Still alive
Wow, been a while. Ten whole years. Guess I should explain a few things. I'm still around. I just browse these days. As for why my artwork has been m.i.a. for years, well... My artistic career fizzled out before it could ever begin. I had spent my entire youth hoping, dreaming, working towards a creative career. But as the years went on and it became increasingly obvious that I didn't have the talent, drive, or self confidence for that kind of work, looking at my old work just became painful. I haven't don anything even remotely artistic in so long that it feels like it was from a different life.
As for why the journal entries dried up... social media. I got onto Facebook and started putting my rants and raves there. Then the internet became so much more toxic, so I stopped doing that too. That and I severely mellowed out so I feel less inclined to complain when media doesn't suit my tastes.
A decade certainly changes a person. I've gotten married, moved out of my parents' house, travelled from one side of this country to the other and back, been both dirt poor and financially stable (if barely), started attending nerd conventions regularly, and even got in a polyamorous relationship. So much has happened. And yet, I am still the same person, with a few caveats. I still collect and play video games (and yet, no matter how many games and systems I own I still put Nintendo first), I still watch cartoons (and may just enjoy them more now than ever), still read comics every week (even if there's less superheroes in my pull list), still love Transformers and Star Wars and MST3K (I've even made a tradition of watching an MST3K episode every Saturday night). And despite my increasingly antisocial nature, even online, I still have many of the same friends I did back then, even if I haven't communicated with them as often.
Just like here. For those that followed me back in the day, who for whatever reason enjoyed my artwork and/or rants on the state of gaming or cartoons (frankly I look back at those old journals and just shake my head), thank you. I don't expect to return to DA (especially since I can barely navigate it these days). I have very little online presence these days (and I'm certainly not sharing my FB profile on this site), but if you feel I'm still worth following, I do have a Twitch account under the same name. Just don't expect much of it, I mainly use it as a way to play games with my sister who lives in another state, and even so very infrequently.
I just didn't want to be one of those artists who disappeared without a trace.
I do miss my creative days. Sometimes I'm at peace with it, oftentimes I'm not. Maybe someday I'll try it again, though the thought is daunting, especially since I feel like I'll need to start nearly from scratch. I don't know. But again, thanks for giving me (apparently 3 minutes of) your time. See you, space cowboy...
Oh silly Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is giving away 1000 iPhones during the premier of future live-action Series, Tower Prep. I am not telling you to advertise for them, but to point out what it really is: Bribery.
Cartoon Network is bribing people to watch their live-action show that they probably are fully aware will perform just as well as their past attempts (as in, not very well). They are flashing the chance for a free expensive electronic bauble in the faces of impressionable children to increase the chances that the premier will garner enough ratings to legitimize its existence.
Of course, we all know what's going to happen.
Rant over.
Now, my quick reviews of what you SHOULD be watching on Cartoon Network (hint: they're all cartoons)
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien: I hated the original Ben 10. It was annoying and obnoxious, much for the same reasons that Teen Titans and Transformers Animated were. But Alien Force/Ultimate Alien remedies the situation. The new series is more... mature, I suppose. It's darker, better written, and has more interesting stories and situations.
Adventure Time: This show is weird, but in a good way. It's got this retro, anything-goes type of story, set in a mystical fantasy land of oddball creatures. And there's blood, guts, and death. All wrapped up in an old-fashioned "Awesomely Righteous!" attitude.
Generator Rex: An interesting action cartoon, dealing with androids and secret societies fighting giant mutant monsters. It actually reminds me of Men in Black: The Animated Series, both in substance and style. I do have a couple of problems, though not major ones. There are cartoony sound effects in completely inappropriate places, the "zoom inside the whirling mechanics" can get bothersome (though they're not implemented as much lately as they were in the first few awkward episodes), and that Goddamn Monkey is so pointless!. But beyond that, it's a cool show with interesting (and sometimes poignant) stories.
Regular Show: Probably CN's weakest new show, but entertaining none-the-less. It reminds me of those early surreal pseudo-adult cartoons from the early 90s.
Symbionic Titan: You should be watching this! Remember how great Samurai Jack was nearly a decade ago? Mix that with Voltron and take away all the family-friendly aspects of the violence. This show is awesome. Giant Robots. Planetary Wars. On-screen character deaths. Ominous overlords. Ugly badass monster aliens. What else is there? Go watch it now!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: This one is probably a little controversial, and I can see why. The characters are rather plastic, it's set during the unpopular prequel trilogy, it can get wordy, and, if you're a SW fan like me, there's continuity problems up the wazoo. But if you take it for what it is, a side story exploring unseen events within the SW galaxy, it's rather enjoyable. There's the usual space and laser battles, but there's also political intrigue and peeks into the lives of the clones and other unseen corners of the Galaxy. It really fills out the universe and makes it feel like a living, breathing world. And those continuity problems I mentioned? Pretend the events are non-canonical. That always works for me.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold: This is the best Batman cartoon since JLU. "But wait", you say, "Why do you hate Teen Titans but like this show?" Because Teen Titans was a bad attempt to add a poorly implemented anime-style humour to a preexisting comic team that was never like that (not to mention how shallow it was). BatB is based on the Silver Age of comics, an age that was wacky and strange to begin with. In essence, this show SUCCESSFULLY melds the silly and wacky aspects of those charming days to today's modern aspects. It can be silly and cool, wacky and badass, all at once. And it gives exposure to those unheard of heroes from the comics who desperately need it. And it's not afraid to show the ultimate consequences of being a hero. So far I've counted at least six super heroes who have actually, completely non-vaguely, not in that fall-into-a-bottomless-pit way, DIE, as well as at least four others (two of which being Bruce's parents). So yeah, this show is cool.
MAD: Frikken genius. I'd say it's Robot Chicken for children, but it really isn't. It's a PG-13, non-action-figure version of Robot Chicken. That's about it. All that's different is that it's done in various styles of animation, and the word "shit" is replaced by "crap" (and no "fucks"). It is what it is: an animated version of the popular magazine.
And there you have it. Eight shows that deserve your attention. I realize I'm skipping things like the Total Drama franchise and Johnny Test, but I don't particularly care for these Canadian toons as much. But still, there is a ton of great toons produced in house for CN's exclusive use. Pay attention to these. Not Live Action that they need to give away free crap to get you to watch.
Dammit Cartoon Network!
Wave 5 of live action had failed like all others.
All of their recent cartoons are good to great.
Their Friday night action block is a worthy successor to the once great Toonami.
They released their best cartoon in years (Sym-Bionic Titan).
And then they go back on all that once again by advertising Tower Prep.
Seriously, what is it with this network? Everytime they reach any measure of success, they go and pull out another live action show.
And they alwas fail. ALWAYS.
Get with the program. Stick with what works. Cartoons.
One of those survey thingers
[01] Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post as The Controversial Survey?
I'm doing it, aren't I?
[02] Would you do meth if it was legalized?
No.
[03] Abortion: for or against it?
For.
[04] Do you think a country would fail with a female president?
No.
[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?
No.
[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
Don't care. Wouldn't do it if it was.
[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?
Completely for.
[08] Do you believe in God?
No.
[09] Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
Yep.
[10] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?
Not really.
[11] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?
Not at all.
[12] Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?
It is in the country of my birth, and we seem to manage.
[13] Should the war in Iraq be called off?
Should have been, at this point if it is, the whole region will fall into chaos. Good job!
[14] Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?
Meh.
[15] Do you believe in spanking your children?
Definitely.
[16] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?
Sure. It's just fabric.
[17] Who do you think would (have) make/made a better president? McCain or Obama?
Obama.
[18] Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Very few people read my journal, so who cares?