I recently replied to a post on lazypadawan's journal from about a month ago on horror in the Star Wars universe. It's outdated, but I haven't visited her journal in about a year. I already posted the response over there, but here it is as well.

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"I've seen Forever Knight crossovers with Star Trek before that worked surprisingly well, so anything is possible.

I think vampires could very well be the work of the Sith. The Sith could have performed some experiment thousands of years ago, people were warped by Sith alchemy, and now these creatures roam the galaxy under the cover of nightfall, not really predators, but victims of others' misfortunes in crossing the path of the Sith. In fact, a vampire Jedi would be a very interesting idea. I wonder how the Jedi would react to a being that could have higher Force potential than usual, but requires a living being's blood to sustain itself? That would give them a more different dilemma than usual - "do we recruit this being, or do we turn it away? Or do we kill it despite actually working against the Sith?"

I think horror is a very plausible genre in Star Wars, considering all the experiments that are probably being performed in the GFFA on living beings. In fact, wasn't there a comic book series along those lines? The Empire alone could probably write a book of horror movie revolutions based on all the experiments it probably performed on people. Darth Sidious is very creepy in nature, and Darth Plagueis' experiments with midichlorians is definitely shudder inspiring. Anakin's conception is probably the creepiest, the idea that a Sith Lord could influence a person's very being to create life (I don't believe it, but it's worth bringing up), if it has any truth to it. The idea that a being could create another being through sheer force of will, and create any kind of being he wanted. Now you're crossing into God territory. The potential for abominations is endless, and Anakin could have easily been a very monstrous creature if he had been created by the Sith. He wasn't, but the thing that could have resulted could have been the most terrible, most inhuman Sith Lord imaginable, if Darth Plagueis had succeeded in his experiments.

Vader himself is very horror inducing. I used to shudder whenever I read the Technical Commentaries, because of the sheer injuries his body must have gone through. There was always something creepy about it, the way this man was still standing despite being a nightmare of ghastly medical problems. Definitely not the type of thing you want to contemplate on for too long. Especially given the descriptions in "The Rise of Lord Vader" of necrotic flesh across his body. Medical horror is always one of those things that gets me squirming. I daresay Vader is more terrifying than any vampire could ever be, because he's still alive, and not an animated corpse or other lifeform who operates in a way resembling animated corpses. He's a regular human being trapped in a nightmarish situation, who by all rights, should be very dead.

For all the strengths of Star Wars, the one downside I find depressing about is that it gets boring sometimes, always being about the Empire vs Rebels, or Jedi against battle droids, or Jedi against the Sith. Horror provides a different take on the galaxy from all those conflicts, and I think it's a fertile genre that should be more exploited. Romance and action are already pretty well covered, so why not horror too? Especially when the GFFA is one of the most terrifying places around in fiction, when you think about it? We would love to live there, but at the same time, we can't deny there are a ton of terrible things that could happen to us, many of which we are thankfully spared from in our reality (though we have our own petty problems)."

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Forever Knight has recently struck my fancy again, so I think I might write something with vampires soon. It might not be in the Star Wars universe, but it will involve some of my characters. It'll be a glimpse at some of the chaos in my alternate universe near the end of its life cycle, where Silent Hill crosses with several other genres.

I was watching Deal or No Deal, and here is the most recent moron from the past episodes airing on GSN, one Carmen Gantt:

http://gameshows.about.com/b/2007/10/11/heartbreaker-on-deal-or-no-deal.htm

This shows you shouldn't listen to idiot relatives. The way her relatives kept pushing her forward despite the terrible odds against her was repulsive, and she should have damn well told them to shut up. The most amazing part was the little boy that kept telling her "no deal", regardless of the odds against her.

Sorry little boy, but you don't know shit about the way the world works. This woman listening to her son, who clearly had no concept of how the odds work on that show, shows how some people simply cannot go against their relatives, no matter how disastrous their judgment. If it were me, I would have told that little boy to shut up and that he knew nothing about what that money would do for him, then taken the deal. I wanted to slap this little boy for his annoying stupidity. You don't listen to people like this!

She should have divorced her husband again after this. The hell with love...this man literally caused her to throw away her children's future and the payment for her own debts, accumulated from their obviously stupid divorce, if they got together again after it. I don't know which one is worse: the husband for telling her to go so far and then changing his mind with only a feeble effort of saying "Deal", or her for listening to her husband and son, who were clearly out of their minds. I am honestly surprised nobody has slapped their spouse or walked out on them on that show, considering all the times stupid spouses have caused their significant others to lose money, or the time SMART people have had to watch their relatives slam the lid on the offers and lose out on many thousands of dollars. I remember one time when a little boy was upset his father didn't take the deal, because all the relatives were telling him to take the deal and he didn't do it. If it were me, I would not speak to that man again for a year. I would have reminded him every day of his stupidity, because it wasn't just his money he threw away, it was ALL their money, and he left like an idiot with nothing. And the worst ones are the ones who go on things like "faith" and "luck", rather than realizing this is based on chance. There was only one guy on there who seemed destined to win more, and that was because the fact the number 12 (or whatever it was) kept showing up again and again in his life, and the fact the highest amount left was in the number 12, is too much of a coincidence to ignore (almost). But other than that, "faith" doesn't count for shit on this show. "Faith" can't change the amount of money that's in a case.

I don't empathize with people like this, and I think it depends on the situation. I only empathize with people on game shows like Catch 21, where they're clearly winning based on skill and then they find out they could have gone further, rather than the $5,000 they settled for. Likewise, I think this isn't so much entertainment, as it is drama. It's drama because you're watching a struggle for money and there are very real emotions at stake. Entertainment is something that amuses you and lets you have fun watching, even if there are some emotions later on. This is just painful to watch sometimes. There are also startling psychological consequences. Can you live with yourself knowing you threw away your family's chance for a better life; the chance for your child to go to college? In fact, considering today's economic climate, it might very well have been the only way he would have gone to college without accumulating a massive debt (the little boy in this episode). The sheer stupidity in this game is startling, but the fact it has such emotional content and devastating consequences moves it away from entertainment and more towards drama. I don't know if that analysis makes sense or not, but Deal or No Deal is definitely not fun. It's addictive, if you watch it enough, but it's not fun.

I ran into another example of the elitist attitude that Americans don't work hard enough and Obama is a malevolent dictator for wanting to help people, while browsing a Yahoo article another LJ user posted on her journal. God, I'm beginning to hate that site. If it weren't for Andrea's group and odd news, I would never set foot in Yahoo's site again! There were many idiots on that, all of whom are shining examples of why America is becoming such a shithole nowadays. It was one user in particular who I commented to, because of the sheer monstrousness of her attitude. I assume it's a she because of their username, but maybe it's a guy too.

Here is the response I wanted to leave them, but couldn't because of the severe character limit on the site. I had to settle for half of it and another edited post:

( Warning: heavy cursing, raving, and plenty of rage behind this filter. )


I hope this doesn't offend anyone...but you know me and my temper, to paraphrase Tyra Banks' character on the Fresh Prince. Pray that never do any of these people ever cross my path.

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http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/4-problems-that-could-sink-america.aspx?page=1

If there's one thing that really pisses me off, it's the myth that Americans don't want to work hard, and that's the reason for all their problems, said by people who are clearly completely out of touch with reality as we know it. Here's my response:

"If anyone agrees with this article, then they are the most delusional people on the face of the Earth. That's right, I'm calling out everyone on this thread who seems to have ignored the sheer elitism of this article, and the fact that the author is apparently completely out-of-touch with reality. I'm sorry, but I have seen this bullshit pulled time and time again this month by idiots who don't seem to realize that hard work DOES NOT automatically equal success! My parents work damn hard and they still have mediocre health insurance, because health insurance sucks in this state. Savings? With the cost of living being massively high here and much of the money going to pay off debts (which AREN'T from overzealous spending, but actual legitimate problems they couldn't foresee, believe it or not! *GASP*), there is no other choice but to live from paycheck to paycheck. Why don't I help them out? Because I'm putting in so many hours trying to graduate from school on time, that I don't have time to maintain even a part-time job. And even when I did have time to have a job, I still couldn't get one, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Why? Because this city has one of the worst job markets in the country, and I'm not the only one who's said so. Believe me, you can't even get a position at McDonald's here sometimes - it's that bad, even if you have a college degree from a four year institution and several references. There are too many people and too few positions, even low-paying ones. It's not at all about "i-pods" and "xbox's", despite what some idiots would have you believe. Many people live well below their means and still barely get by. I saw one idiot online today who told a post-graduate student who was in debt to "cut the Internet and get rid of your i-phone" in order to make ends meet, and it was by far the most ignorant comment on that entire forum (Politico, in the story on one politician saying the GOP wanted everyone dead, just so you know; obviously the forum thread went a bit off topic), because the person assumed they knew the circumstances of this other student. They don't. That student could have been posting via a dial-up connection, have no cell phone, no video game consoles or plasma TVs of his own, no cable service, and still be in debt anyway! That's how America works. A Wii won't put you in debt. A medical emergency, or massive gas and electricity bills (like in this city), and other various expenses NECESSARY for life will put you in debt. Repairs on your house, which can't afford to be ignored. Repairs for your car, because it's the only way you can get to work (public transportation is horrible in some cities).

'Hardly. Vaynerchuk has big plans, and he works at least 16 hours a day to achieve them. "If you want to work eight hours a day," he says, "you're going to get eight-hour-a-day results. There's nothing wrong with that, but I don't want to hear you bitch about money if you're only willing to work eight hours a day."'

In other words, work until you have a heart attack? Yeah, REAL smart thinking there. So when you end up having a heart attack trying to do that as a small business owner, and you can't afford medical care because you still have no health insurance, will it have been worth it? Not to mention, this means no social life, no time for your family, no time for hobbies, etc. All you're doing is work, work, work, work, work, work, work. No time for anything else. All the things that make life, you know...worth living? *rolls eyes* Yeah, working ourselves to death is the cure for everything! How many people are willing to bet this guy will be dead in a year from exhaustion? I think it's a very safe bet.

Not to mention, this article seems to be forgetting the basic rules of business. Not all businesses succeed. Many business fail simply because of purely bad circumstances. You could be a smart person, have an advanced college degree, the best employees, and your business will still fail. To think that everyone can start a business and become a millionaire through sheer "hard work" is ludicrous. Does that mean your life is worthless because you didn't succeed at your enterprise? Hell no! The idea that those who are struggling are only doing so because they don't do "hard work" is bullshit, and shows the people stating it are either completely out-of-touch with reality, or rich persons who have it easy and think everyone else should have it easy as well. You can work hard and not be worth a dime to your employer or people like the author of this article.

People like this are sickening - the assholes who believe that just because they have it good, that everyone should be well off, and if they're not, they're just lazy bums. We've been discussing this in Sociology class lately and it's something that really pisses me off. We're willing to sacrifice much, but we also want to enjoy life, and just because we aren't working ourselves to death for companies and organizations that treat their employees like shit doesn't mean we're lazy! In the School District here, you could work yourself like a dog and barely get compensated for your effort - my mom knows that from experience. Another place I know of (a hospital) doesn't give its employees much overtime, even if they want it. So working overtime ISN'T an option. No matter what Mr. Vaynerchuck says, not everyone has the opportunity to work more than 40 hours a week. You can only work the hours your job allows you to work. Some people are lucky to work 35. And not everyone can start their own business. Actually, sometimes starting your own business is worse, because you're putting all your resources into one risk. Unless you have a safety net to fall back on, if something happens and your business doesn't go as planned, you're screwed.

This is like the morons who argue that anyone with a job should be able to afford health insurance. Just because you have a job doesn't mean you have enough money to live comfortably. And while working two jobs or three jobs is an option, you also have to weigh the risks of doing that if you have a family to look after, or even just want to have a normal, healthy life. My dad is doing that right now - working 16 hour days trying to earn more money for us, despite our warnings, and I fully expect him to have an illness befall him at some point. You can't work yourself to the bone, sleep only a few hours, take only a couple breaks occasionally, and not expect yourself to get sick.

All the people saying to "stop whining" and that Americans are 'feeling the sting of believing they're entitled to everything without working': Face Reality. It's not that simple. You can have a job that beats you to your knees and still not have enough money to live a relatively decent life. Meanwhile some CEO who runs his company into the ground and proves himself to be utterly incompetent at running a business can make millions despite his disastrous decisions. That's just the way the world works, but that doesn't mean we should accept it as inevitable and dismiss anyone who complains as being a "whiner". Always try to put yourself in the other person's shoes, as the author of "Nickel and Dimed" did when she tried to live as a working class American with little income. She learned a terrible lesson - America will beat you to your knees if you're a middle class worker sometimes. "Hard work" only carries you so far. Your circumstances matter a lot, and if you have a low-paying job or two jobs, in a city with massively high costs of living, and you can't afford to relocate, Lord help you. You are in trouble, and unless you have well-off relatives who can help you, you are going to experience some hard times like no other.

Should Americans work hard? Yes. Will working hard and trying to start business solve all their problems? No. Not At All. You have to understand that not everyone can have an $80,000 + salary even if they work hard every single day of the week. That doesn't mean those people should be denied health care and a decent standard of living simply because they're not making six figures.

Oh, and the Wal Mart thing some poster mentioned a while back? Some people go to shop at Wal Mart for food because the prices are cheaper. When your local supermarket is charging you $5 for cheese and worse for everything else, and you have tons of bills to pay, you can't afford to shop expensively. You either get food where it's cheapest or when it's on sale, or starve. And yes, that includes "healthy foods" like whole-grain cereal. But being a Wal Mart shopper does not automatically mean you eat unhealthily. And fat people aren't automatically lazy. Trying telling that stereotype to a larger person who busts his ass at work all day. There is such a thing as genetics, you know. Being overweight does not automatically equal being lazy."

I'm sure we've all heard about the Obama Facebook situation by now, if you've been paying attention to the news. Basically, some idiot posted a poll about Obama that raised quite a few alarms among people, for good reason. I posted some comments in this thread http://news.cnet.com/8601-17852_3-10362725-1.html?communityId=2101&targetCommunityId=2101&blogId=71&tag=mncol;tback, under the screenname ane23. Here's what I said, for your convenience:

"Actually, Lincoln was very hated in his era, and is still hated by a lot of people. Look at all the people in the South who still honor the Confederate flag, probably resentful they can't hold slaves anymore. What is happening now is nothing compared to what happened then - we are not involved a Civil War between our different peoples yet. The fact that you can even compare Obama to what happened then shows how little you know of history. NOTHING will ever equal what happened then, unless we go to war against each other. And look what happened to Lincoln. Was there a conspiracy to kill him, or was it one man acting alone with his cohorts? It doesn't matter. If not John Wilkes Booth, someone else would have gone after him eventually. The fact is people who are angry over things based on irrational reasons often can and will take action on their own, which is why authorities have to be alert. Some people are saying this guy is probably someone who did it for a joke. I say this a very serious sign of a priority threat against the President of the United States, and should be treated as such. I hope the person who is behind this poll is thrown in jail and given 20 - 30 years in prison, at least. Let them rot in the brig for even daring to raise this possibility. And the people who are dissatisfied with the country right now fall into five categories - 1) Corrupt Republicans, Democrats and corporate CEOs who are afraid of losing some of the money they hold so dear (especially the health insurance companies, who bulldoze over people like they were garbage) 2) Morons who defend the health insurance industries and rail against Obama for challenging them without realizing the corporations will bury them, literally, if they get sick with a serious illness 3) Racists or evangelical lunatics who are angry the President is Black, or that he is a progressive who advocates change 4) People who voted for Obama and are impatient he has been slow to put into effect the change he promised 5) People who are still angry about what Bush did to our country, and are desperately wanting Obama to fix it.

Bush practically destroyed this country, almost. He trampled all over our civil rights, wasted countless millions on a war that ignored the real enemy, sent our national debt rocketing sky high, opposed gay rights, sunk our schools into an abstinence-only sex education program that goes against many parents' desire for our children, elevated the rich to a level of protection they had not seen in years, and all around messed things up beyond anything we could have imagined. Obama has done nothing compared to what Bush did. Yet even with all those things, no sane person would have ever advocated violence against Bush! Threatening the President is a big No-No. You just don't do it, period, no matter who you are. If you want to file a protest against him, go to the news stations and conduct yourself like an intelligent, non-psychotic being who's well spoken. You don't pull crap like this. It's wrong regardless of whatever political party you affiliate yourself with.

"A lot of the chaos that's currently going on deals with the healthcare reforms Obama proposes to make. Much of the anger that is directed at Obama should be directed at Republicans, for being such lazy asses that they couldn't do a damn thing in EIGHT YEARS of Bush being President!! But again, even with all that, no sane person would have advocated violence against Bush. Whoever posted this poll is not a sane person. It doesn't matter if they did it for a joke, or if they're a child just being a moron, or whatever they are. The fact that they thought they could do this and apparently get away with it is disturbing, and more than enough reason for the Secret Service to investigate this and bring whoever did it to justice. Even if it's to rile people up. Especially if it's to rile people are, because there's a good chance some psycho could become inspired by this and go do something unwise.

Actually, maybe the results of that poll should be made public. That way, we can see who all these lunatics are who voted yes or maybe are, and help the Secret Service arrest them as promptly as possible. As for the propaganda part, the Republican party spews plenty of its own propaganda. Look at Rush Limbaugh. The man is nothing but a racist, sexist, homophobic hype machine for the Republican interests. Glenn Beck is even worse. The man seems to be genuinely insane, or else is the greatest master of riling up people for the heck of it that I have ever seen. It very well could be the latter, as he almost seems too insane to be genuine. But either way, they're both tools of the Republican party. Both sides are guilty of propaganda. It's just a matter of how much, and how vitriolic it is. Is it slightly damaging? Or is it dangerous, irrational raving bordering almost on treason?"

As always, I marvel at my own brilliance. :P But it's true. Things like these have to be investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted. We cannot allow people to get away with threatening our President just for the hell of it, regardless of whether he's a Republican or Democrat. It's just wrong, you don't do it, and if you can't see that, then you're a fool. The people saying it's nothing are deluding themselves if they think this is nothing.

I think men and women are equally capable of cheating on their partner. Some women take pride in it, but you'll notice they only do so behind the safety of Internet screen names, or with the cameras blurring their faces. They don't want to be acknowledged as cheaters openly. The ones who answer on surveys are doing so under the veil of anonymity, and there are probably many more that don't answer honestly. They have reason to be wary, because society places a lot more disdain on women who cheat than on men. Society expects men to cheat, practically, but women are somehow expected to be perfect mates just because of their sex. The fact is cheating is wrong regardless of who does it. I'd say men are probably bigger cheats in general, but only because some of them pursue sex a lot more openly than many women. They make it clear what they want from the first time around, so they waste no time beating around the bush. However, women are completely capable of matching them in that regard if they want.

I think the institution of marriage is completely overrated. The way that it exists now, it's treated too lightly by some and completely rigid/inflexible by others. If you're going to have marriage, it should be for everyone - gay, straight, bisexual, transgendered and asexual. It shouldn't be just for a straight man and a woman, and previously only those of the same race. That being said, I think marriage is also what you make of it. You can't let others lead you around into their ideas of how to be married. Some people who are married are miserable, and they believe others should be the same. Some people are completely happy in their marriage, and can't understand those who have trouble with it. Some can't understand why you would get married at a certain age and encourage you to date around, ignoring the fact that you may have found your soul mate on the first try (and it does happen; many times, in fact). You have to find what works for you. If an open marriage works for you, then by all means, go for it! I've seen couples on Taxicab Confessions who have open marriages and they seem perfectly content with them. Of course, you have to be careful with venereal disease and such, but my point is that you have to find the type of marriage that works for you. That's the only way to be happy if you're going to be devoted to one person only spiritually, in that way.

I was reading an Obidala fic (I know, I really should stay away, but sometimes I just can't resist the temptation to peek ;), and I came up with this idea. I hope it makes for an interesting challenge for some of you.

1) Padme Amidala survives the destruction of the Republic. Years later Anakin Skywalker survives the destruction of the Death Star. Luke is forgiving of Anakin; Padme and Leia are not. The story may include some slight hints of Obidala; very, very slight.

Focus should be on Luke's point of view, and possibly Padme's. How does this divide the family in half?

This just came to me today, while I was listening to a Family Feud question on how women would describe a man who's hot. What do you think of yourself when it comes to your physical appearance? Do you like it or do you think it could be better? And why?

I think I'm pretty average looking, overall. I have some regular features, but I'm no prize. I think that's why I'm so ambivalent when it comes to dating, aside from my overpowering cynicism. I'm not the type of guy that girls go crazy over.

What about you, whether you're a guy or girl? What do you think of yourself, in terms of the looks department? Don't be shy, nobody can see you online. ;D

Technically, reverse racism is racism against one's own race. But let's focus on the more conventional definition, which is racism against other races from minorities who have been persecuted themselves. After being lead to Wikipedia from another site, I was reading some articles about racism, and I came across something which I think is incredibly disturbing. It was an article about a belief system from the Nation of Islam that claims white men are Devils who are inherently evil and must be wiped out. Apparently, these invididuals advance a cockamamie theory that white men were created by a black scientists centuries ago. The cause of their supposed superiority? Melanin, the substance that gives your skin color. Never mind that we have proved that the differences in skin color are due to living in different areas and evolving those traits over time. Apparently this magical, mythical substance is some kind of super potion that gives black men (specifically men, I gather) superhuman power, allows them to have a soul, lets them live forever (or would have, if white men hadn't screwed up the genetic process and weren't giving black people AIDS), and generally makes them more evolved than any other race. They also advocate acting out against the racist America and other Western countries, the "faggot Pope" (now there's an oxymoron!), and any other person who doesn't acknowledge the Black human being as superior. I checked out other sites to see what they had to say on white-oriented racism, and while most people were repulsed by it, some of the lunatics came out of the woodwork and brought up the "White Devil" theory, thereby putting a visible face to the madness. Others weren't as repulsive, but they showed their own brand of ignorance on the matter. Some even felt that white people deserve it, never mind the fact that NOT ALL white people were involved in slavery! And NOBODY should be judged according to the sins of their ancestors!

( Ramblings underneath. Be warned: I'm brutal as ever tonight. )

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Cross-posted from knight-ander's journal:

"Too bad for the Obi-Wan lovers, George is involved in this. So it has to be considered canon. >:D Though to be realistic, we know the ending of this story in Revenge of the Sith. So Obi-Wan doesn't go on to have a relationship with this new found love. Instead he goes off into the desert and watches over Luke.

I think it'll probably be more flirting than anything else, because of the type of show this is. We know Obi-Wan is too dedicated to the Order to have a relationship. I do wonder if she'll be the one who breaks it off before it gets serious, or if he'll be the one to do so, or if she dies in an episode. Probably the latter. They said they were going to kill off characters, and even though they mentioned Jedi, it's logical that she'll get the ax too. They were going to kill off Panaka in the first season, but I guess they read about him becoming a Moff in the EU and decided that was a better fate for him. ;D Technically speaking, Ahsoka will probably get killed off at the end of the series too. I think at the end, only Anakin and Obi-Wan will be left, along with other recognizable characters that survive for RotS. Anyone who isn't critical to the story (like Ahsoka) will get the ax in some fashion. That includes Obi-Wan's new 'love interest'.

Sateen actually sounds pretty good, for a duchess' name. Star Wars has weird names. Windu? Skywalker? Solo? Don't even get me started about "Elan Sleazebaggano"."

So yeah, I don't see this character surviving beyond the series. So don't worry, Obi-Wan fans, your monastic, ascetic, celibate wonder boy who wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she threw herself naked at him is safe. :P Don't take offense at that, I wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she threw herself naked at me either. :P But you have to admit, Obi-Wan doesn't have the mind of a great lover. He's a negotiator, a diplomat, a warrior. He's a great General, but as far as being a lover, he's always thinking about "duty, duty, duty", which can be good for that position. But if you're always thinking about duty and nothing else, you're not going to have much time for anyone else. That's why you have to make slight adjustments to his character when writing a fanfic, such as him coming to a realization of some kind, or seeing the consequences of the Jedi Code in a less destructive fashion, rather than the one Anakin unleashed on the galaxy. Obi-Wan can become a great lover, but not while he's still mired in the mindset of the Jedi Code, which, arguably, is responsible for the downfall of the Jedi Order. It's probably better for the duchess, and Obi-Wan, that she doesn't get involved in a relationship with Obi-Wan. Besides, this is a children's show, which means they're not going to be involved in some torrid affair. >_> The only reason Anakin and Padme are in one is because they already had one in their first place. Their relationship is crucial to the series, so it can't just be ignored. If this was Cinemax, maybe you'd see some hot, steamy action between Obi-Wan and the duchess. :P But Cartoon Network? Give me a break. Anakin's comment about a "girlfriend" is mainly for a laugh, but from Obi-Wan's perspective, he's probably irritated because he knows it's just attraction. He wouldn't do anything with this woman, and so his former padawan's teasing is entirely inappropriate.

So don't worry, Obi-Wan fans, who are possibly having an adverse reaction to this. George is involved in this, and if he wouldn't do a love triangle between Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan, they're sure not going to do a torrid romance between him and some random woman.

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http://adage.com/adages/post?article_id=138062

Say it with me, people:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tim5nU3DwIE&feature=channel_page

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" :( I didn't find the Taco Bell dog offensive, and I'm Hispanic. My mom liked it a lot, and she's Puerto Rican. What makes the dog funny isn't its personality, or that it's representative of all Mexican people (because it's not). It's that it's a dog, a chihuahua, that happens to speak Spanish despite being a dog (which can't be said for most dogs :P), and it's looking for a Taco Bell meal. We take everything too seriously sometimes, when a dog can't even open its mouth without people getting up in arms about it. All I remember of the commercials is just that one line, "You quiero Taco Bell!". That's all there pretty much was to those commercials, and it worked beautifully. This is a tragic occurrence, in the world of famous pets. -_- R.I.P. Gidget, you've earned it.

On another note, here's a more astounding story to cheer up from that depressing one:

http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=10552533

I finally watched the Masters of Horror episode "The Screwfly Solution" a couple weeks ago.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/28180/masters-of-horror-the-screwfly-solution/

This guy says it better than I can. I don't agree with every single thing he says, but it's a pretty good view of the film. Holy shit, this film makes you feel absolutely horrible about being a man. We really are beasts, deep inside, despite what society tries to make us believe. At least, that's what the story tells us.

( Further spoilers below. )

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http://movies.ign.com/articles/100/1003084p1.html

Oh yeah. This is going to be good. *grin* You've got a Shakespeare veteran directing the thing, Natalie Portman as the love interest, and a wealth of Norse mythology to draw from. If they find some way to screw this up, it should be the greatest outrage in the history of all nerd fanboy outrages! ;D

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Hello, fellow Silent Hill fans. I haven't addressed you en masse for some time, but I hope that you're out there, and ready to listen to some ideas I have on Silent Hill fanfics. Obviously if you don't like fanfics, you won't be able to comment on this. But if you do, I would like. Have a seat, gentle listeners, and watch as I ruminate on some of the new ideas running through my disturbed little mind on my Silent Hill alternate universes which I have portrayed through my fics. *lame Nightcrawler impression, from "Forever Knight" xD*

I've recently seen the Masters of Horror episode "Right To Die", and that has inspired a new idea for a fic in my head. I won't go into the details of the episode, because I'll cover that in a later post. I've decided to post the idea, which is the first in the list, along with a couple other ideas that I've had in my brain for some time now.

Here are my current plans for future SH fics:


1) Summary: Once, in a town called Silent Hill, a little girl was burned in a gruesome and horrifying tragedy, that showed the true evil of the town. Years later, Alessa is fully recovered and leading a normal life with her guardian, trying to forget the horrors of the past. But the Order is looming in the shadows. In desperation to resurrect their God and usher in a new “Paradise”, the members of the Order launch a new initiative to find the Holy One and fulfill the promise of redemption made to them by a god. Attempts to fight them prove futile, and the Order is closing in. But when things go horrifically wrong during a sacred ceremony, will the most deadly of prices have to be paid to set things right? Self-contained AU.

2) Summary: In the blasted ruins of the Earth, Heather Mason and her guardian spend their days driving across the country, searching for a safe community to settle down in. Now more than father and daughter, Harry and Heather have grown to rely on each other as their only companion, in a world gone increasingly mad. Their search leads them to the community of Silent Hill, a place that has seemingly been protected by its resident gods. The community welcomes them with open arms, a far cry from the chilly reception Harry got ages ago from the Order. The members of the Order claim they have changed and offer sanctuary to the Holy One and her father in exchange for simply living peacefully among them. But as the situation in the rest of the world becomes increasingly desperate, and promises of salvation by the town’s god become rampant, can Heather resist giving in to the one thing she knows may bring about the ultimate end of the world? Sequel to “Mirror Image”, taking place after the Ancient Ones’ takeover of the Earth. Very AU, third in the Mirror Image trilogy.*

3) Summary: When the death toll in a certain city rises dramatically, Alessa decides to challenge Walter Sullivan, using her remaining powers to take down the demigod who has now murdered half of the city that was once Ashfield. Lisa, Julie, and Chris follow along, determined to put an end to the tormentor that savaged the latter two in the town, and murdered Chris’ sister in another reality. But when they’re captured by Sullivan and forced to play his little game of Hell on Earth, how far will they go to survive? Set in my “Dark Descent” AU, after Dark Descent and Ascension of the Damned.


* The Ancient Ones are a group of ancient gods in my original universe, one of whom was the father of the more human gods worshiped by many societies. Monstrous in appearance, counterparts to the SH gods, they still remain powerful in this world.

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Is it me, or does anyone else just LOVE the scene where Anakin chokes Padme? Yeah, Padme sounds like a little girl in her "breaking my heart" line, and her collapse during the Force choke leaves a little to be desired...but damn. This whole sequence rocks. Everything - the mood, the backdrop, the music, is just so perfect during this scene. Anakin sounds so demented when he accuses Obi-Wan of turning her against him, and later on when during his speech about his Empire. You can honestly see that this guy is gone. As if he wasn't before, killing the younglings and massacring the Temple, this just seals the deal. Obi-Wan might have been wrong to leave him to burn, because that just created a greater problem, but Anakin needed to be taught a lesson here.

Or should I say, Vader needed to be taught a lesson? ;)

I admit I frequently watch this scene all the way through the end of the fight, rather than the whole movie itself. Sometimes I start with Order 66, but just as the second half of A New Hope absolutely outshines the first half of the movie, so does the second half of this movie absolutely outshine everything that comes before the first half.

I know Andrea doesn't feel that way, but she's one of those fans for whom it's painful to watch Anakin turn, just because she's such a big fan of him and the Jedi.

And of course, you can't forget about the irony of Obi-Wan's "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." As if the master of absoluteness wasn't standing right there himself! It was the Jedi's absolute negativity on relationships that drove Anakin to the dark side in the first place. Granted, Obi-Wan doesn't know that...but the irony is still powerful. One Master of hypocrisy to another, confronting his enemy to uphold his absolutely unchangeable views.

So, does anyone else dig the "Force choking" scene? Don't be shy; this is a blog steeped in the dark side. ;D You can admit that you like the blatant sadism and tragedy inherent in that scene.

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"Your sin has been measured. You have committed many sins, but Wrath is the mortal sin that has done you in. Just below, discover your full sinful breakdown and learn what it is about you that codemns you to hell."

Greed:	Medium
Gluttony:	Medium
Wrath:	High
Sloth:	High
Envy:	Very Low
Lust:	Medium
Pride:	Medium

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Yeah, that describes me pretty well. It's part of why I can't have a relationship; at least, not with just anyone. I may look quiet and timid, but inside there's one volatile temper. I lose my temper at the slightest little things, and I've almost broken some things in anger. Just today I exploded for a moment when I dropped the cheese container on the floor. Anyone who was with me would have to patient, and not do too many things that annoy me. I'm like a smoldering volcano, ready to erupt at the slightest provocation. I'm Wrath, I admit it. ;D I would never harm someone who was with me, but others...well, if it weren't for recognizable laws, a hell of a lot of people would get their hurt on. Sexists, homophobes, racists...I would just obliterate them.

And there's as convincing an argument as any for us not having Jedi powers in real life, I suppose. ;D

Funny, I figured I would get Lust as the result. I saw that theladyleylene got Lust, and I thought there would be a lot of sex questions. But yeah, Wrath fits me pretty well. Although Sloth certainly comes in a close second. I've got my fair share of laziness; I admit it. It took three months to register for my college courses now. >_>

I also notice that "condemns" is spelled improperly in the top statement. I guess grammar isn't a top priority for this quiz. :P (just kidding!)