Neonocyte

I'm somewhat back, but fairly busy. Would've come sooner if I hadn't lost some data on my computer.


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I'll be on vacation starting Wednesday, and won't be back until Sunday. Its unlikely that I'll upload or be around during that time.

In other news, that update to my horror tutorial is still coming. I got busier than I expected, and instead of doing something productive, I spent my spare time playing Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2, which I picked up last week. A large part of the series is pretty awesome, so if you're looking for a good RPG, check it out. The Persona series is a spin-off series of MegaTen (the original 2 games were called simply Megami Tensei and Megami Tensei 2, thus the abbreviation), though I'd say the series is among the least of the MegaTen games.

Ah, October. One of my favorite months, as the Halloween season has plenty of interesting things. And, most of all, I just like the theme. Unfortunately, it's marred by the nasty cold weather I get where I live. Before I go on, I need to mention that I will likely be unable to be here from Wednesday to Sunday the third week of the month. I'll post a journal again when I leave.

Next, I'd like to thank the people who've enjoyed my post on horror stories for their support. I'm working on a revision, which I hope to get up within a week. At that time, I'll send out more personal messages of thanks, along with a notice that the revision is done.

And, my weekly challenge: besides finishing that revision, I'll see if I can't upload something to go along with what is one of my favorite holidays (it'd be my definitive favorite, though, if I got days off).

So, that's pretty much it. Unrelated, but if anyone knows how to make Mac games work on Windows, I'd love to know how- I have a copy of Dragon's Lair I'd like to try out. Have a nice October!

My self imposed rules:neonocyte.deviantart.com/journ…

To anyone who may actually care about this, although it may not have been added to my gallery, my new avatar as an upload. Still not really satisfied with it, though, and it's apt to change. It will be added to my gallery should it ever be changed. Also, Its getting a bit late, so I'll deal with the stream stuff later. Nice seeing you all.

Alright, to make sure I actually do something, I've got a couple of rules set in place for myself, all subject to change due to experimentation. It's almost game-like, actually.

Basics

-I must draw every day. No exceptions.
--The random scribblings found in my notebook do not count unless Pinch Time is up (see below), or they develop into actual practice
-I must upload some art every 3 days.
--Works in progress count so long as significant progress is made between updates
--If I compose a piece of music, write a story, or other work of non-visual art within those 3 days, I get an extra 4th day
--Exceptions occur for Pinch Time and Away statuses (see below)
--Exceptions also occur in the unlikely event that the piece(s) I'm working on end up in an NDA, or are otherwise not available for me to post
-Because most of what I'm doing will be practice, almost everything will likely end up in my scraps folder


Pinch Time

-In the event that I will have considerably less time available, I will initiate Pinch Time via Journal
-The maximum amount of time Pinch Time can be up is 3 days
--This can be reset by uploading a piece to my account
--On the 4th day since Pinch Time started, I must upload something, if I haven't already
--Uploading any non-visual art gives me an extra day of Pinch Time
-In Pinch Time:
--Non-serious efforts at art (i.e. doodles) count as drawing for the day
--I do not need to upload any art to my account


Away Status

-Away Status will be activated via journal when I will be unable to upload
-In Away Status:
--I do not need to upload, however,
--I must create art to upload upon the end of my Away Status, as dictated by the Basic Rules
--All other rules still apply
-Away Status ends as soon as I regain my ability to upload


Consequences

-My Steam name is also Neonocyte. Both my computer and Steam are almost always on, so if I break a rule, send me a message or otherwise find some way to catch my attention
--Repeated messages (a.k.a. spam) and any attempts at doing so humorously are encouraged
--Check for an Away or Pinch Time status first, please
--Do not stop, and don't be worried if you believe me to be unavailable; if something happens to me, I'll be too glad anyone noticed I broke a rule when I return to be angry
-If I start breaking the rules more often, I will add more consequences.


Monthly Challenge
-The Monthly Challenge is optional, and, as the name implies, changes monthly
--The Challenge is not limited to visual art, and can be anything
-Failure to complete a Challenge is not punishable, but should still be sought to be avoided
-August is almost over, so it will be combined with September
--The first Monthly Challenge is for me to replace my abhorrent avatar with something more appealing


THE DATE IS AUGUST 20TH

READY?
GO!

Everything starts now, but I'm tired, and I think I'll call it a night.

I should probably introduce myself, and I will. However, I feel that before I get to that, there is a story that needs to be told, to better explain everything.

Early this year, a group called Dischan released a visual novel called Juniper's Knot. It's quite lovely, and after going through it, I looked up the members who made it, to see if there were any related works. In particular, CombatPlayer and especially Doomfest stood out in what they had made. Eventually, Doomfest ended up inspiring me to do what I'm doing, but, at the time, this was of little consequence.

About a month ago, I read a story, and the stories of those who wrote said story, and the stories of those who read the story. Usually, such a thing wouldn't matter, but for whatever reason, I ended up discovering more about myself than I could've expected. What followed was nearly a month of nothing, with me so incredibly apathetic that I spent a couple of days just lying on my bed, and would've spent more as such were it not been for a vacation to Costa Rica that I had been dreading. There's not much to do there, and, in recent years, I've spent so much time on computers and the Internet that I wasn't sure what I'd do in the time away.

As is easy to infer, there was something wrong with how I thought. What I discovered wasn't what caused my idiotic line of thinking, rather, the discovery was the peak of such behavior. Once I was ambitious, and loved much about the world. But, as years went on, I found that I had moved away from the people close to me, and our interests no longer aligned. Eventually, I could no longer tell you if I liked my own hobbies- I'd played piano for almost 10 years, and I was unable to say if I enjoyed it, or if I was just going through the motions. At this peak, however, I thought I might be able to move on, and begin enjoying life again.

When I returned from my vacation, almost a month later, my life returned mostly to normal. I still felt like maybe I should do something, instead of just wasting my time, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything. That is, until Doomfest made a post of some artwork on the Dischan blog. Upon gazing on the complex, futuristic cities he created for Dischan's next visual novel, I became inspired, not only by the work itself, but also by the fervor and enjoyment he exhibits in making art. Opening up an empty canvass on the computer, I began drawing, but quickly became frustrated at my lack of skill, as was usual when I attempted to draw years ago when I still cared. Good inspiration, I found, though, is very persistent, and after a break, I decided 11 at night was still a good time to draw. At 1 in the morning, I checked the time, and decided I still wasn't finished. It was almost 3 in the morning when I finally stopped, and I saved the completed work, a rarity for me, who normally deletes, trashes, or otherwise discards whatever I've made.

Even after waking, I felt the urge to make art. In less than 24 hours, I spent almost 9 drawing and coloring, and spent even more time looking up tips and little bits of advice. For once, I feel like I've actually done something, and enjoyed every minute of doing it. So that's what this is about: capturing that feeling, and doing something that might someday become something.


About Me

The one thing I like above everything else is quality. Although I may have preferences towards something or another, almost anything done well will catch my eye. For music, I tend to prefer the electronic and rock genres. On the literature front, I tend to lean towards science fiction, fantasy, and horror, although I tend to stick to classic authors, and I have a soft spot for Chekhov. Any genre of movie is fine with me, as the quality is the only thing a look for, but I'm more easily drawn to more fantastical styles. Mostly, I ignore TV shows, but every so often an anime will catch my eye, and I absolutely love Spice & Wolf. I'll play almost any genre of video game, but platformers are easily my favorite.

Til now, I've spent most of my free time browsing the Internet and playing video games, and occasionally reading a book and listening to music. I've played piano for almost 10 years, and I'm getting pretty good at this point. In band, I play Alto Saxophone, as well. In general, I don't get involved in social networking sites, although I view forums quite frequently. Likewise, my social life is pretty dull.



You could almost say that everything in this journal is meaningless fluff. Overall, I'm here for 2 reasons: 1) to become a better artist, and 2) finally do something meaningful. This account serves to force me forward, and was created before my resolve could flee.

Let's fucking do this!