Night Elves, Secret Invasions, & d20s in Broken-Time Space

It's taken me nearly 24 years to develop a personality. And over the past four or five years, I've started to build actual opinions, as opposed to feeding off of others'.

AND I AM A GEEK.

So what? Wanna fight about it?

A few nights ago, a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) was hesitant about admitting he liked playing Magic: The Gathering. What the heck! How long have I known him now? 6 years? And I'm JUST learning this?

Another friend apparently told her OTHER friends about us gaming-people. Said Other Friends asked if we wore costumes and would show up to our friend's sporting event dressed in such. WTF.

I really cannot stand the stereotypes that come with enjoying nerdy activities. Yes, I play D&D, and I enjoy playing Pokemon, and I play World of Warcraft, and I know how to play Magic, and I like to read comic books. But that doesn't mean I don't like to read novels, or appreciate good music, or go on dates, or hang out with my friends (87% of my hobbies REQUIRE the company of others), or go outside. And I'd like to think I'm pretty far from socially awkward, unless being shy suddenly makes me inept.

I've also met some amazing people from my geekdom, including my best friend. So what's with this business that we're all fat, annoying, and awkward virgins? I'm calling shenanigans on this one. I mean, I understand that a good percentage of people who are geeks may tend to meet the requirements to be stereotyped. But it took the shamed admittance of a friend's secret love for me to realize that there are probably a lot of other closet-cases out there. Shit son, for the longest time I used to be embarassed to admit my love.

Not anymore!

"But Mel, why do you like doing it so much?"

Here's why:
Making a D&D character is ridiculously fun. It's my favorite part. And as an artist, coming up with my own character designs makes it even better. And then drawing my friends' characters? Man oh man. Sometimes my designs are better than most of my other material. Plus, the playing itself is never a bad time. If you're with the right people, your day will be filled with laughter.

And I initially started playing Pokemon to keep Julie company/amused on Saturdays when I was at Weekend Anime. Now I play mostly because it's sooo much fun. The world sees it as a "kid's game", and I see it as entertainment. And it beats T.V. because it requires thought and sometimes strategy. How is that any different than playing chess?

And then there's WoW. I love MMOs. I started with FFXI, which I found out after almost two years of playing it that it was balls. And by balls, I mean, it's terribad. I also tried Ragnarok Online until my character and server got wiped and I lost all my play time into the abyss that is the interwebs.
But oh, World of Warcraft. I played it for a long ass time, then I took a long break, then was roped into playing it again. I know I could probably afford to play it a little less and spend more time being productive, but laundry can always wait until tomorrow. (It works the same way Dessert does, and how there's always room for it.)
I must say that the person who came up with PvP was God's gift to the Gaming World. And being rewarded for PvPing with sweet gear/items makes it even harder to stop. I will say though, after taking the long break that I did (a year and a half or so?), I'm much more aware of my play time and am much better at playing in moderation. Because WoW will eat your soul. Like I said, being rewarded in-game for playing makes it all the more addicting.
BUT OH SO FUN.

Magic: The Gathering is the paper version of chess. I know how to play, but the only other players I really know are a bit too Serious Business for me to learn how to be good at it while simultaneously having a lot of fun. I do watch a lot of games, and so much memory is involved, it's almost as if the card text doesn't exist. Someone like me has to take 5-minute turns because I have to re-read every card in play, and even then I still make huge play mistakes.
I remember vividly watching Mick play a game with someone this summer and thinking the entire process was so quick and graceful, I couldn't tell who was winning or whose turn it was. Thinking a step ahead was never something I was good at. Nate once prepped to scoop(which means to pick up your cards before you actually "die" or lose) playing against Dean during one of his turns and said, "Come on, Dean, you're good at this game", implying that Nate knew the exact thing Dean had to do to lock the game win, and Dean would have been an idiot not to do it. It kind of reminds me of Bobby Fisher, and how he offered to shake his opponents hand like, 10 moves away from checkmating him. Shit's impressive.

And then there are comic books. I am a very visual person, and working at a comic shop has really brought out my enthusiasm for novels with pictures. WORDS WITH PICTURESSS. It's so easy to lose myself in a comic or graphic novel, to the point where I'll look up and realize I had almost forgotten where I was. Or what time it is. Or who I am. (Well okay, it's not THAT extreme, but you see my point.) The only problem with comics I've had in the past and why I don't own many is the damage it can do to my bank. Which brings me to my next point.

Money. Geeks have to have just as much money as the next person to afford their hobbies. There is a huge assumption that lots of us live in our Mommy's basement, but the only friends I have that still do are still in High School (cough). So we pay for living expenses, as well as MMO monthly fees, card tournaments, $30+ textbook-sized role-playing books, and reading material.

In conclusion, I ask: How is it fair for anyone to really judge or poke fun at geeks? Atleast we're having fun, and I, personally, love my life for being one.

So if you want to act like you're better than me because of it, you can bite my flat half-asian bum.

:D

Things I wish I were paid to paint...

Lou Romano, you are my goddamn hero.
http://louromano.blogspot.com/2009/06/up-color-script.html

So amazing to see how the picture script comes together based on how well-illustrated every frame is.


THAT is what I want to do. I want to tell stories without the need for words.

Free time on our hands.

I'm bird-sitting until Saturday morning. I have no WoW to keep me distracted from reality, and a lot of my art supplies are packed in the trunk of my car or in storage.

I'm only posting about this because

well

it's only fair to warn and prepare those who choose to enter the battle that is my mind versus itself

and say that there will be updates this week.

Probably a lot of them.



Like





more than two.


YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Rule #1: Cardio

You would think only seeing him once a week wouldn't make it so hard. But with every break up comes vulnerability. I feel so very brittle.

Rule #2: Double Tap

The previews to Zombieland at Smitty's in Biddeford were as follows:

Transylmania - Awful-looking vampire parody, that I would only see to support the mocking of all the overdone/overused theme of the mythological creature.

New Moon - Okay, I'm sick of Twilight and sick of hearing about it. But having read the books and seeing the new preview, I've concluded that I might not hate it as much as I thought. It still looks so angsty, but Jacob DOES look pretty gorgeous, and I feel it may be worth paying $9 to see him save Bella from her cliff-jumping while half-naked.

Legion - I'm not quite sure what this movie is about, other than fallen angels and Gabriel coming to Earth and attacking people. A good amount of my friends showed interest in it, so the chances I'll be seeing it are probably pretty high.

2012 - Standard end-of-the-world movie. Except the entire world is crumbling/caving in on itself? Look intriguing, but simultaneously looks like every other end of days movie ever made. C'mon John Cusack, what happened to all the cute romantic comedies?

And then the movie started.
Right from the very beginning to the end, lots of laughs were to be had. (I will warn anyone with a weak stomach, however, that there are a handful of parts that may induce cringing.) There is a small plot, and the main character even learns a few lessons on the way about life. The "rules" for Z-land that are listed or repeated throughout the movie make for a clever touch. I personally enjoyed the characters not having names and instead being referred to by a place they were either going to or coming from.
Woody Harrelson makes a very good bad-ass, insensitive, survival of the fittest kinda guy, and his background story will really make you "awwwwwwww".
The main character reminds me a LOT of Michael Cera. I almost feel like the part was written for him, but he didn't audition and someone else got the part. This probably comes from a slight bias of watching Arrested Development over and over for the past 5 years. But I have to say, I really liked the character and the actor did a great job giving him a solid personality.
There are only a few other characters, one being a fanTASTIC appearance by an extremely well-known actor that made me giddy to see.
Obviously there are a lot of things that happen I wish I could discuss without spoiling anything, but considering it was only made available to the public toDAY, I'll refrain. All I can do is recommend it to anyone who thinks they might like it, because they will not be disappointed. (Recommending it to anyone who doesn't think they'll like it makes me wonder why I really associate with them anyway.)

LOL JK



...no, but seriously.

Stalling on my bedtime

I love my new job. I get to draw a lot; what's not to like? And when I'm not drawing, I read comics.

Too bad I despise my other job. And needing it to pay bills makes me hate it even more.

It's also quite tiring working two jobs when I end up working 7 days a week. I consider myself lucky though; this stretch was only for 11 days. Theoretically, I could go months without having a day off.

And that makes me tired. And it makes me want to stretch. A LOT. As if my muscles are being pressured into each other like an accordion, and my body doesn't seem as though it'll be satisfied until I'm roped up to a medieval times machine with horses pulling apart my limbs.

I complain about being tired and then I stay up late. I do this because I have this mindset at night where I think sleeping is a waste of time. And then I sleep and don't want to wake up for work. It's a vicious cycle, really.

Sometimes I wish I saw Nate more often. But dating someone in high school should have clued me in on how much time we'd get to spend together. But my mom and brothers have all said on separate occasions that they enjoy his company, more so than any other boys I've dated. Statements such as this make me happy, and so does he. (:

WoW makes me happy too. I partly blame The Guild for me playing it again. All the nerd talk made me miss being up to date on all the sweet lingo and having uber gear, lul. I also blame being a half hour drive from Portland. (I also blame the two dudes that talked me into making a druid threesome with them...it's ALMOST as dirty as it sounds.)

But now it's time for stretching, then sleeping! Tomorrow is day 10 of 11. zzzZzZzZZZZ

Hypocrisy at its finest

Why is it that people make claims and state theories such as my "not being single means Mel ditches friends" (which is entirely untrue; I've been extremely busy and poor), and then said people neither:

a) respond to an invitation to do anything, nevermind attend them,

or

b) make no effort whatsoever to invite me to anything because they believe their theory to be correct so much, they assume I would refuse the offer?


It certainly makes one feel pretty alienated.

A sugary slice of Humble Pie

I cannot stress enough how much I truly value praise, despite my inability to receive compliments well. (I believe it was Nate Anaman who told me I do a great job of making people feel like a moron for trying to say something nice about me.) And I mean no offense whatsoever to anyone who isn't, but receiving compliments from another artist is like picking apples from the garden of eden. So delicious and yet, i feel so...dirty.

Catching things like this is one [awesomely super great] thing. But the current bi-weekly challenge of one of the forums I frequent involves drawing a cat using the style/technique of another member.(Get it? "Copy Cats"? Ah hyuk!) Two people have used mine. Two! Out of like, 15!
Things like this make me giddy and happy.

They also inspire me to draw more.
So you know what this means...










...it means I'm filled to the brim with inspiration while I stare at the list of art I need to produce.

GO MEL, WOO :D

A Cross-Posted Review

..and the Half-Blood Prince was not my favorite of the movies. A lot of things were changed, cut-out, or just plain fabricated. It wasn't a terrible movie at all, but it wasn't as accurate or as epic as I was hoping. I understand the need to cut back a little(the movie is two and a half hours as it is), but set your priorities, people.
The parts I was looking forward to most were sort of disappointing (especially the one that was cut out completely), save the cave scene.
Snape was too sympathetic, and Greyback hardly existed, and Michael Gambon as Dumbledore still hasn't completely won me over. Rupert Grint and Jim Broadbent as Slughorn both did a fantastic job. Daniel Radcliffe is really a talented kid, and I look forward to the day when he's cast in another huge role and has a chance to show off what else he can do.
Overall I was entertained, and going with a huge audience to anything is always more fun than not. I definitely need to see it again when I get my vision back, and I would still 100% recommend any Harry Potter fans to watch it.

In other movie news, it looks like Natalie Portman will now be playing Jane Foster with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in Thor. I'm still sad the movie's been pushed back to 2011, but I hope the extra time just means it'll be more awesome. (:

Side tracked

Eventually I'll post my full review of PortCon. I've typed up about half of it - it's gonna be a big one.

It's official. I am the PortCon Maine 2010 artist! My art is on the website, as well as the 2009 program schedule. My art for the Maine Boffer Games seems to keep showing up everywhere as well.

It feels strange to be an "official artist" of anything. It sounds too much like I'm working, doing what I love most.

And it is fantastic.

Although I will say that Julie very much seems to enjoy the stuff I find terribly mediocre. If nothing else, it's driving me to provide even more for her, so she has more to choose from

...but it's probably bad that I almost completely forgot about the fact I'm supposed to be working on a portfolio as well.
I don't expect my degree to get me a job. But I'm hoping it will get me another degree that WILL get me a job. I might be in my mid-30's when I finally become successful(hey, that seems like forever to a 23-year old), but I'm sure the feeling will be spectacular.