Fanfic novel is in beta reading mode!

They're finding a lot of little nitpicky stuff. Egregious comma abuse, which I am prone to, and things that need rephrasing. But so far feedback has been quite positive.


So, um, apparently I can write. Who knew?

So, some of you know, some don't; James and I moved a few weeks ago. We were just getting so tired of cross-state taxes, and truth be told, we were kind of ready to upgrade to something a bit more spacious so that my hobby-things aren't crammed together into our regular living areas. We just didn't have the storage space for it all.

So now we're living in Olathe, in a gorgeous 4-bedroom home that gives us space for an office, a guest room, AND a tiny bedroom in which I can keep my slowly growing horde of costuming accoutrements out of our regular sleeping area. The basement is partially finished, and big enough for exercise equipment and my sewing/crafting room with space to spare.

And ohmygods, guys, I have a LIBRARY now. There's a little hearth room off the kitchen with some built-in bookshelves that is just perfect for all of my books, games, and ritual/altar stuff. I'm even setting up the old classic NES in there, for when I want to kick the gaming old school.

I went to ConQuesT yesterday, and got my new hardback copy of Alloy of Law signed by Brandon Sanderson. And then I wound up actually making it into the M:tG draft tournament that he organized, so I stayed up way too late* playing Magic with a bunch of Sanderfans and the man himself. (He totally kicked my ass, by the way.) Just a fantastic, genuinely nice guy who likes hanging out with his fans.

Which segues into this: I've, er, been writing. Mostly fanfic. Major project is an AoL-era Mistborn fanfic that's spiraling out of control into a full-blown novel-length thing. And it's going to wind up having a sequel. But I've joined 17th Shard (the Sanderson fan forum) and so far posted up a couple of other things (one was a rewrite of the creation myth that I wrote for a Gaia ritual a few years back about the Universe creating gods because it was too big for us to hear it, the other was a MLP:FiM blurb), and they must be relatively good because other Sharders are starting to ask me when my Mistborn fic will be done because they want to read it.

Eek.

:D


*Guys, I just do not have the stamina anymore to stay up past 1AM. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, of course, but egads, was I tired.

Once upon a time, there was a young woman. She had grown up with just enough hardship to make her strong, and the right amount of love to help her heal afterwards. She was kind, intelligent, compassionate, if rather fiesty and sometimes a bit too quick to jump to judgement. She was flawed, as all humans are, but as she grew older and wiser she learned her flaws and strove to correct them. She lived, she loved, and she was content.

One day, to her surprise, she met the goddess Bast. Bast laid a hand upon her shoulder and said, "Thou art mine. Walk with me a while, so that you may learn." And so they walked. Bast spoke of power and protections. "You come from a long line of Power, though you are the first in many generations to know it. You have suffered and you have loved. You have been the bullied, the downtrodden, but you have picked yourself up, forged yourself anew, and grown strong. You are the one that I have been seeking. You will cleanse that which is tainted, and you will protect those who cannot protect themselves from the shadows in the dark."

The woman thought on this and said, "This is something that I would do willingly, but not one that I would have sought. I had not thought that I had the Power to walk such a path."

Bast smiled, "This is not a path that is chosen, it is a path that Chooses. Those that would embark upon it without prompting or guidance are not fit to wield the Power. You are an Empath; compassion is in your nature. You built your shields from nothing and turned yourself from madness; you have will. My Gift to you is Strength. So long as I am with you, no creature that treads the dark paths can pierce your protections, no taint will resist your cleansings, and the places that you shield shall be safe haven."

And so they walked a little while in silence as she absorbed all of this. Soon enough, they came upon another of the Netjeru. Bast told the woman, "This is my friend, Djehuty. His words are the next step in your journey."

Djehuty gazed upon the woman and beamed, "Greetings, Daughter. I have long awaited this day. Walk with me a while, and listen."

They walked, and he spoke. "Bast has chosen well, but you still have much to learn. Power must be tempered with wisdom. The beings that roam the spirit land and cross into your world are not all of the Light, nor of the Darkness. Many walk the gray, and none are without reason."

He gazed at her sideways for a moment, and then continued, "To do what you will do, you must always act in accordance with Ma'at. You will be truthful, you will be just, and you will give even the darkest of monsters the chance to retreat. They have free will as you do, and should not be denied the choice." He beak somehow quirked into a slightly sly smile. "Granted, your terms may not always be to their liking. Monsters do not enjoy being denied their prey. But you must give the choice, for it is not always easy to tell the monsters from the merely lonely. The choice will reveal their nature." He grew solemn again. "You must always act for the right reasons. This is not a thing that will bring you material gain. This is your Duty, no more and no less."

The woman mused, "The Peter Parker rule: with great power comes great responsibility." This earned her a chuckle from Djehuty.

"Just so," he replied. "I give you the Gift of Wisdom. Hold true to Ma'at, and no magickal trap will hold you, no spiritual puzzle will be unsolvable. When you reach a stumbling point, meditate and call upon me, and I shall help you find the answer."

They walked a little while longer, and a storm began to brew on the horizon. "You have one more to meet," said Djehuty, "and he approaches. I will take my leave for now." He bowed his head and faded away.

The storm broke, but the woman found that she remained dry. Lightning crawled across the sky, and the third Netjeru appeared - Set. His smile was surprisingly jolly, and he greeted the woman: "Hello! So, you have met the Protectress and the Scholar. What say you now to the Stormlord?"

The woman was nervous, for she knew Set's reputation. She lifted a hand and gave a small finger-wiggle of greeting. "Um....hi?" This prompted a gale of laughter.

"Worry not, child," he assured her as the lightning faded and the storm eased. "I am not all that the stories say, and many things that the stories only hint at." He sobered slightly and nodded forward to the path that had appeared. "Walk with me, and I shall tell you."

They walked for a few moments in silence, as the storm dissipated altogether and the soil turned red. "I am the god who did what nobody else could do, or would do. I saw the need for the Lord of the Underworld, and I saw my brother Ausir was the only true choice. So I did what needed to be done for the world to be set right. I challenged Heru-sa-aset for the throne, as I knew that a ruler must know adversity to lead." His mouth quirked into a small smile again, "And had he not beaten me, we would have known that he was not yet ready. And so the world goes."

His head raised and he gestured up to the sun that was now high in the sky. "I sit at the front of Ra's chariot, and I spear the dreaded Apep when he threatens the sun. I alone have the strength to do this. I have my duty, as you now have yours."

Set turned to look at the woman. "You have received the Gifts of Strength to protect and Wisdom to do so well. I have one last Gift to bestow upon you. It is a heavy one to bear, but necessary in order to walk the path. I give you the Gift of Destruction."

The woman's breath caught in her throat. "That sounds....bad," she squeaked out softly.

Set nodded, "I told you it was heavy. It is powerful, and it is potent. Normally, creatures of the spirit world are not easily destroyed. They can be dissipated, but sooner or late, they coalesce and re-form." His gaze was piercing as he looked at her. "But for you, should it be necessary for you to strike down one born in Darkness, so long as you do it in defense of yourself or others and in accordance with Ma'at, it shall be a true end to its evil." He lifted his chin proudly and smiled. "Even the foulest of Apep's demons will show you respect. And the beauty of having this Gift," his eyes took on a slight twinkle, "is that few creatures are foolish enough to test it."

The woman thought on this for a moment, and said, "So you're saying that having the power of Destruction will give me leverage to sue for peace."

"Precisely," replied Set. "The greatest Power is the one you strive to never use, but wield fully when necessity calls. You must know when to show compassion and when it is time to strike without hesitation. Your training has only just begun."

The woman continues to walk with the three Netjeru, sometimes one by one, sometimes all together. She learns, bit by bit, the skills that she needs for the Path. She has much yet to learn, but she is on her way.

She has a name that other people know her by, but the Name the Netjeru have given her is "She Who Balances the Darkness and the Light."

So, the Weather Channel has gone all daffy and decided to name every storm ever. The snowstorms have gotten jealous of the attention that hurricanes get, or something, and so everybody's getting a name. It's very silly.

Kansas City has a biiiig storm headed our way for Thursday. They're calling for up to a foot throughout the metro area.

The Weather Channel has named it "Q".

...


BWAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHA! *gasp* Bweeheehee! *tearwipe* Ahahahahahahahahah!

Winter Storm Gandalf wasn't a fluke; somebody at the Weather Channel is a NERD. :D It's almost enough to make me stop rolling my eyes at Naming All The Storms.

Almost.

The time is upon us.




Basically, Gaia Community Unitarian Universalist Church is having a Solstice party. This is nothing new, we do this every year. But this year, we're playing with the 2012 end of the world thing. We figure, if the world ends, hey, we went out with a keen party! And if it doesn't end, woo, we had a party! It's really a win-win.

There will be such things and dancing, food, a donation bar, a raffle, and a number of entertainments throughout the evening. Entry is $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Check out http://www.longestnight.org for more information and advance tickets.

So, I'm doing Steampunk Star Trek, I have to have a phaser, right? Of course. I will admit, though, that I've taken a few liberties with the design. Why?

Because Next Gen/DS9/Voyager era phasers look like ass.

Seriously, it's one of the most unimpressive weapon designs I've ever seen. They're boring. I firmly believe that the inherent dumbness of the hand phaser design is what ultimately led them to designing the 24 century phaser rifle. I firmly believe that this conversation must have happened at some point:

"Um, guys, we need Picard to be in a firefight..."
"OK, give him a phaser!"
"...but we need him to look cool."
"Oooh. OK. I'll whip something up for you then."

So I'm basing my phaser off of the classic Trek look. I figure I can get away with it, since Steampunk embodies the concept of alternate technology development. So in my Steampunk Star Trek universe, phaser technology continued to develop, but never changed the basic design silhouette.

( Here there be phaserCollapse )

( Bonus Picture: Steampunk Commbadge!Collapse )

I feel slightly guilty going and posting about Dragon*Con, simply because I know there are several folks on my friendslist who usually go and can't this year. But I'm working on costuming. Everyone loves costuming, or at least ogling other peoples' costuming, right?

And besides, this....is Steampunk Star Trek.

( I've been working hard on this - the plan is Steampunk Janeway.Collapse )

( Speaking of corsets...Collapse )

I'm also pondering the feasibility of Trek emblem flossing. We'll see how much time I have once I've got all the vital stuff done. The way things have been going, I think, shockingly, that I may for once not be working at the last minute to finish up!


Coming soon:

Kilting Up the Front
Corset Finishing
Bustles Are Rad, Yo
Steampunk, Phasers, Water Guns, and You

Could somebody possibly explain why my friends page suddenly no longer has the ability to go back to previous entries? It's only displaying a full page -1 entry (I should have 20 entries per page; it shows 19). And I can't go back. The link to go back to previous pages simply isn't there. I've tried playing with different layouts, and that's not it.

Seriously, LJ, cut the fuckery.

Or: What happens when you listen to "O Fortuna" from the Carmina Burana and try and hear the Latin lyrics as English.

I've long held to the notion that the best response to the Westboro Baptist Crazies is unrepentant mockery. It's the only response they deserve. And they make it so easy.

Wherein the WBC finally jumps the shark.

Let me know if you don't get it. I'll be happy to point it out to you. And then point at them and laugh some more.

I've changed my mind about the first dance song. While "Fireflies" does indeed put me into a disgustingly cheerful mood, it's just not that easy to dance to.

We're going with "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton. :D It's simultaneously both a most appropriate and inappropriate song to have as the first dance, and listening to the lyrics is probably going to make all our families' brains explode. Which makes it so us.

The rest of the playlist is a mixture of danceable/fun/WTFisthatdoinginawedding:
( The Playlist of DoomCollapse )

This is probably more music than we'll need. Asterisks denote songs are the ones that are not removable. And yes, we know that this is one of the weirdest first-draft wedding reception playlist most people have ever seen.

I really wish I could find a censored version of Jonathan Coulton's "Mandelbrot Set", because while it is indeed one bad*** f'ing fractal, the small children invited probably don't need to hear it explicitly. Erm, for that matter, my grandparents probably don't, either. Heh.



Cross-posted to weddingplans

My flist is chock-full of politics today. Interesting reading. I doubt I have much to add at this point; most of y'all know me for the bleeding heart liberal that I am. So, instead, I will offer something to make people smile:

Boobquake

For the link-phobic, here's the gist: some daffy Iranian cleric named Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi has declared that one of the many evils caused by women wearing "revealing clothing" is--get this--earthquakes. So this Monday, April 26th, a lady named Jennifer McCreight is organizing the women of the Western world to wear the most revealing outfit they have in a scientific test to see if it's true.

I'm in.


Cleavage, ahoy!

Yahoo has them again, in case folks hadn't noticed. And I really need to stop reading them, because the crazed religious lunatic fringe has quite the presence.

I do, however, love how often they bring up Sodom and Gomorrah as a Biblical reference to Teh Badness of Teh Gays. To hell with all the possible translational meanings that scholars love to argue, I just can't wrap my brain around the simple fact that the protagonist/hero of the piece offered up his own daughters to be gang-raped. We're supposed to take this story as a morality teaching in which G-d's supposed benchmark "Righteous Man" is the sort of monster that'd give his daughters over for sexual assault?

Fuck that noise, I'm staying Pagan.

This is the single greatest response to the Westboro Baptist Phelpses in the history of EVER:

http://laughingsquid.com/san-franciscos-answer-to-westboro-baptist-church/

There are photos! And video! It's pure genius!

To The Writers of Viruses, Trojans, and Other Malware:

Thank you oooh-so much for the amazing clutter of crap that has somehow managed to descend upon my PC, despite the plethora of antivirus and antispyware software I run. Particularly the authors of Alureon and Packed.Win32.Krap.x -- you guys have truly managed a wonder of impossible-to-remove horseshit. Please accept my invitation to visit a local coffee house with me, where I might apply their finest, most scalding brew to your face and genitals.

No, really. After your hard work in fucking my machine, you deserve it.

Sincerely,

Me.


P.S. -- Was it one of you lads who managed to render my computer incapable of starting up in Safe Mode now? If so, please allow me to add a hearty, "Fuck. You. Fuck you sideways in the ear."

This should not exist.


That said, take the time to look through the customer-submitted photos; they're well worth it. The reviews, as well, are freakin' hilarious. :)

After the horror of yesterday's undead white-tailed reindeer, I thought perhaps I should post something cute. So, from icanhascheezburger, I bring you.....





Doodlebobbers! It's my new favorite word!

I looked at this, and said to J:

Oh my gods that's horrible. I MUST SHARE IT.

Gakked from ruisseau

I'm passing this on because this girl seriously rocks. I wanna be her science geek groupie.




And indeed, the boycott is silly. What I'd like to do is show up somewhere they're going to be giving out the free books, take one, calmly flip through to the end of the 50-page introduction, and tear it out. With a polite smile, hand that part back and say, "Here, I don't need the dithering nonsense bit. Just the good stuff."

It's cute! It's cuddly! It's chock full of innuendo!