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[melannen]

dreamsquirrel called at 1:59 today to offer me some ceremonial pie; and I, of course, accepted.

I find it amusing that our particular subculture has two (occasionally three¹) holidays which are almost universally celebrated, even if in the most minor ways, and they've grown up entirely without any ad campaigns or, well, notice in the wider world at all. In my next sci-fi universe January 6, February 7, March 14 and June 2 will be the high holy days. q-:

Today's also a mctabby evil meme day, which is practically a holiday in the Harry Potter fandom. Seriously, posting to one of her brain-hurting threads was pretty much the first thing I did after I got my lj, and if I ever entirely leave the fandom, it will probably be from head-explodey while reading another. She's like the Granny Goodness of Harry Potter Fandom. She hurts us because she cares. And also to mold us into perfect soldiers for her evil army, obviously.

...and what I meant to say there is that it's very dangerous for me to have learned about Double Dactyls on one of McTabby's days. Although I *haven't* written any Harry Potter ones yet; the only suitable hexasyllabics I can come up with seem to be theological. So, Good Omens it is:

Higgledy Piggledy Crowley and 'Ziraphale Had an Arrangement that Suited them fine; Based on a friendship that's Antelapsarian: Lying to Heaven, and Drinking good wine.

Higgledy Piggledy, Witchfinder Pulsifer, Shilling a year, was most Sore underpaid; But on the upside, his Contramillenial Efforts had finally Gotten him laid.

We managed to collapse the comment threads on my last entry. First time ever! Wheee! Apparently the secret to popularity is to make catty comments about all the other kids behind their backs. That's depressing, in a Snacky's Law sort of way. Prove me wrong. I throw out a challenge to the whole flist: write me a double-dactyl-- about *anything* -- in a comment to this post.

Also, does anybody know how to scan Goa'uld in fixed-verse poetry? I'm completely stumped.

¹I celebrate Mole Day on both June 2 and October 23, due to the fact that I have friends on either side of the Great Schism, although as a geology student it should really be October 23. (To quote my groundwater teacher, "If you're within two orders of magnitude, you're doing good. And no, there's nothing wrong with plotting log-log with a fat magic marker.")

Comments

[siegeofangels.livejournal.com]

Can I metaquotes this?

My sister and I were playing with Higgledy Piggledys over Christmas! And you have a Mathnet icon! Eee!

My own contribution:

Higgledy Piggledy
Salazar Slytherin
Sorted the pedigreed;
"Mudbloods!" he spake.

So in an act of rash
Geneaological
Purebloodymindedness
He made a big snake.

***

From my sister mandragola, about her delightfully plotfree Snapefic:

Higgledy Piggledy
Snape is the hero here.
Twisted, you say? Well, of
Course. That's the fun.

Never submitting to
Sentimentality,
My writing's based on
Inserting a pun.

And, about her thesis:

Higgledy Piggledy
Thesis extraordinaire
All about carbon and
Lasers and fun.

Ramen Spectroscopy,
Buckminsterfullerine,
Writing, revising, and
Finally done.

***

Psst: "Geochronology" is a six-syllable word.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Sure! Yay metaquotes! Which bit?

Also, higgledy-piggledy! Purbloodymindedness! Buckminsterfullerene! *That's* the sort of word I wished I'd been capable of thinking up today. Whee. Hmm, geochronology...

[siegeofangels.livejournal.com]

The poems, of course. Because, dude. Antelapsarian. That's you on a bad day?

Ooh! Ooh! Antediluvian. Generalissimo. Parliamentarian.

Here's the quote. (http://www.livejournal.com/community/metaquotes/2724700.html)

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Whee! Yay! But the problem was, I wasn't thinking of any of the *normal* ones. Like sentimentality. And genealogical.

Ooh, autoerotically! I think I know what I'm doing for an X-files one. q:

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I started mine to try to use 'nonbiochemically,' but then couldn't make it fit, so it's all yours. :->

[rintheamazing.livejournal.com]

I just wandered over from metaquotes and all this seems quite entertaining.

I must say, though, that in your Slytherin poem, strictly speaking, the word "he" probably shouldn't be there in the last line.

[siegeofangels.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're right! Dang. It wasn't there originally, and then I was all, Shouldn't there be another syllable there? Doi.

[emptybackpack.livejournal.com]

I can't for the life of me figure out what all your days are! We here have Wintereenmas, Pi Day, Fizzix Avogadro's Day, Fizzix R Day, chemistry days for both of those, and two separate 90 degrees days (90 degrees and 3 Pi over 2). Yet I still don't get half your holidays. Famous people birthdays?

Mmm, Goa'uld. How so?

[aelkiss.livejournal.com]

Feb 7th is for e, I presume, but I'm stumped as to what Jan 6th is for..

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Jan 6th would be for the Golden Mean, 1.618033, although I don't think anybody celebrates it.

And June 2 and October 23 are what we call Mole Day, for Avogadro's number, 6.02*10^23.

[basking-lizard.livejournal.com]

Dude! I celebrate it, but only 'cause it's my birthday. :D Now I have an extra reason!

/yay for geeky holidays!

On the inadviseability of Love Potion #9

[almeda.livejournal.com]

Higgledy-piggledy
Sorcerous methods of
Pair-bonding really just
Aren't much fun.

Potions and fetishes
Just give me rashes, and
Hexes and carbuncles
Make my nose run.

Re: On the inadviseability of Love Potion #9

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Yay! Love potion #9!

[mctabby.livejournal.com]

*snuggles* I love your verse. :D *offers chocolate*

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *eats chocolate*

[aelkiss.livejournal.com]

Alright, you asked for it:

newtonmas, eulermas
sine x plus x over
two is a very strange
function to see

bouncing so nicely in
creasing quite quickly but
nonmonotonically
boingy boing boing

(I tried to somehow generalize it to sin(x^n) + x^n/2 but I couldn't get it to work. This is painful enough as it is. You didn't say it had to be a good double dactyl ;-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_skye_/]

I love it!

[aelkiss.livejournal.com]

:-D thanks! It satisfies all the constraints of the double dactyl, anyway;-)

[melannen.livejournal.com]

I like it too-it's very good! There's a long tradition of excessively technicaly double-dactyls-- did you read the quaxity-quuxitys (http://www.stinky.com/dactyl/steele.txt)?

[aelkiss.livejournal.com]

Hee, I didn't, but they're great!

[harryverse.livejournal.com]

Here by way of metaquotes. I like double dactyls. They get stuck in your head. [evil grin]

I can't make them up worth beans, but it's just so compelling to try:

Higgledy piggledy
King Azaz watches as
Milo and Tock motor
Roundabout bye

Until they are drawn in quite
Mathemagicially
By one who is serving up
Slices of pi

Happy holidays to you,
H

[melannen.livejournal.com]

The phantom tollbooth! *dies* That one's quite good, despite a few extra syllables. They do get very stuck in your head. And are so dreadfully easy to memorize.

Belated happy holidays to you as well!

[harryverse.livejournal.com]

I'd meant to change Until to 'Til, which takes care of that syllable. The penultimate line is problematic.... I'd eliminate a syllable by changing "who is" to "who's," but the down stroke shouldn't really be on the "by"....

'Course, there's the whole issue of How Does One Pronounce "Mathemagically" Anyway? issue... (my mind says, "MATH e me JISH a lee," which double dactyls [doubly dactyls?], but am I kidding myself?)


On a different note, and to reward you for slogging through amateurish efforts, here is my favorite double dactyl, from John Hollander's book:

"Nomine Dominus,
Theotokoupolus,
None of these prelates can
Manage your name.

"Change it. Appeal to their
Hellenophilia.
Sign it 'El Greco.' I'll
Slap on a frame."

Ha.

H

[docfilth.livejournal.com]

Here via http://www.livejournal.com/community/metaquotes/, with one fresh from the wankiness that is Doctor Who fandom:

Higgledy piggledy
Christopher Eccleston
Keeping Manc accent as
New Doctor Who

Fans exasperated
Can't be placated
Although other planets
Have a North too.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Doctor Who! Awesome! The scansion's a bit off in places, but I'll forgive you that 'cause it's doctor who!

I'm hoping the new series will show up on US TV while staying *very far away* from the fandom in the meanwhile...

[docfilth.livejournal.com]

Hoo, yeah. If you're not in the fandom anyway, now would NOT be a good time to catch us at our best. :)

dwd.

[moodywho.livejournal.com]

You have a Mathnet icon! *bows in deference*

Re: dwd.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

*Of course* I have a mathnet icon. *accepts accolades*

[zodiaccat.livejournal.com]

Holidays!

Ibbety Bibbety
Talk Like a Pirate Day's
On September nineteenth;
Too far, it ain't.

Concerning it's absence
From listed Holidays
I simply must ask you;
Are you insane?

Hmm... that doesn't sound right.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

You're scansion's a bit off for most of it-- dactyls go DA dum dum, DA dum dum. So, Ibbety Bibbety,/ Talk Like a Pirate Day's / Nineteenth September / too far it ain't would probably work for the first verse. Although you also need an antepenultimate hexasyllabic to technically fit the form. q:

And the people who celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day are a nonidentical set with the people who celebrate Pi Day and Mole Day. For example, I don't celebrat Talk Like a Pirate Day. q-: