Magi 24 in 3 pictures

And now that's all finally over, time to divide and conquer!

You and your buddies can take Magnostadt...whatevs.

But I get this blue haired kid.  What?  I have a thing for kids.  Don't look at me like that!

Magi 24!!!!

This epic.  Seriously.

Maaaaan.  I hope they do another season!

T is not for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

A friend of mine pointed out that Heart of Fin should be rated M.  And I agree, because T, even though I thought it stood for 'Teens', actually is for kids 9+ years old and should not contain any adult themes.

... I recoil in horror to think of how many innocent minds I may have just destroyed.  :(

Things I'm looking forward to in April:

1.  Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

2.  Matthew Reilly's Troll Mountain Episode I

3.  My birthday

4.  3 public holidays

5.  A philosophy discussion hosted by the local bookstore

6.  Oh!  And April Fools Day!!!

April's a good month.

Designated happy drink

Ok.  It is official.  Whiskey brings out the smut in me.  This is important information to know.  Either that, or it's Flathead by The Fratellis because I was listening to that when I wrote this:

Perhaps she could get away with not marrying anybody.  And if that was the case, would she never be with a man?  Sasha found herself blushing at the thought.  When she was younger, all she wanted to do was roughhouse with the boys.  But in more recent years, she’d begun developing more of an interest in matters pertaining to... coitus.  She had been thus far able to get by with taking care of those sorts of hot and embarrassing urges herself in the privacy of her room.  But one day, she wouldn’t mind experiencing such things with a man. 

What would it be like to kiss Mortimer?  What would be like to... do more than kiss him?  She opened her mind tentatively to the possibility.  No one would ever know that she was having these thoughts right now in the bath.  And there was no harm in a little bit of fantasising, was there?

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture what it would be like if Mortimer were to...

It's probably not The Fratellis...thought they are as catchy as hell.

20 000 words

Woot!  It has happened!  Heart of Fin has become a 20000 word document.  It seemed like only yesterday that I was tap tap tapping away at Birthday Presents.  But wow, it was October last year  when Birthday Presents reached 10000 words.  :|  I think I finished it in January.  Will I finish Fin in April?  Given that there's ANZAC day and the Easter holidays, it is likely... that is, if I don't get sidetracked.

Crap.  I gave myself until the end of the year to make Vert Glace good enough to query.  How did Sasha Suter become my main project?

Also, I don't watch a lot of anime anymore, so I don't know how much credit my opinion actually holds, but Magi is probably my favourite this year.  It's heartfelt.  And the characters are crazy balls.  That, for me, is the winning combination for anime. These last few episodes that have just been fansubed are going into ridiculous levels of power ups.  And whereas I look back on Dragonball Z and Bleach and roll my eyes, for some reason, I'm really into it when it happens in Magi.  It has me fist pumping the air and shouting, 'YES!'.

Like this moment where Morgiana has leveled up.  I totally dig this for Sasha and Emron.

Magi: Kingdom of Magic Episode 23

An open letter to Lord Kouen:

Given that the fate of the world hangs in the balance,

you should probably refrain from strangling little kids

and grinding your allies into volcanoes.

This has got to be the most epic episode of Magi I've seen.

Writing circles

So it didn't take me a long time to deviate from the playlist.  There's only so many times you can caterwaul Always before the police turn up at your house.  I think I'm just skirting that number, and I don't want to push my luck (it's bad for my back).

I've found myself listening to a lot of Cobra Starship as I write about Emron Kampft's night time adventures.  There is an obnoxiousness about the music that is quite inspiring when I am writing about this slayer of women.

I'm up to 16 000 words for Heart of Fin, and Vert Glace in contrast is only inching along.  Romance is just too fun.  Well, specifically, subverting every known trope I come across is just too fun.  And I'm sure it's all been done before, and I'm probably just shoveling more dirt on the cliche of upending romance cliches...

...just a heads up - alot of the time, I actually don't know what I'm talking about at all.  I should just shut up, watch the newest episode of Magi, and go to sleep.

The Playlist

So Heart of Fin is going ahead.  14000 words in, and I think it's time to put together the book's sound track (aka serious procrastinating).  I've shortlisted 14 songs and I've put them in an order that's not too jarring to chain listen to.  Here it is:

The Heart of Fin (Soundtrack)

Woman, Wolfmother
Sound of Your Heart, Eskimo Joe
Never Be Lonely, The Feeling
Extraordinary Girl, Greenday
Whistle for the Chor, The Fratellis
The Party, Regina Spektor
Here It Goes, Jimmy Eat World
Everything We Had, The Academy Is...
The Secret's in the Telling, Dashboard Confessional
Unwell, Matchbox Twenty
Please Don't Say You Love Me, Gabrielle Aplin
Dance Inside, All-American Rejects
Lousy Reputation, We Are Scientists
Always, Bon  Jovi 

That's what I'll be writing the story to.  :)

Someone else needs to think of the damn titles to these stories

Big Day Out

So, out of 14 reports, I got 3.5 done.

But look!  My favourite places:

The odds are never in our favour

She was right.  Though part of the reason was so that she could pursue her art with the approval of her family, he had to admit that he didn’t do it for entirely selfless reasons.  Another aspect he had considered was that the union would improve the relationship between Fin and Aeryoine, and consolidate Fin’s interests in the country.  But even with that aside, he was pretty sure he loved this girl.  Loved her in ways that he couldn’t even begin to describe.  He hadn’t been quite sure of his feelings in Aeryoine for they were so new to him, but in the last couple of months, he had become quite certain that this aching, jittery, brave, reckless feeling must be love. 

Too sappy?  I felt a bit ham handed writing it, like I was cramming too many feels in.    

So I've officially put it out there: it's up to the readers to decide if they want a Part 2.  I think that's only fair.  I mean, I'll probably still write it just to maintain my burgeoning romance muscles, but I might just do it at my own pace rather than bust my balls to put something up that I'm not going to get much feedback on.

I've set the bar at 10 people actively responding to express interest.  Hopefully I can grow my readership more from there.  So far, I've got 4/10 interest.  I am skeptical, but hopeful that it will reach 10.  Wow.  So this is what it is like to have your ego on the line.  Waaaay more thrilling than a night at the casino.  

Brace is off

I feel a bit naughty sitting without my brace on.  I don't know why I'm doing this, cause I'm suppose to have it on for another 5 days.  I suppose I'm going through a rebellious phase.  And oh, the glorious freedom I feel around my midsection!

Writing wise, I'm over 7000 words into BP2 (working title).  Sigh.  I wish I was making as much progress with Vert Glace.  Why is procrastination so fruitful?

I was going to post the first part of BP2, but after consulting the peeps on the forum... well, I don't know.  I don't want to cheese off the readers.  I was initially going to finish BP2, find someone to look over it with a professonalish editing stand point, and then offer it up on  Amazon. 

But now, I just don't know.

Do I continue to post the story on FP in hopes of getting more feedback, and building this silent ninja readership of mine?  Or do I try to get paid for my work?  

Noragami Episode 10

Regardless of the reason...

...if you stand up your girl and she gets abducted by a creep-o...

she will forget you.

Why does writing about a girl beating things up make me happy?

More guards, dressed in black, swarmed her.  She flashed them a feral grin as her mind forgot all else but the fight.  They were strong, and well trained, but she was a Suter, and even the slightest opening called to her like blood to a shark.  One swung a pole arm at her, which she dodged with a back flip that built up the momentum for a kick to another guard’s face.  She dropped low, ripping her dress in the process, and aimed for kneecaps.  The guards were professionals, and it was only a matter of time until they prevailed.  How many could she take down before that happened?

I can't have this much fun with Tessa.  She's too sensible.  It takes too much to get her going.  Sasha on the other hand... well, throw her in and anything goes.

Noragami Episode 9 in 3 frames

I had so much fun with Magi that I thought I'd share with you all Noragami too.

LITTLE BOY, CONFESS YOUR SINS...

OR WE'LL QUARANTINE YOUR ASS...

AND THEN YOU'LL REALLY BE SORRY!!!

Again, I'm only joking, but again, not by much.  Heh.  Anime in 3 frames might become a running theme.

Too old for this... stuff

Urg.  Today I had to call into work.  I HATE taking a day off because it just means that I have to do more the next day.  :(  And I'm running a parenting program tomorrow.  I need to prepare for it.

I'm stuck at home today with a bad case of lower back pain.  Classy, I know.  It has me sitting ever so tentatively on my chair to avoid twinges of pain.  I wonder if it would be better lying down... nah.  Walking's fine too.  It's just the sitting, bending, lifting anything with my arms, and spewing when the pain gets too much that's really getting to me.  My manager recommended a physio (because she's that brand of awesome) and I'm just waiting for them to open.  Driving is going to be excruciating.

But until then, I suppose I have some time to write.  I'm still chipping away at Vert Glace, but it's hard to push forward when I need to fix a big plot hole and I don't know how to do it.  Maybe working on that second part to BP will help.

By the way.  Can you pick the days when I've updated BP?  I'm honoured that people seem to chain read through it, I just wish I knew what these ninja readers were thinking!!!

Anime is Weird

Ok, first of all, this is suppose to be a guy:

And second of all, this is what he's been fighting.  Inappropriate undertones anyone?

So someone seriously needs to level up and save the day.  Any volunteers?

And that's basically the plot of Magi: Kingdom of Magic Episode 21.  I'm joking, of course, but not by much.

Not so lazy Sunday

Weekends.  Remember weekends when you could sleep in, over eat and spend the day just lounging around reading books?  I sure do.

Today my mind was awake at 7am.  It said 'hey, I know it's a great day for a sleep in, and you won't get the chance again for another 5 days after this, but WAKE UP AND WRITE SOMETHING'.  :\ I'm not sure how  I feel about being ordered around, even by myself.

But I did it.  I woke up and prodded at some of my characters over cold Nandos for breakfast.

Then my partner and I went to have a look at some houses.

Then I posted the remainder of Birthday Presents on fictionpress, because, what the hell, let's not prolong it any longer.

Then I spent some time  agonizing over houses again because it's a big decision to buy a house...

And now I'm wrecked.  Completely physically and emotionally wrecked.

Where are the weekends full of beaches and sunshine?  Where

I hope that once this whole house-thing is over, I can settle back down into the normalcy of writing.  I might even pick up pace with editing Vert Glace (it rhymes, so it must be true).

But that's the story of my life, isn't it?  Once X is over, I'll be able to write.

Almost a swear word occasion

WHEN THE HECK DID MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE DISBAND?  NOOOOOO.  WHERE DO I GET MY DOSE OF FERVENT DARK SALVATION NOW?

I know, I know, it happened a year ago, but I'll have you know that I live under a rock, only surfacing for Vitamin D and new comic books.  MCR  are one of those rare bands that have gotten better rather than worse over time.  Black Parade blew me away.  Danger Days was something else entirely different again.

I suppose I'm just going to have to treasure the songs they've already made.

The winning combination

Maybe I shouldn't have brewed that second pot of tea at 10:30pm at night, for now I sit here, wide awake, at 11:00pm.  I have walk tomorrow.  I mean, I have work tomorrow.  And I intend to walk to work.

Drinking tea means needing to pee copiously.  That, plus the excited urgency of painting the broad strokes of Part 2 is a winning combination I think.  I am literary sitting at the edge of my seat.  :)

I think that sleep deprivation is on par with alcohol intoxication for me.  The later it gets, the more giddy I am.

Part 2 is still a baby compared to Part 1 of Birthday Presents.  It's at 1500 words.  I'm having fun introducing a new character; Romlan Arrowsmith, who may or may not be an angry homosexual.  I'm not googling that.  So this post won't have a picture.

...wow, I think I'm a little bit of an asshole when I stay up late.  Yikes.  Bed time it is.

Fyloe Lives!

Evidenced by the results of the Writing Contests posted today.

T.Rasa is a top dog now and I can't decide if this feeling inside is envy or admiration.  Maybe both.  Most likely both.

Whatever it is, it's inspired me to be more productive.  As a result, I updated the languishing shadechasers story.  It doesn't get much fanfare, unfortunately, but I love the hell out of writing it so it continues to exist.

Birthday Presents is also boasting a new chapter.  It's drawing close to the end now.  I think next week I'll be posting the last chappie and the epilogue.