Home of the Fandom Muses and Other Ramblings

For those who were led here (whether under false pretenses or otherwise):

This journal is a safehaven for all my Fandoms: for Browncoats, Slayers and Scoobies; geniuses and a sheriff and his trouble-making daughter; the Defenders of the Realm; Air Force Colonels and their aliens and astrophysicists and archaeologists; for those who know how to peform "Hidden Leaf Secret: Taijutsu Supreme Technique: Thousand Years of Death"; for the heroes who fought against Sephiroth and Sin; the Sentinels and their Guides; all those who know the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything (though maybe not the Question to Life, the Universe, and Everything) and those who believe detective agencies should take a holistic approach; the Doctor and his Companion(s) and TARDIS, and all other Fandoms out there.

"Those in the ninja world who break the rules and regulations are called trash, but those who don't care about their companions...are even lower than trash." --Kakashi Hatake (first said by Obito Uchiha)

Italian time: 3:55PM

On Thursday we went to Villa Guilia, which houses the Etruscan art. After Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este....I wasn't impressed at all by it. It was interesting to see the pieces of art (they had actual dolls, doll tea-cups, figurines, jewelry, etc.), but overall a pretty bland experience.

Friday was St. Peter's. It was impressive inside, but I think I would've enjoyed it more if not for the tourists overcrowding the place. It was definitely an interesting contrast between Hadrian's/Villa d'Este, both of which were mostly devoid of tourists and St. Peter's, which was practically bursting with people.

I didn't see the tombs, but I heard it was pretty uninteresting so I feel like I didn't lose too much. But I did go up to the dome/cupola. A person could either take the lift and cut the number of stairs you had to take down to 320, or walk the entire way. I walked the entire way. First we entered the dome, which opened to the inside of the church itself (I didn't dare look downward). We then took even more stairs to get to the cupola. There was a stairwell which forced us to lean at an angle, stairs that were wide at the base but grew narrower, stairs that turned tightly, and even stairs with no railing except for a rope hanging down the middle. The view was amazing, though. But you were forced to really work for it.

Today was mellow. We only sat through talks and one hour-long workshop which was kinda tame. I went to the "traditional forms" for poetry one, because I felt I should work on my poetic form more. It was okay, but definitely could've been more engaging.

Now I have the rest of the day off. Yay!

( Cut so you can skip me whinging about people, a.k.a. Roommates )

We go to San Clemente and some other churches on Monday, Tuesday is the Vatican, and from July 2nd (is it the next month so soon???) to July 6th I have my midterm vacation. I'm not sure what all I will be doing then. Pompeii seems pretty set in my mind, and maybe the Cinecitta where they filmed bits of Doctor Who *squees* except the Cinecitta isn't open to the public *sighs*. Probably the catacombs, too. But a really awesome part about the break is that I will have the apartment all to myself! Tommi is going on the Capri trip, 3 of the other girls are going to Barcelona, and another is going to Vienna, I believe. I feel sorta like I should be planning on a more extravagant trip, but...really? I'm okay with exploring the nooks and crannies of Rome. Maybe I'll head north and see Pisa, or Milan, or something, but I'm okay with sticking to where I know.

One last thing before the pictures...Gelato is Fantastic. Especially Coconut Gelato.

Pictures of Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este, and...some other random things, since I have the time for it....Or at least I will post them later this evening when Photobucket stops being idiotic....

Edit 6/29 12:23PM: Okay, sorry, I only got to this now. Photobucket wouldn't stop being a pain. These pictures are slightly out of order, but you can still plainly tell what is Hadrian's and what is d'Este.

Here is Hadrian's and Villa d'Este.

This is San Pietro/St. Peter's.


Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
We slowly drove — He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility — Emily Dickinson, Because I could not stop for Death—

Finished my first day in Rome; since I got here at 7AM Rome time, I consider that a full day here and thus official.

Rundown:
Didn't get any sleep Monday night, because my family drove me to SeaTac at 3AM to get there at 4AM, went through security and such (and of course their currency exchange was only open from 6AM-sometime later, and was only open on the pre-security side of the airport. Of course. I realize now I probably didn't have to arrive 2-3 hours early because I was making a connection within the U.S., but....I much preferred the 20-minute wait through security than the long, long, long line at about 6AM.

My flight to JFK had its gate switched twice (once apparently after I got my boarding pass, and then again about an hour before the flight). Had a fine flight minus the screeching child every flight seems to require. I was sitting in the aisle seat and (excepting the first 30 minutes of the flight) had no one sitting beside me except the girl in the window seat.

Connected in JFK, tried to call home and got cut short by the stupid answering machine (there's a dollar I'll never see again), hopped onto the plane to Rome at 5PM Tuesday, and was on that plane until 7AM Wednesday. That flight was pretty uneventful, except for the typical bad airplane food (of which I had to eat with a spoon) and the movies (27 Dresses and Evan Almighty) in Italian with no English subtitles. I had the aisle seat again with only one other person in the row with me, but she was at the other end, so the only downside to that seating arrangement was the fact that I had absolutely no chance at a view (except the lavatory...). In total, I think I got about....3 hours of sleep for Monday and Tuesday? Maybe being generous. But then again, I don't think Tuesday even existed for me, since I was in a plane almost the entire day, doing my own version of time travel.

Got off the plane, went through the hoops of passport check to reach baggage claim, got money exchanged, and shared a car with 2 other girls in my program with a very cute Roman guy (Valerio was his name). Thankfully he practically drove us to the doorstep, and we only had to walk a block to the UW Rome Center. I got my apartment assignment, met coincidentally with one of my apartment mates at the office, and went over with her. The apartment is amazing but pictures are going to wait until A) I have reliable internet access and B) I'm not braindead from sleep deprivation.

Tomi (the roommate) and I went walking around the neighborhood a bit, got something to eat (first Roman meal: a flat-bread-type sandwich with provolone(?) and turkey/ham), and went to the UW Rome Center to get on computers with Internet. Met even more people with the Creative Writing program and directed them the right way, and went back to the apartment with a 3rd roomie. All total, there's 6 of us girls here for an apartment with 7 beds.

There's a farmer's market right in front of our apartment, so we went and got a few produce (I bought cherries, Tomi bought plums). Then came back, and I conked out on the bed for a few precious hours. Then we got some dinner (pizza! With mozzerella, tomato sauce, and mushrooms, delicious) before heading out to the first meeting with the CW group.

We hung out at Professor Kenney's apartment for a bit, then walked to the Forum (pictures to come later). I recited my poem with a few helpful prompts from the printed poem in my back pocket, and...yeah. That's it, really.

I'm just really, really, really tired. Not even physically taxed, but brain-tired. And we're to be at the Pantheon tomorrow at 9AM. Yay.

The heat's intense, and I think I'm going to be brown by the end of the month here, but I think it'll be bearable. Both fans we have in the apartment are broken, and I had my stupid moment of the day by plugging in my alarm clock without a power transformer. Completely blew it, and it smells of burned wiring, so I think it's bit the dust. One less thing I need to bring back with me, at least.....

And I found out my grades. My lowest was The Planets with a 3.5, so I'm ecstatic about that. I got a 3.9 in Chaucer, so huzzah there.


Yes, I have finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life... Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Disclaimer: Mortal Kombat doesn't belong to me. I also do not own nor work for Polo Ralph Lauren, of which I have never been to, so I apologize for any inaccuracies.

Title: Shopping Strifes</i>
Author: Me.
Fandom: Mortal Kombat
Rating; Genre: T/PG-13; Humor
Notes: Prequel to Happy Birthday, Get Well Soon
Summary: Shopping with the two most reluctant shoppers in the world can’t be easy. So pity poor Johnny and Kitana.

( But first, why don’t we wander over to the men’s section of the store and find something a little less...reclusive-Grandmaster-ice-man-extraordinaire-chic, huh? )

Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Kombat, Tide Stain Removing Pen, or Febreze, nor am I hired by those companies to advertise their product.

Title: Happy Birthday, Get Well Soon
Author: Me.
Fandom: Mortal Kombat
Rating; Genre: T/PG-13; Humor
Notes: A bit AU from the DOTR series, borrows characters from MK games.
Summary: Stryker knew about bad birthdays. This took the cake in all its pink-frosted, happy-smiley-faced glory. An exercise in how cracked I can make a birthday turn out.

( Of course, after he had recovered from the minor black out, Stryker wished he had stayed unconscious. Because then Johnny had the gall to give him his birthday present. )

Got my Chaucer final back, and was 1 question from being a 4.0; I wrote 'D' instead of 'C,' even when I knew it was 'c.' *sigh* oh well. Chaucer will still boost my English GPA quite a bit.

I sort of randomly picked FFX back up again just this past Saturday. I'm calling it "research" and/or "inspiration" for CCP. It's worked; I've written at least half of the next chapter, which is probably going to be the penultimate chapter. Considering my Muse has been blocked for over a year on this story, I think that's a pretty good achievement. *wins*

9 days until I'm home and finished with my 3rd year of college (*faints*), another day until my mother's birthday, and an additional 5 days until I leave for Rome. It's going to be a crazy week after my last final. @.@

I've been thinking about volunteering with the Dawg Daze thing my university does the week before school starts. I don't mind the 10-15 hour volunteering (even on top of what I'll volunteer for the Dawg move-in crew), but the problem lies in the training day, which is September 12 and at least 5 days too early for me. I won't move in until the 16th (we start school on the 24th, which means residents start moving in the 17&18th), and I don't look forward to the commute up to Seattle from Olympia, especially considering I don't have a car. I might do early-arrival housing, but...that might cost extra. And I really, really don't need to incur anymore costs this year.

And icy-pops are AMAZING, especially when you're starving but the stupid on-campus dining restaurants don't open their dinner menus until 5. *grumbles*


[The Turks see Bahamut Sin]
Reno: Holy...
Rude: ...s---.
[they both run for their lives as it chases]
Reno: Is it after us?!
Rude: I'm not looking! --Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX, anything familiar isn't mine, etc.

Title: Stuck in a Room You Can't Get Out Of
Author: Me.
Fandom: FFX
Rating; Genre: T/PG-13; General/Humor
Summary: Trapped together, Rikku busies herself with irritating Auron while the guardian wonders what he’s done to deserve this. WARNING: Contains hints of Aurikku. A future-verse fic, set after the end of FFX but also an AU, considering certain people’s...liveliness. So, spoilers if you haven't finished the game.

( A Mental Whatsits for Sin’s Hee-noss Stratatagom Against the Great and Mighty Blitzball! )


Troy: It's not a video-game... it's a flight simulator.
Neville Flynn: Is that PlayStation or Xbox?
...
Neville: Brakes, Troy! Put your ass into it!
Troy: Uh, this part ain't in the game!
Neville: Is crashing part of the game, huh?!
Troy: I don't know, man! I usually just hit 'reset' and start the level over!
[Neville sees that they are about to collide with a building.]
Neville: Oh shit, left! Left! Turn this big motherfucker left, Troy!
...
Neville: All praises to the PlayStation!
Troy: Hell yeah! Whose house is this? Troy's house! That's right, fuck Randy! Fuck Randy and his high score! That's my own brother and I say fuck him! --Snakes On a Plane

Disclaimer: Mortal Kombat does not belong to me. It belongs to Midway and the brilliant people who came up with it.

Title: An Oreo Truce
Author: me.
Summary: Sonya comes to a grudging respect of Stryker. Set in the DOTRverse, rather than the games. A oneshot filler.
Rated: PG.

( The humor of their entrapment was completely lost upon her and the team. )

Finally had an information session about Rome today, at long last. And thankfully I wasn't the only one who was irritated it was so late; a girl came to the room early and mentioned how she hated it was held this late. and this being the 10th year doing this program, I don't understand why they don't realize the earlier the better...

Lots of information that I wanted/needed, yay-ness, and some that I kinda wanted them to be clearer about but they were sort of in their "it makes sense to us, we can leave it at that" even though (to me) it wasn't very clear. That mostly had to do with clothing, though, so it's okay.

They mentioned computers/laptops and how, if we don't need them, don't bring them; it'll make the experience that much better.

......Er, yeah. Okay. Sure. Right.

I kinda get where they're coming from with it, but....it's not like I use my computer to watch questionable videos on YouTube or use it to honestly stalk people. I use it to communicate to people at home. I use it to store my memories. I'm sure many other people do the same thing with their computers.

Interestingly it'll be something of a 6-day school week, with Saturdays having...I don't know what happening in the morning. Sunday will be the day off, and there'll be a week July 2-6 which we have off, but somehow I don't think I'm going to be doing a lot of the out-of-Rome places I wanted to visit. Sad times. I guess it just means I'm going to have to come back. The school days will be a few hours in the morning touring the city with the group of ~34 people, breaking for the afternoon heat, and reconvening in the evening until about 8-ish, which is dinner-time. It'll be interesting adjusting to such a schedule, but hopefully I won't be one of those people who are incapable.

Other things of (probably less) interest to note. Yesterday I was walking to my first class, and it had rained pretty heavily the night before so the ground was wet. But I was in my Nikes, I'm used to the wetness, I wasn't all that concerned. And yet somehow my foot still manages to land on a bump so perfectly that it slides out from under me and I pull off Mr. Rockstar-With-A-Guitar move. And this being cement and me without padding on my knees, I get to go the rest of the day with a bloody and bruised knee.

OHYAYZ!!!*cue overdramatic fanfare* </sarcasm> So, yes, stairs are a bit of an enemy now, moreso if I need to go down stairs than up for some strange reason. It's more bearable now, though.

Before I went to my Rome info session I went for lunch at the student HUB, because I like food and I'd only had little snack-type food earlier. I finished my meal, stayed sat to while away the 2 hours before the session...and the fire alarm goes off. It's the first time I've had to be evacuated out of a public building on campus. At least it wasn't the irritating, high-pitched screech of the dorms.

And that pretty much sums up the excitement of my day week. I was planning on going to a midterm review session later tonight for my Planets test this Thursday, but...it's wet, it's gonna be dark, it's gonna be held across campus, and I feel I've got a handle on the material enough that I can study on my own. Sooooo.....not gonna go.

I may have to go back to B&N and buy some more materials for the Rome program, but I may decide to go to the UBookstore to do that. There's an out-of-print text we're supposed to have that the UBookstore has in stock now, and I really don't want to bother with the shipping department again at B&N. But then again, I also want the newest issue of Serenity that came out weeks ago, and I don't think the UBookstore will have it. Bwah. I wanna stop spending so much money on this program but...unfortunately, it will not be.


I read this from cafepress.com, and....um.....*hangs head in embarrassment*

Top 10 Clues You May Be a Writer:

1. You would rather talk to the voices in your head than the person sitting by you.
2. You know the library's phone number, but not your work number.
3. Some of the letters on your keyboard are completely worn off. (only the 'h' and the 'n,' oddly...)
4. You have a favorite pen that no one else can touch. (kinda sorta...)
5. Books are your favorite scent.
6. If you could meet anyone in the world, it would be your favorite author.
7. You eat macaroni and cheese for a week because you spent all of your money at the bookstore. (I've spent all my money at the bookstore...but thank goodness I can't use my dining money for anything but food.)
8. Your/you're errors drive you crazy. (ABSOLUTELY.)
9. You named your laptop. (.......doesn't everybody....?)
10. You would rather write than go out.

...I think I need this T-shirt/whatever.......And really, I'd probably spend way too much money at cafepress if I were so inclined to do the online-shopping thing. I should avoid it at all costs.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not Masashi Kishimoto. Therefore, Naruto does not belong to me (but believe me, I’m working on it, as well as several others).

Title: Senbon Issues
Author: Me.
Summary: It’s Genma’s birthday soon, but he’s been bothering Iruka with his damn senbon. What to get the Jounin? Iruka tries to play devious, but Genma turns the tables on the sensei. Warnings of slight swearing and yaoi innuendo.
Note: This was meant to be a simple piece where Iruka gets Genma good. But...it didn’t end that way.
Rated: PG-13-ish for the sexual innuendo and swearing.

( One of these days you’re going to trip and fall and pierce your tonsils with that thing. )

Disclaimer: BtVS is not mine. Really, would I have to bother writing this if I did own it?
Title: Of Colds and Dogs and Ticking Clocks
Author: Me.
Summary: Willow doesn’t feel good. Willow goes to the nice doctor. The nice doctor prescribes her a nice narcotic. Pointless one-shot.
Note: Based on real events, although I was in Buffy’s predicament, not Willow’s.
Rated: PG.

( The dresser remained wooden, closed, and devoid of any dogs. )

An actual post that isn't fandom-related (*le gasp*).

IJ's been good to me, though admittedly I'm not very active here. I mean, I don't go visiting/searching other asylums, etc. I have one gripe, though.

Layouts. There are seemingly no layouts that automatically include the tag list in the sidebar, or the little box where you can post a blurb, or (preferably) both together. I found one layout which has the blurb box, but it wasn't very appealing to me. For those of us who are coding-illiterate and don't have people we can hire/bribe to fixing up our layouts to suit our desires nor the time and patience to learn the coding, it's highly inconvenient.

Yes, I've heard that IJ is a lot better now than before. That doesn't mean the improvements need to stop, though.

Time to go start on something productive....I hope.

The very, absolute, exactly first Final Fantasy fic I ever wrote.

Typical Disclaimer-ness: I don’t own FFX, anything familiar ain’t mine, yadda yadda.

Title: The Things You Do To Friends
Author: Me.
Fandom: Final Fantasy X; no pairings
Summary: Tidus’ group is joined by a revived Braska, Jecht, and Auron for the purpose of...... something. Jecht relays to Tidus and the gang an incident during Braska’s pilgrimage Auron would have rather kept private. Little does Jecht know, Auron has a nasty streak as wide, if not wider, as his.
Rating: T/PG-13 for language, alcohol, and a reference to adultish content.

( 'Choking Jecht to death is wrong.' 'I’m sure Tidus won’t begrudge me the opportunity.' )

Xander: Hey, wait 'til you have an evil twin, see how you handle it.
Willow: I handled it fine. --Buffy the Vampire Slayer

An FFX fanfic, Isaaru-centric. I don't know how it went, it's the first FFX fanfic that isn't one of the main 7's POV.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X doesn’t belong to me. The title of this work and the four italicized lines below belong to Thomas Gray, taken from his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. The only thing I come remotely close to owning is the town Riverridge, which comes from the name of a high school in my area, so I don’t even really own that.

Title: And Shut the Gates of Mercy on Mankind
Author: ffjunkie42/sagdragon3002
Fandom: Final Fantasy X; Isaaru-centric, Yuna, Maroda, and Pacce cameos
Summary: Isaaru nurses his losses after losing to Yuna in the Aeon battle.
Rating/Warning: K+/PG, Spoilers for end of FFX

( Then again, he wasn't a summoner anymore. )

Here is the "hidden" chapter to my fanfic An Ice Cream-Capade. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can still take a look, but unless you're a Mortal Kombat fan you probably won't have any interest in this. If you find your interest piqued, you can go look at the other chapters via:

here

Just scroll down until you see the link titled An Ice CreamCapade, click, and read. It's optional to leave a review, but I have a hit counter so I know how many people have clicked on it, SO HAHAHA, YOUR ANONYMITY IS COMPROMISED! ....I'm in a weird mood today....sorry....

Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat.

Title: An Ice Cream-Capade: E-mails, Running Low on Ice Cream, and Comfy Stolen Goods
Author: Me.
Rating: PG-13 (or, as FF.net has it, "T"), just to be safe.

( E-mails, Running Low on Ice Cream, and Comfy Stolen Goods )

Here's a EUReKA fic.

Disclaimer: EUReKA isn't mine.

Title: Dartboard of Eureka
Author: me.
Fandom: EUReKA; Jack Carter, Allison Blake, SARAH
Rating/Warnings: PG; minor cussing and spoilers for and up to Blink; based on aired order, not production.
Summary: Jack ponders while Dylan’s in custody. A “missing scene” fic set between Jack’s showdown with Dylan and the baseball game.

( Was there a physical dartboard with his picture on it and several darts prodding him? If there were, he should go grab the thing and hide it away. It was probably hanging in Stark’s office. )

Beginning the process of posting my fanfic here. Huzzah. Keep in mind: I have 2 other online "identities" in addition to this one. It isn't plagiarism if you see this on the LJ for ffjunkie42 or on ff.net under the penname sagdragon3002. Otherwise....yeah. It's been plagiarized.

And....I so did not realize how well the "long day" Jack icon fit with this fic....I wrote this before I even saw the icon, soooo....freaky.

Now. Onto my first-written EUReKA fanfic.

Disclaimer: I don't own EUReKA. I make no profit from this, etc. etc.

Title: Longer Still
Author: me.
Rating: PG-13 or T.
Warnings/Spoilers: Eureka doesn't belong to me. Has two little bad words and a brief, hypothetical mention of drugs. Spoilers for up to Many Happy Returns
Pairings: None. It's a Jack/Zoe interaction piece.
Summary: Jack’s had a long, hard day. It’s about to become even longer.

( SARAH welcomes you to the Carter residence. )

Well, first things first: Hi!

Now that's done and over with: I'm both a hopper from first GJ and now-kinda-sorta LJ. Yes, I get around a lot. It's the writer in me, I s'pose. The bulk of my posting will probably be done over in LJ, unless they commit more asshattery that somehow tops what they already have done.

I'm a fanfic writer and reader. Though I'm pretty quiet in speech, I'm a rambler in writing. Just go to my LJ if you need proof.

I will be posting fanfic, so if that doesn't boat your float then you probably won't find much of interest here.

Jack: "You've never swung an axe in your life."
Nathan: "I've swung a lot of things that would surprise you." --EUReKA (all the Nathan/Jack fangirls swoon with the slashy innuendos)