[Gossamer's Scrapbook] The Ethereal Canyon I

[Irriari]

So I totally thought you meant kitchen pots for at least a paragraph. Woah.

[Dusk]

I love the post-it with your name!

I am also in the "refresh yourself before you start writing again" phase. Hopefully we will both get some relaxation in and then be able to be the awesomesauce that Mizahar is known for! Enjoy your time, and fill those big blue pots with some awesome stuff! Do you have any plans for them yet?

[Gossamer]

. Wonderful Scraps I've been reading some wonderful scraps lately. Today's sign is dedicated to you scrapbookers who go the extra mile, put your thoughts to paper, and don't mind anything that comes of it. .

[Gossamer]

. Fused Dichroic Glass A recent acquisition I drooled over until I had to purchase. I can't tell you how badly I want to learn how to make this kind of jewelry. To me, its absolutely magical looking. I can stare at glass all day long and never get bored of doing so. I do other kinds of jewelry, and mostly its stuff I make for others irl. But lately things have been selling to the point an Etsy store and probably an Artfyre one is going to get opened. But I really really really want to make these types of items too. Just to get started its about a grand investment in materials and a decent forge. I found a killer package on RioGrande that's under $500 but that's still a lot of spare fundage to have about. It included a simplistic adjustable setting forge, all the eq you needed to run the forge, and some basic supplies (some of which pissed me off - size small women's forge gloves .. wtf? what about guys wanting to do this?) a nice book, and some basic supplies. I can pretty much get all the supplies I need off RioGrande, but its expensive as heck. All glass is. Right now all I'm doing is beadwork and some really simple wire-wrapping things that always turn out fabulous. But this takes it to a whole new level, plus I can add in my art as well to create things that show up under glass. Plus, then I ask myself will a new hobby take me away from Mizahar even more? Gardening in the summer does for sure, but if I had glass jewelry in the winter, what then? Will I just be too busy period? Starting this hobby doesn't come without a price either. Work is changing its schedule and asking for volunteers to work Sunday. When they 'ask' it means they 'require' you to volunteer. My frequency depends on what we decide though. This will last from August 14th until somewhere in Jan after the busy season. That's for six months. And what it will mean is about every other weekend (which is so much better than every weekend) I'll have to work a nine hour shift on Sunday. Now, this is straight time and a half so its roughly a $250 take home day after taxes and all the other bullshit... and if I don't do it then it makes a statement that I'm not a team player. IF I do it, I'll have zero weekend freetime anymore but the pay is fantastic. Everyone loves OT in a world where no one has any permanence to their job. We don't need the money, but its super nice to have extra for the rainy day fund.. and I could buy my jewelry forge. Its a lot to think about... and I have to decide probably by around 3pm today. I want to say no... HELL NO... but this might be the only OT available all year. And it sure is nice for extra padding in case we get raped on our taxes like we did last year. So... is wanting my forge just a way for my brain to cope with a situation it doesn't want to cope with? Is it a way to justify doing something I don't want to do (I mean face it, two weekends and I have my forge and gear but then there's five months more of the BS to slog through) and my way of talking myself into it since its economically sound because the world sucks money wise right now? Can I make money making jewelry like I can beading things? I don't know... I'd have to try. Others seem to be doing so, but I'm not sure they are doing it on any sort of healthy scale. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. . .

[Silvy]

Yes overtime will give you money but less time. You'd be able to afford the $ for your lovely glass hobby, but can you afford the time loss? Weigh what you want, what you need, what and who you have and your decision will come to you.

Gossie you have such a great instinct for a world beyond the ken of most. No one knows you better than you. Trust in that and yourself, and I know you'll make the right decision for you.

*hugs*
Lisa

[Avant Garde]

Dearest Jen, I saw this and decided I must do with it what I can and show it to you. It -obviously- (lol) made me think of you! I just wanted to thank you for your constant shove in the right direction, and for always being eager to answer my MANY questions. I have enjoyed reading your scrapbook, and it is full of interesting adventures. I will continue to share it with others, and work on mine as well. I hope one day to be as Miza-competent as you are, but until then I will work hard to contribute to Miza in my own special ways! Thank you so much for the opportunity and warm welcome as CS Liaison. I will NOT let you down!! I promise to stick around for the long run this time, even when school gets hectic. I will find a way. You're a truly effervescent woman, and your light shines down bright upon us little people. You set an example here for all of us here at Miza, and I hope to long uphold those virtues in the best way possible. And I'm looking forward to more fascinating scrapbook posts from you!! It's certainly a large work of art... I can't imagine the hours you must have put into it! I'm working on mine as well... Maybe one day I will be Fluent in BBC. Haha! My picture editing skills are below poor, but I hope this will make you smile! --Kate

[Gossamer]

Thank you so much!

[Gossamer]

. Names & Other CS Irritations I'll admit it. I'm a tyrant when it comes to names. There's nothing that puts me off more than seeing some off the wall name on a pc that doesn't fit a site or a scenario. I think my name rage stems from coming from sites that had had gods named after popular marvel characters (Superman's father anyone as the god of EVIL?) and duplicates of things that have been seen through time and space. I roleplayed with Aphrodites and once even playerkilled an Abby (she liked to title her surname Dear). I absolutely hate bad names. I hate adjectives used as names, Gods used as names, and even famous people used as names. If we let it, every little potter geek would have a Harry PC here or something cloned from that world. And unless a noun makes sense, I go crazy that way as well. Nicknames are fine, but give your PC something decent to start out with. Then, if folks want to call him a nickname, so be it. This is probably unreasonable but its the way I feel and its also one of the reasons I think Mizahar looks so professional. How can someone take a site serious of everyone is walking around with Darth Vader or Yoda as a name? They can't. They won't. The only ones that get any sort of slack with this is the Zith. We don't bug them much about their names (nor the Akvatari who no one can pronounce their names) because *drops voice* they aren't really that intelligent to begin with. They have a colony mentality and I imagine they don't put much emphasis on speaking much as pecknig order, rank, and contribution otherwise (who's the biggest baddest flyer, fighter, breeder of slaves, etc). So unless you have an excuse, no emo names. No verb names, no pronoun names. The naming rules are fiercely wickedly cool only to keep Mizahar fiercely wickedly cool. The other thing is housing. Now, WIP CS's notwithstanding, the whole 'I cashed in my cottage, tent, horse, etc for the money...' but now don't have a place to live is just... retarded. If you are doing this, I expect to see justification in your spending where you nightly hole yourself up in a INN or other structure where you have to pay for housing. Starting Packages aren't to be cashed in, peicemealed out, then housing ignored. I've seen this at least ten times this week (and made corrective pms) so that folks know they need to have some sort of shelter, even if its custom. Otherwise, they aren't going to survive. I'm super cereal about this. *grin* Super cereal! Also... one last pet peeve. Chicks and Girly Men. If your a chick and the first line of your character description starts talking about your voluptuous curves or hotness.... your on the wrong website. They make places for people like you. *wink*. Also, if your a girly man that cries and shaves his chest and pines after unrequited love... I am threatening to create medals and award them. They won't be flattering. Now its your right and privilage to play whatever pc you'd like to play. Just don't get upset of you land your GMC character in the middle of the ultra testosterone laden region such as the Sea of Grass or say Riverfall, don't get too upset if someone beats you up or kicks your ass. No whining allowed if, no when, this comes to pass. .

[Seven Xu]

I've read the last paragraph of your cereal rant a few times, trying to see it in another light that isn't completely and utterly demeaning to who I am as a person - not Seven, but me, Cody - and I just keep coming back to that final line "don't get too upset if someone beats you up or kicks your ass. No whining allowed if, no when, this comes to pass". Being a self-proclaimed "girly man" myself (this tends to happen, it's as common as tomboys and "butch" girls) I cannot help but take offense to your attitude towards this type of person deserving physical pain for no reason other than being different. Certainly this would happen in a world where racism and bigotry run rampant, I cannot disagree with you there. Blood for the blood god, and such, in character. Maybe you didn't mean to come off as abrasive as I took you, and if you didn't; please, let me know.
Mizahar has always been wonderful and accepting towards me; I pretty much lay it out there who I am because I've been burned in the past by holding things back. I like who I am, so much that I laid the base of a character off of some of my own traits. That's Seven; girly man exhibit A, haha! I know that scrapbooks are a place where you can voice your own opinions about things and bullocks to anyone that thinks otherwise, but since you have stated in the past (just yesterday, actually!) that you want Mizahar to be a place where people can come to enjoy themselves, well, I felt the need to voice my discomfort.

I mean only the highest respect in posting here; I understand when pet peeves are pet peeves and we've all got 'em. Actually, if you do end up making a "girly man" medal I'd wear it with pride, because I'm absolutely proud of who I am! =)

Cody
The man who uses too many commas when he doesn't use Microsoft Word to write

[Kendall Saarinen]

Jen, I don't see why you would have an issue with feminine guys. They exist in the real world so why not in Mizahar too? There are also more masculine girls and you do not seem to have a problem with them (at least you did not voice it here). None of the girlier male characters are bad characters. They all have interesting back stories and are written by talented writers (at least the ones I know of). Everyone has their personalities. Some men are manly and tough, some women are too. Some women are soft and gentle, so are some men. We roleplay to create interesting characters and if someone's interest is to make a more girly male character I do not see why that is call for getting beat down or saying that they will be. You make wonderful characters. Kavala is tough (I'm not saying she is a manly woman) and she owns it like crazy. I love that about her. I would hate to think that someone would tell you that she needs to prim and proper just because she is a woman. Not all girls are like that and I know you see that. Personally I'm not the girliest girl either. If you knew me in real life, I am a huge tomboy. I like comics, I play video games, and you'd never catch me in a dress. It's just who I am, just like being a girly man is who Kendall is and the same with the other GMC PCs. I'm not trying to be rude or split hairs. I fully back your opinion to say what you want. This is your scrapbook after all. I just wanted to voice my opinion and let you know how I feel because if I don't I'll be upset and I don't want to be upset over something like this. You are a fantastic writer, I like to think I am a good writer, we all are good writers whether we are girly men, kick butt girls, manly dudes, or proper ladies. We have our kick butt girls like Kavala and Siiri and we have our more sensitive men like Kendall and Seven (just to name a few of each). Hell, some of the girly men are even good fighters! It would be interesting to see how a friendly spar would go between the GMC and a manly Cyphrus man! I really respect you as a writer and I'm sure you did not mean anything too malicious by what you wrote. It did sorta rub me the wrong way though. -Sarah