In the Hobbit's Studio

11:13pm: Thank you for all the kind words! And status update for Azkatraz, Comic Con.
Thank you for everyone who left a kind word for me over the past couple of months. *GINORMOUS BEAR HUG* They really brightened my day and helped me to reaffirm the positive in life. ^__^ So thank you, everyone.

In the meantime, working on my outstanding projects, including a little something for the H/D meetup at Azkatraz. For those of you going, hope to see you all there! Just be patient with me and names. I'm rather bad at them. !_!

And right after that will be Comic Con, after which I admit I will be pretty damn tired. ._. Will continue to work on the projects and hopefully post some older stuff I retouched a bit later on tonight or sometime this weekend.

And now time for random poll!

Poll #1428212
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What chibi H/D scenarios would be best? (please only 4 choices)

I admit to being partial to about 2 of the scenarios but I'm debating on the other few choices so any input would be greatly appreciated.

*is now ducking back out to get filled with Tylenol and get over this sore throat*

11:28am: RL News and Apologies for not being present online.
I rarely talk about RL stuff on this journal (partly because I think I'm rather boring and partly because I dislike bothering online people with personal stuff) but I will today.

I wanted to say that my dad passed away (peacefully) on this past Tuesday night at the Naval hospital in San Diego. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer about a year ago and my mom has been a big inspiration in her dedication and care of my dad during the whole time. I'm grateful for the time I had with him and I learned how to give a somewhat decent back rub.

As of right now, I'm helping my mom take care of things. I wanted to apologize for not replying to anyone who may have tried to get a hold of me and for the large amount of unanswered replies to LJ posts. I do read them all and I really appreciate the effort of taken the time to reply (so I'm really sorry when I fail to respond in turn).

I'll probably not be doing anything fannish for a while but eventually, I hope to do so again. Till then, take care of yourselves and I'll see you on the flip side.

12:47am: HD Comic post from a while back: "One Fowl Day" (R, NWS!)
Finally getting around to posting this comic here...about a year later! ._.

Please Note: This comic was originally posted in the 2008 Animagus Fest over at hd_inspired. The post below is the finalized, re-colored version.


Title: One Fowl Day
Artist: red_rahl
Rating: R (NWS!)
Character/Pairing: H/D, Hermione, Ron, (very) brief Malfoy parents
Warnings: Wanking.
Disclaimer: This art is based on characters and situations and owned by JK Rowling and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Dedicated to: lusiology (thank you so much for the wonderful review way back when and apologies for never responding to it!) and the lovely hd_inspired mods!
Notes: One of these days, I swear I'll make some sort of outline as to my comic creating process, although that's a bit daunting since my process kind of goes everywhere.
- Thanks so much to my dear myrafur and to the ever awesome Chief for the fantastic beta-ing. And so much love to the mods for their patience, dear dear Fran in particular (because I was horribly horribly late and they were gracious enough to still let me in).
- I really tried doing this in actual color and not just grayscale and the first page was truly beautiful. However, to do this for how many more panels just utterly defeated me and so I went back to grayscale. XD
- Totally redid the magical net/trap because sadly, at the time, I had forgotten about the dang enchantment and threw something on last minute which was really lame. !_!
- Hope everyone enjoys, either for the second time around or for the first time! No need to re-comment or anything though. Just wanted to share!
Final Warning: Large files ahead. My apologies in advance!

Summary: Who knew a day at the park could be so interesting...


______


In other news, am working on several things that are not fandom related and those have been taking up my time. Will hopefully get through one and be able to focus on the other, even more involved project within the next several weeks. However, right now, I believe I shall sleep. Good night, everyone, and take care!!!

10:35pm: Chibi HD Art: Bouncing Bronco (G)
Things have been distracting for the past couple of months. Part of it was burn out from the previous year and part of it was being sucked into Smallville fanfiction. However, my creative juices have started flowing again and I'm feeling the need to get back on the art saddle. And so, I bring onto you...this. Very belated Happy New Year and I hope people enjoy!

Title: Bouncing Bronco
Artist: red_rahl
Rating: G
Character/Pairing: Harry/Draco
Warnings: Very random silliness.
Disclaimer: This art is based on characters and situations and owned by JK Rowling and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Notes: This concept/sketch has actually been sitting in my HD fanart folder for about a year. I finally decided I should do something to ease back into the fanart-ing and this was just a lot of fun!
- I took particular delight in torturing Draco here, especially since he's all pretty in his riding clothes and holding on to his crazy cowboy.

Summary: Because chibi!Harry can never take an ordinary vacation with his boyfriend, especially in America's "Wild Wild West".

Bouncing Bronco

12:00am: Updates and spreading the word.
Whew, my first post of the year (already 2 months in) and all quiet on the art-ing front. Hopefully, art will be had in the near future but I've been preoccupied with other things (like reading and work and friends).

On track for Azkatraz (I think?) but I need to decide whether I'll be flying or driving (I'm inclined towards flying at this point). Still on the lookout for at least one more person to share the hotel room (Arrival time: July 17, Departure time: July 23).

However, this post is also being done to help promote the efforts being made in response to the horrific situation in Australia with the fires. aoifene is doing a very awesome thing to help raise funds and awareness for the Red Cross over here, involving beautiful hand-made jewelry and everyone should go and check it out! And even if you decide not to do this, just donating $5 can help make a difference.

I apologize at this point for any incoherency on my part. I'm going to take myself off to bed now and maybe get some drawing done tomorrow! Take care, anyone and everyone!

2:11am: RL Business: In response to finishing the 5th Codex Alera book by Jim Butcher...
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*and now does not know what to do with herself*

8:00pm: State of the Hobbit Address
Preface: A bunch of things to get through and I decided to just put everything in one post. Go ahead and click on the cut that's relevant to your interests. No need to slog through the whole entry unless you like that kind of thing. XD Only a tiny bit of Vesperia love showed up in this post. Some day, I swear I'll do fanart. Flynn calls out to meeeeh!

( My Reaction to the US. November 2008 elections... )


( On the PMX Front... )


( On the whole booking a hotel room for Azkatraz 2009... )

________


( And the personal State of Me )


Final note: I posted up a HD comic I did for hd_fanart's 2008 Art Fest over at rahly_furverted. The link is here, although it's f-locked.

8:02am: GUUUHHHHH! V-Day!!!
I'm not going to admonish people to go vote because I think a lot of us out there have done it/are going to do it today. Rock on, guys, rock on. I already voted (dropped off my absentee ballot yesterday) but I just have mental refrains that go something like: GUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! NNNOOOOOO ON PROP. 8!!!!!!!! PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since there's nothing all that constructive going on in that department, I'll blather on other things:

1) PMX, which stands for Pacific Media Expo, is going to happen this Veterans' Day weekend (07Nov08 to 09Nov08) at the LAX Hilton. I'll post more about it soon (like when I get home from work) but for now, if you're in the area or looking for something to do this weekend, you should check it out! The website is here. I'll be doing the karaoke there!

2) I've been in love with this game called Tales of Vesperia for a while now and it doesn't show signs of dissipating. Indeed, the fun of the Vesperia Nights with motorbike have only added to the wacky adoration I have for this game (I love reading her blogs the day after) and I do intend to do fanart of it some day (when my outstanding commitments are finished). So much love for Flynn. So much love for all the cast but definitely Flynn (who is my current wallpaper).

3) Projects are there, waiting for me, including one commission that I swear I'll get done ASAP. I also have my HD_Hols project to complete and it should prove very fun. Besides that, I hope to do some sort of postcard thing this year so be on the look out for that post as well. (I'll be collecting addresses then, I think).

4) yumekutteikt totally kicks ass and drew a response to my *cough*veggie!porn*cough* and people who like this sort of crazy thing should go and check it out!!! It's utterly fantastic and delightfully demented and I love all the positions...ahem

/blathering


In other news, I did get the Comstock dvds and I watched the "Doing It Together" late last night. Damn, that was fantastic stuff. I look forward to the second dvd, hopefully tonight! ._.

7:57pm: Of Tomatoes and Eggplants Part Deux: A Eggplant!Draco/Tomato!Harry Comic (rated R!!!)
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

8:50am: Chibi HD Art: Not Alone (G)
Title: Not Alone
Artist: red_rahl
Rating: G
Character/Pairing: H/D
Warnings: Distraught!Chibi Alert!
Disclaimer: This art is based on characters and situations and owned by JK Rowling and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Notes: Done in Photoshop. There are two versions because I couldn't decide which coloring I liked better. A friend pointed out that it'd depend on the emotion you'd want to convey. If anyone would like to see a different monochrome version, please let me know.

Dedicated to: Everyone who's been having a rough time of things (and I know a lot of us are). Group hug!!!


Not Alone

10:17pm: *ahems and steps on the soapbox*
Hello, everyone!

We all know this election year is pretty damn important for a whole host of reasons and in my state of California, I'm particularly concerned about Prop. 8. I tell all my friends to vote "NO!" on it. When they ask why, I tell them it's the "Ban Gay Marriage" proposition and they've been quick to affirm that they're voting no as well, for which I'm immensely grateful.

dramaphile recently wrote a post about a fantastic fundraiser to be held on Oct. 28 (that's Tuesday, guys!), in which Comstock Films (a film company that makes docu-porn) will donate 100% of the purchase price of their DVDs to the No on Prop. 8 campaign. Drama's post states things way more elegantly than I can so check the post out. Thank you, dramaphile, for pointing this fundraiser out!

To find out more about the fundraiser over at Comstock's website: Go here.

Something for everyone's taste! I'm definitely looking at Damon and Hunter's DVD and I'm also considering Xana and Dax's DVD as well. There's another m/f as well as a f/f dvd to check. All the descriptions make me want to buy everything! Had I but the money...

*is looking forward to Oct. 28 for sure*


Edit: Need I say anything about only people of legal age to view such material in their locations should be looking at/buying this sort of thing, yada yada yada?

1:15am: HD Comic Post: "Then You Look At Me" (PG)
Please Note: This comic was originally posted over at hd_inspired. The post below is the more finalized version. (So feel free to take another look if you've seen it already but no need to comment twice or anything. O_o)


Artist: red_rahl
Title: Then You Look At Me
Pairing(s)/Characters: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, Fawkes, Snape (in a manner of speaking)
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Drawn for: hd_inspired's Back to School Fest, Prompt 106.
Summary: After returning to Hogwarts for his Eighth Year, Harry has been sneaking off to gaze at the Mirror of Erised and gets trapped inside. Ensnared in a magical artifact that shows one's most desperate desires, who will be able to see the real him, let alone help him escape?
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Beta(s): For the story, my coffee peeps, D and B. In addition, a shout out to my beta group, especially Chief, Milady, and Mijan. Thanks for putting up with my flailing. Now I'll stop tweaking things.
Notes: This took way longer than I expected and I apologize all around. The prompt was inspiring and my muses refused to let me get away with a shorter story. *sweatdrop* Definitely interesting coloring job this time around.
- Mostly DH compliant, EWE. Milady pointed out to me that Fawkes technically died at the end of HBP...so it's a bit AU-ish here. I like to think of him as having left Hogwarts but he comes back from time to time. *furtive look*
- The damn mirror took an inordinately large amount of time. Making templates was a time saver for sure!
- It was really fun to draw Snape! Had to remind myself to keep his hair from being too glamorous. !_!


Final Warning: Large picture files ahead!!!


Then You Look At Me

1:15am: Random Inking tutorial. (H/D, Hard R)
( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )

9:05pm: Random HP question...
First of all, thank you to the folks who gave me awesome advice about Azkatraz. I'm still in the process of responding to everyone (I'm sorry I'm so slow !_!) but I wanted you guys to know it was super helpful!

And now for my random HP question:

Can spells that affect the mind be used on portraits?

7:53pm: So....Going to Azkatraz, anybody?
Erm...who else is planning to attend Azkatraz in July 2009? It's going to be my very first HP Con/symposium/conference thing and I'm rather a mess in figuring out what to do for it. *is very, very inexperienced*

Some Questions:

1) Upon registering, what do people usually put down to go under their registered name? Do they include LJ names or nicknames or something? Is it poor etiquette to include an LJ name or not? *feels like a dork for asking*

2) What events within Azkatraz are people registering for? I know that there are various things to do within the convention that require extra fees and I was wondering, from people's past experiences or preferences, what people end up choosing.

3) About reserving hotel rooms, is it usually just someone reserving a room and grabbing a bunch of other people (possibly strangers) to share room costs? I don't know if I actually have any peeps that will be attending the event (that I know well enough to feel comfortable rooming with) and I was wondering if anyone else is in the same situation or if people just stick to finding friends to share the room with.

Hell, are there any peeps o' mine that are going to go? I'm willing to reserve the room under my name (hopefully it's not too late to reserve at the actual hotel?) but I'm guessing I should have people lined up to share with me? If you go, myrafur, you'd totally be sharing my room! Yes? *begs*

_______


Hmmmm....I think that's enough flailing for now but rest assured that there will be more flailing to come later. Despite my nervousness though, I'm very excited and I'm still trying to decide if I shall volunteer to staff the convention or not. *is so indecisive* O_o

11:14pm: Something I've been meaning to post: Avatar Rock Band.
In celebration of the End of Avatar, I'll post some video (badly done because I has no Dazzle) of my Avatar-inspired Rock Band group playing "Learn to Fly". The band name is rather long because I am a dork and couldn't think of something simple to call them, like GAang. I also consider "Learn to Fly" to be thee most perfect song for the GAang. Very appropriate for everyone.

Band Name: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water
Vocals: Zuko
Guitar: Aang
Bass: Katara
Drums: Toph

Warning: My digital camera work is a bit shakey and I do toss out a "Dammit" at the beginning of the first video. My camera also only does videos up to 3 minutes, so it cuts off a bit before the end of the song (hence, two file links).

( Learn to Fly, Avatar Style! )

_______


Now, it's time for me to get back to work! O_o *goes back to plotting comics*

10:52pm: Another quickie update of sorts.
Hee! I'm still recovering a bit but Comic Con was a lot of fun this year! I did keep my resolution of hanging out with people (friends/coworkers) more but I do regret missing out on meeting fellow fandom people during the convention. *apologizes to anti_paragon*

( My doodles of some of my reactions from this year's Comic Con... )


Though truthfully, the being with friends was really the best part. What with some dear friends returning to their far off homes with the conclusion of Con and still others moving to parts equally far off, it truly feels like the end of an era. *wibbles a bit*

2:24am: A brief State of Me address or some such.
I apologize right now for any and every comment anyone has made to me about anything that I never got back to. Life got hectic and heavy and people's comments really did help make my days go a bit better. So thanks to everyone who did comment and I shall endeavor to get better at the responding! I'll not get into my drama because it'd just bring me down. Instead, I'll list off some of the other things that's been going on.

Things in my not-so-personal dealings that have taken up some of my time:

-AX 2008, in which I got to help with Karaoke (OSSU!!!) and hang out with fantastic people. I also got to form a human wall for David Hayter (Owe Shiney for this for sure!)!
-Reading Junjo Romantica (so glad I'm giving this series a more thorough read through).
-Watching the ending of Avatar (*is flailing and weeping and ranting and feeling all around fantastic*)
-Preparing for Comic Con 2008! GUH!!! I'm going to be so distracted at work! Con will be full of Twilight (don't laugh!), Max Brooks (ZOMBIES), Jim Butcher (*hearts*), books, and AVATAR!!!

I promise to try and get more drawing done! I gotta complete my hd_inspired project as well as the big HP Art Project (I have Book 2, Chapter 4). O_o MUST FOCUS!!!!

...

*is horribly distracted*

Guhhh....Avatar....

10:29am: HD Art Post: "Give Me A Cheer!" (NC-17, NWS!!!)
( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )

7:31am: More on Tomatoes and Eggplants: Another Art Piece...*guilty look*
I'm not exactly sure why Eggplant!Draco and Tomato!Harry are so happily entrenched in my head and rolling around inside but they are and it's all potteresque_ire's fault. If you haven't gotten a chance to read Eggplant Parmesan, you should or this post is MZS (Makes Zero Sense), to borrow one of the warnings from the story! It does have angst though, just as a warning! *wibbles at the thought of produce!demise and then feels like such a big dork*

So since the veggie!boys are frolicking through my mental landscape, I offer another picture...


Title: Still Life with Eggmato.
Artist: red_rahl
Rating: G
Character/Pairing: Eggplant!Draco/Tomato!Harry, 5 little eggmatos...
Warnings: Crack! Boys-as-vegetables! Veggie!mpreg... *looks at that and keels over* Is that even possible?!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or Draco, neither as fictional human characters or as fictional vegetation.
Notes: Done in PS. Not sure about time but maybe 2-3 hours?
- Inspired by this comment from the story post by tonks17:
Eggplant!Draco is somewhat fitting. Now if only he got his Harry back, they could have eggmato babies. That'd be weird.
...You weren't far off with that thought....
- Why five? I'm not sure, exactly. I know Tomato!Harry would want a large-ish family and Eggplant!Draco would want to give that to him. Don't ask me who was the pregnant one was. I just don't know.


( Still Life with Eggmato )

8:23pm: Of Tomatoes and Eggplants: A Rec with corresponding Art!!!
Okay, 2 nights ago, I happened to be looking through my f-list and lo and behold, I see a story that promised insane things.

potteresque_ire's Eggplant Parmesan had a warning that included MZS (Makes Zero Sense), angst, drama, character death...you'd think I'd never touch it with a ten-foot pole and then....

Summary(abbrev): A shopping cart romance between Eggplant!Draco and Tomato!Harry ... Dark. Angsty. Totally. *nods*

After seeing that, I really had to read it and the rest was history. It's hilarious and witty and in the end, I WIBBLED INSIDE FOR A PIECE OF VEGETATION!!! XD So fantastic and fun and yet bizarrely moving! You just really need to go and give it a read!

And with that said, I present something that I did in response to this wonderful story. It probably won't make much sense/have as much impact if you haven't read the story though...so you should go read! XD


Title: A Match Made in Veggie Heaven
Artist: red_rahl
Rating: G
Character/Pairing: Eggplant!Draco/Tomato!Harry
Warnings: Ummm...they're vegetables? Go read the story before taking a peek (but don't forget the ANGST warning)! XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or Draco, neither as fictional human characters or as fictional vegetation.
Special Dedication to: potteresque_ire, for writing such a fantastic (if wibble-inducing) story!!!
Notes: Done in PS. Maybe took an hour or two?
- I did this partly because I was so distraught OVER A TOMATO and partly in a response to one of the comments made about believing in Veggie Heaven. I had thought, "I WANT TO BELIEVE TOO!" *wibble* Turns out that this was wonderfully cathartic and even when I go back to reread the story, at least I know where the veggie!boys will end up going! *feels like such a DORK*


( Vegetables in Love!!! )

11:33pm: Animagus Exchange has started posting at hd_inspired!



Go and check out the first day entries!!! WAHOOO!!!! I mean, it's HD and Animagi! How can you miss?! XD *is ridiculously excited*

11:46pm: Art Post: "One Little Peep" (H/D, PG)
Title: One Little Peep
Artist: red_rahl
Rating: PG
Character/Pairing: H/D
Warnings: Bare chests. Also, don't look if the eating of peeps bothers you.
Disclaimer: This art is based on characters and situations and owned by JK Rowling and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Materials used: Photoshop and OpenCanvas on Wacom tablet.
For the Prompts: "Chocolate" and "Let the hunt begin" (as in Easter) over at hd_fanart.
Notes: Started last night on photoshop and finished up tonight (after I got home from work). Alas, my boys didn't want to do any hunting and Harry really wanted to share this Muggle treat, so I let them have at.


One Little Peep

5:44am: Last Pimping for a while, I think! An Albus/Scorpius Fest!!!
I love the Next Gen kids (hence, my choice to join up with Team Epilogue for the hd_worldcup)!

And so, I'm very pleased to announce a brand spanking *snicker* new Albus/Scorpius fest that is going to happen this Spring! The community is the_ass_fest (or rather, AS/S) and sign-ups start next month!





These are the Dates for it!
Sign-ups: the 1st of February - the 15th of February
Assignments sent: by the 28th of February
Submission deadline: the 15th of May
Posting starts: the 1st of June.

Although I don't have the time at the moment to participate in this or other fests, I do think this particular fest is going to be really awesome! So, if you love Albus and Scorpius and moreover, if you love them together, you should join the fest!!! *flails and cheers everyone on*

8:43pm: Pimping for Animagus Exchange on hd_inspired ...
Other than the hd_worldcup, the other fest I'm participating in is hd_inspired's Animagus Exchange Fest, which has three more days before sign-ups end! Come on! You know you wanna! XD




I'm definitely looking forward to this fest and...*shifty look* I do hope I get to draw one of the boys in this animagus form that I've never seen anyone do yet... *more shifty looks* Here's to hoping! *is extremely excited about this fest*

_______


Now back to the salt mines! Must work on my World Cup submission! . . .

*sneaks off to play more Rock Band instead*