Um, right, not much to say, but I wanted everyone to know I'm back, have been for...a week... two weeks... some amount of time. Just been unreasonably busy >.> Wanted to upload some collage stuff and ATCs, but my scanner is ridiculously unmanageable. Also wanted to upload some plushie photos, but I fail terribly at taking them and I haven't had the time to try setting up some sort of decent photoshoot... Well, hopefully I'll be able to post something soon.
So uh, I guess I can also share my highlight of this week: I MADE SOUP. I made it myself, and it tastes delicious. This is important (and amazing, really) because I suck at cooking. Like, really badly. I normally don't enjoy trying to cook at all, and my finished product tastes mediocre at best. So I'm very, very proud of this. Okay, think that's all for now...

(I miss coming on dA often ;_; )

No internet connection for the next week, unfortunately . I should be having a grand time, though!
'See' you all soon!

Oh, and happy St. Patty's Day!

I just wanted to see what the hype was all about, but I'm enjoying it a lot so far! It's like a bunch of pointless sites rolled into one fun, easy to use, only semi-pointless site. I like it.
My tumblr is [link] for those of you who might be intersted . Feel free to share your tumblr with me as well, I'll be sure to check it out

So Iv'e been watching a lot of Supernatural lately. (Speaking of which, an alot of Supernatural would be pretty cool... [link]). When I find a show that I like, I have a habit of eating through the entire series as quickly as is (un)reasonably possible . So I've been watching SPN, and it's all full of angels and demons and Christian mythology, and that's renewed my interest in last year's NaNovel, big time. I've been reading the Bible (Revelations, man, that is some...really, really weird stuff let me tell you) and researching it again, and I keep thinking up all these ideas and I feel as if I just have to work on Soul /right now/. Of course one problem with this is that I don't really have the time and focus to be working on any novel right now, what with sewing myself silly prepping for an upcoming craft fair and trying to make a crapload of Christmas presents, but the even bigger problem is that I'm working on my Arthurian retelling now. I was immersing myself in Arthurian literature, thinking about the plot and characters all the time and writing non-stop all through November, and now as soon as the month ends I get myself sucked back into a project I'd given up on. Which is great, it's awesome that I have the inspiration and drive to work on it again, but...but...but...
So that's why sometimes inspiration kind of sucks a bit

NaNoWriMo 2010: complete. Word count: 50,422

Leaving for a week long trip tomorrow morning. I'll be taking a train! Cool stuff, never really been on a train before . I'll ramble about my NaNo experience when I get back home!

Well, over a week into the month and here's my first update on the progress of my novel! Life has been very busy and I've had to deal with quite a few real world problems that have impeded the speed and creativity of my writing, but despite that I've been keeping up a decent word count. (I'm a couple thousand behind, but I'm catching up bit by bit!) The novel itself has also been a bit of a struggle on the creative front at times, partly because of a lack of energy and focus on some days (thanks to that pesky old real life again), but I think things are moving in the right direction.
A few days ago I finally accepted the fact that it was okay that I didn't have a plan and that I could continue to decide what scene I was going to write next as I started to type it. Sure, that makes for some scenes that are irrelevant or go off in a direction that I don't like, but what is the post-November re-write for if not to correct plenty of mistakes and cut out lots of crap?
I've also known this other fact from the start, but today I finally came to really believe that my hectic November writing doesn't have to be epic. It doesn't have to be serious or awe-inspiring or amazing. In fact, I have to admit that this first draft definitely won't be any of those things. Hopefully I'll write some epic moments and have some awesome parts, but even if I don't that's still okay. I don't have to attempt to write earth shattering material or to write it in some new and earth shattering style. I just have to relax, stop worrying and let the emotions and motivations of my main character guide my story.

I think I'm finally starting to have some fun with my novel. (I wish I'd started to do that before day nine, but what can you do ...)

So far Merlin's given king Vortigen an epic prophecy involving dragons (prologue/pre-Moordred story FTW ); Moordred has left Orkney for Camelot (in an epic way), arrived at Camelot (in a depressingly bland and disjointed way), and become a knight of the Round Table (in a very epic way); Aggravain has been introduced, which is good, because I do quite like my Aggravain; Excalibur has entered the story; and Moordred is already thinking a lot about politics and planning ahead a lot more than is healthy for a young man of his age. I'm having fun trying to make Merlin enigmatic (even though I feel that I'm failing a bit), and I'm already having fun with Aggravain's dry sarcasm even though he's only been (briefly) in two scenes. I like writing Gawain and I think he'll be awesome for my plot, and I had a great revelation about Guinevere and what part she'll play in the story. I'm looking forward to writing Morgan le Fay, and I'm not even worrying about when and how I'll introduce her into the story! So far the least consistent parts of my novel are constant changes in the way I spell the names of the characters, and this makes me very happy since last year consistency was a strange and elusive thing that rarely entered my novel -_-' .
All in all, I think it's going pretty well

So, any other NaNers out there who want to chat with me about noveling or maybe have a friendly word war? I'd love to hear from ya!

Also, anyone have any recommendations of great Arthurian literature, movies, songs, pictures, etc.? Send 'em my way, they'll surely inspire me!

Oh, and listen to the song the Islander by Nightwish. It's amazing The purely instrumental version conjures up wonderful images of stormy weather over the Orkney Isles for me...

And now back to novel writing... Go Naners go!

Hey there, everyone! I've been back from camp for nearly a week now, as some of you might have noticed, but I haven't felt in the mood for writing a journal since I got back. And now I do, so here it is

First things first: camp was spectacular. I'm so happy that I got myself a work trade so I could afford to go back this year... Of all the places I've gone to and communities I've seen and people I've met, that camp is without doubt the most full of acceptance, passion, honesty, fun and beauty. The only other place I feel as loved and accepted is within my own (wonderful) home.
At camp you can wear what you like, say what you like, be open about liking what you like, and not be judged badly for it. I make it one of my goals (and it's a goal I succeed at) to never to let the opinions or judgements of those around me make me act like someone I'm not or feel ashamed of myself and my choices. But at camp I don't feel as if I'm holding up under pressure to do so, it's just natural to be natural.
There's constant music, singing and strumming and drumming, and dancing and doodling and talking and cuddling. Physical contact is totally normal and acceptable, hugs are the most common form of greeting and massage circles and head scratches are prevalent. Conversations are wonderful and so are shared silences. Skills are shared and passions discussed and incredible connections made with people you hardly knew or didn't know at all when you arrived...

I could go on and on about camp all journal and for a few journals more, but I'm sure it'd get boring and overly sappy after a while (if doesn't seem that way already), so I'll move myself along now . Suffice it to say that hearing someone strumming on a ukulele or smelling leather (as in the trench coats some good friends wore ) makes me long for camp again...

In other news, for those that haven't noticed, it's fall! It's also already October, which I really hadn't noticed until it was blatantly pointed out to me... All this travelling has put me off my sense of time, that's for sure . Anyhow, I know some folks who are still missing summer, but personally I'm loving this season! The crisp air and the crunchy leaves on the ground, the way my face gets cold from taking a walk and I have to stuff my hands in my pockets to keep my figners warm, the wonderful wind and the way it gets dark early... Ahhhhh .
I found this lovely poem called Peaceful and Crimson that I'd like to share: [link] You can listen to that, and then go ahead and watch How to be Alone, a collaboration with the filmmaker Andrea Dorfman, if you haven't already seen it. It's a breathtaking little video...

I've also come to a decision about NaNoWriMo: I am definitely doing it. Somewhere along the way of worrying about my lack of a plan and my indecisiveness over what direction I was going to take my Arthurian retelling I lost sight of what NaNoWriMo's really all about: just writing. I don't have to achieve a masterpiece, I don't have to get something good on my first try, and heck, I don't even need to have a single good paragraph to take away when November ends. At the very least I'll have a bunch of experience and insight into novel writing, and if I really don't think any of what I've written is right for the finished novel, that means I'll have a better idea of what I want that finished novel to look like.
So I'm doing it, and I also think that some sort of solid idea on what I want to do with my retelling is finally settling down in my mind! I put a lot of thought into it, and read some more versions by other authors, and then I watched the movie Merlin again. It wasn't my first exposure to Arthurian lore when I saw it so many years ago, but it was the one that had most impact on me and sparked my intense fascination with the character of Mordred.
As the ending credits rolled, I think what I wanted my novel to be really solidified in my mind. I want to write a story that is magical and captivating, a story that leaves readers with a bittersweet ache in their heart when they finish and makes them want to go find another version to absorb themselves in so they can live the story all over again from another perspective. I want to retell the last great epic tale of magic and let that magic live on in the heart of the reader.

...I think I'm biting off way more than I can chew again...

I'm off to a wonderful, beautiful, magnificent camp! It should be awesome!

(Now go away, cold, don't you dare ruin my camp experience... OTL)

While I was away our hard disk started failing, so now someone is recovering files from it and I'm using my sister's computer. Since she likes to use her computer a lot, I probably won't be using it much, so don't expect too much activity from me for a little while

In news about the trip, it went very well! ~Idzie's speech was great, everyone loved it, and I had a nice time and met some nice new people there. The area was beautiful, there were frogs and grasshoppers and cool benches and torches leading to the fire pit and a stone labyrinth! And on the way home I saw this incredible double rainbow, two full arcs with full colour spectrums. Great stuff

I realized that I've been traveling a ton this past year, and traveled  a lot last year too. Since through most of my childhood travel with my family consisted of one week long trip to the same cottage every year, this whole roaming around all the time thing is pretty new to me! I like it . I like long car rides and meeting new people and seeing new places. It's only north american travel and nowhere that can't be reached by two days of driving, and I normally end up doing a lot more meeting new people than actually seeing the places, but it's still travel and still awesome

Anyhow, in this journal I also wanted to share this really beautiful poem that I love! I found it in an old book of Canadian writing I picked up at a bazaar last winter, and Seagulls by E. J. Pratt is one of my favourite poems now. Enjoy

For one carved moment as they flew,
The language had no simile -
Silver, crystal, ivory,
Were tarnished. Etched upon the horizon blue,
The frieze must go unchallenged, for the lift
And carriage of the wings would stain the drift
Of stars against a tropic indigo
Or dull the parable of snow.

Now settling one by one
Within green hollows or where curled
Crests caught the spectrum of the sun,
A thousand wings are furled.
No clay-born lilies of the world
Could blow as free
As those orchids of the sea.

Without internet for the next four days. Will be camping with other unschoolers, should be fun . My sister ~Idzie is doing a presentation, our fee for camping plus food costs are being covered thanks to that! Super cool stuff .
Anyway, I'll be back to dA before the week is out!

I love these little OC memes...

1. Fill up the blanks with your OCs, or favourite characters. Put their names by the numbers, too.
2. Answer the questions, or try to.
3. TAG 3 people.

1) Moordred
2) Sarsan
3) Kobi
4) Seth
5) Rym
6) Mertaryl
7) Aggravain (yes, I am doing serious work on my own Arthurian retelling now, including developing my own version of all the lovely characters!)



1. What if 7 and 4 kissed?
Aha, that'd be funny and pretty hot XD. It'd probably be Seth trying to mess with Aggravain . Handsome guy who's deadpan sarcastic, Seth'd like to try and stir him up XD... Aggravain'd probably be embarrassed but not overly upset, and then come back with a snarky remark .

2. Where would 2 bury a treasure?
Some place far from human buildings, randomly chosen with no particular significance to her. (Hiding stuff in places with some secret personal meaning is a surefire way to give hero types a way to find it...)

3. 3 and 7 get into a fight. Who resorts to violence first?
Aggravain. He's not quick to jump into the violence, but Kobi is the last person to resort to that. (Silly little empath )

4. 1 is kidnapped and their kidnapper demands a ransom of 1,000 dollars from 5. Do they help 1?
Well, there's no canon where Rym and Moordred even know each other, and if they did they definitely wouldn't get along. So I'm going to go with a no on this one XD

5. Who is stronger? 6 or 4?
Physically stronger? Definitely Seth. He's quite the powerhouse, top of the strength chart for all seven of these OCs. However, Mertaryl has a huge amount of magical power that surpasses Seth's, although she only knows how to access and use a fraction of it. So it sort of depends...

6. Who is 3's secret love?
Moordred is his not-so-secret love ... He did have a secret love once in the past, which ended very badly for him... (Worse for the secret lover, though; he wound up dead >.>).

7. Can 2 juggle?
I'd never even considered Sarsan juggling, since she's really not the juggling type, but she probably could if she tried. She's got some pro coordination and concentration skills.

8. 1 is asked on a date by their favourite actor/actress. Do they accept the date?
Ahaha, another thing I've never thought of, who would Moordred's favourite actor/actress be XD... Well, regardless of who that would be (which I'm now putting some serious thought into XD), the answer would depend on whether going on a date with them could potentially damage his reputation or cause any other foreseeable problems for him. And with Moordred doing anything with someone as high profile as that would have some set of potential problems that his paranoid mind could come up with, so if he didn't gain anything from it, no.

9. What is 5's biggest fear?
Hmm, I'm not sure... Probably dying young and alone in some dark alleyway without ever having a chance to do anything with his life. D:

10. A meteor is about to hit the planet, can 7, 2, and 4 stop it?
Nope. XP. If Moordred was trying to stop a meteor he could probably manage something (connections to scientists, weapons, and other magic users plus sheer intensity of his need to survive could be useful in these situations XD). But Aggravain, Sarsan and Seth could not. The Earth would die D:
Haha, three sarcastic blighters without too strong of a will to live, they'd be great to hang out with at the end of the world XD...

11. Is 4 single?
Pfft, not for more than a day he's not XP... He doesn't really do lasting relationships (three months is his record-_-), but he's a master of one night stands .

13. Does 1 wish this TAG was over?
Heh, probably XD. Moordred has no time or inclination for this sort of nonsense .

14. 6 and 7 are dancing to the waltz. 2 comes in and sees them dancing. 2's reaction?
Possibly a little bit surprised, but then probably thinking it was sort of cute. I could see Aggravain and Mer getting along, and I think if they were near the same age and within the same canon they'd probably enjoy flirting with each other ... Otherwise I could see Mer as being kind of a little sister figure to him :3

15. 2 and 4 go to the movies. What movie do they see?
Haha, Seth and Sarsan going to the movies together, they'd have to be pretty damn bored to do that XD... Sarsan finds most comedies obnoxious, most action films unrealistic and terribly boring, love stories ridiculous and annoying, and horror boring and pointless. Seth just goes to sees movies if he's on a date with some girl he wants to get into his bed .
Actually, the most likely scenario would be if they were tracking a target or meeting some shady underworld contact with a thing for cinema, in which case the movie they saw wouldn't really be their choice...

6. You are attacked by 1, 3, and 6. Can you survive?
Not a chance in hell orz. Well, it also depends on why they were attacking me... Mer has a conscience, and Kobi hates violence, so I might have a chance if they didn't all have a very good reason for attacking me .

17. What is 4's favourite colour?
Seth really doesn't care about colours. Maybe blue or brown if he were pressed to decide...? Or maybe green...

18. Can 7 sing?
I hadn't thought of it before, but you know what, yes, I think Aggravain /can/ sing.

19. A vampire bites 2. 4 sees this, what do they do?
Seth would kill the vampire, then check if Sarsan was all vampirey and if she still had a soul and suchlike. (Haha, obscure question gets short straightforward answer XD)

20. All the characters get into a battle Royal. Who will win?
Hmmm... Seth, and if it were a super crazy intense fight, probably Mer. (Extreme emotion and life threatening situations help to unlock her untapped power).

21. Well, now it's over! Tag 3 people!
Umm... I don't really like tagging people, I don't want to make anyone feel annoyed or obligated in any way >.> So, whoever wants to do this

I'm attending an unschooling convention in Boston, celebrating my birthday there with lots of friends, and it should really be a blast. 'See' you all again in a wekk!

Hey all! This is just a quick anime convention update before I start posting up pictures . (Yes, I know I'm already late with the picture posting, but I've been busy >.>).

I had a great time, and I was very happy with how my Sakuma Ryuichi cosplay turned out! I wish I'd had more time to work on the Kumagoro and on my North Italy cosplay, but everything still wound up passable, so that's okay ^^'. I didn't get many photos of myself anyway, so I'll try to at least make myself a white flag of surrender before I do an after con photoshoot .

Anyhow, the highlights of the weekend for me were getting to meet Aaron Dismuke, Caitlin Glass, and Vic Mignogna!! X3 I went to their Q&A panels (though unfortunately I missed one of Vic's where he apparently SANG ), I got their autographs, and I got to hug them :3. It was very very cool .

I met some new friends of friends and hung out with a fun bunch of people, and I got some nice merchandise while managing to keep my spending in check. Oh, and I saw *kaiser-mony! She's such a sweet, friendly person, it was really lovely getting to meet her . I bought this print [link] from her, which she signed for me! She had an incredible cosplay of France in that outfit! [link]

One down side to the convention this year was that it's gotten even larger and unfortunately less personal than last year. I thought Otakuthon growing would be a good thing, but both last year and this year the growth in numbers seemed to lead to more people just sticking to the little groups of friends they came with and less personal interaction between random people... Ah, well, hopefully next year will bring a better atmosphere ^^

Family vacation to a cottage on a lake in the wilderness. Should be fun, and I'm kind of looking forward to some time disconnected from the world since my life has been so busy lately... Yet at the same time, I have so much stuff to get done here that I don't know if I'll even be able to relax while away >.> I'm bringing supplies along to work on my cosplays, which are still not finished... OTL.

Anyhow, I will be out of communication for a week.

It is as the title says! I'm selling off some of my manga (as well as a couple of Western comics masquerading as manga) to make a bit more cash for my Japan trip, and I'm hoping some people here on dA might be interested in buying. Most of them are in completely new condition, read once and kept safely on a shelf, and some of them are in very-gently-used-but-not-quite-like-new condition. I'm selling all of them at half the cover price, plus you'd also have to pay the shipping (I can't really give an estimate on that, since it differs greatly depending on what area the recipient lives in). Prices are negotiable, and I might be interested in a manga trade if you have something I'd really like! (I know I shouldn't, since it's the money I need, but...trade is good, and...temptation >.>...)
If you think you might be interested, just drop me a note to discuss it!

(All of these are the first volume unless stated otherwise, and the price given is half of the original Canadian cover price)

The list so far:

Bizenghast by M. Alice LeGrow  6$
Hands Off! by Ryo Saenagi  
Hot Gimmick volume 3 by Miki Aihara  7$
FLCL by Gainax and Hajime Ueda  7$
Liling Po by Ako Yutenji  7$
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Ryo Saenagi  6$
Threads of Time by Mi Young Noh  5$
Wolverine: Prodigal Son by Antony Johnston and Wilson Tortosa  7$

I'll probably add some more to the list later, since I'm sure I have a few others I could bring myself to part with that are just slipping my mind right now... Also, if there's a particular title you're looking for, don't hesitate to ask about it! I might have it and be willing to give it up if I get a special request. (Just don't bother to ask about anything CLAMP-related; I love my CLAMP stuff to death and will keep them forever )

(I was going to put one of those optimistic emotes here, but I can't figure out what to type to get one... orz)

I'm home again, as you can all see. I had a wonderful time, but I don't really feel like going into the details right now. In relevant art related news from the trip, I made several ATCs, and as soon as my sister takes photos of those I'll post 'em up. I didn't write any poems, though... Likely because there was not a long car ride there and back. I do miss getting my long car ride ;_;...

Anyway, to continue on this art-related track, I've been writing a lot more lately then I ever used to. For a long time the extent of my writing was roleplaying. Sure, on rare occasion I'd write a smidgeon of something else, but that was pretty much it. When I think of how slowly I've improved over the years, it's really no wonder. Now I write stuff, random stuff, lots of random stuff!
Okay, so maybe lots is still a bit of an exaggeration, but write a whole lot more. I write random scenes with my OCs that comes to mind, or I look at some prompts to get inspired. And I've been trying new things and new styles, too! Six word stories, visual poetry, linked verse... I've been trying to just plain write more, even it's just a few measly lines or a really crappy rambly paragraph. Of course, editing a little bit would help me improve as well, and it would mean that some of the things I wrote would actually be up to standard for submitting here, but... One step at a time, I suppose. Finishing the random things I started would also be good...
Still, I'm writing more, which feels good and makes me want to write even more. Yay!

I haven't been creating as many artisan crafts lately... I've gotten caught up in things I have to make instead of letting myself work on lots of things I want to make. I'm having a lot of trouble wrapping up partially finished things, and I can't move on until I do...
I wish I could upload some of the stuff I have made (somewhat) recently here, but the USB cord for my camera is lost and my sister is refusing to take photos for me for some unknown reason. :. I know it soudns a bit silly, but a few words of encouragement from the online community would help get me back into gear. Oh well, looks like I'll have to manage to do that on my own this time...

Oh, show of hands! Who watches Doctor Who? I've been on a big spree lately, and I'm curious to know

Falling asleep at the keyboard now, so I'm off...

It seems I travel a lot now... I'm not complaining about that, though, not at all
This time I'm not going very far from home, but although I will have access to lots of awesome people I will not have access to the internet.

There's a whole crapload of stuff I've made and not uploaded any pictures of, but I'm working very hard to make my sister photograph them for me... I'm also planning on staying creative while I'm away, so expect lots of new stuff when I get back!

Today I learned that if you search 'llama' in Google, you will get a dA page on the twenty-seventh page of results, and it is the Llama Llama devWEAR page. I also learned that there is such a thing as a guard llama, a llama that protects herds of sheep or other livestock from predators. They'll chase off, kick at, and sometimes even kill predators, and they'll also herd the animals and lead them to safety!

I just wanted to share a few super awesome things with you guys!

First, you've all gotta check out this amazingly awesome photo-manip by the super-skilled *Valedhelven! It's a piece in her 100 Elves project, something I was lucky enough to be a part of!
[link]

Second, check out this awesome little stamp !stampz-r-4-licking made! She's been nice enough to take requests for tartan stamps from people, and this was one that I requested
[link]

Third, here are some awesome poems by my awesome sister ~Idzie! She doesn't post to dA that often, but I got her to put up some of the poetry she wrote on our trip to Gaspe so I could share it with my friends and watchers . (Her poems are so great, she makes me self conscious about posting my Gaspe travel poems XP...)
[link]

I have a headache, so I'm going to go crawl away again for now... Enjoy the awesome!