May 24, 2010

And we're done.

Thanks for the ride. Please link back to this site when re-blogging any of the posts/artwork. And check out my other blog, Flash Sideways. Namaste.

May 23, 2010

Aloha

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This is a tiling Twitter background. (To see this background live, visit @aouaLOST.)


You may or may not recognize this background. This is the last Twitter background I will ever give you here, but if you've been paying attention, you'll notice that it was also the first. The difference is, when I gave it to you the first time, the file itself was too large to use on Twitter. I didn't label it as a Twitter background, nor did I think anyone would ever see it. But after working some magic, we are able to come full circle. The only way to conclude on a poignant note.

This is the end, friends. Where have you been, and what did you learn? What did you find on your journey back from the edge of time and space? If we've all taken something from this shared experience, then what was it? Probably something to do with destiny, right? Commit yourself to your purpose. Embrace the person you are meant to be. Learn to face your demons, and walk through life with your ghosts. Apologize to no one for doing the unpopular thing you know is right. And should you find that you have made a mistake, know that you can always start over; nothing's irreversible. These lessons may be true of LOST, but they are also true of life.

This is why the series stands alone on its own level. It holds within it a human element. The reason LOST resonates so well with us is because while we may not always understand the mythology, what we do understand is the journey. We understand that inside each of us is a light, a life force, a purpose. We understand that when we live together, it's not just because we don't want to die alone. We understand our ability to love another being so intensely and unconditionally, that we would sacrifice everything for its safety. We understand the value and the weight of a life, and we know how to grieve its loss. In many ways, LOST is just about the clearest life story there is, and while we are sad to see it go, we are grateful to have been given this experience at all.

So this is where I say "thank you", and that it's been an honor of mine to be a part of this fandom, as you truly are the most dedicated and smartest bunch out there. I was going to save this post for right after the finale aired, but it didn't seem right somehow. So I'm gonna bow out early and let LOST do the talking. Let our old friend have the last word.

Enjoy the show. Tonight's episode is entitled, "The End", and rightfully so. To LOST fans everywhere and everywhen, thank you, Namaste, and good luck.

My only friend, the end.

SPOILER: The following backgrounds contain promotional photos from tonight's finale. While they are mild in nature, you have been warned.

(click on pics for HQ)

These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds; set your background color to black. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)







I do have one more Twitter background coming down the pike in a little bit, and yes, it will be the last one. In the meantime, we've got these backgrounds, which are so very simple yet cinematic, all I did was up the saturation and contrast. I do think these work quite well, as I didn't want to detract from the scenes by adding fluff. LOST can speak for itself, and these final promo pics prove that.

May 22, 2010

I have blocked comments until after the finale to avoid spoilers. Namaste.

Weird scenes inside the gold mine

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color to black. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)



Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley, each a former candidate, look on as Jack accepts his role as the new Island guardian in this scene from LOST's penultimate episode, "What They Died For."

Tomorrow night is the finale. If you haven't already, take a look around the blog and choose a LOST Twitter background for yourself. Wave your LOST flags high and mighty, LOSTies! It's time to represent!

And on the subject of Twitter, I'd like to take a moment to thank all of my Twitter followers, and anyone who has ever checked out my blogs. I started my Twitter account in mid-October 2009, I believe, and I never thought I'd get to this number in a million years (over 500 followers!). I remember how jazzed I was when I had my first four followers, because I didn't know any of them. The Twitter game is kind of odd; you keep some, you lose a bunch. So cheers to those of you who stuck around, and to those of you who have used my backgrounds (whether you follow me or not)! You'll never know how much it has meant to me to see some of my work out there being used by people who can appreciate it. I'm happy to be ending the series in your company. Thanks for getting LOST with me!

(As we celebrate our last hurrah, feel free to tweet me your goodbyes, your thoughts on the series, questions, etc.)

May 21, 2010

My greatest hits

Sunday marks the end of an era, but while LOST may be over, Twitter is here to stay. Take a look around and choose a Twitter background for yourself, and show the world your LOSTie love! To start you off, here's a list of just some of the "greatest hits" on LOST SideSteps. Click on the pics to go to the original post.

1. Todos nos vamos al Infierno--by far the most popular Twitter background on the blog, this features an uncorked bottle o' darkness.
2. When Darkness looms--my personal favorite, features the sinking sub from the episode, "The Candidate"
3. Their dice were made of bones--another fave of mine, an echo of Locke's words from Season One
4. The Official Numbers Twitter/desktop sets...
5. ...and the Unofficial Numbers (desktop and Twitter)
6. The Man in Black, as Christian Shephard--a full set including Twitter, desktop, and iPhone backgrounds
7. The light--a Twitter background that didn't include any characters or locations, just the warm glare of the light of the world.
8. Two Players--Why can't we all just get along?
9. iPhone backgrounds--because I want you to represent LOST on the go! Not all of them are here. Most are at Flash Sideways, my miscellaneous LOST Tumblr blog; so check em out!

Of course, these are just the highlights. There are many more to choose from (over 130), so I urge you to take some time to look around. It's been so fun making these! Namaste!

5 new vintage island wallpapers

Because the Island really is the most important character on the show. Click on the pic below to see them all.

Fate

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color to black.(To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)



This is the first time I've actually wished we had more time between episodes. Because as much as I would like to see how this story ends, I'm not itching for this experience to be over. But of course, with our integrity intact, we LOSTies must march boldly forward to the future; to a life without LOST...right? Right?!? *cries forever*

May 20, 2010

When you stand, you stand up for the both of us.

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color to c5bea3. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)



Alas, my fellow Skaters, I've always loved you, but unless I get more promo pics featuring these two, this will probably be my last SKate Twitter background. I know there are a lot of you out there, no matter how much Kate-hate there is and Suliet-ers abound (both of which I never understood). Who knows if these two will actually end up together (and don't you go commenting spoilers if you know!), but logic dictates that in terms of the "triangle", all roads should lead here. Now normally this is where I'd go on and on justifying these two, but I've honestly never felt the need to defend Sawyer and Kate. It's the "ship" that never needed reassurance, never needed the question, "Do you have my back?" or "Are you with me?", because really, the answer is always yes. And if you have to ask...well, someone's insecure.

On a lighter note, how adorable was this moment? I also like how in this scene, they were playing music from Season 1. Nice touch, LOST.

I'm gonna be away from the computer for most of the day, so there will be very little Tweeting coming from me. I'm taking my two dogs to the beach. And to add even more poetic symmetry, one of them is light, and one is dark. Namaste.

May 19, 2010

Heir to the Throne

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color todcdcdc. (To see this background live, visit@SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)

Yesterday marked the last episode before Sunday's series finale. You guys ready? Yeah, me neither. Have a good one.

May 18, 2010

Resolution

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color to d3c3a2. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)


Happy LOST Tuesday! It dawned on me that this is the first of the last six backgrounds on LOST SideSteps *yikes*. I was thinking earlier about how when I started this blog, I really had no clue what it was going to be about. Hell I don't even know how I came up with the name "LOST SideSteps". Then one day in February, when I realized that I was spending most of my online time on Twitter, I decided that the default backgrounds I had to stare at everyday weren't personal enough. Twitter needed a little more LOST in its life. I figured that since I was making backgrounds for myself anyway, I might as well share them. And that's how this place came to be. Since then, I've made 130 Twitter backgrounds (some with coordinating desktop backgrounds) and 37 iPhone wallpapers (some are on my Tumblr, Flash Sideways). Including today, I only have six days left of this "job." Enjoying every last moment of it. Namaste.

May 17, 2010

Incapable of lying

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color to 848484. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)


Happy day before LOST day! I saw that "This is the End" promo twice last night and it really drove the point home that there are now only six days before LOST is gone for good. These past weeks I've been reading a lot criticism about this final season; most in response to the contentious "Across the Sea". Some I agree with, some not. Folks have been complaining about the rising "cheese" factor, or how unwise it is to be dilly-dallying this late in the game.

Now it's time for my own criticism. Not about the story, but the nature of the series itself. Here's the thing. I am sure we won't get all the answers. Some very major ones will probably be left out. But what I am also sure of, is that for many of us, it won't really matter. Think about why you watch LOST. Now think about why you still watch LOST. Watching this show is like being in a codependent relationship. You started the journey and you stuck with it because you thoroughly enjoyed where it took you. You were in it for all the right reasons. When things got weird, you saw it through because you were already involved. And now that you're nearing the end, you're so damn committed, so obsessed, so taken by the promise of answers that you will hold on whether or not you still believe in it. You gladly turn a blind eye to the continuity errors and the loose ends, the plot points that seem to come out of nowhere, because you know, or at the very least believe, that the bones of this story will remain intact at the conclusion, bringing us full circle in the final moments. Here's hoping, right? No matter how you feel about the end, you'll always think so fondly of the beginning, and that first impression, that thrill, is what you'll remember when you think of LOST. "Across the Sea" won't matter. "Stranger in a Strange Land" won't matter. "Expose" won't matter.

This is what LOST does to us. We allow it get away with so much because we love this show. I love this show. I wouldn't do this if I didn't. I wouldn't even bother to comment. I'm not a writer, and I don't make any money from any of my online ventures related to this series. All I am is a fan. And right now all I can do is watch, and wait, and believe. Namaste.

May 16, 2010

The warmest, brightest light you've ever seen or felt

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This is also available as an iPhone background.

These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds; set your background color to black. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)


No comment. I just can't wait till the next episode. That is all. Namaste.

May 15, 2010

A few plain rules suffice us

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This is also available as an iPhone background.

These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds; set your background color to 9a9690. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)



I'm really wringing the hell out of this two players, two sides thing. But seeing as LOST has always been about dueling forces (Jacob and MIB, Jack and Locke, etc.), what could be more appropriate, right? Sometimes a duel can be as simple and innocent as a children's game.

May 14, 2010

The glow that illuminates. The glare that obscures.

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This is a non-tiling Twitter background; set your background color to white. (To see this background live, visit @SideStepsTEST. Note that the background of that account usually changes everyday without notice.)

Tuesday's episode was what many called "polarizing". While I agree that it was a tad (okay a lot) fantastical, I understand that we needed this. Two reasons: One, this episode benched all the cast regulars to make way for the mythology 'meat' of the season. Two, maybe we all needed less emotion after last week's bloodbath. Let's face it, some of you are still a little dehydrated.

So what did we learn? 1.) Jacob is a mama's boy, and the Man in Black is justifiably pissed off. 2.) The Island has been beckoning people towards itself for a long time. 3.) At the Island's core, there is a light, and it is beautiful. Apparently it's not just electromagnetism, it's a life force. It is this source that is now at the literal and figurative center of our story. It is a way off the Island, a means to an end. And it's physical representation, the smoke monster, is this close to meeting that end. All while following his fallen brother's rules.

(Skipped a day yesterday because I was too tired too function properly. You know that feeling when you're so sleepy that you've lost your fine motor movements? Like you're too tired to operate a mouse? Anyway I've inundated you all with a bunch of backgrounds for two days straight that one day won't kill. It's more a personal goal than anything else. Namaste.)

May 12, 2010

Dead LOSTies -- 6 new iPhone wallpapers

Click on the icon below to see them. I made six. Naomi, Arzt, and Ethan aren't in there. If you want them, though, just request it in the comments.

Dead Losties iPhone wallpapers

Please say it's not too late now that I'm dead and gone

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These are taken from the Entertainment Weekly Dead LOSTies Portraits, which I just thought was so beautiful and simple. Not to mention they were all the perfect size! All I did here was add a memorable quote from each character.

These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds. There are special color instructions for each of these:

Juliet -- set your background color to ebebeb
Charlotte -- set your background color to e2e2e2
Boone -- set your background color to f9f9f9
Danielle -- set your background color to e7e7e5
Libby -- set your background color to f0f0f0 (<--those are zeros)
Michael -- set your background color to f9f9f9
These backgrounds are in varying shades of grey that were dependent on the colors in the given portraits. The reason I have you change your background color all the time whether you see a difference or not, is because on a bigger monitor than your own, the right edge of the background extends only about a hundred pixels past the right edge of your screen. Which means if you have a different color background there than what is specified, it won't blend into the image I've given you. Just a note.

Meanwhile, what the hell was that yesterday? I suddenly don't know who I'm supposed to be rooting for here. Turns out that a big part of LOST is the underlying contest of who has the most fucked up parents. Some serious emotional damage done to both kids, and now I understand. One was so simple-minded that he would sooner resort to talking with his fists than reason with you. The other is like someone who's discovered fire for the first time. He's smart, clearly the favored one of the two. And I get why. He was special.

May 11, 2010

Tuesday Art Wrap-Up

(click each picture for full resolution)

Because I released five things today, in honor of LOST Tuesday, here's a wrap-up of what went down. The "jazz hands" one is now a complete set (Twitter, desktop, iPhone). Enjoy the show, guys!

These first two are iPhone wallpapers, click for HQ:



This is a desktop background:


These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds; set your background color to b8b8b7.


Their dice were made of bones

(click pics for full resolution) -- There are special instructions for this Twitter background. Scroll to blue. And yes, there is a desktop version of this over on Tumblr.


Preview:
These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds, please set your background color to b8b8b7 like in the screenshot below:

You know, it's actually kinda stupid how I got the idea to make this background. I was watching some SNL digital shorts, and in one of the Lonely Island sketches, "Boombox" with Julian Casablancas, one of the lyrics was "Everyone was wearing fingerless gloves." But hey, as long as it gets made, right? ;)

Anyway, this comes in two versions. While the two sided one is what I'm sure most of you will use, just keep in mind that if someone were viewing your profile on a cinema display (large screen), they'll only see the left (white) hand. And now, at the risk of sounding totally pathetic, I'm going to grovel at your feet and ask that someone please use this. LOSTies, I bow to your greatness. Now do a girl a favor and use her new fave Twitter background. I get a kick out of randomly seeing my stuff out there, can you blame me? Thematically this follows in the footsteps of that Ab Aeterno Bottle background that people seem to love, as well as the bloody one I did a few days ago. I'm gonna go ahead and tag those three "concrete", since that's the texture I used.

So how about them jazz hands? Tonight's episode is entitled "Across the Sea." Enjoy the show, guys!

May 10, 2010

Set aside our weight in sin, so that we can live again

(click pic for full resolution) -- There are special instructions for this Twitter background. Scroll to blue.

Preview; instructions below:

These are non-tiling Twitter backgrounds, please set your background color to d6dcec like in the screenshot below:
Here is another background featuring the cast in their last photoshoot together. But seriously, Vanity Fair, we know you have more, so just hand em over already.

Slightly less than two weeks left until the end of LOST. I can't believe how fast this final season has went. And for those of you who have watched sing 2004, I'm sure you can't believe how fast these past six years have went. I know a lot of people say how sad they are, and we fans really mean it. And for those of us who set aside time everyday, and dedicate it entirely to LOST, these last weeks are especially sentimental. LOST, for some fans, is like a full-time job.

We have a new episode tomorrow, which I've heard is kind of "special". I've got a pretty snazzy background ready for it, so stay tuned!