Sirfy's holding a raffle. It will be $2 to buy a slot, all sorts of payments are accepted instead of just PayPal, and you can get as many slots as you want. She needs the cashmonies to buy food and medication and other things required to continue metabolizing foods.

If you're still interested, go here for more information: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2283487/

If I were you all, I would buy no less than 999999 slots.

But I s'pose just a couple each will do.

And then I returned to writing papers. So many papers.

Have a nice Easter!

I just went down the hall to go to the bathroom.

Along the way, one of my neighbors crossed in front of me, shirtless, walking up to an open room with a spray bottle of Fabreze held arm over arm like a pistol-wielding marksman, very SWAT style. He turned suddenly out of cover and starts spraying wildly before quickly retreating, chased close behind by another neighbor holding a skateboard like a riot shield and a Fabreze spritzer of his own in his free hand. They chased each other off, trading shots, down the hall.

On my way out of the bathroom, I was almost caught in an ambush by the first guy who seemed almost surprised to see a civilian. I asked what all this was about. He just shouted "It's a battle!" and slunk off down the hall again, taking note of all tactical locations.

Our hall now smells like fresh spring breeze. c:

Just thought I'd share some of the fun times of life in a collage dormitory with you all. It's moments like these that make me prefer being packed into these little rooms with a group bathroom over student apartments.

Quote,  TestSubject

Referring to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyARHscb8mU

WATCH IT.
It is amusing. c:
Mostly, because that is roughly how I dance.
Minus awesome flashcut backflips around the world.

Also, Humble (not quite indie) Bundle, all games by the makers of Trine! :O
Still, the games are nice and the price is right (that is to say, whatever you deem as right for both the games AND their soundtracks.
http://www.humblebundle.com/ , if you're interested.

That is all for now. Y'all have yourselves a great week. :3

Go here:  sirfy
Give her love.
When you're done giving her love, give her small amounts of money.
She will make nice things for you.
Once again, that number is 1-800-Sssirfy
We added the second S for SAVINGS.
And the third for Spiffy.

 Sirfy

NOTE NOW.

It is a wonderful word. One which I hope reflects the weekend of everyone reading. :3

That is all.

As of just now, I've been animating with pencil on my Mac again and have come into a snag... The bar that slides the animation's frame timeline seems to get stuck at about 200. I never thought I'd be drawing an animation that long, but...
Eh. If anyone knows how to get the timeline to slide farther, preferably to its limits, I'd be much obliged. Can't seem to find answers myself.
Now, this isn't hugely vital. I have a work-around or two if no one knows what to do, so don't go straining yourselves over it.

Also, I hope everyone has been keeping well through the week and has a nice weekend. :3

(EDIT: Not resolved, but, like I said, I have workarounds. :3)

---

To Post:
-Dab doodles
-TITS
-Sirfy iggy
-Feathers Dio Fromage

To Finish:
-ColonDZombieAttack
-Verace Tea
-Verace Veggies
-Sov ---

Ongoing/upcoming projects:
-Evoc Commission (old) (~70% sketched)
-EvocDouble (Almost done! :D )
-Evoc Tailvore (anim)
-Charem Kopelaan (3/x finished)
-Haunted Castle (Planning (ongoing))
-Fir cafe'
-Fir eyes
-Fir drums (anim)
-Sirfy Butterfly

First thing! Last journal was a resounding success! I was not expecting to get nearly that kind of participation. Emotions reached quite a high a couple of times, but that's how you can tell it's something everyone's really into, right? :3

Second thing to note, and this is mostly for my own benefit, is all the stuff I really need to do! :D
I've been so disheveled artwise lately. Got doodles that I should post layin' all over the place, projects that need finishing strewn about, new ones popping in... It's a mess, my hard drive. :P
So, really, this is mostly for myself, where it will remind me every time I go to my page. But y'all can still take a peek too, if you wish. Course, keep in mind that I'll be using file/project names as they appear, so these titles are little help at all to their content. :P

---

To Post:
-Dab doodles

To Finish:
-ColonDZombieAttack
-Verace Tea
-Verace Veggies
-Sov ---

Ongoing/upcoming projects:
-Evoc Commission (old) (~70% sketched)
-EvocDouble (extend anim)
-Evoc Tailvore (anim)
-Charem Kopelaan (2/x finished)
-Haunted Castle (Planning (ongoing))

Okay, this is something that sparked in another journal, and I think it's a really interesting subject with a lot of fascinating deviation behind it, so I'm bringing it here to get more opinions, and hopefully our minds rubbing together will yield more shine and polish among them all. It's not an attack on anyone, or anything like that, I simply crave a bit of philosophical forum. Ready? :3

So, often we find it fit to complain about these people we call "trolls". And why shouldn't we, right? They're those guys that go into your game and build teleporters under snipers that pull them into active combat. Or the one who sees your journal about how your BFF from high school never talks to you anymore and leaves some mean or rude comment, just to see your reaction. Or makes a comment directly calling out, not your group or your team or anything, but you. Clearly, these are just jerks that get off on causing other people trouble, right? Wrecking up the local balance and harmony?

This seems to be the common opinion, so I'm just going to go play counter-point, but only because it's an opinion that I actually hold. Maybe I've been reading too much Kant lately, but I actually -like- some trolls. Trolls are beautiful in a way. And here's the secret to appreciating them as more than "random, obnoxious jerk #1398782". Remember that there is a person behind that screen, perpetuating what goes on. Not a faceless archetype, an actual, human person with a real history and story that drove them to be what they are. Just like you. A person with a past that's shaped them. Just in two completely different ways.

But they are obnoxious, right? Well, have you ever tried countering that, instead of yelling and making a scene about them "trying to ruin your good time" by taking them in jest. Join in. Laugh a little. Don't take life so darn seriously. Because, seriously! Why so serious? And if it really is something serious for you, or something that you're emotionally invested in that they're messing with, instead of starting a ruckus, sit back for a second, calm down, remember that that is a person behind that screen, and treat them as such. Seriously, just privately and graciously ask if they will back off because it's a topic you take seriously. If it works, good. If it doesn't, ignore them and they'll surely get bored eventually, just like I'm sure you all are after reading all of this.

But, you might think, I've never met a good troll! Surely they're all evil and the internet would be better off without them!

My, my, my. How very utilitarian of you, thinking of the good of the whole instead of the rights of the many! For those of you who don't know, utilitarian theory essentially dictates that whatever action gets the most good for the largest number of people is what is moral. The ends justify the means. Sounds great, right? Weeell, here's my counter to it as a deontologist.
When you start looking at everything by most good for the greatest number, you do what's been called "hedonistic calculus". And when you do such a calculus, you assign numbers to peoples' souls and livelihoods. That's right, by thinking of the most good for the most people, you have just robbed them of their humanity and assigned them a number and value instead.
Is it okay to steal apples from a rich but cranky individual to feed a poor and hungry family? Sure, they need it more than him! Is it okay to remove trolls from the internet, because they displease more people than they bring joy to? Of course, they're dicks! Is it okay to own slaves? Yeah, because a few slaves doing all sorts of work would improve the many's lifestyle! This one ethnic minority has a different train of thought than the rest of the world and it's tearing everyone apart; can't we just kill them all? Why not, it'll make everything more peaceful for the rest of the wor- YOU SEE WHAT I'M GETTING AT HERE?
It's dangerous and terrifying, when you replace looking at people as people with looking at people as objects. Calling them trolls and thinking of them as just an object that falls under that term is exactly that kind of horror. You rob them of their humanity and feel they don't deserve the rights afforded to the rest of the people. It's a far sicker thing than their petty, little pranks and shenanigans.
Also, good is subjective. There are plenty of trolls who probably think they've never met a "good" furry either. Ponder that next time you take a look at what you deem good and evil.

But trolls are so closed-minded like tha-
Stop right there! Before you say that, first, are you thinking of them as a collection of individuals or a group? Because it sounds like you're grouping, and that's showing how close-minded you would be about objectifying these people. And either way, your showing a very firm denial of their ability to be open-minded, showing how close-minded you are about them still.

Let's say for even a moment, though, that you're right. Trolls are close-minded, 2 dimensional creatures, given virtual life only to bother the lot of you. They're massively immature, aren't they? Like the playground bully who gets so much pleasure from kicking sand in the other kids' faces?
Well, then, if not for giving them their rights, you should still follow the same code of response and play around back, or at the very least ignore them. For what would rob that bully of his pleasure more than those kids, instead of crying, laughing and starting a sand fight? Or laying waste to their own time-consumingly erected castles? Such a response, if they are inhuman and feed only on the misery of others, would steal from them their satisfaction, no? So it's the only thing that makes sense, to try palling around with them.

I could probably keep going, but I feel I should open up the floor to discussion nowabouts. Questions? Comments? Concerns? :3

Have you ever played it? No?

Well, here's the basic premise:
The game, Lemmings. And you are the lemmings.
Well... Sort of, anyway. You are a mouse. You have to get cheese and bring it back to a little hidey hole for points. Simple premise, surprisingly hectic game! Lots of fun, though. Come join us for fun times here, as long as you don't take it too seriously:

http://en.transformice.com/Chargeur.....ansformice.swf

Just boot it up, make an account (you can be a guest account, but you won't be able to speak...), and type in the chat box, once in game:

/room FurAffinity

(Room name is case-sensitive)

We'll have amazing shenanigans from there. It shall be delightfully chaotic. c:

Also, more drawings on the way. I've been working on lots of big things, lately, so I'll try and get some smaller drawings up until then.

EDIT: We've stopped playing for now, but you should still feel free to check it out. Lots of fun to be had. :3

... But I forgive myself, and I hear that's the hardest part, so...
Yay.
The worst is behind me. c:

So, I have just now returned from my winter-break coma. It was glorious. I did nothing. Nothing at all. The whole time. |3
Oookay, so I may have gone to Florida, but in terms of productivity... I have some three doodles to show. And a two video Let's Play of Octodad. That's it. For three weeks.
Again, I say, it was glorious. c:

Still, it's good to be back and getting to work on my queue of pictures I've lined up for myself. Also, school. I've been feeling a little stifled, living with my highly opinionated conservative family as a philosophy major. The argument for everything is the popular fallacy~ The solution for everything is missles and guns~ Not eating meat makes me a communist~
... Okay, not the last one.
But they still consider it a major inconvenience and and refuse to talk about it. Even though I made my meal myself.

On a related note, that endeavor is still going well. Though seeing bacon on commercials still kills me inside. MOCK BACON IS JUST NOT THE SAME! D:

Anyway, a couple fun links for y'all. Hopefully they'll bring some smiles to some faces:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drp9o4E7G7U - It's like playing a Michael Bay Film! (which, incidentally, is why I actually quite like Just Cause 2. )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9UP1t2uY6A - CRAB BATTLE (Cortex Command is a great game, and you should google and maybe even buy it right now, if you didn't already with the last Indie Bundle. It is still a very early beta, though.)

Be well, everyone.

Showing us all once again that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Except for my sleep schedule. That's changed.
Also, that the cold and snow are horrible actions of nature specifically designed to ruin my good mood.

Anywho, I'm back from vacation, and there is much drawing that I must do. Y'know in a traditional "when I get around to it" style. And, admittedly, New Vegas is kind of eating most of that "when I get around to it" time. So many bugs to find~...!

And how has everyone been since the indie bundle? Inform me about your transgressions with your faces please.

Also, for a fun time link, go to YouTube and search "Facade Genghis Khan". You may or may not be disappointed. I found it amusing anyhow.

Stay well, everyone.

These are your official instructions.

Go here: http://www.humblebundle.com/

Select how many cashmonies to give and who to.

Give them cashmonies.

Get games with more heart, soul, and effort pumped into them than big name games these days could ever hope to give.

Completely DRM free.

It is that simple.

Do it.

And, in the spirit of capitolIMEAN- Christmas cheer, everyone who gives them more than 10 dollars for the games, send me a note with a little request, and I'll try to knock out sketch for all of them that I can as an added bonus. As always, ideas that pique my interest have a better shot of getting drawn quickly and such.
Like they keep you on the honour system to pay a fair amount, I will do the same about believing that you have actually given ten measly dollars for five amazing games.

Also, because I know I'll forget come the days, happy holidays, you lot.

Okay, first off, some interesting news. I'm afraid I've gone... vegetarian! (DUN DUN DUUUUUUN)
Aye, who could have seen that one coming, huh? Anyway, I'd been cutting various meats out of my diet for a few months, starting with chicken and other fowl, then pork the month after that, then beef, and since I don't eat any seafood, that's essentially it. I've been keeping at it fully meat free for a month or so now, and it's been getting progressively easier now that the massive cravings have begun to die down into only occasional whispers of want.
On a related note, it's been an interesting Thanksgiving...
My family met the choice with hostility at first, but they've since come around and, while not agreeing with me and taking their lighthearted shots at every turn, are trying to be supportive. They'd stocked the fridge with more vegetarian snacks and such than I'd ever seen in one place before, and were good enough to bring some extra meat-free food to thanks giving dinner so I'd have a few more options. Which is good, because the person hosting is a horribly controlling individual, and she was pretty willing to make it a meat-only Thanksgiving just to prove that she's in charge. Almost threw out the stuff my folks brought just to spite me too. X3

So! How have all your Turkeydays been, those who feast that day? Have a good one? See your loved ones? Eat far too much, but in a pleasantly stuffed sort of way?

My resources are getting kind of low... And my tea selection is dwindling too...! I'm still highly resistant of the idea, but if my funds drop much more, I may have to consider doing something like 75 cent-per-layer commissions. That is, sketch, layer is 75 cents per character, ink layer is another 75, flat-colour is 75 more, ETC. Just to test the water, if I'm forced to try this, how many would be interested. If you're not, no need to say that you simply don't have the money.

I may or may not be addicted to Zen Bound 2. <<
As my friend says about me now, "wrap wrap wrap wrap wrap wrap..."
It's very soothing.

Also, Mount and Blade: Warbands. It is highly addicting. Luckily, given we are approaching the end of the semester where my life becomes a busy mess, it does not run on my Mac, so I won't be tempted.

It is a wonderful, warm, windy, rainy day out. The perfect kind of day to just sit in my room, listen to some downtempo music, sip some tea, and stare out the window... |3
Now playing: The Daysleepers - The Atlantic Drift

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful day as much as I will.

Shank is -not- an indie game! No, I don't care how few people they put on the project, anything that begins its trailer with a big ol' EA logo is automatically forfeit from consideration in the indie genre. I mean, they own like half the industry by now! They don't make indie games, they eat the people who do!
Which is not to say it's not a perfectly fine game. It may or may not be.
But it should stay the heck out of genres that it doesn't belong in.

S'pose I should update or something while I'm hear.
Lifewise, I've been rather busy due to band and schoolwork. Also, my chest has been killing me. See I had bronchitis which, combined with my crappy school chair, caused a fit of pleurisy. Those of you who go to look it up, ignore what the wiki says, because it lies to your face. The diseases that trigger pleurisy can be dangerous/ need fluid draining if they're pnemonia/ may kill you. Pleurisy itself is not dangerous at all. Just excruciatingly painful. As in, most people confuse them for heart attacks painful. So that's been kind of debilitating.
It's mostly better now (knock-on-wood), and life goes on. Also, I may be getting a new computer for school. Yay. c:

Artwise, I have many, many doodles that I can't scan, and unfinished works that I'd like to finish but never seem to before hopping away to something else. I'll probably start posting a few of those, as well as a couple things I have forced myself to -mostly- complete shortly.
Also, all of you, go hassle  Sirfy for commissions. She's doing absurdly inexpensive commissions, does good work, needs the money, and is a good friend of mine.
... And, because I know how y'all work, she is willing to try drawing new things for these, and push her drawings skills. Hopefully to new levels of excellence.
So go. Now.
The journal will be here to finish when you get back.



... Now then, all of you who did not click on Sirfy's icon, I would like for you to find a pen or pencil, place it between your middle and ring finger of a hand, then close the fingers of that hand by squeezing them with the other to preoccupy your time while everyone else views her great artwork and places their commissions.

You may have noticed, had you done this, and done it correctly, that this really hurts.
Good.
I'm glad. c:

There is actually no more journal, but you who did not click needed punishing.
With that, I wish you all a nice night and well-being over the days to come.

... But,  LustBubbles , I cannot refuse your CHALLEEEEEENGE!

Also, I'm bored. c:

So, here's the deal, folks. You leave a comment, and I will leave a comment on your comment about the following:

1. Tell you something I'll learn about you by looking at your FA page for 13 seconds.
2. Tell you which color you remind me of.
3. Tell you my first memory of you.
4. Tell you what pokemon you remind me of.
5. Ask you something I've always wondered about you, and your answer has to be as vague as possible to keep the suspense.
6. Tell you my favorite thing about you.
7. Give you a weird nickname.
8. Tell you what's on my shirt right now.
9. Challenge you to post this on your journal.

Also, heads up. Incoming scrappy doodles over the days.

I am approximately an hour and a half late for this...

But it's something I've been meaning to say for awhile, and the overlooked note of making it a little holiday really made me feel I should do so.

I know a lot of the time I don't return comments. Maybe the odd one here or there, but I mostly just sit in my little one-way bubble, avoiding shouting back to the world outside, all but a few folks who have more direct means of contacting me, only occasionally scribbling on the wall for everyone to stare at, taking in their looks and reactions...
Well, I want you all to know, I really do take in everything that everyone says on everything I post. I analyze every one, get what the person is saying, whether it's a complement or advice for the future, thrive off it, smile from it, learn from it. And more often than you could know, I even write out a whole comment in response, then think "If I hit enter with this wall of text, will it make me 'that guy'?" and just leave the page instead.

Anyway, just thought I'd run that by you, my constant commenters. I may not respond, but I'm taking everything you guys say to heart, and I really do appreciate all that typing you do on my behalf.

I'd suspected it through his numerous acts of kindness toward myself and others, his friendly demeanor, his intelligent and knowledgeable grasp of the business he owns, and his willingness to personally step into any roles some lazy teenager suddenly not showing up would leave him without cover for. There were all qualities I'd not seen in any of my bosses until this summer, nor even really heard of in other peoples'...

I've become certain of it now. I picked up my last paycheck before heading back to college today. Inside was a significant extra sum with a little note stapled on reading, "good luck in college :)".
I feel blessed to have known him before I could have grown jaded forever about higher-ups in businesses competence, kindness, and humanity levels, and it would be a pleasure to work for him again over my next breaks from college.

It gives me a hankerin' for raspberry jam.
... I do not know why.

A-anyway! I will now begin submitting scraps due to raptordragon-based "encouragement".
Pictures will be nicely spaced. One or two a day. Some may or may not become pictures, so be sure to show your love for your favourites.

Also, I will be bothering a friend for a few days, and will likely be online even less than usual.
This may or may not, in fact, postpone my posting scraps over the next few days too.

Anyway, here's hoping everyone has a nice week.
Take care.

Anyone who's actually noticed I've been gone the past couple weeks, here's why in two versions:

Short - I was at work.

Long - Starting last week, everyone was going on vacation except for a few of us, so we had to cover their hours. Wasn't going to be a big deal, just a few more hours each...

Then, almost simultaneously, one person who takes a lot of hours got arrested and went to jail (forcing more hours on us) and another who takes a decently large workday up and quit to pursue other ambitions. Can't blame him, but still, more hours for the few of us left. Then another person's daughter had a baby, so we all had to take her hours too, and many of the remaining individuals are lazy punks who would (and did) call an hour or so before their shifts started to ask if someone else could take their shift if anything comes up (like a party, or friends want to hang out... )And...

Well, you get it. Work-based catastrophe. On the bright side, I make back all the money I lost buying games on Steam during their big sale with all the extra pay for extra work. On the downside, I feel badly for my boss. He's the first actually good boss I've had at a job, always friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, efficient, ETC... And while he's trying to take his one break in the year, his one vacation, everything coincides to make it as stressful as possible while he can't even do much to help. My sympathies are extended to him, and I can only hope that my extra time put in has been helping dampen all this going on a bit.

Anyway, this upcoming week looks a bit more mellow. I've actually got a couple days off. I have no drawings yet, but some ideas have been sloshing around, so I may get a few doodles headed your way eventually.

Also, NEW WATCHERS! Gorram, for a couple weeks there, I got a new watcher a day for some reason. Not to sound like I'm complaining. I'm just confused as to what could have enticed the lot of ya. Regardless, hope to not disappoint with future postings. Enjoy.

And that's all, just wanted to let y'all know what's going on. Take care, everyone.

Good respective-time-cue, everyone. I hope you're all well today.

It seems to have been a fairly long while since I'd shown any signs of life. A couple of you even seem to have feared for my well being.
How nice of you. c:
Anyway, I thought I'd write up a journal to let everyone know I'm doin' okay. Most of my lowered online actions can be attributed to last week being high school senior week. See, being pretty much the only college person at my place of employment, when all of the high schoolers wanted time off for the event, I was the person they turned to to cover all the hours.
Not that I'm complaining now that my week for very early, exhausting, long shifts is over, mind you. Many cashmonies were made thanks to my efforts. But it covers why I was gone last week, by-in-large.
This week, I happen to have a friend over. Many terrible, fun times of doom are being had. By which, I mean our shenanigans have included watching the entire series of Invader Zim in two days.
Just because.

And now y'all know. Hopefully, I'll be drawing and posting again soon.

Also, I got Soul Silver, because I feel like all the childhood innocence will be siphoned from my veins through my fingertips if I should ever not have a playable pokemon game in my possession... Or something...
Also-also, no. I don't intend on getting either of the new games when they're out.

Take care, friends.

Instructions:
Go here: http://www.wolfire.com/humble
And give them your hard-earned cashmonies. They will give you five games all DRM free back. Including World of Goo, Gish, Lugaru, and Penumbra, all of which are amazing as far in as I've played. c:

I'm sure your first thought is "But how much does this AMAZING package of awesomeness cost?" And the answer is, "What does that matter?! It's FREAKING AMAZING!...

... But since you asked, how much would you be willing to pay for it? $59.95? $79.95?! Perhaps you're willing to funnel your entire bank account this for the sake of having blinding levels of sheer bodacity downloadable at any time on any OS, but would like to pay something closer to the range of $.01 (You cheap, exploitative bastard...)? Well, then, that's what you type in! That's right, you name your own price! You could get it for hundreds, pennies, or somewhere inbetween!"

Hurry, though! This is a limited time offer. Limited, that is, to about another four days from my posting this. Go. Get. It. Now.

Just thought I'd spread the word to anyone who isn't horribly allergic to great things. And if you are, what are you doing looking at my page, you liar?



So, finals just ended. Guess I'm going home in a electrical storm tomorrow. How are all of you? Doing anything interesting this weekend?

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.

I continue to exist.

It's snowing a lot, though. Like, up to three or four feet.

... I hate snow.

Anyway, drawings hopefully on the way. Eventually.

My newest favourite thing ever: http://www.rainymood.com/ . Seriously, it's so calming. I could drink tea while listening to this forever... ~<3

This week's schooling has been exactly one day of classes. My shortest day of the week class-wise. Snow killed the rest. 'Course, since that means two once-a-week classes are canceled, my professors will be going crazy next week. Oh well.

My, this HAS been a dull journal. I need a meme to spice this thing up.

Tagged by  StrawberryMog , who convinced me that it was my moral obligation to presume I was part of his vague tag list. S'pose I have to do this now.

01. Real name → Samuel
002. Nickname(s)→ Sam, Simba, Reed, Iggy, Mole (Or "MOLEHMOLEHMOLEHMOLEHMOLEH!" on occasion )

003. Zodiac sign → Libra
004. Male or female → Male
005. Elementary → Marshall Hill
006. Middle School → West Milford (Macopin)
007. High School → West Milford High
008. Hair color → Dark Brown
009. Long or short → Medium (Longer than short, but not usually long enough to be considered actually long)
010. Loud or Quiet → Depends on the company.

011. Sweats or Jeans → Cargos (Hah! Showed you.)
012. Phone or Camera → Camera.
013. Health freak → Hardly.
014. Drink or Smoke? → Neither.
015. Do you have a crush on someone? → Not really.
016. Eat or Drink → Eat.
017. Piercings → None.
018. Tattoos → Nope.


HAVE YOU EVER?
019. Been in an airplane → Often
020. Been in a relationship → If you could consider the three I've been in such.
021. Been in a car accident → A few times. (Never while driving, and never at fault of the driver.)
022. Been in a fist fight → Once or twice

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → Still none.
024. First best friend → Drew (None of you know him, I suspect.)
025. First award → Second place for season soccer, PAL division 5
026. First crush → I don't recall her name. S'pose that shows how much I cared. Age five.
028. First big vacation → Hawaii, age one.
029. Last person you talked to → Roommate's girlfriend, Stacy.
030. Last person you IMed → Forbic
031. Last person you watched a movie with → Sovhiel
032. Last food you ate → Chinese: Teriyaki chicken and pork-fried rice
033. Last movie you watched → Se7en
034. Last song you listened to → Witch Hunt - Metropolis Rescore - by The New Pollutants.
035. Last thing you bought → Before my food? Train tickets.
036. Last person you hugged → Also Sovhiel.

FAVES:
037. Food → I like variety...
038. Drinks → Tea, Coca-Cola, SoBe Nirvana.
039. Clothing → Cargo pants, hoodie over t-shirt, and loafers.
040. Books → Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Somnambulist, Redwall.
041. Music → Post-rock, mostly.
042. Flowers → Roses, if I must choose.
043. Colors → Red, Green, Purple...
044. Movies → Brazil, Gran Torino, Wall-E, Metropolis.
045. Positions → *Shrug*
046. Subjects → Philosophy, English, Film, ETC.

IN 2009 I....

047. [] kissed in the snow.
048. [] celebrated Halloween
049. [] had your heart broken
050. [] went over the minutes on your cell phone
051. [X] someone questioned your sexual orientation
052. [] Came out of the closet
053. [] gotten pregnant
054. [] had an abortion
055. [] done something you've regretted
056. [] broke a promise
057. [] hid a secret
058. [X] pretended to be happy
059. [X] met someone who changed your life.
060. [] pretended to be sick.
061. [] left the country
062. [X] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it.
063. [] traveled to high mountains.
064. [X] ran a lot on the beach
065. [] live on a beach
066. [X] stayed single a whole year

CURRENTLY:
067. Eating → Nothing. Quite finished for now.
068. Drinking → Camomile Tea
069. I'm about to → Switch to Green.
070. Listening to → Dsco by Sweet Trip and a rain track behind it.
071. Plans for today → Maybe play some X-Com. Possibly draw a bit. We'll see, I suppose.
072. Waiting for → This meme to end.

YOUR FUTURE:
073. Want kids? → Not particularly.
074. Want to get married? → No.
075. Careers in mind → Possibly a university professor. I don't think about it much, really.

OR OR:
076. Lips or eyes → Eyes
077. Shorter or taller? → *Shrug*
078. Romantic or spontaneous → Oh, I see. These are questions of romantic preference...
079. Nice stomach or nice arms → Joke's on you, I don't... Stomach.
080. Sensitive or loud → As I was saying, I don't have a list of features or something silly like that.
081. Hook-up or relationship → We're people, debatably not programs and statistics... Relationship.
082. Trouble-maker or hesitant → So... Yeah. *Shrug*

HAVE YOU EVER:
083. Lost glasses/contacts → No
084. Ran away from home → No
086. Killed somebody/thing → Yes
087. Broken someone's heart → Yes
088. Been arrested → No
089. Cried when someone died → No

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
090. Yourself → Descartes's meditations have convinced me.
091. Miracles → Depends on the circumstances.
092. Love at first sight → Lust at first sight. Agreed with my tagger.
093. Heaven → Nah.
094. Santa Claus → Nah.
095. Sex on the first date → No.
096. Kiss on the first date → Not really.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Uh-huh.
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life? → Mostly.
099. Do you believe in God → 'Fraid so, though not in a religious sense. Those are just silly.
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 20 people → False. And it is true and truthful that I find this one false. Spread the virus or memes some other way. I'm deeming this journal quarantine.

Okay, as far as life stuff goes, I'm back at school, my grandmother is doing better (thank you for your concern without making a huge deal out of it), should be around a lot more now. Not a whole lot more to say there.

As for artistic whatnot, I have a number of scraps which I'm currently debating posting. Why? Because, well, most aren't that good. Also a few step outside of my normal comfort zone for material. The biggest deliberation right now is on a short, unfinished transformation comic I made about... a half year ago(?) To post, or not to post. That is some question with a tad of pertinence for a small collective of individuals...
Also, I scanned in a little giftart I made for  Rogerbeanz some time ago, but forgot to attach it to the e-mail to myself... Oops. Sorry, Rog.
As far as nice, mostly finished works go, I've got a silly vore series of two pictures coming up, and a very nice picture of Reed and Avolc, which will get nowhere near the right amount of attention and favourites. I'm estimating between 13 and 17, based on past numbers.
Oh well.

Critically, I've got a couple little things. First, Avatar. Now, there's a decent amount of dispute about this one, it seems. I mean, everyone agrees that it's very shiny, but there's a ton of dispute about the quality of things like the story. Here's my opinion on that. It's not the kind of film you can go into expecting for it to be like a film, per say. That's simply not how it's designed. If you go to see Avatar and keep yourself distant and critical, you will not have much fun, it will seem mediocre, and a kltten somewhere will start to cry. Quite frankly, and this may sound strange coming from me, but you're doing it wrong if you take Avatar critically. The plot is admittedly somewhat simple, some of it is a tad hoaky (Unobtainium, because hardto-obtainium just doesn't have the same ring to it.), and the whole thing is essentially what you would get if Dances with Wolves got drunk one night, had sex with the whole Matrix Trilogy in one blur, and returned home only to discover a week later that it was pregnant and had to find a way to explain that to Fern Gully when he got back from his business trip. But, again, if you focus on that, you're not watching it right. It's supposed to be taken as an experience. You're supposed to slip yourself into everything that they do (... No, I'm not rephrasing that, and as far as I'm concerned, that scene counts.) View it like that, and it's difficult to resist it's charm. View it too seriously, get upset about it's success because of its flaws, and you're probably not going to heaven. Yes, I'm looking at you, Pope Benedict.

As for gaming, PS0. Oh, PS0.
Good effort.
It's not the games it tries to live up to, the original Phantasy Star Online series (-3), but it tries awful hard. In a lot of ways, too hard.
The Combat being more action oriented was an interesting choice, and it could have had potential... That is, if you weren't forced to become a sitting duck every time you wanted to use something that wasn't in one of your six action slots. And to avoid many attacks it's necessary to keep the dodge roll in there. And you can't use spells that aren't there at all. And spells have charge time for their Ra forms now, as well as costing more to cast when charged. Don't worry, though, because forces (Mages) aren't at a hinderence at things things because they do more physical damage than Rangers. And at a longer range too. Also, they're pretty durable now. I usually just take the hits that I can't dodge without the roll, because they do so little compared to what my resta heals, and the stupid thing would take a slot for one of my techniques otherwise. And what's up with alresta (heal all) not costing any more tp than regular resta? That seems like it should be the one thing that DOES cost more, since it's really one of the only things where the effect is a straight upgrade from its uncharged.
The story's pretty "meh" too. As opposed to the usual, simple, "You're a hunter, go kill things to make the world safe and we'll pay you," you get the the anime cliche of THE ULTIMATE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP thrown at you. A lot. In fact, you get a lot of anime cliches thrown at you. A lot. Hell, there's even a scene where the young girl fighting monsters with you (Which is a cliche in and of itself) gets... Well... Um... Let's just say there are tentacles involved. And that you're given the option to help her or wish that you had some popcorn. Actually, it's quite funny... until they play that same angle for about three quests.
Which brings me to the quests. They're rather bad. Each one is essentially going through a field, boss and all, with dialogue. It's all well and good until you go through the wetlands for the umpteen-bazillionth time. You're expected to respond to things NPCs say every now and then too, but none of the option even affect dialogue past a sentence or two.
Also, whoever's bright idea The Eternal quest was, I will kick you so hard in the face if I ever meet you that it'll wake up your dentist. Other people who've play that quest will join me, I'm sure.
I'd be lying if I didn't say that by-in-large, I've enjoyed PS0, though. It's not PSO 1,2, and 4, but it's still got some of the charm of the originals drizzled over it.

On a... Fine-al note (Too easy.), I'm apparently owe $35 on this new meme floating around, unless I discredited myself something. Yes, I am entirely too straight-edge, thanks for asking.

You know, of why I haven't been on much lately. It's not that I'm losing interest in the community or anything like that. Quite frankly, my winter break has been... Well, it's been hectic. Admittedly, the first week or so was just me frantically trying to get caught up with my gaming, week two was a total disconnect from the internet, week three I hung out with a good friend I've hardly gotten to hear from for half a year due to his internship every single day, and these past couple days after I'm afraid my grandmother's been in the hospital.
Not that I'm asking for sympathy or anything of that nature. We were worried for a day or two, but she's now recovering somewhat well. I'd just like to explain why I haven't been around.
It's simply been one thing after another.
Otherwise, things are going fairly well, though. And everything should calm down enough to be online frequently again when school restarts on the nineteenth.
A tad strange that things calm down for me when school starts, but that's just how my world functions.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know quickly, so everyone isn't so in the dark. I miss you guys, to be honest. Hopefully you're not missing me so much, and, at the very least, this journal will shave off some of the worry.

... So how's everyone doing?