FAQ

[so_out_of_ideas]

that nobody will read anyway but that makes me feel special :P

Faith

• So, you're a Christian, right?

-Yep.



• Okay, so do you think I'm going to hell because [insert X]?

-No. Do you?



• Oh, well then what do you think about [insert Y]?

-I've never tried inserting a Y. Sounds painful.



No, seriously. I am open to any kind of honest, intelligent, and open discussion of the faith I have chosen. I respect the rights of others to believe, behave, and talk about whatever they wish. I also expect the same courtesy in return.

Fanart

• What is your policy on credit for your work?

-Honestly? Unless you're using a significant number of my graphics on the same account/website, I don't care.

I appreciate credit, and it helps other people know where to find the the stuff, but my life does not revolve around icons and banners.


That said, a thank you does go a long way. You do not need to comment on every entry, but if you have saved something to your hard drive, please take the time to drop a comment and let me know



If you would like to credit me, either so_out_of_ideas or so_out_of_icons is fine. Thank you for being kind enough to do so.


• Can I use your graphics outside of LJ?

-Yes. If you do, please link back to so_out_of_icons. I'm too lazy to make link buttons. A plain text link is fine. Copy/Paste the following code into your profile or somewhere on the website where you are using the graphic:

Graphics/Icons by Lionchilde found at <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/so_out_of_icons"> so_out_of_icons@Livejournal</a>



• Can I post your graphics on my fansite/gallery?

-Yes. Please comment to let me know and credit me as Lionchilde with a link back to my graphics community. Thanks.



• Can I use your icons as bases/add text to the hush icons?

-Yes you can. I like to share. If you would like me to add the text for you, drop a comment and I will do so. Otherwise, go to town. However, I would really like it if you commented to show me what you did with my work.




• Can I make a request?

-Yes. Leave a comment on this post.



• I wish I could make my own graphics but I can't afford Photoshop. What can I do?

-I can't afford Photoshop either. I use Paint Shop Pro 8.1. It does almost everything that Photoshop is so famous for, and there are cheats to get around the few things that it doesn't. If this is still outside your price range, I seriously recommend GIMP. It is a free, open source image manipulation program designed by graphic artists and software engineers who wanted to provide an alternative to high priced software packages that was still powerful enough to meet the needs of most users. The interface was a bit confusing for me when I tried it, but I was already used to Paint Shop Pro, and I was still able to learn the ropes pretty quickly.



• How the heck do you make so many icons?

-I cheat.

I use scripts (the Paint Shop Pro version of saved actions) to do most of the resizing, copy/pasting and prep work that goes into making a set of icon bases. The prep work is what tends to take the longest once you have a general idea of which types of coloring should produce the result you want. So since my computer essentially does 3/4 of the work involved in making a set of bases, I can focus on the fun parts. I also use color balance and (occassionally) curves presets that I've developed for particular types of lighting or particular fandoms. I then touch up with color layers and/or textures and brushes. I happen to like simple icons best, although I do sometimes make more complicated ones. I think the real key to icon making is being able to make the image say what you want without a lot of added flash. So, it doesn't take me all that long to complete an episode or film.

Also, I don't sleep. I have chronic headaches and insomnia as well as a whole long list of other annoying things that make me physically uncomfortable a lot of the time. So, I spend most of my nights awake, and when my brain shuts off but my body won't, icons are the usual result.



• How did you do that graphic?


-There's a tutorial link on my sidebar. Please check through the old tuts as they give you a basic idea of the techniques I use. If you don't find what you're looking for, leave a comment and I would be happy to do a tutorial for you.


• I noticed that you made icons of X film. Are you going to do the sequel(s)?


-Yes, eventually. Either I don't have access to caps yet or I haven't had time.


• What about Y other film with the same actor?


Most likely. If you really want icons from that particular movie, feel free to ask. If requests are closed, you may have to wait a while, though. My backlog tends to get quite long.

Fiction



• What fandoms do you write in?

-I dabble in many, however I happen to be inspired. My main fanfiction interests are Stargate SG-1, Star Wars, and He-Man/She-Ra.



• What kinds of fic do you write?


-Two kinds, mostly, although again it depends on my inspiration. Short humor or character study pieces and very long, complex multi-chapter stories that focus heavily on evolving relationships and ideologies over a period of time as events change the characters' perspectives. My absolute favorite aspect of fanfiction writing is the ability to explore the ways in which a seemingly small shift in unfolding canon events can have profound consequences over a period of time. It's very important to me that writers who use other people's characters and ideas (either professionally as in the case of the published professional writers working in franchises like Star Trek/Star Wars, or nonprofessionally as fanfiction authors) respect the integrity of the creator's portrayal of a character. So my fanfiction tends to spend a lot of time on exploring the minds, hearts, and souls of my characters to explain how the plot elements that I introduce in the stories can change them without destroying them. (Except in the case of Anakin Skywalker who really doesn't need any help in the destruction department anyway...)

My fiction tends to be either a general "team" story or to focus mainly on a group of interrelated but separate couples. Romance, plays a part in my stories quite often, and since the fandoms often deal with war, there is a fair amount of violence. However, I work hard to keep my journal and the material I link to from here comfortable to all potential readers. Ratings rarely surpass PG-13 and will never be higher than R.


I despise love triangles with a passion, and I will squish any character who even thinks about engaging in any kind of cruelty or mistreatment of a partner like a bug, so please feel free not to read my work if you are looking for kink, forbidden love, Master/Padawan sexual involvement (including "He was my master but I'm a grown up now") or just plain idiocy. Note: Relationships between non-humans for whom it is the norm to have multiple parties in a stable relationship are not included in my definition of "love triangle," nor are human cultures in which polygagmous marriage is acceptable--necessarily, anyway. However, it's very rare that an author can pull that off.



• How do you write so much so fast?

-I really wish I could write faster. But as mentioned, I don't sleep much.



• Can I borrow your original character(s)?

-Possibly. Maybe. Probably not. I have to know you well enough to trust you with them. There are a very few people I trust that way, and if you're one of them you probably already know it.


• Can I make a request?

Yes. Leave a comment on this post. Please READ the rules stated on the request post. There are some things I will not write.



• Where is your fic archived?


LJ @ so_out_of_fic
FF.N as Lionchilde
Fanworks.org (in progress) as Lionchilde
Partial archives exist at Bast Castle and Beyond-Hope.
I generally don't post my fics to yahoo groups or forum sites because I'm lazy and the fics are long. Those venues require an entirely different coding system and I can't be bothered to manually do both BB Code and HTML.


• Can you rec me a good fic in X fandom?

Eh...probably not. I used to be a much more avid reader of fanfiction, but I have noticed a marked decline in writing quality and characterization over the last five or six years, and these days I really only read a select few authors in specific fandoms.



• Will you read my story and tell me what you think?

Maybe. If I have time to read it and you're sure that's what you want. I am an honest critic, and if your story is full of plot-holes and bad characterization, or just plain poor writing, I will tell you. I'll do my best to offer polite, constructive criticism, but I will not pull any punches, even if you are my friend.



• Will you beta for me?

No. Sorry, no offense. There are only so many hours in a day, even if I don't sleep. I haven't taken beta requests from strangers in a long time, and if you are one of the few people for whom I WILL beta-read, you already know it.



• How long is One Path going to be?

One Path closes at the end of RotJ.



• What about the Rediscovered Hearts Sequel?

I'm working on it. Right now I am thoroughly turned off by the direction that the SGA writers have taken the franchise, which makes it very difficult to focus on a fic which has a significant portion of its events in the Pegasus galaxy. Sorry.



• What other projects are you working on?


In the Star Wars fandom I have

4 shared AU projects with aruna7. These are One Path/The Kenobi Way, Land and Sky, The Chosen Ones, and Beyond The Force. They are all in different stages of development/completion.

3 Solo projects that have yet to be named.

In the Stargate fandom, I have

1 AU WIP centering on Daniel and Janet, entitled "Life After Death"

In the He-Man/She-Ra fandom I have

1 12 part cycle entitled The Defenders of Grayskull which may or may not ever be posted since there doesn't seem to be much interest in the story.


I also have a few planned sequels but it would be premature to list them here given the ammount of background work I need to do yet.



• Do you write original fiction?


Yes, of course.



• Can I read some?


No. My original stuff is meant for publication, so for legal reasons, I generally can't post finished original work to LJ. The only exception is a filtered friend's group which views drafts of material still in progress. That material will be taken offline when the stories are published. Due to current views on intellectual property, it's important that I keep my fandom work entirely separate from my original work so that nothing can be construed as an attempt to make a profit by posting fanfiction at the same place that I promote my original stories. This has happened to authors I know and it creates a rather large headache.


Fanvids


• What program do you use for vidding?


Sony Vegas 7


• Where do you get your clips?


Mostly from aruna7.


• Are your vids on YouTube?


Not currently. I don't really like YouTube, but I may be forced to upload there since all but two of the people whose opinions I care about in regard to my vids are no longer able to download the files. Check back, or check my YouTube account. I'm there as Lionchilde.

Friending

• Do you have a friending policy?

-It's pretty loose. Anyone can friend me as long as they can handle the bluntness.

• Comment if you want to be friended back.

-I don't check my profile page that often, so it's the only way I'm likely to know if you've friended me.


• I will friend you back if


-we have shared interests and your journal looks halfway intelligent.


• I will NOT friend you back if


-you are a Bible thumper, a bigot, or a paranoid homophobe.

-you think the universe revolves around you, your significant other, your weight, your chronic pain, or whatever else you whine about in every single entry. I've got my own, thanks.

-you have nothing to write about except myspace drama, fandom drama, whose autographs you can't afford to get at your fourteenth fan convention of the year, or which of your favorite shows got cancelled this season EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU POST >.<

-you do not know how to use an LJ-cut, especially for spoilers.



• Remember, I write about my fandoms and my faith here.


-If either of those things offend you, please don't friend me.

Fangirl

• Are you, like, obsessed with lions or something?

-No. Aslan from CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia has a particular significance in my life, and it's probably not what you think it is.

Are you, like, obsessed with Daniel Jackson or something?

-Yes.

Are you, like, obsessed with Star Wars or something?

-Surprisingly, no. I'm obsessed with writing. One Path and Land and Sky are both accidents. I do, however, love Star Wars very much. Not as much as SG-1, though.

Are you, like, obsessed with Star Trek or something?

-I was once. I still love it, but now it's more of a nostalgic thing than an obsession.

Are you, like, obsessed with cartoons or something?

-Yes. I am a fan of quality animation with a soft spot for certain programs from the 80s and early-to-mid 90s.

Are you, like, obsessed with Xena or something?

-No. I once was, though. Or more specifically with Ares. It sort of fizzled after my divorce for reasons that are hard to explain in under six pages, but I've recently gotten back into it.

Are you, like, obsessed with Dune or something?

-How'd you guess?

Are you, like, obsessed with vampires or something?

-In general, no. I am, however, obsessed with mine, and I had an ongoing obsession with Lestat until about the year 2002. Other vampires who top my list are Atra (created by cha_aka and Nick from Forever Knight. More recent vampires from various televison and literary fandoms really do nothing for me, sorry to say. Especially when those fandoms are comprised mainly of people who get offended when someone says they don't like character X or whatever.

Comments

[aruna7.livejournal.com]

You didn't cover the subject "can I hug you?" so I take it as a silent yes! *hugs you tight*

Very great post (yeah I read it, what a surprise?!)

Though I knew like 95% of all you wrote in your answers (we got beyond scary so long ago that it's not weird anymore tehehhe), I always enjoy reading your posts!!

Don't remind me about the AU series of doom... *glares at nieces*

Old married couple anyone? though in any case divorce wouldn't be an option with the collection of wonderbrats we have. *giggles*

[so-out-of-ideas.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* Thanks.

*tries not to mention wonderbrats of doom again*

*giggles*