I feel old...

Dearest dA,

I think I owe nearly everyone on here a very sincere apology. I have been sorely neglecting all of you over the last half year, and I have little proper excuse for it. I have missed my supportive online community for a long time.

First, I should catch people up to speed:
My parents decided to keep Alvin (if you read my last journal). I was very thankful for their change of heart. They realized just how much my baby meant to me, and how much it would hurt for him to be removed from my life. In the mean time, things aren't really going well with him. He has been having troubles with having little accidents, so we're working on a remedy for that. If anyone has any suggestions (other than diapers), I would love to hear them.

Secondly, I packed all my stuff (Every last movie, book, and article of clothing) up to move to Kamloops in September to start my fine arts degree at Thompson Rivers University. Upon arriving at my charming yet cramped apartment, my room mate and close friend informed me of a very unsettling decision. She had just arrived with her few boxes when she told me she was leaving in January for Europe with her sister. This sort of threw me for a loop, but my parents assured me that we'd be able to afford the apartment on my own for the last half of the school year till April.

However, disaster struck eventually when my dad was not reelected for his seat on the school board. Out of the thousands of people who voted, he lost by less than 90 votes. Ouch. So, it became evident that some severe sacrifices would need to happen in order for me to stick out another semester on my own in my apartment in Kamloops.

At that point, I was hating my classes, several of my teachers were frustrating, and I had yet to make close friends. Don't get me wrong, I adored all my classmates! They were great fun for talking to in class and chilling with during the breaks. But I had yet to make any friends I could hang out with. As much as I adored my few friends, it's not enough social interaction to live on!

After a great deal of weighing pros and cons, I realized it was time for me to come home. I finished my fall semester (and most likely failed several classes) and came home on the 18th of December. I suppose it just came down to the fact that if I were enjoying myself and was working towards a degree that would be acknowledged, I would definitely have no qualms about sacrificing to make ends meet. I'm not a completely spoiled princess. But it became apparent that the degree that made me miserable was simply not worth the effort at this time in my life.

I'm unsure of what I'll be doing for the next year or so, but at least it'll be much less expensive than Art school! $2000 tuition, $500 text books (at least one of which is still in its shrink wrap), $200 Art supplies, and a hella lot of suffering!

I haven't talked to my aunt about my plans yet, but she goes to New York fairly often, and I was thinking of tagging along next time. I would love to just go and see all the musicals Broadway has to offer! I would just die if I saw Clay Aiken in Spamalot!

I hope to keep in better touch with all my dA relations from now on! Do forgive my dreadful neglect!

I figured Christmas would be a wonderful time to start things over and fresh. The snow is white, and the tree is lit. *Gah* I'll always love it.

Merry Christmas dA!

Ok... first off, I'm sorry for not responding for like, forever. I'll try to sit down and give good comments back to everyone sometime this week. I have some time off coming up, so I ought to be able to chat it up with some of you soon!! I've been extremely busy attempting to gain a life outside of the internet lately! I miss all my dA friends, but I've been packing, working, and attempting to socialize. I may even ask out the guy I like this next week! XP I'm for sure moving to Kamloops soon. I gain possession of the apartment on June 1st, so on Sunday, I'll be going up to pay my first month's rent. I won't be moving till about August.

Second, I shall now express the reason for my emo title. My douche-bag parents have promptly decided that I will no longer have full ownership over my own dog. My 11th birthday gift will be taken from me. My mother told me just as she was dropping me off for work today that if I don't find someone to take him in the next few months, she'll take him to either the SPCA or the Pound. Needless to say, I walked into Rogers bawling my eyes out. My manager had to take me to the back for about half an hour before I could start my shift. I will never forgive them.

I remembered telling Andrea, my coworker, about Alvin before, and she got so excited. Her daughter has always wanted a little black puppy, and even then I felt my heart break. She said she has a cat, so they might not get along, but her mother is moving here in July. Her mum used to have a little grey terrier about Alvin's height, and she never got over his passing. Andrea figures if things don't work out with her, then her mother would love to pamper my baby.

I feel bad because my dad just came home from Winnipeg today, and I didn't speak to him at all... Well, until I sat at my computer and muttered, "Andrea will take him. And if she won't, she said her mother would." He kinda stared at me and said, "On Sunday?" All I could do was shake my head and cry.

I fucking hate them and always will.

Taken from tsu-chan79

For the first 10 people to comment in this journal I will go through their gallery and pick out 5 deviation that are my favs and feature them and they'll receive a free sketch. The catch? You have to do the same thing and post this in your journal. The deviations that I feature must be YOUR deviations, not someone else's.

1)
Although she hasn't commented yet, I’ll put tsu-chan79 as my first because I used her meme.
I must admit, she is one of my favs on dA. Her wonderful deviations usually feature either a scantily-clad Edo neko, or a similarly cheeky-dressed Fai kitty, so I have an automatic draw to them to start with. Tsu-chan79 just has such an amazing style to her pieces. It's obvious who the character is, yet it's her own amazing charm that makes each finished work the brilliant piece it is. Although some ensembles she dresses my favorite characters in are scandalously inappropriate, I absolutely adore them with all my soul! She just does such an amazing job of making each finished product absolutely adorable!
i) [link]
This wonderful piece with Edward wrapped up all snug-like is definitely an instant fav. He has such a darling expression, and I would LOVE to have that handed to me this August for MY birthday!
ii) [link]
Just to prove that my favs aren't ALL Edo and Fai, I had to show off her deviation with an ever sexi Roy Mustang. She really did an amazing job of portraying his cocky attitude in this piece. He's a little less "innocent" looking than some of her other pics with Edo and Fai, because every once in a while, a girl needs a man with experience...
iii) [link]
Nekkid warning! Haha, sometimes I love her work even when they're not clothed! The poses she picks and sketches manage to hide the naughty bits, while still making it rather obvious the character is rather naughty and nekkid! I love it when she points out the character's "tush"! XP
iv) [link]
I would love for this little kitten to have a snuggle with me sometime! This Halloween piece really caught my eye the first time I saw it. I love it so much! Once again, the pose is just amazing and unique. Poses are definitely something I have issues with doing, so when I find an artist who can do it properly, I have nothing but respect for them. I love Fai's little kitty outfits!
v) [link]
This is my all time favorite deviation from tsu-chan79's gallery. I fangirled over it madly on her old account, and I can't help but do it now too. Fai's outfit is amazing. The short-shorts are darling, and the yellow/gold laceups are the perfect touch. He certainly knows how to strut down the catwalk! I am in love with the expression on his face! That cheeky little wink drives me mad! The snowflakes are a divine finishing touch to the background, and the chibbi Ashura is so perfect! The finishing part of this piece that made it my instant insane fav was Fai's boots. Those are so amazing. The fact that our favorite little mage has bare thighs, yet huge fuzzy boots makes me nose bleed. I love it with all my soul! ^^

The following is my memoir regarding the living legend that is Scott McNeil.

I've been "molested" by Scott McNeil two years in a row now. It might seem like a grand excursion in theory, but I'm now completely terrified of him. Naturally he’s funny and remarkable in general, but up close and personal he’s just too much for my innocent soul to handle. It just had to be ME that he picked on, didn't it!?

The first time I went to Anime Evolution, I was too shy to ask Vic Mignogna for a hug and a picture, so my traveling partners made fun of me for it. When we got to the front of the line up for Scott, Christy, one of my dearest friends, decided to indulge herself in a moment of pure evil. With a satanic grin slowly spreading across her face, she gave me a shove in the general direction of Mr. Scott McNeil. As I staggered forward, Scott himself began to allow a cocky smirk to broaden itself over his angular jaw. It was as though he could smell fear in the air as he reached out to grasp my trembling wrist. In a slithery voice, he slurred out a dreadful greeting. “Come here girl,” he ordered, “step into my office!” I silently whimpered to myself as he dragged me behind his desk and chair till I was nearly sitting on him. He was having a fit by then laughing at his own wit and jokes.

By the time he asked me what my favourite show was, I was too petrified to move, let alone speak. Chris spoke up for me and gleefully shouted, “She loves Gundam Wing! She likes anything Gundam!” To be perfectly blunt and honest, I don’t much care for Wing and Chris was well aware. Seed is far more my style and I never was able to fully appreciate Wing. But due to Chris’ own evil antics, I now have a Duo quote on the back of my badge for my first year at AE.

Carrying on with my horrifying adventures, as my story does not end here, I was later walking throughout Artist’s Alley believing I was quite safe from harm. Alas, my naive senses mislead me once again. I was calmly browsing the tables of prints and bookmarks as I felt a soft scratching on my bare shoulder. At first I assumed it was simply Christy bothering me, but then I heard the voice. That slippery, queasy voice drifted dreamily to my exposed ears. The sound was so close I could feel his presence leering heavily over my unprotected shoulder. His scuzzy tone uttered the words that still make me shudder to this very day: “Compliments of Scott McNeil.”

My shriek echoed throughout the walk way, reverberating across the walls, and as I fell to the floor, I cast a look of pure terror and shock behind me. Sure enough, the cackling voice actor retreated serenely while making robot noises. Of the four close friends I was traveling with that year, only one of them witnessed this spectacle, and he continues to torture me nearly every time we see each other with a similar scritch across my shoulder and the familiar frightening words. Although no one can replicate the exact tone and situation surrounding the original scenario, the words alone are enough to pull my mind back to the tragic day that my intense fear of Scott McNeil was birthed.

Over the next year, my sickening phobia of this man increased, and I excitedly dreaded the day of the next con. As time wore on, I started thinking perhaps he wasn’t as appalling as I had remembered him, and I was simply making a fuss over nothing. My, how wrong I was.

This year, I thought I was safe. I was waiting in line with Matt, Nicole, Meg, and Mel. They all seemed either too nice or too indifferent to bother pestering me. Again, this was a severe miscalculation on my part. Nicole spent ages asking me if I thought Scott would remember me from the previous year. Naturally he wouldn’t, just as he doesn’t remember any fans in particular that don’t “stand out”. But I still had a dreadful feeling in my stomach with regards to the whole situation. I wanted him to sign my 07 badge, and hopefully get an autograph for my friend Bryson, who happens to be so in love with Gundam Wing that he doesn’t let his girl friends in his room because of all his posters.

Unfortunately, Scott McNeil was the first of the three voice actors to show up at that signing. As we waited outside in the line for the other two to show, he decided to chat it up with the fans. Just as he was leaving one group of giggling smutty fan girls, Nicole had an inspiringly evil idea. She gave me a shove. This was all it took to set into action, a series of events. As it occurred to me what was going through her mind, I tried to escape, but then Mel joined in, and I found myself flying quite nearly into Scott McNeil. My survival instincts suddenly kicked in, and I booked it around the corner and curled up behind a sign. That’s when I heard the heckling and prompting. Mel and Nicole, and several random cosplayers I had never spoken to in my life, were calling Scott McNeil over to investigate. I believe this is when I began nearly rocking back and forth, trying to steady my nerves.

Regrettably, the corner was perhaps one of the worst spots I could have chosen for a “hiding” place, as it became rather apparent that he could block me in there. He came up to me and, assuming I was a huge fan, began to creep on me. He spent about ten to fifteen minutes rubbing my shoulders telling me it would be “alright”. He shushed me and stroked my hair while whispering things like, “Don’t worry, they won’t find us here. We’re safe… Just take deep breathes and be calm. It’ll all be over soon enough.” As I whimpered and attempted to hide behind the sign, Nicole and Mel cackled so hard I thought their lungs would burst. The flashes of cameras from friends, cosplayers, and idle fans lit up my world as the “hilarious” harassment continued. At that point, we were gratefully interrupted by one of the security women informing Scott that the other voice actors were there, and they were ready to get started. He laughed and told her he was busy “getting acquainted with the fans” and “warming up.” But he gave my shoulders a final squeeze and followed her like a trained and innocent puppy into the room ahead to begin his glory hours.

I continued trembling in the corner long after he entered the room, and Nicole apologized through her tears and laughter for her evil deeds. I can assure you, she was not easily forgiven. As I slowly recovered and began second-guessing my brave actions of stepping into the line for autographs, a Choji cosplayer voiced his concern with the question of, “Will you be alright for the signing?”

My simple answer lingers in my chest even still. “No,” I sobbed, “No I won’t.”