[ Avatar, Bleach, GundamW, Hanadan, Kiva, MoB, Nabari, OP, RK, Tutu, XS, YST ]
SHARING TIME:
.......................*SHRIEKS* OH MY GOD YST WEEK I NEVER EXPECTED TO GET THIS SERIES OMG OMG OMG SO RIDICULOUSLY OVER EXCITED *FLAILS* I KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO BE SPENDING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. *____* And, oh, shit, the SeiTou webring site.
Also. *bleary eyed* Jesus, I think I just did three days' worth of recs this morning. Either I am a machine or I'm crazy in the head. Possibly both.
AND ONTO THE RECS:
Hana Yori Dango - 2 Fanfics
Kamen Rider Kiva - 4 Fanfics
Nabari no Ou - 1 Fanfic
Avatar: The Last Airbender - 8 Fanvids
One Piece - 8 Fanvids
Bleach - 1 Doujinshi
One Piece - 5 Doujinshi
Gundam Wing - 1 Fanart
Gundam Wing/Rurouni Kenshin - 1 Fanart
Mirage of Blaze - 1 Fanart
Princess Tutu - 2 Fanart
Xiaolin Showdown - 1 Fanart
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - 7 Fanart
2008 GOAL: 1181/1602
Hana Yori Dango: Your Heart Beneath My Hands by alianora - You know, I don't think I'd recommended this fic before? Shame on me. Because it's a really wonderful piece that I could just totally see set in the dramaverse, showing the dichotomy between the Doumyouji that Tsukushi slowly gets to know and the loud, obnoxious, brash front he puts up so often. It's got a really lovely intimacy to it, it's beautiful and hot without having to really go above a PG rating and that's talent. XD (Tsukasa/Tsukushi.)
Hana Yori Dango: Comedy of Eros by alianora - One of the things that Hanadan fandom seriously needs more of is Doumyouji and Makino making out and/or getting further along in their relationship. Of course their first time is going to be pretty much a disaster, which really only makes me want it all the more. So, this fic was a delightful treat to read together, because asd;flkjaslkj AHAHAHA Doumyouji is as awesomely dorky and spastic as ever and Makino seriously really does have the patience of a saint. The whole thing is really fun, from Doumyouji's idea of how to romance her to Rui's helpful advice (and laughter) to just. Everything. <3 (Tsukasa/Tsukushi.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: The Perils of Employment by Niav - ....did I never rec this fic until now? It's one of the best Kiva fics in the fandom (which is entirely too small, seriously), taking a simple concept--Ramon and Riki try to get jobs and don't exactly last very long in them--and just totally running with it. It's sharp and clever and funny and, oh, man, I could watch them try to hold down jobs like these all day, as written by this author. I love their friendship, I love that Ramon is pure evil, I love that Riki is almost sort of sweet, and that last one. a sd;flkjasl;kj crying. (No warnings/pairings.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: 10 Things About Wataru Kurenai's Facebook Circle by Niav - AHAHAHAHAHA, the cast of Kiva plus Facebook, there's so much potential with that idea and the author pulls it off beautifully here. There's a sense of humor about the cast, but obviously coming from love, as all the best mocking/teasing should be. It's also genuinely clever and funny without stretching the premise too hard, so it was just a perfect little read. (....nothing I'd really warn for.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: A Little Less Conversation by Mousapelli - So, I started on Kiva earlier in the year and, no matter what else happened in it or where the series went, I imprinted on Nago/Wataru early on and I'll probably forever stay with that pairing. I occasionally didn't mind other pairings, but what I really wanted was the Nago/Wataru. And not fluffy, light stuff, either, I wanted batshit crazy Nago who was obviously kind of crazypants around Wataru and this fic really, really helped scratch that itch for me. It's not just that it was porn (though, the sex was very nice), it was that it kept the characterization of the series--Wataru practically idolized Nago and Nago was controlling and kind of really crazy in the head, which is what drew me in in the first place. I-- I am not quite so dissatisfied with Kiva fandom after this! (Nago/Wataru, NC-17.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: Love Triangle by Mousapelli - More Nago/Wataru fic! \o/ And it also has one of my favorite Megumis ever, because she's so... she's such a great older sister figure for Wataru, especially because she's not always right or because she's kind of traumatizing. But it's also more of Nago being crazy in the head and Wataru still kind of idolizing him a little and it's all the hotter for how it is kind of messed up and the fic strides the line between teasing the series/character for that (especially with Megumi's explanation) and taking it somewhat seriously, which is pretty much the perfect line to take with these characters. Also, the sex was hot. <3 (Nago/Wataru, NC-17.)
Nabari no Ou: It's Cold Out There. by allira_dream - This was a simple piece, only 500 words, just Yoite and Miharu on the train, leaning against each other for warmth. But it's about what that gesture means, how Yoite feels about this quiet moment in time, how he feels about Miharu, how so much is said without having to say it, the way the author writes lovely turns of phrase that really make this a wonderful little read. (Yoite/Miharu.)
Avatar Fanvid - What Have You Done - Another link from disordered_mess and I'm glad she did because I don't know if I would have stuck around with this fanvid if I had stumbled over the link on my own and watched the first few moments of it (setting aside that I usually head for the cracky vids first when I'm looking for fanvids) because the beginning felt a little off, the repetition of Katara's scenes put me off a little. But I kept with it because I wanted to give it a fair shot and I'm very glad to have done so because it really is a fantastic look at Katara's character and how massively epic she was in the course of the series. The artist chose a lot of really fantastic clips and the pace of them fit the music really well and seeing Katara being so badass in this fanvid kind of seriously made me want to go rewatch the whole thing all over again. *__*
Avatar Fanvid - The Rhythm of Battle - Another link from disordered_mess again and it's another kind of Avatar fanvid that I'm really fond of--the action scenes ones. Avatar has such great fighting sequences that you can watch a dozen different videos and hardly feel like you've seen the same scenes over and over again, which this video also avoids. The music isn't necessary on beat with the scenes (though, there are a few times it matches nicely), but instead what it does is captures the intensity of the series and, again, made me want to watch it the series over from the beginning. Plus, it has some really good variety, I think nearly every major bender got put in there, which I always like.
Avatar Fanvid - Remember the Name - I thought this video overdid the editing effects a little too much and I'm not sure the moments the characters were actually speaking were chosen that well (I liked the Azula one and the Toph one was okay, but the Aang one seemed kind of random and no one else got any?) but what this video did do beautifully was its main aim--to show off the action scenes and how much hardcore awesome there is in these characters. I do wish the vid had been a little longer, but it was so fast-paced and intense that it almost felt just as long as a regular one, which is fantastic. It's totally worth the minute and a half it takes to watch.
Avatar Fanvid - Water Bending: Concurso - Two things about this video that I really liked--one, it matched the tempo of the song, the slow parts were beautifully done, with the softer moments of bending in the series, watching Aang and Katara in the clouds was just lovely, and then when the music sped up so did the pace of the clips. I do wish you hadn't been so easily able to tell that a lot of them were just sped-up instead of finding clips that fit the faster pace, but I did like that they matched the feel of the song. The second thing, which I liked even more, was that it almost served as a trailer or a character study of waterbending, it's the kind of thing that shows why you should totally get into the show. <3
Avatar Fanvid - It's My Life - I kind of sat on the fence about the use of special effects in this video, but ultimately I think they're what made the video for me. Some of them were really cool and fit the beat of the song really well and just generally made the characters even more awesome--which was not in short supply in this video. It's half about the characters getting to kick ass, but also half about their determination and strength of will, which is a really good thing for an Avatar fanvid. I found myself getting sucked into this one far more than I expected, which is pretty much the mark of a good fanvid for me. XD
Avatar Fanvid - Nara - This was done as a sort of trailer for the first two seasons (in preparation of the third season starting to air) but I find that it also works as a trailer for the entire series and why it's such a beautiful series, all the gorgeous artwork and action scenes and moments in it, all of them were very well chosen here. I also adore the music, it was soft and pretty but intense when it needed to be and fit the feeling of... as much as Avatar is also a North American cartoon, it's also strongly influenced by Asian cultures and this video did a nice job of showing a lot of that.
Avatar Fanvid - Unstoppable - I've really been in a mood for Avatar fanvids this morning, haven't I? Well, I suppose I haven't gone looking in awhile and so there are more to find now than when I previously went through YouTube. Or maybe I'm just in more of a mood for it this time. XD Either way, this is another action-oriented fanvid and I still feel like I haven't seen the same clip over and over again, which is pretty impressive. My favorite thing about this one is the first thirty seconds or so where it's not about the lightning-fast action so much as... an unstoppable force, the sheer power of some of the people/groups in the Avatar universe. Combining that with the art made this a really cool video to watch and I loved the music choice, too. <3
Avatar Fanvid - Grease, Avatar Style: Summer Nights - Sometimes you see a video with a particular concept on YouTube and you just have to click on it. Summer Nights as done with Zuko and Mai? Shit, yes, I totally clicked on that. XD XD XD I'm glad I did, too, because it was a cute, funny little thing and it used the footage from the beach episode pretty well and I just. I laughed the whole way through. ....and maybe heartmarked a little because well. I'm a fangirl for those two.
One Piece Fanvid - Just Lose It - So, I was looking at Avatar vids earlier and one of them was for a pirate-themed vid and I thought, oh, I wonder if One Piece has a vid with that song... and that pretty much kicked off a spree of OP fanvid searching. Which is really not easy... or else I'm just really fussy. Either is entirely possible. BUT. I found this one and a;sldkfjasl;kj god I love Sanji. The editing/clip choice for this was really pretty great, the lyrics matched up with the lip synching just enough to be cool without taking the focus away from the overall flow of it and there were some great moments and I just practically grinned with glee the entire way through the video and now I want to pick up the anime again instead of just reading the manga and a;lksdjfalskj I love Sanji and, oh, yeah, LOL.
One Piece Fanvid - Caramelldansen - You know, I wasn't even looking for a Caramelldansen for OP, I just happened to see the link on YouTube and clicked on it. And a;sdlkfjasl;kjslkj I don't think I stopped grinning the whole way through becuase it was just so damn cute and fun. I wish there'd been a little more variety to it, especially since it was three minutes long, but I loved what was here, totally fantastic and every fandom should have one of these.
One Piece Fanvid - Caramelldansen - I don't see a lot of videos for this song that aren't drawings dancing back and forth, but I was curious how this would work, so I clicked. And a;lskdjfalskj it was so much fun, it was an upbeat song and a ton of fast-paced clips where everyone was usually running full-tilt somewhere or flying through the air or just being a bunch of SUPER DORKS and it really, really worked well for me. It was some great clip choices and really captured the sense of fun of OP and, shit, now I really do want to go catch up on OP again.
One Piece - What Have You Done - I'm kind of in love with this song, after seeing an amazing Avatar video to it and now an amazing One Piece video for it. It centers on the Enies Lobby arc, which is one of my favorites and I haven't seen the anime for this arc (I switched to the manga during Skypiea) so a lot of this was fresh to me, but I remember it from the manga and just. Watching Robin run from Spandam, watching her finally admitting that she doesn't want to die, watching her claw her way away from him tooth and nail, watching the last few remains of Merry, watching the way the artist put together these clips, the music over the top of them... it gets to me all over again. A beautifully done vid. ;__;♥
One Piece Fanvid - Phenomenon - Another OP vid that shows off the action sequences and some of the total fucking epic that is OP and I liked the balance between using special effects (some of which were pretty cool) and just letting the clips + music do their thing on their own, it worked really well for me. It was a fast-paced and intense song again, the clips chosen where some of the more intense fights or moments of anger/pain and it really does make me want to pick up the anime version of Water 7 and Enies Lobby. There's also a nice balance of all the characters and how badass all of them are.
One Piece Fanvid - Bad Boy - I'm not sure how well the song really fits the characters or the themes of One Piece (considering that it's all about friendships and being there for each other and in each other's lives), but in other ways it does fit, like with the focus on Robin, Nami, and Vivi to the men of One Piece. But mostly I'm recommending this video because it was very well put together, the clips are fantastic, they're emotional when they need to be and fast/action-oriented when they need to be, they were chosen well and don't repeat and they just looked really totally awesome together. It was a beautifully looking vid. <3
One Piece Fanvid - Can't Help Falling in Love - Well, it was only a matter of time before I found a Luffy/Nami fanvid that I liked. For some reason, I am extremely picky about the fanvids I watch (which is a rare thing, I know >__>) when it comes to pairings, either I have to be in just the right mood or it has to be an absolutely perfect song or... I don't know, it just has to hit me right. There are a few things I'd have changed about this one (less of the added text and cut the fanart use in half at least), but it was also the first one I've found that I actually really liked, too. And it's just about the only fanvid that I can think of where I actually liked the use of fanart/still frames in an animated video (at least in the first half), plus the song was cute and sweet and just. The whole video was upbeat and light-hearted and fun, which is what a Luffy/Nami fanvid should totally be. I really liked this one. (Luffy/Nami.)
One Piece Fanvid - Listen to Your Heart - Oh, shit, I think this fanvid got me somewhat on the verge of tearing up. Jesus, you know Oda's a fucking genius when he makes you care this much about a freaking ship. And I do think this video would have hit harder if it had used the original, slower version of the song, instead of this remix, but it still worked amazingly well already and just. Totally sucker punched me when I wasn't expecting it, the clip choices and the flashback clip choices and the matching up to the lyrics and just... as;ldkfjaslkj it can still get to me.
Bleach Doujinshi (scanslated) - Suifuyu - a;slkdfjaslkj yes, I have been waiting for DP to release another one of their Aizen/Gin doujinshi that they've been working on. This is third one I've read from this doujinshika and I continue to love the hell out of her art, which works so, so well for this series and these characters. It's really reminscent of the canon art, except still obviously doujinshi--though, there are a few panels of Aizen that are just spot on. The characterization in this doujin is a little different from usual (as far as I can tell), because Gin isn't interested in Aizen at first, he's being forced into the role of vice captain by Aizen, who has become interested in him. While I generally prefer a more mutual obsession between them, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed it a lot, the way she wrote/drew Aizen as still maintaining the perfectly polite facade to everyone else, but we saw the snake in the grass that he really was and as;ldkfjalskj he's so fascinating that way. And hot. Very, very hot. (Aizen/Gin, NSFW.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 2 - [Note: This starts about halfway through the story and you'll probably need to read the first chapters for it to make sense. I couldn't find working links for them on LJ, so I hit up 4chan and *cough* you should be able to grab it there.] This doujinshika... her art isn't going to be for everyone and I know I say that about a lot of stuff, but the things I recommend still have a certain something that manages to draw me in anyway and this doujinshi series is no exception. It's long and has something of a plot running through, even has a few brief action scenes, but I worry that a lot of people won't give it a shot because of the art. It's like Oda's in the sense that it's a bit of an acquired taste, but if you really look at it and read the story that goes along with it, it's actually really, really good. And I totally got sucked into this story, even when I'm always in a rush lately to finish up my recs, this one made me stop and read approximately a volume's worth for this one doujin. Really, the fandom is spoiling me, but. Oh, man, I'm kind of totally in love with Sanji here because, even as he's falling rather painfully in love with Zoro, he's still stubborn as hell, they both have terrible tempers, they still fight and irritate the hell out of each other and a;lsdfjkalskj I could not put this down. Oh, yeah, and? Nami is so damn awesome in this, I love her. *__* (Zoro/Sanji, brief NSFW content, but it's not graphic.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 3 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] The thing about this story. Intellectually, I know that maybe I shouldn't let it draw me in as much as it does, that maybe I should be protesting against some of the stereotypes in it. And yet. I can't help it. I really adore this characterization (even if it is rather doujinshi!characterization) because it never sacrifices the bickering and how much work it is to get Zoro to be even just a little open about his feelings for Sanji. I adore this characterization because Sanji, for all that he flirts a lot, he really is very inexperienced in a lot of ways and a lot more of a romantic at heart (instead of just being a grand-standing flirt, underneath I think he really is a true romantic, in his own way) and... well, okay, this chapter did make me uncomfortable because almost-rape scenes (which might have been actual rape, it's a little murky) always make me kind of squicked, but the doujinshi made up for it by the Zoro/Sanji scenes after that and a;sldkfjasljk the emotional resolution and it's. Classic slash confrontation scenes and I eat that kind of thing up with a spoon. XD (Zoro/Sanji, definitely not SFW.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 4 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] This chapter is super short, especially compared to the other chapters, clocking in at only 9 pages, but. But but but. It's post-resolution stuff, so it's really satisfying. And there's still bickering and it's one of those classic sort of OP moments where everyone is coming back for their nakama, because they're never going to leave that person behind and a;sldkfjaslkj everyone saying they're not going to leave Sanji behind just. It fills me with happiness. (Zoro/Sanji.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 5 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] Back to a chapter that's 19 pages long and it... it's not really that plotful, the most they do is get into a fight with the marines (action scenes again! *__*) and Sanji's thoughts just sort of swirl around in his head, but it works as part of a longer storyline. And the deliciousness of the two of them with all these feelings newly surfaced and the way they're looking at each other slightly differently, I devour that kind of stuff. XD Plus, man, the art of this doujinshi... it's still the kind of thing that you'll probably have to be an established ZoSan fan to like, but if you are, it's kind of fabulous and only getting better. There's a surprising amount of detail and the close-ups on characters' faces are fantastic and al;skjdfslkj so good. (Zoro/Sanji.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 5 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] And the conclusion plus an extra from Zoro's point of view, another 20 pages to read. And. *satisfied sigh* It was a really fantastic end to a fantastic doujinshi series. It's doujinshi, so of course there's that wrench thrown into the characterization (nine times out of ten anyway) but... slightly in the future and you overhear a conversation (before Zoro shows up) in Sanji's restaurant and it's the perfect happy ending after everything they've gone through. Then, because the doujinshika loves us a lot, an extra from Zoro's point of view, on how he first saw Sanji, on how someone who looks as elegant and mature as Sanji then suddenly spits out the foulest language (which is one of the things I love about Sanji) and yet. They're together and it's just. as;dlkfjalskj I'm goo, SHUT UP. At least I'm happy goo. (Zoro/Sanji.)
- Gundam Wing - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I snatched the link for this one off Sharon's journal, intrigued because of the Relena art (which there is not enough of in fandom... or fic *complains*) and also totally in the mood for some Heero/Duo art and I don't think I'd seen this site before? I wasn't sure how I was going to take the site, but as soon as I got to the fantasy illustrations (which I am incredibly weak to), I was kind of sold. And the further you get into the gallery, the stronger the artist gets and I really love the artist's Heero, he has these incredibly intense, sharp eyes that fit his character really well. *__* The artist also has a section for chick!Duo and it's actually kind of really cool, you can tell how much fun she had with all of that. Also! Going through the p-diary art is fun, there's a lot of extra little oekaki and sketches! ♥ (Heero/Duo, some NSFW art in the under gallery.)
- Gundam Wing/Rurouni Kenshin - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I was really sort of on the fence about this site for a long time, I just wasn't that sure about it and not everything was working for me. And I'm not sure how it'll go over with other people. But what kept me sticking around and eventually winning me over was a handful of illustrations that were actually really kind of super pretty, the colors would come together just right and there was just enough detail and it... just worked nicely. Quatre especially tended to get some really pretty art, but there was also a really cool one of Treize/Zechs and some interesting Heero/Duo art. So. Eventually I caved. XD As for the RK art, I took a lot less time to fall, mostly because I was already warmed up to the site and its style, but alt more sole it feels like the RK art was a lot more solid. There's a lot of really cool Shishio art, some really nice Aoshi art, some interesting takes on Kenshin and Sano, and it's the kind of site that makes me want to pick the manga back up after only getting halfway through it previously. ....and, okay, I was weak to the Sano/Kenshin art, which often got kind of really pretty. *__* (No real pairing themes, maybe a little more Heero/Duo and Trowa/Quatre than anything else, but it's largely a gen site, I'd say. Some pairings for RK, maybe some Sano/Kenshin, a lot of various ones, and some gen.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Wail [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I actually originally came here on a GundamW fanart spree, but got caught up in the MoB art here as well. There's not a lot here and a lot of it is very sketchy, but the artist is talented and still manges to make the images really pretty. Her Takaya is especially well drawn, but I'm a sucker for her Naoe/Takaya art the most and that one where Naoe's kissing him hard is v. v. nice. Just a nice little stop on my fanart marathon today. (Some Naoe/Takaya.)
- Princess Tutu - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh, it's been ages since I went looking for Princess Tutu art and, hell, I hadn't really intended to look at any this afternoon, but somehow I got sucked into this site anyway. The artist starts out a little rough, but she quickly gets very nice, her Fakia is especially good and as;ldkfjkasl; I love her Rue. She also does a great job with Ahiru, all the soft pale pink/peach colors that work so well with her character (and are kind of a must with Tutu fanart XD) and I really like that... the further and further you get into the site, the more solid her artwork becomes. There's not a ton of art here, but there's enough to make it worth a visit. (Some Fakia/Ahiru, some gen.)
- Princess Tutu - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - More Tutu fanart! ♥ This artist does start out kind of rough, but it's still very cute art and a nice treat for me since I haven't gone looking for Tutu art in ages. But what I'm really recommending this site for is the art once you get a little further into the gallery, it takes the artist a bit to warm up, but once she does, it's some really adorable, adorable stuff. Fakia with the sleeping Ahiru on his lap while they're in an oversized flower? a;lskdfjalskj I am weak to that kind of thing with this series. The artist also does some lovely art of Ahiru and Rue, then some cute Halloween art of Ahiru, then there's the occasion Mytho/Rue art which a;slkfja;lskj you never find! This site, which I just clicked onto on a whim practically, kind of turned out to be one of my new favorites for the fandom, there's so much here and it's the kind that makes me want to keyboard mash because I love the characters in the same way the artist does and just. Yes. I adore it. ♥ (Fakia/Ahiru, some gen.)
- Xiaolin Showdown - [ English Fanart Site ] - I didn't really expect to find much more XS art than I'd already seen, the fandom for the series isn't that big. But I happened to stumble over this artist's account and a;sdlfkjasl;kj yes this is what I wanted to find. The art is sometimes cute, sometimes hot, sometimes interesting, sometimes adorable, sometimes really pretty (that one of young Chase especially!) and sometimes just makes me want to keyboard mash a lot because. Well. I'm still a Chase/Jack fan and this art kinda reminds me of why. You can tell that the artist is really fond of Jack a lot, but I actually love all the art here. There's a really kickass one of Wuya and Katnappe and a really great one of Dashi and some great group illustrations and-- well, yes. I liked this site a lot. XD (Some Chase/Jack, some gen.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - In a really bizarre coincidence, I actually stumbled over this site with YST art completely separately from the YST week of oekaki on my favorite board. It's like. It's like the universe is maybe finally rewarding me for my patience with this series? And I fell in love with this site kind of immediately because it had some really adorable GROUP ART. As much as I love the pairings in the series, I love these guys as a group of friends who fight together and somehow managed to become friends. ...not that I'm complaining about the stand-alone character art, either. *__* Shin got some really pretty ones and asl;dkfjasljk that one of Touma flying in space! And there's even some very nice MaShou fanart! I wish there had been more here, but. It was a great start. *__* (Maybe occasional pairing implications, but it's mostly a gen site, I think.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I kind of went back and forth on this site a lot, largely because... the artist puts her own style on the characters almost a little too much for my taste and it just didn't work as well as it could have. However, two things kept me going back. Well, three. One, the artist has been going since 2003, which is not as long as I've been a fan, but a dedicated fan nonetheless, and she's been drawing steadily the whole time. Second, there are a handful of illustrations that look really pretty, a particularly nice one of Seiji or an amusing one of Touma or whatever. And, third, it's Seiji and Touma. I'm weak. It's not going to be for everyone and probably only people like me will get a charge out of the site and even I only went back to about 2006 and mostly I'm pretty much recommending the site for her pretty Seiji, but there was enough here that I enjoyed and YST is a small enough fandom that I had to rec it. :D (Seiji/Touma.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - Sakura Vert [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I almost went right on past this site and didn't bother to look at more than a link or two, which I'm glad I didn't do. Most of the art isn't really my thing, I did kind of skim a lot with this site, but... well, Seiji and Touma, I'm weak, obv. But what really kinda won me over is that the art does some cute as hell chibis! I like her bright, CG-style colors in all of the art, but it's the chibis that softens her art up and hides a lot of the weak points so that it's just... I mean, that SeiTou Halloween one? a;sdlfkjal;skj SO FREAKING CUTE. And the chibi monkeys! SO ADORABLE. The site isn't going to be for everyone, but the chibis are cute and the comics are cute and that was enough for me. ♥ The oekaki bbs has some more art as well, several of them are actually really nice. (Seiji/Touma.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site looks to be a collection of a handful of different artists, which I always have fun with. Some are definitely better than others and I did kind of skim a lot after awhile, but a couple of the artists did some really lovely work and there's just enough really pretty stuff here that I totally wanted to recommend it. Maybe not for everyone, but if you like the Seiji/Touma pairing, you should at least a little to work with here. Also, we have established well that I'm weak for this pairing, shut up. XD (Seiji/Touma.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - Three and Two [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - You know, it's kind of amazing what time will do for a person and their fussiness over fanart. A few years ago, I probably would have left this site simply because I don't ship Shuu/Touma and might have twitched at it. But now... eh. Not my pairing, but, hey, Troopers art! Pretty Troopers art! It's a shame the artist doesn't use colors more often, because her basic lineart is very cute but her soft, almost pastel colors are probably my favorite thing about her work and make them look even better, imo. Not that it's all pairing art, either, and, hell, even then it could really be pretty gen for the most part. But there are also some pretty stand-alone character stuff, so I still think it was worth a trip through, it's one of the better sites I've seen. <3 Plus, the one of Ryo and Shuu was just. as;ldkfjalskj;j oh, the Troopers, I have missed them. (Some Touma/Shuu, but I'd still mostly call it a gen site more than anything.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Holy crap, it's a Nasuti fansite, I-- I didn't think I would ever come across such a thing! And the art is really pretty cute! I wish there had been more color art, but there's a lot (for a YST site) of b&w sketches of her and, well. I knew I was going to be sold on the site simply because it's a Nasuti fansite, but there was also an illustration of her with little chibi Seiji and Touma and I-- you guys shut up, I can like the idea of Touma and Nasuti being in the same area together if I want to! Not that the image was meant as such, but I'm taking it that way anyway. The majority of the site is either Nasuti stand-alone stuff or Seiji/Nasuti, which is not my pairing at, but... eh, cute art, whatever. And I swear I've seen this artist's work as doujinshi before... or at least a style that's eeriely similar to hers. At any rate, even if you're not a fan of the pairing, I thought it was a neat little site to go through. (Mostly gen, but a lot of Seiji/Nasuti floating around.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - over drive [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I'm not sure if this site is going to be for everyone, I suspect that I mostly came here because I'm so hyped on these guys and loved the group art that I was easy to win over. But... but... there was an illustration with all five of them with ducks all over them! And a One Piece fusion illustration! ....and, okay, I'm a sucker for Ryo/Shin, the doujinshi I've seen in my time has won me over to that, even if I wasn't feeling it in the original series. It was just a fun little site, some nice illustrations and some adorable oekaki! <3 (No real warnings/pairings.)
.......................*SHRIEKS* OH MY GOD YST WEEK I NEVER EXPECTED TO GET THIS SERIES OMG OMG OMG SO RIDICULOUSLY OVER EXCITED *FLAILS* I KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO BE SPENDING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. *____* And, oh, shit, the SeiTou webring site.
Also. *bleary eyed* Jesus, I think I just did three days' worth of recs this morning. Either I am a machine or I'm crazy in the head. Possibly both.
AND ONTO THE RECS:
Hana Yori Dango - 2 Fanfics
Kamen Rider Kiva - 4 Fanfics
Nabari no Ou - 1 Fanfic
Avatar: The Last Airbender - 8 Fanvids
One Piece - 8 Fanvids
Bleach - 1 Doujinshi
One Piece - 5 Doujinshi
Gundam Wing - 1 Fanart
Gundam Wing/Rurouni Kenshin - 1 Fanart
Mirage of Blaze - 1 Fanart
Princess Tutu - 2 Fanart
Xiaolin Showdown - 1 Fanart
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - 7 Fanart
2008 GOAL: 1181/1602
Hana Yori Dango: Your Heart Beneath My Hands by alianora - You know, I don't think I'd recommended this fic before? Shame on me. Because it's a really wonderful piece that I could just totally see set in the dramaverse, showing the dichotomy between the Doumyouji that Tsukushi slowly gets to know and the loud, obnoxious, brash front he puts up so often. It's got a really lovely intimacy to it, it's beautiful and hot without having to really go above a PG rating and that's talent. XD (Tsukasa/Tsukushi.)
Hana Yori Dango: Comedy of Eros by alianora - One of the things that Hanadan fandom seriously needs more of is Doumyouji and Makino making out and/or getting further along in their relationship. Of course their first time is going to be pretty much a disaster, which really only makes me want it all the more. So, this fic was a delightful treat to read together, because asd;flkjaslkj AHAHAHA Doumyouji is as awesomely dorky and spastic as ever and Makino seriously really does have the patience of a saint. The whole thing is really fun, from Doumyouji's idea of how to romance her to Rui's helpful advice (and laughter) to just. Everything. <3 (Tsukasa/Tsukushi.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: The Perils of Employment by Niav - ....did I never rec this fic until now? It's one of the best Kiva fics in the fandom (which is entirely too small, seriously), taking a simple concept--Ramon and Riki try to get jobs and don't exactly last very long in them--and just totally running with it. It's sharp and clever and funny and, oh, man, I could watch them try to hold down jobs like these all day, as written by this author. I love their friendship, I love that Ramon is pure evil, I love that Riki is almost sort of sweet, and that last one. a sd;flkjasl;kj crying. (No warnings/pairings.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: 10 Things About Wataru Kurenai's Facebook Circle by Niav - AHAHAHAHAHA, the cast of Kiva plus Facebook, there's so much potential with that idea and the author pulls it off beautifully here. There's a sense of humor about the cast, but obviously coming from love, as all the best mocking/teasing should be. It's also genuinely clever and funny without stretching the premise too hard, so it was just a perfect little read. (....nothing I'd really warn for.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: A Little Less Conversation by Mousapelli - So, I started on Kiva earlier in the year and, no matter what else happened in it or where the series went, I imprinted on Nago/Wataru early on and I'll probably forever stay with that pairing. I occasionally didn't mind other pairings, but what I really wanted was the Nago/Wataru. And not fluffy, light stuff, either, I wanted batshit crazy Nago who was obviously kind of crazypants around Wataru and this fic really, really helped scratch that itch for me. It's not just that it was porn (though, the sex was very nice), it was that it kept the characterization of the series--Wataru practically idolized Nago and Nago was controlling and kind of really crazy in the head, which is what drew me in in the first place. I-- I am not quite so dissatisfied with Kiva fandom after this! (Nago/Wataru, NC-17.)
Kamen Rider Kiva: Love Triangle by Mousapelli - More Nago/Wataru fic! \o/ And it also has one of my favorite Megumis ever, because she's so... she's such a great older sister figure for Wataru, especially because she's not always right or because she's kind of traumatizing. But it's also more of Nago being crazy in the head and Wataru still kind of idolizing him a little and it's all the hotter for how it is kind of messed up and the fic strides the line between teasing the series/character for that (especially with Megumi's explanation) and taking it somewhat seriously, which is pretty much the perfect line to take with these characters. Also, the sex was hot. <3 (Nago/Wataru, NC-17.)
Nabari no Ou: It's Cold Out There. by allira_dream - This was a simple piece, only 500 words, just Yoite and Miharu on the train, leaning against each other for warmth. But it's about what that gesture means, how Yoite feels about this quiet moment in time, how he feels about Miharu, how so much is said without having to say it, the way the author writes lovely turns of phrase that really make this a wonderful little read. (Yoite/Miharu.)
Avatar Fanvid - What Have You Done - Another link from disordered_mess and I'm glad she did because I don't know if I would have stuck around with this fanvid if I had stumbled over the link on my own and watched the first few moments of it (setting aside that I usually head for the cracky vids first when I'm looking for fanvids) because the beginning felt a little off, the repetition of Katara's scenes put me off a little. But I kept with it because I wanted to give it a fair shot and I'm very glad to have done so because it really is a fantastic look at Katara's character and how massively epic she was in the course of the series. The artist chose a lot of really fantastic clips and the pace of them fit the music really well and seeing Katara being so badass in this fanvid kind of seriously made me want to go rewatch the whole thing all over again. *__*
Avatar Fanvid - The Rhythm of Battle - Another link from disordered_mess again and it's another kind of Avatar fanvid that I'm really fond of--the action scenes ones. Avatar has such great fighting sequences that you can watch a dozen different videos and hardly feel like you've seen the same scenes over and over again, which this video also avoids. The music isn't necessary on beat with the scenes (though, there are a few times it matches nicely), but instead what it does is captures the intensity of the series and, again, made me want to watch it the series over from the beginning. Plus, it has some really good variety, I think nearly every major bender got put in there, which I always like.
Avatar Fanvid - Remember the Name - I thought this video overdid the editing effects a little too much and I'm not sure the moments the characters were actually speaking were chosen that well (I liked the Azula one and the Toph one was okay, but the Aang one seemed kind of random and no one else got any?) but what this video did do beautifully was its main aim--to show off the action scenes and how much hardcore awesome there is in these characters. I do wish the vid had been a little longer, but it was so fast-paced and intense that it almost felt just as long as a regular one, which is fantastic. It's totally worth the minute and a half it takes to watch.
Avatar Fanvid - Water Bending: Concurso - Two things about this video that I really liked--one, it matched the tempo of the song, the slow parts were beautifully done, with the softer moments of bending in the series, watching Aang and Katara in the clouds was just lovely, and then when the music sped up so did the pace of the clips. I do wish you hadn't been so easily able to tell that a lot of them were just sped-up instead of finding clips that fit the faster pace, but I did like that they matched the feel of the song. The second thing, which I liked even more, was that it almost served as a trailer or a character study of waterbending, it's the kind of thing that shows why you should totally get into the show. <3
Avatar Fanvid - It's My Life - I kind of sat on the fence about the use of special effects in this video, but ultimately I think they're what made the video for me. Some of them were really cool and fit the beat of the song really well and just generally made the characters even more awesome--which was not in short supply in this video. It's half about the characters getting to kick ass, but also half about their determination and strength of will, which is a really good thing for an Avatar fanvid. I found myself getting sucked into this one far more than I expected, which is pretty much the mark of a good fanvid for me. XD
Avatar Fanvid - Nara - This was done as a sort of trailer for the first two seasons (in preparation of the third season starting to air) but I find that it also works as a trailer for the entire series and why it's such a beautiful series, all the gorgeous artwork and action scenes and moments in it, all of them were very well chosen here. I also adore the music, it was soft and pretty but intense when it needed to be and fit the feeling of... as much as Avatar is also a North American cartoon, it's also strongly influenced by Asian cultures and this video did a nice job of showing a lot of that.
Avatar Fanvid - Unstoppable - I've really been in a mood for Avatar fanvids this morning, haven't I? Well, I suppose I haven't gone looking in awhile and so there are more to find now than when I previously went through YouTube. Or maybe I'm just in more of a mood for it this time. XD Either way, this is another action-oriented fanvid and I still feel like I haven't seen the same clip over and over again, which is pretty impressive. My favorite thing about this one is the first thirty seconds or so where it's not about the lightning-fast action so much as... an unstoppable force, the sheer power of some of the people/groups in the Avatar universe. Combining that with the art made this a really cool video to watch and I loved the music choice, too. <3
Avatar Fanvid - Grease, Avatar Style: Summer Nights - Sometimes you see a video with a particular concept on YouTube and you just have to click on it. Summer Nights as done with Zuko and Mai? Shit, yes, I totally clicked on that. XD XD XD I'm glad I did, too, because it was a cute, funny little thing and it used the footage from the beach episode pretty well and I just. I laughed the whole way through. ....and maybe heartmarked a little because well. I'm a fangirl for those two.
One Piece Fanvid - Just Lose It - So, I was looking at Avatar vids earlier and one of them was for a pirate-themed vid and I thought, oh, I wonder if One Piece has a vid with that song... and that pretty much kicked off a spree of OP fanvid searching. Which is really not easy... or else I'm just really fussy. Either is entirely possible. BUT. I found this one and a;sldkfjasl;kj god I love Sanji. The editing/clip choice for this was really pretty great, the lyrics matched up with the lip synching just enough to be cool without taking the focus away from the overall flow of it and there were some great moments and I just practically grinned with glee the entire way through the video and now I want to pick up the anime again instead of just reading the manga and a;lksdjfalskj I love Sanji and, oh, yeah, LOL.
One Piece Fanvid - Caramelldansen - You know, I wasn't even looking for a Caramelldansen for OP, I just happened to see the link on YouTube and clicked on it. And a;sdlkfjasl;kjslkj I don't think I stopped grinning the whole way through becuase it was just so damn cute and fun. I wish there'd been a little more variety to it, especially since it was three minutes long, but I loved what was here, totally fantastic and every fandom should have one of these.
One Piece Fanvid - Caramelldansen - I don't see a lot of videos for this song that aren't drawings dancing back and forth, but I was curious how this would work, so I clicked. And a;lskdjfalskj it was so much fun, it was an upbeat song and a ton of fast-paced clips where everyone was usually running full-tilt somewhere or flying through the air or just being a bunch of SUPER DORKS and it really, really worked well for me. It was some great clip choices and really captured the sense of fun of OP and, shit, now I really do want to go catch up on OP again.
One Piece - What Have You Done - I'm kind of in love with this song, after seeing an amazing Avatar video to it and now an amazing One Piece video for it. It centers on the Enies Lobby arc, which is one of my favorites and I haven't seen the anime for this arc (I switched to the manga during Skypiea) so a lot of this was fresh to me, but I remember it from the manga and just. Watching Robin run from Spandam, watching her finally admitting that she doesn't want to die, watching her claw her way away from him tooth and nail, watching the last few remains of Merry, watching the way the artist put together these clips, the music over the top of them... it gets to me all over again. A beautifully done vid. ;__;♥
One Piece Fanvid - Phenomenon - Another OP vid that shows off the action sequences and some of the total fucking epic that is OP and I liked the balance between using special effects (some of which were pretty cool) and just letting the clips + music do their thing on their own, it worked really well for me. It was a fast-paced and intense song again, the clips chosen where some of the more intense fights or moments of anger/pain and it really does make me want to pick up the anime version of Water 7 and Enies Lobby. There's also a nice balance of all the characters and how badass all of them are.
One Piece Fanvid - Bad Boy - I'm not sure how well the song really fits the characters or the themes of One Piece (considering that it's all about friendships and being there for each other and in each other's lives), but in other ways it does fit, like with the focus on Robin, Nami, and Vivi to the men of One Piece. But mostly I'm recommending this video because it was very well put together, the clips are fantastic, they're emotional when they need to be and fast/action-oriented when they need to be, they were chosen well and don't repeat and they just looked really totally awesome together. It was a beautifully looking vid. <3
One Piece Fanvid - Can't Help Falling in Love - Well, it was only a matter of time before I found a Luffy/Nami fanvid that I liked. For some reason, I am extremely picky about the fanvids I watch (which is a rare thing, I know >__>) when it comes to pairings, either I have to be in just the right mood or it has to be an absolutely perfect song or... I don't know, it just has to hit me right. There are a few things I'd have changed about this one (less of the added text and cut the fanart use in half at least), but it was also the first one I've found that I actually really liked, too. And it's just about the only fanvid that I can think of where I actually liked the use of fanart/still frames in an animated video (at least in the first half), plus the song was cute and sweet and just. The whole video was upbeat and light-hearted and fun, which is what a Luffy/Nami fanvid should totally be. I really liked this one. (Luffy/Nami.)
One Piece Fanvid - Listen to Your Heart - Oh, shit, I think this fanvid got me somewhat on the verge of tearing up. Jesus, you know Oda's a fucking genius when he makes you care this much about a freaking ship. And I do think this video would have hit harder if it had used the original, slower version of the song, instead of this remix, but it still worked amazingly well already and just. Totally sucker punched me when I wasn't expecting it, the clip choices and the flashback clip choices and the matching up to the lyrics and just... as;ldkfjaslkj it can still get to me.
Bleach Doujinshi (scanslated) - Suifuyu - a;slkdfjaslkj yes, I have been waiting for DP to release another one of their Aizen/Gin doujinshi that they've been working on. This is third one I've read from this doujinshika and I continue to love the hell out of her art, which works so, so well for this series and these characters. It's really reminscent of the canon art, except still obviously doujinshi--though, there are a few panels of Aizen that are just spot on. The characterization in this doujin is a little different from usual (as far as I can tell), because Gin isn't interested in Aizen at first, he's being forced into the role of vice captain by Aizen, who has become interested in him. While I generally prefer a more mutual obsession between them, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed it a lot, the way she wrote/drew Aizen as still maintaining the perfectly polite facade to everyone else, but we saw the snake in the grass that he really was and as;ldkfjalskj he's so fascinating that way. And hot. Very, very hot. (Aizen/Gin, NSFW.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 2 - [Note: This starts about halfway through the story and you'll probably need to read the first chapters for it to make sense. I couldn't find working links for them on LJ, so I hit up 4chan and *cough* you should be able to grab it there.] This doujinshika... her art isn't going to be for everyone and I know I say that about a lot of stuff, but the things I recommend still have a certain something that manages to draw me in anyway and this doujinshi series is no exception. It's long and has something of a plot running through, even has a few brief action scenes, but I worry that a lot of people won't give it a shot because of the art. It's like Oda's in the sense that it's a bit of an acquired taste, but if you really look at it and read the story that goes along with it, it's actually really, really good. And I totally got sucked into this story, even when I'm always in a rush lately to finish up my recs, this one made me stop and read approximately a volume's worth for this one doujin. Really, the fandom is spoiling me, but. Oh, man, I'm kind of totally in love with Sanji here because, even as he's falling rather painfully in love with Zoro, he's still stubborn as hell, they both have terrible tempers, they still fight and irritate the hell out of each other and a;lsdfjkalskj I could not put this down. Oh, yeah, and? Nami is so damn awesome in this, I love her. *__* (Zoro/Sanji, brief NSFW content, but it's not graphic.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 3 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] The thing about this story. Intellectually, I know that maybe I shouldn't let it draw me in as much as it does, that maybe I should be protesting against some of the stereotypes in it. And yet. I can't help it. I really adore this characterization (even if it is rather doujinshi!characterization) because it never sacrifices the bickering and how much work it is to get Zoro to be even just a little open about his feelings for Sanji. I adore this characterization because Sanji, for all that he flirts a lot, he really is very inexperienced in a lot of ways and a lot more of a romantic at heart (instead of just being a grand-standing flirt, underneath I think he really is a true romantic, in his own way) and... well, okay, this chapter did make me uncomfortable because almost-rape scenes (which might have been actual rape, it's a little murky) always make me kind of squicked, but the doujinshi made up for it by the Zoro/Sanji scenes after that and a;sldkfjasljk the emotional resolution and it's. Classic slash confrontation scenes and I eat that kind of thing up with a spoon. XD (Zoro/Sanji, definitely not SFW.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 4 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] This chapter is super short, especially compared to the other chapters, clocking in at only 9 pages, but. But but but. It's post-resolution stuff, so it's really satisfying. And there's still bickering and it's one of those classic sort of OP moments where everyone is coming back for their nakama, because they're never going to leave that person behind and a;sldkfjaslkj everyone saying they're not going to leave Sanji behind just. It fills me with happiness. (Zoro/Sanji.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 5 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] Back to a chapter that's 19 pages long and it... it's not really that plotful, the most they do is get into a fight with the marines (action scenes again! *__*) and Sanji's thoughts just sort of swirl around in his head, but it works as part of a longer storyline. And the deliciousness of the two of them with all these feelings newly surfaced and the way they're looking at each other slightly differently, I devour that kind of stuff. XD Plus, man, the art of this doujinshi... it's still the kind of thing that you'll probably have to be an established ZoSan fan to like, but if you are, it's kind of fabulous and only getting better. There's a surprising amount of detail and the close-ups on characters' faces are fantastic and al;skjdfslkj so good. (Zoro/Sanji.)
One Piece Doujinshi (scanslated) - Brave Story volume 2, chapter 5 - [Note: This doujinshi is one part in a series, it won't make much sense if you haven't read the previous chapters, which you can find in the above recs.] And the conclusion plus an extra from Zoro's point of view, another 20 pages to read. And. *satisfied sigh* It was a really fantastic end to a fantastic doujinshi series. It's doujinshi, so of course there's that wrench thrown into the characterization (nine times out of ten anyway) but... slightly in the future and you overhear a conversation (before Zoro shows up) in Sanji's restaurant and it's the perfect happy ending after everything they've gone through. Then, because the doujinshika loves us a lot, an extra from Zoro's point of view, on how he first saw Sanji, on how someone who looks as elegant and mature as Sanji then suddenly spits out the foulest language (which is one of the things I love about Sanji) and yet. They're together and it's just. as;dlkfjalskj I'm goo, SHUT UP. At least I'm happy goo. (Zoro/Sanji.)
- Gundam Wing - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I snatched the link for this one off Sharon's journal, intrigued because of the Relena art (which there is not enough of in fandom... or fic *complains*) and also totally in the mood for some Heero/Duo art and I don't think I'd seen this site before? I wasn't sure how I was going to take the site, but as soon as I got to the fantasy illustrations (which I am incredibly weak to), I was kind of sold. And the further you get into the gallery, the stronger the artist gets and I really love the artist's Heero, he has these incredibly intense, sharp eyes that fit his character really well. *__* The artist also has a section for chick!Duo and it's actually kind of really cool, you can tell how much fun she had with all of that. Also! Going through the p-diary art is fun, there's a lot of extra little oekaki and sketches! ♥ (Heero/Duo, some NSFW art in the under gallery.)
- Gundam Wing/Rurouni Kenshin - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I was really sort of on the fence about this site for a long time, I just wasn't that sure about it and not everything was working for me. And I'm not sure how it'll go over with other people. But what kept me sticking around and eventually winning me over was a handful of illustrations that were actually really kind of super pretty, the colors would come together just right and there was just enough detail and it... just worked nicely. Quatre especially tended to get some really pretty art, but there was also a really cool one of Treize/Zechs and some interesting Heero/Duo art. So. Eventually I caved. XD As for the RK art, I took a lot less time to fall, mostly because I was already warmed up to the site and its style, but alt more sole it feels like the RK art was a lot more solid. There's a lot of really cool Shishio art, some really nice Aoshi art, some interesting takes on Kenshin and Sano, and it's the kind of site that makes me want to pick the manga back up after only getting halfway through it previously. ....and, okay, I was weak to the Sano/Kenshin art, which often got kind of really pretty. *__* (No real pairing themes, maybe a little more Heero/Duo and Trowa/Quatre than anything else, but it's largely a gen site, I'd say. Some pairings for RK, maybe some Sano/Kenshin, a lot of various ones, and some gen.)
- Mirage of Blaze - Wail [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I actually originally came here on a GundamW fanart spree, but got caught up in the MoB art here as well. There's not a lot here and a lot of it is very sketchy, but the artist is talented and still manges to make the images really pretty. Her Takaya is especially well drawn, but I'm a sucker for her Naoe/Takaya art the most and that one where Naoe's kissing him hard is v. v. nice. Just a nice little stop on my fanart marathon today. (Some Naoe/Takaya.)
- Princess Tutu - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh, it's been ages since I went looking for Princess Tutu art and, hell, I hadn't really intended to look at any this afternoon, but somehow I got sucked into this site anyway. The artist starts out a little rough, but she quickly gets very nice, her Fakia is especially good and as;ldkfjkasl; I love her Rue. She also does a great job with Ahiru, all the soft pale pink/peach colors that work so well with her character (and are kind of a must with Tutu fanart XD) and I really like that... the further and further you get into the site, the more solid her artwork becomes. There's not a ton of art here, but there's enough to make it worth a visit. (Some Fakia/Ahiru, some gen.)
- Princess Tutu - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - More Tutu fanart! ♥ This artist does start out kind of rough, but it's still very cute art and a nice treat for me since I haven't gone looking for Tutu art in ages. But what I'm really recommending this site for is the art once you get a little further into the gallery, it takes the artist a bit to warm up, but once she does, it's some really adorable, adorable stuff. Fakia with the sleeping Ahiru on his lap while they're in an oversized flower? a;lskdfjalskj I am weak to that kind of thing with this series. The artist also does some lovely art of Ahiru and Rue, then some cute Halloween art of Ahiru, then there's the occasion Mytho/Rue art which a;slkfja;lskj you never find! This site, which I just clicked onto on a whim practically, kind of turned out to be one of my new favorites for the fandom, there's so much here and it's the kind that makes me want to keyboard mash because I love the characters in the same way the artist does and just. Yes. I adore it. ♥ (Fakia/Ahiru, some gen.)
- Xiaolin Showdown - [ English Fanart Site ] - I didn't really expect to find much more XS art than I'd already seen, the fandom for the series isn't that big. But I happened to stumble over this artist's account and a;sdlfkjasl;kj yes this is what I wanted to find. The art is sometimes cute, sometimes hot, sometimes interesting, sometimes adorable, sometimes really pretty (that one of young Chase especially!) and sometimes just makes me want to keyboard mash a lot because. Well. I'm still a Chase/Jack fan and this art kinda reminds me of why. You can tell that the artist is really fond of Jack a lot, but I actually love all the art here. There's a really kickass one of Wuya and Katnappe and a really great one of Dashi and some great group illustrations and-- well, yes. I liked this site a lot. XD (Some Chase/Jack, some gen.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - In a really bizarre coincidence, I actually stumbled over this site with YST art completely separately from the YST week of oekaki on my favorite board. It's like. It's like the universe is maybe finally rewarding me for my patience with this series? And I fell in love with this site kind of immediately because it had some really adorable GROUP ART. As much as I love the pairings in the series, I love these guys as a group of friends who fight together and somehow managed to become friends. ...not that I'm complaining about the stand-alone character art, either. *__* Shin got some really pretty ones and asl;dkfjasljk that one of Touma flying in space! And there's even some very nice MaShou fanart! I wish there had been more here, but. It was a great start. *__* (Maybe occasional pairing implications, but it's mostly a gen site, I think.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I kind of went back and forth on this site a lot, largely because... the artist puts her own style on the characters almost a little too much for my taste and it just didn't work as well as it could have. However, two things kept me going back. Well, three. One, the artist has been going since 2003, which is not as long as I've been a fan, but a dedicated fan nonetheless, and she's been drawing steadily the whole time. Second, there are a handful of illustrations that look really pretty, a particularly nice one of Seiji or an amusing one of Touma or whatever. And, third, it's Seiji and Touma. I'm weak. It's not going to be for everyone and probably only people like me will get a charge out of the site and even I only went back to about 2006 and mostly I'm pretty much recommending the site for her pretty Seiji, but there was enough here that I enjoyed and YST is a small enough fandom that I had to rec it. :D (Seiji/Touma.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - Sakura Vert [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I almost went right on past this site and didn't bother to look at more than a link or two, which I'm glad I didn't do. Most of the art isn't really my thing, I did kind of skim a lot with this site, but... well, Seiji and Touma, I'm weak, obv. But what really kinda won me over is that the art does some cute as hell chibis! I like her bright, CG-style colors in all of the art, but it's the chibis that softens her art up and hides a lot of the weak points so that it's just... I mean, that SeiTou Halloween one? a;sdlfkjal;skj SO FREAKING CUTE. And the chibi monkeys! SO ADORABLE. The site isn't going to be for everyone, but the chibis are cute and the comics are cute and that was enough for me. ♥ The oekaki bbs has some more art as well, several of them are actually really nice. (Seiji/Touma.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site looks to be a collection of a handful of different artists, which I always have fun with. Some are definitely better than others and I did kind of skim a lot after awhile, but a couple of the artists did some really lovely work and there's just enough really pretty stuff here that I totally wanted to recommend it. Maybe not for everyone, but if you like the Seiji/Touma pairing, you should at least a little to work with here. Also, we have established well that I'm weak for this pairing, shut up. XD (Seiji/Touma.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - Three and Two [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - You know, it's kind of amazing what time will do for a person and their fussiness over fanart. A few years ago, I probably would have left this site simply because I don't ship Shuu/Touma and might have twitched at it. But now... eh. Not my pairing, but, hey, Troopers art! Pretty Troopers art! It's a shame the artist doesn't use colors more often, because her basic lineart is very cute but her soft, almost pastel colors are probably my favorite thing about her work and make them look even better, imo. Not that it's all pairing art, either, and, hell, even then it could really be pretty gen for the most part. But there are also some pretty stand-alone character stuff, so I still think it was worth a trip through, it's one of the better sites I've seen. <3 Plus, the one of Ryo and Shuu was just. as;ldkfjalskj;j oh, the Troopers, I have missed them. (Some Touma/Shuu, but I'd still mostly call it a gen site more than anything.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Holy crap, it's a Nasuti fansite, I-- I didn't think I would ever come across such a thing! And the art is really pretty cute! I wish there had been more color art, but there's a lot (for a YST site) of b&w sketches of her and, well. I knew I was going to be sold on the site simply because it's a Nasuti fansite, but there was also an illustration of her with little chibi Seiji and Touma and I-- you guys shut up, I can like the idea of Touma and Nasuti being in the same area together if I want to! Not that the image was meant as such, but I'm taking it that way anyway. The majority of the site is either Nasuti stand-alone stuff or Seiji/Nasuti, which is not my pairing at, but... eh, cute art, whatever. And I swear I've seen this artist's work as doujinshi before... or at least a style that's eeriely similar to hers. At any rate, even if you're not a fan of the pairing, I thought it was a neat little site to go through. (Mostly gen, but a lot of Seiji/Nasuti floating around.)
- Yoroiden Samurai Troopers - over drive [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I'm not sure if this site is going to be for everyone, I suspect that I mostly came here because I'm so hyped on these guys and loved the group art that I was easy to win over. But... but... there was an illustration with all five of them with ducks all over them! And a One Piece fusion illustration! ....and, okay, I'm a sucker for Ryo/Shin, the doujinshi I've seen in my time has won me over to that, even if I wasn't feeling it in the original series. It was just a fun little site, some nice illustrations and some adorable oekaki! <3 (No real warnings/pairings.)