I read in my manga that Kaiba’s character is based on this asshole who claimed to be a trading card fanatic and told Takahashi’s friend that he would only teach him how to play his games if he (the friend) collected 10,000 cards. Takahashi thought this guy was a total bastard but realized that he would make a great character. Voila, Kaiba!

Moral of the story? Be an asshole, and you might get a really sexy anime character modeled after you.

I realized something interesting today. I’m currently finishing the Series 1 Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I feel like every YGO fan should watch it, because it (and the manga would work even better, of course) really shows WHY friendship is such a main theme in the show. You never really understand that in the Duel Monsters series, you just think that they’re friendship-crazed nuts. Like, I just watched episode 23, in which Yuugi confesses to his friends that there is another bieng inside of him and that he kept it a secret because he was afraid his new friends would leave him if they found out. But they affirm that the fact that they’re there means that they’ll remain friends with him, no matter what. I dunno, it’s not much, but I found it a very touching scene, especially how mad Jounouchi got at the implication that he would leave a friend like that.

Also, it’s really neat that Yuugi’s hair and eyes changes throughout even the first series as he becomes more and more confident.

Also also, I can’t get over how sizzlingly seductive Yami’s series 1 voice is. It’s defintiely much less authoritative than his Duel Monsters one, but it’s just very sexy somehow. It kinda reminds me of Dark Bakura’s in the Duel Monsters series, actually.

P.S. Today, I spent HOURS on this ingenious website that lists all the Internet memes ever. What a gem.

mood: excited and pleased
music: We Don’t Care – Akon

she said she wants to bring me to bring me to her world
she whispered some words
that damn near made my toes curl
she said she’s got that
that i have never seen before
and if i get the taste
i’ll be coming right back for more

To loosen up the atmosphere around here, yes?

1. I have a secret thing for Joel Stein, the LA Times/Time Magazine columnist. I was secretly excited to read his Facebook article and learn random facts about him.

2. I apparently really like funny writers. Well, I guess I’ve always adored funny people, and I do love reading, so combining the two is positively wonderful. I have a not-so-secret thing for Chris Baty, the man in charge of NaNoWriMo. But I do secretly miss his pep talks. I’m glad that I bought his book, No Plot? No Problem!

3. Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I’m a couple thousand words from the end of my novel and I am super excited to print my first draft. For only $5, we get to print 250 pages at the computer center here, and we even get free binding! Aah, I can’t wait to read the whole thing, however shitty it may end up. I hope that I finish soon.

4. I’ve been reading Frances Potter’s fics in the past few days, and man, have I forgotten how exquisitely talented the classic Harry Potter fanfiction writers are. Her language is absolutely beautiful. This, my friends, is why I always say that fanfiction has spoiled Harry Potter for me — fanfiction authors write better about the world that JK Rowling so ingeniously created than JK Rowling writes about it herself.

Harry Potter flopped onto the sofa and let out a long sigh of contented satisfaction. Allowing his body to mould into the soft cushions he sprawled spread-eagled, legs stretched out before him, arms almost at right angles to his body, palms facing upwards.

He felt as if he had crawled inside Harry, inside his skin and bones, within those thoughts and memories. Held softly and safely within those arms and soul. . . .

Occasionally the softness of a kiss would be reinforced by a swift nip of teeth or the scrape of a nail. Sometimes he would feel the fleeting touch of Harry’s hair brush against him and he decided that if he were to die today, he would, at least, have this memory to take with him.

What I look for in a work of fiction is beautiful, exquisite diction. Writers like Frances Potter, Aja, Maya, Furiosity, Cinnamon, Rhysenn, McKay, Arionrhod… (Oh gosh, I can’t even begin to name all of the big authors in the Harry Potter fandom.) They know how to manipulate language, how to give depth to every character, how to make someone weep. I commend Rowling for the fabulous world she created, but the fact remains that she was writing children’s fiction, and her writing reflects that. Rowling’s writing? It doesn’t hold a candle to the beauty that is good Harry Potter fanfiction.

5. The weekend is here… You know what that means? It means that it’s time to watch X-Men: Evolution with Mark and play WoW! And even better — it’s a THREE day weekend! Woohoo! I’m going to frickin’ ding 73 on WoW by Monday night for sure. Super excited.

6. YGO! Series 0 Observation: LOL @ RANDOM YUUGI DAYDREAM FACE WHEN RYOU IS INTRODUCED AS NEW EXCHANGE STUDENT (Heartshipping, FTW!)

7. This isn’t so nerdy, but… I can’t wait to spend tomorrow with Mark!

I actually quite like Anzu; she’s hardly my favorite character, but I don’t like all the bashing that she gets. She’s confident, ambitious, loyal, rational, intelligent. It’s silly when people characterize her in fanfiction as a slutty ditz, because she often denounces girls like that. In contrast, she’s a smart girl with tomboyish tendencies. I mean, come on, she hangs out with a group of guys and doesn’t really fit in with the other girls. And how can you not admire that she works so hard to earn money to pay for studying dance in America? That’s super cool. She’s the only one out of the gang (other than Kaiba, I guess) who has an idea of where she’s going — and the only one who seems to care.

The only thing that irks me about her is that she’s so into Yami while Yuugi has such a big crush on her. Of course, it makes for a very interesting dynamic, but I feel so bad for Yuugi, haha. He’s such a good kid, too. But it just goes to show that chicks are often into the ruthless, strong man rather than the kind, good-hearted kid. As an avid Darkshipper, it does pain me a little to see her chase after Yami, but it’s irrelevant because Yami definitely does not feel the same kind of love for her. Yami’s way more devoted to Yuugi, haha.

Anyway, I don’t think that she deserves all the bashing that she goes through in this fandom. She’s a good female character who doesn’t steal too much screentime and doesn’t interfere with the plot. More importantly, she’s not a dumbass and she doesn’t think too highly of herself.

I blame the dub for fucking her character up. It’s definitely Yami who likes to “preach” about friendship and the “heart of the cards”, not Anzu!

Geez, it’s like fanfictional suicide trying to read Isis-Malik siblingfluff and then attempt to write in-character Bronzeshipping (Yami no Malik x Malik) into my novella…

-_-