"Is this thing On?"

A few events have made me feel that for now, this journal would be best made friends only. :( However! Comment, and you shall be added...though a few words on how you found me would be appreciated as well (not mandatory, but just something I'd personally like). ♥

EDIT: You guys who are already on my friends list are safe, so don't feel the need to comment XD;; This is for anyone not on said list.

IP logging is off, anonymous posting is on. So hit me. Something you always wanted to say to me or ask me but were too afraid/polite to do so? Now is the time to do it.

EDIT: I'll leave this here for whoever comes across this journal, or whoever lurks around it. -_^

second annual "think positive" meme

I like memes like these...everyone wins! Woot.

2 pages inked for my manken comic! Gogogogo! Luckily this one is half as long, which is perfect because I have like, half of the time I had for the other comic lol.

Yes, I have returned to SUPAR SHOUJO WORLD for this haha. It's a pretty retarded story too.

Some more sample art for the X-men manga project

I...still don't understand the pure vitriol I'm seeing for this. D: Especially after now seeing the art for the Wolverine comic...I think it looks good lol. At least they don't seem to be going the shoujo route for Wolverine anymore (this does seem to suit him more any how). As far as the shoujo thing goes...the art is really not that bad guys, WTF are you talking about? Yeah it looks typical shoujo, but er, wasn't that the point? Or maybe I'm missing something here. And looking at the people writing it, they seem to have gotten people (okay, I really only know of the people writing the shoujo version, so I'm not saying anything about the Wolverine comic) who know what they're doing.

I just kind of feel confused about how a project that looks at the very least okay is getting shat on from all directions lol. I do think it might have been a better idea if the wanted to do something manga-esque to just...make up a new story, but this is Marvel so I'm not too surprised that they didn't stray too far from what they normally do. I think the key here is not in the art (which again, IS NOT THAT BAD) but in the writing. I guess we'll see how things go.

In other news I have decided that that hot boy from my club who is actually a megane danshi and an adorkable bundle of wonderfulness is also possibly the most moe boy I've ever met. The only thing that's left is for him to dress like a butler and then I'll literally explode. slkjdfs WHY MUST YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND D: *throws chairs in a fit of RAGE*

...Anyway. Tomorrow is my last trip to Takarazuka. :( What will I do without androgynous women only one and a half hours away from me now? I can't return to a world without that!

1. Do I have a distinct style of drawing?
2. If so, what exactly is it that defines my "style"?
3. Would you say my art usually follows a 'theme'?
4. Is there anything I really need to improve on or change?
5. Does my style (if I have one) remind you of/look like the style of anyone else?
6. Judging from whatever art of mine that you've seen, what do you think I do the best at?
7. What do you think I suck at?

Though I think we all know the answers to 4 and 7 (which are basically the same question, huh) lol.

I've actually been drawing a lot lately, but since I have no scanner readily available to me I can't show a lot of things here. Also, I need to finish my comic for manken before I leave, ugh! So busy, I don't know what to do with myself.

Because seriously. Lelouch. What were you thinking. ANYWAY.

dskljfdslkf GEASS WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME.
( More of Shady's ramblings about Geass that no one cares about! Woo! )
Okay Sunrise. You've got me interested. Let's see where this goes...and don't fuck up guys, you've been on a roll!

Now to study for finals, lol.

...it's really sad that I never remember anyone's birthday, like, ever. I apologize, I suck like that! :( But at least...I always seem to remember sebychu's birthday because it's 10 days before mine lol. Self interested much? At any rate, I finished something for you, sebychu~ Happy Birthday!

( Bird of captivity... )

It's no eyeball licking, but hey.

SO. Just watched the first episode of Code Geass R2.

( cut for squeeing and spoilers )

EDIT: *after watching sub* Lol, serves me right. I guess I'm going to watch the subs after watching it on TV from now on, because I definitely missed a lot there. XD; Haha. Seems like everyone know knows who Zero is still knows, obviously. But this is more interesting anyhow.

In other news, this journal is not completely friends only anymore, lol. I've decided to lock personal stuff and keep the fangirling/art (mostly) open. So hurray!...I guess? I'll get to changing the friends only picture soon.

...Guess I should show you guys what I was working on like, all of my spring break while my friends were in Okinawa. SWEET.


So as I said before a few times I contributed to a manga anthology the manga club I'm in did. I think...mainly it was just the 1st years and 2nd years who did it, but it was divided by year and I was with the 2nd years and such was in the 2nd year anthology. What you see up there is the cover for it, which I did, and I really think that was because no one actually wanted to draw a cover. And so they kind of all just turned to us and said, "...hey, the exchange students won't be here for long let's make them do it! :D It'll be cultural experience. Or something."

Bear in mind this cover has nothing to do with the actual comic I made. Nor does it have anything to with..well, anything. :D Title (which is not written here) "Manga no Tatsujin" (The Masters of Manga)...but if I had it my way it'd be called Serpentine Aircraft. Why? Well, you never ask why BLEACH is called BLEACH do you? There you go.

Now for the comic. Congrats, you guys get this in (poorly translated) English because I'm too embarrassed that someone who actually knows how to read Japanese will read the Japanese version and realize how terrible it is. At least the club members know how to lie and tell me it doesn't read like a 2-year-old wrote it. :D
( Tanjoubi Omedetou (Happy Birthday), 12 pages )

Anyway, despite everything I'm saying I really did enjoy working on this and for the most part like the results when I take in mind that I did this in a week, basically. It's been a while since I've really sat myself down and worked on pages non-stop like that, and I missed the feeling. Also, writing a story in Japanese (especially when you thought the plot up in English)...is so hard. Furthermore, translating it back into English is even harder. I tried to translate meaning without changing how things were said too much, but the fact is that as far as manners of speaking and just...things that sound natural in both languages go, there are quite a few differences. Things that might use two speech bubbles in Japanese may only need one in English and so on. The language aspect of this project was really interesting!

After during this in, I spent the day helping put the book together...it was pretty amazing. It basically took the whole day of us surrounding the copy machine and ordering the pages in such a way that they would print correctly...it was much harder than I thought it would be! But it was great, since everyone was working together to make this anthology that we all participated in a reality. It's really just a bunch of pages stapled together (so it doesn't look professional or anything at all), but there was a lot of heart put into and that's really what mattered. I can't explain to you how awesome it felt finally holding the finished product in my hands (hee, I got to be the first story in the anthology~). I so proud I couldn't stop showing people the book over the next few days. It was probably ridiculously obnoxious, but whatever. XD

If I could be here longer, I could participate in another anthology, but I guess that won't work...I might see if I can get my friend (who is also part of the club and will be spending the summer here) to give them pages that I send to her over the summer, but she doesn't have internet so I wonder if that will really work. Hmmmm. Ugh, if only we were part of this club earlier, I could have been part of the perfect bound anthology...! :( Oh well.

BTW, Code Geass second season starts today. WHO'S FUCKING EXCITED?! Woo!

People are always talking about how difficult it is to become a comic artist in Japan, and how no American up until recently has had a chance...but what about CJ Michalski? Isn't she American? And she's really popular both here and in Japan. Been doing it for a while too, since the mid-90s I think.

Just something I've been wondering.

In summary, Tokyo, Aomori, Hokkaido, Aomori, Tokyo, Kyoto. Class again, Takarazuka again, and no money forever. D:

Anyway, I'm back to the world of the living, sorta. Also started Tegaki, for I am a sheep. But it really is pretty fun!

...aaaand about that Arcane Arts update that I really really need to do. =_=;;

On good thing about most of my friends being in Tokyo or with their families is it gives me a lot more time to doodle things. Like this guy. No name yet, but I like him, I think he can stay. ♥

Also, thanks for the X-mas wishes~~ Christmas was a lot better than I expected since I got to spend it with a friend's family who came from the US.

Trip to Tokyo in less than a week! Woo!

...in the Land of the Rising Sun, that is. For everyone else (it seems), you still have another day to go. At any rate, have a picture.



..Christmas in Japan kind of sucks, btw. It's basically Valentines day times a billion times the loneliness. :( Though I think I just feel this way because I don't have any family members visiting me like everyone else nor do I have a boyfriend to have tag along wherever I go. Which is what happens here. Everywhere.

Oh god, totally not looking forwards to true Valentines Day.

...Okay. Who did it.


I come home yesterday and randomly have two months of paid livejournal and extra icons?? Who are you so I can shower you with love you awesome, awesome anon?! D: If you want anything drawn, just tell me!! ♥ ♥

...this does mean I'll have to post more, which I'm already trying to do so yes. XD

MAN, this has been a good week.

I really love these things so I make a point to always try to do and encourage other people to do the same when I come by them. :)

Holiday Love Meme! Post your name so people can say what they like about your awesome, awesome self there.

Here's mine...post yours so I can say things about you too!! I don't know about ya'll, but I could do with a pickme-up or so.

Well, it's International Blog Against Racism week (and that is why my dear Haruhi default icon will be absent from your lives for a bit- but c'mon, Naruto? It's a good replacement!) and I figured this is as good as a time as ever to speak about my own personal issues with story creation and personal acceptance. This isn't about racism in a broad sense, but mostly about how what one believes to be "general consensus" (in this case, in terms of race, of course) can really screw up how you see yourself and your writing. Or in my case, limit the stories I've felt like I'm capable of telling. ( The whole damn thing under a cut because it's ridiculously long )

I have a feeling I didn't articulate everything I wanted to say (and what I did say I probably didn't articulate CORRECTLY), but...well, it's worth a shot, eh? :)