Manga Recommendation: Yostubato! by Azuma Kiyohiko

The protagonist (center) with her older friends.

I'm not reading any books right now, so as I look for excuses as to why not, I have remembered an amazing, adorable, and awesome manga while listening to an equally amazing, adorable and awesome soundtrack.

If you like the following things I'm going to mention, then Yotsubato! may be the one for you:

• A quirky young child who makes the mundane days a bit more exciting
• A quirky dad who is fun and just wants his daughter to at least stay safe
• Quirky neighbors composed of three sisters whose personalities are as different as A, B and C
• Quirky dad's quirky friends who add more spice
• Quirky slice of life stuff to top it off

You can read it online here, here, or here.

"A Hidden Queen" process

I fail miserably at making titles. Forgive me.

This was my first masterpiece. I consider this one as a masterpiece. The year 2013 was the year of me experimenting with OCs and humongous details (as a result of reading Otoyomegatari).

This is an old process that I managed to save even with the blurriness and sketchiness of all it all. Sketched with a pencil and inked with a sign pen. Pictured with old cellphone. Finished in 2013.

My blog shall remain as it is...

...but this time, it will involve writing AND drawings.

I feel like my writing skills are deteriorating, and that's bad. I need to do something about it of course. And by 'doing something', I need to write at least something. But right now, I should talk about the changes I will make with this blog of mine.

First, this will be randomly (but mostly) oriented with my artworks, and may involve some bit of writing. But that's just a maybe.

Second, I will be continuing the "Book recommendation",  but I'll (probably) be adding some other...recommendations. Lots of them. (Okay, maybe just two or three but you get the idea)

Third, I will be (probably) adding personal stuff. Personal rants?

Okay, maybe I'm more likely to accomplish the "posting my artworks", since...okay, I don't know about the other two. I'm not sure; it sounds fun but at the same time it's kinda scary?

Brace yourselves; a rant is coming up soon.

After 2 years of doubting whether or not my information on my old account is correct or not...

Such a long time for a comeback. Wait, am I actually back? This feels so...nostalgic.

I might be doing that right now (with the flirty wink wink).

I can proudly say that I have read (nearly) all of the 21 stuff that I posted on this blog 2 years ago. I feel like...doing something. Like typing. And actually finishing what I started.

My dear readers (if some of you are still there even with the intended 2-year hiatus), that is what my new motto is. I don't remember my old motto and probably never will, but right now, I am (trying to) going to follow two mottoes:

• I shall be honest at all costs
• I shall finish every damn single thing that I've started

There. A great way to start of the new year.

But really, am I back on Blogger? Did I just switch my loyalty back to Blogger when 24 hours ago I was enthusiastically trying to imagine what to post on Wordpress? What? Wordpress?! How did that happen?!

I feel guilty. The telling-a-small-lie kind of guilty.

I'm also guilty of reviving my un-explainable attraction to reaction gifs. Please don't mind me.

And like I said, I felt nostalgic from reading all those posts and all those stories that I actually managed to make and all those stuff that I actually managed to talk about here.

I just realized that I feel comfortable here. The comforting kind of comfortable (since I believe that there are two types of comfortableness: (a) the comforting kind of comfortable and (b) the uncertain kind of comfortable). 

Alright, so right now I'm talking about random topics at a random speed. That means I need to change my title into something like 2 years have passed since I have touched this blog of mine and I still don't know how to stay consistent with an actual topic. But hey, I'm improving! I'm actually sticking with my randomness! 

Consistency.

Oh yeaaaaah.

To end this confusing post, I will say a few stuff that I did during the past years that I haven't mentioned:

• 2013 - I drew stuff. And wrote some stuff. But mostly drew stuff.
• 2014 - I drew even more stuff. Yep; more drawing stuff. Writing? Memo pad on new cellphone. Handy stuff.

I can't believe I still remembered my Wattpad account. I still use my DeviantArt account, so no excuse in NOT remembering it. But my Wattpad account...((shudders))

Anyways, probably ALL of those will be in detail...in separate posts, hopefully. 

This is probably the only time that feels right when I say, "It's definitely been a while."

Book Recommendation: A Coming Evil by Vivian Vande Velde

No, this story doesn't come off as one of those horrifying thrillers with (what?) kids as protagonists. Nope. It's better and lighter (in most parts), but still thrilling in a not-too-graphic sense.

If you can see that red symbol -- and I think almost everyone knows this -- it's the Nazi symbol. That dreaded symbol was used in the days of War, or more specifically, during World War II. So there you go, with barbed wires and a young girl looking at a pretty transparent guy with the Nazi symbol below (and don't forget the title), it's a pretty complicated story with a historical theme and supernatural lore.

(When can I write a proper book review?)

Lisette is a 13-year-old French girl who was sent to the countryside by her parents (who obviously think that staying far away from the big, big city is safer) to live with her Aunt Josephine. Lisette's may not be liking it (with an annoying cousin in tow!), but she got more problems ahead: her Aunt was actually hiding 2 Gypsies and 3 Jewish children! And on top of it all, she met a ghost who died during the Crusades!

First off, the story is nice, it gives off the wary feeling (them soldiers are lurking everywhere), and the lots of what and why you will encounter later in the book. As far as I know, lots of information will be exchanged, an escape plan will occur, and lalalala!

I'm sorry, I just can't help trying to lighten the slightly dark mood a bit. I also love Lisette and Gerard's (the ghost) relationship. But I will still ask the why --

Anyways, Velde's one of my favorite authors, so I'll give the link to her website here: www.vivianvandevelde.com



Night, everyone :D

Book Recommendation: The Name of This Book is Secret

It's awesome, it's thrilling, it's weird, and very secretive (and I hate it, but I can't do much but read it). It's what you would call a secret story that's written on a secret book with a secret setting and a cast full of real-names-are-censored characters. 

Just wonderful.

But actually telling you what's inside this book is -- leaking a secret -- and you know what's good for you. If you decide to search about it, go ahead, but once you finish reading it, forget everything that your brain absorbed.

I may risk only one word, and this word will be your gripping stone whether or not you are going to read (or buy) this book:

Whoa.

It's Considered As Such

I guess I looked too weird. And my painting skills are not improving.

You can see it right there. The topic of the main. The problem of all solutions. The wut of all whats. This word is not unfamiliar if you happen to visit the 'Net almost every single day (nights during weekdays, whole days during weekends), and I just happen to stumble upon this word. 5 weeks ago, I think?

A lot of webcomics are getting more and more famous on the 'Net every day, and I happen to read one of those comics. (Wait, even the word webcomic is not familiar? Get your head straight, Spelling Checker) As I visit nearly every comic site my mouse can get on, I stumbled upon Red Riding Hood. Oooh, a modern one. This ought to be good.

Turns out that the title wasn't exactly Red Riding Hood; it was Tales of the Big Bad Wolf, and the title had a nice ring to it. When I gave it a try, I was like, not bad. On the other hand, I'm not used to reading stories online. It was a strange experience, reading something online without pictures. (Still, it was Fantasy, and some Romance)

Eventually, my classmates had been reading stories online on an ebook-sharing community called Wattpad. The whole thing that's bothering them eventually hooked me (but not for long), and I got slightly used to reading webcomics without pictures online without me trying to pull my hair out. 

So, to write a webserial is considered writing a novel (in a web-based format, no doubt). Therefore, what I am frequently reading is considered Literature. There goes. Reading is nice too, especially when your mind's turning a bit sour over writing. 

Check out webfictionguide.com to see stories by rank and novelsonline.info for a complete (I think) list of online novels.