Random things

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

this is completly random - thus the title - but I had to share.

So, I end up not only going to get index cards when I left the house tonight but to the bookstore too. Now, while at the B&n Starbucks the guy in front of me is tall, a bit lankey, dark hair'd and has a thick Irish accent. In his hand is a science book and he orders an Irish Creme. It was all I could do not to laugh.

 

[Archer Caughey]

"So I like to go on outings sometimes. Lab gets cramped. You know how it is."

[♥Allissya♥]

That is beautiful!

[Madeline Cauthon]

"It always amazes me how family can make you feel like a stranger. And a stanger can make you feel like family."

[Guest]

i was going through my cds on saturday to put some new stuff on my i-pod, and stumbled on my 'man in the moon' soundtrack. it made me think about andy kaufman over the past few days. about how people mistook his stage persona as who he really was, and his humor as malice, and overlooked the fact that he was a spiritual, fascinatingly gentle man. one of the things i put on my i-pod was this song that he first sang on his show Andy's Funhouse (which is the YouTube link) and he that he also asked the congregation to sing at his funeral.

i love this song. it's silly, but it's true, and it brings me to happy tears everytime i listen to it - in part because it's andy trying to heal a lot of the bad juju he knew his comedy bits put out into the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41n3mwCcZQ4

In this friendly, friendly world with each day so full of joy
Why should any heart be lonely?
In this friendly, friendly world with each night so full of dreams
Why should any heart be afraid?

The world is such a wonderful place to wander through
When you've got someone you love to wander along with you

With the skies so full of stars and the river so full of song
Every heart should be so thankful

Thankful for this friendly, friendly world

[Gawain]

[Guest]

i subscribe to a listerv called Daily OM (are any of you really surprised?) and this one that i just opened made me think of all of you and this board, because we talk about our muses all the time. =D

April 1, 2010
Compelled to Create
Embracing Your Muse

Find your muse today and embrace your creativity and imagination, where all things are possible.

Inspiration is an intangible yet inseparable part of the creative process. Nearly all creative possibilities are related to the muses that inspire us. The ancient Greeks believed that all creation, whether artistic or scientific in nature, was motivated by goddesses who served as the literal embodiment of inspiration. These were the Muses the givers of the creative spark. We still rely on muses to drive the creative process, though ours may take a diverse range of forms. People we meet, intriguing ideas, movies, books, nature, and cultural ideals all have the potential to awaken our imaginative minds. When we are touched by our muses, we understand viscerally that we are capable of producing our own unique kind of greatness.

Many people move through life unaware of the presence of their muse. This lack of awareness can be compounded by the fact that we may have one muse that remains with us throughout our lives, multiple muses that inspire us concurrently, several muses that come and go as necessary, or a single muse that touches us briefly at specific moments. You will know that you have found your muse when you encounter a force that makes you feel courageous enough to broaden the range of your creativity. The presence of this force will erase your self-doubt and motivate you to give your thoughts and feelings form. Should your muse continue to elude you, however, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of falling under its inspired influence. If you surround yourself with people who support you, keep a pen and paper handy, immerse yourself in culture, and brainstorm frequently, you will soon reconnect with your muse.

Once you have identified your muse, embrace it by giving yourself over to the creative inspiration it provides. No matter what you are moved to create, you will find that neither fear nor criticism can penetrate the wonderful bliss that goes hand in hand with the act of taking an idea and turning it into something the whole world can enjoy.

[Guest]

this commercial gave me chills. yay for poetic theatricality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM

[Xavier]

I didn't know where else to post this, and it is admittedly before the time of most people who post here, but....well, watch. Look at the way they look at each other. That's love, and it's a damn shame Andy is no longer with us. Anyway, please watch.

My apologies, I placed the wrong link. This is the right one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmwGO2-bvXQ&feature=related

Not lip-synched, and real. Not to mention awesome.

[Madeline Cauthon]

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."
- Teneva Jordan

[Madeline Cauthon]

The Chosen One
"It's one thing to think that you're the center of the universe — it's another thing entirely to have this confirmed by an ancient prophecy."
—Douglas Adams
The ultimate victim (or beneficiary) of Because Destiny Says So. The oldest and most common Super Hero Origin. The easiest way to turn an Ordinary High School Student into the only thing preventing The End Of The World As We Know It. Take it for granted that they are the Only One. Villains can just as easily be "chosen," too.
One would think that the title implies some superior intelligent being or force actually had to make the Choice, but it's not common practice to expect a corresponding Chooser of the Chosen One. Other human beings have a lot of trouble just finding the Chosen One. And don't even get started on when they're wrong...
Bonus points if the character is actually called "The One" or "The Chosen One", or the phrase "Only You Can Save X" appears. The title of Chosen One may prove to be largely unnecessary.

To read more on this , go to this link:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheChosenOne

[Madeline Cauthon]

A subtrope of Animal Jingoism and Red Oni Blue Oni.
The Chinese have an interesting idiom, "the tiger and the dragon". This refers to two spirits so wildly different and yet wildly similar at the same time, intricately linked together in destiny. Both the Dragon and the Tiger are Buddhist symbols, with the tiger lunging straight ahead to bulldoze through his opponents, while the dragon is revered more for patience and wisdom which he then derives fighting power from. Both of these locked together represent a balance of power, both "hard" and "soft" styles coming together to form a harmony between Yin and Yang.
This can be used either for depth, exploitation, or just because.
Whether it's just competing companies, martial arts, board games, or whatever, the dragon and the tiger will likely be used to represent these similar-but-different forces. The person representing the dragon will usually be wise, tempered, patient, humble, plucky, and/or any other traits usually seen as "down to earth". The person representing the tiger will probably be passionate, driven, enthusiastic, wild, and/or other traits seen as hot-blooded.
Either way, once they work together or fight against each other, there will definitely be sparks.
Often manifests in a Animal Battle Aura. See also Red Oni Blue Oni, for when the contrast is just contrast and not actually representing a Tiger/Dragon battle. See also Animal Jingoism, for when other animals contrast against each other. If it's just animal of the dragon by himself, then it's Dragons Up The Yin Yang.
If the person representing the dragon is actually The Dragon, then, uh, something went terribly wrong.

[Madeline Cauthon]

Retcon = Retroactive Continuity.
Reframing past events to serve a current plot need. When the inserted events work with what was previously stated, it's a Revision; when they outright replace it, it's a Rewrite. The ideal Retcon clarifies a question alluded to without adding excessive new questions. In its most basic form, this is any plot point that was not intended from the beginning. The most preferred use is where it contradicts nothing, even though it was changed later on.
While the term comes from comic books, dating to All-Star Squadron #18 in 1983 and shortened to "retcon" by the end of the decade, the technique is much older. Often, it's used to serve a new plot by changing its context; however, it's also done when the creators are caught writing a story that violates continuity and isn't very plausible.
In Marvel Comics, the person who pointed out the problem and at the same time provided a plausible explanation was awarded a Genuine Marvel Comics No-Prize by editor Stan Lee, a tradition that was kept alive by other editors after he became publisher.
See also Ass Pull, but note that not every Retcon is an Ass Pull. An Ass Pull, by definition, is something that was not properly set up before it is sprung on the audience. It is related to Deus Ex Machina. Sometimes a good Retcon can actually improve the current narrative, as with the new Back Story provided for Spike in "Fool For Love" (Buffy The Vampire Slayer). A good way to get away with a Ret Con is to reveal new implications or motivations for events that have already been established.
Smoother Retcons won't be distinguishable as such, and can even make what was initially an Ass Pull later look like a Xanatos Gambit. (In other words, No Prize it into plausibility and away from the dizzying realm of the Ass Pull)
The Retcon is considered by many to occur when current events contradict the past continuity of the series and is evidence of a Writer On Board. Perhaps more often, the Retcon does not actually violate canon, but rather violates fanon, the set of unstated interpretations usually made by the audience. Most competent writers achieve a Retcon by relying on a less-obvious but still perfectly valid interpretation of what was previously seen.
As the number of twists and misdirections in a story becomes higher, it becomes more difficult to tell whether an event actually is a Retcon (which implies that the writers changed their minds), or a misdirection (which implies that the writers intended the "retconned" version all along, and had been deliberately misleading the audience before). In some cases, it is impossible to tell, short of reading the author's mind. (Even then, it might not helped, as it's entirely possible for an author to be on the fence about what they're planning to do.)
A Retcon may be used as part of an Armed With Canon campaign launched by one author against the work of another author in the same Shared Universe. Over-use of Retcon can result in Continuity Snarl. It can also result in your readers and fans approaching the work with a certain degree of skepticism, cynicism or even complete disinterest, especially if you tend to obviously and quickly Retcon away that which turns out to be unpopular or drastically challenges or changes the status quo — after all, why get involved in your latest Crisis Crossover Event which promises to Change Everything Forever and that Nothing Will Be The Same Again if there's a good chance it'll all just be Ret Conned away after a short period of time?

[Epiphany]

So, while looking at pictures I came across this one and had to laugh. One cause it has Pip's guy in it, and two cause Kendrick is there too! Who's the middle man? Probably the guy who's the go-between, giving them messages and arranging meetings.

Strange I tell you.. Strange.

[Connor]

So I was checking out pictures and news from this website that was sent to me about the Green Lantern movie, and this was in the comments. The guy there said "So, there's only one thing that makes me happier than Green Lantern news." This is what he referred to. So, if you like females and are in a bad mood, here is something to brighten your day.

Boobies and Kittens - watch more funny videos

[Armandeus]

This is my new mascot. . .

[Gawain]

Hooray for random. I saw this in Sunday's comics and thought it was pretty astute.



Maybe someone will finally figure out a way to clean up our collective act and not destroy this rock we call home before our kids can enjoy it. One can only hope, anyway.

[Xavier]

A good friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and I just had to share. Think pink, and remember, let's find a cure before our female children grow boobies!

Fake(+)(+) Perfect (o)(o) Perky (*)(*) Cold (^)(^) Big ( o)( o ) or small (.)(.) and even Grandma's \./\./ Save them all !!!! Repost for Breast Cancer Awareness!!!

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