"Gypsy" vs. Reality. Round one.

What do you know about Roma? Not Rome, Italy…but the Romani people? Usually this is the bit where I hear lots of crickets chirping. Ok…
What is it that you know about ‘gypsies’? Fortune tellers? Thieves and vagrants? Belly dancers and covered wagons?

Spoilers! The groups are one in the same with one tiny detail. The term gypsy is an inappropriately placed, now even derogatory nickname for these nomadic people.
This is by far the most serious/political subject I believe holds my interest due to the fact that it gets so little attention. I plan to periodically talk about this subject since there are many facets to cover, but to start with, I’m going to put the Romani history in a nutshell.

First of all, the term “gypsy” comes from a term loosely tying to “Egyptian.” In retrospect I see that in the common ‘gyp’…dunno why I never noticed that the first time I researched this, years ago. Anyway…the reason for the assumption of Egyptian origins comes from the fact that this was a nomadic group of dark haired/skinned people with strange ways that spoke a foreign language.
The problem with this misunderstanding stood with the fact that these nomads remained separate from the whole of society. Later, it turns out that their real origins were that of Indian heritage, with a language that was still heavily based on Sanskrit.

The issue with these people remaining separate from society was that they continued on a path of being unaccepted by the majority. Though there were moments of intrigue when it came to the exotic people, the fascination always took a backseat to prejudice.

Another detail I should mention is about the different groups and how they work/mingle with the rest of society. First of all, the Roma are just one group of many, other examples being the Yenish and the Sinti. They range all over Europe, actually making up the largest minority in many countries.
Each group has been through its own issues in the past, and in fact still face them today. The first example I have for you is the forced assimilation of the Swiss Yenish. Yenish children at one time were taken from their families and placed in orphanages in an attempt to rid themselves of the vagrant minority. When old enough to leave the orphanages, they were placed in prison or mental institutions for the remainder of their lives, criminalized.


Yet another example is the holocaust. Along with many Jews, the nomadic populations were subjected to genocide as well. Over half a million died. These people have been going through obstacles such as this throughout history, and it is no different today.



There are camps in Italy to keep Roma contained, there are politicians attempting to have all “gypsies” fingerprinted, and it is nearly impossible for them to find work with all the discrimination. This is where the controversy comes in.

People had problems with them to begin with, thus drawing a very defined line between the Romani and the rest of society. Then it became easier to live by other, less looked-well-upon means. Then the majority persecutes them for being criminals. This in my opinion is one of those…people are what you make them…scenarios.


This has been a short intro to the Romani, and the basic how things work section. There will be others. In future posts I will be focusing on specific events that have affected the Roma and other groups.

How to draw (sort of). Part III.

In the third installment of this reference guide, sort of drawing…thing, we will continue to go over various details relating to comics, manga, and the thing somewhere in between that I am trying to create. (This makes me wonder how many I will end up with.) Previously I sort of went on a rant about eyes…I apologize for that, they are just so much fun! Anyway, now to move on with things such as clothing and appearance and how it affects characters and such.

Expressions, physical features, and clothing all play a part in how a character is perceived by the reader. Looking at people you know, even strangers, you can collect some basic information about them simply by what they’re wearing. Expensive accessories? Status symbol. Polo and khaki shorts? A guy on the preppy side that goes with the social flow to fit in. Clothes several sizes too small? Someone at odds with their body image. You won’t always be right, but you do naturally form opinions of people without realizing it depending on how they appear in public.

Everyone keeping up so far? Good. Now, the point to this is that if you have a character to draw that plans to annihilate the human race for their own means, you probably don’t want to give them a sparkly cheerleading outfit. This is a very ‘dress for the job you want’ sort of thing. Superhero? Capes, masks, and lots of spandex will achieve your look. Little details will make all the difference.
Lets give some basic character templates, for time and convenience.

First up, the main character. Not much different between the cultures (though I’ll be focusing on superhero type comics first). Most typically, they start out totally normal…something the average reader can apply to. This all changes epically through mutant powers, radioactive spiders, extraterrestrial origins, vampire bites…the list goes on and on…the point being, something makes this average person extraordinary. This pulls them into the plot, whether it be good verses evil, whatever. The point is, world changing shit. From an artistic perspective, the main character has to have traits that draw the eye most. The story is about them after all. Wolverine for example. Mutant, big shiny claws, lots of muscle and crazy hair. That draws attention.



Moving on… Villains. There are two typical kinds. The Brainy kind of villain and the brawn. The brainy type tends to be scrawny in appearance, and stereotypically they are unattractive, bad posture, bad demeanor, etc… The muscle bound villain tends to lack in the intelligence department, also unattractive, usually just wanting to destroy everything for their own reasons. Not as much world dominating like the brainy villain. There is a third category though, the perfect bad guy is a mix of mind and strength, attractive, manipulative, these guys (or girls) tend to be the most dangerous.


Supporting characters! They can be best friends, previous enemies that changed their ways, total strangers that got thrown into the plot with the main character; the point is…they are there to support. Important note: I tend to get too attached to my side characters… Yes they can have wonderful back stories and contribute to the plot… But they can Not attract more attention than your main character(s). There has to be a least a little clarity.

The most important aspect to the whole graphic novel character setup is the dynamic between all the people contributing to the plot. For example, its difficult to have a good protagonist without a good antagonist. And what is a hero without anyone to support them? The reason the appearance of the people drawn makes such a difference is that with the varying pictures, the differences and similarities between people weave an interesting story on their own. The words and dialogue only support the flow that is already there.
This concludes today’s section, but there will be more about graphic novels soon (mainly because I have much more to learn).
Artists can all be found on deviantart.com.

Nightcrawler. Enough said.

Lets just start this by explaining why I have an entire blog devoted to Nightcrawler from X-Men. I have related several aspects of this particularly awesome character to several of my stories: the superhuman abilities, being raised by “gypsies”, the list goes on… However many reasons I have to justify the cause of this particular entry, the most prominent has to be the fact that I am a fan girl. I can admit it, its all good; I even have a friend that is sort of an expert on the X-Men (specifically Nightcrawler) helping me out with all this. All in all, I will be taking inspiration from this brilliant Marvel character, as well as raving about his spectacular-ness.

First of all, Nightcrawler is a mutant, his real name being Kurt Wagner. Unlike the typical mutant trend of powers kicking in at puberty, he was born different. Yellow eyes, three digits on each hand and extended feet, he generally doesn’t blend in with a crowd. Also having a tail and being dark blue in color doesn’t help the conspicuous scale. His mother is Mystique, who dumped him in a river at birth to save herself from a group of townspeople that believed she bore a demon. (The setting is Germany by the way.) Being rescued due to a bit of influence by his father (a really powerful mutant by the name of Azazel) making sure he ended up with someone to raise him. This someone was a gypsy woman Margali Szardos. This woman is a sorceress with a day job as a fortune teller with a traveling circus type dealy. Growing up as a performer (trapeze artist) he was always blatantly different, but surviving until accidentally killing his foster brother… Then getting blamed for something done by said foster brother, thus being persecuted as a village-terrorizing demon. Right before getting staked, Charles Xavier saves him. He then joins the X-Men…many adventures follow.

Now for his fantastic abilities! Since I cannot sum it up better than it is on uncannyxmen.net, I will simply have an excerpt for convenience...and a link of course.


“Mutant-neomorphic physiology gives him a flexible spine for heightened agility, reflexes and coordination, iridescent eyes, blue velvet fur, three fingers on each hand, two toes on each foot, fangs, pointed ears, a prehensile tail, control the inter-atomic bondings between his molecules and those of other objects to cling to solid surfaces, extra-dimensional wormhole surrounding his body absorbs light constantly to cast his body into shadow and make him transparent in darkness, and he can enter the wormhole to teleport from place to place within our dimension seemingly instantaneously, accompanied by a rush of air, a stench of brimstone, and a burst of flame”
http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/spotlight/showquestion.asp?faq=10&fldAuto=70


That’s some seriously amazing stuff. Fan girl moment happening. Ok…focusing now. Nightcrawler does not have super healing like Wolverine, or the ability to take other mutants’ power such as Rogue, but along with being extra bendy and the skills for a standing jump eight feet in the air…his teleportation is fascinating. In some comics and cartoons, he is limited to line of sight, meaning he can only teleport to somewhere he can see… How this really works however, is as long as he knows where he is going/can visualize it, it will work. The reason for this is…if he did not know where he was going to reappear specifically, he could end up with a pole through him, or in a wall…thus equaling death. He has on one occasion made it back to a certain point by focusing on its smell, but that was one of those single occurrence things.
The range for said teleportation operates along the magnetic fields on the planet. If going east or west, the maximum range is two miles, if going north or south, the limit is three miles. The most difficult direction for him to teleport is straight up. His limit for this is two miles as well, but at this distance and difficulty, it isn’t something he can do without wearing out quickly.

One of the most widely known versions of Kurt Wagner is from the movie X-2 X-Men United. Instead of the velvety exterior, they opted for a more skin and tattooed look, with more emphasis on his circus career in his past. Either way, he was still portrayed closely to the original character and his debut in the movie only added to the following.

Wow, so I’ve been rambling about Nightcrawler enough for now, though this still excludes his many adventures, several costume modifications, social interactions among the other X-Men, and so on…but I believe I will save that for another time. Mostly as an example of an American comic book figure (though he is in fact German), he is a good example of not a main character, but a supporting role, less muscled, shorter, and obviously not average looking…he provides an interesting addition to the more typical appearing heroes.

Fan girl moment, to be continued at a later date.
Credit as always goes to the artists on deviantart.com.

Hello, it's me. With all my opinions. And sizing charts.

It seems every blog I post is pouring forth information from some random idea in my head. Well, that is entirely the case, but I wanted to explain myself more clearly for once. Mentioning time and time again that the reasons for these snippets of seemingly useless blog subjects are for research, I have began to cover two specific stories.

One is a fantasy story, modern day, mostly focusing on psychological perspective. This is the reason for the topic on DID, the main character has something very similar to this disorder. At first, being fantasy, there was no real basis of comparison since I was as free as a bird when it came to creating the world they lived in… Then, the more I thought about it, the story takes place modern-day, in a situation people around my age are quite used to. With all of this realism, I wanted the psychological aspect to fit with this believable realm.
The other, unfinished topic is all about art styles, graphic novels, and general shenanigans involving this story though line art that I am in the process of creating. It is a collaboration of sorts… Several friends of mine and I, con goers as we are, decided that we wanted something unique to cosplay for. In case you are in the dark, cosplaying is the fun activity of dressing like someone from one of your favorite shows, games, movies, etc. Anyway, back to the main point, with fun outfits, a sense of humor and a bit of a sugar-high, the idea for Sugar Charm was born.
This is set up to be a parody of sorts, purposely as stereotypical shojo manga as we could possibly make it. The problem was, after working out the details, we all sort of got attached to the idea. This brings us to the present, where I am now elbow-deep in the beginnings of a hilariously awkward attempt at a graphic novel. I seriously do need to get around to posting some pictures of the progress…eventually.

With a plan for the reoccurring art theme to cover everything I need for this recent project, and other more minor topics for the story involving split personalities, I will be kept very occupied by these two themes with these entries. Also in upcoming topics are some oceanic details for a sci-fi I’m working on, a study of reptiles for yet another sci-fi and also a theme very close to my heart. Several posts will be about the Romani, and I’m so excited about it.

Alright, enough with the explanations! I had a dilemma today. In the story I’ve discussed, the one with the character that has split personalities, I realized I was about to write a scene I have no idea about. Ok, picture it, a girl with no brothers, raised by her mother, and a limited number of male friends…shopping for clothes for a guy. This is easy enough to write around specifics, but it occurred to me that outside my range of American, women’s clothing sizes, I had no idea how the rest of the world worked (fashion-wise).
We all know our individual sizes (hopefully), but never personally having experience with sizes in a different system or designed for a different sex from my own, this was a fascinating little system. Using this site called americanappearal.net, it show the basic shirt sizes for men and women. The main comparison being males tend to be larger than females in stature.


Some things I didn’t know though for instance were things such as the conversion from women’s to men’s sizes. If you subtract 1½ from a woman’s shoe size that is the number they would be if looking for in guys shoes. When it comes to pant however, girls need to add the number 21 to their size and viola. Shirts, girls go down a size. Now that I totally get the comparison, this scene to write will be much funnier. Trust me; just looking us so much comparison between the two sides of clothing has been awkward enough.

I have in fact learned something from the making of this blog and even if you didn’t, I will try harder with the coming posts!
Next up: Romani and Gypsies. Who is what, which is where and why is it all so messed up!

How to draw (sort of). Part II.

So here's the deal. I don’t believe I did any justice to the graphic novel style in the previous relating entry. So the subject today will be not about the history really, but about the different styles. The art of comics and manga deserve some explanation, my friends.
Let’s start with the basics. You all know about comics and manga in some way shape or form, even if you aren’t particularly interested in them. To make this easier on me and more simple for you, I will be comparing and contrasting the two styles of graphic novels throughout. First point to make, both are considered a topic for nerds. I cannot deny this. But I don’t see many nerds wishing for social success as much as your everyday prep, so there really isn’t much of a problem.
Ah, American comics. A world I am just getting exposed to… My experience with reading Japanese manga for so long has given me an objective view of the much more red, white, and blue influence. You can see very basic cultural differences between the two, and I am going to point stylistic distinctions brought up by this.
First of all, there is the most basic difference (warning: this is opinion based). America usually has the bigger-is-better, biggie size, flare for individuality and making a difference (or at least watching people make a difference on the television screen) kind of mentality. In Japan, it is easy to see both the crazier side of the culture today with its sometimes outlandish themes and still at the same time see its conservative/less-is-more attitude remaining from the past.
Lets break this down into the drawing aspects to save us all some time and patience. When it comes to figure drawing in the realm of graphic novels, there are many stylistic choices that lean toward one side or the other.

Body types.
For American style comics, the bodies tend to be dramatized, overly perfect even. Though this is not a specific trait of the style, the cultural expectations are. Extra macho hero men and idealized female forms make up the common physique for this media.
On the Japanese end, it tends to be no different in the way of idealized bodies…except for the difference in ascetics. This being increasingly difficult for me to explain, there are pictured to show the difference.

What big eyes you have…
Better to express personality and emotions with my dear. No matter where the graphics originate from, eyes are still the windows to the soul…so to speak. Warning: Eyes are one of my favorite things to draw; so they will be discussed. A lot. Now there are still some differences when it comes to the more stylistically free genres (such as girly manga- or shojo). Most of these details cover both American and Japanese styles, but I’ll specify otherwise.
Some major expressive traits are (but not exclusive to) the following:

The basics. Nothing special, not particularly detailed…to be honest this is not even an important kind to point out the details. This is basically for generic characters/ for when the eyes are not emphasized in the scene/ or other reasons…

•Important note though: emotion is still importantly conveyed through every eye style.

Femme Fatale. You cannot avoid this one. In no matter what type of graphics, there is always the sexy female lead, catching attention with a mere glance. Her eyes are just as expressive, but usually more stylized: thicker, darker lashes, sometime heavy-lidded, and always with an air of mystery or danger. I’m not going to lie; this type of eye is always fun to draw.

The male eye. …is a pain to describe. There isn’t a lot of difference between the sexes. Most importantly, there is usually little to no eye lashes, bigger eyebrows, and a little less shiny when being compared to a typical female eye.


Yet another important note: This ‘masculine
look’ is not as prominent in the Japanese style.

Inhuman. This is an easy type. It applies to any other type…with the addition of differently shaped pupils or strange colors/markings. This type is one of my personal favorites.

Impossibly anime. These eyes, when studied closely, appear to be made of the shiniest jelly you can imagine. Not realistic in any sense, this style is very, very stylized and is most popularly used in shojo manga. Another use is for small children in other genres, conveying an innocent demeanor.

Comic eyes. This will be the final eye type I discuss due to realizing how much of an ocular tangent I got lost on. This type of eye is the easiest to draw by far. Similar to the basic eye, but with even less detail, this stylized eye can be drawn in many different ways. None are realistic and they are used mostly used to convey an expression or emotion with humor.


Alright, so I was really having fun talking about the eyes, the next comparison and analysis will be continued in a blog in the near future. Topics I hope to cover will include: fashion, masculinity and femininity, and the similarities and difference between character appearances vs. status in a story.
Honestly I hope you are learning something as I am from this; though the topic is to study subjects that I write about, some of said stories I am now trying at my own graphic novel style. I hope to post some pictures with further posts to let you know how that goes.


Credit to the artists of course! You can find them on Deviantart.

The Brain: And some of its drama.

A quick explanation beforehand as to why I picked this topic: I’ve got a story. A nice little plotline that involves two people within one head. Or course it cannot be true to the real condition due to this being a fantasy based story…
What do you know about DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder? … Did you know it was formally referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder? I hope so. More common in women by far, this disorder is still debated amongst psychologists as to whether it is a legitimate condition.
Alright, so say it isn’t a real problem. The people with several distinct personalities are just a seriously extreme case of a Gemini of the zodiac? Being a Gemini myself, that is very disturbing.

In all seriousness (also in nutshell version), it is a condition in which an individual typically has been through some sort of trauma and has developed one or more other distinct personalities to cope. As a personal observation, this reason and heredity seems to be the only two causes of any real issues. Now, the most interesting part about this for me is that when an individual shifts from one personality to the other, not only are their ideas, views, and reactions noticeably unlike the others…but their bodies change as well.
Heart rates, blood pressure, even blood flow to the brain can vary between one personality and another. This has been the bit where the science can’t fully deny its existence. Keeping in mind, the reputation for this problem is tainted due to some people pretending to have it for personal gain in the court system; there are tests to determine the difference between the real thing and a faking faker-pants.
Here’s something else I found extremely enlightening in this subject, albeit not surprising: the treatment. First, we’ll go over the things that sort of work or just tend to fail.

One option is a psychotherapy in which the therapist attempts to reintegrate the personalities back into one single identity. Why it doesn’t always work is the person being treated can often react negatively to someone trying to ‘kill’ the other parts of them. I suppose that would be scary if you really did think of yourself as more than one person.
Another option involves medication. This usually doesn’t go well because once again, the person being treated will feel as if others are trying to control them. This leads to the patient being re-traumatized…making things worse.
Alright, so both of those can work but this option is what tends to work first, possibly allowing one of the previously mentioned treatments with time. This option is sort of a stepping stone on to leading a more productive life because the focus is to work on each of the personalities co-existing more seamless. Usually the first problem for people with DID is that their various identities don’t always get along. The best way to work on recovery of this is to get all the people in that person’s head to play nice with one another.
There is no cure for DID, I’ve listed the main treatments, but people with this problem are not some sort of lost cause. According to any resources I could find, people with multiple personalities do not tend to be violent…just misunderstood. They can lead fairly normal lives with the exception of not being the exact same person from day to day. For the moment, it is an interesting thought to put oneself in their shoes, or in their very crowded minds.

(Credit for the pictures goes to individuals that can be found on deviantart.)

How to draw (sort of).

Disclaimer: This is a mildly biased piece. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No offense is intended by observations/comments that occur within this article.

Ok, niceties aside, there are many different art forms. I’ll be focusing on one for the sake of my sanity. The style for today: Graphic novels. I’m using this style because of its survival being placed solely on line work. You know about Superman, Spiderman, all those with muscles on their muscles and heroic attitudes… Marvel, DC, etc. That would be the American example. For the other end, there are Japanese comics, or manga that I personally tend to read more frequently. Just got into an interesting series called Blade of the Immortal. Love it!


Either way it all starts with basic forms. The first lesson I would like to point out in this style is that PEOPLE TYPICALLY HAVE BONES! I have no idea how people can go on, drawing figures that resemble blobs of moosh with randomly placed muscle structure and mismatched limbs…this is alright… if you happen to be in kindergarten.
Also for the sake of whatever sanity I have remaining, I will not post examples of ‘bad’ art…you can find that on the internet just fine (try looking for something called an ‘oc’) … (in case you’re thinking the show, that is not what I mean). Now, when drawing for graphic novels, the artist or mangaka does not take the time to draw in each system that builds the human figure. Low and behold! There are short cuts!

I cannot stress enough how much I think people should take advantage of basic shapes. Circles, squares, triangles and lines are good friends for those wishing for a proportional figure. You can draw anything by breaking it down into simple shapes first (unless you’re a genius that happens to be perfect…then I have no idea why you’re reading this).

So, now that I’ve stressed the form issue, time to move on to the next step. To make this easier on everyone, the rest will be broken down into a simple guideline.
Step 1: Pick up a pencil. Grab an eraser too while you’re at it. Paper would be a good idea as well.
Step 2: Do some research. Get ideas. This step is to better know your aesthetics and to better understand what the hell you have gotten yourself into.
Step 3: Doodle. This will be a step you go back to forever. It is easy, pressure free and fun. The margins of notes in class can be brilliant practice space.
Step 4: See the pictures accompanying this piece so far? Try something similar. Basic shapes to build a form you want. It’s not difficult I promise. If problems persist, look up more tutorials/buy art books.
Step 5: Draw your little heart out.
Step 6: Get a new sheet of paper, rinse, and repeat as desired.


I’m not asking for a lot. I would just like for people to look in a mirror, at pictures, at other people. When you glance from your drawing to a real person, does it seem you’ve drawn an alien reject from a cartoon? If so, it isn’t because you suck. At least I don’t think so… I just believe the lack of observation and thought can lead to ‘epic fail’ in the world of art. I mean, check this guy out. Not realistic per se… but a symmetrical body and proportionally correct for that style… That’s my point boys and girls.

The pictures were from deviantart.com and an art book by Christopher Hart by the way. Tip of the day: Give credit to the artists. They deserve it.

About the Author: War within one's head.

Inspiration can strike you from anywhere. Like a sniper, waiting from a distant vantage point or a little blunter, running at you flapping its arms and screaming for your attention…there are many forms of how creativity can ambush.
I have been through this continuous cycle of cat and mouse/giant killer mouse and cat for a long time now. Sometimes we have busy schedules… So naturally when you have no time to sleep or hardly eat, an idea demands your undivided devotion. Not a pretty sight afterwards. And then we have other times when we really want to write, draw, just create something…and the mind goes completely blank.
This was my battle. Now of course, I fight back against my imagination. Not to tame it, no; that would be a waste…just, a battle to decide whose priorities will win. Mine: Usually involving school and a social life as well… or the creative part of my brain: Usually with the most inopportune timing I can possibly imagine. I mean, who needs a life right?
Alright, so I exaggerate most of the time, but not now. I am an artist and a writer with a love of biology. Random yes, but surprisingly beneficial as well. The science loving part of my brain and the inspired, kind of out-there part tend to counterbalance.
While I can come up with ideas I love and think could be a potentially good fantasy fiction story, the other side desires reality. This started a very long list of doubts for me. I was worried my ideas would never have a chance. Finally with pen in hand one late summer day, with a combined effort from both sides, I wrote out a very strict outline for an idea. Success! …Well, baby steps anyway.
Since that summer about four years ago, things have changed. There is harmony between the left and right side of my brain, sort of, and I have a new way of placating both halves. With each new idea, usually with some fantasy or sci-fi theme, I combine the crazy theories with facts. Say I’ve got a science fiction story with the ocean as the setting for example: I research the details I need, ocean geography, pressure details, various salinity statistics and study the tides for a firm grasp on what I’m writing about.
It’s like that for anything…some more abstract ideas than others. Each blog from now on is to be about some theme/setting/theory that is needed for one of my crazy imagination and its ideas. I believe the randomness in this blog’s purpose now makes a little more sense.
Alright then! With each topic, I plan on learning something myself. If you gain knowledge of anything from my future posts as well, the goal has been met.