Lab Girl FAQs
We understand that you may have some questions, and that's okay. We have questions, too. For example, who invented liquid soap, and why? But that's not important right now. What is important is that we encourage honesty between friends. So let's have no secrets amongst us.
Um, "the lab girls?" Who the hell are the lab girls?
We are the lab girls. half_penny_drop and anneedelalune are the original lab girls (as you can read in the Truly Awful Lab Girl Fics), but all members of this community are, in fact, Lab Girls. So pull on that white coat and start ogling the other lab techs. It's going to be a bumpy ride. And isn't that the whole point?
Can I only post crime-show fic (Law & Order, CSI, etc.) here?
No, we accept and encourage you to post fics from all fandoms. anneedelalune is just obsessed with procedural crime dramas, and half_penny_drop is just along for the ride (although becoming swiftly addicted to bad dialogue and attractive investigators). The crime lab is just our preferred metaphor. Besides, when you write that multifandom crack!fic, are you really doing anything but concocting something in the fandom lab in your head? [...That made a lot more sense before I saw it typed out. Sorry.]
So give us your Mac Taylor/random traffic cop fic! Go ahead, post your House/OC/Sweeney Todd crossover! Why? 'Cause that's the way we roll at labgirls. You can even post Harry Potter fic here, but no Dobby/Giant Squid. We draw the line at interspecies love. We do have some standards, you know. You may post RPF (real person fic) with discretion. We're in no position to ban it, since the Truly Awful Lab Girl Fics are kind of RPFs. Starring us. We told you they were Truly Awful.
But my fic is so awful!
We know! That's the whole point! It's like a mangy cat that you can't help loving. It's one-eyed, broken-tailed, and three-legged, it's hideous, it has the mange, but it's your cat. No matter how bad you think your fic is, we will read it. We may not like it. But we will read it.
[Also, that's technically not a question. And this is the Frequently Asked Questions post. But we'll let it go...this time.]
Is posting moderated?
Yes. We're just making sure you're not posting interspecies love fic (see above). It's for the greater good.
Is there a format I should use for story info when posting my fic?
Not really, but you can copy-paste this if you'd like:
Title:
Author:
Fandom(s):
Pairing/Character:
Rating:
Summary:
Spoilers:
Otherwise, just make sure you tell us what fandom(s) you're writing in, because there are probably a lot of fandoms names like "Jack," "Kate," "Nick," and "Jim," so unless you want us to assume you're writing a Lost/CSI/The Office crossover, tell us which fandoms you're using. Also, please put your story itself behind an LJ-cut or link to wherever else you posted it, because we frankly don't want to have to scroll past a 12,000-word Victorian-era House fic on our friends pages.
Will you beta my fic?
No. Nor do we require that your fic be beta-ed (beta'd? betaed? WHATEVER.) before you post it. Please do utilize the spellcheck feature on your word processor, and try to use proper grammar so our heads don't explode. Thank you for your efforts to keep our heads undetonated.
Can I post icons and other fanart?
Generally, no. If you happened to have mad Photoshop skillz and made a handful of icons to go with your fic, then go ahead and post them with the fic. Otherwise, find comms in the fandoms. We don't take that kind of riffraff here. We do love you all. Really.
Do you accept Lab Boys?
Yes. We don't ban anyone simply because their downstairs equipment doesn't match the name of the group. But if you are a Lab Boy, we'd like you to introduce yourself. Just because we've never met a male fic writer, and that's frankly kind of neat.
Who did the awesome graphic on the info page and that sweet header on the main entries page?
anneedelalune, who is pretty great in general. She also makes icons and stuff, which are usually pretty entertaining. Not to say that half_penny_drop isn't awesome, because she is. She is EXTREMELY awesome. In conclusion, both your mods are very humble and never self-congratulating. Except when writing Truly Awful Lab Girl Fics...and the FAQ entry.
Have any burning sensations questions that weren't answered here? Comment to this entry and we'll see to it that you get a proper response.
Um, "the lab girls?" Who the hell are the lab girls?
We are the lab girls. half_penny_drop and anneedelalune are the original lab girls (as you can read in the Truly Awful Lab Girl Fics), but all members of this community are, in fact, Lab Girls. So pull on that white coat and start ogling the other lab techs. It's going to be a bumpy ride. And isn't that the whole point?
Can I only post crime-show fic (Law & Order, CSI, etc.) here?
No, we accept and encourage you to post fics from all fandoms. anneedelalune is just obsessed with procedural crime dramas, and half_penny_drop is just along for the ride (although becoming swiftly addicted to bad dialogue and attractive investigators). The crime lab is just our preferred metaphor. Besides, when you write that multifandom crack!fic, are you really doing anything but concocting something in the fandom lab in your head? [...That made a lot more sense before I saw it typed out. Sorry.]
So give us your Mac Taylor/random traffic cop fic! Go ahead, post your House/OC/Sweeney Todd crossover! Why? 'Cause that's the way we roll at labgirls. You can even post Harry Potter fic here, but no Dobby/Giant Squid. We draw the line at interspecies love. We do have some standards, you know. You may post RPF (real person fic) with discretion. We're in no position to ban it, since the Truly Awful Lab Girl Fics are kind of RPFs. Starring us. We told you they were Truly Awful.
But my fic is so awful!
We know! That's the whole point! It's like a mangy cat that you can't help loving. It's one-eyed, broken-tailed, and three-legged, it's hideous, it has the mange, but it's your cat. No matter how bad you think your fic is, we will read it. We may not like it. But we will read it.
[Also, that's technically not a question. And this is the Frequently Asked Questions post. But we'll let it go...this time.]
Is posting moderated?
Yes. We're just making sure you're not posting interspecies love fic (see above). It's for the greater good.
Is there a format I should use for story info when posting my fic?
Not really, but you can copy-paste this if you'd like:
Title:
Author:
Fandom(s):
Pairing/Character:
Rating:
Summary:
Spoilers:
Otherwise, just make sure you tell us what fandom(s) you're writing in, because there are probably a lot of fandoms names like "Jack," "Kate," "Nick," and "Jim," so unless you want us to assume you're writing a Lost/CSI/The Office crossover, tell us which fandoms you're using. Also, please put your story itself behind an LJ-cut or link to wherever else you posted it, because we frankly don't want to have to scroll past a 12,000-word Victorian-era House fic on our friends pages.
Will you beta my fic?
No. Nor do we require that your fic be beta-ed (beta'd? betaed? WHATEVER.) before you post it. Please do utilize the spellcheck feature on your word processor, and try to use proper grammar so our heads don't explode. Thank you for your efforts to keep our heads undetonated.
Can I post icons and other fanart?
Generally, no. If you happened to have mad Photoshop skillz and made a handful of icons to go with your fic, then go ahead and post them with the fic. Otherwise, find comms in the fandoms. We don't take that kind of riffraff here. We do love you all. Really.
Do you accept Lab Boys?
Yes. We don't ban anyone simply because their downstairs equipment doesn't match the name of the group. But if you are a Lab Boy, we'd like you to introduce yourself. Just because we've never met a male fic writer, and that's frankly kind of neat.
Who did the awesome graphic on the info page and that sweet header on the main entries page?
anneedelalune, who is pretty great in general. She also makes icons and stuff, which are usually pretty entertaining. Not to say that half_penny_drop isn't awesome, because she is. She is EXTREMELY awesome. In conclusion, both your mods are very humble and never self-congratulating. Except when writing Truly Awful Lab Girl Fics...and the FAQ entry.
Have any burning sensations questions that weren't answered here? Comment to this entry and we'll see to it that you get a proper response.