First, thanks to everyone for the supportive messages after the last journal. Currently, I have reviews written for The Maud Couple, Fake It 'Til You Make It, and Grannies Gone Wild (and a few picture ideas). Health-wise, my voice is starting to get better, but I still go into coughing fits whenever I talk, so I don't think it will be too much longer before I'm able to record. Hopefully later this week. Speaking of reviews and The Maud Couple, DWK has done a great job making me feel completely inadequate yet again (just kidding, but his video's awesome). On that note, I will go back to drawing practice, and I'll see you all again soon. Thanks again, everyone.

Appropriately for Friday the 13th, I was on my way into work today when my boss intercepted me outside the building and had me sign my termination papers. The reason? Because one day earlier this week... I was 4 minutes late (Gasp!). Nevermind that I've been coming in early every day for the last 3 months (the last time he wrote me up for tardiness, it was 2 minutes), or that I immediately resumed coming in early after the late day. But anyway... There is some good news in all of this. Truthfully, I was planning on quitting later this year anyway. I was just hoping to save more money first. Pretty much everything else about that place made me want to leave. Constantly having to work with physical injuries, random schedules keeping me from ever making plans or getting anything done, and my boss writing me up under every technicality he could find...

Thankfully, I do have some money saved up, so things aren't going to be too desperate right away. I look forward to actually setting a regular schedule for myself and posting more work on a regular basis, both in terms of art and videos (though my voice is still a bit too messed up for recording at the moment). I'll make an announcement about commissions in the coming weeks.

A few days ago, I took a hard fall at home and twisted my ankle. Thankfully, that's getting much better, and I hope to be back to 100% in the next few days (though at the time it happened, I thought my foot was broken, so I'm VERY glad to dodge a bullet there). However, a day after the fall, I started getting a cold, complete with a fever that's making things very foggy at the moment. It's not the worst I've ever dealt with, so again, I hope to get better relatively soon. Just letting you guys know that's a thing I'm dealing with at the moment, and I apologize for slowing down even more than usual.

I've been working 12-hour shifts every day this week, and I can't feel my eyeballs anymore. Have a good one!

Okay, look. I saw the early reviews from Jeremy Jahns and Angry Joe saying how awesome this movie is, saying to ignore the critics, and so I was really hyped for a fun movie. So, what the hell happened. I didn't hate it, but man, something just feels off here. Half the elements in the movie are really good, and the other half are really NOT good. I don't want to sound completely negative here, so let's start with what I liked...

First of all, the movie essentially revolves around Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, which I felt was a smart move because they're easily the best part of the movie. Margot Robbie is excellent as Harley Quinn. I believed her as the character the entire time, though her accent does fade in and out throughout the movie. It mostly picks up when she spouts out the classic Harley Quinn lines like "Mistah J" and "Puddin'." Perhaps the biggest surprise is that you do get to see the classic Harley Quinn costume a couple of times, and it's absolutely PERFECT. (Though I'm not going to lie, Margot Robbie does look really, really good in those booty shorts... just... damn). The movie also has an interesting take on Harley's relationship with the Joker. It's still abusive and dysfunctional, but this time, it seems like Joker has some real feelings for Harley, as he really goes out of his way to be with her, which we haven't really seen in the past.
And of course, Will Smith is Will Smith. And Will Smith is awesome.
I also liked Batman a lot more in this movie than how he acted in Dawn of Justice. He actually seems like a hero this time, who's more concerned with stopping criminals without killing them. I also appreciate how the movie isn't afraid of showing the heroes. From the trailers, I got the impression that Batman was only going to be in the shadows the whole time, but that wasn't the case.
For the most part, the other actors were fine as well, and the story is easier to follow than Dawn of Justice, assuming you're not super into the comic book continuity.

As for what I didn't like, well... (deep inhale) The editing in this movie is schizophrenic as hell, jumping around all over the place and highlighted by unnecessary bright neon colors and even less necessary music choices, most of which were kept from the trailers. On top of that, the action scenes often are filmed way too close, so it's hard to see what's happening, or too far away, so the shot looks boring. Oh, and speaking of boring, there's surprisingly little humor here that wasn't already given away in the trailers. The best way I can describe what's wrong here is by examining the Joker's visual design, with all the tattoos, metal teeth, and writing "Damaged" on his forehead like some shitty teenage edgelord. That design is a visual metaphor for how the entire movie is. Everything is loud and busy in the most obnoxious way possible. You know how Optimus Prime got a flame pattern in his paint job for the Transformers movies, but then when the first movie came out, nobody said anything about the flame pattern anymore? That's because it was just a small symptom of a much bigger problem. And the Joker's design is the same way. You barely even notice it when watching the actual movie because the screen is constantly cluttered with shit, and the soundtrack is so loud that it can be hard to hear what the characters are saying half the time. In fact, I think it's safe to say at this point that Zack Snyder (who's listed as a producer on this movie) is to the DC Universe as Michael Bay is to Transformers. A fun premise can only go so far if the creative direction of these films is being handled by someone who could give two shits about understanding the source material as long as it's "hardcore." I mean, there's actually another character who's a member of the Suicide Squad who wasn't in any of the trailers (and I won't say who it is here), but his only purpose in the movie is to show up, do nothing, and die 5 minutes later. For absolutely no fucking reason. And speaking of which, Amanda Waller is here, and without going into detail, there's a scene where she kills a bunch of her own people. Again, for no reason. I know you're not really supposed to "like" Amanda Waller, but jeez, what was that even about? I mean, they kinda explain it, but it's the weakest explanation you could imagine. I'm so tired of these movies having characters act like sadistic jackoffs just because people like Zack Snyder think it's cool rather than actually putting any thought into character motivation. In fact, I could probably start a list of things in the movie that never get explained...
-Deadshot wears a mask a few times, but unless you're already familiar with the character, the purpose of the mask is never explained and doesn't seem to give him any advantage, so it makes no sense for Harley to call him a pussy when he puts it on.
-Killer Croc insists on going on an underwater mission, then does absolutely nothing and teleports into a completely different scene.
-Captain Boomerang runs off (as in, just plain leaves), then rejoins the team in the next shot for no reason.
-Enchantress belly dancing. You'll know what I mean if you see the movie. I just can't even...
-Rick Flag is somehow able to disarm a bomb in less than 2 seconds.

Overall, the movie is... okay. It's not as terrible as some reviews have made it out to be. It's definitely watchable, and probably the best in the Snyder-driven DC cinematic lineup so far. But it is deeply flawed and not as much fun as advertised. And on a personal note, it's really starting to sink in just how much I don't care for the tone of the shared DC cinematic universe.

And yes, it's been said by other reviewers before, but if you'd like to see a better Suicide Squad movie, Batman: Assault on Arkham is highly recommended.

Sooo... This is probably the most "meh" episode of the season so far. I mean, it was okay, but just... meh. Some have questioned why I enjoyed last week's episode despite it being predictable. I think the best way I can explain it is, The Cart Before the Ponies wasn't really trying to be a mystery, but the new episode was. Rainbow Dash is supposed to be surprised at the end, but that only works if the audience is also surprised, which never happened. Every detail about the ending is so plainly telegraphed that the characters felt forcibly dumbed down for the sake of the big reveal. Now on the other hand, the first act with Rainbow setting off all the different pranks did have some genuine laughs (after the bike horn from Testing Testing 1 2 3, it was actually kinda surprising to hear a proper whoopie cushion this time), and I like the idea of everyone calling out Rainbow for taking cheap shots. Plus, I like how it addresses one of the big issues from Mysterious Mare Do Well, showing definitively that Dash's friends can try talking to her, but they ultimately have to give her a taste of her own medicine before she'll listen. Probably the biggest question mark for me, though, was how Pinkie never tried to defend Fluttershy. I stood up for Pinkie in Filli Vanilli (accidentally making Fluttershy cry) because you could argue that she got caught up in the moment and didn't know what she was saying. Plus, no one was actually trying to prank Fluttershy in that episode. But the opening in this episode is EXACTLY the same set-up from Griffon the Brush-Off, where Pinkie very specifically told Dash not to prank Fluttershy. But now she just laughs about it? I'm sorry, but that's a pretty glaring detail to overlook.

Pretty entertaining new episode. It's interesting that the previous CMC episode set a new direction for the characters which was immediately forgotten so they could do something new just for fun. I kinda like that. As for the big sisters, I was surprised to see that Rarity had the most believable motivation. I imagine losing a design contest to Derpy would be a pretty big burn for someone like Rarity (that wooden block car, though). And of course, it only took six years, but we finally got to see cheerleader Cheerilee. Not quite as amazing as Stranger Than Fan Fiction, but a thoroughly enjoyable episode all the same.

I literally just found out the hiatus was over before the new episode aired (and what an episode it was). Definitely getting me inspired to do new stuff. With the Daring Do stuff going on, I definitely want to talk about the books now. Though not sure if I'll cover the books or the new episode first. Honestly, the episode review might be a bit difficult only because I have very mixed feelings about Patton Oswalt right now. Love him as a comedian and actor, buuut... there's also the issue of him erroneously contributing to a media shitstorm aimed at James Rolfe, which really, REALLY wasn't cool. I mean, overall, the whole thing eventually blew over, and I believe it was just a mistake made in the moment, but damn, it feels like so much of that stuff has been going on lately, it makes me sick just thinking about it. And at the same time, that episode. Man, that episode was sooo good, it's not like I can avoid talking about it. The meta. The shipping. The bondage dakimakuras that are now canon. All the nods, not only at this fandom, but at EVERY fandom... This episode is as close to perfect as we've gotten this season.

Hey everyone. Been exhausted the last few days. As I've mentioned before, I've been rearranging my work/living space. It's still a bit of a work in progress with some things that need to be moved around, but the good news is that all of the heavy lifting is done. I look forward to finally finishing some new work this week.

Also for a health update, thank you to everyone for your concern and support. I've been forcing myself to stop and take more water breaks at work, I'm still focusing on my diet at home, and I'm happy to say there haven't been any more major events like the one I described last time.

Finally, a question. What would you like to see in my next review? I have a lot of MLP episodes to talk about, to be sure, but I've also been reading a few books that might be fun to talk about (specifically, the Daring Do trilogy and the Princess trilogy), and I know some people still want to see more Steven Universe material from me. I haven't seen all of the new episodes yet, but there are one or two that I would love to comment on like Mr. Greg. Anywho, these are all things I would love to talk about. Just curious what you nice people would like to hear about the most.

Thank you again, and take care.

Oh, the joy that is my life (heavy sarcasm implied).
It seems that in addition to keeping me more active, my new job position also has been making me incredibly dehydrated. Yes, plenty of water is provided for employees, I just never have time to drink it. There's ALWAYS something that has to be done. I usually don't even have the luxury of standing still for a couple of minutes if I get tired. And apparently, that's caught up to me after about a month. (It also doesn't help that I don't exactly have the best diet)
Anyway, a few days ago, everything started out fine. Was doing some cleaning at home. Then it's time to get ready for work, and suddenly, I notice blood coming out of places it shouldn't be. Needless to say, I felt VERY shaky during my work shift that evening, but I pulled through (and yes, I told my manager, who told me to speak up if things were too tough to handle)

Currently, I'm feeling better. Drinking lots of water and cranberry juice, and trying to lower the salt in my diet (which isn't easy, everything's freaking LOADED with the stuff). Still getting some aches in my kidneys when I bend down, but otherwise, no other symptoms.

As a general life update, I have a lot more energy overall. Currently rearranging my work/living space. Once that's finished, I should be able to get a lot more done. Aiming to have that completed in the next week.

I should've posted this a while ago, but there's been a shake-up with my day job for the last... (gosh, it's hard to keep track of the time anymore)... I want to say at least a month. The good news is that I'm still employed. However, I'm now working at a new location with a new schedule and a LOT more running around, which leaves me feeling drained at the end of the day. Now, theoretically, things should settle down in the next couple of weeks, allowing me to focus on art and reviews again. AND the extra activity--aside from requiring extra rest at the end of the day--has also had the benefit of making me feel more motivated and energized while I'm awake, so I've been practicing art more during my free time. Again, I apologize for the lack of activity online. I appreciate everyone's support so much. I'll post another update as soon as things are looking better.

I know FA has been trying to improve security, but am I the only one who thinks things are starting to get ridiculous? First, you had to type out the warped-looking random pass code, which was sometimes difficult because it occasionally got a bit TOO warped to make out properly, but whatever. It's a standard thing, and it was fairly consistent. But then recently, they changed it to a different system to where you click on a box. Okay, fair enough. But then just a short time later, I log out and try to log in again, and clicking on the box brings up a new thing where you have to click on pictures that match certain criteria. And apparently, I missed part of the instructions at first, so it made me do it over and over again, and GOD DAMNIT, I JUST WANT TO LOG IN! WHAT THE HELL?

So I just felt like venting. Extra security is one thing, but fuck, this is getting annoying.

Holy crapnuts, you guys! I finally got off my ass and made something! Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTaQaZuintQ

After consulting with a few family members, it seems that I most likely have a pulled tendon in my arm, which sucks, but it's certainly not anywhere as bad as I thought it might be.

Well, triple crap...
Yesterday, came home from the grocery store with some heavy items. Normally not a big deal, but after a while, I noticed my arm starting to hurt near my wrist. I could still use it in a limited sense, but certain movements like simply turning my hand over would result in sharp, intense pain. Skip ahead to this morning, and the pain has gotten worse. The last time I felt like this was when I got a micro-fracture in my hand back when I was a kid.
The good news at least, is that it's not my drawing arm, so I can still try to work on new projects (which I promise are coming, I know it's been a while).
The bad news is that I can't afford to see a doctor, so the best I can do is try to be as careful as possible until this heals.

My autographed picture of Tara Strong just got destroyed. Certainly not the worst thing that's happened lately, but I doubt that I'll be able to meet her at another convention anytime soon to get it replaced. It just sucks, that's all.

Obviously, I've been looking forward to this for a while due to all the early fanart online, though wasn't sure after all the hype started building. I mean, I literally haven't seen a single bad review for this movie, and it can sometimes lead to disappointment if you set your expectations too high. So with that in mind... HOW? JUST. HOW?? THIS FUCKING MOVIE IS BETTER THAN IT HAS ANY RIGHT TO BE! I'm still processing everything, but this might just be my new favorite Disney movie of all time. It's one of the few films I've seen that not only meets the hype, but surpasses it. I know, that seems to be the case with several recent Disney films (especially considering that many of them have been preceded by crappy marketing), but by comparison, Frozen was pretty good, Big Hero Six was fun (good fun, mind you, but that's about it), Inside Out was... I liked Lewis Black. But Zootopia seriously blew me the fuck away. I'm not going to say anything about the story. I'll probably do a full review when I've collected my thoughts some more. If you've only seen the cutesy trailers, and weren't sure if the movie could actually deliver, trust me, it does. I highly recommend getting to the theater for this one as soon as possible.

Finally got over being sick, and I'm catching up on my MLP reviews with The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows! Go check it out on my Youtube channel!

I got sick last weekend. It's slowly been getting better, but right now, I'm coughing like crazy, and my voice is completely wrecked. I really want to get my next review done before the week is over, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

In case anyone watching me here hasn't seen it yet, here's my review of the latest MLP episode Crusaders of the Lost Mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRY7UR8w7E

Need to pay some medical bills. On Tuesday (after my regular work week is over), I will begin taking Pay What You Want Commissions. Just send me a note with the idea and how much you can pay, and I'll let you know what that will buy. Obviously, paying more will allow for higher quality. This is a bit experimental for me, so I'll just leave 3 slots open for now. Depending on how well it goes, I can always open it up to more people later.

All payments through Paypal.

If anyone wants to reserve a spot now, just send me a PM with your idea and price. Once again, I'll begin working on them Tuesday.

Remaining PWYW spots:

1.

2.

3.

Thank you all for your support. I needed some time to make sure I was confident enough to continue doing commissions.
Info is linked on my front/profile page.

As always, send me a note if you're interested. All payments through Paypal. Help keep the debt collectors away!

As an update to my last journal, I did some more poking at my computer and got it working again! To celebrate, I picked up Manga Studio 5 to get some extra drawing capability that I don't currently have with Photoshop Elements.

Incidentally, does anyone know if Manga Studio 5 works with the new Mac OS Yosemite? The box only mentions Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion.

Yesterday, my computer died. I'm currently posting this from a family member's computer, so at least I can keep an eye on things. But all my old work is gone, and I won't be able to do anything new until I get a replacement. Hopefully, that will be soon.

Incidentally, if anyone has a recommendation for an affordable computer that can handle art applications, that would be appreciated. In case anyone is wondering, I'm looking for a machine that can handle streaming, I currently use a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet, and I'm going to try using Manga Studio 5.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my previous journals and showed their support. This has been one of the most difficult things I've ever had to go through. Things are gradually getting better. I can now walk again using just a leg brace, and it's much easier for me to sit at my computer (which means it's also easier for me to work on art).

Speaking of artwork, a thought has occurred to me lately, and I'd like to get your feedback. Streaming has been very popular lately, and I'm curious, if I were to set up my own streaming channel, how many of you would be interested in watching?