she lives! still!

[xparrot]

Contrary to rumors of homicidal ghosts in badly photoshopped paintings, or disappearance down a whirling vortex to a strange new world, I am in fact alive and well and still living in Kyoto, and since I have succeeded in finding a job (at the most infamously evil of the eikaiwa co.'s, but let's not get into that; a job is a job and a visa is a visa and the important thing is I am not getting deported. I would have to be dragged kicking and screaming from my Book Offs and combinis and kaiten sushi places, not to mention my imouto-tachi, and it would be terrifically embarrassing) I'm likely to be here for a good long while yet.

April is apparently International Guilt the Author Month; in the course of a week I received two convincing inducements to continue with various unfinished projects, in the form of lovely fanart, a rare piece for Illicit Miracles (well-timed; my webmanga's annual hiatus ends next Monday) and this one from Ru for Tiger Hunt. Which I will be posting a new chapter to. Uh. Soon. Marvelous bribes, at any rate.

Meanwhile, looking at these last two months in Japan...I have a problem. The first step is acceptance, right? My name is X-parrot, and I'm addicted to doujinshi. I have some 43 YGO doujinshi and counting. ...or will be counting, next time I go to Mandarake's. They're not all Kaiba kyoudai or Kaiba/Yami, either - have a few Yugi x Jou (no, really, Yugi's on top half the time. Jounouchi is the world's uke) and even a Honda x Jou. Though almost no Yami/Yugi, not for lack of searching. WTF, Japanese fandom? Is that one too obvious for you or something? (Though immicolia - success! Found a couple Kaiba x Yugi, one of which I need to translate because from what I was getting it's sweet enough to rot your teeth. And might even feature Yugi angsting about his other self, wasn't sure.)

I really must scanlate some of these, share the crack wealth. Also need to post my translation of the Q&A from the char guide book, Takahashi-sensei's got some interesting insight on Kaiba. Such as the thing that screwed him up the most about Gozaburo's death was because Gozaburo killed himself, Seto can't exactly take it as his win. ...At least I think that's it. My grasp of written Japanese is none too perfect. But I can give the gist, at least.

Comments

[immicolia.livejournal.com]

Man. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of Yugi x Jou. Just because Yugi topping is so..... mind bending. (but then, I have complained that I wanted to see the boy top... Although, really, I want to see him top Kaiba ^^)

And GLEE! over the Kaiba x Yugi. I've only ever seen scans from one. Which was a mixture of deathly adorable and hot and involved Yugi wearing a bow in his hair. You know I want to see whatever you have. ^^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I love role reversal but dude, even I can't figure out how the heck Yugi could top Kaiba. I mean, just physically, the height logistics involved... The first Yugi x Jou astounded me, but I keep seeing them, so...I have one now that basically seems to be ten days of summer, in which every day Yugi finds a new item to stick in various of Jou's orifices. No really. and people think Western fangirls are scary.

The KxYu I mentioned I almost didn't buy, because it looks so silly - the cover had Yugi with a ribbon tying back his hair (and Kaiba in a cowboy hat, but I kinda like the Irvine look for him, actually) - but while the art isn't great it actually seems cute in a totally OOC way. Features Kaiba doing Yugi on his office desk. The other one just looks weird. (and has Kaiba doing him on a school desk. I sense a pattern here...)

[immicolia.livejournal.com]

But height-wise, Yugi topping Kaiba should be no different than Yami topping Kaiba. And we all know that's happened in doujinshi before (hell, I own one..... and I only own two total ^^) Although, granted, Yami does tend to get drawn taller than he should be (and Yugi always gets made shorter) but ultimately.... I'm just a perv who wants to see Yugi top Kaiba, dammit! um... there is no other way to end this statement so it sounds better. I'm just a perv. ^^

I have one now that basically seems to be ten days of summer, in which every day Yugi finds a new item to stick in various of Jou's orifices.
Ahahahahahahaha. Oh god. That is far too funny. In an utterly unnerving sort of way.

[topaz-kat.livejournal.com]

I have a couple of YamixYugi, maybe they just stopped selling in Japan... I don't know. I'm glad you're doing well but I hope you can let us know what's going on more than once every two months, one would think you'd drown in a plate of sushi.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yah, I know YxY exists, zimarra had an adorable one. My private theory is that they're too popular - no one wants to give 'em up to sell 'em to the used bookstores! :P

And sorry to be so incommunicado - my 'net access is irregular here, makes staying in touch more difficult than usual!

[topaz-kat.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. 'Tis okay. As for your theory on YxY... I think that actually makes sense, the one that I have has rather good artwork in it, and it's got a second story that's also KaibaxYami--Double bonus on that.

[ex-naye320.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're not getting deported! And your doujinshi scare me! ♥ What? I just have Gojyo the blushing uke, that's nothing compared to your weirdness! :D

[ladykarasu.livejournal.com]

Hey, if we're talking Hakkai, I could totally see Gojyo ending up as the uke; they've got a dynamic that could go either way. Blushing might be another story, but, I'd still read it... ^_~

[ex-naye320.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely - that's why I bought them! It's just that in my mind, sex + blushing =/= Gojyo. ^_^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

...I was looking for a nice 9 x 3 dj myself, but couldn't find any with art I liked :P

[ex-naye320.livejournal.com]

I need to show you mine! They're very very pretty! ♥

[nenya85.livejournal.com]

Yay! Great to hear from you! Congatulations on the job! (What exacly is it, not to mention what is the eikaiwa co., or shouldn't I ask?)

I am prepared to shamelessly beg for anything about Kaiba from the character guidebook! I've never seen any of it translated, and I've been dying to! I always assumed that the thing that fucked him up most about Gozaburo's death was Gozaburo saying 'losing equals death' -- a precept he certainly seems to have taken to heart (lol). What you said was interesting -- did he feel that Gozaburo killing himself meant he wasn't a worthy opponent or that Goazuro by killing himself was somehow stealing a victory from him? Either way, it's interesting in light of the fact that Kaiba was prepared to fall from a high tower in his duel against Yugi at Duelist's Kingdom. (I'm also curious to see if Mr. Takahashi said anything about their life before Gozaburo, since I think the loss of his parents at such a young age also acounts for a lot of his character. I tend to see Gozaburo as someone who broke Kaiba in places that he was already damaged.

Talk to you later. Glad to see the YGO obsession continues. In a shameless self promotion, I'll probably be ready to post the first chapter of a post-manga quest/fairy tale in a week or two.

Totally random note: I like Yugi/Jounouchi -- I always like reverse size positioning, and let's face it -- emotionally, who tops who in that pairing? It's probably the reason I'm one of the few people who thinks it should be Yugi/Yami if you're headed in that direction.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you! ^^ "eikaiwa" means "english conversation" and is the general term for a variey of corporate english-teaching schools...I'll explain more in the email I owe you that I am gonna be sending soon. (really! I've been wanting to email, just haven't had the chance somehow!) and w00t to the new fic - I've really been looking forward to that one! how long is it gonna be, do you know?

The 'losing equals death' is definitely a big part of it, Takahashi goes into that (he calls it Kaiba's disorder)...ahh, I'll post it soon, there's a lot of interesting stuff! There's nothing about Seto pre-Gozaburo, though. And I do agree that has a lot to do with Kaiba's personality, too - the betrayal by his relatives, too, that's where he learned the "trust no one" that informs so much of what he does. Gozaburo just reinforced that self-reliance.

and Yugi x Jou - it's not that the idea itself astonishes me (I'm not that into the seme/uke dynamic anyway; my romantic notions are pretty solidly rooted in the Western ideals of equality, so dominance, whether physical or emotional, isn't a major issue to me) so much as that the Japanese fandom does it - there are some pretty strong standards in who tops who, and seme!Yugi breaks a lot of 'em...!

[zimarra.livejournal.com]

I am glad that things are going well- You are doing even better than me and Im in the states. Seems like many things are blocking my path at the moment. One of those is that I'm addicted to this computer game called Puzzle Pirates, but still.

I miss you, X-Parrot, but I'm glad things are going well anyways. Maybe someday I'll go and visit you. I couldn't live in Japan, but I could visit..

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Come to Japan! At least for a visit, it's cool over here ^^ and good luck meanwhile with your own job hunting! At least you don't have to worry about deportation if you don't find anything? ^^;

[ladykarasu.livejournal.com]

So here's me, completely oblivious (not that that’s abnormal…), not even realizing you were in japan. Belated congrats on that trip; hope you're having fun. ^_~ Since I obviously missed it- prompted that? (Heh; guess I'm not likely to run into you at Otakon, after all.... oh well, more the worse for me, more the better for you. *laughs*)

April IS guilt an author month; and I find it highly amusing that you mention it, because I've already said that least three times now... That just struck me as funny, sorry - never mind me. ^_~ At any rate, I think I like your mode of guilting better- mine's mostly self inflicted, and only occasionally through outside influence. (…and while I have no room to talk; pleeeeeease? More to read? ^_~)

Interesting take on Kaiba and Gozaburo; I can totally see that being a problem for him. I’ll also happily read any doujinshi you decide to share at any point, because I have a bit of that addiction as well. ^_^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Having much fun, thank you! Though I am sorry to miss Otakon - first time I have in 5 years. And dangit, I wanted to see you this time...you'll just have to come visiting over here, I suppose ^_^

Hah! If you can guilt me, then I can do it back - fiiiic! more Cold Comfort, girl! get crackin'! XD

and the dj I will have to share. Really I'd like to scanlate some of it, though considering how good I am at time management and finishing projects already...well, we'll see ^^;;

[(Anonymous)]

You're working for Nova?!

Also, doesn't living with/near your aforementioned imouto-tachi make it Guilt the Author Year or something?

[cerisier.livejournal.com]

Uh, that was me, trying to sneakily post from work. Aha.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, I was wondering who you were, who knew me. and yup, Nova. We'll see how long that actually lasts... ^^;;;

(btw, on the Western show front, has J-chan turned you onto Supernatural yet? totally worth checking out...)

[rgbrobbie.livejournal.com]

Hey! Good to see you surface on LJ again! :)

my webmanga's annual hiatus ends next Monday

I was thinking about "Illicit Miracles" recently and wondering if anything else was ever going to happen to it/with it again. I've liked it. I've missed it. I look forward to seeing more of it. :)

And... doujinshi? So THAT's what they're called. A couple of us former RGB fans (devinharris and I) have gotten into the PS2 RPG "Dragon Quest VIII." Fumbling around Japanese websites in search of fanart (a fine example of which is my icon ::w00ts for Templar Angelo::) we've hit ads for fan-manga which we find sorely tempting.... but we have no way to acquire them, being a) in the U.S. and b) non-Japanese speaking. Have you run across any DQVIII doujinshi while on your own, er, quests? And.... would it be at all possible to pick some up for us if you see any? (We have "wish lists.") Of course you'd be fully funded in advance, if you choose to accept this mission.

Let us know. ("NO CAN DO" BTW is a PERFECTLY acceptable answer.)

I'm so glad you got the opportunity to LIVE in Kyoto. It's been 20 years now (gah) since I visited Japan, for only a couple weeks, and I just loved Kyoto. I can only imagine what it's like to be immersed.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Whee, so glad to know someone's still interested in Illicit Miracles! I keep dropping that for such long periods of time that it's amazing to me that anyone keeps up ^^; I did get it started up again, new layout & all, and new pages tomorrow (I'll be gone on Monday so am posting early - I'm actually ahead of the game! for once!)

As for doujinshi! (apologies for taking so long to reply, btw, I was wanting to look up links for you ^^) Yep, that's the word for the Japanese fan comics (sometimes it's shortened to "dj") I haven't seen any DQ dj, but I haven't been looking in the vid game sections. They very likely exist, but...you gotta understand, dj are really popular here. As in, the used bookstores which sell them, sell thousands. They're categorized by series, which makes them possible to find, but you have to be specifically looking.

That being said, I am willing to look! Er, next time I go to one of the stores (...I'm trying to avoid the shops now. My bank account weeps every time I walk into one...) The game is Dragon Quest 8 - that's also its Japanese title, right? (I don't know anything about the game, except that it's Squeenix and the char designs are by Toriyama Akira, and thus Angelo looks distractingly like DBZ'S Trunks...)

A couple things to know about dj - there's basically two types, either gag (collections of short silly comics, mostly parodies; can be very cute, though funnier if you can read 'em) or yaoi (which can be serious or funny, tame or exceedingly graphic). Gen practically doesn't exist and het is mostly hentai, so...what yaoi pairing would you be interested in? Dj in shops are usually ordered by pairing, often by uke ('seme' being the top and 'uke' being the bottom - apologies if you know all this already, not sure how familiar you are with yaoi!) If you give me the names of the chars, I can look...

You can also try looking on Ebay, it's where I got most of my dj before coming here. Here's also a list of online vendors; I've gotten a few things from JPqueen.

But I'm fine with looking myself for you, just lemme know what you want! ^_^

[rgbrobbie.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a late reply to your reply to me... and I hope it's okay to do it in your LJ.

Thanks for saying you'd look for DQ VIII doujinshi for us, and for all the, er, wise words about the types. Hearing about hentai het scared me off, to be honest (I'm very "vanilla" in my likes) and I would hate to end up with something that (since I don't know Japanese, I'm basically getting for the pretty pictures alone) I'm embarrassed to look at. But we (meaning me and Devin Harris, another RGB-er) started checking eBay, to no avail... until suddenly a yaoi doujinshi (Angelo/Marcello) showed up. I entered into correspondence with the seller, who has an online doujinshi shop (as well as a sister in Japan), gave her detailed instructions on what we wanted, and now, she's found us TONS of EXACTLY what we were looking for. A range of yaoi for Devin and a couple other friends, and non-hentai het for me, yay! So we are set and we didn't have to bother you after all. And we are eternally grateful for your tips n' hints.

So how's life in Japan treating you this month?

[nightwalker.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the job! I hope it goes well and that they are not nearly so evil as as been reported.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I hope so as well ^__^

[ysabet.livejournal.com]

But we LIKE you being obsessed with YGO/Kaiba; we really, really do! ^____________________________^ It makes me feel so much better about becoming a Snarky!Bakura fan. **sigh**

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee! Aww, poor YGO...the fandom we have to band together about, else risk being thought of as total geeks. ...er, more than the usual fangirl, even! (But it's such a fun series!!)

And btw, thank you very much for the various reviews, for the YGO fic and my GetBackers ficlet a little while ago - glad you enjoyed 'em! ^^

Pompiliy

[(Anonymous)]

nice project with good design and pictures...best wishes...;-))