Fan Art vs Original Art

Just copying over my rant from DA...

First of all, before I get attacked by rabid fans (which will probably happen anyway), I'm not against fan art. I even draw it myself sometimes. I just don't get why many people on DA draw ONLY fan art. They copy someone else's style and make up fan characters which they then try and call OC's. A fan character is NOT an original character. It's simply a ripoff of already existing characters. Whatever happened to originality? Instead of putting all that effort into obsessing and copying someone else's work, why don't you develop your own style and characters? I guarantee you, it's much more rewarding.

Fandoms also tend to kill pretty much everything they come in contact with. They take things like Happy Tree Friends, which is supposed to be about random violence happening to cute animals. Then they come up with horrible fan characters and start fighting over "Omg FlippyxFlaky FOREVAR!!!" "NO U SUCK! FLAKYXMOLE!111!!1" or some other godawful pairing. Between the unnecessary drama and badly drawn porn (then again, this is the internets so there's an abundance of that), it really ends up killing whatever it is the fandom is obsessing over.

I'm sure this won't be changing anyone's mind. I've seen fan artists break away from their fandom and become amazing artists by developing their own style. I know I'm not the best artist, or even that good of an artist. But I do know that whoever you are, you can do much better by being original.

Swine Flu

Well the panic is finally dying down, but I still see people running around wearing masks. Still, it's great to exploit this almost-pandemic for personal entertainment. Here's some ideas!

1. Cough and sneeze loudly near everyone. Extra points for coughing on them!
2. Put up fake quarantine signs. People are stupid and will believe it.
3. Call your school and tell them you might have the swine flu.
4. Go to the store and announce loudly that people shouldn't buy pork because they'll get the swine flu (again, people are stupid)
5. Call your mom and tell her you're dying of the swine flu (hilarity ensues)

Well that's all I care to think of right now. Congratulations to all you swine flu survivors. You're so hardcore.

How Ghetto

I don't understand that thing where people blast music from their cars. And it's always terrible music. Is it cool to be annoying or something?

I have these neighbors down the street who always have their garage open, and they're always listening to this godawful Mexican music. And it's like they turn the stereo up as loud as it can go. They must be deaf from listening to such crappy music for so long. It's this horrible, repetitive crap that makes me want Mexican food whenever I hear it. I think it's like... some sort of subliminal message or something.

Alas, blasting music from a pimped out car seems like a normal thing to do. But from a house? It's not like their house is pimped out or anything... it's probably pretty ghetto on the inside. Whenever they turn that horrid music on, the things on my shelves shake. It's like an earthquake only more annoying.

And don't think I'm racist or anything, because I'm not. I'm just bitter because the neighborhood I grew up in is now filled with scum that realized they could afford a house if they packed 5 families into it. I hate the ghetto mentality.

How Life Works

Not living with my parents is a great thing. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. But being around them always makes me feel like a child. And to be honest, I'm pretty sure that's how they still think of me... as a child.

I moved back to California to stay with my grandparents and go to school. Colorado drove me crazy, I felt trapped by the mountains and snow. I didn't know anybody, which of course could have been solved by me not being such a cold, distant person. But after a year of living there, I decided that enough was enough. I packed everything I could fit into my dented up '99 Passat and hit the road. It had a very Grapes of Wrath feel to it, me traveling to California for opportunity.

Once I got here, of course, I realized that it was no different. The people I'd grown up with had mostly gone away to college, not that I really cared. And it was still me against the world. All that changed was the scenery, and I didn't have my parents breathing down my neck.

Sometimes I think... hey, maybe Colorado wasn't so bad. But the thought of going back there gives me a feeling of dread. If I could have it my way, I'd never stay in one place long. But that's not how life works, is it?

California

California is a terrible place. Unemployment is high, the state is bankrupt, and the town I grew up in is now fairly ghetto. And it used to be such a nice place. I remember the summers when I was a kid, my friends and I would ride our bikes to the ice cream shop all the time and we'd share a sundae. That ice cream shop is now a horrible Chinese restaurant that likes to give me food poisoning. You never see kids out in the neighborhood anymore. It's too dangerous. I don't even feel comfortable walking the streets alone. There's all these little wimpy gangs that think they're cool and like to rape things. I like to not be raped. It's one of my favorite pastimes.

San Francisco is an awesome city and I love it, but once I'm done with school I'll probably move somewhere much colder. Living in Colorado for a year, I realized that the cold keeps the ghetto folk out. I have no idea why, but it's hilariously good. Of course, depending on where you live, you may have to deal with trailer trash. But they usually keep to themselves.

It's the lesser of two evils.

I Deleted Everything... Again

I... can't tell you how many times I've gone through, annoyed at myself, and deleted all of my posts on this blog. I can be so pessimistic at times. This time, I will try to not delete everything. I think blogging is kinda fun if you can stick to it, which I usually can't.

I don't ever have anything too interesting to talk about either. But hey, I'm trying. Not my fault if I'm a boring person.

Anyways, I'm an 18 year old college student in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love reading and writing, and I'm thinking of majoring in English. I don't get out much anymore, but I really need to start doing stuff more often. I used to be into animation and cartooning, but I've lost interest in those things lately. I used to be a vile, cruel, soulless shell of a person. I probably still am, but I'm damn good at hiding it. Hehe.

I am quite the thrill seeker. Anything from road trips to exploring haunted places to eating at that sketchy Vietnamese restaurant on the other side of the tracks. I love the sensation of being alive. Don't feel it so much anymore, but hey. Makes it even more fun when I do.

And... if you're still reading this I'm sure you're bored to tears. I really should stop being so damn boring.