TKK Articles

Spock's Quest for Milky Goodness

Fri, 27 May 2011 23:36:23 +0000

This is just a delightful treat for anyone who loved Leonard Nimoy. Bruno Mars got him to star in his music video, and it�s actually pretty damn entertaining.

Bruno Mars and Leonard Nimoy may be one of the seemingly most unlikely pairings in history, but it works. I especially enjoy his purchases at the grocery store.

Also, the part where he�s watching Bill Shatner on TV is excellent. XD

(via the wonderful folks at Topless Robot)

Fanart Friday: Spirited Away

Sat, 21 May 2011 20:13:05 +0000

One more week down, TKK, and that means it�s time for Fanart Friday yet again!

Before we begin this week�s thrilling romp, I�d like to reveal the answer to last week�s clue! Congrats to mew ichigo and Toasty for getting it right this week!

This week, we�ll be taking a look at pieces of fanart from Spirited Away, one of Studio Ghibli�s many amazing movies. Here�s the English trailer for the film:

And with that, I don�t think I can hold off any longer. We should get started before I decide to quit writing and go watch this movie again. Hit the jump to see the first artwork!

First on the list this week is a nice watercolor painting.

By franxxxholic

For some reason, I don�t see much watercolor in my travels around the internet, but this artist certainly gets it right. He�s made a nice, simple composition and gotten the important details down very well.

I especially like the shading and the attention to detail he�s paid to the little things like Yubaba�s rings and wrinkles. His proportions are spot on as well, which is something that always kind of creeped me out about Yubaba.

Moving on, let�s take a look at an exceptional drawing.

By destiny-twilight

I don�t think anyone could call this a bad drawing and maintain a serious face. She�s done a fantastic job with the architecture and even the tiniest details. I�m having trouble saying anything about this piece that wouldn�t involve me going into a long drawn out explanation, so suffice it to say that I really dig this and I can definitely see myself referencing this for drawing technique in the future.

I will say that I especially like the tree, Chihiro on the bridge, and the excellent work on all the intricate windows. It�s easy to get off track when you�re doing something so repetitive and quality can easily suffer, but she either stayed incredibly focused or went slow and careful, because this is utterly fantastic as far as I�m concerned.

Next up, we�ll be taking a look at an adorable portrait of No Face.

By rue789

No Face was one of the many memorable characters in this film for me, but he was also probably one of my absolute favorites. Here, she has done him great justice as well as great cuteness; he�s just so adorable!

Honestly, this is just so adorable I�m dumbfounded. I�m thinking I need to make a new folder on dA specifically for �OMG THIS IS ADORABLE! <3� stuff.

Also, if I don�t get any negative feedback from her once I tell her she�s been featured; I predict quite a few more appearances from this talented artist in the future here at FF.

Next on the list, we�ll be taking in a lovely piece of beadwork.

By AgentDoppelnuller

Told you we�d be seeing more of her!

Haku as a dragon was one of many neat parts to this movie, and I think she�s got a fantastic representation of him here in her beadwork design.

Another aspect that I love about her work is that she creates great environments for her pieces to be photographed in. These environments typically go well with the theme of the subject and serve to make the piece look that much more impressive.

She makes me want to learn this artform even more, despite being stretched pretty thin as it is. I just love any form of art that can give physical form to a creation as awesome as this.

Next up, let�s look at a shot of Chihiro and Haku on the bridge.

By spicysteweddemon

This artist has actually been featured on TKK before, for her �Future Potter� illustrations.

I began following her after that and she has definitely lived up to expectations. I found this piece a while back and it was one of the inspirations behind this week�s feature!

There�s something about her style of rendering characters that I�ve found very charming. She uses very elongated features like arms and legs, while having very tightly arranged facial features. There is a definite Asian feel to her figures, but also a sort of �otherworldly� aspect to them that draws me in.

This piece in particular is just beautiful. The background is wonderfully painted and the petals floating in the breeze behind Haku are a nice touch. I like that she opted to make Chihiro and Haku a bit older than they were at the end of the film. It helps to fill the void that was left by me wanting a sequel so badly.

Next up on the list, we�ll be taking a look at a fantastic digital painting.

By TsaoShin

This is gorgeous. Definitely one of the more technically accomplished paintings I�ve seen in a while.

I just can�t get over how amazing the figures look. The lighting and shading are pretty awesome, and Chihiro is pure adorableness incarnate. It might be blasphemy to say this, but I think Haku looks better here than in the film.

My only concern lies in the amount of loops in his body in the background. It looks fine, but it almost seems like he looks too long. Maybe that�s just my perception, which has been flawed quite often before. Either way, the piece is far too amazing to have that matter one bit.

Next, we�re going to be taking a look at a traditional work.

By AyameSakura61

I love when I have to look at the medium listed to see whether it�s a digital piece or traditional. I especially like when it looks so crisp and clean but turns out to be traditional.

By itself, it�d be a fantastic line drawing, but going in with washes and doing the greys makes this a truly neat drawing. I love the linework, and really enjoy the coloring on the umbrella and the bunch of flowers in the corner. The rain lines are really well placed as well.

Alright, next we�re going back to the digital realm.

By DarkKenjie

This is fantastic. This piece comes from one of my favorite scenes, where No-Face invades the bathhouse and eats everyone, haha.

It was a really fun scene to watch, and the artist has done a great job of making this into a fun piece to look at. You can tell he paid super close attention to detail, as every character�s face looks absolutely spot on, and this looks like an amazingly faithful reproduction of the scene.

I checked his gallery out, as well, and found all sorts of stuff that I�d love to have featured in past articles. I highly suggest you do the same, people!

Lastly, finishing off page 1 we�ve got a cool traditional piece.

By Maylar

One thing that impresses me is the quality of the darkest colors. I�ve always had trouble getting blacks that look that crisp unless I use an ebony pencil.

She�s done a fantastic job of shading, and I especially like the attention to detail drawing the mouse and fly by her shoulder. Chihiro herself looks pretty awesome too, actually. Her shirt is really well done.

I think the part that really makes this piece is the shading and the texture from the paper. It almost looks kind of like an old photograph or something.

Well folks, that�ll do it for page 1. Hit up the next page for a couple more pieces and the closing mumbo jumbo including the contest image for next week, the only reason most of you probably read this thing anyways!

For this page, we�ll be taking a look at one artist in particular. She�s got quite a few Miyazaki related pieces, and I originally had something like 4 or 5 of hers I wanted to show to you. I narrowed it down to three, but decided it�s still going to work better to have her on a second page, haha.

Without further ado, the lovely TheBird-TheBee.

She�s been featured here in Fanart Friday before, multiple times I believe. I keep coming back to her gallery because of the incredible pieces like her cupcake series as well as her pendants and jewelry, like what I�ll be showing you later.

I really like her cupcakes because they deviate from the typical �just sculpt your character� type of fanart like this. She takes the character and makes her own version of it, her own take on the character in a way that�s quite different from what most people would think of. Seriously, who thinks of making clay cupcakes that resemble your favorite characters?

And of course, they�re just adorable.

Some people may not remember the paper birds that Yubaba�s sister sent after Haku when he stole her golden seal. For me, the scene where they were chasing him through the sky and the bathhouse and ultimately injured him was one of the most memorable. The pacing and animation was simply awesome.

This piece is really simple, like the birds, but is really well executed. It�s a nice trinket to carry around to show your devotion to the film and the fandom. Not every such piece needs to be an extremely well thought out, elaborate tribute to something; sometimes it can be just as good to stick with simple.

Our lovely Moderator mew ichigo actually demanded that I feature soot sprites in this week�s feature when she PMed me to send me her guess from last time. I was already going to, but that kind of forced me to keep this one when I was narrowing my selection down a bit. There were plenty of soot sprite images that I liked, but I really thought this was too cute to pass up.

I loved the little soot sprites. The sprites in Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro get confused a lot, probably because they look pretty much the same. This makes it a bit difficult to figure out which ones these and others are supposed to be. These in particular are actually inspired by the ones in Totoro, so please forgive me, but they were just too cute to pass up!

Well, TKK, this brings us to the end of our journey for this week.

Unfortunately this week�s article is a week late, so there might be a scheduling issue with the contest. I�ll let you all know for sure if the original date is still on or if there�ll be an additional week tacked on.

Which brings us to this, the hint for next week�s article!

That�s all, folks! Come on back next week; same time, same place!

A "Touching" Reaction to the Smallville Finale

Fri, 20 May 2011 17:50:17 +0000

Somebody clearly enjoyed the hell out of the Smallville series finale last week.

It�s seriously worth watching through to the end, so I�ll give you a few minutes to finish. (This guy clearly did.)

Done? Fantastic.

I�m not sure why anyone would record themselves furiously making whoopee to themselves while watching this, much less upload it for the entire internet to make fun of, but I�m sort of glad he did. It was certainly the highlight of my morning hearing �AMERICA!� moaned over and over in a voice that can only be described as labored.

Also, view this video on Youtube afterwards; the comments are amazing. If you only read one comment, make sure it's the �top rated� one. It really seals the deal.

(via Topless Robot)

Cartoon Network Nostalgia

Tue, 17 May 2011 23:37:34 +0000

Cartoon Network� It used to be so good, didn�t it? If you were a kid growing up in the mid 90s, like I was, you knew this to be true. Most, if not ALL of the shows were great in their own ways. But look at today. Cartoon Network has definitely taken a nose dive. There�s less emphasis on even the NAME of the channel. Reality and live action shows litter the lineup, along with confusing and slightly disturbing cartoons that don�t seem to be geared toward children anymore. (That�s another rant entirely�) But, I want to take the time to just reminisce about some of the classics on Cartoon Network, along with some special tidbits and videos that will help you remember the times when Cartoon Network used to be about good cartoons. First, let me ask� Which ones do you remember? Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter�s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed Edd and Eddy� I could go on for ages, and I�ll try to touch on as many as I can without getting too longwinded.

Dexter�s Laboratory is probably one of my all time favorites. It�s a show about a young super genius who has a giant laboratory under his house. He lives with his parents and sister, Deedee. Deedee loves to ruin his experiments, despite Dexter�s attempts to stop her. He also has a rival named Mandark, who also has a laboratory. The episodes were always fun to watch, with plots that didn�t confuse the watcher and just had fun. Many times, they parodied other cartoons and shows, such as Speed Racer. This show was too good, and though it has ended, I still remember the good times. My mom even enjoyed it, which is very rare for her. The best way to showcase this show is with a special �Groovie� song. Sung by They Might Be Giants.

Next up, Powerpuff Girls. This show wasn�t just for girls. It was for everyone. A professor was trying to make the perfect little girls, using sugar, spice, and everything nice. But he accidentally added� chemical X. This transformed his little girls into super heroines! They fought crime in the City of Townsville, and always made it home in time for bed. There were a plethora of villains for them to fight, including Mojo Jojo, HIM, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Sedusa, and even more monsters and creatures. This cartoon was good, and lasted for a while, well into the mid 2000s. Whether you were a girl or a guy, you always tuned into this. For your enjoyment, here�s a song that showcases the girls perfectly, along with their main villains.

The show Ed, Edd, and Eddy was one I didn�t like at first. I thought that it was just a bit too weird and relied too heavily on gross-out humor. I grew to like it when I aged a bit more. Compared to the shows currently on Cartoon Network (such as the Problem Solvers) it was tame! All that aside, the basic premise of the show was just about three friends, all conveniently with the same name, and their lives within a small cul-de-sac. There are rarely any references to parents, and it seems to just be inhabited by the children: Sarah, Jimmy, Rolf, Nazz, Kevin, Johnny, Ed, Edd, and Eddy. Most of the episodes involve the Eds trying to scam the others in the cul-de-sac to gain money. Each Ed has his own personality too. Ed is the big dopey one who loves everything. Edd is the smart, sophisticated one who is very OCD as well. Eddy is the short-tempered one, who is greedy and always looking to gain money or scam someone. This one may not have appealed to me at first, but it�s grown on me and I wish for it to return. Here�s a song to represent the three of them as well.

[media]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=D9cr4HvQmj8[/media]

Who could forget Courage the Cowardly Dog? I certainly didn�t. This one was a weird one. It would compare to Invader Zim from Nickelodeon somewhat. It followed a young pink dog named Courage, who lives in Nowhere, Kansas with his owners Muriel and Eustace. Eustace hates him, but he never gets rid of the dog. Strange things are always happening to them in their tiny little farm house, from demons, to ghosts, to madmen all invading their humble home. Most of the time, Muriel and Eustace end up needing to be saved by Courage, though as his name suggests� this can get difficult. He always perseveres through his cowardice and saves the day. This song perfectly describes any Courage episode.

My last one to recognize on here is Johnny Bravo, a show about a macho man who can never get a woman. He is very� eccentric in his ways. He always works out, and his attempts to garner any female�s attention always fail. It doesn�t help with his nerdy friend Carl or the little girl Suzy always pestering him. Living with his mother didn�t help either. Despite all this, he continued to go after every hot chick he saw, and every time he was rejected. Episodes were centered around this most of the time, with Suzy, Carl, or his mother occasionally getting episodes focusing more on them. Though he still managed to get smacked with a purse by a woman during them as well. A few other characters were in the show, but� no one cares about them! It�s all about Johnny Bravo! And this song is also all about Johnny.

There are so many more great cartoons I could discuss, but for now, I�ll leave you with these. Please comment with your own thoughts on these, along with other cartoons that I missed! You can also discuss Cartoon Network�s current programming too.

Fanart Friday: Kingdom Hearts

Mon, 09 May 2011 02:43:38 +0000

It�s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on FRIDAY!

If anyone�s still reading after that, then congratulations, you�re in for a treat. As you may have ascertained from my previous statement, it is indeed Friday, which means that it�s time for another gripping installment of Fanart Friday!

Before we get started, let�s reveal the hint from last week�s article! congratulations once again to our beloved mew ichigo on the correct guess! She�s now a full two points ahead of the pack, so anyone who wants to challenge her needs to bring their A-game now.

That�s right, this week we�ll be covering Kingdom Hearts, a video game franchise that is very near and dear to many of our hearts here at TKK. For anyone not in the know, TKK was started as a Kingdom Hearts news site and discussion forum, so Kingdom Hearts is one of the main reasons a lot of people came to TKK in the first place. TKK may not be primarily about the series anymore, but I know many of our members have fond memories of the series and still love it.

Here�s the opening video from Kingdom Hearts II to get you in the mood.

Without further ado, hit the jump to get the ball rolling!

First up, we�ve got a lovely piece of clothing based on the Heartless.

By taeliac

This underbust corset is probably one of the coolest pieces of clothing I�ve ever seen. Honestly, it�s just gorgeous, and despite the fact that I�m not into crossdressing and couldn�t wear it if I wanted to anyways, I still want to own this for some reason.

I think she did a fantastic job of designing it, and it really just looks incredible. Needless to say, the young lady that�d wear this would catch my attention immediately and win my heart in moments.

Next up, let�s take a look at a digital piece.

By ReverieDream

This piece immediately caught my attention because it was different from most group shots you�ll find around. The artist chose to show all the main heroes, or at least the characters that were primarily focused on, in the main series of games, as well as 358/2 Days. I�m not sure if this was intended or not, but Sora, as well as a few others look very sad to me.

My only regret in viewing this is that Riku isn�t there with Sora, but I get that the main series is primarily about Sora�s journey. Anyway, I really like the effects in the bottom half of the piece, specifically the �shredding� aspect on the figures� lower halves and the inclusion of Destiny Islands� silhouette at the bottom.

Moving on, we�ll be looking at a plushie!

By Risachantag

The Shadow Heartless were always some of my favorites. Sure, they�re the mindless little drones that come at you in annoyingly large waves that seem to go on forever, but these little guys have some serious cuteness potential. The image above should be all the proof anyone needs, really; I just want to reach through my monitor and hug that cute little bugger.

Not only did she do a great job fabricating the plushie itself, but she�s also done a nice job photographing it. She�s placed it in some neat poses and places that really help you get a sense of what this little guy is all about. My favorites are the one on the red rug and the one on the right, where it�s in the shadows.

Next up, let�s take a look at some adorable chibi drawings.

By nayuki-chan

Okay, it needs to be said; these are freaking adorable. I don�t know why, but recently I�ve really started to grow more fond of the chibi style, and these stuck out as really great examples of how to do it right.

My personal favorites would be Kairi, Namine, and Axel, though I think they�re all really great. I like the colored outlines assigned to each of them, but they seem too narrow, kind of distracting. I�d like to see what they�d look like if she had extended the outlines into a full background for each character.

Moving on, next up is a neat tattoo design.

By beatnikshaggy

I�m not exactly a fan of tattoos, at least, not a fan of myself getting one. But I can definitely see the beauty in their designs and appreciate them for their artistic value. This design is really simple, but that�s what makes it so appealing to me. It�s not some ridiculously complicated design that can just be seen as a big block of ink on someone�s arm or back, but an elegant solution for showing off your fandom.

To be honest, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this was, �yup, I can see that as a tramp stamp.� It�s the wings and the proportions that I�ve seen on so many girls� (and boys, actually� don�t ask.) hind ends. But still, it�s really pretty, and if I were ever to get a tattoo, something like this might be right up my alley.

Next on the list, some beadwork from a familiar artist!

By AgentDoppelNuller

You may remember her work from the first Pok�mon edition of Fanart Friday. There�s a reason she�s been featured before, (and will be featured again in the near future), and that�s because she does very nice work both technically and in shooting her pieces. I defy you to look through her gallery and not be awestruck by at least one piece.

Oddly enough, this is the piece that first got my attention and got me hooked on her work. When I first started doing FF, I knew I had to do a Kingdom Hearts edition, and started looking for work right away, figuring I�d use it eventually. I found this neat Neoshadow Heartless and then went through her amazing gallery and found inspiration for some of the articles we�ve already seen as well as future installments.

I think this is one of the nicer pieces that I�ve seen, really. It�s crafted very well, posed nicely, and even though the black blends together a bit(which isn�t a bad thing) it still has a clear sense of volume and mass, even from the picture. I feel like I could reach out and grab this little guy, but no matter how much I want that, unfortunately it isn�t meant to be.

Which brings us to our next piece, Axel!

By Yakra

I was drawn to this piece because the rectangle on the left reminded me of the deck of cards used in Chain of Memories, whether that makes sense or not. Also, because it was one of the first drawings I�d seen in a good while that seemed to actually convey motion well.

By well, of course, I mean beautifully. It�s impressive enough as it is, but considering it�s marker on parchment, I just think it�s fantastic. The motion is shown extremely well; the spinning motion of the chakrams is really well done, to the point of making me more than a little jealous. I�m not ashamed to admit that I�m extremely jealous of basically every artist I feature here. Seeing such beautiful artwork and devotion to their fandom makes me strive to be a better artist.

Rounding off the first page (Yeah, we�ve actually got a second page this week!) is one of my favorite artists, and my favorite cosplayer around. I�ll actually be showing you two pieces, because I couldn�t bear to show only one.

By Shiya

Here, she�s cosplaying as Namine, a fairly simple costume, if you think about it. She�s really gotten the details of the costume down, even down to the paopu fruit in her hand. It certainly doesn�t hurt one bit that she is simply gorgeous, either. She has the technical ability to pull off whatever costume she wants, and she definitely has the looks to back it up.

And here we have a concept that shouldn�t be new to anyone who has seen much KH fanart. Kingdom Hearts royalty is a big part of the series, Kairi herself being a princess, along with the other 6 Princesses of Heart, as well as the Kingdom of Disney Castle with Mickey and Minnie. Here, Kairi and Xion are shown as elegant princesses with fantastic dresses and scepters that look like they were based on keyblades.

They both look utterly fantastic; the dresses are gorgeous, as are their models. I love the incorporations of the logos into the dresses, and especially the use of the pointed tip of the Nobody logo in the motif on Xion�s dress. I�m not sure what else to say other than these look fantastic, and that I am constantly in awe of how dedicated she is to her craft.

A marriage proposal probably wouldn�t be very appropriate here, would it? Guess not.

Anyway, hit the next page to see some work by members right here at TKK, and to get the latest on the contest and more!

Now for a brief showcase of two pieces from the TKK community! I know there is plenty of fanart on the forums, but I couldn�t really remember much offhand and it seems pointless to credit people who unfortunately left TKK years ago.

First up, we�ve got Aqua, one of the main characters from Birth by Sleep.

By our very own miss-ninja

I�ve admired this piece ever since I first saw Becky post it on the forums and on dA, and I think I even featured it in the TKK User edition of FF last year. There�s a reason, though; it�s really good! If you go on deviantART and search �Aqua,� (also works uncapitalized, I checked. XD) this comes up as the fourth result on the list. I believe the others ahead of it are all older but still, that�s mighty impressive and I�m extremely proud of her.

One of the things that I�ve admired about her work for quite a while is her fantastic rendering of hair. Aqua�s hair here is absolutely beautiful; the colors and lighting just make it pop so well. Her clothing looks amazing as well, but I am in love with her keyblade. It looks so well, realistic, actually. It almost doesn�t seem to fit, it looks so much crisper than the rest of the image, which looks a bit more painterly.

Of course, the background is also really pretty. I think she did a version without the background, which looked great, but adding in that specific background really tied it together well. I�m always super excited when I see that she�s put a new piece up, and I can�t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Last, but hopefully not least, we�ve got a print of the Heartless Emblem.

By yours truly, Tokugawa_Ronin

This is an intaglio print I did in my Printmaking class sophomore year of college. You take a metal plate, (in this case copper, but usually zinc because it�s much faster) and put a coat of grounding material on top, then draw your image on the plate through the coating. After you�ve got your image you place it in an acidic solution and the acid eats away at the metal in the places that are not coated anymore, producing a neat line drawing on your metal plate that you can put ink in and print!

Studio lectures aside, I�m rather proud of this little print. It�s not my best work, and it�s got some extra lines on the side that need attending to, but I had a lot of fun with this one, and I really loved the purple color that I mixed for this batch of prints. The purple really helped it to stick out in a way that most colors really wouldn�t have. I�m thinking about going back next semester now that I�m taking Advanced Printmaking and trying to do it in other colors, and especially in black.

Well, readers, that�ll about do it for this week.

Before you go, I�d like to give you the hint for next week!

[center]

Remember, the guessing contest ends at the end of this month! That means only 3 more chances to get points after this one, and then the results will be announced in June!

As always, if anyone�s got any theme suggestions or even a single piece they want to share, please let me know! I�m always looking for material and ideas, so keep �em coming!

See you next time!

Fanart Friday: Digimon

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:41:33 +0000

Sweet Zombie Hendrix, has it really been four weeks?

It�s Friday, TKK, so naturally, that means another (a)rousing edition of Fanart Friday!

Before we get started, I�d like to reveal the answer to the last clue! Congrats to mew ichigo on getting it correct!

That�s right, folks, this week we�ll be looking at fanart from Digimon, specifically Adventure and Zero Two, the first two seasons. The interweb is a bit weird about good videos, so rather than an intro, here�s the trailer for the movie:

I�ve been looking forward to this particular feature for quite some time, and now that school has finally given me a little break from the chaos, I�m pleased to bring you all along for the ride. Without further ado, hit the jump to check out this week�s features!

First up this week, we�re going to take a look at the main characters from the first series.

By xxxSumeragi

I like this artist�s style. They took the Digidestined children and gave them a fresh look; a sleeker look, really. I especially like what they did with Hikari, Izzy, Sora and Joe. Their personalities seem to have been captured really well, and for some reason, I can�t seem to look away for long without coming back to it.

This isn�t really a critique of the work, but it seems a bit odd to have Matt and T.K. in their panel together when no one else is together. I know that it�s because they�re brothers and T.K. sticks to Matt like glue for the better part of their first adventure, but Tai and Kari aren�t together, heck, they�re not even close to each other. However, I think that it works very well compositionally, changing up the formula a bit, as well as keeping the piece from being too wide. At first I mistook Tai for Davis, what with his hair looking a bit short and all, but overall it�s still a really nice piece of fanart.

Next up, we find some nice figures of the partner Digimon.

By xcalixax

These are some adorable clay figurines of the 8 partner Digimon to the Digidestined in their In-Training forms, the form that they are all in (except for Nyaromon, far left) when the crew busts out on the digital world scene in the first episode.

I especially love all the exceptional work on Yokomon (with the flower on her head) and the others that had similar, thin parts added on their bodies, like the long ears, etc. You can tell a lot of care went into the making of these, and I really appreciate her dedication to her craft.

I just can�t get over how adorable these little guys are. I highly recommend that you take a look at her gallery, also. Don�t be surprised if we see more work from this awesome artist in the future!

Now, let�s take a look at a cosplay.

By YaoJin

Here we have Matt, one of the main characters from the first season. He�s the holder of the Crest of Friendship and sort of the unofficial second-in-command, as well as the main source of angst in the group.

While Matt may be a relatively simple goal, being a shirt, jeans, boots and gloves, it still takes dedication and skill to pull it off so well. Oh, and of course the hair is spot on as well, you can�t ignore the hair. If I were to make any suggestion on a way to improve it, it would be to add a small token, either his digivice (could be difficult to come by a good one, unless you�re able to make it) or even Matt�s harmonica.

Still though, this is one of the most accurate cosplays I�ve seen that doesn�t look ridiculous, and I think she did a very good job.

Next up, we�ll be looking at a set of Digimon gijinkas!

By nya-nannu

For anyone not familiar with the term, a gijinka is a character, as far as I know always non-human, that is reimagined as a person wearing clothes that make them resemble their original appearance. I can�t tell you how many Pok�mon gijinkas I�ve seen over the years, and holy crap, there are some amazing drawings out there.

Oh, right, Digimon. Take one look at these little guys and tell me they aren�t ADORABLE. You can�t, can you?

My favorites are Wormmon and Tentomon, but they�re all done really well. Every one of them captures an aspect of their personality to a tee. Gomamon cracks me up, what with the sexy pose and smolder. These are actually two separate images, one from both seasons, hence the repeat of Gatomon and Patamon, and I merely stuck them together, because I couldn�t bear to only show one or the other.

Next up, let�s take a look at a sketch of Kari and T.K.

By Hallsth-Eien

Think of me what you will, but I was always a Takari shipper. I saw no reason that these two didn�t belong together and it seemed very likely that it�d happen. The finale of the show left it kinda open, so the fanbase ran with it. I�m ashamed to admit that I spent a good portion of Middle school reading Takari fanfiction during computer class instead of working on the ridiculous assignments.

That being said, I think the drawings themselves are very nice indeed. They�re very clean and sharp and they really capture the essence of the characters. I always wanted to see a little more develop on screen between these two and sadly it never really took place, so this kinda makes up for it, in a sense.

I will fully understand if my handful of readers officially drops down to one after this, and that one being whoever has the misfortune of proofing these from now on. For whoever you are, I�m truly sorry. I�ll try not to reveal too many more embarrassing shipping preferences in the future.

Moving on, let�s take a look at a sweet hoodie!

By calgarycosplay

A warm welcome back to those of you who skipped ahead from the fanfiction segment. No more, I promise.

Merlin�s Pants, look at this thing! I would never try to wear something so adorable myself� maybe if there were a Frigimon hoodie or something else that�s fairly large and wouldn�t look preposterous on my hefty frame. However, this truly is an inspired piece of artwork. There�s tender loving care put into this, clearly.

Heck, it even looks good without the ears and tail, but clearly the ears are the focal point. They are magnificent, truly. If I were to happen upon a young lady wearing this garb, I would �give her my crest of love� pretty much on the spot.

Awkward attempts at humor aside, let�s move on to the next piece, a digital painting.

By famira

It�s BlackWarGreymon!

I was never really sure whether he was part of a really interesting plotline or just the creators� lack of imagination for when they needed a stronger opponent to battle and hadn�t introduced any Mega-level Digimon yet. The concept seems kinda strange, but I think I enjoyed it more than I disliked it.

Anywho, I thought this was a neat painting. There�s some nice detail on his helmet and it shows some great action. I like the use of color, but the background makes it seem a little flat and dull to me, maybe something to do with the tone of the red?

Still, a solid piece. I�d give it a distinguished 7 control spires out of 10.

Speaking of control spires, let�s take a look at another cosplay!

By sleepycreator

You may remember the Digimon Emperor as the main antagonist from the first half of the second season, before he reformed his ways and joined the good guys. If not, then I just spoiled the major mid-season plotline.

Tight fitting suits like that look a bit silly on anyone, and it doesn�t help that so many characters have them, so cosplaying becomes a bit interesting. I think she really pulled it off quite nicely though. The hair is simply amazing, I want to run my hands through it and feel it run through my fingers.

I also especially like the dark digivice. It looks genuine, which makes me sad because I never got a chance to get the colors I really wanted, like black. Overall, a glorious addition to the Fanart Friday family!

Next up, the Omnimon family tree!

By Soapfish-Art

Honestly, I just think this is a fantastic piece. The way he depicted them a bit more realistically makes it really stand out as an impressive drawing. He�s got great composition as well as a sense of balance. I like the way he ordered the Digimon, as well, taking Gabumon�s line from top to bottom, and Agumon�s line from bottom to top. It keeps it from being too symmetrical.

Honestly, I�m just blown away by this artist. I highly recommend checking out his gallery as well, along with every artist featured here.

Could it be? Yes, we�re nearing the end. Lastly, we�ll be taking a look at another group shot.

By taintedfeather

Here we have the original 9 Digidestined from the time of the first season. Willis, the one that you may not recognize, received a pair of Digimon in the real world at the same time that the others were in the digital world, and he played a part in the second and third films that were lopped together in what America calls �Digimon: The Movie.�

This is how they looked in the second season, however, so you can see they�re a little bit older than in earlier pieces. Also, if you take a moment to look, you�ll notice that poor Gatomon and Gomamon were left out, unfortunately. Two of my favorite partners, in fact.

Anyway, I really like the style of this piece. The figures all just look so good; it�s hard to be bitter about the two that got left out. I look forward to seeing more from her in the future!

Well TKK, that does it for this week. Now to handle a little bit of business.

Due to school getting ridiculously busy over the past few weeks, this article was delayed quite a few times, and it hasn�t been fair to those in the contest to expect a winner by now. I believe the date I had set was the end of April, but that was when I had intended to be four articles further along by now. As such, I�m extending the contest through May!

The last article that will have a hint image that qualifies for the contest will be the one on May 27th, with the results of the contest being announced in June 3rd�s article. I�ll be announcing the winner(s) and revealing the prize for all of creation to marvel at.

As always, feel free to make any suggestions in the suggestion topic, or any way you can get it to me, really. I�m running a bit low on material, and I want to write the articles that you want to read, not just what I want to look at, so I�m counting on the community to let me know what you want!

Lastly, thanks for putting up with all the delays, and thanks for reading! I really appreciate every reader, and every participant in the contest. It makes me feel loved.

Alright, here�s the image for next week�s article!

Art Challenge #1

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:20:12 +0000

Well hello, citizens of The Kingdom Key! As most of you know we had our very first Art Challenge start in March. We had a total of five members join, and we had some wonderful pieces submitted. For every Art Challenge, we will feature every single entry submitted! So if you�re interested in getting your artwork featured on the main website, submit to the Art Challenge! Not only will you be featured on the main page, but you will also get some helpful critique to help you improve. Now, the moment you all have been waiting for�

The features!

This month our theme was Technology. Let�s see how our members did, right after you hit the jump!

We will start off with one of our admins, Straxton, as he was the first to submit to the Art Challenge. His artwork also now holds the title of being the first artwork submitted to our Art Challenge! His work is titled �God is a Robot."

Straxton�s artwork gives us a nice, eerie feeling that maybe we weren�t created in His image. In fact, toasters would be more closely related to God than we are. I know that I feel comfortable with the knowledge that his yellow eyes watch my every move on earth. While contemplating �What if�?� head on over to Straxton�s deviantART to favorite his piece!

Our next submission comes from none other than Jade! Jade is a renowned photographer around the forums, and he didn�t disappoint! His work is titled �I Live in A Digital Darkroom." Let�s check it out.

Here we find our beloved Jade trapped within his own laptop, probably furiously trying to finish post production work on some of his photos (or rather, himself!). The feel of the picture light and playful,but the underlying truth is that he is still trapped within his own work. Well done, Jade!

The third piece entered into the Art Challenge was by our other admin, Miss Ninja! Miss Ninja is our forum�s most prominent artist, and she did not disappoint us either, TKK! Her work is titled, �Dead Battery."

Once again I get a creepy feeling when I look at this piece. It is almost as if this woman is an android, and someone has decided to unplug her. But that coy, devious smile says that she hasn�t been quite shut down. I would hate to get on her bad side! Favorite this on deviantART and check out Miss Ninja�s other works!

The next picture submitted is by mew ichigo, or rather, me. The piece is titled,�Persocom Meets Laptop."

The picture is a simple fanart from the CLAMPmanga and anime, Chobits. You can favorite it here on mew ichigo�s deviantART page.

This entry also got the most comprehensive and in-depth critique, provided by Miss Ninja. She also critiqued almost every piece submitted, so a big thank you goes out to her! She went the extra mile to help everyone she could.

And last, but definitely not least, we have a piece of traditional artwork! This work was submitted by Tokugawa_Ronin. It is a linocut. Let�s take a look at this rare art form.

The piece seems a bit messy, but I think that is part of its charm. Tokugawa_Ronin explained that this was also done as part of his art class. I�m sure you got an A++ on this assignment!

That is it for our first Art Challenge! Thank you to all of those who participated, and we hope to see you all submit something to the next Art Challenge! Our theme will be Post Apocalyptic, so everyone get your creativity hats on!

We�ll see you again next month!

Five Ways to Find New Music

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 06:10:07 +0000

As any person mildly interested in music has probably realized, finding new bands like can be a taxing task indeed, especially if you're not quite sure what you're looking for. Maybe you want something entirely new or different; maybe you want something that slightly resembles your favorites, but is just different enough to be interesting. Either way, it's not an easy process�these tips and tools, honed over years of building my own musical tastes, can hopefully help!

Last.fm

Arguably the most popular music site out there, Last.fm has a lot of helpful features when you want to listen to music. For people without accounts, you can simply visit one of your favorite band's pages and stream a radio of both their songs and songs that are similar, or you can just put in a tag and listen from there.

For those who take a few minutes to register, you can take advantage of Last.fm's "scrobbling" service. Scrobbling basically means that Last.fm will track everything you listen to�from their own sites, other sites, and even your music player (done via their Scrobbler application, which supports iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, Zune software, iPhone, and Androids)�and record it in their database.

From there, Last.fm offers you a bunch of options. You can listen to your Recommended Radio, your Library Radio (handy when you're not on your own computer!), view your Neighborhood (a listing of people with musical tastes similar to yours), snatch up free downloads of recommended songs, give you a list of shows near you that you might be interested in, and more.

It might take a while to find bands you're really crazy about, but some of my now favorites have come from it!

Check out what your favorite bands are listening to/influenced by

Back in the days of Myspace (it's a long time ago, I know!), when you visited a band's profile they would offer a list of bands that influenced their musical tastes and styling. Sifting through these could be beneficial�if these people make music that you like, wouldn't you assume you have similar tastes?

If your favorite bands don't have a Myspace or they didn't fill this in, try their website! If they have a blog, they may mention what they've been into lately.

Movie Soundtracks

There's more than just instrumentals on movie soundtracks (not to say those aren't awesome too). A good filmmaker can use music as just one way to develop a character or a scene. When you're watching your favorite flicks, take a listen when they start playing a song. If the song isn't listed on the official soundtrack (or the movie doesn't have one), do some Googling�you're probably not the first person to look for it!

You can't go wrong with classics

There's a reason that things are classic!

When you think of "classic" music, you probably think of Bach, Mozart, or The Beatles. But every genre has its own classics. For example, I'm into indie music (if the screens didn't offer any tips offs), but I had never really delved into anything released more than 10 years ago. I recently decided, though, to give The Smiths a try, and I've been nothing than pleased! Sometimes the first bands in the movement are the best.

TuneGlue

Powered by the same system that Last.fm uses for recommendations, TuneGlue lets you create a complex web of related artists. You simply enter a band and expand it, opening up several layers of recommendations in a friendly, minimalistic user interface. Even if you only find a band or two from it, it's certainly pretty to look at, isn't it?

TKK Artist Feature: March 2011

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:01:59 +0000

Another month has gone by, and we're ready to do another TKK user artwork feature! Remember, your art can only appear here if you post it on the forums or in our deviantART group! Hit the jump to see what members have posted throughout the month of March.

Please note that there is a piece labelled as mature featured here.

First, we'll start with artwork that was submitted to our dA group. Remember that our group is open for any member of TKK to join; just be sure to include your username so we know who you are!

By Nysha

Now let's move on to work that was submitted on the forums this month!

Digital Art

By Straxton

By mew ichigo

By Miss Ninja

Traditional Art/Photography

By Jade

By Saku

GFX Design

By Laplace

By Misty

By Jade

That's it for this month! Keep posting your work for the chance to be included in next month's feature. And don't forget to participate in our first ever Art Challenge!

Fanart Friday: Alice in Wonderland

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:58:43 +0000

Well TKK, we once again find that it's FRIDAY, FRIDAY... you know, the day after Thursday. And amongst all of our partying, we must make time to sit down for another Fanart Friday. Tokugawa_Ronin has given me another opportunity to take over for a week, and I'm more than happy to take this opportunity to showcase some fantastic art. So let's get to it!

First, have a look at the answer to last week's hint. As it turns out, no one guessed correctly this past week, so the standings in the contest will remain the same!

This week's theme is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, more commonly known as simply Alice in Wonderland. This classic tale has seen many different adaptations in many forms, and I won't be focusing specifically on any of them in particular. Rather, you'll see art based on the original story as well as several of its many versions. There is just so much amazing work out there that's based on Alice in Wonderland, and picking such a small number to feature here was incredibly difficult.

So hit the jump, and let's have a look at some fantastic fanart!

This first piece features Alice meeting the Cheshire Cat.

by RobotMichelle

This depiction of the Cheshire Cat is just adorable, and Alice's dress is designed beautifully. I just love the glow coming from the mushrooms. There are lots of lovely little details all through this piece, so spend some time looking at it before you move on!

The next work is a beautiful storybook-style traditional illustration of Alice.

by kyrn

I just love the cute border on this piece; it really pulls everything together and has some lovely references to other parts of the story. Alice is really cute, and I love her lost and somewhat bothered expression. All of the little things add up and make this really fun to look at.

This next piece was made for deviantART's Picture Yourself in Wonderland contest.

by Angela-T

I was really blown away by this digital painting when I first saw it. The theme of the contest was to reimagine yourself as a character from Alice in Wonderland to promote the Tim Burton movie, and the artist chose to draw herself as Alice. Everything about this piece is just beautifully done, and I love the colors. I love the thoughtful, day-dreamy expression on Alice's (the artist's) face, and the addition of the white rabbit and the watch is a very nice touch.

This one is a fanart of the Disney Alice in Wonderland adaptation.

by brandymarie87

I love the soft lineart in this piece, especially on the leaves around the border and Alice's skin. The composition is very interesting (in a good way), and draws my attention to each part of the piece. The values are very impressive for having been done only with pencils. But I have to say, the Cheshire Cat is probably my favorite part of this!

The next artwork we'll be looking at is a lovely tribute to Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland.

by daekazu

What really impresses me about this one is the recognizable depiction of each character despite the stylization. Alice looks just like Mia Wasikowska, and the White Queen really resembles Anne Hathaway. The artist really did a beautiful job capturing their likenesses. The Cheshire Cat being a part of Alice's dress is just awesome, and the arrangement of all of the characters makes for a nice composition. Overall, a really well done piece of fanart for this particular adaptation. Easily one of the best, if not the best, I've seen.

Next up, an adorable Alice chibi!

by MelloLover

When I saw this one, I just knew I had to feature it. It's just too cute! I love the way the artist did Alice's hair and eyes. This is a really well-done chibi style; I would love to have this as a keychain, which is what it was intended to be.

The next piece features Alice and the Caterpillar.

by super-sheep
The caterpillar just looks awesome here. I love how realistically he was drawn; most drawings I came across showed him in a very cartoony style, and this one was quite refreshing. This piece was done traditionally, with pen, ink, and white acryllic paint. I really admire artists who do great work with pen and ink, and this piece is no exception.

And finally, we've got the Mad Hatter and March Hare at the famous Unbirthday Tea Party.

by Dyru

This one was another entry in the Picture Yourself in Wonderland contest. It also received a Daily Deviation award, and deservedly so. The colors are fantastic, and all of the little details in this piece are a real treat.

Well, that's it for this page. But wait, there's more! Head on over to page two for a few more features.

This one is a purely epic piece called "Alice in Zombieland."

by alicexz

It could just be that I'm a sucker for zombies, but this piece is made of pure win. It can actually be bought from Threadless as a t-shirt or hoodie, and I want one.

The next one is a very interesting crossover choice.

by GBIllustrations

Alice (or rather, Kirlia) in Wonderland with Pokemon... Can't say I would have thought of that mix! Here we've got Kirlia as Alice, Mr. Mime as the Mad Hatter, and Rattata as the Dormouse.

And, finally, we've got a piece by an an artist who's been featured on Fanart Friday before!

by saschen

Saschen makes some of the coolest dark art I've seen. This particular piece is part of his Despair series, which features girls from fairy tales and video games in terrifying situations. This one shows Alice getting dragged into the rabbit hole, but saschen's got two more Alice in Wonderland Despair pieces, featuring the Unbirthday Party and the Red Queen. This one is great, but I highly recommend checking out the other two as well.

Sadly, that's all I have for you guys this week. I'm sure I could have gone on forever featuring beautiful Alice in Wonderland fanart (there really is so much of it out there), but I didn't want to make the article too long. I hope you all enjoyed this week's Fanart Friday, and I hope I get the opportunity to do more for you all in the future!

Before I go, I'll leave you all with this week's hint:

Fanart Friday: Invader Zim

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:53:38 +0000

Friday�s upon us once again, TKK, so brace yourselves for an invasion, the likes of which has never been seen before!

My sincere apologies for the lateness of this feature, folks; a hectic class schedule and life in general caught up with me and well, the week was gone before I knew it and time simply ran out. I�ll be making a conscious effort to stay on task in the future, so hopefully no more slip ups like the last one.

Anyways, first up, as usual, I�ll be revealing the answer to the last clue! Congrats to Shiz, Toasty, and mew on the correct guesses. These ladies are serious, guys; they�re all tied for first place. I better pick up my game if I want a single winner chosen!

Yes folks, this week�s theme is that lovable, tragically cut short show, Invader Zim.

For the uninitiated, as well as the nostalgia seekers, here�s the opening sequence for the show.

Hit the jump to begin the invasion- OF DOOM!

First up this week, we�re going to be taking a look at the titular character, Zim.

By drGrantz

Zim is an invader inadvertently sent by the Irken armada to conquer Earth. He has a sweet backpack that has all sorts of gizmos, including spider legs that he uses to walk around and assimilate with some of his alien technology.

I�ve got to say, this is a nice drawing. I really like the spider legs, and I think he nailed the pose of the character pretty well. Again, I really, really love the spider legs; well done, drGrantz.

Next up, let�s take a look at a scene from one of my favorite episodes.

By WhiteTreeFox

This comes from an episode where a race of aliens called �Planet Jackers� come and basically steals the Earth without us realizing it. They encapsulate the entire planet in a big metal ball that projects the night sky onto the inside, so we never had any idea we were moving.

Zim realizes what�s up and breaks through to confront them, and that�s what you�re seeing here. He�s on the Jackers� ship, which is pulling the Earth behind it.

I think this was just marvelously rendered, honestly. You already know I�m a fan of the spider legs, but the rest of the image, from the ship and planet to Zim himself are done very well too.

Next up, we�ve got another favorite moment of the series, Taco Recovery.

By HeyCat

I�m really impressed by this painting, as its 100% done in Photoshop, and not using another program even for touch ups. It gives me hope for my own work with my limited equipment.

I especially like the lighting and the motion blurs, they seem incredibly well done. Both figures, especially the pig looks very three-dimensional.

Of course, I think GIR and the pig are just plain adorable, so it�s definitely got that going for it, as well.

Next up, we�ll be looking at some fused glass.

By FusedElegance

You may or may not recognize the symbol as the emblem of the Irken Armada, the one which is plastered all over Zim�s ship and technology.

I don�t know the specifics behind the technique, but it looks really cool, and I definitely want to look into it in the future.

I especially like the texture on the purple. It looks like purple tin foil smashed up and fitted into the shape, so it�s got a neat metallic aspect to it as well. Overall, I think this is pretty awesome; I�d definitely like to know more about the technique.

Let�s take a look at a reimagining of Gaz.

By Krusnik007

This is actually a character design for her fancomic, and there are others in her gallery as well that I highly recommend checking out if you�re interested.

Zim and GIR were always my favorite characters, but probably only because you got to see more fo them. Gaz was one character that I always looked forward to seeing because she was just so funny.

Here, the artist depicted her with her normal sense of creepy sarcasm, but added that sort of �anime style� to the design that I think actually really works. You�ll see a lot of �anime style� reimaginings of various characters all over the internet, and most of the time they don�t really look right. I think she�s really onto something here, so I like it.

Next up, we�re going to be looking at Zim having a staring contest with himself.

By Candys-Killer

Zim is faced with both his forms in the mirror, only to be discovered by Dib! What shenanigans might ensue?

Of course, this seems like a really neat concept, and I think she nailed it spot on for the most part. One thing I picked up on that I can�t figure out is that Zim seems to be flirting with himself. I can�t tell if it�s intended or not, but if you look at it long enough, it looks really creepy. Add Dib into that equation and you�ve got something that could spawn a thousand fanfictions.

She really did do a nice job with the characters, though. I just can�t help but feel that Dib walked in on something that is definitely not safe for work, or won�t be for long, anyways.

Moving on, let�s take another look at the flying pig!

By Zubby

I�ve got to hand it to him; this is a really neat illustration. GIR�s expression is fantastic and he really captured Zim�s bewildered determination in his face quite well.

The lighting is nice, and I really love the background; it�s just so pretty.

Not much more to say, really, it�s pretty neat, I think. He did a very good job of capturing the personalities of the two characters through pose and expression, and he�s rightfully proud of his work.

Next up, we�ve got a 3D model of that lovable scamp, GIR.

By thekeyofE

If it weren�t for the mouth, I would have absolutely thought this was real. The metallic elements are very believable, and it really looks like something that could have actually been made and posed.

He truly deserves the Daily Deviation for this piece. This makes me want this to become a reality, just so I could have my own little GIR sitting on my desk.

My only one complaint is that the mouth seems like it was slapped on at the end. There�s something about it that just doesn�t look right to me. It doesn�t really detract much from the piece, though, so it�s still incredible.

Last, but certainly not least, we�ve got a piece rightfully titled �Zim-sanity.�

By elixirXsczjX13

Holy crap, there is so much going on in this, I don�t even know where to begin.

I�ll just leave this here for you guys to devour in the comments. Every time I look at it, my head wants to explode from all the information being packed into it. I keep seeing more things that I missed the first time.

I�ve got one thing to say, really. This girl rocks my socks. I want to meet her and learn from her. Her gallery is simply amazing. Everyone�s sure to find SOMETHING that they�ll like.

Well, that�ll do it for this week kids. I�ve got some exciting news, so follow me on down to the next line.

Hey, welcome back. I�ve got a few things to ~~rant~~ talk about, so we may as well get started.

I�m running a bit low in material for FF, guys. Up until now, I�ve actually been doing a majority of these using my own dA favorites as a starting point. By now they�re starting to run a bit dry, so I have to look more and more for pieces to feature.

This is where you guys come in. Do you have a series you�d like featured? An individual piece that you saw that you think is incredibly awesome? Let me know! You can head on over to the Suggestion Thread and post to your heart�s content! Or you know, a PM or even saying something in the shoutbox� I�m really not hard to get a hold of.

But I really want to show stuff that you guys want, not just what I like. If you want me to go with what I like, I�ve got no problem doing a weekly feature on TF2 and Pok�mon art, but I know most of you would get incredibly sick of that pretty much right away.

Anyways, the next bit of business refers to next week�s feature. Our lovely administrator Miss Ninja has offered to tackle next week�s feature and give me the week off. She�s got a really neat theme picked out for you guys, so I promise you won�t want to miss it!

Which brings us to our last bit before I can let you leave; the hint for next week�s feature:

Also, I�ve decided to have the final image that will count in the contest posted in the last article of April, so the winner will be announced the first week of May. These last few are really going to count, especially since first place is a 3-way tie!

See you next week, TKK! I think Miss Ninja will really have a special treat for us!

Team Fortress Helps Japan

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:52:54 +0000

Unless you�ve been living under a rock, (see: Patrick Star) you�ve likely heard about the Earthquake and Tsunami disaster in Japan that took place on March 11th.

During the ensuing days and weeks, you�ve also probably heard of all sorts of charities that you can donate to that help the relief efforts over there, the most prominent of which being the American Red Cross. Heck, they�ve even got it set up where if you text �redcross� to the number 90999 it will donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill. It�s quick and easy and can give someone a sense that their insignificant tribute can make a difference, which helps everyone.

Valve, the developer behind Team Fortress 2 and many other games, have stepped up to the plate and are allowing players of TF2 to purchase limited edition in-game items whose full proceeds will be donated directly to the American Red Cross.

Players have the options of buying the "Humanitarian's Hachimaki" for $7.99 USD (pictured on the Heavyweapons Guy, center), the "Benefactor's Kanmuri" for $19.99 (pictured on the Sniper, left), or the "Magnanimous Monarch" for $99.99 (pictured on the Soldier, right).

From what I�ve seen, this announcement is getting very mixed reactions from the TF2 community. Some (many) are outraged at the high price of the �Magnanimous Monarch� hat, while others are just sick of the ridiculous amount of hats the studio has been releasing into the game.

The way I see it, if you�re going to donate to the Red Cross, this is a viable way to do so. You get your donation in, but you also get a neat hat that�s able to be worn by all nine classes. If you�re going to donate a hundred bucks to the Red Cross, and play the game, why the heck not do it this way?

Sure, many people are saying that a hundred bucks for a virtual hat is ridiculous, and they�re right. I�ve no doubt in my mind that there will be people who buy this hat purely for bragging rights of having the most expensive item in the game, without giving a second thought to the good deed they inadvertently just did. However, the money�s still going towards the relief efforts, so why not let these people have their hats and wear them too?

I�d really like to hear your thoughts on the matter, so feel free to chime in on the discussion in the comments below.

(via teamfortress.com)

Amazing LEGO Star Wars Photography

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:26:39 +0000

Proving that you never get too old for LEGOs, Flickr user Avanaut has made some incredible Star Wars photography. By creatively using LEGO Star Wars sets, he was able to make entire scenes, with impressive action and concepts behind them. Surely there was more that happened than what we witnessed in the films; Avanaut's photography explores those untold stories.

The scenes all take place on Hoth, and were photographed for an art book, suitably called Hoth: The Unseen Icy Adventure. Though unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though there will be many copies; Avanaut stated on the Flickr photo of the book that there were to be three English copies and ten Finnish copies. Definitely a shame- I would have loved to own one!

After the jump are a few pieces from the set, though I would highly recommend looking through his Lego on Hoth album for even more!

Ka-Boom!

There were explosions during the purge of the rebel base (no thermal detonators, though). Lucky thing was that the abundance of snow, together with snowtroopers' armor, dampened the explosions enough to make them practically harmless. Big show, minimum damage.

Breaking in the Tauntaun

The Tauntauns, indigenous to Hoth, had to be broken in by a special group of wranglers before the Rebel Forces could use them as mounts. The breaking-in process was short but very fierce, managing it in deep snow was a task for the most skilled animal handlers in the fleet only.

Moonlight Shadow

During the nocturnal AT-AT maintenance shifts on Hoth the snowtroopers (yes, the insulation on their armor was that good) often built snow lanterns. They considered it an art form.

The Crash

The T-47 Airspeeder, a.k.a. the Snowspeeder was a tricky beast to fly. The aerodynamics were awkward due to the angular shape of the craft, pairing it with pilots who were used to the flying dynamics of interstellar space was all too often a fatal combination.

The flight HT-247 was probably worst of them all, as the ground instructors watched in horror the craft crashed and tumbled in snow right in front of their eyes. Two pilots were lost.

Stormtroopers' Perpetual Winter

The days and nights on Hoth were harsh on the six who were lost.

Ski Trooper

Snow troopers were carefree and relaxed fellas whenever they had free time. On Hoth freestyle skiing was just one of their off duty activities. They were also into tobogganing.

Again, this is just a small sample of the incredible work Avanaut has done; I urge you to check out the rest of his After the jump are a few pieces from the set, though I would highly recommend looking through his Lego on Hoth set!

(via Nerd Bastards)

This Message Brought to you by Team Plasma

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:45:40 +0000

I'm sure you guys remember the awesome fan-made Pokemon: Apokelypse video, a fake trailer for a gritty, live-action Pokemon movie. If not, or even if you have and want to refresh your memory, it'll be posted at the end of this article.

Well, the people who made that video have released a new one: an anti-Pokemon fighting public service announcement. There are some pretty funny lines and references in here that any Pokemon fan should pick right up on. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the final line is pure gold.

And, as promised, here's the original Pokemon: Apokelypse trailer:

(via Topless Robot)

Saturday Slayer: ;) Made Me Do It

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 19:56:12 +0000

Welcome, Slayees, to another weekend, which brings with it a new reason to hate humanity. It's actually quite the lovely day out, but human stupidity is not put on hold for nice weather and so neither will our efforts to ruin your Saturday with tales of failure.

Today's tale will introduce us to John Jacques, a sixty-year-old man who was arrested back in 2007 for sexual advancements towards a minor (who actually happened to be a police officer- Chris Hansen would be proud). Ah, here he is, in case you didn't have a clear enough picture in your head:

They found him at a fast food restaurant, where he had planned to meet the thirteen-year-old girl (classy) and have a "sleepover" (classier- "Hey mom, this is my sixty-year-old friend. He'll be sleeping in my room tonight after we do pedicures, no need to worry about us!"). He was found guilty in 2008 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Why are we going all the way back to 2008? That's ancient history! Surely there must be something more recent and more interesting than an old episode of To Catch a Predator.

Well, this isn't about what he did that landed him in jail; it's about his appeal.

During his trial, the jury was presented with a printed transcript of the chat. One would think that the written proof of a pedophile making advances on a minor would be reasonable enough. Well, in Jacques' eyes, this was just unfair to his case, as it withheld important evidence.

You see, the jury was not allowed to view logs of the chat on a computer, which can display animated images. Namely, the emoticons the police officers used to entice Jacques.

No, really. The appeal was based on the fact that, without access to the emoticon animations, the jury could not see the extent of the officers' trickery, and that this additional evidence being introduced would have been enough to convince the jury that his entrapment defense was valid.

I'm really not sure what kind of emoticons the police officers were using; maybe they were winking faces on top of girls getting naked. I guess we don't really know for sure.

Luckily, we can hold on to at least a small shred of faith in humanity, as Jacques lost his appeal. Still, the fact that "the sexy emoticons that those meaniepants police officers used made me do it" was legitimately used in court is enough to make me facepalm hard enough to leave a bruise that will probably last for the next month or so.

I do it for all of you.

Enjoy your weekend, and try not to get drawn in by the enticing emoticons- that's how they getcha.

(via The Mary Sue)

These Are DEFINITELY the Droids I'm Looking For

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:37:54 +0000

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

While on the set of Paul, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost decided to remake Star Wars. Unfortunately, their tribute was short-lived and only saw one scene... one gloriously beautiful and perfect scene.

Seriously, I would watch the hell out of this version of Star Wars, probably every single day for the rest of my life.

(via BuzzFeed)

"The Next Day" - First Look at TRON 3

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:07:27 +0000

If you liked TRON: Legacy, you're probably going to want to sit down long enough to watch this 10-minute video. Called "TRON: The Next Day - Flynn Lives Revealed," the video is an epilogue to Legacy, and is a leaked hidden feature from the DVD/Blu-Ray. We get a good look at where the characters and plot are heading for the next movie, and it is an absolute must-watch for any fan of the movies.

The user who uploaded the video, antovolk, had this to say about what specifically this video is:

The first of the 2 fabled TR3N (TRON 3) teaser videos. This one is titled "The Next Day", and is an official exclusive extra from the TRON: Legacy Blu-Ray. It explains the origins of the Flynn Lives organisation (who ran the ARG) and who was in charge of it, and what happens after Sam decides to take over ENCOM at the end of TRON: Legacy! Featuring the fabled scene with Dan Shor as Ram and Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley. The second TRON 3 teaser is reportedly a hidden Easter Egg in the DVD/Blu-Ray and will reportedly feature Olivia Wilde as Quorra and Cillian Murphy as Ed Dillinger Jr.

So hit the jump and take a break from whatever you're doing to have a look at the first teaser video for TRON 3, hopefully before it gets pulled (as it very likely will).

What do you guys think of this? Seem like a good direction for the next film?

(via GeekTyrant)

Fanart Friday: Pokemon Crossovers

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:59:52 +0000

It�s Friday once more, TKK, and that means yet another installment of Fanart Friday!

First this week, I�ll reveal the answer from last week�s feature. Congrats to Toasty on getting the answer correct this week! She�s now in a dead heat with ShizCake and mew ichigo for the coveted first place!

That�s right, TKK, we�re taking another look at some Pok�mon fanart this week. However, this week�s feature is specifically dedicated to crossover fanart, that which takes Pok�mon and another fandom and combines them.

Here�s a little tribute to Pok�mon made using the lovely cast of Team Fortress 2.

For more, join me after the jump.

Before we officially begin, I want to apologize for a seemingly narrow range of content here. By the end of this article, many of you will officially be sick of Team Fortress 2 and will likely hate me for the rest of your lives. Sorry about that.

Anyways, first up, we�ve got Heavy Snorlax!

By PrawnBoy101

This is a very simple image, honestly. It looks to me like a screenshot of the game with the 3D model of Snorlax placed there and made to look like it�s holding Heavy�s minigun. The main reason I�m showing this is for �the lulz� and because this was actually the first inspiration behind this feature. I had something much more grand planned, but sadly time got the best of me and I wasn�t able to keep to my schedule.

Moving on, we�ll look at a reimagining of the group from Gurren Lagann.

By LemonBreadMachine

Here, the artist redrew the main characters as Pok�mon, as well as incorporating the Pok�mon into the designs of the mecha. I think he did a nice job on it, and it certainly made me laugh as well as reminisce about the series quite a bit.

My favorite part? It would probably have to be Gallade as Simon in the cockpit and the cutaway scene on the left. I also really like the Diglett head for Lagann as well, though I�m not entirely sure why.

Next up, we�re going back to TF2.

By dodoman1

This piece is really interesting. Whenever I see a person�s choice of Pok�mon, whether it be for their team or for them to insert into some fanart of something else, I think it speaks volumes about the person. I think that his choices for each member are pretty interesting. Some of them are a little less obvious, but I think that others are especially fitting, if only because they seem to be executed a little better.

In particular, Skorupi as the Scout, Scizor as the Spy, and Parasect as the Medic jump out at me. He seems to have given them a really clear fit into the TF2 universe, and made them match the personalities quite well. All 9 of them do, really, but those especially speak to me. Not to mention that Scizor�s suit makes him look fantastically cool.

Alright, let�s move on to a little crossover from last week�s article.

By Nyiaj

He actually has quite a few examples of his reimaginings of Pok�mon as Zoids up in his gallery, but Sceptile was my favorite.

I was drawn to this piece because it�s just really wickedly cool looking. Sceptile always seemed like a cool Pok�mon to me, but it gets so much hate for being part of the 3rd generation, and I think this should lay to rest any doubts about that generation�s ability to produce a cool Pok�mon.

I really want this model sitting on my desk. I�d gaze upon it for hours and admire its awesomeness.

Next up, we�ll look at another example of a Gurren Lagann crossover.

By SephyreDelmalo

This Beedrill is the Beedrill that will pierce the heavens! GIGA DORILL BUREAKU!

Here, Beedrill is shown using the Gurren Lagann mecha�s signature move, the Giga Drill Break.

This artist has a nice style that I really like. It�s rough and sketchy, but still fully fleshed out. I really like what he was able to bring to the piece by making it rough like some of the more epic scenes from the anime. It really fits and he posed it very well.

Next up, we�ll look at another (I�m so sorry) example of TF2 art.

By assporn

Despite what his username implies, this doesn�t appear to be a part of some sick, twisted comic or hentai. I think we�ve all just breathed a sigh of relief.

That being said, I chose this piece because it is exactly what I think the Engineer would have for Pok�mon. They could monitor his sentries, zap unwanted spies, and even take care of those pesky sappers left by the ones that managed to squeak by. That and I also think it was really well drawn, and I especially like the hatching used for shading and his hair.

Moving on, let�s look at the Eon Twins, Latias and Latios from Hoenn.

By tsunami-dono

Technically, this is a gijinka drawing, where Pok�mon are personified as regular people, often dressed up to look like the Pok�mon. The reason I�ve included this piece, aside from bringing some much needed variety, is that the duo bear an uncanny resemblance to the characters from Gatchaman.

Anyways, I think the linework, coloring, shading, and basically everything are phenomenal. I really can�t say much, because I�m just truly impressed with his rendition of these two Pok�mon. They just got about 20 times cooler in my book.

Next up, we�ve got another TF2 piece creeping in here.

By Black-Charizard

This piece was drawn in paintchat, just so you know.

It might be because I have a weakness for TF2, and maybe because I went through my own process of drawing Kakuna recently (which is how I found this image, looking for reference pictures) but I think this is one part adorable, one part frickin� awesome.

Some of you may notice that there seems to be something extra on Kakuna�s body. These would be arms that are holding the rifle. They�re bedrill arms, minus the points, but if you remember the sprites from the original games, you may remember that Kakuna actually did have those arms originally.

Also, I think that floating items with no hands to hold them bothers her as much as it does me, which is why she added the arm to hold it.

Next up, let�s take a look at our favorite turtles.

By arkeis-pokemon

I think most of us recognize Wartortle in the front as Leonardo, but those unfamiliar with recent generations of Pok�mon might not recognize Torkoal as Michelangelo in orange and Grotle, Turtwig�s evolution, as Raphael in red. This leaves the turtle in purple, Tirtouga, who is one of the fossil Pok�mon from the new generation, as Donatello.

He drew this in celebration of there now being 4 turtle Pok�mon, and being able to have the complete TMNT squad in Pok�mon form. I think it�s a really neat idea, and is executed very well.

He�s displayed some really skillful painting techniques here, and I think it�s a real tribute to both Ninja Turtles and Pok�mon. His lighting and shading is simply spot on. Consider me jealous, arkeis.

This is the beginning of the end, folks. Here�s a final example of Gurren Lagann fanart.

By purplekecleon

PK has been featured here before, more than once, if I�m not mistaken. It�s no secret that she is one of my biggest inspirations to draw fanart, and when I saw this piece a while back, I knew instantly that this would have to go in here.

It may look simple to some of us on the surface, being just a Squirtle with Kamina�s sunglasses on, but there is far more to it. The way she uses light and shadow and complimentary colors to bring out the depth of the reflection from the glasses is truly impressive.

Two things in particular stand out to me about this piece. I really like the shading on the tail, because it gives a sense of depth and dimension, but I also really love how she handled the glasses on Squirtle�s face. They�re transparent enough to see through them, but opaque enough to obscure the clarity of the face behind them. The little touch of orange on the head to play off the glasses is also a great touch, and helps brighten it up quite a bit.

Alright, last but not least, one final piece of TF2 fanart.

By AdmiralAlibi

This would be the piece that built on my idea from the Heavy Snorlax and made it into a full-fledged planned feature. Once I saw this, I knew I had to find other examples of crossover art and I could do a feature on that alone.

Honestly, this is much better than a lot of the TF2 fanart I see, and this has the added benefit of being about another of my favorite things in the world, Pok�mon.

The linework is really neat and clean, and I appreciate it all being blue, to accentuate the color scheme of the figure. The rocket launcher being separate from the rocket itself is a nice tough, and I like the critical effect added to the rocket. It just looks incredibly dangerous. The orange background makes it pop visually and really stands out from the crowd.

I�d absolutely love to see a mod for the game that allows Pok�mon skins for the classes. It might just be one of the best days of my life.

And that�ll do it for this week, folks.

Before we go, a bit of housekeeping:

I�m a bit lacking in the idea department right now, and I�d really like to cater to your interests, as opposed to mine. I think we�re all getting sick of seeing TF2 art, other than myself of course. So, please head on over to the Suggestion Topic and suggest some of the things you�d like to see!

As it stands right now, I�ve only got a definitive topic for next week�s feature, and past that I have absolutely no idea what I�ll be doing, so the quicker the better! I�ve always got some fallback ideas that I can go to, but I don�t want to burn through them too quickly.

Right then, the part you�ve all been waiting for; the clue for next week.

If you�re curious about the rules, head on over to the Rules and Info thread!

Some of that may be subject to change. I�m considering changing the timeline for the contest in favor of making it a bit shorter so that you all will know ahead of time what the theme is, so that you can better suggest stuff to be featured. I�ll be talking it over with the staff and let you guys know soon.

Now I�m really done, so feel free to leave a comment, if you want, maybe try guessing the hint for this week? Same time, same place next week, TKK. See you then!

Now Playing: Rango

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:11:38 +0000

Now, normally there'd only be the possibility of me seeing one movie weekly, but because we've got a rare verve in the usual winter movie dry spell, I'm making a point to see two in a short time span- one already this past Thursday, which I'm going to be reviewing now, and another this upcoming Sunday.

In this review, I'll list the title, a humorous (at least to me) "AKA" subtitle, release information, a brief synopsis, pros and cons, my favorite scene(s), which will include some spoilers, so beware that section if that's an issue for you, my final thoughts, my rating for the film on a 1-5/5 scale, and the film's trailer. I'll also give some information on what'll be coming up next in my reviews afterwards.

My rating system breakdown:
1/5 - Terrible. Never see. Examples: Epic Movie, The Last Airbender.
2/5 - Bad. I don't recommend, but whatever. Examples: Good Luck Chuck, Twilight.
3/5 - So-So. I can't say I thought it was amazing, but I didn't mind seeing it. Examples: School of Rock, Terminator 3.
4/5 - Good. I liked it a lot, definitely recommend. Examples: When Harry Met Sally, Milk.
5/5 - Wonderful. I can't recommend enough, amazing, see it ASAP. Examples: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fight Club.

Rango

AKA "The Good, the Bad, and the Scaly" *audible boos*

Release: Wide, March 4, 2011

Synopsis: An unnamed chameleon (Johnny Depp) lives out his days in isolation as a household pet, but dreams of being a great actor. However, when his unseen owners are driving through a desert highway, his tank is bounced onto the highway and he's released into the wilderness with nothing but his unrealized wiles. When trekking through the desert, he meets Beans (Isla Fisher), a somewhat mentally unstable iguana who takes him to the animal town of Dirt, which is undergoing a severe drought. When realizing that he doesn't fit in with the townsfolk (voiced by actors such as Abigail Breslin and Stephen Root) the chameleon decides he can use his acting abilities and become whoever it is he wants to be, and adopts the hardened and gruff persona of Rango, which leads the people of Dirt, and the Mayor (Ned Beatty), to rely on him to solve their water problems.

Pros: Would it be too simple if I said just about everything? I mean, holy hell, this movie is wonderful! Let's start with the story, not only is it good in its own right, as a functioning storyline that has places to go, gets emotional, and leaves you satisfied, but it's brilliantly tongue-in-cheek and existential about spaghetti westerns and the film industry in general. Starting with the opening monologue by the title character, you know the movie has a point of view, and I'd say it gets that across just as much as Pixar films have been praised for doing. It feels like you're not only watching a western, but an animated adventure, AND a commentary on all of the above. And not once does it get convoluted. Not only that, but you can pick and choose any of those aspects and sort of tune out the rest and still enjoy it, watch it for the message, watch it for the adventure, whatever, you'll still get a kick out of it.

The voice acting is great as well, Johnny Depp isn't even the one to shine that brightly here. That goes to Isla Fisher, who was SO convincing as Beans. She has a twang that fits the personality of the character perfectly. And all of the supporting characters have unique voices that add to their personality too; not once did I ever cringe like I so often do in anything non-Pixar. (I'm starting to sound like a Pixar-groupie here... I just mean that a lot of animated stuff that doesn't have Pixar production backing it up has crappy voice acting.) Gore Verbinski adds a lot to the movie as well; you can feel his direction throughout it. In the same way he added to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, there's a lot of similar atmosphere, strangely. And the music by Hans Zimmer... do I even need to say it? Stunning. I couldn't believe it when I saw his name during the credits, I didn't once suspect it was him, but I did duly note the score throughout, it adds more to the film than almost anything else. I can see it picking up an Oscar nomination next year.

Namely though... I've gotta mention the animation. It rivals anything I've seen in recent years. I was shocked at how good it was. The textures of everything are great, and the environments were SO realistic, like the sky and desert, but mainly it was the facial expressions and character design in general. The Mayor's face, for instance, almost created him as a character. His expressions were perfect and the overall look he had was brilliant... and he was a turtle. They gave a turtle that much detail. I was floored.

Cons: I guess one issue is the fact the movie is sort of catering to adults, but it's marketed at children. Sure, it CAN be enjoyed by younger audiences at some level, but there are so many in-jokes and a fair bit of profanity (not that that matters, really). I know as a kid I really wouldn't have appreciated it like I do now. For instance, characters from other movies actually make appearances in the movie, and while one of these might be known to children, the other one... not even a slight chance. (I don't want to say who it is, the sheer shock of it is so satisfying, it's really early on though, not the later cameo.) It's not a big con, I mean, I'm glad animation studios are realizing that adults are a huge part of their audience, and I enjoyed what came out of the endeavor immensely, but it just feels a little off in terms of what's to be expected.

Favorite Scene: (Spoilers) Two this time. The first is when Rango and the townsfolk are in pursuit of the stolen water. There's a scene around the campfire where the men are trading stories about how tough they are, the whole scene is very reminiscent of old westerns, the exchange goes something like, "I once coughed up a Dalmatian." "I once coughed up a whole tribe of pygmies." "I once found a human spinal column in my fecal matter." ...This is all coming from rodents, by the way. I was laughing so hard, the scene was so absurd. There's humor like this throughout, but this one stuck out to me the most.

(Spoilers) The other scene's of a more dramatic nature. Very early on in the film the protagonist meets an armadillo called Roadkill (Alfred Molina). He tells him of a spiritual quest of "getting to the other side." By literally crossing the busy highway as a metaphor for this, he will achieve some sort of enlightenment and encounter the Spirit of the West. Well, later on, Rango is down on his luck, after he has been exposed to Dirt as a fraud. He has traveled back through the desert to the highway and has nowhere left to turn. Almost hypnotically, he begins to cross the highway and as he's walking he periodically passes under the rushing cars. It's sounds corny, but the most accurate comparison is the most lucky game of Frogger ever. But the music, the angles, the point in the story, it all adds up to be a winning formula, and when he reaches the other side, it's so hopeful. I knew that scene was going to be one of my favorites right as it finished.

Final Thoughts: Rango is thoughtful, funny, beautifully animated, and a shoe-in for Best Animated Feature at next year's Oscars, unless Cars 2 is somehow unbelievably good, or critics are blind to its mediocrity. I'd go as far as to say if the movie pool this season isn't incredible, Rango might even manage a Best Picture nomination, were it up to me, though that's a stretch. Bottom line, go out and see it in theaters while you can.

Rating: 5/5

Comments pl0x. K thnx bby. Anyway, here's what's in store for reviews, some of this I mentioned before, but I'll reiterate:

Instant Reviews: Monsters (Definitely seeing this next)

Oscar Afterthoughts: Best Picture Nominee Reviews (Still working on it, each review is shaping up to be full length, so...)

Now Playing: The Adjustment Bureau (However, if you guys would prefer Cedar Rapids, I can swing that, let me know before Sunday.)