Been coughing for no reason. Before anyone screams "H1N1", I certainly don't think I've gotten that. No travel history, no fever, no sore throat (apart from an ulcer near the throat which makes it feel like it's sore), no runny nose (apart from the usual sinus). So I was thinking tuberculosis. OKAY it's HIGHLY likely just me and my imagination again. I asked my mum what the symptoms of TB were, and her (very unhelpful) answer was: coughing blood.

Yet again I started thinking about the poor Shinsengumi fellow, Okita Souji, who was coughing blood till he died at age 25. Doesn't help that I've been re-reading Rurouni Kenshin again to help inspire me through my next wall.

Anyway I really need some inspiration. I want to get better, fresher ideas, but apart from vector, vector and more vector, nothing's coming. I keep playing Subarashiki Kono Sekai and keep mulling over the fantastic artwork, but to no avail. I flip through the Ookami artbook and have Shikata Akiko's Harmonia playing in the background (the theme of nature fits Ookami very well) but nothing springs to mind. I start looking through my pictures again (unlike many youngsters, my pictures are all anime/game, not of real people, so that I have plenty of resources for my series of distortions), searching for....something, just something, but I can't get anything new.

I keep thinking of Neku, Shiki, Beat, Rhyme and () Joshua (now you know my new favourite) but after that....how to combine the beautiful streets, graffiti, into a wallpaper that encompasses the feel of the Subarashiki Sekai? Now I've got this picture of Allen, the one of him standing among the brambles and roses, and I want to do something about it, but what? Vector again? True, vectoring is probably the only thing I can do (apart from hiding my inabilities), but surely something more can be done? Maybe vector + gradient, like in Subarashiki Kono Sekai? Then my mind wanders to Ookami or Kingdom Hearts. Axel's waiting to be vectored! So is Amaterasu! But after that, what? I want to put Axel in a "fire afterglow" place, but do I have the skills to pull that off? How about Amaterasu and Harmonia's themes of wind, fire, water and earth? How to get that? GEEZ I sound like a certain rambling politician don't I -.-

Then I began looking to Youtube. And found out that Sound Horizon's new concert DVD had been released ages ago. Well I'm pretty happy that they've gone back to acting out the stories from the songs (not just standing there and singing), though....6 singers is a bit too much isn't it? Anyway I saw Shimotsuki Haruka. Now it's definitely her, her voice is too distinct to miss (unless she does opera). I'm a bit shocked actually. She looks so mild...and....she's plump. More so than I expected. But that just proves that looks don't matter. She's a successful singer regardless of her looks. And while IMO Shikata Akiko is better (and she isn't slim either), Shimotsuki Haruka definitely has substance too ("substance" as in talent/potential!!).

But anyway.....Argh I need more inspiration!! I'm going to do some strength training and hope the inspiration comes soon. And hope my cough goes away.