Gift art and fandom fallout.

[merimask]

I made something special for my good LJ friend rumdiculous .    She's very dear to me for many reasons.    

She reminds me so much of myself at her age, and she has such a talent for finding beautiful things.  She looks at the world like an artist or a poet ought to; condensing the things she sees around her into beautiful universal motifs and images, and she does it so naturally and unconsciously that her work is relaxed, un-forced, pleasant to look at.  She has an awesome pencil technique and MUCH more patience than most, and so she does some amazing large-scale pieces that would cause me to go pale and shakey if I were to even consider undertaking them.  

But most of all she has a wonderful heart.  She's my favorite chat-buddy because she does such an awesome job of bringing out the silly in me, and when I'm down she always knows how to bring me up.  She has an incredible sense of humor and she actually gets my jokes (which is a rare and precious thing, believe me!).   Her life has been so difficult sometimes, and yet she uses her art, her love of nature, and her inner strength to bounce back again and again.   Tragedy makes her stronger.  I've known her for about a year and a half and I've watched her change and grow in that time into someone I'd be proud to call a friend.  She's one of the first people who befriended me here, on LJ, and I think I've found this place to be a safe, warm, friendly speck in the online universe because of her influence.

So, for her birthday, naturally I had to make a grand gesture!  :-)  I think it's the coolest Medusa mask I've ever done...
 
It was a little late reaching her (like, a couple of months!  I suck), but she SO deserves this.  And, I have to say I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.  It got me started on a banded-snake kick that's still working itself out.  I used really nice stones for the snakes' eyes, by the way.  I knew she liked purple and blue but I couldn't decide which color to go with, so I did both lapis and amethyst and I think it was just more fun that way.

So!  The IY fandom is imploding and it's funny to watch.  :-)  I don't understand why SO many kids are taking the Kik/Inu kiss as a personal affront...that's just so silly.  Getting emotionally invested in a character = all right in my book.  Getting jealous and/or pissed off at that character when the author develops them in a way you don't like = cuckoo.  And, frankly, I'm pleased as punch that Rumiko Takahashi is taking the story in the direction she is (even though I'm really going to miss Kikyo).  Her last series  (Ranma 1/2) ended SO unsatisfactorily for me.  Eight years of romantic tension and jealous pouting and random emotional drama...and what did you get?  Ranma and Akane hold hands and watch the sun set together.  The end.  It's like Takahashi's endings just dribble out of her and make a sad little puddle on the floor.  THIS time, though, I'm seeing a dramatic buildup that is sure to produce something truly climactic...I'm SURE of it.  Takahashi has demonstrated that she's not afraid to kill a pivotal character (she's done it twice now) and everyone's shown such a depth of emotion and so much personal growth that I' m very hopeful that THIS time things won't just peter out.  Also she seems to be following the traditional Japanese formula for folk-tales (monogatari) which are fraught with unrequited love, revenge, and untimely dramatic deaths.  This has me a little worried for poor Inu's safety but I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

 

Comments

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Wow hon. That mask really is amazing. Love the colors too. XD

Yeeeeah....see....this is why I don't get involved in the meat of the fandom anymore. Like you said, all about being emotionally invested in a character, but when people flip out over these things.... *sigh* the girl deserves a little happiness before she dies, doesn't she? I still hold out that Kagome might actually get some action, but yeah, like you, I'm now fearing for Inu's safety. XD

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :-) Isn't that mask so pretty? I loved the colors too. I was afraid it'd be too dark but adding a metallic medium brightened it and made the colors really glow.

It's too bad about all the silly, isn't it? I've found a few people IRL though, who are closet fangirls, and ~those~ are a ton of fun to talk to. I've found a lot of more mature (my age group. Y'know...over 30...ahem)female IY fans who have really fun theories about the manga. Takahashi's been around a long time and her followers are many...and we ALL seem to think IY is going to be her opus.

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Hee hee...closet fangirls are always fun to find. Not that I'm in the closet at all...I carry around a human Inuyasha bag for crying out loud. XD I wish I could find more people to talk IY theory with....alm82 and I used to talk theory all the time (but with her school work now, there's no way...)

But yes, this will probably be Takahashi's pinicle. The character depth, the story (albeit dragged out at parts...), the freakish following. :D melzillachan and I talked at a con once about how Inuyasha opened the door to this particular craze of anime in America. As much as the die-hard IY haters would like to protest, had it not been for the exposure and following Inuyasha has received internationally, I don't think we'd be seeing this craze quite like we are.... I mean, think about it - 10 years ago, ask someone what anime got them into the genre, they would say either DragonBall Z or Sailor Moon, depending on gender most likely. And most of the anime fandom was comprised of men living in their parents' basements. :D Now, ask someone who's been addicted in the last 5 years (myself, for example) and 9 times out of 10, they'll say Inuyasha is what got them into anime.

Wow...total tangent. XD I think my entire point is that Takahashi created something much bigger than I ever think she might have intended to in the beginning. I think IY is her opus on multiple levels. :D

*blush*

[rumdiculous.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

I'm not sure what to say, except that you're a wonderful friend and I have enjoyed every moment we've talked, joked around and shared personal hurts. You're a fabulous person, full of wit and charm. I don't feel so lost in the world at large having you as my friend. :)

Plus our conversations are the best! Naraku's devil cake. That's a priceless moment right there.


I too fear for Inuyasha's safety. I can almost taste a dramatic death coming up.

Re: *blush*

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm an ass 'cause I forget how private you are...but I think it's a good idea to let your friends know what's ~good~ about them. :-)

Oh man..I forgot about the "Naraku's Devil's Food Cake" thing! We have the silliest conversations. Seriously, when we get going we could be writers for some quirky comedy...it's faabulous!

Crap, I hope we're all wrong and Inu gets to be a pinch hitter for the Yokohama BayStars. That'd be a great ending.

[firegazer.livejournal.com]

Oh my... that's gorgeous. I'm saving a copy of the pic just to look at it again on a rainy day. (And you always make me think of so many costume/character ideas. *goes off to try to be creative while the muse is around*)

[merimask.livejournal.com]

:-) Thanks! I really like the way that Medusa turned out...did you notice the two snakes at the bottom? All the other snakes are turned forward or inward, but I put those two down there to watch out for anything that might sneak up from the sides! Guard-snakes.

And I love your icon. *sniffle* Kikyo...she was just so cool.

[firegazer.livejournal.com]

*nodnod* Wen's icons are awesome. If they were pokemon, I'd catch them all. (Give me a moment. I need chocolate after that sentence...)