The handsome, singular gentleman depicted on image 328.A doesn't bite… that much

¡Greetings, fellow Steemians!

My name is Juan Diego Jiménez, and it's my utter pleasure to welcome you to which, I hope, will be a very lovely experience for all of us. After working in graphic design, illustration and content writing for about five years, I decided to take something of a spiritual journey to connect myself with my true calling in life: writing and narrative in all its versions and flavours. Whether it's movies, books, animated series or videogames, writing is not only one of the noblest and more beautiful crafts that mankind has created, but one of the most important as well; there is not a single expression or performance inside the contemporary entertainment industry that doesn't owe its due to the hard labour of a storyteller. In fact, such is the influence of this craft, that there is not a single area of human development and knowledge in which a writer hasn't made his/her mark.

Right now, a lot of you guys might be wondering: but, how is this possible?

A good writer is not only a practitioner of good grammar and drafting skills; it's someone that, by its very definition, must be in deep touch with the human nature. In everything we write, we infuse a look into ourselves; our fears, our problems, our dreams and desires for a better tomorrow. Through storytelling and its power, we're capable of analysing reality in a way that no other art form can achieve. We can extract ourselves from our current circumstances, in order to explore a world in which mankind is presented to us as is: with no filters or embellishments. Likewise, we can indulge ourselves in a journey to find what future holds for our society as a whole.

Therefore, there isn't a setting in storytelling that captivates me more than science-fiction and fantasy.

Artbooks and science-fiction books… One is never enough (?)

My first contact with science-fiction, as far as I can remember, didn't happen with books, but in movie theaters and Sunday afternoons in front of my TV. Jurassic Park, Star Wars (the original trilogy, remastered and played again in movie theaters before that... let's just say weird prequel trilogy), Robocop, Stargate and The Fly were the first instances that I remember, followed by TV series like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Farscape and Stargate: SG-1, which ended up turning science fiction into more of a personal obsession. Eventually, I met fantasy through the Lord of the Rings movies, which premiered when I was barely a high-school student; the resulting mixture of genres did a lot to stimulate the growth of a young mind that was already having fun since elementary school, adding interesting characters and alternative plots to series and TV shows that weren't that interesting…

And once I jumped into videogames… Oh, boy.

Little gems like Half-Life, StarCraft y Mechwarrior IV not only began my life as a gamer, but also opened my eyes to the possibilities of different media in the act of telling a story; being responsible of nearly the whole of my teenage years' fun after school. Nevertheless, as exposed and willing as I was to consume and enjoy science-fiction and fantasy in nearly all the entertainment I saw… I never took myself seriously as a writer. I didn't feel I was capable of writing or producing a single line… that is, until I met two very singular girls.

In ages past, when Venezuelan hyper-inflation and trap as a musical genre were only a tiny little figment of Cthulhu's twisted imagination (?)

To the left, my best and longest friendship (seventeen years that are easier said than done, and certainly haven't been easy at all), a very special girl that not only introduced me to her almost encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien's ouvre (I'm serious, if she ever get herself interested on having a Steemit account, you can ask her about it... or about any other literary work that she really gets interested in), but that ended up being a paragon of judgement and common sense in my life. Even when I might not always agree with her, she has proven herself to be a priceless guide in any decision I've made in my life. And reading a novel, watching a TV series or playing a video game, as saturated and booming as the current entertainment market is… It's a very tough decision in which I'm very glad to have counted on her, and still having to.

Besides, I do not know anyone capable of being as meticulous and picky as her with a story plot (?)

To the right, my first girlfriend, one of my most beloved friends nowadays, that traversed this world as I did before, even through more routes and pathways; she was the one responsible for introducing myself to comics and manga and, even better, the girl that asked me, in a long, starry night: hey, what about if you actually write something? Back then, the very thought of doing that appalled me because of a somewhat unhealthy series of prejudices and insecurities. I didn't believe that I could make enough money or live comfortably thanks to writing, and I didn't believe I had the creativity or the talent needed to do it either… but I ended up accepting her challenge either way. And, just like that, from what seemed to be a funny, innocent, no-strings-attached writing exercise, the first idea for an intellectual property that I'll have the pleasure of speaking with you guys some day, was born…

Besides, she also has the honour of introducing myself to illustration and painting…

… and, sadly, creating a monster.

Here, in image 328.D, lies the depiction of a degenerate maniac learning concept artists' names and their techniques, eating visual references as if there's no tomorrow… just to end up staring blankly at a white screen afterwards. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

Between long nights of reading manga like Berserk and Priest, graphic novel masterpieces like Watchmen, V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (praised be Alan Moore... and the sun) and a constant, almost unhealthy search for new concept artists, illustrators and visual artists to know more about, as well as studying painting and illustration in an atelier in my home town, I ended up being what you would call a CGI-freak. What is the extend of my powers, you might ask? Well... I might be able to recognize which illustrator or painter did any image or illustration in any media just by looking to it (not that I'm a human encyclopedia of concept art, though. There are professionals out there that still elude me... for now).

After this very brief introduction to myself, hoping that you're still hanging here with me and not feeling that tempted to make a peanut butter sandwich for yourselves…

… how am I going to contribute to the Steemit community?

I'm going to begin by talking and commenting with you guys about the works and productions that I love. Not that I'm beginning a professional critique channel here, because I certainly don't see myself as a film, book or video game critic at all... But I will share my thoughts about those games, movies and TV series that have been influential to me through the whole of my life, whether it's on my way of looking our current, haphazardly world, whether we're talking about old masterpieces or more recent examples. Soon, I'll be uploading some posts regarding the last stories and tales I've been watching and playing; needless to say, I'm inviting all of you to comment said posts, in order to create a very healthy, deep and friendly network for us to grow and to keep loving the things we love.

In the near future, I'll share with you more of a personal content. There is not a lot that I can tell you about it right now, but I can assure you, it will be a very lovely surprise and you might even enjoy it even more that my thoughts on storytelling and pop culture as a whole.

Yes, he smiles a little, now and then…

In the meantime… welcome to my channel! Thanks for reading this post, see you soon!

- JD

P.S: The pics in this post were made by the great @jhanannaime. Look around for her! She'll be producing amazing content soon!