OMG I love this!  Star Wars book ends from a great and classic scene when they are in the trash room in episode IV A New Hope.

(via Club jade)

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An Americanized manga, Sorcerers & Secretaries hooked me with the name. I was expecting a evil-fighting admin assistant with a pen that dissolves evil and a stapler that will fend off the most intimidating magical creature. What I found was something completely different.

Nicole is a receptionist and college student who lives her life in a dream world that she spins through writing sword and sorcery tales. We can all relate to her immediately with issues such as, an annoying mom, annoying job and coworkers, wanting to write instead of work, and everyone in her life putting down her interests by saying “that childish fantasy stuff you like”. This tale started slow for me, but won me over with its cute book references and speculative fiction inside jokes that only we understand. Although the art is very American (circa 1980’s Sunday morning newspaper comics), the drawings of the bookstore are great and had me pause for a few minutes to read the titles. One cover I especially got a chuckle from was “LARP for Beginners”. A new twist in this tale is that the cute hottie at the bookstore actually likes the geeky, book-loving, allergy girl.

The author is definitely in our demographic and should be supported for that alone. However, this is not a tale I would recommend for its excellent fantasy story. This book is not so much a fantasy story as a romance where the lead is in love with the lead character in her fantasy novel. Like Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, the girl is wrapped up in a fantasy tale so completely that she cannot see a real guy who wants to date her. Still, an amusing, quick read and one that despite its cover warning 13+, is safe for all readers. Sorcerers and Secretaries is a great gift for your teenage cousins who are into the fantasy/romance genre.

If you enjoy this manga, you can read more about the series and download desktop images from this site: Sorcerers And Secretaries

Get your copy here from amazon and hlep support the project:

• Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 1
• Sorcerers & Secretaries, Volume 2

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In honor of fathers day I had to feature this Star Wars art project. bcampbell_to’s (shown above) took Gabby Moore’s (shown below) original black and white design and collored it.  I love the geeky symbolism in the art and wondered to myself why not do one for fathers day.

This project could be a simple print and color project for the less drawing talented like myself.  I would recommend printing on card stock this way if you decide to use paints or inks it will absorb it better.

For the more artfully inclined like bcampbell to’s out there try drawing it on white cotton and coloring it.

Enjoy and happy fathers day!

(via Geek Central Station)

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I’m not normally a big fan of stamps but the art on this one is stunning.  These stamps are available in the UK at royal mail
(via Neil Gaiman)

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A 5′3″ Lego Buzz Lightyear!  Guess How many bricks it took?

It took over 40,000 bricks.

(via /Film)

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Bride of the Water God is a must-own, simply because of it’s elaborate artwork. The fact that it also has an excellent story, is a plus.

The premise of the story is: A village in draught conditions decides to offer up one of it’s girls as a bride to appease the water god so that he will allow it to rain.  Soah, the bride girl is then sent out into the ocean in a boat. She seems to crash and drown, ending up in the land of Suguk, a magical place where the gods live.

Suguk has a large fish-shaped metal airship that floats above, maneuvering through the sky where rocks with waterfalls are suspended. When Soah meets the water god, Habaek, she finds he is just a boy.

There are interesting characters living in the world of Suguk such as the fire god, a witch with a cool tattoo over her eye, and a doctor who seems to want to steal Soah away. As the story progresses, we find that the water god can change into a gorgeous man at night. We also meet his mother, who everyone is scared of because she is the goddess of punishment, torture, and disease.
The scariest part of this book is when Soah goes into the forest and sees a dog. She reaches out to him because, like her, he is also a creature out of place in the magical world. Unfortunately, when she reaches out to him he turns into a monster with horrible teeth like an alligator. The gods call him Che, the tiger, ox-tailed monster who barks like a dog and eats humans.

I could go on all day about how much I love this manhwa. I could tell you about the masked messenger Banwang who poses as a dog with wings. I could awe you with descriptions of elaborate formal dress costumes and fanciful architecture, but it’s better you see for yourself by purchasing or previewing these books at Amazon.com.

Manhwa

A little bit about manhwa: It is the Korean version of manga. How do you know you’re reading a manhwa versus a manga? Well, as long as you enjoy the story, it really doesn’t matter, but for you sticklers out there, here are some differences:

• Manhwa’s are Korean-based, not Japanese.
• In the United States they are generally published in the bigger quality paperback size.
• Manhwa’s are read in the same direction as US text (not backwards like Japanese mangas).
• The art in most of the manhwa’s I’ve seen is traditional with beautifully elaborate drawings- the kind you would see on a fan or in one of my favorite books as a child, Tikki Tikki Tembo. By the way, although I know there is criticism about Tikki because of its over exaggeration of Chinese names, it is still close to my heart because it is the first time that I, as a little white girl living in a predominately white community, got to see another culture close up.
• Most of these manhwa feature a few pages in the front or back that are glossy color photos you just want to rip out and hang on your wall.

Bride of the Water God 1

Bride of the Water God 2

Bride Of The Water God 3

Bride Of The Water God 4 (preorder)

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Ever wanted your own alien in a jar, now you can make one with this weekend’s craft.  This one looks awesome, I want it for my desk.  It will cost more then some of the other projects to buy some of the supplies and require some minor electrical work to get the jar glowing.

What you need:

• A jar with a lid that is thick enough to conceal a battery pack and some LEDs (local supermarket)
• Glow water made from florescent dye extracted from a highlighter pen (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/464980/glow_water_how_to_make_your_own/)
• Alien Embryo Growing Pet (http://www.thespacestore.com/alemgrpet.html)
• 4.5V Battery pack (http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-45-volt-battery-pack-from-a-9V-battery/)
• Protostack half size prototyping board (http://www.protostack.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=3)
• 2.7 ohm resistor (1W)
• 6 x High Power Ultra Violet LEDs (http://www.protostack.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_30&products_id=36)

There are 8 steps to this project which can be read here on instructables.  Some additional recommendations from the discussion that follows are:

• Re circuit board:  don’t have to have it but it helps hold everything together.
• should add some kind of biocide to the water like salt or ammonia.

If you had a glowing Alien in a Jar how would you use it?  I like the recommendation to swap out the batteries for a solar pannel and turning it into a solar powered porch light!

(Thanks protostack)

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What a great stitch work, I love this mainly for the symbolism in it.

On the left you have a Dalek a terrifying symbol of racism only allowing supreme / perfect beings to live in their presence.  On your right there is the supreme perfect being an astromech with the designation r2d2.  In the middle the only reaction the Dalek could have love… Brilliant!

Thanks krupp keep up the great work.

We also featured his Star Wars Cross-Stich here

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Time to get active!

(via Cele|bitchy)

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Alex CF has done it again!  This stunning “preserved” dragon took my breath away.

“A large specimen presented in a fine edwardian cabinet. An infant taxidermied Draco Alatus of the order Draconis. Incredibly good condition considering age. Part of the Merrylin Cryptid collection, circa 1876 (The Art of Alex CF).”

Complete with a “historical” explanation of the species, Alex has proven again why his art is among the best fantasy art in the world today.

If I had the money, I would love to add this to my collection.

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