 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What ho, good friends of England! Guess WHAT? In August of this summer, I'll be in Birmingham for the UK Discworld Convention! Because it costs so bloody much to travel to the UK, I've decided to stay a few extra days on one side or the other of the convention and be a tourist. SO, I need help and advice from the experts (i.e. anyone who lives in the UK/London and/or has been there recently or whatever - ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lottie_doyle, shibbydm, dawn_e_h, I know you are in the UK; dachelle, I know you were just there... roz_mcclure, are you still there?). I have been to London, once, for 3 days 6 years ago, but I am SURE I still could use advice on what to see, where to stay, and how to travel. I'm soliciting advice early because I need to decide when to book my plane ticket and where to stay and things, and figure out my budget. Questions: 1) Are there any easy-to-reach by public transport things in or around Birmingham itself that I should try to see? I know nothing about Birmingham. 2) Where might be good (and CHEAP) places to stay in London. (I'm thinking youth-hostels-cheap here. I am so poor.) 3) What touristy things do I not want to miss in London? (Last time I was there we did...St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, the Salvador Dali museum, the London Eye, a performance of The Reduced Shakespeare Co., Wellington's house, Hyde Park, (ETA: rivian - I did go to the Tower of London. It took most of the day and was awesome. I just forgot to list it. :) and some other stuff. We glanced at the Globe but didn't take the tour that time around. Also we saw the Cutty Sark nearby.) This time so far I plan to at least get to the Sherlock Holmes Museum...not sure what else yet. Suggestions for any variety of tourist and amusement events welcome. 4) What not-so-well-known things might I want to check out? (You know, the not touristy things actual Londoners might do.) 5) Any good restaurants? Also, any good ideas for budget eating? (Hey, I'm not averse to making sandwiches 1/2 of the time so I can eat well the other 1/2!) 6) If, by chance, you are on my LJ list and actually LIVE in London...might you be interested in meeting up with Strange LJer From the US? Perhaps for a lunch or something? 7) Any fun British things I should try and/or buy while there? (I'm thinking things not usually available here, or really expensive here but cheap there.) 8) Best travel options for within the city? (I know there's a 3-day pass. I may be there 5-6 days, so maybe get a couple of those? 9) Other advice? All help is appreciated!! P.S. SO SAD that Dylan Moran won't be touring until after I leave. *weeps* Tags: london, traveling, vacation
Trixie is:  excited
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aw, look at Simon Pegg's drawing for National Doodle Day, (which benefits research about neurofibromatosis). It's so cute! Also it says that Pegg and Nick Frost are going to be doing a movie about road-tripping across America. SQUEE! Now that is one road-trip movie I will actually watch. Other contributors to Doodle Day include The Fug Girls, Seth Green, Jay Leno, and more. Wonderful Neil has 2 awesome doodles in the auction. So if anyone wants a doodle and has money to burn (seriously, these things are going for A LOT) check it out. P.S. Informal poll. So...how many of you are reading the Deadpool fic and/or want me to post more? How many of you wish I'd put it on a filter or something because it's getting in the way of my usual inanities? How many of you just don't care? Just curious. :) Tags: celebs, deadpool, deadpool: weapon, gofugyourself, neil gaiman
Trixie is:  calm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previously, on Deadpool: Weapon:  [ Hey, chili dogs, what you doin’ up at this hour? Yeah, I couldn’t sleep either. So I guess instead I could fill you in on what was shakin' in Chapter 3. I know you were on the edge of your seats for The Big Fight Scene, but instead we had a mega-ton of lame dialogue with The Dark Knight right after I arrived in the Big Apple. Oh well. At least his name’s scarier than “Teen Titans.” Anyway, I think he must have had food poisoning or something, ‘cause there we were just chatting away and all of a sudden he was down on the ground in the fetal position muttering, “Please, make it stop.” I offered him some Rolaids but I don’t think he saw.
Now I’m about to put this plan idea devious little thought of mine into action so I can lure Deathstroke out for a fight. Man, I love picking fights with people; it’s such a rewarding activity. The punching, the kicking, the introspective dialogue – and if I’m lucky, maybe this time I won’t have all my limbs broken, or get a katana through my medulla oblongata, or be gutted by Wolverine again. [ It’d be much better if *I* was doing the gutting, just like I did in Wolverine #88. Ah, those were the days...] After I whup Deathstroke’s sorry behind, I’ma see if I can score some points with that feisty little brunette, Starfire. So stick around for the afterparty, ‘cause you wouldn’t want to miss that.] ( And the gun it lies next to me, whispering, whispering )Chapter 5...I can haz fight now, pleez? Tags: comic book heros, comics, deadpool, deadpool: weapon, fanfic
Trixie is:  silly
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previously, on Deadpool: Weapon:
[ What up, hep cats? Slide me some skiiiiin. Oops, sorry. Been watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory again. Man, I love it when those little dolls melt. Isn’t that Wonka guy creepy, though? I bet he’s a mass-murderer. He probably offs Oompa-Loompas for fun.
Oh! Yeah, so I’m supposed to be telling you what happened in Chapter 2, even though it was so damn short [ she’s one lazy writer, ain’t she?] that you could probably read it quicker than reading this.
Hem. So...when last we saw Our Hero [ Me! Me! Me!] , he was being the loveable and cuddly merc we all know and love for being so loveable and cuddly that really he should have his own cuddly plush doll by now and I don’t know what Marvel is waiting for, ‘cause all the kids would clamor for such a loveable— OUCHIE! What? Why? Aw, *&#@%! Fine. The truth then. ...he was packing for his trip to NYC so he could go be all hero-like and kill Deathstroke for those ridiculously named Teen Titans [ seriously, what kind of a name is that? It wouldn’t even strike fear into a one-armed midget] . He was also maybe possibly kinda-sorta playing some tricks on Blind Al [ she loves tricks! Really! They remind her she’s still alive and kickin’. Or chokin’ on curry, in this case] .
Then he got a call from Weasel [ what, you missed that? It happened offscreen] who met him in a dingy bar so they could swap merch for money. So now he’s got some sweet new gear that is gonna be SO MUCH FUN to try out when it comes to kicking Deathstroke’s sorry butt, which is gonna be a helluva good time, ‘cause you know I’m the MAN, and Deathstroke doesn’t even know what’s comin’ his way, and I can’t wait to try out that one thing Weasel rigged up, and Deathstroke, you are gonna be PWNED, because baby, I got youuuuuuuuu... ......... Hm. Damn segues into song. They just don’t work as well without the little music notes you get in the comic books, do they? Hrmph. So. Uh. Basically, that’s where we’re a—oh, hey Weasel!] “Uh, who’re you talkin’ to, ‘Pool?” “The readers, fool!” “...What readers? Listen, ‘Pool, you’d better get going; that little doohickey I rigged up won’t be able to merge the Marvel and DC universes for long. You’ve only got a few hours to find and beat Deathstroke.” “Yeah, yeah, spoil my fun, why don'cha?” [ So, are you ready for The Big Fight Scene, boys and girls? ‘Cause I sure am. [ I’m even wearing my lucky Squirrel Girl Underoos[TM]] .] ( If God he gave you a voice, then use it )Keep your eyes peeled for Chapter 4, which might actually contain some fighting (maybe)! Tags: comic book heros, comics, deadpool, deadpool: weapon, fanfic
Where she's at: home, sweet apartment
Trixie is: silly
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
These places sound hellish: Elite Korean Schools, Forging Ivy League SkillsIs this really the best way to educate one's children? (Make sure and read p. 2 for a description of the insane "day" these students have.) They study ALL the time, they have no social or romantic lives or interests (so it appears), they barely ever sleep enough...it doesn't sound healthy, either physically or mentally, for a high-school age student. For one, sleep deprivation (even if self-imposed) can't be good for one's health (and possibly brain cells?) or learning/memory retention. For another, these kids don't sound like they're going to be well-rounded, socially. If their parents' goals are to get them accepted to these universities so they can have great, high-paying jobs later...well, you have to interview for those types of jobs, so the schools ought to be working on people skills, too, and making sure that when someone says, "So, how 'bout them Yankees?" in an interview, these kids don't go, "What's a Yankee? Huh? What's baseball? I have this textbook, let me look it up!" Also, I could be wrong, here, but I would bet money that a bunch of these kids will just burn the hell out around 20-30 years old. You work SO hard to get into the school, you get to school and keep working so hard, and at some point you stop and go, "I think I'm missing something important, here," or, "why is this so important, anyway? I want to have a little fun!" and it's all downhill from there. Where's the creativity, the growth of a person that should be encouraged at that age? Where's the joie de vivre? I don't know. It sounds like hell to me. Tags: ack!, rant, school
Trixie is:  curious
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previously, on Deadpool: Weapon:
[ Hey cats! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood...mercenary. Um. OK, maybe it works better for Spidey. Anyhoodle, this here’s the spot where I tell all you people with worse memories than me what happened last chapter [ Hey, hold up. Is it even possible to have a worse memory than me? Huh.] So...yeah. In chapter one, Our Hero [ that’s meeee!] has made the ridiculously silly decision to try to stop killing people for money and be a 'real hero' instead [ broke heroes are real heroes, didn’tcha know?] . Patch of the Hellhouse supplies him with a bona-fide “hero job” [ that old trickster] and Our Hero discovers that he’ll be fighting...Deathstroke. No, really. I couldn’t believe it either. Apparently, Deathstroke’s been harassing those Teen Titan kids and he’s got to be stopped. Starfire [ that’s Koriand’r to you] is paying...basically peanuts for the job. But hey! That’s heroing for ya.
Our Hero heads out the door of the Hellhouse, but on the way back to the 'Hut, this odd blonde girl with short hair informs him that “the readers don’t really know that much about you, Wade. So you need to tell them, right? Right.”
So...about me...um...yeah, I don’t really like to talk about me, actually. Too much of that and I might have to go in The Box. And we don’t want that, oh no we don't. So how’s about I tell you about Blind Al and Weasel instead? Coo? Coo. Blind Al’s my housekeeper. OK, maybe she mothers me a bit too. Oh, and maybe I kidnapped her and she’s my prisoner, too. Yeah, well. Sometimes you just need to lock up the old gal who almost cost your former girlfriend her life because you just couldn’t kill the crazy old dame even if that’s what you were hired for and the bosses got angry about that for some reason and did I mention she’s blind? She makes good sandwiches, but she smokes like a chimney afire. I like the word chimney. It’s fun to say. Chimney, chimney, chimney.
Huh? Oh. Right. Moving on. Weasel’d be my best bud if I actually had any best buds. As it is, he’s my weapons guy, and rigs up all kinds of weird crap for me to haul around and blow people up with. Don't even ask me where I store it all. [ No, really. Don't ask.] He made me this crazy teleporter belt [ don’t you love the little Deadpool emblem? So. AWESOME.] and guns and things you wouldn’t even believe. I may or may not have just commissioned him to make me some special gear before going off to fight Deathstroke.
Whaddaya mean, you haven’t heard of Deathstroke? He’s a merc too, but MAN, is he a stick-in-the-mud. Last time I saw him, he gave me some sob story about his dad putting out cigarettes in his eye or some shit, and tried to convince me I was something like “a pale copy of the great Deathstroke.”* What a yutz. I’m so much more tan than he is. He’s got some decent tricks in a fight, though. A mega-healing factor [ but mine’s better, natch – I heard when he’s healing he’s temporarily insane. I can’t even imagine what that would be like] , some kind of boomstick that makes things go WHAM, and he’s kinda really fast and stuff. Oh, and then there’s that whole, 'I use 90% of my brain!' thing. Whatever. That’s the lamest superpower I ever heard of. 'Cause you know what? I use 100%, bitch. So just BRING IT, 'cause once I get to the City of Lights [Ed. note: Wade is confusing NYC with Paris again. Please ignore] I'm gonna go completely medieval on your ass. With EXTRA SERVINGS OF BROADSWORD. Yeah, you know i--
What the...what’s that shaking?? Oh. Damn. The blonde girl’s telling me to shut up. And I was having so much fun with you all! Especially YOU, hot brunette in the tank top at the computer lab. ♥ ♥ ♥ Will you be mine?
OUCH. OK, OK. And now, our story.] ( I forget which came first; the bad idea or me befallen by it... )*** Chapter 3, coming soon to a computer near you. *Thanks to taro_twist for calling my attention to the Superman/Batman Annual fight.Tags: comic book heros, comics, deadpool, deadpool: weapon, fanfic, pics, writing
Trixie is:  sleepy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shhh. Here it is, everyone. My first (somewhat) serious venture into fanfiction. *is embarrassed* I just...couldn't...help myself. (For brief background on the main character, Deadpool, see here. For more, see Wikipedia.) So, let's see if I get this title-and-disclaimer thing I always see right: Title – Weapon, Part I: The Devil (otherwise known as missing issue #9.5 of the Deadpool run) Author – foresthouse, who is probably going to regret this Rating – So far? PG, I think. But I have a feeling it might get violent... Genre – Humor/Action/Drama/Annoying anti-hero babbling a lot Pairing – None, as yet, but I can tell you my Deadpool is not of teh ghey (he hasn't met Cable yet, heh. None of that "bodysliding by two" around these here parts). Chapter – 1, or Chapter 1 of Part 1, or something like that maybe. Warnings – Deadpool never shuts up, yo. WATCH OUT. Summary – The Merc with a Mouth wants to be a hero, my friends. What else is new? He gets a new mission. Oh, the fun he will have. Sadly missing the little yellow boxes, as it’s written, not drawn. In my head it's a comic, but unless someone pops up and volunteers to draw it for me, it's going to stay in text. *sigh* There may be some fourth-wall-busting action, though. Possibly indicated by Deadpool talking in [ brackets]. WHEE. Disclaimer – Marvel pwns everything (even me) and I don’t make a cent. Lyrics from Matthew Good and Matthew Good Band songs also not mine. *** ( How do you stop once you've started? ... One foot in front of the other... )Stay tuned for Chapter 2... Tags: comic book heros, comics, deadpool, deadpool: weapon, fanfic
Trixie is: calm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In my continuing recent obsession with Deadpool, a couple more links. But first, if, like vwlphb, you may not have heard of this character before (not surprising, he's not nearly as big as, say, Wolverine), here's a short backstory for 'Pool: ... Deadpool (Wade Wilson) is one of the anti-heroes of the Marvel Universe, nicknamed "the Merc with a Mouth" (one of his "powers" is actually that his constant chatter and quips can distract and unnerve foes. No, really). He appears in X-Force and several other titles, has had his own run of comics, and most recently had a 50-issue run with Cable (son of Scott Summers and Madeline Pryor) in Cable & Deadpool. He's slated to have a new solo run sometime this year. His backstory, in short, is that he was a mercenary, got cancer, went into Weapon X (where Wolverine was also experimented on) to try to get cured, endured experimental science-stuff, and got a form of Wolvie's healing factor. SADLY, while it stopped the cancer it made him slightly unhinged (think complete ADD plus memory problems plus mood shifts plus...) and also cause his skin and outer appearance to be grossly deformed. Also they tortured him and stuff at The Workshop (for failed Weapon X experiments) and the reason he's called "Deadpool" is because they used to have a dead pool running on which inmates would die next at The Workshop. Eventually he escaped and went back to being a merc. He's super-skilled in martial arts and weaponry, and he's absolutely hilarious. SNARKY, even. :) Also, he actually defeats Wolverine at one point (when Wolverine is already really, really weak). There's more to the story than that, (like Zoe and the LLL firm) but that's the basic deal. He's also appealing/interesting because he wants to be a "hero," (sometimes) but can never quite make it. So the comic is very dark sometimes, but almost always retains the humor of his character at the same time. And now, some fun examples of Deadpool's charm: Deadpool gearing up for a job. Daredevil/Deadpool Annual (a great story arc here) Wade makes a law joke! ♥Dear Deadpool, the letters page where Deadpool breaks the fourth wall and answers questions from readers. It won an award for best Letters page. Deadpool "Respect" thread - some good scans. ... In related things, Iron Man - interview with Robert Downey Jr. (he uses the word "nerdgasm." HEE.) and an article on upcoming Marvel moviesand newly announced release dates for some of them. also the official Marvel movies page (look, there's going to be a new X-Men animated thing) and a list of all the films based on Marvel comics. Tags: comic book heros, comics, deadpool, linkspam, movies
Trixie is:  full
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OMG you guys, I'm so ashamed. On the way home on the Metro today, I...kind of wrote a bit of fanfiction. ... I KNOW. I, the bastion of "why is fanfiction necessary?" I wrote a fic. I don't know what happened to me. It just came to me, fully formed. An idea! And I had to write it down. Um. So...like, should I *share* it? Maybe? When it's finished? I'm conflicted.* *Naturally even with fanfiction I don't do anything normal. This is a Deadpool fic. Yes, really. I'm not even sure how it will translate as a story, because in my head it's a comic, but I haven't the time or the skill to draw it right now, so...hrm.Tags: comic book heros, comics, deadpool, deadpool: weapon, | | |
Old Theories 
cold
hungry
action-movie high