I know  larus told me about it a month or more ago, but I finally saw the trailer for How To Train Your Dragon 2 and it's just so super amazing and Toothless flying is awesome and oh gods when did Hiccup turn into such a hunk IMUSTSEETHISMOVIENOWNOWNOWthatisall.








Seriously, Hiccup is GORGEOUS.

I'll be attending!

As usual, I'll be rooming with  wolfflax at the Hyatt, but whereas we normally have a room from Thursday through Sunday, this time it's only Friday through Sunday. As such, I'll most likely be driving up Thursday evening after work and staying at a hotel just outside of Chicago, unless someone thinks they can put up with me for a night!

I'm often found in the tabletop or video gaming rooms, and tend to hang out with  larus,  miateshcha,  blondevelvet and others for dinner and other gatherings! Expect lots of Pancakes Eggcetera for breakfast and some deep dish pizza for dinner, most likely!

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

As I was informed -after- I posted it, 'The Finer Things In Life' was actually still in progress by the artist. As such, she's given me the finalized version and I have changed the submission file to reflect that. You may F5 to experience full detail and glorious pudginess in red-scaled form!

So yeah! Definitely Novik's best work since Victory Of Eagles. It's so good to see proper, Napoleon-era battles again!

And yeaaaaah, I'm really, really wanting to write some Novikverse fiction. :)

So I'll be attending Anthrocon in Pittsburgh again this year, flying in on Thursday July 4th and leaving on Monday, July 8th. I've got a room at the Marriott City Center, and will be staying with  kahryl and  velos.

While I'm certainly going to be spending time with those two, I expect a lot of my time to be spent with the people I've gone around with these past two years, such as  kaelis,  nikykita, and  punk amongst others. While I sometimes plan my evenings/meals/gatherings too much in advance for my own good, I am happy to attend parties and dinners and such! I'd like to get a group together to go to the Chinese Buffet on Thursday or Friday, and I'm putting together a dinner gathering for frequent guests of Tapestries Sunclub, too. :)

So if you see me, please feel free to say hi! I'm there to hang out with old friends, meet new friends, and generally have the best time of my year. Keep in mind that I will probably hug or handshake or whatever first, since it's more comfortable for me, but I'm always happy to talk and walk, or just sit in a room or the Zoo (as long as it's not too freezing) and chat. I look forward to seeing you all there!

So today is the day! 30.

Admittedly, in the months before this, I was wondering...am I too old to be 'young' now? What's the future hold? How long am I going to be doing this? But...it's just another day today. Admittedly, a pretty cool day, but just another long string of sunups and sundowns when I'm still me, still a dragon, and still as appreciative of everyone I've known as I've ever been.

Many thanks to you all during all of these long years. <3

Also, go wish a happy birthday to the very dear, very handsome  raith_dw! We share the exact same birthdate, so that's pretty special. :) Happy 30th to you, Raith.

So yeah, I'll be there with the regular crew of  wolfflax,  miateshcha, and the various hangers-on! There will be plenty of dinners to attend, and general hanging out, and games, and art to be bought. If you're going, let me know and I'll be on the lookout for you! I'm always eager to meet people. Look for my baaaaaaaadges: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4860533/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4860550/.

Stay safe, keep sheltered, and if possible, keep us all updated to your status. There are plenty of people out there who want to know that friends and family are safe.

So I'm heading out for Anthrocon tomorrow morning. I'll be hanging with the usual crew of  scientificvixen and  miateshcha along with whomever else comes along. I'm there Thursday-Sunday, heading out Sunday late afternoon. I look forward to seeing faces familiar and new, and getting to hang out and generally enjoy one of the greatest times of my year. See you there!

I just wanted to give a general update on my status for everyone.

My ankle has healed up just fine, and I'd say it's about 90% or so. Haven't really worked on running on it or anything, but I'm doing everything else just fine, and with only a little restriction.

Work's been going just fine, and the regularity of it lets me plan my life around the weeks with ease.

I've been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, but not much of late anymore, now that I've maxed out my main character. I've instead focused on my writing and the various card games I play, most especially the World of Warcraft card game, of late!

I am getting, or plan to get, a few commissions from various artists of both Stalbon and some of my other characters before Anthrocon, and do plan to attend that event in June, as well. I currently have room plans with a local friend who's also going, but could use some floor space for Thursday night, since he won't be up until Friday.

Thanks as always for any encouragement and criticism that everyone gives me. It's all most appreciated, and helps me to keep on writing!

Writewritewritewritewritewritewrite! Must WRITE!

An update on my recent ankle injury: the doctor removed my stitches yesterday, and I'm now able to wash it and not have to use any kind of...bag or what have you in the shower, huzzah! That, alone, makes things so much better. I'm still on crutches, but he has said that if I feel strong enough, I can start to wean myself off of them, and I feel like I have a lot more motion in my foot, already.

As for Anthrocon this June, well...my normal roommate,  wolfflax is unlikely to make it, and while I suspect I shall be able to, I am currently without any sort of room plan! I know many who are going, including a couple from my immediate area, who might be willing to put me up with them, but I am also asking any close, personal friends going if they would be willing to have me as a roommate. Please understand that I do not do that well with a lot of people in the room...I tend to use the room mostly as a place for storing things and sleeping. I like to trust that my roommates won't have a great deal of other people in when I'm not around. That being said, I keep the room clean, do not drink or smoke, and am respectful to my roommates. So, if I know you well enough and you're willing to put up with me, please hit me up and let me know your own room plans! Perhaps something can be arranged.

So today's my 29th birthday. Normally a quiet affair, regardless, but now with added interest thanks to me slipping down my back porch stairs this past Friday and twisting my ankle. It turns out the ankle (or rather, my fibula) was fractured in the fall, and the orthopedist's best recommendation is a quick surgery to negate any possible long-term problems with the joint. So, Friday morning, I'm going to have the surgery, and then I guess we'll just see! Some of you knew that I'd had an ankle injury already, but this was to just get it out there for those friends of mine I've not already told, or had the chance to tell.

I am going, and I shall be hanging out with  Miateshcha and  Wolfflax as usual. Thursday-Monday morning is my approximate time there, though I may change my mind and leave Sunday evening. Let me know if you're going and if I should be on the lookout for you! And by all means, if you spot me (my badges should be enough), say hi...I may not realize by nametag alone that you are a certain person! Hit me up on this journal to let me know if I should be on the lookout for anyone.

I give all of my hopes that you stay safe and secure in your homes, if you can, and that you stay level-headed and organized if you are part of the evacuations, forced or no. To those friends of mine in New York City, especially, I hope that everything goes well if you are part of the mandatory evacuation plan. Everyone else, please stay safe!

I'm off for Pittsburgh and Anthrocon on Thursday morning, but I'm putting my computer in for an upgrade after work tomorrow, so I probably won't see anyone save in person until Monday at the earliest! I'll be hanging out with  kaelis on Thursday, and then when  Wolfflax gets in on Friday, I'll be rooming with him until Sunday. I hope to see lots of old friends there, and meet lots of people I've known here for the first time in life! If you're going, look out for me. If not, enjoy your weekend nonetheless. Take care, all!

It's my dear friend  talonsaurn's birthday today, and he could certainly use all the attention, love, and cheering up that he can receive. Please be sure to wish him a good day!

This is a request/broadcast going out to those attending Anthrocon whom I consider close, trusted friends. I myself will be attending, and have room plans for Friday through Sunday, but I was hoping to catch a flight up on Thursday and enjoy the first day of the convention as well. However, I will not have a room to stay in for that day. If there is anyone whom I've known for a good long time who has floor space for me to store my stuff for the day, and possible a cot or bed, or yes, even a chair for me to rest in for the evening, I would be most appreciative if you would let me know! I would probably try to get in by the afternoon, and really, I'd only need a place to put my bags and such for the day, and then a place for the night where I can wash up and try to get a bit of sleep. If you'd care to reply, you may do so here, in a note to me on FurAffinity, or if you see me on a messenger. Thank you!

Edit: The room situation for Thursday has been solved. Many thanks to Kaelis for giving me the use of his for the day!

...is my biggest fad right now.

It's something I've been experimenting with going on several years now, and you can see at least one of my stories is told from a first-person perspective (another is in the works, and just needs to be finished), and...I love writing in that style so much. The perspective's not always the best way to write, and I still very much enjoy a story written or told in third-person, but when you are in the mood, when you've got something on your mind and it's like a fever right behind your eyes, there's no better way to get it out.

First-person perspectives lets you EMOTE. You get to CHANNEL everything that the character is feeling almost exactly as if it were you in that situation. Pain, humiliation, love, anger, sadness...the primal lusts and needs and fears that exist are best portrayed through the eyes and thoughts of the character, not from an outside viewpoint. It tends to work best in a situation or environment that you are familiar with, i.e. modern times, city life, a school or university... That way, you're knowledgeable about the slang, the politics, the current events, and you can channel that into dialogue or inner thoughts to make things flow a lot better, and to make your reader feel a lot more comfortable, too.

My other fad right now? Medieval-fantasy political intrigue, ala Game of Thrones and my new favorite series, A Memory of Flames. <3

So Young Justice (on Cartoon Network at 6 p.m. Central on Fridays, with repeat showings at 7 p.m. on Sundays) is proving to be a fun show. Unfortunately, it's not part of the DCAU canon (Kid Flash here is Wally, whereas DCAU cements that Wally is the Flash) but it's well-written, beautifully-animated, and the various powers-use and fights are suitably spectacular. It feels a bit like Justice League Lite, in that each of the team is a core member's junior, and therefore fills the role of what their senior does in Justice League, but that doesn't detract much from it all. Plus, Aqualad's powerset (superhuman strength, endurance, and forming electrified weapons with 'hard water' through his arms) is different enough, and his personality different enough, to really stand out to me as the best kid so far. Plus, it's nice to see existing and new villains show up without having to focus on the big threats that the Justice League normally handles. I highly recommend it to people who are fond of the genre.

Midwest Furfest this year was fantastic. Despite a one-hour traffic jam that brought me into Chicago later than I'd expected, the Windy City proved to be a good host. The days were clear and sunny, and despite the omnipresent wind, it was not too cold, either.  wolfflax was a great roommate, and it was fun to see many furs I've met before and meet new ones, as well! I picked up a few framed pieces from the art show, a calender from the amazingly-talented Jennifer Miller of Featherdust Studios, and two badges of Stalbon: a headshot from  tiberius and a full-body one from  firefeathers, both of which are simply awesome! I hope to have the time and money to attend Anthrocon this summer, but if not, MFF is always one to consider, as well.

Ok, I'll see all of you sexy people up at Midwest Furfest or afterwards. Take care of yourselves, and enjoy your weekends regardless!

So, who should I keep an eye out for at Midwest Furfest next weekend? :>

So it seems Guillermo Del Toro has pulled out of filming The Hobbit and Peter Jackson is expressing his interest in helming it once again. While I enjoy Del Toro's works, his fantasy is a bit too schizophrenic at times for one of the stories that started 'high fantasy' as we all know it! I think I'd really prefer Jackson at the head of this project, even if Del Toro was more or less hand-picked by the New Zealander, anyway! But anyway, as I'm sure Athelind himself would say, it's all about Smaug in the end!

Everyone take care during this Christmas and holiday season, and likewise enjoy yourselves a very festive New Year's! Hope you all get something you've been wanting.