It's Raining Cats and Frogs!

Goodbye

2007-08-03T10:01:00.000-06:00

This is the last post I will ever make on IRCaF. Really, really, honestly. So... I want to say goodbye, and update a bit before I have to consign this blog to the archive heap and switch over to That Blog Whose Name Changes Muchly (currently... um, I think I forgot the name...)
Well I am in northern Alta California as in the state in the USA. And I am drowning in trees. Drowning drowning drowning. there are so many of them. I'll post photos - no, wait. I won't.
Oh, and it's my birthday at 4:40 TS time, 3:40 here and 5:40 where I was born (PM. I'm not that cruel! I wouldn't do that to the poor doctorses) so happy early belated, and actual birthday to all.
And now I go.
*disappears in a flash of blue smoke muttering 'Wait! I never told them why people kept mistaking me as a boy in Mexico City~! oh well...'*

Deathly Hallows, or According to Some People, I Read Too Fast

2007-07-28T15:48:00.000-06:00

on the 25th I got a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as it was in costco in LC. I got it at 3:55 pm and finished it 427 minutes, or 7 hours 7 minutes later.
Other than that I am also going to the US soon and I have a twitter badges to show. (I sure hope they work right in posts...) Prototypes for use on SLI whose name will change every month. I may make mastheads for each name but if I do then I'll probably get in a bad mood trying to make them work right on Blogger, oh well...

With friends number one

The flash: just me one you already know

follow me at http://twitter.com

An HTML just me one that I have yet to get the hang of

Back

2007-07-22T17:57:00.000-06:00

Hi! Here I am! I'll post photos when I get them off of film and memory card alike (the former shall take a while) but here's a version of a song that was going around while you wait that was making fun of the amount of backpacks (three per person) they were giving us and of how you had to put your name on everything

Cuando fui a la Convivenica
Una mochila encontré
Cómo no tenia nombre
Yo me la quede
Ay, mochila
De quien serias?
Pues ahora no me importa
Porque ahora eres mia

Rough translation:

When I went to the convivencia
A backpack, I found
As it didn't have a name
I kept it
Oh backpack,
Whose could you be?
Well it doesn't matter
because now you belong to me.

Laters!

What am I thinking??

2007-07-09T06:03:00.000-06:00

I've been awake since four in the morning. Ridiculous. Well, for your viewing pleasure, here are two new drawings of Karen and Akaia, both done in Photoshop, both triggering yelling on the subject that Photoshop doesn't have a metallic silver effect - well, elements 2 doesn't. Enjoy. (If there was a silver effect they would be sooooo awesome ^_^ )

In the order that they were drawn. All (c) me and so on. Plagiarize and I'll chew on your head.... Well not really. Who knows where it's been? ;)

Read This Message or Be Tomato'd

2007-07-07T20:08:00.000-06:00

I now have a first bit of my book, chapter zero. Here it is (first draft, that is) and criticisms welcome:

The Death of All Stories

Book One

Chapter ZERO:

Through the Eyes of Gods

I don’t pretend to know everything. That would be boring. I just guess.

Rather strange thought, isn’t it? Considering that I’m a god.

Well, goddess to be exact. My name is Nârēn.

You humans may have a bit of trouble comprehending that, ‘specially if you don’t believe in us. So let me say this nice and slowly: My name is Nârēn, and I’m a god. Got it? Good.

You’re going to need that knowledge for the rest of the story.

Now come on! Time’s a-wasting. Read on.

It’ll be interesting, I promise.

Or maybe not.

Look. There’s a group of worlds that are more transparently polytheist, as a general rule, than most. The group is called – wait, should I tell you that? I shouldn’t. Fine. The group is called – something, and I rule it. In it, I’m the supreme goddess. Period.

So, I rule this-place-C-doesn’t-want-me-to-name, under Her, of course.

If I’m a – the! – supreme goddess, who’s She? Who’s C?

Hah! Who’s C? She’s the kid who invented me, of course! I live in her head! You don’t really disagree with landlords when being evicted may be fatal!

Well, maybe not. It could be, but then it couldn’t. However, she wouldn’t write about me anymore, and that would mean that I’d only exist in the limbo that her other abandoned ideas inhabit. Boooooooring.

I don’t intend to let that happen. I hope you’ll help. Of course, by reading this you already are.

So... I’m really going to have to swallow my pride to say this...

Thank you!

Please don’t tell anyone I just said that.

So. Back to ThisPlace.

There are a lot of sub-div’d worlds in it. Basically they come down to three sub-groups, in which intervene some worlds from other groups altogether:

The Tarekas series, which has a lot of magic, and so the magic-users in it are (a) quite common and (b) often powerful, just as the norm;
The Analek, in which magic, when it exists, is rarer than water in a desert; this series also contains world Ny, C’s world. No offense to those who live there, but it seems to me it’s a depressing, magic-less mud pit whose gods’ visits to pop in and say hi are few and far between; it’s redeeming qualities are cool technology (though some Analek worlds with slight magic have that) and that it seems to be an endless fountain of good authors. For that, it’s awesome. Maybe that’s where all it’s magic went? That’s C’s theory, at least;
The Daer’shin, in which magic is rare, rarely acknowledged, strange, sometimes sadistic and amazingly powerful. It’s a mage’s dream... or nightmare.

And I get to boss most everyone in most of them around (while being bossed around by some adolescent girl myself) ! Doesn’t that sound fun? Yes? Well, you’re about to see some of the consequences of decisions gone wrong.

Then tell me whether it’s a dream or a nightmare, not before.

Welcome to my mind, either way.

*shudders* Ugh, text pasted in from MS:Word...

Well today was originally the date that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was supposed to come out and don't I wish it had. But it's coming out at the end of the month instead. On the subject of not-out books Scott Westerfeld is giving copies of his unreleased book Extras to the first commenter on his blog. I am trying to be one of the first commenters. Wish me luck?

And now for a quote: "Behold! The consequences of decisions gone wrong made by gods whose brains were freezer-burned!"

NOTE: I may post a drabble for the side story taking place in one of the Analek worlds later (I think Analek C - it resembles Ny a lot)

Well, I'm back, but only for a while

2007-07-06T11:50:00.000-06:00

Hi.
I've graduated from my school, with a really annoying cavalcade of diplomas (I bet most people were very annoyed with me, and others, as some students got six diplomas and had to keep walking up.. it took about 15 minutes per diploma. My feet hurt so much that day, you know, there's this invention called chairs, maybe you should try it? Someone should say that to my school!)
Well anyway I'm free, on vacation, since the 3rd, we had the awesomeest ever year-end party on the 4th (Happy independence day, USAdians) and I have made it my July-am-bored project to get S.L.I. up and working, and to prepare for NaNoWriMo, as I plan on participating.
Yes, I know it's cheating to start working on your novel ahead of time. :P

So, I've decided I have an idea for the comment page for this post (remember it? Maybe you don't, and that's why I don't get many ;) ). The idea is: Answer the question "what are you doing this summer?" if you want. I really am curious. And what am I doing? Going to mexico city on the SEP's pocket, coming back, and going to the USA - California and Florida. Because visiting family and friends thereof is obligatory ;)
And I am most nervous because I go to the Mainland on the 14th which draws ever nearer as we speak. Eth.

Update, 07.07.07: I wish I could've skipped it, but I was
in the Escolta
in the graduating class
one of those proclaimed 'model students'

going to Mexico City (Whee! More diplomas!)

valedictorian and have been for six years (So three valedictorian-related diplomas)

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm bragging, but I am proud that the diplomas were not only because they needed something to do with all the extra heavy paper!

With aplologies to SparkLife and Animaniacs, the sources of the quotes.

2007-07-01T17:30:00.000-06:00

Me: " 'Two trains leave Cleveland at the same time in opposite directions. What the heck were you doing in Cleveland?' "
Dad: " 'The same thing we do every night, Pinky: Try to take over the world!' "

Well not only am I inteligent (I'd like think) I am also appearently Unteligent

2007-07-01T17:26:00.000-06:00

78% Untelligent!

You are one smooth chick! Your score is higher than the current worldwide average of 63%!

Your score is unique, however, so keep reading.

Score Breakdown...

Intelligence

Sense of Humor

Violent Tendencies

Bravery

Observational Skills

Morality

Self-Confidence

Here is the custom report of your personality than led our team of geeks to conclude (with confidence) that you are a resourceful and sly woman:

" The subject shows an astounding level of intelligence, and her sense of observation is one of her best qualities. Considering this, she shows a lot of potential, but that's only part of the equation.

Finally, the subject displayed a pathetic and useless (seriously bad) sense of humor, a nearly satanic lack of morality, and a hot-shot level of self-confidence. The balance of these three traits is important; high levels of confidence, medium levels of morality, and a good level of humor make for the strongest individuals."

Well would ya look at that! Huh. Now time to take the IQ test from the same thing, eep.

"A mashed potato glass to put martinis in!"

2007-06-30T16:59:00.000-06:00

I finally got an explanation for the Legendary Martini Glass to Put Mashed Potatoes In (see blog entry for 27-02-07); it was a Mashed Potato Party.
Hmmm.

Ehy, I'm back!

2007-06-30T14:30:00.001-06:00

Hi.
I'm baaaaack. And the Parlimento was fun.
I met some friends, namely those who I will refer to as Ladies X, A, B, and L. Why Ladies? Because I feel like it.
Hmm... I'll have to get the photo off but there's this very weird hairy rock thing... I ... um.... "found", shall we say. Taking guesses as to what it is. Will post what it is on Monday or possibly later.

On another subject altogether, I have my strategy for making comics worked out. I will have four, interlacing stories that will update weekly (since there are four they will each update once a month or so, maybe more, depends on how much of a brat Nârēn is being and then divide how much inspiration she provides by time, scanner access and homework/other things) (in order of when I came up with the ideas for them)
The Dæ^hisharean Chronicles, The Kaen Files, Shades of Gray, Normal Isn't Good Enough

in the end they will all come together in
The Death of All Stories
What I'm trying to decide is if I should make The Four separate or the same (under the same URL)
Any opinions?

But...

2007-06-25T17:30:00.000-06:00

Okay.
I've been having a bit of an attitude problem recently and I'm very very sorry... but now the answer seems to be, cannot read webcomics much may thee.
Gist of which, can't read much webcomics. But oh no I had to rhyme.
Anyway.
Tomorrow I am banished to a hotel in LP for the first of three days. I say banished because only my teacher will be there that I know (I don't know if any of my friends from the Olimpiada are going or not) -_-. I am going for the Parlimento Juvenil, the gist of which means that I get to be a Diputada for three days. Yay me. *listlessly twirls a flag around with one finger; the flag says 'insert witticism here' on it in tiny letters that barely fit on the tiny flag*
And back to the lack of webcomics. What shall I do to get the ban lifted? Try to find more successful ways of bottling up Anger, to be sure; They all say it's bad for you but you know what? In my experience being 'open with your feelings' and all that are worse. You try it, tell me what you think. Bah. Also, I shall unleash the Listlessness full force.
Because I've been feeling like that anyway, I've just been trying to shield people from the brunt of it.
That'll teach Them to tell me what I can and cannot read!
(Hmm. That does give me an idea. I wonder if Dad would be opposed to it - don't tell Mom or I shall be dead!)
(And will someone please tell the SEP thank you? Your tests have brought me almost nothing but regret that I took them, maybe you should work on your strategies and policies and what-have-you)

A teaser for an avatar I'm working on

2007-06-24T16:03:00.001-06:00

Enter Jashret. The real avatar will be better, and higher quality, because the real avie will be my AWESOME AVATAR OF AWESOME AWESOMENESS!!!
*ahem* *ahem* Sorry 'bout that. Got carried away. Please tell me what you think. Comments below, and am done with homework whooooooo!

Tablet hand becoming veeery tired.

2007-06-24T10:58:00.000-06:00

For tommorow I have to finish a six page historieta for school as the end-of-term assignment and of course am overdoing it. But I'm almost done. Also, definitive name for the comic marching under the name of 'The Random Mushroom': Shades of Gray. Or Grey. I can't seem to decide.
Also, curtesy of Naren and may someone whack her on the head for it because it's making me procrasitnate, significant advances on the character of Jashret and a very strange uniform idea that makes him look even more androgynous. Mmmaybe Dad had a valid reason to say that looking at the faces of the people I draw he can't tell if they're male or female, but I think he's overreacting.
Of course, it can't help that I reaaaally don't like drawing facial hair, so that's one indicator gone. (basically the type of people I like to draw are between ten and twenty... because then I can use myself as a model. Ha. Yet another reason why the guys are androgynous.)
But back to Jashret.
You can probably blame the character development on listening too much to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera's soundtrack.
I bet Mom is sooo sick of 'Angel of Music' right now. Especially since I just sing random parts and am wearing headphones. :D

Forbidden Magi (Magic and the Sciences that Resemble It, Part One)

2007-06-23T16:13:00.000-06:00

Because I have some time on my hands, and because I feel like giving you some background, and because I don't want to forget this, here we go with some info on the comic I'm making. Spoilers. Don't read if you're not interested/won't forget it in two months.

...

Really, I'm serious, there's spoilers....

Okay. There are the four divisions of magic you know about - earth, water, plasma (including Fire and Energy), and air. There's also shadow, which is very strange and often sadistic magic, but we won't go into that here.
A mage - a normal one - can be any of the many specifics (such as ice in water) and also has a passive, or non, attribute, which often comes from the same family (division) or a similar one. You can't pick your powers (only Shadowmancers can pick - yes I know the term Shadowmacers has been used before); they usually come from something about you. The Fae are slightly different: Their powers usually come in subspecies of Fae**. But again, that's off-topic.

Then there are three elements that are widely claimed not to exist, and when they are acknowledged as not myths, are most strictly FORBIDDEN to practice.
They are

SIGHT

TIME

and

THOUGHT

Since there aren't hordes of magi balancing out their powers in the mortal astral planes, these must have avatars every generation. The avatars are extremely powerful, and often can't control their powers because they have ALL the power of an element - the same power as, say, all the magi that practice anything in one Family's magic, COMBINED.

The three are the Seer (of SIGHT)*, the Time Bandit (of TIME) and the Soul Thief (of THOUGHT).

Two of one sect cannot coexist. That makes training very difficult. Usually dimension and time travel are needed. Limbo dimensions can be very useful, but are usually only accessible to Time Bandits.

Time Bandits, Seers, Soul Thieves and the Forbidden Disciples are widely acknowledged as myths.

They aren't.

(Where does Jashret fit into this, you wonder? He's a Soul Thief. That's what's with the gloves: Soul Thieves, like many other types of magi, focus their power through their hands (specifically through the tips of their fingers)- but since the Forbidden Magi can't control their powers, they have to have something keeping them from doing anything they could regret (many Seers wear enchanted glasses as they focus their power through their eyes). The gloves are enchanted as well because otherwise, since Jashret is very untrained and extremely volatile, they would be in charred shreds (though the Forbidden can't have nons). (FYI, Time Bandits focus their power through the palms of their hands. They can actually get away with leaving their fingers unprotected, but it looks weird)

*SIGHT is the most powerful. There are very few, but some, who have a nearly nonexistent Sight non. It is very useful but SO rare. In some dimensions there have been experiments in reproducing Sight through mechanical and technological means, but of course they haven't advanced at all. Anything that says they have is all lies. *clears throat uncomfortably* ALL LIES, I SAY!

The colors of SIGHT, TIME and THOUGHT are as follows
Sight: light blue
Time: red
Thought: Yellow

(This was actually written at this time on the 24th, but I didn't just tell you that!)

**I spelled it wrong the first time. I know the common form is Fey, just as the common form of the singular is Fairy. But that's not how I spell it, which is why it's wrong ^^ Remember, I RULE Dæ^hishara. I can do whatever I want. It's the power of authors, and why I included them in the classification of Thought magi in respect to those who can't control it. Since there are three types of people who use Thought, perhaps more, Thought may be the most powerful - I cannot say. If so, then Jashret is doubly scary. :P

News

2007-06-19T14:49:00.000-06:00

Hmm. Well we got results from the Olimpiada. My ribs hurt from being hugged so much. Why?

Well I'm sure you can tell. Why would I be hugged if I lost?

10th place of the 10 who are going to Mexico City for a week in late July. Yes, I know, You idiot Cosima, can't you've studied harder? Believe me, I've thought that often enough: I almost didn't make it, why are all you people so proud of me?

In related news, the generation of students in my school that I'm in (the generation that is) is quite possibly going to be named after me at graduation.

What the za? When did I get so important?

Mmmaybe I'll get a webcomic up (but I won't update 'till August or so)

2007-06-16T18:04:00.000-06:00

If I do, however, and don't come up with any better name, this will be it's banner

...Only slightly dead! Slightly! ...Torok...!

2007-06-13T14:01:00.000-06:00

For some reason people in my class keep asking me if I'm depressed! (Can't a would-be authoress angst in peace?) I don't understand it! And then Dad comments on how dark my comics are... I mean, Torok, can you give a person some rest? And what's wrong with dark comics? Aren't humans dark?
... Most of my characters aren't humans... But still~!
So I direct everyone to blame Nârēn. It's standard procedure.

Nârēn

2007-06-08T14:30:00.000-06:00

I'm the ghost in the machine and the machine is Cosima's mind, and it goes against its coding a lot even without my help.

She sometimes wishes I would leave, but then who would bug and poke and nudge and cajole her into drawing and writing about the characters who walk into her head, myself included?

I'm her muse, her inspiration, her creativity, her imagination - you might even classify me as her Æther. I also happen to be the most powerful god or goddess in her Dæ^hishrara multiverses but one - she can overrule me - for which I am kind of thankful, but don't tell anyone.

I inhabit her head along with the other characters who I champion.

But I really don't think she's schizophrenic.

More Author Avatar-ing

2007-06-02T14:09:00.000-06:00

Another pic of my comic avatar. The comic it's from would be a spoiler as it is the end of the rough storyline I came up with for taking Virçoise/Vircoise online. Now all I need is a system of updating, 50% of my time given back to me, blue graphite, decent paper, and a URL. Basically everything. But hey! I have a plot, which is more than can be said for most of my stories (I usually have puppets of characters who I put in situations and watch with interest in the place of a plot)
You at least can't say 'they have no script' with me. 'The writers flipped' is (1) arbitrary and (2) redundant. Of course I flipped, but it depends on how you define flipped. And watermelon. And purple. And also how you define shar'denat, but that's only because I've been asking Nărēn to shar'denat my teacher since I came up with that word so I'm pretty glad (1) she doesn't listen much (both Nar' and my teacher) because (2) it means damn. What? The stories I'm writing have a lotta gods in 'em! Gods damn people! I needed the word! Don't look at me like that! I didn't just want an expletive! What do you take me for, myself??

Yellow, Padwan

2007-05-29T13:30:00.000-06:00

Boy: "And you, Padwan, have learnt the way of the vacuum."
Me: "And you, Padwan, have learnt the way of the Person-Who-Reads-AEther"
Boy: "And you have learnt something!"
Me: "And you have learnt something else!"

Only a test of keyboards

2007-05-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

I´m using the spaish lanuguage - or quite possibly french, the ñ isn´t in the same place as on the ones in my school and there´s a ç - keyboard on the computer at cafe - how do you do accents? And the ? is above' next to 0, while ´is in the place of ' - too weird - Café (e and ´ simultaneously; shift e ´ gets you Ë or É, depending on which you press first, I think ) Brown, trying to blog. My fingers are already (partially) used to the keyboard, but this computer uses IE and the lack of Firefox or at least something with tabs (Update. Your. Programs. For. My. Sanity!!) keeps confusing me.
I just like to record the different computers I get to play with; you needen´t bother reading but I think messing with this keyboard is fun.

Countdown to 200 and a lithp resulting from badly-used archaic language.

2007-05-24T12:08:00.000-06:00

What I was trying to say, in reference to trying to find some sketches of Lord Tedd to help my strange pursuit of doing a fanart of him that doesn't make my eyes want to bleed:

And there thou hath thy long-sought-after Lord Tedd sketches.

What I lithped:

And there thy hath... heth... theth... somethingth I can't pronounthce...

Also: Definitive template for s.l.i UP!!!! I finally went with a modified version of Ms. Moto.

A post that had I had my way, would've been horribly angsty, so consider yourself lucky unless you actually want to know how my miserable mind works.

2007-05-21T17:58:00.000-06:00

I've been drawing comics in my spare time. However in my opinion the art/stories/probable updating times are so awful that no one would want to read them; the storylines remind me of comics I like, and I am mortally afraid of being called a ripoff, almost more so even that of being wrong; and there are much better comics that deserve the readership far more than I. The consequence of that is that I've been depressed the past few weeks. And whenever I re-read the EGS Painted Black storyline (which is sometimes semi-daily, when I don't have anything to study for) I feel like I'm going to cry. ('Why do you read it then?' you ask. Well, I really really like it and it's really really good. Which is the same reason I cry.)
My mother says that the angst comes with being an artist. Damn; I was hoping it came with being a (pre-)teen and would go away in 2-10 years, which is better than in forever.
However, here's some concept sketches for an avatar of mine so you can decide for yourself. If you like them feel free to comment, but I'll probably still be miserable. *sniff* Click for big.

The first draft of my female avatar. I was so worried about doing the ears a similar (okay, very similar) style to Dan Shive's that I probably rather panicked Dad by crying about it. Oh well, at least he doesn't dismiss it as mere angst.

Female and male avatars, without fur. Or tails. As in 'noticeable lack of tail'.

A mini-comic making fun of the fact that I thought the male avatar was kind of cute.

In the Shadows Lurk the Nightmares Made by SEP...

2007-05-17T19:39:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow I go to LP.
The day after I take the second level of the Olimpiada del Conocimiento Infantil standardized test.
I previously had gotten 52/70. I aim to top that.
I'm aiming for Mexico City.
Wish me luck.

[Update] the SEP need to work on their nightmare-making. It wasn't that bad. The exam was fun. But when did WWII end? [/Update]

MAJOR 'SQUEE'-age, just warning you.

2007-05-11T17:49:00.000-06:00

I. Got. A. Cell phone!!! this afternoon. It is a pink LG chocolate MG800c. Yes, pink. Because I don't like white, and black is kinda... um, I don't know, but all my electronics are black. Uh... so... off to install the software and babble at my dad! Oh, and in a week I will be in LP. But I will not allow that to distract me from my squee-age. So there.

Intelligence
Sense of Humor
Violent Tendencies
Bravery
Observational Skills
Morality
Self-Confidence