R.A.N.T

Damn.

It must seem like I'm addicted to making this kind of posts.

Hey, I might even be!

Anyway: I've been holding back on putting out this message because up until Wednesday of this week it actually looked like it wouldn't be neccessary, but here goes: For the next two Mondays, I won't be able to update A.N.T. Yes, it sucks. But at least keep in mind that it annoys me as much as (and ,ost likely more than) it annoys everyone else.

Of course, this period of once-again-Ida-is-a-hopeless-slacker has an excuse: Skipping next Monday's update (November 7th) was planned for a good few months for the simple reson that for all of the weekend that precedes it, I will be hanging out at J-popcon, the best (and only, but that's not important) anime con in Denmark and hopefully have as many truckloads of fun as I had last year. And since 'having fun at a con' isn't synonymous with 'sitting in a corner by myself and draw comics' (not that drawing comics isn't fun!), this lack-of-update was, as said, expected. So, why skip this Monday as well, the angry crowd wants to know? One word: Cosplay. Yes, once again Ida is horribly behind on her cosplay for J-popcon, on top of the truckloads-of-surprise-homework that is such a lovely part of second year of High School around here. I've already had to skip a birthday party and a class reunion to spend this entire weekend on cosplay with Sigge, and as such, I simply don't have the time to do a comic. I still hate it, though.

And now for a desperate, pathetic and ANGSTY plea: I (hopefully) have a filler being contributed by UHC for next Monday, but I have absolutely nothing to put up this Monday (well, unless you want a sprite comic. The SAME sprite comic.) So, therefore, if anyone (and that includes you Skyen - I just don't think it's fair of me to crave fillers of you every single time ^^) has/can make something in the vein of a filler comic (of course A.N.T-related) in time for me to put it up on Monday, not only will I love you forever, I'd also love to do a small commission (pencil or at most ink only, please) of whatever you want me to draw, if you want it - after the business-is-killing-me-period, of course. ^^

And incentives - what, do you think I want people to vote for something that doesn't update? Jeez.

Uhm, yeah. See you in two weeks.

Damn it.

Tomorrow's page definately candidates for the title of 'fastest pager ever'. I started working on it yesterday at 7.30 and now (as of the time of WRITING, not posting), 23½ hours later, it's done. Now, if only I could do that every week... ^^;

As for incentive, I actually though I would have to put up the lineart like two weeks ago, so I didn't prepare anything, but as it turned out, that won't be neccessary after all. So what does Ida do when she has no incentive? That's right, resort to crappy old sketches! This week you get a multiple emotion character study of Lisa - from 2002, so it's quite faint and very, very anatomically incorrect. I still think it's a bit cute, though. ^^

Also did a teeny-weeny update to the 'author' page and added the new chapter to the archives - and look at this: I actually have some fanart I haven't had the time to put up yet. Guess that means I'm one of the big girls now. ^_~ Erm, okay, so not really - but I'll try to put it up next time nonetheless.

And now: Chicken!



... yes.

(No, I don't speak French... Or Italian.)

Done! And it better well BE, since the computerwork on this one took forever. Litterally. I was actually going quite strong doing this page - yesterday evening, the comic was already scanned and flat-shaded - and then there was these liiiiittle things called comet and nighttime shading (PROPER nighttime shading this time). And, well, THEY took forever. ^^; Even if it can't be seen, there are ten layers of soft shading in that comet, all done by mouse. Not that that stops it from looking sucky of course, but still... ^^;

No matter what, I actually DO think I've come some way drawing-wise since Io last opened a space container. Wait, she's praising her own work? Burn the heretic!

Also: Incentive. No, I don't know what I was thinking.

...but at least THAT one was quick. ^^

I can't come up with any more creative ways of saying this (think that has something to do with how often I do it...), so here goes: There won't be a regular update tomorrow. Again. All is not lost, though, as Skyen, being as awesome he is, whipped up a filler for me in the (litterally) last hour. There will also be an new incentive to vote for if you're so inclined - not that I'm going to force anyone to vote for something that doesn't update...

Oh, the reason for this? Simple: In *checks watch* three hours, I'm to leave for my version of the legendary 2nd-year-of-high-school-field trip - this one goes to Budapest, and I'm going to be gone until Wednesday. Where I'll probably be so exhausted by all the drinking, bar-going and we'don't-care-if-we-have-to-be-up-at-7-pm-let's-stay-out-till-4 that seems to be going on at these things that I won't be able to get near the computer. It's going to be fun.
So, since I knew this, why didn't I do the comic earlier in the week? The answer: 5 school papers, a math test and ordinary homework on top of that. They ARE trying to kill me. -_-;

But fear not: Once I get home, there will be only two days of school left before the beginning of FALL BREAK - in which, amazingly, I'm NOT going anywhere. Which means actual spare time. Which means updates. Which is good, right?

I think it is.

(I know that the comic is showing up a little - or very, actually - weird, but the update I'm running right now should probably make that go away. I can't check it, though, since there are 2956 people before me in the queue. O_o;)

Done. All. Done.

Yes.

... What has not been done is the H.C.Andersen essay, which means I'm going to have to work my ass off on that tomorrow, but who cares? I am no longer a loser in the discipline of comic-updating! ^^ As you can probably see, I experimented with the soft shading again, mainly because I had very little time to do a lot of shading. I'm not sure I like it (at all), though, but please give me your thoughts. Hey, at least it's faster.

...Btw, in a very unexpected turn of events, the lineart page turned out to be the best incentive I EVER put up. It earned me approximately 45 votes in one day and slot #49 on TWC, which means I'm currently 4 slots behind... Megatokyo?!? O_O;

...Something is definately wrong here...

I have committed not one, not two, but three of the fourty-two deadly sins of webcomics. 1): I haven't been able to meet deadlines. 2): It's for the second week in a row. 3): Tomorrow there'll be a really ugly text-comic update telling about it (because a lot of people don't read this blog. In fact, how anyone can survive reading these incoherent ramblings is beyond me ^_~) Please don't hate on me too much. A little hating is justified, though.

Oh well, at least I have something of an excuse: Not only have I actually been working my butt off to meet deadlines, I've actually become ill, which has brought my working speed down a good deal. I've also been to a really weird school party, but don't tell people about THAT.

Ok, right. Comic: Page 54 is currently scanned and texted but lacks every kind of coloring and shading imaginable - this version of the page will be tomorrow's voting incentive, btw - I hope I'll be able to finish it up tomorrow, but that depends both on my illness and especially how fast I can cram out the Danish essay on a (I kid you not) Hans Christian Andersen fairytale that I was really supposed to be doing this weekend. But, I hope. And hope is better than utter despair with goth poetry, tentacles and ANGST.

...

A little bit better, at least.