goblinbee

Otakon 2010: Female Roomates Wanted for Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel

goblinbee — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:44:06 GMT

(Why yes, I AM planing way ahead.)

This is a room at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, which is connected to the Baltimore convention center. The room contains two double beds and is reserved for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Roommates may stay any combination of those nights and will only pay for the nights they actually plan on spending with us. The room is females only, and all roommates must be over 18. These plans are still somewhat tentative.

For Friday and Saturday night we plan to have 6 guests in the room (5 slots still remaining). Space in the two beds is available on a first come-first serve basis. The cost will be $34 dollars per person, per night. This cost must be payed to me in advance by April 30th, 2010. Paypal, cash and anything else we can work out is acceptable. This deadline will help assure that there are no complications when we check in and will make things smoother for everyone.

Everyone who stays with us Friday and Saturday nights is encouraged to stay Thursday and Sunday, but it's unlikely that this will be practical for everyone. Since the final cost per person will be the cost of the room ($200) divided by the number of people, I can't yet be sure what the cost will be until we get a full house. If all 6 stay for these nights the cost will still be $34 dollars per person, if 4 stay it will be $50 per person, etc etc.

If you're interested in rooming with us, or if you have any questions, feel free to reply here or send me an email.

(CLOSED) Roommates Desperately Needed for Otakon

goblinbee — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:03:14 GMT

I'm seeking additional room mates for a room at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel. The room is non-smoking, 284 sq. ft with two double beds.

We'd like to keep it an all-girl's room, but at this point are desperate for extra roommate to defray costs, so males are welcome. As of yet, we have no male roommates so the room is still tentatively all-female.

Price will change depending on the number of roommates, feel free to reply or message me for an up to the minute price. Ideally we'll have 8 people in the room, at the cost of $27 dollars a night. This is not guaranteed. We have the room reserved from Thursday afternoon to Monday morning, and anyone staying with us would be welcome to pick and choose the nights they stay, and paying only for the nights they need. If anyone is interested in ride sharing I'll be driving from Delaware Thursday afternoon and would be happy to have some company, no charge.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. We need you!

For Hellsing fans attending Otakon, please see this post in hellsing for relevant events scheduled at Otakon this year.

Lord of the Rings as Written by Other Authors

goblinbee — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:31:44 GMT

Read this, it's genius

It's probably just Swine Flu

goblinbee — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:13:47 GMT

I don't have epstein bar. I don't have sleep apnea. I don't have mono. I don't have narcolepsy. I don't have a breating disorder. I do have a perscription for Provigil, but it's not half as effective as a couple hundred milograms of staight caffine.

I have about 8 waking hours a day and about enough energy to walk one mile during that time, which is spent walking to class. I will not let them medically excuse me from the semester. I will pass my classes; all of them. I can't function like this forever, but I should be able to make it five more weeks. If I over do it and collapse, at least this should gain me enough lenience from the university to complete the work over the summer break.

there is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myselfthere is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myself

BTW: I got a Twitter. If you want to feel like you have friends, go ahead and add me here.

Guilty Parties Intro

goblinbee — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:08:13 GMT

Guilty Parties; A collection of short stories about the development of Christianity and Western civilization through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.

And in that field, he saw a tree, and a man. The tree was old and worn, like himself, but the man was not. He was young, handsome even. His clothes we're plain, and overall he appeared unremarkable. But to the old man, the pain in his face was unmistakable. In a rare peak of curiosity, he went to the him and saw in his hands a halter of straw.
“Go away.” said the man. “Leave me in peace, though I deserve none.”
“Why, what guilt is it you bear? What is was your crime that you should deserve no peace?” he asked. It took along time for the young man to give an answer. What was his crime? A crime like no other that had ever been committed before. A betrayal unspeakable. How could he possibly communicate it to this stranger?
“I killed a man.” said the broken man, eventually.
“Surely simply to kill a man would not bring you so grief. Was he your kin?' asked the old man in piqued curiosity.
“He was one I loved with all my heart.” answered the betrayer.
“Then I understand your pain. That crime is mine as well.” A terrible betrayal. A crime beyond any that had ever been committed before, it had been. At the strangers words, the young man became angry.
“What do you know of my sorrow? That which you have done is nothing compared to my sins! You know nothing of my pain! Be gone with you!” he cried as brandished the alter at the old man. Neither moved. For long moments, the guilty men looked into each others eyes. One with anger, one with sorrow.
“I think you're wrong.” said the old man. The younger man began to speak but he quickly cut him off. “Perhaps,” he expounded “if I think so little of your crime, and you think so little of mine, we ought to exchange our guilt.” he seemed amused. “Tell me, how did you kill him?”
“With a kiss.” said the man by the tree, with such great pain and self-disgust that he spat the words in droplets onto the ground.
“Well then, kill me as you killed him, and I will kill you as I killed my flesh and blood.” Without considering, without emotion or forethought, the young man laid a kiss, loveless and unfeeling, onto the head of the stranger.
When the men opened their eyes, the man who had kissed the other found himself looking at man holding a straw halter. He was immediately confused. How could the stranger have moved so quickly? How had he taken the halter without being noticed? After a moment he noticed that his clothes seemed to have changed. No, the clothes the man wore were now his own clothes..and, he realized with horror, his own face. A terrible, gut wrenching fear overcame the man who had a few moments before been drowned in sorrow. He looked down at his own hands in terror and saw that they were old and shriveled.
The man with the halter spoke to him. “And of course, I will complete my end of the bargain.” Then other man stood still, too confused to react, while what seemed to be his own hands thrust a dagger into his heart.
He fell, in pain but fully conscious. His eyes fixated on the figure with the halter. As he watched, the figure mirthlessly tied the halter around his neck, and hung himself from the tree.

As will later be stated more explicitly, the young man is Judas, the old man is Cain. For those unfamiliar with the idea, many Christian traditions hold that Cain was cursed to wander the earth forever as part of the punishment for his brother's murder. This is an introduction to a series of short pieces describing the wanderings of Judas. Expect the first installment in the next month. The name may change as this develops.

Criticism encouraged. All feedback appreciated.

Incognito: Not Completely Worthless?

goblinbee — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:08:04 GMT

And Shine Heaven Now considers the question.

Also:

Joseph Mengele not responsible for high rate of twin births in predominantly German town of Linha São Pedro, Brazil. I had actually let myself get excited about this one, as ridiculous as the idea was.

Gears

goblinbee — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:08:06 GMT

The machine has many forms. Sometimes it’s all mechanical, just gears and cogs and all kinds of metal, like some kind of massive block of clockwork. Sometimes it’s modern and electronic; where everything is hospital white and clean. It’s always filled with people. Sometimes there are whole families together, or people band together to survive. Most of the time, no one knows how they got there. Most of the time, no one knows what the machine is, or who built it, or why. The machine never stops. The machine can’t be stopped, it will grind and grind no matter what we do. The machine makes pain. That’s what all the gears add up to. It will burn you, it will cut you, it will your snap your hand in between its gears, it will piece your skin over and over with its needles. It will crack and rend and slice you over and over and over. And the machine is vast., so immeasurably vast that you will never reach the end of the assembly line, at least I never have. But it is not inescapable. When you least expect it, an exit will appear. A hole in the wall that leads to blue sky. A sewer pipe draining down, down and away. Sometimes I escape. And eventually of course, I do wake up. I don’t think I have ever been inside the machine for more than an hour or two at a time, but who really knows how much real time passes in a dream? Remarkably, a dream catcher given by a friend has significantly reduced my visits to the machine. I’ll take an effective placebo over an ineffective drug any day.

Music Meme

goblinbee — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:52:53 GMT

Happily ganked from lv99butler.

Choose a number between 1 and 799, and I will upload the corresponding song for you from my music library.

If our ends are unjustifiable, why worry ourselves about the means?

goblinbee — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:54:43 GMT

Here is the first chapter of an original story that I'm pretty excited about. Read it, you'll like it. X-posted everywhere.

The Pursuit of Grandeur

Pilot Chapter – The Fool

     The end of the world was appealing to a lot of people. That was one of the things that Mr. Michael Stubs the Coordinating Assistant Editor of the New York office was most surprised to learn when he first started talking to the strange gentleman. Surely, he thought, if there were such people (other such people, he had begun to correct himself) they would be ashamed at their inability to be satisfied with existence, and would keep their heads down. And yet here were four standing beyond the frame of the doorway in the unassuming room on the 17th floor of the stately New York City lodge. He had just enough time to think that they didn't seem to be particularly outstanding people when the lean man hurried him into the room, frowning and clearly ruffled. Beyond the doorway, the gentleman was sitting comfortably in an uncomfortable looking armchair, ruffling a young woman's hair affectionately while she smiled up at him from the bed beside the chair. A woman examined Stubbs from the other side of the double bed, her brow furrowed in worry lines that seemed to be the natural state of her face. The lean man with the hooked nose, in contrast, did not look at Stubbs's and seemed preoccupied with locking the room.
     After the door closed behind him, the occupants of the room stood in stark silence. It took Stubs a moment to realize the reason for the tension, and a pang of guilt struck him as he remembered his wife, forgotten in all his excitement. He turned to look at her, now awkward and hoping she could give him some idea of what to say. She was no help, and simply looked at him with the stern expression that only a wife can convey. Failing her, Stubbs turned to his gentleman, who was sitting contentedly in the simple cloth armchair, with a look of bemused curiosity on his face. He leaned forward to address Stubbs directly.
     "Who is she, Stubbs?"
     "She's, well she's my wife, sir."
     "Were my instructions clear that you were to be accompanied by no one?"
     "Yes, they were. But, sir, you must understand, she refused to stay, I couldn't force her to…" The gentleman frowned.
     "Stubbs," he interrupted, "I have explained to you our purpose. I have also explained to you our requirements. In order to join us, you would have to leave everything behind. To all family, friends, employers, you must be dead and gone. There was no need to explain anything to her." He paused to push his glasses back against his face. "The question is Stubbs, if you were unable to come here without her, can we expect you fight, kill or die with her? How are we to be certain that you will put anything of importance over her preferences?"
     "May I have a word here?" Cut in Stubbs' wife, curtly.
     "As many as you like." answered their host, pleasantly. This response was perhaps a bit unexpected, as it took the woman a moment to think of something to say.
     "What do you want with my husband?"
     "My dear Mrs. Stubbs! You make it sound as though we have kidnapped him!
     "You've clearly done something terrible to Micheal, brainwashing or the like. It's a subtle kidnapping. You seem to be the leader of this damned cult, and I have no doubt that you are a master of the ways to subvert a man's mind until you have his psyche dependent on your empty words.” This made the man laughed.
     “If that's the case, I'm not much of a master, am I? In fact, I would seem to have failed miserably.” Their was an edge on the voice, and Stubbs had no doubt that is was not the gentleman's own failure of which he was speaking.
     "I don't know why, I just had to bring her, sir. I just..."
     "But I know why you brought her, Stubbs. It's very clear why you brought her. You brought her because you were unsure of yourself. You were about to cast off the experiences of you entire life, to let go of all the basic rules. You brought her as a lifeline. It's really quite understandable, it would be too much for you to do it all at once, and all on you're own. Which is, of course, why it will be so very effective for you when we convert her to our point of view." The gentleman seemed inexcusably smug.
     "When you what?" asked his wife with righteous indignation. Eyebrows raised around the room. The young woman sitting on the bed laughed out loud and Ms. Stubbs shot her a contemptuous look. "I not only think it ridiculous that you believe that I could become a part of this laughable little 'movement,” she curtly informed the gentleman "I think it ridiculous that you are so incorrectly certain that I am going to stay in this room to hear your arguments. My husband and I are getting out of this place now. We are going to get into the car, and we are going to drive home, and we are going to get some sleep, and then we are going to get our heads back together."
     "Well, that is most unfortunate, Mr. Stubbs. The organization will be sad to see you go." The gentleman leaned back. Perhaps taking this as consent, the unfortunate wife turned back to Micheal. He looked very small considering that he was not a small man.
     “You see all this, Micheal? Take a good look. There is no miracle here, there is no God here, there is no answer here waiting for you with outstretched arms. These people are crazy, demented, and they don't need you to continue their little delusion.” She unlocked the door and motioned to her husband commandingly. “Come with me, Micheal, we're leaving now.” He didn't move. “I said now, Micheal, we're leaving now, Michael.” There was a long pause. When he spoke, his voice was small and quiet.
     “I, I just can't..please, not yet, Jenny...” As he trailed off, his wife could only throw her hands up in exasperation.

I'd love some critique on this, no matter how harsh. Any other thoughts would be very much welcomed.

I Have Returned

goblinbee — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:34:27 GMT

Well, it's been a while, and the past few months I've been using this journal just to post in communities. But, now that I've got my writing mojo back, expect slightly more regular updates. In the next few days I'll be posting the first chapter of a new original story that I'm really excited about. For the moment it's titled 'The Pursuit of Grandeur', but I've changed that multiple times since I first came up with the idea.

Meanwhile, please 'enjoy' this Hellsing drabble. And by enjoy, I mean feel nicely depressed. In all seriousness, though, I'd really love some feedback on this fic. It's one of those things you write at one in the morning and then get really annoyed that there's no one to talk to about it.

(X-posted everywhere.)

     Surely, then, this would be enough. London lay in rubble at their feet, and Walter lay dead and discarded in the mass of bodies that stretched forever; not that she would have recognized him as he was in any case. It all seemed so utterly, undeniably perfect. Integra was walking toward him from the dilapidated zeppelin with the merest hints of sunrise glowing behind her. Her head was upright, her stride was confident and if not for the tears in her clothes and the blood on her gloves she could have seemed to all the world to be going about business as usual. But he knew better. No one but her servant could have seen the pain in her eyes, felt the exhaustion in her steps that threatened to bring her to her knees.
     But he smiled. She could not how close her salvation was, how soon he would let her rest, how soon he would give her all his strength and make her the master of his blood forever. It was so close, because surely, surely this would be enough for Van Hellsing. If not this, what could possibly satisfy the man's requirements for a trustworthy, eternal master? If she did not give in to him now, when everything, everything else that had ever given her solace, had ever given her pleasure lay in this rubble of their own creation; what in all of his immortality could ever, possibly break her? Yes, as the dawn approached them, her triumph was near.
     He bowed low as she came to her, and the courtesy seemed almost comical to him in the midst of this unmannered wasteland. He rose and met her eyes.
     “My master, what is your order?” his voice dripped with unmasked anticipation. Who knew what she made of it, but she would understand soon. So very, very soon. He would save her. He would take away all her regret, all her pain and desperation. He would give her the pleasure and the indulgence that she could never have allowed herself to feel. All the rest that she had denied herself, he would give to her now and for the remainder of eternity. His master, forever beautiful, forever unyielding in her strength, he would give that to her and her alone. He watched her now, in the final moment of her trial, watched her eyes focus on his own as though nothing remained but him, as nothing did.
     “It's over, Alucard. There is no point in continuing, now.”
     He paused in a moment of uncertainty, such an unfamiliar feeling to him now.
     “I am finished with this. Kill me, Alucard. That is my order.” With these words, a long moment passed in the time that he knew could not have existed. When it ended a terrible cry of rage erupted from the monster as every conceivable piece of his being and the of million others that were just as much himself struck outwards in blind desperation. She had failed, she had given in. Just as her father had done, just as her grandfather had done, she had lost to him. Bur she was not like them, she had never been anything like them. She alone had he truly loved as his master, it was only this master that could have even taken his blood and his power and retained her incredible, steadfast beauty. She alone he had truly called his. He fought out with all of himself against the fuzzy calm that was overtaking him, just as any man, beast or monster will struggle against that sort of inevitable fate. A sense of panic and dread overtook him as he imagined himself awakening from his sleep again as Abraham's controls dictated he must. He thought of awakening to a new master who meant nothing at all, with Integra gone from him forever. It had been so very perfect. For that man to defeat him would have been nothing, no sin could ever be committed against a monster. But if any justice remained in heaven, he would pay for this. Even in failing to defeat his intended target their German relic of an enemy to 'God, queen and country' had committed a crime which no justice could overlook. That man had defeated his master.

Pre-Spring Cleaning

goblinbee — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 02:36:18 GMT

I've cleaned out my room and and I'm getting rid of tons of stuff. Friends get first call. This is mostly for my local Delaware friends, but hey, I won't object if you'll pay the shipping.

Giving Away
Just ask for it.

Anime Mania and Manga Mania by Christopher Hart (books)
Bead Jewelery Workstation (craft book w/ beads)
Everquest II - full set of discs, manual and map (PC)
FLCL vol 1 (manga)
How to Draw Manga by Ben Dun (book)
Lilia's Yoga complete (audio tapes
Metroid Prime Hunters - First Hunt (DS game)
various other stuff I'll be handing around

For Sale

DVDs -

Amazing Nurse Nanako Vol. 1 - Memories
Hellsing Vol 1 - Impure Souls
Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Black Rose Saga Collection
Vandread Vol. 2 - Nirvana

CDs -

Audiobook Carrie by Stephen King
Gwen Stefani - Love.Angel.Baby
Neon Genesis Evangelion OST 1
Outlaw Star OST 2

Games -

Nintendo DS Case (blue)

Books

Anime - From Akira to Princess Mononoke by Susan J. Napier
Carrie by Stephen King (on CD)
Drawing People (The Clothed Figure, big art book) by Barbara Bradley

AND many Newtype/Anime Insider issues and Newtype disks, ask me

Everything for sale is also on my Amazon account, that's how I expect most of it to go (so ask fast! XD)

I'm Yumiko! And Alucard....and possibly Walter...I just hope my self is down there somewhere...

goblinbee — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:17:25 GMT

^ That was unexpected. Now that I think about it I kind of see it, sort of. The first few posts were leaning towards Walter, I thought that was pretty cool. This is from hellsing_rating. I joined a few days ago and I like the place a lot.

Anyway, things are going pretty well. jigokunobanken put up the YKO Dawn issue for sale on Ebay. I really want it for Leann's Christmas present, but $50? That's pretty steep, and I've got so many presents to buy...*sigh*

On the bright side I got the Alucard role like I was really hoping! ^.^ I was so happy all day hehe. a_hellsing_rpg is very fun so far, so if any friends are in the neighborhood...*wink wink*

And in the seriously bizarre category; I came across 'Marry Your Favorite Character Online!' Creepy. I looked under Hellsing of course. Alucard is married to more than 400 people. Plenty married Yan and Anderson and Seras and Pip and two married...Helena? That's a little...yeah. 24 people married someone called 'Aracard (that's how you spell'. I may have to join so I can post Doc and get him some ~~wives~~ fangirl concubines.

Fanfics, etc.

goblinbee — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 11:22:22 GMT

I'm looking for a place to keep my witting online; it's a range of stuff, original fiction, nonfiction, and some fanfics. Does anyone know any good sites? Thanks in advance.

Anyway, I've had some writer's block lately, but recently finally sat down and wrote this little drabble for a challenge in hellsing100. As per the contest, it's exactly 100 words long(getting rid of the last seven was quite painful) and has the surprising subject of BLOOD. The fandom is Hellsing, obviously. It is creatively titled “Dok's Coat”.

Here's the original post. It brought Millenium into a tie with Hellsing for the community's first week, btw. :)

Dok's Coat

The spots and stains of red on the coat were unmistakable. It was the instinct of any human and the habit of any monster to recognize the sight of blood. Even after decades of wear on the older blotches, the mark of long-expired lives remained. He sometimes thought that it was very much like the way a Nosferatu sustained itself, because he lived on the blood that covered that cloth. His continued immortality came at the cost of the life taken by every splotch. Whatever his form, the doctor thought, his life had always been that of a vampire.

Happy Birthday to me!

goblinbee — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:48:52 GMT

I'm going to be 18 tomorrow at 10 PM or so, woo hoo! Gambling, smoking, legal marriage are all open to me!

If anyone wants to wish me a happy birthday that would be nice of them...

Wish list:

virtual birthday cake