( my life and other stories )

- Oh, and I have 3 Dreamwidth invite codes, so if any of you are looking for one, hit me up.

PS. The story deadline for imaginarybeasts Book #16 is tomorrow. ROGUES AND SCOUNDRELS ARE AWESOME, YES? YES?

... Kids here wear pants with a slit up the front/back. They do not, maybe I add, wear underwear/diapers with these pants, meaning that this Saturday, I had the wonderful experience of being flashed by a 4 year old boy while he was running around a bank.

Me: ... Did that kid s-split his--
Colleague: Oh, all the kids here wear their pants like that! They don't in Singapore?
Me: NO. ... omgwtf
Colleague: Yeah, even their winter pants are like that! It saves the trouble of having to use diapers/underwear.
Me: ................

This is not the culture shock I was looking for, guys. (What if this post gets LJ banned again? D: Or gets my lj deleted!!!)

Also, while investigating the contents of what I was told is Qingdao's largest bookshop, I found manga! Unfortunately, they had exactly 3 series: Doraemon, Detective Conan and... POKEMON.

- FINALLY THE INTERNETS ARE MINE!!1! ALL MINE - no, wait. Not yet But I have a place to sleep and it has internets, so I guess that's good enough for now. XD

It took me 3 whole days to get my Internet. The reason? SURPRAISE HEAD WOUND. ... Yes, literally, ie. on the first day, the Internet dude hit his head on the shelf above my desk SO HARD that it started bleeding. Whereupon he left to go get it checked at a hospital. Returned the day after to finish the setup, which took all of 10 minutes. And then, to follow things up, the Internet that worked fine in the morning refused to work come evening, so they had to come back on day 3 to fix it again.

Third time's the charm? -_-b

- In hindsight, watching 2 Gainax series (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan + FLCL) in a row was probably not the best idea ever. On the other hand, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan is not really a mindfuck series and FLCL was short, so I have somehow survived the experience anyway. XD

(Does it make me a horrible person that FLCL makes me vaguely think "anime for indie kids?!" But I did like FLCL in all its magic alien realism/slice of life/bizarre/nonsensical glory so - possibly I have only damned myself. XD Also, it makes me strangely nostalgic for NieA_7, an exercise doomed to failure since I have no way of getting hold of NieA_7 and probably no one even knows it exists anymore ;_;)

- I can't remember where I found this, but it seems reasonably relevant to the flist's interests, so. XD Japanese hand-coloured photographs dating from the 19th century

I recently realised that I haven't posted a reading list since the year... started. Given that I only have so many books available right now and no way to acquire more in the near future, I might as well post it now. XD;

( Books read )

- It is probably kind of sad that I read almost half this list in the month after I stopped working. WHY CAN'T I GET HIRED AS A PROFESSIONAL READER?
- Not on the list: a lot of re-reading of L. M. Montgomery and Lousia May Alcott, mysteriously triggered by how DEPRESSED Alias Grace made me feel.
- asjdgdkfgh of course I would finally decide to cave and get the Attolia books, only to be completely unable to find The Queen of Attolia. I swear I saw a copy in Kino a month ago. CURSE YOU, FATE. Also, I hear the 4th book is coming out next year? omgggggg can't wait.
- On the bright side, I've read 15/26 books on the to-read list, so. Passable odds I'll finish MOST of it by this year? +___+

And tomorrow I move to an aparto. Depending on whether I can figure out how to work the Internet I am told is already there, I might or might not be cut off for the weekend.

* Please refer to: The Which Fantasy Writer Are You? quiz. I'm not sure what to think of this result. Apparently my other close match is J. K. Rowling. XD (...Finally an explanation for why everything I plot is a motherfucking epic?!)

LJ works! +___+ For now anyway. D:

I totally forgot to do this in the final rush of packing (good job, self, what if LJ WAS still blocked? >_>) but o most beloved and awesome flist*, would any of you be willing to volunteer as a backup mod for imaginarybeasts, in the event that the Great Firewall changes its mind?

Once I'm settled, I'll be working on getting Wordpress installed on the domain, so the issues/story archive will quite likely be moving off LJ. But the LJ community is still where the updates happen, with the themes/sign up posts/reminders, and . So in a worst case scenario, you'd have to make about 6 posts to the community every 2 months. ^^; In a best case, you won't have to do anything at all! (Unless you really do want to? XD)

Plz to comment/drop me an email if you would like to volunteer for a career in internet tyranny and world domination!!11!! Or... maybe not. XD;;;

PS. The theme for the coming issue is ROGUES AND SOUNDRELS. Tasty? Yeeeeesssss? +____+ We're experimenting with removing sign ups, except for illustrations, so just SUBMIT AT WILL. Think about it, guys! Pirates! Ninjas! Thieves! Conmen! Tricksters! Assassins! WHAT'S NOT TO WRITE ABOUT, HMMM?

*Oh no, my ulterior motives aren't transparent AT ALL. Ahem. B-but seriously, guys. I will love you long long time

imaginarybeasts
~~~BOOK #15: CITIES~~~

Now out in stores! Featuring an all-star cast of gods, fairy tales, super villains and NINJAS. Whaddya waiting for? XD

And now that the issue is out, time to do some much-needed admin.

Note to self: BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVES. Also, stop playing Freecell/Minesweeper, this is getting more than just a little sad and embarrassing ok.

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

I have 5 boxes of name cards left. I should:

a) Tear them to shreds while laughing maniacally
b) Set them on fire and dance on the ashes¹
c) Keep them for ~sentimental value~
d) TOSS THEM TO THE WIIIINDS²
e) EAT THEM<sup>3

1</sup> ... It's raining
² And then get fined for littering
³ Death by indigestion and also maybe food poisoning???

In other news, NY/Toronto trip cancelled due to swine flu and travel paranoia. ;__________;

No, you probably don't want to know what my subject title means. I swear I'm not dead, I'm just drawn that way really... that lazy.

I'm sure no one missed my illuminating presence anyway. XD

1. It's probably kind of late to point out that sign ups are open for imaginarybeasts Book #15. The theme is Cities and the deadline's in 2 weeks. PLENTY OF TIME LEFT, FOLKS! (Possibly I lie)

But no, really, come write me stoooorriieeesss about cities! CITIES ARE AWESOME.

2. My younger cousin is reading Breaking Dawn, guys. -_- I ONLY WISH I WAS KIDDING. I found the book sitting on the piano at my grandmother's, blinked, then picked it up and eyeballed my cousin across the kitchen.

Me: You... liiiiiiike this?
Her: YES! :D
Me: ................................

IMPORTANT POLL: I SHOULD
a) Borrow the books and read them
b) Borrow them and BURN THEM
c) Sit her down and draw diagrams explaining why Edward is a psycho stalker and you should call the cops if you ever REALLY meet a guy like that. Also, wedding nights don't work that way ok.
d) Throw Better Books at her
e) Trust that her impressionable 12-year-old soul is smart enough to figure it out EVENTUALLY*

*I'm pretty sure she will, but you know. XD The general principles! UNCLEAN UNCLEAN GET IT OFF.

3. Jim Butcher's Turn Coat acquired by Illegal Means (also known as half_sleeping) Please don't arrest me Internet Police. ( Spoilers )

4. One day I will finish that AU meme. OOONNNEEE DAAAAY.

5. TRAVEL PLANS. I'll be travelling in the USA/Canada between May 10-28. So far, the plan is NYC, Toronto, Boston for about a day, and maybe Washington. Possibly Montreal or Quebec, but we're not so sure about that yet. 'Sup guys, who wants to hang out? XD

imaginarybeasts
BOOK #14: CARNIVALE
PARTY ON DOWN, BABY~!!!

I am possibly the only editor who pimps her issues AFTER everyone else -_-b -> Best editor ever, obviously

And in other news... I quit my job? Ahaha, yeah.

Possibly my first reaction to the Shaman King spoilers about Horohoro's TRAGIKAL PAST should not have been "HOWL WITH LAUGHTER FOR FIVE WHOLE MINUTES".

( Come to think of it, I'm still laughing. XD )

1) There are no words for how annoyed I am with my stomach. >:(

2) A important lesson for the universe: If it is a Sunday and Eve calls/texts you, DO NOT PICK UP. EVER. This is because she could be calling for the following reasons:

a) She has food poisoning and you must then get up at 5am in the morning to bring her to a hospital before she DIES
b) HER HOUSE HAS BEEN FLOODED by a leaking roof at 5pm in the afternoon.

Yes.

And then you help drag her very heavy laundry to the dry cleaners (while she limps along clutching her teddy bear and telling the world her feet hurt) and then she makes you CLEAN HER HOUSE.

rei_kurasaki and I did consider her pushing her in the nearest big longkang/drain we could find. I'm not sure why we didn't. XD

Now we are just waiting for her to be struck by lightning (at 12 noon, out of a clear blue sky, for maximum symmetry and effect) for yelling at Mother Nature, to round off this EXCITING TRILOGY of events before she leaves. -_-b

3) And on Soul Eater 59: Holy magical girl transformation of MOTHERFUCKING BADASS.

Yesssss.

Work is trying to eat me alive halp halp aaauuurrrrgggh. And in case it doesn't quite manage it, not to worry. THE INTERNET (AND KOREA'S BOYBANDS) ARE HERE TO FINISH THE JOB.

Anyway, since I am not dead yet, I guess I might as well spread the pain - wait, I mean the love. Joy. Sparkles. No, really.

Warning: Cheestastic pop, possibly underaged Asian boys of varying levels of gay, attractiveness, sanity, and fashion savvy (take your pick - hideous... or HIDEOUS?), fake ghetto rap, CROSSDRESSING!!!, real live gay makeouts.

I had you at the gay, come on. XD

Big Bang - Last Farewell
It is now my mission in life to brainwash every single unsuspecting victim I can get my hands on into stealing this MTV and writing it as a story for the next IB issue.

Because it is the best worst best idea - never mind, who am I kidding? Because I am the worst editor ever.

Big Bang - Hana Yori Dango skit (Part One, Part Two)
I wish I was making this up, guys. -_-b Makino nearly killed me, and since my horror knows no bounds, you must all come share it. Gape at the terrible crossdressing! Swoon before Top's Doumoyouji's laser glare of doom~ Fall off your chair at the ending!

Big Bang - Coffee Prince skit
Watch this for the musical interlude. Also, because the main dude looks like SPOCK. (People, seriously, stop putting eyeliner on the poor boy. He doesn't NEED IT)

Big Bang - Lies
Featuring... death by pineapple (you have to squint but I swear it's there). Yeah, Reborn fandom, THIS IS FOR YOU. XD

Takashi Fuji - Oh My Juliet
I died. According to redplasticglass, this is not a parody. :D

Look, these were all videos OTHER PEOPLE showed me. All the Big Bang is cynic_in_charge and rei_kurasaki's fault, ok. I am but an innocent and unsuspecting victim here. I can't even tell most of them apart. GUESS WHO EVE IS IN LOVE WITH.

imaginarybeasts

Book #13: Erase/Rewind is out~!!!

Read, comment, pimp! Your friendly neighbourhood tyrant commands you!11!!

And then SIGN UP FOR BOOK #14. The theme is Carnivale, so come and PARTY ON DOWN, GUYS. :D

So first it grew obvious that this AU was going to break the LJ comment limit whatever I did. And then it grew increasingly obvious that it wasn't going to fit in TWO comments either. And then I gave up and decided to just give this damn AU its own post.

asdkhsgfljdsdfskjhf;dkjg

By combined special request from thelovemafia and half_sleeping, here, have the AU where Xanxus raised Tsuna (sort of). This is also the AU where Xanxus' first coup succeeded. One AU idea not complicated enough? WHY NOT MAKE IT TWO. Because that's how I roll. -_-b

( Only convoluted crazy lies beneath this cut )

So between recent Air Gear spoilers and mainlining 100 chapters chapters of One Piece in less than a week, I was quite possibly in imminent danger of spontaneous combustion via too much shounen awesome. XD

Then again, I mainlined all 132 chapters of Skip Beat to finish it off, so maybe I'll just have a brain melt via PURE AWESOME instead. +____+

Air Gear
AIR GEAR IS THE MOST AMAZING MANGA EVER. If by amazing you mean soul destroying. It's like after my previous Air Gear post, Oh Great decided he had to top Amano's crazy in ONE FELL SWOOP. AND DID HE TOP IT.

THE EVIDENCE.

...

I.

Secretly I hope Obama finds out about this somehow.

One Piece
In the meantime, One Piece: Still the BEST SHOUNEN MANGA EVER. omg, Thriller Bark arc, and Brooke, and most epically ridiculous TRAINING/LEVEL UP TIEMS NAO excuse ever AND THE ISLAND OF AMAZONS AND ( asdkdgsflhdsg;dsghgh )

On the AU meme: NOT DEAD YET. I'm just uh. Really slow, ok. Also, you guys are totally trying to break my brain (HOW WOULD A REBORN/AIR GEAR FUSION AU EVER WORK ADJHSGFLHDF)

Other series I should probably talk about/pimp out: Skip Beat, Double Arts, Yankee-kun to Megane-chan

Man, I hardly read anything last year, sad face. :(

( Reading List: 2008 )

AND NOW. The unread books piled in my bookshelves are getting kind of ridiculous, and even considering that a lot of these are books I was given/lent, well, this still ain't cool.

NOTE TO SELF: YOU ARE READING ALL THESE BOOKS in 2009 OR I WILL KNOW THE REASON WHY. Also, I am not allowed to buy any more books until I have read all of these books.

And after I finish all these damn books, I am REREADING all my other books. Also unacceptable: realising that you are going senile and apparently can no longer remember the plot/character names of half the books you own. -_-b C'mon, brain cells, it's time to earn your keep around here. XD

( To Read: 2009 )

2008 Writing Count
( words words words )

ONE LAST MEME FOR THE COUNT
Apparently people want me to talk about ridiculous AUs I will never write? But AUs are best conceived in company so hey guys, LET'S GO.

Give me a series, your AU premise of choice (canon what-ifs, batshit cliche AUs or... I don't know, retarded fusions? Go wild), and I'll tell you all about what happens in it. You may specify preferred characters or pairings, but I can't promise I'll stick to them. XD

Please note that I am not promising to actually write anything, and that my Epic Laziness makes me largely immune to puppy eyes, threats, blackmail and bribes.

For fandoms, anything I've ever ficced or talked about on LJ is fair game. XD

I am about 100 pages into Red Seas Under Red Skies, but ok, honestly, I THINK THIS HAS TO BE SAID.

( DEAR LOCKE )

'Tis the day after Christmas, and our office email is DOWN. So I can't do ANYTHING! Why did I come in to work again? :(

COME ENTERTAIN ME, GUYS.

ETA: DAMMIT, MY PICTURE IS APPARENTLY SOMEWHERE IN THE NEWSPAPER TODAY AFTER ALL. CURSE YOU, BOSS! CURSE YOU.

On Air Gear 225:

FUCK YEAH, EMIRI! You've come a long way, baby~ \o\ /o/ \o/ ♥ ♥ ♥

OK, Oh!Great, I guess I do kinda love you. XD Sometimes. When I am not contemplating setting fire to your fanservice/running you over with the Logic Train/punching you with a calculator!!11!

For reasons that even I cannot entirely fathom, I've been re-reading Air Gear all the way from the beginning. Partly because my first reading was really patchy and I missed chunks of the series, and partly because... I don't know. I get bored at work? I missed ye old days when Air Gear really was a manga about rollerbladezzz? XD

Surprisingly, things actually do... sort of make more sense now that I'm actually reading everything, and in order, but maybe this just, uh, speaks for how patchy my earlier reading was orz Or maybe I have been fatally brainwashed into Oh Great's crazy logic.

( Read more... )

EMBARRASSING MANGA DEATHMATCH: I once wondered to myself, in a deathmatch between the Two Most Ridiculous/Embarrassing Manga I am Currently Following (KHR and Air Gear), which is actually the better manga? I. I can't quite tell. ;_; On the one hand, Air Gear has retarded fanservice and crazy clone/alien children and bombast coming out of its ears. On the other, KHR has mafia babies and time travel bazookas and its worldbuilding literally makes no sense. (Air Gear's worldbuilding defies every known law of physics but the crazy of Air Gear's world bothers me less than the flimsiness of the KHR world, for reasons I can't really define unless I start writing ridiculous bullshit essays about... worldbuilding and narrative and who-knows-what-else and you don't really want to hear that XD)

To be honest, I think I'm biased to Air Gear simply for relative (very very relative) consistency and Badass Ladies. On the other hand, at least Amano-sensei can count and usually keeps her ladies respectably clothed! orz I doubt most of my flist has read BOTH the series, other than Michi. But if you have, feel free to do battle with my judgement/bias. XD

PS. An interesting post on racial coding in animation, using Avatar and Code Geas as examples