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Title: Rings On Her Fingers (1/5)
'Verse: Vegas 'Verse
Author: ma_raven
Beta: alifab (Drive-By)
Words: 2,100 Words
Spoilers: Pilot through Preggers (01-04)
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairings: Finn/Rachel
Author's Notes: First in a set of 6 scenes (technically, a a 5-piece and a singleton, which sprung out of a "Five Times X and One Time X-1" discussion), built off of the prompt "Five Times Rachel Wore Her Wedding Ring."

Summary: ( That was the thing with internet shopping, it didn't seem *real* until whatever it was you ordered showed up on your doorstep. )

While there are many, many things wrong with the movie Van Helsing. However, 2 things cannot be argued as bad: Hugh Jackman, and the Spanish Guitar on the OST.

David Wenham & Kate Beckinsale deserve honorable mentions as well, but dear gods did the rest of the casting for this film put the final nails in the proverbial coffin.

Also, apparently there have been tears over the Vegas 'Verse. Expect the first installment of a 6-part series in that 'Verse to go up sometime tonight. Wow, is NaNo good for getting everything else in my life done.

While I have waffled, over the years, I am now fully in the Joss Whedon camp. Dollhouse is just insanely good, on so many levels. It's got the dark moral ambiguities. It's got the deeply troubled ironies of characters being able to fix everyone but themselves. It's got the oh-so-fluffy-but-deeply-dysfunctional-at-its-core kind of romances I adore. It's got building super!sekrit!conspiracies.

It's both my dark!twisted!angst!show AND my light!fluffy!super!cute!romance!show.

Only Joss.

So totally inspired for my jossverse_bb project. Going to see if I can get it roughed out by the time the next ep airs in December. Gotta say, it's just so cool when canon gives you all the breadcrumbs you need to follow the angle you were already plotting, as well as a nice and convenient gap to do your writing.

WHEE!!

No, I haven't forgotten about Glee and the Vegas!Verse. It's still lurking there. I'm just a little behind on my Glee! canon, and it's hard trying to write anything of length when you're in that awful "Canon might fuck me over" period during episode runs.

Unexpectedly, I've had some potentially serious (albeit hopefully temporary) health issues dropped in my lap as a consequence of my work with the Vaccine Research Center (not vaccine related, blood-drawing-related).

As a result, I've been pretending to be dead for most of the last week, and the fandom, it has suffered. I'm crawling back onto the wagon as of tomorrow, presuming that I am capable of standing up without wanting to fall right back down again (it's not fun, trust me). So I've got a Kurt/Puck and a Vegas 'Verse piece overdue, but I'm going to be good and finish them before I let myself watch the new Glee! episode, so do not fear that there's sufficient motivation in play.

I... I have no words.

This is going to be a good, good thing.

Also, wow, so much brainwave activity on the BigBang Concept. mardahin agreed to let me steal her Dollhouse plot bunny for the Joss Big Bang this fall (given that she's vanished from the internet pretty much entirely), and it's not AU! It's still potentially canon. W00T!!

I just, seriously, the season premier floored me. So, so good.

Now, back to Glee! future!fic.

If you're writing a character who has at least an undergraduate degree (say, a CSI, a school teacher, a physician, a commissioned officer in the military, or a lawyer), take an extra few minutes to look over their dialogue and make sure that there aren't any third-grade grammar mistakes.

I don't care if you're 15 or 25 or 50 - if you're old enough to be posting online, you're old enough to conduct a basic grammar check. If it's an area you have problems with, then ask someone else. If your story concept is interesting, you're not going to have trouble getting someone to look it over.

Now, poor spelling reflects badly on you as an author, and will influence whether people are willing repeatedly read your work; it implies that you expect them to take time out of their lives to read your work, but that they aren't worth the time it takes to click the spellcheck button. It's a respect issue, plain and simple.

However, poor grammar in the mouth of a character with a masters degree, unless you're using it for intentional irony or sarcasm and that's apparent to the reader, will do far more damage than just implying that you're in a hurry or a bit sloppy.

It will kill your reader's suspension of disbelief in one line, and you will never get it back.

Ali's first contribution to the universe as author rather than co-conspirator!! WOOHOO!!
She totally posted this like 3 days ago, I just sort of fell off the web at around the same time...

Title: Step by Step, Day by Day
‘Verse: Vegas 'Verse
Author: alifab
Beta: ma_raven
Words: 1588
Spoilers: none, really.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rating: PG.
Character/Pairings: Finn/Rachel.
Author’s Notes: Finally, a contribution from me in ma_raven and mine’s lovely Vegas ‘Verse! This snapshot takes place waaayyy down the line, where Finn and Rachel are *really* married, as in, they’ve grown up and had an actual wedding that everyone is actually aware of;)

Summary: When she and Finn had gotten married the second time, when they had an actual wedding with friends and family all around, Rachel thought she might want children one day.

Title: Confessions
Author: ma_raven
Beta: alifab
Sequel To: Expectations
Words: 2,450
Spoilers: Through the "Acafellas" promos
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Kurt/Puck. Quinn.
Author's Note: Due to peer pressure, I'm writing a sequel to Expectations, focusing on the after-the-fact discussion between Quinn and Puck. This is all y'all's fault. Also, in a drastically abnormal move (for me), this is written in the present tense. ConCrit welcome, as I'm interested to hear what you think of it.

Summary: ( So...Kurt thinks you're going to kick his ass for taking my virginity. )

Title: Expectations
Author: ma_raven
Words: 917
Spoilers: Pilot, Showmance, Promos to Date
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairings:Kurt/Puck
Author's Notes: Ha! My trend of posting a fic a week continues! Thanks to alifab for taking a glance over this as a quick-shot beta. This is actually getting posted pre-episode due to my staking out a Panera for 2 hours before evening classes. Whee! As always, comments & concrit welcome.

Summary: ( The first time someone walked in on them, contrary to all forms of popular belief, it was Kurt who freaked the fuck out. )