elanya

I finished the first story for my fan_flashworks bingo card! And I posted to the community for the first time in... let's just say a while.

It's here if you're curious - it's a story about butts. Well, okay, maybe just one...

Now, I think, a shower, and maybe early bed.

Hello internets! I live!

I was going to just pop in to do an update about how Jukebox went (wonderfully), but I realized I probably have other things to day as well.

But I'll start with jukebox. I got THREE GIFTS :D And all were really excellent and well tailored to my likes and interests :3 Two written pieces and one art (by someone who I think must have done art for literally everyone who asked for it, not near enough o_O).

In no particular order (they really are all excellent):
Two Point Five Megabytes Across A Quarter Million Miles (617 words) by AlexSeanchai
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: 250000 Miles - Patty Griffin (Song)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Near Future, Science Fiction, Implied/Referenced Homophobia
Summary:

SEEKING ADVENTURE? ROMANCE? THE GREAT UNKNOWN?

The American Tau Ceti Company seeks venturers to Lán Hǎi!

The Kǎilíng sets sail from East Tsukishi Port on 30 June 2047—be aboard!

This has Complicated Family stuff that is both painful and liberating. I really enjoyed the perspectives offered in the two chapters, though my sympathy lies with the second.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (6 words) by AlTheAlchemist
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Culling of the Fold - The Decemberists (Song)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Additional Tags: Blood, Art
I just love this. Best title. Whelp, someone's got to do it :x

His White Hause-Bane (2369 words) by Edonohana
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Twa Corbies (Traditional Song)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Summary:

I rode to the castle, thinking to ask for directions to put me on my way and hoping for an invitation to dine with the lord and spend the night, for the day was very cold. Perhaps it was my hopeful thoughts of mead and hot meat that distracted me, or perhaps it was something else. But I had dismounted before I realized that there was something strange about the place, and was almost at the doors before I knew what it was.

There was nothing else in sight. No other homes, no fields, no orchards. Nothing but the castle, rising from the mud like a great white tooth.

This is just a really wonderful take on the song, and a nice creepy faery tale to boot.

As for things I wrote, one full length fic for my assignment, and then three drabbles as treats, both of which seem better received. Such is a writer's life!

Traps for Troubadours (3459 words) by Measured_Words
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones (Song)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Original Characters
Additional Tags: Music, Musicians, Band Break Up, Partying, Crossroads Deals & Demons
Summary:

We have a chance to make it big.

"What will you do to make it happen?" Kana asks me.

I don't think she's going to like the answer.

Crusade (100 words) by Precisely_Measured_Words
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Blood Under the Bridge - Frightened Rabbit (Song)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Original Characters
Additional Tags: Trauma, Crusades, Drabble, Good versus Evil
Summary:

Empathy can be a fleeting thing, and comfort hard to find.

Undermine (100 words) by Precisely_Measured_Words
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Build That Wall (Zia's Theme) - Darren Korb (Song)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Original Characters
Additional Tags: Insurrection, Conspiracy, Construction, Drabble
Summary:

There's more than one way around a barrier.

Vows (100 words) by Precisely_Measured_Words
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Rusalka Rusalka / Wild Rushes - The Decemberists (Song)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Original Male Character/Rusalka
Characters: Original Male Character(s), Rusalka (Rusalka Rusalka)
Additional Tags: Marriage, Sea Monsters, Regret, Curses, Horror, Drabble, Canonical Character Death
Summary:

To have and to hold...

As for other things to natter about... I finished a couple of pairs of socks a few weeks ago, and now have only one real project on the go. I started some handwarmers at larp but I was doing them on the fly and don't really know if I want to finish them or not. I've been reading on the bus, too, so I haven't really started anything new, just working on the one shawl. I did start a new long-term weaving project, which someday will be a scrap blanket. I wove one strip basically in an afternoon after I got the loom warped, but what will take longer is amassing the scraps! Gotta knit more socks I guess, oh well :V

Speaking of things ending, Diablotin 3, which we started playing in October 2014, ended last Sunday. I'm gonna miss it for sure, though there has been some talk of another game to replace it, and the eventuality of Diablotin 4 in another year or so, or in a few years... we;ll see :3 Meanwhile I still have Fuck Squad and YOAW and Larp! SO basically I ca't really complain even though I haven't really quite accepted that its done ;_; My Character had a pretty good ending - she got married, she works for the emperor, and she got to take down the final boss with a ridiculous amount of damage. She's got a better relationship with her family, who are all themselves doing better, with the exception of her sister who got stuck as the guardian to a semi-sentient extra-dimensional gate. But it's only for a few years, and we can visit :3 It was at least a good and satisfying ending, if it had to end ;_;

I feel like I had other nattering to do but I can't remember what, and I wanted to start working on my fic for the Throk Zine (Scorpius!), so I think I might go grab a snack and do that.

Remember when I used to scramble last minute before midnight to try and make a daily post? Let's try something like that because I feel out of touch.

Work is entering a phase of being bananas that is likely to last quite a long time. We just got in a collection of about 2000 boxes (may not refer to actual boxes), many of which need to be repackaged/rehoused pronto, including/especially some of the boxes that didn't quite make it through the move. Amazingly, the move was finished before about 3:00 today, having started at 8:30. I actually had the easy part, overseeing things leaving the other facility, as opposed to the stuff coming in on our side. But everything about the collections is My Job, or my job to organize (I don't have to physically do it, thank goodness), and that's on top of my regular work. Fortunately I seem to have a decent amount of help at the moment! but there a bunch of other stuff going down along side it too that makes it all extra cray cray.

I went to a Pi Day Pie Party tonight! I made my poison pie (chocolate almond cayenne), which I managed to make totally gluten free! I made an almond flour crust which turned out really nicely, and I subbed 2 tbsp of cornstarch for the flour in the filling, and used a non-glutenous chocolate. A piece was saved for someone who wasn't able to make it and I hope it doesn't kill her! It needed more cayenne, though :(

What else what else... Games continue to all be awesome! I have been reposting my GM's game writeups on my tumblr for pathfinder under "the fuck squad" as a tag. My other games are all online text ones and the logs are on the rocksfall wiki. The sessions are all broken up into scenes and there are summaries for each, if ever anyone was curious.

I've been having issues with my hands lately so I haven't been doing too much crafting. I did a little weaving to use up some stash yarn and made a dish towel and cloth, but they wound up narrow. I've been working on the same pair of basic socks for ages because I keep having to take breaks. And I'm still working on Skara Brae... But it is coming along pretty well now that I am giving it attention again! And I'm just about to start the gusset on my second sock, so really they are almost done. I already have a next sock pattern lined up too...

I think that's basically my life? It is march break and Wererogue's mum is up visiting for a few weeks so I am having to adjust to having an extra person around, though she is't staying with us. I mostly see her in the evenings. I think Longpig is pretty thoroughly DONE though. Two more days - you can make it!

Hi!

I'm here. I think I decided to stop even pretending to try to do daily entries as a new year's resolution. It had an....okay? run? I'm not sure if it was a practice that was helpful to me, or much interesting to anyone else. So I'm going to try making less frequent but maybe longer entries instead.

Life continues. The 3d printer is broken again, and I need to chase down the company to send me the parts. My work is merging with the museum next door, which was always the long term plan, except now it is also the short term plan (supposed to happen in May?), so that's chaotic.

I got to see The Shape of Wazter when Nary came down last weekend, as she was gracefully to drive us to Waterloo to see it It's in a limited release for some dumb reason. I enjoyed it - it was very del Torro.

Other than that, gamong and snow are the things that are defining my life. I'm in three games right now and they've all been really engaging lately.

In Diablotin, we've got to the collapsing pocket dream dimension to rescue a pair of princesses. My character got to play dumb and interrogate a litch that everyone else was too terrified of. I mean, she was also terrified but he probably just thought that was an appropriate reaction. He gave her money because, in the words of the GM he "assumed she was probably a poor" :V. Character here is Denise Murodea, a 17 year old brawler girl who works for a mobster who wound o married to the new Empress. She's fearless and punchy and loyal as hell.

In The Fuck Squad, which is my local Pathfinder game, we just had our big boss battle against an evil god - end of the first story arc, basically. We defeated the god's host, though Longpig's character nearly died (he took a Slay Living and was literally the only party member who could have done so). Then we learned that the mongrelman we'd rescued was really the missing prince, and he took his place in the kingdom. than the shifty amoral elven sorceress tried to roofie him with a love potion, failed, seduced him anyway, and is trying to sleep her way into the position of Queen Consort. I guess we'll see how that goes! Also we got a cool golden skeleton construct arm for the party bard, who has been one armed since the first adventure, thanks to said evil god. It was a great and tense and very fun session, and I look forward to more with out terrible party. Character here is Rhonia, a half-Orc Oracle of the Bones with the wasting curse. She basically wants to nap all the time and eat snacks and if netflix was a thing she'd be all over that. She's very gullible and well meaning, and very much a follower.

The third game is still in its infancy, but I have now actually met and talked to all the other PCs! My character there is a hobgoblin who is basically the brand new religious leader/shaman type (Gaath) for his tribe. Before the start of the game, they were involved in a big fight in which the previous leadership was betrayed and died, so it's him, and a new battle leader, trying to keep things together and end their enemies. The game is basically a bunch of different factions trying to preserve this one little town and surrounding area (where the hobgoblins are) as the world descends into chaos following the fall of a major world power. Last game was a big party hosted by the hobgoblins to celebrate a recent victory by joint forces (but mostly us). I got to do a ritual sacrifice! My dude, Hrieffen Eryvet Korivan (tribe, clan, personal name) has a dragonmark that represents his connection to the ancestors, which basically are voices constantly whispering in his head. He's only had that for a few weeks, so it's an adjustment! He's very serious and has a hard time concentrating on things these days, unless it is something magical. Also he's a cannibal! They practice ritual endocannibalism, so he eats the hearts of other tribespeople that die so that their connection to the tribe can be preserved after death.

-Games have been super great! I would do a write up of last sessions' Diablotin if I had time :p
-Voltron Season 4 was also great!
-Work has been crap!
-I am slowly formulating ideas for my yulefic!
-I am full of brownies and cheese. so so so full.


That is all, I am up too late, but at least you get this Lucky you?

So this was a larp weekend, and it was completely rad! I spend an hour yesterday crying alone in a cabin I had locked everyone else out of - good times! NO really though, I eman it. I got caught up with a random magical effect that made me think that another character was my dead husband, and then I was SUPER UPSET with him that he hadn't told me he was alive and had just been hanging out workign for one of my in game friends - so of course I was mad at her too :V And other people thought that I thought that I was married to the other character (who is a very orcish orc). After I explained why it was creepy that he wanted to have sex with me when I thought he was somebody else, he later came and apologized for it, which was surprising and awesome too (also all in character orcs aren't generally super discriminating about who they sleep with when the opportunity arises). It was super great RP all around. And that was only one part of my game weekend! I did a sper fun mod and some other character driven RP and I don't think I touched the 'main plot' all weekend.

Today we gave a tour at work for the Archaeological Conservancy of America, which was busy but I think went really well! They all seemed super pleased, even though they were late and we consequently went overtime. I had some transit shenanigans and I wound up getting a drive home from a neighbour, which was very nice of her. And tonight I got to do a solo scene for Diablotin, which is nice because we missed game today and last week. So all in all a great weekend :) And I'm at he stage of the shawl I've been workign on t larp where it is so close to done I can taste it, so I am going to finish it up tonight or maybe tomorrow. And then I'll need another game project...

Well it isn't *midnight* yet so I guess that's not a total backslide :P

Nug party was today. Other than than, Diablotin! Which was a good session even if it was a bit temporally scattered since not everyone (including me) could make the regular time. Party was good - Nugsy had a great time and really that's the most important. The weather was pretty much perfect! And we have So Much Cake left over @_@

I watched all the Star Wars Whatsists of Destiny shorts tonight with Nary, but really it just made me want mooooooar! I'm sad that this will be the last season of Rebels :( But at least new movies will be out soon?

I think that's all I've got. I need to go shower (for really really real this time) and go to bed. At least I eventually remembered to take care of the kitty (food + box cleaning)...

Today has been overall pretty chill. Things that were bugging me yesterday seem at least less pressing, even if they aren't at all resolved. I had Diablotin (yaaaay!), and I did some knitting, both during and after game. If I'd really pressed, I probably could have finished the chart I'm working on. Other than that, I did a few minor house things, chatted with folks, and that was about it? I may regret not doing laundry this weekend, but I don't think I actually have that much at the moment. I thought about doing some dyeing but it takes up a lot of space :| On the other hand I really want to finish mordanting my stuff so I can use that cherry bark! maybe.... Tuesday? The other thing I talked about doing and then did not at all accomplish was cutting Jola's toenails. Also I need to make her an appointment. Wednesday?

Tuesday I have that course, and otherwise I'm not sure what I'm doing at work next week... but I'm sure something will come up!

I had a dream last night, though I don't remember it super clearly and it was not to begin with super linear. I may not even be remembering them in order - I am not super sure whether the UART or the home bits came first. It involved a few different elements:

UART:
I was working at A&M for a different museum there. We were having a staff meeting. One of the other women was trying to track down record for an old purchase. They'd bought a bunch of prints for resale, I think, and were trying to find out details, because some information that was now relevant was missing. I suggested talking to Cathy, my old boss, while I was thinking (but not saying) that we really ought to be part of UART. Cathy had been here long enough to remember that time and might know something about it, I suggested. The woman was ambivalent.

I later ran into Cathy in the hall. She was dressed sort of like McGonagal from the movies minus the witch hat. She initially seemed pleased to find out I was working there again, but then we talked about my citizenship. We talked about how expensive it had been to hire me as a Canadian, but I hadn't had to pay for it. Now I was a dual citizen (I'm not). She was mad at me for a: not having to pay and b: not having to choose. It came out that she had been forced to choose.

Home:
I was still living with Wererogue and Longpig and the kids, but we were in Moncton, in my maternal grandparents' old neighborhood, and kind of in their old house. It was late winter/early spring, and not too much snow left on the ground. I'd gone with were rogue to pick up the kids from school, which was down the road and around the corner by the park. We looked back and they were gone - we found them Krazy Karpeting down a very small hill. Wererogue told them that he was disappointed they hadn't listened, and that he had been planning to take them sledding on a bigger hill, but now they weren't going to be able to do that. They could go home or keep sledding where they were (it was a really tiny tiny hill, not even snow bank size). They were disappointed. At some point, Longpig managed to set the Karpet on fire from friction because there wasn't enough snow?

When I got home, there was a package. I didn't know what it was, but was told it might be Longpig's possum. Apparently the oven might have been leaking some kind of poison gas, and the way to tell was to keep a small possum in there and monitor it. To do so you should wear full surgical gear made out of maple (??). The possum had died.

Diablotin Jedi:
So I was also Denise, my Diablotin character, and she was a Jedi Padawan. Ander, her mobster-mentor in the game, was her Master. This connected to the earlier fragments in a few ways: when forced to choose earlier, I'd decided that the most important part of my identity was Rat, which is the House that Denise and Ander both belong to. We were dealing with these glass necklaces/fragments that had been part of that purchase where the records were missing. The glass was green with some purple, kind of like fluoride in mineral form. It had words impressed into some of the fragments, but either they weren't actually legible or I just don't remember them at all.

Ander was looking into one of these, and he had found out something, but wouldn't tell me because it was too dangerous. Possibly this related to some cryptic stuff Cathy told me as well? Something about this cause him to die in my arms, and it was very sad. It also somehow related to the possum, if only metaphorically? I don't remember/can't make sense of it now.

I managed to chase down the people who were dealing in this glass to The Docks (What docks? Who even knows, it was very generic). I had a fight with one dude, who had some kind of light saber whip. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Clone Wars vintage) showed up and helped me fight, also telling me that I shouldn't be there, that I didn't understand, that I would get myself killed, and so on. I was all 'but they killed my master!' of course, because Denise really would be a terrible Jedi. We (I) managed to beat the first guy.

The second guy ether ate or absorbed one of these pieces of ...ghost glass? it gave him glowing green wings. He gloated that we couldn't really defeat him. The first guy, who I had very throughly light-sabered, also started glowing green around his chest (the wound? I'm not sure now), and coming back to life.

Then I woke up and I don't know at all how anything resolved! Very frustrating!

Overall, I slept for crap and my back was killing me all night :/

Today was the first session of Diablotin since Cat died. We didn't think it was right to ust end the game, but we talked about how to handle his character. it was ore informal and low pressure than most of out sessions (though a lot of work for our GM, for various reasons). It went okay. I didn't find for myself that it was worse than any of the other holes he's left behind. I still haven't gotten his dice script working, which makes me sad, but we have an interim one, at least. It is not as useful for various reasons, but it should help me get a better idea of what I need to fix in his.

Other than that, I've started a new shawl, which is coming along. My shoulder and hands are sore though so I may need a knitting break for a few days. Fortunatley I have a lot of other things to work on... But now, bed.