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So I finished watching two series recently.

A. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
I hardly understood any of this. My knowledge of Japanese history is low, so most of all the war stuff passed me by. The animation and character design were nice though, so it was pretty interesting to watch all the same. Kanna was my favourite, but I think that's because he looks like Fay with his lovely blonde hair and angst and guns. Funnily enough, I think the best part of the series was episode 8, where Kanna and Aikidzuki have that huge fight; it just kept going and going and being awesome.

B. Le Chevalier d'Eon
So I didn't really understand any of this one either. I was only starting to grasp what was going on in the last few episodes. Two episodes of this series were animated beautifully: the first episode and one near the end (I forget the number). Sadly, the rest of the series was quite poor in animation terms. My favourite character was Maximillien Robespierre (surprise surprise, he looks like Kanna too); Robin also grew greatly in my estimation towards the end of the series. And the award for the character who should have been awesome, but actually wasn't goes to d'Eon. I'm sorry d'Eon, but you're just really boring, and not even wearing a dress will change that.

And at the end of that round the score is:
Blonde guys with angst 1 vs Blonde guys with the spirit of their dead sister 0
Actors 1 vs Sword-fights 5
France 0 vs Japan 0 (Fance wins 1:0 on aggregate and will go through to the quarter-finals)

Somebody get me a history book!

Phew. I thought tinnedfruitconundrum.net was no more for a second there. It seems they were just updating it, no need to panic.

The thing that is so great with paid hosting compared to free webhosting, and the thing that I still can't get my head around, and should take for granted, but don't, is the level of support that you get. I have only had to use the support feature twice in two years, which is pretty good going I reckon; and each time I have used it, the response has been fast and, God golly I almost don't believe it, has solved the problem straight away. With free webhosts the response will take 2-8 weeks and by that time the problem will have fixed itself or you will have ditched the host in frustration and joined the circus (or something).
So, much love to paying for this shit. Although I'm not sure I use it to its fullest possible potential (I should start the forum again) but who cares?

Also, don't worry! My dream journal has been started in a notebook; you won't ever have to read it.

Dear Mariya,

So I have had another go at designing a new layout with the same image. What do you think of this one? I might tweak the bottom colour a little if I ever get around to putting it up, why am I so slow?

I've spent the morning reading about lucid dreams. It's really fascinating, but I'm not sure it's something that I'd ever like to actively pursue. Yes, it does sound like it could be kind of AWESOME, but I don't know. I've only really ever had one lucid dream that I can remember (rather than those ones where you become lucid only just before you wake) and it was really quite terrifying from what I remember:
I've a feeling that I knew I was dreaming as soon as the dream started (it was late morning and I'd drifted back to sleep after waking up slightly). But the extent of control that I had over the dream was quite slim; I could choose in which direction I wanted to go, but couldn't control what happened as I zoomed off in that direction. Perhaps it was scary because as the dream continued I had less and less say over what happened until things (literally) spiralled out of control. And then I had one of those moments where you think 'I want out, right now. Get me out get me out get me out. I don't like it.', and then you wake up, quite terrified.
So maybe if I had more control in a lucid dream I wouldn't mind it so much. But I'm still not too tempted to try. Also, doesn't it take the fun out of the dream if you decide what happens next? I think I'm too boring to make a dream interesting by myself (and I hate making decisions).

I am intrigued by the idea of setting up a dream journal though. It has come to my attention over the past few years, as I have questioned people about it, that I am more adept at dream recall than most other people. I don't know why. I don't do it on purpose, I can just remember what I dreamt about the night before, or the week before (sometimes dreams that I had years before). The problem is that while I find my dreams endlessly fascinating, other people do not. I think the words 'Will you stop talking about your dreams?' come to mind. So if I did set up an online dream journal I'd have to make it separate to this blog to spare people the boredom, but that sounds like too much effort. Maybe I could just put any dreams at the end of the post and mark it clearly 'dream starts here' so people can skip it if they want. Or maybe I could just keep a paper journal and save everyone the hassle.

Either way, I can't start a dream journal today because I can't remember what I dreamt about last night, at all. No, really. But I've been really quite tired recently, and I don't remember having any dreams nearly so much when I'm so tired that I sleep deeply.

In other news I spent all of yesterday watching so much anime (I counted up and it was at least over 6 hours worth). Only 2 and a half hours left to watch today and I will have cleared my backlog. Yes!
Other things to do: Make new site layout - I'm trying, but no success yet.

Kurogane finally smacked his bitch up! More please Kurogane! (But not Sakura, just not, no)

Also, I made sushi today. And it actually looked like sushi!

Cream cheese and red pepper filling - not really traditional no, but I was working with what I had in the fridge.
Note to self: Next time add less vinegar...and less cream cheese JESUS.

Also also, Linda's in town! We're having dinner tomorrow, but I'M SORRY I SKANKED YOU AND JAMES YESTERDAY, LINDA (it's not my fault, my email was seriously spazzing right out!)

And another thing: how great is facebook for catching up with old friends? It's super great that's what.

And after watching A Matter of Life and Death, it turns out that the 1940s were kind of really cool, and full of bicycles and norwegians.

The new page is up. It's up, it's up, it's up.

Some amusing things from the past couple of hours:

1. David Blaine

2. So apparently someone out there has written Subaru/Kamui rape fic. For serious! The highlight has to be Subaru's line "Shut the f**k up Kamui !!! Stop whining !!! You give me a headache !!!"
Ahahaha! See also: baby Jesus is crying right now.

3. A dialogue that happened this very evening.
My flatmate James: I'm going to a fancy-dress party on Saturday.
Me: What are you going as?
James: I don't know. Me and my friend thought about going as a double act.
Me: Like Wham? :D
James: . . .
James: No.

Did I insult him by mistake?

4. Extra special bonus. Not amusing, but pretty darn cool anyway. That new Justice song again; this time in YouTube format!

Man, I suck at blogging at the moment. I keep being busy at the weekends (this weekend was spent traipsing around London with Deborah's friends from Milan), and I keep being busy during the week by trying to catch up on all the sleep that I missed at the weekends.

On the agenda at the moment:
- Trying to draw more Clematis. I'll try to get a new page up by the end of today.
- Cooking dinner (OMG, why does this take so much time?)
- Ironing and packing to go home for the bank holiday weekend
- Reading A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian
- Watching all the anime series that I'm behind on (too many)
- Sorting out a graduate loan for myself
- Writing letters (yes, this is on my agenda, I will try to write them at some point)
- Wasn't I supposed to be changing the layout of this page?
- Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeping

Apologies for a lack of business lately. It's a combination of being busy at the weekends and the start of the new anime season, meaning that I have lots of things to watch and little time to watch them.

Quickly - new series what are good:
- Darker than Black: Interesting story and sleazy music. YES
- Toward the Terra: ok so I've only watched the first one of these, but it is intersting so far.

new series what might be good:
- Romeo x Juliet: WHY ARE THERE FLYING HORSES?
- Kotetsu Sangokushi: All I know is that there is a character with Tamaki/Light's voice who looks a little constipated all the time. I forsee angst.

new series what are rubbish:
too many to mention

AND A SPECIAL MENTION GOES TO BEAT by Justice
An awwwwwweeeeesome song

So, I'm really here to talk about Tsubasa chapter 151. I've been wanting to fanart this chapter all day, so here it is (SPOILERS AHEAD)

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Here. More on everything later, once I've slept and stuff.

Hey everyone!

My spirits are up because the weather is beautiful like summer, and the evenings are light, and there is blossom in the trees. But my spirits are also sluggish because I am tired, despite sleeping away yesterday afternoon in front of a documentary about the Amazon jungle.

Theresa and Deborah came to visit for the weekend, and we did lots of fun things that involved being out in the nice weather. This included buying Hagen-Dazs ice-creams for lots of expense (but oh so nice), and going to the zoo! I've not been to London zoo for abot 10 years, so it was quite nice to go again (but so expensive ohgod). Funnily enough, the aquarium was one of the most interesting parts; woah, look at that coral go! Other highlights were the otters and the meercats; they were so cute! Seriously, I want a meercat for my very own right now.

Photos (they're not so good because I forgot my camera and had to use my phone...one-handed because I was holding stuff):

Other things:
Death Note episode 25 was great. I think I actually lost sleep over it; even though I knew that SPOILERS were going to happen sometime (because it was impossible not to run into them on the internets). L is great (but live action movie!L is greater). Do we find out L backstory? I want to know what makes him tick! Also, L and Light have a moment, which is very gay, which involves a wet T-shirt competition, in which L pretends to be Jesus, like, really. I'm not sure on cultural differences, but I wonder if it is as easy for the Japanese audience to spot the Jesus references as it is for Western audiences.
Also, how alike are Light and L? They really are two sides of the same coin. I don't think there's anyone that could actually get closer to Light than L. I think Light will feel the *spoiler* more accutely than he realises; or maybe he is just an evil bastard. Who knows?

Other other things:
The opening of Code Geass if it were a harem anime. - This is made of brilliant. It fits to a scary degree. Crikey. And there's a second version, in which Lelouch singing makes my brain hurt.

Serious things:
I just checked the news and, wow. How many kids are going to have to die before America does something about its gun laws?

Well I had a nice Easter at home with my parents. Not as nice a last Easter, which I spent in Rome, obviously, but still nice enough. Also, I got a Lindt Lindor Easter egg, so my stomach is happy. The weather has been beautiful and we went and did lots of walking in the English countryside, which is just coming into spring now (there are baby lambs everywhere).

Places we walked:
- A little place along the Thames that was fairly near Medmenham. I was a little excited over this, but I don't think that any cross-dressing, occult, french knights are there now.

- Waddesdon manor. This is a big country house that was built in the style of a french chateau. It does look more fariytale castle than English manor house. The house was built by Ferdinand de Rosthchild and, good on him, there are big F's all over the facade. If I ever build my own house, I think I'm going to build it in the shape of a big J.

- pictures:

I have come to the conclusion that I like to take photos with a lot of sky in them.

Other things I did:
- Watched loads of UKTV History. Why do I not watch this when I'm back home?
- Saw some relatives and discovered that my cousin Richard is a scary likeness of my Dad's late uncle Les.
- Queued 20 minutes for an ice-cream :E
- Stole Borrowed the new Kings of Leon and Maximo Park albums from my parents
- Re-read part of The Ladies of Grace Adieu for want of anything else to do. I'd really like to read more about this universe from Susanna Clarke (shame I missed her radio drama that was on not too long ago). People I'd like to read more about: Alessandro Simonelli, Tom Brightwind, and John Uskglass.
- Nearly started to write a cross-over between Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and Code Geass. It was to be titled The use of fairy magic during the Japanese war of independence: a study of Lelouch Li Britannia. But then I realised that it is possible to take things TOO FAR, so I let the idea go.

More Lelouch (click for big):

I think I need more practice at drawing from this angle (or any angle for that matter).

So, I was colouring this while listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela and I was reminded, once again, how much their music fits Code Geass, and Lelouch in particular. The flamenco-style music is

- fast-paced
- passionate
- flamboyant
- dramatic

The only other things it needs are

- screams like a girl and
- wears tiny pants

and it'd be Lelouch down to a T.

Reet-o, I have to go catch a train to go visit my parents. Have a nice Easter folks!

Right right, so ok, right, yes. I've updated Clematis right, yes, here you go, ok, good job. Well, this page was a long time in coming. This week I had to force myself to finish it. I was very strict and ruled that, until I finished the new Clematis page, I wasn't allowed draw any more Lelouch. It seemed to work.

In other drawing news I drew a birthday picture for Linda's birthday birthday. Here it is (cleeeck for beeeg):

To cut a long story short; this picture is a new version of a picture that I drew for Linda years ago.

SO I HAD ANOTHER DREAM LAST NIGHT

This one was just as disturbing as the last. It was another one of those I'm pregnant and going to have a freaking baby dreams. Do other girls get those as often as I seem to? (Although they'd been on haitus for about a year before this one.) Do boys get these sorts of dreams? Anyway, it went a little something like this:

So I woke up one morning, and realised, to my horror, that I was pregnant. It was still very early days mind, but you know, you can't dawdle about these things. After a bit of mindless panic I concluded that I have to have an abortion! All the people were like Are you sure? And I was like Hell yes, I can't be having a baby now! And the Dad, who was some kind of a biological scientist type, and had glasses, and was German (no, I have no idea either, especially since up until this point the whole thing had been some kind of immaculate conception deal), he was all You can't just get an abortion, it's my baby too; you can't just decide to kill it by yourself. And I was all:
a) I'm too poor to have a baby
b) I can't do this now, I'm too young, I can't lose my youth so quickly!
c) It's my freaking body and you're not dictating what I do with it ABORT ABORT ABORT

And then I woke up. It's one of those ones where it takes you a few seconds after you wake up to realise that it was, thank God, all a dream (bwahaha, I was so happy to have my freedom and my figure back this morning).

So this is a bit of a change for me. Normally I have one of those sort of dreams and then wake up really saddened to realise that I don't, in fact, have a baby. This time was completely the opposite; I think my brain has come to the conclusion that I'm not ready to have children yet, no way, not at all. Phew.

Right I've held back for this long, I'm going to have to talk about Code Geass now
Because, at the moment, every day is Code Geass day. Hooray!
So firstly I was all: NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!! How long do I have to wait to see the final two episodes of the season?
Then I was all: THIS SHOW IS AMAZING

I am well excited with the development of vengance!Suzaku; he's suddenly become a lot more interesting. And does Suzaku know that Lelouch is Zero?? Does he know? Because half of me thinks he does. And half of me hopes he doesn't, because I want to see his reaction when he does find out, and MAYBE HE WILL CRY. Hmmmm, my prediction is that one of them is going to have to die before this is all over, maybe both, or maybe the whole cast should die to make the whole thing some kind of Shakespearean tradgedy (and if I ever compare Code Geass to Shakespeare again, please hit me).

Lelouch character analysis go:
But does Lelouch not realise, does he not realise, that in everything he is doing, he is becoming everything that he despises? What with all the war and the killing of siblings and the doing everything he can to ensure that he comes out on top: his father must be very proud that his son is such a chip off the old block. Because when it comes down to it, if Lelouch gets what he wants and overthrows the current government of Britannia, does that not make him the new emperor? And won't he have risen to the top in the exact bloody fashion that a good Britannian emperor should? I think maybe that Lelouch is too fixed on his goals to see what it really is that he is doing.

Annnd Lelouch likes to hold that his reason for everything is to protect Nunally. I think he's lying to himself. Sure, Nunally is a part of the reason. But I think that for the most part he is seeking revenge against his father for his dead mother, his injured sister, and, more importantly, HIS WOUNDED PRIDE.

So, um, to stop analysing this so deeply, because it isn't worth it, what I really can't wait to see is the battle between the best friends/worst enimies both out for super revenge yes!

And Finally
I watched the first episode of FLCL on the insistence of Steve's sister Jess.
What on Earth where the makers of this show smoking when they made it? It makes no sense whatsoever and also manages to be completely and utterly cool. My verdict = win!

Hay guys,

Today's post is kind of unprecedented. I am going to post fanfic.

I still need to practice my writing a hell of a lot, but I thought I might give this one an outing on the internet anyway.

This fic is entirely in response to Tsubasa chapter 148. It's a 'what could happen next' scenario, and will therefore be completely wrong by the time the next chapter comes out.

Also, if you haven't guessed already, this fic contains major spoilers for Tsubasa chapter 148. Be warned.

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I AM MASHING MY KEYBOARD IN SHOCK

And there'll be more on that story later.

Soo...... Code Geass 22
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *intake of breath* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAOHGODOHGODHA!
Has Code Geass become a farce now? No wait, don't answer that.
And she had a machine gun!!! HAHAHA!

I feel really ashamed to say it, but Code Geass may well be my favourite anime at the moment (well, tied with Death Note, because Death Note is made of awesome). The problem is that I want to be all high-brow and sophisticated, but Code Geass keeps pulling me back for more. It works because it has a few things:

1. A plot that, while slightly ridiculous, is both engaging and entertaining.
2. Consistantly good animation and nice character design.
3. Fanservice for everyone!

Watching Code Geass kinda feels like being wooed with the cheesiest chat-up lines known to man, and falling for it hook, line and sinker.

Code Geass: Do you have a map? I just keep on getting lost in your eyes.
Me: ... hurhurhur #^^#

I AM GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY DREAM
Now I know that some of you hate to hear about my dreams. But last night's one was fairly vivid, so I'm going to share it here. Hey, you know when you keep remembering your dream during the day, and it makes you a little queasy each time? Yeah, it was one of those.
I think I can work out where part of the dream from; I walked into a bannister the other day, and have quite a large bruise on my upper arm, which has gone through a variety of colours. I haven't had a bruise this large in a long while, so I think it's been playing on my mind. So, onto the dream:

I was still working in science, and was doing a scientific experiment on myself. The experiment involved using a vein that went from the bruise on my arm to the knuckle of my forefinger. The vein was stopped (somehow) so that blood didn't flow through it, and it was filled instead with a sugar solution. The bees and flies were then released. They flocked to the vein on my arm because of the sugar solution; a particular number of them landed on my knuckles. I didn't like this part of the experiment, it was a bit scary, and the bee stings were painful. After a short while, the bees and flies were sucked off with a hoover. The data collection part of the experiment involved counting how many bee stings I had gotten on my hand.

And that was it. What the experiment was testing I don't know. But it still makes me feel a bit funny to think of it.

And now for something completely different:

fhdhjhhfjghfdlsafhahgagjfhgdghfdjghdf1!!!11!11

I MASH MY KEYBOARD MASH MASH MASH.

This is all due to Tsubasa chapter 148. Spoilers ahead:

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