http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Pa-Hsia&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Pa-Hsia en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:15:01 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/10795737/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/10795737/ Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:50:57 PST
]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/7977925/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/7977925/ Thu, 23 Feb 2006 05:32:21 PST Mood: ^_^
Listening to: Final Fantasy Songbook Mahoroba
Reading: Temeraire
Watching: Transformers: Robots in Disguise

OK, I am now oficially a lazy-arse wolfling.
The number of deviations in my message box is over 1000 and, despite all efforts, thay haven't gone away if I ignore them.

I'm going to start visiting dA more often and (brace yourselves) actually posting something. Yes that's right. i will produce work and cut down the number of people I'm watching to something more manageable.

Since I haven't posted since October, you're probably not wondering what I've been up to, but I'll tell you anyway.

I'm at still uni (not kicked out yet) and I've been improving my grades with each completed project so far. I've made a bunch of new friends, met up with some old ones and been introduced to the wonders of life on a budget (I'm currently £180 over my budget -_- and Transformers.

I'm waiting for Advent Children to come out on DVD, since I saw it at the New Year, and trying to find out if I can get it subbed (the general Bitish release seems to be only available dubbed).

I'm not dead. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. ^_~

]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6757549/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6757549/ Thu, 13 Oct 2005 13:02:07 PDT Mood: Very Happy
Listening to: Dark Side Of Phobos
Reading: Howl's Moving Castle - Dianne Wynne Jones
Watching: Blackadder

Tagged, eh?

Tagger: ~kyariko

OK, let me see ... 20 facts about myself.

01. I'm writing a series of sci-fi novels
02. I've been dating my current boyfriend for four and a half years
03. I bought a graphics tablet yesterday
04. I'm designing my own website
05. My three favourite drinks are apple juice, lemonade and snakebite (w/blackcurrant)
06. I have a habit of talking my characters as if they were real people
07. I like math!
08. I like GMing sci-fi roleplays
09. My boyfriend has promised to propose once I finish university
10. My favourite foreign language is german
11. I have autism
12. I'm a WorldBuilder
13. I enjoyed Myst
14. I love British comedy
15. I'm going to spend my time at uni learning how to use watercolours properly
16. I'm vegetarian
17. My favourite food is spaghetti with Quorn meatballs
18. The last DVD I bought was Ulysses 31 (ah, nostalgia)
19. I really, really love reading
20. I once spent £80 on a book

I now tag:

~capntsubasa ~Ridfiel ~eviluser ~GinKitsune

Anyone who enjoyed Doom or just likes industial, game-inspired music, needs to go download this, now:
Dark Side of Phobos

Also, my computer turned up today. ^_^
250gB HDD, 2gB RAM, Athlon 64 3800 CPU, nVidia GeForce7800 GTX Graphics Card and a 17" monitor.

I'm so happy ^_^

]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6586659/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6586659/ Sat, 08 Oct 2005 03:19:10 PDT Mood: Annoyed/Nervous
Listening to: Doro
Reading: Crisis Four - Andy McNabb
Watching: Bucky O'Hare

Today is my last day in Cambridge, the town I have known since birth. I'm off too university tomorrow, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

Packing all my stuff into boxes to ship off is a thought-provoking experience. Do I need that? I mean, really need it? Didn't think so. So why did I just put it back, rather than chuck it out? Do I trust my sister not to sell half the contents of my room on eBay?

The house I'll be living in is small, and with four of us living there, I'm sure it'll be ... cozy. I wish it were halls. Apart from the fact we can now reenact 'Young Ones' sketches, if things turn out badly, and I don't get on with three of them, at least in halls there would be four others.
Right now I don't even know if it'll be an all-female house or not, and I keep envisioning my three flatmates as a pathologically organized preppy-type, a real pink and chihuahua girlie-girl and an anime-phobic 24-7 party girl.

My only really major concern is at what point in the conversation do I drop my little bomb? Do I introduce myself "Hi guys, I'm Kathryn, I like anime, reading and sci-fi. Oh, and I'm autistic" or leave it until they think that I'm a complete sociopath and grade-A oddball?

All the rooms have their own locks, which is a blessing, but means I'll have to carry my keys about the house.

Obviously, the house isn't exactly kitted out for internet usage, so all my access will come from college, or internet cafes. I've already scoped one, over the other side of town, but since Canterbury is so crazy-small it won't really matter.

Right now, my mum is trying to get me to sell half my stuff in her jumble sale. Instead of continue packing and getting the other bits I'll need, she wants me sorting through the rest of 'my crap in her house' to see what she can sell or chuck out. My A-level origami has already gone and she wants to donate my interview shirt to the scouts, too.

If this morning is anything to go by, I'll be glad to get gone for good.

[EDIT] 08/10
I've come back home to get my computer, only to find it's still not here -_-'' I've called scan, and they haven't even dispatched it yet. Now the case is out of stock, amongst a few other things. *sobs in fustration*
I can't afford to keep coming back, so I have to stay until it's here. I'm hoping (read: praying) it won't be longer than a week, or my attendance will suffer.
My housemates seem OK. One never turned up, but the other two girls seem likeable enough, if afflicted with a terrible urge to shoe shop and watch slushy movies.
We seem to have an inordinate amount of free time (all-day Wednesday and thursdays after 12, plus the weekend), but finding a job is incredibly hard, so my disposable income is nearly nul.
Still, all things considered, I've met a bunch of new and interesting people and, by and large, I'm looking forward to the rest of uni.

Let's see how long that lasts.

]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6525998/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6525998/ Thu, 22 Sep 2005 03:24:24 PDT Mood: Mildly worried
Listening to: Doro
Reading: Crisis Four - Andy McNabb
Watching: Bucky O'Hare

OK, I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me (or else forgetting my existence -_-; ).

I've been so busy dealing with real world stuff that everything else has been put on hold. I'm going to university very soon (Sun 25th), and I think I'm about on top of it now.
I've paid my rent, I have enough for my tuition, my insurance is sorted, I've got my student railcard and am going to Canterbury on Tuesday to get my keys (and have a look around).

I still have to complete my induction form (but only the exam results section). I hope that's it all, though.

As far as my spangly new computer goes, don't even get me started (oops, too late!)
I ordered the motherboard from Novatech, and I have that. The monitor is from Savastore and that's just been dispatched. The keyboard/mouse combi came from Amazon ages ago but it's just everything else is the problem (you know, the little bits like the case, graphics card, processor).
I persuaded my mother to order them from Scan and everything seemed fine, it would just be a short wait until they got the Hard Drive (HDD). When they got stock of the HDD, they'd send the whole lot.
Unfortunately, my mother doesn't trust me to know her password (because I'd splurge on componants I don't need with her food buget or something, I supppose) so I've been sitting around for two weeks waiting for the parts to come. When I finally got ticked and got her to long in, it turns out that she's maxed out the credit card and scan couldn't get the money. The e-mail they sent was handily directed to her junk email by the 'contacts only' spam filter.
So she's cashed the cheques I gave her, hasn't sent them to the credit card company and won't unless she's hassled into it. I have to reorder the componants (probably using dad's credit card) and pray that they arrive before next sunday, and that my b/f has time to put them together before I have to go.

I feel better now.

I want to thank Aku-rei for buying me a one-month subscription to dA ^_^ Thanks mate.

[UPDATE] Scan don't have the DVD-RW I ordered, or a 5.25" to 3.5" conversion blanking plate in stock, and won't have them until monday. That means they'll arrive around Wednesday-ish, about four days too late. I'm going back home on Friday 7th for the weekend, so I guess I'll do computer stuffs then.

]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6267471/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6267471/ Fri, 19 Aug 2005 02:40:11 PDT
I'm going on holiday with my boyfriend and his family tomorrow so I won't really get much chance to celebrate at home. We leave at about three in the morning to get an early flight to Berlin, so I can't celebrate much at all. Hopefully I'm going to see Unleashed tonight, but that'll be it as far as an actualy party goes.

On the up side, I finally got my camera working so those Prauge photos are now available (well, not right now but in a short while) for download. Also available are a bunch of reference shots of military vehicles from the Imperial War Museum Duxford Military Vehicle event. Help yourself ^_^

Prauge

Open .zip files with enZip

I have no intention of being blamed for anyone's computer crashing, so please run a virus check on any files you dowload. I have before uploading, but better safe than sorry, right?

Since I have absolutely no excuses now, Berlin photos will arrive promptly. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6108792/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/6108792/ Tue, 02 Aug 2005 04:29:36 PDT
Jark has been removed from staff at the behest of Spyed who, as far as I can see, is intent on turning dA into a cash cow. Whether the rumour that unproductive deviants will be 'disappeared' is true or not, I will leave you to make your own decision. (See Scaling the Deviants 1, 2 and Conclusion: [link])

Check out these links:

[link]

[link]

[link] ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5992138/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5992138/ Thu, 21 Jul 2005 02:39:59 PDT
Go here for more information and to show your support to the 'Paine Hunters': Saimain's journal entry ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5817613/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5817613/ Sat, 02 Jul 2005 03:20:29 PDT
I've realised that I don't know what I do with my days. Mostly it seems that I waste them, and I haven't drawn anything in an age.
I haven't written anything in forever and I'm going to recify that now. I have three months to myself and I'm going to do at least one painting - probably in oils - before term starts. She says. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5635662/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5635662/ Mon, 13 Jun 2005 10:43:18 PDT Mood: Cheery
Listening to: Therion
Reading: GTO
Watching: Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Not that I'm at all taking advantage of my free subscription, or anything...

I thought you might be interested in getting a sneaky peek of my new website layout. Be warned though, these images are full screen gifs, but shouldn't be more than 250kB in size.

Thoughts, comments and random ideas welcome, as always.

Main
Landscapes
Profile

I feel that they're a lot sleeker than the old design. Fortunately this design no longer exists as a HTML file.

]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5594780/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5594780/ Thu, 09 Jun 2005 01:25:05 PDT Mood: Affable
Listening to: Nightwish
Reading: All the Weyrs of Pern
Watching: Sin City

As you may have guessed, I've got myself a subscription. It's only one of these one week jobbies that's going around, but it seems interesting.

I'm in my last week of my practical exam, which I've finished four days early, and I have my exhibition next week. I'm told that, since I've handed all my work in, I'm guaranteed a pass, which is nice. All I need to get into uni is a pass, so now it becomes a matter of filling in the application for financial aid.
My sister is still revising for her GCSEs, so the whole house is walking on eggshells, too afraid to say boo to a goose in case it upsets her. Even my typing is drawing irritated looks. I'm just glad I'll be in Canturbury when she's doing her A-levels.

Anyway, I now have to get reacquainted with free time.
I think I'll try to watch some of those DVDs I've been hoarding, or attempt to finish Final Fantasy X. Alternatively, I could get used to the novelty of not feeling guiltyfor taking time out, reading a book or programming my new-look website. I'm getting paid hosting this time. No more ads, no more Angelfire.
So much to do, and I've only got until October to do it in. ^_~

]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5281704/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5281704/ Fri, 06 May 2005 05:35:27 PDT The mods and the admins seem to be under the impression that I should be May's student of the month.
I just sat, staring at the screen, for a good ten minutes or so, my brain refusing to accept the text in front of me. I was almost convinced that ~ Lauwenmark would get SOM. I still don't quite believe it - I thought I was just part of the scenery at the OMU.

In other news, I've finally finished a couple of projects for school. The first is an essay that should have been finished and presented nearly three weeks ago. It'll be in scraps if you want to see it.
The other is an artist's book - that is, an object that represents me as an artist. I chose to make an empty sketchbook, with small illustrations on alternating pages.
If this goes well, I might make sketchbooks to sell on eBay or something. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5179378/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5179378/ Sun, 24 Apr 2005 18:44:08 PDT schaffen freude in its truest sense. The day started thus:

I woke in a state of some panic realising my alarm hadn't woken me. I occasionally sleep through my 7:30 wakeup call, but I don't usually have a train to catch. I leapt out of bed and practically tripped over myself getting ready before snatching up my mobile to check the time(I don't own a watch). 7:00. 7:00? After all that it's only 7:00? Gah.

I managed to leave the house after three attempts, having forgotten my coat, my tickets and my portfolio. The bus was late, but then what else is new? I arrived at the sation eventually prepared for my train at ten. I had the route planned perfectly - ten AM from Cambridge to Peterborough, Peterborough to York at eleven-fifteen and finally York to Scarborough at about twnty-to-one, arriving at one-twentyfive.
I could have gotten an eight o' clock train, to avoid any delays, but I had a plan and I don't like to change my plans last minute. It's an Asperger's thing, apparantly.

Anyway, the train was late getting to Cambridge and we finally departed at ten-twenty, with things already looking bad. Arriving at Peterborough, I had about a minute and a half to get to my connection.
Have you ever seen a flustered student pelting across a crowded platform, A1 folio in one hand and a polythene bag containing her lunch in the other, trying to get through the crowds of commuters whilst simultaneously avoiding tripping over both folio and lunch bag? No? Well it's bloody hilarious, if the smirks were anything to go by.

I made the connection (just) only to get lost at York. You see, the station the train was supposed to arrive at turned out not to be the one it was arriving at after all; and I had four minutes to get over to the other side of the station, back to the platform I just disembarked onto. Having arrived, exhasted and with thoroughly bruised legs, guess what? Yup, got it in one.

The train was delayed.

After much melodrama (bordering on pantomime idiocy), I arrived on time and slumped in the back of the taxi taking me to my destination. It was a little way out of town, but I didn't care - I had arrived with but moments to spare. Reporting to the front desk uttely flustered, hungry, thirsty and tired. I actually smiled, only to be told I wanted the other campus.
The one in town.
My interview had been at two. By the time the replacement taxi turned up it was ten past. After returning the way I'd come I noticed us passing the station. The taxi driver hd a knowing smile that was making me feel uncomfortable.
"You're going to feel a right turnip when you see where you needed to be." he promises. Round the corner from the station, about twentry yards down the road and up the drive. He was right, you know. It would have taken fifteen minutes at a slow walk with my folio. And the first driver fleeced me on the fare.

After the interview (the receptionist at the out of town campus had called to let them know I was on my way), I walked back to the station. The drama didn't end there, though.

At Peterborough, there appeared to be some confusion about the trains. I hopped onto the sceduled train and settled down to continue reading, during the day I'd polished off The White Draon and gotten most of the way through The da Vinci Code, when I was roused by a phonecall behind me.
"We're going to be a bit late, we got on the Norwich train by mistake. It doen't even stop at Cambridge."
Like a shot, my head snaps up and stares. The scrolling marquee of stops glares down at me malevolantly with orange LCD eyes. March, Ely, Thetford...

Bollocks.

It turns out that five of us at least got on, anticipating a smooth ride to Cambridge station. Panicked, half of us alighted at Ely to locate a stationmaster whilst the other half stood obstinately in the doorway, irritating tired commuters. It turned out that the marquee, with its baleful glare, was wrong. Crisis averted, we were going home.
It wasn't until I was on the bus home that the reality of it all really sunk in.

They'd offered me a place, there and then.

-_-zzz ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5129148/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/5129148/ Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:39:11 PDT here). The other is lifedrawing, and when I finish I'll consider making it available on my web page.

I have my last uni interview tomorrow, up in Scarborough. Frankly, I'm glad to get them over and done with. I'm not sure my bank balance can take much more abuse. I daren't recall how much train travel to the three inverviews has been -_-;
I'll let you know how it goes when I get the chance (Thursday or Friday).

I've been asked to put up my Prague pictures again, but I've just discovered that my SD card reader is broken. I'll try again soon.

I did end up spending most of the Easter holidays glued to the computer, trying to produce a body of work for my review. Most of the work was 3D (as suggested) and in Terragen, because there is no way I'm going through hours and hours, stuck in the same program, waiting for the picture to finish rendering when I have a deadline. I'm crazy, just not that crazy. I have acquired a new toy - Poser, which works in conjunction with Bryce to put figures in the pictures (finally!). Fortunately, I won't be inflicting it on you until I'm at least competent with it.

On similar note, the removal of the Artisan's Workbench picture was due to artistic differences. First I liked it and was so pleased to have finished the bloody thing I wanted to show it off, then I grew to hate it with a passion.
C'est la Vie. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4948971/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4948971/ Wed, 30 Mar 2005 02:56:26 PST I'm still waiting to hear from Swansea Institute, and I have an interview at Yorkshire Coast College of Art and Design on the 20th of April.

Given my current home situation, I think I'll take the Canturbury offer (provided I can pass my current course) and be out of here in about six months.

I want to apologise for my prolonged absence, foisted on me by actually failing one of my folio reviews. If I fail the review after the easter break, I can't progress to the next phase of the course and, therefore, can't pass the course or proceed to university.

I need to get into uni next year. I'm being stifled at home, and I can't settle into doing anything for fear of being disturbed by either my parents or my siblings. I can't help feeling that at uni, surrounded by other artists, I'll finally be able to grow as an artist and a person.

The foundation diploma I'm doing at the moment, combined with dA and the Online manga University have helped me to develop my art in the direction I want to take it, but I find getting to the computer difficult, and the college is an hour's walk away, come rain, snow or sun.

I've felt my depression coming back of late. I thought I had this thing beaten two years ago. Agh. Just getting out of bed has been a challenge in itself, let alone going to college. It's gone for now, but I wish I had fought a little harder without resorting to cutting myself again. How stupid is that?

Still, chin up and all that. I have a university to get into, and as of next monday, my boyfriend and I will have been together for four years, so that's something to celebrate at least. I shall eat, drink and make merry like I've never made merry before. And I shall pass this blasted folio review, even if I have to spend my entire easter holiday at it. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4651820/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4651820/ Wed, 23 Feb 2005 08:13:15 PST
Where to start?
I now have all my photos back and they're not all bad. Most of them are photos of the buildings and the architecture, because nowhere I've been to in England has anything like it, esecially not like the buildings in the Old Town and Jewish Quarter.

I guess it would be easiest break it down into days.

Sunday: Arrival
Left for the airport at 5AM and departed England at six-thirtyish after watching the sun rise whilst sitting in the departure lounge at Stansted. Some turbulence left much the group feeling a bit queazy, and the airline food wasn't up to much.

I'm not sure what I was expecting of Prauge, just cold and snow mainly. It snowed in little showers and flurries the whole time we were there and the architecture was amazing - Baroque, Romantic and Gothic all together and, in the more modern parts of the city, mirror glass and chrome. We went up to the castle on the tram and got some good shots of St. Vitus's catherdral and the last resing place of St. Wenceslas before heading down to the pubs for food, and across Charles Bridge to the hotel. Most places have their own brewery out back, or so it seemed, and they were some really nice beers although vegetarian food seemed a little thin on the ground.

Monday: Jewish Quarter and Old Town
Reading through my guidebook, Prauge is divided into five main areas - The Old Town (Staré Mesto), The New Town (Nové Mesto), The Jewish Quarter (Josefov), The Little Quarter (Malá Strana) and everywhere else.
We decided that the best way to see as much of Prague (Praha) as possible would be to visit each of the main areas in turn.

As one would probably expect from the Jewish Quarter, the Synagogues were fantastic, although the Pinkas Synagogue, bearing the names of all the individuals transported from Prague and the surrounding area to Concentration camps during the Final Solution made for a harrowing experience. Every wall - and I mean every wall - was covered in names and dates from floor to ceiling.
We also went in search of the Rabbi Löw's Golem, supposedly hidden in the rafters of the Old-New Synagogue (so called because it is older than the New Synagogue, but newer that the old one), but the search was undertaken lightheartedly, as we knew that even the King of Boemia had been unable to locate it and the quest became an aside to an enlightening day.

Tuesday: Contemporary & Modern Art Museum
Exploring the suburbs of Prague "to get away from the tourist-y areas and see how people really live in Prague". The contemporary and modern art museum wasn't quite what I was expecting. Spread over five levels, one was closed and another was for a private exhibition, although the rest held an eclectic collection, from blueprints and models of some of Prague's most notable buildings to vaqn Goghs and Picassos to conceptualist art. The small market we visited was nothing noteworthy, but there were a suprising amount of stalls selling swords, brass and spiked knuckles, shiruken and nunchucks.

Wednesday: Terizin
This was a truly disturbing excursion. During World War II, Terizin was a holding area for Jews on their way to other camps, and was used too hold mostly the over 65s, decorated war heros and the important people in society, as well as younger families who kept Terizin running. The Nazis used the town as a propaganda front, to make films and to show Red Cross inspectors round. Outside of Terizin was a fortress (The Little Fortress) used to house Soviet POWs and criminals from the town.
Most of the photos I took this day are futile attempts to try to capture the atmosphere of the fortress.

It had snowed six inches or so overnight and the snow had finally settled, It was cold, but not as cold as it had been on Tuesday, but the fortress seemed to have a chill all its own.
One of my most vivid memories is whilst taking this photo.
Standing in the courtyard, the oppressive atmosphere seemed infectious. Even the wind was only blowing half-heartedly, almost out of habit rather than with any conviction. The only sounds audiable were the crunch of snow underfoot and the far distant barking of a lone dog. No one spoke. No one seemed to know what to say. Later, when people did begin talking it was muted, whispered small talk. That place held what can only be described as an air of menace, squatting over the buildings like some grotesque thing, waiting to snare another innocent soul in its foul talons.

Thursday: Departure
This day came all too soon. I'd packed my camera, and much of the day was spent gift hunting for friends and fa... ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4559367/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4559367/ Sat, 12 Feb 2005 03:23:25 PST
I'll be there for a week and, hopefully, will come back refreshed, invigorated and full of creativity. Or with photos, at any rate.

I've been trying to finish all my projects before I go, although I'll be starting the maps properly when I return.
Maaj Pei is finished and looks wonderful. Unfortunately my camera refuses to focus on mirrors properly and I can't get a photo I like, but rest assured I shall persevere. Painting on the mirror was fun, but not an exercise to be repeated by anyone looking for a simple project.
If anyone feels like mirror-painting I'm more than willing to share my experiences.

I really want to get the second half of the Spieodda diptych finished but I'm running into problems with colour matching, and it looks as though it's going to be postponed for a while.

Lastly, thanks mostly to * beastofoblivion's influence, I am collecting artistic anatomy books and really starting to work on skeletal structure and musculate. With any luck, some of the denizens of Caer Dalwin will allow themselves to be accurately captured on paper.

See you in a week.
With photos. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4307609/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4307609/ Sat, 15 Jan 2005 10:18:02 PST Art theft on DA
Read it. Some stuff is too important to be ignored.

The strangerhood
If you like Red vs. Blue, you'll love this webvideocomic based on the Sims 2.

Red versus Blue
A webvideocomic based on Halo, situated in a box canyon.
What can a bunch of spacemarines get up to in a box canyon?
Watch and see.

Mozilla Firefox
Like Microsoft's Security Hole with Added Internet Functionality, but without the security hole. Firefox also has an integrated Google searchbar. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4041742/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/4041742/ Sat, 11 Dec 2004 10:58:21 PST
To this end I've looked at all the worlds I could find, and come to the conclusion that the definition of fantasy follows certain guidelines - I'll call them D.E.M.T.

D: Dragons and other myths
All fantasy worlds - from Tolkein to tiny little worlds that exist in the duty corners of the 'net - involve dragons, gryphons, chimerae and the like. Big, recognisable beasties from Earth mythology. Quite how the tribesmen of Syllithhid found out about the Babylonian manticore I'll never know, but they have.

E: Elves and other non-humans
Ever noticed the prevailence of elves, dwarves, orcs and trolls in fantasy? You must have.
Is it possible to have a fantasy without arrogant elves, reclusive dwarves and greedy men? Do they serve as a measure of human fallability, or are they just there because that is The Done Thing?

M: Magic
After all, it wouldn't be fantasy without supernatural powers. At some point in history, worlds with mages seem to have had a Mage War that left great devastation across the world. Personally I think this is a high-handed allusion to man's destructive nature and corruption, but what can you do about it? It's a fantasy staple.

T: Time
Fantasies always seem to be set in the past, especially in a medieval-type setting. This seems to be a throwback to the fairy-tales and 'Once upon a time' type of storytelling. Is it neseccary to be set in the past, or would a future fantasy be Sci-fi, even if it had magic? Perhaps it's because dragons lend themselves to knights and princesses and castles, rather than mecha.

I decided a while ago that Caer Dalwin wouldn't have dragons - except perhaps in the same way Earth had dinosaurs - and the manticore, the unicorn and the gryphon et al wouldn't even get a look in. Furthermore, I see no reason to involve the other races, although I am currently undecided about shapeshifters. As far as the time frame goes, Caer Dalwin is an old story, and the idea of medieval castles still sits deep, but I don't think I can cope with the dashing knights and swooning women. I prefer the Renaissance era, with leaping advancements in exploration, science, medicine and engineering.

The problem is the magic. Schools of magic, mage wars, all the things that make fantasy fantasy - having disregarded the first three, can the final tradition be done away with also? More to the point - do I want to? I'm not sure. Having changed so much, Caer Dalwin is already beginning not resemble a typical fantasy land, which is somewhat of a double-edged sword.
At what point does it cease to become fantasy and move into the realm of misc.?

I think perhaps, in these enlightened times, mages are far less common that they used to be. Usurped by the Artisans - men and women (no delicate maidens here) who have dedicated their lives to invention and discovery.

It's fantasy Jim, but not as we know it.

Any thoughts, ideas or random abuse are more-or-less welcome; the former more so than the latter. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/3992271/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/3992271/ Sun, 05 Dec 2004 03:14:48 PST Terragen.
Expect some rendered scenery coming your way, at least until the novelty wears off.
I'll try to do my best to sort the chaff from the grain so you won't get inundated with every little experiment; but in compensation I'll resize any image for wallpaper on request.

Let the rendering begin! ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/3922264/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/3922264/ Fri, 26 Nov 2004 06:19:45 PST
You see, Caer Dalwin began some even or eight years ago when I decided I was going to write a book. At eleven, I suppose everyone's prone to thinking that their ideas are the coolest and most original ever but this was going to be a fantasy story - get this - with vampires. Original, no?

The world would be ruled by seven powerful vampyres, The Brethren, of which the oldest, Rafe, would be the protagonist of the book. At that point I had made up the name Rafe, and it wasn't until watching Pearl Harbour that I realised it was a real name. His enemy was to be the youngest, Xemras (previously Nemesis). The whole thing was very Final Fantasy, with him collecting allies on his travels through the world, and the map I drew has a distinctly FFVII tang to it.
The Bretheren went through several alterations, and will probably evolve a bit more hence.

It was suggested that I also submit, as part of this piece, all the previous sketches, notes and doodles that I did those eight years ago. Some I remember, some I forgot, all of them are embarrassing in varying degrees.
All these pictures are in the scraps because they're all terrible and so much has changed in the intervening time they just serve to explain where Caer Dalwin has come from and illustrate the evolution of the world.

I've tried to arrange them in something approaching chronological order. ]]> ~Pa-Hsia http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/3669167/ http://Pa-Hsia.deviantart.com/journal/3669167/ Mon, 25 Oct 2004 07:57:50 PDT
Relenting to space constaints on Angelfire and in order to keep things tidy, I have turned up at DeviantART to show the good people here what I am capable of.

Feel free to laugh. ^_~

In a departure from my personal website, DeviantART will house both images and text relating to the fantasy world 'Caer Dalwin'.

Most of what you need to know about me is in my Devious Information section.
I doubt I'll update my journal that often; but when I do, it will probably be with things I've found funny, interesting links or important stuff.

That's it for now.
Peace ^_^

~Pa ]]> ~Pa-Hsia