H'lo all, still around!

First of all, BIG apologies for being so slow again. This keeps happening again and again, and at first I was afraid to admit it, but I think I can safely attribute why I've been so slack on deadlining and trades and whatnot.

I've got a HUGE creative block. I've (very obviously) not written or drawn anything in AGES, and I'm struggling to find motivation to create altogether. In terms of GTM, I'm going through extreme stages of being motivated, then not being able to write whatsoever, and when I do, it feels forced. With the episode due last week, I'd written up the bulk of the story save tweaking here and there, and... wow. I didn't like it. It read to me as if the story had been written due to force of habit, rather than out of creative spontaneity. And I miss that creative spontaneity.

Since April, my work's been on a steady drip to an utter stop. I've not written poetry, songs or even diary entries for myself for months, and I'm struggling to find this creative motivation. I know that if I try to spark it back up, it'll hopefully come back on again, but it's finding the zest and the passion when I'm hardly the most confident fish in the pond. In fact, I'm completely devoid of confidence, and I've often said I hate who I am. Without getting too embroiled, I don't respect myself. I really don't. I make promises and deadlines that fail to hit home and recently I've hardly adhered to them. I really haven't.

I'm not quitting art altogether. This is what all artists and writers and poets go through... the creative block is the biggest fear of all three... when the spark dries up. And believe me, I've had creative block before, and it creeps up on you. This time around, the demands of a world outside writing and sketching and so forth are partly to blame for my slowing down in terms of creative passion. Despite my efforts this summer I've not been able to find a job, and I'm still struggling to secure work for the autumn. I'm poorer than a craphouse rat. Things kinda drain the passion that you put into other areas out of you, and whilst I'm wholly responsible for my lack of progress, continuity and overall CONTACT that I've been keeping, I hope to cut the block in half very, very soon. After the postponing of Ep 7 I looked at the script and started again. I shall go back to it, and finish the job, and make it what I want it to be. It's time for me to stop lying to myself.

Artistic temperament is a very loose cannon, and it can often deprive and distort other people. I have made a vow to myself that I will spend this coming week trying to overcome the artistic apathy within me by exploring what it is about cartooning, writing and poetry that once sparked a fire within me. When I return to Uni, I hope my Creative Writing modules will help to get me back into regular movements. No, not bowel movements.

Now that those metaphors are outta the way, you may now resume usual service!

Just a brief, but important, update.

Ghostriding to Minneapolis Episode 7, 'A Night At the Rhombus', was due to be uploaded at the already-delayed date of yesterday morning. The episode is a break from the norm in the normal layout and formula of normal episodes and is based entirely in the past, on the night Lance was attacked, entirely centering around DJ Fragon and Hugo Dare and their 'business'. The flashback elements deal with an essential tangent to Fragon's past that affects most of the main characters in play.

However, following recent news, I have decided to suspend this week's episode as a mark of respect for those who were tragically killed, and those who are still missing in the Mississippi Bridge disaster, in Minneapolis Minnesota, on August 1st. For those who didn't know, which I assume you must, the bridge that saw in and out a lot of Minneapolis' trade collapsed during rush hour on Wednesday, killing at least four people (they're saying there could quite well be more as some are still missing) and seriously injuring several more.

Whilst it may seem wholly unconnected to the incident, the series owes a lot to the city of Minneapolis (hell, it's in the title, and I'm not going to pull any punches by saying that eventually the series is going to end up there, maybe not this season or even the next), and as a mark of respect and to acknowledge the tragedy the best a mortal can I'm witholding this episode until August 7th. I feel as a mortal man this is the best way I can show my sympathy for the lives affected by the event, and that releasing the episode at this tender time would not feel just on my part as writer and entertainer.

The episode has been written, and will be released on Tuesday afternoon (GMT). It will be dedicated to the lives lost, and will remain unedited otherwise. I once again apologise for these several delays; most of them being down to artistic temperament (I STILL haven't scanned up and coloured four fifths of the art I said I would), but this time around I genuinely feel rescheduling and making this statement is my way of both ushering respect and supporting those families who have been affected by this natural disaster.

Thank you, and keep on, everybody.

Namaste!

Brief newsage!

1. I lost out on getting through to the semis of the singing contest by HALF A POINT. My raucous rendition of 'Hip To Be Square' wasn't enough to beat some lass's rendition of Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful'... which she'd sung ALREADY that night. Treble BAHS, but, can't be helped. She was an awesome singer, and I was fairly drunk by the time I came to do 'Gold' by Spandau Ballet... oh, the dancing. It was... at best? HORRIBLE.

2. I'm one step closer to sealing the future of GTM - a few of you have suggested that I could quite easily consolidate all episodes in Season One into one big novel in the past, and, well, I'm certainly thinking about it. I'm going to 'deluxe up' all twelve episodes following the season finale in september (y'know, spot any plotholes, grammar errors, insert bits and pieces in that keep the mythology flowing easily, removing any over-gratuitous references to LOST - not all of them, there'd be nothing left!) and compile them in two volumes of six eps each, with...

* Added commentary on episodes and character profiles!
* 20% All-New material!
* Never-before-seen Concept Art!
* ????
* PROFIT!

I'll be getting them up on lulu.com, a self-publishing site - and don't expect to pay more than $6 / £3 for each volume! Otherwise that'd be highway robbery. Seriously. Also, I'd be looking for some art contributions from readers, so get scribbling and yer work'll be included in paperback volumage! Wootsome!

3. Still writing GTM Ep 6, in which you'll find that one character in particular is about to take a complete turn in terms of polarity... but, from good to bad or bad to good? Who knows? And yes, we'll meet Lance again, and Ethan will have a change of wardrobe that will stay with him until I decide to mercilessly axe him at will.

Shelby will be the first character so far to have no demons, but perhaps the most vivid flashie. Yeah, even beating Elizabeth's 'DO IT FOR THE FAMILYYYYYY KILL YOURSELF IN MINNEAPOLIS' thing. That even got an 'erm, whut?' from me reading it back. Still. Rather than lead y'all up a dead end, Torchwood will find Fragon, and we'll learn more about the Moondancer, whoever the hell he is.

Ooh, and two new regular characters will be introduced! Who attacked Lance? What is the Wonder Project? Which character will be killed in cold blood in the season finale?

...

'Kay, I said too much. I'm still working on it - it's a biggie as normal, and if it's not up tonight it'll be up sunday (Saturday I'm off gallavanting for a good 17 hours, so they're out). I was thinking of getting rid of deadlines for meself as I a) rarely adhere to them and b) they corrupt my creative flow a little; but then again I'd only end up forgetting to do it. Artists have a built-in flaw to work by their own rules and goals, and they often feel that their own goals can be stretched so wide or flattened so much because they're their own. I've got more temperament than talent, in short! X3

Peace yawl,

Deez

Namaste!

AAAARRRGH.

Remember what I said about 'everything slowing down'?



I've got two job interviews (had one yesterday, went well but not kinda what I wanna do even in the short-term as it transpired) in one week! Normally, a 'HELL YEEEEEEEAH' all-the-way as ANY money whatsoever's a definite boon, but - god DAMN I'm tired. I'm out all day again tomorrow heading back over to Hudds to sort 'house' matters out and what-have-you (though, I AM heading over to participate in the second heat of a karaoke tournament at a local bar, so every cloud - and I'll let you know how that one goes - though me wallet is SCREAMING blue murder at me yet again for not keeping it well-fed), meaning over the next few days I'm gonna be absent. AGAIN.

But, silver lining - the stuff I've been wanting and meaning to get scribbled and get me back into Dieselism are well underway with some pieces even having been FINISHED - only, it's probable the next activity you'll see from me will be on Friday at the earliest, when I'm shifting the next instalment of GTM to (I think it was thursday when the last ep came out anyhow, so it fits as nicely as physically possible). Expect an EXPLOSION of new stuff when I get back online... we're talkin' TWO MONTHS' pent-up artage here, folks!

Anywho, thanks for sticking around whilst I give Real Life a firm kick up its self-righteous arse

Oh, and the next GTM will be called 'The Door', and it's a Shelby-flashie.

Peace yawl,

Deez

Namaste!

A week late, I've finished what needed to be finished, and sorted what needed to be sorted, and everything is winding down rather nicely for the summer! This also heralds that I've now got little to no distraction from what I've missed doing for months and months now... being Diesel again ^__^

Yup! After what's felt like nine-hundred-and-fifty-three 'OMG IM COMING BAK SOON' messages, enough is enough. I'm home, baby. And NOTHING is gonna drag me kickin' and screamin'. Arrowbase is back open for business, and here's a list o'stuff lined up for next week!

* GTM Episode Five - 'HANTOM BRIDE'. Yup, it's 75% written, as I'd left it a good month ago, and it's inches from completion! Believe me, it's the one that WAS worth waiting for. Three cans of worms are opened, and even more mysteries are gouged open for solving. PROJECTED ARRIVAL : WEDNESDAY 11th.

* GIFTARTS - As I promised, my best buds will be receiving colour giftarts throughout the week. Y'all know who you are, so watch them inboxes! PROJECTED ARRIVAL: ONGOING

* ART TRADES - As I'm still in HEAVY debt to Oliver here and Hypr over on FA, my long overdue tradehalves will be on their way hopefully before any of the aforementioned. Once again, deeply sorry guys. PROJECTED ARRIVAL: TUESDAY 10th.

and finally, the big, BIG stuff.

* SECOND FURSONA - My much-hyped secondary fursona, whom I feel represents a side to me that Diesel struggles to reach, will be revealed tomorrow afternoon. Name, picture and identity, and what I've got planned for him! I'll always be known as Diesel, but I'll now have a backup for certain occasions, as it were!

Oh, and my place at ConFuzzled has been confirmed, so to those who are going... seeya next June! ^^

Right, I'm off to get finishing GTM, methinks!

Peacle yawl,

Deez