I don't know much about Yoko Ishida (I think she did one of the opening themes for the Oh My Goddess! TV series), but apparently she did a remix version of the first Weiß Kreuz opening. I like!

Mostly to amuse myself, I'm reading Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" in the original German. I found a book through my library network that has several of Kafka's short stories in the original German, and they also have a side-by-side English translation (which is kind of stiff; also, if ungeheueren Ungeziefer is translated along the lines of "enormous bug," it's a sure sign of a bad translation - "vermin" would be closer to Kafka's original meaning). The last time I read this story was in high school, and with this rereading, Gregor seems a lot whinier (but in his defense, he has every reason to be whiny). He's also a lot more pretentious in the original German.

The only other books I have in German is the Weiß Side B series, and it is a lot different to go from a comic (which has pictures) to a text-filled novel (or novella), which may or may not have pictures. In the case of "The Metamorphosis," I'm having more fun reading it aloud (my spoken German really could use some work). Sometime, I do plan on getting at least the first two Maria-sama ga Miteru light novels in German, as it would be nice to own more books in German. (Yeah, you'd think with my interest in anime and manga, I'd be learning Japanese, but I decided on German because it has the same alphabet as English does.)

So today I bought myself a katana (and I measured it at 73-74cm, so it really is a katana). The blade is real, but the edge is dulled, so it wouldn't be good for cutting. I have no idea where I'm going to put it, but for right now, I'm happy I finally have a katana.

The store I bought it from has mostly Eastern Asian merchandise, but it also sells Western-style swords (some of which are much more expensive than the Japanese swords). The store clerks can also refuse to sell a customer a weapon "based on their own discretion." In other words, if they don't like you merely based on a gut instinct, you can't buy a weapon from them.

Now, maybe I should take pictures of my new katana...

My bedroom is done being repainted, so now we have to move things back in. We bought a new desk earlier today, and even though it has a hutch (the old one didn't), it should fit better. And just for the hell of it (and partly to see if we could make a little more room), my sister and I decided to change the positions of our bunk beds. We still have to put the new rugs and curtains up, and then fill up the empty shelves, but tonight, we can sleep in our own beds again. Yay!

Comment on this post. I will choose seven interests from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so that others can play along.

crystaldawn had this on her journal, and she picked these interests of mine for me to explain.

1. acorna
This is a series of sciene fiction/space fantasy novels by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Margaret Bell co-wrote the first two). The series ended a year ago, although the last three novels were more like a sequel to the original story line.

2. candy boy
A new yuri anime. (Yeah, I don't get the title either.) It's an ONA (original net animation), and so far, two episode and a pilot have been released. I created a community for it - candy_x_boy.

3. dominula/limone
My favorite pairing from the yuri anime Simoun. Dominula's name is usually spelled with an R, but I spell it with an L because callimorpha dominula is the scientific name for the scarlet tiger moth. So in short, "Dominula" is a real word, but "Dominura" doesn't seem to be. "Limone" is Italian for lemon, but "Rimone" is used in the official translation (it might also be a musical term, but I still prefer Limone).

4. night of fire
My favorite song from Initial D. In fact, it's the whole reason I got into eurobeat.

5. nurseshipping
The ship name for the pairing Mai/Shizuka from Yu-Gi-Oh!. It's my second favorite pairing in that series (Yugi/Anzu is first).

6. tooi yoake
My favorite song by Takehito Koyasu; the image song of Zechs from Gundam Wing. Because of this song, I went looking for information on Koyasu, and I stumbled upon an image of Aya from Weiß Kreuz, and I was hooked.

7. mary elizabeth mcglynn
A popular English anime voice actress. She typically voices competent, big-busted women (such as Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex). She also does a lot of songs from the Silent Hill video game series, and they're absolutely wonderful.

My room's being repainted, so I had to put my personal computer (the one I do all my writing on) away. I would be extremely bored, but I decided to start playing the DS game Professor Layton and the Curious Village. It reminds me of Lufia II with its focus on puzzles, but in Professor Layton the puzzles are more related to the plot (and so far, I haven't come across a "red blocks, yellow blocks" kind of puzzle). Puzzle games are a great way to waste time; in fact, when I started Professor Layton, I played it for four or five hours straight, with a break for dinner. At least I'm not bored.

I like to borrow books from libraries, and sometimes I find makeshift bookmarks in them. A few days ago, as I was reading the first volume of Mars by Fuyumi Soryo, I found a receipt for gasoline in it. The poor person who had this book before me paid $77 to fill up seventeen gallons in their (most likely big-ass) car. Ouchies.

And that is why I've recently discovered the efficiency of biking. It saves your wallet from being eaten by gas prices.

It's my birthday today, and I'm now twenty-one. But that doesn't mean I'm going to make a beeline to the alcohol. I happen to like my kidneys, you see.

Lover's Holiday: In many ways, Tenma's journey was not yet over.

A Monster fic. The main pairing is Tenma/Nina, although there are also hints of Tenma/Johan as well. I wrote this fic about a month ago, but I held off on posting it until I was done with springkink. I wrote it out by hand first (I haven't done that in a while), and the finished product ended up being rather different from the original draft. I would also say it's not as dark as my previous Monster fics, but the ending is still a bit weird (but also hopeful!). Enjoy!

ETA: And it seems that Viz Media now has the license to the Monster anime. I really hope they're successful in getting it on TV, as a 74-episode anime would be expensive to buy, even in box sets.

Endless Skies: Birman sees a young girl crying in the rain.

Another ficlet for my 10lilies Weiß Kreuz claim. The fic itself was easy to write (with this fandom, no amount of angst is too difficult!), but coming up with a title was a real pain. I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but it'll work. Enjoy!

candy_x_boy, a community for fans of the yuri anime Candy Boy.

And in customizing the layout for the new community, I messed up all the colors on my normal journal. Go me!

Color of Rainbows: Yuki and Tohru share an umbrella.

A Fruits Basket ficlet for springkink. It's my last one for this round, and it was definitely one of the easier ones to write. For pairings, I like Kyo/Tohru better, but Yuki/Tohru is also pretty damn cute (plus my sister likes Yuki/Tohru better). I think the fic came out nice and cute, so enjoy!

The Place We Belong: Hisoka wants a powerful shikigami, but Tsuzuki tells him it's not all about power.

A Yami no Matsuei ficlet for springkink. The original prompt only called for Tsuzuki and his shikigami (I initially wanted to focus primarily on Suzaku), but I struggled with the fic until I decided to bring Hisoka and Riko in. The writing took off after that, although the ending eluded me for a few days. Enjoy!

Bottom of the Sky: Tenma reflects on a promise he made with Grimmer.

A Monster ficlet for springkink, and it contains spoilers for the end of the series. It was also extremely difficult to write, and the title is taken from a song by Takehito Koyasu (in Japanese, "Sora no Soko"). Grimmer/Tenma is a believable pairing, but that didn't make this fic any easier to write. I liked how it turned out, but did it ever give me some grief. Enjoy!

So, the yaoi anime Papa to Kiss in the Dark has been licensed by Media Blasters (English gods of all that is gay in anime). It looks like a shota anime, but isn't because the main character is in high school. I've seen it, and I actually kind of liked it. Sure, it was kind of creepy at points, but don't take it too seriously and parts of it are cute, especially the ending.

Oh, and the adult full-color yuri manga Maka-Maka has been licensed as well, but I don't really care for it. (That, and it's going to be $20 a volume.)

Lingering Gaze: The high-cut bikini armor is a magical piece of equipment, but Mitsuru thinks it reveals too much.

A Persona 3 ficlet for springkink. Pretty light-hearted, and it was fun to write. (Says my inner pervert.) I struggled with some of the wording ("neck corset" may sound weird, but Wikipedia tells me it's an actual piece of clothing), but I think it turned out fine. Enjoy!

Reaching Out: [Side B] Aya is only human, but Ken still depends on him.

A Weiß Side B ficlet for springkink. The prompt didn't specify mention Side B (and God do I hope that the prompter is familiar with Side B), but I thought that series would lend itself best to this prompt. The beginning was kind of hard to write, but the ending came easily. Enjoy!

From Afar: Yuuhi didn't know what sex between Aya and Touya would be called, but he knew that it would be hot.

An Ayashi no Ceres ficlet for springkink. It was easier to write than I expected, but Yuuhi does seem easier to write than Touya or Aya. I think it turned out quite fine, and I wouldn't mind trying my hand at an actual Touya/Aya fic someday. Enjoy!

Bittersweet Taste: For their first date, Yukari takes Mitsuru to a ramen restaurant.

A Persona 3 ficlet for springkink. I think it's my fifth one. As a whole, it wasn't hard to write, but some parts kind of were. But it's Mitsuru/Yukari, so I wasn't going to pass the prompt up. They make a very good pairing, after all. Enjoy!

Silent Redemption ~touch my lips~: Kirika heard those words, and she heard the tears that Mireille had been holding back.

My second Noir ficlet for springkink. I like how it turned out, but I couldn't think of a good summary, so I just used the second line of the story. The title came first, as I was listening to that song when I began writing this fic. Enjoy!

YouTube's a good place to find opening themes in different languages.

Here's the Arabic opening to Oniisama e. It uses a different song and different animation, which spoils much of the ending. Yeah, I don't now what the translators were thinking when they decided to use clips from the final episode in the opening.

The Italian version of the opening uses the same animation, although a different song. The quality of the clip is also much better than the fansubs I watched. A brighter contrast really does make a difference.

Baby bunnies are adorable. There's a litter of them in my backyard. I think there's five, and as their eyes are open and they're getting pretty big, they'll probably start to leave the nest soon. The mama bunny hasn't been around as often, so she's probably weening the babies.

Since my family has a dog, we had to put up a little fence around the nest and whenever the dog goes outside, somebody has to go out with her to supervise her. I'm not sure why the mama bunny thought our yard would be a good place for a bunny-nest, but those baby bunnies are cute, and soon they'll grow up and have babies of their own (just hopefully not in our yard).

The Night That Falls All Around: Saya is so far away, and yet Kai still visits her.

A Blood+ ficlet for springkink. This is my first time writing for this fandom, and this story wasn't that difficult to write (but coming up with a title was). Personally, I prefer Hagi/Saya, but Kai became so hot after the time jump. Enjoy!

Stained One Bleeding: Farfarello reflects on the concept of bloodstained innocence.

A Weiß Kreuz ficlet for springkink. Very dark, and thus fitting to be posted on Friday 13th. Farfarello is an interesting character to write, but also not that easy, and pairing him up with Tot is even harder. However, writing it as a one-sided reflection made things easier. Enjoy!

Reputation: Tanaka's object of affection is a teenage boy, but he isn't gay.

Another Persona 3 ficlet for springkink. This one was hard to write, even if Tanaka is the character most in love with the main character besides Kenji. The summary was also kind of hard to write. Enjoy!

Power outrages are not fun. I miss air conditioning. On the plus side, I got a lot of reading done.

Warm Welcome: Aya-chan doesn't like the uniforms, but she does like the atmosphere of Lillian Private Girl's School.

A Weiß Kreuz/Maria-sama ga Miteru crossover fic for springkink. It was not easy to write, but I'm happy with it (although I would've liked to have included Touko getting jealous of Aya-chan). Enjoy!

I've been riding my bike a bit more often lately, now that the tires have finally been fixed. I tire easily, but I'll slowly build up my stamina. Biking is good for trips to the library (and cheaper too, considering the price of gasoline).

In an unrelated subject, I got the first two volumes of Lovely Sick by Shoko Ohmine a while ago. (I'd also like to have volumes three and four, but I don't know when those are coming out in English, as their licenser has gone very silent). The covers are different from the Japanese version, but I think I like them better. As for the manga itself, Sumi has some serious abandonment issues, but otherwise his relationship with Naoyuki is really sweet at times, despite the power imbalance (the Valentine's Day chapter was especially cute). I told my sister about the part where Sumi and fellow doctor Kuma are betting on a patient, and she replies, "Is it like a gay version of House?" and I answer, "Kind of, but Sumi is a lot more likable." (I don't really like House.)

As for springkink, I have thirteen of the sixteen prompts I claimed done. Just three more to write!

Waiting for Heaven: Life is fleeting, but love is eternal.

A Minato/Akinari Persona 3 fic for springkink. Everybody is gay for Minato, so yaoi pairings with him aren't hard to write, but Akinari can make things a little bittersweet. Enjoy!

Perchance to Comfort: Kirika is often the one to comfort Mireille.

My third ficlet for springkink, this time for Noir. It's short, but wasn't really easy to write. Mireille really is a hard character to understand. Enjoy!

Conviction: Aegis does not want Yukari to be jealous of her.

Another Persona 3 ficlet for springkink. It was a bit more difficult than the last one to write, as Aegis isn't an easy character to understand. Enjoy!