Seven Days in Seven Minutes!

I know, you thought it was over, and done... or perhaps you knew, because you know me, that it wasn't.
But I HAD to remake the Kenshin wolfpack! Using Kay Fedewa's art, even without getting any profit from it, was wrong. So, I used free-to-color linearts from DeviantART. The result is that some of the wolves I don't like as much, but my concience is clean.
If you want to see the original linearts, check out the colored wolves on my gallery.
http://ignesfatuis.deviantart.com/
First up is Aoshi- All the colors are mostly the same, but I'm not a big fan of his expression this time around... I do like that the scars seemed to show up a bit better- though I should have put some on his chest.

Next is Misao- again, not a big fan of her expression or pose- since I thought the other Misao was a perfect fit... but she isn't as poofy!!

Megumi's color finally came out as something close to what I had envisioned. And her pose isn't that bad, she still looks flirty and in control.

Sano looks more dangerous this time around, and his color got lighter- though that's due to me and my computer monitor having issues. And then me being lazy and not fixing them. I had the same issues with Misao, which is why she's so pastel.

Yahiko looks darker, and DEFINITELY like a puppy- he is, again, one of my favorites, because this time around I didn't have to wrestle to make a grown dog look like a puppy, he did it on his own!

Kaoru looks more and more like an oddly colored wolf than a racoon-dog... she's so fluffy! Her pose really isn't too different from the other one, she still looks alert and vaguely hopeful.

The last two are of course Kenshin and Battousai. His hair is more red now, less orange... which is again, due to my own mess up and laziness in not fixing it. I like it, it doesn't clash as badly anymore! I still like Battousai, though now he seems a lot more violent... you can see his pretty teeth! ^_^;

HOME

There has been a (not exactly abnormal silence) on the blog for the past few days- the reason being, of course, that Fruit Bat and I have returned to our respective domiciles. We are home, people! It's so good to be back- seriously.
I'm back to my Christmas-setup, with my computer and desk over in a corner with a lovely blue cord that gives me internet access stretched across the stairway, ready to clothesline some poor person.
Anyway, anyway... so the day before our last day at school, Fruit Bat worked her animal magnetism one more time for the road- she found a sweet dog! I think it was a boxer... my memory just decided to check out for the summer. Well, this nice fellow didn't have a collar or tags (seriously people, get tags for your animals) so we wound up taking him to the San Angelo animal shelter- if you live in that area, stop by, see if you don't fall in love.
We also trapped the kittens- operation cat in bag went off without a hitch. Midnight and Saul went in the large carrier, Solstice in the smaller one. Fruit Bat and I closed the doors- Midnight noticed right away- freaking out, jumping around, etc. Apparently, if your cat does this in a carrier, all you really have to do is put a towel over it so they can't see out. Worked really well!
Solstice didn't notice/care that I'd closed the door- he was more interested in the food at the back of the carrier.
Now Saul and Midnight are with their new owner- Midnight's name has been changed to Inspector, and Saul's name change is pending...
Solstice is settling in pretty well over here, I wound up giving him to my youngest little sister for her birthday (yesterday). He really dodged a bullet too, she was going to change his name to Mushu, but fortunately, he only responds to Solstice. ^_^ He's using the litterbox (no surprise to me) and he's friendly with the rest of the family- he just still gets weirded out when we're all together in groups of three or more. He and the other cat, Stassney, have met. At first Stassney was putting up a good impression of Golumn from LOTR, hunched over and making strange noises- but now they're playing. Stassney likes to pin Solstice and try to give him a bath, but after a little bit Solstice gets fed up and it degenerates into a "fight".
We still have to get him used to the dog though- poor Diego is really friendly, and doesn't understand why Solstice keeps swiping at him! Pretty soon though, I think we'll let him have free reign of the house- so far he's been cooped up in various rooms when no one is home or the dog is inside. That can't be fun.
The picture was colored by me, as per usual, lineart by Weiringo of DeviantART.

Wolf's Rain Ramble

The purpose for this post is merely to rant about an Anime that I love: Wolf's Rain. This was one of the first animes that I really got into. Can you guess why? If you said wolves then you're correct! Before I continue let me just say that they're some major spoilers in this post.


Basically this show is about the end of the world. Now normally I HATE movies, shows, etc. that are about the end of the world, but this one was actually pretty good.

The earth is dying and is covered in snow. Humans live in run-down cities protected by domes that keep the brute force of the cold out, allowing plants to thrive. Wolves are said to be extinct. They were apparently wiped out 400 years ago. Though the viewer and a select few characters know this to be false. Wolves are still alive and have taken to putting up an illusion of being human. How they are able to do this I do not know. I learned really quick not to ask too many questions when watching this anime. It only makes your head hurt more. It's much easier if you just go with it.

The anime opens with paw prints in the snow that lead to a white wolf who has collapsed. A male voice is speaking the entire time. He speaks of a place called 'Paradise' and we can only assume that the voice is coming from the wolf.

"They say there's no such place... as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there. No matter how far you walk, it's always the same road. It just goes on and on. But, in spite of that... Why am I so driven to find it? A voice calls to me... It says, "Search for Paradise."

The show then moves to a new scene and the story begins. Within the first two episodes you meet all four of the main characters. There's Kiba, the white wolf, Hige, a golden colored wolf, Tsume, a grey wolf, and Toboe, a red wolf (though he looks brown). Although all the characters are important and have their own roles to play Kiba is definitely the main, main character. He is the chosen wolf. The one that will bring about the end of the world and open the gates to Paradise. Kiba can only accomplish this with the help of Cheza (the Flower Maiden), a human that is a lunar flower. Yes, yes, I know, weird. Now Kiba doesn't know that he is the chosen wolf but it is hinted at throughout the show and eventually confirmed even though Kiba denys it.

The most confusing part in this anime for me was when Darcia (the main bad guy) turned into a wolf towards the end. I had to watch it another time in order to understand what was going on. According to legend humans were born of wolves (yes, again weird and no, I don't believe that to be true) and were the messengers of wolves. The humans broke away and became their own people and quit listening to wolves. Apparently, Nobles (which is what Darcia is) used to be wolves but most could not remember being one. They were the originals I would guess because they live abnormally long and are different from the average human. Darcia remembered that he used to be a wolf and was, therefore, able to turn back into one. I still don't quite understand that.

One of my favorite quotes from the end is after Darcia has killed all of Kiba's friends.

Darcia: You've lost everything that was precious to you.

Kiba: I haven't lost anything. Not my friends, or my pride as a wolf. Nothing.

Anyways, at the end Toboe, Hige, Tsume, Cheza, and Kiba die. Everyone on earth dies. The earth is reborn, Paradise opened, and there is no one left to enjoy it. Here's the best part; after the earth is reborn we go to a city and lo-and-behold all the wolves are alive again! In human form but they're there. Guess what, that's the end. The scene closes with Kiba running with his back to us. The end.

I was appalled the first time I watched it and the second. By the third time I understood it better and now I'm slightly okay with it. I still think that they could have done a better job with the ending though. Like maybe, I don't know, NOT KILLING ALL THE WOLVES OFF!!! *sigh* Ah well, no ones perfect.

In all it was a wonderful anime. :D

So Excited <3

Ahhhhh! There's no real point to this post, I'm just bouncing off of the walls at the moment. Next week- next THURSDAY at 2 oclock I will sign out of this room and hitch a ride on the red raider truck for a ride home. I'm soo excited. It's really not fair- my roomate's last final is on Monday, so that's when she gets to leave (for some reason she seems to be thinking about staying until friday though. I don't get it.) Today I couldn't help myself and started packing a little- just the nonessentials, you know? It wasn't like I could pack my toothbrush or anything like that. I'm a little bummed though, because starting friday Fruit Bat isn't allowed to be in my dorm after 5- it's a rule so that nobody bugs anybody else when there's studying to be done. That's going to suck! Our every-night movie streak will be broken! On a more positive note, I'm back in touch with my friend Ashley! *Waves to Ashley* That's the worst of college- falling out of contact with your friends! Well, in her case it's a bit more extreme than that- she IS in West Virginia after all. Today has been really good... Fruit Bat got a care package through the school from her family today (I get all the things out of it that she doesn't want- like gummi bears because they have gelatin, or mint chocolate cookies because she can't stand the taste of mint chocolate) and included this semester was a "stress buster" bucket- it had TOYS in it! A minature deck of cards, two die, a little slinky and... an inflatable beach ball!!!! That was so much fun! Fruit Bat blew it up and we wacked it around my dorm room- it was bouncing off the walls and ceiling- the bed and the floor, it hit my desk and knocked my sunglasses to the ground! Tomorrow should be pretty good too- my first class of the day isn't meeting so I should be able to sleep in a bit.
The picture is called My Dragon by Lishan on DeviantART- I colored it recently. I also got an account on DeviantART as ignesfatuis, so if you want to see any of the colored pictures, feel free to look me up!

Fantastic Females

Well, well, well, look what boredom has wrought! Another list (gasp!)!! This time I’m doing girls that I happen to think are pretty cool. The girls who made it on to previous lists won’t be here, but they’re implied. (Millenia, Bellenza, Harle)
Tifa Lockheart- Final Fantasy VII
I really don’t get why everybody has to give my girl the grief!! Yeah, she was a flake when she was a kid- for pity’s sake, who wasn’t? (Yeah… I know, Aegis wasn’t. But she doesn’t count.) The point is Tifa had her act pulled together even before her town went nuclear- or did no one notice that she was taking martial arts lessons from Zangan and guiding the SOLDIER contingent up the mountain? Yeah, that same mountain her father never wanted her to set foot on again after she hurt herself when she was little? She has her own life apart from Cloud, but genuinely wants to help him. She could have walked away when she found him at the train station- but she didn’t. Anyway, not what I wanted to say- I wanted to say that Tifa is an awesome fighter- not a crybaby flake.
"Of course! If you take me lightly, you're gonna pay for it!!"

Akia- Skies of Arcadia
The female pirate! Argh! Akia is literally the girl next door for Vyse- but manages to spice things up with her own personality- for instance, although she has a teddy bear in her room, if you examine her stove, Vyse comments that it has been blackened because Akia keeps throwing gunpowder into it to watch it explode. Akia has a strong personality, she’s happiest when she’s doing something with Vyse, particularly discovering new things, stealing, or other Blue Rouge behavior. Akia kind of drew the short stick in the game though- Fina comes down from the Silver Shrine and Vyse falls head over heels for her. Tough luck- but if anyone is strong enough to get over this unintentional rejection, it’s Akia.
"Some dead guy is having a big laugh at us."

Kid- Chrono Cross
Kid, Schala “Kid” Zeal, the game calls her. Forget the game, her name is Kidd. Kidd is quite frankly, one of my favorite characters of all time. A member of the Radical Dreamers, Kidd is a cunning thief with a personal grudge against a demi-human known as Lynx. Really, Kidd is the one who motivates Serge throughout the game- it’s Kidd who rescues him when he gets cornered by the game’s version of the Ghostbusters, and its Kidd who clues him in that Viper Manor might hold some of the answers he’s looking for. Every time Serge doesn’t know what to do, Kidd already has a plan. That’s why she is NOT Schala. I played Chrono Trigger. I met Schala- and she was a passive wuss. There is no way that Kidd would submit to that kind of person. Ever. Two quotes for Kidd!
“I’ll kick your arse so hard you’ll kiss the moons!”
“Ex-cuse me?! You’re just going to leave a poor defenseless girl like me to travel alone?!”

Elena- Grandia II
While Millenia takes the cake for sheer toughness, Elena is a close second to her evil doppelganger. You’d never know it to look at her, but Elena is stubborn, quite capable of sticking up for herself and sometimes downright rude. As a “Songstress of Granas” she works as the conscience for the group of misfits on their way to the Papal state- which has poor Ryudo grousing that they can’t possibly stop to rescue every kitten stuck up a tree. Despite their frequent disagreements, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that these two love each other. All in all, Elena is one of my favorite people that I classify as “White Mage.” To me, white mages are fairly worthless. Give me a fighter, not someone to stand in the back and cast slow. If the enemy is dead, status effects aren’t needed.
Since I can’t find anything better… one of Ryudo and Elena’s arguments.
Ryudo: Whoa there, gumshoe! I don't recall 'hunting down reawakening God of Evil' as being part of my job description.
Elena: Saving those in need is the duty of those who follow Granas. I will not ignore my duty, Ryudo, and I most certainly not ignore these people. We must aid them!
Ryudo: Now you're just being stubborn. Let's try to be rational here. One: I'm not being paid. I repeat that - I AM NOT BEING PAID.

Beatrix- Final Fantasy IX
Just a quick blurb on Beatrix- she halfway irks me, and I halfway like her. She’s entirely loyal to the queen of Alexandria, which makes her your enemy for the first half of the game. During this first half, you must fight her, a battle I compare to fighting a female Sephiroth when you’re at level 7. There is no way to beat her. And then, when you get to briefly play as her- her attacks aren’t nearly that strong. Also, also! She stole one of Cloud’s attacks! Climhazard! Totally belongs to Cloud! Sadly, this limited-time offer character is pretty much the strongest female in the game. Don't get me wrong, I like Dagger and Eiko, and Freya is okay, but none of them have the presence that Beatrix has- the one that tells you up front that they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
"I commend your courage, but I will show you no mercy."

Yuffie Kisgard - Final Fantasy VII
The ninja-girl of FF7, ah, Yuffie… you cost me so much… my dignity, my self-respect… my gil! Getting this girl into your party is a pain in the butt, in which any wrong answer to any of her prompts will result in her stealing some gil. Your gil, to be precise. And then, if you get the urge to go exploring and find Wutai, she steals ALL OF YOUR MATERIA! And engages you in a LONG subquest to get it all back. Still, you’ve got to admire the kid- she was 14, and tagged along with everyone else out to save the world, even braving her travel sickness for the sake of people she couldn’t admit to being friends with. Somehow I see her and Red XIII getting along very well- they’re the only two teenagers out on this crazy ride after all.
Yuffie: Cloud, sign this.
Cloud: What is it?
Yuffie: It's a contract that says when the war is over, all the materia will belong to me.