What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? sweet pea body wash and a bar of regular soap

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Nope.

What would you change about your living room? Add more shelves and replace the furniture. Other than that, I like it. :)

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? What dishwasher? We do it by hand around here and take turns. Actually, with three ladies chipping away at it, it isn't a tough chore.

What is in your fridge? turkey, cheese, avocados, tea, coucous, soda, fruit juice, eggs

White or wheat bread? wheat multi-grain whenever possible. My hand-made breads are usually white though.

What is on top of your refrigerator? An economy-sized pack of paper towels, can cozies, a couple of those insulated sandwich holders, a thermos-ish water jug, two flashlights...

What color or design is on your shower curtain? frosted glass door with a fancy design worked into it.

How many plants are in your home? Inside the house, nothing right now. Outside is a different story as we've all take to gardening. :) 'Tis fun.

Is your bed made right now? As made as is possible in its current condition. :)

Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet or Old Dutch Cleanser (no fumes!)

Is your closet organized? Packed from top to bottom. If that is organized, its organized!

Can you describe your flashlight? One is blue plastic with a flashing red led light. Another is shiny blue aluminum. We have three black aluminum ones of varying sizes. Then there's the camping lanterns - mostly yellow or green plastic. We have oil lamps & candles too.


Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? plastic pitchers

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Technically it isn't iced, as the three pitchers of tea are cold only because they are kept in the fridge with the fruit juice. Current cold tea favs are:: Earl Grey, Constant Comment, & Mandarin Orange

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? packed like the closet, except for Dad's work area.

Curtains or blinds? Mostly homemade curtains

How many pillows do you sleep with? I don't count them. I just mound them up with a good book - and sigh contentedly.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? We have security lights outside the house that answer for nightlights inside as well. Occasionally we'll leave a bathroom light on low as well.

Standard toothbrush or electric? Sonic! I love it!

What color is your toothbrush? white

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? We don't use the front door. We DO have an ornate rubber mat out back. If it makes people feel welcome, great!

What is in your oven right now? Nuttin' but those wire racks right now.

Is there anything under your bed? It's comprised of drawers containing shoes and spare blankets.

Chore you hate doing the most? the pets' bath day when I have a pile of homework due really soon...

What retro items are in your home? Too many to list. :) Did we mention that we like old fashioned things?

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Not really. Everything is kinda open, but that's actually been helpful at times.

How many mirrors are in your home? Not many. There are two in the bathrooms & one full one in the sewing area. I know we recently bought another handheld too.


What color are your walls? Highly variable. You sure you have time to have me list them all?

What does your home smell like right now? It smells like a candle and salisbury steak.

Favorite candle scent? some nice floral scent :)

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? bread & butter slices.

What color is your favorite Bible? Mine is blue.

Ever been on your roof? Nope.

Do you own a stereo?
Sort of. I prefer my ipod though. Then what I'm listening to doesn't interfere with household activities.

How many TVs do you have? Well, when you have an extended family you tend to get strange answers to questions like that. My parents have two - but my grandmother & I each have one. All are hooked to mostly older game consoles & video players. We don't watch that much tv.

How many house phones? 3

Do you have a housekeeper? Sure! Me and Mom! lol

What style do you decorate in? highly eclectic, leaning toward older styles

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Solids accented by pretty prints in coordinated or contrasted colours on cushions

Is there a smoke detector in your home? yes

Sailor Moon freebies - Preview

Here's video showing a few of the things I've been working on. :)

Your Friendship Style is Independent

You love your friends, but you don't always need them as much as they need you. You like to do your own thing. Sometimes this means taking a break from your friends and carving your own path. As long as your friends give you the space you need, you are happy to be there for them whenever you can. Your friends lean on you for advice and problem solving. You tend to be "the rock." You and an Empathetic Friend: Go well together. Your Empathetic Friend understand and accepts you... but may be too needy sometimes. You and a Gregarious Friend: Get along well, as long as your Gregarious Friend is happy to only see you occasionally. You and another Independent Friend: Have a love / hate thing going on. When you agree, things are blissful. However, more often than not, you butt heads. You and a Philosophical Friend: Are somewhat a matter of opposites attract. You're both thinkers, but you think very differently.

What's Your Friendship Style?

===========================================================

You Are A Green Girl

You feel most at home in a world of ideas. You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge. You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience. Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What Color Girl Are You?

======================

Your Beauty Element is Water

Feminine and dreamy, your beauty style is classic and very vintage. But you never look out of style! You have a way of making classic looks modern again. When in doubt, you go for what's tried and true. You're all about red lips and nails. People consider you to be a timeless beauty.

What's Your Beauty Element?

============================

You Are Riding Boots

You are very sophisticated. You have refined tastes, and you don't fall for cheesy trends. You are naturally chic and stylish. You can pull together a great look in no time flat. You don't need a lot of flash or bling in your life. You prefer the glamour of the understated. You treasure wisdom. You are attracted to ideas and things that have stood the test of time.

What Kind of Boots Are You?

=======================================

You Are Cowboy Boots

This doesn't mean you're country, just funky. You've got a ton of attitude and confidence. You're unique, expressive, and even a little bit wacky. You wear whatever you feel like – and you have your own sense of style. You are straight shooting and honest. You tell people how it is. Low maintenance and free wheeling, you're always up for an adventure. You should live: Where you can at least get to wide open spaces You should work: In a job that allows you to take change

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

================================

You Are a Lynx

You are a quiet observer of the world around you. Your wisdom comes from listening carefully. You've always been extra sensitive and aware. And it's made it difficult for you to fit in. You see past people's outward personas. You are able to penetrate a stranger's soul. What you've learned about people is both beautiful and ugly. And you keep these secrets to yourself.

What Big Cat Are You?

===================================

You Are a Persian Cat

You are very high-maintenance, at least as far as keeping up your appearance goes. But you're surprisingly low-maintenance in every other aspect of your life. You are peaceful and sweet tempered. People enjoy your company. You are loving and a good companion, but it takes you a while to trust people.

What Breed of Cat Are You?

=====================

Questionaire

I got this quiz from Shushan's Shore.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
1. Grab the book nearest to you,
Turn to page 18, and find line 4...

"He had no photographer to record every event: these photographs, which show the doorway boarded up and men carrying baskets of limestone chips and sand to fill the staircase, were taken when he repeated the operation some weeks later."


2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
What can you touch?
A wooden shelf

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Doctor Who, the story arc "Silence in the Library"

4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 4:00 p.m.

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 3:49 p.m.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Mom and my brother theorizing about the show that's on

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Sometime ago. I was feeding my cats.

8. Before you started this survey, what were you doing?
Blogging on another topic

9. What are you wearing? a black dress and a red sweater

10. Did you dream last night? I did, but the dream was very incoherent.

11. When did you last laugh?
A few hours ago

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Wallpaper, a pair of Victorian-esqe lamps, some Christian images, an old portrait of a gentle lady clad in colonial dress

13. Seen anything weird lately?
There is always something weird going on, no matter where you are. Weirdness is normal, imho.

14. What do you think of this quiz?
Not entirely sure...

15. What is the last film you saw?
That would be Howl's Moving Castle.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, What would you buy first?
I suspect that it would be something practical...

17. Tell us something about you that we didn't know before.
I love unicorns for what they symbolise as much as for their beauty.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be.
That many people have trouble seeing the difference between a mask and a face.

19. Do you like to dance?
Sort of.

20. Should Christians get involved in politics?
Yes.

21. If you could invent anything, what would it be?
Not too sure...

22. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
That would depend entirely upon the current situation.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
See above. I would if I fell in love with a foreigner and he wanted to be near his family, but that is one unlikely scenario. That probably won't ever happen and that is just as well for everyone involved.

24. What do you want God to say to you when you meet Him face to face?
Well done! Welcome home!

25. What was the last music you heard?
Cantoluna by Secret Garden

Daily dose of random...

If you're a Bleach or MLP fan, then you might get a giggle from this one. :D

I'm not a MLP fan, but this thing is just too good not to share. It makes almost too much sense, when you think about it. lol

Now I know why Pinkie Pie bugs me. All that pent up energy waiting to happen... lol (j/k)

Sailor Moon Suit - Done!

The suit is finally done! I added morphs where I thought they might be useful; such as to add motion to the skirt and collar.

The delay was because I had an inspiration for making the collar work much more conveniently than that version in “Under Moonlight”. (The mapping on that alpha version drove me nuts!) The downside was that I had to build it from scratch. It came together quickly, thankfully.

All of the goodies are in the “Cosplay Closet” folder. They are on my family’s website. (click this link to get at it – It’s under Downloads>Cosplay Closet)

This first set contains the leotard, the 1st season skirt, sleeves, collar, and gloves.. There are also matposes and materials to make the stuff easier to use. I’ve also uploaded the tiara, neckbands, and earrings in a separate pack to make downloading easier. (combined, the two sets have quite a large filesize)
They are up at our family’s website – Wryter’s Fyre.

RPG World - "Lost data"

Series and art by IanJ – this particular comic and dialogue by Rebehm

Lol I’ve been on an RPG World kick lately. Mom and I were talking about how IanJ had ended his comic, and came up with this one. I hope he likes it.
I suspect this scenario has happened to many dedicated gamers at some point or another; an old favorite console or game goes on the fritz at a bad moment… and destroys hours of data into the bargain.


RPG World - "Lost data" by ~Rebehm on deviantART

I just HAD to make Cherry's dress after reading that particular story arc again. :)


"Come dance with me" by ~Rebehm on deviantART

Sailor Moon Freebie Update

Okay, the first freebie I've finished is up. You'll have to go to its page to pick it up, though.

Taken from the page:
It's finally done!
Actually, I meant to submit this last night. We had a storm that knocked out the power until the wee hours of the morning. Oh well.

Edit: This was built for Aiko3. :)

This set includes the following:
-One pair of shoes
-Three Textures, one red, white, one orange
-Ankle Straps
-One pose

Both Sailor Venus and Princess Serenity have very similar footwear to Rei, hence the other textures.

This is GNU fan art; I do not own the concept for Sailor Moon.


Mars Heels - Version 1 by ~Rebehm on deviantART

Fanfic

I’ve been writing more fan fiction lately. I did finish the first part of that prequel I promised. Later sections require some editing and refinement before I will be happy posting them. :)
Anyway, it got me thinking about the whole process of writing. Even if you’re just writing a fan fiction, you need to think about who the characters are and that can be a pretty involved process. That is why when some folks are writing something original they base their characters on real people. Many famous authors have done this, sometimes pleasantly, sometimes negatively. But I digress.

He’s going to be in my tale so let’s consider Jadeite from Sailor Moon.

In the anime, he strikes me as a very shallow, sexist, and power-hungry creep.

Here is why; He tended to judge by appearances. If he saw a cute girl, he automatically assumed she was helpless and had no compunction about bullying her - in fact he took pleasure in it! It made him feel better about his situation back in the Dark Kingdom; he was trying to suck up to Beryl but wasn’t getting anywhere.

Did you notice how all his youma had to look good to him as well as to humans? They complied in hopes that Jadeite would favor them. He noticed their efforts to please him and used their feelings to manipulate them with praise and flirtation. A few, like Tethys, proactively flirted with him to avoid treachery. It did not stop him from jumping ship when Sailor Moon and her buddies turned up.

To him, those girls were merely pawns in his game. He acted as though he could not truly love another creature. I don’t think that the bad guys would treat each other well unless they could benefit from it.

The creepy part is that there many people who are quite that mercenary.

His creator seems to have written him as a warning to teenage girls living in Japan because there are people - males and females - who are every bit as manipulative as she wrote Jadeite being.
What creeps me out about him is just how many people that I have seen act like him.
Too many people feel that people and relationships are useless unless they aid in the pursuit of wealth or fame. Too many people seem to find characters like Jadeite or Lelouche Lamperouge of Code Geass clever and wise. Even when they do not view you as an obstacle in their quest, they are not exactly loyal or feel tied down by the relationship if it doesn’t produce the results they seek.

However, there is one thing I would like to acknowledge: Manipulation and charm are not always used to harm. It is merely a tool, something that some folks are taught in harmless endeavors like marketing. Like any other tool, it can be misused. However, it becomes a problem if paired with badly balanced pragmatism.
Either allowing emotions to rule you or failing to listen to your heart are two extremes to avoid.

However, someone who has gotten skilled at charming people and persuading them to do what they want often develops a tendency to not entirely understand that this method can fail, even with the best of intentions backing it. Sometimes, if the person is not entirely ethical, he or she blames their target, whether it is his fault or not, for their own failure when their efforts backfire. Again, I’ve seen this happen time and time again.
Here’s an example of one soul who was harmless though entirely too pragmatic.
Mom had an intelligent friend who was really good at charming people and persuading them to do what he wanted most of the time. He wasn’t a bad man; usually he used his considerable talents to encourage people to be their better selves. It wasn’t weird to see him gently diffuse a potentially unpleasant situation.
However, he sometimes got a bit… put off his stride or confused when Mom didn‘t do or say what he expected her to. He was used to steering the conversations he had with people.
Mom carefully observes what people say and do so she can understand them better. He wasn’t used to talking to someone who paid attention to who he really was.

This guy meant no harm, but his behavior did encourage me to learn to think carefully about a person’s actions before truly trusting him or her. It is really important that people try to look past what someone projects; in other words at his basic attitude and behavior. I believe this is what God means when He said, “By their fruit, you will know them.” (paraphrase)
Incidentally, this is one skill reading comprehension does help someone learn. Thinking about what you’re being told is an essential part of being free. Mind you, this is also true of marching to your own drummer.
Incidentally, this is also true of choosing your friends. Social standing doesn’t mean beans if they will easily betray you! If you observe what they do and say and carefully think about what you noted, you will know them as people much better.
Interestingly, the Bible actually tells Christians to do exactly that. God wants his people to think, but not judge. It is wise to be cautious.

Don’t let the dark ruminations above fool you; this tale is going to be extremely silly. Don't expect anything like what my mother does. I like what she does and admire her, but my stuff tends to be more cutesy and just plain stranger than hers.
That’s why you’ve not seen my fan fics sooner. My old stuff was truly horrible. I didn’t feel like inflicting it on anyone. For instance, I once tried to write a Myst/Harry Potter crossover. It was supposed read like a script. That thing was awful! I especially hated how my dialogue came out. It didn’t help that I was reading Candide at the time. ( That semester, Mom had me studying the Enlightenment and we discussed the great thinkers and their philosophies. I read Candide and some of Divine Comedy to gain a better understanding of Voltaire‘s philosophy. I loved that semester) The dialogue in that turkey sounded very forced, especially after reading the delicate phrasing and clever language usage typical of Voltaire’s writings.

Then again, Mom and other writers say that learning to write a story is like learning how to draw: when you start out you’ll make many pieces you will cringe at later, but eventually you’ll make something you’re happy with. :D
The other part is that what Mom and her friends were doing was truly special and I felt my scratchings didn’t measure up. There were so many kinds of thinkers and artisans in this group. The group that did all of this influenced the world.

Learn from my mistake; if you’re a brand new writer, don't expect your efforts to compare to the marvelous adventures captured on text by a college student who loves classical literature and old legends with all his heart; instead learn from his example!

The only thing that really came out well enough to share from before was a one shot about Harry Potter grieving. (It has a better ending than it first sounds, by the way.)
I just sat down one evening and wrote it after doing my homework and rereading Darnay’s Linking Story for the umpteenth time. I really loved that particular story. It is like being there exploring with the characters. I was thinking about what I really liked about both portions( in this case, Mom’s pacing and the kind of description Darnay used) and decided to see if I couldn‘t learn from their example while using a different theme and working from a different series.

Anyway, there is more to come; this project just keeps growing!