Ballet Experience: Swan Lake
Mar. 15th, 2026 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
extrapenguinSwan Lake is, after the Nutcracker, perhaps the most basic ballet there is. It's considered the peak of classical ballet (note: in ballet, the romantic era comes before the classic, so that while Tchaikovsky is a romantic composer, he is a composer of classic ballets), but I think the part of the reason for its longevity is that it has multiple ending variants, broadly divided into "villain wins" and "lovers prevail".
Short synopsis:
[Prologue] Princess Odette gets kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, Rothbart, and cursed to become a swan who can only turn human by night. (He has a collection of women he's done this to.) Her mom turns up and cries so much her tears form the titular Swan Lake. Basically no-one performs this part anymore.
The Curse: a prince must publicly proclaim to love Odette and only Odette; if she is betrayed in love, she and all the other swan maidens are condemned to stay swans forever. Allegedly this will also happen if Rothbart dies before the curse is broken.
[Act 1 Scene 1] The production will probably start here, in a palace courtyard. Lots of partying and jolly dancing. Prince Siegfried gets gifted a crossbow. His mom tells him that tomorrow, at his 18th birthday party, he will have to pick a girl to marry.
[Act 1 Scene 2] Siegfried goes hunting! He sees a beautiful swan, who then turns into a beautiful woman. He is awed and they then fall in love. Corps de ballet is the other swan maidens, with divertissements of the four little swans and three large swans.
[Act 2 Scene 1] The birthday party. Lots of dancing in the form of divertissements. Siegfried turns down all the women his mother has thoughfully assembled, to everyone's shock. But then! The party is gatecrashed by a dude and his swan-y daughter, Odile – the black swan. The dude is none other than Rothbart, and Siegfried enspelled to see Odette when he looks at Odile. (In basically every production over, it's the same ballerina; all that changes is the color of the tutu.) Odette tries to fly in the window but is stopped. Siegfried proclaims his undying love to Odile, at which point Rothbart goes lol and draws back the curtains to reveal Odette behind the window, watching all this. Much drama ensues, Siegfried runs off, his mom faints, etc.
[Act 2 Scene 2] Back at the lake, Siegfried searches out Odette amidst the other swan maidens who have now all been condemned to an eternity as swans due to him. They meet and dance together. Then Rothbart shows up, and this is where things get interesting wrt potential ending variants. In a bunch of them, Rothbart takes Odette and she becomes a swan forever, and Siegfried tragically beseeches the audience etc (unless he's danced by Nureyev, in which case he drowns). In others, Rothbart gets defeated either by Siegfried killing him somehow, or simply by the True Love (TM) being so powerful it outpowers the curse; cue happy ending.
The Paris Ballet Theatre put on the happy ending which I believe is most popular in Russia: Siegfried steals one of Rothbart's wings (he is owl-coded), thus depriving him of his powers and defeating him. As usual, I bought the program, and this time they even had DVDs, so I bought one! Next up, buying an external DVD drive so I can rip it...
Dancing: Their principal danseur is very good at projecting this sort of naïve and innocent vibe, which fits Siegfried well. Their prima ballerina worked great as Odette, though Odile could've had a bit of extra spice. The costuming was amazing, with 109887 sequins on everyone, and I appreciated the slightly softer tutus (vs hardcore platter tutus) of the swans.
Also this is basically the Ballets Russes reborn. They dance Vaganova/Russian style, the dancers got their training in places like Armenia and the Komi Republic (in Russia), were soloists in places like the Bolshoi Theater and the Ural Opera (both in Russia), and the maîtrisse de ballet is Belarusian. Also the live music, The Orchestra of Budapest, is basically an international company formed out of almost exclusively Eastern European musicians, with a Belarusian conductor.
Note to self: rows G-P probably the best for seeing stuff, since it's far enough up that you can see the back of the stage/some of what the corps de ballet is doing formation-wise and aren't upskirting everyone nonstop, but close enough you can see expressions.
Short synopsis:
including the prologue!
[Prologue] Princess Odette gets kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, Rothbart, and cursed to become a swan who can only turn human by night. (He has a collection of women he's done this to.) Her mom turns up and cries so much her tears form the titular Swan Lake. Basically no-one performs this part anymore.
The Curse: a prince must publicly proclaim to love Odette and only Odette; if she is betrayed in love, she and all the other swan maidens are condemned to stay swans forever. Allegedly this will also happen if Rothbart dies before the curse is broken.
[Act 1 Scene 1] The production will probably start here, in a palace courtyard. Lots of partying and jolly dancing. Prince Siegfried gets gifted a crossbow. His mom tells him that tomorrow, at his 18th birthday party, he will have to pick a girl to marry.
[Act 1 Scene 2] Siegfried goes hunting! He sees a beautiful swan, who then turns into a beautiful woman. He is awed and they then fall in love. Corps de ballet is the other swan maidens, with divertissements of the four little swans and three large swans.
[Act 2 Scene 1] The birthday party. Lots of dancing in the form of divertissements. Siegfried turns down all the women his mother has thoughfully assembled, to everyone's shock. But then! The party is gatecrashed by a dude and his swan-y daughter, Odile – the black swan. The dude is none other than Rothbart, and Siegfried enspelled to see Odette when he looks at Odile. (In basically every production over, it's the same ballerina; all that changes is the color of the tutu.) Odette tries to fly in the window but is stopped. Siegfried proclaims his undying love to Odile, at which point Rothbart goes lol and draws back the curtains to reveal Odette behind the window, watching all this. Much drama ensues, Siegfried runs off, his mom faints, etc.
[Act 2 Scene 2] Back at the lake, Siegfried searches out Odette amidst the other swan maidens who have now all been condemned to an eternity as swans due to him. They meet and dance together. Then Rothbart shows up, and this is where things get interesting wrt potential ending variants. In a bunch of them, Rothbart takes Odette and she becomes a swan forever, and Siegfried tragically beseeches the audience etc (unless he's danced by Nureyev, in which case he drowns). In others, Rothbart gets defeated either by Siegfried killing him somehow, or simply by the True Love (TM) being so powerful it outpowers the curse; cue happy ending.
The Paris Ballet Theatre put on the happy ending which I believe is most popular in Russia: Siegfried steals one of Rothbart's wings (he is owl-coded), thus depriving him of his powers and defeating him. As usual, I bought the program, and this time they even had DVDs, so I bought one! Next up, buying an external DVD drive so I can rip it...
Dancing: Their principal danseur is very good at projecting this sort of naïve and innocent vibe, which fits Siegfried well. Their prima ballerina worked great as Odette, though Odile could've had a bit of extra spice. The costuming was amazing, with 109887 sequins on everyone, and I appreciated the slightly softer tutus (vs hardcore platter tutus) of the swans.
Also this is basically the Ballets Russes reborn. They dance Vaganova/Russian style, the dancers got their training in places like Armenia and the Komi Republic (in Russia), were soloists in places like the Bolshoi Theater and the Ural Opera (both in Russia), and the maîtrisse de ballet is Belarusian. Also the live music, The Orchestra of Budapest, is basically an international company formed out of almost exclusively Eastern European musicians, with a Belarusian conductor.
Note to self: rows G-P probably the best for seeing stuff, since it's far enough up that you can see the back of the stage/some of what the corps de ballet is doing formation-wise and aren't upskirting everyone nonstop, but close enough you can see expressions.
Icon Progression 2025
Mar. 15th, 2026 09:48 pmtinnyFinally! Here's my progression post for 2025! (click here for: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016)
# of icons: 1230
# of icon posts: 65
Graph instead of words for distribution this time:
Last, year the busiest months where May, October, June, and March - well there is some overlap - and the quietest ones February and December - nope, not even close. :D
Biggest achievements/progress made/observations: I don't think I made any huge leaps. My work was so busy and exhausting that I resorted to mostly minimalist icons without text. The most complex icons were around March, and after June the text use dropped significantly. I'm not bothered by this, because apparently it meant I made more icons, and I can't say I had less fun making them than I would have had making more complex ones. It's all good, then!
New this year: I made a gallery for 2025, just one huge pile without any text/descriptions/explanations, which you can see here: https://tinpix.de/2025/gallery_page_1.html. They go from new (page 1) to old (page 24).
Now for the monthly details:
Every icon post is linked separately, through the example icons for each month. But you can also click on the month names for that month's calendar with links to all my posts. Or you can simply look at my art-icons tag. Every month states the number of icons posted that month, plus the number later posted in drop posts, to get a better idea when I made what.
->
->
->
( My progression over the last 12 months )
Wow, I got way over 1000 icons this year - probably due to the fact that![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
monthlyinspo died and I had to deliver lots of 20-icon sets for all the 20in20s in which I participated instead, plus the landcomms. And I was under a lot of stress at work so that carried over into my need to relieve the stress by making a lot of icons. Those were less complex, but didn't end up ugly, just minimalistic and more focused on coloring and lighting. Overall, I'm not complaining. Iconmaking is stress relief for me, and I really needed it.
My resolutions for 2025 were:
- Be a little more adventurous with obscuring the subject, either through crop or using text
- Do experiments with coloring
I feel like I did the second one. I love recoloring icons, and that's why I love iconcolors so much, too. I did a retro_icontest round where a new coloring method was the focus of the challenge, and I found a coloring tutorial that I've been experimenting with. So I guess those both count, and this worked out.
The first one... eh. I kind of did it. At least I remembered that I had it this year, lol, unlike the previous years. :D I made an icontalking challenge with the goal of practicing it (it worked a little, could have been more). So I am keeping that one.
I didn't have a third one in 2025, but since I'm firmly back into cdrama and have made way too many textless icons last year, I'll add the old resolution back. Then I realized how great it was to shake up my process, I'm adding a resolution to that effect, giving me these three:
- Be a little more adventurous with obscuring the subject, either through crop or using text
- Do experiments with changing my process, either by starting from textures or by following guides/tutorials
- Add text also to cdrama icons
Looking back at the year, I'm happy as always that the iconmaker community still exists. Some new (and old!) makers joined us again, and my comms are all a source of joy. I'm also happy to have found seasons_of_fandom, a landcomm that works really well at integrating iconmakers, which no other landcomm I've seen has done as successfully, and I enjoy participating there. It's in fact the first landcomm that I've managed to stay in for more than one round. (Well, okay, I managed a few rounds at fandom_empire, too.)
Many thanks to everyone who mods, participates, or even just comments. You all make my life better. <3
Last but not least: the graph!
Compared to last year, the number of Zhu Yilong icons dropped considerably *again*, from 175 to a measly 33. I feel like my Zhu Yilong addiction has well and truly run its course. My new obsession is Wu Lei, who leads the count with 374 icons, then HPI with 323, neither of which were at all a thing in 2024. All in all, adding cdrama (104) + BL (51) to the Zhu Yilong and Wu Lei numbers, Asian fandoms still come to almost half my total number (560).
Last year, I thought that I would icon more western fandoms, but apart from HPI, that prediction has not come true. It's all Wu Lei's fault of course. :D
So far, 2026 has started out well where iconmaking is concerned, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way.
# of icons: 1230
# of icon posts: 65
Graph instead of words for distribution this time:
Last, year the busiest months where May, October, June, and March - well there is some overlap - and the quietest ones February and December - nope, not even close. :D
Biggest achievements/progress made/observations: I don't think I made any huge leaps. My work was so busy and exhausting that I resorted to mostly minimalist icons without text. The most complex icons were around March, and after June the text use dropped significantly. I'm not bothered by this, because apparently it meant I made more icons, and I can't say I had less fun making them than I would have had making more complex ones. It's all good, then!
New this year: I made a gallery for 2025, just one huge pile without any text/descriptions/explanations, which you can see here: https://tinpix.de/2025/gallery_page_1.html. They go from new (page 1) to old (page 24).
Now for the monthly details:
Every icon post is linked separately, through the example icons for each month. But you can also click on the month names for that month's calendar with links to all my posts. Or you can simply look at my art-icons tag. Every month states the number of icons posted that month, plus the number later posted in drop posts, to get a better idea when I made what.
->
->
->
( My progression over the last 12 months )
Closing Thoughts and Resolutions
Wow, I got way over 1000 icons this year - probably due to the fact that
monthlyinspo died and I had to deliver lots of 20-icon sets for all the 20in20s in which I participated instead, plus the landcomms. And I was under a lot of stress at work so that carried over into my need to relieve the stress by making a lot of icons. Those were less complex, but didn't end up ugly, just minimalistic and more focused on coloring and lighting. Overall, I'm not complaining. Iconmaking is stress relief for me, and I really needed it.My resolutions for 2025 were:
- Be a little more adventurous with obscuring the subject, either through crop or using text
- Do experiments with coloring
I feel like I did the second one. I love recoloring icons, and that's why I love iconcolors so much, too. I did a retro_icontest round where a new coloring method was the focus of the challenge, and I found a coloring tutorial that I've been experimenting with. So I guess those both count, and this worked out.
The first one... eh. I kind of did it. At least I remembered that I had it this year, lol, unlike the previous years. :D I made an icontalking challenge with the goal of practicing it (it worked a little, could have been more). So I am keeping that one.
I didn't have a third one in 2025, but since I'm firmly back into cdrama and have made way too many textless icons last year, I'll add the old resolution back. Then I realized how great it was to shake up my process, I'm adding a resolution to that effect, giving me these three:
- Be a little more adventurous with obscuring the subject, either through crop or using text
- Do experiments with changing my process, either by starting from textures or by following guides/tutorials
- Add text also to cdrama icons
Looking back at the year, I'm happy as always that the iconmaker community still exists. Some new (and old!) makers joined us again, and my comms are all a source of joy. I'm also happy to have found seasons_of_fandom, a landcomm that works really well at integrating iconmakers, which no other landcomm I've seen has done as successfully, and I enjoy participating there. It's in fact the first landcomm that I've managed to stay in for more than one round. (Well, okay, I managed a few rounds at fandom_empire, too.)
Many thanks to everyone who mods, participates, or even just comments. You all make my life better. <3
Last but not least: the graph!
comparison with last year
Compared to last year, the number of Zhu Yilong icons dropped considerably *again*, from 175 to a measly 33. I feel like my Zhu Yilong addiction has well and truly run its course. My new obsession is Wu Lei, who leads the count with 374 icons, then HPI with 323, neither of which were at all a thing in 2024. All in all, adding cdrama (104) + BL (51) to the Zhu Yilong and Wu Lei numbers, Asian fandoms still come to almost half my total number (560).
Last year, I thought that I would icon more western fandoms, but apart from HPI, that prediction has not come true. It's all Wu Lei's fault of course. :D
So far, 2026 has started out well where iconmaking is concerned, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way.
starandreaOkay, I take it back, Project Hail Mary is actually really easy to read in Chinese (at least at the beginning) because the narrator has no idea what's going on.
And also, to be fair, it's a translation of English. In my limited experience reading Chinese translations of English books and fanfic, they retain a lot of the original language structure and of course, most of the original cultural assumptions and storytelling apparatus. So even when I don't know what all the words mean, it's more common for me to think, "oh yeah I recognize that type of sentence" or "that's probably a reference to [insert common comparison/analogy/phrase here]" than it is when reading something originally written in Chinese.
The same thing gets English fanfic writers of Chinese source material into trouble in reverse, of course, because the English translation we're working from benefits from the audience recognizing the underlying Chinese structure. Notable common examples include the sect mottos in Mo Dao Zu Shi, which are great as translations of the Chinese but definitely do not stand well alone for English speakers with no Chinese background, ha ha.
(The Lan Sect motto is translated as "Be righteous," which again, if you're working from Chinese and looking for a good English equivalent, that's great. But people starting from English with no exposure to the source Chinese have often read "righteous" as "just" rather than "civilized." I actually read a fanfic, and I'm sure it was great (genuinely I'm sure I loved it or I wouldn't remember this), where one of the characters says, "I thought the Lan Sect motto was 'be righteous' not 'don't make a fuss'" and I was like, "no it's definitely much closer to 'don't make a fuss' than it is to 'stand up for the innocent'".)
(The Jiang Sect motto is very similar, in the sense that "Do the impossible" is a lovely translation if you're starting from Chinese and looking for a way to express the sentiment in English to other Chinese speakers. But English speakers tend to read it as "Do new and audacious stuff without listening to the haters" or like "if you believe in yourself you can do anything," where a Chinese audience will recognize a literary reference that means, "you should choose the civilized response in uncivilized situations, even when it won't change anything.")
Anyway, Project Hail Mary (aka "Rescue Plan" in Chinese, speaking of cultural assumptions inherent in the source material) is off to a slow start, which is great because it means I can follow what's going on. I am not going to finish it before the movie comes out next weekend. On the other hand, perhaps the movie will make the book easier to understand.
And also, to be fair, it's a translation of English. In my limited experience reading Chinese translations of English books and fanfic, they retain a lot of the original language structure and of course, most of the original cultural assumptions and storytelling apparatus. So even when I don't know what all the words mean, it's more common for me to think, "oh yeah I recognize that type of sentence" or "that's probably a reference to [insert common comparison/analogy/phrase here]" than it is when reading something originally written in Chinese.
The same thing gets English fanfic writers of Chinese source material into trouble in reverse, of course, because the English translation we're working from benefits from the audience recognizing the underlying Chinese structure. Notable common examples include the sect mottos in Mo Dao Zu Shi, which are great as translations of the Chinese but definitely do not stand well alone for English speakers with no Chinese background, ha ha.
(The Lan Sect motto is translated as "Be righteous," which again, if you're working from Chinese and looking for a good English equivalent, that's great. But people starting from English with no exposure to the source Chinese have often read "righteous" as "just" rather than "civilized." I actually read a fanfic, and I'm sure it was great (genuinely I'm sure I loved it or I wouldn't remember this), where one of the characters says, "I thought the Lan Sect motto was 'be righteous' not 'don't make a fuss'" and I was like, "no it's definitely much closer to 'don't make a fuss' than it is to 'stand up for the innocent'".)
(The Jiang Sect motto is very similar, in the sense that "Do the impossible" is a lovely translation if you're starting from Chinese and looking for a way to express the sentiment in English to other Chinese speakers. But English speakers tend to read it as "Do new and audacious stuff without listening to the haters" or like "if you believe in yourself you can do anything," where a Chinese audience will recognize a literary reference that means, "you should choose the civilized response in uncivilized situations, even when it won't change anything.")
Anyway, Project Hail Mary (aka "Rescue Plan" in Chinese, speaking of cultural assumptions inherent in the source material) is off to a slow start, which is great because it means I can follow what's going on. I am not going to finish it before the movie comes out next weekend. On the other hand, perhaps the movie will make the book easier to understand.
A little bit OPLA S2 stuff
Mar. 15th, 2026 03:37 pmnayeHaving been a One Piece fan since 2004, I was INCREDIBLY surprised when I went from "but why would you do that?" about the then forthcoming One Piece live action adaptation to head over heels in love with the writing, acting, production, and music. I was absolutely psyched for season two, which came out on Tuesday. My old friend shayera suggested getting together to watch it, so she came over to hang out with doctorskuld and me this weekend. We've all been into One Piece for 20+ years, and are fans of the magnitude where we have all written One Piece fic and made One Piece vid, as well as gone to events in Japan. (Seeing Oda Eiichiro live and getting to be in the crowd shouting "Arigatou!" at him is forever going to be a highlight of my fannish life.)
Which is to say: we are probably the worst kind of audience to try to please. But, of course, we all loved it. It is a tour de force in every way. THIS is how you adapt a manga! This is how you pour your heart and soul into making something so good it's impossible not to be won over by it.
I really was excited when the incomparable Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli released two tracks from the S2 OST (not yet released) ahead of the premiere. The first was the absolutely epic Pray to the Sun, featuring none other than THE HU as well as Declan de Barra. Listen to that sound! That is 100% what Elbaph music sounds like! It's got such a wild range of instruments, from Nordic nyckelharpa to Mongolian morin khuur, and those lyrics are - well. Let's just say that if you're up to date on the anime they will mean more than you may think.
Then they released their collaboration with baritone saxofonist Leo P, Whiskey Peak Saloon. Amazing energy! Amazing fun! I highly recommend Sonya Belousova's Instagram for lots of informative (and enthusiastic!) behind the scenes information on the OST.
As for the eight episodes - I am so glad season 3 is already in production, because I need more immediately. It's so bonkers and fun in the best way, at the same time as it manages to capture both the emotional heart of the story. And the production is so good?? Not just the amazing quality of everything from costume and props to sets, but the level of details that goes into everything - and also the way they've adapted the story...! There were so many great easter eggs, shout-outs, and treats for fans of the manga and anime, and I've put several on Tumblr already. Let's see...
This moment, when Dragon turns around in episode 1, and the camera focuses on the man standing behind him? Yeah, I made a teakettle noise of surprised delight. I also think there may be a relevant Wanted poster very out of focus in the background when they enter Loguetown.
Another fun Loguetown background thing that actually comes back in episode 5 is Hero of the Marines: The Musical about Garp. Just. The amount of namedropping that happens in the legible part of the review of said musical is astounding.
There's also a lot of legible text in the Baroque Works files that we see in episode 5.
Finally, for fans who've watched through Wano there is a huge easter egg standing around on Dorry's chest in episode 4. (I believe for fans up to date on the manga there are two Easter Eggs.)
...I say "finally" though I am pretty sure I am not done with discovering fun things in OPLA. I mean. I haven't even made a gif set for it yet...!
shayera suggested getting together to watch it, so she came over to hang out with doctorskuld and me this weekend. We've all been into One Piece for 20+ years, and are fans of the magnitude where we have all written One Piece fic and made One Piece vid, as well as gone to events in Japan. (Seeing Oda Eiichiro live and getting to be in the crowd shouting "Arigatou!" at him is forever going to be a highlight of my fannish life.)Which is to say: we are probably the worst kind of audience to try to please. But, of course, we all loved it. It is a tour de force in every way. THIS is how you adapt a manga! This is how you pour your heart and soul into making something so good it's impossible not to be won over by it.
I really was excited when the incomparable Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli released two tracks from the S2 OST (not yet released) ahead of the premiere. The first was the absolutely epic Pray to the Sun, featuring none other than THE HU as well as Declan de Barra. Listen to that sound! That is 100% what Elbaph music sounds like! It's got such a wild range of instruments, from Nordic nyckelharpa to Mongolian morin khuur, and those lyrics are - well. Let's just say that if you're up to date on the anime they will mean more than you may think.
Then they released their collaboration with baritone saxofonist Leo P, Whiskey Peak Saloon. Amazing energy! Amazing fun! I highly recommend Sonya Belousova's Instagram for lots of informative (and enthusiastic!) behind the scenes information on the OST.
As for the eight episodes - I am so glad season 3 is already in production, because I need more immediately. It's so bonkers and fun in the best way, at the same time as it manages to capture both the emotional heart of the story. And the production is so good?? Not just the amazing quality of everything from costume and props to sets, but the level of details that goes into everything - and also the way they've adapted the story...! There were so many great easter eggs, shout-outs, and treats for fans of the manga and anime, and I've put several on Tumblr already. Let's see...
This moment, when Dragon turns around in episode 1, and the camera focuses on the man standing behind him? Yeah, I made a teakettle noise of surprised delight. I also think there may be a relevant Wanted poster very out of focus in the background when they enter Loguetown.
Another fun Loguetown background thing that actually comes back in episode 5 is Hero of the Marines: The Musical about Garp. Just. The amount of namedropping that happens in the legible part of the review of said musical is astounding.
There's also a lot of legible text in the Baroque Works files that we see in episode 5.
Finally, for fans who've watched through Wano there is a huge easter egg standing around on Dorry's chest in episode 4. (I believe for fans up to date on the manga there are two Easter Eggs.)
...I say "finally" though I am pretty sure I am not done with discovering fun things in OPLA. I mean. I haven't even made a gif set for it yet...!
"when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by"
Mar. 14th, 2026 11:38 pmstarandreaI was thinking about the beach for today's walk but it was very windy and common sense reasserted itself about three minutes into the drive. We went to the farm instead.
Conditions were variable.
( pictures )
Conditions were variable.
( pictures )
25 icons and bases for icontalking
Mar. 14th, 2026 10:49 pmtinnyThe latest round at icontalking is all about making your icons look like comics. While I was at it, I made a few actual comic icons, from Dr Seuss, Calvin and Hobbes, and Asterix. I don't think these are much more than bases - two are actually just crops with no editing whatsoever - so I'm posting these only here to my journal and not to the actual round. Enjoy!
Teasers:
( 10 Asterix, 8 Wu Lei, 3 Calvin, 3 Dr Seuss, 1 CDrama )
I love comments, and if you have concrit for me, I'm open for that, too. All my icons are free to take and use, credit is appreciated. The list of makers whose textures and brushes I like to use is here in my resource post.
Previous icon posts:
icontalking is all about making your icons look like comics. While I was at it, I made a few actual comic icons, from Dr Seuss, Calvin and Hobbes, and Asterix. I don't think these are much more than bases - two are actually just crops with no editing whatsoever - so I'm posting these only here to my journal and not to the actual round. Enjoy!Teasers:
( 10 Asterix, 8 Wu Lei, 3 Calvin, 3 Dr Seuss, 1 CDrama )
I love comments, and if you have concrit for me, I'm open for that, too. All my icons are free to take and use, credit is appreciated. The list of makers whose textures and brushes I like to use is here in my resource post.
A scattered weekly proof of life
Mar. 14th, 2026 11:24 amumadoshiI have worked. Uh. A lot. Over the past three weeks. o_o But now it's the weekend, and I don't currently have a rewrite to work on, and March Break lies ahead; the spring crunch isn't finished, but it's on hiatus for the week, and a normal workweek is a breath of fresh air at this point. (Also I'm taking a couple of days off during it.)
Yesterday work wrapped up early enough that I had an actual evening, so I was finally able to start Butterfly Effects, the fifteenth (!) InCryptid book. ("Finally" is a bit of a stretch, I guess, since it's still the release week, but this is a Sarah-narrated book. Mostly. SARAH.)
So my hopes for the weekend are pretty much: avoid napping (I don't find naps restorative and feel groggier after than before I started); finish reading Butterfly Effects; watch this week's The Pitt and hopefully the temporarily-streaming production of The Importance of Being Earnest withscruloose; get scruloose to redo my undercut; and (also with scruloose) do a second round of advance-prepping ten or so bags of the dry ingredients for my breakfast banana bread while also baking up a new batch of loaves. I think that last will also require decanting cinnamons from bags into jars, so maybe we'll manage a bit of other spice decanting/sorting while we're at it.
Yesterday work wrapped up early enough that I had an actual evening, so I was finally able to start Butterfly Effects, the fifteenth (!) InCryptid book. ("Finally" is a bit of a stretch, I guess, since it's still the release week, but this is a Sarah-narrated book. Mostly. SARAH.)
So my hopes for the weekend are pretty much: avoid napping (I don't find naps restorative and feel groggier after than before I started); finish reading Butterfly Effects; watch this week's The Pitt and hopefully the temporarily-streaming production of The Importance of Being Earnest with
scruloose; get scruloose to redo my undercut; and (also with scruloose) do a second round of advance-prepping ten or so bags of the dry ingredients for my breakfast banana bread while also baking up a new batch of loaves. I think that last will also require decanting cinnamons from bags into jars, so maybe we'll manage a bit of other spice decanting/sorting while we're at it.
Bad Bunny
Mar. 13th, 2026 07:21 pmmomijizukamoriBecause it came up when I was talking to my dad yesterday, and I remembered I meant to post it here and then forgot - if you haven't seen the Super Bowl halftime show this year, you should watch it. Even if you don't know who Bad Bunny is, or aren't into his style of music. The level of sheer technical skill involved in the staging is next-level, and he very much had a point he wanted to make and most certainly made it.
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show
And if you are interested, someone one Bluesky shared their Bad Bunny 101 write-up, which has links to a bunch of other articles and listening suggestions. Reggaeton is probably not gonna be one of my top genres personally, but I feel like it's good to get out of my listening confort zone and try new things, particularly when it's like, a global phenomenon right now.
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show
And if you are interested, someone one Bluesky shared their Bad Bunny 101 write-up, which has links to a bunch of other articles and listening suggestions. Reggaeton is probably not gonna be one of my top genres personally, but I feel like it's good to get out of my listening confort zone and try new things, particularly when it's like, a global phenomenon right now.
"you don't stop gardening when you get old; you get old when you stop gardening"
Mar. 13th, 2026 07:18 amstarandrea♥ The daffodils are up!!
( picture )
♥ And irises, my favorite.
( picture )
♥ Plus a fun mystery: I'm like 80% sure I planted crocuses here. Before yesterday I was 100% sure, but what's coming up does not look like crocuses. What will these clever sprouts turn out to be, I wonder. (Scilla?)
( picture )
And now a spring planting calendar update.
♥ Dahlias were potted March 5. The first one stuck its head above soil today and I quickly transferred it from the dark floor of the utility room to a bright succulent shelf. (In other words, I continue to not plan lights for the dahlias.)
It has been one week since they were potted. Nine weeks remain until our frost-free date. For everyone's entertainment and my hope of making better decisions next year, I am tracking dahlia size versus time remaining before they can go outside.
( picture )
♥ Cannas remain in boxes by the back door. No substantive growth I can see; I'm checking them every few days. Temperature is higher than I'd like but steady between 55-60F. Anything below 60 seems to keep them sleeping. Garage temperature was freezing last night and will probably go colder next week, so not yet a better option. If they can stay dormant until the ground unfreezes, I should be able to put most of them in front of the patio where they were last year and let them wake up naturally in May.
♥ Winter sown seeds seem to be behaving themselves, no early germination or wild parties that I've noticed. The containers were seeded Feb 18-21, so it's been about three weeks. At least some of the seeds in there need cold stratification, and I think four weeks is the bare minimum for forcing. For most seeds, 6-12 weeks is recommended. Fortunately it's going to be cold next week, so they'll definitely get their four. After that I'll keep them out of the sun until the end of March and hope for the best.
♥ The six boxes of bulbs I bought accidentally, thinking I would "winter sow" them, have been in the refrigerator for four weeks this weekend. At this rate they should be okay to go in the ground as soon as it unfreezes enough to dig. Whew. (They all require cold stratification, but only to bloom, so even if they don't get enough cold they should be able to put up some leaves and collect energy for next year.)
In unrelated news, Marci and I went to the aquarium yesterday and we both got t-shirts with a manta ray on them that say "just a ray of sunshine." I left mine on the sofa last night and Daphne has been sleeping on it ever since.
( picture )
♥ And irises, my favorite.
( picture )
♥ Plus a fun mystery: I'm like 80% sure I planted crocuses here. Before yesterday I was 100% sure, but what's coming up does not look like crocuses. What will these clever sprouts turn out to be, I wonder. (Scilla?)
( picture )
And now a spring planting calendar update.
♥ Dahlias were potted March 5. The first one stuck its head above soil today and I quickly transferred it from the dark floor of the utility room to a bright succulent shelf. (In other words, I continue to not plan lights for the dahlias.)
It has been one week since they were potted. Nine weeks remain until our frost-free date. For everyone's entertainment and my hope of making better decisions next year, I am tracking dahlia size versus time remaining before they can go outside.
( picture )
♥ Cannas remain in boxes by the back door. No substantive growth I can see; I'm checking them every few days. Temperature is higher than I'd like but steady between 55-60F. Anything below 60 seems to keep them sleeping. Garage temperature was freezing last night and will probably go colder next week, so not yet a better option. If they can stay dormant until the ground unfreezes, I should be able to put most of them in front of the patio where they were last year and let them wake up naturally in May.
♥ Winter sown seeds seem to be behaving themselves, no early germination or wild parties that I've noticed. The containers were seeded Feb 18-21, so it's been about three weeks. At least some of the seeds in there need cold stratification, and I think four weeks is the bare minimum for forcing. For most seeds, 6-12 weeks is recommended. Fortunately it's going to be cold next week, so they'll definitely get their four. After that I'll keep them out of the sun until the end of March and hope for the best.
♥ The six boxes of bulbs I bought accidentally, thinking I would "winter sow" them, have been in the refrigerator for four weeks this weekend. At this rate they should be okay to go in the ground as soon as it unfreezes enough to dig. Whew. (They all require cold stratification, but only to bloom, so even if they don't get enough cold they should be able to put up some leaves and collect energy for next year.)
In unrelated news, Marci and I went to the aquarium yesterday and we both got t-shirts with a manta ray on them that say "just a ray of sunshine." I left mine on the sofa last night and Daphne has been sleeping on it ever since.
6 icons for retro_icontest
Mar. 13th, 2026 07:03 pmtinnyThe current round at retro_icontest was a list of 5 themes, and I picked two: the No Eyes theme, and the Inspo Icons theme, and made three icons for each:
1-3
4-6
Wu Lei x3 | Chen Minghao | Wu Lei | Nothing But You
I'm happy to receive all kind of comments, including concrit! All icons shareable. Credit for brushes and textures I use can be found here in my resource post.
Previous icon posts:
retro_icontest was a list of 5 themes, and I picked two: the No Eyes theme, and the Inspo Icons theme, and made three icons for each:
1-3
4-6
Wu Lei x3 | Chen Minghao | Wu Lei | Nothing But You
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
I'm happy to receive all kind of comments, including concrit! All icons shareable. Credit for brushes and textures I use can be found here in my resource post.
good news and bad news
Mar. 12th, 2026 08:40 pmyaaurensCardiology appointment was.... not particularly helpful.
The good news is, I have a heart! It is, according to the tech who did the ultrasound, anatomically correct and of an appropriate size!
The bad news is, this means I can no longer make Grinch jokes about myself. Alas!
No, really, the bad news is that there is no obvious reason for why my heart rate won't ever slow the fuck down. When we started the ultrasound, it was 140, and only got down to about 120 at the lowest, after lying on a table doing nothing for about 15 minutes. The tech asked about thyroid issues in the family and if I'd been tested for issues there, and yeah, that's been done every dang time with consistently clear results. Sooooooo yeah.
No idea what the next steps are; I'm going to shoot my PCP a message tomorrow if I don't hear from them and ask if they've received the results and what we should do next. I'm hoping the cardiologist himself (rather than the tech) will have some vague ideas, but I am not really expecting much.
Sigh. At least it's not likely my heart will explode any time soon?
The good news is, I have a heart! It is, according to the tech who did the ultrasound, anatomically correct and of an appropriate size!
The bad news is, this means I can no longer make Grinch jokes about myself. Alas!
No, really, the bad news is that there is no obvious reason for why my heart rate won't ever slow the fuck down. When we started the ultrasound, it was 140, and only got down to about 120 at the lowest, after lying on a table doing nothing for about 15 minutes. The tech asked about thyroid issues in the family and if I'd been tested for issues there, and yeah, that's been done every dang time with consistently clear results. Sooooooo yeah.
No idea what the next steps are; I'm going to shoot my PCP a message tomorrow if I don't hear from them and ask if they've received the results and what we should do next. I'm hoping the cardiologist himself (rather than the tech) will have some vague ideas, but I am not really expecting much.
Sigh. At least it's not likely my heart will explode any time soon?
"bluebird singing on a redbud budding, springtime sure got here all of a sudden" (doug stone)
Mar. 11th, 2026 09:50 pmstarandreaMarci heard the first red-winged blackbird two days ago, and I heard the first woodcock tonight. There are two whole crocus sprouts coming up through the snow in the front garden, plus a tiny bit of new green from the hardy irises, lilies, and stonecrop.
Plants that keep their green under the snow, so I can never tell when they're awake and when they're not, include the recently revealed euonymous, heuchara, ginger, pulmonaria, and lamium. Apparently last year I posted a picture of the first daffodil sprout on March 9, so I have been looking intently for them. Kathy has some, and they're up on the sunny street just south of us, but none in my gardens so far.
I do have these lovely haworthia flowers in my succulent planter, which I have on my calendar to water for the first time this weekend. How neat. Also a picture of Daphne walking with a friend, and some pretty photos of the sun and sky.
( flower & Daphne )
( sunrise and sunset )
Plants that keep their green under the snow, so I can never tell when they're awake and when they're not, include the recently revealed euonymous, heuchara, ginger, pulmonaria, and lamium. Apparently last year I posted a picture of the first daffodil sprout on March 9, so I have been looking intently for them. Kathy has some, and they're up on the sunny street just south of us, but none in my gardens so far.
I do have these lovely haworthia flowers in my succulent planter, which I have on my calendar to water for the first time this weekend. How neat. Also a picture of Daphne walking with a friend, and some pretty photos of the sun and sky.
( flower & Daphne )
( sunrise and sunset )
Monday Music Meme
Mar. 9th, 2026 10:38 pmextrapenguinWent to the ballet again last weekend; will report on that tomorrow I think. Meanwhile, for the music meme, today's prompt is for an underrated song. This is a somewhat hard choice when working with new songs, as something that is new is discovered or undiscovered; overrated and underrated require a certain maturity. So I chose a song from 2023.
an underrated song
Elysion - Crossing Over
a song you discovered this month Lady Gaga - Disease
a song that makes you smile Catalyst Symphony - Eden
a song that makes you cry Stratovarius - Shine in the Dark
a song that you know all the lyrics of Deep Sun - Storyteller
a song that proves that you have good taste Synthwailer - Iron Arch
a song title that is in all lowercase newest release FlowerLeaf - The Wake
a song title that is in all uppercase Illumishade – ELEGY
an underrated song
a song that has three words
a song from your childhood
a song that reminds you of summertime
a song that you feel nostalgic to
the first song that plays on shuffle
a song that someone showed you
a song from a movie soundtrack
a song from a television soundtrack
a song about being 17
a song that reminds you of somebody
a song to drive to
a song with a number in the title
a song that you listen to at 3am in the morning
a song with a long title
a song with a color in the title
a song that gets stuck in your head
a song in a different language
a song that helps you fall asleep at night
a song that describes how you feel right now
a song that you used to hate but love today
a song that you downloaded
a song that you want to share
an underrated song
Elysion - Crossing Over
prompts under the cut
a song you discovered this month Lady Gaga - Disease
a song that makes you smile Catalyst Symphony - Eden
a song that makes you cry Stratovarius - Shine in the Dark
a song that you know all the lyrics of Deep Sun - Storyteller
a song that proves that you have good taste Synthwailer - Iron Arch
a song title that is in all uppercase Illumishade – ELEGY
an underrated song
a song that has three words
a song from your childhood
a song that reminds you of summertime
a song that you feel nostalgic to
the first song that plays on shuffle
a song that someone showed you
a song from a movie soundtrack
a song from a television soundtrack
a song about being 17
a song that reminds you of somebody
a song to drive to
a song with a number in the title
a song that you listen to at 3am in the morning
a song with a long title
a song with a color in the title
a song that gets stuck in your head
a song in a different language
a song that helps you fall asleep at night
a song that describes how you feel right now
a song that you used to hate but love today
a song that you downloaded
a song that you want to share