~Soak Up The Sun~

Happy Christmas!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:07:23 GMT

Just stopping by to say Happy Christmas (or Whatever!) to all my f-listers and any lurkers who haven't said "hi" yet!

We're getting some sleet and ice, but hopefully it'll clear up a bit before we head down to family Christmas at my grandparents' place.

Best to everyone, especially those who don't particularly enjoy the holiday. *hugs* Take care, guys!

All my love,

~*SC

A Question about Default Icons (Or, It's Amateur Sociology Time! \0/ )

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:33:59 GMT

Default icons.

Most of us have them, I would venture. But in changing my default icon recently, I got to thinking about how we choose default icons.

I know that in some cases, I associate icons with people almost as strongly as I associate their online handles (which is saying something, since in many cases the only name I have for someone is their online handle!). For example, long before I was friends with sansets, I knew her default icon (and in fact I had a moment of "Oh, hey, YOU!" during the friending process, which I am admitting here only because it's relevant to the topic at hand *shame*). BTW, sansets? You are never allowed to change your icon, or I will have to hurt you~, okay? All my <3, Me.

That's just a tiny example, but I was thinking about it. What impact does a default icon have? Do we draw conclusions about users based on their default icon? If, for instance, a default icon isn't overly polished, or if it's pixelated, or hard to read, or not 100x100px, or any number of other things that might be considered "faults", does that affect our perception of the user the icon is representing?

I guess I'm pondering this because icons ARE representational in the LJ/DW-verse, where we often communicate solely by text. The icons a we use may be the only visual representation of us that our friends and acquaintances see.

So besides the question of perception (that is, what impact do you think others' icons/icon choices have on your perceptions of them), I'm also wondering what, if any, consideration goes into selecting your own default icon. Have you had the same icon for years and years, or does it change more frequently? Do you prefer a more general image for your default, or is it a fandom-based icon? Do you mean your icon to make any sort of statement, or represent something about you?

Because I always try to do a bit of self-analysis when I do these sorts of posts, I guess I'll take a look at my own icon, as well as my perception of others'.

It's sort of embarrassing to admit, but I think I do tend to make a first-impression judgment based on icons. For instance, if I see someone posting using a blurry or sort of amateurish icon (where the type is blurred or can't be seen against the background, generally sort of unpolished), I do catch myself thinking, not necessarily anything bad about the person, but perhaps that they're newer to LJ, haven't been around long enough to find icon-makers and snag some of their lovely creations.

Examining that, it's obviously a faulty assumption, and one I shouldn't make, but it's interesting to me that I consider the use of "pretty" icons to indicate familiarity with and activity in the LJ/DW-sphere. What I can't necessarily pin down is whether this comes from the general fact that the people I admire and who I know have been involved in the fannish community tend, on average, to have very nice icons (making it a top-down association), or whether it's a bottom-up association, meaning that I have perhaps encountered more newbie LJ users with amateurish icons. (I really don't feel like the word "amateurish" really captures what I'm talking about, and I'd be glad of suggestions on this. It's not the right word, but using a term like "bad" would be making a value judgment that I feel would be supremely unfair, here, so I'm trying to avoid that.)

As far as my own default icon goes, I have had several in my LJ career. The ones I can remember, at this point, are my Carmen Sandiego icon (which was generally a big hit--favorable perception based on nostalgia? Most of the comments I got about it were of the "OMG is that Carmen Sandiego?? I used to watch that show all the time!!" sort), my recent Misha Collins icon with Star Trek (2009)-inspired lens flare (obviously a fannish icon, which incorporated my current obsessions with both SPN and STXI), and this current one (which I am hard selecting rather than leaving to the "default" setting, because I want this entry to make sense if I ever change it again! XD ).

My current default icon I made myself, out of a stock photo I fell in love with at first sight. However, I've had it hanging around in my icon slots for nearly a year now, and it's only just become my default. I think my motivation was somewhat based in my inability to Stop Messing With Stuff, but also because I tend to view favorably (and remember) icons with simple, somewhat iconic (yes, yes) images. This icon image is one that spoke to me, and continues to speak to me, which is why it has eventually made its way to "default" status. As to what it says about me to outside observers, I have no idea. (Feel free to share your impressions, though!)

Hi there, metafandomers! Yipe, okay, so my email didn't bother to give me comments all day yesterday; I didn't mean to ignore all of you!! D= I can't guarantee I'll reply to everybody, I think I'm just gonna hang out and participate in the discussion, at this point, but I really appreciate all of you taking the time to read and share your opinions! Also, I want to make it clear that by making this post, I'm not trying to insult anyone! Your icon is your personal choice; I'm interested in why and/or how you made that choice. *g*

New Fic! Zombies Ate Your Idols (They Were Delicious) | Bandom/AI8, PG-13

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:20:59 GMT

Title: Zombies Ate Your Idols (They Were Delicious)
Fandom: Bandom (MCR) / American Idol 8
Author: solar_cat
Pairing: Adam/Kris pre-slash (with hints of Adam/Kris/Katy?), Frank/Gerard stage!(?)gay (No, seriously, no one has any actual sex so I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS. D= )
Rating: PG-13.
Wordcount: ~3,200
Warnings: Highly unrealistic. This would never actually happen. Like, really, never.

Summary: In which Gerard Way takes a stand against discrimination, Adam Lambert discovers the importance of dice, Kris Allen is not kidnapped against his will, and the folks at 19E learn to love the stage!(?)gay. Welcome to the Zombies Ate Your Idols tour, 2010!

Notes: Huge THANK YOU!!! to zeenell and b_dsaint for their truly phenomenal beta work, without which this fic would be even MORE implausible and ridiculous. <3!

[[Cross-posted to idolslash and bandslashmania]]

Zombies Ate Your Idols (They Were Delicious)

New Fic! \0/

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:02:54 GMT

I wrote more fic! And yes, I have committed bandom again. I will repent of my sins... um... someday? XD

Title: Spyro! (Or, The One Where Spencer is a Small Purple Dragon)
Author: solar_cat
Fandom: Bandom: PATD/TYV, FoB, tiny amounts of CS and TAI.
Pairing: PATD/TYV GSF, minor Pete/Patrick, hints of Gabe/William
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~9,000
Warnings: Ridiculousness. Author who has read too much Discworld. Scarves?

Summary: It took Spencer approximately five seconds to realize he had wings.

Notes: This fic is entirely monroe_nell's fault. She commented on Twitter about how the shorthand for Spencer/Ryan was "Spyro", which only made her think about the video games. To which I replied, well, obviously Spencer Smith is a small purple dragon! And then suddenly I was writing this fic. XD Except, of course, I'm a huge Spencer/Brendon shipper, so my only recourse was to make it GSF. Sorry, "Spyro" OTP-ers! XD Remarkably, I have written self-indulgent fic with a plot! I am amazed at myself! \0/

HUGE thanks go out to monroe_nell and sansets for their endless enthusiasm for this fic! I couldn't have done it without you! <333

Link: http://solarcat05.livejournal.com/20006.html

Which means I get to do THIS:

23772 / 50000 words. 48% done!

WHOOO-HOOO!!!!\0/ \0/ \0/ I BROKE 20k!!!! HELL YES!!! \0/ \0/ \0/

Well, now I've gone and done it. XD

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:04:24 GMT

That's right. I committed bandom fic. *hangs head* Well, no going back now.

Title: Vampires Will Never Hurt You (But I Make No Promises About Zombies)
Author: solar_cat
Fandom: Bandom | MCR
Pairing: Frank/Gerard pre-slash
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1420
Warnings: None that I can think of. Elementary school!AU? Is that a warning?

Summary: Gerard clenches his fists tighter. "It's a disease," he says defensively.

Notes: So I had this idea for a fic where Gerard and Frank are in elementary school and Gerard has this disease that makes him kind of like a vampire, but Frank thinks it's kind of cool and also Gerard draws pictures of zombie massacres. This would be that fic. XD Great liberties have been taken with the fabric of reality. Many, many thanks to zeenell for the encouragement and for looking this over for me! <3

Seriously, you should watch out for zombies...

And hey, combining posts!

14772 / 50000 words. 30% done!

OH GOD. breathes

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:09:40 GMT

Okay. I'm ready for it. I have my hard, writerly skin on and am prepared for all comments. ~~*gulp*~~ Please be honest! I promise I can take it. *will stay strong*

THE ANONYMOUS WRITING FEEDBACK MEME

Writer's Block: Duos

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:14:01 GMT

Sam and Diane, Ross and Rachel, Chuck and Blair—who is your favorite TV couple?

View 515 Answers

Sam and Dean. <3

Let it be noted:

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:41:16 GMT

I am taking a break to read Big Bang fic. I am not admitting which BB, for reasons of personal safety. XD (Well, okay, the tags rather give it away, actually.)

But if I don't reply to you on the meta post right away, that would be why. I promise I will do my best to respond to stuff later on!

<3!

~*SC

I Can See the Wank at the Doorstep, but I Just Gotta Ask...

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:17:29 GMT

((Note: This post is semi-related to the discussion about warnings and triggers that has been going on. For other people's much more informative and well-thought posts on these subjects, see metafandom.))

I hope this post isn't triggery, but I don't have triggers of my own that I've found, so I can't be sure. Please enter at your own risk.

On the warnings issue itself, I'm all in favor of warning for potential triggers. IMHO, a 'surprise plot twist' or purposeful manipulation of emotion is fine, but not when it results in actually traumatized readers (I'm not talking about the "omg you've scarred me for life!" type of trauma, here). "LOL SURPRISE BUTTSECKS" is funny on an icon, not so funny when it shows up unexpectedly in a fic (and yes, I have asked for warnings to be put on fics before--it's not a trigger for me, but surprise!rapefic is not my favorite thing). I don't expect to change my mind on this one, and I'm also not particularly interested in dipping into that discussion, because my own thoughts are clear but I certainly don't feel equipped with the language to discuss it in a way that won't cause further problems, and I don't have personal experience with triggers/triggering to speak from. So I respectfully ask that we leave the issue of whether authors should warn for these sorts of triggery things aside for the moment, please.

What I want to talk about is how we define things, because it seems like fandom has added nuances to terms that are uniquely ours (the nuances, more than the terms). Specifically, I want to talk about the terms dub-con, non-con, and rape, and I want to know what you think, f-list (and anyone else who may get linked to this--it's public, go for it).

One of the key things I'm pulling out of this, at least regarding the original fics/authors/readers/discussions that sparked it, is that (at least one of) the authors didn't warn for dub-con in a fic because the author felt that it was not dub-con. This was due, as far as I can tell, to the reader's knowledge of Character A's thoughts/feelings, which may not have been known to Character B (I will confess here, I have not read the fic in question).

So I guess this post isn't really me sharing my thoughts, but rather, asking you for yours.

It's a bit disingenuous to ask for opinions without sharing my own, so I will try to do so briefly (and I will apologize in advance if I don't explain things very well).

With regard to dub-con, I feel like my sense of the word is a bit nebulous. It's a bit like the Supreme Court on pornography--I can't tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it. I know that when I see a warning for dub-con on a story, that I expect that both Character A and Character B are interested in having sex with each other, or at least not opposed to the idea. To me, dub-con is drunk!sex, aliens-made-us-do-it, one partner is a coercive little bastard but doesn't realize the other wants to be coerced... I guess maybe the line where it cuts out for me is when one of the partners does NOT want to be involved in any way, and the audience knows that (whereas, for instance, in aliens-made-us-do-it fic, I generally work with the underlying assumption that the characters involved are attracted to each other in some way, that the dub-con is revelatory of that attraction and/or deeper feelings, etc). With dub-con, I generally expect, to some extent, that Character A and Character B will have a rocky road but a (moderately, at least) happy ending.

Where it gets more difficult for me is when it comes to non-con. I suppose an alternate title for this post might be: "Non-Con: When is it Rape?" Because this is a line I am not so clear on. How do people feel about the fact that we often warn for non-con, rather than calling it rape? Is there a difference in the way you think about/react to those specific terms?

As far as these things go in fics, I know that it really squicks me if the characters involved in non-con/rape fic end up together, where in dub-con fic I often expect it. But as far as slicing the hair between "non-con" and "rape", if a division exists at all, I find myself at a loss. I honestly don't know what I think about whether a distinction should be made between the terms or not.

So what are your thoughts on this, guys? How do you parse these terms? Is it "dub-con" to you when you as the reader are fully aware that both characters are mentally consenting but one character isn't aware of the other's consent? Are "non-con" and "rape" the same thing, or is there a difference?

(I will pre-emptively ask that everyone in the comments be respectful of one another, especially if/when disagreeing. I will not delete comments, but I reserve the right to freeze threads if necessary to keep this journal a relatively free space for discourse. Thank you.)

(ETA: For the sake of those who like to follow multiple discussions:
Dreamwidth version of this post (with comments): HERE
LiveJournal version of this post (with comments): HERE
Both are public, feel free to participate in either, both, or neither as you like. ^^ )

BOSTON STAR TREK MEETUP -- THE PLANNING CONTINUES!!! \0/

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:23:59 GMT

MEETUP IS SCHEDULED FOR 3PM ON SATURDAY, JULY 11TH.

The plan is to meet at Park Street! We are thinking of Cheesecake Factory for food! THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!

Meetup details here: http://myselftheliar.livejournal.com/1772523.html

GO RSVP, MY ~~MINIONS~~ FRIENDS!! \0/

Two Star Trek WIPs You Should Be Reading (And Stalking. Obsessively.)

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:50:22 GMT

(Look how I still don't have a Star Trek icon! Now it's almost becoming a point of pride. I worry about myself. >.>)

Okay, so here's the thing. I am a WIP hater. Mostly, I will admit, because I always doubt that the author plans to actually finish the story (no, I'm not projecting, why would you say tha--- oh. right. *ahem*). But these are two WIPs from two authors who have proven themselves reliable. And the fics are so good that even if for some strange reason (meteor strike, zombie apocalypse, what-have-you) they're never finished, they will STILL HAVE BEEN WORTH STALKING. <3

So here we go!

WIP one:

Breaking Points by ragdoll987
I think most of the fandom already knows about this one, but I cannot do a WIP rec without it. It's fabulous, top-to-bottom. Kirk/Spock, PG-13, and the summary is as follows:
When the Enterprise is asked to transport Vulcan colonists to their new home, Spock Prime comes with them. His presence changes everything – even the things Jim isn’t sure he wants to change.
And there you have it. I adore the interaction between Kirk and Spock Prime (though I feel so disloyal calling him that, somehow...), which shades close enough to romance that you can TOTALLY feel where current-Spock's jealousy is coming from. Plus, Yenta!Spock Prime!! But his yenta-ness is tempered with plenty of heartstring-tugging emotion, and I just... yes.

This fic makes me emote like crazy, because the way Spock Prime felt about HIS Jim Kirk comes through so beautifully. And there's plenty of New!Kirk/New!Spock going on, too (though it's PG-13, so you're not getting porn out of this one, kiddies! sorry!), and the development of their relationship is done very, very well. All in all, this is an A+++ fic. And, despite a brief delay (which the author was kind enough to tell everyone about) while the ending is being tweaked, this one should be finishing up soon. So if you're WIP-phobic, bookmark it and come back in a week! ;D

aaand, WIP two:
AKA, the WIP that SolarCat will cry if you do not read.

Home by Lanaea
Okay, okay, those of you who hovered over the link are thinking, "SolarCat! How could you mislead us like this?? You're sending us to... FANFICTION.NET??" But wait! Wait, all of you who just reflexively moved your cursor to defriend me! Hear me out! \0/

This is the MOST FANTASTIC FIC YOU'RE ALL NOT READING. (Well, I assume. Clearly, SOMEONE is reading it, because it has nearly 2,300 reviews so far. And they are well deserved, I assure you.) The story begins with the Enterprise returning home for some repairs. So, given some planetside leave time, what does Kirk do? If you answered "take Spock home to meet his mother", you are psychic, and also correct! But that's just the beginning of the story, and while the plot is wonderful (no, it is, I promise! I know you don't believe me, after that whole "take Spock home to meet his mother" bit, but it really, really IS), the real story here is in the development of the relationship between Kirk and Spock.

Home is rated "T" on FF.Net, and the author's summary is, K/S, but slow-building. A misshap brings the Enterprise back to Earth for a while. All of this is true. It is also the understatement of the millennium. You won't find porn in here. What you will find is a fantastic, slow-building relationship between two guys who, let's all face it, have Issues. This story does a fantastic job of building their relationship up, not so much around those issues as through them.

But don't think it's all sappy romance. Kirk nearly gets himself killed a couple of times (in Canada! and yes, Kirk and Spock end up in Canada. It's like "Kirk & Spock's Awesome Spring Break Road Trip" up in here. <3 ). There's even a bar fight! And if you like Bones (which of course you do), you'll love him in here, as he valiantly tries to keep his sanity while also remaining friends with Jim Kirk. There's plenty of humor, as well (this fic is actually my most recent source of ongoing amusement, but telling you why would ruin it).

There are a few minor inconsistencies with the novelization canon, but if you just watched the movie, you should be fine. (And actually, I like her version of Kirk's childhood, so I'm cool with it diverging from "canon" as presented in the novelization.) In the most recent chapter there's a mention of Nurse Chapel joining the crew, which if you listened carefully to the movie you will know is inconsistent, but that's the most "glaring" error I've seen. And for those of you who are old-school ToS fans (*raises hand*), I promise the author knows her stuff as regards ToS, and has actually worked it into the fic in awesome little ways (usually with helpful, brief author's notes, for the edification of those who haven't seen ToS, so all you new fans can enjoy AND learn something of ToS canon! Yay!!).

For you WIP-phobes out there, I have no idea how long this fic will go on, but the author posts quite regularly--one chapter per day for at least the last 10 to 15 chapters or so, with perhaps one hiccup because her sister was visiting. If that isn't regular updating, I don't know what is! Also, the fic is CURRENTLY 126,700+ words, as of Chapter 20. You want an epic, folks? You got it!

(Note: the author is not on LJ, so you WILL have to go to FF.Net to read it.)

So there you go! Now get to stalking, people! Go, go!! \0/

Unexpected Merlin is Unexpected!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:10:10 GMT

For anyone out there who likes pretty fanart, and who probably hasn't seen these...

You all need to go check out DYKC's gallery. For it contains pretty.

http://dykc.deviantart.com/gallery/#fanart-for-series

I discovered this while trying to find a PetShop of Horrors fanartist, and curious to see what else this person had drawn (I found them while searching PSoH, and if you go to their main gallery, there are a couple of gorgeous PSoH pics), I clicked the "Fanart for Series" section.

UNEXPECTED MERLIN WAS UNEXPECTED. LIKEWISE UNEXPECTED WINCHESTERS. BUT I AM HAPPY WITH THIS RESULT! \0/

Those Leverage Recs I Promised Y'all.

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:19:19 GMT

I promised, and so I shall deliver. ^^

To Begin! Some Gen!fic things. =3

Title: Handful of Bad Luck
Author: kenzimone
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence? Minor canon references that may or may not be spoilers (nothing spoilery for canon plots, anyway).
Why the Rec? This right here is why Gen!Fic exists. To showcase things like how awesome Eliot is. By... nearly drowning him. A lot. ...Well. >.> Anyway, Eliot is Batman, but you already knew that. <3
Link: http://typings.livejournal.com/14080.html

Title: The Boat Job (WIP)
Author: littlefairy78
Rating: T
Warnings: Language, violence. Whumpage.
Why the Rec? Gen fic that could edge into Eliot/Hardison territory if you squint sideways (so, very much like the show, in that respect... *g* ). Plenty of both Eliot!whumpage and Eliot!MoarAwesomeThan~~You~~Everyone, which is just my kind of fic. It's unfortunately still a work in progress, but one which I am looking forward to more of. ~~A lot.~~ The prologue and first three chapters are currently published. If any of you are WIP-phobic, I'll be glad to let you know when this one gets finished. ^^
Link: http://littlefairy78.livejournal.com/5512.html

Title: The Joy of Cooking
Author: ljemanja
Rating: T
Warnings: Minor spoilers for The Wedding Job, set post-S1.
Why the Rec? Eliot-centric team!fic with cooking. Also, Parker is great in this! *bounces happily* I'm going to be re-reading this one a lot, I think. ^^
Link: http://ijemanja.livejournal.com/109303.html

Title: We're All Mad Here
Author: entangled_now
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Nah.
Why the Rec? Slice-of-Life fic, in which Eliot is surrounded by crazy people. =)
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/libraryofsol/83993.html

Title: Samson Ain't Got Nothing On Eliot
Author: snookscribbles
Rating: G
Warnings:
Why the Rec? Short, sweet, and lulz. All about Eliot's hair. <3
Link: http://snookscribbles.livejournal.com/27131.html

Be warned! From here on out, it's Eliot/Hardison all the way, bbs! <3

Title: Bad Habits and Dumb Luck
Author: laceymcbain
Rating: PG
Warnings: General series spoilers, Eliot abuse. =3
Why the Rec? And here we enter the slashy stuff, wherein everyone learns that I'm an Eliot/Hardison shipper. No, seriously. I ship it like burning. *ahem* Anyway, it's laceymcbain writing Eliot/Hardison fic with actual plot and everything! \0/
Link: http://laceymcbain.livejournal.com/238358.html

Title: Sweet Time
Author: facetofcathy
Rating: MA
Warnings: Porn. But with plot! ...Sort of. >.>
Why the Rec? See the warnings. Okay, okay, I'll be good. I like the ... morning-ness... of this fic. It's set in the morning, and it feels like morning. Also, the porn is just the right shade of hot, and also, I love Eliot. For many reasons, but also because he's actually quite sweet. ^^ Provided you don't, y'know, get on his bad side. XD
Link: http://facetofcathy.livejournal.com/55853.html

Title: The Way to a Man's Heart
Author: merle_p
Rating: R
Warnings: Nothing to worry about. Mentions of violence and sex.
Why the Rec? So. Um... I might have this kink for Chef!Eliot. A little. *ahem* >.> Anyway, this fulfills both my Chef!Eliot kink and my permanent squee for all things Eliot/Hardison, and it does it with style. <3
Link: http://merle-p.livejournal.com/9414.html

Title: Wherever the hell Bolivia is
Author: merle_p
Rating: R
Warnings: Sex & Violence. (I'm growing rather fond of this fandom... =3 )
Why the Rec? This one's got some nice character insights, and the parallel structure of the paragraphs in each section is very nicely executed.
Link: http://merle-p.livejournal.com/8767.html

In other news, I need Leverage icons. >.>

At Last! The MiniMerlin Con Report! \0/

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:34:25 GMT

Yes, I know, I am lame. I totally promised this ages ago, and it's not even going to be complete! Argh! Since I'm doing this at work, I can't add the bit about how to get those nifty little crown and shield icons for people (solar_cat) and communities (minimerlin). But I will post again and edit this with a link, or something, once I'm back on my beloved laptop. <3

So! MiniMerlin 2009! \0/

Thursday night was a bit insane, with all the last-minute prep that needed to be done before the con. Luckily, the fantastic and wonderful ocelotspots was coming over anyway for our weekly double-date with Sam and Dean Winchester, and was so incredibly helpful that I don't even have words. Guys, she spent like, hours gluesticking name badges together for us. <3333333 *glomps ocelotspots* So a massive and huge shout-out for keeping me from going absolutely frigging NUTS on Thursday!!

So then it was like, 4AM and since we were all going to pick up the car together in the morning anyway, ocelotspots sacked out in the guest room and we somehow managed to get a few hours of sleep before it was time to get up and get on the road!

Friday morning dawned, and ocelotspots and I picked up our awesome mishaland-inspired *Clasp Clasp* t-shirts (which had been shipped to us) from my landlord so that we could wear them and be matchy and ridiculous. [Pics to come!] Then bewarethesmirk had arrived, so we all set off for the fabulous Logan International Airport, where we went not to catch a plane, but to catch a bus to Hertz so we could get our car. (Hertz, btw, sucks ass when it comes to transport. But the guy from Dollar car rental gave us a ride over to Hertz. How nice is that???)

GUYS. OUR CAR. I CAN'T EVEN.

Okay, here's the story with the car. Mostly, we were going to be a car full of Supernatural fans (except poor bewarethesmirk, who is probably now considered a fan after having to put up with us babbling about it for so long). And we needed a good amount of space for luggage and such. So, being me and going for the lulz, I reserved us a "Chevy Impala or similar" from Hertz. We proceeded to geek out over this, and hoped that we would get our Impala. We also planned to name it Dean. =3

So then we got to Hertz, and I asked the woman at the counter whether they had a black Impala (because you never know unless you ask), and she said no. ...but that they DID have a white Impala. After a quick exchange of geeky expressions, we wholeheartedly agreed to this. See, on the way in, we had passed a white Impala, and it had been pronounced "Cas-ified", because clearly, it had been purified through angel-gropage.

We got our Impala. We named it Dean. We pronounced him to have been Cas-ified. And thus began the greatest road trip ever taken.

I cannot even count the number of fannish references we spotted on this trip. I don't know if it's even possible. But the kicker? Just as we were getting over to bekkis's house to pick her up, what do we find as we're flipping through radio stations, trying to find something that Dean would approve of? Carry On, Wayward Son. NOT. JOKING.

Best. Trip. Ever.

Our Deany-baby treated us real nice-like and we got into Philly right on schedule, even after stopping to have dinner at an Applebees where the waitress was sort of rude and the manager came over to card us (which we realized belatedly was probably because we were four young women with out-of-state IDs, all buying alcohol and before you ask, yes, I was driving, and as such, I had one beer with dinner. and yes, I was jealous of the fancy drinks. ;_;).

As we got into Philly (passing a building that said "DEAN" on the side in giant letters. still not kidding. I told you it was EPIC) on time, we managed to get the con started on time as well! Right around 7pm we checked in to the Con Suite and opened for business... and business boomed.

OH HAI ILU GUYS! <333

So Friday was pretty much a get-to-know-you time with everyone piling into the con suite and making WAY too much noise ~~*cough* moonythestrals *cough*~~ and drinking too much alcohol *cough* almost everyone *cough* XDDD and generally having a good time. It really was very loud, which was a definite issue, and something to be worked on for next time (though I think having a con suite in actual convention-type space separate from the hotel rooms will be very helpful). But it seemed like everyone was having a great time (I definitely was!), so I have to say I'm pleased with that.

We eventually retired to our rooms at dark o'clock sometime. I was rooming with ocelotspots, gblvr and shinetheway. Note to anyone who rooms with shinetheway in the future: threatening to smother her with a pillow is probably the only way to make her shut up and go to sleep. XDDDDD (ILU, Shine~! *blows kisses*) We all chatted for a while before nodding off, though, so it's all good. Unfortunately, that put us again at like, 4AM before we were asleep, so on Saturday there was much sleep deprivation for poor little Solarcats. ;_;

Saturday! Saturday was great. We hauled our butts out of bed at various times. gblvr left us early to go have breakfast with treewishes, who was joining us that day. I slept in a bit, since we'd said we were starting at around 10AM, and was thusly rudely awakened at 10AM by archaeologist_d, who needed me to let her into the con suite. Seriously, what is with your people and your punctuality, jeez... XDDDD

Anyway, I let her into the suite and then some other people started showing up, so I went back to my room to get properly showered and dressed and make myself generally presentable. We all sort of gathered over the next hour and a half or so, and then we made a big con field trip out into the wilds of Philly, led by the intrepid kerryblaze, who actually knew where she was going, to seek out the elusive "real" Philly cheesesteak. Despite the really freaking long walk, the cheesesteaks were fantastic. We stood in line for them for kinda ages (worth it!) and then colonized a playground picnic table area in order to eat them. My table got extremely distracted by discussions of Due South and how everyone in the universe should watch it because it is fun and also gaaaaaaaaay! Hopefully we convinced a few people to join our Mountie-love. =3

Eventually some of us returned to the hotel while others did the Philly tourist thing. I was one of the ones who went back to the hotel, where we spent a rather relaxing afternoon chatting and watching Merlin episodes (amazing! we actually watched Merlin during MiniMerlin! Look at our on-topic-ness! \0/ ). Of course, there was the little corner of us who were swapping Supernatural fic recs and trying to catch up on the goings-on of the LA convention that was being held that weekend... XD

I was sort of over there, working out the kinks in the Vid Show, since the DVD decided to be hateful. =_=;; Of course. But, technical difficulties are to be expected. And we had our share. The plan was to play the Vid Show on the TV that gblvr was totally awesome about bringing with her (♥!!!), but it was discovered that it didn't have an HDMI port after all, so we ended up propping my laptop up and just playing the Vid Show out of iTunes. XD

The plan had also been for the Con Suite to be the "quiet room" during the Vid Show, and for people who wanted to talk to go next door. That... got reversed. Mostly because we all started drinking around... 5pm? Maybe? Anyway, the whole room was three sheets to the wind by the time the pizza showed up, so the quiet-types moved next door and took a copy of the Vid Show with them, which I hope they enjoyed (did you guys like it? *was nervous about this*). The Con Suite... Um. Well. Others have spoken on this topic. I will simply say that having one's ear nibbled on while lying basically beneath three girls who are all making out with each other? Fun experience. =3 But yes. It was apparently Fangirls Gone Wild night in the Con Suite. I had a good time, though yes, this is another one of those things we want to avoid next time. ~~Darn.~~ XD

Surprisingly, we all quieted down by the time we started showing vids, and the making out was pretty much reserved for between-vids times. Personally, I enjoy cuddling, so watching Merlin/Arthur vids in a pile of cuddly, still-kinda-drunken fangirls? Yeah, pretty much how I'd like to spend every Saturday night, plzkthx. *G*

Eventually, though, we all sort of drifted away, since we were all falling asleep all over the Con Suite and thought it best to go back to our own rooms. This was lucky, since we were all leaving just as the fuzz showed up. ...Yeah, I mean hotel security. Actually, it wasn't us they were busting, it was this even louder than us party (were they there for a wedding or something?) who were screaming in the halls and stuff. Crazy. Anyway, we got a small warning that we weren't supposed to have more than five people in a room at a time (lulz), so we all just nodded and agreed and were grateful he hadn't shown up an hour before. Or worse, the night before, when we had the entire con stuffed in there. XDDD

Sunday morning brought a pleasant surprise in the form of the goddess libitina, who cleaned the Con Suite. <33333333 We had just left it a mess the night before and asked anyone who was going to be around to come to the Suite around 11AM-ish to help us clean it up before we had to check out. Then we arrived and... voila! Clean-ness! \0/ It was AMAZING and WONDERFUL and seriously, libitina, soul of my firstborn. All yours.

So those of us who gathered did a bit more tidying, packed up the TV and suchlike things, attempted to hide the vodka-soaked telephone (it's probably best not to ask), and generally geared up to head out. We lost a lot of people at that point, but ocelotspots, bewarethesmirk, bekkis, ras_elased, gblvr, libitina and alixtii and I decided to go to the Chili's behind the hotel for lunch before we went our separate ways.

Oh my god you guys. Chili's. I can't even.

So everyone there was on uppers. Not even joking. It had to be something in the water. The hostess was perky, our waiter, Mike, was perky. In fact, Mike the perky waiter... well, we'll get there. Anyway, this inspired much silliness in us, and we started discussing Sam & Dean going to Chili's and how Dean would hatehatehate the soundtrack (all 90s pop. the popslashers among us were amused), and then somehow it evolved into Merlin/SPN/Merlin RPS/CW RPS/Chili's RPS insanity. Ye Olde Chili's, you guys. Because okay, we decided that Mike the Perky Waiter desperately needed to be slashed with our boys. All of them. Merlin, Arthur, Sam, Dean, Colin, Bradley, Jared, and Jensen. Possibly at different times. >.>;; But this WILL HAPPEN. We are working on it. Be prepared for some of the most epic crack!fic that ever did smoke crack. <3333

And then this random woman molested me in the bathroom. Of the Chili's.

(Seriously, she walked up behind me and adjusted the strap on my messenger bag and said something like "Just making you more comfortable". At this point, the four of us in the bathroom hightailed it before we totally lost it, scaring pretty much everyone in the Chili's with our completely scandalized giggling, because who does that??? And then she followed us back to our table. No lie. It was so fucked up. XDDDD )

At this point (after another waiter had commented on ocelotspots's Joss Whedon t-shirt, but in a non-creepy way, we left the Chili's and hit the road for home.

Once again, Deany-baby loved us and treated us real nice, and in return we slapped him on the ass a few times.

Oh, right.

So then we wound up in Manhattan. Because ocelotspots, who was my navigator, was not paying attention (♥ it's not like any of the rest of us were, either) so we missed the Tappan Zee and ended up on the GW headed into New York City. We got stuck in traffic for ages and everyone needed to pee and so it was kinda fail. Also, we couldn't see anything through the fog. But we DID have a moment of squee for "Arthur Avenue", so. Not a total loss. XD

solar_cat has now been to New York City! Sort of! \0/ (Yup, I've never been. I know, I'm lame.)

I kinda crashed about 3/4ths of the way home, so bekkis got us to her house and ocelotspots got us back to the Hertz at the airport. ON SCHEDULE. Clearly, Castiel loves ~~Dean~~ us and wanted ~~Dean~~ us to be happy. <3

And then somehow we stumbled onto the T and all got home, and all was well! \0/

All in all? There were certainly some kinks that will need to be worked out for the next MMC, but we had a lot of fun! I'm really proud of how well it went, all things considered, particularly considering we had nearly 40 attendees (which is double what I originally thought the maximum would be!).

Special thanks go out to the following amazing people:

ocelotspots, for keeping me sane and for getting your fingers all glue-y so we could have awesome badges

incapricious, for making our fabulous posters

libitina, for printing said fabulous posters, cleaning the Con Suite, and generally being the most amazingly helpful person ever

gblvr, for bringing the TV and for all her awesome suggestions for MMCs improvement

cherrybina, for providing a ridiculous amount of alcohol to the con suite <3

kerryblaze, for being our tour guide to cheesesteak-topia

ras_elased, for making those adorable MiniMerlin activity books with Merlin and Arthur paper dolls

thisissirius, for sending us awesome stuff even though she couldn't come <333

emptybackpack, erjika, and ...everybody else who I can't remember off-hand, but all of the people in the Western US meetup group, for sending us an amazing care package full of goodies! <333333

...I'm sure I'm forgetting someone who did something awesome. But really, a big thanks to everyone for being so great and so understanding and amazing to one another and to me--I really could not have pulled this off without everyone coming together and really wanting this to work. I honestly don't have words, so have a big *HUG* from me, and know that I appreciate every tiny little thing you guys did to help MMC '09 run smoothly.

I promise, MMC '10 will be even better! =D

Oh my god I just spent TWO HOURS writing this. 0_0

MINIMERLIN CON SUITE!!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:57:10 GMT

Greetings, MiniMerliners!!! We can has Con Suite!! \0/

Come on up, we are in Room 208!

If you are not staying in the hotel, please CALL my cell (810) 964 - 6778 or the Con Suite (215) 496 - 3200 when you arrive! You need a room key for the elevator to go to the second floor, so someone will come down and get you!

* 21 N Juniper Street
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 USA

See You in 7-8 hours!!! =D

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:05:03 GMT

This is solar_cat, on behalf of myself, ocelotspots and bewarethesmirk, signing off! We are headed to pick up our rental car now, and we will see you all at MiniMerlin 2009!! \0/

♥

(Call me on my cell if you need me! Number provided in a previous MMC post!)

The Last Minute Post!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:48:13 GMT

MiniMerlin Boston Carpool Folks!
We have directions (courtesy of Google Maps, with helpful assistance from Sister S.), and we will be picking bekkis up about an hour after we leave Boston, with another 5 hours or so left to the journey after that. My father is picking up our tab for lunch, so yay! \0/
Your share of the car rental fee comes to about $27, but if you could throw in an extra $10 or $20 for gas, that would rock. ;D

MiniMerlin Roommate-type Folks!
(This would be ocelotspots, shinetheway and gblvr, btw.)
As you should hopefully be aware, your share of the room is $75 each for the weekend! If you could have this in cash, that would be most excellent, as I will then be able to pay a lot of the room cost in cash and not have to put so much on my CC. =)

MiniMerlin Everyone!
Randomly, I don't think I ever mentioned that the hotel has an indoor pool and whirlpool (towels provided). So feel free to bring your suits if you like! (We can re-enact "The Gates of Avalon"! XD ) This isn't like, an activity or anything. I just realized I'd never mentioned it. XDDD

gblvr -- Fudge (and TV and DVD player because she is AWESOME! Worship her, MiniMerliners! /0\ )
missdewey -- Popcorn, assorted goodies
kerryblaze -- Soda, water, assorted Philly snackfoods, and a SURPRISE! =D (Plus slingcatcher w/ episodes?)
cherrybina -- Cooler! Yay! =D Also fruit, bread, PB, jam and some other form of nearly-nutritional foodstuffs. =D
polysamachan -- Baked goods
libitina -- Random foodstuffs of somewhat nutritional value, plastic cups, Sharpies

**We are still in need of paper plates and plastic cutlery and napkins, so if anyone has any lying around or has the space/ability to pick some up, that would be awesome! If not, the Boston carpool group will likely be finding some form of convenience store-type outlet at which to purchase such things, but we'd rather use our limited car space for ~~pie~~ foodstuffs. =3

REMEMBER, FOLKS! YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN IF YOU WANT ALCOHOL! THIS IS A BYO-VODKA PARTY! XD

1. STAPLES. Print poster. Purchase printer ink.
2. Print badges.
3. Re-burn Vid Show DVD w/ last-minute vid(s)
3a. Finalize & Print Vid Show programs.
4. Clean Your Apartment. seriously, you suck.
5. Pack! (Remember: HDMI cable, external speakers, external harddrive, WIRELESS ROUTER & setup CD; if space, also bring clothing.)

In the Morning:
6. Pick up packages at management office. Clothe self with contents of package. <3
7. Stop at bank on way to airport/car pickup. Deposit checks. Get cash.
8. ???
9. PROFIT!!

SPN Insta-Rec!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:44:20 GMT

(I swear I will write that post about my awesome weekend and how awesome it was. Just... later. This first!)

A geometry for spirits by aesc
Castiel/Dean, PG13, spoilers for 4x16: On the Head of a Pin

So ocelotspots and heyjuuude will back me up on this--We were re-watching 4x16 after ~~all the losers~~ everyone else left my birthday party on Sunday night, and when we got to the part where Cas and Dean are talking about the devil's trap that's holding Alastair, I noted with some enthusiasm that Cas didn't say he drew the trap. He says he made it. And, of course, it's twenty million times cooler if Cas is, once again, being literal. He made it.

How cool is that, right?? Right.

Now add aesc's writing and Castiel's complete lack of personal space boundaries and ridiculous amount of love for Dean to the mix, and you get this fic. All I can say is that it's a shame it's PG-13, but your brain can fill in the ending, right?

Fic is here: http://aesc.livejournal.com/370624.html

You read now. =3

MiniMerlin 2009: The Vid Show Post!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:30:52 GMT

Yes, MiniMerliners, your coordinator procrastinates a lot! XD

The MiniMerlin 2009 Vid Show Needs Your Help!

Attendees (and anyone else reading this!), please link me to your favorite Merlin vids!

I've already got a lot, but please feel free to rec anything, even if you're sure that "everyone's already seen that one". My own vid preferences tend to skew dramatically Merlin/Arthur-ward, so any gen, het, femslash or other!slash vids would be great! Most of our attendees are Merlin/Arthur shippers, but this is meant to be a Merlin con, not a Merlin slash con, so representation of other ships would be nice to have!

If you'd like to rec a video, please use this form!
You are welcome to rec as many vids as you like! ^^

Vid Title:
Vidder:
Pairing/Characters: (if it's an ensemble vid, just say "ensemble" or "cast")
Link: (put the full URL to the vid download post/page here)

Feel free to add any comments you want to make about the vid, why you like it, etc. I'm going to assemble a vid show with a good mix of pairings, characters, genres and song types, at least as much as possible, so we don't get bored or hit a block of ridiculously angsty vids or something. Thusly, not every vid will necessarily be shown (though I'll probably have all of them on hand if a vid doesn't make it in but people want to see it anyway XDDD ).
If a vidder has said in their post that they don't want their vid shared in this manner, it will not be included. Vidder's will rules, y'all.

MiniMerlin 2009: The Details Post!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:18:11 GMT

Hello, my lovely MiniMerliners! \0/

We have only a week to go before our fantastic and wonderful mini-con kicks off, so it's time to sum up the details and put the finishing touches on this shebang!

First off, if you've missed any of the other MiniMerlin info posts, here's a handy quicklist:

The General Information Post
The Registration Post
(Note: Registration is closed.)
The Transportation Post
The Parking Info Post
The Room Assignments Post

Got all that? Great! Let's move on to the fine print, shall we? =3

How Can I Help?
Several of you have been so kind as to ask this question, and now is your time to shine! (Depending on your ability/availability!)

We need people to help us stock the con suite with munchies and beverages!
Philly natives would be very helpful here, but if anyone is driving in and can bring a flat of water bottles or a twelve pack of Coke or a bag of Tostitos or some Oreos or Chex Mix or apples or bagels or whatvever, that would be fantastic! But please refrain from bringing things that need to be refrigerated, unless you plan to bring the refrigerator! We are like Bradley--we are not allowed to have milk!

If you're interested, PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS POST with what you're thinking of bringing and an approximate budget. (Please don't buy anything until I give you the greenlight!! I don't want to show up at the con and realize that twenty people each brought $50 worth of junk food and we don't have enough in the budget to reimburse everyone!!)

Bring the receipts for whatever you buy with you to the con, and I'll reimburse you. I'd prefer to do this by check, since that provides a paper trail for anyone who ever questions the use of con funds, but if you prefer cash, just say so--I'll just make you sign a little piece of paper saying "SolarCat totes paid me $X for this stuff I brought to MiniMerlin" and we'll be good. (But do forewarn me, please! I don't really want to travel with hundreds of dollars in cash, so if you want cash reimbursement, please say so now so I can plan accordingly.)

We need a Vid Show!
Please go over to our Vid Show Post and link me to your favorite Merlin vids! I already have a LOT of Merlin vids for us to watch, the vast majority of which are Merlin/Arthur in nature. Do feel free to link to anything, but Gen, Femslash, Het and Other Slash vids aren't very well represented on the current list, and I'd love to have a few more for variety, if they're out there. <3

solar_cat! you cry, How are we to know where the con suite is if we are not staying in the hotel??

Well, I will be posting an announcement when I arrive and book us into the con suite on Friday evening, so check back to this journal (my personal journal, solar_cat; the post will be public). If for some reason you are concerned that you won't have internet access, it would be best for you to write down this number:

(810) 964–6778

This is my cell number, and is at your disposal for the weekend of MiniMerlin. If you have hideous problems with just about anything related to MiniMerlin, feel free to call and I'll do my best to help you out. It's a bit like using your Phone A Friend lifeline to phone several hotel rooms full of your friends, all of whom have access to Google. ;D

PLEASE DO NOT TEXT ME. For one, I hate text messaging. And for another, text messages hate me back. If you text me, there is no guarantee that I will get the message before the Monday after the con. ^^;; Calling is infinitely preferred; if for some reason I don't pick up, leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

The Big List of Attendees!
solar_cat
ocelotspots
shinetheway
gblvr
incapricious
evil_erato
bewarethesmirk
kerryblaze
mariamme
ras_elased
merelyn
bekkis
libitina
tacitus3
missdewey
ink_n_imp
unavee
pasty_pants
renwednesday
Katherine
faynia
chi1013
leupagus
rageprufrock
archaeologist_d
puckling
alixtii
moonythestrals
moony's +1
polysamachan
treewishes
skig
shadowyroses
mystictwilight
wordplay
cherrybina

TOTAL: 36

Any Questions?
Please feel free to ask any remaining questions here! Otherwise, I can't wait to meet all of you! =D

*runs off to make that vid show post*

A Couple of Merlin RPS Insta-Recs! =D

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:52:34 GMT

Instead of getting to work early this morning, I decided to read fic! Yay! *is now stuck at work until 6:15, but is okay with this*

I've got a couple of insta-recs for you, my dear f-list, as a result of my failure to be punctual!

Wherein Colin is Bradley's Baby-Momma by ifyouweremine
Summary: “My super-potent sperm has knocked up Colin’s man-uterus with a demon child or possibly a ginger. Please help!” said Bradley.
Why the Rec? Because this is JUST AS MUCH CRACK AS YOU WOULD GUESS FROM THE TITLE AND SUMMARY, OKAY?? I seriously nearly fell off my couch laughing. This is excellent crack, and a fine pick-me-up for anyone with a 'case of the Mondays'. The bit with Colin's mum was fantastic! XDDD
http://ifyouweremine.livejournal.com/139767.html

Teaching the Indie Kids to Joust Again by bookshop
Summary: ~ If the Mountain will not go to the sea then the river must bring them together.~
Why the Rec? One, it's bookshop, whose posts never fail to bring joy to my life. Two, it's both Colin/Bradley AND Merlin/Arthur. Three, the styling of the fic is amazing. And Four, not only is it long and squee-filled, it also manages to fit some seriousness in there, just at the edges, and just enough that the stuff that happens between Colin and Bradley is meaningful. I love this fic, like, an unholy amount. The soul of my firstborn belongs to this fic, now. <3
http://bookshop.livejournal.com/963529.html

Also, I should announce--BE PREPARED, f-list!! For this here post is my 999th on this journal! And you're in for a special treat for my 1,000th post. Ohhhhh, yes. I had all sorts of plans for my 1,000th post, but they have been thrown into disarray and LULZ, and I plan to share the LULZ with you. Because I love you, f-listers. All because I love you. <3

Merlin Insta-Rec!! =D

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:40:50 GMT

Guys. Guys.

If you haven't already, you should go read flamebyrd's The Stars With You (Anytime), RIGHT NOW.

It is a Merlin space AU. Uh-huh. And it's awesome. Really, really awesome. The AU-ing of the canon is done so well; it's pretty much exactly like what Merlin would be, if it happened to be a futuristic sci-fi show instead of a semi-historical fantasy show. Also, Lancelot FTW. <3

Go! Read! \0/

http://flamebyrd.livejournal.com/225851.html

MiniMerlin: The Parking Info Post!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:48:55 GMT

Greetings, MiniMerlin-ers! I know that many of you were interested in information about parking in the area of the hotel, and my contact at the hotel was kind enough to provide it.

HOWEVER, these appear to all be garages/valet. If anyone local to Philly knows of reasonably-local places to park that are cheaper, PLEASE share the information!!

Here's what I've got:

1201 Filbert Street.
0-30 minutes $5.75
Each additional 30 minutes $5.75
Max Rate up to 12 Hours $27.00
Up to 24 Hours $31.00
Early Bird Special $18.00
In 5am-9am, out by 7pm
Evening Special $20.00
In after 5pm, out by 5am.

Parkway (12th and Filbert)
0 Mins - 30 Mins $5.50
31 Mins - 1 Hr $11.00
1 Hr 1 Mins $16.50
1 Hr 31 Mins $22.00
2 Hrs 1 Mins - 12 Hrs $26.00
12 Hrs 1 Min - 24 Hrs $30.00
Early Bird - In Before 09:00am, Out Before 07:00pm, Mon - Fri $18.00
Evening #1 - In After 05:00pm, Out Before 05:00am, Mon - Fri, Sat, Sun
$19.00

Parkway (9th and Arch)
0 Mins - 45 Min, Mon $6.00
45 Min - 1 Hr 30 Mins $12.00
Maximum #1 - 1 Hr 31 Mins - 12 Hrs $15.00
Early Bird - In Before 09:00am, Out Before 06:00pm $10.00
Evening #1 - In After 05:00pm $12.00

Five Star Parking (13th and Market)
Typical Commuter $18.00
1-hour, midday $12.00
2-hours, midday $24.00
5-hours, Mon-Thur night $19.00
5-hours, Fri/Sat night $19.00
Daily Each 20min. $4.00
Up to 10 hrs $25.00
Up to 24 hrs $30.00
Early Bird Special Enter 6am to 9 am / out by 6 pm $18.00

kerryblaze has helpfully pointed us toward this parking lot:
http://www.philapark.org/parkinglocator/garagedetails.aspx?FacilityID=143
Which offers a flat-rate of $5 per day for the weekend!! Daily rates are more, so you'll pay more on Friday for your parking, but this is a great deal compared with the other lots cited! =D

The hotel valet parking rate is $35/day, for comparison (no oversized vehicles).

Again, Philly natives! If you know of cheaper parking alternatives (anyone got a driveway we can use? *lol*), please let us know!!

Writer's Block: AKA

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:35:17 GMT

What's the story behind your username?

View 504 Answers

So I don't do these writer's block things very often, but I saw this one, and since it's been asked of me before...

SolarCat.

Well, you see. Cats are, clearly, solar powered. This was conclusively proven by my cat, Oliver, who would spend large portions of the day asleep in the patch of sunlight on the dining room floor. Then, suddenly and without warning, he would get up, tear around the house like the hounds of hell were after him, generally make a nuisance of himself... and then crash right back in the same spot on the dining room floor to repeat the process.

Hence, I said to myself, "Self, he is obviously a solar-powered cat. This explains so much."

And when it came time for me to choose a less annoying username than the bastardized wapanese I was using on FF.Net, I thought back to this incident, and said to myself, "Self, that would be a fantastic username." So I used it. And then I got deeper into fannish things and people started to actually know who I was, and now if I wanted to change it I'd have to change my email and let everyone know and it'd be a pain. So I'm SolarCat for good, pretty much. Which is perfectly okay by me. ^^

SPN Recs - Round Two: Dean/Castiel!

solarcat05@yahoo.com — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:50:14 GMT

Here's the next big chunk of my SPN recs fest!

These are all Dean/Castiel, with a high chance of whumpage, fallen!Cas, h/c, angsty!Dean, and ridiculously hot angel-human sexxings. =3

Away we go!

I am NOT warning for spoilers, so assume that any of these fics may contain spoilers up through episode 4x14!

Title: The Consequences of Falling
Author: pandarus
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Cas!whumpage (no, srsly), very probably hazardous to persons sensitive to awesomeness <3
Why the Rec?: I? Have a WIP-phobia. I avoid WIPs, preferring to read them in one gulp once they're finished. This? I HOVERED OVER pandarus's LJ LIKE A VERY HOVERING THING, WAITING FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. 0_0 This fic ripped my heart out on numerous occasions, and was also responsible for a great deal of happy squeeage that probably terrified my neighbors at 7 o'clock in the morning. Just read the summary, okay? It is right here:
A story in fifteen parts, in which the angel Castiel finds himself put in an untenable position, and consequentially loses his grace. In which he goes on a roadtrip with a demon, discovers the delights of tequila and french fries and pie, plays a starring role in a virgin sacrifice, is deflowered by his favourite Winchester, and then gets some very unpleasant news indeed. NC17.
YOU NEED NO MORE THAN THIS. GO READ. NAO. *sporks you* (And if that wasn't enough? aesc made cover art, and it is glorious!)
http://pandarus.livejournal.com/248406.html

Title: Turn Away From Truth
Author: darksilvercat
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Winchester!whumpage and also badassery
Why the Rec?: CASTIEL SMITES LIKE A SMITEY THING. And then has hot sex with Dean. There's lots of Dean's Issues, but c'mon. We all know you're here for the porn. XD
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/289278.html

Title: Fixing
Author: seraphwings
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: R
Warnings: LOTS of Dean!whumpage, H/C
Why the Rec?: This is just YUMMY. A fantastic Castiel, UST-y-ness, and Dean, who is so very, very Dean here, even when he's delirious. <3
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/288805.html

Title: Angel, Interrupted
Author: strangeandcharm
Pairing: Dean, Castiel
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Castiel!whumpage
Why the Rec?: I can't tell you. No, really, I can't. This is a fic you simply have to read for yourself. If I say anything, I will ruin it.
http://strangeandcharm.livejournal.com/24720.html

Title: A Rain of Feathers
Author: laceymcbain
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: nah.
Why the Rec?: It's by laceymcbain, and the summary is Sex pollen Angel!Porn with a plot. No, seriously. I need say no more. <3
http://laceymcbain.livejournal.com/231283.html

Title: Kissing it Bitter (trilogy)
Author: strangeandcharm
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: porn. H/C. Castiel!whump. Dean!whump. more porn. <3
Why the Rec?: In general? If you want awesome Dean/Cas, you want to hit strangeandcharm's collected works. This fic in particular? Is amazing. And then there are TWO MORE!!! (which are linked from the end of each section, so no need to go hunting!) \0/ And also? Really, REALLY hot porn. REALLY. *fans self*
http://strangeandcharm.livejournal.com/21928.html

Title: All Souls and Angels (and sequels)
Author: misslucyjane
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: Adult
Warnings: not really, iirc
Why the Rec?: There is something just gorgeously soft and understated about these fics. It's all the relationship between them, and it's really fantastic. Also? Castiel is adorable, kthx. Read all of them, it's worth it!
http://www.misslucyjane.com/2008/11/all-souls-and-angels/
The Sequels:
In Your Head, In Your Mouth: http://www.misslucyjane.com/2009/02/in-your-head-in-your-mouth/
Forgetting the Divine: http://www.misslucyjane.com/2009/02/forgetting-the-divine/

Title: Unthinkable
Author: anne_higgins
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG
Warnings: none, but it's a tag for episode 4x12
Why the Rec?: This is the episode tag that should have happened in the episode. You can read this, I think, both with and without your slash goggles on, and either way, it's still so true. I was a wibbly pile of Dean!fangirl mush by the end. <3
http://anne-higgins.livejournal.com/6902.html

Title: Graveyard Talks
Author: izazov
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG
Warnings: not really
Why the Rec?: I have not the words. Dean has an angelic stalker, and he's not very happy about it. And then, he's okay with it. And then he's pretty happy about it indeed. And I cannot do it justice. This is just a gem, it really is.
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/277730.html

Title: Being Human
Author: izazov
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG-13, I'd say bordering on R, though
Warnings: human!Cas
Why the Rec?: It's Castiel!amnesia fic, which is the most fantastic thing ever. Castiel doesn't remember who he is, and Dean makes it his mission to make him remember. And awesomeness happens. (Yes, I have become incoherent. Remind me never to do this many recs in a row again, 'kay?) It's izazov. Read it.
http://izazov.livejournal.com/12238.html

Title: The Wild Garden
Author: autumn_lilacs
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17, violence
Warnings: reinterpretation of scripture (oh noes! XD )
Why the Rec?: Dean and Castiel take on the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Gabriel is Australian and enjoys annoying Sam, Castiel has difficulty with zippers, the importance of the Impala is discussed, Castiel is tetchy about John of Patmos, there is Meaningful Touching, and Lilith wants a pony. (It's significantly less cracky than I'm making it sound, I promise!) This has some fantastic re-imagining of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and some great Dean-and-Cas-go-roadtripping thrown in. Huzzah! \0/
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/282827.html

Title: See the World in Green and Blue
Author: parenthetical
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: R
Warnings: not really
Why the Rec?: Human!Cas fic, but without all the permanence and Consequences and suchlike. Castiel tries being human, and who better to teach an angel about being human than Dean Winchester? Also? This fic features Dean and Cas. Doing laundry. Oh, my domestic schmoop kink! How you have been hit! *swoons*
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/276673.html

Title: Coming In From a Distance
Author: someblazingstar
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: pure porny goodness!
Why the Rec?: Do you have a voyeurism kink? No? Well, you will after you read this fic. Also, hottest. ending. ever.
http://someblazingstar.livejournal.com/13403.html

Title: Half a Beer and a Balcony Lawn Chair
Author: seraphwings
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG
Warnings: nope
Why the Rec?: This is Dean Winchester. This is Dean Winchester, trying to seduce an angel. This is Dean Winchester, failing miserably at seducing an angel. This is an angel, seducing Dean Winchester.
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/296269.html

Title: Sacrificial Virgins Are Go!
Author: penelope_z
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: CRACK. CRACKITY CRACK! <3
Why the Rec?: The summary reads: It really all started because Dean refused to sacrifice the goat. I made the mistake of reading this fic in the morning before going to work. I spent the whole day giggling about it, and not being able to explain at all. XD Fall-off-your-chair funny, that is what this fic is. *loves*
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/302713.html

Title: In Constant Contradiction
Author: catoasapun
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: nah.
Why the Rec?: DEAN. This, right here, is Dean, with all his massive Issues, and this, right here, is Castiel, giving him what he needs. LOVE, my friends. LOVE is what this fic is. <3
http://community.livejournal.com/paxandcatofic/36252.html

Title: Paradisi//Inferno
Author: seraphwings
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Rating: R
Warnings: Hell.
Why the Rec?: This is the What-If fic we need. Why did it take Castiel so long to pull Dean out of Hell? Well, turns out, he was trying the whole time. But Hell puts up a hell of a fight. Dark, gritty and nasty at times, but definitely a powerful piece. Looking over it again, the style is pretty sparse, which is impressive. I remember this as a much longer, denser fic than it actually is; it leaves an impression much bigger than its actual footprint.
http://community.livejournal.com/deancastiel/304718.html

And, once again, to round it out, a vid rec! \0/

Title: Rescue
Vidder: castiel666 (does anyone know if this vidder is on LJ??)
Pairing: Dean/Castiel
Music: "Rescue" by Seabird
Warnings: *wibble*
Why the Rec?: I love this vid. There are a couple of moments that I don't like on a technical level, but overall? This turns me into a wibbly pile of Dean/Cas love (with a side order of Waaaaah! Sammy!! Dean!! ;_; , which is really par for the course, though). Just, YES. This is exactly it. <3
I found this vid on YouTube, and I have no idea if it is available elsewhere, so I am providing the YT link and I have also personally uploaded a .avi version for downloading. If anyone knows where this vid may be available from the original creator, please let me know! I did NOT make this vid, and I take no credit for it. I'm just uploading For Great Justice. ...And great Dean/Cas love. XD )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU53i2LSM-I (watch in High Quality!! Do it!!)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2I8P0NRZ

~*Soak Up The Sun*~