I need just a bit of funds, but I'm MAYBE supposed to be taking it easy, SO
Might I offer anyone some simple icon commissions?
These are all icons I'd made for last year's artfight and a good example of what they'd look like! Dot eyes, with a simple pattern background, and flat minimal shading with highlights~
I've been spending the last few months prepping to go to college for the summer, on campus so I could get away from where I am. I kept tabs on everything every day, reached out any time something changed, and used every resource available to me
Today, THREE days before the move, I'm presented with a $4,000 extra out of pocket cost. $1,300 is due in SIX days. The rest is due next month. I couldn't see it or the full estimate until now (and even then, only part of it, I had to call to learn about the rest). I still don't fully understand why.
If I do not get $4,000 BEFORE it's time to move, I do not go. I am still stuck here, and every bit of time and effort I spent on these last few months completely falls through last second. I can't even reliably open commissions to earn it, because if I DO go then I'll be jumping straight into getting reestablished in a new state while taking two summer classes and looking for a job.
At this point everyone who knows me knows I don't actually like to ask for things, I don't like to ask for big things even more, and I HATE asking for things I can't provide something in return for.
But, I am asking. It's a lot in a short amount of time, but yknow, never know until you ask and my pride isn't more important than getting out of here. I am providing an option here, but if you want or are able help some other way feel free to DM.
Oh my god we finally reached the point in our DnD campaign where we got to reveal Vernon's family tree lmao. I had spent a lot of time with @sureindragon helping to put it together, and at one point we were like...
This is... an old elf. The family tree is massive. There is genuinely only so much that two people can do. So came the idea to outsource the work.
And now there's a "Vernon Family Tree" Meiker game that anyone can mess with to make their own family member portraits! The mustache is non negotiable.
There are some issues and errors still, but I'd spent so long on the art side of it that I definitely needed a break. I like to think I'll get back to one more pass of adding a few things and fixing stuff later lol
But for now I am officially doing my part to release this thing into the wild!
I made a lot of these during the various testing processes lmao
Sometimes a friend has an experience that is very foreign to you, an experience you don't really GET, and-- for one reason or another-- you just kind of stay quiet or don't say anything about the topic.
But I think that if a friend openly talks about an unusual experience they have, it can sometimes be better to engage genuinely and risk accidentally saying the wrong thing, rather than avoiding talking about it altogether.
If they're openly talking about it, chances are they will like jokes and questions! It's a way to engage and connect even through something that is different!
Do not be afraid to be interested in experiences that are not like your own!
Following up with sometimes a friend has an experience that is very foreign to you and you don't say anything when they talk about it because you feel uncomfortable by it for reasons you may or may not understand
And that is normal! Lots of people feel discomfort when faced with an experience that's very strange to them, it's just a thing that happens. Trying to grapple with something you don't understand can make you feel all sorts of ways lol
But I retain that remaining silent-- especially in this situation-- when your friend is trying to be open about their experience is probably not the way to go. It is, instead, a perfect time to ask questions! The more you learn about something the less uncomfortable you often will be after all, and it's a great opportunity to connect with your friend.
Opening first and foremost by setting a boundary. This is my mental health, and I will divulge as much as I want to and no more. I don't mind questions, but nobody is entitled to the details of my mental health for any reason whatsoever.
That said! I share things because I'm an advocate for open discussion of mental health topics. The more people talk about their experiences, the less likely it is that someone experiencing the same things will be left in the dark.
So I want to clarify those doodles are a big simplification, and a silly approach. And if I do more they will continue to be a silly simplification.
They're doodles. It's not an autobiography. Even if I WANTED to share everything, I'm not spending hours making sure I've covered every conceivable misunderstanding in a nonsensical doodle.
For example, it's not that everyone popped into existence once I asked. It was that I started recognizing what had been happening, and once I reached out properly everyone became more receptive to communicating as... themselves? For lack of a better word, currently.
From what I can tell, some have been around for several years, others a couple of months. I think? It’s a lot of piecing things together in hindsight.
And like... I'm not fuckin drawing all that context, that would be both boring and dumb lol
And it is confusing and stressful. I know I approach most things with humor, but I want to be serious for a sec. It’s a relief to have context for what’s been going on now, but how I got to piecing that together "wasn’t ideal", and continues to not be.
But also! I don't exactly feel like concerning a bunch of strangers on the internet with that! Maybe I'll share more down the line, but especially not when I've just started working things out.
I just want to sift through some of this. And sharing that experience in a silly way helps me do that! It keeps things light for me! Opens the door for conversation! By sharing what I have in an approachable way, I invite the opportunity to find people willing to interact and share like experiences!
Anyway. The point of this ramble, and the only time I will ever address this.
I like to be open, but it ain't my job or obligation to make sure strangers on the internet don't misconstrue my silly personal doodles.
If you decide a handful of drawings has given you the entire context to my experience and you don't like what you've concluded? That is a you problem.
Something something, it's one thing for a kid to follow in his mother's footsteps and become mayor, it's another thing to become mayor because he was so invested in the improvement of city defenses that he became a staple of the city itself
Retirement!
The two boys finally reach an age of responsibility and settle into their new careers. Their parents can have a comfortable worry free retirement, moving to a big city, knowing their boys are well equipped to handle the world now :)
I think it says something that within the week of being told I'm moving back in with my family I begin having problems enough that I need to start monitoring my heart rate multiple times a day
My name is Hadhayans Aldebaran. (Shot of Hadha's hands writing a list, in the middle of writing the second bullet point)
I am approximately 40-something years old (Hadha waking up on the floor of a wrecked library study room, eyes wide, holding a hand to his face)
And thanks to a powerful wizard, I was only just ‘born’ yesterday. (He's standing with the help of a nearby armchair, legs are very shaky)
I like tea. (Sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a croissant. Looks very stressed and confused to be existing, but is sipping the tea slowly. Faust is making some sort of mess with the stove in the background, while Icon shlorps past in the background in goo mode)
I can use magic. Spells cast so far: Levitate. (Has knocked the mug over but caught it with a levitation spell before it could fall off the edge of the table. Looks surprised that he did this on instinct)
I ‘woke up’ knowing the basics of living; how to communicate, how to cook a meal, how to take care of myself… (In the process of removing his wizard robe in his bedroom, he examines a necklace that he's wearing with unfamiliarity)
…the rest I learn by reading. I spend most of my time in the tower library. I discover that I’m quite book-smart. (Happily picking out books from the shelves. He's already gathered an armful.)
Some of my knowledge comes from the books I find, the rest comes from… somewhere else... I guess that’s what happens when you used to be a textbook. (Finally rather relaxed looking as he’s sitting in the library armchair. Several stacks of books have collected around him as he’s reading.)
I’m still learning things about myself. (A view of his back as he undoes the clasp to his necklace.)
Today I learned…(The necklace chain is clutched in one hand while his other hovers to cover near his mouth. It’s starting to curl into a grimace as the laughing fits start to take hold. He looks confused and worried.)
That I’m sick, cursed, (He's dropped to his hands and knees on the ground, overcome by laughter.)
Unwell. (Rolling on the ground with raucous laughter)
Whatever it is, I’m overcome by bouts of uncontrollable, convulsive laughter whenever I remove this necklace. (He's laying flat on his back now. The necklace is back on and he clutches it tight with one hand as he is exhausted and breathing heavily.)
I… don’t know why I'm like this, but I’m able to add more things to my list each day. (He's now curled up on his bed in a fetal position, facing away from the camera. In the foreground we can see the list he's been writing sitting on his desk.)
Hopefully one of them will be the answer I'm looking for. (Final shot is a close up of his list that the comic is based on. List transcript below)
Transcript of his list:
"The following is a record of everything that I know about myself:
My name is Hadhayans Aldebaran (Hadha for shorthand)
I am approximately 40-something years old (physically)
I used to be a textbook in a wizard’s private library (Which one?) (Wizard’s name: Malthuos Everlong)
I like tea (scones are also good!)
I can cast magic. (Levitate, Feather Fall, Magnify Gravity)
I can cook decently well (could be better)
I know more than the others about science and magic. A lot more.
I might not be very good with people (Difficult to confirm)
I like jewelry? (crossed out)
Do not remove necklace. (Large and underlined several times)"