JAFAX 18

So this was my first year of JAFAX. I was a bit dubious at first but this was very enjoyable. Our waitress at the Maid and Butler Café was greatly amusing, as were the two people we (Mike, Evan, Aaron Edgel, Jenna, and I) were seated with. We had enjoyable, amusing conversations. Also there was a bowl of sugar cubes. With the possible exceptions of Mike and one of the other people, we all loved those sugar cubes and ate quite a few of them. Jenna even had an experiment to see how long it took one of the cubes to melt after dipping it in her drink :P It took a lot longer than anticipated. I ate a delicious scone and cookie and some tasty tea :D There were very tasty desserts and drinks there. I also bought a few delicious Japanese snacks, though sadly there was not the drink that I had been hoping to try there. It was really hot out both days, and I got somewhat ill both days too, but it was still quite enjoyable. On the second day, Jenna and I were Sherlock and Watson (respectively) - the BBC versions - and several people asked for our pictures, and we also went to the BBC photoshoot, which ended up being a SuperWhoLock (Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock) photoshoot, even though Supernatural isn't a BBC show :P It was amusing and enjoyable. A lot of bantering went around both days, between friends and new, random, awesome people :P The second day, Jenna and I were in one of the shops, and somehow we just started randomly chatting with this other person who coincidentally had the same interests as us, and I was buying a Firefly shirt (one with the quote, "I aim to misbehave") and we started talking about that, and it was amusing. We somehow made friends with random people, and the other Sherlock said that Jenna was her new role-model 'cause she was able to stand being outside in the heat with her black, wool trenchcoat :P Multiple people wondered how Jenna and I were able to stand the heat (I had on a wool sweater) :P Also, on the first day Mike was the Pope, and people kept wanting his picture (some knelt before him) and wanting him to bless them, and also someone gave him a letter they said was "Jesus's mail" - when he opened it, it said "Dear new friend, Hail Satan" :P And someone also told him that that was "possibly the most unique and blasphemous cosplay" they had yet seen that day :P Mike was greatly amused. We had great fun. Mike, as Iron Chef Sakai, on the second day, still got asked for tons of pictures :P

Work

Yes. I work at Dollar General now. Mostly at the Douglas Street one in Holland. Which I bike to. Once they get more people for Holland though I am supposed to go back to the Zeeland one - which is about two blocks from my house (the other store is about 50 minutes to an hour away by bike) - permanently. I kind of like the Douglas store though, it is a pretty good store with all right staff. I dislike two of the manager peoples because they are somewhat incompetent at their jobs. The other manager is good though. And the clientele isn't bad. There are a few difficult customers, but there always are. There is only one other regular employee (not manager) there besides me as far as I know, and she is, if I am correct, from another store as well. The work is pretty easy, though my feet hurt now since I worked three days in a row (I am pretty much standing the entire time I work except when on my meal break), and I biked there most of the time, usually after biking to Mike's first (it is much closer to Mike's house - about 25 to 30 minutes away by bike, though it takes 30 minutes just to get to Mike's, plus we usually walk or bike somewhere else too) and then biking home from work, often stopping by Mike's first before heading home. But it isn't too difficult. I definitely feel more energetic after a day with fewer customers (like today) than after days with tons of customers (most of my days). 

Fanfic

This is a fanfic based on Vae Victis's Council of the Damned, and yes it is shipping Rine (Wolfsbane) and Brandon (Enath). I had a stroke of inspiration, what can I say :P


     Enath, finished with what delicate procedures he had to do to make sure that his poisons brewed properly, stepped out of his laboratory and proceeded into the bathing chambers (as he so called them), which was where any residue was washed clean off of his safety suit. Once that procedure was through, he stepped into the Washer, where a nontoxic chemical destroyed his suit without harming any part of him - his leader always provided him with a steady stream of cash, so he could afford to take all precautions. After every scrap of the suit was disintegrated, he stepped into the final Washroom, where he was showered with water do make sure that everything was off of him. Then his favorite part of the cycle came as he trotted into the heated chambers, its almost sauna-like atmosphere drying him off without making him perspire - the perfect temperature. Smiling contentedly at a day well spent, he strolled into the last room and stretched luxuriously before putting on his traditional outfit of all black. A sudden feeling of being watched hit the chemist, and he cursed at himself for being too distracted to notice before. Usually he was the first to notice if anyone was in the room with him. 
     Before he even turned around, however, he knew who it would be standing by the doors to the dressing room. "Wolfsbane," he called to his apprentice, finally staring at her. "How long have you been there?" 
     The girl with long black hair started, just having realized he noticed her. "Not long, sir," she assured him. It didn't really matter how long she had been there, and they both knew it; one of the hazards of working with such chemicals is that they found each other stark naked in front of the other often enough that they were used to it. Enath never really was attracted to human bodies, so that was never an issue to come up. Wolfsbane had to decline multiple times his offer to experiment with his new poisons on her, however. ("You have a perfect body to experiment on!" he told her - "It is youthful and thus provides plenty of antibodies to fight against my drugs!" Even though he wasn't much older than her, he always forgot how young he truly was.) 
     "So why have you arrived?" he asked her, getting right to the point, and meandering over to her.
     She waited a bit before answering, until they were outside of the building in the warm air, a welcome contrast (for her - he much preferred the cold) from the chill in the dressing room which was the same chill everywhere in that place with the exception of the drying room and certain rooms that had concoctions which required warmer temperatures than those normally provided. "Lord Vae Victis sent a message that he wants all of us in the Council to come and sup with him and the Lady tonight," she replied to his question as they trotted along the hidden path that led to the Mansion of Nova Scotia, where they and the rest of the Council lived.
     A pause, then: "I know this. Why have you come?" Wolfsbane hesitated a bit too long for the impatient tactician, who insisted, "Well spit it out!"
     The apprentice looked away from her master, stung. "I just wanted to make sure you were coming!" she growled reproachfully.  "You missed the last dinner, and the Lord and Lady were exceedingly disappointed in you. I had to cover your ass!" 
     Enath continued on as if there was no hostility coming from her. In his same cool, level voice as always, and without looking at her, he imparted, "As you should have. You are my underling, recall." 
     In silence, Enath thinking his thoughts and Wolfsbane moping along, they reached the Mansion. Since they were master and apprentice, they had adjoining rooms, and as they were unlocking their doors Wolfsbane muttered, "I need to borrow a coat. It is cold in here and all of my coats are needing to be washed yet."
     Enath nonchalantly handed her the first relatively warm coat-like thing he picked off of his hangers. "That's what happens when you are lazy and don't wash your clothes," he snorted, then closed his door so he could read in privacy until the dinner. She also went into her room and shut the door, but she, on the other hand, was getting ready for the dinner; she didn't have much to do, but her hair needed straightening out after being in the wind and she had worn the same clothes for three days in a row. She figured she ought to take a shower before she went in front of the leaders of their band of misfits. 
     The water was blessedly warm, and thus fogged up the walls so she didn't notice the figure stride into her bathroom and leave a few seconds later, and the water was so loud she didn't hear the door either. When she got out of the shower, she was surprised to see a note taped to the bottom of her mirror. At first appalled that someone got into her locked room while she was so helpless, she soon realized with annoyance that it was Enath whom had left the note in a place it was sure to be discovered. It read: I'll be waiting outside of your room at 6:25 exact. Don't be a second late or I will head to the dinner without you.
     The fact that he had actually thought to wait up for her this time made her strangely pleased, and she stroked the note softly before coming to her senses and throwing the paper in the trash bin and subsequently putting her clothes on, brushing and blow drying her hair, and shrugging on the jacket Enath had given her, a black hoodie-less zipper-up sweatshirt. At 6:24 she walked outside of her room and shut the door behind her, locking it. 
     "On time for once. Good," Enath's voice chortled from behind her. Wolfsbane hurriedly turned to see that Enath was already sauntering off towards the dining room so she had to take a few quick steps to catch up. Once escorted into the dining room, Enath went so far as to pull out her seat for her. She was utterly shocked, but sat down anyway as he plopped down next to her. As was per the norm, they were the first ones there, so no one was there to see that chivalry of Enath's. 
     A minute later, Lady Chisani Kiti arrived with Lord Vae Victis at her side, and they sat together at the head of the table, him in his bejeweled throne and her in her ornate but simple stained oak chair. Enath was the one to sit right by their leader and Wolfsbane was on her master's other side. Sitting next to her was Shyruni, their R&D (research and development) specialist (whom she had considered as her master, but she didn't feel that she could work under her own cousin, so she chose the Tactician), and on his other side was Cæsar,  the military general. On their Lady's side of the table, seated from closest to Lady Chisani to the farthest was: Silver Widow, the R&D lead researcher; Girardin, the president and basically the one who kept diplomacy if the need arose, but otherwise had not much of a job, though he often helped out (or tried to) the others in the Council; The Soviet, who was in charge of covert operations; and Vix, the chronicle keeper, making sure that every shred of information was written down and stored in a secure safe that was rigged by his brother Enath to disintegrate everything if the wrong person was to enter in the code. The last person at the table, who sat at the opposite end of the table from the Lord and Lady, was Whitefang, the general, though no one really knew exactly what her purpose there was except for the Lord and Lady. 
     Once everyone was seated, Lord Vae Victis had his wife's favorite servant, Johan, bring out their dinner, which was a very tasty looking stew, a roll, and the beverages of each member's choice. After everyone was served, their leader excused Johan, and they sat in silence as he retreated into the kitchen. Then chatter broke out as everyone discussed what went in in their day to those next to them, and ate their meal. This was a custom of theirs; they wouldn't discuss work until after the had eaten their fill.
     The Lady didn't talk much unless spoken to; she preferred to eat her food in silence, listening to whatever was being divulged around her. Her ears were sharp; she would know if anything untoward was spoken, and would report it to her husband the leader of their group if necessary. Lord Vae Victis had no problem chatted about while he ate, however. 
     Wolfsbane also kept mostly quiet, like her master, who only had a few quibbles to mention. When they were finished eating - usually they and the Lady were the first ones eating, and today was no exception - Enath surprised her yet again by engaging her in a conversation, which they never do at the dinner table. "Shyruni really should quit letting strangers dupe him," he commented, referencing what her cousin was talking about.     
     "He can't help it, he is naturally friendly," she prodded him, smiling teasingly.
     Enath's eyes lit up. "A bit too friendly - I'm surprised he hasn't brought this place to flames yet!"
     "Despite it being made of wood," she giggled. "Though really Vix would be more likely to accomplish that!"
     Enath smirked. "You certainly have a point." Before any more bantering could occur, everyone had finished and the Lord and Lady stood up, ushering them into the main sitting room as Johan cleaned up the plates and bowls; they brought their drinks with them. 
     Lord Vae Victis waited for everyone to quiet down before instructing, "I'd like to hear your reports."
     Enath informed him that the poisons were going well, to which Lady Chisani Kiti was very eager to hear. Wolfsbane was not required to speak.
     Shyruni revealed that a new weapon was in the making; Silver Widow explained it in more detail, that it was to be a new torture device for the Lady - Lady Chisani Kiti, along with being the wife of the leader, happened to also be the torture master. She was very pleased to hear this.
     No one else had anything to report, and the meeting dispersed. Enath and Wolfsbane were the first to leave, as usual. What was very unusual was that as soon as they were down the corridor far enough, Enath slipped his hand into Wolfsbane's. Was this day to have no end of shocks for her? Deciding that she liked the feeling, though cautiously - she had no idea why he was doing this, after all - she opted not to withdraw her hand.  In an even tone, without making verbal note of the physical contact or even looking her way, he suggested, "Let's take a walk."
     Wolfsbane was briefly speechless. When she could talk, she agreed, "A-all right." She was certain that she was in some sort of trouble - why else would Enath go though all of this? 
     They shuffled outside, and padded on the walkway that led in a trail through the woods, not saying anything, though she was growing more and more nervous. She had forgotten that it was warm outside, however, and started to overheat in the sweatshirt she had on. Enath somehow sensed this, and stopped to take the jacket off, handing it back to her before taking her hand again and heading off. At long last they reached a spot in the woods, a meadow with a sparkle of sunlight through it, and - "A table?" she asked him, not quite sure what it is, her curiosity overwhelming her inhibitions. "A glass table?" 
     Enath smiled, one of the rare times he had done so, and whispered, "Yes, it is." He let go of her hand and she almost tripped over her feet in her eagerness to discover why it was there. 
     It was a beautiful table, the glass being multiple colors, in layers from the bottom up but also in a huge swirl, and the glasswork was incredible. The sun hit it just right to make the colors glitter and shine. She knew instantly that Enath must have made it; she recognized his artistry in the design. Slowly it dawned on her that inlaid in the smooth glass top of the table were obsidian letters - no, words. The work was so perfect that there was no space between the obsidian and the colored glass, so it looked without flaw. Then she read the words, and her heart skipped a beat or five. 
     My heart is yours, was inscribed. 
     She didn't think there could have been a bigger shock, but then the pieces started to assemble.
     "It was time you knew," Enath told her. 
     She touched her fingertips to the cool glass, tracing the words. She didn't have to say anything, she knew just then. Now that she knew, nothing had to be said. Except for: "I don't think Shyruni will approve." Not would, but will, for she had made her choice a long time ago, it seemed to her now. 
     Enath touched her hand. "I don't really care. Or, rather, I don't care at all. Not one bit."
     She giggled a bit, giddy with this new knowledge. "Well that makes it easier, now doesn't it?"
     He smiled, satisfied. "Oh yes it does." 
     They stayed in that glade all night, just watching the stars from the tree branches and chatting about nothing and everything, or sometimes sitting in silence just enjoying being near each other. As it got later and later, they grew tired. Wolfsbane fell asleep first, leaning against Enath, her head on his shoulder as she drifted off. Enath stayed up for a while longer, pleasantly content with how the day had gone, holding on to the trunk of the tree with one arm and wrapping the other ever so gently around his Wolfsbane, until he too drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

Ridiculous

So Wolkie introduced Mike and I to two middle schoolers today. One of them just broke up with her boyfriend. She is 13, and has had numerous other boyfriends before then. I was just sitting there thinking: "I'm just now having my first/(only) boyfriend. Why do people feel the need to date constantly??" It is ridiculous o.o All of these younger kids with boyfriends and girlfriends and everything. And people wonder why there is a show called "16 and Pregnant"? I just do not understand it. At all. Mike had his first girlfriend at 18. Many of my friends are still not dating anyone (ironically it is pretty much the younger ones that ARE dating someone, mostly). At least Wolkie has the sense not to, yet. Of course, we tease her about shipping her with so many people that I think even if she were interested in anyone she would want to prove us wrong :P And then there were these tragedies the past few days, the bomb going off during that race in... Maine, I think? Maybe? And some sort of fire, I think, in Texas. And all of these people were supporting them on Facebook the day it happened, but then they pretty much forgot about it. I don't get why people do that. Who does it help? Is is just to make them feel better? I mean, I do feel sorry for them, but I am not close to them. I do not know them. So why should I post things on Facebook about them that no one who lives there will see anyhow? Though, when I saw that thing about the Westboro Baptist Church picketing the funerals of the people at the bombing, saying it was because of them allowing gay rights in that town (or state?) I felt extremely pissed off. I dislike the WBC a lot. They are completely illogical and they twist the Word to suit their wants. I was amused that Anonymous hacked their page because of that and put some pro-gay stuff on there, because they really deserved that. I dislike wrongfully hateful people. They irritate me greatly. Also, foolish little kids irritate me greatly. Both make me want to slap their faces and tell 'em to wise up >.> The thunderstorms were great though :3 I luff rain. Admittedly, the roads were a bit annoying to drive on (especially the roads in Mike's apartment complex - a lot of the road was flooded), and the weather changes and humidity made me feel a bit ill, but all in all they were rather enjoyable. I love the sound of rain, especially when I am going to sleep. It is such a soothing sound. And thunder and lightning and rain make me feel so alive, I rather wish it was a tad warmer so I could run around outside without a jacket (running with a jacket on is cumbersome >.> ) and feel the rain and wind and the electricity in the air, and smell the wondrous odor of fresh rain. It irks me that I cannot take pictures of rain or lightning very well, as I cannot take me camera outside for the most part, or am not awake when the majority of lightning hits, or it is too dark out for anything to be seen in the camera. Well, at least chocolate cheesecake is tasty. And dumplings - I made these good Chinese dumplings today. Food is good. Anyhow, I ought to sleep. I have not been getting much of it lately, due to the storms mostly. Gute nacht.

The Battle

So Vae Victis is very intent on beating Mini Eccles in the Brawl tournament at Mini Eccles's party. I shall be very keen to know who wins, and I doubt I will have long to wait - probably right after the party, Vae Victis and p'raps Mini Eccles will post about who won on Blogspot (and for at least Vae Victis, on Facebook and DeviantArt too most likely :P). Sorry Mini Eccles, but I have to root for Vae Victis on this :P

Song Effects

How different music affects me, in the order in which they came up in Pandora on random:

The Lord of the Rings soundtrack has got to be the best music I have ever heard. Every time I listen to it, I can imagine exactly the scene it is from and nostalgia comes rushing back and I just want to watch the movies all over again, even if I finished watching them five minutes ago. Such bittersweet music I have never heard, knowing what happens and the pain and suffering but yet the joy, the laughter and lightheartedness I can hear in every song. A Storm is Coming is probably my favorite on the soundtrack.

The songs of A7X invade the deepest regions of my soul, the music so amazingly harsh yet perfectly fitting, and the lyrics and voice perfectly complete the instruments. The fact that there are long pauses in the voice, allowing the instruments to shine makes it ever even more involving. Many of these songs also cause nostalgia, a wonderful nostalgia from the beginnings of my relationship with Mike, when he first introduced me to A7X and the hot summer days and cool summer nights listening to A7X and chatting with Mike, before we were even a couple. I just want to close my eyes and drift with this music, composing so many scenes in my head, bittersweet scenes and action scenes and heated conversations and the climax of the music, when something that had been building for so long just explodes, like one of my favorites (that I am also currently listening to), I Won't See You Tonight pt 1, I imagined such an argument, and friction and finally a slap and her leaving, him being left broken and frustrated in the rain.

Relient K always cheers me up, but reminds me of Evan who introduced me to them, especially the songs on the Mmhmm album and the song Faking My Own Suicide, and makes me recall how close we were then and I feel a tightness in my heart wishing we could be that close again. The music is often lighthearted with a darker undertone that I can enjoy without being in such a dark place as I often am with other music I listen to. 

I rarely hear Chevelle but when I do, it sounds so darkly haunting and entrancing me to keep listening though the voice is a bit unlikeable. 

Staind's music lifts my heart a bit as it pounds to the beat of the music and the voice, even though the songs are usually somewhat dark. I cannot take them too seriously.

Ironically, because of the channel I have on Pandora I get to listen to video game OSTs as well (even though I rarely play video games), and I must say I LOVE Halo 3 music. Really any music similar to it I enjoy (like LotR) but it just has that gripping video game quality to it yet it is amazing music, unlike most video game music (for instance, I despise Zelda music even though it is on the same channel. It is just too high pitched and cheery - definitely not the kind of music I prefer). The drums and the strings working together so effortlessly has the effect of making my body sway to the music, wanting to take up a violin in my hands and pretend to play along (as I cannot play a violin). It is so involving.

There is only one song I like by The Offspring, which is You're Gonna Go Far, Kid. This song is almost like crack to me, I have to move to it but it is annoying that I only know some of the words so I cannot sing to it. I know it is supposed to be a darker song, but it is sung in such a light (well, more medium) manner and the music is quite cheery as well, and the lyrics amuse me.

Evanescence fills a musical hole in me every time their songs come on. I have known a couple of their songs for as long as I can remember (Bring Me to Life and My Immortal), and the other songs I love just as much if not more. I do not believe there to be a single song by them that I dislike. My body seems to react to the music in a way such that my heart is both lightened and darkened, as if pulled on by a rope into the music, such a chaos of pain and hope conflicting in my soul as it is in the music. I so often wish to sing to them, as I know most of their songs by heart, but at the same time I don't wish to sully their glorious music with my tawdry voice. 

Seether... Seether gets into the deepest crevices of my heart and soul, and I crave it, the voice and the music so disturbing and hauntingly beautiful and I can hear the raw emotions in the voice and the music, it is as if it is encouraging me to listen to it, eyes closed as the scene plays out in my mind, so familiar yet so unknown. At the same time it produces a nostalgia in me, depending on the song it can be less or more - Walk Away From the Sun and Eyes of the Devil hit me the most, the former being the first Seether song Mike introduced me to (that I immediately loved) and the latter being the song that I listened to for the first time at a time of much emotional turbulence. Like Suicide also affects me greatly, mostly for the lyrics. All of their songs, even if I had no previous emotional attachment to it, creates a spot for themselves in my emotions because of how everything works together, and the words hitting my emotional core, at those thoughts I have thought so often. Their version of Careless Whisper has my heart in turmoil as I listen to it - I loved the George Michael version, but when I heard the Seether version I fell more in love with the song, it is absolutely entrancing.

Three Days Grace is another author I have listened to for a while, and yet every time I hear their songs new emotions flood me, often a mix of sadness and helplessness and curiosity and hope and raw dark amusement with my soul partially wanting to live what was sung even though I know how undesirable that would be. Riot is a very addicting song.

Switchfoot lightens my soul and makes me somewhat crave a snuggle with Mike, yet also makes me wonder about the lyrics and how they fit life, and it produces a need to do something more with my life.

Rise Against gets my heart light as well, but a chaotic sort of giddy insanity. It is kind of annoying, but I cannot help but get pulled along in its current of music.

Paramore's music is so entrancing yet so wistful it almost brings tears to my eyes. Some of their songs are more ironic and biting, and those amuse me yet darken my soul at the words at the same time, but the sorrowful music of theirs I more often listen to depresses my soul into the places where I often write my most depressing poetry.

Stone Sour produces mild doses of nostalgia, and I am almost uncaring in my emotions when it comes to them except that I enjoy the songs and the strange voice with the softened edge; even if I hadn't heard that song of theirs, I already feel I know what the music will bring next.

10 Years has the effect of somewhat making me doleful yet having that ironic interest for me that has a sliver of amusement for me. I enjoy their music in a deeper way than Stone Sour, but not as much as Three Days Grace.

The music of Breaking Benjamin goes deep into my soul, similar to A7X and Seether, though in a different way, it is almost an inescapable, desperate pain that has yet to heal over, and a heady depression that I seem to crave, and the music sets beats to my heart with that hard yet not harsh tone.

3 Doors Down creates in me a chasm of nostalgia and a slight sorrow, being one of my favorites for a long time right next to Bon Jovi, though having a fresher feel than Bon Jovi. There is a somehow wistful hope there as well, hiding in the sorrow.

Tenth Avenue North puts my heart in a bond of faith, hopeful and needing, understanding the words and feeling them to be necessary, as if I had been needing to hear them all of the time without realizing it.

I like Nickelback songs, I don't care about all of the anti-Nickelback jokes, but I only like certain ones such as If Everyone Cared, When We Stand Together, and Rockstar. I enjoy them, the music and the voice being from my childhood when I listened to How You Remind Me, Photograph, and I'd Come For You.

The song by Quitedrive I listen to is Time After Time. I am always enjoying this song, even after all of the times I have listened to it, it is one song that has never grown old for me, the inspiration to be creative harbored in me comes back to the surface.

Flyleaf makes me sad and happy at the same time, with each of those haunting lyrics of theirs. I do not like most female singers' voices, but hers I definitely like, it flows so well with the music, harsh and demanding yet not unbearable. 

Shinedown's music is a bit more calming than other music I listen to, and it is somewhat distant.

Skillet music is music I always want to sing along to, and I love the energy and boundless strength in the voices and instruments, my favorite song by them being Awake and Alive. A droplet of despair is there too, but just enough to make the music even better. 

Surprisingly, I actually rather like Metallica, though I didn't used to. It is a bit on the harsher side, but a few of their songs are pretty good. I do not have much of an emotional reaction to them yet.

Fireflight I group with Flyleaf and Paramore, since their musics are similar as are their voices in relation to the music. Unlike the other two, I feel more lighthearted when I listen to them, though there is a bit of nostalgia I feel even though I have nothing to be nostalgic about with them - I hear the nostalgia in the voice.

Experimental Drawings

I have been drawing a lot lately, due in part to the new app I got (DrawQuest) where there are daily quests to draw, though there is always some part that the creators drew and you have to draw something to fit the quest. DrawQuest has not as many tools for drawing as my other main drawing app (Sketchbook), so I have to get more creative, and thus I have been experimenting a lot with drawing and shading. Often I draw something in DrawQuest and then want to see if I can draw a better version in Sketchbook. I have certainly been improving, I think. Here is a drawing I had drawn traditionally, with colored pencils. Below it is the version I created in Photoshop a few weeks later.