#also went to my first anime convention earlier

[supportanimy]

My first proper cosplay is Amy! Please be nice.

[oneirophasia]

I like thinking about how The Murderbot Diaries could be adapted. I enjoy the conceit that much or all of the footage/animation is technically in first-person - but, true to character, Murderbot frequently prefers to hijack drones and other environmental cameras as an emotional distancing mechanism, allowing changes in POV to communicate its emotions without forcing Murderbot to explicitly comment on them. :D Visual media obviously want less narration than literature (sometimes to its detriment), but fortunately Murderbot has the excuse of lacking a Watson or anyone else it's willing to talk to, especially for half the first book, so there's plenty of justification for a minimal level of snarky cyber-noir commentary. The tonal contrast between its internal monologue and everything it actually says is important!

Treating the "camera" as an explicit extension of Murderbot's perspective also slightly simplifies the problem that a lot of the action and dialogue happens in a way that's tricky to convey passively in only two senses. For one, people talk to each other regularly not just vocally, but over the feed. How can that distinction be made clear to the audience without constantly having to say so? Audio is the most obvious choice; maybe the dialogue has processing effects that give it a subtle electronic tint. Earlier scenes could establish the convention by showing augmented humans continuing to talk by closing their mouths and using subvocal jaw movements, accompanied by the processing change, setting up that association to use without the visual cue later. It'd be important that the effect be distinctive without making the dialogue incomprehensible, since music and sound effects would also still be part of the mix. But "the feed" isn't just one feed, either - not everyone uses the same public channel, and sometimes that's plot-relevant. I remember in Rogue Protocol there was a moment where Murderbot has a brief conversation with someone - I think it was Abene? - which starts vocally, then moves to the feed, then to a private channel. The same people are speaking, or else you could use that to imply the change, but it's important to the audience that other people in the group who aren't currently speaking can only hear some of it. How do you communicate that efficiently? "Sounds digital" is one thing, "sounds digital but in two or more distinct and consistent ways" is another level and outside my limited AV knowledge. (If Murderbot is narrating when other people are around we might also need tone for "asides no one heard but the audience", but that isn't anything new at least.)

That's relatively trivial compared to the broader problem that Murderbot, specifically, is constantly talking to and hacking computer systems. That's at least half of its job and plot participation, but it's also a core part of its characterisation as an insubordinate non-human that makes it a compelling protagonist, so "just write it out of the script" would clearly betray the spirit of an adaptation. I don't know if you've thought about how much effort directors went to until someone (possibly on Sherlock) figured out how to just present text messages on-screen in a dynamic and legible way? This is worse. Viewers don't necessarily need as much information as readers get, but I just finished Exit Strategy and was paying attention to what I was actually imagining visually while Murderbot:

Remotely contacts a gunship using false authentication so it won't notify its human crew

Casually disables security devices and erases itself from recordings

Distinguishes systems by which organisation they belong to, how much access it has to them, and whether they have an active human operator

Sorts personal memories to edit into a highlights reel

Briefly redirects a secure call at a critical moment

Fakes a glitch in decorative holography

Exploits the perimeters of security systems that don't directly communicate with each other to evade pursuit

Monitors transit traffic to deduce enemy movement and change plans accordingly

Hijacks all the drones in a large room and blocks attempts to regain control

Reclassifies enemy combatants mid-engagement

Secures a pilot bot in the middle of being destroyed by killware

Creates bait to lure said killware into a subsystem that can be physically disconnected

Good thing I was imagining a broadly POV camera framing anyway, because none of this is happening physically, and Murderbot isn't experiencing it through human-analogous senses. The challenge is to communicate all of that without impeding the story it's meant to support, without the advantage of being able to control pacing through text. The usual trope for creating visual interest in the visually-unexciting activity of "using a computer" is to portray it as happening physically anyway in a metaphorical cyberspace, but I don't think that actually works in this case, because remember: a lot of this happens during climactic action scenes, and blocking fight choreography can be disorienting enough as it is without also constantly flickering into virtual reality just long enough to flip an imaginary switch. It makes more sense to me to represent it as more of an augmented reality overlay, which... the problem there isn't really that that sounds like creating an entire imaginary UI, which isn't different in principle from set design making sure all the buttons are labelled consistently on the spaceship console, the problem is that usually the audience isn't watching through the console. You'd need to treat the HUD elements as normal and use them at least often enough that when they become important the audience will be ready to follow along without exposition, but cluttering the screen can be distracting enough when you're playing an game and is probably even worse in a non-interactive medium.

[mintywolf]

(I wrote this on the train coming home on August 26th although I am just getting around to posting it now because time is a weird soup.)

So okay.

****

I haven’t written a personal journal post in a long time but I want to write down EVERYTHING I can remember about my adventure to NYC to see the Critical Role cast so I don’t forget. It was SUCH a moving experience and I’m so glad I went even though I was scared.

So okay my big goal for this year was to finish the first chapter of my C3 prequel fan comic A Long Road Home (southerngothiccomic.com), have a print edition made, and meet Laura and Marisha at a convention so I could give copies of it to them in person. When the CR cast announced they were going to be at Anime NYC this year I figured that was the closest they were probably going to get to me in Virginia. (And getting autographs at NYCC is reportedly like hunting a unicorn so I figured this would be my best chance.)

I was also terrified, and almost talked myself out of it because I was nervous about giving them the comic, even though I already had a badge and it was what I really, really wanted to do. I know the cast loves to see fanart — and also, it has been revealed, reads the fanfic — but it’s also a pretty well-known taboo for a fan to show their fanfic to a creator and a graphic novel is an unholy hybrid of the two. I was also worried that it would seem presumptuous of me to present them with a fanmade prequel graphic novel because there’s almost certainly going to be an official one at some point, and afraid that at best they might politely tell me they couldn’t accept it (for the reasons that comic writers aren’t “allowed” to read fanfic), and at worst they might be kind of annoyed that it exists. Either way I’d be REALLY sad, and in the weeks leading up to the con I worked myself up into an irrational panic about this. Fortunately my friends managed to talk me into not backing out (and spoilers: it turned out okay in the end!) but I was still very scared.

Also I was so focused on the comic stuff that I forgot until after GenCon earlier this month to think of what I wanted to actually have autographed. I decided to get a big print of the chapter one cover from INPRNT, assuming that since I ordered it two weeks in advance with an eta of 5-7 days that would be plenty of time for it to get to me. Well, reader, it was not. (But please do not let me dissuade you from using INPRNT! To their credit when I contacted them and asked if I could upgrade to rush delivery, they expedited it for free. Unfortunately even with rush shipping it just missed me, arriving at my house while I was on the train to NYC.)

Pâté on the train going to see his biological parents. (Laura and Marisha.)

When I saw that it wasn’t going to arrive in time I was starting to panic because there is nowhere near me to have art prints made. It’s a 15 minute drive (past the alpaca farm) just to get to the nearest grocery store. Grasping at straws I was kind of like Should I . . . draw something? On paper?? With real media that I haven’t used in like 10 years??? I only have 3 days!!!

Fortunately my life was saved by @emphaticembroiderer who had the brilliant suggestion of sending my art ahead to a print shop in NYC and picking it up before the convention. There are indeed MANY of those in New York and I managed to find one that was open on Saturdays and able to make my print on short notice. (567 Framing on W 14th street. The owner, Jack Hu, did excellent work and was very kind!) By that point I was frazzled and didn’t want two of the same print so I decided to be self-indulgent and had this one made. Not my showiest piece but it is one of my favorite things I’ve drawn. (This turned out to be the correct decision.) It’s a 6 1/2 hour train ride from here to there (and it got a little delayed along the way) so by the time I got there it was after 5 and the print shop closed at 6:30 so I zoomed over there straight from the train station to pick it up. It turned out BEAUTIFULLY, and the owner was pleased with how happy I was with it and that he’d been able to help.

He enjoys that he is included.

Then I went and checked in to my hotel and that point really just wanted to lie down on a bed but I had plans to take Pâté to see Hadestown on Broadway that night because I wanted to make the most of my trip. (Also it’s important for our scrungly son to receive a cultural education.) In keeping with the theme of the weekend I wore the Laudna-themed sundress I made for GenCon with one of the poppies in my hair. An usher told me they liked my ensemble. :) I had decided to go for a front row mezzanine seat because I didn’t know when I’d ever have this opportunity again and I didn’t want to risk my miniature self being stuck behind a tall person. It was perfect; I could see everything and the performance was AMAZING. Pâté had a very good time too.

The next day was the CR panel and autographs!! I decided to wear my 1950s Laudna cosplay from GenCon. I had some doubts about it when I got there because without the rest of 50s Bells Hells the theme isn’t as clear and outside of a DnD-focused convention the recognizability of a CR character is kind of low, let alone an AU variant on one. But once I found the Critters my Pâté poodle skirt was appreciated. :)

This is Rach @dadrielle, Astoria @astoriacolumnstaircase, Abby @overnighttosunflowers, and me as 50s Hells at GenCon!

And okay I know this said a lot but it’s true, CR fans are the NICEST fandom to be a part of. <3 If you’re ever standing in line for a CR thing by the time you get there you will have new friends. (For comparison the other-fandoms cosplayers I saw at the hotel and on the way to the con didn’t even return my smiles, even though we were all clearly going to the same place.) I fell in with a group of people who were near me in line (including an amazing Owlbearman cosplayer) and we decided to all sit together. The panel was really great. I don’t remember everything that was asked because of everything ELSE that happened later that day but they hinted that Big Things are coming (including multiple live shows!! Please come to Richmond! Or DC! Or at least somewhere on the East Coast!) for the 10th anniversary and Momlan stepped up to the mic during the Q&A segment and revealed that Sam has achieved his childhood dream . . . to become a minotaur. :D

With the mindset of making the most of this trip I had intended to try to get a spot in line to ask a question but I was hesitant about being on camera (even in cosplay) and while I was dithering about it like 50 people got in line. (I was also Suffering by that point because my rockabilly Laudna shoes have like 3 inch heels and after walking from the hotel to the convention center I didn’t have the fortitude to dart over to the line in them.)

My question, which I hope to submit next time there’s a Q&A opportunity, was this: For Marisha. We’ve seen Delilah’s influence manifesting in Laudna’s fashion choices recently. Now that she has the means and the freedom to do so, what kind of clothes would she choose for herself?

(Because I am a little sad that — until a possible post-campaign oneshot — we’ll never get to see a high-level Laudna costume that’s totally of her own design and I’m really eager to know what it would look like! Let her be spooky and free!)

Afterwards the cosplayers were being rounded up for a photo shoot but I was anxious to get a good spot in line for my autograph with Laura at 2pm so I stealthed away with Ken (@elissabrat), a Jester fan I had met in line, who knew where they were and had one with Travis at the same time. When we got there we were told No, go away and come back in an hour and a half, because it was still only 12. So we went to the Artists Alley where we found a girl named Lea whom we had also met in the panel line and collected a few other stray Critters (Ken has a boisterous and inviting personality and importantly, is very tall, preventing the rest of us from getting lost in the crowd) and we wandered around seeking out all the CR fan artists we could find. (There were a lot! It was great. I got some prints.)

by Cait May and Maliveth

Around 1 we decided to go back and see what the line situation was. Before we parted ways I exchanged twitter handles with Lea, who looked at my profile and said “Wait . . . this is you?”

She told me she was a big fan of my comic and looks forward to it every week! and we were both kind of like !!! at each other for a moment. I had never met someone who recognized my art in the wild before. (On ANY other day this would have been the most amazing thing that happened to me, haha.) I was so touched to meet her. <3

I took out the two books I was carrying and explained why I was there and we all got hyped up about it. And it made it feel a little less daunting, to know that there was someone there who understood the quest I was on and how close I was to the end of it.

I was like 5th in line for Laura and since it was still early I got to participate in that bonding experience integral to every con, sitting on the floor in cosplay, with a very good Vex behind me. (Hilariously, even after the dig at them — or maybe unaware of it — in the most recent episode, there were a lot of Funko Pop resellers around us, haha.)

I sent word to Southern Gothic Discord to remember me fondly in case I died here. In fact I'm not entirely sure that I didn't.

It felt like there was a disproportionate amount of fanfare revealing my print because I kept it how it was packed by the printer, wrapped in paper in between two pieces of cardboard so it wouldn’t get bent, so there was this whole ceremony of peeling back the tape, turning under one of the cardboard protectors, unfolding the paper, and turning over the print. But Laura loved it. She made like a happy sob when she saw it (it was really cute) and she looked at it for a long time taking in all the details and said it was beautiful. <3 <3 <3 (No matter how much we love and ship Imogen and Laudna, NO ONE loves them or is shipping them harder than Laura Bailey. She asked if I was going to bring it to Marisha too and was careful picking out a spot so there'd be room for both of their signatures. :))

I told her I was really happy to meet her because I’ve been a fan since BloodRayne (so, um. 20 years) and she said “oh wow, that was OG days!” And she gave me just a really kind look like she understood how much it meant to me to be there.

Then I gave her the comic. You all were right, I was worried about nothing! because she is the sweetest and she loved it. I very nervously pushed it across the table and said it was a comic I had made and wanted to give her. She picked it up and started turning the pages and was surprised when she saw what it was. “Wait, this is a whole novel! You made this?”

I confessed that I had, and she asked how long it had taken, I told her about a year (it was actually longer; in the moment I kind of forgot not how many pages there are in the first chapter but how many weeks are in a year) and she looked just really impressed that I had made it and touched by how much work had gone into it. She said she couldn’t wait to read it and seemed really excited to hear that it’s still going online! (So no pressure on me there if she's keeping up with it now, haha. o.o) And she kept looking between the book and me like she couldn’t believe it.

Then she asked me if I would sign it for her. :')

Somehow I survived long enough to do so! (a little wobbly because my hands were shaking) and someone (I think it was the ticket scanner) made a joke about how I was the first person to give an autograph at a signing, haha. And then she came around the table and gave me a hug. <3 <3 <3

After that my soul was still on the ethereal plane but the rest of me managed to find my way (after a brief wrong turn) to Marisha’s line. (There was a really good Keyleth and Caduceus in line behind me and they kindly noticed and returned the Pâté sticker that fell out of Marisha’s book).

She recognized my cosplay as 1950s Laudna right away! which was very validating after my earlier indecision haha. She loved the Pâté skirt and thought the scissors embroidery on my collar was adorable. She really liked the art too and was kind of like “Awww” about the book like in an “aww it’s an Imogen and Laudna thing” kind of way (she also liked the glass bottle windchimes on the cover and I love that she noticed that detail because Laudna’s penchant for turning things other people have thrown away into arts and crafts is one of my favorite aspects of her character) until she opened it and started looking through it.

Then she said, “Wait, this is actually really good," and she asked me seriously if Liam “Art Dad” knew about it (I said he had liked some of my other art on Twitter but I didn’t know if he knew about the comic) and then she said — still looking at it, more to herself than me — “We’ll have to add it to our art catalogue.” I don’t know exactly what that means (and I don’t want to get my hopes up too high by speculating; I was too !!! in the moment to ask and now I’m going to be wondering) but . . . it sounds . . . exciting??

They also both enjoyed Pâté and his lil sunglasses. :)

I had gone up with the intention of asking my other burning question: How does being cold-blooded affect Laudna in cold climates? If she gets too cold will she enter a state of brumation like a lizard? Will she freeze solid?

But I forgot. And it really wouldn’t have been the right moment. Maybe when I come back with Volume Two. :)

You’re supposed to pay extra to get a quote put on there but they both did it anyway without even asking. I think they must be really pleased when someone brings them something personal that they’ve made to have signed and not something they’re planning to sell.

After that I just kind of floated away from the con even though it was only like 2:30 haha. Nothing else could have happened there that would have equaled or improved upon that experience. Although I did adopt a Tentacle Kitty. The vendor (correctly) guessed “you look like you’d vibe with our spooky collection” so I had to get a new buddy for Pâté. (50s Laudna, still readily identifiable as a witch wherever she goes.) Also I saw a very chill emotional support pomeranian in a backpack.

(On the way back I saw the mark of the Traveler graffiti’d in green on the sidewalk. Truly a blessed day. :P)

Afterwards I just sat on the bed in my hotel room amid the floof of my crinoline wondering what even is my life for the next few hours and being like !!!! at Discord. Then I met up with Abby (whom it was wonderful to see again!! thank you so much for coming to see me) for dinner and had a really lovely time going over the What Just Happened of it all and talking about Imodna over strawberry pancakes. As one does. Perfect ending to an amazing day. <3

It was SUCH an incredible, exhilarating experience, thank you everyone who pushed me into not giving up out of fear. Laura and Marisha are SO nice and gracious in person and it was just so rewarding, after all the work and love and time I’ve put into this comic, to be able to finally bring it to the people who inspired it! And to see it appreciated and admired by them! It was more than I ever could have imagined.

This fandom is the best. My heart is so happy and full of love right now. <3 <3 <3

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Anime Convention (feat. someone real). Interlude I

Self-Aware! Ayatsuji Yukito x GN! Reader

Description of Interlude I:

Cats can be mischievous thieves. And, sometimes, they could steal something interesting.

Ayatsuji try to make sense of what he has learned and take a trip down the memory line.

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

For Ayatsuji Yukito, self-awareness was a blessing. For Ayatsuji Yukito, Real World is big and unexplored. Yukito Ayatsuji must learn, how to interact with Real World.

Yukito Ayatsuji has two cats. And there is only one can of cat food left. He also has almost no tobacco left.

He needs to face Real World and went to the store.

He is lucky, that Guiding Light is also home.

A.K.A. Shy and timid Reader are more important, than they think they are.

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

Ayatsuji's P.O.V.

Warning: OOC. English is my second language. Slight mentions of stalking (BSD Cast had access to Reader's messenger and phone). Reader have some negative feelings towards them. Reader try to be better.

Set at the same time, as Part I, and flashback took place two weeks before Part I. [Before people started gossip about Reader, but, after people saw Albatross and Doc]

Mall trip incident described here

<| Part 1 |_________| Part II | >

___________

Ayatsuji was sitting in his chair, reading a book [Y/N] gave him. To be more specific, it was a library book, that Ayatsuji wanted to read and that was put under [Y/N]'s name. The book was a compilation of mystery novels by different authors.

It not only was a way to spend time for Ayatsuji. It was a “training”. Training, before Ayatsuji could read a book with his name on a cover.

He knew, that there was a specific someone in this world. Author. Reason, why Ayatsuji existed in the first place. The reason, why his ability was named Another, why his ability worked the way it worked. Author was the reason of everything, that was happening with Ayatsuji Yukito.

Ayatsuji can't say, for sure, who exactly he meant by “Author”. His namesake… Or…

Meowing, that came from the door to Ayatsuji's room grabbed his attention. Meowing sounded odd. Like it was muffled. Ayatsuji knew too well, what it means. Cats were back from “treasure hunting” and wanted to show him, what they have found.

Ayatsuji put a bookmark between pages and closed the book. He signed and looked at his cats. Mei and Misaki¹ were good cats, but, sometimes, they liked to steal something to show their master.

Ayatsuji blamed Karl and Poe for that behavior. Karl often brought things to Poe, and Poe also asked Karl to bring small things to Ranpo. This behavior rubbed on Ayatsuji's cats, and they started to act the same way. The only problem was that Ayatsuji didn't ask for anything to be brought to him. Unfortunately, cats refused to stop. The list of stolen things already included Dazai's bolo tie, Q's doll, Ranpo's glasses, Kunikida's notebook and Yosano's hairpin. Thankfully, cats were careful, and all things were returned to their owners good as new.

“What did you two steal this time?” mumbled Ayatsuji, standing up.

Mei, black cat, meowed again. She was holding a few papers in her mouth. No, not just papers. There were some text on them. A document?

Misaki, a calico cat, pawed on the corner of the document. Before cats could damage it, Ayatsuji took it away. Cats looked at Ayatsuji, waiting for a praise. Ayatsuji crook an eyebrow.

“You do realize, that earlier we will have to apologize for your behavior, right?”

Cats looked unbothered by it. Ayatsuji sighs and adjust his glasses. He starts reading the document's text.

“Okay, who it belongs to…” Ayatsuji's eyes widened. It was a rent contract. With [Y/N]'s name on it. And it wasn't expired.

“They're still keeping their old apartment… Why?” whispered Ayatsuji. His gaze stopped on the rent's price. It was higher, that before.

All of them knew, how much you paid for your previous apartment. You always send screenshots, proves of successful payments, to your landlord.

Why were you renting an apartment you didn't use?

Cats rubbed against his back. They looked at their master, waiting for something. For praise, or… For an order?

Ayatsuji took his phone and took a picture of the contract. He kneeled before his cats, holding contact towards them.

“Mei, Misaki, thank you. Now, please, took it back where you found it. And I… I need to go to my collection.”

The cats purred, and Misaki took the document in her mouth. Ayatsuji and both cats left the room. Mei and Misaki ran towards [Y/N]'s room. With the corner of his eye, Ayatsuji noticed a familiar striped tail. That explained, how his cats managed to open whatever drawer, where [Y/N] hid the contract.

_____

Ayatsuji Yukito was glad, that he was able to took his collection here. It helps him think.

Surrounded by puppets, he sat in an armchair. His eyes were closed.

“Why… Why [Y/N] are keeping the apparent?” Ayatsuji mumbles under his breath.

Did [Y/N] leave something in the old apartment, that they can't move to the new house? Unlikely. Ayatsuji remembered the day they helped [Y/N] with moving out. All furniture and washing machine belonged to the landlord. The biggest and heaviest of Guiding Light's belongings were a mini fridge, microwave, mini stove and vacuum cleaner. They and the rest of [Y/N]'s belongings were transported in Annie's room and didn't take too much of a space.

So, not it.

Are [Y/N] planning to leave them? Did he and others do something wrong? Were they too forward? Are [Y/N] afraid of them?

Should Ayatsuji confront [Y/N]? Should he tell others?

Ayatsuji shook his head.

Stop. He is getting too worked up. No. He should start with the first question.

Are [Y/N] planning to leave them?

Ayatsuji opened his eyes and focused on one of the dolls. The first new addition to his collection.

Present from [Y/N].

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

/Two weeks ago/

Mei and Misaki were rubbing against his legs, waiting for their food.

Ayatsuji send a quick glance towards his pets, smiling slightly, but frowned, when he looked at the shelf in kitchen's cabinet, where animal food were kept.

Enough raccoon's food and birds' seeds.

And only one can of cat food left.

Enough for today. But he had to buy more.

Had to go outside, to the pet store, and buy more cat food.

Mechanically, he opened the can, put food in two bowls and put them down on the floor. Mei and Misaki purred gratefully, before digging in. Ayatsuji pet both cats, looking out the window.

Outside… All of them fight tooth and nail to get into the real world. Not only to see Guiding Light, but to finally start living their lives.

Who could guess, that they would be horrified of the real world.

Ayatsuji wasn't an exception. He was also nervous about the Real World.

And “Another” wasn't the reason for his fear.

At first, self-awareness was “shocking, but it doesn't change things for me”.

Ayatsuji, back in their world, was forced to stay away from most people. Even after they gained self-awareness, he was forced to stay away.

His uncontrollable ability could still work on others. No one would want to find out, what would happen, if Ayatsuji saw some event in the manga, that makes his ability activate.

Ayatsuji can't blame them. No one wants to die.

When Oda Sakunosuke, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko and André Gide returned to life, after Guiding Light got their cards, the experiments began.

Soon, others dead characters returned to life.

And Ayatsuji was finally part of the group. Now the results of his ability could be “fixed”.

Still, Ayatsuji could hear them. Whispers about him. If he should be allowed in real world. Specifically, if his ability should be allowed near Guiding Light.

If someone started a vote on “Should Ayatsuji be left behind”, Ayatsuji himself would say “yes”. He wanted to go to the Real World, have a full life, met Guiding Light (or Porcelain Treasure, that's how he called them, after hearing from Tsujimura about 'personal nicknames for Guiding Light'), but, he also didn't want to harm Guiding Light. What if they were a criminal? He didn't want to pay for their kindness with murdering them!

The situation was resolved in an interesting way.

They believed, that cards affected only 'dead' characters. They were wrong.

Ango, when he was trying to raise Guiding Light's chances on getting Yosano's cards, discovered, that they could change their abilities for a bit.

Ayatsuji was among people, who wanted to have their abilities changed. He only asked for one thing. To have control over his ability.

And it was time to wait. He could test, if changed works only in Real World.

He was grateful, that the only crime [Y/N] have committed were a crime of adorableness. At least, if changes didn't work, [Y/N] won't be harmed.

They only need to find a criminal.

With some fake documents and snooping around the police station, Ayatsuji managed to find one. A burglar, who break in a house, steal everything and murdered owners.

And when Ayatsuji explained in great details, how he solved the case, he felt it.

His ability was waiting for his command to be activated.

Changes worked.

Self-awareness was a blessing for Yukito Ayatsuji. His ability wasn't a problem anymore.

Now, there is just one issue was left.

All this people, that lived in real world.

All of them knew, how crowded and loud cities are. It was a well known fact, one of many bits of information, that were there, the moment they became self-aware. Knowledge, they were born? with created to have?

Despite “Yokohama” being a dead city. No other people, except them, no other animals, except Karl, Mei and Misaki.

Only almost two years of silence. For two years, they only have each other and Their Guiding Light.

And then, the Real World greeted them with noises. With stable day and night cycle. With animals and people. Full of life.

And this life was scary and unfamiliar.

Ayatsuji felt, like he was a sheltered child, who was taught about the outside world, but never was allowed to take a step outside. And after years of sheltered life, he was kicked in the middle of “reality” and now must live in almost unfamiliar world.

Ayatsuji shook his head, chasing away the flood of memories and thoughts. No matter, how much he was nervous to go outside, he has to buy cat food.

He will simply grab his coat and wallet and go to the pet store, while smoking his pipe.

********

He was out of tobacco. Now, he has to go to one more store.

“Just two shops. Everything will be fine…” Mumbled Ayatsuji under his breath. He was sitting in the living room, trying to get a hold on himself. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice, that he got a company.

“Ayatsuji… Are you okay? You look nervous.” the voice, that became so familiar and dear for the last two years, was coming from behind.

Ayatsuji turned around, looking at [Y/N]. They tilted their head, a concerned expression was clear on their face. Ayatsuji couldn't help, but smile slightly. He skipped his normal distant and cold attitude. Jouno's warning was fresh in his mind.

“Mind what you said around [Y/N]. Their heartbeat… They accept all our words for truth.”

“I am fine. I'm simply trying to get enough courage to step outside and do some shopping.”

[Y/N]'s concern was replaced with worry.

“Courage?” 

Ayatsuji shrugged his shoulders.

“Mhm. Real World is too loud to immediately accept it. But I need cat food and tobacco right now, and have no time to wait before I get used to the real world.”

For one second, [Y/N]'s expression changed. Ayatsuji couldn't put his finger, on what emotion it was. 

or, perhaps, he knew this emotion too well, but didn't want to admit, that [Y/N] felt the same emotion

Nevertheless, the emotion was gone, and [Y/N]'s expression became determined.

“Do you want some company?” they asked, taking a step forward. “I need to get a package from the post office, besides, I am currently free, so, I can go with you… If you want, of course.” Immediately add [Y/N]. 

Ayatsuji thought about the proposal. It would be good to have [Y/N] near. Someone, who was comfortable in Real World. Ayatsuji nodded with a smile.

“Thank you, I will be happy, if you join me.” 

For one second, [Y/N] looked shocked, but, quickly, smiled in return.

“Got it. Give me a minute, I will be ready in a minute.” [Y/N] turned on their heels and headed to their room, only to be stopped by Ayatsuji. Detective put his hand on [Y/N]'s shoulder.

“Wait, [Y/N], do you think, I should change my outfit? I don't want to grab people's attention.” Ayatsuji shivered involuntarily. Gogol's story about that trip to the mall was an unpleasant but important warning. When you go out onto the streets of this world in your ordinary outfit, you can expect a wave of fans with a desire to take pictures and touch you, people who consider you a pervert and accusations of satanism.

[Y/N] were silent. They looked at him from top to bottom, then walked around him, taking a good look at his clothes.

Half-rimmed, light-colored sunglasses, white shirt with a vermilion-based checkered border and a gray knit vest, dull orange checkered knickerbocker pants, and beige boots. Ayatsuji decided to add something.

“I will wear my hat and coat.”

 [Y/N] nodded, stepping once again before him, then took their phone and started to type something. After a moment, [Y/N] looked away from the screen.

 “Hey, Ayatsuji, can you please take your glasses off? Okay, thanks. Now, please, put them on again. Thanks again.”

 [Y/N] put their phone back.

 “You don't necessary need to change your outfit. I don't think, that you would get too much attention. But, if you are worried, I think, you could change your coat and vest. You can keep hat and glasses. If someone asks about eye color, tell them, you are wearing contacts.” 

 Ayatsuji raised an eyebrow.

 “But with Gogol…”

 [Y/N] raised their hands, shushing Ayatsuji.

 “Gogol's looks are… I mean, he is… You are… Umf…” [Y/N] hide their face in both hands, breathing heavily. After a minute, [Y/N] spoke again. They were speaking slowly, choosing words carefully.

 “Gogol are well-known among… other fans… You are… Details of Kyougoku's case aren't known by everyone… I guess.”

 [Y/N] looked up. They looked extremely guilty.

“What I mean… If we didn't run into hard fans, we would be okay. I think.”

'Why [Y/N] looked like they are on a verge of crying?' ignoring the thought, Ayatsuji hummed.

“Understand… Thanks for your advice, [Y/N]. Let's meet near the front door in ten minutes.”

[Y/N] nodded and hurry to their room.

////////////////////////

You washed your face with cold water. Familiar feeling of helplessness and disgust squeeze your insides.

You almost (if not already) messed up. First, you thought, that someone was rude to Ayatsuji and that's why he didn't want to go outside. Then, you had to mentioned BSD Media fact. Ayatsuji and others have enough on their plate, and don't need any reminders about their origins from you.

you didn't regret of offering help that's what friends do

They would be right, if they choose to leave you. If thinking rationality…

You splash more cold water on your face. You need to remember psychology books you like to read.

Your negative feelings were unhealthy, and you really need to control your habit of trying to rationalize your feelings and find “logical” reason to fell/ not to feel/express/not express them.

You will go with Ayatsuji to the mall, you will be happy, and you won't mess it just by being near.

“You are an interesting person, you are an interesting person, you can keep friends…” you repeated this sentence like mantra, while getting ready.

/////////////////

Shopping trip went, mostly, smoothly. As [Y/N] predicted, no one was bothered by Ayatsuji's appearance. People didn't pay any attention to him and [Y/N]. They were just another people in a crowd.

*******

You were glaring at the cans of cat food, Ayatsuji choose, like they were your worst enemies. Without warning, you turned your head towards Ayatsuji.

“Ayatsuji, if remember correctly, Pushkin will do the cooking tomorrow, right?”

Ayatsuji nodded.

"Yes. Something wrong with it?"

You point at the can.

"No. But, just you know, that tomorrow your cats will have duck with wild berries, while we'll munch on plain pasta with sausages."

And Ayatsuji saw it in [Y/N]'s eyes. They were waiting for something. And they were nervous. Ayatsuji chuckled.

"Agree, people, who produce cat food, really should mind, how to name their products."

Happiness, that shined in [Y/N]'s eyes were the biggest reward he could ever ask for.

***********

You didn't comment on tobacco he bought. Right after leaving the shop, Ayatsuji filled his pipe, light it and start smoking. 

Tobacco from Real World felt different. And Ayatsuji prefer it to whatever he smoked back in “Yokohama”.

Suddenly, [Y/N] let out a quiet laugh.

“You remind me of Sherlock Holmes."

Ayatsuji pulled deeply on his pipe, before asking.

"Of whom?"

In one second, your expression from happy became guilty.

"Genius detective, who smokes and wears a hat. Didn't I... watched something about him, while you were... I am sorry..."

That expression again. The expression of shame. Without hesitation, Ayatsuji put his hand on [Y/N]'s head, ruffling their hair.

"Don't sweat it, Porcelain Treasure. All of us, you included, have a long way before us. There's nothing wrong with keeping our origins in mind. Or we would have another "Gogol's shopping trip" incident.

He could feel, how [Y/N]'s cheeks were burning with embarrassment. They still weren't used to nicknames. 

"If I insisted on him wearing a disguise..."

Ayatsuji rolled his eyes and flicked [Y/N]'s nose.

Yup, they were burning with embarrassment.

"Okay, hush. Don't put the weight of our decisions on you. Otherwise, we will never learn."

[Y/N] opened their mouth to say something else, but change their mind and stay silent. 

'Okay, now, to change the subject' 

"So, can you tell me more about that Sherlock Holmes guy? He sounded interesting." Ayatsuji observed [Y/N]'s reaction. 

'Why do they look... defeated?'

"He is a book character... Created by Arthur Conan Doyle. I should have one of the books at home. I can give it to you..." it looks like [Y/N] were trying to say as less as they can. 

'Come on, I see, that you want to say more! I want to hear you! I want to talk to you!'

Ayatsuji squeezed [Y/N]'s shoulder. 

"Tell me more, please. I want to know more."

**********

Ayatsuji was waiting outside the post office, trying to hide his smile. Hearing [Y/N]'s passionate speech about Doyle, mystery novels and Sherlock Holmes were a real treat. [Y/N]'s eyes shined, when they were talking about things they liked. And when Ayatsuji paid attention and asked questions.

You still had a big smile on your face after you finished your businesses in the post office and returned to him, holding a big package in your arms.

************

Ayatsuji didn't expect that [Y/N] will come to his room later that day. They were holding a cardboard box into your arms.

"Hey, Ayatsuji, I have a present for you."

They hand him the box. 

It was a ball-jointed doll. The box looked old, but the doll looked good as knew.

"You like it?" [Y/N] sounded nervous. Ayatsuji nodded. 

"Yes. Thank you, [Y/N]." He smiled warmly at them. [Y/N] returned the gesture.

"You are welcome. Don't be bothered by an old box. This doll were with me for many years now."

Ayatsuji raised an eyebrow.

"Favorite toy?" Ball-jointed dolls wasn't that good for playing with them, but, maybe...

[Y/N] shook their head.

"No. Present from distant relative. My parents kept it hidden. They wanted to keep it for 'better times'. You have no idea how much I wanted to play with it. I often looked at the box, dreaming about playing with it. But, my father always said, that doll was a possible investment in my future." [Y/N] let out a quiet chuckle.

'They wanted to sell it in a future' mentally translated Ayatsuji. Meanwhile, [Y/N] continue talking.

"But, now, I am an adult, it belongs to me, I am the only one, who can decide, what to do with it."

Ayatsuji put box on the table.

"Are you sure? It seems, doll was important to you."

[Y/N] just waved their hand.

'They looked confident'. They are sure.'

"I am sure. Among two of us, you will be the one, who can truly appreciate the doll."

"Thank you again." Ayatsuji nodded slightly in appreciation.

[Y/N]'s smile was bright.

"You are welcome."

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

Ayatsuji was gently holding his new doll.

"No. They aren't planning to leave."

In a quiet basement, Ayatsuji's voice sounded louder, that it really was.

But it means that...

He should face it. Few things, that Ayatsuji willingly ignore.

[Y/N]'s nervousness and fear.

And almost empty chat list. With chats, where [Y/N] were ignored.

Bruises, Doc were talking about.

And that little fleeting expression on [Y/N]'s face. Expression, that was too familiar to Ayatsuji Yukito. Expression, he sometimes saw in the mirror, before he stopped constantly thinking about his ability. Expression, that he saw on Gide's and Verlaine's faces.

It was an expression of self-resentment. Of self-disgust.

"Why? Why can't you see, what a great person you are?" whispered Ayatsuji. "Who... Who did this to you, [Y/N]? What could we do to help you?"

There were no answers. For now.

Ayatsuji put the doll back, leaving the basement.

Flags must return soon. They wanted to investigate your workplace.

First steps were made.

As he said, they have a long way ahead of them. He and others should learn to live in the Real World. [Y/N] should get used to have them in their live.

And Ayatsuji and others should show [Y/N], that they won't be alone and won't be ignored anymore.

_______

¹As long as I knew, Ayatsuji's cats don't have official names. So, I decided to named them after Misaki Mei, Main Character of “Another” novel.

[mochicrackersss]

Blog Post - Convention Preview ᯓᡣ𐭩‧₊˚ ⊹

I've always enjoyed participating in fandom experiences! Though, I haven't been to anything crazy, like Comic-Con or Anime Expo. My most notable were just a few local Florida conventions. But they were still fun overall and gave a great look into youth culture and fandom communities with its vast amount of participants around the globe and things tailored for each fandom.

My first convention was PolyCon at Florida Polytechnic University. I don't remember much about it because it was a couple of years ago, but would say it was a good time! The convention itself was pretty quaint with not a lot to do and not many people attending besides Polytechnic students. But for being my first exposure to convention life, I was enamored. There was also a student-run maid cafe that was amusing to go to, specifically because my dad came to the convention with me. Younger me had absolutely no idea how to explain to my dad why a bunch of college students were in cat ears, maid costumes, and doing intricate dance routines. He was so confused... it was lowkey hilarious but also embarrassing.

I'd say the most memorable convention memory I have is when I went to Mega Con in 2021! It wasn't super long after the COVID quarantine got lifted, and so until then, I hadn't gone to anything or seen many people for what felt like a long time. Being able to go to a convention (of course, by then it was safe to be in public spaces) and simultaneously going with my best friend for her first time was just what I needed. However, it was very different with COVID regulations still in place, like masks and social distancing. But I did notice the convention felt like a sense of normalcy for many con-goers after the pandemic. Everyone I met was so kind (and that's rare because you're bound to run into a few bad eggs or creeps), and every cosplayer I saw, even with the masks, made the most out of their costumes! My best friend and I also tried to cosplay as our favorite characters from Demon Slayer because the anime was a huge comfort to us while we holed up inside our homes with nothing to do. Yes, I think my costume was horrible because I am no professional, and I lowkey hate looking at pictures of it, but it did act as a nice escape from the COVID-filled reality at the time. Because of that, I was so happy to spend that precious time with my best friend! And buy a lot of stuff in the artist alley because Mega Con's is so big lol.

Another convention I went to earlier this year was the University of Florida convention, Swamp Con! I never knew until later in my first semester that UF held its own convention, and I think more students should know about it! Swamp Con is an event completely run by students in the Reitz Union, which I think is super impressive based on how many activities there were to do! There were panels, quizzes, performances, cosplay contests, an artist alley, outdoor games, special foods and drinks, and even a maid cafe (which was so funny to see a second time in a college). I also cosplayed again for this convention as Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle, which is such a huge shocker based on my Tumblr. 

Overall, the convention setting on a college campus took an unseen pressure off, which is something I also remembered feeling at PolyCon. I thought that would be an interesting thing to point out compared to venue conventions! 

[cosplayinamerica]

Anime conventions and their Yamato roots

by Dave Merrill

“Conventional” (ha ha) wisdom says that the first American convention devoted to Japanese animation was Project A-Kon 1990 in Dallas, Texas. This prototypical event was instigated by a group of Texas anime fans gathered under the banner of Star Blazers’“Earth Defense Command,” a Space Battleship Yamato fan club that grew to embrace all of Japanese animation. As of this writing, Project A-Kon is preparing for its 20th show.

But was A-Kon the first anime convention in North America? No. Not even close. For years, we’d seen references and offhand comments about a “YamatoCon” that was held in the Dallas area years earlier. Were these references true? Our crack team of researchers donned their explorer togs, dusted off their pith helmets, and began the harrowing search for enlightenment. Well, to be honest we sent some emails. Here’s what we found…

The first YamatoCon – that is to say, the first American fan convention devoted to Japanese animation – was held on August 13, 1983 at the Harvey Hotel in Dallas Texas. This one-day affair was the brainchild of Mark Hernandez, Don Magness, and Bobb Waller, each of whom had experience in the Dallas comics/SF fandom community and each of whom put up their own hard-earned cash to make YamatoConhappen. Scheduled the next-to-last weekend before school started, Mark Hernandez remembers the planning being as simple as getting commitments from dealers, finding a venue, and setting a date. Yes, it really is that easy to start a convention.

Programming consisted of the first 26 episodes of Star Blazersrecorded off TV, shown in continuous order (minus commercials, of course) and a bonus Yamato film. This 13-hour Journey to Iscandar (“It was a long day,” says Mark) was a primary attraction at YamatoCon, 1983 being a time when VCRs and blank VHS tape were expensive, collections of Star Blazers on video were hard to come by, and the experience of watching Star Blazers outside the morning or afternoon UHF timeslot was a draw in and of itself.

Star Blazers on video wasn’t the only activity, of course. Like other conventions past and future, YamatoCon had a dealers room consisting of 22 tables of for-sale memorabilia. It might sound small by the standards of 25 years later, but we must remember that anime merchandise of the day – what was available in the States, anyway – hadn’t achieved the tidal wave proportions it would reach in the wake of Robotech, to say nothing of the total saturation of the post-Pokemon, post-Sailor Moon years. Anime merchandise in 1983 consisted chiefly of books and model kits. Roman Albums, Anime Comics, black and white manga volumes, the occasional manga weekly, and other publications streaming from Japan in the wake of the Yamato Boom battled for the anime fan dollar alongside model kits from Yamato, Crusher Joe and My Youth In Arcadia…not to mention the endless ranks of giant robot kits from unseen shows like Mobile Suit Gundam, Dougram, Ideon, and something called Macross.Along with the remnants of late 70s super-robot merchandise sold here as Shogun Warriors, the anime con dealers room in the early 1980s was far from barren. In fact, I still waste my money on that sort of stuff.

Also available at YamatoCon were copies of Mark Hernandez and Don Magness’s Star Blazers fanzine Argo Notes. Future EDC officer/contributor, fan artist and “Between Galaxies” author Logan Darklighter won the model contest with, naturally, a Yamatomodel. It proved to be a pivotal day in Texas anime fandom. Approximately 100 attendees and 8 dealers made the show an unqualified success. Don remembers it this way: “I remember we got to the hotel early and set up the rooms, then went out to breakfast. When we got back, there were 3 young men sitting on the front steps, one of them had a convention flyer. Mark asked if they were there for the con, and they said they were. We went inside and out of their hearing range and had a little celebration. 3 people had come! We had no idea that the place would soon be packed.”

A showing of 100 might not sound like a lot in today’s numbers (“that was about 100 more than we expected,” said Don). However, when considered against the attendance at general SF conventions in 1983 – a time when your absolute largest cons MIGHT draw five or six thousand attendees and your typical Dallas or Atlanta comic book show maxed out at three – YamatoCon‘s ability to nail down that many dealers and customers is commendable.

The show’s importance went beyond the one day; people across Texas and indeed, across fandom as a whole, who were unable to attend or who heard about it after the fact were spurred into action by the mere fact of YamatoCon‘s existence. That such a thing could happen – that Americans could organize and hold a successful anime convention – was both revelation and reassurance. Anime fandom was going to be more than just a video room grudgingly tacked onto the local Star Trek show or a half-page of merchandise in the back of the latest issue of Fangoria.

READ THE REST HERE https://ourstarblazers.com/vault/317/

[mari-writes]

My thoughts on Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

⚠️ Warning: Spoilers for the film (and portions of the manga) ahead!

Two days ago, I went to see Haikyuu: The Dumpster Battle. I've been a fan of this series since 2015, and I started the manga within a month of the anime. So going to this film was a huge deal for me. (The only other time I've experienced a HQ screening was at the 2018 Crunchyroll convention!) It was awesome being at the theater with fellow fans wearing jerseys of our favorite teams, all excited to see our boys on the big screen. 🥰❤️

I absolutely LOVED how the film began, showing us Kenma and Hinata's first meeting but in a different way than in season 1, with the cat and crow staring each other down, and Kuroo overhearing their conversation from nearby. It really set the mood, especially with the incredible score (honestly the soundtrack is one of my favorite aspects of the movie).

However, I was upset that they left out the backstory of Nekomata and Ukai Sr. These flashbacks are so important to give the rivalry context and depth. The fact that these two characters met in middle school, and then had this battle decades later as elders, was so impactful. Not showing the history of their relationship affected the film's emotional impact. In my opinion, THIS was the biggest flaw in the script.

While we're on the negatives: I do think the film relied a lot on prior knowledge of the story. Which is to be expected, it's basically the 5th season of a show, but I don't think even casual fans would be able to keep up with how many characters and plot points quickly came and went. I recall being perplexed at certain things they chose to keep in, some of which were fun, but not necessary and just muddled the viewing experience.

Also: the subtitles. I've always had a beef with how Crunchyroll does subs. Not the translators themselves (I LOVE YOU GUYS YOU'RE AMAZING) but how they place the text. It was hard to distinguish between the primary and secondary dialogue. They were often stacked onto each other, with the barest hint of italics to differentiate. Honestly, while some background dialogue was great, I would've rather gone without to avoid confusion.

There were some other weakness, like the pacing and important character moments they cut. Obviously, as a MASSIVE fan, I would want everything to be adapted fully and perfectly. But that was never going to happen with a 1.5 hour film. 🤷‍♀️ The screenwriters did a really impressive job considering what they were tasked with accomplishing. Major kudos to them!

Now, on to the things I loved about the movie:

The animation. Gods, the animation was fantastic, such a breath of fresh air after season 4. I could tell how much care the artists put into this project. Some scenes literally had me speechless, sitting there frozen with my mouth hanging open. The final rally was animated ENTIRELY in Kenma's POV. The music faded out; you could here his heavy breathing and the team calling to each other. It made you feel like you were on the court. I've never seen anything like it before.

I mentioned the score earlier, but special shout out to the musicians, composers, and everyone involved in the soundtrack. 👏 I literally had goosebumps multiple times. And having a track by SPYAIR playing during the end credits gave me so much fuzzy nostalgia!

The voice acting was amazing. Kenma's actor, Yuki Kaji, absolutely hit it out of the park. He's always been one of my faves from the cast, but he went above and beyond in this film. But everyone did, really. It was so important for me to see the Japanese version FIRST to hear this wonderful cast who I've been following for the past 9 years.

Kuroo Testsuro. Good lord, did I come out of the theater having fallen completely in love with Kuroo. 😍❤️ His character is just SO GOOD, full of passion and love for his friends and the sport itself. I think the movie really highlighted this. (And it made me so emotional, knowing where he ended up in the future!)

BOKUTO AND AKAASHI. Thank you, movie team for letting them have their cute little moments. Especially the one with Yachi. I love these two so much. I'm very scared that their biggest arc, aka the Mujinazaka match, won't be animated. But I'm so grateful we got them in this film.

The after credits scene. REMEMBER TO STAY AFTER THE FIRST CREDITS YOU GUYS! They included the hilarious exchange between Kuroo and Daishou after the match, which was a really fun way to end things. 😆 Mika's little "You ready?" to her silly snake boyfriend was perfect. It made me giggle.

Okay, those are my initial thoughts! If I see the film again I might update this. For now, let me just say I really enjoyed it overall and it was such a special experience seeing these beloved characters on the silver screen. I still mourn the loss of a 5th season, and I'm nervous about what will be cut from the final movie... but that's future Mari's problem... 😅

Thanks for reading! 💕

[jpt1311summerbnixautumn]

Convention Blog Post

On August 1st, 2021, I went to Tampa Comic Con with my dad. This was the first and only convention I've ever been to, but I'm planning on going again with my dad this year at the end of August. At the time I was 15 and a very anxious teen so i was SO stressed about going and being judged. I had planned to cosplay as Nobara from Jujutsu Kaisen, but I decided last minute not to wear it because I didn't want to be embarrassed if I saw someone I knew while walking into the convention center (for context I lived an hour away from Tampa and there was no way I would see anyone I knew but you know when you're nervous you don't think clearly). I was very into manga and anime back then, and I was going with my dad because he's HUGE on Marvel and DC Comics, which I am also still interested in. I didn't have any big expectations going in, or really any sort of plan. I was hoping to buy some Chainsaw Man merch but that was really all I thought of ahead of time.

The convention was 3 days long: a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We decided to go on Sunday, when tickets were reduced and the convention closed earlier than it had the previous days. We also got there as soon as it opened, and I was praying that both of these conditions would make for it to be not nearly as busy as I was anticipating, but I never could've imagined how insanely packed it was. From the short walk to the parking lot to the center, we passed numerous people decked out in cosplays of all kinds. Some just wearing shirts with their favorite characters, others wearing an outfit that they bought from Amazon most likely, and a few people adorned in completely homemade cosplays that they had clearly spent days, if not weeks, completing. I didn't wear a cosplay because I thought I would be one of the only ones, but it turned out that my normal clothes were actually in the minority. After going through the long process of entering, getting our wristbands, and traversing the center to make it to the convention space, I was amazed at how many people I had already passed. And my shock only grew as we stepped inside the large room. The space was like a labyrinth, a maze with walls of tables and booths, filled with all kinds of merchandise. I had thought that fanmade anime merch like keychains and art prints would be the main thing being sold, but I was very wrong. There was a GIANT section right next to the entrance that was just at least 10 long tables of boxes filled with vintage comics. There were multiple woodworking booths that sold beautifully intricate sculptures and wall art that were all well over $300 (which seemed a very appropriate price for the amount of detail that was hand carved). It's easy to say that I was very overwhelmed by all this.

I have always LOVED people watching, and I've never been to a better place to do so than this convention. After walking around for about an hour just taking all of the information in, my dad and I went to a little snack stand and each got a cheeseburger and a drink. The few tables they had were full, so we sat against a wall and surveyed the crowd. People of all ages were cosplaying and interacting. I saw one middle aged man dressed as Batman go up to a kid dressed as the Joker who couldn't have been older than 12 and start pretending to have a rivalry with him. There were so many group costumes for things I couldn't have even imagined cosplaying. Another teenage girl was sat on the floor a few feet away from me with her group of friends, wearing her interpretation of Bill Cipher from the show Gravity Falls. It genuinely filled me with so much joy to be able to watch all of these diverse groups come together to just celebrate what they like. I was so nervous going in, but everyone there seemed so friendly and at ease, I couldn't help but feel a lot less embarrassed.

My dad and I sat on the floor for about an hour and finished our food, and we went to explore the rest of the convention. We stopped at almost every booth, and I had bought 2 things along the way, a Gojo Satoru poster for my friend's birthday, and a Neon Genesis Evangelion shirt for my other friend's birthday (all of our birthdays are within a week from each other so it was nice to be able to get their gifts all in one spot). The event didn't really seem like my dad's cup of tea, and I was getting worried that he wasn't having fun, but he reassured me that he was just enjoying walking around and hanging out. After 3 hours of being under bright fluorescent lights and surrounded by people and bright colors, we were both starting to get a headache and decided it was time for us to head out. I know lots of people stay at conventions from open to close every day that they run, and I have to give MAJOR props to them because I am not nearly strong enough for that. On the way out, my dad and I passed a booth that we missed before that was selling $5 vintage tees. I dragged him over to look and was SO excited because all of the shirts they had were actually really cool. He bought 2 Marvel shirts, and I was very happy that he wan't leaving empty handed. I also got 2 shirts, an oversized graphic tee of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show that my dad made me watch as a kid, and a Def Leppard shirt that I still wear to this day (shown below in a picture way too big for this post but it won't let me make it smaller).

3 years later, as a much more confident college student, I can't wait to return to Tampa Comic Con. I'm planning on wearing a Sailor Moon cosplay that I wore for halloween last year (added below in case anyone wanted to see), and after my previous experience, I'm no longer nervous about being judged. Comic Con is a place where the only requirement to be accepted is to be kind <3

(So so sorry this is over 1k words I just got really into writing about my experience and reminiscing. Please don't dock any points I'm just overly passionate)

[randomnameless]

Rewatching the 2003 FMA anime -

It sure brings back nostalgia, 2003!FMA was the thing that made me hook up on anime/mangas since middle school, looking for OSTs, opening/ending songs, I even went to my first anime convention thanks to FMA (and brought a trinket for 20 euros but i couldn't care at that time, it was merch!) - hell, FMA was the phenomenon that made me discover the world of fanfics and, by extension, "learn" english to browse more fanfics (i know).

20ish years later though...

(i still read fanfics)

Sure, Arakawa told Sony (Dybex?) to make their own stuff and that they did, so judging on the "faithfulness" of the adaptation itself is a moot point - but the story and the characters in themselves?

Sorry -20ish years me, but damn if that anime is full of inconsistencies, i-hope-it-was-non-intentional meanings, retcons and, tbh, the protagonists are, quite frankly? Not likeable at all ?

One of the major plot lines that completely was created from scratch regarding the canon manga, and is the trademark of the 2003!anime, is how human transmutation, aka trying to resurrect the dead, well, doesn't resurrect dead people, but creates a new living being - those beings later are revealed to be homonculi.

FMA, even the 2003 anime, had that part with the living armors battle, where the protagonists wondered what it meant to be called a human, or even what is a human. Alphonse is only a soul tied to an armor, a "living" armor if you want, but Edwards refuses to consider other "livign armors" as less than humans and kill them, because if he does so, he will have to see his own brother as "not human anymore".

And we saw Tucker - a scientists so hellbent on passing his exam that he lit sacrifices his 4 years old daughter and doggo - who has a human body, human soul and human mind : what makes Tucker more "human" than a living armor, or even Alphonse?

Comes the homonculi reveal and one of the main issues of this anime : 2003!Wrath.

When we are introduced to him, he's just a weird kid with mismatched members, who lost his memories, doesn't understand empathy but bar that, he eats, hugs people, bathes just fine.

And yet, the second he is revealed to be a homonculi, a being born from alchemy, he is considered as a monster and something that should be killed, because he should never have existed in the first place.

And who says that?

Not the antagonists of this arc, no, our protagonists, Edward and Alfonse themselves! To sum up, Wrath has been behaving perfectly fine despite his background being a mystery, but when he is revealed to be a non-human being, our protags want to kill him - because he is a homonculi.

Yeah. GG protags.

Earlier we had the confirmation 2003!Wrath's weird mismatched limbs are actually Edward's missing ones, they accuse him of having "stolen" them - which is true ! - but Armstrong (who is more of a joke character in this continuity than in the manga!) asks them the ultimate question, even if his limbs are Edward's, what are they going to do? Sever them to re-attach them to Ed? Of course not, Ed says...

But in the following episode, we have Al fight against 2003!Wrath, asking him to "give back" his arm and leg to Edward...

What is the viewer even supposed to understand here?

Then we have the entire Greed arc - which also ends on a dud, I mean, Edward screams to whoever wants to hear it that's he's going to kill Greed, and then he truly kills him but screams in horror because he killed someone? Dude? - which, thanks to his chimeras and the bond they created, was enough to tell the viewer that those beings, homonculus, aren't monstruous by nature, sure Envy and Lust are asses, but Greed was shown to care about his newfound friends, and could even live with humans?

No, they're still monsters created through Alchemy, they're not human, thus need to die.

WTF?

2003!Wrath's character background basically oozes of pathos/tragedy : sure, he was not the "baby" Izumi lost when she "created" him, and yet, he was still in a baby-like state who was abandoned - and we later learn his wish was to have a mother - and he is furious at the circumstances of his creation, and abandonment.

And then, enters 2003!Sloth, who is a result of the Elrics' human transmutation. For sure they couldn't "look after" her immediately post transmutation - but they, uh, never wondered where the "thing" they created went? What it did? If it died?

(in the manga Pinako says she buried it as she found it dead when she came to their house)

Sure sure, the main villain Dante (Hell hath no Fury like a Woman Scorned : the Villain) conveniently passed by and snagged the "thing" that would later become Sloth, and yet, we're left to wonder, is the sin the alchemists refering to when they're talking about homonculi is the sin of creating them, or the sin of abandoning them?

It's basically the entire thing with Frankestein's creature, what was the biggest sin, to have created him, or treated him like trash?

To Izumi, who tried - but too late - to reach for baby Wrath, his righteous anger and Izumi's mothering tendencies when she immediatly knew "what/who" he was seems to indicate the second option - she feels like dirt for abandoning Wrath.

But when Edward fights 2003!Sloth - there is no introspection, especially as we see her own flashbacks as a thing that was recovered by Dante - and groomed by her - he will merely kill her because she is his "sin" and because she is a homonculus.

Not because of what she did, but because of what she is.

Our hero, everyone.

...

Yeah... and it's not helped at all by the fact that Mustang, maybe one or two episodes later, tells 2003!Pride that he cannot give a fuck about Pride being a human or a homonculus, but he will kill him to avenge Hugues' death and because of his war-mongering actions as the Furher.

Mustang, Armstrong and Pinako (who tells Ed to shut the fuck up when he goes in his spoiled brat mode wanting to beat Mustang for not telling him about Hughes' death and rushing to his own) were really the heroes of this story lol.

Or... not, concerning Mustang himself, and that's where we enter in the disturbing implications stuff from this anime.

2003!Mustang has PTSD from the Ishval war, in the Marco flashback we see him execute orders and basically nearly have a manga!armstrong level of breakdown - but when we see him roasting Ishvalan children, randoms and all, what really pushes him to the edge, and what the showrunners put emphasis on, is the killing of Winry's parents, aka two amestrians.

Who, in this show, accuses him of having killed her parents and bring the tense moments and accusations of war criminal and murderers? Winry, not the two Ishvalan kids whose mom was toasted during the war.

Make no mistake, the death of a civilian, regardless of their nationality, is always a tragedy.

And yet, between the thousands "brown" Ishvalan people and the couple of "white" Amestrians doctors, which death seems to have affected Mustang more? Which one is often brought to the forefront whenever Mustang, Ishval and civilian casualties are mentionned?

Oh I can't tell if it was 2003, but the, uh, depiction of the Ishvals is just...

Like, people really religious, dark skinned, living in a desert, shunning Alchemy (depicted as science and scientific approach here more than in the manga) and being hellbent on doing "God's" work?

Hm.

They stone someone who's a "great sinner", if it wasn't clear, and the one who initiates the massacre of 7k randoms is, well, an Ishvalan claiming to do this in the name of justice.

2003, right.

Oh, and about this incident, Scar justifies it as "the military" having occupied Liore and, well, Rose's ordeal. And yet, the 7k people he sacrifices weren't the ones who were in Liore (they're part of the randoms who were brought by Archer and Mustang!) and assaulted Rose, no, they were just randoms.

And when you compare this anime to Brotherhood, it gives more spoltight to Mustang's cast of randoms, or even has random loldiers in the background (either being annoyed at Armstrong's antics or, when he was alive, at Hughes') so we have some "randoms in the background" depicted with sympathy. And yet they're all killed to make Alphonse in a philosopher's stone, and Al's first reactions is to run around and swim??

7k lives sacrificed for... Al learning how to swim???

In general 2003!Ed'n'Al are my least favourite protagonists, both because they're too impulsive (Ed effing injures Havoc and Fuery!!), rude and, well, act like brats (I mentionned it earlier, but damn if Al asking Wrath to give back his members is just... wtf).

Alfonse himself becomes a prop and doesn't see much fight - doesn't fight at all - when Ed apparently knows how to create automails (what's Winry good for then?) from scraps of metal and their relationship ultimately ends up as Ed always going "I have to save my brother!" which seriously sucked, especially since earlier in the series (during the lab 5 attack!) Ed had faith in Alphonse knowing how to defend himself.

On that topic, the relationship between the brothers seems... really strained. Where was the Ed who finally managed to apologise to Alfonse and Alfonse vowing to tell him everything we had after the Lab 5 incident?

Now Ed physically restrains Al to talk to their father, doesn't tell him (and straight out lies) about excavating Trisha's remains (who is also Al's mom!) when Al keeps secret about Tucker's phone call. Are they even close anymore? IDK.

The brothers don't trust (never did tbh) Pinako and Winry, Mustang and Armstrong, and eventually, don't trust each other anymore - which can even give that ending some sense : they are now separated but why does this even matter anymore?

Remember when they promised not to die for the other, because they refused the pain of living all alone after the first meeting with Scar where Ed was ready to offer his life to have Al be spared?

Well, the ending of this anime basically pisses on this - Ed is "nearly" dead? Alfonse doesn't want that, so he sacrifices his life to make Ed return, even if it means he will die in the process and leave Ed alone. Ed doesnt' want that? So he will sacrifice himself to make Al return, effectively leaving him alone (but he works on irl missiles to return home?).

I remember FMA!2003 being lauded for its mature themes, but what themes are we talking about?

The long monologues some characters deliver to explain their vision of the world, and are never challenged about it? (or it's Ed calling BS to Dante's argument that equivalent exchange sucks)

What it means to be a human? Sure, at the end before dying, Ed seems to realise 2003!Wrath has to be taken care of (like not killing him but providing him real care) because he earlier noticed that he cried real tears with 2003!Sloth died so it's a progression from his "he's a homonculi he needs to die"... and yet, he already had this realisation when he talked to Wrath after another round of "give me back my arm'n'leg" on the top of a roof in Dublith!

It's kind of hard to say whether FMA!2003 is a good anime or not with all the things I've read/watched in the last 20ish years - because Arakawa ended her manga which is imo the best out of the three "tellings" of her story - and while I still love the "Brother" songs to death, part of me is just, very disappointed after revisiting this anime that I used to love.

Like, man, I didn't remember Ed to the POS he is in this anime, aka a character without any growth (he legits insults Armstrong over Ishval in iirc episode 7, only to apologise at the end of the episode because he acted like an ass, to give a "they must have had fun using those weapons in Ishval" at him again in the last episodes...) and Alfonse targetting Wrath to "recover" Ed's limbs - before his "awakening" as a homonculi - will always leave me with a weird feeling.

The OST is good and the animation not that shabby for something over 20 years old, and maybe the younger!me already perceived something was wrong/unlikable with Ed'n'Al, that's why I was looking at fics centered on Mustang's group -

But is it an anime I'd recommand now? Or even call a good anime?

No, not anymore. I'm hopefully not in middle school anymore fwiw and to its credit, in 2003 there wasn't a lot of new stuff or even fantasy anime that was released, and FMA!2003 was something really important and interesting at that time.

If it were to be released today? I'd say it'd maybe warrant a netflix exclusive release.

[mekatrio]

anime con log diary whatever

the epic outfit for today:

thankfully no traffic so that was epic. i was there pretty early (10:30-ish) so it was easy to find parking. got lost in the mall for like ten minutes until me and friend found some staff members for the con, and they showed us the way. the entrance was rly out of the way lol, usually theres two point of entries, but one was out of service. u had to follow a rly specific path to get there. there were also a bunch of buddha statues near the entrance stairway?

idk what was up with that. anyways since we were early there was no queue for us to get in. very nice. also its the weekday so i heard that theres significantly less ppl here today than there'll be the next two days. also very nice.

several booths were still being set up while we walked around. we checked out the official vendors first before checking out the artist alley, which was the main reason we were there. immediately my friend finds and starts buying some hoyoverse merch. i check the booths out w her for a while and then i get myself a green tea latte. then we check out the goodsmile booth and i find these

very cool but i do not get them, bc 1.) expensive, and 2.) i do not like plastic figurines. i also stop my friend from buying a persona 5 joker figurine. she goes and buy some more hoyoverse stuff instead. then we go check out the artist alley... and then friend realizes she left her water bottle somewhere. and as per usual with the cons i go to w her, we are seperated. and then we meet up again, but not before i buy two epic items:

i am sooo happy w these two purchases 💜 they were the only ones of their kind, so im glad i got them when i did. the gengar plush will live on my purple bag and be gomamons new neighbor, like so:

^ this was also how my bag looked for the rest of the day 🤭 yayyyy 💞 anyways after looking thru the artist alley some more, we take a break to get some food. cuz we barely had anything for breakfast and we are fucking starving. the food area looks like this:

and everything there was unsurprisingly expensive lol. me and friend get the cheapest thing there, which are pizzas

tho im kinda starting feeling nauseous at this point.. and have to keep myself from throwing up. thats what happens when u take supplements + drive + drink a green tea latte on a nearly empty stomach and little sleep. dont do that. so i go to the bathroom and freshen up, and eventually i feel better. i eat three slices of pizza and give the last slice to friend, and sadly have to throw away the rest of the latte or i would feel sick again. but i feel way better now that ive eaten.

we then spend the next two hours going thru the rest of the artist alley. me and my friend joked abt the possibility of finding at least 1 (one) kgpr merch. or possibly tota merch. but unsurprisingly, there was absolutely none Lol. tho i did find vesperia merch instead

literally only one booth was selling vesperia merch haha. also surprisingly there were quite a few ace attorney merchs? its surprising to me cuz the last art event i went to only had one narumitsu sticker in the entire place. but here there were several

^like this artist, who i didnt know was based in malaysia! ive seen their comics on tumblr a few times. didnt buy from them tho, sorryyy.. anyways, various pics from the artist alley:

after we finished looking thru the artist alley and had bought our fill of art (and good god did my friend buy loads of art), i checked out a second hand vendor that i saw earlier. they had loadssss of stuff, and me and friend spent a good 15 minutes digging thru this massive tub of pins and keychains in hopes of finding smth good

i was rly hoping to find something tota or kgpr in here, cuz if they were anywhere in this convention they would be here.. but sadly there was none haha. it was rly funny digging thru this thing, i kinda felt like a racoon/archeologist. oh but i did find these two pins which made me laugh

and in the end i found and bought a bunch of revue starlight merch + a cute embroidered pin

and then after that we finally left the con.. we spent a good 5 hours in there. we went to a store for me to grab some stuff for home, then played 2 rounds of taiko hehe (6 songs total). then we went to grab some food

^ the mall the convention is in also has a fucking river flowing thru it lol. i remember seeing this as a kid, its been over ten years since ive last been here

then i drove my friend home in ATROCIOUS weather... omfg it was raining so heavily. and stupid navigation app sent me to drive on some nearly flooded roads 😑😑😑😑 but we made it in one piece and i chilled in her room for a bit. she took a pic of everything she brought... which was SO MUCH LOL

^her haul. and then finally i arrived back home.. here is my comparatively much smaller haul:

but yayy it was a fun day today ✌️ but now i have work tomorrow.. bahhhh

[milfygerard]

found the manga magazine cover that gerard was holding in this picture. It went by both MangasZene and MangaZone It looks like a majority senin/josei fan magazine, with some focus on shojou and and shonen. According to the translated wiki page (below), It also was one of the earlier european manga/anime magazines to focus more generally on japanese youth culture outside of manga or animation, including fashion music and video games. It also had a strong fan driven bend, as a few of the covers and centerfolds seem to be fanart, and the mag had fan letters, fanfiction, and dojinshi involved as sections in the comics (more info under the cut)

Common inclusions mentioned are clamp (xxxholic and chobits both appeared on covers either by name or in the cover art) ghost in the shell, a manga I dont know called the geisha (or "die geisha" in german), and Nana amongst others. Gerard almost definitely bought this because it had a cool goth girl with a fuckass bob and huge boots on the front curled up next to an androgynous probably-vapire-maybe-dude character with VAMPIRE in all caps printed directly next to them. I know his ass can't read german.

I haven't been able to find any scans of the inside or any articles outside of the front cover centerfolds and occasionally the fist page of ads. This post is also just a quick and cursory few google searches, so maybe I'll find more info if I keep digging.

Here you can find the original german language wikipedia article which discusses mangasZene (rough google translate english translation below the cut, but I can't confirm its complete accuracy as i know zero german)

Here are high quality cover scans for seemingly every issue on an auction site called lastdodo

If you want to send me money so I can bid on and buy a copy of the german language japanese culture magazine that gerard way read once in 2005 so I can do a youtube video reading and discussing it donate to my buy me a coffee

MangasZene was a German-language specialist magazine for anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics), which appeared regularly from 2001 to 2006 and was discontinued after another special issue in autumn 2007.

MangasZene was founded by former editorial staff of the anime and manga magazine AnimaniA. The first two issues from January 2001 and March 2001 were still published as MangaZone before the title had to be changed for naming reasons.[1] When it was founded, MangasZene was the first German-language magazine that went beyond concentrating on Japanese comics and cartoons and also shed light on Japanese youth culture as a whole. In addition to anime and manga reviews, it offered reports on games and Japanese music and lifestyle. In addition, the reader should be given the opportunity to contribute and help shape the magazine through discussion corners, letters to the editor, fan gallery, dōjinshi and fanfiction corner and the opportunity to write guest contributions.

At the end of 2006, the publication of the magazine, which had been published every two months, was abandoned in favor of the plan to publish special issues limited to a specific topic at irregular intervals, each with an adjusted size, price and circulation. However, this was only realized with a special issue about Yuri and Yaoi in September 2007. In October 2007, insolvency proceedings were opened at the district court in Cologne against the publisher Erbschläger & Holzer. According to a statement from the editor-in-chief, further publications by the MangasZene in printed form are no longer planned.[2]

Other editorial activities The MangasZene editorial team has also organized the “Bonenkai” anime convention several times (2001 in Karlsruhe, 2002 in Leverkusen, 2004 and 2006 in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse). At the end of 2002, the DVD label Anime House was launched. Since this label no longer belonged to the Erbstosser & Holzer publishing house, it was not affected by the insolvency proceedings. Sources Burkhard Ihme (ed.): Comic! Yearbook 2008. Comic Interest Group ICOM, 2008, ISBN 978-3-88834-938-6, foreword (comic-i.com – quote: “A circulation of at least 15,000 copies is reached by the MANGASZENE, but only appears regularly with themed issues."). Statement of the editor-in-chief on the bankruptcy proceedings on December 9, 2007 in the MangasZene forum

[earthbovndmisfit]

11, 12, 19, 21, and 24!

Fandom/fanfic asks! - @icouldbemoreclever

11.- Most unique merch you have for a fandom? That would probably be my old Captain Commando figure from the MvsC series by Toy Biz. I don't know how "unique" it actually is, but I've seen it going on sale for waaayyy more than I paid for it brand new at the time, so it kinda looks like it's not too common. Plus, other than the games and the 2 volume manga, there's very few official merch of that franchise! :c

12.- Craziest thing you've ever done as part of a fandom? I've mentioned this one before, but I once attended to a Megumi Ogata (YYH's Kurama's seiyuu) concert in my country while wearing a Karasu (YYH) cosplay lol. I was also on the second row! Just about 2 meters away from her. It was quite the experience lol. It was also not that planned really! ((Story time ahead)) The concert was held inside an anime convention and which was also located in another city (around 4 hours from where I live). Said anime convention used to give free entrance to most cosplayers at the time. I went with my sister, a couple friends, and a bunch of guys we met during the trip and also met with an online friend I had at the time and her girlfriend. At the time, my sister and I were kinda broke bc we had just attended to that con the past November (this one of the concert was on February, just a couple months later), so we'd had many expenses already from then and also from buying bus tickets to get there this time, local transportation tickets (bus and subway), food, etc so any pennies we could save to buy merch would be great! I also used to cosplay every time we went to those cons, plus, I already had the Karasu cosplay ready since that was the first cosplay I ever made and I also still had my hair long by then since I was planning to cosplay as Kuronue at some point too (spoiler: The Kuronue cosplay never came to fruition :( ). I also had a hunch they would have Kurama merch on sale for that con due to Megumi Ogata's concert (YYH merch was difficult to find, and even more so Kurama's because it would be sold out before we even got there), and I was right because that's where I managed to snatch a Kurama Banpresto keychain I'd wanted for years! So it was a win/win all around with the moneys I saved from that free entrance lol

19.- Fanfic you read again and again? I don't have a specific one that comes to my mind tbh, partly bc I haven't read any fanfics in a good while and partly bc my memory is awful. I like plenty that I occasionally re-read every now and then tho! Most of them were written by HamonHugs because I really like the way they portrayed and stayed true to Jonathan and Speedwagon.

21.- Favorite fic trope? I'm a simple man who loves Friends to Lovers stuff (bonus for "Enemies to friends to lovers" which, coincidentally, pretty much fits Jonawagon lol). "Fix-it" fics where some of the characters with canon deaths survive the horrors (like the "Jonathan lives AU" stuff in Jojo for example). Romance stuff, fluff, stuff like Mutual Pining, a bit of Drama and Angst here and there (pretty sure the Hurt/Comfort thing fills this bill but idk?), bits of humor sprinkled here and there to give the story a wider range of emotions (thus making the sad and the fluff feel much more pronounced too). Some whump and violence can be good too depending on the story. AUs are also nice when done right. I like some of the "Modern AUs" I've seen for Jonawagon. Same with reincarnation stuff and so on. I suck at naming tropes tbh, so I totally missed stuff here.

24.- Funniest fandom-related story? Probably the story I mentioned earlier about the Megumi Ogata concert lol. Other than that I can't remember anything in particular, save for the times Reki Taki-sensei (one of Araki's former assistants for the manga and also part of DavidPro's art staff since Stardust Crusaders) drops some likes on some of the art I retweet or on some of the random Speedwagon posts I make on twitter. As a bit of a side note: He also sometimes likes some of my Jonawagon ship-ish posts too 😁

[flakytartart]

CONVENTION AUTOGRAPHS!! LET'S GO!!!!

Sarah Wiedenheft, my favorite voice actress for Takagi-san?

Check. She was so sweet when signing my photo, I didn't realize her voice was naturally that high! She has such a beautiful signature and personality.

Keith Silverstein, voice of Mondo-fuckin'-Owada (nice to meet ya)?

Check. I also got him to sign my Trigger Happy Havoc group print, along with Asahina's VA as well (more on her later). He was hella friendly and told me that he just got that Mondo print like 3 conventions ago. God bless him and the artist for that because I didn't have any merch for him to sign. 😭 A real dope guy, he even asked before hand if it was okay for him to swear in order to quote Mondo lol!

Now on to my grails...

TOHRU ADACHI!!

Voiced by the wonderful Johnny Yong Bosch! ✨️

I already spoiled this one with an earlier post but I wanna include it anyway! Despite how awkward the quote sounds (I originally told him to write something about helping me get out of a TV but I backpedaled out of embarassment) I'm quite happy with this. I'm unsure if he realizes how many fans are into Adachi? I can't be the only girl to have admitted that to him.

MORGANA!!!

Voiced by the lovely Cassandra Lee Morris!!! ✨️

AHH she was so nice!!! I was so nervous and had a hard time keeping my cool. I told her I adore Morgana and that he's like a baby to me. I got to show her my ita display, got signatures for my Danganronpa print + an Epic 7 Cecilia print for my bf, then gave her some old (but gold) fanart I drew with a letter on the back. She said I was so sweet for that and I just wanted to scream, it was so-!!! 🥹💞

I gave her my Morg to hold while taking pictures- the second pic is of us button mashing his head. 1000/10 absolute dream come true!!!!! ❤️

AND FINALLY. GIVE IT UP FOR MY FAVORITE COPY CAT KILLER:

MITSUO KUBO!!!!

Voiced by the amazing Kyle Hebert!! ✨️

(Shoutout to @cierv-o-robot-o for this absolutely PERFECT commission!! You're my hero!!!!!! 🥹🙏)

Bro when they announced that Kyle Hebert was coming to Kon I literally jumoed out of my chair and started running around the house like a maniac. I was so fucking excited

When it came to the convention I awkwardly got in line, paid for 2 prints (my Mitsuo + a Kazuichi) and a photo and waited. When I went up I told him I loved him as Kazuichi (pretty sure he drew the heart on there because I said I find him handsome) and that his voice sounds wonderful no matter what role he's playing. After that I kind of geeked out on him - I said I was "the fucking biggest Mitsuo Kubo fan ever, I promise you." 😭 I didn't mean to be that intense about it but I was so excited, I just had to let him know that Mitsuo has fans. A couple. At LEAST one (Mitsuo mutuals I'd never forget about you I was just flipping out).

He signed my print and I gave him a little packet that had fanart by me, a note, and 2 of the Mitsuo charms (game + anime versions). He said I was the first person he's ever seen get excited about Mitsuo before. For some reason I felt really proud about that? 🥲💓 I yapped for a little while after about how I also recognized his voice as the creepy stalker in Persona 4 Dancing in the hopes of letting him know that no matter how minor the role, there are fans. We said our thank yous, then I turned around and literally ran to gush about what just happened to my friends who were waiting close by. Which means...

I ALMOST DIDN'T GET THIS PICTURE. I WAS SO EXCITED THAT I RAN AWAY IN EMBARSSSMENT AND FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE. Luckily my friend is a huge Gohan fan and went up to his booth to get an autograph shortly after I was done freaking out. It was only then did I realize that I paid for a picture. x'V I told his assistant that I didn't get a picture, they worked it out, and I shamefully went back up for a pic. 🥹 He was nice about it, I appreciate his patience.

Waaahh it was all so cool, I'm so honored to have been able to talk to all of these incredibly talented voice actors!!! 💞💓💘❤️🥰 I hope to see them again in the future, I'll be sure to be prepared and to come with more gifts. FINAL KAZUICHI FLASHBANG GRAHHHH 💥💥💥

[canmom]

Animation Night 160: Calarts student films, 2023

Good evening friends! Today is a crazy busy day so the introduction will be very minimal (I'm writing this on my phone on a train lol), but I still wanna run Animation Night, so here's the plan.

First up though! In a week's time I'm going to the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, which takes place in the town of Annecy, next to Annecy Lake, in the southeast of France near the Swiss border. Two years ago, during the height of the pandemic, Annecy ran a partly-online version of the film festival and I had a great time watching all their short films; now I've finally been able to save up enough to go for real! It's crazy exciting and a little scary, I haven't been to anything even resembling a film festival since the nine worlds convention nearly a decade ago now ^^'

So, I don't know whether it will be practical to run Animation Night from my hotel, it would be good if I could but it may have to be the first week we miss in more than three years T_T. But, if you're by any chance also coming to Annecy and would like to hang out, I would love to have some people to meet there ^^ And you can bet I'll be writing all about it on here.

Anyway... As you know unless you're a space alien (in which case, hi!), every year animation students go to animation schools to learn this ridiculous art form. One of the most effective ways to learn to make animated films is to... make animated films, going through the whole process from planning to finishing. The schools thus dedicate a large portion of each year to having their students make a short film, typically a few minutes long.

Different schools handle this process in different ways. At Gobelins in France, the students form small teams and work on a film together, and given how consistent and polished their films tend to be, I assume they're quite closely supervised. This is not true elsewhere...

CalArts, near LA, is another one of the most prestigious schools, and a lot of renowned animators both in the states and even internationally (e.g. sakuga stars like Weilin Zhang and Curie Lu) went there - which leads to design trends in American animation (notably the 'bean head') sometimes getting spuriously attributed to a CalArts house style, rather than studio execs being very conservative in what they'll approve.

Compared to Gobelins, it seems that CalArts students tend to make their films largely solo, or at least in much smaller groups, and they're also made every year rather than just for graduation. The results tend to be wildly varied in both style and content, depending on what the students bring. They might be a lot more raw, but that also gives the possibility of really unique and unexpected stuff, and equally I find it interesting to see people at an earlier stage on the road...

So. A year ago on AN109 we watched through the playlist, and saw some real delights like Operago. Tonight I think it would be fun to check out this year's offerings. Unlike Gobelins, which releases everything on its official channel, CalArts students tend to put their films up on personal channels which means finding them can be a bit fiddly. But for a preview, check out this list someone made; at 35 films it's probably very incomplete so I'll be searching for more that are missing. Besides the Gobelins, I have a few other short films to show so we should have plenty to watch.

I'll be starting late, probably around midnight UK time, which is about 4pm in California; apologies that it just isn't possible to start earlier ^^' The place will be twitch.tv/canmom as ever, hope to see you there!

(And if you'd like something else to watch in the meantime, my vtuber friend Yuri Heart is gonna be on tonight too starting around 10:30, and I know she'd also appreciate some company!)

[poupeesdecirque]

Travel Blog Polaris Hamburg! - 14. October 2023

As another rather local-ish convention I decided to check out the Polaris in Hamburg this year. It's a travel of 2 hours by train but a rather convienent route with only changing trains once and I was in Hamburg quite often, therefore Ticket was booked for a day quickly even though I was going there alone with not knowing anyone there. I had some brief contacts who were supposed to be there but didn't end up meeting.

For the full day:

It started super early for me as - like mentioned - the travel time by train was 2 hours and I wanted to get there quite early as autumn break just started and I feared the trains would be filled to the brim (which would be turn out to be true later on). The overall ride was quite relaxing, I had time to read further into the book I started earlier this year. I went into the train in full cosplay as I didn't want to change later on, I didn't want to travel with a wig head and all that.

As I arrived in Hamburg gladly the dear mahein.design (insta) had spotted me in the train before and asked if we would go to the Convention location together, I was full on lost Allen mode and agreed. We took another train and walked a bit. Lost each other then though as he had to change into his cosplay attire and go through the weapony check, I just had Timcampy with me.

The first (of two) Halls I went to was the one with Muchi Markt - the food theme was all over here, you had different food vendors like Bubble Tea, Japanese Crepe etc, also the fitting stage to go with different workshops/events.

Then Valdhaym a roleplay/tabletop based part of the hall, merging with Neo Taki which had also a bigger stage for Quiz and Anime themed presentations. All over you had TONS of artists showcasing their work, no matter which themes, Anime, Manga, Series, Comic, Cute etc. you had different other Content Creators and Photographers, even a Stage for Just Dance performances, vendors with merchandise and pottery. it surely was a lot. Also there was the possibility to book Meet&Greets with bigger names of the german YouTube/Twich Community.

What I really loved was that you had SPACE to walk around even when a lot of people were around, the artists had space to move around, you always were able to navigate around.

The other hall had the Sandbox and the Cyberdome.

The Sandbox was all about gaming, they had vendors like Nintendo and Capcom, an exhibition about consoles and games, a fleamarket for games and more photo corners.

The Cyberdome was all about PCs, from Modding to anything else. They also had a Parcour you could use to show off your skills and a huge stage for the program. As you can see it was a lot of room.

The only downside I saw here truly was: there was only two (three if you counted outside) sanitary spots and ... you basically had to decide 30 minutes prior if you had to pee :') some more toilets set up outside would help greatly, especially if the day is sold out.

I mentioned photo spots! There were some set up like in the first pic here but also bit pop up spots and some were set in containers with differend themed to take photos at, that's a super cool idea! Sadly I didn't have a photographer with me therefore I skipped on taking pics there.

I was able to make some people smile with my Allen Cosplay and even able to talk a bit about the fact that the series is indeed still on going!

Also I'm very proud of myself to ask every cosplayer of DGM I came across for photos. You might now I suffer from severe social anxiety and usually need a safe person to push me forward. That's why I was a bit nervous in regards of attending the whole convention alone. Usually I get to a point in which I space out and then am overstimulated and it's just dead end for me, either mental breakdown or braindead.

But I managed super well. I went slow through the con, over and over again, taking breaks here and there. And I actually bought things I was eyeing for a while, commissioned a drawing and even bought food (yes that has been an issue too, like actually talking to people and ordering food, like a normal human? Gasp nope.).

My personal highlight and the first thing I got was this japanese crepe by Mimi's Crepe, a store I wanted to visit for a while and just had learned they would vendor at the con! What a great coincidence, they even had a convention special, with Matcha and Azuki Bean Paste.

The little foodie that I am I decided to try more later on, I am still super proud I ordered so much and just went for it. One is a falafel bowl with salad, sweet potato fries and Mango Chutney, as the serving was super small I got a Matcha Latte Bubble Tea as Desser, never had one with Tapioca, super chewy and fun.

With another 2 hour ride upon me I decided to head back to the train around 5 in the evening and said good bye to the convention, it was getting a bit empty anyways.

This time going back to the train station all by myself. Adventure underground here. Hah. but I remebered that line from a doll meet years ago luckily. It was easier than before as I arrived directly at the main station this time.

I had a few minutes left at the main station before boarding my train and wanted another little something .. I got a yogurt with berries but look at those pretty donuts. German Donuts are expensive af though and I felt like I only lived off sugar the day, therefore i only snatched a photo.

The train back was incredibly full... the security personell even dared to evacute the train if people wouldn't remove their bags from the seats (wtf why is that still a thing?) - I got a single seat at my first train.

Also we had another announcement which was "It's nice to know none of you likes to move but there is plenty of seats in wagon 5, 6 and 6! You know this is a train, it's hollow from the inside, you can walk through it" .. I had to laugh.

Drew a bit and enjoyed my little snack. Later as I had to change trains I stood next to a non german speaking family and their kid pointed fingers at me and laughed, I was seriously too tired to begin a fight against a full family but please teach your children some manners. Also kid: at least be brave enough to insult me in the native language of the country you are in. I have the courage to live my life to its fullest and walk around in a costume in a train full of people, I don't hide behind a full family to be an asshole about not understanding why people dress differently like you are used to see. No I tell people they should move aside and stick to the rules, even with severe social anxiety. Suck it up.

As I then changed trains I .. met Mahein.Design again and we shared the space in the other train, chatting along a bit until I had to get off. Thank you for the nice hour it was a pleasure to meet you! I also read and sketched a bit more.

[shyuch]

So I went to Swampcon...

^This is not my picture, I stole it so I would have a good photo to use as my banner.

What can I say? My first convention; I'd say I'm a pretty closeted anime fan, so this is something definitely new for me. I definitely enjoyed it though.

I went to Idolfest (my favorite of all):

I must say, the last girl really knew how to dance. Plus, it was Eurobeat, so I couldn't stop myself from getting so hype. The rest of the performances were fire as well, it's just the last one blew me out of the water. It's one of those things where you just want to absolutely head-bang to it.

I didn't get it on video, but she did a NASTYYYYYY body roll that had everyone screaming near the end.

I also went to Artist Alley:

Got some prints of the best video game series ever: Yakuza. On the left is Kiryu and on the right is Majima. They are both legendary in their own ways, and I guess you will have to find out why by playing the actual game. The art style was really cool also, placing them alongside their respective symbols.

(My profile picture is also from this series, Akira Nishikiyama)

I would've gotten bigger prints, but I was already extremely broke from spring break, so I had to settle for less. Although, I did get a pair of horns from a shop.

I saw Vincent:

Also, there's the horns I was talking about earlier. But it's just a great picture isn't it, two dudes having fun at an anime convention hosted by their university.

I saw the best/worst Vocaloid concert ever:

Don't get me wrong, it's cool. It's cool to see a bunch of other vocaloid fans packed in the same room, listening to the same niche genre of music. However, it was just a 2D projection of a video (I kinda managed to turn down the exposure and make it look cool?). It's no different than me just linking a video of:

or

I know I shouldn't expect too much, but somewhere in my heart I really wanted there to be some crazy 3D projection that they set up in the grand ball room to absolutely blow us away.

(Fun fact, I think Senbonzakura is about the Meiji Restoration)

Bonus R2D2:

That's it. It's just R2D2 with me repeatedly saying "o." I was cool to see something more on the Geek side than the Otaku side.

Some Analysis:

While there wasn't millions of Doujinshi stalls scattered everyone along the Reitz, we can still see the Otaku traits in action. For example, the cosplays. I bet there were more cosplayers than actual non-cosplayers there. Each of them did it on their favorite characters in a different way, and we can really see how they managed to refictionalize a fictional character.

Additionally, the Moe elements. Remember when I was fangirling over that eurobeat dance? The way that woman was dressed up, it was definitely to appeal ot the Moe elements. The knee high wide socks, the short plaid skirt, headband... They combined a bunch of elements that people like into an outfit for the otakus to enjoy.

Not to mention, my prints. The Moe elements in this case were the symbols and the character's physiques. Their respective symbols is a big part of what makes the whole franchise "cool." Also, their muscular physiques also attract a lot of other men who maybe want to participate in the guise of a hegemonic masculinity, not to mention that their clothes are also what makes them appealing. Not give the wrong idea though, the majority of the game does not depict the characters as this "super macho" hegemonic masculinity, it only does that through the main story. The rest of the game show them as being tender and kind.

Also, the acceptance of queerness was clear throughout the whole convention. Nobody batted an eye. It was cool to see something in theory, that Otakus can distinguish from fiction and reality, hobby and self, play out in a setting like this.

Overall, I'm definitely doing this again.

10/10