#whosthewhatnow

[sirfrogsworth]

Meeting my longtime artist and good friend, Chris, IN REAL LIFE!

So, I hadn't been to a restaurant in over a decade. I can't even remember which restaurant since it was so long ago. But in the past few weeks I've now been to TWO restaurants.

I am becoming a social butterfly. 

And it is exhausting.

But also good.

First I reconnected with my high school best friend, John.

And that went great.

But then the opportunity to see my friend Chris (a.k.a @whosthewhatnow ) came up only a few days later. And this close proximity of social events scared me a bit, but I have been feeling much better since they figured out my heart thing, so I decided to try and do both things even though they were only a few days apart. 

The key to this was strategic resting. As soon as I got home from seeing John, I got in bed and I didn't get out of it until it was time to see Chris. And that was just enough recovery time to pull this off. Typically a short outing requires 2-3 days of rest after. 

I had never met Chris in real life. He has done nearly all of the artwork for my website and comics over the past decade. And he was a main character in my CRAPPRnauts series.

We know each other so well and it is crazy that we've never seen each other with our very own eyeballs.

He is such an amazing artist. He works fast and he adds so many cool extra details that you can stare at his comic panels multiple times and catch a new joke or easter egg each time. He is a dream to work with and my Corg Life series was only successful because he did such a wonderful job bringing Otis to life in comic form. 

So we decided to meet up at a restaurant with his friend Michael and then I was going to take a nice portrait of him after dinner. Chris had never had a professional photo taken of himself and I decided to fix that.

I told him I had a mobile photography setup. Which, in reality, is a trunk full of lights and stands and other various camera gear that I definitely won't need, but bring anyway. It's "mobile" in that it all fits in my car if you are good at Tetris (which I am).

The restaurant was downtown and I had visions of St. Louis's famous Gateway Arch in the background of Chris's portrait. I thought that would be such a cool shot. I could see it in my head and I even dreamed about it.

So I got in my car and headed downtown and my GPS told me to exit at 249B. But I kept looking and I couldn't see the sign for 249B.

This is how much road I had left when I finally was able to see the exit for 249B.

So I ended up taking 249A and going straight to East St. Louis.

Which, if you believe the headlines, is not a place you ever want to be.

Google Maps and I have been having issues lately. They also tried to get me to take the spooky way home that night, but thankfully I actually knew the non-spooky way back from when I used to go to Cardinal games with my parents as a kid.

My short term memory was trashed by shock therapy. And so was a lot of my long term memory. But it finally came through in a pinch and remembered something useful.

I only had to loop around and cross a bridge so I didn't really do anything but touch the edge of East St. Louis. I was mostly concerned about being late for dinner more than its scary reputation. Usually those news stories about a place being "dangerous" are actually just racist and hurtful to people stuck in poverty. I mean, technically my house is in a "dangerous" neighborhood, and we do have trouble with petty crime in some spots, but aside from a few dinged-up mailboxes, I've never felt unsafe in my home.

On the way back to regular St. Louis I could see the Arch on the horizon at sunset and it was kind of magical. And I wasn't able to get a good shot of it, but it sure looked pretty from my point of view. 

My photos kind of remind me of the beginning of movies like Training Day where they are trying to show you gritty, dutch angle shots of the city out of the car window to give you a sense of the location.

As I approached the restaurant I invented a new genre I call "stoplight photography." The sky was orange and the streets of St. Louis were just asking to be photographed. But I wasn't willing to die to get neat photos, so I just took them at every red light.

The big trick was trying to edit the dark area at the top of my windshield out of the photos to make it look like I didn't take these pictures from my car.

After a 15 minute detour through Illinois I arrived at my destination—a Mexican place called Rosalita's. It had a beautiful sign, so I took that literal sign as a metaphorical sign it was a nice place to get a quesadilla. 

Dinner was great. Both signs were right and their quesadilla was very tasty. Chris and I both got one, so we are quesadilla twins. The waitress was one of those "I can remember your order without writing anything down" types. And I am one of those, "I get anxiety when things aren't written down" types. And, to her credit, she did not forget our orders. But she did forget to give us silverware and napkins. So I still feel like my anxiety was valid. 

We told sad stories of the pups we lost. But we also had a lot of fun and laughed and I got to meet Michael who turned out to be an absolute mensch. I sometimes have trouble meeting new people with my social anxiety, but he was very affable and made me feel comfortable with his presence almost right away. He was a fan of Otis and mentioned he still has a Super Otis shirt. I always get choked up hearing that Otis is still loved. Hopefully we get to meet again. 

Dinner ended and it was picture time.

I asked Chris if he wanted the high effort photo or the low effort photo. Either we figure out how to get to the Arch or we find a spot near the restaurant and just take his portrait there. Chris and Michael had a driver because they were coming from a big conference and getting to the Arch would have been complicated. So we decided to go with the low effort option. 

I found a cool shop nearby that had an LED wall that changed to all sorts of different colors. And I thought that would make a neat background and give a colorful edge light on Chris's face. I pulled my car near that spot and started unloading my trunk full of photo gear.

I think Chris and Michael were a little overwhelmed when I started pulling camera gear out of my trunk like a clown pulling an endless handkerchief out of his mouth. But as far as photo setups go, it was actually pretty minimal. 

Light, giant battery, light stand, umbrella, tripod, camera, rolling walker with seat.

My dad's old rollator came in clutch because I wanted to shoot from a low angle and it is hard for me to bend down. In fact, I think I'm going to look into getting an all terrain version so I can do more outdoor photoshoots.

I started shooting in the middle of a downtown sidewalk. And I was super anxious. I could not focus (my brain, not my camera). I was very distracted with all of the people walking by and staring. I was not sure if any of the photos were turning out. I wasn't even sure if they were in focus (my camera, not my brain) because I had not yet had my lens calibrated. But down the street there was a guy with an old school boombox playing random music. His music helped to drown out the ambient noise and gave me some comfort.

I had no clue if the photos were any good, but when I got home and checked them on my computer, I realized I have 12 years of experience and muscle memory built up. I probably should have just trusted myself because the photos all turned out great.

I think Chris can now officially say he has had a professional portrait taken of himself.

This photo has been officially loved by Chris's girlfriend and mother.

There is no greater seal of approval and I am honored.

I was able to comp in any of the colors the wall displayed from other shots in case Chris is feeling a little more green in the future.

A literal rainbow of options.

I also liked this one, though it is a little more "environmental portrait" than regular portrait.

And I got some nice photos of our little group to help us remember the night. 

And I got a bunch of photos of Chris making silly faces like Calvin at his school photoshoot. 

I love this woman's reaction to our little impromptu sidewalk photo shenanigans.

After we said our goodbyes and I gave my friend a hug, I was a little bummed I didn't get to photograph him at the Arch like I had dreamed.

But then I realized I had my own car and it was capable of taking me places. (I actually haven't gotten used to that after not driving for nearly 15 years.)

So I decided to drive a few blocks over to Kiener Plaza—a park with a view of the Arch. 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[whosthewhatnow]

Adopt-A-Monstober 2024 day 3. Today’s monster is shaggy spectral like floof who enjoys belly rubs. DM to adopt 8x8 WC on paper. FREE adoption certificate AND STICKER. $50+$5 shipping

[weaponizedhorse]

I am just dropping by to say that I fucking love your username and profile picture, it cracks me up every time I see it

Awe, omg. Thank you so much! My icon is by @whosthewhatnow (and now I realize I should put that in bio so thank you! lol) idk if he still does it but he used to do this thing every Friday where he would draw people's URL's and I thought "This is my chance" and sure enough the next Friday he drew mine!!

My URL was said by someone named Nick (but I don't remember his URL) talking about people using horses as like "horse" cannon balls against police during the DPLA Protests. He said they were "weaponizing horses" but I though that he meant:

Horse with a machine gun.

And I lost my old URL around the same time when I change it for Halloween and forgot to save it:( but this one is much much better:)

[thefrogman]

The Mummy didn’t realize this was a game of strip poker.

Artwork by Chris Gugliotti [webcomic | tumblr]

All new Frog Shorts at Runt of the Web! Click here to read it early!

[jasposeyblog]

My commission of Brainiac sketch cover by @whosthewhatnow

[finnskeeper]

Hey, so the new Tumblr layout did a thing and now I don’t want to go to sleep...

@whosthewhatnow

[art]

We dropped in on Chris Gugliotii (@whosthewhatnow) for a live sketch of a character from his comic "Playing Dead." You may recognize him from his amazing sketches of his followers based on their Tumblr usernames.

If you’re lucky enough to be at SDCC this weekend, you can find him at Artists’ Alley’s booth BB-15. Be sure to stop by—he may have some Tumblr stickers for you!

[scix-in-the-back-row]

Hey, cartoonist Chris Gugliotti (of Playing Dead) did my Tumblr avatar (remember when we called them avatars?) for Christmas!!!

@whosthewhatnow

[nitallica]

Hrm ok ...

Tagged by @mrbadhairday, so I’ll do this cuz I adore him.  :3 ♥

Nickname: Nicki (or Harley if you know me from MMOs)

Zodiac: Aries.

Height: 5′ 3″

Last movie: Bumble Bee (was surprisingly fantastic)

Favorite musician: Hrm, I have many, but all-time would have to be Metallica (who I just saw in concert last night ... I’m still pumped :3)

Last thing I googled: The shoes that Kirk Hammett was wearing last night.  THEY ARE RED AND BLACK AND I WANT THEM!

Song stuck in my head: “Now That We’re Dead” by Metallica.

Other blogs: Oh I have many, but this and this are the ones I update most.

Following: Real-life friends, in-game friends, web comics, artists, and a handful of adult-themed blogs that have so far survived Tumblr’s ban hammer.

Do I get asks: Only on my game blogs.  I’m not that interesting.  XD

What I’m wearing: Tshirt and jeans.

Lucky number: If I told you I’d have to kill you.  :)

Amount of sleep: Not enough.

Favorite food: Depends on my mood honestly, but right now I am craving my mom’s pot roast and cornbread topped with roast gravy.

Dream trip: *shrugs*  I dunno ... I have an intense fear of flying, so that kind of limits my options a bit.

Dream job:  Opera singer or cartoon voice actress.  :)

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: Rubber ducky, cotton candy, warm sun-filled day.

Random fact: Every time it rains, I get a headache.

Languages: English natively, with some Spanish, German, and Japanese.

Tagging:  Hrm, sure ok ... @ashlaran, @evilsupplyco, @gothiccharmschool, @whosthewhatnow, @editorincreeps, and anyone else if you’re so inclined, please do and tag me back.  :) ♥

[stubbiethecorgi]

'Stu & Yoshi' got to meet the artist @whosthewhatnow at SDCC17!!! 🤗🤗🤗 love your work!! 👍👍

[giganticactus]

@whosthewhatnow Made my old URL come to life and it fills my soul with happiness I love it so much

[sirfrogsworth]

I just wanted to highlight this beautiful artwork that my good friend, Chis a.k.a. @whosthewhatnow created for me.

This drawing was inspired by this post about my dad and his animal magnetism.

If you don't recall, I said...

"I’ve always said I don’t believe in heaven but I do believe in dog heaven.

It is my hope FrogDad gets special permission to go there and hang with Otis, MacGyver, Reggie, and Buttons."

I also mentioned this in my eulogy...

I said that we had pet newts as children. However, when I went to look up pet newts, none of them looked like what we had. In fact, I couldn't find any lizards that looked like what we had. Perhaps they were some kind of lizard that was a popular pet in the 80s but fell out of favor with pet stores.

In any case, the mystery lizards are sneaking into Doggie Heaven.

And, of course, there is my dad's famous John Deere riding mower that he used to take Otis on countless walks.

And Chris included all of the beloved doggos of my childhood.

My first was a Welsh Corgi named Buttons.

She would walk me more than I walked her...

Then we adopted a Cairn Terrier named Reggie.

Reggie was found at an illegal breeding facility and rescued. He was kept in a cage nearly all of his life and it pained him to walk on hard surfaces for several months until his paws healed. We suspect he was abused by a large male, because he was terrified of my dad when we brought him home. He would run under the bed anytime my dad entered the room. This was probably the ultimate test of my dad's dog whispering powers. He slowly and patiently worked with Reggie, devising all kinds of creative trust exercises. He would lay on the floor with his belly exposed and start crying and acting sad. Trying to show Reggie he was harmless and pathetic and nothing to fear. And every time Reggie got close, my dad would bribe him with cheese.

And just like every other dog we've had, my dad won Reggie over and they became best friends. They were constant cuddle buddies.

No other large male could ever get close to Reggie. My dad ended up being the only one he would ever trust.

We felt Reggie could use a companion to help cure his trauma and depression and maybe help him socialize a little better.

So... we got a puppy!

My first ever experience with a puppy. He was a West Highland White Terrier--commonly referred to as a "Westie."

We wanted a name that paid respect to his Scottish heritage and we loved this popular show on the boob tube in which a man fixed things with chewing gum and a paperclip.

So I suggested we name him after that favorite TV hero...

Angus MacGyver!

Or "Mac" for short.

MacGyver was a bit like Otis 1.0. He was a tiny ball of energy. He loved to play. He was mischievous, but always cute about it, so he rarely got in trouble. Though he was not nearly as smart as Otis. If dogs could take IQ tests, Otis would have tested as a genius. I am embarrassed to admit how often I was outwitted by a hairy loaf with legs.

But MacGyver was just a normie. Not dumb. Not a genius.

Reggie didn't know what to do with a puppy at first. But once Mac grew up a little and calmed down a lot, they did end up being proper pupper pals.

Doggo dudes.

Canine cohorts.

Scottish scalawags.

Reggie mostly just sat at a distance as MacGyver did dumb things. Mac would get into trouble and when we caught him, Reggie would just stare at us like, "I was an impartial observer. I had no part in these shenanigans."

And last, but certainly not least... I think you all remember this troublemaker.

My dad was all cuddles and play time.

But my mom and Otis had a very special relationship as well. Otis would "help" my mom with her chores. They'd go from room to room and my mom would do her cleaning and dusting and vacuuming. And Otis would disrupt all of it--to her delight. She liked to talk to him like he was an adult human. She swore he could understand her. They'd just gab and clean.

Their antics doing chores together inspired one of my favorite Corg Life comics that Chris also drew.

So, thank you to Chris for always creating such beautiful things for me.

If you need any artwork, I highly recommend hiring him. He even does watercolor paintings.

Chris Gugliotti [ Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr ]

[whosthewhatnow]

Mothman coffee run

[thefrogman]

Moving Forward

Sooooo... my idea to post the work of content creators and artists kinda failed miserably. I just couldn’t find the energy to do it consistently. My new level of fatigue has been challenging to adapt to. It’s hard judging my limitations. I’m not miserable. I’ve found a way to be comfortable as long as I never leave my bed. But being productive has been quite a frustrating goal. 

Another problem I had was that many of the comics I found were by creators who already had a decent following. I probably got them a few more notes and followers, but my intention was to help those who hadn’t found an audience yet. Unfortunately, finding talented unknowns takes a lot more time and energy than I have right now.

So I’m going to try something else.

I’m will be working with my bestie Katrina over @kickingcones as a sort of manager/collaborator. She has really come into her own as an artist/humorist and I think she has amazing potential that the world needs to see. Yes, I’m biased, but that doesn’t make it less true.

She has this awesome ability to draw a cute version of anything. And if something is already cute, she’ll make it cuter. Like this octopus flipping the octobird.

Sure, it’s giving you 8 simultaneous middle tentacles, but it’s so adorable that you don’t really mind.

We have a lot of ideas for content and working with my favorite person in the world is going to be a lot of fun. Not being very productive has been hard on me lately. So I’m hoping this will benefit my mental health as well.

Am I using this as an excuse to talk to my best friend more than I already do?

Mayyyybe.

But I really miss making funny stuff to entertain people. I just don’t have the energy to do it like I used to. But I’m thinking if I collaborate with Katrina (and also Chris! @whosthewhatnow ), I can still contribute some entertainment to the world. 

I’d still like to find a way to help artists and creators at some point. But I think my focus for now will be working with Katrina and Chris. Hopefully you all will continue to follow along.

I’m really excited about what we will create together.

So stay tuned for neat things from these two knuckleheads.

Otis might help too, but he remains a bit... skepticorg.

[mermaidskey]

I have been immortalized in cartoon form by the amazing @whosthewhatnow. Behold the space mermaid!

[killerweasel]

Here’s some awesome art I commissioned from whosthewhatnow of Howard the Duck with my dog Josie. :D If you haven’t checked out the Howard the Duck comic, you really should. It’s great!