Once upon a time (like, 3 years ago), an awesome writer called plotbunny_tiff wrote a fanfic, called "Yes, He Could.", featuring Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji (aka the Red Shirt Trio).

Many years later, I still love this fic, and read it every once in awhile and drool over the images that filtered into my mind, thanks to her. I had started a comic using the story years ago, but never finished it...until today. I don't know if it captures the awesome on the original fic, but I had to try...

For those who know of the story, I hope you enjoy this piece; and for those who don't know of the fic, I hope it gains new fans thanks to this reminder... And I hope Tiff enjoys it as well. <3

( Warning: Innuendo, skin, not for work )

On DevART

Crossposted to onepieceyaoi

So this week I had the opportunity to get a one-bedroom apartment for myself, in a complex I like (I looked at one in the other building in April, but it was bad timing). I went and checked it all out, and it was nice. LOTS more space than I have now.

But because of the move-time (which conflicts with my parents moving), I wanted to talk to 'em, see if they'd still be able to help if I did take it. We discussed, agreed they could help me and that I should take the apartment. So I called the lady the next morning, saying I'd like to put in an application for it.

Someone had put one in just that morning, before I called. ;_; Sigh.

Very little chance of them being denied, so I lost my shot at this one. I still put in an application, and got my name on their waiting list. Hopefully I'll get in before the snow flies, but we'll see.

Once a week! xP

Fell on the ground like a shmuck yesterday, in front of the mall. *facepalm* Stupid klutzy streak kicks in at the WORST times. I'm all sore today from it, my arm is killing me whenever I lift something. Want to draw, but hands hurt too. D:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things I've learned at work this week, thanks to customers?

1) Last week, a cashier called me up, saying a customer at the cash was looking for Turkey lunch meat. No specific brand, just Turkey lunch meat. The cashier double-checked this with the customer, and I was promptly entertained by hearing the customer reply "Yes, Turkey! Goes bok, bok, bok!" The first thing I say is "Turkey's don't go Bok Bok, they Gobble!"

2) A lady asked me today if we sold "Mr. Fish" products. Naturally, I'm thinking "WTF?", but she then mentions the fish products has a man on the box. Therefore, the fisherman on the High Liner products will now be known as "Mr. Fish". And in case anyone's curious, we sell Blue Water Products, not High Liner. XD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NO MORE FRIVOLOUSLY SPENDING MONEY THIS MONTH. Or next month. Must saaaaave.

Good God, over a year without an update. And yet I'm on LJ every day checking my Communities.

EVERY. DAY.

*would headdesk, if she had a desk*

OKAY. New resolution. I am going to write at least one entry a week. Maybe I'll pick a day and make it part of my routine; maybe it'll be completely boring, and say "Nothing new this week; because I have no life" (which I don't). But I'll DO IT.

If I don't, come poke me on this entry and yell at me or something. Seriously.

Also, I need to keep up with my friends-page more. I don't check that nearly enough. *kicks self*

EDIT: Maybe I'll tweak my journal style too, while I'm at it. This orange is uglier than I remember...

EDIT 2: *eyes new journal style* Hmm, better. Much better. ^^

XD; Wow, 2 months since I updated, how sad. But what a time it's been! So much to catch you guys up on. Let's start with:

New Job
Yes, I've gotten a new job. Moved to a new city, even! It all happened the VERY last week of November, in which I drove 5 hours for a job interview in Hamilton, ON. 5 days later, I was offered the job, and accepted the job.

The next 10 days were spent in INSANITY. We drove down to Hamilton that very weekend, looked for apartments, found one we liked (but weren't accepted til 2 days before I moved. YEEP.) I gave my notice to my old job, and between working my last shifts there starting packing, buying stuff for the new apartment, getting things settled, ordered cheques (for my rent payments), and half a zillion other things.

I've been here a month now, and it's been going good. (see below in "Living in Hamilton")


Christmas/New Years
Ah, the holidays; I may have just moved a week or so before, but no chance in hell was I missing it with my family. I wound up leaving for home immediately after work Friday the 22nd.

Like, literally. I'd brought my packed stuff with me to work, was done at 4:30, was on a GO Bus to Toronto by 5, and was heading to North Bay by 7:30. It all went rather smooth, actually.

...Until the buses transmisson blew at about 9:30pm. Took over an hour for another bus to get to us so we could continue on. Fun. XP;

ANYWAYS. For the next 9 days I helped my mom make scrumptious Cabbage Rolls (which I better get some of next time they come visit me. D< ), got to see the family I didn't get to say bye to before I moved, had yummy Xmas dinners, updated my former co-workers on how Hamilton was (tell ya, I don't miss working Xmas/New Years Eve there!), and hung out with my family.

Presents? I got a lot of stuff before I moved, so gifts were understandably few. I did get a pair of PJ's, some cookbooks, and some DVDs (Hairspray, Justice League, Old School TMNT).

I was back in my apartment by New Years Eve, and just really spent the night/day chilling out. I was wiped after the week before. It was actually really nice. xD; Went back to work for the 2nd, and that's about it.


Living in Hamilton
So far, so good. Starting to get settled in at the new job, and I'll be going from 9:30-4 soon, giving me a 1/2 hour to learn on my own afterwards. By February, I'll be putting in my full 40+ hours/week.

Which means money. Money is goooood. >_>;;

And I'm finally having a bit of time to explore the area for more than groceries. There's this comic shop a little ways up from my work, and it's actually pretty nice; not only can I get my Sonic comic there, but they sell manga too! ^^ Don't have to go to Toronto every time I need to get the new volumes, or pre-order them (well, except Eroica)!

Also looked at a few Fabric shops in the area for cosplay resources. And lo and behold, one has Black/White CHECKERED fabric! The exact thing I need for my Checkmate cosplay. I'm THRILLED. :D I'mma figure out how much I need and get it ASAP (I will NOT see that stuff sold before I get it).


Drawing
....I admit, I'm being lazy. ^^; I have to work on a few Xmas Secret Santa pics before month's end (one WILL be done tonight, dammit). Only then will I get to some of my ideas I wanna draw.

LAST TIME IN MY JOURNAL:

I told you guys about how I had issues with my computer, and upon rectifying that problem, I found all my files had been erased from my hard drive.

I said I was going to try to get them retrieved at the local Staples.



NOW, THE SAGA CONTINUES:

Okay, so Staples lied to me. Apparantly they couldn't work on my Mac computer, because it was simply a Mac or because my laptop didn't have a certain plug-in. So I'm slightly miffed at the guy I talked to on Sunday for giving me false hope.

I also contacted a guy who works on Macs locally. He said he could probably help me out, but in the same breath told me it would be $500 cost MINIMUM.

Hahahaha NO.

Also looked into programs that might help me out, but when I used the trial formats, it wasn't finding any of my bigger art files, mainly silly things that was more about the computer bits. Plus the fact I'd have to buy the program and an External HardDrive?


I think it's time to let go of what I lost, and move on. Thankfully, I had a good chunk of my art and resume/school work on disk already.

Wish I could have saved my Kilt Comic cover in HQ though. I LOVE that thing....



Ah well. A moment of silence for that which has been lost in the line of duty, if you please.

*bows her head as TAPS plays in the background*

Yeah, you guys read that right; I had some MAJOR issues with my laptop over the last 5 days. First, I was working on a piece in Photoshop when the program shut down on me. Tried to restart it a few times, and no good.

Well, fine then! I'll just restart my computer, no problem.

Or not.

Once the thing began restarting, it would freeze during the startup of the OS X program (Mac laptop). It could go for HOURS without really starting up. Tried to start it a couple times for a few days, no go.

NOW I'm getting worried.

So I go onto Apple's site, over to Support Discussions for help. I get it (put in the Installation disk and hold 'C' as you startup), but I made a mistake and actually re-install the program, which I wasn't supposed to do. I pick the wrong options and all that too.

But hey, my laptop's turning on! Everythings hunky-dory again.

EXCEPT ALL MY FILES ARE GONE. HO S***!!! Thankfully I kept a good chunk of my art and resumes on a disk, but I lost some of my most recent art (last 7 months or so) and all my images and music. So now I'm wondering if I should be happy or not. I actually begin to accept the fact that it's all gone and try to start over.


But today I called my local Staples to see if they do Data Recovery, and turns out they do. So I may actually get my stuff back (I hope).

So yes, stressful couple of days. If I DO get my files back, I'mma delete all the stuff I wasn't worried about and re-burn my art and such. I was working on some things, as I said, so we'll see how soon those things get done now.


Computers, OI.

I was waiting in the parking lot for my sister to finish (thought she might want a ride home after a long day), when I noticed a lady and her daughter kinda standing around a car, occasionally looking at a storm drain at their feet. When I went over to ask, turns out the mom dropped her car key down the deep drain, and were waiting for her husband to show up to see how they could get it out. They'd already been there about 15 mins or something.

I felt bad for them, since it was cold and the store didn't have any tools to help in the meantime. So, figuring I had a few minutes, I zipped back to the house (a few blocks away) and grabbed a crowbar and ice fishing scoopy-thing to see if I could help out.

I was too weak to open the drain myself with the crowbar, but luckily, three guys came out of the store and noticed me and the mother standing by the drain with the tools (which must have been one hell of a funny sight xD). It took all three of them to lift the drain cover up while I snagged the key with the ice scoop, but we managed to get the keys out! Naturally, her husband showed up just as we got them out. LOL.

She thanked us all for our help, saying it would have cost her 100 bucks to get a new set; she even gave me twenty bucks for my help, even though I told her I didn't want it. Seeing as my sister wasn't out yet, I figured I missed her coming out (I did), so I went home.

So yes, I was the good samaritan for today. Felt good to do something for someone. =3

I need to use this thing more often. Or at least ATTEMPT to. xD; Now, what can I put here?


Potato Chip Fast: I broke down this last weekend, and had a big bag of Ketchup chips. *sigh*

My mother didn't help matters; I told her I wanted a SMALL bag of chips, just to break the craving. She wound up buying a big bag of 'em, and NATURALLY, I'm the only one that eats the damn flavor here. >_>; But I'm back on the wagon now, and I'm going to go until the 27th.


Thanksgiving: (in Canada) Went well, always nice to hang with the family. =D Had the usual fixings; ham, turkey, veggies, buns, stuffing, and dessert. Wound up being the Designated Driver for my family; I don't mind, I'm not a drinker anyway. XD


Work: A&P (Grocery store) is doing fine. I'm not getting the hours I want right now, but that's due to stupid cutbacks all over the store. D< Hopefully things will pick up there soon. We have a few new girls in Seafood, hopefully they stay long enough to actually WORK.

Graphic Design...oi. I'm supposed to be working freelance for this company in Hamilton, but they haven't SENT me any work! I've already emailed them saying 'remember me?' lately, but I dunno. I'm not expecting anything. I may have to take drastic measures; if I don't get a job by this spring, I'm gonna move down south. Maybe they'll hire me if I'm already down there, rather than have to wait for me to move... v_v;


Other: Still on a massive art block. Kinda ticking me off. >:

Went shopping last weekend; spent about $500 on some new clothes and a kickass pair of boots. XD; Trying to get a nicer wardrobe, wearing accessories too. I'm over the whole 't-shirts and jeans' look, wanna be more feminine.

Okay, some people may not know this (especially on the intarwebs), but when it comes to food, I have one great weakness. As Kryptonite is to Superman, Potato Chips are to me. Damn near every flavor, and especially with it's partner in crime, Philly Chip Dip.

But lately, I've been worse than usual with my guilty pleasure. Topped off with a bad week of eating out last week, I'm worried I'll start getting into old bad habits and regaining some of the weight I've lost.

So, I've decided to try something. From yesterday (Monday Sept. 24), until Saturday Oct. 27th (when a friend is having a Halloween party), I'm going to try to go without my favorite salty snacks, as well as less eating out. That's just a little under 5 weeks.

My sister says I'll never make it. Heck, I'M not even sure I'll make it. Especially Tuesday nights, when I go to my bowling league thingy. xD;

But hey, it's worth a shot. And who knows, maybe I'll lose some more weight during all this.

A teeny clip of the new Funimation dub (which premieres Sept. 29th) has been put on Youtube. Freezes after 32 seonds, but you get a good variety of voices in that time frame. See it here.

I am filled with somewhat bittersweet emotion. One Piece is FINALLY getting the dub it deserves, BUT CANADA ISN'T GETTING IT YET. We better get it soon, darnit; and I mean 'a month from now' soon at the latest. D<

So yes, any American Anime fan that has Cartoon Network; WATCH IT PLEASE. Give this new dub a shot, and you might just find you LIKE One Piece. =D

~
In other news, I'm working hard at...well, work. :XD:; A new girl in Seafood quit before she even got outta training, so we're looking for people again. D= I'm working in both Seafood AND Cut Fruit now, because I wanted more hours.

Thing is, these hours are at 7 in the morning. I forgot there even WAS something before 7am. But it's all good; it means I have my afternoons to do other stuff.

~
Also, would someone PLEASE get me out of my art funk? This sucks hardcore not being able to draw ANYTHING.

That girl? The one who called in and said she couldn't work yesterday?

SHE DID IT AGAIN TODAY, saying her kid was probably getting out of the hospital. And today, she gave me a whole HOUR to find a replacement.

Shock of shocks, I couldn't. Therefore, I had to cover her shift AGAIN.

Now, I don't mind 8-hour shifts. Really. Good opportunity for money and all that. But when I'm not EXPECTING to work said 8 hours, it's not as easy to get through it. When there's a damn good chance someone's lying so they can go get piss-drunk, it's even harder because I wanna smack someone instead of smile at them.

And if this girl's playing games NOW, what about at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's? I don't wanna wait to find out. I need someone I can COUNT on when the bosses are away.

Just got home from an 8 hour shift; which woulodn't be so bad, if weren't supposed to be a simple 4-hour shift.

The girl who was supposed to come in after me called in an hour after I came in and said she couldn't come in. Apparantly her kid was sick and she hadn't slept in three days and was dizzy, blah blah blah. Anyway, I couldn't find anyone to cover; therefore I was stuck taking and extra 4 hours.

Now, maybe her kid was sick. I don't know; she's used that same reasoning before. But the fact that she was so quick to justify herself with the long, drawn out explaination kinda made me wonder. And she could have called sooner, since she clearly knew how tired she was an hour beforehand (when a higher-up was actually around and available to talk) to save me scrambling to phone people.

Not to mention the fact that it's the Saturday of the long weekend.

Yeah-huh.

Why is it that that youngest worker of the department seems to be the most mature and reliable? Why don't I ever throw the shit at the fan and watch as everyone else scurries to clean it up?

Damn my parents for raising me better than that.

*head-desk*

I got an email today from a place in Hamilton (where I'd put out some resumes on vacation), and they want me to do freelance Graphic Design for them! Meaning I can stay in my hometown, and do work for them!

MY GLEE IS UNDESCRIBABLE, EVEN THROUGH CAPSLOCK AND KEYSMASHING.

So gleeful was I, that the whole of my reply was "Absolutely, I'd be happy to!" XD; Heh, I'll wait a few hours, then reply again (saying I had been in the middle of something) and actually ask some questions about it.

The funny part about it all? This GD place wasn't even on my list of places, it was one that was just opening up/was closed for the day.

I shoved my resume. Under. The. Door..

You remember that, Michelle? It was THAT one! XD

Augh, I'm trying to NOT get my hopes up, and failing miserably. I'm even thinking if he likes my stuff enough, he'll ask me to move down and work full time....NO, BAD BRAIN.

...Now I have to jump on my bed until my folks get home form thier walk, so I can tell them. XD;;;

Anyone know any LJ Comm's with good fic promts? Drabbles, sentences, whatever?

I wanna give them a shot, and I'm having the damnest time finding any good ones. D

SO, I've been called into work again today. I'll still be working my planned shift from 4:30-9pm, but now I go in from 12:30-4pm to start being trained in Bakery. I'm hoping it goes well, as it'll be a welcome change from selling fish, and a few extra shifts would be wonderful.

Plus, I'm now officially over 30 hours this week. MEGA-SCORE for my bank account.

...now as long as I can keep myself away from those yummy cookies... =X

I am NOT gonna ignore this LJ less than a month after I make it. Nope.

....

Okay, so went to see Transformers last Thursday. In a word, LOVE.

Bumblebee. And Sam. ARE SO CUTE! >:3 Plus Mikelea (sp) was a kickass girl character. I will totally buy it on DVD. Go see the movie for fun snarky teens, matchmaking robots and things that blow up real good. NAO PLZ. I've also been throwing myself neck deep into Transformers fandom, including Bee x Sam-ness. I'm lost, and don't wanna be saved. XD

+++++

Also, my old Sonic the Hedgehog-fandom days are coming back to haunt me. Some guy emailed me and asked if I'd ever thought of making my...erm, more 'mature' stories (yeah yeah, LOL FURRY YIFF PORN and all that) into Flash Movies for Newgrounds.

Um, WHUT? No thank you. Dx

+++++

Was called into work today, for a 8.5 hour shift. God, it's been forever since I had that long a shift. My legs were NOT impressed at the end of the day. Oooowwww... Oh well, makes for good money, brings me up to almost 30 hours this week.

Plus I might be working over in Bakery a few shifts a week if things go well, so I might get into the 22-30 hour weeks more often. Which would be GREAT, since I still can't find a new Graphics Job and I wants moniez. D

9 Icons made, 6 to go.

I definitely need to make one for my love of old-school anime/mangas, and some KuwabaraYusuke love icons made by Kupo (whose icons I lurve). Only one problem; my YYH images file is MUCH sparser than I remember. So I have to get images BEFORE I commision Kupo for icons. Boo....

I'mma make more icons too, for fun. Because it is surprisingly fun. ^^


Digimon Tamers


Kinnikuman Nisei


One Piece


TMNT

Tried writing out the history of one of my Ultimate Muscle characters awhile ago, and it warped into something resembling a fanfic prologue. How the hell did that happen? xD;

Figured I'd post it here, so it doesn't just disappear into my mass of computer files. Rough and unbeta-ed, but enjoy the the beginning of the life of Madame Rhea. (I'm hoping it doesn't reek of Mary-sueness, though a few parts made me worry a bit....)


( Paths to Follow )

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/8687706/ Pic of Madame Rhea and Divalution

Benign Positional Vertigo, actually.

That's what the Clinic doctor said is wrong with me, and it sure as hell makes sense with what I'm feeling...Basically, there's these little canals of fluid near our ear that tells our brain when our head changes position. When the liquid gets outta whack, it tells the brain the head is moving, even when it's not. Thus creating the feeling of a spinning room, or vertigo, along with nausea/vomiting that is caused by the vertigo. He was rather impressed with how much research I did on my symptoms when I mentioned vertigo, inner ear problems, and possible dehydration as possible issues. *puffs her chest a bit*

Good news is, it's not permanent, and it'll go away on it's own (though it may come back, guess it's one of those things where if you get it once, it's easier to get again). I have a perscription to help with the symptoms until then, and I'll need to keep downing liquids, even with the nausea.

Bad news is, it could take days, or even WEEKS for it to go away. D= Bummer. I'll have to call into work tommorrow; I'm supposed to work 8 hours tommorrow, but no WAY will I manage that long like this. Maybe 4-hour shifts, but not a full-day.

...This WOULD happen just as my higher-seniors at work are going off on vacation, and I get more shifts. Damn you Murphy's Law.... xD;;