Continuing to prove that I can barely motivate myself to post once in a blue moon. Sigh.

In DW news, I can only access skip=40 on my reading list; anyone else having the same issue?

Links fixed in the last post. Finally.

Annnnnd you can find me on Twitter as @feikoi. To be honest, that's the only platform I use constantly and consistently. You'll get a lot of my random daily life postings, but I've been trying to be good about posting up any and all new fic recs. I'll admit, I'm a lurker and a consumer in fandom. Sigh.

In cosplay news... lacking decent pictures at the moment (oh noes!), but I cosplayed Renji (of Bleach) at Jump Festa last month. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, even half-finished as it was. Going to try getting some of the details done in the next week, as I've tentatively scheduled an interview/photoshoot/thing with Anime3000 at the end of the month for their Cosplay Showcase. Chou~ nervous. I really don't have much confidence in my cosplay quality, but I'll do my best!

(Here's a pic taken before venturing out into the Festa crowd: yay tattoos!)

Hey guys. Taking a quick break from sewing -- making a cosplay for a convention in, oh, 13 hours. Yeah, probably not going to finish -- it's Alice's red dress from the recent Alice in Wonderland movie -- but at least this one I can wear as more-extravagant-than-usual loli gear.

Anyway!

Event tomorrow in Yokohama -- Movies Paradise! This event focuses on western (non-Japanese) movies, RPS and dramas (aka House, Supernatural, other live action TV shows). If you want me to look for anything, let me know! Probably mostly doujinshi, but there's usually fanart and other things as well~

Link below

http://ketto.com/mp/framepage1.htm

I know there'll be people for Sherlock Holmes, Merlin and Supernatural, at the very least.

(And seriously, I have no problem with buying stuff and shipping it out for people. So, if you want something, drop me a line!)

As I sit here typing this entry, a cool breeze is blowing through my apartment -- rainy season here in Japan is to start next week or so. But that's not why I had an awesome day, though the not-sweltering weather probably contributed.

Today was Super Diner, a Supernatural-only fan event in Tokyo. Last week I had gone to a similarly advertised event, for Final Fantasy 7, which was a bit small and quiet (though had awesome cosplayers), so I wasn't expecting too much from this event.  I headed out a bit before noon, to arrive halfway through the event.

Which was AMAZING.

This event was definitely bigger than I had anticipated, though still Japanese-style and thus entirely composed of what we call Artist's Alley in American conventions I've been to. It was... probably comparable to the Artist's Alley at AWA, size-wise. Anyway. Walked in to this lovely sight: <a href="http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj136/feikoi/Japan/?action=view&current=CA3D0073.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj136/feikoi/Japan/th_CA3D0073.jpg" border="0" alt="10.6.13 SuperDiner" ></a>

And after getting my little wristband (one of those rubber ones: yay souvenir!), I wandered around a bit. I was kinda being my quiet awkward self as I often am in social situations like, well, happens a lot in Japan, with the language barrier. (I can speak some, I can understand more, but I get easily flustered.) Bought doujinshi -- like lots of it. Yeah.

And then I found someone who had the Supernatural prequel comics at her table. The official, English ones published by Wildstorm? Damn was that an icebreaker. So I stood there, reading all four issues she had, and another girl had come up and was reading them after I finished each one, lol. Apparently the woman had bought them through auctions, but she said that they have them on Amazon, too. So, yes, mental barrier broken!

I then proceeded to wander more, shop more, and chat more. Got a free poster from one artist after it had fallen and I picked it up for her, and commented it was cute. Got stopped by one seller who said she was going to Vancouver in August for a Supernatural convention there! She was really excited -- so would I. So cool! And she spoke a little English after my Japanese came out all broken (I always get tripped up by past time phrases -- I'm starting to hate answering "When did you come to Japan?"). And then I went to another table, and the artist's friend who was hanging out with her was pretty comfortable with attempting English, at least, and so we were chatting half English, half Japanese, about the show and fandom. (By the way, internet, what is this about Misha milk-drinking pictures being posted on Twitter? They couldn't remember the account name, but then they asked their neighbor who said (in good English!) that I could find it on the SuperWiki. When Twitter resumes service, I will be going through twitter.com/mishacollins) They had a lot of questions -- did guys like the show in America too, or was is mainly a girl fanbase? Was there western fanart/comics, or mainly fanfic? Like that. It was fun to talk about, though I'm definitely not fully in the fandom, so it was difficult to answer sometimes. Heck, I only watched the first three episodes yesterday!

And the next table I went to, another fan started chatting with me in very very good English. Turned out she went to university in England. (Crap, I can't remember her name! ;;) And yeah. So I had a lot of fun talking to people. Got a few free things when I commented on how cute they were -- it was the end of the day, and I wonder if part of it was because of being a token foreigner there. Some people wondered how I had heard about the event -- I think they were expecting "the Internet", but I never would have known this existed had I not picked up the event flyer back at December's Comiket.

Really happy I decided to go.

On my way back to the station, I passed the Edo Museum (but decided to save that for another time), and stopped for cheap kitsune soba. Mmm, kistune-style.... And then at the station, on a neighboring platform, there was a taiko drumming performance going on. I happened to be standing next to a few other foreigners, and the leader/teacher guy called us over from across the tracks. Eventually found where the entrance was, and went to watch. Apparently, they were from a taiko-drumming school, and half of them were Westerners! The teacher/leader dude was doing things at least mostly bilingually, and dude, it was so awesome, I want to do that too! So I think, if I remain in the Kanto area, I have a new hobby. <a href="http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj136/feikoi/Japan/?action=view&current=CA3D0074.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj136/feikoi/Japan/CA3D0074.jpg" border="0" alt="10.6.13 Taiko"></a>


So. Assuming you got this far...

I have to move soon, but I keep buying stuff. A LOT of fan stuff. I'm kinda a compulsive shopper at conventions. Now, I'm not looking to get rid of it all, but if anyone is interested in fan merchandise for Supernatural, Final Fantasy 7, Bleach, or other series... well. I'll probably be putting up a sales post sometime. (Mostly doujinshi, but also things like calendars and other random shit.)

Note: I wrote this a week ago, and will backdate it when I get the chance. Will write something (or link to photos) for Steampunk picnic soonish.


I'm really bad about these... heh. Feel free to ignore if you don't care!

So. Friday.
Left G'ville around 2:30, arrived in Atlanta at 7:30. w00t. Checked into hotel, picked up con passes, went to Olive Garden (pomegranate martinis aren't bad, though the alcohol part was noticeable on the swallow. *hates alcohol taste*), and decided to not actually go back to the con that night. So, missed karaoke, but not too much else we were interested in.
Notes: Ashley sprawls. Our smallest person took up half of a king bed on her own. *pokes* Also, True Blood is made of pr0n. 4srs.

Saturday.
Laur and I actually get up when alarms go off. Perhaps because they were our alarms, but whatever. And the Princesses are off!
( Project Nurse Outfit is a go.Collapse )
Lots of pics were taken, even though I doubt even half of them recognized the series. Was still fun. Panels attended: Otaku Bellydance Fusion, Cosplay Makeup (very helpful!), Steampunk Gadgetry (very amusing); also caught part of the AMV awards. Laur and I were interviewed in the Makeup Panel about cosplay. Offered help with a wardrobe malfunction in the bathroom. Met some people from the sew_loli comm. Ducked out of the Atlanta Loli Meetup after standing around uncomfortably and listening to a couple of them complain about how it seems there were ppl that were only fans of lolita, and some snide remarks about outfits. I thought I left the snooty elitist ****s behind in middle and high school, and that's not the subset of the loli population I really want to associate with. So. Sorry to all the nice people I could have met, but didn't. Left for the hotel for a dinner of leftovers. yumm. Oh, as we were leaving saw Joe from high school (chorus and gamer's club). Talk about a blast from the past.
Observation: My hair is apparently recognizable even while pink. People really like nurses, while I'm actually not a fan of that egl type. Huh.

Saturday Night. Because it doesn't count as part of the rest of the day, apparently.
While Laur rushed off to a wing-making panel, Kristen and I waited in line to see Death Note 3. A very long line. Watched the cosplayers go by (including g'ville friends), and chatted with the people in front of us (some rant about emo kids getting away with stuff that regular people didn't?) and behind us. The girl behind us had a skele!dog plush that had a hole in it, which I ended up repairing with my emergency sewing kit.
( Nurse, scalpel!Collapse )
Yay networking. It meant that I got one of the few empty seats in the room, so hey, its all good. We had to leave halfway through the movie (so absolutely adorable, we have to finditnow) for the concert. We had The Emeralds (in which over half a dozen of us were knocked over by a tug of war over a band towel, I lost my camera and someone found it for us, and we found a necklace charm and the person who lost it -- much friendlier than normal concert scenes, despite the physicality), TsushiMaMiRe, and The Captains.
( Fangirl explosionCollapse )
(No pics of tsushimamire, but a vid clip up on youtube: here)
Did I mention that I got near the front? Second row. Which leads to my next observation.
Observation: Despite the mixed crowd, only the male band members were groped relentlessly while against the crowd. I think everyone was afraid to touch the girls that much. Also, girl in panda sweatshirt? Next time you start moshdancing with elbows, I will hunt you down and put the hurt on you. I was right behind or next to you, you contributed heavily to the stampede, and were very rude. MUCH. PAIN. As for Sailor, PurpleHair, and Fanboy? You were great. :D Hope your hand is ok from the stampede.

Sunday.
Decided to do nurse!Joker, since I had the outfit and the toy gun. I didn't have grease paint for the white, so I wasn't as pale as I could have been, oops. Twas fun freaking people out.
( y so SRS?Collapse )
Had a few pics taken, but not like the day before. Possibly scared people away, though -- definitely overheard more character recognition than the day before :D. Found a superboy/robin comic. Arrived back in g'ville at 530-ish, and went to bed at 8.
Observations: Apparently, I like the photographic attention for cosplay. Self esteem booster. ...I'm not sure I like that about myself, but at least I can take note of it. Also, Joker-voice is easier to do than guy-voice, at least when I remember to do it. I can rasp and have weird high-modulation in voice, but can't stay in a baritone. Hmm...

If you want to see the entire album, go here

And now I have to do lit chinese hw. And sew for the steampunk meetup saturday. and the SCA Michaelmas even needs hanfu made for the Saturday after that (though it depends on when Beth is going, and how long, and willingness to transport both laur and I as to whether or not I go). Plus, midterm in astronomy this week, and I don't have the text yet -- turns out my address had some issues in Amazon, and the seller has been trying to get ahold of me for the past... 5 days? gah.

Ok, so I know I'm bad about posting, but I'm off to AWA! Pictures will come stometime after said con.

dude! i got my picture taken with jimmy cheung!*dances*

in any case, megacon was fun, but its main attraction was the superhero cosplays and the dealers room, with the famous ppl and signings and such. The lack of panels, video rooms, activities kinda made it not worth the wait and price, but it was fun regardless.

pictures may or may not be up later.

... how i dislike the necessity. Anyway, the only ethernet cable that seems to work on my computer is my roommate's, so we traded temporarily.

Buttonholes. Scary. How do I know?

I had to make Father Enrico Maxwell's outfit from scratch, and as per usual, have finished the night before the con. We have a Hellsing cosplay group going -- some of them are really effing awesome, and then others, like me, are just so so. But I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Anyone else going to AWA (Anime Weekend Atlanta)?

I leave for China tomorrow. *freaks out* Nearly everything is packed, but... yeah. Stress, worry, etc. Never been out of the country before, never been in an airport without familial units. Yes, I am a young and sheltered one.

*sigh* Time to write thank you notes for birthday prezzies. My mother threw a party yesterday, and it was quite fun.



BTW, the last page of Midnighter #7 makes the rest of the series worth it. Ha! *points finger at non-lj and non-fandom friend who I actually got to read Authority* I told you Apollo was taller! Don't particularly like how Apollo was drawn in this comic, except the profile shots. Oh well. Also, the samurai thing /so/ should have turned out like the Haru wo Daiteita short "Winter Cicada", instead of superimposing current, western views on top of Tokugawa/shogunate-era Japan... but again, oh well. Twas fairly amusing, nonetheless. Lots of teh gay stuff emphasized... and humor. Hmm... (yeah, this is the only comic I've read in the past few months. I'm lame.)

But yes, while waiting for Spiderman to start (i could ramble, but will not, except to mention that plotvenoms ate my brain that night), the aforementioned friend and I were discussing... anything we noticed. Live Free or Die Hard reminded us of the first movie, which was the only of the series either of us watched, and had Alan Rickman (joy!) and Bruce Willis was immediately cast as The Midnighter, due to the yelling and cursing on the radio call to 911. And other badass stuff. The new Nancy Drew movie (wtfmate?) led to a discussion of childhood books... and him sounding fruity. Which isn't difficult, really, but also? Fairly amusing to get him embroiled in fannish discussion, because he's not really a fanboy. Obsessed with politics, classical music, ... well, I suppose Star Wars counts. ...and all the things I force him to read.

Wow, I really babbled. Darnit, I was trying to avoid that.

Since its too late anyway...

Went to JACON Saturday, twas fun. Dressed in loli instead of cosplay, because I was lazy and had the lolita stuff together already. Got youngest sister to dress in it as well, and the other sister went all gypsy (yay bright colors!). Had fun, bought ten more posters, a tshirt (gaara!!! wearing to airport, btw), PriPri 2, and an issue of GW:EpZero. Pictures... might go up later. I don't think I've ever really uploaded when I say I will, but these should go up on facebook, and I'll link here when I get a chance. At the con, in the dealer's room, I was eavesdropping on all the Chinese dealers. *snickers* And was talking to one of the sellers, who was in China last year but doesn't understand Chinese, and the other guy at the booth was making comments in Chinese to confuse and tease her... I ended up translating so we'd all laugh. I think that may have been my highlight. (Ni xihuan zhongguo nanpengyou, duima? You want a Chinese boyfriend, right? *points to dorky guy bringing her food* Ta shi nide nanpengyou... etc, etc)

It gives me hope that I have a chance in hell in understanding ppl there... maybe. Unless I've gotten too accustomed to Taiwanese accents. I'm not aware of what the different regional accents are, so... *shrug*

Ok, time for something productive.

No wait, I remembered! (the point of the movietheaterbabble) We decided that, if he's tall enough, an actor to play Apollo (fangirl/boying over facial structure) is..... Brad Pitt. With longish platinum hair. Just imagine it... *adds to casting list, which may or may not be posted later*