*ahem*

Am not:
• Dead
• Sick of NoMap
• A quitter

Am:
• Employed full-time
• Sick
• On medication (makes me sleepy/dizzy/unable to drive)
• Writing
• Collaborating on secret nonsense with fellow AU-Zutara loon. Can you guess who? ^_~


Meanwhile go read Fandomme's stuff because it’s forged out of 100%-chocolate-coated-coffee-and-lightning-awesome. True fact.

Honestly? I hate November. There are reasons for this, not the least of which is that, in true schizophrenic northerner fashion, I love November. But I hate it. Don’t try to figure this out. Really.

But, hey, whatever, this is a writing blog, not a whine tasting. So in the spirit of NaNo, I’m going to glue my attention back getting NoMap back on track. Because, seriously, if there are no new chapters out this year…call the undertaker.

The following is a (supposed) excerpt from "bearing" a.k.a. “The Southern Temple” episode. Notice the complete lack of any and all temples. This passage was originally a mere paragraph and furthermore destined for something else entirely, but somehow keeps sneaking back into here. It’s also part of my ever-dodgy campaign to attempt putting cleaner “plainer” prose into Tempest. As such it’s mostly slow and rather prosaic, neither adjective being one I’m overly fond of.

Still, at least it’s written.

( bearing )

So. Keep or snip?

I meant November 8th.

goingtodiesoveryverydead

[Thanks to virande for inadvertently pointing out that I am indeed incapable of reading a children's calendar. Vertigo for teh w1n.]

This journal is on blackout till November 5th due to the owner's desperate attempt to once again try and conquer the UMass Russian proficiency examination.

goingtodiediedieDIE

Mmyeah, so here’s the dealie-o. I spent the majority of last week praying to the porcelain deity (a.k.a. sick+stomach=vomit) and the weekend trying to survive other people’s birthdays. Thus no weekly pic (yet). This week has me stuck behind a laptop keyboard at work fiddling with translation and drawings. Sadly, this assignment lacks sufficient Internet access. It’s also pretty boring.

So how does this affect you, darling Tempest reader?

Throw me a prompt and I'll write you a drabble-something-or-other. Pick past, present, an argument or a reassurance, a quote, a question, a dinner choice, the married life, the funeral, whatever whenever with whomever. Come on, shoot to kill. The only catch is this: nothing from season 1.

And while on the subject of useless behavior...

Being semi-comatose, feverish, and (theoretically) bathroom/bedridden did serve some (damn) purpose—and I have a tiny notebook full of shoddy scribbling to prove it. Here’s what progress was made during the plague stint:

( A lot of this won’t make sense to anyone except…um…well…actually, a lot of this won’t make sense, period. Fancy that. )

Kudos to crzysheelf for asking a question about the Kat/Aang canon/Temp differences over at the Grill, and thus making me remember the existence of certain dusty drabbles.

( Wanted, Dead or Alive )


( To Have, But Not Hold )


( Filter )


Also: I am vomitously sick (complete with mild fever and shakes) and trying to read Anne Sexton while listening to that Step Up song and Chad Kroeger on brain-numbing repeat. I fear to think what fic will arise.

Ah, Monday. Bringer of coffee and workload mountains, early traffic and uncomfortable office shoes.

And the new pic of the week!

( Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them. - Suzanne Necker )

And to make things even odder sweeter, here's a poll to twirl with:
This principle is old, but true as fate, / Kings may love treason, but the traitor hate. - Thomas Decker
Poll #1064097 Poll #1 - Katara's Choice
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Is Katara a traitor?

I mean, come on, she drugged the whole d*mn ship.

Zutara—the Friendship
Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Anon.

I’ve had several interesting responses to the Tempest-friendship angle. Many were positive (thank you), a few were very puzzled (fair enough), and some seemed to have assumed they spent all of childhood playing kissing games behind the Fire Lord’s throne (…what?).

Honestly, I never got to show as much about the duo’s friendship as I wanted, and initially planned, to. In No Map I hope to remedy this. Meanwhile, I’m awfully curious to know what the rest of the Zutara empire thinks of the two being friends. Just…friends. Because we all know that can be complicated enough on its own.

So. What do you think?

The Q&A Grill

Finished the fic, but still confused about some random this or that? Got a burning question that demands explanation? Was "development" really Zuko and Katara's first kiss? What is Katara's favorite tea? Did Zuko fall into any other pond? Do you really absolutely have to know about the (in)famous “Goat in the Prince’s Bed” incident? How many damn awful travel songs does Katara (and Iroh) know?

Here's the time and place to ask, matey. At worst, if I don’t know the answer—I’ll make one up. And that always leads to chaos of the most charming sort.

WARNING: Pestering about updates, no matter how cute or clever, will be politely, but firmly, ignored.

Hey, kids, it's the Pic of the Week! The goal is to post one of these bad boys every week. All of which is flagrant lies, I assure you.

( You know who I am... )

AN: I’m fairly sure this gibberish came about as a result of a writing prompt exchange with the illustrious, and often bedeviling, rashaka. That, and too much indulgence in Heian era descriptions. Personally, I think the first paragraph is drivel that needs to be scrubbed with a wire brush, but listing the incense ingredients was fun.

( a*mythology*of*scent )

( Additional notes of no particular importance )