Friday, February 26, 2010

Donations for March site hosting needed

HASA is an ad-free, fee-free Web site, run for the enjoyment of quality JRRT fanfiction. Our Secret Admirer will match every dollar donated, even small donations quickly add up. For March, we need $49, or ten $5 donations. Our hosting costs are $150 US per month. This pays for the dedicated server HASA needs to provide the features and fun visitors love - stories, comments, forums, alerts, challenges and more.

If you haven't donated yet to help support HASA, please consider doing so; any support will be greatly appreciated. If you're a little short on spare change at the moment, donate some time. There's an archive full of stories just waiting for comments, authors who would dearly love an email complimenting them on their work, challenges that need entries, playlists that need to be created, and forums begging for discussions. If you are a reviewer, check out a story today. If you aren't a reviewr, no better time than now to sign up.

And if you are an author, please consider donating a new story!

Thanks for visiting HASA!

Julie

Sunday, February 21, 2010

HASA Reviewed Stories February 2010

Before looking at the reviewed stories, a heads-up for the February birthday people! If you would like a birthday drabble, it's not too late to put in your request in the 2010 Birthday Challenges Forum


18 reviewed stories since the January bulletin, and 10 stories are currently in review.

Welcome to the February reviews bulletin.

Reviews are an important part of the site: there are the authors who sit waiting with baited breath and fraying nerves, and there are our intrepid reviewers to think of. So before looking at the stories: Thank you all for your work, authors and reviewers alike!

Stories in review
As I type this, there are 10 stories waiting for reviewers (remember to log in before you follow the link).

Of course, member participation is crucial for reviews. The more people are involved in reviewing, the more opinions are represented. Just as importantly, having more people involved means that stories pass through review more quickly - which is good for everyone.

If you are an active reviewer, why not go and check out a story?

Becoming a reviewer
If you're not an active reviewer, but think you can spare a bit of time... – even if you just review one or two stories in a month, every review is welcome. If you are logged in, you can sign up here if you've been a member of HASA for thirty days or more.

Put one in, take one out
By submitting a story for review, you are asking nine other members to read and evaluate it. So why not do for the other authors who have a story in review what you'd like other reviewers to do for you: check out one of the stories already in review and give it a read. Put more simply: put one in, take one out...

Reviewed story spotlight
These stories have passed through review since the previous bulletin. Congratulations to all authors; well done!

A Boon Companion by JDE
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - Post-Ring War
Summary: One fair Rivendell evening, Bilbo chances to see Lord Elrond without his usual mask of stoicism. For the first time, Bilbo realizes that the famed Lord hides pain and vulnerability underneath his compassion and bravery. Bilbo resolves to become a boon companion to Elrond, come what may.

Maglor's Lament for the Lost Silmaril
by losselen

Rating: General
Genre: Poetry
Era: 2nd Age - Pre-Rings
Summary: What Maglor, in both obdurate pride and grievous lament, might have sung of the Silmaril. In blank verse unrhymed, after Paradise Lost.

Flame of the Desert by pandemonium_213
Rating: Adult
Genre: Action
Era: 4th Age
Summary: After a celebration in Tavrobel in the famous House of a Hundred Chimneys, Gilfanon, one of the oldest of the Elves, proposes that he, Glorfindel and Elrond journey to the fabled Rock of Omar in the middle of the great desert of Valinor, where it is said that the Rock sings the echoes of the Ainulindalë.

A Storm of Glory by Larner
Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: 4th Age
Summary: Since the end of the Quest Frodo Baggins has found that storms tend to spark nightmares as certain memories are evoked. What will this one on Tol Eressëa bring him, then? This supposes that Frodo has known the attentions of the Valar to assist his healing.

In the Prophet's Tent by The Lauderdale
Rating: Adult
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Summary: An old Orc recalls an interlude, and an interesting woman, from his not-so-younger days. This is a little slice of Mordor camp life in the time leading up to the War. Standard warnings for Orc-talk, four-letter words, some graphic sexuality, and other adult content.

Scars by Gilraen
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: Little one-shot in the gardens of Ithilien.

Not Fade Away by Jael
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: Other
Summary: A modern day woman lands a job that is too good to be true at a mysterious toy company, where things are not as they seem. Has she strayed into a dream? Drama; humor. Characters: All the usual Mirkwood suspects and an OFC. Rated PG-13 for innuendo and naughty language. AU

Glowing Embers by Ygrain
Rating: Adult
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Summary: Some motives behind Galadriel's test of Boromir, not strictly canon. A thematic sequel to Family Traits, dealing with the problem of foresight. Rated adult for implied sex.

Victim of the Unlight by Alassante
Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: Time of the Trees
Summary: Finwe was the first elf killed in Valinor. This is about his final moments. Written for ALEC's October Challenge - Death and Undead Things 2009 MEFA 2nd Place Winner, Races: Elves: House of Finwe ...

Seen In The Halls Of Dwarrowdelf
by Aruthir

Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: 3rd Age - The Kings
Summary: The Dwarves dug too deep...

"History Becomes Legend, and Legend Fades into Myth..." by Larner
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: As he travels to Gondor via Rohan c. 35 FA, Frodo Gardner finds the Hobbit trader with whose caravan he travels is a most garrulous Bracegirdle, most intent on sharing the tales he's learned on previous trips south.

Until We Meet Again by Adonnen Estenniel
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Summary: Arwen parts with her mother in Imladris, content in the knowledge that they will be reunited in the Undying Lands. However, not everything is as it seems

The leaves were falling
by Ygrain

Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 4th Age
Summary: "Then at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but the spring had not yet come, Arwen laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth."

A sign of Hope by lindahoyland
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Summary: Faramir encounters Gandalf in his father's garden. A double drabble. 200 words as counted in MS Word. Written for the LOTR GFIC Group's "Birds" Challenge. MEFA Winner 2009.

So Beautiful, So New by IgnobleBard
Rating: Adult
Genre: Drama
Era: Other
Summary: After his release from Mandos, Celegorm renews his relationship with Orome. Slash

Employee Review
by Raksha

Rating: General
Genre: Humor
Era: 3rd Age - Ring War
Summary: Think your boss is a hard case? Join the nine Ringwraiths for a lesson in Management, Mordor-style. Not to be taken seriously (or canonically, since it's about as AU as you can get)!

Silver Bells by Nieriel Raina
Rating: General
Genre: Drama
Era: 3rd Age - The Stewards
Summary: Part of a series. Falling snow, a warm fire and haunting memories. A grieving Elrond determines to skip the holiday festivities, not realizing how much he is needed, especially when it comes to his devastated sons. When a mysterious trunk is uncovered, the contents help return hope to the Lord of Imladris.

To Sing Of... by Darth Fingon
Rating: General
Genre: General
Era: 2nd Age - Pre-Rings
Summary: Gil-galad, about to be married to a very nice lady, makes an important discovery about himself with Erestor's help. A heartwarming tale of cluelessness, ill-fitting clothing, impractical pets, and exploitation of Elvish linguistic ambiguity. Very tame slash.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

HASA How-tos

HASA has always allowed authors to link stories to characters. Find out how to link your stories to Events, Places and Things, too!

How do I...

...link a story to an item in the Research Library?


You've written a story for the Treasures Hunt Challenge, and have entered it in the Challenge, and now you want to link it to the treasures you used, or you have another story that you want to link to a Research Library item.

Make sure you are logged in.

Go to Resources, and find the Character, Event, Place or Thing you want to link your story to.

In the righthand column you will see a heading 'Linked Stories' with two options underneath: "View Stories linked to this Character/Event/Place/Thing" and "Link my story to this Character/Event/Place/Thing".

You click on "Link my story to this Character/Event/Place/Thing". Now you are on a page with a pull-down list of your stories.

Select the story you want to link to the Research Library item, and click on Link Story.

Your story is now linked to the Research Library item you picked.

If you made a mistake and linked the wrong story, you can now easily remove the link again: on this same page, you have a list of all your stories that are linked to any particular research topic. Just click on "Remove Link" and the story is no longer linked to the Research topic.

Stories can be linked to more than one research topic, and you can link more than one story to any one research topic too.

So take a look at the February Treasures Hunt, and be inspired by this month's items...

You don't need to be entered in a Treasure Hunt challenge to link your stories. You can link any of your stories to Research Library entries whenever you like. Do you have something that takes place in Dol Amroth or Rivendell? Link to those places! Is your story set during the Fall of Gondolin? There's an Event entry for that awaiting your link. Do you discuss Wargs? Link to their entry!

Link away, and above all, have fun writing!

~Nath~

Saturday, February 6, 2010

HASA news - February 2010 - week 1

From this month on we’ll be going back to more or less weekly news items. This week we look back to the stories written and updated in January.

And don’t forget to enter your story for the first ‘Treasures’ Challenge, which closes February 7th!


January Stories

All of us writers love feedback. It is the lembas and miruvor that sustains us as we write our story, and leaving a few words about a story you read is always a nice thing to do, whether the story is new or old.

Every fifteen minutes HASA highlights a story chosen at random from the Reviewed and General stories in the archive. Read the currently featured story on our front page.

Many talented writers are publishing every day. In January:

--- 27 Reviewed Stories were published or updated.
--- 55 General Stories were published or updated.
--- 1 Beta Story was published.
(Please note, you need to be logged in to view beta stories.)

Thank you for reading at HASA. Enjoy!

~Nath ~