The sad news...

Still having muscle ache here and there due to the bonding session on Tuesday but it is getting better.(Hopefully, it will be fine on Friday...) So since the refresher courses that had finished about a week ago, I had been slacking quite 'a bit' and with the bonding session 1 day ago, my heart don't feel like starting school yet but my brain's telling me I should get myself ready... That's why sometimes I hate having fun near the time school's starting...I should get my gears moving again by doing the homework left by the refresher courses. Yesterday was a rest day for my exhausted soul.

Okay. that's was just my ramblings about my current life and now on to the main concern. From the title you would wonder what news it is.- Well, I'm sure most anime and manga fans had heard of the news. 

Japanese government is launching an anti-anime/manga piracy operation on the next month which is August... I know it is bounded to happen but take it for granted that since there are so many such websites, they can't be possibly taken down all at once; maybe one or two (like in the case of onemanga...) But I underestimated as a list of websites has been put up as targets...

 And man, the sites I used to read manga and watch anime are on the list... Just hope they survive somehow?(Sigh~) I guess I got to source out other sites or catch up on the manga I read before these sites are gone... Well, at least they didn't go even further to search people houses for any downloaded anime or manga... 

My reaction to the news (Done digitally about an hour or so) 

It's not like fans can't watch anime or read manga anymore; it just that fans have to now pay to do all those things... By initiating this operation, the ones who benefit would be those anime and manga companies as fans have to now pay for their goods yet at the same time, there will bound to be a huge(?) loss of fans... And it gets harder for people to get people watch anime or read manga when they are no longer free...  No idea what kind of effect this operation will do to the future but for me... I am a die-hard manga and anime fan. No anime and manga = no life for me(Well not literally since I can still draw without much constrain...)  As of now, anime and manga is my main source of entertainment.- Taking it away is like taking a part of my life away... 

That's pretty much what I want to pen down. The news really sucks but justice prevailed I guess; if you want something, you pretty much need to give something in exchange.-There's not much free meal in this world. 

Oh yeah, something to add on: my manga project is progressing quite well and I'm proud to say I am currently on my 30th page and still counting as the story has yet to end but soon... From this point, the twist will come soon. In a way, the story will be seen as everything seems fine or even perfect to the protagonist, Haru in the beginning before at the end, everything will tumble down... I am currently working on that. It should be done before my school starts!(Well, the drafts at least...)  

In addition, there's a 2 days anime event called EOY in this coming weekends!-Can't wait for it!^.^ This is Will signing off, ja ne~ 

Dark~ 

A Fun and Tiring day spent...

Today, there's a bonding session for freshmen under the same university facility I am taking this coming August. I went for it, hoping to know my classmates(and I did!^^). The session was spent on a beach, playing team games. Though the weather wasn't on the good side, I managed to enjoy rafting with my team members and of course my future classmates! All in all, I had fun; both playing on the games prepared and getting to know more people! Although the nasty thing about playing on beach, especially rafting, is that I will get all dirty... (I know, I know. Playing on the beach will surely get dirty and everything but...) It's not like I mind so much about getting dirty but there's a limit to it... I am not particular about it does not equal to me liking it. After the activities (which ended early due to bad weather...), I had a shower. It did help to get me a little clean but still not as clean as I am, at home blogging right now...  With that said, I felt like closing my eyes now... Should I have known it would this tiring(I actually kinda expected it...), I shouldn't go for cycling yesterday... And now, due to overuse of my legs especially my right leg(again...-_-), I had muscle cramp again on the same leg!(Sigh~) I guessed I didn't learn my lesson; never to overwork my right leg and having vigorous activities on the day after cycling = to overworking my own legs...

After the bonding session, I still have a movie (that I won the tickets) to watch with my sister. I thought of calling it a day but it will be a waste to not watch the movie when I have free tickets of it... In the end, I managed to watch  the movie without sleeping at all; mostly b'cos the movie was quite exciting!

The movie's called into the storm. Seeing or even hearing from the title, you may think it is going to be a boring or lame movie but after watching it...Man, it was off my expectations!- It was actually a great movie with humor, touching scenes and combined with exciting parts that raise my heart beats a few times at the climax! Basically, the story is as the title is called; it is a story on storms or rather hurricanes and tornadoes. Living in a country without natural disasters, hurricanes, tornadoes may not be a foreign topic but they certainly are something I've had not seen up close of or the damages caused in person. Seeing this movie made me feel fortunate that I am living in Singapore.

Beside that, the movie focus a lot on time capsules and now, I realised that... All these blog entries I wrote could very well be time capsules for the future me who may come back and read or even add on the posts till the end! As it is, sometimes I read posts from last year and will be thrown down the memory lane. Until now, then I realised that the question of what I did in the past may seem out of the present me to do, was long answered. People change as time goes by and that is the concept that time capsules are based on. What kind of person will you be 10 years, 20 or 25 years down the road?-Will you be the same? Time capsules are simply messages from past you to the future you! Imagine Homura from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica doing a time capsule from the first timeline and she after god, how many timelines reading the time capsule. How will she react? Will she then realise her choice to selfishly  take Madoka away from the Law of Cycle a wrong one or strengthen her will and determination that yes, what she did was the right choice?-I wonder about that... Haha, just imagine the future me who is a workaholic that no longer likes anime(Doubt it will happen>.<) will think when she sees these posts in this blog. 

That's all then. Going to go rest up soon- Feeling lethargic right now... I guess I will continue my manga project tomorrow and as well as some pre-uni course homework... This is Will signing off, ja ne~

Dark~
    

Freedom once again back and FINALLY! My 2 dreams fulfilled!

On Friday, my pre-uni courses were over and freedom is back again for a period before school officially starts. It means I got more time working on my manga project and maybe finish it before school starts! But more than anything... Today... I FINALLY GOT MY VERY OWN LAPTOP! Banzai desu~ No more using shared laptop or second hand laptop! It is my wish(or dream) to get my own laptop and today's the day I finally got one! (I own it very much to my parents!)

Man, I can't contain excitement that the moment I reached home, I wanted to configure the laptop! It was a somewhat cumbersome process to set everything up but in the end I managed to finish it! All that left is some transfer here and there before the laptop is finally like mine! Ok, beside that, I (or rather my parents) bought another thing. Drumroll please~ 

INTUOS PEN TABLET! My second wish fulfilled! After looking at the various digital art in net and art communities, I've the urge to buy art tablet and do digital art! However, I guess I was too naive or ignorant in thinking that doing digital art is the same as drawing on paper. It was hard to draw, let alone colour...

The drawing above is done, using ArtRage Studio. The quality is like Paint though using a stylus to draw is still easier than using a mouse... (Then again, I can also use my art tablet to draw in Paint...)  I think the only difference between ArtRage Studio and Paint is the difference in functions; ArtRage Studio>Paint-(Obviously)

Feeling depressed from that poor art, I decided to try the other art software that came along with the purchase of the art tablet, CLIP STUDIO PAINT DEBUT.

And man, I should have spent my afternoon using this software than ArtRage Studio! Apparently, I managed to make a decent art out of this software. As it is, this is still uncompleted since I still want to try colouring and maybe complete the outfits of the people in the art piece. Until then, I better go work on my manga project first... (Not much progress from setting up my laptop and playing with my art tablet...) 

And that's all for now! Going to go watch some animes and call it a day! (Though tmr's a public holiday so...>.<) This is Will signing off, ja ne~

Dark~

Exhaustion and updates...

Yesterday was a fun day since I get to cycle again to polish my skills but more than anything, it is the great feeling of the wind brushing across my face that makes me want to cycle more! Didn't said this in the last few posts but... Last week, I finally learned how to turn! It was a great accomplishment for me! And thus, in the heat of excitement that I could finally cycle without much problem, I actually spent an hour and a half cycling

around my neighbourhood!

Guided by my brother to a certain long road that connected to another place, due to the time constrain, we only managed to cycle half way before turning back home or else our parents may worry... As it is, my goal now is to cycle to the end and see the beautiful scenery my brother told me the place has! 

Cycling like in the Pokemon ending credits(after beating Elite Four and the Champion)

However, due to the long duration (which is to me) that I cycle, my legs(especially my right leg) suffered. Had a great muscle cramp in my right leg that it hurts whenever I bend my right leg too fast... I guess I will have to hold off any exercise until it recovers... In addition, the exhaustion from cycling was a toll for the morning me when trying to wake up...

I had difficulties trying to open my eye and felt like going back to sleep but b'cos of the afternoon class I have today, need to get up and prepare for the class... My cure for such problem is to play my phone game(MA) till I'm semi-awake before making my way to the bathroom for a wash up.  

A little update on my one-shot manga project: I know I said I lack of inspiration in last few posts ago. However, as of now... I managed to get the inspiration back and start working again. There's a chance the drafts can be completed by this month but for the completed manga... It's hard to say since I just realised I've been drawing so much that the amount of pages keep increasing... Of course, more pages mean more touch-ups to do before it is done... Right now, there's a total of 15 pages draft done and I thought of expanding it a bit...(-.-) Maybe I should just stick to the original plan I had before... 

With that said, here's a little sneak peak of the manga (again):

Draft mode in H pencil

Draft mode in 2B pencil

This is the scene I've been wanting to draw; the moment Haru found Yuki on a tree while searching for her. I thought of drawing it into a 2 pages long scene to make it special ... Unfortunately, it was harder to make a 2 pages long scene than I expected...

Original planned 2 pages long scene...

The above is the one I drew long before page 1 was even made.- It was kinda a screwed up though the feel in this original was better than the one I drew. No matter both are fine but b'cos of how the panels were the drawn in the original that weren't flowing well, I decided to redo into a single page scene.  

It took me a while to redo this scene and this scene is the climax where everything will start from here before it goes all the way 'down'. Near the end will be when the audience has to choose; will it be a happy or a sad ending? With matters concerning dreams... There can always be a twist to make it a happy one or a sad one; b'cos a dream itself it a twist of reality after all!

Here's another art on this manga: (more for the sequel...)

It was supposed to be a scene like this:

Taken from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 3: Rebellion trailer... 

The art itself is a spoiler itself for the upcoming sequel for the manga which depends whether it will have a happy or sad ending. 

That's all for now then. This is Will signing off, ja ne~

Dark~

Brave Frontier T-shirt Design Contest Entry

Had tried to scan and print a few copies of the non-colour piece of the design but turned out to be disaster... And then I was thinking, ' screw this!' and colour the design with the copic markers I've on hand. 

The logo is a cut out; did not draw the logo at all 

Apparently, it turned out fine to me. With the additional of Brave Frontier on the middle, the design is perfect(to me that is)! 

After scanning the art, I spent about 1 to 2 hours trying to edit and paste the design on a T-shirt template(using Paint...) before reaching a satisfaction point.

And so, here is it:

In my opinion, I don't mind having such a shirt!(I may even consider making it a reality, together with a MA design shirt I'm thinking of making!)  

The design has already uploaded on both DA and Pixiv! Oh yeah, please vote here: LINK if you like it! All votes are greatly appreciated! 

And now, some ramblings... Not to offend anyone but I find that it is both rude and disrespect to artists when ppl use their art to enter a contest or a competition. I mean I am not saying that one cannot get(like download) art done by artists but using it and submit as a contest entry... Aren't you stepping over the boundaries? In the first place, artists should be informed of their art been used unless it is the artists themselves who gave the consent.

All in all, I find that contests should be something done by the contestants themselves no matter how desperate or eager they are to winning the contests. Also, (to me) the satisfaction won't be there if one wins a contest by an entry that he/she did nothing on but simply stealing from others... It is like it is not your work that won in the first place...

Ok, I'll stop here.-It is not my intention to ramble but when I saw the amount of stolen art in BF T-shirt Design Contest galley, I can't help to vent pen down both my anger and disappointment. I only hope Gumi does some justice to artists who put in REAL effort in their entries 

And, that's all then. This is Will signing off, ja ne~ 

Dark~   

Lacking in inspiration...(Sigh~)

Having the lack of inspiration for my one-shot manga project right now... I think when doing such projects, I shouldn't rush; should take it at my own pace. Thus, it is hard to say if I can finish it by the end of the month...

A little art on the project itself done yesterday:

The art is inspired from the 2nd ending song of Cardfight Vanguard Legion Mate.(Great song BTW! Can't wait for the full song!)

Song: Get Back Yourself by Cerasus

The art is kinda a spoiler for the ending. (Going to have a little poll as to whether to let this story have a happy or a sad ending.)

In the end, I spent my free day today, working on Brave Frontier T-shirt design. Here's the design:

After seeing the vast number of summons out there, I still love the starting summons that players get to choose when they are starting their games. It's like pokemon; the starters are normally the ones that stay on the main team and throughout the journey! Until now, I still have my Eze in my team though and now, not only is he a 6* Holy Thunder Eze, he finally has his SBB!

For the design wise... If only I've photoshop or something similar, I would have been able to colour it without much problem and place the Brave Frontier Logo in the middle and complete the design... (Sigh...) As of now, I'm debating how I can colour this design with copic markers... (Don't think I've the right colour...) Frustrating it is, I will think of a way to do this. (For the chance of getting 100 gems!!!)

Till then, this is the update for now. Need to go work on some homework given by the physics lecturer. This is Will signing off, ja ne~

Dark~

MA fanart- Lancelot

It's been over a week since I stopped my job but with another commitment to hold, my freedom is still cut short. (But at least it is not as bad as in my working days...) The one-shot manga will progress slowly but I will see to it to the end and finish it...I guess?(Awkward laugh~) A little something to share for all MA players.

I did one fanart on BP arthur before and thought that I shouldn't leave out his right hand man, Lancelot. And so here is it. This art proves to be a difficult one, especially for the 'original' Lancelot. Too many details that while I appreciate the details, it is quite hard to draw them... I think I will think twice before drawing MA fanart again unless I want to challenge myself or that I am bored... (FYI: The art has been uploaded to my Pixiv and DA accounts.) 

There's the Cosfest this weekend but not sure whether I should go when there is EOY in August...(sigh~) In addition, I've some homework to do from the pre-uni courses I signed up...(-.-)

Talking about my pre-uni courses... It was sort of a nightmare in my yesterday lectures. I actually... FORGET TO BRING MY CALCULATOR for both physics and maths lectures! I felt so screwed up when I realised it... Throughout the lectures, I could only rely on my phone's calculator to do simple calculations... The thought of ditching my afternoon maths lectures went through my mind since the lectures are recorded; I could easily go home and go through on my own... However, a certain quote enlighten me.

'Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.'-John Wooden  Certainly, I will be limited by using a simple calculator but it does not mean I don't have the ability to listen and understand the lectures. In other words, I can still sit for the lectures; just not able to do most questions given by the notes or lecturers.- I am simply giving excuses to myself not to attend the afternoon lecture...(Sigh~)

It's not like the lectures are boring.(sometimes) It is simply me not getting used to an intense 3 hours long lecture after such a long break from studying; I feel restless after sitting for long... Just got to re-adapt myself to my study mode again in about a month time...

Ok, that's about it then. The pic I used for the fanart:

This is Will signing off, ja ne~

Dark~

Finally, off work!

Yesterday, I ended my temp job and right now am enjoying my short freedom. Man, just like that 3 months had passed. Time really passed fast. Though the job is kinda boring, I enjoyed the company of the other temps. Working together, having lunch together, chatting together and going home together... For my first job, I think this isn't a bad working experience; rather it is the best I can ask for! I guess I would miss those days but got to look forward. Uni's starting in a month so my freedom isn't long yet it is more than I can ask for; not studying for long will make me lazy soon. In addition, I've signed up for pre-uni courses which are starting tomorrow... Short rest but it is better than nothing!

As of now, I'm still working on the one-shot manga, Just A Dream. However, not much progress; it is not even half way through the story... Spent some time washing my figurines and on my uni stuff plus an artwork that I thought of putting as my profile pic but... It was screwed up by my pathetic copic colouring...(-.-)

I think the drawing itself is also out of proportionate so in a whole, it sucks.(>.<) I guess I will do another one when I got an art tablet... Don't want to admit but digital art is better than traditional art... I think I will just use this first before making it better... This artwork pretty much took up most of my afternoon working on it so yeah... Even so, here are some sneak peaks on the the one-shot manga:

Cover Page

Page 1

Their first meeting...

The pages are pretty much in their draft stage so the quality is low since I used H pencil to do the drafts... The story is pretty much in my head; I just need to plan how to convey it out. No worries! It will be done before the end of this month!-That I can assure unless anything unexpected happens...

I will continue another page today or rest as my hands are quite sore from Sunday cycling(Maybe watch some animes>,<)And that's all for this post! Oh yeah, a great SAO AMV to share before ending!

Song in the AMV: 1 year, 2 months, 20 days by BRIGHT (It's in the blog music playlist!)

This is Will signing off, ja ne~

Dark~