to write the unwriteable wrong

If you're interested in joining Kiva, now is a great time! There's a promotion where you can make a free loan: http://kiva.org/ladieshomejournal

If you haven't seen me mention it before, Kiva's a website where you can make microloans of $25 apiece to farmers, crafters, shopkeepers, and other small business owners in developing nations to give them a leg up out of poverty. I use it constantly. I am not employed by nor paid by them in any way. :) Unlike regular loans, you don't earn interest on the loans you give out. But unlike a charity donation, you get the money back. I love getting my loans paid back and using them to fund more and more loans!

There's also a fandom lending team if you want your loan to count toward making fandom look generous and great.

Step One

- Make a post (public, friends locked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two

- Surf around your friendslist (or friends friends, or just random journals, or holiday_wishes/wishlist) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

( My List )

Cover art for la_petite_singe's awesome Erik/Charles Summer Fic Exchange story, The Eldest of the Gods. It's a 1920s Eton College AU; the guys are 18-ish (and Erik is ginger!) I showed the sketch to my girlfriend who doesn't know XMFC and she said, "It looks like Brideshead Revisted." I was like, "EXACTLY." I hope that comes across for you, too! India ink on bristol.

ETA: If my webhost is being wonky, you can view this at my tumblr.

[xpost: Erik/Charles]

Because it is not disallowed to sign up late, I have also signed up to be an author at Journey Story. Yes, in Baby-sitters Club. :D Oh, man, who is going to do art for me?

mcshep_match started posting today! I have something in the fest this year (but what???) so I can't vote, but you can! Probably!

My first-ever challenge was McShep Match 2007 (the first-ever McShep Match!), so it feels like my five*-year anniversary of fandom.

*Edited because I can't do math.

Inspired by Yolsaffbridge's comment that I should keep practicing drawing Professor X until he is Patrick Stewart.

( More fun with mini-portraits )

Prompt from helens78: "Erik surprised by something Charles is thinking at him! :D? :D?"

Somehow that turned into this.



Lessons learned: I need to learn how to do backgrounds. Also, for best results, if a project appears to be 80% done, and I'm tired and need to go to bed, I should wash my brushes and go to bed, instead of powering through the last 20%.

Good night everybody!

ds_c6d_bigbang revealed today on AO3. I did five drawings for tres_mechante's Elements of Life.

There's a little more commentary on each one (and of course the reference photos!) on my reference photo/art tumblr, in between photos of Ian McKellan.