beta(s) needed

[rivendellrose]

Wanted: Beta-readers for two separate projects.

Project number one is a pair of (related) Firefly fics for 3measures - the one I posted here a few weeks ago, which I've done some editing on but would like to have someone take another look at, and a second looking at Mal and Inara from Zoe's perspective. The latter of the two has some fairly overt sexual themes. I'm not entirely happy with it, and I'd love to have another set of eyes going over it before it goes up. 3,251 words.

Project number two is a Babylon 5 fic. A bit of Marcus, and then Lennier's perspective, set at the end of season 4 during "Rising Star." Tolerance of poetry-quoting an absolute necessity, knowledge of T.S. Eliot (specifically The Hollow Men) would be a great benefit. It's angsty (shock!) and, yes, focuses a good deal on the whole unrequited love thing. If nobody's willing to tackle this baby, I'll just toss it up to the communities, but I'd rather have at least one other pair of eyes on it before it goes out on its own. 2,636 words at the moment, not quite finished.

* * *

Also, if anybody knows what the hell Marcus' weapon is called, that'd be an immediate help. I could swear he calls it a pike, but that thing is so not what I think of as a pike. It's kind of a quarterstaff, but I know they don't call it that... Or does it have some kind of Minbari name?

Comments

[shinann.livejournal.com]

Hmm...well this would be a first for me, but I really am intrigued by Project #1's description. Tell me what you like to see in a beta reader's response, and I'd be more than willing. ;)

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

For that one, I'm mostly looking mostly for stylistics, fluency, and a sense of "am I getting the themes across?" Also, I feel like the end of part two is kind of weak, and I want to find out if that's just me, or if it's really an issue.

And of course if there are grammatical/typo type problems, or if you see anything that strikes you as out of character, I would want to know about that, too.

Does that sound like the kind of stuff you're up for looking at?

[shinann.livejournal.com]

Hell yeah. It'll give me an opportunity to stretch my brain. Gods know we all need that from time to time. ;)

Email is shinann@gmail.com, if you need that.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'll send it over to you this evening when I get home from work!

[jfrog78.livejournal.com]

Its a minbari fighting pike

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

See, that's what I thought ("Pikal envy!" was actually the phrase that kept popping into my brain, which gives you a sense of why I like Marcus so much... our senses of humor are equally random and irreverent), but... a pike is a pointy weapon, isn't it? I mean, normally?

Maybe it's a case of bad translation. :P

[jfrog78.livejournal.com]

True pikes are pointy but its still called a pike. Hmmm I wonder why?

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

I don't know! And after the fic I read a few weeks ago where someone wrote "smelt" when they meant "smelled," it's contributing to a horrible fish-on-the-brain experience for me. ;)

[jfrog78.livejournal.com]

Which is weird because I see the word smelt and I think the metal of the pike is being melted down for something ;P

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

So now we're stuck with the mental images of Na'toth brandishing a fish, and of Marcus' pike being melted down to make... gods only know what.

...Now is probably not the correct moment to share that I just now understand your icon. But there you go.

[jfrog78.livejournal.com]

They could be melting the pike to make a case for the fish. The fish may need to be cased up because of its mind powers that they will use against the shadows kids!

Also a friend sent me that icon. I like it a lot!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Poor Marcus. He'll be so sad to lose his fish fighty-thing.

I totally can't believe it took me that long - I swear I'm not usually that blonde!

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

I'll be happy to beta your Firefly stuff. I can't promise to turn it around quickly but I'll do my best.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Yay! And no rush - I've been working on these for quite a while, so I don't mind if it takes a while longer.

[miss-arel.livejournal.com]

I can beta the B5 fic, if you want. :) Look, I have a Marcus icon!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'll send it over to you probably this evening, after I've had another look at it. XD

*Sporfles* Yup. That's him alright. ...Damn, all mine are the Minbari!!!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Drat it, I forgot to send you the fic, and my 'sent messages' folder in Hotmail is dumb and doesn't save anything.

I'll get it out to you tonight, I promise!

[eye-of-a-cat.livejournal.com]

I'll happily look at the B5 one for you!

(On a geek-trivia note: the Minbari name for the fighting pike is 'denn'bok'. :) )

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, thank you! I want to have one last look-over myself before I send the draft, so it might not get out to you before tonight, depending on how my day at work goes.

(Oh thank goodness. Better to use the Minbari name than be constantly weirded out by a strange English choice!)

[coralia13.livejournal.com]

If you're not too swamped with offers already, I'd love to beta the FF fic!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Ooo. If you want it, you've got it! I'll send it right over to you in my response to your last email (sorry about the delay, didn't have a chance to get to it today at work)!