I was made for lovin' you, baby...

[lettered]

I was going to do this whole thing for Unsung Heroes Week, like a post a day about all the people who make fandom great, and then I went on a trip, played host to my brother for a day, got sick, kept sneezing all over myself, and still feel like pumpkin-snot smeared on a toilet, so I abbreviated everything into one neat post wherein I jump up and down (jiggling my mucousy body) about two people I really appreciate the hell out of, except not because hopefully there's still some hell in them, especially in a2zmom so we can still do dirty things together.

One person I really appreciate the hell out of is chrisleeoctaves, except again, not to diminish her private hell or anything, because then she probably wouldn't give us such good angst.

I usually approach fandom sites from the POV of someone just starting to get into the fandom, because whenever I get into a new fandom the first thing I do is look at sites and find archives to read fic. And there's no better introduction to B/A and Jossverse than chrisleeoctaves's sites. All her sites are accessible--not only easy to navigate, elegantly formatted and thank god, SIMPLE, but pretty and inviting to look at. And everything is regularly updated without fail, which is a godsend for a newbie stumbling across old dead sites and people no longer involved in fandom (until I found Octaves I thought no one wrote in Jossverse any more, most of the sites I came across were so dead).

As for archives, I really respect keepers of massive archives that contain every fic ever written, but for someone just starting out, that can be so intimidating. The reason I love Sublime so damn much is that instead of taking the time to format and post every fic that crosses her path, chrisleeoctaves uses that time to pick and choose, and to *tell us* what's so special about every story on the archive. I found some of my favorite fics and favorite authors there, and I really owe it to chrisleeoctaves.

Another favorite site of mine is Good Words. Some of the names on that site are names I was hearing all over, but I didn't know anything about these people or what they wrote or why they were so special. chrisleeoctaves not only explains why these people are special to her personally, but gives us the chance to hear it straight from the horses' mouths--the authors themselves, what they write, why they write it, etc. As a new writer it gave me the chance to peek into the brains of genius. But not only that--when I first came into fandom I must say that so many of the other B/A sites I found often included bashing of other ships, characters, and people. But chrisleeoctaves is not about that in any way, shape, or form, and neither are her sites. Good Words forced me--a newbie so consumed by B/A love she had difficulty sparing a thought for anything else--to consider authors who weren't writing B/A, and Chris's frank admiration of them has always opened up doors for me.

Then there's Octaves itself, which hosts three of my favorite authors. Like the rest of us, Chris loves good fic, but she's more constructive about it than almost anyone I've ever known. She encourages people, recs people, gives people space to gab about themselves, gives people space for their own stories. She agrees to host the IWRY Marathon and not only has a fic for every day formatted and posted on time, but creates a site for it and gives awards for it and then asks us how it could've been better.

I want to go on about her fic now, how she's not afraid to try new things, about how her B/A is some of the best in the fandom. I want to go on about how wonderful a person Chris is, how she fans the flames of enthusiasm and adoration of B/A, Angel, and DB for so many of us, shares so much with us, is so giving and generous and kind. But you know, I think her sites and her journal and her presence in this fandom--always so warm and bright--speaks for itself. If you don't already know chrisleeoctaves, you're doing yourself a disservice.

Damn, that was some loquacious gushing.

The other person I appreciate to death (except, you know, don't die) is a2zmom.

a2zmom co-founded The Five Things Archive. She writes excellent fic. She does insightful meta, in typical a2z fashion: view of the characters straight out of canon, fresh and clear without fandom baggage attached, new, self-assured and hers because she thinks for herself, states her mind, and doesn't get bogged down in everyone else's opinions. She's snarky and smart about fic, cutting through crap, pointing out foibles in a clear, straight-forward no nonsense way I so admire, but also a way that's friendly and constructive and beneficial and entertaining.

And she carries that clear-headedness, that this is the way I see things, that objectivity and smartness (and cuteness!) everywhere she goes. When a2zmom recs fic it's not the same fic everyone always recs by the people everyone knows. Hell, sometimes she recs from fanfiction.net, which you don't see often on lj, because who has the wherewithal to trawl through all that crap for something that might be decent? But a2zmom is made of tough stuff, and you never see her crying tears of blood over bad!fic, but rather chuckling to herself quietly. I met a2zmom on ff.n. She left me positive fb. I asked for a beta, secretly hoping she'd offer, but being too afraid to ask her one on one in case she said no. Not knowing anything about me, not obliged to offer me a thing, she stepped up. And a2zmom is the best thing that could've happened to that fic (Best Souvenir) and to me. She helps me see the characters for who they really are, because a2zmom has the uncanny ability to make Buffy and Angel and so many others walk straight from the screen to her head to conversations/fic/meta, which is the true reason we rarely disagree about characterization.

And it's partly because of all this, because she sees things as they are and tells it like it is, that I admire a2zmom so much as a person. I look up to a2zmom. I trust a2zmom. I respect a2zmom. I'd turn to a2zmom for advice. I'd turn to a2zmom for a shoulder to cry on. I'd turn to a2zmom to show you just how I wish all people acted in both fandom and real life--no bullshit, just right. Like Outback kinda. Great now I'm hungry.

Am I the sappiest sap that ever did sap, or what?


The truth of it is, I appreciate every single person on my flist, and quite a few who are not. I appreciate your contributions, your fic, your ramblings about RL, your coolness or your hotness or your friendliness, or all these things together and more. I even appreciate the spams about crap I didn't need to know and don't give a fig for reading. And if you're my friend and I love talking to you I've probably already made it clear because as demonstrated above, I'm a mushy kinda gal.

Thank you:

alleynyc, for taking the time to 1. encourage someone new, 2. point out to me things that could improve my fic, 3. actually physically *helping* me improve my fic.
aloneinthetown, for 1. making me my Celes icon, and 2. making cool icons in general.
crazydiamondsue for 1. keeping fandom fun, 2. reminding us why Xander is cool, and 3. the work you do on su_herald.
germaine_pet for 1. beta'ing The Confessional even though it wasn't A/S! 2. giving us lynnevitational, 3. saying what you think and doing as you please, and 4. said it once and I'll say it again--being the goddess of my fic world.
janedavitt for 1. welcoming me to lj and answering my questions about it when we'd barely even gotten past "hello", 2. asking interesting questions, and 3. warning me about the two different versions of HP: GoF! Damn commercialism.
kita0610 for 1. discovering, reading, and reccing new people, 2. just cutting through all the crap--holding up the absurd, the idiotic, the outrageous and the wrongness to both inflame us and amuse us, and 3. your fic.
makd for 1. giving so much encouragement, 2. copious recs, and 3. being a good person.
romanyg for 1. paid time, omg!, 2. interesting discussion, 3. damn good fic.
southernbangel for 1. starting Unsung Heroes week! and 2. being so loving and friendly and funny.

And finally, I'm shutting up. Oh, and if we're somehow having a conversation, I'm still having it with you; I'm just miserably behind on comments, emails, and the ole flist. For real now, bye.

Comments

[aloneinthetown.livejournal.com]

wow all those a2zmom's in your post kinda make me dizzy! :) Anyway - thanks for the shoutout. MAD LOVE, YO.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

damn, you're right about all those a2zmoms; I took some out because it was hurting my eyes. Well, I took the lj user part off it anyway so it wasn't all highlighted and icony.

And omg, right back atcha.

[makd.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! Thank you; compliments always much appreciated! *hug*

[tkp.livejournal.com]

You make fandom friendly. Thank you for that.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

I'm all hi-lighty. The only thing better would be if I was also sparkly



Pumpkin snot on a toilet? I didn't even know that pumpkins used the facilities. I will be sending you all about "24" very shortly. Totally action packed.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

bahahahahaahhahaha! I looked at that and was like, At Woz Mom?

Heh. I'll remember in the future that you like your sparklies.

Pumpkin snot on a toilet is what would happen if Cinderella had drunk too much at the ball.

Great. Now I'm disappointed about 24. I was finding it dull all season and now the one time I miss it it's "action packed." Oy!

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

We're talking 24 here. Action packed is a relative term.

OK, I can't wait any longer. People who don't wish to be spoiled for last week's episode of 24, read no further.

Previously on 24...I have no idea. I can't keep anything straight.

Chloe is all depressed. "I was so mean to poor, fat Edgar. And now he's dead. Woe is me."

Me: You're a bitch to everyone so no need for the guilt trip.

Kim's boyfriend: "I'm a shrink, so I can help Chloe. Breathe Chloe, breathe! Get all those toxic thoughts out."

Jack: "She's still depressed and we don't have time for this crap. Go back to being your normal crabby self and get back to work." (Looks at Kim's boyfriend) "And you stop touching my daughter." Starts to strangle boyfriend.

Kim: Stop killing my boyfriend. Sheesh.

Chloe: Jack, your shock treatment workrd. I am now back online and oh-ph. The seal is breaking down. In twenty minutes the gas will leak in to all the sealed rooms and we all be dead. We should have installed a cone of silence instead.

Jack: Patch me into the clinic. I need to see if to robocop is cooperating yet.

Tony: Robocop the wife murderer is here with me? He's going to be an ex-robocop!

Jack: No Tony, don't, it will only make you feel bad. After all, I'm always killing people who hurt my loved ones and it...wait, it makes me feel a lot better, but you shouldn't do it anyway.

Chloe: Stop with the banter, Jack. We're all gonna die.

Kim's boyfriend: Just breathe, Chloe and you'll feel better.

Jack: Woe is me. One again my whiny spawn is in mortal danger and its my fault!

Audrey: There, there, you didn't know.

Me: Well he should have. That girl is a demon magnet. Or something.

Chloe: We can flush the poison gas out through the air conditioning system and be saved! But there is a computer program blocking access that first needs to be cleared and the system its running on is in a contaminated area.

Jack: No problem. It's connected to here. I just need to go out through the false wall and hold my breath for an hour or two.

Kim: Nooo!

Jack: I must.

Audrey gives Jack sad but meaningful look. Kim gives Jack "you're ditching me again" look. Jack cuts out false panel which then is replaced and then goes through tunnel with flashlight clamped between his teeth. Right before he goes to the contaiminated space, he zips up the hoodie of super protection and dashes into the room. But no! The vent has a grate in front of it. Jack comes back having failed.

It turns out that the door to the room isn't that far from where Hobbit man is holed up. But there is no safe room for him to go back to one he does this. But that's ok. This all his fault anyway. So hobbit man valiently holds his breath, runs to the computer, does what he has to do and then unheroically dies. Yeah!

Everybody takes a deep breath and then Kim turns to Jack. Even though you were herocically about to give up your own life so all of us could live, I am a whiny, unappreciative bray so please never, ever talk to me again. Me and shrink boy are leaving on the first plane out of here.

Me: Don't let the door hit you on the way out. And if you could play in traffic and get killed, so much the better.

Meanwhile, Prisident Nixon, I mean Logan, is being pressured by the VP to declare martial law. Mrs. Pres says in outrage, he's trying to circumvent the president and make policy! Not so much fun when it's not you doing it, is it? At the same time, Logam appoints someone from Homeland Security to officially be in charge of CTU for now.

During all this, Tony's been waiting impatiently but he's had enough. Time to kill Robocop. Jack gets on the phone and pleads with him again.

Jack: Just let me torture first. It's been hours since I've tortured anybody!

Tony: "Fuck that crap. I was blown up and I have a slight headache. He's going down." He walks over to Robocop with a syringe. "My name is Tony. You killed my wife. Prepare to die." He hesitates, looking at robocop for a second.

Robocop, who has two tons of drups in his system at this point, proves that he really is part robo by grabbing the syringe, sticking it into Tony's heart and hightailing it out of there.

Jack: Shit, can this day get any worse?

Tony: Mrmpph. dies.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I'm almost glad I missed the ep because it meant I got that recap. I was laughing my ass off the whole time I read it. I can't believe they killed off Tony. I mean the actor sucks, but now the only one from the original season 1 is Jack and ... Kim. Great. Oh, and Mike Novick and Aaron the security dude (I love him!) So glad hobbit man died.

This was my favorite part: No Tony, don't, it will only make you feel bad. After all, I'm always killing people who hurt my loved ones and it...wait, it makes me feel a lot better, but you shouldn't do it anyway.

and also: "My name is Tony. You killed my wife. Prepare to die."

Are you sure he didn't say Inigo Montoya?

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

I should have mentioned that the shrink keeps telling everyone to breathe over and over again. Until finally Chloe basically bites his head off.

And Tony dies in Jack's arms. Poor Jack. No one to love him any more.

And hobbitman isn't alone in a cheap ploy at sentimentality, the other guy trapped with Samwise gets to call his daughter so he can tell her daddy will be home later to tuck her in. That's right, make sure the poor kid needs Kim's crappy shrink boyfriend when she grows up.


And I'd like to know where exactly they pumped that gas to? (Next week on 24, Curtis steps over a row of dead people trying to get back into CTU.)

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I need to read your recap to my parents.

How . . . sweet. Did I mention I didn't like the actor? But I liked the Jack/Tony underlying slashyness.

Dude with Samwise what a fuckwit! Was he going to die? He told his daughter he was going to be late and he was never coming back?

lol I hope that's what they showed on the preview. Speaking of dead bodies I really like that V for Vendetta movie that just came out; I highly recommend it. Then again, it hit a whole seething mass of personal kinks, so dunno if it'd be your cuppa.

[lynnenne]

Awwwwwww! *is all sniffly and schmoopy* Let me just name you as one of the unsung heroes of fandom, for asking interesting questions that make us examine ourselves. (And also, I couldn't agree more about chrisleeoctaves. She totally rocks my world. :)

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I have to keep blinking at the "make us examine ourselves". It can just be read in so many ways. And thanks. And it's all true about Chrislee; she deserves all the praise she can get!

I love that icon. Faith boobage!

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

*luffs you so hard you chafe*

[tkp.livejournal.com]

You may make me raw and crusty with chafing but I still like you. ;o)

[anelith.livejournal.com]

Wonderful appreciations you've written here! I'll file these archive recommendations for later, they sound fabulous.

I hope you feel better soon, this cold sounds like a horrible one.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Sublime is B/A--really the best you'll find anywhere (though if you really want to dip in the goodness of B/A you need to also check chrisleeoctaves's Octaves web site because she doesn't include herself in her "best of" archive.

Good Words isn't an archive, but it certainly is a list of incredible authors. Most of 'em I've read but there are a few on there I've never read and I really feel I should.

5 Things is new but the largest collection of fics of one style that I've seen.

And thanks so much--I feel much better, almost completely healed! No gourd on this commode today!

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

Chrislee helped me transfer my webpage and held my hand through all the anguish and panic. I love her for that, amongst many other things.

And you're more than welcome! Grr. GoF. Grr.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's the thing about Chris--she not only makes great sites but she lends a hand to everyone else as well.

I just never forgot how friendly you were from the beginning. And dude, my BFF did the EXACT same thing on GoF--I almost did too but was careful about it after reading about your misfortune! ;o)

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

It really wasn't any trouble helping you at all; I remember how much was a mystery to me when I arrived (still discovering stuff even now!).

Sorry they got taken, too ::sigh::

[southernbangel.livejournal.com]

Pfft, I don't do anything near comparision for the real unsung heroes, but thank you for allowing me to think so for a moment. :) *hugs you tightly*

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Au contraire, my fine unfurry friend! Anyone who stands up and says, "Let's show some lovin'!" is a hero in my book, anyway.

[alleynyc.livejournal.com]

Hugs, babe. My pleasure. *I* am the winner, ultimately!

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but my pleasure too! It was so nice to know there were people interested right from the get go.

[chrisleeoctaves.livejournal.com]

Wow.

Clearly I am more adorable than even *I* knew.

Hoenstly, I do what I do because I love it. What's the point of being here if you don't care about the fandom at large? I am thrilled that Octaves (and all it's other bits) has been a haven to you because that was my intention. I wanted a site that would be helpful and full of good content and current.

Nevertheless- what you have written here has been pretty much the nicest affirmation I've ever had...and I am putting it in my memories to re-read every minute...erm...day.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I do what I do because I love it.

I know, and it shows. It's just...it's so easy to love selfishly and/or lazily, and you don't.

I am putting it in my memories

I'm glad I could show some of how I feel about you and all that you do. I sometimes get so gushy that I worry people will doubt my sincerity or be embarrassed or be creeped out! But you give so much, and I am truly grateful.

[chrisleeoctaves.livejournal.com]

oops. I should have added that you're right on about a2zmom and everyone else, too...but I was too busy being all puffed up. *hee*

[tkp.livejournal.com]

As you have a right to be! :o)

[ribbonroad.livejournal.com]

Geeze. This is prolly out of nowhere, but I'm so glad you're around these parts, because you bring the love in buckets. *squishes just because*

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Right back atcha, and I'm glad to be here too!

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Xander is cool. It just really can't be said enough...and dude...what about his Magic Penis? Yeah.

I agree on all of these whole-heartedly.

(Did you know I threw my back out and no doubt missed a fascinating weekend of fic/discussion. So very sad.) Missed you!

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Of course, the whole post could've been summed up by:

'

Hopefully that'll make your back feel better, too? I'm sorry and no, I didn't know! I haven't been around as much as usual because of the whole Austin-brother-sick thing! *hugs you madly but very carefully*

[romanyg.livejournal.com]

I am nodnodnodding my head in emphatic agreement regarding Chrislee and a2zmom. Fandom would be so much less without them.

Thank you for the mention. I blush mightily. You're pretty cool yourself.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

They are the bestest.

And I already said it, but right back atcha. It's fun having people like you in fandom, who're interested in real thought and discussion and fic.