The Revolution Will Be Twittered

In Iran "Pretty" Is Sometimes The Protest




This young woman on the right? Is risking her life not only for protesting the fraudulent Iranian election but for wearing that shade of nail polish in public.

So I'm Cynical And Violent (And Best-Selling, Natch) I Think I Can Handle That

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

David Eddings (b. 1931)

-13 High-Brow, 5 Violent, -1 Experimental and 21 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Violent, Traditional and Cynical! These concepts are defined below.

David Eddings is the best-selling author of several series of fantasy novels, the most famous being The Belgariad (1982-84) and The Malloreon (1988-92). These books have become almost epitomic of the kind of fantasy that is fast-paced, full of humorous dialogue and written to entertain. And entertain they do. Few other writers have Eddings' ability to create characters that not only makes the reader feel as if he or she knows them, but are also very likeable. Perhaps this is due to Eddings unusual path to writing fantasy: He had tried writing in other genres with moderate success when he discovered that fantasy, a genre he had hitherto not been interested in, sometimes sells very well, and therefore started turning an old sketch of a map into a series of books. Without an interest in experimenting with form or pushing the boundaries of the genre, Eddings created the penultimate light entertainment instead, trusting his readers to keep reading because of charming characters and exotic, though not particularly original, environments.

After the success of The Belgariad and The Malloreon, Eddings turned to writing fantasy which was, supposedly, aimed at a more adult audience. The tendency towards violence as entertainment that had been present through-out his early works grew more prominent in the series of The Elenium (1989-91)and The Tamuli (1992-94). It was also around this time that David Eddings wife, Leigh Eddings, was credited as the co-author of his books, though they admitted that she had been contributing from the very beginning.

Though Eddings isn't the most high cultured of fantasy writers, few would dispute that when it comes to charm, he has no rivals.

You are also a lot like J R R Tolkien.

If you want something more gentle, try Robert Jordan.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Tove Jansson.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received -13 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.

Violent vs. Peaceful

You received 5 points, making you more Violent than Peaceful. Please note that violent in this context does not mean that you, personally, are prone to violence. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you are, and you do, then you are violent as defined here. At their best, violent people are the heroes who don't hesitate to stop the villain threatening innocents by means of a good kick. At their worst, they are the villains themselves.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received -1 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received 21 points, making you more Cynical than Romantic. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, cynical people are able to see through lies and spot crucial flaws in plans and schemes. At their worst, they are overly negative, bringing everybody else down.

Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

You're A Wolf Boy, Get Out Of This Town

When I was watching Bones, 4x21 Mayhem on a Cross, I realized something.

Tragic backstory? Totally one of my bulletproof kinks. To give context, I kinda hate Sweets, and even after he's grown on me a little bit, I hate that he's in the credits. Mom actually makes me skip the part of the credits he's in. Yet in this episode, I actually liked him! I know it was on the strength of those scars and his traumatic past. And that ending scene with Booth and Bones and Sweets, ( Read more... )

And to totally switch gears,

( Shipuuden 114 )

When You Walk You Leave Black Dirt In The Street

gacked from xlovelylightx :

Pick up to 10 ships.
Describe them in less than 15 words.
Have your flist guess the ship.

(I tried to pick different ships than I did last time, so this time it's harder.)

1.) Their relationship is a series-long shiptease. Thank god she has a motorcycle and a hitman boy-toy and he has... cold showers. Murphy/Harry, guessed by qualapec .

2.) They're both Other - it's only logical that they'd understand each other.* Spock/Uhura, guessed by ryanitenebrae 

3.) As much as neither wants to admit it, their love was real, even if everything else was a lie. Jack/Irina, guessed by ryanitenebrae 

4.) She's the rich girl with a heart of gold. He's the nice guy with a superiority complex and the ability to admit when he screws up. guessed by lalita_b 

5.) Their love story is one long fight over who gets to truly be Master. Integra/Alucard, guessed by ivy_chan .

6.) They're the one married couple currently on tv who don't hate each other. And have a sex life. Lily/Marshal, guessed by visualthinker11 

7.) "Well, my wits are in doubt and my shirt's inside out / and I got one eye looking off the the side / but with a menacing smile I'm gonna walk you down the aisle / Brookyn Girl, you're going to be my bride." Shinagawa/Adachi, guessed by neko_no_kaze.

8.) They're only opposites on the surface - at their bones they're exactly the same. Booth/Brennan, guessed by ryanitenebrae 

9.) The fool and his necromancer rule. guessed by ryanitenebrae and smillaraaq 

10.) She's in love with a dead guy and he's living with his father - but I'm sure the show will be canceled before these two will have a chance to make it work. Olivia/Peter guessed by neko_no_kaze.

*I mean this in a very meta-texual way and still I feel like I'm in danger of sounding like Elizabeth Bear. If I do, please tell me. I promise not to sic my flist, my husband, and out your online name if you do.

Irony Alert. Or Maybe It's Just Murphey's Law.

So, when I got back from college, I finagled it so I had one free bookshelf for library and to-read books.

I was thinking this would
It's already full, even before I got to the library.

The Summer Reading List:

All The Fishes Come Home To Roost, Dracula (the original), The Sound & The Fury, Nation, The Audacity of Hope, Coin Locker Babies, Blood Cult, White Witch Black Curse, Wicked Lovely, Song of the Lioness (reread), Finders Keepers, Whitechapel Gods, Kitty & The Midnight Hour (reread) A Necessary Evil, Soul Music, Soon I Will Be Invincible, and a couple volumes of Basara

*deep breath*

Just to let you know? All the books I mentioned? Don't all fit of my To-Read bookshelf. So much for my clever plot.

Fic: "Healer's Hands"

Title: Healer's Hands
Author: redbrunja
Fandom: Avatar
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Katara, Azula
Author’s Note: written for avatar_contest , week 51 - point.
Summary: "A year after Azula escaped from her brother's care, the Princess of the Fire Nation limped into a cave high in the mountains of the Earth Kingdom." Two old enemies meet again.

( Read more... )