~ SUMMER FLASH SALE!!! ~
All 2D Drawing Commissions are 20% Off! Only available from July 14-19, so act fast and grab your slot now!

>> Submit a commission form here: https://goo.gl/forms/HqD2pTsv4iRr8f463 <<

(Other commission types are still open at full price. All proceeds will go to emergency Corgi vet bills.)

Hello all: I write this amidst a panic attack.

MEGA Uploader has terminated my account, which contained all of my animations, Patreon content, and more, due to "breaking" their Terms of Service. However, I have never received any email notification of this termination, or what TOS I have broken. With the way the encryption on their site worked, there should have never been any problems. I am unable to contact them directly through their site and have resorted to email in the hope they will reply, but need assistance in finding an alternative as fast as possible, due to this sharing of content being my livelihood.

Until an alternative has been established, all content (mostly including animations) are not available to be viewed/downloaded at this time from MEGA. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

In the meantime, you may find most of the public content that is currently available on my Discord, Telegram Channel, or Bluesky accounts.

https://Discord.gg/RaskusRambles
https://t.me/Mietere3D
https://bsky.app/profile/mietere3d.bsky.social

Hello all: moving forward, I will be closing my digital 2D illustrations until further notice. You may see occasional YCH auctions but no need digital drawings will be taken.

In its place, I will be opening slots for traditional paintings that are physical and shipped upon completion. There is currently ONE available slot left. You can see them yourself here: https://Furaffinity.net/view/52923720/

I am almost complete with the current 3D commissions - including animations - and will be opening slots again for additional 3D work. Feel free to pre-inquire by using the Form submission available here, for both oil painting and 3D commissions: https://forms.gle/GWFQBbQQzSYj2FjE8

As always, you can get early access, priority commission slots, and otherwise support me through Patreon, since art IS my livelihood. :P https://Patreon.com/Mietere

Thanks for your support!

Howdy there! I am happy to announce a new medium opened for commissions: oil painted canvas artwork!
We will only have two slots open at this time, so make sure to submit a request if you're interested!

You can see pricing and details here, as well as the form to submit a commission request: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/52923720

Hello folks, I wanted to take a moment to give you an update on the plans for May 2023 on Patreon. I had a rough April (with personal illness, close family death, prescription changes, and more), so I am looking forward to creating more fun content for May and moving forward. Almost all of the new content will be Patreon exclusive for several months if not more.

Current/Priority Plans:
- Post backlog of artwork publicly
- Auction YCH drawing ft. hyper twink (limited slots)
- Complete Falco Lab Growth animation
- Publish IRL oil painting commission pricing and examples
- Design Synth OC 3D model commission
- Compile pricing and example packs of motion capture data people can use for their animations
- Continue to improve my streaming schedule and production value on Twitch
- Avoid spending all my time playing the new Legend of Zelda (hardest challenge on the list)

Future Plans:
- Several shorter motion capture animations to post more frequently
- Motion capture character animation and new gameplay mechanics for RagnarøkVR
- Finish Andre the Dragon Tavern Growth
- 3D content ft. Raskus' new NSFW model (plus a Growth Drive?)
- 3D content ft. Robotic Ninja OC
- 3D content ft. new Sangheili model
- 3D content ft. lots of other characters I have been eyeing for awhile
- Collaboration work with other artists
- Pet lots of dogs (this could also be moved up to the priority list)

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to sharing this work with you!

Make sure to join the Discord at https://Discord.gg/RaskusRambles to get more frequent insights on new art packs, content streaming, and more.

Returning to this page from our last adventure, you would expect I would have hung the towel up by now. Yet, here I remain. Whether for better or worse, I take a deep breath, push the thoughts down, and brush my fingers over the keys once more. There are several other obstacles I had an ordeal with before, during, and still persisting after the breakdown period, but at this time they are unimportant to the subject of this journal and will not add value to those who may learn of them, but rather I imagine drain them like they did me. Rather, I would like to share with you some of the endeavors I have indulged in in my attempt to swim back to the surface. This will be more straight-forward topics rather than written like a story or poetry, but informative is the purpose of my typing here today.

New Content
Feeling stagnant with my creativity and content I was producing - whether being caused by the depression, medication, general loss of interest, or all of the above - I have begun practicing with a few new mediums to circumnavigate the riptides that tore at my ankles to join them once more below.
- I returned to the sketchbook, pencil in hand, to focus more on general shapes, practices, and concepts instead of feeling the need to make every piece I make on the digital tablet be a "finished" piece.
- Alongside the sketchbook, I acquired a calligraphy ink pen, and began to learn the process of inking, cross-hatching, and the balance of light and shadows in a composition to really push the contrast values and define what information is needed in a piece to tell the story without overdetailing it.
- Transitioning away from the digital canvas, I moved to the physical cotton stretched one. Acquiring a basic oil paint kit to began, I attempted oil painting for the first time in my life. I found (honestly, to my own surprise) I had a deeper understanding of the medium than I anticipated. This was reinforced by the the reactions from friends/family, claiming the quality of it was far more than they expected given the difficulty of the medium. My mother, in the best intentions but worst delivery, called it "the best real art" I had ever produced, which made me raise a brow and ask with a chuckle, "then what have I been making up this point?". Her bumbling of words as she attempted to rectify her phrasing only made the conversation more entertaining.
- Using my knowledge of 3D art, models, and animation, I finally acquired a 3D printer (Ender 3 S1) for my use in producing 3D prints of works. The process from Blender to the printer has not been as smooth as I had hoped, but fortunately I have grown experienced printing models published on the other free sites (and some very high detailed ones that were gifted to me). Different materials, detail levels, machine tinkering, and more are all variables I am continuing to learn and master.
- Beyond just printing the 3D pieces, I have also began painting some with acrylic paint, bringing some of the better prints to life with vibrant colors, washes, and more. They may never seen a playmat of a tabletop game, but nevertheless I am content leaning about the different paint layers and how to detail something so small or intricate. For those who have done miniature painting before, you can understand the struggle of trying to not make your character look cross-eyed using a single fiber of your fine paintbrush.
- I began to dabble in crocheting, since I found that I was not finding any value in the sewing process or products at this time, namely because my main sewing projects are cosplay that have not been used since 2019 when COVID began. I picked up this medium in particular to aid my roommate/best friend because he wanted to learn how to crochet, and the videos/pictures were not doing it for him. So learning alongside him and being able to physically point out loops will help and be a good creative outlet we can enjoy together. He deserves a positive creative outlook and overall good things, and I want to make sure I can help him where I can.

3D Animations/Renders
My flame of creative content in regards to 3D renders and animations is not yet extinguished. However, I was finding every time I opened the programs that the anxiety of the scale of the projects, the time commitment versus output, and so, so many program errors and bugs were causing me to lose any sense of creativity or joy in the medium. This burnout was the product of making this content the central focus of my work for many years, and taking on too much at once and becoming overwhelmed, to the point where I could not bring myself to open the program without the fear that a simple gust would blow the creative wick out for good. I have not given up on the medium, or the existing projects, but by making the other mediums the focus, it has helped me avoid officially throwing the programs into the recycling bin on my desktop and not looking back. The burnout will slowly crack and heal, but forcing it too quickly will leave those scars vibrant on my skin , where no amount of disassociating or commitment can make them dissipate.

What's Next?
In regards to the next steps to expect from me and my content, I have many things planned to finish, share, and create.
- I have a massive backlog of content I have been posting to the Patreon that I have not yet shared publicly. I fortunately have them all organized in a datasheet, to make sure I don't miss anything important. Uploading to FA can be an extremely tedious process for many pieces, where a simple click and it will be very hard to discover it ever again from one's submission inbox unless they know exactly who created it, all the while the reception and feedback feels as if only the few who attempt it do so by writing on the glass of the exhibits displays...many of which are just squiggles of phallic material. Twitter is a black insatiable void for artists, where you can toss your content into the black well, where it may shimmer for a moment for people to glimpse, before disappearing from any public eye and only capable of being found for the few who are devoted enough to throw on their dive suits and search through the individual profiles' media tweets. In addition, the newer over-strict new placeholders on images containing "suggestive content" when there may not even exist makes sharing anything a complete hit and miss, depending on where the blue bird wishes their algorithms to display it.
- I will continue my work with my graphic novel, Blue Fang featuring Viktor and JAX. My previous process of drawing pages was a bit too tedious/not properly rendered, so I will continue to experiment and find a happy medium. The page drafting stage is the slowest, followed by the inking, so if I were able to combine the efforts it would prove fruitful. Otherwise, I have found good process with certain allies, who I would love to explore with deeper if they are so willing.
- Our team is continuing their work with RagnarokVR, but have been scheduled with other individual projects, plus my mental issues with the 3D software I listed above. With a project board in place and proper coordination, we may be able to push our next update by the end of the year, but no promises: Unreal Engine can be a cruel bastard with their code.
- Several commissions I have are already in the WIP stages, including but not limited to several animations, 3D renders, illustrations, and some miscellaneous works.*
- Many WIP pieces or concepts organized that are all on different stages of completion, included but not limited to: animations, 3D renders, illustrations, sequences, comics, costumes, 3D printing, and more.
- The foundations for the next YCH are in place, and I plan on making YCH based pieces more frequently to help balance the other projects in regards to new character designs, art styles, finances, and commission queues.
- With my explorations into painting, and a few successful test pieces, I may open up for physical canvas oil painting commissions. This can be as simple as a small square portrait on canvas board to a larger stretched canvas box pieces. The pricing and frequency of these commissions are still yet to be determined - based on lack of examples to compare to, and the values of other variables such as time/materials/shipping/etc. - but given their uniqueness and the attention they have gotten from some folks already, I would like to explore it deeper so people can get a really cool unique commission to frame on the wall. You may expect to see them published publicly soon so you may judge for yourself.
- I still have Mietere Merch available on Etsy, where I have manufactured and ready to ship products including stickers, keychains, and more. I hope to add 3D prints soon, once I can properly finalize the production timeline from software to physical.

*Note: For those who have commissions from me that are paid for (partially or fully), I want to express my sincere apologies for the untimely output. I shared my reasons for the delays in this journal and the previous, but that still does not justify the content from a business perspective. If you would like to contact me to discuss your commission in regards to its current WIP status, work queue order, changing the content parameters/subject/themes, or for partial or full refunds, please reach out to me through FA, Twitter, Discord, or Telegram.

Socials
I will continue to be using Twitch as my main social outreach for streaming arts and games with Raskus the Turian. I have found a good community of support, a way for me to once again enjoy games without feeling guilt that I am "not working" (even if I had already worked 60-80 hours, which is normal per week), a lot of sweet memories and clip shenanigans, fun community game days, direct support and feedback from the community, and the ability to stream my artwork in real-time as it is produced. It is the most up-to-date and most commonly used social for me at this time, partnering with the Raskus Rambles Discord for my Twitch and Patreon communities. If you would like to chat directly with me, stay the most updated on new content, meet a community of wonderful people, or just to throw fish at my head while I am streaming, please check out the Discord and Twitch links provided below:

https://Twitch.tv/RaskusRambles
https://Discord.gg/RaskusRambles

Reflection
Even with the positive outlook ahead, there are still a plethora of other deep pits of dread that do not have any handrails around them that I am attempting to cross. I fear that for most of them, the trek across each will take many months - if not years - to overcome them, where until I find my footing will be treacherous, eager to seize me in their brutal maws if I slip. But with each step I take forward to overcome these challenges, I become a better and stronger person so that I can help extend a rope to others crossing similar pits, because they do not deserve to cross them alone. Every day as I settle myself into bed, uneager to witness the new nightmares that linger in my peripheral until I am at my weakest, the only thing I can do is fulfill my potential everyday in order to better myself and those around me. I come to terms a bit more everyday with these new monsters that chew away at my mind, their saliva laced with doubts and despair that settle into the fractures they leave behind, for I know that my purpose is to help others and provide the guidance and support they need so they may too fulfill their potential. This ideology radiates most brightly with my "Alpha Pup" mentality, where the alpha aspect is not about control, or power, or an ego-trip as so many seem to treat it, but rather - as the author Ayesha Siddiqi expressed it - for me to "become the person I needed when I was younger". A lot of misguidance, misinformation, and mistrust was thrown into me from others who only viewed the world from their perspective, leaving me only more alone with the new monsters that arose around me. Becoming the person I needed to be for myself when I was younger is how I will fulfill my potential, so I may help others find theirs...pup masks not required.

I want to once more thank *you* - yes, the one reading this - for taking the time to not only check on me and my content, but for showing you care by reaching this point. Also, to all those who reached out to me directly through comments or direct messages. Your support is what keeps me going - very literally - so I couldn't be where I am today without you. Thank you.

Maybe you will take a moment once this paragraph has concluded to indulge yourself into thinking about what your potential is and how you could fulfill it. Perhaps you already know. Maybe you don't really care. But know that I am proud of you for making this far in life, for accomplishing and experiencing and learning so much, and you are still here. We all have dark tides that take over, but it is a lot easier to reach the surface if you have someone that cares for you offers you their hand from above. At points you may be the one sunk below, or the one reaching from above. And sometimes, by becoming that support you needed, you can be the one to extend a hand and pull yourself upward to breach the surface once more.

For those who watch my work, you may have had a question or two on your mind over the past few months. To paraphrase it, it might be along the lines of, "What the Fuck happened to Mietere and his artwork?" If you did have these thoughts, I would first like to say thank you for caring enough about me or my content to have the question slip into your mind. Secondly, I will be answering that question in several parts.

This will not be a joyful read. It will be the truth. It will hurt me. It will scar me. But it will also bring me hope.

For those who may not know, or for those who do (it's not super hard to see it), I have severe clinical depression, PTSD, and mild schizophrenia. As you could imagine, this cocktail of bad vibes affects me daily, and I am already on some strong medication to help me handle and properly process the weight on my mind almost every moment of every day. This is obviously not aided by the daily information of politics, war, suffering, and stupidity humanity displays to one another, but I do my part to stay informed and try not to involve myself personally unless I can help. I was doing alright on my prescription at the time, but come July I could not help but feel the effects becoming weaker and harder to maintain. With my doctor's consultation, I returned to a drug that I had not tried since early high school: Zoloft (or Sertraline). This is a common anti-depressant that some of you may be familiar with. Given the worsening symptoms, I agreed to try a stronger dosage of the Zoloft and see how the affects were after a few weeks. Well, weeks passed, and I felt no better and perhaps worse some days. My motivation was growing weaker, it was harder to get out of bed everyday, any kind of sexual drive was depleted (which directly affected my work content and output frequency), the nightmares were becoming more frequent (around 5/7 nights a week), and to those around me I was becoming a husk void of emotion outside of the ones I displayed with my mask. Unfortunately, I am rather isolated besides my roommate, who is usually very busy with his work outside the apartment, so not even he was able to notice the changes very much. Fortunately, a few members of my Twitch/Discord community began to speak concerns at my seemingly worsening health. After a few days of research and study into my own behaviors/thoughts/actions, I realized that the Zoloft was driving me closer and closer to disaster, where the suicidal thoughts were becoming louder and the thinly-veiled jokes about it were becoming less funny. Through reconciliation, I determined that the Zoloft was helping deal with the daily mental issues not as a stimulant, but rather a depressant. That is to say, it helped me not feel the sadness because it removed my ability to feel at all. It became a vicious cycle of Zoloft, to apathy, to lack of content, to feeling guilt for not making content, to depression, and back to more Zoloft. Rinse and repeat into a downward spiral. Needless to say, I cut the Zoloft cold turkey and spent a week dealing with the withdrawals to force myself away from that cliff edge.

Unfortunately, while the drugs were the ones pushing me toward the cliff, several other life issues seized my ankles with ruthless steel anchors that were towing me off the edge at a higher velocity. Shortly after the switch to Zoloft, one of my former tooth fillings (that I had gotten only about a year prior) broke off and exposed my nerve, which, for those who may not know, is a very painful experience. As it turns out, the clinic that had done my filling the year prior did a shitty job at it, where instead of it protecting my tooth, actually trapped more bacteria under it and made the cavity increase in size and rot all the way to the root. Needless to say, you can't really think straight or do proper work or anything with that kind of issues pulsating with screams directly into your skull. Living on a diet of water and ibuprofen, I went to the dental clinic as soon as I was able to alleviate the issue. However, after doing x-rays, the (new) dentist determined that I would require a root canal and gave me a list of specialists...all of which were quite busy and could not accept new patients for several weeks. On top of that. it turns out State Insurance does not cover root canals on molars, yet will on every other tooth. So overall, I was going to need to pay for the entire procedure out of pocket, and wait several weeks, for the pain to be resolved and a bill being sent my way for around $4000 total. As you could expect, I said "FUCK that," and made my way to a different clinic who RIPPED that bitch out of my head. While the term may be "extraction" and is covered under my insurance, the more literal term is "bone cracking in your ear as we stab drugs into your face and tug that bitch out with pliers from your grandpa's toolbox"...not literally, of course, but I can assure the pain of it and sound of my own bones cracking in my ears continue to make me shiver. I bled for 5 days, having to keep placing more gauze into my mouth and making any kind of food intake painful and tedious, even when it was nothing but smoothies and apple sauce. At this time, the hole remains but the pain has dissipated (it's still there when I try to chew sometimes), and the next step will be to drill a replacement in...which is also not covered by insurance and will need to be paid out of pocket...for about the same price of a root canal. It may be hard to imagine, but this multi-week experience of physical pain, migraines, unable to eat food properly, financial anxiety, future financial issues and pain, and more did not aid in my mental recovery that the Zoloft was supposed to be aiding. This again led to the cycle stated above, but add ibuprofen and stomach pain from the painkillers to it. The stomach pain was bad, but it was better than the pain in my mouth and that which plagued my mind.

Shortly after my cold-turkey cut off, I was once again struck with a emotional issue in regards to my uncle's unexpected death. Now at this point of my life, I have seen far more death of ones I am close to than anyone should be comfortable with, which is where those mental symptoms found some of their original footing. Canceling work and plans, I attended the funeral on a cool Monday evening, chauffeuring several family members - who had come into the state on short notice flights - to the the church, all dressed in standard black attire for the occasion. Keeping my thoughts buried and my current issues set aside, I tried to instead just force myself through the experience with as little emotional reception as possible; it is not uncommon for folks to sometimes act that way as a state of shock when dealing with the dilemma of death. I was doing quite well, keeping my head metaphorically low in the pew as the Catholic event unfolded slowly, stretching longer and wearing away at my blockades like water running over rocks as it lingered on. But then the eulogies started. Most eulogies I have witnessed have ranged from melancholy to uplifting to sorrowful with a hint of redemption in the end, all words and memories consolidated to commemorate and reflect on the life of the individual to not bring sorrow for their death, but rather to celebrate their life. But as the 12-year-old daughter passed by her father's casket to the podium, her heart thumping hard in her throat and the emotions crying to be let out instead of concealed, the fear rushing through her as the world dropped its weight upon her shoulders without reconciliation. The words from the tear stained notebook paper she kept in a tightening grip were not the words of a widowed mother, or a high school friend, or a co-worker. It was the exhibit of moments that she would never get to experience with her father. Sporting events, prom, marriage and grandkids, all lost thanks to the sudden and unpredictable toll of life upon our bodies. There would be no celebration for her. There would be no more positive or negative memories experienced with him. The pages had been torn out before they were written and cast into the fires of unfair circumstances that only take and take to fuel their endless hunger to see us all suffer. Each line smashed against me like crested waves, breaking through my defenses and seized at my throat with blood-letting claws, the other piercing my gut and twisting the organs without constraint as the weight of all I had been hiding fell upon me, those anchors at my ankles proving too heavy, that medication kicking me over with a malicious intent, the pain physically and mentally of years and years and years of suffering that I could not hold down any longer...

I fell.
Down.
Down past the cliffs edge.
Down past the outcroppings of last-moment handholds.
Down through the white-foamed waves crashing against rocks.
Down into the cold, black water.
Down
and down
and down...
and there I remain, even as your eyes trail over these words. Swallowed in that cold darkness, the light above unable to breach the depths where I lay, the chills settling past my skin and tearing away at my soul and heart with brutish snarled teeth.
To leave this dark place...it would not take much. Just a simple slip of a knife, a handful of pills, a precarious ledge of a tall bridge. It could be quick. It could be done. It could be over.

...

And yet, here I remain.
The surface of the black sea encroaches closer every day. Some days it seems further, but it continues to draw nearer.
The climb back will not be an easy one. It will not be a flip switch. It will not have a ladder waiting for me. The handholds will be slick and painful.
And yet, I continue to climb.
I will not let the darkness take me.

(To be continued)

I achieved another birthday? Didn't think I would make it this far lol.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes

I will be hosting a digital vendor booth this weekend at SizeCon, w/ special con discounts! Plus, I will be a panelist for a muscle growth event on Sat.

I have limited time codes for 50% off the con's ticket price, so make sure to check it out! Can't wait to see ya there!

Note: ticket codes will be sent out via pm to those who request them & share evidence of their ticket purchase process before submitting payment. The con is 18+, and a simple ID checker will be required to attend.

https://www.sizecon.com

You can support Mietere on Patreon!!!
Here you will be able to access exclusive content from Mietere Art and Design, including member-only artwork, merchandise discounts, early access, and more!

>>> http://Patreon.com/Mietere <<<

You can watch the new Intro Video here for a Sneak Peek at what's in store! https://vimeo.com/513082666

What do I get as a Patreon member?
Becoming a Patreon member is as easy as pushing a button and selecting the subscription tier you wish to contribute. With each higher tier, not only do you gain access to more exclusive unique content, but access to all the perks of the lower tiers too! That means more new exclusive content every month! Go check out the exclusive perks now!

Regardless of whether you donate the lowest tier or highest tier, you contribution directly supports Mietere not only financially, but grants him more time to make art just for you! With each goal reached, you help Mietere to give back to others. With all sincerity, thank you so much for your support: you are the real MVP!

>>> http://Patreon.com/Mietere <<<

SFM & Blender Ragnarøk v1.0 Models are now available publicly!

Folks asked for Rag's model for fanart & practice in 3D programs, so we wanted to share with you to let you learn and grow with him! We would love to see what you create! 💀❤️

Download link: https://Mega.nz/folder/V6gQxBqA#frl.....TO0K9q9KSrBGzg

>>> BLACK FRIDAY SALES! <<<
20% OFF EVERY COMMISSION TYPE

Been craving to see your character model animated, or have that art of them drawn? Now's the time!

There are limited slots, so don't wait! ⏰

You can submit your commission request here: Forms.gle/46Xon42BPNk8YTqL8

Howdy everyone!

A few announcements for upcoming work:

YCH GROWTH WITH RAGNAROK
I will be posting a new 2 page YCH comic in the next day or two featuring your character, Ragnarok, and of course, growth! This will be a one-slot themed YCH, so it will be conducted as a bidding raffle for the slot. Bidding will stay open until Friday night (11/27) at 11:59 EST. You can see more info and grab your slot here: [SOON!]

BLACK FRIDAY SALES
Starting Friday 11/27 to Thursday 12/3, I will be offering a Black Friday Sale on all commission types! I will be opening up a limited amount of spots, so make sure to grab one before they're gone! Don't forget that with Patreon, you can save up to an additional 20% as well! You can see the new commission pricing references here, and start brainstorming your idea before the sale launches this Friday:
2D Illustration: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/39342212/
3D Design: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/39342255/

MIDWEST FURFEST MERCH SALES
Starting Thursday 12/3 to Monday 12/7, I will be hosting a Mietere Merch sale alongside Midwest Furfest 2020 being that same weekend. Due to being virtual, I will be offering a 20% discount and free shipping on all products in the store! Don't forget that with Patreon, you can save up to an additional 20% as well! You can see all the available merch here: https://forms.gle/K4E9cEdiaPQAHUyK7
If you were looking for a custom product, I invite you to contact me and we can get it made!

In addition, I may be opening up more merch content in the form of custom chainmail necklaces/collar. Stay tuned for more detail on that!

I am excited to make some awesome stuff with you all!
~Mietere

A personal thread about the value of art, and if I can convince myself I have value through it. (5 posts)

https://Twitter.com/SkollNRag/statu.....57726384025600

Derived from the science fiction and fantasy that has mirrored our reality, comes new and old sparks of creativity and imagination. For many years, I have craved to indulge into these sparks of a fantasy world of bounty hunting, cyber punking, and crime noire conflicts that cast a mirror on ourselves. Since before 2010, actually (10+ years: woah). I would present this world through a graphic novel format, spread across 13 "cases" (chapters) that spanned topics including artificial intelligence, systematic crime, corrupted politicians puppeted by overruling corporations, genetic splicing, religious fever of the masses, and the battle to not lose control of your own actions and mind when faced with the choice.

I believe now is the time to start bringing that dream into fruition: the story of Blue Fang.

Our story follows the protagonist, Viktor Talon, a genetically spliced bounty hunter and his partner JAX, a decommissioned android, as they hunt to stop the corruption that runs rampart through the cyberpunk metropolitan of HAVEN. With uncertain allies at their side like June Blaydes as the vice-chief of Haven's police force, each case only becomes more deadly than the last where their mettle, mind, and trust with each other will be put to the test of survival. Not everyone earns a happy ending.

---

The reason I preface this adventure is due to the fact I, unfortunately, only have so many hours in a day, and not all my projects and tasks can be sustained. In this case, animation would most likely be taking a back seat to the graphic novel. I am not stopping animation, but slowing it down. The still render images are still manageable (usually).

The cause behind this is that, simply, I am being burned out.

Animation is a very intricate lengthy process, that takes a long time to make something to the standards I hold for myself to and take pride in. From modeling, scene setting, keyframing and tweening, post production and more, it's a tolling process. Switching from SFM to Blender has allowed me to create much higher quality content and have more control over my visions, but with it comes more work and time sunk to not make something generic. I don't want to produce content that I can't be proud of, even if it is much faster or easier to not do the detail work. In addition, I want to create content outside of the niche I have dug myself into. I will still of course be producing that niche'd content because I still really enjoy it, but I need to avoid burning myself out of those as well. If it gets to the point I can no longer produce quality or enjoyable content, no one wins.

If I go this route, my Patreon will need to be shuffled around. My thought is that I would add Blue Fang page updates to my Silver+ Tier rewards. Not only does this mean you're getting more content for your subscription, but your support helps motivate me to continue to do my best and keep updates consistent. I plan for each page to be b&w inked, and updated weekly with sketches, concepts, and the pages. Each page would then be published publicly a couple weeks later.

To start, I want to share all the content I have curated over 10+ years of brainstorming, writing, and conceptualizing. Some things are a bit out dated, irrelevant, changed, or just...bad (I am sorry in advance for my high school art quality >~<), but I enjoy sharing how far it has come over those years. This includes character designs, environmental design, concept pieces, and more. (I want to leave most of the story secret for now, since I do have it almost completely written, but not in a presentable format that would avoid spoilers.) You can access this content here!: https://mega.nz/folder/dnJQQAbD#L0C.....LE2xsPERSCUsfw

I also want to hear your thoughts on this endeavour. Ideas, thoughts on the Patreon formatting, feedback on the concepts, whatever comes to mind. This may be a project that I have been working on for ages, but I want to make it my best to share it with you.

Thank you for your support!

Howdy everyone!

You can now choose to pay for Patreon on an annual basis! Not only will you get content all year long, you’ll also get a discount of 2 full months when you do. In addition to reduced fees, you’ll help me create quality content faster and reduce the chance your payments are accidentally declined in the future.

You can check out all the details here, including how to subscribe annually and helpful articles with more details:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/40895854

Howdy everyone! Our birthday is fast approaching this upcoming Sunday (July 26), and I wanted to give you all a gift to thank you for your Patreon support! It's not a raffle: every Patreon member can get a slot if they want one! (Before July 26)

We had an idea to help incorporate people's characters into Blender 3D, without them having a model. I have modeled and rigged a simple Body Pillow, that can have your character placed on it. I plan on having either Skoll or Ragnarok cuddling it, being able to snug your characters tight in 3D!

You can join and see more details here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39573505

I have not decided the exact poses/locations/sizes of Skoll or Ragnarok yet, but I am open to ideas. Cuddling in bed? Perhaps macro in the city? Please share your ideas below as well!

Howdy everyone,

I recently requested some feedback on the format of how I am posting and sharing art through Patreon, Furaffinity, and Twitter, to battle with the ever changing landscape of social media. My goal is to make sure my patrons are the only ones with access to the Patreon only posts, while still retaining fair posting and a steady supply art publically.

I will be presenting a new format of sharing: Weekly Art Packs.

Every Monday, I will post a collection of commissions, WIP, behind the scenes, clips, and more from the previous week's worth of work, that will be Patreon exclusive. After early access has concluded, Patrons will still be the only ones to have access to the Patreon exclusive works, such as the alternate versions of pieces and more. I will only be uploading a select amount of each week's work to public sites such as Furaffinity and Twitter, and they will be spaced through the week to attempt to stay relevant in that magic judgment code people call "the social media algorithm".

Every Monday, I will post the password-locked pack to MEGA and send the access code via private message to my Patrons. The contents will remain locked indefinitely, but I will be building a master list to share with those who join late who would like access. I would create them in an updating post, but seeing the recent breach in exclusivity, I will retain the control over them.

This should ease the amount of emails/notifications you receive, and give you a steady flow of new material for you to look forward to every week! This will also save me time for how much time posting a piece across many different social medias takes, time of which I can put back into work. (This is also due to the state of Furaffinity, and how ever step forward is two backwards; lack of video support, 720p upload, ethics, etc...)

As always, thank you for your support!

! Patreon Upload Privacy Changes !

A few sites have been publicly uploading exclusive Patreon artwork my Patreon members pay for. Most prominently, a site that rhymes with "sniff farty" (who can, bluntly, go f*ck themselves).

Link to post: https://Patreon.com/posts/37818442

Here is an overview for what to look forward to in May on  Patreon, where you can see all these and more weeks before the public!

~Minute long muscle growth animation ft. Rag and Raskus
~Cosmic Demon Tier Rewards
~Skoll Dakimakura
~Model revisions for Koragos, Scifisyko, and more
~Renders of Macro, Growth, & Muscles (oh my!)
~Bonus commission slots for sketchmissions

As always, if you're interested in all the perks and a free commission, consider starting the month by joining the Cosmic Demon Tier! Your support from any tier is really appreciated <3

https://Patreon.com/Mietere

Howdy! Now that I am (involuntarily) unemployed, my full attention will be turned towards  Patreon for income and as a full-time job.

For you, this means:
~Longer Animation
~More commission opportunities
~Merchandise
~More frequent art/game streams
~and much more, that time grants us

I am going to attempt a monthly plan to organize and distribute work as needed. My rough plans are as follows:

~First week of month - Patreon Commissions for the $69 Cosmic Demon Tier Rewards
~Second and third week of month - Patreon funded animation
~Third and fourth week of month - Public commissions

For animations, I am aiming for 30-60s a month, depending on complexity. 15s of 2 character animation takes more time than 30s of 1 character, understandably. April was a bit shorter given I was still working engineering full-time. As a reiteration, those of the $10 Silver Demon Tier and higher get to see the animations a full month before the public release!

I appreciate all of your support, and I will work to do my best to provide quality art and animations for you to enjoy. Thanks!

https://Patreon.com/Mietere

As of today, I am officially being laid off of my full-time engineering job. This was my main source of income, understandably, and I have been searching for new opportunities since January with not much luck, especially given the state of the world at this time.

As such, while I am continually looking for new work, I will be running my Patreon and Commissions full-time to make ends meet. I plan on opening a commission queue up (with the last 4 of the sketchmissions due at the top), and you can expect to see more details and Terms of Service once I settle myself these next few days from the big change.

If you would like to support me at  Patreon, I could use your help more than ever. Not only will you be seeing a lot of new work there, but ever bit helps during this very difficult time of transition. I have also opened up my Cosmic Demon Tier from 10 to 15 slots, where not only do you get all the perks of the previous tiers, but you get a free commission every month! You can check it out here:

--- https://Patreon.com/Mietere --- https://Patreon.com/Mietere --- https://Patreon.com/Mietere ---

I also plan on starting merchandise creation, and offering pre-order discounts, so keep an eye out for that.
I will also be attempting to get at least one or two animations out a month, depending on my commission queue, where Patreon users get to see them a month in advance.

I want to thank you all who already support me and continue to do so. I love being able to give back to you where I can to show my appreciation and create some fun stuff to make you smile. I believe we could all use some of that, now.

Feel free to reach out to me on FA, Twitter, Telegram, or Discord if you have any questions, or leave a comment below. Thank you.

~Mietere

I am bringing attention to a change I will be making in regards to model porting commissions, and the continual issues that I and many others continue to experience while working with  DigitalFurBelow's models.

A majority of you reading this may be interested in getting a model from DFB due to his focus on fast turn around and inexpensive price tag. However like every project with those features, it comes with flaws. They may not be visible on a small animation or a picture, but the minute you bring that model into a 3D work space the issues become apparent. I would like to say this is a rare occurrence and I would go with the punches, but this has been going on for years and is progressively becoming more prominent with lazier craftsmanship.

A list of common issues that are found in DigitalFurBelow's models:

- He often splits things up into separate disconnected meshes, yet they are merged into one object. Not only does this make selecting individual pieces a time consuming manual task, but it does not look like a single unit and defeats the purpose of combining them. I have seen these on pelvis regions, heads, accessories, and more. This also results in random floating pieces of geometry that are visible when rendered.

- A continual poor use of topology and careless modeling technique that results in ugly and sometimes error-prone geometry, which he tries to cover up with subdivision surface modifiers. Issues such as flipped face normals, inexplicable border edges (areas where polygons are not actually connected to each other), and sometimes full-on nonmanifold geometry are commonplace.

- He also has a habit of modeling strange anatomically-incorrect shapes into the topology of the mesh itself, making it difficult to tweak or fix without having to change said topology. Such issues include chasms between muscles, fingers spread far too wide, ravines in arms and legs that should not belong that are removed, or even something as simple as a urethra of a humanoid penis located on the top of the head rather than the front. Jockstraps created do not behave logically at all when the body is moved and immediately clip instead of moving with the mesh, and most accessories follow suit.

- A complete lack of symmetry in many cases, where polygon edges do not align so attempting to do mirror edits or UV mapping or the such results in double the work load and manual precision.

- Absolutely no effort put into adding textures to a majority of the model. There are sometimes one or two reused assets, but many are applied without adjustment and in poor taste, and honestly looks lazy and unfinished. This results in a model that looks like clay or colored Play-Doh, and requires manually adding textures on by hand, which requires...

- ...UV maps, that are non existent on a majority of the model. UV maps are used to assign the texture to different parts of the model's mesh. If they do not exist, you must manually select the polygons you want to assign the texture to, project the 3D mapping and unwrap it to see conflicting portions where the mesh collapses in on itself, create seams on the 3D model that must be symmetrical so the mesh can be Unwrapped flat (which made harder that the models are not properly mirrored thus leading to more errors), and repeat, adding and removing seams until it lays decently flat.

- The rig systems he creates are practically unusable for anyone besides him, and requires manually removing them from every. single. bone. in order to have them behave properly. This also includes reconnecting bones, restoring the scaling properties, and completely redoing any IK rigs from scratch. This skeleton rigs are also often poorly named or plain incorrectly, with inconsistency in the naming scheme so the program cannot extract mirror properties and must be done manually. Some models have had the entire left and right sides flipped, not chronological, or connected. In addition, the axis of bones are not uniform, so instead of normally rotating every finger bone on the Z-axis to make a fist, they become mangled and broken with improper weight paint assignments.

- He sometimes adds topology-affecting modifiers (such as Mirror) after deformation modifiers such as armatures or shapekeys, which is very bad practice as it is difficult to impossible to apply such modifiers without affecting the deformation ones. This effectively renders the model unusable outside of Blender and difficult to modify or iterate on without having to redo skinweights and shape keys from scratch.

- The custom UI layout of his projects are incomprehensible to others, and are often have to be recreated new to function properly.

- When colors or textures are applied, they are created through a web of 10 or more custom "nodes" to assign values for color, sheen, roughness, etc. This could all be done in a single node, Principled BDSF, that controls all of these features and more without having to add complexity and issues instead of attempting to modify one of those 10 nodes that results in the textures failing. However, this easier features and many more he does not use, due to the fact that...

- ...DFB still uses Blender 2.7 instead of 2.8 for a menagerie of poor excuses. The 2.8 update to Blender was a long time coming, and added a lot of UI, shortcuts, and features that makes the use of the program accessible to people to learn the program and streamline the process. This means that every time someone opens one of his projects, they are immediately met with errors not carried over that could be easily remedied in 2.7 if they were created right the first time. Now while I understand the preference of using an older piece of tech over new at times, the fact that some of the excuses used to defend himself include "The UI is real bad", "The iconography is trash", and "Everything is grey".

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From this point going forward, I will be charging a "DFB FEE" on using any models that he creates, since all of the common issues listed above triple or quintuple the amount of work it takes to make the models function like normal and look presentable for renders and animations. Given that I am not the only 3D artist that has experienced these kind of errors, you may soon see or already see similar fees due to the added work time required. If DFB would be willing to improve himself by accepting critique, upgrading his software, or creating models and projects that functioned properly for not only himself but other creators, I will rescind this fee. But until his work ethic of stubbornness and quantity over quality changes, these fees shall remain prominent.

I have collected a large gallery of these issues into a file. It features examples of missing textures, broken meshes, incomprehensible rigs, and much more. I have also included before and after examples for reference of what my work can do to the pieces. You can view the files here: https://mega.nz/folder/Nv4R2KAJ#Hau.....YeB-95LEAee9tA

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On that note, if you have a model from any creator you'd like to see be edited, improved, and properly rendered, feel free to shoot my a note or DM on any of my social medias.

 Patreon
Looking for a free commission or edits every month? Come join my Patreon! https://Patreon.com/Mietere

If you have any questions, similar experiences, or concerns, please leave a message below. Thank you!

I have a public poll up on Patreon for the top merch ideas! Come check it out and cast your vote!

Patreon subscribers will also receive the opportunity to do pre-orders, discounts, and more!

https://Patreon.com/posts/35754927

Want to help decide what the newest animation for April will be? Go vote and share your favorite ideas on Patreon now!

https://patreon.com/posts/35571429