Hello everyone.

It's....been a long time.

I apologize for ...pretty much disappearing for several months. I've been meaning to update, but, well, it's a long story, and the short version is this:

- I lost my job and couldn't find another one. This meant I had to cut back on my spending pretty severly, including spending money on the internet. :/ There are no cybercafes or whatnot here, and the library here doesn't have online access on their computers. Then to top it all off, my computer pretty much got fried somehow, so I had to save up to repair it so I didn't even have that.

- I started back at school. Thanks to a loan from my (oh so very kind) parents and financial aid, I've been able to afford it. So I'm back in school again! This also means that, since I'm living at the dorms, I'll have internet access again! In fact, I would have had it already but I just managed to get the computer fixed and get the net set up at home again. I'm at the parents now testing out the computer (IT WORKS.), but I'll be going back to Dekalb on Monday, so I should, if all with the internet set up goes well, be back online by Monday evening. I've not had a chance to write a lot (though I still have like 99 billion ideas floating around in my head) and I'm sure I'm hopelessly behind on the RP (alas and alack; I loved that RP. I hope you guys found a new Yue Ying - though if you didn't, is there any hope I could play her again? *bashful grin*) and LJ (I'm so sorry for not commenting on any of your journals in...well, forever.) And of course, I still want to make the DW Link List, a long delayed project, but not a long forgotten one. I promise I will try to catch up very quickly though, and hopefully not disappear again.

I see livejournal has changed a bit in my absense...I wonder what tags are? *goes to look*

I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you!

Hey guys,

Still not dead. Unfortunately having a few troubles at work and home that are monopologizing most of my time; hopefully will be able to give better update soon. Sorry I've been so MIA; it really couldn't be helped. I'll try to catch up soon (tm soon) and fill you all in on the VERY long story.

Alive.

But very, very hot and miserable.

Sorry I'm behind.

Heatwave hopefully breaking soon.

Will catch up then.

Sorry I haven't been around a lot. It's very, very hot here and my room feels like it's on fire. I've been spending a lot of time out due to the bad weather, so I probably won't be in the compu room until it cools off a LOT more. The room the computer is in is the worst of them all.

Haven't forgotten about the link list (see this entry), but haven't had time to really develop anything for it.

I'm heading back to the air conditioned area, now. ^^;

You know, there's so few English resources for Dynasty Warriors; and while there's many more in Japanese...It's in Japanese, and thus, not that accessible to primarily English speaking fans. I had gotten so used to thinking it so small a fandom, I nearly dropped in shock when I found musou search.

And that got me thinking - shouldn't there be a list? Sure, YueYing.net has some links, but it's not every site, and there isn't a lot of details on his/her link list.

So I'm thinking: Why don't I make a GIGANTIC Link list of like, every DW/Ro3k/Kessen/etc site I can find (that allows to be linked to, of course; I'm not going to link to a site the author wishes to remain quiet.), English, Japanese, and other? And make a guide to searching for the Japanese sites, since I think there is a need for it - stuff like common pairing notations, words like yaoi, illustration, warning, etc? Good idea? Bad idea? Crackpot idea?

I'm kind of jazzed and want to do it, but I also want to bounce it off some others first. And since you, darling friends <3, are almost certainly all DW fans, I thought you would be the best ones. ^_^;

( Early thoughts on organization )

( An early? example of what I'm thinking of: )

(Fair warning: European politics rant. Proceed at your own risk. Disclaimer: Am not European. Just interested.)

What is it with people who, when confronted with an outcome they don't like, simply refuse to accept that there are people who don't agree with them?

Good example: Look at the recent Dutch and French refusals to join the European Union (EU). Both cases, the voter turnout was pretty high - 63% of the voting population in the Netherlands voted; 62% of those voters were against joining the EU, and only 38% were for it. In France, two thirds of the voters showed up, and 55% voted to reject it, and 45% wanted to join the EU. Both of those, to me, show a fairly clear majority not wanting any part of doing with the European Union. So the matter is solved, yes?

Not quite. No one seems to be wondering why the matter didn't pass; instead, they just quickly blame different scapegoats for it:

( The Ad Campaign )

( The Young )

( The Poor )

( The Referendum )

I'm sure there are no easy answers here, but I highly doubt the scapegoats of these campaigns are really what is at fault. Unfortunately for those who want the EU to pass, I see it being a hard uphill battle, because just based on the negative votes on these two referendums, the EU seems to have no interest in taking the concerns of the people into account, and a lot of politicians seem to be adopting a "The people should listen to us, we know better." tone which is...Not so good. The EU has potential, I think, but this certainly isn't going to help it get off the ground. I won’t be surprised to see another resolution on the EU in the countries who rejected it within the decade, and I won’t be surprised if the way they approach it is the same as they do now, just with “hipper” wrappings. But a wolf’s a wolf, and dressing it in sheep’s clothing isn’t going to make the shepherd anymore likely to accept it into the flock, if y’know what I mean.

Argh. Was Sima Yi married? I wanted to make a passing mention to her in a fic I'm (badly ;_;) writing and I just can't find any mention of her name, or even if he was married at all. He has a couple of children, so it's not like he was a hermit or whatnot, but even looking for info on Sima Zhao and Sima Shi doesn't help turn up any information on their mother(s). I've heard people joke that he was, erm, a bit liberal with his loving, shall we say, so I'm surprised how little information there is out there concerning any of his lovers. If anyone could help me out, I would be immensely grateful and, like, be your bi-zatch forever.

Debating on asking in dynastywarriors, but I don't want to crowd up the community with a slightly silly question, but I might if I can't find it anywhere else.

In other news, good lord is Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX hard. I just beat the tutorial with only a week to go (and unlocked Huang Yue Ying, huzzah - love her portrait) and now I'm playing the Yellow Turban rebellion and they're totally kicking my ass quite riduculously.

OH MY GOD.

Just.

OH MY GOD.

Best. Movie. Ever. <3 I see why the other two were needed now. OH MY GOD.

Will write more on it when less tired, but I think this is going to replace ESB as my favorite Star Wars, ever.

I went out to breakfast with my dad today.

The waitress asked my dad what "his missus" would be having.

My father is 56 (and looks it).

I am 20.

Buzuhah?

Have unlocked Zuo Ci.

All I can say is: Good lord! And I thought Lu Bu was overpowered. He's an absolute monster. Interesting character, though I'm not sure he really needed eight stages. ^^;

I think I'm almost done with DW5; I've got a few more endings to unlock and I'm not sure if I'll bother with the ultimate weapons for every character (What is the point of unlocking Xu Zhu's ultimate weapon? I hardly ever use him.) but I've got Zhuge Liang's, Sima Yi's and Yue Ying's thus far. Will probably get Pang Tong's, Xing Cai's, Cao Cao's, Zhu Rong's, Meng Huo's, Cao Pi's, and Zhen Ji's, but after that I'm not sure if I'll try to get them for everyone or just leave that for whenever I feel like playing again.

DW5 is quite the fun game. I have to admit I'm really curious what they're planning on doing for the add on games this time. The musou mode in this one is really just like the DW4: XL musou mode, but with more stages.

I think I'm going to purchase DW3. I wasn't sure if I was going to at first, but it's a new beat-'em-up and it's only 7.99 at the game shop right now, so I figure I might as well get it when I have the money to burn.

Also picked up the Dresden Dolls CD today; tis quite good, though definately different. I really adore "Coin Operated Boy."

BOOYAH.

I have seen the other side of the mountains of volumous of homework, and it is a glorious sunrise. "Huzzah! Huzzah!" I cry. Now I just have approx. 1,999 different papers due by the end of the week. Urgh. But the tests are done, the projects are done...I have overcome the evil tests and projects, and I shall overcome the papers soon, and then be left to my own devices. (Huzzah!)

In videogame news:

I've made good progress on DW5. I have most people unlocked, I'm missing Wei Yan, Yuan Sho, and Zuo Ci, I believe, and that's it. I think I have everyone else out, though I'm not as far through the endings as I'd like to be. I have most of the items - almost all of the saddles (the Shadow Harness continues to taunt me, though - such a hard requirement!), a couple of the orbs, and almost everything of the items except the fire arrows, mostly because I don't ever use the arrows. ^^;)

Also? Sima Yi x Cao Pi? Haaawwwwwtt. So very. *ahem* I think it's possibly becoming my favorite pairing, especially after seeing Cao Pi's ending. So, he doesn't mind what Sima does after he dies, hmm..? Interest-ink.

'Nuff said.

The Aff.net archive of DW fics kind of scares me a bit.

I'm all for couples of every gender and mash-up, but, uhm, Meng Huo x Xiao Qiao? Xiao Qiao looks like eight. Da Qiao/Xiao Qiao/Dong Zhuo? Kind of icky. No, not kind of icky - really icky. I realize the age of consent was much lower in those days and that women were married off at that age, but the idea of someone getting their rocks off to Dong Zhuo taking advantage of two adolescent girls rather makes my stomach turn.

Thankfully, most of it isn't like that, but the stories that are give me pause. And since there's quite a few pr0nny fics, I suppose I can't complain. ^^;

I have so much work, I think I will explode from all the responsibility.

How did I get buried under all this, again?...

Is such a pain in the butt to get. I come so close, but I just can't defeat Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei in under a minute. :(

Am really tempted to stop using Zhuge Liang and Yue Ying and Zhu Rong and just tearing through the mission with Lu Bu.

But I will not give up!

RED HARE SADDLE, THOU WILL BE MINE.

I'm really having a hard time thinking up ideas for something to write.

Which is really aggravating, since all I want to do is write.

But I put pen to paper (or, er, hand to keyboard), and I get nothing.

Sigh.

Desperate. Am. I.

Lol, my sister has an LJ and I never realized until today when I went to log-in and it said "Welcome, (her name)."

Wonder if I should friend her.

Just for shits and giggles; see if she recognizes her little sis. >:)

Oh dear lord. Just started playing DW5 (I'm late to the party, yes, but I am a poor college student ;_;) and just ran into Lu Bu.

Dear Lord.

Is it just me, or have they made him even more powerful than before?

If a man's wealth is to be judged by the love of his family, then Kazuya Mishima is a very poor man. Let's examine his role in the context of his family, shall we?

( Heihachi Mishima and Kazuya Mishima: Father and Son, Murderer and Murderer )

( Kazuya's phantom mother )

( Lee Chaolan and Kazuya Mishima: The Brothers Who Would Be But Rivals )

And then there's Jin and his mother, Jun, but the issues within the Kazuya/Kazama family dynamic are so complex (and I so tired) that I wish to save them for another post.