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Beth Winter

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[Fandoms:| Tokyo Babylon Comics Harry Potter Once Upon a Time in Mexico Phantom of the Opera Silmarillion Star Wars Tanz der Vampire Coldfire Trilogy Van Helsing ]

Tanka challenge [Apr. 4th, 2012|04:13 pm]
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Stolen from [info]reynardine, with far too much delay - [info]gurdymonkey's tanka challenge.

It's been a decade since I last wrote them, so my tanka skills are very rusty ~.~ Seasonal mix as well, but blame the weather, not me...

Forecast said today
Would be as warm as summer
And the sun emerged
Long enough to stifle breath
Now rain chills your skin again
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Lemon yogurt fluff cake [Mar. 30th, 2012|10:47 am]
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Recipe adapted from Every Cake You Bake (Polish-only). Makes low-maintenance delicious fluff, like a cheesecake but much lighter.

( Lemony goodness )
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Semi-European okonomiyaki [Mar. 21st, 2012|10:29 pm]
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( Finally hit on okonomiyaki batter that WORKS )
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Three weeks from my last entry [Feb. 23rd, 2012|07:26 pm]
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It's been quiet, which is - good, I think. It's starting to turn into spring.

I've gone back to Echo Bazaar, which has removed the daily action cap, so it's even better for new users now. If you want to give it a try, you'll need a Twitter account (or Facebook), and please let me know - I can invite people now, and inviting will probably give both me and you something nifty :)

Related to Echo Bazaar, I managed to max out my data limit on the phone. It just means throttled bandwidth, but lack of surfing ability has left me occupying myself with Obenkyo Japanese flashcards on my commute. I think this "learn more Japanese" thing may be working.
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Wislawa Szymborska, 1923-2012 [Feb. 2nd, 2012|08:31 am]
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Die—you can’t do that to a cat.
Since what can a cat do
in an empty apartment?
Climb the walls?
Rub up against the furniture?
Nothing seems different here
but nothing is the same.
Nothing’s been moved
but there’s more space.
And at nighttime no lamps are lit.

Footsteps on the staircase,
but they’re new ones.
The hand that puts fish on the saucer
has changed, too.

Something doesn’t start
at its usual time.
Something doesn’t happen
as it should.
Someone was always, always here,
then suddenly disappeared
and stubbornly stays disappeared.

Every closet’s been examined.
Every shelf has been explored.
Excavations under the carpet turned up nothing.
A commandment was even broken:
papers scattered everywhere.
What remains to be done.
Just sleep and wait.

Just wait till he turns up,
just let him show his face.
Will he ever get a lesson
on what not to do to a cat.
Sidle toward him
as if unwilling
and ever so slow
on visibly offended paws,
and no leaps or squeals at least to start.

(translated by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh)
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Takarazuka: the black tailcoat staircase dance [Jan. 28th, 2012|10:33 am]
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I'm overdue on quite a lot of commentary about recent revue happenings (retirements mostly, alas), but I just ran into a clip that really drove home why the kuroembi / tailcoat otokoyaku dance is my favourite set fragment from any revue. It's as stylised and full of set elements as any traditional Japanese dance, and yet when you have so many otokoyaku moving in unison, it's magic. The flair, too, the way each movement is carried out with flourish and grace.

I need to bookmark and download this, because it is Takarazuka.



Originally posted at Dreamwidth - comment count unavailable comments
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Japanese language study - help? [Jan. 7th, 2012|09:09 pm]
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A plea for help for the large portion of the flist who have studied Japanese at one point or another:

One of the things I'd like to tackle this year is Japanese, because it's ridiculous that it's been over a decade since I acquired my first words of it, with two years of quasi-formal study of it thrown in, and yet my grasp of grammar is nil, some of the simplest words trip me, and let's not talk about my kanji knowledge, plzkthx. (On the other hand, my pronunciation's decent, understanding's getting better, and I am somehow getting some grasp on appropriate levels of keigo.)

I'd like to start by self-study, with textbooks. Can anyone recommend textbooks for the following?

- General textbook with exercises and lessons to work through
- Grammar, from beginner to intermediate, with a focus on how people actually speak
- Kanji (I'm eyeing Remembering the Kanji, but would it be better to buy volumes 1 and 2 at the same time, or will 1 suffice for now?)
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Yuletide reveal [Jan. 1st, 2012|03:59 pm]
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Look! I managed four stories this year, though all are short, and written in a haze of sleep-deprived exhaustion. Theme of the year: AAAAAANGST.

Dance of Mirrors: Rudolf, Elisabeth, Death

For [info]hawkwolf who was my Santa before and requested focus on Rudolf and Elisabeth's relationship. This is very much musical-based, with less reference to how broken Rudolf was in real life. Their last Christmas, a last talk, a last decision. (Gen, mental illness themes.)

God and Chance: Les Miserables AU

The challenge was, more or less, "Fantine survives and marries Valjean". I managed to turn it into feminist angstfest deluxe, based mostly on the 25th Anniversary cast.

Radgeber für Verliebte: Tanz der Vampire

Again an irresistable (somewhat crack) prompt - Herbert pursuing Alfred with chivalrous rather than predatory tactics <3

At the Flip of a Coin - Downton Abbey AU for 2x08

I love the characters of Downton Abbey. I do not love the plot. This is a (short) attempt to make it more interesting, for [info]fyrie who as usual shares my opinions ^.^
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Year in fandom meme [Dec. 30th, 2011|07:56 pm]
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Borrowed from many people:

( Fannish year summary )
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...how did it get to be December 28? Also, Yuletide [Dec. 28th, 2011|07:13 pm]
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It's safe to say I'm enjoying my time off, in the "blissed out on the couch with complete collection of JD Robb ebooks" kind of way. Which means I haven't been reading much Yuletide except Those That Matter.

The Feats of Monsters (1914 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Yuri Petrov | Lunatic, Mr. Legend, Kaburagi T. Kotetsu | Wild Tiger
Summary:

Yuri watched three times as a monster saved an innocent, only to realize that the third time he was the monster himself.



This is the fic that had me giggling far, far too much :D I loved Tiger & Bunny and thought Lunatic was hopelessly underutilised (but that might have been just because he hit all my buttons at once). I asked for gen, got just that and IC adorableness to boot.

Fortune, Fate, Freedom (2365 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Echo Bazaar
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Cheesemonger, Player (Echo Bazaar)
Summary:

Are we the sum of our choices, or are we our fate?



I got choose-your-own-adventure! Fantastic multi-branching storyline with my favourite Cheesemonger from Echo Bazaaar.

Dream to Dream (1509 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Echo Bazaar
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: The Delicious Friend
Summary:

A day in the life of a delicious friend.



This was a Treat (I'm not sure which of the above two was my main fic, and since my request went out for pinch hit anyway, that doesn't quite matter), and it's a gem. The author got the Echo Bazaar voice down pat, and there are kitties galore <3

And one rec, because this fic is FANTASTIC and even if you don't know the fandom, you should read it. And listen to the songs. Because yes, she wrote and recorded the songs to boot :D

The Big Gay Episode (8086 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Horrible Histories
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Rattus Rattus, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Richard Barnfield, William Shakespeare, James I of England, Philippe d'Orleans, Chevalier de Lorraine, Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz, Henry IV of England, Sir John Falstaff, Richard II of England, Eleanor Charlotte Butler, Sarah Posonby, Basil I of Byzantium, Michael III of Byzantium, Franz Schubert, Goethe, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Alexander Hamilton, Oscar Wilde, The Grim Reaper (Horrible Histories), Charles II of England, Samuel Pepys, Hortense Mancini
Summary:

The cast and crew of Horrible Histories CBBC takes the piss out of Gay and Lesbian history. Sketches include: “Internatyonal Man of Myfterie”, “The Lesbians who Don’t Do Anything”, “Henry Bollingbroke Doesn’t Like Dick”, and three new Savage Songs!



(Bonus: I somehow managed to miss the fact Horrible Histories was at the Proms this year. Full broadcast here, which is glorious and a good intro to Horrible Histories, and the usual suspects should watch it AT ONCE.)

I produced a mediocre number of stories for Yuletide, and at least two are of the "...it's you, isn't it?" kind, so feel free to guess in the comments!
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Public plea thing (LiveJournal changes) [Dec. 21st, 2011|07:55 am]
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I don't do this often, but today's changes to LiveJournal's design are beyond idiotic even in a long history of idiotic LJ stuff. Just try viewing a long comment thread on a post without a custom design to see what I mean. Please go to the LJ Releases post about them and lodge a formal complaint. Numbers are the one thing they understand.
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Takarazuka transfer announcement from hell [Dec. 2nd, 2011|01:24 pm]
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...yeah. I need some time to think this through.

Some things, I really like. The reason Tomomin initially caught my attention was not her goofiness, but the fact that she's one of those girls who gives all to her role, allowing it to subsume her. Onstage, Yumeno Seika isn't there, and this is a very Yukigumi thing.

Similarly, I think Masako will do nicely in Hoshigumi (giving Toyoko someone to bounce off of) and MiyaRuri in Tsukigumi - Hoshi just has too many people and she hasn't been well-utilised lately; Mii-chan's situation in Sora was the same. Dai-chan I'm not sure about - there's going to be Tomomin and Koma above her and Kingu gaining fast. I'm curious about Serika Toa in Hanagumi. Dammit. Have to start watching them.

But I'm... annoyed about the Senka transfers. I know, I've been talking for ages about how Senka needs new blood, but it rubs me the wrong way to take Ema Naoki and Asuka Yuu away from troupes that they've been with for respectively 30 and 35 years. Let them retire with the people who care for them, would you?

Micchan... I'm hoping it's a New Senka thing, Tom-style, stealing All The Shows. And better than the dreaded alternative!

Originally posted at Dreamwidth - comment count unavailable comments
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Dear Yulegoat letter [Nov. 17th, 2011|11:43 am]
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First of all, thank you dear Yuletide Writer for addressing my request :)

( Fandoms: Echo Bazaar, Sandman, Tiger&Bunny, Rose of Versailles )
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YULETIDE [Nov. 12th, 2011|08:54 am]
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Nominations are finally open! And only open till Monday, make your minds up fast! Signups Monday-Saturday it looks like, and assignments just afterwards. Still little time to write.

I just nominated Rose of Versailles, Tanz der Vampire and Elisabeth, so these are already covered. Unless anyone wants to request Rosalie or Alfred, because I ran out of character nomination slots - this year you can only add four characters with your nominations.
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West end tickets fast? [Oct. 25th, 2011|09:29 am]
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Calling out to London and UK people - in the eventuality that one can be in London on Thursday-Saturday this week, how does one get (cheap) tickets to something like Phantom, Les Miserables, Priscilla, possibly Wicked?

(Also, anyone want to meet up? Evenings should be free-ish.)
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Kiriyan's retirement [Oct. 24th, 2011|10:10 am]
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Oh, I did not expect this.

All the speculation was about Yuuhi or Chie. I didn't expect this, not bright Kiriyan and all her artistry. Not Kiriyan-gumi, because I know she'lll be taking a lot of them with her - my Morie, most probably, maybe Marimo, who knows what others as well.

And then I realise she had a good two years, with some perfect shows, and two young successors in line to the top star throne. She's done what she came to do, and I have the feeling she's retiring on her own terms.

It still hits me hard. For all that I like all current top stars, she had this ineffable quality that meant just seeing her smile would make my day.

Kiriyan ♥ I'll miss your light ♥

Originally posted at Dreamwidth - comment count unavailable comments
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News and announcements [Oct. 11th, 2011|10:31 am]
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Toyoko's Mr Darcy in a Bow/Nippon Seinenkan show, while Chie has what looks like a self-titled concert with an Umeda/Nippon Seinenkan run. Alike to Komu's Albatross, Wataru's Across! and Saeko's Nettaiyawa. And she's just had a music video, big box and everything.

If not for the fact Chie's November on the 2012 big calendar, I'd say she'd be out by August, leaving Toyoko to take over. But now... oh, Hankyu, making us speculate so much ~.~

Originally posted at Dreamwidth - comment count unavailable comments
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Vampires, and scones [Oct. 5th, 2011|10:01 pm]
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Alive, more than before (turns out magnesium supplements do work).

Yesterday, I went to the "Best of Roma Theatre" concert, which was supposed to feature the best bits of the musicals they've done over the last twelve years. In order:
  • Crazy for You - So you're tapdancing with Rockettes. Good for you. I've seen it done with actual sex appeal. By a girl.

  • Peter Pan - Okay, actual cool operetta-based song for Captain Hook... and the only one they're doing from this musical after three Crazy for You songs ~.~

  • Miss Saigon - *yawn* Stop trying to sing like you sang (badly) ten years ago. I've heard you as Phantom, you're actually good!

  • Grease - Um. Yes. Stop trying to LOOK like you looked ten years ago. Sandy should not have wrinkles. And Kennicky may be 35, but he looks 45 and that is rather disturbing.

  • Cats - Oh, I like the Jellicle Song... except I don't like it when the "High C" part is cut because of a mic going off. And um. Misto? You're supposed to jump high. You only remembered that in the last sequence.

  • Akademia Pana Kleksa - okay, kids are always adorable, so no complaints. And look! I told you you could sing, and you can be my evil hairdresser anytime ♥ Except get a better android, because this one can't do rock'n'roll any better than he could do tapdancing with Rockettes. Both require charisma, sorry, dear...

  • Tanz der Vampire - *wild sobbing because WHY DID THEY CLOSE THIS SHOW???* *momentary RAR on which more later* *more wild sobbing with giggles, because our Ewigkeit costumes are still beautiful and best ever*

  • Phantom of the Opera - see, I told you, GOOD Phantom. Now if only you'd sung like that since the show opened...

  • Les Miserables - sorry, all Mizzed out.

  • Aladdin Jr - boy can sing. Girl screeches. NEXT!~

  • Ooops. That's the end?


In conclusion, not the best spent money, except for a few high points. But one thing... I'm still raging.

Imagine this: Totale Finsternis, with von Krolock on the staircase, slowly turning. Sarah's fallen quiet, and it's time for his solo, the best part of the whole song. Sich verlieren heisst sich befreien - du wirst dich in mir erkennen - was du ertraumst wird Wahrheit sein - Nichts und niemand kann uns trennen. Between the void and the brilliance falls the darkness...

...and he forgot the words.

My hissy-fit was epic, I can tell you that much. He was the understudy in the show! He's done it like fifty times! He's done this concert quite a lot, too, and of all the places to forget the words - the one place where he's suppsed to shine - PEOPLE.

(Finally, this recipe for vanilla scones is fantastic.)
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Pony! [Sep. 20th, 2011|06:04 pm]
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Ganked from [info]amenirdis and [info]penknife, myself as a Pony:



Courtesy of Pony Creator.
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Checking in and out. Also, meme answers. [Sep. 5th, 2011|07:28 pm]
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Between August 16 and September 2, I was working every day. I just had my first free weekend and, predictably, spent it sleeping off the stress.

Today, I was on the road for 12 hours, due to a meeting in another city.

Tomorrow evening, I fly to Prague. Three days' training, then Saturday-Monday for sightseeing.

I'm taking the computer, but I might not be around much. I'll be trying to rest, because the alternative is passing out with exhaustion at some point next week.

But! I managed a pathetic two responses to the crossover meme:

( Buffy and Phantom )

( Star Wars and Tanz der Vampire )
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Not dead! Also, Tumblr [Aug. 26th, 2011|07:11 pm]
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Any time I try to become more active online/creatively is cue for work to come crashing down at me. You don't want to know my overtime statistics.

But! I don't know if I mentioned, but I have a public Tumblr now.

(I'm sure I'm making a mess of it. Anyone got a Tumblr etiquette primer on reblogging / liking / following?)

Yukinojou, after Maki's great role, is my place for unashamed and unedited Takarazuka and other fandom squee, basically. Pictures. I like pictures :D I also like being able to post with a touch of a button rather than composing something thoughtful (LJ/Dreamwidth) or within a character limit (Twitter).

So for now it's LiveJournal as the communication hub + creative outlet, Dreamwidth for long-form public Takarazuka posts, Twitter for being social, retweeting neat stuff and stalking people, and Tumblr for fandom squee. I think this is as much of an online presence as I can handle on 12+ hours of work per day.
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Crossover meme [Aug. 17th, 2011|04:50 pm]
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First, thanks to everyone for the congratulations yesterday ^_^ I still can't believe it's over, or that I actually managed to be systematic and diligent enough to complete the programme. Apparently this year, 22 thousand people took Level III (some of them for the fourth or fifth time) and only 51% passed.

Second, to kickstart my creativity, meme from [info]selenak:

You, the friendslist, give me two characters you know I'm familiar with from different fandoms, and I'll give you a dialogue between them, without justifying how the crossover would work, how their worlds clashed, or how they could even meet each other -- just a silly crossover conversation for fun with no backstory.
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Starveling cat! [Aug. 11th, 2011|02:51 pm]
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After three months of trying, and thanks to [info]zenicurean, I my Echo Bazaar character is now in possession of a Starveling Cat.

[info]reynardine is probably not the only person who wondered about why I tweet inane rhymes about that creature, so, below, an Echo Bazaar primer plus extra musings.

( Echo Bazaar basics )

Starveling Cat!
Starveling Cat!
It knows what we think
And we don't like that!

( Me and Echo Bazaar )

Oh, and I love the Starveling Cat: Another resident of Fallen London wishes you to look after this deranged and monstrous clot of spitting mangy fur. The Starveling Cat has moved into your Lodgings. May God have mercy on your souls.
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So. About Madame Ichiro's blog. [Aug. 8th, 2011|07:00 pm]
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Following a lot of Japanese twitter accounts paid off in that Toho Geino was where I learned that my favourite Takarasienne ever has a blog now:

一路真輝 Official Blog ♥ ♥ ♥

I don't know what it is about this woman that reduces me to a squeeing fangirl, but oh, she. With flowers and a banner photo that doesn't hide the fact she's a 46-year-old mother, and photos.

And. Um. Puri-kura. *dead-as-a-doornail*

I will also finally be getting the 2011 Anna Karenina, and holding fingers and toes crossed for her October concert to be put on DVD, because this woman is a true diva. With all the sparkles and emoticons she wants.

(I also wasn't expecting it in the least because she's famous - married to a TV/stage star - and has had trouble with tabloids in the past two years. But she's never been one to back down from a challenge, or let her voice be silenced. THIS LADY.)

And if she's doing anything to celebrate her 30 years on stage next year... let's just say the currencies/world economy had better calm down.
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Tech and travel [Jul. 29th, 2011|06:37 am]
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With the overall rush, I completely forgot to post about my new toy.

Since mid-May (just before Paris, in fact) I've been the proud owner of an HTC Desire ♥ It may be last year's model, but it's plenty fast, durable (I managed to get it caught out in the rain and drop it on a stone floor thus far), and I'm loving both Android and HTC Sense. Yes, you have to charge it daily, and hack it to move all apps to SD because the internal memory is laughable, but it's a tiny computer that works like a phone. I'm finally living in the future ;)

( Requisite list of apps + plea for recommendations )
(Also, it's called Karenina, the wallpaper is Maki Ichiro as Anna Karenina, and the ringtone is Maki Ichiro singing Ich Bin Ein Echtes Wienerblut. In case you were wondering.)

The best thing about my new phone is that it means I don't have to drag a computer with me everywhere to stay completely connected (Echo Bazaar included). Thus I can take much lighter luggage to the lakeside cottage for the nine days I'll be spending there - leaving this afternoon, back on the 7th in the evening.

Not AFK in the least. Unless my signal's out.
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Recipe: Muffins of decadence [Jul. 6th, 2011|10:23 pm]
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My colleagues won't let a birthday pass by without a demand for sweets, so I spent this evening baking alarming quantities of muffins ~.~

But! For the first time I made up a muffin recipe almost from scratch, and had it come out right :D

( Chocolate-rum-raisin-gingerbread-coffee-chocolate-chip muffins of DOOM )

Now to sleep, and wake up a year older...
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Concert, May 30 2011 [Jun. 2nd, 2011|06:28 pm]
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I'm still in studying hell (fingers crossed on Saturday, please!) but concert schedules have their own rhythm. I don't remember that much from the one on Monday, but that is mostly because I was fading with blood pressure swings. I hope they didn't think I was asleep ~.~ I did notice that Jakub had new photos in the background slideshow - including ones from the Oberhausen concert where they let him open the second act as Phantom. I just about fell over when I saw that part!

(It did feature the one and only Wenn Liebe in Dir Ist as a Sarah-Herbert duet, because our second Alfred skipped out at the last moment and Sarah was in the audience anyway.)

Other people's clips:

One Song Glory - I do like the take on the song.

Till I Hear You Sing Once More - ...yes, you're one of my favourite Phantoms, stop making me interested in Paint Never Dries!

And that goes double for you, dear girl.

I Dreamed a Dream - EDYTA ♥

A Heart Full of Love - driving home the point that he should have been in Les Mis.

And the greatest surprise: the ushers/stagehands, a pair of complete newcomers, looking both all of 16, and bringing the house down with Boote in der Nacht. Go kids!
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Au revoir [May. 17th, 2011|10:33 am]
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I've been home for twelve hours. Good trip :)

I also have a severely aching arm. The new French collected edition of Rose of Versailles manga is awesome, but it's also phonebook-sized, and holding it up in one hand for two hours of flight was not a particularly bright idea.

(I acquired two of those thousand-page volumes. None of the three manga shops I tried had the third, but since that one' only about 500 pages, I can actually ship it from France.)
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The streets of Echo Bazaar [May. 5th, 2011|10:07 pm]
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People who follow me on Twitter are intimately familiar with the fact I play Echo Bazaar. What can I say - tweeting about it gives me more actions :>

It's a fantastic Gothic Victorian Horror narrative adventure that goes on by the strength of its writing, to the point where I feel as excited to get at a new storylet as at a book by a favourite author. And for weeks now, my character (an individual of mysterious and indistinct gender, thank you very much) has been hyperventilating in the very presence of the Summerset Provost at the University of Fallen London, to the point where I went through endless repetitions of the University Term storylet sequence just to get a chance for my character to seduce him. The University book ends with an exceedingly long storylet in which choices I made before about what kind of person my character is, forced hir to do something drastic to the Provost this morning.

Those pages of text have stayed with me for the whole day. Damn, this is good writing. Meta-narrative. Something.

So, who else is playing?
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Shiny movies with pretty people: Thor [May. 3rd, 2011|04:19 pm]
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I was somewhat dragged to see Thor, because my mother of all people decided she wants something pretty and brainless.

Not brainless, as it turned out (Kenneth Brannagh directing, J.Michael Straczynski with a writing credit, team from Terminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles - I should have guessed), but so. Immensely. Pretty.

Honestly, I could screencap any moment of the Asgard scenes and hang it on my wall. Classic pulp SF art, all soaring spires and gold and crystal, with angles and costumes to match. These are my childhood fairytales, and oh, they made them sing.

And really, nothing ruins it. I adore and root for Loki, of course, who is smart and tragic and engaging (and avoids chewing through scenery, unlike everyone else in Asgard and Jotunheim). There's not a single weak person in the cast, from Anthony Hopkins on down. For female characters, we get four strong major ones (a full third of MCs, impressive for a Hollywood movie) and the Bechdel test is passed with an impressive amount of technobabble. Good music. Very decent writing for a comic book movie, you can really tell which Shakespearean undertones they aimed for (and managed to hit). Chris Hemsworth in tight and/or missing shirts is the cherry on the cake.

I can get behind this kind of summer movie :) Pirates next, Captain America and X-Men First Class - anything else interesting coming out?

(Also, for a 3D movie this didn't give me a headache at all. I think the amount of CGI helps.)
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