The Coop

Another PM sent to everyone.

Hey Txai. Been a while since I saw a post from you here. I'm so used to seeing you elsewhere, I almost forgot you were here too Thanks for the compliment. But in truth, it wasn't about showing my visual prowess. It was about showing what I liked. I never made sigs until Teknobunny showed me how to post a sig. From there, I learned how to do sprite work so I could have a sig that I felt fit me better than a static image or just a straight-up sprite rip animation. I then used that skill to make sigs for others if they weren't able to do it themselves. If anyone liked what I made, that was just a bonus. I simply wanted to make what was in my head, and the OCR forums allowed me to use those ideas once they were done. And to be honest, that's what the sigs were for most people; showcasing what they liked, be it a game, movie, project, or whatever. For me, the slow progression of conversations here give it more of a lack of updates or abandonment vibe... in my opinion of course. These forums aren't nearly as lively as they once were, but does that mean you get rid of them? Of course not. If those who used to post here don't anymore, that's fine. They made the choice to leave. But the forums are still here for those who do still visit, and those who will visit in the future. I feel it should be the same way with the sigs. If someone has a sig they want to use that meets the stated requirements, then they should have the ability to use it. Give people the choice to have them or not, just as they can come here to talk or not. In fact, forum software has given people the choice to turn on sigs, or leave them off, for years. Why not use that option, instead of ditching the idea of sigs entirely? It will literally let people choose how they want to view the site with the tick of a single box. To be frank, no, I don't. This... ... isn't the same as this... The former has a very limited file and dimension size, which means you can only do so much with it before you're SOL. The latter allows for a lot more creative expression to capture your interests, who you are, and whatnot. To me, it's like what Soundcloud tried to do recently when they announced they were going to go from 3 hours of music time for free accounts, to 3 hours or 15 tracks, whichever came first. It's a drastic cut that limits what you can do in a bad way. I know some may see it as a "then put all your effort into what you can" moment, but for me, it's just a cut that does away with too much. After all, if I used to have a bigger canvas to always work on, it's hard to see being stuck on a much, much smaller canvas as a good thing. True to a point, but Bad Posts isn't an art site. It has a forum for art, but it's not about that art, be it visual, music, or writing. It's a place for us old farts to hang out with each other and shoot the shit. OCR on the other hand, is about art. The art of those who made the game music, those who made the remixes of that music, the games the music is from, and yes, those who contributed visual art to the albums, the websites, and even the games. OCR may be more focused on music, but the visuals have always gone hand in hand with that. But again, the visual art here is almost as present as the aural art. Album covers, banners, game mascots, the pre-chosen avatars a few years back... they were as much a part of this site as the music was and is. And with so many banners in signatures advertising those albums (both as the projects were happening, and once they were released), saying this site isn't a visual art site as well just doesn't ring true to me. Mix posts feature game art. Album posts feature user art. Hell, OCR has a host of mini sites filled with user-made art for each album. Sure, not every sig was about OCR, but quite a few were, be it links or visual art. And that users could use that sig art for themselves, the site, or both, was a good thing. So really, as I said, cutting away sigs and the art they contained feels like it's too big of a removal on a number of levels. Hopefully my replies give a better understanding as to why

It's December 18, so you know what that means. Story time with many a rhyme. So sit back, use the bathroom if you have to, and get comfy. This one's a long one... 'Twas XVIII: Lost And Found by The Coop 'Twas a week before Christmas and down at the vet, Gary felt that this day was the worst he'd had yet. He waited for his turn as he sat with his cat. A tabby named Cally who was quite old and fat. He'd had her since he was a boy of about nine. She had grown up with him. Their lives had been entwined. He'd spent many a good year with his feline friend. But all those years together were about to end. The years had taken their toll on his beloved cat. She'd grown lethargic and was so arthritic that it had become harder for her to walk around. But those were not the reasons he'd become vet-bound. That morning, he hadn't seen Cally anyplace. He'd figured she was napping in a comfy space. Once dressed, he woke his eight year old daughter, Heather. Once she was dressed too, they ate breakfast together. He then dropped his child off at her school and came home, expecting to see Cally attempting to roam around the house in her stiff and rather slow way. But that's not what took place when he got home this day. He'd found her laying on her side by her food dish as he got out a can of tuna and whitefish. But when he went to give Cally her morning meal, a rush of great concern was all that he could feel. Her mouth moved as if she had let out a meow. But instead of her call, she gone silent somehow. He touched her soft fur and felt that she had grown cold. Sadness quickly took root. He knew what this foretold. He swiftly went and got Cally a soft blanket. He then gently wrapped up his now dying old pet. He looked up at the clock, which read quarter past eight, before he fetched his cat's old pet carrying crate. Within a few minutes, Gary was on the road; his mind and heart racing, like they just might explode. And now there he sat, waiting for what was to come. He looked down at Cally; his expression was glum. “Mr. Vayn?” came a voice that pulled his attention from his furry friend whose life was soon to be done. “We're ready for you both,” the woman softly said. Gary stood and approached with a nod of his head. Once in the exam room, the vet didn't need to ask Gary what was wrong. Her sad smile told, she knew. “It's her time,” Gary said as he set Cally down on the metal table with a deep, saddened frown. The vet looked at Cally and touched the cat's cold fur. The vet asked, “Would you like a last moment with her?” Trying hard not to break, Gary nodded his head as he pet his old friend he knew would soon be dead. The vet left the room to get the things she would need, as the sorrow in Gary was finally freed. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked in Cally's eyes. He told Cally he loved her, and said his goodbyes. Within just a few minutes, his old furry friend took her final breath as her life came to an end. He was asked what he wanted to do with Cally. Gary said he wanted to bury her body, but couldn't because the property he had leased had rules against burying pets that were deceased. The vet gave condolences and let him know that she would take care of the body of his loved cat. Gary just nodded and said his goodbyes once more. He then paid the vet's fee and went out the front door. He had the day off, so there was little to do except drive himself home and let his sadness stew. With his parents in France and his friends out of town, he sat in his study with a deeply sad frown. Everyone had gone away, save for one, of course. The one with whom he'd had a bad, messy divorce after he found her cheating on him with some guy, while Heather was asleep in the bedroom nearby. The end result was that his ex-wife wanted no part of him or their child. She just wanted to go. He disliked her greatly, and she hated him too. But all that he was feeling still brought Gary to wish how at that moment, that he still had his wife. For he'd never felt so alone in his whole life. Once he was home, Gary tried to distract himself. He vacuumed his study and dusted ev'ry shelf. He then watched some TV, but it all was in vain, because all he could think of was the loss and pain. But in time, it was nearly quarter after three and his daughter's school would let out very shortly. He gathered himself and grabbed the keys to his truck as he said to himself, “This is going to suck.” He hated seeing his daughter cry or be sad. But he knew she'd do both with the bad news he had. The ride up was quiet. The ride home was not though, as from Heather's mouth, words about her day did flow. He listened and nodded until they got home, where he said, “Honey, I've got something I have to share.” “What about, Daddy?” she asked. “Cally,” he replied. Taking in a slow breath, “Honey, Cally has died.” The smile that Heather had from recounting her day, faded rapidly until it had gone away. “She what?” Heather asked as her eyes quickly became filled with sadness and tears as her dad's did the same. A few moments later, the two of them embraced as each shed tears from the grief that both of them faced. From there, the rest of their day was rather subdued as each of them coped with their very solemn mood. Gary was there for Heather as it was needed. When her tears needed to be dried, that's what he did. When she needed a hug, or to sit with someone, he put his pains aside and made sure it was done. But as he did this for her, no one had his back. And once she was in bed, he had his own attack of sorrow and grief that he had hid from Heather so that he could do all that was needed for her. He teared up as he sat alone in his study, thinking of how quiet the house was sans Cally. But before too long, the hour had grown a bit late. And with work tomorrow, he had much on his plate. So, he retired to his room and got into bed. “I'll really miss you old girl,” he quietly said before he laid on his side and shut his eyes so he could get needed rest from such a day of woe. Over the next few days, things slowly got better. Gary made sure that he was there for his daughter. Yet as he was doing this, what he couldn't tell was that his child was doing that for him as well. She'd walked by at times and could see that he was sad as he sifted through the pics of Cally he had. That her father missed his cat, was something she knew. So with each hug he gave her, she gave one him too. But before long, it was December twenty third and Gary had made sure that he had kept his word to take Heather to see Santa down at the mall. And though the place was packed, they waded through it all. The line was long with plenty of other kids who hoped to get in a last request for Santa too. Gary took Heather's hand and stepped into the line, which moved slowly forward toward the big Christmas shrine where Santa had his seat and a few elves who'd walk each child up to Santa Claus so the two could talk. Gary looked to Heather and was able to see that she had begun to look rather uneasy. “Aw, it's OK honey,” Gary smiled. “Don't be shy. It's Santa you're seeing. I hear he's a great guy.” Seeing that his attempt at humor fell quite flat, he gave his daughter's back a reassuring pat. It took nearly an hour before Heather's turn came, at which point a female elf asked for the girl's name. Gary told the woman as she took Heather's hand. He then told his daughter, “Over there's where I'll stand.” He pointed to a bench some twenty feet away. “When you're done with Santa, I'll be over there, 'kay?” “'kay, Daddy,” Heather said as she nodded her head. He then went to the bench to wait, just as he'd said. The elf then led Heather up a few steps to where a jolly fat man was waiting as he sat there. Dressed in his usual attire of red and white, his gaze drifted over ev'ryone in his sight. “Ho ho ho!” Santa bellowed as he looked about. “Who's the next child to see me?” he smiled and called out. “Heather,” replied the elf as she and Heather drew near Santa, and added, “Heather's here to see you.” “Well hello there young lady,” Santa smiled. “What brings you here to see me? Perhaps to ask for some things?” Heather nodded sheepishly. Her shyness was clear. “Aaw,” Santa said warmly. “No need to be shy, dear. “You're safe here with me, and your father is right there. There's nothing to fear, Heather, so won't you please share “just what it is that has brought you here to see me?” Santa asked with his hand out to go with his plea. Heather cautiously came up to where Santa sat. He gently took her hand and gave it a soft pat. “Would you like to sit on my lap or stand instead?” he asked Heather with a smile. “Um, stand,” Heather said. “Alright then,” Santa said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Now, will you tell me what you'd like for Christmas, please?” Heather said not a thing for a moment or two. “It's... not for me,” she said. “Oh?” Santa said. “Then who?” “My dad,” she replied. Santa nodded with, “I see. So what should I give him?” She answered, “Our kitty.” Santa smiled with a light laugh. “I'm afraid that that's a bit out of my league. My elves make toys, not cats.” “But my daddy lost his,” she said. “He had Cally for a really long time. Even longer than me. “He really misses her. He's been sad and he's cried. Can't you bring her back so it's like she never died?” Santa could see the sincerity in her stare. With a mournful smile, he stroked the side of her hair. “No, child,” he said softly. “Even I can't do that. I wish that I could, but I can't bring back his cat.” “Please?” Heather pleaded as she became teary-eyed. “That's something well beyond my control,” he replied. As a tear rolled down her cheek, he wiped it away. “Don't cry, sweetheart,” he said. “Your dad will be OK. “I know that your dad's sad, and I know you are too. But with Cally, there's really nothing I can do. “However, I can promise things will be OK, and that tomorrow will be a much better day.” Though her stare was still pained, she nodded and looked down, averting her eyes with a deep, disheartened frown. Santa looked to the elf. “Not to be a bother, but will you please take Heather down to her father?” “Sure,” the woman stated with a nod of her head. As she took Heather's hand “C'mon sweetie,” she said. The elf led Heather back down the steps to the floor and over to the bench where her dad waited for his little girl's visit with Santa to be done. But he soon learned Heather's visit hadn't been fun. “What happened?” he asked as the elf and girl drew near, and the sadness on Heather's face became quite clear. “She's alright,” the elf said. “She got upset when she-” “Alright?” he cut in. “Doesn't look like it to me.” Gary came quickly over and picked up his kid. As he looked to Heather, “Tell me what Santa did.” “Sir,” the elf said, “I promise, your daughter is fine. She got weepy when it was her turn in the line. “She got nervous, so Santa leaned down a bit and asked Heather what she wanted while holding her hand.” “So why's my daughter crying?” he asked angrily. The elf said, “Because she asked to have back Cally.” As the tension in the air began to subside, the elf finished up with, “That's why your daughter cried.” It wasn't long before guilt began to erase the anger that had been so clear on Gary's face. “Oh,” Gary uttered as he stroked his daughter's hair. “Sorry for getting so mad for a moment there.” The woman smiled and said, “No need to say sorry. I'd react the exact same way if it were me.” The woman looked to Heather before she leaned in. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” she said with a warm grin. The elf woman left Gary and Heather alone. “Let's go home, honey,” he said in a somber tone. The next afternoon, saw Gary getting his pay before he left work early that Christmas Eve day. He had the next few days off, for his Christmas break. And a chance to relax, he was ready to take. He wished ev'ryone well then headed for his car, set to make the drive home, which wasn't very far. He stepped outside into the chilly rain that fell. Coupled with the cold air, it was dreary as hell. Once on the road, he chose to make a quick stop at the Safeway that he'd pass to pick up this and that. Ten minutes later, he pulled into Safeway's lot. He parked near the store's front and ran in like a shot. “Merry Christmas, young man,” said a man who was dressed in the usual red and white of Santa's best. Gary glanced at him with a wave as he went by. But a moment later, he turned to face the guy. Gary looked at the man for a second or two. “Wait,” Gary said. “At the mall, was that Santa you?” “That is was,” the man smiled before ringing the bell, that so many patrons knew very, very well. “You work for the Salvation Army?” Gary posed. Santa smiled, “I had to do something. The mall's closed.” “True,” Gary grinned. “Doesn't leave much time for rest, though.” Santa laughed with, “I've got the rest of the year, so...” Gary chuckled a bit and bid Santa farewell before he went to get the food Safeway did sell. Some frozen snacks were grabbed, as was some milk and bread, which ensured he'd stay home on his days off ahead. With his food paid for, he hurried back to his car. In it, he used his smart phone to check the radar. “Figures,” he grumbled as he stared at his phone's screen, which showed his city under a huge blob of green. “Guess we're getting a wet and not white Christmas day,” he sarcastically said and put his phone away. He was just about to start up the car's motor, when a strange sound was heard. A sound that did recur. Gary was quiet as he listened intently. That was when it repeated for time number three. “What the-?” he muttered with confusion on his face, as the sound came again from the car's engine space. Though it didn't make sense and he wasn't sure how, what he'd heard sounded much like a little meow. He stepped back out into the steady, falling rain, and knelt down as he listened for the sound again. He checked under the car's engine and what he found, was a short, fuzzy tail that hung down as the sound of a small meow came again for him to hear. “Stay there, fuzzball” he said. “Don't go and disappear.” Gary ran back to the store, past Santa who said, “Slow down there, young man, or you'll slip and hit your head!” Once in the pet aisle, Gary grabbed a small can of Fancy Feast cat food before he quickly ran up front to pay for it, then back out in the rain. Once he opened the can, he knelt down once again beside the front of his car and slid the can so it was under the engine, with a, “There you go.” A full minute went by. And soon, one became two. “C'mon fuzzball,” he whispered. “Where the hell are you?” He heard and saw nothing, but continued to wait and hope what he'd seen would take the Fancy Feast bait. It took another minute, but Gary soon saw, a small fuzzy head drop down with a little paw. He smiled as he watched the kitten sniff at the food, thinking, Get it so I can grab you, little dude. With caution, the kitten climbed down to the wet ground and began to dig into the food it had found. Gary waited until the kitten turned away. He then quickly grabbed for it without a delay. The kitten let out a cry as Gary took hold of it and felt how its soft fur was wet and cold. “Gotcha,” he smiled as he pulled the kitten against his chest and felt how the kitten's body had tensed. “It's alright,” he said. “Just relax, ya little shit. Don't wig out on me so I end up getting bit.” With the kitten held firmly, he got in his car just as the kitten hissed and growled, ready to spar. “Yeah, yeah, you're real tough,” Gary chuckled, then held out the kitten to look at it as it looked about. The yellow and white kitten was soaked to the bone. Gary mumbled, “Why were you out here all alone?” The kitten meowed and looked Gary in the eye; fear in its stare as it let out another cry. “You're safe now,” Gary stated while he looked over the kitten some more and saw that its rain-drenched fur was stained in a few spots with grease from the engine. “I guess cleaning you up is where we should begin.” Gary looked to the store then back at the young cat. “Now where in the hell can I keep you contained at?” He looked around his car and his eyes came to rest upon what gave him a plan that wasn't the best idea to run with, but given how things were, it was all he could think of for his guest with fur. “You're really not going to like this,” Gary said. “But I promise you're not going to end up dead.” He opened the glove box and set the wet kitten inside with, “Sorry, but I have to put you in.” The kitten meowed just as Gary shut the door. With his guest contained, Gary went back to the store. “You alright, young man?” Santa asked as Gary strode by for the fifth time. But Gary's pace never slowed as he walked by Santa and went straight to the aisle where he could get the things he would need for a while. Gary came back out with several bags of stuff. “Done this time?” Santa asked in a bit of a huff. “I'm sorry,” Gary said as he went by quickly. “I need to get home, so you'll have to excuse me.” Gary continued on as Santa said, “I see,” then added with a grin, “Merry Christmas you three.” “Merry Christmas,” Gary called and didn't look back as the rain beat on him and each grocery sack. A minute later, Gary was out of the rain. When he heard a meow, “You'll just have to remain “there for a bit longer,” he said to the glove box. “We'll be at my place soon in just a few more blocks.” He started his car and got back out on the road. Five minutes later, he was back at his abode. He didn't bother to put what he'd bought away, as he had things to do for his little found stray. He put the kitten in the bathroom so it would have a chance to calm itself as best as it could. In the kitchen, he grabbed the small bottle of Dawn that had gotten low with some two thirds of it gone. He paid the babysitter what was owed to her, then sent her on her way and called to his daughter. “Heather?” Gary called out. “Yeah Daddy?” she replied as she came out to him with a bounce in her stride. He said, “Could you please dry the wet spots on the floor? I left quite a few when I came in the front door.” “'kay,” she nodded, then bounded off to do just that. He then said to himself, “Now to wash off that cat.” He went in the bathroom and turned on the fart fan. With the bathroom door shut, “Now lets see if we can “get this nasty grease off of you,” he said as he moved up to the bathtub and got down on one knee. He turned on the water and got it good and warm before he picked up the kitten's small and wet form. “Just relax,” he said as the kitten let out cries that mirrored the fear that was clearly in its eyes. The warm water soon soaked into all of its fur, and that was when Gary could feel the kitten purr. “See?” he smiled. “This bath isn't so bad now is it? You'll be all clean and dry in just a little bit.” Gary took the dish soap and put some on his palm, then washed the kitten gently so it would stay calm. The Dawn loosened the grease that stained the kitten's fur. But it took three washings just to be truly sure that there was nothing left and the kitten was clean. That was when Gary put the kitten in-between the two halves of a towel and began to dry the kitten off gently as it let out a cry. “We're almost done,” he said. “Just a bit more to do. Hopefully what's next won't scare the shit out of you.” Once he had finished, the kitten's fur was a mess. It shook its small head with a quick hiss of distress. “Oh, a tough guy, eh?” he grinned as he scratched his brow. “Well I had to get that grease off of you somehow.” He set the kitten down on the sink's counter top. It hissed at him again, to which he said, “Oh, stop.” He then opened a drawer below the bathroom sink and pulled out Heather's hair dryer that was bright pink. He also grabbed his old comb before he looked to the kitten and uttered, “Afraid these are for you.” He plugged in the hair dryer, then took his comb and held the kitten in place with his free other hand. At first the kitten squirmed like a worm, as it were. But as Gary ran the comb through the kitten's fur, a purr began to grow as Gary combed its chin “Enjoying this now, are you?” he asked with a grin. As the comb hit the kitten's “hot spot,” he learned that the stray thing he had found was a young female cat. “You're a girl, eh?” he smiled as the kitten stood on her tip toes and let out a rather drawn out yawn. Once he got the tangles out of the kitten's fur, he picked up and turned on the bright pink hair dryer. He thought she would freak out. But much to his surprise, she swatted at the air as she squinted her eyes from the warm wind that blew directly at her face as Gary dried her and gently kept her in place. Within a couple minutes, Gary was all done, while the kitten looked around for her source of fun. The hair dryer had given her fur extra puff, like she was in a dryer that was set on 'fluff' “Well don't you look like a cute ball of fuzz,” he said. The kitten stared at him and tilted her small head. He laughed a bit just as a knock came on the door. “Dad?” Heather called. “Why'd you buy pet stuff at the store?” Gary looked to the kitten on the sink's counter and said, “I guess it's about time that we tell her.” He picked up the now rather fluffy kitten and held her so she sat in the palm of his right hand. Gary opened the door and Heather got to see the kitten, which pulled from her a smile and a squee. “A KITTEN!” Heather yelped, which startled the young cat. Her eyes went wide as she hunkered down where she sat. “You scared her,” Gary said as he gave the kitten a reassuring scratch on its soft, fuzzy chin. “Can I hold it?” Heather asked. “Her,” Gary replied. “Where'd you get her?” she asked. He said, “Found her outside.” “Outside?” Heather repeated as she reached up and gently lifted the kitten from her father's hand. As she held the kitten to her, Heather's dad told of how he'd found the kitten in the rain and cold under the car at the store that he had been to; regaling her with the tale of what he'd gone through. “Can we keep her, Daddy?” Heather asked. “Please, can we?” Gary smiled and answered, “We'll have to wait and see. “We'll take her to the vet after the holiday. Let them check her out to be sure that she's OK. “And if she gets a clean bill of health from the vet, I don't see why we couldn't make her our new pet.” “Yay!” Heather exclaimed as she looked to the kitten. Gary said, “Now, give me a hand in the kitchen.” Gary and his daughter unpacked all that he'd bought, and got the bathroom set for the kitten he'd caught. A litter box was set up, as were two bowls that held the food and water needed for the young cat. Though there wasn't much space between it and the floor, a towel was rolled up and stuffed under the door to make sure the kitten couldn't sneak out of there and hide herself away under something somewhere. Once it was all set, Gary put their furry guest into the bathroom so she could relax and rest. It wasn't too long before Heather's bed time came, just as she and her dad agreed on what to name the kitten that he'd found just a few hours ago. “It's settled then,” he said. “The kitten's name is Zoe.” “I like it,” Heather smiled as she nodded her head. “Then c'mon, kiddo,” he said. “Time to go to bed.” “Aw, do I have to?” she asked in a pouty voice. “If you want your presents,” he said, “you have no choice.” She stood from the sofa and kissed her dad goodnight. “G'night, Daddy,” she said, and he replied, “Sleep tight.” Once Heather was in bed, Gary let out a sigh as he tilted his head back and rubbed his left eye. He went into his study, sat down in his chair, and just let the day's craziness melt away there. “What a day,” he uttered before he fell silent. A half hour later, to his own bedroom he went. He got changed and put on a pair of sweat shorts and was soon under his covers, headed for dream land. But just as he began to drift off into sleep, a crafty little kitten was all set to creep through the dark, quiet house beyond the bathroom door as she slid herself under it along the floor. Zoe'd pulled back the towel that had been in her way. Locked in that room was not where she wanted to stay. And though the space was tight, she managed to get through and began to prowl around for something to do. Though most of the lights had been turned off in the home, her little cat eyes made it so that she could roam through the near-black darkness with great amounts of ease. But her journey soon paused when she heard Gary sneeze. With her ears perked up, she made her way down the hall cautiously as she walked closely along the wall. Zoe soon reached the doorway as Gary sneezed once more. She stared into the dark room for a time before she came up to his bed and proceeded to use her sharp claws to climb up as Gary tried to snooze. “What the-?” Gary mumbled as he sat up in bed, only to look puzzled as he saw Zoe's small head pop up at the foot of his bed with a meow. “When did you get out?” he asked. “Or better still, how?” Zoe walked over the thick blanket to Gary's lap, where she laid down and got ready to take a nap. “That's not going to work little girl,” Gary said as he picked up Zoe and laid back down on his bed. He turned onto his side and gently set down Zoe, who came over and climbed onto Gary's pillow. Zoe began to knead herself a bed in his hair. Once she had finished with that, she laid down right there. Gary laughed a bit as he closed his eyes to sleep. The two then dozed right through the night without a peep. Christmas day was filled with happiness for all three as they opened their presents by the Christmas tree. Heather played with her new toys, while Gary chilled out and Zoe played with the wrapping paper strewn about. The next day, Gary took Zoe to the vet and learned that she was quite healthy, but the vet was concerned how Zoe might need shots for distemper and whatnot. And with Gary's go ahead, that's just what Zoe got. The kitten growled and hissed at the vet, who laughed at the display of fierceness from such a little cat. “I never liked shots either,” Gary smiled as Zoe took a swipe at the vet when the vet let her go. Ten minutes later, he and Zoe were on their way back home to relax for what was left of their day. With Heather at a friend's, Gary took the time to clean the house up a bit and then check the mail too. He returned with two letters, then sat in the chair that was in his study, and Zoe soon joined him there. She climbed up his pant leg and stretched out on his lap, then closed her eyes and purred, ready to take a nap. The first letter was from the vet he was just at. It contained a black paw print on a small card that also came with a note which nearly made him cry; that the paw print was to remember Cally by. He looked at the card with a sad smile as he pet little Zoe where she dozed for a moment, then set the small card on the desk that his chair was next to. With his eyes a bit teary, he grabbed letter two. To his surprise, it had no return address or so much as a stamp. Just Gary's name and no more. “Weird,” Gary uttered as he opened it to find something that brought him to question his state of mind. Inside, was a folded paper sheet that did glow. Gary took it out with a somewhat baffled, “Whoa.” With a bit of caution, he unfolded the note and began to read what the unknown person wrote. “Gary,” the note began, “I hope that this letter finds you in a mind set that's a fair bit better “than where things were for you about a week ago when your old and furry friend had to be let go. “The sadness left behind when they have to depart from your life like Cally did, hurts deep in your heart. “The pain that you felt was great enough that Heather came and asked me to help you rather than help her. “She knew how much you had been missing your old friend and asked for Cally back to help your sadness end. “As I told Heather, that's far beyond my control. But I soon recalled that a good way to console “a grieving heart is to find a new pet in need. A young soul to comfort, love, and of course, to feed. “That young soul's with you now and I hope she's alright after having to endure that cold, rainy night. “Let her into your heart, just as you did Cally. Merry Christmas to you, from both Heather and me.” The letter was signed Santa, which puzzled Gary. Just a moment later, a bright flash came to be. Gary let out a quick gasp as the intense light caused him to look away and shut his eyes real tight. With a hum-like sound, the light came and faded out, leaving him to open his eyes and look about. “What in the holy hell-?” he had begun to say, but stopped when he saw that the letter'd gone away. There was no paper or envelope to be found. His hands were empty and with confusion abound, Gary sat in his chair, unsure of what to do. Zoe's meow brought him back and he smiled with, “Hey you.” The kitten stood with a yawn and stretched before she turned around and purred as she looked up at Gary. For much of the morning, Gary spent time with Zoe. She followed him around to wherever he'd go. And when Heather returned around lunch time that day, he gave her a hug and did his best to convey how much he was grateful for the kindness she'd shown when her need to help him was greater than her own wishes of what she'd wanted for Christmas that year. He then said he loved her, and she smiled ear to ear. When night came around and Heather had gone to bed, Gary sat and thought about the letter he'd read. The flash of light it gave off and how it vanished. To know if it was all real, was something he wished. Zoe sat with him at first, but in time she stood and went into Heather's room once she was in dream land. Gary soon began to yawn as the hour grew late. His thoughts on that letter would simply have to wait. On his way to his bedroom, he stopped and peaked in on his sleeping daughter and the brand new kitten. Both were asleep, with Zoe curled up at Heather's feet. The sight made him smile. It was peaceful and quite sweet. Zoe couldn't replace Cally, that much was quite true. But what Zoe did was make happiness grow anew. Her life had been saved on a dark and rainy night. In return, she helped him feel things would be alright. Ol' Cally was gone and he would always miss her. But it was now Zoe's turn with he and his daughter. A smile came to him as he took one more look at the daughter he loved and their new rescued young cat. He then said softly as they rested for the night, “Merry Christmas you two. And to both, a good night.”

Maybe it's just me and my old school ways, but a forum that celebrates an art form, yet provides its users little in the way to use art on it, seems off. I get that the "clean" look is what some want. Lots of businesses do. But OCR isn't really a business in the typical sense of boardroom meetings and company-use-only forums. It's a site about video games, video game music, and the remixes of said music. It's a site that sets out to celebrate the personalities of the music that's used to help create the moods, moments and scenes we'll remember experiencing years from now. So why take such a large chunk away from the personality of the forums and its users? I can understand limiting file sizes, image dimensions and what they might link to. Links to Pornhub, Pirate Bay or something isn't the best thing to have show up again and again whenever someone posts. Nor is a shrunken image of something questionable. But getting rid of them entirely just seems a bit much in my opinion.

Was? This should be interesting.

Countdown for what? Is something going on?

Another new PM sent out.

I listen to all of the finished tracks and create an order that I feel has a decent flow to it.

Yes, after a number of delays and issues, the final entry in my album series is finally out. At 17 tracks, this one is easily the biggest of the albums. It has a mix of Classical songs that cover a variety of moods and atmospheres. From peaceful solo instrumentals, to ominous epic orchestral pieces, and many things in-between, this one was a beast to finish. But finish it I did, and it's up on Bandcamp now. For those interested, here are the first two singles from the album, along with this link that will take you to my Bandcamp page where all three albums can be found (along with a special even!)... https://mtyankovich.bandcamp.com/ Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy what I came up with

New PM sent.

Animation is a nightmare to dig into, both 2D and 3D I'm not trying to scare you away, but rather trying to let you know what you'll be getting into if you do it yourself... or know what you'll be asking of someone if you hire a person to make what you need. With 3D, you need to be able to create (or buy) decent looking models, which is a project in and of itself. Even if you just factor in modeling bodies, objects, clothes, setting up the lighting, creating textures, and all of that, you've still got a long road ahead of you before you even get to actually animating the models and scenes you created (and using the virtual camera in those scenes). Not that 2D animation is much easier, mind you. There's still designing characters, designing the backgrounds, layering everything, making sure the lighting is consistent from scene to scene, making sure the character's appearance is consistent as they animate, etc. And then of course, there's doing the coloring and shading, making sure the animation is fluid enough to look OK if you're doing it in a traditional style, making sure the visual style as a whole is consistent, etc. Both 2D and 3D will require a lot of time, effort, patience, and the willingness to start over if what you're making doesn't look very good. For that matter, there's plenty of planning to do before you ever really start (story boarding what happens, choosing how high a resolution you want to work at, test animations, etc.), because winging it doesn't really work well when you're trying to make an animation that's telling some kind of story, or that's following some music. That's 360x125 pixels, and it still took a while to do even with Jon Talbain being sprite edits. Imagine doing the exact same thing, but drawn by hand at an HD resolution (1280x720 and up). Granted, you'd only have to draw the background once, but everything else would need to be animated. The thought of that is what kept me from getting into traditional animation However, you could do the crossfade animation style instead of the traditional style. That way instead of animating every frame, you'd draw out the important ones and fade one image in over another one. That would also allow you to put more detail in for shading and such, as you wouldn't have to worry about hundreds of frames of animation to keep looking the same in terms of design and visual style. You could also do zooms, pans, transitions and such to help offset the fewer frames animation, that way there'd still be a nice sense of motion with what you're making. With all of that said, I'd recommend going the 2D route for your project. Sure, 3D would be cool and all, but 2D would be a (potentially) faster way to make your project, and it would be less costly most likely. Whether it's cartoony looking, stark black and white (like this), or more realistically drawn, I think that route would be the better one to take.

Yes, you are We'll keep the number of tracks to two per person. It's great that you have ideas, but we don't want this to become the Seth Skoda and Guests Christmas Album. Pick the two you think work the best and run with them. And remember, you can update them until Dec. 20 at 11:59 P.M. EST, so if you change your mind, you have time.

Two remixes is fine. We've had a few people submit two for past albums, so if you get the time/inspiration, go for it.

As the first post says, you can remix a song in any style. And as for songs already remixed in the past, that's not an issue either. Hell, I've gone back and redone remixes, so covering a song someone else did on a past album is fine. And if more than one person ends up picking the same song, that's fine too. The only real limitation here is the deadline, which is looming closer.

New update sent out to the handful of people who are onboard this train.

With releasing remixes or arrangements of game/movie/TV songs, you're pretty much at the mercy of whoever holds the rights to the music. Sure, you can get (or at least try to get) a license that will let you sell the covers you did. Others have done it, so it is possible and doable. But when it comes to hosting them for free on a website somewhere, it all depends on the copyright holder. On that point, OCR wasn't really cleared by anyone. If someone at Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, SEGA, or whoever wanted to, they could demand OCR take down any and all remixes of the music that company holds the rights to. It would suck, and it would be something of a PR nightmare for that company, but they'd be well within their rights to demand it. At that point, OCR could either 1) try to come to some kind of agreement so the free songs could stay up, or 2) comply with the company's demand failing the first option. That's not to say the staff of OCR couldn't try to fight them in some way (fair use claims, etc.), but if they'd want to stay in the good graces of other game companies, raising a big stink over it wouldn't be the most advisable course of action. In fact, something like that's happened before with the mascots in the upper right corner of the website's pages. I believe it was Square-Enix who wanted their characters removed from the randomized roster, and OCR basically had to remove them. It was kind of an odd thing to get protective about with all of the Squenix remixes here, but... Anyway, with that gloom and doom said, most gaming companies won't raise a stink about posting free remixes on Youtube or someplace like that. The occasional individual musician might (like what happened with Starr Mazer DSP), but it's less than likely you'll get a DMCA take-down notice because you remixed the Stage 1 theme from Psycho Fox. And when it comes to music used a movies, I don't know. The rights holders can get pissy at times with those mediums, but I don't recall hearing about great swaths of remixes of popular movie themes getting wiped from Youtube. So I doubt you'd get blindsided there with your BTTF theme.

Done and done.

Well, it's been two months since this thread was created, and... there have been two confirmed remixers besides myself have signed up. I think it's safe to say, this is a rather slow start. But, perhaps a fresh bump will get some folks coming around. In the meantime, I'll be sending out a PM to the those onboard the AOCC train in the next few days.

Well holy shit balls, Batman. It's that time once again! Time to start thinking about Christmas as the temps climb to 100ºF+ around the country and people wax nostalgic about when it was cold, while forgetting all the bitching they did regarding how cold it was. The snow, the ice, the wishing it was warm again... you know, the usual mid-January stuff. And it's in that spirit... sort of... that we take our first step in getting this year's project underway. SO! This project is open to any and all OCR members, regardless of whether you're a posted remixer or not. And now, the details... When's The Project Deadline?- December 20th, 2019 at 11:59 P.M. EST. This is now a REALLY hard, non-negotiable deadline, since it's very close to Christmas. We've had lots of last-minute entries and updates over the years and, to be perfectly honest, it shouldn't be that way. With months of time, having to hold off as long as possible for people made things pretty hectic for myself and Dyne in the past. Treating this project like a college paper that doesn't get worked on until the last minute got annoying rather quickly when it kept adding up to lots of hurrying year after year, with last second updates to artwork and retagging/reuploading things. As such, you have until one minute before midnight EST on December 20th to get me the final WAV or MP3 of your song. After that, you're shit outta luck until next year. I need time to do everything, including possibly making a little website to host this project if Dyne isn't online for one reason or another. So this deadline's set in stone... PERIOD. What Information Does The Coop Need?- When you send me your final versions, I'll need what name you want to use (real or remixer handle) and the name of your remix. Please, come up with something when you send me links to the file, rather than just giving me a file called "ff6-owa-v3f.mp3" and nothing else. You don't have to tell me what song you're remixing, but I do need a name. Plus, if you have a website you'd like to pimp, supply that as well and I can add it to the MP3 tags. What Can Be Remixed?- Any song, really. Traditional Christmas carols, video game music, published music by a signed artist, music from TV/cartoons/anime... whatever gets your heart racing and into that Christmas spirit. This isn't an official OCR album, so you can draw from more sources than just VGM. Plus, you can take a non-Christmas tune, like the Main Theme from Space Harrier, Stage 6 Mission 2 from Metal Head, or I Defend STM from Truxton II, and turn it into a Christmasy one. So know that it's not limited only to songs that are Christmas-like to begin with. All that said, do keep in mind that if you want to submit your song to OCR later, you'll need to keep this site's guidelines in the back of your mind. But for this album, you can take it in just about any direction you want and get as crazy as you'd like (but please, no "Silver Bells" done in farts or something). How Long Can My Song Be?- As long as you want it to be. There are no restrictions on this, so whether it's 1:30, or 9:51 with a five minute guitar solo ala Metallica, it's all good. But again, if you want to submit your song to OCR later, keep their guidelines in mind. What Genres Can I Remix In?- Again, the door's wide open here. Rap, Metal, Pop, Piano-solo, Orchestral, Jazz, 8/16-bit, Barber Shop Quartet, A capella, Death Polka... it's up to you where you want to take it. What Format Should I Submit My Song In?- WAV or an MP3 of at least 192KB/s quality. I'll be tagging the MP3s and making MP3s from any submitted wavs, so you don't have to worry about that. But, if you'd like your website to be in the MP3 comments section, be sure to give it to me when you submit your song. How About A Little Music To Get Us In The Mood?- To help everyone along, here's a YouTube list of Christmasy tunes made by Ocre a number of years ago... https://ocremix.org/community/topic/32727-an-overclocked-christmas-~-now-recruiting/?tab=comments#comment-676914 What's The Website's Address Again?- It's got a new home at... http://williammichael.info/aocc/ This album will still be downloaded there as well, as Dyne will continue to host the albums on his site. How Do We Contact This The Coop Person?- If you've got questions, comments, concerns, want feedback, or your track is done and ready to be sent to me, you can PM me here on OCR, or send me an E-mail at thecoopscorner@gmail.com. Just be sure you remember to include a link to your remix. So yeah, there you go. You've got over five months to get something done for the lovely people of OverClocked Remix and the billions of listeners around the world who've become followers of our project. Good luck, have fun and make everyone some Nice Work™! Artists involved thus far... The Coop (director, cover artist and remixer) Lampje4life (remixer) TheChargingRhino (remixer) PlanarianHugger (remixer) Seth Skoda (remixer) HoboKa (remixer) Pinksou (remixer) Souperion w/Wassup Thunder (remixer)

I uh, I'll pass. I'm not a fan of Plug'n Play stuff, let alone oddly made ones (clear buttons and a face shaped like the Capcom logo?). And it better be heavy, or else two people playing on that thing will be awkward as hell... especially with the fighting games. If they were doing this as a new retro pack for consoles and Steam, I'd be all over it. But I'm not spending $260 (based off of the current Euro pricing of €230) so I can play the games that they haven't released in past compilations.

Talk about coming out of the woodwork. It's been ages since I last saw a post from you, Aurora. How've you been?

I've been thinking about the past a bit lately. Looking back on who I've known, what I've done, what I still want to do from some of those moments... things like that. Among those thoughts came something of an oddity; a little idea that kind of got me strolling through smaller bits and pieces of those gone-by times. Namely, what was the first game that I can remember buying with my own money? Now, I'd owned systems before the point in this little tale. The Atari 2600 and the Atari XEGS were where I spent my earlier years in console gaming. But the games I got for them were always bought for me from places like Toys R Us, Sears and whatnot. Even anything I bought with Christmas or birthday money, was still gotten with money that I'd been given by my parents. I was just a brief middle-man stopping point, which made it so that it was really them still buying something for me. Which means, to the best of my knowledge, the first game I bought with money I'd earned on my own was After Burner II on the SEGA Genesis. I remember I had to work that day, and my mom wanted to go to a Target store that was near where I worked (as in, pretty much right across the street). We left early enough so that I could go with her before I had to get to work, which meant walking to that Target in the warm mid-morning Phoenix sun. While she picked up some things that she wanted, I spent my time in the video game area, browsing through the Genesis section that was less than organized. I swear, it was like they'd only get one or two copies of a game in and then they'd just put them wherever... which meant digging though each row to see all that they had in stock. Anyway, it was there that I found After Burner II hanging on one of those long metal pegs that were always used to display the Genesis games via their plastic hang tabs. I'd just gotten my second paycheck a couple of days earlier (the first had to go toward helping pay some bills) and, with me being a fan of the arcade original, I was all for getting to play the game at home. So, I picked it up, tracked down my mom elsewhere in the store, and paid for it after she'd gone through the checkout line. We walked over to the store where I worked and grabbed a quick bite to eat at one of those little food wagons that would set up at the far end of the parking lot. We talked, ate and commented on how we wished the car was working again. It wasn't long before the time came for me to get to my job. I handed my bag to my mom, she walked home with my game and her own goodies, and I spent the next seven hours waiting to play what I'd bought. It was worth the wait, though. It's not the best port of After Burner II out there, but for the time, it was fast, fun and close enough. God knows I put enough hours into it before I finally beat it for the first time. So... what was the first game you guys and gals bought with the money you'd earned for yourself? Feel free to share

Congrats pm, and to everyone who was a part of this. And of course, thanks for letting me take part

Borderline Power Metal, but it has a number of other traits that fit the genre...

They hit a few genres with their music, depending on which song you hear. Metal, Rock, Pop, bits of Disco... their output kind of touches a number of genres. But in truth, they've described themselves in the past as a Swedish rock band, so Rock would probably be the best thing to run with. Although, I liked the Scooby Doom Metal tag I saw once