ARRR, MATEY!

It be talk like a pirate day again, me hearties! Last year was great fun, it was. Time fer another round o' drinks!

There be pirate news this year:




And pirates be plundering the social media:

MySpace
Facebook Group
Twitter
YouTube
Pyracy Pub
Bilge Monkey Blog


There even be a couple o' books to loot:




There be a whole list of online games here, savvy?


But if ye prefer real people, there be a game for that, too:




And o' course, I had to get me pirate on in WoW:





Don't forget them land-lubbin' unfortunates... there be a Walk Like a Pirate event for charity! (Only in the UK... sorry, yanks!)


Well, what are ye waiting for? Get to plunderin' ya dirty bilge rat!



Today's moment of ARRRRRR!!!!!:

Who wins? Pirates or Ninjas?



~Sass~

My Big Fat Greek Story

Earlier this week I was at our college library perusing the books for sale and came across a book that didn't look like it was going to bore me to tears. (It's the book in the picture right there mmkay.)

This gave me an idea. Urban Fantasy is drowning in the three big F's -- fur, fangs, and fey. Werewolves, vampires, and so many damned fair folk it's enough to make someone want to stab out their eyeballs with a silver-coated wood-tipped lead stake. Magic users are vying for space on the shelves, Djinn are sneaking their way in as well, and other shape shifters of the non-wolf variety are doing anything they can to get attention.

Don't get me wrong, I like all of them, but there's a common theme there. It's called Northern Europe. Yeah, yeah, there are vampire myths from all over the world, but I'm pretty sure most people think of the Transylvanian variety. And let's face it, the popular werewolves are the kind in close proximity to said vampires. The only creatures you can't really pin to America or Northern Europe are the Djinn, and there aren't many of them.

The Mythology book caught my eye and lit one little flickering lightbulb in my head. There are almost no stories in UF about Greek-related mythology. In fact the only one I can think of off the top of my head is in the Young Adult section. Hi there, Percy.

I haven't read any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books. That's probably a good thing for now, because I won't unconsciously make a decision to insert all-too-familiar situations / people / creatures into my NaNo. But Percy is on my to-read list, so I'll read him after NaNo. I gotta read him soon anyway because they're making a movie and of course I'll see the movie.

Anyway, I did some preliminary internet searches to find some inspiration. Of particular interest are the Fates and the Furies. My initial guess is that any fiction with Greek mythology themes probably involve the Fates in some way. They seem like good writing fodder. (My thoughts immediately go to the old crones in the Disney movie Hercules.) Zeus, that manwhore, is more good story fodder, and I'll probably use him.

But how am I going to tie this to my current cast of characters?

I have some ideas. I'll let them stew for a few more days before I share.


Today's moment of zen:




~Sass~

Are You A Vampire or A Werewolf?

Well, what are you?

Here are my results. Gee, what a surprise ;)

You Are a Werewolf

You are moody and easily provoked. You are highly loyal and protective of those you love. While you can be intense at times, you are generally a laid back person. But if a fight comes your way, you will fight 'til the death if necessary. You seem normal to most people. No one understands how different you can be. It's like a switch flips for you sometimes - and then you're a completely different creature.

~Sass~

VICTORY IS MINE

Who wrote three papers over the last five days? That's right. I DID. (And all for the same class... gah!)

Anyways, I had to share the happy happy joy joy, and now you all know why I disappeared for the week. The good news is that all of this crap is now done and I have next to nothing to do before next Tuesday, which is the final day of class for this five week course... which means I might actually have free time.

Yes, okay, I do still have my Intro to Statistics class that I need to study for, but that takes much less time than analyzing stuff for Global Business Issues. Let me tell you, it blows having a published author for a professor.


Today's moment of WTFLOL:

I'm Buying This T-Shirt

... and wearing it to the office. Preferably on Halloween. Or the next movie release date.

Bloodlust

If you're squeamish, turn back now.

Bloodlust
noun
"a desire for bloodshed"

This isn't the term I'm looking for. My villain has something a little more severe than bloodlust. It's an addiction... not to killing, per say. The blood excites her. Killing simply produces more blood and therefore more thrill, so she does that whenever possible. Think Mr. Brooks, only female and without the desire to stop killing. There has to be a term for it somewhere. Psychologists like making up those sorts of things.

My villain doesn't go around dressed in black with scary tattoos and a constant ill-tempered expression. She isn't frightening until the bloodlust shows. You couldn't pick her out of a crowd and say, "look, it's the killer! GET HER!" She isn't really cute and innocent looking either, though. Not a killer. Not a prom queen. Not the girl next door. Not the valedictorian. Attractive enough to get a date now and then but she's like the hero in that she isn't the most attractive thing in the area. Like all good villains she tries not to draw attention to herself.

But when the bloodlust hits, you know. She'll look at you like a vampire might -- she wants to bite you, lap up the blood, and play with you until you're no longer breathing. Vampires would envy the thrill she gets from blood. One of her fantasies is to pull an Elizabeth Báthory and bathe daily in the blood of her victims. Not that it's practical, but hey, a psychotic girl can dream.

The Villain spots Eric and she just knows... she wants him to be one of her victims. He's full of energy and life, a prime candidate for what she calls a "steaming bleeder." He's the most attractive thing she's seen in a very long time, and she almost gives herself away when she first meets him on a bus. Eric feels it even then. He knows something is wrong with her, but he doesn't know what, and he feels nauseous just from sitting next to her on the bus.

I should clarify that she's completely human. Oh, she might enlist some non-human help in her endeavor for that next thrill, in fact I'd count on it, but she is very much human.

And I get to spend time in her head to write this thing. I think I just freaked myself out.

Excuse me while I go take a shower.


Today's moment of !@#$:




~Sass~

The Sidekick

Okay, I lied. We aren't doing The Villain today because I wasn't in the mindset and couldn't think of what evil person/thing would be a suitable match for Eric. Plus I'm too lazy right now to try and make up a motivation for said villain. So yeah. Sidekicks.

I'll leave out the brainstorming part that made me think of this, mostly because I'm using it in my outline, but I came up with what I thought was a pretty unique sidekick. Eric is going to run across a very distracted lady he nicknames Preggers, because well... hello, she's pregnant. (Gee, where did I get the inspiration for that one? Yes, I am that shameless. Don't look at me like that. This is for NaNo -- it's supposed to be easy to write, and I'm writing what I know, kthx.)

I don't have a name for her yet, but she's got pregnant 'tude to spare and is in deeper shit than anyone truly realizes. She's got reason to be involved in Eric's shenanigans, whatever they end up being. And no, she won't be the romantic interest. She's got a boyfriend. Sort of.

So what does she look like? Probably blonde. Not a natural blonde, I'm thinking, or she spiced up her dirty-blonde-ness with highlights. Keeps her hair pulled back out of her face because she sweats a lot. German nose, hazel eyes, short thick fingers, kind of stocky (she was stocky before the pregnancy). Prefers to wear flip-flops.

Now that I think of it, I do know who I want for a villain. But this post is already pretty long so I'll save it for tomorrow.


Today's moment of zen:




~Sass~

Nicknames

I got it. This guy's name is Eric "the Ninja" Warczakoski.

That last name is quite a mouthful, eh?

Anyway, to "spice" up my nice guy a little bit, I've decided to give him a few quirks. One, he walks so quietly in his normal stride that most people don't hear him coming. It isn't usually on purpose, but hey, it's a great advantage.

Two, I've decided to make him an expert "street ninja" or "free runner," otherwise known as someone who does Parkour. That would definitely explain his arm strength, however I would also need to revise him a little bit to make sure he's got the abs to go along with them. I don't know about you but I don't think he'd have abs of flab if he regularly practiced things like scaling walls and jumping from building to building. His expert ninja self would also be prepared to tackle any obstacle thrown in his path, which is good considering I plan on throwing a LOT of things in his path. He'll be capable of doing some awesome things but I won't have to give him any superpowers to do so. I'm so tired of characters that suddenly come into their own mystical powers. It's too cheap.

Alright then, I have a nice guy with some very interesting hobbies. Still need to give him a job. Hell, maybe he'll just be laid off for now. That way I can simply pull something out of my ass think up a few past jobs of his.

At some point I also need to give him a best friend. Probably someone that's super ornery just to counter Eric's niceness. You know, the sort of guy that helps disassemble his high school principle's car and reassemble it on the roof of the school. That guy. I'm thinkin the best friend needs to be a Jeremy or something. Ya. I'll go with that.

Coming up on the next post...

The Villain.


Today's moment of !@#$:





~Sass~