Yui-chan

I'm a little late, but I hope you've had a happy birthday. Best wishes, ~Yui

... I don't have a hyperlink on where it says "Posted:". I thought it might be the skin I'm using, but no... I've checked all three. Am I misunderstanding where you're saying it is, or what? Maybe it's because I'm using IE? Confuzzled, ~Yui

I'm glad you two have found the easier way to do it than I've ever used! Trust me to go all the way back to source code when there are more direct means of finding that entry number. Thank you for giving Equester the better answers. Yours, ~Yui

Dear Sweetcherrie, While I'm not Mr. Belgium, I hope you won't mind if I take a moment to answer your question to the best of my knowledge. It's really not hard to answer because, functionally, there is no significant difference. When you are using 'that' and 'which' in your spoken English, they are considered interchangeable when it comes to meaning. As for written English, you've already captured the difference between the two. The comma must be used to separate 'which' from the rest of the sentence, while there is no comma required for 'that'.** As a rule, when writing, I use whichever of the two flows better with the sentence. After all, a comma indicates a pause in the sentence, so your examples are not read with the same cadence and flow to the words. I ask myself if the phrase I'm trying to add to the sentence needs to be called out (ie - highlighted to the reader with a pause before and after it) or should blend in to the sentence (ie - read smoothly as one thought instead of having any breaks between the words. In the former case, I use 'which'. In the latter, I use 'that'. For example: In the first, the fact that it burnt happily in the hearth was a natural part of the sentence, necessary because it helped draw a picture of the scene for the reader. The fact that it burned happily in the hearth was an integral part of the sentence because it clarifies whether this fire is in a stone circle at the center of the room or hungrily eating away at the kitchen draperies. In the second example, though, the fact that the fire is actually in a hearth is really not critical to the sentence. You could get the same impression of what the sentence is trying to portray without actually knowing that the fire is in a hearth. Who cares if it's eating the draperies, as long as I know that it's mesmerizing the character? Anyway, perhaps that's more of an answer than you wanted, but I hope it's a little helpful (and not too confusing). The very short version of all this, though, is "there's no difference". Sincerely, ~Yui ** The reason for this is really quite technical and partly just grounded in convention, but suffice to say that 'that' is a different class of preposition in this case. The phrase it creates is intended to blend in with the rest of the sentence while a phrase beginning with 'which' is designed to stand out from the sentence.

I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing trip, Mynx. Say 'hi' if you pass me on the streets of LA. Yours, ~Yui

Congratulations, Mynx! It's wonderful that you get this opportunity. I hope you really enjoy and benefit from your University studies. Best wishes, ~Yui

(Please forgive the cheap, quick response, but ... no time. ) Happy Birthday, Salinye! I hope it's a happy day for you. Yours, ~Yui

Watching Wyvern bounce around with that dangerously gleeful look in his eyes, Yui finds herself suddenly rather relieved that she doesn't qualify as a 'bachelorette'. The prospect of another date with the reptilian wonder still sends chilling tingles down her back, even after half a year. Have fun, everyone. Ever-so-briefly, ~Yui

As a reminder, if you have items like this that you'd like brought to the attention of the Pen populace, a great way to do so is to PM the announcement you'd like made to Merelas and myself (or any Guildleader, Elder or Loremaster-type, for that matter). We'll be only too glad to put an announcement up on the Portal for you so that you don't have to spam the Cabaret Room to get everyone's attention. And we won't even charge for the service, no matter what Wyvern tries to tell you. Thanks, ~Yui

As a reminder, if you have items like this that you'd like brought to the attention of the Pen populace, a great way to do so is to PM the announcement you'd like made to Merelas and myself (or any Guildleader, Elder or Loremaster-type, for that matter). We'll be only too glad to put an announcement up on the Portal for you so that you don't have to spam the Cabaret Room to get everyone's attention. And we won't even charge for the service, no matter what Wyvern tries to tell you. Thanks, ~Yui

True. There's nothing in the software that caps our skins at three. Orlan knows skinning better than I, but given the ease with which I mistakenly made those changes in the first place, I'm pretty confident that I could make a fourth skin pretty easily. The real issue is this, though... are we so conflicted about the change that it's worth the inefficiency of adding another skin? If everyone likes or dislikes the changes, then my inner anal retentive side would prefer to just have one black skin and keep life, digital data and board administration simple. It's not a big deal one way or the other, though, so we'll do what makes everyone most comfortable. Easy-going, ~Yui PS: Don't expect a super-fast turnaround on this from me. I will be out-of-town for the rest of this week, so probably won't be able to act on anything you decide.

"Strangers, here, are nothing less than potential friends, so do not let the title get comfortable. It seldom lasts very long," a voice intruded gently, drawing attention to the small, cloaked woman who stood in the shadow of the open door. With a smile that warmed the cool depths of her green eyes, the lady stepped into the cluttered Recruiter's office, inclining her head politely to their visitor. "As for writing, you will find that we have an abundant variety. Poetry, fantasy, drama... seek anything you like, and I guarantee you can find it. I'll be glad to help. "But companionship...? That, you can't search out, here." For a moment, she let the words settle into the silence, holding back the mischievous smile that twitched on her lips. Only for a moment, however. "Instead, it will most likely will sneak up on you in the halls, accost you when you enter a room and generally follow you about wherever you go within our walls. If you are lucky, it will just latch onto your leg or arm or wrap you about with a hug. At times, I'm quite sure it will trip you up, stumble into you, and generally bring you down in a tangle of limbs. It's quite common with some of the characters in this Keep." She winked conspiratorily at sweetnightmare, her teasing humor alight on her face. "Welcome to the Pen, friend. I'm Temae Yui... I hope you don't bruise too easily."

August 13th is a very good day on which to be born... I highly recommend you aim for that one. Congratulations, Salinye! I'm so happy to hear your hopes have borne out. Just be careful for yourself and for the child, and be sure to let us share a little measure of your joy when the newest member of your family is born. All love and best wishes, ~Yui (and Aegon)

Falcon, As ever, this is a fun poem to read through. I was just wondering, though... why don't you just bump the old thread rather than starting a new one each year? Wondering, ~Yui

Many congratulations, promotees. I hope you'll all continue to grace us with your presence and your words. Yours, ~Yui

The Warcraft Song (based on The Christmas Song, aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.) Left leg roasting on an open fire, goblins nibbling on your nose, bleeding hearts being strung on some wire, and sounds of victims in death throes. Everybody knows... some satyr and a demon spawn, lead their legions through the land. Tore their way through the village at dawn and left nothing but a chewed-on hand. They say that Proudmore's on her way; She's loaded lots of swords and daggers on her bray. And every goblin runt is going to cry as she most mercifully helps him die... And so, I'm offering this simple prayer, for creeps from Lakeshire to Westfall, when you expire, may Elune show you care, 'cause you won't find mercy here at all. Heheheh. World of Warcraft!

In the back of the booth, where the glint of newly-fallen snow and the reflected shine of daylight were dimmed by a layer of warming canvas, Yui waited quietly, watching a rather-charmingly flushed Elrohir make his way back to cover. In the brilliance of winter, she could easily see that his features were his own, again, but her thoughts were more involved with the person who'd faded through for a moment with Annael, the not-quite-stranger with the round ears and more mature face. The Honesty in Peredhil and his kin often resulted in such little slips, and as often as not, the shadow Elder noted them quietly from some 'safe' location. That other self was fascinating... and strangely threatening; she could never quite get rid of the fear that the light of so much Truth might be bright enough to burn. Yui shook her head slightly, chasing away such silly thoughts to return herself to the present. Elrohir had stepped into the confines of the booth, and with the dimming of the outside cacaphony, he was instantly aware of her presence. She sat, unhidden, on a small table against the wall of the tent, her cloaked presence a stain of midnight in the grey, filtered light under the canopy. With her legs dangling over the edge and her booted toes peeking and retreating beneath her long skirts as she kicked her feet restlessly, she looked almost like a playful child patiently awaiting the return of a parent. Elrohir smiled his heartfelt smile and bowed, intoning, "May I offer you a kiss, m' Lady?" "I'm afraid not," Yui answered, smiling to watch his brows ascend. Of course, it wasn't the response he expected from a visitor to his kissing booth, and she apologized softly, adding, "My kisses are reserved for one man in particular, and if ... when he returns, I intend to have hoarded them all away for him." She hid the slight death of her smile beneath the effort of hopping down from her perch and plunking a handful of geld coins into the bowl. When it was done and she turned back to Elrohir, there was only teasing warmth left in her expression. "Besides, if your kisses are as powerful as your brother's, I would be afraid to risk my heart to them. Poor Wrenwind looked quite ready to chain herself to his arm after Elladan was done with her." The young elf laughed, his grin knowing. "He has been known to do that." "And you?" she challenged, raising one curved brow. "Hmm... I am not quite the same as my brother," came the answer, and it earned him a moment of her soft laughter. "I think perhaps you understate your case, Elrohir Peredhil." Her smile blossomed warm and amused, filled to the brim with acceptance. After a moment, she bowed her head politely, drawing a close to the moment. "Thank you for your time. I should let you get back to your kissing. I hope you enjoy the rest of the Carnival."

"Mama..." The plaintive little cry whispered forth from the cold air, appearing from nothing like the white cloud of her frozen breath. "Mama, I've been waiting for you..." Until that moment, she had been alone, but the sweet voice shifted everything, wrapped the world in unreality and changed it seamlessly, instantly. She turned her head with a loving smile, glancing down at something only she could see. "I'm here, sweetling," she whispered back, holding out a frail-boned hand to the whispering air and wrapping her fingers around nothingness, her mind filled with the touch of soft, silken skin and the pressure of small fingers gripping her palm. Her dulled gaze hovered over snow-dotted ground and winter chill, but she saw flaxen curls and deep, brown eyes, their luminous depths filled with uncertain hope. The child - her child... it didn't matter that she'd never given birth. "I'm here. There's nothing for you to fear, any more."

I used a bit of inside knowledge of Hollywood spots to try to find you a few links. There are general city sites that are extremely busy and hard to use, and then there's this: http://losangeles.citysearch.com/ I haven't spent a ton of time looking through it, but it does seem to have good information for you. The Hotels tab looks helpful. If you want things to do and sights to see in Hollywood, I highly recommend you center your searching/sleeping around Hollywood and Highland. (There's a hotel right behind it, but I have no idea how affordable or available that place would be.) It's right beside major landmarks like Grumman's Chinese Theater and El Capitan historical movie theater. It also runs driving tours of the Stars' homes that are rather fun. Both the Sunset Strip and Rodeo Drive (where movie stars and personalities are known to hang out) are close by, and there are lots of interesting places to see in the general area. Hollywood and Highland also has a picturesque view of the Hollywood sign. Oh! And this looks like a great site to show you a street map with hotel locations: http://www.hollywoodeconomicmap.net/tryout/interface.htm If you click on the left-hand side and tell it you want to look at hotels, then click Show My Selection, it'll pop red dots up all over the map to show you where things are. I'm sure if you know the name of the hotel, you'll have no problem getting more information about it. Despite being rather ugly, this also has a good layout of everything of interest along Hollywood Boulevard near Highland: http://www.seeing-stars.com/Streets/HollywoodBlvdMap.shtml You might also see what the trip-planning sites like Expedia and Yahoo!Travel have. They often show maps with hotels on them. I hope you enjoy your trip. With a few ideas, ~Yui

I've made some changes and posted the new version in my 'Poetry Collected' thread. I'm still kind of wishing for a better word to use in place of 'home', but ... well, this one struck me as - if not quite perfect - at least better. And with that... the Freewrites project meets its goal. Wow. That's got to be a first for me. >_ Any further freewrites I get to create and feel are worth posting will go up in a new thread. Thanks to everyone who's read and commented on any or all of these! Yours, ~Yui

{Transfered from the freewrites thread in order to consolidate poems.} Telecon written 7 December, 2004 The faceless men on the other end drone on and on in foreign tones, their formless hands rifling brittle sheets and pointing up at a backlit screen. They plop down words on some table top with reflective sheen - maybe coffee stains? - and normalcy fades by a swift degree to jargon codes and to acronyms, all dressed in the chic office buzz with bright plumage from their pidgin terms. The plastic box with its errant sounds makes digital from the distant real and pipes it in to my coffin nook, where I pretend that its tinny tones mean anything from so far away.

The Mighty Pen Winter Festival has arrived! In the creaking of wagon wheels and the ruddy color of sunrise on newly-painted wood, the traveling troupe has arrived to bring us a celebration of the upcoming Winter solstice. The courtyard is filled to bursting with white-sided tents, brightly-colored lights and milling bodies, and in the cacaphony of laughter and excited voices, poets and storytellers, gamesmen and auctioneers shout to be heard. Please come join us by browsing through the booths and picking your favorites to participate in. Earn geld that can be used later to buy goods (or people) >:}, and just plain have fun while you exercise those creative muscles. Enter from the Cabaret Room and be sure to check out the directory of booths that's waiting for you just outside the door. Enjoy! Sincerely, ~Yui (on behalf of your Loremaster, GuildLeaders and Elders)

Wyvie, Thanks very much for the feedback. I'm really glad you like this piece; I've had a lot of troubled deciding what I thought about it, myself. (See? At least I'm consistant... Not only can't I grasp others' non-lyrical poetry, but I can't even quite get my own. ) Your comments are appreciated and interesting to me. I often write with a more intuitive and less cognitive understanding of what each word adds to the whole, so I get a lot out of seeing which ones you key in on. To assuage your curiosity, this poem is definitely the product of a daily staple around my workplace... Teleconferences - phone meetings. I have to listen to one each morning at about 7:30am, and I find it way too easy to disengage from the topic and the conversation and just muse on the philosophy of a 'gathering' where not everyone is actually there. I guess this poem is a result of too much musing at too early an hour. As to your specific points... I actually put 'some' in that line very purposefully (though perhaps not terribly effectively) to try to subtly point to the fact that I, as a listener not actually IN the meeting, have no real idea what that table looks like. The imagery that you liked is actually the part of the poem I was most uncertain about, because it is both realistic and misleading... I think most people have some sort of 'phantom' in their minds to visualize what's going on at the other end of the phone line, but the truth of the matter is that you never actually know the scene unless you are there. It really is 'some table', somewhere, and not a specific table that I know and have seen. Once again... artificiality and hollowness. It's an artificial image that I hold and a hollow reality that I create around the voices. As for coffin home... I really wanted 'coffin office', and I think that would have cleared up your confusion and made the subject a little more obvious. However, that doesn't fit properly into the meter. I'll probably change it to 'office home' or 'office box' when I copy the poem over to my Poetry thread. Do you think that'll make it more fitting and clear? Anyway... once again and as always... thank you for the feedback. I appreciate your help! Thanks, ~Yui

#25 Telecon written 7 December, 2004 The faceless men on the other end drone on and on in foreign tones, their formless hands rifling brittle sheets and pointing up at a backlit screen. They plop down words on some table top with reflective sheen and old coffee stains, and normalcy fades by a swift degree to jargon codes and to acronyms, all dressed in the chic office buzz with bright plumage from their pidgin terms. The plastic box with its errant sounds makes digital from the distant real and pipes it in to my coffin home, where I pretend that its tinny tones mean anything from so far away.

A perfect answer, Tanuchan. I certainly couldn't have said it better, and probably couldn't have said it nearly as well. Yours, ~Yui