Omg, this movie is AMAZING. I usually don't like indie movies (yes, even the gay ones), but this movie was weird but adorable at the same time. There's glitter and fairies and costumes and hot boys (most of whom are gay irl, yay). It's like Glambert: The Movie. Bonus: the main guy looks a lot like ZEfron.

( Some caps to inspire you to watch the movie )

THREE WORDS: ROLLING STONE & KRADAM

PRETTY SURE nowheretogo26, choco_carebear, abusing_sarcasm, AND aki_hoshi ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE ON MY FLIST WHO CAN APPRECIATE THIS POST. MAYBE THERE ARE MORE, SORRY, I'M BASING THIS OFF OUR TWITTER CONVERSATIONS.



"I was like, 'Oh, s--t, they put me with the cute guy.' Distracting! He's the one guy that I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty and totally my type except that he has a wife. I mean, he's open-minded and liberal, but he's definitely 100 percent straight."

*CRIES*

I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to Adam Lambert's penis. I can't stop watching this video:



Also, has anyone been keeping up with SYTYCD? I'm loving this season so far. So happy to see Ricky & Asuka, Brandon, Natalie, and Phillip (+ his girlfriend!) back again. I'm also loving the Hawaiian guy with the crazy name and Nathan, the adorable 17 year old who's coming back next season. I haven't watched the second auditions episode yet (been too busy working... will watch this weekend), but I noticed Evan was back, which I'm also ridiculously excited about.

Guys... we're going to find out the California court's final ruling on Prop 8 tomorrow. This is it. Holy crap. I need someone to hold my hand right now.

Here's hoping they make the right decision.

(This message is endorsed by Bradam)

The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat (NC-17, ~25k)

This is BY FAR the best Merlin fic I've come across since I joined the fandom, not to mention one of the best fics I've ever read, period. The author's writing style is impeccable. I read one of her shorter fics, The Tower, and was curious to see if she had written a fic in which Merlin's characterisation was more in line with my preferences. Well, I found it. The Crown of the Summer Court is about Merlin unwillingly competing to become king of the elves with Arthur as his champion. Along the way, Merlin has to reveal his magic in order to win against the other elves. The story is written with such attention to detail that it's impossible not to fall into the world. Merlin and Arthur's relationship is just... omg. The author weaves Merlin's magic into their relationship seamlessly, and the way it leads into the sex is HOT. I'm seriously in awe of this author. *reads her other Merlin fics*

ETA: OMG I just realised this author writes Archucook fics too. AND I just stalked down her LJ and she's an Adam fan! She's officially my favourite person in the world right now *_*

ETA 2: OJFLKDSJFLSA SHE WRITES KRADAM FIC TOO.

I come bearing Kradam .gifs! (okay, and a few self-indulgent pictures from the AI8 finale, too...)



( Epic bromance this way )

Working on my paper, and I've run into a spot of trouble.

If anyone has ever read Textual Poachers by Henry Jenkins, you might remember he outlines the four stages of first time slash fics. The stages are:

1. Initial relationship (often the two male characters are already in relationships, but they’ve always had repressed feelings for each other)

2. Masculine dystopia (when one man realizes his feelings for the other, he struggles with traditional ideas of masculinity; the more he struggles the more attracted he is to the other man)

3. Confession (one character finally confesses. Sometimes the other responds by backing away, but eventually they get together. This part is emotionally powerful because writers typically emphasize the impossibility of their love)

4. Masculine utopia (the physical release)

I want to apply these stages to a well-known slash fic. Can anyone think of an H/D (or other pairing) fic that follows this narrative trajectory? I was thinking Beautiful World or Irresistible Poison, but if anyone has better suggestions, let me know :)

(Sorry I've been asking you guys for help so much lately. There might be a few more of these posts later today, but I'll promise they'll stop after tonight!)

ETA: One more question -- can anyone point me towards popular fics with good sex scenes that focus more on the emotional connection between the characters than the actual physical act?

Just read the most amazing James/Scorpius fic, rec'd by aldehyde. Getting There by leashy_bebes actually made me forget my dislike of drama-free, straightforward plots, it was so good. I usually need twist after twist to keep me interested, but this one was pretty much 59k of adorable shippy moments and really hot smut, and I couldn't stop reading. Sorry I can't say more; I'm not good at this reccing thing. Go read it, though!

HOUSE TONIGHT. DISCUSS.

1. LOVE Adam Lambert. He handled the hint at his sexuality so well. I kinda wish he'd been out with a guy, though -- that would've made every headline on the internetz.

2. Danny Gokey is adorable. I know that's an unpopular opinion, but there it is. I wish I'd been at the Grove when he was there :(

3. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson gross me out. They both come off as hardcore white trash, idk. The constant smoking/perpetual air of wastedness/looking like they just fucked in back of a club stuff totally rubs me in the wrong way. I hate that it's ~cool~ among teenage girls to aspire to be like them.

I've been having issues figuring out housing for next year, but other than that, things have been going well for me today. Went to a luncheon for Annenberg's Communication Leadership Scholars today and found out I'll get the opportunity to work with Maria Shriver on an upcoming project about the modern woman's place in society next year. Exciting stuff :D Also nabbed an interview for an internship at Metromix! The guy who called me to let me know asked whether I watch AI, which of course led to an awesome discussion about Adam Lambert.

Hope you guys are doing well ♥ I've been getting a lot of emails and messages about SKoM lately -- I promise I'll work on it as soon as I get settled down into my summer routine.

First of all, this basic account thing is totally not working for me. I went ahead and paid for the next month. Whether or not I get the full year will depend on whether I can get a job this summer :x

I have to say, I'm a little embarrassed posting after such a long break :"> I'm so sorry, guys! I promise I'll return after all the craziness of this semester calms down. I'll be staying in Los Angeles over the summer doing an internship, so I should have lots of free time to write (and hopefully finish SKoM, which has been hanging over my head like a horrible storm cloud for months).

The main reason for this post is (unfortunately) school related. I have to write a big final research paper for my Advanced Writing class, and I chose feminism within slash fandom as my topic. It's actually been fun -- I got to talk to Henry Jenkins, who's a huge fandom scholar, and I found out he's going to be a professor in my major here at USC next fall! -- but now the deadline is approaching and I need to actually start writing.

Before I get into the theoretical stuff, though, I want to give a short introduction to our LJ branch of slash fandom. I was wondering if you guys could fill out this poll for me. It's got ten simple multiple choice questions (with one short answer), and it shouldn't take too long. If you don't want to fill out the whole thing, please at least answer the last two questions.

Also, if you guys could pass this on to people on your flist, I would really appreciate it! I want to reach as many as possible, in case my flist is too selective of a sample.

Thanks! ♥♥♥

( Fandom poll )

1. Turned down ICS and a guaranteed spot in London Fall 2009 in hopes of getting into London Spring 2010 :x If I don't get in, I will be most upset. I'm kind of nervous, but I really can't afford to go right now, so I guess this is the best I can do.

2. I have two internship interviews this week! One's for a field marketing position at Universal Pictures (basically... everything) and the other's for a creative development position at Valhalla Motion Pictures (Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk). I really, really want the field marketing internship at Universal. I met Erik Gonzalez, one of the heads of the department, at an Annenberg event. Hopefully he remembers me :x

3. This season of AI = amazing. A top 5 of Adam, Matt, Kris, Allison, and Danny would make my LIFE.

4. I think I have strep throat :(

5. Follow me on Twitter!

I miss fandom :( I want to get back into writing. I meant to this spring break, but I didn't have any time. A recent surge of new friends (which I'll assume is SKOM-related -- whoever recced me, thank you ♥) made me look back at my fics, and now I miss H/D. I really want to finish SKOM, but I don't even know where to start. Oh, and I miss Merlin. A lot. I might even write a Merlin ficlet tonight, if I can get this application finished in time.

Update on my summer study abroad plans: I was one of 16 people accepted to the ICS program (the one that goes to London, Paris, Prague, and Rome in a month), but my parents balked and went back on their promise to pay when they saw how much the plane tickets alone are going to cost ($2,000 -- the whole program will cost about $6,000, and that's with my scholarship paying for tuition). I don't know if I'll be able to go now :( I considered paying for it myself, but as of now I don't know my financial aid results for next year, so I don't know if I'll be able to get a job to pay back whatever loan I take out. If I can't find a way to pay, I guess I'll have to cross my fingers and hope the film development internship I interviewed for last week still wants me :S

Meanwhile, I've got American Idol slash to keep me entertained...



Kradam ♥♥♥

I don't think I ever really appreciated my paid account until I let it expire and this hulking ad appeared on my page. Guess my layout is one of the sacrifices I'll have to make if I'm going to study abroad with ICS this summer and not starve while I'm in Europe.

Sorry I've been so absent lately. How's everyone doing? I haven't talked to any of you in ages :( RL has eaten my soul, ugh.

(I don't even have an appropriate icon to express my discontent. Being broke sucks.)

ETA: ...um, it looks like the ad is gone now. Or am I delirious?

YAY SEAN PENN AND DUSTIN LANCE BLACK!

That's all I have to say, because I'm pretty much the only person in the world who doesn't care for Kate Winslet.

So I went to the DR today and just barely missed getting into the taping (though I did get put in the priority group for future live tapings, so that was nice), and it was a totally new, eye-opening experience. The show is so different behind the camera. I actually enjoyed it more.

( Details )

Reasons why Annie's life is not that great right now

1. Still haven't figured out who my secret admirer is.
2. Got tickets to the AI dress rehearsal on Tuesday, and once again it doesn't look like I'll be able to go due to an unfortunate combination of uninterested friends, lack of efficient/cheap transportation, and class. Which means I'll be missing seeing Danny, Anoop, Michael, and Brent perform live :(
3. A friend of mine left for New Zealand a few days ago. I want to go to New Zealand :(
4. Still haven't heard back regarding the two internships I applied for. (VS PINK and Paul Hastings -- yes, a lingerie collection for teenagers and a law firm. I'm trying to expand my horizons.)
5. The heat in our apartment doesn't work.
6. Paper due this Tuesday -- if I end up going to AI, I don't know if I'll be able to turn it in early because my professor's office hours suck. Also, it doesn't help that the paper requires me to research the Bible.
7. Been spending way too much money on VS stuff lately :(
8. Boyfriendless on Valentine's Day. Enough said.
9. No motivation whatsoever to write. That includes fanfiction, essays, my House spec, and fanfiction once again.
10. My dwindling food supplies are bordering on alarmingly nonexistent. I've barely made it through these past few days on one meal a day. Too bad I don't have a car to get to the nearest store.

Reasons why Annie's life is awesome right now

1. Saw "He's Just Not That Into You" yesterday. It was adorable. I want my own Alex :(
2. Wine, chocolate, and good conversations with friends isn't a terrible way to pass Single's Awareness Day.
3. That's it.

I just received a package with a box of chocolates and a card from a supposed secret admirer.

...

K, FESS UP, WHICH ONE OF YOU GUYS DID IT?

Guys, I'm digging this season of AI so hard. It looks like the top 36 spoilers are true, so I'm going to take a brief moment to express my fangirly joy.

( Spoilers, duh )

So Are They All, All Honourable Men by seperis, Merlin/Arthur, NC-17, long enough to split into two parts!!

Christ, this fic is good. Merlin pisses off a nobleman and accepts a fight he'll never win, Arthur comes to realise as he tries to prevent the fight from happening that he really cares for Merlin, Merlin reveals his powers, Arthur accepts them, sex ensues, and everyone lives happily ever after. It's typical, but it's by no means boring.

Not gonna lie, the beginning is somewhat messy. I almost stopped reading, but I pushed through the first few untidy paragraphs because something about the author's voice ("I am a prince. I have *servants* to build bridges if I want a bridge!" "Of course, Your Highness. Please examine your figures here; perhaps you did not mean for your bridge to collapse into the river?" -- mind you, the asterisks are going to annoy the hell out of you all the way to the end of the fic) caught my interest. I'm so glad I did, because the writing cleaned up quickly and the rest of the fic was a smooth, enjoyable read.

The best part of the fic is undoubtedly the UST. There's none of that contrived "their fingers brushed and both of them jerked their hands away, blushing" nonsense. The UST build-up in this fic is so natural that I never once felt the urge to roll my eyes at how obvious the author's efforts were. There's one scene where Arthur applies a salve to a wound on Merlin's back that's utterly gorgeous. The same can be said of the undressing scene leading into the sex. Speaking of the sex, OMG. It's perfect. The whole scene is so poetic and beautiful, but incredibly real and not at all purple prosey at the same time. I felt like I was reading slash for the first time all over again. Seriously, any fic that can make me feel that way is worth giving a shot. Go read it! :D