Writing Commissions Open!

Have a story you want to read? Need someone to write it for you? I do writing commissions at only 2 cents a word! That's $20 for a 1000 word story! While I primarily write sci-fi/fantasy tales, I'm open to working in most genres and themes. Check out my Terms of Service for details and send me a note to get started!  Basic info here Examples: Jabari's Fur Boundaries Broken Commission Queue

Posted using PostyBirb

Perseverence

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie "Galaxy Quest." "Never give up. Never surrender!" It's an important concept, I think. Life is full of challenges. Everything we want to do has some sort of hurdle that must be jumped. Whether it's the simplicity of just getting up in the morning, all the way to planning out that dream vacation or making an amazing scientific discovery. Sure, some activities are easy enough, but they still take time and some days are better than others for getting them done. Finding that dream job, though, is much harder. When the challenge is hard, when we're not sure how to overcome it, when the first attempt completely fails....it can be so very easy to just give up. Why put in the effort, you might ask yourself, if the payout is merely pain? If all that time and energy is for naught. What's the point? I have faced these emotions many times. Sometimes I have, in fact, given up. Surrendered. Just went the easy way and decided not to push it. And in some cases, this can even be an okay response. There ARE days when letting go can be good. The rest of the time, though... Perseverance in the face of adversity is actually incredibly important. To pull out a stereotypical example: Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb on the first try. Surely in the hundreds of attempts he made he at some point wanted to just give up. It wasn't working, yet he persevered. Something told him there had to be a way to get what he was after and he kept trying. the Wright Brothers certainly didn't get a working plane on their first attempt at flight. It took time, engineering and, I'm sure, several trials to finally build something that flew, and even then the first flight traveled only a very short distance. Almost any book author you talk to will tell you that they were rejected many times by publishers before they finally found someone that would give their book a try. Every success story includes moments of failure. Every...single...one. The same rule applies to you and me. Whether you're looking for a job, trying to paint for the first time, or exploring a new sport. Even something as simple as reading. Think back. Could you read the first time you looked at a book? I certainly couldn't. If we let these failures hold us back, we miss out on some amazing things that come from trying again. Thomas Edison DID invent the lightbulb and  now our houses are illuminated day and night. The Wright Brothers built a plane and now we can travel the world in mere hours. Maybe a couple of days. Those authors who pushed through failure to find success brought us entire worlds to explore. Maybe not all of us will become famous for our work, but just imagine what a little perseverance can do for you. Sure the path is hard, and sometimes we must change direction to find success, but once that challenge is overcome? You have surely persevered before, and you have found success. Maybe it was something small, but every small thing can still be important. Maybe success was just getting out of bed in the morning. Some days that truly is a victory.  Me? I've been wanting to write my fantasy books since I was in high school. I have stumbled many times. The project of writing a book is, in many ways, overwhelming, but I'm not giving up yet. This is important to me and I know I can do it. It may take practice and a lot of time, but I will find a way to succeed. Even if that book never gets popular...at the least I will have written it, and that is success. What are YOU struggling with? What challenges do you face that make your goals hard to achieve? What will it take for you to try again? Can you push through them? Is there a way around them? Whatever you do, keep trying. Especially if it is important to you. Learn from the failures, for that is part of the process, and use that knowledge to strengthen your next try. Get up and try again. If this goal truly matters, you deserve to persevere and give it another shot.  Whatever it is you're trying to do, don't give up. Don't surrender. Take break, catch your breath, then try again. I'm rooting for you. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. I know you can do this. As for me? I'm going to write some more short stories and start organizing that book.

Posted using PostyBirb

Welcome to the Library

Hello friends,

Welcome to the Unicorn’s Bookshelf. My name is Draikar, for those who don’t know me, and I am an aspiring sci-fi/fantasy writer. It is my hope to one day publish my book series so that I can share my stories with the world. 

Sometimes, though, it’s best to start small. I’ve spent years now wanting to write my book and spending little time actually working on it. Recently, that changed. I am taking some time to refocus on an develop my writing. This blog will be one of several places where I post updates and information concerning my work, answer questions if there are any, and share some of my stories from time to time.

At the moment, I am working primarily out of my FurAffinity account where I recently started taking story commissions. I can also be found on DeviantArt. I have art and stories posted on both sites with more coming as I slowly focus in on my work as a writer. Admittedly, this blog here will mostly be for updates and information, but I’ll try to share some snippets of stories from time to time, as well. 

If you are interested in a writing commission, please feel free to contact me. All the important information can be found in my Terms of Service, so please check it out.

I look forward to working with you and sharing my work.

On Communication

Hello friends, So many of the challenges in the world stem from issues in communication. I know. I've had plenty of issues, myself. It's so easy to get caught up in my own thoughts and fears and reign in things I need to express for others to understand what I'm going through. Likewise, it's difficult to understand those around me when they don't tell me what they want or need. If I don't know what a person is feeling, how am I to support them? How am I to give them what they need? Even after communication is opened up, it's important to listen. Both sides need to listen. It's hard. I know. Again, I get caught up in my own thoughts that I just HAVE to express and sometimes I forget to really hear what the other person is trying to tell me. Information that I could use to really understand them gets lost and then I make mistakes. Different people have different styles of communicating and if you're not paying attention a signal meant to be supportive could come off as cold or selfish. It's a easy mistake to make and it causes so many issues. Pay attention to the people around you. Listen to them the way you need them to listen to you. Hear what they have to say. If you must, ask to be heard in return. Your feelings and needs matter, too. Every relationship is a balance between the needs and wants of the people involved and no relationship will last long or be healthy without good communication. Don't have the words? That's okay. That happens. It's happened to me, too. Work through that together. Tell your friend that you're having a hard time describing what you want to say. Maybe you can work together to figure it out. When trying to listen to them, don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't guess at their intent. I've made that mistake too many times to count and it's often caused frustration. Hear them and then ask questions to clarify so that everyone is sure they're understanding each other.  Good communication leads to good teamwork, and every relationship, no matter how casual, professional, or intimate, requires teamwork to succeed. Lean into that. Work together with your friends as a team to overcome challenges. If a mistake happens, that's okay. Try again. So long as everyone wants to succeed, you can. It may take a few tries. that's okay. Misunderstandings are going to happen. Pull back, cool off, and try again. See what you missed. Respectfully let them know what they missed. Together, with good communication, you can overcome anything. Imagine a world where people actually listened to each other. To you. Where understanding and mutual respect abound all because people were willing to talk things through together rather than argue point. It's not about winning or losing, after all. It's about finding a path that benefits everyone involved. We can build this world. You can help build this world. By listening, expressing ourselves with respect, and working together, we can make this world a better place for the people around us.  Over time, it might make the world a better place in general.

Posted using PostyBirb

New Blog: The Unicorn’s Bookshelf

Hello friends,

As of today I have started a new blog on Tumblr. Titled "The Unicorn's Bookshelf," it will be one of the places where I post updates and information related to my stories, commissions, and my development as a writer. I will, of course, continue to update on FA and DA as well. This will be another way for me to reach out to the world and share my work and some of my thoughts in general. Please feel free to give it a look.

Experperiments

I think I need to apologize. sort of. If you've been paying attention, you'll not I've used PostyBirb for a couple of things. I'm still experimenting and getting used to it, so if formatting is weird, that's why. Also, I need to remember that "Name" for a post doesn't necessarily mean MY name, which is the mistake I made on the journal this morning and why my name is the title. Whoops. We're learning. I'll have to figure out the shortcuts thing soon. That eludes me. I want to be able to link artists when I post a piece. Very important. If anyone knows how to do the formatting for an icon link correctly, do let me know. The listed instructions confuse my brain and last time I used them I had to go fix them on each of the sites I posted the art piece on. Kinda defeated the purpose of using PostyBirb. Anyway, I hope your day is going well. My best wishes to everyone.

Posted using PostyBirb

Draikar

Hello friends, I think I'm going to start trying to do weekly updates just so that people can be aware of both what's going on in my life (when relevant) and also where I'm at with commissions. writing commissions do take time, but I also believe in strong communication between writer and commissioner so that everyone can stay on the same page. These little updates will also be a chance for me to share my thoughts on the universe in general, should I have anything I think is interesting to share. We'll keep this one simple, shall we? I'm currently working on developing my discipline as a writer. It's not an easy thing for me, but it is important. It's also going to have to take some practice. Making a self run schedule is never easy. Especially when you're easily distracted, which I am. I'm working on it, though, and with a little experimentation I'm sure I'll get it figured out. I currently have two commissions (one of which I'm awaiting character details for) and one open commission slot. If you like my work and want a story of your own, please read my Terms of Service (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jyBnZM-NGw3MtMx4_WsqxepZxh1pRnHtBlIYdn2J51o/edit?usp=sharing) and then contact me. I'm especially interested if it's sci-fi/fantasy related. I hope you're all doing well and having a good day. May you find peace in your lives and success in your endeavors.  I'll talk to you next time!

Posted using PostyBirb

Unicorn and Dragon by Vatruha

Once I was a dragon. My heart soared among clouds. I sought to bring strength and hope to those around me. To carry light upon my scales. Chance and circumstance brought pain and burned me down. Tore my wings and bled my heart. Still did I wish to bring hope to those around me. To offer light against the greatest darkness. So was I reforged. My scales became the horn upon my head, soft fur covered my form, talons became hooves, and my tail thin but strong. So did I become a unicorn, bright and full of light. So do I still stand against the darkness, offering hope to all I can. I do not forget the dragon that was. The dragon that still is. I hold it in my heart forever. A part of me. Of who I am. Still do my wings carry me high, if in a different form, but always shall I hold the dragon close. I'll keep both forms in hand. A beautiful YCY I purchased from the wonderful Vatrueha, whose art is that of graceful beauty. I definitely encourage taking a look at their account if you're interested in a beautiful and affordable YCH. I certainly couldn't pass up the opportunity to get an image of my unicorn sona holding a dragon. As much as I love my current representation and form, a part of me does miss being a dragon. Character belongs to me. Artwork by Vatruha on FA: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/vatruha/ Do not use without permission.

Posted using PostyBirb

Hello World

Hello friends!

Wow...I haven’t posted here in....years! As if that wasn’t already painfully obvious, eh? To those who are still watching, what few there are, I thank you for your absurd dedication to this dead account.

the good news is that I’m considering having a bit more of a presence here. I recently started taking writing commissions on my DeviantArt (https://www.deviantart.com/draikar) and FurAffinity (https://www.furaffinity.net/user/draikar/) accounts and would like to branch that out even further into the world. Most of my online art activity is (and probably will continue to be) on my FurAffinity. Sadness, I know, but if you check my gallery there you can get a glimpse of some of the things I’ve been up to over the last few years. When I post anything at all.

I AM considering extending my commissions to Tumblr, too. If/when I do, I will likely be creating a new blog for it to keep everything nice and tidy. This blog...I think I might try to do something with it again, too. I still have some thoughts about the universe that pop into my head now and then and this might be a good place to share them. I don’t many any promises it’ll be consistent, but...who knows.

As always, my best wishes to you as we all move forward. Keep your eyes open because I’ll try to be just a smidge more present in the coming future.

Darkness can only exist in the absence of Light.

⚡GIVEAWAY TIME⚡

This week I’m going to giveaway E V E R Y T H I N G  digital that’s available in my shop - that’s $200 worth of tabletop goodies! Scroll to the bottom to see the full list of everything you can win ✨

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Follow me on tumblr!

2. Reblog this post!

3. Get extra chances to win by entering via my Twitter (@_r_n_w_) and Instagram (@_r_n_w_)

Each platform will have THREE randomly selected winners who will be notified via DM - that’s NINE WINNERS in total!

Ends 4pm GMT 21st August 2020

Good luck to everyone entering!! 🎲

WHAT YOU’LL WIN:

Players Pack

Complete set of 12 Class Specific Character Sheets (minimal & classic style)

Equipment Packs - The Full Set

Basic Weapons - Item Card Pack

Full Spell Card Set

Character Journal : Digital Edition

The New & Improved 5e Character Sheet (minimal, classic and fey fayre style)

Full Multi-Classing Pack (minimal & classic style)

Game Master’s Pack

All of our one-shot adventures:

The Tremor Train,

Spike Patch Grove,

The Fey Fayre

Game Master’s Kit Deluxe (minimal & classic style)

World Building Kit Deluxe (minimal & classic style)

just because there aren't as many posts of blm circulating and just because we're slowly posting regular "aesthetic" content again it does not mean you have the right to stop educating yourself on issues that affect black people. continue to educate yourself and others, call out racism when you see it and continue to donate and sign petitions. activism that only occurs when somebody dies or something devastating happens is not proper activism, it is performative. so, just because you aren't posting as much about blm or other issues anymore, it does NOT mean you can go back to being ignorant. continue to stay aware. keep that energy and use it and your privilege to help black people and amplify their voices. us non-black people need to recognise that choosing when to speak up or speaking up when it is big is a privilege and is ignorant and we need to fix this.

STOP!!!

You are a beautiful person!

...You may now continue scrolling

I was talking to my therapist and something that came up is that we like to talk about caterpillars and butterflies- these are very popular and pretty symbols to us. Don’t feel like a worm, you’ll be a butterfly someday- and while this is a pretty thought, I was thinking heavily about the chrysalis, and the fact that inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar rots, melts, grows, reshapes drastically to become the butterfly.

I read Animorphs as a kid, and as an adult have mixed feelings about the books. But the very visceral and brutal nature of the transformations is one thing I actually enjoy about them.

I think that culturally or even perhaps just as people we can have a preoccupation with ideal states. The defined, clean beginning of the caterpillar. The actualized, beautiful end of the butterfly.

I think the reality of human beings is that we are not born as caterpillars and we do not mature into butterflies and stay that way. I think that we spend our entire lives moving in and out of chrysalises of many forms- that we are eternally in a process of reshaping, sometimes smoother- polishing out details- and in others we melt into clay in the joined hands of ourselves and our situation.

I think that the reason why it is so easy to be dissatisfied with oneself is because almost every time we look in the mirror, we see the ways that we are misshapen, unfinished, not a caterpillar and not a butterfly. We might despair that we thought we had it all figured out by now, or grieve a new tool-mark pressed into us by something we wish hadn’t happen, that we can’t justify or say it was for the better, so we fear the changes it brought.

I am drawn to body horror because the nature of being alive in a changing environment is to change. The changes can be pretty, or soft. But even the process of becoming something we really want to be, somewhere, comes with the rhythm of breaking bones and tearing muscle. Becoming something else means you stop being what you are. You have to give a little. And in that process of giving, you break something.

As I grow as a person, as I explore, as I become happier with myself, the years become tallied in marks on my flesh- a brush with a hot stove or a bump that becomes a bruise or slipping on ice and scraping my face. I peer at the marks and wonder if this is the new me, or if this is just something I will pass over.

I am an autistic adult, and I was an autistic child, and as a child, I was aware there were many people eager- kindly intended- to shape me into a proper person. They were concerned I was not. Now that I am older, I decide my own shape to a much greater degree, but other people still press shapes into me. They always will. 

Our culture is preoccupied with the right shape of things. It’s very important, we think to have a True Form, an Ideal Form, and achieve and keep to it.

I would argue that I think it is far more important to make peace with transformation, and to repeatedly relearn how to nurture yourself in the shapes you find. I know that I could have spared myself a lot of pain a long time ago by forgiving the imperfect shapes I formed.

They were mostly monstrous in the way that growing things are, because nothing is beautiful while it is melting in the wrong shape. If we demand beauty of ourselves before we ever extend patience, we’ll spend our whole lives attacking the chrysalis and then wondering why our butterfly wings formed strangely.

A few months ago you made a post that got me thinking about how... the Pokemon universe feels inherently autistic to me. Not just surface-level stuff like the eye contact, or even meta stuff like how it was created by an autistic bug collector, but because of how the setting's most important virtue is "constantly pursuing a greater understanding of, respect for, and connection with beings who think very differently from you", which is something you've talked about as an autistic trait a LOT.

I think that sometimes stories can be written with ‘invisible accessibility features’, more or less? Because I’d argue it’s not just autism. The message repeated by the pokemon universe is, do what you love, the way that you love it, and as long as you are not actively hurting other people, animals, or the environment, you will be fine.

Not just are you encouraged to engage with and understand people who aren’t like you, but, like... something I think about is that many pokemon, especially ghost and poison types, are described as highly dangerous or with some really concerning aptitudes- Cofagrigus is reputed as a killer, Muk is an implicitly willful biohazard in the implication that it has to choose to unleash its intense corrosive toxicity.

But if you, as a trainer, catch or trade or otherwise get your hands on one of these Dangerous Creatures... the game won’t stop you or even set significant barriers to becoming best friends with it. That hyper-toxic Muk will protect you from its poison. That Cofagrigus will let you sleep soundly through the night, totally unguarded, and totally safe.

In fact, it is so lucrative to forge deep bonds with your team and travel together with them, that the people who insist pokemon are just tools, come across as willful bad actors and get called out on it hard!

The game basically defies the idea that there are any Evil Pokemon. The closest was Pokemon Colosseum’s Shadow Pokemon, and those guys were depicted as... traumatized figures that progressively healed back into ‘light’ pokemon!

It suggests that there is a freedom to engage with the world, and engage with others. Want to train a competitive team and challenge the league? Great! Just wanna fish? You’ll meet plenty of people doing that.

Pokemon is not, explicitly, textually, neurodivergence endorsing. It doesn’t feature explicitly autism, adhd, depression or anxiety in its main characters (at least, not that I’m aware of; I’m a bit distant to the modern games and anime so I could be pleasantly surprised!) but it is friendly for those things, I think. Even outside of the pokemon themselves, there are plenty of “quirky weirdoes” who are vastly obsessed with one unorthodox thing- the main games I played were Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, and those games feature, optionally, the Trick Master, who’s just a guy turning his entire house into one big puzzle maze and everybody accepts that he’s the Trick Master and even if they don’t personally want to live that way, he’s not hurting anybody. There’s no “nobody should care about Tricks that much, what’s up with that guy?”

This is a comforting world to think about. It’s a comforting world to imagine. The diversity of the pokemon and their quirks mean that whatever your living situation is, there’s someone who could accommodate it- and why stop at one? I see fancomics of trainers whose incineroar has a service vest on and helps push their wheelchair or carry them and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. You don’t have to justify being any way at all as long as it is not genuinely harmful.

March 2020 Illustrations ヽ(• ‿ •)ノ

Stop apologizing. You don’t have to say sorry for how you laugh, how you dress, how you make your hair, how you do your makeup, how you speak. You don’t have to be sorry for being yourself. Do it fearlessly. It’s time to accept: this is you, and you gotta spend the rest of your life with you. So start loving your sarcasm, your awkwardness, your weirdness, your peculiar habits, your unique sense of humor, your voice, your talents, your everything. It will make your life so much easier to simply be yourself.

Danielle Mansutti | @thequotejournals (via thequotejournals)