I don't think I'm going to be updating this blog anymore. From now on, just check on my lj - it'll be prettified eventually, I promise. I'll upgrade as soon as I figure out how to squeeze blood from a stone.
Currently reading -
Wait Twig, so now there's four snippets?. . You only gave me three. . . *chew*
Morgan, you are coolbeans and I want to be you when I grow up. Is there more candy coming?
(By the way, this is probably one of the last posts in this blog. I am going to be slowly moving myself over to my new livejournal from now on.)
Currently reading - Trying to finish off 'Our Lady of the Assassins' again.
Item 1 - Happy Birthday Catt!
Item the 2 - Finished more Claire, pages 7-11 are now up here.
Currently reading - You've got to be kidding me.
In the middle of the messiness that is my menstrual cycle it occurred to me that this is my 100th unfinished child since I started my period the summer I was 14.
Huh.
I am too young to be hearing my biological clock ticking.
Currently reading - mango, nano.
And all this time I thought Ruby was the SI.
Oh dear, you are Bookish, aren't you? You are a highly intelligent and witty bluestocking, whose beauty is hidden behind spectacles. Your dress sense is eccentric and a little unfashionable, and you consider yourself plain. You have very little use for men, who find your knowledge of Shakespeare, interest in politics and forthright speech formidable. You are undoubtedly well-off. The only reason for your presence in a novel of this kind (which, I might add, you would not dream of reading, although you have occasionally enjoyed the works of Miss Austen), is your mother, who is absolutely determined that you will make a good marriage. Rather than defying her directly, you are quietly subversive, dancing with anyone who asks you, but making no attempt to hide your intellectual interests. The only person who can get past your facade is the man who is witty enough to spar with you, and be amused at your blatant attempts to scare your suitors away. While you will, no doubt, subject him to a gruelling cross-examination to find out whether his respect for your intelligence is real or mere flattery, you may be sure that he is your match, and that you, he AND your mother will all live happily ever after
The Regency Romance Quiz: What kind of Romance Heroine are you?
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Currently reading - Nano nano nano
So sometimes, I do actually do stuff, which is why you can find the very raw, very unbeta-ed version of Cat and Mouse Chapter 3 here. Eventually there will be editing and a cover image and all that good stuff, but definately not until Nano's over and I just wanted to prove that sometimes I am actually productive.
Speaking of Nanomango, in an orgy of productivity the first six pages of Claire de Lune are here.
Currently reading - No time, gotta nano.
Oh, I'm back. I dropped a note in the Conjunction blog because I figured more people read that than this. I'd have updated sooner but I'm snowed under from my manga, Nano, and the fact that I now have dsl and there is much anime that has been waiting for me to download it.
Stolen from Catt and Ann, and tailored a little since I’m an artist rather then a writer.
1. Your name:
Flidget Jerome. Flidget is a nonsense word that I named these little scampering shadow creatures I drew back in high school. It became my nickname because my given name, Serene, doesn’t suit my personality at all – a lot of people, including my dad, are more comfortable calling me Flidget nowadays. Jerome I tacked on myself a few years later; the way I see it Flidget is the name of my Id and Jerome is the name of my Superego and hopefully they get along enough to keep me going.
2. How old were you when you started drawing?:
One of the earliest memories I’ve ever had was drawing three triangles for dresses, sticking three circles on top for heads and three more triangles on top for pointy hats, and ta-da, three princesses. I was somewhere between 3-4 at the time.
3. What was your first serious piece?:
Outside of art class my first serious project is Cat and Mouse, really. I’m not very good at following through so it’s really the first thing I’ve ever produced finished pieces for. Inside of the classroom there’s been lots.
4. What kind of art are you most interested in? (painting, sculpture, animation, comics, drawing, ect.):
Comics, definitely. I want to tell stories but I can’t write, so really comics are the only way for me to go. It’s a bit of a pain because I think I’m better as a sculptor than anything else.
6. Which artists have influenced your art most?:
I was an art history major, with an emphasis on international art history, so I’ve been exposed a hell of a lot, all of who had an impact. Right now, though what I see most in Cat and Mouse is the Glasgow School, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Korean manwha artists like Kyung-Il Yang and maybe a smattering of Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, Claire de Lune is almost entirely drawn from Shoujo Manga, it really varies according to what I want the project to be. There’s a lot of artists I’m completely in awe of, but at the same time I’m not trying to imitate.
7. Describe the piece you've always wanted to do, but couldn't:
There’s a cartoon running around in my head that plays itself back entirely in ‘in our next episode’ clips. It looks really cool and the visuals are amazing, but they’re all of fight scenes, the plot has yet to show up. I also reeaaaaaaally don’t have the patience to animate the entire thing by hand so it’s just going to have to be left alone.
8. Where do you find inspiration?:
Music lyrics are a biggie, though the source never matches the end product. Slutty, sultry, gothy Placebo’s Sleeping with Ghosts album gave rise to the very, very testosterone charged 5 Seconds, the Angie Stone, Eve and Alicia Key’s collaboration Brotha created the magic pretty girl title Claire de Lune, and so on. Sometimes I need to create characters specifically for a project or a contest, which is where Automata Book came from, and I’m lucky because they’ll usually come on demand. ‘Course, they always start off rather stereotyped but my mind warps things beyond recognition so it works out.
9. What has been the most difficult piece to do so far?:
It’s a tie between Automata Book and Faraway Land. Automata Book is an RPG and it requires a huge amount of character designs and monster art, and I’m really, really uncreative at both costume design and monsters, so it’s giving me a lot of trouble. The problem with Faraway Land is much more simple – the lead character’s love is supposed to be the hottest thing ever and, frankly, I’m no where near at the level where I can draw anyone who'd look that desirable.
10. What genre do you most enjoy doing art for?:
Sci-fi and fantasy, but there’s a wide range of flavors within that genre. Ghost Empire is really a war story and Cat and Mouse can’t make up it’s mind if it wants to be a thief and detective type chase story or a political drama.
11. How do you develop your characters?:
I don’t, really. They mostly just ride in my head when I go to the bookstore and point at what they want me to buy to get the info to flesh them out and crib stuff from random song lyrics. Sometimes things will come up spur of the moment when I’m actually drawing the comic as well.
12. Describe your favourite of all your characters and why do you like him/her/it?:
I’m not sure I really have a favorite. . there’s characters I like a lot more than the others but it’s a very large group. I dunno, but I think it’s important to love all your characters equally so they all develop well, sorta like raising children.
13. Describe your favourite "Mary Sue" story that you have written:
I don’t do straight-up Mary Sues, what I do have is duos like Claire and Camille or Blossom and Ruby, where one’s kinda like the side I think of as Flidget, and the other’s representing Jerome.
14. Who is your favourite artist?:
Gaaaaaaaaah. I have a long-standing love for Michelangelo, he’s the first artist I ever really realized was amazing. Others would include Caravaggio, Goya, Amano, Sinan, Duchamp, Delacroix and Vermeer. But there’s a lot, it’s that whole art history thing again. As far as comic books go it’s Kyung-Il Yang, Harold Sakuishi, Samura Hiroaki, Watasuki Nobuhiro, Kishimoto Masashi, Shimizu Reiko, Bruce Timm and Phil Hester.
15. What do you think about movies or anime based on comic books?:
It can be good but it’s usually not as good, and we’re all well familiar with this fact of life by now.
16. What matters more to you - the story, the characters or the art style?:
The characters, I think. You can keep me reading a story because I care about the characters, even if the plot went flying out the window about 3 books ago, but no matter how good the plot is you can’t keep me reading if I don’t give a damn about who it’s happening to. Art style doesn’t matter to me at all, I mean, my favorite mangas include Hunter x Hunter and One Piece, and neither are making any effort to be pretty.
17. What matters more to you - color, composition, draftsmanship, line, ect.:
I don't think enough artists today pay enough attention to composition, they just draw something and if it looks believable it’s ok by them. Same goes for color composition, they slap whatever colors down are realistic and that’s it. Not that my color sense is any good, the stuff I do looks like I learnt my color scene from interior decoration manuals, which I pretty much did. All that ranting aside, though, line is the most important element to me, which is why I do so much straight black and white work.
18. Have you ever had any of your work published?:
Kinda? I won this contest when I was six and had my cover design selected for the school festival program, but I don’t think that really counts. I’ve done one small professional commission to design a logo, but that was for a friend, and just recently I made the short list in a competition for a rather major amateur commission, which I’m rather happy about.
19. How do you feel about that?:
Good and dandy. I like doing graphic design because it doesn’t require much from me emotionally. People give me the brief and I whip something up but I don’t have to sell out one of my own characters or stories to them, which is comfortable.
20. Are you serious about becoming an artist, or is it just a hobby?:
Oh yeah. It’s the only job I can be happy at, I think.
Currently reading - No time, gotta Nano.
I went to Pirates again today, which is the first time I’ve done that for a movie, ever – but it’s like a minimum requirement for the fandom, and I so love this shiny new fandom. I’m already worrying what the other fanartists are getting up to, what cool ideas they’re doing that I haven’t thought of. Yeah, I’m quite aware that when I left the fandom was awash with Mary Sues and it’s not likely to be any better when I get back, but still, I fret because I love this way too much. I want to buy the special edition DVD, the script, the coffee table production book, the commemorative Captain Jack Sparrow shot glass. If Disney can think of it there’s a good chance they’ll get me to buy it. I want to make it doujinshi and Winamp skins and wallpapers. Even though I have no faith in sequels I’m still going dizzy thinking of the cosplay possibilities for the line for the next movie. Petticoats or breeches? Tailcoat or torn shirt?
Ok, so as I said I have no idea what the fandom is doing right now, but I want to say stuff regardless, stuff which has probably already been said. Such is the plight of an internet exile. I’m very much a supporter of Jack/Elizabeth/Will and Elizabeth/Jack/Will and all permutations thereof and when pressed will admit that Will and Elizabeth are very much meant to be and destined for each other and so on and so on . . . That said, in the event of Jack/Will, it is a case of “Congratulations, Miss Swan, you’ve won your very own Commodore Norrington!”, and who are we to complain?
Also bought two new books today. Never going to learn, am I?
Currently reading - 'Nelson', by Terry Coleman
I know everyone does songfics, even if no one else knows the particular fic is a songfic except you, because you’ve had the basic human decency not to treat your readers to a blow-by-blow dramatization of each line of the lyrics. Hell, I’ve had albums spawn entire songverses - usually completely inappropriate verses; 5 Seconds, all superheros and mecha and shit blowing up, owes most of its back-story to Placebo’s “Sleeping with Ghosts”, which is all sex and angst and Brian Molko screaming “Oh God is that a wrinkle?!”.
But I want to know if how many people also do the opposite – See, I’ve got songs in my head just waiting around for me to think of a character they can attach themselves to. For example, Dave Matthews Band’s “Space Between”? That’s been waiting for me to come up with a pairing that will match the dynamics of the couple in the song ever since the single was released. It doesn’t need to be a good song, they’re all there, patiently hanging out for the right person to show up.
I’ve also got special songs that get handed out like so many mental Oscars. For years, Alabama 6’s “Woke Up This Morning” has been awarded to whomever is the biggest hardcore badass in my head. If a bigger, more hardcore badass happens to show up, the song is handed on to them.
Currently reading - 'The Orchid Thief' By Susan Orlean
Another day, another expensive internet cafe, but at least this one has attractive views of Oxford Street.
Why is it that the moment my back is turned you go out and do something like buy a car? I'm already worried what she's going to get up to without me to be a distant and faint voice of caution, now I'm going to get horrifying mental images of Lunar having come back from Brazil to find you've gone out and bought a tiger.
Your new layout is cute when I can see it. The use of a certain word means that this current cafe is blocking me right now.
Miss you too. Am missing everyone. Am really not doing too well living outside my own kind.
Am however going to be attending a Prom tonight. Handel. Samson and Delilah. Could hear choir warming up when I bought my ticket and oh wow.
Currently reading - The Orchid Thief.
You know, I fucking hate this. It's not just the month-long exile. . as painful as it's going to be I'll at least get a ton of stuff done - art and computers are two of the few things you can shut yourself away in a room for and not creep out your landlords.
It's just that I'm going to miss my flat horribly. I'm going to miss the cute little sandwich maker, the curtains Lunar fixed for me, the fact that Thorne will never get to see my swirly hypnotic ceiling. I'm going to miss the dramatic approach and the trees at the back and even the two stupid extra rooms that don't do anything but take up space. I'm especially going to miss the bathroom that tried to eat everyone but me. Now that was a loyal bathroom.
Most especially I'm going to miss the fact that yesterday it was my home and and now it isn't and in half an hour I've got to go away and never come back.
Currently reading -
I don't think I've ever see an fandom go down hill as quickly as the Pirates fandom has. Right now it's funny because it's so bad, but it's going to start being really depressing anytime now.
So anyway Ann recced some Pirates fic, which is a lovely thing. Thing is, there is so little good Pirate fic she got a couple I was waiting to rec, so this is going to be a bit short. Anyhow. .
Busy - Short threesome fic from Jack's pov. Despite the lovely mental image it makes, I can't buy Jack-slash because, well, for one, Elizabeth (especially in breeches and a tailcoat) is as lovely and dangerous as a duelling pistol and two, because if you want to have a half-way stable relationship with Captain Sparrow you'll need to bring back-up.
Three Days - Jack on the island. This fic is probably going to turn out to be one of the early classics of the fandom, spawning dozens of angst-filled imitators that will never come close to the dark wit of the original.
Twig - Will really is the girl in the relationship, isn't he?
Twig - He's the earnest one.
Flidget - X D
Flidget - He so is
Twig - Elizabeth: Well.. this is our wedding night.
Twig - Will: *blush*
Twig - Elizabeth: It won't hurt.
Twig - Elizabeth: I'll be gentle.
Twig - Will: *blush again*
Currently reading -
The Hero Without A Past - Must have gorgeous hair, blue or green eyes (a
mixture is also acceptable), and be proficient
in the use of bladed weapons. Instant and
unconditional love for the Lovely Heroine a
necessity. Must also have at least two of the
following: --At least 5 years missing from memory --A dysfunctional relationship with 1 or more
Reluctantly Protective Father Figures --A distinct aversion to helping others (must be
willing to go through attitude adjustment) Examples: Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart, Zidane
Tribal, Tidus
A Final Fantasy Casting Call
brought to you by Quizilla
Currently reading - No time, too busy moving.
Sat down and wrote a list of all the stories running around in my head. Because Thorne did and because everyone else should, and because, besides, it helps:-
Original Foo
Cat and Mouse – Pirates, thieves, lesbians and other favorite things.
Faraway Land – Smut, angst and doomed love. Plot optional. Here be elves.
Ghost Empire – Your typical war story, only less so. Now with added mecha.
5 Seconds – With great power comes great responsibility but all Jessie wants to do is rock.
The Carnival (5 Seconds side story) – Jessie isn’t the only one who wants more from life than spandex.
Automata Book – the problem with saving the world is what to do for your next trick.
Claire De Lune – Frilly outfits, fuzzy mascots, magical powers and a transformation sequence. It really cramps an evil overlord’s style.
One Ship Armada – (collaboration with Lunar) No idea. I’m just in it to draw the spaceships.
Core Universe – (collaboration with Wind) A boy and his sword, a vampire and his coven, and the biggest asshole there ever was. Assorted gods, ninjas and elves guest star.
DNAngel Fanfic
August in Madrid – Saitoshi, 7 years after the fact.
Harry Potter Fanfics
Predestination – seven years worth of Marauders’ Era fic, all for the sake of one Quidditch match.
Toujours Pur – Draco may have the face of a Malfoy but he’s still got that nasty Black temper.
Raven Steals the Sun – These are the oldest magics. Sirius Black was never one for rules anyway.
Currently reading -
Today, between the cancelled trains, the gridlock on the motorway, the heatwave and the four grown idiots behind me seriously discussing Pokemon, I realised that the only reason I don't turn around and punch people is because I'm afraid my punch will be weak like a girl's.
I need boxing lessons.
Currently reading - Too hot to read
Trying to decide if the dance show I want to watch at South Bank tonight is worth the the two quid twenty in extra train fare, or if I should spend the money on, say, food.
I first suspected I had a problem setting priorities when I found myself wondering if I could use mayonaise to fry.
Currently reading - Still on \"It\".
Currently reading - Stephen King's 'It'
Deer Doc Oc,
I luv d4 new haircut. Yur trenchcoat is so kewl, d00d. I have the BIGGEST CRUSH on u ever in d4 entyre. . intire. . .whole world. Nerdy geeks r way s3xi.
Smoochies! n! Huggles!
Flidget-kun.
Currently reading - Stephen King's 'It'
More recs, because why be productive when you can be entertained?
First off, everyone and their dog's sister's cousin recced Maya's Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Rat., and it deserved all the love that it got. So just in case you didn't hear, she's written a follow-up fic . . . which I now can't seem to find. . fuck. It's out there, I swear.
Ah well, in it's place, may I recommend Dancing Queen?
Virtue and Vice and Vica Versa - Good Omen's fic by Lady Jaida, who also wrote the two other fics I'm about to pimp. A somewhat dark fic set during the French Revolution.
La Belle Reve - Harry Potter. A set of three short au vignettes, one Snape/Lupin and two Sirius/Remus and all really great. Hopefully one day she'll add some more.
A Match with the Moon - If I said this was my favorite Snape/Lupin I'd be lying; favorite implies I like more than one. This is brilliant though, and Snape's characterisation is spot-on. Go on, read it just for the snarking.
Finally, since everyone keeps blaming me for giving it out over IM and warping their minds, Very Midsummer Madness - HP/12th Night crossover fic by George Pushdragon. Before you run off screaming, didn't you all read "Estate of **** vs The Ministry of Magic"? This is the same author, and while the concept is a little strange her casting choices for the parts are just perfect.
Currently reading - Stephen King's 'It'
Just to remind you all, that burning feeling in your loins is my hate for you having seen Pirates already. Well, either that or your raging lust for Messrs Bloom and Depp. Either way I loathe you.
More thoughts on OotP. I suspect I’m driving at least Ann nuts because I won’t shut up and move on. As ever, blanked out for spoiler-tight freshness.
After Sirius kicked the curtain, I immediately predicted that we’d all be buried under Remus suicide fics within a fortnight. I assumed that your average rabid fangirl would never be able to resist the lure of something so angsty. I was wrong. What happened instead was a sudden rise in Sirius/Harry. Silly me, why have something angsty when you can have something angsty and disturbed? And so I yelled and shook my fist at the fic blogs, but now I’m reconsidering.
See, I don’t think the problem is so much with the fangirls as with Rowling’s completely contradictory characterizations. Sirius/Harry is not a dynamic that’s plausible between Harry and the battered survivor who wants to be his father whom appeared in book 4, but it’s much more believable between Harry and the broken man-child who wants to be his best friend in book 5. I’m not saying I’m happy with any of it, mind you.
Currently reading - H. P. Lovecraft's 'The Call of Cthulhu and other wierd stories"
Ok, right, more HP recs:-
Sixteen in Bulgaria - Viktor/Herimone. Because I can't be the only shipper for this pairing out there. . . there's at least 3 others. Optimistically.
Transfigure - Ron. Because Harry's not the only who's been having a hard time of childhood.
Three Seconds - The end of the Maurauders Era. Because in his own way I find Peter as fascinating as Snape.
Picture Us Found. - Post Book 5. Because that character death will give rise to endless bad angst fic, but occassionally it'll inspire something better. This one catches in your throat.
Currently reading - H. P. Lovecraft 'The Call of Cthulhu and other wierd stories'.
Quick fic rec, before I sleep and forget the urls. There'll be more tomorrow. It's all HP and all pre-book 5 so it's spoiler safe.
Knowledge is its own Reward and Breaking Tradition - Both are short, witty, damn funny. Breaking Tradition is better written but Knowledge gives better Snape.
House - Remus/Sirius. Quite good and we all know there isn't enough good fic for that pairing out there.
Currently reading - H. P. Lovecraft, 'The Call of Cthulhu and other wierd stories'.
Yes, my dears, I am quite aware that "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is sucking big time. I can roll with it. This is the "The Summer of the Sucking".
(Well, everything except "Pirates of the Carribean", apparently, but that's not out in England until the 8th of August. Everyone who's seen it already? I hate you all. May my burning jealousy set fire to your loins.)
By the way. Longview's single Further. Finally chased down the lyrics. Shock and horror, it is Christian Rock after all. But it's also a lovely piece of music. I am staggered.
Currently reading - H. P. Lovecraft - \"The Call of Cthulhu and other wierd stories\"
Quickly before I head off to work,
*ehem*
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ITLAN!!!!
Currently reading - \"Slaughterhouse 5\", Kurt Vonnegut.
I am a geek.
I am a geek who's been wondering what happens in Quidditch if someone other than the Seeker catches the Snitch. I mean, in football a goal scored by a goalie still counts as a goal, even though that certainly isn't his job in the game.
I am a huge geek.
Currently reading -
Had the weirdest dream last night. Fun, but weird. I don’t mean run-of-the-mill weird, like my dog showed up wearing pants, I mean “trying-really-hard-to-be-weird” weird, as if my entire dream had been scripted by a team of over-paid sitcom writers.
I mean, it starts out pretty normal. I’m at work. I do my normal boring work stuff. I go to lunch. I get back from lunch. And then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles turn up at the office to ask if they can use it to host their wedding reception. Something about showing that they’re in touch with the common man, which is great and all except I get landed with the job of arranging everything. Cue fast-paced, exciting scenes of me sweeping the bathroom because the cleaners hadn’t shown up. Drama!
So anyway, there I am, busy organizing the social event of the decade, when my friends show up to talk to me. This is about the time I find out I’m an alumni of The Xavier Academy for Gifted Students and that my office building just happens to have, on the second floor, a portal to the pocket dimension that holds a special prison for mutants. A prison some of our more Pro-Magneto friends, including my boyfriend, had managed to wind up in. Which is just great and all because now in addition to planning a wedding I’ve got to organize a rescue. Idiots.
You’d think for a portal to a prison for super-powered delinquents would be better guarded but no, we just had to take a left from the lifts and go through a door. The pocket dimension itself contained the prison, a large lake and, for some reason, a row of shops. Run-down shops, because it’s not like a self-contained universe created to hold a high-security correctional facility is a very up-market neighborhood. I love dream logic.
On to the rescue. Our little rescue party, by the way, consisted of me, Rogue, Iceman, Nightcrawler and Justin Finch-Fletchley from the Harry Potter series. Let me tell you now that mutants ain’t got nothing on wizards – mutants are pretty much one-trick ponies, wizards are dead handy. They know tricks like Alohomora, for starters - makes jail-breaking a breeze. Oh, and the jail itself? It’s a forest surrounded by a chain-link fence. We were in the middle of it when we found our friends and simultaneously discovered it was also a forest inhabited by homicidal coniferous ents and patrolled by tyrannosaurus rexes. Like I said, sitcom weird, but anyway, cue fight scene. Apparently my mutant power was the ability to selectively slow or speed time, which, besides being useful, made for very cool action shots for all involved. Yay me!
We defeat the dinosaurs, dodge the ents and run out of the prison, Justin turning the gate and fence to stone behind us as we go. I objected that keeping it metal would have been better and was about to explain about relative brittleness but just then the dream decided to distract me. The boyfriend I had come to rescue? Pyro, as played by the lovely Mr Aaron Stanford. Yay me indeed!
The rest of the party having cleared off to throw themselves on Xavier’s always reliable mercy, Pyro and I end up having a romantic reunion. It was terribly sappy – for one, we were standing hip-deep in the lake, because that’s the sort of romantic image that two young people in love should present. For another, there was a lot of kissing. There was also a lot of him complaining that I had turned into a complacent little cog of The Man and a lot of me complaining that he had turned into a homicidal little sociopath, but there was still a lot of kissing. Not that I minded, just so you know. Then, because he was a homicidal little sociopath and I was a complacent little cog of The Man, he goes to rejoin Magneto and I go to break the news to my boss that I’ve just participated in breaking out a dangerous criminal when I should have been arranging for canapés.
It all works out, though. My boss turned out to be a sucker for a tearful young maiden in love and the head of security, when we interrupted his bath, calmly said that if he had to interrupt a ceremony every time a super villain was at large he’d never get anything done, so they put me back in charge and told me to go get changed for the wedding, which ended up going off spiffingly. The End.
Currently reading - Meyrink's \"The Golem\"
The Conjunction Layout Wars have been moving faster than I can keep up. In the course of 48 hours I have wanted to have Ann's babies, wanted to have Twig's babies, wanted to kill Ann before she hand the chance to father anyone's babies, and looked upon Lunar as my new savior. Yeah, we're tooting our own horn but damn it, it's a nice shiny horn.
Completely unrelated, but Spike just got back from Japan. He may be a bit of a wanker, but he's a bit of a wanker with a great eye for a good picture and as such has now posted copious amounts of eye-candy.
Currently reading - Gustav Meyrink's 'The Golem'
Right O. The annual Conjunction layout war is on. I've fired off my opening volley and fully expect to suffer the consequences. Bring it on!
Currently reading -
On second thought, I’m not going to attempt re-reading HP5 anytime soon and it’s already getting to the point where people are staring at me going “are you still pissed about that?”, so just a few highly biased thoughts, blacked-out for your spoiler-free safety:-
The Order of the Cannon Fodder – Sufficient coverage has been given to Tonk’s Mary Sue-ness and Kingsley’s total hotness that I don’t need to get involved, though in the rare moments I’m mature about things and accept that book 5 actually happened, I think Shacklebolt/Lupin wouldn’t be half-bad.
“Luna Lovegood does Hogwarts” – I liked her, she was a cool character. God knows what she was doing in the story though. Maybe in addition to everything else she saw plot that no one else could. Or maybe that was Rowling’s idea of inter-house co-operation, in which case the Sorting Hat song bordered on fan abuse. I’ve also got her to blame for Sirius Black, a.k.a. Stubby Boardman, a.k.a. Tragic Rock Star. Good God, the Pit of Voles will never be able to resist.
On a related note, the Thestrals - . . .why is it that Harry could only see them now? It’s not like he wasn’t around when his parents died or anything.
Remus “Plot Coathanger” Lupin – The canonical slash undertones were very much appreciated, but then again there were parts in the book where he’d have a line and it’d be the first time I even realized he was even in the scene. Yeah, there were bits of him where I saw a spark of the man I love so much, like in the hospital or when Sirius died, but for a guy who’s supposed to be Rowling’s favorite character he hardly seemed there. My heart aches for him now, of course, because for the second time in his life he’s again last man standing, but for the love of God I don’t suppose we could set the inevitable upcoming flood of Remus suicide fics to a limit of one per author?
Severus “That Man Needs a Hug” Snape – Don’t get me wrong, I love Snape too. I don’t see how you can’t love Snape, but the Snape we knew and loved for four books would not have given up something as vitally important as the Occlumency lessons for anything. This was the man who back in book 3 conjured a stretcher for his worst enemy even though when the roles were reversed Sirius just sent his head knocking against a cave wall. Snape may have been bitter but he was never so childish or petty before and that upset me as much as Sirius’ reckless immaturity did.
By the way, I know it’s nothing more than a chapter title, but you’d think, you know, that a morally conflicted but basically good man who somehow managed to wind-up in a murderous cabal of evil would have worse memories then the school seeing his underpants, wouldn’t you?
The Most Inbred but Good-Looking House of Black - Damn. It was like Rowling had a checklist of everything I wanted Sirius’ background to be and was methodically ticking it off. So much love.
Hello Cleveland, we are “Voldie and the Death Eaters”! – All writers must obey their own world rules. It doesn’t matter how good or how famous you are, this is a universal constant. All. Writers. Must. Obey. Their. Own. World. Rules. So why, a few months after been broken out of Azkaban, are half the Death Eaters running around as if they’d spent the past 14 years standing in the corner having a time-out? For the last two books we’ve been hearing constantly how terrible the Dementors are, how everyone in Azkaban goes mad and half the prisoners die. Even Sirius only survived it by cheating the system like a motherfucker and he was still pretty jittery that first year out. So why are all the Death Eaters perfectly fine? Is everyone in the Potterverse an illegal animagus? Is it the wizarding equivalent to downloading pirated music?
“R.I.P. Sirius Black, killed by a Curtain.” – poor bastard, he survives his family, a war, 12 years in Azkaban and two years on the run only to be led by a plot hole into being stunned by a plot hole and then murdered by some drapery. Originally I thought I was just angry because he was my favorite character, but no, that was just dumb. How Stupid. How CLAMP.
A Portrait of Phineas Nigellus – Figures, my favorite new character isn’t even technically an actual person. But really, this is what I expected from Rowling, this is why I still love her despite myself. He had all of 4 appearances and less then 15 lines, and somehow he’s already filled with hidden depths and complexity. The scene at the end when he refuses to accept Sirius’ death broke my heart as much as the scene with Harry and the mirror did.
Neville Longbottom and the Prophecy of Deus ex Machina – Neville, you are so cool. I love you so much. But dude, we four years wait to find out why Harry is destined to fight Voldemort and in the end Rowling just goes “because I said so”. And here we were all afraid it’d be something trite like because he was the Heir of Gryffindor. Shows what we know.
There’s other stuff, like my love for the twins and how enjoyable it was to hate Umbridge and how 2-D the Slytherins were, but nothing that hasn’t already been said by everyone else.
Ok, I’ll stop whinging now.
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Thursday, the 26th June 2003, day five of my Harry Potter Hissy Fit.
I’ve been meaning to blog about Friday night. Unfortunately it turned out that lining up for Book 5 was a far better experience than Book 5 itself. As I said, hissy fit.
So anyway, I got my book at Waterstones Piccadilly. I was supposed to be going to a get-together there but we ditched en-mass in favour of lining up for the book instead. No loss at all, really.
It was like a street party. Everyone was very happy and excited and spoke fluent Geek, half the crowd was in costume and I met people who had come all the way from American and France just to be there. The line was on the Piccadilly side of the store, the peon entrance. All night long we kept watching limos drive by to the St James side, which was the entrance for the celebrity party on the third story of the bookstore. Sting and Robbie Coltraine supposedly showed up, though not, sadly, Stephen Hawking. Lots of media running around on both sides. The group I was with snagged 3 interviews, 2 attempted interviews and a free t-shirt, which wasn’t anything on the group in front of us, who to the delight of the cameramen had turned up wearing a full set of homemade Weasley sweaters. God, that was a fun night.
Of course, then I got home and read the book. I was going to re-read it when I calmed down and give a nice unbiased review of it, but given that I’ve been throwing a temper tantrum over it for five days now maybe I should chuck pretending to be a mature adult and howl furiously instead. I’ll get back to you on that.
Currently reading - let's not talk about it, ok?
On HP;OotP, Cassandra Claire pretty much summed up what I thought. By the looks of it she pretty much summed up what a lot of people thought, so I'm just going to link to her like everyone else is doing instead of writing a follow-up to my last post.
Twig and I were already discussing the effects of the death on characters other than Harry, but I'll save that for a later post along with a few other comments. I'm just too drained right now.
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Finished. Book.
Need. To. Rant.
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It has been a lovely day. Lovely lovely lovely. Lovely morning, lovely midday, lovely afternoon - even the things that attempted to become nasty were quickly poked into submission with sticks. And then I got home and found out that the swashdikes had gotten their first fanmail. Now I get to go out to get HP5. I am utterly giddy with the happy.
Currently reading - The Harry Potter Series by the wonderous Ms Rowlings. All of it, of course.
My mother, who is the bestest mother in the world when she isn't busy cursing Lunar, has sent me green tea pocky....which tastes like milk and sugar and not much else. It's really disappointing the way historical revisionism can be really disappointing. Ok, so now I know the truth and that's great, I guess, but I was happier when I believed the legend.
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So I finally saw the Matrix.
Let’s begin at the ending. The ending pissed me off. The ending pissed the whole theater off. The ending would piss anyone off; if Gandhi were alive, the ending would piss him off too.
Zion? Zion was very silly. I’m going to go with the theory that while it’s obvious the Wachowski brothers had been discussing the Matrix world rules since they started talking (Andy Wachowski’s first word having been ‘Neo’), they never really bothered to think much about Zion because it’s boring and you can’t fly there. At least, that’s why I think Zion comes across like a geeky kid trying so hard to be cool.
All that said; Sorry guys, I loved that movie. Mind, I didn’t go in with high expectations of it – the first movie was the most important western sci-fi movie to have been made since Blade Runner (Which gets points deducted anyway for having been a book first. By the way, if anyone replies to me going ‘Hey, what about Tron?’, we’re not friends anymore). It’s rather hard to top a movie that spawned its own religious cults. Frankly, I was thinking it was going to be rather hard just to top the fight scenes. But it does top the fight scenes, it even manages to almost live up to the plot of the original movie, which is amazing because there were so many fight scenes I’m still surprised they managed to fit in a story. Hell, bonus points for being the first movie to have a guy flying around who doesn’t look like a complete dork while doing so.
But yeah, that ending? It pissed me off.
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Oh, so it is Throne's birthday.
Weeee!! Happy Birthday!
(I was in denial of the fact it was her birthday for some time mainly because I still haven't finished her birthday present from last year. I don't even know what I'll do for her this year but considering that I didn't do anything for her for Christmas either I have a feeling all the presents are going to snowball and one day she's going to get a life-sized Cloud Strife pinata in the mail. meep.)
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I just discovered the "scent of burnt flesh" smells pretty much like the scent of burnt everything else. This wasn't something I was really looking to verify, especially first-hand, but accidents happen. Anyway, the point is that it's pretty damn hard to catch this scent on a breeze and decide if you need to go "Oh no! My beloved peasent village!" or "Oh no! Grannie's burnt her cookies!".
Not that this will stop anyone from peppering their angst fics with "the acrid smell of burnt flesh" and now it's going to bug me forever much in the same way people writing that kisses taste "sweet like red wine" does.
Mmm, tannins.
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Half the conjunction seems to have gone zooming off somewhere for the Memorial Day weekend....and Thorne went to San Francisco. So! Jealous!
I've never actually been to San Francisco but I was concieved there. That was probably more information than you wanted to know.
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Currently reading - 'Tipping the Velvet'
Just got back from seeing X-men 2. Oh wow. The love that movie has for its fans. The love I have for that movie. I mean the humor, the fight sequences, the inside jokes, the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it inside reference to Gambit. So much love.
Go see it. I myself enjoyed it hugely, which is quite something given that before the movie started I got the “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” trailer.
Holy Shit.
(insert hysterical squealing)
They cast Sean Connery as Allan Quatermain. Sean Connery! Allan Quatermain! I’m sorry if I’m late to the party but the last I heard they were still poking at the script with sticks, I had no idea they had gotten so far along. I have never been so embarrassingly excited about a movie because, dude, you can’t cast Sean Connery as a shady, sarcastic, somewhat good guy and make a bad movie. Sure, it’s possibly that every bit without him in it will suck, but it looks like he’s in it an awful lot.
Currently reading - "Tipping the Velvet"
Good girl, Wind. Everybody, we're going to Canada!
Currently reading - "By the Sword", Richard Cohen
Wind's back! Yay!
I am no longer mellow; my grandmother called on Saturday to say she was arriving Monday, effectively ruining 3 out of 4 days of my long Easter weekend. All mellowness is so gone.
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Was replaying little bits of Xenogears tonight, just to relive fond memories. This leads to two things:-
1. In retrospect, yes, Billy Lee Black is making little orgasmic noises when he fires his guns.
2. One of these days it's going to sink in that no one actually sells Xenogears mecha model kits and when I realise this I'll cry, then construct a 12 inch Crescens out of blue tac and kitchen foil.
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So lookie, new layout. Five months with the same one was getting on a bit, even for me. I had all these things I was going to say but I am mellow. I am so mellow. The weather can only be described as balmy and the cherry trees are falling petals like snow. I feel no need to try to look smart nor witty, for am I mellow.
However, the weather is expected to plunge drastically by tomorrow and with the return of the frosts I assure you that I will return to my usual self.
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