Kiihay is doing a free art stream on Sunday around 3pm-4pm CST.

More details can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3827804/

Get ready for a super technical journal entry that I felt like posting in order to help me remember what I learned about the Windows registry and Device Manager today. For those technical enough to be interested, here it is:

I had to do some Windows registry exploration recently, because I was trying to destroy some faulty RRNetCap Miniport virtual network adapters that were installed with TuneBite and weren't removed when it was uninstalled. They were showing up in the Device with little yellow exclamation marks and error Code 19, which basically states that the driver information in the registry was corrupted.

Anyway, I learned that the devices that are displayed in the Windows Device Manager are found under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Enum directory in the registry.
The exact path to their key within this directory is given under the Device Instance Path property under the Details tab of the Device Properties Dialog from the Device Manager.

The other important property under the Details tab is the Driver Key, which describes a path to a key within the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Class directory in the registry.
All network adapter driver keys in particular happen to be in the sub-directory {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} within the above directory.

And within each network adapter driver key there is a Characteristics value that is binary flags, the 0x20 flag determines whether or not the user can uninstall the adapter, as explained here:
http://www.osronline.com/ddkx/netwo.....stall_4q5j.htm

However, that flag wasn't the problem. The problem was that the faulty network adapters had Driver Keys that were empty, which was why they couldn't be completely uninstalled and removed from the Device Manager's list.

Before risking any negative repercussions of directly removing the culprit devices from the registry, I decided to give the GUI one more chance through the Windows 7 Troubleshooting tool in the Control Panel, using the instructions found here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/.....troubleshooter

I used the Configure a device option to force Windows to attempt to reinstall the drivers, and it finally changed them to Unknown Devices in the Device Manager, which I was then able to completely uninstall through the Device Manager.
I went back and checked the registry and the culprit device folders had been removed from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Enum and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Class directories in the registry.

If I had used that troubleshooting tool from the get-go, I would have solved my problems without as much grief, but I also wouldn't have learned so many new things about how the Windows registry works. However, I have yet to figure out how device's instances keys and/or driver keys in the registry point to their actual driver files in C:/Windows/System32/drivers directory. Maybe I should do some research on how to make virtual devices.

I'm a bit late, but I still blame  Tapewolf and  Sunblink for this (and because I got tired of having such a negative journal entry for so long.

Twilight Sparkle:
[x] You have a huge collection of books. (I sometimes buy college textbooks purely for reference purposes)
[x] You value your alone time.
[x] You have trouble making friends.
[x] You are very intelligent.
[?] You write letters regularly. (I write emails, IMs, and other digital messages to people, but I'm not sure if these count as letters)
[ ] You find a lesson in everything.
[ ] You have trouble doing things "the old-fashioned way."
[ ] You’ve recently moved to a new town.
[ ] You’re rather sarcastic.
[x] You’re often accused of being a know-it-all. (People call me a genius)
Total: 5 (or 6 if you count emails and IMs as 'letters')

Pinkie Pie:
[ ] You’re the black sheep of the family.
[x] You’re majorly hyper. (ADHD)
[x] You love to siiiing! (I'm just not sure how good I sound)
[ ] You’re known for throwing great parties!
[ ] You’re great at baking. (Ask me about the blobcake. I also made brownies with the consistency of pencil eraser just a week or two ago.)
[x] People sometimes don’t get your jokes. (That happens more than I'd like with Project Future.)
[ ] You’re a prankster troll. (No, but Daryil is)
[ ] You’re a super-intense personality.
[ ] You have strange pets.
[x] You are known to go to extremes. (Sometimes, yes. I do.)
Total: 3 (That's good, since I don't really like Pinkie Pie that much)

Applejack:
[x] You’re very stubborn. (Incredibly so)
[x] You find great joy in working. (Depends on the work :P)
[ ] You prefer the country to the city.
[ ] You speak with an accent.
[x] You HATE cheating. (Again, depends on where the cheating is done. I hate being cheated, that's for sure)
[ ] You have freckles.
[x] You prefer casual wear rather than formal things.
[x] You wear your hair in a ponytail(s). (Sometimes, but I've never done it before so it's still rather difficult)
[ ] You have a large family.
[ ] You have trouble lying.
Total: 5 (I'm a hyper-focused hard worker from Texas. It's my parents that are becoming rednecks on their ranch.)

Rainbow Dash:
[x] You love winning.
[ ] You like sports.
[ ] You have a funky haircolor.
[ ] You have fangirl tendencies.
[x] You have no problem speaking your mind. (On topics I'm passionate about)
[ ] You will give up anything for your friends.
[x] You like being recognized for good things. (Oh God yes, sometimes I crave positive attention like a drug)
[?] You have no problem defying traditional gender-roles. (Depends on what roles. I'm a feminist but I don't want to look like I'm gay)
[x] You act now, think later. (I am very impulsive)
[ ] You’re very brave.
Total: 4 (or 5 as long as it doesn't make me look like I'm gay)

Rarity:
[x] You love being the center of attention. (To an extent, especially when I get cravings for it, but then it turns bad because I accidentally set the bar too high and then people always expect me to perform again)
[x] You have a cat.
[ ] You sew well. (I haven't sewn in almost a decade)
[ ] It’s well-known that you’re somewhat vain.
[ ] You love the excitement of the city! (I'm content with the suburbs)
[x] You will overwork yourself to do something nice for your friends.
[ ] You wear makeup. (Hell NO)
[x] You’re prone to whining. (I come from a family of whiners)
[ ] You have original taste in fashion.
[ ] You enjoy bonding with your besties <3
Total: 4

Fluttershy:
[ ] You HATE being the center of attention. (I hate being the center of negative attention, but then again doesn't everyone?)
[ ] You struggle with sharing your mind.
[ ] You love animals and help them however you can.
[ ] You’re graceful.
[x] You’re very quiet or soft-spoken. (When the world is against me, it can be hard to fight back)
[x] You have a secret mean-streak.
[ ] You’ve been told you could model.
[ ] You’re the eldest of your friends.
[x] You like wearing your hair loose and long. (Depends on whether or not it will keep irritating my neck once it gets longer)
[ ] You’re very nurturing
Total: 3

It's no surprise that I'm the most like Twilight Sparkle. Honestly, watching the episode Lesson Zero was practically like looking into a mirror. That's how I tend to react when a deadline for an assignment draws near.

This is essentially a journal meme started by  asuraludu here. She lists off the top 13 cartoon characters that pissed her off, and then asks others who's on their lists.

It was fun to read, even though I'm also not generally a hateful person when it comes to cartoons. They usually entertain me a lot more than they anger me, though I admit I'm displeased with the general direction in which new cartoons seem to be going these days. Luckily, I have been a bit irritable today, and this was a good opportunity to really vent off some steam. I got to thinking about it, and I managed to make my own list. Admittedly most of them were intended by their show's writers to be hated by the audience, but I still only listed characters that have made me genuinely angry at one point or another. I might add to it later on if I manage to think of more after posting it.

So here is my top 9 list of:

Cartoon Characters you just gotta KICK in the $@#%#$

9. Brian Griffin from Family Guy: Honestly, it's mostly the times when his ego gets out of control that just make me want to turn a vacuum or dog whistle on him. I'd do worse but that'd be animal abuse. But seriously, when it comes to that guy's ego, you give him an inch and he doesn't just take a mile, he takes over 10 miles. Episode 6 of Season 9, "Brian Writes a Bestseller" is one of the most blatant examples of this. Seriously, it's gotten to the point where almost every time I watch that episode I then watch the clips of him being beaten by Stewie and Quagmire. Of course, Quagmire gives you plenty of reasons to hate Brian when he lists off all of Brian's flaws at the end of Episode 7 of Season 8, "Jerome is the New Black".
However, most of the time I still like this character and find him very entertaining. He's often the voice of reason in a house of idiots, and he still cares about all of them and lends his emotional support when needed, which is why he's at the bottom of my list.

8. Tokine Yukimura from Kekkaishi: I do like her and can relate to dedication and studious attitude, but sometimes the way she's treated Yoshimori has really pissed me off. There have been times when she's come off to me as an uppity ungrateful bitch who seems to chastise Yoshi's efforts more than appreciate him. She really pissed me off when it was obvious that she enjoyed the cake Yoshi made for her, but instead pretended she hated it to try to get him to focus more on his duties to the Karasumori Site. On top of that, she seems to sway with the rest of the female crowd, fawning over cute guys that acknowledge her existence, including her professors and Yoshi's brother Masamori.

7. King Julian from The Penguins of Madagascar: Let's just say the writers of did an excellent job of making this guy a self-absorbed royal jerk. However, he does have his good moments, and he does seem to care about his "subjects" at some of the time, which is why he's low on my list.

6. Almost the entire cast of American Dad!: The show itself is very entertaining, especially its political satire, and I realize the writers do this for comedy, but I hate the annoying habit almost all the characters have of forgetting whatever life lessons they learn by the next episode. In American Dad! it's only the minor and supporting characters that seem to have any continuity between episodes, while the Smith family always seems to reset their personalities and experiences by the beginning of the next episode. Honestly, shows and the characters in them that do that always piss me off to some degree.
On top of that a few of characters have each had at least one moment that really made me hate them.

5. Francine Smith from American Dad!, however, is probably the character I hate the most out of all the characters of the show. I've never really liked "dumb blonde" characters that much, but she takes it to a whole new level. She's incredibly superficial and sometimes even as much of a bigot as her husband. She basically has no intelligence or will of her own unless it's needed for the episode to work. She has had some good moments, but she's also had several moments that have really made me hate her.
The moment I hate the most is when her empty-nest syndrome caused her to basically tell Steve that she's the only woman who will ever love him, after his breakup at the end of the episode. Not only did she not learn the lesson she was supposed to for that episode, but she seemed evil at the moment she said it. On top of that, it hit me pretty close to home because of my own overprotective mother, so that scene has always made me want to beat the crap out of her.

4. Kahn Souphanousinphone from King of the Hill: The stuck-up Asian neighbor of the show who's almost always insufferable to me. He's almost always talking down to all his neighbors and shamelessly kissing up to those he admires. He doesn't hesitate to make a huge fuss over anything that upsets him, which sometimes even includes reporting it to the authorities. There have been moments where one of the characters has had something really good going for themselves, and Khan was the one to ruin it or at least try to, and that has angered me the most. Overall, he's a stuck-up jerk, and is not afraid to show it, and he's had very few good moments.

3. Paul from Pokemon: It wasn't just that he was jerk, since all of Ash's rivals have been jerks to some degree, but it was the way he was a jerk. I mean, seriously, from the way he interacts with other people and the way in which he treats his pokemon, it's almost as if he's unable to properly emotionally connect to them, which could mean he's a sociopath. I'll admit that he does improve a little bit by the end of the 4th gen journey, but only after Cynthia's wisdom caused him to actually make an effort at it. The fact that he actually had to force empathy rather than it coming naturally could indicate a mental disorder of some sort, which is a rather disturbing thought. What's even more disturbing is that we don't even know how long he's been on his pokemon journey before he met Ash. He could have been walking around for years abusing pokemon like this.

2. Prince Blueblood from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: I may not believe in chivalry, but I do believe in common courtesy, and this asshole had neither. Seriously, for the way he treated Rarity throughout the final episode of season 1 of the show, he deserves so much more punishment than what he got at the end of that episode. He's essentially one of those stereotypical heartthrob celebrities that girls faun over but are really total jerks behind the curtain, only he's also a jerk in front of the curtain, which makes him worse than that stereotype I can't stand. However, given the show he's a part of, he might actually have a tiny of a chance of someday redeeming himself. But for now, he needs to get his own personal lesson about friendship, right up his ass.

1. Squilliam Fancyson from Spongebob Squarepants: One of the first cartoon characters I started hating, almost everything this character does makes me angry, mostly because 99% of his actions involve blatantly rubbing his success in Squidward's face. He's never reluctant to show how he's achieved (and sometimes taken away) all of Squidward's dreams, and just generally be a jerk. To top it all off, he gets away with it almost all the time. There have only been a few episodes where Squidward and/or other characters have beaten him, and none of them have really been big victories. He always returns just as rich and successful and conceited as he was before. I like to imagine that the heart attack he had at Squidward's half-time concert left him with long-term heart issues.

Who is on your hate list? That's right, I'm asking you,  Tapewolf and  SiegfriedNox.

Over the past couple of months, I've been continuing to try to draw when I can and when I feel up to it, which unfortunately hasn't been as often as I liked. There have been some setbacks, such as a few recent problems with my tablet PC (which as of this posting I still haven't managed to fix). However, I'm working on overcoming those setbacks to begin giving commissions.

In the meantime, I'm currently planning out the prices for my commissions, and I'm trying to figure out reasonable prices based on my current skill level and the quality of the drawings that I can make. For instance, would you say that $7 is a reasonable base price for one of my full body line art sketches?

Finally, this journal is a reminder that I am offering a kiriban to whoever takes a screenshot of my 1000th page view and notes me a link to that image. The winner(s) will get at least line art sketch, if not inked and flat colored, depending on whether or not I'm able to get my tablet PC fixed before my 1000th page view occurs.

Yes, I'm still alive and it has been a long time since my last journal post.

Anyway, in short, college has gotten to the point where it is working at the last bits of sanity I have left. It has finally gotten to the point where the Chemical Engineering department has actually granted me a much needed sabbatical rather than just letting me fail out, which I've been told is a rare blessing. I won't go into the all the gory details, as I don't feel like it.

I've decided to try declaring a second degree, Mathematics, and if all goes well, I should be able to complete that major and graduate within a year after returning to college from my sabbatical. The biggest concern I have at the moment is finding a way to pay for that final year of tuition, as well as textbooks, software, and my apartment rent, and any other surprise expenses that crop up along the way.

This brings me to the topic at hand: I'm considering giving commissions.

During this sabbatical, while I work on trying to regain my sanity and deal with my anxiety issues, and trying to find and maintain a job or two, I'll also be working on improving my art. Hopefully this means that you'll be seeing more pieces in my gallery if nothing else.

For now, I'm nowhere near ready to start giving commissions, at least not until after I've built up a portfolio in my gallery, consisting of at least two examples of each level of commission.

However, I am going to offer a kiriban. Whoever manages to take a screenshot of my 1000th Page View will get an inked sketch, possibly flat colored, or maybe more, depending on my progress by that point.

Just take a screenshot of my main user page, put it on the internet somewhere, and then give me the link in a note or in a reply to this journal.

College just drains me, mind, body, and soul. The fall 2009 semester was particularly bad, but hopefully the next semester will be better.

Except sporadic updates with random subjects.

Hello all fellow PCA members! I am finally coming back to the PCA universe after an extended hiatus brought on by college work.

First off, if Asuraludu is reading this, I'm going to be sending you the synopsis of the battle between Otaku and Darkfall soon. I don't intend to make you wait much longer than you have already.

Next, I have finally created images of all the members of Team Darkfall. Team Shining Force, my sophomore team, will be coming along soon.
The members include Nox, Ralph (my lucario character), and the tarnished twins (my twin skarmory brothers).

Now, if you're looking at my members of Team Darkfall, you'll notice that they are all still shadow pokemon, yes.
Yes, I know I'm probably being a bit half-baked, but I still want to continue with my base story line.

However, I am taking a huge slice of humble pie here.
--First, Ignacious is the only one of my characters to become a full shadow pokemon. The others merely touch on it, but they still hold enough of it for Nox to use them for his purposes.

--Second, the fact that they are shadow pokemon is completely irrelevant to all story lines except Nox's, with the only outside character involved in that story line being Tenebra, which I have already gotten prior permission from Carlito to use (at least I think I have...I hope I still have it)

--Third, this story line isn't nearly as huge and significant and world altering as everyone thinks. Nox's business with his father hardly concerns mortals, and there aren't really any laws against siphoning off shadow energy from those who are vessels for it.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, I am beginning to notice that I am not the only one who is going into the occult with their characters.

I'm going to do what Rikmach did and post my ideas on the occult and other things in an FAQ which will be coming soon, and it will be open for opinions and corrections.
I'm going to give a preview right here for those who are unsettled by Ignacious's appearance:

Are there pokemorph hybrids which have the traits and attacks of two or more species?

The direct answer: NO. So far, there has been no proven existence of hybrids of two or more species of pokemorphs. However, that doesn't mean that there haven't been attempts to create them in the past and in the present. PokeDNA is a powerful thing, and there are people out there who seek to enhance it further.

The most prominent attempts at creating hybrids made so far basically involve eugenics. This includes practices ranging from selective breeding and sterilization of those with weak traits, all the way to genocide and genetic engineering.

The first two have been practiced all over the world for centuries now. There are cults out there, most centered around a prominent individual with an outrageous dream, or an equally outrageous legend of a hybrid pokemorph. Either way, they have gathered many people who are dedicated to their case and willing to procreate selectively to create a more powerful generation.

So far, none of these groups have even come close to creating a true hybrid, but some of the older ones have members with very prominent features of another species, evident in places like their eyes, ear shape, tail shape, and other minor things, such as short claws where nails should be, but other than that, they are still technically one species. None of them are capable of learning attacks that are unreasonably outside their base species, and none of them have any major changes in places like limb shape and number (including wings).

Even genetic engineering isn't making much headway, with even the most minor attempts ending with disastrous complications, mostly malignant cancer.

It is clear that the world won't be seeing anything like a Raichu with a Fearow beak or a sharpedo with camerupt humps anytime soon.

Okay, well, that about does it for this journal entry. Stay tuned for many more additions to my gallery in the near future.

Well, since I got tagged by commenting on  wom-bat's entry in his journal, so I figured I'd get this done early.

The Rules:
1. You must tag at least 3 other people.
2. You CANT re-tag someone >.< because thats just silly >.>;
3. You must tell the person you tagged that you tagged them :P
4. Just for fun, if you don't feel like answering these questions yourself, why not make one or more of your PCA characters answer them. It'd be amusing. (I added this one. XD)

1. What does Halloween mean to you?
Special effects, good costumes, writing scary stories and watching Halloween themed movies, and staying up all night.

2. What is the best song that would sum up Halloween for you?
Ummm...stuff from my mother's Halloween music collection I guess. Stuff by Nox Arcana and The Bauhaus.

3. Whats the worse thing to happen to you on Halloween?
One year, when I was still a small child, I accidently ate something to activate my corn allergies, but I wasn't about to miss trick or treating because I had the runs. Unfortunately, it was the worst trick or treating I ever did, with most of my rounds involving bending over in pain and kneeling down, among other things. I don't think I should go into the details...

4. Whats the worse candy that you've ever gotten on a trick or treating raid?
I tried chewy candy for the first time on Halloween. I HATE CHEWY CANDY.

5. What movies do you think make up for the best all night spooktacular Halloween video marathon?
Hocus Pocus, that animated one about the kid with appendisitis and it talks about how Halloween came about. It's this, or a marathon of "A Haunting".

6. What movie would you never ever want to miss seeing at Halloween?
Hocus Pocus. That movie is a classic and it still has good special effects even if it's 15 years old. I can't think of any others right now.

7. Do you like to listen to Halloween themed music during October?
Yeah, there are some good songs by Nox Arcana that really only fit Halloween.

8. Now for something completely different. Do you believe in ghosts?
Definitely. My mother hunts them and I've seen orbs in her videos.

9. If you answered yes have you ever seen, heard, or felt a ghost?
Like I've said, I've seen orbs, I think I've heard some electronic voice phenomena, and I wish I could feel the could that only a spirit could cause, if only for a moment. I think only people with a very low galvanic skin response can feel anything other than that.

10. What about other things that go bump in the night?
It's fun to dream of your favorite cryptids being real, but there has yet to be any proof of any of them.

11. Tell me about something that scared you during Halloween.
The first time I came across a human statue was on Halloween. When they moved I nearly jumped out of my skin in shock.

12. Where is the scariest place you've been on Halloween?
I don't think I've been to any place really scary on Halloween night. I would like to go legend tripping someday, though.

3 people I tag:
 ebonyleopard,  gammaeradon  carlito

Stay tuned for my grand comeback to the PCA community.

I'd just like to extend a hello to anyone on this site that cares enough to stare at my page and the artwork that I've uploaded, because I really appreciate it. Most of the artwork I have up is stuff I've already uploaded to DeviantArt.

My avatar image is the same that I use for Rachaal, a character I play on http://nice.purrsia.com/cgi-bin/ult.....forum&f=35, which is the central forum for the webcomic at http://www.gamingguardians.com/

Well, that's about all I have to say for now. I'll be uploading some exotic creatures soon, so stand by.