It seems that I update my journal once a month or so. It also seems to be quite proper length of time.

My wanna-be art block is leaving. I can poetze around if nothing else. There are probably some manips coming, but I am not quite sure, since NaNoWriMo is approaching frighteningly fast. I am mostly writing background information for my this year novel.

'Astrin's Daughters: Cause of the Red Wars'
Indeed, the title makes even myself smile. I originally named it 'Eskiriel: Red Wars', but later realized that Eskiriel is not intriguing enough to have her as a main character all the novel.
In a world more or less resembling mid-nineteenth century, the ruler of Chaeral, king Astrin, is dying. His successor, prince Andair, is ten years old and his eight daughters, ranging from thirty-year-old princess Elwith, nicknamed The Sorrowful to the twelve-year-old Edieth who is more mature than some of her elder siblings, cannot inherit. Nevertheless, they are the regents council that must keep the throne in next six years.
Let us add the little fact that royalty marries with royalty (less than ten exeptions for that rule in last five centuries and six kingdoms) and every magic user has mental problems (no exeptions for that one. Most of them are sociopath). I think it should be fun.

About life:
I'm single again, after six month (minus six days, but that is being pedantic)of un-singleness. Not really whining about it. I suppose.

The steampunk LARP did take place and my character found -probably- her aunt. Which is epic, as her extended family has been getting smaller and smaller. For all she knows she hasn't had any blood relatives around since last winter.

I also finally organized my own LARP, named Tiair.
I was hectic before the game began and quite sure that it would go awry every possible and impossible way, resulting with my being drowned in the nearby stream. I am alive. It went rather well.
They thought it was a picnic... nevermind about it being mid-October. By the end of the game a coup d'etat had happened and unfortunately every person who might have been pregnant with the heir to the throne got killed. I actually intended to have them run away.
I think that some inside jokes from that game are going to last forever.
Last Thursday I was forced to kick some annoying girls out of the mathematics club. The other teacher of the club (and my fellow Game Master) said we must barricade the door with a broom and an ashbin. Those things were really and successfully used to barricade a door during the LARP. We had a laughing bout. When I repeated the advice to one of the teachers-in-training, who also participated, she started laughing, too. Others were verrry puzzled.

It also seems that one of my schoolmates is dead. It is really frightening. Having old relatives die is sad, but understandable. But a high school senior dying is plain creepy.
Elegy is written for her. I did not knew her personally, but the situation made me write it.

The best book I've read lately is 'The Iron King' by Maurice Druon. The first novel of the series of seven, it is about Philip the Fair, king of France who destroyed Knights Templar and had serious problems with adulterous daughters-in-law. I especially like the style of the book. It is easily flowing and engages the reader.
"The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray" is close in goodness. Somewhat steampunkish alternative history with its own version of Jack the Ripper and Cthulhu gods is way too good to put down.

It is feature time, since I promised to feature the winners of =Cataclysm-X's Couples and Duos Contest. I got no place and features are not very pretty without a sub, but who cares?
First place: [link] by =Darkona-Goth
Second place: [link] by *Lion83
Third place: [link] by =mitchellnelson
Fourth place: [link] by *asiajunkieasia
Fifth place: [link] by *aevitas
Sixth place: [link] by *fizzymilkshake This one is literature!

I hope you are having nice time.

I realized I haven't written in almost two months...

I'm having my last year in high school. It kind of scares me. Sure I can do well with the exams and get into the university, but what next? I suppose I'd like to become a scientist... a geneticist, or something with chemistry. Still, I don't have very clear picture about what I'm going to do or be. It's like growing up in fast forward.

I have started to feel nostalgic about the first-graders, who are senselessly happy in their uniforms and school hats. Feels like I'm growing old... what happened to being seventeen and immortal?

On top of that, I have a kind of artistic block. Basically, I can manip around. I can write shorter stories and plan out novels. I can sketch for the drawings. But they are not alive... or at least it seems to me that they lack something my older art has.
Oh well. I'll wait till I get my sonnet back. We had to write a romantic poem in English Literature. I wrote sonnet, since after several years of writing poems it hurts to not have decent meter and rhymes. This one looked to be alive, and I want to know which mark I got.
Too bad my poetry skills are lesser in Estonian... I haven't practiced much. My policy is Estonian for novels and longer stories, English for poetry and shorter stories. And fan fiction. There are exceptions, of course, but not often.

I went to some LARPs again.
First was basically survival horror but mostly undescribable.
My character was a 19-year-old ex-Christian Wicca, who had somehow gotten into a lone house with ten or so other people. Including the priest of her community. None of us knew what the hell was going on and the blood marks on walls didn't help, either. Nor the Wolverine/dementor/pedo bear crossovers, mute-ish hooded creatures with sharp claws and urge to hug people and then dissappear with them.
Me and the priest got killed just when the game masters thought we had figured out how to keep the creatures off and at least someone would survive. We hadn't, we were just Christian (ex-Christian, me, but I want to get him praying) and careless enough not to notice that Our Lord's prayer affected them.

I also was in a Japanese role-play. I had a daughter who was the live embodiment of a death-god, a husband for whom I had no fond feelings and a secret (I had killed a person). Which I confessed during the game. To the sister of my victim (I was unaware of that, of course), who forced my character to commit suicide some time later. Teaches me to be all trusting and confused...

In some weeks there is going to be another game of the steampunk series... judging by the speed of the perishing of members of my original party, we will be extinct in two games' time, if not sooner. Oh well. This is still the best serie I've played in.

"Algolagnia" by Marion Andra is quite a good vampire novel (available in Estonian only, I think).
Let's just say if Edward Cullen would have been this kind of vampire, he'd still have all of his angst, but Bella would be dead by next Christmas. And he wouldn't sparkle. Or stand sunlight at all. Or read minds.
Would improve him, I think.

Have some nice time.

Since there are already hundreds of journals, news, etc dealing with this topic I thought I should add something.
So... Elestra Needs Premium Membership?
Not quite.
Of course I would like to have one. I would like to have polls and fancy journals, be able to put stamps on them, browse stock pictures with lots of them on one page and use this shiny critique thing. And get rid of all those red signs telling me "Get Premium Membership to do this or that." There is one of these staring at me as I write, hissing "*Get Premium Membership to enable Journal Skins!" It scares me...
I even admit this is one of the reasons I participate in contests. Maybe one day I have made a good enough deviation to win some big contest and get some shiny sub. But would this make me a Premium Member? Not really...
I want a sub, but I really don't need one. If I have been in dA for one and a half years without one and haven't died then I can continue living without it.
Hey... I'm a secondary, beggar member and rather proud of it.
=blessed-saen has written several journals about the same issue. Go and look.

Abiut the books, however...
I saw George R.R. Martin about a week ago. He was in my hometown... how cool is that? It was really nice to listen him talk about different topics and get one of my books signed. ("Windhaven", co-written by him and Lisa Tuttle.) The writing says "To Maarja. Fly High" Oh, I like it. it's like my personal mantra now. Fly high.

And I've got Inkdeath, the third book of Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke. I gasped when seeing this in bookstore, since she is rather unknown writer in Estonia (Thief Lord is available in Estonian, but still...).
She writes well. Really, really well. I would read the Inkheart books for a five-year-old as a bedtime story but they they are interesting for me, too (17 years of age).

And my mother finally gave me my birthday present. A bookstore gift token...


I hope you are having fun.

Hey.

I realized my last deviation was submitted in May 25 and I have offered no explanation about why it was more than one month ago.
Well... mostly it's about my complete incompetence about computers. My usual computer has no screen or keyboard attached to it, so I am using my dad's laptop. Yes, still. Anyways, it feels wrong to save my poetry or other writing in here, the thing is old and already full of data. It also lacks Photoshop or such programs. And I'm somewhat afraid to try to attach the screen and keyboard myself. Silly me, I know.
I hope I'll get my computer working soon...

Other things...
It's JulNoWriMo (July Novel Writing Month) time. I try to win it this year. I'm continuing my NaNoWriMo novel, Ithildrian War. It is quite weird to come back to it after some months. I realize I did almost too good work in October... the geography of Ithildry is overwhelming me. It has way too many cities so I can't remember which was burnt down, conquered or something else. On the other hand it feels really good.


I had two LARPs in June. One of them was a sequel for the steampunk LARP I mentioned in autumn. I liked this one, too. They are the best roleplays I have ever been to.
Now it smells like I am organizing a LARP, too. With my boyfriend. It seems to be rather difficult and I am somewhat nervous about it... what if we/I manage to wreck it? I guess I can pray and do my best.

I hope you are having nice summertime.

Hey.

It's my birthday today. I'm seventeen years old and that feels kinda old. Then again, sixteen gave me this feeling, too.
I'm going to have a birthday party in three hours. All the guests seem to want to come earlier to help me. That's nice.

Other news...

I moved again. I had been living in the city centre since April 2008, now I am in the same apartment where I lived before, only this time with my father and Eha (stepmum). Somehow I managed to get all my stuff into closets by today. A week ago there were loads of boxes on the floor...

I've been trying to finish Anglopolitan Lives, my goddam so-called novel. Haven't succeeded yet. But the characters aren't ignoring me any more.

The school is over, too. I have only one year left, then I'm out of high school. It scares me a little... I'm supposed to grow up and all. Oh well. Can manage.
I did a chemistry exam a week ago. It seemed easy... as far I have recalled one mistake I made. We'll see.

Maybe I'll get to my Photoshop soon. Right now I am using my father's laptop, which is situated in my nightstand. Not the most comfortable place for it, I tell you. And the thing is old.

Oh, and this time I strongly recommend "Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. I'm quite sure this may be the best book I've ever read... which means better than Dark Tower series, better than A Song of Ice and Fire, better than Age of the Five trilogy... oh dear.
Anyways, it's well-written. I love the style. I like Kvothe (though Bast is even more intriguing). I love how he is some young man who does extraordinary deeds because things just happen so, not because he's epically destined to do all of it.


It's warm in here, sunny and all. Summer at last. I hope you are having nice time, too.