UPDATES

PREVIOUS ENTRIES | 

December 23, 2024

Added a compilation playlist from Spotify to match up audio used in posted content despite at this point in time, the platform will be banned in the u.s. next month. Was able to download a backup of most all my content by exporting the info from TikTok as a txt/csv file and was able to paste the info into JDownloader to download the original video minus the site's stamp on top. Audio tracks are embedded so I'll need to batch strip out the audio before reposting to other sites (if even re-uploaded instead of updated). 

November 7th, 2024

Added a widget to the main page that shows the TikTok profile. Not sure if have to manually update the thing once I post a new video. Most likely so...

October 23rd, 2024

Sketchfab is going to turn into fab.com and I've read that they're looking to get rid of free uploads for 3D model files. I've already started migrating what I have uploaded to the new site but it's not a 1:1 conversion. There are extra fields to fill out on the new platform and I had to resubmit models for review after making some changes to the license type. For now, it looks like https://sketchfab.com/argmyburrito is still online. The new profile at https://www.fab.com/sellers/argmyburrito will start filling out with more free models for viewing and downloading. Most of the content will end up being photogrammetry scans along with blender type projects.

September 5th, 2024

For anything 3D, I'm jumping in between resources like Blender, Unreal Engine, Mixamo and Sketchfab. Beyond that, documenting the process is going to be the thing I need to focus on for a while as the primary activity. I have some notes so far but they're far from complete. Any references or specific are in [brackets] along with notes on images but no images to post as examples quite yet. Anything posted to TikTok eventually gets redownloaded and uploaded to Facebook minus the audio but most of the re-uploads do come with the TikTok logo plastered on them. These notes were typed up into a Google Doc and I'm thinking revisions are just going to be added below and I can replace the place marker elements as I get them exported. Once I have some specific tasks documented in a max 1 page format would make it easier to convert notes to a portable reference book, flash cards or just a pdf that I can reference as needed. I'd like to also narrow down specific steps to like an estimated amount of time it would take to complete the given task. This would be less about specifying an ideal but just a rough idea of how long it takes me if I have all my prerequisites considered. All is still a constant work-in-progress.

Took the most recent update and changed it to a section. Pushed the previous updates under the rest.

Import and export reference categories (mirroring current sketchfab collections)

• Vehicles and Transportation

• Places Locations and Environments

• Characters Creatures and People

• Objects and Items

• Clothing Accessories and Hair

• Bones Skeletons Skulls

Will be creating page for index of reference models, sections to mirror current Sketchfab collections

Currently drafting notes on key elements in form of a year-in-review format

[IMAGE FOR SPLIT HEAD PROJECT]

I was able to revisit an idea I had last year where in Blender I could animate a sequence where a character's face/helmet would split open in the center to reveal the face of the character underneath. It involved taking a model/mesh and deleting the area at the center and then duplicating the model/mesh to be separate meshes to work with. On the inside of the face model there is a green panel that hides the area inside of the model when the helmet is fully open. BC was the first character that I used as an example with the wide open panel as my main concern was that the hair would need to move with the opening of the face part. 

[IMAGE FOR UE5 IMPORT TESTING]

Importing some models into Unreal Engine 5 was a success. Using some YouTube tutorials, I was able to map animation sequences to idle, walk, jump and run commands. Using some free assets available in the Marketplace, downloading a handful of demo environments and effects really added some oomph to the setup. 

[PROJECT FILE ORG REF IMAGE]

Organizing project files is going to be easier now that I've figured out some common items - especially those that are cross-compatible with the website and social media posts online. 

A - Project File (Blender)

B - Images & Videos

C - 3d Model Assets for both static and animated

D - Credits notes with URL, creator and License Info (if applicable)

E - Reference to previous project if recreated

[SAMPLE EXPORT IMAGE OF PNG IMPORTS VS ORIGINAL SCAN]

Taking scans of the sketchbook pages and importing them as 2D in the project files have been useful for mocking up animatics and keeping characters on model. Since each page may contain more than one grouping of characters or items, creating separate transparent PNG files for each has been helpful too. 

[REF IMG FOR BB_SQUAD]

[REF IMG FOR VIDEO CREDITS]

-N.C.

June 27, 2024

Taking some time to weed out any generative ai images across the site with notes on status and intent to replace. Also, will be removing/setting to private some content from Youtube and on a couple of streaming music sites for the same reason. 

February 22, 2024

Reference clips https://www.tiktok.com/@argmyburrito

3D Scans/Models https://sketchfab.com/argmyburrito/models & https://poly.cam/@argmyburrito 

Korp-Oh Squad Ship | https://skfb.ly/oR8BF

Reference for scene where Korp-Oh swings in to steal the squad’s transport and (eventually) re-label the “KORPOH-1000”

Squad is separated from transport and with launch into another scene

“Dream Fuel | Korp-Oh” https://skfb.ly/oLPAI - small update to make boots more gold than yellow and some cleanup on the top-back of the head

BB SQUAD | Three Rings https://skfb.ly/oFoKY - variant models included in scene

“Swing to Land” animation from https://www.mixamo.com

Reference clips added to TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@argmyburrito/video/7325637738408119598 (00:59)
https://www.tiktok.com/@argmyburrito/video/7325638414596951339 (02:46)
https://www.tiktok.com/@argmyburrito/video/7325638784136138014 (01:00)
https://www.tiktok.com/@argmyburrito/video/7325639481808145694 (02:59)
https://www.tiktok.com/@argmyburrito/video/7330455486975724842 (08:25)

-N.C.

October 13, 2023

Some liner notes:

🐸🐹🐰🐱🐍🦋⭐️🚀🪢⚙️

🐹⭐️🐸🚀🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

IRON GP–FROGGY_MAN–KORPOH–ROCKET_SHIP–BB_SQUAD_(5)

🐱rodger/bb_squad_b_(1)

🐍 ouroboros/return/refresh

🦋 change/growth

🚀 ROCKET_SHIP/transport

🪢 connection/ties

⚙️ gear/tech

DRIVER MEDIOCRE

PAID INTERN NUMBER ONE 

(ORIGIN & CYCLE)

FROGGY MAN 

(ORIGIN & RE-CYCLE)

EROZER v. THE CORNER CUTTER 

(OPERATION R.O.S.I.E)

FROGGY HAT

VISITS GOLEM ISLAND 

(+PREQUEL WITH BB_SQUAD_PIRATES)

LIL’GP BIRTHDAY PARTY 

(RETURN FROM THE ISLAND)

IRON G.P. RETURNS TO THE ISLAND 

(DREAM EXPLORATION)

FROGGY MAN

ENTERS THE SLIVER DIMENSION 

(THE ELECTRIC WHIP)

FRESH 2 DEATH 

(BB_SQUAD_D, MALICE SKULLIVAN & THE JAM DISPENSARY)

KORP-OH’S LEGACY 

(LEAP FROG & THE FROGGY MAGICIAN)

-NC

October 08, 2023

Added a TikTok widget to the updated Character Index page. Index now has links to individual character profile subpages. Will be able to see videos posted to their site without having to open a new page or open the app. Uses the My Widgets feature of sociablekit's embed code. Each subpage now has some links to TikTok entries which go to app or web version, but do not currently play in browser.

-N.C.

August 20, 2023

Having recently relocated to New York, I have been working full time at a university while we wait for our apartment to become available. All of our things are in a storage unit while we live out of hotels till the end of this month. I'm going to update the Online Resources page to add some of the tools I've been playing with while on the move. While things are in storage, I've been using the image filters on Wombo Dream ( https://dream.ai/create ) and updating some avatar settings in my MetaHuman/UnrealEngine account ( https://metahuman.unrealengine.com/ ). Once we get things set up and moved into the new place I'll have more opportunities to be creative again.

-N.C. 

June 30, 2023

In late April 2023, I made the difficult decision to resign from my job in San Diego due to a combination of medical complications and family-related issues that required my attention. This decision had weighed on me for some time, and it was not an easy one to make.

In regards to my health, things began to take a downturn for me at the beginning of 2020, just as the pandemic was escalating. We had to assist my Grandmother in relocating from Arizona to New Mexico, which added to the challenges. Transitioning to remote work significantly changed our work dynamics, and it took a toll on my health. I started experiencing weight gain, blood pressure problems and severe mental anguish, ultimately leading to me taking medical leave around mid-2021.  

Furthermore, my wife suffers from severe migraines, resulting in frequent visits to the emergency room and urgent care. Back at the end of 2019 she had to leave her job due to the high physical demand of her position. To address our health concerns, we opted for an expensive wellness plan through our insurance provider, paying out of pocket. This plan focused on weight loss and closely monitoring blood pressure. Beyond the physical issues, I also had to confront the mental and psychological aspects. I sought help from a psychiatrist and a psychologist to address these challenges. Throughout this crisis, I found solace in my personal art projects and the support of my close friends and family.

Returning to work was a struggle, but with the guidance of professionals and the right medications, I managed to cope. I consciously refrained from discussing my personal life at work, as I didn't want it to affect how my colleagues perceived my ability to perform. Additionally, I grappled with my own self-perception regarding my ability to provide for my family and the need to seek assistance, trying not to be too hard on myself in the process. We had to drop out of the health program due to the high costs. I continued to have health issues and despite help from our physicians my wife continued to have health issues which required regular visits to the emergency room. 

In the fall of 2022, I got word that my father had passed away. I was able to take bereavement leave and later drive out to his house in Arizona to help wrap up a few things. I wasn't sure how it was going to affect my life. Ultimately, it strengthened my resolve to make sure those I care about are taken care of. It also made me think about where I was in my life and where I wanted to be versus where I was. The time between my father's passing and the decision to relocate to New York felt like a blur. The shame and guilt I felt not being able to feel as productive before the pandemic hit me hard. By March I had exhausted my personal and sick leave at work - having to take mental health days and having to call out to take my wife to the hospital took its toll. Despite doing well at work, feeling like things were moving from reactive work to proactive work I was stuck between a rock and hard place. I had to take additional days off, unpaid, to attend to issues at home and so after much talk and weighing options - it made sense to leave my position at work, cash out our retirement fund and relocate to New York where we could be available to visit and support my wife's mother. 

Since then, I've been able to focus on my health, figure out solutions to mitigate the ongoing health issues that my wife is experiencing, and take the steps to move out East. I was lucky enough to find a position at a college in Buffalo that wants me to start soon, but we're still looking for permanent housing as the move date quickly approaches. I have had to put a pause on my creative projects around "Froggy Hat" things and most of the things I have are currently packed up in boxes waiting for a time after we get settled in New York to pickup where I left off. One of the aspects I was working on in regards to character development for Froggy Hat involves a character evolving from an error to a cargo man. In a literal way, I am personally working on my personal life to achieve stability and make the move to New York. I may post more things on TikTok over the next couple of months and eventually I'm going to go back into my photo archives of the content that has been generated for the project so far to refine and organize things before sharing more. 

Anyway, if you're reading this now I want to thank you for checking in. I'm planning on posting more updates here once I get the hat back on and get back into Froggy Hat stuff.

-N.C. 

May 16, 2023

Will be adding a new page that is for source creative commons references like images and 3D models used in character development. Some of the first couple of character test models were edited in Blender from these samples: 

Korp-Oh | Character

• 3D Model "Peppino" by Garden of banban | https://skfb.ly/oGF8s

• 3D Model "Frog Victory" by @jessi (#JEG) | https://skfb.ly/ooE9I

Korp-Oh | Clothing & Accessories

• 3D Model "Egg" by joe_carrot | https://skfb.ly/6uALr

• 3D Model "Fragola - MACFRUIT - 2023" by pikkart1 | https://skfb.ly/oGVtA

• 3D Model "test" by chseeto | https://skfb.ly/oGTKu

Froggy Man | Character

• 3D Model "Armature 3D Model" by Gema Aranda | https://skfb.ly/oy9VY

-N.C. 

March 19, 2023

Here is some feedback I'm getting using chatGPT regarding story stuff so far...

"Froggy Hat lore is a collection of stories, characters, and ideas that have emerged from the Froggy Hat universe. Here are a few examples:

• The origin of Froggy Hat: Legend has it that Froggy Hat was created by a powerful witch as a protective talisman for her pet frog. The hat imbued the frog with magical powers and allowed it to communicate with the witch. Over time, the frog passed down the hat to its offspring, and eventually it became known as the Froggy Hat.

• The Curse of Golem Island: According to Froggy Hat lore, Golem Island was once a peaceful place where humans and golems (magical beings made of clay) coexisted. However, a powerful curse was placed on the island, causing the golems to turn against the humans. The curse can only be lifted by a hero who is brave enough to face the golems and discover the source of the curse.

• The Brotherhood of the Frog: The Brotherhood of the Frog is a secret society of frog enthusiasts who are dedicated to studying and preserving the history of the Froggy Hat. They believe that the Froggy Hat has a mystical connection to the frog spirit world, and that by unlocking its secrets, they can gain a deeper understanding of the universe.

These are just a few examples of the rich lore that has emerged from the Froggy Hat universe. As more stories are told and characters are created, the lore will continue to expand and evolve."

All of the above was put together based on the initial notes gathered so far. Sounds spoopy!

-N.C.

March 15, 2023

Went back into the artbreeder account (https://www.artbreeder.com/argmyburrito) and used their outpainter feature to expand a previously generated image. I'm currently using the free version of artbreeder which gives a handful of images that can be expanded and/or download for sharing. Useful if you don't have access to run a program like DiffusionBee for MacOS. Have been using the prequel app for iOS to add special effects, text, combine clips or images in sequence, and the presets for static image filters have been pretty impressive to be able to generate on my phone.

Artbreeder added the option to type in a keyword string when expanding an image, so I went with "Froggy Hat Visits Golem Island" again for continuity’s sake. This feature behaves like the one in featured in DiffusionBee which can be run locally on your computer (if you have a Mac), without having to pay extra for an online service (that, and you'll need to the space, cpu and electricity which is cost but if you already have one it's convenient at the very least... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

The expanded image put what looks like a green froggy looking thing wearing a green hat sitting with their back facing the viewer's perspective. They're holding a stick with a piece of cloth on it like a little flag or a walking stick using their left arm. Squatting down on top of what looks to be a rock or stone in the ocean, above this new addition is a previously generated image featuring the mock up for the golem island theme where iron g.p. is in the ocean with a giant stone golem head to the right and a ship with large plume of smoke going up into the partially cloudy skies. 

On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/argmyburrito), posted a new folder called "Variant Duty" which has some of the starter images using the prequel iOS app and their "Fantasy", "Watercolor", & "Anime Crush" image filters in addition to the "Cartoon +" & "Comics" filters to mock up some images based on previously generated images, screenshots and doodles/sketches/etc. 

Took some of the photogrammetry exports from polycam (https://poly.cam/@argmyburrito) and put them into sketchfab (https://sketchfab.com/argmyburrito/models). Again, visiting areas in San Diego like Balboa Park and the oceanside areas near La Jolla. We've been avoiding the traffic and large crowds by getting out there on the weekends in the early morning before 8am or so. The drive back home usually takes us past the traffic in the opposite direction. That, and visiting the park early enough is a good way to get parking before it gets too busy.

-N.C.   

February 16, 2023

Adding https://sketchfab.com/argmyburrito/likes link to reference Dream Fuel | Examples of resources (freely available) to reference for #mood #inspiration #reference

-N.C.

February 11, 2023

Starting to upload some 3D scans into Sketchfab that worked out well using the app named Polycam. The models are being uploaded on a site where you can download them under the following Creative Commons license types:

Attribution

Others can distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work as long as they credit you for the original creation.

Share alike

Others can remix, tweak, and build upon your work as long as they license their new creations under the identical terms.

Here's the link to my Sketchfab account: https://sketchfab.com/argmyburrito/

Here's the direct link to the models uploaded so far: https://sketchfab.com/argmyburrito/models

More detailed update to come soon-ish!

-N.C.

November 6, 2022

Here is my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/argmyburrito

October 27, 2022

Added a chunk of placeholder images for the demo Characters page [HERE]

October 20, 2022

After getting a really nice set of color markers, I've been going back into the original spiral bound notebook for Froggy Hat Visits Golem Island and updated some things that branch over into Froggy Man Enters The Sliver Dimension. Taking a sketch or updated scribble, adding color or shading, and playing around with different filter/effects has been a boon for connecting storyline items, situational events, and other lore related items I'm throwing back into prep for Nanowrimo this year. I keep forgetting that I signed up for Dall-e 2 a while back and I had some more credits in my account to play with the image expanding outpainting feature that generates a block of what should be in the box based around what else is there. It'll give a couple of renders and then you select the ones you want till you either are done and/or run out of credits. I think the account refreshes your account with extra credits every month so you don't need to use money to play around with ideas. 

I'm working on some ideas of an entertainer and the pitfalls of an artist. Also, it feels like being able to revisit ideas from the previous year has given me a good way to play with the ideas, people and situations some of these characters will be going through. Being mindful of scope and scale has helped keep expectations manageable when it comes to hitting some pre-established personal goal. 

I am also playing with the idea of making a cgi render of a music video sequence where someone or something goes through the various plot points established in the doodles and sketches so far. Being able to toss old content into the machine learning filters and other various morphs has given way to a bunch more new material to work with and refocus for the main project. 

My father passed away at the end of August just as I was preparing to get into the "Fresh 2 Death" phase of the narrative structure for the Froggy Man Enters The Sliver Dimension stuff. It reminded me of other friends and family who have died over the years. Friends, family, extended family, and everyone in between - I'm grateful to have had some closure with my father before he isolated himself in Arizona. I'm extremely fortunate to have a great support network through friends and family and my coworkers. 

With pandemic threat levels down and everyone being back from October break, it finally feels like things are getting back to some form of "normal". Since losing weight and putting some back on, it's been nice to actually eat things that have sugar in them (although I still prefer diet soda!). That and not profusely sweating (despite the recent heatwave) has made things easier to get my job at work done. Feeling better has helped spur the creative spirit - being able to play with image generators, sketching and doodling, staging video sequences, and not being so harshly critical on using my own content has been rewarding too. 

September 14, 2022

Here's a list of some of the larger bits of this project so far:

• Original audio track

• Faceswap to media (still image & video)

• A.I. generated art based on key phrase

• IRL 3D scan to importable model file

• Customized sticker templates

• Promotional poster pack

• Still image sequence to video sequence

• Background removal - dynamic / static replacement

• Video content paired with original music arrangements

• Facial & full body motion capture to 3D model

• Customized puppet & scaled clothing

• Social media - public facing accounts

• Website (.com) domain registration

• A.I. generated art to concept / theme conversion

• Cover / Remix of existing content / parody

• Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, iMovie/Garageband

• Custom sticker set print & cut - b&w / color / metallic / holographic

• Lenticular print design & production

• Migration and backup of media to NAS with cloud access

• Streaming media server administration & maintenance

• NFC programming / Flash to URL

• Youtube, Bandcamp & SoundCloud accounts set up

• Augmented reality video content

• Mascot character design & development

• A.I. generated lyrics in style of artist

• Text to synthetic voice in particular style

July 10, 2022

Working on a project to scan in a high definition scan of my head along with using motion capture software to record some facial animations. Experiencing the uncanny valley has been a regular experience when working with my own face in multimedia projects. When using various versions of my own face to map onto some of these animations - the idea of what I consider an accurate representation of my face is constantly challenged by running through some of these practice tests. The current apps and tech I'm using are based around consumer-based solutions that are still in the early stages of development so there has been ton of compromise in regards to what I expect to see versus what actually gets generated. The concept of self image is at play for sure and so is the concept of self-referential encoding. I can imagine over the course of someone's career using their own face in media projects that you can easily slip into or focus on things related to body dysmorphic disorder / dysmorphophobia. Various levels of depersonalization has been occurring with small bouts of psychosis related thoughts/concerns popping up every so often. When it comes to the narrative of the story, the limitations of closed systems (including things like entropy) has been a concern moving forward however trying new platforms and online resources has been helpful in keeping the ball rolling. 

-N.C. 

June 29th, 2022

On Sunday I was able to upload copies of my liner notes from the "Froggy Hat Visits..." project I've been working with [HERE]. It's a little over 500 pages of notes and doodles and sketches and other things I'm using to post on my social media websites like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Tumblr & Twitter. So what I'm rolling with at the moment is that if Driver Mediocre content was the first year of me putting this stuff together, the current year would be Froggy Hat Visits Golem Island and Froggy Man Enters the Sliver Dimension content. Now that I have easy access to the liner notes as well as some low quality versions of sketches and whatnot that can be re-uploaded into other art programs for reposting online. 

I've had to take the last couple of days off from work but it had been a couple of weeks since I've had to take the time off again. There's one thing when your body hurts because of lots of physical activity but wow it hit me hard. It's been difficult to stay asleep but when I wake up I can normally get back to sleep but even with that - the past couple of days I've been in bed for most of the time locked into some very vivid dreams. One of the things I wrote down about in my notes was that I should expect some down time to rest and to not beat myself up too much about it. I'm glad that this evening I'm feeling a bit better to actually update my entry here on the website. 

This Friday marks the seven year anniversary of me working at my local school district. A good majority of the things we've been tasked with have been cleaning up and running inventory checks of returned student tech along side keeping an eye on the summer classrooms that need help with tech related whatnots. It finally feels like how summers used to be before covid but a lot easier with the help of my co-workers who are also busting hump to make things go smoothly as possible. 

Once the work week is over, am planning on looking at art stuff in the back room so we can clear up space for a project. After going through a pile of things to keep or toss I'm probably going to get to work on making some more background audio for my TikTok posts. Also, I plan on mixing up some various tech to make some more IRL representations of the content from FHVGM/FMVTSD/other AMB content. I do plan on printing out some small versions of posters/stickers for things that are canonical to the story too, but since the mailer vol.2 is currently on hold I may just hold on to the original prints and put them in some other future project pack. 

-N.C.

June 9th, 2022

I'm consolidating a pile of sketches and doodles and liner notes and looking to post a pdf here someday soon-ish. Also, going through the spare bits and bobs from the mailer project has been really helpful with keeping me engaged with the story stuff like characters, situations, and some long term goals in regards to the narrative of this first thing I'm going to put on nanowrimo. I'd like to eventually get back into apps like Blender and Zbrush and actually learn how to mock up some example character models. Using the 3d scanner apps on my phone gives me a couple of options for exporting content and playing with ideas involving perspective. -N.C.

April 4th, 2022

New Additions: Dream Fuel Music Television (YouTube Playlist) Link added to Top Menu/Burger Menu ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ5Ep2VEWPk&list=PLWxSPu80_Un6TMk7P9nUutJMh9WS8QemC )

Added a dedicated page for Dream Fuel | Music Television under Projects menu ( https://www.argmyburrito.com/projects/dream-fuel-music-television )

March 25th, 2022

I can confidently say that my mission as an artist who is sharing their work publicly is to subvert the expectations of my audience with two explicit goals in mind. The first, to undermine the power and authority of established systems or institutions that remove or limit personal bodily autonomy or the freedom to make informed, accurate decisions in regards to anyone’s well being. The second, to undermine the power and authority of any established system or institution that leaves the world in a damaged state. This includes (in no particular order) taking a stand against nuclear proliferation, water scarcity, war, domestic abuse, lead poisoning, genocide, mass incarceration, war crimes, authoritarianism, gentrification, and exploitation. To have the ability to be functioning and have/accept support are both vital to survival. To put it in simpler terms: DO NO HARM, TAKE NO SHIT.

It’s finally time to put my money where my mouth is: Less Jaw. More Draw.

If you’re reading this and disagree with my stance on the subject, I’d love to hear some counter arguments to how I feel about it. This is the fair warning I’m giving to the world at this moment in perpetuity: I may have to continue dealing with my own executive dysfunctions - I’ll keep on keeping on.

-Nick Coil

February 23rd, 2022

At the moment, Froggy Hat Visits Golem Island takes place in a dream sequence of a young guinea pig. I’m still very much in the early development of this idea, however I’m using it as an excuse to get myself a nice frog hat made for myself. Here’s what I got so far:

Wherein the date is some future unspecified where humans are long since extinct or gone and all that are left are evolved and/or android-like versions of animals that got progressively cuter over time as a survival tactic. 

The tale mirrors the fictional narrative of an author’s adopted pet guinea pig from the perspective of the guinea pig as just a regular kid who grew up as a guinea pig. They dress up for Halloween and stuff, they look really cute together and for narrative reason, you can’t ever get a good look at the writer’s face. The writer had previous success with their previous story about those their old pet frog ( and their sad little toad butt) and so through lil gp’s story, I’m narrowing the gap between the author’s story and the events that eventually unfold in the far of future a.c.e. (after common era).

Back in the narrative, A toad named Korp-Oh and their faithful A.I. companion “Paid Intern #1” travel to a previously unknown island under the guise of sloppily orchestrated real estate scam for a spa/resort. Paid Intern Number One is great at their job but is merely a gopher (not literally in this case). That place is referred to on the secret map Korp-Oh keeps in their bag. They got from Korp-Oh’s old boss where he worked as an entertainer/singer at a place named “Mal’s Jam Dispensary & Dueling Piano Bar” which was a front for an arms laundering operation. The place on the map is labeled only as “GOLEM ISLAND” and they were given explicit instructions to never go there. Korp-Oh has “investors”, they’ve got “cash”, Korp-Oh has one thing on their mind, and that’s profit. Laser blast directly from a large stone golem’s eyeballs? You betcha. It doesn’t matter, Korp-Oh is interested in one thing, the smudged mark on the original map that says here marks “The Great Iron Frog”.

(P.I.N.1 thinks the map of the island kinda looks like a skull but that’s probably just a coincidence). 

Froggy Hat and G.P. get a brochure in the mail about going to somewhere called “Froggy Island”. This reminds G.P. of a distant tropical Island they had a dream about as a lil gp ( back when they were a lower case g ). They idolized the writer’s character “Froggy Man” when they were younger and there were always rumors about a theme park or something… but a themed resort and spa? It had a rough year and G.P. wanted to adventure. So G.P., Froggy Hat, and G.P.’s trusty iron fist leap to the nearest seafaring ship headed in that general direction. (The ship they go with is crewed by a rouge group of pirate rabbits from the moon. They are fearsome, but cute/adorable nonetheless!)

Through old archives of transcribed/personal audio logs, unique but familiar music, (and what I’m aiming for, and will hopefully be) thought provoking and resonating tales, along with other video footage presented posted online … things like what we’ve seen, heard, felt… anger, joy, and sorrow… these are the things I want to incorporate in my art. This the sort of energy I’m feeling with this current project ❤️🐸🏝🌄

It would be my greatest wish to have someone take the idea and run with it in any direction. For now I’m leaving G.P.’s journey as the main narrative p.o.v. for the people getting into the lore.  I’d like to eventually flesh out Mal’s origin story before posting any more specifics though. I don’t particularly like MacGuffins/McGuffins despite my rampant reliance on them. I’m still very much baby in this endeavor and learning as I go 🤓

February 17th, 2022

tldr; Participant Pack shipping schedule updated to staggered release with additional content

For the remaining participant packs to be shipped, will be putting in a little something extra for those who haven't gotten theirs yet. At the moment, none have been shipped. I've had to pivot a staggered mailing schedule due to an extremely low budget for this project. Also, my main server where I store my project files went down recently and is currently running on the old power supply till I figure out where I put my spare/new one.

Anytime I reference getting funding for this sort of thing I literally mean my paycheck I get at the end of the month. There was a little while recently where I had to take medical leave at work to focus on my health. Since returning to work my paychecks have been a little thin. Good news though, am looking to do our taxes before the end of the month and I'm expecting my next paycheck to be the normal amount. And now with us not having to pay weekly medical fees it's going to make things a lot easier to not only get back to adding to savings but open up the supply chain so I can put some cash into the postal service. 

I want to stress that this project I'm working on is something that I'm not looking to have anyone contribute money towards costs of production. Most of the materials used are sourced from recycled items or purchased from thrift stores or that would have been going into a landfill somewhere. I'm really excited to say that in addition to the initial staggered release of the Driver Mediocre content, I'll be including a "design your own character" template and looking to expand that to be available on this website to download as like a jpeg or pdf or whatever makes sense along with a variant version passed through a couple of machine learning filters. The staggered part means over the course of the next couple of weeks I'll be getting packs to locals first, then ship a handful each weekend over the next couple of weeks. This is also what I'm considering a multi-part shipment. Will be including some of the initial "Froggy Hat Visits..." content with focus on either a monthly or every other month shipping plan. The Driver Mediocre content being the part one of the initial shipment includes (so far)

PART ONE (slated for staggered initial release from February through March 2022)

Driver Mediocre

• Participant Version Collector's Card (Sticker)

• Card template print and protective case

• Limited edition print of one of the mountain range image variants with a screen cleaner cloth

• Baby Ugly Studio Laminated Art Print (Sticker)

Froggy Hat Visits...

• Envelope with Design Your Own Character template

• IRL version of Paid Intern Number 1's Froggy Island brochure mockup

Also...

• Bootleg copies of both Betazoid Kitten Music albums "Let Me Share Music, Volume 1" & "Audio Reboot, Season 1". 

• A couple of extra unitemized goodies and dream fuel material

PART TWO (slated for sometime in April 2022)

ARG My Burrito 

• "All Access" physical NFC token (Coin) with website links to exclusive content and downloads

• Additional printed media and links to digital content available online

Having to document all of this has been really helpful. The main notebook I've been writing things has been jam packed with an ever evolving well of lore, character design, and other dream fuel. NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org/) is coming up in November and I've made it a personal goal to start contributing. Being able to get back into art in general has been really helpful in regards to making the best of my recovery. By far, being able to reconnect with friends has been the most exciting part of this whole endeavor. If you're taking the time to read this text dump then thank you for coming to my TED talk.

January 19th, 2022

Participant packs are tentatively set to ship at the start of February 2022 when funding for shipping costs will be met

Most items from the original plan are making it into the pack - will be drawing up a listing of the items before sending them out and post it to the website for future reference

Aside from being able to slap this together with recycled packaging, thrift store art tools/supplies and printing items in-house, I’ll be continuing to post content to my TikTok and Instagram accounts while adding more detailed updates directly to www.argmyburrito.com 

In the meantime, currently working on the next tracks for Betazoid Kitten Music | LET ME SHARE MUSIC VOL. 2

At the moment, most of the tracks below are tied into the narrative of a new project for "Froggy Hat Visits Golem Island"

Here is an early track listing to give y'all an idea of what will be in the works in the upcoming months:

MAIN TRACKS (SO FAR)

• Scared Stupid (a.k.a "Spooker's Bop") (3:52) (MAY BE REDACTED)

• Driver Mediocre (a.k.a. "Error's theme") (4:33)

• eroZer (TBD)

• Froggy Hat GP (TBD)

• Korp-oh's Legacy (TBD)

• r.o.Z.i.e's theme (TBD)

• ???

BONUS TRACKS (FOR NOW)

• Dream Fuel Gallery 001 (8:55)

• Dream Fuel Gallery 002 (TBD)

• MEDIA GENERATED BY A.I. TUNE (0:05)

• freegarfield.com TUNE (TBD)

• ???

DFG00x tracks may eventually be featured in its own playlist once I get another five or six "Dream Fuel Gallery" videos published online

While waiting for the additional funding for shipping the Participant Packs for "Driver Mediocre", I'm actively working on character and lore development for Froggy Hat, scanning various things using my phone's LiDar feature to convert some things from IRL to digital. Will be continuing to post updates to the Facebook pages for ARG My Burrito and Betazoid Kitten Music along with the TikTok and Instagram accounts. Latest idea on the table is building out a new character's assistant with the option for participants to design their own face that will be featured in clips and/or ongoing publications for consumption on social media. 

-Nick

December 26th, 2021

Participant gift packages are getting closer to being finished. Used a sharp tool to cut out the soft foam inserts gathered for access coins and extra bobs/bits. Folded up the clear case boxes for the mini-LP component and chopped rigid foam sheet to fit boxes for two per box. Staging url sequence for coin encode with each coin being a unique value tied to placeholder destinations to add info to offline liner notes. Current plan is to upload some files to the public share via google drive and archive older project data to be accessible via ftp server. Will also need to demo/test some coin encodes and generate QR code demos for each coin to be processed. Need to polish templates for very small certificate of authenticity, miniature logo/mascot mono on holo print, mini try-star punch concept, and initial run of coins (limited to 60 public uniques for "Driver Mediocre" Project under Betazoid Kitten Music). Have the upcoming weeknights to prioritize responders to the address form sent via Google Forms. 

New Additions: 

• Added ACCESS menu for project files with the following subpages*: https://www.argmyburrito.com/access/coins

*Also added submenu option for public file access to PROJECT FILES

December 23, 2021

• Uploaded music video for "Driver Mediocre (Participant Version)" to Facebook page for Betazoid Kitten Music at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=937009633894270

December 20th, 2021

• Added LINER NOTES for Driver Mediocre project here: https://www.argmyburrito.com/projects/liner-notes-x-driver-mediocre

November 26th, 2021

New track "DRIVER MEDIOCRE" to be released as music video and single download/streaming options available. Will be added to "LET ME SHARE MUSIC VOL. 2" (currently in development). Limited release print media to be included / shipped to participants by EOY (2021).

Currently working on the video for the next track "Driver Mediocre". Closed the submission window for people to reach out directly to me to be included. Contacted several friends and family on Facebook to ask them about collaborating and having their face in the video for the track. Generated a handful of video clips for each person who's included and tagging the media for future reference in the clip sequence. Original estimated release date had to be pushed back to allow audience participation clips to be integrated into the sequence.  

New Additions:

• Facebook page for "ARG MY BURRITO!" https://www.facebook.com/argmyburrito

• Facebook page for "BETAZOID KITTEN MUSIC" https://www.facebook.com/betazoidkittenmusic

• Personal/private account on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nicholas.coil

• Converted pre-existing Instagram account to pubic facing "ARG My Burrito!" https://www.instagram.com/argmyburrito

• Matched the images from website theme to social accounts incl. Twitter account https://twitter.com/argmyburrito

• Launched a landing page for "FREE GARFIELD (DOT) COM" https://www.freegarfield.com (more info coming soon)

• Baby Ugly (Dot) Studio gift logo image clear sticker test

• Created an "updates" page for change log activity

Pending / Upcoming Projects: 

• Complete main video sequence & credit sequence incl. composition of an additional audio track

• Media tests with vinyl stickers, lenticular photo prints & 3D scan data using LiDAR applications

• Participant Version of "Driver Mediocre" sequence (Long Play/Extended Version) for Facebook with tags provided by participants

• Creator Version of "Driver Mediocre" video sequence for public facing platforms (Facebook/Instagram/Tumblr/YouTube/etc)

• Simultaneous release of Creator Version video / audio for download & streaming after the release of Participant Version on Facebook

• Development of customized sticker and collector's card set for participants (to be shipped for the holiday season) 

More info coming soon, Nick @ argmyburrito.com BETAZOID KITTEN MUSIC More info and links listed @ https://linktr.ee/argmyburrito