My pal Sam Young, who I’ve known from Fresno days, says:

i’d like to share with you and your readers a video i made: it’s a music vid for an sf bay area band Sugar & Gold, who are wrapping up a US tour. it’s loaded with visual stimulation — 70′s style shooting stars, animated 3d photo collage, and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimpses of san francisco. and the song is quite catchy, too, as is the rest of their electro-disco-funk album “creme”.

Well, let’s take a look, shall we?

It’s got an 80′s world beat vibe to it, it does.

And the results are pretty darn adorable, if you ask you me.

Artist: Molly Lewis.

There’s apparently a group of fanficcers out there who does a “Secret Santa” thing, where they request a fanfic story written about a novel/show/manga/whatever, and in return they write a fanfic story featuring a novel/show/manga/whatever that’s been requested by someone else. One of them has requested (and one of them has apparently accepted to write) a story based on The Android’s Dream, specifically involving Harry Creek and Brian Javna, and more or less requesting some slashtastic elements if at all possible (which, if you know the book at all, will be interesting to try to fulfill). This is, to my knowledge, the first time anyone’s asked for — and is likely going to receive — slashfic in one of my universes. As for how I found it, well, you know. My ego matrix of search engines sees all.

How do I feel about it? Groovy. Per my personal fanfic policy, I don’t want to see it when it’s done, but the idea that someone likes the work enough to let their imagination wander around in the world is a compliment. And as for giving two nominally straight characters homoerotic leanings/yearnings/doings while they’re letting their minds wander, hey, it’s their brains. Couldn’t stop ‘em even if I wanted to, and I don’t really want to. As far as I’m concerned, unless specified otherwise, all my characters are comfortable enough with their own sexuality that they don’t mind people imagining them doing all sorts of things. And the ones that do mind probably need to get over themselves.

So to the person asking for, and the person writing, Android’s Dream quite-possibly-slashfic: Have fun, you crazy kids. Just remember to put the furniture back in its original places when you’re done. Thanks.

Hey, my pal K. Tempest Bradford wants me to let you know that if you like strange-yet-awesome art and funky jewelry (and of course you do) that lots of very cool stuff just like that is up for grabs at the Interfictions auctions that are going on right now. The auctions go to benefit the Interstitial Arts Foundation, which is a groovy group focused on speculative fiction. Here is the entire schedule for the auction, along with details on every piece to be put up for bid, so you’ll know when to bid. How much you bid, of course, is entirely up to you.