Hello and welcome to Keba's Anime and Manga Place (KAAMP for short)! Here at KAAMP, I write about anime and manga that I have seen/read as well as my views on them. I'll also post about my original stories from time to time.

Just beware that some of my posts contain spoilers. I'll put them in spoiler tags just in case.

KAAMP's history: KAAMP was created in July 2002 by yours truly. It was a sloppy-looking website on Yahoo's now defunct Geocities. I posted my anime fan art on that site. Also, for a time, I posted my thoughts on the few anime series that I had seen. Now that I look back on it, my thoughts were rather ill-informed (is that even a word?) because I had only seen bits and pieces of anime dubs. Now that I've seen more series, I think that my commentary on various anime will be a little better than before.

So, come on in and stay awhile! KAAMP is now in session.

Tagged Times Three

Before I begin, I just want you to know that you should feel free to comment on my previous post.

I was tagged by Usa and Judai.

Edit: And Elricz.

Rule one: Always post the rules.
Rule two: Answer the questions the person who tagged you asked and write eleven new ones.
Rule three: Tag as many people as possible and let them know you tagged them!!

1) If you could taste only one flavor what would it be and why?

Chocolate. 'Cause I like chocolate.

2) What is your bigest dream?

To be a rock star.

3) Is there a cosplay you would never do?

Anything that exposes my midriff. If I absolutely had to do something like that, I'd wear a skin-tight body suit.

4) Which is better pokemon or digimon?

Right now, my vote goes to Pokemon. Digimon has gotten ridiculous... but I hear it's returning to its roots in 2015.

5) Who is you anime/manga/game crush(es)?

The first anime crush I ever had was Mewtwo. Yes, the Pokemon. Don't judge. Honestly, I don't get the point of falling in love with fictional characters since they can't love you back. Having said that, I'm a pretty hardcore fangirl of Greed from the FMA manga. Why do I always go for the non-human ones?

6) If the world were like kingdom hearts, what disney world would you live in?

I hardly know a thing about Kingdom Hearts, but it would be cool to live in the world of The Lion King. But then I'd have to be an animal.

7) Where is your favorite place to vacation?

I haven't been on a vacation in years, but if I could revisit any places, they would be Aspen, Colorado and San Francisco, California.

8) Im getting my trainer on here, which starter would you chose and why?

Chikorita!!!!!!!!! Do I need to explain why?

9) If the doctor asked you to join him on his journey...would you?

No. Instead, I'd tell him to pay a visit to my friend who's a die-hard Doctor Who fan.

10) What is the strangest question youve ever asked someone?

What's your opinion on flamingos? I have asked that one multiple times. My favorite response: "They're ugly."

11) If you could pick one character from anything to hang out with for a day, who is it and what did you choose them?

The first one that comes to mind is Usagi from Sailor Moon. I bet she'd be a lot of fun.

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1. In what anime world would you love to live in and why?

I'd live in the world of Pokemon. Come on, REAL POKEMON!!!!

2. What or who inspired you to join theOtaku.com?

A person who has since deleted her account. It's kind of a long story how I got here.

3. What anime character do you relate to the most and why?

There are actually three that I can relate to. The first would be Hotaru from Sailor Moon because she has a hard time opening up to people. The second is L from Death Note because we have similar likes and dislikes. The final one is (Broken Record Mode Activate!) Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist (manga continuity) because READ ALL THIS.

4. Is there a magical power or ability you've always dreamed of having?

Instant healing.

5. Is there any place you've always wanted to visit or explore, anywhere in the world?

Yes-- Poland, for personal reasons.

6. Have you ever wanted to meet somebody famous living or passed? If so who is it and why?

My first inclination is to say Jon Bon Jovi, but I don't even know why anymore.

7. Name your favorite anime opening song here :) Mine's JOINT by Mami Kawada from Shakugan no Shana, what's yours?

I can't pick just one! One of these days, I'll make a post with all my favorite openings and endings.

8. What anime is your ALL Time favorite?

I don't think I can answer that. To pick an all time favorite means that it's your favorite, past, present, and future. How do I know that a yet-to-be-made anime won't dethrone that "all time favorite".

9. Name one character to go with you on vacation. (Any character from any genre)

Um... Jigglypuff.

10. What anime introduced you to the world of anime and manga?

Sailor Moon.

11. Favorite anime ending song?

Refer to question 7.

12. What do you think of me? :3

I think you're sweet and adorable.

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1. Cats or dogs?

My family has always had dogs, so I guess that'll be my answer. I have nothing against cats, though.

2. Have you ever typed out "hello" on a 4-function calculator?

Yep.

3. Do you have a favorite item of clothing? What is it and why is it your favorite?

I'm a jeans and t-shirts kind of person because they're comfortable to wear. I'm not one to sacrifice comfort for the sake of fashion.

4. Your guilty pleasure anime/manga?

Lemme get back to you on that. I'm planning on making a post about that subject.

5. Five random facts about yourself that nobody knows?

This is hard because I don't know what I haven't told people. I'll list whatever comes to my mind.

  • I pet animals with the back of my hand.
  • I have owned nearly as many defective iPods as I have owned working ones.
  • I own more makeup and body lotions than I know what to do with.
  • My guitars are named August and Iggy.
  • My high school had a radio station, and I was a DJ there.

6. If you almost accidentally ran your first crush over with a shopping cart in the grocery store, what would you say to them?

Oops? [/sarcasm] (If you're wondering, I'm pretty angry at my first crush now.)

8. What is your favorite movie genre?

I like pretty much anything animated or with fictional/fantastical elements it it. There are exceptions, though. Yeah, I know that's not really a genre.

9. Frozen yogurt or regular ice cream?

AAAAAHHHH! Don't make me pick!

10. How good are your foreign-accent-imitating skills?

So-so.

11. Did you notice there was no #7?

I cheated. I read Moonlit Dream's answers to this meme before I filled it out, so I noticed it when I read that question.

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My turn!

1. How many times has this meme been around?

2. Who decided to resurrect this meme?

3. Why can't we circulate other memes?

4. Are you sick of me asking questions about memes?

5. What if I told you there was no question #5?

6. Can you look back at embarrassing moments and laugh or do they still embarrass you?

7. Who is in your house right now?

8. What would happen if animals could speak human language?

9. Can I meet up with you at an anime con?

10. Is immortality a good thing or a bad thing?

11. What's your opinion on flamingos?

I tag anyone who hasn't done one of these. IE nobody.

To Liven Up This Place...

Let's face it. TheO has been in a lull for a long time. That's why I want to generate some activity. This post contains two parts: "adoptable" Challenges and an event for 2015.

First the Challenges. I have SO many ideas for Challenges, but I can't possibly host them all. After all, I shouldn't start any new ones until I finish those prizes. Besides, I'd like to enter some of these Challenges myself. These reasons are why I'm giving my ideas to you, dear subscribers. If you're interested in one, please leave a comment. Here they are:

  • Head Cannon (Fan Art/Comics): Illustrate something about a character that the manga/anime didn't cover.
  • OCs Gone OOC (Fan Art): Draw an OC acting out-of-character.
  • Redesign a Character (Fan Art): Change a visual aspect of a character, such as clothing or hair color.
  • All Favorites in One Place (Fan Art): Draw all of your favorite manga/anime characters in one entry.
  • Pick a Character, Write a Poem (All Fan Works): Come up with your own poem about a certain character. Of course, the character must be included in the work. Adopted by KyraChan.
  • Design an Album Cover (Fan Art): If an anime had a soundtrack, what would the cover look like?
  • Album Cover Parody (Fan Art): Substitute people on album covers with anime characters. Adopted by KyraChan.
  • Minor Character Appreciation (All Fan Works): Show some love for a not-so-loved character.
  • Track Number (Fan Art): Draw a picture inspired by a song... but the song must be a certain track number on an album. The host chooses the track number.
  • OC Baby Pictures (Fan Art): Draw what an OC looked like as a baby or a young child.
  • Same Name, Different Characters (Fan Art): Draw two characters with the same name interacting and/or cosplaying each other.
  • Different Styles (Fan Art): Draw manga/anime characters in a style other than manga/anime.
  • Never Drawn Before (Fan Art): Draw someone/something you've never drawn before.
  • Obscure Holiday (eCards): Make an ecard wishing someone a happy holiday other than the ones listed in the selection.
  • Otaku Tutorial (Comics): Make a guide to help new users learn an aspect of theO, such as how to reply to comments or how to submit a fan work.
  • OC Wallpaper (Wallpapers): Make a wallpaper of an original character, either yours or someone else's.

If you're wondering, I have more ideas than this. I just want to save them for myself.

Now the event. I came up with this event idea today, and I don't want to forget it. I'm going to start this event in 2015 because (a) the 4KRR is still going, (b) I have a lot of artwork to get done, and (c) it's pretty ambitious. The idea is to make a list of 52 characters (either recognized anime characters or OCs) and-- you guessed it-- sketch one each week. You must think I'm crazy to do this, but then again, you might be crazy too, and want to join me. Now who's in?

Things Are Looking Better

My back is much better, and I'll be going to my parents' tomorrow. In short I CAN SCAN THOSE SIX PRIZES! And I can digitally color them too.

Now that that's settled, I want to work on some traditional and digital art simultaneously. I might not get the new OC one done in time, and I already missed the Pokemon Trainer Challenge, but I intend to draw pictures of those anyway. Although I haven't started, I do want to work on art for three more Challenges. I already have something in mind for two, and I hope I get inspiration for the third. Finally, I have that digital drawing that I've been meaning to complete for the longest time. All I have left is the shading and highlights.

I want to do a livestream so bad, but it seems like no one is on. That makes me sad.

In other news, I've been doing "research" for my new story. Basically I just Googled "mythological creatures" and found a wiki dedicated to that. I did learn some things from it. What I thought was a werewolf was actually called a lycan. I'm going to call the fairies in my story "sprites" instead. The three main characters will be elves, although I know it's cliche. Now I just need names for them all. *Sigh.*

Oh, yeah! I'm reading a new manga. You won't believe what it is. I'll draw some fan art of it soon.

I'm also thinking of making a post about "stigmatized" manga and anime series. I usually limit my K.A.A.M.P. posts to one per day, so you might see this tomorrow.

Let's Be Friends (on Other Sites too)

I don't know if I've done this already, but just for kicks, I'm going to list some of my current Internet hangouts. And when I say "current", I mean, "sites that I have logged into sometime over the past five years". Note that my username doesn't change much.

DevaintART: KebaSiRota (Contains art and knitting. Will include cosplay photos in the future.)

Anime-Planet: KebaFox (For watching and keeping track of anime.)

Crunchyroll: KebaFox (For watching anime and reading manga.)

Tumblr: kebasirota (Contains recordings of original music. Posts are infrequent, but may become more common. Hopefully.)

YouTube: Keba Si Rota (Contains videos of old song performances. Updates are rare due to the fact that Google is a jerk and wants me to use my real name.)

I decided not to include my Ravelry account because, with my DA account, it's kind of redundant. Besides, I doubt anyone has an account there. I'm also excluding the kind-of dead message board that I go to on occasion.

Man, this is kind of pathetic. I need more places to hang out. Suggestions, please?

Speaking of suggestions, I need a little username advice. I want to make a CharaHub account, but I'm afraid that with the name "Keba", people are going to think that my character of the same name is a Mary Sue. Should I use the name anyway, since I'm so attached to it? I have no idea what I'd name myself if I had to pick something else.

Drawing Dysfunction

All of my Challenge prize sketches are done! There's just one problem: I can't scan them.

Let me explain. I injured my back really badly last week. I had a muscle spasm that I still haven't quite recovered from, so I'm afraid to lift heavy things. Like my laptop. And as you know, I use my parents' scanner, but I currently can't transport my laptop to their house.

Winners, I'm sorry that I'm making you wait so long. I will get your prizes done. I'm just having a little setback right now.

On a side note, I feel like I have ideas and half-finished drawings all over the place. I want to enter all the Challenges I'm interested in, finish those prizes, and complete some stuff that I've had in the works for years. That's at least 12 drawings right there. I hope I get 'em all done in time.