DARK NEWSLETTER : APRIL 1997

Intro ---

Expectations can be a real pain in the ass.  The art scene is
, to
many of us, a hobby.  Yet the groups which release their pack
s to
the underground are constantly expected to surpass their prev
ious
efforts, and are reviled or considered "dead or dying" if the
y
don't.

This is particularly true of the older, longer-lived art grou
ps
which, if they're like DARK, stay together more out of respec
t
and companionship for one another than pleasing the #ansi
regulars.

Don't take this as an excuse to slack off; that's not the cas
e.
But we'd like to be able to relax and have fun drawing, good
or
bad, and not have to put up with the potshots and unfriendly
fire from the sidelines, where the envious or uninspired seek
to exact what little satisfaction they can by slandering us.

We try not to take anything too seriously, but we're not over
ly
tolerant of the ignorant or misguided opinions that seem to f
lood
our mailboxes anytime the group seems to have lost steam.

Have patience.  You might find, if you bite your tongue and s
pare
us the insolent remarks, that we'll surprise you.

Groups News ---

Joining us this month in the ANSI division are Deacces
sion and
Discofunk 1974, and Chris Lee to the VG
A department.

Deaccession has returned from his wandering, in the tradition
of
The Green Hornet and The 4th Disciple, and we anxiously await
the
release of "Demesne", his BBS-turned-Emag.

Speaking of The 4th Disciple, we've recieved word
he's retiring
from scene activities, and plans to settle down with a local
herd
of water buffalo, to perfect his migration techniques.  ;)  W
e
wish him all the best.

Also, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Acidic Soap.  We've
gift-wrapped
a Cuban cigar and a bottle of Captain Morgan's as a rite of
passage.  Have a great one!

Support Sites ---

The Lethal AspectWorld Headquarters
Xypher Matryx
The RegencyInternet Headquarters
Halaster
Mad Cows?!?DARK Member BoardNight Stalker
Savage ExileDARK Member BoardAcidic Soap
Sight & SoundDARK Member BoardDrone-Fly
Special SauceDARK Member BoardSamurai
Abraxas/DiabolicDARK US Support SiteMegga Hertz
ABCD CafeDARK Support Site          Kyo

Where to obtain DARK Collections ---

Via the Internet, DARK packs can be obtained from The Regen
cy's
FTP site, at tregency.res.cmu.edu, or
from the ACiD Artpacks
Archive at ftp.cdrom.com (/pub/artpa
cks/incoming/artpacks/)

Most DARK members can be contacted through e-mail (addresse
s
available in the memberlist), and some may be found lurking
on the
IRC, in channel #dark.  (EFnet

On the World Wide Web, you'll find plenty of lin
ks on TLA Online
at www.interlog.com/~xmtrx, and the latest pack
can be downloaded
via a link at www.darkillustrated.org.

For more detailed information on DARK Illustrated, DARK's o
wn
F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) text file is included i
n this
archive.  Filename: DARK-FAQ.185

Greets ---

Peace and prosperity to Odelay, Focus, Twisted Fishies, Aim H
igher
and eCHO.  Much respect to watOr.  (22 to 6! - xm)

Nods to Fire, ACiD, Blade, CIA, Mistigris, Teklordz and iCE.

Hey's and Hi's to Twilight, Mean, Lazarus, Quad-P, Awe, Cenob
ite,
Black Maiden, Eclipse, Fuel, RCA, and Raw.

Filename Conventions ---

Filenames work like this:  XXXXX-##.*

XXXXX is a five-letter abbreviation of the
artist's alias.
(Should the alias fall within five characters or less, the
entire
alias will be used.)

## represents the current number of pieces
the artist has produced
for the year of 1997.

* can be any valid extension for images, ex
ecutables, data files,
or musical compositions.  The most common are DRK
for ANSI images,
JPG/GIF/BMP/etc... for hig
h-resolution graphic images, and MOD/
S3M/XM/etc... for music data files.

Conclusion ---

All members are required to get in touch with us before the e
nd of
the month of May.  This isn't optional, either.

(Sorry the pack was late.  Think of it as less time 't
ill the next
one. ;) -xm