ladybug_archive | Entries tagged with songs

So a couple of weeks ago I finally solved my dilemma about the Amazon books. I really wanted to get a manga in the order, but I couldn't figure out how to make everything come out to exactly the cost of the gift card. I really felt I couldn't pay any cash with that order, so finally I had to set the manga idea aside and I got the two Pony-related books and two Nancy Drews.

The package was delayed because of weather problems and other such things. I was worried it might show up waterlogged. Thankfully it didn't, but whoever packed things couldn't do a good job. The one paperback in the order, the Pony U.N.C.L.E. parody, showed up completely dog-eared on one corner. Half the pages in the book were also bent at that corner! WTH? I don't know whether it was packed stupidly and happened then or if the book was damaged to begin with. I was absolutely furious. I'm still not sure what to do about it. Returning and replacing things online is such a pain, and that was probably the book I was looking forward to the most, so I hated to think of waiting even longer to get to read it. But I don't like always having to settle for damaged merchandise when I order paperback stuff from Amazon, either. I really chewed them out when I bought comics from them and they were packaged really stupidly and all showed up bent. I wonder if Barnes and Noble packs things better. They also have the free shipping with $25 of books deal. The problem there is that I don't have B&N gift cards, so I'd have to pay cash.

(Oh, I miss Borders so much. I was actually in the area where it used to be a couple of days ago and I spent some time just staring out the window at its location across the street. They were so much better than B&N. They actually had discounts in general and coupons for more than 15% off. And they generally had a bigger selection of stuff, except Nancy Drews, but now B&N's selection of those is lame too.)

I ended up reading the book last night. Of course it was a quick read and meant for kids, so it didn't get too deep, but I was intrigued that it touched, albeit briefly, on Bon Bon being weary and wanting to leave the secret agent stuff behind and have a peaceful life now. I would kind of like to expand on that in a fic sometime. And it ended happy, with her and Lyra still in the organization but being able to stay in Ponyville when not on missions. Also, the secret agent place was in New York (well, their New York) and it was accessed through a fridge in a pizza parlor. LOL.

The Equestria Girls book was really interesting. It takes place after the third movie and a large part of the plot is the human Twilight trying to befriend the girls from her old school. At first I was puzzled that it only focused on Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Sugarcoat. But then I realized that the other girls, Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap, were already pretty nice people and probably didn't need any serious help turning their lives around. Lemon Zest is seriously adorable, definitely among the most normal of the girls at Crystal Prep, and so is Indigo Zap, basically. The other three are all kind of dysfunctional in various ways.

I don't think the author really captured the girls' personalities well, though. Sunny Flare was depicted as the nastiest of the bunch and the one most unkind to Twilight and worried about her turning into a monster again. That just doesn't fit to me, because while she was definitely nasty early in the movie, she was the one who called out Principal Cinch for trying to run away, and she looked really horrified and upset when Cinch said she was trying to get away from "that monster" and Sunny Flare should do the same. Sour Sweet was really the nastiest to Twilight in the movie.

Not once did the author do Sour Sweet's trademark of first saying something fake and nice and then following it up immediately with her true feelings, always a burn. She did occasionally do Sugarcoat's trademark of being very blunt, but it seemed more like she gave that trait to Sour Sweet.

I also didn't agree with the author writing that either Sunny Flare or Sour Sweet said they were Twilight's friends (and they were also apparently on her Friends list on Facebook). Not once in the movie did they ever act like they were interested in being her friends; they only interacted with her when circumstances forced them together. Sugarcoat was really the only one of those three who acted like she might be what Twilight considered a friend. And then Lemon Zest was really nice and didn't seem to have anything against Twilight at all. Indigo Zap kind of thought Twilight was an idiot, but she "defended" Twilight when the Canterlot High students started wondering what she was up to, which was kind of cute. (Although she probably only did it because Twilight was a Crystal Prep student, not because she really cared about Twilight personally.)

The author also set it up that Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat were supposedly friends, but weren't happy together. The first two hung out together in the movie and really seemed pretty chummy to me. Sugarcoat, on the other hand, really gave the impression of being a loner.

I did love that Twilight eventually did make friends with them in the book and things ended happy for all of them, instead of them just being portrayed as one-dimensional characters that wouldn't change. But to be honest, I kind of think I could write a better story with that basic plotline that would stick closer to canon regarding personalities. I'll admit that Sunny Flare's personality is the most underdeveloped in the movie, but I don't think it was fleshed out in the book in a manner that fits with what we did see in the movie. Maybe I can try to start writing a story like that and see what happens.

Then last night I started randomly singing Unleash the Magic to myself. It's sung in the movie by Cinch and the Crystal Preppers as they try to tempt Twilight to, well, unleash the magic she's collected in her mystical pendant. I was considering maybe trying to record it and do all the voices. Cinch would be a blast to voice, although I probably wouldn't be able to sound as nasally as she does. But so I got to the line "I understand you have your reservations/it's hard to have a brain as large as yours" and suddenly I wondered if it wasn't just a line of manipulation, but something Cinch personally understood. I finally listened to the commentary track for that movie and they were wondering what her backstory is. Now I'm wondering if she was a smart outcast like Twilight growing up and if in some way, she is a dark version of what Twilight could have become had she remained an outcast. She certainly is smart and calculating and loves knowledge. And even though she seems to be very arrogant and egotistical and is worried above all about her reputation, I'm not entirely sure she was worried for completely selfish reasons. As she told Twilight, it was her reputation, and the school's, that was responsible for everything they had to work with. If the reputation dropped, they might not have all the funding and other things they needed to function properly. So honestly, I could understand her worrying about keeping up appearances to some extent, although of course she took it way too far and her manipulation of Twilight throughout the movie was horrid.

Another thing the commentary track mentioned was that an early draft of the script had Cinch fall through the gaping portal hole created by Twilight when she flipped out and became Midnight Sparkle and Cinch ended up a horrible monster in Equestria. They changed that because it seemed too mean. I agree, honestly. Maybe it would have been poetic justice, especially after how she ostracized Twilight's transformation considering she encouraged her to use the magic, but I wouldn't have wanted her to stay like that permanently or be stuck in Equestria. That's more like what a show like TMNT might do, or maybe even the U.K. Pony comics of the '80's and '90's, but it doesn't fit for something sweet like the current My Little Pony series and movies.

Speaking of TMNT, though, the new movie came out today! Eeeee! And hopefully I'll get to see it next week! I actually really loved the movie two years ago; I thought it was great overall and I loved that there was scarcely anything crude and it was largely absent of swearing. I was very surprised and impressed by that. And to be honest, I really think I liked that movie better than the one called TMNT that came out about nine years ago. (Oh gosh, that long ago? Seriously?) While that movie was cute too, it had some things I didn't like, such as April and Casey living together while not married, and how they made it look like only Raph did something bad during the fight between him and Leo. Honestly, it was kind of interesting how they had Leo finally snap and say something really awful to Raph ("I'm better than you"), but it was spoiled by neither Leo nor the script acknowledging that Leo did something wrong as well as Raph. That was just seriously WTH?

Well, at least that film contributed to my loving Raph more. He scared me as a kid because of his bad temper. That still scares me a bit, but I'm mostly seriously intrigued by him and he's replaced Donny as my second-favorite Turtle.

I still need a Mikey figure. Even though he's my least favorite, I want to have a complete set of Turtles. I just wish the figures weren't so expensive these days. It costs almost $9 for one from any current Turtles line! And that's the cheapest price, since it's Wal-Mart's. I've checked other places before and they've been worse.

(Amusing note: just about each Turtles figure I have is from a different line. My Raph, and my Fugitoid, are from the 1987 TV series. My Leo is from the second movie. My Donny is from a line that looks more like the comics. And my Casey Jones is from the 2003 series. I need an April too. Not having her is sacrilege. And Splinter. Actually, I'd kind of like another Raph too, since my Raph is a space suit Raph and even though I love him dearly, I'd like one that's just normal Raph. But then I'll probably feel guilty to have two Raphs and not two of everyone else. Heh.)

I also want Mikey and Donny plushies. I had thought of getting Build-a-Bear's Mikey, but their new Mikey has a different face than the old one, I think. The old one was just cute, but this one's expression is seriously obnoxious. And then with Donny, I always planned to get him from the same line as my Leo, since I'm not crazy about Nickelodeon's redesign of Donny and it's less obvious with those big pillow plushies. But I didn't want Mikey from that line too, since they all have the same expression and that's kind of WTH. That was why I got Build-a-Bear Raph instead of pillow Raph.

And then I was thinking that while the 1960s and 1970s fascinate me, it seems to be the 1980s that I have some serious nostaglia for. Which is funny because I don't even remember the 1980s. By the time I was old enough to remember much, it was 1990. But so many things I loved from my childhood are from the 1980s to begin with: Ponies, Mario, TMNT, DuckTales, Gummi Bears, Pound Puppies, Care Bears, Garfield (well, he started in the late 1970s, but he sure got popular in the 1980s), Baby-Sitters Club, Alf, the latter two Star Wars original trilogy movies.... Most of my paper dolls had 1980s fashions. We had a couple of huge catalogs, a Sears Wish Book and a J.C. Penney's equivalent, both from the 1980s, that I just adored looking at again and again. And when I go to antique malls, it's the 1980s toys that send me into serious nostalgia trips. Sometimes I remember happy times of playing with 1980s toys with friends in the 1990s. When I see shows from the 1980s, especially family or kids' shows like Punky Brewster or the Pony or Care Bear cartoons, the nostalgia continues even though I never saw those when they originally aired. There's just something innocent and sweet and fun and cheesy about that decade. Then there's things that started in the 1990s: TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, Sonic.... I love those too. And I'm trying to remember when Trolls got a resurgence of popularity, the 1980s or the 1990s. I think the 1990s, but they've existed since the 1960s. Gomer even had a pink-haired one in his foot locker, which Sergeant Carter threw a fit about. ROTFLOL. ("A Troll doll is a non-regulation item!") But I just don't seem to be nostalgic about the 1990s like I am about the 1980s. Weird. I almost wonder if that's because I actually don't remember the 1980s and so it carries a sense of mystery and the ability to place it on a pedestal, whereas I remember the 1990s very well and it just doesn't hold the nostalgia/pedestal factor. I don't think there's one decade I remember that I feel nostalgic about, really. I get nostalgic over experiences and shows, but not decades as a whole.

Current Mood: happy

I try not to let silly things irk me as much as in the past, when after reading a magazine article that showed the writer clearly didn't understand the Marik Ishtar character, I wrote a long letter to the magazine pointing out a bunch of things the writer either didn't understand or didn't know. I doubt I'll write a letter to the publishing company Little and Brown now. But ... I can't help feeling annoyed that on the case for a set of Equestria Girls novels, they made some actual errors about Sunset Shimmer when describing the book plots. You'd think that a case of the books would make an effort to get things right. Instead they make it sound like Sunset is still a problem for the characters following the first movie. They have the idiocy to say that the Dazzlings is her band, when in reality she had nothing to do with being in the band and instead wanted to stop them. And they call her "always rebellious."

...

Completely aside from the fact that she had a complete change of heart at the end of the first movie and wanted to be good and not rebellious, the books actually portray her as even more insecure in the succeeding adventures than the movies do. Even in the most recent book, the Friendship Games adaption, this is done. In the movie, a key scene has Applejack making a remark that could be taken as guilting Sunset about her past. But Applejack means it as a joke; they are close enough friends now that such jokes can be made. Sunset half-smirks in response; she knows it's a joke. But in the book, Sunset takes it as a way to guilt her and show they'll never forget what she did in the first movie.

Apparently the publishing company will certainly never forget, or forgive, since they want to portray her so unflatteringly on the box and even accuse her of things she didn't do. **headdesk.**

Saturday was an extremely long day. Where to even begin? I feel terrible everything took so long, especially since Mom wasn't feeling well enough to go and we had to leave her home and call in every little while or so. But things can't fully be explained on the phone, so she was still plenty worried and I felt plenty horrible at the time it took. Even moreso since some of the time didn't have to have been taken.

So let's see. We made good time getting to the church and made it for the viewing/wake, as we were aiming for. The following funeral service was lovely and all the kids spoke, but gah, it was so sad. They were all so sad and some of them kept breaking down. These were grown men. It was moving to see how much they loved their mother (and for most of them, she was a stepmother, but they still considered her a mom just like their other mom). But man, it was heartbreaking. I don't often cry at funerals, but it was a struggle not to cry at this one.

The luncheon for the family and close friends was pretty amazing. I've never been to a funeral luncheon like that before. It was Mexican food. There were giant tortillas to fill with beans, chicken, cheeeeese, salsa, avocado spread.... It was so awesome. And there was ice water and several kinds of cake.

We hadn't actually planned to go to the cemetery part of the service, since it was even farther away and Dad just didn't see how he could afford the gas. But then my sister offered that we could go with her and her youngest daughter. We had to make a spur of the moment decision because everyone was leaving right then. I was worried to go with someone else, since then we'd be captive to their whims, but I could tell Dad really wanted to go to the cemetery, and I did too, really, if we could manage it. And I hoped it wouldn't take too long afterwards to come back to the car. So I figured we'd better try it. He left the decision up to me and I didn't want to be responsible for Dad not getting to go.

She didn't seem to know her way around too well for some reason, but her daughter set up the Google Maps app on the phone and used that to guide her up to the city where the burial would be. This was where we all used to live, and the cemetery is one of my favorites ever. It's so huge and old and mysterious.

The burial plot was in the newer section, so we drove over there, my sister got us to the wrong burial service even though we told her it was by the fence, and we had to try again. That time it went right and we arrived early.

I was surprised not to see the jagged triangular headstone in the area. I had thought it was right near the family plots in that area. Since there was a little extra time, I wandered off to find it. That thing creeped me out so bad as a kid, but it morbidly intrigued me too. It's just so unique. And then it's also creepy to me because from a distance, the only thing you can see written on it is the surname going vertically down the stone. The name is unusual and it's similar to the name of an aunt (just minus one letter), which only adds to the unsettling nature of it. I've tried to put it in every cemetery picture I've drawn (albeit I don't put the name).

I finally found it, over near where some family friends are buried. It still creeps me out, but it was daylight and didn't seem so creepy then. I walked right up to it. It's pretty big in person; it was about as tall as I am. Of course, I'm pretty short (five feet even), but that's still pretty big for a tombstone. I wonder why they used such a jagged piece of rock like that for the marker. That would make for an interesting story, I imagine. It's sad too; the person buried there was only 19.

I walked back and they still hadn't started yet; they were waiting for the hearse. When it finally got there, we did a little graveside service and tried to sing some family hymns, but we didn't know all the words, especially on the final one we tried. I'm glad we made it to the cemetery to participate in that final part of the service. It was after we left that the problems started.

We needed to drop my niece off at a friend's house where she'd arranged to spend the night. My sister detoured a bit to look at my dad's birth house (yeah, he wasn't born in a hospital) and the old shop where he used to work with his grandfather. Along the drive up, I had remembered that I wanted to check Marshalls for the rare Adagio Dazzle doll, as she's been turning up in a lot of them lately. The only Marshalls here are up in that approximate area, and my sister agreed we could try one on the way back down.

After some trouble with rush hour traffic, we finally got to the place and I went in to look around. I was really impressed with the store; it looks really upscale, even though it's a discount place. I wish Mom could see it; I think she'd love it as much as I do now. I couldn't find the doll, but I did find the big Twilight Sparkle figure. I'd just been thinking about her and that she wasn't in stores any more. I had wanted the original unicorn one and had not paid attention to the winged version, but I finally knew I'd never get the unicorn one since she's rare and expensive now and I was willing to get the winged one. When I saw her at Marshalls for $10, I figured I'd better snap her up.

We headed back to where we'd left our car at the church. We got off the freeway too early and started wandering around. Even though I saw street signs that said we were not in the right town, my sister didn't believe it. We wandered around some more as it got dark and ended up in yet another wrong town. Finally we all saw a sign proclaiming the name of the place and my sister believed we were lost. She didn't know how to work the Google Maps app, but the directions were still programmed into it from that morning as to how to get to the church. So she brought that up, followed them, and finally we were able to get back to the car.

I suppose I really should have just said for us to go home then, since we'd been out eight-nine hours at that point. But since we hardly ever get out that far and there were sales I needed to see about right then or they'd be kerplunk, I could hardly bear the thought of just going home then. I really tried to hurry regardless, but it didn't work out that way.

We also tried finding some stuff Mom wanted for Christmas presents, but we didn't have any luck finding stuff for the adults. We did get the stuff she wanted for the kids, so that was good.

I checked T.J. Maxx and Ross for the doll and still didn't find her, so then it was on to Toys R Us. They had a 30% off sale on all Pony stuff, and I thought I'd planned I'd get the archery Applejack and that would be that, but when I actually got in there and everything was on sale, suddenly it wasn't an easy decision. I debated for ages over several things I'd wanted, couldn't decide, and then we had to rush to the mall to see about the Build-a-Bear discounts. I had discounts adding up to $15 off, plus there was a 2 for $35 sale on. Both of my discounts worked with that, which meant I could get two for $20! Naturally I couldn't pass that up. I'd planned to get Zecora and Teegan (the purple cat/tiger) if I could get two, so that was what I did. It was fun and the girls were so friendly and sweet and fun. And since Teegan comes with a tank top (as well as sewn-on underwear), I found some cheap swim trunks for her to wear at least for now. Maybe later I'll have money to get her a nice outfit, but right then I just wanted to clothe her good enough and save more money for other things. But it took a lot longer to get two than I'd planned on; it was about thirty-forty minutes later when I got back to Toys R Us.

During the interim I thought I'd decided what to get at Toys R Us, the two-pack with Twilight and Flash. But every single copy Toys R Us had featured a stray glitter problem. It was shedding off of Twilight's skirt and getting everywhere. That didn't seem appealing at all, so I wondered if I'd rather get the characters separately and buy a Twilight without that skirt. I turned my attention more fully to the two-pack I'd tried to get in the summer, with Sonata and Aria from the second movie. There were only two copies of those, they're phasing out, and with the sale they were only $13.99. That was definitely the best deal. (Well, actually, the best deal was Photo Finish and her two band members, but I don't really know those characters other than Photo Finish herself. They don't even have any dialogue.) So I preferred Sonata and Aria. I still debated for a moment, feeling guilty as always to get antagonists, but I knew I really wanted them. They bicker like sisters, which makes me have a certain fondness for them. Plus, I knew I probably wouldn't be able to find the set before long. And I have a chance to get the Adagio doll from someone on the forum, so I wanted to have the other girls in the band right ready in case I could. It would be too sad not to have the whole group.

(Also, I have plans for a story where Sunset finds them post-movie and tries to extend friendship to them. One thing I did like in the book version of the second movie was that she felt some pity for them. I can definitely picture that, since Sunset had some similar goals of wanting to be popular/well-liked.)

With that taken care of at last, I wanted to just try one more Wal-Mart looking for Sunset Shimmer. (We'd tried one around the time we got the stuff for Mom.) That was a fizzle, of course. We had planned to try one more store looking for DVDs for the adults, but it was so late by then and I was exhausted and panicking, knowing Mom would be so upset and worried that it was taking so long. So we went home, arriving over twelve hours after leaving home. GAH. Mom didn't like the long time we'd been gone one bit, but she did like seeing what I'd brought back and was happy I'd been able to get those items, so that made me feel a little better.

I felt awful that I was too exhausted to stay up for long with Ladyamberjo and JP, though. That's the night I chat with them and Ladyamberjo and I have had all kinds of trouble having a conversation the last several weeks. And of course, on the night when Ladyamberjo tried extra hard to be available and awake, I'm so tired I'm falling over in the chair.

With weather reports of storms coming up this week, we decided we needed to look for the other DVDs on Tuesday. That was just two towns over. We left earlier than we do sometimes and spent the latter part of the afternoon checking out the DVDs at K-Mart and ShopKo. I also discovered that K-Mart's two-packs of Twilight and Flash are glitter-free and gorgeous, so I'm back to wanting the two-pack again and not to get the characters separately. I wonder if it would be worth paying full-price for it to get a nice glitter-free one.

I still couldn't find Sunset Shimmer, but I did at last find a good Scootaloo at Wal-Mart! All legs were the same length and her face wasn't shaped weird (yes, those are problems with Funrise sometimes), so I decided I should get her.

Also, I very randomly saw the 12-inch Applebloom at ShopKo. It was frustrating, because from a distance I momentarily thought she was Sunset. Sigh. But it was interesting to see a rare character turn up at ShopKo, of all places. ShopKo doesn't even have any Friendship Games dolls yet! I wonder if seeing her is possibly a good sign. Scootaloo just started showing up last month, and now an Applebloom.... Maybe, possibly, Sunset will still come? I don't hold out much hope of that, though. And I still wish I had taken that person up on her offer to get one for me in the summer. I was worried about shipping costs and I was fully convinced back then that we were just about to get her for fall stock. And then we didn't.

Well, anyway, we had some good luck with the DVDs, and I got a couple of Christmas presents, and it was a pretty nice little outing. We got back in time for me to chat with Crystal.

I also had good luck with one of my survey companies and got an Amazon gift card again already! I got a couple more Christmas presents with it, as well some more Get Smart for myself. Hopefully it will arrive in time for me to send one of the presents on and have it arrive before Christmas....

I also discovered that I need to watch every episode of The Persuaders!, ohmygoshsquee. It's wonderful! I plan to buy the DVD set with my next gift card. Meantime, I found it on YouTube and watched an episode in the morning. The friendship between the main characters is glorious, and it's even more awesome because they start out hating each other, and they go from that to really caring about each other and being really close friends. It's such a shame it only ran one season. It should satisfy my Roger Moore withdrawal nicely. I love his character, and the friendship with Tony Curtis's character, and I won't be surprised if I want to write fanfic somewhere down the line. As much as I love Simon Templar, he's a loner, and it's harder for me to relate to writing for loners if they don't have one good friend or family member to interact with. And if they're the only steady character in the cast. Then they work better in crossover fics. I really love to write about friendships. (Plus, I still worry about the fact that I prefer the TV show Simon while the few fanficcers prefer the book Simon. I'm still going to write that one fic with Simon appearing to be dead and Inspector Teal reacting to it, though. Then it flashes back to tell what led up to it, comes back to the present, and of course Simon will be alright when the drug wears off.)

I also became obsessed with the song Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men. It's absolutely haunting and gorgeous. I'm thrilled Ladyamberjo found that song and shared it with me! I am totally going to want to write a fic based around it at some point, although right now I'm unsure what characters such a fic would involve. I'd also like to sing it, but I don't know how well it would go over if I tried recording me singing it, since it really does need to be a duet.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: Home for the Holidays---Perry Como

Went to the church Christmas party tonight. Yuuum, the food was delicious! I was hoping for a dinner like this one year when people made these amazing potato and cheese casseroles, but I figured it would probably be like it usually is, where it's just roast beef and baked potato and maybe green beans.

Well, this year it wasn't either one! This year there was turkey, and oh man, it was actually really good. Sooo soft and moist and juicy. I wish we could get ours to go like that; it's always so dry and frustrating.

The baked potatoes were divine, of course; potatoes always are. There were leftovers and we took six potatoes to bring home, buwahaha.

There were also many Jell-O/fruit salads. I tried one that I liked, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what kind of fruit in it I was tasting. I still don't remember.

Dessert was ice cream with giant brownies. YUUUM, brownies!

There were also some delicious rolls. And butter and sour cream for the potatoes, of course. And a vegetable platter; I took some olives and a pickle. I know I shouldn't eat them too much, and I don't, but I love me some pickles.

Some people at the table were talking about Jessica Simpson at one point and their kid didn't know who she was. Man, that made me feel old.

Then a local singing group performed a really fun Christmas concert on the stage in the room where we were eating. The group's name was Chantilly Lace; I wonder how many people younger than the group members know where their name likely came from! (A popular Big Bopper song from the 1950s. I got it stuck in my head as we left. I haven't heard it for years, but I remembered most of the chorus.) They sang some Christmas standards and some rare Christmas songs, a couple I knew, but most I was unfamiliar with. That was neat. The only one of the rare ones I thought maybe I'd heard before was about Santa using zebras instead of reindeer, LOL. I absolutely have never before heard one called Don't Wanna Wait, from children's perspectives, and one called Father Christmas (not to be confused with I Believed in Father Christmas). The only rare one I definitely have heard before is I'm Gettin' Nothin' for Christmas, an amusing ditty about a very naughty kid.

All in all, it was a lovely time and I'm so glad they didn't serve roast beef again. I really don't like roast beef; it mushes around in your mouth forever.

This is kind of a busy week. Sadly, the other busyness is not fun times; there's a funeral on Saturday. One of my aunts-in-law died. I don't remember her very well, as we didn't see her a lot, but she was a very sweet person and I feel so bad for my uncle. This is the second time he's been married and the second wife who died. The first wife had cancer, if I remember right, and she didn't want him to be alone, so she wanted him to marry her best friend after she died. That happened, and now it's the friend who just died.

I hate to use a funeral as a reason to do something fun, but we're not often up in the area where the funeral will be, so I am hoping to do a little shopping while we're out. Build-a-Bear sent me my $10 gift certificate because I have apparently spent $100 there since my last certificate. It's used like a gift card, so it can be combined with coupons, and I have a $5 coupon. I'm hoping to get Zecora. Man, I hope they'll still have her. I'll get Shining Armor if they don't, probably, or the cat I've wanted if they don't have either one. Since Zecora and Shining Armor are both leftover stock from the online-only period, I don't know how many were going out to each store or if they'll restock when they sell the ones they had. I've been monitoring the Pony forum hoping for some information on that, but no one has posted on it. Maybe I'll ask, but they probably don't know or they would have already said. I don't like asking on Build-a-Bear's Facebook page, because it seems like the people handling it don't always know what's really going on at the stores.

I'm also hoping to check some Wal-Marts for the Sunset Shimmer plush. Ours restocked with more Scootaloos (still flawed enough that I didn't get her), but no Sunsets, even though they're from the same wave. That's making me lose hope again. Seriously, what is the deal? Why is Wal-Mart being so lazy with new Funrise plushies this year? Or maybe it's Funrise being lazy about sending the new characters out, since they're scarce everywhere. There's Sunset, Sweetie Belle, Lyra, and Sweetie Drops, all in the 10-inch size and all missing from the majority of stores (including eBay)! There's also a 5-inch Sunset, I've discovered, and if I see her in person, I'll probably buy her while I'm waiting for the big one.

Wal-Mart has lowered the price on the archery Twilight doll. I've been debating whether to get her or whether to keep trying to get the two-pack with Flash Sentry. I still lean towards the latter, since the glasses are canon-correct in the two-pack but not the archery doll. And since getting two dolls is awesome and I like Flash Sentry. I don't get the hate regarding the character. He's a nice, sensitive guy. I may not particularly want him and Twilight to really get deeply, romantically involved, since I'd rather the focus stay on friendships, but when it's just an innocent crush, it's cute.

Wal-Mart also suddenly doesn't have any Fashion Styles. The Sunsets disappeared several weeks ago and now Cadance has followed suit. I don't know if they're going to restock or not. I always wanted the Sunset one, but kept hoping there would be a sale. There usually isn't on Fashion Styles, though, and I'm thinking maybe I'd better get her even at full-price if I see her at another Wal-Mart. Of course she'd vanish when I can actually afford to get her.... I also kind of like the motocross Sunset doll, but I don't know if I'll get her since I already have two Sunset dolls. But it's tempting when she is one of my favorite characters. Twilight is the only one I like more. Another reason I've hesitated on the Fashion Style is because I prefer Sunset as a human, but really, I love any incarnation of her. Well, I'm not too fond of the she-demon version when she got overwhelmed by the crown. But I would totally buy Midnight Sparkle if that doll ever comes here. Human Twilight didn't go all demon-ish when she got overwhelmed by releasing the captured magic; she just went dark. (And then was saved by Sunset and Spike, ohmygoshsquee.)

And Wal-Mart has these adorable Hello Kitty pajamas that are only $10! I've been debating getting them. I don't really need pajamas; I have two working sets. But they do last longer in rotation, so the more you have, the longer it takes them to wear out. Still, it doesn't seem very practical to get them. But they're so cute.... And possibly the top wouldn't be too hot to wear when it's lighter colors. I wear a nightgown with my pajama bottoms and only use the tops as shawls when I'm up and around, because they're just too hot to wear to bed. And my nightgown is rather in need of replacement by now....

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Every time I think about the fact that I need to sit down and write an entry, I think, "But I have so many other things I need to do that need doing more!" And then things drag on and on until everything I need to write about has piled up so much I wonder how to ever get it done at all. That's why I barely write in my offline journal, which isn't a good thing.

Basically, birthday shopping trip ended up happening the day before, due to a $12 off coupon that expired on Saturday, and then Dad insisted we had to go to a place he wanted to go to or he wouldn't go at all, and they weren't open on Saturday. We didn't end up making it there anyway, and luckily he didn't really mean what he said and he let us go just for a fun birthday time.

I didn't end up getting the doll two-pack, as I couldn't find it for less than full price and I ended up having other things I wanted to make sure I had money for. But I'm still longing to get that. Gazed at it longingly in K-Mart last week. Maybe soon. I also still really want the Applejack archery doll. I just adore her; she's so autumny! And ever since I realized how much I really am like Applejack, I've felt much more of a kinship with her and like her a lot more (although she was already on the rise of my favorites before that).

I got DJ at Build-a-Bear, after an exceptionally long struggle over whether to get her or the cat/tiger I like. I could have got both, actually, with the 2 for $35 sale and the coupon both, but I had other places to go and didn't really want to spend all my available money in one locale. I also noted that the Halloween bat plushie has extremely soft fur, and even though I didn't think I'd want a bat plushie, I really kind of liked that bat and I wonder if I might want to get it sometime this month. I still have my birthday coupon, which couldn't be combined with the $12 off coupon. It's good through the month.

I saw some cat plushies at Toys R Us I absolutely adored, especially a Maine Coon! It's been years since I've seen cat plushies other than tabbies or whites. It was too expensive; $20 for a size that would have cost maybe $12 years ago, but it is an FAO Schwartz plushie, so very high quality. I might have to get it sometime. It was gray and had green eyes, so I'd kind of like it to represent Jane the Silver Persian.

I also had a Jo-Ann's coupon, so I decided I'd go there and look for plushies that might work for Sean and Barry. I only found one that I thought might work, so I got that for Sean and then got some material at Wal-Mart. I immediately began crafting the next day. Unfortunately, I had the wrong yarn color, so I had to wait until Monday to work with that, but I did get the ears and the brown part of the hair done. I just had to use my leftover muslin for the ears (and I think I might still be able to get one more pair out of the piece!) and leftover mohair from the Hamilton plush. I wish it was longer and curlier, but it's okay at least for now. I also started the blue shirt.

I puzzled for ages on how to attach the yarn and worried that I'd have to seal it with an open flame. Then someone at the craft comm presented a solution so simple I could hardly believe I hadn't thought of it: take a piece of yarn twice as long, twist it, and sew it down on the loop. That also saves time, as two braids get attached at once!

On Monday I searched and searched and couldn't find yarn in exactly the right color, but I found something that I hoped was close enough. I also got black fabric for the pants then. I wanted a light pink for the tie, but couldn't find any in the right material. Later I found a strip of light pink in exactly the right color that I had at home from my Rouge costume. I'd forgotten I'd bought that! I decided hot pink worked better for her and didn't use the light pink. I thought it would never get used. But it was exactly the length I needed for the tie! I was thrilled.

I also wanted Sharpie to make the face. I had to borrow a friend's brown Sharpie before, to make Lou, but I felt I should have my own, especially since I keep wanting to make these every now and then and I will be making at least one more (Barry). And I didn't really want to wait several days until I could maybe get my friend's again. Plus I needed a new black marker anyway. It frustrates me that I can only get brown in a set, but when I found a set for only $4 something after think it cost $6 something or even $8 something, I was over the moon enough that I picked that up too. I like making the face right away, as that brings the plushie to life for me.

I wanted elastic for suspenders, but I could never find any in the right color. The elastic was patterned, what the heck. No solid colors! Then I thought of bias tape, but I was low on funds and wasn't sure I wanted to pay for that. I thought maybe I could use leftover black cotton from the pants. It would take longer, since I'd have to do more sewing to use that, but I decided it would be worth it to save a little money.

Long story short, everything came together. The face shape wasn't quite right, as I knew it wouldn't be, but I really tried my best. The things I am most proud of are the yarn, the suspenders, and the fedora hat. I wasn't going to make one of those, especially when I couldn't find a decent tutorial, but then Wal-Mart had felt in exactly the right color and I thought maybe I'd give it a go and try to make it from common sense. And honestly, that worked! It looks really good. The only thing I haven't been able to do is dent it like a proper fedora. Still considering ways to do that.

I'll try to get pictures soon, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to, as we don't have a working digital camera and we rarely develop film. And my Twilight costume is not working out (can't find the right wig anywhere and now I'm broke after buying the third Equestria Girls movie, but that's okay; I'd rather have something I'll enjoy many times than something I'll likely only wear a couple of times), so I'll probably have to do something ghetto. I am determined to be a Twilight, but instead of Pony Twilight turned human, I'll probably have to be Pony Twilight as Pony. I have a purple sports suit I can wear, and maybe I can make construction paper ears and bangs/fringe. I'll still paint her symbol on my cheek. But the costume will be so simple, I don't know if I'll want pictures of it. Maybe I'll just use it for the girls' party next week and try to do something different on Halloween.

Anyway, maybe I can take Sean to the party and have one of the other leaders take a couple of pictures of him with her phone. If I don't do that (and maybe I'd rather not, since I don't know what kind of treatment he might get from the well-meaning but hyper girls), then I'll have to find a chance to get some film and take pictures the old-fashioned way. Gah, it makes me cringe that it costs $10 to develop one roll of film these days....

Let's see.... Other projects.... I'm planning the party and I'm trying to think of fun, harmless Halloween songs for it. (I am heartbroken that I likely can't use my favorite Halloween song, Zombie Jamboree, unless I use Kevin's version and I don't care for his version with the zombies falling apart humor in the bridge. I like Sean's versions much better, but a song that goes "I don't give a damn" at a church party for 8-11 year-olds ... yeaaah, not a good idea.) So I listened to Halloween songs on YouTube the other night. When I played Ghostbusters, I got this image of making a music video with pictures from my Ginger and Lou comic and other pictures I could draw that would have them fighting the supernatural. LOL. Of course, no one would even care about that other than me, and I'd probably get a lot of thumbs-down and "WTH is this" if I posted it on YouTube, but the idea really amuses me. Ginger and Lou end up as ghostbusters in my stories very often, sometimes because I'm writing creepy Halloween fics and sometimes because the prompts take me in that direction and sometimes because it just plain amuses me.

I'm looking for a wig for the Barry doll and am annoyed that I'm getting lots of listings for wigs in fancy styles. I can't find one simple brown wig with hair long enough to pull back into a ponytail. (I want the season 1 look; I love that thick ponytail!) There must be one somewhere; I'll keep looking. This trouble definitely makes me amazed that I found exactly the right wig for Ginger, and so easily.

Also wondering if I'll be able to find green fabric for his shirt. I think sometimes he wore light blue, but since I opted to give Sean blue and asked for Haruka Kou to make Scott with a blue shirt, I'd rather not have Barry wear blue too. But I'm worried that I'll only be able to find forest green and that is totally the wrong color. Maybe I'll have to review the colors Barry wore in only season 1 and pick one of those. I really wanted green, though, like the dark green he wore in the full-length Zombie Jamboree performance and in some of the other season 1 and beyond episodes.

Crystal and I have been having fun breathing new life into our steady RP ever since Crystal's enthusiasm started us on a second Carmen renaissance, and we just did a powerful and poignant arc based on The Hardy Boys episode Sole Survivor. Part of me really wants to make a fic version of it. The other part isn't sure I'd be comfortable with that. But I'm going to attempt it and see if I like what starts coming out. Naturally, as with all my fic versions of RPs, some things would be changed. I'd try to patch up a couple of small plotholes, for one thing. And I really want Snakes to be involved, since he was key in the RP, but since his association with the guys is different in the fics, his involvement would be different too. I'm already planning how to work him in.

I also need to finish A Change in My Life, I know. I have chapter 9 started. And I'm almost done with the Perry fic! Just the epilogue to go, squeeee. Then I'm slightly considering a story in three or four parts with Della and Sergeant Brice and maybe Andy puzzling over the mystery I sent them and the others on three years ago in a disturbing place called the Twilight House, based on recurring houses from my dreams. I always meant to return to that storyline, but didn't have the chance. If I could do it at Halloweentime, it would be perfect.

Current Mood: thirsty

Crystal found an old pic of the Dying Informant she macroed and I've been toying with it. I darkened it a lot (it was so light you could hardly see it) and made several versions. I also tried icons, like this one. I might not keep it; I'm experimenting. I wonder if it would look better with just the small text and not the big text?

EDIT: Both versions have pros and cons. I can't decide.

I love the aesthetic look of small text on icons, but I like it to mean something. This small text has my favorite part from Bed of Nails, the part I most associate with this character:

Bed of nails, every point is painful
Bed of nails, a thousand points of spite
Bed of nails, you know, the weak it ain't for
It hurts me just right

I'm thinking I may also make a banner version with bigger text and the entire part of the picture I'm toying with. (I cut everything with the macro off.) Maybe I'll prefer the banner and put it up somewhere in the journal instead of the icon. I'm just not sure. I wish LJ allowed more than 15 icon spaces without having to pay for any others!

And I've been pondering on Carmen's backstory. Of course, the most popular and well-known is that she was an ACME agent and decided being a criminal would be more challenging. That fits the Where on Earth cartoon version and is also the story in the games, I believe. But I'm not so sure it fits the game show version.

Of course, Carmen's attitude in the game show is pretty much stereotypical criminal, scoffing at law and order. That's the only side of her we see. It doesn't mean that's all there is. But I don't think the Earth version and the World version can really be the same character. The Earth version is the most well-developed and doesn't like violence. She's in it for the challenge. We don't actually know what the World version's stance on violence is, but we do know that her henchmen can be very violent. What Eartha did in Chumps D'Elysees was brutal. Top Grunge has also done very violent things (throwing the Dying Informant into a volcano?!). And I suppose we must assume that any time the Dying Informant comes back hurt, the crook of the day is responsible. Even if Carmen doesn't commit any of these acts herself, it would seem that she must not have too much of a problem with them happening since she keeps the gang around. On the other hand, the gang has certainly done plenty of things she doesn't like and is exasperated by, but if she really shared the Earth version's stance on violence, it would seem she would put her foot down on that.

Crystal and I have always tried to combine the Carmen versions for our RP, but I have often puzzled over how to really unite the versions in a way that makes sense. I used the ACME backstory in a fic I recently wrote, but even at the time I was unsure about it. Maybe before I print that story, I'll want to alter that plot point since I'm just not sure the World version was ever an ACME agent.

Current Mood: contemplative

To try to cheer myself up with all the mouse trouble, I wrote a parody of Sixty-Minute Man. The original is a pretty trashy song, I think, but I adore the parodies Sixty-Second Man and Creepy Criminal. And the tune is always getting stuck in my head. So I took the lyrics of the original song and re-wrote them to be about a Pied Piper who charms and sings to and pets the creatures and gets them out of people's houses within a minute. The arrangement is the one Rockapella uses, which I read is one they got from The Persuasions.

If your house is filled with mice,
Come see old Piper Dan
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all day long
I'm a sixty-second man

If you don't believe I'm all I say,
Come up; I'll tell my plan
Then I'll have you cry "Oh yeah!"
I'm a sixty-second man

There'll be fifteen seconds of charmin'
They'll say "Danny, Danny, please don't stop!"
Fifteen seconds of singin',
Fifteen seconds of pettin',
Fifteen seconds of them blowin' their tops

If your house ain't sealed up tight
Come see old Piper Dan
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all day long
I'm a sixty-second man

Sixty-second man
Gotta please 'em
That's the plan
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all day long
I'm a sixty-second man

There'll be fifteen seconds of charmin'
They'll say "Danny, Danny, please don't stop!"
Fifteen seconds of singin',
Fifteen seconds of pettin',
Fifteen seconds of them blowin' their tops

If your house ain't sealed up tight
Come see old Piper Dan
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all day long
I'm a sixty-second man

Charm 'em charm 'em
Pet 'em pet 'em
All day long
I'm a sixty-second man

Current Mood: giggly

So I decided to try extending the Steve fic and it worked! Now it looks so much better and more complete. I'm thrilled. Maybe now I can do the proofread and feel like it's done. I just wonder if anyone will even be interested in reading it if I post it as the long oneshot it's meant to be (especially since Steve is sadly not a popular character). It's turned out to be around 10,000 words. Maybe I'll have to split it into three or four smaller chapters. I don't know.

Also, I've had Bed of Nails stuck in my head lately. I think Scott said it's about insomnia, so it's a little too perfect for me. LOL. And it makes the scream of frustration take on very relatable meaning.

But I also associate it with the Dying Informant and his misadventures and his fight against V.I.L.E. I think I always thought of it that way, as my first fic involving that character was for The Burgled Bugatti episode and I called it The Weak It Ain't For. This bit especially makes me think of him:

Bed of nails, every point is painful
Bed of nails, a thousand points of spite
Bed of nails, you know the weak it ain't for,
It hurts me just right

Examining things from a fictional POV instead of seeing it as nonsense, he has to be a pretty strong-willed character to continually go up against V.I.L.E. and risk getting hurt (and end up dying so much of the time).

Meanwhile, I got out my Elliott plush and have been looking him over. If I use my imagination/look at him from certain angles, he does resemble Elliott even though the hair is wrong. (Oh, if only I could have had access to better quality pictures to give them.... It must have been baffling trying to deal with those.) Part of me regrets that I didn't wait until I had the money to get both him and Scott at once, as I had planned to do. Since I didn't, that opens up a whole new problem of what to do if I want to have plushies of the other three.

I could always commission SetsunaKou and HarukaKou to make Scott now. But I'd have the same problem with not being able to give them very good pictures and the hair might come out wrong. Plus, it's such a long wait these days. And there's always the question of how chibified he might end up or how well he might be sewn. Elliott seems like a rush job; I think out of all the plushies I've ordered from them, only he really gives me that feeling of seeming like a rush job. Some things, like the arms and the collar, just seem like they didn't have a lot of time put into getting them on quite right. However, if he's the only one who seems that way, then Scott likely wouldn't. I have about six plushies from them in all and have been very impressed with and love them. (Naturally so, or I wouldn't have kept ordering.)

If I tried to make plushies using the JoAnn plushies, they're really too big to align with Elliott properly. At least, certainly if I used one of them to make Scott, who is close to Elliott's height. Also, with Sean and Barry I run into that roadblock of the face shape problem again. I really hadn't wanted to make any plushies if the face shape wouldn't be the same approximate face shape as the JoAnn plushies.

I could try making them from scratch, but that sounds like a nightmare. I really like having a pre-stuffed doll as a base to work with. And it's difficult enough making hair, clothes, and ears, without having to also sew the plushie from scratch! Making the hair actually sounds fun, especially for Sean, and I like the thought of choosing different fabric for the shirts. But if I was making from scratch, who knows how stressed I'd be by the time I ever got to that point. Just doing what I do usually has me ready to scream before the project's over.

I could say "Screw size problems" and make all four from JoAnn dolls so they'd kind of match. But then I'd feel sad for that poor SetsunaKou Elliott. I feel like whatever I do, I need to accommodate him, even though yes, I know it's just a plushie that can't really feel or know anything. I'd just feel really guilty and sad if I didn't include him in whatever plans I make.

Maybe I should go see if SetsunaKou's prices and patterns have changed any. Maybe by now they would do things different enough and I should get Scott from them as per the original plan and then make Sean and Barry myself, even though the face shapes wouldn't be quite right.

Current Mood: pleased

Tweaked the lyrics of Fliptop Twister to fit Snakes in the Old West days. In doing so, I also discovered how the relationship ended. The girl really sounds like a femme fatale in part of the song, so I altered the last part to have her continuing to cheat on Snakes and he finally gets fed-up and breaks it off, even though he knows he'll be alone again.

The full, tweaked lyrics and musings are here: https://sites.google.com/site/w3andperry/songs-for-the-characters/fliptop-twister

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress---Rockapella

... It just occurred to me that I forgot to post that Misguided Missile ficlet to

31_days on the 31st. **headdesk.** I was pretty occupied with worrying about getting out to get stuff for Dad's birthday, as well as trying to help him fit the side mirror back on the car, so it makes sense that I'd forget. (It's been attached with duct tape for months and he finally decided to take that particular day to fix it back on properly.) I'll need to look the fic over and see if I can add anything more to it that could be inspired by another prompt. If not, I'll probably post it here or something, just to have it up somewhere. I wouldn't be posting it on FF.net, most likely, since the only players are oneshot episodic characters.

I think I'll plan to try to get that noir fic with Steve Drumm done in time for Richard Anderson's birthday on Saturday. We'll see how well that works out....

Also, I got out the From N.Y. album and have been skipping around playing some of the tracks while I've been reading emails and such. I remembered something I'd forgot: that I thought the song Fliptop Twister could describe Snakes and perhaps some failed affair he had back in the Old West days. In my headcanon, the only girls he could attract the attention of in the circles he ran with back then were interested in his money and his gambling luck, so he went with that and put on a boisterous facade, trying to get whatever enjoyment from it that he could, since he figured there was nothing else for him. Maybe I'll finally get around to writing something with that song as inspiration. Of course, since I am very disinterested by pairing OCs with canon characters in general, and even moreso if the story would be long, it would probably be either Snakes monologuing in his mind or telling someone about it, instead of actually showing everything that happened. And, unlike the male character in the song, it wouldn't be in Snakes' nature to roam and check out other girls during the time the affair was on, since if he was trying to make something work with someone he would put his all into it. Since the song doesn't cover the end of that dysfunctional relationship, I'd have to think whether the girl or Snakes ends things and why.

Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: From N.Y. album by Rockapella

So yesterday I watched the first Lance White episode of Rockford, since I'm about to bring him into my story. I think the second episode was actually funnier, at least where he was concerned. It's not a favorite episode of mine, but Lance's goody-goody behavior was a howl.

Afterwards, I watched Ginger and Lou's scenes from The Queen of Peru.

Some time later, I had a nap. And I dreamed some bizarre thing where Ginger and Lou seemed to be living at our house/our house was their house. The old house again, not the current one. I was out on the lawn and had spread a blue-and-white quilt down.

Cats were everywhere. The current cat we feed was there, and many, many more. They climbed all over the quilt, ate the food that was put out, and wanted to be petted.

After a while, something seemed to be happening, some bad guy afoot, and Ginger and Lou needed to get out of there because the guy seemed to be after them. And me, apparently, because I got in the car with them and off we went. Or maybe I was just along because I wanted to help them.

Somehow we ended up at a cemetery and there was a blue casket that I was carrying (!!!). I don't think there was really a body in it. We were still running from the bad guy, and Mom and Dad ended up in the dream too at that point. There were several chapels right in the cemetery and we went in one, and there were about three different services going on in different rooms. It was a big place, and all the rooms were visible and open at once, kind of like they were all stages. We were pretending we were trying to get to a service, but not one of those. Eventually we ducked out of there and I think I woke up about then.

Weird.

And pondering on the Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah, which I said I usually think of as either Ginger and Lou friendship or Ginger's life in general, according to my backstory. I definitely lean towards the latter interpretation. I used it as the backbone of a Ginger monologue piece where he's thinking on things and wandering through his childhood home. That piece opened my

100songs challenge, which only has about 12 fics left, I think.

Of course it doesn't fit exactly (no song would ever fit anything exactly, I'm sure), but overall, it works. To break down the song and explain how it fits with Ginger, it goes like this:

First Verse - Ginger's life in general. Does he like music? A good question. Perhaps it's Lou thinking on Ginger's aloofness and how to unlock the side of his personality he's keeping hidden.

Second Verse - Ginger's clashes with Vivalene. Although he did not return her advances, she certainly made them many times and tried to ruin him.

Third Verse - Ginger and Lou.

Modified Fourth Verse (altered it so it's ambiguous as to whether it refers to a sexual encounter or something else) - Ginger and his childhood friend Cynthia, with whom he had a falling-out. (Alternate interpretation: Lou thinking on how aloof Ginger has grown by the time of the Borland Diamond robbery.)

Fifth Verse - Ginger's cynicism and bitterness due to betrayals (such as Cynthia's).

Sixth Verse - Ginger's religious views, or lack of them.

Seventh Verse - Ginger trying to have some hope in his life, perhaps during the time he and Lou are in prison. He's hurt Lou and is regretful. He wants to do better.

Verses below the cut, including the modified verse 4. It's the first time I've shown it anywhere.

( Hallelujah )

Current Mood: tired

Sometimes it feels like I'm the only person who isn't totally wowed by Michael Buble. To me it seems like he just doesn't put enough emotion in his songs. They sound so slow and deadpan to me. And that's completely opposite of what most everyone and their dog thinks, so it must just be me.

That said, his version of Santa Baby is absolutely hilarious, cracky fun. I have never heard a guy try to tackle that song before. Clearly, he has quite the sense of humor.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Do You Hear What I Hear

So against my better judgment, I am now writing two Mannix fics concurrently, because I was dying to start the "town with a dark secret/town without pity" fic. Of course, I doubt I'm ever writing just one fic at a time, but I usually don't have two simultaneously going for the same category. I worry that will confuse people and make them mad, so I try not to do it.

Anyway, so the theme of the fic is "Town Without Pity" and out of curiosity, I looked up the lyrics for the song. It's been years since I've heard it. And honestly, I had to scoff and snark. It sounds like some melodramatic/over-dramatic teenager. The whole town turned against two people because they fell in love?

It would be different if there was some indication in the song that the pairing was somehow not what people would expect: one or both people being from the bad part of town, big age difference, something. But by all accounts and purposes, they're just an ordinary couple, one that people wouldn't generally bat an eye at.

I suppose the problem could be that they're considered too young to be seriously involved, but would a town really be absolutely violently and cruelly opposed if that was the only issue? Oh, I suppose maybe there's some that would be, but it sounds kind of ridiculous. Not it wouldn't always be ridiculous to ostracize people to the extent the song indicates is happening, but if it was that, say, one person had a bad reputation, that would be at least somewhat more understandable than some other reasons.

I also take issue with the song a bit for saying that "only people in love" know how cruel a town without pity can be, etc. That sounds pretty whiny/self-important/arrogant. There's a lot of people in real-life who have been hurt in towns without pity and many times it had nothing to do with romance. Of course, since the characters in the song are proclaimed "young", I suppose they're at a stage where they really could act whiny and self-important. And looking at it that way, the line makes sense, if that was deliberately how it was intended to come across.

Anyway, I am seriously amused by the song when I shouldn't be and I couldn't find any workable lines to use as a title for the fic except the title of the song.

It's interesting that the song comes off the way it does, really; it originated in quite a dark and tragic movie of the same title, and the movie does have some dark and tragic and cruel reasons why the townspeople are acting the way they are. The movie brings out the worst of human nature and makes a cold sense, unlike what the song is making. I'm not even sure what the song is making.

Current Mood: amused

I'm a third of the way through the

100songs challenge now. I just put up the 33rd installment this morning and have been tinkering with the 34th. I like to have several ideas waiting in the wings, so I've been trying to think of how to utilize some of the other songs on the chart.

One that I suddenly realized might prove a problem is My Immortal. While I swapped out a couple of songs for ones of my choice, and added some Writer's Choice ones at the end, that one was already on the chart and I kept it because I've always liked it. Problem is, it also has some deeply painful personal meaning to me and I started wondering how to use it with Ginger and Lou without it being absolutely ungodly depressing. There's two basic ways the song can be interpreted (either that someone has died or someone has betrayed or abandoned someone), and using either way with them would be potentially very depressing.

I think I finally figured out how to use it without completely slamming myself into the dumps, though. I decided to set it more from Lou's brother Mike's POV, and it will mostly be a flashback to the time from some of the

31_days prompts where they thought Lou was dead. Perhaps Mike will get into a rare argument with Ginger, with both of them grieving in different ways. And then in the present, there will probably be some squee at the end, since Lou is really alive.

Another song I've wondered about is one of my Writer's Choice ones, I Hope You Dance. It's such a beautiful song that not just any old story plot will do. I want something very uplifting and joyful, a celebration of life and love and friendship. I'm thinking that since scenery is such important imagery in the song, I'll have scenery play some part in the fic. Maybe Ginger and Lou are enjoying a day trip in the canyons for some reason.

Then I also wondered about There You'll Be. Another beautiful song, it's also somewhat bittersweet, as it implies physical separation between the people. I'm still pondering what to do with it. Then I had to go and remember that it was the song sung at the funeral of a cousin and his wife when they both died in a fire several years ago. And it was the grandkids singing it, making it all the more heartbreaking. Gah. It really upset and stunned me when that happened, and remembering it again today, I almost ended up crying. I'm sure I'll figure out something nice to do with the song, as it's another of my favorites, but I'll probably set it aside for the time being.

Current Mood: contemplative

This took a long time to sort out. XD But I think I've finally figured it out, for the most part. ^^

( All About Songs! )

I've just created Siegfried's doppelganger. XD He's into grunge/punk, and he likes black roses. But he's a nice guy, and surprisingly, he seems to have hit it off with Tazi's hyper and preppy doppelganger Eostre. XD LOL. His name is Baltasar. It just sounded cool and seemed to fit.

I have so many drawing projects for the weekend now. XD I hope I can get at least some of them done!

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Life is a Like a Boat---Rei Fu

This really kewl guy has been sending me lots of the rare Evanescence tracks. ^^ The band says they don't care if people download their early stuff, so I don't think I'm doing anything wrong. XD Anyway, my favorite is Give Unto Me. I don't think I mentioned this before. But it sounds just like Rishid to Marik! ^O^

I also like this song here. It sounds like Marik to Yami Marik, perhaps during the duel Yami Marik had with Mai. Marik was probably just starting to realize the horrible plight he was in.

"I Must Be Dreaming"

How can I pretend that I don't see
What you hide so carelessly?
I saw her bleed
You heard me breathe
And I froze inside myself
And turned away
I must be dreaming

We all live
We all die
That does not begin to justify you

It's not what it seems
Not what you think
No I must be dreaming
It's only in my mind
Not in real life
No I must be dreaming

Help you know I've got to tell someone
Tell them what I know you've done
I fear you but spoken fears can come true

We all live
We all die
That does not begin to justify you

It's not what it seems
Not what you think
No I must be dreaming
It's only in my mind
Not in real life
No I must be dreaming

Not what it seems
Not what you think
I must be dreaming

Just in my mind
Not in real life
I must be dreaming

Or it could be for Paper Flowers. I think I've already figured out the rest of the songs for that fic, though. Maybe I'll use it in a short story. But I'm sure I'll use it somehow. I know! WALLPAPER!

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: I Must Be Dreaming by Evanescence

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Musings.
What a long day.
Wow.
...
Hmm.
Wouldn't it be great if Pied Pipers were real?
Plushie problems
Fliptop Twister
More thoughts....
More wacko dreams.
Michael Buble
Town Without Pity
Song challenge
Music Meme!
I Must Be Dreaming song

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Page generated Jul. 11th, 2025 04:48 am

Ramblings and Musings of the Insane, Philosophical Ladybug

We were so carefree then, our hearts were on a cloud....

Entries tagged with songs

Musings.

What a long day.

Wow.

...

Hmm.

Wouldn't it be great if Pied Pipers were real?

Plushie problems

Fliptop Twister

More thoughts....

More wacko dreams.

Michael Buble

Town Without Pity

Song challenge

Music Meme!

I Must Be Dreaming song