Memorial piece for my dear friend Hyde, who passed away August 16th, 2023. I can't believe it's been a year, it doesn't feel real still and I miss him very much. Please, if you didn't know him, take a second to look at his twitter and his art. He has done so much for many online furry communities and educated people on proper design etiquette regarding Native characters, especially pacific islanders as it was a huge part of his identity (iTaukei, or in English, Fijian + mixed Chinese), namely Moderneopets and the warrior cats community. Drawing and his rats (+generally) were huge passions, I learned so much I never thought I'd know abt rats!!!

He passed away at age 24 (7 december 1998 - 16 august 2023) from terminal cancer, a sarcoma that developed from a rare form of Neurofibromatosis-1 (plexiform) where tumors can form anywhere on his body where nerve sheaths are present. His prognosis was estimated to be 6 months to a year out from April 2023, so his passing was a bit sooner than expected.

I met him in 2017, through his loving boyfriend Alder, where they spent seven years together and I will be sending Alder this piece soon when I can. I am not exaggerating when I say he was genuinely one of the kindest, brightest people I've met and I wish I could've spoken to him more. His boyfriend and many friends who continue to mourn and push his memory, I wish more people could've met him and experienced his presence. Rest easy, you are missed everyday and are so so loved always and forever.

_{tags purely for organizational purposes, not reach**, used watercolors, some colored pencils, and poscas for colored outlines, touched up digitally for glowyness and to remove glare}