Pyromaniac Ditziness

Memes. Like you're surprised...

ladyfate@gmail.com — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:38:07 GMT

The new FMA chapter gives me hope for Lin and makes me feel a little sorry for poor Alex Louis. But it's very exciting to see Roy's team working together like they should. And that is all I shall say, since spoilers aren't a nice thing. Except... man... I want the team in Mishima! The teamwork and humanity and striving and hoping... that's what FMA's about. That, and killing Maes. But I'm not here to gripe about FMA, hee.

What Jackie Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you.

You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries.

You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.

You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.

You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.

A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.

You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.

People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

The interesting thing about that one is that Jackie is closer to me than Jacqueline. And while I was named Jacqueline at birth, since I've been able to state a preference I've gone by Jackie.

I thought my percentages on it were interesting:

Extroverted (E) 72.73% Introverted (I) 27.27%
Intuitive (N) 51.35% Sensing (S) 48.65%
Feeling (F) 56.76% Thinking (T) 43.24%
Perceiving (P) 51.61% Judging (J) 48.39%

I'm pretty close to borderline except with being Extroverted instead of Introverted. And that, I think, has changed in the last few years - I'd been borderline but on the side of Introverted before. A good chunk of the difference is due to Ashley and Lisa. I've also realized a good bit about myself since dealing with health stuff and being unable to get out. I used to think I liked being by myself... but I'm far happier if I'm hanging out or chatting, 95% of the time.

Because I am boring

ladyfate@gmail.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:45:41 GMT

Yeah.. my life is lacking in interesting stuff at the moment. I unlocked Baby Luigi on MarioKart at last; I had a Carmen Sandiego dream last night where I discovered I fail at stealing landmarks, but at least I got a fish. Oh joy.

Anyways, have memes. :D

Respond and I will:

1. Tell you why I friended you.
2. Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, etc.
3. Tell you something I like about you.
4. Tell you a memory I have of you.
5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
6. Tell you my favorite user pic of yours.

In return you must post this in your journal.

~*~

Ask me seven questions. Not just any seven questions though. No, to keep it interesting, use the seven questions as per below - just copy and paste the following, replace the blanks with something you want to know/ask (e.g. 4. Donkeys or sandcastles and why?), anything you want, personal, silly, surreal or deep, comment away and I'll answer honestly as I can! Then post this in your own LJ and see what kind of things people want to ask you!

1. What do you think of _____________ ?

2. When did you last ____________?

3. __________ or ___________ and why?

4. What did you ______________?

5. What's your favorite ______________?

6. How would you ______________?

7. Who would you most like to ________ ?

~*~

And last, but not least:

List 12 of your favorite characters. And the follow the prompts. It makes for lulz.

1) Urahara Kisuke (Bleach)
2) Zaraki Kenpachi (Bleach)
3) Iroh (Avatar)
4) Carmen Sandiego (...guess.)
5) Maes Hughes (FMA)
6) Jin (YYH)
7) Calcifer (Howl's Moving Castle)
8) Marcus Cole (Babylon 5)
9) Julian Bashir (ST:DS9)
10) Beast (X-Men)
11) Hatori (Furuba)
12) Tasha Yar (ST:TNG)

1: Have you ever read 6/11 (Jin/Hatori) fic? Do you want to?
That... could be funny. Mopey Hatori and irrepressible Jin... I kinda do. Hatori would likely be driven up the wall, but it would be worth it.

2. Do you think 4 (Carmen Sandiego) is hot? How hot?
I think she is kinda hot. That's part of why I wanted to be her when I was little, lol.

3. What would happen if 12 (Tasha Yar) got 8 (Marcus Cole) pregnant?
I think I stuck the females in the wrong spots here... but Ivanova and Yar would likely get in a fight, and both are tough. I don't know who would win. I do know who Marcus would prefer, though...

4. Can you recommend any fics about 9 (Julian Bashir)?
I can't. I wish I could, but I haven't read anything DS9 in ages. There was too much garbage.

5. Would 2 (Zaraki Kenpachi) and 6 (Jin) make a good couple?
They would make a lethal couple, seeing as they both love a good fight. That would be disaster for the whole region they're in. And it could be quite amusing.

6. 5/9 (Maes/Bashir) or 5/10 (Maes/Beast)? Why?
I likely shouldn't have included Maes, on second thought, since he's the only one I really ship. But of these options... probably... huh. I'd say Bashir. Julian has a flair for investigation that could work well with Maes'. Then again, Beast seems more mature, and Maes needs maturity to balance out the silly. I don't know which would work best.

7. What would happen if 7 (Calcifer) walked in on 2 (Kenpachi) and 12 (Tasha Yar) having sex?
Snark and wit, likely. Because I don't think Calcifer really cares, but he does like to get the last word in.

8. Summarize a fic involving 3/10 (Iroh/Beast):
There is a multi-universe competition for the best cup of tea. After months of brewing and sipping, Iroh enters. Beast has approached it scientifically, and rendered what he thinks is the best cup of tea based on atomic structure. They tie. Iroh is amazed and smitten with the attention Dr. McCoy has paid to tea, and Henry is impressed by the ability of Iroh's tongue to analyze. They open the perfect tea house, and there is much rejoicing and imbibing.

9. Is there any such thing as 1/8 (Kisuke/Cole) fluff?
I really did choose odd ones... No, there isn't, but both would lend themselves to fluff.

10. Suggest a title for 7/12 (Calcifer/Yar) hurt/comfort fic.
I'm so bad with titles... Once Burned, Twice Burned.

11. What kind of plot device would you use if you wanted 4 (Carmen Sandiego) to deflower 1 (Kisuke)?
A time machine. Because Kisuke likely hasn't been a virgin for thousands of years...

12. Does anyone on your friendslist read 7 (Calcifer) slash?
This is the last time I include the fire demon in anything, because he just doesn't work for this... no, I really don't think so.

13. Does anyone on your friendslist read 3 (Iroh) het?
Oh man. If I could find it, I would, and I'm betting a lot of others would. But there really aren't a big supply of adult women in Avatarverse.

14. Does anyone on your flist write or draw 11 (Hatori)?
No, alas.

15. Would anyone on your flist write 2/4/5 (Kenpachi/Carmen/Maes)?
...
...
Kenpachi/Carmen... sounds interesting. But Maes in there throws the whole thing off. So... I'd have to say no.

16. What might ten (Beast) scream at a moment of great passion?
I so want to think he'd say "woohoo!" just for the crack of it.

17. If you wrote a songfic about 8 (Marcus Cole), what song would it be?
I'm so bad with songs... maybe Sick Cycle Carousel?

18. If you wrote 1/6/12 (Kisuke/Jin/Yar) what would the warnings be?
Way to much energy, likely a whole lot of kink...

19. What might be a good pickup line for 2 (Kenpachi) to use on 10 (Beast)?
...
my brain just broke "'re ya proportionate too?"

20. When was the last time you read a fic about 5 (Maes)?
A while ago. Everything is stupid, STUPID Roy/Maes. Hey, dimwits... Maes - Gracia = Nazi. Remember this when writing him, would you? URGH. Uh. Yeah. That's probably my biggest fanfiction pet peeve right there. Yes, they're hot. But... stupid, stupid people... I WANT GOOD MAES FIC PLEASE. Stop OOC-ing him to stick him with Roy!

21. What is 6's (Jin's) super-secret kink?
Well, he has a lot of fun flying around and basically being free... I'd guess being handcuffed. It's the complete opposite of what he normally enjoys, so he'd likely never suggest it, but there's a corner of his mind curious, I'm thinking.

22. Would 11 (Hatori) shag 9 (Bashir)? Drunk or sober?
Drunk. And that would be rather hot. Two dark-haired doctors...

23. If 3 (Iroh) and 7 (Calcifer) get together, who tops?
Iroh is a Firebender. Need I say more? Hey! Woah.. Calcifer actually worked for one!

24. How would you feel if 7/8 (Calcifer/Cole) were canon?
I wouldn't like it. I guess I have a second OTP... Maes/Gracia and Cole/Ivanova.

Yes, I'm petty at times...

ladyfate@gmail.com — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:44:09 GMT

Creepy neighbor guy who is always up here taking coffee and blathering endlessly about Neon Genesis Evangelion got here just after the editor-in-chief took the last of the coffee.

I like it when his visits are shortened, though really, acting like my boss dude did this to spite him is just ridiculous. Grow up, you aren't going to die without it, and go steal some other department's coffee and time and patience.

Fandom Guessing Meme!

ladyfate@gmail.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:12:19 GMT

I was going to do the sentence OTP one, but realized I've only got two OTPs, one serious and one silly, and that won't work very well. So... I'll list the fandoms, you guess the favorite character. A couple may have more than one. I'll bold the fandom name when all of the characters are guessed in it. I have a feeling these aren't going to be hard, to tell the truth.

Bonus: If you guess a character right and give me a prompt word, I'll write a drabble for you for all except Big O and Ranma 1/2. It's been too long since I've watched those shows to have any confidence in doing something IC. Also, not Loveless either since I haven't finished watching that anime or reading that manga yet. Whoops.

Bleach - Kenpachi (Stella), Kisuke (Tri), Shunsui (Tri), Jyuushiro (Tri)

Wolf's Rain - Tsume (Mo)

Yu Yu Hakusho - Jin (Stella), Shizuru (Tri)

Full Metal Alchemist - Maes Hughes (Stella)

Inuyasha - Miroku (Tri), Shippo (Janet)

Babylon 5 - Marcus (Niggsy), Kosh (Niggsy)

Firefly - Book (Niggsy), Wash (Janet)

Star Trek: The Original Series - Spock (Tri)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Voyager

Ranma 1/2 - Dr. Tofu (Niggsy)

Sailor Moon

Fruits Basket- Hatori (Tri), Momiji (Tri)

Big O

X-Men - Beast (Tri)

Avatar - Iroh (Stella), Sokka (Stella)

Harry Potter - Snape (Janet), Sirius Black (Stella)

Loveless - Soubi (Mo)

Myst

Saiyuki - Hakkai (Mo)

MarioKart for the WIIN!

ladyfate@gmail.com — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:49:38 GMT

Yeah, yeah, bad pun. Oh well. MarioKart for the Wii is awesome. Awesome.

It's the right blend of old tracks remastered and new tracks with new ideas. Bouncing on mushrooms? Check. Going through underwater tubes where it's so cool that you get distracted and stop looking at the track? Check. Tracks that change, like areas filling up with sand? Check. New music that's fun and fitting? Check.

Even better? My favorite tracks have always been Bowser's Castle. This one has FOUR. Four Bowser's Castles. A new one, the Game Cube one, the N64 one, and the GBA one.

I just spent 3 hours beating all of the 50cc tracks, hee. I haven't even gotten to the bikes yet, in 100cc, probably will later today.

I &hearts Nintendo.

A decent-enough way to spend the weekend.

ladyfate@gmail.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:47:21 GMT

You know, compared to sitting at a desk, being at a conference is a nice change of pace. There were points that were extraordinarily boring, but parts that were fun and interesting too. I think I'm happy I was sent.

A few points were made that I'm not so sure I agree with, like everything needing to be experiential if we want to reach 20-somethings and 30-somethings, but more experiential stuff does work. Of course, it works more if you don't wind up alienating the disabled. But I know that people with disabilities are rarely at the forefront of people trying to sell their brand or product, so we kinda get lost in the shuffle. It's a little disappointing.

They served us a pizza lunch today, hee. And while eating, I'm looking around at our group. Someone was missing. I glanced at R. "Hey, R, where's D?"
She glances around. "She was just here..."
M walks in. "Hey, weren't you guys riding with D? Any idea why she just left?"
Yep. We were ditched. She didn't bother to say a thing to us. I'm less than impressed. I got a ride home, though, with another coworker, an hour after the planned departure time, but an hour before poor R.

I'm home, though! Yay! And I can rest and play and be gleeful about MarioKart coming out tomorrow, hee! :D

Slightly amused

ladyfate@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:31:27 GMT

We leave in an hour and a half.

We still don't know what bits we're meant to attend, hee...

Anyways. Broke my budget yesterday getting an eye exam and ordering new glasses. Yeah, ordering. Apparently my eyes are to the point that the lenses need to be sent out to a special lab to be made. Wound up spending $300... I'm just glad I prepurchased MarioKart, because at this point I wouldn't be able to justify spending $50 on a game, unfortunately.

I got a new haircut too, though, and I'm liking it. It's apparently called an inverted bob or something like that.

Please...

ladyfate@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:37:31 GMT

The conference work is sending me and a few others to starts tomorrow.

We have our namebadges (woo!) and tickets.

What do we not have? Our schedules. We don't know when we're leaving from here, we don't know when we're leaving from there.

We know that it starts at 1 and goes until ten on Thursday, starts at nine in the morning and goes until ten at night on Friday, and from 9 am until 3:30 pm on Saturday. We don't know which sessions we're being sent to, or really much of anything else regarding time.

Did I mention it starts tomorrow?

It would be nice to know some stuff, really. Please.

Edit: Nothing to put my minor grips into perspective like hearing about a worldwide shortage of grains - rice, barley, wheat... I wonder if this will inspire the government to stop paying some farmers to not produce...

Dreams and Memes

ladyfate@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:12:10 GMT

Gosh, I'm tired. Last night I had I don't know how many weird dreams that kept waking me up, and I managed to remember bits of three.

In the first one I was with a large group of people whose face I never saw, in the forest, trying to avoid the two dragons we knew were there. One was wise and just wanted to talk, but the other wanted us for lunch, and they looked identical. I think we succeeded. I'm not sure, because I woke up.

The second made slightly more sense, Jin (YYH, in the icon) fighting Ogres in a park alongside someone in something shiny. In theory, this would be Yachiru in a chain-mail bikini, but again, never saw the face or hair. Why does this make sense, you may well ask... in mishima_miasma the two characters are in a park discussing fantasy creatures and outfits.

The third had me playing with terminally ill children in a hospital ward. Everything was going well, and then I left at the end of my shift. Just before I made it to the parking lot, I realized I had one of their favorite toys in my pocket, and needed to get it back to them. I tried to get through security, but my name badge (with my picture missing a nose) didn't work. A huge line was forming, and I couldn't get back. Cue the alarm clock to ring...

Anyways, three memes for you, tagged in different spots.

Meme The First: Ask any of my RP muses a question, get an answer!

The List
roving_warrior - AU real-world setting Zaraki Kenpachi (Bleach)
armed_with_pics - AU real-world setting Maes Hughes (FullMetal Alchemist)
mischievouswind - AU real-world setting Jin (Yu Yu Hakusho
life_oar_death - AU real-world setting Botan (Yu Yu Hakusho)

killinforfun - canon-based Zaraki Kenpachi (Bleach)

There's also flawed_justice - AU real-world setting Tousen Kaname. I can't guarantee an answer from him since sometimes he just doesn't work with me anymore.

A) List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B) Tag seven people to do the same.
C) Do not tag the person who tagged you or tag "whoever wants to do it.

1) When I write, if I want it to be any good, I need to have music playing.

2) I've found it's far easier to infiltrate enemy positions if you casually walk over the line, like in capture the flag. By strolling I've grabbed the flag more times than a lot of "dash-and-grab" types. This is fitting, seeing as I can't run at the moment.

3) In September I'm applying for JET.

4) Yesterday I walked farther without the cane than I have since this mess all started, and actually was moving faster than a snail for a bit there. Not faster than a zombie yet, alas.

5) Even though I've had real Chinese food, I still love American Chinese food. Real is far better, though.

6) I'm a MarioKart addict. You might not see me Sunday. >.>

7) I'm kinda arrogant. If I hear someone say "I never dreamed ____ would happen/was possible!" I think the speaker is an idiot and a liar. That or they're the most boring person in the world, lacking any sort of imagination.

Regarding C), I've done this meme before, so I'm actually not going to tag anyone directly. I leave it for anyone who wants to do, I'm sorry.

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Jackie
2. Jacqueline
3. ...

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. Nadat
2. Tadandader
3. Mistressfate

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My eye color
2. My fingers
3. My nose

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Height
2. Eyesight issues
3. Health

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Irish
2. Scottish
3. Dutch

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Zombies
2. Bees
3. ...

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Music
2. Internet
3. My watch

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. Black sleeveless top
2. Sweater-coat (the office is always cold.)
3. Silver swirly hoop earrings

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Enya
2. Off Kilter
3. Lifehouse

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Trust
2. Honesty
3. Love

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order):
1. When I was five I set myself on fire pretending to be Gandalf
2. When I was eight I broke my wrist pretending to be a superhero
3. When I was twelve I gouged a huge gash into my knee trying to ourtun a car

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT PEOPLE THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. Eyes
2. Good arms
3. Clean..

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Writing
2. Reading
3. Making things (jewelry, costumes...)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Sneeze. I've had an almost-sneeze for the last five minutes.
2. Nap.
3. Walk on my own.

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING/YOU'VE CONSIDERED:
1. Teacher
2. Librarian
3. Ruler of the World

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Scotland
2. Japan
3. Ireland

THREE KIDS' NAMES YOU LIKE:
1. Alanna
2. Siobhan
3. Sean

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Change the world, for the positive
2. Get published
3. Dance at my wedding

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. I like wearing jewelry
2. Genetics?
3. I fangirl Alan Rickman

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. I like sharp pointy things
2. I hate dresses and skirts
3. I love videogames

THREE PEOPLE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:
1. Tricia
2. Niggsy
3. Jill

Mondays will be mondays

ladyfate@gmail.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:30:28 GMT

Our moron affiliate has a new moronic idea. I'm not surprised. But I'm beginning to think I should bring Tylenol to the office. When what he wants up starts with "[his country] is strategically located in [region]," you know you're in for a headache of a time. Dude. Forts are strategically placed. Tricorders when on a nudist planet are strategically placed. Countries? Not so much. And it just goes downhill from there. He has an ego the size of fifty countries, really.

Oh well. I'll be meeting with the two pipers again tonight who are planning their competition next year around mine, and we've found one lovely tune already. They're still looking for more, but the tune they found (hills of gilliecraic, something like that?) has suggestive swoops that would be perfectly complimented by twirls and flourishes. It's also an older tune, so theoretically no one else would be playing it, and judges like variety.

And, of course, since Monday night practice is at the normal place, I'll be venturing to the anime store to see if they have gotten in a Quincy cross or a Zaraki plushie. And now I'll be checking for anything YYH, too, since I'm in love with it. I don't recall seeing anything before, but since I didn't know the characters before, I doubt I would have noticed.

This week is going to be insane. We have a working-lunch meeting tomorrow, and a conference/seminar this weekend. I might be scarce from Thursday through Sunday, I don't know what my schedule will be like, or when we'll be getting back. Add to this that MarioKart for the Wii comes out on Sunday... heehee.

I need to finish my magazine article. It's not cooperating, though. I know what it's going to be about, but the first line is just being evil and stupid. I'll get it worked out.

The BleachMob seems to be up for movie cosplaying. :D I've talked to most of them except Lisa. This will rock. :D

Oy! BleachMob!

ladyfate@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:24:37 GMT

The first Bleach movie, Memories of Nobody, will be in theaters June 11th and 12th. Article here. Yes, it will be the awful dub. But Bleach on the big screen. :D

Who wants to cosplay mob it, if there's a location near here? There's got to be, we're in the Orlando area, but...

Let's play? Jos? Jason? Laura? Lisa? :D

The Project List

ladyfate@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:04:14 GMT

Real Life

I got distracted from my spring cleaning due to stuff going on, but I've still got some areas to take care of.

Cleaning list

Kitchen Cabinets - Was attacked by pots and pans yesterday, as the intricate tower structure that had been supporting them collapsed. The cake pans seem particularly aggressive.

Desk - I can't see it. But I know it's there somewhere.

Table - I get bored with mail sometimes, and it just stacks up. I get really bored with mail when I'm sick, so it stacks up very quickly then, and where does it stack up? The table.

Garden - I just weeded, but it's time to weed again. I need to figure out what's wrong with my peppermint plant. The soil is wet enough that adding water just makes it gush out the bottom of the pot, but it looks all depressed and wilty.

~*~

Metro!Kenpachi - his history is bugging me. I deleted what I had again. The deadline is coming up fast for my reserve to expire, and I can't get his history right for me. I'll prod it some more.

Centre!Maes - Is getting there. I'm going to take him from just after he died, since the Roy there is aware of/ upset by Maes' death. It should mean they'll fit together. Unless I go with the other option, which is to pull him from just before he went into the hornet's nest and got attacked, which would lead to a very confused Maes. Less angsty, though, he would be. Still poking at him.

Excel charts for Mishima!Maes and Mishima!Jin - Jin's isn't needed yet, but Maes would be helpful to have charted. I also need to add the group of new people to Kenpachi's chart, even though he hasn't interacted with any of them yet.

Plot for Jin - he's going to need a place to stay during the summer, since the dorms will close.

Plot for Maes - he's a little shaken, having seen how open ShinRa is about wanting to supplant the police. Of course this was a mistake on Tseng's part, and it will be quieted by Rufus, Maes is sure, but... he's shaken.

Plot for Kenpachi - meeting Zabuza, handling AVALANCHE (with Tifa's help, of course!). Also might need to come up with a reason as to why he's not going to run into Jin, because logically he'd be excited to hear of a new guy in town who is looking for a fight.

Being random

ladyfate@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:46:21 GMT

Comment, and I'll reply with a few sentences on why I value you as a friend. Then, post this on your journal so you can do the same to your friends. (Or not.) TURN UP THE POSITIVITY!

Also. Why are so many Irish slang sites blocked as porn? Dagnabitall. ~~Not like I'm considering apping Jin if the one girl ever finishes her Botan app. No. Not at all.~~ On the topic of YYH, I might like this icon just a little too much. Poor Hiei. (The short one in it. He stands at 4'7"... counting the hair.)

I need to finish my metro Kenpachi app. Can probably wrap it up this afternoon, or tomorrow, depending on how much tweaking I feel it needs, and how blasted long it takes to find songs with my memory of them.

Band practice tonight. I'll get to see score sheets. Could be interesting.

I'm feeling better yay! While my normal isn't 'healthy,' it's what I'm used to, and I can function and cook and clean and stuff. It's nice to see my couch again. Things just pile up there when I'm not feeling well. Purse, groceries, hats...

Now if someone would just app Chuu and/or Kuwabara in Mishima, my RP life would be so near complete.

And so the 07-08 Highland Game season ends...

ladyfate@gmail.com — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:19:35 GMT

Dang, I'm tired. Hee. Got home around ten, showered, collapsed around 10:30, 10:45.

I woke up at 2.

I don't think I've ever slept that long before, except when I've been really sick.

Anyways. While it was fun, yesterday didn't go all that well.

I figured I would do poorly in solos, as the piper and drummer who had agreed to work on a program with me were never both at a practice. I placed fourth again. The three who had the dedicated snare and piper took the top three spots, again. Another great fact - I had three pipers lined up for yesterday, just in case. One didn't show to the games at all. Another didn't show until an hour after I competed. The third showed up about five minutes after. I'm quite glad the pipe major was willing to play for me.

Next year, though, I've got a lead on a piper who wants to play for drum competitions, and is supposed to be good. I'm gonna start now on getting things together.

Band competition... well... see, there are four judges with band competition. One judges drummers, one judges ensemble (how the whole program works together) and two judge pipes. We got first from the drumming judge. However, upon marching in, someone's drones were making a discordant noise (technical term: double-toning). That would have minorly subtracted from our score, it wouldn't have been too bad. But then the piper behind her reached up and did something to her drones to get them to sound fine... as we marched in for competition. You can't do that. It's not allowed. But he did it anyways, and yay, automatic last. This would be the git that sneers at drummers and is rude 99% of the time. The one that has chased off a couple of pipers and drummers.

Bah.

Next year we'll be fielding two competing units. I do not want to be in the same unit as him. Anyone else in the band I'm fine with. I actually like everyone else.

Oh well. Drumming took first. I think I'll gloat a little about that...

Meh.

ladyfate@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:06:19 GMT

To hear why Jackie hates her body of late,

Today makes it a full week of being more dizzy than normal. I'm too dizzy to handle stairs, or risk doing stuff with an open flame, because I don't know when I'm going to lose my grasp on where up is next and drop something or fall. So a week without tea, a week without really cooking... I'm pretty darn frustrated. I thought I was getting a handle on this, but I'm back to having bits of time where I can't get my stupid head to stay upright.

Add to this (likely TMI, feel free to skip) my cycle changing, and I've really had enough. Normally I have one day of nausea. It's horrible, I can't keep anything down, and it starts about 30 minutes before I start bleeding. Yesterday I was ridiculously sick to my stomach... but not bleeding. So I figured I'd caught something. No, apparently, I get to have two days of nausea this time around. And be several days early. I hated my pattern, but it's been consistent for 13 years. I don't need things changing, kthx, especially being sick two days.

Stupid body.

To instead skip to what showed up in the mail today and made her happy,

Niggsy crocheted me a washcloth and a dishcloth, and they is here! Woo! They're pretty. :D

To hear these options in Spanish, please go back in time about seven years to when her teacher considered her close to fluent, before she started losing her grasp of the language due to not practicing it.

Because memes are distracting fun from the real world sometimes

ladyfate@gmail.com — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:23:22 GMT

1) Reply to this post, and I will pick six of your icons.
2) Make a post and talk about the icons I chose.
3) Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4) This will create a never-ending cycle of icon squee. Whoo!

These six were picked by Jill la_belle_roo:

1) This is taken from one of my favorite Discworld books, Nightwatch. I wasn't there, obviously, at a fictitious event it refers to, but the point of reading a good bit of fiction is to feel as if you were.

2) I've been an Elrond fan since I was five. My friend Elb ~~made~~ found this icon among many others, and I felt it captured the feeling at the end of the book... there had been so much beauty in the world, and there would be more, but it would never be the same.

3) Hiro is adorable and hot. And here he is, looking serious and artsy... I wish I could come up with more reasons to use this one.

4) Alan Rickman. With wings. Being snarky and heroic and cool. Add to that a great quote...

5) When first I became a paid member, there was one icon that came to mind that I knew I wanted. After a couple of days of searching, I found it. This always makes me giggle. Burimyu is such brilliant crack.

6) I compete in highland games, and I wanted something representative for my posts about them. This is a sporran, which... well... in layman's terms, is a traditional Scottish man-purse. Our band uniform has sporrans, though they're black, and we wear kilts, which have a red base instead of this green. But... it works, and it gets the point across.

Giftfic

ladyfate@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:43:21 GMT

So Tri's been feeling ill lately, and wasn't having a good morning. She requested that I write a ficlet Janet and I sort-of discussed on Janet's LJ, and gave me permission to post it.

Title: Four Captains, Zero Inhibitions
Author: Me/Nadat/Jackie
Word Count: 615
Rating: PG
Characters: Kisuke, Isshin, Shunsui, Jyuushiro
Summary: Streaking.

“Well. That meeting was interesting.” Kisuke’s eyes sparkled. Being yelled at by Yamamoto always amused him.

Shunsui shook his head, chuckling, and started pouring sake. After most Captain’s meetings the four friends gathered at his place: Kisuke, Jyuushiro, Isshin, and himself. “You did deserve it, again. Making his fundoshi talk… I don’t know where you come up with half of these ideas.”

“Dibs on being the source of the other half,” Isshin quipped, accepting the cup happily.

“As we all know far too well.” Jyuushiro took a sip.

Kisuke snickered. “Like you’re one to talk. You wind up giving Shunsui more ideas than he can use.”

“It’s not intentional!” Despite the denial, Jyuushiro was grinning.

Shunsui sat back down, done pouring. “I don’t know how you can top that, though. I’ll never forget the look on Retsu-kun’s face when she got propositioned by a voice coming from Yama-jii’s hakama…”

“I don’t think any of us even want to forget.” Isshin grinned. “Though I bet the Old Man does…”

“I wonder how he’ll make us regret it.” For a moment, Kisuke looked thoughtful.

Jyuushiro shook his head. “Your third seat would love a chance to prove himself to be smart. Kurotsuchi would leap at any idea Yamamoto-soutaichou gave him.”

“Like he’d be able to do anything. Tessai-fukataichou keeps him in check.” Isshin waved a hand dismissively.

“He could always try to make all of our clothes talk.” Shunsui was just tossing the idea out there. He didn’t really think it could happen.

“Then we should take them all off. And go streaking.” Kisuke managed to keep a completely straight face.

“Oh, not this again,” Jyuushiro said. “Last time we went without kimono or haori, and it started raining, and I had a cold for five weeks. And Retsu-kun didn’t let me out of her sight for almost five months!”

“It’s sunny today.” Kisuke was grinning from ear to ear. Most people took this as a sign to run for the hills.

“And warm.” Shunsui returned the grin, and set down the sake cup, a rare occasion.

“Not a cloud in the sky!” Isshin was already pulling off his sandals.

Jyuushiro buried his head in his palms. “I like fun. But… there are rational ways to have it…”

Kisuke was down to fundoshi and tabi when he reached down and pulled Jyuushiro to his feet. “Play with us!”

Isshin somehow was already naked. “The more the merrier!”

“I’ll watch.” Jyuushiro tried to sit down.

“My, you’re more perverted than me!” Shunsui helped Isshin pull off Ukitake’s haori.

“I didn’t mean it like… oh, why do I even try.” Smiling in a resigned fashion, Ukitake joined his friends in preparing.

“That’s the spirit! Sort of. Grin more!” True to his advice, Kisuke sported a maniacal grin and nothing else.

“Okay. We go from here, to Soukyoku Hill, to the Fourth, and back here?” Isshin’s hand was already on the door.

“Take the Fourth out of that, please. I really don’t want another lecture from Retsu-kun. I prefer to leave those for Kenpachi-kun.” Ukitake shook his head.

“Hah! ‘Would you stop leaving before your healed? Why did you let them take on something stronger than them? Stop dripping blood all over my floors!’ She’s certainly good at the lecturing.” Shunsui nodded. “No Fourth. Maybe to the Eleventh? Kenpachi-kun might get a laugh out of it.”

“Perfect, since Yachiru’s at the vice-captain’s meeting now too, and won’t see anything! Ready?” Kisuke took up a runner’s stance.

Everyone nodded. Isshin threw open the door.

Forty-nine minutes later the order for exile came from both Yamamoto’s office and the Central Room 46’s office, much to the dismay of every woman in Sereitei.

~*~

Spring cleaning update: Dresser complete now too.

Spring Cleaning

ladyfate@gmail.com — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:40:18 GMT

Yes, this post is likely as dull as the title makes it sound. Edit: Okay, maybe it's not.

I've never had a place of my own before, and I'm starting to get cluttered. It may not be spring yet, technically, but by golly, it's close enough.

And I has a plan of action.

Bathroom - get rid of the old stuff. Too many Christmas gifts of bath sets from distant relatives who don't know me means a whole bunch of stuff I've never used because I really don't like the scent. Also, I still have leftover stuff from when I was a theatre major. Why? Because I kept forgetting to throw it out. I'm using slight makeup again now, but I really don't need to worry that my professors are thinking about casting every moment.

Kitchen - organize the blasted pots and pans. They're going everywhere, and taking over. Take care of them before they get a flag and start claiming more cabinets for themselves.

Closet - I haven't worn pink in years. Why do I have a pink shirt? That and sundry others need to go. Along with all of the pants that fit me freshman year (holy guacamole, did I really think a size three was big??) and will never, ever again. No matter how much I hope.

Living Room - thankfully, not much to do here. Other than throw out the two DVDs that don't work. Really, hoping that 'this time' Sealed Sword Frenzy and Death Note will miraculously get over their problems and show me pictures is not going to work. Oh, and get the Sephiroth poster to stop curling up so I can see more than the hair and his belt. Granted, with all the hair, there's not much more than that to see, but...

Sidenote one: I hurt my heel somehow. It's red, and painful, and I couldn't stand having a sock on that foot. I have no idea what I did...

Sidenote two: Maes is still gleeful and exuberant about besting Dei in a verbal match. He really needs to stop gloating. Link is here, Maes is planning a picnic, and is armed_with_pics. Deidara is a bit of a reprobate in the community, speeding, mocking cops, etcetera.

Sidenote three: Faramir action figure is not very flexible. Most definitely, he is not as flexible as Yoruichi, and since he's standing in for Yoruichi as a model for a sparring thread, he needs to be. I first thought it was all the clothes, and that I needed to find another figure to work with. Nope. Cave Troll isn't flexible enough either. And he refuses to hold a sword. ~~Okay, how many on my flist expected me to try to undress Faramir...~~

Also, Cave Troll towers over Aragorn, and that just doesn't fit. This then escalated to Treebeard taking over as Aragorn, since Aragorn is standing in for Kenpachi and thus needed to be taller. But Treebeard doesn't hold weapons either, and I kept bumping the thing on his back that makes him speak. Which lead to pulling out Gollem and making him speak. ...I'm getting the feeling that while in the beginning modeling a sparring scene with the figures was easier, it's instead getting distracting now.

And I need to find where Legolas' one arrow went...

Just another manic... Tuesday.

ladyfate@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:32:57 GMT

The parade in The Villages went well. Our snare didn't show up until last minute, which had a lot of us worried, but she made it just in time. The band was split and playing at two different locations on a weekday afternoon, so it wasn't easy to get a lot of people out there, but we have a sufficient number. Our group has six pipers, a bass, a swing tenor (guess who) and a snare. The other one wound up with seven pipers, I believe, as well as the three drummers.

Fiddler's Green was awesome. I love playing at that pub. There's always so much energy, even if it does feel like a sauna inside. A very cute cop told us swing tenors we did an excellent job, but we had to get back to help the pipers warm up again instead of being able to talk further. We had all four swing tenors there. When Kelly, Jeff, and I are together, things get even more fun. Jeff and I can improvise at the drop of a hat, and Kelly goes with it. Alex... would be okay if he actually tried. But he's a pre-adolescent boy. Nothing holds his interest, and he doesn't practice.

The last of three performances at Fiddler's was awesome. Jeff and I had the stage and were going all out. In the crush of the crowd poor Kelly got stuck with Alex. The lights were hot, I kept hitting the microphone stand (Jeff hit the microphone) but it was a blast. The band performed our competition medly, and the whole crowd got into it. The strathespey, which is a dance tune, had the perfect bounce to it, and our jig was fast and crisp. The ending wasn't precise, but it didn't have to be, not in a crowded pub where people are bumping pipers. Yay St. Patrick's Day!

Of course, on the other hand, I got back to work this morning to find out policy/doctrine guy inadvertently pulled the rug out from under us. He told our moron affiliate essentially "In the end, it's your site, and you can do what you want, but we all should be aware of how things affect us as a whole, and strive to be aware of the implications regarding what we publish. We need a unified image." Moron affiliate read that how he wanted to as a "Go for it!" and so now I have to put up the rubbish he wants on his site.

Oh well. Monday was awesome. :D

Part-way there

ladyfate@gmail.com — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:36:34 GMT

I like gigs.

Played this morning for the FBI national leadership conference. That was interesting, a cop every five feet, had to be photographed, our ID was run through machines, walked around with interesting name badge/tags. Got to keep them, hee.

The trip home wasn't so much fun. On getting to the location it's at, the road splits and becomes one way. We're heading out, and I point this out to mom. She asks if I'm sure, says she didn't think it did, and decides to follow a piper instead of what I said. He tries to turn the wrong way onto the... surprise... one way street. Clearly he's lost. So we turn back around, headed for the way I said to go, and she's saying "Are you sure?" "I didn't see this..." "I need to remember to get reverse directions from places too.."

Wonder of wonders, I led us right. Granted, I do have a great sense of direction when I'm caring or paying attention. Just like Dad. And Dad even listens to me when I contradict him on directions, because 99% of the time, I'm right. Mom... does not listen. Ever. Hai, Mom, this is Jackie speaking. Not Meghan. This is the daughter who got off the freeway that was closed due to an accident and found her way home with ease, instead of the one who called in panic six or seven times. Please to be giving me the benefit of the doubt every once in a while. Kthxbai.

In another note, my Mishima Maes-muse (try saying that ten times fast) was very intrigued by the tables set up at the conference, and wanted to test some of the gadgets. I looked, but I did not touch. I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I do have some impulse control. Most of the time.

Two more gigs tonight: a parade, which is always a challenge, and then playing at a great Irish pub. I love playing at that pub. Especially because apparently last year, just after we left, a party behind it invited the band to their yard to play and eat and drink. Here's not-so-secretly hoping I get to have fun this time too. :D

La de da

ladyfate@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:56:12 GMT

First gig of this year's St. Patrick's Day rush went well last night, though it was a bit exhausting. Tomorrow is another, though they didn't need me for that one. Monday will be a bit insane, though. Playing for a conference, then a parade, then a pub.

Sidenote: How do I forget how much sex there is in James Bond movies? I think Bond, I think explosions and that theme tune that gets stuck in my head, and gadgets. But watching one again... DANG. It's like every ten minutes he's either getting laid or he's talking about it...

Yes, I'm bored

ladyfate@gmail.com — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:46:39 GMT

Our affiliate has been very, very quiet ever since editor-in-chief yelled policy guy into doing his job. This is good, because it means they're not making bizarre demands every other day. However, this also could be bad, because it suggests there's tension and frustration. The affiliate likes having stuff promoting them and how great they are on their website, and they want new stuff regularly. That they're not asking for it yet... not sure exactly what it means, but I really don't think it's a good sign.

ETA: Spoke too soon. Now I've got a flood of stuff affiliate wants. Botheration...

Anyways, stolen from Janet and Jill and someone else who I'm forgetting: Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask for anything: latest movie watched, last book read, political leanings, thoughts on yaoi, favorite type of underwear, graphic techniques, etc. Repost in your own journal so that we can all learn more about each other.

Picture Spam!

ladyfate@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:19:56 GMT

Most of the con stories are in my post from earlier today.

Other bits - Voltaire concert Friday night was fun. I wouldn't buy a CD, but I'd pay to see him in concert. His songs were creative, but most were a bit more off-color than I normally enjoy. He had excellent stage presence, though. His jokes and personality kept the show going. And one song very much stood out, a lullaby for his son about how he wouldn't say there was nothing under the bed or in the closet, and instead would tell his son that he could deal with them, since there are monsters in the real world he needs to prepare his son for.

When in a line I spotted Nova, Ririn, and Cloud. Couldn't catch them, because they were in a line too. Spent most of the day Saturday looking for them. At one point I saw Ririn on the second floor, talking to Tousen and Grimmjow, when I was on the third. I booked it... and still missed her. Grimmjow had wandered off too. I asked Tousen where Ririn went. He said he hadn't seen. For a moment, I wondered if he was in character. I think that might have showed on my face, because he grinned and said, "No, really. I don't know which way she went."

Caught Ririn later, and then Nova after that, at least. They're in my picspam! Which is missing several pictures from Saturday, oddly enough. Electronics like to laugh derisively in my general direction.

Anyways. Picture Spam!

Let's start things off with bankai... Bankai Hitsugaya, to be precise:

Grumpy Sanzo is grumpy (as always:)

Maleficent... on a cell phone. That amused me too much to wait.

I think there's a law somewhere that says all pictures I take of an Ulquiorra will be blurry. Therefore, to continue tradition, here is a blurry Ulquiorra.

Voltaire being casual and chatting with other con guests:

The Nell that went on about four hours later to win the children's costume contest:

Tousen and Grimmjow. Because they totally hang out together. Heehee:

Shaved-head Ikkaku! The red is hard to see, but it's there:

Lara Croft and Indiana Jones (Jason/Isshin):

Toph and Aang, so cute. There were so many Tophs there...

Luppi, with Grimmjow and Tousen in the background. There was a group shot with them, me, Matsumoto, Aizen, and Yachiru, but it came out ridiculously blurry. Others got the shot, including Taisa (Shinigami Rukia). Taisa takes about six months to get pictures up, even though she's got a digital camera. So about the time when AFO rolls around, I'll have that shot.

Me and Ririn!

Me and Nova and Cloud-purse, hee:

ETA: Ririn is Jason's friend on myspace! So here is a Modsoul group shot!

And that wraps up the pic spam until Lauren emails me the shots from Friday, and until Taisa has our Halloween shots online too... ;)

And back to the daily grind

ladyfate@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:49:43 GMT

This whole post, summarized in case you don't feel like reading much: MegaCon = WOOHOO! Super Smash Brothers Brawl = WOOHOO! Pictures = this afternoon.

Picture spam to follow this afternoon in another post. I was going to shift pictures from camera to computer while at work, since it happens in the background and means I can work on appropriate stuffs while that happens, but the work dock blocks the USB ports, so that will happen later.

Mo, if you're reading this, I looked everywhere for you, and asked so many Axels if they were/knew a Mo. (One even got asked three times, whoops. Twice by me, once by a bunch of friends who was trying to help. Only because she was carrying a gigantic yaoi paddle later did I recognize her and not ask again. Poor harassed Axels... but they all started to look alike at the end there.)

Costume talk:

Of course, I went as Kisuke. I love the cosplay, though I find myself using the fan even when I'm cold, which is not the smartest habit to have. The first day my cosplay worked very well - I'd repaired my fan, placed a strategic safety pin in the shirt so it was still mostly authentic and yet did not open like his shirt tends to do, and made sure the knots on the geta were still secure. I've already figured out what I'll need to do when I remake the geta - use a washer in the knot so there's no chance of it slipping back through the hole when it gets tight. And they need another inch of height, which I didn't do the first time for balance reasons.

Anyways, cue violent downpour as we're leaving the con Friday night, going to cross the street. Puddles everywhere (which weren't a problem with the geta, whee!) and the rain was quite hard. I was all right, at first. My coat and hat are semi-water-resistant - they've made it through normal Floridian afternoon rain showers before unscathed. And then Laura had to say, "Gosh! Can it rain any harder?" And thus, it did. I realized keeping any of me dry was a lost cause, and protected the Cloud-purse. We got to the car, and all five of us (Laura, Lauren, Alexa, and Emilio) were dripping. Oddly enough, my head was still dry. Yay hat! Of course, the water apparently runs off of it. So I had a regular plip-plop down my back on the way home, lol. But head was dry. :D And Cloud did not get wet.

The coat did not react well to the soaking, though. Realized just after we got to the con on Saturday that one of the diamonds was trying to escape. In hopes of making the diamonds look right I hadn't sewn them on, I'd used fabric glue. I'll have to stitch them now, which will mean a visible row of stitching around each and every felt diamond. But they won't try to escape again, at least. By the end of Saturday, two more were wanting freedom. I bought Kisuke pins, lol, attached them to the diamonds, and made sure none flew the coop. Needed twelve diamonds. He wasn't in the 11th, or 10th, or any other lower number.

A lot of people really liked the Cloud Purse. Several said variations of, "They're selling those now? Sweet!" It could be fun to make and sell them, but the time and effort involved might not be worth it. Granted, additional ones would take less time, I can pattern them off of what I made and won't wind up with all sorts of things that have to be remade because the effect isn't right, but... it would take a long time. Also, it would be a derivative work, and I'm not sure about any of the legalities of that.

Shopping

The dealer's room was astounding.

There was too much to take in... AFO's is so small compared to MegaCon's room. I wound up buying a Kisuke doujinshi, a small poster with Roy, Maes, and Riza, and a few Kisuke pins. I searched high and low for Kenpachi or Gin plushies, but had no luck.

Almost wound up buying Kenpachi's zanpakutou, though. Would have, if the anime costume contest hadn't started late... we left it early and still wound up getting to the room just as they stopped letting people in. Whoops. Oh well. I didn't need it, lol. The prices on it were amusing, though. Two booths had it for $30, three for $40... and one had it for $100. Guess where I was not planning on buying it, hee.

There were other nifty things that caught my eyes: two washcloth-sized fabric things (maybe they were washcloths? They didn't seem to be the right material), one featuring the ten captains still in Soul Society, the other featuring the three traitors; a small throw pillow with the thirteen captains on it (might have gone for it, but... Mayuri? On something I would relax on? I'll pass); a Death Note wallet with L in a teacup; and a portrait with me and Steve Bacic (gorgeous, but not $40 worth of gorgeous, really).

They're selling a new Kisuke hat. It's pale and elongated and rather ugly, to be honest. The colors are off, the shape is off...

Camera Fun

And we'll see if I have my pictures from Friday or not. My camera went weird. It would take a picture, and then show it, and then tell me my memory was full. The first time this happened, I tried deleting several of the China pictures (they're on my harddrive, my facebook, and here, so they're quite safe) and taking it again when the subject, Scar (FMA) was posing for someone else. It didn't give me a full memory message. But on the next picture it did, and I went to delete more China pictures only to find the ones I thought I'd deleted were still there, as was Scar. Five minutes later, scrolling through, China was there, Scar was not, and neither were Ed and Al (IN ARMOR YAY!). I tried working with it again. Don't know what happened. But Lauren got all the pictures I did (including the Kenpach vs. Tousen shot) so... I'll have them anyways. Just... later.

Other people's costumes

There was an Ikkaku, who had clearly shaved his head. This was so very awesome. Got a picture of him. There were a double-handful of Kenpachis (two of them were excellent) and several Yachirus.

All of the other Kisukes had the store-bought black coat, which was rather disappointing.

There were two Alphone Elrics in armor. This had to take amazing effort, and they both looked brilliant.

I saw more Axels than I could count, since I was actively looking at/for them. At first, I was trying to differentiate between them because of eye-makeup, and then I ran into one that had the same as another, but a prop that the other didn't have. And then found a third with the same makeup, but huge boots... yeah. Got rather confusing figuring out if I'd asked them or not before. And then, with several people helping me look, got even more confusing. LOL. It was great.

A little Nell won the children's anime costume contest. I didn't see who won the adult's, didn't stay that long. Bobba Fett won the children's 'other' contest - heroes, villains, Star Wars characters, game characters, basically anything media that wasn't anime, and a Night Elf Druid won the adult category. Jason (Bleach Mob's Isshin, when he hasn't just had a haircut) was dressed as Indiana Jones and competed, but didn't win, alas. There was a Lego Darth Vader! Hee! A pair of Ghostbusters competed too, complete with music and light effects, but they also did not win.

Giant Kirby was there, same one as at AFO. We (Jason and I) waited in line for the Anime Costume Contest with her and chatted a little. It's a really neat, unique concept.

Hueco Mundo was there in full force. At least five Aizens, three Gins, two Tousens, an Ulquiorra, a Grimmjow, and a Luppi were in attendance. There may have been more, but that's what I saw. One Aizen really knew how to rave with glowsticks, and one of the Gins was having a blast with a red lightsaber there.

Slight sidenote - I need to find a character/make the costume for raving. Saturday night was my first rave, and hat + heavy coat + cane + geta =/= easy raving. It gets hot, fast. And moving in geta is not the easiest thing in the world. Sticking glowsticks in Cloud's ears and making him move, though, was much fun. Glad I left the ears open. Almost closed them off, since I didn't want stuff to get stuck down there, but glad I changed my mind.

Steve Bacic

Is Hot.

The people I went with

A bunch of the Bleach Mob was there, but I was the only one in Bleach cosplay. Jason had cut his hair and felt it was too short for Isshin, so he did Indiana Jones. Taisa (Shinigami Rukia), Alexa (new), and Judy (also new) cosplayed Persona Three. Laura (Orihime) didn't have the wig for her P3 cosplay or her Orihime cosplay, so she went plainclothes. Also with us were Lauren (who will be Yachiru when she gets a costume together) and Emilio (who doesn't want to dress up unless we do an Avatar cosplay, when he will do Momo.)

Devon (Soi Fon) and Jacob (Ishida) didn't make it. They almost did, but they wound up not having a ride. Josh (Ichigo) and Fawn (Kuukaku) had to work, Logan (random Arrancar) didn't have the funds, and Stephanie (school-outfit Rukia) was in Miami. But for AFO we should have the group again for at least one Bleach day. And we might wind up with an Avatar group cosplay too... Could be fun. :D

Super Smash Brothers Brawl

So, Saturday night Jason and I left the con and the rave to go stand in line for his copy of SSBB. We were still in cosplay. About seven people walking past us to go to the end of the line said "Mr. Hat and Clogs! Woah!" That was fun. Three people took my picture, one of those getting shot of both of us. I was highly amused.

As we walked out of the store with his copy, someone we walked past started ranting about how "if you're going to dress up for a game release, dress up as a character in it! I don't get it! It's a waste of... of... of everything!" We turned around, walked back to him, and flashed the MegaCon armbands. I said, "Dude. Megacon." at the same time Jason said "Look, Megacon." The guy looked at the bands, looked at us, looked at his friend, and said nothing. We walked back away. I was even more amused.

Got back to my place, only had to wait about ten minutes for Lisa and Andrew to get there, and we started in. We played for nearly three hours, unlocking Luigi, Falco, Ness, and Marth. Lisa and Andrew went home, Jason crashed on my futon, and in the morning we started plowing through the Subspace Embassy. Beat a whole lot of levels there. It's amazingly huge, though some of the cutscenes were very choppy. Where did we get... um. Past the robot thing that you beat with Ike and Marth and then Pokemon Trainer and Lucas... I think we went another... two levels? Something like that.

Ike... is awesome. Pit is great too, since I have a habit of falling off stages. But Ike is fantastic.

We ate at a German restaurant downtown, which had awesome food and live music. The one guy played cowbells, a saw, an alpine horn, and a turkey baster. A TURKEY BASTER. It was fantastic.

And that was a relatively short summary of my exhausting (but very good) weekend.

Bleach, I like you again.

ladyfate@gmail.com — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:21:32 GMT

While the ending to Kenpachi vs. Nnoitra was anticlimactic, at least the right person won. That made it satisfying enough. And the battle was indeed cool... it's fun to see him enjoying a fight. Exact opposite of Ichigo.

Kenpachi: I got knocked back? AWESOME! I can do other stuff!
Ichigo: I got knocked back! Woe is me! I am not strong enough to protect those I love!

But now?

Yamamoto may have played right into Aizen's hands. I love smart villains, and I was so afraid KT had forgotten how smart Aizen had been.

Chapter summary and two pictures can be found at Soul_Society.

Speculation/opinions:

1) Aizen's never been particularly attached to his tools, case in point, Hinamori. Sacrificing some of the lower, more troublesome Espada so that Yamamoto's forces were divided could be worth it in his eyes.

2) There's going to be a delay before Ichigo and Kenpachi are ready for action again, which will slow down the four Captains and their people in Hueco Mundo, delaying their entry into battle. Unohana, Isane, and Hanatarou are great, but... Kenpachi realized he was in danger, and that would take a lot. He's going to need help.

3) PLEASE let this lead to Urahara having been training the three new ryoka, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuru. I doubt they'll do much, but... Kisuke coming back in, also plotting all along, would be spectacular.

4) Stark... can teleport? It can't be illusion, Ichigo (as far as I know) has never been exposed to Aizen's ability. Is it a Vasto Lorde thing to have a special ability separate from the Zanpakutou release? Ulquiorra has the eyeball thing, Stark may be able to teleport... Nnoitra didn't seem to have anything, but he really didn't look as human as some of the others. He might not have been VL. Still no idea about Halibel and OldGuy, or even Wonderweiss. Though... at one point in time Halibel was near Ichigo, watching him battle Grimmjow. Is she still there? I have a feeling she might be pleased at Nnoitra's downfall, seeing as he was so anti-women and anti-anything-stronger-than-him.

5) "Heal my wounds, woman." Woman? Did he forget he carried her on his back? I guess it's possible he never knew her name, but I'm betting Yamamoto mentioned it once or twice, since Yama seemed to be of the opinion that Orihime had betrayed them... maybe then the 'woman' is due to him hearing Yamamoto's opinion? Or maybe he heard her name, but Yachiru's nickname got stuck in his head and he's not going to repeat that? Then again, this is Kenpachi I'm talking about. I could be over-thinking this. It could just that he's lost a lot of blood, realizes he needs to be healed, and is making things simple.

Anyways. I'm excited that Aizen's probably not been sitting idly by, and that things are snapping into motion.