all made up with nowhere to go

I finished reading Lily Blue, Blue Lily a couple of nights ago. I think I am going to have to read the end again because a) I was tired and b) it is somewhat of a mishmash - as in, I think Ms Stiefvater should've thought a little bit more about her setting and adjusted accordingly.

One thing I do like about these books is that powers just work, and things just are, and that's great. I'm big fan of "How does it work?" "It just does", because not everything needs to be spelt out in minute detail BUT. The one place I feel like that doesn't work is the end of the book ( because spoilers )

Also yeah, I sort of love how ridiculous a certain character is, but that's not the same character we were introduced to a book ago. Also yes I agree with some people who have griped about Malory's presence being pointless (yes, it is, but I kind of love him because he, too, is ridiculous. Also I have a theory about him: ( speculative spoiler! )

On the other hand: Adam :D

One thing I do like about these books is, that while they have two obvious romances in, neither romance takes over the books, and I like that (in fact it's handled in a similar way that Adam and Blue being cute is, and I really like that. I don't always want to read about characters kissing or nearly but not quite having sex all over the place).

I'm totally not getting the Adam/Ronan thing, though. All I'm seeing is a one-sided crush on Ronan's behalf (not that Adam isn't aware of it, however).

I have started rereading though, because I did power through these, and I know I don't give things my full attention when I do that.

(I've been reading through the bad reviews on Goodreads for each book. I found myself agreeing with them for the first book, not at all for the second, but then on the third? Yeah, I could see where those reviews were coming from).

Seriously, though, writers in general: stop describing people as "handsome" or "beautiful" or "attractive" without giving me qualifiers as to why! I mean, I have a fairly good idea of what I think everyone looks like, because there are descriptors, but more often than not, people are described as the above without any follow-up and I [disgusted noise].

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I've started doing German on Duolingo again, and it's making me feel good, because I'm breezing through lessons that I know gave me ridiculous amounts of trouble before (accusative case I am looking at you). Also I remember waaaaay more than I gave myself credit for, and that's great.

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I'm poking the magical girl story. It's poking back, and mostly being daft, but that's OK because I sort of needed a break from traumatised soldiers. (I do love the abominations story, but I'm just not the sort of writer who can work on one thing single-mindedly for a long time).

Funnily enough, here is ursulav talking about not just concentrating on one piece of writing at a time. I swear I did not know this beforehand!

Always on my Mind- Pet Shop Boys

If there's one thing I love about the eighties, it's videos with little to no context/story in them. Although I think this one may be down to the fact that it wasn't supposed to be released as a single - it was done for an Elvis tribute TV show, but everyone loved it so much that it was suggested that PSB released it, they did, and it was Xmas number the same year (1987).

Today is the first time I've ever seen the video for it, and all it does for me is confirm that I think Joss Ackland (the old fella in the back of the car) is a scary-looking guy...

Also the DA:I main theme, because it is some epic and awesome shit.

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I haven't played much DA:I today - I've been running around acquiring power for the next storyline quest (I think it takes 40 points and that's fucking ridiculous??*) Anyway, I've done every single quest in Crestwood except one. I've been running around in the Exalted Plains, and that was fun. I thought I could kill bears easily, but no, that was only Storm Coast bears because the ones in the Hinterlands are hard as nails. Especially the grey ones (they're needed for a quest, surprise surprise. But I've finished that, so hopefully the bloody things will stay away now).


*I like this game, don't get me wrong, but drawing it out by having to accumulate power? I don't like that. I understand its being there as a metaphor, but I don't have to like it. I'd rather be far too low a level for a part and then have to go away and grind. And I hate grinding.

I love running around the countryside, though. I've used mounts exactly once. I don't use fast travel if I can help it. I try to Commander-Shepard-in-the-Mako up hillsides and, if tumblr is to be believed, I'm not the only one who does that. Sometimes I manage it, sometimes I don't. Sometimes Leila slides down on her arse, and sometimes she takes falling damage. That's just how it goes.

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I tried doing music today but. I got sidetracked for most of the day by noodling around in LMMS and it annoying me because it doesn't work the way I want it to, or the internet said it did. I did discover someone who does some of the demo tunes and they are good to listen to, so I trawled for some more of their stuff. Then I plonked about in Musescore, after discovering it had no sound (I had to install another program? I think it's called Gawk? because I wasn't getting any sound output).

Anyway, I plonked about by picking a chord (C Major), and using the three notes all over and seeing what happened. What I did sounds all right, but it doesn't gel because I don't know what I'm doing. So. More music theory revision/lessons/implementation. (Because chord progression! I know this is a thing I need to know if I'm going to write music well).

Also more German lessons. I think I need to write myself a schedule. Hrm.

Ich kann ein bisschen deutsch sprechen!

(please, as always, correcting my mistakes and telling me what I did wrong is welcome. I think the sentence above is correct, but neither me nor mum were entirely sure (it's been over fifty years since she did any German!) )

I'm learning through two websites, primarily. One is called Memrise, which was recommended to me by my friend Annette (she's learning Icelandic on there). The other one is called Duolingo, and a lot of people on Tumblr use that one. Of the two, I prefer Memrise right now.

Anyway, although I don't feel like I'm learning anything, I think I am. I've made a langauge tumblr for myself (ginnunn), and I'm going to practice writing in German on there. I try to talk to mum in German when I can (and she responds in it, if she can). So, es ist gut! (long may it continue!)