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If I, Would You...?

A little while ago, I was watching a lot of AMVs. Sometimes I do that when I'm bored. Anyway, I noticed the sort of "free-falling" trope [I don't know if I'm using that word right but just bear with me for the time being] in anime (which happened to be in a lot of AMVs too). You know what I'm talking about? Where people are suddenly just falling out of the sky and it doesn't seem to be a problem; in fact, they're having a great time.

Being as I am, I start coming up with all these questions. Like, "How'd you get up there?" and "So what happens when you finally hit the ground, are you dead?" etc., etc.

Again, being as I am, I kind of want to twist the trope. So I'm thinking of writing a little short story about that particular "free-falling" trope. If I did, and posted it here, would you be interested in reading it? I'm not making any guarantees--I usually don't finish stories I start but I might be motivated to finish if I know you're waiting. :)

This idea has spurred the thought of other anime tropes I could twist...but we'll see how this first ones goes. Anyway, if you'd be interested, give me a shout out, so I know.

Ramble Ramble

So like three days after my last blog post, I got laid off from my job. I don't really want to talk about that...but I'm unemployed again. With the loss of job came the loss of an excuse to read a lot. Most of the free time has been diverted to three things:

1) Looking for jobs.

Self-explanatory.

2) Watching Inu-Yasha.

I was really into that show when I was younger. It was sort of the thing that launched me into otaku-dom. I never finished the story and, since I have nothing better to do with my life, I decided to re-watch it. All sorts of nostalgia. And a lot of "oh!" and rapturous staring because I've forgotten all the finer details so it's like watching the show for the first time. My brother caught me watching last night and said, "That show is so old," which I replied, "IT'S A CLASSIC!" But the fact that it was old didn't stop him from joining me for a few episodes. Have you revisited an old show recently?

3) Cosplay.

I am having way too much fun making armor out of paper mache (or however the heck you spell that...too lazy to check). Usually I make armor out of craft foam but these pieces were rounded so I tried a different technique and I've really enjoyed it. The whole costume itself is going a lot faster than I anticipated. Actually, it's taken me longer, in terms of hours, but it feels faster. For example, I thought the armor pieces would take me four hours to do. I'm at six hours now, and still not done. But whatever, it will happen.

That's it. I'm still plugging away at comic layout (do you remember this announcement?). It's about half way done. My editor has been a little slow at getting back to me. That will probably absorb my time after this cosplay commission thing is over.

Good Week for Books

With my job and still being part-time, I have a really complicated and confusing commuting system. I'm not going to try to explain because it would take too long but as things stand, I have four hours in the morning before work and no where to go. So I've started reading. A lot. Like, I'm-reading-a-book-a-day sort of a lot. (I will ruin my eyes in no time.)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is an excellent book. It's got a lot of hype right now but it's definitely worth it. Got really snappy dialogue, which is always a big kudos in my opinion. Stuck in Neutral and Silent to the Bone are also good, if very small (the author names are escaping me right now).

I also pre-ordered Legend of Zelda's 25th Anniversary Hyrule Historia, which came last week. Totally made up for a bad day. It's packed with a bunch of information that any LOZ fan would love. Unfortunately for me, it also has a lot of Skyward Sword spoilers in it, so I feel I shouldn't read those parts, since I haven't played that game....

On Tuesday I also went to a book launch party. The author went to the same school as I did, and is local (gotta support those local folks), and I loved her book, so I went. Never been to a launch party, though I've been to several signings before (and almost none of those previous authors are best sellers, either (yet)). It was a little too crowded for my taste but, you know, nice. She certainly pulled in a wide range of people. Everyone from 10-year-old girls to 50-something men and 70-something old ladies. Although I was really tired at the end of the day, I was happy I went.

So those are my life's recent events: books, and lots of them.

Until next time.

Never Though I'd be Here

The funny thing about me cosplaying is that I never thought I'd do it in the first place. Probably just a year before I actually started (maybe less), I thought cosplaying was a little beyond the edge. Once I started, though, I was crazily all for it. I developed my own ideas and feelings towards people who cosplay, people who don't cosplay but critique those who do, and people who make and sell cosplay for profit.

I've made cosplays and cosplay items for friends before. I didn't charge them anything, just had them pay for the materials. Never ever did I think I would end up making a costume and charging someone for it. Yet, here I am, with my very first commission.

Let's rewind a bit and tell you how this came about. While at work on Friday, I got a call from one of my old bosses. Part of the reason she called was to see if I wanted to come help her with an opera show she was working on. The other was because she knew someone who was looking to commission a cosplay. She knows I've done cosplay and the commission costume was rather similar to the one I wore last year. Would I be interested? Of course! So here I am, two days later, with a commission finalized.

Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it, except to know that I'm excited. I don't even really care that I'm being paid.

Before having a commission of my own, I always thought that the prices people (who make and sell costumes a lot) charged were kind of outrageous. Now that I actually have to figure out a budget, I understand now. Making cosplay is expensive! I guess I never thought about it too much, since I never budget myself when I'm making a costume. I sort of gave myself sticker shock....

Anyway, I'm way excited about this. Hopefully it goes well!

2013, huh?

Normally, I'd probably do a little reflection on 2012 but I'm not feeling it this time around. Some big exciting things happened at the beginning of the year and that was about it. Not worth talking about. So, onward, 2013!

My laptop informed me that the battery is dying. If I'm lucky, I can make the charge last for an hour but I've noticed that amount of time is dropping. I've been wondering if I should just buy a replacement battery, or buy a new laptop. The touchpad is a little finicky too, where it thinks it's sensing things that aren't really there. So it pauses music and movies often without my prompting. What do you guys think: new battery or new laptop?

Met my brother's girlfriend today. Well, not met--hung out would be a better phrase. We've met several times before. We took her on a new year's shopping outing. It might be my older sibling protectiveness, but I don't like the girl. My parents told me I just have to grit my teeth and bear it.

On a good note, however, I got a new job. It's stable, closer to home, eventually full time, and pays well. At least I will be able to start the new year on a good note.

Hope your 2012 has been good, your 2013 even better, and your celebrations tonight are happy. Until next time.