So I'm really annoyed that my camera is broken, because I spent the bank holiday weekend making stuff and now I want to post pictures of the stuff I made so that everyone can tell me how awesome I am.

How is everyone, anyway? (Me, I am sleepy, too hot, way too excited about rs_games, and happily avoiding doing all the stuff I should be doing. This will prove to be a bad decision.)

This'll have to do. If all else fails, appropriate icon is appropriate.

"By the way, Harry, now that I'm utterly dead, it seems a good time to tell you that I was quite the arse-bandit in my youth. Do stop feeling compassion for that wretched flayed child under your seat." - air_and_angels, here

So there's this line in The Princess Bride about how death cannot stop true love. That's true, I guess, but what's even more true is this: even death cannot get in the way of the unstoppable force that is ( Dumbledore's Final Thought! )

I am! I'm alive! And awake!

I got my assignment done! I was surprised. It isn't very good but I don't care, as long as I average over 40% I pass the course and that's what matters. Another success: I passed my probationary period for the new job. Since then I haven't done any actual work (it's a choose your own hours thing) but I'm in, which is the main thing.

So. Sorry for the recent lack of posting, and specifically no new Uberwank for like two weeks or something. Chapter 35 is almost done, but I'm not happy with it - I dunno why, it just feels kind of clumsy and not right. Having spent the last couple of weeks madly thinking about stuff, my brain has melted and I'm finding it difficult to focus - for example, this morning I woke up with what seemed to be a very interesting and coherent thought in my head about the ways authors can present gay characters without being all "OMG LOOK IT'S A GAY AREN'T I INCLUSIVE", which seemed like it would be a very important tangent to go off on in the chapter. At one point it even featured a comparison between Dumbledore and Utahraptor from Dinosaur Comics. Of course, by the time I tried to write it down I realised that it made little sense and that things that appear to me in dreams, FFS, are not necessarily interesting to anyone else. But, anyway, I'm hoping to get it finished and posted in the next day or two. Yes.

Argh, and now I'm shoegazing.

In the meantime, here are two things which I can categorically state are awesome:

1. This book. New HDM was always going to be good, but - well, I'm not going to give out the details, but I will state that Lee Scoresby is made of win.

2. I went to the Tate Modern the other week and saw the Duchamp, Man Ray and Picabia exhibition. Now, I know pretty much fuck all about art, but it was really cool anyway - it focused on the lives of the artists and their relationships with each other, etc as well as the art itself, which was cool. However, because I am incredibly shallow and have little understanding of high culture, the highlight of the exhibition, for me, was buying this supercool articulated brooch. I want to start dressing steampunk, just based on this one item. I'm so fickle.

Finally, this deserves pimping: Underfire Comics presents Rock Night. New collaborative graphic novel, exploring how Brighton would react on its last day on Earth. Features all your favourite Brighton archetypes, the Palace Pier on fire, a bag full of knives and a bin being thrown through the window of an organic wholefoods shop. (OK, I'm biased as evil_underlord is one of several mad geniuses behind this, but it's excellent anyway.)

I think that's everything. Proper non-rambling post soon.

I just spilled my coffee and almost cried. I am seriously losing it now.

My essay is not finished. The due date is this Friday. Once it is done, normal posting and uberwank and stuff will resume. Until then, I'll be over here in this dark corner, scowling at people who look like they're having too much fun, trembling slightly, befriending shadows, declaring myself king, etc.

1. So. I have this new job. Actually, scratch that, that implies I don't have the old one any more. I have a second job. I'm still in probation, but if I pass that I'll be a proper employee by the end of the week. I also have an assignment due, 2250 words, end of next week. It is on a topic I know nothing about and have no idea how to address. I think I may have taken on too much. :-/

2. To celebrate the fact that I shall soon go mad, I drew some pencil drawings of dudes kissing each other. I like them and had fun drawing them, but they are nowhere near the standard of anything that shows up on my f-list. Still. They were fun to do. I might post them if I get drunk feel brave enough. :-/

3. Season 2 of Heroes starts here soon, so I am told, so be warned there may be fangirling. Ignore at your leisure.

4. Uberwank tomorrow, I hope. There are a couple of gags that may cross a line and I'm still undecided about whether they should go in. LET ME TELL YOU INTERNETS I AM SUFFER FOR MY ART.

5. I ran out of numbered points, so I am going to bed to re-read Slaughterhouse Five.

Chapter summary:


( Severus ex machina )

This one isn't a rickroll.

THE EMPEROR: Rise, my friend.
DARTH VADER: The Death Star will be completed on schedule.
THE EMPEROR: You've done well, Lord Vader. And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker.
DARTH VADER: Yes, my Master.
THE EMPEROR: Patience, my friend. In time, he will seek you out, and when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force.
DARTH VADER: As you wish.
THE EMPEROR: Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.

- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

( Fred's dead, baby. Fred's dead. )

( Draco gets punched )

ETA: Old meme is old. Expect the real chapter 32 tomorrow, possibly the day after. :)

As I touched upon in my fanwank over Chapter 29 of Harry Potter and the Extended Camping Holiday, one of the most unsettling moments in that book comes when Ginny Weasley literally rips Cho Chang apart using only her teeth and face. nk_aoede has illustrated that scene here in a most spectacular way. ♥

Fun fact: if you collect enough Cho Souls, you get a really underwhelming prize.

It's been snowing here today, which is weird. Now it is sunny and hot, which is also weird.

I can explain the delay on this in a single word: "essay".

( It's the V to the A to the D-E-R! Reconstructing the Death Star! With my slick suede suit that's black like tar! Fucking you up no matter who you are! )

So... in the light of the cancellation of basic accounts and, now, the removal of terms like "yaoi" and "depression" and "bisexuality" from the popular interests database... is anyone else thinking of jumping ship?

It's just, I realised today that I don't feel safe and comfortable on LJ the way that I used to. Additionally, one of my reasons for not joining Insanejournal has been that, frankly, it is fucking ugly - but if LJ is going to be covered in ads now, what's stopping us going?

*Sigh* I don't know if I will actually leave, yet, but I may set myself up an IJ and start mirroring my posts, just in case. This thing with the interests has got me particularly worried. :-/

Sorry to wangst - I suspect I am panicking. I'll be interested to see how this one develops, though.

ETA: http://fera-festiva.insanejournal.com . This is still my main journal, but I'll be mirroring everything I post and gradually backing up my past entries as well, just as a precaution. If you've got an account there, let's be friends!

Movie quote meme, via o_deanna who posted it like a million years ago only I didn't get around to posting it before because I procrastinate even when it comes to procrastinating. (Also, I cheated - some of my favourite movies have no IMDB quotes page so I had to look quotes up elsewhere.)

1. Pick 15 of your favourite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Fill in the film title once it's guessed.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.

( In ancient times... )