Of Cookery and Crowd-Pleasing

Today has been a good day for me. For a start, I actually managed to sleep - something I haven't done properly for several days, due to a combination of stress, noisy neighbours, the tail-end effects of a fever and some seriously whacked out dreams - one of which involved Benedict Cumberbatch teaching me Quantum Physics on the Mobius Strip while he was wearing the Fourth Doctor's scarf. The ultimate nerdy dream, if only I didn't reserve a particular hatred for Physics and have never watched Sherlock...

But, with a good start like that, it was no wonder that my day's been rather good. No pressing homework needs over the weekend, handed in the first draft of my English coursework (something that's been irritating me for weeks), and - for once - not had too much pressing homework over the weekend.

Which, at long last, allowed me to start drafting the beginning of my trilogy rewrite. I have multiple ideas of how I could start it, but today I took one of those ideas and ran with it. Words could not describe the general weirdness of being back in the world I have been out of for so long. Despite the changes I've made to it, it was like walking into a house you used to live in as a kid and discovering how easy it is just to imagine it's all yours again.

But enough soppy sentimental stuff - the main reason I'm here today is to ask a very important question.

What do you want to see on my blog?

For you old timers, you know I do a lot of random stuff when the mood takes me; I find you entertaining videos, pictures and animated gifs, I do rambles about music, I post my poetry, even an extract from my stories every now and again, and I've started my new writerly tips series.

But, what I want to know is, what do you guys want to see more of? If my poetry and story extracts are rubbish, I won't bother with them. If you think me finding idiotic pictures is a waste of my time, I'll stop that too. Or maybe you'd prefer a change in the way I do my posts? Would you like more pictures in the posts? Would you like me to post more or less than I do? Would you like me to start typing in Klingon or Quenya?

You get the idea. Let me know what you want in the comments!

And now, to celebrate my particularly happy day, here is a cut scene from my favourite movies (and, for that matter, books) of all time. Though it's hard to build on perfection, I seriously wish the moviemakers had kept this scene in Return of the King.

Beautiful People - February 2012

It's that time again! Although I've had very little time for writing recently - what with plotting my extended essay, doing all my required and extra reading and keeping on top of my ever-mounting pile of homework - but, be warned, there is a good deal of plotting going on. This summer will be a wordy one, one way or another!


Not in the least because the Aeserion Trilogy rewrite will begin. And, in honour of that, Rin - whom you may remember from last month's post - has been dragged out from his hiding place happily returned to answer this second load of questions!


Now, without further ado, here we go!


1. If your character could be played by any actor, who would it be?
Without a doubt, I'd love to see Viggo Mortensen (better known as Aragorn, from Lord of the Rings) playing Rin. From what I know of his off-camera antics, he'd have the perfect mentality for the role, and - this may or may not be the result of my fangirl-ness - I think he looks rather like him. Unfortunately, as he's probably too old by now (and might not take well to having to dye his hair bright ginger!) Ah well, I can dream, can't I?


2. Does your character have a specific theme song?
Not really - unlike many of my characters, Rin's creation as a character wasn't influenced by any particular song. A couple that do make me think of him when I'm writing though, are Disturbed's "I'm Alive" and "Hero" by Heather Dale.


3. What’s their worst childhood memory?
When he was about fifteen, Rin decided to present himself to his local lord and ask to be hired as one of his household company. Unfortunately, taking one look at his narrow frame and unorthodox fighting style, Lord Bragan laughed in his face and told him he would eat his boot if he ever saw the day when a "skinny bag of maggots" like Rin ever lifted a sword. However well he's done for himself since, Rin still can't stand attacks on his honour like that - people who make them tend to end up with several bruises and a broken rib or two ... if they say sorry fast enough to avoid further injury!

4. If your character had a superpower, what would it be?
His personal choice would probably be flight - his advantage in a battle lies in his speed, and being able to take off into the air at any moment would definitely compliment that nicely. From my perspective, looking at him as a person, I'd say he would probably be some sort of pyromancer - a manipulator of fire. Not only does it match his general temperament nicely, but it would probably come in very useful for those long cold nights he's had to spend sleeping up trees!

5. If your character crashed on an island with a bunch of other people, how would your character help the group survive?
Probably by seeing off any nasty critters in the vicinity, and, most likely, by taking the lead and organising immediate survival strategies. And giving any weepy-waily fools a good dunking in cold water. He can't stand hypochondriacs.

6. Are they married? If not, do they someday wish to be?
Ah, now THIS is a complicated question. In book one, Rin is engaged to marry his long-term girlfriend. Not to give any spoilers, but we all know I'm too mean to let that work out. From then on out, it all gets a lot more complicated. Rin would love to settle down with a woman and have kids ... it's all down as to whether I'm going to let him! *cackles*

7. What is a cause they would die for?
Rin would sooner impale himself on a spoon than let anyone take away his freedom, or that of people he cares about - whether that be his friends, his family, or his homeland. Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to persuade him to do a William Wallace and yell "freedom!" on a battlefield.

8. Would they rather die fighting valiantly, or quietly at home?
He would definitely like the latter better, but even he knows in his heart of hearts that there's a snowball's chance in hell of that ever happening. Hazards of the job, and all.

9. If someone walked up to them and told them they were the child of the prophecy, would they believe them?
Rin would give them a confused look and walk off. Unless he's clutching at the nearest tree, trying not to asphyxiate from laughing.

10. Do they prefer the country or the city?
It depends - he was born and raised in the country, and I like to think he has a certain attachment to it. He certainly likes the simplicity of life there. But, the city is where he's likely to find employers, and he and his men do need to stock up on gear, weapons and food fairly regularly, and they can't always find everything they need in the countryside. And who can resist a little fun and havoc in a city bar every now and again?

***

Phew! Another month of questions over already!

This month's questions - as well as those from ages past, links to the blogs of other participants, and the answers of the creators themselves can be found at Further Up and Further In.

- Charley R

The Holy Grail of All Things Geeky

The quiz can be taken here at The Fandom - The Universal Fandom Quiz

Oh, and before I go...

EXTERMINATE!!!

Beautiful People - Challenge Charley!

... Please tell me I'm not infringing copyright with that title!

Yes, I'm still here! I swear to you all, lovely readers, I will explain my absence in a later post - I'm a bit pressed for time right now.

Let's have some fun first. The blog Further Up and Further In has set a wonderful little challenge to all NaNo-ers and, as I'm competing this year, I've decided to join in. (read this post for the full scoop of what I'm up to, but overall it seems to result in asking lots of fun questions about your characters to help you thrash them out)

In the meantime ... here we go!

March 2011

What is their full name? Vidal Crossblood
Does his or her name have a special meaning? "Vidal" means "spite", but that was a joke on the part of the nasty woman who decided to raise the little git. Hardly hints at a grand destiny, does it?
Does your character have a methodical or disorganized personality? Scarily methodical.
Does he or she think inside themselves more than they talk out loud to their friends? (more importantly, does he or she actually have friends?) The words coming out of his mouth are always near opposites of what he says in his head.  He does have friends, though they are an exceedingly small number. And I doubt you'd consider his treatment of them very friendly.
Is there something he or she is afraid of? Losing. In any sense of the word.
Does he or she write, dream, dance, sing, or photograph? He sings very rude songs when the mood takes him, but not really. As for dreaming ... I really don't want to think what goes on in his head sometimes.
What is his or her favorite book? (or genre of books) He can't read!
Who is his or her favorite author and/or someone that inspires him or her?  Nobody. The only inspiration he gets from others is reasons to stab them.
Favorite flavor of ice cream? He has no idea what ice-cream is (it doesn't exist in this world), but if he did, I suspect he'd be a mint sort of guy.
Favorite season of the year? Anything but a hot summer. His people don't cope well in hot weather - they're not built for it.

April 2011

How old is he/she? Nearing 140 I think. For his kind, he's nearing middle-age.
What does he/she do with his/her spare time? Plots.
Does he/she see the big picture or live in the moment? He's the scary sort of person who can do both, but his actions aim more for long-term results.
Is he/she a perfectionist? Not really.
What does her handwriting look like? (round, slanted, curly, skinny, sloppy, neat, decorative, etc.) He doesn't' write, but if he did, it would probably look like something written by an epileptic spider.
Favorite animal? Anything that won't maim him painfully when he tries to eat it.
Does he/she have any pets? Nope. 
Does he/she have any siblings? How many? Where does he/she fit in? No siblings.
Does he/she have a 'life verse' and if so what is it? ... I don't know what a "life verse" is. I wrote a poem about him though!
Favorite writing utensil? As I said, he doesn't write. 

May 2011

What type of laugh does he/she have? He has a variety for different situations
Who is his/her best friend? Probably a fellow named Caiafal Greysong, though how Caiafal puts up with him I have no idea.
What is his/her family like? His mother died giving birth to him, her family hate his guts, and he has absolutely no idea who his father is, and he doesn't give a toss either. Lovely eh?
Is he/she a Christian, or will he/she eventually find Jesus? They don't have Christianity in my world.
Does he/she believe in fairies? They exist in his world! Vidal's none too keen on them.
Does he/she like hedgehogs? They get stuck in his teeth too much.
Favorite kind of weather? Dark, misty and lots of places to hide and jump out at people.
Does he/she have a good sense of humor? If so what kind? (Slapstick, wit, sarcasm, etc.?) He does indeed, though he's a high-brow, wit and wordplay sort of person.
How did he/she do in school, or any kind of education they might have had. Never had any. Probably would have bunked out if he did. He learns by experience (and raiding any books he considers remotely interesting. Damn his    creepy photographic memory)
Any strange hobbies? You mean, aside from plotting? Not really.

June 2011

What kind of music does he/she like? He doesn't give a fig.
Does he/she like to go outside? All his kind do - he practically lives outside.
Is he/she naturally curious? To a certain extent
Right, or left handed? Ambidextrous, though he's naturally right-handed. He taught himself to use both hands in his boyhood.
Favorite color? Subtle colours. Good for creeping up on people
Where is he/she from? The great mountain city of Tanelorn, ancestral seat of the Vanyar bloodlines in Syracethra.
Any enemies? Pretty much everybody in the story, really.
What are his/her quirks? He likes to eat fish head-first, starting with the eyeballs. He's always wanted to learn the flute, but the noises they make scare the heck out of him. That, and he'll often narrate his thoughts to himself in third person, just for his own amusement.
What kinds of things get on his/her nerves? People, and almost everything to do with them.
Is he/she independent, or needs others to help out? He doesn't trust anyone, so he does almost everything himself, where possible.


July 2011


What is his/her biggest secret? That he does have feelings. And he's very very lonely.
Has he/she ever been in love? Not yet *cackles*
What is his/her comfort food? Small animals that he can disembowel to make himself feel better about whatever has peeved him.
Does he/she play a musical instrument? If so, what? Absolutely nothing. 
What colour are his/her eyes? Left eye is a very dark brown, with a tiny rim of red between pupil and iris. His right eye is a very pale grey (the mismatchedness is a result of his crossblood heritage)
Hair? It's brown. No wait, it's black. No, brown ... no hang on, it's black! (Nobody can actually tell which it is!)
Does he/she have any pets? None.
What is his/her favorite place to be? Lurking. You hear all sorts of wonderful things when you lurk.
What are some of his/her dreams or goals? He wants a future, and to drag his name out of the dirt. 
Does he/she enjoy sports? Depends what sort of sport. Most of the time he just likes to sit back and watch the others make fools of themselves and laugh himself silly.
What is his/her favorite flower or plant? .... You should see the funny looks he's giving me at that question.

August 2011


What is their biggest accomplishment? Staying alive? Oh, and orchestrating a civil war, manipulating hundreds of people and avoiding getting found out.
What is one of their strongest childhood memories? He's done his best to forget most of his childhood. It sucked.
What is their favorite food? Fish. Raw and wriggling.
Do they believe in love at first sight? He'd choke laughing if you asked him that.
What kind of home do they live in? He lives in the attic of a rich friend of his. Until then ... probably in the bottom of a very dark hole, I have no idea.
What do they like to wear? He always wears dark colours, but he's happiest in his black armour, complete with cunningly placed spiky bits.
What would they do if they discovered they were dying? Get peeved and kill whoever put him there, then trick someone into saving his life.
What kind of holidays, or traditions do they celebrate? He'll take any excuse to get drunk off his head. Provided nobody's going to try and kill him in the process...
What do your other characters have to say about them? 
Ambrais Mistlord (his uncle): Pure evil.
Falladan Greysong (plotting nobleman): Merciless git. Just the sort of man I need...
Yallar Fairwind (particularly thick nobleman): Intelligent, but not very nice to me at all!
Selfrae Noonlight (wussy nobleman): Someone kill him before he gets us!
Arundel (Rhydel leader): Treacherous to the core. Not a moral bone in him. My best agent.
Caiafal Greysong ("best friend"): Well, he's vindictive, and he's not terribly nice to anyone. He's never offered anyone a scrap of sympathy, he'll trick you for his own amusement and laugh in your face when things go wrong ... but he's not that bad! He does have a heart in there somewhere ... I hope.
If they could change one thing in their world, what would it be? To be legally allowed to murder everyone who gets on his nerves.

September 2011


Do they have any habits, annoying or otherwise? He tries not to develop any, in case his enemies work them out.
What is their backstory and how does it affect them now? Born to the daughter of one of the most powerful Vanyar families, he was dumped in the arms of a sour old priestess while his family hushed up his existence. He's the world's first Vanyar-Rhydel hybrid, and he sticks out like a sore thumb. He's hated and mistrusted by everyone (and rightly so - he's a bastard by nature as much as by name). But all this hasn't changed his ambitions - in fact, it's only heightened them. 
How do they show love? By not killing you.
How competitive are they? Extremely. 
What do they think about when nothing else is going on? Everything that's going on around him, and how he can twist it all to his advantage.
Do they have an accent? I don't think so. 
What is their station in life? Reluctantly made a member of the ruling Twelve, but apart from that he seems to do as he pleases.
What do others expect from them? That he'll turn around and kill them whenever he gets the chance.
Where were they born, and when? Born in midwinter, in Tanelorn.
How do they feel about people in general? He doesn't trust them as far as he can throw them. He tends to presume people already hate him before they meet him.


And, last but not least, this month's:


Sum up your novel in five words or less. As I'm not doing one "novel" per se, I'll go with: saga, epic, exciting, fantasy and hilarious (I hope...)
Novel title? "The Thirteenth Line"
Sum up your main character(s) in one word each. There's a lot of them, but I'll pick a few from the first story in the pack: Vidal - cunning. Caiafal - noble.  Falladan Greysong - power-monger. Arystel - rebellious. Arundel - cold.
Advice for newbies in three words? GO FOR IT!
Tell us about your secondary characters, how do they affect the story? They're all part and parcel of the story. A lot of them end up manipulating or being manipulated by my delightful assortment of hits
Do you plan to stay up till midnight on the 31st? Probably!
How many years have you done NaNo? This is my second year.
What came first, characters, or plot idea? Characters. They have a habit of waltzing into my head and demanding my attention.
How much prep do you do before November? Not much - though I should probably try and thrash out a bit more of everyone's story so I don't end up repeating myself.
Now be honest, how do you really feel about NaNo? Excited like mad, but also utterly terrified by the prospect of having too much work and having to bunk out.