It’s been a while…

Howdy there, I know it’s been a while (since May actually), but with 2020 being the year that is has been, I’m sure it goes without saying why I haven’t posted much as of late.

It's obviously been a crazy and difficult year, and much of Australia was spared the full severity of the COVID-19 pandemic when in comparison to other parts of the world. That said however, it did still hit us (some states far worse than others) and this year has still had plenty of challenges and heartache along the way.

Despite all this, things with the project have still been going full-steam ahead!
”What are these things ?” I hear many of you asking.
”And what’s up with the ridiculous photo attached to this blog?”
Well then…lets get started.

 

I got married yo!

That’s right, you read that title correctly…some poor soul actually married me.

Kelsey and I have been together for almost 13 years and engaged for about half of that time.
The two of us settled on the date 10/10/2020 a few years back, but then the pandemic hit and the world turned upside down. We obviously had no idea just how this would affect the wedding, but the irony definitely wasnt lost on us.

As the year went on, restrictions both picked up and and eased off- only to pick back up again, as COVID hit the world like the massive waves on a beach everybody wanted to swim at during summer break.
Humanity felt like it was the teenager who didn’t want to listen and swim between the flags….only to run out blindly into the waters, before getting dumped back on shore, winded by el-nino’s underestimated power.
Now I want to go swimming….wait, where was I again? Oh that’s right…getting married ** ahem**

For those of you who have been married, you know how crazy a time it can be.
But for those of you who planned said wedding during a global pandemic…we need to start a support group.
Luckily enough however, restriction’s in our state lifted enough for our special day to go ahead but dancing was still not allowed.
So…..after we cut the cake, I made my way out into the center of the room…microphone in hand.
As I made an announcement, addressing the restrictions currently in affect, the lights cut out and when they came back on, my body was found dead. Suddenly the MC announces….

”Someone has killed the groom…and it’s one of you!”

The night then turned into a murder mystery party, with each table having to solve a series of elaborate puzzles to determine who the killer was. My body was carried off the dancefloor, where I made a costume change and came back in a wig and assumed the identity of Randy, where I would walk around and interact with the guests.

All in all everybody had a wonderful time, and it was definitely a unique wedding to say the least, with Anime, Disney and Harry Potter stuff scattered throughout.

Although we have yet to get the photos of the full day, our photographer was kind enough to provide us with a few early shots (apart from the cake shot…one of the guests just snapped that quickly with her phone ).

Either way, our special day was captured by Eric Wang Photography and he was such a pleasure to share it with.
If you live in Australia, I’d would HIGHLY recommend his skills.

 

Millennium Exile Promo Poster 1

Last month, I used some of the funding so generously provided by my fans and Patrons to create a special promotional poster.
This poster features the two bad boys of GRAVE fighting side by side in the back alleys of the Ryuuga Ghettoes.

The piece was drawn by the freaking talented beyond measure artist; Mukhlis Nur (Sinlaire).
Poster 2 is also currently in the works and scheduled for sometime next month. It will feature Lan and Agito in a similar fashion.
Stay tuned!

 

Lan 2020 re-work

Did I really forget to post this?
Am I actually sitting here, only just now coming to the realization that Hary’s 2020 re-work of Lan Hiwitari never made it to a blog post?
Well here it is! :)

You can see more of Hary’s work at the following links:
https://twitter.com/hary_istiyoso
https://www.artstation.com/harymachinegun

 

Millennium Exile in a Card Game?

As some of you may know, Anime Soul (previously known as Anime Base), is the biggest Anime Discord server in the world.
They often promote Millennium Exile and provides me with a specific channel to post updates in. They also currently have a digital, collection-based card game for their members and they recently asked if I would be okay for them to add some Millennium Exile cards into the mix.

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This is an example of a special card and to be honest, I love it.
The Millennium Exile set hasn’t officially been released yet, but if you want to learn more, feel free to visit their website.

 

Demo Reel Updates

2020 has also been the year of some significant changes to the demo reel.
I met with my editor for the final render of the demo and yo.....this cut is going to be straight up fire!

The music track for the demo was also composed this year by a straight up LEGEND in the Anime world.
That in itself was such an honor and a massive accomplishment. However unfortunately I can’t disclose just who it is, but if I can, I’ll be sure to share it with you all. That said, the track sounds amazing and really brings the production to a whole new level!

 

Millennium Exile Easter-Egg

A game called "Quantum Suicide" dropped on Steam last month.
Its an anime-styled visual novel game, set aboard a spaceship with its crew forced to take part in weekly deletion games.
Well, as you can see on the TV of the rec room is a nice little Millennium Exile Easter-Egg

I've been a big fan of the games creator, who has worked tirelessly on the game and I'm so happy to see it finally launch.
It's an honor and thanks so much.

 

Teaching up a storm!

Finally, throughout the year I’ve been still teaching more Anime workshops at various schools.
I've still been working my usual 9-5 fulltime job in I.T but it would also seem that words getting around about me and the project, because more schools wanting me to come in and speak.

For such a tumultuous year, and despite schools doing so much remote learning, this year has still been one of my busiest.
In fact, I'm getting ready to teach at a massive private school tomorrow as part of their Japanese culture week.

Well…that’s about it…you guys are all caught up!

 

As always, I’d like to take a moment to thank all the amazing fans of the Millennium Exile Patreon family.

You are all such incredible fans, and your contributions not only help the project immensely; but it also supports artists like Hary and Elmer who work so hard to deliver the god-tier artwork that you see every month.
https://www.patreon.com/millenniumexile

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