Friday, December 29, 2017

Great Anime And Cartoons To Watch

It's no secret that I recently had to deal with some major medical problems, and during my convalescence I took it easy, only lightly doing work and spending way more time than I should have watching and binging various cartoons and anime (I am a HUGE animation buff, btw).  I thought I'd share the best of what I saw.  So if you're looking for things to watch, I can't recommend highly enough the following shows and movies.

COCO
Everything on this list ranges from darn good to excellent, and is definitely worth watching, But by far and away the very pinnacle of the things I've seen recently is Pixar's Coco.  There are plenty of critics who have been gushing about this film, and all of it is rightfully deserved.  Great characters, a compelling story, gorgeously lush animation and designs and colors, and emotional scenes that could wring tears from lifeless statues.

OBAN STAR RACERS

I didn't even know this 26-episode series ever existed.  It's a French/Japanese co-production that aired in the US back in 2006 on Toon Disney.  I was honestly surprised at how good this series turned out to be, having been alerted to it by youtube reviewer Rob The Wonderful.  In 2082 AD, an interstellar war threatening to destroy Earth is halted as a cosmic being called the Avatar (no, not THAT Avatar ...and not that one either) who imposes a temporary truce and invites all civilizations in the galaxy to participate in the Great Race of Oban, with the winner being rewarded any one wish they could imagine.  There are agendas and secrets aplenty among the many competitors, including the Avatar himself, as the fate of Earth and the galaxy itself rests with a single young woman called Molly who stowed away to Oban just to confront her deadbeat dad.

This has surprisingly good characters and a deep and somewhat dark story, and there's some genuinely good action and drama among all the spectacle.  France has really been putting out some great animation in the past decade or so, and this feels like another hidden French animated treasure (hidden in the US, anyway) similarly to Wakfu, Dofus, and Les Kassos, to name a few.

LEGEND QUEST

Currently available on Netflix, this is a 13-episode Mexican production originally called Las Leyendas and another show I got turned on to through Rob The Wonderful's reviews.  In the late 19th a boy named Leo in a small mexican town can see and talk to ghosts.  When his town is literally stolen away by the mad god Quetzalcoatl, he sets off on a quest around the world to find the means to defeat Quetzelcoatl and get his friends and family back, aided by two ghosts (one of a cowardly conquistador and another of a teen-age girl) and an Alebrije (one of those colorful animal spirit-guides you might have seen in Coco.)

This one is not that deep, but it is very imaginative (even if it does play very fast and loose with the various mythical world 'legends' they encounter) with interesting characters and a story that kept me tuning in (especially the big reveal about Teadora, the teen-age girl ghost) and it does get a little dark in places.  It's not perfect though--I think the first two episode kind of drag a bit, there is a little too much goofiness in some places, and it takes a while to really understand what's going on--but there's enough good stuff to keep it interesting and compelling.

GIRLS' LAST TOUR

A 12-episode anime that just wrapped up, this actually turned out to be an amazing little experience completely unlike any show I've ever watched.  Two teen-age girls, who may or may not be the last humans alive, wander a post-apocalypse snowy wasteland, trying to survive.  That's pretty much the entire plot.  But the way it's done is surprisingly deep and meditative and emotional and funny all at the same time.  Their cute character designs 
and playful interactions contrast immensely with the harsh and very depressing landscape they are constantly surrounded by, and they often deal with existential questions in a very innocent yet compelling way.  It's actually really hard to describe accurately, but it's definitely one of the best anime series of the past few years.

THE ANCIENT MAGUS' BRIDE

Another 24-episode anime that's still ongoing (at least for the english dub which I watch.) This is a visually gorgeous production steeped in a rich fantasy world.  An abandoned young woman named Chise is talked out of committing suicide so she could be sold into slavery--and is bought for an insane price by an ancient wizard cloaked in an animal-skull mask.  It turns out she's a sleigh beggy (I have no idea if that's spelled right), a rare person who can naturally draw upon immense magical energy.  The mage informs her that as she's now his property, he intends to make her his apprentice... and eventually, his bride.

This series is an animation fan's wet dream, given how just about every scene is a sumptuous feast for the eyes in terms of design and color and top-notch animation.  The magical world Chise finds herself in is steeped in western european folklore, all rendered beautifully and with great imagination, with secrets and wonder aplenty.  And oh yeah, there's some good story and characters as well.  Definitely a must-see if you like anime, fantasy, or both.

SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO 2199
This is the most recent series I picked up.  It originally aired back 2013 I think, but the english dub is only coming out now so that's what I've been catching.  There's been a bunch of different incarnations of this show going back decades.  I remember watching the original english dub (which renamed it Starblazers) as a kid back in 1980, and it's kind of awesome seeing this remake.  Not only for nostalgia's sake, but it's amazingly well done as well, superior to the original series, which was already quite good i its ow right.  The battle around Pluto in episodes 5-6 is the first time I got excited watching a  space battle in years.  I think it runs 26 episodes and is only on episode 9 as of this writing, so I'll be watching this one for months yet.

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And that's it.  I did watch some crappy things, some just okay things, but this was the stuff that made me keep coming back.  If you watch them I hope you enjoy them too!

Friday, September 29, 2017

Sexy Goblins, Orcs, Dragons, and More Coming Up!

Just a quick rundown on projects coming up!

I kind of had a 'lost' months of September due to a creative block hitting and other developments in real life.  However things seem to be on track for now, at least until the next set of disasters inevitably hit.  Plus it's not as if I got no work done, it only really slowed down more that I would have liked for a few weeks. 

First up on my roster of big projects is the Fantasy Erotica book HOT GOBLIN GIRLS 4, which is well into it's first draft.  This one focuses on the older goblin ladies Hemlock and Black Ember and their relationship, both sexual and otherwise.  Visiting the corrupt, exotic city of Linlea, the pair end up trying to rescue fellow goblins from forced sexual slavery in an exotic brothel.  Lots of adventure and fun, with a bunch of steamy monster girl sex  thrown in as well.  = )

After that will be a brand new Fantasy Erotica ebooks called THE BUSTY ORC'S CURSE.  One of the things I tried to break my creative block was working on a brand-new project, and I had this one in mind for a while.  As a result, its already well on its way with several chapters already in the pocket, so I might as well go ahead and try and finish it. A female Orc warrior runs afoul of a jealous shaman and receives a most unusual breast-centric curse, and has only a human war prisoner to turn to for help.  Should be a fun little sexy tale,.

Plus when I get THE BUSTY ORC'S CURSE done, I can combine it with DEEP DELVE and THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS for an Orc-centric monster girl collected volume.  I'll probably call it simply HOT ORC GIRLS with maybe throw in an extra bonus short story if I can.

Also in the works is THE COLLECTED HOT DRAGON GIRLS VOLUME 2 which will collect volumes 4 thru 6 of the series and feature a bonus short story featuring sexy marriage proposals.

I'd like to have HOT GOBLIN GIRLS 4 and THE COLLECTED HOT DRAGON GIRLS VOL 2 out by November, and THE BUSTY ORC'S CURSE by the end of the year, The HOT ORC GIRLS collection would likely come a few months later.

I WILL get to other projects I've talked to, only I also have to keep an eye on what sells and generates money so I can keep on being not homeless

Also, as a reminder, I am open for ART COMMISSIONS.  Right now I just finished a sexy dino girl pin-up, and started another with a client's character having fun in the surf with Lorika from HOT DINO GIRLS.  If you're interested in seeing your own project come to life, send me a note and we can get started!

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Art Commissions Re-Opened!

If you like the art I do for my various book covers, now's the time to hire me to create some for yourself!  I am now available on a freelance basis to book covers, digital paintings, and other artwork for various paying clients!

Just want to stress up front that this is for ART commissions only.  I am still closed to writing commissions for the foreseeable future.  And no, I don't know when or if that will change.  Sorry!

These are Digital Artwork ONLY at this time as well.  No natural media on paper for the foreseeable future.

PRICE RANGE:

-- Rough single character Sketch: $15
-- Refined single character Inks: $25
-- Single Character Flat Colors: $35
-- Cel Shading/Coloring : N/A at this time
-- Multiple-Panel Comic Pages: N/A at this time
-- Hi res single character Digital Painting: $80+
-- Book Cover(Can include up to 2-3 chars + detailed background + Text): $200+

-- Add additional characters, Add detailed background, Add complex character action/interaction (such as fighting/sex/dancing/etc), Add Alternate versions (such as clothed/nude):  Negotiable, but each option can add 50% to 200%+ onto the base price.

-- Contact: plucas1@hotmail.com

For full details, follow the link below:


https://sta.sh/0nymhzeprhr


The guidelines are there in case of the rare event of a misunderstanding.  Really, it's just as simple as contacting me and us casually working out the details.

If you're an older client of mine, please note some things may have changed to keep up with various necessities and expenses.  Prices by necessity have had to go up for high-end works, for example, and I'm also ending no-show provisions.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

So Who Wants To See a HOT DINO GIRLS 4?

I was working on the bonus short story intended for The Collected Hot Dino Girls.  However, what I intended to be a short 3000 word story balloon to over 7000 words in the course of writing it.
I was thinking that was a lot for what was just supposed to be a little bonus tale.  Then I got to thinking about the other short story ideas I had for the collection I didn't go with, and wondering if I did them all if it would be enough to fill out a whole book to make a $2.99 purchase price worth it.  And I think they will.
So if I do a Volume 4, it will essentially be an anthology of four short stories.  Two of them will be set between Books 2 and 3, and the other two will take place after Book 3.   So that little bit I had at the end of the last book about that probably being the last story chronologically involving those characters, just ignore.  I honestly thought at the time I wouldn't be able to think of more erotica stories worth reading for them, but apparently I was wrong.
I will probably use a modified version of this artwork for the cover:
So is HOT DINO GIRLS 4 something you guys would like to see?

Monday, July 17, 2017

Upcoming Projects as of 7-17-17

Just a quick heads up on the writing projects I'll be working on in the next few months.

First up will be the Fantasy Erotica novel DEEP DELVE, the sixth novel in the Fantasy Envoy series. In it, Tobias visits the wrecked ancient city of Delve on the mysterious Western Continent, one that used to hold a city-sized library. He also falls for Topaz, a voluptuous young Orcess raised by human scholars, as they encounter a very unusual enigma deep under the ruins of the city.

DEEP DELVE should hopefully be out by the end of this month (July.)

Next Up will be HOT GOBLIN GIRLS 4, which will focus much more heavily on Hemlock and Black Ember the same way that the third volume focused on Stiletto. The events in it should lead directly into the next book in the series, HOT GOBLIN GIRLS 5, which will be somewhat of a departure from the more-or-less stand-alone stories of the first three volumes.

After that I will probably focus on THE COLLECTED HOT DINO GIRLS  and THE COLLECTED HOT DRAGON GIRLS Vol. 2Each will collect three volumes from their respective series, along with an original short story. THE COLLECTED HOT DINO GIRLS  will feature a story where a young shapely Plesiosaur hybrid spies Mike and Niska being naughty, and THE COLLECTED HOT DRAGON GIRLS Vol. 2 will feature a story focused on Yanath and Brewer during their wild Mardi Gras night, basically giving us a different look at the events in Volume 5.

After that, I'm not really sure what I'll do as far as erotic novels. I would like to segue right into finishing the first phase of the Fantasy Envoy series (which will go to eight volumes) and the Hot Goblin Girls series (which may or may not end with Volume 5.) I'd also like to do sequels to THE WAR DRAGON's MATE and THE LUSTY APPRENTICE, and to finally start the PALOMA'S HOUSE book I've been talking about for a while now. I'd also like to do at least one more Orcess-centered erotica book (and yes I do have a neat idea for one, tentatively titled THE LUSTY ORC'S CURSE) which I can then put together with DEEP DELVE and THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS for a female Orc-centric collected edition.

What would you guys like to see? Let me know!

I'll also still be working steadily on art projects beyond just the book covers as I seek to constantly hone my skills there. plus I do want to get to a point where I can back off the erotica a little and start on mainstream work again, but that really depends on how finances work out. The books do bring in a steady income, but still not enough to live off, but hopefully I'll get there eventually.

So what all that means is that hopefully there's a lot of good, fun work coming your way from me in the near future. Stay tuned!

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https://www.patreon.com/paullucas

Monday, May 1, 2017

Based on a True Story: Superman VS the KKK

I just learned they're making a full movie based on the book Superman Versus The Ku Klux Klan by Rick Bowers.  And its a real life story!

Back in 1946, a man named Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the KKK and learned a lot of their more sordid practices and secrets.  He tried to interest local authorities, but back then the KKK had its fingers in a lot of pies, and the authorities were uninterested in doing anything.  So in a weird but admittedly masterful twist, he ended yup taking what he learned to the producers of the Superman radio show, which was very popular at the time.  They created a storyline using Kennedy's expose material called "Clan of the Fiery Cross" which ran for 16 episodes.  It is credited with helping to turn popular opinion against the Klan.  I know the original episodes of "Clan of the Fiery Cross" of the Superman radio show episodes are available on youtube, the last time I checked.

I have no idea if the movie is going to be any good or not, but the real story its based on has always intrigued me.  Here's hoping the filmmakers can do it justice.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Upcoming Projects: War Dragons, Lusty Apprentices, and More

Just an quick update on upcoming projects.

First up will likely be THE WAR DRAGON'S MATE, a modern fantasy erotica tale about an introverted human woman who helps a broken dragon gladiator fighting in underground clubs and becomes far more involved than she ever thought. This will be my first attempt at trying a more female-oriented erotic romance story. Will take place in the same world as HOT DRAGON GIRLS, HOT DINO GIRLS, and ICE AGE HEAT, though the dragons will be from a different alternate earth than the one from the previous books.

Also already started is THE LUSTY APPRENTICE (working title), a brand new erotic fantasy tale set on Ximeneswhich is an idea I've had floating around in my head for over a decade now. Two apprentice sorceresses summon a magical empathic watersprite and have to tend to it while their mistress is away. But what happens when the naive but powerful little sprite learns of unrequited romantic feelings between her two caretakers? Many naughty hi-jinks ensue.

Also in the pipeline: HOT PIRATE GIRLS , set in the 17th Century Caribbean. A young adventurer makes an ill-advised deal with a bored demon to alter his doomed fate... only to find himself transformed into a strapping young woman! Can he still survive, much less succeed in his dreams of fame and fortune, as he has to faces pirates, slavers, supernatural forces, and the sexual awakening of his brand new body?

I haven't forgotten the various series I'm still working on, but I just spent most of last year doing almost nothing but sequels, so I need to get some original content out of my system.  But once that's done, expect DEEP DELVE, the sixth book in the FANTASY ENVOY EROTICA series, THE COLLECTED HOT DRAGON GIRLS VOL. 2 with a  brand new short story, and HOT GOBLIN GIRLS 4, which will focus very heavily on the relationship between Hemlock and Black Ember

I'm also planning on doing a speculative science book on Orbital Travel, another on Deep Space Exploration, and maybe even a role-playing game project or two in the next half year.

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If you think any or all of this sounds cool, help support my work on Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/paullucas


Monday, February 6, 2017

THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS formatting error (And correction!)

I just published my newest fantasy erotica ebook, THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS.

However, an early upload of the book had a formatting error that swapped a bunch of periods in the text for commas. The problem has been corrected on Smashwords and is in the process of being corrected on Amazon (may take up to a day to process--should be completed 2/7/17.) If you downloaded this earlier flawed version, just re-download it again from the source for the corrected version. Apologies for that!

Thursday, January 19, 2017

DOFUS: The Best 2016 Animated Film You Never Heard Of

Last Night I finally got the chance to see Dofus Book 1: Julith (or just Dofus in many promotional materials), an animated film by the French studio Ankama Animations, based on the MMORPG of the same name and its various spin-off cartoon series, including Dofus: The Treasures of Kerub and Wakfu.  And it was awesome.

In the high-fantasy World of the Twelve, Joris is a young boy who lives with his adopted feline father and helps run a curio shop.  He learns that his parents were powerful sorcerers and one day his mother shows up to use him for a dark purpose.  Action, intrigue, and much drama ensues as they search for an artifact that can stop her: the Ivory Dofus, an egg that contains the soul of a dragon and channels near unlimited magic power.

One thing I really liked was how all the characters were flawed and made mistakes, sometimes big ones, and their motivations were not always black and white,.  There were a few times where things seem to shift, and doubt is cast onto who is really the bad guy, or if there is really a bad guy here or not.  Everyone is given plenty of story and most is made of that for both comedy and drama.  Even the numbskull comedy relief character, an insanely narcissistic gobbowl (fantasy version of soccer/football) player is given a pretty full arc and some genuine emotion.

I also really liked how (minor spoilers here, I guess) the good guy sorceress takes a few dark turns, drinks obsessively out of regret, and then has to face the final confrontation while too drunk to cast spells.  Bet you won't see that in a Disney movie anytime soon. X)

The animation is very fluid and dynamic, with a lot of very inventive visual designs for both characters and background.  The World of the Twelve offers a very rich background for world building.  If anything, the film's one major flaw is that the lore is a little too dense and may lose viewers in places who aren't familiar with its source material.  But things are still explained well enough that the basic story is easy enough to follow.

I don't think it's the very best animated film of last year--that would go to Kubo and the Two Strings followed by Moana.  But I do consider it on the same level as Zootopia, which itself was an amazing film and my previous third place pick, which will hopefully give potential viewers an idea of how highly a life-long animation fan like me regards this film.

Plus I just realized that Dofus has accomplished something no Hollywood studio has done yet--made a genuinely GOOD film based off a computer game!

Thursday, January 5, 2017

PATREON PAGE Revamp-- Patrons Always Welcome!

PATREON PAGE LINK

PATREON PAGE LINK

Not so much as a revamp as me trying to make it even more worthwhile to patrons. A revitalization, more like.

I have tried several times over the past year to put more effort into the Patreon than I have been, but various factors in real life and elsewhere kept getting in the way. One big hurdle is that the main products I produce--fiction books--are much more complex and take considerably longer to do than visual artwork (at least if you want a quality product.) I simply don't produce stuff from that fast enough to fill a PATREON page with enticements the way many other creators can.

But one thing I am going to do is adding a lot of my more classic old art to the PATREON PAGE, to make them exclusive just to my paying patrons. That means a LOT of pin-up art, sex scenes, commissions, character sketches, and more. I'm planning on adding at least 100+ such artworks to the page, at a rate of at least one new addition per day.

Currently just put up on the page are 10 newly-added sexy pin-ups, as well as a PREVIEW of the first steamy chapter of the upcoming erotica ebook THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS, as well as a coupon code for 50% off the recently-published HOT DRAGON GIRLS 6.

For just a few dollars a month, you can help me keep creating the fun and sexy books and art you guys seem to really enjoy. Any little bit will be greatly appreciated, and I'll do my best to make sure you get a damn good investment back on your money! Thanks!

PATREON PAGE LINK

PATREON PAGE LINK

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Coming Soon: THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS

The next erotica project in the pipeline is ebook THE VIRGIN ORC'S FIRST KISS.  A female orc warrior named Obsidian escapes from slavers and become stranded on a remote island with two other survivors--Glaive, a fellow Orc woman and a former sex slave, and Ishen, an apprentice human sorcerer.  Their contentious alliance of necessity slowly gives way to surprising, steamy passion as the trio struggles to survive and find a way back to civilization.

The book is set in the same fictional fantasy world of Ximenes as the FANTASY ENVOY EROTICA series and the HOT GOBLIN GIRLS series.  If you check out my Deviant Art Page, you can see some character concept sketches and the inks for the book's eventual cover.  Aiming for a release by the end of January 2017.  Hope you check it out!