MOOP!

I should be accomplishing schoolythings, or at least packythings, but instead I'm being led off into tangents by rm's livejournal.

Background is that dramashit¹ hit the fan regarding a con in the SPN fandom. You can go read Rach's journal if you want the details on the mess.

Anywho, nancylebov, who I don't actually know in the slightest, made this comment, which I started to respond to, and realized it was going to get long:

Care to take a crack at rules for photographers? One of my most annoying con memories is of a photographer (large white guy wearing bear ears) who insisted that I stop working (I huckster) and look at him while he took my picture. He kept persisting past a number of refusals.

Or is "Your desire to take a picture does not override other people's desires to do whatever they're doing" plus a few rules about permissions and privacy enough?

Response:

Man, "your desire to take a picture does not override other people's desires to not model for you without recompense or choice, especially without knowing where those pictures will end up." ought to just be one of those common sense rules that people magically get. Of course, common sense isn't and all that, but wouldn't it be nice if it was.

(Said as someone who has both taken a fair number of pictures at cons and who has been asked for pictures at cons)

And I do take a fair number of photos at cons, especially animu ones, where you actually get a majority of everyone dressing up (seriously sci-fi fandom, can we fix this? Because that may just be my favourite part of dealing with the anime fandom³). If I want someone to not move, so I can get a nice, non-blurry photo, I ask them. It's an incredibly simple process, for those who don't get it, I provide a simple walk-through.

• Notice someone in a cool costume.


• Pull out your camera, and politely get their attention. This means you may have to wait a moment if they're in a conversation already with someone else.


• Ask "May I take your picture". Possibly add "I love your costume/that character" or "...for my website/blog/flickr" if it's appropriate.


• Wait for them to say yes. If they say no, thank them for their time, and walk away.


• If they say yes, wait for them to pose, and take a picture, maybe two. Try not to take up the entire hallway, especially if you're somewhere crowded.


• Thank them


• OPTIONAL: offer to show them the photo if you're using digital, offer to send them the photo if you're organized enough to do that, give them a moo-card with your flickr account if that's how you roll.


• Walk away and let them enjoy the rest of their con.

I have done this dozens of times, across multiple cons. It works pretty well, honestly, leaves me feeling happy because I got a nice picture, and generally seems to leave them feeling pretty happy because someone liked the costume they worked hard on. If it's an obscure enough character, sometimes you actually get them *really* excited --this girl started bouncing when I recognized her as Daria, and after I snapped the photo, we hugged (Oh hey, there's another thing you should ask permission for...)

On the occasions when they say no, guess what! It's not the end of the world. It's probably not even you --sometimes people are in a hurry, or chatting with their friends, or something messed up with their costume and they don't want proof, or they can't legally afford to be seen in this costume⁴, or the other half isn't here right now, or whatever. Or maybe it is you, and they think you're a creepster --the best way to make them think you're *not* a creepster is to thank them for their time, and go away. Asking why someone isn't willing to give up THEIR time for YOUR photograph is rude at best. They owe you nothing.

And that's me babbling some about photos at cons. If other people have other thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

~Sor
MOOP!

1: I was having a discussion with zombie_dog about this at NEFFA, namely the fact that I strictly make a difference between drama and just problems, be it in relationships, fandoms, friendsships, what have you. I usually tend to define drama as a strictly bad, and usually unnecessary thing. When something big happens, and lots and lots of discussions and arguments get started, and emotions get heated, that's not necessarily drama (or wank²). When people start acting like morons about it, and attacking each other rather than discussing the issue at hand, then it starts to get dramay.

2: They're a little bit interchangeable for me, but I am trying to break myself of using "wank" and "fuck" as pejoratives, because both wanking and fucking are awesome things, and I don't like the underlying idea that a sex act should be our strongest curse. That being said, this is going even more slowly than the not using "lame" thing, mostly because "fuck" is one of those words I use several dozen times a day, really. It just has a good *feel* to it, much like "cunt" --there is a power in the word that, say, "frell" just doesn't have. Hard syllables versus soft maybe?

3: And believe me, I have many *many* least favourite parts about the anime fandom, mostly in the form of horror stories told to me by future-rooommate distant_flicker.

4: I've been there --anyone who saw me at Arisia knows that I've worn things at cons that I really can't have pictures of me leaking out on, because I will lose my future job. That being said, a lot of casual crowd-shots get taken at cons, and the chances of you being able to control every photo of you is nil --all you can really do is limit the number of posed photos.

OHMAN, and I just remembered the last time I was at Rocky, and dolled up appropriately, this asshole journalist just pointed his camera at me and started to take a photo. I wound up blocking it with my hand, and totally going off on him for not asking permission. He seemed more amused than anything else (haha, look at the overwrought little slutty girl) but I felt better for bitching at him. (And he didn't point the camera at me again at least)

Comment Policy: (Eventually I will stop doing comment policies, but they entertain me): None, actually. I mean, if you go about being all "HURR EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP FOR MY CAMERA AND ALSO TAKE THEIR CLOTHES OFF BUT ONLY IF THEY'RE A HOT GIRL" I'm gonna seriously reevaluate our friendship, but have at it.

Four years ago today, it was 2005. And some shit went down in a chatroom.

The long story short was that my planet, MOOP! (which was then far more tied in to my emotional stability than it is now) got half melted. This is largely because Mallory Alis had returned to my brain, and got into a fight with someone stronger than her. Basic effects were just somewhat of a loss of stability for a bit, not aided by the loss of the internet that came to me six days later. These conditions -broken, able to get on the computer but not the web, and with a brand new guardian to try and protect me- were what got me to start the original BehindtheWalls file --more about that on the sixth.

The real lasting effect was that Alis had returned, as it were, in the incarnation she remains now. Also, it puts Gabriel's age at more than four years, since he was definitely around before she showed up.

For those of you going "um, who?" Alis and Gabriel are two of the three denizens who live in my head and talk to me. If you're familiar with the idea of multiples, it's a little like that (though I refuse to give up control), but basically, they are the voices in my head that keep me sane and safe. Hyde, the third denizen, is the voice in my head that tells me to kill, but can you really expect better from a serial killer?

The denizens are pretty cool folk, and interestingly enough, they have been wicked active lately, for no reason I can really suss out. Usually it takes me hanging out with other people with named voices for them to come out and play, lately, they've been talking to me much more often, and wanting to talk to and interact with the rest of the world as well.

As with most things about myself, I am just fine with answering any and all questions about the three of 'em. Butyes. I like my denizens, and am happy they're around.

~Sor
MOOP!

You know what? Nothing amuses me like being silly, so I'm thinking I'm just going to repost this with slight changes.

Because three years ago today, it was 2006. And I decided to be a comments whore.

No one ever comments in my journal! Therefore, I'm going to delete it, and commit suicide. Possibly involving a fish, although I might use my Ravonous Bug-Blatter Beast of Traal.

After I'm done with that, I might go somewhere. Cool!

I've recently had a major life change! Thats right -I've morphed into an androgynous three eyed hooloovoo, with an extra arm shaped like a fork. And I'm getting divoriced from my friend Shirly. She's such a bitch.

But there are many cool people who aren't bitches. thorog's not a bitch for instance. He's smart. Same with naraht. And muzikmaker21 is of course just awesome. I got to see herhim (Oh god this is old) this weekend. I also saw werewulf. And artemisfowl2nd. And later I get to see jere7my and marcmagus! But not macaroniandtuna or drama_angel3189 which is a shame, because they are also cool people.

I am wearing very little! I won't post pics though, because I'm embarrassedtoo lazy to turn on the webcam.

I saw this article about abortion in the paper. It was all about Montana's abortion laws. I think Montana is boring, except for Montana Jones. He's cute. Those are my opinions!

(((To all the people giving me VERY strange looks at this point, I'm merely playing with the idea of the Naraht-ian laws of getting comments)))

~Sor
MOOP!

Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Stuff:
*It's been a week or something from my last real update. Oops.
*MOOP! is currently in a state of half melted disarray.
*Anyone want to help me capture an evil, EVIL basterd? His name is Malice, and he is going to die. Very very soon.
*It's hell week. Yep.
*Tyler broke herself again.
*I am going to spend as much as this afternoon as possible playing The Sims/Heros of Might and Magic three. (Last day of Winter-een-Mas, doncha know!!)
*I'm supposed to be doing research. Ah well, it's not hard or nuthin.

K_T stuff:
*I haven't written anything in a while
*I've been drawing a lot. Like, real drawings and stuff. They look really really good.

I would also like to point out that gossip is stupid, pointless, annoying and really dumb. As someone who has witnessed first hand what gossip can do, I know how things can snowball.

~Sor

MOOP!