Welcome to Gaia! ::

January 2013 Gifts given
~ Twister the Fire Phoenix given to Azamonde ~ for showing a big heart, generosity to others, and supporting the Charity! heart
given to arcticwolf_blue ~ For her quest!
given to THE Santa Claus ~ as a little gift for all the generousness Santa brings to Gaia!
~ Ice Champion Silver Glitter Shirt, ~ Adamant High Elf Bodice, ~ White Holographic Eyepiece, ~ Space Channel Gaia - all given to Lochinvar for her "white" quest.
~ Dead Parade given to dragonprincess_bloom .. just because! heart


2012 Gifts given
~ Pious Cleric given to Lochinvar ~ For copy-cat-questin' with me! And for bein' a great friend, supporter of all things charity, and makin' my life here on Gaia fun!
, , and ~ Master Pet's Pendant, Amateratsu's Cape, and Jungle King given to Starrydance ~ For her Birthday of awesome and because without her, I would've never found this place!
~ Lady Unicorn given to Queen_Rini ~ For being utterly awesome and giving so much to the charity!
~ Mizuchi's Jewel given to Pyriya ~ For being a faithful bumper, participant, and good Gaia-friend to many!
~ Gambino's Platinum Treasures given to Mr Spooty ~ It's PURPLE...and Mr Spooty is always helping me me come up with new ideas for the Charity thread!
~ Naiton of the Rebellion also given to Mr Spooty
, and ~ Legendary Mage and Solar Sash ~ given to RoseMaxwell ~ She's legendary around here and deserves something nice! Besides, maybe she can learn some magic to use on BB and Princess?!?!
MC letters collecting dust were given to lnk1001, Ravnihcol, Prof Gilderoy Lockhart, and Mirumoto_Tsubasa
~Deific Templar ~ given to Lochinvar ~ see same above reasons...
~ Sealed March 2011 Letter ~ given to KnuxAmy, her avatars always impress me! (And she's super kind)
~ SD Plus Ryder ~ given to MissMissie, just because!
~ Antique Shop given to lnk1001, for spreading smiles and good cheer all about Gaia!
~ Pistolera 4th Gen ~ given to Azure Felis, for being generally awesome!
~ Moonlight Guardian given to Lochinvar
~ Xiao Tu Zi the Rabbit given to Kreiystahl, hopefully to brighten her day a bit and show her she's loved!
~ GLAM Entertainer given to Evil A, because except the name, there's nothing evil about him!

* please direct all donations for the CHARITY to: Charity Mule-Aalyve Wyyre

~ Prof Sybill P Trelawney ~



Still questing:
~ Red Sorcerer's Book - Total ticket cost: 36,900

~ Rhazz Mtazz ~

~ Adamina Goldenleaf ~

So...I've been watching a bit of Anime, and I must say, I'm enjoying myself quite a bit! heart

I wanted to record down here some thoughts I've had on each I've watched so far. Feel free to chime in at any time to give some opinions or post some ideas or suggestions of other anime for me to check out.

Death Note ~ LOVED this! It was so...interesting! The plot was pretty well thought out and I really enjoyed trying to figure out where the main character's chosen paths would lead him along the way. The Shinigami were amusing and made the series all that much more enjoyable. Sat through several hours of live action film (brought back from ACen!), which surprisingly, was actually pretty good, though a bit different in plot at times than the anime was.

Psychic Detective Yakumo ~ watched this right after Death Note and while it was good, it paled in comparison. May go back and re-watch this again at some point as the story line was quite interesting. The characters seemed to lack some development, but that could just be from me going from a long series to a much shorter one.

Mahou Sensei Negima! ~ FUN! That's all...just fun! Where else can you get a little English wizard teaching at a girl's school? You know crazy things are about to ensue...just plain fun, this one. Still watching it off and on with Lochinvar when time permits. heart LOVED this series, but did NOT love the ending. It was so much fun at the beginning...lighthearted, energetic, and just plain FUN... got very "deep" and depressing quickly at the end and just didn't like the gravity of it all considering how it all began.

Gosick ~ Just watched one episode of this series before I got into Ano Hana and Negi-Sensei....need to get back to this and see if it's any good. EDIT: Watched the entire series and again, this was VERY good! This one follows a Japanese boy who travels to "European" college and has to deal with being a foreign exchange student. There are "ghost stories" on campus, one of which speaks of a "Golden Fairy" in the school's library. Turns out that one's true, but she's not a fairy, but a girl! This follows their adventures.

Ano Hi Mita Hana No Namae O Bokutachi Wa Mada Shiranai ~ Ano Hana for short, this was such an interesting and unpredictable series, I thoroughly enjoyed it soooo much. The story line was a bit grim, about a little girl who drowned and came back as a ghost that only one of her former playmates could see. The series was mostly about Jintan (the boy) trying to figure out how to "grant her wish", but also about long lasting friendships and how much folks change over time. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me...FEEL...which is amazing considering it's "just a cartoon", right?

Toradora! ~ From the same director as Ano Hana this series is about a group of high school kids that interact with each other, but wow, such DYNAMIC personalities here in this one! I was NOT expecting it to end the way it did either.

I keep finding myself wanting more where these series' left off and it's sorta sad they just "drop off"... sad

Chobits ~ One of the best anime series I've seen! It was fun, entertaining, and interesting to see where it was headed. This series follows a farm boy who goes to Tokyo to attend Prep School since he didn't get into college. He encounters "Persocoms", which are robot "people" that are very human like in many ways. He FINDS one and the story follow their interactions and adventures. It actually had an "ending" that worked for me...there were enough loose ends they can continue the story, but the end seemed to tie up the major issues for the most part.

Claymore ~ Very good anime, allbeit a bit more gruesome than I'm used to watching! The concept of half Yoma (demon) and half human "warriors" called Claymores protecting humans from Yoma was intriguing. The art in this series was really cool. Battle scenes, but the Claymore (all ladies) were gorgeous. Highly recommended if you can withstand the gore...

Mirai Nikki ~ At the recommendation of my son and his friend, I started watching this. Only 7 episodes watched but I'm hooked! Story follows a boy who is "first" in a survival game that uses cell phones to predict future events. His cell phone has observances of those around him and surroundings, his classmate ("second" wink has a phone that predicts first's future - she's almost stalker-like with regard to protecting him and following him, but that's a good thing in this case! Together they make a pretty good team at figuring out what to do next. A "God" (which first believes is only in his imagination, but I think is realizing is not) has set 12 people on this "survival game" and their objective is to kill off the other 11 to succeed him on the throne and rule ...well, everything. Each cell phone has different abilities....one player had a scroll instead of a phone, one player had an audio player, etc. We haven't even been introduced to all the characters yet, and it's quite interesting! I don't like where this is headed since first or second will have to kill each other to become the successor God, but second is definitely in love with first, and first is developing feelings for second. Intriguing and I'm loving it so far!


I've seen an episode or two of the following series and will most likely pick them back up at some point:

Ouran High School Host Club ~ Just started watching this one and I'm not sure about it just yet. I has a more "comic book" feel to it's animation than some of the others I've watched and enjoyed and I'm just not sure I like it. Then again, Negi-Sensei has that same feel and it's fun, so I'm tryin' to give this a chance...

Spice & Wolf ~ Watched a couple of episodes with my daughter and I'm not quite sure what to make of this one...will watch more and see if I can get into it.

Hetalia ~ Daughter watches this one all the time on Netflix instant streaming, but I just don't get it...it bounces around way too much and had no real storyline that I could tell from the few episodes I quasi-watched. May try and get "into" these a bit more later, but many more "better" anime I'm watching right now!

The Hobbit ~ SO well done! Peter Jackson is amazing at capturing Middle Earth and translating it to film for us to be a part of it for 3 hours at a time. I find myself immersed in the story, the scenery, and the characters so easily! (Forgot the actor's name, but the gentleman that plays Bilbo was just great!) This movie really just sets the "stage" for the next, but it was a fun 3 hour ride all the same! heart all the Dwarves!

Les Miserables ~ One word: PHENOMENAL! I went to see this film not having a clue what to expect as I had never read the book, or seen the musical play. The story follows the life of a convict in France during the French Revolution. He was put in prison for 19 years for stealing bread for his ailing nephew. He served his time and was released on "Life Parole". He "disappears" and becomes a fugitive, but a priest saves him from going back to prison. The kindness of the priest becomes his crossroads as he now vows to live a life worthy of the grace given to him. This movie depicted the despicable streets of France, the fervent passion of the revolutionists, and one man's struggle to do the right thing throughout his trials. So much happens, I can't even begin to type it all out! You just have to go see it for yourself. If you enjoy musicals, you will find this to be an amazing production. Anne Hathoway and Hugh Jackman were amazing. The little girl who portrayed Cozette was phenomenal as well. Russell Crowe was...ok. Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were wonderful as little Cozette's "Foster parents". A must see for sure!

Silver Linings Playbook ~ Bradley Cooper plays a man who "snaps" when finding his wife in the shower with her co-worker at his home. He beats the man almost to death and ends up in a psychiatric hospital for an 8 month "sentence". Once out of the hospital, he goes back home to live with his parents (Robert DeNiro plays his dad wonderfully!). All he wants to do is get back together with his wife, she's likely moved on, but he's still holding on to the fact that they "love each other" despite the restraining order she's put against him. Meanwhile, "Tiffany" lives in the neighborhood...a widow whose husband was a police officer who died in a traffic accident. She's nuttier than he is, but way more well adjusted. The story follows the two of them helping each other out, building a friendship, despite each of their eccentricities. Total "Chick Flick", but an interesting ride. smile Reminded me of Dan in Real Life a bit, having an indie film feel, quirky story, and as though the movie's not quite sure if it should be a rom/com or drama.

Ted ~ Cute, yet vulgar movie about a boy who makes a wish to have his teddy bear alive and it comes true. There were some funny moments in this movie, and... if you like Seth McFarland Family Guy, you'll like this movie. It's cute, but definitely not worth the price of admission to the theatre. Too much gratuitous drug use, and general loser qualities glorified in this movie for my liking. Glad I waited for it at Red Box. $1.30 rental. I got that much enjoyment from it. neutral

OZ the Great and Powerful ~ while I enjoyed this film, it did NOT live up to the hype it got, and definitely paled horribly in comparison to the original Wizard of Oz movie and the storyline of Wicked. This was Disney-ized to the extent of ridiculousness really and James Franco was just almost.... creepy in his role. Though that wasn't intentional, his character (the carnival showman that becomes the Wizard) is definitely a womanizer, but he was Fred Rogers-esque in his delivery of the "cutesy" stuff in the film. He just didn't pull off the character in a believable way for me. Perhaps the goal was just to get the kids of this generation interested in the stories again... who knows but this film was just...ok. Which saddens me because I loved the original so much.

The Book of Deacon by Joseph Lallo - Free book downloaded to my Nook. Worth the read! Description:
If you like fantasy genre of writing, you'll likely enjoy this book. 1st in a series of 3 books. I enjoyed seeing Myranda's travels, encounters, what she's learned and how she adapts along her journey. The "friends" she encounters are intriguing as well. Recommended read. smile