Wolf's Rain Ramble

The purpose for this post is merely to rant about an Anime that I love: Wolf's Rain. This was one of the first animes that I really got into. Can you guess why? If you said wolves then you're correct! Before I continue let me just say that they're some major spoilers in this post.


Basically this show is about the end of the world. Now normally I HATE movies, shows, etc. that are about the end of the world, but this one was actually pretty good.

The earth is dying and is covered in snow. Humans live in run-down cities protected by domes that keep the brute force of the cold out, allowing plants to thrive. Wolves are said to be extinct. They were apparently wiped out 400 years ago. Though the viewer and a select few characters know this to be false. Wolves are still alive and have taken to putting up an illusion of being human. How they are able to do this I do not know. I learned really quick not to ask too many questions when watching this anime. It only makes your head hurt more. It's much easier if you just go with it.

The anime opens with paw prints in the snow that lead to a white wolf who has collapsed. A male voice is speaking the entire time. He speaks of a place called 'Paradise' and we can only assume that the voice is coming from the wolf.

"They say there's no such place... as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there. No matter how far you walk, it's always the same road. It just goes on and on. But, in spite of that... Why am I so driven to find it? A voice calls to me... It says, "Search for Paradise."

The show then moves to a new scene and the story begins. Within the first two episodes you meet all four of the main characters. There's Kiba, the white wolf, Hige, a golden colored wolf, Tsume, a grey wolf, and Toboe, a red wolf (though he looks brown). Although all the characters are important and have their own roles to play Kiba is definitely the main, main character. He is the chosen wolf. The one that will bring about the end of the world and open the gates to Paradise. Kiba can only accomplish this with the help of Cheza (the Flower Maiden), a human that is a lunar flower. Yes, yes, I know, weird. Now Kiba doesn't know that he is the chosen wolf but it is hinted at throughout the show and eventually confirmed even though Kiba denys it.

The most confusing part in this anime for me was when Darcia (the main bad guy) turned into a wolf towards the end. I had to watch it another time in order to understand what was going on. According to legend humans were born of wolves (yes, again weird and no, I don't believe that to be true) and were the messengers of wolves. The humans broke away and became their own people and quit listening to wolves. Apparently, Nobles (which is what Darcia is) used to be wolves but most could not remember being one. They were the originals I would guess because they live abnormally long and are different from the average human. Darcia remembered that he used to be a wolf and was, therefore, able to turn back into one. I still don't quite understand that.

One of my favorite quotes from the end is after Darcia has killed all of Kiba's friends.

Darcia: You've lost everything that was precious to you.

Kiba: I haven't lost anything. Not my friends, or my pride as a wolf. Nothing.

Anyways, at the end Toboe, Hige, Tsume, Cheza, and Kiba die. Everyone on earth dies. The earth is reborn, Paradise opened, and there is no one left to enjoy it. Here's the best part; after the earth is reborn we go to a city and lo-and-behold all the wolves are alive again! In human form but they're there. Guess what, that's the end. The scene closes with Kiba running with his back to us. The end.

I was appalled the first time I watched it and the second. By the third time I understood it better and now I'm slightly okay with it. I still think that they could have done a better job with the ending though. Like maybe, I don't know, NOT KILLING ALL THE WOLVES OFF!!! *sigh* Ah well, no ones perfect.

In all it was a wonderful anime. :D

So Excited <3

Ahhhhh! There's no real point to this post, I'm just bouncing off of the walls at the moment. Next week- next THURSDAY at 2 oclock I will sign out of this room and hitch a ride on the red raider truck for a ride home. I'm soo excited. It's really not fair- my roomate's last final is on Monday, so that's when she gets to leave (for some reason she seems to be thinking about staying until friday though. I don't get it.) Today I couldn't help myself and started packing a little- just the nonessentials, you know? It wasn't like I could pack my toothbrush or anything like that. I'm a little bummed though, because starting friday Fruit Bat isn't allowed to be in my dorm after 5- it's a rule so that nobody bugs anybody else when there's studying to be done. That's going to suck! Our every-night movie streak will be broken! On a more positive note, I'm back in touch with my friend Ashley! *Waves to Ashley* That's the worst of college- falling out of contact with your friends! Well, in her case it's a bit more extreme than that- she IS in West Virginia after all. Today has been really good... Fruit Bat got a care package through the school from her family today (I get all the things out of it that she doesn't want- like gummi bears because they have gelatin, or mint chocolate cookies because she can't stand the taste of mint chocolate) and included this semester was a "stress buster" bucket- it had TOYS in it! A minature deck of cards, two die, a little slinky and... an inflatable beach ball!!!! That was so much fun! Fruit Bat blew it up and we wacked it around my dorm room- it was bouncing off the walls and ceiling- the bed and the floor, it hit my desk and knocked my sunglasses to the ground! Tomorrow should be pretty good too- my first class of the day isn't meeting so I should be able to sleep in a bit.
The picture is called My Dragon by Lishan on DeviantART- I colored it recently. I also got an account on DeviantART as ignesfatuis, so if you want to see any of the colored pictures, feel free to look me up!

Fantastic Females

Well, well, well, look what boredom has wrought! Another list (gasp!)!! This time I’m doing girls that I happen to think are pretty cool. The girls who made it on to previous lists won’t be here, but they’re implied. (Millenia, Bellenza, Harle)
Tifa Lockheart- Final Fantasy VII
I really don’t get why everybody has to give my girl the grief!! Yeah, she was a flake when she was a kid- for pity’s sake, who wasn’t? (Yeah… I know, Aegis wasn’t. But she doesn’t count.) The point is Tifa had her act pulled together even before her town went nuclear- or did no one notice that she was taking martial arts lessons from Zangan and guiding the SOLDIER contingent up the mountain? Yeah, that same mountain her father never wanted her to set foot on again after she hurt herself when she was little? She has her own life apart from Cloud, but genuinely wants to help him. She could have walked away when she found him at the train station- but she didn’t. Anyway, not what I wanted to say- I wanted to say that Tifa is an awesome fighter- not a crybaby flake.
"Of course! If you take me lightly, you're gonna pay for it!!"

Akia- Skies of Arcadia
The female pirate! Argh! Akia is literally the girl next door for Vyse- but manages to spice things up with her own personality- for instance, although she has a teddy bear in her room, if you examine her stove, Vyse comments that it has been blackened because Akia keeps throwing gunpowder into it to watch it explode. Akia has a strong personality, she’s happiest when she’s doing something with Vyse, particularly discovering new things, stealing, or other Blue Rouge behavior. Akia kind of drew the short stick in the game though- Fina comes down from the Silver Shrine and Vyse falls head over heels for her. Tough luck- but if anyone is strong enough to get over this unintentional rejection, it’s Akia.
"Some dead guy is having a big laugh at us."

Kid- Chrono Cross
Kid, Schala “Kid” Zeal, the game calls her. Forget the game, her name is Kidd. Kidd is quite frankly, one of my favorite characters of all time. A member of the Radical Dreamers, Kidd is a cunning thief with a personal grudge against a demi-human known as Lynx. Really, Kidd is the one who motivates Serge throughout the game- it’s Kidd who rescues him when he gets cornered by the game’s version of the Ghostbusters, and its Kidd who clues him in that Viper Manor might hold some of the answers he’s looking for. Every time Serge doesn’t know what to do, Kidd already has a plan. That’s why she is NOT Schala. I played Chrono Trigger. I met Schala- and she was a passive wuss. There is no way that Kidd would submit to that kind of person. Ever. Two quotes for Kidd!
“I’ll kick your arse so hard you’ll kiss the moons!”
“Ex-cuse me?! You’re just going to leave a poor defenseless girl like me to travel alone?!”

Elena- Grandia II
While Millenia takes the cake for sheer toughness, Elena is a close second to her evil doppelganger. You’d never know it to look at her, but Elena is stubborn, quite capable of sticking up for herself and sometimes downright rude. As a “Songstress of Granas” she works as the conscience for the group of misfits on their way to the Papal state- which has poor Ryudo grousing that they can’t possibly stop to rescue every kitten stuck up a tree. Despite their frequent disagreements, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that these two love each other. All in all, Elena is one of my favorite people that I classify as “White Mage.” To me, white mages are fairly worthless. Give me a fighter, not someone to stand in the back and cast slow. If the enemy is dead, status effects aren’t needed.
Since I can’t find anything better… one of Ryudo and Elena’s arguments.
Ryudo: Whoa there, gumshoe! I don't recall 'hunting down reawakening God of Evil' as being part of my job description.
Elena: Saving those in need is the duty of those who follow Granas. I will not ignore my duty, Ryudo, and I most certainly not ignore these people. We must aid them!
Ryudo: Now you're just being stubborn. Let's try to be rational here. One: I'm not being paid. I repeat that - I AM NOT BEING PAID.

Beatrix- Final Fantasy IX
Just a quick blurb on Beatrix- she halfway irks me, and I halfway like her. She’s entirely loyal to the queen of Alexandria, which makes her your enemy for the first half of the game. During this first half, you must fight her, a battle I compare to fighting a female Sephiroth when you’re at level 7. There is no way to beat her. And then, when you get to briefly play as her- her attacks aren’t nearly that strong. Also, also! She stole one of Cloud’s attacks! Climhazard! Totally belongs to Cloud! Sadly, this limited-time offer character is pretty much the strongest female in the game. Don't get me wrong, I like Dagger and Eiko, and Freya is okay, but none of them have the presence that Beatrix has- the one that tells you up front that they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
"I commend your courage, but I will show you no mercy."

Yuffie Kisgard - Final Fantasy VII
The ninja-girl of FF7, ah, Yuffie… you cost me so much… my dignity, my self-respect… my gil! Getting this girl into your party is a pain in the butt, in which any wrong answer to any of her prompts will result in her stealing some gil. Your gil, to be precise. And then, if you get the urge to go exploring and find Wutai, she steals ALL OF YOUR MATERIA! And engages you in a LONG subquest to get it all back. Still, you’ve got to admire the kid- she was 14, and tagged along with everyone else out to save the world, even braving her travel sickness for the sake of people she couldn’t admit to being friends with. Somehow I see her and Red XIII getting along very well- they’re the only two teenagers out on this crazy ride after all.
Yuffie: Cloud, sign this.
Cloud: What is it?
Yuffie: It's a contract that says when the war is over, all the materia will belong to me.

Kitten Update

Teh Kitteh's

Just posting some pictures of the cats. Sorry no pictures of Midnight- on this day he wasn't coming close enough to the fence for any good shots. Fruit Bat got some though, and she'll be posting them later.

Saul sitting by the carrier














Solstice leaning against Fruit Bat- he likes to hang out behind us.














Saul eating... he's a pig!














Closeup of Solstice.

It was a good break. It was even a good Easter. What it was not, was a good drive back to the college. It was pure coincidence that said drive back occurred on Easter. I do not blame Easter for my bad experience. The long and short of it is, about halfway back to town, I noticed my engine having difficulty accelerating, and making a HORRIBLE clunking grinding noise. After my car STALLED OUT (which it has NEVER done before) at a stop light, I pulled over. A giant thank you to my sister EvilGlare, for having had a stick shift, and having stalled out her car at stop lights, so I knew how to get it running again. I still don't know what's wrong with the darn thing. I had to get Fruit Bat to come pick me up and leave my car in that town.
Fortunately my parents are getting it towed so we can see what's wrong with it.
Also, since it was Easter I got a wonderful chocolate rabbit- which did not survive the car ride back to the dorm. Heck, it died quicker than my car! I now posess a chocolate puddle, painstakingly scraped from the cardboard box and being kept in a refridgerator.
And as if this post wasn't random enough (see lack of title above)-I've just finished reading a book, and it was so... something that I'm going to go ahead and mention it. I found it at the library, where there are a great many books, as I was browsing, it caught my eye. The book is black- which is not uncommon nowadays, black with silver letters proclaiming that it is "The Black Book of Secrets," and on the cover is the image of a boy standing in front of a man (the man's head is not visible) with his finger raised to his lips as if to silence th reader. On his shoulder is a red-eyed tree frog that is magnificently green against the black- just as green are the boy's eyes. As if the title weren't intriguing enough, the edges of the pages are black. Just as some Bibles have gold or red or silver gilt on the edges of their pages. It boggles the mind to look at it. The summary almost doesn't matter- I had to check it out, if only to go on looking at it. The story is quite good too- the secrets that are told are usually not of a pleasent nature, but the characters are real, and even in their secrets you can see that they are good people. My only regret is that at the end of the book- there are still secrets left untold.

Saul and Solstice

Here are some pictures of two of the cats Vulpecula and I take care of at our college. They're sweethearts! We can now pet and sorta hold them.

Note: Dark orange cat=Saul
Cream Orange=Solstice