I do this thread every year, and it seems to be a big hit...so, time for another year!

To those new here: this thread is a branch off from the introduction thread. The introduction thread is more of a short synopsis of you and your writing. We are all here because of one thing in common: Writing!!!

However...That's not all there is to us.

Sometimes, we want more than just talking about writing all the time...whether on the forums...or at a write in/party....Share here the things you love to death, your hobbies, the tv shows you are obsessed with watching, the book series you can't put down. Maybe you find out someone else abhors a thing just as much as you do! (drivers who leave their blinker on, anyone???) Maybe someone else has just as many passionate opinions about the oxford comma that you share!...

So, share what you have! Meet someone new who shares the same thing! Maybe you we just watched that new episode of that lovely lady in the trench coat and the police box and need to find someone to talk to about it. Maybe you love to cook and want to share recipes with someone. Maybe you thought you were the ONLY person who loved that book series but...wait! What is this? OMG YOU READ IT TOO??

Have Fun!

I'm a huge nerd. I live in a few fandoms, consuming and producing, such as Voltron, BBC Merlin, Trollhunters. I also play a mean grimlock barbarian.

Guilty pleasure is competition TV shows. Nailed It, Ultimate Beastmaster, Skin Wars. Yessss.

I fade in and out of crocheting too.

I'm a giant Pokemon nerd--I'll actually be balancing NaNo with a Pokemon roleplay I've gotten hooked on, though the roleplay is low-key enough that it shouldn't really be a problem. There were a few years where I didn't write fiction at all, and what got me out of that slump was writing Pokemon fanfiction (Twitch Plays Pokemon fanfiction, to be specific). I alsoam part of a Pokemon tabletop game, though sessions are few and far between due to various scheduling issues.

I love love love the show Gravity Falls! Steven Universe is also up my alley, but Gravity Falls is my favorite TV show for sure. (I've written my fair share of fanfiction there, too. Maybe more than my fair share.)

I watch Jeopardy! regularly with my family, though I'm a few days behind thanks to a recent trip, so don't tell me who wins :P

I watch a lot of movies, too, especially superhero movies--I've seen most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and, yes, wrote some fanfiction, specifically of Infinity War and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2).

Into both Star Wars and Star Trek (I've seen parts of TOS and TNG so far)--don't ask which I like more, lol!

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that it's been a while since I've picked up a book that wasn't either for school or for one of the fandoms mentioned above, but Douglas Adams is probably my favorite author. Vonnegut's up there too--I wrote my senior thesis on Cat's Cradle.

Also, if you think you recognize my username from somewhere, you probably do ;)

Edit: Also also, I love animals! (My avatar may have given that away.) My family has two dogs and three cats, which I take pictures of regularly enough that I've got a tumblr blog devoted specifically to that, and I love all animals <3

Thanks, Tanya, for doing this thread :-)

I read (as I write) mostly fantasy and science fiction (and I enjoy works from authors like Roger Zelazny, David Brin, Julian May, and Jack Vance); and I definitely enjoy graphic novels (e.g., Powers, Invincible (so sad to see that series end), Astro City).

I play volleyball (and am always on the look out for subs, so feel free to reach out to me if you might be available for a co-ed league that plays on Wednesdays at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center) and tennis.

I've binge-watched various tv series like Chuck (wow that was good), Pushing Daisies, and Ekaterina; and movies I've enjoyed include Antman and the Wasp, Stairway to Heaven, and Crazy Rich Asians (that was really memorable too).

In terms of writing books, my favorite is stillWriting for Emotional Impact;I think that I love stories that are told in such a way as to give one strong emotional reactions.

I had no idea you played volleyball, Tim! That's so cool.

My Son got into Dr. Who a couple of years ago and has been the Seventh Doctor, a Dalek, and the 12th Doctor for Halloween the last three years. I have been a fan for years. He came up with the idea that he wanted to watch all of theavailable Classic Doctor Who with me and now we are slowly making our way through the series - we are only half way through the 2nd Doctor but making steady progress.

I watched a few of the first doctor with my kids. The stories moved a little back in the 60s, but we had to watch the introduction of the Daleks.

I haven't picked the date yet, but I plan to have a write-in at the Blue Box cafe in Elgin on a Saturday or Sunday.

samcadams wrote:I watched a few of the first doctor with my kids. The stories moved a little back in the 60s, but we had to watch the introduction of the Daleks. I haven't picked the date yet, but I plan to have a write-in at the Blue Box cafe in Elgin on a Saturday or Sunday.

ok, my turn!!

• book nerd! I love to read so much, even though I don't do it often these days. My last finished book was CRAZY RICH ASIANS. The lunar chronicles, red queen series, divergent, hunger games, graceling. I seem to lean toward YA probably because they are easy reads? relatable characters? not too many cliches.I also used to be a huge manga nerd...and i've been known on occasion to read some deadpool here and there
• though i've only read 3 deadpool comics...EVER, i love deadpool.
• marvel movies
• chocolate
• STAR TREK! YEAH! I haven't watched TOS, and i only sporadically watch enterprise...and movies? I need to watch them...but TREKKIE YEAH!!
• DOOOWEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! doo doo doo doo....doo doo doo...doo doo doo....Though, i am sure my user icon gave it away. P.s: This lovely new lady is SO AWESOME I ADORE HER TO BITS
• LEGEND OF ZELDA! The pic below is our halloween costume this year! i made my daughter's costume as wind waker link (95% accurate), and i made all our hats (even though i forgot to wear mine in the pic)
• 

CRAFTING

• Knitting...even though i'm only 2 years experienced and all i can knit are flat things like pot holders, scarves, and blankets. I love knitting and i love that i took the time to learn it and not give up!
  
  
• Cross stitching
• cooking
  
  
  
  
  
  

Things i have a passionate distaste for: temper tantrums (lookin at YOU oh toddler of mine), cheeto in cheif (and his posse), those irate middle class soccer moms/used to be soccer moms who love to complain at establishments over stuff that employees have no control over. YOU KNOW THE TYPE. I think working retail back in the day caused my distaste. My anxiety and ADHD...

and my husband when he constantly forgets TO PUT THE DARN COVER BACK ON THE BUTTER DISH! AUGH!! ! !@#$%^&*

So, Tanya, how was the book Crazy Rich Asians? Did you also see the movie? Would you recommend the book? I adored the movie--it was extremely well made. I read that the movie changed the ending from the book...

And, if you're a Star Trek fan, you have to watch the TOS episodes "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Mirror, Mirror"! "A Piece of the Action" is fun.

Enterprise has a very neat Mirror, Mirror spin-off episode as well ("In a Mirror, Darkly").

NewMexicoKid wrote:So, Tanya, how was the book Crazy Rich Asians? Did you also see the movie? Would you recommend the book? I adored the movie--it was extremely well made. I read that the movie changed the ending from the book... And, if you're a Star Trek fan, you have to watch the TOS episodes "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Mirror, Mirror"! "A Piece of the Action" is fun. Enterprise has a very neat Mirror, Mirror spin-off episode as well ("In a Mirror, Darkly").

I WANTED to watch the movie last week...as i had no toddler for 2 weeks (she was at camp Grandpa/Grandpa)...but i never got around to it...and...the closest theater that was showing it was...woodridge. From aurora...that's 40 minutes! I might wait until it's on dvd/netflix...or...see if my husband...can...get it...

At first, i didn't get into the book the way my friends did...it seemed to start slow...and each chapter was a different character...and it was hard to keep track (i had to often go to the beginning of the book to look at the family tree). But, by the end...i fell in love with ALL the characters and their crazy, rich, asian, life style....SUCH a stark contrast from the humble asian life i grew up with. Even though some filipino's live like they are rich lol!

I can't even get the ball to volley over the net when I serve. I have a VERY weak hit...and gym class was me pretending to go for the ball...but then ducking because i was afraid the ball would hit me. Surprisingly, i still got an A in gym! LOL!

tireddadx3 wrote:My Son got into Dr. Who a couple of years ago and has been the Seventh Doctor, a Dalek, and the 12th Doctor for Halloween the last three years. I have been a fan for years. He came up with the idea that he wanted to watch all of theavailable Classic Doctor Who with me and now we are slowly making our way through the series - we are only half way through the 2nd Doctor but making steady progress.

This was my halloween decor this year...i wonder how many kids were too scared to walk by the house, or walked by the house and-...

wait...what was goin to say? Uhh....carry on then- wait. why do my windows have marks on them?

Those decorations are great!

tireddadx3 wrote:Those decorations are great!

Thanks! I am hoping next year to add to it and or refine a few...I definitely need a crack, maybe a prisoner 0...or a cyberman helmet. All those are creepy, right?

IMO, season 5ish...with Rory and Amy...are some of the more creepier ones.

GwenTolios wrote:I'm a huge nerd. I live in a few fandoms, consuming and producing, such as Voltron, BBC Merlin, Trollhunters. I also play a mean grimlock barbarian. Guilty pleasure is competition TV shows. Nailed It, Ultimate Beastmaster, Skin Wars. Yessss. I fade in and out of crocheting too.

Haberdashing wrote:I'm a giant Pokemon nerd-

I'm going to blatently admit now....something that always shocks my other nerd friends. I've never seen pokemon, never played pokemon, never collected the cards...so imagine their shock when they ask me if i play pokemon go! LOL!

Haberdashing wrote:...Steven Universe is also up my alley,

Haberdashing wrote: Edit: Also also, I love animals! (My avatar may have given that away.) My family has two dogs and three cats, which I take pictures of regularly enough that I've got a tumblr blog devoted specifically to that, and I love all animals <3

Aside from writing, I love video games. I have my own YouTube channel specifically for gaming. Warframe, Monster Hunter: World, and Ark: Survival Evolved take up the majority of my time. I also occasionally play Dauntless. If you play any of those games, let me know and I can friend you on Steam. Oh, right, I play exclusively on PC. Sorry, all you console players.

I love animals. I have a dog and 2 ferrets. Would love a cat but we're already at our pet limit for the condo. Fun fact: I once trained a fish to swim through a hoop. :)

IcicleFerret wrote:Aside from writing, I love video games. I have my own YouTube channel specifically for gaming. Warframe, Monster Hunter: World, and Ark: Survival Evolved take up the majority of my time. I also occasionally play Dauntless. If you play any of those games, let me know and I can friend you on Steam. Oh, right, I play exclusively on PC. Sorry, all you console players. I love animals. I have a dog and 2 ferrets. Would love a cat but we're already at our pet limit for the condo. Fun fact: I once trained a fish to swim through a hoop. :)

booooo PC gamer! LOL! kidding! my husband is a PC gamer. Bethesda games, or what ever game he gets on steam that is on sale. He said his new game now is GTO. I much prefer to hold a controller in my hand...so, i guess i wouldn't be opposed to PC gaming if my husband lets me use any of his wireless/usb controllers.

Though, PC games i HAVE played that i love: Roller coaster tycoon (good lord, that brings me back to my teen years), old school games from back in the days of DOS (yeah! commander keen!), and sims. Something about setting a sim on fire is cathartic because it's frowned upon to do it in the real world, even if you meet someone who desperately needs a good dousing.

I live right by that great lakes center and was just wondering if they had adult leagues! I haven't played in volleyball in years so I don't know that I would jump in to sub but it's on my radar now. I used to play tennis too and played for fun with a work league until sadly my carpel tunnel made holding the tennis racquet pretty painful :(

The weird thing about the book Crazy Rich Asians is each chapter had a heading with which character's point of view it was, but then the POV would switch within scenes - the exact thing writers are told they shouldn't do. Well, Kevin Kwan's a bestseller so I guess he can! I personally found it confusing but I liked the story enough to keep going.

I was glad the movie tweaked the story to be a more overt romantic comedy. The ending of the book is super unsatisfying. I understand it's a series, but it left so much hanging it was frustrating! the movie had a different ending that worked much better for a screenplay.

stephsco wrote:I live right by that great lakes center and was just wondering if they had adult leagues! I haven't played in volleyball in years so I don't know that I would jump in to sub but it's on my radar now. I used to play tennis too and played for fun with a work league until sadly my carpel tunnel made holding the tennis racquet pretty painful :(

What position(s) did you play?

We could probably ease you in (for example playing half-rotations backrow/front row with me)... :-)

--Tim

I also play games, i'm on Xbox and not Steam. Currently playing Destiny 2 and will likely lose writing time when Fallout76 comes out. I have a week off from work mid-November so I should be able to keep up with Nano and also play Fallout :)

stephsco wrote:The weird thing about the book Crazy Rich Asians is each chapter had a heading with which character's point of view it was, but then the POV would switch within scenes - the exact thing writers are told they shouldn't do. Well, Kevin Kwan's a bestseller so I guess he can!

I found that to be irksome too. It made reading the story quite confusing..but..toward the end, you read enough and you get the hang of who's who....so i truly enjoyed the book by the very end. I look forward to when i get the chance to watch the movie!

stephsco wrote:I also play games, i'm on Xbox and not Steam. Currently playing Destiny 2 and will likely lose writing time when Fallout76 comes out. I have a week off from work mid-November so I should be able to keep up with Nano and also play Fallout :)

*sigh* Fallout 76....Hubby and I thought about it...as we enjoyed fall out 4 very much...but...i dunno. i prefer my game play to be JUST ME...maybe a few friends in mario kart/mario party/that kind of thing...but...i play games to get AWAY from people...not be WITH them! LOL!

I want to get Fallout 76. The only reason I stopped playing Fallout 4 after completing the story was because I couldn't play with friends. After that I just watched someone else play. I wouldn't mind console games but I'm out of cash, and PC games don't require purchasing a super expensive console +peripherals every couple of years. :)

IcicleFerret wrote:I want to get Fallout 76. The only reason I stopped playing Fallout 4 after completing the story was because I couldn't play with friends. After that I just watched someone else play. I wouldn't mind console games but I'm out of cash, and PC games don't require purchasing a super expensive console +peripherals every couple of years. :)

I never finished fallout 4 LOL! I got about half way through, because i was too busy exploring and building settlements. It felt like the sims, except not. One day, I am going to restart the game and this time, just play. not get distracted by building 7 floor apartment buildings.

The story is meh, honestly. Up until the Twist, it's pretty good, but I think they changed creative directors part way through. That or they had to cut some content and tried to shoehorn in some events that didn't exactly work. But, after I finished the main quest, there just wasn't enough of a driving force to keep me invested in the world.

I think general consensus on Fallout fandom is they are not stoked for the social component and would rather have another Fallout single player game. I love Fallout enough that I'm at least going to give '76 a try. My husband doesn't like multiplayer at all, though we do play Destiny together as a clan. I have the feeling Fallout76 isn't going to over super well with the hardcore fans but I guess we'll see.

I loved the settlements! Sometimes i talk about checking in on them, assuming they're all living full, wasteland lives :) I rebuilt a bunch of mine because I have this thing about building onto existing structures in the settlement. So the old destroyed barn or the drive in, I build on top of it or connected to it. I used a lot of area rugs as patch flooring... those poor settlers.

Oh! And the hubs and I moved to a new house this summer and he got Fallout4 back out and recreated our house in Sanctuary! It's hilarious. When we bought new furniture he would add new couches.

stephsco wrote:I loved the settlements! Sometimes i talk about checking in on them, assuming they're all living full, wasteland lives :) I rebuilt a bunch of mine because I have this thing about building onto existing structures in the settlement. So the old destroyed barn or the drive in, I build on top of it or connected to it. I used a lot of area rugs as patch flooring... those poor settlers. Oh! And the hubs and I moved to a new house this summer and he got Fallout4 back out and recreated our house in Sanctuary! It's hilarious. When we bought new furniture he would add new couches.

want to hear something funny in regards to settlements?

I was building. building and building and building. I was at floor 7 of my LOVELY apartment complex! and then...i went to build the balcony. i forgot to put in posts/fencing....and my wastelander must have slipped...and she fell. hard core fell to the ground and died.

and i hadn't saved my game since building floor 2.