... is coming (:

Um, a lot of people have put up posts asking for addresses for christmas cards but i am against cards on principle (ever since working at the post office I cannot bring myself to ask for/send them) so I haven't send my address to anyone. If you want to do something, stick some money in a charity box for whatever you would've spent giving me a card (:

Marmfish! I have a little something for each of you as a present for being awesome so if you PM me your address or let me know if it is the same as the one I sent your pendant to.
If you're going to the London picnic i will give you your present there so i don't need your address.

I think that is all I have to say about that...

in other news, I passed my driving theory test! This means I can take the practical and get my license as soon as I think I'm ready.
I finished NaNo again, actually finished the novel too (:
(:
Is anyone else watching Misfits? I am loving that show...
-Play

Hi! I am back from Egypt where i swam with fish and saw coral and got complimented more than ever before in my life (unfortunately in the 'oh my god a middle aged man just asked me out' way not the 'hey, a hot boy called me pretty' way). I read a lot of books, got a tan, swam a lot.
I also didn't go for a drink with a middle aged Egyptian man... I walked away very quickly...

But I wrote 'NaNo' as the title for this post, so i suppose I should write about NaNo. It is day 2! I haven't written anything yet (give me a break, I didn't get home til 2:30 this morning, then I had school)
Now, pre-Egypt i knew what i was doing for NaNo. I was writing a book about a girl called Terra who isn't the chosen one but everyone thinks is and  boy not called Brendan who is the chosen one but no one knows about.
2 days before NaNo officially started I woke up having just dreamed an entire world complete with a main character,two minor characters, four specieses and a complicated magic system. Oh, and a vague sensation of plot.
2 days in Egypt with lots of lying in the sun and not much call for thinking about anything other than novels left me with an entirely new novel about a boy called Mark trying to rescue a girl called tAsha.
I dilemmad a bit about which one to write for NaNo (considered briefly killing all hope at a normal life and writing both) but eventually decided that a dream that clear 2 days before NaNo was probably a sign (also my NaNo username is 'Dream', coincidentally) so I am now writing about Mark in an unnamed world.
Naturally, I managed to push in a cute animal and a doomed romance.
I should probably go write that now...

I miss all the Fishies! Come into chat, guys! (:

-Pyro

Rough draft notes.

Title: To Be Human
Series: The Kindness Gene

Length: 126,722 words, 141 pages
Chapters: 25

Date started: 12th July
Date finished: 23rd September
(But with lots of holidays during which I didn't write, I think it is acceptable to say i wrote it in 2 months)

Also, France post coming. Hopefully Whitby post too, as that was full of crazy fun.

In other news, I recently bought a Nintendo DS lite because there was a new cheap electronics shop in my town and I am good at the snap decisions.
The buying was not altogether simple...

Play: I want the black one.
Shop woman: Okay *find the black one and a charger, puts on counter and starts scanning.*
Play: Uh... this has a white pen-thing
Play's more technologically advanced friend: stylus.
Woman: Oh. Yeah. Would you like one that matches?
Play: Uh... yes?
Woman: Okay. *goes away and returns with not only a new stylus but an entirely new DS* here.
Play: yay
Woman: this is coming up as more expensive.
Play: ... not yay? Why?
Woman: well the price changes depending on what comes with it, the box or accessories or whatever.
Play: Uh, but the only thing that's coming with this one is the same charger you just gave me for the last one...
Woman: ... I'll just be knocking the price back down...
Play: yeah.
Play: *is playing with the DS and the charger... notices something*
Play: This charger doesn't fit...
Friend: *takes and looks* This is the wrong charger...
Woman: Oh? I just picked it out the box, it looked like the neatest.
Play: *is beginning to be a tad suspicious about this shop*
Woman: I'll just be finding you a new charger then...

My misgivings are still unfounded, the new charger is fine and the DS (D-Sus, is his name) is entertaining me on the box with a combination of pokemon and guitar hero. It is also very useful in DT lessons when playing on pictochat can be passed off as product analysis. (:

Now I have to go and add all the scenes I need to add to this book before it is fit to be sent to Han for general beta-ing. Also at some poing I should probably look at agents...
but that bit's scary... maybe I'll just write some TDL fanfiction...

Or i could watch Dollhouse. Which is my new obsession because it is SO GOOD. I watched the whole series, then rewatched most of it and i keep telling my friends to watch it but I can't bear to lend it out (:

(the icon is only relevant to those in the chatroom on talk like a pirate day, the day on which all illnesses and general problems can be solved with a crate of oranges)

-Play

I'm actually making a post I said I was going to make...
Yes... I'm scared too. Can someone go check if Hell has frozen over?

Anyway, this was supposed to be a four part post about Turkey, France, London and Whitby.
Then I kind of... splurged...
So this is Turkey, France-and-London should come soon and Whitby will be on it's own. Maybe.

( The Land of the Broken Air Con )

Now, off to write that novel...

-Play

I was planning to do a post about Turkey and the fun times had at 37 degrees centigrade.
But I am too tired to think that far back (got woken up by my father asking if I was awake, then deciding I wasn't when i didn't answer so climbing up the scaffolding outside my window and being very noisy right by my bed. Considerate.)
Unfortunately, I never write the posts I plan to write...

( Have cake, will post to LJ )

Tomorrow I'm going to france (as I think I've mentioned) and while I will have my laptop I will not have internet so I won't be able to send pendants or tell people I can't send pendants until I get back.
Then when I return it will be the marmfish picnic! Woot! (I'm relying on people to message me if anything about it changes from the original idea of 1pm in St James park)

Also, SRB (who i may have mentioned... at some point... (: ) has written the second half of her awesome Gerald story here:
http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/150715.html

Now I should probably get back to my novel. I left my main character in dire need of a shower...

-Play

Firstly, apologies to everyone who asked for one on the old system. I originally intended for the old system to work out because I figured i could probably afford to post 20 or so out if everyone donated a little bit.
I cannot afford to send 64 pendants all over the world without charging a set price. I am sorry for this because you all deserve free pendants but it cannot be done.

So the pendants look like this:
http://i41.tinypic.com/5cg7bt.jpg

The pendants are approximately 40x40x2mm. They hang on a black elastic cord which loops through the top of the triangle meaning the pendant itself can be taken off and used for other things if so desired (keyrings, badges, etc). They have a rough, slightly glittery finish and all the lines of the mark show.

I worked for a while on a price and eventually decided that factoring in cost of materials, cost of postage (which doesn't vary all that much across location, as it happens), the time it takes me to make (using a blowtorch in summer is not fun.) and the fact that paypal charges a fee on donations, a fair price is £5 ($8.20, €5.85).
If I was selling them in a proper shop or an e-shop I would add phrases such as 'hand made' 'limited edition' and 'collectors item' and charge £10 ($16.40, €11.70).
Any amount between these is fine.

The List will not be in order of donation amount, it will be first come first serve for anyone prepared to meet the minimum donation.

I don't expect to receive money until you've given me the address for you pendant. Once I have your address that would be a good time to donate before I send the pendant off.

(I will be at the marmalade_fish meetup for those who don't have paypal but i can't give my address out to the number of people who had asked so if you don't have paypal or don't have a kindly friend/family member prepared to grant you access to their paypal account I can't get money from you.)

If you would like more than one, the charge still runs at £5 per pendant. I can't accept payment in fic or icons because much as I love them they don't help my depleting fund situation (I still need enough money to get to London for the xmas meetup).

I'm sorry about having to change the system when you were all getting excited but i seriously did not anticipate how popular these would be.

Sorry again.  I feel really guilty but it was one of those moments when you open your emails, look at how many there are and make a small sound somewhat synonymous with *gulp*
-Pyro

Got the words from the awesome branquignole . :) The rules are as follows:

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" (or you can just ask for the meme, I won't mind) and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.

( Air Freshener, Mail, Live Fic, Beggar's Mat, Theme Songs )

To all pendant wanters: There are too many of you for me to give free pendants. The system is changing. More details later and I'm sorry but I got 44 orders in less than 24 hours and I can't do that for free.

Pyro

Play with fire

yeah, so basically I made 3 today and I plan to make more (if I'm lucky and my DT teacher lets me keep wasting resources) so if you want one of these:

http://i41.tinypic.com/5cg7bt.jpg

comment on this post.
(I don't know if my DT teacher's kindness will run out at any point thus cutting off my access to pewter, a blowtorch and a CNC machine so I'm operating on a first come, first served basis)

The pendants are roughly 4cmx4cmx3mm. They hang on black elasticated cord. The top finish is rough to the touch (in a good way!) and you can see the outline of all the lines.

Um, as of yet I haven't had to pay my DT department anything to make them but it does take quite a bit of time and I have to pay postage costs (which increase for Europe and increase further for worldwide). I'd like to give these away for free but as a poor student I'm not sure how viable that plan would be.
So as a compromise I managed to make paypal give me a big shiny 'DONATE' button and you can choose how much you want to pay (or to not pay) for your pendant.

(For the record: I am perfectly okay with you deciding to pay nothing. I will still make your pendant and I will still send it because you all deserve them and I see no reason to hold them back!)

Edit: The pendants are definately being made! Woot! More stuff about donating, if you don't have paypal or don't want to use it then I will be at the picnic in London where you can push things into my hands and watch me grin (:
I can also give my address in the envelope with the pendant, if you want to send something. (Money, chocolate, my weight in gold (: )
Actually... I wouldn't know what to do with my weight in gold. Unless i melted it down to turn into pendants...

Edit 2: for people asking about postage for donation reasons:
UK is 2nd class large letter and costs 47p
Europe is airmail and costs 81p
Anywhere else in the world is airmail again and costs £1-35
If you want me to send you anything else while I'm at it, feel free to ask (:

Edit 3: I am paying my DT teacher £1 for each pendant on top of shipping. If you'd like to factor that in.

Too many orders, am working on new system. See more recent post for details.

-Pyro

So in the 6 weeks since I last posted an entry in this journal my life has exponentially grown in awesome. Admittedly most of the awesome had happened sicne Saturday evening when the livejournal community

marmalade_fishwhich is a comm for fans of the very awesome sarahtaleswho just published the very very awesome book 'The Demon's Lexicon' created a chatroom on which the could have a live read-along of the book with chat with the author.

What this meant, of course, was many enthusiastic fans pushed into Chatzy with their idol and it resulted in the most incredible craziness there has ever been. I was only in there for a few hours (read 6/7 apparently the whole thing lasted 12) but i still managed to make a lot of awesome friends and every time I've been into the chatroom since I've been involved in another of the best conversations ever. (:

But this blog is actually supposed to be about what happened on Monday when faerlanand I went to London to meet Sarah at a book signing. Some of the people from the chatroom were going too, we anticipated crazy awesome fun times.

( Crazy awesome fun times... with pictures! )
With any luck, I'll go to a similar event with Cassie Claire in July. If it's even a tiny fraction as awesome as this event was, it will be completely worth it.

 

Pyro

Play with fire
Leave the world full of Sarah and Awesome.
 

And I can... like... post on it...
Hello blog!

So.. my life in rambles. I went to Switzerland over Easter where we stayed in a challet with the awesomest chef ever and we met Ben (The only person in the world who can say: 'But then you kept saying 'I lost the Game.'' without losing the Game in the process. The skiing was good (though 25% of our 8-person party were wounded on the first day.) and the hot tub was, at times, even better.

We came home from Switzerland via Paris (because someone had the bright idea of driving there) and were therefore with our cousins for easter which meant much chocolate, cake, playing of rounders and watching Prince caspian with such innopropriate comments as:
Lucy: Why doesn't Caspian just catch her?
Me: He's too busy looking up her skirt.
(Which, for the record, he blatently was)

Then I had a week when I should've been avidly doing all the work and revision I hadn't done in Switzerland but which I actually spent watching youtube videos, meeting up with Eyj once and failign to do anything productive.
I haven't written anything that wasn't for my uni course in weeks. Not properly, anyway.
Also, I don't seem to be able to write poems anymore. I keep trying but they just turn into songs so I have thousands of songs that I can't do anything with and no poems (which I could at least stick on PH)
Oh well. (:
I just spent far too much money to buy City of Glass  from the US before it comes out here all because I can't be bothered to wait until July and I don't like the Uk cover that much.

School is crap. As always. People keep revising around me which always makes me nervous.
Pyro

Play with fire
Leave the world charred and revisionless