It is finally done. There's always a certain mixture of accomplishment and shame at finishing a long and involved...essay about an anime pairing. On the plus side, I can move on to some of the other ridiculous fandom things I want to do!

Some of the other ridiculous fandom things I am going to do tomorrow:
* Work on an application.
* Get to work on the costume (I will at least do the gaffer tape strips and start figuring out how to use the fabric chalk to indicate where the lines will go. I've been slacking because it's so hard getting in and out of the bodysuit, and it's impossible to work on it without being in it).
* Possibly get some more threads in at campfuckudie. I feel really bad about how I've been ignoring it, because I definitely still want to play Nia and I want to at least try to get back into the others before giving up on them.

I will cap tomorrow's planned activities there for now lest I get carried away. Here are some of the ridiculous fandom things I am going to do once I've gotten some of that out of the way:
* Watch Baccano.
* Watch Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha (at the very least the first season).
* Work on some of my Gundam 00 fanfic.

For now: oh my God, Kaoru, why would you teach him that.

So apparently my uncle had to go and get married on the one weekend on the year when I actually have a ton of stuff to do.

Not going to bother listing it here, because I'm going to bed and catching three or four hours of sleep as soon as I can find a decent dress shirt and pack it.

This is just a note to say that I'm going to be in Pittsburgh over the weekend.

Also, I now have three t-shirts with tentacles on them.

When I get back, progress will be made on my Nia cosplay (I now have all the materials except the ring and the shoes). Stuff will be written. Plans will be made. And so on.

Shirt has been found. I'm going to bed.

The meme going around is "list your favorite characters and ask your friends to find a pattern in them." I'm not going to do that, because I know the patterns in my favorite characters. And by "favorite" I mean "the characters I get really obsessed with about once a year or so and latch onto almost to the exclusion of all else." There's a reason I'm using my "weird" icon, okay.

The "Deep Down I Just Want A Mary Sue" Category
1. They code as "special" within the source text. This is hard to explain and easy to recognize.
2. An aura of mystery.
3. Formidable reputation.
4. Charisma.

The "Playing This Can Get Exhausting" Category
5. Immense capacity for rage.
6. Obsessive and/or particularly dogged determination.
7. Formidable willpower.

The "This Is Kind Of Unhealthy" Category
8. Trapped in the moment (or sometimes a whole era) of past trauma. You can usually tell if this is the case by looking for repeated flashbacks of the tiny version of the character looking traumatized.
9. Carries a burden of guilt, whether deserved or not.
10. Emotional sleight of hand: masks his true issues in some way, often by faking normal around much more obviously maladjusted people. May or may not actually believe the mask.
11. Presents a front to the world that is notably different from his inner self, whether deliberately (ideal) or unintentionally (can also sometimes qualify).

(This category is more likely than the others to attract also-rans.)

The "This Is Really Unhealthy I Love Dead Characters" Category
12. Dead by the end of their canon, even if it's retconned later. Characters who die and come back as was planned all along (I'm looking at you, John) don't count.
13. Self-sacrificing (although he may not necessarily die this way. Then again he might).
14. Self-destructive (although he may survive. Then again he might not).
15. Goes knowingly to his death.
16. Inescapably, unfixably tragic natures.

(Every single character I've fixated on slots into the above category in some way.)

The "I Don't Know Where Else To Put This" Category:
17. Mentor figure.
18. Bonus points: cool scars or a missing eye.

Assorted bonuses often applicable to non-fixated favorites and also-rans:
a) Father issues (often but not always specifically "craving their father's love and approval despite being constantly and royally screwed over by him").
b) Being a spy.
c) Survivor's guilt.
d) Obsessive unrequited love or devotion.
e) Identity issues (especially for female characters, but not always).

The only category that my current fixation is lacking in is the first one. He has a freaking bingo in some of the others.

When I play out Lockon (considering my cast on polychromatic and all my future plans, I hope it's not for a while), I will just link this post and ask for suggestions on acquiring a new character obsession. With these things I'm a serial monogamist.

Also, I have discovered that unless the character is really inappropriate for it, I can totally write porn about these guys despite my general aversion to writing porn with male characters in it. I wish I'd discovered this back when I was into Gundam SEED. Well, maybe someday I can get all nostalgic, rewatch, and write some Mwu/Murrue.

So in all the animu fuss in my last entry, I forgot to talk about Fruits Basket. I'm up to the middle of volume 15. ( Snipped. )

For those of you who've worked with fabric and specifically with marking fabric: what kind of fabric chalk or marker do you recommend? I definitely need to mark out the lines for the paint beforehand, but I'm unsure what would be best for that purpose, especially considering the material is lycra. (I'll also be marking them off with masking tape and sticky paper that's been cut into circles, although first I'll test to see if the fabric paint I'm getting doesn't wind up gluing the tape or paper to the fabric.) So far I'm looking at this or something like this.

Some background information.

I've seen conservative bloggers ranting about how wrong it is for the liberals to "lionize" George Tiller and declare him a hero, when what he really was is a murderer.

I have a problem with this. You see, these bloggers don't have a "difference of opinion" with me and other liberals. This isn't about whether or not abortion should be legal, or whether it's a valid choice. They are flat-out wrong. What they are saying is bullshit. Let me explain why.

I'm going to cut the following not for my usual spare-the-friendslist-my-politics reasons--this is about clearing up misinformation, not debating differing views on abortion--but because I have pregnant women and new mothers on my friendslist, and this is upsetting. ( And so. )

I would like everyone to know that in the process of doing the research for this post, I have needed to utter "FUCK HUMANITY" many times.

Quick thoughts before I pick up on all the stuff (mostly RP, because I am pretty sad) waiting for me:

you guys that was so hottttttt

( star trek spoiler stuff )

This is my Star Trek icon, so I'm using it even though it's technically not appropriate for this post.

keeps: Eight DVDs. 52 episodes. All culminating in one grand moral lesson. Which is: "Shut up, kid, and do your homework." Wow, really?
annwyd: ...what series is this?
keeps: Fushigi Yuugi.
annwyd: The last anime I finished was fifty episodes culminating in the grand moral lesson, "Why don't you call more often?"
lilairen: So a Jewish mother anime.
annwyd: The main character did end up being Jesus, but that happens a lot in anime.
lilairen: ... that is one of the better sentences to take out of context that I've seen in a while.

I need good scans of this and this so bad. For iconing purposes, naturally.

( planning spam )

Today hates me in many different and inventive ways. I will have to catch up on important stuff and also RPing tomorrow. Hopefully the people I'm delaying on will forgive me.

Meanwhile, a pointless meme and a pointless link.

Name a fandom and I will tell you:

1. The first character I fell in love with:
2. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now:
3. The character everyone else loves that I don’t:
4. The character I love that everyone else hates:
5. The character I would shag anytime:
6. The character I'd want to be like:
7. The character I'd slap:
8. A pairing that I love:
9. A pairing that I despise:
10. Favorite character:
11. What are my five favorite things about the fandom.
12. What are my five least favorite things about the fandom.
13. Who are my five favorite characters.
14. Who are my five least favorite characters.
15. What are my five favorite pairings.
16. What are my five least favorite pairings.
17. Which character are you most like.
18. What is my deep, dark fandom secret.

I'll do this meme again in a few months after I've finally watched some more stuff and gotten myself some more fandoms.

The link: http://annwyd.mybrute.com/

No, there is no point to that except to give me experience on a meaningless webgame.

Finally saw Watchmen. I'm really glad I'd heard about all the problems with it beforehand, because I was able to anticipate them and enjoy the stuff that was done well, and I wound up being pleasantly surprised.

It helped that it was very clear that all the actors loved what they were doing and wanted to do it justice, even if they were given the wrong material (Rorschach) or not enough (Laurie and Sally).

( Spoilerish stuff under comments )

So it's been a bit of a mixed day so far. On the one hand, it's a nice day, I have my new Threadless shirts (of course, now that I've gotten those, there's another one that I totally want), and I scheduled a doctor's appointment for tomorrow to get more tests run on my thyroid and other potential metabolic issues. On the other hand, my computer crashed and I'm stuck on the laptop while I run virus scans on it and the doctor's appointment is at ten in the morning. Back on the original hand, though, a kitten just licked my toes.

Something else that's awesome: tomorrow at polychromatic is Fourth Wall Day. That means players can come pester the characters. You can also bring characters from other games, crack accounts, and whatever else you please.

I will be posting with Lockon (haroicsacrifice) and I invite everyone to come harass him. I am okay with duplicate characters; the one thing I ask is that nobody bring Ali, because that would be a huge moodkiller, to say the least. The point is, troll him. Twincest fanart, Feldt hentai, Innovator accounts who know a little too much about him, whatever would make him flail. At least some of the other Meisters (denyinurgod, worthier, holyinhell, irresoluteness) will be offering up their characters for trolling as well.

Two episodes behind at the worst time to be two episodes behind, because I got sick at the wrong moment. Whee.

( Episode 47. )

( Episode 48. )

the¿Who Should I Play?meme

things to do tomorrow after I sleep
return overdue library books.
work on some fanfiction.
clean up futon.
thread around polychromatic.
make semi-thoughtful RaceFail-related post.

I reserve the right to not get any of that finished until my chest stops rattling when I breathe.

A meme from the japanweb has somehow found its way here. I could not resist. (Note that for the favorite characters sections, I'm including Japanese video games as well, since I actually have not watched all that much anime, compared to some.)

オタクバトン - OTAKU BATON

( Spam and moonspeak. )

To go with that, I have finally answered the questions from this post. Here they are!

( Entirely too much thought put into fandom stuff. )

It's strange, but the more I read Fruits Basket, the more I like Tohru. I didn't expect it, because she's such a straightforward yamato nadeshiko in so many ways--gentle, cute, domestic, non-threatening. I like to see female characters break from their assigned roles, and she in no way breaks from her role.

But there's such a sincerity to her. Her nature is not assumed as how she has to be because she's a girl; we see her struggle for it, we feel the convictions that lead her to be this way. She's so human, and I'm not used to seeing this type of character be that human and sympathetic. They're usually cute prizes for the boys to win, or mothers to nurture somebody. Tohru is Tohru, and she's trying her hardest.

( On the pairings... )

I've finished through volume 11, and I'm taking a bit of a break from the series now to start Octavia Butler's Wild Seed. The characters are really engaging, and the way the theme is gearing up to address issues of power dynamics intrigues me.

I've been playing a lot of silly point-and-click webgames lately, and I've found a couple favorites:

♦ The games of Minoto. For the most part they're not very difficult, which is good for me because I always need to resort to a walkthrough for the difficult ones. The important thing is that they're adorable.
♦ Hoshi Saga. You have to find a star in every level, and the methods you use to find or create it vary every time. It's hard to describe, but creative and interesting.

I'm going to answer my Everything Fandom Questions soon, so if you haven't asked me something and you're still curious, do so now.

( Late episode thoughts are late. )

Okay, tomorrow is for watching the new episode and introducing Nena at campfuckudie.