So, I'm back from break. Lots of exams and papers this week, but things should cool down after Saturday. That'll be nice...
Hopefully, then, my drawings will resume. See, I've been horribly uninspired, out of mood, lacking time, unable to produce anything of acceptable quality, ETC. for drawing lately. With a little luck, that'll change soon enough.

I did do a good number of doodles before the break, however. I'm considering posting a few of those, just to keep my FAers sated.

Also, the original slime vore sketch is now my first and, thus far, only drawing to break 2000 views. Yay(?)
Honestly, I'm still baffled.

... Anyone remember when the demoman on TF2 actually used demolitions? Good times...
The sword, though bothering me for reasons of character and aesthetic, doesn't bother me as much as the shield, though. I'm still trying to understand how a small, wooden shield blocks absurd amounts of fire and explosive damage, while not doing a thing against bullets, needles, arrows, ETC. Surely, those are what it should block, not missiles and, of all things for a wooden shield to protect you from, fire, right?
Not that I mind. It's nothing a good puff and sting pyro combo can't fix. In fact, they bring themselves into axe range. It's a win-win!... Except I, the good pyro, am the one who gets all the wins.

The direct hit is cheap as hell, though. "I've got an idea," Valve seemed to say for the soldier update, "Let's make the rockets so fast, that good pyros can't reflect them reliably, punishing them for trying to play the class in a way that doesn't make five year-olds cry about them only needing two buttons. Faster than the freaking arrows from snipers sounds about right, don't you think?"
"Okay," responded his co-worker, "But let's also make it powerful enough to kill half of the classes in a single shot. And let's give him a pick-axe that makes him fast as a scout and able to kill heavies in a single hit when he's damaged, too."
"Alright, but what's the disadvantage to it?"
"Nothing," he replies casually. "It's a straight upgrade, unlike every single other unlockable in the game."

Have I ranted about this before?

Oh, and one more thing. It must be really nice to be a sniper. I mean, where's the difficulty? They don't even have to hold down the W key, or get into the hit zone of most attacks.
And, to drive the point home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsefTAGwKuU
And, like people saying they don't respect any pyro for W+M1s' existence, you could argue there are good snipers who go in with a jar of urine and a bow and come out with a suitcase and a mob of soggy foes with arrows lodged in their various limbs chasing them, but the attack-without-the-use-of-one's-left-hand snipers are still there.

Okay, the review, if anyone's interested...!

Alice in Wonderland (3D-Imax)

I suppose the first thing that should be brought to light for anyone expecting a redeux of the original animated film, this is not that. In fact, this is something of a sequel, in which Alice returns as a teenager and has to blah-blah-blah, you'll find out if you see it.
With that said, the section before she's returned to Wonderland, is amazing. It sort of sets up how Alice has matured since the first film. It all gives her a sort of personality that makes her more a character than a random, miscellaneous guide to Underland (As it's apparently actually called by the denizens).
And, while we're on the subject, that's what I feel is a grand and shining strength of the film. Where the first lingers in my mind as a sort of bizarre land of caricatures, all of which have essentially one trait that defines their everything, and the viewer is supposed to be more wowed by the surreal world than the story or characters, this sequel actually takes those caricatures and fleshes them out into really strong personalities and deep characters. It makes them all seem, for lack of a better term, very real. In truly brilliant fashion, Burton has managed to give every character a good, pertinent background and a sort of soulfulness. Heck, he even manages to make the Queen of Hearts a sympathetic figure, even as she proceeds to maim and kill and destroy. Making the villain feel like more than just a villain is something that really takes a certain skill, and it's always something that impresses me somewhat.
Also, Cheshire Cat is grand. He doesn't get much of a background, but there's something absolutely entrancing about how they made him in this. He's both eerie and familiar. Simultaneously soothing and unsettling. And I loved every moment he was involved in.
... The exceptions to the excellent characterizations are for the Hare, and the Doormouse. They're just kind of there. And then there. And then over there... How did that doormouse get around so quick with those tiny little limbs, anyway? What's more about her, she seemed schizophrenic. One second she's being cynical and trying to hurt Alice, the next she's trying to save her life, then back to being sort of... almost jealous. The hare, on the other hand, was just mad. I would say mad as a hatter, but he seems remarkably worse. Not that he's not endearing in a way, but he doesn't have much complexity to him at all.
The world, though no longer the focus and taking that certain romanticized Burtanic quality and delightful gloom instead of being something sort of bright and colourful. I think that this is what turns most of the people who disliked it off to the film. Whereas I adore Burtons creations of worlds with that sense of dark quirkiness and instantly thought having him do Wonderland was an awesome idea, some people may feel that it just doesn't reflect their notion of what Wonderland should be. I suppose I can't fault them too much for it, but I, personally, still very much enjoyed the world he made.
I can't sing only praise for this film, however. I've already pointed out my qualm with the doormouse teleporting and being strangely fickle, but that's just a very minor flaw, and won't bother one too much. Another minor flaw is that there are the occasional moments designed to show off 3D technology. In the defense of those, they are mostly done in a tasteful sort of way that won't look obvious, pointless, or annoying in 2D. The violence is also a bit... extreme. I'm honestly unsure how this managed to only get a PG rating. I mean, something has it's eye impaled and then yanked out, there's a part where Alice has to cross a moat of tar dyed red with blood by hopping from severed head to severed head, one poor creature even gets its head lopped off and the audience is made to watch as it bounces gruesomely down a tower's flight of twisting stairs. That's still minor, though, really...
No, what REALLY pissed me off was the Avril Lavigne song being played over the end credits. This is one of my biggest peeves ever, I think. Imagine, you've just seen this amazing film. It's left you feeling content, but silent. The wave of epicness hasn't quite washed off the audience yet even. You take off your 3D glasses, just searching yourself in marvel of this excellent, surreal, epic, awesome film... Then, when you're supposed to give a standing ovation to the big names of the film as they roll over the screen in turn, rather than finishing it with some suitably awe-inspiring musical score, a girl which a horrible voice starts to sing horrible lyrics over a horrible pop tune. You instantly come crashing back to earth from that world of wonder, bleeding raw emotion from your mind mangled by the unceremonious fall back into your body. If you're like me, at that point, you are absolutely fuming. They could feel my rage in the next theater over, despite the fact that I couldn't put it into words for a good fifteen minutes because the white-hot frustration was actually physically choking me.
And THAT is why I write this review. Because if someone doesn't start calling directors on this, they're going to keep ganking us so awkwardly back to reality instead of leaving that powerful lasting rush thought that one should feel after such a film. And, what's more, they had an awesome song that they could have put over those for a much more gradual slip back into the real world! They played that AFTER, for the rest of the credits. How vexing...!
Other than that, however, it's an excellent film. I'd highly recommend it to any and all fans of Burton. Depp was easily the best choice for the Hatter, because he could just keep switching between all the other peculiar personalities he's done over his films with a certain new flair to create an excellent state of mind(s) for someone like the Mad Hatter. I would also recommend it to some Depp fans for his typical good performance. Really, I'd suggest everyone who doesn't dislike Burton's work give it a try.