, but at least it’s not the real world. With that in mind, we invite you to come and take a break with us, hang out with other fans in person, and celebrate each other and the media we love!

To make things really exciting, ( spoilers for Star Trek )

Catching up on B99 S3 has been fun. I am a very critical viewer of the show but they've fixed a lot of their Jake Problem, even if a lot of their writing for Boyle is still irredeemable garbage.

( garbage fire aka ouat s7 )