The Blog

An oft-delayed blog...

So I'm still a little sick, but the antibiotics are kicking in and all of a sudden I'm very sleepy. Fortunately on Wednesday I worked a full work day and thus was not on the train that derailed. I did get to see the train as my late-running train made it's slow way past, but I didn't have my camera out because I thought it would have been cleared up by then. Two carriages were off the tracks, as far as I could tell, and I can only imagine it was rather scary. I don't know how it could have happened, given that the train would have just stopped (or been about to stop) at the station and no one goes fast through there. I wouldn't be surprised to find out it was foul play.

Another link: On the whole 11th doctor casting news fiasco

And one more, from my new favourite blog, Fuck You, Penguin: A snake and a hamster that are friends.

This is what I'd want for my birthday, if my birthday were in March and not January: The greatest Doctor Who toys ever. (If anyone is after ideas, Kinokuniya has the first Gunnerkrigg Court book in stock. Also Absolute Sandman volumes 3 and 4, but they're out of most people's price range.)

More yuletide stories!

• Addams Family: Because We're Addamses by calliopes_pen - a story told from Wednesday's point of view, more or less set around the Movie. Deliciously in character.
• Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Dream by bookesque - a reworking of Sleeping Beauty, told from the point of view of both the prince and the princess, in which both are aware of their places in the story, and both don't necessarily want any part of it. Lovely.
• Merlin: Know Thine Enemy by Isabeau - Mordred's story, so sad and poignant and tragic. I love him here, and the way she's written this.
• Nethack: Another Sad Death Written In The Book Of Tyr by kastaka - Reads like a really fun session of the game.
• Tokyo Babylon: Memory -- A Save Tokyo City Story by Psyienna - This is Tokyo as I remember it, and the characters as I wish I had been able to write them. Beautiful.

Labels: fairy tales, nethack, public transport, sickly-Cat, Tokyo Babylon, toys, trains, yuletide

  Dear Authors...

I present first this comic.

Then I point out that the fantasy novel I'm currently reading has 300 pages of young-adult prose, and 100 pages of glossary/encyclopaedia/appendices. Not even the vaguely dickensian setting is enough to fully redeem it.

ALSO: if your monsters are 'bogles', do not have your protagonist 'boggle' while talking about them.

***

In other news, I somehow got my story for x2009 done in the nick of time.

And the CLAMP in 3-D land series 7 figures arrived. Will photograph them at some point.

Labels: books, damn you CLAMP, fantasy, monster blood tattoo, steampunk, toys, writing

   Catherine in 3D-land...

This morning I woke to the doorbell ringing, which could only mean one thing: my package from Singapore had arrived! And lo, it was good: Yup, that is my mailing address, in case people want to send me love (or presents, I'm good with either). *grins* But what's important is these guys used real stamps to post mail, which is awesome! I have to soak them off and put them in my lack of a stamp album on the weekend.

Of course, who really cares about the packaging, when there are toys inside?! And bubblewrap!
So then there were packets to be opened! And toys to be played with! I suppose I ought to point out that these are the CLAMP in 3D-LAND (someday, CLAMP, I will understand your random capitalisations) Series 1 figures, and that I also have 2 of the Series 2 figures that Charles picked up in Japan for me a few weeks ago. Because he's awesome like that, and in fact it was seeing the detail on the Series 2 toys that made me want to collect the whole set. So, thank you, dude! Anyway, on to the photo!

Whee! Look at all those little guys (they're named on the flickr page, if you don't recognise them)! They're really well made, and absolutely gorgeous (particularly Syaoran from CCS, though you can't quite see him in this picture). The detail is amazing - for example Yuuko's kimono sleeves have little flowers painted on them in two tones, Chii's eyes make it clear that she's downloading something and Syaoran's Clow Card has Jump (the pink rabbit next to him) painted on it. I love them all. Not to mention Tsubasa's Syaoran and Sakura look great together.

I brought Chii and Yuuko in to uni with me today in the hopes of finding them a real home around here, but sadly I don't think they're going to stay.

Oh, and for the record, today's chibi is Hikarino Miko as one of the legendary Magic Knights. The costume design belongs to Brendan, who drew an awesome picture for me one day when I was particularly conflicted as to who I love more: CLAMP or Naoko Takeuchi (I think most of the time CLAMP wins, but don't tell Naoko-sama that).

Labels: anime, damn you CLAMP, manga, send me love, toys