Currently, I'm working on a Twilight versus Breaking Dawn rant and comparison. However, as this is turning into a slow, but steady rant on the poor quality of the series overall, I've realized that I'm going to need some quotes from New Moon and Eclipse to comment on.

I know I should probably read them myself, but I have little desire to unless I actually have to. The summaries of those two books were enough to keep me faithfully away from them.

Some of the subjects I would appreciate would be....

- Poor writing and/or editing quality
- Poor character development
- Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu qualities in Edward and Bella
- Poor plot preparation and plot holes
- Anything having to do with poor morals that Stephanie Meyer is trying to demonstrate to young readers.

Please note that while all quotes are appreciated, I only need them from New Moon and Eclipse, as I already have read Twilight and Breaking Dawn on my own.

Feedback in which I can quote users in this long rant is also appreciated. If I end up quoting you in the paper, I will quote your livejournal username and cite you via livejournal. If I end up using any quotes, I will cite you in the acknowledgements. Livejournal usernames will always be used unless otherwise requested.

This will be cross-posted to a few anti-Twilight communities for good measure.

Yep.

I'm bored, and you know what that means. MEME TIME.

Let's start off with your name.
Kyoka, as most of you know me.

Are you in a relationship?
Happy and single.

What are you listening to?
Konayuiki the piano theme.

Do you think too much or too little?
Definitely too much xD

Do you smile a lot?
Depending on my mood, yes and no.

Where have you lived for most of your life?
Same ol' Illinois. xD

What was the last compliment you received, and when?
"Do you think that your sister knows how lucky she is to have you as her sister?" That was last night. I think it's the most flattering thing I've ever heard.

Do you prefer to call or text?
I don't care, really. I can't text really fast, so it's easier to converse over the phone, though. It's all a matter of the situation.

Do you have any siblings?
Two sisters, one brother. One sister is annoying, one I love to pieces, and I always fight with my brother over the computer with.

Do you have kids?
Save for siblings in the house, no.

How many people do you trust 100%?
One or two. My best friend, possibly my sister.

Where did you get the shirt you're wearing?
A Christmas gift. Two years ago. Well, actually, that's my sweatshirt. I bought my actual shirt myself.

Do you go to church?
Yep.

What are you doing tonight?
Eating dinner? Sleeping? Writing? Whichever I manage, I will do.

What's the last film you saw in the theatre and with whom?
Wall-E with my family.

Can you live without the computer?
Everyone can live without the computer. I'd miss people at first, but I'd learn to live without it. Figuratively, I'm happy away from the computer if I'm at camp.

Do you wish at 11:11?
Oh, no, that's just silly.

Ever get so drunk you couldn't remember the entire night?
I've never drank. Therefore I've never gotten drunk. My memory fails me sometimes, though.

Favourite flower?
I like pretty-smelling flowers. I think tiger lilies are pretty.

Are you hiding something from someone?
I always hide things from people. Always.

What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?
Relaxation. My first coherent thought was "I have to go to the bathroom", probably. xD My next thought was about how I needed to help my friend with a sprained ankle down the slippery steps to go to breakfast.

Do you believe there's always room in your heart for your first love?
I don't have a first love. I really don't.

Have you memorized your social security number?
What, now? No.

Who was the last person to make you cry?
Can't remember, honestly. I think that I felt like crying after some random kid kept laying off the same gay joke for days, though, because people are silly like that. But I didn't cry. I haven't cried over what people have said for a while, now.

Do you trust people easily?
It depends on the person and situation.

Do you think you'll be married in 10 years?
I honestly don't think so.

Do you plan on moving out within the next year?
Not permanently. I'll defiantly not live in my house for a good majority of time, though. Oh, the wonders of going to college far from home.

What happened at 10:00 AM today?
I was getting ready to head for home from camp. At 10:00 precisely, I was being squashed in hugs as all my friends said goodbye.

What are you listening to now, if the song has changed?
Dragon by Zwei. ^^

Did you know that Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey got married?
Who is Nick Cannon? I don't really know Mariah Carey, either...

Do you laugh at all the wrong times?
Yes, very much.

What are your plans for today?
SLEEP. :D

Who was your last inbox message from?
Something about my facebook account, I think.

Who do you like?
Me? Nobody really, at the moment. At least, not in that way.

Do you still talk to the person who hurt you the most?
I can't be exactly sure. When you're hurt by multiple people it all compiles. Some I talk to, some I don't.

-----------------------

Anybody who wants to steal this meme, feel free. Leave a comment and let me know so that I can go read it. ^^

This week has been busy.

Having gone to camp, I always come back refreshed, yet tired. It's always such a lovely thing. Even though I've been going to the same camp every summer, excluding one year, since I was nine. I've also visited the same camp both for fall and winter retreats; it has, over the years, earned a very, very special place within my heart. Even with this, senior high camp has never quite been the same as other camps that I've been to; mini camp when I was nine, elementary camp until I was in middle school, and middle school camp until I reached this level.

I do feel overworked, of course. Our schedule is, generally, hard. We need to be awake at 7:30 to get ready for breakfast at 8:00. That isn't bad in itself, save for the fact that we generally spend time having camp events until 11:30 at the earliest; sometimes, it's closer to one or two. Given, hiking up the local "mountain" twice, taking a daytime canoing trip, kayaking, working on trust building, and playing other games is fun.

My poor friend Breck happened to sprain her ankle, so I also spent the week helping her around camp so she wouldn't fall.

This year was great, all in all--I met a lot of people who are now my anime convention buddies. I met people literally from around the world that were very kind and enjoyable to talk to--most of all, I came to some important realizations.

Over all my years at camp, even when I was younger, I never "saw" myself as a staff member there. Maybe I gave it thought once or twice that it would be fun to be there all the time. However, I never gave it too much consideration.

So, this was my last year at camp.

As I took a deep breath and prepared to accept the fact I was no longer able to camp--I realized something; I couldn't accept it. Not one bit. Over the years, I've acquired so many memories--so many friends that I just can't say goodbye to it, even in the midst of my eighteenth birthday.

Within the course of a single week, I went from one spectrum to the other; I wasn't going to even give working at camp any thought at all. Why? I'm not good with children.in the slightest. Then, suddenly, I came to a realization, which was really thanks to my counselors in part.

The camp has given so much to me--it has taught me to take risks and to make friends. Even though I live far away from many of these people, the amount of trust I have in them is impeccable. In most cases, it's stronger than people I see and interact with on a regular basis, even though my camp friends and I only meet once or twice a year. Not only that, I've learned so many lessons and learned so much how to care for others. Here, even though I may be different from my fellows who spend time in our tent together, we can laugh and have fun. We give each other hugs and greet each other as if we all shared the same interests.

Over the week, we discussed, as we usually do in senior high camp, about giving back to our camp. I never quite realized the message.

Here I am now, at the opposite side of the spectrum. I feel like I need to give back. So, next year, I am going to become a staff member for the entire summer. I'll be living with bugs--working all day and probably only getting a half of a day off every week. I might meet some children that are hard to work with. I might have to do boring work such as hauling around all kinds of equipment for camp activities. Now, though, something feels different about it.

I feel that if I can be close to the place that has meant so much to me over the years, I can find fulfillment no matter how hard, boring, or tedious the work may be. I don't care if I'm severed from technology for three months, either.

It's an amazing feeling.

There are few times in my life in which I feel like such a lucky person. I feel like, although people find places that they love, there are few places in the world that can possibly mean this much to somebody.

----------------------------

On another note, I will soon get back to writing. : ) Maybe I'll post up the prologue and things here. That would be rather nice.

I'll try and post up some camp pictures by the end of this week.

PS: I've recently acquired a facebook. If you want to friend me and I am acquainted with you, I can add you if you give me your name.

I'm dong an 100 facts meme, stolen from Narrator-san's blog, partially because I'm bored and in need of something to do.

1. I was born on 4/20 at 4:21. What an astounding coincidence.

2. On my birth certificate, the area that is supposed to list my blood type is blank.

3. I always had an animal in the house growing up. I never lived a day without at least a pet in one shape or another.

4. I've been saying since I was three years old that I want to be a veterinarian, and it hasn't changed.

5. I actually am not an anime fan. I watch some anime that catches my fancy, but I am not obsessed with it.

6. I have bad luck when it comes to watching any sort of show. The first episode of Cowboy bebop I ever watched was when Spike died. The second episode of Doctor Who that I ever watched was when Rose got transported to an alternate reality indefinably. (What terrible luck!)

7. My ankles burn very easily. They're the first part of me to burn in the hot sun.

8. My dad often used to tell me when I was a young child that I was a reincarnation of a penguin from Antarctica.

9. I don't stay mad at people for very long at all.

10. If there is ever a problem with something, the first thing that I assume is that it was my fault.

11. People say I'm mature, but I object.

12. I have several muses running around in my head that I converse fluently with. Their names are Katze, Liviu, and Tatatsu, currently. Sometimes I can have up to ten or so running around.

13. I used to have dreams of moving to Norway having fun with DDR for the rest of my life.

14. The one thing I have to do before I die is travel to Moscow.

15. I almost broke a nurse's hand once when she was giving me an IV.

16. I muse about stories best when I'm in class and not paying attention.

17. I call men that I find attractive 'pretty' even if they aren't feminine. I also call them 'handsome' if I really fancy them. I will never call them 'hot'.

18. I am not too into Prince of Tennis. I like the fandom, though.

19. I detest threesomes. I especially detest anything more than that.

20. I can't stand Hitachiincest, and I've gotten the 'look' several times for mentioning it to my friends.

21. I'm a very suspicious person. I always distance myself from people as much as possible. I always assume the worse. I also always assume that there's going to be some creep around when I'm alone.

22. I'm very shy and quiet around people unless I know them.

23. I usually learn about what I like from a friend, but I'm actually quite hard to corrupt into a certain thing.

24. I probably fell in love with a dog named Shylo three years ago. I wanted to take her home. I took care of her for months while she was at the animal shelter. There hasn't been a dog that special to me since.

25. I usually find mutts cuter than purebreds.

26. I hate to tell people that I'm upset in real life.

27. In fact, I will push myself to tears before I actually talk about what's bothering me.

28. I have twice was many regrets about my actions than I do joys.

29. I always look at the "what ifs" of a situation rather than the potential achievements.

30. I study people's 'auras' and gestures rather than give them a fair chance to earn my good graces.

31. I feel at peace whenever I'm completely alone and completely surrounded by nature.

32. I'm always frightened that somebody won't like me in a new situation.

33. I open up to people on the internet easier than I do to people in real life.

34. I actually love hugs.

35. I eat meals at school more than I do at home, usually.

36. I feel envious of other people's relationships, even though I explicitly state I'd probably be happier without such relationships.

37. I'm terrified of flying bugs.

38. I don't really have a favorite color. It's usually blue, but I also prefer the colors green and purple as well.

39. The only color that I don't really like is yellow.

40. If I were to ever go off on an adventure, my ideal fantasy states that some random force comes and sweeps me away to an alternate reality in which I have some exciting, destiny.

41. One of my most memorable moments is singing karaoke with my friend during the party at school in our last year of middle school.

42. I'm always paranoid that my friends are talking about me behind their backs.

43. I feel calmer by the beach than I do anywhere else.

44. I have been taking karate for three years sold, almost four, but I've taken karate on and off since I was seven.

45. I'm a bad driver. I don't want to get my license.

46. I'm frustrated easily.

47. I almost always feel distant from my peers at school.

48. Sometimes, I feel like I belong in another country because I cannot agree with my own culture a lot.

49. My favorite animal is a snow leopard.

50. If I become a veterinarian, I want to specialize in big cats so that I can work with the snow leopards in captivity along with working on conservation in the wild.

51. The modern world often makes me sad; I don't like its course.

52. I like visiting the city, but I could never live in it because it's too closed off.

53. Even though I've sworn myself away from romance, I secretly wish for one of those heart-enthralling romances that you only read about in books.

54. I believe in the paranormal, and despite the fact that I'd be scared stiff, I'd like to take a trip to quite a few haunted spots with a video camera just for my own entertainment.

55. I'm a very, very big procrastinator. I've even talked about staring a procrastinator's guild with my friends before, too.

55. If I could travel the world, I would probably visit over fifty countries given the choice.

56. I can give pretty good advice, but if I was in the same situation, I'd likely deal with it poorly.

57. I have dreams about fictional characters more than I have dreams of myself or real people I know.

58. I tend to jump between interests.

59. I'm very picky about my weight, even though I don't weigh too much.

60. I can't remember people's names for anything.

61. When asked to remember something, I can sometimes commit it to memory for several months after just those words.

62. However, if I'm not interested in it, I'll forget it within a second, even if I know it's important.

63. When I'm brooding, I take hot showers. Really hot showers, to the point where I'm almost burning myself.

64. The first anime that I ever watched was probably Cardcaptor Sakura.

65. I dislike many, many pairings because they don't have chemistry. Everything needs to be exactly right for me to ship it.

66. I tend to mutter to myself in gibberish.

67. I would die if I ever lost my two cats. I love them to bits.

68. I don't like it when people give me gifts. I appreciate them, but I don't appreciate the trouble the person went through to get them.

69. I usually cannot stand a lot of shojo things.

70. Even though I have a tendency to read and write a lot of yaoi, I don't like the manga style at all. There are only a few animes or mangas that I like that are completely shonen ai.

71. My favorite food has to be the cucumber bagels my father's friend's wife makes.

72. I'm crazy about chicken.

73. I want to be a vegetarian to protest what is done to animals, but sadly, I like meat too much.

74. That doesn't mean I'll complain about vegetarian meals, though. They're actually quite tasty.

75. I almost never look straight at a camera.

76. I'm very surprised that my first few works weren't flamed multiple times.

77. I'm German, but I don't look it at all. I'm also Polish, a bit. I also don't look Polish.

78. Even though I cannot speak very much German, I have a very strong affection for the country.

79. Sometimes, I wonder if my parents adopted me.

80. I can say 'I love you' in five or six different languages, the most obscure language being Lituanian.

81. I can say who I am in Romanian, but nothing else.

82. I once almost accidentally bowed and say 'thank you' to a clerk at the movie theater.

83. I get Spanish and Japanese words mixed up regularly.

84. I'm the oldest person in my family.

85. My dream career would be to travel the world doing various jobs.

86. I don't want to have children in the future, really.

87. One of my favorite mangas was a less popular series that my friends and I always read in middle school titled "Confidential Confessions."

88. I don't want to go to a dance because I'm frightened of being left out or humiliated.

89. My muses are my best friends.

90. I believe that American Online is a secret conspiracy to infect the entire world with hidden viruses and evil programs.

91. My moods come and go. I'm happy one moment, sad the next, angry the next. You never know how you'll catch me.

92. I love snakes.

93. I don't really like heavy fantasy. I especially don't like medieval fantasy.

94. I hate Disney for all their false singers.

95. I'm very bad at smiling.

96. I write better late at night rather than I do when I'm wide awake in the day time.

97. I'm not good at art in general, but when it comes to making crafts, I'm actually pretty good.

98. I would rather travel to Korea than to Japan, although Japan really is a close second.

99. I hate using the phone.

100. I don't like who I am now, but I'm trying to change it. -nods- (I've completed the 100 facts meme!)

This week has been bothersome, mostly. I'm spending most of the week on a few various projects because our local 4-H county fair is coming up soon. The only thing that stinks is that many of the catagories that I'm entering in are conference judged. Why is that bad? I won't be there! I can't. I'm going to be three hours away. So, sadly, I'm going to have some of my ratings docked as a result.

I am working on a rather difficult project. A serving tray. The design is giving me agony. I had a bunch of curves on the tray's sides that I had to cut out with a saw, and I still have a bunch of other difficult things to do. Other than that...

I still have to work on my veterinary science project. -sighs-

My sister and I were talking, today, too. And she knows a bunch of people I know, now. All her friends happen to know acquaintences of mine. She was sitting around randomly saying "I know such-and-such. I met so-and-so." They're all people I know. Considering we always went to different schools (she went to a different elementary and middle school than I did, it's odd she suddenly knows the same people that I do.

Mainly, this article is for PICTURES. ^^

I took a bunch of pictures when I was at the city last winter, yes I did. They actually turned out nicely.



We took a shortcut through some strange mall, and there were figures like this there. I thought it was cool.



CAKE. I don't usually like cake, but I thought that it was a cute-looking window display, so I took a picture.



The city skyline. Nothing huge.



I don't know what's with my fascination with streetlights and train tracks above the road. I think they're pretty darn cool. I stood under the same tracks one time when I was marching. It's very loud when trains keep passing by during the day. Here, it's quiet because it's about ten at night. Not many trains run, then.



FOR ALL YOU FORUMERS WHO SEEM TO WANT MY PICTURE, HERE. A-ha, I kind of shorted you on it, but yes, that's me in the purple hat and scarf. I promised you guys my graduation pictures, but I haven't even seen the proofs yet, so here you go. (My hair is really, really light in this picture. It's quite a few shades lighter than it normally is. My hair is usually pretty -dark-)

My Sister's graduation party is finally, finally over.

I am almost exhausted. It was defiantly a final push until the end. (I was running around with my parents, grocery shopping, hosing off chairs and bins, cleaning off and setting up tables...)

But hey, it's over! I got to have fun. My friend came over and we ended up watching the Groomer Has it season finale together. You can imagine the screaming that came from the room when they announced Artist as Groomer of the Year. Artist was certainly a favorite of mine. I'm glad that he won. The man has a good heart.

In other things... I'm not achieving much, via fanfiction, Summer Writing Months (my original story that is really beginning to get stupid), or too much else. But I'm pretty much okay. I've been taking bike rides more frequently, and I have to start bringing a notebook with. I really muse a lot when I'm out biking, so it would be good to have somewhere to write my thoughts.

So, some time when I'm not drooling over Doctor Who, talking to long-lost friends, or being plain lazy, I hope to get off my butt and begin plotting out some of the finer points over my story.

Some fast facts: "Bloodhounds", the title of my story, can refer to three separate entities. In fact, it can almost refer to four. It's your guess to who is the true 'Bloodhound'. xD

It keeps getting weirder. One moment, they're in an old, but still normal-looking school. The next, there's a back part of the school that's covered in cobwebs, dust, and surprise, old bloodstains on the wall.

-----------

So; I need to write that.

I really do. But my brain is DEAD tonight. I was silly, talking to my friend Ryo until almost three in the morning. Then I had to be awake for lessons by eight-thirty. After lessons, I went to the store with my father. After the store, I helped clean and cook a little, and then I spent time with my friend for the rest of the day.

It sounds silly to say I'm tired, but I really am. xD

So... as part of my plan to actually start doing things I've decided that my new goal, along with getting out more, showing more appreciation to friends, et cetera, is that I'm going to write a livejournal entry at least once a week. Magical! (Frankly, I've decided that since I'm always complaining that I don't have somewhere to post random things, I'll do it here since I always complain to myself that my livejournal is just as extinct as the dinosaurs.)

So here we are. Even though keeping a livejournal doesn't really equate to an "I'm going to live life to the fullest!" aspect, it's here, because I'm tired of second guessing myself about posting various journal entires.

The sister has graduated from middle school. I can't believe she's actually going to my high school now! Not only that, she is a part of the color guard, and I'm part of the band, so we will be together for a lot of the time, at least during our summer-fall season. After that, I'm going to try and drag her into my wonderful world of chess. (We lost about six of our top players last year. We need new ones!) Something tells me she won't agree to that. She's more... trendy than I am. She plays volleyball. Chances are, she would think that all of our random, amusing chatter is only for nerds.

But aside from that, we have to prepare for her graduation party!

I think it's going well. I've been cleaning the rooms and keeping the laundry going. Frankly, our house is clean. I have a large family, so it is a feat in itself. My father likes to look at the glass as half-empty. (We have to do this, we still have to do that...) He hasn't admired that we're making a fine pace as it is.

My next goal: Take the camera with me on a bike ride. Yes. See the fascinating fields and forests and bridges that I like to bike through! (How boring...) However, I have a camera, plus the bike trails... it would be a shame not to make use of them both.

Everything right now has to do with school. Or at least, things pertaining to school.

I'm finally done with the long two weeks of five-hour band practices, but I can't collapse just yet. This week, regular band practices start up and they're by no means easy. They're okay, really. I'm just tired and sore and achy. Probably getting sick, really...

My main problem is my English project.

Darn this project. It's due in less than four days. I'm freaking out on it. The whole projectis worth more than a hundred points. That's a lot! I'm still lazy from break. I don't want to work on it, even if my English is important. The rest is important, too, my band, my history... stuff like that, and I'm beginning to worry. I'm going to be overloaded as the month progresses.

For one, I REALLY wanted to go on this retreat trip at the end of September. It's fun; I've gone for the past few years, and my friend who lives very far away is going to it. I was looking forward to it. Sadly... I won't be able to. On that Saturday of the weekend trip, I have a band festival, which bars me from going up there completely.

It's a bummer, really.

On the upside, I'm still getting work done when it comes to writing.

I'm going to try and get some drabbles done for thirty deathfics, along with the possibility of finishing up a chapter or two for my stories tonight.

I just wrote an AtobexFuji ficlet last night... but I'm tempted to write another. I like the pairing and the fandom is so small that rather than reading a bunch of fics or digging around for something, I'm actually better off if I contribute to it.

Besides, it's a fun pairing to write. I just bonk myself over the head because I always worry about their characterization.

Ah, well...

    Yes, you heard me, illness stinks! I'm not sure whether or not it's struck again, but it sure feels like it. The headache I had was gone, but I'm doing a lot of what I typically do when I get sick, I sleep. My life seems to be filled right now with chronic, unending fatigue. I'm getting more than nine hours of sleep every night, but I'm still very much inclined to take naps in between meals and during the evening. Can't be good. I've got my regular seasonal sinuses, too. If I am getting sick, it isn't anything too serious. The one and only thing I worry about is the fact that I'm just not feeling well, and I have a lot to do.

Currently, I'm participating in two communities, one of which I haven't even written a prompt yet, and I have two stories that are going, one of which really needs me to finish it. I also have schoolwork, and a very annoying school project that's due in little more than a week that I'm only halfway done on, that I'm stressing over. On top of that, I've got yet another week of four-hour band practices.

All I want to do is write, but my brain just simply won't allow it.

I'm going to have to start on my project and work on it through the night, whether I'm sick or not, whether I'm tired or not. I can't afford to turn in this project late, and it has me panicking as it is.

On a slightly, slightly brighter note, I do get to go bowling with my band friends next Friday night, and I might be able to go play DDR with some people.

And on the note of DDR, I've been getting AAA's left and right. I'm very proud of myself. I just need to keep working hard, and I should be at a very good average come the next DDR tournament I enter. It's exciting.

I'm pedaling through my 30 deathfics prompts rather well. I only have twenty-four more to go. Whereas I still have thrity more from the thirty tears community, and I still have two fics to finish up. Somewhere along the line I want to write something fluffy. Or something with Atobe.