The Dastardly Dungeon of Deliciously Devious Drinks

I'm watching Wildest Indochina (so pretty...) and some epic music starts playing when some macaques are smashing clams with rocks. Okay, so that counts as basic use of tools, but I bet you the first macaque to do it just got so frustrated with a clam it went "I smash you with rock!" and that's one just-so story worthy of Kipling.

tiddlywinks said:

P.S. If anyone suggests a smurf, I may have to write you into a story and kill you.


Fair warning.

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Go as a smurf. :eggplant (<-- couldn't decide which to use) *is looking forward to playing a role in tiddly's story*

lilyWhite said:

...oh...and hai. =^_^=

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zanzjan said:

Hey, good to see you back. We were getting worried about you, yanno.

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Seconded. Have hug! Everyone have a hug! Group hug in smibble pile!

tianaluthien said:

YAS. DO EET. And if you're wondering where to begin, message me. Hardcore McKinley lover right here.

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She really is, I can vouch for that.

Scotland is stunning. Just sayin'.

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Ooh, yes. But they can't place benches.

TAMaxwell said:

You'd never stop talking to people.

*crawls under the nearest smibble pile* Sorry for the quiet lately. I've been going through what someone else aptly defined as a pre-30 crisis. it's hit me that I'm gonna be 30 in a few months and I'm suddenly feeling the weight of time and responsibility and adulthood and guys I don't like it.

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We've missed you. Come join the group hug in the smibble pile!

I'm in a "time's moving, you're not" crisis. I don't have time to not get something done if I'm gonna get it done while I'm in my twenties!

Morning Cantina.

I'm planning my escape route from work this afternoon. The Republican debate is coming to town and I don't want to get caught in the traffic.

lilyWhite said:

...oh...and hai. =^_^=

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Welcome back, lily!

TAMaxwell said:

*crawls under the nearest smibble pile* Sorry for the quiet lately. I've been going through what someone else aptly defined as a pre-30 crisis. it's hit me that I'm gonna be 30 in a few months and I'm suddenly feeling the weight of time and responsibility and adulthood and guys I don't like it.

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*Joins TAM at the pre-30-crisis table*

Religion0 said:

We've missed you. Come join the group hug in the smibble pile!

I'm in a "time's moving, you're not" crisis. I don't have time to not get something done if I'm gonna get it done while I'm in my twenties!

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Hoplite said:

*Joins TAM at the pre-30-crisis table*

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*scoots the life-crisis table-smibble pile over to Religion's smibble pile*

Good morning Cantina!

I already have my costume and wore it last Saturday for the bar crawl. I'll snag a picture when I can. There's one of me and the BF together, but I don't want to post any pictures of him without his consent. Anyway, I'm going to wear it again on Halloween when we go to the symphony. Yes, it's a Halloween show and they're encouraging the audience to dress up.

Random question, anyone else occasionally feel like just not writing anything sensible? Ban realism! Ban those awful words "make sense" and "serious"! Let's write the SF/F equivalent of an action movie with explosions and magic that just freakin' can do everything! A villain who isn't sympathetic or greater than life or anything but just plain evil! And of course the hero(ine) gets the girl/guy/robot/genderless-marmot-person! And they ride giant pandas into battle with the evil empress and then their love convinces her to lay down her weapons and let them hold a marriage with acrobatics and fireworks and roaring crowds and wild dancing and tigers as big as houses and-! *hyperventilates*

TAMaxwell said:

You'd never stop talking to people.

*crawls under the nearest smibble pile* Sorry for the quiet lately. I've been going through what someone else aptly defined as a pre-30 crisis. it's hit me that I'm gonna be 30 in a few months and I'm suddenly feeling the weight of time and responsibility and adulthood and guys I don't like it.

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Ah. Now I suddenly feel old. (((HUGS))) Adulting sucks. That's why I write. (It might also be why I drink a little, but part-time lush is not a wise career move.)

So. Spent the first half of the day scrubbing things around the house. Dull, physical work always makes my reptile brain tick pretty hard. But today that resulted in a lot of mental dithering about what I need to plan for next year writing-wise. Self-pub the four or five novellas I have in-progress? I keep feeling like I'm setting my standards too high as far as what I turn out. And then I don't sell anything anyway. (But I really don't want to be one of those folks that constantly spams my Twitter and Facebook with reminders to buy my stuff.

Refocusing on the project(s) at hand and I'll tackle bigger questions as I get closer to the beginning of the year.

Aggy, not an actual lush

Alas, I cannot drink and write.

I *wish* I was turning 30 again, knowing what I know now, and with AW to guide me. But nope. Hit the big 50 a couple weeks ago, cautiously optimistic about it.

Seconding Robin McKinley fandom. Beauty began an extraordinary career.

Is hiding this weekend and watching a Bruce Campbell marathon.

Filigree said:

Seconding Robin McKinley fandom. Beauty began an extraordinary career.

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Yes. Yes it did.

*sends homemade muffins to the pre-30 crisis table*

Hoplite said:

*Joins TAM at the pre-30-crisis table*

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That happened to me, too. I think what happens is that your teenage self sets up all these highly unrealistic "by the time I'm 30 I will have/have done…" ideas. And of course you haven't achieved all that stuff. Some of it you don't even care about any more. But turning 30 reminds you of a lot of unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and that can be depressing.

I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that by the time you hit 40, you should have a much more fully developed sense of fuckit going on. Which is great. You'll also have achieved more of your goals, and have developed newer, better ones.

I turn 50 next May, and I hope 50 is as much better than 40 as 40 was over 30.

Religion0 said:

Random question, anyone else occasionally feel like just not writing anything sensible? Ban realism! Ban those awful words "make sense" and "serious"! Let's write the SF/F equivalent of an action movie with explosions and magic that just freakin' can do everything! A villain who isn't sympathetic or greater than life or anything but just plain evil! And of course the hero(ine) gets the girl/guy/robot/genderless-marmot-person! And they ride giant pandas into battle with the evil empress and then their love convinces her to lay down her weapons and let them hold a marriage with acrobatics and fireworks and roaring crowds and wild dancing and tigers as big as houses and-! *hyperventilates*

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This is actually not far from my reasoning when I started writing the LoTR-meets-Terminator-with-gorillas-in-a-Steampunk-postapocalypse novel. It has since taken on some emotional maturity. But I frequently start with the urge to blow shit up.

Hi Cantina. Werdz happened yesterday. Not a lot, but a few. Moar werdz should happen today.

On to the multiquote...

Religion0 said:

And bronze spears are purty forever, lightsabres are only purty while the it's on.

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Maybe we should start making the lightsaber hilts purty too?

greendragon said:

And, if anyone is at all interested in Iceland, I just finally combined my full, extensive, insomnia-curing trip report with the photos I took.

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*saves to read later*

tiddlywinks said:

Also-HELP. I need a costume idea for Saturday for a costumed Halloween run. Evil little brother is doing it with me and he won't tell me what he's going as...and he's fiendishly clever, so I'm feeling the pressure. He's also dressing in something that hinders mobility because he asked if I was okay with walking, not running.

I really like face painting options - have done in the past and am rather good, if I do say so myself. I am also perfectly fine with a guy costume instead. (I kinda liked the superman idea, actually...)

Anyway, cool Halloween thoughts? Bear in mind I'm tall, so while I make a good scarecrow, I do not make a cute little ballerina. Does not work.

*bites nails*

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Okay, suggestion time!

You could be one of those Star Wars baddies with the red and black patterns on their face. That would be a good face-paint challenge. All you would have to do (besides paint your face) would be get a black cloak, black clothes and lightsaber and BOOM! Costume!

The other things I was going to suggest would be that you could be one of the Valar or Maiar from the Silmarillion. You could go crazy with just about any of those, since they were angelic/god-like beings and you could interpret how one of them might look pretty much any way you wanted to.

A cool visual-aid/quick cheat sheet of the Valar and their abilities: http://wolfanita.deviantart.com/art/The-Silmarillion-The-Valar-Complete-466758077 And a visual-aid/cheat sheet for the Mair too: http://wolfanita.deviantart.com/art/The-Silmarillion-The-Maiar-475414209

Just to toss some ideas out there: Let's say you decided to be Varda, Queen of the Stars. You could paint silver stars on your face, put sparkles in your hair, find some dark, sparkly, flowy stuff to wear and carry a pretty little jar of glitter that you could tell people is star dust.

Or, if you wanted to be Ulmo, Lord of the seas, you could paint your face blue, get some sea shells and other watery-themed things to put in your hair/on your clothes and just go nuts with the ocean theme.

Etc, etc.

JJ Litke said:

That is awesome! I love when costumes allow for fun interactivity like that.

This Buzzfeed article about running costumes probably isn't terribly helpful, but it was really entertaining. Maybe it'll spark ideas?
http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-40-best-worst-runner-costumes#.nnjpXllJY

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0.0 I'm a little surprised some of those people were allowed to wear...or NOT wear...some of those things!

lilyWhite said:

...oh...and hai. =^_^=

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LILYYYYYYY!!!! *flying tackle hug*

tianaluthien said:

YAS. DO EET. And if you're wondering where to begin, message me. Hardcore McKinley lover right here.

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Noted!

TAMaxwell said:

*crawls under the nearest smibble pile* Sorry for the quiet lately. I've been going through what someone else aptly defined as a pre-30 crisis. it's hit me that I'm gonna be 30 in a few months and I'm suddenly feeling the weight of time and responsibility and adulthood and guys I don't like it.

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Aw, it's okay, TAM.I get bothered by thinking about time passing and responsibility and adulthood and stuff too, and I'm not even 25 yet. I think it's natural and even healthy to think about those things from time to time, at least enough to make sure we've got our priorities straight and are doing the important things that really need to be done. But IMHO, when we think about that stuff to the point of worrying or getting upset, it just wastes time and energy that we could be using for other things. It's a vicious cycle sort of thing We worry about time slipping away, and then worry keeps us from doing things we need to do, so time really does slip away, which makes us worry more.

How about instead of worrying, we just appreciate, and make the most of the time we have? (I really do mean "WE" because, like I said, I get bothered by this stuff too.)

And remember, if you weren't getting older, you'd be dead, so that's always something to be thankful for.

Besides, what do you have to worry about when it comes to being 30? You, yes YOU, are an amazing, kind, intelligent, talented, and beautiful person, and YOU are going to be the bestest 30 year-old evah! I mean that.

LadyV said:

Anyway, I'm going to wear it again on Halloween when we go to the symphony. Yes, it's a Halloween show and they're encouraging the audience to dress up.

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Fun!

Oh, before I forget, the Bing search picture for today, is interesting/kinda funny, IMO. Poor Mr. Deer. It's hard having antlers when you don't have opposable digits to get debris out of them.

Oh oh, we talked more about the Agents of SHIELD idea at our house last night. Mr. JJ suggested we could do that and interact in character with trick-or-treaters. "Here's your mission: you need to continue on down the street, and knock on doors with the porch lights on. Give the code phrase (trick or treat), collect the candy, and keep an eye out for HYDRA."

Some kids are going to be too young for this, and some may not get it, but I thought it could be a fun game for anyone at home handing out candy.

Mr. JJ and I are going to be Han Solo and Boba Fett again. If anyone points out we did these costumes last year, we'll just say it's the sequel.

JJ Litke said:

That happened to me, too. I think what happens is that your teenage self sets up all these highly unrealistic "by the time I'm 30 I will have/have done…" ideas. And of course you haven't achieved all that stuff. Some of it you don't even care about any more. But turning 30 reminds you of a lot of unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and that can be depressing.

I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that by the time you hit 40, you should have a much more fully developed sense of fuckit going on. Which is great. You'll also have achieved more of your goals, and have developed newer, better ones.

I turn 50 next May, and I hope 50 is as much better than 40 as 40 was over 30.

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My teenage self made the goal to "just grit your teeth and get through this", my five-year-old self, on the other hand, oh, she made some big plans.

According to my mother, that is just so. Life's just getting better.

Aggy B. said:

This is actually not far from my reasoning when I started writing the LoTR-meets-Terminator-with-gorillas-in-a-Steampunk-postapocalypse novel. It has since taken on some emotional maturity. But I frequently start with the urge to blow shit up.

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... I want to read that.

E.F.B. said:

Hi Cantina. Werdz happened yesterday. Not a lot, but a few. Moar werdz should happen today.

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Maybe we should start making the lightsaber hilts purty too?

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You mean we can do that?

Aw, it's okay, TAM.I get bothered by thinking about time passing and responsibility and adulthood and stuff too, and I'm not even 25 yet. I think it's natural and even healthy to think about those things from time to time, at least enough to make sure we've got our priorities straight and are doing the important things that really need to be done. But IMHO, when we think about that stuff to the point of worrying or getting upset, it just wastes time and energy that we could be using for other things. It's a vicious cycle sort of thing We worry about time slipping away, and then worry keeps us from doing things we need to do, so time really does slip away, which makes us worry more.

How about instead of worrying, we just appreciate, and make the most of the time we have? (I really do mean "WE" because, like I said, I get bothered by this stuff too.)

And remember, if you weren't getting older, you'd be dead, so that's always something to be thankful for.

Besides, what do you have to worry about when it comes to being 30? You, yes YOU, are an amazing, kind, intelligent, talented, and beautiful person, and YOU are going to be the bestest 30 year-old evah! I mean that.

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Seconded.

Oh, before I forget, the Bing search picture for today, is interesting/kinda funny, IMO. Poor Mr. Deer. It's hard having antlers when you don't have opposable digits to get debris out of them.

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That deer looks absolutely astonished.

Aggy B. said:

Ah. Now I suddenly feel old. (((HUGS))) Adulting sucks. That's why I write. (It might also be why I drink a little, but part-time lush is not a wise career move.

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tianaluthien said:

*sends homemade muffins to the pre-30 crisis table*

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JJ Litke said:

That happened to me, too. I think what happens is that your teenage self sets up all these highly unrealistic "by the time I'm 30 I will have/have done…" ideas. And of course you haven't achieved all that stuff. Some of it you don't even care about any more. But turning 30 reminds you of a lot of unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and that can be depressing.

I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that by the time you hit 40, you should have a much more fully developed sense of fuckit going on. Which is great. You'll also have achieved more of your goals, and have developed newer, better ones.

I turn 50 next May, and I hope 50 is as much better than 40 as 40 was over 30.

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E.F.B. said:

Aw, it's okay, TAM.I get bothered by thinking about time passing and responsibility and adulthood and stuff too, and I'm not even 25 yet. I think it's natural and even healthy to think about those things from time to time, at least enough to make sure we've got our priorities straight and are doing the important things that really need to be done. But IMHO, when we think about that stuff to the point of worrying or getting upset, it just wastes time and energy that we could be using for other things. It's a vicious cycle sort of thing We worry about time slipping away, and then worry keeps us from doing things we need to do, so time really does slip away, which makes us worry more.

How about instead of worrying, we just appreciate, and make the most of the time we have? (I really do mean "WE" because, like I said, I get bothered by this stuff too.)

And remember, if you weren't getting older, you'd be dead, so that's always something to be thankful for.

Besides, what do you have to worry about when it comes to being 30? You, yes YOU, are an amazing, kind, intelligent, talented, and beautiful person, and YOU are going to be the bestest 30 year-old evah! I mean that.

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Thank you, guys. I've been dealing with this for a week or two now and just didn't have the words for it until today. Wish I'd come by sooner. Y'all are amazing, as always. I know I'm still young, lots of time ahead of me to accomplish the things I want to accomplish. It's just hard to argue with the funkmonster when it grabs ya, you know?

Well, the upside of being unemployed is that I've gotten through the beta-reader edits on my prequel, Legacy of Truth. Now I've got all the rewrite ideas listed out (17 of them!) and I need to start on those. But first, let me procrastinate by checking out the AWWC forums

Religion0 said:

Random question, anyone else occasionally feel like just not writing anything sensible? Ban realism! Ban those awful words "make sense" and "serious"! Let's write the SF/F equivalent of an action movie with explosions and magic that just freakin' can do everything! A villain who isn't sympathetic or greater than life or anything but just plain evil! And of course the hero(ine) gets the girl/guy/robot/genderless-marmot-person! And they ride giant pandas into battle with the evil empress and then their love convinces her to lay down her weapons and let them hold a marriage with acrobatics and fireworks and roaring crowds and wild dancing and tigers as big as houses and-! *hyperventilates*

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Make this book, immediately.

Also, yes, lightsaber hilts can be beautified, I would suggest reading the books (now Legends) but it's not worth it anymore, sadly.

tiddlywinks said:

P.S. If anyone suggests a smurf, I may have to write you into a story and kill you.

Fair warning.

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Religion0 said:

*is looking forward to playing a role in tiddly's story*

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You know what, I've changed my mind! I wanna be in a tiddly story as well, kill me a thousand times oh dispicable smurf schmoo, I will come back a thousand and one times more!

E.F.B. said:

Maybe we should start making the lightsaber hilts purty too?

You could be one of those Star Wars baddies with the red and black patterns on their face. That would be a good face-paint challenge. All you would have to do (besides paint your face) would be get a black cloak, black clothes and lightsaber and BOOM! Costume!

Besides, what do you have to worry about when it comes to being 30? You, yes YOU, are an amazing, kind, intelligent, talented, and beautiful person, and YOU are going to be the bestest 30 year-old evah! I mean that.

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Three things, first of all, lightsaber purtification started eons ago, and every lightsaber is different and unique, many are made to be pretty as well as functional. In all honesty though, more sparkles never hurt anyone...

Second thing, those 'Star Wars baddies' are called Dathomirians, from the Outer Rim world of Dathomir, and they are people too, despite being awful ugly. It's culturally insensitive to dress up as other species/races.

Third thing, that wee spiel you gave just there about near 30-year-oldness, it was beautiful! I'm nowhere near thirty and I appreciated it immensely.

Aggy B. said:

This is actually not far from my reasoning when I started writing the LoTR-meets-Terminator-with-gorillas-in-a-Steampunk-postapocalypse novel. It has since taken on some emotional maturity. But I frequently start with the urge to blow shit up.

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Which of your books is this book!!!??? I was already thinking of buying your stuff, but now I have a MIGHTY NEED!

tianaluthien said:

YAS. DO EET. And if you're wondering where to begin, message me. Hardcore McKinley lover right here.

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Where do I begin, Tiana?

TAMaxwell said:

*crawls under the nearest smibble pile* Sorry for the quiet lately. I've been going through what someone else aptly defined as a pre-30 crisis. it's hit me that I'm gonna be 30 in a few months and I'm suddenly feeling the weight of time and responsibility and adulthood and guys I don't like it.

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There, there, Maxwell I have never experienced what you are going through so sympathy is difficult for me at the moment, but look on the bright side, you aren't 13 anymore!

Damoclian: That is one I'm working on now. But you might like Dust (a novelette featuring a half-Far, all gay police detective trying to find a drug producing pixie farm) or The Collections Agent (a steampunk story about a fellow who collects magic and supernatural things from folks who can't afford them any longer).

Bought myself a new work journal. It's very flowery. I don't really like flowery, thus I will actually write in it instead of adding it to my paper fetish collection.

Aggy, ready for a nap

After Damo's review of Cliff's book, he's gonna find a whole lot of Cantinite books shoved under his nose over the next few... years. XD

So, I learned what a vampire face lift was today. It's not quite as cool/spooky as it sounds.

TAMaxwell said:

*crawls under the nearest smibble pile* Sorry for the quiet lately. I've been going through what someone else aptly defined as a pre-30 crisis. it's hit me that I'm gonna be 30 in a few months and I'm suddenly feeling the weight of time and responsibility and adulthood and guys I don't like it.

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I remember that like it was yesterday (which it *so* wasn't). All I can say is it goes away again - turning 40 didn't bother me anything like as much as turning 30 did, or at all in fact. Weird, I know.

Religion0 said:

Random question, anyone else occasionally feel like just not writing anything sensible? Ban realism! Ban those awful words "make sense" and "serious"! Let's write the SF/F equivalent of an action movie with explosions and magic that just freakin' can do everything! A villain who isn't sympathetic or greater than life or anything but just plain evil! And of course the hero(ine) gets the girl/guy/robot/genderless-marmot-person! And they ride giant pandas into battle

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That's *almost* what my debut looks like. Up until the pandas, anyway

Aggy B. said:

Ah. Now I suddenly feel old. (((HUGS))) Adulting sucks. That's why I write. (It might also be why I drink a little, but part-time lush is not a wise career move.)

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This.

Filigree said:

Alas, I cannot drink and write.

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Oh gods I can

JJ Litke said:

That happened to me, too. I think what happens is that your teenage self sets up all these highly unrealistic "by the time I'm 30 I will have/have done…" ideas. And of course you haven't achieved all that stuff. Some of it you don't even care about any more. But turning 30 reminds you of a lot of unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and that can be depressing.

I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that by the time you hit 40, you should have a much more fully developed sense of fuckit going on. Which is great. You'll also have achieved more of your goals, and have developed newer, better ones.

I turn 50 next May, and I hope 50 is as much better than 40 as 40 was over 30.

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THIS! I'm only (only, he says!) 43, but this is one of the truest things I have read in a long time. All hail the level-up in fuckit.

TAMaxwell said:

After Damo's review of Cliff's book, he's gonna find a whole lot of Cantinite books shoved under his nose over the next few... years. XD

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Yeah...wanna review a book in January, Damo?

TAMaxwell said:

After Damo's review of Cliff's book, he's gonna find a whole lot of Cantinite books shoved under his nose over the next few... years. XD

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Who or what is Cantinite? If they're/it's anything like dear Cliffy's book I want them, NOW!

*...5 mins l8r...*

(I may have just realised what 'Cantinite' was, as in person from Cantina, however I am leaving the above sentences in because they accurately represent me.)

Aggy B. said:

Damoclian: That is one I'm working on now. But you might like Dust (a novelette featuring a half-Far, all gay police detective trying to find a drug producing pixie farm) or The Collections Agent (a steampunk story about a fellow who collects magic and supernatural things from folks who can't afford them any longer).

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You know what Aggy (if that even is your real name)? I'm not even gonna choose, I'm just gonna buy your books! (So there! How'd you like them apples/bananas/eggplants!)

PeteMC said:

Yeah...wanna review a book in January, Damo?

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DO I!? (that's a rhetorical question, I, in fact, do very much.) Give me all the books, ALL OF THEM!

I have read many of Aggy's works-in-progress, and can vouch that they are excellent. I would envy her, but that's counterproductive. So I beta read and hope to see the finished works in Publisher's Weekly sometime soon.

JJ Litke said:

That happened to me, too. I think what happens is that your teenage self sets up all these highly unrealistic "by the time I'm 30 I will have/have done…" ideas. And of course you haven't achieved all that stuff. Some of it you don't even care about any more. But turning 30 reminds you of a lot of unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and that can be depressing.

I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that by the time you hit 40, you should have a much more fully developed sense of fuckit going on. Which is great. You'll also have achieved more of your goals, and have developed newer, better ones.

I turn 50 next May, and I hope 50 is as much better than 40 as 40 was over 30.

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I refuse to be 30. I just have lots of 29th birthdays.

LadyV said:

So, I learned what a vampire face lift was today. It's not quite as cool/spooky as it sounds.

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It would be "cooler" if they used someone elses blood. And that's a plot bunny. Quick! Someone else catch it!

Haha. Agent just emailed to ask if I was still working on the LoTR-meets-Terminator-with-gorillas-in-a-Steampunk-post-apocalypse. I assured him I was. Would still like to get the first draft done before the Christmas holiday, but I may be sending it to him after the New Year.