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A cheat sheet for Switch Witches, swap faeries, and Mad Hatters!

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The Heart's Gift

Would you rather have the generalized feeling that someone is thinking of you (sooooomewheeere oooout theeere...) or would you like to know, off the bat, who your swapper is? I'm not going to be too demanding on my heartwarmer. Whatever she (or he? did we get any dudes this round?) feels comfortable with is totally fine.   Also, you ladies and gents are speaking of rare things, if you could have one rare scent, what would it be? Antique Lace, probably. I was given a tester of it in a swap with a lovely, wonderful forumite, and fell deeply in love. I'm also incredibly curious about Skadi, but I've never tested or sniffed it. Also, Ozymandias! Come back soon, please …   Do you like graphic novels, and if so, what kinds? Comics and I have a complicated history. There was a period of about ten years where I really thought I wanted to write and draw comics. I still do, but I honestly don't think I have the work ethic to be a webcomic creator, and I also wouldn't want to give up creative control enough to go work for one of this big houses. I read a lot of manga as a teenager, but I've only kept hold of a couple of series: Clover, by CLAMP, Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa, and Sailor Moon (plus Supers, Stars, etc). I'm given to understand there's a new translation of Sailor Moon being published now that's more accurate, but I haven't looked at it much. As for western comics I scarcely know where to start. I've read some of the seminal storytelling works (Watchmen, The Sandman) but I haven't read a lot of superhero comics. I am always willing to read anything Neil Gaiman's had a hand in, and I really enjoyed Red Son even though I'm not a Supes fan. Batman was my favorite superhero as a kid, but these days it's Captain America on the strength of Jim Steranko's work on a few issues, plus the Marvel Cinematic Universe flick a couple years ago about Cap. It was so earnest and optimistic. I kind of love it.   Is there anything in the new Coraline update that you are wanting to try? Or even the past Lupers? I joined a decant circle and got the stuff I'm most curious about (The Cat), but I'm also interested in Coraline Jones and Miss Forcible after some speculation on the latter, and me kicking myself for not realizing "dried grass" might be "hay" in the former. D'oh! I also got a half-bottle of Ambergris but suspect this may not be enough. Peony Moon doesn't tickle me but I keep waffling about a shirt to go with the OLOP tee I plan on getting … but Puddin' said he was going to be putting more tees on Etsy soon so I may wait for that.   What fandoms, if any, do you have? TV shows, comics/books, movies, specific characters, that kind of thing? I mentioned in my questionnaire that I'm a My Little Pony fan, but I don't really consider myself a "brony" … mostly because I have certain issues with parts of the fandom. I suspect I'm being a little disingenuous, since I've written short essays about themes portrayed by one of the show's writer's across episodes, and I've designed no fewer than ten pony OCs for myself and various friends, but, y'know, there it is. Also, I have a favorite pony, which is Luna, so there's that.   I'm much more likely, however, to admit that I'm a Warhammer 40K fan. My boyfriend got me into the lore when we started dating a few years ago, and these days I know more about the state of the game and upcoming book releases than he does. My favorite writer for a long time was Dan Abnett — though I've never read any of his Gaunt's Ghosts series; seventeen books and climbing is pretty daunting — but he's been edged out as of this winter by the new hotness, John French. This is mostly on the strength of French's novel debut, Ahriman: Exile, which even mentioning makes me want to go and reread. I've read a few of French's short pieces scattered in the Horus Heresy collections, but he has a novella in Fateweaver I have not clapped eyes on. I do have a favorite primarch, and that's Rogal Dorn; the Imperial Fists are also my favorite loyal chapter. My favorite traitor legion is the Thousand Sons. I don't go in much for the xenos … the Eldar especially bore me to tears.   Oh, I also play World of Warcraft on an RP server and spend an inordinate chunk of brainpower thinking about my characters, so that's a thing, too. Then again, that's selfish fandom: I feel like the writing in WOW was never incredibly strong, but has gotten noticeably weaker over time. My boyfriend recently quit the game due to a lot of frustration about how they were handling certain events in lore, along with the heavy luck basis for advancement in a few key areas this last patch — he plays, or played, a warlock, and he wanted to do the special warlock-only quest for spell customization, but could never get the item that started the chain to drop. He also wasn't getting any tailoring patterns to make gear that was useful to him, so his progress felt a little throttled. All of which is a sidebar to kind of say the last time he and I got in a shouting match, someone eventually walked in and asked why we were yelling, and the answer was "Because we both agree that Blizzard can't write, but can't agree on how!" And then we all laughed and the situation — not that serious to begin with — was defused. =P I still really enjoy WOW from a gameplay aspect and from an RP one because even though the large-scale story is dumb, the smaller ones we eke out are still compelling.   I have a new question! What of the new pickman gallery scents are you interested in? Pickmans, Pickmans … I really sort of want to try My Mom With the Sun in Her Hands, Rapunzel in Ballpoint, Self Portrait with Puffy Stickers, Summoning Stone Play Structure, and [Redacted] Dragon. Decants will probably be fine, since I'm not sure how any of them will behave! The Dragon seems like he's destined for a scent locket with all that spice.   What's your favorite kind of cookie? As a lot of food/beer critics are fond of saying, "the one in front of me." I've never met a chocolate chip cookie I disliked, but I'm also fond of oatmeal raisin. This last Christmas I made cookies for a friend that may have been the most over-the-top thing I've ever baked: a cardamom/chai infused snickerdoodle with coconut white chocolate chunks and macadamia. How's that for gilding the lily! He loved them, though.   Do you like nail polish? If so what colors? I don't really do nail polish, though I kind of want to. For some reason I really want a metallic bronze, even though I just know it's all wrong for the season. Ditto gunmetal. ;D   What about bath products? I shower a lot more than I bathe, but I will use bath oils as moisturizer or for their intended purpose now and then. I actually haven't tried some of the big names around here (Villainess, Lush, etc) and would be amenable to some new soaps …   Let's talk about handmade things: knits, books, jewelry, food, art, tchochkes.. what sort of 'just for You' items are you interested in receiving? Or, are you not really a handmade kind of person? If you want to make me something, I'll love it! I have a pair of fingerless gloves from a circular swap I love, along with a scarf my witch made me one year that I definitely cherish, but it's getting on to summer in the Northern hemisphere, so I'm not sure what call i'll have to wear knits from now on. Jewelry, food, books, etc I will eat up, whether metaphorically or literally.   What are you yearning for from the C2E2 and/or Bats Day pre-date? Bat's day, bat's day … Greater Horseshoe Bat sounds so very me.   As for C2E2, Little Egypt also sounds about my speed.   What kind of music do you like to listen to? Would you want your heartwarmer to make you a mix CD? For any specific purpose? My tastes are somewhat varied, from David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails to King Crimson to Johnny Cash to Godspeed You! Black Emperor to The Aquabats. Lady Gaga is my guilty pleasure. I love getting mix CDs (or grooveshark playlists, etc) because I find some cool bands that way. I also would like some darkly atmospheric music with no English-language vocals (French/Italian/Latin would be ideal if any) that I can use as "mood music" for my Dark Heresy game. Large swaths of the playlist for that right now are NIN instrumentals and Eric Brosius compositions for System Shock, with special guest appearance by the Shepard–Risset glissando from Godspeed You! Black Emperor's "The Dead Flag Blues" and excerpts from Claude Vivier's "Orion." Also, Holst's Planets are actually plot-important in a way, so if you have particularly interesting recordings of those, I'm all about it.
hexatomic

hexatomic

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A Very Merry Unbirthday to You!

Right-o! And here we have the long-overdue catchup on the questions posted in the Unbirthday Swap thread!   What magazines do you read/ have subscriptions to? I don't have any magazine subscriptions right now. I got the Food Network mag for the first year it came out, and it was alright. I probably would enjoy Cooks Illustrated, but blogs and so on have kind of subsumed magazines for me.   What kind of socks or tights do you like? No tights. Any socks are good. I have kind of been pining for the Polonova knee highs from sockdreams since I found them last year at switch witch, but not enough to buy a pair apparently!   Who would like to get a box in the mail with different teas in them? I think I'm good on teas for now.   Would you like anything (small) handknitted? if so, fiber sensitivities? Maybe a set of fingerless gloves? Winter comes early and hits hard in Upstate NY … except last year.   Do you like knitted items? Any allergies or preferences when it comes to the yarn? What colors? I don't wear too many knitted things! I did get a scarf from my witch last autumn that's done in several cool chromatic greys. It's very pretty. To be honest, I don't knit and I don't know too much about it!   What kind of wrapping do you like? Goth? Flowers? Girlie? Bright? Sparkly? Plain? Modern? Fancy? Other? I like solid colors or simple patterns (I have a red-and-white houndstooth I love for Christmas presents). Or the Sunday funnies. I've always had a soft spot for that as wrapping material.   Would you mind anything Alice in Wonderland UnBirthday themed? You'd think it would be de-rigeur, wouldn't you? ;D I'm most fond of the old woodcut illustrations.   What are your art preferences? Widely, widely varied. I'm an art history major, and while I really love the classics (especially Roman sculpture and architecture), I will probably end up studying the Florentine renaissance. Some of my favorite painting subjects are Judith and Holofernes, and I think in my posting history or elsewhere in this blog I made a whole big list of my favorite depictions of the Judgment of Paris. Within the past century, my favorite artist is Dalí; of less-famous, currently-working artists, long have I coveted a commission from Lord Dubu on deviantArt; I got him to do a piece this spring of my boyfriend's character, but getting my own done is still something I haven't been able to swing.   How do you feel about sample sizes or testers of things? I have absolutely no problem with this, especially if it's something I haven't gotten to try before!   Speaking of Villainess, who here is a fan? Would you want any of their goodies? If so, what are your scent wishes, and which types of products would you like? (i.e., Soap, Sugar Scrub, Moisturizer etc) I have only tried the "Killer Beez" perfume from Villainess, and none of their other products — except for the Xmvlzencab soap they make for the Post, which I love very much. I'd totally be over the moon to get some of their soaps and moisturizer, especially in scents that compliment my fave BPALs (favorite notes include honey, musk, patchouli, tobacco …)   Favorite movies? I've been a fan of Chris Nolan's since Memento and loved his Batman trilogy. My all-time favorite flick is Blade Runner, but I also have a big soft spot for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.   Do you have any hobbies that you need supplies for? Or anything you would like to learn to do? I paint Warhammer miniatures, so slottabases and Citadel paints are very welcome, especially their metallics and washes. I could totally make up a list of minis I covet, but I suspect that's a fast track to sticker shock for the uninitiated. I also have a whole Dick Blick wishlist that should have been in the questionnaire.   Do you need any kitchen supplies? Maybe a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder — or a small coffee grinder.   Are there any herbs or spices that you need? I wouldn't mind some higher-end cinnamon. Cumin. Good vanilla extract — although … can you mail that? hmm.   Although it's just the beginning of August, I've ALREADY started to see a few Halloween items showing up in the shops here and there- would you be interested in an early Halloween goodie? I love hallowe'en! It's my favorite holiday, and I don't think we moved any of our decorations to the new house.   If you are a knitter or hooker (aka crochet), do you need any yarn and accessories, or are there any Ravelry patterns that you would like? I'm not a knitter.   how do you like your incense, oil burners, or candles? Would you use an oil burner and essential oils? If so, what would be some longed-for essential oils? I don't generally incense, but I'd make an exception for this, which I am told smells just like Roman Catholic high mass incense (thus my grand love of Midnight Mass). I also don't have an oil warmer, but I kind of want to get one to use with BPALs that go wonky on me.   Is there anyone here who does collage or scrapbooking? Not I, alas.   Talk to me of candy. preferences, flavors, types, chocolate, not chocolate, etc. I never met a candy I didn't like. Those TimTams my Aussie friend sent me? Amazing. My fave was the dark chocolate/mint ones. Tasted a lot like Thin Mints, which was great in August, when Girl Scout cookies are a distant dream … I love dark chocolate, and I love it with all sorts of kooky things, like crystallized ginger or wasabi. I also just like crystallized ginger. I love cinnamon imperials, and Wint-o-green Life Savers, and the Skittles that used to come in the bright cyan-colored bag that I couldn't tell you what it was called. I also adore sour candies like Sour Punch Straws and Nerds Rope and Sour Patch Kids. And Heath Bars/toffee in general! And sea-salt caramels! and those caramel apple pops I used to buy at the school store in seventh grade! In short: all the candy.     Would you wear any of these [scarves; pics omitted]: I probably would not. Just doesn't seem like my style.   Are there any recently released BPAL bottles/and or imps that you'd like to have, that you havn't ordered yourself? I do regret not getting a decant of Luna Azul, as on reconsideration it seems like something I'd like. Other than that, my decanteuse floated the idea of doing a Dragon*Con circle but I don't know if she's actually doing it … I was most interested in Cuelebre and the atmo spray. I want the single note, too, for the sake of completeness, but rose and I don't always get along.   it's canning season. how would you feel about a small jar of jam/jelly/pickles/etc? I'd love to get some kind of jelly/jam/fruit preserves! My stepmother can't seem to make jelly faster than we go through it in my house. Salsa would also be very welcome!   Is there something special that can only be gotten in New York that you would want? Could you just bring me the Met? That'd be great. … Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head, but I get down there reasonably often myself.   Is there anything from PHILADELPHIA that y'all would want? Most likely the retail exclusives from the Mutter Museum — I have family down there as well, so I visit about once a year.   Would you prefer one larger gift or several smaller gifts? I would prefer my swapper does whatever makes her happiest.   If you were my swapee would you like to find a jug of syrup in your package? YES. YES I WOULD. The state fair opens tomorrow. I'm going Friday and probably going to buy tons of maple sugar and syrup. And local honey.   Who here likes British treats? I'm thinking Cadbury goodies, Curly Wirlies, Kinder chocolates, that sort of thing. and, more importantly, would you want some included in your gift box? I'm not too familiar with most British candies. I am told, however, that chocolate digestive biscuits are something I should try.   is there anything in particular you would like from Think Geek? if so, what? The only thing that really jumped out at me was the miracle berry tablets.
hexatomic

hexatomic

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Visual backup: early September

I wrote so much on the September questions that the end ended up cutting off. I did take a screenshot of my early entries at one point, which apparently was an excellent decision on my part. So while the links obviously don't work, at least the text is preserved! Find it here.
hexatomic

hexatomic

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Questions: October 1 - 15

Last updated: 6 October, 2011, with questions through 5 October.   Thanks to the fun of losing my first few answers last month, I've elected to split October up into two parts (and be more vigilant about things possibly cutting off.)   5 October   Are there any DIY / Crafty / Free / Budget items you'd love to get but haven't noted yet? (Or, maybe you'd just like to emphasize something you may have only noted in passing?) Homemade food and baked goods are always a big hit, like I said.   Do you own a DSLR camera? Are you interested in a minky camera strap like these? What about anything from Photojojo? I don't actually own a camera (other than the one on my phone) at all, but …   Is anybody else into film photography? Interested in receiving film, supplies, etc from Lomography? … I've been really wanting to pick up a Holga for a long time. I love the lomo "look", and though I haven't dealt with film since I took photo in high school, I do kind of miss it.   Are you musically inclined? Do you play an instrument or sing? If so, what? I sing, but not amazingly well. I mean, I do some mean karaoke, but I don't consider myself talented beyond that.     3 October   Does anyone else like collector Barbies? The Klimt Barbie linked in the thread is pretty, but I don't collect dolls at all.   What small everyday items would you like, that you keep forgetting to get? I need some more cheesecloth, actually. And new shoelaces for my boots … exciting, no?   Tarot? I don't read, but I'd enjoy having a reading done for me.   Tell me about something you like, and why you like it. Okay! Here I am! So. As you know from the questionnaire, I'm 24 now, and I've been a roleplayer for half my life. My parents didn't play D&D or anything, but I always had a really active imagination as a kid; I was always pretending to be Batman and solve crimes with my best friend during recess in elementary school, and later on when the Animorphs books came out, I totally wanted to be an Andalite. Blah blah. We always had a computer in the house — I think I inherited a 386 from my mom's old office when I was fourish, and had my own AOL account (with lots of parental controls) by the time I was six. So I spent some time in late elementary school in the moderated fan chatrooms, and eventually moved on to a private chat called "Cassie's Barn," after a locale in the book. Where people were pretending to be dragonlike beings from another dimension and such. So that was where I started, and I'd later go on to roleplay a Pokémon trainer, a reincarnated goddess, a half-elf necromancer, a pink-haired elven decker, a white-hat hacker, an aasimar favored soul, the unassuming bookish woman who somehow lucked (or unlucked — he turned out to be gay and she was in love with someone else) into marrying the king of their small, socially rigid island nation, a deliciously twisted blood elven death knight, a previously by-the-books commissar nursing an obsession with the heretek rogue trader, and a lot of other stuff in between. I've made some good friends — many of whom I've never met, some of whom I'm lucky enough to have gotten drinks with, or met on vacation, or otherwise hung out with. It's been cathartic in some ways, in dealing in a safe, fictionalized way with some issues I've had, and it's been a constant creative outlet and source of inspiration for me. I don't consider myself a writer, but I enjoy writing for and about my oldest hobby.   If you're the MMU type of Witchee, what Geek Chic Cosmetics tickle your fancy? I remember when I first heard of the company, the Ten Man Raid was the only set of eyeshadows they had. I wanted a set so I could do makeup looks based on popular Arena compositions, which is, I admit, incredibly nerdy.   Would any witchees be interested in Quinn Popcorn? No, I usually make my popcorn on the stovetop. Mmmm. <3     2 October     Who likes silly items from Archie McPhee??? A cursory look says I might have fun dropping by a physical store, but I doubt I'd walk away with anything.   What are you drooling over from the Sock Dreams Halloween stuff? I have boring sock tastes. I liked the mummy socks, but they looked to be sold out last time.   Luck charms? I don't have any, and I'm not sure if I want any.   Does anyone want anything from tookies? The jar cakes look cute, but the negative feedback gives me a little pause.   For those of you that like candles, do you like stuff from Yankee Candle? And if you had to choose, tarts or candles? I'm not a candles person, really, but in a semirelated story, I actually would like a diffuser for room scents and whatnot.   Would you be interested in getting a custom necklace from here? I like the "Whimsy Leaves" jewelry.   Is there a movie you want so badly that you don’t own now? How to Train Your Dragon.   Is there a song on Itunes that you haven’t downloaded yet? Not on iTunes, but Torley Wong's music (most of it looks to be name your own price, even!)   Is there a rare book you’ve always wanted? So. I live in Upstate NY. My boyfriend is going to school in Arizona, and we have a friend who lives in Seattle. The three of us hop on Skype each night in October and read that day's chapter in Zelazny's A night in the Lonesome October. I got it from the library so I could read, but it's out of print, so I don't own a copy.   Is there anything you want to buy yourself but have been too embarrassed (R rated or pg)? Nothing I can think of offhand.   Have you seen the Lush holiday update? Do you like the look of anything from there? The only thing I'm really super-crazy about from the holiday update is the Ice Wine jelly soap.   if you were my witchee, would you want some of my hot nuts my candied nuts my nuts covered in butter and brown sugar candied walnuts? Maybe some! Even if I can't eat them all, I'm sure I can come up with some sort of awesome recipe.       1 October   Is there anything you either didn't like or had never heard of that you're now curious to try thanks to the discussion in this thread? Oh god, so many things. I didn't even have an Etsy account before this. I have much more interest in getting a Smack from Villainess now, fr'ex, or the oft-discussed Bourbon Vanilla Smooch.   Reveal? I haven't decided! My witchee seems pretty enthused, so I might. It's my first time, so I haven't established a pattern yet.   Would you be interested in the #occupywallstreet scent? Yes, yes, yeah, yup, and yarr.   Do Paintbox Soapworks' Goat's Milk Hand and Body Creams sound like something you'd like to try? I don't think so.
hexatomic

hexatomic

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Mail correspondence: Postmarked 23 September 2011

My dear witch,   I love chatty letters. Really, I do, and when I got yours on Tuesday it totally made my day. I've been trying to get caught up on the daily questions from Lioness' list, but it's been a busy week. Still, I'm going to keep working on getting caught up, and thank you for your patience. And thanks also for the copy of When Gravity Fails — I haven't read it before, but I can tell from the blurb on the back I'll probably love it. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done.   I don't mind used kitchen stuff at all — a few things in my kitchen I know have been around since I was a small child, and some stuff, like my food processor, is secondhand. It doesn't bother me much, since of course everything gets pretty thoroughly cleaned after you're done with it. My big, sky-is-the-limit wants right now … Well, you were spot-on with the KitchenAid mixer. I joke to my boyfriend all the time that it's going to be the first thing on the registry if and when we get married. (I like the candy-apple red color, even though that doesn't match a single thing in my kitchen right now.) I don't own a cast-iron skillet, either, and that's starting to feel like a big oversight. I've thought a lot about getting a mandoline slicer, a stick blender, an electric griddle, but ultimately I'm doing fine without all of the above right now. I guess for smaller stuff I'd like some non-stick silicone mats and I could probably use a new can opener. Not glamorous stuff, but there it is.   When I saw the exhibit at the MOMA this was in 2004 or 2005, so I think that was right around the time the Central library was being built. I did visit Seattle once while my father lived there, but that was in maybe 1999, so of course I've never seen it. I'd like to, and there are a lot of other places in Seattle I'd like to see (the Experience Music Project wasn't open yet when I visited, and I was disappointed since I wanted to go badly). Hopefully that's in my not-too-distant future.   By the way, if your next letter is three pages about why you love the Czech Republic and the people therein, I will not complain at all. My best friend is in grad school as a history major (and my plans are art history), so I kind of expect and invite these kinds of tangents from people. Plus, now you've piqued my interest.   Taking a hard left into color theory territory … I've had to give this a couple of days of thought, because clearly there's no pressure at all here, right? Plus I'm not sure I understand the question. Most of my favorite colors are cool colors and you might even term some of them "chromatic greys" because of how desaturated they appear to be, but color is a tricky thing. I actually got out my Pantone swatches to sort of give you a reference on what colors I like, and picked out a light, greyish sea green, a more saturated cerulean blue, and a dark blue-violet color. I hope that's helpful, if a little nerdy.   And yes, as I mentioned above, I love getting mail, I love reading letters. I do feel bad that I've fallen so far behind; "real life" seems to have leapt to the forefront with designs on eating my brain, but I've been trying to get caught up and think of good responses to your letter and to the forum questions. It's my first time doing Switch Witch, so I'm not too sure what my preferences for contact are. I'm not sure if I would like a ninja witch; I think I'd wonder if she hadn't forgotten about me, but other than that, I don't have any strong preferences yet.   So, I think the game you're talking about at the end of your letter might be Call of Cthulhu? My friend's husband offered to run that for a group a little while ago, if I'd agree to take up the GM reins and run a Shadowrun campaign for them at some point. We haven't started yet, which suits me alright because I've never read Lovecraft (plus, I'm foundering through Dark Heresy right now as it is. I feel sometimes like as much as I like Warhammer 40K, I know just enough to really get myself in trouble, since I haven't read even a fraction of all the books there are. Or read the comics. Or played the RTS games. Or …) You get the picture, I'm sure. Still, there are a lot of games I'd rather play than Call of Cthulhu myself, so i can sympathize there. If we start before the round is over, I'll let you know what my impressions are.
hexatomic

hexatomic

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Questions: September

Last updated: 2 October, 2011 with questions through 30 September, 2011 — I am finally caught up to the master list! Warning! Proven able to write in volume (Too much volume! The end of the entry cut off. Questions from September 8th and earlier only available in screenshot form.)     30 September   Witchee, would you like anything from this particular Haunt update? May not be from this update, but the beeswax and buttermilk soap sounds awesome. The archeo skin gloss sounds interesting, too.   Who's interested in Halloween: Montreal? /raises hand in the air, flailing around just a little bit.   You get a package in the mail containing 3 things you have really wanted more than anything else you've mentioned so far in this thread. (they are all reasonably priced of course! ~$20 or less apiece). What are they? Let's see. I need a can of Citadel spray primer in black and a new set of really small brushes, so that takes care of two things. (I recently got my first pewter mini to paint and have discovered I was less prepared than I thought.) Oh, and I would like one of the gigantic boxes of Crayola crayons. The type that, in the kindergarten hierarchy based on "how many colors of crayons you own = your aristocratic status" would make me the God-Empress of Mankind.   how do you feel about hemp? jewelry, soap, etc? Hemp jewelry is not my style, but soap and things of that nature don't bother me.       29 September   What kind of purse do you prefer? Leather, cloth? over the shoulder or crossbody, or something that can do either? Do you like bold bright prints with fun things, or monochrome, solid colours? My go-to bag is actually made of a recycled truck tarp with something printed on it. It's a crossbody style and I love it; I've had it for like six years, but it's not very subtle. I have a black leather handbag, but not a brown one.   julep maven monthly boxes: I don't think I paint my nails often enough to make this worthwhile.   Like commercial socks? I'm okay on socks for right now.   What kind of bear is best? Panserbjorne! Iorek Byrnison is a certifiable badass in bear form.   Is anyone interested in reading The Night Circus? Yes, actually! I missed the ebook giveaway in the thread (or rather I didn't feel right claiming one for myself in a gifting thread) but I looked it up on Amazon and it sounds like it could be cool.   Hershey's Pumpkin Spice kisses? No thanks. I mostly like Almond kisses.   Do you drink wine? Rarely! I know that the Finger Lakes region of my state has some totally excellent vineyards, but somehow I turned out a mixed-drinks person.   Is it just me who is nervous at revealing herself to her witchee, and finding out who her witch is?! Haha, nope, I'm so totally nervous. I haven't decided if I'm going to reveal at the end of the round, since it's my first time to the party. If I feel like I've done myself proud as a witch, I probably will. My witch told me she usually reveals, too.   Witches, did you lament NOT getting one of the condom case/imp cases that got released with the courtesan series??? Not in particular. I do kind of want an imp case for when I'm traveling, but I wasn't mad about any of the courtesans specifically.   I recently saw candy corn in non-candy corn flavors like CHOCOLATE and CARAMEL APPLE. It's not a fancy brand, I just saw it in the drugstore, but who here would like something like that? I saw the caramel apple flavor at Wegmans this weekend and I totally want to try it. Chocolate sounds good too.   28 September   JONES SODA CO has LE soda packs for The Guild, Buffy, D&D, So Cute, etc. Would you be interested in these, Witchee? Probably not. I'm trying to drink less soda.   It's Banned Books Week! Are there any books on the list you'd be interested in checking out? … Okay, I have to have a really good laugh at the Hunger Games being deemed "sexually explicit." Did I read the wrong books somehow? Other than that, I can't say I'm too familiar with anything on the top ten for this year (except Brave New World, which I own already).   I have just been enlightened to THESE. Are these flavors relevant to your interests? Ooh, yess. Absinthe and Clove Cigarette sound especially good. So does the Salted Caramel.     27 September   What is something people are always surprised to learn about you?   So who else watched Babylon 5? Not me, sadly. Is it on Netflix? So many things to watch …   If you had to decide what your stripper name was, what would it be? Funny story. After a boyfriend (an ex, for reasons about to become quite evident) cheated on me with a coworker of his, one of the things that made me feel better was drawing up a list of guidelines for how "slutty" any given name was. Replacing "y" with "i" was worth some points, or needless elaboration / "creative spelling" of a more common name; and the old porn-star standbys or being named after any sort of alcohol had a pretty high base value too. Of course I don't believe this in my day-to-day life. By the way, I'd be Roxy Honey. Because why not.   Sooooo Witchees, have you ever taken that particular personality test? If so, are you an Analytical, a Driver, an Expressive or an Amiable? First time taking it. I got the Amiable. That seems about right.   Is anyone else afraid of or creepy out by dummies/puppets/Muppets/etc? Other things you're squicked/freaked by that's best left by the wayside? Ha ha … spiders. Scorpions. I am not an arachnid fan.   what level of contact were you hoping for? Probably medium or so. I've gotten a handwritten letter from my witch, and I think I like that better than ecard contact.   Your favorite restaurant or type of food to eat out. Would you use a restaurant.com voucher? Groupon? Thai food! Love it. I checked restaurant.com, and most of my local/favorite mainstays aren't on it. I've also never done groupon before.   Are there any local museums/attractions you keep never getting around to going to? We're a little sparse on the museum front in my hometown. I'm totally the killjoy who wants to spend all day at the museum on every vacation ever, though. =P I shouldn't say "killjoy." Anyone I vacation with now understands this and puts up with it quite admirably.     26 September   Is there any kind of international candy you love or would like to try? I had a lychee-flavored gummi candy once I liked but haven't found, since. It was Japanese, that's about all I remember. And though it's a drink, not a candy, I used to drink Bikkle when I was in Boston. I don't know how it would ship, though.   What is something totally random (yes, that thing that just popped into your head) that hasn't been covered by any previous questions? (Of course, Bikkle makes me think of Gibson's Pattern Recognition, which I've always liked. Not least because, hey, internet-fostered friendships!) Right! I like do do a lot of my art digitally. Thought about picking up Topaz Clean. Have not.   Is there any cheesy/non-cheesy Canadian stuff you'd be interested in? God help me, the only thing I can think of right now are ketchup chips. Which I don't even like.   If you were to go here and create your very own chocolate bar, what might it have in it? When I saw this link, I think my initial reaction was to say to the boyfriend, "God help us all." I usually like my chocolate with only one or two things, and I like it dark. So the dark base, and then with diced ginger, or with banana chips and coconut, or with any one of the herbs and spices (I'm especially curious about the lavender and love sea salt), or toffee or peppermint. Or bacon. You get the idea.     Say you stumbled into Camp Half Blood (or whatever the Roman camp ends up being named <bounces in anticipation>), which god claims you? I had to look this up, and the wiki I found wasn't very clear — if Eris is there, obviously I'm one of hers. Otherwise, maybe Dionysus?   25 September   Stuff you've been meaning to do: Laundry, lol. Wash all my linens to switch out for winter. Other than that, prep for my new job (starts Monday), a bunch of housework (house is on the market) et mundane cetera.   Would you be interested in regional jams, jellies, or other preserves? Absolutely! I love fruit preserves with crusty bread.   Do you have any bedtime rituals? Is there any particular product you have to apply or a certain shirt you wear or an act you perform to get you in the "bedtime" mood? I'll usually read for about an hour before bed, but that's about the extent of my "rituals."   Are you interested in today's/any recent Tee Fury shirts? Not really … most of the TeeFury prints have been pop-culture related lately.   Princess Bride? Yay or nay? Yay! I had the book in paperback but I don't know where it's gone, and I love to watch the movie whenever it's on TV.   What's your favorite classic fairytale, witches? Hmm … I really like "Fair, Brown, and Trembling," which was like the Irish Cinderella.       24 September   how do you feel about ethical animal fiber, i.e. wool and the like? I'm not vegan or anything, so I'm not opposed at all, but I don't tend toward wearing very much wool myself.   What about little wee creatures for your desk or mantel? No thanks — I don't really have anywhere to put them.   Look down. What are you wearing, right now? Pyjamas. It's 1:30 in the morning =P   Kerchiefs? Not really my thing.   It's the weekend, and you find yourself without a single chore or responsibility for a few hours. Right this very moment, what's the one thing you would do if you could do anything? Probably doodle or color in Photoshop. Tomorrow I don't have big plans so I'm gonna make chocolate chip cookies     23 September   Is there anything you'd like from the Mütter Museum Store? Of course I'd like to try both of the BPAL perfumes they stock (especially Victorian Garden). I like the Absinthe poster, too.   what's your favorite kind of pizza? Local favorite Avicolli's does an excellent margherita, but if I want toppings, I order from Twin Trees instead and usually go italian sausage and mushrooms.   Are there any food items you're craving/aren't able to find around your area? Carr's makes a ginger cookie with lemon creme filling that my Wegmans doesn't carry. I've ordered it off Amazon before.   September 22nd   Would you like a photo collage based around your interests/favorite colors/favorite themes? That would probably be neat, especially if it was framed or at least frame-able.   Colors! What are your favorite colors and what colors do you not like? Pictures and links, people! I answered this a little more in depth in my response to the letter I got. The only color I don't really like is yellow, but I do like warm, golden-yellows, and I think some sports cars actually look good in yellow.   What is your favorite word? Susurrus. It's a great onomatopoeia, and you really can't help but whisper it.   What are the feelings on arm warmers? Color, style, texture, length? I'd probably like them, since I have a lot of tee shirts I love to wear but it's often way too cold for that. Stripes are always cute, or solid neutral colors.   Do you like tarts? tealights? jar candles? votives? I am, alas, not a big candles person.   What's your favorite flavor? Sour, sweet, bitter, salty? Apparently, it's salty, given how much/often I like to add it to everything else, from sweet to savory.   So, are there any online gaming witchees who covet purchasable in-game items or other gamer-y stuff? Lol … yes. I play World of Warcraft, and I collect the mini pets on my paladin. The only one from the Blizzard store I have is the Cenarion Hatchling; a friend got me one when they were being sold for tsunami relief in Japan. I have both of the mounts from the store, but I don't have any mounts or pets from the trading card game. And not that I'm expecting an in-game witching, but I play on Moon Guard (US), just in case.   Anyone doing anything cool for Mabon (or the start of fall, if you aren't pagan? My big fall tradition is going to the apple orchards on Columbus Day weekend … though I did break down and buy some hard apple cider already.   What is your favorite coffee blend at Starbucks? If you don't have one, what is your favorite roast of coffee? I'm not a big coffee connoisseur, so I don't really have a "favorite roast." I do love a Starbucks caramel machiatto, though (and I just started a job that's the overnight shift, so enabling my caffeine needs is always a plus).   21 September   Cthulhu: yay or nay? I've never been into Lovecraft. One of my best friends just started reading his work, and I'm not really opposed, but it's so far down my list, I have to recognize I'll never get to it.   Is there something that you wish you could do, but you keep putting it off? Take belly-dancing lessons. My old job and school schedule wouldn't allow me to go. I don't think that'll be a problem anymore, but I'm still too shy/self-conscious to start.   Put your current mp3player (I am the anti-apple, so no ipod ), winamp playlist, what have you, on shuffle, list the first 10 songs: • "Chicken With its Head Cut Off" // Magnetic Fields // 69 Love Songs • "13 Angels Standing Guard Round the Side of Your Bed" // A Silver Mt. Zion // He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms … • "Heart of Gold" // Neil Young // Harvest • "Everything We Know Is Wrong" // Apoptygma Berzerk // Welcome to Earth • "Violent Ceasefire" // Yoshitaka Suzuki // Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots • "Hey Luno" // the Aquabats // Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures Vol. 2 • "Jellybelly" // the Smashing Pumpkins // Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness • "The Last Thing You Should Do (featuring Robert Smith)" // David Bowie // Earthling • "Red Bats with Teeth" // Angelo Badalamenti // Lost Highway • "Deep Blue Day" // Brian Eno // Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks   Witchee, have you made (or are you planning to make) any Lab or Trading post orders soon? And if you did (or plan to), you should share what you're getting. I'm in decant circles for both! Here are my orders: The Lab Decants of: Blood Moon 2011 Autumn Cider Le Revenant October 2011 Samhain 2011 Samhainophobia 2011 Golden Apple of the Sun The Night Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches The Triumph of Death Half-bottles of: An Incubus Leaving Two Sleeping Women Sonnet d'Automne and one imp of Le Lethe   The Post A half-bar of Samhain soap 3 oz of Inquisitor's Bile 3 oz of Tears of the Seraphim a goblin squirt of Unspeakably Evil Temple a bar of Xmvlzencab.   Do you have any interest in rocks? Not like, polished colorful stones.. but like... rocks. With geologic significance! Generally, no, but my astronomer friend recently got a fragment of a meteorite, and I thought that was pretty cool.   Do you like/own/wear/want fairy wings or something of the like? I think they're cute, but I'd never wear a set.   How do you feel about terrariums? I like them. I'm not very good with plants, but if they were particularly hardy, I might like to have one since the weather around here is so bad for so long.   What's your favorite horror movie? Probably 28 Days Later. Does that count? Can it count, please? It has zombies in it, so it should totally count. I'm kind of a wuss about horror movies, but I really enjoyed that movie. I haven't watched the sequel; I heard it wasn't worth it.   If your witch was the practical type and wanted to include one or more of your everyday essentials, what would those include? I'm talking about the bath products, lotions, face lotions, teas, food, etc that you really use every day. Nutella. Goes on everything. My "everyday" tea is Rishi's tangerine ginger blend.   Jane Austen .. Yay or Nay? Nay. I threw a Brontë novel on my Amazon wishlist recently, but to be honest, it was more for the woodcut illustrations than any burning desire to actually read Wuthering Heights.   Do you like period or period-styled paraphernalia? Stuff like postcards, notecards, jewelry, office supplies, what-have-you? Oh yes! I like victoriana for that sort of thing.   If you like manga, comics, and/or graphic novels, what is it about them that you like, in general? The story, the art/style, etc? I read a lot of manga in my early adolescence, and I liked the bubbly illustration style in a lot of shoujo manga. Now I read a lot of webcomics that have no single unifying factor. My favorite comics penciler is Jim Steranko, because … yeah.   if you could have a salon scent made, based on any artwork(s) what would it be? After some contemplation, I've decided to go with Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse by Joshua Reynolds. Not only because it's so different from the portraits of Sarah Siddons painted by Reynolds' contemporaries (which were, of course, stunning in their own right; I'm a fan of the Gainsborough), but because it's so moody and evocative … and because it seems like something Beth would actually do and I'll probably jump for joy and buy three bottles if it ever happens.   Are you scientifically curious and/or process-oriented? Would you like a project-type gift that allowed you do do something like make soap from scratch, take and (nontoxic-ly) develop photographs using a pinhole camera, use plant dyes on yarn or fabric, etc.? YES. YESYESYEYSYEYYEYYEY. I would looooove the soap thing and the pinhole camera especially. I like doing stuff.   What's 'your' song/your theme song? Wellll, my top two most-played songs in iTunes are "Women's Realm" by Belle and Sebastian and "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads. Hard to argue with either one of those.   What would be your superpower? Flight would be cool, or the ability to project a "somebody else's problem" field so as to pass unnoticed/functionally invisible to people.   Witchee, would you like a gently used BPAL tshirt? Yes, I think the art on them is really well-done and wearable. I liked the Phoenix Steamworks launch shirt especially, but just wasn't sure about the metallic inks (they can be kind of stiff in my experience).   Do you like homemade snack mixes? I love trail mix. Usually when I make it, it's terribly unhealthy, with cocoa-flavored granola, nuts (usually cashews), dried cranberries, and M&Ms. Coconut flakes sounds awesome too.   Do you like charm bracelets? If you had a bracelet, what sort of charms would you want on it? Favorite hobbies, symbols, whatever? No, I'd worry too much about breaking it.   20 September Would you like any ecotools makeup brushes? They're kinda one of my favorite things ever, and they're animal-friendly and the handles are bamboo. And to top it all off, they work really well for applying makeup. I don't generally wear much makeup, in part because of the significant initial investment in brushes and such.   Do you like Legos? Especially mini-fig key chains, Lego block keychains, small Lego sets, etc? LEGO were more my brother's things than mine, but I do like those kooky "alternative" LEGO people who are painted up like leather daddies and such. It's just funny.   What would you do if you found a $50 bill on the ground and a nagging voice in the back of your mind told you that you HAD to spend it on BPAL or else face Death. Also, say they had free shipping (LOL) so don't factor that in. What would you get? And spend it all! Or as close to $50 as you can get. Last Unicorn Imp Packs. Yep!   Are there any characters that you love or identify with? Commissar Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium !!! When I was a kid, I loved Batman. I really liked Cayce Pollard from William Gibson's Pattern Recognition.   A question! If you are crafty, what's your personal art style? I'm not talking just about what art you like to look at, but what kind of art do you like creating? Do you have a "process" while you're creating beauty? Most of what I've done lately has been character illustrations, which have gone roughly as follows — preliminary sketches in the sketchbook; trace it off either with backlight or tracing paper onto smooth bristol (or illo board), ink with Micron pens. Sometimes I'm done there; Bristol often gets scanned and painted up in Photoshop (do flats, then do shadows and highlights by color group, though I want to try a more "traditional" approach with doing a grisaille "underpainting" and then glazing colors over it). Illo board gets watercolor washes for base colors and then elaborated with coloured pencil.   Are there any Arcana Weenies that you MUST HAVE? Since I haven't looked, apparently not. =P   So what say you? IS an "unexpected" visit/in-person witching OK? The thought makes me wince, if "unexpected" means "completely unannounced." If my Witch told me she was in the area and wanted to get coffee or whatever I would totally be down for that. But please do not just show up at my house.   19 September What strange misc. items would you love to receive that you just haven't gotten for yourself?:   How do you feel about franken polish? Are you okay with all chemicals, or would you prefer 3 free? Would you want glitter or holographic glitter? What colors would interest you? I've actually never done the "frankenpolish" thing. You'd think it would have occurred to me. =P I like metallics, but I'm not that big into glitter. Cool colors and, actually, gunmetal gray would probably be most to my taste.   Dear witchee, how do you feel about lip balm? Favorite style (twist up tube, pot, tube with wand, etc.)? Favorite flavors? Flavors to avoid? Favorite brand? Do you need more right now or are you set? Are you one of those people who could never have enough lip balm even though you have a bowl on your dresser overflowing with them and 10 in your purse and an order for more on the way? Winter is coming. I'm going to need as much lip balm as I can get. Most of what I use is the twist-up-tube style, but I've really enjoyed some pot-style glosses in the past. I like fruity or coconut-flavored balms; I don't really like mint.   Would you be interested in getting fountain pen inks or art supplies via JetPens and or DickBlick? Art supplies are always a yes. Whenever me and my school friends play "misery dick" about the cost of textbooks, I remind them that at least they can ostensibly sell their books back to the store / Amazon / another student at the end of the semester, and it's just not possible to do that with art supplies. I have appended a cursory wishlist to the bottom of this post. Some of it's a little pie-in-the-sky.   -For those interested in watercolors, how would you feel about getting a palette filled with paint from my watercolor tubes but not getting the paint tube itself? I'd probably love it. I don't have any good watercolors right now and I'm not really sure where to start.   How do you feel about getting art supplies in general? (copic markers, watercolor, brushes, paint, sketchbooks etc.) I would die of happiness. Again. Wishlist at the bottom.   How do you feel about Threadless tshirts? Overwhelmingly positive. A regular artist at Threadless I like is Alice Zhang. I wear a ladies XL, and i just got a couple of their boatneck tees from their last $10 sale and love them.   If you were turned loose in a basic drug store (CVS, Walgreens - a pharmacy with attached mini-mart, basically!) with a $20 bill, what would you pick up? Probably a new hair brush, some lip gloss, and the rest on candy/cinnamon-flavored gum.   Darling Witchee, would you enjoy farmer's market pickled veggies (green beans, garlic, asparagus, etc) or fresh canned peaches or something of that nature? Canned fruit, jellies/jams/marmalades, and pickles would all be lovely.   Do you prefer color or white photographs? Nature or abstract? I'm actually more of an art prints person than photography person, but I like b/w architectural photos.   would you be interested in something like this? https://lostcrates.com/how-it-works That seems really fun! I'd love to get a box or two of it.   Amigurumi, yes or no? I've never heard of it! It's kind of cute.   I have a question! What are some of your favorite paintings? (famous or undiscovered?) Feel free to link to examples! I think I blathered on and on about this in the first couple of days of questions, but I'll mention a couple of other (non-Judith; non-Judgment) pieces here — Dalì's Hallucinogenic Toreador, and when I was last in Boston, I saw a preliminary painting of Astarte by John Singer Sargent at the Gardner.   If you could have an image painted for you - sky is the limit - what would it be? Probably a self-portrait in similar style to Ghirlandaio's portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni (warning, effing huge). Is that vain? It might be a little vain.   Name your 3 favorite scents for candles: I'm not a big "candles" person. I'd probably go for cinnamon or pine, but that's about it.   Name your 3 favorite types/flavors of tea: I love masala chai. Love love love. There's a particular blend of tangerine-ginger loose herbal tea I like (especially in winter, gogo vitamin C), and to round it out, I know bagged tea isn't as high quality, but my grandmother always made Bigelow's Constant COmment tea when I would visit, and I still harbor a great fondness for it.   18 September   Do you wear t-shirts? Are there particular things you like on them? Would you like one designed by your Witch? And, if you don't mind saying, what size t-shirt do you wear? I wear a lot of tee shirts. I don't like brand logos, but I do like pretty art; my big places I go to shop are shirt.woot, Threadless, teefury, and DesignByHümans and you can get a sense of what sort of shirts I like from my teetrade wishlist below. Anything by jimiyo or tolagunestro is probably a definite buy for me; anything by ramyB I won't buy — it's an ethics issue, even when it's not a stylistic one. If my witch wants to design me a tee, I'd probably love it. Most tee sites use American Apparel blanks; I wear a ladies XL or a men's medium.   How do you feel about pumpkin scented things? Not perfume related, but soap, candles, etc.... I'm actually not that jazzed about it. My pick for fall scents runs closer to campfires or wood stoves.   Has anyone else heard of or does anyone else love Glamourkin? They're cute, but not something I'd really wear.   If you had an international witch, is there anything you would like from the UK? (Or Australia, Belgium, France any other country we have witches from.   Dear witchee, if you answered 'Mac' to the Mac/PC question previously issued by another participant, please tell me what kind of computer you have, what peripherals you own (like the wireless trackpad, wireless vs/wired keyboard and mouse), and whether you're interested in Apple-related items (stickers, keychains, other things with the logo, etc). I am indeed a Mac user. Right now I'm rocking a mid-2006 MacBook I use mostly for web browsing and email, and a 2009 or 2010 Mac Mini I do more serious computing and gaming on. They both have their own 20" monitors, but I share the apple wired keyboard and a Logitech MX Revolution wireless mouse between them with a KVM switch. I like the stickers that come with the hardware, but don't own much of the other paraphernalia. I like the old "rainbow" logo better than the white one they use currently.   SOCK PREFERENCES? I'm gonna skip this because my sock preferences are really boring.   17 September Are you looking for a certain kind of DVDs to spruce up your collection right now? I have Netflix right now, so my DVD purchases have gone down quite a bit. Most of the oens I buy are show collections — I lost my Arrested Development and Firefly DVDs in a previous breakup, and still kind of regret that.   Does anyone like postcards? Is anyone willing to be a Nacho witch for postcards? I love getting mail of all kinds!   Anyone going to see any good concerts this fall? Probably not — I usually have to go to Albany or Buffalo (or down to NYC) to catch any major concerts, and haven't had much money to travel. I'd kind of like to see Radiohead, but obviously that's not going to happen two days from now. (I'd also like to see Bruce Springsteen, but he's not touring.)   Do you like Star Trek? Original TV series, films, spinoff series, etc? Favorite characters? I've never watched the original series, which I know is a crime, but hey, it's on Netflix now, so the chances I'll get to just shot up an order of magnitude. And I did see the movie a couple summers ago, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have seen almost every episode of TNG, however, and several of Voyager. Picard is of course my favorite Captain (my brother's is Janeway, which, what?), and I love most of the TNG bridge Crew (especially Riker, Worf, and Data). But my favorite character, I think, is Q — but not Impish Asshole Q, more like Cosmic Asshole Mentor Q, who may be asinine, but is at least aiding the crew in their journeys of discovery, whether that's external or internal truth they're discovering. When I was younger, I also really liked Wesley Crusher, probably because I was also young and hopelessly nerdy, but I do understand the fan complaints.   Witchee, would you like a framed photograph and of what? Probably black-and-white architectural photography — I'm thinking Cathedrals. Maybe statuary.   16 September Are you more prone to order out or cook at home? Would you be interested in cookbooks, kitchen utensils, and the like? If so, anything specific? I cook at home pretty often; I maybe order in or go out to eat once a week. I'd probably adore all manner of kitchen gadgets — cookbooks are big, too, of course.   New question: How do you feel about maple syrup? Love it. On everything. Especially sausages. My family thinks this is weird. I think they're the weird ones for continuing to put fake-maple syrup on their waffles.   How do people feel about little pocket shrines, maybe something inspirational/motivational to keep in their purses/backpacks/whatever? I've never heard of these before! They're kind of adorably kitschy and I may love them a little bit.   Do you like Star Wars? Original Trilogy? Prequels? Spin-offs? Favorite characters? I was raised on Star Wars. I was still very young when the Special Editions of the Original Trilogy were shown in theatres, and my whole family went to see them. I loved it; couldn't get enough. I remember picking up Shadows of the Empire in paperback at the grocery store not long after. The Prequel Trilogy disappointed me; how could it not? The version of events you make up in your head is always superior to everyone else's version. Almost always, anyway. The point is, by the time the movies were made, everyone already had convinced themselves of how it should have happen; how it did happen for them. So it took me several years (too many years) to play Knights of the Old Republic, which I loved, and its sequel The Sith Lords, which I really loved. I've never read the Old Republic-era comics — never read any of the comics, in fact, and the only parts of the Expanded Universe I've had any interest in were the Mandalorians and their genetic and cultural descendants in the Clone Troopers, though not really enough to read Karen Traviss' novels. Yet.   Do you like beef jerky, I know some may be vegatarian, but where I live beef is a staple and beef jerky abounds. If so do you it really thin, hard and crunchy or thicker and softer. I've actually been having a beef jerky craving lately; I like mine a little thicker-cut and chewier.   Also do you like or racier ecards from time to time and do you need to be warned if something may be not safe to open at work. I don't check my email at work.   Doctor Who? Yay or nay? (please don't make me cry by saying nay) It's not that I actively dislike Doctor Who — I've seen some of the old ones on PBS, but I haven't been watching the new series at all. I would, if I knew where to start!   Anyone love Buffy/Angel? I like other Joss Whedon stuff (mostly Firefly), so I've been meaning to give Buffy a fair shake. Maybe now that I'm almost done with Scrubs, I'll start.   How would you feel about gummies? Like, gummy bears? Gummy werewolves? Gummy vampires? Gummies are okay, but I like sour things better (Sour Patch Kids, for example).   Since this is a Halloween round, what's your Creepy threshold? Are you a cartoon bats and smiley pumpkins person or a skulls-and-bones the-dead-are-rising kind of person? Are your fairytales dark or Disney? I don't love gore, but I do dig creepy skulls and monsters and things. My boyfriend loves old monster movies (mostly Godzilla, but also the Lon Cheney flicks), so I expect I'll be watching quite a few of those in the next several weeks as well.   Are your ears pierced, Witchee? Do you have any other piercings? Would you like to receive any items of jewelry for these piercings? My ears are my only piercing and I don't wear earrings very often.   How do you all feel about Whoopie Pies? They are tasty.     15 September   interested in anything from Lush? Offhand, I know I've wanted to try the "Honey I Washed the Kids"-scented everything. The chai-scented shower gel also makes me happy. I've never tried solid shampoo before, but several of them sound really interesting: Dr. Peppermint, Jumping Juniper, and Trichomania. Not all at once, obviously.   Do you blog? Would you like a header for your blog, a layout, etc? I don't have a blog, and haven't for several years.   Would you be interested in a handmade bookmark? Yes! I saw some cute ones a while back that slip over the corner of a page, and I really liked that idea.   do you like chex puppy chow or muddie buddies (ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, PB, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, chex cereal)? would you want to get some from your witch / nacho witch? I absolutely adore it. We usually only make it around Christmastime in my house, but it's one of the first things to get gone.   How would you feel about receiving a Groupon deal for something in your local area? I've never done/used Groupon before.   do you like real sugar skulls? Things with sugar skull designs? I like the design, and I have a tee that's at least somewhat inspired by La Catrina, but I've never been too involved with Day of the Dead celebrations.   Who here adores meringue? /raises hand   14 September   Can you sum yourself (whether it be personality, life's goals, ethics, whatever) in 10 words or less?   How about little bottles of booze? Ya wanna? What kind? Yessss. Mostly things I don't use often but sometimes like to cook with, like Kahlua or Bailey's, triple sec, maybe some kind of cinnamon schnapps so I can spike my apple cider. Oh, and St. Germain — I've been curious about it because of the beautiful bottle design, but I don't know what I'd use it for/in and would like to try it.   What are your views on fudge and brownies? Yes and double-yes, though I probably couldn't eat a whole lot of either one.   Also, what about mochi? Love it, hate it, baffled by it? I only had mochi once, and it was about six years ago by now, but I remember liking it.   Anything from the update ya'll are liking? BPTP UPDATE I got in on a "decant" circle for most of what I was after, but I didn't pick up any of the hair glosses, which I regret a little bit.   Does anyone like kimchi? I'll pass, than you.   Would you be interested in a sample box(from somewhere like Birchbox or loosebutton)? This would probably be great, since I'm not very knowledgeable about most etailers.   You have to place a Lab and Trading Post order. Right fuckin' now. No spending limits. What do you buy? All the things, clearly. I'd love a bottle of Antikythera Mechanism, and probably to get at least imps of the RPG scents I don't already have, plus the Gaimans, the Last Unicorn scents …   Paintbox Soapworks - anything you're interested in, in general or from the latest update? The Cicada and Guy Fawkes soaps seem particularly interesting.   Do you guys have any sports that you follow obsessively? How about favorite teams and/or athletes? Not much for sports, I'm afraid.   How do you feel about notebooks/journals/stationery? Anything you need or particularly like? Sketchbooks, you say? Why, I'd love one. Ring-bound and hard-cover would be best; the one I run around with most often is 8"x10". I like my sketchbook paper with a little bit of tooth to it, and I've been looking all over for one that's natural brown, or one of medium grey charcoal paper.   Does confetti/glitter make you angry or fill you with glee? I loathe glitter. Deeply. Sorry!   Fabulous witches and witchees, perhaps you all could note of you've received MeiLin's goodies? Or if you want? I have not, I'm afraid.   How do you feel about stuffed animals/plushies/general soft, cuddly things? If you like them, what kind of animals would you be interested in? The things I like as plushies should probably not be plushies; I used to have a large, stuffed lobster from a trip to the shore of New Hampshire. On my Amazon wishlist is a Boba Fett plushie. At my latest round of tabletop gaming, our Storm Lords Librarian showed me this. I want it desperately. Even though it's an Ultramarine.   How interested would you be on somewhat personalized bottle cap labels? I'd probably adore them, though I don't have too many bottles, so they're not hard to organize.   When you're miserably sick (*sniffle, cough!*) what are the things that comfort you the most? Chicken noodle soup and trashy novels. The Price is Right used to be de rigeur as well, but without Bob Barker hosting any more, I usually hope for Match Game reruns on GSN or something.   What do you really NOT want? This is a tough question; I mean, ultimately I'm happy knowing there's someone out there who doesn't know me that well, but is still thinking of me from time to time in hopes of making my day brighter. I obviously don't want glitter — but most of the other things I can think of I wouldn't really want as gifts are more something I'd expect from a clueless aunt (clothes that aren't my style, etc). I guess I can say I don't want sports paraphernalia, as that's not where my interest lies, I don't want Twilight merchandise (unless you want to get me the "Mark Reads Twilight" ebooks), and I mostly don't want little tchotchkes that just sit on the shelf.   13 September How would you feel about kitchen towels and other similar household objects, if they are pretty or a souvenir? If I were living by myself, I would probably love them, but as of this moment I have a surplus of most linen-type things.   How did you dress up for your last party or compulsory-formal-dress occasion? I strongly suspect I wore black linen capris and a matching suitjacket with a white shirt and black heels, but I rarely get to dress up.   Do you enjoy puzzles/riddles? (Cryptograms, Sudoku, Crossword, Jigsaw, etc) I do enjoy sudoku and crosswords now and then, but it's not something I've spent a lot of time on.   12 September Would you like to receive e-books? And if so, in what format? I have the Kindle app on my iPod Touch, so that's usually a go, but I also use Lexcycle Stanza, so I think I can handle just about every format there is. If it's illustration heavy (I use the Osprey Men-at-Arms books for armor/costume reference in my drawings often) a PDF would be better, or of course a physical copy. If the book has a lot of footnotes, I've found Stanza doesn't handle those well at all and again a PDF/physical copy would be preferred.   Would you be interested in a felted handbag? The ones linked in the thread were very cute, but I've had a Freitag shoulderbag I bought in 2004 or 2005 that has held up incredibly well, and my only thoughts toward replacing it have been if I get a laptop that won't fit in my current one (it's an F11 "Lassie" bag, so it's one of their smallest).   Are there are patterns, motifs, etc that you especially like? I'm a big fan of damasks, and I was pleasantly surprised when heraldry made its way into the zeitgeist of apparel design (mostly tee shirts) a couple of years ago — I've been known to do coats of arms for my fictional characters, as a fun sort of mental exercise.   Witchee, would you be interested in having a special tea cup/coffee mug/glass to drink out of? Winter is coming, and I loooove to drink chai and hot cocoa, so I'd absolutely adore a sturdy, extra-large size mug. Microwave-safe would be better. I also don't have a teapot, and would kind of like one since I've been drinking more tea and it feels a waste to make it a cup at a time.   If you're a tea drinker, is there any specific tea you would like to receive, not just the kind/flavor but also the type/packing--i.e., tea bags, loose tea, compressed, etc? I like herbal teas and chai, and I prefer loose teas to bags.   11 September I am fond of the thrift. Do you mind lightly used goods? Please be specific! I don't like secondhand shoes, mostly because they're worn in to fit a foot that may be vastly different from my own. Secondhand books (especially with marginalia) are a treat, and I don't mind used CDs or DVDs.   Would a gift or a postcard from Disneyland make you squee with delight or puke into your mail box? It would probably mostly make me envious — I've only visited California once, and though we were in Anaheim for a convention (Blizzcon 2007 ) we didn't get to see Disneyland.   What are your favorite types of Halloween candy? Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who likes candy corn. I picked up a tub last week with my groceries. I also like those black walnut taffies, and there used to be a caramel/sour apple lollipop I loved.   Do you prefer soap or shower gel? Please give examples of your favorite scents or brands. Right now I'm mostly a shower-gel person — I share my bathroom with two other people who aren't always discerning about the soaps they use, so I've been trying to find some of those soap dishes that close up like one would take to Girl Scout camp so I can take my soaps with me once I'm done showering.   How do you like your chocolate? For example with nuts, mint, peanut butter, caramel? I really love dark chocolate — around 70% depending on what's in it. Some of my favorites have been sea salt, crystallized ginger pieces, and chili peppers. I haven't tried the bacon-chocolate phenomenon, but would like to.   Anyone here like caramels? Sea salted caramels?!?! That's yes in a big way.   Would you like a hand dyed or hand painted scarf or wrap or other item? If so, what colors/designs/fabrics do you like? I probably wouldn't wear it, as it's not much my style.   This was a question before, but does anyone here like stones? Just pretty polished stones for use in whatever purposes? I was actually thinking about my odd fondness for sea glass recently — I don't have any purpose in mind for it, but I do think it's awfully pretty.   10 September What #1 actor, director, author and/or musician are you obsessed with? Again, I'll answer in parts: Actor — I don't much go in for the celebrity culture of Hollywood, but I'll kind of watch anything with Jeff Bridges in it (and I keep being surprised at what he is in).
Director — My favorite director is Christopher Nolan, but Stanley Kubrick is a close second, though I haven't seen all of Kubrick's oeuvre.
Author — William Gibson. Own all his books. Love … most of them, anyway.
Musician — Trent Reznor! Also, David Bowie. Nine Inch Nails and Bowie were the soundtrack to my adolescence, and if these two men have nothing else in common, they're both incredibly talented and versatile musicians.
Are you interested in anything from the Villainness Bad Apples update? Oh, Discord, of course, but I've never gotten to try anything from Villainness, either, so if you want to look elsewhere for other soaps that would "go with" some of my favorite oils … If you have a pet, would he/she/they like to receive a treat or a toy as a gift? Does your pet have any dietary restrictions or other preferences w.r.t. said treat? I'm sure D'arcy would love any sort of cat toy. She doesn't have any dietary restrictions, and loves catnip. She's not much interested in "people food," even foods her sister Onyx loved. What are your top three "I want to try them but I think I'll never get to try them" (or, "I've tried them and I want moar moar moar, but I don't think I'll ever get any") scents/bath oils/sprays? BPAL-wise, my pipe-dreams are Skadi and Black Lace — I got a sniffy of the latter in a purchase from sarandipitee on these forums, and it smells divine, but there wasn't enough to test. Is there a particular artist and piece that you would like a print of? If so, what is your max size that you could spare on your walls? I talk extensively about some of my favorite art and artists below in the "oil painting" question — my walls are mostly bare right now, so I could accommodate something up to, oh, four feet on its longer side. I really enjoy art nouveau as well and think that would make great wall art in my current room. Do you like coffee or tea? Would you be interested in trying some different types? I like tea, and I'm slowly getting into loose teas. We recently got a Teavana near me, and I've tried their Peach Tranquility and Earl Grey Creme — the peach was a little weak for me even after prolonged steeping, but I love the Earl Grey. I've also been a big fan of orange/ginger blends in the past, and I absolutely love hot chai in wintertime. I'm less a coffee person, but I do treat myself to a Starbucks drink now and then (usually only if I'm driving a long way!). Are there any CDs/Albums you've been wanting but haven't bought yet? What format do you prefer? (i.e. mp3, actual cd, record, etc) I do prefer actual CDs to mp3 downloads just so that I also have the physical backup. I really like the treatment of CDs from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and associated projects — I already have all of GY!BE's music, but don't yet have Kollaps Tradixionales by sister-project Thee Silver Mount Zion or anything from HṚṢṬA, Fly Pan-Am or Set Fire to Flames. Are you going away for any part of this round? Nope! My winter sidebar to Arizona to visit my boyfriend and remind myself what the sun looks like is slated for the new year. Would you like to receive a mix-CD from your Witch? YES. Even if my witch doesn't necessarily share my music tastes, if sie wants to make a CD of songs sie thinks I'd like, I love discovering new music that way. If your witch were going somewhere on a vacation during the round, would you want a little souvenir? Probably — or just send me a postcard.       9 September Is there a particular myth/folktale/legend/fairytale/godstory that you're drawn to? Yesterday I mentioned I was a Discordian, but I haven't elaborated on what that is here or in the questionnaire. Discordianism was created by Gregory Hill — known as Malaclypse the Younger (or Mal-2) to Discordians — and both he and it were both later fictionalized in the Illuminatus! trilogy. It's almost a pastiche of the Zen sentiment that gained popularity in the US later, relying on what read like koans and self-subverting humor. People regard it as a joke religion, including most Discordians, but humor is just the vehicle used to relate the core philosophies of Discordianism. The Principia Discordia, the main holy text of the religion, isn't very long and is freely available under "copyleft" all over the internet. The patron goddess, Eris (Discordia to the Romans), and her sister Aneris (or Concordia, "Harmony") are in a constant struggle over "apparent order" and "apparent disorder" of the universe, which Discordians believe are just distinctions drawn between a deeper level of chaos. I talk about the Judgement of Paris below, which is causally related to what Discordians refer to as the "Original Snub" — Eris was not invited to a wedding, so she came and threw a golden apple with the inscription "Kallisti" — "For the fairest." Paris was chosen to judge which of the goddesses the apple should be awarded: Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. Each offered a bribe; Aphrodite's bribe was the love of the most beautiful woman in the world (Helen of Troy). The Trojan War and the exile laid the groundwork for Aeneas, then to Ascanius, Alba Longa, and from there to Romulus — so slighting a goddess of Chaos actually led (in legend, at least) to the founding of Rome. It's a very good story, if it's nothing else.   If you RP, tabletop, forum, or otherwise... Do you have any original characters you'd like to see art of? If so, please give information! Even if it's a link to a web page or a profile or picture! Yes, yes, oh my god yes! I would love to get art of almost any of my Warcraft characters (I have descriptions written up for each of them). I can put together a précis on my WoW characters, my Dark Heresy character, and my retired Shadowrun character. I'll come back and edit with links once I have.   If you could see anything, what would it be? Can be a person, an event, a landmark or monument, an object, etc. And it doesn't have to be on this planet, or in this time period, or in this reality! I would actually really like to visit a Roman bath. In even-less-likely scenarios, I'd like to tool around in the Los Angeles of Blade Runner or the Sprawl of Neuromancer.   When you are having a really rough day, what do you like to do/have to make it a little brighter? I like to make myself a cup of hot cocoa and draw or, more often, color. Coloring is a great de-stress activity for me. Sometimes I'll read or watch a show on Netflix instead to take my mind off whatever's bothering me.   What are your thoughts on comics? Any you like? Any you have been wanting to try? Favorite characters? I answered a lot of this under the comic-strip heading, so I'll give a shorter breakdown here — my favorite DC supe is Batman; my favorite Marvel supe is Captain America. I've really loved a lot of the new superhero movies (I didn't see Superman Returns, and probably won't because I don't generally care about Superman — Red Son, where he crash-lands in Russia instead, was a really good read, though). I haven't picked up any of the DC "New 52" because I don't know where to start, but I loved Watchmen, naturally, and I'm a big Warren Ellis fan (and Neil Gaiman of course!).   Are you musical? Do you play an instrument, and if so, what? If not, what do you wish you could play or do? I like to sing/do karaoke, but as far as music goes I'm woefully untalented. I thought about picking up ukelele because I'd convinced myself it was easier than guitar, but still haven't done either. One of my RP characters is a singer and I like to record songs for her, but I have a ahrd time finding someone to do the instrumental accompaniment.   Does anyone garden? And if you do, what do you grow? If not, would a starter garden kit be something you'd be interested in? We had a very small herb garden this summer and some tomatoes, not very much and it didn't really turn out that well. I'd like to garden more, but it's not something most of my family members are interested in or knowledgable about. Just remember, I live in Upstate NY, where it looooves to snow and be cold.   Do you decorate for Halloween? Is your decorating taste elegant, kitschy and fun, or scary? Not as much as we used to, sadly.   Witchee, do you have any symbols or totems that have special meaning for you? Crows/ravens are a big one; my initial interest was in my early teenage years, and it's remained somewhat constant (hell, in 40K fandom my favorite Space Marine legion is the Raven Guard, so …).   Is anyone fond of programs like Adopt a Tree/Highway/Library/Manatee/Acre of Rainforest/etc?: My environmental activism club in high school would make an annual trip up to Farm Sanctuary usually in October, and each year we'd adopt an animal, usually a turkey or another small animal, but I haven't done much like it since.     8 September and earlier   Wishlists Amazon Etsy BPAL Dick Blick
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The Stash / the Wish List

Work in Progress! Just wanted to get this in place before my Switch Witch questions come flooding in.   I'm a bit sparing with my bottle purchases, so if I have a bottle of a scent, I'm pretty dedicated to it. My imp/decant collection is pretty extensive, so I'll probably just list favorites.   Bottles I Own GC • O • No. 93 Engine • Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht • Touched Twice Lunacies • Blood Moon 2010 • Wolf Moon 2010 • Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse Lupers • Womb Furie Metamorphosis • Pussy Moth • Mourning Shroud Butterfly     Imps I Love Ars Amatoria Ars Draconis Ars Moriendi Bewitching Brews Diabolus Excolo Illyria Mad Tea Party Marchen Periodic Table Pharmacopoeia A Picnic in Arkham Rappacini's Garden RPG Sin and Salvation Somnium Steamworks Wanderlust — — — — — Panacea The Salon Carnaval Diabolique VILF — — — — — Boom! Studios The District Neil Gaiman Gris Grimly Hellboy The Last Unicorn Hero Initiative Witchblade Dawn Grendel — — — — — Lunacies Lupers Weenies Yules — — — — — Other LEs     Scents I'd love to try Some of these I know are just pipe dreams (Skadi …). Even a decant/imp of most of these would be great, just to see if they work for me or not.   Ars Amatoria • Le Serpent Qui Danse • Sed non Satiata • Bien Loin d'Ici • Snake Oil   Ars Draconis • Dragon's Hide • Dragon's Musk • Ladon   Ars Moriendi • The Ghost • Jazz Funeral • Les Fleurs du Mal   Bewitching Brews • Antique Lace • Aureus • Black Forest • Highwayman • Hymn to Proserpine • Juke Joint • La Belle Dame sans Merci • Ozymandias • The Raven • Scherezade • Swank • Tushnamatay • Velvet   • #20 Love Oil • Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo • Water of Notre Dame • Wolf's Heart   Diabolus • Black Phoenix • Catherine • Incubus • Loup-Garou   Excolo • Czernobog • Eros • Nemesis • Obatala • Osun • Sacred Whore of Babylon   • Aglaea   • Skuld   Illyria • Tamora   Mad Tea Party • Jabberwocky • The Lion • Mouse's Long and Sad Tale • White Rabbit   • Bread and Butter-Fly   • Against Idleness and Mischief   Marchen • The Little Wooden Doll • The White Rider • The Witch's Repast • Fire for thy Stepmother's Daughters • Vasilissa   • Veritas   • The Old Goblin   Periodic Table   Pharmacopoeia • Nostrum Remedium   A Picnic in Arkham • Al Azif • Brown Jenkin • Shub-Niggurath   Rappacini's Garden • Destroying Angel • The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil • Wolfsbane   • Any of the Apiary scents RPG • Fighter   • Neutral • Lawful • Chaotic • Good   Sin and Salvation • Dirty • Dorian • Hymn • Les Infortunes de la Vertu • Rose Cross • Sea of Glass • Seraphim • Tzadikim Nistarim   Somnium • Oneroi • Somnus   Steamworks • The Antikythera Mechanism • Phoenix Steamworks   Wanderlust • Baghdad • Bengal • Cairo • Delphi • El Dorado • Moscow • Port-au-Prince • Rome • Tombstone   • Lyonesse   — — — — —   Panacea • Lustration • Bitch • TKO   • Oof   The Salon • And There Was a Great Cry in Egypt (Hacker) • Lucretia (Dürer) • Two Monsters (Bosch)   • The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil (Saint-Aubert) • Cupid Complaining to Venus (Cranach the Elder) • The Ecstasy of St. Theresa (Bernini) • The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed With the Sun (Blake) • Judith Victorious (Cranach the Elder) • Melancholia (Dürer)   Carnaval Diabolique   VILF • Tombeur • Philologus • VILF   — — — — — Boom! Studios • Alana Patel   The District • Crib Girls • Emma   Neil Gaiman   Gris Grimly • Detestable Putrescence   Hellboy • Kroenen • Liz   The Last Unicorn • Mommy Fortuna • Lady Amalthea   Hero Initiative • Sachs • Violens   Witchblade • Witchblade • Sara Pezzini   Dawn • Dawn: Cernunnos   Grendel • Avenger   — — — — —   Lunacies • Ivanushka • Old Moon 2012 • Smoky Moon '09 (Tristesse de la Lune) • Raven Moon   Lupers • Luperci 2011   Weenies   Yules • Midnight Mass (any year) • Skadi (ha ha ha ha ha.)   — — — — —   Other LEs • Senelion
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Hello, world!

Hello to my Witch (and anybody else who might be reading this)! I'm sure that soon, questionnaires will be flying around. I tried to be extra-thorough with mine since I don't have a huge presence forumwise, but here's a quick rundown.   Hi! My name is Liz. I'm 24 years old, I'm a Cancer, and I live in Upstate New York. I'm in college right now and I'm a fine arts major, but I hope to pursue a graduate degree in Art History and eventually go on to get my Ph.D, because apparently I love school so much I never want to leave. My eventual area of focus as an art historian will probably be the Italian (and specifically the Florentine) Renaissance, both because I love the period and because there is a preponderance of primary resources — commission documents, papers, and journals. The Florentines apparently loved keeping journals. However, my true love among art history is the classics — ancient Greek and Roman art, especially sculptures.   I love to travel, and I love visiting museums, of course. My favorite artists include Praxiteles, Andrea del Verrochio, Giambologna, Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Simone Martini, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Artemisia Gentilleschi, and Tiziano/Titian. Of more modern works, I also like Max Ernst and have an abiding fascination with Salvador Dalí, fostered by a high school sweetheart, and Auguste Rodin, Alphonse Mucha, and the architect Rem Koolhaas.   I enjoy roleplaying games — I've been engaged in RP since I was twelve years old, and was an officer of my high school's D&D and tabletop roleplaying club. I also like computer/console RPGs — in spite of the bugs, I think Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords was one of the best-written games I've ever played. I have a Macintosh computer, so I don't get to do a lot of PC gaming. I do play World of Warcraft, on the Moon Guard server. My current "tabletop" game is hosted over Skype and is a Warhammer 40,000 game — we have a few Deathwatch marines, one Rogue Trader, and my own Dark Heresy commissar. I don't play the 40K minis game, but I like the figurines themselves and would like to paint some.   I also love to read — I'm big into cyberpunk science fiction. William Gibson's Pattern Recognition is my all-time favorite novel, though it's not part of his cyberpunk oeuvre. Pat Cadigan is also a favorite, and I also enjoy the official novels for both the Warcraft and 40K franchises. On the more fantasy end of things, I liked the courtly intrigue of Jacqueline Carey's books and would like to read more in that vein, and I also love Neil Gaiman. I don't listen to very many audiobooks, but I'm willing to give them a try — I used to take public transportation and read on the bus. Now that I drive, it has cut down on a substantial chunk of reading time. I do read non-fiction on subjects that interest me (mostly art and cooking, but I've also read books about libraries and sundry other things). i picked up Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confessional from the library this summer, and it made me want to give up on academia and just become a cook. A little. He has a great voice as an author.   Aside from my art and reading, my biggest hobby is cooking. I love to browse around on tastespotting, and I'm subscribed to several recipe blogs as well as the recipe community on Reddit. A history professor in high school recommended we all take up breadbaking as a stress-reliever, and I fall back to that occasionally (I don't own a bread machine and until recently didn't even have a handheld mixer, so kneading dough was more effective than punching a pillow). I really enjoy baking, but I also like to cook for my family (I live at home with my mother and younger brother and commute to campus). Thai food is a personal favorite, though less so with the rest of the family, who are happier if I make Americanized Italian or Mexican cuisine. I also enjoy mixing cocktails, and windowshopping at the Williams-Sonoma in the mall.   I'm a little bit new to BPAL "fandom;" my next post will probably be a breakdown of what scents I already know I love and what scents I think I'd love to try based on what I'm discovering works for me, and after that I'll start answering the daily questions and any questions emailed or PMed to me.   I'm really looking forward to my first round of Switch Witch!
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