Maker City Weekend

[mark_asphodel]

 So I just spent the weekend wandering Maker City, aka Maker Faire Detroit 2010, the DIY extravaganza featuring everything from new Ford Fiestas and the US Army to the Life Size Mouse Trap and the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir.  Maker City was set up little more than a mile from my house, so it was an easy walk in lovely weather.  It was a nice antidote to my non-experience at the Steampunk Expo this spring.  Anyway, I acquired several must-haves, including a crocheted Baby Cthulhu (with glow in the dark eyes), TV-B-Gone remote, and a genuine MRE from the Department of Defense.  Most of the key members of my RL social network were either present at the Faire, had a booth at the Faire, or had friends with booths at the Faire, so it was a grand time with everyone from my spouse's boss to my father-in-law getting in on the fun.  Also, I won the raffle for a drip irrigation kit, so hello tomatoes next summer.

[Note-- the food, like the food at any function involving The Henry Ford/Greenfield Village, was excellent and had a Local Roots focus.  It wasn't cheap but it sure was good.  The local-brewed beer was ace as well.]
Anyway, there wasn't any unifying theme to Maker Faire-- you had cutting-edge DoD technology, Steampunk wannabes, and genuine Luddites all on display.  But the vendors were overwhelmingly local, which was really cool-- given the prominence of Maker Faire in the DIY circles, I expected a lot of vendors from Chicago and elsewhere, and while there were some, it was mostly local talent being showcased.  My most excellent spouse and I might well get involved in some of these groups....

***
I have no ideas for the Vision challenge on fe_contest .  I think all the FE12-ness has mostly done my head in, though I sure have a new idea for the Mary Sue challenge thanks to the overwhelming self-insert creepiness of MyUnit.  

Yeah, I was pretty squicked by the most recent round of shimizu_hitomi 's translations.  Sounds like My Unit pretty much controls access to Marth for the other members of the army, including Merric.  Remember Merric?  Green-haired mage, blue robe, stupid headgear, used to be Marth's best friend in canon.  Yeah, apparently Merric has to go through MyUnit in order to get involved in the Save Elice part of the mission.  Ugh.  So, at this point I'm assuming that MyUnit basically sleeps at the door, tastes all the food, and would screen all incoming calls if they had cell phones.  And then the last MyUnit/Marth support conversation has MyUnit fantasizing about how his/her kids will one day serve Marth's kids.  Not really finding that funny or cute, all things considered....

Comments

[samuraiter.livejournal.com]

Cthulhu has been alarmingly popular as a stuffed animal. I find that amusing.

No luck yet for the 'vision' prompt here, either, but I have had other stories on my mind, as you have read.

And I am envisioning a title to the effect of My Unit Must Die.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

And I am envisioning a title to the effect of My Unit Must Die.

Never kill a Mary Sue... it only gives them greater power.

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

Sounds like My Unit pretty much controls access to Marth for the other members of the army, including Merric. Remember Merric? Green-haired mage, blue robe, stupid headgear, used to be Marth's best friend in canon. Yeah, apparently Merric has to go through MyUnit in order to get involved in the Save Elice part of the mission. Ugh. So, at this point I'm assuming that MyUnit basically sleeps at the door, tastes all the food, and would screen all incoming calls if they had cell phones. And then the last MyUnit/Marth support conversation has MyUnit fantasizing about how his/her kids will one day serve Marth's kids. Not really finding that funny or cute, all things considered....




do not want

(I don't even want to imagine what fandom will do with that particular support conversation.)

I could understand maybe having someone close to Marth screen the peons of the army or something, but MyUnit is like, a nobody, and I could see the screening being done say at the court, not in the middle of a freaking war where all members of the army should be able to access their leader at a moment's notice.

BESIDES MARIC IS MARTH'S BFF and Maric is also a noble and would technically have priority over stupid MyUnit, who is only a knight in the Altean army.

ALL THE MORE REASON WHY I'M GLAD I MADE MYUNIT A MALE MERC. Although if the support conversation is the same then dear God do not want.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

but MyUnit is like, a nobody

Well, that's the hilarious thing. You have this greenhorn knight essentially pulling rank over the established heroes from War of Darkness... or rather, I guess you have war heroes yielding precedence to the greenhorn, which is even more messed up.

I mean, I'd think any loyal knight in the Altean group would probably not want to allow Sirius to have one-on-one chats with their prince. Even if they haven't figured out the sekrit identity yet, the very fact that this guy is going around in a mask and being weird is enough to keep him a safe distance away from Marth. But Merric?

/cries

[sailorvfan10.livejournal.com]

I mean, I'd think any loyal knight in the Altean group would probably not want to allow Sirius to have one-on-one chats with their prince. Even if they haven't figured out the sekrit identity yet, the very fact that this guy is going around in a mask and being weird is enough to keep him a safe distance away from Marth.

Exactly.

But Merric?

I mean he wears a weird looking headdress thing, but the guy's harmless unless you're an enemy.

[myaru.livejournal.com]

A drip-irrigation kit sounds like a great prize. Ours works surprisingly well for how flimsy it looks coming out of the box.

From what I read of Hitomi's translation of the Michalis-Minerva conversation, I'm not thrilled with either example of characterization. Of course, I've been up in my head with them for so long that anything would be a let-down.

And then the last MyUnit/Marth support conversation has MyUnit fantasizing about how his/her kids will one day serve Marth's kids

I'm sorry, I find that hilarious for the sheer WTFness of the comment. Just... what? XD

The degree to which My Unit has been shoved into the storyline is disappointing, though. I was hoping they'd go for something more neutral; the tactician, despite fandom's sad impulse to use it as a self-insert, is at least a bystander for the most part, and uninvolved in the actual storyline as far as I recall. Shoving MU into every support conversation is going too far.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Of course, I've been up in my head with them for so long that anything would be a let-down.

I'm suffering from that as well with a number of characters. It was inevitable, I guess.

Shoving MU into every support conversation is going too far.

Well, you have canon characters being, as far as I can tell, diminished as a consequence. And they just happened to mostly be my favorite canon characters. So, cry.

I hope there's an unlockable mode where you can dispense with MyUnit.

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

On the bright side, "My kids will serve your kids" does put a bit of a damper on shipping Marth/MU.... Then again, I'm sure that won't stop most people.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

In a literal sense, yes. But in the context of what you've shown us of MU's character-- trainingtrainingserveLordMarth, trainingtrainingchallengerandompeople, training-- the "OMG my babiez will serve ur babiez!" convo will probably be taken as an invitation to, in a sense, cut out the middle man.

Now, at least male!MU has Katarina to make babies with, but femme!MU? Argh. I kind of agreed with that poster on your LJ who was disappointed she couldn't hook MU up with Rody or someone...

I dunno. It's the creepiest way I've seen of defusing a ship in years, and that's taking every single instance of "they're really siblings" I've ever seen into account.

[kittykatloren.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know yet when FE12 will be released in America? Oh dear, at the MU creepiness... And I thought the tactician in FE7 was bad enough...

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

No release date yet; I'm hoping for "a holiday present" as a realistic goal.

And I thought the tactician in FE7 was bad enough...

It really is as simple as it sounds-- you insert your avatar into the best-selling Fire Emblem game of all time and get to be bestest friends with its hero. It's a pretty brilliant idea, actually...as long as you're not a fanficcer!

I will buy it and play it all my complaints re: canon-busting notwithstanding. There's a lot in this game that looks really good. There are just some parts that seem icky.