Channel the Alley

ANIME NORTH 2013 VIDEO – Maid Cafes

Poor Alley — Sat, 25 May 2013 18:00:06 +0000

So, this video wasn’t found by me but is instead found by my friend Tom. It isn’t about Canada or Anime North, but does talk about something that is very popular in Japan & at Anime North – Maid Cafes! And as HiroHoch explains, it’s a bit weird . . .

ANIME NORTH 2013 VIDEO – Nuzlocke Challenge

Poor Alley — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:46 +0000

So, I’ve known about user-created challenges for the Sims 2 & 3, but I never knew about the Nuzlocke Challenge for Pokemon. Now, I bet this challenge applies to ANY Pokemon game no matter what it is. So, this might be a great opportunity to get that copy of Pokemon Gold or Silver off the shelf and play it again (if the battery still works) or just buy another copy of Pokemon Black & White 2 and play using these rules. It might make it more exciting, it might make it playable. But that is only a guess . . . Since I have kinda stopped playing . . .

ANIME NORTH 2013 VIDEO – Highschool of the Dead Anime Review

Poor Alley — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:00:54 +0000

So, this is the first canned post of Anime North 2013. Well, the part that actually posts during Anime North 2013. But because I am a werido that likes to have her posts coincide with work and life in general, I am queuing this to post at the exact moment that Anime North 2013 kicks off. Which provably means that I will be busy. HA!!!! Take that bitches!!!!!

Now, I will officially shut up and allow you to enjoy this review of this Anime:

Preparing For Anime North: Part 3 – Anime North in the News

Poor Alley — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:30:18 +0000

So, in previous years Anime North has gotten a lot of attention. And last year was no exception. It made the news . . . well Canadian News, but that’s still news! Anyway, let’s enjoy what Macleans had to say about Anime North 2012:

Anime North: where fantasy gets real

Toronto’s annual celebration of anime and manga brought out thousands of devotees, including many in costume
by Brian Bethune on Friday, June 1, 2012 1:46pm
From: http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/06/01/anime-north-where-fantasy-gets-real/

What does it take to run a multi-million dollar event with more than 20,000 attendees and no professional involvement? Lots of volunteers—some 700—in the case of Anime North, Toronto’s annual celebration of those twin pillars of Japanese pop culture, anime and manga. Flip sides of the same massively popular coin, anime (film and TV) and manga (multivolume comics) contain a bewildering variety of content, theme and visual expressions. Erotica and fantasy, sci-fi and horse operas, mystery and romance or any combination of thereof, Western or Asian, in some of international pop culture’s most eclectic mash-ups: “Anime’s a medium, not a genre,” says Anime North conference chairman, Irwin Tan.

And one that inspires deep devotion in its primarily young aficionados. “Most are 17 to 25,” notes Tan of the thousands flocking through Toronto’s Congress Centre last weekend, “though I’m starting to see people in their 30’s, who are second-gen. Probably 18 or so when we began 15 years ago; now they’re pushing their own kids—some in very cool costumes—around in strollers.” The demographics mean attendees are far from well-heeled, but they still exert a major economic impact: entrance charges range from $55 weekend passes to $35 one-day passes; 15,000 area hotel rooms are annually blocked off (up to 40 per cent of attendees come from outside of Southern Ontario, and many of the locals stay on-site as well); the Dealers’ Room (selling manga, anime and collectibles of all kinds) does beyond brisk business; and line-ups for the nearby fast-food restaurants are daunting for all but the hungriest teens.

Tan, a 44-year-old commercial office designer and convention chair for the past 11 years, has been with Anime North from the beginning. It grew out of a University of Toronto club that held a 1997 convention in a campus venue. Even then attendance—700 people—was twice expectations. “We ran around all day photocopying more badges for people showing up at the door. Since then it’s grown about 10 per cent every year.” Which brings Anime North, by the miracle of compound interest, to its present 20,000-plus, making it by far Canada’s largest convention of its kind and in the top five in North America. And bringing it also to an ongoing effort to keep itself in the sweet spot between easy-going, for-the-pure-love-of-it amateurism and the demands of large-scale organization. This year, for the first time, the convention placed a daily cap (20,000) on attendees, partly to leave room to breathe in the crowded congress hall and partly because the odds say that bad weather—there’s never really been any in 15 years—has to come some day. At any given moment several thousand people are milling about in the open air, and organizers want be sure they can accommodate them all during a storm.

“We strive to stay very relaxed, very casual,’ says Tan, “but still act professionally,” especially with the guests, who include Japanese bands (and this year a star Tokyo DJ) and voice actors from Canada and Japan. That means no one is trying to establish, let alone adhere to, hard and fast rules of exactly what constitutes anime. The costumed wrestling, which runs throughout the weekend, often features participants dressed as very North American figures, including such superheroes as Spider-Man. “Once I went by and I saw a match between Vegeta [from the wildly popular anime Dragonball Z] and [Sesame Street’s] Elmo,” recalls Tan. “I thought of it as ‘Kill Me Elmo’.” But as long as there’s some “tie-in to Japanese culture, we’re good with what people want to see.”

As for the pull of it all, the engine behind Anime North’s double-digit annual growth, it pretty much comes down to the cosplay for the convention chair. More than half the attendees, not just those babies in strollers, come dressed as characters from shows or comics or, often enough, as concepts inspired by anime. Some of that is “showing off—those costumes take a lot of work and ingenuity,” says Tan, “and part is the sense of community they help invoke. We have workshops on improving your costume, and people will often simply stop and give you advice. We’re very close-knit.”

All photos courtesy of photographer Ian Bethune

So, this is it for the prep of Anime North 2013. There is a lot more awesomeness that went on last year and before but I just don’t have the time to post it all!!! But if you do have the time, go out and check out Anime North 2013 – you won’t regret it!

Preparing For Anime North: Part 2 – Anime North 2012

Poor Alley — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:30:14 +0000

So, Anime North 2013 is almost upon me but it would be wrong to go to this year’s con without looking at what happened last year. (Please note everything in this post wasn’t created by me – to see that, look at the archives, thank you.) Let’s get going!

AWESOME DOLL(S)

Remember CardCaptor Sakura? Well, maybe you remember CardCaptors, the butchered English ver of this show. In any case, it is a completely adorable Magical Girl story with a sweet and powerful young girl. Can you guess her name? Yup It’s Sakura!!! Which means Cherry Blossom in Japanese, real cute! Which makes this doll even cuter!

Source: DollNorth 2012/13 (Seriously, they have their own tumblr).

IS HE THE ONLY WHITE GUY?

So, Toronto has a large Japanese Population or at least a large Asian Population – it’s hard to tell the difference sometimes (Don’t hate! It’s true). Many of those young, Japanese People come to the con. It’s almost like going to Japan, only it’s Toronto and everyone speaks great English. Now, at this con there are a lot of people like me – who are white, but there are almost as many are Asian. You will see whole groups that dress up and are completely Asian. Like this group, only I know one of those dudes is totally white – can you guess which one?

PS: Yeah I know the Kisuke might also be white, it’s a bit hard to tell . . .

Source: The HeavensAnswer

BEST ENTERTAINMENT OF THE CON

So, if you haven’t heard this from me before – listen – the best Entertainment of the Con is free. 100% free. It is the large numbers people coming and going in front of the TCC (Toronto Congress Centre). You see the back is where both registration & the dealer’s rooms lie – so there are large groups of people there at all times. People are coming and going, dressed up in their best cosplay.

But that’s not the part that is entertaining. It’s the people around them! Generally, the rest of the public treat these cosplayers as if they were celebrities. Stopping them, asking for pictures, etc. And these cosplayers often have poses or skits that they do for the pictures. So, literally, without paying, you can sit on the lawn watching the action around you. And it is VERY entertaining. And 100% free!

Source: FreudianLolita

PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS!

If you ever saw, William Shatner’s Get A life, then this is no surprise to you, but: we should be so lucky as to be inspired by something to create art (paraphrased of course). And while these are NOT Trekkies, they are just as passionate. And they do make us question, do you have enough time on your hands?

Source: MsYumYumSoGood

CROSS-DRESSING IS COOL

So, this section has two, count it two photos of different people!!! WOOOTTT!!! Anyway, A staple of any con is cross-dressing.Be it male or female, it doesn’t matter. It’s okay and is actually kinda cool. Think about it: What would Sailor Moon look like as a guy? Or Superman as a girl (I saw that once)? It might be pretty cool!

SAILORMOON

Source: A-Novels end

Believe it or not, this image was fairly hard to find – men seem to cross-dress as women a lot more than women cross-dress as men.

Source: Macleans.ca

FURRIES

So, it’s no secret that I am Furry. And while I haven’t really gotten a suit that I love – I provably, eventually will. And last year was a great year . . . for Furries. I saw a lot of them or was it the year before? I dunno, but I have seen a lot of them! So, why don’t I show you some of my favorites?

THE PEDOBEAR

Yup, last year the Pedobear made a stop at Anime North. If you don’t know the meme, then maybe you should learn about it here. Obviously, this is premade (most likely chinese) suit, but it was still cool to see. It takes balls to wear that around. Congrats person for making this list!

Source: Deviant Art

CHESHIRE CAT

So, my humor has been described before as “Cheshire Cat,” so I had to mention this one. As the video suggests, this isn’t the most technically awesome fursuit but it is a very creative one. And the overall effect is pretty cool. So, Cheshire Cat, you get two thumbs up (four if you made it yourself)!

Source: Popscreen

DINOSUARS

So, Dinosaurs, aren’t my favorite type of furry (Yeah I know technically they are scallies), but hey this is pretty cool. Don’t ya think?

Source: Dinosaurusrex.ca

SLY COOPER

So, Sly Cooper was one of my favorite Gaming series of all time. I haven’t played the new game but I love it! So, when I saw this outfit, it just had to get on the list!!!! Now, I am not a big fan of the molded, plastic, face look but it kinda works here. Despite my issue with the face, this is the best cosplay of Sly Cooper that I have seen in a long time. Good job guys!

Source: Imgur

BARNEY WAS THERE

Source: Imgur

MISCELLANEOUS

At any con, there will be weird and funky costumes that don’t really fit into any category (not even the funky ones that I have mentioned today). So, with my final section in mind, allow me to present the weird and wonderful at Anime North!!!

HACK & SLASH

So, what would Canadians do with their convention? Well celebrate Canadian Animation – that’s what! Now, I have no clue whether or not these two are Canadian. Noe do I care, but it is awesome to see them!

Source: DinosaurusRex

JOURNEY

have you played Journey? If not, stop this post and go do that – it’s awesome!!!! But if you have then you know who these two are. Great job guys!

Source: Supportclass

ENDERMAN

So, it’s no secret that I love Minecraft (or that this person loves it too!) Unlike the pre-made versions of Minecraft characters, this is of an Enderman, a big scary baddie in the game. It takes guts and a lot of height to pull off this look – congrats!

Source: Anonymiss

WTF GIRL

Is there another way to describe her? It’s clearly trying to be a school girl, but what one? Sailor Moon, another one? I dunno. But I do know her face is creepy! WTF!!!

Source: MacCleans.ca

SMILE, ALRIGHT?

So, this is my final image for the post and it sums up what Anime North is. It’s three days of awesome insanity and it’s definitely worth going to. So, pack your bags and head North for Anime North 2013!!! Oh and don’t forget to smile!!!

Source for this image: MacCleans.ca

Preparing For Anime North: Part 1 – WTF Toronto Craigslist!!!

Poor Alley — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:19 +0000

So, I am preparing to leave for Anime North Today. I am getting the last of my stuff together and I am heading out ASAP. And since nothing is going on today, beyond boring bus rides and all the like – why don’t I entertain you with Craigslist? Sure it ain’t Buffalo’s Craigslist but it is still full of WTF. Particularly when the dudes are looking for a little something special . . .

So sit back, relax, and laugh your ass off at these “johns.”

MISSED CONNECTIONS

So, I wanted to start you out easy, with Missed Connections. Mostly these posts are pathetic but harmless. Bad poetry, horrible setups, etc. Nothing particularly seezy. That is still to come!

Click on the image to read better

This is one is from near where I will be soon – the Pearson Airport.

CASUAL ENCOUNTERS

This Cat is a more spicy. Shots of Dicks are very common here. Luckily for you, I promise I will not repost any such art. Still, this is a lot more nasty, so be-warned!!!

MISC ROMANCE

This is a bit of a catch-all. Anything that doesn’t fit into the other cats goes into here. So, it is a good place to laugh at some “Johns.” Poor Dudes, they didn’t know what hit them . . .

And the weirdest of them all!!

Seriously, pictures of pregnant women? That is supposed to attract me? Hmmm . . . Nah!!! but thanks for offering to impregnate . . . me? I gotta go take a bath . . .

Getting Ready to Head Out

Poor Alley — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:04:47 +0000

So, it’s 8 am and I am making final preparations to go to Anime North 2013. I leave in about an hour and I will be heading towards the border on a Greyhound. I can’t wait to see you all at Anime North 2013!!!!

How to Draw Real Women

Poor Alley — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:21 +0000

So, this one is another great post from Escher Girls. Juniysa posted a how to draw women guide that is worth your time. These women all have curves, which pretty awesome if you ask me. There is even an Avatar-styled girl. Sweet!!

How to Draw Real Women

(No Real Title)
By Juniysa
Posted May 6th, 2013
From: http://eschergirls.tumblr.com/post/49761472448/juniysa-hey-new-followers-in-addition-to

juniysa:

Hey new followers!

In addition to writing, I also reblog art and great writing/drawing tips.

This tutorial is incredible if you are a character designer looking to diversify your female characters. Adding weight to a character is not as simple as drawing a simple body and curving the lines; you have to know the body structure to get it right.

A helpful guide for comic artists, character designers, and cosplayers alike.

Tutorial – Curves on Girls by *Ai-Bee

Edit: This is not the end-all, be-all tutorial guide to drawing larger people. This style is more cartoon than realistic. Photo references (of professional and amateur models in the #fatspo #bbw tags) are helpful as well.

What do you think of this tutorial? Is it useful to you? Let me know in the comments below:

Famous Rides: Pirates of the Caribbean

Poor Alley — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:40 +0000

So, almost everyone has been on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride somewhere at sometime. Be it at Disney World, Disney Land, or somewhere overseas – I bet you have ridden this ride. It included in every Disney Park throughout the world and is one of the most popular rides of all time. And I bet it has a warm place inside your heart. Which is why I am dedicating this post to Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” Ride. Enjoy!

Pirates of the Caribbean Construction

Part 1

Pirates of the Caribbean Construction

Part 2

Pirates of The Caribbean Ride

After Refub (I never rode this ver), but I kinda prefer the old ver.

Pirates of the Caribbean Celebrates 45 Years at Disneyland Park

This one has cool views of each ride at the different parks

Pirates of the Caribbean in HD at Disneyland

One of the best videos of the ride I could find

So, that’s some of the best videos out there about the “Pirates of The Caribbean Ride.” There was one more taken at Disneyland Tokyo, but I can’t find it anymore. Still, these are worth watching and the ride is worth celebrating. It is one of the few rides that I remember strongly from Disney World. I hope that I will get a chance to see it again. Too bad I can’t see it in it’s original condition . . .

What do you think of the “Pirates of The Caribbean Ride?” Would you wanna see it again? Let me know in the comments below:

A Guide For Character Developent

Poor Alley — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:19 +0000

Yup, I have something more from ESCHER GIRLS, this time is a character development guide that is worth your time if you are considering writing a story. It also has links to useful sites, so check it out – okay?

Developing your Characters and Making Them Interesting

By referenceforwriters
Date Posted: May 6th, 2013
From: http://eschergirls.tumblr.com/post/49781213471/developing-your-characters-and-making-them-interesting

Recently I got a message about a person struggling on how to develop their characters, as they normally wrote about already created characters—also about how to make them interesting and make the people reading your story actually want to continue reading it.

I’d say this is one of the main differences between fanfiction and original work. Writing fanfiction you already rely on the fact people know the characters—how they look (or are supposed to look), personalities, and backgrounds… unless you’re writing an AU. There’s people that already like the characters and would (probably) be willing to read your story. Now, you focus on a good plot to interest them.

But then we are back on our original stories, our novels, anything we write. We have to create our characters from scratch—interesting characters that can fit and make our story flow. Because good characters can handle a poor plot, yet a good plot can’t handle poor characters. I guess this is all we do here, right? this is the bane of our existence as writers.

Truth is, there’s no right way to write a story. And there’s no right way to develop a character! I tested this by asking you guys how you do to create and flesh out your characters. Every response was personal and different.

Sometimes it starts with the spark of an word, an archetype, a color, a trait, a flaw, a song lyric, a painting, someone you know in real life—then you go from there.

Here are some basic steps on developing a character, yet, you can do it as you see fit:

You start with the personality. Once that’s done it’s relatively easier to know how they look like. You sculpt and pick virtues and vices, flaws and qualities—perfect characters are not interesting. When it comes to protagonists and antagonists, they’re neither 100% good nor 100% bad, because there is not fully good or bad people. Get what I’m saying? Round characters are the thing we’re going for. Take details from people in real life, if you want: funny habits, mannerisms, what makes people human.

Work on the appearance of your character. What’s their body type, their eye color, skin color, hair color, shape of their face/nose, if they have birthmarks or scars somewhere…

Pick a name as you see fit. This can be the first step depending on how you work. Is there a meaning behind it? does it show somehow their character’s personality? remember sometimes they are relevant to the setting/genre.

Flesh. ‘Em. Out. Think of hobbies and background. How’s the relationship with their family and friends, how they act around authority, what kinds of clothes they like to wear…

Always remember: character development is an ongoing thing. You never “finish” developing your character, just like we, as people, don’t stay the same.

That being said, be creative with it! Don’t imitate the way your favorite authors develop their characters- create your own way! your characters are all yours! Make playlists about songs that remind you of your characters, keep a journal for them- sky’s the limit.

Good links for you:

Fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment: a blog just about character development. Seriously, if you are not following this blog, you are in nothing.

Our character descriptions and characters tags, along with body and mind and personality.

Create fictional characters from scratch

13 ways to create compelling characters

Moral Alignments and Jung Personality Theory: both good resources by the same person. They’re a different way to add dimension and understand better your characters. Even if you aren’t using them, they’re still a pretty good read.

Get to know your characters interesting questions require interesting answers.

-Alex

I hope that this helps you if you are considering writing, even if it is a Fanfic (which is what I have been writing lately – trust me – I am working on more Superman Fanfics!). But let me know if you want to see more stuff like this. Click like if you like it or reply in the comments below. See ya!