OFF - Game Review

I had heard about this PC game from a convention and didn't really think much of it.  All I had heard about is that there was some guy called "the Batter" and a cat that followed him around.  It wasn't until recently that I actually downloaded the game and fell in love with it.

OFF was created by French game designer, Mortis Ghost.  Both the game play and animation is simple which contrasts with its elaborate story line and characters.  It focuses around the Batter, a black and white seemingly faceless puppet who is controlled by you, who has made it his duty to go around purifying the land with his righteous bat.  The Batter is guided by the Judge and supplied by a masked merchant named Zacharie.  The Batter must go through Zones 0 through 3 fighting off various types of spectres, helping the helpless Elsen (inhabitants of the Zones), solving puzzles, and - of course - purifying each Zone.

OFF is unlike any game I've ever played before.  This is because of the clever story line and the immersive atmosphere.  

In the beginning of the game, the Batter's objective seems pretty straight forward.  It seems that he wants to purify the Zones and get rid of the spectres and evil bosses to help the Elsen but as the game progresses, his intentions seem to become more and more radical.  This makes for some very interesting game play as the player begins to sense that something is wrong yet can do nothing but progress through with the Batter's twisted intentions.

OFF is one of those games in which you have to wear headphones while playing it.  You absolutely have to or you won't be able to get the full experience.  The music is fantastic and the ambiance will completely transport you into the game.  

While the animation and graphics are not as advanced as some of the more popular games today, the art work is amazing.  As a self-proclaimed artist myself, I envy the creativity and complexity of some of the spectres and characters the Batter comes across.  Here's some concept art so you can have a look for yourself:

Well, I think that's all I have to say about OFF - or at least all I can say without spoiling too much.  OFF was such a fun game and I think I might actually play it again soon. 
If you'd like to play OFF yourself the download link is here - it's free by the way.
Here's a picture of Zacharie because he's my favorite and I just wanted to slip him in here:

So I guess this was my last blog post?  Yeah.  Who knows? Maybe I'll post more about my cosplay stuff in the future but I guess it's good bye for now!

-René

Cosplay Line-up: Part 2???

It's been like three days since I posted my last cosplay line-up and guess what? It's already expanded! I did say it was subject to change so you really should have expected this.
Anyways! In addition to Kotetsu and Atsushi, I have added two definite cosplays and a tentative third one.  I have also decided to wear Kotetsu's cosplay for next Anime Boston but I am still unsure of when i'll wear Atsushi's cosplay.  I don't know, I'll have to work it out with my cosplay buddy.

Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion

Yep.  I'm totally getting the angel wings for his costume too - if only to make people cry hehe.  I'm really excited to cosplay Kaworu.  I mean, he's basically gay space Jesus (don't question it) and his personality is so much fun.  He reminds me a lot of Clear from DMMD and I had a lot of fun as Clear.  Kaworu's cosplay should be fairly easy and I don't think that it will cost much at all.  The only thing that would cost a lot would be colored contacts for his red eyes but I am still uncertain about getting colored contacts as I have heard MANY horror stories about them.  I am hoping to cosplay Kaworu at next year's Queen City Kamikaze with my cosplay buddy going as Kaworu's boyfriend, Shinji.  

Makoto Tachibana from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

I've always loved Mako so I figured that his cosplay would make my list sooner or later. Mako's the mom friend (aka Mamakoto) of his group and I can totally relate to him.  He's super caring and super sweet but can get really intense and competitive during races.  His cosplay shouldn't be too hard to do as the only expensive things I need to buy would be the Iwatobi Swim Club jacket (the one he's wearing in the gif) and his wig.  I'm not sure when I'll cosplay this kid but I'm hoping for the Friday of next Anime Boston.

En Yufuin from Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! (Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouie Bu Love, or BKCBL)

Okay, so here's the tentative third cosplay I mentioned earlier.  I haven't finished BKCBL but I plan to over the Summer.  En is my absolute favorite character so far and he seems really interesting to cosplay. I love his costume (the white and blue one) and his personality is unlike any character I've cosplayed before.  He's not outgoing or cute or shy.  He's blunt and quiet - and I love it.  The problem is that 1. my cosplay body isn't interested in BKCBL, and 2. his costume is super elaborate and will probably be super expensive.  Gah, I really want to cosplay him though! I haven't really seen anyone cosplay from BKCBL and I know BKCBL has a large following so I know his cosplay would go over super well. Sigh.

Ah, I have a lot of stuff to do - and a lot more thinking and planning to do.  I am really excited about all of these cosplays and I really hope that they all turn out well.  As always - expect updates and changes in the future!

-René

Cosplay Line-up! (again)

Anime Boston ended only a couple weeks ago but I have to say that I am already asking, "Is it Anime Boston yet?"  SIGH.  There isn't another convention until October and the post-con depression has definitely set in.  Instead of wallowing, I decided to turn my depression around into creativity and hopefulness so I started my next cosplay line-up!

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi from Tiger and Bunny

I'm just a few episodes away from finishing Tiger and Bunny and I am already crying just thinking about it.  I never thought I could have loved a super hero anime as much as I do Tiger and Bunny.  It's definitely in my top five list of favorite anime and Kotetsu, aka Wild Tiger, is definitely on my top five favorite character's list.  Kotetsu's the classic hero-type and puts others' needs way before his own.  I absolutely love his casual clothes and am already super excited to cosplay him.  I am hoping to also pair his mask, which casually conceals his identity, with his costume.  Having seen a couple Kotetsu cosplayers at Anime Boston, I don't like either of the popular choices of drawing the mask on or making a paper mask so I'm hoping to find a third option of making it. 

Atsushi Murasakibara from Kuroko no Basket (KnB)

To be honest, I haven't really watched much of KnB.  It's a basketball sports anime - if you didn't already guess - and sometimes sports anime is kind of hard for me to get into.  I've only watched about 3 episodes but I am hoping to watch more soon. Atsushi isn't exactly a main character but he is probably one of my favorites - despite the fact I haven't even seen him in the anime yet.  He's about 6'10" and absolutely loves sweets and junk food.  Despite playing basketball extremely well, he doesn't care for the sport at all.  While I have little basketball experience; I am pretty tall (not 6'10" tall but pretty tall), I do love junk food, and I don't like sports.  Atsushi seemed like a good character for me.  Sports anime is usually really fun and easy to cosplay so I'm hoping Atsushi's cosplay will be less stressful.  Plus I love his wig.

That's pretty much all I've got planned for now.  I know that I'll definitely add (and maybe even subtract) more later on so expect a couple more of these line-ups!

-René

Anime Boston Review: There are too Many Tears

Anime Boston was so great.  I am still sooooo tired.  And doubled with Tech week this week, it has pretty much been hell.  But Anime Boston was SO worth it (the play has been fun too tbh)!

I got so much stuff.  This AB was definitely one of the more expensive ones.  Not including cosplay expenses, we spent $1300 at Anime Boston.  We spent about $500 on just snacks and merchandise.  Which is a lot more than we usually spend but we made some awesome purchases.

At every anime convention I've attended, they've had these giant plush alpacas.  I bought a smaller one at my first AB but this year, I finally broke.  I did it.  I bought a big one.  But it's so cute and squishy and I love sleeping on it and it came with a little cape and I LOVE IT.

Just look at it! How could you resist buying one of these cuties?

This year, I finally broke on another purchase which had been haunting me for a while.  FIGURINES.  I always see them and I always want them but they can be pretty expensive so I usually refused to let myself buy one.  In addition to being expensive, they can also be pretty addictive.  I mean if you just buy one, the figurine looks lonely so you just have to keep buying more and more.  I ended up buying a medium sized figurine of my favorite character from Tiger&Bunny, Barnaby Brooks Jr., for about $15, which is a GREAT deal as some can go for upwards of $60 or $100.  I also bought a smaller figurine of Keith Goodman and his dog, John, also from Tiger&Bunny for about $8 which is even better!

Pretty much all my cosplays were well received at AB, which is good because a lot of experienced cosplayers come to AB to show off their stuff.  On Friday, I went as Asahi Azumane from Haikyuu!!.  Everyone LOVED my cosplay and kept telling me I looked perfect as him.  On Saturday I went as Clear from DMMD in the morning and Asahi again in the evening.  I was supposed to go as Kurloz Makara from Homestuck but due to a hiccup in my packing I was unable to (apparently I had forgot to pack my leggings for the costume *facepalm*).  But all was well.  Everyone loved me as Clear and I had a great time as him.  I think that it's safe to say that I had the best gas mask out of all the Clears at AB.  Going as Asahi again was really fun and we ended up playing a game of volleyball with some new friends! On Sunday, I went as Shima Renzou from Blue Exorcist.  Although I was nervous about his cosplay, it was really well received.  I got a ton of pictures and selfies taken with him.  It was so great.

Here are some selfies of me from each day:

I had such a great time at Anime Boston and I made some great new friends! We're hoping to see each other and cosplay together over the summer. Ah, I can't wait!

-René

Cosplay Progress: Asahi Azumane

I am super excited! I managed to finish another one of my cosplays!  That means I only have one more to finish up before next weekend's convention!  


The cosplay I finished was Asahi Azumane, the ace of Karasuno High's volleyball team in the anime, Haikyuu!! Ya know, this cutie pie?

I'm really excited at how the cosplay is looking. His uniform, which I got for Christmas, is perfect.

I got all the necessary accessories including a headband, a knee pad, and a volleyball that looks exactly like the ones they have in the anime!

I decided that I didn't want to pay like $80 for a new pair of black and white sneakers so I'm using my normal sneakers.  I figured that they're just shoes and no one's going to care anyway.

I put most of my time into the wig on this cosplay.  Asahi has long hair and usually wears it up in a messy bun.  Wigs and up-dos are probably the worst combination.  Ponytails and tight bun are easy as you can just buy clip-on attachments.  But it's a little harder to style a messy bun since no one thought it'd be a good idea to make those into clip-on.  So I ended up buying a long wig and cutting it.  Cutting wigs usually makes them itchier than they already are but I decided that I would just have to put up with it.  I'm really happy with the results!

Ah, I'm so excited for next weekend!  All I have to do is get some touch-ups done on my other cosplays and finish Shima's cosplay.  It's gonna be so great and I cannot wait!

-René

Queen City Kamikaze Review

My convention cravings have been sated... for now at least.  Queen City KamiKaze is a super small convention at Manchester Memorial High School in Manchester, NH.  I have been going to QCK for three years now.  It's been fun every year but this year was definitely the best yet!

I know that cons grow bigger every year but I was amazed to see how big QCK had gotten this year.  In past years, the convention had taken place in a few of the main halls of the school, the cafeteria, the auditorium, and the gymnasium.  They're were several artist and merchandise booths set up throughout the halls and the cafeteria.  There was limited and mostly greasy food for sale in the cafeteria.  A dance was held in the gym with a pretty cool DJ playing various anime and Disney songs.  It was always a fun and low-stress kind of con.

This year, QCK was still very low stress but holy crap did it grow!  At first when my friends and I walked in, it looked the same.  There were a few booths selling art prints scattered around the hall which we scanned as we made our way to the cafeteria.  At first, the cafeteria looked pretty barren.  There were a couple booths selling art and merchandise and a few game consoles set up.  There was a whole bunch of food though! There was even one booth that was selling fresh lemonade.  It looked pretty good although the booths looked kind of sparse.  Then we made our way to the gym to check out the dance.  Well, weren't we surprised.  There were at least 30 different booths packed into the gym selling everything from manga to plushies to handcrafted jewelry! It was amazing and I probably spent like $80 which is waaayyy more than I ever expected to pay at such a small convention.  The auditorium events were pretty fun, my favorite had to be the Anime Dating Game which my best friend actually participated in.

As QCK is such a small convention, the cosplay isn't always breathtaking.  The cosplay is toned down but it just makes it more fun.  You no longer feel unworthy to ask some flawless cosplayer if you can take their picture.  I got to meet a bunch of new people and catch up with a lot of my old cosplay friends.

Overall it was a great con!  I had so much!  My only regret is not taking more pictures!  I can't wait until Anime Boston.  It's only a few weeks away now!!

-René

The List That Nobody Needed: Top Ten Worst Anime Deaths

*SPOILER ALERT, duh.*

10.  Euphemia li Britannia from Code Geass

Ow.  I haven't watched Code Geass in a while but when I remembered Euphemia's death, all the feels hit me.  Euphemia died after she was ordered to be killed in a resistance movement.  She had been under the mind control of the main character of Code Geass and had started massacring people after she was given the order as a sarcastic joke.  The main character tried to stop her but ultimately could not.  It was so hard watching him give the command to kill her!

9. Shiro Fujimoto from Blue Exorcist 

Mr. Fujimoto was quite possibly the coolest dad ever.  Along with being a cool priest, he raised both of the Satan's sons (who grew up quite well, fyi) and was considered to be the most powerful exorcist in the world.  He had managed to keep Satan from possessing his body by sheer willpower but was ultimately taken over.  I remember almost bawling as I watched one of his sons try to pull him back from sinking into the hell-realm of Gehenna.  

8. Seiko Shinohara and Yui Shishido from Corpse Party

Okay, so I get that the game is called Corpse Party but these two had me hurting real bad.  First of all, Seiko did not deserve to die and neither did Ms. Yui!  Seiko's death was horrible as her possessed best friend hung her in the girl's bathrooms. And Ms. Yui's death was even worse.  Ms. Yui just wanted to make sure all her students were okay.  She genuinely cared for them yet she had to die too.  I loved both of these characters so I had them share a slot as both their deaths were equally horrible.

7. Light Yagami from Death Note

I knew it was going to happen eventually but I still cried.  Light honestly had it coming as he had been on a massive killing spree (albeit it was of mostly criminals who were on death row anyway). His death had been foreshadowed since like episode 5 and it was kind of obvious that he was going to be found out eventually.  But through all of his screaming and his superiority complex, you can really hear how troubled he was in his last moments.  Light must have been under immense stress. He just wanted to do what he thought was right.  It was so sad watching him die.

6. Sousuke Yamazaki('s dreams) from Free! Eternal Summer

Okay, so it probably sounds stupid but I cried way too much to not have this guy on the list even though he didn't actually die.  Sousuke was training to be an Olympic swimmer.  It was his dream to be able take on his best friend in the Olympics but in his training process, he overworked his shoulder.  At first he tried to ignore the pain but it just got worse.  He had had to stop swimming for awhile and underwent physical therapy.  When Sousuke started swimming again in his last year of high school hoping to get scouted, he overworked it again.  Everything he had worked for had gone to waste and his dreams were shattered.  I was absolutely heartbroken when he broke down right before his last race.  I'm tearing up right now.

5. Madoka Kaname from Madoka Magica: Puella Magi

Madoka Magica may seem like a cute anime but it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch.  Which makes it one of my favorite animes, haha.  Madoka is another weird one as she technically didn't die either.  Rather, she gave up herself to save girls just like her from the evil forces of a higher advanced planet that wanted to suck the energy from teenage girls.  So she kinda became a god and, as she said to her best friend in her final moments, would be all around us.  So Madoka = Jesus???? Who knows?  But watching Madoka in her final battle was one of the saddest and most epic things I've ever seen.  I had to actually pause Netflix so I could just cry for a moment.  

4. Ryouko Fueguchi from Tokyo Ghoul

She may look pretty scary but she's probably one of the most tragic anime mom deaths I've seen in awhile (a lot of anime moms die ok).  A ghoul is basically a different species that can only survive off of human flesh.  The ghouls are hunted down by an agency that is trying to protect human lives at all costs.  Not all ghouls are bad but most of them are pretty horrible.  Ryouko's husband was forced to make and sell equipment and weapons to a group of bad ghouls.  To protect their daughter, Ryouko fled with her to a safer part of the city.  She was killed with her husbands own weapon within earshot of her daughter.  I was bawling.  It was so painful to watch.

3. Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion

'90s anime, am I right? I am currently in the process of watching Evangelion and I haven't quite come across Kaworu yet.  But, as this anime debuted in 1995, Kaworu's unfortunate end has been spoiled countless times for me.  I have seen too many gifs of this poor boy exploding next to his best friend (who am I kidding those two were totally dating).  I remember going to a convention and seeing a Kaworu with angel wings and a halo.  My friend had to pull me away from them before I started bawling my eyes out. Kaworu definitely earned his spot on this list when I start crying even though I haven't even seen him in the anime yet. (Beware of white/silver haired anime boys! They always break you heart.)

2. Marco Bodt from Attack on Titan

If you've never heard of Attack on Titan, just think of giant people eating all of your favorite characters and that's basically it.  The humans in Attack on Titan are fighting a war against the giant titans and are pretty much losing.  Marco died shortly after he graduated from the training corps.  After helping a couple of his fellow soldiers during a titan attack, Marco disappeared from the episode until his best friend (also probably his boyfriend), Jean, later found his half-eaten body.  Marco's death was not only shocking but it also really kept with the viewer as every time Jean would go into battle, he would think about Marco and sometimes scream Marco's name.  It was not only painful to watch Jean find Marco's dead body but also to see how Marco's death affected Jean.  It was like double the pain and double the tears to watch Jean cry over Marco's death.
(Here's an extra gif of Jean slapping Marco awake because Jean basically sums up the whole fandom's thoughts on Marco's death)

1. Major Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist

Oh boy.  Here come the waterworks.  Maes Hughes's death stayed with me for months after I had watched the episode. He's definitely one of my favorite anime characters.  Maes was a great comic relief character which made seeing him in such pain and struggle much, much worse.  Maes was trying to make an important phone call when he was confronted by the human embodiment of Envy, who is able to shapshift.  Envy held a gun to Maes's back as Envy forced him to hang up the phone.  Maes quickly turned around to shoot Envy with his own gun but stopped when he saw his wife's face.  He knew that it wasn't really her but he just couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.  His death was hard to watch but what was even harder was watching his funeral.  His daughter, who did not quite understand what was going on, kept saying things like "why are they burying daddy?", "Daddy has work to finish!", and "Don't bury him, he needs to finish his work!"  My heart actually hurts just typing those sentences.  I remember crying for at least 20 minutes after the episode and couldn't bring myself to watch the next one for like two weeks afterwards.

Alright, I'm gonna go cry now.

-René

The Quadrants Explained: All You (N)Ever Wanted to Know About Troll Romance

If you have ever heard of the webcomic, Homestuck, then you have probably also heard of the trolls. 

NO, not these trolls

These trolls:

The trolls not only look drastically different from humans, but also live in a very different culture.  There are overarching similarities between human and troll culture but this post is focusing on the differences so I'm not going to get into that.

One of the most confusing differences between human and troll culture is the trollian understanding of relationships.  To humans we really only care about romantic relationships (yeah, platonic relationships are super important too but bare with me).  To the trolls, there are two different types of romance: red romance and black romance.  Within these two types of romance, there are four different relationships.  These four relationships are called the quadrants and are symbolized as the four playing card suits.

The first quadrant, the red (aka flushed) heart, is the quadrant that we humans understand most.  When a troll has "red" feelings for another it means that that troll would like to date that person.  A red relationship is called a "matespritship" and one's partner would be called their "matesprit."  Within a matespritship, the two trolls would act like any other human couple and could potentially reproduce.

The second quadrant is the pale diamond.  When a troll has "pale" feelings for another, it means that that troll would very much like to help that person through their problems, calm them down, and be their friend (although trolls do not actually understand the human ideal of "friendship").  A pale relationship is called a moiraillegience and one's partner would be called their "palemate" or their "moirail."  The pale quadrant is very close to the human understanding of platonic friendship but the relationship is much stronger and deeper than any human friendship.

The third quadrant is the black (aka caliginous) spade.  When a troll harbors "black" feelings towards another, it means that that troll has a strong hatred for that person.  The relationship, called a kismesissitude, can only be considered a real relationship when both parties exhibit the same hatred for the other.  One's partner in a kismesisstude is called their "kismesis".   This type of relationship is similar to human rivalry but is felt much deeper as in a kismesisstude, reproduction is not uncommon.

The last quadrant is the ashen club.  If there are two trolls who are in a harmful relationship (usually red or black), a third party may harbor "gray" feelings in which they would want to step in and mediate the relationship and give each party advice on how to continue into a less harmful relationship.  This relationship between the three parties is called "auspiticism."  The third party that steps in is called an "auspistice."

In troll philoshy, each quadrant must be filled in order for a troll to live a healthy and happy life.

The relationships can lead to break-ups just like human relationships but in troll culture, trolls may find that their feelings for each other shift from one quadrant to another.  This is called vacillation.  For example, a troll might enter into a kismesisstude with another troll.

One party might start to have red feelings for their kismesis.  Their kismesisstude would eventually vacillate into a matespritship.  As one troll vacillates, their partner would normally follow just to keep the balance. Here's a gif of it:

So yeah, I think that about does it for troll romance. I always find it fun to try and apply troll romance to my own relationships.  Are your quadrants filled?

-René

Cosplay Line-up Change (AGAIN 0:)

I did say that my cosplay plans would probably change again and guess what? They did.  BIG surprise there, am I right?

Sigh. So most things have stayed the same - thank god - but my lineup for Anime Boston has changed a bit as of a small argument my cosplay buddy and I had. 

The argument was over our planned cosplay group for Saturday which is the day we spend at least 10 hours at the convention.  We had originally planned to go as Clear and Usagi that day as we both really liked the cosplays and were really well received at Another Anime Convention last October.

But recently I have had some mixed feelings.  Sure the cosplays are great and I do love how many compliments we received but I realized that 4/13, the great Homestuck holiday, is the week after Anime Boston.  So of course I wanted to switch gears and do our Kurloz and Mituna cosplays on Saturday instead of Clear and Usagi.  Kurloz and Mituna were just as well received as Clear and Usagi so I thought that it wouldn't be hard to change our original plan.  

But I was wrong.  It turns out that my cosplay buddy really didn't like their Mituna cosplay.  They said that it just wasn't good enough.  I kept trying to get them to change their mind about it but they wouldn't budge.  It was starting to look like our group was going to have separate.

Finally we reached a compromise.  I told them that I would help remake their Mituna cosplay so that they would feel better about it and reached a compromise about Saturday.  From 8:00 AM-2:00 PM we would cosplay Clear and Usagi.  Then we would go back to the hotel, and change into Kurloz and Mituna and then go back to the convention for another 5 hours. We found that this plan works really well (in theory) as we don't have to wake up at 6:00 AM to start painting ourselves gray.  Instead we can wake up at a leisurely 7:00 AM and worry about the gray make-up later.  

I can't wait for Anime Boston but we still have a lot of work to do before then!

-René

Welcome to Welcome to Night Vale: Your New Favorite Podcast

Welcome to Night Vale is a rather unusual podcast.  It is done in the form of a local radio show set in the lovecraftian town of Night Vale.  The podcast is a product of Common Place books and is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor.  The show is narrated by Cecil Baldwin who shares his first name with the show's main character, radio show host Cecil Gershwin Palmer.  

As described in the first episode, called "Pilot", Night Vale is "a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious light pass overhead as we all pretend to sleep."  The town supposedly sits somewhere in the United States and is neighbored by their rival town of Desert Bluffs.  The people who live in Night Vale aren't exactly unusual.  Most of them lead relatively average lives while dealing with the town's strange situations. Angels, who are all named Erika, frequently visit the town to help out even though it is against the law in Night Vale to acknowledge the existence of angels. There is an underground city comprised of miniature people that is located in the pin retrieval area of the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex.  Megan Wallaby, the daughter of Herschel and Tak Wallaby, was born as an adult man's hand.  Her parents are very proud of her.  The Night Vale Public Library is full of municipally approved books for the citizens to enjoy, but citizens are warned to be careful of the bloodthirsty librarians and the faceless specter who haunts the biography section.  I could go on and on about the mysterious occurrences of Night Vale but I don't want to spoil too much.

One of the most interesting things about Night Vale is the sense of mystery it instill in its listeners.  Not only are the situations mysterious but also the characters.  We listeners don't even know what Cecil Palmer, the main character, looks like.  He has no canonical design and the only description we have ever gotten is that "he is wearing a tie.  He is not tall or short, not thin or fat."  That's it. That's all we know.  But this actually adds appeal to the podcast as the listener's own imagination can take over.  Here are few fan illustrations of Cecil:

Being able to create one's own personal version of Cecil allows the listener to become more personal with the podcast's story and its characters.  

Another interesting aspect about Welcome to Night Vale is its representation of the LGBTQIA+ community.  Cecil Baldwin has expressed in an essay about playing queer characters that Cecil Palmer's character is handled the best overall.  Baldwin expressed that other gay characters he had played in past theatrical shows were portrayed as the sassy, stylish stereotype and were mostly put in the show for laughs.  Whereas Cecil Palmer's sexuality is definitely not the central point of his character.  The listener does hear about Cecil's crush on the gorgeous scientist, Carlos, quite a bit but it's nothing more than what a straight man or woman would say about their own crush.  Palmer has no coming out moment. Rather, he just starts talking about his feelings for Carlos as if it were a normality (which it should be).  The citizens of Night Vale do not show overwhelming approval for Cecil's sexuality nor do they disapprove of it.  Cecil and Carlos are portrayed as any other couple.  They go on normal dates, eventually buy a condo together, and face real challenges that any other couple would have to face such as miscommunications.  Neither Cecil nor Carlos are completely enveloped in their relationship and both are able to express their own wants and interests outside of the relationship. Carlos is very dedicated to his scientific research of Night Vale just as Cecil is very devoted to his job as radio host.  Cecil and Carlos's relationship is portrayed as the most normal thing in Night Vale.  

So yeah, if you like to mix the normal with the weird than Welcome to Night Vale is the podcast for you.  And if you want to start listening then I would start now because you have got a lot of catching up to do!

-René

4 Ways I Manage Stress

There has been a lot of things going on for me in the past couple weeks.  Grades just closed last week so of course there were about 5 million finals, tests, quizzes, and projects due.  I was trying to work out doing both the spring musical and the drama guild's show for competition.  It was getting especially stressful when my father kept telling me to narrow down my college choices and I hadn't even started to look.  It was hell.  I had no time to do anything so i kept staying up too late and not eating well enough.  So on top of everything, I got sick.  Like really sick.  Like 100+ degree fevers.  I was out of school for a week.  It was literal hell.  So in light of all this, I decided to make a post about how I manage all this stress.

1. Netflix

Netflix is the best.  Whenever I get stressed out I love to take a step back, relax, and watch a couple episodes of some of my favorite shows (provided I have the time).  I always find myself watching Portlandia or Doctor Who as a get away from normal life.  I really like watching comedic and science fiction-y shows.  I love to laugh.  Laughing is a great way to relax and let go so shows like Portlandia are great to watch.  Sci-fi shows are also great to watch as they let you escape your own problems and worry about other nonexistent problems.  Doctor Who is perfect for a sci-fi get away because there are just SO many interesting episodes.  

2. Naps

I feel like I might have said this before but I really like naps.  Sleeping is so nice and it is probably my favorite thing to do when I get stressed out.  Whenever I finally finish part of an assignment I just lay down for a solid 15 minutes and then I try to get up and tackle the next part.  It's pretty awesome and super relaxing.

3.  Tea 

Whenever I get stressed, I basically replace coffee with tea.  It's a lot more calming and I've found that it helps me focus a lot better.  Coffee is a great energy booster, but sometimes I just need to chill so I can actually focus on what I'm doing.  I always like to have a mug of tea nearby while I work on essays.

4.  Music

Music is a big help for me when I'm trying to relax.  I use music for a lot of things.  I use it to regain my energy after being around people for too long.  I use it to help me fall asleep.  I use it to help me focus better.  I use it for inspiration.  My favorite album to listen to for all of these reasons is Homestuck Volume 8 (pictured above).  It just has a lot of really interesting and relaxing songs.  It's great to listen to when writing creative stories.

So there you have it, I guess.  That's how I relax and de-stress myself.  All of these really help me get through the stress so I figured that maybe whoever reads this blog could use some of these methods too.

- René

How to Manage your Convention Spending Habits

My two favorite rooms at a convention? The Dealer's Center and the Artist's Alley.  Why? BECAUSE YOU CAN BUY REALLY COOL STUFF!

There is always so much you can buy at any anime convention.  There are actual companies selling merchandise and along with local artists selling their own works.  You can probably buy anything at a convention.  

You want a wall clock that lights up and looks like Harley Quinn?  Yep, you can get that at a convention.  

You want a body pillow of Benedict Cumberbatch? I've seen several!

You want a phone charm that looks like a tentacle?  I've already bought three in different colors.

You want a beer stein that says "DeanXCastiel OTP Forever"? Only at a con!

But the problem is that all that stuff costs money.  Like a lot of money.  The light up clocks are priced around $70. Body pillows usually go for at least $30.  The tiny handcrafted phone charms are like $6 a piece.  And you don't even want to know how expensive the beer stein is. Separately, they seem pretty reasonable.  But how could you go to a convention and only buy one thing?

Limiting your purchases at a convention is probably one of the hardest things you can do (especially if you're one of those impulse buyers that buy into every raffle they see).  But unless you want to end up broke at the end of the weekend, you HAVE to do it.  There's a lot of money already being spent on your costume and your ticket into the convention (not to mention possible gas and hotel fees) so you really need to try not to go over budget when buying souvenirs. 

Here's a few helpful steps on how to not overspend at a convention:

1.  Make a list of your desired souvenirs before hand.  This means GET THERE EARLY!

When I first enter a con, the first thing I look for is the Dealer's Center.  There's always SO much stuff in there that you might end up getting lost or not even noticing a vendor's booth!  I like to walk around and just look at everything to see what's there.  I never buy something on the first day (unless its a limited edition/rare item).  There are bound to be vendors with the same merchandise so it's good to make notes on which one's have the lower prices and where they are located.  The Artist's Alley is the next place you want to hit and make sure to really look at everything since every piece there will be different.

2.  Plan out your expenses and only take the money you need for that day.  

Now that you have a bit of an idea of what you want to buy, you can prepare a plan for yourself.  Figure out which items you want the most and which items are the most pricey.  The items that are more pricey should be left until Sunday when many artists hold sales and it is easier to haggle with the dealers (note: do NOT haggle with artists).  If you think an item will run out by Sunday, buy it on Saturday.  Try to divide up your desired souvenirs between the remaining days of the convention and then add up the cost of the souvenirs for those days.  Only take the money necessary for those days and those items.  

3. Set your souvenir money aside from your food/gas money.  (Or: Acquire a very nice, rich friend who will buy you food)

There have been way too many times where I've accidentally used my food money on an impulse purchase.  I like to use separate wallets to hold my souvenir money and food money so I can't "accidentally" use the food money to buy an extra souvenir.  

And there you go! If you follow those steps, you should definitely be able to manage your spending habits!

-René

Future Cosplay Plans

So I made a post called "Cosplay List" a while back and like most cosplay plans, it has changed. Drastically. Okay, maybe not too drastically.  A few things have stayed the same but most things have changed.  I've thought a bit more on stuff and I talked about it with my cosplay buddy.  We decided to completely scrap Trip in favor of the alternate, Asahi.  We also decided to scrap Cecil/Cecilia for QCK in favor of one of our favorite cosplays which we haven't done in awhile (I'll show them later).  Anyways in addition to scrapping a few, my opinion on a few changed.  Let's get into it, shall we?

Queen City Kamikaze - Ivan Braginski or Russia (Hetalia)

So this cutie is actually the personification of Russia.  He was actually one of my first cosplays and definitely one of my favorites.  Ivan has one of my favorite personality types: cute yet scary.  He's intimidating yet really sweet, when he's not in one of his moods that is.  I've had Ivan's cosplay for about 3 years and it is always well received.  I totally own his character and it is so fun to talk in a Russian accent for like 6+ hours without stopping.  Although I am a little let down that I won't be Cecilia but I haven't been Russia in awhile and I am really excited to cosplay him again.

Anime Boston :

Friday - Asahi Azumane

So this big nerd is definitely still on the list.  I got his uniform for Christmas and let me tell you, it is SO comfy.  I just need his wig and I'll be all set.  I'm really excited to be Asahi because he is a lot like me.  He's super shy and unsure of himself but he is actually really good at what he does.  Asahi gets nervous a lot when in front of others so if I start to panic a bit because the con is too crazy, I'll still be able to be in character. Haha... 

Saturday - Clear 

Since it was so well-received at AAC,I decided that I will cosplay him again at this year's AB.  I'm really excited to cosplay him again.  I love his character and I had sooo much fun being him.  However, I do plan to make a few slight changes. I might not wear the gloves this time (they were too hard to text with ;-;).  With the gas mask, I want to tint the lenses a bit so it will be harder to see into.  I don't know how I'll do it but I'll figure something out.

Sunday - Shima Renzou

So yep.  Shima is still on the list.  Although I do love Shima, I'm a little unsure of how I'll be at his character since he is a lot more outgoing than me but I'll just have to try I guess.  Anyway, I got his wig and his weapon for Christmas.  I am hoping to get his uniform for my birthday and then I'll be all set.  I really don't know how to feel about him right now but I am cosplaying him in a group so I can't really back out now.  Sigh, it'll probably be really good and I will probably love it but I honestly am kinda stressing out over him.  Oh well, it'll be fine...

Yep, so that's my updated plan for QCK and AB.  I doubt that it will change but who knows? It probably will.  Oh, the joys of cosplay.

-Rene