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Ask Kura Anything~

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Kura

Kura

twitter.com/puccarts
    • 10,994
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    So.. I share some of my sentiments with Mr. Catdog about threads like this but I've decided to give it a fair shot. I'm terrible with introductions, but I'll give this a shot:

    I'm Kura, and I'm 23 years old as I post this (turning 24 in October) and I live in the UK south of London. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada for most of my life. I joined Pokecommunity while in Highschool and was introduced to this site by a couple members here, and I've been here almost 9 years (I don't know how I did that, haha..)
    I studied traditional animation at a Technical Institute (old-style Disney stuff) and got myself a bit into 3D, too. After graduating I landed a cool job with Sega as and animator and that's why I moved to the UK.

    I have a wide range of hobbies.. I love drawing/ painting, gaming, and sewing/cosplaying. I also play the piano and I'll occasionally tinker with one if I'm around one, and I used to do figure skating and soccer(football) when I was young too but I don't do those anymore. I like crafting, organizing, and fashion, though I don't think I'm terribly fashionable or trendy myself. In regards to gaming, I've been more into handheld stuff lately, and I really like games that are long and easy in a sense (Golden Sun, Ace Attorney, etc) because I use my gaming time as relaxing time. I also really like J-dramas and Tokusatsu (like japanese power rangers and actiony-stuff) and I like movies but I admit that I am REALLY bad with actually getting around to watching stuff. I don't really watch TV all that much and I'm not into politics at all.

    Uh.. what else.. I'm pretty short (I thought I was 5ft, but recently my doctor said I was like 4'10 and a half, so.. that's a bit depressing LOL..) and I'm mentioning it now because it always happens to be a topic to break the ice and I can laugh it off so I don't mind. I was also raised as a Roman Catholic, but although I don't follow it very much or go to church, I like some of the traditions that it introduces that bring people together or make you learn to appreciate things (like Easter and Lent, etc.)

    More about me.. well.. I feel like I can be a really blunt person.. but I hate pussyfooting around things, so I generally always just say what's on my mind.. which can mean I am a bit tactless, or it may seem that I'm just trying to interject, but I'm trying to be a bit more gentle haha. I generally feel I have the best intentions for people, though I can get a bit tempermental. I also worry quite a bit, and I'm very impatient. I tend to like to hang out more with friends in a small crowd rather than a large one, because I tend to feel overwhelmed in a big crowd.
    I have a lovely boyfriend I've been dating for almost a year- we met here on Pokecommunity originally, and when we met IRL just for fun, we both just got along so well and the rest is history. (If anyone's guessing, it's Captain Fabio.) I love him a lot and I hope it lasts.
    In regards to friends, I feel like I don't have many (though I have many acquaintances) but I do my all for those who are my friends. They mean a lot to me.
    I don't trust people fully very much, but I don't think I ever have- I've always just had to rely on myself and that is just how I've grown up I guess.

    Okay.. well I think I've covered quite a lot. I don't know if there's anything left to even ask! Haha..

    Please be aware that I may not answer your question if it's too personal. Also, please don't ask me any questions about my company or my work because I've signed an NDA which means I can't tell anyone about it.. and I will feel bad if I keep having to deny answering you guys.

    Fire away!

    Edit: Feel free to ask a question and then say RANDOM FACT?? to get a random fact about me, too! You might get one, you might not ;3
     
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    What was it like for you to move to another country?
    What did you bring with you for the move?
    How do you feel being completely independent?
    How different is the UK compared to Canada?
    What do you miss most about Canada / your old house?
    Do you keep in touch with your friends and family from Canada? How often?
    How long did it take for you to adapt to life across the ocean?
    Are there times where you feel overwhelmed? What do you do when you feel that way?
    What's it like working for a company like Sega?
    How many jobs did you apply for after graduating before you landed your current one?
    What's a typical weekday for you like?
     
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    Fav Ace Attorney title, character, villain, case and why?

    Told you that 100 times, but your login means "hen" in Polish
     
    Fave YGO character? I assume it's Bakura because of your name, and if it is, then second fave character, haha.

    What's your favorite cosplay you've done?

    Are there any other countries you wouldn't mind living in?
     
    What was it like for you to move to another country?
    What did you bring with you for the move?
    How do you feel being completely independent?
    How different is the UK compared to Canada?
    What do you miss most about Canada / your old house?
    Do you keep in touch with your friends and family from Canada? How often?
    How long did it take for you to adapt to life across the ocean?
    Are there times where you feel overwhelmed? What do you do when you feel that way?
    What's it like working for a company like Sega?
    How many jobs did you apply for after graduating before you landed your current one?
    What's a typical weekday for you like?

    Hard. It was really difficult adjusting to everything and trying to figure everything out too. Dumb little things like "Oh hey.. so.. they need to pay a "TV license fee" which is like $20 every month if you watch tv. No this doesn't even include any channels. It's just a flat fee they charge you to watch broadcasted shows and if you own a TV. Dumb to me, and it's why I don't watch TV anymore.

    Brought 2 suitcases.. clothes, a couple towels and toiletries.. shoes.. uh.. some like power-adaptor stuff, meds, and emergency kit stuff. Some handheld games, my computer.. You'd be surprised how quickly a suitcase can fill up. My dad also came with me to help me look for flats. I am really lucky I have such amazing and supportive parents.

    I really like being independent. I couldn't move back in with my parents @_@ I like doing things my own way.

    Uh.. the attitude is different.. the rent is high.. the weather is sucky, and so are the way most homes are built. I like how all the amenities are close. I like how professional the dentists are but hate how unprofessional the doctors are. Hate how everything closes at 4-5:30.. like how the food in grocery stores is cheap and good. Overall it's like a tradeoff really.. though I can't 100% say since I never lived on my own in Canada.. just some things they do a different way here- some I like.. some I don't.

    I miss my family and loved ones the most.

    Once in a while I'll get in touch with friends but they also all moved different places and countries so I'll chat with them every couple months. As for family I call them once a day. I get free long distance to landlines in 20 different countries with my home phone plan so I can call as often as I want for as long as I want and it is awesome to have that.

    Haha.. sometimes I still feel I am adapting to be honest! Dunno how to drive here yet but maybe that is the next step!

    I feel overwhelmed all the time. I can have really bad anxiety at times and I let it get the better of me. It is something I don't like to show or share online. I usually stress and cry a lot.

    I really like working for Sega, I get to do what I love and the company treats us well- my boss is also really understanding so it is a nice place to work IMO. Honestly though I think the name makes it sound like it's super hyped up, when to me, it feels like just a really nice office job. I really like CA though, and I wouldn't want to leave!

    44 places.

    Uh.. usually I wake up at like 7.. go into work about 8ish.. work.. have lunch at 12:45.. work until 4:30-5 .. then I'll run errands, come home.. tidy, cook.. do laundry or do whatever needs sorting (bills, calling places, etc) .. and then just go online. Maybe sometimes I will draw, or sometimes I'll go to the pub with friends but I haven't been in a little while. Though I was at a bday party this sat! But I digress.. I also plan to start a cosplay soon so that will take up some of my time in the evenings. Work leaves me pretty tired because of all the thinking I need to do, so although it doesn't seem like much, it feels like a really full day. I head to bed at around 10ish.. read a bit online some more, call my mom at about 11ish and head to sleep at around then or 11:30. I sound so boring but I enjoy my days <3

    Gonzo
    Fav Ace Attorney title, character, villain, case and why?
    The DL6 case *_* It was just so intense! And.. I can't choose between Phoenix and Edgeworth.. but I'll probably go with Nick because he's funnier. :3
    Yeah I remember~ I am like mother hen >:3

    Sydian
    Fave YGO character? I assume it's Bakura because of your name, and if it is, then second fave character, haha.
    What's your favorite cosplay you've done?
    Are there any other countries you wouldn't mind living in?
    My fav yugioh character used to be Yami Malik actually!! Now it's Yami Yugi! :3

    Probably my most recent cosplay. It was my first time working with foam armour and I was really pleased with the results! It was also my first time cosplaying as a girl and I had a lot of fun.

    Hmm... that's a tough one. Maybe Australia? I don't think I could live somewhere that didn't predominantly speak English. Scotland would be cool but there's not much there in my industry.. same with Ireland or NZ. I don't like the way the States are handling things + union stuff and I don't even know how a lot of things work.. so I'll stick to Canada, UK, or Australia.
     
    It's been really nice seeing you on the server as a regular! What are your views of the server in general?

    What is your favorite meal to cook?
     
    KURA ahhh mind if I ask a few questions? *7*

    1. What drove you towards art as a profession?
    2. What coloring style do you like using the most and why?
    3. What's your favorite medium and why?
    4. Do you have any really old art you can share with us, for a side-by-side improvement comparison? :)
     
    Do you get caught up in the accents you hear in the UK? As in, do they get stuck in your head and you start talking like that without really thinking about it or trying.
     
    Hi Kura!

    As I've experienced you are definitely very straight-forward (Which is an excellent quality imo), but has it ever gotten you into trouble before?

    If you could have your dream job what would it be? You're obviously working in the art field, but would you specialize somewhere in it? Or do something totally different?
     
    How stressful is it, working for Sega? It seems to be something that would take a LOT of time and dedication to.
     
    It's been really nice seeing you on the server as a regular! What are your views of the server in general?
    What is your favorite meal to cook?
    Sometimes the server is nice! There are a lot of friendly people on there, and I liked when I was invited and encouraged to random battle for the first time.
    Other times it can be really immature, annoying, or outright spammy.. and I wish a closer eye can be checked on it. I know people are just being silly but when it goes on for too long or when it's too vulgar I just roll my eyes and get fed up.

    Hmm.. for myself? I dunno.. it depends on what I'm in the mood for. I make this one type of eggplant (aubergine) parmesan that's layered like a lasagna but it takes 2 days to make because you have to prep it and let the slices of eggplant "sweat" or dehydrate over time. I'd love to try and make a beef wellington one day but I hear that's even more prep time and ingredients. I want to try all these fancy things, but I wont be able to eat it all myself so I prefer to cook when other people are around.
    >_> I really suck at making simple rice, though. I can make a yummy risotto because you need to stir it but regular pot rice I always tend to overcook the bottom :C..

    1. What drove you towards art as a profession?
    2. What coloring style do you like using the most and why?
    3. What's your favorite medium and why?
    4. Do you have any really old art you can share with us, for a side-by-side improvement comparison? :)
    I always liked art as a kid and my mom encouraged me to draw. I have a couple second uncles in Italy that are artists and they've also been an inspiration to me. I realized it was hard to just get into "art" in general as a career, so I turned to something I loved which was animation, and decided to pursue that because freelance would be too stressful for me. Drawing was just something I never got bored of so I wanted to spend my time doing something, in a job, that I never got bored of. It's very tough to get into if you're going to get into it seriously, though.. but I wouldn't want to discourage anyone.

    You know, to be honest.. I suck with colouring. Or at least I feel I do (like it is my weakest thing.) Also another reason why I got into animation because I was always too impatient to finish anything and I also didn't want to muck it up.. so I always did a lot of sketches instead of illustrations. I guess a semi-realistic style would be my favourite type of painting. Something like Saskia Gutekunst, Artgerm, Arnistotle, Loish, or Jo Chen's work would be awesome. They're slightly painterly, but still rendered. My skill levels aren't at that point yet, but I'm aiming for them to be.. so I don't really have a favourite that I use because I've never really been satisfied with my colouring/ painting style.

    My favourite medium is either pencil, pen, or digital. Each give it's own challenge ;3

    Yes! But I'll have to edit this at a later date because I am typing this from my PC instead of my Mac! Feel free to shoot me a PM to remind me if I've taken too long and forgotten!!!

    How vastly different is the UK from Canada? Was it extreme culture shock when you first moved there?
    I sorta half answered this in my previous post. But I think the culture shock set in after a couple months that I realized it was difficult to do some little things I was really used to. Like.. palmolive is dish-soap in Canada.. and here in the UK it is body wash! It just feels weird because I feel like.. I don't want to put something on my body with a company that also makes stuff for dishwashers!! Speaking of that.. all the laundry detergents are different here, so I only buy Woolite which is like the only brand I know! It's much more expensive but it's been the best that I've used here (though I can only buy the one for darks online!) I gave the others a shot and really didn't like them. I'm rambling now, I realize..
    Though I did do my internship in my 3rd year of Uni in the UK.. and that was for 3 months, so I got a bit of a taster for it. It's different when you pick up and move though.. very different. The internship just felt like summer camp!

    Do you have or have you ever had an art thread on PC?
    Yeah but it's old and I don't feel like digging it up haha.. I should start a new one! And update my other blog with cosplay stuff because that is still artsy! I also enjoyed contributing to the drawover-paintover-critique thread! I plan to start that again once I have a bit more time <3

    Do you care about the way people perceive you on PC? What do you think people perceive you to be like, offline and online?
    Not really. I mean unless they're being blatantly rude over an assumption of me without actually getting to know me, then it could be a bit frustrating, but generally I only care what my friends think. It's a bit bad though.. as in.. I pretty much don't care at all what a memberbase will think, but I will stress myself out so much because I worry about sounding rude to a friend when I need to ask for a favour.

    I honestly couldn't say what people might think of me offline. Online people probably think I'm full of myself or something, because I can be so direct, but that's because I CAN be direct here so I take advantage of it. I used to be the exact opposite, like tiptoeing around people, and I got taken advantage of really badly and toughened up from it. I'm a bit different offline, and I feel like online I can share or say more without it being detrimental- I will still give my absolute honest opinion, but I will choose the right way and time to do so. In short, to your second question.. people either love me or hate me it seems.

    Do you get caught up in the accents you hear in the UK? As in, do they get stuck in your head and you start talking like that without really thinking about it or trying.
    Actually no, not really. Though I can now tell the difference between different accents from different regions (Liverpool, South London, Birmingham, Bristol, etc) maybe not 100% be able to pinpoint the location but I can hear the difference. Before I wasn't able to.. it just all sounded British.
    I've never had the accent stuck in my head though.. I can't do a british accent.. except for the word "water" in a really posh way. I will replace some stuff in my vocabulary for people to understand me better though (like "fringe" instead of "bangs" at the hairdressers.)

    As I've experienced you are definitely very straight-forward (Which is an excellent quality imo), but has it ever gotten you into trouble before?

    If you could have your dream job what would it be? You're obviously working in the art field, but would you specialize somewhere in it? Or do something totally different?

    No, actually.. I don't think it has. I know IRL when to say stuff. Sometimes I worry because I will give critique, and I will point out a lot of things that may need potential change.. but in a work environment, I lay it down nicely and I do it collaboratively instead of just "you need to change this." I offer help or I will ask for the most important changes first, before bringing up anything else. I don't think it got me in trouble as a kid, because I wasn't very straight-forward as a kid. Like I said to Harlequin, I can be a bit more er.. liberal I guess online?

    Dream job is hard to define. It's any place that I would feel that I'm learning, that I am valued, that has great people to work with, and obviously good pay- something I enjoy and something that I'm happy doing. For where I am at now in my life I'm happy where I am at in my job, so I guess in a sense it is a dream job. There are always rough days too though, and crazy busy days or days with overtime.. but that's life! ;3 I guess only retirement is a dream "job." Hehehe sitting on the beach being lazy >:3~ Maybe one day I'd love to give cinematic animation a shot, but who knows where life will take me. Also architecture would be cool because I've recently been into houses (.. I know I'm a bit boring aren't I?) but you need to know a lot of math for that and I'm not good at math at all. I think I would like to try something completely different one day when I am much older, because the animation industry can be very demanding, but I love it and I'm happy now so I wouldn't want to change and do anything else any time soon <3

    How stressful is it, working for Sega? It seems to be something that would take a LOT of time and dedication to.
    Some days are crazy like.. rush the whole day because people need things done or stuff needs to be fixed. Like someone comes up to me or my lead suddenly and goes "By the way we changed this/ code doesn't work with this so you're gonna have to do a bunch of alternate anims." It's especially annoying when a build or my computer is being slow or exporting a big scene can take ages, and I'm sitting there wanting to kick my computer to hurry it up because people are waiting on me for fixes. Other times it's stressful because some things take longer than planned so I have to stay after hours.. but I do it more to myself because I don't ever want to submit something shoddy. Sometimes things take MUCH shorter than planned (schedule says 3 days and I do it in a day) and that balances things out and frees up some time. Or I'll jump onto help someone else with something. Sometimes I'm the one waiting for others (assets, motion capture data.) Other days can be really lax, but I hardly ever twiddle my thumbs. If there's "nothing" for me to do, then I always jump on to help someone else with their tasks. The lax days are more when I am on time or ahead of time with all my scheduled anims, and I can go back to polish some anims to add more detail, or tweak them to add a bit more flavour to the game.
    In short, at times it can be stressful, but it's manageable for me because I either know what is needed of me, or help problem solve to find a solution, and I like being kept busy.

    @_@ I talk too much LOL..

    Edit: Adding that art side by side...
    Spoiler:
     
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    Hi Kura! Do you have a weird story about something happening at PC a loooong time ago that you remember and can share with us? Like, an april fool's joke, an old friend doing something, a memorable/dramatic thread etc....
     
    Hmm.. well there was one time that some DCC regulars (we called ourselves the DCC *********** but as you can see, that word is probably now censored) where I was trying to cook rice for the first time. Mind you I could cook other things at this point well, but for some reason I struggle with rice (either there's too much water, or I don't turn the temperature to low early enough to let it simmer, etc.) I attempted it 4 times and each one was a failure. I was made fun of for ages!
    Then someone made a meme going around.. let me see if I can dig it up.. Ah yes.. here it is!

    [PokeCommunity.com] Ask Kura Anything~


    Another time was when we got spammed by bots posting "Tubgirl" everywhere. If you don't know what that is, don't google it. It's basically a pornographic image with a girl, a tub, and a lot of excrement. It was being posted too much for the mods and admins to keep deleting (like a viral outbreak) and I was going around trying to link whatever I found to staff for them to delete but that night felt like a mad rush. I feel sorry for the kiddies who probably saw it.


    ;3 Keep dem questions comin'~
     
    Some other guys from work want to go and they keep switching the dates around. Now also Will can't make it down on the weekend of the 15th, you're also busy this next week, but that would've been good. The weekend before the 29th I'm going down to my friend's housewarming, the 29th you are not able to make it, the 6th of July I am going to Bath.

    How about we make it mid-end of July? I'm not sure what's happening the weekend of the 15th since it's father's day weekend but I'll keep you posted. Are you sure you can't do anything this weekend coming up?
     
    Honestly, I can't really give specifics until it's released.. so if you're gonna keep asking me, guys ;3 you're gonna get some pretty boring answers.. but I don't mind :3
    Though I'm working on Total War: Rome II, and animate anything from combat stuff, to basic locomotion, to cutscenes, background characters, objects, etc. I also test them and make the appropriate tweaks. Sometimes I work with motion capture data.. sometimes I animate by-hand.
    People often don't realize that animation is its own thing. We don't design the characters (that's up to the designers and concept artists.) We don't model or sculpt the characters (that's what the 3D artists do.) We are like puppeteers and we bring life to the model or character.
    Think of the old-school way of animating King Kong or anything with stop-motion or clay-mation. You have a doll, you pose it out, then take a picture. Pose it a little further.. then take a picture. Just think of that but in a 3D program instead.
    That may make my job sound simple since I only have to "move the characters around," but it's really not. For each subject we do, we have to take into consideration its body mechanics, and also.. the game of course.
    For example, take a look at this:
    https://www.brendanbody.co.uk/flight_tutorial/
    That is all the thought that goes into just making a bird's flight look good! There's a lot to focus on on people, especially, because if something looks "off" we notice it more because we spend a lot of our time interacting with other people so we subconsciously know how we move.
    None of the computer does the work, we literally touch and "pose" every single frame that goes by to make sure it "feels" right.
    Spoiler:
    Now that may look simple, stupid, or confusing, but it's an animation principle I think about every day at work ;3~ Since we can't stretch characters like they could in 2D cartoons (ever paused it and the character looked wonky or stretched?) but we can achieve a similar "feel" by breaking joints.


    But yeah, like I said, I animate characters, things, and cutscenes for Rome II, but I can't go into specifics. I get a character from T pose (modelled position) and make an animation for whatever is required. "We need this guy to climb a ladder" for example. Or "Make a combat scene versus this type of troop."
    Sorry I can't be more specific, but I hope this somewhat answers your question. Trust me, I want to tell the world everything I'm doing because I feel some anims are super cool and really fun! I'm also afraid of getting in trouble because of my NDA so I'm playing it super safe ;3

    Sorry I tend to be long-winded. I don't know how much you actually know about the animation process so I always try and explain everything.
    Here's a funny animation tutorial that I think you would enjoy:
    https://vimeo.com/67501143

    I am surprised I'm not getting more controversial questions hahaha!
     
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    Have you ever made out with a girl? If so, how did you like it?

    How many marschmallows would fit in your mouth?

    Are you allergic to anything?

    Tiger or Lion, take a pick!
     
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