If you haven't voted on Chapter 6 of the Drunk Boys. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. The results so far have been... very interesting. Don't let your voice go unheard.

VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!

Honestly, this was my favorite chapter so far. It appears I haven't given it a title yet.

Hmmmm.... While I'm thinking of one, why don't you read a quick recap of the story so far. 

Recap: During an ill-advised night of heavy drinking, Chandler Yoning discovers that all three of his friends (Cameron, Josh, and Juanele) have been having an affair with his wife, Alicia. He confronts them and even stabs Cameron with a pocket knife. The violence is brief, however, and Chandler is kicked out of the house. Furious, he drives off into thenight and eventually passes out. Upon waking up, he discovers he is in front of the building where he is to have a psychiatrist's appointment with Dr. Pamela Betancourt. After the appointment, he returns to his car and finds a mysterious letter from Cameron, telling Chandler to meet him by University Bridge. Can Chandler and Cameron resolve the Alicia situation peacfully, or will it once again come to blows?

OKAY! I thought of one! Prepare for.....

The Drunk Boys, Chapter 6: The Troll

ENJOY, YOU EVIL PEOPLE!

In this episode of The Drunk Boys, you get to choose whether Chandler is a drunken a-hole or an EVIL drunken a-hole.

Recap: During an ill-advised night of heavy drinking, Chandler Yoning discovers that all three of his friends (Cameron, Josh, and Juanele) have been having an affair with his wife, Alicia. He confronts them and even stabs Cameron with a pocket knife. The violence is brief, however, and Chandler is kicked out of the house. Furious, he drives off into thenight and eventually passes out. Upon waking up, he discovers he is in front of the building where he is to have a psychiatrist's appointment with Dr. Pamela Betancourt. After the appointment, he returns to his car and finds a mysterious letter from Cameron, telling Chandler to meet him by University Bridge. Can Chandler and Cameron resolve the Alicia situation peacfully, or will it once again come to blows?

THIS WEEK YOU GET A HUGE DECISION TO MAKE. I'm really excited to see what you guys come up with. 

Evil-Dog has been wanting me to use different images in my posts (he's also supporting a 2D fighter which might be of interest). I might, but only if you guys want to see something different. For now, take THIS!

Thank you everyone who has been reading so far. I'm actually getting these out a bit faster than I thought I would, and it's probably because I can actually see that people are enjoying themselves. There is currently no in-app feedback system (THOUGH THERE WILL BE SOON!!!), so feel free to comment on The Drunk Boys on this post or just drop me a pm. And of course go VOTE!

Storyshift is a free app on iOS, Android, Amazon, and google play. Subscribe to The Drunk Boys and other great stories and comics. 

Me: Hello, Everybody!
Everyone: Hello, Ben.
Me: I just wanted to let you all know that Chapter 5 of The Drunk Boys is now available to read. Are we all caught up?
Everyone: Buh....mehhhh...ummm....errrr
Me: That's okay! These chapters are written so you can finish them on a single commute!
Everyone: Oh... I'll read it, then.
Me: And don't forget to vote.
Everyone: I would never dream of it.
Me: You all do that unison thing very well. It's quite disconcerting.

In this chapter, (possibly because the author has been watching a lot of Hannibal lately) Chandler meets with his analyst and talks about Cameron, the guy who he stabbed (in self-defense) and pee'd on (self-defense?). 

Things get ominous in Chapter 5: Now We're Talking

Thank you everyone who has been reading so far. I'm actually getting these out a bit faster than I thought I would, and it's probably because I can actually see that people are enjoying themselves. There is currently no in-app feedback system, so feel free to comment on The Drunk Boys on this post or just drop me a pm. And of course go VOTE!

Storyshift is a free app on iOS, Android, Amazon, and google play. Subscribe to The Drunk Boys and other great stories and comics. 

W00t! "The Drunk Boys" has a new chapter and a decision to make! Chandler has decided to pay his psychiatrist a visit. What will transpire during this meeting between Chandler and the beautiful Dr. Betancourt. VOTE WITH YOUR VOTES!

Thank you everyone who has been reading so far. I'm actually getting these out a bit faster than I thought I would, and it's probably because I can actually see that people are enjoying themselves. There is currently no in-app feedback system, so feel free to comment on The Drunk Boys on this post or just drop me a pm. And of course go VOTE!

Storyshift is a free app on iOS, Android, Amazon, and google play. Subscribe to The Drunk Boys and other great stories and comics.

W00t! "The Drunk Boys" has a new chapter and a decision to make! Check what Chandler does after pissing on his friend and getting a knife. Where can he possibly go for here?

Thank you everyone who has been reading so far. I actually getting these out a bit faster than I thought I would, and it's probably because I can actually see that people are enjoying themselves. There is currently no in-app feedback system, so feel free to comment on The Drunk Boys on this post or just drop me a pm. And of course go VOTE!

Storyshift is a free app on iOS, Android, Amazon, and google play. Subscribe to The Drunk Boys and other great stories and comics.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/634402

LAST DAY to vote on Chapter 2 of the Drunk Boys. What is the fallout of the PISSING REVENGE!? YOU DECIDE! Free on Android, Itunes Store, Amazon, go for it! or go to the link below!

The PISSING REVENGE  VOTE!

Chapter 2: A Time to Pee, a Time to be Peed Upon!

You decided that Chandler should take a little wee on the Drunk Boys. Let's listen in...

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/634402

Last time on "The Drunk Boys"!:

Chandler Yoning, a recovering alcoholic, has decided to take the plunge off the diving board of sobriety. But this time, he wasn't alone. Joining him were his three friends, Cameron Saloyek, Josh Tsveymann, and John aka Juanele. But sex, lie, and videotape abound when Chandler eavesdrop on a booze-fueled conversation between the others. 

As it turns out: Alicia, Chandler's wife, has had an affair with not one, not two, but all three of his "friends". In a drunken rage, Chandler knows there must be a reckoning... and the only desire more urgent than his desire for revenge at that moment, is his desire to take a piss.... Perhaps the two desires can come to some sort of agreement... Enjoy

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read and voted on my story thus far. I am blending a lot of genres on this. The somewhat ridiculous premise has encouraged me to embrace a darkly comic approach. But as the story escalates and you get to know these characters, you will understand why I have labeled it Thriller.

Support StoryShift!

This is a big day for someone who I've known as a brilliant writer for a long time. You may have already seen her Sci-Fi work in the Newgrounds Writing Anthology. Today, she has come to prove it to the galaxy just what a brilliant writer is capable of.

Chasing Shadows is book 1 of Kristen Salustro's (known as KrisSalus to us NGers) space opera series of novels, The Star Hunters:

"Stand and Protect."  These are the words Star Federation soldiers live by as they work to uphold peace across the galaxy. Founded at the start of the Andromedan War, the Star Federation obliterated its opponents and now stands as the guardian of the galaxy. Its power has gone largely unchallenged in the wake of the war, and its officers now busy themselves with minor troubles. Once in a while, however, a powerful force surfaces and demands more attention, be it a drug lord, pirate crew, or a bounty hunter worthy of the Alpha Classification.  Following the assassination of one of the Star Federation's officers, Fleet Commander Lance Ashburn goes on the hunt for the Alpha Class bounty hunter known as the Shadow. One of the best officers the Star Federation has ever seen, Commander Ashburn comes closer than anyone ever has to eliminating the Shadow, but upon meeting her, he discovers that much larger and more dangerous enemies roam the stars. Enemies that even hunters fear.  Determined to do his duty as a Star Federation officer, Commander Ashburn fights for the galaxy, but the price of enduring peace may be one that the Shadow is not willing to pay.

.................................

You can find her book for sale on Amazon, you can also get it for FREE if you have Amazon prime. 

If you want to help with promoting Kristen's work, follow her on Twitter, and tweet out the page: http://amzn.to/1cdrCeH with the hashtag: #StandandProtect

If you're one of the lucky 10,000 views or so who have been able to get in on the ground floor of StoryShift and subscribed to my story, The Drunk Boys, thus far, then congratulations! You are in for a whirlwind journey. StoryShift is a dramatic new storytelling platform for comics and short stories. As a writer in this brave, young digital world, I'm looking for new ways to get my work out there, and Evil-Dog's project is perhaps the beginnings of a creative windfall.

To those who haven't gotten into the madness yet, I'll convince you...

ADJHQBERFOBHRFEHBAEOJGFBEAKIJMKEF JAKSDVAB AFBVJKSDVJDB  ASHNBAB aDHAKFB BHewkjbfkdsk!

See, it's that easy. 

Now that you're rushing to go read all the stories at StoryShift. Let me point you to one in particular.

The Drunk Boys.....

Think of it as House of Cards meets The World's End. 4 buddies get together to get hammered and end up in a fight for their lives! Sex! Lies! Videotape! Betrayals of all kinds!

It's starts off slow, but that's the point of subscribing, you'll get to watch it as it ramps up into chaos!

CHECK. It. out.

The Drunk Boys on StoryShift - Newgrounds

UPDATE: I've thinking... a good way to get motivated to get back into animating is to use my blog posts to livestream me animating. What do you think. You want to join me in finishing Pearly Whites?

Does anyone know the best way of going about doing this? What service I should use, what the set up should be. I have a cintiq that I use as a second screen, so I wouldn't be looking at the camera I'd be using, but I'm sure that's probably preferred anyway.

Yeah, I haven't posted in awhile and have gotten really sick that the most "recent" posts have almost all been asking people for money or to buy whatever I have to sell. I do, in fact, believe they have all been to good causes (the film I worked on, The Newgrounds Anthology. So this post might be more to push out the money aspect of my life, something which encroaches every day now, and talk more about the ART of life.

Since Clinger wrapped (it is now deep in post production) I have been plundering the Chicago indie scene, mostly doing gaff and grip work on a volunteer basis. Just building a resume and network as is the way in this industry. 

I have also applied to the Northwestern MFA for screenwriting. We'll see how that goes by the end of February. Writing is my strongest suit by far, and will likely be my ticket to the place where I want to be (a director who can work full time directing what he writes). A very ambitious plan. Of course, working on other people's projects are a vital part of keeping myself grounded and in tune with the shape of the industry so that will always be a part of my plans.

Lastly, I have put aside finishing Pearly Whites for now. I DO NOT want to leave this project unfinished. Honestly, I am sick of leaving things unfinished as I have done all my life. Every so often, I will go into flash and puzzle out a few new frames. There is a bit more done than what is currently available through my youtube page but there are significant "to dos" besides the obvious "finish the animations":

Replace placeholder backgrounds and pretty up/fix some of the ones in the beginning.

Better "Russ gets high" music. In general, there's a lot of empty space in diegetic sound, so I will probably consider giving more ambiance.

Get the sound mix redone.

Change editing workflow from final cut to premiere.

Suppose that's all for now. Not too much interesting. I am trying to do more of "constantly writing" thing. With my ADHD, it's hard to make that a routine, but I am propelled forward by the thought that all these ideas will stay locked in my head (thus not letting me think about other projects) if I don't start getting them out now.