I Forgot How Much Fun These Are...

Which Air Character Are You?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime

Who Is YourTsubasa Date?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime


Who Is Your Ouran Host Date?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime

What Female FMA Character Are You?
Hosted By theOtaku.com: Anime

Super Cute!

Aaaahhhhh!!  I want some of my own.  They are so adorable.  They're the "guardian characters" from Shugo Chara! which can be seen legally here.

Super Con Day 2

I'm glad to have gone to Super Con.  Not only did I get to meet the very person I went there to meet (Vic Mignogna), I also got to meet Crispin Freeman. P.S. A picture of Crispin can be seen here.  

Crispin was great - very funny.  His voice isn't quite as deep as I'd expected when he's talking normally.  Certainly not as deep as Tsume from Wolf's Rain or Amon from Witch Hunter Robin.  Let's see - he has incredible skin and looks so much younger than he actually is.  He does not look 37/38 years old.  What great genes.  In addition to that, he was dressed very nicely.  Excellent first impression.

What amazed me most is how intelligent he comes off - not because I didn't think voice actors would be, but just because he seemed more intelligent than the average person in general.  Crispin's a fountain of information - he talked about everything from vampires to Ents.  I definitely learned a lot.  I almost felt like I should have been taking notes.  He's working on a book right now - that's something I'm definitely going to read.

Oh, and he said that his favorite anime series is The Vision of Escaflowne.  Awesome! :)

Then in the afternoon, Vic did Part 2 of the FullMetal Alchemist Panel.  That was fun, of course.  Vic is such an entertaining person to watch and listen to.  One of my favorite answers:

Question:  If you passed one of your characters on the street?  i.e. What would you do if you passed Edward Elric?

Answer:  If I passed Ed on the street, I wouldn't see him because I would be looking up.

Poor Ed, getting grief about his height from his own voice actor. :P

He remembered me from yesterday, which was very touching.  It's really incredible that he takes the time to learn people's names and actually remembers him.  Just one of the many reasons he's my favorite.

I bought a Tsubasa poster featuring Fai, an Ouran poster (both of which Vic signed), an InuYasha poster, and a FMA wall scroll.  I also got another hug from Vic.

What a great weekend. :)

Super Con Day 1

Today was the first day of Super Con.

As an interesting side note, my best friend and I found Indian comic books - Shiva, Devi, and Saddhu.

My best friend and I walked in and I almost right away I saw... Vic Mignogna talking to some people.  O...M...G... It was funny - I freaked out.  I couldn't think straight.  I was trying to figure out what to say.  I had no idea how to approach him.  I've never been to a convention before - comic, anime, or anything else.

In the end, I just walked up and said hi.  We had an actual conversation (unlike what a lot of celebrities would do, I'm sure), in which:

• He said my name is "beautiful"
• I told him about how I'm an aspiring novelist (and why that's probably why I appreciate FMA so much)
• He admitted he hasn't really been keeping up with FMA Brotherhood

And some other stuff as well.  I asked for a picture and he gave me a hug in it.  Awww.  He really is a lovely person.

At the FullMetal Alchemist Panel, he answered a lot of questions, spoke on the voices of my four favorite characters (Edward Elric, Fai Flourite, Tamaki Suou, and Dark Mousy - SO AWESOME), and talked about how he's just a fan like everyone else.  He told us about his Star Trek obsession (i.e. how he used to record the episodes on audio cassettes and listen to them when he went to bed).

I love how he stressed the fact that he's just another fan.  He also attributes a lot of his success to God, which is another thing I think is amazing.  He came off as being friendly, charismatic, and humble.  I can't imagine anyone ever meeting him and not liking him.  Even my best friend (who's only seen part of Ouran so far) found him to be friendly and funny.

I was thinking about celebrities in general.  What's so incredible about them?  Why do we go insane when meeting one?  Why do we take pictures of them and with them and read about their lives?  They're just normal people, right?

Yes and no.  The true celebrities, I believe, are those whose work we appreciate.  When multiple people appreciate the work and the person responsible for the work, it creates a sort of bond.  They have a connection now, through this celebrity.  Not only do they have something to discuss, they also have something in common that they like.  I'm not sure if this makes any sense, but I feel like fame doesn't just bring glory to the person who is famous - it also serves to unite people in love for certain celebrities (and unfortunately) in hate for others.

Celebrities need to remain down-to-earth and appreciate the fans who rose them to renown.  Without the fans, they really wouldn't exist.  Vic Mignogna is a great example of someone who has managed to remain down-to-earth and really is incredible.  I am truly thankful to have been able to meet this person.  I feel that his fanship must increase when he goes to conventions, just because he is such a genuinely good person.

Other than that, I think we need to believe that celebrities are still human and not be so harsh to some of them.

I don't know what I'm saying anymore.  I'm so tired.

Moving Forward

I may have botched things,

so I'm a little frustrated,

but I haven't given up yet, okay?

I'm going to clear up

these muddled dreams

like a fog lifting,

just you watch.

Until I move ahead a step,

and then the next step,

though I may be going slowly,

I'm still moving forward

at my own pace.

It's because I have these tears

that I can take the next step.

I am clearly aware

that I am moving forward

toward the light.

-Kono Namidagaarukara Tsugino Ippotonaru, Ami Tokito

(from School Rumble)

Distractions, Distractions

Why am I so easily distracted??  I have an ochem midterm tomorrow that I can't seem to focus on.  It just feels like there are so many better things to do.  Focus has never been my strongest suit.

Distraction #1:  Photography.  I took a walk around my neighborhood, snapping pictures as I went along.  A crow was following me for about fifteen minutes.  That was pretty odd.  But I did see some great stuff to take pictures of - I didn't photograph everything because I thought I might as well leave some for another time.

Distraction #2:  Yuri.  I just found out what this is.  Apparently yuri is lesbian anime/manga.  Who knew?  I saw the name of a cute-sounding anime:  Strawberry Panic.  I looked it up on Wikipedia and found out it's yuri.  I started watching it regardless because I just wanted to see how they handled this whole girl-girl relationship thing.  In my opinion, though, it seems like the girls who are the same age want to find a best friend and the younger girls want to find an older sister figure.  It doesn't really seem like romantic love to me.  But that's just what I think.  So after this, I've decided I'm not a yuri fan.

Distraction #3:  Internet.  There's so much to do!  Catch up on the news, Perez Hilton, FML, Overheard in New York, etc.  It isn't my fault.  Okay, fine, maybe it is.  Unfortunately Google Reader makes procrastination so much easier.

Distraction #4:  Manga.  I bought Fruits Basket volumes 21 and 22 (yay!!) at Borders and Barnes and Noble respectively (I had coupons for a certain percentage off on one item from both stores).  Volume 22 came with a "Shoujo Sampler," which basically meant it had a chapter from a few more Tokyopop Shoujo mangas.  I only read the included chapter for the first manga - Maid-sama!.  Oh...My...God... so addictive.  I immediately jumped online and started drinking it up.  So good.  I'm thinking of buying all these volumes too.  I also read the sample for Ng Life which seems hilarious.  The only good thing is I haven't started to read Fruits Basket Volume 12 yet because I know that would definitely distract me.  Then again, that might just be a case of delayed gratification.  In fact, it probably is.  P.S. Princess Ai is not as good as Tokyopop makes it out to be.  Sorry, Courtney Love.

Distraction #5:  Story.  All these amazing manga stories make my creative juices flow.  I want to write Chapter 9 so badly.  I also got an idea for another story that I'm excited to start writing.  Basically, including my current one, I have either three or four projects lined up - four if I decided to write the sequel to this one (which I'm leaning towards doing).

FMA vs. Brotherhood

I love FullMetal Alchemist (as if my last name weren't indication enough).  That's why when FUNimation started to air FullMetal Alchemist:  Brotherhood, I started to watch it.  I've kept up with it, every week since it's began (of course it's only been a month).  

At this point, I'm thinking that I prefer the original anime.  In Brotherhood, everything seems a little rushed.  Maybe this is because they're including more of the story than the original anime did.  Nevertheless, it is entertaining and I'll continue to watch it as long as it continues to have Edward Elric...and I really doubt they'll ever get rid of the title character ;)