Ishapar

Windows XP was a decent system in its day.

EoT. Interesting acrynymn.

When it comes to AMVs, I never understood where people get the movie/tv clips to make the video. Is there a program you use to copy segments from dvds to use in the video or is there an easier way that I am overlooking?

The next time I see my sister, I will try to take a mental note on what eraser she uses... As for the pressure, some of the issue could be the way you hold your pencil. I have the habit of holding my pencils almost at the tip and I can feel my hand forcing the pencil to write/draw on the paper. It's a great way to get writer's cramp. When I tried drawing a little, I tried holding the pencil farther up the pencil and almost let the pencil be light in my hand. It takes some practice, but it does change both the lightness of the writing/drawing and the pressure in my hand. How about experimenting with your pencil and see what is both comfortable and light for you to use in both writing and drawing.

Sonic one... In Sonic 3, do you remember the manual warning about Robotnik's diabolical traps? Those things were annoying, and they often happen to me in Carnival Night Zone Act 2.

Steam: Ishapar I don't have any games yet (besides Generations demo), but that will probably change. I am not used to playing online: the only experience I've had has been with AOE II and SSBB. I wish the Wii was still allowed online play.

Never cared much for Boom, but we're supposed to say the positives, right? Boom does take place in a world of mostly "Mobians" with Eggman being the only human in the series. A huge plus. I always thought the introduction of a huge human population in the game series helped mark the drift of the games as former gamers were used to seeing Robotnik as the only human in Mobius (and the world Sonic lived on was Mobius). At least Boom made a comeback in creating a Mobian world though that's pretty much the entire cake. The Mobians themselves don't really have much good for them and are pretty forgettable (compare than to the Archie and Satam). Outside of the Sonic community, I think Boom is pretty decent for a modern kids cartoon. The animation is pretty good, and the action scenes aren't too corny. While the jokes may also be corny, at least most of the humor is intended for kids, something that is rare to find in modern "kid" cartoons. If I wasn't a Sonic fan, I probably would appreciate Boom more. That is what makes Boom a problem: most Sonic fans are disgusted with the franchise, but Boom has attracted new Sonic fans to its portion of the franchise which means, unfortunately for Sega and Sonic, a more divided fanbase. How is Sega going to please all of these fans?

The eraser my sister uses in her drawings came from Micheals, so I doubt a good eraser would be too expansive or hard to find. Another idea is to maybe be light on the pencil when sketching: if you don't like what you are seeing, you do not have to rub hard with the eraser to fix it, creating less smears. My sister always starts off light, and she had to erase many times before she was content with the direction of her drawing.

Is this just about the Sonic anime movie? 1. Robotnik always seems to have wacky ideas for world domination. The Genesis games only emphasized the concept of him wanting to build a world with the Mobian animals as his robot badniks. Early Archie comics and tied in video game material sees him merely as a proud tyrant that wants to rule over everything ("supreme-dictator-for-life") without any regards to the health of the beings (he also seemed to hate anything natural and living which is why he hates the environment and loves pollution and robots). The modern games have him seeking to create "Eggmanland," but he's not really shown what type of ruler he would be if he ever had his way. The OVA Robotnik? Seems to be pretty cracked up with a perverted mindset. From what I remember from the movie, Robotnik wants to take over Planet Freedom and destroy Sonic with Metal Sonic, but he comes off as being immature with his goal. Still, if Robotnik succeeded in destroying everybody on Planet Freedom, what purpose would he have in life? This Robotnik does not like living alone with robots as Satam or early Archie versions; remember him playing that video game with Sara? This Robotnik wants companionship. He may want to kill all the residents from Planet Freedom, but maybe his goal coinsides with another: to create his own generation and become the new patriarch of Planet Freedom. It may not sound as weird as you may think. Throughout human history, cultures have emphasized the need for a lot of offspring and the seniority a man receives in being a father to many children. Maybe Robotnik wants his own family in his own world. To do that, he needs a mate. And it seems he has some form of interest in Sara...okay, the rest is history. 2. From what I saw in the movie, Planet Freedom resembled some of the Genesis level themes- island/beach, Robotnik's lair, Ice cap. The only one that doesn't tie to the Genesis games would be the capitol where the president and Sara live: that seems to be influenced more either from Satam or, more likely, AOSTH. Since the movie resided mostly in these four settings, there isn't a lot details about Planet Freedom's topography and geography, but from what is displayed it would seem to fit fine with a classic Sonic/Genesis era.

Feedback is nice, but it has to come from the right people. One reason I have trouble with giving out ideas is because where I live, well...not a lot of interest. Most people in my region are only interested in hunting, fishing, sports, or politics. Not very exciting and not very engaging when it comes to talking about stories that seem weird to their point of view. I wouldn't consider myself an artist as I really have not done much writing outside of college papers and some poems. It's one thing to have a story being formed in the head: it's another to start taking the steps of planning and writing. But I get your point there

Interesting story. Man, time travel and different dimensions can really smack the noggin. So this Master destroyed future worlds but now he wants to stop doing so and actually try to save this one?

I doubt artists are the only ones who are self-concious about their work. I tend to have that problem just when it comes to ideas and stories: I could spend an entire month planning an "epic" storyline in my head but then bash it down as believing it's not good enough for anyone to enjoy and that I am just being too proud about my ideas. Hence to say, I tend to not share my stories or ideas to many people unless I can gain their trust.

I'm not an artist, but one thing that I thought should be pointed out was the smearing. I'm not sure what the purpose of smears are for (my sister does drawing and I have seen her work with smearing), but the smears can sometimes affect the clarity of the image. On your first Sally sketch, the right side of her face has too much smear that makes her side less clear and detailed than the left side of her face. Could just be me, as I am not an artist. I really appreciate the sketch of Sally in Elise's dress. I kind of had a story involved where she took the place of Elise in the 2006 storyline. Even Antoine was in it and as a guard, though not exactly Sally's. Keep it up, mate!

Aboard, ey? So where is this ship heading?

Sahara. Congo. Sudabans. Middle East. Amazon. Anywhere where there is danger! And no tourists...

I guess I am now part of SoM. Thanks for the invite!