A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Pride and Prejudice (2005) in theaters for the 20th anniversary.

Gorgeous movie, always deserves to be seen on a big screen because each shot is pure art.

Anyway. It had 30 minutes of previews. Gross.

Of those 30 minutes, there were several trailers for live-action remakes. Also gross. And honestly, it just made me sad.

Each time an animated movie gets remade, the production company is confirming that they don't think that animation is a finished product.

It's especially egregious when the live-action movie uses the animated movie as a fucking storyboard and recreates everything, shot for fucking shot.

Looking at you, How to Train Your Dragon.

The original was nominated for SO MANY AWARDS, but I guess that just doesn't matter anymore.

Say it with me: Animation is a finished product.

Finished the animation for another Psychostick Storytime vlog! Now I'm just waiting for Murph to make an audio/fx pass and post it, but it's officially off my plate!

Instead of two years, this one took just one! And change.

As I do these, I'm learning two major things:
1. There's a reason why every major Storytime animation channel has a team of like 20 artists.
2. The workflow for these is an ever-evolving creature, and I'm not sure how well I'm managing it.

For those who aren't aware, I animate these in Blender with Grease Pencil. I picked Blender for these, specifically, because of the 3D capabilities for things like background materials. The ability to adjust a 3D van into place and trace over it is vital.

And yes, I trace things like the van. Manga artists trace (or these days, just render out) background elements every day. Drawing vehicles sucks. Work smarter, not harder.

Anyway. The next Storytime animation won't be in progress until... either late this year or early next year. I'm switching gears to get started on a BIG project that will HAVE to be out by the end of this year. I'm SUPER excited and can't wait for that one to be posted.

#storytime #animation

Now that tax season is over for me, I think I'll work on upgrading my mobile setup. I'm going to be on the road a LOT this year, and I really want to be able to work more from the van.

Going to do a little research, but I think I'm settling on the Asus Flow Z13 with a stylus. It's a bit pricy, but having an all-in-one would really make things go more smoothly.

I have a great laptop now (ROG Strix Scar 15), but it isn't as "mobile" as I need it to be. If I want to work on 2D animation, for example, I need to use a separate tablet, which is just not practical when I'm in the van. And since I'll be working during two extended tours this year, I'm going to be in the van a LOT. So, I'll be selling it to fund this upgrade.

That said, if anyone has any suggestions for a mobile setup that can handle Blender while being compact and not plugged in, speak up! I'd love to hear them!

I have a BIG project I'll be working on this year, so I'll probably also be investing in a render farm account at some point. At least it's a tax write-off!

Taxes Goal Update: FUNDED!

Taxes are paid, and I've got just enough left over to get me to the next payday. What a relief!

I can't thank you generous people enough! You made it happen!

Taxes Goal Update: $1207/1600

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~$400 left in a bit less than four weeks. It's got me a little on edge.

I've had a lot of help so far, and I can't express my gratitude enough! Without you generous people, I'd be nowhere CLOSE to that goal. Thank you!

If you have the means and would also like to help, please visit my Ko-Fi, now accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay and such via Stripe: https://ko-fi.com/souzouinc

I'd link my nerdy merch store, but that cash won't come in until after Tax Day. Thank you to everyone who has bought something so far, though!

And naturally, boosting this post is also a huge help for me. Thanks to everyone who has been doing so!

#mutualaid #MutualAidRequest #MutualAidMonday #BegPost #begposting

Taxes Goal Update: $1007/1600

Last paycheck before Tax Day came in! I put some money into the fund, but I've still got bills to pay and need to see what's left over after that.

I'm still quite short, and while money is coming, it might not come in until after Tax Day, which means I can't count on it. Not to mention, I forgot to include the TurboTax filing fees before, so that bumps up the total another $200. I would be doing these taxes by hand, but I have a W-2, a 1099-NEC, a lot of misc income from contracts, and a pile of deductions, so I do opt to spend the extra to make this a lot easier. The deductions alone cut my owed amount in half, so it's worth the price.

I really appreciate every bit of the help people have given me so far. Without them, I'd be stressing a lot more and probably wouldn't be able to make my goal at all, so thank you!

If you have the means and would like to help, please visit my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/souzouinc

I'd link my nerdy merch store, but that cash won't come in until after Tax Day. Thank you to everyone who has bought something so far, though!

And naturally, boosting this post is also a huge help for me. Thanks to everyone who has been doing so!

#mutualaid #MutualAidRequest #BegPost #begposting

I just posted 'Thank you, and have some hot sauce!' on Ko-fi.

https://ko-fi.com/i/IW7W61BLKO9

Taxes Goal Update: $607/1400

A couple of very generous people have helped take a load of stress off my mind! Thank you!

One paycheck left. With a little bit more help, I should be able to reach my goal just in time!

If you have the means and would like to help, please visit my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/souzouinc

If you have the means and you'd like to help via buying nerdy merch, check out my Redbubble: https://souzouinc.redbubble.com/

And naturally, boosting this post is also a huge help for me. Thanks to everyone who has been doing so!

#mutualaid #MutualAidRequest #BegPost