baby, be my mafia boss, I'll be your right-hand man

A very early Happy Halloween post, everybody (look, Livejournal's already switched the viewing in anticipation), as the next four days are quite literally going to be hell for me, and I don't expect to be able to be on very much, if at all:

Last night, lacewood, cynic_in_charge and I celebrated Halloween by venturing into the Night Safari for the special Halloween event (so scary, people wrote in to the national newspapers to complain). Jack-o-lanterns and skeletons greeted us at the entrance, and the Forest Giants trail had been decorated in suitably macabre fashion with dismembered limbs, bloodstained ghouls, and all manner of the dead and departed. We were not greeted with the more extreme and interactive forms of terror worthy of writing in to the newspapers for, but I will freely admit I am very easily terrified and did actually consider the Malayan jungle horror walk unnerving on some level. However, I was not afraid, as I was with lacewood, who was concerned that she would accidentally punch anyone leaping out of the bushes to scare her, and cynic_in_charge, who rightly paid more attention to the flying squirrels and absent giraffes than the forest freakshow.

( ... and that's how you know I really *can* link everything to Reborn. )

ANYWAY! ON TO THE REAL SHOW:


download ( note )
Darren Shan Manga Volume 8 preview scans
(13 pages (Happy Halloween!), 5.37 MB, 200 dpi)
[ps! manga + extras = 188 pages, this is just but what I bought it for a little of it.]

The most important thing you need to know
about Volume 8 of the Darren Shan manga is:
WARNING: EXTENSIVE IMAGE-INTENSIVE PREVIEWS
( STEVE'S BAAAAACK (and so DAMN pretty) )

( And Darren doesn't look half-bad either. )

( well, you know what's coming. )

( HIGHLY dubious bonus )
Other Amazing Things About Darren Shan

☠ Did you know that we're getting a Darren Shan Movie in 2009? Here's the IMDB cast list! VERY NOTABLE MENTIONS:
★ Ken Watanabe as MR. TALL
★ WILLEM DAFOE as Gavner Purl
(The Green Goblin in Spider-man, the voice of Gil in Finding Nemo, I COULD GO ON AND ON)
★John C. Reilly as Mr Crepsley (WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING)
★ Selma Hayek as Madame Truska
I'm kinda blinking a lot in shock here, guys. Excuse the incoherency. This really is official, you can see it on the Darren Shan website.

☠ The Darren Shan manga has been licensed, and is to be released by Yen Press, in 2009, in time for the movie's release. The author himself was proofreading the US adaptation of the manga as of September 2008.

☠ You can still read the first five chapters of the Darren Shan manga scanlated on onemanga right here, though. (omg. reading this while reading Volume 8 is a real headtrip)

☠ Check out the (fanart) by the scanlators of Darren as Spider-man and Steve as Venom. ♥ (must re-read Volume 1, I swear I have seen it before)

Omi and julineci introduced me to this incredibly gorgeous fox-spirit series, which I fell in love with pretty much on sight, and upon being given permission to share this, decided I would waste no time in bringing this post to you.

The original text is Chinese, and the names absolutely refused to transliterate in a dignified manner. *wry smile* Though they are very beautiful in Chinese. My favourite is the fox-spirit, and his name is Snowball. Snowball, I ask you! How am I to translate such a name in any fashion which may be deemed dignified?! For the purposes of translation, Snowball is Yuki, and his seme his guardian spirit I named Seimei (with a nod to both Shounen Onmyouji and Loveless).

Series Title: 落雪成白 (Luo Xue Cheng Bai: literally translated, Falling Snow Turns White)
Author: 籽 兔 (the second word in there is "Rabbit"... it better be a pen name)
Characters: 雪球 (Snowball, "Yuki") ,洛之遥 [or is that 洛俗笙?]("Seimei"), 狐右 (the predatory redhead fox).
This appears to be the original novel, unless I'm very far wrong. Oh, it looks so badtouch.

( ... It's like Shounen Onmyoji meets Loveless, with gorgeous art! )

( and it has cute chibi art, too! )

( fairies, fox-spirits, and an introduction )

in which the main character switches between
( being an extremely cute fox and a very pretty boy )

caution: rough scanlation, shirtless moment:
( how do you effect a transformation of adorable fox to really hot guy? )

Thank you, all of you who kept me company and had me laughing throughout scanning/cleaning up/translating. ♥

Well- what else can I say about this installment, except that it's Aczelius (Aczeriuth, to be true to the localisation) at last, and man: this was worth the wait. It's payoff time in spades. Am officially spoilt rotten by Asch, of all people (he has so many good scenes in this installment), which is such a joke, considering the love/hate relationship I have with him.

WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW
Very Image-Heavy

( Before the ground falls away beneath your feet )

( Don't Miss the Dancing Doushi and His Amazing Cheegle! )

Couldn't help but think of glorious here:
( Silly little boy. All trust is foolish. )

( I did this?! )

Though, heh. When I first set eyes on this part, I thought of orphen and meimi, especially. ;)
Luke, prepare yourself for Asch's Very Special Brand of TOUGH LOVE.

( SAY IT WITH VIOLENCE. )

Though I would completely believe in this alternative scenario. ♥
(warning: crack, and also Asch/Luke implications)

And Asch is given the unenviable task of explaining ( Where Do Baby Replicas Come From? )

( Sensei, I'M FLYING! )

( It had to be this way. )

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW
Tales of the Abyss Manga: Volume 2: Selected Scans: 92 MB
96 pages of the manga
From shortly before the fight with Arietta, ending at the Asch confrontation at the Zao Ruins.
download: YSI | sendspace | megaupload

Brief impression: Not enough Asch, Natalia even more kickass in manga, Luke is so weak for sensei, Sink looks great!

( Cover, Contents Page, Illustration )

( Ion, and so very many Luke and Van moments. )

( Meet the Rokujinshou - and all we see of Dist. )

( And Sink enjoys the view. )

( Mission: Save Ion! )

( Tear and Van confrontation )

( When a guy loves... fon machines. )

( Will the badtouch never end?! )

( Stop in the name of LOVE! )

( Luke's Extremely Enthusiastic Homecoming )

( and so we meet Natalia. )

( Tear mooments )

( 4-komas )

The following chapters are in the book, and I've scanned them as they appeared in Degenki Maou, so here they are:

Episode 9
Encountering the Dark Wings/Shikkoku no Tsubasa, and also, Van, Badtouch Master Extraordinaire

Episode 10
Even More Badtouching (And baby!Asch)

Episode 12
Meeting Natalia and the Rokujinshou
Asch-Luke Memories in the Rain scene

November's Degenki Maou set off my badtouch meter like nothing on earth. Still, it was excellent for the Thousand and One Expressions of Luke von Faber, and fascinating flashback/future artwork.

Warning: Extensive Spoilers.

( Luke goes forth to face the world! )

( I love it when Luke smiles. )

Aaaaand: ( Sometimes Van and Luke make me feel like I'm reading a shoujo manga. )

( Cue dramatic Revelation/Prophecy/Flashback Sequence! )

( In another world, Luke, you were... kind of evil. But also very hot. )

Serious Spoiler Warnings From Here On
( BUT SENSEI IT CAN'T BE! )

( A baby Asch... is a massive Abyss spoiler. )

( Oh, Luke, don't look at him like that. )

( Why, our favourite Doushi's in trouble again! )

This month's issue of Degenki Maou, which serialises the Tales of the Abyss manga, is utter love. Not only do they introduce Natalia this issue, but it also has the Asch-Luke fighting-in-the-rain scene, and an Asch I could seriously love. Now that really is something, because if you know me, you also know that saying I'm not usually an Asch fan is an understatement the size of Markt and Kimlasca combined, but this issue was absolutely brilliant. CURSE YOU Asch, WHY weren't you like this in the game? I would have been an Asch fan if manga canon was like game canon!

Oh, Natalia. If I was a Kimlascan boy, I'd ask you to be my girlfriend.

( because that's just priceless. )

( why hello, Rokujinshou. We meet again! )

( DEAR GOD, ASCH. THAT WAS HOT. )

I have to warn you before we go on, I am actually...
( a very dedicated Luke/Natalia fan )

( HORA HORA HORA ROKUJINSHOU COMING THROUGH! )

And the biggest payoff in the entire issue:

( Asch and Luke: MEMORIES IN THE RAIN )

( tales DVD )

( Latest Abyss novel )

Also, narugami linked this gorgeous set of Abyss figurines.

Incidentally, this Abyss website is really good - so much endearing comic art! Well, and this one has good comics, too. This had a really sweet Halloween Guy and Luke comic, when Luke was a kid.