Wow...I honestly have no idea how to introduce this.

I mean, two years of Mini-DDs...I actually don't know where to begin. There's thanking everyone who's supported me & gotten me here, there's saying how much I've loved everything I've featured, maybe even a few special thanks to go out, commenting on how this has actually outlasted several gallery directors & the real DDs they've written, saying how much I love you all, acting all nostalgic & such...

Actually, you know what? Just take that huge jumble & arrange it in whatever way you want, then add some crap to it. Good enough for an intro.

Anyhow, to start off our celebration, let's have some cake!!

*wheels in gigantic, several-feet-high, multi-layered Dairy Queen ice cream cake*

And just for the heck of it...

*puts smaller cake on the side saying "Happy 3rd DA Anniversary"*

...Saturday marks my third year here. Kinda nice how the two are so close, huh?

And now to cut the cake, please welcome our own little psycho robot mascot & award model, Fefcaine!!

Yayyyyz!! Whoo! I love all of you! I loves the cake more! I love that you love me being on a shiny gold piece of chocolate...So much award goodness over two years...Think I'm gonna cry...

Alright, buddy, good job there! We love you right back! Now can you go & cut the cake for everyone?

Okay!! This is gonna be fun...*revs up the chainsaw on his Lancer rifle*

Ummm...The Gears of War weapon? Fef, I'm not sure if that's the best choice for...Oh god, he's already got it in the cake! Fef, it's getting pretty sloppy, maybe you should...Okay, now you're just cutting wildly around it randomly &...No, don't start pulling the trigger!!

*BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM*

Ohhh...Chocolate cookie bits everywhere...

Ummm...Did I do good?

Well, surprisingly saner than I expected, buddy.

Sorry about the cake, people. But don't worry, we've got some other stuff lined up for you as well!!

Now, last year I celebrated our first anniversary by just noting a few choice pieces of work that I've featured over the year. Unfortunately, that makes it trickier to do the same thing the following year, especially since it wouldn't deliver the same impact.

So how to wax nostagic about this anniversary? Well, I couple of ideas in mind, & so I've decided to start things off by reprinting the very first edition of Mini-DDs!! Yes, the original one that I started in my journal two years ago (typos n' everything)!

Of course, that's not everything! As a bonus, I'm going to do a little "then-&-now" sort of thing, so in addition, I'll be featuring recent Deviations by the nine original featured artists! You know, to serve as little bit of commentary as well!

And of course, those nine artists will be something a bit special: The Platinum Fefcaine Award!



The Platinum Fefcaine Award, handed out on special occasions to special Deviants with special Deviations, etc. Plus this one has a scrumptious dark chocolate center! And some additonal...You know what? The nine of you getting this award are the ones who've gotten me here, so you choose what additional filling you want this time around!

Alright, so let's get going already! So to set the stage, let's start by reprinting the original introduction to it all, straight from May 8, 2006...

---------------

"Okay, how to explain this...Well, after gaining an interest in daily Deviations, then sending in several DD suggestions, with some actually becoming DDs, & having a s***load of Favourites containing pieces that I really just want to share with everyone, I got a little advice & it seemed as though making a weekly Deviation Features article of sorts was the logical way to go...For now...

Anyhow, every week I'll be featuring nine different deviations that I really enjoyed so much, I actually consider them to be "Mini-DDs" here (or at the least, DD suggestions), hence the (WIP at least) title. Heck, I even have a little token of appreciation for the winners: The Golden Fefcaine Award.



...You get a note receiving that, & you've made a Mini-DD piece that's truly earned my respect. And it's also 100% chocolatey goodness inside! ^_^

Plus, I figure I can use this space to talk about my personal experiences more, in order to make my journal & DA life a little more active. ...Um, this makes me wish I actually had something really prepared right now...Well, i did see MI3 this weekened, & I thought it was pretty cool...Perfectly light on plot, with some great action sequences that don't let up. But now I'll probably be spending the rest of the summer trying to figure out what the "Rabbit's Foot" really was...Curse you, Abrams, & your ability to create cryptic cliffhangers & clues! (Sly's note: Yeah, mixing the Mini-DDs plus personal stuff was pretty awkward. Hence one reason why I moved it to the News.)

But enough of all that, on to the real stars of our show:"

---------------


"Artists like *SleepDep are some of DA's best talent, in my opinion...The artists who can perfectly make cartoons & creations mixed in with the perfect blend of psychedelia & surrealism. All Systems Go to HELL is no exception, taking a piece involving schoolgirls & robots & eventually twisting it into something unbelievable & freaky that you just have to see to believe. Plus, great concept for the story, so bonus points there. P.S. View her gallery or be damned."



Well, two years later, the "DA's best talent" part is still 100% true when it comes to SleepDep...In fact, she's now one of two Deviants who holds the Mini-DDs record for the most featured deviations! She's kept it up with the gallery full of sweet & freaky cartoons, but chalk a bit of Sleepy's success up to Dr. Omni Momero Omni, one of her signature characters who really hit his stride & became damn popular in the last couple of years, seen in amazing Deviations such as How many how often what price. That fat blue insect bastard is just too lovable to resist...

---------------


"Pluto by ~kaecee...It's just a near-perfect mixture of vivid, dark, surreal, & even a little wacky subject material, all brought together by an impressive concept & style. Who knew flying cardboard boxes could make for part of a brilliant landscape, anyway?"



Huh...Maybe it's just me, but that seemed like a shorter description than usual...Anyhow, it seems like the more things change, the more they remain the same when it come's to kaecee's gallery...But no complaints, of course. Between cool little cartoons such as heart & a bevy of fine anime artwork (which I have yet to feature for some stupid reason...Heh heh...), she's managed to continually remain impressive over time!

---------------


"boxed up by ~antz81 is one of those pieces that may seem a tad simplistic, but that's where the beauty lies, as it creates a unique & sort of "retro"-styled creation. Plus, the viewing angle used combined with a cool color scheme is nice as well, & the little guy's logo & hand actions just add a little bit of humor as well. Hey, he's only huma...Oh, wait..."



Maybe it's just me, but antz has seemingly upped the ante since the days of robots flipping you off, coming up with more & more vivid & out-there urban-styled designs, much like +MNDFCK...Whose title pretty much says it all when it comes to summing up said designs. And thank god for that, since it helps this guy's freakishly amazing skills stand out even more!

---------------


"*0r0ch1 may be an artist best known for his Anthro drawings (as well as his own popular fursona), but Which way to Starland? ended up being the piece that caught my attention the most. Brilliantly drawn with a great use of colors & a stylish, unique touch & backed up with a nice semi-hauntinglt tale as well...& the fact that I'm a huge Mega Man fan may have helped out a tiny bit as well. ^_^"



Well, not much has changed for 0r0, still just as semi-obsessed with anthro art & gaming as back then...Well, okay, there is one major event . In between showing a lot of support towards his friends, he also found himself quite a lovely companion with =ArbokCobra, who inspired some of his best work such as Don't want to know..., a true beauty. So here's to the both of you, & here's hoping you have nearly infinite years of happiness! (And yeah, I know this one already has a real DD. So? You try resisting it!)

---------------


"Chaos One by ~HypnoticArtsLtd is just one of those brilliantly designed & trippy pieces that just has so much going on at once (thanks to an impressive amoutn of detail), it's impossible not to have it catch your eye. It delivers in the area the artist's name suggests...It's like a visual drug trip (the good kind, though)."



Well, HAL ended up switching accounts about a year ago, bringing his whacked-out & hypnotic gallery over to ~Wildraw, where he even reposted Chaos One right here! What followed was a nice crop of psychedelic collages that he sold to some lucky people, which even included the sequel Chaos Two...THE RECKONING.

---------------


"A simple yet very effective cool color scheme, combined with a perfect use of perspective & some funky, cute, eye-catching characters makes .Skullies.Attack. by ~MonstroMan a fun little sight to behold. Gotta love those Skullies, straight outta Toontown. "



Oooh, well, MM has kind of been offline for about...65 weeks. Yeah...In fact, :Lil' Monster: was actually the last piece he had apparently made after being featured, so...Umm...Kinda awkward, huh? Bit of a shame, too, since a gallery full of Deviations such as the above really showed promise. Well, this stuff happens...Here's hoping he's had some good fortune. (P.S. as =lazesummerstone is the subject of his last piece & the last person to have commented on MM's page, laze will be accepting the award on his behalf.)

---------------


"Have you ever really wondered what your favorite artist's mental realm visually looks like?...Well, whther or not you have, ~VanZero shows off what'd inside his head with My mind, & the result is a twited, colorful, & funky mix of all sorts of ideas that come together in a freaky collage to create a stunning piece of work."



Well, there's not much I can say about Van's development over time...Except that he rocked, of course. And when not showcasing his obsession with bunnies (which has led to some truly delightful stuff), Van has cranked out several sweet & simple cartoons such as Green is real love, all 100% colorful & lovable. All I can say now is to keep up the amazing work, Van!

---------------


"A warm, perfect use of colors, a nearly-hypnotic texture, a simplistic yet appealing style, & of course, Goron-like giants raining down from the sky upon a businessman with a star for a head. It's all of the above that makes Gerrie Ster by *skaffa a surreal classic, along with several other pieces in his gallery. Once again, freaky & brilliant stuff here."



You know, out of the original nine featured Deviations, I would honestly have to say that Gerrie Ster is the one that's held up the most over the years. And much like antz, skaffa has spent those years putting out some amazing urban-styled artwork, ranging from bits of graffiti to hip-hop posters to more ambitious & fantasy-themed works such as Hokusai Shore. Not exactly as recent as the others, but damn, did he outdo himself there. Makes me wonder why I haven't featured it in any way yet...Stupid, stupid me...

---------------


"!Themrock's cartoon & fan art pieces are always so wonderfully twsited in his own unique manner, creating some mesmerizing pieces of work. His lineup of Shy-Guys is one piece that perfectly showcases several different ways he can mold a cartoon into something amazing, wacky, colorful, & unique, as well as giving a sweet twist to a Nintendo classic. Gotta respect those masks, man."



Well, this seems pretty appropriate: We started with one artist that holds the record here for the most featured Deviations, & we end on the other artist that holds that record as well!! Yes, despite being recently & sadly banned due to some out-of-control controversy involving an overly-sensitive Deviant whose name I can't mention because he'll send me to the cornfield if I do, Themrock has still stood out as one of this site's top cartoonists. And when not creating wicked & uniquely-styled fan art, he's created equally wicked & unique characters for his own intriguing universe such as Don't Sting Me's Thornielle, a truly lovable creation he should definitely be proud of. We miss ya, buddy... (P.S. Due to Themrock's situation, =Zorgia will currently be accepting the award on his behalf, being one of Them's friends/fans & pretty much the only person who's been acting the most sane about all of this.)

---------------

"...So enjoy, & see you all next week! "


...Damn, looking at all that, I think my writing skills were better back then.

Well, nonetheless, that's our little look back on the very first Mini-DDs lineup, & where everybody's come since then. And seeing as how they've all still managed to remain just as impressive as they were back then, make sure to give them all a big hand!

Alright, so I guess I could end the whole thing here, but dammit, this a special day! And it demands more!

So while this may be an odd choice for how to celebrate an annivesary (or at least an odd choice here), I'm going to share with all of you everything, step by step, that goes into the making of an edition of Mini-DDs.

Yes, it's a bit of a "Behind-The-Scenes" look. A bit strange considering that I don't have any pictures or anything (who'd want any?), & I don't exactly know how interesting this may seem, but here's hoping you like seeing how I pull this whole thing off. Enjoy!

---------------

- From Monday morning to Sunday afternoon, the process pretty much consists of general favwhoring.

- At 9:45 AM each morning (or roughly around that time), I go & browse the first 4 pages of the Popular section to see if anything catches my eye, finding at least one new Deviation to fave. And yes, even I find it weird that I have a set time for this.

- At least once during the above, I silently curse FairExposure (sorry, but it still happens).

- After that, I usually go & check if there's anything new in my network. And by "network", I mean the DA front page that I customized to include that Favorites galleries of 17 other Deviants. This way I get alerted if they find anything good.

- Having faved something new, I usually go & check the Favorites gallery of the Deviant behind it. Then if I find anyone new there, I check their faves gallery, then the faves gallery of someone else I fave, then...Well, you get the point.

- Now I check the faves galleries of any new watchers, visitors, commentors...Seeing a pattern here? What can I say? The Favorites galleries are key!

- Looking through my own faves gallery, I make mental notes at times as to what Deviations will be featured, usually regardless of circumstance.

- Several times throughout all this, I embarassingly re-fave certain Deviations that haven't shown up in my faves afterwards for some reason. For the record, does anyone else have this problem?

- Also throughout the week, I read responses to the previous Mini-DDs edition, followed by me blushing a bit & generally being flattered.

- Okay, Sunday's here. Time to get to the actual work already! I start things off by going over all of my new faves over the last week (which is usually half a page to a full page of them), noting the ones that are the most DD-worthy, & then adding them to what I call my "WIP" list.

- Now to narrow it down to the nine best. And for those of you who may think writing the descriptions is the hard part of it all, you're wrong. This is what can take me a good while to figure out. Like I said, there are always a few obvious picks, but when you get down to trying to decide who gets the last couple of slots, seeing if there's anything from previous weeks worth putting in, seeing how much of what areas are represented, & having to see if it abides by your personal guidelines (like I mentioned last week, I do have them), it suddenly becomes trickier than you'd think.

- Having chosen the lucky nine, now I take the previous week's edition & use it as a template for this week's batch. Remove all the previous features, insert the new ones.

- Now to write the descriptions, which usually takes about 90 minutes (at most) overall. There's not really much to it, just think of what made you love the Deviation in the first place, & then build upon that. By the way, one & a half hours may be spent writing, but depending on how much of Fox's "Animation Domination" is brand new/what episodes are on, the overall time spent on it will be...Um, considerably longer.

- During the above process, I usually think to myself at least once "Good god, I need a f***ing thesaurus. Seriously, you could make a drinking game revolving around how many times I use that term." I have yet to actually write the rules to that game, by the way.

- With that done, it's time to write this week's intro. What shows up there usually depends on if there's anything going on around DA that seems at least vaguely related to the Mini-DDs in general. Sometimes this leads to some nice little promotions, vague chatterings, & on rare occasions, extreme regret. Whoopsie.

- Write the new summary for the article as well, though I question exactly how many people read/care about that part.

- Think of this week's wacky new filling to add in with the GFA's milk chocolate.

- It's around midnight to 1:00 AM at this point, so time to post the finished article in the news. Yep, exactly in that time period. I always like to make sure that the current features get the full, exact week. That's a result of the same kind of insanity that makes me start the whole process at a set time each day.

- Send off the congratulatory notes to the featured Deviants, containing the GFA & a link to the article. So quick reminder to future candidates: Any note you get with the subject "Super Happy Fun Time!" is not spam.

- If there's any time left over, I update the Mini-DD Archive. If not, I just wait until tomorrow to do it.

- Finally I get some precious sleep. And despite any problems or doubts I may have had throughout the last week, I still manage to go to bed happy, knowing that I've cheered up nine Deviants, provided this site a bit of a service, entertained some people, & did a satisfactory job overall. And I wouldn't give it up for (nearly) anything.

---------------

...& that's pretty much it! So I certainly hope you all enjoyed the show, &-

Um, boss?

Oh, hey, Fef. What is it?

I felt kinda bads about ruining the cake thingy...

Ah, don't worry. It's just who you are, & we love you for it.

Awww, thanks! But I got a way to fix it all! Make it even better!!!

Umm...How?

Well, I scooped up all the cakey guts & put 'em in this! *holds up chemical thrower*

You're going to use the BioShock weapon to serve everyone with cake by spraying it all over them??

...

...HELL YEAH!!!

YAAAYYY!!! *starts spreading the love*

Well, it's party time now, so I'd best close this up! I'd to thank you all for being a part of this & the past two years, hope you enjoyed every bit of it along the way, & here's looking forward to more great art & great Mini-DDs to come!

*puts on party music*

...Now spray some of that frosting over my way!


(P.S. For those of you who want to see the lastest Mini-DDs, maybe even get to the archive & previous editions, just go to the current edition here: [link])