The Hammer's Nail

Alert the media or something...

2007-10-18T05:42:41Z

...I went on a date tonight.

We saw a zero budget version of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Mikado'.

We both had a good time.

We might be going to a halloween concert the College Orchestra's putting up next week.

I'm not really sure what to think.

*pinch self*

Yep, it happened.

...

I go sleep now.

A trivial memory makes me post...

2007-06-28T23:27:16Z

...for those as old as I am may remember a pair of poor systems called the "Turbografx 16" and "TurboDuo" by NEC. Their games were just like any others'. Had some good ones, had some bad ones. However, their claim to fame was having the first CD system of it out and as a result, had a few games that were able to enchance their story telling by using actual drawn cut scenes.

This is a tribute using a few scenes from a few games of that gone by era, one of which, was made by Working Designs. And the song's not bad either.

Makes me realize just how old I'm starting to get... guess that means I have to start doing young stuff again... whatever the heck that's called these days. :p

I'm writing again!

2007-05-12T04:40:22Z

Through various converstations with tyraarane, we were coming up with ideas for a Warcraft story idea that I've been stirring around in my head for a little while. Though I'm still stuck on the first chapter, I do think that the ideas are starting to materialize as to exactly how I want these characters to be, make them interesting, and distinct.

Like so.

With each step, made heavier by the falling snow, the stench of death around her, and the lack of light preceding her path, Dallana Stoneweaver pushed forward all the harder. Though seemingly oblivious to the carnage around her, the dwarven paladina was all too aware of the loss the forces of both the Alliance and the Horde had experienced at the hands of the dreaded Lich King. She was no exception to the knowledge that she had lost friends and loved ones in the brutal melee and it seemed that she and one other were the only survivors.

With naught but the clothes on her back, the armor protecting her skin and the heavy mace of Uther Lightbringer in her hand, she tredged foward further to the Frozen Throne. In front of her, lay the greatest scourge that Azeroth had ever known. The armies she had led, and the seemingly limitless numbers of the Lich King were all exhausted. Despite the perpetual gloom surrounding her, she could easily make out two shapes at the top of the path of the hill she climbed. A throne, made of unbreakable ice, which once served as the prison of the one who now sat in it.

Looking up to the throne where the god-like personage waited for her, she called through the storm, "It ends here, monster! Your sins lie heavy upon your soul!"

"Interesting," the Lich King said, standing up, and pulling Frostmourne from his scabbard, "and what would you, a mere mortal, think to do against a god?"

Dallana felt the wretched being's influence bear down upon her soul and courage. It was almost too much to endure. In her last grasp of courage, she tightened her grip on Silver Lining, Uther's mace, and felt the courage of its previous owner dispell the fear. The Light was her ally. She would not fall like this.

Knowing that his power over her wouldn't deter her courage, the Lich King started to descend the steps to end her life himself. With his sword raised, the man who once fought alongside Uther, bore all his power and dominion into the swing, which no mere mortal would withstand.

In mid-swing, Frostmourne was stopped by the head of Silver Lining, causing a massive shockwave to the terrain around them. With a defiant scowl on her face, Dallana's eyes shone with divine brilliance as a pair of wings grew from her back in a maelstrom of physically manifested Light. With added force of her faith, she tossed the wicked blade aside and with the lack of balance of the Lich King, she wound up her torso and swing mightily with nothing but faith and hope.

Dallana looked over the scribblings Donovan had shown her earlier with a raised eyebrow. The mage, who professed to be a writer, had insisted that she read his work. He had refrained from calling it a 'masterpiece' since it was still in its first draft and knew that no writer would dare do such a thing. Done with the book which contained his writings, she looked up to the mage, who was sitting across the make-shift camping area they had made, noting the interested look on his face, hoping for a favorable response.

"Boy," she said blunty, "where in the world do ye get these silly ideas?" Granted, it was a cute little story, but hardly the kind that interested her.

"Yeah!" Rhaec Rustgear, the less than mentally stable gnomish warrior, added, "there weren't enough explosions in it eith..." His comment was answered with a quick punt out of the campsite from the dwarvish paladin. The gnome would be back, she figured. Gnomes were made of stronger stuff than most people gave them credit for.

"I think too much?" Donovan offered with a humored smile after a moment.

Dallana was not laughing.

She promptly threw the book back to him, making sure it cleared the campfire, and into his lap. She then walked to the stake out point where the Night Elf in their group was keeping watch, but not before giving him a final bit of friendly advice. "Ye publish that piece a'tripe with mah name in it, I'll be comin' after ye."

"Noted," the mage replied simply, not noticing Rhaec mincing back into the firelight to take his seat beside him.

Dwarves had no sense of humor... or at least one that made sense to non-dwarves anyway.

End Segment here.

Which explains part of that particular character, which I like since there aren't enough like her in stories, really. *nod, nod*

Now, we move onto another one,

"Wait a minute!" Rhaec exclaimed, taking the stage, and stomping as much as a Gnome could to address Jaina. "How do you expect... um, Don, buddy, mind giving me a lift?"

"Do I have to?" the mage replied, not at all thrilled at the concept of lifting a normally seventy-eight pound Gnome, added with the extra sixty pounds of plate armor, and the final twenty-five pound axe he had on his back.

"Yes! You have to!" the gnome insisted with a frown.

Dallana looked on with a smirk as the mage, not normally one to lift heavy weights, struggled to heft the diminutive warrior to eye leve with Jaina Proudmoore.

"Ahem, as I was saying; how do you expect us sub-par adventurers to find the king of Stormwind when even the greatest could not?!"

Jaina frowned in return and answered, "I'm up here."

The gnome's serious gaze broke when he looked up from Jaina's bosom to her face, then back again, saying, "I've made my choice."

From outside Theramore, a very audible explosion could be heard. A faint, "I regret nothing!" in Gnomish accompanied it.

Valiya, the Draenei priestess, stepped to the edge of the large hole which now gave some excellent ventilation to Jaina's study, at the cost of a normal sized window, and looked to the area where the Gnome had landed, noting the two female guards of Theramore trying their best to comfort the recently assaulted Gnome. She looked back to the flustered and angered sorceress, ran some calculations in her head, and said in her usual monotone, "This is the farthest he has even been flown yet."

Florance only looked to the shocked Donovan, who was lying on the ground and appeared unscathed, despite seeing a powerful spell lobbed in his direction. "You feeling alright?" the druidess asked.

Blinking in surprise, he shook his head briefly as he got his bearings again. "Yeah, I think so... so that's how they do it?" he asked Jaina as Florance helped him stand up.

"Temporary Magic-Immune Physical Banish spell. Normally, it's used on Elementals, but it can be used on humanoids, but not for very long. Helps when you're outnumbered." Jaina explained, making it seem like it was not the overly difficult spell for Donovan to be able to cast.

End Segment here.

Now, I know that the character archetypes I'm trying to write about here are not new, but at least it kinda breaks the mold from your standard Warcraft fics, which hardly ever feature Gnomes and Female dwarves. However, that still will not be able to hide the fact that I need to write more to get the feeling of writing something funny. So, if I do get into full speed writing this story, here's hoping that the funny scenes that I keep thinking up in the first place actually become funny when they get into word form.

Starting over again...

2007-05-10T01:52:07Z

Thought I'd give this whole Journal thing another shot and see if I can actually make the nonsense I say worth the time people take to read. So, I'll start with two simple statements.

One:
Nodame Cantible is the greatest anime in the whole wide world... to music students like myself. The main character is an ego-centric composer that personifies all the snooty, self-righteous, and egotistical aspects of being a music student. And of course, the crazy piano girl, Nodame, that thinks half of her age, but I love her anyway. A plus is all the classical music I'm familiar with that gets played a lot as part of the series and it flows rather well. Since Del Rey is translating the manga, which makes me happy, I guess it's only a matter of time before the anime gets brought over here... though I doubt the Live Drama will, since there's not much of a market of that here. I'd still watch it if it were subbed.

Two:
Last month, I went to Sakura-con, won the 'Best Vocals' in the Karaoke contest, naturally; being the only classically trained person there, (Ego, folks! Ego!), and from there, I've discovered my most favorite AMV in the whole world. And why is it such? It takes something cute and adorable, and messes around with it, until it becomes a psychotic, in a fun way, misrepresentation of itself.

I present to you; Hell Fairy. (Though mostly Work-safe, it's usually best watched at home.)

Breaking News... from four days ago...

2007-03-07T18:05:40Z

At the risk of sounding silly, I feel it must be said....

WII GET!
It was pure serendipity. I live in Salt Lake City, and sometimes, on the weekends, I visit the fam that lives in Orem. We just finished having dinner at a local restaraunt and on the way home, the Mom needed to stop by the local Target to get something for her Ipod. Whilst there, I inquired the folks in the electronics department, and he informed me of their incoming shipment.

Elated, I showed up at a quarter to 5 am the next morning... and waited until about 7:15 am to get a voucher, so I had enough time to get to my family's home, shower, and change into some clean clothes so I would be somewhat presentable to get it at 8 am.

So, I came back, and, hoorary, I gots me a Wii, nerd friends! :D Along with Zelda, WiiPlay, and two nunchak controllers... though, I only needed to get one. >_<

Granted, it used up my tax return, it was well worth it! Zelda is wonderful! ...now, if I could only get some more time away from school, work, and studying so I could enjoy it more!

Join us next post, when I show my failings at fanfiction writing in stories that are on hold and/or will never be written because I think I've lost my touch. :(

~That's what I want. (That's what I want) doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo~

2007-02-07T02:21:45Z

I'll not mince words.

Checking up on my finances, I figure it's time to let go of some of my older stuff so as to both open up some space and hopefully, though I'm not completely confident it will, bring in a bit of revenue.

As I am gathering together all the stuff I know that I can sell, since I don't use it anymore, I need to find an avenue to make these things available for those that do want them that's not eBay or Amazon, since they charge you for 'the privilage' of selling on their site. So, if any of you wonderful people on my f-list have any suggestions, my ear is yours... but do be dears and hand it back once you're done, 'k? I'm rather attached to it.

Wanna know what's annoying?

2007-01-30T19:39:27Z

Trying to decide to get a PSP with a protective case that can hold four games, a connector to a PC, five games (Four of which are pretty much Gamestop Fodder), and a charger for $200...

...or...

holding out for a Wii and Zelda: TP.

ARG!

Attention, Peasants....

2006-12-23T17:13:13Z

From henceforth; you shall all address me as follows;

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Venerable Lord Christian the Introspective of Porton Down
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

After much introspection and meditation, I have hereby come to the conclusion that I am simply beyond awesome to the point where I am nigh kingly!

...or not.

It's all in fun.

Oh, by the way, I went on a group date last weekened, despite being in the beginning stages of being sick and saw Pirates of the Carribean 2:

Me: *watches end of the movie* *jawdroped* No Wai!

Movie: Wai!

Me: O RLY?!

Movie: YEAH RLY! Watch the sequel, coming soon!

Me: ARG!

Dang, that was a good movie. Can't wait for the sequel.

Don't you love how the level of discourse simply goes through the roof when you're sick? :D

Just a little something... (a small update before a BIG one)

2006-12-04T05:53:23Z

...for tyraarane.

Guess who's back in WoW?

ATTENTION WORLD! I AM NOW 28 YEARS OLD! WORSHIP ME!

2006-09-22T02:34:05Z

Or not.

Hmm...

At this point in my life, I should come up with something insightful, thought-provoking, and intelligent to write concerning growing older, wiser, and more mature.

...

Nah. I'll just go order Chinese Delivery and play World of Warcraft, waiting for the US forums to come up again so I can complain about the developers obvious anti-paladin bias. :p

Fanart links you should NOT miss

2006-08-23T01:58:45Z

Wow...

Just...

Wow...

Seriously... this guy wins the internet three times over...

What's up and what not...

2006-07-01T17:27:04Z

First off;
Happy Birthday, elisteran. For your present, how about a drabble? Non-Ranma and less than 500 words about anything you and I know about. All for you.

Next;
World of Warcraft is a timesink. Saying it's a timesink is a frickin' understatement. However, it is providing ideas that I will eventually use for my attempt at humor using a few establsihed characters from the Warcraft mythos and a few characters I made myself. After all, the best stories are the ones which feature the ordinary, pulling off the extraordinary... now the only problem is hoping the readers will like the characters... and the story doesn't stink.

Moving on;
I finally got a job. Granted, it won't pay as much and I won't be working as much as I would like, but a job's a job and I will do all I can to keep this job and earn money once again! Woo.

Recent events;
Little brother got married yesterday... yikes... makes you think. Since I too wanna get married someday, I'm gonna have to actually get out of the house! Zounds! What a concept! (Eventually, there's gonna be a long and lengthy post about my hopes, dreams, and loves. So, if you want to avoid the sacchrine, beware!)

....

Rats. I knew there was other stuff I wanted to write about, but it escapes me.

Final "LIVE from Japan" Post

2006-06-09T15:53:17Z

Finals are over and good riddence, I say. One held Kanji which spanned the entire month of 200 kanji and required roughly thirty of them. ARG!

Now, that's out of the way, I shall be making my triumphant return to the states, complete with fanfare, confetti, and hawt ladies in swimsuits... or not. Instead, I'll probably just pass out in the care when my sister picks me up, then pass out again at home, then pass out again after passing out, only to wake up another day later to pass out again. Then I shall get my act together, get a new job, then spend a week playing nothing but World of Warcraft.

Life runs at a mile a minute here. :p

Well, have some drabbles for a few folks on my F-list:

For myaru:

Linea and Lumena stared each other down for what seemed like hours. The taller, blue eyed leader of the Aeque regarded the Shaman with a careful and political nod of acknowledgement. She knew this one could be trouble. She bore no grudge against her or her people, but the ruckus they had made, along with the war going on with her beloved prince and the army that would lay waste to all that would not join, was wearing her patience thin. Her attendant, Prier, also regarded the shaman with subtle suspicion from the shadows. Lumena knew Prier was always there and ready to defend her lady with her life, despite her lack of killing prowess.

"What can I do for you?" Lumena asked, gathering her volumous robes about her.

"Nothing at the moment," the upstart princess of the Shamans said with serenity, "I just wanted to see if the leader of the Aeque was as beautiful as rumors say."

A frown creased Lumena's face as she replied, "Lies are not befitting you, princess."

Linea only shrugged casually, as though her action meant little in the long run, "So diplomacy was never my strong point."

Prier hefted her staff up, twisting the edge to reveal a throwing dagger, tipped with 'Pax Toxica', a common poison, but effective nonetheless. Knowing Prier was ready to strike if need ever arose, Lumena stared straight into Linea's eyes and said, "So I gathered. So, speak your purpose and do so clearly."

"Very well," Linea said, taking a quick look at Prier's eager and twitching hand with the dagger in it.

"The Miasma is spreading further. And yet, you tell your people to do nothing. Why aren't you fighting it?" Linea accused.

"The Miasma cannot be stopped. It could have been in the past, but it's past too late for us now," Lumena said calmly, seeing the results of the hideous plague in her mind's eye, "Our sins have caught onto us and now, we are beyond redemption."

Linea's frown said she wasn't entirely happy with said assessment. The frown only increased the tension as Prier's frown grew as well, and she took a single, silent step forward, proving she was serious in protecting her lady.

"What if I told you there was a way to push back the Miasma and bring life back to this dying world?" Linea offered, her own hand tickling the short sword she held on her thigh, effectively hidden by her heavy red dress.

Lumena's eyes narrowed in suspicion. This would not be the first one to attempt to try and push back the Miasma, however, the last one that did it ended up joining that madman. As a result of his 'findings' he had been given everything he needed for his experiments. Perhaps this one was no different, but needing the same sort of materials the Aeque did not have.

"I know what you're thinking, but no. What I don't need is materials. What I need is help. Your people are not the only ones affected by this, you know."

Lumena remained suspicious as she continued, "What did you have in mind?"

Knowing she had made some headway, Linea calmed and said without guile, "Have you ever heard of the Gate of Eternity?"

Lumena and Prier listened to Linea's belief that the gate could hold the cure for their dying world. If it were true,then perhaps their people could have a future, instead of the doom she had been preaching about for many years.

"And you believe this can save our world?" she asked calmly, not wishing to get her hopes up. There had been many false saviors and all had perished un the Miasma.

Linea nodded without hesitation. "The overflowing amount of life from the spirits would not only push back the Miasma, but destroy it."

There was a pregent pause as both woman stared at each other, almost testing each others' resolve in what they individually believed.

"If such a thing does exist, as you say... then perhaps we may have a chance. And if it's true, then I pray for your sucess."

Linea smiled for once, "Glad to see things in a new light." Her smile faded when Lumena quickly closed the distance between them.

"However, if your words are false, Shaman. I will be most put out," the leader of the Aeque said ominously.

Linea frowned back and said, "Don't worry. They won't be." With that, she marched to the window and exited as quietly as she appeared.

Note:
The following is being written from O'Hare Airport.

We is NOTS a happy camper, precious!

Our fights from Narita is a half-hours late. We needs to get our baggage since they won't be sent to the next flight, precious. Then, we MISSES the flight because of wicked, tricksey, false flight attendants! Nows, we's given a new flight leaving FOUR HOURS later, precious!!!

Precious is not happy! :(

Cath, if you've read this before the email I'm sending, could you pick me up at about 5:30 later today? I just wanna cry right now... ;_;

Real quick...

2006-05-28T13:01:42Z

From what little I can actually download in anime, this little diddy caught my eye... but this. Surprised me even more... scared even... I was able to download the episode somehow, considering the bad connection I got, and found out that a shounen harem anime CAN be interesting... when you replace the girls with schizos, murderers, and psychos. You see, in the second picture, when compared to the girl's eyes earlier in the episode of this show, contain... something that brings out the trainwreck watcher in me. I can't stand slasher, horror, suspense, and other stuff like that... but this... the way the eyes are drawn, are shown in a manner I've hardly ever seen... and I kinda like it... and it scares me...

Secondly, I've watched up to episode 10 of Kyou Kara Maou on my comp, with episodes preloaded on the harddrive and I've come to the following conclusions:
1. Yuuri's not that bad of a lead character.
2. Wolfram deserves to be eternally single... and whacked... repeatedly... with a hard, blunt object... in a place where the sun don't shine... mercilessly.
3. Konrad's awesome. 'Nuff said.
4. Gunter's a woman in a man's body. He just needs to get the operation.
5. Gwendal needs a vacation... or a woman... the nice inventor lady would work perfectly! :D
6. Cheri... She's funny... and since I'm shallow, I'm also saying she's not badly designed in the least pig-like manner possible.
7. Nice inventor lady whose name I can't spell yet... we need more of her!

Finally;
the host family and I watch a samurai drama called 'Koumyou ga Tsuchi', which basically translates into meaning 'the path you chose towards glory'... I think. It's corny japanese drama... almost soap opera like... but it has Nobunaga Oda, psychotic as always, Mitsuhide Akechi, pre-Nobunaga'ed, Yamauchi Kazutoyo, a well worn and traveled samurai, and many more in the delightfully corrupted Feudal Era japan. The actos are SO intense, it's high-larious to watch. I definately recommend it, despite it plays out like a soap opera... and that it kinda moves rather quickly. I mean, one scene takes place in the spring of the 1570's and the next one has it taking place several months/years later. But, eh, what can ya do?

PUNT!

Ok, kids, here's the lesson for today...

2006-05-27T21:16:29Z

...no matter how easy it looks to get a DS Lite from one of those mini-game stalls where you have to make the platform go up five times, IT NEVER IS! You'll end up spending more money than you'll realize and you'll look like an idiot.

...I swear, those things are rigged.

...and I may as well just get a DS Lite on Launch day and use my current DS as a trade in... che...

Exciting news from overseas...

2006-05-26T06:06:06Z

...or not.

The past three weeks have been pretty eventful, so I'll try and explain what I can before I have to go for the rest of the afternoon.

My homestay family are an interesting bunch that go by the name Kanai. The father, Akinobu is good about helping me with my Japanese, since he's such a nice guy about the mistakes I make. The mother works with him at their shop nearby, so no one's home until six at night usually, but she's also helpful and mindful about the large cumbersome man living in her house (me. :D). The eldest son has moved out and has two girls of his own, which are named Mikan and Suika (orange and watermelon, respectively). Sometimes we play little games to pick up the slack on their mother and Mrs. Kanai... and the best part is that Mikan, the elder of the two (three years old) has called me 'Onii-chan'. ...it was ready to burst from that. Instead, I giggled like an annoying school girl after they left. :) Next, is their second son, Nobuyuki. He's often gone because of work, but he's got no real plans, not going to school, that sorta deal. Don't see him very often, but he seems decent enough. Lastly, is their daughter, Chie, who just graduated from high school and is about to go into nursing school. She's quite a vocal girl, and she's not shy when it comes to her opinions. :) Come to think of it, neither is the rest of the family. In my opinion, I think it's good that people are open and honest with each other. Gets tension out of the way and identifies problems sooner so they can be solved... if they can... but I digress....

Every Wed. we've been going on field trips. A week ago, we went to a real life Ninja Training villiage... and though my shuriken skillz are up to snuff... my agility and maze wandering skills leave much to be desired. I got a free fan for hitting a bullseye five times! Woot! Go me! :D In short, I don't think I got what it takes to be a ninja... unless I'm Lee Van Clef. :p

A few days ago, we went to Matsumoto, near the place where the legendary warlords, Kenshin Uesagi and Takeda Shingen, did battle. We also saw the amazing Matsumoto castle. I got plenty of those pictures... but since they're on my sister's digital camera, and I've no means to transfer them to my lap top, you're gonna have to take my word for it until I do get pics up. The only bad thing that happened was, on wed. my friends and I were walking so much, I developed a high fever the next day. Thankfully, it's almost gone and I'm feeling better. I think my body was telling me to get my butt off my feet and rest since it's not used to so much walking in one day... and I did a lot of it.

I'm learning a lot of kanji and I'm actually reading what the stuff is saying in the news recently. It's eerie. I can actually understand what's being said... to an extent... and those gameshows are still downright wacky to us Gaijin! Granted, there's not a lot of time to watch anime... though, I have had the chance every now and then... but it was just another Naruto filler... laughing Aburame Shino... geez... anyway... it's been fun.

I have also been lucky enough to make out like a bandit for finding gag manga and manga anthologies for cheap from stores... I think there'd be a few interested parties to have these nice little books... for a price, of course. :) Oh, and kyaa, I've been looking for the doujin you wanted, but no dice. The best I could find was a few angsty Ichigo/Rukia doujin... and a humorous Ichigo/Ishida non-shounen ai gag doujin. I'll keep looking, though.

That's all, over and out, peoples! More as it develops.

The Big news...

2006-05-06T04:55:30Z

...I hereby announce that tomorrow morning, I will be on my way to Nagano, Japan for a month for a study abroad program! I will spend a month at the campus in the town, stay with a host family, and learn business level japanese with another student that's taking the same class as I am.

And no worries, I'll still have internet access since my dear and wonderful parental unit will be lending me her laptop and with an affordable wireless modem connection, I will still be in touch, despite being about 18 hours ahead of where I am now. At the moment, I'm rearranging all my stuff to make sure I can transport it the most efficiently. The only bad thing about tomorrow is the next 18 hours required to get to Nagano. What a time to wish there were Star Trek transporters. Bleah. Jet lag is not fun, I'll tell ya that for free.

When you hear from me next, I'll be elsewhere.

Until then, be excellent to each other!

A quick drabble for tyraarane.

2006-05-05T18:35:59Z

Warcraft characters, banter, sub-text, all that good stuff.

Sitting on one of the few rugs, with Snowsong's in his lap, Thrall went over a scroll containing one of the few written histories of the Shamanic Path. According to the records, the Orcs were created by the Spirits that they worshiped so faithfully. And knowing the orcs would have wills of their own, they arranged a symbiotic relationship between the shaman and themselves so that both would survive and flourish in body and spirit. Rolling up the scroll, he casually stroked Snowsong's head as he turned to his bed where his guest, Jaina Proudmoore, slept peacefully.

The fact she had fallen asleep in the bath was a little fact he would continue to pester her about for a long time. She wasn't in any danger of drowning, but when he heard the hideous roar coming from the bathing room, he nearly panicked, only to find her drapped over the edge of the makeshift tub, snoring louder than a angered Kodo. It was rather humerous to think that such a small and demure human her size could make as much noise as she did. Even more surprising was when he removed her from the soothing waters, dried her off, and dressed her in a night shirt to maintain her modesty. Her snoring eventually died down when he placed her on the bed and let her sleep. With an almost mischevious grin, he began his study of the ancient text to wait for her to rouse. Knowing Jaina's position as a princess of Kul Tiras, she was undoubtably trained to be proper and refined. He could only imagine what consternation she must have caused in her younger years due to that.

"I was snoring, wasn't I?" Jaina asked wearily. He turned to see her push herself up and rub the drowsines out of her eyes. Her skin was flushed due to the hot water, and her hair was a mess, yet she still seemed to carry the same calming appearence she always did. It was reminiscent of the times Tari would sneak him to her room so they could do all those silly things brothers and sisters did to annoy their parents.

"Just a bit," he said calmly with a smirk.

She leaned casually on her hands as she said, "It drove my father and brothers mad whenever I did it... especially the times when I did it on purpose."

He cocked his eyes in surprise. "And here I thought a princess was supposed to be prim and proper."

Jaina snorted in reply, "Right. I was the sweet and innocent girl everyone saw in public, because that's what I was supposed to be."

Thrall slowly stood up and put the scroll back on his desk, "And now?"

She looked to her friend and said, "I think I got a bit more leeway than before. I'm not considered part of the aristocracy of Kul Tiras anymore and since I'm making the rules for Theramore, somewhat, I can make them myself somewhat. In spite of all the idiocy from Stormwynd, I still prefer this over working for Dalaran... what's left of it."

Thrall bowed his head in understanding. Jaina's half-sister, Finnal Goldensword, had come to Theramore, wishing to pay her respects to her fallen father. It was there Jaina had learned of her father's illicit affair, his refusal to help Dalaran, and Finnal's mother's death. It was emotionally tiring for Jaina to know that she still had family that was fighting the Forsaken and the Scarlet Crusade. She offered Finnal to stay at Theramore, but the half-elf sister had politely refused. Jaina wasn't sure if Finnal hated her for their father's death or not.

Jaina smiled sadly, "Sorry, Thrall. It never ends. No matter what I do, there's always something that does this."

Thrall padded as quietly as a orc could and slowly sat down beside her. She didn't resist as he wrapped his large arm around her demure shoulders. The burden on each other was almost crushing at times, which was why they often needed each other's company for some much needed support. It was good to know that the large orc was always there for her. Using the stones they used to comminucate with each other, it was always possible for them to meet.

She leaned against him, letting the sound of her breathing and his heart beat gently lull her back to sleep. She was glad he was there. Like during the battle at Mount Hyjal, she felt the safest when held by him, however brief it was. She slowly drew herself against him and wrapped her arms around his torso as far as her small arms could. When all the pressure of being rulers of two opposing people were too much, they would always have each other to turn for comfort.

They would find a way for the Alliance to work. They would. They had to.

Update-ness! Part 1!

2006-04-01T00:02:50Z

I meant to post about some stuff I did the last week because of some significant significance;

I went to Sakura-con once more! After a year long break, no thanks to my school's poor scheduling, I have returned to the first convention I have ever gone to. Woot, I say! Woot!

First day;
Got registered with a three day pass, dawgs! Awesome. Unlimited access, 24/3. Went to the dealer's room and looked at all the freaks and geeks of the very best kind, flaunting what they got! And best of all, in the dealer's room, I was able to score a whole slew of Fire Emblem Non-porn doujinshi! Even better, the guy there remembered me from a few years ago and gave me a discount! Major score! Best of all, he had all the kosher doujin set aside for those of us who prefer to laugh. Bless his soul. :)

I return, get dressed in my awesome Tuxedo Solid Snake and decide to hit the Karaoke. To my initial dismay, the competition has already been filled. But, wait! I go to the info desk to find out that there's one left! SCORE AGAIN! So, while waiting for the competition, I give them a dash of emo with Yuuka's 'Akatsuki no Kuruma' from Gundam Seed. I do decent enough on it, but since it's a soprano role, it doesn't work very well for a baritone/bass like myself. With that taken care of, I go around and visit the various panels and other nonsense before I go back to the competition. It's there I floor them with my rendidtion of Joanne Hogg's 'Small Two of Pieces' (the ending theme of Xenogears). Even though I don't win, I do, however, get an honorary award for "Best Lounge Singer'. I'm so happy! :D And a 'J-Rock Kakashi' (yes, you heard me right) and I vowed to do musical battle once again next year. Oh yeah, and a girl wanted to take my picture, but because her battery ran out, she wanted me to sign her con-schedule... cool. My first autograph... well, second actually, my first was when I played Bisky in Aphra Ben's 'The Rover' some years prior, but that's another story.

Not far from where I was, there was a room showing nothing but AMVs, which made me happy. I couldn't let the poor MC go without having him play my personal favorite "Waka Laka for Osaka".

With that done, I hunted for the games and did some serious DDR'ing with a few other freaks like myself. Only, I had to change, otherwise I would have drenched my poor tux. So, I pretty muched danced until 3 am. I love going to conventions. :)

Day two:
Woke up at about 11 am, well, after waking up from sleeping on the floor, since only three out of the five of us had a bed to sleep on. So, I woke up at about nine, then I went back to sleep on the bed and then woke up at 11. There, I did a bit more shopping (got Capcom X Namco and a switcher to play it with), just barely dodged getting Disgaea 2 since it's coming out this fall, got the Disgaea and Phantom Kingdom artbooks, a Xenogears doujin (kosher), and some Antarctic Press manga. I will say one thing, Ben Dunn maybe can't tell a great story, but he knows how to keep a company afloat and he deserves kudos for that. Oh, and also a Guilty Gear artbooks, which is the inspiration for a following drabble.

Later, I went to the Karaoke Battle and am silently grateful I didn't join. There was this one round where three guys had to play 'Chicken Kissing', where straight guys have to put their lips as close as possible without kissing, first one to back off lost. However, I'm guessing the MC wasn't looking because two of those guys were certainly not straight. Either way, it was a blast to watch, and once that was done, I went to the AMV panels where I've been getting some ideas that I've been putting around for about a year or so.

Knowing I need to get an early start the next morning for my flight, I head back, but not without having a few more pictures being taken of me and people finally realizing I'm Tuxedo Solid Snake. There were a few other Snakes there, but I was the only on in a tux! Go me! I even saw a person cosplaying as Joel from MST3K.... that was one of the coolest of all. But, the most surprising was a guy that dressed as Misato from Eva and I was totally convinced he was a she. Turns out that 'Steve' knew a make-up artist that could make him look feminine and it worked. I was surprised. Anyway, since I'm coming back next year, I hope to meet some of the cool people that I've known again. But, because of how expensive it is and all, I think it'd be best to limit it to once or twice a year.

Taken from SKJAM at gunpoint...

2006-02-26T17:09:08Z

The rules:Reply here, and I will pick two things out of the interests list in your LJ userinfo to combine in a bit of writing. This obligates you to take on the same challenge in your journal, so consider the size ofyour friends list before you do!
If you can't write at all, come up with something like drawings, microfiction, acrostics, or webcam interpretive dance for your version.

So, lay it on, my collective friends and well-wishers!

An odd link...

2006-02-14T03:21:53Z

Ever heard of a girl called "Afuganisu-tan"? Sounds familiar? Sure. This site has a webcomic series about Afuganisu-tan (the teased child) and her friend, "Pakisu-tan". Not to mention the firery, "Merikan". Go to the "WEB-COMIC" Link at the top and click #23 and follow it to the end.

Makes you wonder.

Don't give up, Afuganisu-tan!

O_O OH!

2006-02-13T07:38:55Z

MY!

GAWD!!

Excuse me, I'm gonna go faint now out of pure joy...

Hey, Solderini...

2006-01-27T23:48:27Z

Remember that Team 8 Drabble I owe you?

Well, here it is:

Kiba and Shino would never say it out loud. The latter would never say it simply because he never said anything that had only one application. The former would usually lose it amid foul language, rough talk, and incoherent babblings about his and Akamaru's ability. However, that did not mean the thought had never crossed their minds when it came to their demure and overly shy teammate, Hinata Hyuuga. It was an actual fact that the two had never said anything verbally concerning how they felt for their 'younger sister', but they both understood in how they fought for her during those missions where, because of Hinata's hesitation, they had failed.

They never blamed her, because she was doing it to herself enough. Never once did they, or Kurenai Sensei, have to reprimand her for her shortcomings, because she would often shoulder the blame herself, and it hurt them to see their 'sibling' like that. Though they had their own families to interact with, it was always a harsh ritual of protocal that Hinata had to endure day in and out. They figured that was the cause Kurenai sensei had taken in Hinata, hoping to not only give her a decent example and role model, but perhaps, a mother she never had.

As time passed, in particular the Chuunin exam, they had seen her change, but in small steps. She was pushing herself further, but not enough to endanger her life, to their relief. She slowly began to stop worrying about the small things that alway stood in the way. She stood taller, she smiled more, she laughed more. There was nothing more the 'brothers' could ever hope for in their 'sister'. As she would grow, her 'brothers' would be there to support her the best they could. That's what 'brothers' did, after all.

Though, it was not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometime, when Uzumaki came back with Jiraiya-sama, they'd push her to actually do something about him. After all, what brothers were there that didn't tease their sisters about boys they liked? She'd get even more red-faced than normal whenever she talked about him, however brief it was. Kiba could tell that through all the chiding he did to Hinata, Shino was smiling behind that coat of his.

Hinata was special to them both and she'd remain so, even after they'd grow up and go their seperate ways. It was their own little family with bonds as tight as they came.

Seeing the RAW for the First episode of Hellsing Ultimate...

2006-01-26T05:13:26Z

...and it can be best described in a few sentences:

Everyone's so happy! :D Smiling all the time with their razor sharp teeth, ready to eat you alive the second your back's turned! :D

IT'S FUN!!

Purgatory? Who'da thunk?

2006-01-17T16:58:14Z

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Extreme
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Very Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

...in all honesty, I thought worse, but whatever. I guess I need to read Dante's Inferno now. :p Test has been aquired through Baka Mazoku.

Post concerning Dr. King will come later today, as I've had no net connection for a few days since my Machine is gettin upraded.