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Update:   Saturday, February 28, 2004

Sorry folks. I have no updates tonight. Reasons: 1. No submissions lately. 2. I'm sick. 3. I've got several project deadlines due next week. I'll post something new as soon as I either get something in my mail or I have some time to make something myself. Thanks so much for visiting. Please check back soon! And many thanks to all who responded to Wednesday's update. I was thrilled by everyone's enthusiasm! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:51:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Ha ha ha, okay, so the 1 Year Anniversary pic is really creepy. But hey, when's the last time you saw Gein (a character from the Jinchuu arc in the manga) all decked out in party gear and drinking champagne? Never? Yeah, I thought so. Heh. (Don't ask me what I was on when I came up with this pic. It was late, and I was really sleepy and didn't know what I was doing.... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) Anyway, this site's a year old. I can't believe how time has flown, and I can't believe how big the site has grown. (It started off with one fan art and one story by yours truly. Aaah, the embryo days....) My sincere and heartfelt gratitude to all you wonderful visitors and contributors. This site couldn't exist without you! And now, on to business.... :-) For those of you waiting for the next chapter of my Sea fic, I'm working on it still. Sorry for the delay. The Narrator has two great new pics added to her gallery. Kaoru and Misao dressed as maids. I love the bright, lively colors, and the shading is very nicely done. Wonderful pics. Thanks so much for sending these in, Narrator! Please have a look, everyone. Artist perfectCHAOS has a lovely new picture of Aoshi posted. As much as I adore CG'd works, it's still really nice to see traditional media being used out there. Wonderful lineart and wonderfully textured coloring. Thanks for the pic, perfectCHAOS. Have a look-see, folks! Posted by hakubaikou, 3:25:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Two very impressive new artists joining the gallery today.... ZeroSleep has a gorgeous color picture of a young Bakumatsu-era Kenshin. I love the coloring and shading. And the soft details in the hair are impressive. I really like Kenshin's expression in this. Thanks so much to ZeroSleep for allowing me to post this pic. Please do have a look, folks. Jemma Methvin has two fantastic pics posted. The first is a realism styled pencil drawing of Megumi. Wonderful shading, and the eyes are particularly striking. The second is a cel colored pic of Kenshin and Kaoru. Lovely. Many thanks for sharing your work, Jemma Methvin. Please check these out, everyone! Today marks my first anniversary since joining FFnet. Heh. And tomorrow is this website's first birthday. Joy! Posted by hakubaikou, 1:56:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, February 23, 2004

Chiisai Lammy has a couple of great new oekaki pics up at the gallery. The first is painting of Aoshi and Megumi. Nice dramatic lighting on this one. The other is a pic of Misao. I love the way Chiisai Lammy did Misao's hair. So shiny and soft. Thanks so much for sending these in, Chiisai Lammy. Please have a look at them, folks. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:51:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Sunday, February 22, 2004

Author Akai Kitsune's new fic, Diary of a Manslayer, has been updated with the posting of chapter 3. This sequel to Kendo no Go features Kenshin and Kaoru (and family) in a non-Seisohen timeline years after the manga and TV series end. As ever, a treat to read. Artist perfectCHAOS has a lovely new inkbrush pic posted in the gallery. A cool picture of Aoshi as a young boy. I really like the outfit and the pose. And it's always cool to see pics of Aoshi when he had long hair. Heh. Thanks for sending this in, perfectCHAOS. Check it out, folks! Posted by hakubaikou, 12:42:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Saturday, February 21, 2004

Crystal Renee has a great new wallpaper up, this one of Sano. I like Crystal's fun and refreshing ideas. Her wallpapers are delightful. Thanks to Crystal for sending this in. Artist Souji Katome has another cool picture of Yumi posted. This one is done in black and white. I like the way the fabric was drawn: soft and curvy. Sincere thanks for the new art, Souji Katome. Black Aquamarine has a wonderful new picture of Battousai and Kaoru posted. The soft colors and shading are not only beautiful, but they work well with the emotional tone of the pic, in my humble opinion. Thanks for sending this in, black aquamarine. Please check out all these new works, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 2:58:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, February 19, 2004

Sherlgirl's pics are always lovely to look at, but this latest one is just... *sighs with pleasure*...marvelous.... Gorgeous colors and beautiful lighting. A very romantic scene. Have a look, folks. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:26:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, February 18, 2004

I-chan, a new artist at this site, has an exquisite pencil drawing of Kenshin, Kaoru, and baby Kenji. I love their facial expressions. And the baby is just adorable. There's also an interesting image in the background that adds a little twist to the whole picture, IMHO. Thanks so much to I-chan for allowing me to post this marvelous artwork. Chiisai Lammy has a new pic added to her gallery. It's a beautifully colored piece featuring Aoshi and a sundial. I really love the color scheme on this one. And the details are lovely. Thanks so much for sharing this pic, Chiisai Lammy. FYI, folks, I plan on eventually merging the Fan Fic art gallery into the main art gallery. This may take a few months though, since school is a bit busy right now. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:59:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, February 17, 2004

A lot of nice artwork today. Please do have a look at all of them, everyone. TJ Larson from Studio Wynd has a new pic posted that just blows me away. It's an action shot of Battousai charging through the snow. Beautifully done with gorgeous cel shading and plenty of emotional tension. I particularly like the blood on Kenshin's blade and the blurred drifting snow in the foreground. Nicely done. Thanks so much for sending this in, TJ Larson! Artist perfectCHAOS has three wonderful new pics in the gallery. One of them is a great action sketch of Battousai performing his famed Battojutsu. The complex pose is well executed in this. Another pic is of Kenshin standing with his sword. I love his hair in this one. It looks so soft as it blows in the wind. And finally, a cute color pic of the Rurouni in a happy moment. Thanks so much to perfectCHAOS for sending these in. And last, but not least, sherlgirl has a marvelous new picture for her gallery. This one features Soujirou, Misao, Cho, and Saitou. The tone of this pic is great. It has warm, rich colors and wonderfully dramatic lighting. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I really love sherlgirl's unique and elegant drawing style. Sincere thanks for sharing this wonderful pic, sherlgirl! Posted by hakubaikou, 4:50:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, February 16, 2004

Happiness! A ton of cool new stuff today.... Four words that made me squeal with delighted anticipation: "Kendo no Go sequel." Yes, Akai Kitsune has started her much awaited sequel. Many fans will be very happy, myself among them. I love Akai Kitsune's writing style. Elegantly concise, and yet full of feeling. Her latest story, Diary of a Manslayer follows the life of Kenshin and Kaoru years into the future of the RK timeline. It's a good read. PerfectCHAOS, a new artist at this site, has sent in a wonderful fan art for Peace, In Your Arms, a fic by Akai Kitsune. It's a picture of Fumio, an original character from the fic. I like the facial expression on Fumio. And the text surrounding him is used to wonderful effect. Thanks so much to perfectCHAOS for sending this in. You can find this pic at the bottom of the Fan Art Gallery in the Fan Fic Art section. Crystal Renee, a new artist at this site, has two wonderful wallpapers posted. The first is a simply gorgeous image of Kaoru dressed in blue with a background of flower blossoms. The second is a very funny wall of Kenshin dressed in... uh, well, see and find out. I laughed out loud when I saw it. Both are great walls. Sincere thanks to Crystal Renee for submitting such wonderful stuff. Souji Katome, also a new artist at this site, has sent in a cool picture of Komagata Yumi. Souji Katome has an interesting line art and coloring style which I find pleasing. I like the natural looking curves of the figure. And I thought the costume was done very nicely. Thanks to Souji Katome for the lovely pic. MissaW, yet another new artist to this site, has a cool Saitou pic posted in her gallery. I like the facial expression: Saitou in all his cynical glory. Very appropriate. Also, the shading in the hair and eyes is subtle and very well done. Thanks so much to MissaW for sending in her wonderful artwork. Please check out all these new works, everyone. Plenty of good stuff to browse through. Oh, and I'm ecstatic because yesterday was a record-breaking day as far as daily visitor counts go. Lovely.... Posted by hakubaikou, 4:47:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Friday, February 13, 2004

Iruka, a new artist at this site, has an adorable picture of Kenshin and his family. It's so nice to see Kenshin in a happy moment. And Iruka's artwork is gorgeous. I love the colors. Thanks so much for allowing me to post this picture, Iruka! Everyone, please check it out! Anime Nation has an art contest every month. February's theme is "favorite anime couples", from any series. So if you have a Ruroken (or any other) picture, send it in! The link is on the Announcements page. On a more somber note.... : Please do not send me stolen art. It's a ridiculous shame that I even have to say this. If I find that you've sent me stolen art, I will, at the very least, refuse your present submission, take down all of your previous submissions (regardless of whether you drew them or not), and report you to the real artist. I check very thoroughly before I ever accuse anyone of theft. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, so I am very hesitant to ever make the accusation, and I will do everything possible to try to prove my suspicions wrong. But if I confirm my suspicions, I will not show you any mercy. Count yourself lucky that I don't announce names publically. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:18:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, February 12, 2004

A couple people requested a wallpaper of my latest fan art, cry havoc, so I thought I'd make one in case anyone else wanted it. Otherwise, not much in the way of updates. I guess we're going through a dry spell. Heh. It happens. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:53:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Anyone who visits this site regularly knows I'm a big fan of Angrybee's work. The latest chapter of her fic Sundial doesn't disappoint. Wonderful characterizations, fascinating plot twists, and a liberal amount of chuckle-humor sprinkled throughout. What's not to love? Check it out, folks. It's a great story. Wow! I'm so happy with the response to the new commenting system. I would have liked to have set up comments for individual artists' pages, but my coding skills aren't that advanced. I figured sticking comments for the update notices would suffice. I didn't think of this when I first added it, but besides having visitors post comments on the updates, I think it'd be great if the authors or artists themselves wanted to post a little something about their art. Either explanations or answers to questions. Hey, it's all good. Anyways, thanks to everyone who tried it out. I'm so pleased! Posted by hakubaikou, 4:01:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Thanks so much to Sachi Ami for sending in a fantastic new wallpaper of Sanosuke. I love the color and texture of this. And Sano looks so damn cool in this. Please check it out, everyone! I've added a comment system to this blog. I'm not sure how this'll go, but it's worth giving it a try. If you have any thoughts on a certain day's updates, please feel free to leave a comment for the artists and authors featured that day. And as always, please keep your comments civil. Thanks! Posted by hakubaikou, 1:07:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, February 09, 2004

If you're wondering at the lack of updates this weekend, the reason is simple. I haven't received anything in the ol' inbox. I'll post something new as soon as anything pops in. In the meantime, I've started working on the next chapter for my Sea fic. Also might have a wallpaper done soon. Depends on how much free time I have. As always, thanks for visiting, people! Posted by hakubaikou, 1:06:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Thursday, February 05, 2004

A lot of great art today.... Thanks so much to jbramx2, a new artist at this site, for sending in three fabulous pics. The first is a stunningly beautiful pic of characters from Angrybee's Hajime and Tokio fic. The colors and the shading are gorgeous. This pic can be found at the bottom of the art gallery page in the Fan Fic Art section. Jbramx2 also has two other beautiful artworks featuring Enishi, Misao, and more. Great stuff! Artist black aquamarine has an adorable Valentine's Day pic added to her gallery. It's a humorous scene involving chibified Kaoru, Battousai, and Kenshin. I won't say anymore here because I don't want to give the scene away. It definitely made me smile. The Narrator also has a new pic. This one features Tomoe in a field of snow. Dark and beautiful with an elegant color scheme, it's Narrator's best pic yet in my humble opinion. I love the mood of this pic. And I love the flower print on the sleeve of the kimono. Gorgeous. Sherlgirl has two new artworks posted. The first is a hilarious pic of Okina. This one was a treat for me since I rarely see any Okina fan art out there. The second is a marvelous pic of Aoshi, Sano, and Megumi. I love the way sherlgirl colored this one. Textured and subtle. Please check out all of these great artist's works, everyone! Posted by hakubaikou, 6:06:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Thanks so much to dementedchris for allowing me to post her new story, Things That Fall. A poignant, beautifully written one-shot, this fic features the serious side of Misao, a side I rarely see in fan fics. Akai Kitsune has a new chapter for Footprints in the Waters. This fic is a series of one-shots inspired by other fan fictions. Uh, chapter two's source fic happens to be one of mine. *teehee* Chapter 6 of my latest fic was posted on FFnet a couple days ago. It's now posted here as well. I received a lot of nice artwork recently. I'll have those posted by tomorrow morning. Posted by hakubaikou, 3:25:00 PM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Chiisai Lammy has two great new pics up in her gallery. The first is a picture of Tomoe that was posted as a monochrome drawing before, but has now been colored. Beautiful soft colors and a cool background. The second is a dark pic of Kaoru in her dojo. I like the textures on this one. Thanks so much for sending these in, Chiisai Lammy. Do have a look, folks. Chapter 6 of my latest fic is up at FFnet along with a little explanation as to why it took me so long to write. Heh. Bad hakubaikou. The Shrine of Ice and Fire's Groundhog Day contest has been changed to an April Fool's contest. The deadline has been extended to March 31, 2004. The link to the rules is listed on the Main/Announcements page of this site. Do check it out, everyone. Posted by hakubaikou, 1:43:00 AM EST. on today's updates.

Update:   Monday, February 02, 2004

Angrybee's story A Sakabatou for Baka Saitou is, well, difficult to describe. Weird off-kilter humor abounds in this unusual tale of friendship. Check it out if you're in the mood for giggles. White Shep, a new artist at this site, has a pic of Kenshin in various human and animal-like forms. It's very interesting to see the Rurouni's features in other species. Thanks so much for sending the cool pics in, White Shep. Monica has a new picture of Sano and Kenshin in the gallery. A traditional media work, this pic is vibrantly colored and nicely shaded. It's nice seeing our heroes in a warm and content scene. Lovely. Thanks for sending this, Monica. Greta has a picture of Kenshin and Tomoe to add to her gallery. Marvelously colored and shaded with a gorgeous background. I love the texture and detail on Tomoe's clothing in particular. Thanks for sending this, Greta. Please check out all the new fan arts, everyone. Posted by hakubaikou, 2:25:00 AM EST. on today's updates.