So- ive decided I'm going to finally make a suit- but I'm having a hard time deciding what to make. My (only) Sona/character is a weird feral creature and im not sure an anthro version would look right. (I'd LOVE to make him, but can't see a good way.)

So instead I'm needing a few ideas.

No regular or fictional creature is outside the realm of possibility with two exceptions
1: No quad suit (I couldn't stand like that long)
2: no taurs (not enough room to make it.)

I'm considering:
Realistic Kangaroo (would end up about 7 ft tall, as I stand just under 6 ft)
Semi-realistic Mouse
Other ideas???
Give me your suggestions!

Want a cool Nuka-Cola Keychain?
Want one that Glows-in-the-Dark like in the game?

Then do the following for your chance to win one!
-- Like and Follow TheAtomicSoul on Facebook
-- Like the Post mentioning this giveaway on FB and share it on your page
That's it!

Can't wait? Get one now! https://goo.gl/6mSyNE

https://www.facebook.com/TheAtomicSoul/
Drawing will end December 19th 2016 at Midnight, Eastern time US.
A follow up post will be made announcing the winner who will have 48 hours to claim their prize. If unclaimed, it will be given to a new randomly selected winner. Must be following TheAtomicSoul FB Page at time of mailing.


#TheAtomicSoul #NukaCola #Nuka #Keychain #Fallout #Fallout4 #bottle #glow #GlowInTheDark #enter #win #raffle

Soooo... it looks like I'm gonna make a fursuit... cause I just ordered some fur.
Thing is... I've never made one before! ^^;

Although I'd LOVE to make a suit of my character, he's a bit too... exotic than I want to try for my first one.

I've got white, tan/gold, and brownish fur.
I've got to decide between the following species/types:

Feral Kangaroo (wrong fur colors though)
anthro mouse (mostly mouse- using gold and a little white)
Squirrel (tail would be difficult to make look realistic)


I think I'm leaning mostly towards the mouse. I've had a character concept for a little while and would love to play around with scale a bit.

I'd love to figure out a way to actually make the costume "squishy" though. And I don't mean just soft, but feel truly squishy. If that makes sense. :P

Things are changing, and I don't just mean the weather!

Good news, I finally should be able to get health care! Yay!
Hopefully someone will be able to figure out whats going on with my head pain.
Sadly I'm afraid it'll be "just something you have to live with" and will remain undiagnosed.

I've made a few items: the Cubone helmet is ready to cast. I've got to make a resin shell for it, then the mold.
I've almost got a Ripper helmet (From Tank Girl) done. I'm 3D printing the whole thing (!!!) and am about 3/4 the way through!
I've also made The Shadow Mans pendant from The Frog Princess! :D
Go to www.TheAtomicSoul.com to see it!

I've got a little money to get a vehicle with now. Or to repair my current transmission... which isn't looking too likely as I'm worried about the engine messing up. :(

I also -MIGHT- get a piece of property!
Well, a couple of spots are possible. It all depends on what happens during this coming year. ) I've got a 1 year wait.)

When it comes to cars, my life has always been dictated by Murphys Law.

For those unfamiliar, Murphys Law is the statement that "Anything that can go wrong, will."
And for me, it has.

When I got my van, I thought it needed new breaks due to screeching. Well, it did, but it also needed an entire new rear axle because the differential was bad. I got that fixed, and it's been good... till now.

Today I was driving down the street to the gas station when I started hearing a clanging.
From the passenger front wheel well.
-.-

I pulled over but didn't find anything, started driving again and it was still going on. Pulled over again, found nothing again, and turned around to go back home. After driving for a minute, the noise stopped.

I -want- to think there was just a rock stuck in the rim, but I'm afraid that something relating to the brakes came apart and was bouncing around in wheel well. Considering it's a disk break I'm doubting it's that simple.

Well, I --WAS-- doing good... or so I thought, but having to fix my van sent me into a downward spiral of quickly accumulating debt.

I just found out I owe nearly $4,000. I know $2,000 of that was on the van, about $300-$400 on medical supplies, but no idea on the remaining $1200.

What. The. Fuck.

I really don't know what I spent it on as I don't go anywhere or do anything. Only thing I do that costs is gas to drive and that's maybe $20 a week.


.. oh wait. I just realized. It just hit me. Where I pay the electric bill as "rent", it's about $300 a month- so 3 months = $900.

Well, that helps explain it, but doesn't help me. I still need to insulate my van and get new tires for it before I can begin to move into it.

Order today and get it by Friday: I ship via 3 day delivery!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/193319....._home_active_1

Video and Photos from Fanboy Expo In Knoxville, TN

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7.....GeimntMYnqqWhw
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/TheAtomicS.....=photos_albums

There weren't many furs there and I wish I was able to go to SCCC brony con up the road as well, but I did what I could. :)

Steampunk Carnivale videos!
I've got a few videos for your enjoyment of the Steampunk Carnivale event that took place in Knoxville, TN!

To begin some Photos posted on my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/.....736&type=3

Next on my official video channel a few traditional videos:
- Walkabout at the event and costume contest: https://youtu.be/2YgYVXfb-vI
- Music by The Kilted Creature: https://youtu.be/MZDuvcncOyU

And over on my sub-channel something a little different- experimental video using a 360 camera: This allows you to click in the screen and rotate your view while watching the video!
- 360 walkabout https://youtu.be/3yhuMfqHwmw
- 360 pre-costume contest "image" from the stage https://youtu.be/-9VmoWy8zuc
- 360 Costume Contest https://youtu.be/C3VVkTV4jSA

Follow me on both Youtube accounts and Facebook for more convention and other exciting videos!

I'm painting my Honedge sword and scabbard right now to take some finished photos of it.
I've already redesigned how I print it to include an aluminum square rod inside, reduced the amount of parts it'll take to print, and increased wall thickness-- all of which adds additional strength to it while decreasing the weight.


Now that I'm about done making one and improved the design I'm wondering if anyone is interesting in having one made for them.

I'm not certain on how much I would sell it for; right now I'm thinking $600 plush shipping (that's for both the sword and scabbard) for an unfinished version (primed, unpainted.)

That price may change after I make the first ten of them; with the cost of time and materials it takes to make them I could be screwing myself so I'll do a few and think about it.

Wahaneta is having a raffle for a free fursuit head on Weasyl!
https://www.weasyl.com/journal/8933.....-head-and-more


Weasyl: https://www.weasyl.com/journal/9583.....-head-and-more

It cost about $1800 to get my van fixed: the axle had to be completely replaced. It cost $600 labor, $800 for the axle plus new brake pads, brake cylinders, and other associated parts.

Now that I've got it running I restarted my campervan videos because I felt the other wasn't very good AND the second was basically just me whining about the cost, so no need to keep them.

https://youtu.be/9wuybul_mBA

I got a call from my mechanic; they said the wheel cylinders are bad and the brake pads are cracked (I didn't see or couldn't tell this on the pads but I am not surprised on the cylinders.) She also said a brake sensor is bad and thats why the brake lights are staying on (knew it was a possibility.)

So what's the problem? She said the grinding isn't because of the bearings, it's because the differential is falling apart.
A new Standard Gear/Differential is about $500 (plus labor.)
So she's looking for a used axle to replace the entire back with (which hopefully will have good cylinders on it.)


I'd bet the guy I bought it from knew this when he sold it, but there's nothing I can do about it. I get screwed on every vehicle I buy.

Well, this is a problem.

I haven't' said anything about it but the past year I've been surviving on long term disability from my last job.
Well, I haven't received my benefits for the month so I called. Seems they "lost the notice" in the mail telling me that its been cancelled, saying they did a new review and don't think my problems are going to keep me from working.

WELL: If they don't think not being able to wake up till 12-2PM most days and having head pain that keeps you from being able to do anything during the day are not issues, then I need to work for them!

In the meantime I need to figure out how to make $500 for this months bills, because I don't have a credit card to put them on anymore.

GOOD NEWS: I've got a high top van!
It's a 99 Dodge Ram 3500 van with a 5.5x12 build space in back!
Made a list of things to do; it looks like I need about $571 in parts to get it running properly.

First $163 in parts for the oil pressure switch, oil pump and associated parts.
Then there's $219 fixing the rear breaks, drums, break hose, and break line.
And finally, $189 fixing the front break pads, rotors, and hose.

And thats all before I actually start building up the inside to work in.
I plan to put a bathroom in the back and I'm trying to come up with a good design which isn't as easy as you'd think: I need a 3x7 foot bed to sleep in and that takes up most of the space. I really don't want to have all the weight on one side of the van either.

Planning planning and planning- in-between repairing. :P

So things haven't chanced much since last month.

I'm working on getting a vehicle, but my search options have expanded.

High top vans are VERY hard to find. I may have found ONE and will be checking on it.

Ambulances are near impossible for less then $3,000, and usually end up selling for $5000. They also have the issue of being unknown miles: since they have to run while waiting on calls the actual "running miles" are about 2-3 times the listed miles. Most of these show about 150,000-230,000 miles and were running for the equivalent of 500,000.

After looking at 14ft box trucks driving down the road I've ruled them out since they would be no different then driving a large class C RV.

I've added church bus's and short school buses to the list of options: they're both more available, are mostly leak proof, and cost about $3,000.

---

I hate that most the vehicles I want are Diesel. Even though Diesel gets better gas mileage on higher weight vehicles and longer operation they cost more to repair and gas is more expensive.

For those who were reading before (And for those who weren't!)

I am still working towards this goal, but there has been one chance: my vehicle of choice.

Before I was planning on getting a Cargo van; I thought I could find a high top and use it so i could stand up every now and then, but I've found it impossible to FIND a high top cargo van and the tops themselves cost $1,000 to purchase plus having to be installed.

Another catch is the fact that I'll be making things while I travel. This is a big difference between me and most people who choose to be vandwellers/ stealthcampers: unlike them I plan to do more then just live in it, I'll be making unique items to sell and for me that requires hardware and additional space for it.
For those reasons I've changed my plan to using either an Ambulance (Which would be an aesthetic bonus) or a 14ft box truck. The box truck would be built from ground up and the Ambulance would have most of the inside done. I COULD use a Y2K or newer Class B RV but those run about $10,000 and anything older then that tends to have plumbing issues and needs a lot of rebuilding.

All of these have their drawbacks, the main one being that two of them would NOT be stealthy... at all.
The Ambulance would be interesting- everyone would notice it, everyone would see it, but would anyone actually bother it? Would it be a case of "Hiding in plain sight"?
I'd either leave the box truck white to try to "Blend in" or try to give it the ambulance look if I could figure out of that helps reduce being bothered.
The Class B (starting in Y2K and moreso newer ) look less like campers and more like cargo vans. The only real drawback with these is the fact that they're so expensive. You're lucky if you find one for under $10k.


My biggest issue is still cost. I've tried looking to keep the cost of whatever I get under or around $2,000, but that's become impossible. To be able to find something I'm going to have to start to consider the "minimum" $3500 up to $5,000, but I don't have that much so that's going to be difficult.

As you can see with this post, I added all the places you can find me on the web.

Above are my store fronts.

Below are my social media sites and Artwork sites. Follow me on each to ensure you keep up with everything going on!

One of the hardest things to do is place a value on an item because every person perceives an items value differently.
I need to make a living off the items I create but I like to keep my prices low so more people can afford them, but doing so can give the misconception that the items have low quality.

In an attempt to both help make a living and help encourage proper belief in the value of the things I make I will be increasing the price in my store as follows:

Cool World Wooden Nickels will increase by $5 to $15 ea.
Ingress Portal Keys will increase by $5 to $15 ea.
ScoobyDoo tags will increase by $5 to $20 ea.
Lil' Huggers Kit (facehuggers) will increase by $5 to $30 ea.

Shipping will remain $6 US but international will increase to $25 to cover the total international flat rate shipping charge.

These price changes will go into effect when I get the FNAF figures posted, so there is no set date for the change.
( The FNAF figures, which will stand roughly six inches tall, will be priced around $50 ea.)


http://theatomicsoul.storenvy.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAtomicSoul

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Please also see my post: Animated Series: Patreon vs Paypal, Rewards vs Sales?https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6478050/

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LITTLE FACEHUGGERS- show the love!

I've finalized the work needed on the "Lil Huggers" palm sized facehugger figures!
See them here:

StorEnvy: http://theatomicsoul.storenvy.com/c.....il-huggers-kit

ETSY: http://etsy.me/16vK7bA

Animated Series: Patreon vs Paypal vs Kickstarter, Rewards vs Sales?


I'm trying to figure out the best option and I want your help.

When doing an animation where the final animation would be publicly available, what is the best way to go about getting it funded?

I would like as many opinions on this as possible, PLEASE POST AND LINK TO THIS AS A JOURNAL!

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Patreon

I see TONS of people offering up Patreon accounts. So many it's not a surprise that most I see never make it above $300 a month with the average about $150.
Unfortunately that isn't enough to cover living expenses.

Patreon is a "rewards based" service. You take a set amount of money and give certain things back. Since paypal and Patreon charge to use their service you have two fees to pay, which doesn't make sense unless you're doing a tier system, does it?

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Paypal Monthly Subscription

Paypal can allow people to set up one time donations or monthly scheduled payments. Using this is a bit harder to track but it reduces the "nickel and dime" effect of using Patreon and Paypal. How do you encourage people to donate beyond just asking?

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REWARDS VS SALES

Sales:
I plan on making items associated to the animation, but they are "one off" hand made items. They would be customizable so each would be personal to the owner. I'm not sure what to sell them for as they tend to run about $200+ when I see others selling similar items. The catch with that price means that fewer would be sold, but more would be made off each sale. I ~might~ be able to make smaller versions, but with the amount of parts + materials it would still run about $50 to $100 each.

The down side of ~only~ making items to sale is that you get a one time donation and thats it. If thats all you get you likely won't make enough each month to live on. I want to set up a way to get monthly donations separate from the items I sale but I don't know how / the best way to encourage people to donate.

Kickstarter
Kickstarter can provide a good amount of funds at the start of the project but I fear setting the bar too high doing this. The catch is that you have to get a LOT of attention or nothing will happen, not just having the right rewards. Beyond the above items I'm not sure what I could offer as a reward.

Patreon
I want to be able to get as many of the items as possible in peoples hands but the more I sale the more time I spend making them and less on the animation. This is a catch with tiered rewards like Patreon: the more single items made for it the less time will be able to be spent on making animations. Further if you have a "higher level reward" drawing item and someone gets it, whats to keep them on that level of support knowing they won't get that again?

Raffle by  Kiwi and  AcidHybrid !

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6463579/

Free Art Raffle by  kiwi
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6372708/

FREE ART RAFFLE by  I-Psilone


http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6360507/

Link Edited out.

My living situation is changing, and not all for the better. After having new health issues begin over the past two years I am no longer able to work in a customer service or call center environment-- the only type of jobs I've had in the past twenty years. Combined with preexisting health conditions I find myself in a situation that has forced me to look at making extreme changes in my life.
Rather then give in to these problems I am trying to make a way to keep working on creative projects in a manner that will allow me to make small living. I am always trying to move forward, I always want to keep going and I want to continue contributing to society.

The first step, however, is the longest one. To begin I will need to purchase a Cargo Van.
If I can acquire a Cargo Van I will be able to convert it into what is commonly referred to as a Vandwelling, Stealthcamper, or a campervan. This essentially requires insulating the van, adding electrical wiring for power, setting up unconventional bathroom accommodations and a bed.
For me as an artists this is enough space to both live and work in; I've been doing it in a 10x10 room for the past five years and being creative I'm sure I can use the space to it's fullest potential!

Cancelled the fundraiser due to family related issues. (I won't go into details.)