About Me

name:   Maral Agnerian
nicknames:   Herself the Elf, Sarcasm-hime, Yousei-chan, Elf-chan, Elfie, Zelphone
religion/whatchamacallit:   Unaffiliated/ nondenominational pagan; i.e. I can't stand organized religions, even when they're organized by polyester-wearing, magic-wand-waving Gardnerian fruitcakes
marital status: happily married to a hopeless techie gamer...x.x;
things I hate:   stupid people, people who act like experts when they don't know a goddamn thing, the North American comics industry heads, North American TV executives, religious fanatics, Dr. Laura, Ann Coulter, American gun-maniacs (Charlton Heston, anyone?)....actually, all of those fall under 'stupid people'. Never mind.
hobbies:   choral singing (soprano), costuming, bellydance (Egyptian cabaret and Tribal styles)
pets:   Chibi & Ruri, the little long-eared terrors. Chibi (the male) is smart, friendly and precocious. Ruri (the female) is skittish and antisocial.
weaknesses:   Beads, shimmery fabric (basically anything iridescent), pretty guys, fancy period clothing, silver, amber, embroidery.
what i do for a living:   freelance illustrator and costumer.
affiliations:   Toronto Comics Brigade circa 1995-2000; the Fanboys; member of American Cosplay Paradise & Cosplay.com; staff at Anime North; member of the International Costumers' Guild

favourite foods:
      I'm not a big 'meat' person; if I don't get at least some veggies with every meal I tend to feel ill and heavy. I'm not a vegetarian, though, since many of my favourite dishes have meat in them; I just prefer a balance that's heavier on the greens. Of course I had to go and marry an American who loves his steak.... x.x; I really hate 'processed' and overpackaged pre-made foods. I don't really cook much because I have other things I'd rather spend my time on; I tend to do meals that require minimal prep/cooking time. Chicken-and-veggie pasta FTW.

  • Japanese - ramen, soba, chirashi-don, wakame salad, onigiri, salmon sashimi
  • Armenian (it's what I grew up with) - sarma (similar to Greek dolmades), mante, madzoun kefta
  • Moroccan - chicken tajine, couscous
  • Veggies - broccoli, eggplant, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, GARLIC!
  • Beverages - lots and lots of tea (earl grey, jasmine, mint, green, genmai), mango juice, carrot juice, cranberry juice, soy milk, taro milk bubble tea
  • Booze - Amaretto, Bailey's, Strongbow (cider)
  • I also have a *huge* weakness for anything chocolate and minty. Like Junior Mints. Or After Eights. You get the idea... Chocolate-covered marzipan is also SUPER yummy.

favourite authors:
      Elizabeth Hand, Tanya Huff, Robin McKinley, Mercedes Lackey (older stuff only), A.S. Byatt, Jane Yolen, Lloyd Alexander, Patricia McKillip, Nancy Springer, Connie Willis, Susanna Clarke, George R. R. Martin

all-time favourite comics:
      Sandman (Brief Lives especially), Black Orchid (original), Books of Magic (original), Elfquest (original series), Watchmen, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Promethea, Strangers in Paradise
what I'm reading now:
      Kabuki, Blade of the Immortal, Scary Godmother, Astro City, Birds of Prey, Legion, Girl Genius, Finder, Powers, Thieves & Kings

favourite music:
      I listen to a hell of a lot of stuff, from medieval to industrial to j-pop to scandinavian folk-rock. Pretty much the only things I don't listen to are heavy metal, really skanky/overprocessed R&B, reggae, and country. Oh, and you can't take me into the World Music section of any music store, coz I won't come out. ^_^
what I'm listening to now:
      Niyaz, Vas, Tarkan, Imogen Heap, Tori Amos, Buck-Tick, Kokia, Akino Arai, Maaya Sakamoto, Gackt, Pizzicato Five, Yungchen Lhamo, Happy Rhodes, Hedningarna, Mylène Farmer, The Sisters of Mercy, Khaled, Angélique Kidjo, Sheila Chandra, Ayumi Hamasaki, Moist, various anime mp3s & soundtracks. Also a hell of a lot of middle-eastern music, from Algerian or Egyptian pop to classic bellydance music.

'puter games:
      RPGs and world-building games like Civilization (although I always get bored as soon as I hit the 1700s or so, coz then everything's been explored and it's just politics and war). I love games where I get to explore and figure out things. What really got me hooked was the Sega game Phantasy Star.

what I'm playing now:
      Still playing City of Heroes occasionally. Plan to move on to Dreamfall and eventually finish Planescape: Torment.