hello!

Greetings! I'm truly sorry that I don't have a Literary Update for you, but for the sake of grades and due dates, it would be rather annoying to post it. I won't be posting a Monday/ Tuesday Literary Update next week either because of the current assignment in creative writing (which is to read and critique some stuff that the rest of the class has written anonymousuly). The next week, however, I may post what I have (which will hopefully be 2000-3000 words) of my NaNoWriMo novel, which will be very, VERY bad, but that's only because I'd only been working on it for two days. I may not, though, and just wait to type it all up until the last day. THOUGHTS ON THIS PLAN? Anyone?

I'm aware that I could type it all up and come to the realization that "OH NO, I am ___ words short, and I have ___ hours to finish!" However, I'm willing to risk it. I think.

ALSO, may I remind everyone (including myself) of the cool thing called THANKSGIVING BREAK, during which I'll (hopefully) have ample time to write for hours and hours and hours. YAY!

NaNoWriMo again

Well, if I wasn't already kind of pumped for NaNoWriMo, I'm ACTUALLY pumped now (probably partially because I had sugar of the fruit variety, and it probably helped my mood. Also, I found my cross, which I was feeling sad about forgetting this morning, along with my phone and almost my glasses). I was just looking at some other people's "NaNoWriMo Survival Kits" (it's a list in the forums on the website), and so I'm going to be weird and tell you what mine is:
1. a notebook. Haven't bought it yet, but I'll have one. I hope. This is very important because I don't want to type up stuff until the end of the week, so I'm going to have to have a notebook around a lot. Also, I like notebooks a lot.
2. Pens and pencils. Lots and lots of pens and pencils.
3. that seat in the school library in the Manga section. No idea why I always happen to sit there, but it's a corner and it's secluded and I can write my hand off if I want to (or until I get kicked out because the library is closing).
4. iPod for when I decide to be braindead.
5. free blocks and school holidays - if it weren't for these, I wouldn't even attempt NaNoWriMo. But both exist in good quantities. And I am happy.

So that's my list. HOORAY!!!

Na'vi and planets

Oe-l nga-ti kame. Yes, I DID just put in Na'vi. And yes, I did copy and paste it from Wikipedia. How did you guess? Na'vi is perhaps the coolest language ever (aside from Sindarin, of course).

By the way, it's the greeting that the Na'vi do: "I See you." What I copied and pasted from Wikipedia. I feel like such a nerd right now...

But let me explain how I got to looking up how to speak Na'vi on Wikipedia/ Google (I know I'm a nerd, but at least I ADMIT it): the dinner table discussion tonight was actually interesting. It was about life on other planets. Apparently some astrophysicist somewhere found some planet that can support human life, but it's about a bazillion light years away.

I also did some calculations on my phone, and even if the sun explodes in 500 million years, we here on Earth will have about 17 years to ship everyone out of the solar system.
That is, if the sun's explosion travels at the speed of light.
And humans have figured out how to ship other humans at the speed of light by that point.
And people haven't already destroyed the earth's ozone layer by abusing the air quality.
And there are still people to figure out how to ship themselves at the speed of light in order to save themselves from the Sun's explosion.
And, of course, if we haven't shipped ourselves out to this unknown planet already.

But it's a really cool thing to think about, isn't it? LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS. IT COULD EXIST.
And that's how we got onto Avatar.
And that's why I'm blogging about Na'vi instead of practicing for my District choir audition in a few weeks.
YAY NA'VI!!!!!!!

bets and dances

Homecoming last night was actually sort of fun. It was a lot better than my school's dance last year, anyway. (this may be because at least the guests had to sign this form that said that if they came to the dance in any state too different from 'teenagers psyced for a dance' mode then they would be kicked out. But probably not.)
Anyway, pictures will be up on facebook sometime in the future. And I wore the heels, by the way. And my feet died.
Other news: on Friday at A block I made a bet with my friend J that if I could help get our friend C to go to Fall Formal this year, J would have to go to TWO school dances. Well, Genius and I were able to convince C to go to fall formal (I think the selling point was that if C got bored, she could hang out with us outside the gym), and so J has to go to two dances. And she's not happy, by the sounds of it. The funny part is that C told me that she was going about 20 or 30 minutes after I made the bet with J.
So.... yeah.
YAY!

record and shoes

Well, I just typed up some stuff for the Nikita story, and so I won't be needing suggestions for another 2-3 weeks. Hopefully. See, I wrote some stuff in my journal, and that, along with some edits I did along the way, turned out to be 2674 words. It included the first real death scene I've ever written. It was kind of depressing. Go figure. I hadn't written the character long enough to be super depressed about it, but it was a significant death that explains some stuff, so I'm still depressed about it. Does that make sense? I'm rambling, I know.

Anyway, in other news, I'm going to a friend's homecoming tonight. It's not at my school, although I'm wearing the same dress for both homecoming and fall formal. I AM, however, bringing my converses to the Friendly Gather Point (her house) just in case there's the off-chance that I won't get thrown out for wearing low tops (or hi tops, haven't decided yet) to homecoming.

You know, two years ago I wouldn't be worrying about what shoes I would be wearing to a dance. I wouldn't even be thinking about what shoes I was going to wear. But then again, two years ago I wouldn't have been considering wearing converses of any kind to any sort of formal dance, so I wouldn't have been thinking about it. I was also worrying enough about whether I was going to trip over my dress, which happened to be floor-ish length and strapless with just a ribbed sort of top to keep it up.

Yes, I did step on it.

No, nothing horridly drastic happened. It was just a small step.

ANYWAY, this year I finally got some of that double-stick tape stuff intended for helping strapless dresses stay up. Also, this year my (strapless again) dress goes to about my knees, so there's no chance of me stepping on the bottom unless I'm getting into it. And unless the tape gives out and I suddenly lose an alarming amount of weight in my hips in the same instant.

So... yeah!

bye for now. :D

p.s. photos on facebook tomorrow/ whenever I feel like posting them.

I have returned!

Hello! I know that I haven't posted since forever ago, but whatever. I should probably be going to bed soon, because I have to "wake up" at 7 tomorrow (that's when my alarm is going to go off, anyway. There's no guarantee that I'll be awake at 7, or that I'll be out of bed in the ensuing half hour) because of the Great Day of Service with my church. Don't get me wrong, I'm super psyched about Great Day of Service. I'm super NOT psyched about how I have to wake up - actually, physically drag myself out of bed - by 7:05, which is worse than a school day. My alarm goes off at 7 on school days, but I never actually get out of bed until 7:15 at the earliest (unless the light went out at like 9:30 the night before).
Anyway, that is going to be piled on top of having to do a lot of homework tomorrow and going to my another school's homecoming with two of my friends. I'm totally pscyed about homecoming. I'm not psyched that I'll be doing a lot of homework between the hours of 1 and 6 pm.
Well, I guess I should stop ranting about going to bed and actually make my way there.

P.S. This week is the final installment of what I have of the Nikita story. This means that after Tuesday, I will be taking any suggestions for it. I am open to any suggestions... :D

NaNoWriMo news!!!!!

So, in lieu of picking something up for NaNoWriMo, as the rules clearly dictate (next year I'm going to break the rules), I've finally figured out what I'm going to write for the month of November.

And yes, it can count as a romance novel, because one motivation for at least two parties is romantic inclination, and there wouldn't be this novel-that-will-soon-be-written if there wasn't a romantic motivation for at least one of them.

It's also (kinda) based on Paper Mario for Nintendo 64. Yes, I still play N64, even though it came out when I was about six.

And yes, I've already beaten Paper Mario. And I'm trying to beat it again, because it's been a few years since I last played. Except now it's distracting from the rest of the (nonexistent) work that I have to do. So I'm going on a self-imposed Nintendo ban.

But that's beside the point.

The point is I just got a sudden craving for boiled peanuts.

Where did that come from?

Anyway, the real point's that Paper Mario inspired my NaNoWriMo Novel (attempt). Now I just have to write it.
Poop.

Nikita part whatever this is...

The trees then did something that sounded like very leafy laughter.
“This is true,” the Oak said.
“Can you tell me where he lives?” I asked.
“It is a short walk straight ahead for you,” the Ash told me, “His cabin is in a clearing that is impossible to miss.”
“All right,” I said.
I started into the forest, although my legs were finally starting to feel tired and my feet were beginning to hurt. I had barely slept in a day and a half, I realized. My eyes itched with tiredness and from squinting in the noonday sun.
“One last thing,” the Poplar rumbled. “The trees are all connected. We will hear of what occurs with you, no matter who you speak to, be it a two-leg, a four-leg, or a tree. We will know of it. Should you need us, speak to the trees, and we will hear you.”
“May the breeze be always at your back,” the Ash added.
“And may the spirits stay with you, Nikita Hyatha,” the Oak finished. “Go in peace, Listener of the Forest.”
“Thank you for everything,” I said. The title of ‘Listener of the Forest’ sounded rather intimidating.
With that, I stepped across the border between the wheat fields and the deep power of the Silvercourt Forest. Instantly, my weariness vanished. The energy of the wood was staggering; it flowed through everything in almost visible waves. It was not exactly magic, but it was a powerful, living force. It was all at once the energy of a thousand living things and the energy of the air itself, of newborn beings and the oldest trees in the forest, all intertwined and bound together like some massive net that allowed enormous freedom. The energy itself was something beautiful almost, but something that was also very intimidating and would demand respect.
The forest itself, beyond the sturdy outer perimeter, was actually quite open-looking and young. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, and I finally felt that I was on an adventure.
My energy renewed, I continued on straight ahead, like the trees had suggested. There was a path of sorts that led in roughly a straight line in the direction I wanted to go, but the trail was somewhat overgrown and was covered in easily snapped twigs. I felt like it was unwise to be making such a ruckus in a new environment, but nothing stirred.

I reached Sparraben’s cabin about fifteen minutes after entering the wood. Although the energy of the forest still kept the trees looking sturdy but young, I couldn’t help noticing that they were growing closer together, limiting the amount of light that filtered through the canopy.
In Sparraben’s clearing, the occasional stream of light still shot through the top level of leaves, but for the most part, everything was somewhat dark and tinted green.
The cabin itself was nothing special. It was a simple structure made of wood with a few chairs in front and a chimney in the back. The door, as I approached it, looked sturdy and intimidating and very, very solid. The same panic that had visited me before entering the woods washed over me again. This time, however, I was surrounded by the energy I knew well, though I had never met it, and that was what pushed me forward, though I was still terrified.

Taking a few deep breaths, I knocked on the door, sure that the occupant would hear the pounding of my heart better than the knock of my fist on the wood. There was a few second’s pause, then a voice sounded from inside.
“WHAT?” It demanded in a gruff, angry tone. There was the sound of feet pounding against a dirt floor, then an angry-looking man about a head and a half taller than I was opened the door. “What do you want?” He spat, in a tone that implied that he wouldn’t comply with whatever I asked of him.
“I’m… I’m…” I stuttered, terrified by the anger in his eyes and in his tone. “I... uh… I’m looking for- for Sparraben of Li-Lianland in the name of Shyasha Rinkari, the scarred princess of the Three Cities of Illindara.”
“What about Sparraben?” the man demanded.
“I – my grandpa sent me,” I stammered. “He- he said Sparraben could help – help me with my – what I have to do.” The anger his glance showed that he was about to boil over. I wondered if I had interrupted something important that he’d been doing. Like sleeping. Or something. I was fairly certain that this was the same Sparraben that Grampa had talked about – he had the same scar under his right eye, which was brown, while the other one was cobalt blue.
“Who’s your grandpa, then?” Sparraben demanded.
“His name was Faug Hyatha,” I told him anxiously, “and he lived in Anana before he went on the Crystal Quest.” Something in Sparraben’s gaze flickered for a moment, but his stance was still aggressive and the flicker of emotion was gone in an instant.
“Look, I came out here to get away from all that, not to have MORE adventures,” he grunted, “so clear off.” He turned around and began to shut the door.
Although I knew it was terribly rude, I stuck my foot into the gap between the frame and the door before it shut. The reaction caused an immense, painful reaction in all of the toes on my left foot.
“Please, I need your help,” I begged, clutching my foot. “Please. I wouldn’t have come if it weren’t absolutely necessary. Would you please listen?”
Sparraben turned around and regarded me for a moment, and I saw again the flicker of emotion in his eyes. I now was able to recognize it as something that resembled either pity or hope. Although he seemed to be a shrewd man, the look in Sparraben’s glanced made it seem that he believed the tears welling up in my eyes were due to desperation rather than an instinctive reaction to the growing pain in my foot.
“All right then, girl,” Sparraben finally conceded. “What do you have to say?”
“Well… first, I wanted to say that Grampa told me stories about you and Shyasha Rinkari, and I think you’re amazing,” I started. I’d learned from attempts to force Jack to do stuff that starting out with flattery always worked best.
“Girl, I’m not going to waste time listening to you rant about how much you love me,” Sparraben snapped. “It only works to make weaklings listen.”
I guess that option didn’t work. I silently cursed Jack for being one of three people I actually talked to. “All right,” I said slowly, “I know you’re the best. Grampa always said it. He also said on his deathbed that I had to find you and get you to help me bring Shyasha Rinkari back from the dead and to convince King Telsiel that a war is about to happen because the Dark Lord, Sonru, is bringing down the forest to raise up an army, and you’re the only one who can help because you’re the best Ranger out there.”
“He told you all of this on his deathbed?”

GO DRAMA GO!

Well, today I saw "All the Great Books (abridged)" with one of my good friends (alias Peanut Butter). When we arrived at my school (which is where the show is), we saw two of my other good friends (whose aliases are Genius and Jillibean).
If you've ever seen anything by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, this is basically in the same vein - it was, after all, written by the people at the Reduced Shakespeare Company. What made it funnier was that I knew all of the three actors in it. It was HILARIOUS! I think Genius's laugh contributed a LOT to the humor. If you've never heard his laugh, I suggest you meet him and bring some funny jokes. His laugh sounds (in the best way possible), like a mad scientist inhaled helium before doing his Evil Manic Laugh. It's perhaps the best laugh I have ever heard anyone do. AND it's his natural laugh, which is even funnier - if he inhaled helium before doing it, he would sound like... I don't know, really. Even FUNNIER, most likely. Like a character on MarioKart or something - Mario, Wario or Luigi, maybe. Or maybe Yoshi. I'm not sure - I don't remember Yoshi's laugh off the top of my head.

Anyway, I suggest you go see it. Tomorrow's the last night!!!

AND...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PADRE!!!!!!!

NOOO!!!!!!!!!

Well, I was just looking up the NaNoWriMo rules just now.....
you can't pick up old stuff. Apparently that's against the rules because you're too attached to the characters to write in the screwiest way possible, which is the point of NaNoWriMo.
Which means I have to come up with a new premise for a ROMANCE NOVEL.
I can write romantic scenes.
I can't do 50,000 words of them.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

GAAH!!!

Well, as usually happens in the fall/ whenever I get 5000-ish words done of a story, I now have writer's block. BUT this time it's in TWO tangents. Great. One's for the Nikita story - I have no idea where I'm going, and I have no idea why. Anyway, you have two more (okay, one and a half more) segments to read before you catch up to where I am on the saved document, so there's no chance that people could help for another two weeks.

The second writer's block I actually have time (as in a month) to think about before I have to start working on it, but I want to think about it ahead of time so I can be not brain-dead when I try to go and finish it up for NaNoWriMo. It's the story that I put in the last post. SO please everybody read it, and then comment on THIS POST (or on Facebook, if you're friends with me on Facebook) to tell me your suggestions. And hopefully I'll be able to kick down my annoying writer's block using my awesome fictional ninja skills. HOORAY!! (by the way, I cannot actually use my potential ninja skills to break cement blocks. I wish I could, but I can't.)