Merry Solstice
Merry Solstice!

The old witch winter
Hast come hither
That bold bitch winter
Oh, Oh, Oh, Ho!

It comes back. Xmas. One of those grand things, that which we all dearly love, not for the sheer myth, but for the meaning we all want it to have.
Brotherhood. Peace. Love. Family. Comfort against the cold of a cruel world.

Each Xmas that comes, journeys upon the wings of a year a bit better than the one before. A better day, for a better year. Never doubt that. Things are always getting better, never worse.
Thats how the world works. It gets better.

So enjoy it all. Joy to the world. Smiles all around.

Its good to be alive.



Character Design: Frosteye Rhunestein (or Rhunestein Yankiv Frosteye as the Dvergar say)

Pity Yankiv! Pity him! Draknir 'tis not a place for a Dvergar like he! Oh, for he choose to plumb the forbidden art. In Draknir, all such masters of the Arcane Arts are declared witch, to be hung or imprisoned. Some even say that the Firebeards experiment with various 'cures' for their condition.

Oh but Yankiv! For him, this was most unfortunate. His left eye was bitten by a Obspin snake. It removed his eye. And its decades-long poison started to work to kill him. Slow enough to pain him, but just weak enough for him to go to the land where the Human Mages rule: Valdin.

There, he willingly learned the rite that would end his pain. The Soulscaring. He ripped a piece of his own soul out. And he replaced it the raw magic energy of a being from outside our reality. He bound a crawling frostling into his right eye, learning to freeze and slow all he felt. He froze the poison away.

But pity Yankiv! For his brothers in the Clan Rhunestein tricked him... trapped him. They used the man's own wife, a priestess from the Opal Temple in Lockrok! She is now dead, from treason. And Yankiv, Frosteye, sits in a cell in the great Prison that lies beneath the Great Loch, the Forever Pit.

He can slow time, but he can't make it go back. No matter how hard he tries...
_{Coming Soon: The Seven Sinners}

So.

I've got a bit of a stomach ache tonite, but I felt the need to post something... and a journal entry is a something.

I've been thinking about altering the way I do my lit pieces by following 's example.

I'd post smaller pieces, each would be an quarter or eighth of their current size. Smaller to enable quicker reading. Perhaps 300 or 400 word sections.
First, I'd hope this would entice others to try reading some of my work without having to read the usual huge amount of words that novels on dA usually take up. Second, it might let me post a new piece (broken into chunks) over the course of a week, rather than at the dump I get every weekend.

Whatcha think about that?

If you haven't read Eating Faeries or Passage on the Nyx, please check them out. I'd enjoy the feedback, especially since both are rough drafts.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking about (actually I'm in the process of developing, sort of) a new comic. I'm unsure of the name, but it would be steampunk fantasy, based on a classic Western motif. This would be unlike 515t3r (post-apocalyptic) or Possession (horror). Based in the Draknir Universe (where the short story The Akain is set).

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

Another week, another fave, another attempt to write.

Me. Literally. Or is it literature? Eh.

It snowed today. My walk to work, to which I was late, had a bit more annoyance to it than I would like. My hometown doesn't usually get snow. I'm serious about that. P-town (as the youngsters and hucksters call it) usually is the windy dry hole that people run into on their way to the Blue Mountains.

It never snows much. Except for last year.

I like snow, and I hate snow. Its beautiful, and it adds a nice depth to winter. I love winter.

I hate it because so many people NEVER use snow shovels on my street. And the city gov't in town kinda is a idiot about snow. "Hey, it don't snow! Lets rid get of snow plow!"

Walking the twenty minutes to work seems to get silly with the more snow.

Oh well. I only complain because I love me. And Me loves me too. Aren't I awesome?

Character Idea: Ichanod Erasmus, the Facestealer

This tall lanky man approaches prospective clients in a wide-brim hat and nice, blue suit. A pair of goggles cover his eyes. And his face... well, the less said about that the better. He selects the best one for the client, although on occasion he has had to go with a the disconcerting snob or perhaps the pretty damsel. A face for him to call his own, if only for a tiny while.

He, of course, has no face. His face was removed from him when he was but a small child. Cursed by that day, he sought a life of sorrow and regret, for no one can speak or even see such a creature. A child without a face. Tsk tsk. Very sad, I'm sure.

But why, the Facestealer made himself a deal they say! Ancient spirits, or perhaps, as some whisper, a slumbering dragon offered him a cure. And poof! He became the facestealer that walks amongst us today. Master of many faces and forms, the deal covers what he lacks. But the dragons and spirits could never give him back his own face.

Does Ichanod care? Ask him, yes, of all of those who work in the Empire of Draknir, dare I say, ask how he feels about this! He will curtly give a shake and a nod of his head. Then he will remove his goggles. Purse his lips. And he will say: "Are you offering me your face? Perhaps mine for yours?"

So. I'm on the cusp of reaching 8000 faves in my favorites folder.

8000.

The 8000th Favorite:


Thats a lot.

I mean... dang.

Does it all qualify as good?

Kinda. Sorta. Sure!

Anything I fave is something I like. Anything worth faving is worth the work put into it.

I don't fave poor quality work, fanart (except for the rare Dr. Who piece) or art theft. There are some other categories in there, but I don't mention them. If the piece is a photomanip, I often will not fave it- because most photomanips on dA aren't impressive. Do something I don't think is possible with photoshop and the clone tool, then I might fave you. Too many photomanips lack design, lack creativity and originality in my opinion.

Lastly, I try not to fave anything anime/manga related, mainly because its a subculture I don't subscribe to. Also... Too many anime styles look unoriginal. Exceptions exist of course, but I like unique style and originality.

If I've watched you and faved you, its because something in your work seemed unique to me. Creative. It had the feel and taste of Art. Not just art, but a higher ideal. Art.

And Art gives me a glimpse into your soul. However tiny, that makes Art something to praised and loved.

Anyway... have a Merry Solstice!


Also... if you have read this far... should I try to draw up a zombie jesus/santa this year?

So. I'm better now. I actually don't remember Tuesday... I sort of fell asleep Monday night and woke up sometime around 3AM on Wednesday.

I got the bug out of my system tho.


So I'm trying to catch up on my dA stuff without sacrificing on my writing. Chapter Nine of Nyx is sitting in the hopper, wanting to get done. And on the other end of things, I've got two or three pieces of art that need some love.

But in this journal, I start something new. Not really. But it would be nice if I did, huh?

Seriously, though... Its DECEMBER. Already. 2009 was a lame year anyway. Nothing important happened. Uneventful.

Totally.

Other than me coming back to dA.

COMIC SCRIPT

PANEL ONE
A six-eyed skull is buried in the dirt on the floor of a cavern.

PANEL TWO
A pair of hands has picked up the six-eyed skull.

NARRATOR
The circle closed. It is time to start a new.

PANEL THREE

A scarred, ugly cultist looks into the skull's eyes.

CULTIST
"Ravana..."

PANEL FOUR

Pans out to the crowd of cultists around him, all of which chime in:

CROWD
"RAVAAANAAA"

PANEL FIVE

Close-up to the Skull.

OFF-PANEL VOICE
"Nine have been returned. One more and you shall come back to us. Long hail eternal Ravana!"

Have a nice week!