Holy Matrimony

Day: 482

Photo taken on Saturday, November 26, 2011 on Asuma while playing Dynasty Warriors 6 at 1257pm. (Qoy? and Katie Jaye continue their quest for greatness.)

Like it wasn't bad enough he has to be married to me in real life, now his imaginary character is doomed to the same fate?!

Mutant

Day: 386

Photo taken on Monday, August 22, 2011 in my office at 350pm.

There is something seriously wrong with me.

I accidently cut myself with long scissors and the first thought I have upon doing it is, "why isn't this healing faster?"

Why isn't this healing faster?!

Most people would say "ow", or "shit", or immediately spring into action and get a Band-Aid but no, not Kate. Kate thinks to herself, "why does this hurt so much?"

I think the problem lies in the weekly Marvel games Justin has been holding. I'm reading so much manga and comics and playing the role of Megatron so well that I am starting to believe I have super powers. As I'm watching the blood ooze out, I am actually annoyed that the cut is not sealing itself Naruto/Wolverine style. What the hell? Do I really need a bandage?


I'm a little worried about Kate. I think she's gone mental.

Avatar

Day: 382

Photo taken on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at The Surge at 349pm.

This is what I would look like if I were to magically become an anime character: My eyebrow piercing would come back, I'd somehow obtain the same scar as Kakashi, tribal paint would become my thing, I would pretend I was in Gryffindor, be related to the Silver Surfer, and have a potty mouth.

"Another has fallen to my spear!"

Day: 375

Photo taken on Thursday, August 11, 2011 on Asuma while playing Dynasty Warriors 6 at 1132pm.

"Another has fallen to my spear!"

This is all I am hearing from the other room one evening when I'm trying to concentrate on my fanfiction writing in our small one bedroom abode in Farmingdale. Exasperated, I finally get up and beg Steve to choose another character from his Dynasty Warriors 5 video game but his heart is set on being Zhao Yun so I must endure. After ten more battle cries of this phrase within a two second span, I reach for the remote and find a compromise: the mute button.

Steve somehow convinces me to join him in the battle today but this time in Dynasty Warriors 6 and without anyone falling to a spear. In this version, I can make my own warrior so I quickly set to work, giving her the hair color and mask of Kakashi and a female version of Keanu Reeves as a voice. She is a force to be reckoned with, I can tell you that much. I am the queen of button mashing (insert female masturbation joke here) so this game is right up my alley and besides, any game that makes killing as much fun as GTA 4 is A-OK by me!

This is only one of many victories Steve's character, Qoy? (I think this is some private joke between him and Paul as to why this is an acceptable character name) and Katie Jaye have forged together. We are slowly making our way across ancient China and really, no army stands a chance against us!

Ezio

Day: Three Hundred and Sixty Three

Photo taken on Saturday, July 30, 2011 perched on our deck railing the morning after the storm.

Steve thinks he's an assassin.

He has been totally immersed in Assassin's Creed II lately and it's all he ever talks about. He's even included Ezio Auditore's hidden blade attack in our Imaginary Weapons Game. I don't mind his obsession because the video game is really freakin' cool. My favorite assassination of choice is when Ezio hides in hay and when a guard walks by he pulls him in and slaughters him inside without anyone being the wiser. The only problem I have with the game is the sense of vertigo I get whenever the character climbs really high to sit out on a viewpoint in order to update the map. The height feels so real! And I love the way Ezio just nonchalantly walks out on a wood beam and perches like a cat about to spring off the edge of it (and once the map updates, Ezio does just that...and into a mound of hay a hundred stories below...very realistic).

But I love that perch, so I take this picture for Hubs.

Steve may think he's an assassin. But I am one.

Death Note...DOMINUS!

Day: Three Hundred and Forty Six

Photo taken on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 in the living room at 950pm. (Families that watch anime together, stay together. From right: Pher, me, Steve, and Charlie)

Is it bad that I am totally taking off work tomorrow in order to stay up all night to watch anime and drink an 18 pack of Bud Light?

I know what you're thinking...

BUD LIGHT?

No need to worry if I'm sick, there will be IPAs later but right now I am trying to figure out how to scratch something onto the bottle with a key as I take notes for our other BLOG. It is so much fun to keep track of the jokes we are all making as Death Note unfolds in front of our eyes (two pairs of eyes completely virgin to the storyline). Between the dialogue the four of us add our own until we giggle so much we need to go back a few chapters. So of course after a few episodes I have to pose the question to my brothers:

"Would you use a Death Note?"

And why am I not surprised that both answer yes?

Rock Lee

Day: Three Hundred and Thirty

Photo taken on Monday, June 27, 2011 in the bedroom at 903pm.

You know those character quizzes that you take sometimes? The ones about your favorite TV show like, Which doctor are you on Srubs? (I got J.D. on that one though Heather thinks I'm more like Turk which is cool too, better than being Todd) Well, Steve and I like to play the geekier version of that when we're lying in bed and I am supposed to be sleeping. I'll turnover and ask him, "Who do you think I am in Fullmetal?" and I'll bug him until he answers me. The other night I choose Naruto-since there are a million and one characters in that manga-so I figure this will be fun...until Steve opens his mouth.

"You have Shikamaru qualities but you're not smart enough to be him. You have that aloofness of Kakashi at times but you are not as cool as him..." his voice trails off as I start to get a bit ticked off at his assessment and go to say something to stop him from calling me as useless as Sakura next but he continues anyway:

"You're Rock Lee."

"Rock Lee?" I ask, completely surprised by this. "But Rock Lee only knows Taijutsu! He's not as qualified as all the other ninjas!" Now I start to get ticked off again. Steve sits up in order to address this before it escalates out of control.

"Yeah, hear me out," he says, going into analytical mode. Steve launches into a speech-that sounds very well prepared-on why I am most like Rock Lee: He is different than everyone else in that he lacks the ability to perform "magical ninja powers" of illusions and special effects attacks so he can only use physical attacks. Because of this, Rock Lee trains harder, never gives up, and pushes himself to the extreme. He is genuine, holds fast to his beliefs, and shows fierce loyalty to those he loves. When Rock Lee gets knocked down, he gets up, and keeps going despite the odds being against him. He may be lacking in some areas but he makes up for it by having so much heart to be the best damn ninja he can be.

Plus he's a total lightweight when it comes to drinking.

When Steve finishes his speech I turn quiet, letting it all sink in. I think about all my qualities as a human being. I think about how hard I push myself even though success seems unreachable. I think about my determination, how I love others, my dedication to living life to the fullest. I think about those two IPAs that give me a real great buzz this weekend.

"Holy crap," I whisper. "I'm Rock Lee."

Katie the Colorado Kunai Killer

Day: Three Hundred and Twenty Seven

Photo taken on Friday, June 24, 2011 on the stairs (holding a kunai) around 11pm.

Every time we play Marvels, I try to use Meghan's weapon that is concealed on her person (sometimes under her skirt, sometimes somewhere only an alchemist ninja knows where) and every time Justin shoots me down.

"You don't have a kunai."

Angered by this, Meghan starts to take out her aggression on Non-Playable Characters (NPCs). Meghan is a misguided youth, confused by her powers to turn things into copper and without a proper outlet to release the tension built up inside of her from sixteen years of being ignored by her family, she's starting to physically harm people. She has successfully dislocated a fellow mutant, Tyler's arm (Justin's character for our mismatched group), violently pushed Michael's old butler, Walter, into another dimension, smashed Michael's creepy Uncle Chuck into a mirror, and crushed a student's windpipe with a well placed jab to his throat.

Though Meghan tries to keep her temper in check through meditation, she is spiraling out of control whenever provoked. She has personally made it her mission to kill Tyler though some may see this as her flirting. She is definitely coming into her own and developing very well though she teeters on almost villainous, she has a good heart. So what if she's known around these parts as the NPC Killer...

IT HAS BEGUN!

Day: Three Hundred and Twenty One

Photo taken on Saturday, June 18, 2011 in our bedroom at 929pm.

Steve comes to me one day with a fantastic idea: He thinks we should watch a ton of anime and write a BLOG about each episode. I am definitely on board because who else would you ask to do a daily and punctually updated BLOG?

We actually start the anime watching last week when everyone comes over but we don't take notes and we certainly don't write the journal entry the next day. So tonight we are launching the BLOG without anything written in it. Hopefully when you click on the link I am about to provide you, there will be something there.

For those of you that enjoy anime this BLOG will be right up your alley. For those of you who like anime and like to make snarky comments while it is on, this BLOG is for you. For those of you that cosplay, don't bathe before Cons, read illegal manga updates on the internet, and fantasize about anime characters in a sexual way, this BLOG is definitely for you. But if you like reading about the stock market, this BLOG might not be for you. Sorry.

Steve-O The TiVo and Katie Jaye happily present to you:

What The Hell Am I Watching?

KakaSaku

Day: Two Hundred and Eighty Eight

Photo taken on Monday, May 16, 2011 in our bedroom at 136am.

Yeah I know I have to be up in four hours but I just can't help it. I've been sucked into a shameless smut fanfiction about Kakashi and his student, Sakura, and it's so good it would be a crime to close down Miles now. Steve has been out for at least two hours, my arm he's leaning on has fallen asleep, and I know I'm going to be exhausted at work tomorrow but I'm hooked. I used to read only Fullmetal Alchemist stories and I never thought I'd get this into Naruto fanfiction but phew *fans herself* this pairing can give Roy and Ed a run for their money.

Raito

Day: Two Hundred and Eighty Four

Photo taken on Thursday, May 12, 2011 at my desk in the Manga Dining Room at 1029pm.

I've been letting my hair air-dry since my last cutting because the right side is not falling right and no matter how much effort I put in, it won't do anything but fall flat. So instead of wasting my time and electricity, I leave it alone. Sure it's looked like shit for the past month but the style is unworkable. I have to patiently wait for it to grow out.

But I thought by now my hair would have moved past all its boyish phases; I was wrong. I watched it grow out from Justin Bieberish and thankfully this time it passed by Jim Halpert. I can't hide it under a ski cap a la Snow Villiers this season but Prince Valium made a pit stop last week and now this. Now I am a few emo centimeters shy of a full out Light Yagami.

Tonight I made the executive decision to grow it long again.

Pirates vs. Ninjas

Day: Two Hundred and Fifty Eight

Photo taken on Saturday, April 16, 2011 on the Vendor Floor of ICon in Stonybrook, NY at 221pm.

Everybody, meet the genius behind the Fullmetal Alchemist paintings and the other artwork adorning our walls: Nigel Sade.

He. Is. Awesome.

We end up spending a lot of time in his booth today, chatting and chilling, we even watch over his spot as he takes a bathroom break. I am so excited to introduce Heather and Jon to him as we all continue talking about superheroes and manga. Steve then finds two new pieces as we converse, points to them, and tells me he wants them. I look over to find Nigel's interpretation of the Autobots and the Decepticons and a few minutes later we own these two as well. Steve thinks we should open our home as a Nigel Sade Museum which Nigel is totally cool with. We won't charge admission but you will have to pay homage by being barefoot and donning a bandana.

L Lawliet

Day: Two Hundred and Fifty Seven

Photo taken on Friday, April 15, 2011 in the new (but empty) Manga Dining Room at 1159pm.

I come so close today! I didn't even realize it when I throw on Steve's Yankee thermal and a pair of baggy Dickney jeans and then paired with the dark circles under my eyes...

I almost COSPLAY at a Con this evening!

I have been threatening Steve for years now but tonight after ripping this place apart trying to find his ticket to ICon we get to Stony Brook too late to get inside and he is saved from total embarrassment. Right now, I totally look like L from Death Note and he would have had to deal with people staring, most of them thinking, "She's not barefoot or emaciated enough."

But hell, I'm definitely smart enough...give or take a few points.

To the Bat Cave!

Day: Two Hundred and Thirty One

Photo taken on Sunday, March 20, 2011 in the Manga Loft at 1159pm.

This is a sad moment. It's not earth-shattering, just a little sad.

Today, I am starting to say goodbye to the Manga Loft.

Where I am standing-this hidden room from the stairs behind our couch-was the main selling point for me to move into this apartment almost one year ago. I have always been a fan of stairs that lead to nowhere, to a room that has only one exit-unless you count jumping over the railing into the living room below which I have seen done on more than one occasion with the lofts in the skiing condos we rented through the years but that's not the point. The point is, I love this room, it is my room, my sanctuary. Whether I am doing SPARCS, drinking a brew with friends on the rainbow beanbag chairs, or engaging in a battle with the many action figures I have up here, it has been a place for me to be me.

But now we're moving and I no longer have a Manga Loft. I'll now have a Manga Dining Room which everyone can see when they walk through the door. Anyone can just peruse my giant wrap-around desk and see my current (awful) storyboards. I feel like I'm losing my privacy [sanity] and I blame it entirely on the management here that think it is totally fair to raise our already astronomical rent by 15%. Those bastards are basically pushing us out even though they called us "excellent tenants" they wasted no time in showing us the door. If I believed in hell I'd tell them they could rot there but instead I can only wish my stomach pains on them because that has to be the equivalent, right?

So today I begin to load up the DVDs into the DVD box we used the last time we moved (11 months ago) and tearfully push it down the stairs (way too heavy to even consider lifting it). Steve comes up to pack away the majority of the manga because I just don't have it in me to do it so I work on the shelves containing other books. I'm not sure if either of us are ready to move the Naruto display rack downstairs at the moment, way to "final".

All I can hope is that in a year from now I'll get that Manga Loft back or maybe even better than a Manga Loft, a Manga Lair! And this time, I won't be renting the space, I'll own it!

Suck it apartment complex I live in currently! Suck it long and suck it hard!

The Copper Alchemist

Day: Two Hundred and Twenty Six

My character from the Marvel Game:

Name: Meghan "Megatron" Willingham*
Age: 15
Hometown: No Name, Colorado
Superpower: Alchemy
Calling: Peace of Mind

Strength: Brawling & Martial Arts Weapons
Agility: Martial Arts & Skating
Intelligence: Chemistry & Electronics
Will Power: Meditation, just earned Observation

Power Limit:

"With great power comes great responsibility."

But in my case, great power comes with DOOM! I have two limitations to my superpower since I drew two doom cards when I go to create my character. I can turn any object I want into copper but the object must remain in my eyesight or else it turns back to its original state. Depending on how much of the object I change, I visually look like the object I touch. I have drawn an example of my limitation above with tree bark. The tree starts to become copper but my arm now looks like the tree. Luckily it is only visual (if you touch my skin that looks like bark it will feel like skin) but then again, this draws attention to me as a mutant and can get us into a heap of trouble.

Background: I'm one of seven siblings and I'm right smack in the middle (where else would a forgotten mutant child be in the line up?). My mom works in a resort out of town and my father works in an undisclosed plant as well as my oldest brother. Being that the population of our town is a little over a hundred (and we comprise a good chunk of that) there is not much to do in No Name, CO. There happens to be a lone dojo on the main street that I have gravitated towards since I was a lonely child and ended up studying with the masterful sensei for years. I am well versed in martial arts and the weapons. I'm pretty quiet and only turn aggressive when provoked and even then my aggression is very ninja-like, as if I wasn't there at all. On weekends us kids play pond hockey but other than that, I study chemistry for fun.

As for the chemistry, I know I'm good at it but I'm completely baffled when I do experiments and I turn into said experiments. Until I get mixed up with the other characters of the game, I have no idea I'm a mutant. I just think I'm missing a step to the science.

My mom knows Steve's character, Michael Bolton's mother from back in the day. Since my family is pretty poor, we have to vacation at other people's homes. Currently, my mother, myself, and my three younger siblings (Beatrice & Libby the 10 year old twins and Kosh the five year old mistake) are staying with the Boltons. This is where the magic happens (and not just in Uncle Chuck's pool house).




*I felt that since my power is alchemy, I needed to give a piece of Mustang to my character. We decided that Travis is my cousin and I have a very unhealthy "Bluth family" type of crush going on here.

Framed!

Day: Two Hundred and Twenty One

Photo taken on Thursday, March 10, 2011 in the dining room at 1032pm.

This is our first commissioned piece by Nigel Sade for the Fullmetal Alchemist series we asked him to do for us last April. He also sent us the first print of which this is the central theme and it is very cool looking! We are extremely pleased with the way it turned out and also how Michael's framed it for us with the double matte. We love Nigel's work and eagerly await the second piece (which will be so freakin' awesome because it is Royaicentric).

Nigel you rock!

Gotta Catch 'Em All

Day: Two Hundred and Twelve

Photo taken on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 in the living room at 1041pm.

Steve is a gamer and I love him for it. He typically likes RPGs ranging anywhere from Final Fantasy to more obscure ones, ones that I didn't even know existed. He'll even pick up easier ones like Naruto and fun games like all the color versions for Pokemon. Currently he is playing Soul Silver and Heart Gold and both of these versions come with your very own Poke Ball.

Tododile has been taken out of the game and put into the Poke Ball for me tonight. My job is to walk around as much as I can in a day so the Pokemon can gain wattage. Basically it is a pedometer with a fun twist and is actually beneficial. Instead of looking down and being like, "Wow. 12, 245 steps today. That equals what in meaningful exercise?" Steve can be like, "Wow! You collected three items, unlocked a new path, and upped my characters chances of finding rare Pokemon!"

I feel like this is more of an accomplishment this way.


"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good."-Dr. Seuss

Mighty Mouse

Day: One Hundred and Ninety Six

Photo taken on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at Justin's crib in Jericho, NY at 722pm. (Pictured from left to circle around right: Rachel, Adam, me, Jon, Steve, Heather, and Justin)

You might not believe this but right now would be the first time I am actually participating in an RPG (Role Playing Game). Sure, I have dabbled in some video games though I would not characterize myself as a gamer at all (though it would be cool to do so, I just suck at real gamer games). I have also redone musicals, plays, movies, and TV shows with friends growing up but never have I actually acted as a superhero (besides wearing my red underwear outside my blue jogging pants to play Superman to Annie's Louis Lane in our friend's version of Lois & Clark).

This time I get to create a Marvel superhero myself and in doing so, I ask a ton of questions to the leader, Justin, and practically make him hold my hand through the whole experience. The cards confuse the hell out of me with their colors and negative and positive numbers and their inscriptions. Heather assures me that it'll get easier the more I play and as we sit there for hours I keep leaning towards the boys, showing them my cards asking what's playable. Everyone is incredibly patient with me and I don't feel silly in the least as I make comments as if I'm my 15 year old character. I like how everyone interacts and becomes their character which leads to a lot of laughing and teasing.

On our way home eight hours later, Steve and I animatedly talk about the game and how we really want to develop ourselves as mutants. I tell him I would be happy to draw what we look like and then I'll make a stronger bio for myself (Steve's is ridiculously detailed and extremely inappropriate but funny). Steve is bursting with ideas about what could happen next and I encourage him to talk with the others about it. Being that the both of us are stuck in mind numbingly boring jobs, this game today shows us a new outlet that we can pour our stifled creativity into and hopefully that will release some of the tension I feel everyday going to work.

So Justin, whenever you have another free moment for pizza and game play, we're ready to help you save the world.

Cowabunga, Dude!

Day: One Hundred and Thirty One

Photo taken on Friday, December 10, 2010 on the Smithtown train station platform at 515am.

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely happy right now but it's not because everyone I know is still sleeping peacefully and I'm on the way to work. I'm happy because it's the first time I get to wear my new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle hat I bought three months ago at Comic Con. At first I only saw Rafael hats and he's my least favorite turtle but I really liked the tuque, so my favorite had to be there. Steve followed me around the whole booth even though he had no idea what I was searching for until I squeed with glee.

Hell yeah, Michelangelo hat!

"Wise man say forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."

Beanie Baby

Day: One Hundred and Twenty Eight

Photo taken on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 on the bust stop at 86th and Fifth at 416pm.

I begged Steve last Halloween if we could dress up as Jay and Silent Bob because we could totally pull it off, we had the look down perfectly (he said no). Last year at this time, when I put on a beanie, I totally looked like Jason Mewes. Now when I pull one on I look like Snow from Final Fantasy XIII:

I'm waiting for the day when I finally get compared to a woman. Being told I looked like the "chick from Hanson" has been the closest I've come.