Ow.

I hurt.

Kendo practice was intense tonight. I mean that in a relative way, since the sempai were pretty "hey, whatevs," about it. They were just tougher on us new people.

So I now have a blister and no voice. Maybe I shouldn't have gone so nuts on the kiai with a sore throat...

Oh well. It's a good kind of hurt. I can see how I'll really look forward to having this on Friday nights in the future.

And fl0e ...you did fine.  Really.

I had a friend over in my room until just a little bit ago; I had previously told this friend that I had the whole Avatar series on my hard drive, and she wanted to reintroduce herself to it, so we watched the first episode together.

This friend is also an amazing artist, and as we were watching, she was just kind of sketching. She started out sketching Aang (I think), but partway in she erased the fine details and started drawing this tribal-looking girl.

Now I don't know if this happens for everyone who writes (although it seems like the kind of thing that would, for most if not all), but when I see a really good piece of art, be it of a character, location, or what have you, I want to know the story behind it. And this tribal girl sketch just set the cogs in my mind a-churning.

The sketch ended up including a wolf as a kind of familiar, and that added several more layers to my crazy brainstorm.

So, this is what I've got so far: Girl comes from a society where, at a young age, members of the tribe are tossed out into the wild and told to "survive," no more, no less. They're told to make nature their ally, not their enemy. What this means practically is that they end up bonding with a creature of the wood, who becomes their familiar. Child and creature are spiritually joined in a special ritual, and from there on the creature's growth literally reflects the growth of the person. Thus, taking the girl as an example, a wolf could become this huge, saber-toothed beast, a la the wolf gods from Princess Mononoke.

I think I'm going to play around in this world a little more. It's intriguing.

Does this kinda thing happen to anybody else? I'd love to hear some stuff people have thought up based on a picture or some such.

So...webcomics. Don't know if I've ever talked about them here.

While I've read/enjoyed quite a number of them (Order of the Stick, Looking for Group, Questionable Content, Honeydew Syndrome, El Goonish Shive, just to name a few), there's only one that I really follow. As in, first thing I do every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is read the new strip.

GUNNERKRIGG COURT.

I mean, really must recommend this comic to...basically everyone. It's just SO GOOD. The story is intriguing, the characters are awesome (like that smiling bastard up there), the art is GORGEOUS...I mean, it does that thing most webcomics do where the art gets better for about the first 150 strips and then settles into a consistent style, but even then...I MEAN SERIOUSLY. IS THIS NOT JUST BEAUTIFUL?

Anyway, yeah. Love Gunnerkrigg. Everyone should read it.

Is it bad that I read Coyote's lines in Bumi's voice? I even throw in little snorts when he laughs. God, I'm terrible.

I have the flu.















Goddammit.

I hurt, guys. Like, A LOT.

I'm limping because I have blisters on my left foot, both my arms feel all noodley and I can't hold heavy objects for long periods, and my knees are sore.

AND GODDAMN IS IT THE BEST FEELING EVER.

Kendo, you are my new favorite activity.

I mean, seriously. Being in the kendo club is like being in a fucking anime. There's the really friendly girl who's always happy to show you stuff, the two big dumb doofuses that are totally competant but are always getting yelled at, the aloof hardcore guy who's just asking to get knocked down a peg, and of course the super-serious but super-amazing team captain, who's a total badass.

I mean...there was one point where I kept screwing something up, a form that we were doing. The captain finally stepped in to work with me personally, and she starts off by coming right up to me and going, "Stop being sloppy! Never sacrifice technique for speed! You see this? This is a sword. It's meant to represent a real katana, a weapon that can kill you with one blow! Respect it! Now, I'm going to be your partner, and I better see your best! Again!"

I was cowering. And this girl is literally almost half my height. But you could tell, she just wanted you to be better.

I feel so...enriched. Like I really did something hardcore good for myself.

Next practice is on Friday. Can't fucking WAIT.

Tagged by the very cool lady_supernova .

List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
→ Tag seven people to do the same.
→ Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it."

1. I hate cold. HATE IT. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm a stick, and heat goes right through me. As a result, I despise winter and love summer, and I can go out in the middle of summer in pants and a sweatshirt and not sweat.

1a. I am also very pale, and sunburn very easily. However, I rarely wear sunscreen, preferring to wear long sleeves and pants if I'm going to be outside for a period of time.

2. My favorite weather is thunderstorms, specifically the period right before the heavens open it begins to pour. The juxtaposition of the bright green grass and trees and the dark sky, the smell, the humidity...it's beautiful.

3. I cannot sleep without some sort of white noise in the background. My favorite is a fan, although heavy rain also works. If said noise is absent, I will roll around awake for hours before I drop off. This has gotten to the point that I will want a fan on in my freezing cold bedroom in my house, even though it only makes it colder, because it's that necessary for me to sleep.

3a. I HATE snoring. If I hear you snore, I will kick you in the ribs and demand you go make stupid noises where I can't hear you.

4. I'm six feet, four inches tall.

5. It bothers me when I don't know the words to a cool song, even more so when I can't understand what they're saying. I will listen to a song ad nauseum until I can sing along with it.

6. There are many, many, many things that I wish I knew how to do (play the piano, hand sew, drive stick, and some form of martial arts, to name a few), but I am far too lazy to ever actually learn any of these things.

7. I lived in Baltimore until I was four, when we moved to Pennsylvania. My parents both lived in and around said city until we moved. Thus, although I grew up in rural suburbia, I am quite familiar with the city, and I honestly like the city better. I'll probably end up living in a big city when I get older.

I tag: juxtaposie , artemisrae , obstinate_fate , onee_omi , arthoniel , tehlobster , and luco_millian 

Torrenting has officially allowed me to rediscover my childhood. And I say that as someone who never really lost it in the first place.

First Digimon, and now...Captain Simian and the SPAAAAAAAACE MONKEEEEEEYYYYYYYYS!

XD.

Does anyone else remember that show? It was part of that wave of weird mid-nineties shows that all seemed to be merchandise driven, or seemed like they could be (Street Sharks anyone?).

But seriously, Captain Simian. You're like Han Solo and Mal Reynolds in a monkey suit. Not mention that every episode has a monkey-based pun on a famous sci-fi SOMETHING for the episode title, plus the dialogue is chock-full of shout outs.

And the theme song is AWESOME.

So, for those of you that don't know, Omegle is a site that lets you chat with a random stranger. It's totally anonymous, and, as a result, 99% of conversations are going to be someone soliciting you for sex or crack.

BUT.

Every so often, you get that one AMAZING convo that makes it all worth it.

I have had this convo.

And I SWEAR, IT WAS WITH ME. GUYS, I THINK I JUST TALKED TO MYSELF FROM THE FUTURE.

Seriously, it was a guy looking for a copy of Red/Blue/Yellow for his young son. HE'S TEACHING HIS KIDS ABOUT POKEMON. Not only that, but he's a huge con goer, and is planning on taking his kids when they get old enough. And WE REC'D ANIME SERIES TO ONE ANOTHER.

Can I just say that this man may have restored my faith in humanity? Or at least my faith that nerds do in fact stay nerds when they have families?

Mystery dude, you have a good life!

I don't know how this is gonna work out but hey, why not?

The first ten people to comment in this post get to request that I write a drabble of any pairing/character of their choosing. In return, they have to post this in their journal, regardless of their ability level. Some other equivalent gift, like icons or mini-fanmixes or quickie meta, would make sense for people who don't write fic themselves.

HIT ME!

JANUARY 19TH CANNOT GET HERE FAST ENOUGH.

I start classes again that day, meaning I get to start my SHINY NEW MAJOR!

Yeah, I went through with the plan I mentioned earlier, and I am now a Biology major/Geology minor. I am SO SUPER EXCITED to start learning. I've never actually had any formal academic experience with anything related to dinosaurs or paleontology, so this is kind of like a little childhood dream come true here.

I feel so much better about going to school now than I ever did as a music major. I was dreading going back on the nineteenth until I made this decision.

I'm not surprised, honestly. I've wanted to be a paleontologist since I was five years old. That's what I get for not trusting my gut. I mean, not trying to be pretentious, but I seriously have never met another person that had such a consistent career goal as I did (I say did 'cause I obviously wavered a little in my resolve).

Oh well. Fresh start and all that. I CAN'T WAIT!

Note to self:

NEVER STICK AUDIO CABLES INTO YOUR MOUTH. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SPEAKERS ARE PLUGGED IN.

NO, I DON'T CARE IF THE HUMAN BODY GIVES OFF ENOUGH RESIDUAL CHARGE TO MAKE THE SPEAKERS BUZZ.

DON'T DO IT!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go...do something. To my mouth. So it stops hurting.

I give you....ROXAS!

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr234/gema227/jace2.jpg

Isn't he just the cutest thing?!

Yeah, like it says. Happy New Year, folks.








It's fucking 2010. How did that happen?

So, I bought Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier today.

( Ramblings on a video game series you probably don't play. )

Whoa. I totally wrote a review there without meaning to.

I just finished downloading the first three seasons of Digimon. I should not have to tell you how much win this is.

*geeks out, but quietly, because the rest of the house is asleep*

Thanks to the super-duper awesome essbeejay , I now have a paid account! MORE USERPICS, HO (like the one above)! XD

Also, Christmas was amazing. Period.

Like it says in the header...merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and may God bless you.

I'm all about the family today...although right now I'm spending my iTunes gift cards while I wait for breakfast (Christmas pancakes OM NOM NOM NOM).

Edit: On the note of buying things on iTunes, anyone have any good suggestions? I tend to be into alt rock and indie, but I'll listen to just about anything once. (Just no country.)

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! Last month I committed genocide... Sorry about that, rawles (-5000 points). Last Friday I gave suddenchangeofh a kidney (1000 points). Last Sunday I pulled over and changed caseyvalhalla's flat tire (15 points). Last Tuesday I caught a purse-snatcher who stole luco_millian's purse (30 points). Last Wednesday I bought porn for lady_supernova (-10 points). Overall, I've been naughty (-3965 points). For Christmas I deserve a moldy sandwich! Sincerely, Aerodactylus

Write your letter to Santa! Enter your LJ username:

Clearly I am only capable of great good or great evil. I mean, genocide? Kidney donations? That's intense.

And Santa clearly doesn't have his priorities in order...buying porn is TOTALLY worth positive points! XD

Ah well...Merry Christmas, everyone! God Bless!

So, I don't know if I'm the only one this happens to or what, but do you ever just get in a mood where you're so frikkin' happy that you just can't help but sing?

I mean yeah, it's corny and cliche as all get out, but seriously...sometimes I'm just so happy that I have to pull up iTunes and spend ten minutes or so jamming to something.

I'm in that mood right now, and I am baffled as to why. I mean, I had a seriously shitty semester at school (I'm probably going to have to start my degree program over kind of shitty), and my girlfriend and I are going through...issues...but good God Almighty, I don't fuckin' care!

I am...SO HAPPY! I DON'T KNOW WHY! I THINK IT MIGHT BE THAT WHOLE CHRISTMAS THING. MAYBE? COULD BE. DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.

( HAVE SOME SONG LYRICS. )

AS A MATTER OF FACT, I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT WHEN I SING ALONG...WHY DO YOU ASK?

Saw tehlobster do this, and I figured I'd give it a shot, because I'm a shameless thief like that.

( My native Avatar nation behind the cut )

That was pretty much what I was expecting. Go Air Nomads! XD