Current literature: When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
Website: the mad aristocrat
For the love of Bob, sign the guestbook!
Hangs around:
Bounce magazine, Ninjai.com, !SuperCat Online, Sekai Seifuku, Passion Fruit, Crimson Tears, The Japanese Flannel, Bleeding Hearts, windward, Sequential Tart, HTH,
Diagon Alley, Shiroi Heya
Posted elsewhere:
Fanfiction.net, Photo.net
Follows:
Katie, Leah, Michael, Melanie, Diana, Haru, N, Andre, Jamie, Cat, Lex, Twig, Bridget, Lisa, Sabina, Homasse, Sarah, Violaine
Drools over:
Isamu Noguchi, Chanel, Gackt Camui, Sony Japan, Style.com, Heath Ledger, Aiwa, European Furniture Importers, anything covered in toile, matcha, fried okra, Hemmings Photography, yakisoba
Comics:
Jinks, ADVENTURERS!, Nine Stitches, megatokyo, Bite Me!, Boy Meets Boy, Sinfest, Spades
Reads:
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, X, WISH, ElfQuest, Transformers, Ah! My Goddess!, You're Under Arrest!, Bakuretsu Hunter, Rurouni Kenshin, Slayers, Weiss: An Assassin and White Shaman, Gravitation, Gouhou Drug
Watches:
West Wing, As Time Goes By, Slayers, Rurouni Kenshin, Cardcaptor Sakura, Inu Yasha, Cowboy Bebop, any Gackt or Glay videos I can get my hands on, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ed, Edd, & Eddie, Just Shoot Me!, Samurai Jack
Listens to:
Dreams Come True, Ryuichi Kawamura, Hikaru Utada, Natalie Imbruglia, Gackt, Sarah Brightman, GLAY, Enya, The Goo Goo Dolls, Jimmy Buffett, Travis, Judy and Mary, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Hyde, Chihiro Onitsuka, Garbage, John Mellencamp, REM, Melissa Etheridge, K.D. Lang, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Sophie B. Hawkins
Spends paychecks at:
EXPRESS, YesAsia, J. Crew, L.L. Bean, Target, Amazon.com
Archives:
11/2/02-12/14/02(Sekirei)
10/3/02-11/1/02(Halloween Elise)
7/31/02-10/3/02(Natalie)
6/12/02-7/27/02(Debauchery)
5/3/02-6/12/02(Fun with mochi)
3/24/02-4/28/02(X pretentiousness)
1/10/02-2/27/02(Home again)
12/1/01-1/3/02(Nara III)
10/9/01-11/27/01(Nara II)
9/3/01-9/29/01(Nara I)
current music: Garbage, 'My Lover's Box'
...Okay, okay, this and then I'll leave the damn thing alone for a while. Won't have much choice in the matter anyway.
I'm toying with the idea of starting a fic-blog. Reasons being: I do most of my best, fastest and most coherent writing on the computer, without writing it down first. This way I wouldn't have to keep such a huge notebook with me, or save .doc files on a disk or hard drive or even print things out. I'd be able to type AND save anywhere I had net access. It's a rather... attractive option, at this point.
Besides, who am I kidding? It would give some of you more of a chance to see what kind of craziness my imagination throws at me. Or the OCs, whichever. Thoughts? Comments? Insults?
Till next week, or later! Email is faster, for now.
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ED took the train at 02:50 p.m.
Which Ringwraith are You?
By Lisa
Read the questions even if you don't want to take the quiz. Really. XD
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'Fanfiction, REM, Michael'? Was that you being silly? Or not. Either way, har har. XD
As for finding 'Eowyn and Legolas fanfiction', not a snowball's chance in hell, whoever-you-are.
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Straight Dope Message Board: If LOTR had been written by someone else?!
For instance: LotR by Dave Barry:
At the end of the Council of Elrond, everyone concluded that 'Shards of Narsil' would be a great name for a band. Also starring P.G. Wodehouse, Ayn Rand, Charles Dickens, and E.M. Forster, to name a few. It's a long thread and totally worth it.
Sephie: *mutters* stupid new soap
Oh, the intellectually stimulating conversations we have.... Could be worse. We could have gotten into Aeris Resurrection Theory. (Bashing it, that is.) This is better. This is material for humor-fic. Bring it on.
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*claps with glee* Oh, this is why I read Twig's blog... because I never know when something like THIS will pop up. It's very nice indeed to know someone else thinks along roughly the same lines when it comes to All Things Weiss.
'An abomination of God', indeed. *snickers* I can't wait to see what will be said upon reaching the end of the show....
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You know what I just realized? America is getting dumber for mostly one reason (maybe it's two): All the same people are still having babies and dropping out of school. The academics, the focused and intellectual and too-damn-sensitive, are growing more and more apart from the rest of the world and encasing themselves in little emotional bubbles, never to reproduce and counteract the rest of humanity's follies.
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Oh, bravo! That one was well worth the wait... and now I actually want to see Gluhen, if only because it sounds like Kenken's gone even more bonkers. Sad; I adore AAWS Ken... but psycho-Ken is such a /trip/. The format for that fic is very effective, I think, and if Omi's as dead-on as Marith usually nails him, then I'm positive I'll absolutely worship Gluhen Omi. Sweet.
And, because it amuses me:
1. The first story I EVER posted/read was: (if you don't remember, describe story) Yikes, I do believe the first thing I read was something to do with The Phantom of the Opera. Do you remember, Steph? The details are totally gone. After that all I can come up with is a string of deliciously horrid FFVII parodies. The first thing I /posted/ was a Slayers fanfic, 'In the Eye of the Beholder'. (I emphasize /post/ because, well, FFVII is the first thing I ever wrote for but I'm very, very glad no one ever saw those particular bits of garbage. *winces*)
2. The fandom for that was... (if you're too ashamed to admit it, lie!) Oops. Jumped the gun on that one.
3. And this was actually back in... Spring of '98, I do believe. Didn't post anything until '99, though.
4. My favorite genre to write is: Um, drama in the short-story range, I suppose. Most things tend to wind up that way whether I plan for it or not. Not much for romance, though.
5. My favorite genre to read is: Humor with a healthy side of drama and action. Romance is fun, but it gives me cavities. No wonder I'm enjoying the Harry Potter books so much....
6. My TOP FIVE or VERY favorite fan-author(s) is/are: In no particular order... Marith, Harukami, Rackham Rose, Aoe & Shoori (because it's really impossible to separate them!), and llamajoy & Tenshi no Korin (counted as one because their FFVII timeline is a joint project, and it's absolutely divine). Hard to figure those names out; I tend to focus on individual stories rather than follow certain authors around.
7. My favorite published-author(s) is/are: Tolkien, Kazuo Ishiguro, Gail Tsukiyama, Terry Brooks, Patricia C. Wrede, Anne Perry, Brian Jacques, Esther Friesner, Anne McCaffrey, Katherine Kerr, Terry Pratchett, Judith Tarr
8. I can often be found haunting... FF.net, FictionAlley, Aoe & Shoori's page --other than that I just linksurf from rec pages, mostly.
9. My current passion is: For some unexplained, probably ridiculous reason, Weiss Kreuz. Rather, the constant search for stories and ideas that embody what I think Weiss Kreuz /ought/ to be, or at least the caliber of which come closer to what the story evolved into in my head. Talk about a pipe dream...!
10. A fandom I kind of miss, and still have a few unexorcised ghosts for is: Slayers, without a doubt. I even managed to completely forget about the fact that it was the first fandom I actively participated in! Scary, that; I still love Slayers as much as I ever did, but the fans more often than not leave me wanting to tear my hair out.
11. My strangest, most unexpected fandom turn was: Harry Potter. oO; Remember, Steph, how we used to say we wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole? Or at least I did? ^_^; Hell, we used to swear we never wanted to read the books! Half the time I still feel silly chasing after Potterfic, but since most of it is on good recommendation I'm almost always well-rewarded for my time. I KNOW I'll never participate in it, but it sure is a fascinating world to watch.
12. Something I wish I could write for, but never did/never will was: Rurouni Kenshin. I know just what would make for a fabulous one-shot or short chapter-fic, but I don't have the stylistic finesse or the well-timed sense of humor that would be required to live up to my own damnably high expectations.
13. I'm happily (or unhappily) anticipating being ambushed at some point by: Inu Yasha or Suikoden. The latter is more likely, unfortunately, thanks to a certain evil person and her love of all things Luc (not being helped at ALL by my obsession with Nash, or the fact that Albert looks damningly like Gluhen's Ran or a clone of Mizerable-type Gackt). Inu Yasha, at least, has what looks to be a rather dull sort of fanbase... like WK without the chance at years of pre-syndicated appreciation.
14. A secret fandom urge I've never confessed is: ...I have no idea. Does wanting to finish 'Eye of the Beholder' count? 'Fraid I really don't care that much anymore; I've become rather more of an observer lately. I'm sure I /used/ to want to write something that would have people jumping all over my fics--but the very thought now makes me shudder. *winks at Haru* Besides, I don't do romance, so I doubt the rabid fangirls would give a damn anyway... I'm safe!
15. I am most proud of (reading/writing/being involved with) this particular fandom aspect: Having gotten so very involved in the Slayers fandom when it was still lots of fun, and talking about/reading so many interesting things. That doesn't seem quite the right answer, though, so the close second is getting to read 'Children of Jenova' while the author was still working on it. Her reservations aside, that was a damned /fun/ story.
...And THAT was a total waste of space. Wheee!
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I'm gonna have to change this sucker up soon... drat. Things are still busy-- done with work now, but there's also been much seeing of friends, much eating (out and in) and watching of movies on the giant new TV. The new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar downtown is sooo very oishii; best sashimi and sushi I've had outside of Japan.
I've seen so many people over break that my head is still spinning-- it's really crazy how quite a few of us are /better/ friends now that we live in different states or towns and have totally separate lives; a lot of us have actually grown closer or discovered mutual interests entirely on our own. A bunch of us got together for the requisite Girls' Night Out last weekend, and we were all sitting amongst the wreckage of dinner and drinks when someone said "We're really grown up, aren't we?" Some of us still live at home half the time, some of us (well, ME) are carless, but we're all so much /more/ than we were four years ago. We've traveled all over the world, started our own publications, fallen in and out of love, written stories and survived studio classes, and we can still sit around the same table and talk about the silliest crap imaginable, and laugh ourselves sick. I'm so proud that I can still point to these people and say they are my friends.
And now for something completely different: You know the one thing that makes me absolutely furious at the universe? The fact that PMS really does exist, and that I /have/ it. I mean, AUGH.
And something else: With this in mind, it's pretty damn amazing that Another World made me think of a fast and furious roadtrip before I even deciphered the lyrics. Thelma and Louise, indeed! *claps delightedly*
Hopefully one more entry before new look ensues. Maybe not, though-- the FOTR extended DVD is definitely more appealing at this point than mucking about on the computer. Ditto for Beauty and the Beast, and my Newtype mag... you get the idea.
Mwah!
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Guess what?
...IT LIVES! I nearly got a bad case of hiccups reading Theoden's entry. *giggles uncontrollably* The little sketch of Legolas was a wonderful bonus.
As a companion to that particular bit of joy, you would all do well to check out Twig's horribly hilarious, snarky little gem, 'Cooking With Legolas'. Once again, we only ridicule those we love... and we love LOTR so very, very much.
I've been absent lately... I've been BUSY. Busy working, busy shopping, busy trying and failing to get quite enough sleep, and spending quality time with my puppy. Not so, technically, but he will /always/ be our bouncy puppy, and I love him. Christmas wore him out, and it wore me out too. I ended up napping most of the afternoon away at our aunt's house, I was so tired I couldn't even keep my head upright enough to read, let alone be sociable and entertaining.
Speaking of exhaustion, it's definitely time for bed. Love to all. Email if you want to say something; I do check it daily, regardless.
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Diana, I was going to leave you a little message in the box on your journal... but it kinda gave my browser fits. ^_^; PLEASE consider putting all those little 'extras' of yours into popup windows, at least? It sucks that I can't read your blog as often or as easily as everyone else's.
I sent off my housing info for MMU today; Dad faxed it over (if only they'd told me that was an option a week ago....) Now I just cross my fingers and hope like hell I get into one of the university-owned halls. I'm getting more and more psyched about going-- it's probably a good thing it's taken this long to sink in, though. Too much anticipation of a trip that you can't really predict much about is just asking for disappointment and frustration. I ended up being frustrated with NWU anyway, but that was mostly admin-related-- the social things, food, getting around in Japan and whatnot, the things everyone ELSE thought I'd have major problems dealing with and getting used to-- nope! I didn't think about any of it all that much, and what I did research I researched responsibly, so I knew what to REALLY expect. Same with England. As for the university... well, I've done it once, at the very worst I'll end up doing it again. And I know this language COLD, man. :P
I bought Terry Brooks's The Ilse Witch yesterday! It made me so happy, to have a new fantasy novel to look forward to; there are so few around now that I know I'll enjoy before I even begin reading, it's a rare treat to buy a book that feels like pulling on an old favorite sweater. One more to add to the suitcase!
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On Tolkien fics and slash in general:
Dude. THANK YOU, Jamie. I couldn't have said it better myself.
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I should have gotten offline an hour ago, because I have to work tomorrow, but I've been feeling social. As in, giving a damn about what's up with other people today. So!
Andre, welcome back to civiliz--er, NC! I bet you're breathing easier now... quite literally. XD And what's this about a trip to Japan? Eh?
I was ecstatic to see you updating your journal and posting fic! I winced quite sympathetically at the abundance of Latin verbage. Then I freaked out because I realized I was reciting the conjugations under my breath even though I was no longer looking directly at the monitor. IT WON'T GO AWAY! The fics: short and gorgeous. I should leave reviews... I will. Eventually. *hugs*
Diana, I doubt you'll be reading this for a while, if you're still as busy as your blog lets on-- but I'm glad! Hearing about the ESS party gave me a split second of searing homesickness, but I've got other things to obsess over just now. Merry Christmas to you, and don't worry about the lack of money-- if I can live on soup, bread, and pocket change, I know you can do it too (and never underestimate your friends). Ganbatte!
Mel, I send you and Sirius a giant hug and kiss-- I wish I could see him, and let him chew on my fingers! That's my favorite thing about puppies, the finger-chewing. I'm laminating your little 'presents' and taking them to Manchester with me, because I know from experience I'll want something on my wall to make me smile when I've worked myself into a good blue funk.
Michael, did you go see Two Towers at midnight too? XD After about the midpoint of the movie I was so caught up in whateverthehell was happening that I didn't try to piece it all together coherently. Thank heavens I re-read the book this summer, because some major stuff was screwed with. Not necessarily in a bad way, but while I'm not a fanatical Tolkien fan who sleeps and breathes Middle-Earth minutiae, some of those alterations did provoke a knee-jerk 'what the HELL do they think they're doing?!' reaction. I'll be in a better position to comment after I see it again on Friday... but for now, I will say: Legolas in FOTR kicked ass, because Legolas, by nature of existing, kicks ass. Legolas in Two Towers was slightly more impressive:
Legolas: *surfs the tower stairs on a shield* *slams arrows into orcs and Wargs from football fields away*
ED: *___* MARRY ME.
...And the hilarious thing is, I don't think he's, well, hot. Attractive, yes. Elves are kinda supposed to be. It's something about archers-- the bow is just *such* a cool weapon. Or rather, the arrow-- I mean, did anyone else notice Legolas repeatedly using those things in close quarters to rip the innards out of anything nearer than five feet? SWEET. I was grinning like an idiot all the way through Helm's Deep. (It is one of my favorite parts of the whole story, and my favorite battle overall.)
I had serious issues with the Elrond-and-Arwen appearances until I realized, how else would the movie have been able to effectively portray the bitterness and finality inherent in the end of that line of the story? (And what better way, really, to play up Eowyn's little crush... argh.) I still have to remind myself that not everyone watching this movie has a working knowledge of the entire history of Middle-Earth and the Elves, Elrond's family in particular.
...Before I forget, not that I had a problem with this or anything, but did anyone else find Gollum *amusing* during the course of the novels? I know I never so much as cracked a smile at his behaviour the first time I read the books (but I was nine, and a lot of things were lost on me). In fact, each time I've re-read them, that particular chunk of the journey into Mordor seems more and more disturbing to me, and this summer it really gave me the chills. So I'm sitting in the theater with a bit of a horrified expression on my face, and everyone else is laughing like crazy, which actually made me startle and scowl momentarily. I had to in fact give myself a mental shake and re-orient my perception of the scene in order to understand why they found it funny, and then I was able to laugh at some of Gollum's facial antics as well (because they did a bang-up job, really, wonderful expressions). But it didn't feel right, to me. It felt like I had to pull myself away from the story, a bit, to be able to laugh at something like that, as if I was seeing it from a shallower depth. Gollum's argument with the dark side of himself is sinister and unpredictable in its presentation, to me (surprisingly so, given the archetypal nature of many Tolkien characters). It's interesting, and kind of a jolt, to realize only now that while I've been discovering new layers to this story for over ten years, I still see it from basically the same angle. Not that, even, so much as that many other people seem to interpret whole chunks of the story, nuances and conversations, in a totally different way. That said, it's high time I picked up The Hobbit again.
Oh, one last thing... if my memory hasn't totally up and deserted me, and please tell me it hasn't, Celeborn most certainly did NOT come nancing along AT THE HEAD OF HIS ARMY and.... Nooooo, nope, uh-uh. I mean, I know things were weird between him and Galadriel, but damn.
There should have been more of Merry and Pippin. (There can never be too much of Merry and Pippin!)
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current music: T.M. Revolution, 'Invoke' (yes, again)
So, it's been a year. *blinks* That was fast. A lot of things have changed, too-- really, out of most of the other girls I hung out with, I'm one of the ones for whom things have changed the least this year. Which is crazy, when I think about it, but it helps put things in perspective. I still miss Kyoto like crazy, though. I'm drinking conbini-style green tea (from a can) that I bought at the Asian grocery store in G'boro (thank you, Michael!)-- one sip and BAM, I was back in Asuka. Talk about a happy drink....
And before I forget... OTANJOUBI OMEDETOU, Jamie!!! You old geezer, you. ;)
Aaah, I've missed this song-- and I'm sure you realize that means I'M HOME! Got back late last night; polysci was really awful. I studied, I remembered... just not the specifics he wanted, I'm sure. Story of my life. Ah well; even if my grades are crappy this semester I can't complain about what I learned or what I did. Much. ^_~
LOTR tonight, baby! I'm so excited! Let the Christmas frenzy begin!
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ED took the train at 02:40 p.m.
ED took the train at 12:29 a.m.
Sephie: ....and a kiwi
Sephie: definitely kiwi in that smell
ED: lol
Sephie: like when i ate the butterflies
Sephie: (that's what perfume tastes like)
ED: LMAO
ED: when did you do that?
Sephie: last year.
Sephie: i was talking to krissi and sprayed it in my mouth
Sephie: the taste of a bitter sunny day
ED: LMAO
ED: You sprayed it in your MOUTH?
Sephie: ...i didn't mean to......
ED: LOL
ED: bitter sunny day... i like that
Sephie: it tasted like sunshine and daisies
Sephie: and rubbing alchohol...that too.
ED took the train at 11:29 p.m.
ED took the train at 06:12 p.m.
ED took the train at 05:35 p.m.
ED took the train at 12:49 a.m.
ED took the train at 11:53 p.m.
ED took the train at 12:10 a.m.
ED took the train at 06:38 p.m.
ED took the train at 06:27 p.m.
ED took the train at 12:21 a.m.
ED took the train at 11:33 a.m.