Death, is never a good thing to experience. Either for the departed, or the living.

I've been fortunate to only experience death four times in my life, where those I considered friends or family passed on. My friend Trevor in 96, my Great-Grandmother in 03 (two days before my Birthday), Misty in 06, and today I just got the news that one of my schools Biology Graduate students passed on within the last few days.

Julie was an exchange student from South Korea, and I was helping her and another student work on a Cretoxyrhina skeleton in a large 9x4 plaster jacket. In all honesty, she had done a lot of work, finding several fish scales, a partial skull, and some invertebrate material around the stomach area of the shark.

Last I heard, Julie had suffered an aneurysm two days ago and was admitted to the hospital here in town before being transferred to Wichita. Last the other students had heard, she was doing okay, conscious but alive. Then today we got the news that she had died last evening, my advisor drove over personally to tell me.

In times of death I may seem like a heartless bastard when I don't show any real emotion about the death. I understand the role of death. I didn't cry at Trevor's funeral, I cried twice for my Great Grandmother's (once at the funeral, and again when I was with Setsuna for Thanksgiving). I understand death, and I'm not afraid of it, but that doesn't make the impact of a person you just saw earlier that week

It's true. Dr. Z and I were leaving (without a car, I don't have much transportation, so I was bumming rides since getting back from England), and we walked by the room where Julie was prepping, Dr. Z told her not to work to hard, but she had her headphones on and wasn't listening. So I shouted at her, to get her attention, and told her “Bye, and have a nice night.”

Those were the last things I said to her.

It's still an odd feeling when someone you know, and were starting to get to know better, is just... gone. Like that.

I even remember seeing Julie biking back to campus later that day. I was going to shout something at her, but she was halfway down the road before I could.

It is never easy to say goodbye. And I didn't know Julie that intimately. I was trying to get to know her better, have her join in on the Geology Grad Student dinners and socials. And just get to know her. But it never happened. For me at least. She was in one of the classes with several of the other Grad Students, and of course with me not having to take any real classes on Campus, I don't have to worry about them.

I guess what I can say right now, is...

Goodbye Julie, I only hope that whatever afterlife you may have believed in, that you made it there. And if you didn't believe in an afterlife, I hope that your last moments were peaceful.

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I do Commissions… just not that often… or as diligently.

To Commission me do the following: Provide me with a detailed explanation of what you want, at least a paragraph in length. Provide as much detail that you can, the more detail I have the better your image will turn out. Since I’m a Grad student, I can’t devote ALL of my time to art, but I can try and get done what I can.

Commissions:
Provide me with a detailed explanation of what you want, at least a paragraph in length. Provide as much detail that you can, the more detail I have the better your image will turn out. Since I’m a Grad student, I can’t devote ALL of my time to art, but I can try and get done what I can.
Rates (Effective after February 7th, 2009):
Line -> $10: Single character, black and white lines, no color.
- Color -> $15: Add color for only $5 more!
Manga Panel -> $20: Single Page comic, Black and White lines. Provide situation, characters, or script (or all three) in description.
- Grey tone: + $7
- Color: + $12
- Number of pages: + $15 for each page past the first.
Extra Characters: + $5 per character.
Example: A three Page Comic with two Characters in Grey Tone would be a total of $62.00. 20(Manga) + 30( Extra Pages, 15 x 2) + 5 (extra Character) + 7 (Grey tone).
I accept PayPal Only. I keep all hard-copies unless you would like to add another $5 for shipping of the original.

Stages:
Contemplative: I’ve been asked to do a Commission and am still thinking about pose, features, looking up details, and other random info.
Rough: A quick sketch of an idea for the commission, sent to back to those who ask my services for feedback before moving onto the next stage.
Sketch: A better version of a Rough, also sent back to clients for feedback.
Scan/Ink: Project looks good and is under the process of being scanned and worked on with the new Tablet OR being inked before scanning.
Computer: Inked, scanned, and being finished on the computer using Photoshop and the Wacom Tablet to the best of my limited abilities.
Finished: After the long and complicated process… the Commission is finished and now part of the customer’s collection.

Current Commissions:

Trebor: ROB Dragons (Sketch)
Kenny: Kenny, the God of Death (Rough)
Blademaster: Ivan and Chimera, Scourge (Contemplative)
Jerf: Lozordo (Contemplative)
Wyoming Dinosaur Center: Bad to the Bone T-shirt series (Contemplative/Sketch)
: Star Wars, Skyess. (Rough)
Charles Legend: Rilou & Aura Sphere (Contemplative)
: The Blood Book Series, Characters and Scenes (Contemplative)
Wyoming Dinosaur Center: Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution (Sketch)

Art Trades:

: Theo & Reddish Story and Art. (Rough/Contemplative 25% complete)

Finished:
Bill Whal: Fossils working on Fossils logo (Finished)
: Typholsion and Marina (Finished)
: Gift for being a friend and fan since I first started posting stuff on the net =^^=. (Finished)
: Lilian Slade, Blood and Magick 3: Chaos Legions (Finished)

$&$&$&$&$&$&$

My joy. My muse.
The one who my art is for.
My fire. My flame.
My reason for achieving so much.
My one. My only.
For whom I try so hard.
My time. My place.
They who I want to protect.
My heart. My soul.
Who I want to watch grow.
My life. My meaning.
With whom I want to be with for all time.



Love you Setsuna.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Friends:



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Artists I admire:



~~~~~~******

Clubs:



X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Fellow World of Darkness Fans:



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The SHITE List:
For those who have proven their inept stupidity and limited logic are thus put here (You don’t have to do anything to them, except maybe laugh at them when you get the chance >:/):

Creationist Scientists, Intelligent Design fanatics, Biologists who publish books against Evolution, Ben Stein, the Discovery Institute, The list shall be expanded upon I’m sure…

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Quotes:

Personal:
“Feedback is an Artist’s Lifeblood.” (~DR, the Art GOD)

“Why is it, everyone who considers me a friend, can’t stand each other?” (~DR, the Art GOD)

“Thou shark is as limp as thine wit!” (~DR, the Art God)

Paleontology/Geology Related:
“Well… Paleontology is one part treasure hunt, one part puzzle, one part detective story, and 97 parts luck.” (Dennis Roth, Paleontology Graduate Student explaining the science.)

“After ten years of experience, you can be considered an expert in the field.” (David Lovelace, Paleontologist)

“Geologists have a saying: Rocks Remember.” (Neil Armstrong)

“You have to think about it like this: you’re looking for a three-dimensional object in a two-dimensional space.” (Dennis Roth, Paleontology Graduate Student referring to fossil hunting when digging.)

World of Dakrness Related:
World of Darkness, Changing Breeds, Pg 99: Called Essence, this power helps them bend those polite suggestions Man calls "physics."

Vincent didn't know which fact disturbed him more: The fact that he had lost his virginity to a vampire, or that fact that same vampire said he was actually good in bed. (Vincent Nelson, Ghost Wolf Irraka, Werewolf: The Forsaken)

Werewolf: The Forsaken, Blood of the Wolf pg 37. Discussing the Uratha’s Gauru Form: An enemy is to be destroyed with application of force, a stuck door is to be destroyed with application of force, an unsalvageable game of chess is to be destroyed with application of force, a bad movie...

“I don’t wanna fight if I don’t have to. Don’t make me go Gauru on your ass.” (Vincent Nelson, Ghost Wolf Irraka, Werewolf: The Forsaken.)

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed at the fact that we’re both still alive…” (Kaine, Mage: The Awakening.)

“My blood. My Soul. Accept these offerings. SPIRIT! GIVE. ME. YOUR. STRENGTH!!!” (Drako Ralen, Blood Talon Cahalith, Werewolf: The Forsaken.)

“Take your hands off her or else I take them off at the elbows instead.” (Sarah Ramus, Bone Shadow Rahu, Werewolf: The Forsaken.)

Dungeons and Dragons Related:
A presumably evil wizard was preparing a ritual, also presumably evil. (Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 Application on Facebook)

Creationism vs Science Related:
“Creationist scientists… not that creative. They’ve been using the same arguments for the last 150 years and they’re still WRONG!” (J.C. Clare, Paleontology Graduate Student)

“You can’t argue science with theology.” (J. Seth Hammond, Paleontology Graduate student.)

“Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than an hypothesis.* In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies—which was neither planned nor sought—constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.” (Pope John Paul II on Evolution, October 22, 1996)

“Intelligent design isn't science even though it pretends to be. If you want to teach it in schools, intelligent design should be taught when religion or cultural history is taught, not science.” (Rev. George Coyne, Vatican chief astronomer)

Geology shows that fossils are of different ages. Paleontology shows a fossil sequence, the list of species representing changes through time. Taxonomy show biological relationships among species. Evolution is the explanation that threads it all together. Creationism is the practice of squeezing one's eyes shut and wailing, "Does not!" (Unknown)

“At this season of the Winter Solstice may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.” (Plaque engraving that was stolen and tossed into a ditch after being placed next to a nativity scene in Wisconsin.)

"...on cross-examination, Professor Behe was questioned concerning his 1996 claim that science would never find an evolutionary explanation for the immune system. He was presented with fifty-eight peer-reviewed publications, nine books, and several immunology textbook chapters about the evolution of the immune system; however, he simply insisted that this was still not sufficient evidence of evolution, and that it was not "good enough." (Page 78 of John Jones III verdict on Intelligent Design)

“Man created God in his own image.” (Ludwig Feuerbach)

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” (Albert Einstein)

Movies:
“We’re up against hostile forces. So if Little Red Riding hood comes out with a bazooka, I expect you to tame the bitch!” (Sergeant Harry Wells, Dog Soldiers)

TPM Related:
Grey says:
The real question is: Can you paint a picture so horrid that even you can't appreciate it?
~DR says:
Got a picture of Chris 2.0?

Blademaster: Damn TPM's posting rules... Demon can't die! The RPG has barely even started yet!

Blademaster: Wow... I'm not sure what I'm more shocked over. The fact that Ivan made a friend, or the fact that Demon made one...

~!#~!#~!#~!#~!#~!#

I am an ART GOD… In need of more followers… FOLLOW MEEEEEE!

Current Followers = 7: , two more, and a Psuedodragon.

If you wish to follow the Art God, then say so in a Note.

~DR

After we Embraced and were satisfied, I was Forsaken by her. It was many nights before I Awakened. After, I felt Created. As if I was Fireborn, the Lost moments of our passionate memory already fading before my Vigil into the Darkness.

Vampire: The Requiem A Storytelling game of Gothic Horror
Werewolf: The Forsaken A Storytelling game of Savage Fury
Mage: The Awakening A Storytelling game of Modern Sorcery
Promethean: The Created A Storytelling game of Stolen Lives
Dragon: the Fireborn A Storytelling game of Lost Memories
Changeling: The Lost A Storytelling game of Beautiful Madness
Hunter: The Vigil A Storytelling game of Light and Shadows

Welcome… It’s a World of Darkness.

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My dragonz! Let me show you them!