It's been eons since I posted anything substantial, though I read LJ every day... I somehow ended up with three jobs this fall and working 80+ hour weeks, and there wasn't a whole lot of anything left at the end of the day to do anything other than make it home in time to do dinner with Rich and Jenny, go back downstairs to Work Moar, maybe tag a couple of times to the Stargate game and then collapse ded.

It wasn't supposed to be that way! In June, I was so severely underemployed that we were on the brink of financial issues. Then the summer gig that I got at the Last Second kept getting extended, my TAships kicked in, and then Nutcracker ramped up and we rebuilt almost all of Act 2 in less than three weeks... needless to say, I haven't slept much since, oh, middle of September.

Until Sunday, that is! My TAships are done until January, Nutcracker's struck again - all that's left there is dry cleaning, the last warehouse run in January and paperwork cleanup - and my summer-gig-gone-right is winding down a little as we head towards Christmas. Still no time to do much other than catch up on everything I let slide over the previous three months - like reading the books for the two classes I'm taking next term - but at least I have breathing room and I'm getting to bed at a semi-reasonable hour again most days.

Alas, we are /not/ travelling this holiday season. With the house purchase this year and my sister's wedding coming up in March, flying at Christmas when the rates are tripled just wasn't happening. We'll miss you all desperately, and I'm hoping for photos!

Anyway, hi! I'm alive! What's up with you?

I won't be home until 21:30, but I think a DoaT would be a welcome thing tonight! I'm in good spirits and am happy to share them.

So I just ordered three more Danny Wallace books from Amazon. Through the magic of used, I got them all for around $15. It was the shipping that counted for most of the cost, due to the fact that I was ordering them from different shippers, but WHATEVS.

Listen, seriously, Danny Wallace is a fantastic author. If you like what I write, you should read his stuff because it is so much better. And on occasion, strikingly similar.

As an example, here's a short passage from Join Me:

"I could tell he didn't quite know how to react. I could tell this because he'd gone all quiet and was avoiding my eye, and he'd muttered the words, 'I don't quite know how to react to that.'"

GUYS SERIOUSLY GO READ A DANNY WALLACE BOOK RIGHT NOW. DO IT.

I am in author love. I want to be as awesome as Danny Wallace. That is my new Writing Goal.

SO CLOSE TO ALMOST DONE WITH GETTING PRINT VERSIONS OF BOOK FOUR AND THE OMNIBUS AVAILABLE. Once that's done, all of my attention is going to the llama book. I can't wait. I can't wait to do some hardcore revision. I've never really done that before, so I'm both terrified and excited, but I'm mostly looking forward to revisiting the llama books and transforming them into something new and exciting, but also very the same as before. Mostly I'm excited to not have to read a chapter of someone else's writing before I set to work on my own stuff.

OH AND. The voting for LJ Idol is up. If you liked my last post at all, or you like me at all, or you just don't want to break my heart, I could use your help. It's not my best week ever over there.

Does anyone know if late 18th century (circa 1795) English medicine had anything to say on what we currently think of as adrenaline? My character is sitting on the ground following a fist fight and he's shaking. My knowledge tells me he's shaking from the adrenaline rush and the abrupt end to the fight (they got caught by the steward of the estate) that left it with nowhere to go. The word 'adrenaline' wasn't coined until 1901, however, so I can't say it in those terms.

My usual resource for Georgian medicine (Google Book search with "return content published between" set to no later than 1815--fantastic resource for looking at period medical books BTW) is failing me because I can't think of what to search for.

This is a really small detail, but I think it would add to the texture of the story if I could address this in period authentic terms. Anyone have any ideas?

Characters' names have been replaced with those of My Little Pony dolls. If you don't think it's ghastly enough for me, then go ahead and pretend they're named after serial killers or something.

So you think I'm really good at playing Lickety-Split, and want me to join your game? Wow, that's really neat, I'd love a chance to play with you. Despite being one of the cursed undead, I am an easily-flattered soul, and you seem like a really creative and entertaining player. Even though Sundance is a minor character and never met Lickey-Split or Cherries Jubilee canonly, you've fleshed her out and made her interesting. I like people who can do that.

Waaaait a second, you seem to really dislike Lickety-Split. After two seconds of skimming your posts, I discover that you think of her as a shallow, manipulative shrew, and are convinced that her potential love interest who she cares deeply for, Cherries Jubilee, hates her and is way too good for her.

It's a little off-putting, but I don't think much of it (particularly since I have no interest in pursuing pairings in this game) and continue playing with you guys. I mean, I am having fun. It seems dumb to get offended over differing opinions. Turns out you're also obsessed with the crack pairing of Sundance/Cherries Jubilee. It is kinda weird, due to the fact that Sundance is still a young child and Cherries Jubilee, uh, isn't, but whatever, each to their own, man.

Waitasecond, why is it that every time we play you intentionally try to twist the situation into a way Sundance can compete with Lickety-Split? Additionally, you seem 100% convinced that Sundance would always win, despite the fact that Lickety-Split is an incredibly experienced in their canon skill while Sundance is a young and childish novice. It's weird, because this sense of competition extends to absolutely everything I RP with you. If Lickety-Split wants to go out for ice cream with their friends, Sundance already bought them all the ice cream in the world. If Lickety-Split has a cat, Sundance has a pet golden tiger named Princess Sparkledust who can grant wishes and fly. If Lickety-Split decides to help grandma carry her groceries, Sundance can teleport the groceries with her mind, and has also made grandma a new tea cosy. If Lickety-Split makes an impactful statement during a tense moment, Sundance immediately drops to her knees screaming and sobbing the exact same sentiment Lickety-Split just said but in an overblown way, to ensure that absolutely no one reacts to Lickety-Split. It's not even like you're acknowledging it in a "Sundance is protective of the guy she likes and wants to outdo Lickety-Split" way, you seem to genuinely want to portray to the rest of the game that Sundance is just a superior person. I literally cannot do a scene with you without you trying to twist the scenario into a new opportunity for Sundance to show off and, notably, you don't do this with ANY other players besides me, all of which are your good friends who play characters you adore to pieces. It doesn't help that all the great plots you told me you wanted to get Lickety-Split involved in are turning out to be "Lickety-Split gets to react to Sundance's epic quests of amazing".

Okay, now it is really difficult for me to pretend this is all just a coinci-
OH COME ON. Now you want us to play a "just for fun, future alternate universe oneshot" where Lickety-Split finds out that Cherries Jubilee and the now-drop-dead-sexy-and-totally-grown-up-sex-kitten Sundance are sleeping together, and Lickety-Split gets totes heartbroken and Sundance uses her outstanding wit and kung-fu to pwn her just 'cause she can? Seriously?

I don't even know what to say. Did you seriously invite me to your game and pretend you want to RP with me just to fulfill some elaborate fantasy where your pet character gets to pwn your least favorite and steal the object of their affection? WTF.

Even now this is difficult for me to comprehend. It just seems too bizarre and petty. For the evil dead, I apparently have a disproportionately large faith in humanity. A pox on you, and all your houses! I will be taking my ponies elsewhere.

Yes I do Erotic Roleplay with this friend.
Yes, I plan on having him come out and hang out at our place for a week.
No I am not going to sleep with him. No, my boyfriend does not suspect I plan on sleeping with him. Yes, my boyfriend does know that I've been writing erotica with him.

RP=/=RL and I have better morals than that. *fume*

Setting: A character from the early 60s is injured in a setting with medical technology slightly more advanced than modern Earth. He's not a heavy smoker - maybe a couple packs a week - but he's been without them for a bit and shouldn't smoke for another month or so because his lung was punctured 4 times. Given the technology he's familiar with, he doesn't know about things like nicotine gum or patches to help his mood.

On top of that, he's on strong painkillers (someone I talked to said hydromorphone, but specifics on that aren't too important) and I'm not too sure if that would affect the irritability from stopping smoking in some way or not. I'm not sure how I'd go about Googling this, and I'm mostly looking for anecdotes if anyone's been in a situation similar, so any help would be great!

Okay, I'm just starting a story about a young theater actor who gets cast in a modern, fairly successful British TV show. Unfortunately, I know very little about how TV show auditions usually go. The actor hears about the auditions from a friends who has already been cast, but when he shows up to the audition, would he have to sign in with somebody? Would they expect him to have prepared something to show, or would they want him to read from a script? If script, would they give him a few minutes to look over it before his turn, or would they just hand it to him and have him read it cold? What is the likely hood that the director would have the other actors there, to see how my actor works with them?
I realize the process is probably different for every show and every director, but just some generals would be really helpful. Also, the story is set in modern times and its a medium budget family TV show. How many people would you expect to turn up to an audition, if most of the parts have been cast, a few dozen? A hundred? A few hundred?
And for any Brits, is there a specific place where things like auditions happen in England (like English Hollywood)? I just assumed London, but I could be totally wrong. If London, in what area?
I already tried searching things about casting, but all I'm getting is the casting to particular shows, speculation about future casting and unhelpful things like that.

Protip! When trying to convince me to do a certain idea with you that I find rather stereotypical and stupid, the argument "But I did it with someone else and it was GREAT!" doesn't help much. Nor does starting any of your sentences with "I'll be the bigger person."
Just sayin'.



Edited for weird HTML.

Uh, mods. Ever go to a sandwich shop in the hope that you'll be sold on some used car parts?

... No?

Cuz I don't think people looking for the advertised "advanced" play opps are gonna be pumped about a legion of RP n00bz on the roster.

Is it an unwritten rule that once "advanced" RP gets slapped on any game, it's a time bomb?

Okay, so I put up a character ad for my character's ex. He's basically so obsessed with this girl that he follows her around, calls her phone, and is an all around creeper. You say you're interested, I say 'hey awesome, I can't wait to see what you do with him!'

...And then I get this PM:

( Are you that lazy? )

Dear you two,

( Gonna play Captain Obvious here. )

No love,
Me.

Considering the fact that you've been dropping heavy-handed hints both IC and OOC since this story's conception, why are you getting offended that neither my character nor I were particularly caught off guard when your girl finally came out and blatantly stated that she's a prostitute?

When your character's first introduction to mine was to blurt out "Oops, sorry, I thought you were a client--I mean, friend," while wearing a completely slutty get-up in the AMs on a barren, industrial road, how stupid do you think my character would have to be to not immediately catch on? e.e

PS: Being a prostitute in a post-apocalyptic world isn't quite as taboo as you seem to think it is. With the entire world in shambles and many groups of people struggling to just barely survive, there isn't much of an oppressive government around to make rules against having sex for money.

Setting: 1890s, on an ocean liner travelling from England to China. AU
Googled: Dining arrangements, seating arrangements, Victorian dining etiquette, Captain's table, dining saloon, Emily Post's Etiquette, Mrs Beeton.

Now, we are on board an ocean liner in the 1890s and this is the first night of the journey. The jolly old friendly captain wishes to dine with his most prestigious passengers and has set up a 10-seater Captain's table, placed in the center of the dining saloon. Invitations has been sent out and... I'm a little lost at the seating arrangements.

From my understanding, during a formal dinner, the seating is usually determined by the hostess based on the importance and congeniality of the guests. But this is the Captain's table and while the man knows his passengers and their background, he doesn't know them too well. So how will the seating arrangements be in such a case?

( The Right Seats for the Right Character? )

Thanks and all help and suggestions are appreciated.

'Scuse the letter-ish format.

I'm a little flattered, I guess, that a few players and their characters seem to have taken a sudden interest to my large (about 6'5", 230 lbs), boisterous female bruiser who likes to fight hard and drink harder, but there's just one tiny but:

( DO NOT WANT. )

Annoyed,
me

tl;dr: No means no, leave my character out of your romancing attempts and target someone willing please.

My character is a fourteen-year-old girl who migrated to Australia with her family from Singapore when she was six. Her family were Hindus way back when, but have been Catholic for generations. She attends a Catholic girls' high school, where she is bullied by other girls for being what they consider overly religious: volunteering to sing a hymn for the end-of-day prayer, going to lunchtime mass once a week, making reference to her church youth group in conversation, things like that. My character is widely considered to be nice to a fault, shy and unable to defend herself, to the point that her two best friends wade in to speak for her whenever she seems to be getting into strife. She experienced some racist bullying at primary school (older girls chasing her around and gabbling at her in "African language," no matter how many times she tried to explain that she was from Singapore), but now that she is older, the bulk of the bullying is related to her religion (with the occasional jibe at her accent, and the occasional, "She can't help being religious, her parents never let her out of the house!"). She is just getting to the point where she is starting to feel anger at other people, rather than just feeling angry with herself. She is wishing that people would allow her to be brave instead of casting her as helpless and defenceless, but can't find a way to articulate this.

During a reconciliation (confession) session in the school chapel, my character asks the priest (a young priest-in-residence from South America) what she should do when people tease her for being religious. The priest replies... what?

You see, I've never actually participated in reconciliation, even though I did attend Catholic school for nine years, because my family raised us as atheists. During reconciliation, the non-religious girls would go up, explain that they weren't baptised, get the verbal approximation of a fond pat on the head, and be sent back to their seats. (Also, there were no confessional booths, and therefore, none in my story - the priest sits in a chair beside the altar, and the girls are called up one by one to talk with him.)

What might a priest say to a Catholic girl at a Catholic school who is being teased about her religion? Could there be a particular Bible verse or story he might quote (if they generally do that during reconciliation)? My character is reasonably familiar with this priest from services outside of school (in fact, he greets her by saying, "We missed you at services on Sunday!", she replies that her family went to a church up in the city for Mass and then out for brunch afterward).

I've Googled "bullying," "religious bullying," "atheist bullying," "bullied for being religious" and "catholic bullied at school," without a great deal of success.

This is a little detail that has gotten me stuck - I can't proceed with the story until I get this answered.

What I need to know is this: I have a character that crash-lands on a planet and ends up with shrapnel in either her back, her hips, or her side somewhere. It needs to be not immediately fatal, and she doesn't notice it right away until the adrenaline wears off. Also, four people meet her at the crash site, and they don't immediately notice it either. She only notices after several minutes when the adrenaline wears off, and she collapses to her knees. It also needs to be able to be removed by someone who isn't a professional without said removal killing her. Her species of human have some regeneration ability (the wound will heal without a scar in a day or so once the shrapnel is removed) but otherwise have normal human anatomy and reactions.

I Googled various things like anatomy, shrapnel, and non-fatal wounds, and got too much that wasn't what I was looking for.

Thanks in advance!

I am looking for creation myths concerning the creation of humans - in particular, myths in which man and woman were formed from the same substance or at the same time. The story I am writing will cover a variety of eras, as it concerns past lives, so the time periods in which the myths became widely known about aren't an issue.

I've already searched for: creation myths, men and women in creation myths, human creation myths, and origin myths. Nothing really came back that fit my specifications.

Myths that I already know about are: Christian mythology, Filipino mythology, Comanche mythology and Egyptian mythology (the myth I know of concerns the god Ra in the form of Khepri, but other Egyptian creation myths if known would be appreciated).

...all righty then...

So we have a small player base, and you, oh DM, have been complaining about the lack of players, how there's no one new to play with, why don't we have more players, yadda yadda yadda...

Le gasp! Let there be new players!

Now, with these shining newbies in our presence, YOU ignore all requests for DM help. *eyebrow lift* Wtf?! And you, who were so pointed in making sure I didn't get any DM position when I volunteered to act as one to run events for the other DMs who get tired of taking up all the slack- namely one poor DM who does ALL the events by herself- just sit there IC and sulk when you're asked to log on with your DM sign-in and help.

...all right, did I miss something here? Since when did complaining about your DM duties indicate good things to the new players we're trying to KEEP here? *facedesk*

Incidentally, getting into a verbal bitch fight with another DM- one who logged in when I asked him to specifically to help the poor newbie who was figuring out how things work on our server- while he's trying to help the newbs? NOT HELPING.

If you're going to complain that no one wants to play with you- is it scary this is the same player that I've mentioned in the first couple of posts I put up? And that he's a DM? Seriously... Be afraid.- and that there's never anyone new on the server, -don't scare away the new people who come in!!!!!!!!!!-