#also glad I could resurrect this old outfit design I still love it

[dragonofthestone]

I would die for you, Cross the sky for you

Sir Timaeus, Dragon Knight and Protector of Wonderland.

Bonus little details I like.

The cape itself is really just ceremonial - majority of the time he wouldn't be wearing it cause it'd get in the way.

Completely coincidental that his hair band matches with the sword- I honestly just chose purple cause I thought it'd would be a nice contrast to the Greens and Blues. I do however like the idea that either he intentionally chose it or was perhaps given it.

----

Originally it was going to just be a regular sword, idea that maybe it's the one he'd be given after to go in the empty scabbard he's wearing. But couldn't get it to look right from a side perspective.

Think it looks better this way.

Without the cape below

[meandmyechoes]

Something I wrote May 8th, 2020 02:44 about Rebels that I forgot to publish. But actually contain a lot of context for how I feel about reusing Ahsoka in general. I formally apologize for every ill will I had for Rebels Ahsoka’s design.

hot take: I don’t like Rebelsoka. Yeah, as if you can sum up my opinion like that.

Why I don’t like her is a really petty and subjective bias, so I am not being fair.  The real problem I have with Rebelsoka was mostly my personal lack of enthusiasm in her art style and early on her role was... replaceable. Her unique place is as an ex-Jedi, which is why I’m glad and more accepting when they turn her story away from the Rebellion to focus on Jedi Business. Her early lines in Rebels was... delivering information that could easily been given to another rebellion officer. And it felt off to switch from that unsure teenager to this full-blown wise mentor.

With everything, the final verdict is of course, Rebelsoka is amazing. In the end the potential outweighs my complaints. Yeah, information feeder, cryptic vocabularies or poor cosmetic choices can be forgive in exchange for awesome duels, delightful mentoring and GOSH THAT ANGSTY “ANAKIN”. not that i hope we see more ahsoka stories but i hope we see more ahsoka stories you know. more than that 45 minutes of it ◔̯◔

As a TCW traditionalist, of course that was my definition of Star Wars. Bitter of replacement was a common feeling in the year 2015, but I’m also reasonable enough to expect a major stylistic change with Disney’s acquisition. So all in all, I am glad we at least have another show instead of none at all.

Even though I dropped out, I was there for Rebels in the beginning. If nothing, I learnt from Clone Wars not to underestimate a Season 1. Yes, no one from the Ghost crew captivated me the way Ahsoka did, but I liked them all equally. It was an enjoyable show when I judged it as an exposition and sanely do not compare it to the finale that Clone Wars was building. So Ahsoka coming back at the end of Season 1 really put me in a difficult place, when I thought I could move on to this new family, having accepted her departure.There were rumours, but I kinda expected her to set off the S2 premiere instead. I was also spoiled of that very last minute of revelation. Anyway, when she came back, and I heard Ashley’s voice, I just broke into tears. It’s literally a resurrection. I also couldn’t believe, that I actually get to see Ahsoka again in my life, and that she is suddenly so mature and wise.

It was difficult for me to adjust for two reasons: the art style and her maturity. I guess now I could put myself next to Anakin in 709 describing how I felt meeting Ahsoka again. I also really hated her art style in Rebels initially. She was... streamlined? had slick skin, but her lekku stripes are jagged, and i never get to see how her lekku grew into the shape they are now. and her whole facial patterns are different too?? and she actually doesn’t have clear sky blue eyes anymore? but somehow has deep purple eyes? and just all around no-no with the art style when it first came out. The style wasn’t an issue when you don’t have the my favourite as a veteran character for comparison. (say you don’t see me complaining about Hondo that much but didn’t they do him dirty) Even though I had no problem with her outfit or headdress, it’s just not my favourite of hers. and the fact that they’re forcing me to watch a cartoon character lined with age! and how tired she looks, with wrinkles! and pouches under her eyes! don’t do this to my poor daughter! let her stay happy and carefree as a 14-year-old 5ever! (18-year-old me holding an angry PTA sign)

It also closed a book on however I want her to be. stupid war in the stars making me accept canon. I would’ve been content with her just leaving and staying alive, when every fan set out on her dying before RotS. Yeah maybe she threw her entire ‘life’ away but at least, she’s not, dead you know. And seeing her thrown into another war, threw herself into another war, I wan’t sure I could handle that. The grief, the guilt, the regret, the sight of not seeing her standing by her family again. (good lord Filoni gave us the Rex and Ahsoka hug ;_;) I just want her to stay happy and carefree in my head okay?

and that constant battle of wanting to see more of your favourite character but also level enough to not want her to steal the spotlight form a promising new cast? and the lowkey distrust towards Disney that they brought in Ahsoka to trick more audience into a less-popular show? as a fake-ass apology? Are you suppose I’m ever gonna forgive you for cancelling Clone Wars even though you brought back its characters and basically made a TCW sequel? Are you asking me to overlook the damage, done to both TCW veteran characters AND Rebel’s originality if you don’t do it right? And when they really don’t give us much Ahsoka mid-season it was kind of.... *deflating high-to-low 7-note crescendo* If Disney is actually giving us “what the fans want”, it’s because we damn well deserve that apology without ever needing to forgive, less alone thank. 

So anyway, I did dropped out of Rebels after the Season 2 finale. A bit of real world reasons too because I was getting busy in college and I have Rider, an all-year-round show to fall back on. So i just totally turned away from Star Wars in general after March 2016 where it was dead dead for Clone Wars. I caught up a bit of S3 but never finished it, and I’ve been on and off trying to do it to recover from TLJ but it didn’t feel enough (+ plus real busy irl)

I only even found out Ahsoka the White on social media and was utterly confused. Not sure if it was the best decision creative-wise then, and frankly hand’t given much thought since. But I definitely don’t mind Ahsoka Not Dying. I think I have more questions directed to this girl in person on her life and fashion and spaceship choices more than anything. You just sort of reached a point where like god let them rest. 

I only wrapped up the series before I saw Walkabout. And there was like a 3-month gap since I started rewtaching late January after ep9. But I ran through the last season in 2, 3 days? It was really good. I didn’t expect it focus on just one planet, but the plot was good, even though the primary enforcer villain monkey just looks meh. Somehow strangely, the character I grew attached to is Kallus. You know, he is not in the main cast whatsoever so he really may not die? And the whole time as the finale draws closer I just was on the edge of my seat hoping none of my faves die. (Yeah the only mistake that finale made was sacrificing Gregor. not nice Dave.)

And the epilogue was amazing. The resolution again subverts expectation in a good way and gave us what’s plausible but not expected. And I love how the show actually balanced warfare and lore. The mythological episodes border on fantasy fairy tales but it still suits my taste. The balance is actually better done here than on Clone Wars. In a show titled Clone Wars, you kind of expect it to be about Clones and Wars. But Rebels connected the spiritual journey of the characters to the wider warfare. They needed the Force to train and guide them to their victory. And this prominence of the Force as a plot element and narrative influence is something I found missing in the later seasons of the Clone Wars (6 not withstanding).

The show made me genuinely escalates in loving these characters and gave us a well-rounded, complete Star Wars experience. It’s not my favourite, but it’s definitely a good show. 

[awwishfulthinking]

Houshin Engi 100 Questions!

There are SPOILERS!

I did this seven years ago (my god...) but I’m re-doing this because I can.

1. What is your name? My online nickname is Ariana. 2. When did you get into Houshin Engi? Around when I started university. So around 8 or 9 years ago.

3. Did you read it in Weekly Jump magazine? Or the tankoubons? Or both? I read the scanlations by SnoopyCool. 4. Do you own all 23 volumes? Sadly, no. But I hope I have the space/money to obtain them someday. (They’re actually on sale for a good price at Book Off, I just don’t have the space atm) 5. Do you own Houshin Taizen? No. 6. Do you have the special Houshin Taizen that came with Akamaru Jump? I wish. But no, I do not. 7.Do you want a Houshin Taizen 2 to come out? Yes! 8. Did you watch the anime? I’ve watched the 1990s anime all the way through at least once; I’m currently watching the remake it’s not great 9. Did you tape record it? I burned all the subbed episodes of the 1990s anime on five dvds... Felt bad about it and recently bought a complete series, official DVD set. I’ll likely buy the complete series DVD set for the remake as well because I love HE that much even though the anime remake is kind of. Eh. 10. Give your honest opinion on the last episode. To be honest the second half of the old 1990s anime has been nearly completely wiped from my memory. I don’t know how I feel about the remake’s last ep as it hasn’t aired yet, but I’m praying it provides some decent closure. 11. Do you own mp3s of the opening and ending songs? Yes.

12. Do you buy the soundtrack albums? No. I really should, shouldn’t I... 13. If you answered ‘yes’ to #12, what is your favourIte track? N/A 14. What Houshin Engi merchandise do you own? Unofficial merch: Like 12 doujins. Official Merch: A bunch of acrylic keychains, and hopefully that Taikoubou prize figure, the nendoroid, and the mini plush doll.

15. Have you ever bought any of the Senkaiden games? I have the Senkaiden ni II game for wonderswan (downloaded). 16. If you answered ‘yes’ to #15, which ones have you bought? refer to answer above 18. Could you name all the characters in Houshin Engi? I don’t think I’d ever be able to remember everyone’s names. 19. Favourite male character(s)? Taikoubou, Taiitsu, Gyokutei, Tenka. And far too many others but those are my usual top faves. 20. Favourite female character(s)? Yuukyou, Sengyoku, Ryuukitsu Koshuu, and Ko Kibi! (This answer hasn’t changed at all in the past 7 years lol) 21. Which is your favourite Taikoubou outfit? I used to like his post-Chou Koumei arc outfit, but now I think I prefer his original outfit slightly more. The post-Chou Koumei outfit seems a little... too much to me now. The gloves on that outfit really annoy me for some reason. 22. Your opinion on Youzen’s outfit during the fight against Jyoka? It’s fitting. 23. Your opinion on Fugen’s shoulder-revealing shirt? how does it stay on??? 24. Have you ever imitated Dakki’s speech pattern? Nah, I don’t really like faux-cutesy speech patterns. 25. If you could transform like Youzen, who would you turn into and what would you do? I honestly don’t know... lol 26. Which act/chapter is your favourite? The Chou Koumei battleship arc still remains one of my favorite arcs to this day. 27. Which anime episode is your favourite? For the 1990s anime: The one where Taikoubou fights Raishinshi using the drunken fist technique. For the remake: Episode 10... it’s painful but it’s probably the best episode of the remake so far. 28. Which volume cover is your favourite? Of the fancy tankoubons, the last two volumes. 29. Which title — be it volume title, chapter title, or episode title — is your favourite? I don’t pay attention to them enough lol... 30. Have you ever cried while reading Houshin Engi? No, but some parts of the manga did make me feel emotionally drained. 31. Do you still buy the calendars? I kind of want one but eh, I can live without them. 32. If you answered ‘yes’ to #31, do you keep the old ones up? refer to answer above 33. What is your favourite quote, and who said it? “Let’s go flying to the land of rainbows on my ferrari!” —Doukouson. (my answer still hasn’t changed lol) 34. Do you have a favourite romantic pairing? Ko Hiko x Kashi. (He loved her so much...) 35. Say anything you want about that favourite pairing? Out of the (very few) confirmed romantic pairings in HE, I just love that Ko Hiko is portrayed as a man who loves his wife that deeply (and that she loved him that deeply as well). 36. Why are you into that pairing? refer to answer above 37. Have you thought of a perfect song for that pairing? What song, and by whom? I’m not really the type to think up pairing songs... 38. Which houshined character do you want resurrected? *slams fists on table* All the Juunisen members and also Tenka.

39. Which character made you think “I’m glad s/he wasn’t houshined!”? Taiitsu. And Bukichi. 40. Which of the Konron 12 would you like to be scouted by? Taiitsu would definitely be the most “fun” to have as a teacher. Fugen or Kuryuson (Dokouson’s master) would also be good because they both seem pretty nice and laid-back. Also Gyokutei because he’d be a good teacher (I can’t believe I initially forgot about him orz) 41. What are your reasons? refer to answer above 42. Suupuushan, Kokutenko, Kokukirin. Who would you want to ride? Suupuu! He would be the best conversational partner.

43. Do you have any friends who like Houshin Engi? Thank god for the HE discord group. 44. Who’s your favourite Jyuttenkun? Kinkouseiba! Her design is A+ 45. Did you like “Ennui Academy”? It was good as a gag; but honestly, if this was an actual manga series and not just a three-page gag it’d probably be kind of insufferable. 46. What’s your favourite non-romantic pairing? Bukichi and Suupu’s friendship in the latter part of the series is adorable. 47. Which do you like better; the Dakki Sisters or the Beautiful Sisters (Venus and Co.)? The Beautiful Sisters! 48. Do you want Roushi’s suit? Sure. It seems useful. 49. Name one paopei you want. I’d love to have a mini-version of the Zansanken (Gyokutei’s sword) if only to chop up ingredients quickly. Also, Youzen’s Koutenken because... how could you turn down a fluffy, giant white dog that you can pet and also use to attack people with if necessary? 50. What would you use it for? refer to answer above 

  51. Who is the strongest character, in your opinion? Fukki. 52. What is your reason? He freaking beat up Jyoka, who was the strongest being in the HE universe. Do I need to state any other reason? 53. Which character makes you go, “I’ll never forgive him/her!!”? Outenkun 54. What colour do you like on Taikoubou’s hair? Black. 55. Name a master-disciple combo you like. Gyokutei and Youzen. 58. Which is your favourite splash page? The one of Fukki under the waterfall. 59. Taikoubou + Outenkun = Fukki. Did you easily accept this fact? I was spoiled but yeah. Sure. 60. Did the entrance of Fukki affect your opinion on Houshin Engi? No, although tbh I’m still ambivalent about Fukki’s entire existence. 61. Do you think of Taikoubou, Fukki, and Outenkun as three seperate people? Yes. 62. Where on Taikoubou’s body do you think Outenkun’s paopei’s mark appeared? I know this question was asked for all the perverted minds out there. I’m just gonna say it was probably on his hand. 63. Who would you want to be houshined by? I would rather not die if I could, thanks. 64. Who would do you want to houshin? Ryogaku; he’s the one that deserved it the most. 65. Which of Dakki’s many outfits is your favourite? It’s been 7 years and I still like her retro-space outfit (reference to Space Channel 5) outfit the most. 66. Is Venus scary? Only if you get on her bad side. 67. Which paopei made you go, “That’s terrible!!”? Rikukonhan. I think it’s pretty much unanimous. 68. What is the colour of Chibi Youzen’s horns? Gray. (I think that’s what they are in the anime?) 69. What cup size is Dakki? C. Any bigger would be kind of ridiculous. 70. Who’s your favourite Colourful Trio sennin? Taiitsu! 71. Your opinion on the brand new sennin world? It’s fitting for Taikoubou’s ideal of what a senin world would be (no interference in the human world) 72. What is Fukki’s hair colour in act 201? White. 73. Ask yourself a question concerning Houshin Engi. What does this question even mean 74. Your response to that question? ???? 75. In your opinion, is Nentou in love with his half sister? Probably 76. Did the Sennin World War leave a deep mark on your heart? The page where Taikoubou cries has still got to be the most hard-hitting two page spread I have ever seen in my life. 77. Do you own any Houshin Engi doujinshis? Yeah, I have about a dozen because I have a serious problem 78. Kichiku, hentai, yaoi, shounen-ai, general. Which doujinshi genre do you have the most of? I have the most shounen ai doujins, but I really prefer gag doujins. 79. Do you make Houshin Engi doujins? I wish I could, but sadly I can’t draw. 80. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, do you make doujins about couples? refer to answer above 81. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, the amount of Houshin Engi doujinshi circles is decreasing, but do you intend to continue yours? refer to answer above 82. Who’s the easiest character to draw? Taikoubou’s alien form (lol) 83. Who’s the hardest character to draw? As much as I like Taikoubou, he looks like an absolute pain to draw. I like his outfit design, but it is kind of a mess. 84. Have you ever done Houshin Engi cosplay? No, because everyone’s outfits are so complicated it looks like it’d be hard.

85. If you answered ‘yes’ to #84, who have you cosplayed? refer to answer above 86. Does your website mainly have Houshin Engi in it? I don’t have a personal website lmao 87. Is there a Houshin Engi fan you can’t forgive? Who and why? ...no comment. 88. What is Hanyoutai Youzen’s colour scheme? whatever it was in the remake 89. If Nataku were to give you a ride, where would you want to go? let’s be real he’d probably kill me before I even had the chance to do that.

90. Which of Choukei’s outfits is the best? His Jyoka arc outfit is nice.

91. Say anything about the most memorable scene in Houshin Engi. ouch my feelings 92. What do you think of the ending to Houshin Engi? Probably one of the more satisfying endings out there for a series. 93. Have you imagined what happens after the series’ end? It’s pretty much like what happens in the Senkaiden Ni II game I guess. 94. If you answered ‘yes’ to #93, give more detail. http://s2he-game.livejournal.com/ (angry that my walkthrough pictures no longer work thanks photobucket) 95. Have you read Parallel World Houshin Engi? Yes 96. Do you own “Dramatic Irony”? No. 97. The series has ended, but is your love for the series still going strong? My obsession with the series definitely comes and goes... but I think this is a series I will always be a fan of no matter how old I get. 98. Do you really think Fukki has nothing left to do in the end? let the lazy bum be lazy. He deserves the retirement. 99. Say anything you want about Fujiryuu. I don’t always understand your character design choices but I love your story-telling. 100. Any last words? please let there be new HE content forever thanks