deviantART: by:EmpressFunk

http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/22635948/ Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:12:28 PST

_{(This is entirely conducive to my writing process, who says it's not?!)}

Rules:
1. Choose 10 of your OCs, or friends if you don't have that many. (NO READING THE QUESTIONS AT THIS STAGE)
2. Read the little blurb.
3. Answer the questions below.
4. Tag 3 people.

1. Eric Young
2. Jace Levin
3. Jesse Woods
4. Jordan McClain
5. Cody Gonzales
6. Blaze
7. Karen Johnson
8. Michael Biagan
9. Vanessa Macias
10. Laura and/or Rick Ravens

Your OCs move into your neighborhood in late August.
When you realize this you also notice that you've all signed up for the same school and take the same bus.

With this, answer the following:

Number 1 (Eric) comes over to share the news. Your reaction:
To stutter awkwardly and say that's cool, because Eric's really tall and it's kinda weirding me out, I now see him up close.

Number 2 (Jace) calls and asks if you wanna walk to the the bus stop together. You say:
"Sure! Did you see the latest Battlestar Galatica episode?"
"Boy, did I!"
Merriment and nerdgasms ensue.

Number 3's (Jesse) locker is right next to yours. Is this okay?
Well, it's kinda weird considering he's a guy and all. Unless the guys kicked him out because he's gay. Poor dear.

Number 4 (Jordan) and Number 7 (Karen) are in almost all the same classes. Will this end well?
They might talk to each other out of necessity and eventually realize that they'll startlingly similar in some aspects, particularly in viewpoint. Jesse and Eric would then have long, meaningful talks where they worried about whether their significant others are plotting something.

Number 10 (...let's say Laura) asks Number 6 (Blaze) out. Where will they go and what will they do?
Laura has grown wary of Blaze's bizarre sense of fashion and resolves to take her out to some designer stores to fix her up nicely. Blaze is a bit wary about being alone with Laura (what with her father being a Big Bad Scientist and all), but eventually enjoys the "Girls' Day Out" aspect of it. She's not getting rid of her rain boots or the tye-die sweaters, though.

Number 5 (Cody), Number 8 (Michael) and Number 9 (Vanessa) will form a club. What will it be?
Club Rice and Beans. Michael thought up the name, of course. (Thanks to some earlier behind-the-scenes magic, Vanessa is now half-Mexican.) Basically, Michael decided that the bilingual brown people of the Alliance should combine to form a subgroup. Even though Vanessa isn't really that bilingual. And Karen's more brown than all of them. Whatever.

Would you join?
Karen and I would join the subgroup of Club Rice and Beans, club...uh, Chicken and Waffles. (I'm really hungry now.)

You all meet after class to exchange phone numbers and email addresses. You give yours to Number 2 (Jace), will they call or message you?
Jace is shamefully unembarrassed to call people on the phone, as he makes it a common practice with Elijah. Also, if he calls, he can talk at length and in detail. Always a plus.

You see Number 5 (Cody) and Number 7 (Karen) hugging as they walk out of school. What does this mean?
That Karen is a heathen slut and is cheating on Eric. Or just likes hugs, I dunno.

"That better be platonic, bitches! You're not vaguely romantic love interests anymore!"

Number 10 (Rick, this time) throws a party, will number 3 (Jesse) come?
Jesse, a neo-hippie liberal, attend Rick's presumably posh, classy dinner party? Lol, no. The only thing those two have in common is that they're both blond and gay. Okay, maybe a typical 18-year-old wouldn't quite throw a posh dinner party, but...it's Rick.

You attend Number 10's (Rick) party and see Number 6 (Blaze) sitting in a chair, away from everyone. Why?
Blaze is confused as to why everyone seems to be casting her disdainful looks over their shoulders and muttering about her clothes.

Number 8's (Michael) house burns down, will Number 1 (Eric) let them stay at theirs?
Well, Eric would, since he's a nice person and all, but more than likely it was Michael's fault his house burned down; probably caused by an eletrical fire that sprouted up after Michael overexerted his powers yet again.

Number 5 (Cody)... ]]> ~EmpressFunk New Year: Clean House, and Commissions http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/22392961/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/22392961/ Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:56:30 PST Happy New Year, everyone!

I never tend to make New Years Resolutions, but this year I seem to be in dire need of changing my habits from 2008 and starting fresh. Last year was full of clutter: financial clutter, online clutter (mail and backlogs of messages and whatnot), and so on. So, I'm resolving to clean house and get my shit together. Sorta.

Financially speaking, I'm in the pooper, but I'm starting full-time work this week, so I'm hoping that'll level the playing field in the War Against Debt and Bad Credit. I'm also going to be taking commissions too (well, I've always been taking commissions, but I'll be subtly reminding my watchers more often of this fact).

Internet-wise, I've got 775 backlogged messages that are coming at me faster than I can respond, so I think I might just do a massive "Thank You!" picture or something, and then clean out the 630 and 100 new (and now probably not so new) watchers comments I still haven't properly responded too. I'M SORRY I SUCK. This is what happens when you try to talk to a Veteran Procrastinator. D:

Anyway. New Year. I figure if I start out small with goals like "Get Out of Debt" and "Clean Out My Inbox," I can move onto bigger and better things like "Work on Finishing Your Damn Book So You Can Send It To Publishers, It's Been Nearly Eight Years Already, Goddamn," and other various endeavors of that nature.

_{Damn, this journal's long. I think I'll make a separate Commissions post.}

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~EmpressFunk MERRY CHRISTMAS! http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/22178011/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/22178011/ Wed, 24 Dec 2008 22:49:32 PST AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I'll be making an mini-epic seven-hour road trip tomorrow (man, that's a lot of hypens), but I'm actually looking forward to it. Got my snacks ready, my gas tank full, and my iPod shuffle loaded up with some new songs. Should be good stuff.

Hope your holidays are merry!

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~EmpressFunk RE: The Epic Fail That Is the Avatar Casting http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21939976/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21939976/ Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:47:53 PST
And along that vein...

I also just had a simultaneously wonderful yet horrible thought. Imagine, if you will, I get the Alliance published. "Yay!" you and I say excitedly. Imagine a little further, if you can, that they make a movie (I'm dreaming big, just go with me on this). "Well, that's great!" we proclaim. And then imagine--Michael, Cody, Karen and Blaze (maybe Vanessa 'cause I changed her last name to "Macias" and Jordan because he's a mix of everything) are suddenly painted with the white brush. I don't know about you, but I'd flip a bitch.

Seems like whenever there's "colorblind casting" going on, a large portion of that cast seem to be of the Caucasian persuasion. Hmm.

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... ]]> ~EmpressFunk Team Humans http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21708032/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21708032/ Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:11:39 PST
Bella: "You're dark and mysterious."
Edward: "You smell delicious and I can't read your mind."
Bella: "I love you."
Edward: "I love you too. Now get away from me. ...No, wait, come back. ...No, seriously, get the fuck away."
Bella: "Oh, Edward...you're beautiful." *_*
Edward: "THIS IS THE SKIN OF A KILLER."
Me:

But you know who did get injected with some personality? Bella's human NotFriends. Mike Newton (who I sorta love), Jessica, Eric, and Tyler (the last two who were sprinkled with the same Ethnic Dust that Laurent got a helping of). They were actually kind of amusing, and made me realize yet again what a heinous bitch Bella is for ignoring them for her cool new vampire friends.

But in the end, I have to remind myself that these characters were originally written by Stephenie Meyer, who gave us other such gems as Bella "Ms. Dependant and Dumb" Swan and Edward "Obsessive, Controlling Stalker" Cullen.

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~EmpressFunk I think I should have 38,000 words by now. http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21636150/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21636150/ Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:00:46 PST
Anyway. So, I haven't really written anything for NaNoWriMo. I wrote this short drabble about a slacker vampire in Isla Vista (my college-town full of debauchery), mostly thanks to my annoyance at Twilight. I started rereading Half-Blood Prince, and I've progressed to Chapter 3 of the Anomalies, but don't really know if I want to post anything considering I've got a backload of comments/watches from August that I still haven't gotten around to yet. Speaking of:

To all of you who have faved/commented/watched me and I still haven't responded back to you: Sorry I'm such a lazy butt. But thank you so much for faving/commenting/watching me! I really, really appreciate it, even if I haven't thanked you individually yet. I'm just so sloooow about things.

I need to write some more.

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~EmpressFunk FUCK YEAH, AMERICA. http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21332096/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21332096/ Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:05:30 PST
FUCK YES, AMERICA. MOTHERFUCKING HELL YES. BARACK OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT-ELECT. SWEET JESUS. SWEET BUTTERY CHRIST, I DON'T THINK I'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO SLEEP TONIGHT I'M SO GODDAMN EXCITED. OMG. OMG. OMG, YES WE DID. WE FUCKING DID IT.

Okay, caps lock off. I seriously have never been this involved in politics before until this election. I voted in 2004, but this year I actually volunteered for this campaign. I called people across the country (Wassup, Nevada and New Mexico?), called people locally (thank you for voting, fellow Santa Barbara folks), and helped host a election-watching party at my house. I've never felt so excited and inspired. I've never been so involved. I've never been so proud to be an American than right now.

On the other hand, this country still has a long way to go. Arizona and Florida banned gay marriage; California is looking like it wants to follow suit. We've got a way to go before we can really live up to our "All men are created equal" motto, but I think we've made some strides today. We lost a few battles, but we won the war. We can still continue to strive towards progress.

Yes we can, y'all. Yes. We. Can.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/21238175/ Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:16:06 PDT 'Cause that worked so well before.

One of my bosses is going to San Francisco this weekend with her wife (maybe for Prop 8? Maybe not?). As she was leaving, another boss was saying to her "Don't worry; everything will work out. Try not to think about it too much."

I seriously cannot imagine having to worry about whether or not a fucking proposition would suddenly invalidate my marriage because a bunch of strangers want to tell me how to live my life.

If you're in California and of voting age, please vote No on Prop 8 on Tuesday. If it passes, it would be the first time California has actively amended its Constitution to actually discriminate against a certain group, rather than protect them.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/20587544/ Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:26:40 PDT Stolen from *kreugan, because--as usual--I'm bored at work. ~~I should really be replying to those comments that keep stacking up...>.>~~

Name a character that you know I write or have written, and I'll tell you:

a. What initially prompted me to write about them.
b. One of their best traits.
c. One of their worst traits.
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character.
e. The moment where I feel that I truly captured the character.
f. My plans to write the character in the near future.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19810452/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:39:53 PDT The Alliance, I need your help. What questions did you have after the story ended that you think could be addressed better in the rewrite, or maybe weren't addressed at all? And I don't mean 'shipping questions like "Will Eric/Jace, Blaze/Cody, Rick/Me ever happen?" I mean plot-like questions. Was there anything bugging you in the story that I never addressed?

I've only gotten as far as the first chapter on the rewrite, and that's mostly because I want to make sure I've got all my bases covered before I plunge into this thing again. Copious amounts of backstory and character notes, along with trying to patch up the plotholes on the previous version. Anything ya'll can come up with would be much appreciated--having more than my own set of eyes reading this story has been a big help in the editing process.

EDIT: So, for my watchers who might still be interested in The Alliance, I've got an LJ community here that people might want to join. I'll be posting excerpts from the new story, along with changes, and whatnot, but it's also an open community too, many anyone can join and post if they want to.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19647300/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:05:34 PDT IT'S REAL.

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The Alliance
~EmpressFunk Y SO AWESOME? http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19457718/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19457718/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:20:55 PDT
Everyone was so good in that movie. I know buzz has been about Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker (which was fucking astounding, by the way), but everyone in that movie was so good, Aaron Eckhart especially for not getting that much hype. Holy God. Go see it if you haven't already. JUST. GO.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19277644/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:44:44 PDT
Commissions Information

Flat Colors (with gradient or blank background): $7
Example:

ÂCelÂ-Shading (and simple background): $10
Examples:

ÂCelÂ-Shading and complex background: $12
Examples:

Complex Shading (plus simple background): $15
Examples:

The Whole Shebang: Complex Coloring/Background: $20
Examples:

Realistic Portraits: $25 (For these, I'll need you to email/note/whichever me a picture of what you want drawn, please!)
Example:

For more than three characters, here's how it rolls:

For 4 charact... ]]> ~EmpressFunk *rises from the ashes* http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19264901/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/19264901/ Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:39:55 PDT
Also, money is tight and I'm thinking about taking commissions, if anyone's interested. I'll probably make a more official journal about it later.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18755129/ Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:18:18 PDT The Alliance. I'm...a little haggard. D:

At the same time, I'm looking forward to "the end." Like I said, graduation is on Sunday (I seem to be the last one of everyone I know graduating, sheesh) and I'm very excited about this whole "free time" thing. I'll be working, sure, but I can actually use my free time now to write and draw on my stories and not feel guilty about it.

And speaking of, I'm hoping to sync up the end of my schoolin' career with the end of The Alliance, some seven years after I first started writing it. (For you Curious Cosbies out there who haven't seen it, let me take you on a trip down memory lane.)

I'm almost done with the last chapter, and then I'll write the epilogue. I'm not sure if I want to post them separately or together. I'll probably think about it once I get it all done. Which I hope will be this week.

EDIT: Just thought I'd combine the previous entry with this one...it feels sort of nostalgic/self-congratulatory.

Found this on a random deviant's () journal.

It's never as good as we want it to be. We're all such harsh critics on our own works. So, for a change, let's think of things we *like* about our own art.

1. What do you like about your style?

I dunno...I like that it looks a little different from other styles out there. And by that I mean, "not anime, and not Disney." So...that's something, right? (Actually, scratch that--I'd probably love my art if it resembled Disney stuff. Holy fuck, I love Disney art.)

2. Which is the most popular deviation in your gallery? Why do you think people like it so much? What do YOU like about it?

Harry Potter. Fanart = popular. I guess I like that it's kinda of endearingly cartoony. That seems cute.

3. Pick one of your least popular deviations. What are the things you like about it, despite the lack of popularity?

I drew this five years ago in my AP art class, and I still really like it; it's hanging on my wall right now. It's Jon Stewart in a dress--what's not to like? It's also one of the few traditional art pieces I have in my gallery: it was done entirely in colored pencil.

4. Which is your favorite picture, concept- or idea-wise? Would you ever revisit this idea and try to make a new picture based on it again?

This is seriously one of the few pictures that turned out almost exactly as I saw it in my mind's eye. I need to *finish* it, but as it stands, I still really like it.

5. Do you have a favorite quickie? What are the things you like about it?
... ]]> ~EmpressFunk OBAMA. http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18650702/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18650702/ Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:28:01 PDT EXCUSE ME WHILE I FREAK THE FUCK OUT IN JOY, PLZ.

(I really hope he picks Hillary or Edwards as his running mate, omg omg.)

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~EmpressFunk Short...story? http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18635443/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18635443/ Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:56:52 PDT into the habit of submitting. Get your name out there for editors to
see. No fear!"

So. Off I go to try to scrounge up something from the dark recesses of my old stories, or create something entirely new in less than 24 hours. Or, you know, just not turn in anything.

Oy.

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~EmpressFunk I am *not* dazzled. http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18294965/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18294965/ Mon, 12 May 2008 18:41:03 PDT

::rolls around in joy::

OH THANK GOD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. (Yes, mine is the one on the end--it matches in color, I thought it looked nice...)

I just finished reading Twilight today, and proceeded to lose my shit in my LJ ranting about it, so the timing is PERFECT.

(ALSO: Hey, if you like Twilight, that's fine by me. To each their own.)

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18102181/ Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:36:26 PDT
So, who out there writes original fiction? I know of few of you guys do, and a friend of mine on LJ has just started a writing community (Runaway_Tales) for people who would like to have some fun with their original characters, a place for brainstorming and story-swapping. We have prompts people can use to write or draw out things from their stories, but it's still pretty new right now. Come on over and check it out!

Runaway_Tales
Runaway_Tales
Runaway_Tales

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/18092468/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:35:36 PDT All right, fine. I really should be doing something better with my time, you know.

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~EmpressFunk Devious Journal Entry http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17952108/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17952108/ Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:12:07 PDT
Anyway. Still brainstorming on my fantasy story to take my mind off things. I think the story needs magical creatures. But I need to find a way to make them interesting and not just cliched magical creatures. So, funny/fun-loving cecaelias, hick centaurs, and maybe otter-like mermaids instead of fish mermaids, and other fun things like that. I dunno. Maybe I won't include fantasy characters at all, but dammit, I do want to draw them. And typically as I'm drawing something, I think up backstories for them. That's how I ended up with a whore and a monk.

I can't tell whether I'm further complicating the story or making it more "fleshed out." Who knows?

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17870490/ Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:08:27 PDT
Guess who got reported?

Now, before when this happened, when I first got my notice, I mean, it was just a slap on the wrist, and a suspension of my account for a month. No problem, really. The DMCA agent I talked to though said that there could be a possibility of the record companies (Sony, EMA, Warner Bros., etc), taking legal action and making examples out of some of these students by filing a lawsuit against them. But maybe not.

Well, guess what. They did.

So now, they're offering this "Early Settlement" program, which pretty much means, "pay us this amount of money, and we'll drop the charges."

I'M ONLY TWO MONTHS AWAY FROM GRADUATING, DAMN IT. FUCK.

Also, as the pickle that is on the crap sandwich that is my day, I got a $40 parking ticket. BALLS.

I need to write a multi-million best-selling novel in the next twenty days so I can pay off this settlement, guys. Or, uh, get a loan. DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD:

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~EmpressFunk Name Game http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17847918/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17847918/ Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:27:39 PDT kailana-sama

NAME MEME

1. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name)
Denise Blank (my father doesn't have a middle name. He was #8 out of 11 children; I think my grandmother ran out)

2. NASCAR NAME: (first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Claude Lawrence

3. STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Haymy (LOL)

4. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Dog (That doesn't sound very cool. )

5. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Ashanta Sacramento

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Pink Strawberry Soda (WHUT?)

7. FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Myes

8. GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Vanilla Bean Oatmeal (I am a delicious gansta.)

9. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pets name, current street name)
Doc Martin San Ricardo (Though, Doc is technically ~MalenkyDevil's cat)

10. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Candy Apple Tamales

11. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Sabrina Great Smokey (Swing and a miss, there.)

I TAG: Whoever wants to do this.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17685582/ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:33:26 PDT Mockingbirdflyaway for my 40,000 one. I dunno, maybe I'll just do some generic 50k picture.

ANYWAY. Thank you guys all so much for continuing to fav/comment/watch/lurk in my gallery. I appreciate it so much, even if it does take me forever to respond to things.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17435883/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:24:37 PDT
Turning 22 on the 21st however is not as exciting as turning 21 on the 21st was last year. I will never have that kind of awesome again. Woe.

Well. That paper ain't gonna write itself.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17141391/ Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:56:32 PST Boo, my subscription went away. Damn Paypal-payment lag. Yay, it's back.

Anyway. I believe I have more or less brainstormed out the last five chapters of The Alliance; I are excited. Oh my gosh, the end is near, I can feel it. Now, here's hoping it won't take me forever to actually write it. So far I have the next chapter and a half-ish written, but you know--editing and all that. But with the end in sight, hopefully I'll get a lot less stuck as I wrote down what things I need to wrap up. (Which means I've probably forgotten some plot point I began needlessly somewhere earlier in the story. EDITING IS KEY.)

_{Now, the question is what will I do after I'm done...either I'm re-rewriting, or doing a "sequel" focused on TerraLuna and the happenings there. Maybe both? Maybe neither? I dunnooooo.}

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/17063917/ Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:23:05 PST Tapeworm-Comics, and she's an aspiring writer. Except, unlike me, she's actually good. O: If you like the Alliance in any way, shape, or form--or just like good writing--please check out her page and her new story, Mutant Underground. Go throw love at her!

Now, for some self-pimpery, I "updated" a little bit on my Alliance Flash Movie completely randomly today. Three hours of drawing black and white doodles = 5 seconds of new stuff.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16881441/ Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:04:15 PST Happy V-Day, fools! Hope you eat lots of chocolate/get flowers/porn/whatever!

Also, apparently I've been on DeviantArt for three years now, who knew? Feb 12., 2005--so sayeth my profile. AMAZING.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16799978/ Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:12:08 PST

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The Al... ]]> ~EmpressFunk In case you're wondering... http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16651480/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16651480/ Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:54:51 PST
[srs bsns]

Hey, folks. You may be wondering, "Omg, did you die? Where's the next chapter; you haven't updated since October."

I just havenÂt been feeling it lately. Not the storyÂthereÂs definitely stuff IÂm eager to get to and address in these next upcoming chaptersÂbut IÂve hit a kind of writing slump, and itÂs totally making it very hard to get anything down these days. I donÂt necessarily think itÂs writerÂs block (I guess that could be it, but IÂm not sure), but shitÂitÂs been nearly five months and IÂve written a grand total of six pages. I mean, wtf? Six not very good pages, might I add. And itÂs not because of a lack of trying.

Sorry to be all Âwriting is serious businessÂ on you folks, IÂd just thought IÂd give you all a heads up, since itÂs been so long and a couple of people have asked. Lately every time I get the urge to write I find myself thinking my writing is just boring and lame and generally sucks, and I just keep getting stuck trying to write myself out of some lame scene or dialogue or situation. I swear, IÂm not fishing for compliments, I just really am in this weird slump where everything I write I dislike, and itÂs preventing me from getting any further in my story. Lately, IÂve been hanging around all these wonderful writers, all my age or close to it, and it makes me want to write, but it also makes me look at my own writing in such a way that it takes all the fun out of it.

Gah, IÂm so whiny and lame. Anyway. In conclusion, I really am trying to write the next chapter, guys. And IÂm not annoyed at any of you asking me howÂs it going or when itÂs coming upÂit letÂs me know that, even though IÂm taking forever, you guys are still interested. So, thanks.

[/srs bsns]

I should just draw some porn. Porn makes me feel better.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16522768/ Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:49:29 PST Oh my fucking god, Heath Ledger died.

This seriously took me by surprise, I can't believe it. I was so excited for The Dark Knight Returns and his role as the Joker and now I think the movie is just going to have this...cloud over it when I go to see it now. Jesus. RIP.

_{I sure wish I had a happier post to come out of my mini-hiatus with.}

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~EmpressFunk Merry Christmas! http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16084942/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/16084942/ Mon, 24 Dec 2007 21:46:43 PST
All the same, here's hoping your holidays are merry!

Oh! In other news: Sweeny Todd was awesome, even though the decision to see it did put my basic movie-going instincts in direct conflict: I hate blood and gore, but I love musicals and the Depp/Burton dynamic. But in the end, it was totally worth it. (Also, I could always just close my eyes! XD)

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15952671/ Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:40:46 PST
GOT TO MEET THE CAST OF HEROES. OMG.

More here: [link] !!!

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~EmpressFunk Happy Holidays! http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15897488/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15897488/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:39:35 PST [link]
[link]

I apologize in advance.

_{I should really be studying for my final tomorrow.}

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15850659/ Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:40:21 PST ) Now, I won't be able to draw everything suggested (I have to study at *some* point), but I'd like to hear what you'd like to see. Throw ideas my way!

_{Can you tell how much I really don't want to study for finals?}

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~EmpressFunk Coming Soon: 40,000 http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15797218/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15797218/ Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:35:58 PST
So, apparently I'm 500 or so pageviews away from 40,000! When did that happen?! Thank you guys all so much for watching/commenting/faving/amusing me in whatever fashion you do. Since I haven't in forever, I'm gonna draw a picture for whoever catches that magical number: 40,000.

Thanks for playing.

_{In other news, I think braces were first invented as a mild form of torture; I got my rubberbands on yesterday and I feel like my jaws have been hinged shut.}

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15596261/ Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:03:19 PST Five at the most.All of them, because you're hardcore.
2. Make them answer the following questions.
3. Then tag four people.
4. Feel free to go ahead and add some questions yourself

I chose:

Blaze
Cody
Eric
Jace
Jesse
Jordan
Karen
Laura
Michael
Rick
Vanessa
Daniel
Elijah

What's your race/sex?
Blaze: Race? Like running? I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm a girl. Oh, wait--on my file it says "Black/Punjabi." I don't know what that means.
Cody: Mexican (Not a Mexican't) and male.
Eric: Well, Irish and English is what my family seems to claim...oh, and male.
Jace: Jewish and German (yeah, I know) and a boy.
Jesse: Irish, English, Australian...really, just white. And male.
Jordan: I don't have a specific "race." Male.
Karen: Black and female.
Laura: French and English, female.
Michael: Filipinos, represent! And I'm a dude.
Rick: English and French. Male.
Vanessa: I dunno...white? I'm kinda a mutt. And girl.
Daniel: Well, I was adopted into an Italian family (hence the last name), but my biological parents were Irish (hence the red hair). Male.
Elijah: Jewish and German, though I don't like to claim my father's side, and male.

How old are you?
Blaze: Um, 15, I think.
Cody: Sixteen and a half.
Eric: Eighteen.
Jace: Sigh, 14
Jesse: Sixteen.
Jordan: Fifteen, as far as I know. That number seems to follow me everywhere.
Karen: Sixteen
Laura: Eighteen
Michael: 15!
Rick: Eighteen. And two hours older than Laurie.
Vanessa: 15
Daniel: Thirty-one...ancient, apparently.
http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15561527/ Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:25:24 PST _{So, I was looking through my old livejournal and found this old entry I had written down about a weird dream I had involving Gackt and go-carts (not at the same time, sadly): it amused me and I wanted to share...also, I got tired of looking at my old journal since I've practically given up on NaNo.}

Okay...I need to write this dream down before I forget:

So in the dream, I was having some sort of, I dunno, go-cart drag race to some mysterious destination with my "friends" (because I don't exactly remember who these people were when I woke up--they were just strangers who I seemed to be friends with for some reason). Anyway, the girl in the other go-cart suddenly pulls ahead of me and just guns it up these steep stairs that look like the Mayan temples placed smack in the middle of the Santa Monica pier. Well, actually they look like their replacing the steps that usually lead up to the Santa Monica pier...but I digress.

Anyway, so I'm eating their dust, trying to get my little go-cart--which now has peddles for some reason--up these stairs, and make it up the first six before I go tumbling backwards. I try climbing up again and then I hear...actually, I'm not sure what I heard, but I think it was Orenji no Taiyou by Gackt. (Maybe it wasn't. I'm going to say it was.) And sure enough, I look up and there is who else but fucking Gackt sitting on the steps of the weird Mayan-Santa Monica pier with a few little Japanese schoolgirls/fangirls asking for his autograph. This one girl has a big stack of multicolored index cards and asks him for his signature, which he signs on a white card, only for the girl to shyly ask for it again, but on a green card instead. He happily obliges.

Seeing Gackt is not the scary, so-pretty-he's-intimidating guy I thought him to be (though, holy fuck, he is still very pretty), I find a scrap of paper and drill myself on whether Gackt would understand better if I said "Signature" or "Autograph" in English. Then I realize he speaks English and just go up and hesitantly say both. With, you know, a question mark at the end. He looks a little surprised, smiles, signs it, and then looks up right at me all "Secret Garden"-like and smiles this adorably hot smile, and I say thank you a million times and then wander back off, wondering if I should have said "Domo arigato" instead, but that only makes me think of the song. Which I then sing in my head for a bit.

Anyway, thanks to my kickass memory (yeah right), I remember exactly what he signed too:

"Myisha,
[japanese gibbersh, japanese gibbersh]
Gackt"

If only I knew how to read fake-Japanese-dream-gibberish. But the real question is, how did he know my name? I just chalk it up to those supernatural abilities he always talks about having.

Anyway, my go-cart friends completely forgotten, I proceeded to squeal like the little fangirl I am until a horrible thought passes my mind--what if this was all a dream and I didn't really get Gackt's signature and meet him and have him smile that freakin' adorably hot smile at me? Well, I would be incredibly pissed off, that's what--

And then I woke up. D:

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<... ]]> ~EmpressFunk NaNoWriMo http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15346639/ http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15346639/ Sat, 03 Nov 2007 13:20:55 PDT
EDIT: Info for those you who don't know what they hell I'm going on about:

"What is NaNoWriMo?"
...you may be asking. Good question. National Novel Writing Month--often times abbreviated to NaNoWriMo--is a world wide creative writing project where participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in a month, from November 1st to November 30th. Insane, right? Well, that's half the fun.

There are no real prizes if you "win," just the satisfaction of knowing you are one of the few who have accomplished such a goal. It's mostly just fun to have nearly 60,000 people procrastinating with you.

How do I join?
Click on the link above, and you can get yourself signed up there. You can't officially begin writing until November 1st, but you can brainstorm. Which I have. A lot.

Are you insane?
Yes, probably. And so is anyone else who undertakes this. But we can be insane together.

So...that other story you're writing? The one with the mutants?
Worry not, the Alliance is still going strong. But now I'm just trying to get the creative juices flowing for a different kind of story.

Hey, I'm already doing that. Be my writing buddy, damn you!
Hells yes, I will be your writing buddy. My profile is here.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/15137163/ Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:34:50 PDT

As if the Right-Wing Christian Fundamentalists didn't dislike Harry Potter enough already...

Dudes. DUDES. JKR just revealed that Dumbledore is (was?) gay. Holy shit on a stick, folks. I don't know why this makes me so ridiculously happy. Probably because the most powerful wizard in all of the wizarding world was gay and all the parents of the kids who read the books can't do shit because the series is already done now and JKR is rolling in piles of money, cackling to herself. I love her. Also, take that, everyone who thought JKR played into society's heteronormative expectations.

For once, our reading something into Dumbledore and Grindelwald's relationship was not insane. Subtext becomes text! My mind, she is blown.

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http://EmpressFunk.deviantart.com/journal/14919605/ Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:29:34 PDT

So, I got tagged but technically already did this meme before, so I'm going to do a character meme instead:

List a character from my story (major or minor, doesn't matter), and I will tell you three (or more) random facts about them.

It's good character writing practice.

(By the way, does anyone know of any other good character memes I could use for the Alliance gang? They're quite fun.)

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