Septagon Community Update - 2015/12/25: Yes, Cayde Does Get Drunk on Christmas
Anyone still dreaming of a white Christmas? Well, I hope that some of you are getting some snow this holiday season, regardless if you celebrate one of the festivities or not.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another Septagon Community Update. Yes, new name. These won't be as frequent as before but you can be sure that they'll go up during different celebrations and community events. On that note, happy holidays, everyone. I'm glad that you could join us for this year's ending festivities.
This update won't be like most others. It's more a gathering place to talk about the coming year and the past 359/360 days. With that, let's begin. I hope you have a mug of hot chocolate.
As always, Art and Stuff has us covered in their creatively sewn blankets. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/39813/181283382/0/0]A Christmas themed Destiny art contest[/url] is going on, so be sure to check it out. You don't have to create something if you're just curious about looking at what others have created. Along with that, Progo led the community Christmas card that he's sent off to Bungie. Check out this gallery of the finished product.
Don't see your name in the book? Well, there's always next year to submit your stylised signature to the gift.
[u][b]Community Spotlight[/b][/u]
For this edition, I wanted to focus on a very talented artist in our community. You may have seen his work in the Creations section of the site, but I thought he deserved a little more recognition. His name is Zerahoc, the creator of [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Community/Detail?itemId=142019998]this stunning piece[/url], and he's joined me for a short interview.
[quote][b]Q: Hello, Zerahoc, and thank you for joining me during this holiday season. Just to make sure everyone is on the same page as us, could you introduce yourself to everyone and tell them a little about what you do in relation to the community and Destiny?[/b]
Hello, my name is Josh, but I go by Zerahoc in most online games. While my gaming circle in Destiny is pretty small, I've created some fanart that's gotten a lot of notice in the community creations page. I'm an artist by trade, and I've been a huge fan of the artistry in Destiny, both fanart and official works.
[b]Q: I'm sure many have seen your absolutely incredible work. It's inspiring to see such amazing talent in the community. How long have you been an artist for?[/b]
I've been drawing on my own ever since I was a child, but I've been working professionally only for a little over a year, in addition to doing freelance work.
[b]Q: Good for you. That's quite impressive. What got you interested in creating art based on Destiny?[/b]
I've always been a huge fan of science fiction works, and it shows in my art. I love mechanical things and enjoy focusing on detail and accuracy in my pieces. Bungie's produced a lot of visually stunning work, and it's been influencing me ever since the first days of Halo: Combat Evolved. Destiny is filled with visually rich characters and scenery, and I wanted to capture some of that richness.
[b]Q: I fully agreed and, if I might say so, you did an excellent job at that in your Warlock piece. As a very skilled artist, do you have any advice for budding or veteran artists out there in the community?[/b]
Thanks for the compliment! If an artist is looking to improve, it's good to constantly be practicing your craft. Make use of reference material and don't be afraid to experiment with new things. For those looking to do professional work, having contacts in the industry and a solid presence on the net can give you a big leg up. You need to be noticed to be hired!
[b]Q: How about your art, that being, where can the community find more of your works, be they Destiny related or otherwise?[/b]
I can be found [url=http://zerahoc.deviantart.com/]on DeviantArt[/url] and [url=https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zerahoc]on tumblr[/url].
[b]Q: Great! I hope to see more work from you in the future. Thank you so much for joining me for this, I know the community would appreciate it. If you or anyone else is/are looking for art groups on Bungie.net, check out Art and Stuff. They'd love to have you. Again, I greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your days to do this. Happy holidays.[/b][/quote]
[u][b]The Sun Sets on the Old and Rises to the New[/b][/u]
This community is brilliant. It's changed its shape, it's location, and so much more, but it always endures. In truth, I have no idea where we're going to go, but I'm excited to find out. Each day is a step towards a new evolution. Each day is a new joke or memory that we create. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to spend it with all of you, both old and new, over these years. I look forward to seeing you grow and change with me in the years to come. Here's to the future, to the return of the Webmaster and Soul, to the birth of new traditions, to the fire that keeps this community alive that resides in each of us.
[u][b]Question of the Season:[/b][/u]
[b]Ancients:[/b] What would you like to see added to the site? Heck, it's Christmas, you can ask for three gifts for the new year, what are they?
[b]Newbies:[/b] Where do you want to see Destiny go? What are three things you'd like to see added to the living world?
We'll talk again soon, Septagon. Until next year,
Stay classy, community.
1. Destiny needs a less ambiguous enemy. Yes, we've had Crota, Skolas, and Oryx as some direct enemies to fight against, but I feel Destiny needs a puppet master type villain that is interconnected during most of the story. The Darkness is pretty cool, but the story tends to get rapped up in the final boss you're going to take down at the end of the expansion/game that it forgets to focus on the Darkness directly. We've heard of a Formless One, and I'm really hoping this becomes the main antagonist of Destiny from now on, or at the least isn't killed off during the same expansion he/she is introduced in.
2. More villains! I know this seems contradictory to my first wish, but Destiny has so far come up with cool bosses and enemies to fight against, but the buildup they had with Omnigul was something I would like to see again on a larger scale. Having a sub-boss that directly relates to the main plot is something Destiny would benefit from.
3. Less serious PvP gamemodes. Yes, we've got Mayhem now, and that causes some limited fun with the chaos of everyone spamming their abilities, but something a little more organized but more social than it is competitive would be great to add to Destiny. Not to be tied down to what Halo offered, but gamemodes like Juggernaut and Infection come to mind.
Something original to Destiny would be something like one team has one player with the VoG Aegis and needs to defend the relic holder from the other team.