Ok mostly just not sitting in front of my computer...

My back is finally kinda sorta better.  So hopefully I'll be around this weekend some.  If it rains, for sure I'll be in.  If it's warm and sunny, well I can't say for sure.

But things, I have done things. 

We watched all 26 episodes of El Cazador de la bruja.  Nadie is my new hero.  Just a normal girl, no super powers, who's willing to give her life to protect the girl she'll realize she's in love with.  It was the character development that made this series.  It wasn't Noir.  Nothing will ever be Noir.  It was lighter, fluffier, more relaxed, more character and less plot driven.  It wasn't better than Noir.  Noir will always be one of my absolute favorites.  But it was different in a very good way.  A lot of people found this series dull.  It was slower to be sure.  There was less action.  Much more of a focus on detailing the main characters, on developing the relationship between Nadie and Ellis.  And that is what made it so good to me.  Often, character development takes a backseat and if you know me, you know that character development is what matters most to me.  That and the ending...Nadie and Ellis.  You have to see it to get it.

We also watched Blue Drop which is gorgeous and sad.  It was also slower.  More character episodes, not that much action.  But Hagino...I really did love her.  Mari drove me nuts, until nearly halfway through the 13 episode series.  But there was a nice bit at the end.  It really is gorgeous animation though.  It's a bit harder to get through as it is heavy.  It's hard to explain.  It's not heavy like death and destruction and the world is always ending.  It's just gloomy, like you know this cannot come to good.

And now we've returned to Mai-HiME.  In which I remember, yet again, that there isn't enough Natsuki and not nearly enough Shizuru.  Oh come on, you knew I only really loved the ShizNat.  Speaking of ShizNat though, I finally found someone who can write them in-character and it not be either horribly stilted or just poorly written.  And she can write them in verse or AU.  And thus, I offer you the two stories I am reading now, both in progress but both still being updated:  The Endless and Inter Nos.  If you like the HiME/Otome characters, and certainly if you like Shizuru/Natsuki, these are worth your time.  The Endless is a Sandman/HiME cross that is truly intriguing.  However, you don't have to know Neil Gaiman's work to appreciate it.  Inter Nos is set in the time of Ancient Rome, in which Hime is Rome.  That you really just have to read.  But the characters are perfect.  They are spot-on in-character.  That's all that should really matter outside of how well written these stories are.

And now that I've gotten carried away...the whole point was to say that I'm back and will probably be around this weekend.  I have to get to work on my girl...that I haven't talked about...but that I actually have a pretty good outline for.  Yes, yes she is a Spash story...