http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:StudioZEL&section=today deviantART RSS for by:StudioZEL en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:03:21 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/28640824/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/28640824/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:54:08 PST [link]

Class act all around.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/28616767/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/28616767/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:40:37 PST
Anything else I get at this point is gravy.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/27756590/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/27756590/ Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:58:53 PDT
[link]

I'm having a lot of fun working with it, and will post my level once it's done. If you'd like, try it out. ^^

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25756792/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25756792/ Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:52:22 PDT
The day after that I have two (count 'em, two) appointments. Dermatologist, then Dentist.

On the plus side, it's been a very nice, relaxing weekend.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25606706/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25606706/ Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:40:36 PDT Thankfully I'm starting to feel a little better, but I've spent all day in bed and will continue to do so.

It is weird not having a tooth there anymore, believe me. Brush your teeth and floss everyday kids!

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25222516/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25222516/ Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:05:39 PDT
]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25039074/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25039074/ Sat, 30 May 2009 19:23:11 PDT
New rates for commissions:

$5. 1 character sketch no b/g
$10 2.characters sketch no b/g
$20 1 character full color no "real" b/g (might be a tone for example)
$40 2 characters full color no "real" b/g
$70 1 character + b/g full color
$100 2 characters + b/g full color

ALSO! Forgot to put in my original post. These are base rates. Feel free to negotiate with me and we'll discuss.

Samples of my work:

[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]

And as before, here's what I will NOT do:

NO PORN! (ecchi [within reason], sensual or tasteful nude are OK)
NO ULRA-VIOLENCE! Some action is ok, but there's a line and we all know where it is.
I prefer not to do shoneni-ai, but am willing to look at on a case by case basis.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25012505/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25012505/ Fri, 29 May 2009 09:56:51 PDT
You know what that means! Commission time! Please note me if you're interested. Here are the rates!

$5. 1 character sketch no b/g
$10 2.characters sketch no b/g
$30 1 character full color no b/g
$50 2 characters full color no b/g
$100 1 character + b/g full color
$150 2 characters + b/g full color

Here's what I will NOT do:

NO PORN! (ecchi, sensual and nudity are OK)
I prefer not to do shoneni-ai, but am willing to look at on a case by case basis.
NO ULRA-VIOLENCE. Some is ok, but there's a line and we all know where it is.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25012408/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25012408/ Fri, 29 May 2009 09:50:15 PDT
]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25002274/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/25002274/ Thu, 28 May 2009 17:34:16 PDT >

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24707966/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24707966/ Mon, 11 May 2009 17:29:08 PDT >

I'm glad I'm taking the extra lessons to learn, but man I wish it weren't so time consuming. >>

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24641648/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24641648/ Thu, 07 May 2009 19:28:54 PDT
Buying 5 copies...

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24395782/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24395782/ Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:49:34 PDT [link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24264097/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24264097/ Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:12:31 PDT
Frankly, I've no idea either.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24166306/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/24166306/ Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:11:03 PDT
For gay marriage: All people of all sexual orientations should have the same legal rights that straight couples enjoy and have enjoyed for years. To do otherwise would be no different than segregation.

Against gay marriage: Homosexuality goes against our religion, and we have a right to believe whatever we see fit. Freedom of religion is one of the founding principles of the United States of America, you have no right to revoke it.

As the current system is set up, these two conflicting arguments pose a quandary, as they are both right and both wrong. [link] Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruled that "separate but equal" segregation of a legal institution (public education) was not constitutional, and thereby was illegal to enforce. As marriage is recognized as a legal practice, many argue that gay marriage is no different; simply insert straight and gay where white and black used to be and it's the same thing all over again. Thereby, it should be legal for homosexuals to get married.

Conversely, one of the founding principles of the United States of America is the freedom to practice one's religion without the State intervening in those practices, so long as those practices did not go against the letter of the law (i.e. you can't go killing people and claim it's for religious reasons). Whether this has been followed well enough or not is clearly debatable, but the point stands. Christianity does have a right to say that they believe gays should not be married and as such, will not allow them to be married in their churches. To enforce otherwise would impede on their constitutional right to practice their religion.

The core issue (and the one I believe will solve this problem once it's addressed) is the fact that in our current system, marriage is both a religious and a legal practice. When a straight couple is married, they are given certain legal rights and privileges that would otherwise be unattainable. Yes, some states offer civil unions for homosexuals to be recognized, but the rights aren't exactly the same, creating a "separate but equal" idea similar to the segregation found unconstitutional in the above Supreme Court ruling. I thereby propose the following compromise to resolve this issue.

1) Give civil unions the exact same legal rights that current religious marriages enjoy, no changes or differences.
2) Change the law to reflect that Christians have a right to be married in their church, and that they have the right to disallow gay couples from doing so, but their marriage will no longer be recognized by the federal/state government.

I feel this solution (while not practical to be implemented in any near future...) would solve the problem for a few reasons.

1) Under the letter of the law, the only way for straight or gay couples to have a recognized union would be to get a civil union. This is equal, as both can have equal access to this system and receive the same rights regardless of orientation.
2) Christians keep the right to prevent homosexuals from being married in their church, thereby allowing them to believe whatever they want to.
3) Neither gay or straight religious marriages are recognized by the state. This is also equal. (essentially, the part where the priest says "Then by the power invested in me, the church, and the State of _______ ..., you'd simply eliminate the last part and keep it to me and the church.)

So there you have it, my proposal on how to resolve this issue. Is this likely to happen soon? Yeah, right. But I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. Do you agree that this would be a reasonable way to appease both sides of the issue, or do you think that even if this was implemented, it'd solve nothing.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23966878/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23966878/ Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:34:29 PDT
[link]

Have fun. XD

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23948430/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23948430/ Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:56:53 PDT
*looks*

Hm... I suppose it's debatable. I'm gonna take the glass is half full approach and say I live.

:-P

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23664543/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23664543/ Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:46:43 PDT
That is all.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23577491/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23577491/ Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:53:49 PST
The following is only speaking from personal experience. Like all manners of science, there are exceptions.

Women say they want an honest man. Translation: Women want a man who says what they want to hear. In many instances, this is impossible anyway so it's not worth trying. For example, "Does this dress/outfit make me look fat?" is the world's most loaded question, and also one of the most frequently asked of boyfriends/spouses.

Women say they want a man who treats them right. Translation: Women want a man who excites them. It doesn't matter how well I treat her, love her, or shower her with affection. She's looking for a man who gets the juices flowing and her heart pounding, even if it's because of the threat of cheating. Which leads me to...

Women say they want a loyal man, but then when given a man who's infinitely loyal, he's treated as a lesser man. I've, literally, heard a woman talking about me saying I quote "he's not man enough to go after another woman" when I was (obviously) pursuing her. See, my loyalty was treated as derogatory. I've heard similar stories from others as well.

There is nothing wrong with wanting any of these things. I just get frustrated with the hypocrisy of the whole thing. Maybe I've just had the world's worst luck with women, but I find it hard to imagine considering the various different type of women I've pursued in my lifetime.

I am a loving, caring, and honest individual who would never cheat on a woman. I would never physically or mentally abuse her. I would respect her goals and desires in life so long as she gave mine the same respect. I would care for her, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part.

Translation: BORING

And it is because of this that I will most likely never find a partner. I could play by "the rules", but that's never worked because a women knows it's disingenuous. I'm not really exciting, I'm pretending to be exciting. I'm not actually exciting. This is who I am, and all I've ever wanted is for a woman I love for who she is, to love me in return for who I am.

What a stupid and delusional dream that is.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23489116/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23489116/ Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:46:48 PST
From here: [link]

"Digression
JRPG's - and many other Japanese games, and anime too - are in serious danger of fatal zazz saturation.

Some zazz is good to have. Think of it like putting sugar in coffee. A sugar cube or two makes coffee less bitter; some zazz adds flavor to a game and its characters. But just as pouring too much sugar into a cup of coffee ruins it, over-zazzing your game makes it annoying instead of bland. Remember back when anthromorphs with 'tude were in vogue? Sonic's 'tude levels were within acceptable parameters, and it's still hard to deny the appeal of his Sega Genesis incarnations. But then you also have Bubsy the Bobcat, who was pumped full of more focus-group tested 'tude than any single piece of intellectual property should ever be asked to contain, and if anyone actually remembers Bubsy, I'm sure the memories are not pleasant.

Here's an example of the progression of zazz saturation: a timeline of SNK fighting game title characters.

[link]

Terry and Ryo look like two guys out of a martial arts flick. Iori and K' look like they're from an anime. Alba and Luise look like they're from a Japanese fashion magazine. I understand that with so many other products on the market, designers have to make their franchise and its components stand out, but it's honestly starting to get ridiculous. Other examples include the gulf between the characters and aesthetics of Mobile Suit Gundam and Gundam SEED, Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Shadow the Hedgehog (2001), and to cite a stateside example, the differences between the 2-D Prince of Persia titles and The Two Thrones. Style over substance."

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23456052/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23456052/ Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:52:59 PST
Lately, Washington Republicans (and the extremists who keep them there) keep going on and on and on about how we shouldn't be spending our way out of this recession. The keep saying things like [link] "Obama is the world's best salesman of socialism" and that "After how horribly the Government responded to Katrina, they'd rather place their faith in the American people" (I'll admit that's a paraphrase of Mr. Rogers Jindal's speech).

In essense, Government is bad and should not get involved.

Here's a question then: What the hell are you all doing there? Aren't you part of the mother fucking government??

If Washington Democrats are Socialists, then Washington Republicans are Anarchists. If they're going to go to one extreme I say we go the other. If government is soooooooo bad for the American people, maybe we should get rid of

Police
Fireman
School
Roads and road maintenance
Social Security
Medicare
Army
Navy
Air Force

Let me be perfectly clear about something. I actually agree with lots of the Republican ideals when circumstances are ideal. For example, when we're doing just fine I think government should be as small as humanly possible.

... in ideal situations. But situations are not ideal. As the phrase goes, "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Most people want freedom, but not total freedom. Total freedom would be a world with no government, no rules, no laws, no police, no one to save you if you're attacked/robbed/raped, no one to punish the wicked. No one to help you educate your children as they grow up, no one to protect us from invaders, and no one to help us if we get sick in our old age.

What most people want is conditional freedom. So long as we have police protecting us from bad guys and laws to punish them with, Armies protecting us from those who would do us harm, medical care in our old age, and most of all... we want someone to save us from ourselves when we fuck up majorly.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have fucked up majorly. Right now, we need the government to save us. But only until we get back on our feet of course. Once we're back on our feet the government can step back, and just keep a watchful eye to make sure we don't go fucking up again.

"These programs help those people who don't deserve it!" Washington Repubs cry. I agree with this. Except I also understand that right now we can't be picky and choosy about the company we keep. We will rise or fall as a nation; the idea that the "good" parts of the nation will rise while the "bad" people will fall is ideal, but will never ever happen. If we fall, we all fall. I don't like them either, the lazy fucks.

But, as my parents used to tell me when I was a 5 year old complaining about something I didn't like, "Son, now's not the time for that. We can discuss that later." Once the economy is back on it's feet and we're not living every day scared of tomorrow, THEN we'll decide how to deal with the bastards who overspent and over bought on homes they couldn't afford.

And Washington Repubs, listen well and listen good. After 8 years of your mismanagement and supporting an administration that ran up the deficit after inheriting a surplus, you have absolutely no moral ground whatsoever to complain about wasteful spending. None. Nada. Zilch. And now that times are desperate, we need the government to do what it's doing right now.

"But there's pork!! USELESS SPENDING!!" they shout. As many who've actually done the math will tell you, the "useless" spending that they identified in the stimulus bill adds up to about 2%. To put that in proper perspective, that's like complaining about the fact that I pay an extra 6 cents here in CT if I buy a candy for $0.99 for sales tax. And you're complaining about 2 cents. Really?

"But we're leaving our next generation with a huge debt!!" Well, here are your two scenarios.

1) The money is well managed, the economy goes back on track, and they don't inherit a huge debt at all.
2) We've been bought out by China anyway, so now we have no debt, but have their lovely view imposed on us as we've now become their territory.

I'm usually in the center, but these Washington Repubs (save for the three who actually put their "country first") and their fucking extremes are just pissing me the fuck off. I'm done humoring you, I'm taking the gloves off. If you have the right to label us as Socialists who want to turn this countr... ]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23211363/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23211363/ Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:03:45 PST [link]

Everyone's in such a hurry to declare Obama's presidency a failure it's actually working in his favor! o.o

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23188150/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23188150/ Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:19:12 PST
]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23022685/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/23022685/ Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:03:36 PST [link]

This is how I feel (related to my rant before). And like this article re-iterates, it's not all Republicans that I'm frustrated with.

Just the ones in Washington.

From CNN.com

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Thursday that "the scale and the scope" of his economic plan is right, turning up the heat on critics he said were hawking "phony arguments" and "false theories of the past" to chip away at the bill's programs.
President Obama said if a stimulus bill isn't passed the economy will continue to get worse.

President Obama said if a stimulus bill isn't passed the economy will continue to get worse.

"Don't come to the table with the same tired arguments and worn ideas that helped to create this crisis," the president said at the House Democrats' annual retreat in Williamsburg.

"We're not going to get relief by turning back to the very same policies that, for the last eight years, doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin," he said. "We can't embrace the losing formula that says only tax cuts will work for every problem we face, that ignores critical challenges like our addiction to foreign oil, or the soaring cost of health care, or failing schools and crumbling bridges and roads and levees.

"I don't care whether you're driving a hybrid or an SUV -- if you're headed for a cliff, you've got to change direction."

The Democrats welcomed the president with frequent interruptions for applause as he took on criticisms of the bill.

Obama said he valued "the constructive criticism and healthy debate that's taking place around this package," but added that speedy passage of the bill was essential.

"We're not moving quickly because we're trying to jam something down people's throats," he said. "We're moving quickly because if we don't, the economy's going to keep getting worse."

Obama rejected calls for more tax cuts and significant slashing of the bill's more than $800 billion price tag, and said complaints the package was a spending bill rather than a stimulus bill were off base.

"What do you think a stimulus bill is?" he said. "That's the point."

To critics who argue that the government shouldn't be spending billions with a large and growing deficit, Obama said, "I found this national debt doubled, wrapped in a big bow waiting for me as I stepped into the Oval Office."

The American people called for change in November, he said, "and that's what we're going to deliver."

"They did not send us here to get bogged down with the same old delay, the same old distractions, the same talking points, the same cable chatter," he said. "They did not vote for the false theories of the past, and they didn't vote for phony arguments and petty politics, and they did not vote for the status quo."

Obama told his fellow Democrats that they have "the capacity to do great things" on behalf of the American people, "but we are going to have to do it by not thinking about ourselves."

"It starts with this economic recovery plan," he said. "And soon, we will take on big issues like addressing the foreclosure problem, passing a budget, tackling our fiscal problems, fixing our financial regulation and securing our country."

But, he stressed, the battle over the stimulus bill is not "an abstract debate."

"If we do not move swiftly to sign [the act] into law, an economy that is already in crisis will be faced with catastrophe," he said. "This is not my assessment. This is not Nancy Pelosi's assessment. This is the assessment of the best economists in the country. This is the assessment of some of the former advisers of some of the same folks who are making these criticisms right now."
advertisement

"This is not a game," he said. "This is not a contest for who's in power and who's up and who's down."

It's time, he said, to "set aside the gamesmanship in this town and get something done."

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22971731/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22971731/ Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:13:48 PST
It'll be shit and will take 10 tries to get it looking decent, but I'm so fucking mad at myself for doing NOTHING the last few months!

Grrrrrrrrrrr......

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22953822/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22953822/ Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:50:12 PST
These fuckers need to be run out of Washington. I hate to sound like an extremist here, because while I lean democratic, there are many Republican ideals that I whole heartedly agree with. However right now, what the American people need are solutions, not ideals. And while it's not always true in every circumstance, I think it's safe to say that with the economy collapsing all around us like a dungeon in an RPG post-boss fight, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

The simple truth of the matter is that Bush and his Republican cronies have done a far better job of achieving what the Talaban and Al Quada want over the last eight years than the terrorists. They don't just want to kill Americans, that doesn't accomplish much in the grand scheme of things. They want to destroy our country, our way of life, our ideals and freedoms. They want to terrify us; scare us to the core, because if we can be kept scared, the entire country and our way of life will collapse in time. Our freedom of speech? Gone. Our freedom to religion? A thing of the past. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? A fond memory of days gone by. These freedoms have given us our strength throughout the last two millennium, but right now we're scared shitless. Our economy is collapsing, we're losing our jobs and homes, and if we don't pull it together, we're finished. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will come to pass. We're no longer a free country, because we'll be bought out by the Chinese or the Europeans, and they will enforce their rules and their ways of life onto us. The reason the Republicans are no longer in power is that finally, after eight long years of this bullshit, the American people had had enough. Or as Chris Rock put it, "Bush fucked up so bad, he made it hard for a white man to run for President!"

When times are tough like this, when the shit is hitting the fan with this amount of force, the people need hope. They need something to believe in. But while believing in a divine deity brings one some measure of personal peace, it does not create new jobs or spur any sort of economic growth. Which means we can only believe in our government and our President to help us back to our feet. And in order for that to happen, after all confidence in our government was killed after Katrina, the people need to see action. Ideals are a waste of time at the moment. Once we're back on our feet, we can go back to those ideals. All of this Republican posturing, all of this hatred and spite-filled hot air (I'm looking at you, Rush!) without any real ideas beyond the usual "Tax cuts for businesses!" mantra (which has worked SOOO well the last eight years *eye roll*) isn't helping things. All you're doing is causing the American people grief that they don't need right now. The majority of the American public is rooting for Obama to fix America's problems, political ideologies be damned. This isn't the time to be a Democrat or a Republican. This isn't the time to be a liberal or a conservative. This is the time to be an American. So if you have an actual idea, then please voice it and convince Obama and the Democrats that it's a better idea than the one they have. Otherwise, sit down, shut up, and let's get started. We got a long road ahead of us, and if we want to stay ahead of the weather, we need to get going now.

And for the people who say this won't solve the problem, of course it won't! Not by itself. No one is stupid enough to believe it will. But it's the first step, something to keep us going for the next six months or so until the next piece of legislature is drawn up; six months to get step two ready for action. And if nothing else, the fact that our government is trying to do something with some fairly reasonable methods, will help to instill some confidence in the American people. Because you know, at least they're not sitting cozy up on that hill being complacent like they were during Hurricane Katrina. The reason Obama's approval rating is so high right now is because he's actually trying to get shit done. Like, NOW! That's what the American people want to see. They want to see that their leader understands the urgency of the situation. They want to see that Obama isn't in his own little bubble that says "Oh we can take our time, no hurry..." Fuck that, we need help now! I nearly got laid off this week myself! I got damn lucky, but 183 people within the company weren't so lucky. One of them was a good friend of mine who's wife just gave... ]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22926222/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22926222/ Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:48:23 PST
Perhaps what I'm lacking is a muse. You know, something that inspires me, makes me want to create.

In the past, anime was an endless supply of muses, but these days most anime doesn't appeal to me, despite my still loving to draw in the style. Videogames are good muses when they don't take too long, but most videogames these days are so long (many are artificially lengthened) that I just grow weary of it by the end and lose any inspiration I might have had.

I need to find a muse. Someone or something that inspires me to push farther, drives me to create.

... *sigh* I hate Connecticut. There is nothing here.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22910754/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22910754/ Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:54:22 PST
The story of my life.

It seems no matter what I do in my life, I come up short. Art, writing, love, I'm not quite there. I hate this.

Whenever I try to, say, put up work, no matter how much time I put into it, no matter how proud of it I am, no matter how finished it looks to me, when I show it to others in the field I get the same response.

"It's a good start..."

It's never there. It's never awesome. It's never polished. No matter how much I love it it's always a work in progress to them. It's not finished. There's something missing.

My story is solid, my characters lovable. But when I show my writing to people, it's a good start. It's missing something. It's not there.

Why? What is it lacking? What am I lacking?

I love, and I meet people and enjoy their company as they enjoy mine. But it's never enough. I'm just a friend. I cannot close. I cannot seal the deal.

Why? Why is there no one for me?

... why... ?

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22830940/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22830940/ Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:47:32 PST
What me and many others originally may have thought about the relationship between Studio Alex and GameArts was very much mistaken. I think most fans of Lunar probably thought that Studio Alex was a part of GameArts, in the same way that Red Entertainment is a part of Sega. Turns out this was incorrect.

Studio Alex was a separate company formed by Kazunari Tomi, a former employee of Nihon Falcom. Primarily a consulting firm for other companies, they developed the original 3 Lunar games (2 for Sega CD, 1 for Game Gear), with GameArts as a co-developer/publisher. So they were actually two separate companies, with Lunar as a co-owned IP (similarly to Nintendo/Camelot's Golden Sun)

However things didn't go so well between the two. Studio Alex filed suit against GameArts for copyright infringement for not paying them proper royalty fees for the Lunars post-Sega CD (the Saturn/PlayStation remakes, US versions and Windows version) since they were derivative works.

GameArts counter-sued, stating that Studio Alex missed it's deadline for the Saturn game Magic School Lunar, costing them an additional 75 million yen as a result.

Studio Alex lost the initial suit in 1997 and continued until 2003, when they finally went bankrupt, and took a lot of the primary force behind the original Lunar games with them. Now, GameArts is the sole holder of the license, and in 2005 released Lunar DS, a critical and commercial flop that basically killed the series outright.

The original thread in LunarNET can be found here.

[link]

A link to the details of the cases below (completely in Japanese, no translation available that I know of).

[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22663318/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22663318/ Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:21:12 PST
vs. Sonic 2006: No contest, Sonic Unleashed is a vastly superior game to Sonic 2006 in virtually every way. Sadly this isn't saying much, but it's at least a sign that it can't get much worse than that atrocity (we hope...). At the VERY least, Unleashed isn't broken in the same way 2006 was horribly assembled.

Lack of Shitty Friends: Wow, Sonic Team finally got the idea that we don't like the other shitty Sonic characters they've been shoving down our throats since Adventure! While I was a little disappointed that there was no Knuckles (since he's part of the original Genesis/Mega Drive series), having only Sonic, Tails and Amy reprising their roles really helped to keep things focused and less cumbersome. Every character they've added since Adventure 2 can drop off a cliff and stay there as far as I'm concerned.

Werehog: I didn't dislike these levels as much as I thought I would, but that doesn't mean there weren't a few gripes from me on this one. A much better idea for these segments would have been to insert Knuckles as the beat-em-up character and called the game Sonic and Knuckles 2 or something. Controversial gimmick solved. There are five major problems I have with these levels:

1) The levels last too damn long: And here I thought taking 16 minutes to clear a Sonic level in 2006 was horrid, clearly I was mistaken. Levels that take 30-45 minutes to clear in a Sonic game are not welcome from me.
2) QTE attacks: These wouldn't be so bad if the enemies didn't regain most of their health when you fail. Just takes an already tiresome process and makes it worse.
3) Seemingly endless respawning enemies: This was not a good idea in Clive Barker's Jericho and time has not sweetened it. This was especially annoying when trying to deal with the healing mage enemies. Take one out, another immediately respawns in its place. Lather, rinse, repeat 4 more times. No thanks.
4) Enemies not dying right away: So I mash away at an enemy until his little health bar is depleted and start striking the next foe. Only he's really close to the one I just killed, so I'm hitting the dead one with each swipe as well. This seems to keep him from actually exploding into little EXP crystals and serves to keep the screen needlessly cluttered. Fail.
5) Context action recognition: This bugged me to no end on those goddamn switches. Unless I was standing in the exact right angle at the exact right distance and facing the exact right direction, it wouldn't give me the O button indicator to flip said switch. I'd be nudging the analogue stick and would see it flash on screen for a split second before disappearing because Mr. Werehog moved a slight bit more than I wanted and thus lost the indicator. Fuck off, unforgiving zone detection.

Chip: Now, if you are going to create new Sonic characters at this point, this is how you do it. Not because Chip was a totally awesome character or anything, but because it's quite obvious that he's exclusive to [I]this[/I] game and will not be in any future installments. This is a great way to add new characters to a game to keep it from being same old same old, without creating a roster large enough to start a baseball team.

Eggman (I'm calling him Robotnik because I've always called him that): 2006 Robotnik blew goat and is best left forgotten. This is the way Robotnik should always be. Devious and ambitious, but definitely with a few screws loose. I only wish I had directly fought him more often, but they wanted to have the Werehog bosses be Dark Gaia things and not Robotnik mechs. Ah well.

Art Direction: This is also a vast improvement over the recent Sonics. Gone are the "realistic" people and lack of color, and in are cartoony people who look much more like they fit in with the Sonic look. Professor Pickle in particular was a great design, so much so that I wouldn't mind seeing him in a future game. He won me over that much. Also, the art design of the Sonic levels are spectacular. Right now Eggmanland in particular sticks out as being a huge feast for the eyes. Bright exuberant colors, intense roller coaster design, some aspects felt a little Sonic CD to me, which I will never EVER complain about. Whoever they hired to be the art director for this one (I'm too lazy to look it up right now), I hope Sonic Team keeps them on future Sonic projects.

Music: A mixed bag for me. The main theme was nice the first few times, but grew tiresome after the 1,000,000th time. The Sonic stages have some really nice music going for them, but I can live without most of the Werehog music (the battle music, like the main theme, grew tiresome after the first few times).

Gameplay: The Sonic levels are a HUGE step in the right direction, and I hope they continue to bu... ]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22514566/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22514566/ Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:21:41 PST
A little over 10 years ago you launched the Dreamcast in Japan, followed by the famous 9/9/99 release in the US. You had some bumps in the launch in Japan, but ironed them out for the US and launched with a lot of good word of mouth. Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, Power Stone etc. helped move some consoles, and in 2000 the games only got better with Shenmue, Eternal Arcadia, Jet Set Radio, Ecco the Dolphin and more, along with the start of Sega NET, all the pieces were in place to be the greatest console ever conceived.

But one thing stood in the way of success. One thing kept people from buying the system and it's great games. The hype surrounding the launch of the PlayStation 2.

Sony destroyed you, and did it with little to no noteworthy titles in it's launch. You had the games, the history, the ingenuity, but the public didn't care. The PS2 was going to be God's gift to the gaming world. In retrospect, many would probably say this ended up being true, but you were cut off well before your due as a result. You left hardware to pursue a software driven business, let Sammy take over most of the company, and have trouble finding your identity.

"Truly if there is a god of destiny, he is fond of plot twists!" My how the tables have turned. Sony, the company who sold out of systems on pure hype alone, is falling and falling hard. And if you take action now, you can put the last nail in the coffin; take your revenge and reclaim your rightful place as the owner of your own successful hardware platform.

But you're running out of time. The destined 9/9/09 is drawing near, less than a year away so I'll give you something to start with. Behold: The Sega A.I.O.N.

[link]
[link]
[link]

Just follow these basic guidelines and add whatever you see fit to this. We're all waiting.

I miss Sega hardware.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22287223/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22287223/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:28:15 PST WENT TO JAPAN!! :3 It was awesome

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Sadly no, but I will this year because I'm not doing anything like Richter to get in the way.

3. Did someone close to you give birth?
My former manager did, I guess that's close? (more like someone I know, but I digress)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, but we had quite a scare last month. Dad came real close to according to the doctors. D:

5. What countries did you visit?
JAPAN!!! :3

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A slim waist line.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 18th-Nov. 2nd, my first trip to Japan! November 4th, 2008, the electing of Barak Obama

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Moving to Relocation Accounting at my job.
Going to Japan and having a fucking blast.
Finally beating Megaman 1-3
Starting my Japanese lessons

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not keeping to the workout after Richter knocked me outta my rhythm...

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. Dad did though.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Where to begin...
A Famicom
A Mega Drive and Mega CD
Japanese Lunars 1 and 2
Japanese Sonic CD
Japanese Super Mario Bros. in box (used)
Japanese Super Mario Bros. 3 in box
Dragon Quest 1-4
Final Fantasy 1-2
Langrisser 1, 3-5 (couldn't find 2, ah well)
Magic School Lunar
Blue Seed for Saturn
3 X 3 Eyes for Mega CD
Lots of Sakura Taisen stuff
Detective Conan PS2
Moerro Nekketsu! Rhythm Tamashii!! Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! 2
Nintendo DSi
Rockman 2

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Um... dunno really.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Um... dunno really.

14. Where did most of your money go?
JAPAN! :-P

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
.... this is getting old. See the answer(s) above. XD

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?
.... hm. I don't think I have a specific song or album that'd remind me of 2008 specifically.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you...
I. Happier or sadder?: Neither
II. Thinner or fatter?: SLIGHTLY thinner
III. Richer or poorer?: Richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Losing Weight
Drawing well

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Slacking off
Richter

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Already done XD

21. What was your favorite month of 2008?
That would be October for reasons already well stated above. XD

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope.

23. How many one-night stands?
That would be none.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Don't really watch TV these days. Anime-wise I LOVED the new Slayers.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No. D:

26. What was the best book you read?
Full Metal Panic book 3.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
None really. Well, maybe Kobukuro.

28. What did you want and get?
I got a 360 because I wanted to play Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey (go Mistwalker!)

29. What did you want and not get?
Don't really know. I'm pretty satisfied on that front this year.

30. Favorite film of this year?
Speed Racer

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
27, and I slacked off.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Losing more weight.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I don't have any concept of fashion, that's one of my many problems. XD

34. What kept you sane?
Wait, I'm sane now? Why didn't anyone tell me? Liars!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Obama inspires and gives me hope.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The collapsing economy.

37. Who do you miss?
Sarah.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Quite a few at work, maybe. I met this person in Akihabara that I enjoyed chatting with (well, as much as I could anyway).

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Losing weight is all about getting into a routine and then not letting anything interfere with that routine. This will be remedied in 2009

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Um... hm. Sadly I'm not... ]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22282142/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22282142/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:50:17 PST [link]

No, just... no.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22265852/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/22265852/ Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:46:19 PST
But I didn't like the movie much.

I liked Batman Begins more actually. Batman Begins felt more... I dunno. Honest? I don't really know.

It's strange really, I'm not quite sure what it is about the movie that didn't quite click with me, but it just didn't... click.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21942009/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21942009/ Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:51:50 PST
[url][link]

Some editorials are available on Anime News Network as well.

[url][link]

and

[url][link]

Both editorials encourage us to donate to the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund), who is helping to represent Mr. Handley in this case. I just made my donation. Make yours.

[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21903848/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21903848/ Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:15:39 PST
My arm feels heavy....

My hand won't move right....

I stare at a blank piece of paper, and have no idea what to put there...

I try to draw something. Anything.

Nothing.

I feel like I've lost my inspiration. I feel like I've lost my muse. I feel like I've lost my motivation.

I just feel lost.

I don't know what to do anymore!

Why won't you move hand?

I want to draw beautiful things! Why can't I draw them?

What's wrong with me...?

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21737105/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21737105/ Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:17:56 PST
This week, my father was admitted into the hospital. He'd caught pneumonia a couple of weeks prior but just couldn't seem to shake it. He just kept getting weaker and weaker, but for the longest time wouldn't go back to the doctor (he'd gone before to get medicine for the pneumonia at first, but wanted to sleep it off after that). He's always been the healthiest in the family so he really didn't think he needed to go at first. After becoming so weak Mom forced him to go to his doctor. She immediately sent him to the ICU because his blood count was incredibly low as was his oxygen intake.

The doctor's first tried to do a blood transfusion, thinking this would do the trick. However the next day his chest x-ray came up worse than the previous day, his blood was still low, and his kidneys were failing to an extent. After several tests and scares and panic attacks, Mom had myself and my sister come from work to offer emotional support. It was later discovered that the reason he wasn't retaining the blood and was loosing blood was because it was leaking into his lungs! This was just such an unusual condition, and none of us knew what was going on (and for a while, neither did the doctors). Finally, after some new tests came in, a verdict was reached.

This was, literally, a one and a million condition known as (oddly enough) Goodpasture's disease. You can read about it here [link]

He's going to be okay, they're doing a Plasma Exchange treatment and he should be okay in a couple of weeks, but this has been scary, agonizing, stressful, and exhausting all at once. Dad's not used to being in the hospital, so he gets anxious and scared when we're not there. Sadly, we can't always be there, either because visiting hours end or other circumstances. My sister and I have to go back to work next week, my little sister back to school, and Mom's gonna need to go back to work too. But I really feel his pain. Being strapped to a bed for a whole week and another 2 weeks to go, with a tube in his throat to keep oxygen going into his lungs is horrible horrible horrible! He's got tubes and stuff stuck anywhere they can stick one. He can't talk obviously, he can only write us messages. He's restless. The next two weeks are going to be very hard for us as well, but he is going to get better the doctors say, which is really really good news.

So I'm sorry if I'm kinda not around or unresponsive and stuff.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21600320/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21600320/ Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:08:32 PST [link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21534042/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21534042/ Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:43:36 PST
Today, something was wrong. $400 wrong.

See, someone hacked into my iTunes account and took out $400 in 8 $50.00 transactions. They just posted to my account today 11/17. In a panic, I printed the sheet and took it to my manager, asking if I could leave early to take care of it (thankfully I had already finished my day 3 expenses and a few of my co-worker's expenses as well). He let me go, and I went home to first check with Apple to make sure they 1) cancel my account with iTunes and 2) if I was going to get the money back from them or the bank.

Long story short, I had to go to the bank and file Unauthorized Transactions paperwork and cancel my card. The bank will be giving me a provisional credit for the missing money in the next 10 days so I feel a little better. But this whole thing just kinda shook me up ya know? Account fraud is that thing that always happens to other people.

Until it happens to you, that is.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21330387/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21330387/ Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:12:19 PST
Tonight I saw the truth of his words. The truth of the words that brought him from a park in Illinois to the President of the United States.

Yes we can.

Tonight America proved how far it has come. I can only image how his family feels in the after, his grandmother who just passed away yesterday must be beaming there.

Tonight I felt something I haven't felt for eight years. I felt hopeful. I felt like we can overcome this. It won't happen overnight, and as Mr. Obama said in his speech it will be a steep climb.

But we can do this. We just proved we can.

Yes we can.

Thank you America. It's been a long time since I've felt faith in anything. It's been a long time since I've swelled up with this much pride to say that I am an American. And one day when I have kids of my own, I'll be able to tell them that I was here when we made history. I walked into a voting booth and voted for the new President. I can tell them that his skin color didn't matter to me, that it was the power of his words and his intellect that won my vote. I can tell them that I didn't judge him by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.

Dr. Martin Luthur King Jr. would be proud. I'm sure he is.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21311657/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21311657/ Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:48:47 PST
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Go vote people!

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21242630/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21242630/ Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:28:14 PDT
This has been long in the making, and I’ve enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I’ve wanted to go to Japan for so long, and now that I’ve been here for two weeks I’ve done everything I’d like to do. Unless an opportunity arises where I get an incredible job working in Japan or something, I can say that I won’t need to come back for a good long time.

I spent a lot of money, but not everything I brought with me. Unless something amazing (or horrible) happens tomorrow, I’ll come back with about $1,200 or so to put back into savings. I had a few successful interactions with Japanese people, and ate some delicious Japanese food.

I saw some of the most amazingly beautiful architecture there is. Japanese temples and shrines are truly beautiful and peaceful. There’s a lot of picturesque landscape and nature to see here.

If I had any regrets about this trip, the chief one would be the fact that I simply didn’t know enough Japanese. I know enough Japanese to start a conversation well enough, but continuing it is another matter altogether. There were several times during my conversations with Japanese people that I found myself at a complete loss for words, not because I had trouble thinking about what I wanted to say, but because I didn’t know how to say it in Japanese. Hopefully in a few years this problem will be rectified before I come back.

Regarding the next time I come back, I think next time my trip will just be for a week. This was the big first trip of “ZOMG I’m in JAPANZ!!!” but now that I’ve seen most of what I wanted to see, the next time I’ll just come back for a week. Also, I think I’d spend most of my time in Tokyo, with maybe a daytrip to the Osaka area via Shinkansen ‘cause it’s pretty cool there too. Plus they have great Takoyaki. Yes.

I also think I’d like to come alone next time. Just a personal preference, my favorite days were the ones were I was out and about and didn’t feel restricted in any way, or felt like I had to go and stop when my sister did. There were times where she wanted to stop at a certain spot and I wanted to keep moving and visa versa. We’re kinda opposites in what we wanted to see and stop to explore. Plus I think I put too much stress on her anyway, so alone would be best.

Japanese women are amazingly hot. I mentioned this before but it’s worth mentioning again. They have such amazing detail to fashion, and they love boots. I love boots too! XD They wore the most amazing leggings as well that had elaborate designs, some printed, some cut. There’s nothing like it in America. Nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m going to move out here to Japan to get it on with Japanese chicks, but I wouldn’t mind it if one found their way to me. :3 So many different styles and types, but most of them were just plain beautiful. *nods *

The Shinkansen is the greatest mode of transportation ever. Don’t argue, just accept. The Yamanote line in Tokyo is a close second though.

Beware, for there is porn here. Everywhere. Like, don’t bring your young’ins to these streets where the shops are ‘cause it’s like, in plain sight. No matter what country you’re from, if you walk past a shop that sells porn and there’s no doubt it’s a porn shop. The difference is that in the US, you know it’s a porn shop because all the windows are blacked out so that no one can see in, and there might be a silhouette of a woman in neon; in Japan, there’s posters of naked women all over the front in teasing poses and barely covering up, if at all. Not for the conservative minded to be sure.

For some reason, it’s difficult to find trash bins. There just aren’t a whole lot of them lying around like there are in the states. They do separate their trash bins by type though, which is totally interesting, if a bit complicated.

For that matter, it can also be hard to find a public restroom in times of need. The best places to find one that I’ve found are McDonalds or a Game/Pachinko Center.

Speaking of Pachinko Centers, they’re EVERYWHERE. I’m not kidding you, walk two blocks and you’ll find four more. And they’re packed with Japanese people just sitting there flipping switches and levers on the various pachinko machines. It’s crazy! O_o The close second would be Karaoke centers, which are also everywhere.

If you’re going to shop for Retro games (like I did, shamelessly), start in Osaka. Then go to Tokyo. Tokyo (Akihabara) has better selection in general, however Osaka (Nippon-bashi aka Den Den Town) tends to have better prices.

If there... ]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21212188/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21212188/ Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:56:01 PDT
A word of warning: This is NOT an easy place to get to or find!!! I left at 8:52AM and should have gotten there at 1:00PM-ish. I got there at 2:30PM and had to run through everything! >>

So I got on the first train from Kyoto to Kurayoshi, the closest station it would take me. Fair enough, long trip but I’d manage. Anyhoo I get to Kurayoshi and was supposed to take a train from there to Yura, however when I asked the people at the station they told me to take a bus. The bus driver however had no idea where I was going (he’d never heard of the place. Really? Isn’t it these people’s job to know this kinda stuff?) and I had to go to 2 different buses and lots of walking around lost and frustrated in between just to find it! To make matters worse, half the people I asked had no idea what I was talking about, despite it being so bloody close!

Grrrrrr… maybe it was my poor Japanese… that’s probably it. But still… grrrrr….

Anyhoo, I got there and started rushing through to find the various statues and museum as I had to make sure I found my way back to the train that would take me back to Kyoto. The statues are pretty nifty, and the museum was pretty nice; it had tons of stuff from Conan, lots of merchandise on display etc. There were originals that I was taking pictures of before they informed me that I could take pictures of the displays, but not the originals on display (so those are omitted from my web pictures). Bought a few souvenirs before heading back (I figured if I went all this way and went though this much trouble for this damn place, at the very least I’d better bring something back to show for it…. Thankfully the people at the Yura train station were a LOT more helpful than the people at Kurayoshi in helping me to get back and I’m writing this on the train headed back to Kyoto. *phew *

To summarize: Is Conan Town worth going to? Not if you’re going a long ways like I did just to go there. However, if you happen to be in the neighborhood and would like to see it than yeah, it’s totally cool.

Sorry, no movies today.

Pictures:
[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21197989/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21197989/ Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:08:15 PDT
Yesterday, we went to Kyoto from Matsumoto. The trek was long and hard, especially with all of our bags in tow, but we finally made it to the Ryokan! It was awesome.

Note to self: Next time, don't bring boots to Japan. It makes things harder.

However, this isn't true for girls. Japanese women EVERYWHERE where boots here, and it's SO HOT! *ahem*

Anyhoo, I loved the Ryokan. Next time I come I'm going to try to do my entire trip in one.

Today, we moved into the regular hotel and then wandered around the town. I found a huge temple during my adventures, it was cool. I got lost on the way back though... Actually, I didn't find my way back until suddenly, I was back at the Ryokan we stayed at yesterday.

Go figure.

Then, I made my way through a few trains to Kurama to go to an Onsen. Onsen = Love. Yes it does.

Onsen = love.

Tomorrow I will attempt to go to Conan town. For now, pictures and movie.

Pictures:
[link]
[link]


Movies:
[link]
[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21164949/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21164949/ Sun, 26 Oct 2008 02:41:02 PDT
Today Jen and I woke up fairly early to bid our farewell to Tokyo. After checking out of the hotel and making a pit stop at the convenience store to get some snacks for the train, we went to the station and boarded the train to Matsumoto. The train took about two and a half hours to get us there, but it was a pretty quiet trip; I played DS while Jen played Solitare on her phone.

Once we arrived in Matsumoto, we made our way for the hotel and damn was it cold!! >>;; We hustled as fast as we could with our luggage in tow to get out of the cold and into the hotel. Thankfully the room was ready for us when we arrived; we put our stuff away and warmed up before heading out to see the castle.

On our way there, we saw what looked like a string of small shops/stalls near a really really pretty temple. We perused the stores, I got some takoyaki, and then we went to the temple and took a zillion pictures. There were these two little girls in kimonos there and they were too adorable for words! :3

After a lot of walking and looking we finally found our way to Matsumoto castle. This, for me, turned out to be a mixed bag. On the outside, it's unbelievably beautiful and amazing.

On the inside, it was painful and annoying.

See, the temple had these stairs that had a very high incline (some as high as 61 degrees!), and there were tons of places to bump your head if you're a tall person like myself (which I did a few times, as well as misstepped and hurt my feet). So all you tall people; you'll prefer the outside of the castle to the inside. *nods*

Overall though, it was a very worthwhile experience. Tomorrow we head to Nagoya and then to Kyoto. Lots of pictures today so enjoy. ^^

Pictures:
[link]

Movies:
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21149969/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21149969/ Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:47:08 PDT
Last night Jen got to watch Himitsu no Arashi-chan on the HD TV here in the hotel room. She was very very excited. I also finally found "Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2" and immediately picked it up. ^_^

Jen and I were very tired, and figured rather than go 3 hours one way and 3 back to go to an onsen when they'll literally be all over Kyoto, we took the day off to go around the Tokyo area. I went back to Akihabara mostly to do some additional shopping (very little of which for me), and it was raining the majority of the day, so there are no pictures for the day. Still a very very highly productive day though. I spent the evening packing into boxes to ship lots of my stuff home.

10/25/2008

Last day in the Tokyo area. I went to mail my packages, but the post office across the street from our hotel was closed! D: So I asked at the hotel front desk and they told me about another post office that was open. However it was forever away and they didn't have anything to help me carry it there so I had to lug two big ass boxes to the post office. It cost about $171 to ship it all. Ah well, live and learn.

Went to Tokyo and went to the Imperial Castle area, but they wouldn't let anyone in (obviously) so I've only a few pictures of my time there (20 I think).

Went back to Shinjuku and found a Kinokuniya book store. Found a Sakura Taisen V artbook and a Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) artbook and bought them.

I has a blister on my pinky toe from all of the walkings. D:

Tomorrow Jen and I leave and head for Matsumoto for a day to look at the castle and stuff. From there we will go to Nagoya and Kyoto the next day. Pics now.

Pictures:
[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21120155/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21120155/ Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:23:40 PDT
10/22/2008
We woke up and headed out for Nikko at about 8:00. We had to catch a couple of round-about trains to get there (I can't remember off the top of my head), but after a couple of hours on the train we finally arrived at Nikko and boy was I tired. This was NOT helped by the VERY long uphill climb. Jen had plenty of energy though. Lucky her. XD

The temples in Nikko were gorgeous though. The sheer amount of craftsmenship that went into them is unbelievable. I'll let the pictures do the talking for this one.

By the time we got back I went to bed and couldn't be moved. Sleepy times

Pictures:
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Movies:
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[link]

10/23/2008

Today we woke up very early and caught the early trains to get to Hakone. We took the Shinkansen and it was really nice (and f***ing fast! o_O). Once there, we took a bus up to the top which was like Indiana Jones the Ride: Real Life Edition. From there we walked to this area were we boarded a boat modeled like a pirate ship (yar!), and crossed the lake until we got to these cable cars that took us up and down the mountain. The views were breathtaking. There were TONS of school kids out today as well. There was this girl on the ropeway that was so scared and was clinging to her friend. It was adorable. We made such good time that we got back at 4:00 and I had time to go through today's and yesterdays' pics and movies! w00t! ^_^ So without further ado:

Pictures:
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Movies:
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[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21091612/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21091612/ Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:19:14 PDT
I'm thinking of switching this to an every-other-day schedule, since we got home late today and I had a bazillion pictures. I'm a little tired so I hope you'll understand if I keep this a little short.

Woke up today, went to Hanajuku and Yoyogi Park with Jen. Beautiful place with lots of gardens and trees. Then I separated from Jen and went to Akihabara again to pick something up for Allan that I forgot previously and then proceeded to go to Ueno Park and spend about 4 hours there before returning. After resting in the hotel, Jen and I trekked to Tokyo Tower, and that was a lot of fun.

That's about it really, mainly because it was a take pictures day, so the pictures really speak louder than the words. So, without further ado.

Pictures
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Movies
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]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21075238/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21075238/ Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:08:54 PDT
It was almost a disaster that destroyed the entire trip.

Allow me to expound. I brought about $4000 with me, I pull $400 in my wallet and the remaining in an envelope and put in my boot to hide it. Early on in the day I cross the street in a hurry to beat the light, I have someone call out to me, and is holding the envelope of money! It had fallen out of my boot somehow and THANK GOD the Japanese are so nice and brought it back to me.

New rule: Money stays in backpack.

Anyhow, I went to Akihabara, the Electric Town, to get my "for myself" shopping out of the way 'cause this is the place for videogames. There is no other. I'm dead serious. You'll see the pictures and movie for yourself in a minute. The amazing store known as "Super Potato" opened at 11:00AM, and I stayed there for 3 HOURS! I could have stayed longer if I REALLY wanted to blow all of my money, as it stands I spent about $500ish (I'll have to count exact).

After Super Potato, I went to get some lunch. To enjoy something I can't in America, I went to a maid cafe. Let's just say it was a... surreal experience. Like, they were all calling me "Goshujin-sama" (something like "My Master") and were all uber cute and acting all cute and stuff. Then when they served me my food they made these cute motions and said random words and made me repeat along with them. I'm SOOO glad Jen wasn't there for that. I don't have a picture on my camera (it was not allowed), but I did get a picture with one of the maids just to prove I was there. All and all I'm glad I went, but I just don't think I'll do it again unless I'm REALLY hungry.

Then I went back to hotel to drop stuff off, went back, bought some more stuff, and am now back in the hotel. Tomorrow I'll probably go to Ueno and Tokyo. And now, pictures and a movie of the game store "Super Potato".

Pictures
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Video
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]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21066455/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/21066455/ Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:53:56 PDT
… deep breath…

“ZelswonderlyawesomeamazingblogofbeinginJapanwherethereareinsanelightseverywhereandwhythefuckdon’tIlivehere???”

;

Anyhoo, it’s been a loooooooooooooooooooong ride in more ways than one. In an attempt to prepare for the jet lag of taking vacation in a country that’s 13 hours ahead of the US, we opted to pull an all-nighter before boarding our 10AM flight to Japan. We assumed that with our fatigue (and some Benadryl), we’d be so conked out that we’d sleep for the entire flight.

Well, I can’t speak for Jen ‘cause she was in a different seat, but boy this didn’t work for me at all. I can’t sleep on planes. At all. No matter now tired, no matter if I’ve had Benadryl, I simply cannot sleep on a plane. I tossed and turned so many times I’m sure the people next to me must have thought I had some horrible condition or something. Thankfully I’ve never had problems with jet lag anyway so I’ve held up pretty well.

Japan Airlines is something else however. It’s quite literally the best flight experience I’ve had, and I’ve flown a lot. The stewardesses were wonderful, the food was delicious (I mean, REALLY delicious), and there were these cameras below and in front of the plane that showed what the takeoff and landing looked like without having to stare out the side window.

Once off the plane, we made our way through customs, got our money exchanged, got our JR passes, and took another train for an hour and a half to our hotel in Shinjuku. A very nice older gentlemen helped us find our hotel after we were horribly unsure of where the hell it was, but alls well that ends well.

Japan is so far ahead of us. It’s not space age stuff, it’s just little stuff. Like the card keys for our hotel room. You don’t slide it in a slot to open the door like in US hotels. Here, you just lightly press it against a pad and it opens the door! Also, you can’t use the elevator without the card. You have the push the card on the panel to register that you’re an actual guest, then chose your floor. The card even activates the lights and electricity in the room! Crazy! XD

After resting for a little while (Jen was feeling a little motion sick from hours on plane and train), we got some very delicious food at a place called Hanakatsu. I had a Roast Hirekatsu (whatever the heck that is) and enjoyed every bite. We walked a little through the streets near the hotel for a convenience store and there was a TON of stuff to see (including some videogame stores that I perused to not waste the day in the hotel room). Game arcades and camera stores and a huge karaoke center. Nice way to end the day!

I’m including a link to the pictures I took (I’ve resized them for web browsing) and a link to a small 40 second video of while we were on the train (it’s boring, but I thought the country side was pretty and wanted to record it) and have uploaded that to YouTube for better access and less “Why am I downloading a 32 MB file for the most boring 40 seconds ever??”

Pictures
[link]

Video
[link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20675438/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20675438/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:54:20 PDT [link]

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20646459/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20646459/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:49:44 PDT [link]

So true!!

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20590708/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20590708/ Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:19:50 PDT [link]

I'm sorry, but if she can't handle a measly debate like everyone else, she's NOT qualified for the position!

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20508590/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20508590/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:56:11 PDT [link]

Joe Biden just gave a wonderful speech! Share this with everyone you know!

Obama/Biden 08!

EDIT:

[link]

This is disturbing! Spread the news, this sounds quite serious!

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20366279/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/20366279/ Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:38:21 PDT [link]

This is beyond bad, this is downright criminal. They have no right to call themselves "news" when they pull crap like this. Spread the word.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/18849147/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/18849147/ Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:03:09 PDT
[link]

[quote]Characteristics of quarter-life crisis may include:

* feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level
* frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
* confusion of identity
* insecurity regarding the near future
* insecurity concerning long-term plans, life goals
* insecurity regarding present accomplishments
* re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
* disappointment with one's job
* nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life
* tendency to hold stronger opinions
* boredom with social interactions
* loss of closeness to high school and college friends
* financially-rooted stress (overwhelming college loans, unanticipatedly high cost of living, etc.)
* loneliness
* desire to have children
* a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you[/quote]

Except for the whole desire to have children bit, this describes me pretty well I think. Perhaps this is part of the problem as well.

]]> ~StudioZEL http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/18838815/ http://StudioZEL.deviantart.com/journal/18838815/ Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:35:16 PDT
I’ll be 27 in less than a month. For all of these years, I’ve thought I was a sun. When I was a kid, I glowed, I was happy and free. But then we moved away from my home, my friends in California, and my light vanished like a comet crashing from the sea of stars. I wondered where my light had gone. I wondered why my fire burned out. But today… today I realized. It wasn’t that my light had vanished, or my fire had burned out. I never had a light of my own to begin with. I merely reflected the light of the suns surrounding me. There were so many suns shining their light on me. I was reflecting so much light that I began to believed I was a sun myself.

After my light vanished, I desperately searched for it. Every once in a while it’d be there, and I’d think I was re-finding it. But I was wrong. That was just because every once in a while, a sun would stop to say “Hi”, maybe hang out for a bit. But I’d push them away. I didn’t mean to really. It’s just that I’d follow them around, desperate to reflect their light. I wanted to feel like a sun like I had when I was a child; like I had my own light to shine. But they grew tired of my desperation, the lifeless rock than I am, and found other suns to be with. I was just a cold, dead moon after all. I couldn’t shine a light back at them, nothing I wasn’t already reflecting.

It makes so much sense now. Whenever I was with my friends, sometimes women would take an interest in the light I shone. They sought to spend some time with me to get to know me better, without the friends to get in the way. But then the secret was revealed. I didn’t glow anymore. I wasn’t shining. Once the truth would come out they would leave, they’d find a sun to spend their time with. And I’d be left once again alone, fading into the dark recesses of existence.

I distracted myself; I found videogames, anime, and manga. I found Harry Potter. I found something new and exciting. I depended on it to keep me company when the many suns around me drifted away, seeking other suns. I started drawing. People liked it. For a few moments, they would be fooled into thinking I was a sun in disguise.

Now there are no suns around me. They’ve all gone off to have fun, while I’ve been left behind; I guess I was just taking up space, slowing them down. I decided to go out myself, I went to the mall to walk down the aisles of videogames. I could always take comfort in games. They’re my love, my passion. But today, something happened. I found I don’t have fun looking at them anymore. I bought a few games a couple of weeks ago, and found I was no longer having fun. I watched some anime; it hasn’t changed much over the years, only now its getting slowly but surely worse as it goes along.

And now, I feel as though I have nothing left. Because I’ve never been a sun, because everything I’ve ever done has merely been a reflection of the suns around me. I was never able to shine a light on my own, to be happy just being alive. To believe in myself just because I am.

I read message boards in the hopes of chat with someone, desperate for anything that resembles human interaction. I’ll draw something, and no matter how bad or trite it is, I’ll post it somewhere and hope I get a response. Good or bad. I’m so desperate for any connection with a sun, or even to just be near one, I’ll resort to spending my days watching other people chat.

But what do I do now? Before, I never realized what I really was. When suns weren’t around, I could keep myself occupied, distracted, with anime or videogames or whatever. But that’s all I ever had. There’s no point in just finding another hobby, or buying a new game or game system, because I know now that those are just temporary fixes, band-aids that will fall off. And they’re falling off faster than ever before. It’s just a waste of money to buy what I no longer enjoy.

This past Wednesday, I drove to New York to stand in line and get a signature from Hideo Kojima. He’s a great game designer, and I loved the Metal Gear series, so it seemed like a fun thing to do. But the truth is, the only reason I went was because I wanted to pretend like I’d done something interesting this week. I wanted to feel like I was going out, doing something. I even bought a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4. I don’t even own a PlayStation 3 to play it on! It’s like that guy from… fuck I’m forgetting the name; the Mel Gibson movie where the guy was so scared of everything and so paranoid. He’d go into a book store and buy a copy of Catcher in the Rye, even though he had copies of it. But he’d always buy that book. He wasn’t buying it to read it, it was buying to feel normal, to delude himself into thinking that... ]]> ~StudioZEL