Things seem a little whirlwind and crazy for me lately. So, I came out as trans back in October of 2020, and fortunately, my VA medical care is covering my transition medication and therapy.

So far, I've been on spiro since December, and Estradiol now for about two months. It's a little crazy to me, looking at myself now, and where I used to be, and how different, but how happy I feel.

I have some minor joint complaints, because, I mean, I am 41, but overall, I'm feeling great, and probably taking more selfies than I ever have in my entire life.

Anyway, that's what's up with me. What's up with you guys?

I should update this.
After some massive panic, I have arrived safely in Tucson, and gotten all my work stuff set back up.
Things are going decently well thus far, and I feel like I've been more productive in the past weeks than I have in a long long time.

I do have my Patreon still, and i'm adding a new category! Animations! So, hopefully I'll be able to touch a few more interest groups.

Check it all out at http://www.patreon.com/verias

http://www.patreon.com/verias

This month's flat file tutorial for the $10 and up tiers is probably one of the most frustrating and complex, but simultaneously also the most expressive, and at times scary parts of the body. The Hand.

In the Patron version of the file there are 10 dynamic hand poses, some with very active fingers, and some pushed into perspective. The file itself also will contain all the layers from my PSD to easily look over and study.

There will also be a part 2 in the future showing how to translate this into pawificated hands and appendages, as well as more poses to study and work from!

First off, let me say thanks to those who spread the word and helped with getting my truck fixed. Anywho, MFM is right around the corner and I need to put a bit more money aside to finance the trip. I have my usual table in the dealer room, so...I'm offering $10 sketches, and anyone who plans to be at the con, I can bring the physical art with me so you can pick up.

Spread the word, and thanks.

I'm not normally one to throw much of my personal life up here in like the last decade, but I've hit a pretty mucked up point. Tonight, our truck broke down, the sole mode of transportation that we have. Spent the last 2 hours trying to deal with getting it started, towed, and nada, because it's transmission locked, and all wheel drive, we're going to have to have it towed on a full lift tomorrow. The truck itself won't start, but the battery is fine, the entire electrical system is just not getting any juice.

Now, one of our friends who was out there with us asked if there was anyone we could call to help us out with a ride or anything...and unfortunately, no, there isn't...you see, we -were- that person for everyone else in our geographically close friends, the ones with a vehicle, the one people could call.

In and of itself, this is pretty bad, as I'm not a mechanic, but, now to make it worse, we have to either a) get it towed back here, and figure out what we're going to do to get it to a shop, or b) tow it to a shop in the morning, and then figure out how the heck to pay for base diagnostics ($150 just to run diag, to see what's wrong), and repair, which we have no idea what it's going to cost.

We have virtually no funds at this point in the month, and we still have to figure out a way to grocery shop and everything in the meantime (the shopping was supposed to happen last week, but got delayed, by one of the aforementioned friends who wanted to go with us to shop).

My closest guess at this point is that this whole endeavor is going to run around 500 bucks, and if anyone out there knows anyone who might be able to help out...please pass this along...and if you feel like even contributing a couple of bucks here or there...

My Paypal is crazy_angel001(at)yahoo.com

Please spread the word, and anyone who helps out, we'll work out some art for you.

Finally got around to setting up my art patreon! Spread the word and go check it out!

https://www.patreon.com/verias

Alrighty you guys,

I have the honor of being one of the guests attending MidSouth Con (http://www.midsouthcon.org) this year, as well as doing a few art workshops over the weekend, and I would like to be able to attend with a little bit of extra cash on hand.

So, here's the skinny: I'm opening 10 to 15 total sketch slots, $10 apiece. Single character sketches mid-thigh or bust!

1.  akxi-crescent
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Even if you can't buy one, spread the word!

Much thanks,

Verias
aka Keith Wood (listed on MidSouth Con's site in the "Other Guests->Comic Industry section)

For a new superhero type comic! Check it out and help support another artist trying to make ends meet!

http://www.patreon.com/user?u=244206

Thanks in advance!

Verias

Alrighty, for the time being, I'm offering up $10 butts and busts commissions. Here's what you get:

$10 Your choice of butt or bust, your choice of character, painted digitally, similarly to some of my more recent works (I will be posting samples below in the near future.)

To get on the list, hit me up in notes, or email at crazy_angel001@yahoo.

Regards,

Verias

1.  ~kai~

I've been thinking a bit about some things lately, and I realized I have reached an impasse.

I do not list a mate, nor do I claim one, as I prefer solitude, most times, to any kind of company, but I do, however have a good many friends I chit with online, and at conventions.

I've begun to notice and wonder a fair bit about the driving force behind the concept of a straight male, as myself, simply befriending a straight female.

This equation should be something simple, but I've found on many occasions that the female finds it necessary to guard up and flatly announce "I'm not looking for a, b, or c."

It may seem to make normal sense at first look, but consider, if I befriend a gay male, or even a straight male, that line never comes up.

There's this unsettling expectation from the female that because a kind word, or some silliness is offered, that there's some kind of driving desire to jump into the sack. It's mildly frustrating to attempt to even explain anything once that has been brought up, because it starts to sound like placating lipservice, instead of honesty.

Makes me think we need to take a hard look at ourselves and how we really choose to interact with one another.

First off, many thanks to  drayk for helping me spread the word.

Right now, we're just a touch over $500 away from our kickstarter goal for Mysteries of the Arcana chapter 5.

For those who don't know, the funding is being raised by the project creator and writer. The comic itself is entirely free to read, and the money he's raising goes toward paying me to draw it, and paying a professional editor to red-line the scripts, aiming to give a top-notch product all around.

There's also several different tiers of rewards, from advertisement, to cameos, to original merchandise.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....cana-chapter-5

Many thanks to everyone who helps spread the word, and doubly so if you choose to back the project.

http://www.mysteriesofthearcana.com

Regards,
Verias
aka Keith W.

Shameless or not, but Mysteries of the Arcana (http://www.mysteriesofthearcana.com), the webcomic I've illustrated for around 3 of its four year run, is holding a kickstarter to fund the upcoming Chapter 5. We're at 66% and looking to raise a total of $4100 for the full production plus all rewards.

For those who aren't regular readers, there's magic, furries (likely even more in the upcoming pages), weird amalgamations, action, various technologies, and a thriving multiverse!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects.....cana-chapter-5

I'd be super obliged if you guys would check it out, and if not back, at least pass the word along.

Regards,

Verias

EDIT!!!
So, as of right now (1/25) we're now at 86% funded, looking to cover that last little bit of ground, since we've only 12 days left. There's even a $30 tier for background cameos!

Thanks guys, very much.

Alrighty, so, I got to thinking about this recently, particularly right before I embarked to ShadowCon a week ago.

Many of you guys and gals, and all the inbetween know me as Verias, or whatever, decently common knowledge, and I do make MFM a regular stop for me on my con schedules. I draw art ranging from fantasy to sci-fi, furry and otherwise, all the way down to pretty wild smut.

What you may not know is this; I have what's called Schizoid Personality Disorder.

Things to know: Firstly, SPD differs from schizophrenia, quite a lot. I do not hallucinate, however, I feel no desire to surround myself with people, at all, ever. I have no sex drive, or desire to copulate. I don't pick up on social cues, and sometimes the words I speak, and the tone I speak in are contradictory. My general default is apathy. I don't pick up on empathic signals, and social interaction, even one on one, causes me great deals of anxiety. To further this, sex in general causes me a great deal of it, even to the point that referencing it, or joking about it with me, can get some pretty averse reactions.

Odd as it may sound, my happiest place, or at least, least anxiety filled, is being alone, sitting at my computer, working. This does not mean that I don't go out of my way to push myself. I go to conventions, meet people, and try to make friends, but it becomes troublesome when someone tries to be overly friendly.

At that point, anxiety rises to the point that I feel compelled to fight or flee, but typically, I choke on it, trying my best to be somewhat amiable.

You might be wondering why I'm sharing all of this.

The thing is, I go to conventions very often, primarily to help support my profession. I want you all to know, if you do meet me at a con, and I seem cold or detached, it is not meant as a personal slight against you, nor does it mean I'm having a bad day. I just have to really work at being around people.

And, hopefully, if you've made it this far, the comic I illustrate, Mysteries of the Arcana (http://www.mysteriesofthearcana.com) is holding a Kickstarter campaign presently, to fund Chapter Five.

We're looking to raise $4,100, and as of this writing, we're 40% of the way there. Even if you choose not to back it, helping spread the word is immensely appreciated.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects.....cana-chapter-5

Thank you for all your time, patience, and understanding.

Verias

So! Four years in, and Mysteries of the Arcana is running a kickstarter to fund the upcoming chapter.

Here's hoping you guys check it out and maybe help me spread the word.

We're over 300 pages in, and with 4 years under our belt since the very beginning!

Thanks for looking and being awesome, everyone! Please pass the word around!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects.....cana-chapter-5

That's right, 10 slots.

Up to three characters max.

Your choice of finish!

Hrm... I feel like I'm selling used cars.

Slots:

1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:

I realize, I have several female characters in dire need of getting some laid, and some male, sure. I'm thinking of doing some $25 slotters for five lucky people to get paired off with one of my characters.

What do you guys think?

So, will be at MFM this weekend. Got a dealer table where I'll be dealing in arts, and jewelery. Feel free to swing by and say hello. I'll be selling sketches, inked pieces, as well as original comic pages from two of the comics I've worked on in the past.

So, who else is going to be there this weekend?

Written by Dave Delanty, vest from deviantart, and reposted with his permission.


So, you're tired of being unemployed. You've been stuck at home for the umpteenth month in a row, a new season of The Legend of Korra is still a year off, and your government support checks (should you be lucky to still be getting them) won't even come close to affording you a bus ticket to Everfree Northwest. Your evaluation of life is the same dissertation of tedium and monotony as Helen Keller's review of Chinese Democracy.

You know, pretty much on par with every other review of Chinese Democracy.

But know what? If you can't find a job, you'll make a job! Screw finding work, and screw the employers who keep dismissing your applications for being "over qualified" like that Bachelors of Science in Graphic Design is as detrimental to your character as being a registered felon. Screw them and that stupid help wanted sign at Quiznos. Now you're freelancing, baby.

While I'm assuming you're already good enough and networked enough to get little nibbles here and there, it cannot be emphasized enough that the best way to drum up interest in getting freelance work is to be communicative with other artists and show off as much work as you can. Always keep practicing, stick to your art, and frequently post new stuff. While acquiring a freelance gig is a bit of a complicated matter of its own, the manners of getting it are pretty well documented. Visit forums dedicated to small art jobs. Draw what's popular and siphon interest from an existing fanbase.

Shmooze.

But once you've secured that first freelance job, you'll quickly come to find that the hard part hasn't even come yet. Because now comes the challenge of actually getting it done. Yeah, here seems to be an appropriate spot for the title.





- - - = = FIVE TIPS = = - - -
TO STARTING FREELANCING





STAY PROFESSIONAL

You're working from home now! Hooray! No bosses or supervisors to hold you to task for anything! Now you get to stay up as late as you want, sleep in as late as you want, take as many breaks as you can, and hey, just as long as you get a good six to eight hours a day in, you'll be flying pretty and living the high life! Right?

The unfortunate truth with freelancing and working from home is simply this. You're still working. Just because you stripped away the office confines and have replaced it with a more traditional residential ecosystem doesn't take away the necessary obligations you're still held to.

As a freelancer, you'll still have to deal with deadlines. You'll have to deal with clients. And when you're dealing with clients, they are your bosses. And you will be working with many bosses. Think you're your own boss? Think again.

The human animal is highly accustomed to "The Routine." If we break that routine, we blow our productive homeostasis. Something as simple as waking up one hour later can demolish our ability to be creative, simply because we're subjecting our bodies to a subtle change in "The Routine." As creatures highly conditioned to recognizing and adapting to change, humans have difficulty sticking to "The Routine" if "The Routine" gets hit with seemingly trivial alterations.

You were productive and punctual at your last job, right? You wore the uniform, dressed the part, arrived on time sober and wearing pants, are you really so opposed to punctuality that transitioning to working from home will coax you to stop such a practice? Don't be unprofessional. You're working from home, yes, but you're still working.

Shower, dammit.

You'll find that starting your day of freelancing in a manner identical to starting your day at the office will keep your body in tune with "The Routine," and make it so much easier to just wake up and get productive. Sure, it's all in your head. "The routine" is all in your head. But you know what else is all in your head? That fantastic creativity and artistry of your's. I certainly don't see you throwing that away.

Dress nice, smell good, wake up early, treat your workspace as you would your own office environment, and keep clear of distractions. Granted, a tiring day of constant drawing takes a lot out of you. But the feeling afterward isn't nearly as bad as the "God I did absolutely nothing all day today when I was supposed to" sensation. After all, you've been unemployed for all those previous months. I'm sure you're quite sick and tired of the "I did nothing all day" sensation by now anyway.

Break time's over. I don't care if nobody's around, put some damn pants on.


START SMALL

Face it. You don't know how much you can do. You think you know, but the truth is, you don't. Every commission you receive is a new experience, a new series of things you must learn, and a new array of benchmarks you must achieve first.

It's admirable if you want to get started straight away at being the fastest, most highly detailed, intricate artist in the universe. Better to aim high and miss than aim low and hit, right? Of course. Pride and ambition are fantastic qualities in young artists.

However, when you make the brave step into doing commissioned artwork, remember that you're no longer up against your own ambition or desires that you must achieve. There's now a second person in the mix. Your client. And as you've taken a brave step yourself, they're taking quite a brave step trusting you with their money. So don't let them down.

When starting out, do something that you know very well you can do and have done. There's nothing wrong with starting small. It would be a shame to go through all the work to elevate to an artistic caliber where you could even humor the crazy idea of selling your talent...only to crash and burn out right out of the starting gate.

Think it'll only take you a few hours to do an image? That's cute. Give yourself a week. "But Daaave," you protest while sipping a venti light vanilla latte with no whip, "It's just a silly little logo design, how hard can it be?"

You'll be amazed at how easy it is to bite off more than you can chew. So make for darned sure you give time frames that are reasonable not just for your client but more importantly for yourself. Start small, give yourself a crazy amount of time to do it, and if you just so happen to get it done six days and twenty-two hours ahead of schedule, then imagine how pleasantly surprised your client is going to be!

Listen. The last thing you want to do is be hit with too much work. And I know what you're thinking. "Dave, you horrible ambivalent weenie," to which you wave a boot angrily over your head. "How dare you complain about having TOO MUCH WORK when the jobs economy is flatlining harder than the third season of Mind of Mencia!"

Cleverly noted, you dapper illustrious bastion of the common man's plight. It's perfectly natural to throw up in your mouth to hear some bloke in this economy advising against accepting a lot of work. I hear you. But as much as our current reality sucks with economy, reality also has quite the penchant to suck when it comes to our creative capacities as well.

Hear this.

Maybe starting out small will only get you partially up to your desired production rate. But starting out already overwhelmed and bogged down will, guaranteed, completely stop you immediately. You'll lose the desire to work. You'll hate doing freelance work. You'll miss deadlines, lose sleep, fall behind, and worst of all, get a bad reputation from the person who hired you.

Oh, they talk. Yes, they definitely do talk. Your clients will make everyone else know if you took on way too much and will safeguard their fellow potential clients to seek commissions elsewhere.

Don't risk it. Start small. Build up gradually. Make sure you never cross that line into getting overwhelmed. Give yourself tons of extra time to anticipate any unforseen events like PC crashes, illness, or emergencies. And most importantly, allow yourself some time off, too. Like a car, you can't start the engine if you flood the...umm...accelerator thingy with the, err, uhhh gas pipe flowey bit-look I'm an artist not a mechanic, but just imagine a coherent metaphor of sorts here. You do too much, you're going to have a bad time.


MANAGE YOURSELF

You don't have a secretary. There probably isn't a director handling the workload above you. You can't afford an accountant. And if you mess up managing a commission, you certainly can't afford a lawyer either to protect yourself. As a freelance artist, you are predominately on your own, and as your own separate entity, you must remember that it falls upon you to manage and maintain the commission given to you.

Worst part about being your own boss? You still have to act like a jerk boss.

First off, data keeping. Hope you have some experience with that, otherwise you'll have a lot to learn in a frighteningly short period of time. Put forth that extra effort to properly organize all the work you're doing. Create folders that are organized by the year you do a commission, and then folders for each month within. Then, create a folder for each commission you do that month. Inside of that folder, create YET ANOTHER folder for references and specific directions from the client. Include a text copy of every Email sent between you with time stamps. Keeping track of Emails in an offline file is a great safeguard to protect both of you should a disagreement arise. It's also way easier to refer to that file than go sifting through the piles of other Emails and commission-related messages occupying that bulging inbox.

Then keep a text document that tracks that commission's progress. Have you received the instructions and references? Is it paid for in full? Have you only received the first half of payment? Did the payment go through? On what day did you receive payment? Keep track of every facet of the commission's development, particularly the financial information so your client doesn't pay you less than the agreed amount (or worse, if you lose track and accidentally charge them twice). Handling finances is a dirty, icky feeling, and nothing can ruin a business relationship faster than mismanaging the financial stuff. Just because you're one of those "we'll handle the payment later, no pressure" kinds of people (bless you for your patience by the way) doesn't mean you're also lax on keeping tabs on it.

Secondly, you're also in charge of data storage and supply. When working on your commission, don't just save frequently. Save multiple copies. Save on both your internal and external hard disk drives. If you do not yet have an external HDD, go buy one right now. And if you don't have a backup external HDD, you'd do well to have that on hand as well. For myself, I save my image across three different files. That way, if I make a gigantic error that I cannot undo that just ruins the file I'm laboring on, I don't have to start over; I just grab one of the two backups. Maybe it'll put me back ten, fifteen minutes. But I'd rather that than lose an entire afternoon.

Lastly, manage your time. Keep a planner of stuff you want to get done today, and don't forget to include planned time off as well. And yes, plan time off. Don't assume you're mister crazy awesome-pants artist guy, because you're not. If you keep your time intact, you'll realize you'll find more days to spend on yourself, and that your productivity will soar when you remember to unwind every now and then.


NEVER ACCEPT "ROYALTIES" FOR PAYMENT

This is by far the largest and most prominent crime committed against freelance artists. It's absolutely disgusting to see some people even attempt to get away with this. I get these offers all the time, and these offers always, ALWAYS, get immediately deleted. I don't keep track of them, I don't respond, and I immediately purge it from my memory.

Working for free, expecting royalties as compensation.

To a new freelance artist, the opportunity sounds amazing. What if you're the guy who creates the next Batman? Imagine, having a promised twenty percent stake in the whole franchise? Do this with enough stuff, and inevitably you'll land upon a runaway success that brings freight trains of gold straight to your doorstep, right?

Every artist makes this mistake at least once. I did it. You probably did it. Every big name artist I know has done this. They've worked for free on something that wasn't guaranteed to earn revenue, and paid dearly for it. Luckily for me, it was just a week's work, but I know people who contributed to projects for several months and haven't gotten a single check out of it.

This is why "royalties as compensation" doesn't work, and why any aspiring producer should be publicly shamed and immediately IP Blocked from all job boards should they be so insulting to the craft as to suggest it a valid means of payment.

Say for example I were to agree to a 10% cut of a comic. Or 20%. Heck, let's make them super generous, I get 80% of net profits on a comic. I could make up any percentage I want, actually, and I'll still get the same amount in the end.

Zero.

Here's how. I complete the comic. Let's even give these guys some credit. It doesn't immediately crash and burn in sales like 95% of all unfunded ventures go. Let's glance over the fact they were unprofessional enough to resort to "royalties as compensation" which implies a lack of professionalism regarding other matters like advertising and distribution. Forget all that, they defy all laws of physics and their comic sells an impressive 2,000 issues at five bucks apiece over the course of three months, meaning a gross income of $10,000 in a single fiscal quarter.

Awesome job! 80% of that would land me $8,000! Right? Told you these dapper blokes were generous at 80%! But how generous are they really?

Economics lesson, kids. Take a seat, because this joke gets pretty funny. Let's say that they printed a total of 3,000 issues. Printing cost for that would run about $4,000. Therefore, the $10,000 gross you made is now $6,000. Still, 80% of that is $4800 just for you, still not bad for an 80% cut (did I emphasize how unrealistically generous these guys are? I know, right!).

Now let's talk about how they sold all those copies. Like most independent sellers, they got their money through conventions. Over the course of three months, they could attend up to six different comic conventions. Boothing at each one runs about $500, so that's $3,000 when divied up between six conventions. Oh, did I mention that with "royalties on net profits," business expenses like attending conventions to sell product cut into your own chunk of money you're owed? Should've clarified that earlier. Because now you realize, they're not paying you a whole lot at this point. In fact, the work you did on that book, the money you're supposed to be receiving, is now being used to pay for its printing and distribution.

Let's also not forget, these guys are seasoned comic distributors seeing as they're going to so many conventions. So they also know to write off everything else as a business expense. Now your "royalties on net profits" are going towards paying their gas. You're now paying their lodging. You're paying for their food. You're paying for the late night binge kareoke session they got hopelessly sloshed at after picking up two underage Adventure Time cosplayers at the adjascent Burger King.

And when all is said and done, guess what. There are no net profits left. You get 80% of zero. In fact, they're probably in the hole at this point. Technically, as 80% shareholder of the venture, you owe THEM money to make up how far into the red they went after blacking out and regaining consciousness nine hours later covered in a pile of Monster High merchandise in aisle seven of a Walmart eighty-nine miles south in Fullerton California.

Oh, when I said earlier that this joke gets funnier? I lied. There is no punchline, actually. It's just one gigantic tragedy, like some glorious opening sequence to The Final Destination except it's not happening to people we're championing gratuitous misfortune upon.

Compensation via royalties is an absolute sham, a dingy scheme to swindle well-meaning hard-working artists into giving them product they can peddle unto others to satiate their own ravenous appetite for raucous parties and free trips to see the voice cast of Futurama.

And worst of all, I wish I thought of it first. Crafty jerks.


CHARGE A REAL WAGE OR CHARGE NOTHING AT ALL

I knew an awesome character artist. She was in high school, loved what she did, and certainly had an amazing talent in regards to imagination, creativity, color theory, and manifesting the emotional attributes of a character in their physical attire. She was amazing.

Then, she opened herself up for commissions. I will draw your character. I will make you comics. I will give you full poster resolution scenes. And I will do it for between $2 and $5.

She means well, she really does. What she doesn't realize was she took my workhorse, and clipped off its legs with a pair of garden shears.

There are a lot of professional artists out there who make their living solely through the generous patronage of others. They have to make their own prices, and they have to find the right balance between something that's agreeable to a casual audience (we know you're not a super corporation like Fox or Disney, so we'll charge a reasonable faire), and something we can still live off of. We need to pay bills, pay for gas, pay for food, and if the wallet permits, stake a claim in the latest Steam sale.

Hey. Priorities, man.

But when a young girl who still lives with her parents and aspires to venture down other professional avenues opens up her invaluable talent at a rate that sinks the rest of us, problems arise. Again, she didn't mean any harm in it, but harm is exactly what she did. She single-handedly dropped the pay grade curve a few notches forcing professional artists in her circle to adjust their prices accordingly.

Think from a producer's standpoint. They want great work at a cheap price. This girl was their golden goose. Screw the rest of us, they go to her. She gets all the work, we get lots of days off instead.

Sure, it works for her, because she doesn't suffer any major consequences in working borderline for free. But on the same token, she wouldn't be much worse off if she did work for free. Producers also prefer to purchase their work, and will usually insist on a price if "free" is the only answer they get, even though labor laws demand at least some compensation of sorts. And ya know, she'd be hugely surprised to see a handsome check grace her PayPal account that she never even expected in the first place!

The point is, we freelance artists have to stand together and work together. We have to compare our own rates amongst eachother, and try to be as consistent as possible. Otherwise, we throw off our own economy, we force a lot of artists out so they can find a more stable economic engine, the talent pool thins out, we get crappier artwork in the long run, and the producers suddenly get this new luxurious power where they can get all the artwork they want for criminally low prices.

Don't enable them.

Charge a real price. Or don't charge at all.

So, I just noticed I'm a hair's breadth from 10,000 pageviews.

Soooo, kiriban anyone?

Screencap and send me a shot of you getting my 10k pageview and I'll do you something speshul-like.

Enjoy,
Ver

http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/45815

Show will be up in the archive later tonight.

Holy shit, and I thought I'd have more time to plan. The main hotel of MFM is already booked up for the Con weekend...so, now to the overflow!

So, a gracious individual noted me last night, informing me that one of my art pieces was posted on e621.net, and asking me if I was aware (and hoped that I was, and that the poster had gotten my permission).

Truthfully, I had no idea, so I asked for links if possible, and they were given.

My dilemma runs thusly: I'm mildly peeved that my art was reposted elsewhere without my consent, or even knowledge, however, I also believe I can easily attribute my recent influx of favs and watchers from the posting at e621, which does correctly list my account here as the source. That and there's a lot of positive commentary about the piece in question.

So the question really is...is it hypocritical to both be annoyed (to the point of wanting to fill out the takedown form on e621's site), but also somewhat enjoying the attention that's come of it so far?

Regards,
Verias

Yep, it's that day of the year again....again.

*laughs*

So, I am now officially 100% free of the "indentured servitude" of society, and now 100% self-employed as a freelancer/contractor, with an in-place contract, and all that.

Today was rather eventful, with me sending out invoicing and the like, so it's been an interesting week altogether, and looking forward to much much more free time to do things I couldn't before.

Regards,
Verias

So, today I have now received the totally annoying, and detrimental "Hard Drive failure imminent" errors through my SMART hdd reader in POST and once again through Windows.

I am never, fucking, ever buying Seagate again.

So, now I quest to purchase a new replacement drive in the hopes that I can make it through all this.

Has anyone else ever had this happen? Any additional suggestions on how to set up a decent backup before my hard disk dies out totally?