Otakus Are Us

[rocklobster]

OOC: I thought her name was Talia?
"Hello, Alex." Christa said. "Why don't you take a load off. I just started popcorn." She noticed how worn out he looked. "Would you like a drink? I find apple juice does good for exhaustion."

[Masquerade1412]

"That sounds good," Alex said.
"Wait, did you say popcorn?"

[Atria35]

((OOC: Her name is Talia. I got mixed up bcs I have several RPs I'm on ATM))

Talia went back to watch for the others- half the members were already here! She was already so excited!

[Phantom_Sorano]

The soft sound of wheels rolling on cement was like a soft buzz in the crisp air. Toby and Lio were both on skateboards, gently gliding closer to the address from the flyer. Christa lived in a nice neighbor, and her house was generous and beautifully built Lio admired. They got to the mailbox, and kicked up their boards. After setting their shoes and skating equipment near the doormat, Toby reached out and rang the bell.

[rocklobster]

"Would you like to see my collection?" Christa asked. At that moment, a black cat with white paws came up to Alex's leg and rubbed against it.
"I think Kuroneko wants to greet you." Christa giggled.
OOC: Soran, what's Leah up to?

[Atria35]

Talia had taken her time to get back to the door- as she reached it, she could see Toby and Lio through the peephole. So exciting! She threw open the door and gave Lio a hug, then beckoned them both inside. ((Popcorn in the kitchen!)) she signed, starting to get a bit hungry.

[rocklobster]

At that moment, the popcorn stopped. "Oh, take your time, Alex. I gotta get the bowls out. There should be enough for most of us, and I have more bags if we run out. Oh, and there's apple juice and fruit punch in the fridge, gang. We swear off soft drinks and energy drinks because one sip and Leah goes nuts."
Realizing Alex wasn't going to pet her, Kuroneko decided to try her luck with Talia. She rubbed against her leg and looked up quietly, almost as if she knew meowing wouldn't work.

[Atria35]

Talia happily picked up the cat and petted it. She loved animals- but everyone in her family was allergic! She put the cat on her shoulder and signed ((So are we watching on the bogscreen downstairs, then?)), then resumed giving the cat all the petting it could desire.

[Masquerade1412]

Alex walked over to the cabinet.
...Let's see what we have here...
...Hmm...Spirited Away...Gundam Wing...Wolf's Rain...?...What's this?
Alex picked up Serial Experiments Lain and read the summary on the back.
...I'll ask Christa about this later...
He then went toward the kitchen to find some juice.
...Oh, happy day!...There's Sunny D!...My favorite!...

[rocklobster]

Christa entered her room and saw Alex scanning her collection of anime and manga.
"Um, Serial Experiments Lain is not an easy one to watch. I don't understand it at all, and I've watched it three times. I just like it for the visuals and the opening song." She took out the copy of Whisper Of the Heart. She went downstairs and inserted the DVD into the machine (it's a vertical model, btw). Then she turned on the disc menu and selected the subtitled version. "I should point out that the dub is actually one of the best I've heard, but we'll watch the sub version this time." she said. "I'll wait for Alex before we start this."

[Masquerade1412]

"Oh, sorry," Alex said as he climbed down the stairs. "I didn't know we were starting."
...*sigh*...when will I learn...

[rocklobster]

"Well, that's all right, Alex. Really, stop being so nervous." Christa said. She pressed play as she saw Alex grab a seat. "We'll just skip the part where John Lassetter introduces it. We don't really need to watch that."

[Phantom_Sorano]

Leah came bouncing down the stairs, circling around the sofa, and plopping down between Toby and the other highschoolers. She stuck out her tongue at him and snuggled in next to Lio.

"I have some new sketches for you.", Lio replied to the affectionate greeting.

"Oh! With patterns!?"

"As best as I could manage..."

Leah eagerly grabbed the sketchbook she had bought just for Lio to draw and design her cosplay outfits. She scanned the newest pages, pleased by the new projects.

Lio returned to sketching in another sketchbook, placing a stick of pocky in her mouth to idly hang as she worked. Toby stretched over, stealing the rest of her box despite her scowl as the movie started up.

[rocklobster]

"Leah is a cosplayer. That means she likes to dress up like her favorite characters. I'm thinking of taking her to her first convention this year. She's usually only done it for a hobby or for Halloween." Christa explained to Alex. "If you'd like, I have photos of her best costumes on my Facebook I can show you when we're done."

[Masquerade1412]

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" said Alex.
Cosplay...Do a lot of people cosplay?...hmm...well, I'd love to see what the costumes look like!...
...I hope this movie is good...I don't want to hate it and upset the others...
...but, then again, if I get too emotional, they might laugh at me...
...oh, well...It's showtime!...

[rocklobster]

OOC: It's a little girly. We'll fast forward to the end of the movie tomorrow.
"Well, here comes the John Denver song, so I guess we'll start.
OOC: "Country Roads" by John Denver is actually a plot point in this movie, for those who haven't seen it.

[Phantom_Sorano]

Toby leaned over the edge of the couch, taking a bowl from his bookbag. Top Ramen; he always had the cheap noodles cooked and ready. A bottle of chocolate syrup found its way from the depths of his bag as he drizzled down the container. Satisfied, he leaned bcak into the couch fork in hand.

Leah squealed in excitement and tightened her death grip hold on her Kuroneko plushie as the film was beginning; anime was so exciting, and it was better because she and her older sister both loved it. Content, she leaned into Lio and burrowed in close. Lio never said much, but she was always nice and patient with her; she felt safe in confiding in her almost as much as Christa. Lio didn't seem to mind; see wrapped her arm around her and settled into the cushions as the credits began.

[rocklobster]

OOC: We're going to go ahead and skip to the end of the movie.
"Well, that's it. One of my favorite Miyazaki movies. OK, actually, I like almost every movie that Studio Ghibli made...except for Pom Poko." said Christa. Then she walked over to her computer and brought up her Facebook photos of Leah. "OK, slide show time."

[Phantom_Sorano]

Toby stretched out, sighing in content. After a good anime and three bowls of ramen, he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. He glanced to see leah bouncing about in her usual excitement amplified by the slideshow that Christa was pulling up. Lio was mostly in her sketchbook, but interesting to watch as her face expressions changed with her thoughts. He didn't know he was staring at her until all he saw was a waving hand.

"Whaa?"

"Toby, are you there?", Leah asked in her singsong voice.

Toby blushed, feeling slightly embarassed. He dared to look up only to find Lio wasn't paying attention; a flood of relief washed over him before he regained composure.

"Yeah, I was just staring off is all. Are these your cosplay pics?"

"Yep! Christa and I went to a Con last year."

"There's another one here soon isn't there?", chimed Lio.

[rocklobster]

Christa nodded.
"This is Leah's first costume ever: the Pokemon Trainer. And this is Sakura from Cardcaptors. And here's one I really love: Rakka from Haibane Renmei. Aunt Liz was a big help this time. Of course, she's always a big help, thanks to her costume supply store."
OOC: Masquerade, you can act as if you've seen the shop.

[Masquerade1412]

(OCC: thanks for the idea!)
...wait...costume store?...
"You mean that store on Maple Street?
I live just a few blocks away from it!" Alex said.
...I wonder if they have something in my size...hehe...

[Atria35]

Talia rolled her eyes. Though she admired her friends for dressing up, she definitely thought that it was silly and not for her.

[rocklobster]

"The Sakura-con this year is going to be great!" said Christa. "I hear Johnny Yong Bosch and Crispin Freeman are going to be there. And the Spoony Bards will do a concert too! Oh, Alex, come see. I think I know the perfect way to start you off on anime and manga. I think I know the perfect title."
OOC: The Spoony Bards are a filk band that goes around anime cons. I've seen videos of them on Youtube.

[Masquerade1412]

Alex obediently followed Christa toward the cabinet.
...well, apparently, I am uneducated in the ways of anime...so I'll just let Christa choose...
...maybe I'll find a new favorite!...but what if I don't like it?...
Christa's advice came strolling into his thoughts. "Really, stop being so nervous."
...now where did THAT come from?...but she is right...I mean...if I fret over every little thing...I'll miss the big picture...
...hey...that was kind of poetic...maybe I should be a writer or something...
(OCC: Just a note here, but Alex tends to space out when he gets lost in his thoughts.)

[rocklobster]

OOC: I've noticed.
"Let's see." Christa said. "Ah, here we are." She took out 4 volumes of manga and a DVD.
"I'll let you borrow both versions of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. They're both somewhat different from each other. Now, there's something you should know about manga. You have to read it from right to left, not left to right like you usually read something. That's because that's how the Japanese read. You still read the English the same way you always do, but the pictures you look at in right to left. It takes a little getting used to at first."
OOC: Starting tomorrow, we'll move to the weekend. Everyone slept over, so we can hang out and watch more stuff or do some other fun stuff.

[Phantom_Sorano]

OOC: Gotcha.

Toby shifted uncomfortably; he never liked the idea of cosplay. It just didn't make much sense to him. But he had remembered hearing about Sakura con. He had secretly bought tickets for him and Lio to go when he saw the con information posted all over her computer.
Lio's demeanor seemed to prick up to as the talk of cosplay and convention continued. She loved to cosplay, probably because it was a creative and artistic element. She had been working on sketches and character ideas not only for Leah, but herself. This year, she wanted to really make a statement at the convention.

"I think I have it.", she said with pride bubbling beneath.

Leah bounced around the couch and grabbed for Lio's sketchbook.

"You have my costume!?"

"Yes, aswell as two others. Yours is here."

"Oh! I remember her! She's the younger, blue-haired sister from Tenshi Muyo!"

"Yes, her costume is pretty and she has a personality that suits you."

"Yay! I'll show Aunt Liz tomorrow. Hey....whose are those for?", she said pointed to adjacent pages.

"Costumes for Toby and me. Hopefully we'll have enough money to go by the time the con rolls around."

"What! I'm going!?", Toby said trying to sound surprised, "when did you make this executive decision?" He leaned over nudging Talia with his elbow. "Do you see how I am treated?"

"Oh, get over it. You're going", Lio said with a playful, decisive air, "And I already have our costumes in mind."

"What from? Sailor Moon, Vampire Knight...what's another girly title....Mew Mew?"

"Iie. None of the above, but I am inspired to put a twist on the characters."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Howl's Moving Castle."

"You mean I'd be the wizard guy? He's so precocious!"

"Exactly....you wouldn't even have to act."

He sighed, putting on a overly dramatic expression and leaned to Talia.

"Oh! How my friends have forsaken me! Aren't they cruel?! Please, take pity on me!"

[Masquerade1412]

"Oh, uh, thank you," Alex said.
...right to left...reverse...interesting...manga AND anime versions...
"Just out of curiosity, what exactly is Nausicaa about?"

[Atria35]

Talia watched the back-and-forth between Toby and Leah and Lio. It was rather hilarious, even though she couldn't lip-read everything. She started giggling the first time Toby had nudged her, and by the second time, she was laughing pretty hard.

((Poor Toby!)) she signed. ((You guys are doing it all wrong! He should be the prince from Princess Tutu! Have him go around in tights!))

Possibly a bit of her teasing was a little meanness- despite what she had told Lio, she did have a slight crush on Toby. But she considered herself intelligent, and figured that Toby or Lio was into the other.... and she definitely didn't want to say anything unless she thought she could be sure that Toby maybe liked her back. Considering it was Toby, that wasn't going to happen.

[rocklobster]

"Nausicaa takes place after an environmental disaster Nausicaa is a girl who lives in a village that is trying to survive under a poisonous atmosphere. To make matters worse, the village is about to be invaded too. Oh, and there's giant mutant bugs running rampant. It's awesome."

[Masquerade1412]

...sounds scary...but I can't chicken out now!...
"It sounds...interesting," said Alex. "I can't wait to watch it...or read it...whichever is more convenient...
...thanks for everything. Tonight was the best night I have had in a long time."