Flattery will get you everywhere. So will bribery.

[jadesfire]

As usual I am coming hat in hand to my flist, asking for a favour. But this time it's not for me! Well, not directly.

Several of our authors over at tardis_bigbang have run into beta-difficulties. Over a challenge this long, stuff happens and people have to drop out. Unfortunately this means that several writers have been left in the lurch, as we don't allow them to enter without a beta. So if any of you could spare a few hours over the next few weeks to help any of them out, they (and I) would be incredibly grateful. I kind of want to gather them all up and look after them myself, but I currently owe betas to apiphile, donutsweeper and miss_zedem, not to mention how far behind I am on my own writing.

People who need help:

27K words, gen (slight canon het), PG, mostly New Who (10th Doctor, Martha, Donna, Mickey), but referencing The Mind Robber and Terminus. Also, slight Harry Potter crossover. Line by line would be great, but even a simple read-through to see if it makes sense would work too.

Ninth Era/Fifth Era combined with some *heavy* referencing of Big Finish canon for the Fifth Doctor as well, no outside crossovers. It's het, but mildly so, probably rated PG to PG-13 at worst and as for what kind of help...anything would be appreciated but Brit-picking and canon checking in particular. ESPECIALLY for the Big Finish elements.

42,000+ words and is Torchwood based with some of 10th Doctor. I need someone to check the flow and keep my ideas flush, and a bit of Brit-picking. It is rated R for language, violence and adult situations.

New Who, AU end to JE. 32 000+ words. M rated. I've never had a beta before so mainly britpicking, grammar and spelling. I'm getting the feeling that I should just disappear from the face of the planet with how much I am ignored with this one. I am getting nervous, so hand holding would be good too.

I do need someone to help me with the Torchwood side of things. The tricky part is it's a crossover. My story is a Torchwood/Firefly/Serenity story. It's PG-13, mostly action-adventure type stuff. I need mostly canon-checkers for both sides, grammar and spelling, and as you can see from the minor panic attack from the top of this comment, possibly a hand-holder. ;) A Britpicker would be nice, too, but not mandatory.

ETA: You guys rock!

If anyone can help them out, I'd be ever so grateful. Grateful enough to say "choose your own reward" - whatever fic or meta or whatever I can offer, it's yours. Seriously, guys, they need this.

What I can also offer is swans! We had a family of swans visit our flat last night, and I managed to get some pictures and video of the two adults and their five fluffy cygnets. So cute!















And I managed to take a couple of videos as well.

"Cute kitten" (Watch on YouTube)

Comments

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

If you click on the link, it'll take you to her comment and you can enter negotiations ;) She just sounds so...lost! I know that feeling and thank you so much! Name your price!

(*beams* I thought you would! What's the point of being a Mod if you can't match your friends to things you think they'd like?)

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I love you *so* much!

Please excuse deleted comment

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

OH god I read too fast let me try that again:

Give me the Newbie anyway

My adoration for my assigned art still holds!

Re: Please excuse deleted comment

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*giggle* No worries, we all do it!

Go forth and claim the Newbie! And keep on enjoying the art.

And since it's you and I love you too *smishes*, the 'name your price' offer still stands :D

Re: Please excuse deleted comment

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I have claimed the Newbie.

I can see the art, I can taste the art, I HAVE DETAILED NOTES on the art and ROUGH SKETCHES. I just hope to god I can produce the art to anything like what I can see *bites nails*

Oh and there will be an email about the art later, not later today, just *waves hand* later in general.

I will get back to you on the offer ;-)

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Squee! Cygnets! Great pictures.

Ooh, most of them want Britpicking, but I will have a look and see if I can help anybody.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I just got the videos to work! *kicks Photobucket* It wouldn't let me do it unless I went through its embedding tool. Grrrr. The cygnets make very cute cheeping noises :D

Some of them just want hand-holding, which I'm sure you could do admirably :D Thanks, hon. May I offer you a drabble?

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm about to reply to one - do I just give my email address and let them contact me, I guess? I've never beta'd for a stranger before.

::goes to watch videos!::

Ooh, drabble? Sure! Do you want a prompt?

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd have a glance at their journal/stories first to check that we're going to be compatible, then drop them a comment offering to help and leaving an email address. Then it's up to them!

Prompt away :D My brain is that much mush this morning that I doubt I could come up with anything by myself!

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're so adorable when they're waddling around!

Okay, prompt... Suzie Costello, silver.

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

Go to bed already!

*hands bear*

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

But y'all are up now! (I really do need to quell this "not sleepy at 3 a.m." thing I've got going before I go back to work though!)

::settles in with bear::

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

Yes, if you are still doing the 3am thing when you are back at work that is going to be *hard*

Oh and I hey I got your 'real' mail - it was waiting for me when I got home :D

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

I've offered to help the crossover person. Seeing as I'm not writing the crossover I wanted to, I think it's appropriate to help someone else with one!

I don't beta much, so I hope I can provide what's needed.

And swans have such big feet - it always amazes me how different they are on land to when they're in the water. Cute though.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

You're an absolute star, hon, thanks. I think most of them (and the Mods!) just want someone to read it and go 'yup, you're not going to embarrass yourself by posting this'.

The swans are awesome. Although they hissed at me when I stopped feeding them. I hissed back so at least we were even ;)

[in-the-bottle.livejournal.com]

I'd offer to beta, but am not too good with the whole grammar thing myself, so I might not be of much help. Though, seeing as I'm mostly done with my art assignment, if any fic needs more art (within the TW, New Who, xover, SJA sections), feel free to send my way. I hadn't realised how much I missed playing with photoshop!! :P

ETA: EEEEE!!!! BABY SWANS!!! :D

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks! I'll have a look at my spreadsheet of Doooom and send you one along. Much, much appreciated.

*g* Aren't they cute!?!

[avon-09.livejournal.com]

I'm free to help anyone as from now and at short notice.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

That would be awesome, hon. There's this person (http://community.livejournal.com/tardis_bigbang/31167.html?thread=692415#t692415) who still needs help and might be your kind of story, even if it is kind of long. Just check them out and comment to them if you think you can give them a hand.

I can't tell you how much it's appreciated - finding a beta is hard at the best of times. Finding one a month before a deadline is Stress City!

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

*glances over there* Looks like everyone's covered. :)

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

*nods* We just need someone who knows the Big Finish audios, but I think they could be waiting a while for that one! It's definitely good news for the fest, though \o/

thanks for looking!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Looks like I am too late to help but I can awww at the swans. I haven't seen any baby swans yet this year, only Canadian Geese.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

The swans were fantastic, if vocal. They hissed when I swapped feeding them *g*

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, look at the babies! And they have five! They must be a great mom and dad.

My college had a lake with swans, but they rarely managed to raise more than two babies to the fluffy stage. Too many weasels and snapping turtles were around to eat the little ones.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

They were seriously protective - I thought I was going to have to fend Papa off with my bike helmet at one point, just trying to get to my front door!

There's a huge nature reserve opposite, where lots of dog walkers go, so there's space for birds and little critters, but not much else. And we don't really get turtles in Oxford! ;) I'm so glad I got the video, because pictures can't quite convey the cuteness of the cygnets.

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

The swan parents at my school were not friendly at all. The male had a reputation for challenging people, and they had signs up telling people to look at but not approach him.

We get a lot of the pretty painted turtles, which can grow to be quite large, in ponds around here. The goose and heron pond I pass on the way to town every morning had a huge one peeking over the bank the other day. I glanced at it and thought someone had left a WWI helmet on the pond bank (which would be quite odd), and then the head popped up. :)

Snapping turtles are huge, scary meat-eaters that go after baby waterfowl and whatever else they can catch and eat. They're extremely prehistoric-looking and not nice at all.