The problem with Professor Layton....

>:l Professor not everything is related to puzzles

>:l

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

I think I need to get out of drawing.

Getting back into drawing. :D

For a long time, I've taken some time off from drawing. But the spirit is biting me recently... Maybe I might even bring back Vexing. Who knows!

I decided I will review Professor Layton in the form of a comic though. Obviously it won't be in depth, but it'll get the point across...

Anyways, I spent a lot of time drawing this charmander, so instead of a lengthy blog post, I'll post this. It's a WIP still-- I'll try inking/coloring it in tomorrow. Til then~!

This Charmander's got swaaaag~

Mabinogi Shenanigans

Yeaaaah I'm an idiot LOL.

30DAC: Day 5

Day 5
Character You're Most Like


The funny thing is, I've already thought about this. And people I've known have talked told me this, too. I've been told I'm a mixture of:

Osaka from Azumanga Daioh

and

Konata from Lucky Star

Not that these are desirable characters to be. ;_;

Konata is your female otaku-gamer-girl type. She'd rather play video games, read manga, or watch anime than do homework. And most of the time, she does. The funny thing is that it's not like she's actually dumb, she just cannot apply herself to a lot of things outside of her interests. She's also incredibly sarcastic, something I love. There were more things that we were similar on, but for the life of me, I've forgotten them. It's definitely time to rewatch this series.

Osaka is your classic spacey-girl type. Again, not dumb, because she has shown herself to be rather profound when it comes to solving puzzles, but just spacey. A classic moment is when she's in class and she randomly starts to follow her eye floaters around with this big smile on her face. But beyond being spacey, she's also downright weird in a wonderfully hilarious way. However, I'll have to recommend the manga over the anime-- it doesn't do it justice. :c

So take the otaku-sarcasm from Konata, the weird spacey-ness from Osaka, and you essentially have me. A spacey otaku...

Fuck my life.

Penny and Aggie

You know that series that catches you completely off guard? One that you are only warm towards in the beginning, but slowly works its way up to favorite status? That series for me was Penny and Aggie; a story about two girls who hate each other in high school (original, I know) but slowly become important parts of each other's lives. Their relationship slowly grows over the years, becoming something neither one of them expected. Sadly, it ended far too quickly when it was just getting to the part I truly adored about it-- and didn't end too well, in my opinion. But at any rate, let's get started on my first webcomic review. (aw yeah, awesoooome)

Famous last words.
Well, last straight words.

Story
The plot of this story varies between high school drama and slice of life. What's nice is that the comic matures and grows up along with its writer and artist, so the one-shot comic to comic episodes are short lived. And at the same time, the characters do too. Where Penny and Aggie start out as one-dimensional archetypes, they slowly become molded into complex women tangled in each other's lives. They don't want to start caring about each other, they never planned it, but slowly they do.

Until finally Aggie truly starts questioning her sexuality. There have been hints here and there about the possibility of her being gay, and other characters mused about it as well, but it was all foreshadowing until halfway through the series that she realizes that she's not all into men. And slowly, the two girls realize there might be something more to their friendship than, well, friendship.

okay in some areas it's not so subtle but you get the idea

Eventually, the two do finally admit their feelings for each other... or at least admit they want to explore the relationship between them. Considering they only get together in the last part of the series, I won't go into too many details about their relationship. However, it does allow them to look at what they really want out of life, and what they want out of themselves. I was rather surprised when there relationship never hit the typical cliches but ran into actual problems and concerns I myself ran into when I finally realized my own sexuality. Many of the concerns Aggie had were the concerns I had, so it was nice to finally have a gay character to relate to.

That being said, the story wasn't entirely revolved around their sexuality. One of the most moving chapters to me was one dealing with Aggie's conflicting emotions regarding her mother's death and her own blossoming adulthood. Then there's that mind-blowing chapter where all the possible futures Penny has gathers together to make a decision that will affect her for the rest of her life... For a high school drama, there's a decent amount of depth and thought.

And surprisingly, there's a lot of metaphor and symbolism throughout the series, something you don't find a whole lot in the "non-artsy" stories. Take this defining moment for Aggie:

Wait for it...

Uh oh indeed.

Grade: B
Not a fan of how gimmicky the beginning is, and the ending is a let down, but everything else is truly wonderful.

Art
Since this story has seen two different artists and has been around seven years, PaA has understandably seen a dynamic art style. Where this comic is fortunate, however, is that even the initial art isn't hard to look at, which is more than you can say for many other fledgling comics. However, my preference lies with the initial artist, Gisele, rather than the artist the series ended with, Jason. Gisele grew into an expressive, more human style, whereas Jason's style has a doll-like feeling, and tends too rely on only a few expressions. In some cases, Jason still needs to work on his anatomy (something I need to work on too in the comic world, bawhahahabaw). Unfortunately, with the exception of a few comics, the entire series is in black and white. This is a shame, because they seem to have access to people who can color-- which suggests they're sacrificing quality for quantity. This theory is backed up by the rush job they did with the ending, which is terrible.

For the most part at least, the art progresses rather nicely and is good. It's not great, but it's better than most of its counterparts.

Grade: B


Overall
Bottom line, Penny and Aggie is by no means perfect. It grew through out its entire life, and ended with more room to grow. Most of its flaws could be overlooked if not for the rushed ending-- T, the writer had planned for it to end this September, and when it was obvious that the story was going to run a little long, most of the story was cut out in favor for a "time skip" ending. You know, one of those endings where they flash forward to the future and explain everything we missed? Yeah, that kind of ending. Much of what they talked about were things I would have liked to seen. They were things I cared to find out about and seen fleshed out. And considering the next project T and Jason were going to work on was a spin-off of two of the characters going to college together, it makes me wonder if they just got bored of the Penny/Aggie romance. If that was the case, why all the build up? Why not implement it sooner? Why would you build up their romance to leave it so... lack luster?

The ending is what you remember most, and this ending has tainted the rest of the story for me. It's the reason why I can't give it an A despite how far it came from the beginning. It was like they learned absolutely nothing... and it was very disappointing.

Overall Grade: B


You be the judge. Visit Penny and Aggie at:
http://www.pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=1
(The default page leads to the spin-off. I could care less for that noise.)

30DAC: Day 4

Day 4
Anime You're Ashamed You Enjoyed

Oh boy. This one.

This is actually a rather ... difficult answer for me. There's only two series I can think of, and one I still refuse to admit I'm a fan of. There are little disclaimers whenever I talk about them. "It's not like I like it," "I'm not a fan or anything," "UGH GOD I HATE IT SO MUCH likeinepisodefiftybagillionandtwointhedirector'scut," etc. They're both fairly popular in both Japan and America, so really, it's not like a social stigma or anything-- it's just that typically they're not the kind of series I go for, and that in itself makes me feel dead inside.

quit stalling already OKAY OKAY Here goes nothing. There's no turning back I guess. I'm officially a "fan" of them from now on... The first series I'm ashamed I enjoy is:

I WANT TO CHAAAANGE THE WORLD, NA NA NA NA JAPANESE WORDS

Inuyasha. Considering I was 11 when this series first aired, it's not a big surprise that I watched it religiously when I was younger. Every Saturday night I'd turn on Adult Swim, wish desperately that I could have magical adventures like Kagome. This was at the phase of my life where while I was aware that reality was soul-crushingly boring and... well, soul-crushing, I still had some inner hope that it'd turn out differently. And boy was I wrong. However, as I grew up, the series didn't, either. Eventually when I was 15 or so I realized that Inuyasha and his friends weren't actually getting anywhere in the series and that it was just a bunch of rehashed plot points over and over. When Bleach came out, I managed to stay away from that series, because I said, "Oh, it's basically like a boy's version of Inuyasha, except with no adventures."

However, even though I fell out of love with the original series, when the Final Act arrived, I found myself flocking back to the series. I knew how it was going to end... and yet, I still couldn't pull myself away from it. I guess I'd react the same way if the DiC version of Sailor Moon came back: I would hate it with a passion, but it's Sailor Moon so fuck it I'm going to gobble that shit up. It's been about ten years since it originally aired, so I've "known" it for almost half of my life, so I try and convince myself it's understandable that I like the series. At least it's a reason... Which is more than I can have to say for the second series I'm ashamed of liking.

KIMI... er... no..... Uh, ... Kimi...
I WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, NANANA....

Fullmetal Alchemist. I can't even remember how old I was when this series first aired. I want to say I was 14 or 15. At either rate, I can't blame liking this series on nostalgia. And considering it's not even that bad of a series, I can't explain why I dislike the fact that I like this series. It's like that boyfriend you don't love anymore. You don't want to be with him, but if he goes to leave, OH GOD WHY SO MANY TEARS. And it wasn't until recently that I realized I was a genuine fan of it. I realized that I would actually move away from the computer and pay attention to the TV when it came on (as opposed to my usual style of "watching" where I leave the TV on for background noise). And then when it came to planning out a cosplay for myself, I stumbled across Ed's pocket watch over the net-- I squealed like an idiot and ordered it. That's when I had my crystallizing moment of fandom, I suppose.

Considering Inuyasha is a worse and considerably less thought out story than FMA, I'm surprised that I'm more ashamed about liking FMA than Inuyasha. I couldn't explain why. FMA seems like something I'd like, too-- and adventure story that attempts to have a complex them (attempts, although at times the original story could be cliche). I also can identify with Ed on a few levels, which is strange, because until then, I never identified with a male character. But unlike most series, I can't consciously pin down how I feel about it. At least with Inuyasha, I could say, "I like it, but FUCK that was an awful series."



For whatever reason, these two series have found a way to worm themselves into my heart. What series are you ashamed you enjoy? Are they the same series? Or completely different. And does anyone else get what I mean about FMA???

Til tomorrow, folks~

And now for something a little spiffy... (Flower Graffiti)

So, recently, I've been a little (read: enormously) political active. I won't talk too much about the specifics because this blog is NOT about politics, but rather about Art and Nerd culture. However, I have found out about a neat little movement that certainly files under the art section, and depending on your love of chemistry, might qualify as nerdy:

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Seed Bomb. In an urban world where the only green you might see is weeds, the Guerrilla Gardening movement aims to give power to the people in the form of tiny balls of clay, seeds, and fertilizer. The beautiful thing about this, like most pieces of art, they can represent anything that matters to you. You can choose to plant wild flowers in colors that represent what you're passionate about, or you can even plant herbs or small veggie/fruit plants for the community to share. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

Of course, if planted on private property that you do not own, this is technically illegal. I say "technically" because if someone wanted to be a total asshole about flowers being planted on undeveloped land, and could prove you were behind it, you could be held accountable. However, if you choose to do it in an area covered with weeds, it becomes increasingly unlikely that someone would bother raising a stink over some pretty flowers. But since this DOES cover an illegal subject, I MUST include this disclaimer:

Nerdspiffy.com and her webmistress does NOT condone any graffiti of any sort, be it with paint or flowers. This post is merely intending to inform people that this movement is out there. It is not telling you to go out there and do it. If you do it, get caught, and say this blog post did it, fuck you. You are in control of your own actions. Please try to get permission first before attempting any of these practices.


That being said, let's move on to the different types of seed bombs there are.

First up is the seed pill, my personal favorite.

Do NOT make me write a disclaimer against taking these.
God, there's someone stupid enough to swallow one, isn't there?
Fuck it, here you go retards: Don't do it.

These are a bit trickier to make, but they're the least conspicuous and probably the best ones to use. You can get the capsules at a vegan store or order them online (make sure they're biodegradable-- dissolving with water is a must! Fill them with the seeds of your choice, a little bit of eco-friendly fertilizer, and close it up. You can either toss them onto the lot of your choosing or pop them into the dirt.

The next one up is a classic: clay seed balls.

These seed grenades are awesome AND available for sale.
I totally want them. ;_;

The general rule is to do a 5:1:1 ratio of clay soil, compost, and seeds, binding the mixture together with water. You can get pretty creative with these-- one man pours them into gun molds! However, even those this is a classic, this isn't without its draw backs. If you use it in hot, dry areas, it could bake solid, preventing the seeds from growing. So don't use this if you live in an area as dry as Rosie O'Donnell. Texas, I'm looking at you.

Beyond these, there are other interesting methods, like using balloons to scatter/drop the seeds and clay balls, or putting the materials in egg shells of all things. These aren't methods that I'd use, so I haven't researched them very much-- if this post sparks your interest, definitely look into it. Desertification and deforestation has definitely become a problem, so even if there isn't a larger political message you want to get behind, there is nothing wrong with getting out and planting some wildlife. If you don't want to make these yourself, but just want to toss them around, definitely look into buying them-- but be careful! Several sites I've found don't make them right or let the seed bombs dry out too much, which runs into the problem I've mentioned before.

And if you do decide to plant these-- if you live in an area that doesn't get a lot of rain, be sure to water your seed bombs every once in a while! And if you remember to use fertilizer or compost, you'll see results in no time.

That concludes my spiffy update for today. If I manage to get around to this, I'll take some pictures and upload them for you guys! See you next time~

Under Construction!

You'll notice some changes around here-- I have decided to change my blog up some!

For the next few days, the layout is going to be tinkered with here and there. Hopefully it'll be a lot sleeker.

Thank you for being patient everyone!

Sexy Disgusting Perverse Angelic (Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt Review)

WARNING

The following blog post is extremely sexy in nature. Anyone who reads it shall surely be under my spell and will be forced to get a huge naked dog pile with me. Should you feel hot under the collar, DO NOT turn on Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. This will only make it worse. Reader discretion advised.

I could totally get behind this idea of heaven.

How the hell do you even start on an anime like this? Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is without a doubt one of the most memorable and clearly the most insane shows I have EVER seen. "Two angel sisters attempt to get to Heaven by destroying ghosts and demons with the help of a preacher."  Seems like an entirely innocent premise, right? I can only imagine someone in the studio took a hit of something, went silent for a good five minutes, and said, "Oh my god... you know what? No one's ever done? An angel series about the disgusting parts of human life. And I don't mean any of that psychological nonsense. I mean, like, about nose picking, shit, and all that stuff."

"Dude, you're high," the other writers will say. "No way that can be done."

"You're saying it can't be done," the stone writer repeated, more to himself than to anyone else.

"No way!" The others said, laughing.

"...."

this is the first time i've ever made a meme pic
and i am entirely ashamed of myself

So for whatever the reason, we ended up with the mess that is Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. Because it doesn't have a main plot to tie the episodes together in a chronological order, and because it isn't serious, it's hard to review it in the way that I normally do. But let's see if I can tackle it anyways.

Overall Plot
Like I said before, because there isn't a main plot to tie them together in a chronological order, as far as plot goes, you have to take it for what it's worth episode to episode. For the most part, the series centers around Panty and Stocking, two angel sisters who are for some unexplained reason on Earth instead of in Heaven. They must destroy ghosts that seek to create chaos in Daten City, and every time a ghost is destroyed, it'll drop a coin called a "Heaven." Collecting these Heavens will let them actually go back to the real Heaven. However, Panty and Stocking are not your typical angels.

Panty, the older angel, is a blonde bombshell. As depicted in the opening, she's always got sex and boys on the brain-- if she can't fuck it, she's gonna ignore it. Stocking, the little sister is obsessed with a different cardinal sin, gluttony. She eats sugary things all day, never exercises, and never cares. She's pretty gothic for an angel. Somehow, humanity's faith rests in the hands of these two.

The unlikely hero trope isn't new by any means, but I've never seen the extent this show takes. I've never seen an actual episode about the pleasures of nose picking and all the stuff this takes on. It's revolting, but it's also weird and humorous at the same time. It's hard to pin down. It's original in its implementation, that's for sure.

Grade: A
For doing something old in a new way. Completely unforgettable.

Art
Although PaSwG is an anime, the art style is pretty much influenced by western art. In fact, I thought it was an English show until I saw the subtitled version. In fact, the story itself could arguably take place in America. The art style itself seems ripped from Powerpuff Girls, which is pretty cool for me since I've always loved that --




You know what? I'm sorry. I can't take this anime seriously. That's not a bad thing, because it's not supposed to be taken seriously. But oh my god, I can't. I just can't. Why review it? It's a masterpiece of fucked up perversion. It doesn't need to make sense.

Just watch it yourself and tell me what you think.

My overall grade? I just told you, I can't grade it.

Okay. I give it a #.

Doesn't make sense? Well fuck you it doesn't need to. See you next time.