gameangel147

So recently I was blocked by two users.  This is the first time I've ever been blocked on this site, and I was quite taken aback both times.  The first time I am not exactly sure why I was blocked, but the second time it was more of a misunderstanding.  I commented on their art and ended on a small joke as an ice breaker, but they were offended and thought I was being disrespectful.  The sad part is that I can't contact them to clear things up and set things right.

Now, this sort of thing has happened to me in the real world before.  I met someone new in a hiking club, which was letting new people come along as prospective new members.  I struck up a conversation with the guy in charge and I thought it went well.  I had fun and wanted to join.  The next day I found out I was one of two people barred from joining.  To this day I don't know what I did or said that got him to think I was a jerk.  But it made me realize that intentions and perception don't always match up.

I've been introverted all my life, but in these past years I've made a lot of progress in being more outgoing and talking to strangers, both in the workplace and in my personal life.  I've gotten a lot better at socializing and being more confident, but I've realized that confidence isn't enough.  Sometimes I get too excited and say the wrong things.  Even though it's not my intention to be rude, that's how I am perceived by people that don't know me well enough to know that I would never try to be intentionally rude.

This morning I saw another example on The Talk.  An obese woman was stranded on the side of the road when her electric chair stopped working, so a good samaritan towed her with their pickup truck.  A pastor filmed her getting towed and said "Only in Kansas City."  People accused him of fat shaming and he was surprised by this, later stating on the news that that was not his intention and apologized if anyone was offended.  Here we have someone who wasn't trying to be mean, but that's how everyone perceived his video.

Not everyone is a natural at socializing, and often their attempts to socialize and make friends come off as extremely annoying or extremely rude.  I've met people like this before, only to realize later that they were nice people who simply were not good and communicating with strangers.

We've all heard "Don't judge a book by it's cover," which means that you can't judge someone on their appearance alone.  But I think there should be more to that saying, such as "Don't judge a book by it's first page either."  I have first-hand experience with this.  The first Harry Potter book I read was Chamber of Secrets in Elementary School, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about.  I read the first sentence, got bored, put it back and didn't read them for years.  It wasn't until after the movies came out that I read the fifth book and I liked it enough to read the next two, which I also liked.

First impressions are important but sometimes they can be wrong.  It isn't until you get to know them that you find out their true personality.  In the case of the Pastor, he could have been clearer as to what he was talking about, he could have said that he was amused by the situation and not trying to fat shame the woman, but the users could have held back their accusations and asked what he was referring to.  They could have waited to find out if he was making fun of the woman or the situation.

Likewise, one can always take a second to see if what they're going to say can be taken the wrong way, and one can always take a second to see if what they said was meant as an insult or an innocent remark.  Take an extra second or two to see how accurate your first impression is.

Tagged by

Rules:

1. Write the rules. (Or copy and paste them, whichever you prefer.)
2. Write 13 things about yourself. 
3. Answer 13 questions made by the person who tagged you, and make your own 13 questions.
4. Tag 13 deviants.
5. Make sure they know that they are tagged. 
6. Don't say ''You're tagged if you read this".
7. It is forbidden not to tag anyone.
8. Tag backs are allowed. 
9. If you don't make this tag in a week, you need to obey a wish of the person who tags you. (You can ignore this one.)


13 Facts About Myself:

1. I mostly game on PC now.  Used to play Wii and Xbox.

2. I would much rather stand in the corner behind everyone that be up on stage where everyone can see me.

3. I suck at programming.

4. My last name is Basque.  (Look it up.  )

5. My birthday lands on a holiday.

6. I've survived a dust storm.

7. My hair decides what it will look like.  It won't let me comb it.  

8. I have a fascination for steampunk.

9. I daydream a lot.

10. I use Bing instead of Google.  

11. I used to live a block away from a beach.

12. I met one of my best friends on OKCupid.

13. My favorite video games genres are real-time strategy and first person shooters, but I like all kinds.


Questions For Me:

1. Are you listening to anything right now?  If not, what song are you gong to listen next?
    -Nothing at the moment, just watching Bones on Netflix, but I do have an urge to listen to Sia's Cheap Thrils.  The version with ft. Sean Paul.

2. Do you like Anime?  If yes, what anime do you suggest?
    -I do, and if I had to recommend one, it would be Trigun.  It's silly, fun and it can get emotional at times.

3. Do you have a favorite Emoticon from DA? Show me!
    -Don't think I have a favorite, but :bademoticon:   :bademoticon: are some of my favorites.

4. Favorite song at the moment?
    -It's between Atlas Rise by Metallica and Cheap Thrills by Sia.

5. Who is better: Donald Trump or Obama?  Who wins?
    -In an election?  I would say Obama.  He does a better job of bringing people together rather than dividing them.

6. Can you speak another language(s)?
    -Yes, I'm fluent in English and Spanish, and I'm currently learning French and German.  Japanese too as soon as Duolingo adds it.

7. What is your desktop background right now?
    -It rotates between MLP and Zootopia, but right now it's the map of Equestria, the first version.

8. Do you have a favorite MEME?
    -Probably the Jackie Chan and Nicolas Cage memes.

9. If you could live anywhere for 10 days, where would it be?
    -Only for 10 days?  Maybe Hawaii, or China, or Canada, or the Carribean.

10. Would you go back in time in order to stop the Chernobyl disaster?
    -I would say yes because it looked like a nice city, but I would want to see the consequences of stopping it first.  I might make things worse.

11. Who do you think is the best person in the world?
    -Not sure.  I'm going to say the people who go out of their way to help others.

12. What do you think about this and this?
    -What did I just watch!?  Well the cartoon was...yeah, and the other one had a catchy tune.  Also I'm scarred for life.

13. Can you correct my English please?  XDD
    -Sure, it's been pretty good, and if you ever want someone to proofread, just ask.  

My Questions:

1. What country do you live in, and what would you rename it if you had the chance?

2. Do you take pictures of your food?  If so, why?

3. What fictional world would you want to live in?

4. Do you follow trends?

5. Who is your role model if you have one?

6. Would you ever ride/drive a motorcycle?

7. Do you prefer to type or write?

8. Would you stay a human or turn into another species/race (Klingon, Elf, etc.)

9. What color would you paint your room?

10. Would you live in a house run by an AI, such as a smarthouse?

11. Do you want to change your name?  If so, what would you change it to?

12. What can't you live without?

13. If you could go back in time and redo high school, would you?


I tag:





You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but if you do, I hope you have fun!!  

I was tagged by

1. Write the rules. (Or copy and paste them, whichever you prefer.)
2. Write 13 things about yourself. 
3. Answer 13 questions made by the person who tagged you, and make your own 13 questions.
4. Tag 13 deviants.
5. Make sure they know that they are tagged. 
6. Don't say ''You're tagged if you read this".
7. It is forbidden not to tag anyone.
8. Tag backs are allowed. 
9. If you don't make this tag in a week, you need to obey a wish of the person who tags you. (You can ignore this one.)

13 Facts About Myself:

1. I excel at procrastinating.  I have an unfinished picture from 2012 and several other projects that haven't been touched in years.   

2. My birthday is coming up and I'm starting to feel old.   

3. My favorite movie is Jurassic Park.   

4. Jurassic Park sparked my love of Jeep Wranglers.  I know, kind of weird but it's the only car I want.   

5. I tend to have a different job every Christmas season.   

6. I would love to have a cat and a dog that get along.  :bademoticon: 

7. I still use CDs and DVDs.   

8. I normally have to get my hair cut about once a week.  (only if I want to keep it the same length, it grows fast.)   

9. I have no sense of style.  :bademoticon: 

10. I love to play video games as well as make them.   


Questions For Me:

1. How many hours of sleep do you usually get?
    -About 7 or 8, sometime a little less, depending on when I sleep and get up.  Normally I sleep at 1 or 2 AM, wake up around 9.

2. What's your favorite animal?
    -I have to say dog, though I like all animals almost equally, not sure if I have a favorite.

3. Do you have any strange phobias?
    -I have some mild arachnophobia, but as for strange, don't think I have any.  Plenty paranoid, but no phobias.  I am afraid of being mind-controlled, though I haven't found a phobia name for that yet.

4. Do you like jellybeans?  If so, what's your favorite flavor?
    -I do like jellybeans, but don't eat them often on account of money.  Can't remember the flavors well enough, but I do love strawberries so I'll say strawberry.

5. Do you like stationery?
    -As in just paper?  Well I do like it and I like writing, but I don't have much room to store it all, and I find it easier to type.  I would like to learn calligraphy, or just to have better handwriting.  

6. What's your favorite color, and if so, how many items do you own that are primarily that color?
    -This has changed over the years, but mainly it's been red.  It appears I only own four items that are mostly red.  Huh, interesting.

7. Do you have a smartphone?  If so, what kind?  If not, what kind of phone do you have anyway?
    -I do, it's an Alcatel Idol 3.  You've probably never heard of it but it can be flipped, so I can use it upside down.  Both ends have speakers and receivers, and the speakers are JBL, so very loud and good sound quality.  I love it.

8. Do you like anime?
    -I do, though I have a long list of animes that I need to either finish or start watching.  Most recently I finished the first season of Sword Art Online.  It was...interesting to say the least.

9. What's your computer background right now?
    -As in my background in computers or my desktop background?  My background in computers is mostly self-taught.  I built the desktop I'm using right now, and I was going to ITT Tech before it closed.  As for my desktop, it's mostly MLP mixed with Zootopia, though I've been meaning to update it.

10. What's your favorite holiday?
    -Hmmm, not sure if I have a favorite, but Christmas, New Year's and Valentine's Day (even though I haven't been in a relationship ) are among my favorites.

11. Are you a writer?
    -I do write stories, and recently took part in both NaNoWriMo and NaPoWriMo and broke 50K!  I write as a hobby, though like I mentioned with procrastination, I have a lot of unfinished stories.

12. What fandom are you most active in?
    -Again, due to procrastination, I haven't done a lot of fanworks, but I want to make stuff for MLP and Zootopia.  I just started playing Overwatch so I might be making fanworks for that too.

13. Do you have triskaidekaphobia?  Look it up if you don't know what it is.
    -Why yes, I do have a fear of Triskets.    So, fear of the number 13 huh?  I will admit that I sometimes avoid it, but I would still use it if I needed to for whatever reason.


My Questions:

1. If it were possible for you to have any animal as a pet, what would it be?  (Mythical/fictional creatures are allowed.)

2. Do you cut your own hair?  If not, who cuts it for you?

3. What's your preferred method of transportation: horse, jetpack, or submarine?

4. Are there any character voices you can do really well?  (As in a character you sound like, for example Timmy Turner, Bugs Bunny etc.)

5. What would you say is your greatest strength in art?  (Drawing, writing, sketching etc.)

6. Have you ever moved across state lines?

7. Where in the world would you like to live?  (Assuming every country is at peace, not corrupt, and prosperous.)

8. If you could collaborate on a project with any artist, who would it be?

9. Do you think you have good fashion sense/style?

10. What song/songs sum up your life?

11. If you could learn one language instantly, which would it be?

12. If another planet was successfully colonized, would you choose to leave Earth to live there?  (This planet would be similar to Earth.)

13. What is the first TV show you remember watching?

I'm tagging:






I had fun with this, and I hope you do too!

So I decided to take part in the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo if you want to be hip.  I'm also doing the pony equivalent National Pony Writing Month, or NaPoWriMo.

For those who don't know, you have a month to write either 40K or 50K words, not sure which yet.  The goal is to reach the word count.  Don't worry about quality, just write, then when the month is over, go back and edit.

I've already started and so far I'm having fun writing.  It's so freeing to write without worrying about whether it's good or not, though it's not as easy.  I keep wanting to make it perfect.

I'll be posting my chapters soon, just remember they aren't edited nor final.

And here are the links to both events.  It's not too late to start!

NaNoWriMo

NaPoWriMo

So the Newbie Artist Training Grounds VI just ended yesterday on Equestria Daily, and as you can see in my gallery, I've done 30 sketches in 30 days (not counting rest days)!!!

First off I'm SO HAPPY that I managed to get through it, even if I got lazy on a few, but for me who normally starts something then stops, this has helped me start getting into the habit of drawing.  It also lowered my standards and gave me some confidence.  I know that I can do a good job without worrying about every line being perfect.  I already have some ideas I want to draw and eventually I want to start digital drawing again.

Anyways, here's to more practice!!  XD