Please refresh the page to see the new donate banner! Your cache still most likely contains the red cross banner for Haiti (if you’d like that link, it’s here). I changed the link to the donate page today, and don’t want anyone to get confused. Thanks!

-Kez

Hello, Xyliacs!

———————-Sneak peek————————-
Today’s preliminary for Wednesday is a sketchy sketch of one of our new characters just walkin’ along. And then a hand. What is that IN her hand? Hmm… we shall have to wait n see.

—————————TWC————————–
Thank you EVERYONE for getting us up the rankings on the Webcomic List. We started out in the 130’s and ended up in the 70’s. To kick off the new month, today’s TWC incentive is a look at the cover of the upcoming Xyliatales graphic novel Volume I!

———————–XYLIATALES NEWS!!————————
Also want to remind you that Tall Tale Features is kicking off our new web design today (February 1!)! Don’t miss it!
Irma Erikkson of Imy is cooking up a fantabulous site design! A few of us do a review of Rival Angels! Come see the hubbub!

———————-Barblog———————————-

Today I’m going to delve into a subject that would fall into that ‘heavy’ category- (if we had a laugh track at Xyliatales, they would probably shut it off.

I was actually going to post this blog a week ago. I wrote it after personally coming out of a rather intense funk also known as a depression episode, but ‘chickened out’ again (very hypocritical of me, you will see when you read this blog… A few days ago, I was told of the suicide of one of my good friends’ old high school classmates: a nice local guy, a dad with two adolescent kids, a guy smiling in his Facebook photos-some as recent as two weeks ago- and realized that here again was another person suffering in silence…another person who gave up. ANOTHER person who was maybe too ashamed to get help. So I’m posting this blog. Now.

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In the past, I used to blog about my personal challenges of dealing with depression. This is something I feel very strongly about discussing openly for a number of reasons, but I had stopped, because of someone using the stigmas and fears that I was trying to combat: I had my depression thrown at me in an extortionistic way. Essentially: “You better hope they don’t find out how ‘crazy’ you are”. I let a cruel threat stop me from being open and honest and sharing information with others for fear it could be used against me .

Well, I’m done with that. That’s exactly the kind of crap I want to fight against.

I had decided years ago when I was diagnosed with chronic depression that I was going to become a one woman wrecking crew against the stigma of mental illnesses- fighting against the dark ages mentality that promotes the shoving of conversation about depression, OCD, or bipolarity into dark closets or denying its existence for fear of being shunned or mocked or labeled. I can’t tell you how many people through the years I have talked into seeking help and support- people to whom I frankly admitted- “hey, guess what, I deal with this too” to which I am frequently met with shocked looks. “How can she have depression? She doesn’t LOOK like she does…” And that’s when I realized that my openness about the subject could actually help people, who, like I had been, were afraid to step out of the shadows and seek help because of the fear of being socially unaccepted.

Here’s the thing. Depression- OCD – manic depression- it’s not us- the people who deal with it. It’s a separate thing. It doesn’t mean we are weak of character or less of a person. Something impossibly hard to remember when you’re ‘there’. It means that we are dealing with a condition, and like any other condition, if ignored or left to grow, can often expand into something quite debilitating.

One of the best fuels for depression is the darkness of ignorance. Not talking about it. Letting it grow and inflame silently until it bowls you under. The more the subject remains taboo, or maligned, the more it’s fostered.

What I ask of you dear readers is that you help me in creating a world where it’s safe to get well. To not be ashamed if we need help for these illnesses, any more than we would be if we were diabetic, or fighting cancer.

If you suspect you may have symptoms of depression or any anxiety disorder, please talk to your family physician. If you are uninsured, there are many charities that offer sliding scales that will help make payment options affordable. Talk to a friend. Most of all, face it head on, and don’t feel shame in needing help.

If you have a friend or family member you think needs help, it can be exhausting, frightening, and even frustrating, because most psychological illness is at it’s root irrational. Try to encourage them to seek professional help. If you can, quietly listen without being judging, and let them know that you don’t blame them for how they feel. If you are willing to go the distance and really be a support person, know that this is a huge responsibility and you need to take good care of yourself if you take it on. For information on supporting a loved one with mental illness, here is a good start.

For more information on the topic of depression, and other anxiety disorders, here is a website with overview and links:

If you (or you suspect a loved one) are contemplating suicide, seek help immediately.
1-800-273-TALK (8255) A voice in the darkness can save lives.

~Thank you.

————————Odds and Ends————————-
Xyliatales On Air will be broadcasting on Sundays, along with the occasional last minute broadcast! (Just had a fun one last Thursday night!). I’m going to try for a regular time- like 7PM CST. I know some of you will find that an inconvenient time in other parts of the world- hopefully it will work for some of you! XYLIATALES ON AIR TALK SHOW SITE

Remember, you can follow my announcements on Twitter

Or consider friending me on Facebook- just make sure to let me know that you are a Xyliac when you send the request.

——————–XYLIA GOODY BAG——————

Please consider donating for the cause! I plan on adding new things in the coming weeks- first I will be creating a series of hi resolution downloadable character cards, with profile images and bio information! In the meantime, browse our existing wallpapers and other things. As always if you don’t receive your download, please email me directly at bji2001(at)mchsi.com.

Thank you all for visiting! Remember, that I love comments, and your feedback keeps me goin’ on this cold winter nights in Iowa!

Hugs,

~B

Please make sure you are at XYLIATALES.COM, not comic.xyliatales.com. There are quite a few people still using the subdomain, which is no longer active, and the comic does not show up there. If you change over to xyliatales.com, BE SURE TO REFRESH THE PAGE. This is note from your friendly, neighborhood grad student.

-Kez

Hello there!

I recently had the wonderful chance to participate in the open beta of the up and coming game, Star Trek Online. So I’ve decided to write my impressions. Please keep in mind I only had a limited time to play the game (I’m also studying for classes) and naturally it was a beta so there were bugs and limitations imposed. So my review probably won’t be as thorough as it might be if I had played a full game for a longer period.

First thing is first! The story!

The game takes place some decades after the events in Star Trek the Next Generation. So the technology is about the same level and recognizable. There has been improvements to ships, and they’ve introduced some new technology like transwarp. (This is mostly so you don’t spend half your game waiting to get from one place to another, as even at warp travel would take hours)

Some major things have changed though. The federation is once again at war with the klingons. And the borg are changing, although what -exactly- is going on has been left a mystery for now.

You start out playing an ensign, who quickly gets promoted to a lieutenant first grade after your first mission in game (a ‘how to play the game’ sort of thing mostly). You are also in command of your ship. Because of the war, and the quick loss of life, the federation has taken to the old navel tradition. A person who is in command of the ship is captain, even if they do not actually have the rank of captain.

You also are able to take on and use bridge officers. This is much like Next Generation, were you would have a Worf for tactical/security, Laforge for Engineering needs, and say.. Data for science needs. Each officer has their own specialty and abilities. And they come with you away missions, level up as you do, and gain new abilities and so on.

And you have of course, star ships. You start out with a small basic star ship. Average in speed, weapons, and shields. When you’ve gained enough rank, (lieutenant commander, captain, admiral) you are given access to new ships, and three types of ships in the end.

You have escorts:
These ships are small, fast, and packed with weapons. In MMO terms, they are your DPS ship class. In Star Trek terms.. think the Defiant from Deep Space Nine. Do alot of damage quickly, but not alot of options outside that.

You have science vessels:
What it sounds like, these ships specialize in science stuff. They’re the only ones that can detect cloaked ships, and can actually repair other ships. MMO terms, think healer/cleric/assist what have you. Star Trek, you might think of the U.S.S. Pasteur from the last episode of Next Generation.

And Cruiser ships.
These are the largest ships, able to use their warp core for greater shielding, hold the most crew and cargo, and while they don’t carry the most powerful weapons (escorts do) they have the most weapon slots. Think the Enterprise from Next Generation.

So what about the controls? Well when you go on away missions, controls are very similar to most MMOs. You have quick actions (phasers, hand to hand combat etc.) movement, inventory items, switch out armor and weapons. At times it’s somewhat sluggish and a little stunted. Sort of like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. You also command your away team, but these commands are very simple. Attack him, use your abilities, be a medic. Your bridge officers accompany you, and if you don’t have enough or decide not to bring them, “red shirts” do instead, who can die.

In Ship mode… well the controls are still somewhat clunky. You can either use WASD to control your ship, which makes going up and down very slow, or you can use your mouse by holding both buttons and moving it. Which is very uncomfortable. I’m not a huge fan of either scheme and I hope this improves. Actual dogfights are relatively fun, but consist of alot of… circling each other and trying to keep your shields up while blasting away. Actually here the game succeeds well. As you can push your power towards shields, or weapons, or tractor beams, etc. Very Star Trek like.

The missions themselves are fairly fun. They can consist of away missions on a new world, or missions on your ship such as fetch this, go fight that, escort this person/ship to X. What is nice is, unlike most games, you do not have to return all the way to your starting point when you finish a mission. You simply hail star fleet and report in when it’s done.

Federation isn’t the only faction in the game. Once you’ve reached level five, klingons open up and you can play their side. Things work much the same there, ranks, ships, etc.(all klignon themed of course) but the emphasis is less on exploration and more on battle… y’know like a klignon would be. This would be Player vs. Player.. go and attack federation ships! Win the war! There’s also hinting at more factions opening up eventually as well, such as the romulans.

Now the most important aspect. How is the Star Trek Feel?

I have good news. The game NAILS it. I -really- felt like the captain of a star trek vessel. The look, the feel, the exhiliration of a space battle.. it’s all there. I was well immersed into the game. If I had to describe it… I’d say it was as though Captain Kirk was on Picard’s Enterprise, blasting away like he would. And that’s just made of AWESOME.

I think the controls can be improved. And I don’t think the game brings anything truly ‘new’ to the online game. If you don’t love Star Trek, this would be an iffy game for you. But if you are a Star Trek fan and like to play online games… this is a MUST PLAY game.

Did I miss anything? Feel free to ask me questions in the comment area.

Oh and sadly, the game is not available for mac. Which is just a pity.

Canterrain

Hey all! Barb said I should post something up here to let you know about my newest project–and hey, I wasn’t going to turn down that offer! This past Wednesday I started up What it Takes, which I dub a “post-apocalyptic, martial arts survival story.” It updates Wednesday/Friday for now, and will hopefully soon make the transition to M/W/F as soon as I get a larger buffer.

As for the story, it’s about a woman named Colbey, searching for a man named “Peter Wolfe” in a world gone down the poop shoot, but without zombies (or vampires or werewolves or werevamps or zombvamps or zombweres). Yes, she’s the martial artist! It’s rated R for language and violence, but I wouldn’t rate it NSFW. For more about the background, please check out the about page.