addme | Greetings~

Current Mood: hopeful

Greetings~

Like a large number of people (or so I would imagine) I'm coming fresh from Livejournal as well...new year approaching, put all the hassle that site has been going through with the attacks behind me, etc etc. Now is a good time to make some new friends also, no?

NAME: N/A (I'd prefer to keep this confined to my journal)

AGE: 22

INTERESTS: Sub-dividing this, for the sake of depth, since interests often make the first impression~
Anime: Madoka Magica, Steins;Gate, Tiger & Bunny, Star Driver, Sengoku Basara, etc. Those are just my recent fandoms in this area, mind. xD
Games: Dragon Age, Xenoblade, pre-fifth gen Pokemon, pre-OOT Zelda, FFXII, too many others to list. I'm something of an avid (yet highly critical) gamer.
TV: Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, Babylon Five, Buffy, Angel, Smallville, etc. I like good comedy shows as well.
Books: The Malazan Book of the Fallen. If you've read this, you're my new best friend, and I demand you add me so we can talk about it! Oh, also stuff like the Riftwar Cycle, the Shannara series, anything written by David Eddings, and I'm getting into The Wheel of Time at the moment.
Music: ...a lot. Mostly symphonic metal, but I delve into classical, old pop and rock music, a little opera, and various other one-offs. No modern pop, though.

HOBBIES: Your bog-standard mix of reading and writing fantasy novels, gaming, lurking online, etc. I occasionally roleplay and make icons and mood themes and things when I get creative bursts.

JOURNAL CONTENT: Whatever springs to mind, really. I go through periods where I talk mostly about my interests (you can be sure at that point either nothing is happening in my life, or far too much is happening and I don't want to talk about it) although I talk about University etc a lot as well. Sometimes I'll just rant about something. My journal is both my blog and my diary, I suppose...despite the fact that all three words essentially mean the same thing. xD

LOOKING FOR: Nothing in particular; I can get along with most people. Similar interests aren't essential, but they do help in forming bonds, having a discussion etc. I can happily have a discussion with someone about pretty much anything, though. Just as a warning, I guarantee you won't agree with a lot of my views, so open-minded individuals who don't take things personally (for me, a discussion is just a discussion, there is never anything personal to it regardless of whether I agree with someone or not) would be nice. I have no real expectations of people, though.

ANYTHING ELSE?: Nope, I think this is probably long enough as is. There is a nice intro post on my journal people can read if they want to know more once we've become acquainted etc, this is probably more than enough. xD

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HOLY SHIT XENOBLADE FAN. When I saw your username I kinda freaked out for a second. I'm currently playing the game in Japanese and still have a looong way to go before finishing it but it's already my favorite JRPG to be released in the past, like, 10 years.

Let's be friends?

Huzzah, another Xenoblade fan! There are so few of us...at the moment. I imagine when the game is released in the US the fandom will suddenly explode. How far are you at the moment? =3

Yes, let us be friends~ *adds*

There ARE so few! I'm also hoping the US release will help things. I'm currently in the Erutokai (Eryth Sea in the English version?). Finished up that thing with Melia where she's wearing the mask and her royal mother thing sends the assasins after her. The Kishinkai (Mechonis?) people just attacked and I'm going to have to go to that tower to save Melia's father. I think. I am really struggling with the language in this part of the game, so I don't actually...understand all that's going on, just the gist. @_@ Probably going to have to find a spoilery website to help me out with the plot details. Feel like this is a very plot twisty, important part of the story, no?

It had better help, people campaigned enough for it, the least they can do is support it when they finally get it. xD
Well, you could always ask me if you wanted a summary that avoided any future story spoilers, mmmyes. Spoilery websites are rather dangerous in that they tend to reveal more than you want to know at the time. xD
You are indeed coming up to what I'd say is the first plot twisty part of the story. Once you've gotten to the top of Prison Island (the tower) things will kick off from there~

Oooh, exciting! And thanks, if I have any questions after I get through that part of the story, I will ask you!

I hope Xenoblade can get a nice cult following in the US. I'm probably going to preorder a copy for myself to do my part helping sales, but also so I can play in in English whenever I move back to the States (or, if I decide to try to mod my Wii, so I can play it in English while still in Japan).

Oh, it is. You've got the whole story to look forward to, there are plenty of surprises in store ^o^
Alrighty~

Xenoblade is absolutely fantastic in English, the dub cast is easily one of the best I've heard in a long time. They're all so...British. Reyn in particular. He comes out with some truly terrible phrases. I'm wondering what the US is going to think of a British voice cast, as opposed to the standard lineup of American VAs you get in EVERYTHING. xDD
*slightly envious that you're in Japan*

Tiger & Bunny and symphonic metal?

Hi there. 8D

Hello! =3

I've been a fan of symphonic metal (plus associated fusion genres) for a few years now, although I've gotten pickier as time as gone by. My favourites are Avantasia, Edguy, Within Temptation, Rhapsody (not as keen on their later works as Rhapsody of Fire, but I like some of them) and Epica, if any of those mean anything to you~

I only joined the Lunatic--ah, I mean, T&B fandom recently though. xD

Friends?~

Oh man, I loved Edguy back in the day! I've grown away from most of the symphonic stuff (sob, I swear you start off somewhere pretty normal [prog for me] and eventually end up liking extreme metal. It's where everyone eventually ends up!) but I can still appreciate it, and Edguy is always fun. I could never get into Avantasia though. I think it's because I kept comparing it to Ayreon, and not much can live up to Ayreon in my book!

Yuri/Lunatic/Yuri's tie is my favourite thing about T&B.

Of course!

I actually started out with metalcore (Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, BFMV and Atreyu were my favourites...still love Chimaira to pieces, actually) and drifted slowly towards the more symphonic side of things when I discovered Nightwish and then Within Temptation. Ayreon are pretty good, I think I just prefer the vocalists in Avantasia, because I'd listened to a lot of their solo work beforehand. Good to go with what you know, etc. xD

Yuri would be remarkably easy cosplay, as well...just buy a grey suit, a white wig and the tie and you're sorted. xD

\o/

I started out in prog, went to symphonic (and more prog!) and then went to folk and then black. AND ONCE YOU GO BLACK, YOU NEVER GO BACK.
I just adore a lot of the vocalists in Ayreon, especially when they use James LaBrie (I'll always love him!) and Mikael Akerfeldt. I also love Arjen's strange hippie prog and how it can get kind of folky.

I've been planning on doing one, but I plan on making/tailoring the suit since his is so fitted! And nice suit wool is just so expensive and I don't trust myself with expensive fabric. I wanted to get the tie custom woven too, but you can only do it in orders of 20 or more, so I'd need to find 19 other people willing to pay 40 bucks for Yuri's tie. /SOB
I want to make the Lunasuit too, but I don't have that type of money. (though lol, I think I could make it for less than what it would cost me to make Yuri's suit properly.)

I tend to delve into folk metal whenever I find I need something new to listen to. I just flit from song to song on Youtube to see if I can find something I like. Not gone into black yet, but maybe it is only a matter of time...I get very restless waiting 2 years for new albums from my favourites to be released. xD
Ayreon definitely stick out in terms of style, sometimes I forget what I'm listening to...they remind me a little of Dream Theater in that regard. Arjen founded Stream of Passion as well, right? I'm quite fond of them as well.
Oh, have you ever listened to Alestorm before? I have such a weird love/hate relationship with them, I still can't decide which is the dominating factor...

I'd love to cosplay, but since conventions in this country are thin on the ground (one in London twice a year, and nowhere near on the scale of ones in the US) I doubt I ever will unless I live abroad. There is the matter of money, as well...this stuff costs a fortune if you want to do it properly. Prices on eBay for costumes or even custom wigs make me cringe, and making it yourself is a tricky business.
How on earth would you make the mask for that? O_o
The suit itself you could make from spandex, maybe. I've always thought he looks a bit like a Power Ranger with a cape...

I think you generally end up in black through folk because a lot of folk bands have black metal elements, which is how I wound up there!
Yep, he started Stream of Passion and a couple other projects!
Yes! I love them because they are hardcore trolling. When I saw them they came out on stage in like, stunna shades and hawaiian shirts. It's beautiful! And they have a keytar set to polka, what's not to love? (the leader also has other hilarious troll black metal bands. skhgag I just love them, because at the end of the day, metal is a really silly thing.)

There used to be a lot of conventions around here, but they've all gone by the wayside or moved away. One of the two good sized ones that I go to each year just moved to LA, it's such a shame. I love making the costume but I hate wearing them, because I always look so bad in photos and it's such a downer! I just like creating things, I guess. It really is expensive! The best place to get wigs nowadays is off of Taobao (it's kind of like Chinese ebay?) since you can nab really high quality wigs for around $25 total.
CAREFULLY! I hadn't thought about how to do the mask yet, mostly was just thinking about that cape. I'd love to make it out of neoprene or latex or something but AHAHAHA MONEY.

There needs to be a clearer division between these sub-elements, it gets so bloody confusing sometimes. Most bands have three or four different classifications, and it's difficult to tell which one they are the most. I suppose it's a song-by-song basis thing.
Aha, thought so! It's easy to tell sometimes, since most musicians have a very distinct style, which they don't tend to change after the first couple of albums, unless they change vocalists or, like Tristania, can't make their damn minds up so just go all over the place. xD
Hardcore trolling. That sums it up wonderfully. That "You are a Pirate" cover they did recently was priceless. With the rest of their songs I've been wondering what they've been smoking when writing them. I mean, "Wenches and Mead"?! Seriously?! But somehow it's so damned good. xD

Damn, that sucks. Anime conventions in America look awesome - I've watched footage of my favourite voice actors, and the atmosphere there looks fantastic...plus there is the merchandise you can get there. Good place to meet people IRL who are into the same sort of thing you are as well. Is LA particularly far for you?
I'm sure you don't look THAT bad! You can't look worse than some of the search results that arise from typing "cosplay" or something similar into Google, surely. xD Although I can kinda see why you wouldn't like wearing them; whilst I'd love to cosplay, I'd probably be far too self-conscious when I was actually there. I'm guessing it'd be pretty nerve-wracking in a place packed with anime fans.
Doesn't it take a lot of time to make stuff like that as well? I commissioned a 6ft Rayquaza plush from someone on LJ, and it took her nearly six months to make it (it's also taken her that same amount of time to send it off...) and, whilst it's not quite the same thing, I guess it's the same sort of material/cost you can be looking at, upwards of $300?
Well, yes, I suppose that is a given. xDD
I'd be more inclined to buy a custom-fit already made costume, although that'd probably cost just as much (if not more) than making it myself, plus it's kinda generic. Although my creativity is limited to icons and the occasional RP/novel ideas, anything I made would probably look like a badly cut-out curtain...

I kind of stopped bothering with classifications once I got into shoegaze black folk metal.
I mean.
How.
I. Just. Yeah. It sounds so great though.
YEP! They just write songs about being pirates! They use the Pirates of the Carribean theme as their stage intro too, at least they did when I saw them a few years ago. They're just such great fun, and I love bands that are good but don't take themselves overly seriously.

I've heard that cons here in the US are more interesting than a lot of cons in Asia because we get voice actor guests and have panels and such. Is it like that in the UK? I met one of my best friends at a con and have forged many lasting bonds at them! And yeah, it's about 400 miles away from me? (I think that'd be like 800 km~ish). I also just absolutely hate southern California, and Yaoicon isn't worth going to Socal for, as fun as it may be.
Ohhh I look soooo bad in the pics of the Tiger and Bunny gym photoshoot I was in. (I was Keith) There's like one OK picture of me and it's of all of us playing Rock Band.

Not really? I do most of my costumes last minute. My best work usually happens in the span of 24 hours! It's how like, all cosplayers operate: Save it all for the last minute and generally do shoddy work. I try to take pride in my craftsmanship though, so I'm really anal about my work and if it's not perfect I don't want to wear it. It's kind of sad, actually. I freak out if I can't figure out how to make an outfit seam-accurate.
To put the time thing in perspective I made 2 Tiger & Bunny gym uniforms in the span of about a day and a half? Most of my time is spent either planning or sitting around going "HMM, I SHOULD SEW."
I also don't like wearing costumes because they're uncomfortable! I overheat really easy and with a wig + binding (I generally crossplay) I find it hard to be comfortable in more than shorts and a tshirt, and even then it's normally too hot.
I'm trying to come up with something fairly complex to make that doesn't involve a long wig and (preferably) no binding to make for an upcoming con, because I want to enter the cosplay competition. My friend is a judge for it and she keeps telling me to enter because like, nobody enters and there's a huge cash prize! Sobbb I can dream.

You can commission people in Asia (China, in particular, through Taobao and a shopping service) and if the place has a good reputation for good quality/fit, it's generally worth it! There are some costumes that would be much cheaper for me to commission than for me to make.

Makes sense. Just stick with the basics. Or screw the classifications entirely and just go with "this sounds good". xD
I've never actually been to a concert before, much as I'd like to, although I know from live albums that those bands who actually engage the audience give the best show. If Alestorm do crazy shit like that I imagine their concerts are pretty crazy. xD

From what I know (which admittedly is very little) we don't get any mainstream voice actors over here. I know some minor ones go to cons, though - brentalfloss was at the London Gaming Con this year, LittleKuriboh has been to a couple, and minor developers/actors/writers etc usually go to the ones in this country. One of these days I'll go to the London one...
Oookay, that is pretty far away. xD
T&B photoshoot. That sounds awesome. I'd love to do something like that *_*

Ohhh, I see. Yeah, that actually makes sense to me...there is no better motivational tool than procrastination, right? Do it when you're motivated, which will be when the deadline is fast approaching! xD
Ahahaha, but there was another voice in your brain saying "Eh, you can do it in a minute/later..."? I get that all the time with...everything I want to do or think I should do.
Crossplay? *has an idea of what that means, but is totally ignorant of terminology and doesn't want to appear to be a bigger idiot by being wrong* ^^;
Huge cash prize, friend judging, hardly any competition? Sounds like instant win to me >=D

*makes a note* I'll have to check this out...well, keep it backlogged for when I have the income for it. xD
I have a nice list of characters I want to cosplay, mmmyes~

Yes! The bands that are more talkative/playful with the audience are more fun, even if they're less technically proficient! I've been going to a lot since getting into metal. The shows are generally pretty cheap, and almost always really enjoyable! I've gotten to the point where I try to get photo passes to every show I go to, so I can take nice photos of the bands I like. At the Alestorm show, these people had a pirate flag and they held it up for a lot of the show. People were dressed like pirates. It was pretty awesome!

Awww, that's sad! :C I've grown to like a lot of the American ones just because they are such friendly people! Though admittedly I don't go to many panels unless I'm running them anymore. I always try to go see Reuben Langdon if he's at the con though- He's just precious!
The shoot was really fun! I just look awful and I'm sure I took the overall quality of it down OTZ. Here's the one picture I bothered to edit.

Exactly! Why do it today when you can do it tomorrow? 8D I just... sit around on the internet, generally refreshing tumblr instead of sewing like I should. Oh, crossplay is like cosplay+crossdressing. So for girls, we bind and do more masculine makeup and whatnot, and for guys it's like doing drag.
Hahaha, well my friend wouldn't help me win! But luckily she knows craftsmanship really well and she seems to regard me as being a pretty decent seamstress, so at least she doesn't think I'm crap! I just need to decide what to do really quickly so I can get an early start. I won a craftsmanship award once, but there were only like 3 people entered in the competition, so I don't really count that as a win. ;A;

Taobao is so cool. ;A; I wish it was easier to use for foreigners but there's so much awesome, cheap crap on it!

God, that sounds awesome. It reminds me of videos I've seen of Rammstein doing their own pyrotechnics, and some of their disturbingly outrageous props. The crazier it is, the more fun it typically is. xD
Lack of concerts in this country is depressing. There was an Emilie Autumn one in London a while back, but by the time I found out about it the tickets had sold out...I despaired. This is a really bad country for live entertainment, at least for someone like me.

I guess panels and whatnot would be pretty busy, as well. You'd probably have to queue all day to see some people, right? Reuben Langdon...that name sounds familiar.
That looks awesome! Did you actually sing any songs? xD

Yup, there are more immediate ways for you to waste away your time, and they're much more easily accessible! When it'll all get done in the end, it doesn't really matter when you do it. Ahahahaha.
Ohhh, I see. Thought so. Just wanted to make sure, just in case I got it totally wrong...that would have been EXTREMELY awkward. xD
*actually wants to crossplay Kirakishou, but that is neither here nor there*

Well, if she sees you as good, that can only help, right? xD
A win is a win, mmmyes. A smaller number of participants doesn't make it any easier to win if those participants are all good at something...so even if they weren't, it still counts~

I swear, they make these sites so difficult for use to navigate...I pretty much gave up on Nicovideo even with tutorials, and I've encountered a couple of other foreign sites I'd love to access but can't really be bothered with the hassle. Of course, the ideal solution is for someone who speaks English to create English versions for us...

Yeah! All of the metal shows are much much much smaller and more low-key than Rammstein shows would be.
That's such a shame! A lot of the bands I like to more European tours than US ones, and they normally stop in the UK so I'm jealous!

Well, mostly panels are just boring as hell! Or stupid. Or in the case of one con this past year, had 4 different Hetalia panels. Jesus christ that's overkill. He's the guy that did the mocap/voice acting for Dante in DMC 3 & 4 and has done a lot of other mocap and voice acting.
Yes, Barnaby sang Mr. Brightside! It's what was playing and we just wanted to get in, get pictures and get out, since some of us had to change.

I'm just overly skilled at wasting time, I guess! It is a bit of a shame that I don't have the motivation to do much, but oh well.
That's such a cute outfit!

I'd have to hope it would help! Ehh, I still wish I'd gotten to compete against a bigger group.

I think taobao is pretty easy to navigate even in Chinese, it just doesn't have an overseas option. The biggest issue with it is that the servers are reeeeally slow.

Don't quite a lot of metal bands do introductions for bigger groups? I'm pretty sure Deathstars do that almost exclusively, along with a couple of others. I guess that might be why there aren't that many big ones lurking around.
...swap places? I'll go chasing after the groups I like in the US, you can hunt the ones down in the UK. xD

FOUR Hetalia panels? That must have been a murderously tedious and boring comm.
I looked him up, and he voiced Date Masamune in Sengoku Basara 3, as well...that was probably why he was ringing bells for me. xD
*gigglesnorts* Mr. Brightside. The thought of Barnaby singing that...I want to see an AMV of that now. xD

Wasting time is an essential skill these days if you ever want to do anything productive! Spacing it out is harder than doing it all in one go.
Yes, it is...and I'd look so good wearing it. 8D *shot down*

I guess there is more satisfaction from winning if you're in a bigger group? I'm not remotely competetive, so I'm not sure. xD

Ah...slow servers wouldn't load at all for me, then. My internet connection is...well, let's just say it's on-par with the service at Livejournal. Mmmyes.

Some open for bigger groups, but most everyone that I've seen is of a genre that normally wouldn't tour with bigger names? The only exception to that that I know of would be Apocalyptica, who've opened for Metallica, among others.
Pfft I would! I've always wanted to visit the UK!

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE THINKING. There were also 3 con survival panels. Who even needs those? There was a lot of overlap and some cool panels got shut down to make place for redundant panels. It made no sense.
I wish we'd recorded it! I think all of us wanted to go change by then.

It really is! I'd just do like 10 minutes worth of work and then go do something else. I do like getting everything done all at once, I just wish it wasn't always such a race against time.

I think so! It's like there was no other competition, really?

Pfffft that's a nice way of putting it!

I guess the downside of touring with bigger names is that you get totally eclipsed by them? That might be why some don't do it - the publicity isn't enough to offset it.
I'd probably want to swap back after a few days, unless you live somewhere that is particularly cold or wet. I'm very anti-heat. xD

Hetalia is fairly popular (or was, I'm not sure now) so I suppose they thought it would be fun. Either that, or they didn't have enough other material to fill the con with initially! xD
Were those costumes particularly uncomfortable, or do you just want to get out of them as quickly as possible after the photos on general principle, in case someone asks for more? xD

Racing against time is aggravating, because you always feel like you've lost, or won so narrowly that you may as well not call it a victory. Once I start something, I tend to want to finish it in one sitting...which has worked less and less as I've gotten older, since stuff I do takes longer and longer. Argh.

An easy win is a boring win and, after you've spent time on it, you want some sense of accomplishment, mmmyes.

Unfortunately, it's all too accurate...particularly with my PS3, which rarely gets a connection these days because my internet is so AWFUL.

I think that can happen sometimes? It's also easier for them to tour within their genre, though some bands hate touring with other bands of the same genre (like Eluveitie, lol.)
I think that despite the fact that it's probably less financially efficient, the bands prefer touring within their genres/smaller shows, and wouldn't change anything.

I guess so? But it's just downright excessive, and they rejected one of my panels that I'd been running successfully with good acclaim for at least 3 years in favor of redundant panels? It made no sense to me. I guess I'm a little buttmad, but you don't need four panels for the same thing. They're not even for photoshoots, they're like... Stupid fan info/fan discussion things, at least in the case of the Hetalia panels.
I just had somewhere to be in a different costume! My friend stayed in her Ivan costume and I think the Karina had to change too.

I always feel that I'm going to lose, so it's nice when I finish ahead of time. I finished my yaoicon costumes the night before the con, so that was great! Agreed. :C I'd rather struggle against more people.

Ouch. :C

I like symphonic metal. :)

And I'm a most people! (ok not really) :)

I will add you if you want. I like hearing about pokemon. :)

Always good to see more fans outside of forums dedicated to specific bands~

In that context, I have to wonder what a "most people" is. xD

Sure, I'll add you~

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Greetings~

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<- My face at the fact someone recognises my username

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