User:	kippurbird
	Date:	2008-07-04 12:34
	Subject:	Eggs and book.
	Security:	Public

I blame canadianevil for making me start this. =D



Our new book is called Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It has the following summary:

Summary: Up–Headstrong, sun-loving, 17-year-old Bella declines her mom's
invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in
the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen, a distant,
stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his
specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his
blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The
feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide
Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. Meyer adds an eerie new
twist to the mismatched, star-crossed lovers theme: predator falls for prey, human falls
for vampire. This tension strips away any pretense readers may have about the everyday
teen romance novel, and kissing, touching, and talking take on an entirely new meaning
when one small mistake could be life-threatening. Bella and Edward's struggle to make
their relationship work becomes a struggle for survival, especially when vampires from an
outside clan infiltrate the Cullen territory and head straight for her. As a result, the
novel's danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection
morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive. Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to
follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it.

	User:	karaotter
	Date:	2008-07-04 08:54
	Subject:
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	busy

232 years ago today, the thirteen American colonies declared independence from Britain. Happy fourth of July for all the Americans on my flist!

50 years ago today, my mom was born. Happy birthday Mom!

And for the rest of my flist who don't live in the US, have a great Friday!

Also, I have a dragon egg!

In other news, my allergies are kicking my ass. :(

	User:	misscam
	Date:	2008-07-03 23:05
	Subject:	To let your brother's girlfriend read your porn or not, that's the question... (With other news)
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	hot

Pop quiz time!

( What to do when your brother's gf asks to read your porn and other burning questions )

These are PRESSING ISSUES, as you can tell. Also, now I feel extra naughty for writing BSG adult stuff while they were here. Oops? (But on the bright side, I finished that fic and sent it to beta, so yay I'm productive?)

In other news:

- At last, 30 degrees here! OH HAI THAR SUMMER. Finally, hot and sunny and it's supposed to last all of tomorrow before we get rain again. Which means tomorrow, I'm going swimming in the lake. Hurrah.

- Doctor Who makes fandom_wank again, and it's still not companion wank. Wow.

- Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched any video on YouTube, a US court has ruled. Say what now with the what? Am I the only one to find this somewhat worrying?

- Spoilery pictures of location shooting for the BSG finale. Oooh. Want to see now please?

	User:	bodldops
	Date:	2008-07-03 07:21
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

So, I was on call last night from 5pm to 7am.

...

My pager went off at 12:45, and I just got home. On the plus side, the case was interesting. If long. Very long. The tech who brought me coffee is made of awesome.

*crashes for the next couple hours before having to get up and set up for the 1pm induction*

EDIT: 2 things:
1) Having your pager play 'Hey Jude' instead of sounding like a fire alarm results in less panic upon waking, but a whole lot more wtf.
2) 'Tell the student her backpack is crowing' is possibly the best thing I'm going to hear all day. Yup.

	User:	kunenk
	Date:	2008-07-03 18:30
	Subject:
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	nerdy

World Youth Day potentially stuffing up the public transport system even more, and the power to 'arrest people being annoying to pilgrims'? Do not want.

Chrono Trigger release on DS? DO WANT.

Have been playing through Crisis Core. Thoughts to date, in only a vague sort of order: Bouncy puppy! Mmkay, so how do you unlock all the missions? Where is that stupid last Wutai spy? Oh god, lightning out of his arse!? (It's generally better to hit things from behind. Except when they do that.) Materia: what was wrong with levelling, I have too many points for fusion, no desire to do anything with them, and too many damn Thunders. Shinra scientists: a) What is wrong with them, b) couldn't we have let Genesis stab Hojo one anyway? For the team, guys! (Aside from it ruining the rest of canon.) Huh, Angeal got the pretty copied things (griffiny types! :D) Modeoheim pseudo-stealth mission sucks. Shouldn't we have done more with Aeris? Nibelheim ALREADY!? (To the guy who asks 'do you have more stuff to do, or no regrets?': Now I have a ton of regrets! D:)

So yeah, messing around with missions and stuff in Nibelheim. Botheration.

Dragons are not dead yet, huzzah!

	User:	araeph
	Date:	2008-07-02 20:20
	Subject:	Chapter Thirteen Responses
	Security:	Public

We're almost to the end, here! Also a few stragglers from Chapter 12. Thanks, everyone!


Canadarulz

I didn't even realize you had updated!

That's what comes of having a Wills Lover rampaging around in one's fandom.

That was the best chapter I've ever read. You have everyone's character to a tee!

Well, everyone sort of had to show his or her true colors in this chapter. I had to make sure to get them absolutely right, and I'm glad you think that I did.

Please finish, I can't wait!

It may be a little while. But keep checking in!


(You look cute with mud on your nose, aw)

Hee. I'm fond of that line, myself.

Kates Master

How is it that whenever I discover a good story, it's almost always on it's finale, about to finish...*sighs*

That's okay; I have a few more fics up my sleeve yet.

...but hey, at least I got to read it all in one go. I'm quite desolate there's only one chapter left, though.

Sorry. I'm babbleing. I do that a lot.

There were originally going to be only 10-12 chapters, but then this thing sort of grew on me.

This was FANTASTIC. I recently re-discovered my love of Mulan when singing "Make a Man out of You" very loudly in the common room the other week, and decided to celebrate the end of my exams by watching it. And then I remembered that this time round I could throw some fanfiction in there too. My only gripe is how little there is that is actually any good.

Since it's based on a Disney movie, albeit one of the more mature ones, this fandom attracts a lot of younger writers who don't really have a grasp of characterization, spelling, or even, y'know, the basic concept of writing. Then there are the writers who remember the movie from when it first came out, but get too bogged down in making it all "historical" and carefully remove all traces of magic and humor from their fics. There are many good fanfics out there, though. If you want my recommendations, you can e-mail or PM me.

I'm quite tempted to hunt down and exact several very painful punishments on Wills Lover.

I've tried the "abuse" button myself. but I think the ff mods remains blissfully unaware of Wills Lover.

ANYWAY. Back to the actualy review. Loved it, as I said - brilliant charecters, keeping everything moving, the way they didn't just "fall together", and I loved the way you really developed Shang's charecter especially.

Thanks! It's hard working with someone whose character clay is so close to being un-moldable, yet there's just enough room for change to make him interesting. Although so long as I don't have him pout and blunder around like he's wearing shoeboxes, I consider myself ahead of at least one Disney production house.

Tang was also a stroke of genius.

Don't let him hear you say that! He'll be tempted to agree.

Personaly, I found the beginning slightly confusing, but once I'd sat down and worked through it, I think I got it. Though the story was good enough to easily make up for that.

Do you remember which parts, in particular, were confusing? I'm going back and editing this, and I'd like to iron out all of the bits that aren't clear enough.

So yeah, I look forward immensly to the next chapter. As you may have gathered. I'll stop now.

Emma

tripleT.Vo, part I

can't believe that there's only one chapter left.

Me, neither. This thing might actually get finished!

:( I hope that you'll write more Mulan fanfics after you wrap this one up, because you're so good at it.

A sequel, perhaps? ...It's crossed my mind...

Ouch. No one does revenge quite like Yumen Guan. I would be rigid with fright too, if I were one of the Bao's!

In some way, even though she was beaten, Yumen Guan did get her revenge. Of course, the last move is up to Mulan, and she has some surprises in store for her erstwhile enemy.

I am a bit confused about the Bao's state of mind after what Yumen Guan did to them, though. Are only the male members of the family completely indifferent, or is the young woman the only one who is able to act normally? And if it's just the males who are acting strangely, is it because Yumen Guan turned them into eunuchs or as a result of the drug she used?

All the male members of the family are in a state of shock, since this is the last thing that they expected to visit them on the morning of the Festival of Ghosts. It's not drug-related, which is why the young woman was able to speak to Mulan--they were all drugged, if you remember. I'll try to make that clearer. Thanks for letting me know!

The atmosphere around the well is electric. It gives me the chills. It really does set the stage well for Guan and Mulan's fight - which is, as usual for you, exceptional well-written for a fight scene. I wish I could watch you write these fight scenes in person, because you make it sound so fluid and easy.

Well, watching me write would be really boring, because I don't really act them out. I just make them up. The key to doing them, silly as it may sound, is to remember where all the respective body parts are and not let anyone do something that is not physically possible. Aside from that, the hardest part of this fight was keeping the gender consistent. On the one hand, Mulan and Guan are both female, so I had to remember which "she" I was talking about. On the other hand, Guan is in Shang's body, which occasionally necessitated the use of a male pronoun without confusing the readers.

And even then, I almost slipped up. I wrote the fight scene, thought I had done a good job, then thought, "Aren't they wearing helmets? Crap!" Fortunately, I then remembered that even though Mulan struck Guan on the head, Shang had given his helmet to Mulan, so he would be bareheaded, and also Guan hadn't struck any blows aimed at the top of Mulan's (protected) head. Subconscious at work or simple good luck? You decide!

Using the Crest of the Emperor to turn the tide of battle against Guan was brilliant.

Don't look at me. It was Mulan's idea.

*dances* Shang's back. And not only that: "...but his grip was gentle and his hands painstakingly light..." *swoon* Okay, Shang, I forgive you for being beaten by Yumen Guan now, lol. ;)

Swooning already? But I haven't even written the final chapter! :)

TripleT.Vo, part II

And I noticed that submitted only half of my review. *shakes head* Bad, BAD FF. Oh well. I'll just retype it again. :)

"The spirit world clothed her in a bridal dress, but before the veil was placed on her head. It told Mulan that her foe's last moments as a Guan were the last in which she had truly lived, no matter what had transpired afterward."

This reminds me of one of your replies to my earlier review - where you said that Guan has to distance herself from Mulan because she can relate to Mulan in a lot of important ways. With this in mind, Guan is almost like what Mulan *could* end up being like in the future, her identity as Fa Mulan being erased once she gets married. Of course, we know that eventually marrying Shang won't erase who Mulan is. Instead, that union will enhance who Mulan is, just like you end up saying (Shang's phoenix: not tucked under her shirt, but firmly on her sword belt... He did not break down her sense of self, but enriched it).

Yes, yes, and yes. Guan knew that Mulan had a shot as being really herself, and if she could have, would have asked Mulan, "How dare you live a full life? How dare you be happy?"

"A tempestuous spirit, Yumen Guan, but she was borne away like a thread." You have such a poetic way with words. :) It's a nice touch.

I wrote that line a long while ago, and I'm relieved it got noticed. Sometimes, I feel that there may not be quite enough description in this story and the dialogue kind of steals the show. Which I suppose comes from this being a written adaptation of a movie, since I can't actually animate anything myself.

"'Look deeeeeeeply into my eyes,' Mushu intoned in reply." Okay, THAT made me burst out laughing. Seriously. I heart Mushu, the comic relief. Mulan wouldn't be the same without him.

What's contradictory about Mushu is that, even though he's supposedly from the spiritual realm, he gives everyone around him a sort of grounding in matter-of-fact reality through his humor.

And I love the role reversal here, in the way Shang and Mulan act around each other. In the earlier chapters, Shang was the one who stuttered more - and now, Mulan's the one blushing and kicking around the bush. I can't wait to see how Shang brings her out of THAT one. ;)

With some very gentle nudges in the right direction. :)

Aw. The next chapter is the last one... I can't believe it! But to be honest, I'm waiting to see how you resolve any loose ends that you've left in the story. :) Can't wait until the next update!

LunaSphere

Wow. very climactic and wonderful. i apologize that my review is not more detailed than this--kind of in a rush, but i just watned to say i did really enjoy this.

Feel free to go back and fill in details, if you wish. Although it's nice to hear that it was just plain enjoyable. :)

Gu-Brath-Faol

My God, I think this is the only Mulan fic I've read where you've portrayed the characters so true to form. Mushu actually talks like himself and not some complete hyperactive foul.

It's very easy to overdo him, I know. What is easily forgotten is how much sincerity there is among his well-placed jabs at everyone and everything.

The fic has such well placed humour and frustration and ... it's just so good! I almost hate to see it end but can't wait all the same just to see what happens.

I'm waiting eagerly for your next post.

I hate to see it end, too. Finishing a project is always a big effort for me, but I'll try to live up to everything I've built up.

babieblue

YAY!
ONE MORE!
the uspense is KiLLiNG me!
excellent chapter...i should've figured you would update todayy:]]

But of course. *grin*

UPDATE SOON!

We'll see.

:]]

From Chapter 12:

HoPpIn JaCk

im really glad that she asked for everyones opion so that they didn't have to dig up everything that would have really sucked lol

Yes, it would have, and she might never have been able to show her face in her hometown again. Mulan has learned to use the resources around her to her advantage, including people she might not always get along with. It's not exactly a Mulan 'n' Chi Fu Karaoke Night, but it'll do for now.

this was a really good chapter and again i will be waiting on the edge of my seat for the next one great job!!

LunaSphere

I've been waiting to read this chapter ever since it came out but have been so busy I couldn't get to it until now! Very exciting and action-packed. I'm beginning to see all the threads of the plot coming together.

There are rather a lot of plot threads, aren't they? And they insist on all having their say.

I also really like how you have humanizing moments for Yumen Guan, for example: "Someone else would have prayed to the family ancestors. Having none left, Yumen Guan was forced to rely entirely on her own ingenuity. Nor had this truly failed her."

You're right in that Yumen Guan needs to be human as well as villainous. I didn't want everyone to go too far into pitying her, though. After all, one can be a true human and still be a despicable one.

Icha Icha Leroquent

Whew! I was fraid you had died.

Nah. Then who would finish my stories?

As always, carrying out your trademark of EXTREMELY LONG chapters--not that I mind. It's a rather nice quality, if I do say so myself.

That's nice of you to say. I know that long chapters online can sometimes be cumbersome because the readers have to scroll down as opposed to turning pages. But there are just so many things that I need to fit in!

This chapter was pimp. Mulan's being the genius she always is; my GOD, is she smart. She totally beats Shikamaru by TONS. lol. laugh along if you got that...

Well, I'm not familiar with the reference, but I'm glad I kept Mulan's intelligence up to its usual levels.

I wonder what's going to happen to Shang's body. I hope that he doesn't die--OH NOES! I was really on my toes for an unexpected twist during that last fight 'tween Guan and Guo.

No, killing Shang would be like killing Mushu. Oh, wait, I actually did that. Well, anyway, it won't happen. In this story, anyway.

I just have one question: is Yumen Guan pretty? it's eating my brain, quite frankly; I've been reduced to pretending she has buckteeth and a complexion that resembles a pepperoni pizza.

I did my best in providing the description in Chapter 13. What do you think?

Awesome, Raquel. You rule, total yosh for you.

You rule, too, for giving such awesome reviews.

All my admiration,
--Eva

	User:	bjam1402
	Date:	2008-07-02 18:40
	Subject:	Frazer, PA Driving Test Explanation and Tips!
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	cheerful
	Music:	Picture Of You - Boyzone

I did this little rundown of the Frazer, PA driving test for a friend, and figured I would put it here, unlocked, so that others could see and maybe help them pass. It's by no means official, but, y'know, I wish I had something like this to read before taking my test.

This is sort of the run down of the test:

1. When you go, I parked, went to the desk(the one at the back where you go for your permit test) and asked where I should go.

2. They said just get in the car and stop at the stop sign until they come to you.

3. Then they'll check all of the lights and car wizardry.

4. The person will be all "In the parking lot the speed limit's 15mph, on the roads it's what's posted. Listen to my directions. If you don't understand them, just ask." It sounds super rehearsed and official, and it kinda freaked me out. Don't let it freak you out :)

5. They'll tell you to go up the hill, drive around, and then go do your parallel parking. You have 6 moves(3 back, 3 forward) to get in the box. And you can't hit the orange bollard thingies, obviously. I was super far away from the curb and crooked after my 5th move, so I cranked the wheel alllll the way to the right and just edged it forward for my final move that got it in the box all nice. Then you have however long to get out of the box.

6. Don't speed going down the hill. Gravity is not your friend, and you want your foot firmly on the brake pedal.

7. I went on the short route apparently. Basically he just kept telling me to go around the parking lot. Watch out for stop signs! There's a lot of them! Also, watch out for cars not looking and just reversing out and almost taking out your car. Also, watch for little kids and stupid people who just walk across the road without looking. Stop for allll pedestrians, even if they're being stupid.

8. Then I went out the side road, turned right, went on Route 30, went back in the parking lot, and parked. It takes like 5 minutes. Of course, there might be other routes(my Dad took a back-road-y route back in like 2005 when he got his American license). Just don't freak out and think that you've failed because the test was so short. That's what I did and then couldn't park the car properly.

They'll probably say some quip like "Well, your rates have gone up! Hahahaha!" While you're sitting there hyperventilating going "omg, what?" And then you go in, go to the back desk, get your photo card, go get your photo taken, and then wait for your temporary license. You get your proper card in like 2 weeks, because they have to put your photo into some high-tech wizardry that makes sure someone with your face doesn't already have a license or something like that.


Hints and Tips:

-Go the speed limit or below. Especially on the hill going down from the parallel parking place. Around the parking lot I went at 10mph all the time.

-Signal everywhere. Even when you're up on the parallel parking hill going around the circle, just signal signal signal. Also signal when you're parallel parking(both going into it and coming out).

-Know where all your buttons/levers are in the car. I panicked and forgot where my hazard lights were. You need to know: Your horn, left and right turn signals(and have a parent make sure they're all working too), hazard lights, windshield wipers, lights, high beams. Practice your horn once before the test if you haven't already. I didn't realize I had to press so hard. But your car might be different.

-If you have your windows down for the heat, don't lean outside of your window to check your parallel parking, you'll be tempted to, but don't do it. I checked myself twice because I almost did that.

-Don't be toooo tentative, but also don't go bombing around and driving lazily. I got told off for being too careful. But then I had a car almost crash into me in the first minute of the test(she just reversed out of a space without looking, thank god I was going slowly)

-Don't cut corners. Drive, y'know, correctly :P

-Practice parking. I never did and then my final parking(ie. when I had finished the test and you have to park and have them tell you if you passed or failed) was a bit atrocious.



So, hopefully this helped! I know it's a little intense, but really, just relax, and drive properly. Be very aware and be confident.

Good luck!

	User:	bodldops
	Date:	2008-07-02 15:20
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Things what are tragic: The campus cafe being closed at 3:00 after you spent the last seven hours in anesthesia/surgery deciding whether or not to just go buy a burrito at the end of the surgery.

*suitably mournfully munches on power bar*

In other news, today's dog made it through surgery and anesthesia despite her best efforts. Hah.

	User:	hellga
	Date:	2008-07-02 15:52
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Today was the last day of the Amsterdam leg of my journey. The day started out splendidly. The ticket machine at the train station finally accepted my credit card, so I did not have to wait in the long line to buy ticket to Apeldoorn. The train ride went well, I had a nice compartment to myself, but things started downhill from there. The bus did not let me out at the stop I needed (and I did push the Stop button! it even flashed "Stop requested") but the next one instead, so I had to walk even further. It was all in the shade, though. and the houses were interesting, so it was not bad. Then I walked through the beautiful old park towards the palace. I think they aren't very used to tourists at either Het Loo itself or Apeldoorn. Many people barely spoke English and seemed genuinely surprised to see me. I loved the palace - I knew very little about the Oranjes, and I learned quite a bit. But then again, few people like history of monarchies and dinasties as much as I do. The garden is underwhelming, but well compensated for by the park surrounding the grounds.)

After Apeldoorn I decided to make a stop in Amersfoort since I would need to change trains there anyway or wait 50 minutes for a direct one. The old part of town is really charming, but I missed the climb to the old church tower by just three minutes... That was also the only place I saw the herring served, but I wanted to get back to Amsterdadem early in order to see the torture museum. However, it was so hot and humid, that I decided I needed a shower first. And then I wanted to relax a little in the cool room, and started to read a book on this very PDA... Ended up feeling too lazy and not going anywhere.

Off to Nijmegen tomorrow.

	User:	kippurbird
	Date:	2008-07-02 10:42
	Subject:	GEEK
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	creative
	Music:	People chatting.

I have decided to try and create a role-playing game based in my world. I've got the races and classes listed. And since three out of the four races are magical users, I've decided to restrict the magical classes in what they can take. Or at least their magical progression. They have a class that allows them to further explore their abilities, but unless they take that class they'll stay rather low powered because they didn't have the training that those who were dedicated to their magic would.

( What I have so far )

I still need to work out the actual benifits, skills, feats, monsters, NPC races and combat. I think combat will be the most difficult.

	User:	karaotter
	Date:	2008-07-01 21:06
	Subject:	An Idea
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	hopeful
	Music:	Chevelle- Saturdays

Last night, I had a thought. When Terry Pratchett announced that he had Alzheimer's, fans came up with all sorts of things to do in order to raise money or awareness. I think Stargate fans should do something like this in honor of Don S. Davis. The family has already asked for donations to be made to the American Heart Association in Don's memory, so why not?

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if some other fan came up with this same idea, and I'm not trying to take credit even if somebody has. I just think that as a fandom, Stargate fans should do something to honor a talented and well-loved man that went too soon.

My question, friends list, is this: what to do? I have no experience whatsoever in organizing something like this, and any suggestions or comments would be more than welcome. Know somebody who's come up with the same idea? That's awesome. Let me know. Somebody who would know more about what should be done? Direct them here. Think I'm crazy for even posting this? That's not really news, but go ahead and let me know anyway if you want.

If you want to spread the word about this, feel free. Any ideas would be welcome.

	User:	kippurbird
	Date:	2008-07-01 20:44
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Technology has become rather irritating lately. The cat dislodged my "a" key when he jumped up using the laptop as a springboard. Obviously perturbed I tried to fix it. No such luck. I bring it home and try to see if my dad can fix it. He cannot and says we'll have to get a new keyboard. My mom thinks we should try gluing the key back on.

Now, we have a spare keyboard for this computer, except we don't know where it is. Asking around I discover that not only can you not replace the key, but it'll cost about a hundred dollars to get the keyboard installed. Which I think is utterly stupid. Why should I have to pay so much for one little key? The rest of the keyboard is perfectly fine.

I bought a cheap roll up keyboard from Staples, and that's what I'm using right now. The keyboard isn't so bad,just takes some getting used to, figuring out how to hit the keys correctly.

Also, I can now run around naked in my apartment because my roommate has moved out and I don't have a new one yet. =D


And on a totally different tangent, my eggs all hatched!

	User:	hellga
	Date:	2008-07-01 15:33
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Today I spent the first part of the day in lovely Delft with Eowyn Unquendor. Spent a small fortune on souvenirs, climbed the claustrophobia-inducing church tower, got my kitty-fix petting a pet-store cat, and got chocolates to take back to the States. Must keep the chocolates a secret, or everyone at work will be besieging my office when I get back. Also tried the Dutch pancakes (much better than their American cousins), and they are very big! Had Eowyn not stopped me from ordering two, I would still be trying to finish them. Anyway, her journal has a much more detailed description.

After we parted, I went to the Haague. Started with the Madurodam (I thought it was fun) and then a quick run to the Parliament and the Queen's Palace. Did not see the Queen.

The only downside to today is the fact that my shoulders are rather red. I hope it will turn into a tan tomorrow rather than sunburn. It would be ironic if I, who did not burn in the fierce subtropical sun of Florida and California, not even Italy or tropical Taiwan, managed to get the second sunburn of my life in the Netherlands of all places...

	User:	bodldops
	Date:	2008-07-01 06:46
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

When you see this post, quote from Doctor Who on your LJ.
The Doctor: That wouldn’t be ‘Fifi’ as in ‘Fifi the annoyed rat you claimed to have blown to smithereens’?
Ace: Nobody’s perfect, Professor.
The Doctor: Including Fifi!

In other news, day two of the new rotation ahoy! Hopefully I'll get a case - mine was looking like it was going to cancel last night, boo.

EDIT: Definitely a cancel, found it on the refService's appointment list. So I'll either get the emergency surgery, if one pops up, or play runner for my classmates today.

EDIT MARK II: I've got a new case! Which comes in in half an hour. *twiddles thumbs* I'm gonna have to bust my butt to make a 11am induction time.

	User:	misscam
	Date:	2008-07-01 12:39
	Subject:	A major Italian WTF, various Doctor Who and BSG stuff anf fic planning
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	bitchy
	Music:	Velvet Glove

Right. So my brother and his girlfriend are visiting, which is why I am a bit absent and behind on things. We've been out doing stuff, including an amusement part where my head had an unfortunate encounter with a steel trash bin. Don't ask, it's profoundly stupid.

In summary of stuff going on:

1. Congratulations to Spain on winning the Euro, and deservedly so. They were the best during the match, and hey, they've certainly waited long enough for it.

2. WTF Berlusconi?! Fingerprinting gypsy children for being only that, are you fucking kidding me?! SO. MUCH. FAIL. Seriously, what the shit is this shit and WHAT. I just... WHAT THE RAGING EVERLASTING FRAK? What the hell is going on in Italy? falena84, maybe you should take your mother's suggestion and marry me for Norwegian citizenship already. Because whatever is going on in your country, *that* is such a bad sign it gives me shivers.

3. I saw the Doctor Who episode. I has Worries (so many it needs a capital letter) about the next one, and therefore hold my opinion on it so far. I haven't really had time to check fandom opinion on it much (apart from modding T&C), so tell me, has there been implosion yet or is everything storing up for part two?

4. Speaking of Doctor Who, this one, which I did see. Drawing a line between what is bashing and what isn't can be tricky at times, which we also come up against on T&C. But eh well, do the best you can, right?

5. When you see this post, quote from Doctor Who on your LJ.
The Doctor: What do you think of that, now, eh? A Viking helmet.
Steven Taylor: Maybe.
The Doctor: What do you mean, "maybe"? What do you think it is, a space helmet for a cow?

6. And my own version: When you see this post, quote from Battlestar Galactica on your LJ.
William Adama: What can I get you?
Laura Roslin: A new body. Perhaps o­ne of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship
Adama: I can't see you as a blonde.
Roslin: You'd be surprised.

7. Brother loves the BSG. It's quite funny, actually. We've made it past Resurrection Ship II, and I've observed the following things so far:
( BSG opinions and talk )

8. Fic planning for the summer:
- Banter fic for bluerosefairy. Adama/Roslin and boxing, which is rather leading me down the path of Intentional Bad Euphemisms. Hmm.
- My assignment for the A/R gift exchange. Shh, it's secret what I'm doing.
- "What We Live By", the topic 'comfort' for the A/R month of love in August.
- A piece contrasting the story being read by the decendants of Galactica with what really happened, how stories change into what we want to make of them.
- Hera walking the dreams of the Galactica crew.
- If what might happen in the DW finale does happen, a story about having memories of something that never really happened to you and others having to deal with it. (Vague enough for you?)
- Whatever else strikes my brain.

9. Another chapter is the never-ending soap opera of the American embassy in Norway. *facepalm* Can we just like get that thing done already before the entire population of Norway ends up arguing over it?

10. And how are you all?

	User:	bodldops
	Date:	2008-06-30 20:30
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Well, if anything, this clinic will be a good diet plan.

>.>

	User:	hellga
	Date:	2008-06-30 15:49
	Subject:
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	happy

I have one problem with Amsterdam (besides throngs of tourists, of course). This city is so small, I constantly kept running by my intended destinations and had to retrace my steps.

Golden rule of travelling Anna's style #22: if your feet feel completely dead and you think you physically cannot make another step, it merely means that you cannot last more than another 4-5 km or another couple hours on them.

Besides having wa1ked all over Amsterdam, I visited the Rijksmuseum, the Diamond museum (very interesting), the expo about the Oranje dinasty at the city museum, and the Anne Frank house. Also took the cruse along the channels. And had a very good argentinian steak for dinner.

Overall, I think three days is enough to experience Amsterdam, though I only had two. I mean, there is enough to do for a week, but two is OK. I am still thinking of going to the Het Loo palace on Wednesday, but Utrecht looks interesting too, and the Hague. And tomorrow I am meeting with our very own Eowyn Unquendor in Deft. Maybe I can fit in a bit of the Hague tomorrow as well.

	User:	kippurbird
	Date:	2008-06-30 08:52
	Subject:	Response to readers and fun with kitty
	Security:	Public

Got comments back on the story. More comments. From Mr. Formulaic, who is the one with the agent. And really isn't formulaic so much as purple.

Anyway, continuing on the people not getting that just because it's fantasy doesn't mean he's a hero line of thought. For fun/boredom I've decided to answer his comments here.


Got right into the story and it flowed right along, especially the
part at the end!

I have no qualms with that one. ^_^

Don't know if we'll ever agree about using earthly historical names
for fantasy characters, but you might have fun with this page...
http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/ I know I do!

Now, I have a two fold reason for this one. (Using names like Alexander, Rufus, Orion etc.) One being that Alec (Alexander) and Orion had that name before I "transplanted" them into the story. The second being, well, why wouldn't such names show up? I mean, it's not like I'm doing a Paolini naming convention where all the NPCs have normal names and the heroes have "fantasy" names. I've interspersed it fairly evenly through out the story. Names are, when you get down to it, a combination of letters and sounds. And eventually you're going to get overlap. In Hebrew, for example לו
sounds like "low". Two different languages, two different alphabets, but still the same sounding word. My characters don't speak English, except for the fact that I'm writing what they say in English. So, it's logical to suppose that eventually, similar sounding names will show up.

Name generators are addictive. (especially the bad name one: Phstfrd)


I know characters are the most important thing in fiction, but I really want to see more texture about the world. More stuff like "Selina's eyes"... which melikes...

Eh, I suppose. It's a hard balance for me. I mean, Selina's eyes refer to the two moons. And most of the time when you look up at the moon you don't think, "Luna, named after the Roman Goddess of the moon", you just go "moon". In being in a third person limited POV, most of the times the characters are going to go "moons". In this particular case, Orion was feeling rather introspective at the time, and so it felt more appropriate to call the moons "Selina's eyes". Alec, the main POV character, is not at all a introspective sort. He's kinda shallow that way. He's a teenager. Teenagers aren't given to introspection unless they're being emo and writing goth poetry. So, it's hard to give texture to the world when you have a character who looks at the world superficially.

Characters maybe be more tough?

... Why? Honestly speaking, the only tough character that I have would be Orion. Alex (Orion's slave) would be second, but only because he's utterly insane. Orion is a seasoned fighter and has rightly earned the title of General. He's been in several wars and fought a lot of battles. Alex has been driven insane in such a way that he's a down right little sadist. (Orion likes him that way). On the other hand, Alec is new to the adventuring gig. He's never killed anyone. The only fights he's been in are school boy scraps with his sister and other kids, and he hasn't done that in ages. He grew up in the city in comfort and has never faced a real challenge in his life. He's never had a reason to be "tough".


Alec at the moment is very changeable - going from having his butt
kicked by Orion to sticking his tongue out at his sister... be more of
a single-minded hero, Alec!

I fail to see how one has anything to do with the other. You tend to act differently with family than you do with people you don't like. Usually with siblings you tend to act younger or less mature than you do with others. Alec and Laruna have known each other their entire life. They're twins. They've developed their own idiosyncrasies in how they act and respond to each other. Of course Alec isn't going to stick his tongue out at Orion, that would be childish and immature, which would make Orion take him less seriously. He doesn't want Orion to treat him like a child, but an adult. Thus he acts like an adult with him. He doesn't have to worry about such things with his sister. He knows his sister has a set opinion about him and can be how he wants.

Also, Alec is not a hero. He's a protagonist.

If Orion is trying to grab power, I saw him thinking about it, but not
actively doing anything except hanging out with Alixx... Then again,
this is only 2 chapters -- so maybe it is a lull in his plotting?...

Um... long term planning anyone? If he actively tries to grab power, people are going to notice it. His trick is to do it slowly until people suddenly realize "Well fuck, how did that happen?" He's three hundred years old. He's got plenty of time to work his wiles. Hell, he could even wait until Phelps is no longer on the throne. Plus, he likes Alex. Good sex.

----

Also, Twilight for my next venture?

----

I took kitty to the vet yesterday. It took three people to get him from under the bed and that included lifting up the mattress. He scratched mom so badly that her hand's swollen up. She's going to the doctor later today. Kitty is fine. He just had a really nasty scratch under his chin from where his nails were to long and cut him. Got his nails trimmed too.

	User:	bodldops
	Date:	2008-06-30 07:15
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

So today I start my second new service. Whee? There's only two surgeries on the board so far, so maybe it'll be an easy(er) first day.

*heads out for reinforcing coffee*

In slightly good news, I'm not coughing as much anymore. And the sky actually looks blue this morning! Shocking!

	User:	nenya_kanadka
	Date:	2008-06-30 01:10
	Subject:	alien LOLs
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	amused

Dear Teresa Nielsen Hayden:

Please stop posting links in your Particles that give me hiccups from giggling.

("IM IN UR BASE, SITTIN ON YANTOE" -- I mean, seriously!)

Kthxbai,

Nenya

PS: MOAR. I HAS A HAPPI. THNX.