How many dildos do you have?

I just got home from a screening of The Dildo Diaries, a 2002 documentary about the Texas "Dildo law". In case you aren't aware, in the state of Texas it is a felony to possess 6 or more dildos.

Yes, you read that correctly. FELONY. Up there with, you know, murder and armed robbery.

Despite the US Supreme Court overturning the state's sodomy laws a few years ago, it is STILL a felony to possess 6 or more dildos. In fact, in a Q&A session after the film, the filmmaker told us that a woman in a small town in Texas is currently being prosecuted under the law for hosting a Passion Party, which is about as wholesome as you can get in the sex toy industry. (It's been featured on Oprah, for fuck's sake!)

The film is an irreverent look at the history of the legislation (with hilarious footage from the 1993 legislative sessions in which the sodomy laws were reinstated) and the impact of it on ordinary Texans. It makes the very poignant and absolutely true point that the very people who support this law are the same ones who also tout their right to keep as many automatic weapons as they want, claiming that it's none of the government's business. Hypocritical much?

I highly, highly recommend this film. If you go to the website linked above, you can email the filmmakers and tell them you'd like to buy a copy of the DVD, and they'll get in touch with you.

And heh -- I think my icon is illegal in Texas...

ETA: Here is an article with more information about the law, and more related stories are here.

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You were one of the first people to send me supportive and encouraging feedback when I was just a newbie on the MA list, and you've been there for me ever since. You've helped me become a far better writer than I would have been otherwise, but more importantly, you inspire me to a better person by your example. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way! Thanks for being such a supportive person for so many people in fandom, and thanks also for sharing your writing talent with us. You fic never ceases to amaze me, and I count myself fortunate to be one of the first people who gets to see it! ;-)

I hope you have a great birthday!

I think you'll be getting an email about my present for you...

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So Dan Radcliffe bought the Black Family Tree??? I have to say I think that's really sweet, actually. It says a lot about what the whole HP experience means to him.

So... is he planning to share it with the rest of us? Huh? Huh?

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Is there any interest in a writing challenge that would pair experienced writers with newbies to co-write a short fic?

I've been tossing this idea around for a few days, and I have no idea if people would find it intriguing. It seems like it could be a good way for newer writers to get real feedback on their style and to get some exposure by working with a more recognized fanfic writer. This is also motivated by the issues I have with the various "tell me if I suck as a writer or not" memes that seem to be going around. I think there are better ways to improve as a writer than asking anonymouses for their opinions...

Thoughts?

ETA: Wow, lots of strong opinions on this! Let me flesh out what I was thinking of to clarify:

1. The idea was not for this to be a mentoring/betaing situation, but really a co-writing set-up, where two people work together to write one fic. The idea of putting a newer and a more experienced writer together was one way of going about that, but I could easily drop that part. I was mainly interested in the collaborative aspect.

2. I had imagined matching people up based on a two things: pairings of interest and whether or not they would write NC-17. I was also considering asking people for one strength and one aspect to improve in their writing and then matching up complementary folks as much as possible.