Sakina's Lair

OK, so I instantly fell in love with the guy from Eurovision, and instead of revising for my imminent exams, I went and made my own lj community for him:

http://community.livejournal.com/alexander_rybak/profile

Check it out, if you will, I have lots of exclusive 'goodies' there! :D

I haven't posted on fictionpress in a year, and decided to break my fast the other day when I should've been revising. OK, these exams are a pass or fail situation, and right now I'm seriously failing and on the verge of being kicked out. So I turned to writing as a vent. Only problem is, this story is taking over my life now. Check out my new fic:

Title: Dear Diary

Genre(s): Romance, friendship, humour

Summary: “Dear Diary, I wish I had never agreed to become Zack’s slave. This was the most stupid thing I could have done. Ever. And now he wants me to enter the Nationals with him!?” Jocelyn thought she had everything. A good life, a nice boyfriend, decent friends. Too bad she left her diary in the cafeteria and got blackmailed as a result.

Link: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2654492/1/Dear_Diary

Reviews would be nice! :)

The fantasy world of Song Quest is one where half creatures and humans co-exist in harmony and one where the very air vibrates with songs. This is a world where centaurs roam the plains, merlee sing in the sea, naga haunt the streams, and quetzal guard the forest. Here, songs hold immense power, such that they are guarded zealously by the Echorium, an institution situated on an island thirty days away by sailing from the mainland. The inhabitants begin their training as children by dying their hair blue, and are taught the five songs of power.

Our story begins with Rialle, a young novice in her final year of training. It’s the morning after a storm, and on the beach, Rialle realises she can hear the voices of the merlee in her head, crying for help. As a result, she is sent on a journey with the Second Singer, a journey that will change her life forever. Following her as a stowaway is her close friend, Frenn who will do anything for her.

Meanwhile, Kherron, another novice, has run away. Bitter about always coming second to Rialle, he discovers the survivor of a shipwreck from the storm and makes plans for a new life abroad. Taken in by a group of wild men known as the Karch, Kherron is forced to gut the very merlee that cried out to Rialle and collect their precious eggs, as he trades labour for a passage to the mainland. Little does he know that his path will clash with Rialle and Frenn again, as they end up high in the snowy mountains of the Karch warriors, amidst plots of power, treachery, and those same merlee eggs.

I won’t say anymore in terms of plot. As for characterisation, the main focus of the story is on her three young protagonists – Rialle, Kherron, and Frenn, but maybe less so on the latter. These are the only characters that are fully fleshed out, which was a slight let-down. And even then, they didn’t feel one hundred percent 3D. But this is just a minor detail which I’ve come to realise now, on re-reading the story seven years later yet the writing is still vivid as ever, still as fresh in my mind asit was back then.

Song Quest is a magical story that holds a special place in my heart. Reading it as a child, the very words held a magical quality that wound their way into my imagination, and even now, I can conjure up the very same images and emotions that I could back then. This is a timeless read, so original, and so enthralling that you can’t help but cheer on her protagonists, even the rebel Kherron, for this is as much his story as it is Rialle’s.

Author: Katherine Roberts
Age: Children
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Magic, Adventure

OK, I took this test almost three years ago and posted me result here. Now, three years later, and I still get the same freaking result!

OK, I have 6 more icons for you! I'm going for a dreamy ambient feel here, so these are all made using pale light effects. Hope you enjoy them, and credit ~brokenxskies if you love them and wanna use them please!

Preview:



( Tardis love... )

^_^

Sources: photo, tutorials
X-posted to: doctorwho, doctoreleven, the_11th_doctor

OK, I'm obsessed. It's official. I've only made six here though, cos I needs to get me some shut-eye! Enjoy, and credit ~brokenxskies please!

Preview:



( One short of a dozen... )

Sources: GOOGLE!
X-posted: doctorwho, doctoreleven, the_11th_doctor

^_^

It's Matt Smith and I've never heard of him but he's so fit and perfect in every single way...*fangasm* ...but Azazeal still ranks number one on the fangasm list. Gah, I now have an incentive to catch up with Doctor Who so I can totally drool over this new guy next year! Screw 2009, bring on 2010!

OK, personal thoughts time. Once again, I'll place this under a cut/link for those who haven't seen the show yet.

( Click for heavy smiting... )

Episode Title: They Bite
Summary:

A woman is walking down a corridor, and enters a room. She sees something small and furry going through some files, and then the scene cuts to the outside of the building whereupon we see an explosion of some sort. Glass shatters and tumbles everywhere. Cue opening credits.

( Spoilers! )

Had a bit of a clearout just now, by leaving communities that I'd lost interest in, and by defriending some people who I can't even remember ever meeting on LJ...

It feels like I'm cutting off ties, but most of my friend list has fallen inactive so there really isn't any reason for keeping them now, other than nostalgia. I'm hoping to post more too, and to post things people will actually want to read. Aha, that's another resolution! :)

Fresh start to a new year, so get more active guys!

I picked this book up on an off chance in Borders, and so thin was the book that I would not have noticed it had I not been looking out for titles with hints of darkness in them. Yes, I was still on my Hex high, and anything and everything dark was gladly welcomed. It was the title, and the font printed along the spine, that initially drew me in, but then I sat down and began to read, and after the first page in I knew I had to have this book. In fact, I think I spent an hour in the no-signal-zone basement of Borders, much to the wrath of my parents.

The prose is lush and magical, in a gentle weaving style very reminiscent of Exodus. At once, the fantasy world was established within a skip of a few paragraphs, so effortlessly. The style is light, yet often dated in the typical fantasy way.

We are introduced to Aeriel, servant to Eoduin. Both are out on the mountains, harvesting nectar for a wedding that is to take place. Through a series of events, Aeriel finds herself captured by a darkangel and is taken to his castle. High up on the cliffs, and guarded by gargoyles, escape is futile and so Aeriel is forced to weave kirtles for the darkangel's thirteen wives. She meets an unexpected ally and learns that once the darkangel has taken his fourteenth wife, then he will become full icari, and then the world will be doomed to the icari and his brothers. What will she do?

For me, the underrunning themes in this book include Aeriel's coming of age, discovering her true self, and the timeless theme of beauty. I couldn't help but notice the abundance of natural imagery, the allusions that the guardians were in a way, gods, and finally, the fairytale element that never left the book.

Here is the blurb from the back of my edition:

Aeriel is captured by the darkangel, a black-winged vampyre of astounding beauty and youth, and taken to his castle keep. There, she must serve his thireen wives, wraiths whose souls he has stolen away. Aeriel knows she must kill the darkangel before he takes his fourteenth bride and comes into full power, but she is captivated by his magnificent beauty and intrigued by the spark of goodness she sees inside him. Will Aeriel risk damning all of humanity to save the darkangel's soul, or can she end his reign of beautiful terror before he finds his final bride?

And, only because it is manga/anime, here is the Japanese cover art! xD

This is exciting because this is the first set of icons I have ever posted on LJ! :) I've made 15 icons for ITV's new drama, "Demons". They mainly of Luke Rutherford, played by Christian Cooke, plus some of Mina Harker, played by Zoe Tapper. Hope you enjoy them, and please credit me~ brokenxskies if you choose to save or use any!

Preview:




( Curiosity killed the cat... )

Image source: Here
Program used: CS2
Other Notes: Made with help from some tutorials

X-posted everywhere: lastvanhelsing, 1cons, iconaddicts, icons, fantazy_icons, darkicons

^_^

And so it ends. Goodbye to an amazing, if short-lived series.

( Cut for spoilers )

I would die for you
I will pray for you
I will sell my soul for something pure and true
Someone like you;

See your face every place that I walk in
Here your voice everytime that I'm talking
You will believe in me
And I will never be ignored---
I will die for you.

Song: #1 Crush (goth version) ~ Garbage
Link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WzFSmUBfC9Y

After completing Buffy and Angel, which took a total of two summers to achieve, I needed something else to get my teeth into (how could you not see that coming?) and so I ran a search on Google for other supernatural TV shows. There is nothing I like more than supernatural fantasy - I tried watching 24, but it didn't really hook me in the same way that Buffy and Angel did. I guess it's the whole angsty escapism that is so integral to the genre. Setting 24 aside on my "to watch" list, I ran Google, but all that came up repeatedly was Buffy, Angel and Charmed.

Now Charmed is something that I'm not entirely sure about. My primary appeal isn't with witches, but if the show has been running for so long then they must be doing something right. For now, this is another one for the "to watch" list, however, if I can get into this then Charmed could provide a new much needed obsession. It's lasted years, and I'm pretty sure that they run more series than Buffy did.

A more obscure show that came up was Hex. It didn't look too long - 19 episodes was manageable, and the title intrigued me. On reading the premise, I found the pilot on youtube. What struck me most was the sheer focus on sexualism, and that put me off slightly, because it seemed like the show was trying much too hard to convey a sense of teenage youth culture. But, the description of the show still intrigued me and so I resolved to buy the DVDs. I've had them since the end of the summer, but due to uni I've been much too busy to watch them, until now, that is.

Season One is so short - only six episodes, but I found I enjoyed the pilot much more, the second time round. The whole show does ooze sexualism, and they make it so obvious that they are dealing with modern issues, but once you get past that, then there is a very compelling storyline. Throughout the episodes, the backstory gradually unfolds, and the genre seems to move away from sharp jumpy scenes to focus more on the sexual tension between Azazeal and Cassie. And believe me, there is a hell of a lot of it.

It's fantastic. Especially episode five.

At first, I wasn't sure what to make of Cassie, as her personality seemed extremely unstable in the pilot. I wasn't sure if she actually cared or not. But she does become clearer, and soon we do just see a girl who wants to belong, but somehow can't. We can't help but feel sorry for her throughout. Always passive, it's a great but pleasant shock when she suddenly takes control later in the series.

Thelma though, is fantastic. She gives the show a fresh sense of life (despite the circumstances) and has such a vibrant presence which makes her so instantly likeable. Her unwavering loyalty and devotion to Cassie is something so admirable, and even though she knows she is being taken for granted, there is no resentment there. I'm so jealous of her hair and clothes.

Finally, Azazeal. What can I say? He is such a quiet, elegant badass, and so, damn, hot. He has the potential to do so much violence, but all we see is a cultured, sophisticated gentleman who revels in sin. And his eyes. There is definitely something about a man in a suit...nay, fallen angel...

Anyhow, illness and lack of lifts meant that tonight I stayed in to start the second series, so more to come soon...

Some shameless promoting here...join Frosted Halide, my role-play board! Frosted Halide is a play-by-post RPG forum, designed as a place for creativity to fluorish amidst a warm and welcoming community. Still a work in progress, Frosted Halide encompasses the Greater Multiverse - it is a gateway to many different worlds. There is a world for everyone; with no set genre, there really is no limit to the player's own creativity.

I started this board back in March, but so far it hasn't really grown at all since I haven't advertised it anywhere yet. Most of the members are people I have RP'd with in the past, but it would be really good if more people joined up. This is also the first time I have taken control of anything so grand as this - a lot of time has gone into my baby so it would be a colossal pity if it died on me.

Anyhow, here is the link to the forum:

Here's a link to OCR Salters Chemistry papers:

http://82.198.226.58/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=160

Took absolutely ages to find, and I don't need them anymore, but am leaving the link here as a resource to anyone who needs to sit the exam for the next and final year of this stupid syllabus.

I'm so excited that i couldn't wait until tomorrow to update...I made my first icon on Photoshop!


I think I need to sharpen the couple, but I don't know how to! Anyway, I'm just really happy that I managed to make one, and that it kinda turned out the way I wanted it to without too many glitches. I won't say how long it took me to make, as it'll make me sound borderline obsessive, but let's just say that one of my mission objectives will be complete by the end of this summer.

*happy*

I have a headache from staring at the screen.

How evil are you?

After you die... Parallel Universe After death, you will continue to exist as if nothing has ever happened. You will continue to be yourself, but because you are in a parallel universe, some things will be different. You may not have married the same person, you might live in a different spot, but you will be the same person underneath it all and you will continue your life unaware that you ever died.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com