10 Years on DA

Feb. 8th, 2004 - 2014

Ten years ago, I opened a DA account with just a simple plan in mind: to showcase my art and talent. Back in 2004, my account name was based around a anthro character of sorts sprung from me being the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom. At that time I was crazy for such titles as Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, as well as other Sega Dreamcast games. I was still new to the internet scene, having only have some drawings and doodles posted on a private Sonic fansite for two years prior. 

As time went by and the Sonic games started becoming less of what I used to enjoy growing up, my attention switched over to another fandom with Invader Zim. It was funny, crazy, and something Nickelodeon should of kept going to still snag in us 90's kids. This fandom was with me through highschool, adoring a little Invader Zim plush keychain on my backpack and my Senor quote ending up being Zim's "Why am I so Amazing?" quote into our yearbooks. This interest in the fandom stayed with me for about two or so more years before the fandom felt dried up. There was no more content to follow as the series was canceled and incomplete. It was around this time that I started watching my sister play a little game called... Kingdom Hearts.

Around 2006 was when the KH/KH2 bug bit me hard especially with the Organization XIII group. I ended up cosplaying a few of these characters throughout the years, finding new friends in the fandom and fellow cosplayers. This was also the time when my love of roleplaying blew up. I would hunt out rp groups, making characters to interact with nearly on a nightly basis. Whenin a year of my following into Kingdom Hearts, I also merged into the Final Fantasy VII fandom, since a good portion of characters in KH /KH2 were from that game. I managed to secure a copy and unfortunately, was a bit poorly when playing so I just went to Let's Players on Youtube to get my fix. Once again, roleplay/cosplay friends came and went during this time as I started shifting over from drawing to crafting, finding it more enjoyable and in some cases if I dare say, profitable.

As the years pass, interests changed once again, as the KH series were starting to go into the 'WTF" dive with their story plots in the new games. I needed a new outlet, something fresh and always fresh. Something to rope me in and keep me going. That's when I found The Idiots of Garry's Mod. A video on youtube with various silly skits that would be part of the backbone of Gmod skits and stories on video. I knew about the Half-life series through a Let's Player and watching my little step-brother play it from time to time and I knew Portal, which waa cool.... but there was one game featured in The Idiots of Garry's Mod at first... I didn't give a crap about nor knew anything of: Team fortress 2.

At the time, TF2 looked silly to me, a Battlefield copy with goofy characters, but something caught my attention and as I poke the game with a stick, and saw what truly was down that hatted rabbit hole, I had to jump in. Boy I am sure glad I did.

Today, Team Fortress 2 has been a rock-steady fandom for me to follow. Whereas most of the other fandoms I followed had some sort of deadline or storyline that just fell flat, TF2 continues to grow and expand with plenty of room for stories, roleplay, etc. The community helps shape the world alongside Valve, and the rewards aren't just in metal and hats. I have met good friends and I have met great friends. I now hold the TF2 cosplay photo gatherings at my local convention. It's something I can always go back to, with a plethora of characters, both playable and NPC alike, to spark imagination and creativity.

However, my DA gallery's focus isn't just on drawing anymore. I now do commissions for costumes, namely with the anthro fandom 'furries', helping me continue to be creative by attempting to make their creatures appear life-like and real. It's still a small step now, but someday I hope to see this project in full swing. 

So thank you to everyone who's watched me, favorited something or commented, to those who've bought something from me or commissioned a costume. Thank you to all who stay in constant contact with me, who roleplay with me and provided support for when I was down mentally. You all helped me become who I am today for the last ten years on DeviantART! I hope to stay on as long as I have now and more!

~Jarvis