Sooo...Here we are.

Volume 100. Triple digits. Truly a momentous occasion...Well, okay, my actual 100th Mini-DDs edition was about four to five months ago (to sum it up quickly: Started doing these in journal, transitioned into news, started new numbering/"volume" in doing so, switched to news-only), but let's just forget about the little technicalities like that.

Whatever the case, it's still a special occasion, which calls for a bit of a celebration...But what to do? I've been racking my brain & asking for help for about a month now, & only recently have I thought of anything. Well, about three little things, really. But all in due time...

First up isn't 100% "celebratory", but it does mark a bit of a notable change here. Have you ever been annoyed by that multitude of links at the end of every edition linking to previous features?...Well, I somewhat doubt it, but ^limnides was still kind enough to offer an idea: Just put all the links inside of a journal entry, then have a link at the end of these redirect to that entry! It's the kind of idea that makes me think "Holy f***, why didn't I think of something that simple??"

...Anyhow, so that's pretty much what we have here for starters. Nothing big, but it does seem kind of appropriate to mark a big occasion with a vaguely significant change. But moving on...

Now, a common theme for...Well, anything to do when it reaches a milestone like this is to dwell on the past a little bit. You know, see what got you here, take a look back, etc. And unsurprisingly, I won't be any different here.

So while I don't exactly know how entertaining it is, I've decided to highlight ten of my favorite Mini-DD articles from the past. Complete with thumbnails, link to the original article, & a little commentary. Of course, I based my favorite editions on which ones had the best lineups of Deviations. You know, the ones where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole & all that.

I may as well mention that these selections do kind of favor the more recent editions. I'm guessing that means either I've gotten better at spotting great art or you've just all gotten better at making...But five bucks says it's the latter! But hey, what the heck are we waiting for already? Let's get going with our little retrospective!


Mini-DDs Vol. 1




[link]


Wow, talk about appropriate, starting off with the first ever edition I put in the News...& as you can tell from elements back then, the whole thing was still in an awkward transition from journal to news. Aside from experimenting with a lack of descriptions (which was dropped quickly), there was also the difference between the last three Deviations there, & the "true" ones here. The three in the news were there because I wasn't 100% sure that a new audience would understand why a third of the features already had DDs (too good, couldn't wait to suggest). So I came up with three new ones that were just as good (which even resulted in one getting it's own DD, go figure!).

(BTW, ~kingofthedamnd deleted his original "Rainmaker" pic, thus why I'm using a thumbnail for the new one. So damn good, it actually ended up with two DDs! Can ya believe it?)



Mini-DDs Vol. 29

:thumb52192792:


[link]


...Ooookay, so you may be wondering about that non-existent Deviation up there. Well, it seems as though the thumbnails for deleted Deviations are no longer sticking around anymore...Which honestly, seems kind of lame (& makes the Mini-DD Archive look damn odd). Really, those were like the last remaining bits of the greatness once there. And ~Toximancy's "Bleed alone+" pic...Damn, did that rock. Take my word for it.

And not only was this an awesome lineup, but it ended up in a joyous edition...First time I ever got real, devoted fans! I mean holy s***, was I in ecstasy that week! Man, that was the time it really felt like I was doing something significant...*boum & ~bipolar-wolfcat, you guys still rock!



Mini-DDs Vol. 48




[link]


No real interesting stories involving this edition's features...Although I still think it's a complete mystery as to why ~goenz doesn't have a DD yet (of course, I say that about a lot of artists).

Speaking of which, you can begin to see the seeds of my desire to use the intro to discuss any issue that affects DDs, Mini-DDs, the relationship between the two, etc. In retrospect, those were dark, dark seeds, unfortunately...

Also, my BioShock ref now seems kind of corny, but man, I really should throw more vaguely creative stuff like that in the "chocolate" descriptions...



Mini-DDs Vol. 50




[link]


Ah, "Battle of the Moles"...One of the first few Deviations so damn awesome that I just had to feature it, no matter what, very large number of faves/my guidelines be damned. Something that became a bit more commonplace as time went on...

And as you can read, the "true" amount of these features wasn't exactly much of a factor back then. But these days I pretty much just have the Mini-DDs divided into "Vol. 1" & "Vol. 2". After all, it would've looked awkward to be celebrating #100 when it says #80, right?



Mini-DDs Vol. 66




[link]


Ahh, a lineup that showcases one of the great side-effects that comes from doing special editions like these...You take a week or two off from doing the normal stuff, the amount of potential features gets backed up, & then you have many more amazing candidates for your regular editions! And with the Best Of 2007 Extravaganza & the Christmas edition taking up quite a bit, a smorgasbord of awesome like this was eventual...Although it ironically also pointed out a few potential contenders for the Best Of 2007 that I probably missed. Whoopsie!



Mini-DDs Vol. 69




[link]


Easily one of my top favorites. Some of the best artists with amazing characters & concepts in colorful Deviations with delicious touches of a surreal feeling...Kind of a shame that I killed the mood with my rant about FairExposure. Wow, should I have really kept that out of the Mini-DDs, but I just didn't think of any better ways for it to get noticed at the moment. Well, you live, you learn, you make mistakes along the way, etc.

Oh, & for the record, I do still dislike FairExposure, still believing by a good chunk of what I said. But I've learned to tolerate the whole thing. South Park & Mr. Garrison inspired me a tad there...



Mini-DDs Vol. 78




[link]


Ah, the WEWY contest...Man, looking back on it, I could have made an entire edition out of that. Like an entire Sweet Factory full of kickassery...& *Geofffffff's baby was like a neverending bin of the world's most tantalizing Swedish Berries (surrounded here by a crop of other equally delicious candies, of course). Other contest pimpage (in the hope that it would result in slightly more creativity) was also a bit of a hghlight, I figure, & ~Gullacass made my day again with quite an amazing suggestion as well...Hint, hint, hint...



Mini-DDs Vol. 85




[link]


...Considering the relatively low amount of "love" for this edition compared to the others despite the stunning lineup full of zombie sculptors, voodoo swamp creatures, & classic gaming characters, I'm going to guess that the whole "musical guest" angle may have failed. Damn you, lack of interesting stuff to say...

Well, there is one odd bit I may as well point out...=BlooSquish's featured Deviation is the only Mini-DD - ever - that I personally haven't faved myself, due to reasons I feel uncomfortable speaking about to the general public. So what say we move on now, okay?



Mini-DDs Vol. 87




[link]


Man, all I can seem to think of when I look at all this is how freaking much I'd love to have that ~nielq Deviation as my own wallpaper as well...

Of course, one of the best parts in this edition actually involved *Dumpysaurus's reaction to her being featured the week before...Seriously, I think seeing that may very be the most ecstatic I've been about something Mini-DD-related so far this year! Man, that just rocked...



Mini-DDs Vol. 90




[link]


I don't exactly know how it happened, but this was the week where the number of potential Mini-DD candidates started to greatly increase...Like to the point where I found over 200 (or enough to fill out at least two hole pages) per week! And as you can see from the above, this led to more quality stuff as well. In fact, I've been trying even harder to make each lineup as eye-pleasing & near-flawless as possible (which would sort of explain the slant towards recent editions), if only because I've had a bit of motivation...


...& that marks our little "looking back" part of the celebration! So I guess now we'll just...Huh...

Dammit, that is still just not big enough! I mean seriously, I just need something else to...

...Oh, alright. By now you've probably already seen through the "self-loathing" bit there & realized that I do have something prepared! Oh, Fefcaine!

Yessir?

Can you get me that list you were working on?

Oooooh, okay! I got it, ooh, right here, actually!

Ah, great! People, this...Is Fefcaine's guest list. Twenty seconds after he heard that I was planning a celebration, he immediately began planning a dream party.

Um, y'know, that thingy reminds me...Did Avengened Sevenfold, Ludacris, Ronald McDonald, KITT, & the chupacabra call back yet??

Sadly buddy, no. But there is some good news regarding your other guests!

Reallyz?? o_O

Yep! Having been inspired by =drinkdecaf's amazing "We've Got Character" features (which I demand that you check out after you're done here), & realizing how big a part kickass characters have played in making excellent Mini-DDs, I have invited the rest of Fef's guests (who all happen to be quite the characters, coincidentally) over here into a nearby club, & not only set up an entire party, but made the whole thing into "100 Tributes To Awesome Character Design"!

GLEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! 8D *jets over to the club*

Heh heh, aw, he deserves a party like that...Anyhow, that tribute is primed & ready, but a few things to note about it: First off, the whole things being held in a collection in my faves, rather than here. It just seemed easier to set everything up there, plus you know, since all of my Mini-DDs come from my Favourites gallery, it does seem a bit appropriate. Second, in a departure from all of my other features, there aren't any descriptions this time around. Aside from the fact that it'd probably take to long, this one is all about the character, y'know, & I highly doubt complex descriptions would be needed for that. Third, these are just 100 of the best, not the 100 best. So no tears if your favorites don't make it in (though I would like to know what those favorite characters are...).

Oh, & finally, the whole thing was actually originally just called "100 Awesome Original Characters". But you know, some were parts of duos, some others sneaked in while looking for good shots, a couple were a bit debatable...Hence the slight name change.

So without further ado...

WAAAAIIITT!!!

Huh? What is it, Fef?

I wanna mention the gift bags everyone in there gets! ^_^

Awww, that's sweet of you, buddy! Let's see what you've got in here...



The Platinum Fefcaine Award?? Our white chocolate-centered honor given out on special occasions? You think everyone in that motley crew there can handle receiving one?

Um, well, you give them to those artist guys...Why not the stars??

Huh, good point, my friend! Okay, PFAs for all our guests!

Yay!!!

Alright, enough talking! Let's go in there already, hand these gift bags out, & enjoy the kickass company!



Click here to join the party already!!



...Oh man, the buzz is already starting to kick in...And I still have yet to watch Fef's amazing juggling act! So I guess I'd best finish up here & head back in there...Before I go, I may as well celebrate with one last little thing: If you want to ask me any questions about the Mini-DDs or anything related to them, feel free to do so here. Seriously, it's like a perfect time to do so.

Ugh, & I still have to get prepared for my Birthday Special next week...If you want to find out how you can help there, feel free to ask as well!

Well, that's everything! I know it wasn't perfect, or maybe not even my best stuff, but here's hoping you enjoyed it all! Here's to another 100 editions of DD-quality artwork!!

*KA-BOOOOOM*

Aw crap, I missed the juggling act...


Wanna check out previous editions? Then click here already!!