|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 9:26 pm
"And this perception is unique to the West, I take it?" This was more what Lydia was interested in- cultural views ans differences between people. Not that animation in itself wasn't a fascinating topic, but she just didn't get very into it. "By West, where specifically do you mean? Does that mean that 'Eastern' countries have a different view of animation and its audience?" Why did people have different opinions and mindsets just because of their geographical location? This, this was really the meat of the issue, the question of questions, the one she knew it was unlikely she'd ever answer. Not that knowing that was going to stop her from trying.
Her feet kept moving, and she reached out for the other girl's hands, hoping to lead her into the dance. "No dancing at these events? Why not? I know that recreational dancing has taken a downturn in general- what most people do at clubs is not dancing, not really- and don't even get me started on DanceSport. It gets no respect." Lydia huffed in annoyance and tried to focus on the positive aspect of what they were discussing. "But a dance would be perfect for a group already dressed for the occasion. Or is everyone more interested in the clothing than what one can do in it?" That, she thought, was incredibly short-sighted, though she was guilty of that herself sometimes.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:51 pm
"Mostly unique to the West, yes - in fact mostly confined to America, I believe." Cait explained. "It's all part of cinematic history and very interesting if you're into that sort of thing, but it primarily dates back to the '60s - low-budget, low-quality cartoons would be produced, aimed at children, and animation was relegated to that for a while." She said. "In the East; Japan, Korea, China to an extent, that never happened. Animation and comics have always been for all ages. It's really a matter of the way it ewas marketed in the US, after the crash of the studio system...sorry, film is another big interest of mine." Cait coughed. It all tied together, really.
She took Lydia's hands, allowing herself to be led in a ballroom dance and giggling the whole time. "Well, it depends on the convention, but most have raves, rather than ballroom dance." She sighed. "Ah, I would love to see that, really." Her mind conjured images of various cosplayers in ballroom dance - some of which fit, and some of which did not. "I suspect it's a matter of forgetting that while yes, you're Ciel Phantomhive, or Sebastian, or Princess Euphemia - to name a few characters that tend to dress fairly well - you're also wearing a perfect outfit for ballroom dance."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:32 pm
Lydia was duly impressed, and would have applauded if her hands weren't occupied. "I can tell you're very passionate about it! That's fantastic. Even though cinema isn't an interest of mine, you're making me curious, because you clearly love it a great deal." Just because she didn't understand the details didn't mean she didn't respect someone who was so into them. If anything, she was kind of jealous. Whenever she went into a rant on cultural appropriation or modernization, nobody seemed to care, even though she was so hyped up about it.
"Raves? As in 'wild bohemian parties' or something else?" That sounded like an odd choice for a convention about animation, but what did she know about it? Nothing really. She hummed a little as they danced, disappointed that there was so little appreciation for her kind of dancing. But there was a spot of hope. "Well, if you think it would be a good thing to try, why not make one yourself? I could put you in touch with my instructors- maybe they would be willing to teach a short lesson beforehand."
Lydia pivoted around, but her foot caught and she stumbled. Her ankle was starting to throb, probably because of the way she had twisted it earlier that week. "Though even with lessons, you still have to be careful. These things are recreational hazards, I suppose." She limped over to a nearby wall and leaned against it, her good mood ebbing away. The ankle didn't hurt that much, but it was a reminder of all the bad things she had done, everything she was trying to forget. And she had been doing so well up to this point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:37 pm
Cait lit up. She adored sharing her passions with others, and that Lydia was interested - well, that just made it better. "I sort of want to be a director someday," she said, laughing. "Pipedream, I know, but it would be amazing." She let out a soft fond sigh.
"Ah, wild parties, yeah," Cait laughed. "Lots of blacklights and loud music and club dancing - it's pretty fun if you like that kind of stuff." She said. She wasn't always comfortable herself- so many people in a confined space made her mm, I can definitely think about it! A lot of the larger cons have their events scheduled months in advance, and whole committees of planners, but the smaller ones...hmm." She tilted her head to the side. "Definitely something to consider!"
Cait yelped when Lydia stumbled. "Are you alright?" She asked. "You're not hurt too badly, are you?" Concern filled her face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:37 pm
There was just something special about someone when they were speaking about what was important to them. Her father got that way when talking about a building he was working on; Yvette when she was showing her the design for a new outfit. Lydia could only assume that she got that way when she spoke of world travel and studying faraway lands- things that felt magical to her- but there was no way for her to observe the phenomena when it applied to her, so she wasn't sure. It was something she had learned to enjoy seeing, and she lit up almost as much as her dance partner did as she listened.
"What do you want to direct? Movies, or television? Or maybe something for the stage? Do you want to do something in animation, like this anime, or something with actors? It doesn't have to be a pipe dream, not if you want it enough and are willing to work for it." This was Lydia's philosophy, and she would not be swayed from it.
The description of the parties was not terribly appealing, but far less loathsome than, say, the practice of foot-binding in China, so she didn't question it. Instead she nodded quickly. "Well, if you want to ask for a teacher, try the DCBA- the Destiny City Ballroom Association. My school is part of it, and you're sure to find someone who would be interested."
Her ankle throbbed again, and her supporting leg wobbled briefly. "No, not too badly. Thank you for your concern." An idea sparked, inspired by their conversation, and Lydia tried to sound nonchalant about the way that she phrased it. "Some of those anime involve fighting, right? What do you think about those? Or do you watch them? I... don't like to fight, but I am curious about the appeal of it."
That she was looking for solace in a cartoon was kind of sad, but right then she needed comfort, regardless of the source.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:43 pm
Cait was happy to talk about her dreams, and especially to someone who seemed so interested as this girl. "Ah, I want to direct movies...I'd like to be the next Hitchcock or Spielberg or Cameron." She said. "I've done some small things with my friends as actors, but as you can imagine, they can be a bit...wrangley..."
She nodded at the suggestion. "DCBA," she repeated, to ingrain it into her mind, "got it! I'll look it up for sure!"
She looked genuinely confused at the question about fighting anime for a good few seconds, and then proceeded to roll with the flow of the conversation. "I actually like them. I mean, it depends on what you're looking for; most of them have a fun supernatural element to them on top of the martial arts. I actually can't think of anything off the top of my head that's purely realistic, but that's sort of the charm!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:34 pm
"Those are big names," Lydia commented appreciatively, "but don't they all do different things? I mean, Hitchcock did thrillers, right? And Spielberg does big blockbusters, and Cameron... um, I don't remember what he does, actually." Movies were really not her thing, and getting two out of three big-name directors was actually kind of impressive for her. "So what kind of movies do you want to make? What do you want to do, for the generations who see you and say 'I want to be the next...' er, I don't think I caught your name, but you know what I'm driving at."
She awaited the answer to her other question with some trepidation. "When you say supernatural, what do you mean, exactly? And is that part of the appeal? Do you like them only because they're not strictly realistic?" That would mean that fighting was only appealing when it was a fantasy, and that was not an answer that Lydia wanted to hear right then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:25 am
"Ah, yeah, they're all over the place. Cameron does big-budget blackbusters too; he did Avatar and Titanic." Cait explained. "I think, given the choice, I'd most like to make movies like Hitchcock's. I love thrillers, and horror today, for the most part, relies on gore to scare you..." She blinked. Oh, she had never introduced herself! "Oh gosh, how rude of me! My name's Cait. Caitlyn Masters." She offered a hand. "Yours?"
"Hmm, well, not all of them are like...really, truly magical, but a lot of fighting anime involves ki attacks and such?" She tapped her foot against the ground, once, in thought. "But sometimes it's just things no normal martial artist can perform; feats of strength and skill and such, no different from an American action movie." She explained. "It's part of the appeal for some people; I like the over-the-top fighting, yes, but I admittedly quickly bore of it if there's not some good character story going on." Cait was a big believer in the importance of story to any franchise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:25 am
Again, Lydia felt a bit out of her element in this conversation, but she reminded herself that that was the whole point. Naturally, she couldn't expect to know everything about movies and directors when she didn't really care. Talking to someone who clearly did care, and very much, was more rewarding than someone who just humored her. Even if it made her feel a little bit silly sometimes. "So you want to make scary movies that aren't gory? I can certainly appreciate that!" Movies that were nothing but blood and guts tended to make Lydia nauseous.
If introductions were going to be done, they had to be done properly. Taking her skirt in one hand, Lydia swept a small, elegant curtsy. "Lydia Sfakianos. It is a pleasure to meet you." Then she allowed herself to take the offered hand and shake it. "I think I was expecting a more Japanese name- I keep having to remind myself that this is all a costume!"
Another unfamiliar term popped up, and Lydia frowned, trying to place it. "What's 'ki' and how do you attack with it? I'm assuming you don't mean house keys. Or car keys. Or-" That was enough of that. "So what do you consider a good story, or a good character?" Somehow she doubted 'miniskirted rich kid who goes on rampages' made for a particularly good character, but they were veering off topic now. To a certain extent, Lydia wasn't even sure what she wanted the topic to be, and so she made very few attempts at directing the flow of conversation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:57 pm
Cait nodded. "I mean, I find that as soon as the blood starts spattering, I either want to vomit or laugh." She said. "For the most part. Some movies balance the two well; The Grudge is a pretty good example. Nightmares for weeks, man." She shivered a little.
Cait had to giggle a little at the curtsey. "A pleasure to meet you, too, Lydia!" She said. "Ah, perhaps this will help a little," she said, pulling off the wig and shaking out her hair. Waves of green replaced straight black, and she reached up to fluff it a little.
"Ah, ki is like...energy. In more realistic shows, it's presented as sort of a focus - and sometimes we get glowing hands or feet, extra strength in kicks or punches. In the really fantastic ones, we're talking energy beams and such." She laughed. "It can get pretty ridiculous." She tilted her head to the side and considered. "Well, a believable character, for one. No matter how fantastic the powers, if I can look at the character and say, hey, they're human, that's good. And a story that seems to flow and doesn't rely too much on plot contrivance." She explained. "Though a certain level of contrivance can be acceptable. The main character of one of my favorite shows seems to be the universe's favorite chew toy. He's brilliant and can make all kinds of seemingly foolproof plans, and something utterly unpredictable will come in and absolutely ruin it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 9:07 pm
That description, vague as it was, was somewhat harrowing. Lydia shuddered and made a mental note to never see that movie. Thrills were fine, but weeks of nightmares were not.
As the wig came off, Lydia gasped. She knew it was just a costume, but to see it come apart like that was something else. "Wow, that's amazing!" And good, since she had been fooled by such a simple trick. "Though I must say, I feel that your own hair suits you much better. You must take good care of it- and the wig as well." As someone who spent a lot of time on haircare, Lydia could appreciate other people's efforts.
"Oh, like prana, I think. Lifeforce, right?" The terms seemed to have a lot in common, at least. "It's sort of a universal energy. Though I've never heard of prana giving people extra strength, or the ability to shoot energy beams, or anything like that!" Was it prana, or ki, or something along those lines, that allowed her to become Sailor Irene? That might be something to look into, when she wasn't focused on a million other things.
She continued listening politely, frowning slightly as the explanation went on. "Wouldn't that get discouraging, though? I mean, if someone does a really good job and comes up with a wonderful plan, and it always gets ruined, why would they keep going?" Unless this character, like her, just didn't see giving up as an option. And even Lydia was starting to wonder if she could keep that up forever.
Songstress Kitsune Sorry for the delay, I totally missed this tag! ^^;
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 1:59 pm
Cait blinked and smiled. "I guess," she said, "though I probably take better care of the wigs than my hair." It boiled down to what she was seen in the most, really. "As for the illusion..." she reached into the wig and produced what looked like a cut-off stocking, a tube shape with an elastic edge. "Wig caps are great. Usually I'd tie back my hair, too, but I was feeling lazy this morning so I just grabbed the cap and tucked and stuffed it all in." She laughed a little.
Prana wasn't a concept with which Cait was familiar, but she nodded along. It seemed similar enough, at least. "Yeah, basically, though obviously a lot of shows and stories take it in really weird directions." She laughed. "As to discouraging...well, the character has a goal, and it's something he refuses to stop striving for. There's...really only one moment where he starts to give up, and even then he has someone to pick him up. So he has something of a support system, and he feels like people rely on him, which helps push him to keep going." She tilted her head to the side. "The show's called Code Geass, if you're interested; it involves a lot of giant robots but the characters are amazing and really solid, and the story is great."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 10:04 pm
"Oh no, you mustn't do that!" Lydia gasped again, this time in horror. "Wigs are replaceable, but your own hair isn't! I mean, it grows back, but if it's too badly damaged, there won't be anything you can do with it. And it's too lovely to neglect." It was also, in her opinion, too lovely to hide in a wig cap, but she didn't say that. Lydia could understand the desire to be someone else for a while, though in her case, she wanted to be somewhere else instead. But the general longing was the same.
The more that Caitlyn spoke, the more the concept reminded Lydia of her own situation. She had a goal- or so she'd thought- and other people to support and encourage her. There were a surprising number of parallels between the two scenarios, actually.
At least, until giant robots were brought up, and Lydia's interest evaporated.
"Ah, I see. I'll keep it in mind." And she would, though it was unlikely that she'd ever watch it. Robots were not exactly her cup of tea.
Lydia's phone beeped, and she pulled it out of her purse, frowning as she did. "Oh dear... that's my alarm. I need to move on soon, or I'll miss lunch!" Maize Maizier was just a few blocks away, calling her, and her stomach growled a response. "I'm sorry to cut this short just when it was getting interesting. Maybe we can continue the discussion another time!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 5:37 pm
Cait shrugged. Wigs were a fair bit more expensive than her natural hair, and she was pretty sure there was a lot more she could do with them (green waves were endlessly frustrating as far as she was concerned.) Still, she did laugh a little. "I do my best with it, I guess," she said.
She frowned for a brief moment, fairly certain from the way Lydia said she'd keep it in mind that she likely would not - but alas, giant mecha anime was not for everyone, she supposed.
"Oh!" She was a little surprised by the beeping of the phone. "I'd hate to keep you from lunch - we'll run into each other again, I'm sure!" She said. She gave Lydia a little wave as she adjusted her grip on the wig so she could tuck her hair back up and into the wig cap. "It was lovely meeting you!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 5:50 pm
"See that you do," Lydia said with mock sternness, referring to the hair issue. She then took her skirt and performed an elegant curtsy, trying not to wince as the pain in her ankle ratcheted up a notch or two. "The pleasure was all mine! And I'm quite certain we will meet again- especially if you check out DCBA."
With that not-so-subtle hint out of the way, Lydia gave a wave of her own and set off down the street again, half skipping, half limping. She hadn't managed to get any shopping done, but that had still been an excellent use of her time. Now she had all sorts of things to think about that had nothing to do with Sailor Irene, and with everything going on, she definitely needed them.
And while it was possibly premature to be thinking it, Lydia hoped she had a new friend as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
