If you haven't already read my last entry, please do so: oreparma.deviantart.com/journa…

Badge set 1 [top far left]:

Badge set 2, [top, second from left]:

Badge set 3, [top, second from right]:

This just in guys! Pixel art is unrippable! Not only is it not real art, but when you work with things on a small-scale basis, it's impossible to create anything original, ergo ripping pixel art doesn't exist!

Or so says the creator, founder and admin of JCink: jcink.com/ A free forum hosting service that uses IPB 1.3 software.

The following is a direct quote from JCink, taken from Caution 2.0, a forum RP resource site: z10.invisionfree.com/CAUTIONTO…? "She" in this case, is JCink's girlfriend, who was banned from another forum RP resource site for frankenpixeling their award badges and trying to pass them off as her own original work.

"Pixel badges aren't a unique concept, and yeah, she studied theirs to do the shading on them, some of the shaping, etc. But none of them as far as I could tell were ripped. Is anyone seriously going to lay claim to a 9x6 diamond flipped? It's not like the badges were just uplifted and re-hosted. There are only so many ways you can work within an 11x20 area anyway. The whole thing just seemed ludicrous to me...."

Here is an image of one of the badges that JCink posted that his girlfriend made and presented as her original work:


Now take a look at the ribbon portion of this badge from the resource site she was banned from:




And the medal portion of this badge from the same resource site:




Look familiar? If you zoom in you'll find that pixel-for-pixel the shading and placement of the pixels are identical. They have simply been cut up with their hues changed. There's plenty more where that came, too, the above is simply one example.

But, good news! It's not theft! It's such a small area to work with, you can't possibly lay claim to anything you make! Badges are such a common idea it's impossible to have anything unique to the artist!

Gag.

Not only does this guy have zero respect for pixel art, but he's okay with his girlfriend lifting your stuff, frankenpixeling it and using it on her own site(s). I'm currently in the process of packing my things and moving hosts, because I do have some pixel badges and pixel dolls and I'd rather not see them stolen.

Usually, with any free forum host providers, their ToS usually states that if you upload things to them, it becomes their property for being hosted on their server. There's always a risk, however I have never heard of something like this happening from any other free host, where a staff member took content (bear in my the original content was not on a JCink site) from another site and tried to pass it off as her own original work. SO. Not only is it blatant plagiarism, unethical, they may attempt to lay claim to it.

Please share this with any pixel artists or dollers you know. I know the dolling community especially has several forums created out there for artists and I want to caution all artists, especially pixel ones, not to create a board on JCink or put any of your pixel work on a JCink board.

Those with Caution accounts can read the whole thread there: z10.invisionfree.com/CAUTIONTO…

It was only supposed to be a summer. A three-month jaunt through Bordertown.

Okay, not a jaunt. That's something Uncle Neo would say. Or dad. Adi'd call it a pilgrimage. Trust him to equate digging up old memories of mom with a religious activity. Not that I blame him. I find it fitting. You probably do, too.

But it was only supposed to be a summer.  Three months with mom's old letters, journal and Polaroids with impossible pictures of who knows what. I read in her journal that she had been told (repeatedly) that cameras didn't work, but it looks like she tried anyway. Looks like she kept trying. You've seen them. You know.

I suppose now would be a good time to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for snapping at you when you accused me of chasing ghosts. I'm sorry I called you a coward. I'm sorry for the nasty words and leaving without a goodbye. Adi'd say that's bad luck.

I don't know if I've had bad or good luck, but whatever it is. I'm here. And I miss you and I'm sorry.

You'd like it here. You'd like the barscene. Ther's this great one called the Dancing Ferret. It was the first stop I made.

A fat elf (I know, weird, right?) gave me a beer and said I looked like was looking for someone. I said memories. He laughed a little at that. Said usually people come to forget memories and make new ones.  I said I wasn't most people and I pulled out a drawing of mom.

The fat elf said he recognized her. Said she used to live here. Then she grew up and just visited once a month, then less frequently. Said I just missed her. She was sitting right where I was fourteen days ago. Yeah, I made the same face you're probably making right now. And I told him what you're probably thinking right now.

Mom's been dead for 7 years.

Welcome to Bordertown, he said.

Then he said to check by a place on Water Street run by a group called the Diggers. Said that was where she spent most of her time, when she wasn't dancing, singing and making music.

So that's that's what I did. Or tried to do. A foursome of prissy elf brats in mohawks and red leathers tried to jump me while I was trying to find the damn place.

I took down one, but (and I swear to God, you repeat this and I will deny everything), but I was screwed on the other three. That's when I was rescued, by tall dark and handsome on a stripped down Harley with a fringed leather fest and a city of tattoos. I swear to you I have never seen a pair of pointy ears on such a masculine body.

He called himself Little John, like Robin Hood. Turns out he was Dine, Navajo, just like me. Well, half. Mom was an elf, as if the ears didn't give it away. He took me to a place called Little Earth, introduced me to some friends. They call themselves the Thunderbirds. The elves that had tried to jump me were called Bloods.

Two major gangs in one night. Man, I'm one lucky girl, huh?

By the second week I had fallen in completely with the Thunderbirds. I'll probably get my own fringed vest any day now.

I did visit the Digger place on Water Street. Several times. It was nice to hear stories, but at the same time…

You were right. There's no point in chasing ghosts. It just brings the old ache right back like the accident just happened.

Look, I won't tell you this place is some paradise. It's not. It's hard, it's dirty and I am so sorry, but there is no way you will ever have regular access to your daily hair products. But this place has you written on every graffiti-covered wall.

Because here's the thing: all your tricks, all your illusions, your confusions an magic—they're normal here. Well, not normal, but it's part of here. They call it fey. There's other kids, other human kids with fey gifts. And half-elves with elf-gifts. Healing, illusion, levitation heck there is a full-out werewolf. I'm not even kidding. I saw him at the Farmer's Market.

Deny it all you want, but I know you want that. I know that's a big reason why mom's death hurt so much. It put a piece of lonely in you that I can't fill, no matter how much I want to. You needed her magic as much as you needed her.

It's okay. I understand. You loved her just as much as you needed her. She's not here, not in Bordertown. But Bordertown just might be what you need. What we both need.

I don't need to go chasing ghosts. But I needed something. Some direction to help me figure out where the hell I'm going. Maybe this place is it. Maybe it isn't. But it feels right to be here, somehow.

The longer I'm here, the more I want to stay. And the more I want to stay, the more I want you here with me. Just for a summer.

Ask for Nemy at Little Earth. I'll be waiting.

For best results, follow along with this handy map here: fav.me/d4rpjbq

For our tour of Bordertown, we'll start at the top and work our way down. Bordertown sits on the edge of the human World the the Elf/Trueblood Realm. Going from the World to Bordertown can get confusing (we'll get to that in a later entry), but for truebloods, it's easy enough. Get all your papers in order and head out through the Elfhaeme Gate. Protip: don't look directly at the gate (or the border, for that matter). The gate might be pretty, decked out in silver and gold, but it's got some serious mega spell(s) on it. You'll just make yourself dizzy.

You'll come out into Gateway, a residential and business area, known for bookstores, theaters and cafes and serving  a more upscale clientele with a lot deeper pockets. Yeppies (Young Elfin Professionals) abound.

From gateway, you have a few options. You can head over to Elftown, the working-class trueblood neighborhood, sometimes known as Fare-You-Well-Park (we're not really sure why as the actual Fare-You-Well park is miles to the south in the downtown and much poorer area). Some upperclass truebloods use "being from Efltown" as a slur.

Eltown and Gateway will both take you to Gryphon Park, both an actual park the business and civic central hub of the city. The Bordertown City Council meets here as well as the Bordertown Ballet and the Elfhaeme Opera. Across the park is Gryphon Heights, a well-to-do residental area with human and trueblood neighborhoods.

Think those guys have it good? Just wait. Walk across Dragon's Claw Bridge and you'll be taken directly to Dragon's Tooth Hill, the wealthiest and most exclusive address in Bordertown, home to elves in castles and humans in mansions and the biggest, softest dumb poser gang you'll ever see, Dragon's Fire. Even so, you can't deny that the folks on the Hill have stunning views of the city and the architecture is something else.

If you head back up towards the border, you'll run into Little Tooth, a lively Jamacian neighborhood and industrial area with an excellent street market. The folks here aren't as rich or snobbish as the folks on the Hill proper (or even Gryphon Park, for that matter) and they're a little crazy from being backed up against the border, but you'll (usually) have a good time in Little Tooth, regardless of social, economic or racial standing.

Going down south on the same eastern side of the reddish Mad River (humans, take note: don't drink the water. There's a reason it's called Mad River), you get the Suburbs. There's nothing much to say here, because it's pretty freaking boring, except of course for the nasty racial tension. There are very clear divisions of trueblood and human neighborhoods. Don't cross and if you've got a halfie in the family? Move.

We're gonna jump across the River, to Riverside. Here you'll find docks, the strange silver Fisher Folk and the best farmers' and fishers' market in all of Bordertown. We advise not to eat anything that comes out of the Mad River. The folks that do swear it's fine, but why trust a five-eyed fish that lives in water proven to turn human brain to mush ? And speaking of Mad River water and human brain mush, don't go off the beaten path in Riverside. This is Wharf Rat territory, a dangerous gang drugged and drunk off Mad River Water.

Going upriver, Riverside turns into the Promenade, a nice stretch of the Mad River, free from Wharf Rats filled with shops, restaurants and galleries. The Bordertown Hilton can found here.

We can follow the Promenaded back to Gryphon Park an Elftown area, heading to Trader's Heaven, the market to end all market to end all markets, build in and out of what once was a shopping mall. Anything you might possibly want or need from Realm or World can be found here.

Heading west from Trader's Heaven is El Barrio, Bordertown's Chicano district. There's been some Yeppie invasion along the edges, which is starting to change the area, but for the most part it's very unwelcoming to truebloods. El Barrio is the home of the notorious Scorpions, a gang has few loves above elf-bashing.

El Barrio backs up to The NeverNever, or the Borderlands. Take the crazy chaos of Bordertown and multiply by ten. Add in a few unknown roaming monsters. Welcome to the NeverNever. For obvious reasons, it's a dangerous place and we advise against anything more than an escorted travel through it. But if you're a human heading to Bordertown, the Nevernever is something you'll just have to deal with, as it surrounds Bordertown's east, west and south sides.

The next district on our tour is the Scandal District. Yes, that would be not-so-careful code for the Red Light District, but prostitution isn't a big interest for Truebloods (as buyers or sellers) so the main vices here are some drugs, gambling and exotic dancing.

Directly below the Scandal District is Dragontown, Bordertown's Asian district. It's again subdivided into smaller district for specific ethnic groups, held together with lots of winding and twisting streets and alleys. If you don't have a guide, we strongly recommend taking the long way around Dragontown. Dragontown is guarded by the Dragons, a gang which might not be as aggressive as others, but are probably the most well-trained. If the Dragons don't get you for causing trouble, the little old man playing checkers across the row will. Do not mess around in Dragontown.

Directly the west of Dragontown is West Canal, Bordertown's main industrial district. Third Avenue is the major street, passing through the garment industry and is locally known as Sweatshop Row.

Keep heading west and you'll hit Letterville, a business and residential neighborhood for the working class. Letterville was recently threatened by big money "development," but managed to hold it off, setting up the Letterville Neighborhood Association in the process. The LNA is dedicated to preserving the area as a family-friendly working class area as well as being the big push behind the Cleanup the Park Campaign.  Letterville sports three sizable markets for flowers, fish and vegetables.

Just below Letterville is Parkside, a working class residential area, poorer and more run-down than Letterville. Despite that, the area is (relatively) safe and like Letterville, racially tolerant, ethnically mixed and a wonderful place to race a mixed trueblood and human family.

Parkside is located right next to Fare-You-Well-Park. Until the Cleanup the Park Campaign, this used to be a campground for runaways and an endless rave, both since ejected by the local law. Some of the ejected squatters can be found south and east in Tintown, shanty town and tent city home to displaced kids, hobos, drug dealers. A group of Travellers have made their home in Tintown's neighbor, Dogtown, a abandoned frieghtyard and automobile graveyard.

Below Dogtown is a no man's land known locally as the Land of Feral House, abandoned shells of what was once a suburan area back when Borderton was just another North American city. Below is the Nevernever.

Take our advised, go straight north, back up past Dogtown and Tintown to the rumbling Old City Wall and Hell's Gate (River Gate is along the eastern part of the wall). Welcome to Soho, we've saved the best for last.

Soho is officially known as the Old City. Soho runs south of Ho street, hence it's common name. Soho is a haven for runaways, orphans, waifs, exiles and strays from Realm, World and Bordertown. Most of its residents are young and wild (Bordertown law has all but given up on the district). The district has been carved into gangs and gang controlled areas, with human-only Pack and elf-only Bloods the most dominant and aggressive forces. The native american Thunderbirds make their home near Hell's Gate and the halfie Rune Lords. to the north. Thankfully, the neutral zones are also where the best party spots are. Soho maybe poor and rundown, but when it comes to music and nightlife, no place can beat Soho. If you've got some skills and a lot of luck, Soho might just be the escape you've always dreamed of.

THE SET-UP

Elves, fairies, gremlins, goblins, merfolk and all the rest. They're dead. Faded into legend, myth sometimes forgotten. It's the modern world and such stories are mere fairytales. The supernaturals are dead. But some, in their time, took human companions with children being born of their union. Centuries past, but the traces remain, emerging centuries later as Remnants, throw-back babies of times and creatures long dead. Remnants can inherit physical traits and magical abilities from their ancestors, along with their weaknesses.

Human blood and supernatural blood don't always mix. Remnants suffer medical hardships, ranging from mild anemia to rejection of internal organs and everything in between. Many Remnants do not live past childhood and all have shortened lifespans.

Most do not fully understand or know what they are, their medical problems explained away, abilities kept quiet.



THE INVITATION

An email is arrives in the inbox of a Remnant. It reads simply this:

"You have been sent an invitation to join Mazikeen.com by 'The Silhouette.' The invitation includes the following message: "We know."

Mazikeen.com. A forum site for Remnants to meet each other, moderated by an unknown person called Silhouette. How they find the Remnants is unknown, but Mazikeen.com provides and outlet, information and an online home for Remnants. The online home quickly turns into another invitation, offers to meet and live with other Remnants.



THE TOWN

Los Duendes. A small California university city with a state park, river, dozens of apartment complexes, bars and a thriving music scene. The common meeting place for Remnants is hard to miss, The Mazikeen Club, right at the heart of the downtown nightlife. It's owner is never seen. Another Remnant-founded nightclub, Spellpunk is located three blocks away. There's a little something for everyone in Los Duendes, including danger.



THE TEMPTATION

It has many names. Fairy Dust. Dragon's Blood. In Los Duendes, it's Mazikeen. A hallucinogenic drug with special bonuses for Remnant users. More than a rush, more than a thrill, the Mazikeen drug enhances the supernatural abilities of Remnants and provides temporary relief to medical conditions and pain their mixed biology has given them. The relief is only an illusion. Prolonged use of Mazikeen greatly increases the risk of premature death in Remnants. It's easy to OD, highly addictive and in Los Duendes, a town filled with Remnants, it's everywhere.

As a Remnant's power grows, so does their danger. One misstep or just dumb bad luck and the unfortunate will find out just why Fairyland was considered as much dangerous as it was beautiful.



THE MAZIKEEN

Mazikeen. According to myths, they were the offspring of Adam, Eve a fallen spirits. It's the name of the website that finds them, the city club that houses them and the drug that destroys them.

Welcome to Mazikeen. Welcome to the new fairytale.