I’ve decided that my lack of inspiration for things largely stems from my lack of constant exposure to 1980s’ music. Aside from 80s’ fashion, I’ve got to say the 80s produced quite a lot of amazing things. Most of my favorite books come from the 80s, for example. Tanith Lee definitely reached the peak of her writing in that decade, as well as a few other writers. A lot of my favorite video games were born in the 80s, too.

Really, I’m more of a sucker for 90s’ productions, but there was something about the 80s that was just so…hopeful. Flying cars still had a chance to be the norm in 2000 when there were 20 years left till the new millennium. You could say “Twenty years from now, how do you think they’ll solve the problem of traffic with flying cars? Airway lanes like aeroplanes follow?” or “God, I can’t wait until we have robots to do the chores. Come on, Millennium!”

Damn, when was the last time you even thought the word “millennium”? That was such a huge deal back then. Everything was about the color silver that year, I feel like. Silver and partying. I mean, they were pretty lame parties for being, what was I? 12? And I was sick New Year’s Eve 2000, but I mean, just the vibe. The millennium was where it was at.

And that was the year that hope for the future died.

I mean, Jan 2, 2000 came around and did I have the robot doctor giving me apple juice and Tylenol? Was I doing homework on a portable computer panel and calling my friends on my videophone to go to the holographic movies?

Now all we have is “HELL’S WATERS WILL RISE HIGH AND GOD WILL CLEANSE THE EARTH A SECOND TIME IN 2012! THE MAYANS HAVE FORETOLD IT!”

I want more fantastical whimsy, god damn it! I don’t want to hear about realistic approaches to global warming! I want to hear about how the new plan is to create a terra-dome around the earth to act as the NEW ozone layer because we’re tiny genius god-babies! I want to know that in 20 years it won’t be flying CARS but little zeppelins toting us around with auto pilot and the ability to deconstruct into pocket-sized boxes.

Hell yes I want to be carried around in a mini blimp. You got a problem with that?

The 90s were like the last few years clinging to a denial that the future was never going to be as shiny as the chrome robots we dreamed of and that cyber fashion would die in the 80s. And as the 90s slowly approached the new millennium, it became a decade of depression and dirty laundry as grunge took over.

And you know what’s really stupid? I STILL keep misspelling millenium with only one “N.” WHAT THE HELL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM?! Couldn’t you drill that one into my head a little deeper?! All I got out of you was a perfect recitation of the constitution because THAT has proven to be oh so important! Screw spelling, let’s memorize a document you won’t ever bring up in conversation more than maybe 15 times in your entire life outside of school unless you follow a career in law, in which case you’ll still feel like a tool every time you reference it because WHO KNOWS THE CONSTITUTION BY HEART YOU NANCY?

Man, I better take a few emotion-regulator capsules and settle down before I hop into my auto-REM unit or I’ll wake up and find a whole myriad of angry nightmares recorded on the D.R.E.A.M (Daily Recordings of Excess and Alternate-reality Mentations) machine.

Reading fanfiction until 5:30 in the morning when you have to be awake at 8am for work.

And the stupid part is, I do this ALL THE TIME. WHATISWRONGWITHME O_O

Actually, I do extremely well with only a few hours of sleep – I’m feeling pretty good right now. Only just begining to feel a headache and a coffee at lunchtime will clear that up nicely.

Speaking of work, I last commented on it just to say it was a new workplace – for anyone who’s curious, it’s also a great workplace and it is a huge improvement from my last job. I never thought I would like a 9-5 job this much, but my god, weekends are glorious things.

Lately I’ve been playing a lot of video games. I never realized how much I missed them. I’m just all around happier when I get a good dose of gaming in.

The three that’ve really got my attention right now are Chrono Trigger (old, I know, but so damned good!), Final Fantasy XIII (yes, I am the Slowest Gamer in the World. That’s my official title, right along with Slowest Reader in the World. I like to savour things), and all of a sudden, Stronghold Legends. This last one is an RTS I’ve been playing with RazMataz (formerly AwkwardS) and Frozen a lot recently and it’s pretty fun. Build a sort-of thriving economy in medieval fantasy time, gather troops, slaughter each other in a conquest of land and power. It’s not the best RTS by a long shot, I’m sure many would tell me (I wouldn’t know, I hardly play them), but it’s a lot of fun and it was like, seven bucks at Half-Price Books. You can’t beat a cheap fun multiplayer game.

Which leads me to a game I’m REALLY EXCITED to play soon – Dragon Quest IX.

It’s an RPG! That’s multiplayer! And you can progress the story together! RALALA!

It’s a DS game and I’ve already got my copy – an awesome suprise gift from my mom for no reason at all, which is always the most badass and best kind of gift – but I’m waiting for RazMataz to get his DSi in the mail that he just ordered before really getting into the game so we can adventure together.

Now if only Frozen would get a DSi…*hint hint* (JK, I know the handhelds aren’t your thing, F).

So yeah! Video games!

I’ve also started rereading this book series I adored as a kid and I adore it just as much now. It’s good to go back to the roots sometimes.

But other than all that time-wasting awesomeness, I haven’t been up to much. This was a completely unnecessary post that wasn’t really about anything, but that’s kind of how most of these are, so whatev. :p

It seems that everytime I say I’ll vlog, I don’t post for a century or two. So from now on, don’t ever expect a vlog from me. I think we both know that anyway, but I feel the need to say it, just in case.

SO. For those of you who haven’t abandonned this blog (and there were very few of you to begin with, so I don’t know how many are left), here’s what I’ve been up to.

A-Fest preperation!

Actually, I haven’t been doing too much for this, which is just stupid on my part. I have been better at planning, though.

Cosplay plans:

1. Aeris – Final Fantasy 7

2. Dean Venture – The Venture Bros.

3. Fire Nation Citizen – Avatar The Last Airbender

4. I dunno yet

But yes, there are FOUR DAYS of A-Fest. I find that wonderfully exciting XD

If I can’t get a costume for the last day, I’ll probably re-wear Aeris. And for pre-Reg, I’ll probably pre-wear Dean, since it was really fun seeing people dress up for that.

Here’s the coolest part so far: my Fire Nation costume is already made! Woo hoo! So all I have to make is Aeris’s dress and jacket, and then find stuff for Dean because that’s more of an assembly costume than a make-it-yourself. I found extensions for Aeris’s hair that match my own color, which is nice because they are C-H-E-A-P and I won’t have to wear a full wig. And Dean…well, I’m going to have to see what I can do about Dean. His hair is really short and his hairline shows, so this will be a learning experience.

Anyway, see I have a new theme? I wanted something a little more blog-geared and less article-geared. I don’t really write articles here. Although, I just got the idea that maybe I’ll go post-happy and talk about all the games I’ve been playing lately…hmm.

Anyway, I also wanted something a little more video game and fantasy based, something a little more romantic to look at – who better to feature than Garnet til Alexandros XVII from Final Fantasy IX? I’ve only featured the lovely Rinoa Heartilly on my banners until now, and she is my favorite, but I adore Garnet too, amongst a few others, and it’s nice for a change up.

Tell me what you think in a comment. Oh, and yes, I know the tagline is messed up, it sits in different spots according to the size of your screen. I’ll figure out how to fix that.

So I’ll be doing a vlog about this…sometime (It may be in a week because I GOT A NEW JOB, YEAH! But I’m working two jobs until my two weeks are up, so time is cramped), but I just wanted to throw a few photos up here and briefly talk about how awesome A-Kon was.

So I ended up only doing two costumes: Misa from Death Note and Ranma from Ranma 1/2.

Reference Pics:

Misa

Ranma (The character in full-view.)

Just to explain, Ranma is a boy, but he’s been cursed so when he gets splashed by cold water, he turns into a girl.

My Misa costume was one I just assembled. I didn’t sew any of it and styling the wig just involved pulling the hair into pigtails (I didn’t have the right wig. The one I had ordered for the costume has yet to come in…No idea where it is).

My Ranma costume, on the other hand, was completely sewn by me. Shirt, pants, sash, cuffs. The only thing I was missing was my collar because we ended up needing some time before the con on Saturday morning to actually finish our homemade costumes and I decided that was just something I would have to add at a later date.

Anyway, here I am as each character.

Misa with a Zombie Hunter from ???

Misa with another Misa (My Death Note was beautifully made by Awkward (who is now going to be known as RazMataz))

Ranma

Ranma with Sango from Inu-Yasha and a bunch of random people

I also wanted to put up a picture of Frozen as Hei from Darker than Black because I made a large part of his trench coat and I’m very proud of it, but I forgot to pull the photos off of RazMataz’s harddrive, so I’ll have to do that later. The most awesome thing about completing that trench coat is that I now know how to make on for Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist and I am VERY excited about cosplaying him sometime soon.

A-Kon overall was packed full of people, hot, loud, and a blast. We saw so many awesome cosplayers (Sango up there, for example, is just perfect) and it was really fun getting pictures taken, both of other people and of us.

I’m going to do a better photo shoot with a better camera soon (I just used a little pocket cam for most of these). But for now, here’s one more pic. I’m not in costume, but this was who I was most excited to see all weekened

Look for the vlog next week sometime!

Oh yeah, by the way! I went and made a facebook account for my DevilandtheSea online name. If you read this, go add me there (<– this is a link). It’s where I’ll have most of my cosplay photos and other geeky things…like my user info lol. My name there is Devilandthe Sea, if for some reason that link above or to the left under “Dev Elsewhere” doesn’t work. It’s brand new, so I don’t have (m)any friends yet. You should be one of my first!

I am a total pain in the ass in online games.

Awkward, Frozen, and I have started playing Little Big Planet online and I’ve gotta say, it’s really fucking fun. We’ve only been playing fan-made levels so far but we’re going to go through the campaign (for the second time, but first time online together) soon.

What’s really cool is that while you’re in a fan-made level, other random players can join you until there are four people in the room, and A, F, and I all have mics, and the random players who join mostly likely don’t, and what ensues is just total and complete pain-in-the-ass-ery. Most of the other random players join in by typing through their gamepad or keyoard, so no real hard feelings. But god, this game is just awesome . Why are there not more multiplayer games out like this?

I think what makes it pretty unique is the ability to make the sackboys (the characters you control) move their arms, heads, bodies, and facial expressions at will, (and even their mouths when you talk through the mic). The level of expression possible while playing is just amazing and it really does a good job at involving you in the gameplay. There’s a lot more immersion into the game when you not only get to decide what your little guy looks like, but how he expresses himself and behaves with more detail. It’s a good example of what customization should be reaching for with online multiplayer games. While it’s fun to design characters in MMOs like Guild Wars, WoW, and FPSs, what people really have a fun time doing are silly things that allow them to really have control and personality while “in character.” Dancing, singing, taking pictures, etc.

I think game developers really underestimate that many players want Role Playing in these kinds of games, and not just the role of being a soldier or warrior or mage or whatever, but actually playing the role of the character, and that means being able to make the character do what you feel like doing in the world. Even in games that don’t allow customization or multiple players, such as the Final Fantasy series, the same desire applies. Players want to play AS that character. It’s not just a matter of moving them through one part of the game to the next, even with an engaging story.

This is why so many old fans of the Final Fantasy games are getting disappointed with the new releases. Look at games like Final Fantasy 7 and many of the fans will say some of the best parts are the side quests and mini-games. Chocobo racing to get out of prison anyone? Most of the mini-games and side quests pertain to the storyline (though some great ones don’t have anything to do with the plot at all), but they’re a nice break from the same proceed-to-the-next-stage kind of gameplay, plus it allows the player to see some of the game character’s personality. Nowadays, the biggest complaint most gamers have about new Final Fantasy games is the linear gameplay – the lack of side quests and mini games. They don’t want to just basically watch the game with their only involvement being battles or walking from here to there or in some games just hitting square at the right moment in a quick time event. They want to live in that world. They want free-roam and free-expression.

It’s what makes gamers gamers and not movie fanatics (not that a person can’t be both). Gamers don’t want JUST an amazing story and good characters and music. They want interaction.

If gamers aren’t enjoying the interaction, which can be made up from a combination of elements, then they’ll start to wonder why they’re investing 30+ hours into a game when they could just watch a really good movie.

It’s kind of a fuzzy concept because interaction could mean anything. You interact with the story by moving the character through it and possibly altering the ending. Character interaction could come from simple dialogue or even deciding who the main character ends up with romantically. Gameplay is where you get the most interaction, through boss fights, exploration, character movement, and collecting items, etc. And music is where the least interaction is usually needed/expected, although there are many games that play with sounds and the affect you can have on them as a player.

And, yes, any one of these categories done well alone could make a stellar game even when it’s lacking in other categories. But what game developers need to be doing with new games is use all their resources to allow the player to be in that game world. Different genres would go about this differently, of course, but the goal should be the same. Immersion.

Interaction.

Little Big Planet does it right. Even though the campaign story is kind of lame and some of the fan made levels are cooler than the real ones, the ability to even try to make cooler levels is a huge part of the game. This is a game about expression, and the developers integrated that into as many elements as possible. The campaign serves more as a learning tool, source of inspiration, and a place to collect objects and costumes to use when designing your own level, your home pod, or your character.

Game developers need to focus on what their game is about and then just put absolutely everything possible into making it the best experience they can provide with that focus in mind.

Little Big Planet isn’t as epic in story as Final Fantasy #Whatever, but it is a damn good game with excellent player interaction. The (mostly old) Final Fantasy games achieve that same status for different reasons. Many games have done things right, and have given great experiences and interactions. But many more have been complete flops, and in an industry that is still young and growing and, at this particular moment in time, primarily focused on exposure and profit, I can’t help but notice the lack of effort to really give the player a chance to fully experience their games and interact with them in ways they want to. With this new generation of consoles, there has been a huge drop in damn good games being produced, and it’s just disappointing.

Nothing much to report.

Ranma costume: 80% completed.

Misa costume: 95% completed.

Death costume: 98% completed.

Still waiting on a few wigs, still bumming around looking for a job (I am not really bumming, I’ve still got a job. I just feel like I’m bumming), still not making video game review shows.

I keep saying to myself, “After A-kon, things will get calmer because my free time won’t be used to get ready for A-kon.” But who knows if that’s really true.

Next comes the costume I’ll be wearing to The Last Airbender midnight release. Has anyone seen that new trailer?! The Blue Spirit was in it! I almost shrieked in the theater. I loooooved the Blue Spirit.

I think I’m definitely going to put together a fire-nation costume for that. I’ve always liked the water element better, but the fire nation is just so misrepresented by their leader. Allllthough…maybe I should do a costume for each movie release and go as the themed element? That means water, then earth for the second, then fire for the third.

Hmmm.

I am, in a word, a scholar. And I am good at being a scholar.

I am not good, however, at figuring out how to make money on being a scholar alone.

I could write, and I am, but that takes time. And while writing, until the writing starts to pay for itself and then some, I still need a job, which takes away time and energy. It’s sort of a small, vicious circle.

I could teach, but everyone is doing that right now and I don’t have a university certified teaching degree, just an alternative certificate, and while that would ordinarily work for me – seeing my gpa, my work with kids, and whatnot – I graduated during the worst recession in whatever amount of time and so everyone and their mother who’s lost their jobs doing things other than teaching have gone and gotten teaching certificates, and their old jobs gave them the one thing I need more than anything – the one thing I’m really missing: experience.

I could get a desk job, I could be a secretary, I could tutor, I could…I don’t even know! Because everyone says, “well, you’re lacking experience…”

I went and applied for a preschool teaching position at a place that doesn’t NEED certification, that has teachers that AREN’T certified, and THEY! THEY told me I don’t have enough experience! I was a nanny for six years! And a tutor for two! And, Jesus Christ, those kids are no older than FOUR!

WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE TO TEACH FOUR YEAR OLDS DO I NEED THAT I WOULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN FROM SIX YEARS OF NANNYING?!

*huff huff*

…

So, I’m kind of at a loss. I need a job that doesn’t require me to stand for eight hours a day, five days a week, with random days off . One that I can actually respect and respects me in return. Maybe that last part is asking much, but with my credentials I should at least be able to find a job that fits the first part of the description.

There’s also the factor that everywhere I go, the first thing the receptionist says upon my inquiring about work is, “you have to go to our website.”

Do you know how frustrating that is? I can’t even talk to someone without applying online first. To get a job is to play the numbers’ game, apparently.

Oo! My coworker and friend at the bar just made me a fruit smoothie! That is definitely a mood-lifter haha.

Anyway, that’s about everything I’ve been glum over for a while.

A-kon’s in two weeks and I’m so stoked. I’ve got half of my Misa costume together, Ranma is just about done although I might have to remake the shirt cause it’s a little tight, and I’ve already had most of my Death costume in my regular wardrobe. Just waiting on the wigs and the final touches and I’ll be good to go.

My affiliates may not be so ready… -_-
But they’re getting there. Still got two weeks, after all!

I say that as if it’s a resignation, as if I’ve been trying to avoid it and just wasn’t strong enough to do so any longer.

That’s not really the case. I have no problem with Steam. In fact, I know very little about it, other than when I first looked into it, I knew two things:

1)It was intimidating as hell (I have no idea why, though, because it’s a very user-friendly site.)

2)I would damn myself to a life of poverty if I joined.

…

I hear they say you get used to eating cheap canned food for every meal…

And now, if you’re even remotely interested in games, I’m going to damn you, too, because it wasn’t just a lack of willpower that finally put my name in the Steam database – it was finding out that until May 24th, you can download Portal for free. (Click those words, it’s a link.)

Now some of you might be saying, WTF Dev, you don’t already have Portal? What kind of gamer are you claiming to be? Jesus.

I’m claiming to be the kind of gamer who doesn’t have or want an Xbox or Orange Box or, before now, a Steam account.

Rag on me for it after you explain to me why you don’t play any games older than your seven year old brother.

Anyway, this isn’t the point. Did you not read that sentence above? Portal is free. For a limited time. Who says no to free excellent games? Stupid people. Don’t be stupid. Download Portal while you can. Even if you never plan on playing it. Even if you hated it. (What are you, nuts?) There is no reason to say no to this.

Now I have to remember I need to say no to other titles that aren’t free if I want to eat ever again…Sigh.

Haha. It really is one of the coolest things. I took a large swath of black broadcloth, cut it into shapes, and stitched up like, five lines and I had a completed pair of cute pants.

I made them for my Ranma 1/2 costume, but I’m definitely going to be making them again. Already I fell asleep in them because they’re just so damn comfortable. I am not planning on making it a habit to sleep in my cosplay outfits, btw. But I am planning on making a second pair as lounge/sleeping pants. And I want a  pair to just wear out – I threw on a pair of heels just to see how it would look, and it worked out perfectly. Now I know what to do when I want a pair of cotton summer pants for going to the beach club in or to just go shopping in.

I’ll take a picture of them later this week. I should be getting my Ranma wig in today. I’ll probably wait until after I finish the costume until I style it. So all I have left is the kung fu shirt, the arm cuffs, and finding a pair of shoes. I still haven’t found a pattern for the kung fu shirt, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.

Then there’s Misa. I’ll be going out for her outfit sometime next week. I’m probably just going to buy accessories from Hot Topic instead of making the outfit from scratch. I still need to find a wig for her, and it’s getting close to A-Kon, so I’m a little worried about getting one in time. As soon as I see my Ranma wig, I’ll know if I want to order from Amphigory again or not. Hopefully it’ll be a nice one.

But yup, that’s about it. Finally getting in gear for A-Kon, and I just hope I can move fast enough

I’m really excited lol.

Oh yeah,  by the way, THIS is the pants tutorial I followed, in case you want to make your own pair for whatever reason. Very easy, very beginner-friendly, very cheap. Overall, my pants cost me less than eight dollars. So even if you just want to try them as a first-time sewing project, they’re a good pick. Good luck!

I got access to this manga series about…a week ago? Two weeks maximum. I hadn’t even planned on reading it in the first place, but a lot of users on myanimelist.net have it rated highly, and many in the manga/anime community in general claim it’s the best romance series out there. Now, I don’t know about that – I haven’t read enough romance manga to make that claim, but that statement got me to look into it and holy smokes, if it’s not the best, it’s damn high on the list.

Briefly, the series is about a group of people living at a boarding house. You have Mrs. Ichinose and her son and husband; Yotsuya; Akemi; and Godai. They’re an eccentric crew, and the story opens in chaos – which is also where the story ends up staying most of the time – and chaos is the first thing that greets Kyoko, the brand new manager of the property. She’s beautiful, she’s young, and she’s a widow – and to Godai, the young student trying to get into college, she’s love at first sight.

The story takes off from there in a sort of twisted snake’s nest of misunderstanding. The main plotline is the romance between Kyoko and Godai, but it’s not an easy romance. The other tenants, other love interest, and the two main characters themselves complicate things so much that you really don’t know if this is going to be a happy story or one that ends bittersweetly. There are times when the series is both, and Takahashi does a wonderful job of not letting you relax. Ever.

I read this series straight through. There were some nights when I’d start reading at before bed, expecting only to read a few chapters, and then suddenly it was 7am and I still couldn’t bring myself to stop. Takahashi is a master at getting the reader to turn the pages because you HAVE to know what happens next. Will Godai confess to Kyoko? Will Kyoko keep acting clueless or will she face the situation? Will the other tenants ever stop partying? Will anyone ever be decisive about serious situations?

Even when you get a little fed up with this series, you can’t stop. I’ll admit, halfway through, I was just getting tired of all the misunderstanding. Over and over again Godai and Kyoko get this close to making progress in their relationship, and then something stupid happens and ruins it. It’s tormenting, and you both love it and hate it.

Also, something that kind of caused me to pause while reading was the similarities in appearances between some of the characters. This wasn’t a problem when the similar looking characters were not in the same scene, but when they got together, I often had to stop and check to see what each character was wearing in order to keep them straight. Below is an image of Kyoko’s and Godai’s rivals talking together – if it weren’t for Kozue saying Mitaka’s name, just looking at this wouldn’t tell the reader whether or not that were Godai or Mitaka sitting with her. You can look at the image of Godai and Kyoko two panels up for comparison. They do look different when you’re paying attention, but when you’re breezing through the story, they look too similar and this becomes a problem in some parts.

Still, this minor nuisance isn’t enough to really ruin the reading experience, and it’s easy to overlook it. Takahashi’s overall art style is so quaint and attractive, that you end up not minding having to slow down and look at the images a little more closely.

And despite the constant obstacles the characters all face, you care about them too much to give up on them. I think if I had read the series slowly over time, and had a bit of a gap between each volume, I wouldn’t have gotten frustrated at the slower progress of the relationships. In a way, I wish that’s how I read it. In retrospect, I’m glad it was a slow build up to a really great climax – it was a very good representation of real life relationships and how they take time and nurturing to develop and mature, which is probably also the best part of this series. The slowness, while frustrating, is accurate and allows for more character development and reader investment. I think the trend in young adult fiction nowadays is to have the romance barrel the reader over halfway through the first chapter, and while there is a sweet budding romance immediately in this story, it doesn’t rush.

The story is often laugh-out-loud funny and even the characters ask themselves how they get into such insane situations. The side characters are just as lovable as the main characters, and even though you constantly wonder why the main characters put up with some of their associates, by the end of the series, you understand perfectly and wouldn’t want it any other way.

All in all, this was a wonderful early series by Rumiko Takahashi, and despite it’s minor complaints, it really deserves a read by anyone who is a manga fan and doubly so for any romantic. This one is going on my To-Buy List.

9/10