`Mirz123

Just call me Mary Sue

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Goings On

Journal Entry: Sat Jun 8, 2013, 5:57 PM

What's New?

It took me most of the day, but I managed to make my way through my whole in-box and notes for both my `Mirz123 and my `mirz-alt accounts. It was no small task with over 1000 messages and replies. But I feel good having done it. Now, hopefully I can stay caught up!

I have held off on posting my Spotlight Features as I wanted to get the in-box issue cleared up. With that done, the next issue is scheduled for tomorrow. Oh, and have you premium members tried out the new article/deviation scheduling? I do know there are a few bugs, but it's a pretty awesome utility and I hope it allows me to get on a more firm posting schedule for my features.

VP NaNoEmo is in full swing and we have just completed week 1. If you don't know what it is or want to see a run-down of the first week, check out this journal by `Synfull

VP NaNoEmo - Week 1We are now 1 week into Visual Purpose NaNoEmo and it has been fantastic to see a stream of emotes being submitted to the gallery.
We now officially have 22 deviants signed up to take part in the event and I hope to see this number continue to grow over the next couple of weeks.
What is VP NaNoEmo
Just a quick intro/reminder about what is VP NaNoEmo.
Visual Purpose NaNoEmo is a month long event to encourage emoticonists to make Visual Purpose emote in June. The suggested number is 4 (one for each week) though deviants are free to increase or lower that number to suit their needs.
For more information please see our Initial Journal
Submitting your entry
If you have already made your Visual Purpose emote for this week, remember to submit it to

There are some great emoticons featured in that article, but I wanted to show off the lovely piece made by `Synfull for week 1 since it's really amazing.

I'm not sure if it's NaNo or just having been away from it for a while, but I find myself wanting to emoticon! I've been easing back into it with a series of stamps, as well as my week 1 NaNo entry. I hope to keep the momentum. That itch has also included wanting to jump back into Bitmap World. I know several of you are fans of the webcomic. If you are, give me a comment and let me know what you think. The last time I tried to start it up again, it was a bit of a mis-step. But this time I really feel motivated. Fingers crossed.

There's quite a few things going on in the emoticon community aside from VP NaNoEmo. To find out, check out this article by `Krissi001

For those of you interested in my other art, I did publish a journal on my `mirz-alt running down my projects on the other side of the table.

Some other stuff + Cover-artMore Coverart!
I am so geeked to show off this new cover-art created by *AlphaLunatic This piece is for my Batman-Relativity fanfic/crossover. I am just so geeked how well this turned out. I am just so floored and feel so lucky to have gotten 2 great cover-art pieces recently. Anyhow, be sure to check out the artist's gallery--she does amazing work!

A quick note, Storm Clouds Over Gotham is not an official part of the Relativity continuity. But it is considered one of our "official" alternate universes.
All that Jazz
Decided to shift gears a bit and talk about some of the "other things" going on with my art.

I have been thinking a lot about my two other novel series. I simply don't have time to devote to them now, but I am in the process of mentally developing them again. Alon

Aside from some stamps on this account, `Ravenswd have done a few others. So I'm gonna post them here:

2 Comments

Artists of Relativity - Vol 4

Journal Entry: Thu Jun 6, 2013, 9:00 AM

Welcome to Gale City

A monthly series which will feature artists and artwork from the Relativity serial, which is published over on my `mirz-alt account and can be found at #RelativityComic. As I frequently showcase work from the series, I also wanted to promote the individual artists and feature some of their other work. This series will spotlight deviants who have created art for us through commissions, gift-art, contest-entries, requests or other means.

This issue: *PiccolaRia

Relativity Art

Cru has done amazing work on the series, creating some of our all-time favorite art pieces for Relativity. Her work is gorgeous and she is simply a pleasure to work with.

**Other Art by *PiccolaRia**

*PiccolaRia currently takes commissions (new slots open weekly). For more information, check out this page.

to all of the wonderful artists who have worked on the series and fans who support it. We appreciate you all!

To see more art or check out the series, be sure to visit the group.

There is currently a contest running in the #RelativityComic group. Lots of subscriptions, points, and art for prizes. Click here for more details.

To see past "Artists of Relativity" articles, check out this folder.

15 Comments

Something Different

Sun Jun 2, 2013, 6:16 PM

I talk a lot in my journal about emoticons or my fiction series, Relativity. However, one of my other passions is bitmap fonts. I have loved fonts forever and have several thousand collected over the years. I have always wanted to get into traditional typography, but don't have the program or the skill to design traditional fonts. However, I do have an eye for pixels and love creating bitmap lettering, and more specifically, tiny pixel letter sets.

Many of my fonts are available at font sites around the web. Actually, if you Google me, I'm more known for my fonts than my emotes. dafont.com is one of the biggest and recently I check in to find out that one of my fonts, Pixel Love, has been downloaded over 50,000 times. That's just pretty cool to me.

Jim and I feel strongly in the GNU Project. Not everyone can afford to buy a license to a quality font to develop an app or a game. There are lots of Indie developers who are just average guys like us. Anyhow, the majority of my fonts are distributed under a CCreative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Because of that, many of my fonts have been used in video games, apps, and websites.

While not a requirement, some developers contact me to ask permission for use anyway. It's a nice gesture. Some developers are even kind enough to show me WIPs and end products. Anyhow, here is a screenshot from a western-themed card game which used my Pixel Western Font

Click to see bigger

I just recently got another WIP piece for a game in development called "Bits Serf" where the main font of the game is my Celtic Bit font

The two fonts above are a couple of my favorites, as I was determined to take two very stylized lettering styles and transform them to small pixels, which wasn't an easy task. Below are a few of my other personal favorites from my collection. The first is my Nano-Byte font which I use for the vast majority of my stamps.

Anyhow, I thought I would share some of this with you all, since you probably get sick and tired of me talking about that other stuff. Granted, having my font in a video game doesn't make me famous or anything, but it is cool and makes me feel good that the time I spend on developing and rendering my pixel fonts goes to good use.

Oh, and if you like pixel fonts, you can find a ton in my resources folder. You can also find a bunch of amazing bitmap fonts created by other deviants at my group #pixelfontlovers

22 Comments

Devious Journal Entry

Journal Entry: Mon May 27, 2013, 10:47 AM

Rainbows and Teddy Bears

I rather like this journal skin, so I'm gonna use it again. Life here hasn't been the best still, sometimes you just have to make due with what you have. So, despite things being less than stellar, I'm trying to make the best of it and forging forward.

I took a small break from the site for a few days and had shut down my page (if anyone noticed). It's back again, and I re-did a few of my boxes and some of the content. I did keep my green flower background as it makes me happy. I'll change it again once summer is in full swing.

I have still been in a bit of an emoticon funk, but I'm hopeful that June will give me some inspiration. If you haven't seen, `Synfull and I are hosting VP NaNoEmo. It's an event that focuses on visual-purpose pieces instead of the typical chat ones. I love doing emoticon art, so I'm excited.

Aside from that, I'm determined to re-start my Emoticon Journal--even though half the year is almost over. Let's see if I can do it.

I have a couple of articles going up today. I hope you'll give them a look and comment/fave them.

There is other art-news, but I posted that over at my devmirz-alt: account, so if you're interested, peek over that.

Again, I have quite a full in-box, but working my way through it. If you're waiting for a reply from me, it should be coming soon.

Not much more. I hope everyone in the U.S. is having a lovely Memorial Day, and the rest of you have a great week.

14 Comments

Count Your Blessings

Journal Entry: Sun May 19, 2013, 12:34 PM

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

_{*** Cross-posted ***}

I want to thank everyone for their kind words to my last journal. Things are still rough, but are getting better. We managed to get our sewer fixed and the car working again. We're now broke, but at least we had the money cover it. The freezer is dead, but we can manage without one for a while. One of the kids is still sick, but everyone else is on the mend and we're hopeful to be fully well in the next few days. Of course there are other things that need tending to, but we're making our way through it all.

That said, as we were going through this, `Ravenswd and I really took a lot of stock in the fact that we are still blessed. It's hard to be too upset about backed up pipes when you realize there are people in third world countries who don't have plumbing, right? Anyhow, so, that got me thinking and focusing on some of the positives going on right now. Yeah, the bad outweighs the good, but you need to focus on the bright spots to get you through.

With that in mind, I wanted to do a journal where I ask everyone to list a few of your recent blessings. Maybe it's just the fact you have someone to love. Maybe you recent got a Daily Deviation. Maybe you got to see the season finale of your favorite show and it was awesome. I would love if all of you would share a few of your recent blessings with me, and I'll share a few with you.

On a side note, I'm slowing chopping through the art and dA backlog. Really hoping to get up-to-date soon.

My blessings:

1. An overwhelming outpouring of support and love from my dA and Twitter watchers and friends. You guys seriously lift my spirits so much. I don't know what I would do without my online friends.

2. I have so many friends online, but a special shout-out to `Endorell-Taelos, =ihateseptictanks and ^SparklyDest. They are constantly chatting with me and pulling me back into the world when I just want to hide away. Their support over the last few weeks has been so special to me.

3. Art. Both in creation and in receipt. It is amazing to have it as an outlet and an escape. I don't know how I would manage without my many worlds to fall into, as well as the beautiful pieces I see and receive every day. It's so hard for non-art people to understand how important it can be, but I am so grateful for this outlet that allows me to live, even when life isn't very liveable.

A subset of that, despite my moaning, Relativity is getting new readers and I'm getting a lot of positive feedback on the series. In June it will be three years since I first came up with the idea of Michael Bruce and his two childhood friends. It's nice to finally see the series getting looks and I'm thankful that our hard work is paying off.

Please, share your blessing below.

25 Comments

When it rains, it rains brimstone

Fri May 17, 2013, 5:02 AM

_{*** Cross-posted with `mirz-alt ***}

Yeah, that has been my life the last week and a bit. Our house got hit by a flu bug so fierce two of our kids ended up in the E.R, and one is only now recovering after a week and a half of nasty. On top of that, our sewer backed up and we had issues with that. Then, on top of it, our car broke down.

Of course, we won't get into the money involved to deal with all of this. *sigh*

I did manage to get a little bit of writing done, finishing the next Relativity episode and a couple of simple emotes, but I'll be honest and say I am just feeling so discouraged with my art and writing. I'm not writing this to be a "woe is me" post. I have a lot of support for my pixels, and a fair amount for my writing, and much more than many other people have so I can't really complain. But I wonder if it's worth it. I mean there are many other artists out there--just feeling I wouldn't be missed much if I disappeared.

That said, I'm not leaving. Just trying to get over a bad period in life and feeling it weigh down on me everywhere. Hopefully when things finally settle at home, I'll feel better in general.

Oh, and did I mention...

So please don't hold these sad journals against me.

Will be trying to reply to my messages this weekend, and even created a few new PLZes to do it.

_________________________________________________________

Some art that has come my way. As always, please support these artists. C:

Skin by `IridescentStardust -x- Stripe texture -x- Swirl pattern

30 Comments

Thank You and Winners

Journal Entry: Mon May 6, 2013, 5:18 AM

Birthday

_{*** Cross-posted with `mirz-alt ***}

First of all, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I got over a hundred messages on my `Mirz123 account and over 35 on my `mirz-alt. I will be honest and say that I have been very spotty activity-wise these last few months and expected most everyone to forget me. I would have been happy to have gotten just a dozen messages, so you all made my day, truly. I'll be responding personally to them today and tomorrow.

Aside from well-wishes, I got llamas! A lot of them! LOL!

I also got a fair share of cake. Thank you to `Endorell-Taelos, *dragondoodle, =happy-gurl and ~HeroforPain for slices.

A few deviants were sweet and sent some dA points my way. Thanks to =Darrok, ~strawberryboxes, and ~thezkriesse for thinking of me.

Again, with limited activity, I didn't expect any gifts. But I got some...more than I could have hoped for. IRL I'm the type of person who doesn't get a lot of gifts--mostly because I don't know what to ask for. I'm more apt to tell someone to make me dinner or just skip it. So, these online gifts are even more special, because they are the little surprises that warm my heart.

A big thank you to my dear friends for these lovelies...

Much love to everyone who thought of me. For those who are wondering. I turned 43! Yikes!

Raffle

Okay, yes, I made you read through all of that (or maybe you tl;dr and skipped down here). But I know what you really want to know! Okay, yes, I made you read through all of that (or maybe you tl;dr and skipped down here). But I know what you really want to know! The winners of my second-chance raffle are...

Numbers: 26, 4

~Illuminous13 & *ThreshTheSky

And, because 3 is my lucky number, and I did hit 300,000 PVs, I decided to give away one more ID.

Number: 31

*SeaSpryte

A big thanks for ^Thiefoworld for taking on these commissions for my kiriban. I'll be eager to see what the winners get. <3

On a side note, this kiriban was so popular, I'm going to do something similar for my `mirz-alt account which will be celebrating 100,000 in the next few of months. On this account, I plan to do something next for 333,333 pageviews.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the kiriban and the raffle. It was a ton of fun watching the pageview race and really helped make my birthday weekend more special. Love you all!

18 Comments

Feeling Better + Kiriban...Not

Journal Entry: Tue Apr 30, 2013, 3:39 AM

Kiriban Derp

What a wild ride! You guys were stalking my page like a boss! That last few minutes was wild...but nobody caught it!

I'm not gonna torture everyone with a follow-up kiriband. Instead, I'm going to conduct the second-chance raffle for TWO IDs. To enter, visit the page linked below and comment. That's it. Winners will be announced on Monday.

Raffles and Mini-Contests - Winners:iconnbsp:
Hooray!
Since I do these drawings and give-aways frequently enough, I decided to create a dedicated journal for them.

~ [Bullet; White] ~ [Bullet; Pink] ~ [Bullet; White]
Current Drawing
300,000 Pageview Kiriban
Since we had no winner, we are drawing for TWO second-chance prizes. As before the prize is an ID by ^Thiefoworld Like this...

To enter, simply comment on this journal. One comment per person. The raffle will be open until 7am CST on May 6, 2013. At that time, I will pick 2 individuals randomly to win the prize!
Oh, and just for fun, when you comment, tell me your favorite breakfast cereal flavor.
[Bullet; White] ~ [Bullet; Pink] ~ [Bullet; White] ~ [Bullet; Pink] ~ [Bullet; White] ~ [Bullet; Pink] ~ [Bullet; White] ~ [Bullet; Pink] ~ [Bullet; White] ~ [Bullet; Pink] ~

Good luck!

So, I am just under 1,500 pageviews away from 300,000! Wow, I cannot tell you all how amazing that is. I remember when I hit 3,000 pageviews and it was celebration-worthy. Anyhow, a huge thanks to all of you who have supported me all of this time.

To celebrate, I will be holding a kiriban. The first person to get a screenshot, including the timestamp from your computer, will be the winner. I must receive the entry by NOTE so that it will be fair. I have a fun prize, too! A custom ID from ^Thiefoworld. I know you've seen them around. Here's a few Thiefo has made for me.

Don't fret if you can't catch it of if you aren't online when it hits. I will also be conducting a second-chance raffle for another ID. Stay tuned for details after the kiriban.

Thank you for all the well-wishes for my health. I'm on antibiotics now and slowly getting better. Hope to be full-speed soon.

What's New

I will apologize again for the Relativity spam. It just happens to be one of my big-dreams to have the series get a nice following. I'm not even looking for more than that. But on a site like dA--anywhere, actually--marketing and promotion is important. Thus, the amount of art I get and showcase. That said, my art fund (a/k/a budget money from my tax refund) is nearly gone, so the blitzkrieg should stop soon. Then we should be back to the normal level of annoyance.

Speaking of Relativity, I will mention that we're very excited that we have a mini-comic coming out soon. It will be uploaded on dA, but we're actually considering a small print run. Just fun stuff.

I am in quite a bit of an art-block with emotes. Thankfully, my cutie emotes have inspired me enough that I'm able to do some, but it's been rough. I'm still pushing along through and hope to find that spark soon. Until then, any suggestions for something you'd like to see emote or stamp-wise.

Lastly, and I always hate mentioning this, I am sick again. I have some chronic health issues that rear their head periodically. I am in a particularly bad bout now. It is limiting my activity and hindering what I can do. That said, I am still managing my daily fix on dA, but may be slower than usual. Though that may be a bad thing since I've been pretty slow overall lately. LOL! Hopefully I'll feel better soon.

That's it, folks. Love you all. Can you believe tomorrow is May? At least it's *finally* starting to feel like it weather-wise in these parts.

Feature

My friend, *PiccolaRia did a feature of some of her watcher's favorite couples. But she wouldn't feature her own couples.

Since I adore her story, and her pairings, I realized I would just have to feature them myself.

49 Comments

Well...

by `Mirz123, Apr 23, 2013, 3:58:28 AM
Journals / Personal

Need to get the CISPA journal off my page, and honestly have no clue what to post here, so I'll just entertain you all with a cat in a box...

21 Comments

CISPA

by `Mirz123, Apr 22, 2013, 2:38:06 AM
Journals / Personal

`Ravenswd and I are blacking out our websites today in protest of CISPA. This is scary stuff, people. It needs to stop. And if you don't think it will affect you, think again. This is not about going after hackers, but ANYONE they feel is a threat...including those who simply disagree with them.

CISPAisBack.org

I will not be updating my art or doing standard account stuff today, but I will answer Notes and important/business comments (if you really need to get a hold of me). I will also be Tweeting to help keep awareness up.

They tried this with SOPA, they're trying again. Let's stop them. Spread the word!

25 Comments

Guilt :stare:

Journal Entry: Sun Apr 21, 2013, 6:19 AM

What's New

I have to admit, I am feeling pretty guilty here. I'm one of those deviants who feel it's important to reply to all messages and show some activity on my account. I am blessed with nearly 3100 watchers and I feel I owe you a little time and energy. I feel terrible that I'm so behind replying to comments, notes, and other stuff. Not to mention most of my articles and such are way off schedule. Another source of guilt. I know I must seem inconsiderate and rude, and I'm sorry.

It's just been a time in my life where things are crazy. My daughter's BF was in from England for 2 weeks. Then just family and work stuff. On top of that, while I don't want to get into too many details, some of my chronic health issues have flared up again, causing severe fatigue which cuts into my creative and free time. It's very frustrating when this happens. What spare time I do have, I'm trying very hard to get some of my other projects back on line, including re-starting my webcomic, Bitmap World, which has been on an on-and-off hiatus over the last 2 years. Relativity saw a 3-month gap in stories and I just managed to get that back going.

Anyhow, just wanted to note that I am tackling my in-box right now. I hope to get my articles caught up this week. As for staying caught up, I can't promise how successful I'll be, but I'm trying. Until then, I so much appreciate those who still drop by my page. Thank you for not abandoning me!

One of my backlogs is my emote calendar. I have to admit, I'm like 4 months behind. I was tempted to just give it up, but my kids really love it. So I may skip the months I missed (or do a few key weeks), but start forward from here. Wish me luck.

On a last note, I know I bore some people, but I do plan to do some more Relativity art features in polls and journals. So many of the artists I work with are not very well-known and could use the exposure. Since I am usually on a limited budget, a good number of the works are low-cost, so I feel it's important that I give a little exposure on my page as an extra thank-you to their artist for providing such wonderful and affordable art. So, I appreciate your patience and understanding if it seems I'm spamming. Also, please, if you ever seen anything featured on my page and like it, take a moment to visit the artist's page and leave a comment. I know they would really appreciate it.

My Arts

I have uploaded a few pieces to my gallery here, as well as a few small things to my `mirz-alt. Thought I would share some:

LostSometimes you don't want to be found.

Articles

I wanted to post a small thank-you to `lintu47 for interviewing me in Issue #57 of dA Love for Everyone. You can read it below.

dA love for everyone! #57

As the title suggests, this news article's goal is to spread the dA love into everyone's heart! You will find here a little bit of everything, from awesome interviews with talented artists, art features, group promotion to random deviants' features. I hope you will find this informative and entertaining!
Interviewed artist: `Mirz123 :iconmirz123:
Tell us what defines you as a person.
The way I conduct myself. I believe in treating others with kindness and respect. I am often described as being "nice", but to me, I am simply conducting myself as I should. Everyone has worth, and everyone's time is important. That's something I always try to remember and I make an effort to show others that.
H

Also, the sweet =icefire8521 featured my series in her recent journal

Relativity:iconrelativitycomic:
Relativity is a literature series that takes the superhero genre to the whole new level. It has well developed characters and an intricate plot. I suggest that you check it out! By the amazing `mirz-alt and `Ravenswd. Here's just a start to the series!

If you wanna get a taste, but don't have much time to read it, try the synopsis!

Last, I showcased some Relativity art with comment recently on my `mirz-alt account. If you're curious, take a gander

Arts and Commentary - No. 1I do this periodically where I feature some Relativity art with commentary. I am trying to make any type of Relativity features more formal, so I'm going to start numbering them and linking them in the group, making it easier for people to find them. These will still be regular journals, though. I will not be publishing these as formal articles like the "Artists of Relativity" series, etc. To see all of the most recent art from the series, check out this folder.

I have long adored the style of *oasiswinds and when she opened for low-price commissions a couple months ago, I had to snatch up a few of the hero gang. I love the style of this. I had no idea she would do them in monochrome, but was excited to see Dark Flame done in gold. Her impish look totally fits her.

A simple but fun picture of one of the series' favorite couples. I always get a bit of a kick

37 Comments

Back-ish

Journal Entry: Wed Apr 3, 2013, 9:23 AM

What's New

I took a couple weeks off, just coming on a bit here and there, and it was a big help. I will admit, I'm over-sensitive. My feelings get bruised pretty easily. But, on the flip-side I can't stay mad for too long, so I'm usually good a few days later, and that's where I am now. Also, with this recent incident, I hope things are mostly mended and we can move on once I come back fully.

With that said, I have spruced up my page for Spring, even though it hardly feels like it in these parts. Soon, though. So check it out and let me know what you think about it. I've been fortunate to find some lovely free backgrounds and I'm making use of them.

In other news, I am SUPER geeked that `Ravenswd got a Daily Lit Deviation for his recent Relativity story. Many people comment that the length of the Relativity stories can make them intimidating. Well, if you are looking for a quick, light read, "Cheese Maidens" is perfect and it's a nice introduction to the series for those who haven't checked it out yet. And while you're at it, go congratulate him.

Legend of the Cheese Maidens   "And what, dare I ask, is a Cheese Maiden?"
   Ravenswood chuckled. "Sorry. They were the cheerleaders at my high school." He sat up in the bed to face Melody. "I grew up in an area that was little more than a bunch of dairy farms. Pretty much everything in town had a name relating to cows, milk, or cheese. So my school newspaper was The Daily Moo, the football team was the Rustlers, and the cheerleaders were Cheese Maidens."
   Melody smiled coyly. "So it would really turn you on if I dressed up as a cheerleader?"
   Ravenswood hid his face in embarrassment. He was still uncomfortable talking to his wife about his sexual leanings, even though the number of suggestions she had made about bedroom activities far outnumbered his, and were generally much more adventurous. "Yeah," he admitted.
   Melody thought for a moment, then asked, "So, was there any girl in particular?"

I have managed to keep making emotes, mostly small signs and such, but I have a list I want to get on soon, including a few stamps I'm excited about So, hopefully you'll see more coming through the gallery soon.

All of that said, I'm still only partially back. I do have a Lit backlog I want to get through, so I'm only answering vital comments and still avoiding chat. Once my slate is clean, I hope to be back full-time and will respond to everything then.

Oh, and for those who didn't see, the deadline to my contest is now May 31st. Click below for more details.

Valentine's Contest - 5 Days Left

Getting close! Deadline is June 15, 2013 at 11:59 pm CST.
Support stamp!

In celebration of Valentine's Day (which is today) we are hosting a Relativity contest! Note, this theme is a bit different than our past contests, so be sure to read everything.
The theme is Romantic Love
Just what that means depends on you. Perhaps it's a shipping of two characters. Perhaps it's unrequited love where one side gives and the other doesn't reciprocate. Perhaps it's a tainted love that ends with screams and gunshots.
Who's in love? That's up to you, and you have TWO options:

One of your original characters paired up with one of the Relativity OCs.
or

You may pair two of the Relativity characters who are not currently in a relationship.
The reason we are doing it this way is to allow as many people to participate, regardless if they have an OC or not. Also, you ARE allowed to create an OC exclusively for this contest with no

Lastly, my 300,000 PV is coming up. I am a bit turned off by kiribans lately, as I have learned of a few ways people can cheat. Though I hope none of mine have ever been dishonest, I think to give everyone a fair chance, something else is in order. So I plan to do some kind of raffle or other event to celebrate. Stay tuned for more details on that!

Gonna keep is short and sweet! Love you all and talk soon!

10 Comments

Peeking in to say + Raffle

by `Mirz123, Mar 30, 2013, 5:29:28 AM
Journals / Personal

Love you all.

_{Psst. Still on semi-hiatus. Me and my page will be back late next week.}

Today is the last day to sign up for a chance to win one of my pixel portrait dolls lof one of your OCs or a fan-art character, ike these...

To enter, just read the rules and comment on this poll ---> [link]

15 Comments

Literary Compass + Cake or Pie?

Journal Entry: Wed Mar 27, 2013, 5:29 AM

Gallery | Favorites | Note Me

Cake or Pie?

I am still on a bit of a hiatus (don't worry, just need some time to focus on home and art stuff). But, in the meantime, I'd like to mention that my fiction series, Relativity, was featured in the #LiteraryCompass. `Endorell-Taelos encouraged me to allow the series to be spotlighted, and she took the helm on the article for the feature. `Ravenswd and I are so excited about this and we would REALLY appreciate if you could offer you support by faving and/or commenting on the article linked below. Any other pimpage would be greatly appreciated, too. If we could get this to the footer, it would be amazing. Not just for myself, but for the Lit Compass series, which really could use the exposure.

Literary Compass - Vol. 7Welcome
If one is looking for Literature, you don't need to go far on deviantART. There is a large community of writers and a plethora of work to peruse. Featuring genres such as fantasy, mystery, horror, and romance, one would be hard-pressed to find an area not covered. However, due to the nature of the site, shorter works tend to get more focus. It's easier to quickly read a poem or a short story, and thus many of the feature articles on dA showcase those works. However, there are many novelists and serial writers among the mix, oftentimes fighting an uphill battle to have their works seen and appreciated.
With that in mind, I have started an article to spotlight some of those artists and their literary-worlds. The works covered in this feature will exclusively be long-form fiction such as novels, trilogies, etc., or fiction serials.
Editor's Note: Some people feel it is questionable when a writer who publishes an article series features their own work. Mir

And yes, I don't often beg, but I'll do a little grovelling now

Also, if you haven't read it before, `Endorell-Taelos was featured a few months back. be sure to check out her article, too.

Literary Compass - Vol. 3Welcome
If one is looking for Literature, you don't need to go far on deviantART. There is a large community of writers and a plethora of work to peruse. Featuring genres such as fantasy, mystery, horror, and romance, one would be hard-pressed to find an area not covered. However, due to the nature of the site, shorter works tend to get more focus. It's easier to quickly read a poem or a short story, and thus many of the feature articles on dA showcase those works. However, there are many novelists and serial writers among the mix, oftentimes fighting an uphill battle to have their works seen and appreciated.
With that in mind, I have started an article to spotlight some of those artists and their literary-worlds. The works covered in this feature will exclusively be long-form fiction such as novels, trilogies, etc., or fiction serials.
Current Stop - Loreithia
Our third stop on our Literary journey is the lush fantasy world of Loreithia created

Thank you all! Hoping to be back the first week of April.

Skin by =SimplySilent

14 Comments

Taking a break...

Journal Entry: Mon Mar 25, 2013, 2:07 PM

Gallery | Favorites | Note Me

UPDATE: Thank you to the people who have noted me, concerned and worried. I'm fine, really. Just some small drama, but the real thing is I need to get some IRL stuff done. My page will be back to normal (and maybe even updated) the first week of April. Until then, note me if you need me.

BRB

Don't worry, my articles and contest are still going forward. I'll answer Notes too.

Words of Wisdom:

"Before you say something, think about it first. You can hurt someone far more than you realize--and sometimes a simple "sorry" is not enough to fix the damage done."

Skin by =SimplySilent

17 Comments

Still not fixed...

Journal Entry: Sun Mar 24, 2013, 4:48 AM

Gallery | Favorites | Note Me

*** Cross-posted on my `mirz-alt account ***

Well, my computer is still not fixed. But we managed to use the paperclip and rubber-band method to get it limping along until I can get replacement parts. Hopefully soon. Seems it's the time for break-downs, as our t.v. just died, too. *sigh* Ah well. Nevertheless, I'm around stil, but my access may be spotty, so if there is a big delay in my answering a note or what-not, it's because of connectivity problems.

In other news, did you hear? My Pizza Pixel Portrait project is done! 25 in all (one was removed from the gallery for personal reasons). To see them all, check out this gallery. [link]

Some of my faves...

If you watch the #RelativityComic group and my polls, you will see I've gotten some new Relativity art. Every year, I take some money from my income tax refund and set it aside as my "art fund." So you will see a bit of a spike in commissions for the next while. But, things are still on the tight-side and I am limiting what I get, so it won't be forever. For now, however, it's fun to see the gang in the various forms and I hope you all enjoy the pretty pictures.

Here are some of the recent ones...

And a lovely gift from `Endorell-Taelos

Skin by =SimplySilent

7 Comments

Sick Computer

by `Mirz123, Mar 17, 2013, 5:33:13 PM
Journals / Personal

I am having some computer/internet woes, and as a result, my online activity will be limited for a few days as I get them sorted out. I will be around a bit, and checking in, so if you need me, please Note me. Hope to get the issues fixed soon.

In the meantime, if you haven't seen, the winners of the Emote Awards have been announced.

2012 Emote Awards Winners!

Thank you for your support of the 2012 Emote Awards.

At long last, the day has come. After 3 weeks of nominations and another 3 weeks of voting, the polls are closed, the ballots have been counted, and `Krissi001 and `Mirz123 are here to announce the winners of the 2012 Emote Award.!
Before we get to the winners, though, we'd like to comment on a question that was raised during the voting process. There was some concern that a few of the "newcomers" actually posted their first emoticon before January 1, 2012. In previous years, the Emote Awards were done on an erratic schedule, from a date in December to another date in December. Our goal this year was to get the awards on a full January 1 - December 31 calendar. As a result, there were a few newcomers that fell into the gray area between the last awards and the new January date. In the spirit of fairness, we allowed those couple of emoticonists to compete, since we did not feel it right

Also, look at the very cute badges `Synfull made for me and `Krissi001 for hosting the awards this year. Thank you so much, Karen.

I hope to be back soon with updates and articles and all that!

In the meantime, I was fortunate to place and get an Honorable Mention in two recent lit contests. So, if you're interested...

Ice Cold Heart - Part 1“C’mon, Lykaios, hurry!”
The young man looked at his sister and rolled his eyes. “It’s not like they’re going to leave without us, you know.”
Luciana giggled and pulled on her brother’s arm. She couldn’t help it, she was excited. When she had first come to Gale City years earlier, she had seen airplanes up in the sky and had read about them in storybooks. They fascinated her and she had always wanted to ride in one, but never had the chance. That was about to change.
Lykaios stared through the window at the small jet sitting out on the air field and frowned. “I don’t know about that thing. It doesn’t look safe. I’d far rather travel on a dragon or griffin.”
A slender hand fell on the prince’s shoulder. “I’ve ridden on a griffin before. Trust me, this is much more comfortable.” Sara moved away from the man, dropping her duffel bag onto a nearby chair.
The small ebony-haired girl g

Came But For FriendshipSome people believe in love at first sight. I can't say I'm one of those people. Seems that every single person I found myself attracted to ended up being a dud in the love department. Sure there were good times and some laughs, and even a bit of romance. Though none of them ever amounted to anything more than a few weeks of fun then a lot of tears and heartbreak.

That is, until I met the serial killer.

Okay, I'm being a bit extreme, he wasn't a serial killer, I just thought he was a serial killer. Well, that's not quite right, either. I didn't know if he was a serial killer, but he could have been. He certainly looked like one.

All right,

Oh, and please don't forget. I'd love to get a nice turn-out. And any pimpage you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

9 Comments

Busy Busy

Journal Entry: Thu Mar 7, 2013, 9:20 AM

That sums up things lately. As many of you can see, I've been busy doing pretty much everything, from pixels to literature. No uber-big projects, but I'm making steady progress through my to-do list and backlog and hope to have things back on schedule soon.

Just a quick update, since many have asked. My baby is much better since getting RSV. He's still not 100%, but definitely on the mend. Much of the household is better, too. Still got a few weeks to the flu season left, but hoping once warmer weather hits, we'll be able to kick this thing once and for all.

I just published up a pimpage poll. Be sure to check out the great stuff. More articles coming. After a show of support in my recent poll, I am going to stick it out and continue my news series. Another "Spotlight Feature" is on the horizon, a Coffee & Features article, plus a new mini-series I'm starting to promote some artists special to me.

After a small bit of drama, my chatroom is re-open. #PizzaPixels is a free-for-all chat. As I catch up on my backlog, I'm not in there as much lately, but I do still visit, so feel free to drop by and say "hi."

Oh, and if you haven't been by in a while, I have updated my page with a Spring-time look--even though my area just got hit with the biggest snow of the year! Anyhow, my wishful thinking that warmer weather and flowers are around the corner.

That's it folks! Hope all is well with you. Until next time...

10 Comments

No Time to Be Sick + Update

Journal Entry: Thu Feb 21, 2013, 5:42 AM

*** Cross-posted with `mirz-alt ***

Well, we're slowly on the mend, but baby ended up with RSV. Thankfully he was able to be treated at home instead of the hospital, but it's been crazy trying to give him treatment with the nebulizer (he does NOT like it), and just juggling the other sick kids. The illness has triggered a string of migraines in me which are kicking my butt, on top of giving me vertigo. That said, I was proud to have gotten my `Mirz123 message center caught up this weekend and am working on getting my `mirz-alt there, too.

Aside from that, managed to upload a few emote signs, a few pixel dolls, and I'm working on finishing my contest entry for `Endorell-Taelos's contest. So progress is happening.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and best wishes for our speedy recovery. You guys are so sweet.

And, to whom it may concern... No need to write. Everything all considering, I would understand why you wouldn't want to. My best regards, nonetheless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But I am. And everyone in my house. The worst is that my two youngest have it the worst. It's so hard to see your babies suffer. I hate this time of the year. Feb/March is always the worst for us sickies-wise. I think when the temps start going up and down, the buggies get all active. Anyhow, we're still in the midst of it. I hope we go on the upswing soon. It's been rough.

While I have been slow (still), I am still trekking along. Finished 2 of my 3 lit contest entries and the last one should be up today or tomorrow. Then on to August Moon. Jim has been sick too, so that one has been a bit behind. In the meantime, for you Relativity fans, we do have a new side-story that was written entirely by Jim. Be sure to check it out (it will be published soon on the BlackTorrent site) ---> [link]

I am finishing my last commission and may have another lined up. Then back to pixelling portraits. The sickies kinda burned me out, but I want to get back on them soon.

I still have quite a to-do list for prizes and gifts and hope to make a nice dent on those this weekend. This includes gift stories for *Know-Kname and `justMANGO

Oh, and I haven't forgotten emoticons. I have plans to catch-up my emote calendar and start the 2013 one. Plus a couple of stamp ideas, as well as a few PLZes.

There is a ton more, but I'm just gonna stop here. When I feel a bit better I'll do a better journal and get my formal to-do list out there. Until then, I do have two VERY big favors to ask....

PIMPAGE

I would very much appreciate if you could all get the word out about my Relativity contest. Sadly, it seems that most people like fantasy and those contests get a lot more support. I'd love to see at least a dozen entries to the Valentine's contest and I just don't think I can get enough word out on my own.

Valentine's Contest - 5 Days Left

Getting close! Deadline is June 15, 2013 at 11:59 pm CST.
Support stamp!

One of your original characters paired up with one of the Relativity OCs.
or

Also, if you could spread the word about the Emote Awards voting, that would be great. I know a lot of non-emoticonists feel funny about nominations, since they don't always know who is who in the community. However, the voting stage really is for everyone, so `Krissi001 and I would love for a big turnout!

Emoticon Awards Voting - Extended:iconupdatedsignplz: At the request of several people, and to allow as many people the opportunity as possible, we have decided to extend the voting period for one week. The new voting deadline is March 14, 2013.

Kindly note there was also some questions as to some of the deviants listed in the newcomer category and the fact that their first emote was created in late 2012. Due to the fact that the Emote Awards had an erratic timeframe before now (an uncertain date from December to December), we allowed those additional 2 nominations as they would have been in a window where they would have been excluded. Now that we have moved to a Jan 1 - Dec 31 timeframe, that should not be a problem in the future.

We'd like to welcome everyone to the 2012 Emote Awards.

First of all, we would like to thank everyone who took the time to make nominations. We were staggered at the number of people who participated! Now, before w

Love you all!

43 Comments

Tea Anyone...?

by `Mirz123, Feb 12, 2013, 1:52:16 PM
Journals / Personal

Since I want that depressing journal off my page, I shall entertain you all with a cute British kitty cat.

I'll be back soon.

44 Comments

Looking for a journal...?

_{NaNoEmo 2012 ---> [link]
NaNoEmo 2011 ---> [link]
Q&A ---> [link]
My Policies ---> [link]
Muro Drawings for Moi ---> [link]
Article List ---> [link]
Requests & Suggestions ---> [link]
Contest Submissions & Wins ---> [link]
Memes and Stuffs ---> [link]
Blip Blog ---> [link]
Alternate Universe ---> [link]
Random Useful Stuff ---> [link]
Top 10 Countdowns - 2010 [link] & 2009 [link]
Help Fellow Artists ---> [link]
PLZ Directory ---> [link]
Monthly Awesome Emoticonists ---> [link]
Are Emoticons Art? ---> [link]
Commissioned ---> [link]
Raffles & Mini-Contests ---> [link]
Prizes List ---> [link]?
To-Do List ---> [link]}

PLZ Accounts

Looking for my PLZ accounts? You can now find them in a handy journal you can bookmark and eventually fave (in dA version 8).

Click to go there now ---> [link]