The latest development of VK, or to be more precise, the new arc of VK makes it difficult not to rant of the characters, or the story in general.

Okay, we get to see more of the political intrigue, and such. I'm good with it. But it kinda disconcerting how easily and calmly Yuuki took with it. The Yuuki I know, say the cute Yuuki we knew through the first arc, would show at least slight discomfort, at least in the beginning. But no, she's practically PERFECTLY calm and graceful.

And I shuddered. 

It just eerily reminded me of Twilight. Of the change coming to Bella after she was finally changed, after pursuing the topic for three damned-long books. (say the first book as an intro)

As much I like calm and graceful heroines, as depicted by Misaki, but in such sudden change, and just because she happened to be a pureblood... just sounds... pathetic. You can give better reason, Hino-sensei. Or maybe, she just hasn't given some more details of the change? Or she has, but I didn't notice?

Then make it more obvious, or Yuuki will turn out into a Mary Sue, the type of character I try to avoid most, cause it'll irk me every time the character appears. And that'll make reading VK less enjoyable, when the new arc has potential and the boys (Kaname and Zero) have promising development to their character. Yuuki will be quite a thorn to the side. And not only her, Yori and Sara too.

Yori impressed me with being the smart and logical one. And the last chapters made her anything but. Just because she wanted to meet Yuuki she risked her life into a place full of vampires and trusted a new guy she just met and offered such ridiculous thing. She just remained oblivious throughout the ball, not realizing she's actually a sheep in a den of wolves? Since when she's that stupid? It just seems she's taking old Yuuki's personality that tended to dive headlong first, think later. ARGH! Although I won't mind if she's paired with Zero, as long as she returned to her old self. (Though I'm discreetly Yori/Aidou fan)

And Sara... I don't know she just irked me. She's supposed to be beautiful as a pureblood, but she seems plain creepy to me now. It's as if Hino-sensei wants to capitalize Yuuki as the main pureblood character. *sighs* I just can't help to see the signs of Mary Sue stuff while it might be unintentional.

Argh, hopefully Misaki won't turn out that bad. >_<

On the side note, I've finally finished the final project! So technically speaking, I've graduated. No more a student, and more another jobless graduate. ^^;; I'm a type of person who do stuff one in a time, mostly. So I didn't look for jobs during the working on my final project.

Haha, not something to be proud of. But at least I can answer the questions whether I've graduated or not when they know I'm in the last semester. And I can just enjoy some sort of holiday  before got thrown further in real life.

I spent some time together with my friend who also has graduated, though earlier than I, shapby and we just sort of went on culinary tour, searching for a delicious lasagna, due to our sudden urge for good Italian food. XDD

My search on the Internet found this place for Lasagna, Macaroni Schotel, Mac N Cheese, Spaghetti and stuff, named Rumah Macaroni Salsa. And yum, it was delicious! The drink too *___*

I think I've found a friend to make some culinary search in my hometown during my lack of employment time. Goodies :D

The first one was 7.4 SR 144 km from my hometown, Bandung. Followed by a series of short, small quakes (three, I counted).
The second was 7.0 SR 95 km from Bandung, but still around the Hindian Sea which was at the south.
That makes me quite worried whether my city would be the center of the quake sometime in the near future. 

The experience itself was quite frightening. My hometown was in the middle of the province, rather higher than other cities in surrounding area, so earthquakes weren't exactly common, and usually it's small and barely noticeable unless your're alone enough to notice the light tremors. So my first reaction was to wait for the shaking to end, thinking it wouldn't take long to diminish, but I was wrong. The earthquake was getting stronger and longer, so finally, after few stuff on my shelves before me (I was on my desk, on my laptop) toppling down, I got downstairs and went out to the garden. I waited for quite a while until I saw the doors to the garden stopped shaking and went in while wondering how big it was and what the source of the quake.

Fortunately the internet wasn't disconnected, so I could get some information, although I couldn't get a hold of my other family members as I found out that it wasn't local. Many other people in other cities felt the quake too, and most experienced worse than I did, such as got stuck in the elevator, or at the highest floor of a tall building. People panicked and ran over some others when they tried to reach the exit, filling the streets. My nation lacks safety procedure in such cases, this earthquake makes it kinda clear.

What worries me more with the scale of this earthquake there was a potential for tsunami, and from what I heard, the cities close to the epicentrum received quite a damage, though I had yet to know how bad it was. The people were told to stay alert for possible earthquakes in the future. I supposed this is what happens when your nation is located on the edges of the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian tectonic plates. And it happens during the fasting month too. So it came rather as a surprise, because usually it was rather calm lately.

Despite everything I couldn't help to find some humor in how fast people reported through the internet, such as the microblogging sites such as Plurks and Twitters and not to mention, Facebook's status. I reported my share too, cause I was thinking that it only happened in Bandung. Then just in few hours, the social sites were filled with news and thoughts of the earthquake. The oddest were the news feed made during the quake. Really, when you're running for your life, you still have the mind to update your status? I only did it after I got back into the house. Humans... we're certainly fascinating creatures.

 This chapter is.... EPIC!

*rolls on the floor laughing*

It's just.... can't describe it with words. Lemme give few reasons.

Well, this is supposed to be a Journal after all, people might be bored to see only fics that they might not understand. So I'll give some random things that happened in my life.

I am currently in my last semester of undergraduate school. I'm working on my final project, but lately... getting easily sidetracked with many things. Such as plot bunnies for my fic: Shades of Grey. It's kinda annoying when it comes at the wrong time, when at other times, I won't mind at the slightest bit. I'm trying to graduate in October, and the deadline was a week or more. And I just don't know if I can make it... so you can say I'm pretty anxious now.. although it might not show. Just wish me the best of lucks, 'kay? 

And on lighter note, I wanna comment on the newest VK chapter. The last page is just............ *melts*

I'm such a sap when it comes to Zero. Kaname just looks too perfect to me that I can't really like him as much as Zero. But Zero is currently worrisome... in the previous arc, he appeared suicidal, now he appears murderous and more dangerous because he's less emotionally unstable. And sometimes that kind of calm is very dangerous.

In my VK fic, I made a part that took place in a ball that was similar with the ball in the manga, and some of the descriptions were surprisingly close with Hino-sensei's. shapby  was the one who pointed out, because she was the one whom I gave the most parts of the story for her to review and edit. But others might not realize it cause it hasn't been published.

The idea for Shades of Grey appears few months ago, supposedly triggered by my disappointment towards the plot, or to be more precise of the relationship between the three main characters. And I just want to see Zero become the man he could be. If I saw the current plotline, it would be quite a long time, and it might not happen at all. Because I saw Zero as someone who needed someone else to give him a reason, a push, but I kinda doubt with Yuuki and her uncertainty that she could be the one. And I just don't think she could, now that she has chosen Kaname. And Kaname will need all the support he could get, especially from Yuuki throughout the worst times.

So as usual, the easiest method for me to get over my disappointment is to throw my own OC into the story. I have two versions, the first one where Zero was already married to Misaki before the Kurans did after a completely random proposal. It was more like a marriage between friends and rather similar with the idea of my SasuHina fic, What Are We? that was about loveless marriage. In that marriage they would have twins, a girl and a boy. However, suddenly I've got another idea. What if they were more forced together due to circumstances? So I switched it, they have children first, then get married.

And before I realize it, I abandon the whole first version and start over the whole story. And it ended up so dark and angsty that made me surprised. It might be because the atmosphere of VK itself. And the complexities of the characters... and that ended up making my OC, Misaki no less complex and dark. And it makes me kinda guilty for making her suffer too much. At first, her character appears rather perfect... I must admit when I reread it again, but then again, I was more focused on Zero that I haven't given away much of her thoughts. And there are many things that weren't revealed about her. 

I imagine that if she was really in the canon, she won't get too much spotlight, not as much as the main characters. Her past would only be shown briefly in flashes of images and through her words which not necessarily true, because as an Aruda she's really good with words, being truthful without giving away everything and good at concealing whatever feelings or thoughts she had, having to be an Aruda that could remain neutral and objective that required her to set aside her own feelings. As the story progresses, I'll show more of her thoughts and her feelings. Zero thought that he knew her best, and that was one thing must be paid attention to, because when it came to Misaki, Zero was rather subjective. I realized I've been very subtle in this story, leaving clues here and there. It would confuse most people, but for those who paid attention to details, they would see it coming.

And I can assure you, no mary sue. Just remind me if it's becoming like one.

On ending note, I nearly cried reading a new manga I stumbled upon. So I suggested this manga: Kimi no Todoke. Sawako rather reminds me of myself and I hope that I'm like her more.

Title: Shades of Grey (25/?)
Rating: T
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture. And I think the story will get darker and more complicated... I've warned you...
Word Count: 2,775 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: I wanna thank shapby  again for her kindness, although she said she didn't like editing, she edited it still. XDD Love ya, girl. And darn, it's just getting longer so I have to cut this into two. This is the second part of the cut. Revelations...

Title: Shades of Grey (24/?)
Rating: T
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture. And I think the story will get darker and more complicated... I've warned you...
Word Count: 4,440 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: I wanna thank shapby  again for her kindness, although she said she didn't like editing, she edited it still. XDD Love ya, girl. And darn, it's just getting longer so I have to cut this into two. Finally Zero introduced his family to his 'family'.

 

( Meeting the Family )

Title: Shades of Grey (23/?)
Rating: T
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture. And I think the story will get darker and more complicated... I've warned you...
Word Count: 6,929 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: Thus starts the new arc with Zero and Misaki as a family. I wanna thank shapby  for her gracious editing for this first part and her input for certain sides I've missed. I think the parts will be longer now.

 

 

Title: Shades of Grey (22/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 3,815 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: So it can be said that this part is the last of the first, or second arc, if you count the high school years as the first arc, for both of our dearest characters. It doesn't mean everything's well, because the problem is still there. If you're sharp, you'll know what the main problem in their relationship. ;)

Title: Shades of Grey (21/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 3,241 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs

Title: Shades of Grey (20/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 3,241 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: A two-year jump from the reunion. Another step forward

Title: Shades of Grey (19/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 3,415 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: Can't deny the temptation to post another part which was greatly related to the other one I previously posted. Maybe I should just post it together ^^;;;

Title: Shades of Grey (18/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 2,384 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: I change the place to another nation in Europe: Germany! One of the languages I learned. The Palace of Aachen existed, although no remains in this era. Considering that it seems the world in VK is sort of an AU to our own and that nobility hold quite a position, I imagine there'd be a lot of royal bloodline still exist in VK world whereas in ours it has extincted. Now, I introduce you one of the most significant OCs I've made: Louis Charlemagne. Thanks for Wikipedia for the history lesson. 

 

 

Title: Shades of Grey (17/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 4,994 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: Another long part, I'm afraid. The longest. Oh dear.

 

 

Title: Shades of Grey (16/?)
Rating: G
Warnings: Do not read if you don't like OCs, or follow Vampire Knight manga. Please read my previous posts regarding my OC to get the picture.
Word Count: 4,662 words
Characters/Pairings: Zero, Misaki, OCs
Notes: Another long part, I'm afraid.