Aelius24

Hey all!

This weekend, I'll be taking part in an Extra Life D&D stream on Twitch! I'll be playing in a one-shot adventure based in the 5e setting called the Beast World, which just completed a very successful Kickstarter for its first adventure module.

The stream will be THIS afternoon at 6pm EDT on the Digital Dungeons channel on Twitch.

To those curious, the Beast World is a 5e-compatible setting where a mysterious presence called the "Dungeon" seemingly appears out of nowhere in localized regions of the land, and sometimes disappears just as mysteriously. Within, one will find a variety of weird creatures, odd structures, and of course, plenty of exotic loot. Adventurers in this setting are called Delvers, and seek out these incursions for the prospect of glory, riches, knowledge, and/or the protection of innocents from the otherworldly creatures that emerge from it. Since the Dungeon can make an appearance anywhere, Delvers often travel in heavily-modified and customizable wagons, sometimes joining up in entire caravans, to seek out these incursions. Along the way, a crew is likely to fend off a variety of foes, from highway robbers and criminal organizations to powerful liches and vampires, with the occasional dragon or eldritch being for good measure.

Here's the link to the stream:

And my donor page can be found here:

https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=524101

If you can, come watch, and donate to a good cause!

In case stuff happens, I've got a Carrd site with links to other sites I'm on! Some pages are works in progress (I'm slow to update 'em), and I expect to have more sites added as time goes on and the social media landscape evolves. I'll still be here of course, but in case you're looking for me in other places, inquire within...

Now, onto the rest of the update...

I had a wonderful time at Anthrocon last month. Met up with a lot of people I haven't seen face-to-face in a year or longer, and even got connected to some potential opportunities I might try out in the future (more details as they come). I'm already looking forward to my next con, which will likely be MFF this year if things pan out.

Also, made more Art Show sales this year than I have since before COVID, so I'm jazzed about that. Chatting with a few folks regarding my art, it's really making me consider opening back up for commissions again. If I do, it'll likely be sometime in the Fall when I can get some free time blocked out dedicated for art. No more waiting months for a color piece, hopefully. I'll be sure to make an announcement well beforehand so everyone will know ahead of time. Also gotta update my prices...

And finally, I've gotten word that another of my stories will be narrated on the Voice of Dog podcast! My Rune Weaver tale featuring Maple is in the process of being edited for narration, so I'm really looking forward to that.

For the rest of July and August, I hope to get back to writing. I've gotten some new ideas for the direction of New Atlantis (with quite a bit of interest in the themes from others in my writing circles), and I've even been exploring some new elements for Serenity's Edge (Kaili's story) that I hope will inject a bit more originality to the setting in preparation for writing that one out, as well.

Oh hey... I have a Journal here, too... that I keep forgetting to update

Well, stay tuned for the latest thoughts:

Over the past couple months I've pondered how closely my New Atlantis setting fits within the fascinating genre that is Solarpunk. It does focus a lot on a utopian society where futuristic technology and nature have embraced, sustainable living has been achieved, and the prejudices and strife of the past have been abandoned. That being said, New Atlantis steers toward more fantastical elements not typically found in Solarpunk, and a lot of theming is around glowing elements that can't be seen in the day (presence of "solar," y'know?). Plus, the "punk" element is focused more on defiant survival in a mysterious wilderness where unseen dangers prevail, rather than resisting against an establishment present throughout society (I guess the nudity of naturism also has a place in that defiance of norms, too ). The themes are similar, but still divergent enough for me to wonder if it makes its own unique brand. In other words... Lunarpunk?

The idea makes sense. Both evoke optimism with sustainable future elements, though whereas Solarpunk is heavy on science, Lunarpunk is geared more toward spirituality. It turns out, after coming to this revelation I did a bit of research and discovered that this genre does exist, and it's exactly that! The term was coined about a year ago, so there isn't much about it so far, but as I said its themes are parallel to Solarpunk without diverting too far from that source. New Atlantis' focus on inner spirituality and the frequent existence of glowy elements certainly fit, and while the titular city and its surrounding wilderness have elements of future-tech in harmony with nature and civilization, it also involves heavy usage of quiet, contemplative themes that promote inward reflection (notice how many of the stories and artwork so far show characters in isolation, yet without feeling lonely?). Plus, one cannot deny the heavy usage of "spirit magic" in the setting thus far, where characters use their own presence to reach out and interact with their world. There's also the common aspect of body runes that act in a way similar to acupuncture theory and chakra, albeit rather loosely-defined so far in the stories. They focus and channel one's "energy," in the stories, for example. And while the "punk" element is still rather wobbly in this setting, it does exist in its own way as the characters face an unseen, faceless looming threat against their advanced-yet-still-vulnerable society. More on that as the stories develop, but for now, what I can say is that New Atlantis, for all its advancements, remains an oasis surrounded by creeping danger, and while society may be comfortable, it still needs to provide for itself before the population outgrows its territory, hence the scouts like Orchid and research councils that work to better understand the outside world so they can safely expand without disturbing whatever is out there. And again, nudity... I'm sure we're all familiar with how naturism has its own spiritual reflection, as well.

So yeah, I'll probably still call the setting "Solarpunk" since the term is more well known, but by embracing fantasy I can still keep it unique and allow it to show its own personality.

Although commissions are still on hold, lately I've been trying to get back into the swing of artwork after months without putting pencil to paper. I've been pondering a way to gradually get back into commissions, but without the time-stress since my free time remains limited this semester.

Were I to design some characters that might appear as extras in my story settings as I practice, would anybody be interested in purchasing them for your own use? And if so, are there any species you all would like to see, or maybe even themes? For those curious about price, they would not be as much as my commissions. I'm thinking maybe $25 for a flat-color.

Sound off in the comments!

I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with this site, have I?

As the year winds down and college (my FINAL semester of grad school) nears its end, I should hopefully be able to get back up to speed here at DeviantArt. In the meantime, you all can always check out my FurAffinity gallery and Twitter feed!

Oh, and thank you everyone for the birthday wishes last month!