I think I like Kingdom Hearts spoilers?

The Kingdom Hearts obsession starts again!
Let the American-side promotion machine begin!  ^O^!!! 
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance (Kingdom Hearts 3D) will release in America, on 07/31/2012, for Nintendo 3DS.
http://youtu.be/jhCvWzYmKzY

I already watched all the cutscenes already, from the Japanese version (with subtitles), but nothing's been spoiled for me.  I've always been pretty immuned to spoilers, since I have more fun experiencing a story, rather than simply finding out how it ends.  That's pretty much why it's so fun to re-watch something over and over again.  I never get tired of it, not completely. 

In fact, seeing it dubbed, is like making the scenes fresh and new again.  I love switching back and forth between languages on my DVDs, whether it be anime or Mulan.  Switching languages is also great on bilingual videogames, like The Bouncer or .Hack//.  Even translated songs too, like Hikaru Utada's English versions of her songs, or Trish Ledeaux's anime opening/ending themes translations, that preserved the rhythmns and enabled singing the songs in English.  Any extra layers of experiencing a fandom, always adds to the enjoyment.  Afterall, that's why anime fans get interested in learning Japanese culture, or why we started eating more pizza as children, when we became Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans.  It's why we draw fan-art and research world history, after becoming Hetalia fans.  Experiencing multiple language versions of the same thing, is another refreshing layer to fandom.

Specifically to Kingdom Hearts, maybe I should always watch all the earlier-released, Japanese cutscenes beforehand, to make playing the game in English much more enjoyable.  In these 10 years of Kingdom Hearts, I've begun to notice a trend in how I experience the game and its story.  Usually, I jump right into the next game, impatient to have all the questions from the previous game answered.  "Is Riku okay?",  "Will they ever have their friendship mended?", "What battles have they resolved between games?", etc.  But most of my questions revolve around the orginal Kingdom Hearts characters and their story, not the Disney half of the story.  Which is too bad for me, because the first half of each Kingdom Hearts game is more about the Disney side, than the Square side.  And I've often found myself too impatient to have the core story conflicts resolved, to the point where I can't enjoy the Disney, exposition half of the game/story.  It all just feels like stalling, before what I really want to see, and I just can't fully enjoy it.  And yet, after I have those questions answered, conflicts resolved, and friends reunited, what I really want to do is spend more time with that reunited party, wandering around, stalling, having fun in the Disney side of the worlds.  But after the core story's conflicts from the previous game's cliffhangers have been settled, it's immediately time to finish the current game's storyline.  ;_;  No time to enjoy wandering around Disney worlds, after the last quarter of the game.  Therefore, after having already seen all of KH3D's story (in Japanese with English subtitles), I can now enjoy just wandering around the Disney worlds, without those unanswered, cliffhanger, core story questions, hanging over my head.  Completely spoiling the whole story ahead of time, and eliminating my impatience with the first half of the game, could be the best thing to enhance my enjoyment of the gameplay, when the English version arrives.  ^-^  Maybe I'll try this from now on (at least when it comes to Kingdom Hearts). 

Claymore 19 SPOILERS!!!

This entry is all spoilers, but I've tried to take some precautions, in case a Claymore fan does accidentally read anything below.   LAST WARNING:  SPOILERS BELOW!!!

 

The other day, I finished Claymore volume 19, and just couldn't believe who died at the end.  That seems to be happening a lot lately.  (First, the Creatures of the Abyss, then sort of Clare...)  On the other hand, there was a suspicion in the back of my head, that maybe, her goals would somehow put her in conflict with the 7 Ghosts someday.  That's just the type of plot twist I'd have to prepare for shock.  I'm glad that didn't happen, but still not sure that's worth her dying.  ;_;  I just hope Tabitha learned her technique.  Because now that the Organization has *****'s corpse, you know they're going to experiment with her tissue samples.  ~___~  And then the 7 Ghosts really will have to fight her...powers.  ;-;

how to stuff hair under a wig

Below, is a video from Doll Delight, the lolita fashion designer.  I subscribe to her posts on Facebook, so I checked out her new tutorial video, on how to get long, thick hair, under a wig.  This is exactly the kind of hair I have, and it is a pain to get it completely under a wig, so I watched her video for tips.  http://youtu.be/YKnNU34E2bE

Even though it was cool to watch, I don't think I can use this technique.  ^^;  I get a headache when I use a wigcap, and she used FIVE.  Five wigcaps!  All at once!  O.O!!!  

Personally, I like to use the Princess Leia hairstyle from The Empire Strikes Back...with a LOT of quilting clips. 

Quilting clips are those really secure hairclips that cost like $4 for just 6, but you can get 30 for $3 in crafting stores' sewing/yarn sections.  Cosplay panels I've attended before, have advocated putting in so many hairpins that your scalp hurts, then putting in some more.  But I find that the quilting clips are painless, more secure, and need fewer.  But I will still put in a few hairpins to style my wigs without cutting them, or to secure some hairs peeking out, or when I *really* want to secure my wig to my head.

The Princess Leia technique is nice, because the hair is very evenly distributed, so there aren't any strangely placed bulges under the wig.  At first, my sister was admant about following the techniques her teachers taught in her theater classes, but it just made perfectly fine wigs look horrible.  I think she had several buns atop her head, trying to distribute the bulges of hair evenly, in that way.  It was horrible, and she rejected some of the wigs I got her, because of how bad it made them look.  But, after she tried the Princess Leia hair, all the wigs looked fine.  ^_^ 

That same cosplay panel, I mentioned earlier, gave the best advice:  There are no set techniques, no "right way" to cosplay, so experiment to achieve the effect you want.

art vs fan-art satisfaction

I didn't finish editing that Code Geass cosplay gathering video, like I thought I would, so that upload is postponed.  Anyway, I really should be working on Artist Alley stock instead.  There's less than 2 months left!  0~0!

Today, I made some different pendants besides US/UK, and patched up a star on one of the previous US/UK pendants.  I also tried mass-producing elements of the flag pendants, instead of making one whole pendant at a time.  The black hearts are the filler for the flag pendants; ready to go for tomorrow. 

I really haven't felt productive or even proud of what I've been making, this past week or so.  I guess the novelty of making those Hetalia pairing, flag-heart pendants come into reality has worn off.  I tried making different pairings besides US/UK, to liven things up.  I even finished my Germany mllefiori cane today and made my first Germany/Italy pendant.  But I guess I really need to do something radically different to get excited about crafting for Artist Alley again. 

Tomorrow, I think I'll start the millefiori canes for Wayfinders, from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.  Just thinking about working on those revives my excitement.  Plus, I'm beginning to believe there's something much more satisfying about having a reference idea to work towards.  Taking something that only existed in the virtual space of videogames, then bringing it into reality, is a lot of fun.  Taking anything that only existed in any type of imaginary space, has always been a lot of fun, even in terms of original works.  But whether it be cosplay or fan-art, having a reference concept to work towards, seems much more accessible.  In the official or cannon series, there's a definite image of the important points that comprise the essence of something from a series.  And that's all I need to set my goals for.  I think that without that definitiveness, perfectionism gets the better of me.  Afterall, I'm so disatified with my work lately, because I see all the flaws, and I just can't make it as perfect as the impossibility in my head.  Even though imperfection is natural in the real world, I just can't let it slide, because these pendants are a pure idea that I'm chasing, not someone else's concept that I can check-mark key points to fulfill.  x~x;;; 

Silliness.  In the end, I started this concept because I knew it would be liked and received by the Hetalia fan community.  And if the community is already showing affinity for these pendants on my DeviantArt, then I've gotta start believing that they're acceptable to sell.  I got excited about this project, because I wanted to make the fandom happy, while expressing my own fandom participation.  So fan-art, in and of itself, should be enough to feel satisfied and proud, even without the (impossible) perfection. 

...Besides, what am I going to do with all these pendants lying around the house?  ^.^

finally uploaded to YouTube again

Yesterday, I uploaded the Anime Los Angeles 2012 opening ceremonies to YouTube.

http://youtu.be/73lO6Aa7bSc

It's been such a loooooong time since I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel, that I was beginning to feel bad about it.  But I guess I still could, because this is just an opening ceremonies video, as opposed to the cosplay gathering videos that subscribers expect from me.  But, at least now, the featured video on my Channel is no longer that polymer clay crafting video, which was so much more unrelated to cosplay. 

The good thing about these convention events, is that they're so fast to upload.  Usually, I have to watch through an entire cosplay gathering, several times, to edit out the confused silence parts, the disorganized chaotic parts, the panties flashing the camera parts---Please, cosplayers with short skirts, please be more aware of the gathering photographers! ;o;  But half of that video prep time also goes to just cataloging all the contents of the video, for the description.  The great thing about opening ceremonies, is the short list of notable points, that I could actually skip search through the vid, instead of watching through every second.  MC, guests of honor, done. 

Now I'm in the middle of preparing a Code Geass cosplay gathering video.  Thankfully, it's a fairly short gathering.  With a little luck, I'll upload it tonight.  ^_^

photos of Americat/Iggycat

Even though my Americat plushie isn't finished yet, I keep taking pictures of him together with my Iggycat plushie.  It can't be helped.  My chubby kitty and my tsundere kitty are just too cute.  #^_^#  ...Even if Americat still needs his big, fluffy tail---When he does have it, it will be *awesomely* fluffy!  @u@ 

Here are some pics of them with the polymer clay pendants I've been working on, for Artist Alley.  They're reversable, so the pendants in the pic above, are the same pendants in the pic below.  Sometimes I think I'm photographing my plushies with the pendants, to give a better sense of accomplishing something.  Producing the pendants seems so slow, since I'm still a novice with polymer clay and millefiori canes.  I just hope that I have enough stock for Artist Alley.

Above is the result of Iggycat helping me cook.  I hadn't cooked in such a long time, and I needed someone to make sure I did it right.  Iggycat was the only one around, so I perched his basket, on the kitchen counter, to keep me company.  Though, considering that it was Iggycat who helped me, and I was the one cooking, I wonder if there was any improvement in the actual food, and not just in my confidence in cooking.  <--small joke for Hetalia fans.

I love how motherly England and Iggycat can be portrayed.  And, of course, I love kittens!  I imagine, that right before I took the photo above, all those kittens jumped into the basket with Iggycat.  ^-^  And Americat is going quickly from curious to, "I found some playmates!". 

fresh start

It's time for a change.  On 2 things.

First, this is a business card that I'm considering, to replace my old, Vistaprint-template business cards, for Artist Alley.  They say that a business card should picture some of your work, and that Artist Alley patrons love watching vendors draw.  So why not draw on blank business cards?  But, the real change is with the blog listed on the card.  It's not Blogger.  That was on my last business card.  And like that last card, this blog hasn't turned out as interesting as I thought it could. 

Second:  It's time for this blog to go in a different direction.  Compared to my other blog, my Blogger doesn't "reflect my work" as well, and neither is it as "lovable to watch".  My other blog is such a collection of any little geeky thing going on in my life:  fan-art in progress, embedded anime clips, pics of cool stuff I bought, links to things that caught my interest,...  I thought it would be too scattered and personal to be on my business card.  So I listed my Blogger account instead, which would filter out all my stray geekiness and center on my lengthy rants.  Looking back at both blogs, that hasn't proved as interesting as my LiveJournal blog's accumulated bits of spontaneity---Which is also updated more often!  ...Meanwhile, this blog seems pretty much dead.  So maybe my Blogger's tunnel-vision focus wasn't such a great idea.  I think I'll make it more like my LiveJournal account, but with more pictures.  (Thank you, Blogger's limitless storage space!)  At least that way, I won't have to pay for new business cards.