Alex's Journal

I Am A: Neutral Good Half-Elf Bard (5th Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-9

Dexterity-10

Constitution-10

Intelligence-14

Wisdom-11

Charisma-14


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Half-Elves have the curiosity and ambition for their human parent and the refined senses and love of nature of their elven parent, although they are outsiders among both cultures. To humans, half-elves are paler, fairer and smoother-skinned than their human parents, but their actual skin tones and other details vary just as human features do. Half-elves tend to have green, elven eyes. They live to about 180.


Class:
Bards often serve as negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies. They love to accompany heroes (and villains) to witness heroic (or villainous) deeds firsthand, since a bard who can tell a story from personal experience earns renown among his fellows. A bard casts arcane spells without any advance preparation, much like a sorcerer. Bards also share some specialized skills with rogues, and their knowledge of item lore is nearly unmatched. A high Charisma score allows a bard to cast high-level spells.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)




( Detailed Results: )

So, a few days ago, I was reading this blog post: Performing Gender: Playing a man, playing a woman (incidentally, cythraul was in the commentariat! Small world).

Anyway, I got there waaaaaaay too late to comment there, but here are my thoughts on the question:

If you’re a woman, do you often play a man in games? Have you played an ambiguously gendered or trans person? What is your reasoning behind doing so? If you don’t, is there some other type of gendered expectation dictating your play?

It got me thinking a bit about not only my play habits, but how they've developed over time.

Those of you who played with me in high school know that back then, I rarely played a female character. If I did, it was only for one-shot combat in Rifts or the like, where the character was effectively a robot carrying out combat actions; the character's (if you can even call it a character) gender was pretty well meaningless. In all other situations, I was playing a man - and usually the same man: a male (half-)elven bard, (usually) with long, wavy red hair, named Tathar. He was a snarker. He was gay or bisexual. He was pretty much my go-to D&D character. At the time (ages, oh, 14-16 or so?) he was probably also a) my ideal mate and b) who I really, really wanted to be. I mean, let's face it, he was a goddamn rock star and also I wanted a penis really badly. Oh, and charm. I wanted that too.

...despite being blonde, that's who my user icon is of, by the way. (...This maybe have been the version from the Shadowrun-esque story I wanted to write - although I didn't even know what Shadowrun was at the time. He was part of a band called Three Halves. The drummer was a stoner drow. Don't ask me, I was sixteen.)

Online games tended to be more of a mixed bag, although even there: my first character pretty much ever was gender-swapped Princess Kakyuu, who became Prince Kage! A name which actually transferred into a later, Fushigi Yuugi based game, although the characters were entirely different. (I'll note that the original Kage also had the long flowing red hair. ...it was definitely a thing I had. I'm surprised I didn't go in for Touga from Utena more than I did. But I digress.)

Both those gaming were utterly different: one was male-except-for-me (the in-person D&D games), the other pretty much entirely female. But in neither situation did I think anyone would care that I was playing a man. Possibly I didn't care. At this point in time, most of my interest in romances were homosexual (either m/m or f/f), and when they came up in games they generally fell along those lines.

During high school, most of my gaming was done online, and I frequently-enough dragged offline friends into it as well. I'll provide here a small sampling of characters that I remember playing:

-Ayori (female villainess, what we might refer to today as a waterbender ;)). Was loved by her female servant (and later another female PC), which was really the pairing that I wanted to work out although I think we all knew that if the game ever 'ended' Ayori was pretty much on the chopping block because villainess. Had a sort of straight history? Honestly, I think she was mostly asexual/oblivious to anything outside revenge.
...I know I played another character, but for the life of me I cannot remember who. *cough* Sae?

-Rhiannon and Eltanin (?sp). Girl elf and boy centaur, from the same game. I don't remember much about this except that Eltanin was a lech/opportunistic bisexual. ...both were redheads.

-Sugi and Kiimu, from a Card Captor Sakura game. They were based on Clow Cards. Sugi was Tree, I think? ...Kiimu might have been Mirror? Kiimu was definitely gay.

-Kage #2! This one from the Fushigi Yuugi game where we invented a "god of the center province" (which I think had been destroyed/conquered?), Horyuu. Kage, in the first cycle, was basically a prince in a very Hotohori vein (sheltered, etc). In cycle 2 he was like... fourteen years old and had never been allowed out of a room in his house because his parents knew what his symbol meant and did not want that shit for their son. ...this character was actually straight but probably mostly because my female crush was playing a girl...! He had long flowing purple hair. With a red streak. ^_^

I also played Tomo, both in that game and in a game that was probably mostly so Chantal and I could make him and Tamahome adorbs. *cough*

Then there was Antheas, which I ran... Characters I actually played were Lucius, god of lust & love (who was totally bisexual but mostly gay with his catboy servant... Sae, did we have a thing for masters and their servants-with-furry-ears? *cough*), Euan, an asexual shapeshifting assassin that I think we all kind of wanted to see pair up with the one-armed swordsman she hated/was teamed up with... um... I had a couple of others? After all I was the one running it? But those were kind of my two main ones.

*thinks*

I think that takes me to the end of high school.

...oh yeah, and Takashi! Also very gay! And Japanese! And useless at running his life, but big on heart.

((As an aside, you may be noticing that while frequently I played one male and one female, I clearly gave WAY more attention to the male characters...)

So. So far, not counting the seventy zillion iterations of Tathar, we've got:

Men: 7
Women: 2
Technically no sex, but I think her base form was female: 1
Female but turned into a man for the duration of the story: 1

(Also of note: even with the male characters, most of these would be considered 'magicians'. I think Prince Kage (the first one) had a sword, and Euan was a ninja. The others were all pretty magic-y.)

....

THEN I HIT UNIVERSITY AND EVERYTHING CHAAAAAANGED.

Reason 1: I played mostly in LARPs at first. Now, admittedly, I did play one trans man in a very, very short-lived time at LARP, but mostly I was female-presenting playing female. So there was that.
Reason 2: I don't know if I sort of explicitly thought this, or if it was just something that I picked up on, but there were a few gamers I played with that I don't think would have been exactly cool with me cross-playing, even in tabletop games.

At any rate, I stopped doing it, with that one exception. In the meantime, I played a lot of characters that friends will probably recognize:

-Lidia (vampire; straight-ish mostly asexual though)
-Aine (mage, also mostly asexual)
-Vicki (Aberrant, mostly straight)
-Seth (that one exception; Sabbat vampire; asexual-mostly-obsessed-with-the-female-Tzimisce)
-Az (nWoD vampire, mostly straight)
-Danielle (Exalted, sexuality is "yes")
-Nadja 1 & 2 (D&D, sexuality of "dragons", then nWoD, sexuality of "Danny" [her boyfriend])
-Tiger/Lily (a boy crossdressing as his dead sister, a la Nuriko)
-Shannon (a straight female werewolf who had angry earth mother going for her)
-Wilma (a straight female werewolf who was very butch and often mistaken for a lesbian)
-Mackenzie (an asexual female troller of a werewolf)

Danielle later got a million makeovers forever a makeover into D&D, where she was a changeling, but mostly presented as female, although she did have a relationship with a man as a boy in her history. (That was actually the 'mostly straight' version of Danielle; Exalted Danielle was way more equal-opportunity.)

And then Thorn! Who was a barbarian, but a kind of noble elven one! ...with wavy red hair. *cough*

Oh, and then Thrace! Who is a ninja, and not an elf but pretty close! With wavy red hair... *sigh*

And Bia (female warlord... I think she liked girls?) and a remake of Ayori (female swordmage, too afraid of anyone to be sexual).

...And Leah! Fuck, I keep having to come back and edit. Leah was a female adept Shadowrunner, and her sexuality was mostly trolls (physical trolls, not internet ones). And then 'Artemis', who was also a female adept Shadowrunner, and mostly had a weird relationship with 'Apollo'.

So just for university and the thereafter:

Men: 3 (one of whom is trans, one of whom is a cross-dresser)
Women: 15
Technically no sex, but her base form was female: 1

...definitely a HUGE shift when I started university, clearly... (Admittedly, I've been university and post-university longer than I was in high school, so that may account for the higher numbers, but still.)

Of these, Nadja (both incarnations), Tiger, Thorn, and Wilma were definitely "warriors". Az was more a science type. Thrace is a straight-up ninja, as are Leah and Artemis, Vicki and Danielle (all incarnations) are ninja-y-magic-y but primarily social characters. Aine was a bookish bitch (also a mage), Lidia was a nerd, and Mackenzie was, well, a troll, of the trollolololol variety...

"Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer."

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

It really depends. Sometimes I feel old and crochety. Sometimes I'm amazed I'm allowed to drink and vote. I'd say I still think of myself as being a young 20-something, despite being an old 20-something.

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Failing. I know common wisdom says otherwise. Common wisdom is wrong. (For me, on this.)

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

Because we came out of cultures that said that denying yourself pleasure was pretty much the only moral thing you could do. Also because the things we don't do usually cost more than just time. They cost money or other resources, or they cost the reciprocation of others. And sometimes those things just aren't available to us.

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

Definitely. I think this list of questions is trying to guilt me, but I am full of bubbly, so it can fuck itself. :D

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

Tyranny.

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Sex work. (Sex makes me happy. If I'm getting money for it, it's sex work. QED.)

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

I do believe in massage therapy, I do believe in massage therapy, I do I do I do!

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I probably wouldn't.

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

As much as I could, less than I'd like. *shrug* Some things you just don't have control over.

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

Both, really. I want the right thing done right the first time. Anything else leads to frustration, aggravation, and waste.

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

Defend her? Honestly, I'd probably get very upset with them and either leave or argue.

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Find a good doctor that you trust.

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

You know, I'm really not sure. It would probably depend on the context.

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

No.

15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

Relationships, especially of the romantic variety. (Maybe not differently than my friends, but than a lot of other people.)

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

Because people are different? This is kind of a dumb question, IMHO.

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

Travel the world, and money.

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

A lot of things. I let go of things very poorly, even when I know they're toxic to me.

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

Spain, probably. Better weather, at least somewhat liberal, in Europe. Other possible choices would include many other European countries.

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

No, actually, I don't do that.

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

Worried genius.

22. Why are you, you?

Upbringing?

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I hope I've kept the no parts mostly internal/hidden.

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

Losing touch with the nearby friend. Presumably you're still in touch with the friend who has moved, you just can't see them that often; with the prevalence of e-mail and FB, that's easy... but friendships that dwindle because they get lost in the rush of other things suck.

25. What are you most grateful for?

My friends and family, probably.

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

Having seen Alzheimer's in action, the latter is just depressing. I'd hope that my friends would stick around if I suddenly developed amnesia, so if I have to pick, that one.

27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

No.

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

Not yet.

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

Let's see, five years ago was 2007, and actually there were several upsets that year. As for "does it matter", well, yes, those upsets paved the way for where I am today, same as everything.

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

Christmas at Nonna's, and because Christmas is always special at Nonna's.

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

My cruise time.

32. If not now, then when?

When it's economically and emotionally feasible.

33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

Time and effort.

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

Yes.

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

Because most of them don't, they support love for specific subsections of people, namely their people. Also because people like to prove their superiority.

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

Not for every decision/choice.

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

Probably not.

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

Hard to say as I'm not working right now. I'd say probably more work I actually enjoy.

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

At least.

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

Probably the last time I submitted a story, but even that I didn't "strongly believe in". I don't strongly believe a lot of things any more, to be honest.

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

I'd get Simon, Jen, Patrick and I together one more time.

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

Yes.

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

If I knew, I'd be truly living.

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

When the rewards outweigh the risks. :P

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

Because they tend to hurt in some fashion, and humans like to avoid pain.

46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

I'd be more open about my relationships with my family.

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

Well, now, but before that was when my mother asked me why I was huffing about (I was sighing in frustration).

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

Patrick, my friends, and yes.

49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

I might not remember exact details, but I will remember that it was New Year's and I played board games with Pete and Patrick, bought supplies for beginning my own massage therapy service, and signed my contract with the Boyle House.

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Mostly from column A, a little from column B.

Comment to this meme with the word 'words' and I will give you five words that make me think of you. Then post them in your LJ and say what they mean to you.

From greybeta:

1. Toronto

While I technically don't live in Toronto, I do live near enough to it to count it as my Canadian city of origin for purposes of talking to non-Canadians. ;) I also immensely enjoy the city, as it has, you know... stuff to do after 9 PM.

2. Writer

I like to think of myself as one. And, I guess, technically I've been published so I am a writer, although it's really more of an ongoing process thing which I don't have the... ongoingness. Of. (See how good the writerliness is? I'm making up words and ending sentences with prepositions and dropping sentence fragments everywhere!)

3. Left

I'm assuming this is in a "leftist" sort of way. :) Which, yeah. I'm pretty far left by Western standards. I guess I just fundamentally don't understand the idea that a local community is a better/more efficient safety net than a government is.

4. Alex

I've been going by Alex for a long, long time (longer than Ali, as a matter of fact). The thing is, my mom used to call me Ali and my dad Alex. So most of my friends, etc. knew me as Ali, since I primarily lived with my mom. But I've always preferred Alex (what with the androgyny factor and all). So in university I started using Alex primarily, since none of those people knew my mom :), and have tried to edge people towards that use, which has more or less worked.

5. Satire

I'm not really sure what prompted this! I like it? It's fun? Pterry is my hero?

From kisekinotenshi:

1. Anime

It's my art style of choice. By and large I don't actually watch much anime any more, save for a few things (Hetalia!), but... overall I've been on a real media withdrawl. Don't know why.

2. Vampires

...
I'll be in my bunk.
(I like vampires. If they existed, I would be in a very very bad place. How bad would depend on whether they were sexy-type vampires, killy-type vampires, or Cullen-type vampires, in which case the bad place would be prison or dead.)

3. Books

I am a fan! I don't read as much as I used to, or as much as I want to (sob, I'm something like 10 or 11 weeks behind on 50 Book Challenge this year?), but I do like them.

4. Goals

I'm trucking along quite well on my 101/1001. :) I haven't made any updates on it recently, but that's more because I've been avoiding posting things on the internet rather than because I haven't been doing them. I'm about 41% complete with two and a half years to go.

5. Elves

I'mma guess this is because of my avatar, which is version eleventybillion of Tathar Ithildin. In this one, he was a rocker in a Shadowrun-ish world (not that dark because I was 14, but supertech + magic returned into the world), who had a mentor in Stradivarius, who was a very old elf that had hidden that fact for centuries, disappearing periodically to keep from suspicion. There was some world-saving plot I'm sure, but I just remember that the band was 3/2 (Three Halfs, because they were all half-elves), and the drummer was a half-drow stoner. "We're all, like, half elves, but if you put us in an album, we're like Schrodinger's Cat, and it's 100% rock. OH YEAH!"

From mysticjuicer, who just gave them to me because he doesn't want to participate:

1. Flute

I played for seven years. I've touched the one I own twice, maybe three times since then. I miss it sometimes, but I'm so out of practice that even forming notes is difficult. :(

2. Exalted

I fucking love Exalted and I wish I could find people who liked to play the same style of Exalted that I do. I think Exalted has a tendency to bring out the... power fetishism in everyone, but at the expense of what I love about gaming, which is the intensely personal aspects of the character. I want to explore the decisions that make or break a hero, what has to be done to save the world, whether you choose love or the world. You know, epic heartwrenching shit like that.

And fuck the mechas.

3. Lusty

I am at that. ;) And kinky. And overall kind of sex-obsessed. What can I say? Sex is fun, can I have some more?

4. Restaurant

I eat out more than is probably (definitely) healthy. If I stopped eating out, I could easily save $2-400 a month. And yet. And yet.

5. Nerdery

Things I cannot do without: RPGs, the internet, the Oxford comma, and geeking out, preferably with Simon. ;)

From trenog

1. Creative

To me, this is more something I aspire to be rather than actually am.

2. Influential

Ahahahahaha. Really? Wow, I don't even know what to say to that one...

3. Excitable

My ire is easily aroused. :P As is my arousal. Honestly I think I'm pretty stagnant though...

4. Memes

They substitute for content in my life!

5. Glasses

I need to get new ones, I think the prescription on mine is not strong enough. Frownie. Also I like them on others, usually. :)

Comment to this post. I will choose seven interests from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so others can play along.

From kisekinotenshi:

being sorta moderately hot - Blame mysticjuicer for this one. ;) I thought it was a hilarious interest and so, since I consider myself sorta moderately hot, adopted it. Now there are, I think, seven of us out there? XD

ethics - As in study thereof, specifically the applied ethics and moral psychology sub-branches (as described by Wikipedia). How flexible/relative is morality? And what ethical code do I ascribe to? (Can I even describe it as a code?) This is probably one of my better-loved areas of philosophy, because it doesn't make me crazy (free will vs. determinism) and actually has more depth [in my head] than "everyone's different!" (aesthetics).

good journalism - Who isn't interested in this? Okay, I guess "good" is a bit vague. Mostly this means I'm interested in important stories written without [too much? let's be honest here] bias.

great big sea - probably less than in the past, but sometimes you just want Newfoundlander boys singing sea shanties. ;)

insanity - I find mental illness to be really interesting? I mean, that's not really an in-depth thing, but why people are dysfunctional is... interesting? (Remember, I was a Psych major until my final year, and all Psych majors are just trying to figure out why WE'RE insane.)

jacqueline carey - I are fan of fantasy porn. And BDSM. And courtesans. And *coughcough*danielle*coughcough* ahem books. Okay, so that's really more "why the Kushiel series", since I didn't really like the other book by her I read started to read. But. Overall. Yay BDSM fantasy porn? I kind of want to be Phèdre.

nac mac feegles - They're wee. And Scottish barking mad. And can carry a cow like a tiny blue wave. And swear a lot. And drink! And they're already dead. What's not to like?

1. Why did you choose to go the University of Waterloo?

Mostly because 90% of my friends from years ahead of me were there. XD I also didn't want to live at home (which would have happened if I'd gone to York, for sure, and maybe if I'd gone to UofT). York was always kind of my third choice (...despite being the alma mater of the three parents that went to university :P), and UofT was also more expensive than Waterloo, even if I bused/subwayed in.

I'm glad I did, though; I think the culture of the school and the city in general is a lot more suited to me than Toronto or North York.

2. Who's your favorite Canadian author?

Tanya Huff. :) Pulling in close seconds are Andrew Kaufman and Nalo Hopkinson, with 3rd place going to Robertson Davies. (And one of these days I WILL find a Fiona Patton book that ISN'T a non-first book of a series and I WILL read it...)

3. Have you ever had a run in with the Mounted Police?

*lol* Nah. Occasionally I'll see them downtown.

4. What was the first anime you watched?

Dubbed Sailor Moon. ...over a decade ago.
...Aaaaaagh.

5. If you had to describe your religious beliefs in a three word phrase, what three word phrase would you use?

"Not really applicable." :)

I like talking about myself. I imagine you like talking about you! So here's the deal:

001. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
002. I will respond by asking you ANY five questions of a very intimate and creepily personal nature. Or not so creepy/personal.
003. You WILL update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
004. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
005. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

And for meeeeeeee, from reflectedeve:

1. If you started a band, what kind of music would you play? Any thoughts on name/image? (I may have been browsing your goal list. ;))

If it were the style of music I most like listening to, "angry white boy" (nu rock/alternative type stuff). If it were what my likely bandmates tend towards, probably skewing towards indie rock.

2. What is your favorite thing about where you live right now?

Right now, that we're finally pretty much moved into the damn place. *L*

3. Childhood favorite book (or movie, I guess) that still has a special place in your heart? ♥

This is and will forever be The Last Unicorn. The movie came first for me, but the book and the movie are practically the same save for one minor plot...

4. Five favorite songs of the moment?

Oh, man. Uh. "Sometime Around Midnight", Airborne Toxic Event; "Just Dance", Lady Gaga; whatever that song by Rise Against is, I can never remember the damn name; "Let's Start a Riot", Three Days Grace; and "Maps", Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Close sixth to "Electric Version", The New Pornographers. There are a bunch of others but those are current faves, excluding long-standing favorites.

5. It has been about ten years since we met. (Holy shit.) Have a random back-in-the-day memory to share? :)

Holy shit, ten years? ...wow...

Heh, did I ever tell you about the weird looks I got from my family when you sent me that Ayori poster? *g* I miss RPing! And the crazy brain-children. <3

"The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me. It will be about or tailored to those five lucky "victims."

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be fic. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may use my crafty wiles. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to put this in your journal as well, if you expect me to do something for you!"

Oh, but who to do it for? Memes, you are so something something.


( Patrick )

( Jeremy )

Meme questions from Serena:

1. If you had to put a price on it, would you value emotional over physical connections or vice versa?

Hmmm, that's actually really difficult. Just in general, or in sexual relationships? I'd probably say emotional, but it'd be a difference of like fifty cents ;)

2. What is more important to you: working in the industry you love, or working a job you love in an industry you relatively dislike?

Probably the latter - I'd rather enjoy what I'm immediately doing rather than enjoy that I am nebulously contributing to a particular industry.

3. What's better: kitties or people?!

Kitties! Zack slept on my legs all night and at one point came up next to me, snuggled into my armpit, and put his front leg across my chest (like he was hugging me). SO CUTE.

4. Sugarrrrrr!!!! : true or false, and why?

Always true, because I cannot lives without it, precioussss.

5. With TV series: what criteria do you use to determine what is desirable about the show, and would you like a show if it were hateable (or simply because you dislike it or qualities about it?) ...sorry two questions, i know...

*lol* That's really complicated. I'm not sure I have set criteria for shows...
Ummm, generally, if they're comedies, I like them quirky or offbeat in some way.

(My Name is Earl, Arrested Development, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls)

...looking at that list, apparently narration helps too. *lol*

If they're dramas or dramedies, I'm more likely to like them off the bat. I tend to prefer them with something supernatural or historical (or futuristic!) in them. Hot actors help. A sly, dark sense of humor is usually necessary. Joss Whedon is like a +3 to anything I watch on a scale of 1-10 (so even the worst show in the world, done by him, is a 4. :P)

I like complicated relationships. Not necessarily soap opera styles, but relationships that aren't easy.

(Firefly, The Tudors, Dead Like Me, Blood Ties)