In case you were wondering (and you probably weren't), I do indeed write fanfiction. But for the sake of keeping it all in one place, it's here at ff.net. I am was also taking part in the mission_insane fic challenge. Master table is here.

Fandoms I have written in:
- Batman (10)
- Supernatural (1)
- Watchmen (2)

Icons can be found via tags.

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Another tape painting based on Chloe's Nails! I haven't gotten this art down to a point where everything looks smooth and straight-edged, but I'd like to think I'll get there in a few more tries =) After all, I have endless permutations of colours to try...


Base: Rimmel 60 Seconds Funtime Fuchsia x2 coats
Top: Rimmel Lasting Finish Icing Sugar x1 coat

Taken in natural light. I also notice the skin on my hand looks like it belongs to a 60-year-old. My excuse is that the weather's cold and dry and I hadn't moisturised.

Both these polishes are kind of old so they're gluggy and dry out easily. The glugginess is annoying, but on the plus side, I don't have to wait as long to apply the sticky tape. (It doesn't take off any polish but it makes it go all matte-looking, funnily enough.) My mum's always harping on about how my nail colours are ugly and non-feminine because she's clueless and old-fashioned (bless her), so I pulled together these super girly colours. She still wasn't impressed haha. Still, I think the diagonal french tip is a lovely style -- classy and yet breaking from the norm.

I tried to wrap my tips in an attempt to extend the longevity of my nail polish, so you will see some of the Funtime Fuchsia at the edge. Should have done it with the Icing Sugar...

Moral of the story: Simple to do and looks awesome.

19. A band/artist people think you would like, but you actually hate?
( rest of the list )

Oh, there are plenty. I'm not too sure why some rock bands annoy me even more than pop or rnb or any other genre I don't really care for. But when a lot of people think of punk rock, they tend to associate it with these people I can't stand.

Creed
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Foo Fighters
Silverchair
Good Charlotte
Avril Lavigne
Sum 41
Linkin Park

18. A song that is a guilty pleasure?
( rest of the list )

So we're talking sappy pop stuff?

I don't mind some of The Backstreet Boys' songs, you know, from back in the day: As Long as You Love Me, I Want it That Way, Everybody
Mariah Carey: Hero, Always be My Baby
Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway
Spice Girls: Viva Forever

17. What would be the best line up for a festival?
( rest of the list )

All my favourite bands, I suppose, but there wouldn't be enough for a proper festival lineup. I think if I had a perfect normal-sized show, they would be:

Opening 1: No Trigger
Opening 2: A Wilhelm Scream
Headliner: Strung Out

16. Last song you heard?
( rest of the list )

Vertical Horizon - You're a God. It's an old one from my high school years.

15. Do you listen to the radio?
( rest of the list )

No, except when on country trips for work and we leave the radio on in the car. Every now and then I will become really up to date on top 40 music for a month or so, because that shit gets played on repeat over and over again on radio stations. Like right now, I'm always hearing these songs, which I know by main chorus but not name/artist:

Starships were meant to fly
Blow my whistle baby (is it just my gutter brain or is this a song about getting a blow job? and do they let that fly on the radio these days? man, I'm so old fashioned)
Hey I just met you and this is crazy
I'm at a payphone trying to call home
I've got a love that keeps me waiting
Tonight we are young so let's set the world on fire

14. Have you seen any musicals? If you could see any musical, what would you see?
( rest of the list )

I've been to musicals but I've never liked musicals. I don't get the appeal of watching an intriguing story and then have them completely shatter that suspension of disbelief by breaking out into song and dance. Doesn't do anything for me -- just wastes a perfectly good story... I'm of the view that storytelling through drama and singing music (as opposed to soundtrack or score, which is fine) should be kept separate.

I've watched the Lion King on Broadway. I also saw Annie at some point in high school. And that's more than enough for me.

I'm going to a Hunger Games themed party, and don't know much about it except that Katniss has some fancy nails. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Well, actually, I'd already seen this post (also by Chloe's Nails) so I had some idea of how to go about making a design. This is a variation on Chloe's tutorial because my initial attempt nowhere near resembled flames.


Base (orange): Nail It! Whoa Nelly x1 coat (not really visible)
Base (gold): Kleancolor Gold Bright x1 coat
Top (black): Kleancolor Charcoal x1 coat
Top (red): Models Own Scarlet Sparkle x1 coat

Taken in lamp light. Please excuse the uneven surface, as I took this picture before applying top coat, being an excited noob and all.

I used gold because I don't own any yellow. Given my experience with the Kleancolor Silver polish, I imagined the Gold Bright would be sort of sheer and thin, and that was why I put on an orange base underneath. The combination may have passed better as 'fire' in my mind, but it didn't -- it just looked like gold -- and when I put on the black, the whole arrangement just looked dumb. So I scrounged up a jelly red and painted the border line. Surprisingly didn't turn out too bad.

Cutting the tape to look like flames is harder than it sounds. And because I got lazy, I only cut 5 pieces and reused them on the other hand. It's also important to wait for your nails to dry, which I never learn as I jumped the gun and the peeling off process... wasn't pretty. (Although the Scarlet Sparkle does an OK job of covering it up.) The thin 'flame tips' of the sticky tape also broke off a couple of times, which was annoying.

Moral of the story: If you're a Hunger Games fan, or just like flames, and are willing to spend 2 hours doing this, then go for it.

13. Do you have the same musical taste as your friends?
( rest of the list )

No, which unfortunately makes going to shows a lonely affair. Some friends have 'approximate' similar tastes, mostly being rock music, but that doesn't really help. However, both msshhhh and I like the Drive soundtrack.

12. Do you have music posters up in your room?
( rest of the list )

No, my walls are bare. I got over the poster thing in like year 7. I only had a couple; one was The Offspring, can't remember the others.

11. Snog, marry, avoid the first 3 artists on shuffle.
( rest of the list )

Aww, I can't answer this question. I don't even know all the people in these bands. The shuffle artists are:

Lagwagon


Catch 22


Strung Out


Who's better looking? Catch 22 probably, only because the dudes in Lagwagon and Strung Out are pretty old. Whose music do I like more? Strung Out. Who have I known longer? Lagwagon.

I guess I'd say...
Snog Strung Out
Marry Catch 22
Avoid Lagwagon

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
5. Which band would you give anything to see live?
6. Have you got any band merch (hoodies, T-shirts, wristbands, etc)?
7. Favourite song right now?
8. What song has the highest play count?
9. What song would you sing on karaoke?
10. What's your favourite album?
( rest of the list )

Tough call; I don't think of favourites by album. Maybe Ruiner, being my favourite album by my favourite band (A Wilhelm Scream).

But I am also very fond of:
- Run Your Pockets by No Cash
- Fuck World Trade by Leftover Crack
- Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes by Propagandhi
- Exile in Oblivion by Strung Out

I have been waiting for Diablo 3 for such a long time now. But I am far away from my computer on a country trip and cannot play D= I also haven't bought the game yet because it's expensive and I am a cheapskate.

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
5. Which band would you give anything to see live?
6. Have you got any band merch (hoodies, T-shirts, wristbands, etc)?
7. Favourite song right now?
8. What song has the highest play count?
9. What song would you sing on karaoke?
( rest of the list )

There are a couple of karaoke songs I can sing comfortably without pushing my range or sounding too much of an idiot. Granted, the options of popular songs I know are pretty limited, but here is carnageincminor's beginners guide to karaoke singing!

3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
The easiest to sing! Monotonous and even-paced.

Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Basket Case
Also easy to sing without a very challenging pitch range. In fact, Green Day songs are often like this...

Blink 182 - All the Small Things, What's My Age Again
Ditto for Blink 182.

Skeeter Davis - The End of the World
If you don't mind the slowness and sappy theme, it's an easy one to follow and get right.

The Carpenters - Top of the World
It can get a little on the high pitch end, but otherwise fairly good for singing.

Backstreet Boys - I Want it That Way
Oh, nostalgia. A very pop and conventional ballady song.

And then there are those songs I wish were on karaoke, because they seem famous enough, but aren't. Such as:
- Huey Lewis and the News - Hip to be Square
- Katrina and the Waves - Walking on Sunshine
- Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
- Lit - My Own Worst Enemy

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
5. Which band would you give anything to see live?
6. Have you got any band merch (hoodies, T-shirts, wristbands, etc)?
7. Favourite song right now?
8. What song has the highest play count?
( rest of the list )

According to last.fm, it's a tie between Gasoline and Run Your Pockets, both by No Cash. So, there was a bit of a phase in October 2010 when I was playing this album on repeat.

Prior to last.fm, the last time I did a music related meme, it was Sunny Day! by Battleshield. It's a really cute, short piece that makes you happy!

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
5. Which band would you give anything to see live?
6. Have you got any band merch (hoodies, T-shirts, wristbands, etc)?
7. Favourite song right now?
( rest of the list )

Probably New Brains or Checkmate by No Trigger. Despite what I said earlier, the new album is growing on me even if I like their older songs more.

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
5. Which band would you give anything to see live?
6. Have you got any band merch (hoodies, T-shirts, wristbands, etc)?
( rest of the list )

Why yes, I do. But only a select few items, because I've never been that big on collecting merch as I rarely get a chance to wear/display them. And since I have fickle tastes, I want to be really really sure I'll like a band forever before getting anything of theirs. For example, right now I'm glad I never bought an Ataris t-shirt, which I had contemplated while at one of their shows, 'cause not long afterwards they meant nothing to me.

So, here are a couple of old, discontinued merch items in order of recentness:

( under the cut )

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
5. Which band would you give anything to see live?
( rest of the list )

No Cash. Oh, how I wish I could see them play. But it's never gonna happen, because they broke up almost 7 years ago and are nowhere near getting back together or anything. Besides, it looks like Chris Tray's musical style has evolved.

Honourable mentions (epic bands I still haven't seen yet): No Trigger, Leftover Crack, Screeching Weasel, Propagandhi.

1. First 10 songs on shuffle. Write a little about each one.
2. How many bands have you seen live? Which was the best, and which was the worst?
3. Have you ever met someone in a band?
4. Have you ever been in a band? Can you play any instruments?
( rest of the list )

No. I cannot play any musical instruments; I never really took the time to learn, and it would take me an hour to read one bar of music. The most I can do is sing, out of tune, and nobody wants to hear that.

Tom Gabel will become a woman and change his name to Laura

1) I am so out of touch with Against Me!, I only just found out now =(
2) I'm kind of amazed that SMH is reporting this.


Tom/Laura, you'll always be cool to me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.


LIES. I mean, really? Thrash Unreal is nice and all, but they have so many better songs...