Autistic + chronically ill photographer, artist, writer, occasional musician, full-time nerd and generic weird person. Eternal work in progress.
Time for my periodic apology for inactivity. LOL The continued irl slog goes on. Still dealing with health issues. Been getting a lot of work done on the house to finally fix some things that have been issues for a while, next step is quality of life improvements.
Also the state of various world governments is making me so, so very tired. If we could all not go off the deep end at once, that would be lovely.
Anyway I am still here, still struggling along. Just not much art to show for it these days.
I had meant to be more active here, even when I wasn't finishing or posting art, but I've dropped off again. This year has been... a lot. And I think I might have reached the burnout point a while ago and just pushed past it. Not helped along by being sick for over a month with some kind of resistant bacterial infection (apparently there's been one going around x.x). Seems like it's been a rough one for a lot of folks. Hopefully we all reach better days soon.
Shamelessly stolen from @Fihyn
A- Age:
40
B- Biggest fear:
I have anxiety so there's fears aplenty swirling around in my head, but at the moment I suppose the answer is landing on "being alone and unable to care for myself"
C- Cold weather or Warm weather?:
I am so sick of having 6 months of August weather. Summer used to be bearable and winter didn't used to be warm and rainy. Now I yearn for a proper autumn chill. I don't much like the deep freeze below-zero mess (which anymore seems to be the only taste of winter we get) but I do miss the cold. Something about the world going dormant and chill and white for 3 months just made spring feel more meaningful, you know? But mostly, I want a real autumn. So... if you had asked me even 12 years ago the answer would have been "warm" but now... I think I prefer the cold.
D- Drink you last had:
If we're not counting water? I think I had genmaicha last night. Having coffee here shortly.
E- Extraterrestrials (Aliens), are they real?:
Oh I could have a ramble on this one. Are we defining aliens only as "intelligent life capable of visiting us" or just in general? Because I find it highly unlikely that earth is wholly unique in the universe and that we're the only place life evolved. But if intelligent life DID evolve somewhere else I also find it likely that they would have developed differently than we did. If they have a high-tech world at all it may look very different from ours and not have developed in the same fashion such that we could easily be missing each other's signals sent out into the void. Or, more simply, are just too far away. There is a part of me that wants to believe they have been here and watching in secret somehow (I have always been a little bit Mulder after all, even if my Scully comes out more often) but I find the other options far more likely.
F- First thing you do when you wake up:
drag my ass out of bed to make coffee
G- Ghosts, are they real?:
Once again we get into the dance of "how are we defining this?" and an answer more complicated than I care to get into here. Short answer I suppose is "yes but probably not in the way you're thinking."
H- How tall are you?:
5'3"
I- In love with someone:
I've been with my partner for 20 years. The "in love" comes and goes but the love as a broader term is there.
J- Jealous of someone (Just answer Yes or No):
Envious? Yes. Jealous? I don't think so at the moment.
K- Killed Someone?:
If I had do you think I would confess it on an internet quiz? :P I mean unless you count my inner child which I am currently trying to necromance from the ashes where I tried to force myself to be "grown up" for a while.
L- Last time you cried?:
Probably yesterday. Time melts together a little bit but sometimes all it takes is a sad song or a really gripping book passage.
M- Music genre you hate the most:
Off the top of my head I can't think of a genre I universally hate. Like ok that post-9/11 subgenre of country music that's super nationalistic bugs the hell out of me. But I don't think there's any entire genre I hate.
N- Newest acquisition:
Of any variety? New chapstick because I just ordered more. LOL Of any emotional significance? Probably the Posca pens I got for my birthday last month.
O- One Wish:
button to press that will fix all my health issues in one go (god you know what? I'm leaving this one from the last person. There's other things I could wish for but this one could facilitate fixing some of the others, especially if I could also press it whenever I needed to in order to get over an illness)
P- Pie, which flavor you like the most?:
Lemon and pumpkin ("but pumpkin pie isn't a pie it's a pudding" SHUSH IT'S PIE. :P)
Q- Question you usually ask:
What?
R- Reason to smile:
I have a small carnivore in the house who loves and trusts me even when I have to do things for his health that he doesn't like.
S- Song you like the most:
It changes but at the moment the Moon theme from Duck Tales has been playing in my head nonstop and honestly it rocks. Most common answers however are Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Fanfare for the Common Man.
T- Time you woke up:
7:30am much to my disgruntlement.
U- Underwear Color:
idk I just pick one out of the drawer. Black I think?
V- Video Game you like the most:
Okami remains an all time fave. I also like Skyrim, and Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild (so far TOTK isn't hitting the same for gameplay though the story is chef's kiss)
W- Worst Habit:
Hard to pin down but lately forgetting to eat is a big one. x.x
X- X-Rays you've had:
...oh honey we don't have all day. And I can't even remember them all at this point. I can tell you my most recent one was for my spine.
Y- Your favorite food:
Again I have a hard time pinning down a single favorite of anything. I am quite fond of several kinds of ice cream which is increasingly frustrating as I seem to be developing mild lactose intolerance as I age. LOL I am also quite fond of salmon and properly-toasted brussels sprouts, and I grew up with family members who hunted for food so a good cut of deer is always nice though I haven't had any in quite some time now.
Z- Zodiac Sign:
Leo though I have my disagreements with it. XD Rat if we're going Chinese zodiac, which I feel suits me better. (Wood rat to be specific.)
New lurker account created: lyraksylva.bsky.social
Might post eventually might not, but enough artists are jumping there it seems sensible to at least nab an account.
Welcome one and all to this glorious Daynight, the name given by the gryfons of the Silver Isles to the Summer Solstice. Today launches the Kickstarter for the next in the Dragon Star Saga by Jess E. Owen, favored author and, at least I'd like to think, a now-friend.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jessowen/shadow-sun-book-ii-of-the-dragon-star-saga
Full disclosure: I was provided an advance review copy by the author and the review that follows is based on this copy.
This book marks a beautiful return to Jess's world of gryfons and wolves, a play between the natural world seen through others' eyes, and just the right amount of fantasy. Wile I think it could be read on its own, I do recommend reading Rise of the Dragon Star before this one to help with context. If you want the full understanding of prior events referenced, I would start with the Summer King Chronicles, but I think the Dragon Star series can stand on its own if you feel like leaping right in.
Fans of the Summer King series who may have felt that the first book, while still very enjoyable, felt a little slower to gather its direction than the original series, will be happy to know momentum is back full force in the second instalment of the Dragon Star Saga. Dire warnings and strange phenomenon and higher stakes gripping the Silver Isles, all with new secrets to learn which could be the key to saving wolf, gryfon, and hoofbeast alike.
Through Ren's eyes we get a whole new perspective on the culture of the isles, how it has changed since the time of the Summer King, what struggles it still faces. An analytical mind given to science. But where lies the balance between science and faith? And is that balance the key to finding a way forward? What is the price of fear? Along what new lines can a pride be divided if hearts grow too guarded and weary? What is the cure?
The book does give us a good landing point while we wait, I think, for those worried about plunging ahead too fast. Questions answered, still more asked, and I very much look forward to wherever the next book is going.