Estella Greenleaf

Just spent two hours on the phone with Best Buy, the place I got my laptop from. They messed up and are now refusing to honor their own no lemon policy because they *messed* up some paperwork. One person tells me that fixing a keyboard is a 'redo' of a 'screen' fix. The other says they have to be the same problems. They can't even get their damned story straight between themselves!

The worst of it is that my warranty runs out next week; and if it breaks after this, which I know it will, I'm not guaranteed a replacement anymore. And *of course*, they can't do *anything* now since they have already *accidentally* repaired it instead of run it through a check up for a replacement! What a pile of BS.

So yeah, anyone in the US where there is a Best Buy, don't shop from them. They totally suck! And please, spread the word, so other people won't run into the same unfortunate situation I did. The pain of not having a computer is bad enough; to be denied a rightful replacement and kicked around like a ball between the store and BestBuy Central for hours because of a screw-up in paperwork is just unexceptable.

My laptop died a very sudden death yesterday. It just refused to turn on, right when I *needed* the damn thing for a presentation at a meeting. It made me look sooooo ill-prepared in front of all my professors! Curse it!

Since it was so sudden, it ate all my data! I wasn't even given enough advance notice to back stuff up. I lost data from my experiments, my writing, everything!! To top it off, it's going to take them 2-4 weeks to find a replacement for it since I have it under warranty *GRRRRR*

So yeah, there will most likely be no updates for a while until I can get my laptop back. I can write on my desktop, but it took like forever to write those freaking 4 pages of a nearly finished chapter of LoF! I just can't bring myself to redo it again so soon. I also can't check email and stuff at work anymore, so that's eating up my computer time at home. It SUCKS!

Well, then there's the fact that I'm playing Devil May Cry 3. Trying to get through hard mode. I think when I finish that, I'll quit. I'm not gun-ho enough to beat DMD, I think. But seriously, DMC3 is the coolest game ever; and of course, it helps that Vergil and Dante are HOT! My brain is totally consumed by all that Vergil hotness at the moment. *sigh* I'm going googoo over a PS2 game bad guy, but I really can't help it. He's just too yummy!

I just got Destiny part 3 back from my beta. It's now been slightly revised and posted! Yah! Back to more writing now. Despite the lack of motivation, I started the next bit of LoF. I guess that's what I'll work on next. A friend of mine is coming to visit this week though... so I probably won't really have much time to write.

Still, LoF ch. 10 is scheduled to be finished and send to beta some time late next week =) I'll try to keep the updates to at least once a month per story I'm actively working on.

Just writing to say a short chapter of Destiny is now at my beta! I'll post as soon as I get it back and revise it. I feel bad it's not longer, but it seemed like a good stopping point.

I'm running into motivational issues with LoF again =(
I see the scenes in my head, but it's like pulling teeth to translate them onto a page *sigh*
Doing the Destiny scenes seem easier; so I might write more of that before the next LoF update. We'll see.

I accidentally read something I normally wouldn't have read if it had a clearer warning. Now, I can understand why a reviewer was so upset about the chapter in Never been kissed, where I wrote about the twins thinking of jumping Haldir. Different people has different sensibilities; and the readers deserves to be warned about certain types of things, even if it may seem conservative or unnecessary. That's the lesson I learnt as an author for any future work.

That said, I'm feeling a bit ill at ease about reading/writing RPS right now. I don't know; maybe it's delayed guilty conscious for writing Orli into my fantasies. I know I'm overreacting, but I really can't help it. (Yeah, I'm weird!)

I know I have RPS stories I haven't finished; but I can't see myself getting back into this genre in the near future. It is with my deepest apologies that I'm announcing that all on-going RPS are shelved until further notice. I hate leaving things unfinished though; and I *will*, even if I have to make myself do it, finish 'Knight in Shining Armor' and 'Second Chances' and 'Love Beyond Time'(a not yet posted but half finished/beta-ed fic). It is the least I can do for all the readers who spent the time reading the already posted chapters.

I think each Strange Bunny episode is sort of okay as stand alones, so I'm tabling the concluding episodes. I'm quite sure I'm leaving the RPS arena after I finish all my stuff. And in the case when a bunny won't go away, I'll actually write it as an original story and post it here on my LJ. After all, all my stories are AU anyway.

This post does not affect my FPS at all, save for that fact that I won't be distracted by RPS for a while in the near future =)

Just want to say that I've finished Chapter 10 of LoF and sent it to my beta. I'll post it as soon as she sends it back to me to make revisions. I'm not that happy with it; and writing it has been like pulling teeth.

I want to post something to progress the story soon, so it will be another short chapter. Sorry. But the characters are finally where I want them to be, so the next bit should be quite a bit longer. And will get to the part I *want* to write, heh.

I just realized I haven't updated Destiny in almost two years. That's really terrible! I'm so sorry. I'll be working on the next chapter of that concurrently with the next bit of LoF. Hopefully, I'll have something to show for again soon.

I do apologize for disappearing for so long without word. I was in HK for two weeks; and Japan for another. Then, when I got back, I went to ORC in LA. All of last week, I spent oversleeping and trying to catch up on work.

ORC is expensive. But it's worth it though, since the Hobbits are all adorable and funny and John Rhys Davis is a supercool guy. Got pictures with them and their autographs too. Now, if only Orlando or Viggo were there. After missing my chances in Wellington, I still haven't managed to get their autographs...

I think I'm finally back on US time again. That said, I apologize for delaying the next chapter of LoF. It's still half written as things are, since I haven't worked on it since mid-December. Rest assured though, that it's on top of my list. I just have to find time to work on it, since I'm trying to catch up with labwork after being gone for an effectively one month vacation.

Hopefully, next time I update this journal, I'll have some progress to report!

Yah! Thanks to my wonderful beta, Lisa, who is extremely fast, Chapter 9 of Lord of Fire is now posted on ff.net. It's shorter than I thought, but I'm now aiming for wrapping everything in 12 Chapters. For those reading the story, I hope you'll like the latest update =)

Chapter 10 will soon follow. I'm writing it right now. Yah, for Aragorn torture and Legolas kicking butt! I feel so accomplished =P

Okay, have to get back to work now.

Yah, just want to say, I'm still alive! For the people who reads V/O RPS, you'll know I've been distracted with that when I'm not overly busy with work. But the point of this entry to my journal is to say that I've actually made progress with my FPS!

The next chapter of LoF is now at my beta, assuming Lisa still wants to be my beta =) At this point in time, I'm freezing all my other leisure writing to finish LoF. I am in great need of a 'strong Legolas in an A/L relationship'.

Okay, I will be honest and admit this sudden urge to write is in response to a 'damsel in distress' portrayal of my (well, not mine) perfect shining Elf Prince. In my mind, Legolas is a kick-butt, drop-dead gorgous Elven fighting machine! So, now, I must go write more stuff that portrays him as such!
By definition, that means after LoF, Destiny is next in line. Legolas is a lot more vulnerable in PoD; and at the moment, I just want to see him kick butt!

I got my laptop back finally. They had to take it apart and replaced stuff. Luckily I have backup to all my things. I reinstalled everything, and it all works now! Yah!

I also got my internet connection back at home! Verizon had to send me a new modem for it to work, but I'm not complaining since it's free. Wish they did it earlier though instead of making me wait a whole month....

I sent the next chapter of PoD to my beta yesterday. It will be updated on ff.net when I get it back. It will be the first in half a year. I'm so proud of myself =) Hopefully the next one won't take so long in coming.

I'm now writing the next chapter of LoF. Warning though, it will contain Aragorn torture. I was reading Ariel's Price of Pride the other day, and got really pissed off at Aragorn. So much so that it 'inspired' me to put continuing LoF at the top of my list just so I can hurt the man... Why is the guy getting tortured, you'll have to wait to read and find out. But it shouldn't be that long before I update since this is on my highest priority.

On the RPS front, I'm finishing up Psychic, Rentboys and Smut. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm really in a K/D mood. The first 4 pages is them. But hey, Viggo & Orli is busy snuggling, and I have to progress the investigation, what am I to do? But I intend to give my two babies plenty of action before it ends =) That should be done tonight if I don't slack. It really *needs* a K/D sequel, but I won't even think about it unless a lot of people demand it, given the amount of stuff I have on hand.

I really need to finish Action Elf too and send it to OEAM... but I just can't write 'Legolas prose'(you know, melancholy and serious) all of a sudden. Grrrr....

On a non-progress related note, I got Midsomer Murders set two a couple of days ago. I watched the judgement day episode, and I must report that I want to smack Orli's character on the head. He's a very convincing little slime-ball. I supposed that is a good thing, since it shows he can play a bad guy too =)

I'm back from NZ and my Christmas vacation. It's been a great month. I did absolutely nothing except enjoy myself and eat. Completely happy and relaxed now. I did a few V/O 'drabbles' in NZ that I posted on the LOTR_Adult_Fiction list. If anyone is interested, they can check them out on ofelvesandmen.com (OEAM)

I got this email from ff.net saying one of my chapters violated their guidelines. As a result of this infraction, I won't be able to upload for a 'period of time'. But seriously, how come it's okay for a reviewer to insult me, and it's not okay for me to sarcastically defend my position?

Anyway, I wrote them a really angry email about that. I'm a paying member for crying out loud; not only do they not protect me from flamers, they are saying I'm doing something wrong for responding to them. That said, I might not be able to continue my fps on ff.net if they won't retract my 'uploading ban'. And in a way, I don't want to either, given the website seems really biased against slash writers.

I really like the adult fiction list and their archive OEAM. The people on that list are all really nice and tolerant. And all the criticism I got so far from that list were constructive and helpful. I already brought Shadow of the Forest to that site. I'll be bringing Destiny once I have more chapters. I think I will also bring PoD and LoF to that website and just update from there. I'll keep everyone posted if I do switch my fps over to OEAM.

That said, I've done nothing this past month, so I'm sorry to report there isn't any updates yet. I'm trying to find time to do this, and this weekend seems open right now for some writing. So, hopefully I'll get some stuff done =)

I really wish these people have left their email address... some of their posts are just SOOO asking to be mocked. One of them leaves something saying 'I can't believe I wasted my time reading this'. And seriously, the only response to somthing like that is 'If you are smart enough to read the warning, it wouldn't have happened.'

the other one was even funnier. they seems to not understand the meaning of AU!! If they exactly the way they are in LOTR, it won't be AU, now will it? people just seems to have this inability to read; and they leave feedback to show the world how stupid they are... *sigh*

but the best was picking on my pen name and the thing about chlorophyll being greenleaf... ummm, this person really should study their biology instead of wasting time flaming people. Chlorophyll is a chemical compound, for crying out loud, structurally similar to hemoglobin. The compound is found in leaves, and gives the leaf its color. but to say chlorophyll is a green leaf is like saying hemoglobin is a red blood cell.... it really is ludicrous... sorry, the biologist in me is extremely pissed off at the stupid mistake this particular flamer made....

yeah, anyway, I'm in a pissy mood since I felt uninspired and my experiments didn't work and I have a flu. But if people noticed, I have posted LoF and Knight's new chapter. So quite happy with that. I'm working on PoD next part when I got sick & uninspired. If that goes away soon, it should be ready to send to my beta, Lisa tommorrow =) Yay!

I haven't updated anything for ages. My most sincere apologies. I was away on vacation; then a friend came to visit; and now, I have a three week deadline for a grant. All the while, I'm worrying about when to take my quals. Things have just been so crazy in real life, will probably remain that way until the deadline I finish the stuff I need to do for the grant =(

That said, I'm still writing when I can find the time to do so.

Here is the priority listing of what I have on hand: (In the meantime, I will be writing before randonmess on and off)
LoF (fps)
Knight in Shining Armor (rps)
PoD (fps)

I can't promise when the next chapter will be out, but I'm shooting for in two weeks or so. Later.

Hi all, I know, I haven't updated half enough as I should. Too much work and too little time.

Anyway, I am going away on vacation for two weeks. That means, no internet access, no computer and no updates....

But I do promise this: every one of my fics will be updated when I get back. It's my own b-day celebration, hehe. I'll be scribing away when I'm bored =)

So happy and excited =) My first conference on Thursday and then two weeks of no work!

Stupid flamers! Woke up, checked email, got reviews from ff.net. And guess what - all of them are flames! I have reviews sent to my email because I want to read them and respond to them - but to wake up to read insulting comments on email so ruins my day. I'm seriously considering not taking annonymous reviews and not have them sent to my email.

Not much progress, have been busy. But I will write tommorrow - Randomness will get posted

The only thing that I have started on is Destiny Ch. 3 & Knight Ch. 5. But those are still a while from done. Sorry for the lack of updates. Not in a good mood lately.

Got yet another set of flamers. I have a paid account on ff.net until September, and I've decided to continue posting there until my paid annual membership is up. I don't know if I can finish everything by then, but I'll try. If I don't finish, I'll find some place to move everything to. I am buidling my own site and has also emailed my lotr adult fiction list to ask if I can crosspost to their archive.

I've also decided to stop writing fps after I finish my current stories. Lab and studies has been getting busier; and it's becoming increasingly difficult to work, go out with friends and write at the same time. And then, there's the fact that writing is taking longer, and I no longer feel as inspired... In fact, after I finish my ongoing rps, I'm going to stop writing the longer stories altogether; I might do some stand alone, one or two parters; but that's it. Anyway, that's still a long time away; just want to give people a heads-up, that's all =)

Title: Vampires, Dark Knights and Smut...Part Deux, 2.1
Author: Estella Greenleaf
Rating: NC-17 (as evident from the title)
Pairing: KU/DW, VM/OB
Disclaimer: None of this is true. All a figment of my sick imagination.

Author’s note: Okay, the last part is short. Just the remaining bit of smut. The reason why this portion is further split up into two - livejournal won’t let me post anything past 15 pages in one posting and the final product is ~ 25 pages if I don’t break it up. So I did break the thingy into two again, and hence demonstrating once more the fact that I can’t count... (since it’s not 2/2 anymore..) Yeah, anyway, sorry =)
( Read more... )

All of a sudden, as of last week, my experiments mysteriously stopped working. Wasted a whole two weeks troubleshooting and we still don't know what the heck is wrong.....

And on top of that, stupid ff.net won't let me upload the newest LoF chapter. Will try back in a bit, I guess. Feeling like pulling my hair out or something, arghhhhh.......

Okay, this is such a horrible entry. Must calm down and say something positive.

Progress report, now that's something positive =P
Yes, LoF is getting updated as soon as ff.net lets me
Vampires 2 will be out late tonight
Randomness 2/2 is also mostly done, hehe. Yah, I'm finally going to finish a smut free rps! Hurray =D

Destiny Ch. 2: hehe, it's kind of getting 'silly'...jealous Legolas is less wise and more cute =P I kind of like it though....

Other stuff hasn't got written since I've been frustrated in lab and has no time to write. Not to mention the bad mood makes writing a lot slower when I get home. It's been so bad lately that everything felt like a chore..... need a long holiday. Can't wait to get away for two weeks in July =)

Okay, this is getting ridiculous, four in one day hitting every one of my stories. So what there are lots of slash stories on ff.net? There are even more not well-written non-slash stuff on there! Those idiots must be illiterate enough to not be able to read WARNINGS! Sorry, just want to rant. Building my own website, maybe I'll just move everything over when that's done.

Progress...there is none. I have been in an irritatible mood for the past two weeks. Been working my butt off in lab. Whenever I have free time, I smash things on my PS2 to work off the aggression. Not feeling in the slight bit romantic, so haven't written anything. At current stage, I have half a chapter of LoF and a lot of Vampires Part Deux. So it's unlikely that there'll be updates this week. My apologies.

Just checking my stories, haven't been updating nearly enough. I'll be away all this weekend, so I won't be writing either. Again I'm sorry. But next week should be better since I'm refusing to go to lab on memorial day =) Hopefully, I'll have a real status report on Monday, hehe.

Weird, I got like three 'hate' reviews on my ff.net stories in one weekend. I checked all my story description, and they all have slash warning. Don't know why people were reading them if m/m stories bother them so much.

Thought I'll share my thoughts on these funny comments

Destiny - i.e. multipart sequel of Shadow: from 'Angus from Scotland'
'how disappointing. There is no initial incident, climax and rising action' ( I wonder if the person have disabilities in reading. It's said in the description - the thing is a SEQUEL, i.e. initial premise is in the first story. And of course, a climax in a PROLOGUE..... err....)

This is even better: for Destiny, from Britney
'Whole story is so unoriginal' (it's the PROLOGUE....umm....what whole story? unless she is mindreader......nah, that's just too unlikely. Besides, I never claimed to be original. But, I haven't read anything like what I have in mind for Destiny.... anyway, maybe I just don't read enough.)

'I don't even know why I bothered wasting time to read this crap'....(good question. As the saying goes: who is more stupid, the fool or the idiot who follows him. In this case, who's the bigger loser, an author who writes a slash story, or the person who reads it despite all the warnings in the story summary.....)

For PoD from Christy
Something about 'slash trash' and 'perverted imagery in head' - people really need to READ the story description *sigh*

I really shouldn't let retarded comments like this bother me, since if the person actually had a brain and could assimilate information in the story description before clicking on the link, they won't be 'offended' and felt the need to write a 'bad' review. But for some reason, they really pissed me off. I mean, I don't mind criticism, say the story is too slow, the character distribution isn't even, the ending is too abrupt, or I didn't pay enough attention to one thing - those feedback made sense. But these three were just insulting.

If this keeps up, I might just move all my stories to a different site. I really like the lotr_adult_fiction list. Maybe I should email them and see if they mind my bringing everything I have over to their list and archive. My only worry is that most people have already read the stories, and won't be too happy if I crosspost them *sigh*