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Element Quiz

.:FIRE:.

[X] You have a short temper.

[X] You often act on your emotions without thinking first.

[X] You are very competitive.

[X] You like to play with fire.

[  ] You are not a strong swimmer or you can't swim at all.

[X] You prefer warm weather over cold weather.

[X] You often lose control over yourself.

[X] You can be quite reckless.

[  ] You sometimes hurt people without realizing it.

[  ] People have often called you insane.

Total: 7

.:WATER:.

[X] You have a calm, laid-back personality.

[X] You like to go to the beach.

[  ] You rarely get angry.

[  ] When you do get angry, you know how to control it.

[X] You think before you act.

[  ] You are good at breaking up fights.

[X] You are a good swimmer.

[X] You like the rain.

[X] You can stay calm in stressful situations.

[X] You are very generous.

Total: 7

.:EARTH:.

[  ] You are physically strong.

[  ] You have a close connection with nature.

[X] You don't mind getting dirty.

[X] You form strong opinions on issues that concern you.

[  ] You could easily survive in the wild.

[X] You care about the environment

[X] You can easily focus on your work without getting distracted.

[  ] You rarely get depressed.

[  ] You aren't afraid of anything.

[X] You prefer to have a strict set of rules.

Total: 5

.:AIR:.

[  ] You have a free spirit.

[  ] You hate rules.

[  ] You prefer to be out in the open rather than in small, enclosed spaces.

[  ] You hate to be restrained.

[X] You are very independent and outgoing.

[  ] You are quite intelligent.

[X] You tend to be impatient.

[X] You are easily distracted.

[X] You can sometimes be hyperactive and/or annoying.

[  ] You wish you could fly.

Total: 4

.:DARKNESS:.

[X] You spend most of your time alone.

[X] You prefer nighttime over daytime.

[  ] You like creepy things.

[X] You like to play tricks on people.

[/] Black is your favorite color.

[/] You prefer the villains over the heroes in movies, TV shows, video games, etc.

[  ] You don't talk much.

[  ] You are atheist.

[  ] You don't mind watching scary movies.

[  ] You love to break the rules.

Total: 4

.:LIGHT:.

[X] You are very polite.

[X] You are spiritual.

[X] When someone is in trouble, you never hesitate to help them.

[  ] You believe everything you see or hear.

[  ] You are afraid of the dark.

[X] You hate violence.

[X] You hope for world peace.

[X] You are generally a happy person.

[X] Everyone loves to be around you.

[/] You always follow the rules.

Total: 7.5


Chao- Yeah, usually when Chao takes these types of test, this quiz taker generally gets Water or Light, depending on what's available.

"In one way or another, every one of us has been shaped by such stories we have read and absorbed in the past. All stories, including fairy tales, present elemental truths, which can sometimes permeate your inner life and become part of you." -- Preface, Chinese Cindereall: The true story of an unwanted daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

Words Have History

EVER WONDER:
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal? 

Chao- Seen this around many users' profiles. Find it pretty annoying, especially for the ones that are bold. Most of these can just be Google for answers. Seriously, a lot of these can be explained (except maybe for the women and their mascara usage progress). To keep up with the subjects of English and writing for this blog, the questions that are bold have to deal with words. Words in every language have a history--from being adopted from another language, to combinations between languages. English, for example, has roots found in French and the Germanic language. Words we use today could have a different meaning years and years ago. Here's a video that this English-learner watched in a class about the history of English.               

Chao- It was actually a pretty cool series. Learned a lot from the class and this documentary. Anyway, words have developed different meaning over time, and they are created through other words based on need and popularity. Words can be broken down into parts. Let's take the word "Congress" from the example above. While it is true that "con" can be the opposite of "pro", it doesn't mean nothing happens in Congress (but it was a pretty funny thought). And for its word history, "Congress" came about in Middle English with the meaning of "a gathering of bodies", and the suffix "gress" came from a developed form of "gredi", to grade. Isn't it cool to read about the history of a word and its parts? Been reading some words' origins in online dictionaries.

YChao- I guess this is why people find old stories and poetry fascinating, and then we have the abuse of old timely words like "ye" and "t'was". Makes me wonder if "ain't" is ever going to be considered a proper word.

Agent Daisy- *browsing through Beowulf*

Chao- Who knows? But Chao also likes to read what is current for fan fics!

YChao- So this wasn't an attempt at a legit English lesson as an English teacher?

Chao- Bwa ha ha! Like Chao would ever waste such time with such a useless occupation! (gets shot by friends who are studying to be teachers)

"It's a parallel novel!" "It's a fan fic."

Chao- Has anyone heard or read a parallel novel?

"A parallel novel is a piece of literature written within, derived from, or taking place during, the framework of another work of fiction by the same or another author." --Wikipedia

Chao- One book that Chao has read for a class was The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. It tells the story of Homer's The Odyssey, but from Penelope's P.O.V. The reason why this is being brought it is because Chao is curious to know why people are making money from something that is essentially fan fics. Chao wants in!

YChao- What do you mean people are making money off of fan fics?

Chao- Yu-Gi-Oh!! Capsule Monsters sure did have a few aspects that made it seem like a fan fic. Secret exhibition, anyone? That's the excuse writers give so little Yugi can be home all by his lonesome himself.

YChao- Ok, sure, but Yugi's grandpa later showed up in that season. Not too many writers write him in. And then the journey involved the heroes making home alive after an epic battle with a somewhat evil guy.

Chao- Some aspects of that season totally sounded like a fan fic, especially since it was placed after the gang returns from Kaiba Land. And what about Yu-Gi-Oh!! R? That was published after Yu-Gi-Oh!! Duel Monsters was completed. Kazuki Takahashi gave his little notes at the beginning of each volume just like he did with his original work, and the next author gave his notes as well. But it was a pretty good read since the characters appeared to be in character.

YChao- And like the manga, Yugi actually managed to duel instead of him taking the back seat like the writers or producers had him in the anime. I shall always love that duel between him and Scott!

Chao- In another example, The Wizard of Oz. We see countless references and homages to this book and film. It's something that people are familiar with, and it made way in film's history. Yet we get countless "sequels".  For an anime, Soul Eater Not is a spinoff of Soul Eater. Sometimes a spinoff is just a way for the company to make money.

YChao- Ok, are you making a point here, or is this entry just a place to post a rant?

Chao- It's a legit post because people are making money off of what is essentially fan fics. While some media have a new story with new characters, sometimes a spinoff will be about a character getting his/her own show.

YChao- Fine, move to New York or California that have writing staff and write your own stuff after a movie or a book is successful.

Chao- Eh, that may be a challenge. Fan fics are fun because writers get to chose what universe to work with. By doing this professionally, Chao may get something assigned that is unfamiliar, like The Wizard of Oz. That's the one where the girl wears those red rubber boots and has to follow the yellow sidewalk, right?

YChao- .... You know what, scratch that first idea. Maybe you can write a fan fic so epic that it'll catch the attention of some big shot author or producers from companies. Then they offer you a contract, backstab you, and change a lot of your work to continue making money while claiming said work as their own.

Chao- Ah, the magic of media business. Anyway, this was just a thought that came to mind since this blog is about fan fics. Comments on this subject will always be welcomed.

Updates for July

Chao- Don't have nay plans this month to publish any chapters or one shots for anything. Kinda got some writer's block and a little bit of laziness. Won't have any time to read any fan fics though, so it'll be a tough month to get through. On a similar subject, there was an announcement about what fan fics will be deleted and which ones will continue. That announcement may come in August or maybe September depending on what's going on. That's all for now. Hope to hear from you all soon!

The Joys of Torturing Characters

Chao- Here's something that even the newest of people who come across while reading fan fics realize: Some authors really enjoy torturing characters. And it's true! Let's face it; it's something fun to do. We see our favorite guys struggle against some evil while going on a strenuous journey that may bring about their demise, or at least have them covered in cuts and bruises and maybe a concussion. Cruel, aren't we? Or are we?

YChao- Cruel? Yes. Still awesome to bear through? Yes.

Chao- Ok, but what about original works? The heroes go on these long journeys to find themselves. There's angst, drama, action, humor. Is it any different from fan fics?

YChao- Yes, the characters in fan fics have already been established of who they are and what misadventures await them. We write our fan fics focusing on the characters we want to and leave out 100% of the ones who dislike or don't care about, minus any bashing fics.

Chao- Yes, fan fics use already established characters and universes, yet they all undergo some sort of journey--to face some evil or find themselves or both.

YChao- And some fans get a kick out of that--bruises, concussions, nightmares, and all.

Chao- Some of this may seem cruel when you think about it, but as humans, isn't this what we're drawn to? We want something to read that will make us care about something; some of us aren't afraid to drop a story if we just aren't interested. These perils give us something to care about. It can be, after all, a reflection of human life.

YChao- That's too much of a positive spin!

Chao- Yeah, you're right. Sometimes we torture our favorite characters just for the heck of it!