shoot them in the head!

zombiephile @ 2012-02-21T20:56:00

2012-02-22T03:01:21Z

Why is Slytherin the home of the Mean Girls and the Bullies? "Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends" doesn't always translate into "Asshole."

If I wasn't so bad at "cunning" I'd be tempted to pick up a Slytherin who isn't a blatant outright asshole.

randomness.

2012-02-21T03:45:45Z

More personal headcanon time!

Timeturner Tales is one of the biggest bits of headcanon I have, having referenced it to varying degrees in six different games since 2007, even having played characters cast in it in three of those games.

Beyond just the information that I have listed in the wiki, I have all sorts of other headcanon for the game: general characterizations for some of the characters, for example. Like, I would totally at some point consider making a Timeturner Tales-based RP game with general quick descriptions of the various characters, if I thought that was something other people who aren't me might be interested in. Which I honestly kinda doubt.

ANYWAY.

For some of the characters on the show, I have a lot of ~thoughts~ on what they're like. And because I have all kinds of thoughts, why not share them?

Edward Hughes: Patriarch of the Hughes family, which is a family of business moguls. Edward is basically your typical Old Rich White Guy who knows for a fact that he's in the right (even when he's wrong) and greatly dislikes change. He's a purist, but not necessarily of the "KILL ALL MUDBLOODS" sort, more of the "they're just not as good as us" sort. He'd kind of sniff disdainfully at Lily Evans and Hermione Granger and say they're the exceptions. Muggles and muggleborns are just too damned progressive. He's basically in a lifelong feud with Whitey Sprecher. Not quite Montagues/Capulets or Hatfields/McCoys, but they do fight like cats and dogs. Mostly over whose family is better.

Jennifer Hughes: Edward's daughter and eldest child. She's your HBIC, the ball-buster who's out to prove that she's better than everyone else, whether they have a bat and bludgers or a couple of quaffles. She's never been married, never plans to be married, and has two children by two different men. She knows who each child's father is, but the respective men have no idea that they have children out there, and she's made damn sure that her kids can't hunt out their fathers. The last thing she wants is for some man to come in and stake a claim on any part of her life. She raised her kids just fine on her own, thank you, and they had plenty of father-figure to go around with their grandfather and uncle both living in the manor, too.

Henry Hughes: Edward's son and youngest child. He's less of a type-A personality than his sister is, but he can hold his ground against her. Growing up, Jen and Henry had some epic explosive fights. While Jen embraced the family business, Henry went into Healing, preferring to help people. Which has resulted in tension between him and his father. He's also a bit puristy, but he also has a fascination for muggles and muggle diseases and medical practices. Though he maintains that wizards are superior.

Callum Hughes: Middle child and second son of Henry (his older brother Daniel died in a cauldron explosion in 1990). Callum has been estranged from the family since the war, because they had opposite views. It was more Edward who kicked him out of the family than Henry, but he's still considered Persona Non Grata at the family estate. (Though Henry does visit him on occasion.) He works for Michael Whitaker, who's the resident illegal smuggler. He's in an on-again-off-again relationship with Michael's assistant, Sophie Roberts. And he's basically your Strong Silent Type, not really big on conversation or stringing multiple words together at once.

Audrey Hughes: Henry's youngest child and only daughter. Most of her family was known for being Ravenclaws, with a few Slytherins, but she was notable for being the first Hughes Hufflepuff in generations (and would have been roommates with Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Megan Jones had she existed in their reality).. She's basically the sweetheart of the family, the polar opposite to her aunt. She and Ryan Sprecher dated while at Hogwarts, which drove her grandfather (and his grandfather) crazy. She works the front desk at the town's inn (owned by her family), and she loves it because she's a people-person who likes being out there, interacting with people and helping them. She's more quietly non-purist than her brother is, but she's definitely not a purist like the rest of her family.

Holly Knight: A member of the Knight family, which has a very Ministry-connected history. She's a barrister who used to be retained as the Whitaker family's primary solicitor. She has three children: Todd (with Whitaker patriarch Michael), and Julia and Jocelyn (with her on-again-off-again husband). She lets her job come before her romantic relationships (and definitely before her marriage at times), but she'll always put her kids first, no matter what. She used to be best friends with Caroline Whitaker ... until Holly went and slept with Caroline's then-off-again husband and had the gall to have his child.

Todd Joshua Knight-Whitaker: Holly's oldest child and only son, and second son of Michael Whitaker III (patriarch of the Whitaker family). Holly had primary custody of him when he was growing up, so he didn't see his father all too often, though Michael insisted on being able to get to know him, and also insisted that Todd get to know his siblings (Mikey and Will), so he at least got to grow up knowing both of his brothers; he actually knows his brothers better than his sisters, since he went off to school when Julia was still little, and he's nearly 20 years older than Jocelyn. He works in the Ministry like the rest of the Knights, but it creates a little bit of tension for him: within his first few weeks at the Ministry, he was approached with the idea of going 'undercover' to out his father for international smuggling. He stood his moral ground and refused. While he believes in upholding the law, he doesn't want to bring down his dad.

Owen Knight: One of Todd's cousins. He's an Auror, and if Timeturner Tales existed in the same reality as HP, he'd have been roommates with Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean. He has a twin sister, Kate, who he would do anything for. He's basically the personification of his surname, your typical Knight In Shining Armor.

Kate Knight: Owen's twin sister, she works in International Magical Cooperation and would have been roommates with Mandy Brocklehurst, Su Li, Morag MacDougal, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin if they were in the same universe. In Sidelines-verse, right now she's getting involved in the Ministry's latest attempt to bring down the Whitaker family's smuggling business, and also recently started dating Ryan Sprecher. Which is resulting in the Love Polygon that my character Hugh was talking about, that is coming up on the show. She's a little bit job-obsessed, which is why everyone's like "... why are you dating Ryan?" but she's dating him because he's like her opposite, and she wants to prove that she can loosen up and have fun, too.

Richard "Whitey" Sprecher: The patriarch of the Sprecher family. He used to race Aethonons, though these days he just focuses on breeding and making sure his family keeps up their name in the races. He and Edward Hughes are engaged in a long-term feud over whose family is better. Whitey (who got his nickname when his hair started prematurely going white when he was 25) maintains that his family is superior to the Hughes family because they learn discipline from a young age from working in the stables as soon as they can carry buckets.

Ryan Sprecher: Oldest living grandchild of Whitey (his older sister Laina died during the war). If TT existed in the same universe, he'd've been roommates with Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Stephen Cornfoot, Kevin Entwhistle, and Anthony Goldstein. His father was a famous racer who's now retired, so Ryan's big dream is to surpass his father as a racer. And to have a fun time while he's doing it. He's all business in the saddle, but the rest of the time, he's a fun-loving guy who doesn't seem to take much seriously. He dated Audrey Hughes while at Hogwarts (to the disgruntlement of his grandfather and her's), and recently started dating Kate Knight. The big plot Ryan's currently involved in will probably result in him getting hexed by Callum Hughes right before a big race (because Ryan is going to see Kate meeting Callum for coffee, so he's going to take Sophie out somewhere that he knows Callum will see them together).

Jung Kwan: She's the same age as Ryan (and was roommates with Audrey Hughes; would have been roomies with Hannah, Susan, and Megan) and was adopted by Ryan's parents (her godparents) after her parents died in the war. In LOSLI-verse, she was romantically entangled with Callum Hughes, but the Sophie character in Sidelines-verse kind of took that position. She's basically completely anti-war, since losing her family.

Marie "Mouse" Sprecher: Cousin of Ryan, she was crippled in a riding accident when she was nine years old, so she is not attending Hogwarts, though she would be in her sixth year if she was. She's voiced by the squib daughter of her character's mother's voice actress. She's a quiet and introverted kid (hence her nickname) who still loves the Aethonons, even though nobody will let her ride anymore.

Glynnis Sprecher: Whitey's youngest child, she's Ryan & co's funloving spinster aunt. She's happy to help out around the stables and with the breeding, but she doesn't live for it like most of her family does. She's frequently found out and about, often attending theatre productions and the like. Whatever you want to consider your wizarding world's version of Vegas, you can bet your ass she'd be there, gambling and checking out the chippendales show and trying to stick her hand in one of the guys' g-strings.

Michael Whitaker III: The patriarch of the Whitaker family, who has a legitimate international shipping business to help mask his black market / smuggling business. The Ministry is constantly trying to shut him down. He's a family man, very protective of all three of his sons. He also has a tendency to stick it in any willing woman: his on-again-off-again wife Caroline (mother of his eldest child), his former barrister Holly Knight (mother of his second child), and his assistant Sophie Roberts (who miscarried what would have been his third biological child when she was attacked by people who wanted to take him down). And those are just the known affairs.

Caroline Whitaker: Michael's on-again-off-again wife. She knows about his affairs, and has had a few of her own. They fight like crazy, but they love each other, and they've been together more often than not for the last almost thirty years. She has a son with Michael, and another with Daniel Hughes (Callum and Audrey's older brother -- Caroline and Daniel had an affair shortly before Daniel's death; there's a subset of fans of the show who think that Michael had a hand in Daniel's death, though the writers and Powers That Be at the show refuse to comment on rumours, cough cough): Mikey with Michael, and William with Daniel (William has been officially adopted by Michael). She and Holly Knight were best friends when they went to Hogwarts together, and remained as such until Holly had an affair with Michael, which resulted in Todd. Now they're frenemies of the highest caliber.

Mikey Whitaker: Eldest son of Michael and Caroline. He would have been roomies with Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore, and Blaise if they existed in the same universe. He's less puristy than most Slytherins, thanks to his family using muggle means to help smuggle goods, so he's a bit more tolerant. He's got the unending ambition and willingness to do anything to get ahead that's typical of Slytherin, though. Although he currently only works on the legitimate side of his father's business, he has plans to take over the whole thing one day.

William Whitaker: Is Caroline's younger child, adoptive son of Michael Whitaker, half-sibling of Mikey, semi-half-brother of Todd Knight-Whitaker, nephew of Callum and Audrey, same age as Marie Sprecher, so he's a sixth year at Hogwarts right now. Of the Whitaker boys, he's the one who knows the least where he belongs in the world: Mikey's the obvious heir to the Whitaker family, and Todd's comfortable in the Ministry, and although he's technically also a Hughes, he hardly knows that side of his family, and isn't sure if he'd be welcome in their family business.

Sophie Roberts: Michael's assistant and Callum's on-again-off-again girlfriend. She was knocked up by Michael, but miscarried and nearly died in an attack on the family. Started dating Callum when he provided support for her as she was recovering from all that, but she doesn't particularly want to just become a "mob moll" kind of girl. She'd like to have children one day, but perhaps not with either Michael or Callum, she'd kind of prefer an entirely-law-abiding father for her future children. Unfortunately, she loves Callum.

... totally forgot to include this earlier, but I totally picture the narrator as being voiced by Morgan Freeman. Because he is the ultimate narrator.

2 memes in 1

2012-02-20T23:30:23Z

First, stolen from everyone:

PICK 1 OF MY RP CHARACTERS & I WILL TELL YOU:

1. Why I played this character.
2. My favourite moment in (game)canon for this character.
3. My favourite piece of headcanon for this character.
4. Something about this character which makes me laugh.
5. Something about this character which makes me cry.
6. One of your characters that I think would get along well with them.

(I reserve the right to not answer #6 if you don't have a character directory at your journal, because chances are I've forgotten which of your characters I know / I've played with. Also, plz specify which version of the character, if I've played a character multiple times.)

Second, because I'm bored and I've been in a ficcy mood while I've been Sick As Hell with this Bug That Won't Go Away:

I have 1019 songs in my current iTunes playlist. Pick a number between 1 and 1019, and I'll write a fic that's in some way connected to or inspired by that song. You can request particular characters, but I reserve the right to use different characters if the muse so strikes.

For the second meme, all fics will be posted in daiquiri, but I'll reply to your comment with a link to the fic when it's posted.

random

2012-02-18T00:02:53Z

I kinda want to play an adrenaline junkie.

Like, a character who'd do anything for that rush. Skydiving, extreme everything, walking right up to the angriest person in the world and insulting their mama, bullfighting, racing a sporty little car down a dark road with the headlights off and the pedal to the metal.

idek.

EXTREME CAT-PETTING.

EXTREME COW-TIPPING.

EXTREME BINGO.

music meme answers

2012-02-15T22:29:43Z

Haha, I totally forgot about this. >>

ANYWAY. The unguessed answers to the music meme:

5. Every time you call my name
I heat up like a burning flame
Burning flame full of desire
Kiss me baby, let the fire get higher
"Abracadabra" - Steve Miller Band (Sugar Ray would have been acceptable, too)

9. Look around everywhere you turn is heartache
It's everywhere that you go (look around)
You try everything you can to escape
The pain of life that you know (life that you know)
"Vogue" - Madonna (so, naturally, when she started off her Super Bowl Halftime Show with this song a few days later, I cracked up xD)

10. They come from the wrong side of the track
Born a breed apart
Can't tie em up, can't pin 'em down
Always clinging to some old star
They chase that restless spirit
Wherever the four winds blow
"Renegades, Rebels, & Rogues" - Tracy Lawrence

14. I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind
"Peace of Mind" - Boston

15. Gone are the days of rainbows
Gone are the nights of swinging from the stars
For the sea will swallow up the mountains
And the sky will throw thunderbolts and sparks
"Straight to You" - Josh Groban

20. I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life gets kinda boring
Need something that I can confess
"Secrets" - OneRepublic

23. Code Monkey offer buy you soda
Bring you cup, bring you ice
You say no thank you for the soda cause
Soda make you fat
"Code Monkey" - Jonathan Coulton

Also, I am rather disappointed at how long it took anyone to realize I was rickrolling y'all in that meme. XD ty lipsofpoison for being the first one to say something.

whee

2012-02-15T03:15:47Z

Man. I haven't ficced in forever. But it felt good. Even if it was a vaguely depressing fic.

I oughta sit down and work on the ones that have actually been requested from my various prompt tables, lol.

I love you all

2012-02-14T21:06:04Z

opinionage, plzkthnx?

2012-02-14T01:59:20Z

Okay. This is more for The Project That Still May Or May Not Happen. Hey, I went to public school, busywork is what I do best.

Anyway.

Since applications seem to be something that everyone seems to disagree on, I was hoping to get some opinions on the application for The MWPP-era School Game That I May Or May Not Open, But Even If I Do Open It, It Won't Be Til August.

Because I'm keeping the details on the game very close to my chest, I put the application in my playing-around-with-code journal, and I removed the links on a couple of things (so if you see a link, assume it leads to something that's Further Information contained within the mod journal).

ANYWAY. If y'all could check out the application and lemme know thoughts on it -- am I missing something you think the application should have? Is there something in there that you just ABSOLUTELY LOATHE SEEING ON APPS, etc -- I would greatly appreciate it! :D ♥

random

2012-02-09T16:33:41Z

Hubby and I were watching Sorcerer's Stone the other night (my brother gave me the 8-movie blu-ray box set for Christmas, and I've been working on talking hubby into a marathon), and it got me wondering.

Where did the fanon idea of getting your Hogwarts owl on your 11th birthday come from? Didn't the letters from Hogwarts start at least a week or two before Harry's birthday? I mean, they were already at the hut on the rock the night before Harry's birthday, and yeah Hagrid showed up right as the clock hit midnight, but that could very well have been for ~dramatic effect~.

I've always sort of figured that Hogwarts mass-mails all the "Hey, congrats you rascally kid, you, you're going to Hogwarts!" letters in the middle of July, regardless of when your 11th birthday fell that year. I mean ... wouldn't it suck if your birthday was August 31st and that was when you got your letter? Especially if you're a muggleborn and have no idea wtf this is and couldn't have been, like, planning for it? And could you imagine having a September 1st birthday and getting your letter then, and then having to wait a whole year? THAT'D SUCK.

And speaking of muggleborns, I know this is never discussed in the books, so it's entirely speculative, but I totally imagine that there's either a section of the Ministry (we had the Wizard-Muggle Liaison Office in the Dept of International Magical Cooperation at find_the_mod) that sends representatives to muggleborn witches' and wizards' households to explain wtf Hogwarts is and present them with their letter, or that's done by a representative of Hogwarts, because ... really. Let's say you're a muggleborn, and suddenly a letter arrives saying "congrats, you're a witch! Come to this school you've never heard of and can't find anything about on the internets or anything. Oh, and send your response by owl (even though the owl who delivered this may be long-gone, and your muggle town probably doesn't have an owl-post office). And be sure to buy all your supplies at a place you've never even heard of and have no idea how to get to!"

Yeah, I'd be pretty sure that's a prank, if it was my kids.

I'm also pretty sure that if we didn't respond to the letter and more started coming until they were pouring out the fireplace, I'd be even more convinced that WHAT THE HELL, MY KID ISN'T GOING TO SOME PSYCHO SCHOOL.

So, basically, I kind of figure that there has to be somebody from the wizarding world to go around to muggleborns (and around the same time, mid-July, not birthdays) and explain that they're a witch or wizard, and perhaps have clearance from the Ministry to provide a few displays of magic so that this family doesn't think you're like a crazy person, and then also actually take this family to Diagon Alley, show them how to get in, and help the kid go shopping for school supplies for their first year, so they don't show up with the wrong thing because NOBODY TOLD THEM THIS IS WRONG.

.... that turned out longer than I thought.

ANYWAY. What are y'all's thoughts on the whole Hogwarts-letter thing?

hypothetical question

2012-02-07T22:51:49Z

Y'all. I have a purely hypothetical question that has NO BASIS ON ANYTHING AT ALL, REALLY.

Let's say you're looking at a MWPP-era in-school game. And on the character list, there are only 15 characters who are first-war Order Members or Death Eaters (8 and 7, respectively, to be precise ... hypothetically ...), and the rules clearly state that no, you can't play any other Order members or DEs, because they're all way too old to still be in school.

Now let's say there's another rule that says "Because there are so few of them, and they are undoubtedly among the more popular MWPP-era characters, each player is limited to ONE future Order Member OR ONE future Death Eater." (yes, "undoubtedly among the more popular" ... c'mon, look at just about any MWPP-era game, which sections seem to fill up the fastest? Order members and DEs. THEY ARE POPULAR.)

Would you find this rule to be reasonable?

I love this meme!

2012-02-06T04:55:45Z

Ask me questions/to do things/opinions/etcetc and I will answer them in a video!

Saying it right up front: I sing horribly. So please be kind and don't ask me to sing anything. :( BUT GIVE ME STUFF. I LOVE THIS MEME. :DDDDD

And this time I'll do individual videos for each request instead of being lazy and doing them all in one.

song lyrics meme

2012-02-02T21:44:12Z

Stolen from starsand:

01) Set your music player to shuffle.
02) Whatever song comes up, pick your favourite lines from the song.
03) Do this with 15 25 30 songs and you'll have a list. (Skipping repeat artists / instrumental songs.)
04) Post the list on your journal and let your f-list guess what song the lyrics come from. No Googling!

Okay, so I did a bunch of songs because good ones kept coming up and I couldn't limit myself. >> I also skipped some songs / artists that I figured NOBODY WOULD KNOW.

1. Somebody went under a dock
And there they saw a rock
It wasn't a rock
It was a rock lobster
"Rock Lobster" - The B-52s (loveologist)

2. My baby don't mess around
Cause she loves me so
This I know fo sho!
"Hey Ya" - Outkast (karou; ganguly)

3. I just saw Haley's comet, she waved
Said, "Why you always running in place?"
Even the man in the moon disappeared
Somewhere in the stratosphere
"Second Chance" - Shinedown (xobrittpitt)

4. She hates time, make it stop
When did Motley Crue become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
"1985" - Bowling for Soup (xobrittpitt)

5. Every time you call my name
I heat up like a burning flame
Burning flame full of desire
Kiss me baby, let the fire get higher

6. And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
"Mad World" - Gary Jules (karou)

7. No sir, well I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore
It's your turn to take a seat
We're settling the final score
And why do we like to hurt so much?
"That's What You Get" - Paramore (starsand)

8. Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
Mama's dancing with baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
"Black Velvet" - Alannah Myles (lipsofpoison)

9. Look around everywhere you turn is heartache
It's everywhere that you go (look around)
You try everything you can to escape
The pain of life that you know (life that you know)

10. They come from the wrong side of the track
Born a breed apart
Can't tie em up, can't pin 'em down
Always clinging to some old star
They chase that restless spirit
Wherever the four winds blow

11. Oh, well imagine, as I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor
And I can't help but to hear, no I can't help but to hear an exchanging of words:
"What a beautiful wedding! What a beautiful wedding!" says a bridesmaid to a waiter
"And yes, but what a shame, what a shame, the poor groom's bride is a whore"
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - Panic! at the Disco (xobrittpitt; ganguly)

12. I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know
"Defying Gravity" - Wicked (xobrittpitt)

13. You think I'm pretty
Without any makeup on
You think I'm funny
When I tell the punch line wrong
"Teenage Dream" - Katy Perry (karou; ganguly)

14. I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my [song title]

15. Gone are the days of rainbows
Gone are the nights of swinging from the stars
For the sea will swallow up the mountains
And the sky will throw thunderbolts and sparks

16. What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
"Hurt" - Johnny Cash (karou)

17. First in my class here at MIT
Got skills, I'm a champion at D&D
M.C. Escher, that's my favorite M.C.
Keep your forty, I'll just have an Earl Gray tea
My rims never spin, to the contrary
You'll find that they're quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Stephen Hawking's in my library
"White and Nerdy" - "Weird Al" Yankovic (ganguly)

18. Wake up in the mornin' feelin' like P. Diddy
Grab my glasses I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city
Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack
Cuz when I leave for the night I ain't comin' back
"Tik Tok" - Ke$ha (karou; ganguly)

19. I'm a model, you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah, on the catwalk
On the catwalk, yeah
I do my little turn on the catwalk
"I'm Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred (karou; ganguly)

20. I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life gets kinda boring
Need something that I can confess

21. Baby, you
Got all the puppets with their strings up
Faking like a good one, but I call 'em like I see 'em
I know what you are, what you are, baby
"Womanizer" - Britney Spears (ganguly)

22. My hands, they're stong
But my knees were far too weak
To stand in your arms
Without falling to your feet
"Set Fire to the Rain" - Adele (starsand)

23. [song title] offer buy you soda
Bring you cup, bring you ice
You say no thank you for the soda cause
Soda make you fat

24. Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice, and she said:
"We are all just prisoners here,
Of our own device"
And in the master's chambers
They gathered for the feast,
They stabbed it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
"Hotel California" - The Eagles (pitterpat)

25. It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
"Africa" - Toto (lipsofpoison) ("I BLESS THE RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS DOWN IN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFRICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA")

26. Galaxy defenders
Stay forever
Never get enough of you
"Star Girl" - McFly

27. Take me by the tongue
And I'll know you
Kiss me 'til you're drunk
And I'll show you
"Moves Like Jagger" - Maroon 5 (karou; ganguly)

28. We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy
"Never Gonna Give You Up" - Rick Astley (lipsofpoison)

29. And I said 'bounce a graviton particle beam off the main deflector dish'
That's the way we do things, lad, we're making shit up as we wish.
The Klingons and the Romulans, pose no threat to us
Cuz if we find we're in a bind, we just make some shit up

Although he's just a child, and some think him a twit
Wesley is the master when it comes to making up some shit
He's the guy you want with you when you go out in space
Now if only he could beam those pimples off his face
"The USS Make Shit Up" - Voltaire

30. Wish I could shut my playboy mouth
How'd I turn my shirt inside out (inside out right)
Control your poison babe
Roses have thorns they say,
And we're all gettin' hosed tonight
"Just Dance" - Lady Gaga (karou; ganguly)

psa

2012-01-31T17:57:29Z

In case you don't follow announcements, squeaky just posted in there a bit ago about the new ads. I have adblock plus installed, so I don't see them anyway, but from what I understand, these new ones are a bitch, and squeaky is aware of it and doing what he can to make them less intrusive (such as removing them from entry pages).

:|

2012-01-25T22:45:22Z

pimpity pimp

2012-01-25T03:56:17Z

Okay so. My birthday is coming up on Sunday. And you know what would be an awesome birthday present? For the people I love (all of you) to join this really awesome new game that just opened! :D

The game is called Sidelines and you can find it at sidelinesmods! It's a canon-minus-epilogue-compliant game set in 2007, and it's very much a social-based game, and pretty much the entire point is to focus on the SIDELINE (i c wut u did thar) characters in the 'verse, so that means NO Harry and NO Ron and NO Hermione. And probably NO Draco? idk. It's up to the mods to decide who constitutes "major characters."

AND unlike most games, there isn't a particular cast list, or even just a "pick a name in the Lexicon and hit us with it, bro" type of thing. On the holds page is a list of wanted characters & storylines, and you hold one of those! This automatically guarantees you in-game connections right off the bat, because who supplies the wanted characters & storylines? Why, the people already in the game, of course! I mean, doesn't it suck when you find a cool new game and you hold a character and do their app and get accepted, and then you feel like "OH GOD I DON'T KNOW HOW MY CHARACTER FITS HERE D:" or something? THAT WON'T HAPPEN AT SIDELINES. Sidelines gives you connections to come into the game with.

In short: it's a totally awesome concept, yo. So you should check it out.

And since it's my birthday coming up and I can ~~cry~~ pimp if I want to, these are my characters and who they, specifically, want.

HUGH BRADLEY (hughmanatee): Hugh is a Ravenclaw c/o 1997, a muggleborn who spent a year in Azkaban for the horrible crime of stealing magic. The nerve of him! After floating about aimlessly for a year post-Azzers, he attended WADA, where he studied acting, and he is now a wireless voice actor (the character of Ryan Sprecher on Timeturner Tales) who occasionally does stage work with the Melpomene Theatre on Diagon Alley. He is dating one Morag MacDougal.

HUGH WOULD LIKE:
- Coworkers! You can find out all about Timeturner Tales here! I would love it if more of the cast or crew was about. You don't necessarily have to have attended WADA to work on the show.
- WADA Alumni! Especially if you were there between 1999 and 2002. I know most universities in the UK seem to run on a three-year plan, so I went with that for WADA. Hugh had a group of friends he hung out with at WADA, and at one point in his second year there, they got particularly drunk and decided to get themselves branded with the WADA logo in the form of tattoos somewhere on their bodies. Hugh's is on his right shoulderblade. He also has a t-shirt with the WADA logo on the front and "self-important narcissistic actor in-training" printed on the back. Again, he and his posse (lulz) got that done together, with "descriptive" phrases for each of them printed on the back. I have a mental image in my head of one of them being "pretentious artsy director in-training" and another being "screechy self-indulgent prima donna in-training." So, y'know. Those friends would be awesome to have around. :D
- I am debating adding his brother (Samuel, Gryffindor of 95) and sister (Chelsea, Hufflepuff of 2000/01 {having repeated her fifth year, due to also being in Azkaban}) to the wanted list, because so far Hugh is the only one in game to have done hard time, and also he has been dating Morag for five years and so there needs to be more people who are like "GOD JUST ASK HER TO MARRY YOU ALREADY" in game.
- Roger Davies, because he was a Ravenclaw a year(?) ahead of Hugh, and they were on the Quidditch team together. Roger's actually being requested by someone else, so that means EVEN MOAR PRE-EXISTING CONNECTIONS AVAILABLE. How wicked is that? (Also, my Alicia's mum is a Davies, SO THEY COULD BE RELATED. EVEN MOAR CONNECTIONS.)

ALICIA SPINNET (ali_spins): Alicia, as you all know, is a Gryffindor c/o 1996, who played Quidditch with Oliver and Angelina and Katie and the twins and some punk named Harry, and she joined the DA in her seventh year even though she was older than, like, nearly everyone else in the damn club, because SHE IS AWESOME, OK? She's a half-blood whose muggleborn father died in Azkaban during the war, and she has been playing for the Montrose Magpies since 2005 (previously, she played for the Harpies). She is also the public spokeswoman for the wizarding charity Hestia's Hearth, which was formed after the war to assist people in need. And she's gay but hasn't come out to anyone beyond close friends yet, for fear (thanks to the Harpies' PR idiot) of damaging her career or hurting Hestia's Hearth.

ALICIA WOULD LIKE:
- Other people who are involved in Hestia's Hearth! The chairwoman is a war widow named Malina Harrison, who has kind of been grooming Alicia to one day take over for her. But I know that there's a lot of people involved in charities, so really anyone who would be involved would be awesome! It could even be a second job or a strictly-volunteer position, HH doesn't have to be their whole job!
- Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and George Weasley! Her Gryffindor Quidditch family! Alicia and Oliver are both in the game and would love to see their old friends back! And, more importantly for Alicia, these three and Oliver are The Only Ones (unless someone else apps someone who could be another BFF for Alicia) who know that she prefers the company of other women. George probably still runs WWW by himself, and the girls could be involved in Quidditch, or they could have moved on to other things! It's up to you!
- And speaking of Quidditch: MONTROSE MAGPIES! We have a Keeper (Oliver), two Chasers (Alicia and Regan Wood), and a Beater (Quinn Abercrombie). Which leaves one Beater, one Chaser, and the Seeker available! As it says on the wanted page: "The team is very close-knit and prides itself on playing the game for the game's sake rather than focusing on winning and bravado." So, y'know, BONDING. :D
- Patrick Spinnet, who is her older brother. I have him listed as a Hufflepuff of 94, though his house is up for debate. Year not so much, because by keeping it as 94, you get to be yearmates with Oliver Wood and Eddie MacDougal, which means CONNECTIONS. I would really really love Patrick to be in the game because Alicia hasn't told him yet that she Likes Girls, and I would just really like to have her flail at the thought of coming out to her brother because they already lost their dad and she doesn't want to lose him and/or their mum, too! D:
- Her "boyfriend." In joking with Jeanne (_kyri, one of the co-mods), I said that with her being so closeted, she's probably dragged some poor sap along with her to events wherein she was expected to have a date, so as to avoid rumours. Since she's been so public, esp with the charity, for seven years, it's probably been a different "boyfriend" every year or so, simply to also avoid the questions of "SO WHEN ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?" and stuff. He wouldn't know that she's gay, but hey, free parties!
- Roger Davies. Again: her mum is a Davies, so ... hey, COUSINS ARE AWESOME, RIGHT? (He probably would also not know that she's gay.)

SALLY~~-ANNE~~ PERKS (perky_wood): Sally is a Hufflepuff c/o 98, who discovered after the BoH that her beloved brother Jon was an Eater of Death who readily admitted to and bragged about killing filth. She's a photographer, having worked at the Daily Prophet until early last year, until she was fired and went into business for herself with her own small up-start of a photography studio: Perk Up! Photography. She's been dating Oliver Wood since late 2005, and they're getting married in just over two months.

SALLY WOULD LIKE:
- Elizabeth Perks: her little sister, a Hufflepuff of 2005. I currently have her listed as a Healer trainee, but I'm up for that being changed. She's a yearmate to Regan Wood and Quinn Abercrombie, so MORE CONNECTIONS. They also have a bunch of other siblings (three brothers older than Sally, including the incarcerated Jon; and one brother between them), but I'm starting with just putting Lizzie out there for now because she's going to be one of Sally's bridesmaids when she gets married at the end of March! And I've never played Sally with any of her siblings, so I'd love to explore her with Lizzie. Lizzie is the girlier Perks, less interested in the outdoors rough-and-tumble stuff that Sally's always been into. And her PB should be Saoirse Ronan. Just sayin'.
- Alison Spinks: younger sister of Charlotte Spinks (CONNECTIONS), and very well could be a fellow Hufflepuff 98 with Sally and Hannah Abbott (CONNECTIONS). Just sayin'.
- Leaky Cauldron employees: because her BFF, sista from another mista, Hannah Abbott works there, and clearly if there are more employees, then Tom-the-owner doesn't always have to rely on Hannah when he's short, so Sally can steal her BFF more often.

And there's other characters and storylines listed on the Wanted Characters & Holds page for you to check out!

But you really should check the game out and join because IT IS GONNA ROCK.

random question of randomosity

2012-01-24T19:58:43Z

Okay guys. This question is completely random and in no way indicative of anything.

Really.

View Poll: #6628

hee

2012-01-22T04:57:47Z

I love you, Netflix.

Though I am disappointed in you, The Reef, for not showing a gaping great white shark mouth and rows of jagged teeth. FOR SHAME.

a continuation of yesterday

2012-01-21T20:48:03Z

I've been reading y'all's comments on my question about fat wizards yesterday, and y'all have awesome points. But, now that I'm less almost-asleep, I wanted to expand a bit upon more what I was talking about.

I know in the movies and in RP, wizards are generally by default "pretty" simply because we have Hollywood to thank for that: actors and actresses were cast in the movies, and they're pretty people, and the people we have to choose from for PBs for RP are actors, actresses, musicians, models, etc, and they are generally rather pretty, too.

I was focusing more on in the books. I haven't read them in a while (that might be my next series reread), so I might just not be remembering properly, but ... well.

Harry was raised a muggle. He might be a wizard, but he comes into the wizarding world the same way the rest of us do: with an outsider, muggle perspective on everything. It's a great plot device to introduce the reader to a new world and rules without having to outright go with Department Of Backstory, or "Oh, Ron, I know exactly how this works, and so do you, but let's talk about it anyway just ... because." Which means, regardless of what wizards raised in the wizarding world might think of beauty, our main narrator is an outsider like us, so he's bringing with him the same muggle prejudices we do.

And, yes, we don't get a lot of physical description of a lot of characters, and a lot of them just have a few flyaway comments about them: Hannah Abbott's blonde braids, or Hestia Jones' rosy cheeks and black hair, or Emmeline Vance's ~stateliness.

But he does very specifically seem to note people who, to his "muggle" perspective, are particularly skinny (Trelawney) or particularly large (Dudley & Vernon, Crabbe & Goyle, Millicent, Fudge, Sluggy, and everyone else that y'all mentioned in comments). I remember reading somewhere (an article or book on description and reader prejudice) that, with lack of description, the reader tends to "fill in the blanks" with a general sense of "normality": they either picture all the non-described people as looking more or less like themselves, or they picture the non-described people as more-or-less resembling the main, narrative character (in the case of HP: white and relatively "normal" in terms of weight).

It feels sort of like JKR is doing this with the vast majority of the wizarding world: by introducing us to the wizarding world by way of a muggle-raised character who doesn't know anything about this world and has similar body image prejudices that we have (though, admittedly, Harry's are British and a little less Hollywood-directed than ours here in the States), and then specifically identifying some characters as overweight and some characters as underweight, she is sort of indicating that everyone else in the wizarding world is a more normal, healthy weight, because our muggle-prejudiced guide into this world isn't noting "wow, all these people are particularly heavier than the majority of the muggles I've grown up around!"

idek if I'm explaining my thoughts right, but ... idk. Though I do like the idea of the magic itself sort of burning calories (so does that mean that since Trelawney's a stick, she's super-duper magical?), or the wizards basically being able to use magic to make themselves look (or even actually be; magical weightloss?) skinnier.

random question of the day

2012-01-21T04:42:22Z

Why aren't wizards fat?

I mean, the HP-verse seems to tend toward a highly sedentary lifestyle. They have accio so they don't have to spend forever looking for something (and if they lose the TV remote -- if they even had tv, lol -- they could just accio it instead of having to get up and change the channels manually), and the one sport we really get to look at ... doesn't actually involve a great deal of physicality. Yes, the beaters most likely have pretty good upper body strength from using the bat to hit the bludgers around, but what about the rest of the team? The Keepers and Chasers are more on the hand-eye coordination (and throwing skillz for the Chasers), and the Seeker only has to be fast. Plus, it seems like the Quidditch players would be a relatively small portion of the population.

So ... why aren't more wizards overweight? I mean, there's the fitness nuts in any population of people, and the people who diet and work out like crazy just to be skinny, but .. what about the rest of the population? And with such a mostly-sedentary lifestyle, wouldn't the public opinion of "healthy weight" be something higher than what Hollywood shoves down our muggle throats? At the very least, I think it'd tend more toward wanting to be rounder, simply because that was historically a sign of wealth and prosperity and power and such: it's indicative of having enough food. And, with all the magic around and the seeming lack of muggle illnesses and such striking the wizards (and if they do get sick with muggle illnesses like the cold, it seems to be rather easily taken care of with magic), I have to wonder if they would have the same health problems associated with being overweight: heart problems, diabeetus, etc. I think the only real cross-over would be the extra strain on your joints from carrying around extra weight, but ... magic could easily help with that.

So why aren't wizards fat?

blargh

2012-01-20T22:15:45Z

I need a new project. I've just spent so much time recently playing with things on my wiki, and working on updating bios and personalities and such for a few characters for a revamp of a game that's opening soonish (I hope!), that now that I'm done with those things, I feel at loose ends. I'm working on an icon set (Blake Lively in Elvis & Anabelle), but my wrist's been bugging me the last few days, so I can't do much mouse-work for very long without taking a break.

I need something new to work on or I'm gonna go crazy! D: I don't even care if it's just busy work that would have no real value, I just need something to work on.

(This is also why I'm suddenly posting more here about random things. xD Boredom does that to me.)

moar random. brought to you by can't sleep.

2012-01-20T06:25:45Z

I kinda want to join a non-HP game. But idek where to look to find games anymore. And my knowledge of most other fandoms is rather limited. :/

augh.

2012-01-20T03:36:16Z

I have just made myself sad by randomly looking at an old character on my wiki tonight.

Which leads me to ask:

What character from your own RP past do you miss the most? Why? If you had the chance, would you play them again, or would it just not be the same?

...

2012-01-17T17:14:30Z

It is not sad the amount of headcanon I have for a fictional wireless serial that I occasionally work into HP games that I join.

Really.

It's not.

... SHUT UP.

~~also, I in no way, shape, or form based any of the characters or relationships or anything off characters or anything from General Hospital. really. PURE COINCIDENCE.~~

sigh

2012-01-13T06:02:04Z

I suppose I ought to do my own assignment, since I've asked all of the rest of you to do so.

Hello duckies, I am Hans Amsel, your resident psychiatrist. I have five children and six grandchildren. If you have only recently joined us from Hogwarts, you may know my youngest daughter, Abigail. My apologies if you do, I understand that Gryffindor is where you keep your loud ones?

Now that we have met, though I already know most of you anyway, I can tell you that I occasionally enjoy listening to horrible muggle pop music on occasion. This "Ke$ha" from the States is atrocious, but thanks to Abigail, I have heard her song "Tik Tok" so many times that it will be stuck in my head forever.

I miss Hans.

more spammage

2012-01-04T23:03:42Z

Okay so. I decided that since I spent all morning making the graphics, it'd be a waste to not post them. >> (Also, Carrah said she'd read it, which was really all the incentive I needed ... what can I say? I'm a whore.)

Okay so. A bit of backstory: this is an original-universe urban-supernatural piece I'm working on, with vampires and werewolves and shapeshifters (yes there's a difference! ~~coughStephenieMeyercough~~), and other people of supernatural flavoring. And humans, too.

The MC has been cursed with immortality, which seems like it'd be pretty freaking sweet (you know, you can't be hurt/killed, don't have to eat, can indulge in any kinds of dangerous or unhealthy things and not have to worry about the consequences), but when you're basically a slave to the government? Less sweet.

Name: Rose Fitzgerald
PB: Erin Chambers
Icons by: instaemo
Reasoning: Okay, so. Rose is the MC, the one who's been cursed with immortality. She grew up in Ireland in the 19th century, and it was during the Irish Potato Famine that she was cursed. Now, according to imdb, Erin was born here in the states, but her character on General Hospital is Irish, and to my (admittedly untrained) ear, she's pretty good at an Irish accent. Rose has been in the states for over a century, so she's learned to sound American, but she turns on the full-on Irish accent when she's feeling particularly contrary. Though, really, I'm basing this more on physical traits than accent, as I'm not casting a movie or anything. And Erin has the rather unassuming look about her that Rose has, of being small and not really much like she could fight back. Rose can fight, of course, but she relies more on her sarcasm and determination and fiery Irish temper.

Name: Gabriel Morgan
PB: Julian Morris
Icons by: swansong
Reasoning: Julian is very British, I don't know if he'd be able to hide his accent if he tried, but again, I'm going more for physical than accent. He even sounded British as Agent Owen in S8 of 24 (idk if the character was supposed to be British or not, but he sounded like himself, lol). And, actually, it's that character who made me really think that Julian would be awesome as Gabe. Gabe is this corn-fed country boy, polite and very much a good-cop kind of guy. He's been kicked to the Preternatural Studies Division for reasons he won't say, but you know it's got to be something major because the PSD is mostly for either people who are supernatural, or ones who've pissed off somebody in power. And like Erin, Julian has that unassuming look about him. But more than that, he looks really green behind the ears, and like he's in way over his head when thrust in among Rose and her kind. Also, he looks really freaking good in a suit. *_*

Name: Ryan Chief
PB: Tom Wilkinson
Icons by: purity_lost
Reasoning: Okay. Chief was really hard to find someone for. He's the head of the PSD, so I needed someone who was older and authoritative and looking like a hardass. Someone who looks like he doesn't give a rat patootie about how he's using Rose as a glorified slave because she's unique and different and can't be hurt by the other supernaturals, unlike his fellow humans. He has no qualms about holding what he has on Rose over her head, or anything else that he has on anyone else. He's slime. He knows he's slime. And he doesn't give a damn about it.

Name: Richard Keenan
PB: Cillian Murphy
Icons by: seethesoldiers
Reasoning: Dick was a really easy one for me, actually. See, he's a shapeshifter, and Rose constantly refers to him as a cockroach. And, okay. I want you to look me right in the eyes (er ... screen?) and tell me honestly that you cannot see Cillian Murphy shifting into a cockroach and scuttling away. Come on, tell me honestly. You can't do it, can you? You can totally see him doing that. Dick's a jerk, a permanent resident of the PSD, and yes, one of his forms is that of a cockroach. Maybe it's because he was the Scarecrow and Jackson Rippner and stuff, but Cillian is just a really good bad guy. It's the eyes, man. They're simultaneously beautiful and creepy.

Name: Hope Browne
PB: Noomi Rapace
Icons by: embargo
Reasoning: Hope is a werewolf. After seeing Noomi in both The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, I'm fully convinced that she could pull off kick-your-ass-without-breaking-a-sweat, and even when they're not all wolfed out, the puppies are still strong and powerful. And werewolves aren't necessarily feral beasts most of the time, they have to fit in with the rest of society an average of 27 days out of the month. And Hope is a no-nonsense type of reporter, which I also think Noomi has a good air of.

Name: Rhydderch Llewellyn
PB: Ioan Gruffudd
Icons by: citadel_icons
Reasoning: I needed a Welsh actor. Because Wyn is Welsh. He's a vampire, older than sin (as he puts it), and one of Rose's contacts. He basically helped her out with forging her documents to create new identities before she was "enlisted" by the government. And his usual crack about his name is "I'm Welsh. We don't believe in vowels." So I really wanted to use an actual Welsh actor for his face, and someone who looks like a good, upstanding gent. But also someone who looks like he could sink his teeth into you at any moment. And like he'd have girls lining up around the block to be lunch.

Name: Monica Fields
PB: Michelle Rodriguez
Icons by: seethesoldiers
Reasoning: Monica is a necromancer. She deals with more the Anita-Blake-flavored zombies than the George-Romero-flavored ones. She has the power to raise them, and it's mostly a family-passed thing. Her ancestors are originally from Haiti, which is where the necromancers originated, which is why I wanted to use someone like Michelle, who (according to imdb) is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. And I know they're not all the same down there, but from when I was using Michelle as a PB, I did my research and there seems to be a lot of cross-over between Dominicans and Haitians? Anyway, Monica's a tough little bitch, and Michelle's my favorite tough bitch. ~~I swear that between her, Erin, and Julian, this wasn't a "which of my past PBs would work as these characters" thing. Really.~~

Name: Sarah Phelps
PB: Jessica Lucas
Icons by: barrel_of_pbs
Reasoning: Sarah is a medium. She's also the youngest of the cast, barely 21 (CJ major in college). Most mediums don't make it past 30: the incredible crush of spirits clamoring for their attention drives most of them insane and they send themselves to join the spirits on the other side long before their natural end. Sarah's been communicating with the Great Beyond since she was sixteen, and like Monica, it's something of a family trait. Now, I haven't actually seen anything with Jessica in it, but in icons, at least, she's got a great attitude. No nonsense. But also vulnerable. She doesn't have the life experiences that the rest of the cast has, but she's determined to be a valuable asset. Where Rose was forced into working for the government against her will, Sarah would totally sign up for it straight away.