Happy New Year 2023! Has it really been a year since I last updated this blog? I honestly have never really been glad that a year's over, but I guess 2022 has been once of those years. The first third of the year was about recovering from my own personal injury, a broken leg, then the second third was about overcoming a family illness, an even more difficult time, though things seem to have turned out all right. And the last third was a mixture of work stress, mainly dealing with bureaucracy, but also rediscovering some of the things I loved. Yes, it's the Y2K boom, and I love it. I love the turn-of-the-millenium fashion, hairstyles, shows being made about the era. I heard Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen is finally ending next year (I guess this year). I haven't really been keeping up since the anime ended, so I am very much looking forward to its end and finally a Season 2 in the anime.
I know all of you guys are waiting for an actual New Trials main story update, but I posted a Nadeshiko special that's been sitting around for at least 10 years. It's not really the most uplifting story for the start of a new year, but when I rediscovered it, it made me sit down and reimmerse into Nadeshiko, which is why I decided to share it. I enjoy that CLAMP has been delving into Nadeshiko in the Clear Card-hen, because she really was an underexplored character in the original CCS story. Without further ado, "Angel of Death: A Nadeshiko Special" can be found at ff.net. I uploaded it as a separate story because I couldn't really figure out where to fit it in the New Trials chapters. I guess I would read it right after Chapter 70: Eye of the Dragon.
If you guys haven't already checked it out, please go listen to the new New Trials Audiobook narrated by the wonderfully talented Melanie Hardy (and podcast also with our Amethyst Beloved/Preya) over on YouTube @newtrialsthepodcastandaudi2890. They spent so much time planning this out and bringing it to life, and it's also one of my bucket lists seeing (hearing?) NT become an audiobook. Please do give them a like and a subscribe as well!
Also, I'd forgotten I had a cute Christmas outfit for Nendo-Sakura planned out months ago. I still love my Nendoroids very much. Thank you pandemic for letting me discover this strange adorable world of Obitsuroids. Except, Nendo-Syaoran is perpetually scowling at me (and Sakura). I know I update the blog less frequently, but I do post more often on Instagram!
Once again, hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and wish all of you the best tidings for 2023!
I realize I haven’t written any new blog posts in a while
though I’ve been giving small updates over Instagram and Facebook. The year
2021 will probably be a “lost year” in terms of New Trials, because I didn’t
make the significant writing progress that I thought I would in the past year. While
there are other factors involved, the pandemic in large has sort of sapped a
lot of joy in life for many, and I think I too was running on autopilot survival
mode in the past year. Meaning, I was (barely) functioning through daily life,
but a large part of creativity has been sapped away. For me, writing New Trials
is a joyous, fulfilling experience, and I was not able to channel that self amid
all the chaos across the globe. There is also the other part, as you all
probably figured, New Trials is in its final stretch and the next section is
the finale, and as a writer who has been working on this story since 1999, I
want it to be able to provide this mega fanfiction the ending it deserves, and
also to meet the expectations of readers who stuck by this long and have been
so supportive and patient. And it’s also my personal desire to have no regrets when
this story ends (when it ends). I also broke a leg and have been in
recuperation mode for the past several weeks, another reflective period of time.
I’ve come to realize I’m definitely not the best type of person to adjust to a
once in a lifetime respiratory virus pandemic, but it might also have to do
with my line of work.
I did manage to fulfill my bucket list of having chibi Sakura
and Syaoran dolls through purchasing Good Smile Company Nendoroids and
modifying them to become Obitsuroids. The first Nendos I got was 918 Nendoroid
Sakura Kinomoto: Tomoeda Junior High Uniform Ver. and Nendoroid 763 Syaoran Li.
I might have gotten some more since. I was never a figure person and was a doll
person since I was a child. As a kid, I used to draw personalized paper dolls
with friends and dress them up in self-designed outfits (yes, I was such a
Tomoyo). I always wanted a Cardcaptor Sakura ball-jointed doll but always thought
it would be too much work to customize and take up too much space. But I love how
tiny and cute Obitsuroids are. They took quite a bit of time to collect, as
they are out of stock and I got mine new from the secondhand market. I at first
didn’t get the appeal of Nendoroids, but oh what a slippery slope when you
realize how adorable they are. My Sakura and Syaoran Nendos are currently my
mascots and give me renewed inspiration toward CCS, and I’ve been sharing
photos on my Instagram account. The thing is, I think even bigger than my loss
of writing inspiration, because I actually have been writing throughout the
pandemic, is a loss of artistic inspiration. So having a photography outlet is
sort of a nice diversion and hopefully a step toward getting artistic
inspiration again.
Because the NT/CCS
community is so diverse and spread across the world, I spent a lot of time
thinking of all the readers and people I’ve been able to communicate with over
the years, and still am in reach with to this day. I am grateful to have this
community, and amid such trying times (no pun on New Trials), I appreciate more
what we have, which is a venue where we can share like hobbies, interests and
creativity. Cardcaptor Sakura going strong after all these years, with
merchandise retaining popularity even now, shows its universal appeal (one
which I think has not been quite replicated in the mahou shoujo/ magical girl
category to date). It’s hard to find a series that resonates so hard because I
think the fast-past nature of anime and media in general these days targets
things that are more sensational and triggering. Hence a lot of shounen hero
type stories, a lot more isekai and big franchise anime and so few good shoujo
series with quality animation.
On a brighter note, have you watched Disney’s Encanto—best Disney
movie in years IMO coming from a complete Disney traditionalist. It’s like one
of three movies I’ve watched in the past year. The songs are also so spot on,
and I can relate to all three sisters. I
think the pandemic has been a soul-searching time for many. For some people, it’s
appreciating family and loved ones, others finding that time to cultivate an
unexplored hobby or a neglected craft. For some, it has been changing jobs,
moving, or giving back to community. For me, writing has always been that
unwavering constant in my life, which I was reminded of even stronger during
the past year. So, in the long run, I may be able to look back on this time as
maybe a “lost year” for New Trials but not one for me in my journey as a
writer.
I hope all of you good
health and better tidings for 2022, the Year of the Black Tiger!
Music Spotlight: Andrew Garfield's “30/90” from the movie "tick, tick…BOOM!"
<;
Along with a lack of artistic inspiration also came a lack of appealing new music to listen to. I've been listening to Joe Hisaishi and piano instrumental collections all year round pretty much, my go to writing playlist. The exceptions were Hamilton and "tick, tick…BOOM!" If you can't tell, I've been on a Lin-Manuel Miranda roll the past half year. If Les Miserables is my favorite musical of all time, Rent is my favorite modern rock musical in a different way. The pandemic's impact on Broadway and the performing arts has been devastating, but I hope in turn people's appreciation and support for artists continue to grow because there is nothing that can quite replace that live performance thrill. As a Rent fan, I've always been haunted by Jonathan Larson's story and thought a movie about him wouldn't do him justice but was very pleasantly surprised by Miranda's directorial debut "tick, tick…BOOM!" Andrew Garfield was amazing as Larson, and a great singer to boot. I've been trying to convince everyone to watch the film and nobody watched it. As I mentioned, it's one of three movies I've watched this year so I don't have a lot to compare to, but it hit all the right notes for any fan of Rent for a Broadway-deprived person.
