Memoirs of the Angst-Bitch

OMG LOST EPILOGUE OMG SO GOOD BEN HURLEY OMG

Moving along, finished "Way of Shadows" and starting "Victory of Eagles." The former was quite enjoyable, although it did go overkill with the plot twists near the end. Not that each of these twists wasn't well backed-up and completely plausible. It just seemed one after the other for the whole last 100-some pages. My poor Logan. I am also slashing Solon and Feir because I can.

I wanted to do the artist meme with COUNTRY because I like being a contrarian. Let's go!

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 (or more) people you like, include me. You can't, however, use the band that I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)".

Pick Your Artist
( Brad Paisley )

Well, that was awesome fun. I love Brad.

Sob, the heat makes me so moody. I'm even sad for the LiLo, even though she so doesn't deserve it.

I was researching designer cats today. As much as I can't stand what they are doing to the poor things, I admit that the Savannahs look damn cool. Thank goodness they are too expensive for me to ever consider ones. But d'aww doggie-cat.

I'm also really into "Empire of Ivory." I think the pacing is better since something other than political intrigue is at the heart of everything. That and Iskeria is the best character ever. She makes me smile whenever she is around. Her and Jane Roland.

I am still nitpicking at "Psychosis" backstory to make it less deus ex machina. Stupid complicated bloodlines. I was looking at the British line of succession today, and I think that is easier than the friggin' Alistar/Destin/Evangel bloodline thing. I should change Ty's hair color to strawberry blond like Kat's.

( 30 Days of Writing Meme )

9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.

Oho! I love this one. I operate on a process called hybridization and inversion. In plain English, I take character concepts I like from favorite fictional works and combine them or invert them in ways people least expect. I have spoken about my misanthropic empath. Dominic is also a huge inversion of the violent, angry type. Sylver is a special twist. I try to create characters with very real flaws that will be slowly revealed and either conquered or drag the character to their destruction. I also try to consider their family life (THIS IS HUGE), friends, intelligence and hobbies. If they're fighters, I decide on a fighting style for them: do they dive right in? do they strategize? do they rely on others? Backstory usually comes in chunks as I figure out what gave each character the traits they are best known for. Naming is generally one of my last steps, as the names reflect the character. I also want to settle on what matters most to each character, although this can change as the story goes on. Their motivation is key, as I demand each of my characters have sincere agency, even if I don't like them.

Doctor told me I'm 10 pounds overweight. I think if I told other people the doctor said that, they'd punch me in the face. But at least my cholesterol is good.

I started up "Black Powder War" and I think the overall tedium of the style is really starting to grate on me. I love whenever Temeraire is around or when Laurence has the interesting characters around him, but damn I wish I didn't wish Laurence himself wasn't so mind-numbingly DULL. I also wish I could just read the dialogue parts and skim the narration. It would save me so much time. I need books that provide a faster read. I am simply not patient. That said, I persist solely because I really love Temeraire.

I read about some political journalists who are in a tizzy because the "Precious" star wouldn't let them interrupt her conversation with someone else and wouldn't let the MSBNC guy take pictures with them. She also replied to someone telling her that her performance was "incandescent" with "I guess I should say thanks." Honestly, I would have said the same thing. How the hell do you respond to something that flowery? I don't think this actress is a diva; I think the journalists are suffering massive entitlement issues because they got snubbed by the star they've spent news pages fawning over. That they had the lack of class to write about this incident in the newspaper is even more wrong.

Man, I am bored today. I need to decide if I want to see "Iron Man 2" this weekend. I've heard it's not as good as the first one, but it's still much fun.

I have also had it up to here with people and their PC issues. I can't believe the NRA is trying to argue against keeping people on the terrorist watch list from buying a gun.

Dentist says I'm crazed. That's unfortunate.

Best books ever! My favorite is "Where did Willy Go?"

I wonder if I'm the only person who silently cringes whenever people reply to an obvious prank post with "Oh it's probably April Fool's." I saw so much of that on the Internet today. Guys, I like laughing at the gullible people, come on. It makes me feel better for totally getting pwned amid CFUD's prank last year. But yeah, there should be two ways to reply to an obvious April Fool's post (whether article or random statement): 1.) FREAK THE FUCK OUT (my personal favorite btw) and 2.) Act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. "I always knew eventually John's Hopkins was going to rename itself John Hopkins because of all the misspelling." It's much more fun that way.

D'aww the story between Lien and the emperor son's son is so cute, even if the guy is an ass.

Also, spot the Doctor Who reference and win a prize.

Levitas. :( Also, why the hell does Temeraire call Laurence by his last name when their relationship is supposed to be all bff/fathersonly? It just weirds me out. I'm inclined to believe Novik does this simply because she likes the name of Laurence more than William but that William is the more common name of the era. Still, it's dumb. Oh yes, book finished. Now onto "Throne of Jade."

My Irish contribution. It has the Pogues ooooh.

Also, I am with those who are a bit worn on the LJ bitching. I don't think half of the things LJ does wrong are done with malice so much as, for lack of better word, ignorance. As in ignorant to the big picture impact. It's a business after all. As I've said before, I only desire one thing from LJ and one thing alone. FOR THEM TO GIVE ME MY COMMENT NOTIFS WITHIN TEN MINUTES OF RECEIVING A TAG. This is not an insane requirement. :\

In book news, I really want more about Levitas. I will feel majorly cheated if his story is unresolved. I want to give the little dragon a hug. That and I think Roland is a cursed name. And for heaven's sake, Novik, pick ONE name for characters and stick with. I get that people have first and last names and that CHARACTERS might refer to them as either, but as your book is in third-person, YOU should stick with one. I have no idea who anyone is in this book half the time. ONE NAME.

I dislike the hate sent toward the RPer who admitted she didn't use the HMD meme because she didn't care what anyone else thought. Yeah, part of it had to do with the snarky wording, but the rest... I didn't see where every player should have to subject themselves to a critique or that they are a lesser person for not doing so. Sure, it might hurt to know that your BURNING OPINION is considered meaningless to someone who just wants to have fun, but hey that's life. Join the Redskins fans.

I just like violence. And I'm still undecided on how I feel about the episode overall.


And yay, my Irish brown bread making was a success! Now to send it.