Let Me Tell You About Vocaloids

    I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little geeky. I like shows like Doctor Who and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. One of my favorite movies is Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It's safe to say that I'm not really normal.

    The geekiest facet of my personality is my love of Vocaloids. Chances are you haven't heard of them. Vocaloids in a nutshell are computer software that can be used to produce pop songs. Each Vocaloid has a set personality and appearance, though their lore can change from country to country. As far as I'm aware, anyone can purchase the software, but the rights to sell the music is only granted to a few. Besides, the pros are best at it anyway.

       Hatsune Miku is the first Vocaloid I ever heard of, and she's one of the most popular. She sings soprano and most of her songs tend to deal with love, though Thoughtful Zombie, Matryoshka, and The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku deal with her questioning place as a robot. 

     Megurine Luka is also a popular Vocaloid. She sings alto, and is able to sing in English. In Scissoroid she is Miku's sister. Her songs tend to be narratives.

Luka's my favorite!

    Next is Rin and Len Kagamine. Their story can get a little confusing. In America, they're considered siblings, but in Japan, their native country, they're a dating couple. It's uncommon to see a song where they're not singing as a duet.

Yeah, dawg! Sibling Power!

   There's also Gumi. I'm not very familiar with her, but her songs seem to be more light hearted and goofy.

        Oh yeah, there's Kaito too. I'm a big fan of male singers with deep voices which Kaito has...sort of. To me, his voice sounds too inhuman. The others all sound human, but Kaito's voice just throws me off.

Also, he wears khakis.

   If you think you might want to give Vocaloids a try, I suggest Number One Princess In The World and Mrs. Pumpkin's Comical Dream by Hatsune Miku, Ten-Faced by Gumi, and Witch by Megurine Luka. Be cautious with Kagamine songs, because they are a couple and things can get kind of weird.

Photos snagged from Google Images. I don't own any of these characters or their images, I'm just a fan.

Where You Rise, I'll Follow Pt. 3

                The next time the Avengers were called to action, it seemed like a routine B-level super villain trying to rob a bank. It seemed so harmless; they just sent Clint, Bruce, and Shadow to deal with it. As it happens, this “B-level” villain had teamed up with the Red Hulk who, after escaping from S.H.E.I.L.D, was out looking for blood; The Hulk’s blood, to be exact.

                The three arrived on the team to witness the Red Hulk rip the off a vault and sling it towards a group of workers who were unable to escape. The Hulk tore through the air with a vicious roar, and caught the door like a Frisbee.

                “Ross,” the Hulk growled. The Red Hulk turned and grinned, “It’s been too long, Banner.”

                Clint shifted on his feet, taking a more solid stance and preparing to fire. Shadow looked over at him. She had never fought the Red Hulk before, she had no idea what to expect.

                “What’s up with this guy?” Shadow asked Clint.

                Clint spoke without turning, “His name is General Thaddeus Ross, or it was ‘till he became the Red Hulk. He used to be the leader of the Hulkbuster units. He went crazy and decided the only way to beat Bruce was to become a Hulk himself. S.H.E.I.L.D was working on a serum to create a controllable Hulk, and Ross stole it and injected it into himself. He’s just as strong as our Hulk but military trained. The worst part about him is how angry he makes Bruce. You’ll need guns, missiles, and armor. May I suggest War Machine?”

                Shadow nodded, and began to change. A silver tone spread up her skin; turning it hard and solid. Her clothing shifted into platelets of metal and arranged itself like Rhodey’s armor. A bright blue circle emerged from the metal and rocket launchers sprouted from the shoulders. With a final, sick crunch as her bones settled, Shadow stood at the ready; waiting to make a move.

                “What’s the plan here, Hawkeye?” she shouted.

                “We let the Hulk take him out,” Clint answered, “Nothing we do will dent Ross.”

                “Then why am I decked out as a flying tank?” Shadow growled. Changing shape was easy for her, but creating suits of armor from nothing but carbon was exhausting. The way her power worked, she could change anything that was organic, the carbon being what stabilized the shifting molecules. Unfortunately, that meant she could never exceed her current mass. That’s why she likes to layer her clothes; to add mass to her form.

                “We follow them, make sure they don’t destroy New York, and herd them into the water if we can. Then when Bruce takes out Ross, we’ve got to calm him down. The Hulk can rage for weeks after an encounter with Ross,” Clint groaned. He already sounded tired.

                Shadow sighed; she hated having to fire at Bruce, even though, as the Hulk, he was nearly invincible.

                The Hulk roared and leaped, grabbing a fistful of Ross’s hair and pulling him along, swinging him against the bank wall. Ross rolled back onto his feet and charged at the Hulk, pushing him through the front wall and onto the street. Hulk landed on a parked car. He clambered to his feet and threw the car at a building. Shadow blasted the vehicle before it could break through a plate glass window.

“Ross, you messed with me for the last time,” Hulk growled, “You’ve hunted me for years, why won’t you leave me alone! I’m on the side of the good guys now!”

                “You’ll never be a good guy,” Ross spit, “You’re nothing but rage and destruction. Banner can’t control you; your teammates can’t control you. You’re a wild card, and have to be eliminated.”

                The Hulk bellowed, and tackled Ross, plowing him into the pavement. Ross, with his face still pushed into the pavement, reached back and grabbed Hulk by the shoulders. The Red Hulk swung forward and Bruce went flying, smashing back into the ground a few blocks away.              

                The fighting continued like this, with the two monsters exchanging blow after blow. Neither man tired, he only got angrier. They fought down the streets of New York, smashing cars, and buildings, and a hot dog stand.

                “Aw, come on!” Clint shouted, “Louie’s was my favorite!”

                “Really, Clint!?” Shadow hissed. “Let’s get this over with!” At that moment, Ross had jumped into the air, preparing to slam the Hulk into the ground. Shadow aimed and fired a small missile at Ross. It hit him, square in the stomach, and pushed him through the air towards the harbor. The Hulk quickly turned to follow. Shadow took off flying, scooping down to pick up Clint by his armpits. The two caught up to the Hulks just as they landed in the water. Ross crashed into the water few feet away from the Hulk who landed on his feet. Bruce took his advantage and grabbed Ross’s head and held it under the water. Ross kicked and splashed, but after a moment he stilled. Shadow held her breath, fearing the worst; that Ross was dead, until Clint turned to her. “He’s not dead,” Clint said, as if reading her mind, “The Hulk serum gave him powerful lungs. He’ll pass out, but he won’t asphyxiate.” Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. If Bruce killed Ross, Fury wouldn’t be able to protect him. Bruce would be thrown into prison and never released.

                Just when Shadow thought they were in the clear, the Hulk turned to his teammates and roared. His eyes blazed red, and the veins in his neck bulged till they looked like they’d pop. Shadow was suddenly scared. She thought back quickly. What had they done wrong? Did they land a blow to the Hulk on accident? She didn’t recall any mistakes, but the Hulk was mad regardless. He growled again and turned toward Clint. Bruce grabbed Clint about the waist and tossed him into the air. Shadow shot towards Hawkeye and caught him around the ankle. Shadow heard a sickening pop, and Clint cried out. Shadow needed to reason with the Hulk, to try and get him to let Bruce out; but she knew Hulk would never listen to her through the War Machine armor. He never trusted anyone who hid their face. She set Clint down on the sand, and slowly morphed back into herself. The silver plating flattened out and turned pale. Missiles dissolved into a green striped shirt and black trench coat. Brown hair fell across her face and her eyes turned from brown to green.

                Taking a deep breath, she waded through the water. “Bruce, it’s me,” she gently spoke, “We need you to calm down. You took care of Ross; now let us take care of you.” The Hulk breathed once. He took a forward; Shadow stopped moving. After a few tense moments, Bruce held out his giant green hand. Shadow stepped forward to place her hand on his thumb, which was almost as big as she was. For a second, it looked as if his skin was paling, but Ross stirred, and splashed the water. This set the Hulk off again. With a terrible roar, he swung his fist and back-handed Shadow back onto the beach. She landed with a crunch, and laid there motionless

                “BRUCE! What have you done!?” Hawkeye shouted. Clint ran as fast as he could to his fallen friend. Lying in a deep pool of blood, Shadow moaned, and stirred a little.

                “Hulk!” Clint shouted again, “She’s dying! We need Bruce! Now! Hulk, please!”

                 The Hulk began to visibly panic. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, he just didn’t always trust the changing girl. The changing girl was never the same person. She looked the same and felt the same, but she changed every time. The Hulk didn’t want her to die, though. He needed the little man to come and fix this; the little man was a doctor and he could make her better again.

                The Hulk relinquished control over his shared body. He started shrinking and growing pale. When Bruce had taken back over, he fell forward onto his knees into the water.

                “Bruce, buddy. You gotta get up! Shadow’s dying over here. We need your help,” Clint shouted.

                Bruce got up slowly, and stood, blinking for a moment. All at once, his eyes snapped open wide and he took off at a dead sprint. Running to where Shadow was lying in the sand, he dropped down beside her. His hands moved quickly and found the damage. The worst of the bleeding stemmed from her side where she had landed on a broken bottle. Her ankle, jaw, and one rib had all broken. She was lucky the Hulk hadn’t hit her any harder.

                “Come on sweetie, stay with me. I need you to pull through this,” Bruce whispered to Karmin.

                “Bruce, I’ll be fine.” Karmin mumbled.

                “No, you won’t,” he sobbed back, “You can’t fix yourself this time. The damage is too severe.”

                Clint broke through the silence. “Bruce, the quinjet’s here. Let’s get her to medical.”

Where You Rise, I'll Follow Pt. 2

Part 2 is here at last, with part 3 soon to follow!! This part contains a vague reference to Deadpool, who, if you're not familiar with Marvel, is a deadly anti-hero. He's frowned upon by most government institutions. He also has plenty of guns. : )

The Avengers arrived back at the Tower, laughing. “So,” Tony giggled, “Why did you choose Deadpool’s form? You could’ve been arrested!”

Shadow smiled, “Deadpool has lots of guns. Guns are good for shooting gigantic mutant rabbits! And even if I was arrested, Fury would’ve gotten me out. I swear I’m like his pet or something!”

                Amid all of the chaos of fighting the strange villains that loved to attack New York, Shadow found herself becoming great friends with the Avengers. Natasha loved having another lady living full time in the Tower. They’d sit and watch movies on Tony’s tremendous television and laugh at the men and the situations they got themselves in. More than once, Clint and Thor came home stuck together after fighting some crazy glue-based villain. Another time, Steve and Tony came home with Cap’s shield embedded in the Iron Man armor after Steve threw at a bad angle.

                Shadow would spend time with Clint, pranking Tony. She’d teach Thor and Steve about computers. She became Tony’s guinea pig, testing all of the new gear he created for Stark Industries. But most of all, she spent time with Bruce. The pair would hole up in a lab and pore over lab reports. Bruce would try to explain and Shadow would try to understand. Bruce became Shadow’s best friend. She even told him her real name.

“Karmin,” she said, “I try not to tell people my name because then they realize who I was.”

“The assassin,” Bruce whispered.

“Yes,” she replied, “But that’s not me anymore. I’m not some Hydra drone, I’ve changed. No one but Fury seems to see that.”

“I can tell you’ve changed,” Bruce offered, “I know what it’s like to have a monster inside. I know what it’s like to have to pay for something you never intended to do.”

Shadow smiled, “Thanks, Bruce.”

Bruce blushed red, and smiled, “So, do you want to go for coffee with me sometime?”

“Why would we go out?” she replied, “Tony’s got enough coffee at the Tower to satisfy a small army.”

Bruce’s smile faded. “It wouldn’t be as special if we stayed here” he said.

                Shadow, her head cocked in confusion, “Wait. D… did you just ask me out?”

Bruce hung his head and nodded. “In that case,” she grinned, “Let’s get out of here!” Grabbing him by the wrist, she dragged him out of the lab.

Quiet by Susan Cain

            I found Quiet to be extremely interesting! I haven't the time to finish reading it, but the part I have read was very informative. Using historical information and scientific studies to back her arguments, Mrs. Cain presents the stark differences between introverts and extroverts, and the actual impact these differences can cause in schools, workplaces, and in personal situations. I highly recommend this book if you're at all interested in psychology. It's a little brainy for leisure reading, but it would make a good source for a school paper.

 

       I received this book for free in exchange for review from WaterBrook Multonomah.

Below is a Q&A between Mrs. Cain and various bloggers:

What would be your advice for living with a spouse who is an introvert? Particularly ways to solve disputes when only one side is willing to do any talking!

This is such an important question (and I address it at length in the chapter in QUIET on introvert-extrovert relationships). Introverts and extroverts are often attracted to each other as marriage partners (for good reason), but they have dramatically different approaches to conflict. Extroverts are what psychologists call “confrontive copers,” while introverts tend to seek to defuse conflict. The problem is that the more extroverts confront their introverted partners, the more aggressed the introverts feel – and the more they withdraw, leaving their extroverted partners feeling shut out in the cold. On the other hand, the more that introverts try to defuse conflict with quiet talk, the more vehement their extroverted partners grow in response – causing introverts to feel insulted or attacked.

The only way out of this impasse is for each partner to truly understand where the other is coming from, and to borrow the other’s coping style. For an extrovert, this means airing grievances as quietly, mildly, and respectfully as you can. And for introverts, this means engaging head on with problems, even when this feels threatening and unpleasant. Good luck, it’s worth it!

How do you classify someone who prefers their own company and activities they can do by themselves, but has forced themselves to act in a more extroverted way? I enjoy being alone and love reading and creative writing. However, in order to promote and build my dental practice, I have made myself participate in community activities, and in order to be a more active part of my childrens' lives I am part of a group of parents that work and play together. I even enjoy these activities, all the while thinking that I'd rather be home alone with my husband and kids, curled up by a toasty fire with a good book or sharing a movie with them. Have I remade myself into an extrovert or just putting on an act?

It sounds like you’re an introvert who’s gotten really good at acting like a pseduo-extrovert – and nothing wrong with that, if it serves goals that matter to you (your dental practice, your kids’ social life.) Just make sure to get the quiet time you need – and that your family probably needs, too.

What do extraverts need to understand most about introverts?

When they don’t engage animatedly with you, this doesn’t mean that they don’t like or love you! They just need to recharge their batteries frequently, and might be less demonstrative than you are. Look for signs of quiet passion!

As an extrovert married to an introvert, how can I make his social experiences more satisfying and less stressful?

What a great and caring question. Well, for one thing, make sure there aren’t too many of them. No introvert enjoys going out night after night…but they might really enjoy the right social events in measured doses. The best experiences tend to be with close friends, or based on events that are of intrinsic interest – eg a movie, a concert, etc.

How do you see introverts having any type of an impact on our predominately extrovert society?

They already do! Many of our finest leaders and artists have been introverts. It’s usually a matter of making your own natural strengths work for you (for example, the Campbell Soup CEO Doug Conant was famous for writing 30,000 personal notes of thanks to high-performing employees) while gaining the skills you need to fake extroversion when you need to.

Also, social media is an introvert’s friend – it’s a way of connecting with tens, hundreds, thousands of people from the comfort of your own home or office.

Where You Rise, I'll Follow Pt. 1

So here's the scoop! My family is upgrading our internet! Yay! The only bad thing is while the switch is being made, we won't have internet. So, to make up for a lack of posting, here's the next part of Shadow's story, "Where You Rise, I'll Follow." You'll need to be familiar with the Avengers to understand it; if you've seen the movie, that'll be good enough! I don't own any of the characters, just Shadow!

The Avengers waited in the meeting room for Nick Fury. He had called them in that morning with news of a special mission. 

“What kind of mission do you think he has for us?” Steve asked.

“Probably cleaning up some mess the Fantastic Four made,” Clint laughed.

                Just then; Fury burst in, towing along a young woman. She was pretty enough, kind of plain. She had brown hair down to her shoulders, large blue eyes, full lips, and smooth skin. But she looked very cranky; her hair covered her right eye, her round eyes glaring at anyone who bothered to make eye contact, and her lips set in a scowl. Clint wondered what happened to make her so upset.

               Fury broke through the silence. “This is Shadow. You’re going to train her, teach her everything you know.”

Tony went to move, as if to protest, and Nick cut him off. “Save it, Stark, she’s not a permanent member. Once you’re done with her, we’re sending her to the West Coast. They need some help out there and she’s our best option.” 

Steve stood up and shook her hand; at the same time he nodded to the others to do the same. They each took her hand in turn; she looked up only when Bruce approached her.

Nick spoke again, “Tony, take her home, give her a room. Steve, don’t let Tony break her. Start her training as soon as possible. If you get any missions, take her with. California’s this close to falling into the ocean.”

                The ride back to Stark Tower was silent and awkward, Thor tried multiple times to break the quiet with loud jokes and smiles and laughs and the whole time Shadow sat looking at nothing but her hands. Tony showed her to her temporary room and told her how to work all the toys, and Steve brought her the small bag full of her few possessions. She remained in her room the rest of the night; Tash passed by her door and thought to knock, then decided against it, remembering the bitter look in Shadow’s eye when she met them all.

The next day, Shadow showed up to training in skinny jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Steve was going to say something, but instead left it alone. If she didn’t want to work hard, that wasn’t his problem.

Tony showed up and announced “Today, we’re going to do a chaos situation to see what Shadow can do.” He activated the simulator and the room turned into New York City and robots spewed out of buildings. Tony shouted quickly as madness took over “Smash the red bots and save as many of the green ones as you can” They all began to tackle the red bots as fast as they could and somewhere through the mess, Shadow disappeared. Bruce, watching through the observation window noticed this; he scanned for her and found something unexpected. There was two Hawkeyes’.

 The night before, all the Avengers sat around discussing what she might be capable of. They had assumed she was a skilled agent like Black Widow; though she’s a little short and broad for one. Bruce now saw that she must be a Morph; that she’s able to become a perfect clone of anyone she chooses. He wanted to study her powers, to find the extent of her powers, and to see if she had any other tricks up her sleeve.

                After they had restrained the all the red bots, they gathered to discuss it.

“What did you guys think of Shadow?” Steve asked.

Tash spoke first. “It felt like she disappeared after a while, I couldn’t find her anywhere.”

“Warrior Hawkeye fought with much gusto, though!” boomed Thor, “He seemed to be in two places at once!” 

Clint sat forward, “I was barely trying, big guy, I figured I should leave more work for the new girl.”

“Shadow? What exactly are you able to do?” Steve asked. 

Shadow smirked, “Dr. Banner knows. Ask him.”

                Banner looked surprised. How did she know he knew? “Well, Cap, Shadow has a morphing ability which allowed her to become a mimic of Clint. That explains why Tash thought she disappeared. What I don’t understand, Shadow, is how you knew I knew.” 

“I read your mind, Dr. Banner. Besides being able to morph, I can read minds and can control minds. Mind control’s trickier though. I have to be able to touch their skin, so I never really use that one.”

          

      “What!?” Tony shouted.

Across the table, Clint froze. The mention of mind control freaked him out after what Loki did to him.

“You heard me, Stark,” she grinned, “May I go, Captain? I’d like to familiarize myself with my surroundings.”

Steve sighed and dismissed her. As she left, Tony yelled after her, “…And only Fury can call me Stark!”

            

              Clint broke out of his silence and blinked. “Bruce, tell me she’s kidding? About the mind control?” he choked out.

Bruce shook his head. “I don’t know, I can’t know the extent of her abilities until I’ve done some tests. I mean, she did read my mind, which means, oh no! She heard about all the testing I wanted to subject her to! I need to go say something!” With that, Bruce rushed out to Shadow’s room, where he hoped she’d be.

                While the Avengers were still talking, Shadow was in her room, looking at a scrapbook full of pictures of people she couldn’t remember. She pulled out one photo in particular and held it gingerly in her hand. The woman in the picture looked like her mother but she couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t be sure of anything. She couldn’t remember her past at all. All she could recall is waking up in a parking garage with her abilities. Where ever she went, she had to disguise herself because her enemies can recognize her but she can’t recognize them. She was lost deep in thought when, with a jolt, she heard a knock at the door.

                “Shadow, it’s me, Bruce. Can I come in? I wanted to apologize for earlier,” he mumbled through the door.

“Yeah, come on in!” she shouted.

Bruce came in and sat down on the bed. “Listen,” he said, “I want to apologize for wanting to test you.” Shadow smiled and shook her head.

“It’s ok,” she spoke quietly, “You aren’t the first to want to test me, but you’re definitely the first to say sorry. Besides,” she continued, “You know what it’s like being poked and prodded; you wouldn’t have done anything you wouldn’t have put up with yourself.”

Bruce smiled, “You’re right, but I guess my scientist side is still thriving.”

“Good,” Shadow laughed, “We need scientists like you! You’re the one who’s willing to enter the field and risk getting sick to help some poor natives with no access to medicine. You’ve got a big heart and that keeps your inner scientist in check.”  Bruce smiled. Shadow seemed to admire him.

“If you wanted,” she continued, “I could get you the test results from when I joined S.H.E.I.L.D. “

“Why did you have to be tested when you joined?” Bruce asked.

“When Fury found me, I had no idea what I was capable of, so he had some tests to help me discover all my abilities,” she said, “Fury got me out of a situation I never could’ve survived; in return, I work for him.”  

He hummed, “That might make you the only person in this building that actually likes Fury.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up! I never said I like him,” she laughed.

“So,” he continued, “You were pretty cranky when we met yesterday, what happen?”

“My handler quit on me. He said he was sick of my ‘obnoxious attitude and frequent requests for bagels’. It turns out he used to handle Clint before Coulson took him on,” she laughed. Just then something in Bruce’s pocket started beeping. He pulled out a small I.D. card with a big letter “A” on it. From a tiny speaker, they heard Tony say “Avengers Assemble! Let’s go punch some bunnies!”

Shadow sighed, “I don’t know if I want to punch bunnies.”

Thanks for reading!! Part 2 will be coming! Also, can I point out how much I hate the Blogger text editor?

It's Been A Long Time Coming!

I know! I've been naughty and haven't posted in a while. There's something big in the works that should be coming soon but for now, enjoy this picture of my darling hero created using gen8's Chibimaker!

          She grows wings to get around when she has to. Also, go play with the chibimaker! It's fun and cute! 

http://gen8.deviantart.com/art/Chibi-Maker-346025144