Mass Effect 3 Ending DLC

I've yet to make a non-art post here, but I figure video games are an influence, so why not?
This has to do with Mass Effect 3's ending, so be warned:

***SPOILERS***

As you may know, many people were unhappy with Mass Effect 3's ending. I have to agree, though I'm not as much angry at the ending I got (though it was a bit lame) as I am disappointed that it wasn't the Indoctrination Theory, which is an epically awesome idea. It pushes the boundaries of the medium in a way that only video games can. It actually indoctrinates the player. The hints that I've since seen in conspiracy theory videos are also awesomely subtle, and peppered throughout.

And I'm still holding out for it. I spend the rest of my life being rational and critical of unwarranted faith, I'm allowed.

In order to remedy the situation, Bioware released the Ending DLC which fixed many plotholes in the ending that people were complaining about. Most people either were happy with this or thought it didn't help anything. In one regard, I think it's actually now worse.

Specifically, the addition that explains how your squadmates got back onto the Normandy. In all the games, Shepard has had the luxury of being careful about her (yes, her) teammates' safety. In fact, much of the game is her taking time off from saving the galaxy to settle their personal matters. Yet in the scene where they're running towards the beam, in the original ending before the Extended Cut, Shepard stopped for nothing as troops disintegrated before her eyes. NO one slowed down. It was telling of the desperation they all had to save the galaxy, made that much more potent since it was so out of character. Everyone understood that this was bigger than any one of the friends they were watching die in front of them.

In the Extended Cut, they take that away. Shepard stops halfway through to get her injured squadmates to the ship. The entire galaxy hangs in the balance and Shepard stops to protect two squadmates, who will die with the rest of the galaxy anyway if they fail. It no longer feels that humanity is desperately clawing its way to survive.

Oh, well. Put up or shut up. Back to work.

Hitch

For reasons that are none of your business, I can't yet post my annual Christmas sketches. In the meantime, I figured I should post something, even if these are still incomplete.

Last year, in an act of petty atheistic rebellion, I decided to watch Antichrist on Christmas Eve. After that somewhat self-inflicted wound, I decided this year to try again, this time to honor my favorite atheist, Christopher Hitchens. I tried last year when he died, but didn't like the sketch. As I am now unemployed, I've decided to take the time to challenge my ever-present weakness in art: painting/rendering. Unfortunately my caricatures aren't that strong either, and he could probably do with a bit more exaggeration of his features, but oh well. Here's what I have so far for the Hitch:

One day I'll be able to hide that outline layer...

I also have been meaning to do an illustration of Nausicaa. I've gotten as far as settling on a thumbnail sketch:

Chibi Makoto

After getting a chibi commission done by karioks, I decided to give it a shot

Avatar

I needed a break from my animated short so I put some time into the avatar for a very nebulous game idea I had shelved. I redid a lot of the art and added new programming features.
Click the image to try it out.

Blue

Lyssa

A friend of mine posed for a few gestures.  There'd be more, but I wasn't sure how physically demanding posing was, so I let her off easy :p

Shadow Animation - SC1 Roughs

nothing like buying a new cintiq to guilt you into using it. finally did more work on my animated short. animated roughs for the boy and his dog in the first scene.

And a reminder of what the characters are supposed to look like: