Friday, September 6, 2013

CCS Questionnaire


I saw over at the New Trials Yahoo Group that Kirei Blossom has posted up a very fun Card Captor Sakura questionnaire, and here is my take on it though I left some out because they were not applicable or were spoilerish. I began answering them early August and just got around to finishing it. Belated Happy Birthday Tomoyo!


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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Tell us how you discovered CCS:

I didn't know it at that time, but I first discovered CCS through a stationary my half-Japanese friend gave me with a manga image of Sakura and Tomoyo in a kimono back in 1996 (the year the manga came out). I still probably have it saved somewhere because pretty Japanese manga stationary was hard to get back then. A couple years later my country began to broadcast CCS anime on TV on June 1999. Even from the previews, I knew I was going to love the show, but following episode, "Sakura's Never-Ending Day," I knew it may become a lifetime favorite show.

2. Did you watch the original subbed version, or a dub?
I first watched the Korean dub version, which is nearly on par with the Japanese version. A few episodes were missing, though, I discovered later, like ones with the characters in kimonos. I managed to get caught up with CCS-sphere and for CCS season 3, I watched live NHK2 broadcasts since I got the channel via satellite in Korea. It's the first and last Japanese show I watched live I think on Japanese channel. Back in the days, subbed anime weren't all so readily available on the internet. Since then, I've watched all the subbed version and movies. Multiple times.

3. Where did you first read the manga? (Bought hardcopies/read scanlataions?)
I bought Korean hardcopies for all the volumes... Which got lost when I moved in high school! I'm still so angry. Each book came with the character bookmarks. But I think back in the days, I read translated scripts for the latest manga volume. Old school.

4. How did you get into fanfiction?
I was feeling frustrated somewhere between season 2 and season 3 of CCS anime and found the Anipike website and that there were fanfictions written about CCS characters. These were the olden days where we all had dial-up connection and LQ images took a long time to download. And there were no streaming videos. Oh, how far we've come since then.

5. How and when did you find NT?
I was looking for a credible continuation to the CCS anime/manga, and because back then, it was difficult to find CCS fanfiction which I thought kept Sakura and Syaoran's characters in tact, I decided to write New Trials in the fall of 1999. (CCS has a huge fandom now, but back then, I don't think there was as big of a fan community as now, though it was substantial). I didn't have my own website then, and I just sent it off to website that hosted CCS fanfiction after a bit of hesitation. it was pretty surreal, thinking back on the process.

6. How long have you been following NT for?
Since its womb. ^_^;

7. Your first reactions about NT (for example, your instant thoughts during the first few chapters or halfway through the first arc)
8. And now that you've read up until three-quarters of Arc 4, what are your thoughts at this point of the story?
9. Why are you *still* reading NT? Why do you wait more than a year for a chapter to be released?
I am curious too. 


ABOUT NEW TRIALS
10. Your favourite parts of the story?
11. Your least favourite parts of the story?

12. Your favourite New Trials character originally belonging to CCS:
If I didn't like them, they didn't make it over to NT. 

13. Your favourite original NT character: (Tell us who ranks as the first OC for you and WHY, and then list other favourites):
Kai's probably the most popular OC. I rather like Amamiya Hayashi, and the sad thing is, I haven't really written much about him but hope I will be able to when I continue the legacy series. 

14. Your least favourite original NT character?
Yes, I even like Li Wutai. There's more Wutais out in the world than Syaorans, for sure. 

15. Favourite Dark Forces?
The Fantasy. 

16. Which couples do you ship?
Sakura and Eron. Syaoran and Meilin. Kai and Kara. Naoko and Eriol. 

17. How do you think New Trials will end?
18. What are you waiting eagerly to see?
19. Any unanswered questions you want answered:
20. What do you think should happen to the twins when NT ends?
21. What should happen with the Li Can at the end?
22. Any character subplots you'd like to see more of before the end?
23. If you could change anything about the story, what would it be?
24. Your words for Wish-chan:

YOUR TAKE ON:
25. Sakura and Syaoran: Maroon 5 - "Payphone" (Boyce Avenue cover)


26. Kai and Meilin: I loved Taylor Swift's performance of "I Knew You Were Trouble at the American Music Awards 2012, and still think the choreography, stage, costumes and camera work made it a standout performance.


27. Eriol and Tomoyo:


28. Nadeshiko and Ryuuren: My favorite original couple. Too bad they didn't happen. Or thank goodness.  


29. Chiharu and Takashi: Amethyst Beloved's favorite


30. Miho and Aki: Oh dear.


31. Rika and Terada:


32. Eron and Sakura: 


33. Erika and Jinyu: 


34. Leiyun and... whoever is freak enough to be with him: Good luck.

Yes, I'm just a huge fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and we had to sing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat for choir in sixth grade so I know all the lyrics by heart till this date. And this whole part of the questionnaire is just for a way to share random songs with you. I think I usually share Japanese songs but this is sort of my more eclectic taste, including even both pop and oldies, all English songs.

35. Any other pairings/characters/plots:

ABOUT YOU:

36. Your name/screenname and why you chose your screenname?
Wish-chan because I was 13 years old and in the middle of Chapter 3 or 4 when I realized fanfiction writers need nom-de-plum, and I was I wasn't creative enough to come up with anything better. Wishluv because it was cool to spell love as "luv" back in the 90s.

37. Are you male or female? Female. 

38. How old are you? I was 13ish when I wrote the prologue for New trials. You can do the math. 

39. Where are you from / Where do you live? NYC/Seoul

40. What languages can you speak? Bilingual in English, Korean, and at one point French un peu but no more. 

41. Which NT character are you most like?
Tomoyo, since I too am an observer and listener. But truthfully, I've invested a little bit of me in each of the characters... Like Kai's non-confrontational tendencies, Sakura's hopefulness, Eriol's AB bloodtype evilness...

42. Your interests / likes: Writing, drawing, matchmaking.
43. Your dislikes: Deadlines, smelly things.
44. Favourite food/cuisine: Ice cream and Italian
45. Least favourite food: Weird slimy creatures
46. What was the last thing you ate: Shrimp and avocado pasta and mango pudding.
47. Any random fact about yourself: I willed my fingers to be double-jointed.
48. What is most important to you in life: "Life is a journey not a destination."
49. Your birth order (Are you an older child, middle child or youngest child) and how does that affect your personality:
50. What else did you want this questionnaire to ask?

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Happy International New Trials Day 2013!


I'm here for you, Syaoran... S+S in Hong Kong by ~wishluv on deviantART


Happy International New Trials Day 2013! I can't believe it's been 14 years since I began writing this fanfiction but think its a blessing that I undertook this because I met all of you wonderful readings and the awesome CCS/New Trials community. 

I've been working on the next chapter already, though I've sort of remained low key since the release of Chapter 69, but I'll just say I'm excited by the level of discussion and theories that have been floating around since then. It takes a lot of restraint on my part to not say a word. I came back from a short business trip and holiday (and perhaps the hottest summer I've experienced in my life) and am excited to get going with Chapter 70.

I'm very happy to see how active the New Trials community over at the Yahoo Group (btw what what's with the unnecessary new layout?) and Facebook has  been thriving, as well as all the fanart, manga, drama CD, etc is coming along and how Amethyst Beloved is keeping everybody updated here.

As you know, there are times that I am very active in the community then I go into submarine mode and disappear usually because I'm feeling guilty because I haven't finished the next new chapter of New Trials. Luckily, I quit freelancing doing radio on top of my job, so I have some more time. Seriously, when I was doing radio three times a week, I was waking up at dawn or staying up late writing radio script after I got home late from my job. 

My top priority is always finishing the next chapter. I work on fanart for special occasions or when I have a writer's block. I try to refrain from chiming into any discussions online because I have strange notions that I don't trust myself not to give away spoilers. But I just wanted to ask all of you what are things you want to see from me. 

1. Do you want to see more frequent blog posts? I sometimes write posts on various things and just end up not posting and use the blog simply for updates nowadays unlike when I first opened the blog. I also tend not to give in-between updates because I'm afraid to break promises. 

2. What are some of your top scenes you want to see illustrated? I'm pretty sure I have more than 50 pieces of artwork that I started on and never completed. Which characters do you want to see more artwork on? 

3. I've been pretty horrible about getting back to individuals emails as of the past year. It's partly because I have a policy of replying back to all emails or none. Lol. I know it's ridiculous. I just need to sit down and have a day for correspondence. But I was thinking it might be fun to do an author Q&A session sometime. Maybe people can post questions on FB or Yahoo Group and I can collect them and answer them here.

4. Over the years, I've had so many different New Trials projects I wanted to do including the special series such as the Legacy of the Five Forces and the Kaitou Magician special. I also started editing the earlier chapters. This is something I just thought of recently but my ultimate vision for New Trials I think is to go back and edit all the chapters once I'm done with Arc 4 and maybe make a mobile devise friendly E-book version with perhaps a "cover art" and also select artwork from the fans to create an ultimate "illustrated" version, which Amethyst Beloved's project probably has made a good head start with and will of course need all your help. 

I've made "Ending Theme" Youtube videos for New Trials, but I've since circa 2003 wanted do make an animated "Opening Theme" for New Trials using a cut of Utada Hikaru's Sakura Drops. However, I'm afraid that Youtube will probably delete the video. Does anybody know how things work these days with deleting samplings of songs.  I'm also going to do an updated New Trials trailer for Yesterday's Letter in Arc 3 which Youtube unceremoniously deleted. I mourn the wonderful comments more than anything else.

Or 5. Just go back to writing silly Wish-chan.

The song spotlight of the day is one of my ultimate favorite songs, Cyndai Lauper's "Time After Time," sung the the legendary Eva Cassidy in an acoustic rendition which I believe is the ultimate version of the time-old song which has seen many different covers and renditions over the years. It's a song I've always liked but I think it became one of my top favorite song in more recent years when I stopped and thought about the lyrics.