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My muses have been prodding me lately. I need to write wild m/m monkeysex. Lots of it.
Alas, they will not tell me who gets it.
Hey, Touma? To--er, never mind.
Touma is busily making out with Ryu. They have gone well past "A" and are in the best parts of "B."
Uh, Koashura? Ko...why do I even try? _o_
ashley gave chase for sydney at Tuesday, October 9, 2001 at 02:04 p.m..
O____O Wai!! I will haunt this when I'm finished with my tapes. Which will be...er...sometime tomorrow, I think. o.o Thursday at the latest. <.<
I was going to blog more about IniD this morning, but I left the blog at home on a notepad. >.> And I started my first IniD fic, "Surface Tension." It's probably just going to be a "snapshot" type fic, for Takumi.
Instead of an IniD blog, I shall leave you with some Kaikan Phrase "between the subtitles" moments, for now.
What he said:
(This one was the actual difference between subtitle and spoken dialogue.)
Sakuya: It doesn't matter anymore.
What he meant:
Sakuya: She was my mother. She died nineteen years ago.
What they said:
Sasaki: Sakuya, how many times have I told you not to jump down off the stage?
Sakuya: I timed it perfectly with the lights going off. Got a problem with that?
Sasaki: .....
What they meant:
Sasaki: You shitty brat, will you cut out the grandstanding? You're gonna get yourself killed.
Sakuya: You're just jealous, kusojiji. I'm young, hot, and obviously agile.
Sasaki: .....tsubushite yaru.
What they said:
(in radio interview with Lucifer)
Santa: Ahh, that Sakuya...he's arrogant, cold, conceited, overreaches himself, a total loner, pushy; just a jerk!
Sakuya: ......
What they meant:
Santa: Sakuya's too hella'cool. I thought I was supposed to be the star of the series!! And I have secret desires to sleep with him. That bastard.
Sakuya: .....we're still on the air.
What they said:
(Post-concert)
Sakuya: The single went well. I'm counting on you for the next one.
Aine: Hai! *bows*
What they meant:
Sakuya: ...I will have you.
Aine: *dokidoki* Aaaaahh~! Sakuya-san KAKKOI yo~~! <3 <3 <3
ashley gave chase for sydney at Tuesday, October 9, 2001 at 09:21 a.m..
The second song on the Vocal Battle 2 CD is titled "Koyasu is the Super-uber Mack Daddy."
I am convinced.
Priya, Krisit, thank you for being the first to make me aware of the seiyuu goodness that is Koyasu.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Monday, October 8, 2001 at 06:40 p.m..
My pet peeve, right now, is that fucking tiny font that 75% of blogs are using right now. And I have decent vision. It makes my migraine just that much worse. *holds up thumb and forefinger* But hey, on a Monday, it makes a difference.
"I'm already considering the possibility of lowering myself to mail her ask her." That was my five-minute double-take-and-snert for the day.
Soon, they shall let me out of my box. There is new anime at home. And fresh food and Smirnoff to ease my pain. Yay.
But still no becki. ;_;
ashley gave chase for sydney at Monday, October 8, 2001 at 05:37 p.m..
This is what happens when I get new anime; I'm late to work and the cat pees on the floor because I forgot to feed him.
All right, he hasn't peed on the floor yet, but he's saving it up, I swear.
XD I like Initial D. I suppose it's not a good sign that, the first time I saw the Hachi-Roku do a drift I was thinking to myself 'hmm...I wonder if my car could do that?' Not to mention, with all the awesome music Krisit crammed in my package, it...er...tempts me. XD Gee, I don't have stick shift; what a shame.
Today I'm going to A) blog about Initial D B) blog about Kaikan Phrase C) blog about Dark Cloud D) blog about Blogger. This blog is pre-recorded, and by the time I finish it'll probably be over halfway through the work-day. Mmm, killing time. For the record, I started the blog at 8:30. After I'm done blogging, if I have time left I'll try to jump-start my first Initial D bunny. XD You're not going to hear about Afghanistan from me. If that's what you're looking for, sidle along to CNN or Frank's very well-informed blog. For the record, I do NOT think the U.S. is doing the Right Thing.
But first, Saturday. I woke up and read lots of DN*Angel translations. Oogh. Mmmn. I, er, *drool* ...have nothing coherent to say. Other than the fact that I need to finish reading my translations, then I will try to pen a few naughty ideas. One of them involves an interesting twist on the whole 'DNA transformation' thing. *koff* I'm naughty, I am. And I have a penchant for surlyboyz...Satoshi is definitely getting a feature performance.
Then I reminded myself, after becki called, that I had a TON of errands to run. So I was good and went to the bank and the post office and the store, and picked up a few movies. The rest of the day, from about three onwards, I went over to my co-worker Christine's house to visit. They have the most adorable little twin black kittens, about half-grown. They're sweet, shy things and they both have extra toes on their front paws that made 'em look like they had mittens. We played several rounds of Scrabble, James cooked steaks, and we watched "A Knight's Tale." Ohmygoditwasawful. The movie, not the steaks. We laughed a lot. I got lots of letters that would've spelled 'ryujin' or 'kawaii' or 'genki' but alas, never broke 200 in English.
Yesterday morning I woke up, took the garbage out, and checked the mail. There was a notice from the post office! YAY! So, in my pyjamas and glasses, bleary-eyed, hanging loose, I went to pick up the package from the management office. XD XD XD The girl at the office actually asked me if I was gonna sell Girl Scout cookies. O_o
The first thing I did was put on some tea and rip open my boxes. Yay!! Kristi, I was so happy to find five CDs in there, too! XD XD Trust me, I am already making use of them. ;_; I shouldn't play Initial D music in my Toyota Corolla. My car is the Hachi-Roku of Toyota Corollas; the only thing it lacks is a shift-stick transmission. And oooh, we've got lots of neat mountain passes in Oregon. ;_; And ooh, do I ever like to drive them.
I watched....uh, I think I watched five tapes yesterday. 0_0 I took a break to shower, and another break to pick up some groceries, and that was basically it. For the rest of the day, I watched "Initial D." Well, there was a pause to cook dinner and a pause while I wrestled with Blogger. I've gotten through the race with Keisuke, the race with Takeshi, the gumtape deathmatch with Shingo, and the race on Usui-san. o.o Where did I leave off? I don't exactly remember, but I do remember thinking, 'hunh, this is a good place to stop; let's pop in some Kaikan Phrase.'
All right. Shounen anime, shounen anime! What was I just saying? Give me some shounen anime? With extra testosterone, UNNH. Sankyuu, Krisit. (But if I start asking for Berserk, I'm honing for a beating. That's just too much testosterone for me.)
My first reaction to Initial D: I like the opening, it's pretty good. Decent music, decent sequences, although the CG cars made me go O.o whoa at first. Then we get to some of the character designs and I'm thinking "hey, this looks like some of the manga at Kino's that becki and I generally make fun of."
Krisit, I think I might end up geeking over the cars. I'm not sure yet. I definitely want to do some cross-referencing; Shingo, I know, drives a Honda Civic, and I think Takumi's Hachi-Roku (Trueno) is the equivalent of my Toyota Corolla, albeit an older model, but I'm somewhat clueless when it comes to the other cars.
...I want flip-up lights like the Hachi-Roku.
It didn't take long for the character designs to kinda grow on me. Itsuki still looks frightening, especially when he flips up his lower lip to, like, practically cover his nose. It's still butt-ugly, but usually I can ignore it. I concentrate on the characters themselves and the sheer shounen goodness of it all. Car racing. XD I love it. What was it your club said, Liz? 'Initial D is crap, show us more!!' Heh.
Some brief character impressions...Takumi! Takumi is chou kakkoi~ yay~. Not only does he have super-1337 driving skills, but he did not even know he had super-1337 driving skills. He's so laid-back about it. Most of the time, Takumi is not badly-animated. He's usually the most good-looking. I really like Takumi -- he won't let people push him into racing. He can be manipulated into it by his own stubbornness, but if someone pulls into the gas station, points at him, and says, "You have to race me!" he just kinda looks at them and says "No, I don't see why. Go away, I've got customers." That's usually something that irks me with most shounen heros; challenge them and they reflexively snap to it. "When and where?"
I like Takumi's dad, too. They really are cut out of the same mold -- they're both really stubborn, and the easiest way to get them to do something is by telling them NOT to do it. XD "...Heee~h, Takumi, you'd better not race Takashi in his 32; he'll totally kick your butt."
Takumi! DON'T sleep with the Takahashi brothers! For the love of god and your virginity don't do it, man!! <3 <3 <3
...er, sorry. I'll stop now. Unfortunately, that can work against him, too -- if they HONESTLY don't want him to tackle a race, and he overhears people talking about how difficult it is and that he shouldn't risk it, he goes ahead and decides he needs to do it. *koff* The other kind of shounen hero. But he's so cute! Itsuki pegged him; most of the time he looks like he's sleepy and can even be crude (chewing with his mouth open, etc.) but when he's driving, he's really alive. And he's just now starting to understand what it means to him, to race and to have this kind of mastery over his Hachi-Roku.
So far, I *heartmark* over Takumi the most, but there are very few characters I don't like on Initial D. I like the Takahashi-kyoudai...that goes without saying. Mmm. Ryousuke is Koyasu, and Keisuke is Seki. <3 We need to see MORE of them. I'm looking forward to Ryousuke challenging Takumi, 'cause you know he's gonna do it. He needs to revenge his otouto's honor. (*wink, wink,* nothing slashy about this series, no sirree please drive on through) And I'd LOVE to see what Takumi could do with an even better car. o_o
I like, er, Takashi, I think his name is? Hiei's seiyuu voices him and he drives the 32. Sure, he's one of Takumi's opponents, but he's not an evil bitch-h0 the way Shingo is. When Takumi beats him, he takes it and even kinda learns something from it. And, of course, he has a cool image song. <3
Natsuki, the girl, is just kinda...there. o_o Am I right in thinking that "Papa" is a guy who picks her up infrequently to have sex? And poor Takumi. He likes her a lot, to the point of defending her (probably nonexistent) honor. I don't mind Natsuki, but I haven't seen enough to make me like her either. Witholding judgment.
Mako is COOL! Mako in her bad little Sil-Eighty, with her navigator Sakuya. When I first saw them in the opening credits I went o_o 'there's YURI in this?' They're kinda clinging to each other. But, naw, they're just really good friends. Mako and Iketani are way too cute -- I hope things turn out okay for Iketani. ;_; It's not his fault he's bad-looking; it's the mangaka's fault. Everybody but Takumi and Ryousuke look funny, and even them, sometimes.
Ka-chan, yeah. Kenji was getting TOTALLY jealous, and it wasn't 'cause of the hot babe. It was over Iketani.
Ultimately, I think I like the, er, 'CG-o'-doom.' It showcases the series' best feature, which is the fast cars and the faster driving. o_o Summary? Can't wait to go home and see MORE!
Krisit, I will fic. XD Promise. The first one will prolly be non-yaoi, though -- just a Takumi-snapshot kinda deal.
Kaikan Phrase is the one I stayed up late to watch, and watched another episode before work this morning, I'll admit it. I'm shamefully addicted to it and I would definitely like to write fic for it, but all I have is a couple of lean bunnies and "Ooh! Yukifumi ga kakkoi~! Ooh! Sakuya ga biseinen da~!" I've been watching too much anime. XD I DID say I was gonna start talking in otaku-speak. I've got lots of random Japanese rebounding in my head. Krisit, I got a feeble twitch for Santa/Yuki, and I got a feeble twitch for Sakuya/Santa, and quite a strong twitch for Towa/Atsuro. Then there's the Sakuya/Yuki thing I have, just on purely "oh, god, they'd be gorgeous" principles. Thing is, Sakuya's straight. Even if he would be willing to fool around with a guy -- and I'm not sure he would, 'cause he's so aggressively hetero -- it wouldn't be a lasting relationship. Sakuya needs a girl.
Enter The Girl, stage right. o.o Aine made her first appearance in the episodes I watched last night, in typically dramatic shoujo fashion -- they passed each other on the street and there was a still shot, a pause, a shattering sound effect...then the show resumed and they went their separate ways, not realizing or even noticing the person they had passed. Ah, the drama.
I was prepared to like Aine. She is cute, and looks a bit like Aya from Ayashi no Ceres. I'm still waiting to pass judgment, because Sakuya does need a girl, and it's obvious the show is going to pair him up with Aine. But so far, I'm disappointed with the set-up. The show is going out of its way to make us feel sorry for Aine, and I do, but in a helpless-Rinoa-type fashion. Her circumstances are pretty disfunctional, and she can't stand up for herself because she is too nice. She just wants everyone to get along, and lets herself get taken advantage of by her "boyfriend," who is only "dating" her to get copies of her homework.
So far, the Aine-centric stuff has been about maneuvering us to feel sorry for her, rather than focusing on Aine as a character. She only wants to be loved. Poor girl; there are thousands in Tokyo who want to be loved. What makes Aine special? So far we haven't seen any of that. She may as well be a self-insert for all the emotive value she has. Right now, she's about appealing as one.
Sakuya, on the other hand, is reaching a pivotal moment in the show. Lucifer is making it big, and they're aiming even bigger, and now their new manager, Sasaki, is implying that Sakuya is the only thing holding Lucifer back. The band is perfect -- they enhance Sakuya's strengths in every way. They make the best kind of showcase for Sakuya's talents as vocalist and composer. Unfortunately, they can't bolster Sakuya's weaknesses because he stands alone by his own choice. To make the fans fall in love with Lucifer, and with Sakuya, Sakuya needs to love them in return -- he needs to give a little bit of himself. Well, this is according to Sasaki. Sakuya's too cold and aloof.
It's true, though. He can't come up with a great song for Lucifer's second single. When Sakuya meets up briefly with an old flame, it becomes apparent. She's changed, but he hasn't. She says the same thing Sasaki implied-- he is still cold. To win it really big, you have to risk yourself, a lot. You have to put yourself on the line. Sakuya doesn't do that because he's trying to keep from getting hurt again. So now I'm wondering how they're going to handle Sakuya's character growth, here; they've been building up to it rather well, but is it going to cop out, or make me sit up and go "wow!! I really like this series!"
Or will my tapes end off at a really bad place? ;_;
I'm thinking about putting up a shrine to Shin'ichiro Miki. First Yohji, then Yukifumi, and now Takumi. And Keisuke, too. XD XD XD Man, I LOVE his characters.
Anyhow, "Kaikan Phrase" is starting to suffer from the plague of a lot of shoujo series...it's starting to focus on the main attraction, Sakuya, and the impending romantic entanglement with Aine. And shaft a lot of the other, equally cool characters!! ;_; I still wanted to learn more about Towa! Up until now, we've gotten decent character development for everyone else...well, not as much for Santa and Towa, but the show did a decent job of parceling out time to all of Lucifer's members. Now it's becoming Sakuya-centric, and *koff* this would not be a problem if not for the fact that I suspect I'm going to end up disliking Aine. Hell, maybe I'll be surprised; I hope so.
Still, my favorite line from episode twenty HAD to be "I think we've all kind of got a thing for Sakuya." I forget who said it but I think it was Yuki. XD XD XD Damn, hang a sign on the series in bold letters: "SLASH ME!" I swear, that's a direct invitation.
Side-note -- the Osaka chicks in episode --uh, 19? -- were cute. I loved their Kansai dialect and their attitude. "Ohh! Here's a cute little wandering guitarist from Tokyo!" (Atsuro) "Aww, you don't have anywhere to spend the night? Come home with us!" (Atsuro O_O) "Ooh, how cute! He's blushing all over his cute little face!" Can we keep him? *_* Nyao. Before that, I thought Atsuro was adorable. Then he took off his shirt. Drool.
*checks* Okay, now I said I was gonna blog about "Dark Cloud." I'm planning on joining Ka-chan's Gamegirl Blogring, so I should blog about games, er, a lot more. O.o Problem is, I'd usually rather just play. XD But hey, I passed the quiz with 9/10, and the only one I missed was, uh, an accident. Yeah. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The Dark Cloud Blog
There are a few things I look for when I buy a new game. For the PS2, one of the things I look for is excellent graphics. Orphen's Revenge was one of my earlier purchasing boners. It sucked. Not only was it dubbed, with no sub options available, but the graphics were bleh. Some were good, others were just okay. Dark Cloud has good graphics. Sometimes, it has VERY good graphics.
Another thing I look for, I will admit, is cute guys and/or girls I don't hate. Well, Dark Cloud has only one playable cute guy -- Toan, the main character -- and he's just a kid, but there are some other decent characters, like Rando in Queens, and Seto, who is also good-looking. ;_; As for the girls, Xiao is an adorable -- and useful -- catgirl, and Ruby just ROCKS. She's a curvaceous, amazingly skilled genie, and an invaluable party member.
Yet another important factor to me is plot. Well, Dark Cloud has a decent, if somewhat predictable plot, but there were some interesting twists towards the end. I haven't finished it yet, so there may be a few more. The one problem with this game is the dungeons, and leveling up. The dungeons are SO repetitive. If you've been in one, you know the procedure for them all. There are no interesting variations; the layout is basically the same from one to the next, the way to get out of a dungeon is the same, the key to the backroom (stronger monsters, better treasure) is the same procedure from one dungeon to the next. It gets really mind-numbing when you're trying to level up your weapons. Ugh. The only differences from one dungeon to the next are cosmetic ones -- but granted, they're really PRETTY differences. Your first dungeon is a series of sandy caves, primarily filled with Rock and Undead monsters; the next is a shadowed forest filled with evil little elves and Plant-based monsters; after that is a rather ingenious Shipwreck filled with Marine monsters and undead Pirates; then a temple filled with Mummies and Rock golems and moving Sand Dunes. After that (in the tradition of RPGs) you even have a dungeon on the Moon. The moon, particularly, has some exceptional graphics.
One of the neat concepts is "Atla." Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. When the game begins, a Commander in a Germanic-type uniform is striding around a dark castle, orchestrating a ceremony to break open the tremendous urn that seals the Dark Genie within. To do this, they've had to find the right amount of people possessing witch and human blood. Then these witch/human composites have to do a sinister dance around the urn while wearing very little clothing. This smacked more of "ooh! pretty!" than of a genuine plot-point. They release the Dark Genie, of course. That's not a spoiler; that's the basis for the game.
We cut to Norune Village, the peaceful birthplace of our youthful hero, Toan. A festival dance is taking place there, as well, but this one is presumably for giving thanks or preventing crop blight or ensuring productivity for a year, or something like that. ^_^ This benevolent (and also "ooh! pretty!") dance is interrupted by the rampage of the Dark Genie, who destroys the world.
No, really. The whole world goes KABLOOIE! Lots of fire and destruction.
Toan pushes his childhood friend, Paige, out of the way of a falling windmill, and he himself is (presumably) crushed.
When he awakens, he is in a black kind of limbo. This part reminds me a lot of "Legend of Zelda," besides Toan's general appearance -- green cap, pert little face, brown bangs, dark leggings, etc. The Fairy King has managed to save him, then relates that he has saved the world, but only by sealing it up, piece by piece, in a magical sphere called "Atla." Then he gives Toan a gauntlet with a magical gem, the "Atlamillia," which can unseal Atla so that Toan can rebuild the world. He explains a few more concepts, and is basically the Tutorial for the game, giving him a Manual and showing up at a few initial key points to tell Toan what to do.
Give the kid a dagger, point him at the dungeon, and let 'im loose.
The adventure begins -- first rebuild the world, then destroy the Dark Genie. As you rebuild the world, you acquire useful weapons and allies for your quest, as well as tips on how to build up weapons, info on the Dark Genie, and some key items. Typical RPG-fare. Rebuilding the world involves the "Georama" system, which is a lot like Sim City, or similar "build a world" games. When the satisfaction of the villagers is 100%, you get an item or weapon that helps you out in your quest.
I might blog more on it later; I might not...that's the basics for Dark Cloud.
Overall recommendation for this game: rental. You can get everything you need out of it in one or two rentals; it's a really, REALLY easy game, more designed for kids, I think. It doesn't have much replay value beyond "ooh!! pretty!" or if you're stubborn, like I am, and want to level up your weapons until they're fecking god-like. (One of Toan's ultimate weapons is the Sword of Zeus.) Becki and I really like it, and bought it, partially for the "ooh! pretty!" factor, partially because I like games like Sim City where you can build cities, and partially for possible ficking potential.
Anyhow. I miss becki. A lot. I might've otherwise had a perfectly productive week, if I weren't so determinedly occupied in trying to distract myself. Damn. I think I got a grand total of eight paragraphs written over the weekend, and that was on Friday. >_<
I was all set up with Blogger last night, down to the last line of code. For now I'll use an older layout that was only up for a few days - Mental Notes, Yo-tan, pretty. XD Then I signed back on, to input the changes (I was working offline and watching IniD) and my computer froze. I FUCKING HATE AOL. I FECKING HATE DIAL-UP. I want them both to perish in the bloody frozen wastes of hell. So now I need to make all of those changes, all over again. =P
All righty, then. It's a quarter to four. >_< I've gotta stay for about two more hours. Let's see if we can get my very first Initial D fic started.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Monday, October 8, 2001 at 03:51 p.m..
My first thought after watching episode one of Initial D: "I MUST have more!"
My second thought... "I DO have more!" XD
ashley gave chase for sydney at Sunday, October 7, 2001 at 11:14 a.m..
WAI, WAI!! WAI, WAII!!
So I was, uh, gonna go into writing hibernation today, and get more of Anfang/MorganVale/RoughingIt written and hopefully posted, but...well, I got my "Initial D" tapes today from Krisit!! And more Kaikan Phrase! AND NEW MUSIC!! *bursting with anticipation*
So, er, there went my writing plans, right out the window.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Sunday, October 7, 2001 at 10:52 a.m..
I CAN BEAR IT NO LONGER~!!
Too much shoujo anime, boys and girls, can break the brain. GIVE ME TESTOSTERONE. I need to watch some shounen anime to give my poor brain time to recover. Boy, that rules out Utena, CCS, or KareKano.
Besides, the awful Ironfist subs have hurt my eyes. Ow. I need to take my contacts out now; I think I was squinting. Ow ow. ...Something not-LP, and with real subtitles. Hn.
Actually, I think I'll put a movie in, and work on some fic. Whee, caffeine-influenced attention span.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, October 5, 2001 at 09:03 p.m..
BOY, if only FY OAV 1 didn't suck so much crack.
I should probably just fast-forward through this shit, and get to OAV 2. Now, if only I remembered whether becki got her copies of OAV2 from me, or from another source. I got the Geofront transrations. (ie, good ones.)
Then again, maybe I should turn this off and go grab an armful of Kenshin tapes.
Mmmmm, Shinsen Gumi and Hecto tapes. XD Boy, is that nostalgia, or what?
Don't look at me like that; at least Hecto never came up with some fuckin' stupid title like "Samurai X." ....W00T!!! FY Hotspring Omake! Riiiight, that's why I'm watching this!
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, October 5, 2001 at 07:28 p.m..
Touma: Hey, Ma, look at this!
Tay: O.O!!! Don't you EVER call me that again!! ...And why are you suddenly talking like Hayami Sho? *bursts out laughing*
Touma: *looks injured* O-oi. I think I sound manly.
Tay: *smacks him with a halisen* Yeah, for a seventeen-year old, you sound uncommonly manly. o.o Pick another seiyuu. Seki Toshihiko, maybe?
Touma: *makes a rude gesture and goes looking for Ryu*
Koashura: *curls around Ajjniha and purrs* Mmmmmrow. Mrooooow.
Oh, you are SO not allowed to be in heat.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, October 5, 2001 at 05:42 p.m..
Touma reads the latest post regarding Ajjniha and shudders. He disappears with undue haste, nearly frightening two cats and knocking over a tipsily-propped up, oversized monitor.
He appears in Tay's office with a brightly-colored umbrella in his hands.
Tay: *staaaare*
Ajjniha: [lifts up sign with "??"]
Touma swings the umbrella, apparently trying to be menacing. "Hey!! No one stalks my Kaachan but me! ...And sometimes the Voices."
Tay: Uhh...Touma, that's an umbrella.
Touma: *shrug* You don't have any bats in the house. *points umbrella at Ajjniha* En garde!
Tay: Uh, Touma? Ajjniha's wrapped around Koashura. And Koashura doesn't seem to be protesting.
Koashura: Nyaaao.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, October 5, 2001 at 03:37 p.m..
And I feel I must add: I have a BUTTLOAD of e-mail to answer. 50+ in one inbox, 50+ in the other, 10+ at the personal addy, and a few RP posts to do.
What am I planning to do this weekend?
REVISIONS! ~Ohohohohohoho~!
My Naga-laugh cuts like the wind. ^o^
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, October 5, 2001 at 10:18 a.m..
Touma wanders into the office, hands stuck in his pockets, absently peering over Tay's shoulder. "Are? Nani kore?"
Tay reaches over her shoulder and smacks him. "Speak English, you dork. And you're not allowed to sound like Midorikawa."
Touma inhales, chest swelling, and grows about two years older. "Why not? I'm the same age as Tamahome."
"Now you are, but you usually hang out as fifteen or younger," Tay snorts. "Can't you pick a different seiyuu to model your voice after?"
"That's not important!" Touma points at the screen with a shaking finger. "Ajjniha is on his way! Kaachan, you have to DO something!"
Tay: *blink, blink* Why?
"Because I...uh...well...you should...er..." Touma falters. "Because I've been good lately?"
Tay: *scowl* If you were good you'd be with Ryu right now, and not here reading blogs over my shoulder. Eh?
Touma: *gulp*
Tay: Well, look at it this way. It's not as if you value your chastity, or anything. But if you're trying to avoid Ajjniha, you'd better run now.
Touma: *pale* I think I'm going to jump Ryu, now.
Tay: You do that. *cracks knuckles* I think I might start Morgan Vale chapter six. *turns*
[There is a Touma-shaped space with a little sign pointing to it reading "Ran away."]
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, October 5, 2001 at 09:58 a.m..
Thursday, October 4, 2001
O.O
Presently I will begin communicating in otaku Japanese. I've watched an awful lot of anime this week. In...a few minutes, I'll have only two tapes left of "Fushigi Yuugi" to watch. ...and I'm thinking about staying up late to watch it all, too! >_<
I think I'll marathon Kenshin next, while I wait for my Initial D tapes. XD
Mega-bunnies are bad. Bad bunny. No biscuit for you.
I think I have an inner Tasuki. Things I've called 'bitch' today: becki's cat, my cat, the computer, some of the other drivers on the road, the printer at work, my e-mail program, some of the characters in FY, and, uh, the latest chapter of Anfang.
Okay! XD Only two more tapes to go! Kaijin!
ashley gave chase for sydney at Thursday, October 4, 2001 at 10:17 p.m..
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Touma: I definitely don't trust him. He put CLOTHES on. WHY did he put clothes on? ...I shouldn't be frightened, but I am.
Tay: Shut up and show Ryu how earth boys are easy.
Touma: *glare* *slouches off*
I have a monitor! Wow! My really awesome boss loaned me an office monitor for a few days, until I get my notebook fixed or whatever...and this is a new monitor, still in the box and everything! What a cool guy! And my other boss, the president of the company no less, carried it to my car. I guess I look like the fragile type.
Anyhow, now I don't know what to write when I get home. I guess I should be answering mail and working on layout and...er, stuff. (In all likelihood, I will pop in more Fushigi Yuugi, anyhow.) Oh, Kristi, thanks for the "Roughing It" tips - I happen to agree. ^^;;; Problem with that story is it's the sidestory for a longer story, where all the set-up happens. And it's becki's turn.
Grar...what should I write next, though? I've been vacillating for days.
Satoshi wanders past, absently nibbling on the end of a pen and looking thoughtful.
Tay: *staaaaaaare* When did he get here? And why didn't I notice?
...and WHERE'S DARK MOUSY!?
ashley gave chase for sydney at Thursday, October 4, 2001 at 04:01 p.m..
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Cursed! Ah'm cursed! [a great deal of moaning and carrying-on, from a distance, is heard] [the clanking and rattling of a great deal of heavy chains is added for good measure]
Touma pops up, looking suspiciously in Ajjniha's direction. "Kaachan, I don't trust him."
Tay: Hmm? Huh? Whozzat? Go 'way, I don't have any coffee. Or a computer with which to humor you. *bends laboriously to gather up the newspapers that have gathered at the doorstep during becki's absence*
Touma: I KNOW he's up to something! *smacks fist into palm* [Touma, it is interesting to note, has begun to sound (mentally) WAY too much like Midorikawa Hikaru, after that eighth tape of Fushigi Yuugi was popped into the VCR last night]
Tay: AUGH!! Grab the CAT! *drops newspapers and bolts*
...Er, computers still aren't working. >_< Yanno what that means? YEAH! I'll be MARATHONING ANIME this weekend!! *_* Sankyuu, Kristi, I can't wait to marathon "Initial D" next week. ^_^ Oh, and don't forget to tell me who your favorite pairing is! ^o^
Went browsing with Muses last night in B&N...no, Ashley, you are not allowed to pick up a copy of "The Black Rood" even if the title looks immensely appealing and relevant to you. Augh! Put it down! Aaie, don't leaf through it!
...no, I am NOT going to write a story about you going to Jerusalem!
O_o I'd have to do research. Shudder. Anyhow, I drove up to Jantzen Beach to give someone their e-bay item. I totally felt like a drug dealer; dark shades, practically leaning against the car, carrying 'the merchandise' in a black backpack, the furtive changing hands of money... Well, it WAS a hard yaoi manga, but sheesh.
Tonight I'm going to pick up some Thai food on the way home, and something sweet and alcoholic, and (if I can get my boss to fix my computer, instead of shelling out money for it) another Trigun DVD, then I'll kick back on the couch and watch episodes 30-45 or so of Fushigi Yuugi. More if I can manage it.
This means I'm going to be blubbering like a baby, fuu. >_> Just like last night. *snuf* Nuriko, I wuv j00!
I have to say, I'm noticing a lot more things about "Fushigi Yuugi" compared to the last time I watched it/marathoned it/pimped it to someone. Maybe it's because I've been exposed to a lot more anime since then. The art quality of the show, overall, is pretty mediocre. I think they weren't particularly well-budgeted when making certain episodes, or maybe it's because it was a slim-budgeted shoujo series. There are episodes where the art is a bit wonky, or just plain awful. Then there are a few dramatic, stirring plot-point episodes where you expect decent art, at least, for action sequences and get a lot of still-shots instead, where the only action is fluttering hair or clothing. I refer specifically to the pivotal duel in the forecourt of Konan Castle. >.>
This is, of course, blasphemy. *snerk* I don't want to rehash old FYML arguments. Anyhow, my opinion on the art -- some of the art -- doesn't mean I won't need a box of tissues tonight.
Now, after speaking with boss who will not crack open laptop to try and fix it, I need to debate my options. a) Buy new monitor to hook up to the laptop. b) Try to get computer fixed, for god knows how much. *gurgle* I really want to get it fixed, but I'm sure I won't be able to afford it -- not when I still have an unpaid dental bill that insurance never covered. >_<#
Maybe he'll loan me a monitor for a few days until I get it fixed. *wince* Ouch, my savings acount is bleeding. Bleeding, I tell you.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Thursday, October 4, 2001 at 10:41 a.m..
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
The icing on the cake of my horrible Hump Day:
Becki's moniter no longer works. It was a piece of crap before, but at least it worked. Now there are no functioning computers at home, which likely means we will be purchasing a new computer next weekend. >_< We SO have not budgeted for this. Blogging from her parents' house, where I am pet-sitting for a week and a half.
So...
I'ma go home now and crash on the couch and marathon Fushigi Yuugi. There's nothing I can do. ...But they're just things. They can be fixed or replaced. I want my becki back.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Wednesday, October 3, 2001 at 07:51 p.m..
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
And furthermore:
Kristi, you are my hero!
Hn. Right now I'm a textbook case example for 'you know you've had too much caffeine when.'
ashley gave chase for sydney at Wednesday, October 3, 2001 at 09:52 a.m..
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
...and I just realized my counter, at this moment, is at four lucky sevens. Maybe there's hope for me after all. O.o
Hmm. I shall be hopeful.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Wednesday, October 3, 2001 at 09:01 a.m..
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
*whimper* I started "Roughing It" three weeks ago, I swear to gods. Look, you can even go to tayfic and check the date I first made a partial posting. So why do I now feel like a copycat?
....because BlackRose writes very well, that's why. ^_^
Fuu. O.o Well, here's a snip. Maybe later I'll let Touma have control of the blog. ...And there ARE no Compaq dealerships in the area, dammit, and if it weren't for the fact that I desperately need the contents of my hard drive, I would be in line right now at a retail store to purchase a G4 in far too many monthly installments. Maybe even with DSL -- I know becki'll pay half of that. o.o
Snip, snip, snip...And I WANT to work on this now, but I need to be in the right mood. Right now I'm all anxious to get home and watch more Fushigi Yuugi. (This is sad...I've seen the whole series, TWICE, yet I'm still anxious to see the next episode.)
Er...twisted warning? And FEEDBACK, dammit. I'm all lonely in my big empty apaato. After all the effort it takes to check my mail, it's nice to actually find there's new mail besides spam.
"Roughing It"
by Talya Firedancer
"I can't believe this."
"Oh, come on now, it's not that bad."
"It's in the middle of the semester, I've got responsibilities to get
back to, exams to prepare for, an ex-girlfriend who wants my hide
nailed to the wall, and you suddenly decide to jettison everything and
take us on a pleasure trip!? Without a map! Not even a car or land
cruiser, and not a single soul knows where the hell we are,
*including* us. How could it be any worse?"
"At least the sky is clear and we know what direction we're going,"
Laguna Loire offered with a cheerful smile.
"Arrgh!" With one gloved hand, Squall Leonhart raked back a wing of
gold-kissed chestnut hair. He gave Laguna a frustrated look that the
older man ignored, glancing up at the cloudless sky and giving their
surroundings another once-over. "I don't understand how you could
forget the map, Laguna."
"It was an oversight," Laguna said mildly.
Now Squall glared. "How are we supposed to get back?"
"I think Esthar's that way," Laguna decided, pointing off to their
left. "Come on, it's not so bad, Squall. Kiros knows where he
dropped us off, and if we don't show up in five days, he'll track us
down."
Squall gritted his teeth. "This is some pleasure trip," he said
sullenly. "Out in the middle of nowhere, no towns for hundreds of
miles, here we are with only two Guardian Forces between us and barely
enough supplies to last us till civilization."
"Where's your sense of adventure?" Laguna demanded with an energetic
gesture, indicating the broad expanse of rocky meadow. "This is true
camping! Just you, me, and the open road!"
"There's no road," Squall pointed out. "And I thought I left all my
basic survival training behind me when I passed my SeeD exams. Why
couldn't you pick a normal vacation spot, like Winhill?"
Laguna's hand dropped to his side. He turned with a stricken face,
smoothing it at once to his more typical smile but the expression was
forced. "I...uh, well, I guess I could've picked someplace like
Dollet, maybe..."
"No, that's okay. Forget it," Squall muttered. He hesitated a
moment, then put his hand on Laguna's shoulder. "...Sorry. I didn't
think. Anyway, Dollet's too close to Timber."
Laguna remained quiet, and Squall berated himself for being an ass and
not thinking before he opened his mouth. His problem was usually the
opposite. Of course the man would have a difficult time going back to
the place where his wife had lived, over twenty years ago. Great
going, Squall. Now this trip's going to be a total bust, and to top
it all off he'll probably start thinking of you as son again, not
lover.
They had a very...unorthodox relationship.
"I'm sorry I forgot the map," Laguna said at last. "If you think we
should set off emergency flares, and get picked up--"
Squall cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Forget it." His pride
rebelled at the thought. "We're here, so let's make the best of it.
Besides, Kiros would never let you hear the end of it, right?"
A smile tugged at Laguna's mouth again. "You know it!"
Standing side by side, they surveyed the expanse of rocky meadow
before them. On the broad plains that extended between cold Trabia
and the plateau-cliffs on Esthar's northern border, there was very
little foliage or even much that qualified as 'scenery,' and no
settlements until they reached Esthar territory again. On the plus
side, the area had been cleared of most of the Lunar Cry monsters
infesting it in the clean-up Laguna had hired SeeD to do three years
ago. On the minus side...
"We don't even have a compass, do we?" Squall put a hand on his hip,
tugging at the strap of his backpack with the other. He angled his
head up to look at the sky -- true, it was clear now and he could tell
they were facing south, but what if it clouded up? He had a good
sense of direction, but these plains were featureless, with no truly
distinguishing marks.
"Oh, stop your complaining," Laguna told him, waving his hand airily
again. "We'll be fine, you and I. Why, when I was in the army..."
"When you were in the army, you got your squad lost more often than
you carried out the letter of the mission," Squall said sarcastically.
"Hey!" Laguna protested. Squall ignored him and started walking,
boots crunching over scattered rocks. "H-hey! Have you been talking
to Kiros again?"
Squall snorted. "You forget I was in your head, for a little while."
"Right...Ellone and her dream-connections." Laguna rubbed his head.
He sent rocks skittering with his heavy boots as he broke into a trot.
"Hey, wait up!"
"We've got a lot of territory to cover in four days," Squall said
without halting. If he thought Laguna could keep up with the steady
ground-eating lope he was accustomed to using around the Garden, or
anywhere else for that matter, he'd break into it right now. "You
sure this was supposed to be a pleasure trip?" He felt the need to
glare again. They were going to have to push to make it under that
five-day deadline. In the meantime, he was sure Garden would manage
to come up with some crisis or another.
Dollet had been having trouble lately with, of all towns, their
nearest neighbor Timber. It wouldn't be too much longer before SeeD
entered the fray, presuming Dollet had learned their lesson from the
last altercation and brought SeeD in early.
"This is a pleasure trip!" Laguna insisted. The man was striding next
to him now, at his elbow, expressive hands gesturing again to
emphasize his point. "Look at this, Squall! The wide open
wilderness, no complaints or concerns from students or citizens or
Garden or city...this is a real vacation!"
"Right," Squall said. "If an Imp sneaks up on you in the middle of
the night and bites your ass, I'll laugh."
"You won't be covering my ass?" Laguna said archly. "I thought that
was one of the first rules in SeeD -- always watch your party members'
backs."
"The first rule of SeeD is always check your junction before going
into battle," Squall said crisply, out of habit.
Laguna grimaced. "Well, aren't your party members high on the list?"
"Of course." Squall glanced sidelong at the other man, and softened.
"Looking out for your party members is the second rule, and it's
always a priority on the field."
They walked in silence for a few measures, a rarity for Laguna. The other man had brought his machine gun
and chosen Leviathan from the selection Squall had to offer, and he
was ready for battle. Squall had his gunblade slung low on one hip,
and Shiva was at his command. There was nothing they couldn't handle
together.
"You wouldn't really let an Imp bite me on the ass." It was more of a
statement than a question.
Squall raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "No," he agreed.
Much as the man had annoyed him in the early days of their
face-to-face acquaintance, and before that, being in his head as part
of the dream-connections Ellone had sent him on, Squall had grown to
genuinely like Laguna. Well. And more than that, now, but their
relationship was complicated enough that he chose not to think about
it most of the time.
"Hey, when do you want to stop for lunch?"
Squall blinked, and looked over at him again. "...Stop for lunch?" he
echoed. "I was thinking trail rations, at the most, as we kept
walking."
Laguna wrinkled his nose. "Aw, come on! We're not on a survival
training mission, you know. We'll get back to Esthar in plenty of
time. This is a vacation; I say we stop when we want to and the hell
with the rest."
He stared incredulously at the man. "Do you know how far we are until
we reach the plateaus, let alone the Esthar plains?"
"Hmm..." Laguna stared at the far-off flattened pink-gray mass of the
plateaus on the horizon. From where they stood, it looked tiny. "At
least five hundred kilometers, I think."
Squall shook his head. "I hope you've got plenty of Haste ready to
junction."
"Ah, stop it. Where's your sense of fun and adventure?" the other man
chided.
Squall ground his teeth again. "I'm a SeeD." That was enough of an
answer.
"Hmm...Well, I think there are some hot springs around here," Laguna
told him. There was a smile in his voice. "Just in time for lunch."
Squall considered this. "Well...it might be okay to stop for that."
"Definitely!" Now he was sure of the grin. "A nice soak in a hot
spring should help loosen you up. Your muscles, at least."
*There's nothing wrong with my attitude,* Squall thought stiffly.
Anyone dumped into this situation would react the same. Except
Selphie, maybe. Middle of nowhere, barely enough supplies, only two
GFs, stuck with someone who talks incessantly... Yeah, this is right
up Selphie's alley. He could probably use this as a cautionary
example for his students. No, some of them might think it sounded
exciting.
"Besides, I'm getting hungry." Laguna hitched his backpack up. "All
this fresh air and walking is giving me an appetite."
"Didn't you eat breakfast?"
"Well, I had coffee."
"And...?"
Laguna gave him a blank look. "That was breakfast."
Squall rolled his eyes. How had the man managed to live this long,
let alone still look this good, leading the lifestyle he did? "You
should--"
"Hey, if you're going to try and tell me I should eat three square
meals a day, don't bother. If a nagging Kiros couldn't accomplish it
in twenty years..."
"...don't bother," Squall finished for him. He scanned the area,
which was still rocky and featureless in its uniformity. "Are you
sure there are hot springs nearby?"
Laguna scratched his head sheepishly. "...Kinda sure?"
"Great." Squall sighed. "That means we'll find them some time around
midnight."
"Hey!" Laguna protested. He gestured to a cluster of boulders several
measures in the distance. "How about right there?"
"What, you want to stop and have lunch there?" Squall was thinking it
would be better to have rations as they walked, after all. Laguna was
fatally optimistic; he was surely overestimating the distance they
could cover in the next few days.
"No, what if the hot springs are there?" Laguna let his hand drop and
broke into a jog.
"H-hey!" Squall followed, and found that the older man could hold his
own, after all. He almost had trouble catching up for a moment but
once he got abreast, they fell into an even rhythm, running over the
rocky ground. "Do you even have any towels, or something?"
"Now that's one thing I did remember to pack!"
He found without much surprise that Laguna was keeping up with him as
they crossed the distance, arms pumping, legs eating up the ground as
they closed in on the boulders and burst out on the other side,
leaping the smaller heaped piles of rock in graceful track-runner
bounds. Squall figured that even a president might find time now and
again to work out in the gym, and maybe take a hike in the field every
now and then. Not bad, old man, he thought with something like
affection. What the hell...
Dead ahead of them, sheltered in the three-quarter circle of the
rugged boulders was an uneven pool set flat in the ground. Its
surface was wreathed with a hint of steam, and Squall's eyes widened.
Be damned.
"Looks like you were right," Squall said aloud. "Here's a hot spring,
after all."
"A man's got to be right every now and then," Laguna said airily.
"Since you've been right all day, I figure it was my turn."
Squall let the backpack slide down his arms. He decided to let it go
for now. "You still hungry, or you want to go for a little dunk
first?" Heedless of a reply, he began pulling his clothes off,
draping the leather jacket neatly over his discarded backpack, setting
his gunblade at the very edge of the hot spring.
"Uh..." Without looking, he could tell Laguna's mouth was open.
Now that he thought of it, he had been feeling disgruntled and dusty.
As a SeeD, he'd gotten inured to his own stink and discomfort if it
wasn't possible to bathe on a mission for days at a time. They'd had
to put up with a lot of uncomfortable situations. That didn't mean
they had to like it -- or tolerate it, if alternatives were found. It
would feel great to strip down and soak in warm, hot water until he
was forced to get out.
Maybe part of the reason this didn't feel like 'vacation' was the fact
that he'd never really learned what it felt like, in the first place.
To his left, there was a flurry as Laguna began to toss his clothes to
the ground with little care for where they fell. "Hell, yeah...the
food can wait." Most of them landed in the vicinity of the backpack.
The machine gun, he noted, landed very near the edge of the spring,
as he'd placed his own gunblade close to hand.
He didn't wait for the other man. Once he'd folded the last of his
clothing on top of his pack, and taken off both boots and socks, he
lowered himself over the rocky lip and eased himself into simmering
warmth. "Uhnn..." It was almost hot enough to turn his fair skin
red, but the right kind of heat to soak into knotted muscles and ease
the kind of pain a body might no longer be aware of. "Ahh..."
"Hey, you're getting started without me!" There was a grin in
Laguna's voice. A towel landed behind his head on the ground.
"Well, you're slow," Squall replied, craning his head to scowl. "And
you're getting the towel dusty before I even use it..." He trailed
off as the older man leaned down, dropping his own towel at the edge
of the spring, dipping a bare foot into the heated water.
"Ouch! Hot. And it smells kind of funny." Laguna wrinkled his nose,
unselfconscious as any soldier of his own nudity. 'Bare skin is often
seen, but never noticed,' was the unwritten shower rule for SeeD.
"It's probably sulphur," Squall answered practically. His mouth felt
dry. There was nothing soft or indulgent on Laguna's rangy body; he
was still pared down to the bare essentials even with his soldiering
days so far behind him. And he had seen it before, but this was
still...new...enough for the simple circumstance of being naked
together to carry an edge. He was very much aware of the other man's
body.
Laguna slid into the hot pool with a hiss, glancing over at Squall
with amusement lurking in the depths of his dark blue eyes. "This is
nice," he commented.
"Yeah," Squall said. He leaned back, arms draped on the ledge of rock
behind him, and felt muscles relaxing that had probably been taut for
a long time. He closed his eyes.
After a long moment, "Admit it," Laguna said in a lazily relaxed tone.
"Huh?" Squall opened his eyes with reluctance. He was starting to
enjoy the sensation of not being in constant motion, of not having the
weight of the world on his shoulders or a dozen people looking to him
for answers. If only for a short time, Laguna was giving him the gift
of getting away from it all.
"You needed this." The older man sounded smug. "When was the last
time you had a vacation, really?"
"Well..." Squall shrugged. "There are breaks between semesters. But
I've never gone off like this, if that's what you're asking."
Laguna was staring at him again with disbelief. "Squall, hasn't
anyone ever told you that all work..."
"...and no play make Squall a dull boy, yeah, Laguna, Irvine made it a
point of telling me at least once a semester." The words came
spilling out as the thin thread holding back his irritation broke. "I
don't have the luxury of just putting stuff down and walking off.
Someone's got to get it done. And if I don't do it, there isn't
someone I can trust to do it the way I will. What, are you telling me
you had time for vacations in the twenty years since you've been
President of Esthar?" And he stopped, becoming dimly aware he'd
levered himself up so that he was all but looming over the older man.
He let himself sink back to sitting position.
Laguna blinked a few times. He reached up one hand to rub his
still-damp hair. "Ah...well, they never let me out much." He offered
a tentative smile. "Come to think of it, this is my first vacation in
a really long time, too. Maybe we can learn how to enjoy them
together."
Squall let out the rush of breath he hadn't realized he'd been
holding. "...Sorry."
"It's okay," Laguna said, tone gentle. "You've been under a lot of
pressure, huh? Everyone expects you to do something, or be someone,
and no one realizes how much all of that expectation weighs. I'm not
going to expect anything from you, Squall, or ask any more than what
you feel like giving."
With a laugh that was only faintly shaky, Squall combed his wet hands
through his hair, turning it damp, slicking it back. "So you don't
expect me to come over there?" He dipped his head back, wetting his
hair completely. The hot water was comfortable now, no longer furnace
but a nurturing heat. "Quality time, wasn't that what you said when
you dragged me out here?"
"Mm." It was Laguna's turn to close his eyes and lean back, lips
curving up with contentment. "Like I said, it's up to you."
...because I'm BENT, and I don't suffer from it, I ENJOY it. Heh.
np: the sound of silence
current mood: disgruntled and frustrated
ashley gave chase for sydney at Wednesday, October 3, 2001 at 08:24 a.m..
My laptop is officially fuxx0red.
I'm still surprisingly cheerful in spite of it; I think the massive infusions of Fushigi Yuugi are helping. I'm up to episode thirteen now, but tonight I'll watch "The Mummy Returns" -- it comes out today! ^o^
I'm having my co-worker Christine and her husband James over for dinner tonight, too. It should be nice, and a little less lonely than just me and the cats. Bratt was the one who spent yesterday in my lap, once I settled down enough from the frantic spate of chores and cleaning. It's nice having cats who are so responsive. O.o
So, obviously, not a lot of writing or, indeed, computer activity will be happening until I find a local Compaq store and cart in my laptop. Where I will plunk down way too much money for them to crack open the case and wiggle a single connection back into place. It's an LCD problem; I have a reasonable certainty that something came loose inside the computer and just needs to be poked back into place. Even though the warranty is expired, I'm not willing to try to do it myself. I could seriously fuck it up.
So I'm sorry, everybody, but until I get the computer fixed I'm basically offline at home and I can't be counted on for anything. I can still check mail at work, briefly, and I can check mail at home through becki's computer but it's a slow, laborious process.
I've got Fushigi Yuugi bunnies! O.o It's mostly a Nuriko bunny, and it's a very immature, runt-of-the-litter kind, but I kind of like it. I might take a crack at writing freehand.
Dunno when I'll blog again! I'll keep myself busy somehow, though. *sniff* But I do miss my computer.
Elysaar? When the workstuffs are over? (And there is no rush, believe me on this, because I can't set up Blogger until the Evil Petting Zoo is up and running again...) See the pretty picture fanart? Think you could do something with it? Oh, and if you send me a text copy of "Kid" I'll see if I can do some fast and dirty feedback. BCC it to becki's address, because I can check her mail. Janie, likewise, if there's anything you want me to take a look at, or just to mail me.
Oh, and my cat is over ten pounds. I'm not exactly certain how much he weighs, but I think it's 15-16 lbs. He's an armful and a half of lovin', mood-swingin', occasionally vicious prickhead bastard cat. And he has a tiny head. He used to look adorable, when he was thin, but now he looks disproportioned.
Now I need to see if I can find the e-mail addresses of people I need to make alternate arrangements for the stuff I was going to do for them. >_<# I can't even ACCESS one of my e-mail addresses while Evil Petting Zoo is fuxx0red.
Gotta go to the store...gotta pick up some broccoli and some kind of tart for dessert...maybe another crusty baguette... Gotta swing by the Wherehouse and pick up the director's copy of "Dogma," and "The Mummy Returns" and maybe a disc or two of "Trigun" or "Cardcaptor Sakura..." Gotta organize the e-bay stuff I need to send... La, I have a lot to do, but I'm doin' okay! ^_^
ashley gave chase for sydney at Tuesday, October 2, 2001 at 09:01 a.m..
If I'm not online tonight, my lovies, it's because I am suffering some strange computer difficulties. The screen is flickering, then it goes dark. I can still vaguely make out the shape of my desktop, but it is too dark to see. The power cord is still plugged in, as it usually is, so I can't fathom what went wrong.
I'll ask my boss if he knows how to fix it when he gets in; if he doesn't, I'll have to dig up my manual, or call the tech support line, or...well, I dunno.
If that kind of problem rings a bell with anyone, e-mail me? Talyachan@aol.com. It's a Compaq Prosignia laptop. I've only had it for a year and a half. I have a sneaking suspicion as to what the problem is, but I sincerely hope I'm wrong.
I think I've found what I want to work on next, besides "Anfang." And yay, I've started watching my Fushigi Yuugi tapes again...boy, I missed watching crazy shoujo series. Oh, Kristi, I need, er, all of Initial D. *shrinks* I know it's a lot to ask...
Amethyst Remembrance
I held a jewel in my fingers
And went to sleep
The day was warm,
Ah winds, winds were prosy
I said, I said "Twill keep."
I woke and chid my fingers,
The gem was gone in my hands
And now,
an Amethyst remembrance
is all I own.
Go from me!
Yet I feel that I shall stand
Henceforward in thy shadow,
Go From Me!
Yami no Matsuei has such a beautiful soundtrack. I'm glad I picked it up when I had the chance.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Monday, October 1, 2001 at 09:01 a.m..
Sunday, September 30, 2001
O_o I'm alone.
The house is so quiet. Well, except for the Kaikan Phrase that's been playing on the telly since eleven.
I miss her already.
I've suffered a spate of industrious activity, so go check out my site. Okay, so it may not seem THAT industrious, but I was definitely doing stuff!
Here's Diamond Dust, the first non-yaoi fic I've written in an age. Of course, I think most of you blog visitors are also on my draft list. Pfft. Well, hey, I'm always hopeful for commentary.
Speaking of, Zoe, thanks; I used your comments to slightly alter and clarify parts in the final draft.
Now, I need to whip the new layout into shape...that's my next goal. *cracks knuckles for another battle with Photoshop* But first, I need to go to the store. Eatin' dinner's always a good thing.
@_@ I can cook WHATEVER I WANT TO. Ah, the freedom. It dizzies me. BRUSSELS SPROUTS. Asparagus. Squash! Lima beans! Cheese-stuffed tortellini. Vienerschnitzel and spaetzel. Sushi. Avogolemono soup. Aw, yeah. Man, my options are endless.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Sunday, September 30, 2001 at 04:51 p.m..
Saturday, September 29, 2001
KRISTI!!!! *superglomp* I'm not just gonna buy you sake when I visit in December, I will buy you DINNER! And bring you an omiyage!!
*koff* Er, that is to say, I accept! ^_^ I'll write a fic for your favorite pairing. Definitely a fair trade!
What a fun day this has been! Went to the beach this afternoon, had some terrific calamari, wrote random Japanese in the sand, counted the jellyfish washed ashore, enjoyed having short hair again... Becki cut a foot off my hair today, and I cut eight inches off hers. It feels GREAT! And looks surprisingly cute for home-cut hair.
Photoshop crashed on me half an hour ago. >_<# There went an hour of work. At least I remember most of what I did...
Oregon is such a beautiful place to live. It's a lovely, temperate evening. We've had such beautiful sunsets lately. I think we'll walk down to New Seasons to grab stuff to cook for dinner...
ashley gave chase for sydney at Saturday, September 29, 2001 at 06:01 p.m..
Saturday, September 29, 2001
Touma pokes the bouquet of red and white flowers, cautiously, from a distance, with a stick.
Tay: It's not going to blow up, you silly thing.
Touma: [prodding the bouquet suspiciously] Might be gas pellets in there, or something.
Tay: ...argh. Excuse me while I go catch a cat.
Touma: Switching tacks, eh? What are you up to now, naked boy?
ashley gave chase for sydney at Saturday, September 29, 2001 at 08:16 a.m..
Saturday, September 29, 2001
A word to the OTHER inhabitants of the apartment:
We set off a WHOLE CAN of highly toxic substances last week. We vacuumed. We cleaned every surface of the apartment. We laundered every piece of bedding or clothing that might be contaminated.
We WASHED THE CATS. And spotted them for good measure.
WHY, at SEVEN A.M., when I am HUNGOVER, do I feel you crawling over my cheek, o flea!?
You should all be VERY DEAD.
Now I'm wide awake, and I've got a mission of vengeance. Time to grab the flea comb and a cupful of bleach. Heeeeere, kitty...
D? I can state that I, personally, am not a victim of persecution. I just like to whine far too often for other peoples' good. It's time I cut that shit out.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Saturday, September 29, 2001 at 07:49 a.m..
Friday, September 28, 2001
Aha~! *plants fists on hips in triumphant fashion*
Here is my Muse, Koashura. His temperament is loosely based on that of my cat.
Who gave me a deep scratch on my thumb yesterday five minutes after cuddling me and buttering me up.
And! Elysaar, here's my rendering of Ajjniha. The pic is called "Featherlight" and you can do whatever you want with it. *twinkles*
Now, I'm off to make that swanky dinner! Steak, fresh green beans, garlic bread... Mmm...
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, September 28, 2001 at 05:58 p.m..
Friday, September 28, 2001
Ahem.
*attempts to look small and cute and pitiful* Will no one sl0re me Initial D? No one? ...I'll pay for tapes, I will.
Or...more Kaikan Phrase? *looks hopeful* Janie, did you ever get your subs? (I'd trade ya something you don't have...)
Amazingly enough, in the case of the latter, I'm willing to shell out money for a series I will probably not write yaoi fiction for. I may write non-yaoi fiction, though.
Headache. I want to go home and start cooking that swanky dinner. *makes mental note to work on layout during the weekend*
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, September 28, 2001 at 03:32 p.m..
Friday, September 28, 2001
In which WinAmp shows disturbing tendencies towards sentience:
It pulled the Kenshin skin for "Butterfly." I'm not the only one who thinks that's a good Kenshin song, right?
It consistently pulls a Kamui skin for "Sympathetic Character." And I mean every time it's set on random.
It pulled Gojyou for the remix of "Closer" I got from Puu...and it was the Gojyou skin I got courtesy of a link from Puu. O.o
It pulled Sydney for "Ghost," again. *whimper* I still can't look my VS muses in the face after "Go Wyverns."
Dear me, WinAmp, you have given me much amusement through this monotonous Friday.
...Now it just thinks it's funny, with Iori and Kyo for "Catch You Catch Me."
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, September 28, 2001 at 01:43 p.m..
Friday, September 28, 2001
[A sandy-haired young man with a scowl fixed in place slouches into the Musespace, hands tucked in his pockets.]
Touma: Ahem. [He straightens and looks earnest.]
Touma: Some of you may have forgotten me. I'm Kaachan's most infamous original character. I've kicked the feet out from under Koganei, Tokiya, Kurei, Crawford, and...well... *smirks*
Touma: [begins to pace] My point is, I've been ignored lately. When was the last time I was mentioned here? Huh? Kaachan finally starts drawing fanart for the first time in two years, and what's the first thing she draws? My bloody new brother, that's who!! And THEN she draws the dragon-boy. And THEN she draws the cat. And THEN she draws the naked boy in a scarf. With a feather. *snorts*
Touma: [holds up Talya's sketchbook] I don't see any drawings of me in the planning phase, either. [holds up a lighter]
[A dry, raspy flitter is heard off to the side. Touma glances over, distracted.]
Touma: [starts to smirk again] Excuse me. [clicks the lighter off] I'm about to get laid by dragon-boy over there.
[Before he's completely out of sight, he turns.]
Touma: Oh, and Naked Boy? *flips him off* You snooze, you lose! *breaks into a run* Ohhh Ryu~!
ashley gave chase for sydney at Friday, September 28, 2001 at 05:33 a.m..
Thursday, September 27, 2001
Yay, I get to feel all accomplished now because I finished a story. "Diamond Dust," FF8, Laguna first person perspective. Freshly posted to tayfic. People, I would be highly interested in hearing if you would like to see me post snippets in the blog.
*pause*
Laguna, you know I HATE first person perspective, right?
Aww...aw, don't look at me like that. Damn it. How can a fifty-year old man still be CUTE?? It's not fair.
(I got, by the way, the sweetest Laguna and Squall dj last week. No, don't look at me like that. It's not like THAT. Well...maybe just a little. But only hintings. I digress. It has the prettiest pictures of Laguna, and Squall, and Laguna being his cute doofy sweet self. He's so adorably incompetent. Maybe I can get becki to scan a few pages.)
Now...I'm going to float off in the euphoric cloud of accomplishment (don't anyone bust my bubble, got it?) and see if I can finish Janie's birthday fanart. I CAN DRAW AGAIN, I CAN! Or maybe start the WK bunny that Koashura handed me this morning. Yay.
Mmm, the tunnel vision of inspiration.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Thursday, September 27, 2001 at 04:05 p.m..
Thursday, September 27, 2001
My new layout's not ready yet, even though with Krisit's help I've figured out how to set up a blog with Blogger. So I'll leave Tro's lovely layout up for a few days longer.
That was the absolute worst spate of PMS I've had in my entire life. This is the point at which I should probably go to the doctor, but I still don't have my medical card and probably won't for another month or two. I need to go for multiple reasons, one of which is my persistently troublesome reflux, for which I should be on Prilosec, but can't afford without insurance. Boy, I miss having a roommate with a doctor father who would send me bottles of the stuff. The stomach trouble is probably related to the anemia, which the doctor may be able to help me with.
My mood cycles were so vicious that for a few days I was considering taking down every scrap of fiction I had on the 'Net, and asking my friends to do the same, and the only thing stopping me was that Kristi had been generous enough to give me webspace.
I feel SO much better now. Worlds above. I still need to go to the doctor, but at least now I am eligible for insurance, I've sent in my information, and as soon as I get my medical card I can make an appointment to discuss my issues. ^_^;;;
Big plans for the new layout...and I finally settled on a permanent blog title...and my co-worker Christine showed me some tips with Photoshop, so I may actually be able to DO some of the things I'd like to. Although I may be asking some specific help questions, Elysaar, now that you have IM. I know exactly what I want to do, but I don't have all of the knowledge for what I need to do, both in finishing my layout and in slicing and transferring it to HTML. No WYSIWYGs for me; I want to do this sucker in Notepad. I think.
Did that make any sense?
Recent writings: "Diamond Dust," a nearly-finished FF8 retrospective. Basically, how Squall got Shiva -- and there's no yaoi in it. *awed eyes*
Recent drawings: "Cat Scratch Fever," a picture of my sulky cat-boy Muse, Koashura. Beautifully colored by KnM, and I'll share as soon as it's scanned. Also "Featherlight," a picture of Elysaar's Muse Ajjniha. Coloring and scanning still pending.
I need to update the links in the sidebar (which will probably be put off until the new layout is ready) and make a few blog responses. But that can wait until next week, I think. I'll have lots of time to kill.
I'm gonna cook a swanky dinner for my other half tomorrow night. ...Beer in wine glasses will seem really odd.
n.p. "Midnight Crow," Lucifer.
ashley gave chase for sydney at Thursday, September 27, 2001 at 08:44 a.m..
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