Wednesday, June 26, 2013

X-23 Anniversary Prep! Please Join!

I'm still doing more work on the X-23 anniversary entries and prep work.  Getting quite heavy at times while at others it's a little bit more... varied on topics than I feel comfortable saying as yet.


I want to point out though immediately.  We have an open window of time here.
Outside of a handful of new shows and movies, there is a conveniently open window for digital entertainment.  Use it.  Work with it.  Do something for it.

While we here at Kinney Pride will be focusing on X-23 and do indeed want all fans or pro-women's rights advocates to speak, those aren't the only topics that can be covered.

X-23 entails everything from depression, suicide, cutters, being different, and growing from life.  She's the underdog that can't be stopped.  She can be spun around and used, but she roars back harder once free to prevent that from happening to others.

She is a character that stands for freedom of all.  Whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or Atheist, she stands to protect your rights.  Whether you're gay, straight, bisexual or transgender, she stands for your rights.  When it comes to children or teens needing someone to stand up against adversity, she stands taking all damage to protect whether she can heal from it or not.

X-23 is the ultimate Big Sister in Marvel.  She is the nanny who has been through the ringer and back, yet she still stands.  Whether it's fans that try to demean her, other writers, or even off handed video game one liners, she's still standing and won't give up,  She's a hero to many, and though life is rough, she moves forward.  Sometimes she needs the help of her friends to do so, and at other times only the memories of them are available to carry her forward.

So if you'd like to say something about X-23, or would like to share something about her, be it a confession, a piece of art work, a short film, an opinion about female comic character treatment, an opinion on female talent treatment, anything at all that you want to do to express your voice and appreciation or disdain as the case may be, please do so!  You can send it to us here through Snowflakian@yahoo.com with 4kinneypride in the header(this will reach me directly), or you can send us links to where you want to put this work of yours that way too.  You can also reach us at the Kinney Pride facebook group or me more directly at my DeviantArt account or Youtube link on the side as well.  The Deviant art group is also drawn upon heavily for here, so you can reach us there too.

All we ask is that you please have submissions in by August 1st so that we have time to go through them and order them for the time duration of August 2nd-October 23rd.  We understand not all work can be completed in that time and are allowing for late submissions too as per various schedule conflicts.  We will try to stay on top of the information as much as we can, but please understand we are only human.  This is why I've personally been trying to get ahead of the curve on entries so that I will have time to organize submitted material that pertains to any topic that you feel X-23 could help you voice.  So please by all means, use this opportunity to do so.  This is open to all of the public.  No matter what station you have or are in life we would like you to voice your thoughts and opinions.    Even if yesterday was the first time you even heard of X-23, please do not feel like you shouldn't speak.  If you'd like to keep your name private, that's fine too.  We all have our reasons for that no matter how much others may want to condemn anonymity as cowardly.  It's not.  They just feel it is because they can't retaliate or bully truth when it's used right.

I've never been hiding from the big companies though.  They've always known who I am.  So let me take any heat that may come.  I'm not afraid of them and never have been.  You all should feel free to voice what you want how you want to on these topics.  Don't let anyone tell you differently.

If you are a big company and would like to join in.  Please do so.  We do not mind whatsoever.  The more the merrier.  Whether it be an offbeat Robot Chicken sketch, a story or several from Marvel, even special trade paperbacks, Deadpool game DLC, Marvel vs Capcom 3 DLC, or what have you, please by all means do so!  The only limit is you and it is all much appreciated!

We here at Kinney Pride look forward to hearing from you, the fans and readers.  Help us make this anniversary the stuff dreams are made of.  Make it an outpouring of love and affection for this character.
If not now, then when?  If not for her, then who?  So let's be heard!

Friday, June 21, 2013

A Life Not Loved Is Still Lost

How do you write something like this?  Am I actually at a loss for words for once?

That's what keeps running through my head as I look over this book a relative gave me.  It's called "Sometimes God Has a Kid's Face."  It's a book by Sister Mary Rose McGeady about children who have gotten lost in the cracks.

It's a piece of literature that tells stories from Covenant House.  They are an organization that helps children find their future.  They help teach them how to live again after everything they've had to go through.

In all this talk of "charities" and "causes" sometimes the simplest and most honest one is the best.  This is one I throw my full support behind barring any information I am not aware of as yet pertaining to them.  Yes it is a religion based group, but that doesn't mean it's bad.  They aren't about judging or condemning, only about restoring strength and hope.  They want to help kids believe in themselves again.  That is their mission.  They don't tell you that God wanted this for you, in fact quite the opposite.  They tell you things like this make God sad too as he never wanted that to happen to them or anyone.

They have branches all over the country and they provide safe houses for children of all walks of life.

This seems like a weird topic to bring up here of all places.  Though to be honest, that's exactly where it should be brought up.

Some of the best stories that have been told with X-23 have been her in a mentor type fashion or protectorate type role.  She actually probably would make the ultimate guidance counselor having learned her trade through life itself and the hardships it brings.


You can find more information on Covenant House by clicking that hyperlink.  I sincerely cannot find the words to praise this place from what I've read about them and their work.  I do plan on following this article up with a visit to them, but for now I have to juggle other needs as I get the X-23 anniversary together for August 2nd to October 23rd. (In other words, I wrote this back in May, scheduled it for August, but then decided to throw it up in June instead because of their fundraiser drive.  So please donate and help them.  It is out of context now as per when it was written previously and my apologies for that, but their fiscal year ends on June 30th.)

I will be scattering entries like this throughout the X-23 anniversary though.  X-23 is a heavy topic that can be a magnet for those that need that light.  So I would like to make sure the resources are available throughout this time to make sure everyone has the support they may need, or a place to reach out to, or even a place they may believe in that they may want to donate to.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Things Change.

Well, there's a lot of ways to explain this.  Not sure where to start.

The easiest way to say this is that something was set in motion years ago that I had completely forgotten about.  It was a long trip around from then to now and yes I had forgotten about it.  I had done so many things after that and lived a life so... varied of interests that I lost track of time really or what I was doing.  I knew a long time ago though I might need help if things started piling on too much and I couldn't reach the surface.  Stones have a tendency to sink when they're alone and don't have help, but I was flying high at first.  Nothing could touch me.  I felt like Icarus.  Maybe I started to fly too high on my own arrogance.

Something last year though had knocked me down to Earth a bit harder than I had planned or expected.  You can see it towards the end of the Avengers Academy run, where I'm still missing recapping and talking about the last issues to it.  In fact for a few issues before it...  Well pretty much the same time really that Haz-mat was having her meltdown in Final Exam, I was having one of my own in my life with things falling apart and my will to care just leaving me entirely.  Not that I was suicidal, maybe just depressed, I don't know.  I just couldn't focus or find the will to care about focusing.  Nothing had mattered anymore.

There are chunks of my life I still haven't talked about on here, and I probably need to still.  I will get to those when the times are right.  I do have a lot to say on matters of depression and suicide as it is a problem that many face at some time in their life.  I have mildly unique views on the subject though as I have seen hell first hand.  Okay not literally, but what's the point in writing if I can't use a little metaphorical flair and drama?

It is that experience though that makes me continue to live.  It created a promise that cannot be broken by me ever.  The problem with promises like that though... Unless you solve the root cause, the person will find loop holes.  For me that was smoking and living on the edge a bit more than I should.  I was never going to commit suicide, I never could, but passive suicide by not living was still on the table since it was indirect harm infliction.

People freaked out about the counter though.  The counter only went up because I just couldn't concentrate anymore on what I wanted to do and keep the blog up to date(it was a subconscious red flag though that something was wrong).  What I wanted to do was celebrate X-23's anniversary with style.  Make some CG videos using her and tell a story.  Maybe some music videos too while at it.  I do still have the tools and programs for that, but I'm also behind that curve a large amount.  I was leaning on Miku Miku Dance to do it, as I'm familiar with that application along side many of the post-processing aspects to get more quality out of it from asking questions of those pros.  I know I've probably bugged the hell out of Yodafone0624 on Youtube by asking so many questions about techniques.  I've dug through many of the open source render parts too like MMD Bridge that uses NVidia technology.  I've still yet to learn to rig models myself, well I did at one point, then didn't stay in practice so I forgot.  I'm back at square one on that.  DeviantArt user LittleAerith2140 helped me get a starting X-23 MMD model going though.  It was one of her earliest modeling requests she accepted and she has long since excelled and grown from it.  It was thanks to a user named Demonboy that I managed to get the X-23 model from Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, and I also have permission from Rexil to use their ripped and rigged one too(sadly, no permission from Capcom as yet).  I try to clear all my usages with the person I have gotten files from, or I don't use it normally(big companies notwithstanding as they often do not respond kindly to such efforts).  Granted there are some exceptions and techniques around that too.  After reading up on the MMD community and similar open communities for CG development, I agree whole-heartedly with them about maintaining proper credits and discussing terms of use or following them per individual that's unreachable.  Like an example would be Black Rock Shooters cannon.  That model is under a "do not modify" terms of use, but you can still use her parts and weapons so long as you aren't editing them in a model program.  So you could turn off everything but her weapons using MME, and voila.  Now you can use her weapons on another model without breaking the terms of use.

The original plan was going to be 11 videos.  That's what the counter was ticking down to.
One for every year of X-23's existence, plus one to grow on so to speak like birthday candles.
Most of it is locked in my head, as I try to be careful what is out in the world of mine per what I want to do over what I know I'm incapable of or is outside my reach alone.  A few songs I wanted to use are already known whether you know it or not.  Remember the Icons For Hire video I posted back in May?  Yes, that was one that I wanted to redo with X-23 doing the lead vocal singer part with other certain Marvel characters in the background and minor changes to the music video.  Her background band was going to be Deadpool, Wolverine, and Gambit(if I could figure out how to approach his model).

While currently I'm not sure how much of this plan I will be able to still maintain, I do at least want to get certain things done that I wanted to do before.  A fan mash-up trailer for example was one of the 11 planned.  That one I still want to do and need to as it's part of the editing exercises I need practice on still.  Originally I wasn't going to let anything break me from the counter either, and it seems people noticed that from various material tossed gently my direction.  The problem was, no work was getting done either.  I'd hit a perpetual cycle I couldn't break of no will to work but also no will to stop.  Some where around the 90 day mark I guess, I started sending out notices to whatever indie/fan groups I could about the anniversary.  Marvel had a heads up roughly 3 years ago.  I didn't think they would need another, but I thought maybe other groups might want to be involved too.  I didn't want to be selfish about this character and what she means to her fans.

Now I'm not going to mention names here as I do not want to put pressure on them.  What they decide to do is entirely their choice and I thank them for taking the time to listen to my request and consider it.  That's all I could ask of anyone.

I had already started the DeviantArt(found over on the right now!) group prior to that, as since DA was my first artistic non-poetry home that protected my work, I felt it fitting they get the heads up first.  It was the least I could do for all the help and tutorials DA users had made for the world to use and that I myself relied on heavily for awhile.

I'm forewarning you now though that I'm not sure how much will or can be done on my end coming up for this anniversary.  While I did need the wake up call, and I do greatly appreciate it, it has kind of backfired on me too about my focus for right now.  It'll fade.  Maybe.  It usually does.  I hope it does, well maybe not.  Not sure.  Life's confusing in some regards.  My time table is broken though.  I was supposed to be done making clips at the 50 day mark, and diving into editing the clips together and layer techniques among other post-processing aspects to create all the material.  After that was a 10 day window planned for youtube uploads to allow for re-uploads when YT pixelates or desyncs the work as it has proven to have a habit of doing.

I do adapt fast normally though.  Just the wake up call may have woken me up too much too fast even for me.  With forcing the focus on the camera of my life, it may have adjusted it too far for now into the sharpness.  Time will tell.  So that's what I'm trying to do now.  Salvage what I can and prepare overall for moving forward with whatever work I can.  There is no one to blame for that though but me.

I can't be mad about what happened.  I was dead inside, just not the outside.  So in many ways, this did save my life and made me face things I should have long ago.  I have a habit of running from light, and this time someone grabbed me and said "No, no running this time." They wouldn't let go until I would let that light back in my life, until they proved to me I wouldn't burn by its golden touch.
I still don't know that for certain, but at least now I want to find out more than ever.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

KinneyPride on Facebook!

Yup that's right!  Today marks the launching of our Facebook page!
With it will come admins, discussions, and even more ways for the fans to contribute to each other and communicate about X-23!

So do it nicely or we will ban you.
I kid. I kid.
We do believe in the free expression of thoughts, opinions, and speech, but please refrain from name calling or other forms of abuse towards your fellow fans.  This is not a haven for piracy, but please by all means feel free to share artwork you like of X-23, or anything you'd like to say about her or discuss.

Leave any ill-will towards others at the door.  If you do have an problem with another user, please take it to an admin who will either try to settle the dispute or pass it up on higher to be handled.  While we aren't baby-sitters we do care about our fan's well-being.

Leave any friction causing to the big boys that already have their heads on the chopping blocks anyway.  Better that way for your safety, and my neck has gotten used to resting on that block anyway.

By staying on your best behavior, you may be surprised what follows.  This will also let me start finding new volunteers for this blog for content too.  I do apologize as this blog isn't quite that large in audience(at our peak during grass roots advertising only it reached a little over 3000 hits a month, at our lowest about 250 hits a month), so for the time being all submissions have to be voluntary or free until that changes.  I do promise though that as soon as that changes, we will hire on the staff per as we can afford to.  So the plan in the long term is to eventually make this profitable for those involved and continue to grow from there as you are rewarded for what and how much you contribute(I use the freelance model by design as this blog is currently entirely independent and fan oriented).

Until then, we will work out a model per what is appropriate for the work contributed.  As I've said many times before, I am not interested in taking credit for work that is not mine nor profiting off of it.  All I'm here for now is to be a guide when needed or asked, or provide what I can where I can, when I can.

You can find the official Facebook group at this hyperlink. It's just freshly opened, so please excuse the mess. Our current janitor is quite hard headed and rarely listens to anyone but his own headphones.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Another Bottle of Catch up: The Wolverine

Well during the long hiatus of trying to get things together for the anniversary, a lot of off-handed references to X-23 or other X-Men movie news was lost in the shuffle.

One in particular coming up is the new Wolverine movie, The Wolverine.

So without further ado, or really cause it's already waited to the point everyone's seen the trailers already...
Here we go!





Personally, count me excited!  Though I might be one of the few that enjoyed the first one and thinks it easily fits into the rest of the series so far.  I think the same of this one too, but I'd need to see it first of course to know where in that timeline.  We as fans though need to stop calling things "bad" just because we don't like it.  Discuss the points with each other.  See what you like or don't.  Discuss the ideas presented and potential, but don't just hate it because you don't understand it.  That just makes us weep for your silence.

Speaking of timelines though!  X-Men: Days of Future Past seems to be shaping up too!  Haven't read much on what's going on with it, but that's another entry to come soon as I do!  Can't wait to dive back into figuring out where the continuity pieces are on that one to fit to the whole.  I've really missed that part of these movies.  Which might explain why I'm biased towards what Fox is giving us.  Is it perfect?  Nope, but it's definitely stepping stones that can still be used for the whole.  To say and think otherwise is just being lazy.  Yes I will continue to say and think that.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Quick Update in Prep for the June 16th Update!

Yes, I'm still typing away and trying to get other stuff together still.  The CG animation plans have completely taken a step back for now, though I do still plan on getting those ideas better scripted.  I had been working mostly from my brain on that end.

Right now I'm trying to catch up all the entries and topics I want to cover during the anniversary and even figure out what those are again.  So many details and plans got upheaved that I pretty much just screwed myself on the workload.  I'm a fighter though.  I won't stop trying, I won't stop typing until I'm done.  Well with breaks of course so my fingers can rest.

There's still a major update to come on June 16th. I'm still working out getting that together and the images for that alongside whatever else I need done to prep for it, but keep your eyes open for that day.  That update will hopefully open KinneyPride up in a new fashion to readers and their friends alike.  I hope it'll also open the door to allow others to contribute in anyway they'd like or share opinions on many topics that correlate to all the things X-23 herself can represent to the people and the world to which they belong.

X-23 has always had issues finding her own voice.  A void that often gets filled with various facades or cover identities to blend in, but rarely her own voice.  It's time for that silence to end.

She's a comic book character though, but she's a character that can represent every lost little boy and girl.  Every abused child be it sexual, physical, or emotional harm done to them.  She is every fan, every boy, every girl that's ever been driven to extremes because of the world's insanity and yet still stood up to say no.  I will not be the monster you tell me I should be and I will not hide.  I am right here.  Come and get me if you dare.  I will not be pushed around anymore.  I will talk.   I will act.   I will fight.  I will live.  And.  I.  Will.  Not.  Be. Stopped.

While we don't get to hear X-23's voice that often.  We can make ours be heard.  We can speak.  We need to speak.  I hope the surprise I have in store for June 16th will start to allow that; to allow us all to use our voices for the better.  It might be a simple addition, but I do hope it allows us to grow and speak more freely and responsibly.  I hope it will start to allow KinneyPride and X-23 herself to start to grow and reach new heights for both the fans and the world she lives in.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Off-Topic Perpetuity: Come & Get It!

With the duration of the timer being up in prepping for the X-23 Anniversary, I missed a lot of different varied things that this blog does normally cover.  These include all kinds of things like TV references, and more.

Something else that's been missing though is how I used to get a little bit more bouncy and all over the place with music and inspiration and what helps me create ideas and think.  Music has always been the thing that keeps me sane.  Though sometimes it's also what drives me insane too.  Music is something that rests in our hearts, our souls, and also our minds.  It sings to us of our memories, our hopes, our dreams.  Sometimes even our future can be found within music.  The universal math and emotion it carries surrounds us all.  Music can unite and divide people.  That's just the power it has from the raw feelings it can create or bring to the surface.  When harnessed well, it can harmonize the human condition and how they relate to their fellow man.

And okay so yeah.
I'm trying to BS my way into making an excuse to post another Selena Gomez video because I liked the song and she has a new CD coming up called Stars Dance that'll be released on July 23rd.  Oh hey!  There's a 23!  What was that thing I said a long time ago?  Oh yeah!  If you say 23 often enough, I'll feel obliged to plug it on this blog.  Looks like I have my excuse after all.


Saturday, June 1, 2013

Something a Little Different To Please.

Life's just been so hectic lately, and I'm really just kind of doing this entry to kill time before I go pick a friend up from work since he doesn't have a car yet, but I thought the song very poignant to what here deals with, and what I'd like here to start to dive into. We all have scars from life. That's just life. There's a point though where you have to make a choice. Will it define me or will I define me? I made my choice, and I'm not looking back. The only time I will look back is when I feel others need... a fable, or life story to help gain perspective for themselves like others have provided me. Yes, there is a way to cure X-23 of all her issues. Not a miracle cure either, it'll be a rough time for her during it, but it really could solidify her to herself. I just don't know who to thank for that realization and oh so simples truth.

X-23 10th Fan Anniversary: How You Can Help

My apologies for the long hiatus on updates. Life was getting rather heavy with other things, and then I got completely sidetracked by some rather bizarre happenstances recently after already getting derailed from my plans before from lack of will. My sincere apologies over this. My distraction almost let you guys down, and that's far from what I wanted.  My greatest weakness got exploited as well, but it also happened in such a manner that it actually made me want to fight harder than ever before.  So I'm not sure what the intent was there.

I am making some changes to my side of the plans though(still planning on trying to get some of the original plans back in one piece though too!). I still have more images and icons I need to update and tweak, but as always I want this anniversary to be a united front of celebration. I've personally had a lot of mud flung my way over this because of god knows what others were thinking this was about, but ignore those whispers. All they know is what they think they see. While I do thank them for helping in the spots that needed it, they are starting to try and push the very things they claimed to want to stop. I cannot abide that, so they are being tuned out like white noise.  They don't know me or really anything about my life or how I live and why, so really all this jumping to conclusions is causing quite an internal reaction of defiance from me towards them even greater than normal.  I know that's not the direction to go either, but I will not be "be put in my place" by anyone that is not doing it without the best of intentions.  Otherwise you might see a quite different reaction than you've ever seen from me in the past.

I would love for the fans to be a major part of this anniversary though, as I would also love it if fans could take more part in KinneyPride too.

I've added a filter system to the e-mail attached to this blog. Snowflakian@yahoo.com is setup to receive e-mails pertaining to X-23 and if you'd like for it to be used on the blog, simply mark the subject line as "4kinneypride" all one word no quotes.

In the body of the message, include a brief introduction of yourself, followed by the Title of the article you'd like to use, and then your article or link to your Deviantart work or other sites you may work with. You will get all credit for any volunteered submitted work as well as more exposure from this blog dedicated to anything you write that is deemed appropriate for public consumption. And please, include how you'd like it to be used. Copy pasted or just linked to your own account somewhere so that you maintain full control. I am not looking to take your work. I want you to get full credit and trackbacks that are possible that you would like.

While the blog does in essence deal with a rated R character, that doesn't mean we have to be vulgar and immature for no reason. Let us stand with honor and love or not do this at all.

I have also gone and overhauled a DeviantArt group system so submissions should be easier now. The voting system is entirely gone (I wasn't all that comfortable about it to begin with). You can find it over at the X-23 UnOfficial Fan Anniversary Collection Committee on DeviantArt.

So again, if you'd like your work or an article or how you feel about X-23 and what she's meant to you displayed on Kinneypride please mark the subject line of the e-mail as 4kinneypride and send it to snowflakian@yahoo.com so that it can be added.

Please include how you would like to be credited or if you'd like to be credited. I can understand many may not feel comfortable stepping forward with the heaviness that this character sometimes entails. I myself have sometimes gone withdrawn due to the darkness too. So let's make this about hope, not the darkness. Let's show the world you can push us down all you want, we will stand right back up, dust ourselves off, and keep fighting for what we think is right. If you'd like to do that as anonymous confessions over an image, that's fine too. I must warn you though that some discretion will be taken due to the content if deemed far too dangerous. That's not to say some messages can't help others, but we are not here to publicize or contribute to anything that could harm the essence and growth of what this character stands for as well as the growth and understanding of the fandom at large.

Thank you again for your time. I look forward to hearing from you all in the future. Let's make this a great anniversary.

Again, all are welcome to celebrate this. I gave Marvel a heads up roughly 3 years ago. I don't know if they are doing anything for this or not, but we shall see. Everyone is entitled to their privacy in how they would like to celebrate this character or if they are going to celebrate this character. All we can do is hope they would never let the fans down. That's something they try not to do anyway though, so I have faith in them as a whole.

Please remember, if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask.  That's all it takes to get an answer.  Celebrations will commence August 2nd this year as per when her episode first aired on TV through X-Men Evolution and will continue on through until October 23rd, 2013.  A day that KinneyPride has affectionately and unofficially coined as X-23 day which is during a time Marvel once called Weapon X month.  I thought it was rather fitting.
Still yet more details to come later!
Next Major Update will be on June 16th!

And Marvel, if there's anything else you'd like me to remove or change, do it by the appropriate e-mail at the bottom and try to remember please and thank you.