What are you doing these days?

Anime Master ZERO · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:00 am Post subject: What are you doing these days?

We really haven't had much activity here ever since EXE came to an end. And as a result, we really haven't learned much that's new about each other. That is why this thread exists.

What are you up to these days?

Me, I'm taking game development at the local tech school. My dream is to be a game writer. I created a design document for my dream game for one of my classes and I've been expanding on it ever since. I'm hoping I can turn that game into a reality one day. My only problem is that classes get cancelled often because of low enrollment. I'm debating about taking day classes at another college in English. Seeing as I'm going to be a writer, maybe an English degree would benefit me greater than a game development certificate.

I came out as pansexual a couple of years ago. My friends all accepted me with open arms. My mother... Well, telling her was very hard for me but I did it because she's an open-minded person. Her reaction was not one I had hoped for. She thought that my feelings were just the result of me not having any schoolwork to do (I had been out of college for half a year by then and was working at Best Buy) and that they would go away once I had something to focus my mind on. And my father is not the kind of man you can talk to about this sort of thing. My cousins were more accepting of my sexuality. I never actually told them, but they do read my Facebook. So outside my immediate family, I can be open about who I am and it feels really good. Sometimes, though, I wish it could be that way around my parents.

I've recently gotten into D&D and Warhammer. I was reluctant with D&D at first because my first experience playing it was not a pleasant one. Some friends tried to force me into it that time. My second experience was much better as I was eased into it, even allowing me to create my own character. And Warhammer I got into when one of my best friends came to visit from the US. In fact, he got a whole group of us into the game. So now here I am with an undead Vampire Counts army. Though I haven't had much time to play lately.

For work I am currently teaching martial arts to elementary school students. It's pretty much an after-school thing, but I get paid pretty well. I've also begun to get into DJing. Hopefully that will go well and I can use that to make some extra money. My first gig is this Monday. My hope is that I can get enough recognition to get invited to DJ for next Animethon's dance.

I'm still going to cons and I'm still writing fanfics. I'm currently working on an ongoing Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic with two friends, the experience of which has significantly raised my standards for writing. I'm also still making AMVs and still playing World of Warcraft. And that pretty much covers the stuff that hasn't changed.

So yeah. That's my life now. How are yours going?
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Nazne · Shukei - Hakuteiken Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1133

linkfreak131 · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:42 pm Post subject:

Well, right now I'm in my sophomore year of college at Otis (an art school) majoring in Digital Media. We basically learn all forms of art that has to deal with the computer: commercials, motion graphics, 3D, concept art, ect. I'll be focusing on concept art since I really want to do concept art for video games, and maybe even movies. Also thinking about taking some Toy Design electives at my school since I'm also interested in that sort of stuff, too. More interested in the action figure/high end sculptures for adults ever since I took an elective about that last semester. I'd actually really like to minor in Toy, but if I did that, I'd probably have to stay an extra year, which is a little too expensive for me... I can barely afford 4 years let alone 5. lol I dunno though, I'll have to talk to one of my teachers about that. A nice thing about learning about sculpture though, is it is used in concept art at times, as well as 3D modeling (they just scan it in instead of actually sitting at the computer making it), so maybe that'll be good for me to go into, too.

I do plan, though, to have some sculptures of characters in my senior thesis. Hopefully that can set me apart from everyone else who's going into concept art.

But yeah, most of my time has gone to that. Been trying to find some sort of summer job/part time job, but it's been failing. :/ No one wants to hire right now. Kinda wish more people would start commissioning me so I can earn some extra cash that way, but I haven't gotten any since November, so that stinks.

I'm also taking a landscape drawing class elective this semester, which has proven to be very difficult. I've never drawn landscapes before, so that's why it's so hard, but at least I'm learning something new that I know will help me in the long run. The teacher's pretty awesome, too. He used to do a lot of stuff for Disney, so he often tells us some crazy stuff that went on over there while he was working and teaching there. He's one of those teachers who doesn't give pats on the back; if you're bad at drawing, he'll tell you, and if you're good he'll tell you.

Ummmmm, that's probably about it. Nothing too-too interesting from me. lol
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Unknown Neo · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:12 pm Post subject:

I'm mostly just trying to get a job. That's pretty much it.

So you like anyone AMZ? You're like Captain Jack Harkness of Dr. Who.
Still cool though. Also, do you have a DJ name? That may be the most important thing. Sounds like you've up to a lot of interesting things.

Seru-kun · Net Battler Age: 30 Joined: 07 Jul 2010 Posts: 51

BS-X Project. And EXE OSS Translation.
BS-X Project = Documenting the Nintendo Satellaview, also trying to revive it via emulation.
(Official Website if you want to know more : http://luigiblood.0fees.net/bsx/ )

That's what i'm doing. Once i have done BS-X Project i would finally can work on SNES Homebrew Games.
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Poochy.EXE

Nazne: Wow. You've basically summed up my life as well. I'm also a CS major studying AI these days. I think I'm aiming towards a Ph.D., myself. And I also think EXE had something to do with it. As a little kid, I already loved computers and did a bit of programming (yes, all the way back to elementary school - I still have some of the stuff I made back then to prove it, too), but the whole time I thought of it as a hobby. EXE and its depiction of CS and AI research labs basically came up to me, smacked me in the face, and said "What do you mean it's just a hobby? There are awesome careers in these sort of things!"

(You can probably add me to the asexual list, too. As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to have kids someday, but other than that I have no interest in sexual activity. Ironically, my parents want grandkids.)

So far, I've used what I've learned to make a couple Tetris AIs which can totally kick my butt at Tetris. XD You can find them on NullpoMino, which is an open-source action puzzle game/engine project I've become a part of. I actually originally made the first of my two AIs on NullpoMino by myself as a personal project, then I showed it to them and they handed me admin access to the project in response. XD

Fandom-wise, I've gotten into a couple new series, but not really any fan communities. I've come across the awesomeness that is BBC's pokey little motoring show known as Top Gear, and James May's trademark exclamations of "Oh, cock!" whenever something goes awry has already worked its way into my vocabulary. As for anime, I've somehow developed an obsession with Inazuma Eleven, in spite of my apathy towards sports shows as a genre. I never thought I'd be interested in a show about little boys playing super-dimensional soccer, but then again, I never thought I'd like an FPS-style game before Portal, either. I11 just does such an awesome job of character development that that alone is enough to make me want to watch.

Also, I still only have a social life three days out of the year, i.e. Otakon.
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**Malik** · Local Prinny Deity Age: 34 Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 1179

Ozone · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 2:34 am Post subject:

Got a work, dying in boredom.
Still single (a modern way to say 'alone' "-_- )
Waiting for new Rockman episodes to show up (man, I'm 21, and still I watch anime :D )
Trying to put enough money apart for making a costume and go to otakon (travel from Sardinia to Baltimore isn't not chea, meh.)
Such a crappy life, uh?
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Poochy.EXE

Equilibrium · Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 9:50 am Post subject:

i'm still incredibly straight.

i just left college/uni and i'm doing some freelance work on small mobile (iphone android etc) games. aiming to get a real job at a studio within the near future.
and sometimes i wish i didn't have to spend 60% of my time in front of a computer.
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hi mom.

Yue-chan · Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:43 pm Post subject:

pretty much been doing nothing but work; I work in the assembly department of a tool and dye shop. Its pretty boring, but hey, its money.

I am still very much an anime/manga fangirl, I go to conventions and cosplay, and what surprises me and my twin both is that our coworkers, who even though they have no idea what it is we are actually talking about, are extremely interested in what we get up to at conventions, and about our costumes and such. so that is pretty cool.

also asexual, but I don't think my parents care to much. my three oldest sisters have given my parents 9 grandchildren thus far, so as far as I am concerned, they don't need any from me.
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Elementalman.EXE · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:38 am Post subject:

With all this talk about sexuality maybe the thread should be "Who are you up to."

Ironically enough I'm studying gender and queer theory in University and am looking to do more research into that field. I'm also studying Shakespeare, Theatre and Religious Studies. I could probably launch into some spiel about how since gender is a construct of society labeling of such identities as gay, bi, lesbian etc is being inhospitable and all it does is create barriers because we live in a hetero-normative society and most of these labels were created by people looking out at those different from them, given the context of this conversation. I mean you come out of the closet, okay, where do you go? The front room? You're still bound by society and the very act of coming out allows for power to be held by someone other then you.

I'm not pan/bi/asexual or anything I'm just hopeless on the dating front. You know same old stuff, ask a girl out and make her hate you, girlfriend cheated on me with her brother. You know regular stuff. Also I can thank leaving this forum for helping my social life like tenfold because instead of spending hours on end on this forum and chat I got out into the real world and met people.

Anyway. I'm more or less disillusioned with Anime at this point only keeping up with Naruto and FMA Brotherhood because I'm certain that no Anime will ever be able to top Code Geass. Nor do I want anything to. I found I can get the same colourful characters with the added bonus of real world physical violence by watching wrestling.
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Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

Anime Master ZERO · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:59 am Post subject:

Nazne · Shukei - Hakuteiken Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1133

Malik, can to have existential crises together?

Poochy - see, those AI projects are kind of still more than I've ever done in the field of AI. I've had other work experiences, but I'd like to get into actual AI research and see how it turns out.

Also...why is everyone getting into I11?

Elementalman.EXE · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:54 pm Post subject:

First before I go anywhere I want to say I don't think anyone shouldn't be proud about who they are, I'm more or less take issue with the idea of having to "come out" of a closet. I mean you don't come out as straight now do you.

Easy, you aren't assuming your own identity, you're assuming an identity bestowed upon. I won't beat around the bush, in this day and age what is normal is pretty much straight people.

The queer movement has not meant the end of the sexual secret, or the end of the authority attached to ensuring that that secret is revealed, disclosed. If anything, there is even more public fascination with “gay uncovering,” an intense atmosphere of public articulations of and about the love that is widely known as forbidden. An out queer person deals daily with the issue of whether the people around them know that information or whether or not that information is important. In fact there are people who may retreat back into the closet at points in their life you'd be hard pressed to find someone whose lives aren't shaped by the closet. I know of one teacher who was fired when he came out as gay. Two different court rulings went from stating he had drawn to much attention to himself by coming out and he was unfit to teach and the other stated that he was fit to teach but because he hadn't provided this information for his job application he hadn't provided enough information about himself he had disqualified himself anyway.

Well where am I going with this. What exactly does it mean to come out of the closet? Is it liberation? It can't be liberation because where do you go when you exit the closet, the front hall, the dining room? You are still restricted to a space once you exit the closet. What's more is that you are basically asking for permission to enter into space. What's the best case scenario for coming out, having people say "We accept you"? By exiting the closet you are seeking permission to enter into this space and by doing so you in a sense become the guest of whoever you come out to. You may be welcomed but you do so by crossing the threshold under a certain set of conditions. Whoever you come out to becomes an authority, speaking for what the represent and they are the one with a boarder to control. Also be crossing what is basically a boarder between the closet and whatever you enter emphasises that the boarder is there.

By crossing this boarder and accepting the term you are forever living as a guest against the heteronormative expectations. It's the same in American with ridiculous terms like "African Americans", "Latino and Hispanic American". Ethnic groups that live in American must forever be dubbed with this term that means they are somehow different from Americans. They must forever live as the guests in America. Same as Native Americans who were here first yet are still demoted to guests in America. Most terms are created by outsiders, so by accepting that term you are like I mentioned accepting those terms and conditions that come with it. Gay and Lesbian may have replaced homosexual, as homosexual described a human being understood from perspective of law and medicine. But there are limitations with Gay, lesbian, bi, etc, the only one that seems to work without problem is queer as that whole movement came from someone who was queer themselves.

Again let me state I'm not against anyone's choice in anyway I just see the problem with the idea of having to come out of the closet.
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Elementalman.EXE
Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted.
1000 Post on Sept. 18 2005 at 6:29pm

Nazne · Shukei - Hakuteiken Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1133

So - let me see if I can summarize your point.

You seem to understand the basic concept of heteronormativity; that in American culture, straight, white Americans are regarded as "normal" and that everyone else has to have a label indicating what they are. You believe people should not use these labels - or be "forced" to use these labels? Please clarify.

Furthermore, because the labels of "gay" and "lesbian", and "bisexual" - which may or may not be a scientific term in itself - were originally created in the broader sphere of heteronormativity, referring to sexual activity then regarded as deviant, you believe that anyone who uses these terms to refer to themselves in modern culture is shackling themselves by such assumptions. You regard other labels based on race as being similar, in that they subdivide the population into American and other-American, and you feel that it would be optimal if everyone simply called themselves "Americans", or did not classify themselves as any of the terms regarded as "out". Is this correct?

May I ask, for the sake of discussion, if you belong to any of the above non-white-American categories? I am Asian-American and asexual.

Equilibrium · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:47 pm Post subject:

i hate gender studies because it's fashionable intellectualism. it's an interesting field as long as you get away from all the outdated societal views and counterculture egalitarianism.

i can't write long posts. ◕ ◡ ◕
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hi mom.

Unknown Neo · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject:

[quote="Anime Master ZERO"]

SeijinKage13 · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 7:24 pm Post subject:

Taking break. Looking to transfer to another college that is supposedly better. Still looking for a part-time, small job around my area, no luck so far. Got strep, much to my bad luck. I'm also trying to lose some weight.

Otherwise, I have plenty of free time at the moment.
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Rex · Net Battler Age: 35 Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 97

Just studying in college and trying to get back practicing martial arts and do other stuff.

Sadly, things are looking back at college again U.U; I just hope it does't happen the same as last year
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