#(( figure his last pic was long enough ago it's time to draw his more updated look ! ))

[vincenbohnes]

Oi since erry'one else is postin' pics t'light arready, I gotta get in onnat too, 'specially given it been a while.

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

I miss you, Tumblr! + Life update on stuff and things

Heyyyyy everyone. I figured it was high time I made a proper post talking about, well, everything that’s happened since I stopped posting so much. I don’t like that I disappeared - this site was where I discovered Reylo and made some truly awesome friends. So I want to stick around, you know? And I do hope to come back more often from now on. It’s just hard juggling so many social media platforms...

But ANYWAY. I promised an update, so here we go.

1. I’m moving across the country!

That’s right ladies and gents, I’m fleeing the New Jersey coop for my old hometown of Huntsville, AL. 

Why, you ask? Well, Huntsville is very much a city of the future. As the home of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (where they built the Saturn V rockets!) Huntsville has earned the well-deserved moniker "Rocket City USA." It's also undergoing a huge economic boom, which has led to a thriving arts community.

New Jersey? Eh.

I'm tired of just treading water and not making headway toward my dreams. I’ll talk about those dreams a bit more in this post. Needless to say, they’re very, very important to me.

So I'm not settling anymore. In August/September, I'm packing up shop and heading down south. It's the start of something new, and I can’t wait.

2. I started a Patreon for my passion project, and it’s going well <3

My passion project, The Oracle Fragment, has been the one thing I’ve returned to over and over again for the past 10+ years. Late last year I decided to step up my commitment by starting a Patreon. I’ve only done a soft launch so far, and I’m already at 38 Patrons :) It’s been a rewarding month!

My official launch is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27. I’ll be celebrating with a Twitch stream with fun games, sketch requests, and maybe a little giveaway ;) The stream starts at 9pm EST. Let me know if you want to come - as you know, I take Reylo requests ;)

3. I’ve returned to my roots: pencil drawing!

A friend of mine convinced me to do some traditional drawing again, and I’m so glad he did. I’d forgotten how lovely it is to put pencil to paper. Also, I know I’m far better at it than I am at digital sketching. So I’m gonna let myself indulge a bit - and maybe even find a way to marry my pencil art TO my digital art. People do it all the time, I hear ;)

People who are waiting on commissions: if you want me to sketch your ideas traditionally, shoot me a message and let’s talk about it! If I do a pencil sketch for you, I can actually mail it to you OR to the friend of your choice. Shipping is free! (unless it’s international in which case we’ll discuss it) @reylorianlovechild @immortalpen @faithren @rebelrebelreylo @jesssssah

4. I’m putting my art in local stores

My favorite stores in Woodstown, Barney Loves Books and the Woodstown Coffee Shop and Bakery, have agreed to let me display my art on their premises. I’m REALLY excited and also a little overwhelmed :) I’m gonna start small, with just a basket of prints and originals... BUT who knows where it could go from here :) 

If you’re in the Woodstown area, come take a look sometime! Woodstown is about 40 minutes away from Philadelphia. As a bonus, we could even meet - just message me and we’ll go get coffee from the bakery!

5. I’m raising money for Star Wars Celebration

I bought Saturday passes for my husband and me some time ago. Now it’s time for me to either (A) raise the money for travel and lodging, or (B) sell the tickets to someone else. :p For a while I was leaning toward just selling them, but hell, it would be SO nice to go, if only for a day! So I’m going to give it a shot. Keep an eye out for commission openings (once my current ones are finished) and other cool stuff!

6. I’m doing more portrait work

Again, this is all because my friends and family convinced me to... BUT I’ve decided to make a whole-assed attempt at making my portrait work a thing. I’m printing up brochures to display with my art, and I’ve revamped my listings on Etsy.

Portraits are my strongest point, after all. There’s something about the human face that utterly enchants me, and people tell me I have the ability to capture the subject’s heart and soul on paper. I’ve decided to believe them. :)

If you’ve been thinking about commissioning a portrait of a friend, family member, or other loved one (including fictional loves *coughKylocough*), you can go to my Etsy here, or just message me here on Tumblr.

Speaking of Etsy...

7. I’m adding lots more stuff to my Etsy store

I haven’t done much with Etsy since last summer, and it’s time I fixed that. Over the weekend, I FINALLY added a print option for Elf lord Kylo Ren (!!), and I’m about to add merch for him, too. Oh, and I just ordered fine art prints of Elven Kylo and Hades and Persephone Reylo so I can put out hand-embellished versions of them!! That’s where I paint on the prints with gold or silver so they look extra shiny and pretty. You can see a pic of my embellished Art Nouveau Padme here.

Other plans I have for my Etsy: 

- add pillow inserts to my custom pillows - add MORE fanart - add MORE originals

If you have ideas for other things I can add to my Etsy, please let me know! Especially if it’s Reylo things ;) 

8. I’m starting a regular Twitch stream with an art/storytelling focus

I’ve wanted to be a Twitch streamer for a long time, but I could never figure out what to do, exactly. Just recently, inspiration hit me like a bolt of lightning:

I want my stream to be all about storytelling.

Life gets crazy, depressing, and devoid of magic sometimes. I want to bring a little of that magic back by creating an intentional space outside of daily life for imagination and exploration. Dreaming, brainstorming, chasing plot bunnies, painting, sketching, talking deep subjects, and playing games - these will all be welcome activities in my magic circle. So if that sounds good to you, come make magic with me <3

My inaugural stream will be Saturday, February 23 at noon EST. After that, I hope to stream at least 3 times a week in the afternoons.

---

As for Reylo stuff...

Believe me, though I’ve been absent from Tumblr, I’ve never, EVER stopped thinking about Reylo. And I haven’t forgotten about any of my ongoing Reylo fics and projects!

I’ll make a separate post about that, though. I’ve talked your ear off quite enough for one post ;)

I’ve missed you all. If the urge strikes you, PLEASE come and see hi. I’d love to hear from you!

@reylocalligraphy @reylo-convert @enjoyallneednothing-blog @raven-maiden @obsessivepropulsive @ever-so-reylo @monsterleadmehome @reylolujah @pacificwanderer @dreamsdescent @faequeentitania @thewayofthetrashcompactor @deafield @dvrkrey @reylotrashpiler @recklessdarkness @cosmo-gonika @aionimica @creationsvixen @collegefangirl3791 @inmyownidiom @midnightbluefox

[belladonnablake]

All odd numbers 🖤

1: Golden mornings or peachy sunsets?: boston summer sunsets are always peachy but there’s something about the morning sky after it snows that is just as good? sunsets for summer and mornings for winter3: Do you wear scarves often? do you have a favorite?: i’d like to wear scarves more often than i do but i don’t know what to do with the back of my hair when i do? so maybe i will more often once it’s styled if i ever go to a hairdresser before the next time i die? but i do have a fave! i bought myself a tottenham hotspur scarf in the north end more than a few years ago and i’ll. try to take pictures of myself wearing it. i’ll try to take pictures of myself this year because i didn’t last year lol5: Is there a food you’ve never had but always wanted to try?: there’s a lot of things but i can’t think of too many right now! a lot of it is regional food you can’t find in new england or you can but you have to go out of your way. i’ve tried both rabbit and gator in the past couple years and i want to try more meats. caribou would be nice too. this is one of those questions i could talk forever without ever answering it completely so i’ll cut it here you’re welcome7: Do you listen to ASMR?: not too often but i’ll listen to rain or like moving water in general when i write on occasion, otherwise the music i’m listening to influences the music i’m writing. but nothing more than that9: What’s a little thing in life that you love?: i answered this but because it’s a question that can be answered more than once so i’m gonna do that. i love winter jack jack daniels. it’s like apple whiskey. i love my new pink and green joycons and i love the green and pink colour scheme in general. i love my new hoodies too. one is a powell peralta hoodie with a small logo on the front and big on the back, of the bones skeleton with the red hood. and the other is a thrasher hoodie with green font and a pink jellyfish11: Wobbly lines or using a ruler?: my hands are shaky and have always been shaky so my straight lines, they’re straighter than i am but they’re still bad. i don’t even think i own a ruler but if i were going to draw a straight line i’m going to need one lol13: Do you have any candles? what scents are they?: one of them is apple something and the other two are sparkling icicles and sweater weather which like. i don’t know how to describe either but it’s not the same as lighting a sweater on fire or sticking an icicle up your nose15: Do you have glasses?: another one where i’ll try to take pics for later but i have green aviators, red aviators, and purple aviators. all sunglasses off of rainbowoptx dot com17: What’s your favorite season and favorite month in that season?: winter autumn tie but my fave months are october, november, and december, and all but ten days of that are in autumn? 19: Favorite Ghibli and/or disney movie: it’s been years since i’ve seen either so forgive me if my memory fails me but i remember princess mononoke, kiki’s delivery service, and spirited away the most out of all of either ghibli or disney? and i should probably rewatch them soon as well as the others to see if that still stands21: What snacks do you usually get at the theater?: i don’t think i’ve ever actually gotten snacks at the theatre? i haven’t been in years, but there are a few things either out or coming out that look like they’d be worth going even if the concept of theatres is something that i don’t really understand? ...i’m thinkin bout once upon a time in hollywood baby! the best candy for theatres is reeses pieces and like any of the bites candy? cookie dough bites etc23: Would you fill your house with plants if you had a green thumb?: i keep my liquor bottles around to use them as vases tbh. there really isn’t a place for plants in our apartment, or maybe there is and i haven’t found it25: Do you have a favorite type of art style? (eg: soft looking, no to little color, sketches, crisp and clean, minimalist, pixel art etc.): my style varies all the time and i try to do all of the above, i’m very inconsistent myself. but i’m very fond of 3D modeling atm!27: Do you like nicknames?: i like nicknames if i like the person using them? i’m a person with a lot of names because i’m a dumb kinnie and hate using one name exclusively and i guess all my names are nicknames but like. i don’t like how nicknames for most people are shortened names or how they think shorter names are nicknames for a longer name idk like i’ve got a cousin named liam, that’s not his nickname. his legal name might be william but that’s not his name. his nicknames have nothing to do with that. and like there’s nothing wrong with nicknames that are shortened versions of a name but i hate how that’s what most people think of them as29: Do you still like old memes? (tell the truth): i don’t like how meme formats are the same and the reaction image changes. i like reaction images but i don’t like how some of them become memes and then it changes to a different image for the same format. i like the new wave of doge memes and i still like pepe and i love how stupid dat boi was 31:  Are you a fashionable person?: i’m a crusty folk punk that wears the same flannel every day but doesn’t know how to make crust pants33:  Cookies or brownies?: i don’t love either and would rather just eat raw cookie dough. i think there is such a thing as too much chocolate and brownies do have too much and cookies are often borderline but i do like a baller macaron or cheesecake cookie35: Do you find the crickets chirping outside your window relaxing?: i live in a city so... replace crickets with drunks screaming anything from the lyrics to everlong to i need you! we need you! we need you! we need you! we need you! fucking idiot! i don’t have further context for either but ya that’s relaxing to me37:  How often do you doodle?: not as often as i should because of the perfectionism thing giving me this fear of practice? i blame public school for killing off as many artists as they can tbh39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room?: mr. durdam... he is a hollow plastic penguin around kneehigh next to the tv stand / amiibo shelves. we also hung waluigi from the ceiling for a while.41: Any birthmarks?: i got two dots on my wrist, one larger one smaller. looks like an exclamation point !43: First video game you ever played?: it was either one of the early zelda games or one of the ps1 games? i was too young to form memories but i know it was one of the two. i know i played arcade games at some arcade on hampton beach when i was that young too. qbert that orange FUCK45: Do you use gifs/ memes a lot when replying to people?: i’m trying to get better at remembering to save reaction images and remembering to use them. i don’t even know how people use the gifs when replying to people because i was stuck with a phone that couldn’t update its operating system for years and now i have a new phone with an up to date operating system and i’m still figuring things out47: Ideal temperature outside?: so it’s either gonna be below freezing so it’s able to snow or like... around 50 or below and literally feels like nothing at all. because i hate when it’s too hot to wear beanies. i like when it’s cold and i like when it’s not hot or cold. but i hate hot49: How often do you hear airplanes outside?: if i were to go outside and lie down on my back i could watch airplanes all day long. it’s a little different than being on castle island but it’s still close enough to logan to where planes are near constant but not too loud. i hear the train every ten minutes too. and the cars are always

[mewlicent]

The curtain falls.  LONG post.

…So.  I bet you’re wondering why I called you all here… heh.

I HAVE A PROBLEM.  AND I NEED TO FIX IT.

I’ll cut right to it, then, because I had other stuff going on all morning/day and have only just gotten settled in front of my computer, and now it’s a whole day after I’d originally planned to do this, and so I think the time has finally come to stop putting it off and just “say my thing.”

I’m here to announce that I will no longer be updating this blog, at least until further notice but obviously it could be longer.  I hope that makes sense… sheez… anyway.

This was not an easy decision to make, darlings.  I wanted to love this blog.  I wanted to love blogging in general.  And fandom.  And shipping.  I wanted to fill this blog with that crabby ginger tabby, Millicent, hence the name, and Kylux in particular, and all manner of Star Wars and Night Vale and Carry On and my favorite actors, and above all, I just wanted to have a good time.

Those very things have gotten me and my best friend in a rut, and we recognize that there is an issue.  Not so very long ago, she and I became deeply invested in one particular actor, who I will not name but you are all smart enough to figure it out… and, quite honestly, the whole thing got extremely out of hand.  She and I are in no danger of breaking our friendship; I simply mean that this actor has been seen living his life and making personal life choices that were in no way wrong but still left us feeling… well… left out.  I’ll explain in the next paragraph.  The main thing you must understand is this: We are taking a step back from having anything to do with this actor or his work, and that in itself may very well be temporary OR it may be permanent, the jury’s still out on that.  More to the point, the depth of our emotional investment has truly gotten bad enough that we can no longer feel comfortable staying on Tumblr where the issue is perpetuated and exacerbates our negative feelings.

Now… to be frank, this whole thing that I’m doing started as an act of solidarity and loyalty to her, it wasn’t originally my pain or my issue, but the more I thought about it, the more I understood what I was dealing with and putting myself through.  And I realized that in other ways, it WAS my pain and it WAS my issue, just not in the exact same way.

At this point, I’m not too prideful to admit I did something very irresponsible.  A few things, actually.  I can’t speak for her, but as I brought up to her the other night, I am starting to really blur the lines between fiction and reality.  I was real-people-shipping, seeing no other pairing and preferring no other pairing except for my best friend and this actor, and it was causing terrible pain for both of us even though this actor had done nothing to us directly.

That isn’t all.  I wasn’t much better in that regard.  I’m protecting my best friend’s privacy a bit by not mentioning the name of the actor that she and I fell for… but I will mention a name that connects to my own situation.

That name is Carrie.  When I started this blog, back in July of last year (hey, at least I made it past the first “birthday!”), I had only wanted to throw fandom stuff at it and see what looked good.  And then, that December, when Carrie Fisher had her heart attack and passed away, the entire mood of the blog shifted and changed and never really went back to the way it originally was.  I didn’t actually realize it had gotten that bad until many months into the vicious loop, when I only had to see a pic of Carrie or Leia to just feel so sad and heartbroken at her death all over again, even after I thought I had recovered.  Before I knew it, I started to only go on Tumblr whenever I was feeling sad or anxious, not for the purpose of cheering myself up, but to stay sad instead.  And that’s where I am now.  This obsession with mourning Carrie, on top of the anxiety of blurred lines and worrying about sad friends has led me to feel very suffocated, anxious, and depressed on an almost constant basis, and I really don’t think it started being this bad until I got back into Tumblr.  (This was my second account in over three years at the time I started it up.)  To clarify: I am not blaming Carrie Fisher or any bloggers for my spiral.  I’m saying I was starting to become as addicted to her as I was to this other actor.

I need to say something else that’s very important, and by not saying it sooner I hope I haven’t caused anyone to worry or feel bad.  My best friend and I are safe.  We are safe, our lives are not in danger, we are going to be okay.  It is nobody’s fault on here.  Nobody here did anything wrong.  We (as in she and I) tend to dislike the general atmosphere, but this particular hardship is not related to anything that anyone here did specifically.  By getting the heck out of here when we did, we prevented the problems we were both having from getting any worse.

I honestly think that does it for the main body. Onward now to the shout-outs and thank-yous.  If I’m forgetting anyone, I am truly sorry!  I love you ALL.

@skarsjoy: Oh, my dear friend.  You are one of my favorite people, and even though I honestly didn’t reblog that much Alex while I was here, I know you understand that I’ve always appreciated everything you’ve done for me and for the Alex fandom.  I’m on Twitter still, so we can still talk.  Thank you for being such a wonderful friend.  You’re so sweet, giving, and patient, and I love you dearly.  I truly admire your willingness to post my reviews back in the day, and I just want you to know they’ll always be my favorite posts you’ve ever done.  Keep on keepin’ on, and I’ll see you on the Twitt side.

@mixtapemasterjipc: Heyyyy, Jude. This is honestly one of the hardest parts of leaving this place.  I have so many other people to thank, but you’re way way WAY up here because I just have so much to thank you for.  In particular, what stands out to me is that time we watched Hungry Hearts together, and the time you came “running” to take care of me after that humongous sad post I wrote, and our first real life phone call together.  “Girls” is still my favorite, and I’m so grateful you sent me season 3 for my birthday last year.  I enjoy your wit, your big heart, and your knowledge.  Thank you for coming to find me, and thank you for letting me in.  I’m sorry for the tough stuff in the past.  Let’s keep trying.  Together.  I ain’t goin’ anywhere for real, dude, like, seriously.  Between Twitter and texting (and by the way, thank you for sending me your number!) you won’t exactly be able to get rid of me, so do. not. worry.  I Love You.

@dxmi-illustrates: Hey you, thank you for talking with me when I first started hanging around this place.  You’re a fantastic artist, and I hope that’ll continue to go well for you–I loved For Rent, especially.  Good luck with all that, doll.  Also, good luck with school!

@pidgy-draws: Sweetie, thank you for the chats.  I’m happy I got to know you.  You draw such cute art and I’m very proud of you! ^w^

@rebelwerewolf: I have a lot of respect for you.  As a blogger, you have paid such loving respect to the Star Wars and Kylux fandoms, and as much good as you’ve done for this community, I hope that something wonderful happens to you too someday.  Thank you.

@kyluxtrashbin: THANK YOU for my Christmas card!  You’re so sweet and smart, and I’m happy to have known you for the short time I was here.  I’ll write to you, sweetheart.  Thank you.

@thegoodlannister: You just have such a sweet personality and I’m happy we’ve had the chats we did.  You may not have ever known this but I started as a Stark and now I identify as a Lannister.  You’ll hear my roar on some other distant shore, dude, I promise.  Thank you.

@mintmintdoodles: You’re adorable and a darling, I love your freaking art, and I just really wanted to thank you for letting me use your Kylux + Millie chibi pic as my profile pic.

@elviscl: You’re incredibly awesome.  You are an insanely talented artist, and I’m so happy the Kylux fandom has you.  Keep on truckin, you.  Thank you so much for letting me use that Kylux + Millie pic as my banner.

@deluxekyluxtrashcan: You’re a very talented writer, mah dude.  Never give up.  I love you.  Thank you for the chats.

@flukeoffate: HEY LAYDEE. Thank you for the artwork you’ve done for me over the time I’ve been here.  I’ll talk to you on FB still!!!  Hope everything is going okay for ya.  Love love!

@helliskylux: Where do I even start with you, my love? You have such a good heart, and gods I just hope wonderful things happen to you. Thank you for your friendship, and for all the love.

@minzimpression: I just think you are so talented and funny. Hotline Bling is such an amazing story, one of my most favorites.  Thank you for your hard work and for talking to me.  I fucking love you.

@teatimeinspace: You’re lovely!  Thank you for your contributions to the Kylux fandom, and I wish you love and light and all good things.

@han-sulus: I really hope you’re doing okay.  Thank you for your friendship.  I love you so much.

@kylux-fic-hell: You’re awesome, and I love your fics!  Never let your light die. Thank you for your work.

@hux-you-up: Your blog is epic, and I enjoyed following you! ^_^ Thank you.

@kyleauxwren: UGH YOU ARE AMAZING.  I wish you all the best!  Thank you for your contributions to the fandom and the art world!!  My favorite thing was the Millie pins, but I’m absolutely floored by your other art! Congratulations on all your successes, and good luck with future ones!

@drxgonstone: It’s been a pleasure knowing you.  I’ll never forget that one of the first things we talked about was how beautiful your account is (back when it was ohkylorens).  And I honestly hate that I’m having to leave now, just when it’s all decked up in some of my new favorite things, Game of Thrones and JONAERYS.  Dearly love ya, friend.  Thank you.

@nightsofllyn!  Words can’t express the level of respect and gratitude I feel for you.  I absolutely adore Blue Milkshake, like you have no friggin idea, and I wish you all the best in continuing it.  To be fair, I wish you the best in everything. You deserve it. Thank you for putting up with the ridiculous level of my fangirling.  Love ya!

@wishfulfanficing and @missaliarman: First off, you’re so lovely to me, and I love that you’re a Leia fan.  Second, my dear, I’m going to send you the Carrie mall fanfic when I’m done with it.  Thank you so much for your email address; I look forward to keeping in contact off of this haunted hill.  I LOVE YOU dearly.

@lenina-phasma: You’ll be hearing from me very soon, friendly friend.  We did exchange emails.  I’m not going to disappear.  THANK YOU for your support.  I’ll help you with Come Blow Your Horn anytime you need a nudge.  I’m looking forward to The Sorceress and the Skeptic, too, cher.  Mucho love.

@pinkyhuxy: SO MUCH PINK.  Thank you for your contributions to the Kylux and Pink!Hux fandom. You’re a gem!

@chacharger: Like I don’t even know.  I feel like such a complete creep for walking away from this place after you gave me the Carry On confession blog.  I’m sorry for that, and I just wanted to say thank you again for giving me the opportunity to try to work on it.  I hope everything goes well for you. <3

@darthastris: You’ve been so good to me in my time on this site, as well as on Twitter. I’m sorry that everything happened so suddenly.  It’s going to take some time but I’m going to get back up on my feet eventually and move forward.  I’m so grateful for your presence in my life, and I’m glad that I’ll still be able to communicate with you once I take my leave of this little corner of the “world.”

@bpdhux and @endoglenic: I have no words for the gratitude I feel toward both of you, for sticking by me as I go through a lot of changes all at once.  I’m happy we get to continue talking over email; I think that makes this a lot easier.

@solohux: Little Lottie, darling, I’ve truly adored every interaction we have had since we became friends here.  I will deeply, utterly miss you.  We have had a lovely few months together, haven’t we?  I’ll email back and forth with you if you want, just check out my addy in the bottom of this post!  I will always think of you whenever I see foxes.  I love you, friend.  Hang in there.  You can do this.

@imperatrixxx: I want to let you know I have a GREAT deal of respect for your mission of helping kitties.  I’ll never forget our journey together to help rescue Millicent and get her adopted.  Thank you for reaching out after I had to let go of baby Asus back several months ago.  May your streets be paved with scratching posts and your home filled with as many kitties as your heart can handle.

@strawhat-giraffe: AAAAHHHH! Hey, so I know we didn’t get to know each other very long before I freaked and ditched this joint, but I wanted to say I LOVE that you’re a voice actor too, and if you’ll email me (bottom of the post) I’ll send you my voiceover work in an audio file!  OODLES of love and light to ya, friend! 

@fanbows: You’re truly my favorite Rainbow Rowell blogger!  Thank you for your contribution to the RR fanbase!  You deserve so much good in return for the good you do.  I think everyone deserves a pot of gold like you at the end of their rainbow. (I am a cheese, so what? Ha! Sorry not sorry ^^)

@yofriesenburg: Now, one of the reasons I joined Tumblr again was because of Snowbaz.  You, friend, are probably my favorite EVER Snowbaz artist.  I hope everyone everywhere gets to see your art, CO or otherwise!  Thank you.

@ottenebrare: I don’t know if I mentioned this to you on that night when I asked you about your name, but I truly admire you.  You have contributed so much to the Kylux fandom, and you have a beautiful soul on top of that, and I don’t know I just really love you.  I did get more sleep after I sent that message to you, and all I can tell you is I’m trying as hard as I can in life.

And lastly, @missmendelsohn.  I’m sorry.  I tried.  I tried but I just couldn’t fight anymore and I have to step back and just try to be brave through whatever this nastiness is.  Please.  Keep “it” safe, and please don’t tell anyone.  Thank you for your contribution to Tumblr and to the fam.  You’re a good girl.  You did nothing wrong.  I love you.

Special mentions to other deeply loved and respected favorites that I didn’t necessarily have a whole lot of contact with: @sigalawin @eglantineprice @reylooo @confessuponatime @dearmyblank @thelastmessagereceived @ryanreynoldssource @fuckyeahreynolds @arrivedmad and @ben-mendelsohn-trash.

My email, should any of you wish to remain in contact with me off of here, is tama2224@gmail.com.  Thank you all.  May the Force be with you.

R.I.P. Mewlicent’s Domain: July 29, 2016 - August 22, 2017.

[attract-mode-collective]

Finally, The ET Video Game That You’ve Been Waiting For

Since there was no proper game culture wrap-up last week (again, sorry about that), along with how I’m filing this at the end of the week instead of the beginning (there’s… stuff happening, so consider this one of the more minor examples), there’s a lot to cover this time around. Including a bunch of happenings from the word of art.

So kicking things off is the latest from Amanda Visel X Michelle Valigura. Much like their Star Wars, Beetlejuice, and Heathers cabinets, here we their ideas of what arcade games based upon ET and Aliens could and should look like. And yeah, playing as Gertie is an approach that could salvage its reputation in the video game sphere, plus I totally want an Alien/Aliens video game starring Newt.

Actually, hasn’t something similar already happened? Sorry, haven’t kept up with the video adaptations; last one I played was for the Jaguar. Anyhow, and unfortunately, both pieces are sold out online. Though… and I’m not 100% certain, but… they’re both at the Thailand Toy Expo, so maybe they brought a few extras with them?

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan to be exact, are not just one but two other notable shows, and both focused on electronic entertainment. First is something you’re probably familiar with, the My Famicase Exhibition, and not just because it’s been around for 13 years. As of this writing, the entire assortment has yet to be shared officially, so you’ll have to turn to Twitter to see the participants boasting their own handiwork.

[UPDATE: 5/7/17] Actually, all the pieces are finally viewable on the Famicase homepage proper. Here are my faves…

… I particularly love Saturdays’s flavor text: “The gateway opens once a week. Tomorrow I’m going in.”

… You kinda need to see the actual cart in the wild to understand; here’s a pic courtesy of @mandimappy…

And finally...

… It’s maybe pointing out that the artist responsible for the concept above also did a piece for last year’s event as well, which ended up becoming something that’s actually playable! Hope history repeats itself cuz I really want a game about an all cat band with gross lyrics.

Now, the other show is something you may know nothing about, cuz a. the 16 Bit Models Exhibition has only been around for two years and b, was only open for just one day, hence why it’s fallen under many radars.

Admittedly, I found last year’s assortment a bit more up my alley, most due to my affinity for the obscure. Yet I can still appreciate this very realistic take on the Super Mario Bros (btw, am also sorry that I don’t know who’s responsible for what)…

Along with this realistic take on Pauline and Donkey Kong…

Yet the exhibition was a reminder that not every Nintendo game out there has been paid tribute to death, specifically Urban Champion…

The dioramas are easily the best parts of the 16 Bit Models Exhibition. Here’s an equally impressive one, featuring Castlevania…

Though once again, the obscurer the better, so this tribute to Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa gets a thumbs up from me…

Which is the lesser known game: Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa or City Connection? The latter at least was released on the NES at the time. Then again…

Moving onto fashion, UNIQLO recently unveiled an upcoming line based upon Mario and company. As one might expect from UNIQLO, they look quite nice! Here’s the campaign movie from Japan…

The best part is that UNIQLO’s entire line is headed towards the US! Was not expecting that. Alas, certain designs are not available to everyone, and I know more than a few adults who wouldn’t mind that Kirby tee. So here comes YUMMY MART to the rescue…

Somewhat along the same lines is Namco enlisting the talents of PAYNUS, who represents some of the esoteric offerings in the Pac-Store…

The constant reference to pizza is something that’s present in both the PAYNUS designs and Namco’s own in-house efforts…

Meanwhile, back at METEOR, in addition to the latest Famicase exhibit, they’ve also been busy with a collab with THUNDERBOX (which I highlighted just a few weeks ago). And from the looks of miki800.com’s post, MOUNTAIN GRAPHICS is also involved? Talk about a holy trinity…

Whereas the previous combination makes sense, the following is… unexpected. Recently discovered that R23X has teamed up with the The Yetee of all folks to produce a line of shirts showcasing glitched VHS stills. Including one that’s game related (technically two; there’s also a crop top version as well)…

Looks neat and all, but I’m less of a Final Fantasy 7 fan and more of a Wave Race 64 aficionado, and would therefore love to see this on a tee…

I’d also love to get my hands on one of these 100 yen pins that @rgb_club posted a couple weeks back, though no word on when it might be available…

Here’s another thing that’s not for sale, mostly cuz there was only one, which is of this baseball player made to look like a Street Fighter…

Which had the better Spinning Bird Kick; Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li…

Or City Hunter (yup, that’s Jackie Chan; via tenshokyaku)…

Sticking with leggy video game stars, thanks to thevideogameartarchive, we finally have an answer as to whether Link is boxers or briefs…

And sticking with Link for just a bit more, I particularly dig nozovis’s summary of the fun times him and Zelda have in Breath of the Wild…

Along those same lines is a zine that @WPR_haru made that’s filled with all the photos he took, one that I’d love to have a copy of…

Which fan art featuring a character from behind do you prefer; this Breath of the Wild piece by James Kochalka…

Or this Overwatch piece by some unknown artist (if anyone knows, plz let me know)…

Here we have @RAStyle85’s Astro City with a lots of buttons, for playing whatever game that requires that many inputs…

And here we have former Taito graphic designer Atsushi Iwata’s custom-built device, for producing pixel graphics!

Such things were used in other places, like SNK. Here we have a quote from someone who worked there, courtesy of videogamesdensetsu…

“The sprite editor used by artists for a number of SNK fighting games (Art Box) was written for the Neo-Geo, and uses the Neo-Geo as the interface. As in, you would use the joystick and the buttons to draw the sprite. He didn’t believe this when he started there, until one of the higher ups showed him by firing up one of the machines and drawing a kickass sprite of Robert Garcia in like 10 minutes”.

Does the Art Box sound familiar? Well, it should be.

The latest from The Gaming Historian, on the creation of the d-pad, answers the one question I’ve had for ages: if Nintendo was able to patent the control input, how were Sega and others able to get away with something seemingly similar?

Remember the 8bit Harmonica from last week? Well here’s another project involving the Famicom by Ugoita that’s a bit more… random?

This post has gone on for far too long without any Sega. Time to fix that with some gifs of Sonic from Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park, which as you may have guessed is a Tamagotchi title in which you can raise Sonic (and sorry, chilli dogs was Sonic’s fave food in the US, though I believe Sonic Generations would later recon that; via pr0jectneedlemouse)…

Though you can also raise other Sega personalities, like Opa Opa and Alex Kidd, plus even a Mega Drive cart (via grooveonfight)?

Super obscure Sega humor doesn’t get more obscure than this folks (note to self: on the next car trip, bring along the soundtrack to Super Hang-On cuz repeated plays of OutRun and Daytona USA tunes can get old after a while; via dnopls)…

I know the following has been shared liked crazy (hell, even NPR posted the damn thing), and for good reason. All I can say is, Pikachu #14, get your sh*t together…

Speaking of Pikachu and his pals, The Pokemon Center released a line of Ditto Gachapon figures that are supa kawaii (via retrogamerblog)…

Though the one piece of plastic I want the most is the also recently unveiled Samus from Metroid Prime figure by Good Smile Company, which looks hella cooler than the previously released Other M Figma…

Am embarrassed to admit that I have no idea where this following screenshot is from, nor the tune that accompanies it, both courtesy of radicalhelmet. If anyone would be kind enough to clue me in, would be supremely appreciated…

I wonder what the cover girl of this issue of Spoon is playing (via sixteen-bit)…

And this week’s recommended reading comes courtesy of mah boi Don Miller, and is actually something that Oliver at Minus World also picked up on, which is a book produced by the creator of LSD: Dream Emulator, among other things, and someone I’ve mentioned quite a few times around these parts. It’s called The Art of Computer Designing: A Black and White Approach and is available via archive.org…

As someone who has always planned on transforming an old iMac into a fish tank, thanks to Phazed, I know have other ideas…

And finally, and I also know that I’ve been saying the same thing over and over again, but Super Attractive Club members will be receiving another round up game culture snapshots, hopefully very soon! Until then, please enjoy this still life courtesy of peazy86…

BTW, peazy86 also does music, plus music videos…

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.