Nanowrimo

Rise by AneiKhaar
So, so beautiful.

Nanowrimo starts Tuesday. This will be my third year participating. Tonight, I set up my novel on the website.

What I know from previous years...
1. Nanowrimo is hard and exhausting.
2. The easiest approach is to find a beginning and to write until the end shows up.

My goal is to write an escapist, psychopop fantasy. My current inspiration is The Muppets.

Working Title: The Purple Gate

In a land torn apart by war, Hansel and Snow White fight alongside a small band of rebels to restore meaning to the world.

Current Word Count - 0

Featured Artist Iancjw

Witch Doctor by iancjw

As my project is complete, I'm getting back to work on DIYmysticism and starting with a feature.

20 Quotes about Freedom

What does freedom mean to you?

What does it take to be free?

What are you waiting for?

1. "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. "True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline." - Mortimer J. Adler
3. "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." - Coco Chanel
4. "The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask." - Jim Morrison
5. "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." George Bernard Shaw
6. "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." - Nelson Mandela
7. "He who is brave is free." Seneca
8. "Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." - George Orwell
9. "Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." - Jim Morrison
10. "No one tries too hard to make the world better. You can never shout too loudly in the name of freedom." - Bruce Wayne
11. "Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus
12. "Freedom is the right to live as we wish." - Epicetus
13. "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." - George Washington
14. "Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life." - Bob Marley
15. "Unlike me, many of you have accepted the situation of your imprisonment and will die here like rotten cabbages." - Number 6, The Prisoner
16. "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves." - Abraham Lincoln
17. "It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything." - Chuck Palahniuk
18. "Freedom lies in being bold." - Robert Frost
19. "Freedom cannot be bestowed - it must be achieved." - Elbert Hubbard
20. "None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Silver Sky

20 Websites with Fantastic Free Digital Stuff

There are brilliant free things out there on the web. High end software, downloads, books, movies, music, radio shows, games, pictures, comics and more. You just have to go there and get it.

Free Stuff

Libraries

Do a little digging for the fabulous gems these sites are hiding.

• archive.org
• The only difficulty is trying to navigate the millions of books, movies, recordings, and software titles. But if you dig just a little, you can uncover some fascinating treasures. I got hooked on Dragnet years ago through this site.
• Armorgames
• Insane collection of online flash games. 
• High risk of addiction.
• British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts
• Scanned pages from illuminated manuscripts
• Their collection has a very effective keyword search. It's a great curiosity.
• Comic Book Plus
• A massive collection of comic books and comic strips in the public domain.
• Comic Strip Library
• Krazy Kat, Little Nemo in Slumberland, Dream of the Rarebit Fiend
• Free Music Archive
• Downloadable music.
• Jamendo
• Downloadable music
• Librivox
• Free audiobooks
• Morguefile
• Free Stock Photos
• OpenLibrary
• Indexes a million ebooks
• Project Gutenberg
• 46,000 free ebooks
• Thingiverse
• Enter the thingiverse. A collection of downloadable 3-D models posted by users and hosted by Makerbot.

Software

Amazing software to help you do amazing things.

• AVG Antivirus Software
• Protect your computer and yourself from the blue screen of death.
• Blender
• 3-D modeling software
• I am still amazed that this is free. It is revolutionary.
• Inkscape
• Illustrator is expensive. Inkscape is free.
• Krita
• Digital raster painting software.
• Ldraw
• Ldraw gives you a library of 3D models of Lego parts. 
• But that's not the best part. There is a plugin for Blender that allows you to import the 3D models and use them in your renders or work them into printable files. 
• Don't expect to get self-printed Legos. Lego has spent a half a century figuring out how to do it right. But it does open some opportunities for creative printing.
• Mixxx
• Open source DJing software.
• Mozilla Firefox
• Free and open source browser.
• OpenOffice
• A necessary tool

Gargoyle

Gargoyle, a photo by DIY Mysticism on Flickr.

A gargoyle in Morristown on a bright, sunny day.

Old School Movies - He Walked by Night

He Walked by Night - The inspiration for Dragnet. A must see for any fan of Jack Webb or Dragnet. Available on archive.org

Creepy Doll in the Window

Creepy Doll in the Window, a photo by DIY Mysticism on Flickr.

How much is that creepy doll in the window?

I was taking photos one weekend and the doll caught my eye.

Fanvideos

The Power and Potential of Fan Videos

A fan video is a personal interpretation of a song using images from a show, movie or video game.

I have discovered many favorite artists through this medium. I have discovered movies through fanvids.

The quality varies significantly between the videos.

The emotional attachment of the editor translates to their work. This leads to a new creation that can be an entry point for new fans.  They can get an idea of a character, a relationship, the look or feel of a show.

It's a unity of two worlds of fans. Everyone has music that speaks to them and things that ignite their imagination.

Art Feature - Further Love for Fan Artists

Honoring the fantastic fan art on deviantART...

Arcane Arts by Kaytara
deviantART
Vaarsuvius from Order of the Stick by Richard Burlew
The details in this image are amazing. You can get the full effect by looking at the original.

AtLA: Collision by Kaytara
deviantART
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Really captures the drama and power

Burton Cheshire Cat by ShadOBabe
deviantART
Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton)
He's really sweet.

Stupid Sexy Korra by Acaciathorn
deviantART
The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra
I watched the original series and Acaciathorn has convinced me
to give the new series a try with a single image. This is beautiful.

Art Feature: Fantastic Fan Art

Highlighting some fantastic fan art. Check out these artists on deviantART.

Portrait of a Demon by theLovelessAlchemist
deviantART
Sebastian Michaelis from Kuroshitsuji

I wasn't familiar with Kuroshitsuji until seeing this. The art struck me. The artist really gave the character personality. 

Forgotten in Time by HitoriNinja
deviantART
Historical Pokemon

A beautiful and grand image of a Pokemon battle. I love the details of the image. 

BATJAM by AnnEEm
deviantART
Batman

I always love great Batman art. This is such a fantastic and clean drawing.