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Welcome Ladies and Gentleman of DeviantArt

This is all the tutorials, facts, tips and hints about swordmaking all gathered into one news topic. The League of Swordmakers exists to gather all the swordmakers of DeviantArt together. However if people would like to become swordmakers then they need knowledge about swordmaking. So people who are intrested in swordmaking are shown this news topic. It contains all the knowledge about swordmaking made on DeviantArt. However this mainly deals with building eastern swords namely katana's. By learning how to make Katana's, you can use that knowledge to make other swords. This News Topic will be updated with new tutorials.

:star: Level 1 Swordmaking: Beginner Level by *chioky

Now If you have no knowledge what so ever about woodworking, or how to handle types of tools properly, I advise using the Beginner Level of swordmaking. You will learn how the basic parts of a sword come together.




:star: Level 2 Swordmaking: Intermediate Level by *chioky

You have familiarised yourself with the basics of swordmaking, so you will learn how to improve the quality of the swords you make. You know how a sword comes together, but you will learn how to make the sword look elegant.




:star: Level 3 Swordmaking: Advanced Level by ~piratecaptain

You have mastered all the basics skills of swordmaking. You will be making a sword with every single component included in the construction. The sword will have a perfect grade quality and will be a truly flawless sword.



:star: Level 1 Tsukamaki: Electrical Tape by *chioky

This is the most basic type of handle wrapping that you can use. However this tutorial will teach you how to cleanly wrap your sword handles with electrical tape. It looks the worst however its the easiest to learn, but comes in limited colors.



:star: Level 2 Tsukamaki: Cloth Tape by ~piratecaptain *chioky

Cloth tape can be hard to find, but it looks much better then electrical tape. You will be using one continuous strip of cloth tape, while twisting it and wrapping it around the sword handle.

:thumb61889847:

:star: Level 3 Tsukamaki: Double Knot by ~Hexuas *chioky

Now you will be using ribbon which comes in a variety of different colours. This is a double knot tsukamaki design, where you will be twisting the ribbon twice around on the sword handle.



:star: Level 4 Tsukamaki: Single Knot by *Laitz *chioky

This is one of the traditional methods of tsukamaki which is used on actual swords. Unlike a double knot, you will only knot the ribbon once in a certain angle around on the sword handle.



:star: Swordmaking Improvement Tutorials by *chioky ~fixinman

These tutorials help improve certain skills you have learnt in intermediate level swordmaking. However if you are already at an advanced level in swordmaking then you do not require them.



:star: Sheath Making Tutorials by *chioky

If you want to make a sheath for your sword then there are 3 different techniques. The first is Trench Carving, the second is Box Making and the third is Sandwiching. They are not ranked in difficulty but just some are more stronger then others.



:star: Metal Blade Texture Painting by *Risachantag ~Karumaru

Now the only difficult part when it comes to painting swords is trying to get a great metal texture for the blade. That is where this wonderful tutorial comes in teaching you how to make a metal-like blade.



:star: Swordmaking Anatomy's *chioky

If you want to make a sword, then you first must know inside out all the exact terms of the differents parts of the sword you are making. Once you have that knowledge you will understand how they help work together to construct the sword.



:star: Miscellaneous tutorials

These are tutorials that do not fit anywhere else. They might be outdated, or old however they might be useful to you.

:thumb92295330:  

:star: Bleach Related Swordmaking Tutorials

:star: Spacific Zanpakuto Tutorials by *chioky



Tensa Zangetsu, Sode No Shirayuki and Benihime

:star: The Zanpakuto Tsuba Index by *chioky

:star: Tensa Zangetsu and Sode No Shirayuki: [link]
:star: Benihime and Shinso: [link]
:star: Senbonzakura and Kyoko Suigetsu: [link]
:star: Suzumushi and Hyorinmaru: [link]
:star: Pantera and Murciélago: [link]
:star: Gamazu and Shinji Hirako's: [link]
:star: Haineko and Wabisuke: [link]
:star: Hiyori Sarugaki's and Lisa Yadomaru's: [link]
:star: Kazeshini and Tobiume: [link]
:star: Zaraki Kenpachi's and Yachiru Kusajishi's: [link]
:star: Ichigo Kurosaki's and Isshin Kurosaki's : [link]
:star: Suzumebachi and Gegetsuburi: [link]
:star: Itegumo and Zabimaru: [link]
:star: Tiburon and Brujería: [link]
:star: Tenken and Gonryomaru: [link]
:star: Katen Kyokotsu and Sogyo no Kotowari: [link]
:star: Nejibana and Nanao Ise's Tsuba: [link]
:star: Hozukimaru and Fuji Kujaku: [link]
:star: Ashisogi Jizo and Fornicaras: [link]
:star: Ryujin Jakka and Minazuki: [link]
:star: Trepadora and Ira: [link]
:star: Fenix and Mirokumaru: [link]
:star: Ganju Shiba's and Kukaku Shiba's: [link]
:star: Tachikaze and Mashiro Kuna's: [link]
:star: Love's and Rose's: [link]
:star: Hisagomaru and Tsunzakigarasu: [link]
:star: Nijigasumi and Ashido Kano's: [link]
:star: Daiguren Hyorinmaru and Hyorinmaru: [link]
:star: Raika and Reppu: [link]
:star: Tijereta and Giralda: [link]
:star: Del Toro and Volcanica: [link]
:star: Reina de Rosas and Pinsa Guda: [link]
:star: Arbola and Ultima: [link]
:star: Aguila and Calderon [link]
:star: Mamut and Tigre Estoque [link]
:star: Los Lobos and Lilynette's [link]
</sub></b>

:star: The Manga Tsuba Index by *chioky

:star: One Piece - Wado Ichimonji and One Piece - Sandai Kitetsu [link]
:star: One Piece - Yubashiri and One Piece - Shuusui [link]
:star: Blood+ - Saya's Sword and Blood+ - Saya's Katana [link]
:star: Claymore - "THE" Claymore and Fate/Stay Night - Caliburn [link]
:star: High School of the Dead - Murata-to and My-Hime  - Miroku [link]
:star: D.Gray-man - Mugen and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle  - Ginryu [link]
:star: Gurren Lagann - Kamina's Katana and Samurai Deeper Kyo - Tenro [link]
:star: InuYasha - Tetsusaiga and Rurouni Kenshin - sakabato [link]
:star: Samurai Champloo - Z Eyes Katana and Samurai Champloo - Typhoon Swell [link]
:star: Shakugan no Shana - Nietono no Shana and Shamen King - Harusame [link]
:star: YuYu Hakusho - Hiei's sword and Afro Samurai - Afro Samurai Sword [link]
:star: Bakumatsu Kikansetsu - Getsuruito and  Bastard! - Gara's Sword [link]
:star: Kyo Kara Maoh! - Morgif and Codebreaker - Izunenok Amikanesada [link]
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From the mists of the mountains a deafening call
Bellows down over the plains
On a host of battle-worn ears it does fall
Pushing out through the thunder and rain

These men of the north they have suffered too long
The anger it swells in their veins
Of the spirited roars of lost warriors' songs
Distant echoes are all that remain

And my voice is my violence
Clear the sky's frozen tears
And no more we'll be silent
With this Sovngarde song in our ears

And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song

Conquer the anger and ravenous rage!
Make it a part of your power
Pummeling down let your bloodlust engage!
Under your force they will cower

Feeling the fury so pure and so bright
Breaking the bonds of surrender
Under the moon for our home we will fight
And we will die to defend her

And my voice is my violence
Clear the sky's frozen tears
And no more we'll be silent
With this Sovngarde song in our ears

And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song

These perilous peaks
On the rim of the sky
I move in the midst
Of the clouds passing by
At the top of the world
On a white doomful day
Men of wisdom will show me the way

And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song



This song is really touching to me for some reason... It actually made me shed a tear.
  • Mood: Noble
  • Listening to: Sovngarde Song
  • Reading: What I am putting in the 'Reading:' Box
  • Watching: MV For said song.
  • Playing: Skyrim
  • Eating: Nothing.
  • Drinking: Nothing.
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Mentorship Project - Assignment #2 Silhouettes

Journal Entry: Tue Mar 19, 2013, 12:58 AM


So remember the time I said I'd post the assignment up really quick like? I'm a horrible liar and I am sorry.

SO anyway let's get this thing officially rolling! YEAH! Before work pulls me into the abyss again.

We're going to be working on silhouettes!

ex: [link] , [link]



A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, its edges matching the outline of the subject.

"When an object's silhouette is difficult to make out, we have a tough time keeping track of what we're seeing.  It's why so many comics and drawings use the visual shorthand out outlining figures and objects.  The shades and values of an object are secondary to the basic shape when it comes to recognition.  As such, effectively managing silhouettes is a vital tool for visual narratives." - Aaron Diaz

Notice how you can probably easily identify all those characters. Thats because they have solid, clear silhouettes!

Believe it or not, when a character's silhouette is ambiguous or unclear, it makes the visual storytelling difficult to follow. When drawing your comics, or animating (keyframes specifically), you always want your characters to be -readable-. If you have a strong character silhouette, you should be able to tell exactly what your character(s) are doing even when you fill in the image entirely in black. So that's what we're going to work on!

I am assigning you three each a brief character description to work on, and using ONLY silhouettes, I want you to explore every possibility with this character. Different shapes, sizes, weights, heights - you name it.  And I want to be able to infer what the character is doing clearly too!

*Raxion - A 1920s hyperactive/exciteable mafia croney.
*spiffychicken - A paranoid 1950s pinup girl.
~NightShadered - A dopey futuristic/sci fi detective.

I would like:
A. 1 thin, 1 average, and 1 heavyset silhouette for your character.
B. 3 different shape explorations of one of the above (thin, average, heavy)
C. 3 pose: Tired, Surprised, and Angry

If you have any questions please ask!

Extension per request! Due April 4th

further reading: [link]


Turned in:
*spiffychicken - [link]
~NightShadered -
*Raxion -

  • Mood: Sympathy
  • Listening to: Radioactive
  • Drinking: Chai Tea
Yeah, opening these up. Maybe someone'll be interested.

Sketches*: 2 Points

Examples: [link] [link] [link] [link] (NSFW)

Additional characters: +1 Point
*Sketches will be cleaner than this.

Lineart: 5 Points
Examples: [link]

Additional Characters: +3 Points

Flat Colors: 7 Points

Examples: [link]

Additional Characters: +4 Points

Fully Shaded: 10 Points

Examples: [link] [link]

Additional Characters: +5 Points

Adding a background: + 10 Points

WHAT YOU DO

Please send me a note with your request, and please be as specific as possible. Relationship with other character (if more than one), any specific details, etc. Also, references are highly recommended. Please note that, because of school and extracurricular activities continually keeping me busy, your request might lag behind. So I kindly ask for your patience. If you want a preview as to how your commission is coming along so far, then I can be happy to do so. As well, if it is too much for DA, then I will have to post it elsewhere and send you the link.

WHAT I WILL DRAW
Women
Men
M/F
M/M
F/F
NSFW (To a point)

I am willing to try a mix of everything, even if it's out of my comfort zone (Like robots, backgrounds, etc).

WHAT I WON'T DRAW
Basically anything that isn't allowed (like child pornography) or something that involves things like scat or rape to be fetishized. I just don't work that way.

SLOTS
Slots will be limited due to uncertainty of how this will work out/how popular this will be and how school is progressing.

SLOT:
SLOT:
SLOT:
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CONTEST!!

Journal Entry: Fri Dec 28, 2012, 4:43 PM


hi eveyone! I have a new contest!! >w< and now is for points but this is no just my contest is :iconcynthia-elizabeth:'s contest too XD and now here is everything you need to know about our contest :3 please read everything :3

Random Style!



Infos



YOU'LL HAVE TO DRAW AIDA Y NARI IN YOUR ENTRY OK!?

1- :iconcynthia-elizabeth:' OC
her outfits
(naruto style)
(casual style)
(lolita style)
(halloween style)

2- :iconsakurakiel: OC
her outfis
(naruto style) (RTN style )
(casual style)
(lolita style)
(halloween style)
(other style)

RULES



1-you must draw nari and aida in all the pics you want to do, we don't care about the pose, style or anything
2- no edits, bases or sketchs please
3- every pic must to have a background, a simple bg like this or something like this but it must to have a bg
4- no yuri or hentai XD nari and aida are friends no lovers ok XD and no content mature ok? XD
5- you can draw they in every way you want, they can be like in naruto style, inthe middle of a fight, or in lolita style like nari being the maid and aida her lady, or like valentine's day, whatever XD

PRIZES


1st place- 1000 points and 3 icons by :iconsakurakiel:
1 fullbody colored, 1 halfbody and 1 chibi by :iconcynthia-elizabeth:

2nd place-800 points and 2 icons by :iconsakurakiel:
1 halfbody colored and 1 chibi by :iconcynthia-elizabeth:

3rd place- 400 points and 1 icon by :iconsakurakiel:
1 chibi colored and 1 lineart by :iconcynthia-elizabeth:

LAST DAY YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY IS ON FEBRUARY 12th AND THE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON FEBRUARY 14th ok :3? good luck

Some examples of the draws that you can win
:iconcynthia-elizabeth:'s draws
:iconsakurakiel:'s icons

FOR ANY QUESTION JUST ASK ME n.n THANKS

informacion en espa;ol aqui Esp/Eng Contest Info(after everything in spanish I'm going to give some more information in english ok?)
hola a todos esta es la entrada en espa;ol de mi ultimo journal   uwu perdonen mi tardanza por el espa;ol esque no havia tenido tiempo uwu pero bueno aqui hay buenas explicasiones, la verdad aqui no tengo (tenemos) un tema en especial es random osea aleatorio XD que quiere decir nada en especifico XD
perdonen no soy buena explicando, el caso es que como bieron en el anterior journal eh habierto un concurso
el pimer premio ganara 1000 puntos + 3 iconos de mi asi como el que tengo y unos cuatos dibujos de mi amiga :iconcynthia-elizabeth: (tooodoos los ejemplos estan en el anterior journal, claro el primer premio y segundo tienen la opcion de pedir 3 meses de premium membership + los puntos de sobra que tiene el premio pero igual el 3 lugar tambien ganara 400 o 500 si llego a tener suerte de conseguir mas puntos XD asi que almenos para mi seria tentadora la oferta XD


Graphics by *luzhikaru
CSS by =Anysayuri
Mini thumb code by `thespook
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Last night, I was involved with my first heated Twitter debate, and ironically enough, it was with two of my favorite internet reviewers: Linkara and Nostalgia Chick.

Lewis, Lindsay, in the slim chance either of you are reading this, I mean no ill-will towards either of you. I enjoy your reviews immensely.

However, you two should stick to reviewing comic books and movies. Political commentary is not your forte.

Anyway, the entire debacle started when Lindsay tweeted this:
@Linkara19 @krameralex95 Who fuckin cares if women are like... in any way oppressed... I mean they can vote and hold office.
And herein lies the problem I have with feminists: we have a fundamental difference in what constitutes "oppression."

To me, people suffer "oppression" when they are systematically denied the same rights that everyone else in society has, thus relegating them to second-class citizens.

However, feminists like Lindsay believe that "oppression" also constitutes differing societal expectations of the two genders.

This isn't oppression. This is human nature, and considering how our species is sexually-dimorphic, it's something to be expected.

I tried explaining this in my reply to her:
@thelindsayellis @linkara19 @krameralex95 If they can vote and hold office, then they're hardly being oppressed, now are they?
To which Linkara interjected:
@BlameThe1st @thelindsayellis @krameralex95 Yeah, so virgin/whore dichotomies are a myth and rape culture doesn't exist. Thanks.''
See what I mean? A fundamental difference in what constitutes "oppression."

Who cares if women have the exact same rights as men? Some have to endure being called "sluts," and that's just as bad as not being able to vote! (Rolls eyes)

And then Lindsay added:
@BlameThe1st @Linkara19 I was dearly hoping you weren't going to tweet at me again, bro. We have ungodly high rape rates. Something is up.
Ah yes, the "rape culture" claim. If that were true, and American society permitted rape, then it would only follow that sexual assault rates would be through the roof. However, seeing as how such rates have been on the decline over the past 20 years, that hardly seems to be the case.

Now many have brought up on Twitter that the stats I cited were over three years old and only covered "reported" rape. However, I feel they still count. Three years is hardly a huge time gap, so they're still relevant.

As for "unreported" rape, it's hard to determine them since they are unreported. So reported rape is the only thing we have to go by.

But then Lindsay had to reply with this:
@BlameThe1st @Linkara19 Good. Then clearly I'm imagining the sexual harassment I get every time I go to a bar. [link]
WTF? The discussion is on rape. I bring up rape statistics. Lindsay brings up sexual harassment statistics. Not the same thing! That's like having a discussion on traffic accidents and bringing up car theft! Non Sequitur!

Then someone named Lotus Prince interjected with this gem:
@BlameThe1st @Linkara19 @thelindsayellis @krameralex95 "Other countries have more" =/= "Don't worry about it an America."
No. That's not what I'm saying! Rape is a problem here, yes, but compared to countries with real "rape cultures" like the Congo and India, it isn't that big of a problem.

Over here, rape and other forms of sexual assault are on the decline, while over there, it's so permissible that no one even cares. Thus why I don't believe America is a "rape culture."

Perspective, people!

And to top of this guy's blatant anti-intellectualism, he added:
@BlameThe1st @thelindsayellis @Linkara19 And it's not at zero.
No. It's not zero. It never will be zero. Ever.

Zero is not an attainable goal, so setting it as one is not reasonable. The fact that sexual assault rates are not at zero does not prove that America is a rape culture. If that were the case, then every country on the frigging planet is!

What matters is that rape in this country is on the decline. DECLINE! And has been for over two decades! The same is true for violent crime as a whole!

America does not have a rape problem. America does not have a violence problem. On the contrary, America is becoming an increasingly safer country to live in.

So don't worry. Be happy!

To add to the overall fail, one person even tried to cite the recent Steubenville rape case as proof that America is a rape culture.

Anyone who has visited my Tumblr and Twitter accounts know how I feel about that. It was a sickening event that should have never happened.

With that said, it was only one incident in one town, and thus not indicative of the country as a whole. Using it as proof is anecdotal evidence, and thus not reliable.

I bluntly explained that in a reply, to which Linkara replied in the most face-palming leap of logic I have ever witnessed from him:
@BlameThe1st @Slatefield @Alfougin ...Are you suggsting that the stuff happening around Steubenville didn't happen? I'm with Lindsay. Done.
WTF? Where the hell did I say that? Where? When? How?

How do you get "Steubenville didn't happen" from "Isolated incident; anecdotal evidence"?

For a guy who makes a living reviewing comic books, something is extremely wrong with Linkara's reading comprehension here.

And with that, the conversation ended. There's more fail within it, but if you'll have to visit the conversation to see it for yourself.

I warn you: you will facepalm!

Again, Lindasy, Lewis, I love you both and your work, but please stay clear from politics.
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First off, a big apology to all the people wondering where I've been the last couple of weeks. Life has been... hectic as of late. But now that school's out I'll be dedicating quite a bit more time to deviantArt and to the activities that got me so involved in this site. Chiefly making some Daedric armor! I haven't had time to work on it but I'm still very excited about the project, mainly due to the discovery of bondo filler putty (A big thanks to fairlyodd1217, go check out his iron helmet [link]. My original daedric helmet is really rough because I lost patience with trying to smooth out the bondo, but now that I know better than to rush it (and filler putty to help smooth it even more) I'm thinking I can get my pieces to the prop level quality I had envisioned.
    It's also worth nothing that I think it's high time I got with the times and make my files available for download. My original plan was to make this all very personable and handle everything on a per request basis. That was well and good for a while but frankly it's been a bit overwhelming lately. Never in a million years did I expect my humble files to take off like they have and the demand has been quite difficult to keep up with. So hopefully over Christmas break I'll find time to convert everything over and get links up to download my pep files.
    Now I know I've been talking about how busy I am, but I have found time to play Dragonborn, the third add-on for Skyrim. It's amazing. I was pretty happy with Dawnguard until I played Dragonborn. It showed me how halfhearted on an "expansion" Dawnguard was. If you haven't played Skyrim lately because you ran out of things to do you really really need to get Dragonborn. It's like playing Skyrim for the first time all over again. Plus it's added a ton of awesome new items, many of which I'm very eager to make pep files for.
So for now it's time to make good on promises of progress and also to send out all of these pep files (thanks for your patience everyone).
Have a very merry Christmas!

tl/dr version:
Time to get to work on Daedric Armor
I'll be adding download links for pep files
Dragonborn is awesome
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Worbla's Finest Art Tutorial I

Thu Sep 13, 2012, 12:00 PM
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ :facebook: Naraku on Facebook ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
 ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ :twitter: Naraku on Twitter ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊



Hello and welcome to my second tutorial. I made this one especially for Thomas today.

Here are some pictures on "How to use Worbla's"

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

But first: What is Worbla's?

Worbla's Finest Art is a thermoplastic that's ultra cosplayer-friendly. It cuts easily with a knife or a pair of scissors. Then simply heat it up with steam, hot water or hot air (90°C), and it'll become mouldable. Once it's cooled down it goes hard again.

Worbla's works with spray paints and acrylics very well. There is glue on the shiny side, so multiple layers can be added when it's hot. And because it's only about 1mm thick, it's very good for creating details.

Don't throw away any leftovers! They can be heated up and then rolled together, then you can use it like putty.

◊◊◊ copied by coscraft [link] ◊◊◊

you can buy it here:
coscraft [link]
my costume [link]

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

Here you can see how I made the medals for my Lady Loki cosplay step by step.

.
.
.

What do you need:
- pencil, scissors or a knife and maybe paper
- worbla's
- head dryer
- acrylic paint/ spray
- sandpaper and spackle
- basic model

How does it work, step by step:

STEP 1



Keep your materials and basic models ready. Here you can see the light brown Worbla's and the basic forms.


STEP 2



Draw a shape or the outline of your basic model.


STEP 3



you're done? then cut it out - wohooo. (You can cut it easily with a knife or a pair of scissors.)
just a hint: Collect all residues. You can use it later for another project!


STEP 4



Time for the magic weapon: the ultimate heat pistol!
Heat your Worbla's, it gets soft and pliable.

my second hint: it is TOO hot when your worbla's is brighter/white and rough.


STEP 5



Put your Worbla's on your basic model or bend it freehand.
Now you have to wait for it to get cold and solid again.


STEP 6



You should heat all your pieces and bend them into your desired form in one go. This is easier and saves you a lot of time.


STEP 7



You don't need to do this step, but you can use some spackle to make your worbla's smoother.


STEP 7 a



If you use spackle, you can grind it down to smoothness with sandpaper.


STEP 7 b



This picture doesn't show it that well, but you can make out what I mean.
Your goal: make it smooth smooth smooth, like a baby bottom. ^.~


STEP 8



Are you done with the previous step? Now you can use all acrylic paint and spray it as you need. Let them dry very well.
For special effects you can use a second paint to draw on it after the first dried through.


STEP 9



Wear it on a convention and be the proudest cosplay in this world ♡

  • Mood: Love
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April Birthdays

Wed Apr 24, 2013, 9:14 AM by =WickedDaeus:iconwickeddaeus:

Spreadin' the Llama Love since April 3rd, 2010


Happy Birthday!

~TheOneChica, =ColorFanatic and ~Destinyhope99 are our birthday badge winners!


We are holding another birthday badge giveaway again!  So for those of you who have a birthday this month (and have it displayed on your information, we know where to find it), read the rules below.

Rules
  1. You must have a birthday in April.  This must also be visible on your profile.  This information is shown in the 'About Me' drop down section on a person's profile.

  2. Comments will not be counted towards your participation!  If you wish to have a chance at winning a birthday badge, you must favorite this journal.  This is to prevent people from trying to cheat with comments.

  3. We are only giving out three badges.

    Good luck guys!
    Want to help us out?  Donate :points:


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2012: Year of the Dragon



:icontechgnotic:
by $techgnotic
Thu Feb 16, 2012, 3:00 PM














According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 has ushered in the year of the dragon upon the world stage.


In addition to occupying an ages old position in our cultural consciousness, legend and folklore surrounding
the dragon mythology has long been firing the kiln of our dreams with fright and menace. When we are speaking of
Dragons, we are speaking from ancient texts gathered form the beginnings of kept records of any kind and from all
points of the Earth Sphere.


In a time before modern science and anthropology, farmers tilling their fields and
fishermen drawing their nets would find amazements that struck them with fear and awe: fanged serpentine skulls
larger than the tallest man, along with other bones indicating powerfully-taloned creatures taller than the treetops.
All creation itself was assumed to be no more than several dozen human generations’ lifetimes’ long, so the idea
of dinosaur remains from 200 million years ago was beyond the most educated human comprehension of the time. The
mind of ancient man must have been reeling.










What were these creatures? Monsters? Gods?! And more pressing: Did they still walk the earth? (Or fly above the clouds?)  
In what remote lairs could they be found?  Mountaintop keeps?  Inside volcanoes?  Living deep beneath the oceans?






Believable stories, legends, mythos had to be created to help humans
calm their fears and place these terrifying beings within some kind of manageable
context in their lives and societies.

The dragon mythos was born.












Although ancient Europeans imagined their dragons to be originated from the seas (like the terrifying “sea serpents” and
giant octopuses and squids that haunted the seafaring Europeans’ nightmares) and the Chinese and Far Easterners imagined their
dragons to have flown forth from volcanoes, spewing the volcanic fire that was their birthright – what is remarkable about
dragons is their ubiquitous presence in the myths and legends and historic consciousnesses of peoples and societies all over
the world. "Dragon” is an instantly understood idea and image held in common by every person currently alive. Dragons have continued
to evolve as frightful symbols of nature’s overwhelming destructive forces, far beyond the defenses of humankind, on down through the millennia.





Of course, in our warp-speed modern times, just when science might be thought powerful enough to finally “explain away” the “dragon”
skulls and forever vanish the monsters from our fitful dreams – we, being the fun humans that we are, have decided to embrace The Dragon
in our pop consciousness like never before, even transforming him (and her) from a force of destruction into a friend and protector (as in
Anne McCaffrey, George R. R. Martin, and Harry Potter novels and many highly-grossing films and video games). It would seem that while we
as intelligent beings value our scientific discoveries, we value just as much our marvelously crafted and generationally passed-down stories, myths and legends.




Thus: Our Dragons will live forever!




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Questions for the Reader




1

What aspect of the “dragon” most fascinates you personally? The mystery of their possible actual reality (now or long ago)?
The amazing worldwide span of the “dragon story” and belief as well as the millennial timespan of the legends? Or simply the
the incredible fun that fills the dragon stories and artful depictions?






2

Do you think science ruins wonderful myths like “dragons”?  Or can science and mythic consciousness exist side by side if both are respected, appreciated and given their due?







3

Which dragon story or depiction most influenced your childhood?










4

What is your first impression of a person you see wearing dragon jewelry?





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5

If a living dragon were discovered to be living in an Icelandic volcano, what impact do you think this would make on our world?  What if because they emerged in Iceland, Bjork and Robbie Rotten were designated as our human ambassadors to the upper echelon of an emerging dragon society?









6

If we ever needed to, who, in your opinion do you think we should assign this most important of positions, specific and depending of course on which Volcano in what part of the world they were to emerge from?  And why would they be best for the job?