In which Eulalia Milburga Antonia Deverell makes her appearance

Halloween! The best (the very best!) night of the year, where ghouls leave their attics, ghosts come down from their tower ruins and the undead creep out of graveyards... Devils and goblins, feys and sprites come out to spook people... Will o' the Wisps mislead poor straying trick-or-treaters and Kelpies drag poor children to their watery deaths... While Barguests scare the lonesome wanderers out of their wits and Wolperdinger come out to eat their gory meal... (look up Wolperdinger, they are awesome!)

I love Halloween. I love myths and legends and stories about eerie creatures (and I actually mean "eerie" this time), and I drink up stories of Samhain, witches, ghosts and frightening encounters... And I love dressing up! This is why Halloween is the best night of the year! (Heck, it even beats my birthday!)

Unfortunately, this Halloween was a little wretched for me... Mostly because I had a horrible chest cold. I seriously considered going as someone dying of consumption for Halloween (i.e. wear nothing but a nightgown, have a hollowed out pale face, red-rimmed eyes, and coughing up my lungs all night... maybe a little blood trickle from the mouth for added effect too...) But I decided that would be too drab and depressing. Though some of my friends suggested that my costumes were the "consumptive" version of my actual outfit. Ha ha. I love them anyways, but the coughing was really annoying and unpleasant. Especially because it meant I had to be quiet during the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show presentation. Due to all my coughing, my voice was seriously starting to fail me and, even when I did try to scream "Slut" or "Asshole" at the screen at the top of my voice, or even when I tried to sing along, all that came out were these pathetic squeaking sounds worthy of a tiny frightened mouse... *pout*

Aaaaaanyways... It was still fun. For Rocky, I dressed as a slutty nun with a considerably short skirt... And it started freakin' SNOWING!! My buttocks were not happy, lol. I was (literally) freezing my butt off (okay, it was my fault, but still! It should NOT snow during Halloween!). Despite all this, I got many compliments on my costume. A performer at the Rocky show told me I was truly the sexiest slutty nun she had ever seen "and I've seen a lot!" she said. Also, whilst waiting in line to get into the theatre, several men called out to me that they "want to confess their sins" which caused me to giggle and feel rather proud, despite the cold and cough. And I think a classmate of mine was rather stunned by the shortness of my skirt, commenting that he "was intimidated" because I am usually not taller than he is (I was wearing 6 inch heels) and usually not that sexy. It was great times... until nighttime came and I started really hacking up a lung... but that does not matter, as I am starting to recover now.

It was a little unfortunate, because Michael had a catering job that night and therefore only arrived at the very end of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (that is to say at 2:30 in the morning!). I felt a little sad to spend most of the evening without him, but, as it was spent with friends, it was still very much enjoyed.

On Friday though (the day before Rocky Horror), I went as my own original character. Let me introduce you to her... Eulalia Milburga Antonia Deverell. She is a character for a steampunk story I have started to develop sometime in June. It is really a fun character and it was perfect for Halloween (as I only needed to piece together pieces from other costumes to bring my character to life). So here is the beginning of Eulalia's story:
The smell of coal and engine oil was lying thickly in the air, creating a heavy and warm atmosphere that was perfect for sleep and sweet dreams. Sleeping on the concrete floor, she felt at peace and relaxed - she was exactly where she wanted to be. Her chest rose and fell slowly, and with every intake of breath, the irony scent of machinery tickled her nostrils. Without realizing it, she smiled in her sleep.

She was so distracted by the wonderful smells that she did not notice the warm breath by her right ear. It therefore came as a complete surprise to her when 'NIIIIAAAAA!' was screamed in her ear by a shrill child's voice.

Screaming with rage, Eulalia Milburga Antonia Deverell, better known as Nia, tore herself from her dreams of machinery and blueprints and looked around for the perpetrator of this foul crime that was waking her up. With her ear painfully ringing with a strident sibilant note, she looked around to find Kurt, the eleven-year-old boy who worked in the hangar as a sort of "messenger".

Her eyes fell upon him quickly. He was sitting cross-legged, about two feet away from her, with a huge impish grin (enhanced by a great hole where his front teeth were missing) on his face, topped by a shock of tousled red hair. An irritated twitch quivered under her left eye. 'Pipsqueak...' she said in a voice trembling with annoyance, 'what was that for?'

Kurt pulled out the tip of his pink tongue, which led to Nia pursing her lips to avoid an irritated outburst, and said with his customary lisp: 'The engineth are finithed...'

Nia, who had started shaking her head in the hopes of ridding herself of the painful whistling in her ear, thought she had heard wrong. Looking up into the child's eyes, she uttered a faint: 'What?'

'It'th the engineth are failing... Jutht thought you thould know... The gentth wanted me...' Nia did not let him finish. Swearing at the top of her voice, she gathered her skirts and jumped to her feet. Grabbing the hefty tool belt that had lain beside her, she rushed towards the farthest end of the hangar, ready to repair whatever damage those amateurs had done to her beloved engines.

So that's the start of the story I had written. It was basically my mind going haywire on a steampunk scenario... I love steampunk! ^_^

To be more precise though...
Nia is an aristocrat, a countess actually, who has always enjoyed flying things and steam engines. Instead of learning embroidery, like her mother wanted her to, she designed machines deemed worthy of Bedlam by her mother and father. She was placed under many strict governesses and school masters, but the love of engines was never beaten out of her.
When her parents died and her brother (and his wife) succeeded to the title and the estate, he decided to get rid of his crazy sister. He placed Nia on the doorstep, with a handful of jewels and her best clothes so she might make a meagre living for at least some time without bothering him, and then turned his back on her completely.
But Nia did not care. She simply reveled in the fact that she was now free to pursue her love of flying and inventions. Soon, she found herself "taxiing" people accross all of London in one of her own inventions, a flying machine she has lovingly baptized "Astrid" (she believes Astrid to be the epitome of her inventory genius). Basically, she is a very unusual taxi driver... and her taxi flies.
And the clothes her brother gave her? She still wears them! Indeed, Nia would rather make no money at all than wear rags. Therefore, she still wears her best clothes from her days as a countess, despite working with engine oil and steam and having added some wacky goggles to the lot!

There you have it. The history behind my Halloween costume.

And for the moment, dear readers, that must be it. I must go to bed in the hopes of getting over my bloody chest cold.

*cough* Good night to all! *cough, rasp, hack, cough*

Oh... and a picture of me as Nia:


P.S. I met up with a friend from Air Canada today (she is now a flight attendant at Jazz). I was really happy to see her again. It makes me realize how badly I want to go back to Air Canada for the Winter season... it really was a fun (though strenuous) job!! ^_^

In which the stairs have vanished

Do you remember the vanishing stairs in the Harry Potter books? If you do not, I strongly suggest re-reading book 4, The Goblet of Fire, where the vanishing step plays an important part because Harry gets stuck in it, under his invisibility cloak, while several professors pass by... (believe it or not, I have not read this book in 2 years and can remember every detail of it...). Well, this is not the type of "vanishing stairs" I wish to talk about.

I was instead referring to the staircase outside my apartment door. As I came back from work this evening, the stairs were just GONE! I kid you not. I stood there, standing about six or seven feet beneath the door of my home, looking up at it; musing about how the post-man will be able to place the mail in the little mailbox now affixed ten feet away from the ground.
I called up my roommate and told her that the stairs were gone. She thought I was joking. Despite her being at home all day, she had never noticed that someone had started rennovating the stairs outside. I could not believe it! Thank God they nailed a thick board in front of the door to keep us from opening it... otherwise, I fear my dear roommate would have just walked out and plummeted a few feet! That would have hurt.

Now, I am not really surprised, as our outdoor staircase was really rusty and sketchy and needed urgent replacing. I just wish I had had a little bit of forewarning. It did a bit of a double-take and having to climb up the creepy staircase leading to my apartment's backdoor was not amusing... not in the dark, at least.

In other news, I had the dumbest passenger ever walk up to me today. I still cannot believe the question I was asked. Many passengers will ask you very obvious questions... but this one...!
Feel free to judge for yourselves:
"So, tell me... West Jet and Air France... It's the same thing, right?"
...
EXCUSE ME?! How in the world did you come to THAT conclusion!! They do not even service the same country!! They do not even sound similar!! I was a little too shocked to answer. When I finally came back to my senses, I asked her to clarify. When she just repeated the same question, I sent her to the information counter of the airport. I feel sorry for the people working there - but that woman just broke my brain too much...

I also got some chocolate from Russians, who just gave me chocolate as a thank you gift for checking them in... I was rather flattered. And I also got a huge bottle of Appleton Estate Rum (my favourite!) from a passenger who could not pass security with it. Surprisingly, the woman was disappointed, but not angry. She did not even argue! She just said I could have it! Usually, they argue forever before they hand over their liquids/alcohol. She did not make a fuss at all. I was really grateful for that. I do feel bad though, because all these people are buying duty-free in one country, and then, in the next country, when they are passing security, they cannot go through with the merchandise... Stupid system! And this is not the airlines' fault! This is a decision the airports have taken... *sigh* Poor passengers!

In yet some other news, I am reading an AMAZING book about writing fantasy novels. It does not so much tell you HOW to write, so much as give you tips on what to remember and what to look for if you intend to get published. However, despite not being a novel, it is very handsomely written; every page is filled with great wit and it makes me laugh a great deal. Here is my favourite quote from it; it is from the chapter on "Ideas" and where said ideas come from:

Go ahead and ask me the dumbest question a writer can be asked:
"DUHH, WHERE D'YA GETCHER IDEAS?"

My answer is always the same - since there is no answer to this query. At least, neither Plato nor Socrates nor Shakespeare could make the codification. When some jamook asks me this one (thereby revealing him/herself to be a person who has about as much imaginative muscle as a head of lettuce) I always smile prettily and answer, "Schenectady."

And when the jamook looks at me quizzically, and scratches head with hairy hand, I add: "Oh, sure. There's a swell Idea Service in Schenectady; and every week I send 'em twenty-five bucks; and every week they send me a fresh six-pak of ideas."

And wouldja believe it... there is always some insufficient asshole who asks me for the address.
- Harlan Ellison

Great quote, is it not? ^_^ It reminds me of high-school and the dim-wittedness of some of the students. I remember when the teacher would ask us to write a short-story for class and some would react saying: "what, we have to come up with an idea?"... I cannot believe how many unimmaginative people are out there. It makes me despair for the state of the world. *sigh*
But this book has made me want to pick up writing again. Who knows, maybe I will finally finish a novel!!

As for the cosplay... it is advancing well, but slowly. I am so tired at the end of a day at work that I am having trouble sewing more than a bit at a time. Tonight, I completed the bustle and the right sleeve. Tomorrow I will attack the left sleeve. And then I will have the hood left to sew. Hopefully, I will not hit any snags and then the cosplay will be finished. If so, then I am done on Monday!! (I am praying that this will happen!)

And, before I leave for bed, I want to say that, for some odd reason, it is much easier to be without Michael this summer than the last. I do not feel as desperate or as distraught. Yes, I feel a little sad and a little lonely, but since the day he has left, it is not nearly as bad. Perhaps it is because work tires me out. If you are reading this, Michael, my love, then do not think I am not missing you! I miss you dearly! And I love you very much! I am just not crying every night anymore... like I used to last year. It is very hard to fall asleep though... it feels odd without you... *pout* I miss you!! Also, Michael called me first thing in the morning when he got to Vienna. Unfortunately, I have not heard from him at all since. I am getting a little frustrated by that... I want to hear from him!

Anyways - hoping Michael reads this: many hugs and kisses, and I am thinking of you.
To my other readers: I am thinking of you too, though in a very different manner!

Goodnight!

In which a blogger realizes all her posts start the same way

Indeed, I have been re-reading my posts and I have come to realize that they all begin with apologies for not blogging in a while. In all honesty, I was going to apologize for not blogging this time around too (I wanted to say that the reason why I was not blogging lately is that I melted as soon as I touched my laptop: the thing gets really hot, and in the sweltering heat we have had this past week, I did not feel like going anywhere near it!). But I will spare you another apology. Or at least apologize for apologizing all the time - lol. No, but really: I am a very apologetic person by nature. I would apologize for the death of someone's dog even if I just met the person and their dog died three years ago!! But I guess that this can also be regarded as compassion... and people like me because I am compassionate... right?

Okay - that was random.

Now to the real post.

So, Air Canada has given me a wonderful start-of-work gift. A stye in my left eye!!! I am going completely nuts with it!! It is itching and makes me look like I got beaten up and it is driving me insane!!! Why do I know it is a gift from work at the airport? Because other employees told me that their career started the same... with styes!!! This is what happens when you are touching hundreds of passports a day and you do not know where people have been keeping them. Then you inadvertently rub your eye and BAM! you are caught with a stye. Now, people say the solution is proper hygiene. However, I doubt I can do more than I already do. I have a HUGE bottle of hand-sanitizer in my purse with me, which I apply about once an hour while at work. Then, every time I get the chance to do it, I go wash my hands with soap and water... how much more am I supposed to do to avoid styes??? Wash my hands after every passenger?!?! I am sure passengers would appreciate that... NOT! They would probably think I thought their hands were dirty!!!.............. *grumble grumble grumble grumble*

In other news, I promised some good gossip about passengers. So here it goes!

1) On Monday, a complete ... uhm... not-very-smart woman (to say it politely) came to my counter. She had already checked in her luggage, but she had been sent back to us by security. Why?
Because she had a freakin' BLENDER in her carry-on luggage!!!
She pulled the blender blade out of her purse: a very sharp, serrated brand-new set of blades. She was waving it in my face and saying that "the security guy" sent her back because these blades seemed to be a problem. A senior agent and I looked at her incredulously. She, I am not kidding, said that she did not understand what the problem was with those blender blades! To answer her dumb question, the other agent asked her whether it would be possible to cut someone's throat with the blades. She said she did not know!!! Did she leave her brain in her checked luggage??? Anyways, she could not grasp why she could not take the blender blades with her and she did not want to throw them out "because it is a brand-new 70$ blender", and so we provided a small box and added the boxed blender blades as a piece of luggage, checking it in... I still cannot believe she was that thick though.

2) This one is rather cute. I was sitting beside a girl at the check-in counter. This girl is a summer-temp, like myself. However, she is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous! Someone in her family is black (I do not know whether it is the mother or the father) so she is dark-skinned, and she is wonderfully tall and really slender (she used to play basketball). She looks stunning! Anyways, a lacrosse player comes up to her counter. HOT guy, I tell you! Not at all my type (blonde and blue-eyed... yiech!), but very well built - so much so, I would have appreciated it if he had removed his shirt, lol. Anyways, he got to my colleague's counter and, for a moment, they just stared at each other, completely speechless, with ridiculous smiles on their faces. It was really cute how speechless they both were about each other. I could not help but giggle a little. Eventually, my colleague snapped out of it and asked for the lacrosse player's passport. He just smiled and nodded and did nothing. She had to ask him twice more before he realized what she had said and handed over the passport, still smiling. She checked him in and even remembered his name. Unfortunately, she forgot to write her name and phone number at the back of the boarding pass. But when it was time for her break, she went specially to the bathrooms on the other side of security to see him again. She told me he waved at her. Sweet, no?

3) This one is really unbelievable and probably very frustrating for most passengers. A lady storms to our counter, with her 10-year-old daughter, and basically yells that security has sent her back. It is important for the reader to note that it was 7:50 p.m. at this point. When asked why she was sent back, the lady soon revealed that she had a liter of extra-virgin olive-oil in her carry-on. Like blender-lady, she did not want to get rid of it. We asked her where she was flying to and when she had checked in. Apparently, she had checked in two hours prior, but her flight was leaving at 7:55. And here she was, arguing that she wanted to keep that olive-oil "or the whole trip will have been for nothing!" She also said that the olive-oil was for her uncle's vineyard (how is a vineyard linked to olive-oil????). Anyways, time was passing, and soon 7:55 came and she and her daughter were the only two passengers missing on the flight. This caused some panic, as baggage handlers had started pulling her checked bags from the aircraft and the lady insisted that she wanted to get on the flight, but that she did not want to get rid of the olive-oil. In the end, even the 10-year-old daughter got exasperated: "Mom! Just throw it out already! We're going to miss the flight!" she said several times. The child was being much more mature than the mother. Swearing a lot, the woman finally gave in, at 8:00 p.m. and decided to run to her gate (and baggage handlers had to be called to make sure the luggage was still on board). The lady forgot her boarding pass at the counter, though, so I was sent running to security to give it back to her. In the end, the flight was delayed by about 15 minutes because of a bottle of olive-oil. I really hope that the cabin announcement with regards to the delay told the passengers to blame the crazy-lady who did not want to get rid of her liquid. As a result, though, we've got some fabulous olive-oil in our lunchroom now! lol

So those are the stories. I did my first wheelchair to the gate last week, which was a lot of fun, but nothing to gossip about. I also did lines and kiosk for one whole day, which not only sucks but really, really hurts the feet once you are done with your shift...

Anyways, work is good and fun. Though the heat did put a damper on things. Because the doors of the airport are constantly open, the air conditioning is rendered completely useless!!

I also went to Ottawa to renew my German passport with my mum on Tuesday. It was a long drive through sweltering weather, but it was fun. Actually, the passport renewal bit was less fun than the long drive, lol.

And that's about it for my week, really. Michael and I went to a street sale on Saint-Hubert yesterday, which was loads of fun and got a lot of really cheap goodies. We also went to my dad's place and made good use of the pool there yesterday and today. My dad (who was spying on us from the balcony) thinks we make a really good couple. Which is good, because that means he approves of Michael. YAY!

And now I feel like actually writing a story. Do not ask me why, the reason is quite ridiculous. I will be blogging again soon, hopefully sooner than last time! Cheers!

In which the nail polish stains remain

Darn it! Stupid nail polish!!! This is the last time I do my nails at home! Next time, I will go and pay for a manicure instead! That way, I can avoid any unfortunate accidents, like the one earlier this week. The dark nail polish stains are really frustrating. No: I swear! They glare at me through the otherwise flawless white of the stained shirt, I can even hear them cackling evilly: "he he he! we've got this shirt good: she'll never get us out!" Urgh!!! Bloody nail polish! Die!!! I am seriously considering taking some paint thinner to my shirt and seeing if that has any effect. So far, all bleach and other stain removing products have simply resulted in a lot of teeth-gritting from my part, as the stains are still quite as clear as they were before... *angry pout*

Okay... now that tantrum is over... I think. I still would appreciate any advice of ANYONE out there who knows how to remove nail polish from a shirt! It would be much appreciated and you would be blessed by my eternal gratitude! (Not that this is worth much to many people out there. But just think: you will have made someone very happy and will probably have an easier time at the gates of heaven when you die as a result of your great charity... lol - okay, I do not know about that last part, but I WILL be thankful!)

Other than that... I have been rereading old texts and stuffs (yes, "stuffs!") that were stored on my computer. I am pretty darn good author, if I may say so! lol However, I found a story today that I wish to finish and found my self faced with the horrible black abyss of... Writer's Block!!! Noooo!!! I. Detest. Writer's. Block! It is just not fair!! When someone is creative and needs to find an outlet in writing for the imagination, having a total brain-freeze over what to write next is the worst thing ever! Right now, my mind is popping with great cosplay ideas and original character ideas (for drawings)... but nothing textual comes to mind. Stupid brain! I have not drawn anything in half a century and now it feels like being creative and drawing!? Not fair! I want to write today!! *pout*

Wow... okay... that was tantrum two. Sorry about that. In other news, I have been having awesome costume ideas and, now that I have a job, I will finally be able to pay for FABRIC!! HALLELUJAH!! So now my brain is being flooded with various ideas of various fabrics... I just hope I can find the ones that I want!

Speaking of money and work, though. I have just received the study guide for the test I have to take on Monday. 39 pages. I kid you not! Some parts of it are really easy. Others request for you to memorize places like the location of Lesotho on the map of Africa. *nervous gulp* Africa is really hard to remember (the names of the countries are difficult enough... why do I have to remember the locations too?!) I need to pass this exams with 80%, so I am getting really nervous and thiniking I should start studying. But my unimaginative, writer's-blocked brain would much prefer watching the Lord of the Rings....

I feel like wrapping myself up in a cocoon and sleep until tomorrow... Maybe Africa will look like it had less countries in the morning. Oh well.

Oh! But I am going to see Les Miserables on Friday! Huzzah! I am so looking forward to that! More updates on Les Miz after I have seen the show!

P.S. Yesterday, anniversary celebration with Michael was great! We totally overdressed, went out to eat and saw Shrek Foreverafter in 3D. It was LOADS of fun! I hope we will have many more years to come! <3

The Germany Chronicles 3 - In which the hills are alive

Hi from Germany to you all!
I am happy to announce to all (because I only wrote it in the comments so far) that I successfully passed my Japanese class! And with a B- at that! And here I thought I'd get a C... *sigh of relief* I won't have to retake it after all... I am never taking another language class again!

In other news, I went to visit Linderhof palace with Michael on Saturday. I decided to wear my gorgeous new dirndl for the occasion. In other words, I was dressed in a way that would have honoured our dear King Ludwig II if he were still alive (I want to say he would have "liked" what I was wearing, but seeing as he was allegedly gay, I highly doubt that a low-cut bodice would have attracted his eye at all...) Anyways, I was dressed in the whole and complete outfit and I looked absolutely awesome! I promise some good pictures. On the palace grounds (gorgeous gardens!) Michael and I became a photo opp for several tourists. Notably a French guy and an English one decided to take a picture of us because we looked "so traditionally Bavarian" and two people from Nürenberg also spoke to me about my outfit and how wonderfully traditional it was... I got a LOT of comments and it was great fun! The palace was a really nice visit. My mum and aunt used to be tour guides in there. Linderhof is the palace in which Ludwig II spent the last eight years of his life (until his very mysterious death) and it was allegedly his favourite palace. I understand why: STUNNING VIEW! And a beautiful place at that. It's actually a very small palace... just a cottage to a king, but I'd like to live in it nonetheless. Michael mentioned that he'd like to sleep in the king's bed: it seems to be the first that is long enough for his feet! XD

I also must mention the single, most terrifying experience of my life so far. As you all know, I have a frightfully vivid imagination and it tends to run away with me at the most inopportune times... I mean, I can get lost in the woods because I spent too many hours staring at a tree stump and picturing fairies living in it... *sigh* anyways...
So, after going to this cool restaurant in Oberammergau, where a family friend (and the owner of the place) does cool magic tricks at your table, Mike and I walked home in the dark (it was 9:30 at night). We were not scared when we were walking until we reached the church. Curious (as I always am), I decided to have a look into the churchyard. In Germany (and I suppose most of Europe), the cemetery is located in the churchyards and laid out all around the church. Which means that Michael and I walked into a dark church ground with very little light and some candles lit on a grave here and there. It was super creepy! There was also some slight haze from the rain and the paving sort of glittered in the faint light of a streetlamp. Neither Mike nor I could get ourselves to move further into the graveyard, as the dark shapes of tombstones were terrifying and foreboding. My imagination made me see figures lurking behind the stones... And Oberammergau is famous for the plague epidemic that hit it in 1633... which suggest many angry ghosts from centuries passed... The headstones closest to us stated years of death from 1908 to 1932... so right during the period of the first World War as well... But that's not the creepy bit yet. As Mike and I are standing there, shivering with fright at the thought of the many souls lying beneath our feet, the church bell starts ringing the bloody three-quarter of an hour!!! That meant three blood-chilling rings of a low-tone bell. It sounded like a warning or a death omen or something. Mike and I screamed and bolted. My heart did not stop pounding until we were safe inside with lots of light!

Oh, and the weather improved somewhat the next day. We went hiking. Michael said it was his very first hike! That made me very happy!! We hiked three mountains and back! A grand total of a seven hour walk!! My arse hurts a lot today. We hiked the Kofel, including the rocky tip of it, which consists of some rudimentary climbing: the rocky path is so steep and narrow (and rather dangerous) that there is some thick cable bolted along the path and you have to pull yourself up to the top, where the cross stands (because we are good Catholics here in Bavaria). We got great pictures from the top and Michael bolted a sandwich right beneath the cross. There were also HUGE raven-type birds up on that mountain. I swear, they were the size of a slender hen, but they looked like ravens: completely black and ominous looking! And then we walked through Bavarian woods (real fairy tale forest!) across two mountains! At the top of the last one was an inn where we had some soup and Michael had a beer. We reached that third mountain just in time because it started to pour and to hail down (yup, chunks of ice falling from the sky!). We waited out the rain at the inn and then went back out. When we finally came back down into Oberammergau, great thunder rolls could be heard behind us... so we were REALLY lucky with the weather! We did not get hit by lighting, though we saw ominous storm clouds pulling in... (Sorry, gotta finish this quickly!) It was a great (long!) hike and we had loads of fun! We also have many great pictures of it! And the hills WERE alive with the sound of music (Michael sang loudly on the mountain: the sound echoes beautifully up there!) It was AWESOME! I promise pictures soon!

For those wondering about the pictures, I cannot send them from the internet cafe, so it'll have to wait until we're back in Canada. I promise I'll put them up though!
Tomorrow: Munich!

I wish you all the best! Tscüß!

Chapter 13 - In which Naria still hates her essays and slash-fiction fangirls will squee

This post is dedicated to my favourite yaoi-girls! ;D Oh, come on! You know who you are!!

So...
The essay that is presently bogging me down is for the subject called English Literature and Folklore. Now, don't get me wrong: the class itself is fascinating! I wouldn't have chosen it if it weren't! We are studying Medieval literature and how folklore and folktales are included in said literature. It's fascinating what people believed back in the Middle Ages and how much of it transpired into their literature... And it's not just stories about King Arthur and Merlin either! You've got giants (in Ireland), fairy mistresses and lovers, journeys to the fairy otherworld, outwitting of magical foes, and many nonsensical references to how Britain and the ancestry of British monarchs is somehow descended from Troy... (I still don't understand how the Old Kings of England thought it made them more noble and honourable to be descended from Troy, when the Trojans are the morons who were gullible enough to let the horse in... oh, and when Trojan royalty was dumb enough to think they could get away with kidnapping another king's wife!)

Anyhoots. So the class is AWESOME. It's really interesting and very inspiring to someone like myself who loves Medieval lit and folktales... however...
the readings suck.
No, seriously, they SUCK!!
I said so in the previous post. On a literary aspect, when one looks at the style of writing, it's really, really bad!! The stories are interesting, but they are just not readable.
Right now, I am reading The Mabinogion. This book includes the four branches of the Mabinogi as well as a few other stories from Wales. Yes, I am reading Medieval Welsh literature. Of course, it's translated, because I can't think of anyone who's fluent in Old Welsh anymore. Even the Medievalists of McGill can't read the language fluently, though, to their credit, they can pronounce the tongue-twister weird-ass names really well! They can even understand scraps of Old English, Old Welsh and Old Irish... but, let's face it, no one really speaks any of these three...

Now, for my essay, I am focussing on the third branch of the Mabinogi. Here's an example of how badly written the thing is. What follows is a rape scene:

But that night, Gwydion son of Don and Gwilfaethwy his brother returned to Caer Dathyl. And in the bed of Math son of Mathonwy, Gilfaethwy and Goewin daughter of Pebin were put to sleep together, and her maidens were forced out violently, and she was taken against her will that night.

I guess that censorship isn't really required here, is it? The girl isn't even upset about the rape the next morning. She's more freaked out by the fact that now she has shamed her lord than by the fact that she was raped... I mean, seriously???!! This was the rape scene?! Even the state of Michigan would rate it "G" for "general" - this text could go into a family movie an no one would know the difference!

And now I'm getting to the slash... Yaoi-fans attention!
So, the two brothers from the paragraph I quoted earlier raped the girl. Okay, you follow me so far? Check. Now, mister angry husband comes in, and he happens to know magic. So he decides to punish the brothers...
You got me: MEDIEVAL SLASH FICTION BETWEEN BROTHERS!!
The king turns the two brothers into animals, one into a male and the other into a female and he orders them to reproduce. The year after, he changes them into the oposite sex, the brother who was female becomes male and vice versa. And they MUST reproduce again!! And this was written in the 12th century!!
Now, I don't really understand what you slash fangirls really enjoy about some boy-on-boy (especially because gay men are just not interested in women - ergo: a complete waste!), but I have come to understand that incest between brothers is rather popular in fiction these days... Turns out, it was in the past as well, lol.
Oh, and the funniest thing? When, after 3 years, the brothers are turned back into humans, they immediately forgive angry husband man, even though he forced them to live like animals and reproduce... they must have had a hell of a good time then, eh? ;-D

Okay, I've ranted enough... I've probably traumatized my mum...
XD