Chibi Comic

Well, recently Dev has been showing off her amazing drawing capabilities (*loooves*) and I, as usual, am very envious. I've never been particularly good at drawing people, for that matter, for I get obsessed with little details and I can never get 'em right... so instead, I decided to take a different anime-drawing approach. The term is 'chibi,' which translates to "small" in Japanese, but is also known as an anime style in Japan.

Chibi: A term used by anime/manga fans to refer to small and detailless characters. "Chibi" characters are often used to represent a form of cuteness. It can also be used to indicate small characters (like Chibi-Usagi/Sailor Chibi Moon in Sailor Moon).

Anyway, I decided that maybe I wouldn't be too bad at this kind of drawing! I mean, you can't really mess up chibi. It just has to small, cute, chubby characters!

Dev was thrilled to hear I decided to try this out, and she confessed she was never that good at it... but pfft, she doesn't have to be! She draws so beautifully, and with such amazing detail... I've decided to go to Chibi to escape the pressures of realistic drawing!

And so, these pieces were born. But first, let me give you a little insider on Des and Celi; first, they are our WoW characters. They both are rather fond of alcohol (I'm not sure I'd go far enough to call them alcoholics, though) and bubbles by the mouth often indicate that they are drunk. They both love fun, and they are the BEST of friends, just like Dev and I.

For the basics, Cel is Dev's character, and has long hair with multiple piercings up her ears. She has earned the title "Failure of a Hunter" because all of her pets hate her and run away. She's very racist, as well. She despises Draenei, Dwarves, and Gnomes... Humans seem to be safe from her fury only because her home is Goldshire, a Human town outside of the Human city of Stormwind, and if she were to be cruel to her hosts she could very well be kicked out. In addition, she can be very dramatic, outspoken, and has a reputation to be a ticking bomb with sharp weapons. On the flip side, she's cuddly and very hyper!

Des, my character, is a less extreme version of Celi and at the same time, exactly like her in so many ways. She has also earned the title "Failure of a Druid" because 1) She can't heal, 2) She's constantly trying to do things Druids can't/aren't supposed to (i.e. wear plate, fight with swords, learn arcane magic) and 3) She looks bad in green. For the qualities that separate her and Cel: she's a little more polite to strangers and doesn't snap quite as easily. She doesn't have any piercings, and half of her shoulder-length hair is pulled into a small ponytail on the back of her head. She also wears dresses, while Cel will never get near one.

And so, without further ado, I give you the first ever Chibi Drawings of Destiny and Celi!

THE END

Well, I had a LOT of fun drawings these, that I'll probably decide to do more! I hope you guys enjoyed 'em!

Tree-Hugger

Well, today I was in a tree-huggerin' mood, sitting outside and feeling the cool, Minnesota-May breeze... I knew that it would probably be the last like that. There certainly wouldn't be "cool breezes" in Georgia, anyway (maybe in the 'winter', I suppose!). My mom also mentioned that she would miss the trees... yes, there are trees in Georgia, and the area we would be moving to would be a lot like Minnesota, but nothing quite matches MN's... forest. A woods in the backyard, watching our baby twin deer growing up. There probably wouldn't be things like that in Georgia.

But a change is necessary, nevertheless. I know I'll miss these old things, but what would the point of living here have been if I didn't? I really love Minnesota and thinking about myself as a Minnesotan girl, but I'm really looking forward to embracing the new aspects of life, and the pure differences that Georgia has to offer. It will be like nothing before, that's for sure, but as Bilbo Baggins would say, "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure!"

Anyway, going back to the note on trees... a friend of mine was bored a couple of hours ago and asked if I had any requests on an icon for her to make. I suggested something that had to do with "Hug a Tree". I thought it was so cute, it instantly inspired me - as did the entire day, as well as nature in general - to write a poem. Here it is!

Tree-Hugger

The soft, peaceful breeze
Lightly blows the trees,
Caresses the leaves,
And all worries, relieves

Darkness unfolds
Wonder, the night holds
The starry sky knows:
For now, all goes

The ocean, it sways
Beneath a sun's harsh rays
The cool water's touch
Sand escapes one's clutch

The clouds from above,
We all truly love
And as nature breathes in,
It warms all from within

She's aliive! ...with a poem!

Okay, so it's been a very long time since I posted *anything*, I know... but I'd like to assure everyone that I am in fact still alive. Great news, huh? I know!! Right?

Anyway. Teenage mockery aside, I return with... a poem! I've been rather obsessed with the Twilight books lately, so it should be a no-brainer to guess where I got most of my inspiration from. I also gotta' thank Dev, who just randomly blurted "Oh, I want to write a poem about vampires!" Obviously it was too tempting for me to resist. Anyway, here it is!

In the Night, Before the Light

A setting sun,
A brand new run
I rise to stroll the night
A drunken stagger,
No need for a dagger
I licked my teeth with delight

I walked into the cool, dim room
Music too loud and a gray smoky haze
The darkness covered my cold, pale face
But my voice quickly pulled the girl's gaze

"Come with me," came my soft whisper,
And she was smart enough not to disobey
But once I spoke a single word,
It was hard not to be my prey

I led her to the alleys of the street,
The aroma of her body far too sweet
I couldn't resist the temptation much longer
I gently pushed her to the wall
But it only made her curiosity stronger

"This won't hurt a bit," I whispered again,
But my eyes flashed a lie
My fangs quickly slipped into her neck,
But her gasp was merely a sigh

The taste of her blood washed over my senses
And pulling away was no longer an option
I sucked and licked every drop with my might
There was passion in every motion

Soon enough she was as pale as me,
And her eyes could no longer see
I gently sat her on the hard pavement
And as calm as I arrived, I went

A cold deed
To simply feed
I was quickly out of sight
I returned home
I was all alone
And asleep again before twilight

Abbi's Explanation - Travel Day

Yeah, here's the apology/filler blog for not posting in... well, for a long time. What have I been doing while I was gone? Lots of stuff! Traveling, getting stuck in airports, riding rides, coming home, getting sick from airports, not-letting-that-stop-me and cooking, playing piano, playing Crystal Chronicles, cooking more, watching movies, and playing our new Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Yeah, a lot, but I'll start from the beginning.

As most of you may know, my family and I went off to California on February 14th, but I'm not sure if all of you knew we were trapped in the terminal the first day. Mmmm-hmm. We had to way up at the agonizingly early hour of five, drag our exhausted butts out of the hotel room and rush down to the elevator, heavy suitcases swerving to-and-fro behind us. When we got to the main lobby of the hotel, our expecting shuttle had just left. We had to talk to the hotel employee behind the counter to call it back so that we could hurry into the -20 degree weather and run into the shuttle. I had never really been on a shuttle before, because friends had always been there to pick us up and drop us off at the airport... because it was so early, we decided to just take a hotel shuttle, but, I didn't really like this:

When I can normally expect a comfortable, warm drive and fun conversation with my family, instead I got to nuzzle into the slightly torn, germ-infested seats, while we were crowded with other cold people clinging to their luggage. My nose was runny from the weather, the driver looked grumpy, the people did not appear happy, and the drive down the interstate was as bumpy as legally possible. Okay, so we're on the shuttle, and we're goin' to the airport... just a few more hours, I kept telling myself, and we'll be in bright-and-sunny California, where everyone is tan, rich, and happy. (Okay, maybe not happy, but there were definitely a lot of tan and rich-looking people.)

As we were driving along to the airport, we noticed that a similar shuttle in front of us was taking off from another hotel. It was almost identical to the one we were riding in, except... well, the back door of the shuttle was wide open. You could see the passengers' luggage bouncing around in the back there, appearing right-out prepared to hop out and cause a several thousand dollar accident. Everyone in our shuttle was pointing out the mistake of the driver in front of us and giggling to each other in that quiet movie-theater whisper, but you could all tell they were a little nervous. I caught a few of them glancing behind, as if to check to make sure that the door to our shuttle was closed, and that their luggage wasn't about to bounce into the street behind us.

Thankfully, as we pulled into the airport drop-off station, there were no accidents, and all of our luggage was once again comfortably in our arms. (Okay, maybe not comfortably... I was getting used to the heavy bags getting carried around by a car. Nope, now I am blessed with the pleasure of personally dragging it behind me, beckoning people to the side so I can make way through the crowded airport with my mother-ship of a suitcase.)

Well, the next stuff is pretty predictable. Checking in (though it took much longer to do it this time, I can't remember why, but it was...), going through security (which was a bit of an adventure. Now that I own a laptop of my very own, I had to unpack and pack it, while I subconsciously felt the stares of the people behind me, urging me to hurry up). And finally, finding the ding-dang gate, which always happens to be alll the way on the other side of the terminal. So we walk, we walk, we walk and we walk. We finally get there, and it's still dark outside... maybe about 6AM. We take a seat, and me and Alec just chat for a while, before the first-class gets to board. Now as they're getting on, we get called. We move into the airplane, sit down, and I fall asleep almost instantly. I could hear the driver talking over the radio here and there, but just in the back of my head. I was dreaming of the blue ocean, roller coasters, the sun, amusement parks...

...I woke up some time later, what felt like maybe an hour... looked around, expecting to be in the air, and...

We were still on the ground. No, we hadn't arrived, we hadn't even moved. I could hear the driver speaking over the radio again. Something along the lines of, "We're sorry folks about the slight delay we're experiencing at the moment, but we'll clear it up immediately." Fifteen minutes later. "Hello, and again we're sorry, we'll be taking off very soon." Another fifteen minutes. "Hi again everybody, I'm sure you've noticed that we haven't taken off yet. We'd like to apologize for this, and add that we're afraid that there is a slight disturbance with the engines at this time, but we will get a car over here immediately to fix it, and then we'll be on our way." Twenty minutes later. "Good morning everybody, we're afraid there is something wrong with the car that was coming over here. We thank you for your patience, and right now we are sending a car over to fix the car that will fix our engine." A final twenty minutes passes, and we still are not moving. Eventually we hear the driver talk one last time.

"We're sorry folks, but this flight has been canceled. You may call-"[insert cellphone number here]"-and they will be glad to help you reschedule a flight today. Thank you for choosing Northwest Airlines, and have a wonderful day."

... Great. Just perfect. We woke up at five AM to get on this stupid flight so we could get to stupid California so we could enjoy this stupid vacation, but now we can't even get over there. I look over and notice mom's on the phone, probably trying to reschedule a flight. Yep, she is... and we got one. The earliest possible flight. Lucky for us, it's still today, and we don't have to get another hotel. But y'know when it is? Seven. Seven PM. Yes, we have to wait twelve hours for a new flight... and best of all, our luggage is already flying over to California. It'll probably arrive over ten hours before us, too! Perfect. Dandy. Absolutely brilliant. By now (what with the frustration of the flight and having to wake up so early,) we're starving and want something to eat. Thankfully there's the terminal right by us, and food is being advertised everywhere. But of course, upon leaving the aircraft, we have to go through SECURITY AGAIN to get back into the terminal. More fun with two laptops, yay!

Okay, so we're finally in, and we're eating at Chili's. My mom pulls out the cellphone to start calling people that could take us in while we're here for the next twelve hours. We call up some good friends of ours, but nope, they're at work. We call up my mom's brother. Nope, not there. We call up a few more people (of which are not striking me at the moment, but I knew there were more people than that...) nope, nope and nope. No one is there. But, who would be? Who would be home at 7AM on a weekday? And if they are there, who would be awake? Ugh... well, looks like we get to spend some time in a terminal.

It was frustrating, but at the same time exciting. The thought of having to wait until our plane was depressing, but the idea of being "trapped" in a terminal was like a little adventure. Looking at our situation with a brighter, more optimistic perspective was refreshing, and I felt prepared to look around. We got to explore everywhere, I was able to try some herbal great hand cream, Kyra got some satsuma lip balm and body wash, I considered getting a new sweater (decided against it in the end) and we hung out in a comfy computer area. I also got to watch Pan's Labyrinth ('Laberinto del fauno, El') for the first time (which turned out to be pretty good... I didn't like the gore, but it was a fun, thrilling adventure.)

Overall, it was a fine experience... it got boring after a while, but I was able to cope, especially when I had the best chocolate ice cream I had ever tasted. Ben & Jerry's. Amazing. I had never tasted anything better. Besides all that, the flight there was pretty annoying, arriving around midnight to one o'clock. I was happy to see my dad, and we all fell asleep in the hotel pretty fast.

So that was an... interesting day. Exhausting, frustrating, and thrilling (mostly the Labyrinth part, but the terminal part too). I was just glad I didn't have to eat the free condiments (crackers and ketchup) from the fast-food restaurants.* It was all good the next day, where I was greeted with freshly squeezed orange juice (the ONLY orange juice I have EVER liked), fresh made eggs, perfectly toasted bread, and the best breakfast service ever. Crown Plaza, L.A. Incredible. Anyway, that pretty much includes the first couple of days on our trip... I'll brief up the rest of it tomorrow (it's 12AM now and I'm rather tired) and then finish what I did with the rest of my days. It probably won't be as long as it was today, mainly because nothing could be as long as the travel day!

Love you all, and I'll write again soon.


*a The Terminal reference

Trivia Tips about Abbi!

...some that even she was unaware of!

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Abbi!

1. Abbi is born white; her pink feathers are caused by pigments in her typical diet of shrimp!
2. Abbi can't sweat.
3. Abbi, from the movie of the same name, had green blood.
4. While sleeping, fifteen percent of men snore, and ten percent grind their Abbi!
5. Grapes explode if you put them inside Abbi.
6. Abbiolatry is the mindless worship of Abbi!
7. Abbi was first discovered by Alexander the Great in India, and introduced to Europe on his return!
8. If the annual Australian Abbi crop was laid end to end, it would stretch around the world seven times!
9. The Vikings believed that the Northern lights were caused by Abbi as she rode out to collect warriors slain in battle.
10. The risk of being struck by Abbi is one occurrence every 9,300 years.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

..11. Abbi believes that more people should practice and express the holy religion of Abbiolatry.
12. Abbi doesn't actually like shrimp, but she still thinks that her "feathers" are pretty.
And yes, 13., Abbi truly is the mastermind behind the Northern lights.

Thursday Thirteen - Movie Soundtracks

Well, I apologize for being so negligent toward my blog, but here I am making up for it, and posting my very first Thursday Thirteen! Yay! Truthfully, I'm surprised that I'm makin' it in, it's really late today... sure, people will be readin' it on Friday or later, but at least I know I got it in on Thursday!

This TT's Theme is...

My Favorite Movie Soundtracks!
In the order of preference (preference may or may not change in the future).

1. Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street

All right, so I've owned this soundtrack for two days, and it's already been promoted to the top of my list. Wow, I absolutely love this. I can listen to the songs over, and over, and over. I have most of the songs memorized by now (of course!!) and cannot stop repeating the CD. I think Kyra's getting a little annoyed with the repetition, but geez, I cannot stop loving Johnny's voice. Johnny + Helena duet = beautiful and heartbreaking! Johnny + Alan duet = sweet and passionate! Johnny + Jamie duet = gorgeous and breathtaking! Man oh man, ALL of them can sing. Oh, and as long as you don't mind a bit of blood (let me correct that - a LOT of blood) then I definitely recommend the film as well. It's beautiful. Unfortunately, if blood bothers you, I'd have to say... stay away. (In which case, you can just go ahead and buy the soundtrack, and enjoy that!)


2. Across the Universe


This movie is... complete bliss. You just have to watch it, I can't explain to you how amazing and incredible it is. The soundtrack is the same - every single song is by the Beatles, and have been tweaked slightly by the singers. It is just... wow. When we got this, I listened to nothing but it. I'm counting down the days for when it is released, and truthfully, all I can say is: WATCH IT.


3. Phantom of the Opera


I fell in love with the movie almost immediately, and like the No. 1 & 2 Soundtrack Favs., the songs are breathtaking. I swear, if I just put these three soundtracks on repeat, I could listen to them to the grave. This CD was the only one that I listened to for about two months straight, and I watched the movie every other day. Personally, I like the songs in the movie over the Broadway version, but that's just my opinion. Oh, and... the moment I saw the Phantom, I knew he was sexy. Little did I know, he turned to be the beautiful Gerard Butler (who me and my mom now both ADORE, as do many others) I get to flaunt the fact that while other people somewhat cringed at Gerry's deformed face, I loved him from the start. (Yeah, yeah, I'll still share...)

4. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings, Two Towers &

Return of the King

Because I'm a little dork and don't want to post three albums in a row, I'm just gonna' post a good picture of Viggo.

Yay, Viggo!

I would link the names, but I couldn't find the soundtrack on Amazon. What is wrong with them for not having Lord of the Rings soundtracks, I'm sure you're asking, and I confess I share in your exasperation. Fortunately, we already own the CD and love it passionately. Hoorah! The songs on that are awesome, and, well... there's not much else to say. The singing, the lyrics, the orchestra... it just plain rocks, man. "Into the West" (the last song on Return of the King) can even make my mom cry, every time she hears it. Dang, that's one good song!

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


There's not much to say for this one either, except wow Johnny's a good actor, and too bad he's not singing here too. I love all the songs, as well as the orchestral pieces with no singing. Thank you, Danny Elfman, and it's really too bad that Chris had to cut your head off in the Star Wars Family Guy episode (which I recommend people watch, too)!


6. Juno


Such an adorable film with the most hilarious quotes, and the soundtrack is no exception to its wonderfulness. The songs they have in it are sweet and funny, and very hard to resist. Obviously it's not a movie you want to watch if you're looking for action, but it's a slow-rowing, fun journey through nine months with a sarcastic, nonchalant 16 year old girl. What kind of shenanigans can she get into, you may be asking yourself, and the answer is simple: you'll just have to watch the movie and find out! We just bought the CD today, and have been listening to it over and over (well, it's sharing every-other repeat with Sweeney Todd). This is a 100% recommendation from me, both the soundtrack and the movie. In fact, get both!


7. Elizabeth Town

Like Juno, this is a very cute movie, with two very cute actors. The songs on the soundtrack are awesome and quirky. In the movie, Orlando received a CD mix from Kristen, and all of the songs are on this one! The variety is great, and perfect for all occasions. I love to listen to it in the car, and I think you would too! A good, worth-it buy.


8. Shrek & Shrek 2


If you haven't seen these movies, then I have to say, shame on you (not really). But, "really," you should watch them if you haven't. The soundtracks are really fun, too, lots of good music. Believe it or not, the sequel is as good as the first, and that's saying a lot... because the first was really good.


9. Yellow Submarine


Okay, so I admit, when I was watching this one I fell asleep. I didn't mean to, I swear, but it just stretched on and on... I lasted until they like, found themselves trapped in a bubble, and rescued themselves. What was that about, again? Some sort of freakish time travel, where they found themselves again? Or were made of stone, and they un-froze themselves...? Anyway, they saved themselves, and were babbling on about how they were identical replica, all in their cute little English voices... I didn't get it. Oh well. I still love the music, especially "Lonely People." Go Beatles.


10. O Brother, Where Art Thou?


Great, hilarious movie, and funny original songs. I remember being really little and waking up to the smell of good, freshly-made coffee, and singing "Man of Constant Sorrow", as well as "Down to to the River to Pray". I recommend both (the movie and soundtrack, not those two songs, although they are my favorites). They're entertaining to no end!


11. Michael


I forget how many times I had listened to this soundtrack, but had never seen the movie. Only recently had I actually watched it, but I was still in high confidence - I had loved the songs for so long, after all. They're all fun and good. Oh, and this is another recommendation! (I forget why I still add that... I mean, it's it being advertised on my blog, of course it's recommended, right?) Anyway. Buy, watch, listen, laugh, love.


12. Final Fantasy VII Advent Children


Yep, most movies that are turned to games suck... but is that the same for games turned into movies? Not really, I don't think! This movie really was a fun action film, and the songs are all original creations by Nobuo Uematsu (a famous Japanese composer). Incredible orchestral music, which some songs I will listen to repeatedly.


13. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
When I was wayy little, I remember walking down the street and shouting... "Stop!" Everyone would turn around and stare at me, wondering why I so abruptly wanted everyone to halt. There would be a silence, and after a moment I would continue "Stop you robbers, your little number's up! One of you have stolen my precious golden cup!" Yes, one of Joseph's songs. I can still sing them off the top of my head, that's how deep they've been embedded in my brain. I watched the movie again recently, and was surprised at how many... well, sex references there were in it! I never noticed any of them when I was younger, so it was slightly amusing to watch and register what I had previously skimmed over without a second thought. But don't let that scare you away from this movie. The film and soundtrack is still much fun, and Donny Osmond is always cute to watch dance around. Very good kid's movie, as well as adult's (and women, who squeal to see Donny so young again!)


Well, there's my very first list, and dang did that take long. It's past 9:30PM, and I'm exhausted. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and take to heart what I posted/advertised - I swear to you that I love them all, so check them out if you haven't!

Flattered or freaked?

I think I would be more the latter... but still, I can't help but admire the woman who came up with the lyrics for this.

I now present you with, The Johnny Depp Song!



Nama-nama... mmm-hmmm... for the rest of us that the song isn't about, I feel we may all appreciate his manliness as well as this song. And I know I'd be able to love him more than that Frenchy model-chick in Paris, he can bet on that.

Actually, last night when I heard that song, I was first a little skeptical... I mean, he's how old, now? Maybe I should stick with the mid to late thirties, instead of forties... such as Richard and Gerry. Well, might as well not assume without a bit of evidence, so I decided to Google a few recent images of Johnny. Here's just a taste of my result:

Those chocolate eyes...

Those seductively ripped jeans...

...and that cigarette which I will inconsequently ignore for no one else but he.

*Quickly wipes away drool* Okay, well I'll admit I don't know if these pictures are necessarily "recent," but lemme tell ya': the fact that he was born in '63 suddenly isn't of any... how should I put it... consequence to our love, as it may have moments ago. Yeah, I've changed my mind, whatsit to ya'!

Never again shall my adoring compassion falter, Johnny... Isa' promise... ♥

(But then with us watching Lord of the Rings lately, my mind's also been shared for a certain Viggo, and simple thoughts of how good looking he is with dark hair... but I'll save that rant for a different lustful post. ;) )