Vampire Knight love~♥ (While waiting for VK62... :D)
(Main points in bold for easier/faster reading, and much VK love as usual. X3 ♥)
Recently, I drew a pic of Yuuki with little flags celebrating the World Cup of soccer.
(You might have seen the soccer one on my DA. I like soccer, although mostly only when it's the World Cup. XD; *cheers for a bunch of countries and teams that she likes particularly* X3 ♥)
And since the thing of Yuuki + two flags was ideal for this, I did a variant version of this same pic, with Yuuki holding a little flag with each of the two guys, showing her love for them both~! X3 ♥
Please click if you'd like to see a bigger version. :D
Wallpapers, anyone? ^^/
Normal size || widescreen
Please ignore the fact that Kaname & Zero are a bit messier drawn/wobbly-lined, unlike
Yuuki, because I originally drew them smaller to make little smilie-like thingies on DA. ^^;
I was hoping to put into this pic the idea of love, Yuuki's love for both Kaname and Zero, and our love as a fandom, for the series and its characters. ^^/
Yuuki holding them both is her love for them, the hearts each of the boys have in their flags is their love for her, and the three hearts over Yuuki's head are our love for the series as a whole and each of the three of them. X3
(It was mostly to look cute, and just in case, the two equal sized bigger hearts on each side + the smaller one in the center of course don't indicate in any way less love for Yuuki than for the guys or anything at all. ^^;)
In that sense, the pic is a bit of a symbol of fandom-love and peacefulness. ♥
(This might sound so cheesy to some. XD;;; But those are concepts I care about a lot.^^;
And fandom is far more fun when you love the series, than when you're motivated by hatred of a pairing or a character. So I think love is an inherent part of fandom, after all, no one enjoys creating and drawing/writing/etc. for something they don't like... so fandom is first and foremost an activity of loving and enjoying something. :D ♥)
This post is because more and more each month, people seem to get impatient and want the chapter right away, some becoming super demanding (sometimes expecting it to be posted long before the magazine is even printed! ^^;) and many others just beginning to analyse stuff before they've even read the chapter, drawing hasty conclusions and fueling pairing wars back and forth between both sides of the fandom, and the constant bashing and fighting about pairings is so depressing. ^^;
It was bad enough when it was about the characters and pairings, (since that definitely ruins the fun for the fans who enjoy the character(s) or pairing(s) being bashed), but lately it's even worse since there's so often people going and doing odd things like attacking others because some don't believe it's possible to like more than one character or pairing. ^^;;;
So fandom things become even more depressing, especially for the ones of us who do love several pairings. ^^;; (Especially when there's witchhunts such as people assuming others can't like more than one pairing and start acting like everything is favorititism or something, and the paranoia escalates. ^^;;;;)
My favorite pairing is Zero x Kaname because I'm primarily a yaoi fan.
I also love Yuuki with them (as a threesome or her separately with either of the guys; I started the manga liking KxY and then later on got also into ZxY), my love for any of the straight pairings is definitely secondary to my yaoi love for Zero x Kaname.
Maybe this is why it's more easy for me to love Yuuki with either of the guys without getting the violent reaction towards the other pairing that some of the fans seem to feel (since either way I'd be rooting for Zero x Kaname fanservice anyway, regardless of who Yuuki picks or what. XD *lol*), but in any case, regardless of yaoi or het I strongly believe it's possible for us all, straight pairings fans or yaoi pairings fans, to enjoy the series without ressorting to violence or bashing and pairings wars. ^^;;
Also, I'm tired of getting occasional flames from both sides. O_o It happens from time to time and it's ridiculous. It's like lately people can't walk one step without their every movement and word being judged by people jumping to conclusions. ^^; I don't know if everybody gets this at anything they say these days, or if it's just because people's tempers flare while they're waiting for the chapter, and venting at me ends up happening or what, but, well... ^^;;;
Flaming people isn't going to stop anyone from liking both of the two guys with Yuuki, or liking yaoi, or fangirling the trio as a threesome and so on. Going around claiming that others are fake fans because you like one pairing only and dislike the fact that some of us like several, is not fair, nor is it true. ^^;
So please don't do it, no matter which of the pairings you like and which you dislike.
And because the days just before and just after a new chapter release tend to have become more and more of a violent period where tempers flare and people jump to conclusions and bash etc., I thought I'd make this post hoping it could maybe inspire a little breath of peace at least, and that we could maybe instead try and focus that time on something positive. ^^;
Not that I think one post makes a big difference, but every little bit from each person counts and so if we don't try, then nothing positive happens. ^^;
I was hoping that instead of people getting really impatient and start flaming each other and me while waiting for the chapter, we could maybe instead all celebrate our love for VK and just... I don't know, write fics or draw pics or do whatever peaceful things while waiting? ^^;;;
And just in case: It seems obvious, but you never know, so... I just want to make it very clear that this post DOES NOT target any individual or any side of the fandom in particular. It's about problems of the fandom as a whole, regardless of what pairing/ character/ anything you or anyone else like or dislike.
None of us knows what's going to happen in the manga (in the end or up until then anyway) until it's out, only Hino-sensei knows, so it's horribly pointless how each month there are ferocious debates about how this or that pairing is "superior" and this or that pairing "sucks" and so on.
So many people waste their own time and ruin the fun or other fans pointlessly fighting over how they think the pairing they dislike "sucks/stands no chance in the end/is sick/[insert here whatever other insult depending on what pairing they support or dislike]". It's such a pity. ^^;
There was always bashing, but it was less frequent and less widespread before.
The fandom became more and more violent as it grew with the popularity of VK expanding more and more online, but it being big doesn't means it necessarily has to be pointless like that. ^^;;
Not only the bashing and the flaming, but this fandom is having also more and more problems it never had before, for example, it used to be a very respectful fandom when it comes to people creating fanworks, but over the course of it growing I noticed that there's more and more fanart-theft going on it it, another really depressing thing. ^^;;
If you want to use someone's fanart, please ask the person and respect their wishes, since they're a fellow fan like you... please don't repost people's fanarts, especially claiming you did it, and PLEASE, don't sell fanarts you didn't draw! O_o
Every so often I find people trying to sell my fanarts. T_T It's really depressing, and if not for the huge love I feel for the series, I'd be rather wary of posting any fanarts. ^^;;
It seems to be because more and more very young fans have joined the fandom, and they don't always have yet a very good knowledge of what's proper or not, hence so much bashing and art-theft etc. ^^;
But age doesn't excuse trying to pass someone's art as your own, or not asking people/respecting their wishes, or worse, even trying to sell other people's fanarts. ^^; Nor does age excuses ruining the fun of our fellow fans by bashing and damaging the feeling of the fandom. ^^;
Fandom isn't as fun when it's filled with hatred and fanart-theft and so many issues. ^^;
So I was hoping that maybe we could all try and strive to coexist peacefully among fans of the different pairings without anyone bashing each other's favorites (or, worse, people bashing the other fans, Hino-sensei, whoever).
We can all focus on the love we have for the series and its fandom rather than on negative things like bashing or stealing art etc... ^^;;
Even if you don't draw well at all, posting your own pic is always so much better than stealing from someone or even posting just traced artwork.
Draw your own pics, write your own fics, and don't attack anyone or anything, and you'll find that little by little, you'll get better and better at art etc., and also that your fandom experience will be much more pleasant, both for you and for everybody around you. :D ♥
So yeah, the trio-love-pic above is my little contribution for our little moment of hopefully waiting peacefully for the chapter. ^^;
I haven't had time to draw or write much in a while, and I didn't get to finish making the fan-game with naked Zero & Kaname yet (see past posts for sneak peeks if you're interested), but I drew the pic above, and also did a while ago some scan cleanings for stuff from the manga I'd like to color, so... I'll post some stuff here, and hopefully you can maybe enjoy it a bit while waiting for the chapter? :D
As you may know if you follow my posts, I've been dying to do a fan coloring of some of the manga pages even since the gorgeous scene with Yuuki & Zero's almost-bite in chapter 60.<333
The fact that those pages were gorgeous and so attaching, angsty but so beautiful, (on top of rather devoid of screentones and thus perfect for coloring!) made that I got the urge to color so many moments from that chapter!! X3
But then lack of time hit, and VK61 came without me having gotten to color anything from VK60 yet... the situation worsened then, because 61 also had gorgeous pages, making that now I had more pages to add to the list of stuff I wanted to color with my beloved trio. XD;;;
However, lack of time and gorgeous Rido x Kaname angsty moe 8D made that instead of doing anything, I just doodled corner-of-pages pervy things of Rido x Kaname and cutesy Zero x Kaname pics. 8D;;;; *must scan the doodles sometime, has a current obsession going with Rido doing terrible things to Kaname, and Zero rescuing Kaname and them having gentle and loving yaoi moments~~~<333* X3
But still, hopefully sometime this month, I intend to try and do the fan-colorings, both for VK60 and for VK61. X3
I wish there were scenes with the lovely threesome 8D trio together, but in the lack of it, I'll make do with the guys separately with Yuuki, since they are also lovely that way. X3 (Even if of course I'd prefer if they were all together in delicious implied Zero x Kaname yaoi due to the threesome XD *is shot*)
So, I haven't colored the pages yet but I thought some of you might be interested in some of the cleaned images.
I didn't save small versions of it all but some of those could be used for graphics and stuff if you'd like... it's official art, so do go ahead and use for signatures or icons/profile layouts or whatever you like if you want. ^^/ I redrew part of the images, particularly in the Zero pic that had a lot of text over it, but I tried to make it non-noticeable, so hopefully it might be of use for you. ^^/♥
A soft gradation + hearts thingie with Zero x Yuuki. ♥ :D
I redrew bits of the image where bits of hair etc. had been covered by text, and added the little hearts and color thingie. If you feel like coloring over or using it for anything, go ahead. :D
This is one of the (many XD;) images I want to color from VK60. X3
The whole scene is so much more like the feeling of a kiss than that of just an almost bite, which is so lovely regardless of it being a bittersweet/angsty setting. *huge angsty scenes fan* XD;
I love how Hino-sensei manages to always make things so beautiful in VK, and how despite the fact they're all vampires, it's so much more romantic and sensual than in so many other stories, even the usual love stories. :D<3
Zero<333
Click if you'd like a larger size in case you want to color it or something.
This might not be as suitable for a coloring because it's so covered in tones, but... it's also so pretty! *-*
If you read the posts with each chapter, you might remember last month my fangirly bouncy moment all over the fact that the stairs Zero is climbing in the title page were THE stairs, meaning he'd followed Yuuki and not stayed back at the hunter safehouse. X3♥
Especially with that lovely wistful look on his face, it was such a beautiful and fangirlable image!<33
So of course, I got the urge to color the stairs scene. X3
It was covered in text though, so I redrew bits of the lower parts. (You can see it better by comparing it with the actual chapter page, if you'd like.)
VK61, the teaser image at the end of the chapter, cleaned of text bits etc.
(Though I cut a bit to the right, that will probably be in the coloring. *hadn't finished cleaning yet* XD; (I started cleaning this one just after VK61, like I started the VK60 ones just after VK60, but then RL always makes you busy and sooner or later the projects all pile up. ^^;;;))
This scene is so hot. X3 And such a large teaser image too, for once!!
Of course, it doesn't helps that I keep seeing Kaname in this pose and having this intense urge to put Zero over him, but sadly I haven't found yet a suitable pic where Zero is in the right position *is shot* XD;;
Also, replacing Yuuki is a pity... I need to somehow add Zero to the pic so they can team up on Kaname and then all three take turns on each other. XD *lol* Orgy, the solution to any love triangle issues... *is shot* XD;;;
Kaname<333
Click if you'd like a larger size in case you want to color it or something.
And lastly, this pic is pretty old, but it's one of my favorite color pics of Zero because he looks so soft and peaceful in it~! ♥♥♥
I was having a fangirly bout of love for the artwork of some of the older cards etc. Hino-sensei did earlier on, and so I played with this pic a bit to get it in a more iconable format:
*cleaned text off, re-drew parts of the window etc. to make the pic square, and added the heart*
(Also played with the color, since this was something Hino-sensei did in a very soft coloring, and I was trying to make it stand out slightly more.)
Icon version, free for grabs if you want to use it:
That's it for those for now, because some of the other images I want to color already have partial colors on them from where I started the fan-coloring, but it's not finished yet, and so it's not looking pretty currently. XD; *will post when it's finally done, not sure when*
I was also going to have a parody photoshopped image with Zero & Kaname together looking like they were laying down over each other, but the total lack of time kind of killed it. ^^; So it will be for another time. :D
And on the subject of official VK stuff to enjoy while waiting for the new chapter, there's also the CD pack, which I posted in the previous post. If you haven't checked it out yet, do take a look, it's always interesting. :D
And while you wait, why not check out also all the lovely official stuff you can purchase to support the series? :D :D :D ♥
As you might already know because it's often been mentioned and discussed since it was announced last year, the VK Fanbook will be released in English later this year! :D ♥
(A French release already exists, but sadly it was not given by the publisher the care it deserved and the results are not up to what the book deserved. ^^;;; (It has errors as blatant as Shizuka accusing little Zero of killing people as a child [she was supposed to be accusing his parents of having killed her loved one], Aidou and Cain being mistaken for brothers, and so on. ^^;;;;) So it's a pity. ^^;)
I was going to wait to make a post about the US-release of the fanbook and pimping its pre-order links once it's closer to the release date, but since Amazon opened its pre-orders really early for this, anyone wanting can already take a look and maybe even pre-order yours early! :D
This way for a pre-order link for the English release of the fanbook.
I strongly hope the English release won't receive the same treatment the French one did. ^^;;;
Sometimes those things happen, especially with costly projects, because publishers (especially when licensing) tend to view manga series as a cheap and easy commodity to use to make money fast, rather than as art or anything like that. So the plot isn't given as much value as it might have been in a novel.
It's mostly the editorial department working directly with mangaka that's more involved with the story etc. itself, but by the time it gets to licensing, story is not exactly something people give as much value to. ^^;
(Of course, I'm not saying it's like that in all companies, it obviously depends on each company and each editor etc., but I just mean that in general manga licensing tends to not put as much emphasis on the value of the series as a story, as much as on its art and easy marketability.)
But in any case, whether you buy a book for its translation or merely as a gesture to support the series and Hino-sensei with that little financial contribution, all purchases help, because it's a necessity to keep a series alive!! ^^/
And if you are interested in the Japanese releases, Amazon Japan has also opened pre-orders for the VK volume 12, and for the long awaited upcoming artbook!! :D ♥
(You probably already know about those, since I've been mentioning them regularly in my previous entries since the past few months. XD But the pre-orders being open is news. :D)
This way for a pre-order link for the (Japanese release) of volume 12.
And this way for the preorder of the VK artbook that comes out next month too.
(Japanese release, but there's barely any text at all, since it's mostly illustrations only in it.)
I'll post more links when I find pre-orders open in other places. And if you have a bookstore nearby that imports Japanese books, you can also give them the isbn number and they can order the book for you, depending on the places. :D ♥
The US fanbook will sell for about $10, and the Japanese artbook is around $20 ~ $25, btw.
So you see that supporting the series is really VERY cheap. :D Even just compared to getting lunch out or anything like that, it's really easy to support the series. :D ♥
And pretty unrelated to VK, but hopefully pics of a cute kitty might also help send peaceful vibes to people passing by and waiting for the chapter? ^^;
(Yes, I'm that desperate. XD; Can you tell? XD;; *lol* XD;;; *really tired of all the ferociousness between both sides when each chapter comes out*)
She's not our kitty, but she's a friendly kitty who lives nearby and is so cute. :D
These pics are at a lovely garden that has plants from all over the place. :D<3
Giant kitty invades bonsai mini-garden! XD *lol*
Sadly, she refused to pose in a way that looked better with the tree. Well, she sort of did once
or twice, but she'd immediately switch position the moment I tried to snap a pic. XD;;; *lol*
Our old camera died and my husband got me a new one for my birthday! *-*<3 (It's later this month, but he gave me the gift early~! X3 ♥♥♥)
So I've been having lots of fun taking some pics lately, whenever I have a moment for it~! X3 *loves photographing cats and flowers in particular, will make a post sometime showing some of our planties named after VK characters* :D<3)
It's not quite 100% unrelated to VK if you consider that Hino-sensei too loves cats. XD; So there's... a sort of a relation..? XD;;
She recently made a long blog post about the importance of being a responsible pet owner, and how terrible it is that there's so many people everywhere who don't take proper care of their pets. ^^; (Hino-sensei really cares about the subject, (and so do I), so I thought I'd pass on the message too. ^^/)
It's a far more important one than the fandom-related stuff, of course. ^^
Sorry for the long post. ^^; And lastly, please don't get the wrong impression: I'm not saying the fandom is bad or anything, most of the people in the fandom are adorable. ♥
(And just in case again, this post DOES NOT target any individual or fans of any pairing in particular. The problem is of the whole fandom, hence why it's important for us all.)
I do think the people who bash, flame others, try to sell stolen fanarts etc., are really a much smaller amount, but they're... well, more noticeable. D: So it looks bad for the fans in general... but don't lose hope in the fandom! The majority of it is truly nice! :D ♥
It's a lovely fandom, despite its downsides. :D ♥ And there are always downsides in any fandom, it's just a matter of looking at the positive sides and trying to enjoy fandom. X3
So please, let's enjoy VK while also trying to peacefully coexist regardless of which pairings we like and whether it's het/yaoi/one or more pairings/etc. etc~!! ^-^/ ♥♥♥
Currently I have a bit of time right now as I just finished a work deadline, hence the pic and stuff, though I have another deadline coming up soon, so I'm not sure how fast the VK chapter will be out once I can get the magazine. ^^; Since it's right that same week. But soon, hopefully. ♥
And in any case, I'll keep you informed as always, so just stay tuned for more~! :D ♥
And soon we'll know if the summer cover is indeed Zero x Kaname fanservice? 8D~ Zero and Kaname in wet shirts!! X3 *crosses fingers and hopes so much*
(See one of my previous posts, about what Hino-sensei was saying on the subject, if you haven't read about the cover and the artbook etc. before. :D)
♥