MILES to GO || before I sleep

I got this review for WDKY6 today:

From: Some Dumb Fanbrat
-------------------

Girl you write to long chapters sometimes.

...Do I even need to start with this one? I should really just ignore all one-liner reviews with bad grammar/spelling. I really don't get too many one-liners, but I do get plenty of reviews with bad spelling. It's kind of ironic, really.

But this pisses me off NOT because it's one line and misspells one of the most basic words of the English language (or the person was too speedy to correct themselves, or they were too lazy to correct themselves after the fact, and LOOK! I spelled the word that they misspelled --but I did it correctly, and I'm typing fast!) but because this person was complaining about the length of my chapters.

LOOK, BUSTER, I didn't ask you to sit down and read my story. You have a CHOICE. I do not run a dictatorship. My monkeys will not eat your brain if you don't read every last line of every last chapter of my fic. Some people like oneshots better. Hell, I run a Oneshot C2 community at FFnet. But this particular fic IS LONG. It has to be. Why? Because I plan on making it damn good and well-developed, and that means I actually have to TAKE TIME with the characters, the plot, and everything else in between. Yes, I tend to babble, BUT I WRITE FOR A PURPOSE.

Trust me when I encourage readers who DO like the length to stick to it, and read between the lines, because when in WDKYverse, EVERYTHING will come back to bite you on the ass. For those readers smart and nice enough to be reading this entry, here's a small sampler of facts/happenings that will have an impact or appearance in later chapters. See if you can pick the chapter it's from:

-Somebody paid for the gang's meal at a restaurant.
-The code Laroque used to open the briefcase from the Big Five had a double meaning.
-Téa spots some pictures on the mantle in Kaiba mansion.
-Seto admits he has never tried raw cookie dough.
-The club that Mai and Téa went to refers to a Brendan Fraser movie. The reason why Mai and Téa will return to it in later chapters deals with the name of the club.
-There's an Indiana Jones reference when Malik shows up and shows the Egyptian exhibit to Téa and Seto.
-Joey and Mai both have screen names that they use to talk to Seto in a chat room.

And this is just from a FEW chapters. Now imagine if I had about 3-5 references in every chapter, with 36 total chapters-- 37 if you count 7A and 7B as separate chapters. There's a LOT to work in there. I don't write references uselessly. This story is so insanely planned out, it's a wonder it doesn't just prose-ify itself. But alas, that's not how fic works. I'm sorry for being a weirdo and taking it seriously.

My chapters are long because I write NOTHING that has NO MEANING. That translates to: EVERYTHING I WRITE IS IMPORTANT. If I felt some part of the chapter or story could be cut, I would. But I don't feel that way, so I can't. My editors and betas are welcome to tell me what they think is useless, or could be compressed, or better phrased, and I listen to them. But I don't tell them everything, and even they don't know what I will cut or for what reason.

...This review just pissed me off, but I don't want to reply to the person with this long-winded rant. I don't want to say "Fine, if your attention span is akin to that of a gnat, go find some crack!fic to amuse you. My fic takes time to develop because it's NOT complete crap from my bowels after eating some bad sashimi."

Hmph.

P.S. I finished my Yuna earring... sort of. It's good, but I can't get the tassel to attach to the bottom bead + wire without there being a very obvious loop. I tried to tie the tassel's string in a knot to the wire, but it kept slipping off, so I cut it. There's a wire going through the tassel, separate from the one going through all the beads. Any ideas on how to fix it?

P.P.S

I do not like Jim Cramer. I just felt like saying "Boo-yah" because there are only 18 days left till my 21st birthday! WHOO! And I'll be in Hawaii sipping Mai Tais~

At the behest of many people, I shall also be starting on "Kaiba the Virgin Sacrifice" soon. It'll start out kind of dark (because it has to), but trust me, it'll get steamy/sexy/sensual enough to "keep your attention." I hope. *impish smile* As I said in my last post, I did work on WDKY24. Alas, it's coming along slower than I intended, if only because I keep thinking I'm writing very dryly, "telling" and not "showing." There are parts when I honestly think it needs to be more emotionally-driven, perhaps with dialogue, and yet I can't think of the right words to say. This is a long chapter already, too: I haven't finished it, and it's already 114KB! Mostly, I have left to write the final duel scene, the conclusion of the chapter (with teasers for the Next Big Arc, coming in Ch. 26), and some bits of Anubis' past, which I hope won't be too confusing/historically inaccurate.

Last night I got up to Cloister 30 in Via Infinitio, and all the Elder Drakes ramming themselves into the walls (migraine, much?) keep scaring me off. I just run past them, avoiding the fight... even though I need to fight one of them to get them into Shinra's Bestiary, and even if it means "fighting" them and running away X amount of times until they oversoul, I still have to face them. ;_; But they SCARE me! Isn't that stupid? I have a bunch of monsters I have yet to oversoul, and the sucky part is, I can't do it without getting all the way through Via Infinitio. That's the only way to get 100% in the game: beat Trema and Paragon. But the reward for doing so is The End garment grid, which lets you Break Damage Limit... which I totally need. Obviously, the problem is, I'd like to Break Damage Limit BEFORE I have to face those guys... otherwise it'll just be me going back and forth, saving and praying I don't get pwned by a Mega Tonberry or whatnot. I need to know what GGs and DSes to equip (plus accessories) so I can level up faster (they're all at 58-60 now) and be confident enough to take some more fiends on. It's been a while since I've played though, but being so close to the ending, I really want to beat the game at 100%! I hate how all the guides make it seem so easy to beat Via Infinitio, though! :P

So if it was "Miss Independent" running around in my head before (a total Mai x Jounouchi song if there ever was one), now it's "Just Missed the Train," which has inspired me for something for 30kisses, particularly theme #25: fence. It's annoying though, because like I mentioned before, I have all those other 30kisses submissions sitting on my computer at home, they're just unfinished because I can't think of how to end them... well, except for Kaiba the Virgin Sacrifice, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to sit down and write that without turning into some sort of tomato!

I'll get around to writing it later, maybe at work. I have my flash drive with me, so I can save it on there and not worry about it.

So, why are all the weird people on MySpace? I mean, there are non-weird people on there, but today I just got a message from someone who says he and his girlfriend are interested in trying out a threesome, and if I'm interested... My face goes: o_O; (okay, I'm totally NOT pulling an Usagi Kou here and taping an emoticon to my face. But you get the picture). Does anybody READ the profiles on MySpace? I'm "in a relationship" or whatever the hell you wanna call it, and even though I'm bi, I won't just hop into a bed with 2 people I don't know and trust because THEY need to add some spice in their love life!

o_o; Geez.

In other news, I'm going to San Diego this weekend. I know my last Amtrak adventure was harrowing (very late trains and the like), but I'm going to hope that it was just a one-shot thing... in any case, my train leaves Chatsworth around 8:40pm or so on Friday night, so I can either ask Zack to take me there straight after work, or I can go home with my grandparents and let them take me. Last time I liked having them there, because the train was very late, and it was extremely cold out. I liked being able to get in the car and warm up while I waited for the train. Chatsworth is an outdoors station, and it's the porn capital of the world, so creepy people are always lurking about...

I'm going because this weekend and next weekend are mine and Scott's only chances to see each other before he goes to Belize and I go to Hawaii. It feels like we've been seeing each other often, but realistically, it's only a few times each month. After living with him for so long, I never thought I'd be able to survive not seeing him for such a long stretch of time, but I'm managing. I have moments when I really wish he was with me, but for now, things are okay. I only hope that wherever life takes him, I can be with him sooner rather than later. :)

And now for more crazy stuff: I have to finish my Gilman application, the Bridging scholarship application, and now I have to send a Financial Aid Award letter (via fax) to the NSEP people in Washington. Which means I have to pressure mom a bit more (already talked to her last night) about the letter of Dependent Verification (which I sent out this morning) which she has to mail back to me with a copy of both mine and her tax returns (she'll do it electronically for me, and have the gov't deposit it automatically in my bank account. Sweet!). I won't be able to get that Award letter until I give all the stuff from mom to school... probably. I should check with them anyway. In any case, the stuff for school is due within 3 weeks, and the award letter I have to fax to NSEP is due by the 31st. YIPES!

What else? I worked a lot on WDKY24 last night; I kind of got inspired for this particular scene that is essentially dropping a big piece of sticky candy in the middle of an anthill. I'm eager to see if anyone will pick up on it (call it a "hidden" piece of candy). Still Anubis' backstory is a tough thing to tackle, but with Kysra's help and some good research, I think I can make this work relatively "realistically" (for the WDKYverse, anyway).

I also FINALLY managed to get the style I got from _premadelayouts to work for my Friends' page, but many things are still out of place, and I'm not sure how to rearrange them so they ARE in place. Is there a way I can make that style public so other people can go "oh, you have your %%blahblah%% variable in the wrong place, which is why your username is way off to the right, and your entries are all indented 20 pixels"? (Also, think anyone can help me with that?)

I got a $20 Amazon certificate from StartHereGoPlaces.com after a survey I took, which is nice. I thought I wouldn't get it, since I'm not a business major (and that was what the survey was about), but I still did, so I'm getting the last 3 books in the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, and a book in the Elements of Fiction Writing series (which I'm sorta re-reading at the moment) called Description. I was thinking about buying all the Princess Diaries books I'm missing (Volumes 4-7, including the 4.5 "Princess Project"), but I decided against it-- there's so many, and Amazon sure made it confusing by offering the British versions, too! @_@

AAAAAAAAAND I got Volume 2 of Yu-Gi-Oh! R in the mail from Sagusa Books. How come I've never heard of them before? They're great! :D I realize Jenniyah is already scanlating (crappily, but still scanlating) YGO!R, so souten_scans won't be taking that on in the forseeable future. But I'm still waiting on dm_san to get back to me with whether or not our groups will work together for the scanlations of the Gospel of Truth, since she already has very HQ scans that would save us a lot of time and unnecessary effort.

I'm getting my hair done tomorrow-- a partial weave of highlights (as suggested! ^_~), I still need a wireless card, to do some cleaning, and now catch up on reading for Women Writers of Asia, because if I post *something* on the short story we were supposed to have read by yesterday, it's better than nothing. I also have to revise my English essay and try and get it to my professor before 7pm tonight. So much to do, and yet... I'm not too stressed. Let's just see if I can remember it all!

In trying to write WDKY24, I have come across two major blocks:

(1) Anubis' real history. Who is he really, where did he come from, how did he get his powers the first time, and who was behind bringing him to Japan THIS time? What's his grudge against the Pharaoh, anyway? Why does he look so different, and yet he's familiar with Sphinxes, Pyramids, and other Duel Monsters? How would he fit into the AE saga, anyway?

(2) How the hell did Yami Yugi even beat Anubis when:
a) He didn't have Double Spell, he had Diffusion Wave-Motion in his hand
b) the Pyramid of Light card in the movie DOES NOT chain to Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia to destroy them when it is destroyed, the way it does in the TCG
c) Kaiba tried the same method of destroying the PoL with the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, and it didn't work?
d) Freakin' Theinen had 35,000 ATK points! Not even Noa's Shinato had that much!

Well, so I filled in the plot holes. My obvious answers, that you should expect from WDKY24 without much fanfare:
a) Yugi actually DID have Double Spell in hand. He did not have DWM.
b) The Sphinxes, whose cards were NOT shown clearly in the movie, will have the sub-text/requirement of being destroyed whenever the PoL is destroyed/removed from the field.
c) That'll get explained. :}
d) Math. Lots of it. (Moi? But yes, I did it, and IT WORKS!)

I'm actually kind of proud of myself. Now if only I could WRITE the damn chapter instead of scribbling notes!

Whee! That pesky mySQL (my Sequel? That's how the guys at ITR say it. I've always called it "my Es-Cue-El.") error that was essentially ruining Blue Eyes and Apricots has been solved. ;_; It was all my fault too, for trying to include the config.php unnecessarily. I also didn't check where the paths led, so I fixed them so they led to the right place in the Enthusiast admin panel. Hopefully everything will work smoothly from here on out. I removed the flags modification, too. :P

I've still got to figure out how the affiliates images directory works, but in the meantime, the BEA affiliates still show up on the side bar, which I can edit at any time, should someone/someplace else wish to affiliate.

And I was ( thinking about WDKY24+ )

I was feeling a bit generous earlier, and I think I might do something nice for some people, so long as they notice this... hopefully not JUST for this, but you know. I'll make a complete moodset with up to 5 extra "moods" (for the ones LJ doesn't have, like "evil" and such) for the first person who requests it, with a specific theme to it-- that is, Yuugi Mutou from Yu-Gi-Oh, or eLouai-style Ryou Bakura. Also helpful would be size specification, preference as to file type (can do JPG, GIF for animations, or PNG), and whether or not you want text on the moodset. Especially helpful is if you have preference toward anime or manga, mixed bag, etc. If you have a SOURCE of images you'd like to use, or particular images per theme, please include them.

Note: I would publicly share this moodset, but it would essentially be made per-request. You need to have a Paid or Permanent (or Early Adopter, but I don't think anyone who's an EA is on my FL!) account to use a custom mood theme. You can read the LJ FAQ to find out how to install it.

I will NOT:
-do an entirely animated set
-do moods that are over 100x100 in size
-do moods that contain graphic or explicit content (because anyone can see the moods, even if YOUR journal is FO)

I have already made one mood theme, the one in use by rhapsody_dragon, of Seto Kaiba. In turn, she made me my mood theme, of Anzu Mazaki. :)

First come, first serve. I'll do no more than 3 mood sets, assuming I can handle that much within the next week. But the first one will be the one I start and complete before I start the 2nd or 3rd ones.

Weirdness of the day
Today was a great day, in terms of work. I got to work for 2.5 hours at the online pickup room (which we're now calling the "peacock room" because of how one of the onliners pronounces "pick-up"; it's very cute) which I enjoy very much, because I'm alone, I can eat, drink, and surf LJ. :D I rarely have any problems whatsoever.

I also deposited both my paycheck AND my financial aid check (which I got today!) in my checking account, so that should hit tomorrow. And for once, I don't have some insane urge to go out and buy something. I had enough money to buy a new Duel Pass since several days ago, but MEH! Why should I? I didn't feel like it. I won't go and buy a new PS2 and a mod chip with installation service; I'll wait until the PS3 comes out, and I'll buy THAT! (I wonder if the controllers are cross-compatible? I don't like the shape of the new controllers. Too N64-y.) I will be buying my textbooks, of course, but that's usual of me-- and I'll get a 10% discount! :D I should also buy Grandpa a CSUN hat and myself a nice kelly green CSUN tee (or hoodie? Which to pick!?) while I'm at it.

I do want some DVDs, though-- the Back to the Future trilogy, the Phantom of the Opera movie (2004)...

The weirdness started (of course) when I got online earlier tonight; cs_kasumi was reporting that slytherinjolie was plagiarizing slyfatale (not sure if that's an LJ name). And then, not hours later, cs_kasumi revealed that she WAS slytherinjolie! What the hell?! I don't get it. I really don't.

Oh, this isn't weird, but I have to share: The Greatest Story You've Never Read. I kid you not. It is for story writers and readers everywhere. ^^ Just go and read it.

Psueside? If it made it to fandom_wank (NEVAH FORGET!), it's genuine wank-gold! Apparently limeybean faked her own LJ death. This is what freaked me out about missandrony's post earlier; I wasn't sure whether it was real or not. I have a lousy sense of humor, see. I knew the whole cappuccino-machine-implant was ridiculous, but cute and funny... but I was never one to take jokes about death lightly. And I'm not even from one of those mass fandoms where I'm some sort of BNF and everyone knows my name! (Some people. Maybe. ^_~)

Anyway, I don't see the point. Pathetic cries for attention are just that-- pathetic. If you can't get attention where you want, seek it somewhere else where you're more likely to be received. Either that or get a personality makeover, because some things don't carry well no matter where you are. Sometimes it really "is not you, it's me" and by "me" I mean the speaker, which is you. (Did that make sense? In other words, don't be afraid of changing yourself. There are sometimes when you shouldn't have to, by any means, but honestly? No one can get along with everyone, so everyone has to adapt at some point.)

Apparently this is a pretty wide-spread thing, because there exists fake_lj_deaths. o_o You have to join to really get the funny going, but still!

I wonder what would be considered a more embarrassing incident-- getting railed and humiliated on fandom_wank (if you know, you'll go) or on LJDrama.org?

Change of topic...
Ugh, this is what I get for not paying attention to f_w for a while. Where did 'O RLY?' come from? (and the requisite children, 'YA RLY!' and 'CHO RLY?') And why does it always have to do with Hedwig (or grotesque versions of Hedwig with MULTIPLE SETS OF TEETH)!?

Oh, and Baba and Grandpa bought me "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Season 2" at Wal-Mart last week; I've been watching it on and off ever since. Now that I've been paid, I shall pay them back as promised. :D But teh yay for Lois x Clark! Makes me want to read nFic. Mmm, nFic.

Everyone is coming over tomorrow or Saturday (my dad being on Saturday) because of Baba's big birthday shebang-bang. Hopefully it'll be fun, without the usual drama-rama that family brings. The house has been totally cleaned up, minus the cleaning lady who was SUPPOSED to come to day, but she pulled a Houdini ('cept without the scantily clad assistant, the newspaper coverage, and such). I'm going to work from 12:00-6:30 tomorrow, my first "full" shift deserving of a lunch break tomorrow. Methinks I'll walk the block and a half to Papa John's and get myself Pizza, because I'm getting damned sick of pre-packaged tuna salad sandwiches and iced tea. :P

Okay, so I managed to kinda-sorta-not-really figure out what's going on with the images for Azurelist, my very boring (as of this moment)-looking collective. Eventually I'll get a spiffy layout up, and it'll essentially link to all my sites, all the fanlistings I own (all of ONE at the moment), all the affiliates I have for all my sites (can be broken down if they're affiliates of an FL of mine) and fanlistings I've joined. I'll have to go to all those FLs and notify them of the change of URL...

But the stupid thing is, even if I've got the images showing up in Azurelist, they're not showing up in e3, the admin panel for the whole Enthusiast 3 script. I cannot figure out why. If I change one root path to work one place, it doesn't work someplace else. Why can't the damn install file be a bit more explicit about what path goes where, and what the format should be? When should it be /home/username/public_html/... and when should it be http://www.something.net?

Here's the confusing bit:
(1) You can go to Settings in the admin panel and change the path for the installation path, the root path (Web), the root path (Absolute), the Affiliates Images Directory (collective), the Joined images directory, and the Owned images directory. I changed the latter 3 to just plain affiliates/, joined/, and owned/, but while they show up in Azurelist, they don't show up in the Management section of the install (e3).

(2) For individual fanlistings, you can go to Owned, Edit, Database, and head to the Affiliates section, and select the Move Directory radio button. It says this: Please don't forget the trailing slash; this folder (absolute path, i.e., /home/user/public_html/images/) must have proper permissions set (i.e., must be CHMODed to 777). Well, like I mentioned before, there are two places where there is the affiliates folder. In the individual fanlisting folder (bea/affiliates) and in the collective folder. But it's having the same problem as above. o_o I don't know what to change it to! It keeps on trying to pull the images from http://www.seventh-star.net/e3/owned/2_ceruleansan_88x31a.gif when the image is really at http://www.seventh-star.net/azurelist/owned/2_ceruleansan_88x31a.gif. But I don't know where that e3 root path is coming from, except for the 'Installation path' which is SUPPOSED to be at e3... I think. AUGH!

Does anyone know what I could do? (Aside from copy/pasting the folders... a temporary, and annoying solution)

Tagged by seeshellirun( Memes to distract me from what I should be doing )

TAG!
atlantian_magic
guardian_kysra
rhapsody_dragon
schmollieollie

I'm looking forward to working more on WDKY, but I realize I should probably try and find some episodes online. I don't care if their dub or if some amazing person actually had the mojo and time to sub the original Japanese episodes... but I can't handle raws. Anyone know where I can go? GetItFido takes forever to load (if it loads at all).

I'm still confused about this whole metric system thing. I must have asked this a bazillion times, and I know I never would have left the chapter completely unconverted. I shouldn't be so much of a nitpicker, but I am. After all the conversions this silly sugar cookie recipe has been through, I doubt it could make a tasty batch after all. But that's what suspension of belief is for, right?

In any case, here's my main question:
What is used for DRY measure in the metric system? I've heard grams, I've heard mL and Liters, and I've heard metric tablespoons. Supposedly there's even a metric cup! I'm finding all this conflicting information though, so I would just like to know what metric folks have in their kitchens.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but grams is for weight, right? Ergo, if I had X amount of flour measured in grams, it would NOT be the same amount of brown sugar, right (in grams), because flour is lighter than brown sugar, yes? An equivalent WEIGHT of brown sugar would likely mean a SMALLER amount... if I've got this right.

So here's the recipe (sugar cookies):
1 1/2 cups sugar <--> 287.5 mL (should this be in grams?)
2/3 cup shortening or butter <--> 153 grams
2 eggs <--> SAME
2 tablespoons milk <--> about 30 mL
1 teaspoon vanilla extract <--> about 5 mL
3 1/4 cups flour <--> about 323 mL (should this be in grams?)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder <--> 11.5 grams
1/2 teaspoon salt <--> 2.47 mL or 3.04 grams (which should this be?)

Now, do my conversions (done at http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cookingconversions.asp, thanks guardian_kysra!) make sense? Would someone in a "metric kitchen" have the spoons, dry measure cups/spoons, and liquid measure cups/spoons to measure things like this?

I haven't done review replies in a while, and you might think that because I have the ability to use FFnet's new Review Reply option, I would take advantage of it. However, the thing with the FFnet Review Reply is that they are private, not posted anywhere on the site. With these, not only can you see which reviews I took special notice of, but which ones asked pertinent enough questions for me to answer. As always, keep your eyes peeled for interesting information or secret spoilers!

Note: I do not post all reviews that I receive here; only the ones that I feel I should reply to. For all reviews, I do NOT edit them for content/spelling/etc. in any way.

For lengthier reviews, I will insert my commentary where appropriate. The actual review will resume in italicized text.

If more reviews come in for this (or any older) chapter(s), then I will respond to them at the BOTTOM of this page, and indicate a “last updated” section here at the TOP. If there is no LAST UPDATED area, that means this post has not changed since the original post date.

( Chapter 21 Review Replies )

I haven't done review replies in a while, and you might think that because I have the ability to use FFnet's new Review Reply option, I would take advantage of it. However, the thing with the FFnet Review Reply is that they are private, not posted anywhere on the site. With these, not only can you see which reviews I took special notice of, but which ones asked pertinent enough questions for me to answer. As always, keep your eyes peeled for interesting information or secret spoilers!

Note: I do not post all reviews that I receive here; only the ones that I feel I should reply to. For all reviews, I do NOT edit them for content/spelling/etc. in any way.

For lengthier reviews, I will insert my commentary where appropriate. The actual review will resume in italicized text.

If more reviews come in for this (or any older) chapter(s), then I will respond to them at the BOTTOM of this page, and indicate a “last updated” section here at the TOP. If there is no LAST UPDATED area, that means this post has not changed since the original post date.

I will be posting Chapter 20 and 21 Review Replies shortly after this entry; Chapter 22 was just posted on FFnet earlier today. Thanks so much for your continued support, and feel free to comment on this entry to respond to any review or one of my review replies!

( Chapter 19 Review Replies )

Okay, so I finally got around to updating the eFiction archive on Animanga Collision. I've decided to scrap the idea of separate sites, and just work everything together under the masthead of Animanga Collision. It's cute, it's old school, and it's going to have tons of stuff. So far, there aren't too many anime or manga listed, but that'll obviously change as I remember what I know about everything. I don't aim for AMC to be the end-all, be-all site for every anime or manga I've ever been in... and there will be games there as well, such as FFX, Star Ocean 2, and so forth.

It's planned to only be a one-person site; that is, I'll be the only author there. There's already wide-open archives out there, though I'm open to other people signing up and commenting/reviewing, or possibly in the future, submitting rants and essays. I'll be taking care of everything else, from character profiles and data to fanfics.

Right now, I have the following "Story Types" defined, and I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas on what I might write about a fandom:
* Essays (could include things like 'ship manifestos)
* Rants
* Fanfics, including:
   * Shortfics (Oneshots)
   * Crossover Fics
   * Alternate Reality Fics
   * Fusion Fics
   * Remixes
   * Songfics

The Genres would stay the same as for Dragonfayth, but they wouldn't apply for things like Essays and Rants. The latter two categories would be placed under their fandom and in their appropriate sub-category, but again, this is a whole hierarchy I haven't quite decided on yet.

It's still buggy, because I essentially copied all the files (inc. mods) from the Dragonfayth install, and not all the database/CHMOD changes have been made. I guess I'll have to discover them as I go along. So far:
* category changes error - Same with Dragonfayth. I can't rearrange the categories, and when I try to change the category description text, I get an error: Fatal error: Call to undefined function: build_formjs() in /home/***/public_html/amc/admin/categories.php on line 156
* poll block initialization error: A fatal MySQL error was encountered. Error: (1050) Table 'amc_fanfiction_poll_votes' already exists

...And you know what? I don't like unreliable people. I know, I know, there's REAL LIFE. It sucks, it's horrible. That's why you don't make promises you can't keep. And I'm just one of those people that is very hard to please. I'm also a former nail-biter, teeth-grinder, and hair-chewer. I have this great chapter for WDKY all ready to be posted, and every single person that has said they will look it over or beta it has either forgotten about it/me or gotten so busy that they couldn't even drop me a line with a quick apology.

I'm very tempted to just post it as-is, but I'm also afraid of the backlash, because I know there are things I don't spot when I proofread my own story. So here is my desperate plea for attention, help, and a beta-reader (or two)! WDKY22 needs an editor. Any volunteers? (Link  goes to betasquad. Not a  member? Join!)

zOMG Happy Birthday kitesareevil, sleep_alone, and ohsupervinchan!

Sorry for the belated wishes, Grace + 'Niichan!

WHEW! I've uploaded *all* of my SxA stories (except the ones that I mentioned need revisions, and the ones I have not released/formatted yet) to Dragonfayth :: The Premiere Seto Kaiba x Anzu Mazaki Fanfiction Archive. Get going! Spread the word! Join the site, submit your own fics! *puppy eyes* Please? There's also a Christmas Challenge there, so if you need a kick of inspiration, check it out!

I'm also satisfied with the edits and additions I've made to WDKY22, so I'm going to post this semi-revised version up at Betasquad as we speak... please, any willing editors/pre-readers, etc. check it out (it's actually just a link, because apparently phpBB can't handle a 96K chapter. Yes, it's that long)! luvinaoshi and an_ardent_rain! (I doubt either of them will look here, but if they do... *crosses fingers*)

More Dragonfayth mods?
Well, I'd like to get a characters page up, even though I assume that everyone posting will be familiar with the main cast and characters of Yu-Gi-Oh! Nonetheless, not everyone knows who Miho is, or that Kaiba was once minty-fresh in the Toei animation. Plus I'd like to shed some light on the lesser-known characters, or characters I may not have included on the original list. Please check the list out and point out anyone I'm missing, okay? I'm still contemplating whether or not to include the Yami no... characters, though. If you want to give me good reasons, go right ahead! I'm all ears.

What else? I'm re-reading mischiefmagnet's "The Night Before" for the fourth time. ^^ It's such a fantastic fic, and I sincerely hope she updates it soon (and posts it to DRFA! /plug)

And... well, it's almost time to go "home" to San Francisco. Eva and I will probably be leaving on the 17th or 18th, so MAYBE I'll be able to catch some of JTAF. Still, I don't think there's any way that I'll run into that girl I was emailing (apparently a fan of mine who's coming down to SF from Piedmont for JTAF. Hey, staplerx and god_101, if anyone mentions "psychotic fanfiction writer" or "Mer" or some derivative thereof, could you take a message for me? ^_~), because she's only going to be there on the 17th...

On top of that, today was the last day for Creative Writing class. I can't say I learned SOOO MUCH and it was a life-changing experience, but it was a lesson in writing and finding skills I didn't know I have. My weakness is that I can't shut up (as people are so fond of pointing out when I post particularly long entries or fics), and I couldn't shorten my fiction submission, "Goodbye, Hello, Who Are You?" (a DDR fanfiction, if you want me to be honest). But I met a lot of fun people, and I hope I stay in touch with them while I'm at CSUN.

...And then there's Scott. He's graduating and moving back to San Diego. Sure, it's not Japan or some other foreign country, but it's 150 miles away or so, 2 hours by car, and 4 hours by train. And if this stupid fear of driving (and lack of ability to practice with anyone) keeps holding me back, when would I get to see him? I hate feeling dependent on anyone, especially Scott, who I feel has done so much for me. I know he might come up to make visits and so forth... not just to see me, but to see Brett and Derek and everything, but... <_< Well, it wouldn't be the same, I don't think. We don't really have a relationship. I've called him my boyfriend to people who have asked, just because it'd be too awkward to explain the details. Except for today, when, at my last hand therapy appointment, one of the therapists asked "So, is he your boyfriend or your friend?" and I said (evasively, but with a dopey grin on my face) "aaah, a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B..." (this was when Scott was not in the room, obviously). I've been crying and worrying a lot lately. There was a lot of stress yesterday when Baba and Grandpa went to the doctor's unexpectedly at 9am, right as I was waking up. They didn't come back by 9:30am, so I walked to school. My VComm class was canceled that day, so I called the house to tell Baba, or maybe ask for a ride home. No one answered. I freaked out. I called again as I started to leave campus, 15 minutes later... still nothing. I walked home, paranoid the whole half hour that something had happened, and I had no way of getting ahold of anyone to find out if they were okay. I have to be honest-- it's not all roses and sweets here. Yes, I have it good, living with my grandparents off campus, not having to worry about rent or utilities or food. It's nice having people who somewhat understand me and CARE, plus... they're amusing! I have so much of what I want, and everything that I need. But I'm also placed in an awkward position of responsibility, to look after a pair of elderly people that don't seem to really need my help (at least for anything beyond carrying water in from the trunk of the car). Nonetheless, if something were to happen to them, what would I do? I don't mean if Grandpa had a heart attack-- I know CPR, I know how to react in an emergency. I'm not sure whether or not I would be scared/nervous and gung-ho, but I could handle it. But if either one of them died, what would happen to whoever was left... and me? I don't want to think about either of them dying, even if it is one of life's great inevitabilities. But... I talked to my mom, and she's right, I do have to talk to them. What do I do in case of an emergency or a tragedy? Who do I call? If something HAS happened to them, what can I do? I can't always rely on Scott to come over. I don't need to be taken care of, exactly, but I don't want to be going off the wall with worry and being upset all by myself. Anyway, with all this that I've got on my mind (a final due on Monday; no classes; 3 finals on Wednesday, only 2 of which actually merit intense studying; money issues, etc.) I think I better take my chance now and go to sleep... I do have class in 7 hours. *sigh*

I am now the proud owner of a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Whoo! rhapsody_dragon, get ready to duel! My dragon deck is getting an official overhaul now, and I'm gonna pwn you! And I can't wait till next month, when I get Exchange of the Spirits and I can make either an Isis deck or an Egypt deck!

And I've also gotten into the Christmas spirit at last-- I suppose it makes sense, given that things are going pretty good, it's freezing cold, and I want presents. :P So I want everyone to point me in the direction of Seto x Anzu Christmas fics so I can make a post on setoanzulove and at Blue Eyes and Apricots. So far, I know of two submitted on yuugiouxmasfic:
* From Socks to Shoelace-tan
* From Mickle to Socks
But the second one isn't all that Christmas-themed...

What else? I might not have done 100% as well on my Japanese test this morning, but I did get my letters of recommendation for both Waseda and Tokiwa; I have to get Blumenkrantz's letter for Tokiwa, finish up my essays, have Hirota-sensei check them out before Dec. 8th, and then have them turned in and ready by then! ^_^v I'm getting all excited!

I think I did well on my mythology exam today, even though I missed 2 classes within the past week or so. But I guess I'm just well-versed in mythology, so I'm not too worried about missing much on the exams. They're always so easy...

( I'm walkin' in a spider web... )

Another email exchange: smrffers might know about the people that dare to write sequels to the infamous Sexylyon's SEXY (of course) "Interlude" Usagi x Mamoru first season hentai. It was one of the best fics I've ever read (when I first read it), even if upon re-reading, some parts were purple enough to color my world. Nonetheless, even when people get permissions to write said sequels, taking the original author's so-called style and mocking it is enough to peeve me into next week. And when fangirl Japanese is thrown in? Ugh...

( The fic: Togewonuku. The author: Arashinobara Jikkankakyoku. As if that doesn't tell you everything right there. )

I have the opportunity to go to Egypt next summer... whether or not the whole Japan Study Abroad thing pans out. I think it'd be a great opportunity to get additional travel in, though it does cost $2747, which is likely the bulk of my financial aid check for either Spring 2006 or Fall 2006. But it's only a $95 reservation, and if I really wanted to pull that off, I could, especially with some sucking up to my mom (^^;) Alas, the cost DOES NOT include:
* $570 room supplement if 23 years of age or you turn 23 before or during the tour (huh?)
* non-cruise lunches, beverages, and tips (estimated at $125 per person)
* private bus fee (depending on the size of the group, up to $145)
* CSUN tuition and fees (paid for, no worries there)
* mandated travel insurance and books (only applies to students earning 6 units of credit).

Well, of course I would want to earn the 6 units of credit; 3 from the Independent Study unit in Spring (would bring my total up to 18 units, just under my cap of 15. I don't know what the course would count for-- maybe upper division something-or-other?) and 3 from the tour in Summer.

Anyway, I have to think about tomorrow... er, a dialogue for memorization for Lesson 9 (memorize in the morning, like always), and possibly a critique to do for Creative Writing (which I can do during the break up in collaboratory; I can bring my laptop to work on my PowerPoint and Study Abroad essays as well, since it's an hour and a half long break... if/when I need to print, I can just email it to myself or something, unless Scott gives me back my flashcard by tomorrow).

Finally, sometimes after the insanity dies down this week (likely Thursday or later), I'm planning on:
* Updating WikiFic with more of Viz's insane translation (and other) errors from the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist volumes, plus Millennium World Vol. 1
* Making a winter-themed layout for whatever I feel like (BEA or Dragonfayth)
* Posting Girl's Club (Seto x Anzu; #11: gardenia) for 30kisses, along with the tentatively titled Red/Like A Virgin (#19: red).
* Making some more edits to WDKY22 and seeing if luvinaoshi and any other beta volunteers have anything to say about it...

Chapter 22 of What Doesn't Kill You is up at betasquad for pre-reading and editing!
It's nice and long, ladies and gents, so I hope you enjoy it! Please help me edit if you have the time! :)

I went to Graumann's Chinese Theatre with Scott for the first time last night, and I saw Jarhead. It wasn't as great as I would have expected, but I liked it. And I'm obsessed with that song they use in the trailer, but I can't figure out who it's by! And it doesn't look like the soundtrack will come out until December. o_O

I liked the movie just because I sort of connected with so much of it. I feel stupid saying it, but ROTC really did mean a lot to me, even if I did end up quitting in the beginning of my junior year. But it was an adventure, and a memorable one at that. Even despite the yelling, the demerits, the stress, and the getting-rained-on during the Veteran's Day parade, I think it was worth it. I can still left flank, right flank, double to the rear, MARCH! with the best of them! ^_~ And it was fun seeing Camp Pendleton on the silver screen. Heh. Remember when we went there, cutieme4u?

It was quite cool how Scott and I went on this "date" like adventure in Hollywood, and Scott was a total fluffball all night. ^_^ I like it, and I hope it doesn't mean he'll be an asshole this week (or at any time in the future). He also treated me to popcorn, a drink (which we shared), and a milkshake at In-N-Out once we got back to Northridge. Not being the type to throw a good night down the drain, I ended up staying over at his house. *wink wink* So all in all, a pleasant weekend that ended today on a good note.

I slept in as soon as I got home (around 11:30am), worked on some fanfic (WDKY22 is currently 62K, which bodes well for all of you that like your chapters looooong) and tinkered around with some homework... my magazine cover for VComm (underwent a new revision, needs some tweaking still, along with sample "articles"), my facilitator packet for Creative Writing (just have to read some critiques and grade them), and then 2 new analyses for CW. Tomorrow is just Japanese and Mythology; I remember the dialogues best when I read them in the morning, and I already posted a lengthy submission on Poseidon and Apollo for Mythology. :)

Did I mention that I passed my permit exam for Driver's Ed, and I scheduled my 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training for the weeks to come? I feel like a bit of a baby, being 20 and not having a license yet, but at least I'm on the way there! Whoo! I hope I do well and don't clam up and get scared when I actually have to take the test... and I wonder whose car I'll use? Both Dad and Scott have said they'll help me out between practice sessions with Driver's Ed Direct, though.

I'm also working on 3 pieces of fanart:
* Happy 2nd Anniversary, WDKY! (also the thank-you art for winterwing3000, my 1000th reviewer, and the base for her SxA custom icon from me)
* The White Rose Gang/The Royal Azureshippers (me [The Fog Princess], rhapsody_dragon [The Prophet of Mist], guardian_kysra [The Hentai Goddess], atlantian_magic [The Steam Queen], geniusgirl [The Vapour Marquis], and winterwing3000 [Needs A Name!])
* Special fanart for WDKY (My lips are sealed!)

It's funny how even when you plan something else, what other people say and think can change your actions. WDKY is planned out in its entirely, but not written completely. Nonetheless, I have an idea of what direction all the plots are going to take, what the characters are going to say, think, and feel, etc... but readers seem to be getting different impressions, and I just want to make sure I don't lead them astray.

The whole Téa fainting thing in Ch. 20 (I don't consider it a spoiler for reasons that follow) was NOT meant to be a significant plot point, or the sign of something bad/dangerous/worrisome on the way. I could twist it to make it like that, but it wouldn't fit with what I've previously set-up points. It could be several things, too, so if it can't fit with one thing, it could be another. People have speculated all sorts of things, and it's got me thinking if I should twist it just a bit, so it doesn't seem STUPID (for Téa fainting for No Big Reason).

On another note, mklutz, do you remember an episode of Full Metal Panic (original series or Fumoffu) where Tessa and Kaname had to fight off some baddies, and one of them grabbed a suitcase or something and NAILED the suckers? Or maybe I'm just remembering the manga? Help!

I have to clean my room. I hate myself for still sitting in front of the computer, even though I'll have to come back to it later for Listening Comprehension.
*snore* Waaah. WDKY21 is another one of those chapters that I think I can get written fast, but I'm dissatisfied just because it's not as action-packed and fun as the others. Sure, part of one plot gets resolved, but 21 is actually about setting up for the rest of the plots. X_X

Hello, and welcome to another installment of Review Replies for WDKY18! This is where your questions get answered and I talk back about your generous reviews!

Note: I do not post all reviews that I receive here; only the ones that I feel I should reply to. For all reviews, I do NOT edit them for content/spelling/etc. in any way.

I would like to thank each and every reviewer for their support and kindness! WDKY has hit 1000 reviews on FFnet! I really, truly appreciate it. It moves me very nearly to tears. Good tears. THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D (As a reminder, it's not the numbers that make me happy, it's the content and quality of the reviews. It's the fact that a very large percentage of readers from the early chapters CONTINUED to read and review, and support me and my efforts in getting this fic out. It makes me unbelievably happy that this once crack!pairing has garnered so much support. THAT is what thrills me.)

For lengthier reviews, I will insert my commentary where appropriate. The actual review will resume in italicized text.

If more reviews come in for this (or any older) chapter(s), then I will respond to them at the BOTTOM of this page, and indicate a “last updated” section here at the TOP. If there is no LAST UPDATED area, that means this post has not changed since the original post date.

( Would you like a wiggly? )

I've discovered a splendiferously wonderous way of finding Seto x Anzu fics, and it's shockingly easy to do. At FFnet, abuse the Character 1 and Character 2 options. Mix and match either of them as "Seto K." and "Anzu M." and you're bound to come up with some great fics. I'm not lying... I found The Night Before there last night, and what a great read it is! *giggles* Kysra and Atlantis might have some competition when it comes to steam!

Yes, I will be posting WDKY19 tomorrow just in case you missed the memo about me posting it on Seto's birthday. And WDKY20 is almost done (!!!) so that might be coming soon, too. And I can't wait, because it really starts getting good in the 20s chapters! Bwahaha... Bakura returns, Marik's secret may be revealed, and Mai and Téa go to a duelist tournament in my hometown!

I'm still impatient for Pierce to get their Winter 2006 class schedule up, but Scott said I would be overwhelmed if I tried to cram more than 3-6 units into a one-month intersession. He's probably right, but considering I have 18 units before I'm officially upper division and a junior (60 units with no lower division GEs left to take) and that does NOT include any Journalism (major), Japanese, or Creative Writing (minors), I'm afraid of what my potential course schedule might look like next semester. For sure:
* JOUR 310 - WRP3 (3)
* JOUR 371 - Women, Men, and the Media (3)
* JOUR 331 - Graphics (2)
* JAPN 102/C - Intermediate Japanese (4)
* Some GE class or Creative Writing course (3)
My unit cap is 19 units. I know I can handle 15, but 19 MIGHT be pushing it. And it could be true that I don't need to have that many units completed; I could just have 60 units under my belt and be fine. If I've calculated everything out right (and I think I have; I discovered my AP US History test counted for 2 separate courses; one in Title V, and one in GE History) then I'll have 55 units at the end of THIS semester, and any classes I take next semester will make me a junior by the following Fall. I should try not to worry, but I have to see my adviser again and clear up this confusion.

What else? Oh yes, I passed my Driver's Ed Direct final exam~ I'm now officially ready to take the written DMV test to get my "provisional license" or whatever, and then after X hours of behind-the-wheel training I can get a REAL license! >:O! *determined* However, I only passed the exam with an 85%, so I'm going to take it again until I do better. :P

Wahaha, I feel all naughty for reading this fic (see above)-- it reminds me of when I was about 11 or 12 and my only 'Net access was at the Petaluma Library with my dad, and I did TEH EBIL and read Sexylyon's infamous Sailormoon hentai "Interlude" (and printed it out!), constantly terrified that I would get caught and lectured-- if not by a librarian, then by my dad! This fic isn't hentai, but mischiefmagnet does a DAMN good job at getting me to turn red and giggle like a madwoman. :P (Especially since Mokuba just-- oh, never mind, just read the damn story.)

cutieme4u, WHAT THE HECK ARE WE DOING FOR HALLOWEEN!?!?!?!??!? I need to get a costume.

Well, I never thought *I* would be doling out sex advice to anyone. But there's a first time for everything I guess, and in retrospect, it made me laugh.

I took my Japanese Lesson 4 test today; not bad, but the fact that I cut off circulation to my fingers (accidentally, mind you) had be feeling a bit weird about writing. I still haven't turned in my Reading and Writing for Lesson 4; I wonder if she'll still accept it? >_> Probably not, considering we get our grades tomorrow... Ugh.

NO ONE (not a single person) has gone to betasquad and said A THING about WDKY19. With WDKY, I'm very apprehensive about posting without a beta; even moreso for this chapter. Volunteers? Anyone, anyone? Bueller? (Old jokes die hard.)

Scott got back from San Francisco; he supposedly had a good interview and a decent grammar test, so I'm hoping he did well and will get the job. At least, I think that's what I'm thinking. I'm not really sure... see, we don't have an established "relationship" of sorts. It's not exactly platonic, but... Well, let me put it this way: I don't always think of him, I don't always define myself or the things I want to do/places I want to go with him, and I don't always feel some obsessive compulsive need to call him, hear from him, or see him every day. But occasionally, I do wonder.

And while it's nice to know that he really respects and admires me (and "loves" me in that weird way of his), I don't know if that's what I want, or if I can even GET what I want. Imagining scenarios in my head again will only lead to heartbreak, so I'm trying not to. But no matter what happens, he'll be leaving somewhere, at some time, and then what? Argh!

My Horoscope for today: A long-term period of great big dreams has fallen upon us all. In your case, the matter involves relationships, and in particular, on deciding whether a certain platonic or business attachment should stay that way.

Yeah, like that makes me feel any better.

( Ooh, pretty meme with decent questions! )

On the bright side, I did win both eBay auctions for Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and FFX-2: International + Last Mission. Part of me wishes I could see the original Japanese FMV, where Yuna actually turned INTO Lenne, and she sang 1000 Words solo, but! alas, that's Japanese version only. I wonder if some site has it online... I spent much of yesterday hunting around various FAQs sites looking for all the extra data I need to make this New Game + worth it... and that includes getting all the garment grids I can possibly get (I sided with the Youth League again... geez, the attitude of the Yevonites mekes me sick!). So I'm trying to get The End by oversouling all the monsters I can. I have a checklist, and so far, I've encountered all but 3 of the monsters that CAN be oversouled (non-oversoulable monsters don't appear on Shinra's Bestiary list, right?), and I have maybe 20 or so that NEED to be oversouled.

Too bad it's not by Enemy Type... because I have to face Concherer again (evil ugly tongue thing) in Via Infinito. Which means not only do I have to face whatever type Concherer is until I face him/her/it, but when I do face Concherer, s/he/it has to oversoul... which may or may not make it harder to beat. Concherer is a pain in the ass, if you recall my previous entries on the subject.

Anyway, I'm still at 94% complete in Chapter 2... I think that remaining 6% comes from the Den of Woe, correct me if I'm wrong... >_> I also have to get moving on the Publicity and Matchmaking Campaigns. I always forget about those. Publicity: score = 40, Level = 1 - Matchmaking: score = 16, Level = 1.

( Because I'm a nice girl, I'll put this freakishly obvious HPB/Harry Potter 6 spoiler behind a cut )

Yu-Gi-Oh fans, go check out playthedamncard, because someone posted a mini-drama of the Prince of Tennis' Inui (same VA as Kaiba) interviewing TeniPuri's Ryuzaki (a girl with a crush on PoT main character Echizen).. anyway, "Inui" says that when he takes off his glasses (which he doesn't even do in front of his parents) he becomes... Kaiba-shachou! Complete with maniacal laugh. It's great.

On Madonna and angry rabbis: Some rabbis are upset because Madonna's next album features a song called "Issac," which is (supposedly) about a 16th century rabbi. It's against Jewish law to profit off the name of a holy rabbi. Madonna, like many other celebrities, is a practicioner of Kabbalah, a sort of sub-set of Judiasm that's branched off into a whole new sect of its own. It's become a bit glorfied, if you ask me, but I'm sure there are still devoted, true believers out there.

Personally, I think the rabbis are on the wrong. They think that Madonna should be expelled from the community and that she will suffer divine retribution. I think if Madonna felt the need to write the song in the first place, she could say her inspiration came from God, and therefore he wouldn't punish her for telling Issac's story/singing about him. Also, all artists in general have their own beliefs, and they express it in different ways. Did anyone rag on Da Vinci for painting Jesus? (Maybe...) But still, why should someone be expelled from a religious community for expressing their beliefs through their art? How many other people do you know would even want to inform the masses about Issac, anyway? I haven't heard the song though, so who knows?

On Yu-Gi-Oh, paganism, and satanism: It's an anime!!! (I'm tempted to throw "chrissake" and "Geez" out there repeatedly, knowing full well what they mean) I wish people didn't get so worked up over named like "Sorcerer of the Doomed" or the shape of the Seal of Orichalchos (which changed from the original Japanese, mind you!). Kids that get into dueling (and older fans, including myself), regardless of their religion, are not TEH EBIL!

Check it out:
A forum post on XeroCreative (makers of Yu-Gi-Oh Virtual Desktop)
Yu-Gi-Ho!?

The latter page infuriates me, not just as an ardent fan of the show and anime in general, but a pagan. I hate people who identify paganism as the worship of false idols or false gods. That definition comes from YOUR dictionary, not mine, BUSTER! And who's to say your gods are any truer or better than mine!? I have friends that are very religious or very unreligious, and while I love a good debate, if they say something that doesn't sit well with me and it DOES NOT require my commentary, I will withhold it. Religion does not have to interfere with friendship, having fun, or watching anime. -_-;

Anyway, I've been neglecting Driver's Ed, so I'm going to work on that for the next 50 minutes or so, until I have to go to Mythology. Quiz 2 tomorrow, which means I have lots of reading and note-taking to catch up on. No gym for me today; I think I'll try and see Marta in the Studies Abroad department, and then walk home. X_X It's going to be got though, so that means I'll need to take off my sweater... And...

I'm not wearing a bra. Ooh, I'm a rebel!

I already told you about betasquad and the forums over at seventh-star.net.
Now I've posted Chapter 19 of WDKY at said forums. Which you need to get a password for. Which you can only get by joining the community. So if you haven't get your butt over there and help me edit this monster of a steamed-rice chapter! :O!!!

Spread the word!!!!!!! *squeals and runs away*

So much for a great start to October.

If you didn't hear my voice post, here's my half-hearted attempt at making an entry with a fucked up hand. I cut my hand on the can of dog food over at Debbie's house Saturday night. I was stupid and tried to open it with a spoon when the can opener didn't work. I may have severed a tendon or a nerve (or two), as my right hand's ring finger and pinky won't bend at the top joint. I have 10+ stitches, it hurts, and I was on narcotics for a while.

But at least the nurses said I'm probably ready for Lamaze now. :P Not that I'm pregnant or anything, but it's good to know my pain tolerance has increased, ne?

Scott was a saint for staying with me (while he was STARVING, too!) for 6 hours at the Northridge Hospital ER. It was ridiculous how long I waited and how much it hurt while getting stitches, but... at least I can KIND OF use my hand now. Kind of, but not really. He had to fill out all my forms on one of them, and he filled out one (to stay with me in the ER) as "common law husband." Even if he was just doing it so he could stay with me while I hollered at the nurses, it made me feel all WAFFy inside. He put "friend" on a later form, but who cares? I know he still loves me. *stubborn mule*

I went to Kaiser today (Larry, Debbie's husband drove me) and I got my Keflex antibacterial, but no Vicodin-- I have generic Hydrocordone at home, super-strength, from grandpa, if the pain gets too bad. And Scott's hopefully staying with me until my grandparents get back on Wednesday. It's not as if I need the company, but it's nice having comfort and help when I need it. It sucks being "one-handed." My stitches make me look like Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas.

At least I got a box from Mom today. o_O She sent me a bunch of weird stuff. Aside from 2 things I asked for (my duffel bag and my photo albums), she also sent me a nightgown that didn't belong to me, two extra bags I will probably never use, my magazine racks filled with old coloring books and comics, #5 of Saint Tail, some Japanese manga I forgot I had (Hinata 120%!, Ranma vol. 32 - original edition, Prism Time #1 and #2), and two Beanie Babies-- both dogs. Oh, and a penguin stuffed animal, which did not make me feel better. >_> If you listen to the phone post, you'll know why.

BTW, phone posts are standard OGG vorbis format. Get yourself a compatible player, else you're behind the times. They're smaller, often clearer than MP3s, and license-free! :P

eFiction!Dragonfayth is coming along okay-- I still have a funky error on the authors.php page, but the site is "readable," although plain. More mods may come later, but for now:
(1) What categories should I use? The same old ones: AU, AR, Challengefics, Crossovers, etc. etc. or something different?
(2) Who wants to be a mod? Same as last time, if you have time, but also people to help the site administration when I can't (as in, disabled with just one hand) or aren't available.
(3) Where should I pimp the final version?

On the categories note, I can have SUB-CATEGORIES, so it might make more sense to put GENRES in the sub-categories, and use something else for "genres." My thought:
ACTION/ADVENTURE
FANTASY
SCI-FI
ROMANCE
-Hentai
  -Non-Con
  -Threesomes
  -Whatever kinky things you can think of
-WAFF
-Romantic Angst
-General

You get the idea? I was being sarcastic about the non-con and threesomes stuff, but they're just examples of the sub categories I can have. Then I can set the things like "type" of fic as "genres." I don't know I should probably look at some more sites running eFiction and see what they do.

It also occurred to me that Circle of Seven could have a sequel. I know it sounds crazy. But both WDKY and CO7 are going to have "endings" that actually leave you with some questions, and there could be a sequel, making the saga a trilogy. No idea what I would call it or what I would do in it (except for one possible big thing, but saying what that "thing" is would ruin the plot of both WDKY and CO7, so... ^_^ I'm shutting up). Let's just say I was inspired by "Flight Plan," which Eva, Scott, and I saw last night at the Fashion Center. Why did we see a movie? Because Scott pwned us both at Gin Rummy.

By the way, I finally "met" Lance. It's a cute car-- a white Lan EVO. Good on Eva. (I think Lance is gay. Bwaha!) Eva, you still owe me a game of Truth or Dare Jenga, though. *laughs* Did you know Jenga is actually rated for "adults!" HEH! Eva and I also discovered that my birthday falls during CSUN's Spring 2006 break. Halle-fucking-luliah. Where will I get drunk? I can go ANYWHERE! *mad giggling*

Oh, and the Clubs Conference wasn't too bad. I got free stuff, won the raffle (got a snappy red CSUN water bottle that pops its top!), and saw a teeny tiny kitten on a leash! =^.^= nyao! But this morning I read a sad story on the back of the Calendar section/Kid's Section about a (fictional) dog named Gumbo, who was abandoned (not by the owner's choice) in New Orleans. ;_; I cried, and Scott got all worried about me. I wanna know what happens to Gumbo, so I'm going to read tomorrow.

My body picked a lousy time to catch cold and have my period. I've been feeling like I'm walking on another planet all day long-- gravity must be sucking me into the center of the Earth. If that meant a free ride to Japan without worrying about molten magma, I'd be all for it, but somehow I don't think that's going to happen.

I've been so sleepy, I've actually done what I thought was unthinkable-- I not only fell asleep in mythology class (I missed the entire lecture about how Sigmund Freud connects to the Electra complex) but I went to the library afeter class and conked out on the 4th floor near my locker. It was only an hour nap, and I didn't really feel all that better afterward. But I was okay after visual communications; I went and grabbed some lunch with my requisite iced tea, and now all is well. I still feel a bit tingly and weird and out of it, but at least I'm not passing out and drooling all over my keyboard.

ATTENTION SAN FRANCISCO-ITES! Yeah, I'm talking to YOU, Stephanie, Eva, Lindsay, and everyone else whose names I can't remember or whose user SNs aren't accessible to me now! Go sign up for the schools feature here on LJ! It's so quick and easy, you just search for all the schools you've ever gone to/are attending, and it automatically sorts you by username. You can input the years you attended and all that fun stuff, and even see other LJ users associated with your schools. I've already added mine: CSUN, Lafayette (EVA!!!!!), Presidio (EVERYONE!!!) and Wash House (zOMGcleanlaundry!) so you hop to it! Besides, I wanna know who else I know here on LJ that went to any of my schools... *peers*

Also, I wanted to randomly show up in San Francisco from 10/7-10/9, since Scott's going to be there anyway for his NOVA or GEOS interview... not that he'd stay with me or even have time to spend with me, mind you, but if he's going, I could use it as an excuse to go to. I know that doesn't make sense, just trust me on this one. But of course, since it's only 2 wks. before that departure time, tickets are expensive! $214 min. on SWA, and $260 on JetBlue (which, for some stupid reason, only flies from Long Beach to Oakland, and not Burbank to Oakland, even though Oakland is its Northern California major way-station. Durrrr, DUMB!). Hm... wish I could go...

I'm having trouble finding a speech to go to for Story #2 for WRPII. The ones at CalTech already ended; besides, Pasadena's too inaccessible on the weekends. There are supposed to be some Executive Speakers coming here, but I'm not sure if they've already made their speeches in the past week (when they started) or not, and even if they didn't, would I be allowed/able to go? The speech I'm interested in going to is by CBS Studio Center president Michael Klausman, but he's speaking primarily to Cinema, Television and Arts students-- which is in my college, but it's not my department. There's also a speaker from NASA's Mars rover program this Friday at 7:30pm, but that would mean missing Anime Club and possibly my 2nd cousin Joey's (oops, call him JOE now, he is 20!) birthday party-- if he wants to have one. Grr! And the story is due Oct. 5th! What do I do?!

...Hmm, there was a thing downstairs about the opening of the Guitar Research Archives here at the Oviatt, but I don't think that's the kind of speech I'm looking for. Besides, it's rather impromptu and more about performances than information, so I think I'll pass (and spend another hour here on the comp! :P)

Someone on the eFiction board helped me look at a problem Dragonfayth was having on its new modded Authors page; I've been tinkering with some of the mods offered there, and one of the people is named 'Lazuli.' o_O No relation to OUR Laz, right, smrff!? o_O Anyway, what the new mod does (or is supposed to do) is differentiate between Authors (people who have submitted stories) and Members (people who sign up to read fics and recommend fics, not write them).

I'm sure there are all sorts of other mods that I would like to implement; as they're a lot more feasible for eFiction than InkTank, I'd like people to check out the list over at http://efiction.wallflowergirl.com/forums, under Mod Releases. There are about 3 pages of mods, 2 or so individual mods of which I've implemented already. The full release list (not sure whether this includes all mods and requests, or just completed/tested mods) is located here: http://efiction.wallflowergirl.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=875.

Go check it out, mmk?

So apparently I can only study driver's ed at school (which I like doing, because I don't have the distraction of my MP3s, fanfiction, chatting, the television, my grandparents, food, or my bed) on the WHITE GST computers here in the Collaboratory. o_O I wonder why? Anyway, I'm almost done with Lesson 3 of... er, I think it's 10 or 11. Sure, that's not a whole lot, but I think I'm learning. I've done well on all my quizzes so far, and all the interactive lessons. Still, how do I memorize this stuff? Do I take notes? Print the pages out? ;_; Eeek! There seem to be many laws regarding feet estimates: signal 100 feet before turning, never enter a bike lane more than 200 feet from the turning corner or driveway, and stop at least 15 feet in front of a railroad crossing. How do you estimate that distance, anyway?

Also, if I'm still awake and somewhat coherent tonight, I have a short list of things to do:
(1) Reformat the damn laptop... again. Maybe the clean install will work better this time with more memory?
(2) Add a scene or two to WDKY19. I wanted to end it on a somewhat happy/teasing note, as I have been alternating between zOMG cliffhangers and "aww." moments lately. But I'm also neglecting other characters and relationships in the process, along with some teasers I need to work in, so I think the addition of this one scene I've been thinking about will do the fic good. I might even get doubly inspired.

I'm hoping that if all goes well and I can make it to the CTVA Exec. Speaker, then on Friday I can go to anime club as usual and FINALLY get a DVD from Phil of Adam & Joe Go Tokyo. Various specific Google and BitTorrent searches have turned up bupkis in the way of actual episodes, so it really *is* as rare as Phil said. A right shame, but he better keep his promise this time around and get me the episodes. In the meantime, I'm downloading episodes 3-9 of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, Chibi and I are arranging an exchange of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Trick, and I need to see Last Order and probably read "The Complete Story of FFVII" or something like that on GameFAQs. Unless one of you l33t gamer guys (*stares at staplerx, zigx, psyjoe_dilandau etc. etc.*) wants to inform me... MMM?

Only 15 minutes till I have to leave for class, so I might as well update this and catch up on my reading for class. The good thing about WRPII is we don't have any pop quizzes or tests based on the reading-- whether or not you read shows in how fast you can get in-class exercises done and in the stories you turn in. So far, so good. I'm glad I made the decision to stay in Salido's class, even if the rest of my body is protesting today. Oy!

Why is it every time that I listen to the Spice Girls' "Move Over(Generation X)" I get this complete AMV in my head of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX with splice-scenes of Yu-Gi-Oh interspersed in there? I mean, I can even see certain scenes:

Hold it down, feel the noise, let 'em know it's a fight, pick it up it's alive
Juudai meeting Yuugi and receiving the Hane Kuriboh card, and hearing it "talk" to him for the first time

Next phase, next stage, next grade, next wave
From different duel phases, different duel stages, different dorms, and then the gang getting washed off their rock by a wave, as in the OP theme

Every color, every creed, teach, never preach, listen up and take heed
All the different students and the various dorms (Ra Yellow, Osiris Red, Obelisk Blue) and the teachers

Take the heat, feel the flow, 'cause you're ready to burn and we're ready to go
Juudai's Elemental Heroes-- a fire-based one, and a water-based one. If not that, then someone else's monsters of similar attributes.

You gotta know the rules if you wanna play the game, respect and dedication never riding on the fame
Oh, isn't this one obvious? Rules of Duel Monsters, the revealing of Spells and Trap cards; the use of the Duel Disks. "Respect" in the form of Duelists like Yami no Yuugi and Juudai, and "Dedication" with ones like Manjyome Thunder and Jounouchi. Fame, on the other hand, might be Kaiba. ^^;

^^;; Oooh, I should do it (and at the end, have Pharaoh the Cat paw-print the screen).

Anyway, I called Dell-- and they didn't send the CDs (of course). Turns out the technicians I spoke to aren't allowed to authorize the sending of CDs; only Spare Parts can do that, but according to the lady I spoke to, it's not covered under my warranty, which means I MIGHT have to pay for it. X_X Ugh... And I also apparently did NOT do a clean install with Microsoft, when I deleted those 3 partitions from my original Dell set-up and installed Windows XP Pro on what I thought was a completely blank hard-drive/system. So I have to call them back tomorrow between 7am and 7pm Central, talk to Spare Parts, and get my bloody CDs. -_-; I have a 90-day warranty; if this doesn't pan out by the time I get the CDs (and I will give them no more than a week to get those CDs to me) then I will return the damn laptop, demand my money back, and either buy a better one someplace else, or save the money for something smarter and wiser. I guess...

Did I mention Mom paid for my driverseddirect.com courses? I'm on Lesson 2 of 7 right now, and I can schedule the first of my two-hour behind-the-wheel driving sessions at any time, but I don't know whether I should do that AFTER I've completed all the courses, halfway through, or at certain intervals. Has anyone who's taken a Driver's Ed course with behind-the-wheel done something like this? ^^;; Any advice would be appreciated, because I'm starting to get the heebie-jeebies about this, even if I am excited and determined.

I have no homework for most of my classes; Mythology is an online assignment that I'm sort of working on now; I finished my work for Journalism; there's some simple typing up for Visual Communications; I have a bit of story-writing for Creative Writing (we're getting into drama/plays now), and a skit to make up this weekend for Japanese class on Monday. Also, I might try and finish "I'm Listening" (one of my original fiction pieces) for the Northridge Review, a CSUN literary publication. :> Can I do it before Oct. 1? I have tons of reading/writing to do already...

Speaking of writing, WDKY in particular, here are some ( interesting factoids )

Oh yeah Mamono I had some ideas for upcoming YOT icontests (aside from the ones we already talked about). Try deciphering these words to see what I mean; otherwise, IM/email me.
* Rehash
* Grimm's Brothers
* iPod
* Gobble Gobble?
*< /insert gobbledygook here >
* iconfiend100
* 7sinvirtueicons

Oh, and could you do me a HUUUUGE favor and tag your past entries with:
* Challenges (for the challenge entries)
* Voting (for the voting)
* Results (for the results, whether or not they include banners)
* Banners (for the banners, even if they're posted with the results)
* Extension (for extended challenges)
And anything else that might be applicable?

...I have the feeling I'm forgetting something, but I can't think of what now. At least I get to sleep in tomorrow before I work (for a measly 2 hours), and then, at last! The weekend! More studying to be had on the Driver's Ed front, but that's okay. :) Soon, I'll have the whole house to myself...

Okay, this has been frustrating me and stressing me out since I got the damn thing. I don't want to say I hate laptops or that I can and will return it, because frankly, I don't WANT to.

I managed to perform a clean install of XP Pro onto my HD... it's the only OS I have on my laptop now. But I also lost anything Dell-related on the computer, including the User's Manual (because they don't want to "waste paper" by including a hard copy with their systems anymore), so until I get the CD tomorrow or so (and it better come!), I'm stuck without it.

I want my laptop to be "my" computer, where I can do any of my usual stuff on it without hassle. This means Photoshop, Macromedia Studio MX, Office 2003 Pro, blah, blah, blah. So why is it giving me such a hard time?

* I bought a Crossover Cable (like a Firewire cable, only with "Ethernet" port ends) to transfer files from this comp (the desktop) to my laptop, but I couldn't figure out exactly where to connect it on my desktop. I tried connecting it to one Ethernet port (just above the modem ports), and nothing seemed to happen, and I tried connecting it to the router (which gives my desktop 'Net access and my laptop wireless access), and likewise, nothing seemed to happen. Apparently, I have a firewire port on the back of my computer, but the firewires I saw at Best Buy were upwards of $30, when Phil (Anime Club President and my resident tech support) said he had a perfectly functional firewire he got for only $1! WTF!?

* The past couple of days, I have had NO problems (except at school) connecting to the 'Net. But yesterday after all the brou-ha-ha about the crossover connection, now I can't get online... even though my wireless adapter keeps reporting that the signal strength from my router is excellent. ;_; I don't know what to do! I've tried looking up any settings in Norton I might have messed up, and now I'm going to hope System Restore does me some good.

Once I do get my 'Net connection back, I want to install Trillian and Semagic on the laptop, so I can actually communicate with people and get some "work" done when I'm not here at home. (EDIT: Looks like my idea to do System Restore worked. But for some reason, Windows Messenger keeps showing up in my taskbar, even though I disabled it in Administrator Tools/Services. Wha?)

On top of that, even though I have no intention of using the laptop for gaming of any sort (even dueling!) I do want to upgrade the memory to get everything to run faster, and hopefully, so things don't freeze. I tend to use several programs at once, and if 512 MB of RAM isn't enough, then I can upgrade. Sure, it'll burn a hole in my pocket (in addition to everything else I've been buying lately, plus stuff I still "need" like a new PS2 controller and memory card), but I can justify it by calling it an "investment." Catch is, "tech support" thinks I should go name-brand, like Corsair or Kingston. I don't care either way, because the PNY chips in the desktop (2 of them; brought it from 256 MB to 756 MB)

Less stress... less stress... less stress...

WDKY19 is sorta-kinda coming along. Atlantis? Kysra? I'm going to need to borrow your steam showers and your Hentai Goddesses for this one. Oh, and if you wanna come along and help me force Seto and Téa into a Very Awkward Situation, please, please, attend! (Truthfully, it's the later-20s chapters that have me all excited. I can't exactly say why, but certain people will be getting their asses kicked, and I'm not exactly thrilled to be thrilled about it.)

In the WDKYverse, what are the Top 5 things you can't see Seto or Téa doing, under ANY circumstances or twists of fate? (and be realistic here, people, don't say things like "getting a sex change" or some weirdness like that.)

Oh, and I wanna finally get around to opening up the betasquad forums to the public... but I have some last-minute tweaking to do:
(1) Semi-layouts, based on the votes of people... who haven't really been voting a great deal, or even according to instruction (I really want one that's all "shiny" like the Apple website!)
(2) More sub-forums, suggestions, etc.?
(3) Making it a subdomain or something, so it's easier to access.

...Le sigh, I have to catch up on homework, now.

Welcome to the latest installment of review replies for "What Doesn't Kill You." I'm thrilled that so many people are still interested in the fic and letting me know what they think! As per usual, I select which reviews I'll reply to here. If I get any future reviews for this chapter, I may add them at a later date. If your review is not here, I may have missed it, or I simply may have deemed it unsubstantial enough to include here. Sorry! I will include the actual reviews (unedited) in here, just so everyone has a frame of context...

You might uncover some secret gems about the story and its eventual sequel in here, so I highly recommend you read!

Keep in mind that I do not edit the reviews that I choose to post-- that includes most spelling, grammar, emoticons, and the like. I post everything here that I find "reply-able" even if it's a flame, a death-threat, a love note, or something inbetween.

( A lot of you think I'm evil. )

Well, so Scott's okay (duh?). Turned out he just had some really bad indigestion that carried over from last night. On top of that, something I should have seen coming... he's dropping Japanese. Truth is, the classroom environment never suited him, but I didn't want to see him quit and give up (he knows and I know that he NEEDS to understand Japanese before he moves out there, no matter what the people at NOVA/GEOS/whatever say). I felt a bit selfish, as he was my only friend in the class, and my excuse for not reaching out to other people. If we ever HAD to do pairs work that I couldn't do alone (which is what I have been doing lately), I would work with him. Why? Because I'm comfortable with him, and I feel like I can help him. He knows me, he knows my attitude and my style, and he's accepted me for who I am. I like that.

But now I'm thrust into this not-so-comfortable position where I should and "have" to make friends, not just because it's what's better for me in the long-run (than waiting until Scott's actually gone, wherever he may end up), but also because Scott and I both know he can't be there for me 24-7 (or whatever else I might want) anyway, even if we did share a class together. So far, two weeks into the school year, we do spend time together and hang out, without the pretense of Japanese. But I want to feel useful, I want to feel like I've helped him out some before I throw everything that's meant anything to me this past year completely out the window.

So anyway, tomorrow I'll (hopefully) be doing my skit alone. It's something simple; a 6-line self-introduction including my name, what I like, what I'm bad at, and what I'm good at, plus your standard "It's nice to meet you!" greeting. Hopefully the sensei will be okay with me doing it alone, given my knowledge of the language and the fact that Scott is dropping the class, and I didn't want him to show up to be in a skit with me, to get a grade that wouldn't matter to him, or worse, to embarrass himself for no reason. If I miss out on 5 points, so what?

Scott came over tonight to tell me this (when I originally thought we were going to study), and that he's also enrolling in a course which I would like and maybe can help him with-- Modern Japanese Culture (I'll need to take it next semester to be applicable for Study Abroad in Japan in Fa/06). One of the textbooks is all about anime, and the class schedule has them watching anime and various Japanese movies practically every week. Nonetheless, learning the language isn't a prerequisite; I suppose Scott's right; he could learn at his own pace with a tutor, or like I did, from reading and watching things and picking up on the nuances of speech and writing. No grade to worry about. :P

I'm pretty bummed that I won't get to see Scott every morning, or that I won't have the excuse of studying with him to spend more time with him. I don't know if the rest of the semester is going to continue at this pace for me, or for him. Scott said something about not having his homework done for Japanese anyway (he always works late nights Sundays; can't do anything about it because of his other classes and his on-campus job working as photo lab tech), so he just stayed in the new Photo Lab with his phone off.

I was so worried (see previous entry), thinking stupid things like what if he'd gotten in an accident, what if he was hurt, what if... and I had no way of knowing for sure or even asking anyone as the hours went by, because I don't have Brett (his friend), Marlene (his roommate) or his mom's phone number(s). If I did and I'd called them before Scott reached me around 1:30pm, I might have blown the whole thing out of proportion and worried many more people than necessary. He did stop by Jamba Juice and reassure me, so when I finally got off work (and admittedly, K wasn't as bad today, but she's still a condescending snot) I called him to let him know I was heading home.

But Grandpa and I had to do some shopping first, and Scott was already there when I got there. Joyce and Neal, who came last night, still weren't back from their deposition regarding their trial against their insurance company (their house was one of the many burned down in the San Diego fires 2 years back). I later found out it was because they were picking up Erin from the airport; she's back from South America and is going to move before she starts school at UCLA next week or so.

Aaand... we come full circle. Now I'm the only one up, my homework's mostly done (minus some reactions for Creative Writing, which I'll do tomorrow in the gap between my classes), and I'm tired and a bit hungry... but I won't eat, because I shouldn't eat after 10pm or whatever. :P I've gotten a few more good reviews for WDKY, and assorted other reviews for other fics... o_O People are strange, I'll say that much. Someone said my story (particularly, "I Know That You Know") was horny. Gwuh? I always thought my most innuendo-laced fic was TJOY!

*yawn* G'night. (I hope I get my Home XP CD tomorrow so I can get my damn laptop working! Oh yeah, when is Studio 8 coming? :O)