I’ve been needing to recc my VERY VERY FAVORITE manga.

It’s called From Far Away (ie, Kanata Kara) by Hikawa Kyoko, and I love it so.

It’s of the “modern girl gets sent to fantasy Other Realm, meets guy” genre, and the plot is simple, straightforward, and obvious. It is also one of the most romantic things you will ever read.

It’s intelligent in it’s straightforwardness: she gets there, and she can’t speak the language. (Oh, what a thought.) She’s a completely normal high school girl, so she is completely dependent on the young man she meets–from being saved from monsters, to riding a horse, and building a fire. That young man has an excellent reason why he’s the first person she meets, and an excellent reason why he should leave her to die in the wilderness, but he can’t bring himself to do it. It goes on from there.

She stays completely normal, except in her connection to Izark, our leading man, who is the extraordinary one. And Izark is the most gorgeous-swoon-worthy-angsting bishounen to be seen since angsting bishounen first ahngst. I need to do fanart. XD

Volumes 1-9 (of 14, I think) are available in most every bookstore in North America through Viz, and I highly, highly recommend it.

http://www.cloverpetals.com/~izark/–Excellent fansite.

Extreme w00tness.

Cleolinda has posted her Phantom of the Opera Movie in 15 Minutes. I luff her.
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Stephanie L has the revamped and improved Schoolbooks and Brimstone webcomic up. Rawken Awesome.

When are y’all gonna get merchendise up Steph, Jen, and Greg? Steph is one of most fricken-awesome artists in existance, and she deserves to eat. I always have wanted one of those Mr. Satan mouse pads, just never got around to getting it…

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I like this meme. (Gackt from Athie)

Go through this list and pick ONE from each pair that you think describes me the best. Post your choices as a comment. Then, copy this and post it in your own journal to see how your friends view you!

- dominant or submissive
- logical or intuitive
- social or loner
- juvenile or mature
- kitten or puppy
- warm flannel sheets or sleek satin
- leader or follower
- quiet or talkative
- spontaneous or planned
- Elvis or The Beatles

Was up most of the night coughing. bleghhhhhh.

I’ve been meaning to rec these for a while, so check it out:

My roommie Shada makes anime music videos which are much fun and delightful. So if you’ve seen these animes, get yourself an account at amv.org and (in 2 weeks, heh) you can download her vids.

She just finished a Shaman King one to Weird Al Yankovic’s “I Think I’m a Clone Now,” which I claim she made for me. :] It makes me very happy and amused.

I also think these ones of her’s are very excellent:

Shaman King:
The Madness of Asakura Hao to Matchbox 20’s “Unwell” (I’m not crazy! I’m just a little unwell. Very fitting.)
Asakura Clones to Weird Al Yankovic’s “I Think I’m a Clone Now” (snicker, snicker, guffah, LOVE)

Fruits Basket:
Hatori’s Love, to Dido’s “White Flag” (I love Hatori. *sniff* Very fitting song.)
Make You Mine to Clay Aiken’s “When You Say You Love Me” (aww, Y/T, K/T, something for everyone)
Fruits Basketcases to Jump 5’s “Spinnin’ Around” (peppy and fun, makes me go AwYeahEEyeah! Great timing.)

You can see all of her amv’s on her profile here. She also has ones to Pretear, Final Fantasy Unlimited, and Slayers.

I just read Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones last night (took 6 hours *cough*).
Adore.
I also read Deep Secret a few months ago (magic happenings at a SciFi Con, yes!) and I recommend that one too. ^^

I love how she involves our world into her fantasy worlds (Deep Secret has magic mixed with computers! which made me very happy). And how she takes awkward, mismatched people who misunderstand each other and don’t treat each other that great, and then by the end, they match, and they are paired. It’s cool. :)

Miyazaki’s newest movie is going to be released in Japan in November — Howl’s Moving Castle. :) Yea! I want to see it now. :(
I’m going to be a Howl fangirl, I just know it. He’s awful, and fantastic at the same time. Howl and Sophie luff.

When I think: “I ought to rec this,” I very well should, shouldn’t I?

http://www.endicott-studio.com- I haven’t had a chance to go through everything here, but it’s put together/edited by Terri Windling, has Neil Gaiman and Jane Yolen contributing to it, and it’s free. rawking.
They have sketches by Thomas Canty posted. *drools* Oh, the delicate linework.

Joy of joys, I discovered that Aysha Shehim, of the rather abandoned Pros[thetic] Aes[thetic], has a deviantart account, which she updates. Can I slather? *slaaaathers* I love her costume/character design, her coloring, her lines, and her bold bold, beautiful stylization. Es gorgeous. And I think she did most of these in high school. 0.o

What else?
Just survived my Northern Renaissance Art essay exam. Campin, Van Eyck and Van der Weyden, thee do I love. But I think I love Van der Weyden’s starker period the best. Total focus on emotion. ^^

It’s been a real blessing to be able to see these works through excellent slides projected huge on the wall. The tiny textbook repros and these scans really don’t cut it. These works are amazing in their detail–gems, jewels, embroidery, sculpture, and facial features, all done as exactly as possible. o.o

If you missed the Art Renewal Center when I recced it before, go now. They are an activist group promoting actual quality and beauty in art, and I luff them. :)
They are holding an annual International ARC Salon Competition, and here are last years winners.

One was Donato Giancola. Look at this: Faramir at Osgiliath
Skintones!! Oh, the skintones. And the faces. %.%

This stuff makes me want to learn how to paint. Now.

Nice mixed post here, from nifty things I’ve gathered around the internet.

Harry Potter–

Mama Deb has a beautiful essay about Remus Lupin and how Harry Potter started developing trust. — The First Good Grown-up

Azazello writes an awesome analysis of Snape’s character — In Defence of “Snape the Hero”

Also gackt from Azazello, I am going to follow this comic from now on –
Nerds of Prey on Fangirls’ abuse of characters
LOL! Oh my, yes, that expresses the problem.
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And for the artists, animators and gamers–

Fascinating article-Undead Zone — Why doing ‘realistic’ graphics of humans will only create creepy animation. Interesting.
Could cartoony characters just be the better way to go? Or do animators need to become INSANELY good? Or should we just use real humans (ie, actors) when we want human characters?
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And, some random art:
Have a pretty guy-

And an old portrait done in life drawing with blue colerase.

I have been long convinced that Jane Austen’s Persuasion is, by far and hands down, the most romantic of all of her novels. ^____^ I listened and read through it again today, and am by no means dissuaded . :)

It is sweet, reserved, controlled, as all of her novels are, but also bittersweet, effected, and touching.
I relate to, and admire, Anne.

Anne– “All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one: you need not covet it), is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone!”

Captain Wentworth– “You pierce my soul. …I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me.”

The Republic of Pemberly is a most delightful realm, inhabited by much delightful company and resources, including a most discriminating and excellent collection of Austenian fanfiction. ^_^ I am most diverted and amused, and have developed a strong affection and attachment to it. :)

Epilogue has just started an ezine. Gladness!
EPITOME: The Ezine for Artists

“Fantasy Art: A Tradition” by Leo Winstead
Comparing artists Leonardo, Rubens, Whelan, Craft, and Brom in the same paragraph. I like that. :)

Fantastic quote:
“Any great work of art revives and readapts time and space, and the measure of its success is the extent to which it makes you an inhabitant of that world — the extent to which it invites you in and lets you breathe its strange, special air.”
– Leonard Bernstein (1918-90), American conductor, composer

Many artworks of paint, word, film and story do that for me. The ones that really draw me in, catch me and hold me tight in their new and glorious world, I become a fan of.

My most recent captivity — Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Or rather the possiblities of it.

Last week I went on a desperate quest for excellent Chihiru/Haku Grown-up fan fiction. I wasn’t able to find nearly enough. :(

But I did find: » Continue Reading