I cannot believe I did this...

[weimer]

Ahh!  The essences of your entire message in one, bite-sized package.

                   It's always nice when one's comments can be easily summarized. My mother is always pressuring me to include a residual message.

BTW, I expect to see you at some point during APE in February.  Visit my table and I will buy you a coffee and let you dissect my work in person.   B)

I look forward to it, and showing up there has been on my mental list of "things I should do" since the last time you mentioned it. I encourage you to remind me again as the hour draws nearer -- I'll probably forget over the holiday break, and I'd hate to miss it. Will there be more AJ (or otherwise new material) available there, or is the website exhaustive?

Presumably Lisa offering Wes a coffee will be much more fun than noted individuals taking Jason out to lunch. :-)                    

[Userunfriendly]

"I recently saw Spirited Away and I'm still trying to formulate an opinion of it. I think that I may be the only anime fan who does not like his latest offering. He has sacrificed cinematic excellence at the altar of fantastical imagery ... and somewhere along the way, he lost a coherent message. Is this the beginning of the triumph of flash over substance in an area where we all respect the director too much to admit it?"

yeah, thats what i felt when i saw kurosawa's dreams, i felt it was a let down from the guy who made ran, seven samurai, and kagamusha....

but as it happens i actually was in the mood for cinematic imagery, and felt it was a much better and more coherently organized than, say fantastic planet, where it was such cinematic fantastic imagery after a while it literally began to annoy me....sheer cinematic imagery is not necessarily flash over substance, and i suspect a lot of fans felt it was more in the nature of a smorgisborg...where if you wanted a child's fairy tale, it gave you that, and if you wanted happy endings it gave you that, if you wanted a miazaki themed warning about ecology it gave you that, and so forth....

what i got out of it was a sense this movie is a fairy tale in the original context...like the way the brothers grimm originally wrote them. as  precautionary tales...for example, little red riding hood is a warning to kids to never fully trust appearances, and to be alert for wolves masquerading as grandmothers, so spirited away is like not all magical creatures are like the costumed clowns you see in disney world, but have rules, and motivations that fit within their own logical context of their own, and can be dangerous....

like a anti totaro, if you will.....

                   

[L_Jonté]

I look forward to it, and showing up there has been on my mental list of "things I should do" since the last time you mentioned it. I encourage you to remind me again as the hour draws nearer -- I'll probably forget over the holiday break, and I'd hate to miss it. Will there be more AJ (or otherwise new material) available there, or is the website exhaustive?

*sigh* Yes, there will be more AJ before APE.  I had hoped to have this story arc finished long before now.  It's not.  It will be.  The next story is much shorter and waiting in the wings.  I'll have an AJ mini, Art and Faery Ring* stuff too.  So much work, so little caffine...

Presumably Lisa offering Wes a coffee will be much more fun than noted individuals taking Jason out to lunch. :-)

Good God I hope so.  


*As can be seen on MyThingie.com.  Yes, I earn my pittance by peddling soft-core Pixie-porn.                    

[Kiki]

So, when's the next installment of skinnydipping with Sola coming out?                    

[weimer]

So, when's the next installment of skinnydipping with Sola coming out?

I'll second that! :-)

While we're begging, I'd love another installment of Turnips.

I had hoped to have this story arc finished long before now. It's not. It will be.

How many "pages" are we to expect in this arc?

Yes, I earn my pittance by peddling soft-core Pixie-porn.

Thus making you the true bosom friend to Jason's "Flirtpack" Compton's Anne Shirley. Anyway, I went to take a look at your Lady of the Rings. First, I'm surprise that site can afford to pay you even a pittance, but that's neither here nor there. I spent a few minutes thinking that your work wasn't available before I figured out it can only be viewed if popups are enabled. If you have any clout with the webmaster, ask if it can made to work for those of us who disable those. In addition, the resolution is too low for the detail text to be legible. For example, the "Full (something) (something)" book is basically a blur, as is the second word in the "Sex PQQKAI" (?) title that Mycota is holding near the end. Perhaps they'd be willing to put up a higher-res version (maybe as an option?). Aside from that, I've never been a big fairy fan. I didn't even like Deedlit in Lodoss War. Folken Fanel now -- there's a swoon-worthy wing-bearer. Anyway, I have to give you bonus points for not making yours look like they can easily be snapped like twigs and for picking neat names like Mycota. Aside from that, I've never really bought a comic book, so I'm missing the enthymeme there. Was there supposed to be more than one page?

My initial reaction? I can't quite figure out what the target audience for that site is. But personally I would pay much more for a second helping of your prose (regardless of topic, romantic or not) than I would for more in this particular artistic vein. Both AJ and Decisions beat this by a large margin.                    



[!--EDIT|weimer|Nov 27 2002, 10:36 PM--]

[jcompton]

Jason's "Flirtpack" Compton

The IRC gang prefers "Pimpin' Pinky Compton."

as is the second word in the "Sex PQQKAI" (?) title

Ah, damn, Lisa. Wes guessed that we were chipping in to get him a subscription to Sex PQQKAI for Christmas!                    

[L_Jonté]

So, when's the next installment of skinnydipping with Sola coming out?

                   Gah!  Stop that you!  Didn't you just read me telling Wes that I'm behind on Arcana Jayne?   :blink:                    

[L_Jonté]

I'll second that! :-)

*sigh*

How many "pages" are we to expect in this arc?

There are another 12ish to go.  Sometimes the script just needs more room than I originally alloted.  Hence the pages with "a" appended to them.

First, I'm surprise that site can afford to pay you even a pittance, but that's neither here nor there.

Mine is not to question why...

the resolution is too low for the detail text to be legible

The detail text is a throw-away.  It's not necessary to the story, just window dressing.  However, for the record, the titles you couldn't read were Full Frontal Fairies, Bondage Pixies and Sex Pooka.

Anyway, I have to give you bonus points for not making yours look like they can easily be snapped like twigs and for picking neat names like Mycota.

Thank you.  ^_^

Aside from that, I've never really bought a comic book, so I'm missing the enthymeme there.

Not sure there is one.  Substitute magazines for comics and the gag would be the same.

Was there supposed to be more than one page?

Not yet.  Each page is self contained like in the Sunday Funnies.  A new page will go up every month along with addition art and pin-ups.

But personally I would pay much more for a second helping of your prose (regardless of topic, romantic or not) than I would for more in this particular artistic vein. Both AJ and Decisions beat this by a large margin.

Well, so far as I know, you're in the minority at present.  But I'm working on it.  Hell, I've even been entertaining the radical notion of dusting off my novel-writing ambitions of long ago.  We shall see...                    



[!--EDIT|L_Jonté|Nov 28 2002, 08:17 AM--]

[L_Jonté]

Ah, damn, Lisa. Wes guessed that we were chipping in to get him a subscription to Sex PQQKAI for Christmas!

Damn!  We been rumbled!                    

[weimer]

The detail text is a throw-away.  It's not necessary to the story, just window dressing.  However, for the record, the titles you couldn't read were Full Frontal Fairies, Bondage Pixies and Sex Pooka.

I predicted that you would say something like that and considered preemptively addressing it, but I figured, "nah". So here we are. If this were animated, having throw-away window dressing would make more sense. As it stands, the viewer can squint for as long as she likes and still not make sense of it, growing gradually more frustrated -- not the emotion I think you're trying to evoke. In addition, the entire page is so spartan that you're consigning quite a bit of it to the ashcan here. There are 114 "normal" words and 9 illegible ones, making 7.3% of the written content "throw-away". If 7.3% of the 124-minute film Spirited Away were without dialogue or without visuals, there'd be 9 blank minutes. :-) Basically, I encourage you not to sell yourself short here. The bit that is hard to decipher is a bigger portion of what is available than you may think ... and your gentle readers have all the time in the world to brood about it.

Not sure there is one.  Substitute magazines for comics and the gag would be the same.

I must have gone to a different gag school as a child. The "Inside Pat's Brain" gag was good. I'm having trouble with most of the rest of them.

Well, so far as I know, you're in the minority at present.

What a scary thought :-). At any rate, that probably also means that everyone else was happy with blurry book titles, so never mind me. :-) Good luck with your lucrative fairies.                    

[Kiki]

Gah!  Stop that you!  Didn't you just read me telling Wes that I'm behind on Arcana Jayne?

Well, um, the only comic books I've ever been interested in are Thieves and Kings (although the writing is a little immature at times, and that wizard annoys me to no end), but I am interested in Solaufein, so now you know where I think your priorities should be, resume-unworthy though it may be. (How 'bout if I ask real nice?) May this member of your public humbly request that there be more attention paid to the ostensible star of the show, and that Imoen not steal so many scenes? You know that I like how you write her; it's just that I'd like to see more about the main attraction.

Spirited Away is finally coming to a theater near me this weekend (albeit the smallest, dingiest, and most rundown theater in town) and I'm looking forward to seeing it. Yours is the only quasi-negative review I've heard, Wes, and I'm hoping you were maybe just in a bad mood when you saw it.                    

[Tsuru]

I'll triple that request, I can't wait to see more Sola fanfic Personally I think Immy can't help stealing scenes, it's just so natural to her..LOL!
                   

[Kiki]

I just looked at the Faery Ring stuff. God in heaven, woman, get back to Solaufein!                    

[L_Jonté]

If this were animated, having throw-away window dressing would make more sense. As it stands, the viewer can squint for as long as she likes and still not make sense of it, growing gradually more frustrated -- not the emotion I think you're trying to evoke. In addition, the entire page is so spartan that you're consigning quite a bit of it to the ashcan here. There are 114 "normal" words and 9 illegible ones, making 7.3% of the written content "throw-away". If 7.3% of the 124-minute film Spirited Away were without dialogue or without visuals, there'd be 9 blank minutes.

Lisa's first reaction:  *runs around in circles tearing at hair and gibbering incoherently until one of her family members kindly moves a large object into her path -BONK- rendering her into blissful unconciousness -THUD-*

Lisa's second reaction:  Wes, I do believe you are over analyzing.  It's just a goofy little comic strip that I get paid for.  Making it give me needed exposure in my industry and helps pay for my websites and other, loftier projects.  It's hardly worth a comparison (statistical or otherwise) to a Miyazaki film.

Basically, I encourage you not to sell yourself short here.

Thank you for the vote of confidence, I do appreciate it.  But even Einstein had to have a day job.

What a scary thought :-). At any rate, that probably also means that everyone else was happy with blurry book titles, so never mind me. :-) Good luck with your lucrative fairies.

Thank you Wes.  And, would it interest you to know that at least some of the AJ projects I've planned will be illustrated prose ratehr than sequential storytelling?  Perhaps this would be more to your liking?                    

[L_Jonté]

I just looked at the Faery Ring stuff. God in heaven, woman, get back to Solaufein!

                   Don't you have some vampires to stake?                      

[Kiki]

Don't you have some vampires to stake?

                   No staking was necessary, fortunately. Though they do have a cedar chest loaded in the back of their car that looks suspiciously like a coffin. I refrained from asking any difficult questions.

The Faery Ring strip that I read (I couldn't access any other ones, despite the handy little directional buttons; were there any more?) was funny. I was just taken aback by the site.                    

[L_Jonté]

No, there aren't any more yet.  My strip just started and will be updated once a month.                    

[L_Jonté]

A new installment of the Sola-fic is up over here.                    

[Sphira]

A new installment of the Sola-fic is up over

                    *whimpers* Tis short...! But hey, Immy's faaaar away.                    

[L_Jonté]

Wassmatta?  Don't like Immy so much?  (And it may be short but it's longer than the last one.)    B)                    

[Tsuru]

Wassmatta?  Don't like Immy so much?  (And it may be short but it's longer than the last one.)    B)

                   But they're so worth waiting for. Methinks the lady has a talent for fanfic despite her grumbles
                   

[L_Jonté]

For fiction in general dear, not just the fannish variety.  

My grumbles have never been out of fear that I might stink at this, but that my abilities are much better spent on characters that I can actually publish.   B)                    

[Tsuru]

For fiction in general dear, not just the fannish variety.  

My grumbles have never been out of fear that I might stink at this, but that my abilities are much better spent on characters that I can actually publish.   B)

                   I know, sweetie. And yet we keep bugging you for more of that smut you do so well

Wouldn't it be lovely to not have to earn that filthy lucre doing regular boring old work but be able to spend all our time on creative pursuits? *sigh* Course if one can manage to earn it being creative, that would make it worth it
                   

[Sphira]

Wassmatta?  Don't like Immy so much?  (And it may be short but it's longer than the last one.)    B)

                   I like Immy, but she's got millions of fanfics about her. This is the only "serious" of two ficcies with Sola as the main focus.

(The other being a turnip named desire, I didn't like the PC much in that so I'm glad it turned out to be an Immy/Sola fic.)                    

[L_Jonté]

Wouldn't it be lovely to not have to earn that filthy lucre doing regular boring old work but be able to spend all our time on creative pursuits?

Be careful what you wish for.  Work is still work be it creative or not and there are pitfalls in the creative industries that most people never forsee.  Not the least of which is, a very short supply of that filty lucre for one's efforts.  

 B)