I've been cruising RPGs on lj and found some hilarious stuff. First is this, which is Osaka (from Azumanga)'s first journal entry in a panfandom asylum rpg. I love Osaka so much. ♥

Next is a conversation between Watanuki and Doumeki (from XXXholic) at enlevement. Please keep in mind that the Japanese word 'suki' means like/love. Link.

So anyway, I'm having a nice little time on the internet.

I'm going shopping today for a bathing suit for my beach trip this weekend, and hopefully I'll get to see the Hellboy movie too. For anyone who may have been getting used to my slightly more active presence on aim, please note that I'll be gone most of Friday through Monday.

I can't wait until I'm done with work Thursday. -_-;; I have Friday off, as usual, and I can get a break... I had a freaking nightmare about work, and I spent the first half of my shift in a bad mood because of it. It got better once I saw Wendy and after Davie and I joked around a bit. Also, a guy on the local firefighter volunteer squad invited me to go drinking with the squad sometime. o_O Davie said that if I end up going, she wants to come too. Apparently, some of the guys are pretty cute, although definitely not the guy who told me to come along. But he's really nice.

I haven't been playing Mabinogi, which is kind of sad. Maybe that's it, I'm not doing enough carefree stuff? I need to relax.

Persona 4 has a set US release date! Although I will not be surprised if this changes, I'm still a very happy MegaTen fangirl. Yay Atlus!

Other than that, not much is going on with me. OH. Except. I've been watching Soul Eater, and now I'm planning a game for the autumn, maybe, that will use elements from both Soul Eater and Darker Than Black. But first I have to build a system to support it, which might be what's stressing me out slightly. EVERYTHING MUST BE PERFECT. If I can get it to work, I think it'll be a neat game, or at least a nifty little system. Fucking system building.

Ichigo deeply regretted flipping open the phonebook-sized mass that was Division Twelve's Safety and Security Guide; next to the neatly printed 'WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF TENTACLE RAPE', two handwritten notes read, 'It's only rape if you're not willing,' and 'Good point, will be fixed during the next round of edits.'

-

Seriously, my computer should not be near me when I'm having strange almost-asleep thoughts. What the heck.

Sorry I didn't mention this sooner in case anyone was worried, but Mom is so far fine. No hernia, or anything else that tests have been able to find so far, despite a liberal amount of blood-taking and my mother's insistence that a bloated stomach means she is somehow ill. I love her, but really.

I'm kind of getting really into Mabinogi, which is a semi-free Korean MMO. By semi-free, I mean that you get one free, basic character creation, and that's it. Your character ages a year every Saturday, and once they hit about 25, they stop getting quite as much AP and it's difficult to level up your abilities properly. The incentive to buying another character is that you can give your old character a 'rebirth', which means that they restart younger and at level one, but with all their old abilities and (I think) all their old stuff. Considering that the oldest age a starting character can be is 17 and you won't hit 25 for two months, an eight dollar fee for a rebirth doesn't seem like such a bad price.

I've got a good feeling about this one, though I'm not sure why. I didn't get particularly attached to WoW or Guild Wars. I sort of assumed that I just didn't like MMOs.

UGH, it's 2 am and I have to be at work for a full eight-hour shift tomorrow at 10:30 am. But the Phoenix Wright fic won't just read itself...

I'm heading to Cleveland today! I'm kind of nervous, since the trip on Amtrak is going to take around twelve and a half hours, involving two trains and one four hour layover. I'm never taken that long to travel somewhere on my own before, so I'm trying not to worry too much about when I'm going to eat and where and if I can keep myself occupied for most of the trip. I'm sure I'll be fine, but still, you know? My sister volunteered to drive me over, and meanwhile, Dad is setting up his ridiculously awesome barbeque and my mom's doctor is having her in for tests today in case she has a hernia. A hernia! I'm going to feel terrible if I'm gone for my mom's birthday and her invasive surgery. Arghghkdjfh.

Anyway. Off to Cleveland!

I've moved away from anime again, just a bit, (keeping up with current shows but not looking for new ones,) and moved back to j-dramas. And a C-drama, but I didn't like it (KO One).

Saito-san - Watched the first episode, decided to not go on with it. The main character annoys me way too much. Stop thinking about your image and worry more about your kid's well-being, geez!

4 Shimai Tantei Dan - It's another mystery show, which I'm really fond of, and I love the characters. It's about four sisters, the youngest of whom solves mysteries, mostly due to the fact that the police are really inept. The first time she solves the case is because her dad is the suspect, the second time she kind of gets roped into it, the third time it involves friends of her sisters and her aunt is like, "Yuriko, obviously, you must solve this case!" "Again!?" My favorite character is actually the second-oldest sister, Ayako, who's incredibly sweet and ditzy and gets lost really easily. She tends to nod along, wide-eyed, with whatever people say. She's so cute!

I actually knew all the kanji in one of the titles, too! 「死神に愛された女」 It made me kind of happy~.

There are some other dramas that I'm planning on watching, so I'll write about those when I get to them.

Meanwhile, I really want to write a MC/Akihiko Persona 3 fic. It'll probably never happen, but at least I found some icons!

blind_go fics are up! I participated this time, although I'm not really satisfied with the way my fic turned out. Oh well, it's a little late to worry about such things. *laughs* When the guessing's done, I'm going to post the story and my other tries to my fic journal. And get Elianna to beta the one I sent in. I wish I'd had time for that before the deadline!

That's been most of my life, actually. I haven't even been keeping up with my anime, I've been so worried about getting that fic in on time, which I'm sure is going to bite me in the butt when I end up with a million things to watch.

At least I've got 50+ hikago fics that I can read, now! Yay for blind_go!

I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but essentially, it's because not much is going on. It's work-work-work, unless I have a day off, and then I lay around so I can relax before I go back to work. Starbucks is kind of more hardcore than I thought it would be at first, I'm basically running around trying to keep the customers happy. The warmer it gets, the more customers we end up with, and I end up running myself raggéd (?) trying to get things done. Still, I do like a lot of our customers, and I'm very fond of my co-workers, and I adore annavtree, so that's all nice.

I've gotten into some of the shows from the spring '08 anime lineup! I essentially switched all my focus from j-dramas to anime, so I'm watching a bunch of stuff. Here are my general opinions -

Bleach [Dattebayo] - Still good, always good, and they have the decency to pretty much blatently say, "ATTENTION PLEASE, WE ARE GOING TO DO A FILLER ARC." The fight between Ichigo and Grimmjow in Hueco Mundo just ended, so they've started the filler arc by introducing the new anime-only captain of the third squad, whose name I can't remember, who is replacing Ichimaru Gin, who in one memorable moment in an early sub by some group, used the word 'hootenanny'. (That's not really relevant, I just feel the occasional need to mention this and boggle. o_O) Anyway, anything that gets me more of Division 10 is a good thing in my book. Yay Hitsugaya-taichou and Matsumoto-fukutaichou!

Nabari no Ou [AonE & Conclave] - The story about a boy who had the unfortunate luck to get an all-powerful spellbook or something sealed inside him, and so the only way to avoid getting used by one of several ninja clans, especially the evil one, is to become king of the ninja world! The part that makes it fantastic is that he wants nothing to do with it, is kind of apathetic about life, and he has no qualms about using his cuteness to get through situations. It makes me so happy to see him smile sweetly at his teacher and freak him out.

Real Drive Sennou Chosashitsu [Shinsen-Subs] - A futuristic show starring an old guy who was actually in a coma for fifty years, so he sort of thinks of himself as a young guy when he imagines himself in cyberspace? And a girl who volunteers to be his aide, and she ends up flashing her panties about once an episode but you don't really care because it happens kind of naturally... I'm not sure how to describe this. It was created by the same guy who made Ghost in the Shell, so everyone has cyberbrains, and it's really very good. One thing that has nothing to do with the plot but sort of stuck with me is that even though the teenage girls all have short skirts, they also have natural looking thighs, and not stick-looking ones like you'd usually see... crap, I'm gonna quote ANN's summary:

'The Real Drive is a "neo-futuristic science-fiction suspense" story is set in A.D. 2061, when a new, more secure information network called the Material Network (or "Metal") has taken over human society. However, aberrations begin to crop up as individuals chafe against the rigid system, and so-called "cyber divers" are dispatched to investigate these incidents. The the main cast consists; the cyber driver Mari, an "intuitive girl" named Minamo, the team's head Eiichirō, the combat expert Sōta, and the android Horon.'

The Daughter of Twenty Faces [Live-eviL] - Twenty Faces was the main character of a series of books written by a Japanese author with the penname Edogawa Ranpo, which, if you'll say it out loud, you'll find sounds awfully similar to 'Edgar Allen Poe'. He was a thief, but an awesome one, and the anime is about a girl named Chiko that Twenty Faces has taken in. I'm personally really fond of this one, not in the least because Chiko is intelligent and seems to mostly know her limits. I get the feeling from the opening and closing that Twenty Faces is going to mysteriously disappear at some point, but I'm sure that Chiko will be able to manage okay by then.

XXXholic Kei [Shinsen-Subs] - It's the next season of XXXholic. Seriously, do I need to say any more?

I've also been watching some older anime, which I will hopefully write about later.

The World Ends With You is a fantastic Squenix game by the Chain of Memories staff (I think), and I hope to include my thoughts on that later as well.

As a closing note, Meine Liebe is an awfully tame anime so far (three episodes-ish in), considering that they asked Kaori Yuki to do their character designs.

As a secondary closing note, I hope to submit a story to blind_go, but I have already started four different ideas, god help me. No wonder everyone talks about procrastination and submitting their fic last-second for this challenge.

Okay, so! With the loss of Yuki-chan, I have also lost all the Quidditch Tournament files. Between that and the fact that it was pretty impossible to beat Gryffindor's Seeker anyway, I'm planning on restarting.

You may be disappointed. You may say, 'But I was on Gryffindor!' You may not care or even have a clue as to what I'm talking about. Take the poll anyway. Hopefully I can figure out a better way to run the games that involves less work on my part.

Poll #1129617 Quidditch Tournament v.2
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What is your first choice for a Hogwarts House to belong to?

Second choice?

Third choice?

What is your first choice for a Quidditch position to have?

Second Choice?

Third choice

Please feel free to get another people to take the poll! Having 28 people take it would be the most ideal. ^^

Why is it that I never sleep after I download a bunch of yaoi manga? I get to the point where I'm so sleepy that I barely understand what's going on, and I always have trouble keeping track of everyone's names anyway... yet I keep opening more files. What the hell. This never happens with normal manga.

*has been awake for 26 hours*

Also: what is up with the large amount of 'being raped by half-brother/step-brother'? It's not fun reading! And it's creepy, stop it!

It is my deep regret to say that, when pressured with the promise of excellence, I caved in and downloaded things legally. Which is to say, I've been watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex over the last few days, and the only subs past ep. 22 that I could easily find illegally were terrible. I watched episode 23 and then gave up. Dear friends, I love this show so much, it cannot be described in words. Major Kusanagi is the character that inspired the English language to come up with the word 'awesome'. The Tachikoma are the most adorable things ever. I am going to marry the Laughing Man someday. So you see, I really needed to finish watching the series.

As it turns out, Amazon is doing this thing where you can download tv episodes for money. I know, iTunes has the same, but Amazon actually has anime episodes! The second season of Stand Alone Complex is all four dollars an episode, so I will probably go back to veoh.com, but the first season is two dollars per episode, and I am willing to spend six bucks to get my fix.

In other news, work is fine, and my twenty-first birthday is on Sunday. Hooray! Legal drinking age! And casino gambling as well!

I bought a bunch of volumes of Wallflower in a fit of 'oh god what has been happening with Sunako and what does the back cover mean by the fact that she rejected Kyohei!?' Happily, Kyohei didn't ask her out or anything, she just freaked out over him being a creature of light at a bad time and kind of hurt his feelings for a chapter or so. (Kyohei with his feelings hurt = kind of an odd idea, but dealt with in a very IC sort of way.) Wallflower is fantastic and everyone who likes funny manga with pretty boys and no real romance involved should buy it.

This is all for now! I must remind you all that the Laughing Man is both adorable and a better hacker than Major Kusanagi. Such marriage material right there.

I sort of think like this whenever a rec leads me to ff.net. I know it doesn't really scan or flow or whatever, shut up or I'll post this on ff.net and whine about you in the author's notes. (I'M KIDDING.)

We travel on to the pit again, my friend
An abyss that continues without sight of end
They we may disdain of and constantly mock it
Always, always, we travel on to the pit

You might find a handhold to pull yourself higher
But take one false step, and life becomes dire
If you hear cries of love and joy, take no heed
They will lead you closer to becoming worm-feed

Stories live there that should have never been told
Mayhem that comes from being thirteen years old
We say that we'd rather walk on glass and hot coals
But always we return to the pit of the voles

I've found the new love of my life! The boy who plays Kyuu in Tantei Gakuen Q is the most adorable thing I've ever seen under the age of eighteen. ♥ I just want to hug him and keep him forever!

Ah, but another character, Ryou, has really pretty hair... actually, four out of the five characters are super-cute. The girl's adorableness is so great that she bribes a police detective with a picture of herself in a maid outfit!

I pulled an Izzy today! I went to the hairstylist and said, "I need to be able to pull it into a ponytail, but otherwise, do whatever you like. Please have fun with it." She kept asking at first, "Is this okay?" but I just kept telling her to do whatever. I ended up with about a million layers in my hair! It's a bit poofy on it's own, but it should look really nice once I straighten it. (I think she underestimated how much my hair likes to frizz up.)

Hairstylist: Ah... I'm going to put some anti-frizz in it, is that okay?
Me: Of course it is. (I'm not sure how much it'll help, though...)

I bought the cutest comic today! It's called VB Rose, and unlike many heroines who try to talk and express their feelings all the time, the main character of this story can't do that at all. *laughs* Her name is Ageha, and her actions speak much more clearly than her words. She keeps getting upset at her sister for getting married without ever actually saying why it's making her angry. She's so cute! And there's a girl named Mamoru and a boy named Yukari... I always thought those names go to the opposite gender, so that's very cute too! (I have found myself sharing Izzy's liking of giving boys' names to girls and vice versa.)

I also got the newest Shoujo Beat and some of the Runaways comic volumes, the little paperback ones. I need to stop spending money... Did I tell you that I bought Guild Wars: Nightfall recently? Fifty dollars gone, and I don't really like it. -_-; Maybe internet games are just really not for me. (I have a slightly addictive personality, so when I say things like that, my friends sometimes breathe a sigh of relief as they pray, "Please don't let her turn out like Liz!")

I'm almost done with Yukan Club. People, please watch it! There are two crossdressing episodes and one where everyone sans Yuuri looks vaguely Yakuza-like, if that's the sort of thing to convince you!

I am incredibly fond of yakuza stories with a female heroine. Not actual yakuza, but things like Gokusen and more recently, a manga called Wild Ones. (A girl's mother dies and her grandfather arrives saying, "Hello! Your mom didn't want me in your life, but I'm all you've got now, and also, I'm the head of a yakuza family. ＊にこ＊にこ＊")

So, right now, I'm working on Tantei Gakuen Q, I just downloaded a Chinese movie called Re-Cycle, and I need to finish watching Innocent Venus and Baldr Force Exe... but more importantly, I need to finish my story for imaginarybeasts... I ended up asking for an extension, because I'm not sure I can finish by the twelfth. *sighs* The extension runs to the 19th, I think, so hopefully between tomorrow and next Friday (when I don't work), I can finish it to my satisfaction and get Elianna to beta it for me. I meant to write a story for the 'magic' theme, but it ended up working for the 'science' theme, and when I haven't even finished it, I got an idea for a 'magic' story after all... plot bunnies, you sure have vicious teeth, don't you?

No pictures of Chisa-chan yet, sorry!

So, I've actually been doing stuff lately! Yay! Well, Friday I went to The Franklin Institute with my dad and had a really super-lovely time. The exhibits don't change very often, so I don't think I'll go back until February or so, when they start up the Star Wars exhibit. It's going to be so awesome! The ad for it says that they're going to have a life-size replica of the Millenium Falcon that you can walk around in! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Christmas Eve was spent at my grandmother's house, as usual. My parents always go to Atlantic City that night to gamble and stuff since no one's there. We did Chinese food and a movie, which thrilled me to no end. XD The movie was, sadly, Alvin and the Chipmunks, about which I have the same general feelings that cephiedvariable does - the first one was fantastic, why do you need one like this!? But it was funny and cute, so I don't overally regret seeing it instead of Sweeney Todd. That and the fact that my sister offered me ten bucks to go watch it with her. I can afford to see Sweeney some other time!

Christmas Day dinner was spent at my Aunt Sherry's house, another Christmas tradition for my Jewish family. She's a fantastic cook, and I got to have ham with her ham sauce and stuffed potatoes, which are some of my favorites of the stuff she makes, and she made cheesecake for dessert. I LOVE my Aunt Sherry's cheesecake, it is the best in the entire world. Even my lactose-intolerant cousin and sister had a slice each. (Which I'm sure they regretted somewhat later, but oh well.)

I got money from both grandmothers, and didn't spend most of it. I did get a mouse for Chisa-chan, and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey - Game of the Year edition since it was only twenty bucks. I started on Dreamfall, realized I should probably play the original game first, and then started on that. I like Dreamfall better in some ways (graphics and the setting), and the original game better in other ways (mostly just April. April is awesome.) There's also the fact that although they are both technically 'puzzle games', the original is mostly an interactive movie and somewhat slow due to the fact that April apparently can't run ever, and Dreamfall has some fighting elements and is easier to figure out that the original. I'll try to write a more detailed review when I'm done with both, but so far, I really recommend it. Seriously, it's only twenty bucks.

for tcg_exchange

This is pretty much the sloppiest post ever. Fair warning, you know?

( sora and namine et al! )

I am writing this from my new laptop, Chisa. ♥ She is a white hp pavilion dv6500, and I think I will grow to love her very much.

It's odd to be writing with a new laptop.

I'm sorry that I don't update very often, but there really isn't that much going on with me. I will likely have a large icon update coming soon, though! I'm doing a challenge where I make a set of 25 icons of one character using only one set of lyrics, with some lyrics on each icon and never repeating any. I picked Eureka of Eureka 7 for my subject and an English translation of Tip Taps Tip for my lyrics.

I've also been very active in tcg_exchange, so if anyone has the free time to join, I'd probably see you somewhat there. ^^;

Problems at home. On the upside, I'm now pretty sure that I could take my sister in a fight as long as she doesn't sucker-punch me first. (Which didn't happen, but the girl's get a nasty punch when she can manage to connect. She knocked John flat on his ass after she found out she was pregnant.)

I saw DVDs of Peach Girl at an FYE and thought of mungol, which possibly makes me even sadder than my home problems do. I mean, seriously, why did you watch it!?

Portal = Church of England

Y/Y?

*Does a google image search for 'tenipuri'. The first result is fanart of Fuji and Mizuki kissing.*
Me: I love you, fandom.

Hannah: That sound was something between a hiccup, a burp, and a gasp due to suicide by suffocation.

I had a lovely time at Hannah's bat mitzvah, and was forced to realize that I still have an incredible fondness for jailbait. Why did you have to be thirteen, random adorable kid!? Sixteen would have been somewhat acceptable! (In other news, James hit on a seventeen year-old before he found out her age, so I am not alone. Our handbasket will have pink glitter on it.)

I think I am getting back into the swing of icon making. It is not like riding a bike where you don't really forget, it's more like baking, I think - if you do it often, you can get a kind of swing of doing things, but if you leave it alone for a while and then try to go back, you may find that your rhythm has become somewhat off.