BSG fandom: cheer the frak up!

[bop_radar]

**Opinionated post warning**

I sense a malaise in BSG fandom. The first I knew of the (official) delay of S4 until April was posts on my friendslist either bitching about it or complaining about those bitching about it. And somehow that made me... not flip out about it. So first, thanks for flipping out so that I didn't have to! :) And then, ok, yes, we'd all like to see it a lot sooner than that. But now's the time for banding together and having hiatus fun, not falling apart.

Yes, hiatus's are hard. And I've never had a tougher one than this one. And I'm probably really lucky that I have another show to turn to, in Smallville, in the meantime. But hiatus's are good in other ways: they give writers, artists and vidders ages of time to work on their own versions of canon or fanon, and it's a great time to do so with the show still open-ended. Get in before it gets jossed! It's also a good time to rewatch and dig deeper into the show's themes for the meta-ists among us.

In short, I've seen a lot of griping about the fandom recently but I don't feel inclined to gripe myself. I love BSG fandom! Largely because the fandom is, to me, the individuals I've met in it. I don't like collectives, I'm a total loner, so I don't like getting into 'BSG fandom is such and such' or 'Smallville fandom is whatever' arguments. I continue to enjoy my fandoms because I like you guys. You on my friendslist! You guys who read my journal and whose journals I read. If I don't read other forums it's generally because they don't make me happy. But I've met lots of amazing talented and lovely people on LJ in BSG fandom and that's why I LOVE IT. Sure, I'd still watch the show without you, but it wouldn't be nearly so much fun. So the fact that the show's delayed is a minor grievance in the scheme of things. What I would be sad about is losing touch with people.

Also: we have webisodes at the moment! That deserve a lot of squee! OMG mid-air battle with original Cylon! *flails* Waaah! What are they doing to me?! They're making me LIKE BILL. That sequence was undeniably awesome. And so reminiscent of Starbuck! She would totally have acted the same way. Wow. These are really exciting. I want more! :)

I racked my brains to think of something I could do to contribute to the fandom at this time. But I think I'd do best to follow dionusia's example and throw myself open to suggestions instead. So here goes:
1. Feel free to leave me a prompt--I may respond with either a drabble or meta, but I'll respond with something, promise.
2. Leave your vid bunnies here! I only have one BSG vid bunny at the moment and I need hi res of Unfinished Business for that so I'm waiting on those damn S3 dvds... but in the meantime, if you want to suggest something, I can't promise I'll do it, but if it inspires me, you never know!
3. Finally, I volunteer my services for organising some kind of challenge or fic exchange or something. We need more to keep us busy! So if anyone's got any ideas about this, let me know and I'm happy to organise or help organise a BSG-specific challenge.

OK, um, *nervous*.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/wisteria_/]

Psst... after reading your #2, I checked Easynews and found a 4GB version of Unfinished Business. Here's the file name, if that helps you suss out whether it's the right one:

Battlestar.Galactica.s03e09.H264.1080.50i.AC3.5.1-abstrakt.01.ts

They appear to have the rest of the season -- or, at least, most of the episodes. I've also seen some 350mb .avis ripped from the UK DVD release. They're not great, but at least they're free of screen bugs.

As for the rest of your post? YES. I told a friend the other day that I'd rather spend the next five months loving my show instead of ranting about scheduling and the other potential badness.

Vid bunnies? I still vote for "The New Kid". Jealous Lee! Bigshot jerk Anders! (Even though I kinda adore him. :)

Fic bunnies? Aside from K/L, obviously, I'm still really craving fic(lets) about the Final Five. Even now I'm so caught up in the "ooh" of that scene from C2.

*big hugs!*

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, very interested in that file! :D

And yay, I have suggestions already! Thank you! *hugs*

[http://users.livejournal.com/wisteria_/]

(Also, if you want to download those files, let me know off LJ and I'll give you my Easynews password. I have 149.7GB left before my next billing date... which is Tuesday... so I'm quite happy to let you use some of it!)

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

You are made of awesome! (And I'm glad you agree with me--I just want to have FUN in fandom!)

[mylittlepwny.livejournal.com]

:D
I agree. Wholeheartedly.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Yay! *twirls you*

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

Hi Bop! I'm with you. There has been such a dearth of good BSG fic lately. :-( Or any BSG fic lately. I don't know how to organize a challenge but maybe we can brainstorm ideas. I know it's hard because we're all watching other shows as well (eep! SV!) but surely we can do something!

Vid Bunnies: I've never vid bunnied before.

1. Let's see. I am thinking about Laura on the stand calling Lee 'Captain Apollo'. And I'm thinking about your vid that had music that made Lee seem like a knight or gunslinger. What about a Laura, Lee (not necessarily shippy) vid to Suzanne Vega's the Queen and the Soldier? The song has a Bop-esque feel to it. And you could use a lot of season one and mini footage and stuff with the Olympic Carrier. Here is the song here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt0sXRBLfJM) (it's the first one). It would be kind of AU but hey, why not? Could work for Kara and Lee too. Or whoever you want. I just love this song. :-) (I've never vid prompted before so I don't know if you need to know anything else.)

2. How about a Six video to the song, 'You Wear it Well?' She wears such cool clothes. It's kind of silly but peppy. Or maybe all of the female Cylons? Hmm . . .

Wow, I have lots of ideas! But would you only want to vid Lee?

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm glad you like the idea of a challenge--I guess we just need to think of a theme or some kind of focus.

Thanks for the vid bunnies. That's a really interesting song suggestion --the Queen and the Soldier. Hmm. I will definitely think about that one! And yeah, I'm open to vidding anyone. Well, I'd probably struggle to vid Anders or the Chief or Cally but just about anyone... ;)

[siljamus]

Pist, you and I need to have a conversation about an idea I have kicking around. So your place, mine or email?

[latteaddict.livejournal.com]

I've been surprisingly mellow about the April start. The wait has already been so long, what's another few months. But I am ready to flip out if season 4 does get broken up on top of it. Waiting until 2009 for the conclusion feels like cruel and unusual punishment. So I'm hoping that an April start will ensure us the entire season in 2008. Even if it does still have a break in between, I'd much rather a couple of months than an extra year. *wishful thinking*

I've been enjoying the Razor flashbacks too. It's rather cool learning something about Adama senior.

Hey, wouldn't it be completely awesome and very indulgent to get a set of flashbacks of Lee and Kara at the Academy?

# leave you a prompt.

I remember way back when folks used to use icons for drabble prompts. So I've picked 6 of my (hopefully) amusing and (potentially) naughty icons to inspire something from you. Maybe something crack-ficcy?

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I'm also feeling mellow about it, and like you I hope it will end up meaning a whole season. I think I'll get more cranky if the show actually starts and then doesn't contain any Lee. ;) That's the one thing that sends me crazycakes. ;)

I'd give anything for Academy flashbacks. Definitely wishful thinking, I guess!

Ohh, crackfic prompts! Hee! Nice selection. I will get thinking... (you sneakily provided me with something that I totally can't meta, LOL, you are EVOL!)

[elly427.livejournal.com]

Dude, I have totally, totally been thinking about tossing my hat in the ring and starting some sort of hiatus ficathon because there is next to no fic out there.

(This is all despite the fact that I am terrible at ficathons and never finsih them on time. This is how desperate I am!)

So if you need a hand, I volunteer!

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Ohh, yay! I'm glad you're up for a ficathon thing. I agree--there is a great lack of fic and I have no idea why. Somehow I expected there to be ficathons and there aren't. So let's roll up our sleeves and just make one. Any ideas for themes/focus?

[carylerg.livejournal.com]

There's a song by Charlotte Martin, one of my favorite lesser-known musical artists, titled Haunted, which I always think would make a fabulous prompt for a vid or fic in relation to Kara or Lee or Kara/Lee or Kara and all of the men in her life.

The sample of the song on iTunes is pretty indicative of the tone and the mood of the whole. It always brings images to my mind, and I think it would go well with BSG world.

If you, Boppy, or anyone listens to the sample and would like to hear more, just let me know. :) I'm just throwing my thought out to the cosmos to see if it sticks for anyone.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Ohh, that sounds pretty cool! I have one album of hers but not the one with Haunted on it. I'd be interested in hearing the rest. :)

[dionusia.livejournal.com]

Hey WT! Glad to hear that you're with me in my determinedly cheerful coping mechanism. :) I'd happily request a drabble or give you a vid bunny, my head is teeming with ideas, but...as for the UB vid...oh, dare I hope that I know which one that would be? Ah well, news of any UB vid by you is so exciting, I don't care!

Kudos to you for offering to do a ficathon or exchange, as well. I was thinking of doing one at sasa_hq but this is a pan-fandom malaise. Of course, I just committed myself to my own personal ficathon, but I'd be eager to participate, of course. :D

And I think you, Elly, and DB need to write more fic and help address that dearth of which you all speak! I guess I know what you mean, though; very few of my favorite fic writers are producing anything at all in BSG (thank goodness for wisteria_, though, hallelujah).

or complaining about those bitching about it

Wow, metabitching. Takes it a bit too far, eh? ;)

But I've met lots of amazing talented and lovely people on LJ in BSG fandom and that's why I LOVE IT.

I couldn't agree more! My LJ friends and the creative community here have buoyed me thus far, and I can't imagine how much duller it would be without having met lovely and stimulating people such as yourself. Of course I'm new to fandom so everything is still shiny and exciting to me; but I feel like this hiatus shouldn't necessarily mean that our fandom peters out.

WT POWERS, ACTIVATE!

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! :) and yes the situation seems SO DIRE that I too may fic. Just so I can poke other people and make them feel guilty by saying 'see, EVEN I have ficced!' huahahaha! :D

And yes, a sasa_hq one would be most welcome. Because while I agree that it's a panfandom malaise, I personally really just want more K/L. ;) But that's not to say I wouldn't be more than happy to organise a all-BSG one.

Takes it a bit too far, eh? ;)
Well, I could be accused of it myself in the post above i guess, so I'll keep my arms by my sides in this glass house. :)

It SHOULD be shiny and exciting. I still feel chirpy, and I think there's lots of cool stuff to do still. So I'm definitely in favour of using the hiatus for creative ends.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned the UB-centric vid to you before or not? I think it might be another one. This one's dark and angsty, I'm afraid. Does that sound right? Alanna is enabling me with hi res footage so I am hoping it's not as far off as I thought.

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

Hey! I could write something but I kind of fail at deadlines. And I haven't been in a K/L mood lately. Still love them but now I'm kind of in the mood for gen. Or just Kara. See? I think I'm finally into Bop's character study. Late is me. ;-)

But I'll keep thinking . . . what would motivate me . . .

[brokenmnemonic.livejournal.com]

On the principle that I'm getting nowhere with vidding, I thought I might leave some of the vid bunnies I was playing with here, in the hopes they might appeal to you...

Blurry, by Puddle of Mudd - Lee POV
The Undertaker (Renholder Mix) by Puscifer - Lee POV
Cold, by Crossfade - Kara POV (most people would just listen and assume the song is from Lee's POV, but I think there's a lot of mileage in actually looking at occasions when Kara's been the cold or hard one)
Hurt, by Johnny Cash - Kara POV
Breathless, by the Corrs - happy shipper vid

Perhaps you'll have more luck being productive than I've managed in the last few months ;)

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's very generous. I know the last two songs but I'd have to hunt down the others. 'Hurt' is gorgeous. I'll investigate these--thank you! :)

[bluemeridian]

Someone *has* to have made a vid to If Everyone Cared by Nickelback already, right? Regardless, that'll be a good one to do after canon has provided us with wonderful closing footage. :)

I would also volunteer to assist with admin/coding tasks for ficathon? I'd like to get to know the fandom better and I like playing code monkey. *g*

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I do not know if anyone has made that vid.

And thank you! That's a very welcome offer of assistance as I know you rock with the coding. ;) I'll be in touch! (It's a great fandom.)

[siljamus]

You probably know where I stand on this.....:D But then I'm still basking in my new-found love of the source-text and slowly making connections with other fans.

Shall we meta a bit on fandoms versus fans? I think that at some point when you've been round the block a few times, you might get a sense that fandoms are actually loose net-works of fans, some of whom are single-source fans and others are multi-source fans. Fans tend to hold on to some friendships when interests shift and let go of others.

There are people I engage with on LJ that I don't share a single fandom with, but we still have fun interacting. I love that the people I get to interact with are not all fannish about the same shows, or fannish in the same way - it makes it much more interesting than to hang out with a group of people that see everything the same way as I do.

For obvious reasons I never got to participate in your Fandom Garden Party, which was an awesome idea - next time I'll so be there in all my finery, sipping cocktails and making small talk. *nods*

(I find it amazing that right now other people seem to be writing the posts I'm thinking about doing - makes my life so much easier :)

Fic-a-ton, challenge, meta-challenge or any other kind of thing that requires organizing; you can count me in. I also have one idea for something a little different on the fic-front. I shall have to talk to daybreak777 before we go public, though..... ::dons thinking hat::

(This may be completely OT: The one thing I'd really like to request from you was for you to - at some point - done the Beta Adama hat and have a look at some of my BSG-meta.)

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

you might get a sense that fandoms are actually loose net-works of fans, some of whom are single-source fans and others are multi-source fans. Fans tend to hold on to some friendships when interests shift and let go of others.
Yes, definitely. I'm definitely in that stage too and have friends with no overlapping fandoms anymore. In a lot of ways it makes me less angsty and unsettled than when I was mono-fannish and new. ;)

I'm definitely still looking for a good whole-fandom challenge idea. So I'm intrigued by this mystery idea!

And I'd be delighted to look at your meta! :) My Beta Adama hat is not as stern as made out. ;)

[asta77.livejournal.com]

You know I'm with you. I love BSG. I love my Flist. The rest of fandom? CRAZY! ;p

As I began cleaning off my DVR on Saturday and looked at a full season of BSG sitting there I thought of how I had the time now for a rewatch. I also want to work on my Lee/Laura post-'Crossroads' semi-epic. ;) And I actually had an idea the other day for a ficathon...but I forget what it was. :( If I remember, I'll let you know!

So, instead of whining, people should be creating, imho.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Oh! This is very exciting! \o/ I'm delighted to hear you will be working on something.

If you remember that ficathon idea, let me know! :)

[fleegull.livejournal.com]

Are people really bicthing about the break? I lived through The Sopranos breaking for nearly two years so this is nothing.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

They really are. Thank you for the timely reminder that it could be worse. ;)

[frolicndetour.livejournal.com]

Oh well fiiine, but the next time KS says that Gaeta is her one true soulmate or whatever, I'm reminding you of this moment, Perky. :P

But seriously, you're so right, fandom is a lifeline in these trying times. ;) And since this time last year, I didn't even know that such a thing existed, there's a part of me that's okay with this because I don't want the party to end. And I'm with you on enjoying having the show stay open-ended for a little longer. Especially because I'm doing a rewatch and getting hit with increasingly heavy anvils that Baltar and Six are going to be the only characters left standing at the end, and well, I just won't like that at all!

1.I'm not really good at prompts, but... okay, Lee. Where will be go in season four, in your ideal world? And/or - does he have any of his principles left, at this point? Like, what do you make of his decision to execute Phelan, at the end of Black Market, or his "What frakking system" speech? I know that sounds meta-y but it could make a good introspective drabble, too. OR - that scene from the promo where he and Kara hug, from his perspective. *pines* And if you end up doing either of these, feel free to request something of me, too. I'm not entirely confident of my fic writing ability but I'll at least try! :)

2. I was getting to that point where the song "Car Crash" was getting on my last nerve because it's so overplayed, and then I listened to the words and realized that it's all about suicidal ideation and spirituality, and now I think someone should really do a BSG vid to it. :D It could work for Kara, Baltar, Six, Sharon, Tyrol, D'Anna, Roslin, Lee, um, has anyone on this show not been suicidal?... Or, I think the song "Come to Jesus" (Mindy Smith) would work equally well, especially using images from Rapture, Maelstrom and CRII, and it's a better song. Or a general BSG vid. using "The Boy in the Bubble" by Paul Simon, or "The Calling" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. I think I'm on a mythology kick. :) Or how about a Tigh, Tyrol, Kara, Lee ensemble vid to "Working Class Hero?" (Either Version). Hmm.... I also think that "Your Misfortune" (Mike Doughty) would make a good Kara/Lee vid. Oh, and if I knew how, I would so do a Lee/Kara/Sam OT3 vid (I suppose it would work equally well as just Kara/Lee :P) to this old folk song:
http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/kate_rusby_lyrics_4710/underneath_the_stars_lyrics_16169/polly_lyrics_186943.html

...with Lee and Sam as the fair maidens who faithfully await the dashing young sailor's return, natch. ;)

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

the next time KS says that Gaeta is her one true soulmate or whatever, I'm reminding you of this moment, Perky.
Ha! I consider that to be completely different. ;) Though last time I flipped out about something KS said, a billion people came by to jolly me into a better humour... it was kind of am incentive to flip out again. I don't think they realised that! :)

getting hit with increasingly heavy anvils that Baltar and Six are going to be the only characters left standing at the end, and well, I just won't like that at all!
Good grief, what a terrible thought! *makes warding sign*

I'm not entirely confident of my fic writing ability but I'll at least try! :)
Cool! I'm definitely not confident in mine either--I don't even aspire to be a fic writer, but I'll write to keep others company, if that makes sense. ;)

Thanks for all those wonderful prompts and vid ideas! I will get thinking!

[smact46.livejournal.com]

You are right, Boppy, Hiatus' are hard, but I have to admit that I have found this one a little easier because of my flist. I love bsg too and this is the first time that I have become involved in a community like this and I have loved that too. The great people that I have met have generally been truly inspiring and if I have had a low day, there has always been someone to help me out of the doldrums. I have also been blown away frequently by the talent demonstrated by the people that I have met this year - art, discussions, fiction.

I too am disappointed that season 4 seems so far away, but I am looking foward to Razor, and keep consoling myself that at least we are getting a season 4 and at least the series will be able to be completed the way it's creators intended. I am still scarred by what happened with Farscape and Northern exposure.

So, anyway, I haven't got a prompt yet, but I offer you a drabble instead. Your post inspired me to want to contribute.

I was really inspired and uplifted by a particular scene in the season 4 promo and rattled this off last night. I am not a writer by nature, as I have said before. The big picture tends to overwhelm me, which is why I am so in awe of the people out there who are so prolific and regularly come up with multi chapter WIP'S. I only seem to be able to focus on particular events in time. This particular scene has given me hope for Lee and Kara.

I have posted it over at my journal.

Another challenge would be awesome.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you for the drabble--it's brilliant! I know what you mean by being awestruck by those that are able to write the epic AU WIPs and all. I can't even contemplate that kind of creative inspiration, i'm far more canon-bound. But I actually really enjoy short pieces like the one you wrote so I'm really glad fandom provides both. And yes, that hug is balm for a shipper's soul, right now! :)