aaaugh... resistance... so addicting.
im on my second round through the game... and seriously, its amazing. Even from a nintendo fans point of vue (my friend Ackman, or Chuckles [not to be confused with !Chucklez!])
some of the levels though are freaking scary... like terrifyingly dark...
Indeed Castro's motives have dwindled since Che's death, and he saw that he too was quite vulnerable. I'd tend to say that Cuba's detriment has more to do with the American Blockade than its dictator, however.
Completely agree that the American blockade is hardly doing wonders for the country. Economically it has crippled the place. You can walk into any store and the large majority of shelves are bare. The large majority of people live well below the poverty line, and the wealthiest members of society are those involved in the tourism industry (taxi drivers, hoteliers, etc) who make massive profits whenever they receive a tip.
Having said that, Castro's ridiculous social policies don't help. He's lightened up a bit in his old age, but he still clings to power even though people just want him gone.
I hated that when I went to Mexico. when I went there, I went for one thing and one thing only: Culture. While my Mom was lounging in our 5 star resort, I actually just walked out of the "reccomended guest area" and tried to talk to everyone I could find that spoke english. Most of them commented that they wished that people could come to Mexico and se the people and the essence of the nation rather than just "White, sandy beaches." Unfortnately, I didnt locate any sweatshops to contact, but I did want to. Oh, and while it seems kind of touristy, I had to check out the Mayan ruins.
I spent three weeks in Mexico including one in Cancun. Everywhere besides Cancun was spectacular. The people were wonderful and inquisitive, helpful, generous. Generally they would regard us with suspicion until they found out that we weren't from the States, at which point they'd let down their guard and be as natural as you can imagine. Yes, it's intrinsic racism against people from the USA, but after visiting Cancun I can see why. American tourists just treated the locals like dirt.
And don't worry about those ruins. They're one of the most spectacular sights in the world, nothing wrong with hitting the tourist trail and visiting them. That said, even more spectacular are the Aztec pyramids not far from Mexico City. For some reason not that many people are aware of them, but they completely overwhelm you with their sheer size. Second only to the Great Pyramid at Giza, I'm led to believe.
Having said that, Castro's ridiculous social policies don't help. He's lightened up a bit in his old age, but he still clings to power even though people just want him gone.
The sad part is: many, many people there still love him. I don't know if it's "socialist pride", but they just refuse to see how bad their country's state has gotten as a result of his dictatorship (the American embargo doesn't help, but like you said, it's hardly the only cause).
@ the Mexican thing - Heh, I should know what you guys are talking about. I live in what is, along with Rio, the utmost tropical, beach-heavy area of Brazil, and the same problems happen here regarding tourists from North America and Europe. Even worse – the lower-class population usually treats tourists from those areas (and even from southern Brazil) as superior people. It’s really disgusting. This is less present in the southern parts of the country, where summer resorts usually aren’t the main attraction.
@Pete: Okay....I'll debate ya! I'll tell you why Kris is a fantastic person...and you get the other side. Yup....a debate where you might win, but you'll still lose. MUWAHAHAHAH!!!!
Also at Pete: I like the story....especially since I provided the inspiration, indirectly....and I think I know why I did too. I'll have to PM you and see if I figured it out. Has anyone else?
And Yay! For art creating goodnesses.....the comic page should be pretty cool looking and we'll have to post a ton more to be able to get to that 600 posts to get it up there.....
And Tneill....weird......
@Rick: My wife and I currently own a regular Sega, which gets plenty of use for the old skool Sonic games and Battletoads and Double Dragon (one of the finest sidescrolling beat-'em-ups ever created). In addition to that, we have a second PS2, a Gamecube, a Sega Saturn (which she bought), plus a WHOLE bunch of peripherals for them (from Guitar Hero, to Beatmania, to Saturn Twin Sticks, to Dance Dance Revolution Pads, to Donkey Konga Bongos.....). Surprisingly, I've always loved Sega for their quick adoption of technology before it became popular.....I've seen a gaming modem for the original master system, plus there was the Octa-Ring which was quite awesome. I honestly think being ahead of the market is what doomed them, personally.
@Xavier: Sorry to hear that FFXII is frustrating....I was thinking of asking a friend to borrow it before I bought it. Heard it really wasn't all that phenomenal to play, but rather incredibly awesome to watch. I'm glad you like it. Just a quandry: Since you work in the Video Game business, do you often find yourself being a harsh critic of games because you deal with them in your line of work? Do you look at how they could have been done better, etc?
@Kris: Suckage with the Sinus infection. And Blegh to Pete! I like creative clutter. It's how I've always run anywhere where I actually do my art. Messy to some, easy to just grab what I need to me.
@Alex/Mondu: I would say that giving a link to where you found it would do wonders for the artist. Getting his/her work out is never a bad thing, especially if it's not using it for personal gain.
@Trent: I agree that subbed > dubbed when it comes to live-action movies. Nothing ruins a live-action movie worse than bad dubbing. Ever since I became used to reading subtitles, I can't stand to watch a Hong Kong action movie in English. Makes me want to stab my eyes out. I often wish Iron Chef would've been subbed instead of dubbed. I like hearing the authentic voices.
About Che Guevara....honestly couldn't care less about him. I honestly haven't wanted to read his thoughts or know about his beliefs. Kinda closed minded of me, but....I dunno. He seems to be the "in-rebel" at the moment, so I just want to keep away from it to seem like being like many others. Plus.....I'm really quite conservative...
As for the T-shirt designs. Mad props for Ghandi. Fantastic rebel leader. Also, I quite like the dancing couple under the rainbow....feels like something a goth/emo chick would enjoy wearing. I loved the sine-wave-esque bird motion above it. Just lovely. Wonderful.
I also quite love the abstract art. I love the topmost piece of "flying away" the best. It conveys such lofty dreams, but seems to juxtapose it with the image of a soldier with wings.....the bright color helps out immensely. Quite cool.
@Garbs/Rick/Trent in the Cuba Discussion: *Sighs.* I love what my country stands for at some points in time, but I hate what the people do more frequently. I do believe that American tourists are generally the biggest a**holes on the planet. And I'm sorry that they've ruined a LOT of places by the money they bring into them and treating the local races there like indentured servants. Frankly, I find it disgusting as well. As for Cuba....I agree that Castro royally messed stuff up and I hope Cuba will do better for itself once he dies.....
@The vacationing discussion: While I haven't travelled very extensively, I've always thought it appropriate to get out and see where you're travelling. It's a waste if you don't. I was in Southern Germany for about a month a few summers back and I did the traditional tourist stuff (Neuschwanstein castle, the Black Forest, etc), but the main thing I loved was being able to be with the people and learn about their lives. I found the local attractions that most foreigners skipped over were actually the best part of the stay, and quite informative too.
In general, I've found that going out with a tour guide just seems to suck all the fun out of travelling, whereas just striking off on your own and trying to get a feel for the locality is the best. Sometimes, you'll end up with some of the funniest (and scariest) stories to tell when you're done with the trip. Sampling local culture is the best thing about travelling hands down, and you can't do that if everyone is pandering to your every need and want......
@Milan (Kinda skipped over such a small post): Well......I've been looking at Resistance: Fall of Man....I wish I knew someone with a PS3 so I could give it a test out.....It looks like a Halo Killer for sure....Plus it looks like it could be absolutely freaky as hell to play late at night...which is something I dumbly love doing....Playing Myst late at night....that was kinda creepy.....
Anyway.....hmmm...anything interesting in my life....Well....I bought my first Brand-Spankin'-New car today (complete with Auto loan and Paper-work)....I'm the proud owner of a shiny jet black Ford Focus SE. It's one of the few cars comfortably in my price range and able to fit my large, American ass.
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IT'S FINALLY FINISHED! ahem... please tell me what you think. Comic book page way at the bottom there. I think it turned out pretty damn good.
@Alden, You're the only one that consistantly read my Short Stories (Thanks by the way :D) So, I'll just say it. Your inspiration was ending the story with a happy ending. So, was your thought right?
I gotta tell you though. It doesn't feel right. Right now the ending doesn't feel logical. After all, she is just a servant and that other girl did warn her. From where I left it off I can add a few sentences to give it a bad ending. I'm currently debating with myself if I should add it or not.
600 post to go?? Well, this is 1 down.....
Hopefully working on my comic book page today. I'm still not used to sitting at the computer for very long so I take many, many breaks. I'm perfectly normal CLEAN areas Actually, as far as artists go I'm probably neater than most.
Disturbing side story. I had a friend, named Mike, who sat hunched in front of the computer for hours and hours on end. He slept on a couch (even when a bed was available) and hardly did anything active. He now has an "S" shaped posture...... Meaning, his spine is so used to being hunched it's that way permanently, and he bends his knees forward to compensate for his horrible spine position. The result is that if you look at him from the side, hes shaped like an "S"
Knowing everybody here uses the computer don't LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! It looks disgusting and by the time Mike is 40 he won't be able to walk.
@Trent, About your abstract work. I actually like the second and third one. Even though things are abstract they still need to work in an overall theme, and use basic artistic principles. Your stuff up until this last batch always seemed too random for me. So, other than the fact you use those arrows too much it's much better.
@Xavier, Blitzball, considering it was an add on game, was pretty damn entertaining when you did some good recruiting. Allan spent hours just playing blitzball.
As for the card games, I always got screwed on them. In FF8 if I put a '8' by a '3' I would still loose. Damn random numbers did me no favors.
Lastly, Did anybody read Imaginary Friends? If not I'll just finish it on the fly. Still not sure how I want it to end.
Pete - it looks really cool. At first I wasn't entirely sure what was happening story wise, but I think I worked it out, which means you've done a terrific job conveying meaning without using any words.
My only suggestion would be making the girl in third panel (where the two guards are looking down at her from above) a bit clearer. Other than that, very cool, and I especially love that you're totally taking into account things like lighting and how they can dramatise an image.
In other news... I don't really have a lot of news. The Australian weather has been throwing everyone curveballs lately, blistering hot one day, freezing cold and raining the next, bushfires one day, floods the next. As a result, practically everyone I know has been sick in recent weeks, myself included. Luckily I've recovered just in time for Christmas. Anyway... that's it from me.
@Garbo, That's a good response I think. I might just have to get all gushy and stuff.
About the girl, no problem.
About the lighting, you get some of the credit for that actually. I remembered what you said about a few of my pictures a long, long time ago, so tried to incorporate that into my colouring. So, pat yourself on the back.
About the mistakes, I've found 5-6 minor things that I don't like but don't feel like changing them now.
About the comic, I read the 7 year old script today *shudders* It is so horrible. I'm thinking about continuing with this project by the comic definetely needs to be improved before that happens.
Also, I need to find someone to "letter" it. I dont' have the right program to do it.
NEWS: My head hurts! I was playing road hockey today on roller blades. My one blade slipped out from under me and I smashed my head into the asphalt (sp?) So, now I have a red bruise on my head about an inch in diameter and a bit of a headache. I kept playing though, no wimpy road is gonna take my hockey away from me!
FOR YOUR LAUGHING PLEASURE
The script that goes along with this page.
Page 1 City walls, and surrounding forest, like rainforest
Caption: In this place there isn't anyone who walks alone or who doesn't fear what's lurking beyond sight. This is the place where magic runs unbridled giving birth to all sorts of nightmares. However there is some refuge in these wilds. Great cities which have survived the outside world. A place of ordered chaos and where there is a constant fight for survival.
Tabitha face, looking up, tears in her eyes, cut and bruises on her face. Pleading.
(Up shot) Two guards talking, shocked and worried looks on their faces
Guard 1: Who is that?
Guard 2: I don't know, I've never seen her before
Guard 1: The embassy didn't say there was anybody coming today...
Guard 1: Yashim! Kael! Open the gates! Doors opening. Tabitha’s silhouette in doors
Tabitha on ground, blood dripping out of her mouth. People standing above her.
Some of the stuff changed in the drawing but your all smart, you'll figure it out.
Some of the stuff changed in the drawing but your all smart, you'll figure it out.
You over estimate me again, Peter! Muwahahahaa! This shall be someone's downfall eventually....Probably mine.
@Pete: That's pretty much what I was thinking. Keep the happy ending. It's good! I like happy endings......
The comic page looks FANTASTIC. The second panel looks absolutely wonderful, especially with your great attention to detail in the flora....just wow. I kinda don't like the perspective on the shouting guard, but it's not all that detracting from the page. And the script really isn't that bad. That's not the worst scripting I've ever seen, and I work in television....
Also....I may not be as dumb as Kris thinks for being a brand-new car. Yes, I know about depreciation, warranty limitations, blah-blah, etc.......trust me, the decision was very much thought out as to whether I should buy new or used....
@Garbs: Good to hear you've gotten better. And just in time for Christmas. Going quite a ways back..... you'll have to tell us whether your girlfriend digs her Christmas present or not.
@Everybody: Anybody have anything especially cool planned for the Christmas weekend? Myself....I get to work most of it. The News must go on....but aside from that, I can't wait to make Christmas Eve dinner of Bratwürst and Käsespätzle....a traditional German meal that I make.....
Anybody else have any interesting or different traditions for this time of year?
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@Alden, First you say that you're not smart, that I was overestimating you, then (about the car) you said you were smart. Stop trying to confuse me!
@Christmas Tradition, Even thought this may seem kinda sad.. I always spend Christmas day all alone. Everybody else I live with goes to Niagara Falls early in the morning to visit family, and don't come back until late.
I don't go because it's incredibly boring for me but the result is that I end up alone.
@Comic Book Page, Script, I rewrote it anyway. (see below) Picture, after careful examination I've found 11 mistakes that I want to fix.
Page 1
Caption: It’s a strange thing to wonder how we end up in the places we do. What choices have we made to lead us down this path? When those choices arrived did we know what affect they would truly have on us? For most of us, those are questions we don’t have to answer. It’s unlikely to think we would end up in a situation so terrifying and bleak we would question ourselves. However, there are those whose lives change so drastically it’s forced upon them to ask "Why". It’s strange to think why a young girl would leave her home just to end up bleeding and bruised at the footsteps of a city she’s never seen before. The only true words that can be spoken are this: It was a choice.
Guard #1: She’s not one of the hunters...I don’t know of anybody whose been given permission to leave.
Guard #2: Me neither. So, do we let her in?
Guard #1: Yashim! Open the gates.
Caption: It’s a strange thing to wonder. Why do we do the things we do.
A little wordy. More philosophical. Overall I like it better.
I also think it's pretty sad that you think the first draft wasn't that bad. When I read it I thought it was horrible. Although, I have a pretty high standard.
EDIT: @ Alden, I talked with Kris last night and told her about the story. She sides with the 'negative' ending. I'll try to get a few more opinions and see where it leads.
Alden - my girlfriend and I swapped presents yesterday, because work and family restraints pretty much dictated we wouldn't be able to see each other between now and Monday.
She LOVED my present. The card went down a treat, the Big Day Out tickets went down a treat, and the other bits and pieces that I gave her (in a box titled the Big Night In... nudge nudge wink wink) also went down a treat. Meanwhile, she bought me the monstrous and awesome Streetfighter Anniversary Arcade Stick and an adaptor to plug it into the PC.
In other news... I got my first Nintendo Wii injury the other day. Playing tennis on my mate's machine, I went for the massive backhand shot, only to swing my hand right into window shutters. Blood, bruises and a whole lot of pain ensued. I was laughing though, even though I was in agony. For the record, we won the point as well...
Belated Merry Christmas to all you Imagecrafters...
Alex - Whoa dude, you sound excited. Like you, I also finally got my Wii, and I'm totally addicted to Wii Sports. Just playing the practice modes has me hooked. I've barely had any time to even check out Zelda, but from what I've seen it looks pretty cool.
In other news of Christmas commercialism... I was lucky enough to get some new Oakleys, a new backpack for when I travel the world later this year, a book or two and some other bits and pieces. My girlfriend got me the hulking great Street Fighter Arcade Stick, which I've plugged into my PC and have been hitting up old MAME versions of Street Fighter II like nothing else.
First: Belated Christmas (or other Holiday of Choice) wishes of good times and all. Even if it's by yourself.
@Pete: Well....I'm kinda an idiot savante of car shopping....Or something like that....
As for the script, sometimes less is more when it comes to comics. I've read some comics that the vast majority of it didn't have more than 1-2 sentences on a page and thoroughly enjoyed them because they showed the story rather than telling it. Of course, I've read rather verbose comics and still enjoyed them as well. However, the new script does seem to work quite a bit better.
And it's okay if you've got more unhappy endings. Some writers feel more comfortable if not everything works out okay in the end. It's a different take on writing in general if things aren't okay at the end of the story. It gives the reader more to think about, usually.
@Garbs: Big Nights In are fun, but only if you've got enough energy left over from Big Days Out.....^_^ It's great that it went over fantastically. I can only hope that I have as much success as you did with the gift I'm getting my wife for our first anniversary on Thursday....I've got a local gold smith working up a sapphire and diamond white gold necklace that I designed to match her wedding ring.....I couldn't find anything in the local shops that I liked, so I just did it for her.
As for Wii injuries....Yeah....I haven't managed to get one yet. Well....other than the sore muscles I felt the first time I played the Wii for nearly 5 hours straight. Yeah...It was a good soreness though. I'm a fat American, so it's good for me to exercise. I do hope your hand gets better for more Wii stuff. Speaking of which.....I'm not online with mine yet, but once I do, I'll pm you and Alex my gamer tag for some Wii Sports or something.
@Alex: I am SOOOO a bowling addict. It has consumed my life up until the point that I discovered Rayman's incredibly addictive mini-games. I LOVE being able to Hunt the Rabbids with my plunger-gun. The humor's twisted and I LOVE it. I hadn't seen anything on Assassin's Creed, but it does look freakin' awesome.
As for the power of the Wii, I've convinced at least 4 different people over the age of 40 to go and buy one for themselves. Just so they can Bowl. I took it to a Christmas party that my co-worker was having and her stepfather wants to have me over for dinner just so I can bring the Wii for him to play.
@Garbs (again): I don't own twilight princess, but I hear it's pretty good. I'm not much of a Zelda fan, so meh....The Christmas loot sounds cool, especially the anniversary arcade stick. As for Street Fighter II....it rocked my world something fierce, albeit I kinda like the original Alpha for some 2D ass-kicking goodness. Frankly.....2D fighters are pretty much the only reason I own a Dreamcast at all......The Last Blade, Street Fighters....... Anyway.....
Christmas Haul: Not much, mainly a 3 ton floorjack to help me work on my cars and a REALLY awesome game called Ikaruga for the Gamecube....The Polarity Shifts.....*Shudder.*
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Happy Merry Christmas but late like everybody else.
Official Haul:
4 Reya Dawnbringers (ordered of eBay from my sister)
END OF HAUL.
Unofficial present. My mom got a new Digital Camera for Christmas so I got her old one.
I ended up buying myself a few things. An iPod nano, and a freaky cool statue from the comic book "The Tenth" [(pick one up today!) (Pictures below) Thinking about painting it (same colours as on the box) but the white is starting to grow on me)] and 8 packs of Coldsnap (the first ones I've bought)
@Alden, I know what you mean about the quantity on a comic book page but with the first draft I was cringing at the quality. "ordered chaos"??? "Constant struggle for survival" ? It was just to horrible to stomach.
Either way, I have my new script in hand and am moving forward! I'm gonna try and letter it myself. Here's the updated page with 11 mistakes fixed. If anybody can find them you get 500 of my mom's Chocolate Chip cookies!
@Alex, a long post looks good on ya, maybe you should try it again.
EDIT: Adding the scripted page Not sure if the letters are too big or not. Oh, and Guard #1's word baloon isn't light enough.... Opinions??
i havent picked up a wii yet... i eventually might.
Im currently taken up by Shadow of the Collosus (any PS2 owners MUST GET THIS) i love it. And Tony Hawks Project 8... you can balance, skate or jump by using the sixaxis controller... i think its sweet
picking up COD3 soon... rather excited
i lost my goblin christmas picture in the redoing of my room
im sad
im going to whistler for some snowboarding tomorrow... so i guess i wont be here for about a week... (i just got back from Edmonton hense my absense)
as for my haul, i got an HDMI Cable, another (4th) SixaxiS controller, and a couple games (THP8, Shadow of the Collosus, Prince of Persia: The two thrones, Final Fantasy XII Collecters Edition)
and my highlighted gift this year was from my girlfriend, Rise Of The Oger... its a "documentary" of the Gorillaz. It has a whole ton of concept sketches which i am rediculously pleased with... so i think ill be pumping out some more Hewlitt like art
well take care guys
Rayne
Edit: Assassins creed looks amazing... i cannot wait for that and DMC4... Tekken 6 looks promissing too
Garbo?! You're drunk! Who would have ever thought? I thought you didn't drink! [/sarcasm] Honestly though, what do you need with 20 gigs of memory? My iPod is only 2 gigs and that's going to be more than enough for me.
Picture, Okay, third version. You guys are probably sick of seeing this thing but I keep noticing mistakes. This time the guy yelling (fourth panel) got a huge upgrade. I moved his eye a couple cm's to the left and he actually looks human now! I also lightened up the colours on his lips to make it look more natural. Mostly, I made the letters smaller, it's still readable when printed out and it shows of more of the detail in the back.
Curious Question.
What do you guys think of the Red Akroma picture? Personally, I think it's the worst angel picture ever but I wanted to know what everybody else thought.
The reason it's the worst ever is because of the absolutely horrible proportions. Her legs look like they belong on a midget, her hair doesn't look attached to her head, and the suit makes her look like a porn star, "Akroma, Mistress of Spanking"
Anyway, to all the hockey fans in this thread.... (I guess that means you Alden... and maybe Milan) Are either of you watching the World Junior Hockey Tournament?
Canada is going for a 3-peat and started the tourney 2-0
America, who's a co-favorite to win the tournament started 0-2
EDIT: Canada is now 3-0 after beating Germany. Now to be perfect in the round robin all they have to do is beat the worst team in the pool.
It's just after 2am here in sunny Sydney, and we've welcomed 2007 in style. Surprisingly, I'm not drunk tonight (I was in charge of driving myself and my girlfriend all over town for various festivities.) I thought I'd share my list of seemingly arbitrary new years resolutions...
1. Learn to drink coffee
2. Start eating sushi
3. Learn to speak French
4. Brush up on my Spanish
5. Practise more photography
Anyone else got anything they're going to try to achieve in 2007?
@Garbo, Rather ambitious list for me.
1)Get book published
2)Become great Martial Artist
3)Move out of home
4)Learn more Biology and Chemistry since I like those things
5)Greatly improve my Art/Writing/Colouring skills
in response to yours
1b)Learn why people like coffee
2b)Avoid sushi at all costs
3b)Be happy with the 125 words of french I know even though French is one of Canada's national languages 100 of those words are 1-100
4b)Brush up against a Spanish.... umm... I don't think I can finish this sentence.... ...
5b)Practice more photography. No joke here, I just like it too.
Pssst... Seeing today is the last day for the clan contest, you MIGHT want to work on a deck. Since you're in the same Pool as Dimir, feel free to check out our deck. Just a tip from a friend.
My New years Resolutions:
Find someone to kiss when the ball drops (I guess that's pre-new years)
Master my Espresso pot
Get enough money to go to Mexico with Milan
Rid my life of Drama
Okay, to be honest i haven't given much thought to my resolutions. I rarely make any, simply because we shouldn't dedicate one alloted time period to change.
Went to the zoo today with my girlfriend. Used the opportunity to practise my photography (zing.. that's at least one resolution that I've started working on.)
@Trent, Oops, guess we missed the contest. Darn! Actually, I think the rest of the clan quietly decided that we don't really care about the clan contests. Most of our efforts were just thrown together at the last second anyway so why put ourselves through that
@Garbo, Majestic and beatiful is the mighty Chameleon. Excellent photo's. And I underestimated the chameleon's ability to change colour, in the second picture it looks like a girl.
@Milan, My New Years wasn't all that exciting but in a way I got to do it twice. I was on the phone with Kris for mine and for hers (which is two hours later) So, that was kind of cool.
Some more SS Ideas, with the help of Kris Opinions always appreciated.
Delusions
Large city. Two families sharing one house. Two of the children are sick and quarantined. They haven’t been given food or drink for a couple of days. They were banging at the door but everybody was too afraid to do anything for them.
With special herbs and scents ‘guarding’ the door they think they’re safe.
Recount what’s happened in the last few weeks with the people going insane and killing themselves. Add in how the farmers and nobles seem unaffected but still show signs of paranoia.
Father goes into town, constantly jostled but the thousands of people crammed into a few square miles. Nobody fights, nobody talks, just an uneasy wrestling of clothes and boots as he walks.
Goes into the alley’s, which are less crowded but a lot more dangerous. Enters a bar he’s been in many times and witnesses the aftermath of another man who’d gone insane and killed himself. The man was dead but left on the floor days.
Father ends up in weird back room looking for answers. Some mystic type guys tells him what’s really happening. It’s not a disease that’s killing people. They’re being driven mad by always being surrounded by people. Their tolerance threshold is pushed on a daily basis and eventually they just snap. Since everybody was paranoid and edgy to begin with, when the first man did it the rest thought it was a disease. From there it became a self-perpetuating problem.
Wings of Progress (name will change)
A new creation. A winged dog. A messenger. A fighter. A tracker. Everything that the dog does well is improved greatly by adding wings. The ‘prototype’ does so remarkably well that their research is funding by the local lord. Dogs are collected from everywhere. Soon, problems develop, the dogs develop a disease, then all die. They’re chests split open because there hearts exploded. The heart couldn’t handle the strain that flying puts on the body. Dozens of dogs end up dying in the same manner. Somebody explains this and that the true course of nature will find a way to wipe out anything... unnatural.
Souless Minions
During a battle wraith like creatures attack both sides. Killing at random with no reason or emotion.
King’s wondering where these weird zombie/wraiths come from. Still fight. War has been going on for a long time. Bring back injured. King watches as his own soldiers turn into wraiths, and kill everybody.
Weakness (I like one word titles, dammit!)
A local doctor’s assistant who makes her living by being abused by drunk men, criminals, and wealthy aristocrats. She always where a smile on her face but the doctor she works for also takes her for granted. She has a few friends but every time she tried to talk about her problems they change the subject, more interested in their own problems than hers. Generally though, their problems are a lot more trivial than hers. Since she’s such a ‘weak’ person she lets these people walk all over her.
She goes home to her young daughter and takes out all her frustration on the kid. Yelling her, slapping her. Forcing her to do all the house work. She watched as the child cries at the behaviour.
The woman is found out and there’s a huge outcry against her.
In a sobbing display she confesses why she’s done everything she’s done.
Again, nobody listens to her. "They just won’t stop. They think they know everything about me. I’m show them what I can do."
As usual, my outlines are done quickly so spelling mistakes and bad grammar shouldn't be taken too seriously.
I'm thinking of another story that talks about war. Mainly why people start wars and that once they do it's impossible for them to admit they're wrong, even if they realize they are. They can't appear weak, and if they admit they're wrong they'd loose all faith of their 'people'. I'm not sure when I want to start the story though (middle of war, onset, etc)
Sorry for not being on yesterday to wish you all a happy new year. Rather than re-typing it, here's what my new years was like (from Dimir thread)
I had a pretty crazy 2 days.Interesting story... I was at a party on New Years eve, and we did the countdown and I was standing beside my best (girl)friend at the time. The clock reached 12:00 so we hugged, then at the exact same time we said something to the effect of "We probably shouldn't kiss (since we're such good friends)". Well I didnt get a new years kiss... until later on when I had another girl to my house. I was on my way out of my room, since my phone was ringing, then she tugged on my arm. I turned around and then out of nowhere she kissed me. I mean it when I say it came out of nowhere... and usually I can tell when they want to. Here's the kicker: My best (girl)friend and her don't get along at all, so now there's a bug s**tstorm that I'm in the middle of. Yup, crazy 2 days for me.
Pete, Have you been following the World Juniors? I actually totally forgot about it until I was reading one of your previous posts. It looks like we have a solid team yet again, but it isn't nearly as stacked as the previous 2 tourney champs.
As for the stories, wings of progress sounds like it has potential, but it would be cool if you could somehow make people almost dependant on these dogs, and as they start dying, people are put into a fluster. This way you can convey 2 messages: don't mess with nature and not to rely on technology or something like that. Just an idea.
All of them sound good, but Souless minions seems cliche to me.
Garbo, Fantastic looking pics. If the second one is your girlfriend, well done! What kind of camera/lense are you using? The last 2 are so vivid (or are those post-pro?).
Speaking of, that's going to be one of my resolutions as well. I havent done any photography for a long time.
@Trent, Gah, teenagers! I'm glad I was never one of those. Hope it works out for ya.
About the World Jr's... that's gotta be the silliest question you could have asked. Of course I'm following it! Next to spending Christmas Day alone, it's my second most consistent tradition during the holiday season.
As for Canada. Two years ago, lock out year, best BEST Canadian World Jr. team ever. That's not speculation, it's a fact. Last year I think the team overachieved. It was their defensive approach that won them the tournament.
This year? Same defensive approach but Canada have five or so people in the NHL that still qualify for the World Jr' but their teams wouldn't let them go. This includes Jordon Stall and Sidney Crosby (yup, he's only 19) If those 5 players were they Canada would completely dominiate instead of squeak by.
I think they'll win the semi's tomorrow but Russia looks scary. They've outscored their opponents 20-3 in 4 games. Of course, with Russia refusing to sign a new ageement with the NHL they have russian rookies stockpiled in Russia. Sort of an unfair advantage.
Oh, U.S. almost missed the playoff round because they lost their first two matches. Damn Finland for not beating them!
Short Stories.
Wings of Progress... thanks, and I'll consider it but there's only so much room in a Short Story.
Souless Minions... I know people think that kinda thing but do you have any examples of anybody actually writing about it?
Garbo, Fantastic looking pics. If the second one is your girlfriend, well done! What kind of camera/lense are you using? The last 2 are so vivid (or are those post-pro?).
Trent - She is indeed my girlfriend.
As for the camera... I'm using a Nikon D50 with the standard Nikon DX 52mm lens. I also had a polarising filter on to cut down reflections. As for the colour... those photos did go through some production, but all I really did was strip a lot of colour out of them. They were originally completely saturated with green.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Winner of the November Art Contest.
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im on my second round through the game... and seriously, its amazing. Even from a nintendo fans point of vue (my friend Ackman, or Chuckles [not to be confused with !Chucklez!])
some of the levels though are freaking scary... like terrifyingly dark...
Completely agree that the American blockade is hardly doing wonders for the country. Economically it has crippled the place. You can walk into any store and the large majority of shelves are bare. The large majority of people live well below the poverty line, and the wealthiest members of society are those involved in the tourism industry (taxi drivers, hoteliers, etc) who make massive profits whenever they receive a tip.
Having said that, Castro's ridiculous social policies don't help. He's lightened up a bit in his old age, but he still clings to power even though people just want him gone.
I spent three weeks in Mexico including one in Cancun. Everywhere besides Cancun was spectacular. The people were wonderful and inquisitive, helpful, generous. Generally they would regard us with suspicion until they found out that we weren't from the States, at which point they'd let down their guard and be as natural as you can imagine. Yes, it's intrinsic racism against people from the USA, but after visiting Cancun I can see why. American tourists just treated the locals like dirt.
And don't worry about those ruins. They're one of the most spectacular sights in the world, nothing wrong with hitting the tourist trail and visiting them. That said, even more spectacular are the Aztec pyramids not far from Mexico City. For some reason not that many people are aware of them, but they completely overwhelm you with their sheer size. Second only to the Great Pyramid at Giza, I'm led to believe.
@ the Mexican thing - Heh, I should know what you guys are talking about. I live in what is, along with Rio, the utmost tropical, beach-heavy area of Brazil, and the same problems happen here regarding tourists from North America and Europe. Even worse – the lower-class population usually treats tourists from those areas (and even from southern Brazil) as superior people. It’s really disgusting. This is less present in the southern parts of the country, where summer resorts usually aren’t the main attraction.
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ricklongo and RicardoLongo on MTGO
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Visit my gaming blog: http://www.gamingsweetgaming.blogspot.com
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Check out Rick's Picks, my PureMTGO article series
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Also at Pete: I like the story....especially since I provided the inspiration, indirectly....and I think I know why I did too. I'll have to PM you and see if I figured it out. Has anyone else?
And Yay! For art creating goodnesses.....the comic page should be pretty cool looking and we'll have to post a ton more to be able to get to that 600 posts to get it up there.....
And Tneill....weird......
@Rick: My wife and I currently own a regular Sega, which gets plenty of use for the old skool Sonic games and Battletoads and Double Dragon (one of the finest sidescrolling beat-'em-ups ever created). In addition to that, we have a second PS2, a Gamecube, a Sega Saturn (which she bought), plus a WHOLE bunch of peripherals for them (from Guitar Hero, to Beatmania, to Saturn Twin Sticks, to Dance Dance Revolution Pads, to Donkey Konga Bongos.....). Surprisingly, I've always loved Sega for their quick adoption of technology before it became popular.....I've seen a gaming modem for the original master system, plus there was the Octa-Ring which was quite awesome. I honestly think being ahead of the market is what doomed them, personally.
@Xavier: Sorry to hear that FFXII is frustrating....I was thinking of asking a friend to borrow it before I bought it. Heard it really wasn't all that phenomenal to play, but rather incredibly awesome to watch. I'm glad you like it. Just a quandry: Since you work in the Video Game business, do you often find yourself being a harsh critic of games because you deal with them in your line of work? Do you look at how they could have been done better, etc?
@Kris: Suckage with the Sinus infection. And Blegh to Pete! I like creative clutter. It's how I've always run anywhere where I actually do my art. Messy to some, easy to just grab what I need to me.
@Alex/Mondu: I would say that giving a link to where you found it would do wonders for the artist. Getting his/her work out is never a bad thing, especially if it's not using it for personal gain.
@Trent: I agree that subbed > dubbed when it comes to live-action movies. Nothing ruins a live-action movie worse than bad dubbing. Ever since I became used to reading subtitles, I can't stand to watch a Hong Kong action movie in English. Makes me want to stab my eyes out. I often wish Iron Chef would've been subbed instead of dubbed. I like hearing the authentic voices.
About Che Guevara....honestly couldn't care less about him. I honestly haven't wanted to read his thoughts or know about his beliefs. Kinda closed minded of me, but....I dunno. He seems to be the "in-rebel" at the moment, so I just want to keep away from it to seem like being like many others. Plus.....I'm really quite conservative...
As for the T-shirt designs. Mad props for Ghandi. Fantastic rebel leader. Also, I quite like the dancing couple under the rainbow....feels like something a goth/emo chick would enjoy wearing. I loved the sine-wave-esque bird motion above it. Just lovely. Wonderful.
I also quite love the abstract art. I love the topmost piece of "flying away" the best. It conveys such lofty dreams, but seems to juxtapose it with the image of a soldier with wings.....the bright color helps out immensely. Quite cool.
@Garbs/Rick/Trent in the Cuba Discussion: *Sighs.* I love what my country stands for at some points in time, but I hate what the people do more frequently. I do believe that American tourists are generally the biggest a**holes on the planet. And I'm sorry that they've ruined a LOT of places by the money they bring into them and treating the local races there like indentured servants. Frankly, I find it disgusting as well. As for Cuba....I agree that Castro royally messed stuff up and I hope Cuba will do better for itself once he dies.....
@The vacationing discussion: While I haven't travelled very extensively, I've always thought it appropriate to get out and see where you're travelling. It's a waste if you don't. I was in Southern Germany for about a month a few summers back and I did the traditional tourist stuff (Neuschwanstein castle, the Black Forest, etc), but the main thing I loved was being able to be with the people and learn about their lives. I found the local attractions that most foreigners skipped over were actually the best part of the stay, and quite informative too.
In general, I've found that going out with a tour guide just seems to suck all the fun out of travelling, whereas just striking off on your own and trying to get a feel for the locality is the best. Sometimes, you'll end up with some of the funniest (and scariest) stories to tell when you're done with the trip. Sampling local culture is the best thing about travelling hands down, and you can't do that if everyone is pandering to your every need and want......
@Milan (Kinda skipped over such a small post): Well......I've been looking at Resistance: Fall of Man....I wish I knew someone with a PS3 so I could give it a test out.....It looks like a Halo Killer for sure....Plus it looks like it could be absolutely freaky as hell to play late at night...which is something I dumbly love doing....Playing Myst late at night....that was kinda creepy.....
Anyway.....hmmm...anything interesting in my life....Well....I bought my first Brand-Spankin'-New car today (complete with Auto loan and Paper-work)....I'm the proud owner of a shiny jet black Ford Focus SE. It's one of the few cars comfortably in my price range and able to fit my large, American ass.
Proud Owner of:
Extremeicon's Hamster-balled soul
Istanbul's Soul, Bidder of Myself
votan's Linux-loving Soul
grappler12's Poop-smithing Soul
Sir Blakely's Fencing Soul
CraZedMiKe's Soul Transferred Back at His Request
HAWKEYE 7's Calvin and Hobbes Loving Soul
Tanthalas' Greek Alliance Soul
Avatar of Kokusho's Island-Hating Soul
Salubrious' Rather-Belatedly Added Soul
DCI Advanced Organizer
@Alden, You're the only one that consistantly read my Short Stories (Thanks by the way :D) So, I'll just say it. Your inspiration was ending the story with a happy ending. So, was your thought right?
I gotta tell you though. It doesn't feel right. Right now the ending doesn't feel logical. After all, she is just a servant and that other girl did warn her. From where I left it off I can add a few sentences to give it a bad ending. I'm currently debating with myself if I should add it or not.
600 post to go?? Well, this is 1 down.....
Hopefully working on my comic book page today. I'm still not used to sitting at the computer for very long so I take many, many breaks. I'm perfectly normal CLEAN areas Actually, as far as artists go I'm probably neater than most.
Disturbing side story. I had a friend, named Mike, who sat hunched in front of the computer for hours and hours on end. He slept on a couch (even when a bed was available) and hardly did anything active. He now has an "S" shaped posture...... Meaning, his spine is so used to being hunched it's that way permanently, and he bends his knees forward to compensate for his horrible spine position. The result is that if you look at him from the side, hes shaped like an "S"
Knowing everybody here uses the computer don't LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! It looks disgusting and by the time Mike is 40 he won't be able to walk.
@Trent, About your abstract work. I actually like the second and third one. Even though things are abstract they still need to work in an overall theme, and use basic artistic principles. Your stuff up until this last batch always seemed too random for me. So, other than the fact you use those arrows too much it's much better.
@Xavier, Blitzball, considering it was an add on game, was pretty damn entertaining when you did some good recruiting. Allan spent hours just playing blitzball.
As for the card games, I always got screwed on them. In FF8 if I put a '8' by a '3' I would still loose. Damn random numbers did me no favors.
Lastly, Did anybody read Imaginary Friends? If not I'll just finish it on the fly. Still not sure how I want it to end.
Really, honestly lastly.
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/tours2...r?id=lizzerd:2
Take this tour. Get sidetracked by the galleries
Not all the pictures are worth it, but most are.
EDIT: Okay, so I lied
@Alden, Kris says you're crazy for buying a new car. I forget why though....
My only suggestion would be making the girl in third panel (where the two guards are looking down at her from above) a bit clearer. Other than that, very cool, and I especially love that you're totally taking into account things like lighting and how they can dramatise an image.
In other news... I don't really have a lot of news. The Australian weather has been throwing everyone curveballs lately, blistering hot one day, freezing cold and raining the next, bushfires one day, floods the next. As a result, practically everyone I know has been sick in recent weeks, myself included. Luckily I've recovered just in time for Christmas. Anyway... that's it from me.
About the girl, no problem.
About the lighting, you get some of the credit for that actually. I remembered what you said about a few of my pictures a long, long time ago, so tried to incorporate that into my colouring. So, pat yourself on the back.
About the mistakes, I've found 5-6 minor things that I don't like but don't feel like changing them now.
About the comic, I read the 7 year old script today *shudders* It is so horrible. I'm thinking about continuing with this project by the comic definetely needs to be improved before that happens.
Also, I need to find someone to "letter" it. I dont' have the right program to do it.
NEWS: My head hurts! I was playing road hockey today on roller blades. My one blade slipped out from under me and I smashed my head into the asphalt (sp?) So, now I have a red bruise on my head about an inch in diameter and a bit of a headache. I kept playing though, no wimpy road is gonna take my hockey away from me!
FOR YOUR LAUGHING PLEASURE
The script that goes along with this page.
Page 1
City walls, and surrounding forest, like rainforest
Caption: In this place there isn't anyone who walks alone or who doesn't fear what's lurking beyond sight. This is the place where magic runs unbridled giving birth to all sorts of nightmares. However there is some refuge in these wilds. Great cities which have survived the outside world. A place of ordered chaos and where there is a constant fight for survival.
Tabitha face, looking up, tears in her eyes, cut and bruises on her face. Pleading.
(Up shot) Two guards talking, shocked and worried looks on their faces
Guard 1: Who is that?
Guard 2: I don't know, I've never seen her before
Guard 1: The embassy didn't say there was anybody coming today...
Guard 1: Yashim! Kael! Open the gates!
Doors opening. Tabitha’s silhouette in doors
Tabitha on ground, blood dripping out of her mouth. People standing above her.
You over estimate me again, Peter! Muwahahahaa! This shall be someone's downfall eventually....Probably mine.
@Pete: That's pretty much what I was thinking. Keep the happy ending. It's good! I like happy endings......
The comic page looks FANTASTIC. The second panel looks absolutely wonderful, especially with your great attention to detail in the flora....just wow. I kinda don't like the perspective on the shouting guard, but it's not all that detracting from the page. And the script really isn't that bad. That's not the worst scripting I've ever seen, and I work in television....
Also....I may not be as dumb as Kris thinks for being a brand-new car. Yes, I know about depreciation, warranty limitations, blah-blah, etc.......trust me, the decision was very much thought out as to whether I should buy new or used....
@Garbs: Good to hear you've gotten better. And just in time for Christmas. Going quite a ways back..... you'll have to tell us whether your girlfriend digs her Christmas present or not.
@Everybody: Anybody have anything especially cool planned for the Christmas weekend? Myself....I get to work most of it. The News must go on....but aside from that, I can't wait to make Christmas Eve dinner of Bratwürst and Käsespätzle....a traditional German meal that I make.....
Anybody else have any interesting or different traditions for this time of year?
Proud Owner of:
Extremeicon's Hamster-balled soul
Istanbul's Soul, Bidder of Myself
votan's Linux-loving Soul
grappler12's Poop-smithing Soul
Sir Blakely's Fencing Soul
CraZedMiKe's Soul Transferred Back at His Request
HAWKEYE 7's Calvin and Hobbes Loving Soul
Tanthalas' Greek Alliance Soul
Avatar of Kokusho's Island-Hating Soul
Salubrious' Rather-Belatedly Added Soul
DCI Advanced Organizer
@Christmas Tradition, Even thought this may seem kinda sad.. I always spend Christmas day all alone. Everybody else I live with goes to Niagara Falls early in the morning to visit family, and don't come back until late.
I don't go because it's incredibly boring for me but the result is that I end up alone.
@Comic Book Page, Script, I rewrote it anyway. (see below) Picture, after careful examination I've found 11 mistakes that I want to fix.
Page 1
Caption: It’s a strange thing to wonder how we end up in the places we do. What choices have we made to lead us down this path? When those choices arrived did we know what affect they would truly have on us? For most of us, those are questions we don’t have to answer. It’s unlikely to think we would end up in a situation so terrifying and bleak we would question ourselves. However, there are those whose lives change so drastically it’s forced upon them to ask "Why". It’s strange to think why a young girl would leave her home just to end up bleeding and bruised at the footsteps of a city she’s never seen before. The only true words that can be spoken are this: It was a choice.
Guard #1: She’s not one of the hunters...I don’t know of anybody whose been given permission to leave.
Guard #2: Me neither. So, do we let her in?
Guard #1: Yashim! Open the gates.
Caption: It’s a strange thing to wonder. Why do we do the things we do.
A little wordy. More philosophical. Overall I like it better.
I also think it's pretty sad that you think the first draft wasn't that bad. When I read it I thought it was horrible. Although, I have a pretty high standard.
EDIT: @ Alden, I talked with Kris last night and told her about the story. She sides with the 'negative' ending. I'll try to get a few more opinions and see where it leads.
She LOVED my present. The card went down a treat, the Big Day Out tickets went down a treat, and the other bits and pieces that I gave her (in a box titled the Big Night In... nudge nudge wink wink) also went down a treat. Meanwhile, she bought me the monstrous and awesome Streetfighter Anniversary Arcade Stick and an adaptor to plug it into the PC.
In other news... I got my first Nintendo Wii injury the other day. Playing tennis on my mate's machine, I went for the massive backhand shot, only to swing my hand right into window shutters. Blood, bruises and a whole lot of pain ensued. I was laughing though, even though I was in agony. For the record, we won the point as well...
Alex - Whoa dude, you sound excited. Like you, I also finally got my Wii, and I'm totally addicted to Wii Sports. Just playing the practice modes has me hooked. I've barely had any time to even check out Zelda, but from what I've seen it looks pretty cool.
In other news of Christmas commercialism... I was lucky enough to get some new Oakleys, a new backpack for when I travel the world later this year, a book or two and some other bits and pieces. My girlfriend got me the hulking great Street Fighter Arcade Stick, which I've plugged into my PC and have been hitting up old MAME versions of Street Fighter II like nothing else.
@Pete: Well....I'm kinda an idiot savante of car shopping....Or something like that....
As for the script, sometimes less is more when it comes to comics. I've read some comics that the vast majority of it didn't have more than 1-2 sentences on a page and thoroughly enjoyed them because they showed the story rather than telling it. Of course, I've read rather verbose comics and still enjoyed them as well. However, the new script does seem to work quite a bit better.
And it's okay if you've got more unhappy endings. Some writers feel more comfortable if not everything works out okay in the end. It's a different take on writing in general if things aren't okay at the end of the story. It gives the reader more to think about, usually.
@Garbs: Big Nights In are fun, but only if you've got enough energy left over from Big Days Out.....^_^ It's great that it went over fantastically. I can only hope that I have as much success as you did with the gift I'm getting my wife for our first anniversary on Thursday....I've got a local gold smith working up a sapphire and diamond white gold necklace that I designed to match her wedding ring.....I couldn't find anything in the local shops that I liked, so I just did it for her.
As for Wii injuries....Yeah....I haven't managed to get one yet. Well....other than the sore muscles I felt the first time I played the Wii for nearly 5 hours straight. Yeah...It was a good soreness though. I'm a fat American, so it's good for me to exercise. I do hope your hand gets better for more Wii stuff. Speaking of which.....I'm not online with mine yet, but once I do, I'll pm you and Alex my gamer tag for some Wii Sports or something.
@Alex: I am SOOOO a bowling addict. It has consumed my life up until the point that I discovered Rayman's incredibly addictive mini-games. I LOVE being able to Hunt the Rabbids with my plunger-gun. The humor's twisted and I LOVE it. I hadn't seen anything on Assassin's Creed, but it does look freakin' awesome.
As for the power of the Wii, I've convinced at least 4 different people over the age of 40 to go and buy one for themselves. Just so they can Bowl. I took it to a Christmas party that my co-worker was having and her stepfather wants to have me over for dinner just so I can bring the Wii for him to play.
@Garbs (again): I don't own twilight princess, but I hear it's pretty good. I'm not much of a Zelda fan, so meh....The Christmas loot sounds cool, especially the anniversary arcade stick. As for Street Fighter II....it rocked my world something fierce, albeit I kinda like the original Alpha for some 2D ass-kicking goodness. Frankly.....2D fighters are pretty much the only reason I own a Dreamcast at all......The Last Blade, Street Fighters....... Anyway.....
Christmas Haul: Not much, mainly a 3 ton floorjack to help me work on my cars and a REALLY awesome game called Ikaruga for the Gamecube....The Polarity Shifts.....*Shudder.*
Proud Owner of:
Extremeicon's Hamster-balled soul
Istanbul's Soul, Bidder of Myself
votan's Linux-loving Soul
grappler12's Poop-smithing Soul
Sir Blakely's Fencing Soul
CraZedMiKe's Soul Transferred Back at His Request
HAWKEYE 7's Calvin and Hobbes Loving Soul
Tanthalas' Greek Alliance Soul
Avatar of Kokusho's Island-Hating Soul
Salubrious' Rather-Belatedly Added Soul
DCI Advanced Organizer
Official Haul:
4 Reya Dawnbringers (ordered of eBay from my sister)
END OF HAUL.
Unofficial present. My mom got a new Digital Camera for Christmas so I got her old one.
I ended up buying myself a few things. An iPod nano, and a freaky cool statue from the comic book "The Tenth" [(pick one up today!) (Pictures below) Thinking about painting it (same colours as on the box) but the white is starting to grow on me)] and 8 packs of Coldsnap (the first ones I've bought)
Ended up with pretty good rares.
Lovisa Coldeyes
Rimescale Dragon
Darien, King of Kjeldor
Braid of Fire
Herald of Leshrac
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
Lightning Serpent
Zur the Enchanter
@Alden, I know what you mean about the quantity on a comic book page but with the first draft I was cringing at the quality. "ordered chaos"??? "Constant struggle for survival" ? It was just to horrible to stomach.
Either way, I have my new script in hand and am moving forward! I'm gonna try and letter it myself. Here's the updated page with 11 mistakes fixed. If anybody can find them you get 500 of my mom's Chocolate Chip cookies!
@Alex, a long post looks good on ya, maybe you should try it again.
EDIT: Adding the scripted page Not sure if the letters are too big or not. Oh, and Guard #1's word baloon isn't light enough.... Opinions??
i havent picked up a wii yet... i eventually might.
Im currently taken up by Shadow of the Collosus (any PS2 owners MUST GET THIS) i love it. And Tony Hawks Project 8... you can balance, skate or jump by using the sixaxis controller... i think its sweet
picking up COD3 soon... rather excited
i lost my goblin christmas picture in the redoing of my room
im sad
im going to whistler for some snowboarding tomorrow... so i guess i wont be here for about a week... (i just got back from Edmonton hense my absense)
as for my haul, i got an HDMI Cable, another (4th) SixaxiS controller, and a couple games (THP8, Shadow of the Collosus, Prince of Persia: The two thrones, Final Fantasy XII Collecters Edition)
and my highlighted gift this year was from my girlfriend, Rise Of The Oger... its a "documentary" of the Gorillaz. It has a whole ton of concept sketches which i am rediculously pleased with... so i think ill be pumping out some more Hewlitt like art
well take care guys
Rayne
Edit: Assassins creed looks amazing... i cannot wait for that and DMC4... Tekken 6 looks promissing too
I bought an 80gig ipod today. No occasion... just an impulse purchase.
The end
Picture, Okay, third version. You guys are probably sick of seeing this thing but I keep noticing mistakes. This time the guy yelling (fourth panel) got a huge upgrade. I moved his eye a couple cm's to the left and he actually looks human now! I also lightened up the colours on his lips to make it look more natural. Mostly, I made the letters smaller, it's still readable when printed out and it shows of more of the detail in the back.
Curious Question.
What do you guys think of the Red Akroma picture? Personally, I think it's the worst angel picture ever but I wanted to know what everybody else thought.
The reason it's the worst ever is because of the absolutely horrible proportions. Her legs look like they belong on a midget, her hair doesn't look attached to her head, and the suit makes her look like a porn star, "Akroma, Mistress of Spanking"
Anyway, to all the hockey fans in this thread.... (I guess that means you Alden... and maybe Milan) Are either of you watching the World Junior Hockey Tournament?
Canada is going for a 3-peat and started the tourney 2-0
America, who's a co-favorite to win the tournament started 0-2
EDIT: Canada is now 3-0 after beating Germany. Now to be perfect in the round robin all they have to do is beat the worst team in the pool.
It's just after 2am here in sunny Sydney, and we've welcomed 2007 in style. Surprisingly, I'm not drunk tonight (I was in charge of driving myself and my girlfriend all over town for various festivities.) I thought I'd share my list of seemingly arbitrary new years resolutions...
1. Learn to drink coffee
2. Start eating sushi
3. Learn to speak French
4. Brush up on my Spanish
5. Practise more photography
Anyone else got anything they're going to try to achieve in 2007?
1)Get book published
2)Become great Martial Artist
3)Move out of home
4)Learn more Biology and Chemistry since I like those things
5)Greatly improve my Art/Writing/Colouring skills
in response to yours
1b)Learn why people like coffee
2b)Avoid sushi at all costs
3b)Be happy with the 125 words of french I know even though French is one of Canada's national languages 100 of those words are 1-100
4b)Brush up against a Spanish.... umm... I don't think I can finish this sentence.... ...
5b)Practice more photography. No joke here, I just like it too.
Still 9.5 hours away from New Years for me....
My New years Resolutions:
Find someone to kiss when the ball drops (I guess that's pre-new years)
Master my Espresso pot
Get enough money to go to Mexico with Milan
Rid my life of Drama
Okay, to be honest i haven't given much thought to my resolutions. I rarely make any, simply because we shouldn't dedicate one alloted time period to change.
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
BTW - I've finally started blogging again... check it at http://garb07.blogspot.com
and resistance at the same time.
newyears in whistler was amazing. i partied with my cousin... it was righteous.
how was your guyss new years *insertquestionmarkherebecausewhenipushthequestionmarkbuttonécomesup*
@Garbo, Majestic and beatiful is the mighty Chameleon. Excellent photo's. And I underestimated the chameleon's ability to change colour, in the second picture it looks like a girl.
@Milan, My New Years wasn't all that exciting but in a way I got to do it twice. I was on the phone with Kris for mine and for hers (which is two hours later) So, that was kind of cool.
Some more SS Ideas, with the help of Kris Opinions always appreciated.
Delusions
Large city. Two families sharing one house. Two of the children are sick and quarantined. They haven’t been given food or drink for a couple of days. They were banging at the door but everybody was too afraid to do anything for them.
With special herbs and scents ‘guarding’ the door they think they’re safe.
Recount what’s happened in the last few weeks with the people going insane and killing themselves. Add in how the farmers and nobles seem unaffected but still show signs of paranoia.
Father goes into town, constantly jostled but the thousands of people crammed into a few square miles. Nobody fights, nobody talks, just an uneasy wrestling of clothes and boots as he walks.
Goes into the alley’s, which are less crowded but a lot more dangerous. Enters a bar he’s been in many times and witnesses the aftermath of another man who’d gone insane and killed himself. The man was dead but left on the floor days.
Father ends up in weird back room looking for answers. Some mystic type guys tells him what’s really happening. It’s not a disease that’s killing people. They’re being driven mad by always being surrounded by people. Their tolerance threshold is pushed on a daily basis and eventually they just snap. Since everybody was paranoid and edgy to begin with, when the first man did it the rest thought it was a disease. From there it became a self-perpetuating problem.
Wings of Progress (name will change)
A new creation. A winged dog. A messenger. A fighter. A tracker. Everything that the dog does well is improved greatly by adding wings. The ‘prototype’ does so remarkably well that their research is funding by the local lord. Dogs are collected from everywhere. Soon, problems develop, the dogs develop a disease, then all die. They’re chests split open because there hearts exploded. The heart couldn’t handle the strain that flying puts on the body. Dozens of dogs end up dying in the same manner. Somebody explains this and that the true course of nature will find a way to wipe out anything... unnatural.
Souless Minions
During a battle wraith like creatures attack both sides. Killing at random with no reason or emotion.
King’s wondering where these weird zombie/wraiths come from. Still fight. War has been going on for a long time. Bring back injured. King watches as his own soldiers turn into wraiths, and kill everybody.
Weakness (I like one word titles, dammit!)
A local doctor’s assistant who makes her living by being abused by drunk men, criminals, and wealthy aristocrats. She always where a smile on her face but the doctor she works for also takes her for granted. She has a few friends but every time she tried to talk about her problems they change the subject, more interested in their own problems than hers. Generally though, their problems are a lot more trivial than hers. Since she’s such a ‘weak’ person she lets these people walk all over her.
She goes home to her young daughter and takes out all her frustration on the kid. Yelling her, slapping her. Forcing her to do all the house work. She watched as the child cries at the behaviour.
The woman is found out and there’s a huge outcry against her.
In a sobbing display she confesses why she’s done everything she’s done.
Again, nobody listens to her. "They just won’t stop. They think they know everything about me. I’m show them what I can do."
As usual, my outlines are done quickly so spelling mistakes and bad grammar shouldn't be taken too seriously.
I'm thinking of another story that talks about war. Mainly why people start wars and that once they do it's impossible for them to admit they're wrong, even if they realize they are. They can't appear weak, and if they admit they're wrong they'd loose all faith of their 'people'. I'm not sure when I want to start the story though (middle of war, onset, etc)
Any ideas?
Sorry for not being on yesterday to wish you all a happy new year. Rather than re-typing it, here's what my new years was like (from Dimir thread)
I had a pretty crazy 2 days.Interesting story... I was at a party on New Years eve, and we did the countdown and I was standing beside my best (girl)friend at the time. The clock reached 12:00 so we hugged, then at the exact same time we said something to the effect of "We probably shouldn't kiss (since we're such good friends)". Well I didnt get a new years kiss... until later on when I had another girl to my house. I was on my way out of my room, since my phone was ringing, then she tugged on my arm. I turned around and then out of nowhere she kissed me. I mean it when I say it came out of nowhere... and usually I can tell when they want to. Here's the kicker: My best (girl)friend and her don't get along at all, so now there's a bug s**tstorm that I'm in the middle of. Yup, crazy 2 days for me.
Pete, Have you been following the World Juniors? I actually totally forgot about it until I was reading one of your previous posts. It looks like we have a solid team yet again, but it isn't nearly as stacked as the previous 2 tourney champs.
As for the stories, wings of progress sounds like it has potential, but it would be cool if you could somehow make people almost dependant on these dogs, and as they start dying, people are put into a fluster. This way you can convey 2 messages: don't mess with nature and not to rely on technology or something like that. Just an idea.
All of them sound good, but Souless minions seems cliche to me.
Garbo, Fantastic looking pics. If the second one is your girlfriend, well done! What kind of camera/lense are you using? The last 2 are so vivid (or are those post-pro?).
Speaking of, that's going to be one of my resolutions as well. I havent done any photography for a long time.
Oh, and random creation:
[Left Play Designs][Coffeehouse][DeviantArt]
Winner MTGS Weekly Sig/Banner Contest
Weeks: 37/85/87/94/135/159/160/226
About the World Jr's... that's gotta be the silliest question you could have asked. Of course I'm following it! Next to spending Christmas Day alone, it's my second most consistent tradition during the holiday season.
As for Canada. Two years ago, lock out year, best BEST Canadian World Jr. team ever. That's not speculation, it's a fact. Last year I think the team overachieved. It was their defensive approach that won them the tournament.
This year? Same defensive approach but Canada have five or so people in the NHL that still qualify for the World Jr' but their teams wouldn't let them go. This includes Jordon Stall and Sidney Crosby (yup, he's only 19) If those 5 players were they Canada would completely dominiate instead of squeak by.
I think they'll win the semi's tomorrow but Russia looks scary. They've outscored their opponents 20-3 in 4 games. Of course, with Russia refusing to sign a new ageement with the NHL they have russian rookies stockpiled in Russia. Sort of an unfair advantage.
Oh, U.S. almost missed the playoff round because they lost their first two matches. Damn Finland for not beating them!
Short Stories.
Wings of Progress... thanks, and I'll consider it but there's only so much room in a Short Story.
Souless Minions... I know people think that kinda thing but do you have any examples of anybody actually writing about it?
Trent - She is indeed my girlfriend.
As for the camera... I'm using a Nikon D50 with the standard Nikon DX 52mm lens. I also had a polarising filter on to cut down reflections. As for the colour... those photos did go through some production, but all I really did was strip a lot of colour out of them. They were originally completely saturated with green.