(no subject)
Okay, so my vacation from my vacation is officially over. I saw my dad and stepmom off to the airport earlier today and I've been spending the rest of the time doing dumb stuff on the laptop. I'll do a quick recap now and tomorrow I'll start sifting through pictures and I'll post the fun ones here.
So, German security is the easiest security ever. Serial. The guy took one look at my passport, saw I was American, told me (in perfect English) to make sure I take out my liquids, then sent me through the metal detector. Dude. I didn't even have to take off my shoes. I don't remember a time when I didn't have to take off my shoes. I sometimes doubt that such a time existed. Then they barely glanced at my bag as it went through.
My flight was a little delayed, but I got there in one piece, walked around Paris with my aunt (it's very pretty!) and it was fun. I kind of entirely missed going to the Eiffel Tower because I'm the world's worst tourist, but I did the really important things, like buying French manga and getting some real macaroons. (Rose flavor was probably my favorite.)
Anyway, then we went to London for a couple days and we ran all around and I found some Turkish Delight (I kind of am always keeping an idle eye out for that stuff; 'tis yummy). London is great. It just has all this... stuff. And people speak English. I miss speaking English. I spent one of those two days just going to bookstores and being in awe of the sheer amounts of English.
Then we went to Cambridge to meet with my dad and stepmom (my dad had a nerdy conference there) and one of my Dad's former undergrad students (currently studying/living at Cambridge) showed us around. She pretty much spent the entire time trying to convince me to go to Cambridge, but the town is so amazingly pretty and awesome that she didn't need to try very hard. I am so applying. I won't get in because I might get pretty good grades, but that's about it. I'm not crazy motivated or have brilliant ideas. I just like learning things. I'm way too simple for a college like that. But Cambridge? Gorgeous. It's like a fairytale town with a billion fun little stores. Go there, it's only a hour/hour-twenty train ride from London. We also saw Wicked, which I've seen before and my dad couldn't go cuz he had conference-stuff, but it was lots of fun.
A couple of days later we went to Berlin and I showed my dad and stepmom around (my aunt and uncle went back to Paris). We did lots of fun stuff, had some good food. Saw a few art museums, went to the top of the TV-Tower (we tried the Radio Tower, but it was closed for bad weather). Yesterday was the Gay Pride Parade and we had a lot of fun watching everyone. Today they left, but it wasn't a big deal cuz I'm going back in about 3 weeks. As soon as I come back, my friend is picking me up from the airport and we're going to have a sleepover. Possibly a multi-day sleepover. I'm excited.
Also, the same day I got back to Berlin, three doujin that I ordered came in. I do not have a problem. Here's a quick rundown:
If I hadn't seen preview images for this, I might not have bought it cuz that red background really bothers me. The art style is suuuuper pretty, though and I am so buying from this artist again. This is a collection of 3 short stories, pretty much all Kanda/Allen/Lavi or some sort of combination thereof. The first one has Allen and Kanda talking about something, then Kanda recalling how he met Lavi. In this story, they look like they were about 13ish and Lavi mistakes Kanda for a girl and does that hand-kissing thing. He gets abused for his efforts.
The second story is the requisite just-came-out-of-the-shower-then-we (allen and kanda)-argue-then-fall-on-each-other-then-someone (lavi)-walks-in. Lavi seems disappointed that he wasn't invited.
I have no idea what's going on in the third story. Too much talking.
...And this is the result of the fact that after the 'Destruction of the Black Order' ark, fans now have canonical reason to do really cracky shit. In this case, Kanda gets turned into a cat. He turns back after Lavi semi-accidentally kisses him. (For the record, he knows that it's Kanda. Lavi does not just go around kissing cats. Although that might make for a really interesting/awkward fic.)
The second story is Lavi being turned into a bunny. He keeps his scarf the entire time. There's also a little Allen/Lavi moment, but it ends with cute and fluffy Kanda/Lavi.
This one is by an author that I've seen around and have admired almost entirely for the pretty art and colorful, cracky covers. I'm pretty sure the katakana for the cover are supposed to say Let's Go!! Paris. I'm not 100% sure what's going on in the beginning of this story. I think the exorcists are all playing some kind of game and Allen and Kanda get paired up, so they outright cheat so that Allen can team up with Lenalee and Miranda and Kanda with Lavi and Chaoji (who is incredibly uncomfortable when the two kiss right in front of him). Then for some reason Kanda and Lavi go into Lena's room. They make out, then Lavi decides that Kanda should wear one of Lenalee's dresses, which Kanda thinks is ridiculous because Lavi would obviously look way cuter. Lavi apparently wins though, but before they can get back to snogging, Komui randomly turns up at takes a picture of Kanda in a dress. Pretty sure there are murder attempts after. Apparently this writer is a smart cookie because on the very last page there's a really nice fanservice-drawing of Lavi in a dress. And he looks incredibly cute. And also has hairy legs. :)
So that's all. I am extremely poor right now and I'm going to refrain from buying anymore doujinshi for a while now. Not matter how bad I want them. Or how pretty they are. Yeah, I give me two months. Maybe.
Also, when did Kanda/Lavi become my OTP? I don't even recall a time when I consciously decided to ship them. They just... sort of end up making out in the fics I write, in the doujin I buy...
Regardless, I miss my scanner. Once I get back home, we can start translating our own doujin collections.