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Update:   Thursday, October 30, 2003

Akai Kitsune's wonderful story Kendo no Go has been updated. Chapter 90 is up. For those not familiar with this fic, it's a collection of 100 short vignettes that give insight into Kenshin and Kaoru's life together. An excellent read. Please have a look! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:17:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Thanks to author ChiisaiLammy for sending in a great pic of Kaoru. ChiisaiLammy is multi-talented as both a writer and artist. I love the way Kaoru's eyes were colored. They're a gorgeous blue, and the iris patterns and light reflections off the cornea are beautifully done. Please check it out, folks! Angrybee's impressive story, Hajime and Tokio has been updated with the addition of chapter 12. Read this fic! I can't say that enough. Seriously, please check it out! I've tinkered a bit with text size on some of the pages. I've received input from multiple site visitors that some of the text (such as the summaries of the fan fics and author's notes at the ends of stories) are difficult to read. Hopefully they're better now. Thanks so much to the helpful individuals who pointed this out. I really do appreciate your help! And if the changes still aren't enough, I hope you won't hesitate in letting me know! Okay, I have a ton of homework and projects to do. Gotta go get some work done. Enough with the procrastination.... Posted by hakubaikou, 4:13:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, October 27, 2003

Chapter 5 of my Shishio & Yumi story, Oiran is up. Oh, and I don't know how this happened, but yesterday, this site got a record number of visitors for one day. Great was my joy, let me tell you.... For the newbies at this site, thanks so much for visiting. And for the regulars, thanks so much for coming back! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:03:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, October 26, 2003

Annie Navarro's got a fantastic new picture of Soujirou up in the gallery. It's an action shot of him standing with his sword by a riverbank. As always, Annie Navarro's work is wonderful to look at. I was especially impressed with the way the water was done in this pic. It looks so real! Thanks for sending this in, Annie! Please have a look, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:01:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, October 25, 2003

Thanks to crabapple (aka mvdiva) for two wonderful new wallpapers! The first is a playful Kenshingumi wall, and the second is an elegant Kenshin wall in a gorgeous shade of blue. Both are very cool, but I particularly like the blue one with Kenshin's eyes. Please take a look, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 12:26:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, October 24, 2003

The Narrator's got some cool new pics at the gallery. These are Halloween pics with RK characters dressed up in costume. Kenshin and Kaoru as King Arthur and Guinevere, Aoshi and Misao as Neo and Trinity, and Sano and Megumi as Carrot Glace & Chocolate Misu of Sorcerer Hunters. Thanks for sending these in, Narrator! Please have a look, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:32:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, October 23, 2003

I updated last night, but I was up so late I was too tired to write a coherent introduction, so I went to bed. Anyway, a bunch of new stuff.... Chapter 89 of Akai Kitsune's Kendo no Go is up. This wonderful fic is actually a series of short stories (one story per chapter) that mostly cover Kenshin and Kaoru's life together in timelines not covered by the series or manga. It's a very insightful fic, filled with observations on RK characters that are never explained in the canon works. Very insightful. Please have a look, folks! Ayanami Girl has sent in two alternate universe type fanarts, one of Kenshin, and one of Misao. The pics are quite cute! Kenshin and Misao are both holding electric guitars, heehee. Thanks so much for the new pics, Ayanami Girl. Please check these out, everyone! Finally, tani-chan has sent in a couple more Kenshin drawings. He says "oro" (written in Japanese) in both pics, but one is of Kenshin in rurouni mode, and the other is of Battousai. Very cute. Sincere thanks to tani-chan for sending these in. Please have a look at them, people! A reminder: Mir is hosting an RK fan fiction contest at her awesome site, TFME. The deadline for entries is on November 1, 2003. So for all you fic writers out there who haven't sent your entry in yet, time to get moving on it! Did you take a look at what the prize is supposed to be? Hmmm. Very cool. Very much worth the effort, no? Anyway, click here for more contest details. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:05:00 PM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Thanks so much to Virak, a new artist to this website, for allowing me to post a stunning piece of art! Virak's picture of Battousai battling in the Forest of Barriers is filled with action. I can almost feel it moving when I look at it. Wonderfully neat line art. Beautiful coloring. And some wicked looking weaponry. Please check it out, folks! Sincere thanks to tani-chan for sending in some very cute pics of Kenshin and other RK characters. The why sou-chan barely gets mad... pic is quite humorous. You can see these pics both in tani-chan's gallery page as well as the HakuBaikou.com oekaki BBS. Please have a look, folks. Chapter 11 of Angrybee's Hajime and Tokio has been posted. For those of you who haven't read this, I really encourage you to give it a try. It's one of the best fan fics I've read in a while. A fascinating and emotionally gripping look at the Wolf of Mibu and his wife, this story is elegantly written and has an originality of content that is rare among fan fics. Do take a look, everyone! A reminder to all that I will be taking down all the 800x600 versions of my wallpapers soon. I'm doing this in order to conserve disk space. I'm not near the limit just yet, but if this site continues with its current rate of growth, disk space may become an issue in the future. If you absolutely must have an 800x600 version of one of my walls, and you (or your friends) don't have any software that will convert 1024x768 to 800x600, then please e-mail me a request, and I will send you the smaller version. Please don't abuse this, though. As unbelievable as it may seem, I do have a life beyond this website. Heehee. Posted by hakubaikou, 12:09:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, October 20, 2003

Chapter 3 of Angrybee's hilarious The Hitokiri Stainmaster was posted at FFnet a couple days ago. It's now been posted here as well. Enjoy, folks! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:09:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, October 19, 2003

Thanks to Akai Kitsune for allowing me to post her wonderful fic Kendo no Go. I'd actually wanted to post this a while ago, but it took me a while to set up all the pages. Sorry for the delay, Akai! Anyways, this ambitious fic reads more as a series of vignettes than one continuous story. The author gives wonderful insights into the characters' minds and makes the reader think of RK characters in new (but completely in-character) ways. Relationships are explored. Psyches are delved into. It really enriches the whole RK experience. It's a pretty well known story, so many of you may have already read it. But for those of you who haven't, please take a look. It's good stuff! (Oh, and I am up way too late!) Posted by hakubaikou, 5:40:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, October 18, 2003

Sincere thanks to clarion, a very talented new artist at this site, for a marvelous picture of Saitoh in Shinsengumi attire. I love the bamboo forest setting. I love the dappled sunlight patterns on Saitoh's clothes. And his expression is very in character. An incredible pic. Please check it out, folks. Thanks so much to trunkschan90 for sending in an adorable chibi pic of Sano titled "Don't Cry Over Spilled Sake". A cute and original premise. I really like the expression on poor Sano's face. I also like the hand-colored look of the picture. Please check out this pic, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 12:29:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, October 17, 2003

I've read many excellent fics while surfing the net looking for stories to post here. Angrybee's Hajime and Tokio is, in my humble opinion, an excellent fic among excellent fics. It's one of the few stories that I liked so much that I asked the author to post it before I'd even finished reading it. (I admit, I still haven't finished reading it even now.) With its combination of elegant narrative style, intelligent and believable characterizations, and intriguingly original plot elements, I was completely drawn in by the middle of the first chapter. I look forward to finishing what the author has written so far. Angrybee also has another excellent story, a one-shot called It's a Wonderful Life, Himura Kenshin that is also very well written, original, and quite humorous in parts. Thanks so much, Angrybee, for allowing me to post your fics. Please check these two stories out, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 12:41:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, October 16, 2003

Some impressive artwork today! Thanks so much to ! (yes, you read that right), a new artist to this gallery, for an amazing Tomoe painting. This picture is easily one of the most beautiful fan arts I've ever seen. A figure with delicate features. Wonderfully subtle colors and a tone that fits the character and OAV very well. Please take a look, folks. Kitkit201, a new artist at this site, has six utterly gorgeous Kenshin and Kaoru walls posted. Wonderful layout, great choice of images, and excellent colors and backgrounds. The artist has a great way with textures and details. Thanks so much to kitkit201 for allowing me to post these. Please check them out, everyone! I plan on taking down the 800x600 sized wallpapers in my own gallery soon. I'll leave the 1024x768 versions on-line. I'm doing this in order to conserve disk space. Most basic paint programs will allow you to resize pics, so if you prefer 800x600, it shouldn't be hard to do. If you can't resize it yourself, and you can't find a friend in real life or online who can do it for you, you can e-mail me to request a 800x600 sized file of any of my wallpapers. However, please do not abuse this! If I get flooded with requests to resize wallpapaer images, I'll have to stop doing it for people. Posted by hakubaikou, 12:42:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, October 15, 2003

Thanks so much to squishybookworm, an author new to this site, for allowing me to post In This Truth We See, a story about Soujirou's travels five years after the Kyoto arc. This fic has an intriguing original character. I'm very interested in seeing how this story develops. Please take a look, everyone! The Narrator has a new doujinshi posted in the art gallery. This one is called Manners and is quite funny, especially one particular panel that really had me giggling. (I won't spoil it for you here.) Please go take a look, folks. And thanks so much, Narrator, for sending this in! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:55:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Angrybee, a new author at this site, has a hilarious fic called The Hitokiri Stainmaster posted in the archive. Utterly silly, and very well written, I laughed out loud when I read this. Thanks so much for allowing me to post this, Angrybee. Please take a look, folks. It's good stuff. And don't be surprised if I post more works by this author at a later date. The Narrator has a wonderful poem posted in the archive. Tod, mit goldenen Augen (Death, with Golden Eyes) is impressive for many reasons. First, it's written in two languages. Second, The Narrator manages a whole lot of angst in a very short number of words. Very cool. Check it out, everyone! And thanks, Narrator! Trunkschan90 has a new picture up in her gallery. This one's a silhouette of Battousai. Straightforward and action-packed. According to trunkschan90, this was influenced by commercial cards on Adult Swim. (I've never watched anything on Adult Swim, so I can't comment.) Thanks so much for the new pic, trunkschan90! Posted by hakubaikou, 1:11:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, October 13, 2003

Mystic Heaven, a new artist to this site, has 5 fantastic chibi pictures of various members of the Kenshingumi. Very clean line work, wonderful colors and excellent shading. And they're just so adorable! Thanks so much, Mystic Heaven, for allowing me to post your artwork. Please have a look at them, people. They're great. A reminder of two contests with deadlines in November: (1) Shrine of Ice and Fire is an Aoshi & Megumi site that is having a contest with several categories including fan fic, fan art, and wallpapers. Submissions must feature Megumi/Aoshi as the main subjects. For more information, please visit their contest page. Deadline is November 16, 2003. (2) Mir's TFME site has a fan fic writing contest with the theme being "point of view and character voice". For more information, please visit the contest page at TFME. The deadline for this is November 1, 2003. Posted by hakubaikou, 12:51:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, October 12, 2003

Sincere thanks to kheelan, a new artist archived at the gallery, for allowing me to post a very impressive picture of Sano with his Zanbattou. (Did I spell that right? It suddenly looks odd to me.) Anyway, the lively picture has some lovely bright colors and a well drawn figure that's quite aesthetically pleasing. Do have a look at it, everyone! Psst. Draw something on the Oekaki board.... Posted by hakubaikou, 12:03:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, October 11, 2003

Thanks so much to Renard, a new artist at this archive, for allowing me to post 3 gorgeous images. This artist has a lovely and unique style with images that are very detailed (especially the hair!) and filled with motion. I particularly like the Soujirou pic with the bloody flower. Please have a look, everyone! Artist SachiAmi has two great new wallpapers up at her wallpaper gallery. The first one is of Aoshi, and the image is as dark and textured as the character himself. The second one--which I absolutely adore--is a gorgeous one of Tomoe with some very striking imagery. Please check it out, everybody! Addendum: I got an oekakiBBS account. If you don't see the "oekaki bbs" button on the main site menu, please try hitting the refresh on your browser. Anyway, I'm new to oekaki drawing, but it looks like fun. Please feel free to try it out. And don't worry if you don't know what you're doing. I don't either. Ha! Posted by hakubaikou, 4:09:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, October 10, 2003

Narrator's got a few more new pages of the wonderful doujinshi, Ichiban Amour no Horitsu posted. It's a sweet story with a nice bit of humor. The new update also includes a great second colored cover. Thanks so much for sending these in, Narrator. Check it out, folks! Wombat's hilarious Ni To Iu Hitokiri is up. Chapter 9 is based on one of my favorite scenes from Monty Python's Holy Grail which Wombat makes even funnier with some very appropriate RK substitutions. Funny stuff! Please take a look, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:56:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, October 09, 2003

Trunkschan90, a new artist to the archive, has sent in a lovely pic of Kenshin and the two loves of his life. It's a wonderfully themed picture with a nice subtle color scheme. Great for K&K and K&T fans alike. Thanks so much for the pic, trunkschan90! Please check it out, everyone. I had several projects due in the span of one week. My last one, a major video project, is due tomorrow. I've been working on it like a madwoman for the last week, hence the very slight decrease in updates. Once I hand this monstrous assignment in, I'll be free to work more on the site. Woohoo! As always (and you know I remind people of this all the time), if you ever see something you really like on this site, please feel free to let the author or artist know either by reviewing or by e-mailing. The generous contributors make this site possible, so if you'd like to show your appreciation of their efforts with a quick little note, I'm sure they'd be most pleased. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:55:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, October 07, 2003

The Narrator has sent in another wonderful doujinshi for everyone to enjoy. This humorous and cute story is called Ichiban Amour no Horitsu. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say Kaoru wakes up one morning and isn't quite herself.... Lovely. Thanks Narrator. Please have a look, folks! SachiAmi has made a very cool (and dark and bloody) Battousai wallpaper. The colors and layout match the picture well. Thanks so much to SachiAmi for sending this in. Please go take a look, everybody! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:00:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, October 06, 2003

Chapter 5 of Ayashi's wonderful fic, Under the Shadow has been added. I really love the quiet tone of this story. I admit I have a bias towards Bakumatsu and Wandering Years fics. I just love them. I'm fascinated by a Kenshin that's not sure of himself. Ayashi conveys Kenshin's doubts and angst and insecurities quite well. Lovely story. Please take a look, folks! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:01:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, October 04, 2003

Nothing much today. I've got a new artwork that I did, a pic of Battousai practicing in a field. I tried doing this picture a little differently than my usual artwork, so it doesn't look like the rest of my pics. But I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I was going for a good sense of movement rather than careful attention to detail, so the overall picture looks rough and sketchy. But intentionally so. Anyway, feel free to take a look in my gallery page if you're curious. I'm going to be working on some school projects this weekend, so I may not be able to update. If I have time, I'll try to add some new things, but I can't make any promises. Anyway, have a nice weekend, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:42:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, October 03, 2003

Thanks to sherlgirl for some lovely artwork! Two great pics of Megumi and Aoshi, and one wallpaper made from one of the images. I think sherlgirl draws Megumi beautifully. I especially like the lighting in the picture with Megumi in profile. Her face is in the light while Aoshi's is more shadowed. It makes a nice contrast. The background in that pic is interesting too. Thanks so much for allowing me to post your work, sherlgirl. Please take a look, folks! Posted by hakubaikou, 1:39:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, October 02, 2003

Two great Battousai pics by stellarfive, a new artist at this site, have been added. The first image has wonderful shading and strong colors. I especially like the way the face was done. The mouth and nose in particular were shaded very well. Thanks so much to stellarfive for allowing me to post her wonderful artwork. Please check it out, everyone! The final two pages of Narrator's doujinshi, Confessions Beneath Cherry Blossoms have been added to the fan art gallery. Thanks so much to Narrator for the lovely story and artwork! The doujinshi comes to a wonderfully satisfying close. And the last page is quite funny. Please have a look, folks. Finally, author starshifter's 1940's AU, Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls has been updated. As I've mentioned before, I really like the 40's feel of this story. And it's nice to see an in-depth portrayal of Sano. Chapter five, the latest addition, is filled with juicy angst. Please read, everybody! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:04:00 AM EST. on today's updates.