BRYAN: My pants are vibrating.
ME: I didn't need to know that.

The first is a gift for Laris's birthday--it's her Branching Spirits character. I am fairly proud of it. n_n The second is for Etoile, it's Mawae from her comic Lazarus Jewelbox. I owe Etoile so much. n_n And the third is just Okage silliness. X3; All were drawn without references, w00t! You like?

Am I the only one who thinks that 'Gogurt' is an affront to nature? Yogurt is not meant to be sucked through a tube.

I think I might minor in Theology or something of that nature in college--or at least take a few classes dealing with world religions. Religion is so fascinating, all kinds of religion. The rituals, the churches, the covens, the synagogues, the mosques, the priests, the ministers, the rabbis, the priestesses, the buddhas, the books, the beliefs, it's all so interesting. Not only is researching it interesting, but thinking about WHY people get into this is interesting too. I love it, I really do, all of it--Christianity, Buddhism, Wicca, Judaism, Islam, et cetera. The trappings of religion and what is has done to people and how it has shaped our history is just so fascinating to me.

Old Catholic churches are also really pretty.

Most of the ideas presented in my stories have been pitched to people beforehand, just to make sure they weren't completely stupid. Of course, now I realize that the people to whom I pitched these ideas were more than likely lying about what they thought of them, but at the time these people assured me that no, they did not suck, and I believed them, stupidly, and so never asked for other beta readers. The chapter of Clarity I'm close to finishing contains an idea I've pitched to no one, so I need some beta readers. Actually I could use beta readers for Claris too, but I guess I'll ask for those when I start working on its next chapter. Right now I would like someone for Clarity. Please be honest with me. I can't promise not to be somewhat dejected if you hate my ideas, but I won't hate you if you have suggestions and criticism (though I will get kind of pissed if you just say YOU SUCK). So would anyone like to do this thing for me (and I'd more than just one person, if that's possible)? Please? Pretty please?

Nothing quite like public humiliation to augment that horrible 'I'm worthless' feeling in one's gut.

I collect strategy guides. Even if I don't need a guide for the game, if I see it somewhere, I'll probably buy it. I recall when I was on vacation and we were visiting a strip mall with a dinky little bookstore. For some inexplicable reason, this bookstore had a Secret of Mana strategy guide, for about two dollars. Of course I bought it, even though I'd bought and beaten the game the year it came out (first game I ever owned, but that's another story). I also have the original Final Fantasy strategy guide, SOMEWHERE. It is lurking somewhere in the depths of my room. I have a feeling that if I ever find it, I should probably lock it up in a glass case or something, but I have it, and I remember sitting and just flipping the pages. It has artwork, very nice artwork, but it is American artwork. The point of all this is that it seems that many people think the White Mage is female. I don't know if the WM is female or not--I don't know if the Light Warriors in FF are ever referred to by gender (I could never get past the Marsh Cave, I'll admit -_-) or what, so I could be totally off here and the WM IS referred to as female at some point, but the WM in that artwork is clearly a man, guys. I've also seen the second level sprite for the WM--the White Wizard--and it looks pretty manly too. So where did this whole WM = female come from? o_o

Two random observations:

My grandmother clipped an article from the L.A. Times about a Hackacademy in France that teaches people how weak their security is and how to go about protecting themselves from l33t haxx0rz. The teachers at the school all use screen names, not because they fear the government (as, since what they're doing harms no one, it's perfectly legal under -French- law) but because they fear the evil l33t haxx0rz that would attempt revenge on them for teaching the general public how to defend themselves. One of these guys' names was Clad Strife, and the newspaper noted that it was from 'the Final Fantasy game.' I'm thinking, Clad? Is that what Cloud's name is in French? CLAD?

Second, wow, I don't know whether to be glad of this or displeased. If it ever makes it to theaters (which I know it's likely it won't--a lot of movies never do), it should be interesting either way.

So.. yeah...um... still alive. I decided just to take a little break from everything for a day or two, although in terms of this blog it was more like several days. I feel a little better now. I don't think I'll be truly happy until school is finally over and I can finally get on with the rest of my life, but as of this very moment I am smiling and that is good. I also found my compass, which means that I can use the idea I have for the cover of Karma Slave's second part, and I have also been drawing a lot lately. I finished three pictures last night (one for Laris-kun, one for twolle-bug, and of course an Okage picture; I'm editing them now) and I'm in the middle of a fourth (a Clarity picture; desperately need more Clarity pictures), AND I'm nearing the conclusion of the Clarity chapter I'm working on. I also am managing a B in Adv. Alg & Trig. I would like to pull it up beyond a by the skin of my teeth B, but at least it's not a C like it was at the last two midpoints.

The Okage page is also nearly finished. I think I'll put it up either tonight or tomorrow, without all the chapter synops done, because if I waited until I had written all seven it would never get up. But everything else is complete. The Clarity character revamp has only the villains left to do also, and the layout has already changed although I haven't really alerted anyone to that. ^_^; Poking at my board to try and inject some life into that also. And I have started running on the treadmill because I am not fat, but out of shape.

In other words, I'm a machine. :B

Mmm, sleepy. Not much to say. I've been feeling kind of depressed lately... I mean, more depressed than usual. -_- Just that whole is everything I am and everything I'm doing (with regards to my writing and creating and all that) worthless and stupid and so on business. It's useless and dumb, I know, but I can't help it. Mostly I feel this way but just try not to think about it too often.

Ah, Justin cracks me up. I called him to ask for some help on our English project (which I am doing right now despite my saying to myself at the beginning of last week that I would NOT leave this till Sunday night) and was most reassured. He told me not to prepare for tomorrow (we have to do an oral presentation as well as submitting an actual paper, and those of us working with the same book must do a 'panel' type of thing, and him and I and another guy all did the same book) so that he wouldn't look bad. XD

The book is The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds. Yes, I did select it for its title.

Yeah, so the bodies are weird. Still learning here. ^_^; I like well how the other two pictures of Ari on that page turned out though, even if the hair is not quite right. Donovan/Ireul turned out the best of the three SDs. n_n

Comments? :3;

Someone wrote in their feedback form to Clarity to 'change Xavier's birthday' and I wasn't sure why... I'm redoing the profiles now and haven't gotten to him yet, so I went to check his profile and it's September 11. I wonder if I should change it.

Speaking of birthdays, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARIS! See, I did not forget :D (happy St Patrick's day too, but of course Laris's birthday is more important)