Detours & Starlight: March/April
It has been a while I’m afraid - things have been more and more difficult to arrange in a way that I’m feeling inspired or have the time to sit down and create in any significant way.. in the manner you might usually expect from an artist. That’s not to say I’ve made nothing though..
Work continues, but it looks a little different.
My creative time has largely been dedicated to working on my Dungeons and Dragons Campaigns, and recently Legends of Avantris released their Kickstarter for Neon Odyssey, which has 100% kicked off my enthusiasm for sci-fi once more.
So, naturally, I’ve spent many of my hours the last couple of weeks setting up a role playing server set in space, inspired very heavily by the Neon Odyssey content. Not only has this involved lots of creative writing, but also plenty of character creation and loads of research into how to run a role play group effectively. Moving from being a Game Master, to running RP play-by-post is taking a little adjustment but it has been a welcome learning curve and change of pace.
It has also meant plenty of opportunities to begin getting a proper hang of my drawing display tablet - and while I still struggle immensely with figurative drawing, the tools on Krita and Kamvas have been great for landscapes/abstraction and still life. I’ve been creating imagery to fill out the forum posts - some are more rough and ready than others, but I’m particularly proud of the spacescapes / nebulae ones I’ve been working on.
In other avenues, I recieved word that one of my poems is being included in an issue of HNDL Magazine, a publication that highlights the work of neurodivergent and disabled creatives. I’m very excited to eventually be able to share it with you all! You can check out some of their previous issues here!
We did however, accept delivery of an extremely exciting new addition to the studio.. I got a kiln!
my precious..
She doesn’t have a name yet, but goodness me I am excited to get to work once we’ve got a bit more time and space on our hands. I’ve plenty of ideas kicking around for functional and sculptural works - things I’ve been hoarding for 3+ years since we moved to New Zealand.
All appears to be unbroken and functional, considering the journey she’s been on, stay tuned for updates!
If we’re being realistic, much of my spoons have been used up just living, these last weeks - I’ve flicked between helping with painting for the house we’re building, being heavily involved with moderating my favourite discord servers and in the last two weeks, being a little (more) poorly than usual. The sniffles got me down man! Down with the sickness (ohwah ah ah ah!)
Places I’ve found joy and inspiration these last two months:
Jeremy Jacobson - Resonant (2026) - 4.75/5
A rich and intertwined story that explores destiny, free-will, fantasy and adventure that relies on sumptuous world building and arcane mysteries. The author builds incredible tension as a vaster plot of ambition, tough morale quandries and both a creeping sense of dread and expertly written action sequences. Interactions between characters from vastly different backgrounds, with their own heavy baggage lends this book a human depth that sank deep into my braincells. This one was an ARC (review copy) I had the pleasure of picking up through NetGalley.
T. Kingfisher - Nettle & Bone (2022) - 4.5/5
It’s a dark fairy tale that explores sibling relationships, the lengths you’ll go to, to protect them and fighting against intense institutional cruelty. It’s intense, it’s macabre but it’s also very whimsical and magical in many ways. - “This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.”
Legends of Avantris and The Midnight - Neon Odyssey | Kickstarter Animatic (2026) - 5/5
The original music from The Midnight, paired with Neon Odyssey, the brainchild of the Legends of Avantris team scratches a sci-fi/fantasy itch I didn’t know I was missing. Everything from the nostalgia colour palettes, the 90’s vibes, the anime and media references I hold dear to my heart - I can’t help but get a lil emotional everytime I listen to it or watch it.
The Horizon Zero Dawn (Original Soundtrack) (2017) - 4.5/5
Composed by Joris De Man, The Flight and Niels van der Leest - the soundtrack has accompanied me on plenty of D&D writing sessions and brainstorming hours. It’s both intimate and heart pounding in it’s scale and includes some wonderfuly experimental musical techniques and unusual uses for instruments. A good time all round.
There’s two months that show that creativity contains multitudes, even if you’re not always feeling your best, there’s something to seek joy in. See you in the next one folks,
In love, and stardust,
nearlytuna.
- Follow the Whimsy!