revalation

I worked at a community christmas event this morning- volunteered some of my time, just to get checked off on a list I don't really care about. And I had fun, I was a door-greeter at a cabin, and there was someone with me that I was able to talk with, and he was very nice.
But ever since then, I've been in a bad mood- and now I think I know why.
I'm homesick, stronger than it's been ever since the first week.
There's only eighteen days till Christmas and every minute of them not filled with my family feels like a waste.
I can't focus- even with finals looming tomorrow, I can't settle, and I'm horrible company. (Sorry about that, Fruit Bat)
I want to go home and wear my santa hat and the bells that drive evil glare insane. I want to INSIST that we watch all of our christmas classics, The Santa Clause, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snow Man, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too, while playing our family card games. I want to sit in the rocking chair and just stare at the tree, and try to keep the cat from opening the gifts. I want to walk in the Wal-mart parking lot singing Silver Bells, and greet people with "Merry Christmas!" I want to watch my little brother and sister try to convince mom and dad that they really ought to be allowed to open one gift on christmas eve, and I want all of us kids to sleep in one room on christmas eve night, too excited to really sleep, and daring each other to guess what we gave them. I want to lie awake at four in the morning on Christmas day, knowing that I still have at least four hours, and probably five, before we're even allowed to go downstairs. I want to argue over which of us gets to wear the santa hat this year and pass out the presents, and I want to go to Candlelight Communion and sing in a darkly illuminated mass of believers. I want to sneak red and green m&m's out of the glass christmas tree dish at home, and act suprised when they're all gone. I want to bug my mom to get apple cider so that we can have hot apple cider- I want to sit in the back of the pickup on christmas eve night, bundled up warm and burning my tongue on hot chocolate while we drive around looking at christmas lights, with Squirt and I singing whatever christmas carols pop into our heads. I want to go to bed at night with the glow of christmas lights stealing through my window, and I want to try getting a note- any note- out of the christmas horn that so far only three of us have been able to play. I want to try and convince my family that the Second Santa Clause was not as good as the first, and I want to wrap up in my red blanket and stalk around the house as though it is a cape. I want to sit at the table for dinner and just listen.
All this, and so much more- like listening to our favorite christmas songs all day.
Right now, I can't listen to one of my favorites.
If I hear "I'll be home for Christmas," I'll start crying.

On the Third day...

We step out of the Oniwabanshuu and into the Kenshin-gumi, starting with Megumi, the fox lady.

Seriously, the series tells us (repeatedly) that she is a "fox".

Here's Megumi Takani, she's actually the one that I've worked the hardest on- because I'm not happy with her color. I went from brown to gold to darker gold- and I'm still not happy, but I don't have time to waste on her.

In the show, Megumi is a smart and flirty doctor (hence the name "fox") who is also very beautiful. It just sort of made sense that the Kenshin group would eventually get a doctor- heaven knows they need one on call all the time.

As always, I only colored and tweaked the picture, which belongs to Kay Fedewa of the Black Blood Alliance.

On the second day...

On the second day of the wolves, we have a not-wolf. Meet Misao Makimachi, the Jackal.

Again, I don't want a lot of grief- I know that her tail is too fluffy, but if I'm ignoring the fact that Jackals live in Africa and would probably never meet a wolf outside of a zoo...

Misao, like Aoshi is a ninja- but she's a very exuberant one... I thought about making her a coyote, but it just didn't seem right.

As with Aoshi, if anyone has a better idea for what she should have been, please, let me know.

Also, should I be putting up pictures of the actual characters so that you guys can compare? Or am I overthinking this?

Anyway, there she is- again the design is not by me, I just tweaked and colored it.

Seven days to the Wolves

Yeah! Seven days to the Wolves, thus, Seven wolves, and a bonus wolf on the seventh day.

I had this crazy idea a while back of taking the characters from Rurouni Kenshin and making them animals- I even have a sort-of plotline, though I don't know that I'll ever get around to writing it- it's sorta pointless to write a story on something that isn't yours... >.<

But, anyway, I've been taking some wolf drawings (NOT BY ME. CREDIT GOES COMPLETELY TO KAY FEDEWA OF THE BLACKBLOOD ALLIANCE. I DID THESE PICTURES FOR MY OWN PERSONAL AMUSEMENT, I DON'T WANT ANY MONEY FROM THEM, BUT STILL, I APOLOGIZE TO THE ARTIST!) and recoloring them to fit with the RK cast members that I've chosen. I'll be trying to post a wolf a day.

First up is Aoshi Shinomori, since he's a tall human, he'd probably be a tall wolf. He's a timberwolf, the silvery parts are scars (yes, Aoshi has scars. A lot, actually, if you look at his second fight with Kenshin.) That thing on his leg is an armwarmer/armor thing... it's mostly there because he's a ninja... ninja wolf! >.>;

He may not be mine but I worked hard on him gosh darn it! And I think he's pretty!

For the purposes of this story, I'm ignoring some basic facts of nature, so I don't want any grief about some of the animals that I picked for the characters. If you think you can do better, please, show me.

sserts

Wait... strike that, reverse it.

I've got a paper due Thursday. 6 pages at least.

Right now I have about 3- and serious writers block.

Just complaining really quick.

Have to stare at the blinking cursor some more now.

EDIT: Okay! Now I'm done!

Hikari Toya Commited Suicide

The title says it all. My Betta fish, Hikari Toya, he jumped out of the fish tank while I was on vacation for Thanksgiving.

Vul and I walked into my dorm, and I ran over to see how Hikari Toya did over the break. The thing was, there was no Hikari Toya present. We looked around the tank but still couldn't find him. I helped Vul take her stuff to her dorm and then began pulling my desk out from the wall. I was convinced that he somehow had managed to jump out of the tank. Nope, no fish behind the desk. I then gave up, took a shower, contemplating if someone was playing a cruel joke on me. Then I started to clear off my desk when BAM! There he was! Dead, stiff, and shriveled up behind my books, sitting on my test. I freaked and didn't know what to do at first. My fish HAD jumped out of the tank, and killed himself.

I'm not sure why he did it or if he'd been practicing but there is only one way out of the tank; a little hole meant for feeding the fish. Yes, he some how managed to jumped just right and get out of the tank. Successfully killing himself. It was pretty traumatizing, finding him dead like that. Poor Hikari Toya. I wish I knew why he did it. Now there's this joke going around that he wanted to come with me so he tried following. *sigh* I feel terrible. I knew I should have just brought him with me. Something had been telling me to but I ignored The Voice. NEVER ignore The Voice. Your instincts are usually correct. I really need to learn this.

Anyways, back to practicing my speech. Ttyl, peace! *does the peace sign* Wow...I'm lame...

Villains continued...

I said I might do another, so in the interest of killing time until I get to go home- here is my list of adored villains. Seriously- either I think these guys are awesome or someone I know does.

Reno - Final Fantasy VII
Now here’s a character that was boosted to sudden popularity! He’s benefited greatly from the release of Advent Children- though I thought he was pretty cool in the game too. Reno is a Turk- (an organization, not the country) Turks specialize in dirty deeds, such as murder, extortion, kidnapping and espionage, though they also find candidates for SOLDIER. You fight Reno several times during the course of the game- he’s not too tough, but is a respectable opponent. Reno is noticeably the most laid back of the Turks- just look at the way he dresses!

“A pro isn't someone who sacrifices themselves for a job. That's just a fool.”

Seifer Almasy – Final Fantasy VIII
Ah yes, the “Sorceress’ Knight” and eternal rival of Squall in FF8, the cocky blond bombshell, Seifer. I always thought that Seifer was kind of interesting- he’s the mirror opposite of Squall after all, and how often do you get to see that? I loved his friends Fujin and Raijin, but in the end, wound up hating him. I mean, seriously, being brainwashed or “entranced” only buys you so much leeway in my book. The guy tortured Squall and enjoyed it. Hmph.

Quistis Trepe: You're the squad leader. Good luck to you.

Seifer: ...Instructor. I hate it when people wish me luck. Save those words for a bad student that needs them, eh?

Belleza- Skies of Arcadia
Whoo-boy… I’ve got a love-hate relationship with Belleza, I love her because she’s incredibly strong, incredibly smart and refuses to let her people die unnecessarily. I hate her because she’s incredibly strong, incredibly smart, and in love with the villain. The first time you meet Belleza, you as the player should know that something is up- because there is just no way that that beautiful obviously-not-from-Nsar- bellydancing girl is interested in nobody like Vyse. At this point in the game you haven’t really done to much in the way of serious ship fighting, you fought Baltor and learned that if you shoot a ship from behind, good things happen. Then you fight Belleza. BELLEZA IS SMARTER THAN YOU. You are given options while fighting her, if you choose the wrong one, such as, trying to get behind her she will decimate you. The only way to beat her with minimal pain is to choose all the right answers, which is impossible on your first try unless you are cheating.
Nevertheless, I salute Belleza, because she had the guts to kill the man she loved for the sake of the world. ‘Course, she died too.

Vyse: They say that only one who has walked the desert can know its true size. (Belleza told him this)
Belleza: I never thought I would truly know the desert’s size…

Harle- Chrono Cross
One of my three favorite characters in the game, Harle, who is more mysterious than evil. Harle is constantly covered in thick jester’s paint, so you never get to see what she looks like, though some fans of the game have pointed out the resemblance in her facial structure to that of Kid, the heroine. Harle serves “Monseiur Lynx” with a strong French accent and a flirtatious personality toward Serge. Throughout the game you see that despite the side she is on, she does not wish for Serge’s death. Harle has no happy ending, which fails in my opinion, she simply disappears at one point in the game and you never see her again. I understand why this is so, but she’s such a great character!

“Pleaze dream of moi, Serge!”

Millenia- Grandia II
I suppose if you want to get technical in one direction Millenia isn’t really a villain. But if you get technical in the other direction… Millenia is the “The Wings of Valmar” who is, for all purposes of the game, the devil. The only reason that she has physical form is that she has infested the body of Elena, and is in fact supposed to take over Elena’s body and eat her soul. Reasons why she doesn’t do this are unknown. Millenia loves chaos, and has a habit of exploding when provoked- fans of the game will remember the “rage meter” for Millenia which had a habit of exploding in boss fights, effectively stealing control away from you. Millenia is an amazing character who I find hilarious.

“AHHH! The cursed light of the sun! It burns, it BURNS! Ha! Fooled ya!”

Riku- Kingdom Hearts
Simultaneously best friend and worst enemy of Sora in the first game. Riku was always the leader of their group of friends, the leader, the best fighter, the most adventurous, in short, he is the perfect hero character. Which also makes him a perfect villain. First clue that something isn’t right- Riku willingly steps into the darkness with little regard for what is happening to his island, and where his friends are. Through the course of the game, Riku loses control of himself to the one called “Ansem,” though he regains it before the end, forcibly restraining the beast within himself from attacking Sora.

“Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!”