A drifting front brought some rain with it, so I opened the windows so both of us could smell the change in the air. Bonus greenery for those of you suffering from snow (sorry, that sounds awful!).
Yesterday's twitch stream had 21 visitors! Thank you for joining me, I had a great time sketching your prompts! There are a few I might refine, even, because they were good ideas but a little too ambitious for quick sketches.
I will try to give advance warning more often, but as w...
2020-04-18 12:51:18 +0000 UTC
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Since some of you wanted more advance notice... that's a little hard to come by these days, but I'm planning to do sketches from prompts at about 2 PM my time (EST). (It is about 11 AM right now.)
If you can't attend but would like to give me a prompt anyway, feel free! I don't guarantee doing all of them, but you never know what's going to take my fancy. :D
Here's the link: https://www.twitch.tv/mcahogarth
2020-04-17 14:57:30 +0000 UTC
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This appears to be the time of 'catch up on all those ancillary projects you haven't done'. Wrapping up the meta-conversation with the Regal gave me enough material for Conversations 2, which will cover the period between the writing of Black Blossom and the publication of Kherishdar's Exception, so it makes for a neat break-point. I've done the initial layout and now I'm deciding what to scan for illustrations... hopefully this'll be ready by the end of the month.
2020-04-15 12:29:29 +0000 UTC
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“This one is from a different person, one I’m not sure you’ve seen,” I say. “And it’s interesting. It’s about the ascension rituals. They’re thinking of one of the first aphorisms Farren shared with us about the heir to Wakedzen, and his rejection. How that interacts with the ishas evaluation, and the merethek. Do Regals also have this ritual?”
“All those who rule above the Wall of Birth must undergo the ritual,” he says. “But not all of us rule...
2020-04-14 12:16:00 +0000 UTC
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“Someone wants to ask how people who work on things segregated from normal life have a normal life.” I pause, frowning. “I didn’t say that right. When people’s work involves exposed technology which normal Ai-Naidar have no congress with, how is that handled?”
“There are protocols,” he says, but he is watching me carefully in a way that makes me think he’s not paying as much attention to the question as to something under it. “One observes qilijz.”
...
2020-04-13 12:26:00 +0000 UTC
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One of you wanted to do if my cat does nothing but sleep, and I believe that answer to that is... mostly, yes. 20 hours out of 24, maybe? Lol. Cats, seriously. Anyway, here he is, objecting to the question. OF COURSE he does nothing but sleep. What self-respecting cat spends most of his time awake??
Things proceed! I'm just about done with the material for the next Conversations book, which should bring us up to date with those, and I'm still working on the Palland novella, plus doing s...
2020-04-11 15:58:53 +0000 UTC
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(Yes, we are getting a lot of this! But I think once it's finished off, we will be done with the material to fill a second volume of the Conversations, so I figure I should do that.)
***
I smile at this one. “Do you have a favorite flower? I guess that’s like asking an Ai-Naidari if they have a favorite color. Everyone has one.”
“Truly,” the Regal says. “Mine is the faethum or.”
I squint. “The dusk with blush?”
“Evening’s blush, yes...
2020-04-10 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I made this recipe once and never again because I ate the whole thing by myself and I think it was roughly six jillion calories. >.>
2020-04-09 13:01:01 +0000 UTC
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(We are continuing the conversation with the Ai-Naidari Regal! For people new to me, this interview illuminates further the world of Kherishdar, which you can read in the Books of Kherishdar.)
***
I look at the next paper for long enough that the Regal says, “This question does not please you?”
I am at my most diplomatic when I say, “I’ve seen it multiple times before, and have alwa...
2020-04-08 12:26:34 +0000 UTC
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There aren’t that many papers for me to unfold this time—almost none, in truth—but the first one is, I think, an appropriate one. “One of us, the bashendari aunerai, would like to know when your ribbons are applied, and how that works for those of you above the Wall of Birth. If you are moved below it, what happens? Do you ever have impermanent ribbons?”
“It is a good question,” he says. “And our ribbons are applied after our second ishas evaluation, ju...
2020-04-07 13:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Here's what I've done recently, in case you've missed any of it!
Lots of art!
can't you feel the sleepions emanating from the cat
I almost forgot it was Caturday! I hope you are spending it well! I am doing chalk art outside, it's such a pretty day. ❤️
2020-04-04 20:29:40 +0000 UTC
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Language and locations, culture and customs, biology, psychology, and history... worldbuilding an alien world for a fiction series can be a monumental effort involving notes, maps, drawings, and resources...
..or you can do it Jaguar-style, and just talk to the people.
Conversations with the Ai-Naidar gathers seven years of "meta-conversations" between the author and her aliens as she struggles to understand their culture and language. Interspersed with scrib...
2020-04-03 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I had to go out and repair the chalk cat's tail, which got sprinklered-on, and as long as I was out there I figured I'd do some more. Several of the neighbors were out this time, and one of them said, "That's your art? It's lovely! Every time I walk past your driveway I read that quote."
So I guess the adults are having fun with it too. I know I am!
2020-04-01 13:00:13 +0000 UTC
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I was going to develop this for a seminar I was supposed to run in a few months but it looks like that's gotten postponed... so I am dropping it here so that it can start some wheels turning in the heads of people who are interested in those particular wheels!
(You can, as always, ask questions, make suggestions, or request clarifications! I will be refining this in the hopes of getting the chance to teach this seminar when it is rescheduled).
2020-03-30 13:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Since I used a photo of my cat for reference, this counts as caturday! By my standards anyway. The neighborhood's doing this cute thing for parents of small children, where they're asking anyone who wants to participate to set out stuffed animals in their windows, or draw something on their sidewalks, and then the parents take their kids for walks and try to spot all the things. It was not very long ago that I was a mom with a kid that young, and I remember my frustration on days I couldn't t...
2020-03-28 14:08:21 +0000 UTC
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The Calligrapher rests a hand on my wrist, startling me out of my concentration lock on the screen. “Don’t,” he says gently, “overdo it, datyani.”
He’s never yet called me that, which finishes off my focus on what I was doing. I give him my full attention.
“You do not add ornament with these,” he says. The spread on the screen shows Ereseya’s quote from Black Blossom as I originally scribbled it, hastily, in the car, at a stop light. “You add ...
2020-03-27 11:50:36 +0000 UTC
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Here's another I finished recently, back from the photographer!
For those of you who like to favorite on DA, here it is: https://www.deviantart.com/mcah/art/Art-Deco-Alysha-834865694
The original's already been claimed! Thank you!
I'd like to talk about this piece at greater length, though, so let's talk!
2020-03-25 15:01:56 +0000 UTC
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Vasiht'h the father, dva'htiht, and politician! Who'd have thunk it... certainly not him!
Here on DeviantArt for people who want to favorite: https://www.deviantart.com/mcah/art/Lord-V-834600110
Original available, message me if you're interested!
Anyway. This one's done, time to pick the next one! I have a huge stack out, it's just a matter of picki...
2020-03-23 13:01:01 +0000 UTC
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...is Caturday when your cat is ridiculous.
Reminder that I'm not online a lot right now, but I'm trying to maintain the entertainment by doing more livestreaming and livewriting! Unfortunately I can't schedule either of those, I have to do them as I have the opportunity. You can get notified of the livestreaming by following me on Twitch; the live-writing is, I think, being noticed and2020-03-22 15:54:31 +0000 UTC
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I am doing more experiments with my camera here, and thought it would be fun to do a "Letters to the jaguar" or an "ask the jaguar" type thing where I answer questions you all have about... whatever you think I am qualified to talk about!
I started a document here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17vxgRsTokv7kwDTnjE2i1BGzg6RpZROPfPe6HfX0HVk/edit?usp=sha...
2020-03-20 14:22:25 +0000 UTC
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2020-03-19 14:44:03 +0000 UTC
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Just a reminder: if you were in the $10 content tier, you need to re-choose a tier in order to see content going forward because Patreon is derp and doesn't let me shift your membership for you.
Here's Patreon's help page on doing that: https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000126286-How-do-I-edit-my-membership-
If you are $5+ and y...
2020-03-17 13:26:01 +0000 UTC
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Just to catch us all up!
Big Patreon News! All content is now available (going forward) at $5! The $10 content tier has been replaced with a $10 philanthropy tier--sponsor a friend/family member onto the Discord, or pay into the grant fund! Check the sidebar for details. I discussed this change with Discord members and my $10 content tier members, and we agree that we prefer the entire community to have access to the same cool stuff.
2020-03-13 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Another one rescued from partial completion! This was an old RPG character for Exalted, but I think they'd fit right into the Twin Kingdoms setting so who knows, maybe reincarnation will happen...!
Original's available for sale, inquire if interested! DeviantArt folks who want to favorite, this is your link. If you want prints or notebooks or what-have-you, let me know, I'll set somethin...
2020-03-11 12:55:15 +0000 UTC
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I am hard at work! And will have news and scans for all of you later. For now, a few quick photos.
Someone else started a twitter feed for my news and announcements with my permission, so if you're looking for another way to get those, go check out mcahstudio.
More in a bit!
2020-03-09 14:23:18 +0000 UTC
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I found this abandoned Alysha painting and have rescued it! I wonder what it's going to look like when I'm done...
Anyway, this has brought up a question, which is that I'd like to do a few more shorts in that part of the Peltedverse. And that's where you come in! Come tell me what you'd like to hear more about!
2020-03-02 14:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Sometimes I wake up and there's a cat right next to my face. I'm sure cat owners are familiar with this maneuver.
Today is Leap Day! I have spent about a week and a half messing around post-Heartskein, shifting gears... got a painting done, and got headway on a second, and untangled the mess with the audio for Kherishdar's Exception (on its way to retailers, I'll let...
2020-02-29 12:54:13 +0000 UTC
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I abandoned this piece... probably two years ago? After giving it a few washes of paint. Finding it reminded me that I really wanted to give Reese a chance to hang out in a fancy dress like she's always dreamed! So here she is as mistress of Laisrathera, with Allacazam hiding under an arm, and her hand summoning a ship and its manifest amid the stars.
Y'all, there is so much glitter in this one that it's impossible to scan. As you walk around it, it changes color from purple to blue in ...
2020-02-26 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The day is finally here!
For as long as he could remember, Vasiht'h planned on starting a family, a plan that surviving the war only made more urgent. The temple on Anseahla has summoned him at last to pick up his new kits, an errand he decides will be an excellent opportunity to have some alone-time with his partner, Jahir. But his partner is now an imperial prince-consort, and Vasiht'h himself has more responsibilities than he anticipated, and it isn't long before...
2020-02-24 14:00:00 +0000 UTC
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