A Small Thing To See

More basket.

2008-09-03T23:28:44Z

Okay, it looks like we've got everything for the "Winter Reading" basket for the United Way raffle, so our department can turn it in tomorrow.

And the probably final inventory is...

The basket itself, bookends, large bookbag, bookmark, throw blanket, 1 each Frankenstein & Mummy coffee cups, 1 packet Chocolate Mocha Cocoa Mix, Caramel Drizzle coffee, Marshmallow Lovers Hot Chocolate, Fruit Tea Sampler, Earl Grey Tea, Breton Original Crackers, Entertainment Cracker Assortment, Chai Tea Cookies, Walkers Shortbread, $10 Borders gift card and $35 Target gift cards.

Plus actual books!: Alice in Wonderland, A Princess of Roumania, At the Midnight Hour, Beatrix Potter Treasury, Black Diamond (includes CD), Cetaganda (signed copy), Daredevil Saga, Eagle Brand Cookies & Treats, five Goosebumps paperbacks, Henry V, War Criminal & Other Shakespeare Puzzles, Miss Popularity, Night Shift, One Fish Two Fish Journal (blank book), Photographing Nature, Real #1, Tales from the Heart #2, Tales of a Chinese Grandmother, The Good Earth, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: A History of the Minnesota Twins, The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, White Fang and...Winter's Edge.

I'm surprised we managed to fit all of that in one big package.

The most impressive basket I've seen so far was an Olympics-themed one, with all the Olympics Bullseye plushies, a Nintendo DS, and various DS sports games.

I have a review meeting with my supervisor tomorrow. I'm really struggling, so I don't know how well it will go.

Dreamhaven moved

2008-08-31T02:21:26Z

Put in some overtime today, as we're way behind. Not likely to catch up soon, either, as one of our most productive people is away to a relative's wedding this coming week.

Afterwards, I went to the grand opening of the new location of Dreamhaven Books. It's on 38th Street, a few blocks west of the light rail stop. Out of shape as I am, those were long blocks for me, and it's going to be quite a bit more of a chore to get to the store.

The store itself is nice-looking, and after I learn the new setup should be easy to navigate. I picked up a couple items from the discount rack and ordered Dororo #1 for later.

Afterwards, I stopped by the Citizen Cafe, a mid-priced sit-down restaurant with a vague Fifties Minimalism theme. I had the Citizen Joe, which is sloppy joe meat baked into a flaky crust, ala a pasty. Tasty! There's also a barbeque place and an independent coffee shop nearby, as well as the Cardinal Restaurant and Bar right next to the train stop, which I hear has good burgers. I was happy to see a laundromat in the neighborhood, which will allow me to get two things done in one trip. Oh, and there's a model railroad museum--I think part of their exhibit is over at the State Fair right now, so will check that out later.

Overall, a much quieter neighborhood, and I hope Dreamhaven can attract people out of their way to shop there.

Then it was to home and a long nap.

United Way Basket update

2008-08-30T03:23:22Z

I think I mentioned in my last post that I was put in charge of assembling this year's United Way basket for the company raffle. The theme is "Winter Reading." Tonight, I took the cash donations to Target and shopped for things to stock the basket.

Between my employee discount and judicious use of price-cut items, I was able to get quite a haul. Oddly, throw blankets are very inexpensive as compared to oh, coffee. Mind you, from coffee I don't know beans, so I might have gotten burned on that one.

So the basket so far contains: The basket itself, a large bookbag, bookends, a bookmark, a throw blanket, two Universal Horror coffee cups, gift cards for Target and Borders, coffee, cocoa, tea (Earl Grey and Assorted Fruit), cookies, crackers, and an assortment of books ranging from "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck through a couple of romance novels to "Real", a manga about wheelchair basketball.

Depending on the competition, it should get a fair number of tickets. We have until Thursday morning to finish the basket assembly. One department already completed theirs and handed it in, a large school backpack stuffed (and I mean stuffed) with back to school supplies. It might do well, but it's a little late as all the schools will have started up already. (Okay, "Winter Reading" is a little early, but it turns cold suddenly here in Minnesota.)

Heartbeat detected

2008-08-26T01:59:58Z

Yeah, I've not been posting for a bit.

Went to the MAS meeting Thursday last. Stopped at a place named Cane's first, that specializes in chicken fingers. Can't really praise their service--no one was at the counter, or responded to moderately-loud hellos. I had to go back to the kitchen door to wave and let them know people were waiting in line.

Food was decent, though, and their special sauce is tasty.

The meeting agenda (chosen between meetings) was showing snippets of things to be voted for the fall schedule. Some were shoo-in, like Princess Tutu; others were more on the bubble, and I can't really see Ghost Hound as a fan favorite based on the clips--it strikes me as one of those series that takes forever to get anywhere.

marainsanity had gone to Chicago for a convention, and stopped by Mitsuwa to pick up various requests. Mine was for "phonebook" manga. Apparently, the bookstore at Mitsuwa has really cut back their selection, and the only thing she could find of interest was Monthly Afternoon. Aa! Megami-sama is still trundling right along, with a new quirky visitor whose burdens will be lightened by Belldandy's compassion and Keiichi's doggedness. Blade of the Immortal is still running, and a DVD of the first anime episode came with the issue. I really need to figure out to play a region 2 DVD. Seraphic Feather finally came to a close in this issue, though. I could tell what it was immediately from the scene centering on a woman's cameltoe seen from behind. Have I mentioned lately that I was never very impressed with Seraphic Feather? The cover feature was Vinland Saga, which looks cool, seeing as how it's got Vikings.

At work, we're making United Way baskets again. (Each department puts together a themed goodies basket, and they're then raffled off, the department earning the most money for the United Way gets a prize.) This year, our department's theme is "Winter Reading" (books, hot drinks, coffee mugs, bookbag, bookends, etc.) and since our regular organizer will be out of town for the next couple of weeks, I've been put in charge of the project.

My folks' anniversary celebration is next weekend, present already selected.

One sinus seems to be clogged, very annoying.

Attention, MAS folks!

2008-08-19T00:52:38Z

So I finally broke down and replaced my long-missing VCR with a VCR/DVD copying gadget, and tested it by copying one of my old variety tapes. It works quite well, and the picture quality is surprisingly good.

If there's still room on the schedule for this week, I'd like to show one of these straight-off-Japanese TV episodes....

Saint Seiya: superhuman martial artists in mythology-themed armor battle each other at the behest of the gods. This episode is from the middle of the Asgard arc, with Andromeda Shun battling a harpist. It's not bad, as such, but awfully confusing--kind of like having your first Runaways issue be from the middle of the "stuck in the past" arc.

Iron Fist Chinmi: Young Chinese boy learns martial arts. The first episode, no less. Orphaned Chinmi is a natural at kung fu, but his sister hates violence, and forbidden him to hit people. So what to do when the local thugs try to run a protection racket on the family restaurant? Fairly standard semi-realistic chop sockey action, and pretty good, but not really US otaku fare.

Supersonic Soldier Borgman: Sentai-style show about three young cyborgs who fight an extra-dimensional invasion. In this episode, the baddies erect two giant crystals in the city for some nefarious purpose. One of the annoying kid sidekicks gets too close and is absorbed into one. Kind of dull, really. The series was most notable for having a female mad scientist providing the heroes' gear, and a supporting role named Molly Ringwald.

Korokoro Polon: The misadventures of Apollo's cute daughter in and around the area of Olympus. In this episode, there's a new hottie in town, and Aphrodite orders her son Eros to make the competition fall in love with a hideous cyclops. Eros can't quite bring himself to do it, so Polon grabs the bow and starts randomly shooting arrows. Hilarity ensues. Lots of anachronisms and awful puns. The use of Aphrodite as a MILF instead of the usual eternal young babe is interesting. Picture quality isn't as good as the others.

Anmitsu-hime: The misadventures of a feudal lord's bratty daughter. Anmitsu sneaks away from the castle to wander around town (she does this a lot) while her parents are off golfing with the shogun. While out there, Anmitsu manages to tick off a visual kei musician, and is rescued by a passing handsome young samurai. Well, "rescued" for a value equal to "gets horribly beaten up while the girl escapes." The musician summons the rest of his gang, and hilarity ensues. Much anachronism, and self-referential to the point where Anmitsu flogs the show merchandise within the story. Cute, but very kiddie.

Cute Witch Meg-chan: One of the very early magical girl shows, back when the girl just used her magical powers to help with people's ordinary problems. This particular episode only has Meg in it a little--the main plotline is about her non-magical little brother wanting a new bookbag for school, because the old one is shabby and unfashionable. He gets it, but promptly has it stolen. And in the end, he must make a choice between his own happiness, and that of a sickly orphan. Not likely to ever hit the states.

Ramen Man: A spin-off of the Ultimate Muscle series, starring the Chinese-food themed martial artist and played deadly serious. Ramen Man saves a young orphan, who becomes a total suck-up to our hero, much to the jealousy of Ramen Man's current orphaned ward. Turns out the new kid is actually working for the villain, who uses the spy to create an evil copy of Ramen Man's special attack. Treads the line between parody and straight martial arts flick a little too well. (Might be funnier if I knew more Japanese.)

Norakuro-kun: A little black dog whose crazy grandfather is a WWII vet tries to make it in the materialist 1980s. Norakuro suddenly notes the fact that he doesn't have a mother and his human friend does, and becomes jealous. His imagination explores having his friend's mother act as his mom too, and it goes to some very disturbing territory. The grandfather is based on a character of the same name who appeared in a WWII-era comic strip about a little black dog that patriotically joins up with the Japanese Army. Not sure how the depiction of Grandpa Norakuro would go over in the States.

Sazae-san: An ordinary Japanese housewife lives day to day with her extended family. This episode has several short segments, including one where Sazae finds lipstick on her husband's collar. Very mild hilarity ensues. This long-running series was based on comic strips from the late 1940s, originally depicting the family's struggle to survive under the yoke of the American Occupation. The sort of show your stereotypical mom might like, if it weren't a cartoon.

Kiteretsu's Encyclopedia: Preteen boy has access to a secret book of ancient Japanese inventions, including his robot buddy. In the first segment, Kiteretsu creates a microphone-activated bodyguard for his father. The local mugger quickly figures out how to misuse this. In the second segment, the kids use superstrong soap bubbles to make a baseball stadium. From the same people who brought you Doraemon, and equally kiddie.

Little Lord Fauntleroy: A young boy discovers that he is actually the heir to a great lord when all the male heirs between him and his grandfather die. He is taken to live with his cold, stuffy grandfather to be taught to take his rightful place in society, while his commoner mother is forced to live in a nearby village. This episode has Cedric trying to intercede on behalf of a man named Higgins. Based on a classic children's book which I haven't read, so I can't tell how faithful to the original it is.

Anime 3 Musketeers: Four brave Musketeers serve France and their Queen. In this episode, our heroes must prevent a letter wrtitten from the queen to Buckingham from being intercepted by the wicked Milady and her mysterious ally, the Man in the Iron Mask. Not very faithful to the books at all, especially what they did with Aramis.

Iron Fist Chinmi might be best, as it's the first episode, and the story is so traditional kung fu movie that absolutely no Japanese is necessary to follow the plotline.

Let me know!

Hey, ConVergence fans!

2008-08-18T03:33:17Z

Connie, the ConVergence mascot robot, makes a cameo appearance in Batman Strikes #48.

On a Waynetech Aerospace worker's ID badge.

Manga Review: Yen Plus #1

2008-08-13T03:22:14Z

So there's a new contender in the monthly manga magazine market, Yen Plus. It's from the folks at Yen Press, and has a mix of Korean and American titles as well as more traditional manga.

Let's start on the left-to-right side.

Maximum Ride, based on the YA novels by James Patterson. A group of young people live by themselves, free from grown-ups, school, doctors and cages. Their mentor, Jeb Batchelder, disappeared two years ago. Now Max (team mom), Gazzy (obnoxious tween boy), Iggy (the blind one), Fang (stealth master), Nudge (dark-skinned girl) and Angel (just the most adorable wittle girl) hide away in a mountain house. Some of the family has special powers, Angel is a telepath, and Gazzy a natural mimic.

The kids go strawberry picking, only to be confronted by a team of "Erasers" dropping in from a helicopter. These guys have a bestial appearance, ala Blanka from Street Fighter. Even though the kids sprout wings, they're no match for the attackers.

One of the Erasers claims to have a personal grudge against Max; apparently he's Jeb's son Ari...but he's supposed to only be seven years old?!

The good/evil lines seem to be rather blatantly drawn here, but I understand the books this is based on are popular with teens, so more depth may appear in the later chapters.

Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova. Horror/fantasy title. Three girls explore their school after dark, as one has heard weird things recently. They note that the "out of order" girls' room door is ajar. It's been closed for a year, the light switch doesn't work, and there's a huge mirror along one wall. Before they can explore further, they're surprised by Mrs. Hatcher, a teacher. For her, the light switch works. She orders the snooping girls out of the school, backing it up with a mind whammy.

At 6 P.M., Mrs. Hatcher turns the place over to the shadows, and the Night Principal appears through the mirror. Mrs. Hatcher launches into a litany of complaints (the gate is in a dangerously tempting place, her authority is constantly undermined, and the Night Keeper is late--again.) The Night Principal is only interested in her coffee until that last item, since the Night Keeper is supposed to have shown up early for training. Said Keeper is apparently popular with the students, though.

Speaking of whom, Sarah's still asleep. Her little sister Alex resorts to a bucket of water provided by a friendly shadow creature. It doesn't help much, and it takes several cups of coffee before Sarah's coherent. Alex is being home-schooled due to reasons that are not explained, but stem from three years before. Finally, Sarah steps through the gate to work.

A hollow-cheeked man with dreads is watching for a bad omen, along with a group of young people who are his students. He puts the group in charge of Teresa (impatient girl) and Cassidy (freckles and glasses) for the night's hunt, while he goes off on his own. The teacher reminds them that curfew is 6 A.M. A student named J protests, but only after the teacher is out of earshot.

Sarah arrives at work, and Mrs. Hatcher finishes sealing the doors. We learn that Sarah (last name Treveney) has started a manga/anime club, which Mrs. Hatcher finds the first positive thing Sarah's done. She gives Sarah a note for Madam Chen, the Night Principal. And just in time, as the students arrive.

At the Chase family skyscraper, the dreaded teacher, Daemon, faces down a couple of security goons with his crossbow, loaded with silver bolts. They let him pass, and Daemon talks to Marina Zaikina, a child seer. She has had a vision of a broken seal and seven children (including herself) walking away. The sky turns wrong, and bodies are everywhere. When the security guards burst in, Daemon and Marina are gone, leaving a note of resignation. The guards fear someone named "Boar."

As Daemon and Marina walk down the street, Marina sees Alex, and realizes that not only is she one of the children from the dream, but she is no longer "walking"--she's "already here."

Spooky bits with some slightly lame comedy. Not sure where it's going, but a fair number of things going on.

Pig Bride by Kookhwa Huh & Sujin Kim. Apparently based on a Korean fairy tale. Spoiled brat Si-Joon Lee runs away from summer camp and gets lost in the mountain woods. He foolishly attacks icons of the mountain gods with a stick. Suddenly, there's a girl with a sword (sheathed) there who warns him against this practice. When Si-Joon asks to borrow her cell phone, the girl claims not to know that word, then disappears.

After wandering some more, Si-Joon runs into a girl in a pig mask, who's doing laundry. She drops the mask (but neither we nor Si-Joon get a good look at her face) and runs off. Si-Joon picks up the mask and runs after her. By nightfall, he stumbles across a house and is greeted by a spooky-looking woman.

Inside a wedding feast is laid out, and the girl, Mu-Yeon, is wearing a fresh pig mask and traditional marriage garb. The spooky woman references the tale of the Park Bride, a fallen angel with a hideous face. She got married to Si-Baek Lee, and after she saved him with her shrine maiden skills, Si-Baek accepted her and the ugly curse was lifted. So far, so good, except that the curse was hereditary, and Mu-Yeon is the latest recepient. Good thing that Si-Joon is Si-Baek's descendant and can break the curse in the same way....

The famished Si-Baek is bribed/coerced into agreeing to a marriage ceremony. Afterwards, the spooky woman goes outside and summons her daughter Mu-Hwa, the girl with the sword we saw earlier. Mu-Hwa keeps Si-Baek from fleeing from Mu-Yeon, who eventually offers her "husband" a magic walnut, crushing which will return him to the outside world.

We then shift to teenaged Si-Baek, who is just waking up from the recurring nightmare of that experience, which he now believes to have been a hunger-induced hallucination. He's at an elite boarding school, and his roommate is one Ji-Oh, the resident smart guy. The pair is lusted after by the female students, and despised by the male students. Si-Baek mentions that he dislikes modern women because they're "strong" and that scares him.

However, he does like Doe-Doe Eun, a wimpy, gentle girl from the cross-stiching club. And apparently she likes him back, having arranged his sixteenth birthday party for tomorrow. Oh, and she's got a surprise for Si-Baek, due to arrive at midnight. The other girls don't seem to like Doe-Doe much, though. And Ji-Oh seems for some reason cold to her.

Glancing out the window, Si-Baek sees what looks like a grown Mu-Hwa standing on a nearby building, but she's not there when he looks again. Later, he decides that was just stress, and lies awake waiting for Doe-Doe's midnight surprise. But what appears instead is a girl in a pig mask, claiming she's there to "consummate our marriage."

Si-Baek isn't a very likable protagonist, and I'm looking forward to his complete humiliation.

Sarasah by Ryang Ruy. Opens with a lot of quotations about love. Our protagonist is a young lady named Ji-Hae. She is in love (or so she thinks) with Seung-Hyu, a handsome youth. The problem is that Seung-Hyu isn't in love with Ji-Hae. And he's been unusually straightforward about telling her so. Sadly, Ji-Hae hasn't listened to him, or anyone else, and continues to stalk the boy.

Seung-Hyu's birthday is coming up, so Ji-Hae dragoons her best friend Shin-Hui into planning the most extravagant celebration yet. Seung-Hyu is not well pleased, and launches into a hurtful tirade. Ji-Hae rushes towards her victim, trying to apologize, but he dodges. Oops, he was standing in front of a staircase. There's a lot of blood, and Shin-Hui vows vengeance on Seung-Hyu if the stalker is killed. Seung-Hyu tries to tell himself that the girl deserves it for her actions.

Honestly, I have to agree with Seung-Hyu, Ji-Hae has brought this on herself...but apparently the next chapter will start with Ji-Hae waking up in a new landscape...

One Fine Day by Sirial. Cute domestic strip. A curly-haired fellow shares his apartment with a cat, dog and mouse. Sometimes they're depicted as humanoid children, sometimes as animals. It's unclear if the outside world can see them as sentient. Cute but inconsequential.

Jack Frost by Jinho Ko. Horror? New student Noh-A Joo is introduced to her first day at Amityville High School. She sees a student with a nasty smile. As Noh-A takes her seat, the window blows in, decapitating her. A guy named Hansen comes in and fights Nasty Smile. Noh-A is disturbed by the fact that she's still conscious through all of this...and her decapitated head is staring straight at her own butt.

Then we learn that all of this is a recurring dream Noh-A has been happening, and she closes her eyes to reawaken in her own bed--except that when she opens her eyes, Noh-A is still decapitated. Apparently, this time it's not a dream.

I don't much like this one, the fanservice is too clumsily presented.

Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo. Now an anime series. Maka the scythemeister and Soul Eater, a scythe, track down a monstrous-looking human, Jack the Ripper. Soul Eater needs to consume 99 human souls (just completed) and one witch soul to become a full-fledged Death's Weapon. They report into Shinigami-sama and his current scythe, Death Scythe. DS also happens to be Maka's father, who likes his daughter maybe a bit too much.

The kids then track down Blair, a busty woman who wears a witch hat even while taking a bubble bath. Blair turns out to have serious magical powers, and several battles ensue, her winning each time. Finally, the kids try a different strategem by pretending to break up, and Soul Eater gets to eat Blair's soul. Sadly, it turns out that Blair is actually a cat who likes to dress up as a witch, which means that our heroes must start all over again from the beginning. This time with Blair (who had nine souls, being a cat) kibitzing.

Could be funny, but Maka's father is really annoying and wears thin quickly.

Nabari no Ou by Yuhki Kamatani. Ninja! Nerdy ninja fan Aizawa tries to get his even wimpier-looking classmate Miharu to join the Nindo Club. The club's advisor, Kumohira-sensei, agrees that this would be a good idea. Miharu would rather work in his family's okonomiyaki shop.

But as luck would have it, inside Miharu is the secret art of Shinra Banshou, the ultimate ninja technique, and whoever cuts him open will get it. So enemy ninja start attacking. Aizawa turns out to be an actual ninja himself, but not a very impressive one. When all seems lost, the power reaches out to Miharu--but is Aizawa really a friend?

The humor bits are kind of lame, but the fighting looks like it may be good.

Sumomomo Momomo by Shinobu Ohtaka. Martial arts comedy. Momoko is a superhuman martial artist in training, but not quite superhuman enough. Her father claims that this is because she's a girl. There's only one solution. She must marry the strongest man in the world and bear strong children to carry on her family's secret style.

Unfortunately, her target, Koushi Inuzuka, has given up martial arts, and is training for a career as...a lawyer. He has no interest in an arranged engagement, and certainly not in having sex with the childish Momoko. Koushi's father, on the other hand, is all for getting his son into harness so that perhaps some non-disappointing grandchildren can be had.

It turns out that the two teens have met before--when Koushi attempted to use his martial arts to protect Momoko when they were little, and was humiliatingly beaten as a result. He gave up fighting, while Momoko was inspired to increase her training.

Eventually, Koushi finds himself in a position where' there's no choice but to do battle--and tricks Momoko into kicking the bullies' asses for him. Momoko fails to recognize how she was fooled, and falls for Koushi even harder.

Amusing bits, though Momoko is waay over the top with the sexual aggression.

Bamboo Blade by Aguri Igarashi. High school kendo drama. Kojiro-sensei, the coach of the kendo team, makes a bet with his old senpai, kendo coach at a rival school. If his team wins, Kojiro gets a year's supply of free sushi from a local restaurant. Just a couple of problems--the team has to be all girls, and Kojiro's team only has one member. What to do now? Well, they could try to recruit this Temari person, who seems really good with a broomstick, but for some reason she seems uninterested in kendo....

Amusing, could be fun. Hope you like your sports cliches.

Higurashi When They Cry by Karin Suzuragi. Town with a dark secret. Young Keiichi is a recent immigrant to the isolated mountain community of Hinamizawa. He kind of likes the slow rural life where every day seems the same, and the one-room schoolhouse with a bevy of cute local girls. But one day he meets a photographer who speaks of a bloody incident.

The locals point-blank deny there was ever such an incident, but Keiichi finds magazines referring to it in the local dump. He resolves to find out more about what happened, little realizing the horrific events that will be triggered by his curiousity.

This does a nice job of contrasting the cute, sunny face of Hinamizawa with the creepiness lurking just below the surface. There are some bits of dialogue done in a different font that seem kind of random. They're not, so far as I can tell, supposed to indicate weirdness, as some instances are talking about the incident, and others about seemingly innocent matters. American horror fans may be put off by the cutesyness of the art.

Could be worth a look.

Friend of a friend...

2008-08-09T12:58:32Z

indigoskynet, meet alicetheowl. alicetheowl, meet indigoskynet. I note by your entries that both of you are planning to go to Dragoncon.

Indigo is the creator of the Kismetropolis webcomic. Alice I know primarily through the Hero Games board, but she's also the kage of Hiro Gama Village in Billy vs. Snakeman--for the time being, until she blows up.

Speaking of Billy vs. Snakeman, it's a really fun game, and here's the link again.

Be the Ultimate Ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today!

Help me gain more ninja powers!

Music memishness

2008-08-03T22:32:00Z

So, I haven't posted in quite a bit. My life has been about as usual, no big disasters, but not much in the way of big happiness. (My birthday celebration was nice though. Got new suspenders and a set of Wonder Woman greeting cards.)

In lieu of deep revelations, how's about a meme-type thing?

You've been asked to help compile a collection of music tracks for a time capsule to be opened in a thousand years. (The capsule also has the necessary player, and a storage medium that won't rot.)

First, list your top five must-have tracks that absolutely should be included in this compilation. Feel free to explain why any of the tracks are good/important/representative enough to be in your top five.

Second, list five tracks from, say, your top one hundred, that probably should be on such a compilation, but that you're sure no one else would pick. Again, feel free to write an explanation.

Since I'm aware that my friends list is only a tiny fraction of LJ, please invite your friends to participate too!

Advertisement!

2008-07-09T23:06:25Z

Hey, remember when I went to "Hamluke" last year? It's back!

To quote the advertisement:

"A long time ago in a castle far, far away...."

The vision of Ghosty Wan Kenobi appears stirring young Hamluke into a tragic tale of romance, betrayal, and revenge! Don't miss this hilarious Star Wars inspired version of Hamlet as told by wookiees, droids, and Jedi Knights.

Featuring the talents of:

Ernest Briggs, Damon Brook, Lisa Burton, Brad Erickson, Todd Janssen, Aaron Konigsmark, Jay Melchoir & Mike Rylander

Technical Direction by: Eric Shosted

Produced by: Michael T. Mayket

Written & Directed by: Brad Erickson

July 10-27 , Thurs/Fri/Sat at 8pm and Sat/Sun at 3pm, at the Lowry Lab located at 350 St. Peter Steet in downtown St. Paul-- two blocks away from the Science Museum now presenting Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination.

Tickets are $20 General Admission and $15 Student ID/ Fringe Button/Ages 12 and Under. Thursday, July 17 is Pay-What-You-Can!

Reservations can be made by calling (612) 423-2466

Twisted
What is the meaning behind a poem called Jabberwocky? Find out the curious, demented, and savage things that happen when a girl named Alice starts asking too many God damn questions!

Genre
Comedy
Drama

Warnings
Violence
Adult language

Showtimes
Thu., Jul. 31 @ 5:30 p.m
Sun., Aug. 3 @ 1:00 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 6 @ 10:00 p.m
Fri., Aug. 8 @ 4:00 p.m
Sun., Aug. 10 @ 5:30 p.m.

Venue :Playwrights' Center
Address: 2301 Franklin Ave E Minneapolis , MN 55406
Seating Capacity: 75
Parking: Small lot just south of Franklin on 23rd Ave. Free parking in neighborhood.
Transit: Bus routes (# blocks from bus stop): 2, 8, 19(4), 24(4)

Help feed local actors and stage personnel!

ConVergence 2008 report

2008-07-08T03:52:37Z

I suppose I should talk about this before my braincells give out entirely--as it is, I will no doubt forget or distort important bits, for which I hope you will forgive me.

The long weekend started on a very positive and unexpected note when I checked my post office box to discover a note from Metro Transit. Turned out that after three weeks, they had suddenly found my shoulder bag, and could I come get it? Good thing I was already off for the day, as the lost & found hours had been drastically reduced, and it's quite a hike to that office. I got a very close look at the construction for the new stadium on the way. As far as I can tell, nothing was missing from my bag, so I had an extra fifteen pounds of stuff to carry to the convention.

Even with the detour, I arrived before any of the formal events began, but after they already had enough volunteers for the afternoon. (Good work, volunteers!) Perhaps this was for the best, as I had to arrange transport from the Sheraton to the Crowne Plaza, where I was registered. Sadly, despite the fact that the Crowne is essentially across the street from the Sheraton, that street is a freeway, and there's no quick way to walk there. And the shuttle only ran once an hour. Plus, it wouldn't pick up at the Sheraton unless someone called in advance, plus it stopped running about 12:45 AM. Ouch.

Nevertheless, I was able to get on the shuttle and check in at the Crowne Plaza. That hotel was relatively speaking quiet as the grave (Saturday night they closed down the restaurant early because everyone was over at the Sheraton!) No morning paper, but the CP gives all guests a sleeping kit with earplugs, sleep mask, soothing music CD...and lavender aromatherapy bottle. I turned out not to need any of these, given my strenuous activity all the days of the convention.

Panels attended included: "City as Character", mildly interesting, but I missed the first bits. Generally speaking, having the city have character in the story is a good idea.

"Fanzines Invented the Internet"--the first of three panels I was actually on. The moderator was David Romm, of Shockwave Radio fame. Essentially, we talked about the history, uses, and conventions of paper fanzines and how much of that has carried over into the electronic communities of today. There was also some discussion of the remaining paper fanzines and where to find them. Another panelist was Joan Marie Verba, who wrote a history of Star Trek fanzines, and recently put out an official Thunderbirds tie-in novel. (I picked an autographed copy of that up later.)

"The Mark Time Radio Show"--Again this year guest-starring Wally Wingert (voice actor, you anime fans will know him as Renge in the Bleach dub.) The main play was "Magic Notes", in which two children learn magic from a wizard tutor, and magic is like jazz.

(At this point, the Twin Cities Superhero Costume Players were holding a wedding for their Green Arrow and Black Canary. Sorry I missed that. Locals should check them out at Fallcon, because they promised a big event.)

Opening Ceremonies--began with a video parody of Austin Powers, with Dr. Evil's Council of Evil including such luminaries as Bartholomew Cubbins, Dick Cheney and a Weeping Angel. Technical difficulties marred the broadcast, but it was still pretty funny. With the excessive number of GoH this year, even very brief introductions took quite a bit of time. This ceremony began a running gag about deceased former GoH Michael Sheard, represented by an urn with a bowtie and its own namebadge.

"Songwriting and Filking"--Unfortunately, illness in the family made Mercedes Lackey cancel her appearance on this panel at the last moment. (This was especially unforunate for one guest who'd come to the con solely to see Bernie Wrightson and her, Mr. Wrightson having already cancelled.) Much of the panel was taken up by trying to determine what, precisely, qualified as "filk."

"History of Manga"--One of those first thing in the morning panels that you're just glad an audience showed up for. To distract from the fact that I'd essentially copped a timeline cobbled together from Wikipedia, I brought plenty of actual manga as examples. My copanelists (both named Melissa, and both theater majors, go figure,)helped fill in the gaps and provide a more scholarly perspective.

"Titans Tower Under Crisis"--the Marv Wolfman panel, which featured only Mr. Wolfman talking about his work (most of his current projects are video games, and those are under non-disclosure agreements.) Highlights included him calling Stan Lee "a brilliant writer of fiction", talking not about the comics, but the Bullpen Bulletins. I later got an autographed copy of the Superman Returns novelization from him.

"Superheroes Do Not Obey the Laws of Physics"--the annual lecture by Dr. Jim Kakalios (writer of "The Physics of Superheroes"), this year focusing on material sciences and how they relate to superhero costumes. This is a must-see, folks, if Dr. Kakalios ever comes to your town.

"Vidder's Delight"--creating and finding fan videos.

"July '07 to July '08 Films: Annual Review"--which movies were good, which were bad, which ones were guilty pleasures.

"Art of Movie Posters"--'Tain't what they used to be.

"Shiny New Anime"--Some clips of new shows, ranging from the bizarre to the sweet.

"Puppetry!"--Exactly what it says on the tin. Urge your local network to support and carry "Transylvania TV."

"Non-Superhero Comic Books"--A discussion of comic books that aren't tied to the superhero tradition, though there was some discussion of whether we should count comics whose characters have unusual abilities but don't otherwise follow the superhero rules.

"Spoiler Alert: The Rumor Mill"--run by Ain't It Cool News contributors who aren't Harry Knowles (who had his own special suite.) Good stuff, which I will not repeat here.

The Masquerade--Since I didn't have a room in the hotel where I could watch it on TV, I had to crowd into the main hall. Biggest surprise was cosplayers for Furniture Warriors! (An obscure story on Improfanfic.)

"Hogwarts Graduation!"--A discussion of the seventh (and final?) Harry Potter book. Some disappointment, some appreciation, some wingnut theories.

"Anime: An Industry On the Brink"--The last of the panels I was on. It was generally agreed that there's going to be a sharp market correction (especially when the junior high crowd moves on to a different fad) and at least one more importer will crash, but that anime in some form will continue to be made and get onto the market somehow. I got to do my "you kids today are all pansies who have it soft" bit.

"Subverting Tropes"--Of course, first you have to know what tropes are, that they are not necessarily your enemy, and then you can figure out how to flip them around to make a story even more fun. I plugged TVtropes.org.

"Women and Comic Books"--Things have improved, they could still be better. Most interesting bit to me was a discussion of why women have found it easier to get into the field as colorists. I plugged Girl-Wonder.org.

"DC and Marvel Updates"--Discussion of what happened in the Big Two's universes this last year, especially to update the casual fans who haven't read anything from these lately. Much repeating of "you're kidding me," "that doesn't make sense," "They did WHAT to my favorite character?!" interspersed with a few "that bit was pretty cool."

Closing Ceremonies--Last chance to see or hear most of the guests--ran long, so I bailed a little early to make sure I could catch the hotel shuttle to the train station (last of the day.) Much fun, nevertheless, including a musical tribute by Mercedes Lackey to Michael Sheard.

In between all that, I went to various signings (lots of autographs acquired this year,) the Art Show (picked up a couple of presents), the Silent Auction (got a signed first edition of Diplomatic Immunity), the anime room (had a discussion with Wally Wingert on the early days of anime fandom), the movie room (saw "How the Sith Stole Christmas"), the Science Room (lest we forget why we're all here), the Hucksters' Room, and lots and lots of room parties. (Yum!)

Overall, a fantastic experience, and well worth every moment. But next year they're back to three days, and I think that's just as well.

If there's one suggestion I might make, it would be to make the Children's Programming track a bit more clearly labeled. I saw several instances of parents trying to puzzle out which events it would be safe to bring their small kids to.

Today I had off to recover. Due to now depleted funds, I took my coin jar to Roundy's to get some laundry money. Over $50 in pennies!

update

2008-06-29T01:20:38Z

Not nearly enough folks clicked on the BvS link, so I wound up only scoring 7th place. Bummer.

However, my birthday wasn't an entire waste. The folks at the office appreciated the apple turnovers, and I got a notepad as a present from the management. (Our department has had a bit of a budget cut for fun stuff/incentives, I fear.)

In the evening, after two solid hours at the library trying to get Sannin, I went to the Manga Anime Society screening over at the U of M. They have it in a lecture room in Moos Medical Tower. I missed Chi's Sweet Home (I'm told it's a sitcom) and most of the first episode of Black Lagoon. The second episode was pretty kickass though.

After that was (IIRC) Moyashimon, a semi-educational series about the use of microbes in agriculture. Amusing, but the weak-stomached may find the seagull scene too much.

And the late show was Mononoke, which is about traditional Japanese spirits/monsters, and a wandering medicine seller who deals with them. Very stylized artstyle, could be too freaky for many people.

Birthday

2008-06-26T11:10:32Z

So, yes it is.

Yesterday was a bit disappointing. I went to the barbershop I've been using for the last few years only to discover that the owner/operator has moved to St. Louis, MO to be with family. There's an inexpensive chain barbershop just down the street, but it just wasn't the same experience.

I bought apple turnovers to share at work today, since I figure everyone gets tired of birthday cake week after week.

If you'd like to give me a present, please click on my Billy vs. Snakeman link, as it's Sannin Run time again. And hey, maybe some of you would like to make a character and play the game?

Be the Ultimate Ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today!

It's time for the lyrics game!

2008-06-24T02:45:14Z

Since my playlist has turned over considerably, let's try this again. I've taken a lyrics fragment from each of ten songs. Can you name the song?

1. "My toys are deadly prizes from the future, my hands are much too clever for my heart."

2. "I heard somebody whisper 'Please adore me,' and when I looked--"
"Blue Moon", guessed by indigoskynet

3. "When the time is come for battle now we follow with the horde."

4. "Carry me back to old Tennessee, let that be my last repose; lay my feet beneath the lilacs, lay my head beneath the rose."

5. "The gals working in dresses and they're kinda slow at talkin', well you pick you out a cutie and you take her a-walkin'."

6. "Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city, linger on the sidewalk where the neon lights are pretty."
"Downtown" guessed by indigoskynet

7. "They're going to wonder what I'm doing there, I've got a lot to learn, so I won't care."

8. "From the day we arrive on the planet, and blinking step into the sun..."
"Circle of Life" guessed by indigoskynet

9. "Though it may be getting past you dream time, baby, don't think twice."

10. " Then I awake and look around me, to the cold gray walls that surround me, and then I realize I was only dreaming."

Still a few days to my birthday--due to various scheduling conflicts, the family celebration won't be until July 20th.

Update

2008-06-16T03:13:03Z

I lost my totebag on Thursday morning, probably on the bus. Unfortunately, the bus company lost and found didn't have it Friday, so if it isn't to them by Monday, I'll have to write it off. Fortunately, nothing too irreplaceable was in there--books, a Netflix DVD, a bunch of old bills (not credit card, thankfully) and personal letters, my emergency snack supplies and such, but it's going to be a pain to resupply some of that. Plus the bag was my five-year prize for working at Target, so a bit of sentimental value.

Friday I went to see Incredible Hulk. Pretty nifty, lots of good smashing.

Saturday I mostly played video games--haven't done that in a while. Time sure goes by fast when you're dodging monsters.

Today, I went to the library (they have Sunday hours for the summer), and then to see Kung Fu Panda, as I had read a review saying "nothing like Shrek." It was good. A little obvious in places, but not too condescending.

D&D Day

2008-06-08T03:23:45Z

So, it was D&D Day today. The Source had the new 4th Edition books on sale as soon as their contract said they could, but today was for demos of the new system. I actually got there pretty late in the afternoon, so the worst crowds had already cleared out, but Dave Arneson was still there and signing.

And then I tried out the new system. To be honest, I've never actually played 3.5 (finally got all the core books when they were half price), so I can't compare too much. I can say that even at first level, the characters are pretty darn buff.

The scenario was very basic, with little of the "role" part of roleplaying required. Naturally, I tried to get into character (a mercenary fighter) as much as possible because that never hurts. With a little tactical planning and some spectacularly good rolls by the rogue's player (a relative newbie who hadn't quite got the hang of 'in character dialogue') we blitzed the big baddie battle in record time.

We got to keep our miniatures, character sheets, and 1d20, which was a nice touch.

By the by, any local people want to go to Free RPG Day?

Package arrived!

2008-06-03T00:06:19Z

The prize I won for Bimbo (see previous entry) arrived. It is Asian Beastiary 1 & 2, by Michael Surbrook, signed by the author. Yay!

I like getting nice things in my mailbox. And since it's coming up on my birthday, here's my shameless begging tag.

This is mostly for my Internet friends and random generous strangers--my family will do whatever it is they already plan to do.

Happy Centennial, St. Mary's!

2008-06-02T00:44:28Z

It turns out there's a "Free RPG Day" to match "Free Comic Book Day", but the nearest store doing it is in Coon Rapids.

In happy news, the Basilica of St. Mary's, just a couple of blocks from my apartment, is one hundred years old. Today, they held a free brunch for the neighborhood. I saw the bishop (full regalia), but didn't get a chance to talk to him.

All of my tax rebate has gone into paying my student loan; hope that will keep things steady for a while.

Award-Winning!

2008-06-01T12:15:40Z

There was a contest on the Hero Games board recently, asking for NPCs with a Japanese theme. The prize was two sourcebooks on "Asian" monsters that Hero has put out, signed by the author.

I won!

So, here's that winning entry.

Bimbo

Player: NPC, created by Scott K. Jamison

Val Char Cost
10 STR 0
12 DEX 6
14 CON 8
10 BODY 0
14 INT 4
20 EGO 20
14 PRE 4
10 COM 0

2 PD 0
3 ED 0
3 SPD 8
8 REC 6
40 END 6
25 STUN 3

6" RUN 0
2" SWIM 0
2" LEAP 0
Characteristics Cost: 65

Cost Power
11 Spirit Sight: Detect Spirits 18- (Sight Group)
5 Can touch spirits: Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2) for up to 10 Active Points of STR (5 Active Points)
6 Spirit Punching: Hand-To-Hand Attack +2d6, Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2) (15 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only vs. Desolid beings; -1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)
16 Exorcism Ritual: Extra-Dimensional Movement (Related Group of Dimensions, Single Location), x8 Increased Weight, Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2), Usable As Attack (+1) (100 Active Points); Gestures, Requires Gestures throughout (Requires both hands; Complex; -1 1/2), Extra Time (10 Minutes, Only to Activate, -1 1/4), OAF Expendable (Easy to obtain new Focus; exorcist's supplies; -1), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; Complex; -1), Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Only to send spirits and extra-dimensional beings to the correct otherworld; -1/2)
7 Spirit Protection: Mental Defense (14 points total) (10 Active Points); Only Works Against Limited Type of Attack (Spirit Powers; -1/2)
40 Poverty-Inducing Powers: Elemental Control, 80-point powers
25 1) Poor Financial Judgement: Mind Control 12d6, Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1/2) (90 Active Points); Set Effect ("Make bad financial decisions"; -1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Stunned (-1/2)
27 2) Destroy Valuable Objects: Telekinesis (20 STR), Fine Manipulation, Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (80 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Only to damage/destroy valuable objects; -1/2)
64 3) Poverty's Curse: Major Transform 4d6 (Person to person with Unluck: Financial Matters or *more* Unluck: Financial Matters, normally, or successful exorcism), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (120 Active Points); Limited Target ([Slightly Limited]; Beings with souls only; -1/4)
Powers Cost: 201

Cost Skill
3 Bureaucratics 12-
6 +2 w/poverty-inducing powers
3 AK: Spirit World 12-
2 CK: Tokyo 11-
4 KS: Spirits 13-
3 KS: Japanese Folklore 12-
4 KS: Finance 13-
3 CuK: Financial World 12-
2 KS: Current Events in Business 11-
3 KS: Who's Who in the Financial World 12-
0 Language: Japanese (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)
3 Language: English (completely fluent)
1 Language: Mandarin Chinese (basic conversation)
1 Language: Korean (basic conversation)
1 Language: German (basic conversation)
3 Persuasion 12-
3 PS: Exorcist 12-
4 PS: Financial Saboteur 13-
3 Streetwise 12-
3 Systems Operation 12-
5 Trading 13-
Skills Cost: 60

Cost Perk
6 Contact: Agent (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 12-
20 Contact: Bimbo no Kami (Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Very Good relationship with Contact), Spirit Contact (x2) (20 Active Points) 14-
1 Fringe Benefit: License to practice a profession
1 Fringe Benefit: Passport
5 Money: Well Off
1 Reputation: Effective financial saboteur (Underhanded corporate executives) 8-, +1/+1d6
Perks Cost: 34

Cost Talent
10 Divine Favor
Talents Cost: 10

Total Character Cost: 370

Pts. Disadvantage
5 Hunted: International Securities and Exchange Commissions 11- (Less Pow, NCI, Watching)
5 Physical Limitation: Near-sighted, needs glasses to see properly (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
15 Psychological Limitation: Miser (Common, Strong)
20 Psychological Limitation: Hates those more fortunate than himself (Very Common, Strong)
10 Social Limitation: Double life, causes scheduling problems, need to conceal activities (Frequently, Minor)
5 Vulnerability: Good luck-based powers (Uncommon)
5 Susceptibility: good luck charms, 1d6 damage per Minute (Uncommon)
5 Reputation: Jinx, 8-
Disadvantage Points: 70
Base Points: 200
Experience Required: 100
Total Experience Available: 100
Experience Unspent: 0

APPEARANCE
Hair Color: Black, buzz cut
Eye Color: Black
Height: 1.70 m
Weight: 55.00 kg
Description:
Ichiro is in his early 30s, with a pinched-looking face and hollow cheeks. His glasses are plastic-rimmed, and often held together with masking tape. When on the job as an exorcist, he wears Shinto priest robes and hat. Otherwise, he dresses like a salaryman, in the cheapest used suits he can scrounge up.

BACKGROUND
Shortly before Ichiro Yamakuro was born, his father was accused of embezzling from his company. There were no charges filed due to lack of conclusive evidence, but Mr. Yamakuro was fired anyway, and no respectable company would hire him. Ichiro's mother got a part-time job to help out, but between taking care of Ichiro and her migraines, she couldn't work decent hours. So Ichiro grew up poor. By the time he was able to understand just how messed up his family was, Ichiro's father had taken to drink. Mr. Yamakuro would often rave in his cups that the "bimbo no kami" (god of poverty) had come to live in their apartment. The elder Yamakuro died in a train accident when Ichiro was eight.

When Ichiro was sixteen, he went to a shrine on New Years' Day to pray for an escape from the crushing poverty he'd known all his life. He drew a fortune which read "catastrophe", fainted and struck his head. Ichiro awoke and immediately believed himself to be hallucinating. For the air was full of spirits capering about. Long-nosed goblins, sweet-faced angels, legless ghosts, and odd-looking animals danced in the air around the shrine. When the humans asked Ichiro how he was feeling, he mumbled vague excuses (it wasn't as though he could afford to go to the hospital) and stumbled out to the street.

There were less spirits out here, which made sense; naturally a place of worship would be more attractive to them. Still, Ichiro could see beings who were clearly not human doing various chores around the neighborhood. A wind spirit blew cold air along the street, a shop's guardian cat beckoned to passersby, and a mischievous goblin was making cracks in the pavement. It was weird, but slowly Ichiro was getting used to it. It wasn't as if he hadn't always heard the tales of spirits before, even if he couldn't see them.

Ichiro rushed home, took off his shoes and quietly crept into the apartment in case his mother was having one of her migraines. Much to his surprise, there was someone in the living area he'd never seen before, though he'd heard descriptions for years. The Bimbo no Kami was sitting right there in the middle of the apartment, just as Ichiro's father had claimed!

The years of misery came back to Ichiro's mind, his heart filled with anger, and the boy leapt at the spirit of poverty, beating it with his fists. The spirit didn't fight back, too surprised that someone could see it, let alone assault it. Finally, it begged for mercy. Ichiro spewed invective against the spirit, and ordered it to leave. The Bimbo no Kami agreed on one condition--that Ichiro find the spirit a new place to live.

The spirit shrunk down, and Ichiro carried it in his pocket. It happened that the landlord of the crummy apartment building the Yamakuro family lived in had a son Ichiro's age who was a classmate of his. This boy had lorded his relative wealth and power over Ichiro since junior high, often forcing Ichiro to do humiliating chores on threat of being evicted. Ichiro went to the landlord's house, and made an excuse to see his classmate. By carrying the spirit in his pocket, he was able to sneak it past the good luck charms that otherwise would have protected the house. While Ichiro groveled to the landlord's son, pretending to need help with a homework assignment, he placed the Bimbo no Kami behind a stack of DVDs.

Over the next few days, the Yamakuro family's fortunes improved. The real embezzler was finally caught, and the company that had fired Mr. Yamakuro made a generous settlement in hush money. Ichiro won a year's supply of groceries in a local store's tombola giveaway. A childhood sweetheart of Ichiro's mother unexpectly turned up, recently widowed, prosperous and with a yen for Mrs. Yamakuro. Even her migraines eased up.

Meanwhile, the landlord was hit with a series of inspections by city officials that revealed many expensive violations of building codes and rental regulations. Ichiro's classmate broke his leg in multiple places, requiring a long and expensive hospital stay, and their fancy home caught on fire.

One day, Ichiro met the Bimbo no Kami on the street and they exchanged pleasantries. The spirit noticed that Ichiro seemed more than casually interested in the stories the spirit told of impoverishing victims. It suggested an alliance. It would lend Ichiro some of its power, in exchange for Ichiro sheltering the spirit whenever it needed a place to stay.

Thus it was that Ichiro became the financial saboteur known as "Bimbo." He has studied Shinto rituals, and his official income is from being a wandering exorcist. But his real job is hitting wealthy men with poverty for pay.

PERSONALITY
Ichiro was deeply scarred by his early poverty. Even though his activities have made him comfortably wealthy, he lives in abject fear of losing his money, and will go to great lengths to avoid spending it. He regularly steals hotel soap, fills up on free food samples and watches for rock-bottom sales of expired items. In addition, he resents anyone who appears to be luckier in life than he is, and sometimes cannot resist acting maliciously against them in secret, even if they're paying his way.

The only person Ichiro is close to is his mother, who he is glad is happy with her new husband. He endures her admonitions to find a nice wife and settle down with more patience than he gives to anyone else. Sadly, he cannot bring himself to court a woman, since he sees them as golddiggers who are only after his money.

QUOTE
"How does your Bible put it? 'The want of money is the root of all evil'? I think I am agreeing." Ichiro's voice is soft, but he has a tendency to a sneering tone when he's got an advantage.

POWERS/TACTICS
Bimbo has two sets of powers. The first is his ability to see and interact with spirits. Nature spirits, ghosts, imaginary friends, astral projections--he can see and affect them all. He's learned to steel his mind against their uncanny abilities, and to exorcise spirits (and other interdimensional visitors) back to where they belong. The primary weakness of this last ritual is that it takes a long time, and so the spirit has to be kept present until it's complete. This is done either by satisfying the spirit (a job for Ichiro's bargaining skills, to find out what it wants and how to fulfill that need) or by beating it up.

The other set is the poverty-inflicting powers Ichiro has been granted by the Bimbo no Kami. He can cause a victim to make bad financial decisions, wreck their nice things (more dangerous than it sounds...suppose you're in your Rolls-Royce when Bimbo makes it steer off a cliff?) and make them unlucky with money. Note that the more he succeeds with that last power, the more dice of Unluck he can inflict. Ichiro's usual M.O. is to research a potential target to identify possible weak points, then slowly harrass them with minor financial setbacks before moving in for the "kill."

Bimbo is not a particularly good physical combatant, and will flee if threatened with violence.

CAMPAIGN USE
You know those Hunteds that like messing with your credit rating? Bimbo works for those guys. He can also be used in his exorcist job as a hired expert in a case with supernatural overtones. Indeed, you could cut out his poverty-related powers and just use him as an exorcist in campaigns where such a character would be appropriate. Some quick plot seeds:

1. A poltergeist is infesting the HQ, and the Ghostbusters are out of town. Who do you call?

2. If the campaign is set in Japan, one of the PCs gets a favor called in by a Japanese tax inspector. She's been assigned to audit Ichiro Yamakuro, and noticed that the last three auditors who worked this case file all met with unfortunate accidents. Can the PC protect her?

3. Goodguyco, one of the PCs' sponsors, is suddenly having a rash of bad luck. As it turns out, one of the GGC employees has mild ESP, and is sure there's a malevolent force at work, though he can't pin it down.

Just because I haven't done one of these in a while...

2008-05-26T18:25:40Z

I died on Starbase Ataniell93

I was killed in a glass-walled conference room by Thebratqueen the cyborg, whilst carrying...

the Log of the USS 0metotchtli, an SHOTOFJACK-160 phaser, the Log of the USS Mer Duff, a feilongfanlithium crystal, a Desertvixenian artefact, a QUEENO-5300 supercomputer, an ALLYRA-20 plasma rifle, the Log of the USS Earthmystic, a tradeslandlithium crystal, a Yxonomeiian raygun, the Log of the USS Rp Zeal , a Jfbatian artefact, an Ackonrad screwdriver, Patsmor's commbadge, a No-Remorse model hazmat suit, a SUBTLE-SCIENCE-30 plasma rifle, Flourish's commbadge, a SAM/DEAN-10 plasma rifle, an Amireal screwdriver, a Ryuutchiian raygun, an OSE-BUNNIES-30 plasma rifle, the Log of the USS Laragoth, a MUSESF-6400 supercomputer, an HACKTHIS-60 phaser, Bkwyrm's commbadge, an CIARHWYFAR-60 phaser and 57 galacticredits.

Score: 543

Explore Starbase Ataniell93 and try to beat this score,
or enter your username to generate and explore your own space adventure...

Wouldn't let me switch phasers until the one that didn't work was out of juice.

Need to get out and see a movie now.

Miscellaneous update

2008-05-24T02:33:27Z

Still alive.

I saw both Iron Man and Speed Racer, and enjoyed them.

Lake Street continues to become a poorer place to visit--the Asian buffet place closed (and has been torn down entirely) and Dreamhaven will be moving to a much more inaccessible location sometime this summer. Those of you here in the Twin Cities might want to stop by for their moving sale.

That'll leave...the Cheapo Music store as about the last place I shop there.

Was in Barnes & Noble tonight and was much amused by one of the books on the Bargain shelves--Hillary vs. Condi. It was rather painfully obviously written a couple of years back, since McCain is mentioned as having no chance of getting the Republican nomination. Basically the book is all about how Hillary Clinton is a baby-eating monster who wants to destroy America, but somehow has fooled America into thinking she's okay, so the one person who can save us all is Condoleeza Rice.

It neatly handwaves away the unlikelyhood of the Republican party getting behind a black woman who's never held elective office, and point blank ignores her biggest liability--having worked for the Bush White House. Or perhaps the writers thought that the war in Iraq would suddenly turn around and everyone would see how brilliant Bush's strategy (ably assisted by Rice) was.

Mind you, a Barack/Condi race would have been interesting too.

Fanfic: Deja Vu All Over Again! G-Rated

2008-05-17T01:36:21Z

Someone on TV Tropes mentioned this, so I dug around, and here it is where people can see it!

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
by Scott K. Jamison
Ranma 1/2 and its associated characters created by Rumiko Takahashi

She'd lost him. Lost him for good, this time.

Akane sobbed into her hands, not caring that she was in the
middle of the street. "Why? Why did I do that? I always lose my
temper at the wrong time! And now he's gone!"

A honking reminded her to move to the sidewalk.

"If only we had started right! I wish I could do it all over,
so Ranma wouldn't hate me..."

There was a tapping on her shoulder.

"I can help you with that, miss..." the speaker was a tall man
whose hair was white, though his face was unwrinkled.

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Akane, trying to dry her eyes with
an already sopping handkerchief.

"It just so happens I have an amulet here that allows a person
to go back along their own timeline. It only works once, but think
of all the mistakes you could fix...."

Akane's mind raced. Yes, she could return to the day she met
Ranma, get things off on the right foot to begin with. But--

"What's this going to cost me?"

"Oh, it's free," said the man sincerely. "I already used my
chance, and was much better off for it, so I can't use the amulet
again."

"I see. Okay."

The man smiled and handed Akane a shiny golden pendant. "Use it
tomorrow at noon for best effect."

"Thank you!" Akane ran for home to prepare. She didn't notice
that the man's pocket had more than one chain dangling from it...

****

"Oh, he wants Akane!"

"Definitely!"

Akane scowled, not entirely acting. She'd forgotten how much of
a betrayal her sisters' action had seemed like at the time.

"Why me?"

Nabiki's eyes shifted as she tried to think of an excuse.
"Well, you hate boys, right? And Ranma's half girl!"

Kasumi nodded enthusiastically.

Akane took a deep breath. This was where it had all started to
go wrong. She had to make this sound good.

"But he's not a girl! He just looks like one, right, Ranma?"

Ranma looked taken aback, but responded, "Yeah, that's right!"

"And shouldn't he be the one to choose, instead of just having
someone pushed on him?"

"Yeah!" said Ranma, smiling now that someone was agreeing with
him.

"Let's all just back off on this engagement thing, okay?"
pleaded Akane.

The two fathers disagreed with that idea, but a few well-placed
blows (Akane had improved, whether Ranma would notice or not)
convinced them that a "trial period" was indeed best.

***

"I'm a martial artist too, you know!" shouted Akane. Ranma slid
away in the early morning dew. "You don't have to go this easy on
me!"

You'd think he'd be a little more considerate, the girl thought.
No wait, he probably thinks this is considerate.

She leapt after the retreating boy, who was really beginning to
irritate her. Her trying to be nicer didn't make Ranma enough less
of a jerk to keep from triggering her temper, it seemed.

"Come back here so I can swat you!" she cried.

Ranma stuck out his tongue. "No way!"

Their sparring was interrupted by Kasumi coming out on to the
porch. "Ranma, there's someone here to see you."

That was funny. Akane didn't remember anyone showing up to see
Ranma the morning after he arrived. She followed him into the living
room.

There was a pretty girl in an attractive dress standing there,
looking slightly nervous. She looked awfully familiar, but Akane
couldn't place her for a moment. Wait a minute, she had a giant
spatula slung across her back.

"Ukyou!?"

The other girl blinked and looked at Akane. "H-how did you--"

Ranma interrupted. "You know her, Akane?"

Before she could answer, the okonomiyaki chef crossed to Ranma
and said, "It's me, Ranma, Ukyou Kuonji, you know, Ucchan?"

The pigtailed boy knotted his brow in concentration. "Oh yeah,
Okonomiyaki Ucchan! But when did you fall in the Spring of Drowned
Girl?"

"Oh, I've always been a girl, Ranma. I just never got around to
telling you before. But I was in the neighborhood and heard you were
here."

Akane felt her temperature rising. "Oh, I'll just bet. That
dress doesn't suit you, and shouldn't you be attending school with
Tsubasa?"

"You know about Tsubasa? But that's impossible, unless--"

The two girls stared at each other in horror.

"Excuse me," said Ranma. "Someone like to clue me in here?"

"Well, it's like--" Simultaneously with,
"I just wanted to--"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ranma has another visitor," said
Kasumi. "My, you're popular!"

A purple-haired girl strode through the door, clad in
traditional Amazon fighting garb.

"Shampoo!" This from three throats at once, followed by Ranma
swiveling his neck to look incredulously at both Akane and Ukyou.

"L-listen Shampoo, you really shouldn't--"

"It's okay, Ranma, Shampoo knows you're really a boy. So the
Kiss of Death is no longer in effect. It is now the Kiss of
Betrothal!"

Ranma fled the room anyway.

The three girls looked at each other for a long silent moment.
Then each of them reached into a pocket and drew forth a shining
amulet. There was a general sigh.

"Okay," ventured Akane, "now what?"

FIN

not to be continued...

SKJAM!

Casstoon!

2008-05-04T21:42:07Z

I wrote a reaction to the Wonder Woman bit in DC Universe #0, and the events in the comics of the last year, which has been done up as a Casstoon.

http://superdickery.110mb.com/viewtopic.php?p=9863#p9863

In other news, a CVS pharmacy has opened today a couple of blocks away. I'd have preferred a grocery store, but I'll take what I can get. I was the third customer in, as I had trouble getting out of bed. Got a lot of "can I help you" since, well, there just weren't enough shoppers in yet to occupy the employees.

Free Comic Book Day

2008-05-04T05:52:52Z

So, Free Comic Book Day.

Having been burned last year, I took the precaution of arriving at the Source (they have the biggest selection in town) early on.

In addition to the usual free pop and cake, everyone got an Iron Man Heroclix figure. And of course, some free comics (an edited bag for the kiddies.)

Arcana Presents: Several different titles, actually. "Kade" is about a demon hunter who apparently has special senses that allow him to see demons in human disguise. Or maybe he's just hallucinating. Anyhow, he's in India and a local girl thinks he's not crazy.
*"Burn" is a mangaesque feature about a cyborg, the story is a glimpse of his life just before the bad things start happening.
*"The Gwai"--Peaceful furry sentients live in the Canadian Pacific Northwest, fearful of the encroaching humans. Have you seen Bambi? Same shocking plot twist.
*"100 Girls" is evidently about young women with special abilities who aren't necessarily thrilled about having them or willing to use them constructively. This is the only complete story in the issue, going into the background of Jessica, who has electrical powers.

Comments: Kade looks very "Nineties Anti-Hero" so if that's your cup of tea, it should work fine for you. I'd actually like to see more of Burn's world outside of the cyborg fighting action that's probably going to dominate the series. (Slice of life stories set in the future are underrepresented in comics.) The Gwai doesn't sit well with me--the combination of artstyle and story direction clash. 100 Girls might be interesting, but I'd have to see a story with a little more sunshine to get a better picture.

Atomic Robo: The title character is a sentient robot created by Nikola Tesla, who investigates the unknown. In this particular story, he is asked to look into a possible new superbomb created by the Soviets. Good stuff!
*The back-up tale is "Neozoic", which is set on an alternate Earth where the dinosaurs never died out, but humans still evolved. A couple of scouts encounter a carnosaur that's been raiding their stables. The heroine's a little over the top for me, but maybe she just needs a partner who's more in sync with her personality.

Bongo Comics Free-for-All!: All Simpsons-related stories. In the first, Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl are sidelined when Springfield outlaws superheroes. Then Bart refuses to take a bath until his TV privileges are restored. And finally, a tale from the "Japanese manga" version of the Simpsons. Bart's hair works very well as anime hair. Bongo's stuff is pretty consistently funny, so if you like the Simpsons, go for it.

Comic Book Diner: A sampler of kids' comics. First up is "Roboy", a robot hero who's escaped from the amusement park where he was one of the attractions. The story recaps the premise from the perspective of a cynical big sister to a fan. Cute, perhaps a bit light-weight, and even the villain isn't really a bad guy.
*"Patrick the Wolf Boy" is just what it says on the tin, a boy with the mannerisms of a wolf. Sweet-natured, and the creators have recently landed a gig doing "Tiny Titans" for DC.
*"The Dreamland Chronicles" is a generic-looking fantasy epic done in what looks like CG art--in an attempt to look like an animated movie. I found the look kind of creepy. Not even a complete chapter, either.
*"Banana Tail" features a banana-obsessed monkey and his surreal friends. Meant for the younger kids. The story is Banana Tail having a dream about bananas. Kind of one-note, but the little ones may enjoy it.
*"Buzzboy" is a pre-teen action hero dealing with adults who want to keep him down. In this case, the Silencer, who believes firmly in censoring all voices but his own. Perhaps a little heavy-handed on the politics.
*"Tbyrd Fearlessness and Hopalong Cassowary" is set in a funny animal version of the Old West. Con ostrich Tbyrd and his hapless sidekick attempt to scam some free food. I'm pretty sure I've seen the art style before, if so the artist has been around quite a while, since I saw previous work in the early 80s.
*There's also a list of other comics that kids might like.

Comics Go Hollywood: Mostly text pieces with a few pictures. A story on storyboarding the "New Frontier" movie, an interview with Jeph Loeb (highlighting his "Heroes" work), a look at the X-Men movie that was planned in 1984 but never got made, a Jack Kirby Tinseltown retrospective, and a long piece on the Joker's changes over the years. Worth a look if you're interested in looking behind the scenes of movies and comic books.

Drafted: Earth is about to be attacked by ravenous aliens. Other aliens, who are possibly benevolent, dragoon the Earthlings into preparing for the attack. This issue is more or less a synopsis of the first six issues cobbled together from significant pages. This makes it a bit choppy, but can still be followed. Could be good.

Gunplay/Hero By Night: "Gunplay" is set in the Old West, featuring a Buffalo Soldier who's been cursed to kill once a day or suffer the consequences, and the faith healer boy who travels with him. Just a couple of scenes from this one that don't really give a good feel for the continuity.
*"Hero By Night" is about a legacy hero who's found a Golden Age superhero's power ring and inherited some enemies as well as some other drawbacks. The story recaps his origin and his current situation. Has potential. (The previous hero's story is told online in webcomic form, and is well worth a look.)

Hellboy: Demon destined to destroy the world chooses to defend it instead. Mike Mignola's stuff is excellent. Three shorts in this issue; Hellboy discovers a mole on his hand, BRPD agent Kraus has some downtime and searches for something to do, and a story about the reason Dr. Eaton took up his career.

Ignatz: A selection of cartoonists from around the world. Just vignettes for each, not really enough for me to get a handle on it. "Babel" is about the author's relationship with his epileptic brother. In "Baobab", two South American cartoonists take different approaches to fulfilling their love of cartooning. "Grotesque" is apparently taking place inside someone's mind, as an outside entity explores it. "Sammy the Mouse" is about a heavy-drinking rodent and his buddies. "Niger" has a group of birds raising a doll-like creature. "Interiorae" is the lives of people inhabiting a high-rise. "Delphine" is a modernized retelling of Snow White from the prince's point of view. And "Ganges" appears to be about a low-level employee of a dot-com company during the bubble.

Imaginary: Stuff coming out from Radical Comics. It's all random pictures, no stories. Some of the art looks okay, but it doesn't make me want to run right out and buy the books.

Impact University: A smattering of "how to draw" tips. Sadly, I haven't improved in years.

Jughead: A full-issue ad for Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore. Archie gets a night watchman job, Jughead goes along for moral support, and they have a wacky misadventure. Baltimore appreciates the boosterism, I'm sure.

Love and Capes: Caped hero Crusader falls in love with a "normal" woman, and they try to pursue a relationship despite their very different worlds. In this story, Crusader prepares to propose. A good balance of heroic and mundane concerns.

Marvel Adventures: Essentially an Marvel Adventures Avengers story; Hulk, Iron Man and Spider-Man team up against the Mandarin, with guest appearances by Ant-Man and Grottu (an old-timey Marvel Monster.) These Avengers are much more likable than the versions appearing in the mainstream Marvel titles at the moment. Notably, there's a scene where the heroes and villain agree to move a fight away from a cultural heritage site so as not to wreck it.

NASCAR Heroes: Mild-mannered janitor Dashiell James is given powers by a chemical explosion, and becomes Jimmy Dash, NASCAR Hero. As such, he races against the dastardly Jack Diesel, who uses powers gained in the same explosion to cheat. In this story, Jimmy takes a starring role in a movie that's being haunted by a headless ghost. Not the worst tie-in comic ever.

Shonen Jump: Clips from Naruto, Bleach and Slam Dunk. The first two you should already know; the latter is a basketball manga. The early bits of Slam Dunk have more comedy and just a bit of romance, but eventually it turns into pure basketball competition.

Sonic the Hedgehog: A reprint of the first Archie Comics issue with a new cover. This comic has come a long, long way.

All-Star Superman: Reprint of the first issue. Morrison does good ideas.

Transformers Animated: Reprint of the first issue about the latest iteration of transforming robots defending/attacking Earth, which pretty much retells the first episode of the cartoon. I'm not a big fan of the art style, but I am not a diehard Transformers lover, so don't have the street cred to complain.

Walt Disney's Gyro Gearloose: An eccentric inventor in Duckburg. In this issue, Gyro attempts to rid Uncle Scrooge's money bin of rats, protect Scrooge's money from the Beagle Boys (only to have it literally blown away), create a sunny day from a rainy one, and prevent Launchpad McQuack from crashing airplanes (twice.) Gentle fun.

X-Men: Pixie returns to her Welsh hometown, where people are disappearing at an alarming rate, yet no one seems to notice. Only Pixie sees the monsters, but are they really there? Story is okay, art is...Greg Land.

Overused Fanfic Plots and Themes

2008-04-29T01:16:38Z

If you've ever clicked on my "Fanfic Page" link, you may have seen an article on overused themes in fanfic (focusing on Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon.) To quote that article:

"While it's certainly not true that every possible plot twist or
character twitch has already been used up, some have been more heavily
mined than others in fanfiction. Some of them have been done so often
(and so often badly) that the experienced reader, upon seeing someone
attempting to 'reinvent the wheel', can only sigh and think 'here we go
again.'

"Thus this list, which hopes to cover the most commonly overused
themes and scenes, not to forbid their reuse, but to let the beginning
writer know what has already been done, and done well."

That article is, naturally, years out of date.

So...please comment with a fandom, one of the overused themes or plots from the fanfic for it, why you feel it's over-used, and (most importantly) a fanfic that you think does the particular theme/plot/twist well.

Thanks in advance!