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Update:   Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Author Maeve Riannon, who is new to this site, has a great story about Kenshin and Tomoe posted. In her fic, Dead, she offers interesting insights into the minds of the two main characters. Elegantly written with a nicely subdued tone. I enjoyed this a great deal. Please have a look, everyone. And thanks to Maeve Riannon for allowing me to post this. Emily, a new artist at this site, has a great pencil drawing of Misao. It looks just like her, and the shading and textures are very nicely done. She captures Misao's bouncy, happy spirit well. Thanks so much for sending in the pic, Emily. Please have a look at it, folks. Wistful-Eyes, also a new artist at this site, has a cute chibi Tomoe pic. I like the slightly sad expression on her face. The colors are interesting too. Tomoe is decked out in Christmasy green. Thanks for the wonderful art submission, Wistful-Eyes. Do have a look, everyone. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:16:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, December 28, 2003

Artist Dax has a gorgeous new pic of Kaoru up in the gallery. I love the color of her kimono and the fine flower print details are really impressive. Obviously skilled line art and shading. Dax's pictures never fail to impress. Please have a look, everyone. And thanks so much to Dax for allowing me to post her work. Artist zeroed also has wonderful new artwork posted. Two great pics, one of Saitou and Battousai, and the other, a cool pic of Battousai that has me (ahem) swooning. Love the action-packed poses and facial expressions. Impressive colors and shading. Thanks for letting me post these, zeroed. Check it out, folks! Wallpaper artist MisaoMeiMei has a great new Tomoe wallpaper posted. It has both a nice picture and a beautifully textured background. Nice choice of font for the text too. Thanks so much to MisaoMeiMei for the new wall. Please take a look at it, folks! Chapter 4 of my story is up at this site. Posted by hakubaikou, 1:09:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, December 27, 2003

JupiterK, a new artist at this site, has a cute oekaki pic of Battousai and Tomoe. I like the bright colors. And the pose is very sweet. Thanks for sending this in, JupiterK. Please take a look, everyone. Angrybee's very weird story, The Hitokiri Stainmaster has been updated. Chapter 5 promises more wacked out zaniness from the Kenshin-gumi. Everything is spoofed. Nothing is sacred. All in the name of humor. Aaaaah. Hilarious fun, and tacos to boot. Check it out! Akai Kitsune has updated her epic Light of the Snow Red Village! In this what-if/alternate event fic that spans decades from the Bakumatsu to the Tokyo arc, Akai Kitsune brilliantly parallels the canon events, only with one major twist: What would have happened if Tomoe's death had been delayed? An incredible fic. Please take a look. Akai Kitsune has also finished Kendo no Go, a fan fic consisting of 100 vignettes on the life of Kenshin and Kaoru. An amazing accomplishment to write 100 chapters and to keep a consistently fine quality in all of them. The final chapter has some really sweet and touching moments, and is a wonderful ending to an impressive fic. Enjoy, folks. Chapter 4 of my latest story, Against a Sea of Troubles, is up at FFnet. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. And I hope your holiday season continues to be a good one. 12:30 PM - Addendum: Almost forgot to mention.... I'd like to thank kittylin, from Gaia Online, for the wonderful Christmas present. I don't think any stranger has ever done anything quite so nice for me before. I was so surprised and touched. Thank you so much! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:36:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, December 22, 2003

It feels rather strange updating during broad daylight for once. I'm at my parents' house for a couple weeks, so I don't think typing along on the computer at 2AM is going to go over real well with them. Heh. Thanks to Rinoa Tilmitt for sending in 3 gorgeous new pictures for her gallery. They're oekaki pics of Enishi, Tomoe, and Misao. I have no idea how Rinoa Tilmitt does such beautiful work with oekaki. Personally, those oekaki control panels drive me crazy, and I still can't quite get the hang of them. Her pics are impressive. Most impressive. So please take a look, everyone. Chapter 19 of Angrybee's epic Hajime and Tokio is up. Do check this fic out if you haven't done so already, people. You're really missing out on something wonderful if you don't. Also, a reminder that there is a fan art contest associated with this fic. Please check the RK Announcements (on the Welcome page) for more details. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:27:00 PM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, December 20, 2003

Thanks so much to Sachi Ami for sending in a new fan art of Misao all decked out for the winter season. I like how Sachi Ami captured Misao's fun loving spirit in this pic. And I like how she drew Misao's braid. I think it's hard to draw a braid without having it look stiff and awkward, but the artist has done a wonderful job with it. Thanks so much for sharing this pic, Sachi Ami. Please take a look, everyone. I've updated the design of this site. If you're still seeing the old purple version, please refresh your browser! The vast majority of pages have been updated to the new design. A few pages such as the links page still have the old purple layout. I didn't have time to switch over everything, but I'll be phasing out the old pages gradually in the course of the month. If you find any broken links or other errors that aren't fixed when you refresh the page, please let me know. I'd appreciate it. Last but not least, my warmest gratitude goes out to MMR and Owinabanshou from the TFME forums who were kind enough to beta-test the new site design for me. Their input and advice were invaluable in helping me get the basic look of this version right. Thank you, MMR and Owinabanshou. You guys are too cool. :-) Posted by hakubaikou, 6:05:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, December 19, 2003

Callista, a new artist to this site, has a wonderful picture of Kenshin and Tomoe up at the gallery. I love the colors and the clean lines. And the scene is romantic and peaceful. Lovely.... Please check it out, folks. And thanks so much to Callista for allowing me to post her art. BlackMage45, also a new artist here, has sent in a very cool pencil drawing of Saitou. I really like the pose. It's full of action. The motion lines are also very cool. Nice clean shading. Do have a look folks! And thanks to BlackMage45 for sharing such cool art. I'll probably be closing the site down temporarily for about an hour sometime tomorrow. I'm giving this site a stylistic overhaul. The basic layout will be the same, but this place needs a little face lift, IMHO. Also, I will be going to my parents' house for a couple of weeks. They have a 56k internet connection, so if I don't quite update as frequently, it's probably because the slow connection speed has driven me mad. But I'll try not to let it get to me. Heh. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:39:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, December 18, 2003

Thanks so much to majoranka, a new author at this site, for allowing me to post her poem, "An Ode to Oro". One of the coolest and cutest RK poems I've had the pleasure to read. Excellent meter, uplifting, and full of feeling. I loved it. You can really feel the joy in this piece. Please check it out, everyone! Chapter 99 of Akai Kitsune's Kendo no Go has been posted. Ack! Only one more chapter left of this fic. I'm going to be sad when it's done. Do I even need to say anything at this point? I've been singing the praises of this fic for quite a while. It's awesome. Go read it. Heh! And thanks, as always, to Akai Kitsune for writing it. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:20:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Chapter 3 of my fic, Against a Sea of Troubles has been posted. And in the meantime, I'm working on a new color scheme and design for the site. I'll keep the same basic layout, though, since I think navigation is pretty easy the way it is. Anyway, it's about time for a visual overhaul, really. Posted by hakubaikou, 4:55:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Artist Tani-chan has sent in 8 cute new pics for her gallery. A wide range of characters from Kenshin to Kaoru to Kamatari, these oekaki pics will put a smile on your face. Thanks so much to Tani-chan for the wonderful art! Please take a look, everyone. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:45:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, December 14, 2003

Artist MisaoMeiMei has a lovely fan art posted in the gallery. It's a picture of Naoya from author Angrybee's epic Hajime and Tokio. I like the soft colors of the pic. And it's always nice to see something colored with traditional media. Thanks so much to MisaoMeiMei for sending this in! Please check it out, everyone. The pic is in the Fan Fic Art section under Hajime and Tokio (at the bottom of the Fan Art page.) ChiisaiLammy also has a new pic in the gallery. This one is of Tomoe. The artist manages to capture Tomoe's mood quite well. Lovely colors. And the flower print pattern on the Kimino is beautiful. One of ChiisaiLammy's best pics to date, in my humble opnion. Thanks to the artist for sending this in. Please take a look, folks! Finally, chapter 98 of Akai Kitsune's Kendo no Go has been posted. I find it impressive that someone could write a fic that's 98 (soon to be 100) vignette/chapters in length. What's downright amazing, however, is that Akai Kitsune maintains consistent tone and quality throughout these 98 chapters. This fic is truly excellent. Emotional, nuanced, subtle, engaging, you name it. Do take a look at this one, people. I highly recommend it. Posted by hakubaikou, 5:04:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, December 13, 2003

Eddy, a new author at this site, has a great new one-shot posted in the archive. To Be Afraid is a short, yet emotionally powerful look into one of my favorite characters in the RK universe: Tomoe. The author makes more insightful observations in this small piece than many far lengthier fics. Thanks so much to Eddy for allowing me to post this. Please have a look, folks. dothackOTAKU, a new artist at the site, has 5 wonderful wallpapers posted. Among them is one of the funniest and cutest RK walls I've ever seen. (You'll know which one as soon as you see it.) It had me laughing out loud. As soon as I saw it (while surfing the net) I had to contact dothackOTAKU and ask her if I could post it here. Thanks so much to dothackOTAKU for graciously saying "yes" to my request. Do check out her walls, folks! And last but not least, The Narrator has a new picture up in the gallery. Starlight Waltz is a lovely AU pic of Kenshin and Kaoru. It's quite the romantic scene. As always, thanks so much to The Narrator for sending in her very cool art. Please take a look, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 7:32:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, December 11, 2003

Chapter 18 of Angrybee's Hajime and Tokio has been posted. One of these days, I'm going to sit my butt down and write some proper reviews for this marvelous fic. (Hear that, Angrybee?) Oh, and a reminder: There's a contest for this fic. It's still going on. Please see the welcome page (in the announcements section) for more details. If you haven't read this fic yet, I recommend you start. You're in for one heckuva treat. Kenshin in Chains. If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. Ha! Thanks to The Narrator for this lovely new pic in the art gallery. Also, The Narrator has 2 fan arts posted for Linay's popular story, Broken Pieces. Please check out these pics in the fan fic art section (at the bottom of the Fan Art gallery page.) Thanks to The Narrator for sending all these in! I have my last exam tomorrow morning. Can't wait to be done. To anyone else who's studying for finals out there: Good luck!.... And what the hell are you doing lurking at my site still? Shouldn't you be studying? ;-) Posted by hakubaikou, 1:03:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, December 09, 2003

I love Akai Kitsune's Kendo no Go, that's a given. But chapter 97 of this vignette-driven fic is one of the best, in my humble opinion. I especially enjoyed this one. Maybe because it deals with Kenshin's thoughts as Battousai. I don't know. But it was lovely, and I highly encourage everyone to read it. Because this story is written as separate vignettes, this chapter will make sense if you haven't read the rest of the story. (You can always go back and read the other 96 chapters. They're quite wonderful!) Enjoy, folks. Posted by hakubaikou, 12:34:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, December 08, 2003

I have a new pic of mine posted. It's Kenshin and Kaoru, obviously not wearing their usual costumes. And that's all for tonight. I have a couple more exams. After that, it's smooth sailing for winter break. Nice.... Posted by hakubaikou, 3:04:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, December 07, 2003

Thanks to The Narrator for sending in a K&K pic in the spirit of the holiday season. Kenshin and Kaoru and Christmas goodies. Cute scene and brilliant colors. A warm and cheery pic that everyone can enjoy (whether you celebrate Christmas or not.) Please have a look, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:32:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, December 06, 2003

Sherlgirl's got a gorgeous new picture up in the gallery. This is an image of Aoshi and Megumi on a moonlit night. It's a fan art of Seiya no Kinen by Hitomi Shimizu (one of the contest entries at Shrine of Ice and Fire.) I love the lighting and tone of this one. Very beautiful. Please have a look, folks! Posted by hakubaikou, 12:56:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, December 05, 2003

Thanks to Hikari Hrair-rah, a new author at this site, for allowing me to post Tears of the Silent Dragon, a post-Kyoto arc fic that deals with Battousai's feelings in quite an interesting way. The author really manages to pack a lot of insightful observations into a short fic. Please have a look, everyone! The latest chapter of Angrybee's hilarious Hitokiri Stainmaster. The warped misadventures of Kenshin and his friends continue. I especially liked Kamatari in this. Heh. Please do take a peek at this one, folks. Posted by hakubaikou, 4:36:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, December 04, 2003

Rainchaser, a new author to this website, has a lovely one-shot posted. Introspection reveals Kaoru's thoughts after the events of Seisouhen. A quiet and understated piece. A pleasure to read. Thanks so much to Rainchaser for allowing me to post her fic. Please check it out, everyone. Two updates on in-progress stories at the archive. First, chapter 96 of Akai Kitsune's wonderful Kendo-no-Go has been posted. This vignette deals with Kaoru's dreams. Please have a look, everyone! And second, chapter 2 of my fic, Against a Sea of Troubles is also up. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:53:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Just a quick update today. First, chapter 17 of Angrybee's epic Hajime and Tokio has been posted. Read it. Worship it. Review it. Really, it's a marvelous story. Please take a look, folks. And second, chapter 2 of my fic, Against a Sea of Troubles has been posted at FFnet. I'll be adding it to this site in the next couple of days or so. And that's it for tonight. I have to go work on a paper. (Wee, what fun.) Posted by hakubaikou, 12:03:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, December 01, 2003

I hope everyone (well, all the Americans, I mean) had a nice holiday weekend. I had a great time at my parents' house. But now it's back to work on projects and final exams this week. I dread them. So, as I said before, updates may be a tad sporadic this week. A lot of nice stuff over Thanksgiving break though.... Thanks so much to BlueCat, an artist new to this site, for sending in three beautiful pics of Sano, Kenshin, and Aoshi. All three pics are great, but I especially liked the Sano art. He looks just like the manga version. Great shading and coloring, and marvelously clean line art. Please have a look, everyone. And thanks again, BlueCat! Chapters 94 and 95 of Akai Kitsune's vignette series, Kendo no Go has been posted in the fic archive. As always, Akai Kitsune does wonderful work. She has an understated style of writing that I admire. If you haven't read any of her work, I highly recommend that you check it out. Chapter 1 of my new fic, Against a Sea of Troubles has been posted. Erm... I really don't have much to say about my own stuff. If you decide to read it, then I'm mighty grateful. Hope you enjoy. Finally, sherlgirl has kindly notified me of 2 mini-contests at the Shrine of Ice and Fire, an Aoshi & Megumi site. One's a Groundhog Day contest, and the other's a March Madness contest. Please see the Announcements section on the Welcome page for more details. Posted by hakubaikou, 12:43:00 AM EST. on today's updates.