Road to MAGfest 2015- December 15th 2014

Finally got around to braiding half of the wig. I did it while we watched Kamen Rider A to Z so I did not have time to take any pictures securing it to Mikey's head, brushing it, and all that stuff. Most of them out have been me rolling my eyes, wiping my eyes (reading subtitles and concentrating on knots), and curses under my breath. It was a good thing that wig was not Mikey's real hair or he would have been screaming and crying. The back looks terrible but I don't care. Half of it is down anyway.

Road to MAGfest 2015- December 2, 2014

Less than 2 months left! I did not wholly stuff myself during Thanksgiving, just regular stuffed :p.
Costume pieces are starting to come in. I just ordered my gakuran jacket and it will be cutting it super close as to when it gets here but I was sick for the past few days and of course I wanted to lose some weight but that is not going to happen. I may not be able to look the most awesome, but my brother is going to be bestest Cartman!


I found this jacket on Ebay and used black nail polish to paint the buttons red.

Jacket is done!

The only pants I found that were that shade of brown were sweat pants, but no one will notice with the jacket and shoes

And these came in yesterday. The hat should be here in a few days since I forgot to tell the seller which hat I wanted. So there's his and Mikey's is done. Now to finish up us girls' costumes!

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 19, 2014

My shoes are finally done! And they look terrible! So here is how I did them.

Bought normal shoes, about $5 at WalMart, the closest thing I could find that was not expensive.



I would have to paint the bottom and sides an orangish yellow hue. I tried nail polish which asphyxiated me for a few hours and ran out too fast. So I went with fabric paint which I had left from last Halloween.

Mixed it on a paper plate, hoping to get the right color.



Tape up the shoes (I should have used painter's tape).



Coat of white.



1st coat. Other coats not pictured for some reason. Probably because I was too busy trying to keep them away from the animals to dry.



Finish off the sides with nail polish.



Peel off the tape (I needed a safety pin to cut the paint in parts).



A little olive oil to remove the sticky scuffs.



All done! They look cheaply made and badly modded. Perfect. They are kind of slippery on the carpet but seem fine on hardwood. Right now, I'm just hoping the fabric paint does not slide off while I am walking. More testing needed.



The scale says I have lost a pound. The weekend was full of good food though since I went to a baby shower, had dinner with my parents, and could not resist some coconut pudding from my inlaws. It was rainy and cold today so I had no time to do my cardio. I could do my weights... I could...

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 17th, 2014

I have never done a cosplay with a wig before. To show you guys how inexperienced I am, I shall admit that I bought a Halloween wig at first. Ick. I knew it wouldn't work when I tried to brush it. So I spent money on a good wig from a recommended seller. It looks a lot more like the wig he wears. But Sarah, we don't want to ruin this thing and it is already getting tangled! How do we brush it out and take care of it? TO THE INTERNET!

 

... yeah, I was using the wrong brush. Luckily, Mikey was at the store at THAT moment and picked me up a three way pick.




So, I used two videos for advice on keeping my wig on my hair. This one:



And this one since I have short hair (I was not sure about getting the bobby pins to side onto the wig though).



Finally, I found a video that shows me how to braid my wig. I am thinking of keeping one side up and one side down so I can play with the down side and it will distinguish me from other characters.



I'll post what it looks like when I get it parted, braided, and fit onto my head properly.

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 10th, 2014

Once again, I have not written in a long time but it is weigh-in day. I have stayed about the same but we switched out the summer clothes for the winter clothes so I will have to judge my progress by the sizes of my long jeans. Right now, I have on size 20 jeans and they feel perfect. I am not at the size 16 going on size 14 I once was but I am also not spitting out of size 22s.

I had another bad weekend but my week was not so bad. I think I am truly learning to control how much I eat and what. But it is also that "time of the month" so who knows how much I will gain by the end of it all. I must be strong! Womanly wiles begone!



My wig came in last week and it has been giving me a lot of motivation to keep up my work and making me feel better. I wear it around the house and brush it VERY gently. I wore it out when I walked the dogs this weekend to see how much it moved on my head. It itched like crazy but my natural hair does that a lot too (no, I don't have lice, fleas maybe :p). I need to look up how to take care of a wig and how to part on that is not a fully parted wig. I found a tutorial online and I will see what I can do. I have never owned a long haired fancy wig before. We have one that is like Chucky's hair from Child's Play but it is short, spiky, and is supposed to be messy. No real brushing needed.


If I had a second to spare, I would finish up the shoes and post about them but alas I am so swamped today I do not really have time to even do this post but I know I have to keep up with it. I like doing it, don't get me wrong, I have just had so much to do, I always forget about it!

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 4th, 2015

After a disappointing Halloween, getting pukey again, and still waiting for my wig (I swear the arrival date keeps getting pushed back!), I finally have time to post the haul I got on... Friday?



I think the big package was the boots I accidently ordered, but the others are both glasses. Here are my navigator glasses. It was a bit tough to pop out the lenses but I read online that putting them in hot (but not boiling) water helps. It took awhile but they came out and look quite huge on my face.

The others were the 3D glasses for Mereb's costume. They feel odd on my face but they work. I'm glad 3D technology has gotten better over the years because the red/blue stuff messes with my vision.

Notice that they are not the wooden color as on the show. The ones I found that were that color were in fact made out of bamboo and were hella expensive. I'm anal about getting this costume right, but I am not spending a ton of money on a cheap prop that will be hidden in my sleeve anyway.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 30th, 2014

Oh, Mr. Postman! I didn't know you cared! Let's see what goodies lay inside...

Well... aside from Zombie's eye cream and a new battery for my cellphone (that thing held a charge like Howie Mandell holds year-old sponges). Maybe now I can take more than two photographs without having to hit my phone for more power.

My revolver! It's smaller than I would have hoped, but it's a child's toy gun. It was expensive as it is for a kid's toy that does not do much other than look semi-real and click. Thanks again Sam for pointing me in the right direction!

At first we thought that the seller had sent Mikey the wrong item because it came in a box with a machine gun on it, but his shotgun was in the box rather than a machine gun. So we're all good.

Now Mikey and I both have the guns for our cosplays. The glasses are set to come in today or tomorrow and the wig next week.

Got a bit of practice with drawing muscles. The shoulder turned out okay but drawing decent lines on an un-braced human body is tough. The shading needs to be lighter too. I might have to look at that video again to get the shading down. At least that was somewhat clear.

As for the weight loss front, I'm exercising and eating decently, though I have cravings for pizza, nachos, and a Ranch BLT Crispy Chicken from McDonalds. Holy crap those are good. I doubt I could recreate it because there aren't any chicken patties that big. If I made it with a chicken breast it might work but then I have to bread it and fry it... now I'm craving that sandwich even more...

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 28th, 2014

So... the scale says I might have GAINED a pound. I think its broken. I shall chuck it out the window. I have yet to do that "do these jeans fit?" test though. Just thinking about it frustrates me; combined with the fact that I cannot buy the gakuran until I know where I will be weight-wise when MAGfest comes around. Everything else is on its way I think.



Thanks to my friend Sam who knows a little something about guns, I found a good replica of what he calls a "Magnum revolver". I understand these two words but I would not be able to pick one out in a crowd.

Another thanks to my awesome cousin Nancy who gave me the idea of putting paint on the bottom of the canvas shoes to create the orangish hue on Tamao's shoes. My next post will probably consist of me painting the shoes terribly. Nancy has a lot of theater experience so she's the one I go to when I have costume questions, unfortunately for her.

Hesitant to cut off all my hair yet just in case a miracle happens and I do end up getting that robe for Mereb's costume. I'm too ambitious.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 27th 2014

I just thought of something last night. The gakuran (it has a name! No one told me this! Maybe Justin did but I don't remember) I found may not be the best quality if it is so cheap. It will probably work for the cosplay but I wish I could afford one of the more expensive ones because they look so good. Probably the best thing to do would be to buy the cheaper one and if I get the funds later, buy the real one and sell the older one if I can, but it is a lot of money to shell out.

And I bid on the wrong kind of shoes. It is nearly impossible to tell what kind of shoes he is wearing. What the hell, Muro-san? Can't you wear shoes that are easier to identify?





I am thinking of going either with black martial arts shoes (they look more like what he is wearing but you would not wear those outside nor to school, would you?) or plain black canvas sneakers. In either one I'll be comfortable and able to move freely. Any other ideas from my intelligent readers?

I should not allow a costume to stress me out this much.

To help pay for the costume though (along with a few other things), I am going to be selling some clothes and shoes I do not wear. Most of my stuff is too old to give away let alone sell but I will do my best.

Weight loss is going great. I have lost at least a pound. I weighed myself today and it said I lost three but it was nearly two hours after I normally weigh myself. I hate to say that I am not eating, but I am having trouble doing so. I am either not hungry (mostly in the morning but I have to eat then to take my meds) or I am just not interested in food. I will grab something that will stop my stomach from cramping but it is normally a raw vegetable or some crackers.

I know it is not really a healthy way to lose weight but at this point, I don't care. I have been fat since second grade and if I do not get a handle on it now, when will I? This is what feels okay and what is working. I am still working out as much as my mind will allow me to and not being a lazy sod. I have a few things to cling to now and I do not have to rely on food to get through the day. When the stress really gets to me is when the desire to eat the pain away comes back, but I fight it tooth and nail.

Gotta Protect 'Em All

In Memory of Jessica Rachael Gelatka

12/16/86- 9/29/2004

After three years of traveling across the globe to study and train her Pokémon, Jessica had become a great Pokémon Master and had the badges to show it. Now she stood at the door of the Viridian City Pokémon Center ready to settle down and start her career as a nurse. Eventually, she hoped to become one of the greatest Pokémon doctors that ever lived. Maybe she would have the chance to travel again if she were needed elsewhere.

Becoming a Pokémon Master had not been her main goal when she set out at the tender age of ten. She wanted to study Pokémon and everything having to do with healing them. Her mind held hopes of pokéballs with healing capabilities but she could never find the means to build a prototype. It would take more research than she could do in just three years.

The Pokémon center at Viridian City had expanded since Jessica's days as a novice and it now looked more like a human hospital. There were more high-tech Pokémon centers in the world, but none for miles around and Viridian City healed most of the Pokémon from the surrounding villages.

Jessica pulled open the glass door of the center and walked to the front desk. Nurse Gladys looked up at her and smiled. Jessica was surprised that Gladys could see through the long blonde curls in her face. "You said you'd be back," Gladys giggled and snorted. "And now here you are." She slid a name badge across the counter. "I made one for you a few months ago. Now that you are here, I can put you to work."

"Can I heal my Pokémon first?" Jessica asked as she took off her green satchel, pulled her long brown hair behind her neck, and knelt down to inspect it. Six pokéballs filled her thin arms when she stood back up.

"What do we have here?" Gladys squealed and clapped her chubby hands together. When she leaned over the counter, her rotund stomach and ample bosom spilled over. Jessica held in laughter.

"Venisaur, Raichu, Beedrill, MaChamp, Garados, and Flareon."

"A nice mix. You've been busy." With that, she scooped up Jessica's pokéballs and placed them on the healing tray. The six slots glowed and whirred for a few seconds and then slowly dimmed and fell silent. "These machines are amazing. Always been the tried and true method for healing. Nothing could be faster or cheaper."

"We'll see about that in the coming years" said Jessica. "I've still got some research to do."

A large piplup waddled out into the foyer with a content grin on its face. Suddenly, it stopped and began rolling around Jessica and then behind the counter. Gladys shook her head. “I forgot to tell you about Princeton. We found him about a year ago. His master had just let him go. As you can see, he's not like most other piplups.” Princeton emerged from behind the counter with a sandwich in his flipper. He was about to take a big bite out of it when Gladys snatched it back. “This is MY sandwich! Why are you always stealing my lunch?” Princeton ran as fast as his feet could carry him back down the hall behind the counter.

“Piplups don't like when humans give them food. Do you think his master gave him up because he's different?”

Gladys took a bite of her sandwich and put it back in her lunchbox. “That and he cannot evolve.”

“What?”

“We've tried to get him to evolve. We don't think he can do it. He might be stuck as a piplup forever. At least he's a nice piplup unlike most others. Not only that, he doesn't like the cold. His favorite place is in a warm blanket next to someone. That's our Princeton.”

To be Continued...



Here is the two-hour LP we did in her honor, edited to two 15 minute videos. We hope to pick it back up and possibly finish the game.













We miss you, Hon.

Road to MAGfest- October 24, 2014

Well, where to start? Someone outbid me on the shoes at the last second and the people making the robe want $54 since it is custom made. I might ask the other places I tried for the name of their wholesaler so I can get something from them or if they can recommend one of their retailers for what I need. We will see how long it will take the lady to make it so I can make a decision whether or not to buy it.
The reason I hesitate is because I found a Japanese male school uniform for the same price and I would rather be Ogane Tamao than Mereb. Especially now that I have seen the movie. But I already got so much for Mereb's costume.



But this week has been super productive and I am on my way to being thinner and healthier. Last time I looked, I had lost a pound. Today was a super exercise day. I did everything I was supposed to do; cardio, weight training, and core exercises.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 20th 2014

Weigh-in time, and I think I did okay this week. I might have lost a few ounces if not broke even. That is actually progress since I have been teetering back and forth. The weekend I just had must have helped because I was sweating and running around everywhere. Running with Khaleesi is hard and I hate it but if it means progress, I will do it. My fridge is full of vegetables and my lunch has been a big bowl of raw veggies. I will be hungry again later but now I have had my veggies and I can make better decisions when it comes to eating.

I finally found someone who can make the outer robe for me! They are a life saver. I cannot believe no one else can make a simple custom robe yet they sell ones that are embroidered. Some said they ordered them in bulk but they could have at least given me the name of the wholesaler so I could ask them if they had any clues. None of that matters now anyway because I found a company that can do it. They even got back to me on two different colors that they could do for the sleeves and lining. I am really excited to get it and try it on with my dress.

The boots are also on their way too. Depending on how long it is going to take for all of it to get here (the robe still needs to be made), I want to take a picture of all of it.



I guess it is time to think about how I am going to do my hair. It is thick enough that it can look like a wig. I don't know anyone who knows a lot about hair. I cut my own hair and I cut Mikey's too because I never liked getting my hair cut and it is super expensive now. What I am thinking I need to do is layer it the opposite way I normally do so the ends curl under instead of up. It also needs to be a little longer than my hairline so it covers it.

Do ya'll think I should have the inner layers cut short or that I need those layers for fluff so it still looks like I have a wig on? I'm not worried about after the convention. I can make any hair work for me and it is not like I really care what my hair looks like. I'm more concerned about the color and people thinking I am not a real blonde. I am proud of my blonde hair even if I dye it constantly. It will be my first time bleaching my hair. I have bleach from a tri-color kit.

Yuusha Yoshihiko to Pudding o Motomote (feat. Oko-san)

The hours of adventuring throughout the day had taken their toll on Yoshihiko and his party. Before the sun set, they found a small clearing in the woods, built a fire, and put on a pot of water to make rice. Their stomachs grumbled loudly.

"I don't think rice is going to cut it tonight." Danjo groaned as he rubbed his stomach.

"I'm so hungry!" moaned Murasaki.

"I can hardly hold my staff." replied Mereb.

Murasaki rolled her eyes. "It's not like that staff does anything."

Mereb opened his mouth to respond but Danjo interjected. "A fat juicy rabbit would do nice."

"Ooh, rabbit!" Murasaki and Mereb drooled.

Yoshihiko stared into the fire and nodded. "Yes, a rabbit would be good." He stood up. "Danjo and I will look for one."

"Hai," Danjo replied as he got to his feet. "Lead the way."

After an hour of searching, there was not a rabbit to be found. Just when they were about to give up the search, they saw a small dove walking down the road. They thought it strange that this dove was wearing a suitcoat and tie, but they were too hungry to ponder it further. Yoshihiko and Danjo bent down to keep themselves hidden and formulated a plan to catch the dove. Danjo would get in front of the dove and Yoshihiko would strike from behind. They dashed out of the woods and took their positions.

The dove jumped back at the sight of Danjo but easily avoided Yoshihiko's blade. He let out a loud "Cooo!"

"Why do you try to filet Oko-san?" He shouted. "Oko-san will not stand for this! Mighty Wing Attack!" He flung himself at Danjo and slapped him hard with his wing. Danjo held his wounded face and fell to the ground. Yoshihiko stepped forward, poised and ready for an opening to attack. "Doth thou wish to have some too?" Oko-san shouted and flailed. "You will not stop Oko-san in his search for pudding!"

Yoshihiko put down his sword. "Pudding?"

"The best pudding! Oko-san is on a journey to discover the Great Pudding! The pudding that puts all other puddings to shame and will save the world with its jiggly wonder!"

"That does sound good."

"Willst thou join Oko-san in his quest?"

"Well," Yoshihiko thought to himself. "I am supposed to be-"

"Then Oko-san will go on alone! Oko-san will find a place to sleep and will seek the Great

Pudding tomorrow!" He took a few small steps when Yoshihiko called out to him.

"Wait, why don't you stay at our camp? We're already set up and there is a fire going."

"Oko-san does not want to end up as dinner! Oko-san has beans he can share."

So Yoshihiko and Oko-san helped Danjo up and together they walked back to camp. Murasaki and Mereb were not too pleased to hear they would have to settle for beans instead of a rabbit but promises of pudding helped ease their hunger pains.

They trudged through the forest and over countless fields for what seemed like years. When they reached the end of the darkest forest, they came upon a clearing with a cracked temple with neoclassical and gothic undertones. Columns stood before a twenty feet high entrance.

Before they could enter the temple, a six foot cyclops jumped out from behind one of the columns. "You will not enter this temple," he slurred through his two tusk-like fangs. "Just try to get past me and watch your blood spill on the ground due to the death ray that will shoot out of my eye!"

"He sounds serious." Mereb said, looking at the rest of the party.

"Coo!" Oko-san screeched. "Oko-san is not scared of your death ray!"

"Then prepare to feel the pain of my death ray!" The cyclops turned his back. Yoshihiko and Danjo prepared their swords. Murasaki pulled out her dagger. Mereb held out his staff but was ready to dodge just in case. When the cyclops turned back around, he threw a small pebble at Oko-san. Oko-san jumped out of the way. The party stared at the pebble the cyclops had thrown.

“Um...” Yoshihiko started. “That is just a rock.”

“No,” the cyclops hissed. “It's a death ray! I'll teach you to disrespect my power!” He threw a pebble at Yoshihiko which bounced off of his chest.

“Don't do that.” Yoshihiko said sternly. “It hurts.”

“Does it?” asked Mereb.

“Well, a little.”

The cyclop's eye widened. “See? My death ray will be the end of all of you!” He picked up another pebble and threw it at Danjo who blocked the hit. The pebble bounced off of his sword and back to the cyclops, hitting him in the shoulder. “Ah!” he screamed. “To use my power against me! How heinous!” He fell to the ground, defeated, and disappeared.

The foyer led to five long hallways with gray walls, a white marble floor, and windows with a single column separating the openings. The party each took a hallway but in the end they all ended up in the same place; a large marble room with a chest in the middle. The lid was heavy and it took both Danjo and Yoshihiko to lift it. A bright light blinded everyone. When the light finally subsided, Yoshihiko peered inside the chest and then looked back at his party.

“There's... nothing there.” he mumbled. The others rushed toward the chest to look for themselves. Indeed, the chest was empty.

“Aww,” Murasaki whined. “So much work for nothing.” A mischievous look begot Mereb. He cast the spell “Sweets” on Murasaki with a wave of his staff, making her crave sweet things. Murasaki balked. “What the hell did you do that for?”

Mereb played with his blonde locks and looked on in arrogance. “For calling my staff useless.”

“That's not fair! Take off the spell!”

Mereb did not look at Murasaki but held out his staff. “Apologize to my staff. You hurt its feelings.”

Murasaki scrunched up her face. “...I'm...s-”

A drop of cream colored goo fell onto Mereb's head. He felt his hair and looked up. “I think a bird just crapped on me.”

Another fell on Danjo. He put his hand on his head. “He did it to me too!” Mereb was still looking up when another drop fell onto his eye.

Yoshihiko, Oko-san, and Murasaki looked up. “I think it is coming from the ceiling.” Yoshihiko said.

“What is it?” asked Murasaki.

Oko-san sniffed the air. “Oko-san's nose does not deceive him! It can only be-” At that moment, a giant cream pudding fell onto the chest in front of him. It was ten feet high and covered in strawberries. The party could only admire its delicious appearance before it lifted itself off of the ground and moved toward them. Strawberries fell to the ground. Everyone prepared their weapons except Murasaki who dove head first into the gelatinous form and started devouring it in whole mouthfuls.

“What is she doing?” Danjo panicked. “Is she crazy?”

Mereb put his finger over his mouth in thought and then gasped. “It's the Sweets spell! I never took it off!"

Yoshihiko's eyes widened. He whipped his head in Mereb's direction. “Mereb! Cast the spell on all of us! We have to help her!”

Mereb nodded. “As you wish.” He shook his staff at Yoroshihiko. “Sweets!” Yoshihiko roared and plunged into the pudding, making a hero-shaped hole in its form. Mereb then cast “Sweets” on Danjo who licked his lips. “Let's have a nibble!” he said, and sliced chunks off to eat. When Mereb cast the spell on Oko-san, Oko-san began to run the other way.

“Wait, where are you going?” Mereb shouted.

“Oko-san is a dove! Doves do not eat pudding! Oko-san is off on a quest to find sweet corn and satisfy his great need for saccharine avian delicacies!” And with that, he was off.

Mereb looked at himself and turned his staff inward. “Sweets?” Instantly he felt a wave of sugary addiction flow through his veins. He mindlessly dropped his staff and began shuffling like a zombie to get at the enormous dessert in front of him. When they all came back to their senses, the only evidence of the Great Pudding Monster was a sticky trail and four fattened adventurers asleep in the temple.

“Yoshihiko,” a voice boomed from the clouds. “It's the Buddha! Now is not the time to be sleeping! Oy! Oy! Wake up, all of you!” But despite the Buddha's best efforts, he could not wake up the party from their coma.

(I know I should have put Buddha in the story for longer, but this took me a week to write. I tired.)

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 17, 2014

Wow, I haven't written in a long time!

I have lost some weight so I am almost back to where I started. Part of that might be from the few days I could not eat anything because I got sick again. At least I know the cause now. I have Acid Reflux. I've had it for a long time but it never bothered me this bad. I would just get really terrible heartburn and down either Tums or some vinegar to break up the gas. Looks like it is time for me to actually watch what I eat or I will get sick. Salty, deep fried, cheesy, fatty, and sugary goodness is sometimes better than sex, but healthy food tastes even better compared to the sickly burps and farts my body produces, along with ultimately puking my guts out but not before spending hours begging my body to just let it pass through without making me sacrifice to the porcelain goddess and finally gaining the courage to start the ceremony. I would rather cover my nipples in paper cuts and soak them in lemon juice than blow chunks.

Maybe this will finally get me to eat properly. I did great yesterday and took Khaleesi for a walk with a little bit of running but not a lot.


I am bidding on the boots for my costume. The other ones I picked out did not match as well as I would have hoped. Luckily, someone snatched them up before I won the bid. I doubt the same thing will happen here because these have been re-listed several times, but it does not hurt to hope. I have kept these on my watch list for awhile because they are kind of expensive for a costume, but I keep thinking about them and coming back to them. It was time to make a choice.


While trying to get better screenshots for the costume (and general faffing about rewatching episodes because I am a total fangirl), I noticed that I nearly forgot the 3D glasses the Mereb gives to Yoshihiko so he can see Buddha! They are hidden in his robe so no one will really see them but I'm a perfectionist when it comes to costumes. And hey, having a pair of 3D glasses lying around would be useful as long as Khaleesi does not eat them. They were only $0.99 anyway. Unfortunately, they are not the brownish color in the show but I could not find those anywhere and it is too small of a detail for me to spend time looking. I have to after all work hard enough to be able to afford the costume.

I did find a robe that will work (in fact it looks quite similar!) but it was not in my size and if I can get it custom made (it is on Etsy), it might be pretty expensive. That is if she can make it in time. I might be willing to pay the extra just because i cannot find this robe anywhere. Try finding one that is close, I dare you. So here's also hoping that works out. That is the only part of the costume I am worried about. My hair is growing out nicely and should be ready by January.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 2, 2014

The dress and pipes for my costume came in yesterday. The dress fits okay but I am still adamant to lose weight. However, I am lacking on this front. Stress is getting the better of me again and food is really tempting. I need to distract myself again.

Today, I focused on making the bracelet. I am by no means a "crafty" person. My mom wants me to scrapbook with her but I am total derp when it comes to that sort of thing. People can tell which pages my mom did and which pages I sloshed together. But I did give it the old college try:

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaterials! Found at Walmart where I get all my crafty stuff. By that I mean MIKEY'S crafty stuff. I go in there to faff about the home decor and body jewelry sections and then pick up incense. Mischief got ahole of the lace and tried to carry it off. That's a bad Mischief.

I went for a pattern of five dark wood per off-white bead. It seemed to fit my wrist the best compared to his.

All the beads threaded long enough to cover most of my wrist. Working with the wooden beads is hard because they were not cut as well as other beads. I had to use a safety pin to grab the end of the suede and pull it through. At the end is the bead where both ends of the suede go. Wish me luck!

SUCCESS!

Now to thread a bead on the end and tie it off.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

sok. I fix
.
The Final product. I'm quite proud of it actually. I will just have to be careful putting it on and taking it off. Suede is kinda fragile!

Aoi Honoo- Blue Blazes

Aoi Honoo was a show Mikey wanted to watch after checking out The Hero Yoshihiko since it is by the same director, Yuichi Fukuda, who also did Hentai Kamen. Although I loved Yoshihiko, I was not interested in watching Aoi Honoo until I noticed Tsuyoshi Muro as Hiroyuki Yamaga. As I have said before, I am a big fan of his work.

Not to mention, Mikey and I have this game we play where I can spot any actor from a previous show we have watched 98% of the time. In fact, I noticed a small cameo by Yoshihiko himself, Takayuki Yamada, in the last episode. By the time Jiro Sato made an appearance, I was sitting and watching each new episode with Mikey (although Sato could have been simply dicking around on set and they managed to catch some of it on camera).



The series takes place between 1980 and 1981. Moyuru Honoo (Yuya Yagira) is a college student and an aspiring manga artist. However, Hideaki Anno (Ken Yasuda) has easily proven himself to be the best creator in the class. Hiroyuki Yamaga (Tsuyoshi Muro) quickly snatches him and Takami Akai (Tomoya Nakamura) to work together in class to use their talent and become a producer so he will "never miss a meal again". This concept gives him the occasional internal manic episode.



Anno is indeed Honoo's rival but he is by no means perfect. Like most artists, he's one big oddball that his friends have to contend with. He has an obsession with Ultraman and mecha series which is the prime subject of his animation.



The difference between Anno and Honoo's passions reflect their success. Anno loves his subject matter and demonstrates it through his animation. Honoo has the desire to be a manga artist of any genre as long as he makes it big. Although it is never specifically stated in the show, therein lies his major downfall.

These names are celebrities in the manga world, but most of them go over my head I am afraid, one of the main reasons I was not initially interested in watching the show. Many of the real people portrayed in the show had cameos as smaller characters. As an actor, meeting the real person you portray must have been an honor. Behind-the-scenes clips aired during the ending credits showing who was who and featured quotes from manga celebrities, most of them humorous.



Being a writer, I feel that I should have liked the show's plot more than I did. I joked with Mikey that if the plot were about a writer, there would be more alcohol and suicidal attempts. Here is what Mikey had to say about the show as a whole. I feel like my apathy toward most of it cannot do it true justice:

After just the first episode, however, I was irrevocably hooked. The performances of the cast definitely had that Yuichi feel that I remembered from Yoshihiko; low-budget sets, deadline shoots, but you could tell everyone was having so much fun.
I also didn't know what to expect from Honoo as a character, but throughout the series I found myself constantly identifying with his struggles to express his creative side. Even his tendency to obsess over details in his favorite manga and anime that most people overlook was charming; sure he sounds crazy, but he had a point that these were little things put there for a reason, even if he sometimes overestimates their importance.

As an anime fan I enjoyed the numerous references, though unfortunately many of them were a little dated or just outside my experience. I giggled like a school girl at each Kamen Rider reference, but the super Ultraman fanboyisms from Anno often passed over my head, even though I know at least the general idea of the Ultraman franchise.

Fortunately, the references are just fun extras that you don't require intimate knowledge about to get the plot or the characters; as it is, the show tells you everything you need to know about them.

As with the director's other drama series, Blue Blazes is mostly comedy, but in this series the comedic situations are centered around very real struggles of finding the drive to create, dreaming about what success is like only to learn first-hand how harrowing the fight for it is, and finally accepting the responsibility and anxiety that comes with being recognized as an artist.

The last two episodes dramatically increased in quality. They were much better paced since everything was coming to a head. This is also the episode where Yamaga has his most prominent bout of mania.

With the penultimate's build up to the final episode, not even the foreboding loss of clients could keep me from finishing the series, and I could not have been better rewarded.

Honoo at first decides to enjoy his youth in college but there is no one around to enjoy it with, so he goes back to manga. It is a small plot point but his second wind is significant. Many creators, be they artists or writers, do not have a second wind. They go into career fields that make them miserable so they can pay the bills and become a normal contributor to society. I did the same and I failed.


This is based on real events so spoilers should not be much of a problem. I will sum it up quickly. Honoo finally gets his manga in the weekly manga anthology Shonen Sunday, but he is not as happy as he thought he would be as a published artist. Anno explains to him that now he has the  responsibility and stress of being at a professional level. Then, he pulls out the issue of Shonen Sunday with Honoo's entry and asks him to sign it.

I wanted to cry. This reached me on a personal level. When I was published in my first writing anthology, my father-in-law asked for my autograph. My hands shook as I signed the inside cover. That first autograph is something truly special even if you are nothing more than a lucky creator who ended up winning a contest. That was Honoo's first success and in the end, he made it. He fulfilled his dream.

Blazing Transfer Student is Shimamoto Kazuhiko's work that ends up in the spotlight during the series. Apparently, the manga is still running. I have seen the anime which did not make it past two episodes. However, it is hilarious and I would recommend it to anyone. I would also recommend Aoi Honoo to any creator or manga enthusiast. With the growing YouTube and video community, this is especially true. It has been translated unofficially but has no American license. You can find the episodes here: http://over-ti.me/releases/blue-blazes-01/

And here is a link to everything Shimamoto Kazuhiko: http://bato.to/search?artist_name=SHIMAMOTO%20Kazuhiko