New Trials Fanwork Updates!

I feel like fanfiction writing in itself is sort of a testimony of how much you love the original work. As I began writing New Trials in 1999, it was because I: a. loved Card Captor Sakura and b. was frustrated at that time because I felt like I wanted a continuation of Sakura's story and was bubbling with many ideas. No, the anime and manga weren't even finished then, and I was craving for more CCS.

But I'm so grateful for the love that New Trials has received, and I am so distracted by how organized/ talented/ imaginative readers have been. Amethyst Beloved has been very hard at work over the past few months, updating New Trials on fanfiction.net. Can't you tell that there's a marked different when I'm trying to run it and when she is? Lol. It's so good to have her back. I used to feel an empty hole when she went missing for some years. ^^

I was sort of lost in time looking through the New Trials Picture Book she has put together. It made me so nostalgic seeing all the fanart organized by arcs, really like seeing a visual representation of NT. And I love how Amethyst has tracked down all the old artwork too that might have been lost. I feel like readers have also sent me a lot of fanart over the years. Stupid hotmail that deleted them all and stupid old computer that crashed. I got lost in an afternoon looking at old and new artwork and feeling nostalgic. Do check out the New Trials Manga if you haven't already by Asocialcat. 

And do join the newest New Trials DevianArt Group set up by the talented WinxC1ub.

Kris from the Yahoo Group also made a video review on Youtube. It's my first video review ever, and it makes me feel so excited to see a reader almost face to face. Kind of. ^^; 



So I'm always thankful to all you who kept supporting this scatterbrained, procrastinating author who dared to drag on a fanfiction longer than the actual work itself. I think it's also a testament to the longevity of Card Captor Sakura's popularity 14 years since it ended, as CCS consistently makes it to top anime lists even nowadays.

I have come to the sobering conclusion that I am mind-numbingly digitally challenged. Hotmail: 277 unread mails though half are ff.net alerts and another quarter junk mail probably. Gmail: 1,288 unread mail. All junk I think. Work mail: account full. How can they give me only 300 MBs? Laptop: 5GBs left. When did I use up 300 GBs and two portable drives? In case anyone's wondering why I'm such a horrible correspondent nowadays, it's because I just can't keep up. And I still don't get Twitter. But I do love get reviews via old fashioned email though. As I always mention, though I don't respond right away in the middle of writing a chapter, it could be YOUR email which makes me suddenly whirlwind through a writer's block to finish up a long-overdue chapter.

And always thanks to http://www.robswebsites.com for the free web space.

Edited Chapter 68: Regeneration up!!!

So, I finally finished editing (let me rephrase myself, got sick of editing and gave up) Chapter 68, so I'm making an official post now. Mesel Tzegai from the Yahoo Group even pointed out a huge loophole, so I had to go back and fix up the last third of the chapter a little bit. But surprisingly, it wasn't a huge change, and I'm not sure if those who read the earlier version will be able to pinpoint the changes I made. But either way, I had to incorporate elements of the next chapter into this chapter. Which actually were initially elements of Chapter 68 that got pushed back because it was a. getting too long b. I was in a hurry to finish the chapter. 

Anyway, I'm never going to post a draft again. Go ahead and check out the updated The New Trials of Card Captor Sakura Chapter 68: Regeneration.

If  you already read it and don't want to reread it, there are very minor changes in the first half of the story, and I would recommend just rereading the last third of the chapter from Tokyo Tower scene onward. The ending got extended slightly because I felt bad about the cliffhanger. Though I'm not sure if the new end is any better than the previous cliffhanger. 


I mentioned this in the Yahoo Group, but late February, I was texting while walking up stairs outdoors and tripped over in front of my coworkers. I somehow jammed my middle finger but saved my phone. Either way, it's been swollen and hurting for over a month now. It gets better and then I keep using it and it get swollen again. But because my job is comprised of typing all day long, it doesn't get better. And the worst part is, I want to show it to people but end up just cussing at them all. Sigh.


Warning of the day: Do NOT text and walk at the same time!

All fans of Disney and Madhouse must see this:



Is it random? Nope. Because we all know I love Disney. Let me rephrase myself. I love old-school Disney and their classic 2-D animation. I had stint teaching kindergartners for a while (no, I was not copying Kobato), and they came in class all Pixar and Power Rangers loving. They graduated Disney-converts. I made them watch Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, etc. etc. Even though majority of the kids were boys. Funniest thing. On Halloween, every single one of my girls came dressed as a Disney princess. Lol. And it puzzled me. Many of my kids said they like Beauty and the Beast the best (obviously my favorite Disney movie). But I sort of grew into liking it as I got older. When I was a kid, I probably liked Little Mermaid or Cinderella. My kids liked it so much that even after I moved jobs and went back to visit them, they were still watching B & the B.  I was like, "Don't you guys have any other movies?" New teacher: "Nah, they like Beauty and the Beast."

I got sidetracked. The commercial is animated by Madhouse, yes, the Madhouse that animated CCS. You just don't see that caliber animation in the States anymore. Though I welcome you to prove me wrong, Disney. Maybe because of that common factor, this commercial made me feel "hanyaan." And a little teary.  

Happy Birthday Sakura 2012!

Today is CLAMP Day. ^^

I'm not very good at April Fool's Day jokes. I don't think I've ever done one properly for the past decade.

So a couple hours, I post: Anyway, believe it or not, Chapter: 68: Regeneration is finally up!

Just kidding!

No, actually, it really is. It's not edited though. I've never really posted an unedited chapter before, but I didn't want to break another deadline. And it's Sakura's birthday. ^^ Thanks for the patience. This chapter's dedicated to Amethyst Beloved.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sakura and Syaoran Valentine's Day by ~wishluv on deviantART
This has been a pretty sad year for New Trials updates when I intended it to be an awesome year. But I hope the long-awaited Chapter Next chapter SPOILERS Chapter 68: Regeneration promises action, Tomoyo versus Leiyun confrontation, perhaps a little romance and maybe a wedding. Or I might be lying and it'll just be more angst. Lol. It's 80 percent done, but I've been writing at a rate of a paragraph a week the past half year. Sigh. But I've written out parts of the ending three years ago if that's any solace.

While waiting for the next chapter, you can reread the New Trial's Valentine's Day Chapter 67.5 and check out Hazuki Goldair's awesome song Syaoran the Waiter Boy again in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

And a beautiful song by Damien Rice, "Cannonball," for those of you who feel mellow on V-Day.

Happy New Year!!!

It's already 2012. Time flies by so quickly that it frightens me. This year has been a busy year, very work-focused. Truthfully, it wasn't the best year at all, and I spent a good portion of it with a horrible cold, but that's that. This coming year is the "Year of the Black Dragon."

I was very excited when I heard that CLAMP designed a wedding dress for the Tokyo Bridal Collection, unveiled Christmas Eve. I think it fits the Card Captor Sakura image very well, though I had envisioned something a bit more elaborate, but I think it's just given that paper does not always translate well to real life. I prefer it modeled than on display. I wish I can see a close up of CLAMP's new CCS artwork.

Anyhow, when I heard about CLAMP designing the wedding dress, I couldn't help thinking CLAMP and I are in sync. It'll make more sense with Chapter 68 of New Trials. As for any New Year's resolution? Finish the new chapters of New Trials of Card Captor Sakura in a timely manner. In fact, the immediate goal: finish Chapter 68. It' getting there!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs from Kokia, Time to Say Goodbye. It has that bittersweet tone befitting the end of one year and starting a new one. 

See lyrics here.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Sakura and Syaoran Snowman by ~wishluv on deviantART
I was doodling another Christmas chibi picture as a continuation of last year's doodle but changed my mind last minute because I wanted to draw something more snowy. Luckily, it took very little time.

Merry Christmas 2011!




I love Trans-Siberian Orchestra for Christmas (and in the middle of summer too). While I like both versions of Christmas Canon, I like the children's choir version slightly more than the Christmas Canon Rock version, just because the choir version sounds so angelic.

Happy Halloween! Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Two steps forward and one step back. It's strange how time passes by and you feel like you're getting nowhere, yet I realize I am closer to my dream than I have ever been been before. 

To explain my delay in updates, it's because I've been working six days a week, sometimes seven, 11 hours a day. Somehow, I'm doing what I love best, writing, though journalism is not exactly the kind of writing I wanted to do though it is interesting and a bit mind-boggling. Yes, I think I've wanted to write since I was age eight, and I wanted to write fiction. Journalism writing is quite different from fiction writing, but there's still a lot to learn. This makes me feel a little guilty because I know people whose dream is journalism but hey, life doesn't always take you where you plan. Either way, I've gotten a precious opportunity cultivate my writing skills for a change, and I feel like I'm getting a little bit closer to my ultimate dream. Or not. Who knows.

Chapter 68 is probably 70% complete. Maybe more; there are times when I get really stuck on chapters, but this chapter, it's been so much fun to write, but I'm just too tired to write at the end of the day. I hope Chapter 68 will be fun because I think all the main characters will have a storyline for a change. 

The fanart is just a doodle I drew last year when I thought, "I want to draw Syaoran as the big bad wolf." And Sakura's Little Red Riding Hood. It's not really finished though. Anyhow, I thought it fit the Halloween theme.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2011!


Here is an awesome Card Captor Sakura and New Trials AMV to Avril Lavigne's I'm With You made and sung by Hazuki Goldair, with rewritten lyrics to match New Trials! Thank you very much, Hazuki-chan! Check out Syaoran the Waiter Boy if you haven't already, also sung by Hazuki Goldair.