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Sonic Generations Demo: Really, Sega? -REALLY-?
Posted 14 years agoOkay, so, in my eternally persisting moderately futile hope for a decent Sonic game since the plotzing of Sega's hardware development, I gave a download to the demo for Sonic Generations.
I am not whelmed.
And I don't feel like I've been "demo'd" on what Sonic Generations is all about. I mean, the whole boast of the game is that it involves playing as both classic and modern sonic in stages that reflect their eras. So Classic Sonic is all side-scrolly, and modern Sonic is all Adventure-style.
Now while I like Sonic in both flavors, I do not generally feel like travelling at mach 2 in a direction in which I am unable to swing the camera is any fun. As such, I really feel like the jump to 3D was a net gain for Sonic's gameplay, but even leaving that by the wayside, the Sonic Generations demo consists of...a 2.5D remake of the first stage from Sonic the Hedgehog. That's it. That's the whole demo. So not only do I not get the slightest taste of what is presumably -half- the game for Sonic Generations, (and the lesser half, according to my tastes) But I don't even get an -original- level on the part that they do show me. And what seems truly goofy to me is that there's a time limit on the demo. After 8 days, I won't even be able to play that one level anymore.
Sega, is your game really so empty of content that you're afraid that if people have open access to a 3D remake of one stage of a 20 year old game that they won't want to actually buy Sonic Generations?
This is -not- how you do a demo, guys. Not at all.
I am not whelmed.
And I don't feel like I've been "demo'd" on what Sonic Generations is all about. I mean, the whole boast of the game is that it involves playing as both classic and modern sonic in stages that reflect their eras. So Classic Sonic is all side-scrolly, and modern Sonic is all Adventure-style.
Now while I like Sonic in both flavors, I do not generally feel like travelling at mach 2 in a direction in which I am unable to swing the camera is any fun. As such, I really feel like the jump to 3D was a net gain for Sonic's gameplay, but even leaving that by the wayside, the Sonic Generations demo consists of...a 2.5D remake of the first stage from Sonic the Hedgehog. That's it. That's the whole demo. So not only do I not get the slightest taste of what is presumably -half- the game for Sonic Generations, (and the lesser half, according to my tastes) But I don't even get an -original- level on the part that they do show me. And what seems truly goofy to me is that there's a time limit on the demo. After 8 days, I won't even be able to play that one level anymore.
Sega, is your game really so empty of content that you're afraid that if people have open access to a 3D remake of one stage of a 20 year old game that they won't want to actually buy Sonic Generations?
This is -not- how you do a demo, guys. Not at all.
Furry Awards, A-kon, and general stuffs.
Posted 14 years agoBefore I get onto various stuffs, I first want to take a moment to thank everybody for watching me here. I have a sortof inherent aversion to repetetive tasks, so thanking each person individually tends to irritate me (which is totally irrational, I realize) but I do really appreciate all of your interest and I'll try to make sure I toss some stuff up on this page now and again to make the watch worthwhile. That aside, I got this note the other day, saying I've been nominated for 
the-furry-awards in the category "Digital Artist Of The Month MATURE". This is almost certainly a result of the Bijo: Zombie Jesus Day pic, which is ABSURDLY popular here and on DA, at least compared to my other stuff, so, I guess I'm supposed to tell all you people to go vote for me or something. I guess. I don't really get how the thing works. ;p
Aside from that, hmm. So I've been trying to get my crap in order. We're putting the house on the market soon, which means apartment hunting for me, which possibly means finding a roommate somewhere. I'm also trying to get into grad school somewhere other than UCO, which means filling out applications and crap. But right now, my primary objective is clearing my commission list, an event which some people have been waiting years for. :p
Note: This doesn't mean I'm going to be accepting commissions soon. I'm not even going to think about that possibility until my current list is gone.
But it -does- mean I'll be arting this weekend, and along the way I might scan and/or label some older pics and toss them up on my sites.
Aside from that, I'm going to be attending project A-kon again this year, although I don't have a table. If anybody else on my watch list is going, and wants to say hi in person, drop me a note.
the-furry-awards in the category "Digital Artist Of The Month MATURE". This is almost certainly a result of the Bijo: Zombie Jesus Day pic, which is ABSURDLY popular here and on DA, at least compared to my other stuff, so, I guess I'm supposed to tell all you people to go vote for me or something. I guess. I don't really get how the thing works. ;pAside from that, hmm. So I've been trying to get my crap in order. We're putting the house on the market soon, which means apartment hunting for me, which possibly means finding a roommate somewhere. I'm also trying to get into grad school somewhere other than UCO, which means filling out applications and crap. But right now, my primary objective is clearing my commission list, an event which some people have been waiting years for. :p
Note: This doesn't mean I'm going to be accepting commissions soon. I'm not even going to think about that possibility until my current list is gone.
But it -does- mean I'll be arting this weekend, and along the way I might scan and/or label some older pics and toss them up on my sites.
Aside from that, I'm going to be attending project A-kon again this year, although I don't have a table. If anybody else on my watch list is going, and wants to say hi in person, drop me a note.
Where the past couple years have gone...
Posted 14 years agoSo it's been a good long while since I updated on FA or DA, and I honestly don't know if anybody here is even going to notice this journal, or remember who I am if they do. But I know there are people out there that I have responsibilities to, commissions I owe, personal obligations left unfulfilled. I owe explanations to some people, apologies to others, and to my friends I feel I should give a general update of my personal status.
The past few years have been...different, and the past year, specifically, has been exceedingly so.
When I was in high school, I talked to God a lot. I wasn't exactly a fundamentalist, and he never talked back, but I was fairly confident in his existence. I believed in a lot of things back then, actually. In X-files terms, I was a "Mulder". I even had a book concept for years wrapped around a suspense story involving crop circles, which I totally believed were real at the time. I had faith in the mystery and wonder of the universe. I got this sense of belief and wonder from my mom, who was never churchy, but was very worshipful of God's world. She taught me to see how incredible and unlikely and special this world is, and to cherish life. She also brought home french fries and soda from McDonald's anytime she left the house. Words cannot express the awesome.
When I gave my first go at college, I went after a major in journalism, shifted to creative writing the next semester. I was, as it happened, exceptionally -not- ready for university life, and went nowhere pretty fast. I took several years off after that, and gradually worked on improving my ability to draw, learning to comic a bit, and planned on chasing after sequential art as an outlet for my storytelling drive. I drew some short comics, wrote a bunch of scripts...stuff I still kinda want to get made someday. I would go to cons and draw commissions for people. I was pretty oddball, honestly; I don't think my father understood what I was all about in the slightest, and in most respects, I think he still doesn't. But Mom was always in my corner, supportive and understanding, and absolutely certain that, given time and breathing space, I would find what makes me happy. If not for her, honestly, Dad probably would have kicked me to the curb a long time ago, sink or swim style, and while I'm glad that never happened, I'm not entirely certain if I didn't need something like that.
Now, most unexpectedly, after years of drawing and writing, I find myself at the end of my second attempt at getting a college degree, this time with apparent success. (Talk to me after finals to be sure. ;p ) And of all things, I'm graduating with a degree in Engineering Physics, because when I came back to college, to pursue an art degree with the intent of becoming a professional comic creator, I happened to take an astronomy course that mindgasmed my whole worldview around.
Suddenly, the universe was less mysterious, but much, MUCH more amazing. What used to seem like the unknowable depths of the cosmos not only had explanations, but quantifiable, verifiable explanations. I could not only understand the way things worked, I could predict, and watch those predictions come to life in amazing, incredible ways. I had spent the past several years gradually transitioning into "Scully" territory, to be sure, but now I was securely anchored in skepticsville, and I felt liberated by it. There was a level of sense to the universe that I could never get from my religious beliefs, and it wasn't long before I found that those had been left entirely by the wayside.
The side effect there, however, is that it was much harder to spend dedicated time working on art worth selling to people when the pressures of chasing after a rather difficult degree program were demanding a -lot- of my time. I've been struggling for the past few years to really squeeze in time to draw anything up to sale-worthy standards, and I have a hangup of personal pride that keeps me from drawing out commissions if they're not above a certain acceptable quality threshold. I have scrapped a lot of rusty sketches trying to get through my commission backlog. Still, I kept at it for a couple years, trying to keep up, trying to -catch- up, with a blend of successes and failures. It didn't help that I was having to work two jobs to help cover my college expenses, and my paralyzing addiction to any game pumped out by Bioware.
Then, three years ago, I started dating a certain young woman, and things changed again. I had been considering transferring to a different school, going somewhere that better suited my fascination with astronomy, but this relationship was something that became a very serious part of my life. I have never wanted to be the person that put career ahead of love or friendship, and this was, in no uncertain terms, the most I've ever loved somebody in my life. So I stayed where I was, and she became my priority. She was cute, funny, sassy in all the best ways, and she loved Doctor Who. For about a year and a half, I was as happy as I've ever been.
At which point we lost Mom to cancer.
I wish I could impart some deep and complex thoughts about what it was like to go through that loss, or how I've coped with it for the past year, but really, all I can say is it hurt, I miss her, and I am so incredibly sorry that she couldn't live to see me graduate.
Needless to say, I had a rather depressing summer. And when it was over, after becoming keenly aware that our relationship was not developing in any mutually satisfactory way, the girl I'd fully intended to marry decided that she just didn't feel like she was a "relationship person". So for the past year, I've been struggling to claw myself out of a deep, deep depression. I've had moods swing with sufficient force to crack stone. I even got within thinking distance of throwing myself off of the roof of a building, and the only thing that kept me in check was the knowledge of the pain that would cause to my friends and family.
And now, I've spent a year adjusting myself to the thought that Mom's never coming home with french fries and sprite again, and to the knowledge that Mel and I are never going to have that Doctor Who themed wedding. It didn't help that my best friend moved to Colorado in the midst of all this, leaving me with...the internet. And don't get me wrong, I -love- my friends on the net, but sometimes you need a shoulder to physically cry on, and fuck if I didn't have anything of the sort. So it's been a tough year. I feel like I've hardened a little inside. Like I have defenses up I don't know if I can let down again.
But I'm healing, lest anyone mistake this for a emogothlivejournalmylifeispain sort of post. I've had a year to adjust to new realities, and for the most part, I have. I love and live off the support of my family and dear friends. I know how -lucky- I actually am. Dad's been really supportive over the past year, even as he's been dealing with his own loss. My brother and sister and their families have been great, and my friends have all been invaluable. And what suffering I have gone through is nothing compared to the loss and difficulty being suffered in other countries, ravaged by war and disaster. I have had time to think about who I am, what I believe, and who and what I want to be, and I'm going to continue pushing forward. I still tell stories, but now those stories are informed by a deeper understanding of how the universe functions, and sometimes, the stories may even be true ones. I want to educate and entertain, and try to help make tomorrow a little better for everybody.
And so there I stand after three and a half decades of existence on this little ball of rock and water . Mourning loss, celebrating life, enduring pain, loving friends, and eating fries.
The past few years have been...different, and the past year, specifically, has been exceedingly so.
When I was in high school, I talked to God a lot. I wasn't exactly a fundamentalist, and he never talked back, but I was fairly confident in his existence. I believed in a lot of things back then, actually. In X-files terms, I was a "Mulder". I even had a book concept for years wrapped around a suspense story involving crop circles, which I totally believed were real at the time. I had faith in the mystery and wonder of the universe. I got this sense of belief and wonder from my mom, who was never churchy, but was very worshipful of God's world. She taught me to see how incredible and unlikely and special this world is, and to cherish life. She also brought home french fries and soda from McDonald's anytime she left the house. Words cannot express the awesome.
When I gave my first go at college, I went after a major in journalism, shifted to creative writing the next semester. I was, as it happened, exceptionally -not- ready for university life, and went nowhere pretty fast. I took several years off after that, and gradually worked on improving my ability to draw, learning to comic a bit, and planned on chasing after sequential art as an outlet for my storytelling drive. I drew some short comics, wrote a bunch of scripts...stuff I still kinda want to get made someday. I would go to cons and draw commissions for people. I was pretty oddball, honestly; I don't think my father understood what I was all about in the slightest, and in most respects, I think he still doesn't. But Mom was always in my corner, supportive and understanding, and absolutely certain that, given time and breathing space, I would find what makes me happy. If not for her, honestly, Dad probably would have kicked me to the curb a long time ago, sink or swim style, and while I'm glad that never happened, I'm not entirely certain if I didn't need something like that.
Now, most unexpectedly, after years of drawing and writing, I find myself at the end of my second attempt at getting a college degree, this time with apparent success. (Talk to me after finals to be sure. ;p ) And of all things, I'm graduating with a degree in Engineering Physics, because when I came back to college, to pursue an art degree with the intent of becoming a professional comic creator, I happened to take an astronomy course that mindgasmed my whole worldview around.
Suddenly, the universe was less mysterious, but much, MUCH more amazing. What used to seem like the unknowable depths of the cosmos not only had explanations, but quantifiable, verifiable explanations. I could not only understand the way things worked, I could predict, and watch those predictions come to life in amazing, incredible ways. I had spent the past several years gradually transitioning into "Scully" territory, to be sure, but now I was securely anchored in skepticsville, and I felt liberated by it. There was a level of sense to the universe that I could never get from my religious beliefs, and it wasn't long before I found that those had been left entirely by the wayside.
The side effect there, however, is that it was much harder to spend dedicated time working on art worth selling to people when the pressures of chasing after a rather difficult degree program were demanding a -lot- of my time. I've been struggling for the past few years to really squeeze in time to draw anything up to sale-worthy standards, and I have a hangup of personal pride that keeps me from drawing out commissions if they're not above a certain acceptable quality threshold. I have scrapped a lot of rusty sketches trying to get through my commission backlog. Still, I kept at it for a couple years, trying to keep up, trying to -catch- up, with a blend of successes and failures. It didn't help that I was having to work two jobs to help cover my college expenses, and my paralyzing addiction to any game pumped out by Bioware.
Then, three years ago, I started dating a certain young woman, and things changed again. I had been considering transferring to a different school, going somewhere that better suited my fascination with astronomy, but this relationship was something that became a very serious part of my life. I have never wanted to be the person that put career ahead of love or friendship, and this was, in no uncertain terms, the most I've ever loved somebody in my life. So I stayed where I was, and she became my priority. She was cute, funny, sassy in all the best ways, and she loved Doctor Who. For about a year and a half, I was as happy as I've ever been.
At which point we lost Mom to cancer.
I wish I could impart some deep and complex thoughts about what it was like to go through that loss, or how I've coped with it for the past year, but really, all I can say is it hurt, I miss her, and I am so incredibly sorry that she couldn't live to see me graduate.
Needless to say, I had a rather depressing summer. And when it was over, after becoming keenly aware that our relationship was not developing in any mutually satisfactory way, the girl I'd fully intended to marry decided that she just didn't feel like she was a "relationship person". So for the past year, I've been struggling to claw myself out of a deep, deep depression. I've had moods swing with sufficient force to crack stone. I even got within thinking distance of throwing myself off of the roof of a building, and the only thing that kept me in check was the knowledge of the pain that would cause to my friends and family.
And now, I've spent a year adjusting myself to the thought that Mom's never coming home with french fries and sprite again, and to the knowledge that Mel and I are never going to have that Doctor Who themed wedding. It didn't help that my best friend moved to Colorado in the midst of all this, leaving me with...the internet. And don't get me wrong, I -love- my friends on the net, but sometimes you need a shoulder to physically cry on, and fuck if I didn't have anything of the sort. So it's been a tough year. I feel like I've hardened a little inside. Like I have defenses up I don't know if I can let down again.
But I'm healing, lest anyone mistake this for a emogothlivejournalmylifeispain sort of post. I've had a year to adjust to new realities, and for the most part, I have. I love and live off the support of my family and dear friends. I know how -lucky- I actually am. Dad's been really supportive over the past year, even as he's been dealing with his own loss. My brother and sister and their families have been great, and my friends have all been invaluable. And what suffering I have gone through is nothing compared to the loss and difficulty being suffered in other countries, ravaged by war and disaster. I have had time to think about who I am, what I believe, and who and what I want to be, and I'm going to continue pushing forward. I still tell stories, but now those stories are informed by a deeper understanding of how the universe functions, and sometimes, the stories may even be true ones. I want to educate and entertain, and try to help make tomorrow a little better for everybody.
And so there I stand after three and a half decades of existence on this little ball of rock and water . Mourning loss, celebrating life, enduring pain, loving friends, and eating fries.
I'm afraid of six out of 75 common fears!
Posted 16 years ago[ ] public speaking
[ ] staying single forever
[ ] Rejection
[ ] being a parent
[ ] giving birth
[ ] being myself in front of others
[ ] open spaces
[ ] closed spaces
[X] heights
[ ] dogs
[ ] fish
[ ] spiders
[ ] flowers or other plants
[?] that Scary guy... D:
[ ] being touched
[ ] fire
[ ] deep water
[ ] snakes
[??] silk
[ ] the ocean
[ ] failure
[ ] success
[ ] thunder/lightning
[ ] frogs/toads
[ ] my boyfriends/girlfriends dad
[ ] my boyfriends/girlfriends mom
[ ] rats
[X] jumping from high places
[ ] snow
[ ] rain
[ ] wind
[X] crossing hanging bridges
[ ] death
[ ] heaven
[ ] being robbed
[ ] clowns
[ ] dolls
[ ] large crowds of people
[ ] men
[ ] women
[ ] having great responsibilities
[ ] doctors, including dentists
[ ] tornadoes (who wouldn't when you cant avoid them...)
[ } hurricanes
[ ] incurable diseases
[ ] sharks
[ ] Friday the 13th
[ ] ghosts
[ ] poverty
[ ] Halloween
[ ] school
[ ] trains
[o_O] odd numbers
[O_o] even numbers
[X] being alone
[ ] becoming blind
[ ] becoming deaf
[ ] growing up
[ ] creepy noises in the night
[ ] bee stings
[X] not accomplishing my dreams/goals
[X] needles
[ ] blood
[ ] dinosaurs
[ ] the welcome mat
[ ] high speed
[ ] throwing up
[ ] falling in love
[ ] super secret
Final Total: 6
If you wish to post this in your journal, it's been requested that you title it I'm afraid of __ out of 75 common fears.
If you get more than 30, I strongly recommend some counseling.
If you get more than 20, you’re paranoid.
If you get 10-20, you are normal.
I thought this little quiz was interesting enough when I stumbled across it some time ago on my watch list, but didn't really find time to post it until now, with school, and the hand and all. I am interested in fears, as a whole, though I have to say, this list seems occasionally redundant, and sometimes perplexing. I mean, a lot of these I would classify as "heights" and so I get more than one check for basically just being scared of falling. Also, Silk? Really? Silk is a "common fear"? 0_o
But still, I suppose I faired pretty well on this list. It was interesting to consider what does and doesn't scare me, and why.
In other news, I've got a friend visiting in town, and a kitten in the animal hospital. Picked up a stray about a week ago, and it looks like she's having kidney problems. We don't know exactly how bad it is, or if it's something that she could get over, but right now they've got her on IV fluids and are flushing out her system, and she seems to be feeling better. Will update that I find out more.
Visiting friend is a more cheerful topic. My friend Brian is visiting from Virginia for a couple of weeks before project a-kon. He and my girlfriend Melody will be assisting me in getting my shit together for the con this year, so I'm going to be out and about buying supplies, and trying to post art, and draw stuff to gear up.
If any of you guys are going to be at the kon, give me a shout. And be sure to catch me at the table, as I'll be selling sketches and comics at the table.
[ ] staying single forever
[ ] Rejection
[ ] being a parent
[ ] giving birth
[ ] being myself in front of others
[ ] open spaces
[ ] closed spaces
[X] heights
[ ] dogs
[ ] fish
[ ] spiders
[ ] flowers or other plants
[?] that Scary guy... D:
[ ] being touched
[ ] fire
[ ] deep water
[ ] snakes
[??] silk
[ ] the ocean
[ ] failure
[ ] success
[ ] thunder/lightning
[ ] frogs/toads
[ ] my boyfriends/girlfriends dad
[ ] my boyfriends/girlfriends mom
[ ] rats
[X] jumping from high places
[ ] snow
[ ] rain
[ ] wind
[X] crossing hanging bridges
[ ] death
[ ] heaven
[ ] being robbed
[ ] clowns
[ ] dolls
[ ] large crowds of people
[ ] men
[ ] women
[ ] having great responsibilities
[ ] doctors, including dentists
[ ] tornadoes (who wouldn't when you cant avoid them...)
[ } hurricanes
[ ] incurable diseases
[ ] sharks
[ ] Friday the 13th
[ ] ghosts
[ ] poverty
[ ] Halloween
[ ] school
[ ] trains
[o_O] odd numbers
[O_o] even numbers
[X] being alone
[ ] becoming blind
[ ] becoming deaf
[ ] growing up
[ ] creepy noises in the night
[ ] bee stings
[X] not accomplishing my dreams/goals
[X] needles
[ ] blood
[ ] dinosaurs
[ ] the welcome mat
[ ] high speed
[ ] throwing up
[ ] falling in love
[ ] super secret
Final Total: 6
If you wish to post this in your journal, it's been requested that you title it I'm afraid of __ out of 75 common fears.
If you get more than 30, I strongly recommend some counseling.
If you get more than 20, you’re paranoid.
If you get 10-20, you are normal.
I thought this little quiz was interesting enough when I stumbled across it some time ago on my watch list, but didn't really find time to post it until now, with school, and the hand and all. I am interested in fears, as a whole, though I have to say, this list seems occasionally redundant, and sometimes perplexing. I mean, a lot of these I would classify as "heights" and so I get more than one check for basically just being scared of falling. Also, Silk? Really? Silk is a "common fear"? 0_o
But still, I suppose I faired pretty well on this list. It was interesting to consider what does and doesn't scare me, and why.
In other news, I've got a friend visiting in town, and a kitten in the animal hospital. Picked up a stray about a week ago, and it looks like she's having kidney problems. We don't know exactly how bad it is, or if it's something that she could get over, but right now they've got her on IV fluids and are flushing out her system, and she seems to be feeling better. Will update that I find out more.
Visiting friend is a more cheerful topic. My friend Brian is visiting from Virginia for a couple of weeks before project a-kon. He and my girlfriend Melody will be assisting me in getting my shit together for the con this year, so I'm going to be out and about buying supplies, and trying to post art, and draw stuff to gear up.
If any of you guys are going to be at the kon, give me a shout. And be sure to catch me at the table, as I'll be selling sketches and comics at the table.
I'm aliiiiiiiiive!!! And done with finals. (Also Akon info)
Posted 16 years agoGwaha! I am finished with school for another semester. This semester was seriously draining, for a whole bunch of reasons too emo for me to go into here, but it's done now, and I'm feeling seriously productive. That means...
Yes! I'm going to be dedicating myself to catching up on commissions, and I plan to be caught up before a-kon rolls around. Honestly, I meant to do this a month ago, but I...kinda...sorta...broke my hand. A little. Long story.
So here's the deal: If I owe you a commission, now's the time to nag/remind/whatever. I'm actually significantly more organized than I was even six months ago, so I probably already have you on a list, but it can't hurt to prod, nonetheless.
That out of the way, I wanted to take this opportunity to announce that I am going to be attending project A-kon as an artist in the Komik Market/Artist's alley. I don't know if I'll have any new portfolios or not, but at the very least I'll be doing commissions at the con, and if you're somebody I owe art to, you could save yourself the postage wait and pick up your arts in person! I should be at the table for most of the con; I'll be on the first "island", closest to the building entrance. When I'm not there, the table will likely be presided over by my lovely and awesome girlfriend, or one of my other lackie<<<<<<friends.
Also, I plan to grow my selection of images here on FA, so watch for select postings of some of my older stuff in the next few weeks before the con.
Yes! I'm going to be dedicating myself to catching up on commissions, and I plan to be caught up before a-kon rolls around. Honestly, I meant to do this a month ago, but I...kinda...sorta...broke my hand. A little. Long story.
So here's the deal: If I owe you a commission, now's the time to nag/remind/whatever. I'm actually significantly more organized than I was even six months ago, so I probably already have you on a list, but it can't hurt to prod, nonetheless.
That out of the way, I wanted to take this opportunity to announce that I am going to be attending project A-kon as an artist in the Komik Market/Artist's alley. I don't know if I'll have any new portfolios or not, but at the very least I'll be doing commissions at the con, and if you're somebody I owe art to, you could save yourself the postage wait and pick up your arts in person! I should be at the table for most of the con; I'll be on the first "island", closest to the building entrance. When I'm not there, the table will likely be presided over by my lovely and awesome girlfriend, or one of my other lackie<<<<<<friends.
Also, I plan to grow my selection of images here on FA, so watch for select postings of some of my older stuff in the next few weeks before the con.
Things and stuff and such. (Info for those owed or seeking
Posted 17 years agoOkay, and out of the aether I approach again. I'm thinking I need to make "takes longer than advertised" my personal slogan.
The last year or so has been an eventful one, wroght with technical mishaps and scholastic troubles. Those who know me well know that I'm in pursuit of a physics degree, and ultimately a career as an astrophysist. Science is an incredibly demanding thing to study, and exhausting to boot. During the school year, I have practically no time or energy to devote to artwork. I generally like to imagine this doesn't matter, because I can just make it up during breaks, but then unexpected things happen, and the breaks end up being...not breaks.
In the past year, I've had both my laptop -and- my desktop crap out on me in various ways. I've had to replace an entire hard drive, reformat another to ditch a stubborn piece of malware, and replace a laptop screen. I've also had to replace the pen for my tablet, which is what I use for colory goodness where art is concerned.
The consequence of all this is, files have been lost, and I no longer have contact info for some of the people I owe commissions to. Some work is gone and has to be redone, and some work has gotten put onto standby while technical and scholastic issues were being dealt with. Some others have dropped off the face of the earth and/or stopped replying to my e-mails.
IF I OWE YOU A COMMISSION, E-MAIL ME, PLEASE. I am trying to put my life back in order, and part of that is taking care of obligations. So I need people to get in touch. If you know somebody that's commissioned me, pass this along to them.
The last year or so has been an eventful one, wroght with technical mishaps and scholastic troubles. Those who know me well know that I'm in pursuit of a physics degree, and ultimately a career as an astrophysist. Science is an incredibly demanding thing to study, and exhausting to boot. During the school year, I have practically no time or energy to devote to artwork. I generally like to imagine this doesn't matter, because I can just make it up during breaks, but then unexpected things happen, and the breaks end up being...not breaks.
In the past year, I've had both my laptop -and- my desktop crap out on me in various ways. I've had to replace an entire hard drive, reformat another to ditch a stubborn piece of malware, and replace a laptop screen. I've also had to replace the pen for my tablet, which is what I use for colory goodness where art is concerned.
The consequence of all this is, files have been lost, and I no longer have contact info for some of the people I owe commissions to. Some work is gone and has to be redone, and some work has gotten put onto standby while technical and scholastic issues were being dealt with. Some others have dropped off the face of the earth and/or stopped replying to my e-mails.
IF I OWE YOU A COMMISSION, E-MAIL ME, PLEASE. I am trying to put my life back in order, and part of that is taking care of obligations. So I need people to get in touch. If you know somebody that's commissioned me, pass this along to them.
Street Fighter II EX plus deluxe super washboard rex dynamo
Posted 17 years ago(copy pasta from my DA journal, because I don't have time for two rants, but this wants an audience.)
Okay, I have to rant.
First off, Hi everybody, yeah, s'been about a year, I dropped off the face of the earth here and on DA. Been busy. I'll elaborate in about a week, but for now, I have to bitch about Capcom.
I just became aware that "Street Fighter IV" (and I put the quote marks there for a reason) is going to have the four bosses from the original SFII, Including Bison, who is supposed to be -dead- in SFII.
This means that this game now consists of:
The eight characters from SFII
The four bosses from SFII (who are returning as initially unselectable, BTW)
A number of staged from SFII
3 new characters.
They have a dozen games to choose from, an extended canon that includes the final fight and saturday night slammasters games, and pretty much every culture in the world to draw inspiration from for new characters, and we get the original twelve fighters plus 3 newbies with absolutely no ties to the existing cast.
This is not a sequel. This is a REMAKE. We've got the original four bosses, the original eight selectable fighters, and how much do you want to bet everybody's going to have more or less the same story and pretty much the same endings as in SFII?
This is not Street Fighter IV.
This is Street fighter II 3D EX turbo retard deluxe super bonus round asterisk.
Thing is, I don't mind remakes. I don't mind spinoffs. But god-damn- it aggrivates the hell out of me when a company has the balls to try and pretend that either of those things constitute a -sequel-.
Street fighter ALPHA was more of a sequel than this is.
I realize SFII was the height of popularity for the series. But jesus christ. We've all played it. In fact, there's already a perfectly servicable remake of it coming out on Playstation Network and Xbox live arcade.
I'm willing to buy that. It doesn't try to call itself something it isn't.
Okay, I have to rant.
First off, Hi everybody, yeah, s'been about a year, I dropped off the face of the earth here and on DA. Been busy. I'll elaborate in about a week, but for now, I have to bitch about Capcom.
I just became aware that "Street Fighter IV" (and I put the quote marks there for a reason) is going to have the four bosses from the original SFII, Including Bison, who is supposed to be -dead- in SFII.
This means that this game now consists of:
The eight characters from SFII
The four bosses from SFII (who are returning as initially unselectable, BTW)
A number of staged from SFII
3 new characters.
They have a dozen games to choose from, an extended canon that includes the final fight and saturday night slammasters games, and pretty much every culture in the world to draw inspiration from for new characters, and we get the original twelve fighters plus 3 newbies with absolutely no ties to the existing cast.
This is not a sequel. This is a REMAKE. We've got the original four bosses, the original eight selectable fighters, and how much do you want to bet everybody's going to have more or less the same story and pretty much the same endings as in SFII?
This is not Street Fighter IV.
This is Street fighter II 3D EX turbo retard deluxe super bonus round asterisk.
Thing is, I don't mind remakes. I don't mind spinoffs. But god-damn- it aggrivates the hell out of me when a company has the balls to try and pretend that either of those things constitute a -sequel-.
Street fighter ALPHA was more of a sequel than this is.
I realize SFII was the height of popularity for the series. But jesus christ. We've all played it. In fact, there's already a perfectly servicable remake of it coming out on Playstation Network and Xbox live arcade.
I'm willing to buy that. It doesn't try to call itself something it isn't.
A-Kon!
Posted 18 years agoIf anybody on my watch list is going to be attending project a-kon this weekend, I and mine will have a table in the comic market, wherein I shall be selling portfolios and commissions, and possibly a comic or two. There are a bunch of cool people in the a-kon market, so definitely drop by if you get the chance. Also, if I owe you a commission, it's your chance to nag me in person! (and if I don't, come by and get a con sketch!)
If you will -not- be attending this most auspicious event, it may bare mentioning that I scan as many of the commissions I draw as I can, and some may find their way onto my sites here and on DA, so check back here in a few days.
If you do not know about Project A-kon, and you're in the dallas area this weekend, check out www.a-kon.com for info about the convention. It's quite a large one and is known to have it "going on" as it were.
If you will -not- be attending this most auspicious event, it may bare mentioning that I scan as many of the commissions I draw as I can, and some may find their way onto my sites here and on DA, so check back here in a few days.
If you do not know about Project A-kon, and you're in the dallas area this weekend, check out www.a-kon.com for info about the convention. It's quite a large one and is known to have it "going on" as it were.
101 Watches!
Posted 18 years agoWhew. I've certainly attracted attention faster here then on DA. I've been horribly busy with schoolwork of late, but finals are but a week away, and I needed a break, so I threw together a few pics, most particularly a watch gift.
I tend to get backlogged on messages on sites like this, so I don't always have the time to go through and specifically thank each and every watcher, but I really am immensely appreciative to everyone that thinks my gallery is worth keeping an eye on. So, as I have the time, I hope to make it worthwhile to you guys for watching me.
The 101st dalmatian pic in my gallery actually gave me a little artistic momentum, so hopefully I'll be able to spin that out over the summer. If anybody is waiting on a commission from me, I hope very much to get caught up on those in the first few weeks after school lets out.
In related news, my tax refund should be substantial this year, so I'm hoping to pick up a wacom tablet. If anyone wants to come forward with suggestions on what model I should get, or where I can get good deals/service, I'd be very appreciative. I knew very little about these things. (tips on how to get the thing set up to run smoothly with photoshop would be appreciated as well.)
I tend to get backlogged on messages on sites like this, so I don't always have the time to go through and specifically thank each and every watcher, but I really am immensely appreciative to everyone that thinks my gallery is worth keeping an eye on. So, as I have the time, I hope to make it worthwhile to you guys for watching me.
The 101st dalmatian pic in my gallery actually gave me a little artistic momentum, so hopefully I'll be able to spin that out over the summer. If anybody is waiting on a commission from me, I hope very much to get caught up on those in the first few weeks after school lets out.
In related news, my tax refund should be substantial this year, so I'm hoping to pick up a wacom tablet. If anyone wants to come forward with suggestions on what model I should get, or where I can get good deals/service, I'd be very appreciative. I knew very little about these things. (tips on how to get the thing set up to run smoothly with photoshop would be appreciated as well.)
Quiz!
Posted 18 years agoEdited because I realized I left another person's answer in by mistake.
I don't like "memes", but honestly, the idea of a personal quiz or survey being a "meme" is something I don't quite agree with. So in the interest of having something on my journal that relates to -myself- rather then to some FA drama event...
1. Can you cook?
I am completely helpless in the face of food preparation.
2. What was your dream growing up?
When I was -little-, Marine Biologist. (amusingly, my niece is going through the same phase now) Later, astrophysicist. Then I wanted to be a Fiction writer. Then a Journalist. Then after my first attempt at college, comic artist. Now, I want to be a comic writing journalist with a masters in astrophysics.
Maybe a minor in marine biology...
3. What talent do you wish you had?
(looks around room) Tidiness.
4. Favorite place?
Don't really care where I am, so much as who I'm with.
5. Favorite vegetable/s?
Er...Those are those green things, right?
6. What was the last book you read?
If you mean the last book I -finished-, "The Darwin Awards, volume 4". If you mean the last book I read words from (excluding my Calculus textbook) that would be "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.
7. What zodiac sign are you?
Leo
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
No, I find permanent modifications to one's body are rather a bad idea, since I can say without hesitation that I would not trust the me of five years ago with my body today, and I'm pretty sure the me of five years from now would say the same thing.
9. Worst Habit?
Procrastination.
10. What was the last thing you touched besides the keyboard?
GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!
11. What is your favorite sport?
I suck at it (and have a bad knee, so I can't play anymore) but I still have a weak spot for tennis. I appreciate martial arts, but not as a sport.
12. Negative or Optimistic attitude?
I'm a bit of an idealist. A lot of my view of the world comes from a basic belief that it is freaking -amazing- that we're here at all. (Note I didn't say "miraculous", there's a reason for that.)
13. Can you eat 50 hot wings?
No, and I wouldn't care to.
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
High School.
15. Tell me one weird fact about you:
(editing this one) I nest. By which I mean, I tend to gather all the things I might need for say, a week to come, and put them all within arms distance. Then I have a habit of not putting them away. Hence, I really wish I had that "tidiness" attribute modifier.(/edit)
16. Do you have any pets?
At the moment, we have a dog named Annie, with whom I have something of a love-hate relationship.
17. What’s the weirdest pet you’ve owned?
(edit) Geez. I missed two of these? Weirdest pet...I used to have a cat named tyche who was slightly cross eyed. She had poor depth perception, so she'd go -careening- through the house, then go to jump on the kitchen counter and -sail- over it, (or come short and smack into the side) It was kindof funny, actually. She was a really sweet cat, tho, and very soft and cuddly.
I really miss having cats. (glares at Annie, then pets her anyway)(/edit)
18. Where are you?
In MAH BED.
19. What is the dumbest thing you’ve done while intoxicated?
A prerequisite of this is having actually -been- intoxicated.
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
Body Hair. Less of it. I'd like to ditch the beard, but I'm too damn lazy to shave.
21. Weapon of choice?
Sketchbook of thwapping.
22. What color eyes do you have in real life?
Blue
23. Ever been arrested?
Only in my development.
24. Bottle or Draft?
I'm opposed to the draft. I don't think you should fight for something you don't believe in. Bottles, on the other hand, are good for putting tiny model ships in, and tiny model ships are cool.
25. If you found a $100 bill on the ground, what would you do?
First impulse, look around and see if anybody nearby could have dropped it. Then I'd probably keep it and feel guilty about it.
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
Watermelon. For chewing gum, I like spearmint.
27. Where’s your favorite place to hang out?
Anywhere I can plug into the web. Lately I spend time in the lounge area of the Student Union at my Uni.
28. Do you like your room cold or hot?
Cool. Cold is only fun if I don't have to get out of bed, but hot is -always- intolerable.
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Draw smut, play videogames, particularly Dead Rising or City of Heroes, chat on the web with friends.
30. Do you swear a lot?
Used to swear a -lot-, but I'm more mild then I was. Still don't hold my tongue often unless I'm around someone that could be offended. (or small kids.)
31. Biggest pet peeve?
People that stop and wait when you're turning onto a street. I realize they're trying to be nice, but 90% of the time, they're just blocking my view and holding up traffic. First car accident I was ever in was because of one of these schmucks.
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Ponderous.
33. What’s your shoe size?
13. I's has big feets.
34. Do you have the same features (eye color, body size) as your furry character?
I don't really have a furry avatar, so no.
35. What is your favorite outfit?
For home, pyjamas, silk boxers, tank top. Going out, Fanboy T-shirt, jeans, sandals.
36. Favorite image in all of the internet?
...You're kidding, right?
37. How many windows/tabs do you have open?
3 IM tabs, three browser windows with a total of 11 tabs between them, and an azureus (bittorrent client) window.
38. What's your desktop image?
Keitaro and Narusegawa in kimono watching fireworks, drawn by the great Akamatsu himself. Condensed Love Hina WAFF.
39. What shampoo do you use?
Xian.*
40. What cologne do you use?
Youthful Panda version.*
(*People that know me will get it. ;p People that don't, keep an eye on my gallery, and I'm sure it'll become clear eventually.)
I don't like "memes", but honestly, the idea of a personal quiz or survey being a "meme" is something I don't quite agree with. So in the interest of having something on my journal that relates to -myself- rather then to some FA drama event...
1. Can you cook?
I am completely helpless in the face of food preparation.
2. What was your dream growing up?
When I was -little-, Marine Biologist. (amusingly, my niece is going through the same phase now) Later, astrophysicist. Then I wanted to be a Fiction writer. Then a Journalist. Then after my first attempt at college, comic artist. Now, I want to be a comic writing journalist with a masters in astrophysics.
Maybe a minor in marine biology...
3. What talent do you wish you had?
(looks around room) Tidiness.
4. Favorite place?
Don't really care where I am, so much as who I'm with.
5. Favorite vegetable/s?
Er...Those are those green things, right?
6. What was the last book you read?
If you mean the last book I -finished-, "The Darwin Awards, volume 4". If you mean the last book I read words from (excluding my Calculus textbook) that would be "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.
7. What zodiac sign are you?
Leo
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
No, I find permanent modifications to one's body are rather a bad idea, since I can say without hesitation that I would not trust the me of five years ago with my body today, and I'm pretty sure the me of five years from now would say the same thing.
9. Worst Habit?
Procrastination.
10. What was the last thing you touched besides the keyboard?
GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!
11. What is your favorite sport?
I suck at it (and have a bad knee, so I can't play anymore) but I still have a weak spot for tennis. I appreciate martial arts, but not as a sport.
12. Negative or Optimistic attitude?
I'm a bit of an idealist. A lot of my view of the world comes from a basic belief that it is freaking -amazing- that we're here at all. (Note I didn't say "miraculous", there's a reason for that.)
13. Can you eat 50 hot wings?
No, and I wouldn't care to.
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
High School.
15. Tell me one weird fact about you:
(editing this one) I nest. By which I mean, I tend to gather all the things I might need for say, a week to come, and put them all within arms distance. Then I have a habit of not putting them away. Hence, I really wish I had that "tidiness" attribute modifier.(/edit)
16. Do you have any pets?
At the moment, we have a dog named Annie, with whom I have something of a love-hate relationship.
17. What’s the weirdest pet you’ve owned?
(edit) Geez. I missed two of these? Weirdest pet...I used to have a cat named tyche who was slightly cross eyed. She had poor depth perception, so she'd go -careening- through the house, then go to jump on the kitchen counter and -sail- over it, (or come short and smack into the side) It was kindof funny, actually. She was a really sweet cat, tho, and very soft and cuddly.
I really miss having cats. (glares at Annie, then pets her anyway)(/edit)
18. Where are you?
In MAH BED.
19. What is the dumbest thing you’ve done while intoxicated?
A prerequisite of this is having actually -been- intoxicated.
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
Body Hair. Less of it. I'd like to ditch the beard, but I'm too damn lazy to shave.
21. Weapon of choice?
Sketchbook of thwapping.
22. What color eyes do you have in real life?
Blue
23. Ever been arrested?
Only in my development.
24. Bottle or Draft?
I'm opposed to the draft. I don't think you should fight for something you don't believe in. Bottles, on the other hand, are good for putting tiny model ships in, and tiny model ships are cool.
25. If you found a $100 bill on the ground, what would you do?
First impulse, look around and see if anybody nearby could have dropped it. Then I'd probably keep it and feel guilty about it.
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
Watermelon. For chewing gum, I like spearmint.
27. Where’s your favorite place to hang out?
Anywhere I can plug into the web. Lately I spend time in the lounge area of the Student Union at my Uni.
28. Do you like your room cold or hot?
Cool. Cold is only fun if I don't have to get out of bed, but hot is -always- intolerable.
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Draw smut, play videogames, particularly Dead Rising or City of Heroes, chat on the web with friends.
30. Do you swear a lot?
Used to swear a -lot-, but I'm more mild then I was. Still don't hold my tongue often unless I'm around someone that could be offended. (or small kids.)
31. Biggest pet peeve?
People that stop and wait when you're turning onto a street. I realize they're trying to be nice, but 90% of the time, they're just blocking my view and holding up traffic. First car accident I was ever in was because of one of these schmucks.
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Ponderous.
33. What’s your shoe size?
13. I's has big feets.
34. Do you have the same features (eye color, body size) as your furry character?
I don't really have a furry avatar, so no.
35. What is your favorite outfit?
For home, pyjamas, silk boxers, tank top. Going out, Fanboy T-shirt, jeans, sandals.
36. Favorite image in all of the internet?
...You're kidding, right?
37. How many windows/tabs do you have open?
3 IM tabs, three browser windows with a total of 11 tabs between them, and an azureus (bittorrent client) window.
38. What's your desktop image?
Keitaro and Narusegawa in kimono watching fireworks, drawn by the great Akamatsu himself. Condensed Love Hina WAFF.
39. What shampoo do you use?
Xian.*
40. What cologne do you use?
Youthful Panda version.*
(*People that know me will get it. ;p People that don't, keep an eye on my gallery, and I'm sure it'll become clear eventually.)
What you don't know...
Posted 19 years ago...can kill you.
Not that I expect this situation to prove fatal, but It's a point I felt needed emphasis. Here's the 411:
Oh so recently, a fellow by the name of "thertilethallad" commented on three of my images. However, by the time I got around to checking my messages, the comments had been deleted. A quick check of his userpage shows that evidently I'm not the only person not seeing this guy's comments, and a run further back shows that the people that -did- see his comments apparently felt they were inflammatory.
So the story unfolds that the guy is a asshole who got himself banned. Serves him right. Here's the thing: People might want to see what he had to say, if just to compose a defense.
I don't like the idea of arbitrarily blotting out things people have said just because we don't agree with them. Suppose this guy had said something threatening to me, and was now taking some action against me without my knowing? Or suppose somewhere in his slandering he had actually pointed out some information I could -use-?
For that matter, how do I know this person wasn't making perfectly sensible and reasonable commentary, and this ban is the work of someone's personal agenda on the mod crew? Deleting the entirety of someone's words as a matter of policy is sure a good way of covering your tracks if you want to ban people at will.
I'm not saying any of these things are the case, however I -am- saying that they easily -could- be, and represent a solid argument for why one should not go about casually wiping a person's comments, no matter how inflammatory, from the record.
Bad form, FA. Bad form.
Not that I expect this situation to prove fatal, but It's a point I felt needed emphasis. Here's the 411:
Oh so recently, a fellow by the name of "thertilethallad" commented on three of my images. However, by the time I got around to checking my messages, the comments had been deleted. A quick check of his userpage shows that evidently I'm not the only person not seeing this guy's comments, and a run further back shows that the people that -did- see his comments apparently felt they were inflammatory.
So the story unfolds that the guy is a asshole who got himself banned. Serves him right. Here's the thing: People might want to see what he had to say, if just to compose a defense.
I don't like the idea of arbitrarily blotting out things people have said just because we don't agree with them. Suppose this guy had said something threatening to me, and was now taking some action against me without my knowing? Or suppose somewhere in his slandering he had actually pointed out some information I could -use-?
For that matter, how do I know this person wasn't making perfectly sensible and reasonable commentary, and this ban is the work of someone's personal agenda on the mod crew? Deleting the entirety of someone's words as a matter of policy is sure a good way of covering your tracks if you want to ban people at will.
I'm not saying any of these things are the case, however I -am- saying that they easily -could- be, and represent a solid argument for why one should not go about casually wiping a person's comments, no matter how inflammatory, from the record.
Bad form, FA. Bad form.
LOLZ CUB DRAMA!
Posted 19 years agoOkay, not LOLZ, because it's not actually funny, but in the interest of not wanting to repeat my opinion every time it comes up, I'm consolidating my thoughts on this issue.
I consider myself a pretty tolerant person. I try not to be judgemental, and for the most part, I have no real problem with fantasies and thoughts, as long as they -stay- fantasies and thoughts. A person is defined by what they -do-. I think about jamming a sword through my boss's eye sometimes, that doesn't make me a murderer, and fapping to cub art doesn't make someone a child molester. So I don't care if someone likes cub art. I won't hold -that- against them.
And I also feel that there are grey areas involved. For example, Sonic and Tiny Toons are big subfandoms in furrydom, and they tend to look youngish, so are they "cub art"? And where does one draw the line? We're not all American here, not every country has the same line drawn as to what is and isn't legal. (Japan is 14, Aussie is 16, IIRC, some countries are 18...) Who's standard are we held to? These are meaningful questions, that deserve responses from the governing establishment of this site.
However, I'm not interested in "cub art", particularly to the extreme that it goes to on this site. And I object to the way some people defend it, particularly people that try to defend it by suggesting that if it's banned, FA will start down a "slippery slope" that will lead to the abolition of all porn on the site. That's bunk. It's BS. Nor is banning cub art coing to turn FA into a "ghost town", since I suspect more artists would leave if it wasn't banned then if it is. If you're using these arguments, I would strongly suggest you reevaluate your debate skills, because your argument is only as good as it's weakest point.
Personally, I can take or leave cub art. I worry about mods makeing overzealous assumptions about what does or doesn't qualify (for example, I tend to like flat chested adult women, and I've had them mistaken for "Loli" before, so that seems chancy) but if banning it keeps around some of the fantastic artists I've come to enjoy the works of, then I won't miss it.
I consider myself a pretty tolerant person. I try not to be judgemental, and for the most part, I have no real problem with fantasies and thoughts, as long as they -stay- fantasies and thoughts. A person is defined by what they -do-. I think about jamming a sword through my boss's eye sometimes, that doesn't make me a murderer, and fapping to cub art doesn't make someone a child molester. So I don't care if someone likes cub art. I won't hold -that- against them.
And I also feel that there are grey areas involved. For example, Sonic and Tiny Toons are big subfandoms in furrydom, and they tend to look youngish, so are they "cub art"? And where does one draw the line? We're not all American here, not every country has the same line drawn as to what is and isn't legal. (Japan is 14, Aussie is 16, IIRC, some countries are 18...) Who's standard are we held to? These are meaningful questions, that deserve responses from the governing establishment of this site.
However, I'm not interested in "cub art", particularly to the extreme that it goes to on this site. And I object to the way some people defend it, particularly people that try to defend it by suggesting that if it's banned, FA will start down a "slippery slope" that will lead to the abolition of all porn on the site. That's bunk. It's BS. Nor is banning cub art coing to turn FA into a "ghost town", since I suspect more artists would leave if it wasn't banned then if it is. If you're using these arguments, I would strongly suggest you reevaluate your debate skills, because your argument is only as good as it's weakest point.
Personally, I can take or leave cub art. I worry about mods makeing overzealous assumptions about what does or doesn't qualify (for example, I tend to like flat chested adult women, and I've had them mistaken for "Loli" before, so that seems chancy) but if banning it keeps around some of the fantastic artists I've come to enjoy the works of, then I won't miss it.
