~didja just pitch up from mars?

sherlock @ 2009-11-24T20:01:00

2009-11-25T04:06:07Z

Dear flist.

I have just done my practise oral exam and needless to say I am 160% more freaked out than I was before. I WISH I COULD HAVE TOLD MY BOSS THAT HE IS NOT ALLOWED TO NITPICK MY GRAMMAR WHEN HE USES CF INCORRECTLY E.G. MY LAST POST.

Anyway, if there is anyone who would like to post me smutty drabbles involving our characters I would be much obliged.

if you're too weirded out to put them here, you can filter a post and link me ♥ I swear to god I will appreciate the hell out of your descent into the dark nether regions of rp

17 hours of reading journal articles make me bitchy? no!

2009-11-24T18:42:06Z

Pet peeve of today: scientists who can't use words correctly but are allowed to publish anyway.

A brief guide to penultimate, cf., ca., inflammable, and ambivalent

PENULTIMATE

pene- before or almost
ultimate the last of something

what penultimate means. next to last.

what penultimate does NOT mean. some step further than ultimate. that would make the word ultimate pointless.

CF.

what it is. from Latin confer, meaning to compare or consult. It is intended to provide a reference to some other work against which one might compare the current work -- that is, it is meant to be used to indicate a source with different arguments, data, or conclusions.

what it isn't. A substitute for "see" in the "see Figure 1" sense. You do not say cf. Figure 1. EVER.

CA.

what it is. from Latin circa, meaning 'around.' It is used to refer to dates.

what is isn't. a go-to substitute for 'approximately,' particularly in the 'approximately 100nm thick' sense.

INFLAMMABLE

in into
flammable lol obviously

what inflammable means. combustible, flammable, settable on fireable

what inflammable does NOT mean. nonflammable. come on guys you do this for a living.

this is not a science mistake but it bugs me anyway so I'm throwing it in.

AMBIVALENT

ambi both
valence the capacity of a person to react with another in a special way

what ambivalent means. uncertainty, caused by having to make a choice or by conflicting/opposite emotions.

what ambivalent does NOT mean. indifferent, apathetic. STOP. USING. IT. LIKE. THIS.

poor facial symmetry?? HDU

2009-11-23T06:08:24Z

LMFAO I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS

2009-11-23T02:53:15Z

sherlock: shroedy is like "... i can calculate the exact trajectory needed to get a fwooper in beery's office from the quidditch pitch"
sherlock: *RUBS HANDS EXCITEDLY*
theblev: lmaoooo i want a beery to make his life hell in a handbasket
theblev: Kettles says "...okay cool. I'll get the Fwooper, and you do whatever you just said"
sherlock: LOL

sherlock @ 2009-11-22T12:58:00

2009-11-22T20:58:53Z

Comment below and I will tell you which of your characters that I've played against are my favorites and why I love them. Then repost this in your own journal.

disclaimer: when I am taking my breaks from oral freak-outage

sherlock @ 2009-11-14T16:14:00

2009-11-15T00:23:07Z

Okay, I have made the decision to open BW on 2 January (with holds opening 20 December) -- It just doesn't make sense to try for December when the R final battle will be extended into the first week of December, people have finals, and apps would never get done in time for a mid December opening. We can always backstory the Herbert Beery Christmas play, or, as some people have suggested, force it to be a few weeks late because of some WW2 related panic or another -- I mean, it's not exactly a CHRISTMAS PLAY, so they could do it whenever they damn well please. YEAH.

Also, since I don't like wasting flist space, tomorrow I will be going on a two week hiatus. I will ONLY be online to log the R final battle, or if I break down and need to sex someone up on AIM. I'll be back 2 December for your Em-molesting pleasure.

And again, anyone interested in signing up for a BW-holds-are-now-open-email, please go here:
http://sherlock.insanejournal.com/80271.html

sherlock @ 2009-11-10T23:03:00

2009-11-11T07:05:37Z

Hello family --

I would like to take down emails for people interested in blurred-war so that when I open it I can send out a mass email. That way everyone has a fair chance of holding whom they want.

I am still unsure whether it will open mid December or 2 January. It depends on what is going on with Redemption, because I don't want people to have to try and write apps and battle log. We'll see!

If you have gmail, just put down the name. If you have something else you can do "iamawesome, yahoo" or something so that there's no spam or what have you.

sherlock @ 2009-10-19T02:37:00

2009-10-19T09:37:27Z

Characters: Olivia Dunham & more [Fringe]
Word count: 197
Prompt: Part 2 of making myself feel better.

Another boring day of going through motions ended with Peter asking Olivia if she wanted to get dinner. First she heard nothing but the concern of his voice and told hersef she needed to focus -- realising too late that it was not distraction pulling her attention away, but her environment. Her lips opened in confusion and then she was falling, blindly aware of a man's shout (and was it fear, was it joy?).

And she was collapsing against the floor, through the floor, except now it was a doorway, and she was in an office and taking a step towards a desk without knowing how or why or when she'd arrived. The world felt yellow and suffocating, and she blinked again, suddenly mid conversation with someone.

With Charlie.

And she was reaching for her gun in an instant, only to find nothing, too confused to listen ("didn't you hear me yelling?"), and then her back was against a hard floor and there was nothing but cold, blue reality and Peter's frown filling her vision.

She tried to breathe but there was nothing to take it from but grief. Grief and the gasping, struggling seed of hope.

sherlock @ 2009-10-12T04:32:00

2009-10-12T11:33:38Z

Characters: Olivia Dunham, Fringe
Word count: 164
Prompt: My grief at last week's stupid ep

She'd sobbed for two hours before the funeral, then stood in front of a mirror and splashed cold water on her face until her iron resolution had returned. Olivia wanted to believe it was shooting Charlie that made her cry -- that it was the shapeshifter's violation of his DNA. That would have made sense. That would have been something she could talk herself down from: she'd had no choice but to kill the thing, it had been self-defence, it wasn't actually Charlie she'd killed -- but she couldn't talk herself down from the very real absence in her life. It didn't matter who'd killed him because he was gone.

First John, and now Charlie.

Going through the perfunctory motions of the funeral was easy in comparison to the following day at work. Walter and Peter droned on about something she couldn't have cared less about and Olivia just stared at her cell phone, willing herself to remove Charlie's number.

It, like John's, remained.

TO BE CONTINUED BECAUSE FUCK IF I AM GOING TO LEAVE IT LIKE THIS ;.;

21 Course Menu

2009-10-12T11:23:17Z

BASIC TWENTY ONE COURSE MENU

01. Aperitif & amuse bouche
02. Second amuse
03. Palate cleanser
04. Broth/boullion
05. Winter soup
06. Cold appetiser
07. Seafood
08. Antipasto
09. Pasta
10. Intermezzo
11. Poultry
12. Mushroom
13. Beef
14. Salad
15. Pastry
16. Cheese
17. Pudding
18. Dessert
19. Nuts
20. Petit four
21. Coffee

sherlock @ 2009-10-06T00:18:00

2009-10-06T07:18:16Z

PIMPING TIME

I am currently in two games that I'd love to see people at!

redemption_mods

Redemption is a canon, trio-era game set immediately after the battle of Hogwarts that examines the aftermath of the war and the last desperate attempts of the escaped death eaters to fight back. Currently there is about a month and a half to two months left in game, which means we have one big battle waiting, and a bunch of exciting plot still to go. It's a moderately active game with awesome spurts of wildly active drama, and the characters are really exceptional.

I'd really love to see a Tracey Davis (our last 7th year Slytherin slot!) and an Ernie Macmillan (our last 7th year DA slot!). I play sceptical, nott, and scabies.

For those of you who prefer MWPP...

causamortismods

Causa Mortis is an AU MWPP set in 1980 where the DEs are in control of the ministry with Tom Riddle as Minister, but there has been no outright violence as of yet. Some muggleborns have gone missing but the dramatics are building up from there. We have a very strong cast so far and while the Order side is pretty tightly knit, we desperately need death eaters. I play aludra and fabian and I know Aludra would love to see more death eaters.

• Playlist: Aludra Wilkes

2009-10-05T17:07:31Z

Abridged Playlists & Relevant Lyrics: Aludra

[Aludra Wilkes]

[Aludra & Atticus]

[Aludra & Sirius]

I'm linking to box.net -- you should only listen not download because it is naughty etc. etc. >.>

http://www.box.net/shared/mcqjshh2lz
[if you sort by reverse date it'll be in the order listed below]

Aludra

• Don't blame your daughter by the Cardigans

Don't blame your daughter
that's just sentimental
and don't blame your mom
for all that you've done wrong
Your dad is not guilty
you came out a little faulty
and the factory closed
so you can't hold them liable
You come from an island,
you're cutting diamonds
with a rubbery knife
Your autograph is worthless
so don't send me letters
and don't mail me cash
'cause your money is no good
What's left in your mattress
is holes and lack of love left
some hair from a horse,
and none of it is yours, man
You come from an island,
you're cutting diamonds
with a rubbery knife
And the song you sing today
wasn't always in your head,
the words you trying to say
are the ones you shouldn't've said
they're glistening like diamonds,
go out and find' em
but don't blame your daughter
Read me your tombstone,
tell me you're sorry, fax me your will,
you owe me something still
Blood is like water
the bath that you poured me
has drained and it's gone,
don't blame it on your son
And the song you sing today
wasn't always in your head,
the words you trying to say
are the ones you shouldn't 've said
they're glistening like diamonds,
go out and find them
The world is full of diamonds
go out and find them
but don't blame your daughter

• Apocalypse Please by Muse

declare this an emergency
come on and spread a sense of urgency
and pull us through
and pull us through
and this is the end
this is the end of the world

it's time we saw a miracle
come on it's time for something biblical
to pull us through
and pull us through
and this is the end
this is the end of the world

proclaim eternal victory
come on and change the course of history
and pull us through
and pull us through
and this is the end
this is the end of the world

• Beauty is within us by Yoko Kanno & Chris Mosdell

O mother dear
Look what you've done
To your forlorn and once beloved son
Why was I born at all?
O mother dear
I'm such a freak
A mutant man, a woman underneath
Why was I born at all?

It's you I blame for all the shame
This anguish and this aching
The mirror turned against the wall
Myself despised, forsaken
You say, "Beauty is within us, your mother knows"
"There's a beauty that's within us, just like a rose"
You say, "Beauty is within us, so let it grow"
But it's grown so dark and ugly

O mother dear
I curse you so
For breathing life into your wretched son
Why were you born at all?
O mother dear
I love you so
O please forgive this anger in my soul
Without you I'm alone

It's me who's been eternally damned
Trapped inside this cage, a ruined man
All damaged and depraved

O mother dear
This misery
Has settled like a stain upon my skin
-a vast unspoken sin

And my mistake is much too late
But your mistake was trusting
That out of grief, a goodness comes
And love comes out of lusting

• Martyr by Winston Audio

It's okay to talk and it's okay to walk
Through the fire of your faults
You will see just what I mean when I pour the gasoline
In your wounds to make them clean
Is this all you ever wanted, is this all you'll ever need?
Don't you know I'm not a martyr but you're making me bleed?
I had no choice- he buried a mirror in my voice
So when I speak it's only noise
Words parade out of my mouth, painted pictures made of sound
So come and see what I have found in you
Is this all you ever wanted, to be sick and on your knees?
Don't you know I'm not a martyr but you're making me bleed?
Is this all you ever needed, is this all you'll ever want?
To be crucified beside me, to be subject to their taunts?

• Bleed it out by Linkin Park

Yeah here we go for the hundredth time
Hand grenade pins in every line
Throw 'em up and let something shine
Going out of my fucking mind

Filthy mouth, no excuse
Find a new place to hang this noose
String me up from atop these roofs
Knot it tight so I won't get loose

Truth is you can stop and stare
Run myself out and no one cares
Dug a trench out, laid down there
With a shovel up out of reach somewhere

Yeah someone pour it in
Make it a dirt dance floor again
Say your prayers and stomp it out
When they bring that chorus in

I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
Just to throw it away, just to throw it away

I bleed it out, go, stop the show
Choppy words in a sloppy flow
Shotgun, I pull, lock and load
Cock it back and then watch it go

Mama help me I've been cursed
Death is rolling in every verse
Candy paint on his brand new Hearse
Can't contain him he knows he works

Fuck this hurts, I won't lie
Doesn't matter how hard I try
Half the words don't mean a thing
And I know that I won't be satisfied

So why try ignoring him?
Make it a dirt dance floor again
Say your prayers and stomp it out
When they bring that chorus in

I bleed it out
I've opened up these skies
I'll make you face this
I pulled myself so far
I'll make you face this now

• All the little pieces by Louis XIV

All the little pieces come apart
All the little pieces of your heart
I look at all the children
whose hearts are strong
running down the streets like nothing's wrong
I look at all the friends I knew
Now some have changed
Some I know will always be the same
Nobody knows what happens when the moon blew now

Nobody knows, Nobody knows
That all the little pieces come apart
All the little pieces of your heart

If you happen to look away from the people
and you feel the prick from pins and the needles
all which have been stuck into your arms
and all of your cries have been false alarms
and you can't pick up the pieces

Aludra & Atticus

• Into dust by Mazzy Star

Still falling
Breathless and on again
Inside today
Beside me today
Around broken in two
till your eyes shed
Into dust
Like two strangers
Turning into dust
till my hand shook with the way I fear

I could possibly be fading
Or have something more to gain
I could feel myself growing colder
I could feel myself under your fate
Under your fate

It was you breathless and tall
I could feel my eyes turning into dust
And two strangers turning into dust
Turning into dust

• Stranger by Hilary Duff

Nobody believes me when I tell them that you're out of your mind.
Nobody believes me when I tell them that there's so much you hide.
You treat me like a queen when we go out,
Wanna show everyone what our love's about.
All wrapped up in me whenever there is a crowd,
But when no ones around;

There's no kindness in your eyes,
The way you look at me, it's just not right.
I can tell what's going on this time,
There's a stranger in my life.
You're not the person that I once knew.
Are you scared to let them know it's you?
If they could only see you like I do,
Then they would see a stranger too.

Did I ever do anything that was this cruel to you?
Did I ever make you wonder who was standing in the room?
You made yourself look perfect in every way,
So when this goes down, I'm the one that will be blamed.
Your plan is working so you can just walk away,
Baby your secret's safe.

Such a long way back, from this place that we are at.
When I think of all the time I've wasted, I could cry

There's no kindness in your eyes,
The way you look at me, it's just not right.
I can tell what's going on this time,
There's a stranger in my life.
You're not the person that I once knew.
Are you scared to let them know it's you?
If they could only see you like I do,
Then they would see a stranger too...

• Haunted by Charlotte Martin

Watch yourself
Before you crawl inside somebody else.
Were you here
To trap me like a 1000 bottle of tears?

Even though you disappeared
With no goodbye
I see you almost everywhere
You're everywhere

I'm haunted
And all I see is you
I'm haunted
And all I need is you.

There is no one else
There is no one else
Except for you.

I still dream
I won't give up
Until I wear your ring
(come close violate me)
Violate
And if you do it
Try not to be late

A hundred winters made the spring insane
A hundred nights without you
I'm not okay
I'm not okay

I can't go too far
To find out where you are

There is no one else
There is no one else
The memory burns
So deep in my heart
Through the hollow hours

You're close to me.

I can feel

• Primavera by Ludovico Einaudi

(Instrumental)

• Where do we go from here? by Filter

These,
Half-truths you're telling me won't,
Bring me to my knees.
Scraped up and bruised from your,
Fickleness I plead,
Just let me feel some ease from,
Creatures of your greed.
Just let me feel some ease for me.

I'm not so glad I met you.
It makes me want to go away.
Until you think its over.
I touch.

Where do we go from here?
You know I'm not the only one.
Where do we go from here?
You know I'm not your only son.
Where do we go from here?
Stop dreaming about that shiny gun.
Where do we go from here?
You know I'm not the only one.

These,
Broken dreams are screams to me,
The difference I can't see,
The way you look and talk to me.
You cross at me I freeze.
The combination of lost control,
Loss of soul I wheeze.
Just give some ease to me.

Aludra & Sirius
(bilo also has some EXCELLENT choices here that I don't have to upload):
http://bilo.insanejournal.com/39727.html#siriusaludra

The unrequited love with the lesbian ship ♥

• Not like the other girls by the Rasmus

No more blame I am destined to keep you sane
Gotta rescue the flame
Gotta rescue the flame in your heart

No more blood, I will be there for you my love
I will stand by your side
The world has forsaken my girl

I should have seen it would be this way
I should have known from the start what she's up to
When you have loved and you've lost someone
You know what it feels like to lose

She's fading away
Away from this world
Drifting like a feather
She's not like the other girls
She lives in the clouds
She talks to the birds
Hopeless little one
She's not like the other girls I know

No more shame, she has felt too much pain, in her life
In her mind she's repeating the words
All the love you put out will return to you

• Letters from the sky by Civil Twilight

One of these days the sky's gonna break and everything will escape and I'll know
One of these days the mountains are gonna fall into the sea and they'll know
That you and I were made for this
I was made to taste your kiss
We were made to never fall away
Never fall away

One of these days letters are gonna fall from the sky telling us all to go free
But until that day I'll find a way to let everybody know that you're coming back, you're coming back for me
'Cause even though you left me here I have nothing left to fear
These are only walls that hold me here
Hold me here, hold me here

One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon
And we will hear those planes overhead and we won't have to be scared
We won't have to be, we won't have to be scared

You're coming back for me
You're coming back for me

You're coming back to me

• The difficult kind by Sheryl Crow

I think I was wrong
I think you were right
All my angry words
Will keep me up at night
Through the old screen door
I still hear you say
Honey won't you stop
Treating me that way

If you could only see
What love has made of me
Then I'd no longer be in your mind
The difficult kind
Cause babe I've changed

Tell it to me slow
Tell me with your eyes
If anyone should know
How to let it slide
I swear I can see you
Coming up the drive
There ain't nothing like regret
To remind you you're alive

I crossed the canyon a thousand times
But never noticed what was mine
What you'll remember of me tonight
Well, it almost makes me cry
Yeah, it almost makes me cry

Oh ballbreaking moon and ridiculing stars
The older I get, the closer you are
Don't you have somewhere that you need to be
Instead of hanging here making a fool of me

If you could only see
What love has made of me
But I'll forever be in your mind
The difficult kind
But you won't see, no you won't see
The good in me
But babe I've changed
Cause babe I've changed

• A song for Milly Michelson by Thrice

Well you know I hardly speak
When I do, it's just for you
I haven't said a word in weeks
Cause they've been keeping me from you

There's a way where there's a will
You know I got no need for stairs
Step out on the window sill
Fall with me into the air

Here we go, hold on tight and don't let go
I won't ever let you fall
I love the night, flying o'er these city lights
But I love you most of all

And there's something you should know
Girl you should have died that day
And you fell reaching for the rose
But baby I was there to save you

Here we go, hold on tight and don't let go
I won't ever let you fall
I love the night, flying o'er these city lights
But I love you most of all

• Catalyst by Anna Nalick

So you're taking these pills
For to fill up your soul
And you're drinking them down with cheap alcohol
And I'd be inclined to be yours for the taking
And part of this terrible mess that you're making
But me, I'm the catalyst

When you say love is a simple chemical reaction
Can't say I agree
'Cause my chemical, yeah, left me a beautiful disaster
Still love's all I see

You'll be the vein
You'll be the pain
You'll be the scar
You'll be the road, rolling below
The wheels of a car
And all of the thoughts, on God
Don't know if I'm strong enough now
You'll be the vein
You'll be the pain
You'll be the
Catalyst

• Wonder Woman by the Katie Todd Band

Breathe deep, in light of what is all around you
but don't speak, words are becoming your worst enemy.

Seize the day; do you have something you can sink your teeth into?

In a stale place, are you able to cry or make a silly face?

At the end of the day, you just aren't the same; please don't give in.

Are you set in your ways? is there room for change? please don't give in.

• Red red red by Fiona Apple

I don't understand about complementary colors
And what they say
Side by side they both get bright
Together they both get gray

But he's been pretty much yellow
And I've been kinda blue
But all I can see is
Red, red, red, red, red now
What am I gonna do

I don't understand about
Diamonds and why men buy them
What's so impressive about a diamond
Except the mining

And it's dangerous work
Trying to get to you too
And I think if I didn't have to
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill myself doing it
Maybe I wouldn't think so much of you

I've been watching all the time
And I still can't find the tack
And I wanna know is it okay
Is it just fine
Or is it my fault
Is it my lack

I don't understand about
The weather outside
Or the harmony in a tune
Or why somebody lied

There's solace a bit for submitting
To the fitfully cryptically true
What's happened has happened
What's coming is already on its way
With a role for me to play

I don't understand
I'll never understand
But I'll try to understand
There's nothing else I can do

• Don't say never by B*Witched

Is this the only way to learn now?
It's the only to part
I sleep at night and remember
All the words you said to me

It won't be long
And I will believe
That you will be there
Don't say never

Don't say never
To all your dreams now
Cause never is a very long time
To be far away
And I will tell you
Just don't say never
To all inside your heart
It's alright

So only time will tell the future
Like rain you know it falls
Now here at last soon together
Just a night away you'll see

• Prewett, Fabian Evander [Causa Mortis]

2009-10-04T22:22:01Z

lol finally posting this after like a month >.> (updates char directory)

01. basics

Full name: Fabian Evander Prewett
Date of birth/Current age: 3 February 1956 // 24
Blood status: Pureblood
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Occupation: International Magical Office of Law; training for the auror entrance exam
Political Alignment: Order of the Phoenix, anti-purism

02. family

Ulysses Prewett and Aurelia Prewett (née Bones), parents

Fabian got on quite well with his parents, to whom he is extremely grateful for teaching him the values he's taken so strongly to -- mostly frugality and thinking purism is a load of tat.

Gideon Prewett, twin

Oh Gideon. The bane and love of Fabian's life. Though Gideon certainly never asks him to, Fabian has always seen it as his duty as older (lol) brother to take care of Gideon and to make sure he stays out of trouble. He also sees it as his sworn duty in life to break Gideon of his neediness. To which the world wishes him good fucking luck.

Molly Weasley (née Prewett), sister

Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron Weasley, extended family

Significant other: none.

Children: none
Do you wish to have family members available?: Yep!

03. history

Fabian Prewett was born to a family that loved him.

And it was fortunate too, since they couldn't give him back. From birth, he was always the more assertive, greedy twin -- not so much with love, but with possessions. He wanted more nipple, toys, more time on the broom. But he turned out all right, for the most part. He loved his parents, learned how to manage money, and even how to give the purists he was related to the finger. Though highly interested in acquiring things, none of the Prewett children were spoiled. Their parents provided them what they needed and what they wanted, to a very responsible point, and gave Fabian the opportunities he needed to earn more, if he so desired. While Gideon was fond of playing and pulling cat tails, Fabian was doing chores and counting every sickle of allowance he was given -- though he found himself compelled to share his loot with his brother, more out of a sense of love than responsibility. Gideon was the gentle bunny to Fabian's drive, and they've each had a fantastic impact on the other. Gideon is the reason Fabian is able to relate to people at all, though his emotional distance is still a problem -- and Fabian surely helped imbue Gideon with some of the recklessness they both seemed cursed with.

Hogwarts was a fantastic time for Fabian; sorted into Gryffindor with his brother and sister, he met some of the best friends he could ever hope for. Here was a house with people he liked and understood, and though he had a sharp tongue even at so young an age, his housemates were always there to fight back or give him a smack on the head when he was being particularly prattish.

As young as twelve, Fabian was getting part time jobs in Diagon to supplement his allowance -- part of which he gave to Gideon and part of which he used to buy stupid gifts for girls he liked, girls that didn't hold his interest for more than a few weeks before he'd moved on to a new girl or back to an old girl. He was really not boyfriend material -- but he meant well. Around third year, he decided he was definitely going to be an auror and he definitely needed to get good grades. He also wanted to try out for quidditch, but as Gideon had tried and failed for two years to get on the quidditch team, he didn't want to try out, figuring that if his twin brother couldn't get on the team what chance he had was slim enough that he didn't want to waste his time and risk getting on the team when Gideon hadn't. Instead he dabbled in a variety of different clubs. When fourth year rolled around, he finally decided to go for it -- and to his surprise (and thankfulness), both he and Gideon made the team. His slightly bigger build made him ideal for a beater, and he had the time of his damned life. Fifth year had him buckling down for OWLs and showing off his shiny new prefect badge (and getting into scraps with other Gryffindor boys who said it made him a prat).

The rest of school was a bit of a blur of fun and studying and responsibility, and Fabian worked hard to get where he was by the end of it all. With six NEWTs and a prefecture to show for himself, he was convinced that he could get into the auror programme.

Then reality kicked in. Fabian realised that there were practical limitations to where he could apply. For all that he believed in equality and all that, the cold hard reality was that he couldn't afford to become an auror. Not yet. The amount of training and ass-kicking he'd have to suffer through would mean an impact on his warddrobe that he, honestly, couldn't pay for. So instead he went into the other sort of law and order: the International Magical Law Office. There he's worked diligently (and, all right, gotten drunk in the office a few times late at night) and responsbily, and earned his own office. Well. An office he shares with someone else. But still! An office where he can put his feet up and sleep on the sofa if he needs to.

The recent kidnappings have struck a chord in Fabian, though he isn't sure which one that is. He isn't the sort to be paranoid or particularly worried about his own safety, but he does care about his friends, and has been keeping a bit of an eye on them, quietly drinking, and paying more attention to his training for the auror entrance exam -- which he planned on taking two years ago but never really got around to.

04. education

School attended: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
House/Years: Gryffindor // 1967 - 1974
Positions held: Beater, 4th - 7th year; prefect
NEWTS:
O Defence Against the Dark Arts
O Herbology
EE Potions
O Charms
O Transfiguration
EE History of Magic

05. personality

Fabian is the sort of person who drives people insane and generally leaves a poor first impression. While responsible, loving, and even affectionate, he tends to the 'less' side of 'tact' and has difficulties warming up to people that he doesn't already know well (which can be a complicated affair given his less than appealing personality). He had an excellent sense of humour, but his own jokes tend to be blunt, dry, and occasionally just mean. Luckily for him, when he does make friends they get so jaded to his rough cracks that they just throw them right back -- which is precisely what he wants. It isn't an intentional bristliness so much as a throwback from being a socially awkward adolescent who didn't quite know how to go about making friends, or keeping them. Gryffindor proved to be full of tough loving extroverts, and ultimately he was softened into the model of a man he is today. Soft is a relative term, though, and Fabian still has trouble with toning himself down when necessary, which ultimately has repercussions. He can't recall having a girlfriend for more than a few weeks at a time, and even at 24 he still prefers the odd one night stand to a meaningful relationship. He figures that's what friends are for -- and he is well aware that because they are somewhat few and far between, he should do his damndest to keep them. Thus, with close friends, he is generous and affectionate, sometimes letting his responsibilities go to the back burner so he can help them out when they have need.

Though generous, certainly, Fabian could never be called a philanthropist unless is towards his brother, Gideon. He is tight with money and everyone knows it. His jealousy over the better-off purists turned him into a diligent worker and a bit of a scrimper, though he isn't quite a miser. His money gets used, just generally on himself and for things that give him the appearance of being better off than he actually is. He's worked part time jobs since he was twelve years old, and his work ethic is one of his greatest defining characteristics.

Despite these admirable, responsible qualities, however, there is always a splash of the reckless and careless in all that Fabian does. He takes a great deal of care in selecting his possessions, but with the exception of his clothes, he is not always the most careful with them -- or with himself. A propensity for showing off usually lands him in trouble, particularly where his coming of age pocket-watch is concerned. Only last year he swore up and down to Emmeline that he could wear her high heels during a spontaneous quidditch match on his sister's back lawn. By the end of the day, he was in need of three new bones and a watch maker. The poor contraption has never been the same, and yet he still takes it everywhere he goes, much to its distress.

06. physical

Height/Weight: 5'8 // 11 stone // 155 lbs

Where Gideon strikes people as being a baby-faced and charming little twat, er... lad, Fabian veers to the other side of the spectrum. Always obsessed with being perceived as older and more mature than he really was, he puts meticulous attention into his grooming and clothing. Really, between Fabian looking and acting like a 28 year old and Gideon looking and acting like a 20 year old, they even out to 24 -- and that's just fine by him. Inheriting a healthy dose of frugality from his father and harbouring a streak of jealousy of the wealthier pure families has left him a hard-working scrimper and saver who typically spends his money on his appearance. It is for this reason that he both appreciates the stricter dress requirements of his career and was unable to apply to the auror office right out of Hogwarts. He simply couldn't afford the wear and tear on his clothing that that occupation required.

He dresses cleanly and plainly, but is always sure to have on a tie and button up shirt -- which makes finding him in his pyjamas (a well worn t-shirt and flannel trousers) a shock at best.

Between him and Gideon, Fabian has always been a more healthy eater. Even in the uterus, he tended to hog the goodies, and so managed to end up a little taller and better built than his twin, about whom he occasionally has to remind people that 'yes, they are actually identical.' It doesn't take much to realise that they are incredibly similar, for though Fabian is better kempt and more tidily groomed, they still have that approachable sort of face (well, Gideon's moreso since he tends to smile more) and come-hither eyes. Or something like that. There is very little about Fabian that really beckons one closer, unless it's a bit of lint on his jacket that one really has to see up close to believe.

Played-By: Topher Grace [1] [2] [3] [4]

07. the war

Will your character die in the war? Yes! Preferably while kicking ass and taking names.

08. miscellanea

Signature & Writing Sample [ Ænigma Scrawl (BRK)]:

Playlist:
  Wonderboy - Tenacious D
  One Day Like This - Elbow
  Who Will Save the Sane - Type O Negative
  Harder Better Faster Stronger - Daft Punk
  Dropkick the Punks - The Faint
  Madelaine - Jonathan Coulton
  Day After Day - Def Leppard
  I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing - Pet Shop Boys
  All Those Yesterdays - Pearl Jam
  Black Sheep - Sneaker Pimps
  Bad - Michael Jackson

Horoscope (4am 3 February 1956):

Sun in Aquarius. individualist, loyal, emotionally distant, eccentric, stubborn, fair-minded, emotionally insensitive, objective. [spirit]
Rising Sagittarius. open, frank, outgoing, honest, blunt, straightforward, simple, restless, independent, self-directed, physical, gregarious, social, dislikes social niceties. [appearance]
Moon in Scorpio. emotionally intense, extreme, deep, pushing limits, jealous, suspicious, curious, ruthless, tactless. [emotion]
Mercury in Capricorn. careful, cautious, conservative, organised, practical, goal-oriented, focused, dogmatic . [mind]
Venus in Pisces. fanciful, creative, unselfish in relationships, sensitive to others' needs. [heart]
Mars in Sagittarius. high moral standards, hard worker, desire to improve the world, socially active, independent, restless. [action]

House & Home (link):

3rd floor flat in a North Wembley block that Fabian works his ass off to pay for now that his flatmate is gone (they had a misunderstanding, and no, he doesn't want to talk about it). It is tidy, plain, but decorated well with clean colours and a great deal of whites. Here and there are bits of decor that Fabian doesn't particularly care for or about, but hopes gives the impression of affluence.

Using an RSS feeder for Twitter Hashtags

2009-10-03T09:12:40Z

Twitterfox + Brief
(the easy guide to following #hashtags)

** If you're already using a shmancy twitter add-on for Firefox that collects #hashtags for you, please comment since that would make my life easier**

INTRO: WHAT IS A #HASHTAG

#hashtags are used on twitter to collect up tweets from people who are talking about a specific topic and want other people to see and respond. (Please note if you have protected your tweets that your #hashtags will not be visible to the public at large so that renders the use of them mostly useless)

One great example of the use of #hashtags is in TRENDING TOPICS -- which shows you what people are talking about at any given point in time. The #hashtag (example #stoptheviolence) shows a trending topic (something popular that's being discussed on twitter) that is an open forum. What I mean by this is while a lot of the time you might be talking about something popular (like Kanye sucking), it isn't something that you necessarily want strangers messaging you about.

Sometimes it can be weird to have a random person going @embeast yeah I agree roommates suck! when that wasn't really intended for "public" discussion (yeah everything you say on twitter is public, but there's public and public). Adding a #hashtag (#roommatessuck) tells people that you're contributing to a site-wide discussion/topic and that it's okay to @ you about it. That isn't to say everyone follows these rules, but it is generally accepted etiquette. This is why I only get an RSS feed of #hashtags, because I don't want to message strangers about things they aren't contributing to a super public discussion.

One of the ways to look for #hashtags is to add it to your SAVED SEARCHES -- as you can see I have #blurredlines and #bpal added to mine. This way I can click on #bpal and see what people are talking about with regards to bpal. This will show all the tweets by anyone with #bpal added to their tweets. Cool!

However, I don't use the site that often, and I'd much rather have an easier way to access my tweets and #hashtag discussions than having to login to the site and click on my saved searches (yeah, I'm that lazy). If you're lazy, too, here is how to save yourself some time:

Installing an RSS feed for your Hashtags

1) OPTIONAL

Install the twitter add-on of your choice (This isn't necessary, but if you're too lazy to go to the site to check your tweets, you might as well have an in-browser client).

I use twitterfox (now called echofon or something) on both my iphone and firefox : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5081

It shows up on your status bar as a little blue T with a number next to it, and when you click, bam, there are your tweets, @s and direct messages. It's resizable so it can be as intrusive or unintrusive as you want, and it pops back down on another click. You can use whatever you want, it has no impact on your #hashtag reading.

2) Install Brief: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4578

I went through about 20 RSS feeders and this is the only one simple enough for what I wanted. If you want something with lots of bells and whistles and organising crap, this is not for you. This lets me read and store the #hashtags of my choice without any fuss.

3) Do a #hashtag search (type in the tag of your choice and hit enter -- the results will come up on the left)

4) Click the RSS feed for that query

5) You'll see a page that looks like this:

6) Click SUBSCRIBE NOW

7) View extended bookmarks

8) Select bookmarks menu and hit new folder

9) Name it something (like FEEDS) and hit subscribe

10) Click the little radio thing in your status bar (see highlight) and this page will pop up:

11) Choose bookmarks menu --> FEEDS and hit OK

12) Click the headlines view button
(the way tweets are set up there's no reason to view it another way)

13) Bam, you now have an RSS feed for your BPALs.
You can now click your RSS icon to open or close your RSS feed

14) This is what the page looks like when you have unread hashtags

15. Three key features:

MARK ALL AS READ BUTTON
VIEW ENTIRE TWEET BUTTON
HEADLINE

MARK ALL AS READ BUTTON
--> Will mark everything as read so it doesn't show up and clutter your space. To make them show up, select the actual folder rather than the unread folder.

VIEW ENTIRE TWEET BUTTON

CLICKING THE HEADLINE WILL TAKE YOU TO THE ACTUAL TWEET

16) Other stuff you'll want to do:

TOOLS --> ADD-ONS --> BRIEF --> OPTIONS

These are my settings; the most important one is in blue

Colour Settings

2009-09-29T01:25:20Z

Colour Settings and Why Icon Makers Should Care

Sam (kavalier) and I have completed some exhaustive Mac vs PC, Photoshop Elements vs Photoshop CS4 vs PaintshopPro research and have discovered something about colour profiles. The following information is super important for PC icon makers to keep in mind, since you won't be able to see when something comes out with a messed up colour profile, but those on macs will be able to see it.

**NOTE** MacBook OS X Leopard is what Sam is using. According to splott, her MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard doesn't show a difference.

As far as we can tell, none of these problems come into play using Paintshop Pro!

Problem 1: JPEGs look different on macs and PCs if there are embedded colour profiles

If you have a PC, firefox makes these two look the same [this is what it looks like on a mac, PCers], but if you have a mac, the left should look more saturated.

The left icon has a preserved colour profile whereas the right does not. The right icon is how the icon is supposed to look.

Solution: Do not embed colour profiles (DESELECT ICC profile)

If you Save for Web (Photoshop or Elements):

If you Save As (Photoshop or Elements):

Problem 2: Icons made by a mac look really red on a PC and icons made on a PC look really yellow on a mac

Solution (from kavalier): The default Mac color settings on monitors is different than the typical graphics default. To change your monitor settings to match those on most PCs and the internet graphics profile:

Apple --> System Preferences --> Displays --> Color --> Calibrate --> Continue until you get to 'Select a Target Gamma' --> 2.2 Television Gamma --> Continue on and save

Problem 3: When I go to Save For Web, my icons come out desaturated!

Solution: The problem occurs usually on a mac, but sometimes on a PC if your colour settings are not matched up to what the necessary web-colour profile is. Sometimes you can get around this if you're using PNG-24s, but not always.

In Photoshop Elements

Edit --> Color Settings

In Photoshop CS4

Edit --> Color settings

Problem 4: PNGs look hypersaturated on Macs but not on PCs. This is an effect of Photoshop Elements, from what we've been able to tell, and results from using Save As to save your PNGs. Make sure your color settings are set as "no management" and use Use Save for Web instead of Save As and the problem is solved.

Original (colours preserved using Save For Web):

When using Save As:

(Both will look the same on a PC [this is what it looks like on a mac, PCers], and Sam wants it to be known that she did the first intentionally less saturated to show the difference)

Not a problem but -- JPGs vs PNGs

It's my (Em's) personal opinion that JPGs are better than PNGs for banner making. A lot of the time PNGs are used to retain "true colour" but at a huge cost to file size. Banners that could be 1-200kb come out at 600+kb which can be a pain in the ass in terms of layouts and userinfos. If your colour profiles are correct, then saving a JPG at 90% quality will have a drastic impact on picture size without forfeiting any of the colour quality. My 2 cents!

sherlock @ 2009-09-07T23:36:00

2009-09-08T06:38:57Z

Blatantly ripped off from the gorgeous theblev and with the help of kavalier (and prefect)

Six Degrees of redemption_rpg

Lily Loveless was in Skins with Hannah Murray who was in Womb with Eva Green who was in The Dreamers with Louis Garrel who was in La guerre à Paris with Jérémie Renier who was in L'enfant with Déborah François who was in Les femmes de l'ombre with Julie Depardieu who was in Jean Moulin, une affaire française with Mélanie Laurent who was in L'amour caché with Isabelle Huppert who was in L'école de la chair with Roxane Mesquida who was in Les vagues with Jean-Claude Drouot who was in Les rois maudits with Jeanne Moreau who was in Roméo et Juliette with Charlotte Aubin who in Roméo et Juliette with Pierre Curzi who was in L'âge des ténèbres with Diane Kruger who was in Inglourious Basterds with Léa Seydoux who was in Robin Hood with Russell Crowe who was in LA Confidential with David Strathairn who was in Harrison's Flowers with Gerard Butler who was in Gamer with Logan Lerman who was in the Number 23 with Rhona Mitra who was in Boston Legal with James Spader who was in the Watcher with Keanu Reeves who was in Constantine with Rachel Weisz who was in Eragon with Ed Speleers who was in Echo Beach with Jonathan Readwin who was in Robin Hood (tv) with Harry Lloyd who was in David Copperfield with Daniel Radcliffe who was in the Tailor of Panama with Geoffrey Rush who was in Ned Kelly with Naomi Watts who was in I Heart Huckabees with Dustin Hoffman who was in Kung Fu Panda with Seth Rogan who was in Pineapple Express with Amber Heard who was in Alpha Dog with Anton Yelchin who was in Charlie Bartlett with Tyler Hilton who was in Walk the Line with Reese Witherspoon who was in Sweet Home Alabama with Melanie Lynskey who was in Drive with Emma Stone who was in Superbad with Michael Cera who was in Arrested Development with Ron Howard who was in Grinch Stole Christmas with Taylor Momsen who was in Hansel and Gretel with Dakota Fanning who was in Coraline written by Neil Gaiman who also wrote Neverwhere with Clive Russel who was in ShortFellas with Warwick Davis who was in Prince Caspian with Skandar Keynes who is in Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe with William Moseley who was in Ironclad with James Purefoy who was in Rome with Simon Woods who was in Spooks with Adam Deacon who was in Shank with Kaya Scodelario who was in Moon with Kevin Spacey who was in a Time to Kill with Oliver Platt who was in Don't say a Word with Sean Bean who was in Lord of the Rings with Andy Serkis who was in Stormbreaker with Alex Pettyfer who was in Wild Child with Aidan Quinn who was in Song for a Raggy Boy with Andrew Simpson who was in Notes on a Scandal with Cate Blanchett who was in Little Fish with Martin Henderson who was in Bride & Prejudice with Aishwarya Rai who was in Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na with Amitabh Bachchan who was in Dil Jo Bhi Kahey with Bhoomika Chawla who was in Gandhi, My Father with Rajendranath Zutshi who was in Slumdog Millionaire with Dev Patel who was in the Last Airbender with Jackson Rathbone who was in the OC with Willa Holland who was in Gossip Girl with Michelle Trachtenberg who was in Europtrip with Scott Mechlowicz who was in Peaceful Warrior with Ashton Holmes who was in The Pacific with Cariba Heine who was in A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne with Alice Parkinson who was in Where the Wild Things Are with Lauren Ambrose who was in Law & Order with Tristan Wilds who was in Half-Nelson with Ryan Gosling who was in Fracture with Billy Burke with who was in Twilight with Anna Kendrick who was in The Marc Pease Experience with Ben Stiller who was in If Lucy Fell with Scarlett Johansson who was in Girl with the Pearl Earring with Colin Firth who was in The Last Legion with Iain Glen who was in Spy Sorge with Masahiro Motoki who was in Yoru no shanghai with Ben Niu who was in Di liu ling yi ge dian hua with Zhou Bichang who was in McDull, The Alumni with Robert Cheng who was in Legendary Assassins with Jacky Wu who was in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with Brendan Fraser who was in George of the Jungle with Leslie Mann who was in Knocked Up with Katherine Heigl who was in Grey's Anatomy with Marshall Allman who was in Prison Break with Kim Coates who was in Bad Boys with Will Smith who was in Men in Black with Vincent D'Onofrio who was in Law and Order CI with Gillian Jacobs who was in Garden of the Night with Evan Ross Who was in Happy Together with John Patrick Amedori who was in Joan of Arcadia with Michael Welch who was in CSI Miami with Josh Zuckerman who was in House MD with Hugh Laurie who was in Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry who was in Thunderpants with Rupert Grint who was in Driving Lessons with Laura Linney who was in Frasier with Joan Allen who was in Mists of Avalon with Julianna Margulies who was in the Good Wife with Archie Panjabi who was in Personal Affairs with Jamie Davis who was in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps with Kathryn Drysdale who was in the Tudors with Max Brown who was in Hollyoaks with Emma Rigby who was in Born and Bred with Naomi Radcliffe who was in Band of Gold with Mark Strong who was in Heartlands with Joe Dempsie who was in Doctors with Yasmin Paige who was in Ballet Shoes with Emma Watson who was in The Tale of Despereaux with Kevin Kline who was in The Emperor's Club with Emile Hirsch who was in The Girl Next Door with Elisha Cuthbert who was in Are you Afraid of the Dark with Aaron Ashmore who was in Veronica Mars with Erin Chambers who was in CSI Las Vegas with Hunter Parrish who was in Down in the Valley with Jennifer Echols who was in My Name is Earl with Jonathan Spencer who was in Dance of the Death with Chandler Darby who was in Daddy's Little Girls with Mark Oliver who was in The Joneses with Gary Cole who was in Cry_Wolf with Julian Morris who was in Privileged with Lucy Hale who was in How I Met Your Mother with Cobie Smulders who was in Smallville with Lee Thompson Young who was in Scrubs with Elizabeth Banks who was in Law and Order: SVU with Lee Pace who was in The Good Shepherd with Eddie Redmayne who was in Like Minds with Tom Sturridge who was in Being Julia with Michael Culkin who was in Dorian Gray with Rachel Hurd Wood who was in Perfume with Karoline Herfurth who was in Küss mich, Frosch with Anja Knauer who was in Wilde Jungs with Kristian Kiehling who was in the Bill with Sapphire Elia who was in Britannia High with Rana Roy who was in DanceX with Bruno Tonioli who was in Blake's 7 with John Leeson who was in Doctor Who with Felicity Jones who was in Northanger Abby with Liam McMahon who was in Snatch with Brad Pitt who was in Cool World with Gabriel Byrne who was in Stigmata with Jonathan Pryce who was in Brothers of the Head with Luke Treadaway who was in the Innocence Project with Oliver James who was in What a Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes who was in She's the Man with Laura Ramsey who was in the Covenent with Jessica Lucas who was in Life as We Know It with Jon Foster who was in Life as a House with Jenna Malone who was in Saved! with Patrick Fugit who was in White Oleander with Billy Connolly who was in The Last Samurai with Shichinosuke Nakamura who was in Mayonaka no Yaji-san Kita-san with Nagase Tomoya who was in Karei naru Spy with Go Ah Ra.

Sticky Notes in Firefox

2009-09-06T00:43:50Z

Another awesome greasemonkey script

Sticky Notes!

Firefox; currently I'm using Windows Firefox 3.5, may be backwards compatible

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Install Greasemonkey, restart firefox.

Step 2: Install Sticky Notes

Step 3a: Visit the maker's blog and drag the link into your bookmarks bar. Right click and hit "properties" if you want to rename.

Step 3b: Alternatively, you can right click the link and select "Bookmark this Link" if you don't use the toolbar

Step 4: When you want to add a sticky note to a page, just click the link! It will always be there when you come back to the same url, unless you click the x to delete it. You can resize it and move it around the page :)

#076 - Restless [100 Prompt Drabble]

2009-09-02T20:49:33Z

Prompt: 076 - Restless [Prompts]
Character: BL!Agnes and BL!Remus
Count: 184
Rating: PG-13 (hey, it is Agnes)

The sight of Agnes naked next to the kitchen sink, munching on water biscuits and waiting for Sirius to come home (and for the love of Merlin, Remus prayed he would so he didn't have to stand here awkwardly since she'd said hello instead of letting him flee to his room and oh God why couldn't he just go anyway damn his politeness how had he lived with Sirius this long and not absorbed any of his bastardliness) was sadly not as shocking a sight as Remus wished it was.

"So," he said uncomfortably, itching to get away and taking a step towards the rest of the house in preparation to run the second her attentions had turned away, "how are you?"

"Great!" She replied perkily -- wait no, cheerfully, he corrected himself, wondering if maybe he could just get it over with and die so this conversation would end. "You seen Blacky?"

"Um." A pause. Then inspiration. "Let me check the bedrooms! Be right back..."

And after a door slam and a few seconds, Agnes returned her attentions to the cupboards. Ooh, bread.

#016 - Taste [100 Prompt Drabble]

2009-09-02T07:29:36Z

Prompt: 016 - Taste [Prompts]
Character: BL/R!Rodolphus and BL/R!Evangeline
Count: 177
Rating: G

Azkaban had a funny way of playing tricks on the mind; nineteen year old Evangeline, his best friend's sister and a charming, if silly, girl, was but a distant memory, clouded in years of misery and self-loathing and screaming nightmares that Rodolphus tried and failed to forget. The woman he sat before today was something entirely removed -- a beautiful, lush creature that he barely recognised, and who surely could not be related to that poor ugly bastard Walden Macnair.

They had both suffered. They had both lost. Gaius and Bellatrix (as much as it destroyed him to acknowledge that she was gone) were at peace, and in mutual pain he and Eva came together to share a final meal before one last battle. A battle he knew that they would not win. A battle that would mean his death.

His attentions turned as he realised Evangeline was holding a wooden spoon out to him.

"Taste!"

And there was the barest curve at the corners of his mouth as he decided wallowing could wait until after supper.

#044 - Fringe [100 Prompt Drabble]

2009-09-02T06:29:42Z

Prompt: 044 - Fringe [Prompts]
Character: Charlie & Olivia
Count: 153
Rating: G

Olivia was halfway through a too-early morning danish when the phone rang. Once she would have wondered if it was her sister calling to complain about men, or maybe John, with a lowly murmured hotel name. Her stomach twisted at the thought and she promptly discarded the pseudo-breakfast in favour of the phone. She already knew who it was. And where she had to go.

Twenty minutes later, Olivia found herself predictably at the lab, settled onto a stool, warming her hands on a coffee mug, and tilting her head to figure out precisely what it was Walter was doing and why the temperature needed to be below forty. She was about to ask when a familiar face came into her periphery with a huskily muttered "don't bother." A half smile later, and she was borrowing half of Charlie's sandwich, contemplating his breath as it hit the air, and wondering...

Back to work.

Turning off auto-restart (XP & Vista)

2009-08-31T00:23:45Z

Tutorial to turn off auto-restart

(Windows XP and Vista)

If you, like me, get severely pissed off because you've left your computer running all night and you wake up in the morning to find it has restarted itself (for your protection! [fuck you, Windows]) because of updates, this is how to turn it off.

Windows XP and Vista Business
Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium

Windows XP and Windows Vista Business

1) Start --> Run

2) Type in gpedit.msc (you may have to tell the UAC that yes you are a big girl and it's okay to hurt the bitty computer)

3) Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Windows Update

4) Double click No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations

5) Select "enable" and hit "apply"

Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium

1) Start --> Run

2) Type in regedit (you may have to tell the UAC that yes you are a big girl and it's okay to hurt the bitty computer)

3) Navigate: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> Software --> Policies --> Microsoft --> Windows --> WindowsUpdate --> AU

4) Double click NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers

5) Change the value to "1" (no quotes) and hit okay.

sherlock @ 2009-08-24T03:26:00

2009-08-24T10:26:31Z

Just wanted to make sure people knew that the new firefox DOES work with lj-login if you install the most updated version from here: http://ljlogin.e-space.gweep.net/

mwah.

Love meme part 1

2009-08-20T18:21:50Z

I've always been shit at memes, but this is a rehash of the 'positive thing' meme, except that I'm just going to say something nice about everyone on my flist's rp on this post. If you want to say something nice about my rp, feel free, but if not that is cool. This is taking me so long that I am going to break it up into parts. THIS IS PART 1

In alphabetical order by username:
*If you aren't here it's because I don't know you or we don't RP together :[ I love you anyway

A-F

aesthete - I love your icons (you should do more!) and your characters. I wish I could have seen more of Tibby because I feel dirty playing her after the awesome job you did.

aeventyr - Whenever I think of Katie Bell, yours usually springs to mind. I loved that you used non-glamorous Sophia Bush from the Hitcher. I also appreciate what you said about Rodolphus despite your bias for good characters.

aliciadances - Your Narcissa is epic and hilarious. I love how serious she is about insane things and what an amazing sense of humour you have with her. Narcissa screaming about werewolves interrupting her masquerade plans slays me and I can just picture her wrinkling her nose at the idea of a battle interfering with teatime. I love her. I love you. MWAH.

alsoknownas - You are a brilliant RPer and I desperately wish we were in a game together. I will never forget our Terence/honking daffodil log as long as I live, and I probably won't stop talking about it to people, either. You are truly talented, and don't you forget it.

alyakins - You are a total sweetheart. Damocles is amazing and I am so, so grateful to have you at BL. I don't think the wolfsbane plot would ever have been finished if it wasn't for your dedication. I can't believe it's been 8 months since Damo joined. What a ride!

amor_remanet - Your Xeno is without question the most hilarious I have seen so far. I love his PB to absolute pieces (I can't believe he wears pink -- wait, no, I can believe it) and his propaganda posters were amazing.

anagnosis - I love watching Dr Who (& now Blake's 7!!) with you and I am always happy that you have a good sense of humour about killing off Crispy. I am super looking forward to RPing at CM with you and having Aludra/Frank interactions. Brainstorming with you is always fun, and I'll even overlook your U2 slander.

andronicus - Demetrius and Corbina is always going to be my favourite purist ship. They are so funny together, and I love how real your Demetrius feels, with his insecurities and uncertainties and still badassedness. It was a pleasure modding you and I can't wait to see what you pull out of your hat with Minty in BW.

anecdote - I know I have given you so much hell over the year, but you are a wonderful RPer. You bring so much energy and life to your characters, and I love that you are a fellow nerd like me. I wish you hadn't disappeared, cuz it would have been awesome for Riley to make one last appearance.

arcady - Oh god, what billions of things could I say about you? From our very first Dolph and Bella log, I knew it was meant to be. You and I are so compatable with the way we right, and I know that rping across you has improved my writing a millionfold. I wish you weren't so hard on yourself, because you are one of the best RPers I have ever been blessed enough to meet, and I thank you so much for helping me improve and helping me be a bit more risky with my characters. I love you and I think our third year anniversary is coming up soon ♥

bollywood - I have loved your sassy butt every since Revelation, and I love it too. I am happy I got to interact with your Pansy and Lily before you went off to be a famous author. Your book is wonderful, by the way, and I can't wait to read the finished version (yes, me, reading, shock!)

chalk - OMG bb you know I miss our Rabboes and Dolph. I still remember the log we did with Rabbit getting his face beat in by daddy and Dolph coming to save the day (!)

claudie - Your Sirius has been wonderful to play across and I am so happy we got to play him and Agnes together. I was always secretly fearful that it might seem like I was trying to ship them, but you never treated me like a loser and we always kept it light and shallow, just like it should have been. Thank you for everything, and thank you for DSAW, shortlived as it was. You had some amazing ideas and I'm very happy that you let me rip off the rehab idea for BL. It was fantastic.

coeur_delanuit - The penultimate Regulus and you know it. You were my first and last choice for Regulus and BL and damn did we make it epic. Lung has become a meme for the ages, and I am eternally pleased for how much energy and effort you put into BL and into helping me mod when I was overwhelmed. Thank you Chels. Thank you, thank you.

corporatecake - Well, I never thought that I would secretly ship a purist with a half-blood, and yet we have somehow created such an interesting dynamic between Theodore and Susan that I don't know how and when it evolved. RPing with you and watching Charlie Bartlett are my guilty pleasures, and I love how in synch we are in terms of plot. You are a gem.

cosmically - oh my GOSH, did we not have a blast at arcana? What a brilliant game, my very first in fact, and you and Ange made that game an unforgettable experience for me. Only at Arcana could I log three things at once and love every minute of it. It was where I began playing Rodolphus and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to work with him and create him. I will never forget that game, nor will I forget your Harry. Thank you for the amazing times, Ellie.

cupcakecalamity - my favourite sex therapist! Talking to you is such a pleasure and RPing with you is amazing. Your Regulus at MW caught my eye and I have been stalking you ever since. Thank you for coming to BL and making Dolph's son as real as he could ever be. I love how simultaneously honourable and sleazy he is. James is, of course, one of the best I have ever been with. His rehabilitation was so excellent. Thank you for making him such an unforgivable twat -- I cannot imagine playing with another James ever again.

cupiscent - You, woman, are brilliance on legs. Every character you create is a creature unto itself, from your Alecto to your Millicent to your short-lived Elphias. The way that they flow and speak is inspirational, and I can only imagine how your 'real' writing will be if we were only graced with your hobby writing. I see great things for you.

discordian - I miss you, lady. Rodolphus and Pansy were so much fun to play off each other, and it was nice to play Pansy off of someone who didn't put up with her shit. Sometime we should PSL together, really, because I love how well your writing flows and how it inspires me to write better with every single tag.

dramatism - I still remember the first time we met, at Brewed Glory (do you remember?), and how amazing your Lavender Brown was. I would die to see you play her again because oh. my. god. Perfect PB, perfect attitude, perfect everything. You were the reason I played at M75, and I have to say that that game changed the way I rped forever. I began my love relationship with MWPP there, and for that I will be
eternally grateful.

ether_bunny - your Severus amazes me. I admire the way that you can actually make him unlikable, which many Snape players are unwilling to do because they are too in love with your character. While you acknowledge your fixation on Snape, you also balance that by emphasising his canonically unpleasant qualities. Charlotte/Snape was one of the most unexpected and delightful interactions I have ever had. Thank you so much for that!

fairedubruit - oh Mango, you nut. I love you terribly. Your Fabian was hilarious and amazing, and I loved Aquila as well. Alana was also a very real, very sympathetic character. You have a real talent for making believable characters, and that is not an easy thing. I hope we can RP together again in the future -- and soon! Thank you for coming back to the BL final battle, it meant a lot to me.

faux_bohemian - we haven't talked or RPed in some time, but I do want to say thank you for Revelation. It was a fantastic game, and I know that it must have been excruciating to mod. You did an amazing job, and I will always remember Jeremy Brett as your PB. I love him so much! It made me terribly happy!

fawkes - WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE? I really love your Lucius, Zee. He is precisely what I would imagine him to be, and it tickles me that you have no problems humiliating him. Antennae? Genius. Thank you so much for giving us a Lucius who seems so incredibly canon.

Firefox add-ons I can't roleplay without

2009-05-22T03:15:32Z

1) Adblock: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865

Blocks ads, pure and simple. I'd go insane if I saw the ads on IJ. I prefer to keep it running with cash, not with eye blood. Straightforward.

As an added benefit for roleplayers, if you really hate someone's icons, you can get rid of all of them like so:

right click an icon --> view image --> copy url
open adblock --> filters --> new filter --> paste

replace the second to last number with an asterisk, like so:
http://www.insanejournal.com/userpic/8075128/64193 becomes http://www.insanejournal.com/userpic/*/64193

click OK

voila! No more hideous icons

2) LJ-Login: http://ljlogin.e-space.gweep.net/

Stores all of your accounts and lets you transfer with an easy click.

Install, click preferences

** be sure to click "Insanejournal" under "Enabled LJcode Sites" **

-- 1: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/002.png
stealth: I like this disabled or I forget whom I'm logged in as

-- 2: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/003.png
persistent sessions: I keep this as 'do nothing' because I've had problems with the add-on corrupting when I enable it.
post-login action: I use 'reload current page' because that way when I'm doing comments it will reload before I forget I've changed usernames and hit 'enter' only to get the dreaded Invalid form submission error.

-- 2: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/004.png
site scheme: depending on your preferences, you can set this so that it always uses the same site-scheme regardless of the account settings.

3) Stylish: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2108

If you are familiar with css and picky about how your pages look, Stylish is a must-have. It allows you to change the css of any page by creating styles. You can see an example of how I've altered IJ with Stylish here:

http://karma-apple.insanejournal.com/15324.html (changing IJ's style with css)
http://karma-apple.insanejournal.com/14135.html (thread unfolder)

4) Britglish language pack: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3366

I RP Brits on a regular basis, and it can be aggravating as hell to relearn how to spell and ignore the constant red underlines from the built-in American English dictionary. To fix this, a language pack will change the in-built dictionary to recognise British spelling

Install, then right click any text-box:

5) Downthemall: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/201

Downthemall is a great resource for iconmakers (or icontakers). It will download all images or links on a page.

FOR ICON-TAKERS

-- 1: Find snazzy icons (these are screenshotted from blevcons):
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/001-1.jpg

-- 2: Right click --> Downthemall
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/002-1.jpg

-- 3: Select your options (only pngs, only jpgs, etc) and folder
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/006.png

-- 4: Start!

Bam, done.

FOR ICON-MAKERS

-- 1: Find an obliging fansite (ohey gaspardulliel.net)

-- 2: Find an image set you particularly like, open up one of the images and click view image

-- 3: Hack off the end of the url like so:

http://gaspardulliel.net/photos/albums/public_appearances/2009/pub_app_05_17_La-Plage-Orange-Portait-Session/Cannes16May2009-01.jpg

http://gaspardulliel.net/photos/albums/public_appearances/2009/pub_app_05_17_La-Plage-Orange-Portait-Session/

-- 4: You now have a directory. Right click and downthemall

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/007.png

-- 5: Navigate to the LINKS section

-- 6: Right click --> select all; right click --> uncheck all selected

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/008.png

-- 7: Select only those you're interested in (not normal, not thumbs); right click --> check selected

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/009.png

-- 8: Start!

6) Check All

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2708

Allows you to select and check all ticky boxes. Extremely useful when clearing out old icons or when deleting a bunch of spam on a journal entry.

-- 1: Select all icons you want to delete. Right click --> check all selected checkboxes

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/010.png

-- 2: That's it! Now scroll to the bottom and delete!

7) Reload Every

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/115

Sometimes I like to read drama. Okay, most times. My finger gets sore hitting f5 every second while desperately hoping someone re:ed a thread. Reload every will reload a tab however often you specify.

-- 1: Install, click on the arrow next to reload. Choose an option

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii38/blurred_lines/addons/011.png

-- 2: To turn it off, simply click again and deselect enable

• Nott, Theodore Sebastian Étienne [Perdition]

2009-02-08T21:41:40Z

00. ooc

Name: Em
Age: 24
E-mail: pleasantlysharp@gmail.com
AIM: loupetlapin @ AIM
Timezone: PST
Experience: ~karma_apple (CDJ)

Do you understand the activity requirements? 2 five sentence entries a month - though I am curious if logs can replace these entries since you say that activity posts require links to entries and/or logs.

01. details

Name: Theodore Sebastian Étienne Nott
Date of Birth/Age: 28 November 1979; 18 years old
Blood Status: Pureblood

Theodore has the privilege (and simultaneously the burden) of being of exceptionally pure English, French, and Italian blood. With a bloodline that easily rivals most, if not all, of his peers, however, Theodore has had the unfortunate difficulty of being, as it were, the product of generations of selective in-breeding. While his mental capacities are above average, physically he has always been a rather weak child, with all the health problems that go along with a fragile physique and an insane, inattentive mother.

House/Year: Slytherin/7th year
Classes: Muggle Studies, Potions, Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy
Sexuality: quite heterosexual
Desire Username: ~nott

02. physical

Physical Appearance: Theodore has been described most frequently (and least politely) as 'stringy' and 'weedy' and less frequently as having an 'elegant' bone structure. In truth, he is composed almost entirely of angles and can do very little about his structure or the muscle composition that goes on top of it. Luckily, he rarely needs to resort to physical violence to settle his differences, relying on sharp wit and resourcefulness. He still retains an air of delicacy about him -- a remnant of his unhealthier days as a small child -- but he moulds this image away from weakness and toward gentlemanly refinement. Very pale skin contrasts with dark hair (curly and unruly when long and more manageable when short) and hazel eyes, a tribute to his mother's Italian and his father's Western European roots.

Despite his slight frame, Theodore cuts an appealing figure through height (5'10) and dress. Though certainly not fastidious about his appearance, he does take care to ensure that his choices are well-thought out, flattering, and entirely classic. Of course, there is very little variety in the school uniform, but he makes a habit of re-dressing for the evening. It is a simple truth: appearance matters, and given his unfortunate build, he compensates in other areas. At the very least, he is not unattractive.

PB: Anton Yelchin

03. personality

As the son of an ascetic, humourless death eater and an hysterical, passionate madwoman, Theodore never really had a chance at normalcy -- whatever that means in the context of an overly wealthy, bigoted, and repressive purist culture. As the blending together of two entirely incompatible (and inbred) genomes manifested in his poor health, so too is it conveyed by the contradictory facets of his personality. He is rarely what he seems, though this is more because he frequently capitalises on the human tendency to ignore the unfamiliar than out of any overexertion on his part to hide his true self. That said, Theodore is a very secretive person -- private and self-contained and with no need for shoulders to cry on or friends to exculpate him of his sins.

It is no wonder that one of the defining labels Theodore readily accepts is that of 'loner', for while he makes friends easily and finds socialising enjoyable to the extent that he takes pleasure in the company of others, he has no interest in submitting to the social hierarchies required of cliques. As far as he is concerned, friendship extends only to the interactions between himself and the person at hand -- he finds the notion of being told whom he may or may not interact with, whom he may or may not find amusing or pursuable, entirely contrary to his sense of independence and intelligence. He has never understood the need for others to accept dictation of their free will, with the obvious exception of those significantly more powerful than one's self (the Dark Lord springs to mind). Likewise, the mob mentality does not appeal to him, for he is quite sensitive to crass stupidity and the idea of allowing the basest common denominator -- emotion -- to control his actions is repugnant to him. Thus, he remains outside of the popular crowds, free to act upon his own but forced simultaneously to take complete and total responsibility for his words and deeds. He has no henchmen to crack their knuckles threateningly in his less admirable encounters in the hallways -- nor does he have hoards of giggling girls at his every turn to bolster his ego when being particularly clever. He must, then, be considerably subtler than his more herd-like friends, for he is not protected from the backlash of ill thought out decisions. It has been a bane and a boon, for while cautiousness is a strength in these dark and dangerous times -- even for those on the 'winning' side -- Theodore is occasionally stricken by a desire to fit neatly into a safe-spot at his housemates' sides.

Still, though, what good what a Slytherin be if he were not able to survive upon his own wit and decisions? And Theodore is a good Slytherin. Though not ambitious in the most literal sense of the word (he has no great dreams of being Minister, for his dislike of hierarchies extends to his life goals), he does strive for perfection in all areas to which he commits himself. He is an avid violinist, and (slightly less avid) pianist, and holds strong interests in Arithmancy, the Dark Arts, and Potions. To these activities he applies himself vigorously, to the point of distraction from more mundane pursuits. Quidditch, too, would have been one of his great ambitions, but Theodore has an unfortunate propensity to disregard any interest of his that he does not believe he can excel at: and therein lies one of his greatest weaknesses -- an unwillingness to experiment in new hobbies, areas of study, or culture. Theodore is trapped in what he is good at, and while he grows increasingly better at those things, he has left little room for lateral growth. He is overly conservative, and takes to new skills only if he is convinced they are undeniably necessary.

His conservatism, in true Slytherin nature, also extends to the notion of blood-purism. Perhaps being raised by a significantly older (and old-fashioned) father had something to do with it, but Theodore finds the morals of the modern world appalling, frankly. He believes there to be a direct correlation between the influx of mudbloods and the degradation of values in magical social circles -- an amusing and rather hypocritical concern of an 18 year old wizard whose own morals already border strongly on the ambiguous/corrupt line without muggle influence. Theodore would argue that he is aware of his own moral ambiguities, however, and that he is not only in control of them but intelligent enough to decide in which to indulge. In the matter of purism, Theodore believes that those in power should obviously be those with a greater value system than those in the lower echelons, lest the 'trickle down' system result in an entire cultural corruption. He readily points to the Carrows as examples of cross-breeding gone awry, and though he has the greatest respects for the Dark Lord, his father, and the death eaters as a whole, he cannot help but wonder if they aren't going about things rather the wrong way. It isn't an intentional sort of rebelliousness with which he views these crusaders of the purist agenda, but the natural inclinations of a young man who very much dislikes herd-behaviour without individual rationale to support that behaviour. He has his doubts about the war, about the way Hogwarts is being run, and about the methodology inherent in the governmental takeover. Though staunchly against the infiltration of muggleborn 'wizards' into wizarding society, he is quietly sceptical of the notion that muggleborns could 'steal' magic from fully capable wizards. The point isn't thievery, in his opinion, but the moral corruption that muggleborns bring to the traditionalist culture, and distracting from the true point is a sign that priorities are out of order.

Despite his tendencies to see beyond the purist-agenda, as it were, Theodore has never felt any compelling desires to be outspoken in that open-mindedness, nor has he felt that things should change because of his wider perspective. Thus he stands divided from his father and the death eaters -- in that, while deriding muggleborns and believing they shouldn't be part of the greater society, he has no desire to actively persecute those muggleborns or strive to change the society at large; he stands divided also from 'the good guys', if one can use so blatantly inaccurate a term, for though he disagrees with the Carrows' methodology and the dull knife they are using to enact discipline, he feels no need to stand against them and his housemates. No, Theodore is stricken with a lazy sort of empathy for the greater man: while he is perfectly able to see many sides of an argument -- and perhaps agree with two or three of those sides -- he is perfectly content to reside within the existing paradigm without making waves. His interest in life is in his interaction with his surroundings, not in the surroundings himself, and it gives him a very peculiar sort of compassion and empathy for his fellow man.

In this same vein, Theodore's greatest pursuits in life are those of the flesh. Though born into incredibly wealthy means, Theodore's father was an ascetic who believed in the values of hard work and getting one's hands dirty. He raised his son with his feet on the ground, and firmly refused to spoil him. It could never be said that Theodore wanted for anything growing up, but this was because he was willing to humour his father -- to work for the things he desired, whether it was cleaning his room (without magic), practising the violin, or taking the horses out for their daily exercise. It was impressed upon the boy that children with 'free rides' never amounted to anything, and while he had no choice but to agree, the restrictive nature of his father's generosity imbued in Theodore a sort of compulsion to debauchery. He is utterly drawn to excess, whether in the practising of a sublime violin piece, being consumed by a gorgeous landscape, or fixating on a beautiful girl. He has not yet dipped into any particularly immoral acts, but that's not to say he doesn't contemplate them, and with a particular sort of zeal that can only be justified by his internal disinterest in the lines of societal mores.

Like many things Theodore, moral ambiguity is something he indulges in (mostly) in thought alone. Thoughts of over-indulgence in food and drink and sex and slightly more cruel compulsions are all well and good, but he isn't an idiot, and he isn't looking to isolate himself any further than he has by choice. No, he does not openly leer at his female colleagues, but prefers to treat them with all the etiquette of a well-bred gentlemen, which he is, and the charisma of an interested man, which he is not. He enjoys humouring his peers in their more childish pursuits (though one ought ask himself whether Theodore is truly as mature as he desires to believe), and is perfectly fit company for as long as he desires to be. Unlike many of his housemates, however, when he has tired of social company, he can simply extract himself from his surroundings and spend time alone with his more nefarious inner workings.

This suits him well, for much of Theodore's confidence and independence is very much a pretext for a confused little boy who watched his family fall apart. He harbours insecurities about his body, his wit, his place among his peers, and the possibility that anyone will ever truly love him, and he masks these insecurities with an easy confidence that has, over the last twelve years, served him well in the 'fake it till you make it' capacity. He is not flawless, but he has never intended to be, for he is well aware that people are not drawn to perfection -- and, above all, he desires people to be drawn to him. For all his pretense of independence, cleverness, and disinterest in the opinions of others, it is quite difficult for Theodore to be alone all the time; he misses the affection he was barely afforded as a child, while at the same time he continually barricades himself against it.

04. relations

Affiliation: the Dark Lord and, by proxy, the Carrows

Father & Mother: Edmund Nott (b.1927), Delphine Montagne (b.1956)
Paternal Grandparents: Sebastian Nott (b.1899), Lavinia Borgin (b.1906)
Maternal Grandparents: Étienne Montagne (b.1926), Naenia Uberti (b.1937)

Purity: all quite pure, though his maternal side cannot compete with his exquisite paternal bloodline

Familial relationship: Theodore has very little contact with his maternal lineage, as his father has a healthy amount of disdain for the French and Italians (rather because of his marriage, than in spite of it), and a passing relationship with most of his many, many relatives.

While she was alive, he was unconditionally fond of his mother in the way only a child can be. She was quite mad after his birth and grew madder still as he grew older -- but as he was neither aware of her mental troubles or of what a 'normal' family life ought to have been, his emotions have never progressed beyond a yearning love and desire for that love returned.

Theodore's father has always been his rock, his support -- though there has been very little of affection between them. Edmund taught him to walk and speak and think about the world in all the ways that he still does today. His father is the person he respects most in the world, even if their relationship is (thanks to the extensive generation gap) one more like a mentor and pupil than a father and son.

05. History

Edmund Nott and Delphine Montagne's pairing was a match made in politics -- and politics are a long way from heaven. Delphine was raised the daughter of a French father and a rather mad Italian mother, and what she brought to the marriage was good blood -- and not much more. Edmund spent most of the first years of their marriage dealing with more important things than his hysterical and moody wife (like the Dark Lord, the war, attempting to overthrow the government), and on those rare occasions that he returned home to bed his wife in an attempt to produce an heir, the two fought constantly, sometimes violently. It was in the aftermath of one such violent encounter that a son was finally conceived, and in 1979 -- in the waning years of the war and on the eve of what the death eaters thought was a sure victory -- Theodore was born, blue, sick, and not at all what his father had expected.

The following three years were a blur of nurses, Delphine's severe postpartum depression, and the defeat of the Dark Lord -- a blow that crippled Edmund Nott, who not only worshipped Voldemort, but had gone to school with him in the days he was known as Tom Riddle. The fighting grew worse, and in the middle of two very unhappy people was a very sick boy. For five years, Theodore's constitution was deemed by doctors as "fragile" -- a word he would come to despise -- and he was bedridden before he'd even properly learnt to walk. As far as childhood companions went, he had very few friends but for Draco, son of a family friend, Daphne, and Pansy. He was to spend most of his time with tutors, who at least afforded him the courtesy of saying nothing about his physical state, and books. Slowly, he grew stronger.

But the 1980s were not good to the Notts, and as Theodore cautiously extracted health from his surroundings, Delphine Nott abandoned all caution - and sanity. Already an extraordinarily selfish woman, she began to throw fits any time attentions were turned from her and onto her ill son. How dare he usurp the affection meant for her? How dare he be ill? Their only heir? She began to grow convinced that he was not a gift from God, in whatever incarnation she chose to believe in Him, but from a devil, to poison her husband against her. Postpartum depression quickly degraded into postpartum psychosis, and it was in winter of 1985 that Delphine finally reached breaking point. Under threat of being thrown in an asylum for 'treatment', Delphine fell into an hysterical fit and -- instead of 'seeing reason' (or whatever it was that Edmund accused her of being incapable of) -- locked herself in Theodore's room. It was not in Delphine's nature to go into the dark night quietly, and with her young son looking on, she hanged herself. When the servants finally broke in, Theodore -- still unable to walk at six years old -- remained unmoved in his bed, very much unsure of what he had just witnessed.

It is said that time heals all wounds -- or at least scabs them over so that they only hurt when bothered -- and Theodore eventually grew past the horrible realisation that his mother had killed herself, and past the natural guilt that follows such an event. Mostly. The effects of her death (or, as his father referred to it 'the selfish lashing out of a madwoman') and Edmund's consequent attentions were permanent ones, and though it is, perhaps, obvious to say that such a tragedy so early on shaped his life, the impact was particularly profound. Edmund had had enough of this coddling and fretting over his son's health, and promptly ensured that he could walk, run, and eventually ride. He was strict but loving (in a formal way), and tolerated very little nonsense. Theodore's maternal grandmother eventually moved in to the Nott manor when her husband died, providing her grandchild with the affection and warmth so dearly lacking his first eight years. It was she that gave him a love of aesthetics, of music (forcing him to take violin and piano lessons), and of animals, which she adored deeply.

School brought a new kind of stability to Theodore's life, though at first it was not a welcome one. His sorting into Slytherin was expected, but while he was easily friends with most of his house-mates, he was not drawn to the little cliques that seemed to plague the school. Officially dubbed a 'loner' by his second year, Theodore nonetheless proved himself a capable social ally multiple times throughout his years, and a witty, charming (if a bit old-fashioned) companion. His greatest frustration was his complete inability to participate in quidditch as anything more than a spectator. He greatly loves the sport, but given his physical fragility (and it was at this stage in his life that he began to truly loathe his body) the closest he could get to quidditch was through library books, which he checked out regularly (but never purchased lest anyone realise how deep his desires ran). Still, he was capable at other things, and earned himself good grades and an increasing competence upon the violin. He had no interest in school social groups, though he attended the duelling club meetings sporadically, if only to assure himself that his father's lessons at home were superior to (and more dangerous than) those presented at the school.

His class year was a particular one, in that the mudblood messiah, Harry Potter, was considered one of his school peers. Theodore never felt the sort of vindictive spite that Draco and Pansy seemed to spew, but he also never felt threatened by the raggedy mess of a boy. It was with a peculiar sort of interest which he held Potter, and though Theodore certainly didn't like the boy, he didn't despise him until their sixth year, when, thanks to Potter and his band of merry idiots, Theodore's father was imprisoned in Azkaban. Still, he was subtle enough not to let his distaste show in any way other than the company he kept. Pansy and Draco were more than loud enough for the whole house, after all, bless them -- and Edmund escaped in time.

Seventh year brought with it a slew of changes, much to Theodore's surprise and interest. Quite happy with the overthrow of the Ministry (and he was privy to the facts about Scrimgeour's 'resignation') and the subsequent sanctions against Muggleborns, he returned to school eager to have a year free of pseudo-wizards. The first few months met his expectations, though the position of prefect took some getting used to -- as Theodore was not used to being offered responsibility over his fellow schoolmates -- but October marked the beginning of a change.

It started with so simple a thing as the torturing of the school owls in Dark Arts class (and it was ironic that Theodore wouldn't have minded a jot had the subjects of cruelty been human beings) and the following detention he was given when he, much to the surprise of classmates and professor alike, refused to participate in the activity. An owl home, however, returned with a strict order from his father not to interfere with the Carrows' activities (and another owl, unbeknownst to Theodore, went to the Carrows to assure them the transgression would not occur again), and an angry Theodore returned to class and did his part along with his fellow students. The next few months would only foster his anger, for though he would not consider himself anything but the staunchest purist, Theodore does not equate purism with this sort of cruelty as a rule. Thus, he returns home from winter break with a rankling irritation at the shenanigans at Hogwarts -- how he will deal with that irritation is anyone's guess.

What are your character's views on blood status? Theodore is a firm believer that blood status determines a person's place in the culture and likely their moral fortitude as well; however, he is fully cognisant that there are idiots in every stratum of society. Blood status has not kept him from having an unwholesome sort of fixation on Tracey Davis, for though he would never seek to make her his spouse, Theodore's morals of attraction are convoluted at best.

How does your character feel about Hogwarts under Snape and the Carrows? Theodore finds the Carrows to be brutish and repugnant -- perfect examples of how half-bloods are mentally corrupt, even among the death eaters. Their atrocities against the school owls and first years (note - he has no objection to their cruelty against the older students) fill him with distaste, and he, quite frankly, thinks that a far better choice could have been made. He once respected Snape, but thanks to the mockery of discipline that has been enacted (regardless of how Slytherin has benefited from the changes), his respect has diminished drastically. Theodore obviously keeps these opinions to himself out of respect for both his father and the Dark Lord -- but that doesn't preclude him from bending the rules occasionally in acts of quiet civil disobedience.

06. samples

First Person

[Private -- Today I finally mastered a Paganini piece upon the violin which has been eluding me for the better part of a year. Now that I feel I have conquered the piece, it is almost of no interest to me. Funny how these things can seem so terribly important the one moment and so mundane the next. I search always for the next piece, the more interesting cadenza, the more difficult double-stop. I long to perfect my skill upon this instrument, but I am ever the more aware that perfection is unattainable. There is something next to learn, and next. Ah, but how we self-torment in the name of beauty.

Torment, too, in the name of love and duty. I find myself desirous of marriage – but not only of that great, sacred institution which we hold so dear, but of the ends to that means. The continuing of pure lines, the fight against the abominations that threaten to dwindle magical blood. Perhaps I shall soon find that perfect young lady to whom I may devote my affections. Grandmother turns my head first toward Pansy and next toward Daphne and then again toward Lucilla, tiring ever of my refusal to indulge in her gossiping whims. My tastes lead unforgivably toward Tracey; what sin lies waiting in her dirty blood - what fire behind her acquiescent smile. Hm. --]

Third Person

The still of the den was nearly as overwhelming as the stifling warmth that poured from the fireplace, suffocating the small room with the smell of spiced wood and the lush taste of flames that licked marble and punctuated the silence of the room with every crack into and out of existence. Somewhere away from the heat and the orange glow of life sat a thin figure, looking far too serious to be enjoying his weekly date with the violin perched in even thinner fingertips. He did not consider the instrument with anything further than a perfunctory glance to be sure his fingers had straddled the appropriate strings for several long moments, too busy contemplating the cool pressure beneath narrow knuckles and the soft stretch of palm below his thumb. It was a soothing sort of silence during which he fingered through the notes he planned upon playing without touching the bow to the instrument - every past error remembered, every creative nuance practised. It simply wasn't enough to know the melody - he had to own it, to know it's every subtle curl and whisper, to ensure there could be no mistakes.

When Theodore lifted his bow from where it hung beside him, he finally looked at the violin, keen eyes skimming its feminine curve with a predatory sort of lasciviousness. Though his left hand knew every step of this dance, his right was not so certain, and he glowered at his own hesitation before pushing bow to strings and beginning the exercise.

Melancholic notes rasped from beneath his fingertips, and Theodore's eyes fluttered closed, an excitement searing in his lungs, from the beauty of the music as much as the perfection of his performance. Every finger in its place, every inflection of wrist and elbow moving just so. Everything was correct and right and good through several bars - until the sharp sound of a knock at the door threw him and one finger dared to misstep. The scene stopped with that single flaw, musician poised over the violin with a frozen spine and rigid jaw, disbelief mingling with anger with deadly curiosity. Who dared disturb him?

07. miscellanea

Home: The Old Rectory, Suffolk
Wand: 10.5 in. rowan, dragon heartstring core
Signature:

Playlist:
  Alanis Morrisette - Still
  Black Box Recorder - Brutality
  Tchaikovsky - Valse sentimentale
  Louis XIV - Louis XIV
  Freakhouse - Liars Inc.
  Orgy - Eyes Radio Lies
  TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
  Debussy - Clair de lune (Suite Bergamasque)
  Paganini - Caprice No. 5 & 13

Horoscope:

Sun in Scorpio/Saggitarius (cusp of revolution) . emotionally deep, intuitive, freedom-loving, anti-authority, independent, jealous, familial loner, unforgiving, possessive, self-satisfied, successful, faithful, morally ambiguous, charming, empathetic, secret traditionalist, extremist, indulging in excess, goal oriented, perpetually amused, compulsive, derisive, secretive, self-indulgent, suspicious, unrelenting, flirtatious, inwardly competitive. [spirit]
Rising Taurus. calm, deliberate, practical, patient, stubborn, self-assured, repressive, warm, charming, comfortable, self-indulgent. [appearance]
Moon in Pisces. strong emotions, sensitive, reactive, emotionally receptive, imaginative, intuitive. [emotion]
Mercury in Scorpio. investigative, passionate, secretive, suspicious, evasive, sarcastic. [mind]
Venus in Capricorn. emotionally self-controlled, distrustful, relates best with older people, respect & duty more important than passion. [heart]
Mars in Virgo. careful, systematic, attentive to details, perfectionistic, practical, responsible, critical. [action]
Jupiter in Virgo. practical, dutiful, responsible, extremist. [culture]