Liz H. Alexander

Hell Study: The Beginning

From Wikipedia about Hell in Christianity: The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes that the concept of eternal suffering is incompatible with God’s character and that He cannot torture His children. They instead believe that Hell is not a place of eternal suffering, but of eternal death and that death is a state of unconscious sleep until the resurrection. They base this belief on biblical…

A New Direction: Bible Studies

I want to start using this blog in a slightly different direction. While I probably won’t be saying anything new, I feel compelled to express my thoughts, and do some deep dives into some biblical topics. I don’t know how much I will keep up with them, or what the future will hold for these studies. It’s entirely possible that through the course of these studies, I will change long-held beliefs.…

We Need To Talk About Elon

Two years. Two solid years (or has it been three?) of people online freaking out about everything under the sun they possibly can, and it’s the Twitter thing that finally broke me. For the record, I’m currently fine with Elon Musk – or any kajillionaire – buying Twitter or any other social media site. Facebook was STARTED by such, so it doesn’t surprise me that this kind of thing happened. Not…

Elden Ring: Order’s Blade

I have figured out what Order’s Blade in Elden Ring does. If you don’t know what any of those words mean, then this post is probably not for you. If you don’t want (slight?) spoilers for the game Elden Ring, it’s also not for you. I mean, you’re more than welcome to read it! Not going to kick you out or anything, and you’re welcome to have some coffee and pastries, but it won’t make a lot of…

Christian Wiccans and Witches

I’ve been gone for a while. It happens. Not to beat a zombie horse, but 2020 was a weird year, and 2021 seems to be more of the same thus far. But that’s been talked about on the internet ad nauseum, and not what this post is about. Because of the pandemic and lockdowns and such, I’ve found an interest in the subject of Christian witches and Wiccans. (Yep, I can hear the pearl-clutching from…

Emotions & Gut Health

Something I’ve noticed many, many times, but almost always forget, is how I feel emotionally before I eat, right after I eat, then 20 minutes later when food is digested, and then when I have to “go #2”.  Go BM.  Release the hounds.

Whatever you want to call it.

But, me being me, I tend to forget such things, so after breakfast – or lunch, or supper, or especially intense snack – I will feel all…

Love is sweet.  It is innocent.

Written on Sunday, August 26, 2018:

This morning’s lesson on Romans 12-9-10 reminded me of a question that came up for me this past week:

What do I do with harsh Christian judgment?  What do I do if another Christian is telling me, point blank, what I’m doing wrong with my music tastes or fashion choices?  What do I do if I know I’m faithful and living life in…

Personal Post: Of SSRIs and Job Hunts.

* Pre-Post Note:  If you are tapering off of Paxil, paroxetine, or any other SSRI, I highly recommend this Facebook group for help, support, and tips.

If you know me, you know it’s been hard going the past few years, but not because of anything out of the ordinary.  Basically, life is at a halt because I need a Real Job™.  That, and I’ve been severely bummed out.

This past winter, I started…

Make-‘Er-Ups: Lavender Days

Makeup reviews!  Like I said I would!  Yay!

Ideally, I’d love to start recording videos for these, but the lighting isn’t great in the house right now.  But perhaps soon!

Today’s Products:

Catsuit “Lavender Days” by Wet N Wild.

“Digitalis Purpurea” by Aromaleigh Cosmetics.

Pearl eyelid primer by Wet N Wild.

(more…)

Sarkeesian is Satan. (Or, Why Politics Do Not Belong in Video Games)

It’s been a while.  Let’s not dwell on it.

This week, one of the biggest gaming press conferences of the year is happening known as E3.  All the bigs come out for this one:  Sony Playstation, Bethesda, Nintendo…the list goes on.

If you were following me on my personal Facebook page two nights ago, you might have seen where I said I was “broken hearted”.  That’s a post for another time, but if you…

This is a response to this post, which was brought to my attention via Deviantart.  

Normally, I don’t Tumblr, but since I’m trying to make something of illustrating and design (and I spend a lot of time with DA’s community), I feel this requires a comment.

While technically using a silhouette created from a Googled image isn’t legally art theft maybe, it’s still super-shady.  Especially when there are other, much more credible, ways to go about achieving the same thing.  OTOH, using Andy Warhol’s amazing art style as a support for this kind of thing is…inaccurate.  He was commissioned by famous people such as John Lennon to paint various and sundry celebrity portraits!  Did you know that?  I didn’t know that.  Not until five seconds ago.  The Internet is full of wonderful, informative sources.  

First off, for game design especially, art isn’t created by just one person usually.  It can take resources outside of that, unless one has all of the time and dedication for it.  For those who *do* completely create their own games, like Super Meatboy or Dust: An Elysian Tale, all of the graphics - all of them - are completely original to their creators.  It IS possible!  Rare, but very possible, and they usually end up being some of the best games.  So, first question in the first point:  Why not create what you need by your own hand?  One can use other images as a semi-reference, but one will get a lot more out of creating the content needed by their own hand rather than trying to pass off other people’s junk as one’s own.  

Second (and this is one of the first things we learned in graphic design class), unless the owner of the image expressly gives you permission to use their works, you’re setting yourself up for a possibly messy, expensive, and time-consuming lawsuit.  In this sense, it’s not even a matter of reputation (which is a big deal as well) but of pure money and time-consumption.  Why take the risk when there are thousands and thousands of alternative, un-shady, fully legal ways to obtain what one needs?  So, second question:  Why not buy the content needed?  Either by getting an artist you know to help you out, or by outright buying stock imagery (even anime/manga imagery), one will save oneself a LOT of stress and, probably, time and money.  (And if you think that no one will come after you for something that’s “totally legal man, because Andy Warhol did it!”, think again!  It happens ALL THE TIME.  Unless you’re in China.  Because China gets a pass.  lol)

Third, if you know your reputation with your buyer base will be questioned by doing this, why risk it?  Reputation leads to sales.  That’s a statement, I know…but it’s true.  Especially in the gamer and artist industries, people WILL find out about shady practices, and if they feel it isn’t on the up and up - even if it’s “legal” - they won’t want to buy your game.  If you want to sell any product, you’re putting yourself - and your reputation as an artist - on the line.  And in full public view.  That means that yes, you’ll get critics.  You’ll also get fans.  But more than anything else, you’ll get people who don’t know you from Adam/Eve.  All they will see is the game, and what reviewers think of you and your game.  Even big game development companies come under heavy scrutiny all the time, so why wouldn’t indie game developers?  

Anyways, that’s my diatribe.  I don’t have a dog in this fight, and was completely unaware of this game developer and his or her controversy until about a quarter of an hour ago, but just from what I’ve read here, I can see why artists and other game developers would be majorly miffed about this practice.

One more thing:  If there is a “group of people constantly looking to take you down” - and they are succeeding - it might be time to take a step back, look at one’s self with brutal honesty, and start working from a place of humility.  Perhaps even go back to the drawing board a bit.  

Facebook Fast: What I Learned

This year, somewhat on a whim (though I’d been considering it for a while), I decided to do without Facebook for the purpose of Lent.  I usually don’t celebrate the holiday, but I was inspired after a conversation with some people at work.

Why I Chose Facebook.

I had been considering doing without FB for a long time.  I’ve been on there for years, and have been witness to it slowly taking all the…

Gothic & Lolita & Manners

For a while now, I’ve been fascinated by a style called “Gothic Lolita”.  (Quick disclaimer:  It has nothing to do with Nabokov’s creepy novel.) (more…)