This is going to be a mess/all over the place as I go, but I don't care right now. I need to get this off my chest before I crack.
Albert “Gene Catlow” Temple Meant a hell of a lot more to me than I realized until I heard he passed. Knowing someone like him over 20 years and how awesome of an individual this guy was I am not surprised I lost count of everything hes done for me.
As far as characters go, this guy made a lot that I could not resist to get attached to . Gene Catlow himself, the Raccoon kids and their parents, NoBrainR (sp?), Fyodor Romanich... list goes on and on and on. I found the fandom in August 1995, and when Kilo/Ratman made the SCFA (later became Yerf) is where I started to see Albert's stuff show up. Tossed him an email complimenting him on the cool characters and we hit off since.
I had only Sir Kain as a character back then and I was getting VERY active into chatting with just about everyone on FurtooniaMUCK and made an alternate username and character to help split out the ocean of text coming in (I was watching 300+ users with sir Kain account alone) and wanted a pic or two of Kendall so I could show my close friends who'd know of the account. So going off a couple lines of crappy description Gene made
THIS! Gene said there is too much character in Kendall to just hide (and he posted the pic to Yerf, which kind of blew my cover). At first I was annoyed, but the more we talked its like... he knew where to poke at my very dead imagination and creativity and Kendall's soul was made. The guy even wanted to use Kendall alter on in a (sadly never finished) collaboration project with a lot of folks characters and Kendall now was starting to shine.
If it wasn't for him to keep chatting with me on character stuff, I'd probably still only have Sir Kain around and not be regaining my care to want to draw again. Another thing he was somehow able to make me do when I refused to for anyone else even family back then. He is that awesome.
But as for things he did for ME myself, most probably wouldn't know or notice. He was more than just an artist friend I liked to get art from. He became a hero, a mentor and one hell of a role model for me to try to be like (tall order, I know). I was probably about as racist and mean and messed up as half of the negative humans were in his Gene Catlow comic. But the more I seemed to hang around him, chat about art and life and other stuff over the phone many times over the years... I'm not the same person at all, and I thank him so much for helping inspire me to not be the homophobic, bully type I used to be. Others helped too but he was THE main influence for those changes or wanting to change.
My parents when they first met him when he came to my house for one of the first KainCon get together I did, usually mom would always have something negative to say about just about every friend I had visit. She had nothing bad to say ever about Albert. Nothing. That was another hit of how amazing this guy was for those of you who sadly didn't get to meet this guy in person. And like many journals I see on here repeat – He never got mad/angry, he always charmed folks with his smile and personality, you couldn't find really anything bad abut this fellow.
But now that hes passed – and very suddenly.... that has hit hard. Very hard. I don't know when I'll stop breaking down crying or being pissed at (insert deity here) for taking him away from us way too early. Why him? Why. Why do the awesome, positive, charismatic almost angelic like people have to go so soon?
I, and many MANY others are going to miss you dearly Albert. I dunno how we will hold together but we will try for ya.
*nods* I get you man...been thinking about it almost non-stop since friday morning. This void will never be filled. -_-; I would just like know what exactly happened to him.
He left a good mark on pretty much everyone he met. *sigh* We're living in times when we need every single individual that is like him to brighten things up a little.
*nods* I get you man...been thinking about it almost non-stop since friday morning. This void will n
<hugs> It made the con I attended this weekend very hard, getting that news....memories kept coming back. I think he meant a lot to a lot of people, and really was encouraging people to try their hand at drawing.
<hugs> It made the con I attended this weekend very hard, getting that news....memories kept coming
