Episode 4: Back of the Bus

Here's this thing. The audio gets out of sync near the middle and it sounds poor. urh...

Finished writing number 5. Think it's funnier than the first 4. Number 5 will also begin the running plotline. High hopes for number 5 and the subsequent, plan to put more time into it. Does this link work??

Took Myself to School; Steppin' it Up

Hola, comrades! It's been too long, too long. How have you been? BETTER!?
I've been preoccupied with writing more episodes, outlining the season and whatnot. See, at first I was just planning on having Meric and Chilco talk about some random, mundane topic every episode without chronologic relevance...
But that's just plain boring.
I'm trying to shift the whole project into a episodic, continuous story type deal, and give more lines to the other characters. Workin' out developing everyone and shiznit like that. It's just more interesting than the same two idiots sitting in the same damn spot on the same damn bus, the same damn setting, talking about some bullshit. Nuh uh. That's got no staying power. It's pretty bitchin' to me, to think how Meric & Chilco Ride the Damn Bus has already developed. I mean, it is still quite unpolished, still finding it's stride but still...it's coming along nicely in my opinion. Noticeable growth.
Almost finished with the 4th episode. I'm trying to step it up. Have shit happen. Crazy shit. Enough of just talking. And sitting. Time for some doing. Yeah? Yeah? Yeah.
Also, I took my as to school, so to speak: watching more flash tutorials. Gotta learn more about this software if'n I wanna make the cartoon better.
And while this is all going on, I really need to find a job...I don't wanna leave ATL...good Lord help me...
Really shouldn't have left that damn grocery store without two weeks notice...oh well. Everyone's got 20/20 vision in hindsight, right? Ugh...
'Til next time (which should be when I put up episode 4) .

-"Chilco"

Portlandia & Episode Switcheroo-ing

HOLA!
I've been watching a ton of the IFC channel's Portlandia recently, after the "Dream of the 90s" song from the first episode got stuck in my head. Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (of Sleater-Kinney)? My current heroes. If you havent seen it, you should check it out. Frenetic sketch comedy. About Portland, Oregon. Uh, i'm not going to get into it right now. Too much to say. Back to Meric & Chilco:
I decided to switch around episodes, so the audio I finished for episode 4 is now episode 5. Just finished the new audio for episode 4. I switched it around in part because of the way new characters are introduced seems better sequentially with the new order I just decided on. Also, the episode that is now episode 5 has some animation aspects that I frankly just don't want to deal with quite yet. I think one more simple episode will be good measure, water under the bridge, and get me mentally prepped for some slightly more complex animating.
Excuses excuses. It's not like I have a deadline. Kinda wish I did though...since that would mean i'm doing all this for some amount of money, whatever it may be...but for now, experience and for-the-heck-of-it are good enough.
I'm also starting some writing and planning for a cartoon to be pitched. You know, they say something about not being able to hit a home run if you don't step up to the plate...something like that. You get it. I do, anyway, and i'm pretty sure i'm just talkin' to myself at this point. It's kind of weird.
At any rate, episode 4 should be done sometime this century. Hopefully before the world ends. The Rexella on Mars comic strip too. Kinda spaced out on that whole situation. Everything will come together. Fret not, you dig? Peace out. A town down!

-"Chilco"

New Year, Daria, & Episode 4 Audio

It's a new year and i've come down with a little cold. Urk. Hampered the voiceovers I did earlier today. Oh well, it's not the first time i've been sick or something. Finished the audio track for episode 4. Time to animate. Hooray.
Moving right along, I recently purchased the complete Daria animated series on DVD and in watching some episodes, I've noticed something that tickled me somewhat: Daria and Jane have similar color schemes as Meric and Chilco. No, i'm sorry...Meric and Chilco have a similar color scheme as Daria and Jane. Respect. Now, I dunno if it was a subconscious thing or what, but I think it's pretty cool. Kind of an homage to Daria. I remember watching that show in middle school. Good times. Oh nostalgia.
Here's a picture of Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane for reference:

Definitely smarter than Meric and Chilco...sexier too.

Rexella On Mars: A Web Comic!

It's ass early in the morning. Mission Impossible series from the 60s is on the tube for background noise. I just finished a Dr. Pepper and I don't even really dig on Dr. Pepper, not like Forrest Gump. Should probably go to sleep soon, I know this. I'll probably stay up a bit longer like I always do. Eh.
Taking a step back from that tangent,  I also decided to start making a supplemental web comic strip in tandem with Meric & Chilco Ride the Bus.
Titled "Rexella on Mars", it follows the characters Rexella and Mars and takes a closer look at their odd little friendship. I'm feelin' a Dear Abbey style approach, where each strip will begin with a brief question a reader has supposedly written to Rexella concerning Mars. Hence: Rexella on Mars. Gotta love that double meaning. I do anyway, so I'll just suck my own dick thank you very much.
After some time, and if anyone out there ever starts to follow the cartoon or the comic strip, I was hoping real, live people who breathe and whatnot could actually email me with a little question for Rexella regarding Mars. It'd be nice, huh? To have some back and forth with the readership?
Is readership a term? I could definitely look into it, but I just don't care enough at the moment.
Well at any rate, as my old high school Latin teacher would say all the friggin' time, I've already finished the first installment in the comic strip. I believe you'll find an easy to find, blatant link up there at the top of the page here where you can find Rexella on Mars. Up there with Home, Episodes, and all that jazz.







(And all that jaaazzzz!!!)
I jest.
Hey listen, if you feel so inclined to ask a quesiton to Rexella or myself for that matter, just email me at rexweeklyonline@gmail.com
And I thank you, one and all, for at least visiting this sad, sorry little excuse for an endeavor. Did you even read this post? Hello?
Quoth the raven, nevermore. G'nite!

-"Chilco"

Episode 3: The Yearning

Finally got the flash movie file converted into a .mov file for youtube to recognize. The sound quality was already pretty bad in the .flv file on newgrounds, but the .mov file on youtube sounds worse, which is what i feared. Ah well. Still needs to be on youtube. Wider reach than the specific target audience of newgrounds.

Anticipation: The School Bus and Beyond

It's 4 am and I need to go to sleep. Stayed up trying to get youtube to accept this .flv file, but it wont for some reason. Desperately need to figure this out.
Finished the script for episode 4. It'll be the first one that doesn't take place on the bus. I really want to expand the cartoon beyond the claustrophobic and confining school bus, see some of the world these people live in. Get to know more characters. All of this while keeping the school bus as a main character in its own right, if you catch my drift.
I havent introduced many of the characters I have in store, most of which ride the bus, so it's about damn time to introduce them and get more people some screen time besides Meric and Chilco. Episode 4 will quickly introduce the rest of the kids on Meric and Chilco's bus, which is by the way Bus 198-7 (my birth year: 1987). Also being introduced in episode 4 are the cops. The Five-O. The fuzz. Johnny Law. I feel like episode 4 is also pretty funny, just looking at the script. I didn't really care for episode 3, didn't find it too humorous myself. Really just wanted to bring the series back to life as soon as possible. I've got high hopes for the episodes to come. In my humble opinion, it's getting funnier. So please, if you're thinking of following the series, stick with it. If anything, thanks for watching.
Hope to get the 3rd episode up here tomorrow...or really later today. Planning on meeting up with some cronies from college to get some voice acting recorded for episode 4. I can't do all the male voices, by jove. But right now, this instant, I need to sleep. Good morning.
Peace.

-"Chilco"