jaganshikenshin

Risking spambots, Kenshin returns on Christmas Eve with a new tale:





Disclaimer: Kenshin does not own the Yuu Yuu Hakusho characters (they are the property of Togashi Yoshihiro et al), and does not make any money from said characters.

What Kenshin does own, however, are all the original characters in this work. Any attempt to "borrow" these characters will be met with the katana, or worse.

Rating: K/PG-13 for anime-style fight scenes

Summary: On a commercial shoot during the Christmas season, Hiei finds not only mistletoe festooning the ceiling, but his allies acting like Sailor Senshi.

A/N: When did I start the habit of writing a YYH Christmas tale annually? And why?

It started with what seemed the obvious choice: A Yuu Yuu Carol, my take on the Dickens classic, and continued with X-Mas With an Angel (my first, and probably only, crossover story), right through to The Thirteenth Attempt (Yuusuke versus ramen). (All still on ff-net for holiday reading)

This particular Christmas story owes quite a bit to Sailor Moon, and takes place within the time-frame of The Book of Cat With Moon, right after the Cowboy Trilogy in fact. Here we see Hiei in his role as an actor in commercials, established in Firebird Sweet, likewise in Operation Rosary (which also introduces his work for the mysterious 'Agency.') Thanks for reading this, and please review!

Because some days you just have to chew through the leather straps….

In the name of the rose, I'll punish you!





Lights, Camera, Mayhem! (A Christmas Trifle)
by
Kenshin




(Excerpt):




Urameshi threw up his hands. "Wha'd I do this time?"


Hiei's mouth twitched in amusement. Wearing knickers, argyle vest, and a cap that covered her marigold hair, Shay-san was play-acting 'director' to the hilt. Older than the others by a handful of years, she used this scrap of authority to add weight to her role as director, addressing the unruly boy. "Yuusuke. Do the words, 'kicking everyone's ass' appear anywhere within the script?"

"They should," said Urameshi.

Shayla Kidd spoke to him through her megaphone. "Thank you for your input, Yuusuke. However, those words are indeed nowhere to be found in the script, which, by the way, I did not write."

"Oh, sure!" Juri cradled the script like it was a baby. "Blame the writer!"

Shayla Kidd put down her megaphone and swiveled her head until her gaze met Juri's. The room stilled.

"Can you answer these questions, Juri-san?" she inquired sweetly. "Whose uncle is a famed entertainment attorney? Oh, that's' right-me. Who's been on an actual movie set? Oh, that's right-me. Who had a part in an actual movie starring Mr. Clint Eastwood? Oh, that's right-moi. And who starred as the fairy queen in Naked Japanese-"

Hiei opened one eye. "No one was actually naked-"

Shayla Kidd didn't miss a beat. "-Shakespeare? Oh, that's right. ME."

"Fine," Juri fumed.

Shay-san turned to Urameshi. "Now, Yuusuke. Once more, with feeling-AND THE RIGHT LINES."


Read the rest here.






Excerpt:

"Shall I tell you how I will accomplish this?" Soultaker began to describe its plans to creep in beneath the house and suck the life from everyone there. Thus strengthened, it would range out to join forces with others of its kind. "You might as well precede those people. I'm doing you a great kindness after all-you will be spared their futile cries for help. Give up now! Your end will only be more painful the longer you delay."

'Every moment is extra time to think, to plan.

Kurama's tactics. Urameshi's zeal for battle. Kuwabara's sheer guts. Ronni, who resisted the Serpent. I've learned some from each of them. But I have a few tricks of my own.' Hiei labored to draw another breath.

This would be a battle to remember: hero flat on his back, villain holding all the cards.

All but one. The weapon of last resort.



The rest is Here!

Long time no see.

Please see Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Title: A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done: C4 (Hiei Rides Again)

Author: JaganshiKenshin

Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor

Rating: PG-13 for anime-style fight scenes

Summary: Headin' on into the sunset can mean different things according to time and place.

A/N: I have had loads of fun playing with classic Western/Cowboy songs and movies to find the titles of these chaps. As always, thanks for reading this, and I appreciate your reviews!

Yes, many apologies: This is an OLD illo. Sigh. Uhm, ink on vellum? Ink and watercolor on vellum?



Hiei's palms bubbled with toad venom. He ignored the wounds.

(Thanks for reading this tale. Now please scroll down for a brief preview of the next tale in this trio.)

From: Once Upon A Time In The West

by

Kenshin

The horse stank. A combination of manure and sweat, sharp and ammoniac. It made Hiei vaguely nauseated-or maybe it had been the buffet breakfast a couple of hours ago. The Spencers kept a few saddle animals on their cactus 'ranch,' so the equine odor was familiar to Hiei.

He could only assume the horse felt the same way about him.

Turning away from the horse, he took a step toward the barbecue pit. A six-pack sounded good to him, even if it was Rhinestone Beer.

But a sharp pain that had nothing to do with the horse's proximity pierced his temple. Youkai!

He turned in the direction of the pain. The accompanying ki was unfamiliar to him, but powerful.

"He's lathering up," said Ronni. "What's wrong with him?"

The horse pinned back his ears and bared his long yellowish teeth; Ronni held the reins and spoke soothing words.

Often, Hiei moved without first understanding why. Call it instinct. Whirling, he shoved Ronni out of the way just as the horse struck out with his flint-hard hooves.

Ronni reeled backward, out of the horse's reach. A hoof connected with Hiei's right shoulder.

There was a flash of hot pain, then Hiei's arm went numb.

With a shrill, almost-human scream of fear, the horse reared. He spun. Then, trailing his reins, he thundered across the paddock.

"Stop him!" Shayla Kidd was already running in the horse's direction, but Hiei grabbed her and pulled her back.

Shay-san had a good enough sixth sense. Their glances crossed. She had felt the aura, too.

In a soaring leap, the horse cleared the paddock fence, then galloped off toward the foothills-in the direction of the youkai.

(To be continued-soon.)

How appropriate a name for Dr. Inkenstein's newest fountain pen acquisition! And it's perfect, or almost, but for one slim quibble.

More on that quibble later.

　
Dr. Inkenstein was given this pen to test-drive by a kindly invisible friend. The Doctor Pen is NOS, and sells for about $14 when you can find it, and it writes ---AND looks---like a much, much more expensive model.



　

It is quite elegant-looking, in flat-top form with a deep marbled-amber finish that makes Dr. Inkenstein go, "Oooo, shiny! Pretty!"



　

　 The metal cap closes with a nice 'click' and posts well enough, but makes the pen somewhat heavier to use.

　
With its silvertone trim and an unusual, multi-angled nib that is as smooth as anything Dr. Inkenstein has test-driven so far, the Doctor Pen (made, reportedly by Hero) has worked its way into my heart, and no doubt my rotation.





The one slim quibble is indeed its girth. While it's comfortable enough to hold, with Dr. Inkenstein's particular pen-gripping needs, I can not see myself writing page after page with this. Which is a shame, really, because the nib is SO nice. And the finish. Have I mentioned that the finish is pretty? Shiny?

　
If slim pens are up your alley, or even if they aren't, you will be pleasantly surprised by this little-known, unassuming pen.



Dr. Inkenstein has a happy.

Please see Disclaimer in Chapter 1
Title: A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done: C2 (A Fistful of Demon)
Author: JaganshiKenshin
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor
Rating: K+/PG-13 for anime-style fight scenes

Summary: With a costume so tight he can barely move, Hiei gives chase.

A/N: Blahblahblah COWBOY... but what Hiei wasn't telling you is that the Western motif is big in Japan: a growth industry that includes dude ranching, line dancing clubs, target shooting events, and even bull riding. If I have character sketches they will be up on my LiveJournal (link on homepage). As always, thanks for reading this, and please review!

(EXCERPT):


"Aiming for a low branch of another tree, Hiei had to struggle to make the jump. Leaves rustled in protest. He felt less like the natural athlete he was and more like a tortoise pretending to be a monkey. His left inseam popped as he made a second jump. So did a pearl button from the middle of his shirt.

Rhinestone Beer: Works as hard as you do.

Hiei spotted no sign of the outlaw. But he could still sense its youki, manifesting as an ache in his left temple.

Flinging himself into the branches of an oak, simultaneously popping his right outseam, Hiei at last caught a glimpse of the varmint scrabbling across a road that backed up to the park.

He strove to follow before the perp got out of sight.

Clothes should fit, he thought, scrambling from tree to tree. Not falling-off loose, not straitjacket-tight. And not make you look like a fugitive from the Chippendale dancers. Which is why tight clothes are a bad idea. It's also a bad idea to leave your katana in the car."

Who is that youkai and what exactly is Hiei up against?

(I also re-tooled the last chapter of The Book of Cat With Moon to reflect a new preview of this story)

Disclaimer: Kenshin does not own the Yuu Yuu Hakusho characters (they are the property of Togashi Yoshihiro et al), and does not make any money from said characters. Don't sue.

What Kenshin does own, however, are all the original characters in this work. Any attempt to "borrow" these characters will be met with the katana, or worse.

The events in Idiot Beloved take place shortly after the Dark Tournament; Firebird Sweet directly follows that timeline. I strongly suggest you read those fics in order so that certain character traits and development make sense.

Title: A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done: C1 (Like A Rhinestone Youkai)

Author: JaganshiKenshin

Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor

Rating: K+/PG-13 for anime-style fight scenes

Summary: On a commercial shoot, Hiei is surprised by not only an ill-fitting costume, but someone who poses a threat.

A/N: This story takes place within the time-frame of The Book of Cat With Moon-here we see Hiei in his role as an actor in commercials (established in Firebird Sweet and Operation Rosary, though this story isn't a 'sequel' to either Cat With Moon or OR). Thanks for reading this, and please review!

A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done (C1: Like A Rhinestone Youkai)

by

Kenshin

"It's tight." Hiei stepped out from behind the nominal privacy screen. "Really tight." In fact, he had barely been able to squeeze into the outfit.

"Sorry." The intern, Dexter, gave Hiei an apologetic glance. A scrawny kid with hair like rusty Brillo and a voice that still broke, Dexter scowled at his pencil and clipboard, as though holding them personally responsible for the mix-up. "I thought for sure we had your measurements," Dexter went on. His phone trilled. He yanked it from a pocket. "Yes?" His already-pasty complexion paled a shade or two as he listened to the other party. "Has it on now. Says it's tight."

"Really tight," Hiei added.

The company that had just hired him, Palomar Productions, was housed in an undistinguished brick building that backed up to a park. The park's proximity was nice. The costume was not.

Sometimes, Hiei needed a vacation. Sometimes, he got sick of working. Even got sick of fighting. Then he would recant, lecturing himself that he was born to fight, that anything else was a waste of time. Yet here I stand, dressed up like a-

"Costume," he reminded Dexter.

"But, Madam Fifi-" Dexter shut his eyes as Madam Fifi's coarse bellow blasted out of the phone.

Shutting his eyes sounded good to Hiei. The dusty all-purpose room resembled a cavernous church basement decorated by an evil scientist with rabies.

Continued here.

Heart of Sock!

(Wherein Count Sockula meets Dr. Inkenstein).

And here's the entry that started it off. Naturally, it is sock-ulated.

"Everyone has a blog. Everyone has multiple blogs, in fact. So do I. I don't really need another.

But there is so much awesome on this site, especially in the sock kingdom, that I need to start my own, in order to keep up with the others.

So besides socks, I have an interest in fountain pens, horses and racing, barbecue (no, there is NO connection there!! Really!) and anime, from which I am learning about ten words of Japanese and one or two complete sentences

About Socks:
My first sock goes wayyy back to before I taught myself how to knit. I didn't even want socks. I wanted leg warmers. So I went to one of those stores that carried curtains, fabric, and yarn. Leg warmers are circular, right? Of course they are. Never mind the fact that I couldn't knit, and I didn't have a leg warmer pattern. I knew how to crochet, so how hard could it be?


I bought a big plastic CIRCULAR needle, a knitting book, and two skeins of loud acrylic ombre, one red, one green.


It was Christmas. What can I say?


Once I got my stuff home I realized I was never, ever going to be able to learn knitting from that book. What? Huh? WHAT did those diagrams mean???


So I put the circular needle aside and used up the yarn in a giant Christmas granny square afghan. I still have the afghan.


One Christmas when I had to stay off my feet for a bit, I planted myself in a chair and forced myself to learn knitting from that book. I knitted a Christmas dishcloth out of loud red and green cotton ombre yarn. I still have the dishcloth.


Then I didn't want leg warmers any more. I wanted socks. A couple Christmases later I bought a sock book and dug up some double pointed needles and experienced brain freeze on reading the heel turn instructions. Uwaaa!!! Made no sense! So I attended a knitting class, hoping the teacher could help me knit socks.


She didn't know how to knit socks. She just pretty much wanted to get paid to sit there in front of a slew of befuddled first-timers and finish her own giant knit coat.


I found double pointed needles about as easy to work with as handling a batch of live snakes that were stiff as a board but could still bite you.


But the coat-knitting teacher did do one thing for me: she read the heel turn pattern aloud as I turned my first heel. It made no sense, but it worked! I was a sock-knitter!


Took me six months to knit that first pair of socks. One was larger than the other. I still have those socks.


I'm not a master, by any means. I just like knitting socks and still like LOUD self-striping colors, and I am impatient so I still knit mostly in good ol' Red Heart worsted weight acrylic to produce either dorm socks or Croc socks.....

....I use needle sizes from 4-9, stitch numbers from 28-36 (with worsted weight acrylic), depending how loose and dorm-y I want the sock. I don't need a pattern any more, apart from a conventional heel turn (yes, I understand there's a formula for these but I haven't memorized it yet).
Since Sept. of this year I've finished nine pair of socks and am starting on my tenth (Varsity sockies, kind of Gryffindor-ish colors with a dash of Ravenclaw).

Every blog should have a point. I guess mine is this: you don't have to start with high-end tools to master sock-knitting, or even to enjoy and collect fountain pens. In fact, I highly recommend you start small, and cheap, so you understand each element of a sock and its demands before you move onward and upward."


Heheh, it only took me, what, two years? Three? To figure out how some of the LiveJournal stuff works. Wonder how long it'll be until I can post links on my 'other' blog.

Meanwhile, have a look at these Tabby socks, which I almost frogged, then put aside for a couple of years thinking the yarn was too thin. But I dragged it out over the summer, and I like the results. (No, they are not two different sizes; that's just the camera angle):

Yes, Sock-tober is finished, and so (almost!) is Sole-Vember, but tremble before this Sockenstein of horror! A monster, created only because I got a bee in my bonnet about heel methods and finishing techniques!

Two socks, made by two different methods (cuff-down, with afterthought heel---the second on two straight needles, stitched up with a crochet slip stitch).

These unfortunate creatures cannot even be called fraternal twins. Perhaps not even siblings! Though made of the same yarn (Red Heart Rainbow Brights, thank you very much), one is a full two inches longer than the other!

Hang my head in shame!

Alas for me that I did not heed the notations about afterthought heels! Alas for the poor sock, knitted to the specs for a normal heel-with-gusset!

Well, knit and learn. And shed a silent tear for these poor socks, sacrificed on the altar of science. Y_Y



And because they don't really look different sizes in the first pic, behold!



If I started a new blog, what should I name it?

Wow. I might have found my new series.

Thanks to my friend Saffy, I got a bunch of sample anime DVDs, and I finally got around to watching POT.

I think I like it enough to start buying it. 'Cause I want to hear it in Japanese!

No candy this time---at least no tennis-related candy, unless you might consider these to be vewy, vewy outlandish tennis socks:



Yes, they ARE fraternal twins. Done in Red Heart Strata, from the toe up, with the amazing no-wrap heel, which I kind of messed up here, but now seem to have conquered.

Poll #1637070 Wer R U?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6

Where are you on the innerwebs? (and why?)

Just curious about where everyone is and why you selected where you 'are' on the innerwebs.

What difs do you find between Facebook and Myspace, for instance?

What drew you to LJ?

If you have another blog, what's the up side?

People have suggested eblogger? (if that's the name).

Anyone there?

And last but not least, why can't I see my poll buttons? Grrrr.