I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions, but that's sort of the theme of The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday this week.  Since I do have some book and blogging goals for this year, I decided to feature them here, so in no particular order ...

(c.) 2016 The Artist Librarian - Bookish & Blogging Resolutions for 2016.

Bookish Goals:

1.  Overall Reading Goal: 125 Books
--I want to up 2015's goal of 100 books.  Last year, I started counting everything: novels/books and comic books/graphic novels to my Goodreads Reading Challenge, but kept a personal goal of 50 novels, which I achieved.  This year, I'm aiming at 55 books minimum, but once I graduate from library school this spring, I'll re-evaluate and see if I can afford to bump that goal higher!

2.  Read more from my own "stacks"
--I have a shelf doubled up with books I own and haven't read yet (and probably more around the rest of my room).  I keep meaning to get to them ... I'd like to get at least of quarter of them read this year.

3. Finish up the old Star Wars Expanded Universe books and catch up with new Star Wars publishing
--The Bad: the previously published Star Wars "EU" novels have been rebranded "Star Wars Legends" so all the books and most of the characters that made this fangirl fall in love with Star Wars isn't part of the official timeline anymore (thanks, Star Wars: The Force Awakens). =/

The Good: Since the Disney buyout, every Star Wars novel published since September 2014 is part of the official timeline and is actively being integrated with the films and tv shows.  Previously, info/storylines/characters, etc. from the books could be dismissed if they contradicted the films or tv shows. 

The Point: I had read nearly every Star Wars EU novel until 2012, when I fell behind finishing the last Fate of the Jedi novel.  Having just watched The Force Awakens, which left me with more questions than answers, I am finally inspired to finish off the old EU and get to the new "canon" books. =P

4. Read the Harry Potter Series
--This series has been on my radar since high school --maybe I'll finally get around to reading it this year. Goal is to start the series by summertime, bonus points if I finish by the time that new Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them movie is released.  ;-)

5. Read Dee Henderson's O'Malley Series
--My mom read and loved this series, but wanted to wait until I was 16 to let me read them.  Well ... 16 came and went, LOL.  I keep meaning to get to these highly regarded Christian romantic suspense novels.

6. Expand My Manga Horizons
--So the majority of my manga experience is essentially Attack on Titan or A Bride's Story.  In 2015, I read about 60 comic books/graphic novels/manga.  I expanded beyond western superhero comic books to quite a few graphic novels and stand alones, but my manga series were basically two.  This year, I want to explore the many different manga genres in the all-ages to teen ranges.  I've already reserved Kaoru Mori's Victorian historical Emma series ... Any and all manga suggestions are welcome!

7. Utilize Goodreads More Constantly
--I normally only update my reading list on Goodreads about 4 times a year.  In 2015, other than posting time sensitive book reviews, I only updated my reading list in Spring and Winter.  While I keep track of the books I read on a spreadsheet (which was handy for keeping track of novels vs. comic books), I'd like to update Goodreads more consistently this year, so that when they're tracking my 2016 reading goal, it will be more accurate on how many books I'm behind or ahead of my goal.

Blogging Goals: 

8. More "Artist" at The Artist Librarian
--I first started this blog with the intent to highlight not just book reviews, but my arts, crafts, and especially costuming and cosplay projects.  I've been blogging for about a year and a half now and I'd say 95% of my blog is bookish related.  I recently revamped my blog design and reorganized pages in preparation for this.  While the upcoming semester will be pretty busy, I'd like to start posting costume/cosplay guides and tutorials (one or two costumes a  month) once summer begins.

9. Reviews of Clothing, blu-Ray/DVDs, or Other Fandom Stuff
--Again, when I started this blog, also I wanted to feature some product reviews of things I've purchased.  For example, I often wish online stores had detailed garment measurements.  I also at times have wanted/needed more detailed cosplay wig information or reviews on a certain style or color.  If I can do 6-12 of these this year, I'd be satisfied ...

10. Falling into Fandom Series
--If you've perused my new "Interviews & Other Features" page, you may have seen the #FallingIntoFandom series of posts I'd like to start this year.  In it, a fandom will be featured (book series, film, tv show, etc.) and I'll write about how I became a fan of said series, why I'm a fan, etc.  I think this would be a cool link up thing to do ... or something to get other bloggers to join in on --I'll have to look into how to do that.  But for now, I'd like to just start off with about 6 of these this year.  =)

So ... I'm probably super ambitious with this list, but any advice?  What are your blogging or bookish goals this year?  Feel free to share your TTT list also!

This week's Top Tuesday topic is from The Broke and The Bookish's blog:  "Halloween themed freebie -- your choice (ie. 10 best ghost stories, 10 things that scare you in books, 10 literary Halloween costumes, 10 vampire novels, 10 books that WILL scare you, 10 non-scary books for Halloween, 10 scariest covers, etc.)"  I don't really celebrate Halloween, but since I do costuming, I thought I'd share my list of top book characters I want to cosplay someday!  In no particular order ...



1. Kale Allerion in DragonQuest by TheArtistLibrarian on DeviantArt
Kale Allerion (The DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul)

The directors, John Musker and Ron Clements, have previously worked on beloved Disney films such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Princess and the Frog.  Excited yet?  I can't wait for a full trailer.  You can read more and see some exclusive images in this people.com article as well.

Obviously, the title role in a Disney animated feature would catapult whoever got selected onto Hollywood's radar (especially if they did a spectacular job), so I'm glad Disney chose to highlight an actress of Polynesian descent (like Moana herself).  I honestly don't think ethnicity should be that much of an issue in voice acting in animation (it's animation, you don't see the actors). In my opinion, Caucasian actress Daveigh Chase did a great job as Lilo (presumably Native Hawaiian, I don't recall it being stated) in Disney's Lilo & Stitch. However, there are not often many opportunities or roles available for Native Hawaiian or Polynesian actresses, so due to this, I really applaud Disney for Cravalho's casting. 

What yet-to-be-released animated films have you excited and why?  Let me know in the comments!
[Edit: Added more info!]

My take on Mulan, along with other Disney friends (photo credit: Tom Quach)

So if you saw my Instagram account earlier this month, you may have realized I've cut my hair ...

Official Logo (c.) DreamWorks

Back in October, I posted my reaction to stills released of the upcoming (at the time) Dawn of the Dragon Racers short. If you remember, I theorized the character models would be re-used in the upcoming season 3 of DreamWorks' Dragons series. Well, it looks like my guess was practically correct!

This past Sunday at Wondercon 2015 in Aneheim California, DreamWorks Animation revealed more details of the upcoming season of their popular How to Train Your Dragon tv series.  Season 3, Dragons: Race to the Edge will be aired exclusively on Netflix and takes place a few years before the events in the second How to Train Your Dragon film.  Fangirlish.com interviewed the executive producers of the series, giving us an article with the most details of season three thus far.  Berkians (How to Train You Dragon fans) will have to hang on until June, when the first thirteen episodes of the season are released, but DreamWorks has given us some official images for the fandom to speculate and theorize over.

(c.) DreamWorks - The dragon riders finally aged up on the tv show

  The new character designs for Dragons: Race to the Edge, which are the same or quite similar to the framing scenes of the Dawn of the Dragon Racers short. Astute fans quickly noticed changes such as Hiccup's braids and red tunic. Hmm ... Astrid did tell Hiccup and Toothless in Dawn of the Dragon Racers, "I always knew red was your color." 
I binge watched the first two seasons of Dragons last year and thought it was one of the better television shows on the Cartoon Network.  Though there still was a lot of silly humor, there were some episodes that had great character developments. Now that they've aged up the characters, I'm hoping that we'll see Hiccup and Astrid's relationship transition from friendship to the solid, romantically-tinged one hinted at in HTTYD2. That's one of the things I appreciated about the first two seasons --Hiccup and Astrid's friendship and support of each other was highlighted over a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, which I felt was appropriate for their age at the time (no older than 16 in the tv show).  I also hope that Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut get more characterization other than just comic relief as they were in HTTYD2, but we'll see.

(c.) DreamWorks - Toothless & Hiccup

And the Berkians on tumblr.com celebrated ... ;-)

I'm rarely on tumblr, but it seems the majority of Berkians/HTTYD fandom hang out there ... Apparently the fandom exploded over Hiccup's *new* rust red tunic as seen with kingofthewilderwest's post.

My favorite tumblr reaction, however has got to be suicunesrider who wrote: 

"ever since the new Race to the Edge images, there’s been great debate over whether Hiccup looks better in red, or green. but we all know this is petty, and does not matter. for we all love him for what he has on the inside. And would never squander over feeble appearance... also he looks best in black ..."

The post was accompanied with a picture of Hiccup in his HTTYD2 black and brown leather flying suit. =P

Basically, the only thing I'm bummed about is that the series is exclusively on Netflix, which my family doesn't have.  Netflix has released past seasons of their exclusive dramas such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black on DVD. Though I don't know of any of their children's programming released on DVD, I hope Dragons: Race to the Edge will be one of them (I'll be the first in line to purchase).

Astrid, Toothless, Hiccup, and Snotlout sport new looks between the movies.

Shirt:
 Astrid wears a sleeveless red top.  It's a muted, kind of rust red and there's a similar texture to the fabric as her shirt from the first movie.  It's probably meant to simulate knitting or maybe nalbinding (a more ancient craft).  There is variety to the stitch size and sections of the fabric seem to shift their rust red tones subtly.  Her top has a jewel neckline, with a small slit in the center (probably for ease when dressing). 

  

Back of caplet with hood and hair detail

Caplet: 
Over this, she wears a new, short dark brown fur caplet.  It's fastened with four leather strips connected to a silver-gray ring (see above image).  The hem of the caplet looks like it's curved like the bottom half of a circle.  From certain images, it looks like the inside of her cape isn't fuzzy fur (see arm warmer reference image below).  It looks lined with a suede or perhaps the backing of the pelt she used, so it's smoother.  It could be fur in the lining, but I decided to make it suede for my costume --I'll find out for certain once the blu-Ray is released.

Hood detail, different angles.  Also can see the shape and length of the caplet.

Hood:

Arm warmer and caplet lining detail

Arm Warmers:
Her arm warmers are probably completely lined with the off-white fur that forms the cuffs, which would explain the bulk.  They completely cover the palm of her hand and run just to her elbow.  There are no individual finger slots, except for her thumbs.  Each arm warmer is likely patterned out of two pieces, since there is a seam on each side.  The seam is top-stitched on both sides of the seam with brown thread.  Brown leather lacing or cord binds the arm warmers in a particular pattern (as seen from the reference images).  The same type of leather lacing also binds her upper arms in the bicep area.
Her skirt is made of two layers.  The first layer is a tan colored fur.  The nap of the fur is short and probably close to the length of the nap on the dark brown fur of her caplet.  If you look at the full body image, the skirt sits on her natural waistline (around her bellybutton) and the hem ends at about her fingertips. 
The over-skirt is made of brown leather panels, which have rounded ends and narrow a bit to the waist.  If you look closely, it seems like the panels are held at about the "beak" section of the skulls which seem to attach the panels to the narrow brown leather waistband of her skirt.  In the movie, we see that the panels are completely sewn to the fur skirt, so they don't dangle from the waist, but I wouldn't suggest that for real-world practicality.  If you don't want to remain standing the entire time you cosplay Astrid, attach the panels only at the waist, so you can flip the spiked skirt panels out of way when you sit down!

Pouch detail

The skulls are similarly shaped, but have small organic differences.  They are about two times larger than the skulls on her caplet. There seems to be about 10-12 panels, with a skull attached on top of each, minus one on her right hand side, where it is replaced with an oval-shaped leather pouch.  It might be stretched or formed leather, since it looks quite structured.  There is a darker brown strip that seems to serve as the fastener to the pouch.  There are also four silver-gray spikes on each panel.  The two closest to the waistband the skirt are slightly smaller than the spikes near the wider bottoms of the panels.  There's a narrow "collar" or rim of sorts at the base of each spike (see skirt image), which probably have something to do with how the spikes are attached to the skirt.

Knee pad and pouch detail

Leggings and Knee Pads:
Her leggings are a dark indigo blue and they fold and crease around her legs above the knees a bit. 
Over her leggings she wears two brown leather knee pads.  There are no straps crossing the back of her knees, so they might be sewn to the leggings.  However, there are short little tabs or something on four sides of each knee pad ... I'm guessing that's the actual way they're rigged.  There are also two curved lines on each knee pad which are probably sewing or structural lines.

Boot detail, note bands on toe

Boots:
 Her boots are brown leather or suede.  They are flat, with no heel and the shaft of the boot is covered in fur.  Tan colored fur with a wide off-white fur cuff.  There are brown leather cord stitching and criss-cross designs on the front of the tan fur and there are three leather strips crossing at the toe of each boot.

Hair detail, click to enlarge

Hair (and Makeup?):
Finally, her hair.  Astrid's golden blonde hair is put in a much more elaborate style.  Her fringe (that is, her bangs) are shorter than in HTTYD and is swept to her left.  She also has some longer pieces framing her face on the sides.  On her right side, it seems those strands end just above her shoulder or barely brush them.  Her hair is parted at the top of her head, where a narrow knotty braid (perhaps a dis-proportioned three strand braid with one very narrow section) frames her face like a headband that joins into a side braid on the left side of her head.  It looks like either a knot braid, round braid or three strand braid, wrapped with a section of hair.  This main braid is tied off with brown leather cord.  She wears a leather headband (I believe it's called a kransen), a bit lighter brown than the rest of the leather in her outfit.  It goes under her bangs and the narrow braid, but over the rest of her hair.

I'm not sure what type of makeup Vikings may have had, but Astrid's eyelashes look like she used a bit of mascara!

My version of Astrid Hofferson --how'd I do?

A few more notes on proportions and colors:

- The width of the leather strips fastening her caplet seems to be the same width as the three strips covering the toe of each boot.

- Her caplet's hem ends just above or at her waist, above her skirt's waistband.

- The brown leather of knee pads and her over-skirt's panels look the same.

- All the silver-gray metal on her outfit is "worn" or "aged" ... not quite a gunmetal look, but almost.

- The fur used for the main part of her boot covers looks to be the same or a similar color to the fur used for her skirt.

- The fur used for her hood lining, cuffs on her arm warmers, and the cuffs on her boots are the same or similar.
- The tan suede-like material for her hood and her arm warmers look the same. 
- The brown leather cord on her arm warmers and tied on her upper arms are the same.

Stay tuned for more --I'll be posting on how I created my costume soon!  Be sure to link and comment if you use my research guide for your Astrid costume --I'd love to see it!

[Edit: updated labels Jan. 4, 2015]

Swag from Jill Williamson! (c.) 2014 by The Artist Librarian

Wordless Wednesday - Happy first day of October everyone!  =)

Nickelodeon: Legend of Korra: Book 3
Friday July 25, 2014 11:15am - 12:15pm

(c.) Nickelodeon

"Executive producer and creator team Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino (Avatar: The Last Airbender) give a behind-the-scenes peek at how they create one of animation's most stunning television productions. Panelists include voice actors Janet Varney (Korra), David Faustino (Mako), P. J. Byrne (Bolin), Seychelle Gabriel (Asami), John Michael Higgins (Varrick) and Mindy Sterling (Lin Beifong). Including an exclusive sneak peek screening of a new episode for Book 3, 'Change.' Moderated by Megan Casey (VP of current series for Nickelodeon)."

Avatar the Last Airbender: Legend and Legacy
Saturday July 26, 2014 10:30am - 11:30am

"For over 5 years, The Avatar Legacy Fan Panel has proudly organized this gathering. Moderator Avatar_Mom, Kevin Coppa (Puppetbenders), Elizabeth Furr (fan artist/Amira Ink!), Gene Luen Yang (writer/cartoonist), Angela Song Mueller (character designer), Josh Hamilton (writer), and Jessie Flower (voice actor for Toph) share stories and answer questions ..."


        One of my favorite animated television shows currently on the air!  Though they do draw heavily from several Eastern religions and legends, it is combined with compelling plots, memorable characters, vivid world-bulding, and martial arts choreography that rivals live-action works. The official panel was overflowing last year (many had to be turned away from the hall) and 2014 should be no exception.  I believe it will be John Michael Higgins and Mindy Sterling's first time on a Korra panel at Comic Con.  It should be quite an experience for them, since Varrick and Lin are fan favorite characters.  Also of interest is the fan (unofficial) panel on Saturday, which features panelists such as Jessie Flower (who voiced Toph on the first series), Josh Hamilton (one of the screenplay writers), and Gene Luen Yang (who is the author of the Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels which are to bridge between the two series).

(c.) Hasbro Studios

[More to Come]

Hasbro Studios: My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic and My Little Pony Equestria Girls
Friday July 25, 2014 11:45am - 12:45pm

"Guests from Hasbro Studios My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic airing on the Hub Network in the U.S. and My Little Pony Equestria Girls share details of the making of the popular animated series and a sneak peek into the new My Little Pony Equestria Girls Rainbow Rock movie coming this fall. Q&A with members of the Hasbro Studios team and voice talent."


      I remember always wanting a real My Little Pony toy when I was little, but only ended up getting the Happy Meal versions, ha ha.  Years later, in 2012, I saw a video link one of my friends shared on social media for a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode and thought the character designs were cute.  I DVR'd a couple of episodes and I was hooked (taking down a couple of my siblings with me *wink*). I enjoyed the fantasy elements and world building of the pilot episode.  Though the "Mane Six" ponies have clear, distinct "types" (the bookish-smart one, the tomboy, the shy introvert, the fashionista, etc.) that immediately brought to mind the protagonists of Ann M. Martin's The Baby-Sitter Club book series --anyone remember those? --I found myself growing attached to these colorful ponies and their adventures.  I'm sure a lot of "fanponies" will be in attendance for this panel ... I'm still skeptical about the "humanized" pony character designs of Equestria Girls, which seem to be Hasbro's attempt to compete with Mattel's "Monster High" doll line, but it is kind of neat to see how they transposed each pony's coloration, mane style, and cutie marks into a human form ...

(c.) Hasbro Studios

Do you like animation? What's your favorite or what are you looking forward to learning more about from Comic Con?
 
Edited 7/23/14: Attempted to fix picture formatting. 

San Diego’s Comic Con is one of the largest pop culture conventions in the world and has become not just a place for comic book enthusiasts as its name suggests, but one of the premiere events for those in the television, film, book, toy, collectible, and gaming industries to unveil new products and information about upcoming releases.  Multiple panels and workshops feature actors, directors, artists, costumers, authors, and other guests.  This year the event runs from July 24^th – 27^th and though many fans (such as myself) won’t be able to attend, I thought it’d be fun to go through the San Diego Comic Con Event Schedule and write about some interesting panels and workshops I’ll be keeping an eye on as I count down to Comic Con.
Note: All quoted descriptions of the panels and workshops are from the programming schedule found here.  Posts in this series:

Sci-Fi

The Legacy and the Return of Battlestar Galactica Thursday July 24, 2014 10:30am - 11:30am

"Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, Captain Apollo), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), and Dr. Kevin Grazier
(science consultant for Falling Skies, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka) host a discussion and Q&A on the
upcoming Battlestar Galactica movie and where fans would like to see the story and characters go.
Panelists include Luciana Carro (Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies) and producer Alec Peters
(Propworks, Battlestar Galactica auction, Axanar), plus surprise guests and theatrical trailers."

       I was introduced to the original, short-lived, cult classic television series by my dad 
(who intro'd me to a lot of my favorite sci-fi shows, come to think of it). This story of a rag-tag group 
of colonists traveling in the last battleship, seeking the haven known as Earth and fending off attacks 
from robotic Cylons along the way, holds a special place in my heart, since it's one of the first sci-fi 
shows I remember watching. Our family didn't really get into the 2003-2009 re-imagined series, though
 that show did bring attention to the original. I think it's nice that this panel seems to have a nice 
spectrum of guests from both the new and old series, but it will be interesting to see how this new film
 develops and if it will pull more from the original or re-imagined series ..

Star Wars: Rebels (c.) Lucasfilm Animation

The Heroes of Star Wars Rebels

Thursday July 24, 2014 6:00pm - 7:00pm 

"The almost 20-year stretch of Star Wars history between
Episodes III and IV is a dark time in the galaxy that has 
never before been explored on screen. The evil Galactic 
Empire has tightened its grip and only a select few are brave
 enough to stand against tyranny and ignite a rebellion. Join 
Star Wars Rebels executive producers Dave Filoni and 
Simon Kinberg as well as series stars Freddie Prinze, Jr., 
Vanessa Marshall, Steve Blum, Tiya Sircar, and Taylor Gray
 for an exclusive preview of what's to come this Fall on 
Disney XD in this eagerly awaited television series from 
Lucasfilm Animation."

        I had mixed feelings about the Clone Wars CGI series
    (and actually, I need to finish watching the final  season). 
The  storylines seemed to vary in quality and the Expanded 
Universe fan in me cringed when the radically changed cultures of Dathomirians and (especially) 
Mandalorians were introduced ... so I'm cautiously optimistic about Star  Wars: Rebels. One nice thing
 is that it will be taking place in a time period where there hasn't been a lot of expansion upon 
(the "Dark Times" period between the Prequel and Classic movies). I haven't watched too much 
Disney XD t.v. shows, but I found the briefly aired Tron: Uprising was fairly well written. Though 
much of the Clone Wars staff will be working on Rebels, one new member I'm very excited about is 
the inclusion of executive producer Greg Wiseman, who was a producer on one of my favorite 
animated shows, Young Justice.  

Star Wars: A New Dawn

Friday July 25, 2014 2:00pm - 3:00pm 

"The new era of Star Wars storytelling begins in September with Star Wars: A New Dawn. New York
Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller, Shelly Shapiro (editor, Del Rey), Frank Parisi
(editor, Del Rey), Jennifer Heddle (senior editor, Lucasfilm), Pablo Hidalgo (Lucasfilm Story Group),
Vanessa Marshall (Hera in Star Wars Rebels), and Dave Filoni (executive producer, Star Wars Rebels)
discuss the planning and process of Star Wars: A New Dawn and present the list of upcoming
Star Wars novels from Del Rey."

       When it was announced earlier in April that a new co-ordination effort for all future creative 
development (e.g. films and media) by Lucasfilm would relegate and re-brand the previously published
 Expanded Universe (EU) novels and media into "Star Wars Legends" --essentially thowing them into 
an alternate universe (or AU) comic book fans may be familiar with --fan reaction was mixed, but that's
 a blog post for another day ... Though I'm a couple years behind on Star Wars EU books (I need to read
 the final  book of the ominously titled "Fate of the Jedi" series), they are what made me a Star Wars
 fan, so it will be   interesting to see what this panel will reveal about the future of Star Wars 
publishing ... 

What's you're favorite sci-fi show? What are you looking forward to learning more about from 
Comic Con? Why is the formatting on my blog so crazily messed up???

Note: 1/15 Updated labels