[ Lost, HP, OP, G-SEED, FMA, Fafner, YGO!, Bleach, Origi, 12K, Gankutsuou, LE, Samurai Champloo ]
Notes/Babbling: Four things happened. I happened upon Soukyuu no Fafner. Then I finally found some Samurai Champloo fanart. I lucked into some Gankutsuou fanart. And then I said, "Hiiiiiiii, G-SEED, I love you now!" Second biggest update ever, omgholycrap. .____. (I almost went for the record, but then my brain tried to mutiny. I thought about spreading it out over a few days, but, that wouldn't be going all scary-overboard with the fanart! Can't have that.)
Also? OMG, Foxfire is the bestest browser evah. It literally lasts me over ten times as long than IE does, when it comes to needing to reboot after all the hard surfing I do.
Series:
Harry Potter - 1 Fanfic
Gundam SEED/Full Metal Alchemist - 2 Fanart
Gundam SEED - 10 Fanart
Gundam SEED/Soukyuu no Fafner - 2 Fanart
Yuu-Gi-Oh!/Lord of the Rings - 1 Fanart
Soukyuu no Fafner/Saiyuki - 1 Fanart
Soukyuu no Fafner - 4 Fanart
Samurai Champloo - 3 Fanart
Original/Miscellaneous - 1 Fanart
Lost - 1 Fanfic
One Piece - 3 Fanfics
One Piece - 1 Fanart
Bleach/Naruto - 1 Fanart
Bleach - 1 Fanart
Juuni Kokki - 1 Fanart
Gankutsuou - 4 Fanart
Last Exile - 1 Fanart
Harry Potter - 1 Fanart
- Lost - Inventory by AndreaLyn - This wasn't a very long fic, but it still managed to pack quite the punch despite that. Sawyer making an inventory list of the things he has on the island, doing a vague sort of commentary on each of them and their usefulness (or lack thereof) that had this really... Sawyer quality to it. But the end is where the real punch is, that moment was just excellent, really made the fic for me. *__* (I'm not even going to count the vague potential references to any pairings, it really doesn't count.)
- Harry Potter - The Fairytale Way by hackthis - I'm not sure what made me stop to read this fic (probably that I was reading the author's Lost fic and liked it well enough to go check out the Sirius/Remus fic), but I'm glad I did because it was a cute little fic that... managed to combine the sense of the Harry Potter world/the English culture (at least as far as I can tell ^_~) and also got a bit of that sense of a fairy tale/story being told, especially with the theme of Prince Charming and how it does and doesn't apply. The characterization was very nice, the smut was very nice, and it was just a smooth read overall. I liked it. ♥ (Sirius/Remus, NC-17 content.)
- One Piece - Messing With the System by Celeste - I'm sitting down this morning to catch up on One Piece fics and I'm re-realizing that I really <3 the onepieceyaoi100 comm because so many of the fics are just the right size for me to read and enjoy. This one is no exception--it shouldn't have been any longer than it was, it was nicely paced, Zoro's characterization was just fun as he stared at the unconscious Sanji, irritation just radiating off him the entire time. I loved that I could just picture the expression on his face as he intently glared at Sanji, thoughts roiling through his head and the way you don't know what exactly set him off, but... the ending was perfect, because that's just so very like them and like One Piece. I totally giggled out loud at the right tone of it. (Zoro/Sanji.)
- One Piece - Pretend by paopao - When I clicked onto this story, I'd hoped for something that was at least vaguely readable, maybe a light little read that didn't suck. Instead, what I got was a wonderful little story about Sanji's ruminations that drew these beautiful parallels between himself and Luffy that made so much sense and were just so... they fit with the series and the characters. It played with their dreams in such a very One Piece way (at least the more serious moments of One Piece) and the Sanji characterization in respect to his dream was just brilliant. It was almost painful to read Sanji thinking about the way the rest of the world had no idea what it was like to reach for a dream, because it just hit exactly the right notes for me. I wish I could have been more intelligent about this fic, because it was so, so lovely and deserved them. (Mild, mild hints of Sanji/Luffy.)
- One Piece - Emptiness by Archica - Admittedly, the prose was a little stilted with this story, but it was far from unreadable. The real attraction to this fic comes from... it's hard to describe, but when I first read the summary, I'd been hoping for something cutely Zoro/Nami-ish, since they don't get as much fic as I'd like, and I was a little disconcerted to see that this was an AU fic, because so often AU fics just don't hit the right buttons with me. (And, really, I hate to use the generic "AU" term since this is still technically inside the One Piece universe, just a couple of elements changed and you see how that affects the timeline. Which is something I do really like.) But with this... there was a sense of... like I was watching two characters from the series who had a story to tell, but it wasn't their place to be main characters, sort of like Norland and Kuragara in the Skypiea arc. If Luffy hadn't come into their lives, how would the characters' lives have been different? This story explored that in a really interesting way, that sense of tragedy never wavering with it, that sense of... that this could have happened if they hadn't had their lives turn out for the better. ....that's still a crappy way of explaining it, but I thought this fic was worth reading for it. :D (Zoro/Nami.)
- One Piece - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I don't run across that many Zoro/Robin sites, especially not ones that have smut, especially not ones that have pretty smut. Which is what initially attracted me to the site, but I eventually became fond of it for its own sake because... I dunno, it's the same reason that I'm attracted to Zoro/Robin in the first place, I guess. It's not something I've been able to put into words yet. But the artist has done quite a lot of art and there're a good chunk of them that really capture that One Piece feel--there's one of Zoro and Robin in skimpy clothing leaning against the mast of the ship and even in a relaxed pose, you can see what fighters these characters are, their muscle definition just nice. I also like the way the colors are used and the artist seems to have a good grip of getting across that One Piece style. Toss in the smut and I'm a happy fangirl. ^_~ (Zoro/Robin, some other pairings, some graphic content.)
- Full Metal Alchemist/Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I have this weakeness for the style that this artist uses. It's... I'm not really sure what to call it, but it's got these delicate lines, but not swirling likes like a lot of shoujo and these beautiful light colors that just make me swoon. These beautiful shades of blue and purple especially, combined with these fine, delicate lines for the faces and hair and hands that just... they totally do it for me. I was immediately entranced with the Roy/Ed stuff (god, her Roy is beautiful especially) and I was even won over by the Ashuran/Kira stuff because... how could I not be? Just... man, those soft, almost pastel colors just utterly do me in. (Roy/Ed, Ashuran/Kira, and maybe a little Dearka/Yzak.)
- Gundam SEED/Full Metal Alchemist - REON @ WEB [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I admit, I almost, almost didn't put this in the FMA section, because I tend to be cranky about the non-RoyEd sites, but I figure pretty art is pretty art and I was there for the Ashuran/Cagalli anyway, so... besides, the RoyAi art on the site is really well-drawn. >P (I tease, really. <3) But. Oh. Man. The Ashuran/Cagalli fanart is just... *swoon* so lovely. The colors are gorgeous and there are a couple of illustrations that are just the kind that were knocked out of the park--gorgeous pose/expression on their faces, great detail, beautiful colors, and a feel to them that puts me into orbit. Illustration #8, the one with Cagalli's shirt open as she presses against Ashuran is just... her face is beautiful and I'm a dippy fangirl over the romantic implications. #4 has gorgeous colors and lines and #6 is just... the cel-style coloring is great, the lines of their clothes look nearly official, and I just LOVE the expressions on their faces. ....this is really kind of a crappy rec, I know, but this site put me in a flustered fangirl mode and you can't expect coherency after that. ^_~ (Ashuran/Cagalli and Roy/Hawkeye.)
- Gundam SEED - harunoie [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - So, I've been finishing off SEED finally and that means I'm back to being wildly in love with Ashuran/Cagalli (as well as Kira/Lux, but they don't get nearly as much fanart, boo) and thus I have to seek out fanart. And this site is one of the ones that keeps me going, because the colors and illustrations are just so... light and lovely, the kind of thing that... oh, sure, it's not all intense action, instead it's sorta fluffy, romantic-ish art (at least my favorites here, there are some rather intense illustrations on the site, too), but I love that so much. Cagalli in her dress and Ashuran in formal wear or the group of the four main characters in white shirts as Cagalli and Kira drag their respected SOs along while they grin like crazy or Ashuran and Cagalli in their space suits and obviously devestated over something... I just totally love that kind of art. So very pretty~ <3 (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I think the thing I liked most about this artist was the detail and skilled shading that you can see her in lines, that in a lot of ways I think I like her b&w stuff better because you can see just how talented the artist really is. She's got this lovely one of Ashuran in b&w that has wonderful shading and there's a fantastic one of Dearka and Millie that reminds me of all the reasons I fell for that couple in the first place (the look on his face when he puts his jacket over a sleeping Millie's shoulders! *swoon*), when it seemed so random and WTF-ish at first. There's also a REALLY nice one of Kira and a REALLY nice one of Ashuran/Cagalli and just... yeah, I liked this site because the lines were really good (in the sense that the best, prettiest doujinshi are *happy sigh*), but also because it had most of my favorite couples on it. <3 (No single theme, but if it was in the series, it's got a chance at showing up here.)
- Gundam SEED - shake! [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - There's not a ton of art here, but what is here is pretty cute and I like their take on the characters, especially that she shows them in so many different aspects. There's diplomat!Cagalli and there's fighter!Cagalli and there's fighter!Ashuran and bodyguard!Ashuran and romantic!Ashuran/Cagalli and they're all nicely drawn. Plus, I can never resist a site that has at least one illustration of Cagalli in that pretty green and white dress. Or at least one of her holding a gun and fighting alongside Ashuran. XD (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - So this site probably isn't going to be for everyone, the art may be a little too "harsh" for some, in the sense that the lines and colors are less bright and a bit more... well, shounen-ish, is the best way I can think to describe it. But because this site started out with a really nice kiss where I love the slightly more realistic take on Cagalli's hair, where I love the sharp definition of their collarbones with their loose shirts on, I got off the right foot with this site. Cagalli seems to cry a lot on the site, but I'll forgive a lot for Ashuran sticking his hand up her shirt and the other down her pants while he's leaning over to kiss her ear. ....shut up, I don't care if it's OOC, it's hot, that's all I need. A lot of harsher takes on the characters here, but I found I kinda liked it. (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - awaawa [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site has Cagalli in her underwear. I really don't need much reason beyond that to like it. But it's also got some hugging illustrations, some really nice colors, a lot of cute oekaki, and even one or two kissing illustrations. So that's nice, too. Ooh, and Cagalli with her arms around Ashuran while having his ZAFT jacket over her shoulders. That was nice, too. But the Cagalli in her underwear still was my favorite, especially since it was nicely drawn and actually had some really good detail to it. This site made me feel better. <3 (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I'm also not sure what to call this artist's style, either, but it's that sort of... style that reminds me of jewels. Which sould so easily have been pretentious, but I really, really liked it here for some reason. Maybe it was the chibis, including Cagalli in her diplomat outfit. Maybe it's the way it makes their eyes practically shine, even in a 2-D illustration. Maybe it was the beautiful red-dripped illustration with Ashuran in his ZAFT outfit and Cagalli in this pretty, slim red shirt with a red rose in her hair that just looked... the whole thing was pretty. Or. You know. The wedding illustration. I liked that a lot. <3 But there was just... a sense of pretty coming from the art, that jewel-tone style, half-CG-style working for it. ....yeah, I know that's a bad rec, I don't care. Just go look at the pretty art. ♥ (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Eeee! Kira and Lux! Much as I love Ashuran/Cagalli, sometimes it's nice to see some Kira/Lux, especially since they get so little fanart for them. And the second one on the site, where Kira's making the adorable O_O face when Lux kisses him, immediately convinced me that I loved this site, because it was wonderfully drawn--Lux's hair looks fantastic. Oh, and there's one of them in the grass that makes my little fangirl heart skip a beat because it's so softly, gently drawn and, you know, Kira's resting his head in Lux's lap while she runs her hand through his hair. I totally melt over stuff like that. Plus, there's a lot of pretty sketches on the site, some good use of color, and just... all in all, it felt like a style that worked well for the characters and I always like it when tone matches up with subject. <3 (Kira/Lux.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Yay! Another Kira/Lux site! And I adored the first illustration on the site, with Kira facing forward and Lux standing behind him, facing the other way, especially the way her hair looked so beautiful. And, oh, the comics made me melt--they were done in this lovely purple-ish color and the way Kira would hold her hand or smile at her or lean in to kiss her... god, that's what I wanted from a Kira/Lux site. And the beautifully cel-style coloring of the one where he's putting his arms around her? Wonderful. It's really very nice art, but more than that... for me, it got the romantic fangirl in me up and squee'ing, which is something I look for in art sites. *happy sigh* Oh! And Cardcaptor!Cagalli is not to be missed. And the chibis? ADORABLE. (Kira/Lux.)
- Gundam SEED - LOVE ME DO [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site probably won't be for everyone, it has a lot of Maryuu (I refuse to spell it "Murrue", it just... doesn't seem like the pronunciation.) in either skimpy clothing or quite topless and the illustrations are scattered all across the site. But that's not why I <3 this site. I <3 the site because it does a good job with the Mwu/Maryuu pairing--the illustrations all have that sort of sexy, flirtatious feel to them that the characters so often had, with occasional moments of seriousness, usually when he's leaning against her with a serious look on his face. But then it'll be right back to the fun, sexy flirting with Mwu pulling her close or kissing her or occasionally looking like he's about to slide his hand down her shirt. ^_~ But the art is actually pretty nice, there's a good amount of detail and the colored-pencil style colors aren't bad, especially with the doujinshi-style lines the artist uses. And there's a LOT of art tucked away in various corners, so you'll probably want to crawl all over the site. I liked it because... it really summed up the pairing's vibe well, I think. (Mwu/Maryuu, not entirely worksafe.)
- Gundam SEED - Piece of Peace [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - And then there's the other Mwu/Maryuu site I managed to hunt down (so far), that... it took me a little while to get used to the lack of defintion and heavy-ish lines of the art in places, but it did grow on me and I thought it was a style that wound up working well for the characters. It helped that the colors were these... golden or earth-ish tones that worked together with the more "mature" sense of the characters (versus the brighter colors of the younger characters) and gave the whole thing sort of a classic feel. Plus, you know, I always like the kissing. *grin* (Mwu/Maryuu.)
- Gundam SEED/Soukyuu no Fafner - MUSICA [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh. Well, hello to the beautiful Fafner art! This site does an absolutely stunning Soushi, the amount of detail and beautiful colors that go into it are just... I could stare at it for what feels like an hour, I sometimes think. And then there are also some beautiful, beautiful Kazuki illustrations that do an amazing job from the hair to the face to the eyes to the uniform he wears. And then there are the ones of them together that are just breath-taking, truly some of the most beautiful Fafner art I've seen. Originally, I was going to skip adding this to the G-SEED section because the first page of art was all of Shin (who I don't know very well at the time of this rec), but getting back further into the art reveals the stuff with Ashuran and Kira and the same beautiful detail that was applied to the Fafner art. Well, I do think the Fafner art was better done and the utter highlight of the site, but I certainly enjoyed the lovely SEED art that had all that pretty detail to it. *happy sigh* The art of the linking banner really, really doesn't disappoint with this one. (Soushi/Kazuki, a little Ashuran/Kira.)
- Gundam SEED/Soukyuu no Fafner - kazika's scribble book [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I admit upfront that Ashuran/Lux isn't my favorite pairing, that I never sparked off it, that it wasn't until Ashuran and Cagalli interacted that I realized I really kinda liked this series, but I couldn't resist rec'ing this site because the art is amazing. The artist's sense for colors and lines and proportions is fantastic, some of these could pass for official art and they're just... they're gorgeous and terribly romantic and even I was a little hard-pressed not to swoon over the Ashuran/Lux illustrations. And it's not like I mind the occasional Kira/Frey illustration, either. But, really, even aside from the pairings, the single-character illustrations are worth visiting the site for, because the artist is just tremendously talented and nails the style of the series. It's all just so... impressive. (Ashuran/Lux, some Kira/Frey, maybe a little other hinted at, and some worthwhile gen, I think.)
- Yu-Gi-Oh!/Lord of the Rings - MOSCOWMULE [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I, of course, still don't get the YGO! thing or why there's some really nice fanart for it out there, but I try to let that go and just enjoy the pretty artwork, because I know I kinda like the character of Seto already and that I really enjoy seeing Yuugi (or whatever form he's in) fanart as well. This site is really kinda cute and I like the details on her single-character illustration images; her couples are as solid, but they're hardly bad, either. Nice use of colors and the site is really worth it for those Seto illustrations. The Lord of the Rings stuff is adorable and I totally ♥ the artist's Legolas, especially when she draws the chibi-esque versions of him and when she's drawing him interacting with the other characters. The colors are nice, very light and breezy and... all right, shut up, I'm won over by the Aragorn/Legolas art, which made me smile and threaten to put little hearts in my eyes. But, really, you're going for that image of the Fellowship in chibi form that is so freaking cute towards the end. <3<3<3 (Some het with YGO!, some liiiiiight slash with LotR.)
- Bleach/Naruto - [ English Fanart Site ] - I probably only had to spot the beautiful Renji/Rukia illustration from this artist to know I was sold, but it doesn't hurt that there's actually a lot of Bleach art that's really well-drawn here. The lines are really, really pretty and the colors are wonderfully done and everything just sort of combines together for a really cool affect. Plus, that illustration of Neji? In those loose clothes? Holy crap, that one was hot. His eyes were amazing and the lines and just... god, everything about it was gorgeous. My only complaint about this artist is that there isn't more. *stomps foot petulantly* (No single pairing theme, really.)
- Bleach - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I wound up adoring the hell out of this site, because the artist's style is really quite good, she's got that Kubo-style down really well and the characters felt like themselves, if during happier moments. Which is totally a Good Thing. And the Renji/Rukia stuff just... it reminded me so much of why I fell for them--Halloween illustrations, illustrations from when they were kids and just being such kids and I could have melted into a puddle of the one of kid!Rukia smiling down at a blushing kid!Renji with his head in her lap. Seriously. So freaking cute. Or the current(-ish?) day one where a serious!faced!Rukia is putting her little hands on blushing!Renji's face to pull him closer. And the other Shinigami illustrations are wonderful and if there's anyone out there who doesn't love the one of Orihime and her little sprite-things, I do not want to meet them. That one was so adorable! And the art is actually really good, too; not always perfect, but good and I enjoyed the hell out of this site and think it's probably one of the better ones out there. Especially since there's so much art on the site. ♥ *flutters* (Renji/Rukia, some other het.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner/Saiyuki - StraBe [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - The Fafner art of this site is probably the strongest out of everything and is especially good when she's doing these sketches that show off how good the lineart really is. But I also enjoy the light colors she used with the non-b&w ones and her Soushi and Kazuki are especially good. Plus, of course I liked the pairing illustrations. The Saiyuki illustrations are a bit rougher, but the Konzen art has some really nice ones, there's Homura fanart, and the artist seems fond of Sanzo/Hakkai and that always wins me over. Though, the Sanzo illustrations have some nice ones and the Hakkai set has some really nice sketch-like stuff with some really good lineart. Konzen is the one that looks best in color, so I'm mostly rec'ing for those and the b&w-ish ones. All in all, just a fun, nice site with some cute art. :D (Soushi/Kazuki, a little Sanzo/Hakkai, a lot of gen, too.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - mint&cream [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site didn't have a ton of art, but when I saw the second illustration of Kazuki (the b&w one that totally looks like it could have come straight out of a beautiful doujinshi), I knew I was going to be favorable towards the site. And then there was a nice Soushi. Okay, I'm in a good mood with you, site. Then a bunch of Soushi/Kazuki illustrations that got better and better as they went along, to the point where the current ones look really good? And a couple of cute Maya illustrations? I was sold. That fourth Soushi/Kazuki illustration is the highlight of the site and makes me really curious to see more from this artist, because if she could keep up that calibre... it could be a top-notch site. *__* (Some Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - INDIGO SKY [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is another site that has some nice art, some interesting concepts attached to the illustrations that seem to go well with the angsty, painful tone of the series; you can really tell that the characters are hurting in these illustrations. The colors are nice, if a bit dull, the designs are well-matched to the designs of the show, and the site has some nice Soushi/Kazuki, so that makes me happy and feeds my growing addiction. Plus, Soushi is pretty. And Kazuki is pretty. I can't ask for more than that. ^_~ (Some Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - Lucifer Trap [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I admit, this artist took me a little while to get used to, especially since the characters are so skinny in her art and look way too tall, but the art seems to be improving as it goes along, it has some nice detail to it, especially with the characters' clothes and eyes and the backgrounds, and there were a ton of rather well-done comics, so that by the time I was done with this site, I had honestly enjoyed myself. That's enough for me. :D (Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - toon^2 [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh! Oh! I loved this site, because the colors are FANTASTIC. The author really does wonderfully with the cel-style coloring and her lines are good and there's a gorgeous one of Soushi and Kazuki on the 30 themes page that has a close-up on an utterly gorgeous Soushi and an upside-down Kazuki and just... wow, the whole thing was gorgeous. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. But there was also the one of a winged half-Soushi, half-Kazuki person that was REALLY cool both in terms of prettiness and style--not all of the art on the site is necessarily stunning (though, all of it is very talented), but anything in that list of themes is so worth going to the site for. Plus! Sprites! And icons! And a strip!Kazuki block game! How could anyone not love that? This site was definitely one of my favorites for the day. ♥! (Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Original/Miscellaneous - [ English Fanart Site ] - I was browsing dA awhile back and just randomly checking out favorites by people and happened to stumble across this artist. I don't normally do much seeking out of original art, there's so much of it and it's hard to catagorize and look for what I like, but when I stumble across something with colors as pretty as these, I can hardly resist it. The artist is really talented, she puts in a lot of really nice details and I really like her lines, but it's the pretty, almost glowing colors that I keep coming back to. Like with this one, where I just adore the shades of blue used and the feel of the art. One of those that I was just happy to stumble across. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Juuni Kokki - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Ooh, I really liked this site's art because... it's hard to explain. Part of it is that the artist draws a great Rakushun, really showing off just how attractive he is, but it's also that she includes a lot of detail in all the illustrations she does. When she does Rakushun/Youko, there're just a ton of details on their clothes and hair that the slight cutesy-ness of their faces barely even registers with me. Plus, she does really well with that line between overly romantic and just... something sweet and just the right amount of it. Which seems like an odd thing to fixate on, but because Juuni Kokki wasn't really a series about kissing, the lighter touch to the romance works for me. Plus I mentioned that her Rakushun is gorgeous? Okay. Nice, nice site here. <3 (Rakushun/Youko.)
- Gankutsuou - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is one of the earlier sites I ran across in my scouring for Gankutsuou art sites in my last trip and I'm really glad to have found the site, because right from the very top (currently) illustration of Monte Cristo and Haydee, I knew this artist was going to be good. The artist has a really strong sense for colors and lines together and does really enchanting group illustrations, but it's her Count illustrations that are currently the highlight of the site. The one of him hold his sword up to his face and his cape blowing dramatically in the wind is gorgeous. Not just gorgeous for a slowly blooming fandom, but gorgeous-gorgeous. Every time you see him in an illustration, he looks beautiful and there's a sense of lushness and richness to the art that feels similar to the series itself. Just... I was really impressed with this artist and I badly want to see more from her. Good, good stuff. (Whatever you saw in canon you'll probably see here.)
- Gankutsuou - blue-blooded boy[ Japanese Fanart Site ] - And this would be the other real find from my skipping gleefully through the Gankutsou fandom; the artist does a terrific job and I find myself swooning over all of the art. (Note: You'll want to make sure to check out the oekaki board and the sub-pages as well, because there's some cute art tucked away on the sub-pages. And the oekaki board has some really cool stuff on it!) It's just... the Count and Albert in the rain, the beautiful Valentine one, the chibi-Albert-and-Franz with their pirate outfits, lovely Haydee, cute Peppo, that actually use the Gankutsuou patterns! That was really neat. And, oh, oh, hit the web-clap thing, because there are two illustrations in there that are flat-out gorgeous. One is of Franz and Albert and the other is, hands down, the most beautiful Count/Albert illustration I've ever seen. Just... whoa. (Maybe a little Count/Albert, maybe a little Franz/Albert.)
- Gankutsuou - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Normally, I try to pass on sites that don't have a lot of art or where it's mostly just oekaki, but when a fandom is still just getting started, I can be more attracted to oekaki art galleries and I've been developing something of a fondness for Gankutsuou oekaki art especially. This site just... there's a good lot of art in the galleries and one of the things I liked is that the artist often times put in those patterns like those that the anime uses, so it ends up having something like the same feel. She also covers several characters (like there're a few of Franz and there's one of Eugenie, too) and while the ones of the Count were my favorite, I also kinda liked the one of him putting the towel over the head of the wet!Albert. (Well, I would, wouldn't I? :D) All in all, a nice little addition to the Gankutsuou art out there. (Whatever you saw in canon you'll probably see here, too.)
- Gankutsuou - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is one of those sites where I was charmed by the entirety of the site probably more than any one specific illustration, because there's just something really fun about going through a gallery of a decent-sized amount of art, to see all the 'regular' art and the sketches and the oekaki art, all that's done pretty well and with solid coloring. There were individual illustrations I liked (the Count with his hand over Albert's eyes, the one of Albert and Franz as adorable kids, the oekaki of Franz, the dramatic Count, etc.) and the whole site was really worth clicking through, a very good site for the fandom right now and just... there's a lot of fun and potential here. (Whatever you saw in canon you'll probably see here, too.)
- Last Exile - Hideaway [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Admittedly, I hesitated on this site, since Alex/Sophia really isn't my thing, but I kept clicking through the gallery and... well, damn the artist draws a beautiful Alex Lowe. It's more than just that he's physically pretty (though, that's very nice), it's also that he has that feel of Alex to him, that driven, intense, dark feel that was so attractive about the character. And if you liked the Alex/Sophia pairing, the illustrations for the two of them will probably be right up your alley, since they're quite well done. :D (Some Alex/Sophia.)
- Samurai Champloo - Saimin [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - ....do you know how long I've been waiting for good Samurai Champloo fanart? For someone to actually draw the characters really well and keep that feel of the characters? I've been craving fanworks for the series and this site delivered so very, very well. And this site started off with a really excellent one of Jin and Mugen and... it's never outright slash, but there's a lot of UST just screaming off them in the illustrations, but then there'll be some typical trio-type antics in the little illustrations and then there'll be wet!Jin or cranky!Mugen or fighting!JinandMugen and I don't know that there were any illustrations on the site that weren't just so damned good for this series. Very nice way to start off my Samurai Champloo fanart finds. That Jin on the background of the current top page is just... my favorite Samurai Champloo fanart ever. *___* (Maybe a little Jin/Mugen, but it's closer to gen, I think.)
- Samurai Champloo - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I think the trio stuff is probably the strongest stuff on this site, it's the stuff that most captures the feel of the series, buuuuuut~ I also kinda like the 'artistic' stuff like Mugen with the umbrella or Jin drawing his sword. Though, the Jin vs Mugen fight was really cool and I don't mind the use of colors in the art. The current one of Mugen with the makeshift umbrella (as opposed to the one with the actual umbrella) is probably the best drawn but I think I still prefer the trio stuff. It's just so... Champloo somehow. Anyway, nice site, I had fun wit hit. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Samurai Champloo - Bump of Chicken [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I almost gave up on this site, after having trouble spotting the Samurai Champloo art, but eventually I did manage to find it and I'm really glad I did, because it's the kind that just... emodies the spirit of the series. There are a couple of illustrations on the site that are just fantastic for how well they draw the characters as they are--the one where they're coming in out of the rain is fantastic especially. But there are also some random batshit ones (like the three of them in modern clothes against a graffitied wall) that just... despite it being so OOC, it's such a perfect fit with the series somehow. I really wish there'd been more art on this site. XD (No warnings/pairings.)
- Harry Potter - CHIROROOM [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - *___* I know I've seen some of this artist's work before, probably when browsing doujinshi on Yahoo!Japan or something and I've always been impressed, but actually seeing her work here... her more recent stuff is gorgeous. There's this one of Remus and Sirius flying on a broom that has the most incredible lines and colors and the details on their clothes are amazing and they look beautiful and I just swoon. But #13 also has some of the most beautiful coloring I've seen on a fanart illustration before, the way Remus' hair is colored it almost looks real and, good god, Sirius is beautiful and I swoon some more. And, yeah, yeah, I know this is the prettification version of them, but I live in a nice, shiny, happy little bubble of Harry Potter fanart and it makes me so very, very happy because this artwork is just flat-out gorgeous in places. This is why I look for HP fanart. Plus, there's a lot of junk-art, which made me happy to see, since I got to revel in the artist's work awhile longer. *happy, swoony sigh* (Sirius/Remus.)
Also? OMG, Foxfire is the bestest browser evah. It literally lasts me over ten times as long than IE does, when it comes to needing to reboot after all the hard surfing I do.
Series:
Harry Potter - 1 Fanfic
Gundam SEED/Full Metal Alchemist - 2 Fanart
Gundam SEED - 10 Fanart
Gundam SEED/Soukyuu no Fafner - 2 Fanart
Yuu-Gi-Oh!/Lord of the Rings - 1 Fanart
Soukyuu no Fafner/Saiyuki - 1 Fanart
Soukyuu no Fafner - 4 Fanart
Samurai Champloo - 3 Fanart
Original/Miscellaneous - 1 Fanart
Lost - 1 Fanfic
One Piece - 3 Fanfics
One Piece - 1 Fanart
Bleach/Naruto - 1 Fanart
Bleach - 1 Fanart
Juuni Kokki - 1 Fanart
Gankutsuou - 4 Fanart
Last Exile - 1 Fanart
Harry Potter - 1 Fanart
- Lost - Inventory by AndreaLyn - This wasn't a very long fic, but it still managed to pack quite the punch despite that. Sawyer making an inventory list of the things he has on the island, doing a vague sort of commentary on each of them and their usefulness (or lack thereof) that had this really... Sawyer quality to it. But the end is where the real punch is, that moment was just excellent, really made the fic for me. *__* (I'm not even going to count the vague potential references to any pairings, it really doesn't count.)
- Harry Potter - The Fairytale Way by hackthis - I'm not sure what made me stop to read this fic (probably that I was reading the author's Lost fic and liked it well enough to go check out the Sirius/Remus fic), but I'm glad I did because it was a cute little fic that... managed to combine the sense of the Harry Potter world/the English culture (at least as far as I can tell ^_~) and also got a bit of that sense of a fairy tale/story being told, especially with the theme of Prince Charming and how it does and doesn't apply. The characterization was very nice, the smut was very nice, and it was just a smooth read overall. I liked it. ♥ (Sirius/Remus, NC-17 content.)
- One Piece - Messing With the System by Celeste - I'm sitting down this morning to catch up on One Piece fics and I'm re-realizing that I really <3 the onepieceyaoi100 comm because so many of the fics are just the right size for me to read and enjoy. This one is no exception--it shouldn't have been any longer than it was, it was nicely paced, Zoro's characterization was just fun as he stared at the unconscious Sanji, irritation just radiating off him the entire time. I loved that I could just picture the expression on his face as he intently glared at Sanji, thoughts roiling through his head and the way you don't know what exactly set him off, but... the ending was perfect, because that's just so very like them and like One Piece. I totally giggled out loud at the right tone of it. (Zoro/Sanji.)
- One Piece - Pretend by paopao - When I clicked onto this story, I'd hoped for something that was at least vaguely readable, maybe a light little read that didn't suck. Instead, what I got was a wonderful little story about Sanji's ruminations that drew these beautiful parallels between himself and Luffy that made so much sense and were just so... they fit with the series and the characters. It played with their dreams in such a very One Piece way (at least the more serious moments of One Piece) and the Sanji characterization in respect to his dream was just brilliant. It was almost painful to read Sanji thinking about the way the rest of the world had no idea what it was like to reach for a dream, because it just hit exactly the right notes for me. I wish I could have been more intelligent about this fic, because it was so, so lovely and deserved them. (Mild, mild hints of Sanji/Luffy.)
- One Piece - Emptiness by Archica - Admittedly, the prose was a little stilted with this story, but it was far from unreadable. The real attraction to this fic comes from... it's hard to describe, but when I first read the summary, I'd been hoping for something cutely Zoro/Nami-ish, since they don't get as much fic as I'd like, and I was a little disconcerted to see that this was an AU fic, because so often AU fics just don't hit the right buttons with me. (And, really, I hate to use the generic "AU" term since this is still technically inside the One Piece universe, just a couple of elements changed and you see how that affects the timeline. Which is something I do really like.) But with this... there was a sense of... like I was watching two characters from the series who had a story to tell, but it wasn't their place to be main characters, sort of like Norland and Kuragara in the Skypiea arc. If Luffy hadn't come into their lives, how would the characters' lives have been different? This story explored that in a really interesting way, that sense of tragedy never wavering with it, that sense of... that this could have happened if they hadn't had their lives turn out for the better. ....that's still a crappy way of explaining it, but I thought this fic was worth reading for it. :D (Zoro/Nami.)
- One Piece - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I don't run across that many Zoro/Robin sites, especially not ones that have smut, especially not ones that have pretty smut. Which is what initially attracted me to the site, but I eventually became fond of it for its own sake because... I dunno, it's the same reason that I'm attracted to Zoro/Robin in the first place, I guess. It's not something I've been able to put into words yet. But the artist has done quite a lot of art and there're a good chunk of them that really capture that One Piece feel--there's one of Zoro and Robin in skimpy clothing leaning against the mast of the ship and even in a relaxed pose, you can see what fighters these characters are, their muscle definition just nice. I also like the way the colors are used and the artist seems to have a good grip of getting across that One Piece style. Toss in the smut and I'm a happy fangirl. ^_~ (Zoro/Robin, some other pairings, some graphic content.)
- Full Metal Alchemist/Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I have this weakeness for the style that this artist uses. It's... I'm not really sure what to call it, but it's got these delicate lines, but not swirling likes like a lot of shoujo and these beautiful light colors that just make me swoon. These beautiful shades of blue and purple especially, combined with these fine, delicate lines for the faces and hair and hands that just... they totally do it for me. I was immediately entranced with the Roy/Ed stuff (god, her Roy is beautiful especially) and I was even won over by the Ashuran/Kira stuff because... how could I not be? Just... man, those soft, almost pastel colors just utterly do me in. (Roy/Ed, Ashuran/Kira, and maybe a little Dearka/Yzak.)
- Gundam SEED/Full Metal Alchemist - REON @ WEB [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I admit, I almost, almost didn't put this in the FMA section, because I tend to be cranky about the non-RoyEd sites, but I figure pretty art is pretty art and I was there for the Ashuran/Cagalli anyway, so... besides, the RoyAi art on the site is really well-drawn. >P (I tease, really. <3) But. Oh. Man. The Ashuran/Cagalli fanart is just... *swoon* so lovely. The colors are gorgeous and there are a couple of illustrations that are just the kind that were knocked out of the park--gorgeous pose/expression on their faces, great detail, beautiful colors, and a feel to them that puts me into orbit. Illustration #8, the one with Cagalli's shirt open as she presses against Ashuran is just... her face is beautiful and I'm a dippy fangirl over the romantic implications. #4 has gorgeous colors and lines and #6 is just... the cel-style coloring is great, the lines of their clothes look nearly official, and I just LOVE the expressions on their faces. ....this is really kind of a crappy rec, I know, but this site put me in a flustered fangirl mode and you can't expect coherency after that. ^_~ (Ashuran/Cagalli and Roy/Hawkeye.)
- Gundam SEED - harunoie [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - So, I've been finishing off SEED finally and that means I'm back to being wildly in love with Ashuran/Cagalli (as well as Kira/Lux, but they don't get nearly as much fanart, boo) and thus I have to seek out fanart. And this site is one of the ones that keeps me going, because the colors and illustrations are just so... light and lovely, the kind of thing that... oh, sure, it's not all intense action, instead it's sorta fluffy, romantic-ish art (at least my favorites here, there are some rather intense illustrations on the site, too), but I love that so much. Cagalli in her dress and Ashuran in formal wear or the group of the four main characters in white shirts as Cagalli and Kira drag their respected SOs along while they grin like crazy or Ashuran and Cagalli in their space suits and obviously devestated over something... I just totally love that kind of art. So very pretty~ <3 (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I think the thing I liked most about this artist was the detail and skilled shading that you can see her in lines, that in a lot of ways I think I like her b&w stuff better because you can see just how talented the artist really is. She's got this lovely one of Ashuran in b&w that has wonderful shading and there's a fantastic one of Dearka and Millie that reminds me of all the reasons I fell for that couple in the first place (the look on his face when he puts his jacket over a sleeping Millie's shoulders! *swoon*), when it seemed so random and WTF-ish at first. There's also a REALLY nice one of Kira and a REALLY nice one of Ashuran/Cagalli and just... yeah, I liked this site because the lines were really good (in the sense that the best, prettiest doujinshi are *happy sigh*), but also because it had most of my favorite couples on it. <3 (No single theme, but if it was in the series, it's got a chance at showing up here.)
- Gundam SEED - shake! [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - There's not a ton of art here, but what is here is pretty cute and I like their take on the characters, especially that she shows them in so many different aspects. There's diplomat!Cagalli and there's fighter!Cagalli and there's fighter!Ashuran and bodyguard!Ashuran and romantic!Ashuran/Cagalli and they're all nicely drawn. Plus, I can never resist a site that has at least one illustration of Cagalli in that pretty green and white dress. Or at least one of her holding a gun and fighting alongside Ashuran. XD (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - So this site probably isn't going to be for everyone, the art may be a little too "harsh" for some, in the sense that the lines and colors are less bright and a bit more... well, shounen-ish, is the best way I can think to describe it. But because this site started out with a really nice kiss where I love the slightly more realistic take on Cagalli's hair, where I love the sharp definition of their collarbones with their loose shirts on, I got off the right foot with this site. Cagalli seems to cry a lot on the site, but I'll forgive a lot for Ashuran sticking his hand up her shirt and the other down her pants while he's leaning over to kiss her ear. ....shut up, I don't care if it's OOC, it's hot, that's all I need. A lot of harsher takes on the characters here, but I found I kinda liked it. (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - awaawa [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site has Cagalli in her underwear. I really don't need much reason beyond that to like it. But it's also got some hugging illustrations, some really nice colors, a lot of cute oekaki, and even one or two kissing illustrations. So that's nice, too. Ooh, and Cagalli with her arms around Ashuran while having his ZAFT jacket over her shoulders. That was nice, too. But the Cagalli in her underwear still was my favorite, especially since it was nicely drawn and actually had some really good detail to it. This site made me feel better. <3 (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I'm also not sure what to call this artist's style, either, but it's that sort of... style that reminds me of jewels. Which sould so easily have been pretentious, but I really, really liked it here for some reason. Maybe it was the chibis, including Cagalli in her diplomat outfit. Maybe it's the way it makes their eyes practically shine, even in a 2-D illustration. Maybe it was the beautiful red-dripped illustration with Ashuran in his ZAFT outfit and Cagalli in this pretty, slim red shirt with a red rose in her hair that just looked... the whole thing was pretty. Or. You know. The wedding illustration. I liked that a lot. <3 But there was just... a sense of pretty coming from the art, that jewel-tone style, half-CG-style working for it. ....yeah, I know that's a bad rec, I don't care. Just go look at the pretty art. ♥ (Ashuran/Cagalli.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Eeee! Kira and Lux! Much as I love Ashuran/Cagalli, sometimes it's nice to see some Kira/Lux, especially since they get so little fanart for them. And the second one on the site, where Kira's making the adorable O_O face when Lux kisses him, immediately convinced me that I loved this site, because it was wonderfully drawn--Lux's hair looks fantastic. Oh, and there's one of them in the grass that makes my little fangirl heart skip a beat because it's so softly, gently drawn and, you know, Kira's resting his head in Lux's lap while she runs her hand through his hair. I totally melt over stuff like that. Plus, there's a lot of pretty sketches on the site, some good use of color, and just... all in all, it felt like a style that worked well for the characters and I always like it when tone matches up with subject. <3 (Kira/Lux.)
- Gundam SEED - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Yay! Another Kira/Lux site! And I adored the first illustration on the site, with Kira facing forward and Lux standing behind him, facing the other way, especially the way her hair looked so beautiful. And, oh, the comics made me melt--they were done in this lovely purple-ish color and the way Kira would hold her hand or smile at her or lean in to kiss her... god, that's what I wanted from a Kira/Lux site. And the beautifully cel-style coloring of the one where he's putting his arms around her? Wonderful. It's really very nice art, but more than that... for me, it got the romantic fangirl in me up and squee'ing, which is something I look for in art sites. *happy sigh* Oh! And Cardcaptor!Cagalli is not to be missed. And the chibis? ADORABLE. (Kira/Lux.)
- Gundam SEED - LOVE ME DO [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site probably won't be for everyone, it has a lot of Maryuu (I refuse to spell it "Murrue", it just... doesn't seem like the pronunciation.) in either skimpy clothing or quite topless and the illustrations are scattered all across the site. But that's not why I <3 this site. I <3 the site because it does a good job with the Mwu/Maryuu pairing--the illustrations all have that sort of sexy, flirtatious feel to them that the characters so often had, with occasional moments of seriousness, usually when he's leaning against her with a serious look on his face. But then it'll be right back to the fun, sexy flirting with Mwu pulling her close or kissing her or occasionally looking like he's about to slide his hand down her shirt. ^_~ But the art is actually pretty nice, there's a good amount of detail and the colored-pencil style colors aren't bad, especially with the doujinshi-style lines the artist uses. And there's a LOT of art tucked away in various corners, so you'll probably want to crawl all over the site. I liked it because... it really summed up the pairing's vibe well, I think. (Mwu/Maryuu, not entirely worksafe.)
- Gundam SEED - Piece of Peace [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - And then there's the other Mwu/Maryuu site I managed to hunt down (so far), that... it took me a little while to get used to the lack of defintion and heavy-ish lines of the art in places, but it did grow on me and I thought it was a style that wound up working well for the characters. It helped that the colors were these... golden or earth-ish tones that worked together with the more "mature" sense of the characters (versus the brighter colors of the younger characters) and gave the whole thing sort of a classic feel. Plus, you know, I always like the kissing. *grin* (Mwu/Maryuu.)
- Gundam SEED/Soukyuu no Fafner - MUSICA [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh. Well, hello to the beautiful Fafner art! This site does an absolutely stunning Soushi, the amount of detail and beautiful colors that go into it are just... I could stare at it for what feels like an hour, I sometimes think. And then there are also some beautiful, beautiful Kazuki illustrations that do an amazing job from the hair to the face to the eyes to the uniform he wears. And then there are the ones of them together that are just breath-taking, truly some of the most beautiful Fafner art I've seen. Originally, I was going to skip adding this to the G-SEED section because the first page of art was all of Shin (who I don't know very well at the time of this rec), but getting back further into the art reveals the stuff with Ashuran and Kira and the same beautiful detail that was applied to the Fafner art. Well, I do think the Fafner art was better done and the utter highlight of the site, but I certainly enjoyed the lovely SEED art that had all that pretty detail to it. *happy sigh* The art of the linking banner really, really doesn't disappoint with this one. (Soushi/Kazuki, a little Ashuran/Kira.)
- Gundam SEED/Soukyuu no Fafner - kazika's scribble book [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I admit upfront that Ashuran/Lux isn't my favorite pairing, that I never sparked off it, that it wasn't until Ashuran and Cagalli interacted that I realized I really kinda liked this series, but I couldn't resist rec'ing this site because the art is amazing. The artist's sense for colors and lines and proportions is fantastic, some of these could pass for official art and they're just... they're gorgeous and terribly romantic and even I was a little hard-pressed not to swoon over the Ashuran/Lux illustrations. And it's not like I mind the occasional Kira/Frey illustration, either. But, really, even aside from the pairings, the single-character illustrations are worth visiting the site for, because the artist is just tremendously talented and nails the style of the series. It's all just so... impressive. (Ashuran/Lux, some Kira/Frey, maybe a little other hinted at, and some worthwhile gen, I think.)
- Yu-Gi-Oh!/Lord of the Rings - MOSCOWMULE [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I, of course, still don't get the YGO! thing or why there's some really nice fanart for it out there, but I try to let that go and just enjoy the pretty artwork, because I know I kinda like the character of Seto already and that I really enjoy seeing Yuugi (or whatever form he's in) fanart as well. This site is really kinda cute and I like the details on her single-character illustration images; her couples are as solid, but they're hardly bad, either. Nice use of colors and the site is really worth it for those Seto illustrations. The Lord of the Rings stuff is adorable and I totally ♥ the artist's Legolas, especially when she draws the chibi-esque versions of him and when she's drawing him interacting with the other characters. The colors are nice, very light and breezy and... all right, shut up, I'm won over by the Aragorn/Legolas art, which made me smile and threaten to put little hearts in my eyes. But, really, you're going for that image of the Fellowship in chibi form that is so freaking cute towards the end. <3<3<3 (Some het with YGO!, some liiiiiight slash with LotR.)
- Bleach/Naruto - [ English Fanart Site ] - I probably only had to spot the beautiful Renji/Rukia illustration from this artist to know I was sold, but it doesn't hurt that there's actually a lot of Bleach art that's really well-drawn here. The lines are really, really pretty and the colors are wonderfully done and everything just sort of combines together for a really cool affect. Plus, that illustration of Neji? In those loose clothes? Holy crap, that one was hot. His eyes were amazing and the lines and just... god, everything about it was gorgeous. My only complaint about this artist is that there isn't more. *stomps foot petulantly* (No single pairing theme, really.)
- Bleach - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I wound up adoring the hell out of this site, because the artist's style is really quite good, she's got that Kubo-style down really well and the characters felt like themselves, if during happier moments. Which is totally a Good Thing. And the Renji/Rukia stuff just... it reminded me so much of why I fell for them--Halloween illustrations, illustrations from when they were kids and just being such kids and I could have melted into a puddle of the one of kid!Rukia smiling down at a blushing kid!Renji with his head in her lap. Seriously. So freaking cute. Or the current(-ish?) day one where a serious!faced!Rukia is putting her little hands on blushing!Renji's face to pull him closer. And the other Shinigami illustrations are wonderful and if there's anyone out there who doesn't love the one of Orihime and her little sprite-things, I do not want to meet them. That one was so adorable! And the art is actually really good, too; not always perfect, but good and I enjoyed the hell out of this site and think it's probably one of the better ones out there. Especially since there's so much art on the site. ♥ *flutters* (Renji/Rukia, some other het.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner/Saiyuki - StraBe [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - The Fafner art of this site is probably the strongest out of everything and is especially good when she's doing these sketches that show off how good the lineart really is. But I also enjoy the light colors she used with the non-b&w ones and her Soushi and Kazuki are especially good. Plus, of course I liked the pairing illustrations. The Saiyuki illustrations are a bit rougher, but the Konzen art has some really nice ones, there's Homura fanart, and the artist seems fond of Sanzo/Hakkai and that always wins me over. Though, the Sanzo illustrations have some nice ones and the Hakkai set has some really nice sketch-like stuff with some really good lineart. Konzen is the one that looks best in color, so I'm mostly rec'ing for those and the b&w-ish ones. All in all, just a fun, nice site with some cute art. :D (Soushi/Kazuki, a little Sanzo/Hakkai, a lot of gen, too.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - mint&cream [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This site didn't have a ton of art, but when I saw the second illustration of Kazuki (the b&w one that totally looks like it could have come straight out of a beautiful doujinshi), I knew I was going to be favorable towards the site. And then there was a nice Soushi. Okay, I'm in a good mood with you, site. Then a bunch of Soushi/Kazuki illustrations that got better and better as they went along, to the point where the current ones look really good? And a couple of cute Maya illustrations? I was sold. That fourth Soushi/Kazuki illustration is the highlight of the site and makes me really curious to see more from this artist, because if she could keep up that calibre... it could be a top-notch site. *__* (Some Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - INDIGO SKY [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is another site that has some nice art, some interesting concepts attached to the illustrations that seem to go well with the angsty, painful tone of the series; you can really tell that the characters are hurting in these illustrations. The colors are nice, if a bit dull, the designs are well-matched to the designs of the show, and the site has some nice Soushi/Kazuki, so that makes me happy and feeds my growing addiction. Plus, Soushi is pretty. And Kazuki is pretty. I can't ask for more than that. ^_~ (Some Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - Lucifer Trap [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I admit, this artist took me a little while to get used to, especially since the characters are so skinny in her art and look way too tall, but the art seems to be improving as it goes along, it has some nice detail to it, especially with the characters' clothes and eyes and the backgrounds, and there were a ton of rather well-done comics, so that by the time I was done with this site, I had honestly enjoyed myself. That's enough for me. :D (Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Soukyuu no Fafner - toon^2 [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Oh! Oh! I loved this site, because the colors are FANTASTIC. The author really does wonderfully with the cel-style coloring and her lines are good and there's a gorgeous one of Soushi and Kazuki on the 30 themes page that has a close-up on an utterly gorgeous Soushi and an upside-down Kazuki and just... wow, the whole thing was gorgeous. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. But there was also the one of a winged half-Soushi, half-Kazuki person that was REALLY cool both in terms of prettiness and style--not all of the art on the site is necessarily stunning (though, all of it is very talented), but anything in that list of themes is so worth going to the site for. Plus! Sprites! And icons! And a strip!Kazuki block game! How could anyone not love that? This site was definitely one of my favorites for the day. ♥! (Soushi/Kazuki.)
- Original/Miscellaneous - [ English Fanart Site ] - I was browsing dA awhile back and just randomly checking out favorites by people and happened to stumble across this artist. I don't normally do much seeking out of original art, there's so much of it and it's hard to catagorize and look for what I like, but when I stumble across something with colors as pretty as these, I can hardly resist it. The artist is really talented, she puts in a lot of really nice details and I really like her lines, but it's the pretty, almost glowing colors that I keep coming back to. Like with this one, where I just adore the shades of blue used and the feel of the art. One of those that I was just happy to stumble across. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Juuni Kokki - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Ooh, I really liked this site's art because... it's hard to explain. Part of it is that the artist draws a great Rakushun, really showing off just how attractive he is, but it's also that she includes a lot of detail in all the illustrations she does. When she does Rakushun/Youko, there're just a ton of details on their clothes and hair that the slight cutesy-ness of their faces barely even registers with me. Plus, she does really well with that line between overly romantic and just... something sweet and just the right amount of it. Which seems like an odd thing to fixate on, but because Juuni Kokki wasn't really a series about kissing, the lighter touch to the romance works for me. Plus I mentioned that her Rakushun is gorgeous? Okay. Nice, nice site here. <3 (Rakushun/Youko.)
- Gankutsuou - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is one of the earlier sites I ran across in my scouring for Gankutsuou art sites in my last trip and I'm really glad to have found the site, because right from the very top (currently) illustration of Monte Cristo and Haydee, I knew this artist was going to be good. The artist has a really strong sense for colors and lines together and does really enchanting group illustrations, but it's her Count illustrations that are currently the highlight of the site. The one of him hold his sword up to his face and his cape blowing dramatically in the wind is gorgeous. Not just gorgeous for a slowly blooming fandom, but gorgeous-gorgeous. Every time you see him in an illustration, he looks beautiful and there's a sense of lushness and richness to the art that feels similar to the series itself. Just... I was really impressed with this artist and I badly want to see more from her. Good, good stuff. (Whatever you saw in canon you'll probably see here.)
- Gankutsuou - blue-blooded boy[ Japanese Fanart Site ] - And this would be the other real find from my skipping gleefully through the Gankutsou fandom; the artist does a terrific job and I find myself swooning over all of the art. (Note: You'll want to make sure to check out the oekaki board and the sub-pages as well, because there's some cute art tucked away on the sub-pages. And the oekaki board has some really cool stuff on it!) It's just... the Count and Albert in the rain, the beautiful Valentine one, the chibi-Albert-and-Franz with their pirate outfits, lovely Haydee, cute Peppo, that actually use the Gankutsuou patterns! That was really neat. And, oh, oh, hit the web-clap thing, because there are two illustrations in there that are flat-out gorgeous. One is of Franz and Albert and the other is, hands down, the most beautiful Count/Albert illustration I've ever seen. Just... whoa. (Maybe a little Count/Albert, maybe a little Franz/Albert.)
- Gankutsuou - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Normally, I try to pass on sites that don't have a lot of art or where it's mostly just oekaki, but when a fandom is still just getting started, I can be more attracted to oekaki art galleries and I've been developing something of a fondness for Gankutsuou oekaki art especially. This site just... there's a good lot of art in the galleries and one of the things I liked is that the artist often times put in those patterns like those that the anime uses, so it ends up having something like the same feel. She also covers several characters (like there're a few of Franz and there's one of Eugenie, too) and while the ones of the Count were my favorite, I also kinda liked the one of him putting the towel over the head of the wet!Albert. (Well, I would, wouldn't I? :D) All in all, a nice little addition to the Gankutsuou art out there. (Whatever you saw in canon you'll probably see here, too.)
- Gankutsuou - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - This is one of those sites where I was charmed by the entirety of the site probably more than any one specific illustration, because there's just something really fun about going through a gallery of a decent-sized amount of art, to see all the 'regular' art and the sketches and the oekaki art, all that's done pretty well and with solid coloring. There were individual illustrations I liked (the Count with his hand over Albert's eyes, the one of Albert and Franz as adorable kids, the oekaki of Franz, the dramatic Count, etc.) and the whole site was really worth clicking through, a very good site for the fandom right now and just... there's a lot of fun and potential here. (Whatever you saw in canon you'll probably see here, too.)
- Last Exile - Hideaway [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - Admittedly, I hesitated on this site, since Alex/Sophia really isn't my thing, but I kept clicking through the gallery and... well, damn the artist draws a beautiful Alex Lowe. It's more than just that he's physically pretty (though, that's very nice), it's also that he has that feel of Alex to him, that driven, intense, dark feel that was so attractive about the character. And if you liked the Alex/Sophia pairing, the illustrations for the two of them will probably be right up your alley, since they're quite well done. :D (Some Alex/Sophia.)
- Samurai Champloo - Saimin [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - ....do you know how long I've been waiting for good Samurai Champloo fanart? For someone to actually draw the characters really well and keep that feel of the characters? I've been craving fanworks for the series and this site delivered so very, very well. And this site started off with a really excellent one of Jin and Mugen and... it's never outright slash, but there's a lot of UST just screaming off them in the illustrations, but then there'll be some typical trio-type antics in the little illustrations and then there'll be wet!Jin or cranky!Mugen or fighting!JinandMugen and I don't know that there were any illustrations on the site that weren't just so damned good for this series. Very nice way to start off my Samurai Champloo fanart finds. That Jin on the background of the current top page is just... my favorite Samurai Champloo fanart ever. *___* (Maybe a little Jin/Mugen, but it's closer to gen, I think.)
- Samurai Champloo - [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I think the trio stuff is probably the strongest stuff on this site, it's the stuff that most captures the feel of the series, buuuuuut~ I also kinda like the 'artistic' stuff like Mugen with the umbrella or Jin drawing his sword. Though, the Jin vs Mugen fight was really cool and I don't mind the use of colors in the art. The current one of Mugen with the makeshift umbrella (as opposed to the one with the actual umbrella) is probably the best drawn but I think I still prefer the trio stuff. It's just so... Champloo somehow. Anyway, nice site, I had fun wit hit. (No warnings/pairings.)
- Samurai Champloo - Bump of Chicken [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - I almost gave up on this site, after having trouble spotting the Samurai Champloo art, but eventually I did manage to find it and I'm really glad I did, because it's the kind that just... emodies the spirit of the series. There are a couple of illustrations on the site that are just fantastic for how well they draw the characters as they are--the one where they're coming in out of the rain is fantastic especially. But there are also some random batshit ones (like the three of them in modern clothes against a graffitied wall) that just... despite it being so OOC, it's such a perfect fit with the series somehow. I really wish there'd been more art on this site. XD (No warnings/pairings.)
- Harry Potter - CHIROROOM [ Japanese Fanart Site ] - *___* I know I've seen some of this artist's work before, probably when browsing doujinshi on Yahoo!Japan or something and I've always been impressed, but actually seeing her work here... her more recent stuff is gorgeous. There's this one of Remus and Sirius flying on a broom that has the most incredible lines and colors and the details on their clothes are amazing and they look beautiful and I just swoon. But #13 also has some of the most beautiful coloring I've seen on a fanart illustration before, the way Remus' hair is colored it almost looks real and, good god, Sirius is beautiful and I swoon some more. And, yeah, yeah, I know this is the prettification version of them, but I live in a nice, shiny, happy little bubble of Harry Potter fanart and it makes me so very, very happy because this artwork is just flat-out gorgeous in places. This is why I look for HP fanart. Plus, there's a lot of junk-art, which made me happy to see, since I got to revel in the artist's work awhile longer. *happy, swoony sigh* (Sirius/Remus.)