Hello, Livejournal! I'm reporting to you from sort-of sunny Boston, before I head out for another day of getting lost looking for T stops and gaping like a fool at the gorgeous fall colours. I'll talk more about the trip later, I'm too busy being amazed right now to really articulate how ridiculously cool Boston is. I want to live here. I don't want to go back to California ever.

Anyway! I'm a little behind NaNo schedule, but I'm planning on posting the first section of my novel later today. Some people have already mentioned wanting to read it, but I'd like to make sure everyone who wants to get on the novel filter does, so friends, Romans, countrymen -- who's interested in reading my novel? (If you are, you actually have to speak up, as I'm locking it behind a filter and need to know who to include. Don't be shy!)

In other news, Daredevil is eating my brain again, and costumed vigilantes are the new zombies. Write or Die is saving my sorry ass. I need to start going to sleep BEFORE I hallucinate. I hallucinate about TV Tropes.

Just thought I'd let you know, I've decided to go on a fandom hiatus for all of November, and a Livejournal hiatus for the first week. I have homework to catch up on and a research paper to write, and that novel. The quickest and most painless way to get all that done is to kill my Internet time. Thus. Expect me in a week, when I shall shower you with tales of my Week Without Livejournal, and possibly my Trip To The Other Side Of The Continent. (if I can get a ticket.)

Tales of Terror will go up once I've finished one of my papers. They're mostly original this year.

Though I won't be checking until next week, what are you lot doing to make time for NaNo? (If indeed you are, as I know many of you are putting the "no" in November.) Or what are you doing now to get ready, in these last couple of days? And what are you hoping to get out of this year's experience?

Until next time!

From sentienttoaster on youngavengers:

In other brief news, Gabriel said the new Young Avengers limited series by the concept's creators Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung called Avengers: Children's Crusade is scheduled to debut in July 2010 before Comic-Con International: San Diego and is expected to be released bi-monthly to assure its timely shipping. Gabriel added, however, that the creative team is already "two or three issues into that story."

Source

MORE YOUNG AVENGERS. BY ALLAN HEINBURG AND JIM CHEUNG.

In other news, I have been to the doctor and the radiologist and while I do have a (very minor) concussion and I've strained my neck muscles, there's no big damage done. Which is all very nice, and I'm thankful for that much, but a minor concussion still sucks and I am having even more difficulty focusing (both my eyes and my concentration) than usual. Also, dizziness and headache! I'm in better spirits about the whole thing, too -- the guy is a douchebag, sure, but his insurance is paying for everything. I feel that the increase in his premiums is all the retribution I need. Suck on that, sweetheart!

Kind of a lot of things to write this week; most of them are school-related. Coupled with my focus issues, I still won't be responding consistently to online communication. It's not you, it's me.

poisonivory put out a call for help tonight. The website she helps run -- Girl-Wonder.org, a feminist comics fansite -- has been under siege by malware, and the webmistress finally got rid of it via some pretty destructive means.

In poisonivory's words: if any of you are experienced in civicrm, and could lend Betty a hand in putting everything back together, that would be excellent of you. Please contact her at sturdyandserviceable@gmail.com

I dunno if any of you are familiar with civicrm, but this sounds like a pretty good cause to me. if you know anyone who might know it, and would have interest in helping out a site like this, could you pass the message along?

Holy crap, you guys, do you see that header? FIVE DAYS TO NANO.

Which means it's time for haiku summaries! Pretty self-explanatory: summarise your novel's plot or premise in haiku form. I'll go first:

social class struggles
against the rich sorcerers
don't do very much

Your turn now!

Alternatively, use short sentences. 10 words or less! (Haiku are more fun.) For added fun, try limericks.

I was going to write about how the speaking gig went, but I just got rearended and I hit my head and all I want to do is curl up with an icepack and JLI. So that's where I am. Have a great weekend.

douchebag called me 'sweetheart' and dented poor Essi and didn't even fucking apologise. Tried to make it seem like my fault. I want to punch him right in his ugly self-satisfied redneck mug.

With NaNo fast approaching, I have created a related poll on Dreamwidth! I may be inordinately excited about it.

A Poll About Your Writing (Yes, You!)

Anonymous commenting is on. I also think I might have a couple invites lying around, if someone wants one.

And if you don't want to make the trek over there, I'll open the question & answer up over here, too.

Suggested other things you should talk at me about:
- your characters and why they're the coolest/suckiest ever
- your setting and why it rocks/blows
- your plot and/or lack thereof
- any and all problems you have/foresee

In turn, I will answer all your questions about my NaNo plans.

JESUS CHRIST IT'S A MONDAY, GET IN THE CAR.

I hate Mondays. I spent twelve hours and some at school and work, and then the coffee finally kicks in as I'm finally getting home. Figures, right? Also, I think I failed the precalc test I had today, because I went and forgot everything I knew about domains.

I'm in a weird state of emotional volatility these days. Usually I'm pretty calm and rational, don't get worked up about things, sometimes to the point of offending other people (mostly my mother). But lately I've been easily upset, getting angry at small, stupid things or nothing at all. Not sure what's up there. Maybe I'm just sleep deprived.

But hey, enough about the bad. Let's look forward. To Tuesday, when I can sleep in and not have to go to class.

On Friday I'm going to be speaking at a benefit event, right before Judy Shepard (the mother of Matthew Shepard and founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation). It's a pretty exclusive event, $50 cover charge, but the proceeds go to some awesome nonprofits, so I'm pretty psyched. I've got to put together some sort of plan for what I'm gonna say -- I improvised before, but people are actually paying for this one, so I should probably put some effort into it. And then I'm speaking again for Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20th, 6:30 PM in Watsonville. People in the area, ask me more!) on a slightly different theme. Man, it's a good thing I like public speaking, isn't it? /gung-ho

So how many of you are in the Boston-New York-Purchase-Northampton area? Because I'll be there from Nov 5 to Nov 10, and while I'll probably have a pretty full schedule, I can totally make time to get coffee or something if people are going to be around.

I think I had more to say, but I'm sort of brain-fried at the moment. I think I'll go read some more JLI and then pass out. Good night, Internet!

I had all sorts of plans to watch Supernatural tonight, but then I looked at the clock and realised that when I wasn't looking, time had advanced from one o'clock to three. Television is being postponed for sleep! I have to catch a bus at ten fifteen tomorrow morning, which means a twenty-minute walk beforehand. I cannot get that driver's licence soon enough.

Because I haven't been into Atlantis or Comicopolis in a while, I am woefully behind in all my favourite titles but X-Factor, which I caught up to last weekend. So I need to find the issues of Captain America Reborn after #2, as well as Marvels Project #3. I'm adopting another title, too, but weirdly enough it's not Marvel, but DC. Booster Gold has stolen my heart, and my dollars will shortly follow. Which brings me up to four titles a month. Augh. At least Cap Reborn and Marvels Project are miniseries, though I will be very sad indeed to see Marvels Project come to a close.

(By the way, please someone tell me I'm not allowed to write fusion fic with Marvels Project. It's an exciting prospect but I have plenty of things I have to write before then. Even if it would be combining World War II AU with superhero AU. Even if I could make the excuse that Brubaker Did It First. Even if Julian Gulliver would make a killer costumed vigilante. Possibly he would be a little too much of a performer, though.)

(The same goes for Justice Riders.)

(And 1602.)

Anyway. NaNo approacheth! I've yet to determine a subject, which is how I like to start. I do have several vague ideas, though. One involves class warfare and magic. Another involves multiple realities. This'll be my fourth year participating, I think, and hopefully my third win. And maybe this year I'll actually finish the story.

Question for the masses! What's your view on writing fanfiction for NaNo? I never have, but I know others who do, and it struck me as an interesting approach. Part of the fun for me is throwing up wacky, flat characters, and discovering fascinating new things about them as the story progresses. But I imagine it's different for everyone.

Building on that, for those of you who participate in NaNo, what's your preparation strategy?

I was blindsided by Coming Out Day; I'd thought it was next weekend. Whoops? Anyway, obligatory queer activist/ community leader spiel about coming out and the benefits and consequences thereof, and what it means to me.

( cut because when I go off on queer issues, I Go Off. )

For those of you who don't know, I'm a transgendered man. I find attractive qualities in any gender, though I'm not attracted to very many people at all.

So, happy National Coming Out Day, Internet. For those of you thinking of or in the process of coming out, I wish you the best of luck, and I salute you.