This past Monday marked the end of my Fall 2023 semester (as well as my last day of college; I'm off to tackle the real world now). Given that we've only got a couple more days left in the year, I have some time relax and celebrate the holidays before I go all-out on searching for a job. With that being said, what can you expect to see from me? 

In Terms of My Art: Firstly, I released a pair of drawings that featured Ka taking on the role of his sibling, Top Thrill 2 (formerly Top Thrill Dragster). Secondly, I found an inspiration (that being playing cards) and put out a drawing for Steel Vengeance's 5th anniversary, fittingly on the 5th anniversary of when I had first learned about the coaster. Finally, I made a cute Halloween drawing focused on two of my Nickelodeon Universe personifications, The Shredder and Timmy's Halfpipe Havoc. On Christmas Day, I hope to release my annual drawing to commemorate the holiday. The only other thing I can say for sure is that I'll be working on a design for Great Adventure's upcoming coaster, The Flash: Vertical Velocity, in the coming weeks (though it'll be a while before I want to show the design publicly). Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike.

In Terms of My Stories: I released a couple more short-form stories on my Tumblr during these past few months (which will eventually be posted here once I've built up a big enough "stockpile" to include in a second "volume"). I will continue to write these short-form stories whenever I'm inspired to, though I currently do not have plans to write any long-form stories.

As the title implies, this is to be the last of my "What's Next"? bulletins. Now that I'm no longer in school, I don't have any defined "vacation" periods where I can really focus on my creative projects. Though I currently have lots of free time, I know that it won't last forever. Once I get a job, it will be my top priority in life and potentially leaving me with little opportunity to draw/write. However, I am not going to let it take the "creative" away from me entirely-- it just might take a bit longer to make things. 

That'll be all. 

For those who have been keeping up with my bulletins, Thank You. 

-Techy

This past Monday was the first day of my Fall 2023 semester. Though I am only taking two courses this semester (plus the responsibility of being a professor's "research assistant"), it does mean that school is my top priority for the next few months. While I will continue posting park photography and coaster reviews during this time, what else can you expect to see from me?

In Terms of My Art: As part of Coastermaynia 2023, I released two drawings based on their prompts; Nitro (Day 27) and High Speed Thrill Coaster (Day 31, "Your Choice"). Additionally, I created "Rollerswitched!", a spin-off/spiritual successor to my "Alternate Universe" series from earlier this year. To start off this "Role-Swap AU", I released a pair of drawings; one where Phoenix has taken Twister's role and vice versa (with both accompanied by a short story/personality blurb). In the coming weeks, I intend to release the second pair of drawings for the "Rollerswitched!" series that feature "role-swaps" of Kingda Ka. Of course, I also intend to put out a Halloween-related drawing in time for that holiday. Finally, I'd like to create a drawing commemorating Steel Vengeance's 5th Anniversary if time/motivation permits, released (ideally) by the end of this year. Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike. 

In Terms of My Stories: Over the summer, I continued to create short-form stories on my Tumblr (which can be found in the "techystory" tag) based on whatever inspired me that particular day or as a follow-up to a previous story. As for any future stories, it's likely there will be more short-form stories posted in the coming months. In terms of long-form stories a la "Red-Tagged" and the most recent installment of my "Winter Chill Out" series, I don't have any plans regarding those for the foreseeable future. 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the end of my Fall 2023 semester. 

-Techy

Yesterday was the last day of my Spring 2023 semester. Normally this would mean that I'm on summer break and therefore having more time to devote to my creative pursuits. However, I am taking two courses over this summer; while less than my usual four-class schedule, it means that I will continue to be primarily focused on school. While I'll still be posting my photography, what else can you guys expect from me?

In Terms of My Art: I continued to release what was left of my "Alternate Universe" series featuring some of my Great Adventure personifications (Joker, GASM, and Nitro). Next, I created two art pieces (one of Toro, one of SteVe) that released simultaneously with "Red-Tagged" and "Race For The Sky", respectively. Then, I put out some art featuring characters I haven't drawn in a while; one with Ultra Twister and Viper, the other with Lil' Devil Coaster, Joust and Kozmo's Kurves. Finally, I posted a picture of two keychains made using a Shrinky Dink sheet and some wire; ice-cream character bar designs of JDC and Toro. In regard to future art, I have ideas for two Coastermaynia 2023 prompts; one will be for Nitro (with an intended release on May 27th), the other for the "Your Choice" prompt (with an intended release on May 31st). While I would like to do something for Steel Vengeance's 5th Anniversary (sadly I wasn't able to make something in time for the actual date), I'm unsure if I'll be able to put something out during this semester. Outside of that, I'll just wait for inspiration to strike (but I still want to focus on drawing some underutilized characters).  

In Terms of My Stories: As mentioned in the previous bulletin, I had two stories that I wanted to post sometime during the spring semester. The first one was "Red-Tagged", a companion piece to Tricks and Turns that takes place in an alternate universe; this was released on February 3rd, as advertised. "Red-Tagged" had an accompanying piece of art featuring Toro, the main character of the story. The second one was "Race For The Sky", aka the fifth installment of my "Winter Chill Out" series that released on March 31st. "Race For The Sky" also had an accompanying piece acting as the story's "cover art". As for any future stories, I currently do not have plans to put out anything on the scale of "Red-Tagged" or "Race For The Sky". However, I have recently been writing some drabbles (aka stories that won't be fully realized and are comparatively shorter) over on my Tumblr; they can be found under the "techystory" tag. 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the start of my Fall 2023 semester.

-Techy

Looks like Winter Break has come and gone-- tomorrow is the first day of my Spring 2023 semester. Of course, the return of school in my life means that the available time I have for my creative projects is drastically lessened. So, outside of my usual theme park photography and coaster reviews, what can you guys expect from me?  

In Terms of My Art: As I’ve done in the past, I put out a Christmas-centric art piece (this time featuring some of my Nickelodeon Universe characters). Also, I began posting the “Alternate Universe” designs that I made for some of my SFGAd personifications (that being Medusa and Superman UF); I still have five more AU designs I’d like to show you guys, so expect to see those in the coming weeks. Additionally, I have two art pieces that feature characters I haven’t drawn in a while (one features two characters, the other features three) that’ll be posted sometime during the next few months. For an upcoming story featuring my SFGAd personifications (discussed in further detail below), I’ll be releasing it with an accompanying art piece. Finally, the upcoming fifth installment of the “Winter Chill Out” series (discussed in further detail below) will also be released with an accompanying art piece.

In Terms of My Stories: To accompany the “Alternate Universe” designs I began posting over the break, I released a compilation of Alternate Universe “story summaries” that not only covers the character designs that I’ve created, but also a whole host of other character concepts and interactions. Additionally, I produced a completed draft of the story involving my SFGAd personifications that I mentioned in the last bulletin; I intend for this story to be posted on February 3rd (alongside some art to accompany it, as previously mentioned), but this is NOT a guaranteed release date. Finally, I have another installment of the “Winter Chill Out” series featuring my Steel Vengeance personification in the works (it seems that every time I think I’m done with this series, a major event happens at Cedar Point that I can’t resist covering lol). The fifth WCO is currently nothing more than a rough outline at the moment; the only thing I’ll say right now is that I intend to release it (also with an accompanying art piece, as previously mentioned) before the end of this semester. 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the end of my Spring 2023 semester.

-Techy

Yesterday, I took my last final exam for the semester, which means that I'm now on winter break! Winter break can only mean one thing--- having time to focus on my creative projects! I'll continue to post my coaster reviews and photography during the break, of course, but in terms of my art and stories...what can you guys expect from me?

In Terms of My Art: Despite not having as much time as I did over the summer, I did manage to post a few art pieces. Firstly, I posted the two art pieces made to celebrate the last update for Tricks and Turns, my technically-unfinished coaster personification story. Secondly, I posted an "addendum" for Sky Princess' character bio (that being her 05/06 color scheme). I also put out a piece in where three of my coaster personifications were given corresponding Squishmallow designs. Thirdly, I produced my yearly Halloween piece (which featured "Bad Future Toro" and an accompanying short story). Finally, I made a piece that (jokingly) "settled the debate" on what name you should call Steel Vengeance by. This week, I intend to put out my yearly Christmas piece (hopefully on Saturday, but may be delayed to Sunday). While I was unfortunately unable to show you guys those "alternate universe" designs I hinted about in the last bulletin during this past semester, I can say that you'll see at least one of them in the coming weeks (and with something written to accompany it). Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike. 

In Terms of My Stories: After posting the last of the T&T chapter summaries (alongside two art pieces that depicted events/characters from T&T), the only other story I put out was a short story that elaborated on "Bad Future Toro", which was my halloween piece for this year. Additionally, I did post some non-narrative "essays" concerning how wooden coasters become RMCs and why I personally like to personify coasters. As hinted in the previous section, I have something written that'll accompany the first of my "alternate universe" designs that'll be posted in the coming weeks. However, I also have an idea for another story that involves my SFGAd personifications...but you'll just have to wait until I post it to find out what it's about (though it's not going to be posted until late January at the earliest). 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the start of my Spring 2023 semester.

-Techy

....Welp. Summer vacation's basically over; tomorrow I start Graduate School. Over the summer, I've met all the goals I laid out in the last bulletin, which is great! But starting Graduate School means that, obviously, I won't have as much time as I did over the past three months to focus on any creative projects. So what can you expect from me (outside of my coaster photography and reviews, as I have more than enough content in that area thanks to the trips I was able to take)? 

In Terms of My Art: Given that I had ample time to create art, I was able to post some peices alongside my photography content. Firstly, the final two Coastermaynia 2022 prompts I mentioned in the last bulletin (El Toro & the "Your Choice" prompt) were posted (and the "Your Choice" ended up being a drawing of Kingdom Coaster). Secondly, I produced a character bio for Medusa "2.0", a redesign of Bizarro, an introductory peice for Medusa, and a cute piece of three of my personifications as those character ice cream pops. This week, I'll be posting two special pieces of art featuring my SFGAd personifications (read the "my stories" section to find out why that is). Additionally, I have a piece featuring that acts as an addendum to Sky Princess' character bio. As for any future pieces, I have ideas for some new character designs (you might say that they're a look at a familiar character, but from a universe that's alternate to "canon"...), and hopefully I can do something for Halloween. Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike (will continue my desire to draw underutilized characters, though)!

In Terms of My Stories: I continued to incrementally post the finalized chapter summaries for "Tricks and Turns" over the summer. While the formatting for posting each chapter summary changed past Chapter 27 (as the way I had written them out had changed), every other week would bring a new "cluster" of 5 finalized chapter summaries. But as hinted in the latest update (August 19; Chp. 46-50), the next T&T update (to be posted this Friday(!)) will be the last. Those two "special" art pieces are directly connected to things that happened in T&T, so they'll be released alongside the final update. For those who actually gave my story a read, thank you so much! Though T&T is never going to be realized in its ideal form, I'm glad to have shared this story with the public. Additionally, I rewrote the character descriptions for the Dutch Wonderland trio and adjusted some other character descriptions (mostly the Knoebels coasters). Outside of the final T&T update, I have no plans for any creative writing pieces. 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the end of my Fall 2022 semester.

-Techy

Hello Everyone!

...I took my last final exam for he Spring 2022 semester on Tuesday (which means this bulletin is ever-so-slightly late...and that I'm going to graduate from college(yay!)), so now I have a whole summer to create art (as well as continue posting photos from my July 2021 Hersheypark trip and my newly-acquired Nanocoasters). I'm happy to say that all l what I had set out to do during the past few months has been accomplished. So, what can you guys expect to see in the coming weeks?

In Terms of My Art: While the majority of my content in the past months were photography-based, I did manage to post a handful of art pieces. Firstly, a commissioned character bio for Ka's "Mythical Tiger" form was posted shortly after the publishing of my last bulletin; this post also included a look of Ka's human form while "in stasis". Secondly, Impulse was due for a slight resign, so I drew them with an updated jacket design that better reflected the coaster's "second-gen" trains. It wasn't until early May that I began posting art again; the first of three Coastermaynia 2022 entries (which also featured Impulse), artwork to celebrate SteVe's 4th Birthday, and a slight redesign for another one of my characters, Batman: The Ride. I still have two more ideas for Coastermaynia 2022 (one for Toro's prompt, one for the "Your Choice" prompt- which you'll have to wait and see which character I feature for that). Additionally, Bizarro (or more accurately, Medusa) is still due for a full redesign (which will include an updated character bio and new Toyhouse page); since SFGAd is still adding theming elements to the coaster (and it's yet to have an official opening, only a "spring preview"), I will wait until after Medusa has officially opened to post a finalized design. Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike (but I want to continue featuring characters I haven't used in a while in my art). 

In Terms of My Stories: As promised in the last bulletin, I've been incrementally posting chapters from the finalized story summary for "Tricks and Turns" every other week. Secondly, I posted the fourth (and likely final) installment of my "SteVe attends Winter Chill Out" series), "Break the Scream Barrier", in early March. More recently, I posted a short poem about El Toro that I created for a poetry class I took this semster, "Ode to The Bull". I will continue to incrementally post the finalized chapter summaries for "Tricks and Turns" until I reach the end of the story (as well as a "bonus" chapter with all the ideas that got cut). Outside of that, I have no plans for any creative writing pieces. 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the start of my Fall 2022 semester.

-Techy

Hello Everyone!

...and just in a blink of an eye, winter break is over and the Spring 2022 semester is here to occupy most of my waking hours. I'm happy to report that all the goals I set in my last bulletin were met. With that being said, what can you guys expect to see from me during the next few months (besides the continued posting of photos from my July 2021 Hersheypark trip and the additions to my Nanocoaster collection)?

In Terms of My Art: I managed to put out a cute Christmas drawing featuring some characters I haven't used in a while and the first of two commissioned character bios- the one for JDC's alternate "Monstrous" form. The other commissioned character bio (Ka's alternate "Mythical Tiger" form) will be posted this Friday (alongside a "bonus" image that I created to accompany the piece). Since Bizarro is currently getting a re-theme, the corresponding personification I have for this coaster will be redesigned. This will include an updated character bio and new Toyhouse page; they'll be released sometime after the coaster re-opens. Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike (but I do want to make good on my art goal of featuring characters I haven't used in a while). 

In Terms of My Stories: (If you want the full explanation/reasoning for T&T's cancellation, follow the link; https://toyhou.se/~bulletins/609589.-what-s-next-for-tricks-and-turns- ). The TL;DR is that T&T has been cancelled because I don’t have the time to write out the story in the novel format I intended it to be in (among other reasons), and I do not want to leave you guys waiting for a story that might not ever be finished. However, I will be incrementally posting the finalized story summary for those who were interested in reading it, starting in late January/early February (and yes, the story will remain as "Tricks and Turns", as I no longer have a reason to change the name). Outside of that, I have an idea for another coaster personification story (though this one will be a one-shot) that should be out by late February/early March, but you'll have to wait until then to see what it's about. 

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the end of my Spring 2022 semester.

-Techy

(Scroll to the bottom for a TL;DR)

Hello Everyone. 

As stated in the last bulletin, I wanted to look over my coaster personification story, Tricks and Turns, and make an update to the last bulletin or a completely new bulletin detailing what I learned about my story (& presumably what will be done with it going forward). Due to the length of this explanation, I’ve decided to choose the latter option to present what I’ve learned about T&T. I started working on T&T back in early August 2020 (though I had concepts for the story floating around in my head months before that), wanting to focus on writing the summary of the story first. Writing this summary took me just over a year, with the first draft finished in mid August 2021. Like I’ve stated previously, I had put the development of T&T on pause after a few revisions to the story summary in order to focus on school. When winter break arrived, I had the chance to re-read and revise the summary to see if the characters, plot, etc. were both enjoyable and made sense for the world it took in. I’m happy to report that (for the most part, but this could always be fixed when writing out the story proper), I found myself satisfied with how the plot progressed, how the characters were portrayed/what role they had in the story, how the characters motivations were laid out, etc. With that, I felt comfortable with what ended up being the final draft the summary; This meant that I could begin writing the story as it was intended to be formatted (like how the two prequel stories were written). 

Unfortunately, I have to announce that the development of Tricks and Turns will not be going forward from that point. The main reason why is that I do not think I can write and publish chapters that are (a) released on a consistent basis and (b) up to my personal standards. This upcoming semester will be the last before I graduate college, and I plan to continue my education in Graduate School. Additionally, I also work part-time during the week and may find an internship later on in order to help me transition into a full-time job based on what I’ve been studying. As such, I cannot devote as much time to T&T as I would like without either compromising the quality of my school work or T&T itself. While I could just take my time writing the story, it would mean hiatuses of weeks or months between chapter releases, and therefore be years until the story’s completion. Inevitably, some people would become tired of waiting and move on, but some people would still hold out hope that the story would be finished. This would likely create a scenario where I become frustrated with how the slow pace of releases is, I simply become bored/tired of writing it, my interests completely change, etc. I would likely end up cancelling the story mid-completion for my sake in this scenario, leaving it forever unfinished and the few who stuck around disappointed. Also, I had planned to draw scenes from the story to go along with some of the chapters, which would only add to my workload. Finally, my interests have shifted since I began working on T&T; while roller coasters and coaster personifications are still things I enjoy, my main interest now lies in robot combat (specifically BattleBots, which just premiered its sixth season). T&T was always meant to be a passion project, something that I could work on in my downtime from school and a mere addition to the content I post instead of being the main focus. But with the passion I once had for it gone & big changes occurring/set to occur in my life, T&T would likely just become more work for me to do. In my case, art is a break from work, not an addition to it- and I would hate for T&T to turn into that.  

While I do not know how many people were interested in reading T&T, I apologize for disappointing those who were. However, I don’t want all the effort that went into T&T going to waste. So starting in late January/early February, I will be posting the story summary for T&T incrementally on my Toyhouse (with attached disclaimers about it’s unpolished nature). That way, you guys will be able to experience T&T in some form and it doesn't just gather dust in my computer. As for the drawings of scenes from the story, those may still be produced. However, it would be without explicit connections to T&T. I hope you can understand my reasoning as to why T&T was cancelled, but continue to follow me and enjoy my creative works despite this. 

TL;DR- Tricks and Turns has been cancelled because I don’t have the time to write out the story in the novel format I intended it to be in (among other reasons), and I do not want to leave you guys waiting for a story that might not ever be finished. However, I will be incrementally posting the finalized story summary for those who were interested in reading it, starting in late January/early February. 

-Techy

Hello Everyone!

...and in what felt like the blink of an eye, the fall semester has concluded. Most of my posts this semester were media from my July 2021 Hersheypark trip (and I still have many more things I want to share from that trip), but I did manage to create and post the majority of the art ideas I proposed in the last bulletin. Now that I have around a month off from school, what's next for my art and stories? Let's take a look;

In Terms of My Art: I managed to produce the character bios for Lil' Devil Coaster, JD's "Cute" Form, JD's "Handsome" Form, LDC's introduction piece, and a fun Halloween piece. However, there were two character bios I didn't get the chance to produce; JD has one more alternate form that needs to be illustrated, as well as Ka's "Magical Tiger" alternate form. The thing is (outside of simply not having the time bcs of school)....I don't normally draw quadruped animals/creatures lol. I may try to step up to the challenge myself or commission someone else to draw these forms. Because I am not confident enough in my ability to produce quailty drawings of these forms, I will be commissioning people to create character bios for these designs. Regardless, I intend to show them to you guys before the spring semester starts. I also have concept art for a fun Christmas piece that'll be posted sometime on Christmas Day Christmas Eve(!). Outside of that, I'll just have to wait for inspiration to strike. 

In Terms of My Stories: I had put the development of "Tricks and Turns" on pause after a few revisions to the story summary done early into the semester. Now that I have the time I want to take a more thorough look, seeing if the characters, plot, motivations, etc. are enjoyable and make sense. As a result, I'd like to make either an update to this bulletin or a new bulletin about T&T sometime during the break with what I've learned about my story. Also, I'm still looking for a better title for the story, as T&T was meant to be a placeholder. Outside of T&T, I currently don't have plans for any creative writing pieces.

That's all for now; the next bulletin will be put out at the start of my Spring 2022 semester (or sooner, if the T&T update gets its own post).  

-Techy