Connor vs. Kenshin

Okay, so first thing. Lately, I've totally caught myself on a Kenshin kick. I sometimes get this way about Highlander, and it's interesting that I'm noticing that I'm feeling the same way about Kenshin (he's the pic I've brought in, especially for today). So, I've decided to do a quick comparision of them. So today, Connor MacLoud vs. Himera Kenshin. Let's ride.

Connor became a swordsman because he was stabbed on the battlefield and he was supposed to die, but he didn't (cause he's an immortal). So, he was run out of his villiage and basically left alone, until he finds a woman he loves and basically just hangs out until his future teacher comes to find him to teach him the ways of the sword. Kenshin became a swordsman because as a child he was a slave and as they were travelling, everyone in his party was killed except him and he was about to be slain as well, when his future sensei chanced upon him and killed every last man to protect Kenshin. It wasn't that he particularly liked Kenshin, he just looked real cool in the moonlight and then left Kenshin where he found him planning to do nothing besides protect a child who couldn't be guilty of anything. Then later he went back to bury the dead bodies of the people he'd killed to find that Kenshin had buried ALL of them - all the slaves and all the bandits. The teacher was impressed and he took him as his pupil. I think it's obvious who wins that round. DING!

Kenshin - 1, Connor - 0

They both have alias'. In Highlander One (I'm not counting any of the other films or shows because they SUCKED) Connor is going by the name Russell Nash, when we find him. We learn that the name Russell Nash is the name of a child who died immediately after birth and he's assumed the identity. Himera Kenshin is not Kenshin's real name. His real name is Shinta, and he probably never had a last name because his class was too low. His sensei names him Kenshin because he says that's the name of a samurai, unlike Shinta, which sounds childish. I'd say it's close. 55/45.

Kenshin - 1, Connor - 1

Swords! It's all about the swords. Kenshin's carries a reverse-blade sword, designed so that it cannot kill anyone (because he's taken a vow against killing because he was the master assassin for Choshu during the war and killed ... countless people). It is only truly dangerous if he flips it, and uses the sharp edge. Connor weilds a legendary Japanese sword as well (sorry I'm a little funny about whether or not to use the Japanese words for things or the English equivilant - please forgive me). It was made thousands of years before the Japanese started making swords like that. Apparently, the blade was bent two hundred times in the temporing process - cool eh?

Kenshin - 1, Connor - 2

When it comes to swordsmanship. I'm afraid it's hardly worth a comparison. Granted in Kenshin, they do flashing light a lot to indicate that the swords met during combat, but if you have seen Highlander One lately, you'd know that whatever Kenshin has going on for him is about two thousand times better than Connor. The swordplay in Highlander is so bad it's difficult to watch. Plus, in Kenshin they talk about the swordsmanship like it's a craft. They just sort of bat steel against steel in Highlander, but give them a break - it was what like 1985. BAD!

Kenshin - 2, Connor - 2.

No one ever says the words - "Don't lose your head" to Kenshin. Such a bad pun on the Highlander premise, so bad ... so bad ...

Kenshin - 3, Connor - 2

Kay, now we're gonna talk about angst/attitude. Kenshin is not angst ridden. He doesn't run around with a scowl on his face, because he has a sort of inner tranquility regardless of the fact that he's always getting chased by crazy samurai who want to prove their manhood by beating the battosai (spelling anyone?) in a fight. Yet, he gets serious when he needs to - thus enhancing his appeal. Connor, on the other hand, is tortured and adds a whole new demention to the term 'angst ridden'. It's extremely cool, until he gets all weepy. Why, why, and why does he get weepy? He's had like 300 years to perfect his act. Like WTH?

Kenshin - 4, Connor - 2

Now we're going to go over the romantic appeal. So, I didn't want to think about the other Highlander movies, but I sorta couldn't help it if I was going to be a good judge of their love lives. Connor has a different chick in every movie, and in some instances, more than one chick in each movie. Kenshin only has two women. That's it. That's a point for Kenshin, but I'm going to go a little further. Connor simply seems more of the redblooded type than Kenshin. Kenshin just doesn't seem like he thinks that any woman could be interested in him. He seems to think he has nothing to offer - plus he's a wanderer. So, both guys know that they can't stay with whatever chick they happen to meet. Connor because he's going to outlive them, and Kenshin because he's probably going to die soon or wander away. Kenshin doesn't let himself become involved and Connor does. Still, they both have thier appeal. In Connor's defence though, he lets the woman have a say in the matter, but in Kenshin's, he doesn't. Ding! No points awarded.

Kenshin - 4, Connor - 2

Yeah, I could probably go on, but I don't think Connor could catch up. So, I'm calling this boxing match off before Kenshin does something he might regret.

And the winner is KENSHIN!

Besides, it's an obvious win for the cute anime boy. I'm writing this after all, and like the non-anime boy had a chance to begin with if I'm the author, even though I tried to be fair. Too bad!

Command Decision

You wouldn't know it to look at me ... or at least I think you wouldn't know it to look at me. But I have an urge to scrapbook. I don't know where it came from, but I have made a command decision this day that I will no longer bother with the hobby. And I'm here to list all the reasons why I'm going to let it go the way of the wind.

Reason Number 1 - Acid-free paper. The first time I heard this term I was probably in my early teens and it pissed me off to hear that paper has acid in it, you have to get a special kind of paper otherwise your pictures will ... what'll it do? Somehow hurt them? ... Anyway, one time I was in a scrapbooking store and this woman was telling me the reason for using it - that construction paper would kill a photo in like 30 years ... or something like that. My response was, "Are you saying my decendants won't be smart enough to use a colour copier, or a scanner?"

Reason Number 2 - This is sort of a continuing thought from Reason Number 1. Let me say it straight up and clear. I don't expect things to last forever. Come on, not even diamonds are forever. Eventually, they'll turn back into boring coal. I don't expect my great-grand children to be charishing a scrapbook I made 100 years ago. And if they did want a copy, I wouldn't dream of burdening them with extra loot like that. A digital scrapbook makes way more sense to me, and best of all, it doesn't take up any tangible space out of your squarefootage, and everyone could have a copy - as opposed to only one person getting certain pics. I think they'd thank me for that. Also, come on, it's about time for us all to be living a little more in the digital world.

Reason Number 3 - 12x12 paper. When I first started scrapbooking, I was doing it on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, but now it's all about the 12x12 paper. Now, I admit that the larger format makes sense. There are more design possibilities with the larger page, less of a need for trimming pictures, etc. But to me, it means that I have to purchase more specialty items, instead of just using the office supplies that I keep on hand. It also means that I have to house the BIGGER BOOKS. Forget that crap.

Reason Number 4 - I don't have time to be all artistic with that. I definitely believe in artistic pursutes, but scrapbooking makes a mess on my kitchen table/bed/floor/what have you, and I live an incredibly fast paced life. I need the kitchen table clean, because people are eating at it. I need the bed clean, because people are eating on it. I need the floor clean, because people are eating on it. Got it? (it's just a joke though)

So, I start scrapbooking all happy like and I've probably been doing it for about 20 minutes (it took 1 minute to take everything out, and five minutes to get myself organized before I could get anything done), then once the 20 minutes has expired I'm called away by something a zillion times more pressing, and then my attention is completely taken away from the project at hand. Then there is a mess that takes 10 minutes to clean up when that space needs to be used for, oh, I don't know - SOMETHING PERTANENT TO LIFE! Then I've worked for 30 minutes on a project that I only actually got to work on for 14 minutes. That might seem nit-picky, but compared to the productivity I get when I'm doing something less messy, it's a horribly inefficient system. Now, I'll agree right now that if I wanted to do it hardcore, then there are lots of ways that I could raise my scrapbooking efficiency, but I think all my other reasons shout for themselves, and give an excellent sort of logic as to why I should just give up.

Reason Number 5 - There are SUCH cute photo albums available these days. I see them in stores all the time and I always have urges to buy them, but then I see the lovely clear protectors for pictures and I know that that's not my system for storing pictures, so I put them back on the shelf with a little sigh. But, if I give up scrapbooking, then I can buy them! Yay!

Reason Number 6 - I like photography. This might seem like a funny reason to give up scrapbooking, but let me explain why it's a perfect reason. Okay, so I often see people's scrapbooks and I think the little pictures and do-dads that they use to decorate the pictures with are cheesy and ugly - and I think they are often more colourful and eye catching then the pictures themselves. I think this is really bad when it happens. Isn't a scrapbook meant to showcase your family and friends rather then how much money you can spend for someone else to draw a little girl with a pig nose tying her shoe? I know, I'm such a crank! Anyway, I want the pictures I take to be the main attraction of any arrangement I might prepare.

Reason Number 7 - So I can get rid of all scrapbook related things in my house and free up some space.

So, in summation, I will be giving up scrapbooking as of today and I'm not the least bit sorry. I can feel some of my not-so-dead relatives revolving in their preemptive graves at this heretical statement, but I always was a radical broad, so I'm happy to live up to my expectations of myself.

The Top Five Anime Couples

Everyone has their couples that they root for in the anime series' that they watch, so I'm gonna list mine, just for kicks and giggles - mostly giggles. They just might surprise you. Spoilers ahead, so watch your step. And today the text will be the colour of ... the girl's hair. Yep, that sounds good to me.

So, counting backwards!

Number Five - Pacifica and Fulle

Okay, so Pacifica and Fulle from Scrapped Princess. Their love was so doomed from the start, but I refused to see it because I liked Fulle's character so much. People kept telling me that there was no way it was going to work out, but I wouldn't listen to him and I watched the three or four episodes with him in it over and over again, until we finally got the episode where Fulle dies. I was so choked! Even after he got pounded with arrows, I was sitting on the edge of the couch going, "He's still okay. He could live from that ... and that ... and that ... and that ... and that ... and ..." I think you get the picture. It wasn't until Shannon walks by Fulle's dead body that I finally gave in to the inevitable.

And I'm still cheesed.

Number Four - Shinji and Asuka

I love Shinji and Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I like how their relationship is more realistic than the typical anime couple. I like that she's obnoxious enough to get in his face and make him notice her, and I really love that she plugs his nose and kisses him for like over a minute. If you like AMVs then go find one to the song 'Everything You Want' by Vertical Horizon - then you're in. I love that music video for those two. It's perfect.

"But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why."

I love it SO MUCH!

Number Three - Jinto and Lafiel

So, next - Jinto and Lafiel from Crest of the Stars. This one is one where the hero, Jinto, decides that he is going to dedicate his life to Lafiel. He doesn't seem to care if she loves him back, but he decides within his heart that this is the way he wants to live his life - by her. It's very sweet! He's totally sacrificing for her. Now, you'd think this sort of expression of feeling would be bad, because what girl would be worthy of that? Well, Lafiel is. She's one of the few female characters that has a backbone and isn't afraid to use it.

I found this series a little difficult to understand the first time I watched it. The technobabble was hardcore, and I sat there understanding only about 75% of the dialogue, but I'd recommend giving it a chance.

Anyway, Jinto is the main character, and I want him to get the girl SO BADLY.

Number Two - Zelgadis and Lina

This is a totally non-canon couple from Slayers. The anime has her get together with Gourry and Zel get with Amelia - ew! Whenever I watch Slayers I just don't understand why the creators decided to pair Lina with Gourry - Zelgadis is infinitely better for her. At least, I think so. In the Manga though (I only have the third volume though, so don't stone me for only knowing what's in that book) Gourry suggests that Zel is in love with Lina. And I really WANT her to get with Zel. I write fanfiction for it, and have tried to get my brain around the story going a different way, but I can't make myself accept Lina getting with Gourry ... how stupid.

I'd rather Lina was alone, but if she can't be with Zel-kun, then she's got to go to Xellos. Those are the only ways to stop me from being right ripped about the outcome.

Number One - Shin and Kumiko

This is Shin and Kumiko from Gokusen. This one SO isn't a joke. I haven't got to read the whole manga yet, but if these two don't get together I am going to friggen LOSE IT. But their relationship is more doomed than Romeo and Juliet. There's no way it can work out, but if it doesn't ... my little sentimental heart will absolutely rupture. So, I've decided to make a compromise - if the author writes one really really really really good heartstopping kiss then I'll learn to live without them getting together.

And he'd fricken better.

Now I'm all jittery. So, I gotta call it quits for today. Oh, that took a lot out of me.

If I was a Five-Year-Old Girl

If I was a five-year-old girl, or rather when I was a five-year-old girl, I would have loved to watch the anime Kamikazi Kaito Jeanne. However, as an adult, I was sitting there squealing with unreasonable laughter at it, proclaiming quite noisily that no one was allowed to tell anyone that I'd watched it. So, why now, do you ask, am I freely admitting it? Well, I had to stop watching it by like episode 28. After they did the finalle for episode 26, it turned to pure TRASH. I couldn't stand to watch it, it got so crappy, and this was really unsatisfying for me because I didn't get to see how Maron and Chiaki got together. And I really wanted them to get together, so I thought about reading the manga - and I thought that it would probably be less mature than the anime because it was published by Ribon magazine. Anime Insider Magazine claims that Ribon is the perfect manga magazine ... provided you're a five-year-old Japanese school girl. Well, I'm not. So, I thought that reading it would be ... there are no words. It was a seriel, so I thought that it would spread the story out even more than the anime. That's what I thought ... Holy Smokes! Was I wrong! I'm really glad I was wrong though.

It's the story of 16 year-old Maron, who transforms into a phantom thief (Kaito Jeanne) to seal demons in the name of kami-sama (God). Her world gets turned upside down when Chiaki moves next door and suddenly Kaito Sinbad shows up to challenge her. I'd decribe it as a mix between D.N.Angel and Sailor Moon, except that better than either of those.

The manga made the anime look like ... PURE CRAP. Even the good parts in the anime were played so badly that I have to question the sanity of the creators who seemed to want to see how ductile the story was - how far they could stretch it without everyone getting up to go to the bathroom and accidentally not coming back. It look like two chapters of the manga to cover everything fun that happened in the first 12 episodes of the anime. They made up entire episodes out of thin air, and added entire characters that sucked way more than the original ones. For instance, Maron's neighbour is trying to catch Jeanne (her alias) with the help of the police. In the manga, her father is drawn as a little chibi who almost has no lines and definitely never does anything assertive, but in the anime he's a tall man who even challenges Chiaki to a fist fight and has a crew of policeman who have names and are in the opening credits, but are never hardly seen in the manga. Who cares about the friggen policemen anyway? Not me, and there were several storylines that revolved around them in the anime.

When I read the manga I sat there slapping my knee the whole time because it was just so ... sparkly. If I ever got to trade in my talents to get new ones, I'd get talents to write and draw manga. To write and draw like that - breathtaking.

Anyway, if I was a five-year-old girl, there is no way I should have been reading that, so I think Anime Insider was quite wrong. But I think that would hit a 12 or 13 year-old in just the right spot. But then, I'm in my twenties, and it hit me in just the right spot. However, I can't give it a 100% rating. There were a couple things in it that I didn't exactly approve of, but for the most part it was excellent. Yeah, to write and draw like that ... lucky!

I wanted to do a pic, but it's not working for some reason (later - got the pic to work - cheers!). Anyway, IN SUMMARY - Manga: G-E-W-D - Anime: NOT G-E-W-D.

Frightening Discovery

Hiya, I think my blog deletes posts after a certain amount of time. If that's true then I don't know why I'm bothering with this. Maybe I'll give it up. I just find that pretty rude that it doesn' t keep my older posts.

Anyway, last night I wrote a 'get to know you' list of questions to a couple of people I know, so that they could email each other and I wouldn't have to do any work. But I enjoyed writing the questions I sent them so much that I thought I'd answer them myself. So, here they are.

Question 1 - Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a little religious town in the middle of nowhere. If anyone has read my story 'So I Sat in the Rain' that is posted on fictionpress.com (I'm Sapphirefly there too, and if you go and read it then you'd better leave a comment or I'll send the Manga Corps after you ^_~!). Yeah, my town was like that. The character's situation in life is not like mine though, but I still retain a HUGE love for the earth and especially the prairie.

Question 2 - Do you have pets?

No! No, seriously, no. I was never allowed to have a pet while growing up and as an adult I view animals as an unnecessary expense that I don't feel like balancing my cheque book around.

Question 3 - What's your job?

Entertaining my readers on fanfiction.net with my magnificent story telling abilities. What did you think it was?

Question 4 - How many kids are in your family, and where do you fall in the line up?

I'm the fifth child of six kids. I have three older brothers, an older sister and a younger brother. And that's why I write the male psyche so much better than the female, just in case you were wondering ^_^!

Question 5 - When did you graduate from high school?

When I was 18, like everyone else, dang it! Man alive! I couldn't wait to get out of there. I had one of my high school buddies ask me if I'd ever go to a reunion and I was like, 'What for?' I'm totally apathetic towards all of that.

Question 6 - Who did you vote for in the last election and why?

I wanted to vote, but in the shuffle of the chaos that is my life, I lost the notices that said where I was supposed to go, so I decided to let myself off the hook. I usually vote.

Question 7 - What was the worst job you ever had?

I'd answer this question, but some of you may have virgin ears. I wouldn't want to expose you the the series of curses I'd have to utter if I were to answer this question properly.

Question 8 - What was the best job you ever had?

Right now. It sure is sweet! Hope you're all dazzled by how incredible I am ... or something like that. I'm actually not that egotistical about my writing. After all, I have never been published, but it is the thing that I do that interests me the most and keeps my brain pumping its juices.

Question 9 - What are your room mates like?

Well, he's kind of quiet, but very good looking. And she's kind of quiet until she's extremely loud. Sorry, I'm married and I have a little girl, so I can't answer this question the same way as a single person.

Question 10 - Do you like slow dancing and walks in the rain? ... or something like that (I wrote these myself, so give me a break, but I'm making myself come up with 20 of these)

I'll walk in the rain, but let me have an umbrella, okay?

Question 11 - What's your favourite book?

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. I love that book for so many reasons. I go over why it's my favourite in an earlier post, but since this doesn't archive posts that are older, this may be my last post. I can't tell you how much that pisses me off.

Question 12 - What's your favourite movie?

I don't think movies are a very good medium for story telling. A movie is like a snack of a story, part of a story - not a real story. So, I have movies that I enjoy watching for a little while and then I give them up, because a movie doesn't really have a lot to offer story wise, and they get boring fast. But right now the movie I've been enjoying is called Charlotte Grey. I thought it was a good watch.

Question 13 - Would you describe yourself as type A or type B?

Type A all the way!

Question 14 - What's your favourite topping on a banana split?

The bananas and the peanuts. Mmmm!!!

Question 15 - Do you cook? And if so, what do you cook?

I like cooking and I make lots of yummy things!

Question 16 - What's your favourite quote of all time?

I like to quote C.S. Lewis to myself, and the Simpsons and Strongbad to other people. The quote of the day is "You want to see a knife, boy? This is a knife!" "That's not a knife. That's a spoon!" "Ah, I see you've played knifey-spoony before."

Question 17 - What do you do in your spare time besides goof off on your computer?

Showering and sleeping. What else?

Question 18 - How would you best describe yourself to a total stranger without any guidelines? Both appearance and personality?

I don't really meet people on the internet and have the urge to tell them all about myself, so I have never written something designed to tell someone about the kind of person I am really. If someone wanted to know what kind of person I am, I'd tell them to go read my writing. That explains a lot about me. As for appearance, as I said before: Dark Angel Good Looks.

Question 19 - What is your favourite band?

No question - it's Iris.

Question 20 - THE FINAL QUESTION. Please finish the following sentence: If I do nothing else in my life, I'm definitely going to ...

Raise my child to adulthood. Don't laugh! It's gonna be hard.

Anyway, that's me. I hope you enjoyed that, because it may very well be my last friggen post, if I don't figure out where they store the old stacks.

Plump Fathers

That is an unusual title, but I think it's appropriate. This blog is about Disney heriones and why they usually piss me off. I just don't like their portrayal for the most part and here I am to complain about it, but as I've said before, I don't flame things pointlessly, so I'm going to do a pro/con list for the films that I'll analyze. Got it? The colour of the highlights will be the colour of her dress.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Pros

1. The guy who does the voice for the beast. I don't know who that guy is but he totally rocks! I was totally in love with him when I was like nine. I mean that I ACTUALLY REALIZED that his voice was smooth as butter and I wasn't yet into the double digits. That's how freaking good that guys is. Too bad I'm too lazy to look up his name.
2. The whole scene where Belle is promising to exchange her father for herself. I love how the beast says "Done!" and walks past her and then chucks her father into the carriage and says "Take him to the villiage." Was it just me or was that not totally hot? Didn't that whole bit just scream "ROMANCE AT ITS BEST!"? Huh? Huh?
3. The scene where the beast fights off an entire pack of wolves to save Belle? It was like Lestat from The Vampire Lestat.
4. When Belle is leaving the castle to go home to her father and the beast howls ... perfect!
   
5. The scene where Gastone (spelling anyone?) and the beast are fighting in the rain on the roof top of a mideval castle. That was pretty good - and I don't usually dig the action sequences.

Cons

1. The music. Disney usually pulls of the whole 'musical' thing better than anyone, but the music for this whole film as just crap. The song that sucks the least is the song the bad guys sing in the tavern. And the song that sucks the most is the romantic one - the one that should have been the BEST!
2. That they are trying to give this message about how looks don't matter and it's what's on the inside that counts and yet ... they don't give the beast a name. He is THE BEAST. How disappointing! And way to mix your messages. I've sat around when bored and tried to think up what they should have named him and the two names that stand out strongest in my mind are Lothair and Dominic. Especially Dominic because it seems a little more delicate - the perfect name for a guy who was totally conceited about how beautiful he and everything around him was.
   
3. Okay, so here's my complaint about Belle. She claimes that she wants adventure, that she really wants to live her life. So, one would think that once she finds herself in the castle of the beast that when he invites her to dinner she'd plop down beside him while slicing her roast beef and be like, "So, tell me about YOU." One would think, but instead she proclaims to the wardrobe, "I don't want to get to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him!" Talk about mood swings - and inconsitancy of character. However, I have something cute to add about this. The first time my sister saw this she thought the wardrobe said to Belle, "The mattress isn't really so bad once you get to know him. Why don't you give him a chance?" Then the whole, "I don't want to get to know him. I don't want to have anything to do with him!" becomes a zillion times better.
4. Okay, I also have a problem with most Disney fathers - and Belle's is by far the worst. I'm not even going to go into more detail about it. Holy smokes!
5. They didn't keep the beast's voice when he transformed back into a human. So, then he sounded like a pansy. Great.
6. Belle's argument when she's treating the beast's wounds after he fights the wolves. Hello? Does her end of the debate even make sense? She was TOTALLY in the wrong. She should be apologizing instead of fighting.
   
7. They changed the goblins into naked angels when the castle gets changed back to normal. Was he really that kind of guy to begin with? But that's just a complaint about style, so it's hardly even valid.

Jasmine from Aladdin

Pros

1. There are pros?
2. Just kidding! Aladdin himself was probably the most developed male character introduced by Disney at the time.
3. The rug was cute. Probably because he didn't speak.

Cons

1. Why did Jasmine sneak out of the palace to begin with? She totally had her father wrapped around her little finger. It wouldn't have been difficult for her to manipulate him further (he was such a weeny) into letting her have her way yet again ... and again, and so forth. I'm sorry, I just couldn't see the motivation behind her leaving.
   
2. She was stupid, yet she seems headstrong - a nasty, unlikable, combination. If she was really interested in leaving the palace, wouldn't she have bothered to become educated? Even if it was behind her father's back? She's totally unequiped to live out on her own - so shows the incident with the apple.
   
3. Since she really is (let's be honest) a snotty little princess with the manners of a donkey, one would think that she'd be totally self serving - thus not object to marriage, but insist that she have a say (wait, she did insist that she have a say). And then score herself the richest, most easily bullied, man there was to be had. On second thoughts ... maybe that's what she found in Aladin. Don't ya think? Anyway, I think that would be overestimating the character - she was too unintelligent and wily for that.
4. Why didn't she have Jaffar (or however you spell that? Sorry I'm not looking anything up today - I'm on a rampage!) in her back pocket? He would have been a good person to cuddle up to, since he was obviously more powerful than her father.
   
5. And last but not least, why did Jaffar want to be the person in the lime light anway? The very best politicans aren't the front runners. They toddle in the back and let someone else be assassinated if things fall to crap. They're smart enough to watch their backs, but Jaffar obviously isn't.

Cinderella from Cinderella

Pros

1. Sorry, I can't think of any just now. Maybe there are some and it'll come to be later.

Cons

1. The thing that I dislike the most about Cinderella is that she didn't DO anything to improve her situation by herself. Her fairy god mother just shows up and everything is fixed for her. But Disney's is worse than even this, because she needed to have a parcel of animals to help her too (at the end). Cinderella accomplishes nothing of value on her own in this story, which is a real pity because I always think of the Cinderella theme as an extremely powerful one regarding personal growth. But this is just crap.
2. They develop the characters of the Duke? or King's advisor? Whatever, and the mice more than they develope Cinderella or the prince.
   
3. The prince doesn't even go looking for her, he sends handle-bar-moustache instead. What a man! Granted that's how the original fairy tale goes - he send his men to go find her. But ... now Cinderella is marrying a Ken doll who has no lines. They only had 90 minutes so one would think that they'd crunch a few lines for 'Mr. Right', but no. How sad.

Pocahontas from Pocahontas

Pros

1. There is one song from this film that is spectacular. 'The Colour of the Wind'? Anyway, it was good.
   

Cons

1. This is a stupid complaint, but ... how the heck was that one-strapped dress holding up that rack? Pocahontas is stacked to the nines. It's a miracle she doesn't hurt herself when she runs, and she does seem to be pretty light on her feet.
2. Pocahontas seems to exhibit an unusual amount of sexuality for a virgin. I found the part where John Smith finds her by the waterfall completely offensive. I realize they were aiming for something a little more grown up, but I half expected them to pull away from that close up of her lips to show her leaning out of a whore house.
3. Two words - historical inaccuracies. Need I say more?
4. The bad guys seem too cartoonish for the threat they present to seem real.
   
5. The whole end half of this film was vertually unwatchable, so I can't analyze it any further.

Okay, I'm done with the worst of them. Maybe I'll talk about some of their other films later. These were just the four worst. But in all fairness I have to say that I can find precious little to complain about in Mulan, Hercules, and The Little Mermaid. Those three were pretty solid. I like that Mulan so completely that it's astonishing that I could feel that way about a Disney film, and I like the way Meg in Hercules is/was jaded and not necessarily a good girl. And I like that Ariel actually has a purpose to rebelling as opposed to Jasmine and Belle.

Okay, that's it for now.

How Beautiful You Are

This is a post about my relationship with music and maybe a little about songfics. Maybe, we'll see how it goes.

*big blue musical note* When I was just a little girl I asked my mother what would I be? *another big blue musical note* Yeah, just kidding, I don't sing like that.

But seriously, when I was a kid my older brothers and sister had a thing for British/European bands - it was the 80s and early 90s. So, I found some of their bands that I liked and followed them after they all left home. I liked A-ha, Pet Shop Boys, The Cure, Alphaville, The Smiths, U2, and Depech Mode. But I was the only person within a 200 kilometer radius who had these feelings. Everyone I knew was listening to the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls. If that doesn't date me, then I don't know what does. So, I was constantly being bumbared by music that had NO SOUL. It also led me to believe that if you took any Backstreet Boy song and exchanged the word 'love' for the F-word - the song would suddenly make a whole lot more sense. Not that I particularly like music that uses language like that, but at least they're honest. Anyway, I can hardly talk about all the country music I was exposed to without rocking in the fetal position. Those were hard years.

But the experience has led me to appreciate more and more songs that have fantastic lyrics. That's where songfics come in. Here I'll do a quick list of all the songs I've written songfics for.

• Time by Sarah McLachlan
• I Want Tomorrow by Enya
• I Love You by Sarah McLachlan
• A Day in the Life by David Usher
• Possession by Sarah McLachlan
• Tonight and the Rest of My Life by Nina Gordon
• Freedom Deep by INXS (like the only good INXS song)
• Alien by Erasure (like the only good Erasure song)
• Wait by Sarah McLachlan
• Call of the Wild by Roxette
• I Feel You by Schiller
• Endles by Iris
• After All by Delerium
• Tonight by Sixpence None the Richer
• Evening Falls by Enya
• Man's Road by Jimmy Webber
• In Your Room by Depech Mode
• Halo by Depech Mode
• Dream of You by Schiller
• To Wish Impossible Things by The Cure
• Freestate by Depech Mode
• Pictures of You by The Cure
• She Fades Away by Alphaville
• Do What you Have to do by Sarah McLachlan
• Fingers of Love by Crowded House

And I'm about to do one for "Falling" by Brave New World in my fic Mystic Wings. If I had to pick four of these songs that were lyrically superior - I'd pick the ones that I've highlighted in blue. By the way, I just picked the number four arbitrarally. I could have easily picked six or any other number. All of these songs are fantastic. Most of them are incorporated into novellas and are not stand alone pieces, which explains why there are so many of them.

I like songfics for some many reasons. I think they help you pace a chapter or a story. I think listening to a good song while writing helps you maintain the mood in the story. I think it adds a bit of magic and mystery to the story when there might not have been any to begin with. But a song that you use for a songfic has to be a special sort of thing. It can't have certain specific details in it to make it songfic worthy. The lyrics have to leave a lot up to the imagination of the listener, or it's not suitable. When I was writing 'Shadow Magic: Xellos and Filia" I desperately wanted to use the song 'Shine' by Depech Mode, but couldn't because Martin uses the word 'T.V.' and I felt like it was inappropriate. I don't know why. For that same fic I used 'Alien' and that uses the word 'radio'. Yeah, I know. I MAKE NO SENSE.

Anyway, the most superior song I've ever heard lyrically is 'How Beautiful You Are' by The Cure. You don't have to hear it to appreciate it. Find the lyrics on the web and read them. They are so touching and meaningful that it leaves stupid mainstream pop in the dust like a rocket ready to leave orbit.

But, there is a place for mainstream pop, and I think it's on the cover of a tabloid.

The Rocky Road to China

I sort of have a love-hate relationship with Chinese Food. When I was a child there was a chinese food restaurant in the neighbouring kingdom that sold the absolute yummiest of all chinese food - and subsequently - of ALL food. I don't live close anymore, but I have found a few occasions in which to go back, and the food isn't the same at all. Each time I've been more grossed out than the last. It's really a pity, but before I was disenchanted with that particular place, I was on a search to find an excellent chinese restaurant in my own domain. This has been a struggle. Let's talk about the different kinds of food I've tried to cuddle up to in the absence of ... anything edible.

The Chinese food I've had since I moved to this realm has been increasingly greasy. Everything I have tried has fallen like a deep fried paper weight onto a wet paper towel. The wet paper towel being my stomach, and I've been sick for days trying to flush the wicked stuff down my system. Usually, I end up ordering because I am so tired of eating pizza (when the occasion arises that I must order for delivery) that I could scream. So, I opt for Chinese because ordering from a KFC brings up a rampage all on it's own and the conflicts that play behind the throne room. But today, there was a miracle and I'll talk about the magnitude of it at the end.

My first experience with Japanese food was bad. Sushi isn't bad - not really - but it took me a long time to get over that first bad experience. Since then, I've enjoyed a relatively pleasant relationship with the cuisine from the land of the rising sun. The only real complaint I have is that whenever I order the soup, I usually can't finish it because it's so bland.

I love Vietnamese! It might just be that I love fish sauce. I stayed away from it like it was the plague when I was pregnant because I didn't want the fragrance of that sweet sweet spring roll dipping yumminess to get rolled into all the other things I developed a distaste for when I was pregnant. Seriously, just thinking about that stuff earns me a mouth full of fresh saliva because I crave it so instensely. It's yummy to the max!

Okay, so now back to my thing about Chinese food. I finally found a restaurant that isn't greasy, and still tastes great. So, this fairy tale has a happy ending after all ... I got to eat something that was good. And don't half of the fairy tales out there end with everyone sitting down and getting to eat something great - like plum pudding or something. Mmmm ... plum pudding ...