http://www.tigerdile.com/stream/stu.....dfortunecookie

Just to let you guys know, I will be streaming work on comics today on Tigerdile starting at 3 PM PST! Please come visit and chat!

addy is http://www.tigerdile.com/stream/stu.....dfortunecookie

http://www.tigerdile.com/stream/stu.....dfortunecookie :)

Just a heads up that at 6PM PST today I will be dual streaming with  sirfox , and while he'll be doing NSFW stuff, I will be working on content from Stupid Fortune Cookie (pages, patreon perks, auditions, etc) I would love to chat about the new comic with folks and maybe drop some spoilers and do some freebie sketches, so please drop on by!

We'll be starting at 6PM PST at https://tigerdile.com/stream/stupidfortunecookie for mine (comic art, cameo auditions, freebies possible depending on time) NOTE: address may change, will let you know!

or at https://tigerdile.com/stream/tentaclefriendly for SirFox (NSFW art and commissions)

Please check out this journal to find out how you can help a community member in their breast cancer battle! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7843265/

Here are a few samples from the Diary Accompaniments for the current Feature Presentation. if you're interested in reading all the diaries (new diaries appear when the first page of a new Feature Presentation posts), consider becoming a Patron! But if you don't want to become a patron but do want to read the diaries, they will be posted to the comic's website a month after Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/stupidfortunecookie

Feel free to use this journal as a discussion thread for the current diaries if you'd like!

--

Arty Sunspot's diary, Feb 16th:

I love that there’s always 75% off candy around Vinci and my anniversary. Kitkats and self-loathing, here I come! Anyway, 12 friggin’ years, can you believe it?
It’s still so vivid in my mind; the rally, the speech, the exhilaration of being on stage with a microphone in front of a cheering audience. Shake said I was truly in my element (God, I miss him). And then the brawl broke out and suddenly some guy’s coming after me with a broken bottle in his paws. There’s chaos, and the bottle connects; not with me but a teenaged raccoon who was trying to escape the melee. He falls against me and we both go down.
I have no farkin’ clue how we managed not to get trampled, but we scrambled to a safe place and I see that this boy’s ear is -wrecked-; the bottle has completely mangled it and there’s blood everywhere. He’s got the most beautiful garnet-colored eyes I’ve ever seen but he also has a mile-wide stare going on, and I know he’s in shock. I offer to drop him off at the hospital.
Something told me to stay. Don’t ask me if it was a voice, a feeling. I don’t remember. I just know that I was compelled to stay in the waiting room until he emerged from the ER, his ear heavily bandaged. He had a stumbly gait that clearly indicated that he’d just been loaded up with the good shit.
“Hey,” I said. He blinked, and seemed surprised that I was there.
“Hello.” His voice was warm, raspy, and strongly accented. I couldn’t place where he was from, but it sounded Italian, maybe? (Later I’d learn he was from Athens, Greece).
“I figured you’d need a ride. Name’s Artisan P. Sunspot, by the way. Friends call me Arty.”
“Iz nice to meet you, Arty. I am Reechard, but everyone call me nickname, Vinci.”
“Vinci, huh? From Richard? Well, it beats Dick.”
And, welp, we took it from there.
I’ve got a really nice dinner planned for tonight, and then a romantic nighttime picnic dessert thing, because why not? Everyone loves picnics in the freezing cold, right? Whatever, I’ll bring blankets. I just hope he doesn’t figure out the surprise I’ve got planned… if I don’t chicken out again, that is. Wish me luck hunty. Kisses!

--

Pollux Vanderplume's diary, Feb 16:

Welcome to e-tobiography, the best mobile journaling app for iBing! Enter your text herehow do I delete

Siri how do I delete the text

NO SIRI. I said Siri not to write it down I’m trying to figure out how I delete it STOP IT why is this thing writing down every single thing I say Emmy I am trying to do a journal entry and then I asked Siri for help because I needed to know how to delete the text and put mine in but it keeps writing down what I’m saying

What microphone

There’s no microphone on this thing it’s a PHONE there IS no phone in microphone

Well how was I supposed to know it was an icon and not an actual microphone hang on my fingers still on the

Dear Journal my name is Pollux Vehicle License & Registration WHAT NO OK FORGET this stupid voice recognition thing.

MY NAME IS POLLUX VANDERPLUME AND I AM AWESOME TODAY. I TYPED THAT.

--

Graham Fidelis' diary, Feb 16:

THEY WANT ME TO DO A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF THE BELLTOWER SERVER ROOM BY WHEN??? Shucks, I dunno if I’m gonna have much time to write in this thing.

Ran into that adorable crab-eating raccoon in the lunchroom today while waiting for Becky to show up (spoilers: she didn’t). ‘Course, I was too tongue-tied to even say anything to her. She was busy on the phone anyway.. She was speaking either Mandarin or Cantonese I think, so maybe I’ll try asking her about that as an ice breaker? TTYL Graham Fidelis, your friendly neighborhood Texan ti-coon.

--

First off, thanks so much for your support, guys! Thank you for the plugs, thank you for the pledges, thank you THANK YOU for reading Stupid Fortune Cookie!!

So now that the comic is officially started, I wanted to put out feelers for the vignettes! Basically SFC is split into two parts. There's the main storyline w/ the central plot & characters called the Feature Presentations.. think of 'em like arcs! But what I'd also like to do are short side stories called vignettes, spaced inbetween the Feature Presentations.

The first Vignette will feature the characters from the Feature Presentations so as to help introduce the main cast, but the goal for the rest are to focus on characters that either do not appear in FPs or are backgrounders/bit players otherwise. I'd like for them to be different visually from the FPs, so I'm hoping to have Vignettes drawn by guest artists. If anyone's interested in becoming a Vignette artist, please contact me! I have some stories already either being scripted or outlined.

Another thing I'd like to do with the Vignettes, though, is to feature other peoples' stories and ideas, especially if you are an up and coming artist who is looking to break into webcomics. As long as it fits in with the main theme of the comic (slice of life, relationships, challenging adversity, etc) and is relatively short (no larger than a single issue comic/24 pg or less) They don't necessarily have to take place in Ballpointe, PA either, depending. :)

When I first started Vinci & Arty in 2003, I was blessed to have a network of supportive artists who helped me get started, gave me advice, and encouraged me to stick with it. Since then, the fandom has grown and the amount of awesome, creative people has skyrocketed. But I know what it's like to be a beginner artist with no experience making comics but wanting desperately to tell a story, and I'd love to pay it forward, as it were. Hence why I would like to open the Vignettes out to any folks who'd love to get their sequential art feet wet.

So, if you're interested, please drop me a note with a pitch! Or if you're an artist who doesn't have a pitch but would be interested in being one of the Vignette artists for something that's already planned/scripted, let me know!


Another thing we will be doing are Casting Calls, in which we will send out a request for cameos.. these can range from a walk-on in the background, to a bit part in a Feature Presentation, to a supporting role in a Vignette (one of the non-guest written ones, unless the guest artist personally requests a casting call!) Casting Call Plus is a feature specifically for Patrons; they will receive priority for casting calls plus the ability to submit multiple characters. If you're not a Patron, you will still be able to enter Casting Calls, but with one character only per casting call. Wanna work at Dolphin Tech, or be part of the crew at the PEN studio? You just might get your chance!

Finally, I wanted to go over a couple of the additional content features. I've already mentioned the diaries, which will function as side stories for the Feature Presentations. Ask Arty will return; readers will be able to send in their questions to Arty and he will respond in a short fully-voiced animatic. There's also a character (Oakley) who runs a podcast that provides advice and support, mostly to queer teens but he doesn't turn down anyone who needs help. We'll be creating fake snippets of Oakley's podcast out of questions submitted by readers. So if you'd like a grumpy answer, Ask Arty. If you want actual advice, stick with the Beef instead. :) (PS: we may be needing a VA for Beef.. if you've got a deep male voice, enjoy VAing, and are reliable, send me a note!)

V&A's world isn't very fantastical or magical, but it does have its surprises! I am hoping that these new features will bring some more interactiveness to the world, and that it becomes a friendly, safe and welcoming place for folks to let their characters come play. :)

Look for a song lyric contest within the next few days (through FA and Twitter). The winner will receive a free chibi illustration of their character. :)


Also until the forum is running, feel free to use this journal as a thread for Arc 0 and let me know your thoughts so far! Thanks so much everyone!!

http://www.stupidfortunecookie.com !

The first 8 strips to be posted were already posted here, so if you've seen those sit tight for a couple months! I will also post the remaining pages of this arc to FA once they're ready to air, but future arcs will only have snippets posted to FA.

Also want to note that we have a Patreon (posting link here when ready) associated with the comic if you'd interested. Patrons will have access to some really cool bonus perks! The comic itself will remain free for everyone to read though!

One of the accompaniments to each feature presentation (arc) will be a set of diary entries from the POVs of various characters. They will supplement the comic's plot and sometimes feature additional mini-adventures, but will be an optional read. The set for this FP aren't up yet, but look for them by the end of the weekend! I may post a sample here if you guys would like!

The comic takes place 5 years after Vinci & Arty's conclusion (what would have been the true ending, not the late Ch. 3 discontinuation) Updates will be weekly on Fridays!

Plugs are not necessary, but would be most appreciated! Thanks guys <:)

Hey guys! I'm doing a tag-team stream right now with  sirfox at https://www.tigerdile.com/stream/te.....lefriendlyart/

Please come say hi! Note: Sirfie's side may be NSFW.

Hey guys!

Just wanted to give you a heads up that I am open for one prelim slot for what I'm calling a "blind date" commission. The cost is $45 for a g-rated, two character marker picture on illustration artboard with minimal background, and it's a blind date because your character will be going on a date with a surprise character of mine! You could end up with anything from attempting (and failing) candlemaking with Angus the elephant seal, to going on a celebrity date with Pollux Vanderplume, to cosplaying with Penelope Blobfish! Alternatively, you might end up being forced to do pushups by Bright Eyes, or get stuck trying to figure out just what Cody is saying, or be a third wheel to Arty and his mirror.. so this one comes with a risk! ;)

If you're interested, check out my tweet here with instructions on how to claim the slot.
https://twitter.com/bitesizedewalt/.....19201169379328 Basically all you gotta do is give me a watch on Twitter (since that's where I'll be handling things) and fill out the short form. There's only one for now so once it's gone it's gone, but if the concept is well-received I may open for more. Estimated turnaround is 1-2 weeks.

EDIT: SLOT CLAIMED! Thank you so much!

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I'm more active on Twitter these days than here on FA. I use it to post art, WIP sketches, funny sprog quotes, yadda yadda. I would love it if you could give me a follow there! Thank you so much!

https://twitter.com/bitesizedewalt

Ok, by now you guys know I have systemic lupus erythematosus, and my case has gotten worse in the past 6 years. It is the biggest reason I have been mostly MIA the past year or so. I also know I'm not the only person in the fandom who has the disease or knows someone with it.

May is Lupus Awareness Month, and well, let's face it, it's one of the most misunderstood diseases out there. It's hard to diagnose, it's invisible, most people only know of it through a running gag on House (and therefore don't take it seriously), and it currently has no cure. Treatment for it can involve anything from NSAIDs and anti-malarials on up to chemotherapy, steroids, and biologic infusion drugs. It attacks the body in many different ways, and it's unpredictable. Long story short; lupus sucks balls.

The symbol for lupus awareness is a purple butterfly, or really anything purple. So I just wanted to ask (and only if you want to, I don't want anyone to do it if they don't want to), if anyone's up for it, if you could sneak a purple butterfly or two into your art this month? Or maybe just draw your character wearing purple, or purple butterfly wings or something. :) And then maybe go check out lupus.org to read up on other ways to help out.

I would love to see a cure in my lifetime, and honestly it's only been in recent months that I've seen people really starting to take interest in learning about lupus and treating it more seriously (got Selena Gomez to thank for that since she's come out about having it).

So yeah.. put on purple if you would, perhaps spread some butterflies, check out lupus.org, spread the word, yadda yadda yadda, and feel free to ask any questions you have about the disease. Thank you so much guys. :)

edit: all done! Thanks for dropping by!

A quick plug for my biffle's commission stream, going on right now! (ADULT CONTENT)

https://www.tigerdile.com/stream/te.....lefriendlyart/


I will be hacking up a lung in the background.

Long story short; lupus has upped its game.

I started Benlysta in December and its been working well for me. It has some pretty rough side effects for the few days after, and as we found out this month, makes you feel absolutely horrid when it runs out. But the rest of the time I'm getting some physical relief and energy back. Not as much on the monthly doses as I did on the first few loading doses, but that's probably because I've been getting sick a lot lately and I also am completely off my chemotherapy now (yay! but there's that extra bit of relief that's not there anymore). I was also able to taper off a few other medications, one of which was an absolutely horrid experience, but I won't get into that.

So physically I'm sort of in this weird place where I'm partially feeling better and also kinda not. Clinically? Not so good. I've got some organ involvement now w/ the lupus that wasn't there before, which is going to require lifelong treatment. (Yay, just when I get off a handful of meds, I gain two more.) The whole situation is pretty daunting and at this point I'm frustrated, exhausted, and really feeling disconnected. Some days, I'm just so worn out I kinda hermit up and zone. Drawing? I think I've done one doodle in the past 6 months. Big ass bummer there too, because I adore drawing and miss it a lot. I wanted to be back to doing the darn comic already. But right now, what energy I have, I throw at taking care of my kids.

So, that's that. Sorry for the lack of art, the lack of being around, and for being a wet blanket. I'll do a more upbeat entry later, because I got a lot to talk about now that Valentine's in love with Pokemon and Meriweather is about to turn two. :)

DOC SAID TODAY I CAN START TAPERING DOWN OFF THE CHEMO. WHOO HOOOOOOO!

Kinda nervous coz' I'm starting my Benlysta treatments tomorrow! It's an infusion (IV) drug that's specifically for my type of lupus (SLE), and I've been hearing really promising things from my doctor about it. The methotrexate (chemo) has helped quite a bit, but not as much as we'd hoped for. The goal next year is to eventually taper down the chemo gradually so I can finally be off of it and just get the Benlysta once a month. There's going to be a rough period for the next couple months while the new treatment is kicking in as there's a shorter duration between the first few, and I'll have the side effects hitting and not much relief, but Arty's mom will be flying out again soon to help. Hoping after that to get back to feeling like myself soon, so I can get back into drawing more, back to the new comic, back to life!

Apologies for being so sparse here! Things are finally starting to look up again after a crappy summer & autumn, and I'd love to get back into regular streaming and commissions and V&A and stuff! In the meantime, feel free to poke me on my Twitter account since I finally caved and got one of my own: twitter.com/bitesizedewalt :) I've been posting some pics there, mostly old stuff but there's also a few things I never uploaded here too.

The kids are all awesome. Val will be six next month. SIX. HOW.


Hope you all are well and having a wonderful holiday season!

INFO HERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7158173/


tl;dr Val and Arty have been asked to do a charity stream! Please go to his journal for info!

EDIT: All done!

Still not ready to get back into drawing and stuff (no time, for one thing), but I just thought I'd give you guys an update on how things are going.

The personal matter that I mentioned in the last journal looks to have come to an end. I don't want to go into details, but it was a legal matter that didn't directly involve us, but we were asked to be on standby in case we needed to get involved. However, things worked out in the best interest for the individual that this was revolving around, so that's what matters most. I just wish we hadn't been strung around for so long without any straight answers.

The kids are all doing fantastic! Valentine is a kindergartener now, and she's having a blast at school. I think her teacher was a little taken aback when she waltzed right up to him, stuck her hand out and introduced herself. :) She's still extremely outgoing with a really contagious zest for life, and I hope that she never loses that!

Moxie is turning 3 in a few weeks! She's still some sort of evil genius (we keep having to redefine 'the house is childproofed' around her), but now she's a lot more verbal. She's absolutely in love with Mickey Mouse right now, so I think she's going to flip when she sees Toontown at Disneyland (which will hopefully be next month!) Her other favorite character is Garnet from Steven Universe (or, as she calls it, Steemen)

Meriweather! He is starting to develop quite the little personality! He's gentle, caring, cuddly and more reserved than his sisters. What's especially interesting is that he has some sort of crazy obsession with 70s era music, disco in particular. He will dance to no other (believe me, I've tried). Usually during the daytime I slap Pandora Radio on and let him get his groove on. I have no clue where the disco thing came from; I never listened to it while pregnant or anything. Maybe he's the reincarnation of a leisure suit? Who knows? Valentine was obsessed with Jon Stewart at his age so I guess babies just find something to glom onto.


Hopefully things will settle down soon and I can get back to drawing. Until then, catch you guys later. :)

Hey folks, I'm going to need to take an extended leave of absence for the time being, due to health and family issues I would rather not elaborate on yet. We're fine, just some heavy stuff going on behind the scenes and I'd rather just take a break until things settle. I will explain when I can!

In the meantime, to my outstanding commissioners, please contact me and I will be happy to offer you a refund, and the V&A sequel is still being worked on whenever possible, so there won't be another years long gap again!

Like I said, we're fine, the kids are fine.. there's just some pretty intense family stuff going on right now plus my health has plummeted once again. I'm in the midst of a dosage increase w/ the chemotherapy so hopefully that will sort things out but right now I'm not able to catch a break.

Hope to see you guys later in the summer!

Streaming tonight at 7PM PST on Tigerdile! http://www.tigerdile.com/stream/stu.....dfortunecookie

Tonight is jump commission night, with RebelSquirrel's slot taking priority. :) I will see if I am able to take more than one, but given that I get my chemo dose tonight, I may need to see how I feel. <:) So if I decline any more slots, please don't take it personally, it's just coz' I want to do a good job and not mess up on anyone's picture because I feel lousy.

Hope to see you there!

Still gonna get the comic toned and lettered tonight so the new page is up soon, but I don't think I can do a stream tonight coz' little miss Moxie's having surgery tomorrow and I'm super nervous about it and don't think I could be entertaining. x.x I know she'll be fine and she probably won't even remember it but Arty and I are still a wreck. Technically this is probably her second surgery since I think her chest tube insertion at birth counts but still. SLJSGFHJGFKWHJFGW. And of course I can't go be there with her since I'm in quarantine and AUUUUUGH. x.x

Tomorrow is Arty's birthday though, so hopefully after we know Moxie's out of surgery safely we can all relax and celebrate. :) Please do send him a shoutout at his page  rdewalt if you can!

my new stream address: http://www.tigerdile.com/stream/stu.....dfortunecookie

I've got the new page for the comic pencilled, but I'm going to use the start of Art-a-palooza to play catchup and pencil a bunch of pages on Monday, and then ink them throughout the week so I can release a couple at once to make up for the delay. the plan is to move over to Tigerdile for streaming once we can, but I will be attempting to stream a little bit each day during the week. Super excited to be getting a lot of work done, but man I'm gonna miss being around the kids. x.x



And finally, tomorrow is our little guy Meriweather's first birthday! Happy birthday to the sweetest, most chill hobbit babby ever!

EDIT: Artapalooza schedule! April 27th through May 25th. Streams open-ended, est start times 4PM PST

Mondays: Comic pencils
Tuesdays: Comic inks
Wednesdays: Commissions
Thursdays: Comic tones
Fridays: Fanart friday
Saturday: Commissions
Sundays: Off