Well, as you might have gathered I am living in the dorms. Sorta. It's community college, so the dorms are ... interesting. I have made friends, however, unlike my mother, I would invite none of the dorm people to my wedding.
( Don't think I'm friendless, )

Spoons tagged me. yey?

1- Post the rules.
2- Each tagged person must tell 8 things about themself.
3- At the end you must tag 8 people and put their icon in your journal.
4- Then go to their page and leave a comment saying you tagged them.
5- No tag backs.

1. I'm in college and typing this from the middle of the cafeteria. Butte is a Junior College/Community College. It's 2 years, I'm transferring, it's like college + high school, only not as cool as Chico High was.

2. I cannot live with people who are not near me in levels of intellect and like it. It took me all of two days to decide, YES, I could live with my best friend (previously it was thought we would kill each other in a week). Moreover, in an at of revenge I plan on having a live Christmas tree in the dorm. This tree will need to be smuggled in. At 3 am. Because there shouldn't be anyone asleep at that time.

3. I have a near phobia/extreme dislike of ants. I do not like them. We had an ant investation in the dorms. This lead to me going home for the weekend. (I found one or five on the bed, after that I knew that any little tickle would be an ant crawling on me and I would not sleep.)

4. On a more positive note, I am doing the art for a graphic novel that my new friend (from the honors program) has written. It is going well.

5. I am wearing a wicked awesome L shirt. I would take a picture but my camera broke.

6. I have plans to get my bellybutton pierced.

7. I do not want to get the Swine Flue vaccination because I think it involves a shot of something up my nose. Actually, the whole shot thing freaks me out. I do not like needles and nearly fainted/threw up last time I gave blood.

8. I have a rare blood type. AB+, the universal receiver. See how useless it is for me to give blood?

So yes, I'm in college. Not as fun as it could've been. Thank God for the honors program. I'm still running cross-country. Stupid Cupid is not dead. Playing With Fire lives on (and gets an epic pre-quel). And yeah. I live too.

So, I've covered Titles and Summaries so far. This next rant/blog/educational tool will cover something a little bit more abstract than those previous topics. Plot.

I consider plot to be the bones of the story. It is the skeleton on which the rest of the story is built upon. It is extrememly important. Without plot, your story is a useless pile of adjectives, nouns, and verbs arranged in various ways. ( Read more )

So,in my last post I mentioned titles but didn't go into depth.
Titles are relatively easy. However, some people will screw up anything. I'm not even kidding. This is probably because people seem to believe that fanfiction has nothing in common with the literary market. Wrong! Though you are not trying to get people to buy your books, you're trying to get readers. If you don't want readers (people who read your stuff) you would not be posting online. And we all like reviews, at least the nice ones. Good reviews come from happy readers. Happy readers read good writing.
Disclaimer: Your title (or something similar) may be mentioned. If it is mentioned favorably, smile. If your title (or something oddly similar) is ridiculed you might want to consider changing it. Realize that this is entirely my opinion and that I have high standards. Yes other readers will forgive you. But they're pity readers. They'll read anything due to fandom loyalty. However, they won't get angry if your quality of writing improves. No one gets angry when you go from writing crap to writing decent. Everyone is happy for you when you improve (especially here because no one's getting paid)

( Read More )

Alright, Rant Number One.
Summaries/Title.
This is arguably the most important part of fanfiction, assuming you want people to read your stuff. When I am browsing through the lists on Fanfiction.net I don't have time to click on every single story to see if I want to read it. I just don't and I don't really want to. Yes, I know it's your story. It's your baby, it's your brainchild. I don't care. You have 255 characters plus the title to sell me. The summary is a 255-letter sample of your writing from which I am going to judge your entire work. Unfair, yes. That's life. Here are some basic things to avoid while writing a summary.
( read more )

Okay so, I just bought the April Elle magazine. First off, props for Ralph Lauren. Black model in sophisticated clothing. Awesome. Normally, there's not a lot of black models out there, especially in stuff like Ralph Lauren or Michael Kors, the stuffy sometimes boring designers that I honestly don't get. I mean, ISN'T THAT ENOUGH KHAKI?? (My beef with Kors is such: on Project Runway he once chastised a contest for being to "safe", yet if you look at his collections, safe is what comes to mind. Shortly followed by "boring" and "Oh My GOD, ENOUGH WITH THE KHAKI ALREADY").
But yeah, black models. Yay!!
Then I saw the bright pink lipstick and congratulated myself on my fashion taste. (I own at least 3 very similar colors, I lost one, bought another, then another because I forgot I'd already gotten a replacement. But they were cheap. Like less than a dollar cheap)
( But anyways )

Lately people have been commenting on how brave I am. It has something to do with the fact that I have asked seven guys to various school dances (one said yes, and that was in freshman year) and have made plans to ask two others (who were suddenly unaviable before the implementation of the plans, otherwise I would've asked them).
I joke that the worst a guy can say is "no."
But I'm not brave.

( I'll tell you who is though )

Current Mood: uncomfortable

I read the series when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I liked it. And now, I'm reading it again. Only I've read Twilight and the reviews about how Bella has no flaws and she's a flat character. Well, now I'm applying my high standards to these books.
It's a series of eight books that takes place in another world (separated from ours due to a glacier, which folded the earth and blocked off Balinor from us. We're connected by a series of caves). The plot features an ultimate evil, Entia, The Shifter. At first, I was a bit sketchy on it. I didn't remember and wanted a tale about why the Shifter was evil and wondered if he was just confused or what. However, he's some sort of "demon or worse." He's taken over the kingdom, imprisioned the King and Queen, hidden the Princes, and caused Arianna, the Crown Princess, to lose her memory. Pretty basic stuff.
I realize that the books are written for pre-teen/early teen girls. The writing is very basic, yet the author (Mary Stanton) manages to work words like disimbursed into the mix. She also uses nor. The characters are also basic. Arianna doesn't really have any flaws that I've seen. She also has a variation of amnesia and is Royal which are two huge cliches. However, it's the type of character needed for that age group. It's a tough time and young children like to deal in absolutes.
But I'm not young. I'm 17 going on 18. But the point is, Arianna isn't annoying. I can relate to her. Even though she doesn't have specific flaws, she still feels normal, human. I think that takes talent. Of course, that's what writing for this transition age group is all about, setting up a rather flawless, but not perfect heroine that young girls can identify with, but who always wins, is just and fair, and a Princess.
One of the reasons Stanton's method works whereas Meyer's falls flat, is the antagonist: Lori Carmichael. Like pause a moment to ponder the brilliance of the name. Lori Carmichael. While Lori is a perfectly nice name, Carmichael is not. It makes me think of Carbunkles. Did I mention she's a blonde? Oh, and she can't ride, but she leases Chase (Arianna's unicorn, who has lost his horn, but regains it in the second book). She's cruel to him and is a spoiled brat. Arianna must put up with her on earth because Lori's extremely rich and her "foster family" needs the money from the lease. Later, Ariana must put up with her in Balinor because she is mistaken for Lori's maid, cannot be revealed to be the Princess because Shifter's currently ruling Balinor, and has to get Lori back to earth.
It's brilliant. It places Arianna in the underdog position (for pre/early teens this is instant empathization) and helps define her as Not-Lori.
It is worth noting that Stanton is over-dramatic during the Celestial Valley scenes. But she's extremely good at writing the rest. I'd recommend the series to anyone who needs a gift for pre/early teen girls (or the unicorn/horse nuts).
But back to comparing this with Twilight. Meyer's problems began with the fact that she's not a particularly good writer. I hear she brags about not taking creative writing courses. Personally, I think this is proof that she's not a true writer. She's just someone who spews forth typed words. Me, well, I already consider myself to be a better writer than Meyers and I'd love to take a creative writing course. It'd be fun and I could improve. Meyers apparently thinks she's perfect.
But back to the books, Twilight fails because it's impossible to empathize with Bella. She's a brat, she's passive-aggressive, she has a weak personality, and she's not strong. She's a wimp. She always gets her way and she never has to struggle, ever.
She's annoying, unless you're obsessed. Breaking Dawn is a complete failure, it lacks the page turning quality of the other three books. It possesses less finesse than children's books. Possibly because that market has to deal with parents as well as children.
There is one thing that could've saved Twilight. A bad guy that actually stood a chance of winning. That's something children's books always contain. The ultimate villian, who could triumph at anytime and sometimes does (until he/she is defeated). This could come in the form of the media suddenly knowing about vampires (because someone leaked) and the Voltori getting involved and having to stop... but no, Meyers fails again.
I do believe there is a genre for her: cheap romance novels. Sure, she'd have to do paper back, cut back on length, add more sex scenes, give up the teen market (who'd still buy them, but just not as publicly), and cut the price by about $15. But seriously, it'd work.

Tags: unicorns of balinor stanton mary meyers

I don't like what I don't understand. And I can't understand what I could never do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG2ep9oaVEo&sdig=1
John Cornyn. Says he's for veterans then votes against health care, mental health care, body armor. He's Republican, so I guess I can understand why he might not like health care, but I'm guessing the bill would have some thing about VETERANS in the title, so maybe not. Anyways, I can't understand how he could say something like that and turn around and vote against it. It doesn't make sense (unless he's secretly a terrorist and hates America...). Does he think that his voting record is confidential. He should at least know that it's going to get out.
Granted, he could just be talking about veterans for the votes, but like I said, his voting record is not confidential. He keeps talking about how what Congress says and does are often two different things. I can understand that better. It's human nature to publicly condemn the act which one fears to find, or has found, within oneself.
But I still can't understand the why. Why, if he does not support veterans, does he run on that? Why does he say he will support them and then doesn't?
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
Most people are aware that FOX "News" is an extremely biased right wing propaganda machine. However, FOX has sunk to new low. They are now contradicting themselves instead of the facts. I have to wonder how they do that. I mean sure, I've argued that John McCain is an adulterer and then had the Clinton thing come up. Embarrassing, yes. However, I could easily say "Yes, and don't think I don't think he shouldn't be wearing the Scarlet Letter too."
FOX "News" can't really do that. But, I've accepted the fact that they are evil, right wing, morons who don't retain thoughts.
John McCain is another issue. I cannot understand how he can stand up and talk about how he's against lobbyists when his entire campaign is made up of them. How does he sleep at night? Maybe he's not aware they're lobbyists. Which would make him stupid. How can he run the same kind of campaign that hurt him and his family so gravely in 2000? How is he able to compromise his honor and integrity?
It only makes sense if he's power hungry and completely taken over by ambition.
I feel sorry for him. If he loses he has nothing. Nothing. Not his honor, not his reputation, nothing.

Would have to be Apocalyptica.
First of all, they're Finnish. And I support my countrymen (sorta... I mean, technically they're not my countrymen because I'm adopted, but my last name is Finnish so... yeah it totally counts)
There's four of them. And the play the cello! Which is awesome and doesn't cause headaches. (Yeah, I tried playing Vivaldi's Spring and it was like BAM! Insta!headache) Then, even though I've mocked the cello, it's pretty cool because everyone's heard of the fiddle/violin, viola, and bass.
But the really awesome thing about Apocalyptica is that they plan heavy metal.
Yeah that's right. It's essential four Finns head banging whilst playing cellos.
I've always though that heavy metal lyrics were epic and ruined by the singer's screaming. And I've always considered classical music rather sedate and way too high (for the violin at least). [If anyone wants to argue about the sedate part, I'd love to hear some un-sedate classical music].
Apocalyptica also irritates two groups of people. Possible three. First is the group who doesn't like loud noise, but then they're always irritated. It annoys cellists who aren't awesome and don't like heavy metal. They get really snippy when you suggest that they head bang. The third group it bothers is those heavy metal people who think cellists are stuffy and frumpy.
That and there's this one dude in the band, Eicca Toppinen. Yeah he's hot. Long blond hair, leather pants, tendency to play shirtless, kinda looks like Legolas if Legolas would ever head bang... Yep.
Check out their stuff. It's awesome.
My favorites are:
The One
Unforgiven
Path
Hope Vol II (Vidocq BO)
Fade To Black

A lot of the new stuff has other people singing (which is kinda irritating) but it's worth listening to.