This is my blog for both more professional (essays, guides and things) and fanfiction writings. For my personal blog, please visit Eye of the Tiger

Za Kantaburi Teiruzu Challange

My favorite story of all time,
(A least from Ol’ Nippon),
Is arguably still in its prime
With fangirls that do spawn

Shameless fics, but I digress;
That’s not the point I make.
For here I will try to assess
The plot for a challenge’s sake.

It started out quite simply,
With a boy who could see ghosts.
But when they went on a killing spree,
He got a lethal dose

Of spirit power, from a sword
That wasn’t even his.
A soul reaper that couldn’t afford
To bring him in the biz.

It was all ok, for a while,
Until her bro showed up.
Captain, vice were quite hostile,
And did kick that boy’s butt.

“We’re going back,” they said to her,
And she told boy to stay away.
But actually what did occur,
Was a rescue anyway.

This is where the story
Does get a little muddled.
Twenty plus peeps in all their glory
Left viewers a bit befuddled.

Honorable people ran
The Soul Society.
And with this goal in mind began,
To hunt the boy you see.

But so intent were they, they missed
A honkin’ patch of treason,
That was sitting in their midst,
Just waiting for this season,

To go against them, kill them all,
Is what he had in mind.
So while boy saved girl after all,
He joined with Shinigami kind,

To fight the current Winter War,
Which is where he is today.
But things for him do look quite sore,
I’m not afraid to say.

So eagerly, with all the fans,
To see the end, I aim.
But one thought I have on hand,
What’s with the laundry name?

Sacrifice

Spoilers up through manga chapters 351. This is being written at a time before chapter 352 is published, so I expect it will differentiate from the cannon, but I think it’s a plausible outcome of the current storyline (“The Lust”).

“He…won…” Ishida gasped.

It won, he amended mentally. The-thing-stood triumphantly on Ulquiorra’s chest, looking down with what Ishida could only describe as a predatory stance. Ishida knew that this monster was not Ichigo anymore. Fear gripped him in its icy tendrils, and he found himself unable to move, unable to breathe. The pain from his missing arm was gone, replaced by a terror that consumed from within.

He didn’t hear most of what the Espada said next, only “Do it.” with a cold conviction.

And Ichigo obliged.

Orihime screamed as he wrapped his remaining arm around her, shielding her from the blast. The heat from Ichigo’s sonido washed over him, but it could not melt the horror that still gripped his body.

He knew it would come for them next.

“Orihime,” he whispered as the explosion died down. Blood splattered his lips. She finally looked at him, and another part of him, one long dead, wished that the pain and fear he saw there were for him. But he knew it would never be so. “You have to get out of here,” he imagined his own eyes resembled hers, wide with terror, shock, horror and pain.

“Ichigo,” she breathed. His heart might have broken once at hearing the shinigami’s name instead of his.

He quickly turned to look at the monster, its attention now leaving the burning carcass of his foe and focusing on them instead. “Go!” he moaned, pushing her harshly with his good arm. “He’ll kill you!”

“But…” her eyes and cheeks were drenched with tears. She seemed to be pleading with him. He knew she wouldn’t leave. She loved him too much.

“IT’S NOT ICHIGO ANYMORE!” he screamed. But it was drowned out by the wail of the monster behind them. It was coming.

Ichigo saw it disappear, and knew they would be dead in a millisecond. Orihime couldn’t raise her defenses that fast, much less against Ichigo. He had no way to defend himself, injured as he was. But as he prepared for death, he heard a loud crack from above him as a shadow covered him and Orihime. He looked up to see a giant spine. Zabimaru.

***

Renji was on one knee, sweating profusely, using the sheer size of his bankai to separate the prone humans from the hallow that was once their comrade.

“Honestly,” he gasped. “That’s no way ta treat…your friends…”

“Abarai,” Ishida whispered. The lieutenant offered no greeting. If he was afraid, he didn’t show it. Perhaps he realized what Ishida did-they would all die.

Renji was terrified. He had only managed to move fast enough to block the thing because of the element of surprise. But he did not doubt it would kill him unless he could reach the real Ichigo.

The humans were paralyzed with fear and pain. He had seen the cero and only had a second to spare for the shock of seeing his friend in his current form before his military training took over and he had acted.

Now, he pushed Zabimaru’s bone hilt forward, propelling Ichigo away from the spinal wall.

“Snap out of it!” he yelled. “You’ve protected your friends! You’ve killed Ulquiorra, you’ve done enough! Save-”

But he didn’t have time to finish.

The hollow didn’t even roar this time before it vanished. Renji was then aware of a shattering sound as Zabimaru exploded around him, raining down pieces of bone, accompanied by pain ripping through his abdomen. He screamed as blood sprayed the broken bone, dying them dark crimson, and he collapsed to the ground.

He knew he would die this time. It was worse than when Aizen had cut him. It was deeper, and he could already feel his organs failing. It wasn’t like when the espada had toyed with them. It was complete shut down.

You have been…a worthy partner… Renji couldn’t even reply to his zanpaktou before he felt its spirit leave him completely, like smoke from a snuffed out candle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the monster that was his friend once again begin closing in on the others.

“Ichigo,” he whispered, his blood leaving his body and mouth, forming a pool around him. “they’re…your friends…”

***

Something inside him snapped. He crumpled to the ground, the mask melting away, his wounds healing, and his hair shortening. What had happened? He gingerly felt his chest. It was solid. He sat up quickly, absently noticing the icy breeze on his bare skin. His eyes focused on Orihime and Ishida staring at him, terror etched on their faces. They were trembling. “What…” he found himself unable to finish the thought.

They said nothing.

He turned slowly. At first, he didn’t recognize the figure bathed in his own blood, or the crimson shards around him. But then he noticed the darkening uniform. The red hair that was not the color of blood. His heart seemed to stop, and in that instance he knew why they were afraid of him.

He knew what he had done.

Introducing Anime to the Newbies

This was something originally I had posted on our club forums in response to:

"Something I've been thinking about recently is how do you introduce someone to anime when they are completely unfamiliar with it. My room mate and I have been trying to introduce my girlfriend lately, as we are giant, slobbering nerds and it is the way of our people.

So what do you think? Do you go the historical route, having them watch "classics" such as Evangelion, or Akira? And how do we even define "historical"? Stuff that's been influential, or the things we watched when we were first getting into anime? Do you start them with "simpler" stuff, or plunge right in? Can you appreciate Gurren Lagaan without having seen other action/robot anime?"

Here is my response:

When I'm introducing anime to people, I tend to suggest things that are not "classics". Classics to me, are either incredibly boring, or stuff that is so "out there", it's really difficult to understand, or people just view it as freaky.

I always reccomend anime first and foremost with story lines that can appeal to anybody. Cowboy Bebop is usually first on my list, with follow-ups like Escaflowne, Inuyasha, and Samurai Champloo. Usually stuff with easy to understand plots, likeable characters, and a mix of action, romance, comedy...like I said, stuff that appeals to everybody. High school animes are generally a good way to go, I feel.

I would NEVER reccomend EVA or Akira to someone new to the genre. Both of these have the potential to scar people for life.

Miyazaki movies are ALWAYS a good bet, especially dubbed. You may hate dubs, but to someone new to anime, they at least want something familiar. Miyazaki movies generally have really high-end actors doing the dubs, which helps ease people into the genre. Two of the best, I've found, are Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. Like Billy Bob Thornton, Claire Daines and Scully? Mononoke's for you. Like Christian Bale when he's not cussing people out? Try Howl.

Watch the stuff with newbies, so if they have questions, you can answer them. Even if you've seen Mononoke 15 bajillion times. If you leave them in a room by themselves with anime (even good ones) for the first few times, they might feel you're trying to brainwash them and wont pay as much attention as they should. If you tell them it's good, they'll believe you more if you show them by sitting and watching it with them.

After a few series or movies, maybe say "So, we've watched some more basic things. How do you feel about [insert weird sub genre here]?" Or perhaps ask them what genre they'd be interested in seeing more of. Action? Smatter some Gurren Lagaan or FMA in there. Romance? Try Fushigi Yugi or another mild high school romance. Drama? Something easy to digest, perhaps without as much blood as Monster.

I've introduced anime to newbies using Miyazaki, FMA, and Cowboy Bebop. All three have been a success. Basically, all I've said here boils down to 3 important things to remember:
-Start slow; weird plots that even you have trouble understanding by watching a series at least 3 times is a no-go. It's a huge turn-off.
-Watch it with them. They'll feel somewhat isolated if you don't.
-Introduce them to things that are a mix of genres, until you get a specific feel for what they like.

If you've never introduced someone to anime before, I hope some of these tips help.

Otaku Fan Challenge Entry

Dear Old Man,

You probably already know what I’m going to tell you, but I think you need to hear it from me. I would have rather told you in person, but frankly, you scare the shit out of me.
I don’t know why you helped me 15 years ago. I wouldn’t have helped me. I was an angry mess of a kid who was pretty near the bottom of the barrel. When you helped me that night, saved me from that gang, I couldn’t understand why. No one had ever showed me that kind of sympathy before. I’m still not sure why you did it, actually, why you picked me. It wasn’t because I just happened to show up on your doorstep. One thing I’ve learned about you is you never wait for anything. You make your own opportunities.
After you saved me, I effectively stole your biggest secret, made it my own, and still you put up with me. Not only did you put up with me, you taught me things. Not necessarily Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan (even though I’m sure you know it) but other things. Before I knew it, my anger at the world had melted away. I finally learned direction, and a cause. You taught me not only to have hope, but to provide it.
Recently I became angry for the first time in a long time. I forgot myself. I felt betrayed, lied to and used. I blamed the people at fault, but most of all I blamed you. I think I was so angry because I forgot your methods for a time, and I had felt so comfortable in my life, I had forgotten what it was like to be hurt by the people closest to you. I made a lot of bad decisions that week. But I think in the end I overcame my selfishness and saw the bigger picture.
I don’t know who will go first, you or me. Probably me. You’re the most stubborn and tenacious person I’ve ever met. Except maybe for Waller. In case I do go first, I prepared this just in case.
Thanks, old man, for everything.

With gratitude,
Your Son.

I dare say, you'll probably not guess it unless you're familiar with a certain animated adaptation of a popular universe. ;)

Red's Fanfiction Tips

Hey gang! Red here. Once again I was perusing that ever-giving hobby of hobbies, fanfiction! Whilst there, I happened to notice many things that gave me pause. Especially in the anime section! Hot dog! I thought I might just share with you, the wondrous audience and authors themselves, some tips for writing fanfiction!!!1!1

1. Summaries
Wowee! Before someone even reads your story, they have to be drawn in! Sometimes, just the promise of NaruxSasu Mature Romance just doesn't do it for them! So how, you might ask, will you ever get a finicky reader on the Internet to read your story?

Does your story have a plot? GREAT! This is what you should say in the summary! You should by no means write about yourself, make your summary into a guessing game, or not say anything. Let's say the story I'm writing is about a girl in Gotham City who's saved by Batman and then due to her wildish 14-year old charm, Batman falls in love with her. I should NOT have as my summary:

"I suck at summaries, lolololol! HOPE U LIK!"

"Wow, my first fanfic! Plz R&R!"

"What if Batman falls in love with a 14 year old girl?"

"*Blank*"

The reader is here to read your story, not your despicable rants desperately searching for sympathy and begging for a friendly eye to spend more than 5 seconds on your smoldering wreck of a fanfiction. Also, when you ask "What if", that usually prompts the reader to answer with "Who cares?" and then move on. How many times have you picked up a book, looked at the back, and it started with "What if?" Unless it's a Choose Your Own Adventure, it probably wasn't that good. So how SHOULD I write my summary for the premise I've picked? Here's the answer.

"Batman saves a tween girl from certain death one night in Gotham. But afterward, he can't stop thinking about her. Batman knows only she can save him."

There you have it, no "will she be the key to unlocking his frozen heart?" or something equally cheesy. Moving on.

2. Conflict
EVERY good story has a conflict, whether or not it gets resolved at the end. Conflict creates drama, drama creates entertainment, and entertainment creates reviews. While having a story about Naruto ambling down to the park to feed the ducks, is all well and good, where's your conflict? Perhaps Naruto keeps getting stopped on the way by various nin to complete meaningless tasks. Perhaps once Naruto makes it there, he feels internal conflict about his position in life. That's ok too. Just because Naruto isn't throwing kunai around doesn't mean the conflict is non-existent. More examples you ask? Certainly.

"Naruto went down to the duck pond one sunny afternoon. He brought some bread and threw crumbs at the ducks."

Holy lameness, Batman, that blew. Try something else!

"Naruto wiped a tear from his eye as he ran to the duck pond. When he got there, he collapsed on his knees and threw the half loaf of bread he had been holding at the birds, making them scatter. I can't do anything right, he thought. He sniffed loudly, making a nearby duck quack in response."

Now obviously, if I were really writing this story, I'd have a lot more to do, but already you can start feeling the conflict emerge in the second example that was non-existent in the first one.

3. Characters
Wowee, Writer, you've got yourself a premise! Great job! What characters will you feature? However in love with yourself, or an alternate version of yourself you may be, I do NOT recommend writing a story about yourself. That's what Fictionpress is for. Here's an example of what I mean.

"A girl who loves Bleach gets transported into it. How will she find herself in the Soul Society?"

I've actually read that exact summary for a different fandom. But that's not important here. Despite what you may think, most readers are not here to read about you. If you do get comments left, they may say something like "Wow, Byakuya was really mean in this chapter!" Spoiler alert: They're ctrl+f-ing to find the characters THEY want to read about. They could care less that you passed your exams and made it into the second division and are now Soi Fon's second in command. People hardly like reading about exceptional people, and they especially don't like it when the exceptional person is a character they don't know.

So. Now you've knocked yourself out of your fanfic. Excellent. You may not feel it, but you've already achieved leaps and bounds in the world of fic writing. But now you actually have to write about some real characters. Say you have your characters. But it is not enough for you to have Hitsugaya also take a trip to the duck pond. What is a good conflict for Hitsu-chan to have? Perhaps he is fighting with his lieutenant again because she's lazy and doesn't do her work. One thing most readers love is also to have your characters be the same characters as the actual source material. What do I mean by that? Well, in the manga, Hitsugaya's a brooding, super serious kid. It won't do well to have him out of the blue say

"I think the 10th Division's been working too hard. Let's rent a moon bounce!"

Funny as this may be to you in your mind, it really doesn't work. If you have your heart dead-set on the 10th Division on a moon bounce, you're going to have to change things around a bit.

" 'What is it?' Hitsugaya growled at the knocking on his door. The wooden door slid open, and Rangiku, with the happiest expression she could manage, smiled down at him. 'Captain, the squad think's you've been working too hard. So...' without any further explanation, she ran over and picked him up.
'Hey! I order you to put me down! What are you doing?!' She ran with him outside, to where a giant, inflatable green cage with netting on the sides was set up in the courtyard.
'We rented a moon bounce!' She finished, throwing him inside."

See what I did there? Not only did I keep the characters roughly in character, I even created some conflict between Hitsugaya and Rangiku.

Well now, you're halfway to creating your awesome new, non-you fanfic!

Wow, being cynical for a long period of time is difficult. More to come. Maybe I should be pestering people to get this put on the Bloc. Then again, maybe not.