Wednesday, March 22, 2006

   Glad That's Over!
Hey everybody. How are you all today?

WHEW!!!! Today was a killer! @_@"
In case you're yet unaware, I had 'quarterlies' this week. Basically, quarterlies are like a mini-exam given at the end of 1st and 3rd quarter (as opposed to the real, hard exams give at the end of 2nd and 4th quarter).
Today was my hardest day. I had my Principles of Business quarterly (100 questions, but it's a ^@#$!ing easy class) and my Algebra II quarterly. That was the hard one. I unfortunately have no idea how I did. But, I did my best, and I'll hope for the best.
On top of that, I had a normal test in Civics today (meaning, it was one of Mr. Dickerson's trade-mark killer-tests. X_x" ). I'm really worried about that one. I studied hard, but I retained little of the info when it came to actually taking the test. -_-"
That's probably because I was studying for Algebra and Civics on the same night, so I didn't retain much of either.
Oh well, all that's left to do is pray....

On Tuesday I had my Spanish and Chemistry tests, which were a challenge but were easier then I thought. It's a damn good thing to, because I totally forgot to study for them on Monday night! @o@ (I never write down "study" in my agenda, so Monday night I thought I had nothing to do!)
Monday I had my Civics & Sci. Vis. tests.
Mr. D. had told us we wouldn't have a quarterly in his class, but come Monday morning, he was wrong. O_o" Don't worry, though. He said he'd find some way to count it to help our grades, since he didn't like the choice of questions on the test (quarterlies are put together by the state, not the teachers for some reason, so they often don't totally fit the criteria of the class. Thus why Mr. D. didn't slam us with it. ^_^" ).
The Sci. Vis. test was a breeze by the way, 'cause like I keep saying, it's a total blow-off class.

So, in case you haven't guessed by now, that's why I haven't been around on The Otaku lately.
But, I have been reading your posts, just like a good little exorcist should.
To prove it, I'd like to announce that Erin-chan is back from Anime North and has a synopsis on her site (it should be on the bottom). They had some pretty good cosplayers there. One that I thought was particularly cool was this guy dressed as Alucard (from Hellsing, for those non-vampire/vampire hunters out there):

Not a perfect cosplay, but considering how utterly crappy many cosplayers & their costumes can be, I'd say this guy is actually pretty good. He actually looks fairly like the character he's cosplaying, so he stands out compared to all the ugly amateurs.

Anyway, on a side note to Karen-san and Erin-chan, I'll be getting to your sites soon.
I was taking Living Doll's post last night, but my internet cut-out before I could finish my comment (grrrrrrrr....). On op of that, my beloved Miyoko-chan posted the same quiz on her site today.
As you know, I put a lot of detail into my answers when I take a quiz, so if you're willing to be patient I can assure you I'll fill them out, OK? ^_^

Well, if there's an up-side to all the tests I had to take today, it's that tomorrow's my last day before Spring Break!
^o^ A whole week off from school to draw and spend time on The Otaku!!!!! =D
Eeeeeh, this is gonna' be awesome!

I'll and this post with a pic I think you'll enjoy.....
You know, I think it's time I do something for the fangirls. Lord knows you're willing to do a lot (and have done a lot) for us fanboys, so I think it's time I pay you back.
I don't mind fangirl-oriented artwork as long as it displays something that's appropriate, healthy and wholesome. There's nothing wrong with drooling over an anime guy or two.
Josh and I are major fans of Faye Valentine (*drool*), and if you all are willing to abide that, we're willing to abide you doing the same thing with vice-versa sexes.
So, I'll return the favor to the fangirl community:


The term the artist (who goes by "ghostfire", by the way) used to describe this kind of artwork is "Ed-sploitation". XD I find that a very clever and amusing term for the blatant exploitation of the ever popular Ed for fangirl entertainment.
I think Erin-chan described this kind of art perfectly in her reaction to a quiz she took: "Mmmmmm....fangirly". XD
I just hope Josh or one of my other buds doesn't happen to see this post and get any funny ideas about me. O_o" Obviously, I did this for the fangirls, not for me.

OK everybody, I'll see you tomorrow!
Comments (3) | Permalink

Saturday, March 18, 2006

   Hey everybody. How are you today?

*YAWN!*, *stretch*, I've been up for several hours now, and it's only 12:46!
O_O So this is what it feels like to not sleep in? It feels great! ^^
I was up late last night ('till almost 3 AM), but I was up and functioning by 9:00 AM this morning! Ah, it's great feeling like you're living a full day rather then a half of one!
I must have slept pretty well last night, because staying up that late usually means I'll be in bed 'till almost noon.
Nothing like a good sleep, eh?

OK, now on to something you actually care about... ^^;

Thank you to everyone who left such great comments on yesterday's post.
And thank you to Elvzy-chan for leaving such a great comment on my 'Aces High' piece! Same goes to The Erin-chan, while we're on that subject.
I really appreciate the specific praise and critiques you guys give. Like I keep saying, that's the only way I can improve.

I had no idea my faces were getting so weird....
Thank you for warning me about that. ^_^"
You see, the eyes in that piece weren't drawn like they were fully open (he's not squinting, per say, but he's not all wide-eyed or anything either. The expression was supposed to look like a relaxed sort of stoic look, you know what I mean?). But, I guess I sort of overdid the minor increase in distance you'd have between the chin & the eyes when a character doesn’t have their eyes open all the way.
I'm also working with the noses. I used to do the Poke'mon-esque tiny, pointed cliché' anime-noses on my pieces, but from reading Naruto I learned a more realistic style for noses.
As some of you may remember, back in 2004, about when I made said change to my style, EAMR posted a little tid-bit about Naruto on how she admired the realistic noses.

Speaking of Lindsey-chan, guess what....
She finally got her DSL!
*whips out some large wedding-bells and starts tossing mounds of streamers and confetti*
FINALLY!!! Ugh, Verizon took their sweet-ass pimp time in getting it installed & operational, didn't they?
Oh well, better late then never.
I commemoration of Lindsey now being able to experience all the stuff our Otaku has to offer, I'm going to re-post the song that inspired my most recent picture!
It's "Aces High", by Iron Maiden! Here ya' go, Lindsey-chan!:

I'd really appreciate it if you gave it at least one listen if you can, especially if you're one of the few who enjoy my new WWII aviation style.
Make sure you turn up your volume nice and loud for this one (it's the only way you can hear all the intricate instrumentals).
And listen for the bass in this one. It's awesome!

"Running! Scrambling! Flying!
Rolling! Turning! Diving! (Doin' it Again!)

Running! Scrambling! Flying!
Rolling! Turning! Diving!

Run, Live to Fly, Fly to Live, Do or Die....
Run, Live to Fly, Fly to Live, Aces High!!!"

I love this song soooooo much! ^.^
Thank you very much to all those who gave it a listen!

Oh, and thanks to all who gave Lindsey-chan some support yesterday! She's feeling a good lot better now. b^_^

Before I go, I have something to ask you all....
I recently got into a new anime, but I'm afraid to tell you what it is.
It's an anime guys normally aren't into. Why? Well, how should I put this....it's one of those "sparkly" animes. Yep, that's a good way to put it: It has lots of sparkles.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's one of the gayest genres out there, but that's not why I like it. I like it because it's cute and really funny, not because of the plot. And believe me, it is cute!

I'm just afraid you guys would laugh at me if you knew I was in to that kind of stuff. >///< I sure as Hell know Josh would....
Meh, what do you think? Are you guys open-minded enough to not make fun of me if I share my reasons for what makes it such a good anime?
The other animes I like are enough to prove I ain't no light-weight when it comes to anime. Bebop, Champloo, Chrono Crusade, GitS:SAC, FMA & Trigun aren't exactly going to get you called down for being a girly-man, are they? Nope. You guys know I ain't no girly-man, even if I happened to like a few things about one of the girliest animes out there.

Meh, it's up to you.

Anywho, I'll hopefully be going on a manga-run today.
If it is, it'll almost certainly be solo, because it'd be too late to contact Josh now.
Oh! And I finished my homework last night! =^^= Tonight I'll be free to draw! Hooray!
Comments (4) | Permalink

Friday, March 17, 2006

   Currently Listening To: "Hell's Bells", live, by AC/DC (awesome song!).

OwwwWWWwwwWWWwww....X_x
Well, as you probably guessed, I got my braces tightened yesterday. -_-'

Surprisingly enough, the morning after didn't hurt nearly as much as the first. Well I'll be damned, mom was right. O_o; Shocker.
Regardless, my teeth still really hurt, though. I nearly killed myself trying to eat lunch today. It's sad, because I love the burgers at school so much. *drool* I love my cafeteria's food! Sooooooo good! T_T

So anyway, not much to update on. Aside from a Math review-sheet, I really don't have any homework this weekend. ^_^ Isn't that great?

Before I go, Elvzy-chan is kinda' feeling down right about now because of some of the reviews she's getting on her new Sasuke & Sakura drawing.
Apparently, a lotta' turds here like to vote her artwork down and leave negative comments on it, either because they prefer Skaura being with Naruto (bleh) or Naruto & Sasuke having some kind of gay orgy (BLEH!!!!!!!).
Elvzy could really use our support, so if you haven't yet, a vote & a comment might lift her spirits.
I'm gonna' comment on her work as well soon, but as you know, I leave in-depth comments on Lindsey's work, so I need ample time in order to type it with quality. ^_^

Speaking of commenting and such, I'd still really appreciate votes & comments from anyone who hasn't seen my "'Aces High' Logan" pic.
Remember, the more specific you are in how I can improve (as well as what I did well on ~_^ ), the better! It's fully available & ready for view in my gallery.
Oh, and if you want some more info on it, go to my Archives and skim for a post entitled "Watch those Aces High!".

Thanks guys, and I'll see you tomorrow! ^.^
Comments (4) | Permalink

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

   Meh....
Hey everybody. How are you all today?

Well, my pain-free hours are drawing to a close. -_-' Yep, I go in to get them tightened tomorrow.
I really think my mom is over-confident about how much less they're going to hurt Friday morning. Heck, she said they'd hurt for three days last time, and they ended up hurting for over a week! >_< Shows how much she knows about my mouth....
I wanted to claw my own eyes out that first morning 6 weeks ago, so I'm not that optimistic.

For those of you who have never had braces, you remember that period 3, 4 or 5 years ago where you were getting your 12-year molars and were loosing tooth after tooth as your adult-set came in?
Well, you remember how much it hurt when food just barely grazed a sore, loose tooth while you were chewing it, don't you? Imagine every tooth in your mouth being like that. >_< Yes, I had to become a borderline anorexic that week. No solid food! And I'm a hungry, hungry kid!
Meh, it's just no fun feeling like every tooth in your head is being pulled out. Those of you with braces know the feeling that I'm talking about, right?

Anywho, that ends my b****ing session for today. ^_^
Sorry, gotta' let off a little steam so it doesn't build-up.

There's a silver-lining to this cloud, anyway.
The tightening process only takes about 10 minutes, so I won't have a huge chunk taken out of my afternoon.
Plus, I have no homework due in my Friday classes (which is odd, because this week that's a B-day, and B-days are when most of my homework is assigned).
Regardless, I'd still really appreciate your prayers from here on through this weekend. Big, big thank-you's to everyone askin' God to watch over me. b~_^

Now, on to some interesting stuff....
OK, time for more about "Manhunt"!

I'm not going to get to the meat of Manhunt today, but rather try and jog your memory a little more if you have in fact seen it before. If nothing else, I hope to at least give you a smidge of background for the game.
I'll save the important stuff for a later date when I have some more time.

Maybe some images & descriptions will help you remember back to old 2002....



This is James Earl Cash (pretty cool name, eh?), the protagonist of Manhunt.
James was sentenced to death for crimes he may or may not have committed, and fought the whole way through as they forcefully strapped him to the lethal-injection chair. As the silent killer flowed into his arm, James's consciousness faded, as he expected to never wake from it again.
The next thing he knew, he was in the back-room of a run-down building, with an electronic communicator inserted in his ear.
Soon enough, he starts receiving messages, instructions, orders, advice and criticism from a man on the other end of the communicator, who reveals only that his name is "The Director" (remember that little tid-bit).
The dirty, run-down city is all but abandoned, save for psychopathic thugs, junkies and ex-military fanatics, all of whom peruse James with the desire to crack his head open.
The gang-members like to wear various masks, face-paint & gear, and thus look pretty spooky.
Here are a few pictures:

Man, they look cool (by which, I mean F'ing scary. O_o" ).


Scary skull-face-paint-man with a Revolver.


Ex-war heroes in Camouflage.

Pretty cool, eh?
These guys have been the inspiration for several ghost-designs of mine (none of which you have seen yet).

So, why was James's life spared?
Does anyone know he's somehow still alive? (like, maybe the police?)
Where is he?
Why isn't there anybody in the city who can help him?
Who is "The Director"?
Did he bring him there?
Why?
What's the purpose behind the various objectives and tasks "The Director" gives him?
Why is every street-thug and red-neck available trying to hunt him down & kill him?
Will he get out alive?
And possibly most importantly: Why are there cameras everywhere, recording every move he makes?

You'll have to wait and find out! >=D
I know, but you'll have to stick around if you want some answers!

"Manhunt" has some extremely deep themes and concepts, as well as a surprise twist-ending that'll make you fall out of your seat.
So, stay tuned if this little jaunt whet your appetite. >=)

I'll leave you today with some peaceful, soft & cute artwork as relief for all the info on Manhunt you just read.
"Under the Blue Moon", by J8d:


I unfortunately had to edit this one to get photobucket to make it show up right. (*grumble*)
For some reason, cropping the negative space made it show-up properly.
Regardless, pretty cute, neh?
The girl featured in this pic is a dead-ringer for a younger version of Andrea, don't you think?
Aside from the blue eyes (Andrea has green eyes), she looks exactly the way I would portray Andrea in her younger-years.
What do you guys think?

OK everybody, I'll see you tomorrow!
Comments (2) | Permalink

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

   Eh-heh....
Hey everybody. How's it going?

I go in on Thursday this week to get my braces tightened again. -_-' I sure hope it won't hurt as bad this time.
As you remember, last time it hurt for a whole week. I'm not looking forward to nothin' but applesauce for a week, though.
Plus, since it's on Thursday, I'll have to be in school the morning after it's done. At least in my experience 6 weeks ago, that's when it hurts the most. @_@
Last time I got lucky, and my mom let me stay home that Friday. But this week more then likely is going to hurt just as bad, and I'll have to be at school anyway. >_<
When I stayed home 6 weeks ago, I seriously could not have gone to school that day and functioned. Even loaded on pain-killers, I was still hurting to the point of being physically ill.
Please pray that it won't hurt anywhere near as bad as it did the first time around, neh?

My mom and I got into another fight earlier tonight. -_-'
I won't go into details about it now, though.
Let me just say, I am tired of that woman not giving two hoots in Hell about what goes on in our household. She needs to take responsibility and do her job as a parent.

Anyway, that's enough negative stuff.
Now, on to the positive stuff! ^_^

I'm sorry my last post was so negative....
Just as the title explains, everyone does need to rant every once in a while.
Regardless, I know it's no fun sitting through hormone-enhanced spiels about problems that only pertain to one persons life, so I thank all of you who had the patience and understanding to read through it & comment anyway. b^_^

In other news, I had 2 tests today; one in Civics (Eeek!), and one in Algebra. That's why I wasn't able to comment on your sites last night, 'cause I was studying. O_o' Don't worry, I did read all your posts, and I'll leave a double-comment if you posted today! ^_^ It's the least I can do for you guys. <3
Anyway, I think I did fairly well on both of them, which really surprised me. The Algebra test was open-notebook (our current chapter has a lot of complex formulas that serve no purpose anywhere else, so our teacher thought it was unfair to make us memorize them), so that one was pretty easy. But I'm really surprised I did so well on my Civics test.
As you know, Mr. Dickerson gives monster tests, and this one encompassed 2 chapters of material rather then one. I didn't think I had absorbed the material, but I guess I was wrong. ^_^'
Hooray for lucky bastards like me!

I've got a quick question for you guys:
Are any of you familiar with a video-game from around early fall of 2002 called "Manhunt"?

In case you need your memory jogged, it was a Survival-Horror game that involved being ruthlessly pursued by legions of murderous thugs in a run-down city.
They ran a commercial for it that was pretty cool, if you remember that part.

I've taken a recent interest in the game, and will be posting interesting little bits & pieces about it in my next couple of posts, so I want to know if anybody's familiar with it or not.

Before I go, as many of you may know, Miyoko-chan's mom's horse; Charlie, died earlier this week.
According to Erin, her mom's feeling better than before, but still feeling kind of down.
Prayers for Erin-chan's mom would be greatly appreciated, as would a minor prayer on the side for me as I go in for the tightening on my braces on Thursday.
Thanks everybody.

Well, I'm off to comment on your sites! ^_^

Ooh! And be on the look-out for more art from me soon!
I colored a picture last night (I'm not too proud of it, but I may color other pieces soon as a result), so keep your eyes open for some new art from me soon!
Comments (4) | Permalink

Sunday, March 12, 2006

   Sorry, everyone needs to rant every once in a while.
*sigh* Nobody checked out yesterday's post. *tear*

I'd appreciate at least a look at yesterday's post if you missed it. It took me a butt-load of time to type, so it'd be cool if it wasn't for nothing (it has some fun stuff in it, and it details my latest art-submission).

As for how Logan-kun's doing on the Otaku, things ain't goin' so great. >=P
Remember that issue thing? Yeah, it died down for a quick while, but now it's back with a vengeance.
Believe it or not, a few people (who contribute to how bad the issue is) unknowingly mentioned it in their comments on a few posts ago. I of course kept my mouth shut about it, but it probably won't stay that way for long.
What set me off on a particularly bad mood was that it was mentioned in one of the Otaku News Stories that they posted a day or so ago. Now that made me angry....

As for school life, things are goin' straight-down the sh***er as usual.
This weekend we're supposed to pic our classes for next year and turn them in tomorrow.
This is stressful enough, since I'm deciding what my entire school-year will be like next year in one already stress-filled afternoon, but guess what....
Our School Board, in their infinite wisdom (utter sarcasm, by the way), has decided that starting next year, we'll have 4x4 scheduling.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain:
This year, we have A & B-Day scheduling. This means that Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have my A-Day classes which are Civics, Sci. Vis., Algebra and Business. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have my B-Day classes which are Art, English, Spanish and Chemistry. (The week after a week like that, my B-Day classes would be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and my A-Day classes would be on Tuesday and Thursday. Basically, whatever the last day of school was today is the opposite.)

But next year, the School Board will start "4x4" scheduling for us all.
This means, I'll have my 4 A-Day classes every day for the first half of the school-year. Then, at Christmas, I'll have my B-Day classes every day until school lets out.
I can tell you right now, it's going to suck.

Having the same classes every day ruins the entire point of classes that are 1 hour and 1/2 long.
In exchange for having hour and 1/2 long classes rather then 45 minute classes, we get an extra day to do homework. But with the same classes every day, that little perk gets taken away.
On top of that, hour and 1/2 long classes are already hard to sit through. Now that I'll have the same class day, after day, after day, it's going to be Hellishly boring and monotonous.

Students and teachers alike absolutely hate this idea (and the School Board, for that matter), but just like anything the School Board does, we don't get a say in it.
Everybody hates the School Board, and there's nothing we can do about what they decide.
Ain't that just lovely? Making up for their incompetence with discomfort and excessive effort...it's just great.

My mom and I got in a fight earlier this afternoon.
Well, more like a disagreement we just yelled over, if that makes any sense.
In short, my mom dropped a bomb-shell on me today by going back on everything she's ever said by somewhat implying I should hit my brother when he smarts off to me.
Of course, she said "You'll still get in big trouble for it, but it'll be worth it, won't it?".
No, no it won't. I work my ass off to earn what little I have, and she expects me to risk it all over something I know I'm right in.
You can't say "it's OK to hit him, but you'll still get in trouble for it". Hitting him is the only thing I can do to get him to stop something. You can't reason with him, and my parents refuse to help.
Wouldn't it be a lot easier if my parents just stopped my brother from doing his little obnoxious routines? It seems like that should be their job, doesn't it?
My parents are full of sh**, and they always have been.
I'm the closest thing to a perfect son I've seen compared to the other pot-smoking, shop-lifting sh**s that torment their parents with their behavior.
But do I get any recognition for it? No.
Guess that shows you what you get for doing the right thing: sh**.

I'm sorry I'm being so down, everybody, but life's hitting the sh**s for me right now.

Prayers would be really cool right now, if you could spare the time.

Thanks to anybody and everybody who sat through that long post.
I do have a few bits & pieces of good news to share with you all, but I think it's best to save those for another time.

I'll see you all later.
Comments (4) | Permalink

Friday, March 10, 2006

   Watch Those Aces High!
Not sure how many people will see this post (it doesn't look like anybody updated today), but what the heck, I'll post anyway! ^_^

I snagged a few more interesting news stories off of The Daily Snopes today.
Here are a couple of the weirder things that have transpired in the past day or so:
Mom Drags Kids Back Into Home Fire
A Cleveland woman is accused of dragging her two daughters back inside their burning home after the girls ran to a neighbor for help.

Stop for Directions Foils Alleged Thief
A man accused of stealing a car was arrested after stopping to ask for directions at the car owner's father's house.

Ex-Tenant Takes Revenge Against Landlords
A man who was evicted from the house he rented for years allegedly took revenge on his landlords by dumping the home's hoarded contents - five-gallon buckets of cookies, canned food, old batteries and puzzle pieces — on the front lawn and in the backyard.

Denmark's Little Mermaid Vandalized with Dildo
Denmark's national symbol, the Little Mermaid sculpture perched on a rock overlooking the Copenhagen port, was splattered with green paint by vandals and adorned with a dildo.

Neurosurgeon Arrested After Drunken Fit
A neurosurgeon was wrestled to the floor by sheriff's deputies outside the operating room after he threw a fit because he had to wait for instruments to be sterilized.

Bus Driver Strands Boy 6 Miles from Home
A Davenport school bus driver has been arrested and fired after allegedly dropping off a 6-year-old boy six miles from home.

Atheist Gives eBay Bidders a Chance to Save His Soul
A few weeks ago, Hemant Mehta posted an unusual item for sale on eBay: a chance to save his soul.

$10,000 Bill Sent to New York for Safe Keeping
A rare $10,000 bill is getting a new home.

Man Accused of Making 2,623 Obscene Calls
Authorities have arrested a man accused of making thousands of harassing and obscene calls to random cell phone numbers in at least eight counties.

Gunshots Help Uncover Man's Tumor
A market owner was being treated for two gunshots in the arm and abdomen suffered during a robbery when doctors discovered a tumor.

Bones Found in Submerged Cadillac
Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies plucked a Cadillac out of a pond at the Lake Carlton Arms apartment complex. Inside were skeletal remains.

Deputy Shoots Himself at Firearms Exercise
A Wood County sheriff's deputy who is a firearms instructor accidentally shot himself in the leg during a live firearms exercise at a police firing range.

More of these interesting headlines can be found on the post below this one, and all of these stories as well as additional information on any of them can be found here at The Daily Snopes!
The daily-updated listing of bizarre world-wide news on The Daily Snopes, as well as a magnificent guide to actual urban legends of any sort (as well as their truth or lack where of) can be found at www.Snopes.com (I'm plugging the site here, folks. I want you to go visit it!).

In other news, I have a new submission today! ^.^

And don't worry, you'll all be relieved to know that for the first time in a while it's not a ghost or zombie. =P
I'm sure you all let out a big sigh of relief. XD
As always, votes & comments are greatly appreciated, but I'd also like it if you took just a minute to give you some info on the piece.
If you'd like to open it in a new window so you can view the piece as I explain it so you know what I'm talking about, you can do so here.

Anyway, on to a few things you need to know about this piece before you comment on it:
My scanner killed it.
-_-' Dont'cha just hate that?
What you see here has already been improved a little by yours truly tinkering with the brightness and saturation, but still, please forgive the poor color quality.

As for the concept, it's my continuing take on a newer version of myself as an anime character.
You remember the new WWII aviation jacket I introduced in my 'Happy Valentine’s Day?' pic, right? Well, this is a continuation of that idea for his new look.
The main purpose of this pic was to be a basic piece of concept-art showing off the new design.

Originally, the aviation jacket was supposed to be military-green. But for this pic, I changed it to a leather aviation jacket (the kind that would have been worn in the winter).
I used a piece of art from Chrono Crusade as a reference on how to draw the jacket correctly.

As I may or may not have mentioned before, I've always had a fascination with World War II, and recently it's become particularly strong (I like WWI as well, but not quite as much).
Recently, my love for that time of valor got a super-charge when I first listened to the song "Aces High" by Iron Maiden (it should still be the song at the top of my page).
"Aces High" is a spectacular song about WWII air-combat (that's why the title is a play on words. "Aces" as in the Flying Aces, get it?). I find the image of clever, scrappy young Britt’s and Americans climbing into their planes and dog-fighting with Nazi aircraft remarkably beautiful and patriotic, don't you?
My love for "Aces High" and WWII in general are what kick-started the new style.

Hopefully you'll at least be able to see the visible shoulder-patch well enough to know what it is.
You guys get the significance of the angelic wings behind the cross in a pic with this kind of theme, right?

Anway, now that I've talked your ear off, I'd appreciate any thoughts on my new pic you'd like to give (please give me critiques on what I need to work on! Be specific!!!).
Those with slow-poke internet in need of a short-cut can click the hyper-link above if they haven't got it in a window already. ^_^ Thank you.

Anyway, thanks for sitting through my ramblings.
I've got a butt-load of homework this weekend (I did a good amount last night, but I still have a long way to go), so wish me luck on that.

I'll see you guys tomorrow!
Comments (1) | Permalink

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

   Your one-stop-shop for bizarre news and urban legends! ^^
Hey everybody. How's it going?

I'm still going through and commenting on posts and artwork I may have missed (next up is you, Karen-chan. Don't worry! I didn't forget you!), so I'll try to make today's post quick.

Are any of you here familiar with www.Snopes.com?

For those who don't know, Snopes.com is a site run by a married couple to debunk any and all urban legends that may arise.
They research every rumor and report on weather it's founded or not.
They've compiled a massive list already, and you can find it by category or by search on their site.

But one of the best things by far about Snopes.com is a feature they added just recently: "The Daily Snopes".
As a part of their job of round-the-clock debunkery, The Daily Snopes is a compilation of the absolute oddest news stories that occurred in the world in the past couple days.

It's updated daily, so if you decide you like it it'd be a good idea to add it to your favorites.

Here are some of the particularly bizarre things that happened in the last few days, copied & pasted directly from their site (on the actual Daily Snopes page, each title has a link to a more in-depth cover of the story by one of many news-groups). How'd you like seeing these head-lines in your local newspaper?:

Dad Accused of Poisoning His Kids' Tennis Foes
A man accused of drugging his children's tennis opponents, leading to one player's accidental death, described being gripped by panic and anguish as his desire to see his son and daughter succeed spun out of control.

Father and Son Die in Manure Pond at Dairy
A dairy worker and his 8-year-old son died in a manure pit on the farm where they lived.

Farmer Feeds Friend's Corpse to Pigs
A German farmer confessed to feeding the corpse of an elderly family friend to his pigs and then stealing from his bank account.

Boys' MySpace Prank Results in Sex Crime Arrest
A group of boys who posed as a 15-year-old girl for an Internet prank ended up helping police arrest a 48-year-old man who tried to meet the fictitious teenager for sex.

Two Die of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
A Milwaukee man and a 17-year-old girl died of carbon monoxide poisoning while having sex inside a running car in a closed garage.

75-Year-Old Woman Charged with Robbery
A 75-year-old woman accused of robbing a bank with an unloaded pistol was arrested after a tow truck driver blocked her in after a short chase.

Fire Official Arrested in Bestiality Case
A Mesa Fire Department battalion chief was placed on administrative leave after being arrested in a bestiality case.

Growing Aussies Need Sturdier Toilets
Sturdier toilets may be on their way in Australia to cope with the country's increasingly obese population.

Teenager Gives Birth to Surprise Baby
A 13-year-old British girl who did not realize she was pregnant has given birth to a baby weighing six-and-a-half pounds she has named Sophie.

Pair Sets Fire to Homeless Man Sleeping in Park
Police are searching for two people who attacked a homeless man as he slept in a park and set his legs on fire.

Hearse Driver Arrested for Biting Policeman
A drunken hearse driver has been arrested in the western German town of Krefeld after biting a police officer taking him in for an alcohol test.

Sudan Man Forced to 'Marry' Goat
A Sudanese man has been forced to take a goat as his "wife", after he was caught having sex with the animal.

Czech Sports Trickster Gate Crashes Olympics
A Czech sports trickster reportedly took part in the Winter Olympics after borrowing a starting number from a Japanese competitor.

Professor Shows Explicit Video
A criminal justice professor at Grand Rapids Community College has resigned after showing a video in class of a man having sex with a pig.




Pretty crazy, huh?
Usually there aren't that many cases dealing with people having sex with animals (this was just an odd week, heh heh ^^; ).
Sorry if that creeped any of you out.

Anyway, The Daily Snopes is a great feature, and you'll always find something interesting enough to discuss with your friends.
You can check out The Daily Snopes here, or by clicking on the "What's New?" tab on the opening page (in the hyperlink I put near the top of my post today). There, The Daily Snopes will be the first section, followed by all the urban legends they have recently confirmed or debunked.

Anyway, I'm gonna' be posting some of my doodles here on my site a little bit later this week, so keep your eyes peeled if you're interested in the practical (and attention-deficit) side of artists. ^_^

I'll see you all later!
Oh, and remember to check out Snopes.com and The Daily Snopes!
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Tuesday, March 7, 2006

   Hey everybody. How are you doing today?

I'm in an unusually good mood today, so here we go!

My test actually went OK today, as far as I know. ^w^
Don't get me wrong, it was tough, but it was nothing to sh** yourself over. I'm glad to have it out of the way, anyway.
The prompt was "the positive & negative effects of the 'no-pass, no-play' system" (the "no-pass, no-play" system is the policy that most schools have in regards to that students must be passing all core-classes in order to participate in extracurricular activities, such as drama, chess and especially sports).
I'm afraid I kinda' BS'd my examples, though. ^^; I really couldn't think of anything in particular to support weather the system was good or bad. My examples were: It gives some students a drive to better in school, but also closes learning opportunities for many others. In addition, it also may cause some students to give up completely (that last example is particularly weak in my opinion --; ).

I'm surprised I had such a good day, especially with how crappy I felt when I woke up.
You remember how I mentioned I felt really sick yesterday? Well, I was even sicker this morning!
T_T I felt horrible!
I had a headache, a runny-nose (which I still have), a sore-throat, a cough (I still have that to) and I had gotten no sleep! Ugh! I felt utterly crappy! And on my test-day! >_<
But I guess that's OK, 'cause aside from that runny-nose and cough, most of it's gone. I took a buncha' Advil & Cough-Drops this morning, so I'm feeling a lot better! =^^=

Ah well, I did OK anyway, and I'm happy it ain't hangin' over my head anymore! ^^

The best thing about today by far was that since the first 2 and 1/2 hours of the day were taken-up by the test, every one of my 4 classes today was just an hour long rather then an hour and 1/2.
Man, was that ever a relief!!! b^_^ Hour-long classes are so much more manageable than the whole hour and 1/2 classes we normally have. The day went by so quickly!

By the way, St. Patrick's Day is coming up, so I wanna' ask you guys something.
Which would you rather have for St. Patty's Day? :

-A video from our favorite Irish-grown Celtic/Heavy Metal band; Flogging Molly,
Or,
-A video by everyone's favorite white-rapper with an emphasis on his Irish roots; House of Pain?

Either would be fine with me. I want to know what you guys think. ^_^

Here's a piece of art from a young Japanese girl who goes by "TC-chan".
You're all familiar with Dante (Don-tay) & Virgil from Devil May Cry 3 (released in May of '05 for the PS2, and one of the best games of the year), correct?
Well, if you are, I'm sure you'll enjoy this:


It's Dante' and Virgil as kittens!
*ahem*, sorry, I shouldn't be so excited about that. Anyway, that's Dante in red and Virgil in Blue. Dante's a white kitten, and Virgil’s a black kitten.

Dante & Virgil are the powerful half-demon sons of the redeemed Arch-demon; Sparda. ("redeemed" means he's a demon that's rejected the kingdom of Satan & his minions, like Chrono from Chrono Crusade)
Dante is the younger brother and the good guy (he's a demon-slayer like me! :D ). Virgil is the older brother and the evil one (he's on a mission to control humanity and usurp the throne of Hell).
Naturally, Dante & Virgil are bitter rivals and mortal(?) enemies, but the artist wanted to portray them in a friendly, brotherly way instead. ^_^

What impresses me most about this pic is that the artist drew Dante & Virgil in a way that's not only cute and loving in a brotherly way, but also doesn't insinuate that they're some gay, incestuous couple (I swear, if I have to look at one more sick picture of Dante fu**ing Virgil in the a**, I'm gonna' have a fit!). She just made them look brotherly and friendly, rather then making something gross and perverse (that's become a rarity in anime-art on the web).

As you can see at the top, Dante's giving Virgil one of those, what are they called? A "Love-bite"?
I especially like the parts where Dante & Virgil are getting picked up by people looking for new kittens (presumably at a pet-shop or something). I love Dante's "(Jackpot!) Nya, pick me!".
And naturally, Virgil isn't happy about getting picked up. XD

Pretty cute, neh?
More from this great artist to come, by the way.

OK guys, I'll see you tomorrow! I'm off to visit your sites!
Feel free to hug the Dante and Virgil-kitties on your way out! ^_^
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Monday, March 6, 2006

   Okey-dokey everybody, a lot of you updated today, so if I haven't already I'll come to your site and comment a little later tonight.

Let me say "thank you" to all who commented on yesterday's post, and continue to comment as well.
I really appreciate all the support you guys give me when I'm feeling down.
And don't worry if you didn't comment on a post or two. Lord knows I do that a lot (I take a lot of time to write my comments, so I often read a post and then try to comment later when I have the time).

Well, I have the Sophomore Writing Exam tomorrow. -_-' Every Sophomore in the state of North Carolina is required to take the writing exam on the 7th or March. By "test", I mean a test-essay. We have 2 and 1/2 hours to write an essay on a prompt they'll give us first thing tomorrow.
This is bad for me not only because I hate writing essays with a passion, but also because of how the grading of them works. I and all my fellow students agree: It's honestly better to be lucky then good on an essay, especially this one. Seriously, the criteria they grade them on is so random. You have no clue weather to take your prompt in one direction or the other, and that basically becomes a 50/50 chance on weather you'll pass or fail.
And guess how much it costs? 25% of my quarter grade!!! @_@ That's not fair! I know I bitched about it a week or so ago, but it's just down-right stupid for it to count that much!!
Ugh, I am so tired of me and every other student getting raped in the @$$ every year by the school board! I don't know how well the school board in your state/county works, but ours sucks! The parents and teachers even agree too!
Our essays get sent to one of 2 government-fed spud-nuggets up in Idaho or somewhere, where their entire job is just to read & grade essay after essay. It'd be a Hell of a lot better if my teacher graded them or something, but unless I somehow get lucky, I'm screwed.

On top of that, I've been feeling really sick lately. >_< I don't want' to have to take that monster of a test while I constantly feel like I'm gonna' throw-up or pass-out! Ugh, tomorrow's gonna' suck, and 25% of my quarter grade (that's more then the Final Exam costs, mind you) hangs in the balance.
Ugh, you see my dilemma? @_@

Ah well, if anything good is coming from this, it's that after tomorrow we won't have to do anymore writing in my English class this year! ^_^ We can focus on the stuff that's more fun, namely the books we're reading! Yay!

Anywho, before I go, I thought I'd update you on my computer's current status.
As you know, St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner (thanks to The Erin-chan, I now know it's the 17th of this month). So, I got a fitting new desktop for the occasion! ^o^
This is by far one of the most amazing things I've ever seen drawn. This was done by an artist named "akhirah", who like me also happens to be an Iron Maiden fan. ~_^ You remember Eddie; Iron Maiden's mascot skeleton/zombie/head-banger, right? Well, akhirah drew a special pic of him for St. Patrick's Day, and I just had to have it for my desktop! Check it out:

Isn’t that an awesome picture of Eddie!?
As you can see, he's jokingly dressed as a Leprechaun for St. Patty's Day, but still looks awesome in his trade-mark way.
What amazed me about this pic is how accurate she drew Eddie here. This looks like something one could only expect from Derek Riggs (the amazing artist who does all the awesome artwork for Iron Maiden).
Needless to say, I was floored by this pic!
Eddie wishes you a happy St. Patrick's Day! ^o^

Please pray for me as I go in to my Writing Exam tomorrow if at all possible, OK? I'd really appreciate it if you'd be willing to include me in your prayers tonight and tomorrow.

I'll see you all tomorrow!
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