rolla_roach

not much. working on getting a job. been going through a company that helps people get work. so how ur pets doing?

hey how u been

Thanks for the faves! :)

i understand completely...

hello...

Hi Roach, I haven't seen you here in ages... hope things have been going well for you.

Sorry to be nosy, but I was wondering what kind of fabrics you make the CATS costumes out of?

And many thanks for the faves! :)

Hi Wixey! :) Well, the wig can be made of either frayed yarn, crepe hair or kanekalon (synthetic hair) hot glued onto a pantyhose base. The unitard must be shiny lycra (not cotton/lycra...you need the shiny to look authentic and also paints take better to shiny lycra), the warmers are knitted using a variety of yarn, and the tail is usually just yarns tied onto a rope base. Fingerless gloves with maribou trim is also a popular choice if someone doesn't want arm-warmers. It also depends on the character you're making. I wanna do a CATS-styled Pokemon costume eventually. And how have you been? Still making awesome sauce Pokemon, I see :D Anything else goin' on?

Wow, it sounds like a lot of work, making those costumes... I guess it must be fun to though.

I'm currently trying to find work... I've been out of the job market for ages due to the usual grim assortment of chronic health problems I have, but I've since had a medical review and been told I'm "well" enough to work, which I'm not at all sure about, but well see.

I'm also doing a home-study course in Anatomy and Physiology, which is tough but potentially useful as I hope to get involved with complementary health therapies one day... stuff like herbal medicine and energy healing. :)

Yeah, lots of work goes into making them, but it's a stay-at-home kind of job, which I like, and the costumes sell for anywhere between $200-$600 depending on the complexity of the design, sometimes they go for more.

Let me ask you, with all the health problems and the danger you risk exposing yourself to others (which can possibly make you even more ill), ever think of a stay-at-home job? I don't have any health issues that I'm aware of, but even so, I DON'T like being around or working with people, which is why I chose to stay at home and do costuming (besides the fact that I just LOVE making and wearing CATS costumes). Would you ever consider doing something like that? If not costuming, you can definetely sell your art. Just wondering.

Yes, I've thought about it, but not seriously as there are fairly long periods where I don't feel well enough to do anything, whether it's something I'd love doing or not. There's practically no call for art of any kind round here, and even if there was I wouldn't be able to make a living off it. Thanks for asking though.

Thank you for the fave! :)

And thanks for the fave! :)

Hi Roach,

Not sure if Leo's already told you this, but unfortunately the Rose/Thorn project's been cancelled. I guess you'll have more time to devote to your costume business now...

I'm truly sorry to hear that. In my defense (totally picking up on the 'this is all your fault' vibe), several spriters and a few others quit long before I left. I felt that even back then the people Leo had chosen to be on the project were not going to take it seriously and would eventually become bored with and abandon the project. His idea was great, the Pokemon we made him were great. But the actual gaming program was giving him problems as were the spriters. I never gave up on the project, but when Leo started disappearing, I felt I needed to create a business I could fall back on in case the Rose/Thorn project flopped. With the combination of half of his team leaving before anything was really started, and the fact that his computer crashed with the bug-filled program inside, it's obvious that the fall of this project isn't anyone's fault. A newer program and a more responsible team (one where, no offense, the members should be at least 16 years old) and this project could be saved, but only if Leo wants to. I told him once before, You can't make a platinum video game worthy of showing to Nintendo with a buggy gaming program and a team of 12-year olds. If he wants this to suceed, he needs to do it right. Rose/Thorn can still be a success if he truly wants it to be. All it needs is a team project overhaul. Even if I'm part of that overhaul and Leo decides he doesn't like my pokemon (which I hope is not the case), he's got you with your creativity and talent, which is still a great start.

Hi,

No one’s blaming you, Roach. As you stated further on in your reply, no one was to blame for this; things might have got further if Leo had had more time to devote to the project, and if we’d had a more dedicated crew behind us, but things didn’t turn out that way.
I didn’t know Leo’s game program was buggy, all I’d heard was that he’d had problems with a virus on his computer, but if it was buggy I can see why things didn't take off.

Thank heavens it wasn't my fault **whew** Evidently, the program had been giving him difficulties from the very beginning. It just never was compatible with his computer. I remember him telling me it was buggy, and I knew it would slow us down. Are you going to try to make your own game, Wixey? I know your compy is old too, but I was just wondering if being on the Rose/Thorn project has inspired you to go your own way with your 200 something Pokemon. It be a shame if you didn't know what to do with them. You're like an unstoppable-Pokemon-creating machine. Whatcha gonna do with all your cute little mons?

I'm not sure what I'll do with them at the moment... I'd intended to stop at 150, after I've designed the two Legendaries. I might consider trying out the Rose/Thorn program, but if it's buggy it'll probably mess up my own computer even more... it has a tendency to crash for no reason. ><

Do you know where Leo got the original program?

Sadly, no. I dunno if it was a free download from a website or a disc...but it's the same reason I couldn't download it to my comp (my computer wouldn't even go to the website, it was so old and worked on dial-up.)

Same here... really slow and still on dial-up. It's the main reason I've never joined Devinatart - I can't get the darn Gallery pages to load...

That's okay. I'm not sure when Leo's going to get back to us, he's logged in here occasionally, but not recently... will you be rejoining the rose/thorn site too?

I haven't decided yet...I'm also trying to launch a new costuming business/site. But I really want to make time for new Pokemon as well....