[personal profile] hackthis_archive
It's that special time of year again! It's my birthday! Okay, actually, no, that's not true. My birthday is coming, in, uh, 40-something days,* but I was referring to The Yuletide Obscure Fandoms Exchange.

Yes, I am a [livejournal.com profile] yuletide baby. Why, you ask? Why this challenge, [livejournal.com profile] hackthis, and not mine?! See the thing is, I used to sign up for a lot of challenges, because my flist is a pimping sort of DO THIS list, and I wanted to participate in everything. Sadly that ended up turning into a "perform on demand" requirement, which took away a lot of the enjoyment, and this is why I don't tend to sign up for challenges and fic-exchanges, etc.

[livejournal.com profile] yuletide is my exception. I save myself for Adrian Pasdar [livejournal.com profile] yuletide.

I've participated every year it's been run and I've never been disappointed. I've freaked out. I've flogged myself and said, "You dumbass, why did you say you'd write that?" And the answer is, because it's challenging and once I write something for [livejournal.com profile] yuletide I don't sign up to write it again the next year. I've written The Usual Suspects, Spider-Man, Grey's Anatomy (het, which still shocks the hell out of me), Ocean's Eleven and Entourage and loved every last bit of it, fear and all.

In my mind [livejournal.com profile] yuletide isn't about the story you receive -- although you know, that's damn awesome -- but about the story you write. Nothing makes me happier than hearing that my recipient liked what I created for them. Sometimes you don't hear this though. Sometimes you get insulted (bad form, people, really). Sometimes you hear nothing at all. But sometimes you hear that you created just what someone else was hoping for and that warm fuzzy feeling makes everything worth it. And okay, there's always that moment of panic after you sign up and after you get your recipient where you think, "The fuck?! I can't write this? Why do I do this shit to myself," but that turns out to be, IMO, one of the greatest motivating forces: proving to yourself that you can do it. And yes, I pointed out above that it's nice to hear your recipient liked it, but you know what's even better?

Knowing that you did. It's about knowing you finished something you thought was going to bend you over the desk. So, yes, in a manner of speaking [livejournal.com profile] yuletide is about giving to someone else, but it's also about giving back to yourself, and really, don't you deserve some love too? Exactly.

Go sign the fuck up. Now. And then go get some celebratory icons from [livejournal.com profile] liviapenn. You can thank me after Christmas.



*What, like you'd ever expect a Slytherin to be modest in the first place? This is where I place my order for my ever-lost Adrian Pasdar clone and a Nathan/Peter video for Charm Attack. Or possibly Flagpole Sitta. Or any song that [livejournal.com profile] slodwick and I soundtracked. Life is too short to not ask for what you want.

Date: 2007-10-09 05:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sparky77.livejournal.com
*raises hand to ask question*

Date: 2007-10-09 06:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sparky77.livejournal.com
So what you are saying is that [livejournal.com profile] yuletide is in fact a super secret government project to clone Adrian Pasdar, and that every time someone sign ups, we get one step closer to the day that there will be Adrians for everyone, yes?

Date: 2007-10-09 06:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hackthis.livejournal.com
YES! EXACTLY! You are so smaht.

Date: 2007-10-09 11:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sparky77.livejournal.com
It's all the crack. The government tries to tell you it's bad for you, but I know the truth!

Date: 2007-10-09 11:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hackthis.livejournal.com
The government just wants to keep all the Adrians for itself. Typical.

Date: 2007-10-09 07:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fivil.livejournal.com
I second every word of this post. I also only do yuletide when it comes to holiday exchanges and I'm glad to have chosen it and only it. :D

The only reason I haven't signed up yet is because I'm eliminating my request choices; so many cool fandoms I got to know this past year. I also have trouble locking down what I can offer. Still time left, thank god.

Date: 2007-10-09 11:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hackthis.livejournal.com
I know it's still early days yet, but I'm hoping to get people at least thinking about it. It took me three flipping tries to sign up properly alas, but it did make me really consider what I wanted, so that was worth it.

Date: 2007-10-09 08:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ranalore.livejournal.com
Exactly what you said. All of it.

Date: 2007-10-09 11:25 pm (UTC)

Date: 2007-10-11 04:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] heidi8.livejournal.com
Happy early birthday.
Check your email. :D

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