Guestbook

love the website

Thank you, dear!

Greetings,

It seems I continue to discover wonderful places, and your website is the newest among them. Your prose pulls me on a journey through your worlds, which is something I aspire to as well. I will read all of your works in due time, that is for sure. Very well done, indeed!

May your travels have wonder,

Your words warm my heart Reliul; I hope you continue to find appreciation in my work.

May you find joy on an overcast day, Newt

yo this website is super cool what if we link websites dude im interested in this stuff too. but this is definitely going on my awesome site list!!

Hello Stephen! Thank you very much for your appreciation. I currently do not have an affiliate or friend website link collection as of this moment (not because I do not appreciate other websites, I certainly do, I just always seem to be occupied with tending to something else), but I'll be happy to add you once I do. Otherwise, feel free to link to me however you like.

newt,

you will have to forgive my envy when i say i wish i had your artistic talent! your artwork is so dynamic and colorful and expressive, and these virtues carry through your website design. i could wander these dusty halls and look through the cabinets for ages... i will plan to stop by again soon.

yours sincerely,

Much love to you dear Seven, I'm very touched!

Dear Newt,

I stumbled upon your website by happenstance in search of a design that perhaps I could follow, as i am a neophyte to web design.

Without any hesitation, the look, feel and voice of this place is incredible, and if I can emulate just a smidgen of it in my work, then I will be more than proud of my accomplishments.

Carry on, and keep up the great work.

Yours,

Thank you very much, E, you're very kind! I wish you luck on your journey to creating a space that is uniquely yours, and if I can be inspiration for you, then that makes me very happy.

Dear, Newt

What music are you particularly obsessed with currently? Maybe a song that makes you feel strong emotions? For me it's

I'll keep coming - Low Roar
That Unwanted Animal - The Amazing Devil
Blood Of Angels - Brown Bird
Isle Of Iron Birds - Amina Cuore (Only available on soundcloud sadly)

Your website is a vast inspiration for me and for that I thank you a million times over

With curiosity,

Lovely, lovely tunes! At the moment, I've been quite liking

The entire album Éons by Neptunian Maximalism has been my complete and utter jam recently,
Some Dead Can Dance songs, such as Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers),
Songs from the compilation album Saigon Rock & Soul,
And, for some fucking reason, Hip to be Square has been really, really stuck in my head.

Thank you for your interest, and I'm glad I can be an inspiration for you.

how do you tackle worldbuilding and conlanging? what inspiration do you use to make everything unique?

Thank you for the question! It is a very broad one, but I'll try to cover the broad strokes. Hopefully it's helpful.

Firstly, the main thing you must never forget is that, above all, a worldbuild is a tool. As fun as it can be to get caught up in it all, ultimately the world is like anything else in the process of creating a work of fiction: it is a tool in service of your ideas. What things to do you want to say, what kind of stories would you like to tell? And, once you know that, ask: what kind of setting would service your goals the best?

One thing I love doing with worlds is exploring cultures and their idiosyncrasies, creating a simultaneous sense of groundedness and fantasy. In choosing to place a story in a different but still specifically-developed world, I am both giving a sense of alienation (in removing the reader from the real world, which they know) and, hopefully, a framework that helps them connect with the humanity in the stories (in, well, telling a story about people). I also like learning, and seeking the tools to build worlds involves looking through sometimes-niche parts of our own; and, circling back around with that idea, heavy worldbuilding involves a barrier of understanding that requires learning, or if they so wish, a sensation of not understanding that they may like. Up to them.

To actually answer your question, I tackle worldbuilding by learning. Look into not just what things are possible (or conjectures that could be possible through changing the rules) but why they are the way they are. Taking things for granted is how you get a world that is shallow; nothing is the way that it is without the combinations of its circumstances. I do use a lot of inspirations from real life, because real history is far more knowledgeful than I am. It's good to learn about both your own and others, both to open your mind and to prevent reckless application of ideas.

I also do love reading and looking at other fictions. Seeing what others do can be helpful, but (of course) I wouldn't suggest taking ideas wholecloth but instead seeking the reason as to why they work for you.

Let's do an example: the city of Adravezia is a city that sits atop the water of a bay. It has long been a powerhouse in trade, and while its leader is elected, it is by a small committee of solely the upper crust of its society. (This aspect is immediately recognizable, perhaps even derivative, to those who know anything about Venice. This is because I like Venice and think it's interesting.) An important symbol to them is hair, with the length of one's hair being strictly dictated by, and thus displaying to others, one's class and station in society. (Why is this? Many real-life cultures value hair, of course. But one must think about not just the presence of value of hair, but how I can use it. I am using Adravezia for a story about class and class tensions; thus, let's emphasize how one's class can affect one's relationship with hair.)

Very well, they value hair. How would this affect them in day-to-day life, broader society, or both, in a way that would differ from perhaps your own? Alright, let's say they shear the hair when one is dead. The city's patron saint (of a sort) has deep and rich iconography with regards to hair. Maybe they have impossibly long hair that is involved in some story of their veneration. They also believe that everything in the world is a dilution and combination of six elements that are pure in idea, but always impure in some way in physicality (this is inspired by real-life spiritual distinction between the ideal plane and the real plane, along with the alchemical strive for a perfect substance), thus, if hair is so important to them, perhaps they symbolically (or not, depending on the individual) view hair as being a holy substance that binds the elements together. If they have such a special relationship to hair, doing someone's hair could be very significant. Continuing with that thought, rich people must have unbearably long hair and, being rich, they likely have servants to do that hair. (Rich people could also justify their rich-ness with their hair, even though it is so long in the first place because they are rich.) In fact, they could have an entire class of artisan dedicated to weaving hair, whether on someone's head, or on some kind of emblem that is inside a frame, important and displayed, much like any other artwork. This could be what they do with the hair after death and shearing it; or, also, one could commission a trinket made with a simple lock of hair for a loved one. (This is very good, because I would like to tell a story about how an artist reflects their society. I could tell that story over and over for the rest of my life.)

I could go on, but you get the jist of it. A simple idea can have broad ripples, often compelling and very interesting ones, so long as you keep 'yes and'ing yourself. Every part of society affects every other part of it, this is how it can be both daunting and extremely interesting. As the worldbuilder, as the demiurge, it is up to you to expose and draw out its idiosyncrasies and imperfections. (Imperfections in a world is how we get a story that is worth telling.)

As for conlanging, my method is a fucking mess, barely works (if it ever does), and is obscure even to me, so I don't think my advice would be very helpful.

it seems the links to both your story pages are broken. i was able to access them on your old layout, but have not been since, just to let you know

I'm assuming you're talking about the 'for Menoyukh'al/for L'ecchiraz/for etc.' links in the information under a piece of artwork? If not, please disregard and/or correct me, but assuming I'm correct, those have been loose ends for a while now. I am still not sure exactly what I want out of those pages, how much information I'd like to reveal outside the format of a story. Be assured, I'll get sick of the loose ends and slap something simple up eventually.

Hi there! This is one of the coolest websites I've ever seen in my life. I really love the look you have, and I enjoyed looking at your art so much. I will be coming back to this page to discover new things I may have missed before. I love all the work you put into this, it shows. And it makes me so happy. Take care!

Hello! You have very kind words, Sabrin. I appreciate in turn your appreciation, and I'm glad that my work can make you happy. While making art is what ultimately for my own happiness, it's always nice to hear that someone else out there is having a gander. You take care as well!

meow meow meow meow meow :3 (and thanks for motivating/inspiring me to finally set up my blog!!)

Meow meow meow! Meow meow meow meow meow. (Of course! Anything for a friend.)

The style here would be the coolest goth club

Thank you very much Cheed, I'm flattered!

I love your general writing style and the comics I've read so far! Reminds me a bit of Emily Carroll... Overall--just... a really wonderful corner of the internet you've carved out here. I feel lucky to have stumbled into it on my travels!

Emily Carroll? What a compliment! Thank you very much. I tend to feel, personally myself, that my writing ages worse than my visual art does, so I'm glad to hear that you like it. I'll be happy to put more up as I finish works and as I feel comfortable with doing so.

Fair travels!

I'm new to neocities, found yours through a webring, and will definitely make an account to follow you. Your art is incredible, and a definite inspiration, especially in terms of storytelling and color.

Welcome to Neocities! I'm very happy to have you as a visitor, whether you have an account or not. I'm glad you like my art and find inspiration from it. You're very kind; someone finding some sort of inspiration from my work means a lot to me.

Hi there, Newt! I'm really knew to neocities and your site is giving me heaps of inspiration. As a lover of vintage aesthetics and detail, I'm obssessed!

Please keep doing what you are doing!

I am very glad that I could inspire you. Godspeed on your journey through Neocities! I'll do my best to keep on doing exactly what I want to do. (Or, my closest approximation.)

Wow! This is quite the aesthetic feat! Love seeing such variety on neocities! Hope you're doing well

Thank you very much, I'm glad we seem to share visual sensibilities! Well met, and I hope you're doing well too.

nom nomnom books yummy yummy un my tummy

Jorge de Burgos?!

Hi Newt, I didn't say it at the time because I've been away from neocities for a while, but I loved how you drew Lily for the oc art swap! Your style is so warm and beautiful. Thank you.

Thank you for your kind words! She was very fun to draw, and quite a cute design. I'm very glad you liked my gift. Good tidings to you and I hope you are well in your time away from Neocities!

What a beautiful guestbook! I love the dedication you put into creating pretty cards for every entry.

Thank you very much! Here is a little card just for you.

came across you from the hog site... you are so cool dear friend

I'm flattered that you think I'm cool!

Ahoy friend! I would like to thank you for revealing the font "Mea Culpa cursive" to me, it is a very nice one and I shall use it in future projects

Ahoy! It is a darling font, ain't it? I hope it works beautifully for any affairs of yours.

very good website, i appreciate the usage of the french republican calendar as a Super Nerd

Thank you very much! I have a fondness for the Republican calendar, have for many years.

Honorable mention to dear Jude for using the Republican calendar and thus inspiring me to use it myself. I already liked it, so why not...? I do not regret it.

Your work, all of it, is simply incredible. I want your personal touch of maximalist fantasia smeared in every corner of my life... Newt for architect-emperor of the world NOW

My good Henry! Thank you very much! I love the phrase maximalist fantasia... it feels very apt.

I'm not sure how well I would do as emperor, with my personal qualms regarding emperors, but architect I can try to do. And I appreciate the sentiment very much! Much love.

Hello - I've been watching your website grow for quite some time, so I'm thrilled that I can leave you a proper message now!

I love how you've decorated the place. It's so creative and fun, and I may have yoinked the idea of using public domain art on my website from you. And your art - the colors and textures are so, for lack of a better word, delicious. I wish I could say something more composed and eloquent about it, but I'm bad at that, so know delicious is a very high compliment.

As always, I look forward to seeing more of what you make!

Thank you very much! Public domain art is a great source for beautiful and fascinating images, and I believe speaks to the message of a more public and friendly internet that many on Neocities support.

I am glad my art is delicious to you, hah! I will take the compliment gladly. I'm doing my best to always be expanding the menu, creating more, striving for improvement. Have a good day and bon voyage!

stumbled across your site on the yesterweb ring - your work is beautiful! i've seen your art on tumblr every now and then, i love the way you draw people and your use of rich colors and strong compositions. definitely going to be following your work more now!

i particularly liked your essay about the "need to be good at art" - i had major burnout this year from fretting about my worth as an artist, and a lot of your words really resonated with me

have a good day!

Your words are very kind! I am glad that my work is beautiful to you and that my essay touched you. You're not the first one to say that those words resonated, which I am glad for, but also it is both frustrating and sad that issues regarding self-esteem are so common among artists. Burnout is incredibly difficult to deal with, and I myself have a long way to go regarding my own regard for my work.

I have considered on occasion writing a (likely more personal) follow-up to it; the way society values art, and the way that wider thought trickles down to affect artists, is a realm that I have many thoughts and opinions on.

Art is always a noble thing to pursue, I wish you the best of luck on recovering from burnout. Continuing to create art always has worth.

To The Proprieter,

I walk past your garden occasionally by the footpath and I wanted to compliment you on your ornamented gate. But I'm afraid some of the roses are spilling onto the walkway, could you ask your grounds keeper to trim them a bit?

(A good natured comment by a distant admirer. You have no obligation to trim any real or perceived overgrown flower beds.)

I thank you! I am quite picky regarding the various minutae that come under my focus, even the gate, which was not built for a long time. The reason being that, in that extraordinary pickiness, I searched my contacts and knowledge for a very long time to find just the right craftsman for the job of creating it. Leave it unable to close! I said to him: land is a thing no one can be kept from. But I wished the gate to communicate: all you must do is maintain respect.

Regarding the roses, they are not kept by any grounds keeper but reach out and retract their selves at their own will. Perhaps they are simply curious about you! If they are spilling out enough to be a tripping or slipping hazard for you, ask them politely to move and they should do so. If not, just let me know and I shall give them a word. My apologies if they have given you any concern.