RL needs to kindly stop kicking my ass.
( school=fail )
( DW, SGA, TVstuff )

( games ~ )

Well, today is Saturday, the last full day my relatives are going to be about. I may have other company tomorrow depending on how things go with the leaving Sunday.

But at the moment there isn't much to do, since half the family are out shopping, one of my cousins asleep in the back, and the other just went back there again (seeing as neither of us seem to know what to say to each other most of the time, especially this early in the morning.)

Most days we all seem to hang about watching stuff and sometimes eating out. I was getting my uncle to watch Haibane Renmei yesterday, since he's sort of an anime fan apparently. I'm always super hesitant about showing that one, despite it being totally my favorite, it's got just about the slowest start possible (but still more relatable for me than Evangelion pretty much ever was) since it's just talking and some minor drama. And technically that's all the story is (though with much greater drama) but the ambiguously developed society and characters, and the constant dark undertones that go on all the way through. Just agh, I love it, and the soft art just makes it better. (And wait, they're finally releasing the manga here @_@ why did I not know this?)

We almost did Lain, but um, that one is weird and never fully makes 100% sense, so I thought Haibane might've been safer <_<. I want to rewatch it myself mostly though, being all into that darkish philosophical computery stuff with Megaten of late. ( rambly about P2 again )
( P4: 3 hours in, and surprisingly gay )
( wee Nocturne )

Few more days before I can get hardcore or anything, though ^^;.

I'll post up all the gift drawing stuff I've done for people later on I think. (I did all but 1 that I can be held responsible for, yay!)

Relatives been over, which we sort of weren't expecting due to weather delays and got called up 8 AM Tuesday all "Hey we're 6 hours away." Which turned into some omg cleaning panic, but that's okay.

Gifts this time was some random stuff from my visiting family, and P3:FES, P4, SMT: Nocturne, and some blankets I badly needed from my mom/grandma. Everything I wanted, so yay to that ^^;.
(I'm trying not to think about all 3 of those games so the wait isn't so bad. I can't honestly decide which I'd rather play first.)
( eh, went on too long debating the particulars with my 3 options here )


We're watching Coupling which my relatives brought over on DVD. Which I've watched on BBCA here and there, and is fairly amusing (although it makes me despair for humanity on a level that very few shows do.) The show is pretty heterocentric overall and I really wouldn't bother otherwise, but due to my uncle's weird (vaguely homophobic) reactions anytime something remotely bi/gay comes up on the show, makes me really want to read slash for it x_x;.

Or just read a lot of slash in general, yeah. (Oh wait, this isn't unusual ~~)

Ah well, happy holiday, friendlist~.

Also! It's raining here today! Glee!

Okay, I just might be playing too much Persona. I had a freaking dream that Baofu was in last night (well more accurately probably early today since I don't sleep at "night") and I don't really get many fandom dreams ^^;.

Although he's not really in Persona 2: Innocent Sin, so I dunno if I can blame that (but he's a main char in the sequel!) Katsuya was in it too! And it was randomly shippy, like a plot I never would've thought of, but I think it was pretty lame. I guess it'd make sense if they met up post-game because of policework/Katsuya's job, considering Bao does such shady stuff, though.

It took a while to figure out the translation patch yesterday but it was worth it. I've always liked having RPGs on handheld systems or on my laptop since I can take it with me wherever and multitask it easier (and I'm secretly glad that it makes demon contacts less time consuming.)

But, after playing for most of yesterday, a bit of the "omg I'm playing Innocent Sin FINALLY" shiny wore off a bit. Eternal Punishment really was a rehash of this game in terms of the dungeons and stuff so far. Which I was planning to replay and all, but naturally I'm not as in a big a hurry to push myself to play things I already have. I know IS is sposed to be better also (and that we never saw it due to Hitler ressurrection, a gay cast member/option to go out with him, ect) but I miss/am dismayed at the prospect that Katsuya (being serious and dorky) and Baofu (always teasing Katsuya) wont be there sniping at each other for the entire game too, you know ^^;.

Mind you I do adore Eikichi (I think he's the kind of char Junpei is sort of meant to be, but just a lot more fun due to how camp and over the top Eikichi is) and Lisa is much better than I expected, Tatsuya is a good silent protagonist, and hell even Maya is surprisingly likable considering she's the cheerful positive type. So it might end up to be a "better game" but I'll still probably like EP better because I'm so attached to Bao (being one of my favorite game characters ever, and something I cosplayed) and Katsuya. But either way, does it matter? They'll both be awesome.

We'll see after I get Jun too >_>, he brings on the gay.


And my relatives aren't coming for a few more days! Yay! More time to prepare that I really needed, omg @_@ (not the least of which being christmas drawings. People need to stop sucking at making requests so my life is easier x_x)

And I didn't notice, why did I wake up at 7:30 AM?!

Why am I not surprised that the games that have finally redeemed/made me feel like my PS2 was way worth having for more than a ghetto DVD player were made by Atlus? 
I'm just surprised it took me so long to really sit down and play them. Oh well, <3.

I did finally finish off Digital Devil Saga, and promptly sped my way through Digital Devil Saga 2 in about week after. Mind you, the sequel certainly wasn't hard to stay motivated to play. DDS I felt had characters who were somewhat undeveloped, or at least the way that they behaved tended to be rather straightforward and not super interesting. Well, that's a gross simplification, as I wouldn't hold Gale or Argilla to that. But the love triangle and the way Heat/Serph/Sera all behaved was just riddled with cliche.

What I fucking LOVE is that DDS2 takes all of that, turns it around and basically goes "Well actually, we know that it was all kind of stupid, it was intentional: here's why!" Which you totally don't see coming, because everything is presented so serious and in typical RPG melodrama form (especially the ending of DDS1.) Anyway, there's a lot more reasons why I love this game aside from that, but that revelation was the moment where I was sold.
( hermaphodites, no canon het pairings, philosophy, cyberpunk demons... yeah, my kind of game. Long DDS2 spoilery rant )

And semi-relatedly, I found out there was a translated emulator patch made for Persona 2: Innocent Sin! Ahhhh. I haven't figured out how it works but /implodes.

(I started drawing today, I swear. Just, it didn't come out very good and I am not pleased.)

Wow. Good job SGA writers. I officially kind of hate Rodney now. I mean, we were getting there, just because he was becoming an idiot around Keller, but now he's just an asshole to others because of her?

I'm not even going to bother committing a real response to that episode. It wasn't as horrible as it could've been (Like, somehow it wasn't as bad as Brain Storm) but it was still very much the same and totally trite and pointless. I guess it had the flaw of hinging on -caring- if Keller lived or died.

Either neither of the actresses were up for playing a different role from usual, or the entire episode was just a plot to dress Keller up in that completely atrocious outfit. I don't get why they did it as they did otherwise.

Anyway. The ending with Rodney and Radek. RODNEY, YOU SUCK AND EPITOMIZE EVERYTHING CRAPPY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR FRIEND GETS A GIRLFRIEND, OMG.

Um, the team was there. John said some stuff, but Teyla was just there as background, Ronon did some stuff I suppose. That's better than some EPs?

No appropriate icon, sadly. The closest I can do is a monster, which is... kinda related to the Persona-Megaten-demony thing?^^;.

Well, I beat Persona 3 about a week or so ago and didn't really post about it like I planned like I would. Not that I didn't have a lot to say because I did have a lot of reactions to how the game went near the end.
( P3 overall. Spoilery like a spoiler thing for the ending )

I know I suck and haven't been keeping up on LJ like... is kinda usual. But, I've just a question.

In my offtime I've been playing Megaten games, and in the midst of the dungeon grinding I watch DS9.

I'm only up to season 2 episode 15. And it's not a bad show, but I'm just not that into it either. Quark and Odo used to be enough, but in the last week or so I just have no real desire to put the thing on.
It's weird because I feel like DS9 is a lot of what I think scifi should be, or rather just exploring the cultures and different societies and varying scifi things that I like to see. But there's just something missing/I lack caring somehow.

So... does it get much more inspiring/better? What should I do ^^;. I kind of don't care about watching the entire thing, I'm rather daunted by how long it is, and I'm not letting myself watch anything else until I either give up sorta/finish. How long will it take til I get there <_<. Maybe I should just watch Pushing Daisies, Merlin, or whatever else my flist rants about instead...

(icon expresses what my brain feels like at current)
Dude. Someday I will actually be prepared and not procrastinate without even knowing it. I mean it's no excuse not knowing about something, considering oh, COLLEGE TRANSFER APPLICATION dates are kind of something I should've been thinking about for a year(s) in advance, and not um, a month (and more like a week really.)
So yeah, go me, I only really found out about a week ago that I rather need to apply to any colleges I'm going to this week (30th, today), or else I do something else for a year/risk looking really bad next time I apply. Not to mention the way my last counselor messed me up with her instructions, sending me entirely towards CSU requirement classes (which I should've seen coming considering how anti-UC she seemed to be) so I'm having to cram like 4 UC requirement classes and 2 CSU ones in the next 2 semesters(respectively) that I had no idea about. Not that it's that bad of a load, and hey! no maths, but I wish I'd been more prepared is all.

Anyway, in case anyone's curious I'm not likely to get into UCLA which is my first choice due to proximity/convenience/my mom working there, and other things, since my best GPA by the time they'll consider me is gonna be 3.2, and psych majors need 3.6. Yay for my lazy C's and 5.0 C grade in Japanese that I didn't deserve.
My second choices are CSU's which are all in the valley, which is bad in terms of transportation. It's going to cost a lot of money to deal with car stuff, and I've been pretty much told even with a scholarship living on/near campus isn't an option, my grandma needs me here. Anyway, I'm virtually guaranteed to get into CSU though, so something will be figured out.

Anyway, otherwise in usual procrastination news, I'm apparently no good at putting out an essay until the night before apparently. I kind of worked off and on with it in terms of ideas and did my main outline on Friday. But ended up almost rewriting it, and having a much more cohesive bit of sense when I worked on it tonight. My first draft was obnoxiously philosophical (not that I managed to keep all of it out) but a lot more personal and less abstract on the rewrite.
UC PERSONAL STATEMENT OF DOOM FINISH.

Yeah you'd think that would make me relax, but for some reason it hasn't. I have a statistics test tomorrow that is frighteningly easy (for the first time ever), which is just making me paranoid, haha. Then I'll just be freaked out by finals, hum. I'm not usually this bad, but something got me going, I haven't really been able to eat much all week either, which is odd.

Um anyway. Things more fun now! I've gotten embarrassingly pulled back into Persona 3 (the blissfully subtext-bisexual and dark RPG series), -finally-. It may have contributed to me procrastinating more at times, but I did most of my brainstorming for my personal statement while doing the semi-mindless dungeon grinding. There's a lot of stuff that I'd rather go into at greater length about this game, especially once I finish it, because with persona games the best is saved for last (and it did get a lot better as the plot slowly got started), so a random collection of opinions/observations:.

( Man. Did I have that much to say about Persona3? @_@ )