Friday<\/b>
Friday was the last day of my exams, and unfortunately my time for writing my Canadian Lit got bumped from 1230 to 330. I was not happy. It would now mean I'd miss the majority of the con for that day, seeing as I had promised Ally I'd go to the swimsuit contest as Ivy to support her (She was entering in a Harley swimsuit she had made). So I write my exam and get out around 5. Took a while to drive down, and then there was a mix up on where I was meeting my friends so they could help me into my corset. By the time we were all ready it was time for the contest, and we had to book it. Luckily no one cared we were late. I met with the other judges, talked with the two voice actors that were guest judging as Ally went off and prepped as a contestant. Izzy was in the audience with our other friend Reg.
The contest went well, a lot of really good competitors, some I knew and some I didn't. When it came to the end and we had to pick a winner, I let the other judges talk first since I was well aware that one of my best friends was competing, and although I thought she did great, I didn't want any hint that the contest was rigged, or she was picked because she was obviously with me and my crew. But thankfully I'm not just a big biased ho-bag and the others suggested her because of her ability to stay in character through all the mishaps and stupid bitches trying to bring her down.
Explaination:
During her talent Ally got nervous and forgot the lines to her song and had to pause. Through out this she remained in character, with full voice\/accent and joked even though I knew she was sweating on the inside. She did good, and eventually was able to finish rather well. Second mishap happened during the Q&A session. A girl I am unfamiliar with broke the jovial mood by asking \"What's with your accent? Have you ever been to Brooklyn? They don't sound like that.\" The room went silent. Ally struggled a bit, keeping the accent up as she attempted to answer the question in a kind\/funny way. I was annoyed, and one of the amazing powers given to me as a judge is a microphone, so I intervened because I am less nice. I usually pride myself on being a very accepting individual when it comes to all fandoms and fans, but I didn't like such a blatant attempt to put someone else down publicly, especially when it was being directed at my friend. So I asked her how old she was and questioned if she was even old enough to be in that panel room (swimsuit contest is 18+) if she had never watched the B:TAS from the 90's. Now here's the kicker.... she replied \"I'll be 26 tomorrow, but I've never been into Marvel.\" I laughed and said \"Bitch that shit is DC, who sent you?\" One of the voice actors also chimed in and called her an idiot and the whole panel room booed her for this very very bad mistake. This furthered my belief that you can be a well loved ass (like myself) but you need to be a smart ass. Know your shit or keep you mouth shut. Ryan also pointed out that Harley's accent isn't Brooklyn based since it's Gotham. Harley and the other Joker goons have a very distinct dialect I think is loosely based on Long Island.<\/i>
In the end Ally got first place as Judges' Favorite, with our other friend Marc winning Audience Favorite for his E.Honda. Many pictures were taken and everyone was in a good mood at the end. I met some awesome people like Britany Quinn and Jesse of Undiscovered Photography<\/a> and Rion Risque<\/a>, an awesome cosplayer that everyone should check out on FB. I also walked away with a prize. Turns out Marc had the box set he was given a long with a trophy so he gave it to me because I had wanted to see Rosario Vampire. I'll watch it soonish, promise ;3
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
Saturday<\/b>
Saturday started out stressful, dealing with parking downtown and trying to figure out costume etc. I had made changes to my Jade that I was pleased with, though over all I know it still needs more work. It doesn't seem to photograph well. Thought due to the combined exhaustion of both Con and and exams I don't think I photographed well this con at all. For the first time in my life I was able to wear contacts to add to one of my costumes and people loved them.![](\"https:\/\/fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net\/hphotos-ak-ash4\/q74\/1009867_10153157229500249_684765832_n.jpg\")
<\/a>
I got many compliments and freaked out a few tourists. As a cosplayer I don't really care about being in costume around people\/normies. And if you do care about that sort of thing AR isn't a con for you, it's right next to a main cruise ship port and it's right in the middle of tourist season. So if you're shy or uncomfortable about all that, you're fucked. Try and keep that in mind if you ever decide to do AR. Anyway, back to the con, we wandered aimlessly, checking stuff out and saying hi to friends. Eventually we made our way back to take a short break. By the time we came back, it was almost time for the Origa concert, something that Izzy really wanted to attend. We ended up waiting in the wrong line due to a confusing system and when we went to try and get in the con staff were happy to oblige but the center staff refused us, stating that the concert was at capacity, and we'd have to wait in the alt line, back in the giant room of lines in case people left. Here's the thing, people were leaving as we were standing there, but there was no one being brought from the room of lines 3 whole conference rooms away. We also could see that the concert room only had a small crowd of maybe 50-70 in it, despite the fact the room had housed over 300 for the opening ceremony. So we walk back to the hall of lines and see people that had been waiting for the concert for hours before. We then get pissed off at the whole thing and debate going to an after party\/event at EXP. In the end we stayed and after center staff was gone the con staff let us in to to catch the last third of the concert.
After that we decide to go to the \"That 70's Anime Dating Game\" panel being held by someone I knew from previous cons and mutual friends. All was good, it was a little bland compared to the riotus 18+ panels my crew (now joined by Jacob of Hentai Cupcake<\/a>) is used to, but we had fun heckling, and on the second to last contestant I was chosen as a bachelorette. There were a few amusing quirks. Another cosplayer I know through mutual friends was picked as another bachelorette and during her intro her skirt rode up and a dude was panty shotting her, so I sat in her lap and tried to pull it down, but I think she thought I was trying to grab her awkwardly.... So that was odd, but no harm no foul.
Here's the part that gets a little shady. The guy re-enters and sits without seeing us, as per the rules. Apparently he had been a contestant last year, and proceeded to bash the girl he had chosen the year previous. First asking one of the hosts if that girl was in the room, which she promptly replied no. He insulted her breasts and her body, saying extremely disgusting things that did little to impress me and my girls. Needless to say I was annoyed and no longer gave two shits if this guy chose me. There was a question that was basically a lead in to having him grope any body part on us. I wasn't feeling particularly accommodating after his display so I took his hand and twisted it till I heard it crack repeatedly, pretending to be in character as Jade... Really I just didn't want some asshole touching me. If I had known I would have called Jacob up and had him thrust on him. After that the guy was rather adamant that contestant 2 (me) would not win. I wasn't exactly saddened by the news.
After the panel and through the Sunday I did have a few people approach me to say they were glad I had done it, that they had been enjoying the panel up until him, but he had taken it too far when he had bashed some girl that wasn't even there to defend herself. I agreed and told them that I hope it wouldn't detour them from going to that panel in the future, since the contestants change every time.
After that was another one of Hentai Cupcake's panels where they told con stories from their many adventures. It was fun and I was given some of Jeff's cider which is always amazingly yummy. Jon also gave me some sort of other alcoholic beverage I will not name that tasted like candy. Also good. The panel was very amusing, and afterwards I got to meet Miranda, another awesome new friend!
After that we (my crew, Jacob and Miranda) all headed down to the rave, only to find that center staff were pulling the same shit they had done with the concert. In the same massive room there was maybe 70-100 people, while a whole, snaking line up of con kids waited to hopefully get in. Lucky for us, Rion was hype dancing for one of the DJ's and she walked us all through so we didn't have to wait. Much thanks to her, I hate line ups.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
Sunday<\/b>
Sunday was filled with photoshoots and not much else. We dressed as the Gotham City Sirens for the DC\/Marvel Shoot put on by VanGeeks. We got called up, we posed, we talked etc. Unfortunately AR 2013 had been plagued with thefts. Several people at the shoot had their cellphones and wallets taken. Ally's badge was stolen which she was upset about because she had wanted to keep it, but registration gave her a wristband for the rest of the day so she wouldn't be denied access to anywhere. Caitlin had her phone stolen and had to go through the hassle of getting a hold of telus on a Sunday to report it. In the end Jacob and Jon gave them their panelist passes since they were leaving so Caitlin was a least able to go enjoy the dealers room with the rest of us despite having not bought a pass. We went and did shoots with Watermark Visuals<\/a>, Masamune Captures<\/a> and Undiscovered Photography<\/a>, all of which were fun and I'm excited to see. Izzy, Ally, Caitlin and I then went to Maruko for some delicious ramen, and overall perfect end to the con.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
Over all the con was alright, though I'm considering skipping it for a different one next year. Maybe PAX or Cos&Effect, unless i end up as a panelist which also might happen.
The next con for me will probably be AkiCon in October. After a 2 year hiatus from it, I'm excited to go back, since it used to be one of my fav cons of the year. Until then kids, love you and I'll see you around ;)
Updated the groove list.
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/138427.html?view=comments#comments","category":["friends","cosplay bombshell","gotham city sirens","poison ivy","assholes","convention","cosplay","photoshoot","exams","anime revolution"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/138148.html","pubDate":"Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:22:46 GMT","title":"The world's most epic conversation ever!","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/138148.html","description":"Posted on FB<\/i>
Brittney:<\/b> Things I learned in speculative fiction...
If there's ever an apocalypse, fuck hoarding water, hoard condoms
(this is in response to us reading the short story 'Speech Sounds' by Octavia Butler from the book 'Bloodchild and Other Stories')<\/i>
Skye:<\/b> straight girl problems
continued in text messages<\/i>
Britt:<\/b> What if it's a nuclear apocalypse and you survive but you grow like a siamese twin that's straight and lonely. Then you'll want some condoms but you won't have any because i'll have made a fort out of them and you're not invited.
Britt:<\/b> it will have a mote. you're missing out
Britt:<\/b> Alligators
Skye:<\/b> Keep your condom fort I'll have a cozy brothel and you're not invited! There!
Skye:<\/b> And by brothel I mean harem, because i'm not sharin' em
Britt:<\/b> I hope your siamese twin gets pregnant and the baby is evil like in xena warrior princess
Britt:<\/b> your siamese twin is Gabrielle
Skye:<\/b> I hope she destroys your condom fort in a fit of radioactive rage
Skye:<\/b> Let's not bring xena into this :O
Britt:<\/b> I wanted to reference something homoerotic enough I would be sure you'd know about it
Britt:<\/b> something with an evil baby
Skye:<\/b> you brilliant jerk!
Britt:<\/b> That's the title of my autobiography
Britt:<\/b> i'm totes gonna thrive. like tina turner in that mad max movie i never watched
Skye:<\/b> \"The people demand a condomocracy!\"
Britt:<\/b> How would you know what the people demand? Your people don't use condoms
Skye:<\/b> Yeah but i'll still be there inciting the rioters
Britt:<\/b> They won't listen. They'll be too desperate for condoms and beer. i'll also be hoarding beer
Britt:<\/b> which I don't drink, but will have anyway because everyone else will be too busy collecting canned food.
Skye:<\/b> so you'll have no food, but you'll be down to party? haha
Britt:<\/b> i can use the beer as a conversation piece in my condom fort. the conversation will be \"do you want some berr? well you can't have any, it's mine. get out of my fort!\"
Skye:<\/b> some handy lumberjack lesbian in my harem will build a distillery in no time.
Britt:<\/b> your siamese twin is going to be unhappy and pregnant with evil xenas
Skye:<\/b> Well miss that is on your conscience!
Britt:<\/b> that's what the beer is for","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/138148.html?view=comments#comments","category":["apocalypse","lesbians","skye","friendship","friends","text","facebook"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137800.html","pubDate":"Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:07:47 GMT","title":"Short Story: Super Human","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137800.html","description":"so with my new semester i was able to get into a second year creative writing course that specializes in speculative fiction (scifi, fantasy... all that good stuff). i'm not going to go into detail because fuck that's boring.... but for my first assignment i handed in a rewrite of ghost, for my second assignment i decided to play with another novel idea i had, but it ended up going in a completely new direction, which i liked. so enjoy guys :)
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
\u201cA harpoon?\u201d I murmur to myself, confused and fascinated all at the same time as my eyes take in the ancient whaling device lodged in the chest of a dark skinned man I knew only from mug shots.
\tLevi Holt sits crumpled against the wall of the small office; his head bent and obscured by rough cut layers of black hair, as the harpoon pins him upright. He looks like some garish puppet left out to rot.
\tI step around the pool of blood that has already soaked into the snow white carpet, careful as I push aside the collar of the dead man\u2019s shirt. An old scar encircles his throat, dusky and a shade or two darker than the caramel flesh that surrounds it.
\t\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d The voice comes from behind me, but I don\u2019t have to look to know it is one of the patrol officers sent to help secure the scene.
\t\u201cWhat happens when a super takes off their equalizer collar,\u201d I state. I\u2019m used to those kinds of questions from the rookies. I hear him inhale as if to ask something further, but whatever it had been remains a mystery the moment I turn and he catches sight of my own very distinctive piece of jewelry.
\t\u201cY-you\u2019re\u2026\u201d he began, stumbling over his own words.
\t\u201cController Dai Graydon,\u201d I interrupt, introducing myself before he could say something career damning. \u201cMy partner, Detective Anders and I handle all homicide investigations involving the super humans in this sector.\u201d
\t\u201cController,\u201d he acknowledges, regaining his composure and tipping the brim of his black hat in salute. He\u2019s so green he doesn\u2019t even have a name on his badge yet. He\u2019s probably fresh out of the academy.
\tI nod in return, quickly turning back to my work and away from the young officer. Something is eating away at the back of my mind, something that needs my notice. I feel my head get foggy as the equalizer collar around my neck dampens my abilities, trying to eradicate the eidetic memory I was born with.
\tThough my inability to forget even the minutest detail of every instant in my life is considered a non-combative ability, it is still deemed too great an advantage over the population at large. The equalizer collar ensures that all people are evenly matched regardless of genetic mutation in lineage or self. I was five at the time use of collar had been made law, barely aware of the politics or reasoning behind it; but the complete and photographic memories I have from before are still whole in my mind. I have since analyzed them, and as a result had opted to become a Controller, an officer that specializes in super human crime.
\tI look to the body, scowling as I try to figure out what is trying to get through the haze of artificial amnesia. Holt looks the same, his shoulders folded over the concave crater in his chest caused by the force of the harpoon. I can feel tiny pin pricks of pain behind my eyes as the collar\u2019s efforts intensify, and that\u2019s how I know I\u2019m getting close to whatever my subconscious has already figured out.
\t\u201cOfficer, bring up the file on Levi Holt,\u201d I order flatly.
\t\u201cHolt?\u201d Anders shuts the door to the file room behind him. He\u2019s a slightly haggard looking man with a scruffy beard he never has time to trim, and short ginger hair streaked with white. He had been looking at the other body, the one belonging to the man that actually worked here.
\tI wave absently to the bloody mess on the floor, waiting as the patrolman codes in the request to his gauntlet. The glove\u2019s holographic projector blinks to life, having to widen from its usual setting to accommodate all the information the Patron City Police Department had collected on the elusive criminal.
\t\u201cLevi Holt, defected from the Equalizer program five years ago wherein he began being known by his alias Reaper\u2026\u201d the officer pauses, a look of shock taking him as he comes to terms with who\u2019s corpse he\u2019s standing beside. Reaper was a well know figure in press, and I wish I could tell the rookie that his reputation was undeserved.
\u201cGet to his abilities,\u201d I prompt. Anders looks to me questioningly, and I know behind that stare he is wondering if my collar is failing and there is something in particular I want to point out, but don\u2019t need the file in front of me to recall.
\u201cAdvanced teleportation. Holt has the ability to instantly appear anywhere he has prior structural knowledge of. This includes, but is not limited to blue prints, photographs or detailed descriptions of the area.\u201d
\u201cSo here\u2019s Holt, with the ability to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye\u2026 How did anyone have time to go, grab a harpoon gun and shoot him?\u201d I ask with a little more dramaticism than most were used to from me.
\u201cSomeone was waiting for him?\u201d the officer attempts, shrugging his shoulders like a wet nose school boy.
\u201cNo, the weapon was one of opportunity. There\u2019s an award plaque it was pulled off of in the other room,\u201d Anders muses.
\tI crouch down by the body, looking for any reason this situation would make sense. A silence falls over us, the buzz of the still active projector the only sound. The pin pricks return, flaring worse than before, heightening as the need to sneeze from the smell of new plaster builds.
\t\u201cPlaster,\u201d I murmur to myself. I ignore the odd looks both Anders and the officer are giving as I reach for Holt\u2019s elbow and lift it enough to see the bloody stump at the end of his wrist. \u201cBring up the blue prints for the office,\u201d I order with little concern for explaining my theory to either of them.
\tIt takes only moments before the rookie\u2019s gauntlet displays a three dimensional replica of the room from the mainframe of the building. As it spins ever so slowly, I examine every inch for deviance. \u201cThere!\u201d I point out the small section of wall Holt was shot in to. \u201cThe measurements are off.\u201d My statement is met with some skepticism as both Anders and the officer glance back and forth from the actual wall, to its\u2019 scaled counterpart.
\u201cAccording to that, from the window to this wall is supposed to be around sixteen feet. Holt is around six feet, sat as he is he\u2019s probably taking up about three and a half to four feet of that space. With the desk by the window, and the three of us in here, there\u2019s not enough space left over.\u201d My explanation seems to satisfy them as both look around to apparently check my calculations.
\u201cDamn,\u201d Anders murmurs as the patrolman begins coding something else into his gauntlet.
\u201cMicheal Perill recently filed permits to have a wall removed and rebuilt, they must have added a few feet for a wall safe or closet\u2026\u201d the young officer speculates, though it\u2019s clear by his tone he\u2019s not sure how any of this is relevant.
\u201cIf the structure of the room changed, and the blue prints hadn\u2019t been updated yet\u2026 Reaper was working off old information,\u201d Anders explains, finally seeing how my theory is coming together. \u201cWait, but that means\u2026 he got stuck in a wall?\u201d
\u201cHe\u2019s missing a hand,\u201d I push Holt\u2019s other arm away, pulling the stump into full view of my cohorts. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to get forensics to cut into the wall, see if it\u2019s in there.\u201d
\u201cSo Reaper was after Perill? He pops in, but the blueprints he studied are wrong, his hand gets sliced off when he reforms\u2026\u201d Anders begins.
\u201cThe guy found in the file room sees him, freaks out and reaches for the closest weapon, the harpoon gun on the plaque\u2026\u201d the officer adds, looking about himself as if fearful either of us would berate him for contributing.
\u201cAnd he shoots Holt while he\u2019s distracted,\u201d I finish, already aware of the gaping hole in our theory.
\u201cThen who killed Perill?\u201d Anders asks, looking to me and confirming my suspicion over who the second body is.
\u201cMicheal Perill, why is that name familiar?\u201d I ask, feeling the same fog seep into my memory to hide the origin of where I had first heard of the man.
\u201cHe wrote that book, Philosophy of a God. It was some pretty high handed stuff,\u201d Anders replies flatly. He watches me discreetly, I can just imagine him trying to discern if my lapse in memory is the real thing, or some sly plot to throw him off suspecting my collar is malfunctioning. \u201cAll about the uprising and how Arcane Fire\u2019s mental breakdown was due to a hormonal imbalance caused by pregnancy.\u201d
\t\u201cHe was one of the ones pushing for mass sterilization.\u201d My tone is impassive; as I make sure my feelings on the matter are well hidden. I never allow myself to express my own view of politics. I am already too closely watched for signs of rebellion given my position.
\tTwo decades ago there were no equalizer collars. The super human population was controlled by a group of elites that kept them in line. Arcane Fire was a code name given to a psychic that worked as part of a team to protect Patron City for years. Though the real cause is unknown, the woman\u2019s mental break affected everyone around her. Arcane Fire began using her abilities to control the rest of the team and many others. She incited a violent and bloody riot that lasted for three days before she was finally taken in, and later sentenced to death. After that the bill for the mandatory use of equalizer collars, which had previously been laughed at, quickly became a law.
\t\u201cHe was wrong,\u201d I muse now more curious than ever to see Perill\u2019s body.
\t\u201cWhat?\u201d Anders seems taken aback by the statement, too used to me never voicing my opinion on controversial super human matters.
\t\u201cHe was wrong. It\u2019s all in the file back at the precinct,\u201d I state, calming his fears before they have time to become an actual concern. \u201cArcane Fire\u2019s abilities manifested in a blue flame that consumed her from head to toe hence the code name, it was considered a physical deformity. Even in those days they didn\u2019t allow any supers to alter the gene pool that drastically. She was chemically sterilized soon after puberty\u2026 \u201c
\t\u201cWow, you can remember all that?\u201d the officer asks, blind to how dangerous his words are. Anders is not however, and the look in his eyes is one of suspicion once more.
\t\u201cI\u2019m a Controller, the majority of super human crime is influenced by the Arcana, which was named after her.\u201d At the blank look the rookie gives me, I have to try hard not to laugh. \u201cThe Arcana is the inner, most radical part of the SHA. You know who they are I presume?\u201d
\t\u201cSuper Human Alliance, they push for equal rights and the removal of the collars,\u201d he answers, an eager young student.
\t\u201cRight. Now the Arcana probably don\u2019t like the idea of mass sterilization, or the man who\u2019s using an old fear to push a law for it through.\u201d My words are deliberately careful, as I try to navigate the treacherous waters of human psychology. Not only to speculate on the murders that took place here, but also to keep my own beliefs private. \u201cSo they send their suspected thirteenth member, Reaper, to assassinate Micheal Perill\u2026\u201d
\t\u201cBut there\u2019s the mistake with the blue prints, and their assassin ends up dead. That still doesn\u2019t explain what happened to Perill,\u201d the patrolman points out.
\t\u201cActually it might,\u201d Anders chimes in. \u201cIf it was the Arcana that wanted Perill dead, and not just their attack dog, Holt could have brought someone else with him. The harpoon gun has a one-time use, Perill could have shot who he thought was a bigger threat, but then was killed by the accomplice.\u201d The way he was speaking had me suspicious that Anders had already formulated another theory.
\t\u201cYou have someone in mind?\u201d I ask, cocking a brow at him as he nods gravely. He waves a hand, beckoning me towards the file room and the second body.
\tThe file room seems almost peaceful in contrast to the violence of the office. Wall upon wall of floor to ceiling servers storing an entire library of information, buzz harmoniously as blue and green LEDs blink like tiny stars. Micheal Perill was a well-funded, and well-connected man. I probably should feel worried that I would have to be the one to break the news that supers were responsible for his death, but it is too quiet here. There is an ease about the room, a residual aura that leaves the mind numb. I know I know the feeling from somewhere, but when I try to remember my collar prevents it, worsening the heady sensation by adding its\u2019 own torpid haze.
\tI try and shake it, approaching the body that Anders already waits beside. Even Perill\u2019s death seems gentle compared to the way we found Holt. He\u2019s laid out flat on his back, his arms folded over his chest. His body is a little pale and stiff from rigor mortis, but otherwise he looks like he had lain down to take a nap. I crouch beside him, my eyes scanning in silent inspection as I take in his graying buzz cut, deflated cheeks and sallow skin. He looks like a man who may have been heavy at one time but lost a lot of weight, his flesh now hanging too loose on his bones.
\tAnders crouches down across from me, looking over the body in much the same way. \u201cI was confused at first. There\u2019s no outward sign of trauma, so I thought maybe a heart attack. But look at the way he\u2019s positioned, it\u2019s too\u2026\u201d he fell short, trying to think of a word to describe the eeriness of it all.
\t\u201cNot natural,\u201d I finish, and he nods.
\t\u201cThen I notice this\u2026\u201d he adds, latex gloved fingers quickly pressing against Perill\u2019s eye lid. He opens it, revealing a crimson sclera. \u201cThey\u2019re both like that.\u201d
\tI lean in for a closer look, feeling my mouth go dry as I examine the vitae filled orb. \u201cEvery blood vessel has burst,\u201d I murmur and Anders nods once more, as if I\u2019m confirming a suspicion of his.
\t\u201cTry and move his head,\u201d he instructs and I know this is new territory. Anders is a detective and is therefore only allowed certain actions within his job title. I am a Controller and take precedent over the rules of leaving things as found for forensics and the coroner, within limitations of course. I am allowed to take any measure to determine if the crime is super human in nature, and to find out what sorts of abilities may have been used to commit it.
\tI reach out a hand, pulling Perill\u2019s head to the side and hearing something. I forfeit my reserve and shake the man\u2019s cranium, now better able to identify it\u2019s something liquid inside.
\t\u201cIt sounds like a water bottle,\u201d Anders affirms, holding up a hand to his mouth in attempt to hide his silent gagging. I pretend not to notice. \u201cYou don\u2019t think it\u2019s his brain do you?\u201d
\tThe very question catches me off guard and I laugh. The complete absurdity of it! \u201cSomeone came and liquefied his brain? That\u2019s a little too science fiction don\u2019t you think?\u201d I chuckle, and it\u2019s enough to get a small grin from him and make him forget about being sick.
\u201cNo, the brain\u2019s still in there, I can feel the weight of it. But it\u2019s loose; the coroner will probably find that it\u2019s shrunk.\u201d
\t\u201cHow?\u201d he asks, canting his head curiously.
\t\u201cMy guess is whatever pressure that made the blood vessels in his eyes burst, did the same to his brain. Several consecutive aneurisms\u2026 it would explain the sound. If they ruptured, his skull is probably filled with blood, draining from the brain and shrinking it slightly.\u201d
\tI right Perill\u2019s head the way I had found it and rise, quickly pulling off my gloves and bagging them for the forensic team. There is nothing more we need to see, and we both know the answer to this riddle but we have to go through the motions.
\t\u201cSo we\u2019re looking for someone who could apply a lot of pressure,\u201d he begins as he switches on his own gauntlet to record our findings.
\t\u201cTelekinetic pressure, there\u2019s no external trauma. We\u2019re looking for a powerful psychic,\u201d I finish, knowing I\u2019ve confirmed Anders\u2019 theory for him.
\t\u201cAgreed. Detective Craig Anders and Controller Dai Graydon, on this day December fourteenth of twenty seventy-seven; conclude that the assassination of Micheal Perill was performed by one Levi Holt, also known as Reaper, now deceased; and one Alyssa Noir, also known as Tarot.\u201d He clicks off the feed, coding in the upload sequence to put the recording on the Patron City Police Department mainframe. A coroner and forensics team will be here in a matter of minutes to confirm our findings.
\t\u201cCan you imagine the pain involved?\u201d he asks, and for a moment I\u2019m unsure what he\u2019s talking about. I turn and find him looking at Perill, unable to tell if he feels sympathy for the man or not.
\t\u201cAneurisms are usually painless,\u201d I add, but know it\u2019s a lie. Given whom this man was, and what he was trying to do, Tarot would have made it excruciating.
\tI breathe deep, the smell of wet earth surrounding me as I look over the calm lake before me. Everything is damp and covered in rain, but not a drop falls as I sit waiting. I know what\u2019s coming, and the need to be someplace peaceful was something I couldn\u2019t deny.
\t\u201cWhere are we?\u201d The voice is soft and feminine, as a figure in a wool coat and a large hood moves to sit in the lawn chair beside my own. I\u2019m smiling gently as the same aura of tranquility I felt back in the file room returns. At the time I couldn\u2019t remember where it had come from, but now I knew. It was a psychic shield Tarot used to put people at ease. That combined with her overall non-threatening appearance had led many to their death. The overabundance of it in the file room suggested that she had used it to subdue Perill before she tortured him.
\t\u201cMy old house. Before my dad died in the riots we lived on a private lake,\u201d I answer, letting my head fall back as I enjoy the cool chill of the air on my cheeks. \u201cIt\u2019s gone now. They paved over it to build a metro station.\u201d
\t\u201cThat\u2019s too bad. It\u2019s nice here\u2026\u201d she murmurs, almost sounding remorseful.
\tI open one eye, watching her. Tarot is deceptively diminutive, probably no more than five and a half feet tall and younger than most members of the Arcana. If I had to guess I would put her around the same age as myself, maybe a year or two my junior. Despite all of that, she\u2019s one of the most powerful super humans I\u2019ve ever encountered, and more dangerous than the majority of the ones I\u2019ve put behind bars.
\tShe pulls down her hood, her hair a mess of cotton candy pink pinned to the back of her head.
\t\u201cYou dyed it again\u2026\u201d I yawn, trying to avoid talking about why we\u2019re really here.
\t\u201cNot really. I was curious what it\u2019d look like so I decided to try it out with you first,\u201d she laughs, giving me a comically wide smile that makes me chuckle as well. \u201cYou were in bed early\u2026\u201d
\t\u201cI took a handful of Quaaludes,\u201d I confess.
\t\u201cYou wanted to talk.\u201d It\u2019s more of a statement than a question, but I nod all the same.
\t\u201cSo did you, obviously,\u201d I point out. She doesn\u2019t deny it, though I know she wants to. Tarot hates anyone thinking they know her too well. But unlike Anders I know that whatever she may suspect about me, she will never act upon negatively. Contrary to myself, with my equalizer collar, Tarot can look and pick apart the flawless memories I have yet are hidden from my consciousness. It gives her perfect insight into what goes on at the police department, though I have tried to block her out.
\t\u201cYou killed Perill?\u201d I ask, already knowing the answer.
\t\u201cYes.\u201d Any trace of remorse or guilt is gone from her tone. \u201cHe killed Reaper.\u201d
\t\u201cYou were both there to assassinate him,\u201d I sigh, exasperated with how she believes the death of a known murderer might justify the pain she inflicted.
\t\u201cHe deserved it, you know what he was trying to do\u2026\u201d she leads, but I am too used to her propaganda to fall for it.
\t\u201cI\u2019m not some kid fresh out of high school with an itch under my collar. You can\u2019t convince me that what you did was for the good of your people.\u201d
\t\u201cOur people, or are you so deep in the closet you\u2019ve forgotten?\u201d she asks, fixing me with a stare that makes a shiver crawl up my spine. She shakes her head, obviously as tired of my attitude as I am of hers.
\t\u201cReaper was going to make it quick. He was going to go in, grab him and teleport them both outside and drop him off the roof. I knew something was off\u2026\u201d Tarot whispers. She seems almost sad, though I can\u2019t tell if it\u2019s the failure of the plan, or the death of her friend that\u2019s making her so.
\t\u201cAdding foresight to your abilities now?\u201d I ask sarcastically, only realizing the moment after I say it how possible and terrifying that may be.
\t\u201cI don\u2019t know. My powers are changing, adapting and getting stronger. It took me only seconds to get into your mind for this meeting.\u201d
\tI don\u2019t voice how unnerved I am by that, but the way the calm water of the lake suddenly becomes choppy betrays it for me.
\t\u201cHow much do the police know?\u201d she asks, quickly changing the subject.
\t\u201cAbout Perill\u2019s death or you?\u201d I reply.
\t\u201cBoth.\u201d
\t\u201cYou know I can\u2019t tell you that,\u201d I sigh, shaking my head at how futile it all is.
\t\u201cAnd you know I don\u2019t have to ask you\u2026\u201d she leads once more, baiting me into another argument we\u2019ve had a million times before. How pro-super human rights it is to force herself into my mind and extract any information she wants against my will.
\t\u201cThey know everything about the murder. How Holt got stuck, how Perill harpooned him and how you killed him. There\u2019s some speculation on if he suffered or not, it\u2019s indeterminate\u2026\u201d I confess, feeling like a child being asked to recite a page of a textbook.
\t\u201cHe did,\u201d she says flatly. It annoys me how nonchalant she is about it. I have to constantly remind myself of how ruthless she can be.
\t\u201cThey know you\u2019re a powerful psychic, and that you\u2019re high up in the Arcana, most believe you\u2019re its\u2019 leader\u2026\u201d I pause looking to her for confirmation but she only smiles innocently, something I find incredibly unsettling with how successful it is. \u201cThey know there\u2019s twenty-one of you left, with another few hundred operating as part of the SHA\u2026\u201d
\t\u201cSo they know fuck all\u2026\u201d she interrupts, and I can\u2019t even conjure the will to dispute her.
\t\u201cThey know fuck all,\u201d I affirm, feeling a faint tingle in my fingertips that signifies I\u2019ll wake up soon.
\tShe sighs, also aware that our time will soon end. I feel a release come over me, a weight being lifted I had no inclination was there in the first place. Suddenly all of the things that have been blocked from my memory come flooding back and I feel the power of an entire rebellion behind me.
\t\u201cWhat are your next orders?\u201d she asks her voice fading as I slowly slip out of the dream.
\t\u201cWe need to replace Reaper, start looking for another teleporter\u2026\u201d I inform, already feeling her psychic fingers re-arrange my awareness so I\u2019ll forget giving the command at all come morning.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------<\/a>
this was my take on a super hero story, a little watchmen-esque as i see it because it's not exactly portraying them in society positively, or being accepted unconditionally. but i was always a sucker for a dystopia XD
haven't gotten reviewed on it yet, but we shall see how it goes...
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137800.html?view=comments#comments","category":["super hero","assignment","science fiction","school","scifi","short story","fic"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137674.html","pubDate":"Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:57:57 GMT","title":"With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137674.html","description":"seems like and odd time to be thinking about this, what with all the talk about self esteem and what not, but it's on my mind so i might as well take a public poll... just kidding. recently i've been given the chance to get 2 moles on the side of my nose, and the birthmark on my cheek removed. most people don't even notice the birthmark unless i'm not wearing any make-up, and when they do finally see it there's a plethora of odd reactions. some i know feel weird\/bad that they had never noticed it before. lol like it's some weird not paying attention fault of theirs, and then they get awkward because apparently never noticing a small mark on my face makes them a horrible person. other people assume it's acne or a scratch of some kind and ask me what happened, which always makes me laugh. and then they get all embarrassed when i tell them i was born with it. to be specific, just so people who have never noticed it before, it's not red or anything. it's a freckle cluster. according to my mother, she said to take care of the 2 on my nose first. getting rid of them would be more for medical reasons, which why i can do it for free. canadian healthcare system... they're changing shape, especially the ones on my nose. starting to be a bit of a bump, and when that happens, you're supposed to get them removed\/biopsied. like i know it's not for aesthetic reasons, but it's still something that'll alter my appearance, so i feel a little weird about it.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
registered for next semester. i have intro into earth science, philosophy critical thinking, history of canadian art and culture, and i'm waitlisted for studies in children's literature. this semester has been really hard on me. psych and anthropology have been kind of kicking my ass. i hate that i have to take all these bullshit courses. i don't understand why... i don't like social sciences, at all. i'm a hermit, i don't care about people. so i don't get the point of being forced to take all these courses i could give two shits about. tribes people can eat each other and trade cows for teenage girls all they like, i don't see what that has to do with me wanting to study english literature. pain in the ass...
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
sooooo channing tatum used to be an exotic dancer.... and magic mike is based in part on his life. i know that should disgust me, considering the fact male strippers and wiggly man junk scares the shit out of me (not a lesbian, i just don't find penises or vaginas particularly attractive pieces of anatomy). but i can't stop giggling. dear john, gi joe? yeah that was fun, but now let's make a movie about my life as a male stripper! brilliant... i applaud you mr. tatum. updated the groove list.
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137674.html?view=comments#comments","category":["appearance","school","channing tatum","new courses"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137422.html","pubDate":"Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:42:50 GMT","title":"Cut myself on angel's hair and baby's breath","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137422.html","description":"so i was going to post to my journal earlier, but lj has been down for a few days to the best of my knowledge. the main point i'm trying to make is that i tried... i tried to blog for you guys. i've been reading, doing homework and working a little on cosplay for the past two days since i have sunday and monday off. i have discovered that frog tape doesn't stick to rubber latex, and neither does any other tape. so i was a little fucked on the lilith wings. i'll have to paint them by hand which is a huge pain in the ass. esp since i already bought the blue spray paint. i'm hoping i can find the receipt and return it. can't use spray paint if i can't tape off the parts i don't want blue. shit sucks. so all i ended up doing was priming with white so i can paint it later. maybe i'll try and pick up the right paint on wednesday. i was going to do it today, but i got busy with studying and watching star trek.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
this weekend the main thing i had to prep for was an in class essay on sirius. this sci-fi book i had to read for engl lit. basically we were given the perimeters. 2 hrs, 500-700 words, develop a thesis around either of the topics given. the topic i chose was basically that sirius wasn't a sci-fi novel. that it was just a relationship novel glossed over with the barest hint of sci-fi. the thesis i created addressed the fact that most of the themes in the book are portrayed through the character's personal relationships and not through scientific discovery. but all this is boring to people who have never read this book XP my main issue was trying to fit 3 pages of notes on essay structure, book quotations, my thesis, and outlining the 3 arguments, into a 3\"x5\" index card. lame i know, but luckily i write small. i even included the MLA citation just in case, since i never know with this prof. next semester, or whenever it's available i'm kinda convinced i want to take the children's lit course. i think it'd be fun.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
on friday, momo and i just sat and wanted a bunch of movies most of the night. 'the swell season','my week with marilyn', and 'the descendants.' they were all pretty good. then later i watched 'the man-ster'. i like it when we just sit and watch movies rather than watching tv. for 1, i don't really like tv and tend not to watch it unless it's criminal minds, grimm or project runway. usually i read instead, or i wander off. and 2, because watching movies with my mom is easier than with my dad. i like movies, but dad's super picky and will usually pick the most retarded movies ever. i think his last enlightening tale was 'machete.' kind of brings a tear to my eye. of sorrow, not of pride.
the next night i also watched 'waiting' and 'percy jackson and the olympians; the lightning theif.' i've seen both, but i like percy jackson and waiting i haven't seen since it came out. plus the news that nathan fillion's going to be in the next percy jackson makes me extremely happy. i do love me some nathan fillion. watching that movie always makes me want to start on the books though, even though they're for kids :P
watched the lorax tonight. though missed the first 15-20 mins because i was seated in the wrong theater :C was sad about that, but i still liked it. i like the bears
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
sooo, it's something i've addressed in the past, but i still don't get it. people are always shocked when they find out i read. and by read, i mean a lot. i usually finish around one or two books a week depending on their length and how much hw i have from classes. or i tend to be a bit slower when i don't really find the book that interesting. but anyway, for books that i read freely, i read many. and generally from several different genres, though sci-fi is by far my favorite. i read classics to trash, it doesn't really matter to me as long as i like it. but people are still seemingly shocked when they find out i've read something. really? like really really? i've been this way since prolly before highschool. i read a shit ton, and i do so very quickly. i finished the millenium series in less than two weeks. shock and awe people, is all i can say.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
i want to murder the lilith costume, it's causing me so much stress. if worse comes to worse, maybe she-ra will be done by then. if the wig arrives in time. so i can wear that to sakura. though that'll make it two years in a row i wore a western styled cosplay instead of anime or videogames.... all well.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
updated the groove list. currently i'm not sure which book to dl. 'the hunger games' or 'brave new world.' i'll end up reading both, so i suppose it doesn't matter. i finished 'fair game' and it was awesome. just makes me crave more. new nalini singh comes out may 29th. can't wait!
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137422.html?view=comments#comments","category":["patricia briggs","class","nalini singh","psy changling series","cosplay","groove list","movies","momo","books","costumes"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137029.html","pubDate":"Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:27:28 GMT","title":"You better run, better run, outrun my gun. ","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137029.html","description":"soooo today was my first wednesday off. it's part of my new schedule that i get wednesday, sunday and monday off now. i don't mind too much. so my plan was that i would sleep, do the reading for feminism class, tweek my annotated bibliography (put it in alphabetical order etc.), then finish off sirius since i'm already supposed to be on lady in the lake for lit class. i wrote the test for sirius and got like 18\/20, lol but i still haven't finished the book. bad me XD
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
so anyway, i discover that my dad actually has weds off too. this ends up being horrible. people who know me, know i have a really hard time sleeping. it's why i'm up most of the night even though i have work in the morn. so anyway, first he wakes me up to go pick pkgs up from the post office before i 'go to work.' i inform him i don't work that day.... no big deal. thanks for looking out for me daddo, you know in case the alarm didn't go off or something. this is at like 8 in the morn. i go back to bed. and hr later he starts calling out for me. he wants me to do the dusting right then so he can wash the floors later. something he doesn't end up doing anyway. now this is when i get a little ticked. i can't sleep during my work days because i'm at work during the morning, going to class at night. up most of the late night because of insomnia... shit sucks balls. i use my days off to kind of catch up. esp recently because i've been so stressed. so i get a little pissed about this whole dusting at 9 in the morn thing. i get up, i do it, i go back to bed. HE WAKES ME UP AGAIN! starts yelling out from down the hall, when am i going to the post office. he wants me to pick up food. i ignore him at first, and try to go back to sleep. but he keeps fucking around and yelling about mcdonald's, finally he goes in my room and is talking about fucking shit all, i yell at him to fuck off! that i'm tired and to get the hell out. he gets pissy, asking where all this is coming from, and i'm basically like 'you've been waking me up all fucking morning. leave me alone. are you bored or something?' i was really pissed off, and he does it all the time. when me and him are home, and my mom's not there, he will do this constantly. i seriously think he just gets bored.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
my mom kind of understands since she had problems sleeping too. that when i have a day off, and if i actually am sleeping, to leave me the hell alone so i can get some rest and not be a bitch for the rest of the week. but my dad just fucks around and thinks that if he's up, everyone should be up. it's fucking retarded. he goes to bed at 10pm, and is snoring in seconds. i wish i could do that :C then he gets all pissy and pretends he doesn't understand when people get pissed at him. and by people, i mean momo and myself. it's like, he's lived with this for years, he can see that i'm exhausted, he just chooses to fucking ignore it. and then wonders why i'm such a bitch if he tries to wake me up. this is why my cat is my favorite member of my family.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
so i had WSGR tonight. i just drove straight there rather than skytraining it since my class is at 7 and you don't have to pay for parking after 6. handed in my annotated bibliography. i think i did well, i was just kind of confused how i should word the thesis question. so i kind of flip flopped on that. but i'm glad it's over with. returned all my research books. got the guidelines for the next major assignment for that class. i haven't even read it. i don't know when it's due... yeah. i am so on the ball, but i just don't give two shits right now.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
getting very stressed with the amount of work i have left to do before sakuracon. also stressed about other things, but i'm not going to talk about them since i don't know if it's actually something to stress over, or just me being paranoid. last creative writing class, she actually told us that our assignment 4's, for me the euphoria story, is actually going to be given to a local author for review. i'm a little bummed i didn't know that before hand, since i like the ghost story so much better. euphoria is just like an acid trip. whatevs.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
fair game, the new alpha and omega novel by patricia briggs came out on the 6th. i'm very tempted to start reading it, i have it dl'd on my kindle, but i know once i start, i won't stop till i'm done. and i have so much shit to read for english lit :P laaaame. i want to read fun stories. it's like have a craving for cake when you're diabetic.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/137029.html?view=comments#comments","category":["sleep","school","family","books","writing"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136801.html","pubDate":"Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:24:50 GMT","title":"Short Story: Euphoria","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136801.html","description":"This is kind of a rewrite of an old story i had to write in grade 11. Write a story where you were the hero. Though admittedly i changed most of it, about the only thing that remains the same is the setting and charlie. also the idea of this quest to get to the city. in the original story there were a lot more characters. the main character, i changed her name to kara rather than using my own like i had to before. her friend vanessa, the mother, charlie and another being in the dream world. he was a dog made of shadows named zacariah i think, but i don't remember his name too well. it might have been noah. i had to cut out a lot of the quest parts because admittedly i don't remember them much, and originally the story was like 15 pages long, and i had to finish this one up in 10 for my creative writing class.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
i don't like this as much as the ghost story. maybe because it's old hat for me, or because i just don't enjoy the setting as much. i like the flow of it, and the oddity of it. perhaps that's why i chose to rewrite it. i thought it was a tale that could do with a second look, and would easily translate into something shorter. plus i got the idea in my head of rewriting this story, and it just wouldn't go away...
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------![\"pick](\"https:\/\/i69.servimg.com\/u\/f69\/15\/99\/21\/57\/euphor10.jpg\")
<\/center>
The woman sat with her back to the wall, nervously picking at swollen nail beds. Her entire body tingled with anticipation of the decision she would soon have to make. Months had passed, and still no change. It was obvious to her now that whatever light her daughter had once had, was now gone. As she stared at the body before her, it was with morbid fascination and sadness. She couldn\u2019t look away, yet she feared losing what remained, even if it was just a body. Tubes and wires deformed what was once beautiful; as the constant beeping of monitors replaced the voice she had taken for granted in the past.
She rose from her chair on the opposite side of the drab hospital room. Moving forward and taking the limp hand of her daughter with a sigh. \u201cWhat would you want?\u201d She asked, knowing the answer but refusing to acknowledge it. Kara would hate having to be so still.
She opened aquamarine eyes to a sky of lime, taking her time in stretching out in the grass with a satisfying yawn. She had lost count of how long she had been here. It was hard to concentrate, like being in a dream. She was aware of her friends and family and that they probably missed her greatly, but she didn\u2019t know how to leave.
Kara rolled onto her belly, burying her nose in sweet smelling grass. She looked out over fields of lavender and smiled at a familiar figure in the distance. Briefly she considered the idea of trying to explain Charlie to those she had left at home, but shook the thought from her mind with a soft laugh. She wasn\u2019t yet confused enough to believe Charlie was real; he was a figment of her imagination. But it was nice to have company.
Kara sat up; waving to her friend as the eight foot jack rabbit walking on his hind legs briefly shook a paw at her. Given her earlier passing fancy, the idea of talking about Charlie to her everyday companions was all the funnier now that he was before her.
\u201cYodel\u201d he cooed. The greeting was familiar, but had confused her the first time she had heard it.
Kara nodded in return. She rubbed her hands over her arms as if she was chilled, the electricity in the air tickling her skin. The girl knew there was something coming, and as she stared at clouds of candy floss moving slowly across a wrong coloured sky; she awaited it with baited breath.
\u201cWe be needin\u2019 to talk\u201d Charlie chirped. \u201cSomethin\u2019s going.\u201d
\u201cI know I can feel it\u201d she answered flatly, looking around as if the answer to the change could be in the scenery around them. \u201cDo you know what it is?\u201d
Charlie nodded, clicking his blunt claws against one other in a nervous twitch that reminded Kara of her mother. \u201c\u2019Phoria\u2019s open, leasts will be\u2019s.\u201d
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Kara asked, having never heard the word in all the time she had been here.
\u201cPlace\u2026 City. Be off, downs the road\u201d Charlie nodded his head in the direction of a gravel path Kara hadn\u2019t noticed before. \u201cSometimes close, sometimes far. Nevers know \u2018ow close is being. Changes\u201d Charlie purred with a soft shrug. \u201cThis times be few days walkin\u2019. Two, three maybe.\u201d
\u201cShould I go?\u201d She asked, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them as she stared worriedly at her friend.
\u201c\u2019Ave to, can\u2019t stay heres too long. Humans like \u2018Phoria, you\u2019s like it.\u201d
\u201cYou sound so sure\u201d Kara scoffed, unsure if she wanted to give up the growing familiarity of this place for anywhere but home.
\u201cHumans like \u2018Phoria, my Kara be human, my Kara like \u2018Phoria\u201d Charlie stated with conviction.
\u201cAnd if I don\u2019t?\u201d A hint of venom in her question at the pressure he was putting on her.
\u201cShushin\u2019, I don\u2019 mean no hurt. Jus\u2019 \u2018Phoria is place for humans. Know you miss humans, miss friends. Can\u2019t stay here with jus\u2019 lil ol\u2019 me to be talkin\u2019 to\u2019s\u201d the rabbit comforted, an odd, crooked smile twitching his lip.
Kara sighed, biting her lip to conceal the grin Charlie\u2019s own had inspired in her. \u201cTwo or three days you said?\u201d
Charlie nodded, crossing the front legs he used so clumsily as arms over his chest. \u201cYep, can\u2019t tell fir sures \u2018ow long, only guess.\u201d
\u201cAlright\u201d Kara nodded, she was reluctant to admit she held out some hope that this strange, new place might also be her way home.
The woman stared blankly out the window, watching the street below idly. Cars passed in and out of the hospital parking lot like insects milling about a hill. She counted them mindlessly, hoping to distract herself from the problem at hand. She had been told many times that day to go home, to get some rest. She knew the nurses and doctors were only trying to help, but she found it patronizing. Her irritability grew with each passing hour, her fear with every minute. There was no time limit that she needed to abide by, but that which she put on herself. Things could not remain as they are for much longer. The stress of it all was too overwhelming.
Kara bit at her nail beneath the shade of a silver leafed tree. She watched as Charlie sat in the distance, doe like eyes closed as he meditated. She didn\u2019t know what he saw, if it was anything at all, but every time he did it he came back with a better idea of how far they were from Euphoria. The girl rose, brushing purple petals from her backside as she jogged back down to the blue gravelled road. Charlie moved as well, finishing up and coming down to meet her.
\u201cNeed be moved. \u2018Phoria open soon, won\u2019t wait fir us ta get there\u201d he informed with a worried look.
\u201cAnd if we miss it?\u201d She asked, suddenly curious what something like that might mean.
\u201cYou\u2019s stay here, dunno fir \u2018ow long. Hafta wait till \u2018Phoria open \u2018gain.\u201d
The possibility of simply waiting around for an indeterminate amount of time seemed like hell. This place was pretty, but nothing changed. There were no seasons, no days or nights. Everything was simply static, and it was numbing.
\u201cCharlie?\u201d She choked out, brow furrowing as she reached forward and took hold of the other\u2019s wrist. \u201cWhat if it doesn\u2019t open again?\u201d
Charlie didn\u2019t say anything, simply looking down at his feet. It was then that she knew the answer to her question. There was no guarantee that she would have this chance again.
\u201cGuess we better get moving then\u201d she said with a weak smile, trying to conceal the fear she felt bubble up.
Charlie sighed, nodding slightly as he drew her into a gentle embrace with frail arms. \u201cWill, will be makin\u2019s it my Kara.\u201d
The girl wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, trying not to be obvious as she stepped out of the hug. \u201cThanks Charlie\u201d she murmured, offering him a true smile before turning from his velveteen face and heading down the road with new vigor.
The woman sipped from her water bottle, washing down the hard bread of the stale sandwich. It was two o\u2019clock in the morning, but nightmares had kept her awake. The hospital was as silent as a morgue, the comparison sticking like a lump in her throat. She set aside the rest of the sandwich, her appetite lost as blue eyes flickered to the still body of her daughter. Kara\u2019s face had haunted her dreams. Memories like photographs floated by her mind; dragging out till they mingled with the images of that twisted hunk of metal that had once been Kara\u2019s car.
\u201cI love you\u201d she whispered sleepily. \u201cI love you, I love you, I love you\u2026\u201d She repeated the words like a mantra, unwilling to stop for fear that the night would end too soon.
Kara had walked till her legs ached, Charlie seemingly unaffected by the distance. The girl paused, and to his credit the rabbit didn\u2019t complain when they had to take yet another break. She collapsed at his dainty feet, watching his twitching nose with mild amusement.
\u201cCharlie?\u201d
\u201cYes\u2019sm?\u201d
\u201cWhat happens when we get there?\u201d She asked, biting her lower lip. Kara wanted the change of the city, but also was worried about what to expect.
\u201cYous go. Yous know what be \u2018ere, what\u2019s this is.\u201d
\u201cA dream\u201d she said flatly.
Charlie nodded with a crooked smile, glad he didn\u2019t have to chase the girl\u2019s understanding. \u201c\u2019Phoria the city where all humans be goin\u2019. In \u2018Phoria, be no more dreamin\u2019.\u201d
\u201cEuphoria is home?\u201d Kara asked, something desperate jumping up inside of her.
\u201c\u2019Phoria is yours. Dreamin\u2019 gotta ends. \u2018Phoria be home, if end means home.\u201d
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make much sense\u201d Kara chided.
\u201cKnows, sorry\u201d Charlie chuckled with a faint shrug.
Kara eyed him for a moment, feeling a hint of friendly annoyance. Charlie couldn\u2019t answer the question of what Euphoria was, all he could do was tell her it was different then where she was now.
The rabbit watched her intently, keen on any trace of reaction. His care was evident, as was his hope his answers wouldn\u2019t make her cry once more.
Kara held out her hand, allowing her companion to help her to her feet. \u201cBetter get going\u201d she stated, now with new things to contemplate as she stared down at the way the blue chalk of the road stained her toes.
\u201cI love you Charlie\u201d she murmured, standing as tall as she could to press a quick kiss to his soft cheek. Even then the rabbit had to duck in to meet her. \u201cThank you for helping me.\u201d
Charlie smiled, brushing a blunt and clumsy paw over her back. \u201cNo times fir goodbyes yet. Loves you my Kara.\u201d
Dawn came far too soon for the woman, her eyes heavy with fatigue. She watched the golden light crest over the tops of the buildings below before turning to mindlessly flip through the channels of the television. She grew frustrated when nothing kept her attention long enough. She knew she should sleep, but feared those familiar nightmares. The red numbers of the digital clock glared their stagnant call that not once seemed to heed her prayers and turn back. The woman looked to her daughter, making a great effort not to let her eyes rest on the unfamiliar face; wrapped in gauze and brutally mangled with tubes that breathed for a body that could not. Tears filled her eyes as she smoothed the blanket across Kara\u2019s lap, quick to pick up a fallen stuffed toy. The woman tucked the small brown rabbit back under her daughter\u2019s elbow, hoping that the childhood staple would offer her some sort of subconscious comfort.
The woman looked up as a doctor entered, sucking in a breath at the stack of papers in his hand.
Kara looked out over the cliff, seeing the glimmering pearl bricks of the walled city. \u201cSo what happens when it\u2019s not open?\u201d She asked, looking to Charlie as the rabbit simply crouched down next to her.
\u201c\u2019Phoria closed, no roads to be walkin\u2019. \u2018Phoria open, roads be takin\u2019 yous there.\u201d
Kara\u2019s brows rose at the admission. It didn\u2019t make sense, yet so little did. Here she sat with an eight foot tall rabbit that she had imagined as a child, looking down at a purple field and a pearl city.
\u201cCharlie, you can\u2019t come with me, can you?\u201d She asked, cocking her head to the side curiously.
Her companion shook his head, looking to her with sadness in his eyes. \u201cWill be\u2019s missin\u2019 yous\u201d he chirped.
Kara smiled weakly, feeling the impending parting with a sore heart. \u201cNot the time for goodbyes yet\u201d she chuckled, repeating the other\u2019s comforting words. \u201cWe still need to get to the bottom of the cliff.\u201d
The woman signed her name with a shaking hand, pushing the pages away as soon as she was done. She could feel the tears sting at the corner of her eyes as she fell back into a chair. It was hard for her to speak, or even breathe as nurses and the doctor flitted around the bed like crumpled pieces of wrapper in the wind. They pressed buttons and turned switches; none of it made any sense to the woman that had to bear witness, but she refused to leave.
Kara held Charlie\u2019s wrist, taking deep breaths as they neared the gate of the city. She found her body growing heavy with fear of the unknown, her steps coming harder as she stumbled a few times. Charlie kept her on her feet, walking her ever closer to the end of her dream.
Her hands gripped the other\u2019s furry elbow tightly as she took in breath with large gulps. Kara\u2019s brows furrowed as images passed through her mind. All this time the beauty and stillness of this place had calmed her enough to forget.
The night was dark, so black it was as if someone had painted it with ink. The hail had caught the light like tiny stars as they pounded against her windshield. Blinding light poured in as she gripped the steering wheel with tight fingers. Nothing was still, nothing was calm. Her tires screeched and the sound deafened her, she could feel the crystals of glass as the windows shattered and burst beside her.
Kara paused, causing Charlie to double check she hadn\u2019t grown weary enough for a rest once more. But her eyes were trained on the small gap in Euphoria\u2019s gates.
She smiled, slipping out from the rabbit\u2019s grasp. She patted his furred shoulder, letting her fingers enjoy the luxury of his soft pelt before she looked to his face. \u201cI\u2019m not going home am I?\u201d She asked, tears stinging her eyes and blurring her vision.
The rabbit shrugged gently, saddened by the pain he saw in his friend\u2019s gaze. \u201cDunno\u201d he answered honestly. Such answers would never be given to him.
\u201cBut you don\u2019t think so do you?\u201d
Her questions were hard; they made his heart ache right along with hers. He shook his head gently, a sadness overwhelming the usually boisterous being. \u201cCans\u2019 only know whats you know my Kara.\u201d
\u201cBecause you\u2019re not real\u201d she murmured the reality of the remark finally sinking in. The rabbit was a figment of her imagination, a friend she had played with as a child. He could know no more than she did.
\u201cYous lonely when come \u2018ere. Yous be needin\u2019 company. I\u2019s come fir yous.\u201d
\u201cThank you\u201d she whispered, reaching forward and squeezing his delicate wrist. She turned from him, aware that although he was something she conjured from the recesses of her mind, her childhood friend still could not follow.
The woman cried, the machines slowly shutting down as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was forgotten for the moment as the doctor looked to the body, waiting for the second hand to pass firmly before he shut off the respirator. She wanted to scream the girl\u2019s name, to wake her up; but she was so still now.
Kara felt the warmth of the gate, like rocks left out in the sun. She turned looking to the fixture of the odd creature she had left behind. She waved to Charlie with a smile she hoped seemed braver than she felt. The rabbit looked to her, his nose ever twitching as he nodded solemnly. She knocked on the side of the walled city, wanting to delay further so she could just sit and stare at him, but something within her protested. Some internal alarm clock rang, and Kara knew that she couldn\u2019t remain any longer. She slipped past the gate into the city, the postern closing with a deafening boom behind her.
The woman lifted her coat to her lips, muffling the racking sobs and screams as the last of the machines flat lined. The doctor turned to the nurse at his side, looking once more to his watch as he matched it with the clock on the table. \u201cTime of death 1:3o pm.\u201d He recited grimly.
\u2704-------------------------------------------------------------------------
<\/a>
not much else to say about it i guess. decided to post it up here just for shits and giggles. figured i had posted my last one, this might as well go up too. hope you enjoyed the read. i'm kind of nervous to read this out to the class. it's such a strange story, and the presence of a giant talking rabbit make me a little scared. hopefully it all goes well.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136801.html?view=comments#comments","category":["school","short story","homework"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136646.html","pubDate":"Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:47:17 GMT","title":"I will still remember when you've long forgotten me","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136646.html","description":"sooo tired, should be sleeping. boo sleep. anyway... been working on finishing up cosplay for sakuracon. crossing my fingers my legging and boots arrive in time. probably going fabric shopping with lisa on sunday. i need to pick up (hopefully) a red stretch jersey for my lilith bodysuit. so far, i've cut the corset out of the madam red gown, and i'm going to be refashioning it for the lilith costume to save time and money. i don't want to make a new one when i have one that's pretty much all ready to go...
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
LIST OF SHIT I NEED TO DO:<\/u>
-refit corset, removing 1\" from either side so that it won't be too big anymore
-replace zipper with a lace up back
-paint wings
-get gloves
-paint leggings (once they arrive)
-cut and fit the rest of the body suit before attaching it to the corset.
-buy fabric!<\/i>
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
seems long... but then i remind myself i've had longer. gave the 'ghost' story to my mom to read after i came back from class. the first night she didn't say anything really, so i kind of figured she didn't really like it . i wasn't really surprise, scifi isn't her bag. but the next night, she says she has something to say... and then proceeds to start crying and confessing about how amazed she is. how she's so proud of me... keep in mind my mom hasn't read anything i've written, prolly since elementary school. she says she was just blown away. so of course i start crying like a baby too, and i'm kind of speechless. what do you say to something like that? my mom really isn't one to gush over her kids. like she knows we don't walk on water and shiz. my mom also had a tendency to only tell other people she's proud of me, or something i've done. i rarely hear about it, except from a secondary source. so this came as quite the shock. a nice one though.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
i just didn't know what i was supposed to say :S updated the groove list. love you all monkeys. maybe i'll film some of my fabric adventures. either way i'll try and have another CB up this weekend... though i seem to be saying that every weekend. lol ♥
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136646.html?view=comments#comments","category":["sakuracon","groove list","short story","pride","ghost","writing","mom"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136214.html","pubDate":"Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:19:10 GMT","title":"Short Story: Ghost","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136214.html","description":"wow i haven't written in here in a long time! anyway. so recently i've been playing around with the idea of making a writing journal. but until i decide on that i decided to post some stuff here for people to read. this was a short story i had to write for one of my classes.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
This story was largely inspired by this image.(click to see origin, and full size)<\/a>
so yes, it is a science fiction piece. though technically i was told not to do that for this class. i figure i can take creative licensing with the rules once in awhile ;)
\u2704-------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/center>
Ghost ran her tongue along the seam of her top lip, snagging the chapped skin and tasting something delicate akin to copper where she had bitten it raw. Her room was small, no bigger than a closet. There was barely enough space for her cot and a standard issue desk she had never used. Pictures torn from books and magazines littered the floor; remnants of an engineer\u2019s pity when he had given them to her whole. Ghost hated books, they made her feel stupid. Their covers like gaping mouths, laughing and sticking out papery tongues to tease her. Forever mocking her inability to read them.
\tShe sat cross legged in the center of her bed, hunched over her lap with pen in hand. The end of it like a pendulum, as the tip dug deeper and deeper into the soft, fleshy thenar space between her thumb and forefinger. Blood ran in tiny streams, dripping onto the crisp, white sheets as she pulled the tool back to admire her creation. Ghost had been working on it for over an hour, trying desperately to get the wound deep enough that it would scar perfectly. She smiled at the simple shape she had chosen. A heart, it\u2019s edges fresh and a little swollen, but there was no mistaking what it was.
\tThe pain was minimal, like white noise or static over the radio. Her nerves barely registering what she had done. It was a gift to herself, probably the only one she would ever get to give. She had turned fifteen two days ago, and had long ago promised herself that should she live this long, she would celebrate. No one had remembered, or congratulated her, but that wasn\u2019t unexpected. The station was filled with hundreds of people; soldiers, scientists and their families. All milling about like angry bees, buzzing and talking. Ghost could count the number of people she knew by name on her fingers. She found that anymore would be too much, too personal.
\tGhost didn\u2019t relate well to the crew. The way they spoke, how they seemed to wait with baited breath for the next insurgence, and congratulated themselves post battle; it sat ill with her. Made her ill. She dreaded the call of the alarm, and hated when she got back. A broken body running from the hanger as cheers and celebration would erupt from the other side, where the soldiers entered. It was always the same. Throwing up in the nearest bin, stumbling into some dark, quiet place as she waited for every cell in her body to stop burning.
\t The girl rose to her knees, crawling over to the other side of her cot to look out the window. The station was a massive thing. A central tower with two great arms that wrapped around to cradle empty space like a lonely toddler. She pressed her forehead to the cool glass, admiring it silently.
\tA bell rang out over the intercom. Her brow furrowed as she closed her eyes, trying to distance herself from the sound. Her stomach clenched as she sucked in a breath. Her entire body felt tight at the prospect of leaving her room. Eat now, sleep now, fight now; bells told her everything.
\tHer back was straight as she entered the mess. Her eyes forward, though she saw nothing. The impassive expression she wore like armor was so well practiced she doubted she\u2019d recognize herself in the mirror. She entered the line, grabbing a tray and attempting to ignore the banter of comrades behind her. Soldiers or perhaps scientists, it was hard for her to tell sometimes.
\t\u201cI\u2019m telling you, two more weeks and I\u2019m out of here. Got myself a month of leave.\u201d
\t\u201cYou going home for a bit?\u201d
\t\u201cYeah, I can\u2019t wait. First thing I\u2019m doing is hitting the beach. Gotta remind myself what a woman looks like out of lab coats and fatigues,\u201d the first one laughed.
\t\u201cI hear you. Been up here so long even that\u2019s looking good.\u201d
\tGhost felt the looks they were giving her. She ignored the pair, hoping the conversation would end, or by some miracle she\u2019d become deaf to it.
\t\u201cC\u2019mon man! That\u2019s nasty, a B-pilot? It\u2019d be like fucking a refrigerator. Besides, she looks young enough to be your kid.\u201d
\t\u201cThey all look like that. Haven\u2019t you heard the saying? If there\u2019s grass on the lawn\u2026\u201d
\tThey broke out into a riotous fit of laughter as she tried to move on as quickly as possible. She wasn\u2019t frightened of the men. The crew weren\u2019t monsters that would chase her down dark alleys. They were mere people; mistaken, foolish, brilliant people that she couldn\u2019t define or understand. The closest she had ever come, was to call them the \u2018optimists in Russian Roulette.\u2019 Celebrating each empty chamber, rather than fearing their next turn.
\tShe sat down and stirred her soup, not feeling hungry enough to eat it. Slowly others joined her. The B\u2019s each came with meal in hand. No one spoke until all four were present; it was a tradition of sorts. Ghost looked up, nodding to each in turn as one boy, and two other girls sat all around her. They each bore the same tense expression, dull eyes and practiced aloofness. It was all an act, just as hers was. That vain attempt at ignoring those around them to retain some form of pride. Teenage pigheadedness, that only grew as each of them aged.
\tGhost teased a spoon through her soup again, setting her jaw stiffly as she tried to stop her stomach from rebelling at the very thought of taking a bite.
\t\u201cWhat is that?\u201d Angel asked. At seventeen, she was the oldest of them and had been aboard the station the longest. That wasn\u2019t what made her well liked, or had earned her the empathetic nickname though. Angel wasn\u2019t a leader, she was weak willed and cowered in the face of conflict like a mouse hiding behind thin, plaster walls. But in those moments of silent night, when all others were asleep, it was her bed that the new pilots crawled into for comfort. A kindly, mothering presence that would pat their head till the tears stopped coming, and the next morning speak not a word of it to anyone.
\tGhost looked to the other girl, and then to her hand. Turning her wrist as if she wasn\u2019t aware of what Angel spoke of. The heart glimmered under the neon lights. The fresh scabs lining the delicate shape perfectly as Ghost shrugged.
\tAngel held out her hand, wanting to see the mark better. There was very little hesitation before Ghost obliged her. The dark haired girl turned the other\u2019s frail palm this way and that, possibly searching for more or a reason behind it. \u201cYou did this?\u201d
\tThe younger pilot nodded, unsure how to explain the act to another.
\t\u201cIf it was to kill yourself, you did a horrible job,\u201d Rabbit laughed softly. She pushed the empty bottle of her supplement away, leaning in to lay her chin down on folded hands.
\tGhost smiled and shook her head, taking a deep breath as she leaned back in her chair. Her brow furrowed in concentration momentarily. \u201cPeople get hurt all the time, last month Bridge died\u2026\u201d She paused, letting a silence fall on all four of them in honor of their fallen comrade. \u201cWe all have scars. We get them in the ships, or here on the station. I wanted one that was mine. It was a promise I made to myself.\u201d
\tGhost glanced around, seeing the confusion and understanding on every face. They may not comprehend her means, but they all understood the desire to own something. To do something completely for themselves and no one else.
\tAngel lifted the other girl\u2019s hand, taking a better look at the heart. \u201cDon\u2019t show it to the medics,\u201d she advised softly. \u201cThey\u2019ll put the cream on to reduce scarring.\u201d
\tGhost smiled, appreciating the unsaid acceptance more than the actual words.
\tThe older girl grinned in return, laying her cheek in the other\u2019s hand as Ghost turned it to cup her jaw in thanks. Her flesh was warm beneath the younger pilot\u2019s fingertips. A heat that spoke against the assumptions of the crew, and denied their insults. The companionship of the other pilots, however brief it may be; was something she would be eternally thankful for. They weren\u2019t the crew, they were like her. It made her fear the day she would mourn them, or they her.
\tThe tubes of light that framed almost everything from floor to ceiling; went from a calming white to an angry red as an alarm rang out. The sound of it far more piercing than that gentle bell that had called Ghost from her room. The pilots watched as men and women scrambled from their tables and booths, heading in all directions like fleeing roaches.
\tGhost rose, her legs shaky and nervous as a deep pit formed in her gut. A tremendous fear enveloped her, something she could see now in all of the others as well. Each had their own tell, that tiny movement that gave them away. Like the way Angel\u2019s shoulders would droop and Watcher\u2019s teeth would start grinding. Rabbit alone remained almost eerily still; her eyes wide like her namesake.
\t\u201cWe have to go,\u201d Watcher mused, his voice a near whisper but they all heard it.
\tGhost was the first to leave the table, doing as the bells bid once more. \u201cFight now,\u201d they screamed at her. \u201cBe happy, enjoy it! You\u2019re important.\u201d She had never believed a word of it. Reading and writing, simple arithmetic; it had all been deemed unimportant in her studies. Basic skills that her lack of forced those around her to claim superiority. She was stupid and foolish. She was young and immature. Her decisions were wrong. Assumptions were made about the B-pilots, about Ghost; but in the end it never mattered. Could a book save them from what was coming? Would Jenny\u2019s two apples and Billy\u2019s three add up to anything that would stop her from getting into that cockpit? Would all those soldiers that saw her as illiterate and dumb be any more or less dead for their knowledge?
\tThey were questions Ghost asked herself rhetorically. They made her feel better when she had to justify helping these people she didn\u2019t know or understand. She had no use for what the crew thought they knew. Books mocked her, and the only math she needed were the ones and zeros of digital coding.
The echo of footsteps behind her eased the anger and fear she felt. The others were following. Angel, Watcher and Rabbit were all the same. They were all stupid and unimportant until the alarm bell rang and they become something else.
\tGhost paused at the door to the hanger, only brave enough to face it but not be the first to walk through. \u201cBreathe,\u201d she told herself.
\tThe Mercury Three was something many people could never even imagine. From the outside, it reminded Ghost of a knife. The sharp edges and brilliant mirror finish of polished outer walls were beautiful. But the darkness that resonated from the craft was like an aura of black that made the pilot tense every time she approached. Ghost couldn\u2019t explain her feelings towards the ship. It was fast and perfect. But at the same time she feared it and what came with it. Only weeks ago she had watched the Mercury Two veer off and torpedo through the walls of the station. Honorary dinners and funerals were held for those lost, all except Bridge. He had been kind and the most outspoken of the B-pilots. Their leader and the only person that had ever asked for Ghost\u2019s real name. Both he and Angel had held her hand and helped her through the painful spasms after her first run in the Mercury Three. Yet no one cared for or remembered him. His body had been left in the Mercury Two as it was scrapped for parts and then melted down for its alloy. Not even the engineers could separate the pilot from cockpit after his death. She didn\u2019t blame them. And as she and the others had met after hours and held a forbidden funeral no one was allowed to acknowledge; she silently wondered if it had really been an accident at all. Bridge had been twenty one, a B-pilot for eight years. That time span was almost unheard of. Ghost alone knew of the tremors, and his irregular heartbeat that had developed. She had never told anyone of her suspicions.
\tNow, as she sat in her own cockpit of the Mercury Three, she remembered him. Once he had told them that every run in the Mercury series sucked the life from them. That the key to surviving was to tell yourself it wasn\u2019t real. She never really understood what he had meant, but the realization that he may not have been speaking figuratively was slowly dawning on all of the pilots after each battle they had suffered through since his death.
\t\u201cMercury Three, status?\u201d The voice was deep and brought forth no memory of who it could belong to.
Ghost reached up, flicking on the red button for the comm. \u201cReady,\u201d she replied. She took a deep breath and switched off the radio system, not wanting master control to hear what came next. She leaned back in the cockpit, practically laying down as her hands clenched over the lit globes of the Mercury Three\u2019s weapons system.
\u201cThree\u2026. Two\u2026\u201d The countdown was monotonous as the same man watched the seconds tick by on his clock.
Ghost clenched her teeth as her visor came down and she felt the soft tendrils of the ship\u2019s controls crawl over her skin like veins. The seat beneath her warmed as power levels rose. She tried to relax, but it was hard when she knew what came next.
\u201cOne.\u201d
Tiny translucent hairs all over the veins hardened into millions of microscopic shards of glass. They pierced through her pores and sent the electric pulse of the ship straight through her body.
Ghost screamed, the sound of it enough to curdle her own blood as she involuntarily thrashed. No matter how many times she had piloted the Mercury Three, the initial shock of the link never got any easier. Volts coursed through her every cell as pain ripped through her nervous system. Eventually the agony died down, though never truly left. It became muddled enough by the painkillers pumped through the life support that she could think once more. Ghost opened her eyes, able to feel the weight of the ship bare down on her. Only then did she dare start the engines with a single thought.
The Mercury Three roared to life, lifting off from the ground and hovering. Ghost turned her comm back on to silence, but it was short lived.
\u201cMercury One, Three, Four and Seven all online. Await hanger doors.\u201d
\u201cAcknowledged,\u201d Ghost replied. No one else spoke. Besides Angel, Ghost had been on the station the longest with two years. It had only been assumed she would take over after Bridge.
Ghost switched the comm system to the internal channel, making sure only her fellow pilots would hear. \u201cBurst pattern, search and destroy.\u201d The order was direct and short. It told the others to move all around the station in a grid. \u201cRadio coordinates when you find them.\u201d
\u201cUnderstood,\u201d Angel replied.
The hanger doors opened slowly, dragging out every unbearable second.
\u201cFour and Seven, take the left. One with me on the right. Circle around, keep in radio contact.\u201d
It was with that that the four ships left the hanger, each one flying off in a different direction. Rabbit and Watcher veered off to the left and out of sight. Ghost immediately took the right, higher angle, knowing Angel preferred the lower sub levels.
The Mercury Three was fluid, slicing through the sky like needled silver. Ghost scanned every nook and cranny, trying to also pay close mind to where the soldiers flew in case they were quicker to pick up coordinates. But all they did was go after the obvious. Attacking the battle ship rather than defending the station itself. She took a deep breath, continuing her search and hoping the others were alright.
\u201cMercury Four confirmed sighting. Calling team to coordinates axis head nine, sector three.\u201d
\u201cAlright Watcher, I got you,\u201d Ghost replied. \u201cDo not engage till Mercury Seven approaches. Everyone switch to light rounds, get them away from the station before you bring out anything bigger. Mercury One position?\u201d
\u201cAxis sub five, sector one oh one,\u201d Angel replied almost instantaneously.
\u201cI\u2019m sector one fifteen, meet and follow me in,\u201d Ghost ordered.
\u201cConfirmed.\u201d
\u201cMercury Seven status?\u201d Her stomach was in her throat as she awaited the reply, each second that passed one more moment that Watcher risked being spotted without any back up.
\u201cOn approach already Ghost,\u201d came Rabbit\u2019s voice over the comm.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she moved her ship out towards the coordinates given. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Mercury One move in to fly beside her. \u201cMercury Three and One on approach, arrival in two.\u201d
\u201cConfirmed, engaging now.\u201d Watcher\u2019s voice was calm and collected, like he wasn\u2019t about to enter battle with an enemy that he had seen kill so many before. But such was his way. The teen was an expert at compartmentalizing. He\u2019d be scared later.
Ghost and Angel moved quickly, their team mates coming into view as they approached the opposite side of the ship that they had been searching. Without words, each knew what they were to do. Mercury One and Three split off from their parallel path, coming around to flank the group of fighters that Watcher had discovered. Ghost\u2019s arrival was seamless. The Mercury Three like a scalpel cutting through the folds of flesh. Her fingers tightened on the globes, the controls turning red as her ship fired on the enemy fighters, trying to herd them away from the station walls. The combat was chaotic, Ghost saw flashes of her team mates, but focused her attention more on avoiding enemy fire and not crashing. The comms were open. She heard every scream and curse the others uttered, but nothing sounded immediate.
Ghost continued to fire on the enemy ships. Crying out when one managed to get a shot in over her right wing. The ship was linked to her mind, every dent and graze she felt as her own. It reduced response time. The pain called her back, made her fly more with instinct rather than logic. The Mercury Three darted around erratically, moving with speed and grace in a pattern no one could predict.
Ghost caught sight of a fighter on her tail. She corkscrewed and darted around the others trying to rid herself of the determined ship, but it was to no avail. The enemy fighter sent out shots mid chase that Ghost was barely able to dodge. She screamed in frustration as she tried to circle around to catch the other\u2019s back end. The enemy pilot was fast, realising her intent and burning out his own engines on full blaze to avoid the nose of the Mercury Three. Ghost felt a stabbing pain shoot up her spine as he caught one over the back of her hull. She screamed again, this time in pain as he managed to hit the same spot once more. Ghost turned the gauge of the painkillers up before letting the Mercury Three fall into a nose dive. The ship followed just as she had expected. The B-pilot waited, watching with careful eyes and hiccupping breaths before another ship made its way into her path. She didn\u2019t have time to see what it was, only if it was ally or not, which it definitely wasn\u2019t. She turned the Mercury Three ever so slightly, grazing past the other ship in her streamlined craft in a way she was sure the other fighter couldn\u2019t accomplish. Ghost pulled back, bringing the front of her ship up in a sudden climb just as the enemy crashed into the ship she had flew past full on. Ghost watched as both ships exploded and burst into silent flame. Pieces from each craft forced outward like fireworks. The teen watched with a soft gasp, unable to make herself deny the beauty of it.
\u201cWow,\u201d she whispered eyes wide. She raised a hand to push back her visor, getting the full effect of the impact through the windowed roof of the Mercury Three.
\u201cGhost?!\u201d Angel\u2019s worried cry cut through the younger pilot\u2019s reverence.
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Ghost replied; all childhood wonder erased from her voice. \u201cStatus?\u201d
\tThe comm channel switched suddenly, but no words came in over the speaker. Only a bell to tell them to head back; It was over for now.
\u2704-----------------------------------------------------------
<\/a>
this is the shorter version I had to edit down due to a restriction on the number of pages. But it didn't suffer the loss of too much detail from the one i originally had. if anyone wants to read the longer version, i do still have that one as well. i like the end product, but this was kind of hell to get out. i stayed up till four last night, then skipped work today to edit it down and get some fucking sleep :P
i woke up late and realized i wouldn't have time to go get even the unedited version printed off and copied before work, and then after between work and class without sacrificing being late to a lecture.
shit sucks, but ke sera. hope you all enjoyed the read!
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/136214.html?view=comments#comments","category":["creative writing","science fiction","class assignment","space","homework","work","sleep","short story"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135983.html","pubDate":"Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:44:04 GMT","title":"No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135983.html","description":"it's been a while since i wrote in here. i'm not sure why i'm doing it now. just a means of documenting my thoughts and feelings, and getting them out there i think. a lot has happened in my life. my birthday has come and gone, and all i feel from it's passing is just this great sense of failure. which isn't too different from what i usually feel. i think every person goes through a time in their life when they realize their parents aren't immortal. that they won't be around forever and that you can't depend on them anymore despite the fact you want them to always be there for you. for me this realization came about as subtley as a bat to the head. i'm 25 now and i have nothing to show for my life except a string of failed relationships and a great amount of confusion over what my life is, and what it should be.
i have been selfish for a very long time, and i've slowly been transitioning out of that, but it's not without it's hiccups. basically in my time apart from this journal i have gotten a full time job, while i still work the part time at austin's. i was exhausted at first, and i suppose i still am. i have also applied for school. i met with an academic advisor, though it did little to help me. she confused me and i just wanted the entire affair over with. though she did help me fill out my application for douglas college which is helpful. this immense fear i have of returning to school, and placing my self in a situation where there is a possibility of failure scares the living shit out of me. i decided to persue getting my bachelors so i may become a highschool english teacher. where i will take this i don't know, but i need a career path, and working at wendy's just isn't an option. i staye dup all night, and then woke early this morning for panic attacks. i also have the flu which doesn't help. i called in sick to both jobs and instead took a day, which i probably should have awhile ago because my cough is disgusting. but that's besides the point. i've been freaking out recently. i'm terrified and nervous and life is just shit right now to deal with. on the other hand. i have money again because all i do now is work. i'm paying off my debts and things on that end are a little less stressful.
worry keeps me up at night, and that's a hard thing to avoid. my parents are close to retirement. i need to figure out what i want out of my life, and what i can contribute to it to make it better. and i need to do so very quickly. updated the groove list.
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135983.html?view=comments#comments","category":["life","birthday. school","family"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135809.html","pubDate":"Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:47:42 GMT","title":"I'm a dance floor lover","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135809.html","description":"great big magical day today... i'm back from virginia, but i'm too tired to recount my adventures in the states. for now i'm just going to talk about what happened today. john came over for dinner yesterday, and apparently while i was away, he bought me a sewing machine at a garage sale or something. it was very sweet of him, though every time he buys me gifts i wish to punch him in the face. gifts make me feel awkward. punching eases this.
so anyway, today i took it to liv's so she could take a look and maybe we could work on the meiko costume i need for cos&effect this august. turns out a piece of the bobbin thinger was broken. like the hook that pulls the thread through, so the machine is kind of useless. in my funk i decided we should rush down to value village before it closes, maybe look for another machine. this is of course after we surfed craigslist and came up empty handed. everything was either sketchy or over priced. so we go down and take a look at what they had to offer. there were 3 machines, one that looked like it needed to be set in a table, another brother one that looked like a $12 whore (used and abused), and an old kenmore. the kenmore was heavy as fuck and seemed to have all it's working parts, even after we found an outlet and made sure all the electrical was good and functional. plus it was only $20 so i bought it, despite the fact it's old school and mostly metal instead of plastic like the new fangled machines of today. so it weights a shit ton. when we got it back to her appy, livvy was nerding out over it as super shocked. the thing runs perfectly, needed no servicing, oil or cleaning, and all the stitch variations, tension, winders and everything else works awesome. it was obviously very well taken care of. my theory is it was some old lady's, and when she died it was donated. livvy apparently loves these old machines because they're hard as hell to bust. which is awesome, considering i'm klutzy as fuck. so i hemmed my meiko skirt and finished off the necklace on my new machine. it's lovely, and i can already picture us spending late nights finishing last minute costumes together ♥
i named her tulip. tulip the ultra-stich 12. now all that's left on that costume is to pray the wig arrives in time and finish the top... also i need to buy a black bra :P
updated the groove list
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135809.html?view=comments#comments","category":["olivia","meiko","craigslist","john","costume","value village","sewing"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135552.html","pubDate":"Sun, 05 Jun 2011 08:13:03 GMT","title":"All because of you, I believe in angels. Not the kind with wings, no not the kind with halos","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135552.html","description":"i think i'm slowly becoming part machine. I finished a 415 page book in less than two days. that's pretty ridiculous as far as i'm concerned. but i knew my reading rate was high when i finished the girl with the dragon tattoo in about 4 days, and while only reading it at work. as it is today... my book, the latest in the psy-changling series by nalini singh arrived yesterday after i got off work. i drove down and picked it up, the proceeded to read. i finished it today. now i am sad. it was a really good book. god i love that series, and this one involved one of my more favorite characters from it. Hawke ♥
really ths is just a check in to let people know i'm not dead. just burned out from all the work i've been doing. but my bank account appreciates it. i constantly worry about how long it'll last, since it just seems that there doesn't seem to be enough business for them to afford me. it's wierd, but i'll milk it while it lasts i guess. maybe they're selling drugs, and that's how they make their real profit! one can dream... on a plus side it's enabled me to be able to go and visit my sister for the first time in like 3 years or more. this makes me happy, and i'm much looking forward to my little 2 week vacation to hicksville virginia, where the best wife is your cousin. XD
leaving at the end of the month. updated the groove list.
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135552.html?view=comments#comments","category":["nalini singh","jaime","money","vacation","books","reading","work"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135267.html","pubDate":"Mon, 09 May 2011 07:41:30 GMT","title":"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135267.html","description":"![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/00067.jpg\")
i hope you all spent yours with loved ones. nothing new in this journal really. just posting up for all the moms out there. course i've been working a lot, so i gave my own mother her gift a day early. i was excited and nervous, i wanted to know if she'd like it. first was a gag gift. a mr pricklepants toy. i have a deep hatred for the toystory movies, but my mom loves the idea of a hedgehog in lederhosen named mr pricklepants. she thinks it's the most adorable thing in the world next to obama. so we had a goo laugh at that. but i also bought her a ring from a consignment jewelry store. consignment just means second hand. but not like the salvation army. it's like high end second hand, kinda like antiques. my mom loves antique looking rings and such, and she loves things that look individual. so i happen to be wandering, as i tend to do, and i saw this ring that just really reminded me of my mom. so i got that for her for mother's day ♥![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/photo.jpg\")
<\/a>
it's the blue one. she says she really likes it, but wants to get it resized so it'll fit a larger finger, like her index.
as for me, i got paid which is always nice. and my soubi coat is now in my physical possession and looks amazing. i'll have to take pictures later. but it's hard when my days off all the sudden coincide with my family's. something i'm not too happy about. i need my alone time. a thing life has decided to deny me for the moment. far too many people, far much shit i have to go to...
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/135267.html?view=comments#comments","category":["soubi","present","cosplay","gift","movies","mother's day"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134999.html","pubDate":"Thu, 05 May 2011 07:58:49 GMT","title":"the scars of your love remind me of us. they keep me thinking, that we almost had it all","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134999.html","description":"so i'm back from sakuracon. sorry i've been back awhile. i was going to post day to day con reports, but the internet at the hotel bit ass. seriously i couldn't access facebook or livejournal. like wth? i dunno, maybe it had to do with the fact we were on like the top floor. i guess routers don't reach that high lol. in truth i should be sleeping, so i'm going to try and make this short.
sc was a blast. had major fun with all my people. despite david's crazy blow up at the gas station lineup. the hotel was beautiful, even if i did have shitty internet. my feet were destroyed by my shoes, had a super cool gl photoshoot with molly. i hope to see the pics soon-ish. jaimmie's friend clint also took some badass shots, even if i was probably a nightmare to work with. i always am when it comes to new people.
i'm not going to lie, i spent most of my cash on food. i did meet exist trace, their concert was awesome. had to wait forever in the line-up for their autograph. their organization this year for the meet and greet was horrid. but i rode it out, and jyou and omi called me sexy, which was one of my highlights. i'm not going to lie, i've kind developed like the world's biggest lesbian crush on omi.![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/existtrace.jpg\")
<\/a>
soubi wig got here. it's awesome. soubi glasses also got here. i was pissed. first off the lenses inside were made of plastic, so they were super hard to just smash out. the lenses were yellow so i had to get rid of them. the frames weren't gold, they had been painted like schoolbus yellow with what seemed to be spraypaint. the fit was off, like they didn't sit right. not a huge deal, i mean you sometimes have to bend glasses. when i was in process of bending i realized the problem. the arms of the glasses had been put on at two different heights. on one side the arm was near the top of the frame for the round lenses, and on the other is was at the bottom. this is something i can't fix, no matter what they're going to look lopsided because they are! so i left horrible feedback, and they messaged me saying how i should have contacted them blah blah. they would have sent me a new pair etc. i said how i didn't want a new pair. that these were shit, and even looking past the manufacturing malfunction with the arms. what i received was not what i thought i ordered. so i told them the only way i would revise the feedback is with a full refund. so maybe i'll get my money back. i've already ordered a different pair of glasses from another seller. so keep your fingers crossed!
more on sc adventures when i'm less sleepy. updated the groove list, and changed my theme back. love you all.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134999.html?view=comments#comments","category":["soubi","sakuracon","exist trace","david","molly","concert","costume","cosplay","groove list","photoshoot"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134849.html","pubDate":"Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:47:18 GMT","title":"I swear trying to talk to me...","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134849.html","description":"well, i leave for seattle tomorrow. another sakuracon has rolled around. i'm excited, but it hasn't really hit me yet. i think it's the whole not feeling rushed for last minute costume thing. it barely feels like i should be leaving already. i'm looking forward to staying with the people i'm rooming with. i've never roomed with so many. it'll be me, david, izzy and jaimmie. and we're staying in this new place so close to the con. it'll be nice to be within walking distance.
in truth i do have many things to do still. i still need to go to the bank and deposit my paycheck and my gst check that i got. it's only for $154, but it's nice to get a check right before going away on a trip. my mom did my income tax, apparently i have some money coming back which will be nice. i made a list on my phone of all the things i should pick-up tomorrow, just so i don't forget. i'm even getting up at 1030, which is pretty unheard of for me, unless i have to work. i should probably be sleeping now.
i kinda felt like a jerk today. i met with john for dinner, and he was sweet and got me some presents for easter. just little things. i dunno why, but i've never done that before. i barely even buy stickers for the kids when it comes to easter. i just don't really celebrate it... so i didn't for a moment think he'd get me gifts. i kind of felt awful and self centered :S
i still need to pack, but both the costumes i'm taking are all bagged up. that just leaves me with switching over my purse to one of my larger ones, sorting through my make up to see what to take and what not to take, and putting everything in a duffel. i'm sure there was more i wanted to say, but i'm just too tired atm.<\/a>
got my soubi wig in the mail. you can't really tell from that photo, but the colour is actually spot on. it's the perfect shade of ashy blond i wanted. it looks and feels fantastic. speaking of wigs, i had wanted to try and wash the psylocke, to see if maybe it would, i dunno... like make it different or something. because something about it still bothers me. not sure what. but i just ran out of time. i tried the gl wig on, just to see. since it hasn't been out of it's bag since i tried it on the first time after it arrived. it looks even better than it did before, which make sme happy. looks less flat ♥
updated the groove list, and changed my lj theme to reflect my seattle vacation.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134849.html?view=comments#comments","category":["wigs","soubi","sakuracon","david","costume","seattle","cosplay","psylocke","green lantern","izzy","jaimmie"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134403.html","pubDate":"Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:44:42 GMT","title":"I have a slow disease, that sucked me dry...","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134403.html","description":"brittney's guide to being a good waitress:
1. always ask how people are doing, even when you don't give a shit.
2. if someone was an ass the last time they came in, pretend you don't remember them
3. smile like you mean it, even when your hair is falling out from stress and you feel like someone died
4. apologize for everything. it makes other people feel important
5. agree with every sexist remark they say. if you argue it'll just be more of a headache
6. nobody gets a waiter\/waitress, but someone who's been there. if people think your job isn't hard, just pretend it isn't. they're not going to understand anyway
7. bite your tongue
8. burnt and\/or terrible food is always your fault. refer to rule 4
9. don't poach tips from another server. especially if they routinely work a shift before you.
10. engage in conversation, but don't participate. a lot of people like to hear the sound of their own voice, especially men.
11. hate everything on the inside, and bottle it up nice and tight. if you're lucky, you can go out and shoot someone later. if not, you'll probably get an ulcer.
12. never watch the clock, time will slow down.
13. people are idiots. never assume they have any common sense.
for more fast and friendly tips, keep an eye out for my book. 'my life is a fucking sham, and other tales of bullshit.' updated the groove list![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/rita_repulsa.jpg\")
<\/a>
Chu
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134403.html?view=comments#comments","category":["funny","sarcasm","humor","work"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134346.html","pubDate":"Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:07:14 GMT","title":"HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134346.html","description":"this is probably the most boring holiday ever... lol it's one of those days, i don't even know why it's a holiday. something about catholics, and st. patrick like playing a flute and herding children? i have no idea... i think i'm confusing it with the story of the pide piper. most likely yes. he freed the catholics? but from what i'm not sure.![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/Green_Lantern_and_Green_Arrow.jpg\"){kind=icon}
whatever... i had a hell of a time finding something green. apparently i only own 1 green shirt. and that is the extent of my green wardrobe. so i put on my one green shirt, and some green eyeshadow and went to work. now i'm home and able to enjoy the knowledge that i can sleep in tomorrow and not worry about work. i also happen to be getting my nails done tomorrow. i'm super excited, it's been awhile since my hands were pretty, and hopefully this'll make it so i'll stop biting them. it worked last time.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134346.html?view=comments#comments","category":["manicure","green","nails","holidays","st. patrick's day","work"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134046.html","pubDate":"Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:39:46 GMT","title":"Just because you've forgotten, doesn't mean you're forgiven...","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134046.html","description":"i don't really know what i have to say. just thought i'd sit back and update i guess. prepping stuff for seattle. got a gl mask ordered from this really nice man. i'm crossing my fingers it gets here in time, and it should since it'll be coming in from airmail. so dude said about 8 business days. i would go into it, and how epic this man was, but i should really be going to bed atm.
due to the time change i haven't really been sleeping well. i fucking hate daylight savings, for realzies. it's also messed up my work. people are like used to eating at certain times, so i'm getting busier and having customers come in way later. suppose i should be happy some people are coming in at all. i've still been pulling half my tips each day and putting them in my bin for con season. i don't know how much cash is in there, nor do i plan on counting it till i have to take it in to the bank to get it exchanged for american for sakuracon next month. i've already pulled $100 out of it to pay for izzy and i's pre-reg. it was my bday gift to her. hotels still aren't booked, but i'm not stressing about that much. it looks like we'll have a pretty fair sized group with us to room with so costs should stay down, and with hotwire sometimes the best deal are when you book late.<\/a>
jaimmie's figuring out if she can make it. i hope she can come, that would be magical.
in other news, it's tax season. i generally love tax season, i always get money back because i'm a worthless shell of a human being. i do love me some money...
my list of shit to finish for scon is really short.
-take in arm band for psylocke costume
-get mask and figure out make-up for green lantern
-book, or get someone else to book, hotel room\/rooms<\/i>
so i'm in pretty good shape. i've been biting my nails and it's horrible and gross, so i asked liv if she maybe wants to get her nails done with me this weekend. she seemed pleased by this, so we're going on friday. i think i want silver, that way it'll match both my costumes for scon. so would black though... updated the groove list
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/134046.html?view=comments#comments","category":["funny","sakuracon","olivia","costume","taxes","ebay","seattle","cosplay","groove list","psylocke","green lantern","to-do list","money","jaimmie"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133821.html","pubDate":"Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:30:39 GMT","title":"When you see yourself in a crowded room, do your fingers itch?","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133821.html","description":"i've been thinking a lot about friendship recently. the way i see it, it's a lot like being in love... you invest and care so much about this person, you want to protect them and be everything you can to them. help them when they need you. and when it falls apart you can't help but feel ugly, hurt and angry. i mean don't get me wrong, i know the difference between romantic love and friendship. but it just all seems so similar, especially right now. i mean can you honestly say if you saw the best friend that you lost walking down the street tomorrow with his or her new friends, would you not be jealous? i know i would be.
which makes me glad by ex-bff lives farther away. i'd like to think i'm a good person, and say i honestly care about the people around me. but i know i could do better. i could make more of an effort to see them. i mean i saw ness tonight and she talked about her daughter, and how she was saying hello and asking her the names of different body parts. 'what's this mommy?' 'what's this?' 'elbow mommy elbow.' i didn't even know she was talking yet. i don't see people much. i can go months without seeing anyone and not eve notice, or think it strange. until i look back and realize that they're gone. i wish i saw my friends more. i wish the friends i had as a child were still in my life. but looking back i wonder if they ever think of me. there are people i can't even remember the last names of, but i can see them clearly in my mind.
i wonder if i unknowingly broke someone's heart? and i wonder if the hurt of having my own broken by a friend will ever go away, or if it'll just dull until finally you can't notice anymore, like breaking up with a boyfriend? ![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/30475_10150195155980249_690365248_12289879_2168309_n.jpg\")
<\/a>
i had a dream about kittie the other night. we were walking down a city street at night. talking and laughing, i forget what it was we were saying. i think we were talking about our first sakuracon, but i'm not sure. i usually never remember my dreams, which made this one odd. i don't think that'll ever happen again, but it'd be nice. looking back, she wasn't a really good friend. she did a lot of questionable things. but i like to think she cared about me, and i about her. it's nice to have someone there, that you know would cry if you died tomorrow. apparently she de-friended me on facebook, i hadn't noticed. i had considered doing it to her. but i guess i was just too sentimental to go through with it. i wonder if that means she read my letter? i guess she didn't have an answer for me...
well this has been thoroughly depressing. i'm going to go cry now.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133821.html?view=comments#comments","category":["dream","friendship","love","kittie"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133385.html","pubDate":"Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:53:48 GMT","title":"I need guidence to be true, and I just don't know where I can begin","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133385.html","description":"hey gang. so life's been going good i guess... i dunno, depends on your definition. i've been kind of antsy and, i'm not sure the word. maybe jittery as of late. yesterday was really bad. i was just so down and depressed for no reason, and i couldn't sleep. it was horrid... i'm not sure, i think it's because sc is coming up, and trips always makes me nervous. couple that with the fact i have to gather my funds for a new cos, pretty soonish. an expensive one XP i have several expensive costumes coming up that are making me a tad nervous, but i think it'll all work out and i'm just being an odd duck.
other major news is that i applied to be a model in the sixh fashion show while i'll be in seattle. i dunno if i'll make the cut, but i kinda just applied because i think it might be fun. getting all decked out in visual kei. unfortunately all my sample pics are me in cosplay because i'm a wierd and have no normal pictures of myself XD if i was less insane\/had more time, i would have just gotten john to take a couple. but alas, i needed to get the submission in before the end of the month. they'll be contacting people by mid-march. i'm not getting my hopes up though.
headshot 1<\/i>
headshot 2<\/i>
full body shot<\/i>
<\/a>
all but the first were taken by john i think... he makes me look pretty, when really i'm just awkward and stupid. i'm sure i had much more to say, but i can't remember any of it. so i wanted to bring back a tradition i started years and years ago. it was pretty crude and dumb. but looking into old hard drives i found all those wacky pics i captioned, and i miss doing that. so i'm bringing it back. I'M BRINGING IT BACK YO!
just for all of you, amaze in my wit and uncanny humor.![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/albus_dumbledore1.jpg\")
i know it's amazing. don't ask me what the hell it means.... i just laugh everytime i say this line to myself. on to the next topic. i've been crazing backed macaroni and cheese for the past 3 days. but for some reason my mom keeps making dinner, so i can't just go out and buy some. lol sorry momo, i'm sure your chicken is delicious, but no. i'm not eating it. I BOUGHT MY DINNER DESPITE ALL THAT EFFORT YOU WENT TO! that'd be kinda jerky of me.
and i know specifically what mac and cheese i want. i want the mac and cheese from red robins. it's delicious, backed, it comes with cheese toast and a ceasar salad. mmmm god that sound good right now. i love cheese. i'm such a fat person at heart.
despite this craving, i have been good and eating what was made for me. but then for snack tonight i made a toasted tomato sandwich and it was awesome. mayo makes everything spectacular! it's like the orgasm condiment, which sounds really wrong. but then again i say the same thing about hot sauce... *MY* hotsauce, not that wussy frank's, or tabasco shit. that stuff tastes like vinegar. korean hotsauce, that's where it's at.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133385.html?view=comments#comments","category":["soubi","sakuracon","pictures","costume","modelling","captions","cosplay","food"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133215.html","pubDate":"Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:55:24 GMT","title":"Playing house in the ruins of us","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133215.html","description":"home again home again, jiggity jig... or in this case, back to the usual theme. well vday is over, so might as well switch it all back to the familiarity of skulls, death and purple. because really that's every girls' dream... i don't know why i'm talking about this actually. my life must be that boring.
so since my phone informed me that it was actually payday last sunday. i now know i officially have 8 days left to book sc pre-order. no worries, i'll get it done. prolly tomorrow when i get my room back, and my privacy returned to me. least for the night anyway.
right-o. yeah so my sisters are visiting... well 2 of them at least. 1 isn't even really my sister i just call her one since we've known each other since we were kids and it's just easier to say to people she's my step sister rather than explaining our retarded family dynamic. she does the same, so i don't feel it's awkward. see my mom had her first marriage and during that she had my two older sisters, jaime and nikki. then she got divorced and had me with my dad years and years later. well my sisters' dad also got re-married quite some time later, and married a woman with a really young daughter named laura. laura is like 4 or 5 years younger than me, which puts her majorly younger than my sisters. well my mom's on pretty good terms with her first husband, and when she was a teen, nikki lived with him so i would stay with her dad and his new wife when i went for visits with nikki during the summer. so i've known laura since she was about 6. she would also come down here with nikki sometimes, and i know it sounds kinda wierd, but she would stay with us, so we;ve kinda grown up with one another around. so she is my little sister and we do get along quite well. well apparently laura wanted to come down and see me and the gang when nikki was supposed to come down as well, so nikki brought her along too.
on the way down, nikki's new jeep was having issues, which it has been having issues for awhile. it's under warranty so she would take it in, but the problem wasn't getting fixed apparently. so she drove it down here, and it started acting up again. because she was down here she took it to the shop down here, and apparently the thing needs a new engine. they're now trying to get out of the warranty because it's a $10,000 car. but my dad (my sister's step dad) is helping her out. he's a mechanic so he knows what to say and how to argue with these guys i guess. anyway, he's dealing with it, but it kinda means she's stuck down here for the time being, which is not good.
she was supposed to go back yesterday, but stayed down the extra day because of the jeep. and because apparently they told her she can't take the loaner car they gave her to kelowna. so kayden's already missed a day of school, and apparently she's freaking out a little because she needs to get kayden and bella back to kelowna by tomorrow evening because they're supposed to be with their dad next week. nikki and the father of her kids are no longer together. so she's leaving early tomorrow, taking them and laura back, because laura needs to be back for work and then coming back down to deal with all the jeep crap. i dunno if she's going there and coming back in the same day, or if she's going to stay up there for a day or two before coming back down...
my worry is... that it started snowing today. and not just a light dust. it was sticking. so i can just imagine what the highway connecting the coast and kelowna looks like, since it winds through the mountains. all well, i'm sure it'll all get figured out.
so last night i was a total nerd, and after work i went with my sisters and kayden to see the bieber movie, 'never say never.' i will admit i did find it entertaining. suprisingly i never actually hate the biebs. suprising because i tend to hate everything... but i kinda see him as the kitten in the charmin commercials. justin bieber, oh you... after watching it, i kinda like the kid. he works pretty hard. he's generally nice to people, and my favorite part is he gets his staff before a show to go out and find groups of kids and if they're fans he gives them free tickets. which is kinda nice... also i like anyone that tries to entertain me with dancing. i've also developed a small platonic crush on jaden smith. that kid's cute!♥♥
i swear if i ever have a black kid, i want him to be just like jaden smith. being that this is highly unlikely. i'll just buy a new cat and name him jaden then make him dance for treats. i like that idea far better.
i hope i can have my bed back, at least for the night tomorrow... maybe i'll just steal it back, fall asleep in it and kick nikki out if she comes back down the same day as she leaves. i have a huge bed, so her and laura have been sharing and then bella has been sleeping in the play pen beside them. this usually works because i need utter silence when i sleep. i usually sleep alone so the sound of someone breathing beside me, bothers me... there's only a couple people i can handle. like izzy♥
because she's completely silent. nikki breathes through her mouth, and sometimes she snores :C
i'll be crossing my fingers. updated the groove list.
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133215.html?view=comments#comments","category":["couch","car","sisters","justin bieber","groove list","dad","movies","family","laura","theme","nikki"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133075.html","pubDate":"Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:26:42 GMT","title":"HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133075.html","description":"![](\"https:\/\/i31.photobucket.com\/albums\/c384\/dingomirr\/black-cat-on-spiderman.jpg\")
i want to wish you all a very happy valentines day, and i hope yours was a crap load more romantic then mine. i spent mine cleaning with my mom and watching project runway and the grammy awards. lol but i had a good day none the less. i got flowers and a box of chocolates from my dad, and a box of sweet georgia browns from my mom. my mom also got me a pretty awesome cards. it's all pretty font and a picture of a box of chocolate. it says 'valentines day sucks' and then on the inside it says 'but the candy's nice.' i couldn't agree more to be honest. i was never big on vday... so i happily chose pico as my valentine, and she made a wonderful one.
<\/a>
gosh i just love her dearly. to help get myself in the mood for loooove. i was watching the wallflower most of last night. which is a horribly amusing and addictive anime. i also own the live action. bought it at the night market last year. it's equally as entertaining.
Chu,
Britt","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/133075.html?view=comments#comments","category":["cleaning","mom","greeting cards","valentine's day","spiderman","holiday","black cat","dad","pico","the wallflower"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132652.html","pubDate":"Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:36:26 GMT","title":"Born to buy into something","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132652.html","description":"wow i totally haven't updated this in forever. well i suppose i'll start with what i'm up to... last night i went to the valentine's day dance up at ubc. it was fun. i crossplayed and went as velvet mafica kaito from vocaloid. it was so comfy. i will admit it's not the most complicated cosplay i'ver ever done. black pants, black button uo shirt, black gloves, blue wig. DONE! oh snap. but it worked, and i made a very attractive man, even if i had like these crazy eye brows.
<\/a>
i know, craaaazy. i hung out with plenty of people i haven't seen in a bit, and also some i have seen. i'm just happy i got my last minute cosplay done in time. after the dance, jaimmie, david, betty, alex and i all went to red robins and had dinner. i was starving, and it was fun times. i'm sure we were the highlight of our server's day. as soon as david, alex and i got there they knew who we were there to meet. i guess if a bunch of people in wigs wander in, you should assume they know each other.
so something else on my mind is sakuracon. i was kinda disappointed i wasn't going to be able to do angemon, but as most people know i had to drop that because the supplies were just taking way too long to ship in. i wouldn't have had enough time to build the wings or the armor. so i told izzy we'd do it for sc next year. since we already had our cos for akicon planned. luckily i have a couple backups i've never worn to a con. mainly my psylocke and green lantern. i know they're not anime or whatever, but i'm not too concerned. i was kinda bummed at first, but i'm feeling a lot better about it all now. now i'm just crossing my fingers my wig for my green lantern arrives in time. jaimmie was awesome and gave me her gl ring she had for my costume, since i was an idiot and forgot to order one.
only problem is it's super big and made for man fingers... but i guess it'll be okay since i have to wear it over top gloves anyway.
this also marks the first time izzy will be going with me to seattle. this is super exciting for me. i've been wanting her to come for THREE YEARS! but everytime there was always something that came up with her. or she wouldn't be able to get the time off. so i'm super happy! they also have some really cool bands this year, so A+ sakcon :3
i updated my youtube with another slideshow. this one from the kuroshitsuji shoot that happened jan. 1st. i promise i'll update with an actual video log soon XD
david talked to sara, one of the girls that organizes the L&&C meetups here. she says the next L&&C will probably be in may. last night i had a wonderous idea and decided to finally get a soubi cosplay together. he's like one of my favorite characters of all time, and i adore loveless so much. i think it just makes sense. besides i've been wanting to do a soubi cosplay for forever, and i think i finally have the skills now to make it happen...
updated the groove list, and my theme for v-day♥
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132652.html?view=comments#comments","category":["vocaloid","kaito","costume","jaimme","dance","kuroshitsuji","cosplay","groove list","red robin","loveless","sakuracon","soubi","david","cosplay bombshell","valentine's day","black butler"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132419.html","pubDate":"Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:22:08 GMT","title":"this place is all he's ever known...","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132419.html","description":"hey babies! haven't updated in awhile. i don't really have much to say really... only that the day after new years i went to a photoshoot at UBC with John. Met Jen, Chris and Jon there. then met up with Mitchal, Jim, Hazel, Sherry, Sarah and Tori when they arrived finally. It wasn't a bad time. Jen, myself, Sherry and Mitchal were th eonly ones in costume, and John, Jon, Chris and Tori were the only ones taking photos so i'm kind of unsure why all the others were there too. but whatever. i was frigging so sick, i was most certainly not a pleasure to be around, but they dealt with me admirably, especially john...
it was a long, cold day. and by the end of it i couldn't feel my toes and i had to spend a nice long time in the shower defrosting :C i also felt like shit the next day, but slept most of it off. seeing the pics now i will say that i didn't look as much like shit as i thought i did. which i suppose is good.
that's a smooshed version of my favorite shot of the day. taken by john &heart;
he always manages to take amazing photos of me, when i am so unphotogenic it's almost laughable...
more can be found at my DA page here<\/a>
highlights include watching the others walk and chris eventually fall through a frozen pond. making faces at jen when we were supposed to be gazing lovingly at one another. NEARLY KILLING MYSELF BECAUSE TORI WANTED SOME EPIC SHOT. seriously, i hate heights and she had me stand on an overhang like 2 stories up in that damn dress! random pedestrians watching us, and chris evil eyeing this dude trying to take secret photos of me. oh and hanging out with everyone i suppose.
after we were all done, john and i met chris, jen and jon at denny's for deliciousness since we were all frigging hungry. i was sorely disappointed to find out that the white spot like 2 meters from where we were shooting was closed... assholes. i wanted zoo sticks.
i'll have a slideshow up after i edit the shots jon took. so maybe this weekend? don't quote me though since i'm a terrible person and am always late with this shit. next shoot will prolly be the green lantern shoot when my costume's done and john and jaimme have time. i'm looking forward to it. i'll certainly be able to move around easier... updated the groove list.
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132419.html?view=comments#comments","category":["jaimme","denny's","cosplay","jen","green lantern","photoshoot","john","black butler"]},{"guid":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132310.html","pubDate":"Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:43:49 GMT","title":"wishing you a...","author":"ilikechipmunks","link":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132310.html","description":"
have a good one guys! as of right now, my plans consist of sitting at home trying to get better. lame i know :P
Chu,
Brit","comments":"https:\/\/ilikechipmunks.livejournal.com\/132310.html?view=comments#comments","category":["cosplay","holiday","new years"]}]}}