Saturday, January 13, 2007

Trying to Manga Expectations

There is one question it is imperative that you ask yourself when picking a name for your blog, and that question is, of course, “Is the name you selected identical to that of an obscure and fictional evil queen who apparently controls something called the Negaverse?”

Yeah, it’s gonna be that kind of post.

Allow me to explain. I’d started working on my “FAQ” responses to the “De-lurking Week” Questions, and a question submitted by the funny and eloquent Heather B. indirectly reminded me of the above issue, which is an ever-growing problem for me. She had asked, “What does Metalia mean? Or is that your name?”

The answer is that Metalia is actually my middle name. Why that is my middle name and what it means is something I’ll get into when I actually post the FAQ. But for now, suffice it to say that I am NOT named after a mythical malevolent monarch. (Yay, alliteration!)

When picking a title for this blog, I initially tried being creative, and devised a number of cringe-worthy prospective titles, which were uniformly awful. I then realized that my middle name was a perfect option; it’s unique, it’s one word, and I could easily remember it. (One would hope.)

So, Metalia it was. A problem has arisen of late, however. It seems that some of you inadvertently came here looking for Queen Metalia, who, I've since learned, is a fictional character from a cartoon named Sailor Moon. Which is fine. The subsequent IMs and emails telling me how you think I should do this thing and that on the show? Yeah, those are a little weird.

Particularly now that I've spent a bit of time researching her (of course). People out there alternate between being really angry about Queen Metalia's bitchery/wanting to bang her. I don’t even want to discuss the fanfic, as it disturbs me to no end. As for now, however, I got completely distracted from writing the FAQ about me, and instead, all I have now is a metric ton of useless information on Queen Metalia. Consequently, I suppose it’s only right that I do a FAQ about her, to educate you all with this vital information that I now possess. (The third question is an actual IM that I received just this evening:)

********

Who is Queen Metalia?

She is an evil queen who apparently does mean and manipulative things that are exceedingly boring to me, and anyone else whose life is not spent watching (and writing fake, vaguely pornographic plotlines for) Sailor Moon.

Is she a demon of some sort?

Why, yes! A sun demon, apparently.

[Redacted]: Queen Metalia, where is Beryl? Is she in the cave with you?

I don’t need to tell you where she is! That shit’s classified, yo!

But what of the Moon Kingdom? Is it still intact?

Come on, this one’s just lazy! You know that she brought about its destruction. God.

How would you describe Queen Metalia's kingdom?

Dark... I would call it a Dark Kingdom.

Does Queen Metalia have minions of any sort?

But of course; evil ones!

What’s a manga?

I think it just means "cartoon," but all websites have slightly differing definitions. It sort of sounds like slang for lady business to me.

Hee! Manga is a funny word! Quick, use it in a series of bad puns.

Oh, alright. One could, if so inclined, involve the term in an anime/Christmas crossover song entitled “Away in a Manga.” Or perhaps an anime version of Office Space entitled Middle Manga. I'm here to help.

******

The IMs in particular are really getting out of hand. Perhaps it's time to go search for a new domain name..."Dooce" is a funny word; I'm going to go check and see if that one's taken...

12 comments:

DEA said...

I always wanted to be the first comment on a post! Whoot! Incidentally, "Whoot" is my official entry for the baby naming contest. I just like the sound of it and it also makes the following exchange possible:
J: Whoot?
Queen Metalia: There he is!
J: Whoooooooot???
QM: There he is!!!
J: Ohhhh...I didn't see him.

You know where to send my prize.

As for Sailor Moon, I'll have you know that it is generally credited with the emergence (some would say, re-emergence - and you know who you are Kenzo and Tashihara!) of the magical girl genre. Technically, it indulges mine, and Japan's, penchant for putting together a string of words that in no way, shape and/or form should be together. Sailor Moon really translates to: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. It's fun. Try it yourself Metalia. I'll go first: Happy Accountant Adventurer Saturn! WHOOT! Now I'm the highest rated show in Tokyo!
~Dan

stefanie said...

Wow. I continually get search hits from people looking for info about a character with the same name as mine on a show called Lazy Town. (I am avoiding using the exact search terms so you don't see this repeatedly in your stats as well.) Anyway, I have not done nearly the research about this girl as you have about Queen Metalia. Also, are your parents upset that someone else came up with the same name as they did??

chirky said...

I used a dictionary of rare words to find my blog name, and even at that, i still altered it some. just in case you're serious about looking for a new name. and in case you have no qualms about reading dictionaries for days on end. maybe these will give you a start:

http://www.islandnet.com/~egbird/dict/dict.htm

http://www.extelligence.co.uk/dictionary/a/

(or, you could totally be CREATIVE and actually make something up for yourself. hmmph. i guess i'm just not that creative. dang it.)

Jasclo said...

Away in a Manga. HAHA. Nice.

s@bd said...

and I thought my middle names were coo-coo

Heather B. said...

"funny and eloquent" HA!

Now I'm intrigued and must know. I'm also demanding and would like to know right this very second, but I'm willing to wait. But hurrrrrrrry!

guinness girl said...

Ha! I heard some of this *IN PERSON!!! YAY!!!* today but it is still hilarious to read. I bow down to you, Queen Metalia. Crikey, does that mean I'm evil now? - GG

With Hammer And Tong...The LetterShaper said...

As a poet, and an avid reader, I have to say that I very much enjoyed my leisurely stroll through your blog...it was time well spent; entertaining and enlightening. I invite you to visit my own, if you like...

kerrianne.org said...

I think Metalia is awesome. For a blog, and a middle, name. : )

metalia said...

DEA --I'm impressed by your breadth of knowledge of the Sailor Moon genre...nerd.

Stefanie -- What can I say; I get very involved in my research. :) I haven't yet shared my "Queen Metalia" discovery with my parents, but I feel that they will definitely be amused.

Chirky -- As Stefanie already knows, I used to read dictionaries for fun, so I have no problem looking through the links you gave me; thanks!

Jasclo -- Hee! Thanks.

S@bd -- If nothing else, I'm glad my insane tale can make someone feel better about their names. :)

Heather B. -- I'll get on it right away, I promise!

GG -- No, don't worry...you only become evil if I demon-possess you or something. I think it involves a mysterious jewel. Which I don't have, so you're safe. For now.

With Hammer and Tong... -- Why, thank you so much!

Kerrianne -- Thanks!

Darren McLikeshimself said...

Nicely done, M. I'm going to go check now to make sure that Darren McLikeshimself isn't a cartoon character.

metalia said...

Thanks, Darren!