About Me

KiTSUNEMAGiC1's Journal setup inspired my to write this.  For those of you interested, this should tell you most of what I'd want you to know about myself, my art, and my life.  That way, if you are a new WATCHer, you won't be left in the dust.  And those that are my usual commenters and just came to see this journal entry, don't leave!  There's some stuff that's helpful for you to know as well. ^_^ So read on, kind reader!

EDITED October 18^th, 2009

Changes:
Please don't mind the odd stuff going on at the top.  I think there's a problem with the CSS.
Updated/changed "Personality and Behavior"
Updated "My Artwork"
Added the Dark Mind series to "Literature"
Improved and went into further detail about a few things
Brought things up-to-date with my Senior year

Upcoming Changes:
- Will add a picture reference for my Journal Pictures and Text-Emoticons

This journal entry is here so that you can get a good general idea of the kind of person I am, the kind of art I do and like, the kind of people I do well with, etc.  Hopefully, you should only have to read this once, unless you need to refer back.  If you aren't new and have been WATCHing me previous to the 1^st of August, 2007, then be aware that the descriptions for my deviantID's will no longer be full of information.

Here's the basic stuff that I can just list without going into detail.

This goes into more detail about myself.  I suppose this is of interest if you are curious about me or what makes my behavior so unique.

Name: My name is Graham, and my nickname is "Deer Boy."  My penname is Vincent van Dreyfus, or just Dreyfus for short (some call me "Drey" for an even shorter name).  Dreyfus is also my internet name. My name is not "Graham Cracker."  "Graham Cracker" is an insult.

Personality and Behavior: I am generally a stable introvert, though I love being social and am not one to be silent if I can help it.  Most people typically describe me as being too hard on myself and too soft on everybody else, overly observant yet somewhat oblivious, and wiser than my years.  My greatest fallacy is my irresistable drive to solve other people's ideological problems; I will apply cognitive therapy in what I consider to be everyday conversation, but it can be a turn-off to some people, and some may view it as argumentativeness.

In many respects I'm unique, partly because nobody really taught me what "normal" was.  My brother has a great deal of fun insisting that I "purposely" behave differently from everybody else, but that is at least to my knowledge false.  I was brought up on heavy morals of tolerance, not religion, so I have had a clear ideological view of the world.  I don't think I'm always right--I do things wrong just like anybody--but I do know what is right, beyond the illusions our assumptions, mainstream behavior, or religion impose.  I am, as such, a passionate idealist, and am a devoted supporter of equal rights for men and women, equality between races, no discrimination of sexuality, and pretty much believe in everything morally right, except abortion and the death penalty, both of which I support.

My beliefs do not necessarily mirror my behavior; for example, I believe that even bacteria can have feelings, but that does not stop me from stepping on millions of bacteria wherever I walk.


My weaknesses are unusual, mostly uncommon, but can have severe impacts on me.  Nostalgia, though a beautiful and cherished feeling, can leave me more depressed than somebody with Major Depression; I am afraid of fire (I've only lit a match four times in my life), chemicals, bears, masks, and poisonous substances; I am a perfectionist in many regards (I'll always buy something new, even if the used is a better price).  I care deeply for the people around me--though an introvert, I am very empathetic and altruistic, and I always stick up for whoever I deem "the little guy."  I really dislike making people feel bad, and can get tear-filled eyes just from being yelled at, whether it was my fault or not.  This leaves me trying my best to avoid letting others down, and also makes me very sensitive at how I'm treated.

I value honesty and forgiveness over all else.  I believe that those who wronged others should openly admit their offense, and I believe that people should be nice to everybody, even when wronged.  It is a belief that I am very passionate about, and even when faced with a cruel person I will try my best to give them credit for their good points, even if acknowledging their flaws.  Ironically, the closer I am to a person the more critical I am with the evaluation of skills and flaws.  I have gotten into arguments with dear friends for overanalyzing them, a habit I'm trying to break.  It is in my view that everybody is both perfect and imperfect at the same time; imperfection comes from false views, and I'll take a cognitive psychological perspective when explaining both my fallacies and others'.

I am constantly acknowledging my flaws and the flaws of other people, and it gets on some people's nerves when I attempt to correct such flaws; I can't ever seem to hold back on correcting people, perhaps I'm Obsessive-Compulsive about character flaws.  But my view is that nobody is always right; however, at the same time, I deem my un-biased beliefs as always right.  This can make things difficult at times, explaining why the philosophy to be kind to everybody, for example, is right despite the views of other people.  This leads me to be an excessive debater; be warned, I will openly, eagerly, excitedly, obsessively, and furiously debate a view until I succeed, and I cling on unfinished debates for hours on end.

Of course, I try to even out my own flaws in treating people by being more understanding of their troubles, helping them with talk therapy, and doing my best to be as kind and gentle as possible.  I love being sweet; it makes me all warm inside. But on the other hand, just as I am careful when talking to people, please be careful when talking to me.  I'm a bit sensitive, so try to be gentle if I've done something wrong.

I am a strong believer in Unitarian Universalism, an underacknowledged religion that believes that anybody could be right about something, therefore we UU's should believe what we want to believe and be tolerant of others' beliefs.  I have received religious intolerance in the past for being a UU, but I will be one to the bitter end.  People make the misconception that as a UU I therefore am agnostic; however, I have several strong religious views, including:
- the integrity and sentience of other living organisms
- the non-existence of God
- the accuracy of science, reason, and evidence
- that all flaws in character are caused by incorrect beliefs
- that extreme scrutiny is necessary when discussing the topics of race, religion, sexuality, and disabilities
- that souls and spirits only exist in concept of the motivation and cognition of human beings, nothing more
- that religion should never ever be a part of the government

But what I believe in more than anything else is the Golden Rule: Treat others how you wish to be treated.  So I do my best to treat everybody how I'd like to be treated in return; whether or not the latter successfully happens can be a problem for me. -_-

Despite my cheerful and smiling nature, I have an odd disposition of being pessimistic. o_O I worry about stuff a lot.  You could call me a worry wort.  At the same time, I can be a strong optimist, especially about the future and of figures superior to me (you could say in a way that I suffer the Barnum's Effect often).

I have my own share of obsessions.  I am an okapi maniac, I am rigorously proud of the oboe, and in Math nobody is sharper in Trigonometry than I, dubbed the "Trig Wiz."

I'm really sympathetic for non-human animals, sometimes to the point that I side with the animals over humans, so I find it incredibly rude to disregard their feelings.  I also happen to feel spiritually connected to deer, so especially don't insult them.  Oh, and don't eat venison near me.

I try to please, and I only ask that you treat me with respect, and that if you ask me to make something for you, be grateful for it.

I am old-fashioned.  I love the songs we play in Pep Band, I love Victorian style architecture; heck, I get along better with adults than I do with most of my peers!  I'm pretty more mature than most people my age.

In talk therapy I may often play the role of Devil's Advocate, giving a fair view of a situation instead of the self-serving bias and/or false attribution error a person will view a situation with.  This has occasionally led me into trouble; I was once accused of hating a person because I "always sided with the enemy."

Every now and then I will get very philisophical.  I like to think, debate, consider, and explain the elusive, the mysterious, and the controversial.  My favorite topic of all time is the Unconscious; I don't side with Freud often, but the Unconscious, as well as Memory and Dreams, are so transfixing to consider that I can think about them for hours.

I unfortunately have a psychological disorder: ADD, Attention-Deficit Disorder.  But having it has opened my eyes to the inappropriate attention the disorder gets (no pun intended).  All too many times, people will equate ADD with ADHD (even though they are extremely different; though in all fairness, the DSM-IV diagnoses ADD patients as being susceptible to ADHD behavior).  ADD is an inability to focus on a single thing, but not like you might think.  It is a chemical inbalance in the brain, and a weak connection to the parts of the brain that process information.  A person with ADD doesn't bounce from being focused on one thing to being focused on another (so cut the whole "Ooo, Shiny!" stereotype, it is insulting).  A person with ADD cannot focus on ANYTHING; all too many a time, I'll zone out or hear multiple conversations at once.  It causes me to unwillingly eavesdrop, think about what I'll do tomorrow while I'm taking a test, or misjudge the distance between my racket and a tennis ball.  During my Junior year I learned so much about ADD, I am sick of all the stereotypes we ADD people give ourselves.  A lot of people with ADD think it's funny; I don't think so at all.  ADD is a disability I have to live with; not an excuse I can use to explain my actions.  I am fortunate to take biomedical therapy (aka psychopharmaceudical medication) for ADD.  And you can see proof of my disorder, because I just went off on a big tangent.

Description: Dreyfus and I look almost exactly alike.  I am really tall, six feet and a few inches.  I've bonked my head on airplane roofs, overhanging walls over bus doors, and the ceiling in our basement, amongst other things.

I'm also quite slender, but take pride in it!  I'm not malnutritioned, I was born skinny; my metabolism is quite high.  A few years ago my muscle strength wasn't very good...  But thanks to my tennis and skiing lessons, not to mention color guard, I've been getting new muscles popping up everywhere!  Last time I checked, I was 133 pounds.

I am 18 years old as of October 3^rd, 2009. I'm currently in 12^th grade; gotta consider college now!  I'm shooting for Northwestern, but I'm also thinking of Rochester, Madison, and Ann Arbor.

I'm very flexible! ^_^ And I'm really proud of it.  I like putting both my legs behind my head at the same time, it's fun. ^_^  Unfortunately, I am not as flexible bending backwards. >.< Also, my tongue is really long, so I can do loads of things with it, and I consider it the most ungodly cool part of my body.

Lastly, I am left-handed (though I'm ambidextrous when holding silverware).  And I'm very proud of being left-handed!

A Side Note About Religion: I have a grudge against Christianity due to the one-sided views the religion generally has.  Don't get me wrong; as a UU I see that every religion has its upsides and downsides, but Christianity really has so many biases that I'm forced to "cognitively therapize" false conceptions out of them on an almost monthly basis.  I don't believe in God, as the next paragraph explains, and I don't discriminate people for believing in him; but I find time and time again (to the point where I actually stereotype people for this) that those who believe in God are also very shallow and narrow-minded in other subjects as well.  Including discrimination; I'm discriminated at school because I'm not Christian.  It's really sad.  Though in all fairness, I've experienced far less discrimination this year than I did in my sophomore year.

I don't believe in God, or multiple gods, or anything like that.  I believe in the Big Bang, evolution, and a world without souls and magic and any of that.  But I'm never 100% sure on everything and I always keep an open mind.  I have a saying: "Hopes can be hopeful and you can believe your beliefs, but there is only one truth."  Even I accept that some of my beliefs may be wrong (for example, the integrity and sentience of animals; I believe animals are sentient in all forms of the word, but I also understand that as it is, science has not proven the belief to be correct and has evidence to disagree with my belief).  So as I see it, you can hope for whatever you want, you can believe in anything that makes sense to you, but you cannot argue that which is true.  I can hope for gender tolerance, I can believe that men and women are equal in every way but physically, but the truth is that men and women differ in their cognitive abilities; even if I don't believe that.  So I similarly will say that a person can hope for life after death, can believe in God, but cannot say that life after death or God is true.

Other Things to Know: HyperactiveMothMan happens to be my Guardian Angel, not my girlfriend, as a few have mistaken.

This is a list of my main characters.  I tend to rant a bit, but I'll do my best not to.  If you'd rather have picture reference, more info, etc. check out "Characters" on the left-hand menu.

Fluffy: A white, fluffy hippo-like fellow of the Fluffy Hippo species; they hail from Australian Russiac, but Fluffy lives in the Dome on Scottish Russiac.
Teddiursa: A young moon bear that was adopted by Fluffy.
Billy Bob: The perpetual personification of myself when I was ages 10, 11, and 12.  Though I say his age is 12, it really is just an undefinable mix of those three ages.  A fun-yet-simple character to draw, Billy Bob is of the Stick Figure species.
Thomas "Tom" Johnston Bombadil: An anthropomorphic Belgian okapi boy who lives in England.  He stays with the Egrets, a family of birds that adopted him.  Tom's age is always identical to mine, because we share the same birthday.
Dreyfus "Drey" Vandolin III: Easily one of my most recognizable characters, Dreyfus is my online ego; and so naturally, he is the representation of myself in art, literature, etc.  Dreyfus is an ice dracotherianthrope boy--a shape-shifting dragon with powers relating to the theme of "ice."  He can transform into a deer, a kitsune, a wolf, an orca, two monster forms, his true dragon form, or fully into a human.  He can also transform halfway between his human form and another form to achieve a "Partitial" form; Dreyfus most commonly dons his Dragon Partitial form.
Victor: A Zora boy living in the Deku Woods.  His best friend is Bottles the Deku Scrub, who's always getting them into trouble.
Marcus: I forget about him a lot. Marcus is an anthropomorphic octopus going to a university in Maine.  He's my environmental activist. ^_^
Brandon: A semi-anthropomorphic polysaurus (a dinosaur-like species of my own creation) boy that resembles a brachiosaurus.  A talkative lad, Brandon can be noted for his dream of being like Indiana Jones one day, and for the fact that of all my characters Brandon has the best smile.  Much about Brandon parallels Tom, with several exceptions.
Graham Hopkins: A human boy who was teleported to the World of Video Games and was turned into an anthropomorphic Girafarig.  Head-strong but with a nonsensical living tail, Graham is generally the straight man to the comics he appears in.  He's staying with the Flarisons.
Sophia Flarison: An anthropomorphic Charmeleon girl and a bit of a tomboy.  Spontaneous but smart, Sophia is Graham's guide to the World of Pokemon and his best friend.  She has a Dragonair for a boyfriend, a Marshtomp for her other best friend, and her father Dr. Flarison is the Pokemon Professor of her village.
Magneton: Magneton has a special spot in my character list as being the only character who talks in l33t.  He cares about nothing but himself, and tends to poke fun at other Pokemon.  His big brother is a Magnezone.
Lady Valkyrie: A Jynx governess from my Pokemon fan-fic.  Described as cold in many meanings of the word, amidst her screams and verbal bullying is a soft spot for her daughter.
Artemis: A merboy who exists for the sole purpose of me drawing him. X3 He's touchy about the whole "merpeople are for girls" stereotype.
Climaco: An anthropomorphic Catalan okapius (cross between a pegasus and okapi) who just LOVES flying about.
Stephan: A French cervitaur artist.  Yet to get any love at all.
Oliver and Maple: A two-headed hermaphrodite Dracotherianthrope who happens to be Dreyfus' future son/daughter.  Instead of a Cerberus Partitial, they can split themselves into a female body (Maple) and a male body (Oliver).  Oliver is notably more dolphin-like than Maple.

This should explain my art style.  Hopefully.

Goal: Whether it's visual art, literature, or music, there is an on-going goal in every artistic endeavor I've ever pursued.  I seek to bring life to the world I have envisioned in my head, whether by sight (art), movement (literature), or sound (music).  My single greatest dream in life is to bring life to the characters, worlds, and stories of my imagination.

Style: I consider my style to be my own, but it has influence from Dr. Seuss, Looney Tunes, Disney, Avatar, Studio Ghibli, Pixar, European realistic art, and the styles of a few people on deviantART, such as rune-faire, Ferisae, and coralyoshi.  I try to keep a balance between realism and cartoonism, but it is constantly an on-going war.

I like to use vibrant colors, particularly in shades of green, blue, or purple.

Theme: There are typically two significant themes my serious art revolves around; usually a particular piece of art will be either one or the other.  The first theme is "Life;" the other is "Psychology."

My theme of Life investigates who and what we are in relation to those around us.  How do we coexist?  How is it that we develop, from childhood to seniority?  What is it like to be a ghost, or to die at an untimely occasion?  My theme of Life does not merely encompass the joy and experience of being alive, but looks at the eternal struggle between life and death, the main motif for my serious art involving this theme.  How is it that life wins in the beginning, yet death prevails in the end?  I look at beginnings and endings, only viewing the middle occasionally.  One of the most prominent figures in this theme is Gaia, my made-up Major Goddess of Life, queen of the underworld.  Often I will include hints at her when using the theme of Life.  There may be a plant, a thorn, stained glass, or clouds to represent her presence in this on-going battle.  Sometimes I do not even expect this theme to appear in my art; it just does, whether I intend for it or not.  My goal, in the end, is to cause the viewer to respect and appreciate that which has died and that which continues to exist.

My theme of Psychology is typically more sinister and deep.  I could care less for the humanistic approach to Psychology, or the evaluation of that which is good in us.  In my artwork, I delve into the dark sides of our minds, from insanity to the memory.  How is it that memories of our past fade away like ghosts at dawn?  Why is it that we fear what we fear, and how can we manipulate or restrain this terror from others?  Why are dreams so real, yet so surreal, at the same time?  I'll pit the viewer against grim scenes of trauma, horrid concepts of murderous figures, and sad tales of good friends fading away from existence.  I look to scare the viewer, an aim which time and again I have succeeded with in my studio art (though mysteriously not with my digital art).  "How would the delusional and insane view reality?"  My goal with this theme is to open the viewer's eyes to corruption and decay, and to help them prepare themselves so as to avoid the loss of cherished recollections.  This theme is almost always intentional, and because of its occasional difficulty and requirement of constant attention over a long period of time, it generally appears only in my studio art and literature.

But if you look at my deviantART gallery, you'll see that most of my pictures don't follow either theme; these lesser, more-recreational pictures generally follow a third theme.  I like to visualize things; in doing so, I almost get miniature movies in my head, or short glimpses of life in non-existent universes.  My recreational pictures serve to sublime these sometimes-obsessive concepts into visual form for others to enjoy as well.  Even more minor than that are my conceptual sketches, which serve only to give other people a glimpse at the creatures and beings that exist in the Fantasy Universe in my head.

Finally, a fourth theme present only in my recreational works from time to time is a play on words or on a concept.  I like poking fun at that sort of stuff.  Satire is a theme I quite enjoy.

What I draw: My favorite things to draw typically have plant, mammalian, or aquatic traits to them.  I'm not exactly sure why; I just think stuff like leaves, fins, gills, hooves, tails, etc. are just really cool, and I like incorporating them into my art.  I also try to personify weapons by mixing them with animal traits--the results are what I call the "Crabba Battalion."  Also, I admit to having a tongue fetish, and find great delight in drawing long tongues like an okapi's or dragon's.

My favorite subjects to draw are hoofed anthropomorphic animals, such as deer or okapis, as well as merpeople and centaurs.  I also like to draw Pokemon, both regular and anthropomorphic; Pokemon art comprises most of my fan artwork.

Most of my original artwork is set in my "Fantasy Universe," a series of eight or more dimensions each containing a separate universe.  Dreyfus, for example, is in the 8^th Dimension, while Fluffy is in the 1^st Dimension.  I draw a lot of landscapes and characters from the 1^st Dimension, but they are all primarily from the universe's most holiest planet, Russiac, which is where most of the gods of my entire Fantasy Universe reside.

I used to avoid drawing forests and villages and that stuff because of the difficulty of coming up with different trees and buildings, but I'm starting to make bold attempts at fixing this problem.

Here's a few motifs that tend to appear in my drawing subjects:
- Aquatic or Artiodactylid animal features
- Planetary objects
- Shape-shifting and/or elemental abilities
- Beast-like "Id" personalities
- Pompous, flamboyant personalities
- Males are usually femboys, and females are usually tomboys
- References to Russiac gods or goddesses
- "Life" Symbol (see below)

If you ever see a circle with a dot in it, an arrow sticking out of the circle, and with two "horns" coming out from the sides, that's my insignia.  It's also the symbol for my goddess Gaia, and as such is the symbol for Life.  If you are wondering where the symbol originates from, it's supposed to be a combination of the astronomical symbol for Uranus and the astrological symbol for Taurus.

My least favorite things to draw include hands, feet, antlers, large circles, and hair.

What I don't draw: Even though I enjoy having death or tragic events as a theme in my art, I absolutely do not draw gore or slaughter.  Mild gore every now and then is alright (and necessary when depicting some of my more savage creations), but flat out stereotypical goth/emo stuff is out of the question.

I also don't draw pornography.  I find humor in innuendo, and love the reactions I get from drawing it; I have no shame in drawing nude characters (oh, except for when my parents are nearby); however, I don't draw huge breasts, unfathomably immense penises (like mine, hur hur ), or couples getting all lovey-dovey.  So innuendo, yes; nudity, yes; pictures with the sole purpose of erotica and sexual pleasure, no.

What I will draw: Want me to draw you something?  Do not fret!  I will not make you pay a cent!  ...partially because I can't even if I wanted to. XD But anyway, when it comes to drawing pictures for people, I usually go by this system:

Birthdays - Tell me your birthday's date!  I'll try to muster up something for ya; just no guaruntees. ^_^ But when I do, there's a chance it could be late or (in the case that I REALLY like how it turned out) early.
Requests - I'll do my best.  You can be sure that I'll tell you the moment the art you requested is ready. BUT!  If you ask, say, Pady08, you will discover that I happen to procrastinate with requests and usually take a really long time to actually muster anything up! >_<
Art Trades - I LOVE THESE! <3 But I rarely have the courage to ask!  I prefer these over requests, so you just might get something better in an art trade than in a request: the catch?  Requests are more specific, so you might not know what you're gonna get with a trade! ^_^

Please be aware, though, that in all cases I may NEVER GET TO YOUR'S.  Not because I don't want to, but because I'm so incredibly indecisive that I may never decide on or finish a picture.  So when you make requests or anything like that, please be as specific as possible! D8

Other Deviations: Art isn't my only skill.  I am also an accomplished writer, especially in the fan-fiction genre.  Though it isn't as important to me as my artwork, I still like writing stories now and then; recently I've gotten a whole lot of fans from my novelization of Ocarina of Time, the Dark Mind series.  But what IS important to me is that you comment when you read.  That way, I know that it IS being read.  I do accept suggestions sometimes, so feel free to make some.

In Literature I kind of do a reverse on my themes; that which is most common becomes least common, etc.  Almost 90% of the time my literature focuses on my Psychology theme; in other words, on the dark side of the human mind.  I seldom write any positive, optimistic story; I find much more interest in writing about that which drives us insane.

My second-most common theme in Literature is satire; I wrote a very popular Rayman satire a few years ago, and am working on the second (no matter what it looks like, despite the apparent inactivity I am working on it).

My stories often take a format which I enjoy reading but really detest writing: the whole "Odyssey" format (in other words, big adventures that span large areas, with very few recurring characters and several minor escapades).  Though most of my stories in the past have taken this format, I have finally come to the conclusion that I have only mediocre skill and motivation to write such.  One of my current stories (though now on hiatus), a Pokemon fan-fic called "Hide-and-Seek," is far more centered on a specific location.  I've found that method to be far more compelling and productive.

When it comes to what appears in my stories, my Id is always compelling me to go into detail on all that brings me pleasure just to think about; transformation, animal traits, all that stuff which I'll read non-stop but which I write too awkwardly.  So lately I try to use other elements to bring in the reader.  In "Hide-and-Seek," I used dramatic plot twists, eccentric characters, and an ever-deepening stress level to hold the reader's attention; in my play "Les deux Lamonts," I instead used suspense, relatable situations, and a growing sense of foreboding.  The "Dark Mind" series literally thrives on psychological tension, tragic events, expansive locations, and exciting battle sequences.

Every now and then I'll do some poetry.  It is almost completely restricted to the Psychology theme, focusing primarily at my fears and dreams.

Other than that I occasionally will do photography, but it isn't very notable.  I'm in a black-and-white photography class this first semester of school.

This describes my preferences on art.  So if you want to impress me with some art or are just wondering what I like to see in art, be sure to read on! ^_^

Style: I generally prefer a cartoonish style over a realistic one, but I'm not too picky about that.  I like a modest form of Japanese style; not all-out "giant eyes, itty-bitty noses" anime style, but a style that portrays the true personality of a character.  Howl's Moving Castle is a good example of what I mean.  Other good examples of a cartoon style that I like are Bambi and the Land Before Time series.  On the other hand, it's always nice to see realistic renditions of characters; those pictures are always sort of special.

What I am picky about is how neat and organized the picture is.  The smoother the picture, the better; for this reason, I dislike oekaki, which is too rough of edges for my tastes.  I also like color over black-and-white.

Context: I especially like it when the picture is creative.  For example, there are so many typical "mythical centaur off to war" pictures, but I like it when somebody tries putting centaurs into a modern setting.

Subject-wise, I'll flock to centaurs of any sort, merpeople, anthropomorphic animals, and surrealism, though the latter I find more by encounter than by searching for it.  I like it when the subject is a child between the ages of 6 and 18; I don't know why, but I love it when pictures have that certain sort of innocence (which is why I'll look at femboy pictures far more than I will muscle men).

Fan art is also fun to look at, especially when it is done good.  I'm particularly a fan of Pokemon drawn in a person's own personal style.  And of course, okapis make any image perfect.

Also, I love funny stuff.  Slapstick or smart humor especially gets me!

Digital or Traditional?: Generally I prefer digital over traditional, but there are many exceptions.

Want to be my friend?  There's not much to it. I'm very lenient when it comes to being friends, 'cuz I like having them. ^w^ Here's some great steps to being a friend of mine.

1. Say hello! I'll never get to know you unless we converse, right?  Talk to me about swapping MSN addresses; I'm on MSN a lot, so I should be able speak with you. ^_^ For those of you without MSN...there's always other possibilities, right?  The only thing that you shouldn't do is converse with me via Notes.  The Note system on deviantART annoys me, so I prefer only being sent a note if it is important or private.
2. Join my team! ^_^ As I see it, most deviants have a "team" of sorts: they are the most common people who comment on the deviant's works.  It just takes some time for some deviants; hey, if you want me to be a part of YOUR watcher team, just let me know! I don't bite!  On your request (and sometimes without it) I'll take a gander at your gallery.  If there's stuff that perks my interest, you've got yourself a new WATCHer.
3. Get involved.  Don't just post, participate!  Every now and then I come up with activities, and art trades are always a good way to improve a friendship. ^_^
4. Learn my terms.  That way, you won't be left in the dust and can comment on stuff.  And for that matter, I'm always desperate for comments on literature, so don't be a stranger!
5. Make fan art of my characters!  I won't ignore it.  And you don't have to make me fan art, I just find it a nice touch. X3
6. Pay attention to who else is commenting on my stuff.  When I mention somebody, check out their gallery if you don't know who they are.
7. Most importantly, treat me with respect.  I thrive on it.

Otherwise, just use common sense.  Trust me, common sense helps.