And they hit the big 500. Like seriously, what a milestone to hit. I'm not even at 200.
Anyways, they got a raffle going on, for those that watch them. So you should go and watch them too.
Because I will cry if you don't and nobody likes to see a squid cry.
Its not pretty.
I cry ink.

Not really, but you get my point.
Go check it out.

Its my birthday.

Party hard for me.

So what if its a new year. Same as the old year.
Going to have its ups and downs, and we are all along for the ride, right?
So give me another drink, yeah? Going to start it off right.

Hey it finally happened! I hit the big one hundred! Big thanks to everyone out there that likes my stuff, so here is a thank you raffle!
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The raffle winner will get a two character piece [either SFW/NSFW] paid fully by me, with the winner and any one of my ocs of their choice!
The raffle piece will be done by  HuggableHusky. Just remember to follow her ToS when pitching an idea!

Examples of her work are as followed:
Example 1, Example 2, Example 3
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And now, the rules of the raffle!
- You must be watching me. I will check to make sure, and new watchers are always welcome!
- Comment below and I will assign you a number!
- One entry per person! No double dipping!!
- The raffle will end on September 24th, and I shall use a random number generator to choose the winner!
- Comment your favorite dessert to show me that you read the rules!
- Be nice to your fellow participants!
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Thank you to everyone who has watched me and favorited the pieces I have. It means to a lot to me. Keep your eyes out for more pieces in the future!
Good luck to all the participants! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Congratulations to #17  dirtyrenamon! I shall be sending you a note soon!
Big thanks to those you you that came out today for this raffle! I'll be sure to host another one when I hit 200!

And if any of you want to get art with me int he future, don't be afraid to send a note my way!

Ok so. This is a 5:00 am journal because I have nothing better to do and sleep is for the weak[end]. So I figured I would just give my two cents on characters and their associated lore/story/background/etc. And personally, why I think it matters.

Ok so first off, as many of you may or may not know, a couple of months ago i bought the rights to a character called 'Magna Firemane', who is a Qarow developed by a friend, Prince Vaxis. They no longer felt a connection to a brazen, dominant horse with a thing for white hair, and decided to part ways with them. Now normally, I wouldn't have bothered buying them. As much as I like aggressive fighting characters, maintaining a Russian accent was a lot of effort with little reward. Not to mention almost all of the art of her was porn. Now don't get me wrong, I like porn as much as the next person. But when you have a character that - lore-wise - is supposed to be a bold warrior who defied her own clan and was exiled, and instead is leaving holes gaping in her wake, you get some mixed feelings.

I suppose the main reason that I decided to purchase her was to keep her lore intact. Because her lore was over five years of time and effort put into it. She was introduced into Vaxi's personal role-play server, and had been built up over the course of five years. Character interactions, dramatic choices, and life and death situations. Quality. Content. And all of that was about to go to waste once the character was sold off to the highest bidder. THAT is what didn't sit right with me. Knowing that five years of effort on their part, controlling the character, and five years of time on my part, interacting with that character, was about to be erased.

So I bought her. To preserve her story and keep it going.

Its five years of effort, time, and imagination. I may not love the character themselves 100%, but I do love the story that has been crafted with them, and that they are a crucial piece in it. Now obviously, since they came into my possession, a few minor changes may be in store for her. Over time. Through story. And honestly, that is what makes a character good. Having quality characters interacting with one another and shaping the book of their life, one chapter at a time. So yes, Magna Firemane is still a part of Vaxi's personal rp server. Still is still an elite warrior under the High General's command. She still chases after those with white hair, including the High General himself. She still fights, and she still fucks. Though arguably, not as often. But that's a part of her ongoing story. And its a story I'm happy to continue to work on.

So I have been told by many that they have never heard of a squid oc before. And that's fair, as 90% of the furry community defaults to a Canidae with a 'unique' fur pattern. SHOTS FIRED. But those same people usually follow up with "why a squid?" And to answer why... I really don't know.

See, the thing was more so chance than anything else. Back when I first did role-playing, I just made massive amounts of characters with literally no pictures to them, just written out and used for this or that idea back when Kongregate and Chatzy were king. Whatever happened to them anyways? Anyways, one of them was a deep sea aquatic for a rp done between some natives of a merfolk-like race and the humans who had built a deep-sea lab. The rp was a flop from the start, as the leader of the session had a wacky schedule and never replied when it was needed. So for the longest of times, the deep sea squid without a name was shelved.

Fast forward a few years, I'm going through the folders of my old pc since i got a new laptop, seeing what I could transfer over and what I would surrender to the abyss. Up pops the file for an unknown squid sheet. I look into it, remember vaguely what purpose it was for, and decided that I wanted to try expanding upon it some more. I literally had no idea that furries were a thing at the time, I just like the idea of having an alien-like creature in the roster of potential characters when friends wanted me to host rp sessions.

So why did I pick the name 'Rubel'? At the time I was really getting into Claymore, and there was a mis-translation of the character Louvre, which resulted in the character being called 'Rubel' instead of 'Ruburu'. The name just rolled off of the tongue better, and i used it for the squid's name. Only later did someone inform me that is was the Russian currency.

When I finally did get into the furry scene, I just decided to use Rubel since he was a finished character already that just lacked an actual reference picture. An friend of mine liked the idea of a squid oc and wanted to try drawing it out, and well. The rest just fell into place.
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So for the long and short of it. The reason why it is a squid is by pure chance, but it is a choice that I am quite pleased I made.

Go go go: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/30622064/

Woo cheers, I work through it anyways.

And today marks the day where I finish my seasonal contract. If I am lucky they will give me a call in three months time when business picks back up again. But until then, I have to look for some sort of part-time job.
It was a fun job too, working in a bakery. Got to work evening shifts, occasionally did overnights. Sleep all day, work into the night. That was fun.
Ah well, here's to hoping.

So I'm just going to get this hate list over with so I can try to enjoy the holiday spirit.
Or uh, what's left of it.

12. Hangovers - I don't drink, but I often find myself around plenty of other that so and whoo-boy, what a fiasco.
11. Fruitcake - Oh look honey, an edible paperweight.
10. Below Zero Weather - Why yes, I actually like it when the air hurts my face.
9. Extended Store Hours - Love/Hate relationship. Love the money, hate dealing with people longer than I need to.
8. Christmas Cards - Why should I send them a card when they never send me one? Just sayin'.
7. Charity - Ok, I put in ten dollars now please stop ringing the bell.
6. Steam Sales - I had money from working during the Extended Holiday Hours, now its gone on games I will never play bu- oh wow, No Man's Sky at 60% off? Sure, I'll buy it.
5. Holiday Ads - These got stale when you started to air them during Thanksgiving.
4. Eggnog - Why do you even drink this sludge?
3. Forced Family Interactions - Didn't I just see all of you like a month ago?
2. Alvin & The Chipmunks Christmas Music - I KNOW WHERE THE RADIO IS STACY, AND I WILL CHANGE IT!
1. Pissed Off Customers - Yes, because it is MY fault you decided to do your shopping on Christmas Eve.

So I haven't done one of these before.
Not on here, at least.

Guess the reason is that I feel like nothing worth noting ever happens in my life. Oh well.
But this counts, I suppose. Question mark.

I am getting a new job. I will stop being a butcher and start being a baker.
I will stop beating the meat and start spreading buns.

Joking aside, the job is closer to me and pays more, as well as having me work my favorite shifts: closing.
I'm not.. a morning person. ^^;

Anyways, maybe I'll write more?
Probably not, but we'll see.