ElfQuest Fan Art

http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/24-774?page=0

I really like the questions they are asking with FQ

Please post here if you have any problems or questions with the new site. I'll be helping the new admins/mods get things fully polished and set up, but I figured we could re-open the site while we're working on the rest of that.

This theme is a temporary one while Maggie works on something that uses her snazzy artwork (she did the pretty header up there as well.)

Admins/Moderators:

Maggie
Treefox
DestinysGift
Tevokkia
Foxeye (temporary during transition)

Changes:

- All your PMs are gone.   On the upside, I didn't have to wipe passwords after all, but was able to transfer those securely.

- Mature art and Rants via voluntary membergroups - This is an awesome new feature in SMF 2.0   If you wish to access the Rants forums you now voluntarily choose to join the membergroup called "AdultSwim". Similarly there is a membergroup called MatureArtAccess that will be used to access mature-only albums. There will be how-to's posted in due time.

- No more site-enforced art-per-day throttle. Instead the daily limit will be enforced by the mods...art over this limit will be "unapproved" temporarily. This is to ensure that everyone shares equal time on the New Artwork page. The new  limit is 4 image uploads per day.

- No more c/c setting Alas, this was a feature that was too hard to migrate. Nothing says you can't manually write what level of c/c you want, though.


NOTE: Secure log-on (SSL) is not currently implemented! This may change sometime in the next few days, but for now, please don't log onto this site from any wide-open wireless networks...people might be able to sniff out your logon information!

I have some disappointing news and there's no easy way to say it.    I will be retiring in the near future from running EQFA, for a variety of personal reasons.  Kael already retired many months back.

Due to the success of the pin-up calendars I've agreed to leave EQFA open until the end of February, to provide time for the completion, enjoyment, and discussion of the 2014 calendar.

At that time I will be removing the gallery and forum, but leaving the calendar archives in place. Once my ownership of the domains expires (I've paid for another 4 years or so), I'll transfer the domains to Richard Pini so that the domains don't fall into the hands of squatters like eqfanart.com did.

That assumes, of course, that no one else in the community wishes to pick up the torch that began with Amanda O'Dell of eqfanart.com and continued with Foxeye & Kael of elfquestfanart.com. I would be delighted if someone were passionate about creating the next incarnation of the EQ Fan Art community home, and they would be welcome to all of the related domains (elfquestfanart.com, elfquestfanat.net, and eqfanart.net).  Also, while I cannot give the website code or design elements to another party, the content (user accounts, user albums and images, forum posts, and comments) could be transferred intact if someone created a new site based on the same forum and gallery software.  

If anyone is interested in doing this, we should start discussing the transition period ASAP.   Otherwise the community can hopefully find a home on elfquest.com or as the spread-out community that they already are on DeviantArt! 

Looks like the node our VM was on had problems, hence the problems you've been seeing with the site for the past few hours. They've moved us to a different node and we appear to be back in business. *knock on wood*

Taking a fresh backup as I type this.

Ever since Kael and I married we've had two copies of the EQ comics. We set aside the best copies as collectors archives, and used the others as "reading copies". Conveniently storing the latter has been tricky though, so I recently became enthusiastic about sending the beat-up comics to a binder to have a custom "book" made.

I'm starting out with just one series, so I'm not risking too much if the folks I'm using don't come through. From what I've seen so far, though, of their professionalism and standards, I'm already prepping the next phase of books.   

These are the mockups of the covers. I think my books will be done in a few weeks.  I'm having so much fun picking spine colors and choosing which covers to use for the next set.

Going through the storage room I found that we have quite a few duplicate copies of ElfQuest books. If you are interested buying any of these, post or PM me which ones and an offer. I'm not really looking to a profit, but just find a good home and maybe make back the cover price.  The exceptions are marked with a "*", as these appear to have increased in value and are collectors items (the limited edition especially).

G=Good (some mild creasing of cover and shelf wear)
VG=Very Good (no tears/wrinkles, just some scuffing on corners/edges)
LN=Like New (no noticeable use)
*= Collectors item
strikethrough = pending buyer


Collections

Reader's Collection #10: Shards VG

Single Comics

All are Very Good (inevitable yellowing with age and mild scuffing along spine, no creases) except where noted

Siege at Blue Mountain: 6 (G)
Kings of the Broken Wheel: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 (all Good - scuffing is more pronounced)
Hidden Years: 1,2,3, 4(x2),5, 6 (x2), 8,9.5
New Blood: 5,6,7,10
Jink: 7,8,9 (all LN)
Rebels: 1,2
Blood of Ten Chiefs: 1 (x2), 4, 5, 8 (defective cover), 20
ElfQuest Montly mix-series: 28
King's Cross 1, 2
Discovery 1-4 (LN)
Elfquest Summer Special - Wolfshadow! (LN)
Misc
ElfQuest the First 20 Years (contains the Hearts Way and that color story about the preservers) LN

Though many of you may not know it, this site has always had a "Rants" section that was only visible to members above a certain post count.  Recently there was an argument that took place there that resulted in a member deleting their account, so we're at a crossroads trying to decide whether any changes are called for. We think there are, but we'd like feedback from others

A little background...

...While initially Kael and I described the Rants! section as a place to "use your teeth", we quickly learned that this community was a bit gentler than many of the folks on the internet.  They were still...well...polite.   So the forum really turned more into a place where people could bare a little more of their hearts and get support from other members. Which was AWESOME, but...well, a very different sort of place than what I thought of as a rants forum.  When this started to happen, Kael and I probably should have recognized this trend and separated the two areas; ranting about your personal life is very different from Ranting(TM).

So what  is a Rants Forum(TM)?

A (not-so-)little history...

...once upon a time a young and innocent couple of geeks became part of an online community that was very vibrant.  One of the most fascinating yet terrifying areas of this otherwise-cilivized forum was the Rants Board.  We saw normally civil and compassionate people saying the most horrific and un-PC things!  It was abhorrent at first. But then we began to realize that much of what they said, they didn't mean.  And even those who replied with equally angry language and disagreement still liked each other.  It gave new meaning to the phrase "verbal sparring match". A place to just let off steam where no one would think less of you for arguing with the logic of a 10 year old and using the language of a 50-year-old-sailor.

It was a pressure valve. And when they were done, they went back to being chums on the rest of the site. It was a bizarre implementation of the Way. You challenge, you tussle, then you forget. Sort of like day-to-day life; everyone has different views, and sometimes they clash, but in the end you get along.

And to wax philosophical...it was a chance to see what happens when opposing views come in contact without societal pressures to keep your personal deviations in check.  The insights to be gained by lurking were great. And the insights to be gained about yourself by participating were even more profound. Normally that sort of growth only comes at the expense of lost friends and/or family.

And, oh yes, they rated each other. It was a sport. Who could be the most crazy seeming? Who could craft the most creative insults? Or who could wield an argument so brilliantly that they just shut down the opposition! The sort of argument that left you feeling like you had been steamrolled, but you weren't quite sure. If you felt like playing the raving lunatic, you could. If you felt like having a "real" debate and honing your argument skills (especially against a raving lunatic...they are the toughest to best), you could do that to. What you didn't do was take anything there personally. If that started to happen, you took a break.

Over the years that young couple found other sites with similar sections, and grew to love them.

So that no-longer-so-young couple wanted such a place here.  We forgot that to those who had never before been to one of these bizarre places could find it quite abhorrent.  Foul and offensive.



And that is what happened here. Someone who finally accepted our "invitation" to post a rant was read by someone who took them very VERY seriously and felt personally attacked. They attacked back in kind, and our attempts to diffuse the situation with our sense of humor failed.

So.

What do we do now?

I'm fairly certain we are going to keep a private part of the forum where members above a certain post count (currently 15) can talk about personal things. That area will no longer be unmoderated, but will be held to the same code of standards as the rest of the site.  

What we don't know is if we'd have an unmoderated* rants area anymore. Perhaps this group of people just isn't all that enthusiastic about such an activity. That's where I'd like to hear from the community.  Do you think an unmoderated "dark side" can coexist with a supportive, compassionate, and friendly site?

*Unmoderated except for these two rules: 1) No personal attacks and 2) What happens in Rants, stays in Rants.  In other words, don't get personal, and don't bother the members who have no interest in Rants.

---

The Conclusion (quoted from a post further down in this thread):

After giving the subject more introspection, I do feel strongly that if we can find a way to allow members of the EQ fandom to rough-house without troubling those who just want to come here and relax from the Storm of Ugly that can be the internet...I still want to try that. 

When the Wolfrider's came to live in the Sun Village, they didn't stop hunting or howling.  The two cultures found a balance and came to value each other.  (With the exception of Strongbow, maybe.   )  Their differences gave both sides a chance to be more than they were.  Nightfall saw it was possible to dance safely without a human catching you off guard. Redlance found the peace and safety to let his magic emerge. Villagers saw that you could turn a herd of rampaging zwoots rather than retreat to the hills and let them destroy everything.

That is the model of what I envision in an EQ community - people from many "tribes" coexisting and enriching each other.         

And if nothing else, a "rumpus room" provides me a place to move threads/posts to that grow too hot for the general tone of this site.   That way the peaceful atmosphere can be preserved without censorship. If folks want to argue, I won't suppress them, but I will make them "take it outside the village".  No trampling people's gardens!     

It will be inaccessible to everyone except those who have expressly chosen to have access.  For the time being this means you PM me if you want access. Eventually I'll add a toggle to the Account Profile so you can come and go as feels right to you.

As such, the thread that started this all and led to some members leaving will remain there, but all posts relating to it (except this thread) will be removed from the rest of the forums.  Cross-contamination is not allowed!

If you have recently read a book that you just loved so much you have to tell others (or if you despise it and want to get it off your chest, that's good too), please consider this thread a place to do so.  

Courtesies of the Thread:

- No long lists of all the books you've ever loved, please. That can go in a different thread if you really love to list all the books you love.
- Keep spoilers mild! If you really want to share spoilers, use spoiler space.

-------------

The Wolves of Winter
By Paula Volsky

Paula is in my "top 5" list, meaning, among other things, that I like to reread her stuff.  She's not on many people's top 5 lists, but she fits me well, like a pair of well-worn leather gloves.

Most of her books are what I've heard called "Historical Fantasy", much like Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series, that tell a fantasy story that is loosely based on historical events. These books (Illusion, Wolves of Winter, The White Tribunal, Gates of Twilight, and THe Grand Ellipse) are set in the same alternative Eurasia, though in different countries. So a lot of the fun is racing to the internet to read more about the real life events that they echo. Some are easy, like Illusion = French Revolution.

This particular one was hard for me to place at first, but I could tell pretty quickly it was Russian. Some sniffing on Amazon confirmed that The Wolves of Winter is based on someone called Richard III...never heard of him.

Am now, however, curious about him, because, hey, Necromancy.  I'm guessing Rasputin wasn't the only powerful Russian accused of shady arts.  What was most refreshing is that you found yourself wanting the "bad guy" to win...you can't help it. But you didn't want the good guys to loose either.

If you like both fantasy and historical fiction, I definitely recommend Volsky. Start with Illusion...that's my favorite and probably the most riveting of them all.

Do you want to know which artists have claimed which characters?  Windrider and I can think of pros and cons to both sides of the coin and were curious if there was a strong preference in the community.

Our apologies for the site being MIA for several days. What was supposed to be a "routine maintenance" by our hosting provider turned rather nightmarish. First they accidentally rolled back one of the servers to April 1, losing a month's worth of images, then they destroyed that server altogether when they tried to repair it.

Fortunately we had backups, and so have been able to rebuild the site.

Please let us know in this thread if you encounter any bugs/problems! And cross your fingers that they won't be screwing anything else up until we can identify a new provider.

Known Issues:
- Registration is currently disabled.

I don't know if many of you follow the tech-toy scene too much, but I just learned some eyebrow-raising news (literally, my eyebrows.... they aren't coming down). 

HP was assumed to have scrapped their plans to make a Windows 7-based slate tablet in favor of a WebOS tablet, once iPad was such a success. (Which it is, for all that many see it as such a toy. It's hurt the laptop market. I've never been an apple-fan, but I really appreciate my iPad.)

Well, HP up and surprised us...they went ahead and released a Windows 7 slate, as a business tool.  (The consumer slate is coming later.)

Why does this excite me so?

Because, for all that the iPad is cool, it is NOT a digital artists tool. Maybe some real genius-types can manhandle it into one, and certainly people with no basis for comparison to a wacom tablet can enjoy it, but I absolutely abhor trying to draw on it. And that's because it has no pressure sensitivity.  (But also because apple makes copying files such a pain in the tookus.  Seriously...I draw a picture. I save the file. I copy the file to my main computer. How hard can it be?  Evidentally I'm asking too much in the land of Apple.  Many custom apps and strange steps must be involved.)

From all accounts, this HP slate does have pressure sensitivity. And as it is Windows 7, it will support the art apps I already use.

And it's relatively affordable...well, for a tablet PC anyhow.   

I am so getting one of these bad boys, and I will definitely be back to share how well it does.  I've been dreaming of a lightweight digital sketchpad for several years now. 

*crosses fingers*

OK, I'm done vomiting rainbow-and-glitter-covered-hype on the forums.    No doubt I'll be back in a few weeks saying that it is a huge disappointment. 

While we may sometimes have good ideas about what would make for a good community challenge, most of the ideas will usually come from you guys. So Kael and I decided we'd try out a mechanism for doing EQFA challenges.

If you want to suggest an idea for a challenge, make a post on this forum with the following title (and a description of the idea, of course):

[Challenge Idea] - My Idea

If three people then reply to your post and say 'I'd love to do this!", we'll create the challenge album and post a challenge thread for it.

Yah, we weren't making it up when we said we were working on a site revamp.  It's been a long time in the works, but we're letting the new site out of the barn. Quite a lot has changed under the hood as well as superficially, so please please post in this thread if you encounter what you think is a bug, or if you have questions.

Changes Brought to you by the EQFA Team

New art!
In addition to our mascot Splotch, the artistic elf, we now have Blot, the storyteller.  As well as little people in the distance. As our community grows, you'll see more and more little people appearing in the landscape.

New Webhost
That's right, no more shared hosting, my chickadees...we've got ourselves a webserver custom-configured by The Silent One.  It should be fast, flexible, and less error-prone. And best of all, if you find problems with the site, we now have the access necessary to do something about it!   Among those issues that have finally been addressed are:

• Long descriptions should no longer give an error.
• Memory limitations will no longer prevent images larger than 2500x2500 from being uploaded
• SSL can be supported (coming soon!)

New Layout
The image view page was updated to get rid of the clutter and dead-space, and display your art in a more attractive manner.  The calendar archives, Recent Artwork pages, and member profile page's were similarly given a facelift. And speaking of...

New Profiles
When you click on someone's name, you will now be taken to a summary of their gallery, with some of their key "stats" from their old profile included. If you want to view the original profile, you can click the "Personal Info" link from the new profile page.

Streamlined Navigation
In an effort to make the site easier to navigate and to remove clutter, we have removed all of the links from the sides of the page, and concentrated what we thought were the key areas of interest into the blue bar. Additionally, all of the personal "control center" functionality (your messages, your profile, new art you haven't seen, etc) has been gathered into the floating golden box at the top-right of the page.

C/C Settings
To encourage the giving of constructive feedback, we've added a c/c ("Comments & critique" or "Constructive Criticism") setting to images, as well as a default C/C level to your user settings. When you upload images, the c/c level defined in your account settings will be used as the default value, but you can raise or lower it on a per-image basis as you prefer.

Scroll down for some screenshot guides to using the c/c feature.




Changes Brought to you by the Gallery Mod Developers

• New "preview" option for thumbnails (the little magnifying glass)
• Ability to delete and move your own albums (yay!)
• More robust permissions mechanism for albums
• Ability to move/delete multiple images in an album.

Guide to Navigation Changes







Guide to C/C Feature

How to change your default c/c level (everyone is currently set to 1)


The drop-down list when adding/editing an image