i'm a pixel here, myself

So, I was under the impression that not having to go to work would leave me restless and full of pent-up energy. In reality? Not so much. Today I got up with the garbage collectors banging the trash cans right under my window, did apartment-y things, went to Costco, did more apartment-y things, went to the gym, made dinner, played some old-school N64 games, and was ready to crash at eight. I have NO IDEA why this would be.

I love the new mass-privacy-change tool LJ has made available for paid members. I just went back and friendslocked all my entries from before August 2004 because I really don't want to lose them, but I also don't want them public -- they're rather scarily reminiscent of who I was back then, and that person is so much more of a teenie than I am today. I grew up! I matured! Don't go back and look at me when I was nineteen! The existence of this new tool also makes it super-awesome if I happen to get hired somewhere where I feel I'd be comfortable using LJ, but not openly, since it would mean easy friendslocking of my whole journal. I hope it doesn't come to that, but you never know.

I have some burning questions, but I cannot for the life of me figure out the appropriate audience for them. Ordinarily I'd fire 'em off at you all and see if anybody can help, but these are the kind of questions I'm embarrassed to ask in public.

Here's a better burning question: phaballa was talking about AUs and crackfic [here] and she mentioned [with this ring] as an example of a story that's not AU. Now, I totally agree, but I have seen it labeled AU. I have also seen it labeled as crack, and my response to that is: "...really?" Is a story about two men who are in love and get married really so far beyond fandom's comprehension that it's considered crackfic? Is it crackfic because it deals with what happens a year or so after the initial "hey, you're hot, let's have sex" moment so many fics fixate on? Or is the institutionalized homophobia inherent in fandom really so strong as to convince people that two men getting married is such an outlandish idea as to be worthy of the label "crackfic"? Because I've read the story. Hell, I *wrote* the story. And... crackfic? Not so much. It's just a story. It deals with the relationships between two men, their family members, and their friends, and contains banter, sex, some sappy dialogue (though hopefully not too much), and men acting like men (...hopefully). It is not an outlandish idea, really: two men can get married anywhere in Canada, or in Massachusetts. They can get a civil union in at least a couple of states. They can be registered domestic partners in a whole bunch more. Why does it deserve the labels "AU" or "crackfic"? Your thoughts, as thinky as you would like, are welcome.