Beyond Redemption

Welp, it’s been a couple of days since I’ve updated with stuff other than strictly MJ news, so happy belated 4th of July. I hope y’all had fun and did the whole bbq thing.

Yesterday was Neo’s birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NEO!!) and I wanted to write something for her. She chose Inu-cest with a splash of angst, and I kinda shocked myself because I wrote it under 2 hours. Shit, it was almost a reminder of just how fast I can update when I really want to, lol. But seriously, it was nice to be able to do something for someone that has tirelessly done so many things for me. And she actually liked it, so that made me smile. —> 😀 See?

The story is called “Tempest” and it’s a 1700 word ficlet with a little angst and smut. If you like yaoi, you may enjoy it. I’m still new to boylove, and most of my lovelies don’t read that, so I don’t expect many to acknowledge it. But I had a great time writing it, which is always a treat. I like writing Loved, too, and it’s awesome because it’s been so long since I’ve actually liked writing…

Speaking of, the next chapter of “Loved” is in its final stages. (I’m sorry this took so long, Lily, though I know you’ll just laugh and tell me not to rush myself. lol.) I really wanted to have it finished last week, but I admit, the MJ thing hit me really hard and I lost all concentration for writing. I’m trying to have chapter 3 posted today because tomorrow I may not be any good. As the planet already knows, tomorrow is Michael’s memorial service, and essentially, our last chance to say goodbye. So there’s a good chance that I’ll be upset and not in the mood to do much besides mourn. Mhmm, I was a major fan even if I didn’t share that little obsession with y’all. I have all of his albums, dvds, videos -you name it.

*pictures myself dancing around in my drawers to Smooth Criminal* 😛

Saying farewell for good will be hard on us fans, but God called him home and all we can do is wait to see him again someday. The service will be at the Staples Center and televised on most major networks if you want to see it. I wish I could have gone, but 1.6 million people tried to get 11,000 tickets; there was just no way, lol. Shows the power of a true king. I just hope the service does him justice and they don’t let it turn into something unsavory -which is easy to accomplish with Joe Jackson, the douche, around.

Then there’s the battle over his estate. I know some people have issues with the Jacksons and think they were all just horrible to Mike and that’s why they were cut from the will. I don’t personally believe that. I think there may have been a little strife with his brothers, but it’s pretty plain that he loved his sisters and mother (Though LaToya is a waste of skin). Now, a court has ruled that his estate be handled by two guys who are not family (and Mike is to blame for that) and it’s pretty clear that they have designs to get their hands on his assets, money, and the vault of unreleased songs he made to generate profit for themselves. I mean, why else would they balk at being asked to keep Katherine, his mother, in the loop on all decisions regarding his things? It’s a farce that his earnings may end up in the hands of two men that did nothing to help him acquire them when they should go to his mother and children, whom he loved dearly. What bullshit.

And you know the fight for the kids is coming. I’m sure that glorified surrogate already sees dollar signs, but I’m sure Katherine is ready to fight a war on that. Michael said in his will that he wanted his mother to raise them and if that’s not a tooth and nail battle cry, then nothing is.

On to other stuff. The FA awards just ended, so congrats to all of the winners. I’ll be updating the website today and preparing the awards to be handed out (You know, labeling and such) and then I’m done, for the most part. I’ll be announcing what that means on the FA site after the term officially closes.

Challenge Destiny is doing well. The first prompt brought more entries than I expected, so that was nice. If you’re not a member and would like to be, go ahead. I didn’t restrict it to ED authors. I’ll also be figuring out what the prize is for FOTM since that’s only 3 weeks away. There’s a good chance that it may be something online; I’m busy this month and don’t really want to spend time holed up in the post office.

Eternal Destiny is doing well, too. I’m already planning what the Sept. skin will look like, and of course, on Sept. 1st the Destined Awards start. There will also be a little treat to go with that and I hope everyone enjoys it, but that’s all I’m going to say for now. Official announcements will go up when I open nominations.

Allrighty, it’s time to get started on this FA stuff. Oh,a nd there are tiebreaker polls going on. So if you’re a member, please go vote so we can close this term! 😛

What a week! I haven’t updated here in a few days, so I figured it was time. It’s been a little busy with work, post office bullshit, and Trek, but I’ll do a brief “catch up” session. 😀

First, yes, my obsession with the new Star Trek movie continues. I downloaded a bootleg of it the other day, then a better one last night, and in total, including the 2 times I saw it on opening weekend, I’ve seen it 6 times. I shit you not. 6 times and the movie isn’t even a week old! The funny thing is that being a trek fan already, I was very skeptical about this film and didn’t have plans to see it. Then, I saw a few trailers with Spock and lost my fucking mind! 😛

It’s safe to say I’m completely and utterly taken with Young Spock. (I can’t say that enough.) I love the Spock/Uhura pairing, and when time permits, I’m going to dive headfirst into reading all of the S/U ficcage I can get my hands on. I’ve read some already, but yeah, new frontiers. I’m even going to write one, though you guys are never going to read it. *chuckles*

Overall, it’s just nice to have something other than InuYasha since this fandom really isn’t what it used to be for me. With each new childishly stupid incident, I get a little more put off, so S/U is a nice departure. Plus, they’ve renewed my interest in fanfic, because for a while, I wasn’t much for reading it anymore. But that’s for reasons I won’t get into here. The point is, I’m having more fun than I’ve had in a while, so huzzah!

How about a pretty screenshot? I took it while watching the movie. <333

I hate the post office. Like, seriously. They always fuck up everything and I’m completely annoyed with them. They can never get anything anywhere in one piece and getting recourse simply doesn’t happen. For example: I sent Onna a mac computer and guess what they did? Literally broke its neck. I was furious. Now, Onna sends me some a gift, some specialty dolls for my birthday based on The Edge of Seventeen. A set, too, and guess what? They have lost the fucking package. They attempted delivery, no one was home, so I guess that was their cue to lose it. I spent TWO HOURS in that fucking place yesterday just to hear that they can’t find it. So they give me a number to call today -well, it’s been busy all day. I’ve reported them and I’m going there in person tomorrow, and if they don’t find that fucking package, they had better get a fucking cop.

I’m home today trying to relax and get some writing done (if I can tear myself away from this damned movie!), but I’m not going to push it. If the words come, great. If they don’t, back to the movie, lol. Oh, and speaking of writing and such. My friend, Jenn, is selling some of her anime stuff. I told her I was going to list it with my next update in case the lovelies are interested, but I’ll also list them here along with her e-mail address.

Inuyasha:
Inuyasha Manga- 1-25 Brand New. Never been read condition.
Inyasha Ani-Manga- 1-15 Brand New. Never been read condition.
Inuyasha Full Seasons 1-4 and half of 5. (DVDs 1-37) Only watched once.
Inuyasha Ani-Manga for Movie 1. Brand New. Never been read condition.

Full Metal Panic:
FUll Metal Panic-The Second Raid (TSR) DVD.1 Never been watched. Brand New.

Black Cat:
Black Cat Manga 1-15. Only read once. Great Condition. Like New.

Her e-mail is: snowolfs@bellsouth.net
The prices are reasonable, so give her a holler. 😀

Okay, I’m going to git. Lovelies, if anyone wants a copy of the Trek movie (Keep in mind that this is a bootleg. It’s in widescreen format, but it’s far from perfect. If anything, it’s something to wet your whistle until you can see it on the big screen or on DVD) or the soundtrack, give me shout and your Grrrl will hook you up. Otherwise, live long and fucking prosper!

I was chatting with someone about this and I just have to weigh in on it. First of all, the artist, purchaser, etc, will remain anonymous, and I assure you that it is NOT me. I, for one, have never had an issue with any of my artists, which is why I’m a repeat customer. My ladies, whom I lovingly refer to as “Kiki’s Angels” (Watches them strike a pose with guns n’ shit) are fabulous artists and even better friends and I know that when I seek them out for a commission, I’m going to be wildly happy. 😀

Now, back to the story. Basically, this is it in a nutshell: Someone I know commissioned art from someone and was completely dissatisfied with the transaction. First, after paying in full upfront, they never got a rough draft. That, to me, is outrageous.  If your commissioning something from someone, shouldn’t you get a draft before it’s colored so that you can approve the final project? In my experience, that’s when you let the artist know if you’d like any changes -before they spend time coloring it. And if you do want changes, you work together until the purchaser is satisfied. What is the point of buying art if you don’t like it?

Then, once the art was done, the artist didn’t notify the client. They simply posted the art to their public gallery without so much as a heads up. No note, or anything stating that the art was ready. Again, outrageous. If you’ve noticed, my commissions don’t appear on any of my ladies’ galleries. I let it be known from the start that what I commission is for my websites and I don’t want that work associated with any other site but mine. That’s what I’m paying for when I commission and they’re okay with it. 😀

When the client asked that the art be pulled since they bought it for a reason and not to be on display for anyone to take, use, etc. (like they do with so much created art that is tossed onto all of these sheezy art type sites), the artist balked and said, in so many words, that the art is theirs and that all artists do this.

By this, I mean accepting payment for art, but still retaining all rights to it, and being the one to decide whether or not it can be posted at all, including by the person that commissioned it.

o.O WUT?

So, the artist wants to accept payment for a commission, but still have the right to decide where the art ends up, still has the right to post the art wherever they like, and also have the right to decide if YOU, the person that paid them, can do something with the art?  GET BENT.

As the one that paid for the art, YOU own the art. Period. If you don’t want it posted anywhere, that is your right. The commission wasn’t cheap, so the argument about “I worked really hard and I want it posted on my site” doesn’t fly. The artist was paid for that effort, were they not? They didn’t turn on photoshop for free, now did they? If they accepted a fee, they are now drawing for a client, not themselves, and they do not own the art unless they plan to return the fee.

Imagine you’re the owner of a company and you pay an artist to design a logo for your business ad. Now imagine that artist telling you that your logo belongs to them and they want to put it in other places where it can possibly be used, and they also will let you know if you can use it in your ad. Hey, they may let you, they may not, but it’s up to them to decide.

Can you see the fucking absurdity in that?

I’ve been blessed with knowing some really fantastic artists. They’ve given me giftpics, allowed me to commission them, the works. I appreciate them to a ridiculous degree, not only because their talent is awing, but because they’re sharing it with me. When I receive art as a gift, I don’t bat an eyelash when they post it to their public galleries. Why would I? They gave me a gift and it’s not my place to make any demands of any kind. In fact, I post it, too, and sing their praises to anyone that will listen.

However, when I pay for it, that’s my art and I’m within my rights to ask certain things of them especially when those requests are not unreasonable. I’m not trying to claim their art as my own, and I credit every artist and graphic designer that I use on my websites. I never, ever attempt to take credit for anyone’s work. So if I ask that the art I bought not be listed in places outside of my network of websites, I don’t think there should be a problem.

So, I guess the moral of the story is that when purchasing, the buyer should work out everything to the last detail before laying their cash down. If the artist thinks the art is still theirs, even if you’ve paid them for it, that is an artist to avoid. If you don’t want your art posted in their private and public galleries, say so, and if they balk, walk away. It doesn’t make sense to shell out money for something that isn’t really yours, does it? Besides, there are a lot of artists out here that would appreciate a commission; you don’t have to settle.

I’m still getting used to my new place, but I’m having fun. I just made a “local” avatar, which is like a default for everyone that comments here. It’s a heart and an L (looks a lot like my faveicon, which is a a heart and an”IG”). The L, if you haven’t guessed, stands for “Lovelies”. I’d like to mess with a few other skins that I saw that may look good, but ultimately, I’ll probably get one made from scratch that will be unique to me and my WP.

The Feudal Association nominations end today and I’m a little glad because I want my work to end, not that it will… I’ll still be updating the site once the voting is over. Then, I’ll be done. Thank God.

I downloaded the discography of Flyleaf (which isn’t much. 2 cds and 4 videos), but they’re a great band. Right now, you’re listening to “Sorrow”, which is fantastic. She has a unique voice, and in the wrong environment, it can grate a person’s nerves. But she keeps balance, so… Give them a shot. 😀

Working on my WP and figuring out how to operate took away from my writing, but I’ll be back on track soon, especially since voting is set to commence and I’ll have 2 weeks to myself. Maybe more if I drop my work with the FA after this term. I have my reasons for wanting out at this point. What they are? Not here, and not now, especially since I don’t know if I’m walking away yet. All I know is that I’m spread really thin, and to be honest, the effort isn’t appreciated very much. I have a lot of shit that I’m committed to online, plus, I actually have a job –gasp!

Did I mention that I’m also HUMAN, and subject to HUMAN ERROR, but that does not mean incompetence?  Yeah, I didn’t, so I’m just tired. I have a way of doing things, of checking myself before I pass it over to the next person, but apparently, that isn’t always good enough. And you know what? I don’t fucking care. I don’t get paid to do anything for anyone. What I do for others is because I’m generous and I like to help when I can, but really, what the fuck for? The world won’t stop if I withdraw and tell people to  do everything for themselves and leave me alone, now, will it? So maybe that is the route I will choose. For once, it will be ME first.

Geez, that turned into a rant, didn’t it? Well, so what. No apologies.

To my lovelies, enjoy our boy! 0.~