drakyndra

What.

No, really. What?

Well, to follow on from my previous post (And yes, I am enjoying the rebloggings on tumblr. Though if your name their is different from LJ or what-have you, please let me know, oh mystery follower), I once more have things!

This time, a bit more physical. Mostly.

There's volume 5 of the Utena manga (in English), since I finally managed to find someone selling it second hand for a reasonable price. Yes, it's an ex-library copy with the reference sticker in place, but given as new copies are like $80 at cheapest, I think my just over $20 was rather a bargain.

Also: new second-hand furniture in my room. With actual drawers. Which is greatly helpful when it comes to storage - or will be, once I've finished sorting things out (I'm currently at the mid-point of cleaning, where everything is messier than what it started out.)

Then there's plans for my birthday (mostly family related for now, though if anyone knows of something fun on at the end of the month, give me a buzz), or at least the weekend beforehand. So, dinner at a nice Mexican place - note to self, actually book tables sometime this week - and then on the Sunday we'll go to the museum for the Ancient Mesopotamia exhibition thing.

Plus I am informed my mother has a large present to be dropped off at my place, which has me hmmming away.

Oh, and finally I have this week's Korra episode, which I must get to watching now I have some free time...

Well, I just spent most of the last few days at this years Supanova.

I normally only go in for one day, so the whole weekend thing was a bit new (and a bit exhausting), but then again I've generally had actual things on during the week, which I need the chance to sleep in a bit more. At the moment... well, I can sleep in tomorrow.

I didn't end up getting any autographs or photos with anyone - sorry, I just find it all so very over-priced - but I did see a bunch of panels. Summer Glau, Morena Baccarin, Wil Wheaton and the Phelps twins from HP. Also Jaimie Alexander (Sif from Thor). Oh, and some of the Cosplay, and the FMA:B movie on Friday night, and caught up with lizbee and connikins and a bunch of other people I know (and some whose faces were vaguely familiar).

Actually I spent most of today wandering around with Connie, who seems to run into people she knows everywhere.

I didn't really cosplay anything, but I did dress up - I'll post pictures if I find any online - both days in corsets and bustles and hats and whatnot. Saturday with my eBay parasol with a sort of black and white and red theme, while today was sort of Queen of the Goths, as I claimed I was dressed as to someone.

Also ended up repeatedly talking corsets with a guy in a dress (and corset) who was very well informed.

The FMA movie was fun enough - I mean, yeah, filler movie, so it didn't exactly add anything profound to the FMA universe (Though the manga is pretty perfect, so it's not as if it needs anything...), but at least it didn't do anything horrific to the characters. And the action scenes were wonderfully animated - I know there was some debate on the quality of the animation as a whole, but I mostly liked it. And plus points for some interestingly morally gray characters (technically, terrorists I suppose) dealing with colonisation.

The main issues were basically pacing - it was sort of ACTION...long period of set-up and exposition... DRAMA AND ACTION - and that when you get down to it the story was more about the new characters than the established ones. Which wasn't necessarily a bad story (and at times had some interesting reflections on the Elric brothers), it's just, you know, you go to an FMA movie for the Fullmetal Alchemist and pals. Not other people.

I do, though, sort of want to see fic about the characters from it. Maybe Julia seeing Ed again post series, or something?

Oh, and pretty typically for a con, I ended up buying a bunch of stuff. Some manga volumes from series I haven't finished; some Daleks to add to my Dalek army (including a plush one that talks when you squeeze it); A plush Threetie from Mawaru Penguindrum; A random book that was going cheap; a Nerv key-ring; a plush tentacle (...don't ask).

Firstly: Hello there to the several people who have friended me from the penguindrum meme. Don't worry if I haven't friended you back yet, I prefer to chat a little with people so I get to know them before I add them. So talk about stuff here!

Otherwise, I have decided that since the last bunch of posts have been about RL type things, this one might be a bit more fannish. Which yes, does mean more links. I'm sure there will be more RL stuff in the future, since Dresden Dolls is this weekend, and Mum's got us some tickets for the tennis in a couple of weeks.

But now, to the fun stuff:

- The Third Rebuild of Evangelion movie finally has an English title. Which, you know, bodes well for there not being more delays. Plus the 4th (and last, since it's called FINAL) is supposedly due out next year. So hooray for that. Hopefully the English release won't take, you know, forever.

I have also noticed that said title for 3.0 seems to have set off a whole lot more of the "sequel theory" stuff (I can see why, based on the title). I do love fannish speculation.

- I can't actually recall if I brought this up on my LJ or not, but there are some details floating around now for the Code Geass stage show. Which I rather wish I could see, even if I don't understand it. To agree with one of the comments there, I don't even care if it's good or not, the idea of Code Geass on stage is so damn entertaining it'd be fun either way.

There has also been some actually good official art for once.

- I have found on Tumblr a whole two entirely separate Texts from Last Night/FMA blogs. Or whatever you call individual tumblrs. Plus this screencap episode guide for FMA.

I think no fannish experience can be truly complete without a bit of crack. And some of them are just so, so perfect. Is there an Eva TFLN blog? Because that could be terrifyingly amazing.

- The top news stories of 2011... told via lego. Yeah, it's not fandom. But it's still nifty.

- And finally, for whenever someone is pissing you off, the Fuck You Symphony.

Actually, now I think about it I do have some RL stuff, namely a question: Anyone know of anywhere in Melbourne it is possible to get dried karkadeh/hibiscus tea? One of the things I found during last months room clean-up was the packet of karkadeh I got when I was in Egypt way back when, and I made it up last night so I could chill it and drink today. It was very good, and now I want more, but I dunno where to get it around here. I'm not entirely sure I want to resort to buying plant-life off eBay yet...

Oh hey Penguindrum fans! (I know there is at least one on my flist) You can make your own flashback boards!

I even made one for myself (Please forgive the crappy Google Translate Japanese. Now, if only I could work out how to embed it...

For those who are curious as to what it's about, Mum was down in Melbourne last night, so The Sister and I went and had dinner with her. I was actually rather hoping for Mexican, but the place we looked at had an enormous queue, so we ended up back at the hotel restaurant. It actually wasn't all that bad, even if it meant I ended up walking in a great big circle in those absurd heels I was wearing.

But yes, family dinner then, which means I must now really got onto sorting out the rest of my Christmas shopping before I head back to Hamilton for Christmas itself (Or to be precise, a couple of days before - which, yes, does mean I will probably miss out on seeing the last episode of Penguindrum for a few days. No spoilers for it, plz.)

I also have to ponder what I shall get with the Harvey Norman gift voucher, which was Dad's present. I could be useful for the other iPartment residents, and get a food processor so they could use it too. Or I could be more selfish, and get a new digital camera - mine's a few years old now (5 years, actually, now I think on it) and tends to play up in really hot weather.

*sigh* Oh the great pains of having to think about shopping.

Some other entertainment (on neither shopping nor penguin related topics):
- The 10 best commercials of the year. I love it when advertisers show a little intelligence. And fun.
Also, the 30 freakiest ads, if you want a little more WTF in your advertising/
- Cello Wars. Ah, the Star Wars cello duel. Because what could be more niftily entertaining than that?
- There's a new Dark Knight Rises poster image out. Plus there's all that stuff about the prologue, but there are no special screenings of it in Australia. *pout* And I ain't paying for Imax tickets to see Tom Cruise's movie, sorry.

...I guess I'll just have to wait for Sherlock Holmes and the full TDKR trailer.

So, did everyone enjoy the Rapture yesterday?

I went to Piper's birthday-slash-Apocalypse party, complete with a bunch of people in costumes -I was too lazy to come up with something apocalypse themed. Plus, I was handing out on Sydney Road before it - including several deaths, an Arthur Dent, and a Doctor (Eleventh, to be precise.

They had a smoke machine! And a playlist of tangentially apocalypse-themed music. Also, quite predictably, alcohol and socialising, which meant catching up with a few people whom I hadn't seen in a while.

More people should have themed birthdays. And besides, next year is 2012, which gives lots of room for apocalyptic parties.

Sydney Road was also rather entertaining, also. Some guy dressed up as the Queen, selling Monarchy dishrags, and I found a place that sold 25 varieties of hot chocolate. (I tried Lime Hot Chocolate, which tasted a bit like white chocolate and lime.)

All in all, a decent break from assignmenting, since my group assignment for ALT has been passed around via email quite a bit over the last few days. Well, at least it'll be out of the way on Wednesday.

And tomorrow I shall be at Armaggedon (...the convention), so if any Melbourne types will be there, let me know.

Since my last video link seemed so popular, today I bring you: CSI: Legoland. All the puns you could ever want!
Also, on tumblr there is Weird Evangelion Official Art, proving it's not just Geass that has resorted to strange art to sell there merch when they aren't airing.

So, assignment I was working on in last post is now over and done with (well, putting aside editing and rewording) - which to my surprise got done on a Friday, when it wasn't even due until Monday. Wonders never cease.

I suppose I should work on the other thing due Wednesday tomorrow.

So, today I ended up doing some social type things, mostly involved in a Teddy Bears' Picnic I was invited to, of all things. But it involved socialising and foods, so it was all good. Hung out at the Flinders St steps for a bit waiting to meet people for it, and randomly saw some guy in a Fourth Doctor Scarf, and even more randomly someone in a Massacre Princess/blood-stained Euphie outfit.

Was there some unknown cosplay thing on in Melbourne today, or was someone just wearing that for the hell of it?

I didn't end up bringing a teddy bear, instead I brought plushy Death and cake. And the whole picnic lunch ended up going for about 4 hours over three different locations, so there's that.

And after I wandered with Yuhan and Alex up to some gaming shop to kill time by playing board games. And I didn't lose, huzzah!

...Yes, these things amuse me. But it's either talking about that, or Mawaru Penguindrum, since we seem to have got to the point in the series where my comments on the reaction post all seem to be getting the TL;DR penguin on account of theories. And Ikuhara mindfuck.

Speaking of TL;DR and theories, does anyone read the Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld? Sort of steampunk AU WW1 era series, featuring a secret heir to an empire and a girl dressed as a boy so she can join the (equivalent to the) air force?

I took some time off from assignmenting earlier this week and finished Goliath, the last in the trilogy, and I have feelings. I kinda want talk meta-y with people about the ending - at possibly contrast with Terry Pratchett's Nation on a certain point.

Anyone willing to join in chat?

ETA: Okay, some spoilers in the comments (for Goliath and Nation).

Stupid degree. Because of it and it's funky timing, everyone else gets to be on mid-semester break, and I won't be yet. Boo.

But since I had yesterday at a seminar thing for Uni, and spent this afternoon writing up an essay (Which is now done! Well, except editing and what-not), I shall talk about something else entirely.

So, how about that Penguindrum? Anyone else on the flist watching? Because Ikuhara has been bringing the delightful mindfuck in these past few weeks, and this week's episode ended on a doozy. And I have absolutely no idea where everything is going, and we're only half-way into things.

_{Also, Shouma/Ringo OTP!}

And since on I'm on the topic of anime, apparently today was Update Your Fics day for my flist. I name no names, just that you people know who you are. But I am pleased.

...Also I made this post to the Code Geass comm about a certain forthcoming action figure. Because yay, shiny merchandise, especially shiny Suzaku figures. Girl's want fanservicey merch too, you know. That I will be unlikely to ever get, but eh. I like knowing shiny things are out there.

Or if you want some of Japan being crack, check out European philosophers as magical girls. As you do.

Speaking of buying things, after the seminar yesterday, I wandered down into the city and ended up at the Spencer St DFO, and ended up buying some new jeans, since my current ones are kinda too big.

And who can say no to $10 jeans, amirite?

And then I went and bought some stuff on Book Depository, which cost more than the jeans. Ain't life grand.

Also, I made a Thai curry the other day, and the recipe actually worked out! Well, mostly, since I think I cooked it for too long, and the cauliflower was sort of disintegrating. But now I have a fridge full of leftover curry.

And we have so far had two people come and take a look at the iPartment windows for a quote, so hopefully in the not too distant future, the window frames will no longer be borked. Sigh.

Here, have a prettiful video of Australian stars.
Or Puss In Boots making like Old Spice Guy if that's more your thing.

Yeah I'm kinda bored right now. Someone comment before I forced to resort to sorting out my jewellery.

It's been over a week since I lost posted. By my standards, that has been an absurdly long time.

Um, whoops?

Anyway, had a rather busy week. Weekdays were busy with placementage and teaching and other whatnots that contributed to far too many early mornings.

On Friday evening, it was FOUL Silly Night. Which meant pizza, trivia (My team lost), a rather long and convoluted series of the hat game, and random silliness. And then I went back to de_chel's place with a few others for some drinks and gay Shakespearean poetry on the fridge. As one does.

And yesterday I went to Manifest. Which was exceedingly... Manifest. But good fun.

I think my experience of it can be summed up with the following picture:
( Cut for me meeting my AU genderswapped twin )

Yeah, I was cosplaying as Mari Makinami from Rebuild of Evangelion

I met up with isarae almost entirely by accident - she was as Luluko, and at least one of the friends she was with was a Suzako - so I spent a significant amount of the day wandering around with them, as we looked through the Trader's Hall or at cosplayers. Or when they went to Anime Idol to go see one of their friends perform. They had great costumes, I had to say (Though there were some really awesome ones I saw around. I was highly impressed at the Mawaru Penguindrum group - complete with plushy penguins - already.)

Amongst other sites, we saw one of those SEELE communication slab things... caramelldansen. Now that will stick with you.

And after that we went to actually buy things from the hall - I ended up with some of the Chii's Sweet Home manga (No volume 5 left, alas), a squishy stress relief Adipose, some pocky, a couple of phone charms and some jewellery.

Anyway, right towards the end after isarae and her friends left was when I ran into James up there in is male!Mari cosplay. He ended up being in a group of people doing genderswapped Evangelion cosplay (...and a Zero) who had come over from Adelaide for Manifest.

I ended up having dinner with them, heading back to their hotel room for drinks, and then some of us went up to Mana Bar for more drinks (It was small and crowded; I don't recommend Saturday nights there). And then we went back to the hotel room for more drinks.

...Yeah, that was a lot of drinks. Though it was less the number of drinks and more the density. AB shots of Absinthe and Bacardi, oh my. Hence why I didn't do very much at all today.

A couple of the guys were nice enough to walk me to my tram stop, though. And then texted me this morning to see if I'd survived.

And that was my weekend. Or at least the parts of it I remember.

So, I have more sites to link to, that kind of got ignored in yesterday's ~drama~. But they make for a pretty decent way to kill some time, or just generally distract oneself.

- Zarla watches Yaoi. Not sure if I've linked this in the past, but it's been updated recently. Basically, someone watching yaoi anime and then liveblogs their thoughts. Complete with screencaps. It is amazingly terribad.

- Cyborg Grandpa-G So, this manga was apparently Obata's (of Death Note) first one. It's... something all right.

- Static Dog. Cute fluffy little dog + static electricity = hilarious adorableness.

- The Most Useless Machine Ever. ...I want one.

- Sideshow Alley Dancers from The Australian Ballet perfomring a contemporary dance in a random Melbourne CBD alley. As one does. I always knew the laneways were kind of awesome.

- PointlessSites.com Exactly what it implies: a portal for lots of pointless time-killing websites. WARNING: This site will steal hours of your free time. So many random silly things to do...