Fictionalize Yourself

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

*off-key singing* Drip drying away. Drip drying awa~~y. You know the nearer your destination The more you're drip drying away. */off-key singing*

Just got home during a thunderstorm, and everybody's soaked to the skin, including the s. Hot soup's being passed around (although it was rather hot today) as well as towels and yukata. Ranmaru was quite helpful with the yukata, showing some of the "newbies" how to wear one (he's rather traditional, so he knows how to properly wear almost any type of kimono.)

Several of the "clan" have commented that I seem to have lost some of my rash (good thing I stopped taking the antibiotic I was prescribed because the redness was a textbook case of an allergic reaction to the medication.) Antihistamines and prednisone until further notice is no fun, but itching like nobody's business is worse.

Oops, gotta go. A few of my neighbors are complaining that the "clan" is taking over the dryer, and several of the guys are arming themselves.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

The new guys saw Kurusu in action (caused several of them to have to change everything worn below the waist.) You see, someone tried to walk off with Kurusu's daughter without her permission. He removed his leather gloves, grabbed the attempted kidnapper bare-handed, then he drained the guy of all of his luck.

His death was by an out-of-control semi crushing him against a brick wall, his head going right through a plate-glass window.

The "hunters" tensed when they saw the results of Kurusu's ability, their fear barely kept in check. The spear wielder gripped her spear tighter, the only visible evidence of her - um - "discomfort".

Anyway, they are going to be introduced to our "block parties" soon (we're going to have one starting the Monday before Labor Day, setting up a couple of booths, one for the Humane Society, the other for the local food pantry. We're going to pair the newbies with veterans, maybe giving the astrologers a special booth with Nekoyashiki. I don't know what to do with the prince, though. . . .

Oops, gotta go. Trouble with a capital T, rhymes with V which stands for Vulcan. WREN, POWER DOWN. THE WALLS CANNOT WITHSTAND A VULCAN'S SHOT.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Tovarish is playing with her new jungle gym, constructed courtesy of Kuroda. She's been hanging upside-down while trying to catch her tail in the middle of her walking along the balance beam portion of the contraption, causing so many of the "clan" to chuckle/giggle/laugh. Several of the other s are emulating the kitten, much to Takaba's delight (he hasn't stopped taking photos since four this morning.)

Tiger Lily has been emulating what is called "monorail kitteh" on icanhascheezburger.com on the jungle gym, too. For those who aren't familiar with it, "monorail kitteh" is when the is draped in such a way that s/he looks like a monorail train. Takaba's taken a few photos of her in that pose, too (especially when she's upside down, hanging on like a sloth, looking indignant.) Cloud Walker just uses the jungle gym as a way to get from Point A to Point B.

We're starting the party Monday, keeping it going the entire week. The guys have set up the security teams, Shigure leading the team that'll consist of the "hunters" as well as several members of Circus. They'll mostly keep to the trees, using whistles and hand signals as communication.

Suoh's a bit nervous about next Thursday (he's taking a couple of classes alone, meaning without any of the guys he's usually around.) Tigerlily's picked up on his nervousness, purring as much as she can to calm him down. She's also grooming him a bit, her rough tongue swiping whatever she can reach at any point in time. She's no longer the tiny mite he brought home last year, but she acts that way sometimes, curling up and trying to fit in the crook of his neck when they're asleep.

The tutoring center's sent the hours for the guys volunteering to help with the Japanese and the Italian students, and the head of the center has posted the "No Flirting" rule in the room as well as in the paperwork. Hopefully we won't have any problems this semester.

Oops, gotta go. Wars concerning the jungle gym.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

We "cased" the area we're using starting Monday (the "hunters" were like stereotypical lads when it came to climbing the trees, but we'll talk about that some other day.) Poor Jin was groped by someone before he could climb the tree, and the woman who "copped a feel" is well known among the campus police for giving guys unsolicited attention (Shigure stopped her dead in her tracks with a well-aimed arrow right by the assailant's feet.)

They were amazed at how precise the performers were, including the "lion" tamer's "lions". We moved Kuroda's jungle gym contraption to the grounds so that it would be ready for the act. The "professional runner" and the prince will be doing the "running" along with Emba, giving the adult more time to help with ground security.

The astrologers were amazed at our resident shinto priestess and our resident onmyoujin (they performed a cleansing ritual of the area along with a few other ritual users.) The shaman added her "two pence", which created an interesting discussion about the different rituals, plus a discussion about last year's incident with the "holier-than-thou" Christians. Madame wants to meet the Christians, but I'm not sure (she had a wicked glint in her eye when she said that. . . .)

The pool's ours after hours since the weather forecasters say it's going to be rather hot and humid for some of the days. The new guys will wear the same/similar swimming garments as Shigure (they are multipurpose and readily available, as opposed to bathing suits.)

Oh, and the newest members of the "clan" met the kids that Wren and several of the doctors helped. The kids are still in the hospital, but out of isolation. Wren has a flight plan ready for the day they are released (he showed it to them already.) We might get a few more kids in the "clan" since both parents were sent inside for the stunt they pulled. Our herbalist was quite intrigued by the stuff used to treat the burns and the infections, but not as much as the stuff that Belinda takes/has to do due to her stroke.

Oops, gotta go. Several s are complaining about not having their toy.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Poor Yogi's sulking.

You see, I gave the "mascots" their schedules and it was basically, "Two hours on, fifteen minutes off except for lunch, which will be thirty minutes." The weather's going to be hot (somewhere around 90 F.) and humid. Yogi started giving me some backtalk, so I told him, "Backtalk? Backhand." Hirato didn't waste words: he just grabbed his leftenant by the collar, then tossed him into the sheep, where they played catch with him. He's okay, though, just a bit dizzy.

The first day of the fundraiser/"block party" was a success somewhat. The newbies have been rudely awakened at the chaos we deal with a lot. The "star readers" have been quite popular, especially the younger one, having several young ladies give him their phone numbers. Nekoyashiki took care of the situation for the poor guy.

Sado sat in with the group he usually does, showing the newcomers to campus that everybody involved in the party is quite serious about what we do, no matter the age.

The s were a huge hit, playing on their jungle gym with the minimum of coaxing from the "lion tamer". Several went into their "upside-down mode" earning laughter from the audience.

Afterward, everybody went swimming. We taught some of the newbies how to swim a bit, the Turkish Vans showing them up. I let the humans know that if they want to show up the s, just learn how to do the backstroke.

Oh, and the leader of the "hunters" met Daiba (they just ran into each other accidentally.) Mamoru introduced them to each other, letting Daiba know that Mon was a "safe person".

Ah, gotta go. I'm up for my performance. Wish me luck (as in "break a leg", but not literally.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Yesterday's performance was a trip in spite of the heat and humidity. Our herbalist was real helpful with Yogi (Yogi had a heat incident, but he's physically okay now [mentally, we'll have to get back to you on that].)

The Humane Society brought several adoptable animals for display (a few of them came home with us.) They're going to be shared with practically the entire "clan", but adopted by particular members.

Suoh was quite a hit walking around with Tiger Lily perched on his shoulder, sometimes placing her front half on his head, scanning the territory. Asami told him to remember his place (although he didn't have to because Suoh's not the type to be egotistical.) Oh, and the big guy met one of his professors, who was quite entranced by the feline (a treat tidbit can do quite a bit in breaking down several barriers.)

The "treetop security detail" caught a thief who tried to walk off with both donation containers. The perp tried to tell the police that what we did was overkill (overkill would've been sending him to the sheep before calling the police to take him away.) Turns out that they were looking for this a$$tard for several robberies and petty thefts. The cops who took him away had to place a piece of plastic over his seat because he kinda let go of the contents in his bladder. I guess that's what you get when you have eight swords ready to skewer you as well as a few ninjitsu weapons.

We had a fun time today, too, with the delegation just playing on their jungle gym, each trying to outdo the others. It's a good thing Daiba taped everything, transferring the performances to his server to upload later. Chii and Tovarish stole so many hearts that it's a good thing they aren't affiliated with "Basement Cat" or hundreds of humans would be doomed.

Ah, gotta go. I have to order more frozen treats (Cool Dogs ice cream treats were a hit as were the Snoopy ice cream treats and the Sedona frozen yogurt sandwiches.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Asami's a shameless flirt as well as a ba$tard. We had our first class in belly dancing this semester, and he's the only guy (so far, thank the PtBs, but FeiLong and Yoh sat in for half the class and might register for it, too) and he was slightly exaggerating some of the steps, adding a bit of his trademarked smirk and a wink here and there. I especially felt sorry for his partners in the exercises.

We stayed for the next class because Takaba was in it, and the poor photographer kept on being distracted by his, um, "friend" during his class, too. Several of the girls remembered Asami as their protector during the stalking incident (they wouldn't stop asking about Suoh, the poor guy.)

Oh, the fundraiser today was mostly indoors due to thunderstorms, but it went off without many difficulties. Tovarish and Chii played with a couple of Styrofoam cups (I felt sorry for the people who were cleaning the student union due to a couple of very energetic s tearing the daylights out of the cups, leaving a trail of debris in their wake.)

Several people laughed at the kittens' antics, especially when they started playing on the jungle gym, especially when they turned upside-down then tried catching each others' or their own tails. It was a bit eerie when a couple of the "hunters" laughed out loud from the shadows.

In another room, the human/oid entertainment performed, including a cover of Cascada's Evacuate the Dancefloor, while the dancers just let it go, inviting several members of the audience to join in (we had the separate room for the music so the s wouldn't run and hide due to the volume.) It was funny watching some of the new guys trying to emulate the dancers, both professional and college students.

Oops, gotta go. Another crisis to avert.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

I felt sorry for several of the guys today (multiple incidents of harassment, if you catch my drift.) The group I call "pseudo-Christians" crashed the block party (they didn't like it when I asked them politely why they were working on their Sabbath, then Hirato told them that the closest Christian university was a few miles southwest and that he'd be more than happy to give them the exact location and detailed directions.)

Our Shinto priestess, onmyoujin, shaman and a couple other representatives of our diverse religious group "cleansed" the area, placating the spirits, before we resumed the controlled chaos we lovingly call our fundraiser/"block party".

The astrologers met their astronomy professors and the TAs today, too (found out that one of the professors and a couple of the TAs have used the food pantry services and all of them have adopted from the Humane Society [three of them adopted dogs from the puppy mill that the Humane Society bought out for pennies on the dollar].) I invited them to bring their canine companions tomorrow if they were coming back since we have free vet service].) There was a nice conversation among everybody there about the differences between astronomy and astrology as well as non-human companion care. I gave the professors and the TAs a tip (go to the Wednesday Farmers Market during their lunch break, and pick up smoked buffalo bones for their dogs [will last longer than most dog toys, plus they're guaranteed not to shred or break].)

Tao ran into his philosophy professor, and he looked like he wanted to run away. Asami, FeiLong, Suoh and Torogai, our shaman took care of the situation quite nicely (Torogai gave the a$$hat a piece of her mind in such a way that it impressed the ba$tard, Asami, as well as FeiLong.) Firstly, when the professor brought up the "you must abide your elders" argument, she trumped him by letting him know she was a few years his senior. It went downhill from there. By the time she was finished with him, he was crying, begging for forgiveness.

We spent quite a bit of time swimming afterwards, Turkish Vans joining in the fun occasionally. The "hunters" played a bit in the water with Belinda while Tanda (the herbalist) and Balsa (the bodyguard) played with Emba's and Yuuen's brood since they're still a bit unsure about going into the deep end of the pool. Alas, a couple of cameras were found that didn't belong (Takaba's collection's growing quite nicely, thankyouverymuch) and we traced them to a particular student (he's been expelled and kicked out of the ROTC program.) Yun's photographic memory came in quite handy as did Daiba's computer skills.

Tomorrow's the last day of the fundraiser, thank the PtBs, and several of the clubs have come together and donated food and beverages for "the clan". The American Indian Students Association has a specific demand: FRY BREAD. I let them know that I was going to supply the maple syrup for the bread, so they don't have to worry about it, just supply the buffalo and the venison for those who would prefer savory sandwiches.

Oops, gotta go. I'm being inundated by the s and a few adults.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

The newbies have just experienced the wonders of fry bread. Now they're trying to steal the recipe.

We also had some unwanted excitement because a "crasher" attacked several s, kicking them in the side. The s immediately raced to the vets, some jumping onto the tables (the others too injured to do so) laying down for the vets, which worried the staff. A couple of the vets called Nekoyashiki over in a tone that alerted the security team of trouble. The onmyoujin's quartet immediately homed in on the offender, which got the security team on his a$$ets and several weapons trained on his coconut. Oh, his reason for kicking the s? They were in his way. Nekoyashiki put a curse on him.

You see, the kid loves handling snakes, especially poisonous snakes. Nekoyashiki cursed him to be distasteful to all members of the reptile world, yet attractive to bedbugs, flies, gnats and other insect vermin as well as lice. The kid lives in a really nice apartment complex with a zero tolerance for infestations.

Ah, the "treetop security" detail is getting their stash of fry bread for the last bit of the fundraiser as well as stuff from other groups (the stuff from the other groups are for "ground time" while the bread's for "tree time".)

Oops, they want me to sing. Pray for me.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Well, they acquired the fry bread recipe through "questionable means", now they're getting it translated. It'll be fun watching them making the rounds (I know, I'm sadistic. )

The s who were injured yesterday are recovering quite well on Circus's ship, guarded by the sheep. The only ones allowed in the room are the vets and Nekoyashiki (all others are prime volleyball/badminton/racquetball targets.) I have seen a couple of their victims, and it's not pretty.

We're going swimming later tonight (lots of joyous shouts) and Daiba's going to make an attempt at getting a few laps in towards the end, accompanied by a few Turkish vans (the people who maintain the pool are quite grateful that the s are a lot cleaner than some of the students.)

Clare had an incident in the martial arts class she's helping with. At least her eyes didn't change to yellow (that would've been extremely bad.) The kid attacked her without it actually being a sparring match and found himself in dire straits, face down in the mat. Several students buckled down after seeing her nearly rip the kid's arm out of its socket (he tried grabbing her ankle with his free hand to throw her, so she pulled on his captive one.) The main instructor sent the kid to the beltless class, rescinding his brown belt.

Oh, just heard from the Tutoring Center. They're grateful for all of the assistance that my "clan" gave and not just with the foreign language classes. They were able to weed out those who weren't actually qualified to tutor in the classes they claimed (the staff really need to do better background checks. *shakes head*) I can't wait to find out what's going to happen after they "clean house" *evil*

Oh, I just got a present from the "clan": a bento box with a stylized playing with a stylized toy mouse. It's almost too cute to use, but I'll somehow force myself. The deaf member turned a deep red as did Suoh when I thanked them, so I have a sneaking suspicion that they were the ones that chose it. I've gotta do something nice for them.

Ah, gotta go and put my new bento away before the s decide it's a toy.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Ah, the wonders of chocolate! It can either break up or mend fences/friendships. Oh, you're curious about what led up to this observation?

I had, as one of the New Year's treats, piles of rich chocolate bars and truffles, some with a creamy filling, some with dried fruit bits, and some solid milk or dark chocolate. Anyway, some of the pigs grabbed as much chocolate as they could stuff into their pockets.

Anyway, that caused several altercations. I had to perform the 1812 Overture repeatedly using several heads, especially with a couple of RED vets. After I knocked some sense into some of the "clan", the offenders gave some of the chocolate to those who could/would eat it, but were too late to grab some, therefor, mending fences/friendships.

Suoh made his (in)famous ice cream sandwiches to go along with all of the other treats. He's so cute when he turns beet red.

Ah, another school update: Tao has caused his philosophy professor a bit of trouble, and FeiLong visited him during office hours, Tao in tow. Anyway, the professor was lucky the Baishe leader wasn't packing that day.
Oh, and Asami came along, just to satisfy his curiosity (he was packing.) Both adults were late for their class, but the prof knew them and let them off this time.

Suoh had a friendly face join him in one of his classes: Kei. Kirishima said that since he didn't have anything better to do at that time, why not join his buddy? I treated them to a large bento box just for them.

Oops, a commotion. Gotta go.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Classes were canceled today, so a couple of the student groups challenged my "clan" to a few rounds of paintball.

Bad move.

As you may recall, a few are firearms experts. Just a couple of minor adjustments and it's open season on the paintball field. Wren was the designated sniper, taking out as many opponents sighting on the core group, Yoh moved behind their lines (he took out 50 by the end of the first round, but he is a rather good "underground information specialist", trained by both yakuza and Baishe leaders in information retrieval and firearms use), Asami and Kirishima took the left side of the field and FeiLong and Kazumi took the right. After Yoh took out their communications person and Wren took out their captain, their group was easy pickings. What I thought was real funny was that, after taking out the com guy, Yoh took over the set and gave the wrong coordinates for Wren's position (the guy on the other end of the radio took out their own sniper.)

Yeah, they can be ba$tards.

Unfortunately for the opponents, the other rounds were even easier for the "clan" because our opponents didn't change a thing while the core group for "Asami's team" were rather fluid, changing tactics where required.

The last group to join my "clan" didn't participate, just watched as the opponents had victory snatched away from them easily. Mon asked if he could have the "hunters" try out the game sometime later this week, which I agreed to. He asked me if Asami and Co. would mind teaching them the game. I replied that it would be best to ask them after the last round since I don't volunteer others (I don't like to have someone else volunteer me, so why should I volunteer someone else?)

Yun noticed that, in each round, the communications guy was taken out early. I replied that, the best way to create a chaotic situation is to remove the instructions relay.

I learned from a police officer during one of my high school classes that, if something were to occur at a police station, the communications room was always secured as soon as the incident is noticed. I also learned that the one call that police officers dread going to is the domestic dispute. With almost all of the other calls, everything is pretty much cut and dried. The domestic, things change in an instant where, one moment the police are the heroes, the next moment, the victim is tearing into them for arresting his/her SO.

Oh, and the s are playing with their jungle gyms. Yeah, Kuroda made five more, two as simple as the last one, three so elaborate that the s don't need to go anywhere else for exercise, with ten levels of play surface.

Oops, gotta go. Chii and Tovarish are duking it out on the ninth level of a jungle gym.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

I made arrangements with the VNA staff for the 14th (they're ecstatic.) Why, you ask? Well, we're going for our flu shots and, since there are so bloody many of us, they need a "heads up". We're also providing entertainment as well as some extra security for both the 14th and 15th (just in case they get more, "Oh, I'm here for the food, I don't need a flu shot.") Onigiri will be set up for the 15th so the "clan" won't take anything from those who have their shots.

The next-to-most recent influx of members have their cold-weather gear, including pink ribbon gloves along with an explanation of what the ribbon symbolizes. Why do I say "next-to-most"? We had another influx. *whimper* *bigcry* Why won't anybody take some of the guys? Better yet, WHY WON'T THEY GO BACK TO THEIR WORLDS? Excuse me for a moment. . .

I'm back. Just got a message about the Folk Fair this year. The "clan" is working the entire stint from Thursday through Sunday, the kids just visiting with their classmates Thursday and starting their work after school Friday. The "hunters" and Narazaki are camping out with the reenactors, the "hunters" expressing interest in the activity (Narazaki introduced the "hunters" to the reenactors, who then outfitted the guys with semi-authentic Revolutionary War/mountain man and Indigenous American outfits [Gin and Yun half-naked should be considered illegal, even when their "important parts" are completely covered. ].)

Gotta go. Several requests for my infamous "chicken", mushroom and artichoke pizzas have started the assembly lines and they need my supervision, especially since Orihime's participating. . . ORIHIME!

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

We had a couple of visitors today, courtesy of one of my neighbors and a pizza delivery service.

The neighbor called for a pizza, and it turned out that there was an interesting special: free pizzas for working smoke detectors. One of the delivery guys was a firefighter, who checked the smoke detector and the carbon monoxide detector. When he found that they were working perfectly, he offered the "clan" free pizza, which we turned down.

Why, you ask? It's because the restaurant would've lost too much money giving us free pizza. When I called everybody to introduce themselves, the poor pizza guys were floored. When I informed them that only about half of the "clan" were home, the rest either at school or at work, the firefighter nearly choked.

What's ironic is the neighbor who called for a pizza ended up getting a couple of free detectors, but had to pay for his pizza (he expected to get a free one, so he ordered the most expensive one he could. Alas for him, he's going to have to eat that pizza three times a day until next Monday.)

The s are helping Kuroda design more -friendly add-ons to their jungle gyms, including a Mobius strip shaped ball/toy mouse cage that has a couple of paw sized holes that the s can bat the toy inside, but can't extract it.

Oops, gotta go. The rest of the "clan" is starting to arrive, and they're hungry.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Asami, FeiLong, Kazumi, Kirishima, Yoh, Takaba, Alberto and Ranmaru are showing signs of nervousness. Why, you ask? They're coming with me to San Francisco later this week, and they're going to meet the person who draws their representations. Wren's going, too, and act as Tao's adult representative (the convention doesn't allow people under the age of 18, and Tao's 14 or 15 now.)

I mean, how does one address that person when meeting face-to-face for the first time? It seems to me like an adult who was given up for adoption when s/he was a baby meeting his/her biological mother for the first time. I'm not sure if I'm going to sit in on their time together or if it would be better for them to be alone with her interpreter acting as chaperone.

My friends Tyler and America are going to keep an eye on the rest of the "clan" (I think they're going to ask her mother to help, too) while we're out-of-town. They're also keeping an eye on the cattery, much to America's mom's delight.

Oops, gotta go. My bed is calling my name right about now. I'll update later.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Wren has let everybody know that he's grounded through Wednesday night, if not later. Why, you ask? There's a high wind advisory, and meteorologists are saying that they expect gusts to be the worst seen in a dozen years.

The mechs are being prepped for almost any run, especially the quadruped. Poor Kirishima hates traveling via mech, but Ryogo's taking him for a spin later tonight to help the secretary make peace with the alien technology (Asasmi's going, too, for support.)

We're going to get a few more items for this weekend, too (like a small present for the lady we're kind of nervous about running into [to the point that the s are doing overtime with Suoh, FeiLong and Yoh and Asami's smoked a pack and a half of Dunhills].) Takaba's picked up several spare memory sticks for his digital cameras as well as quite a few rolls of analog film. He informed me that he needs to take photos of the cosplayers, perhaps letting the rest of the guys make critiques on the ones playing them (long story, no time/bandwidth.)

Daiba's promised to set up something with America so either she or Tyler can keep an eye on everybody (yeah, "Big Brother's Watching You", but it's kind of required.) Ah, the logistics of everything is driving me cashews!

Oops, I'm being paged by the mech squad. Gotta go.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Asami, Takaba, Kazumi, Kirishima, FeiLong, Yoh, Alberto and Ranmaru are asleep (they practically were pounced the moment they walked into the front lobby of the hotel.) Poor Suoh has a new mantra: "Don't hurt anybody. Tiger Lily needs me."

The adventure started in the Milwaukee airport with a security guy with a stick shoved up his a$$ets (gave me a hard time for bringing sharps in a carry-on, but I need to have my diabetic supplies with me at all times [thank the PtBs for my MedicAlert bracelet!] and he sent us back to the ticketing line.) When we got back in the security line, the a$$tard was gone, but last call was broadcast.

We ended up missing our flight, but got on the next one as stand-bys. The plane was supposed to leave at 1640 hours, but left at 1850 hours due to mechanical trouble. Wren has all of the details from the plane but won't disclose them. Several of our fellow passengers kvetched about the delay, but I told anybody who wanted to know why I wasn't angry about the delay, "I would rather be late for my flight yet still get to my destination in one piece than leave on time and never make it."

Our flight to SF was a real late flight (left at around 1930 hours) but we all got a real good upgrade for our seats, plus there were several Japanese people for my companions to converse with while they were awake. Wren had to go into slumber mode due to all of his non-human stuff during takeoff (possible interference with the required communication.) A few discrete taps on his wrist, and he was fully awake, startling everybody around him, including the flight attendant (he whispered that it was the eeriest thing he had ever seen in his career as a flight attendant, perfect for Halloween [it resembled the coming out of a coma scenes in all fictional movies and TV shows].) I let him know that Wren is a veteran (didn't tell him from where, though, since it would've caused no end of difficulties.)

In flight movie was Toy Story 3, which none of us were interested in. Suoh talked with a lady next to him about Tiger Lily (seems she had a cat waiting for her at home, too, and she missed her little one.) The big guy showed her photos of his tabby, earning several squeals of sheer delight and photos of a cute calico. I think she gave him her address for correspondence.

We took up the entire hotel shuttle (and not with suitcases, either.) My original roommate ended up not coming, so I spent the convention with two cosplayers (a branch of live action role playing where the person actually dresses up like the character being played.) I had to whisper to Asami that it was only natural that there would be an assumption that he was a cosplayer and not the real thing. The fangirl screams were deafening when word spread that the "actual guys" were there (and this was at 0015 hours, which didn't endear us with the non-convention guests at the hotel.)

Then, there was the incident at the Yamane Ayano panel. She literally fainted when she saw the guys. She took one look at them, recognized them, slowly rose from her seat, then. . . THUD. She invited them and Wren to her room for a private chat (I didn't join them since I was an unnecessary outsider.) I found out later that she demanded that they attend every event she was at as well as their room assignments for more private conversations without any fangirls (I was invited to those conversations after the guys told her that I've been housing them for over a year.) Suoh, FeiLong and Yoh showed her photos of their furred managers, which earned several Japanese equivalents to cooing from both the sensei and her translator, plus sensei reciprocated with photos of her s.

The guys had room assignments on each side of my room (alas, one of my roommates was a FeiLong/Mikhail Arbatov "shipper" [a person who has a particular intimate relationship that s/he believes is "canon" or should be "canon"] and she demanded that we tell her why "Mik" wasn't there with us, but Yoh was.) Wren had to inform security that the guys were being followed by several fangirls and that FeiLong had some trouble with my roommate. Since he (FeiLong) is a trained assassin, things could've been rather bad for everybody involved, including the hotel personnel.

At the official "gift giving" panel, we each gave the sensei a simple "trinket" (I gave her a set of greeting cards from the local Humane Society with photos of rescued wild animals [a portion of the proceeds go towards rehabilitation of all wild animals that cross their threshold], Al gave her a photo of the Great Lakes schooner [a portion goes towards the schooner's upkeep and its education program], Ranmaru gave her a pink ribbon bracelet [helps pay for mammograms for those who cannot afford one otherwise], the others gave her photos of animals that they are sponsoring in her name [two domestic cats, two domestic dogs, a pair of wolves, a couple tiger cubs, a panther, a jaguar, and two small wild cat kittens].) Needless to say, our presents were rather unique among everything she received, but our group is rather unique among everybody that attended the convention.

Saturday night/Sunday morning was a dance, and the guys were grateful for the choreographers who taught everybody different dance moves, especially ones that can be used to get away from rabid fangirls/fanboys (yes, they have rabid fanboys, too.) They only stayed for an hour while I stayed for two (I left after being pestered by everybody who recognized me/my companions to the point I was ready to start punching any-/everybody between the exit and me.)

The brunch the next day wasn't much better, peace-wise. I felt sorry for the men who were hired for the convention, being upstaged by my little group. It got to the point that we decided to spend the rest of the day with the guests of honor (by their "royal command".) We left the convention seven long hours later, taking up the entire hotel shuttle again, then waiting right behind a couple of idjits in the security line (the male tried to bring a Swiss Army knife on board his plane home, refusing to stow it in his checked bag [the knife had sentimental value to him, which {to him} was of greater importance than the fact the knife was on the "prohibited items" list] and both he and his wife decided to argue with TSA officers, causing one lane to be shut down and the couple to miss their flight.) Wren even offered to fly the knife to their destination, but they refused.

Although we got to the airport four hours before our flight home, we got home in relative peace and quiet. The connection in Chicago was funny because a little girl took a liking to my guys, much to her mother's dismay. Add to that the girl refused to go to sleep, the couple in trouble was the girl's grandparents* and they were supposed to join up in Chicago for a flight to Boston. . . Kei was funny when the girl homed in on him, climbing him like a tree and grabbing his glasses. Ranmaru kept his back to the wall, protecting the knot in his fundoshi from inquisitive hands, unlike his poor obi.

When we got back to Milwaukee, we just crashed, letting Wren take us home, then we crawled into our beds, s reacquainting themselves with us.

Well, that's about it from the Milwaukee front.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

We had an interesting ride home from a doctor's appointment. Why, you ask? The cab driver's GPS system crashed just before he pulled up, and Wren took a quick scan while I gave the driver directions to the apartment complex.

Wren quickly scribbled down his diagnostics for the driver to give the repair person when he could. The driver was surprised at how computer savvy Wren is (I didn't have the heart to tell him it was because Wren is mostly mechanical parts himself [he had to go through a special line at the airports and undergo a different kind of scan].) I hope the driver got his GPS unit fixed. Not everybody knows how to get from Point A to Point B or (if they do) don't know how to give directions.

Ah, I'd better go. Tovarish is pestering me for bed.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

The phone calls for this weekend are coming in, finalizing all of the plans made in advance,several friends made in past years reconnecting and the anticipation is thicker than a Norwegian Forest cat's winter pelt.

There have been a few calls made to Tyler's family about this year's hunting. Needless to say that, because of the hassles my guys averted, they are more than welcome to use the property. The meat they get will go towards feeding the "clan" next week Thursday. The will get their "traditional" venison stew in gravy food, and the dogs are getting turkey flavored dog kibble.

Wren had an interesting situation happen to him: he accidentally set off an alarm by walking through it with all of his electronics. Shocked the helloandhowdoyoudo out of the security guards and the police when he was searched.

Oops, gotta go. I'll have an update later today, I hope.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

 

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Everybody's asleep (thank the PtBs!) and their stashes of stuff they got at the Folk Fair are put away. A few of the guys picked up sandbakkel sets and Danish pancake pans (they are learning about the culinary delights of other ethnicities besides the fry bread [it was funny watching eight grown men go up to the American Indian booth, slam their hands on the table in unison, and demand two dozen fry bread, EACH].)

The "hunters", herbalist, spearwielder, prince and astrologers were pretty overwhelmed with the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the fair. It was funny watching them watch the guests of honor perform (a conch shell "trumpet" [which they could feel penetrate their skeletons] and the actual flame from the oil lamp [or was it an alcohol lamp?] roughly a handspan away from the gentleman's - um - unmentionables garnered reactions I wish I could've taken photos of, especially the males.) The African dancers as well as the Russian, Ukrainian, Scottish and the Native American dancers tired them out just watching.

There was a bit of hunting (the spoils are going for the Thursday pig-out) and three poachers were removed from the grounds. The "hunters" really enjoyed themselves, learning Emba's techniques (I have a sneaking suspicion they're going to incorporate several of them in the future.) America's mother is keeping the stuff until Thursday, loaning us her oven (again) as long as our "ancients" teach her how to make the stuff their way.

Oh, a few of the guys want me to brag about a stunt I described in our tabletop/P&P game. My character, facing something she couldn't fight traditionally, grew a set of claws, tore open a bit of the enemy, grabbed a grenade she was carrying, pulled the pin, then shoved that sucker elbow-deep into the hole she created before leaping away. Jaws just dropped all around and the general opinion was that it deserved the coveted 3-die stunt bonus. It took Tyler several seconds to figure out how to describe the effects of a 15-dice success (after he finished with his time-out to visit the "I think I need to rethink drinking that much water just before such a stunt" room.

There's a feeling in the air again, the feeling we're going to get several more additions to our "clan". Ah, well. Maybe some day I'll be relatively alone again, but I have a feeling I'll mourn that day.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine