Hello, folks. So, I'm going to be moving up to the Bay Area for work by the end of July, and would really like to check some places out before I move. I'm planning on heading up from the 2nd to the 7th of July to look at apartments/living situations, and need places to stay while up there. I already have lodgings confirmed for the nights of the 2nd and 3rd, but would like to sleep in something besides my car.

I am pretty tidy, will bring a sleeping bag, and will probably ask for nothing more of a commitment than a few quiet hours at night to sleep. I may be able to slide some money your way (probably after I've worked some so I'm not cutting into my glorious ramen budget) and at the very least will be quite grateful.

Thank you very much, and I hope to hear from some of you soon.

I'm going to be graduating from college soon. This is a weird time, and I hope a good one.

This is going to be hard to write.
First off, I don't like writing about myself. I write-or, at least, try to write-fiction to avoid that. But, this year has been pretty crappy, and I need to get it out in the open. I might just delete this later on, but a friend of mine recommended I at least get this crap out of my head. Yes, this is going to be drama, it's going to be weird. I sort of recommend not reading it, if that makes sense.
Anyway.
January. New Years Day, my grandfather calls my parents and tells them he's dizzy and hit his head. He's 94 years old, and he's been taking care of my 93 y/o grandmother since they married about 14 years ago. My parents take him to the hospital, and I stay with her for the day until he recovers. Usually, she's the sick one. They got married a month after she had a major stroke, and has served as her caretaker ever since. In sickness and in health, I guess. Already, this year's off to a rocky start.
My roommate, aka my best friend, aka the guy my parents thought I was sleeping with (he's straight. Mostly) started calling me over the next couple days with increasingly random questions, and it wasn't until the week before FC that I figured out he was manic. He was supposed to come down from Santa Cruz and help me move some stuff the week before that, but was...delayed. FC itself was pretty good, but I had to foot the bill for the room on my credit card and was...let's say irresponsible with my money. It was a new card, no interest, I was dumb. The con itself was a great time, and I sort of consider it one of the high points of the year. Playing Cards Against Humanity at 2 AM with Bellua, Rikoshi, B-Hop and them was a fantastic episode.
I get back from FC and my roommate comes back a day later and tells me he's in a manic episode. He's diagnosed bipolar, and going home seems to set off his mania. If I were him, I'd avoid going home, but he's an adult. Sort of. He's manic, and for the first day it's interesting. He has lots of energy, he's chatty, we have some good times. Three days in, he's not letting any signs of slowing down, and I'm getting spooked. Sunday, the day before my semester begins, I come home from a meeting (more on that) and he comes home from work after asking me to do the dishes. His exact words were, if memory serves, "I'm really annoyed you didn't do the dishes. By the way, I need you to tripsit for me." Turns out he did slow down, and was going to take shrooms to 'correct' that. Amanita Muscaria. I looked it up, told him I wasn't comfortable with him doing it, and his response: "Well, too bad. I need you to stay here and make sure I don't go into the kitchen, grab a knife and plunge it into my heart." A brief aside: I HATE drugs. A lot. I take something for ADD, which means I get lots of folks asking me if I can give them some. Don't ask me that, it only makes me hate you more. After an hour of trying to talk him down, he goes into his room, gets high, and comes out looking...creepy. Giant eyes, twitchy hands, mouth yapping away about something and nothing. I'm scared, and he's not getting any less scary. After another hour of that, he starts talking even creepier, and I finally have to leave. I call a friend and get a ride to my parent's house, with nothing but my laptop and a backpack. I know, I should have called the cops. I end up sleeping in, and miss my first day of classes. Great start to the semester. Roommate didn't kill himself, says it was only a joke (BULLSHIT) and says I don't get to call him out on that because I've never lost someone like that. "When you do, then you can criticize me." His best friend from high school killed himself 2 years ago, and his first manic episode was a month after that. Big coincidence, I'm sure.
February: A friend of mine has some roommate trouble, and needs to sleep on my couch. My roommate knows her, and after helping her get all set up and comfortable, gets high on shrooms again. I leave the room before I start screaming.
Last semester was also the semester of giving back. I was on the board of a conference, and was part of a group called Peer Health Exchange, which goes into high schools that no longer have health classes and teaches them to 9th graders. I taught the opening workshop and mental health. I needed my friend to drive me down to the high school for my workshop, was late, and kind of mouthed off to the kids about my roommate. Not a wise choice, but I was PISSED.
I was also elected treasurer of my school's LGBTA this month. It was a good position, and the other people were nice. 3 board level positions on three different orgs. Full time student. Don't let anyone tell you college is a time for being lazy.
The last weekend of February, I went up to a conference in NorCal to help get the word out about the conference I was working on. A good trip, but it still spooked me. I was getting exhausted for no reason, and my roommate posted some very manic sounding stuff on facebook. I called him out on it, and-oh, right! Forgot to say why he got delayed before FC. Anyway, he apparently went into the women's restroom in a mall in Santa Cruz and proclaimed, in sharpie, that it was his throne, and he was king of Santa Cruz county. Yes, that happened. I've only just learned how to laugh at that without clenching a fist. So, he says something about how I used the word 'shroom' incorrectly, and blah blah solipsistic bullshit blah. I come home and everything's fine, though I give him the coldest shoulder in the world. He texts me through the next day about how he wants to talk, and ooh did it give me a creepy vibe. I get home at 9 PM after another meeting for the conference, and...I hate the term crazy, but this was crazy. There's drawings on the walls, the place looks terrible, he's got a bunch of stuff on the table, and he's stomping around in-I kid you not-cowboy boots, the pants of a karate gi, a shirt and a jacket. Ginormous eyes, of course. I lock myself in my room, he bangs the door telling me to come out and play, why am I being no fun, here I left you a weapon (plastic sword) and I tell him I'm calling the cops. He stomps (like, really, you know the ceramic hooves that bovine fursuits have? It sounds like that) away, and a minute later a huge BANG! goes off. I think he has a gun. The cops finally show up, and he answers the door. They call me outside, we talk, and while I'm explaining the situation to the cops, he calmly reports that he lit a firecracker in the toilet because I wouldn't play with him. They cuff him, try to talk him down, and it's only then that I realize he took my meds. Thank any God who's listening I only had the one pill, or he might have died. What a tragic loss that would have been.
Remember how I said I hate drugs? Here's what he was on: Two kinds of bipolar medication (Zoloft, I think, and something else), my ADD meds, weed, his shrooms, and booze. Why they didn't arrest him or put him under a 5150 I don't know. I was told to leave by the cops, and after securing my valuables, I did. I stayed the night at a friend's place, slept on their couch, and missed a day of school to make sure I could go back to my apartment and secure stuff. My landlady took pictures, and talked to him. He confessed to all the stuff, and didn't get evicted. He's kind of charmed like that, I suppose. I leave for a week after taking all the stuff I can fit in my friend's car, and go home. This time, my parents are fully briefed on everything, and the awkward questions flow like rainwater. Also, my toilet starts spurting water, and costs $100 to repair. Safety deposits are your friend. When confronted with this, roommate blames me flushing his leftover firecrackers, not the one he detonated.
March: I come back a week after all this, and tell him he has 21 days to move out. Every snippet of conversation between us has a countdown clock now. Two days of this, and he tells me he doesn't get why I'm throwing our relationship away over nothing.
His exact words. "Over nothing."
I am not a man prone to screaming. I prefer clever sarcasm to throat-searing rage.
I yelled at him so much it woke my landlady.
I called him out on the past 2 months of bullshit, and on his general lack of competence, and on his complete blind silliness overall. He seems sorry at first, even apologizes when I yell in his face (like, I may have accidentally spit on him) that he's not said sorry once for all this crap. Of course, as I again scream/spit, that doesn't matter any more. After that, he's all defensive, back to being the king of Santa Cruz county. How can I be so liberal on sexuality but not drug use? Don't I see that these issues are exactly the same? How can I be so thick!
I slam the door in his face so hard there's a crack in the frame.
A week later, Vex and Waarhorse die. They were close aquaintences, maybe even friends, and I was sad to see both of them go so suddenly.
I do a mental health workshop where a girl asks me very pointedly about ADD, and says she thinks her brother might have it. I give as many resources as I can, and she is incredibly greatful for it. Another high moment.
The last was the conference itself. Might as well say it: I was on the board for the Queer People of Color Conference. It was a lot of work, and a 20 hour day on Saturday, but it was another fantastic experience. I learned SO much. I don't agree with all the politics of the conference, but overall it was a grand, glorious time. The highest high point of the year, I think, was when the conference ended and everyone told us how great a job it was. Well, except the people from Berkeley, but fuck them.
Also, my roommate got his car stolen the day before the conference, so he had to go home. Glee!
April: Spring Break was good. Uneventful. Roommate kept making excuses about how he would leave soon, the usual junk. I rented a bunch of movies from Redbox.
I was also planning a prom for LGBTA. That went off...alright. The night was fun, but the lead up suuuuucked. We were $400 short thanks to the previous treasurer, and that amount came out of my card. I also had to pay a performer for the conference off that card because of an issue with the school. So, I was $1000 in the hole at this point, not including little purchases made along the way. The second to last weekend, I go camping, don't tell my roommate about it. I come back to find a note referencing our previous conversations, that said "Why I decided to vandalize the bathroom and throw a fire cracker in the toilet: BECAUSE IT WAS FUN AND EXCITING! What's so crazy about that?"
That was when I decided to get a restraining order on him.
I would have gotten it the week after, but I sort of almost killed myself.
I left my apartment with nothing but a swimsuit, a shirt, a towel, and a book for class. No keys, wallets, or cell phones. And the door was locked. I tried reaching my apartment manager, my landlady, no one was home. SO, I tried to jiggle the window open after 2 hours of waiting patiently, and...I jiggled too hard.
The cut on my wrist needed 8 stitches. It is pretty ghastly. So was the $1000 bill from the ambulance for driving TWO MILES, and the ER bill. My parents covered both those bills, but damn did it shake me. There was some stupidity with the insurance, and they didn't get it in time or something, so I might still have a collction agency on me.
May: The Avengers! Yes, I'm counting that as a high point, don't hate me 'cause I'm awesome.
So, the week before finals I get back on the restraining order train. I go to the courthouse, tell the judge what happened, and she says I can only get a temporary one. Here's the part that kills me: She says if we'd been lovers, I could have ejected him from the apartment. I told him no, and she thought I was offended by the insinuation that I was gay. No, ma'am, I'm an out and proud bisexual, but fucking him after all this? Hell no.
I serve the TRO to him, which legally can't be done, I now realize, and he gets whiny. But, he also gets moving. He leaves 4 days later, just as I finish my finals. A good conflation of events.
A semester, in review: 3 volunteer jobs. Full time student. Living in fear of my roommate. And my GPA iiiis...3.4. One point off from Dean's List. Am I the man? I think I'm the man.
And I feel like the man, until Friday, the 18th, when I get a text message from a friend saying another friend of mine has died. Tanny was 22 years old. I didn't learn until the next day, at the memorial, that she killed herself. So much of queer rights advocacy is engulfed in suicide prevention now that to realize I've failed, that we've failed, in protecting those closest to us hurts like a knife to the heart. So, yeah, I did have a friend die on me by her own hand. The 'jokes' still suck. I would tell my roommate this, but that would involve talking to him, a nasty occurance that hasn't transpired since.
June: Califur! And new roommate. Yes, I put an ad on craig's list, and it went alright. She (yes, a woman roommate, omg shocker) is from Baltimore, and came out here to study make up for movies. I helped her move in the friday of califur, then let a near total stranger into my apartment for 3 days. I would have left califur, but I was serving as CFAC. I had a good time with that, though I did accidentally piss off someone that I actually like. It was a horrible move, and one that I intend to make better when FC rolls around.
I also saw a therapist, and had my money disappear. He's a good doctor, but outside my coverage plan. He also had to deal with the uncertainty of what happened after Califur, namely the death of Dlab. He was...I honestly don't remember. Dlab and I were very close at one point, but had a falling out, and haven't talked much since. I saw him at califur, and he tried to talk to me, but between CFAC, my foul mood, and our history I didn't talk back much. I regret that now, of course.
I started working an internship at a publisher, so my days were full of books. Mostly, very bad books. Slushpile reading can kind of suck.
The rest of the summer just kind of happened. The days melted together, and I wasn't doing very much. Stuff got messy, and I didn't keep on top of things. I did get to meet John Scalzi at a book signing in June, and biked 18 miles to do so. Yes, I was the sweaty nerd archetype, but I EARNED MY SWEAT. Scalzi is a very nice fellow, as is Wil Wheaton.
The school year started, and I got a job on campus! Thanks to it, I've paid off half my credit card, and I'm in good shape to pay down the rest. This last semester, I started realizing how cold I've gotten over the last couple months, and I tried to get out more. Barely. Things were improving, barely, and by November I felt okay.
Then my grandmother had another stroke.
A massive, bilateral atom bomb went off in her brain the day after Thanksgiving. Monday, we were told she wouldn't get better. I skipped a week of work, and Friday I actually left class because I got an e-mail from my mom telling me she had passed away. She was 94 years old. Rest in Peace, Betty.
The last month has been mostly dealing with that. Memorials, funerals, cleaning her stuff out, trying not to spend all day on the couch of my apartment playing Civ 5. (I've failed in that regard) Christmas was nice, and there was a lot of family over. I'm still working through all this, but it's good to get it done. Part of that is getting everything out in writing like this. So, if you've made it through all this, congratulations! You've survived reading this year. Some people weren't lucky enough to make it to this point. So, on that point, I'm going to end here. Have a good year, see some of you all at FC.

Dog-Bone is doing an auction to raise money to get Serpy over to the west coast for his memorial, and I am trying to spread the word. The link is here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3272802/ and I hope you can bid on it. If not, the main donation journal is here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3270968/ while another auction to support them is http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3272915/ If you can't help Serpy or Kaza with money, help them with a journal or a kind word.

I could only consider them acquaintances, and yet it hurts that I'll never know them as more. If I knew what to say, I would. Rest in Peace, and don't any of you go joining them, okay?

Hotel:
Marriot

Arrival/Departure:
Jan 12th - 15th

Staying in the main hotel:
I think so.

Means of transportation:
Driving up with AuroraWolf, Podge and Thaler. I think.

Sharing a room with:
Black Feather, Bunbun and Fraddas

Who do you hang out with:
All sorts of people. Not a cop out, I literally have like 40 different people I'm looking forward to seeing.


Gender:
Male. Odd question, but I suppose it's necessary, and inclusive.


Relationship Status:
I ain't got nobody.

How old are you:
21

Are you an Artist:
Pft. No.

Will you be taking commissions?
No, but I will be buying them.

How much?
No clue.

Will you do trades?
No, but I will be looking to start a writing group. That's sorta related, right?

Are you a Fursuiter:
Niet.

Attending parties:
Only in the non-drinky capacity. Someone has to be able to tell the cops how the cow got on the roof, after all.

Do you drink:
Water and smoothies.

Can I buy you a drink:
If you get a smoothie, I will love you. Not really. But maybe.

Are you attending any panels:
All the writing panels I can shove myself into.

Stage or public performance:
I am hoping to perform in FC Unleashed, but I'm not sure when the registration for that is.

How do I identify my self to you:
Name, where we met, and why you're talking to me. 'Just to say hi' is a perfectly valid answer.

Rules of engagement (physical Contact out of Suit):
I initiate hugs, and I have to know you well enough. No being creepy, please, you don't want to get hauled away by EMTs.

Personality Type:
It's really situational. I tend to be more open to emotional extremes when at a con, both good and bad. Usually good. I can be a sarcastic ass, but I don't mean to offend. If I'm digging too deep, tell me.

How do I know if you're not looking to socialize (angry, busy or upset):
You won't see me. I'm damn good at disappearing.

Anything to add:
I'm hoping to have a good, drama-free con, and hopefully that happens.

Hello. I've got a room this year for FC, and I'm looking for roommates. If you're interested, send me a note and we can talk logistics.

Hello, people who watch me and are still alive.
First off, just wanted you all to know that I submitted a story for Heat, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed about that.
The meat of this journal has to do with how stories are told versus what the story is. I've been reading Joyce for an English class (the only reason anyone reads that bastard) and it got me thinking about that divide. A thing can be told very poetically, but mean nothing, while something can have a lot of story and no detail, which reads as thrilling as a history book. Neither is particularly rewarding, but the proper balance can be elusive.
As with lots of story things, I sort of frame it in video game terms. 21st century boy here, sorry. Two games that kinda frame this are Fluidity as all style, and Phoenix Wright as all story. Both are great games, but Fluidity just has you controlling water freeing a book from it's ink stains. (it makes sense, I swear). You play for the rush of beating the level, and nothing more. Phoenix Wright is about a lawyer, and is more of a digital novel than a video game. It's all story, but it's hilarious and pulse-pounding at the same time. Both are games I love, but they have next to nothing in common. Can you think of stories that match this, and what books/movies/xyz fit both style and story?
I'm thinking of a story now that would veer heavily in the 'little happens' direction, but could be fun because I don't do that very often. No, it wouldn't be some Joyce-ian epic about blah, but it could be a nice distraction. I'll try to post it when I've finished, which could be anywhere from a week to a year from now.
Thanks for reading my mumbles.

So, it's been about three weeks since I finished Audible and sent it out to my Beta-readers, and now I'm dealing with a problem. I have a bunch of ideas on what I want to write, and no time. Yeah, I could be writing a story instead of this journal, but this is a little more casual. The main time drain has been a class I'm taking this summer where we have to critically read a novel a week. Early 20th century British novels. Mrs. Dalloway isn't exactly something you can power through in an afternoon. I'm getting SOME work done on my ideas, but the class has to come first.
Also, con questions-which should I go to, Rainfurrest or Midwest FurFest?

So, about 2 months ago I said I was done with Audible. That turned out to be less than true, but editing is as important to the writing process as anything else. Probably more than important. I've sent the working copy off to my beta readers, and hopefully they can give me something back that reaches a nice middle ground between 'THIS WAS THE BESTEST THING EVAR~ <3' and 'Here's a gun. Do us a favor'.
I've also been severely neglecting my smaller projects, or even posting stories that I finished long ago. I will do my best to correct this in the coming week, and I am considering a story a week thing just to keep sharp.
Hope you all have a good day,
Elion

Hey y'all. Yes, I will be at Califur this year, and let's just say Cabaret should not be missed. Looking forward to meet with all you wonderful people, and hope everyone has a good time. Also, a friend of mine is doing commissions for the con, please give her prices a look over. http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2338291/ Have a good couple weeks, and enjoy the convention.

This is kind of huge for me. I've finished the first draft of my first novel.

Is it perfect? No. I've had to change the main character's species, turned a bit player into a protagonist, the ending is rushed, my verb tenses are all over the place, and there's a lot that needs to be excised, implanted, modified and massaged into working.

But I'm done.

Okay, I have ADD. Like, I take meds for it, I'm not lazy (not just, anyway) and the meds help me focus. So, I carry notebooks at social occasions to take names down. FC was a VERY social occasion, so I took down a lot of names. And now I'm getting off my ass (see? still a little lazy) and adding all of them. If you have any questions about how we met, shoot 'em to me in a note or a shout.

I've had Catatonic up here for...damn, ages. It was the first story I ever wrote with an exclusively furry objective in mind-first story I ever FINISHED, really-and it was a great learning oppurtunity. However, I'm planning on releasing a heavily-and for those of you who've read the ending, I do mean a kilo-ton-edited version as part of a novel, hopefully within the year. If anyone has a copy of the original they downloaded, first off why? Second, don't distribute it when the book comes out. If it ever does. I'm happy to talk about how much my old writing could be improved, but still, keep it to yourself.
Thanks, and for those of you who fav'd it, fret not-I'm planning on giving you much, much more to look at soon.

I had a lot of fun at FC. I met a lot of people (probably half the people who read this will be recent adds trying to figure out who I am) and had a lot of good times. I'm a bit uptight at these sorts of things, so if I said the wrong thing I would like to apologize, and if I said the right thing, I take all the credit.
One thing we talked about a lot in the writing panels this year was just getting to it-getting off the rump I don't have and getting ready for your next big project. Right now, I'm working on a novel. But after this, I have another idea for a set of novels, the first of which I'm considering putting up here as a serialized work just to get some extra stuff on my page. Plenty of experiments and such for me to do, and I'm interested in what the feed back from the stories could be. So I'm going to try getting on that, maybe a section every week, and hopefully going from there.
Second, I just want to thank everyone I met at this event. You all were so nice and fun to hang out with, even when I thought I was being immature sometimes. Okay, lots of times. But all that aside, it was a great opportunity, and I relish the chance to do it again next year.
Lastly, I may-MAY- MAY be getting a twitter account soon. I'm only going to use it to talk about furry stuff, and to ask questions for my writing, questions that could consist of looking in the encyclopedia, towards yourself, or at your screen going 'what the f**k?'
Great con over all, now to go sleep for 10 hours.

Just a little break in the noveling to talk about how AWESOME the West Hollywood Carnival was. I've always loved this holiday, and this year was just fantastic. I hung out with a bunch of suiters, and it was a pretty good time by all. I'll post pics later.

Howdy, folks and folkettes. I'm currently working on a novel (hence why I don't post anything) and I'm running into a bit of a rut. So how do you guys who are writers deal with that?

So, according to FA, I have been in this little gathering of hooligans for about one year. I'd just like to mention some of the things that have transpired in the last twelve months to make it memorable:
I wrote a story. I then rewrote it, because I looked it over and went 'holy hell this is horribly written'. I'll upload the newer version...someday.
I got to meet some of the most interesting people I know.
I spent WAY too much time in front of a computer. Seriously, I need to get off IRC.
I realized more about myself and what I want to be.
I learned how nice it is not to have a secret you're hiding from EVERYONE, and how it's good sometimes to let go of yourself.
I learned I'm a badass with a staff-so long as I don't accidentally hit myself in the junk.
I learned what it feels like to hate a friend and love someone you can't have.
I figured out (the hard way) that having to do all the legwork in a relationship gets old fast.
I learned that lying to your parents is surprisingly easy, once you know what to say.
Lastly...I learned how to be happy, how not to feel like a freak, how to enjoy who I am and not be as afraid of it as I have been since...forever. I still have issues, but I'm not the person I was 365 days ago. And thank God for that
Elion

Okay,  whiskeyfoxtrot tagged me in his, thus I suppose I should humor the fox. This is all out of the kindness of my heart. Has nothing to do with the fact that 99 times out of 100 he could beat me in a fight.

1: Aurorawolf
2: Kyell
3: Clane
4: Kacey
5: Tani da Real
6: Jeevestheroo
7: Bartonstroud
8: Balaa
9: Isil
10: Net-cat
11: Nyow
12: Janko
13: Lorki
14: Kadath
15: Ferality

and questions!

1. How did you meet 1?
At PS, turns out we go to the same school

2. What would you do if you had never met 8?
I wouldn't have a snazzy print and bookmark! Nor would I have learned the value of saying 'thank you'.

3. Would you date 2?
...This turned awkward...Uh...I guess, but he's married, so kind of a null point.

4. Have you ever seen 11 cry?
No way. She's way too awesome and happy.

5.Would 3 and 13 be good friends?
I honestly can't imagine so...but maybe.

6. Describe 9?
The first furry artist I ever got a commission from. Very nice dude.

7. Do you like 2?
Indeed. Both as an author and as a person.

8. Do you think 6 is attractive?
I've never seen him. But he has a big sexy brain.

9. When was the last time you talked to 14?
At FC, talking about bison and under represented animals in the fandom.

10. Would you date 7?
...Why the hell is this thing trying to set me up with all the married dudes? Gun to my head, I'd let him take me to a movie, but no funny business.

11. Where does 15 live?
Dunno. Norcal, I think.

12. What is the best thing about 5?
Her ability to draw floof. And the awesome accent. And just being awesome in general.

13. What would you like to tell 13 right now?
'LOST!!!!!!!!!!!'

14. What is the best thing about 10?
He's a good dude to talk to online, willing to listen to my crappy crap.

15. Have you ever kissed 12?
...I swear, this quiz wants me to get stuff cut off. No, I have not. I think she'd punch me then use her awesome knife skills on me to make sure it couldn't happen again.

16. What's the best memory you have had with 14?
Hm...haven't talked to him enough to have a really long list of memories.

17. What is 10's best talent
I'd assume programming, but also making me feel less like crap about life.

18. Is 15 pretty?
She's kinda cute.

19. When did you meet 4 and what was your first impression?
At FC, and I got the impression she was a dedicated artist. Translation: I said hi and she was busy with a sketchbook.

20. How long have you been friends with 3?
A couple months now.

21. Have you seen 5 in the last month?
Yep, sharing a table with Kacey at FC.

22. When was the last time you saw 11?
Last PS; or maybe the one before it?

23. Have you ever been to 13's house?
Yes, and she has a kick ass pool.

24. When is the next time you will see 9?
Possibly at Califur, can't imagine meeting him before then.

25. Are you really close to 6?
No. We've talked online maybe...twice? Don't know him too well as a friend.

26. Would you hug 3?
...I will have to see at the next PS...

27. Do you know a secret about 5?
Uh...she swapped badges with Kacey the last day of FC. DUN DUN DUUUUUUN.

28. Describe the relationship between 14 and 4?
They belong in the canon of awesome furry artists. Other than that, prolly nada.

29. What's your friendship with 12 like?
Solid, I'd say. I can be a bit annoying sometimes, but we've had some good chats.

30. Have you ever danced with 7?
Nope. Can't imagine his big clunky hooves would be much good for it..

31. How do you know 12?
She made my costume, and she's almost always at the PS.

32. Does 2 have a bf/gf?
As previously established, he's married.

33. Have you ever wanted to smack 4 in the face?
O.O No way!

34. Has 11 met your mom?
...*dies of laughter imagining how they'd ever meet*

35. Have you ever traveled with 10?
No, but I might head over to his side of the USA later this year.

36. If your 7 had $100 what would they spend it on?
Hm...Books? Maybe coffee? Or something for the missus.

37. What's your best memory of 2?
"I'm the guy who said he was going to hugtackle you at FC, but you're not wearing a helmet."
"That's alright, I think I can still spare a hug."
^_____________________________________________________^ (*is trying not to sound like a crazy fanboy. Even though he kinda is*)

39. What is the last thing you did with 15?
Thank them ever so much for an awesome commission at FC.

40. When did you meet 6?
Unofficially, reading his stuff on yiffstar a looooooong ass time ago. Officially, on MSN over the summer.

41. How did you meet 8?
FC this year.

42. whats 1's favorite color?
I'm thinking dark blue for some reason...

I sent a copy of my story over to Malin, one of the guys who runs SofaWolf, and got a very polite, helpful e-mail telling me that they weren't going to take it right now. So, I think I have about two options: A-Break out the Ben & Jerry's and watch Lifetime original movies, B-Go into an angry tirade about how they don't understand me a la some emo band, or C-take some of the advice to heart and get to work. This is my first time writing a book, so I don't think my first draft was supposed to be my masterpiece. I'm gonna have to look at my stories with a much more critical eye. In my usual habit of focusing in on one detail out of 1000, I noticed the 'right now' that was so lovingly embedded into that first sentence. Maybe if I give the story a proper work over, they'll look at it again and reach a new verdict. Who knows; by the time I've reached that stage, maybe other publishers would be willing to take a shot at my book. It might be nice to have a 'furry book' published by a nonfurry publisher. Or maybe I should write the thing, then work on my autograph for the book signings.
Elion

Okay, I'm not huge on most holidays. Mothers/fathers day has always been kinda a joke to me, Thanksgiving is just too ironic, Christmas has become political, and I still don't know why we have Labor Day. My one exception to this rule of cynicism is Halloween. Even before I considered myself in the fandom, this holiday was a favorite of mine; and why not? Candy, costumes, it's the one day a year everyone is allowed to be a little more strange than usual. btw, it doesn't count as furry if it's halloween, I checked.
So, I'm curious if anyone might have any suggestions for good people who might be able to do paws and a tail. Paws=hands, not feet. I'm not planning on going crazy on this, but I'd say I have about $100 to spend. Any suggestions, including self promotion, are welcome. If you have a 'make your own' guide you'd like to show me, that's more than acceptable.
Thanks in advance for the tips, and talk to you later.
Elion
PS: I'm up to Chapter 7 of Brain Trust. A bit slower than I anticipated, but not too much.

I don't like using this journal to rant, or complain about a lot of things, and I will continue to uphold that standard. I've had kind of a rough summer. California isn't exactly a great place to be right now if you're looking for work, so my summer has been mundane, to an unbelievable level. I did find this out about myself: I use writing as a way to escape stress. This summer, the biggest stress has been having absolutely nothing to do and trying not to go insane. A lot of domestic problems, as well.
There is one bright spot, however. I've decided to write a novel. A furry novel, if one might call it that. I plan on posting the first four chapters up here in the coming days. There are a lot of questions I'd like to figure out before getting too involved in this, but I have a fairly solid idea of when I'd like to have this done.
My goal is to have the story ready to hand off to someone from Sofawolf press at Further Confusion 2010.
I got 4 months. Little less than, actually. And school starts next week, which will paradoxically give me more drive to write but less time, in contrast to this empty summer.
It's nice to have a goal, isn't it? I might post questions up here and I would greatly appreciate any input you might be able to offer.
Thanks for your time, and have a good day.
Elion.

^____________________________________________________^
And now for me to use my words like a big boy.
To try and describe the feeling of going to the convention is no small task. I will start off by saying it was weird as hell. I've seen people in fursuits at PS before, but...this was that times 500. Lotsa nice people, some really cool artists who I was more than a little honored just to say hi to. I was only there for one day so I didn't get the whole thing, including what I was told was an epic cabaret. Next year I plan on staying the whole time.
I would like to heartily commend the staff at that place, both official con staff and hotel staff. You put on a great show, and what little I saw of it was well done. The hotel people were amazingly cool. There was one point where someone in a rabbit fursuit had lost their carrot, and they were looking for it, and I just caught someone's eye and we just laughed our asses off about it.
I didn't buy a lot of swag, but I look forward to having the disposable income next year to get commissions and maybe a bit more of a costume.

Today marks the official end of my first year of college! Can a brother get an Amen?!
I'm hoping that this is the time when I will be able to get a lot more writing done. I plan on attending Califur, though I don't have any clue what I'll do when I get there, but I'd be totally up to hanging out. I've got a lot of story ideas that I need to work through, and I'm hoping that not having to worry about the utter HELL that is chemistry 101, I can get through these ideas and make them into the literary love that I like to make.
Elion.
PS: Yes, for the love of God, Chem 101 was that bad.

Alright, I've been thinking about my new story, Political Animal, which I tried to base of The West Wing, one of my favorite shows. The only problem is that they kinda left a lot of points unanswered, which is something I really dislike in my stories. I like having every detail be relevant in it's on little way. However, I noticed that I was doing exactly that...So, that story is on the back burner for a bit, and I'm working on a new story right now, possibly up next tuesday or wednesday (busy weekend, with Finals coming up and all my teachers trying to make up for any kindness shown to us for the last semester >.<)
Anyways, that's all for now, Good Night to all of you, and hope to have a wonderful weekend.
Elion.