Dandelyon's Worlds

@Ysabetwordsmith shared this, and I decided to use it (and change it a little, if you want all of the original questions, go over there).

♬ The Basics ♪

Preferred Name: Wyld Dandelyon is good.  So is Deirdre.
Pronouns:  My favorite is zie/zir, but she/her is ok too.
Location: Wisconsin
Vocal range:  I was told in High School that I'm a second soprano with a wide range, and with the exception of health-related outages, that has remained true.
Instruments:  Yes, lots, though I have plenty of friends who have more


♬ Music In General ♪
Thinking day to day, what do you normally listen to: It varies so much, but I always return to filk, both to do and to listen to, preferably in person.

Do you listen to music to study, exercise, or work:  Sometimes.  I do especially like doing work or art to filk concerts.  I have lately gotten interested in watching "first reaction" videos.  Sometimes I watch different people to hear how differently people interact with and analyze music--it's good practice for keeping characters in my fiction distinct.  Other times I'm watching to hear about how different singers use vocal techniques, because I sing and want to know all of that.

Is there a musician you'd like to meet? Why:  Of course!  Lots of them. Most of them, even. Chatting about music is fun.  Playing and singing with people is even more fun.

Do you sing and/or play an instrument:  Oh, yes.  I've been singing forever, and playing instruments almost as long.  Autoharps and guitars are my most-used instruments, but I also have a harp, a cittern, a mandolin, a merlin, a lovely new acoustic bass guitar, a bunch of cool percussion stuff, and more. 

Do you make playlists?  No.  I do make concert sets from time to time though, and currently I'm working on arranging a musical anthology (otherwise known as an album--I find that exciting?)


♬ Music Favorites ♪
Artist/Band:   There are too many that I love for favorites
Genre:   Filk. Folk.  Rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, classical, etc.
Song:   There are way too many to pick favorites
Music Video: The Sound of Silence by Distrubed
Instrument:  There's so many, and the differences are fun.  But I'll mention autoharp and harp.
Favorite lyrics:   Too many.  I seem to have a theme going.  But really, there's not a lot of things where I have clear favorites.  Mostly it's like ice cream--I love a lot of different flavors, and pick the one I want right now, rather than trying to be hierarchical about it.  I don't have much use for hierarchies, really.


♬ Music and Feelings ♪
What's a song that gets stuck in your head, that you may not necessarily like:   I can unstick my brain by playing/singing songs I do like, so that's not really an issue.  (If I can play & sing it aloud, I can also play it in my head, and I can play a lot of things in my head that I can't perform aloud.)

What does music mean to you:  i love listening to music, but I love making it more.  But what does it mean?  Well, that depends on the song.

However, the more I make music and listen to other people make music, the more I feel that when someone sings or plays an instrument, I am hearing their soul directly, or at least as much of it as they're willing to share.

Do you have any songs or genre that relax you:   Live music tends to energize me, mostly in a relaxing way.

Is there a song that represents how you feel or your stance on life:  Well, certainly there are songs that are very true-to-me.  But not just one!

Do you dress similar to the genre you listen to: Well, I'd probably phrase it as dressing in harmony with the genres I enjoy, be they musical or fictional.  I mean, clothing is about textures and colors and lines and pattern, not sound.  (Maybe I'm too literal for this question.)


♬ Friending And Deal-breakers ♪
What kind of friend(s) are you searching for: I enjoy a diverse range of friends. If you miss LiveJournal-That-Was, I suspect you and I are looking for similar things here on DreamWidth.

What do you like to read about:  Lots of things.  In fiction, mostly speculatve (science fiction and fantasy).  Cool science stuff.  What's going on with my friends and their creative endeavors.  All the arts.  I do music and fiction and poetry and painting/drawing and fabric arts.

How often do you check your friends feed:  That varies.  I'm trying to do it more, especially since FB is so often very annoying.  But when I have no spoons, well, I have no spoons.  I'm trying for at least peeking at it several times a day.

Do you have any deal-breakers?:  Malicious and judgmental behavior.  Deliberate unkindness. The social equivalent of filk hogging. I don't care if you are an authority or not, all people are due basic respect and kindness, they don't have to earn that. Don't confuse the respect due to an authority in their area of expertise with basic human respect.

Or to put it another way, This is my virtual living room--I love having my friends gather here chatting with me and each other, but I want the same kind of mindful and kind behavior here that I want in my physical living room.  Well, I should probably just call it my music room, as it's where the piano and guitars and other instruments live and get played.  I love harmonies in my music and want harmony in my friend-full places as well.

Do you mind reading about fandom:  I love connecting with people about things they care about.  If a friend notes a strange-colored mold on his pumpkin pie and starts to study it, that's fun.  If a friend tries tuning their guitar differently, and then has stuff to say about the results of making music that way, that's fun.  If a friend reviews a movie or book, that's fun.  If a friend is talking about their fan art or fan fiction or cosplay, that makes me happy even when the particular fandom is not of interest to me.  If a friend has poetry or fiction or art to share, that's fun.  Lots of things are fun to read about if the person writing about them lets their love or curiosity or fascination or creativity shine through.

♬ Anything else you'd want people to know: ♪

I have chronic illness (asthma, allergies, sleep apnea, etc.)  It's not always visible, but I'm certainly a spoonie, and can't always predict whether I'll be up to doing stuff.  It makes all of my creative stuff less evenly-paced than I'd prefer.  Sometimes I can sing more than 40 songs in a weekend and have my voice still going strong; other times I can hardly sing at all.  That latter status is depressing! 

I paint, and love acrylics.  I can do things like paint at a science fiction convention because it dries quickly.  I also like that when I'm pushing my skills (and I'm always doing that, as best I can), I can paint over parts that don't come out right the first (or second, or tenth) time.  I also do fabric arts, from costuming to embroidery to things like custom teddy bears.   You can tear out a seam and re-do it, but once fabric is cut, there are limits to what you can do.  I once made a bear that turned out all pear-shaped and lopsided, and I was sad for a bit, but then I realized that I have a lot of friends who are pudgy and lopsided, so I got him glasses and tiny buttons with cool slogans, made him a vest for the buttons and a little gaming map and dice bag and sold him at a con.

I garden, and will chat about that in season.  In February, I do FAWM (February Album Writing Month) and I deliberately let myself hyperfocus on making new songs and music and lyrics and trying new things with instruments and recording and just intensely playing and learning.  I might or might not manage to post here, but there will be new posts over on Patreon.

Speaking of which, I have a patreon over here:  https://www.patreon.com/Wyld_Dandelyon  Since I want to have my lyrics accessible to the filk community, I'm posting them there and will keep on making lyric posts public.  I plan to start releasing MP3s for paying patrons there as well.  I've learned a good bit about recording since I started making scratch tracks for FAWM, and I'm still learning.  I also put bits of fiction there, and haiku, and other stuff.   I love comments, and you don't have to be a paying patron to comment on public posts.  You are very welcome to look around over there.  If you want lyrics to one of my songs, that's the best place to look.  If you can't find them there, feel free to ask.

Wyld Dandelyon started as my LJ name, back in the days of LJ-That-Was.  After some consideration, knowing that a friend's sister shares a name and lots of interests with me and is working on a music career over in Ireland, I've decided to use Wyld Dandelyon as my band name.  I'm working on an album, which is so exciting!
 

A long time ago, I was more active in the SCA than in fandom. No one hassles you about glasses in the SCA, but they're Not Period. So, when I got out my sketchbook (which I did a lot, since autoharps are also not period), I drew people without their glasses.

Through some strange mental alchemy, I stopped noticing people's glasses. It was as if they became invisible to me, unless something called attention to them. That persisted during the years when I rarely picked up a pencil to draw, and why not? It's the person that matters, not their clothes--or their glasses!

Then My Angel fell, nearly bleeding to death, and afterward joked to the nurses that her balance was better if she couldn't see. Sure enough, her eyes had, with age, degenerated to the point where she needed different prescriptions for each eye, and the lack of glasses was a bad idea. Suddenly I needed to retrain my brain to notice if she was wearing her glasses. Or at least try to. It's not as easy as you'd think to undo years of habit.

But I've made some progress.

At Worldcon, I joined my sister, Dragon, and her daughter at one of the Sketching From Life panels. At one point, while we were sketching, Dragon talked about the sketching she'd done while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. She mentioned doing 30-second poses, and the teachers pressing them to draw at least something for each pose. In that zen-drawing state I was in, I responded that that sounded like fun. Several people nearby stared at me as if I was nuts, and Dragon answered, "What it is is really hard." "Well, yeah." I said. But hard doesn't mean not-fun. If you push enough past your limits and dive into the flow of the process, hard can be a great deal of fun.

Later, I went to the Hugo ceremonies, again with my sketchbook, and I thought, "Well, I said it would be fun, so why don't I just do it--sketch the people presenting and accepting Hugos. So I did--with varying levels of success, of course. Pushing your limits is always like that. And it was, indeed, fun.

I drew a lot of people--and I drew a LOT of glasses. The exercise made me very aware of an unsurprising fact. Most of my people, like me, wear glasses.

When I was growing up, I was told the idea of friends is simple--people who you like, and who like you, and who are on your side. People you know, in person; people who like the movies or books you like; people who play the games you play. It seemed so simple and easy.

Of course, even before Facebook and LJ "friends", it wasn't so simple. Your friends don't always like the things you like, and they don't always vote the way you vote or pray the way you pray. Their friends don't always like you, and "Which Side Are You On?" isn't as simple and straightforward as in the old protest song.

I have come to value not only bosom buddies, but friends who are more challenging. I love having friends that make me think, friends that challenge my assumptions, friends that share lives very different from mine, and friends that support me by telling me (kindly or bluntly) when they think I've got it wrong or could improve.

I've had friends who pretended they loved everything I do and the way I do it until they got angry or frustrated enough to make a scene, and I learned to value people who tell me the things they don't like about me up front even more--maybe I can modify my behavior for them or maybe we will agree to avoid the situation that causes friction (another friend's example is two people who performed together, and who emphatically agreed to stay away from each other during the hours before a gig because they react to pre-performance stress so differently).

I have friends who are heart's-family who I see far too rarely and friends who will never be close, but who add something to my life even so.

There was a girl in my dorm at college who saw my posters (either unicorns or lions and tigers at that point) and told me straight out that if there was anything weirder than that about me, not to tell her. Well, that pretty much limited our conversations to weather, classes, and laundry--but every time I saw her she greeted me with a smile, and if I needed laundry change or a pen or something mundane like that, she was always willing to loan me , one. Some days she was the most friendly face I saw all day, and I thanked the Goddess for her (though, of course, I couldn't say those words to her).

I've come to see friendship as complicated and quirky as well as vital and wonderful. To all my friends out there--old friends or new-met, near or distant, bosom or near-acquaintances, I want to say I'm so glad you're out there. I'm so glad you're all different, and that you trust me with at least some of your uniqueness. Whether I hear from you daily or once a year, whether we see eye to eye or figuratively butt heads, you all enrich my life and broaden my world.

Thank you.

I have a 2200 word story, working title Treetop Theory, available for sponsorship for $22 or 22 Torn World Credits, or a combination thereof. I'm willing to microfund this one; please send a minimum of $5 if sponsoring by Paypal, though you can send just one Torn World credit, if you want. (My permanent paypal button is at www.wyld-dandelyon.com and there's also one on my profile here)

You can still leave prompts over at torn_world.

Also, I haven't had many votes in my poll, and my characters are almost all tied for first.  If you want to spur me to write about your favorite Torn World character, the poll is still open:  http://wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com/180902

I'm very excited about the story, and I already have permission from the creator of Oranaan for my portrayal of him in it!  The canon board has to weigh in, of course, before the story is finalized, but I hope to share it with all of you soon!

Now I'm headed off to a friend's pool party, where I'll alternate between swimming and writing for a while.  I don't know if I'll have internet access there, but I'll be back online this evening in any case.

I hope to hear from you!

First, a note that if you've subscribed to Torn World, you should spend your credits. Ellen goes over how it works (including a warning that you lose the right to bestow those credits as you see fit, in this post:  Ellen is Not A Bank:  Spend Your Credits.  As one of the Torn World creators, I assure you--if you put money toward one of my stories, I pay attention.  If you want to encourage a particular story line, you can tip me on the site, leaving a comment to tell me what you want.  (Of course, you can also tip me in my donation hat, over on www.wyld-dandelyon.com.)

I'm still so excited to have my own website!  When I remember to think about it, anyway; I'm currently distracted by other things creatively:

I want to catch up on some of my story arcs--Jrilii's Wild Snowy Chase and Dini and Lalya's wedding in particular.  (Poor Lalya still does't have a wedding dress.)

I'm also trying to get back to doing #fridayflash regularly.  Like Sketchfest, it's a good stretch for my skills.  And I want to get back to my Feather-Blessed Dragons too. 

Of course, right now, the biggest time drain is the anthology, which needs black and white art for specific stories, and I'm pushing my drawing skills right to their limits.  I'm finding this surprisingly draining; it's much more tiring than sketch fests--there, if a sketch doesn't turn out, I can just move on.  I can push my skill level and feel good about the result whether it's good or not--I learned something from it, after all.  But this--this is important to me, and to everyone involved in the project.  And there's a deadline, which isn't at all distant.  I can't just put it aside and come back to it in a few days or weeks, it needs to get finished!  So, wish me luck with them!

Oh--and this weekend is the Muse Fusion!  I hope you'll stop by and leave us all some prompts.  What would you like to see more of, in Torn World?  What questions do you have?  What have we not done yet, that you would like to see or read about? 

In other news, yesterday I got an IM from my kid that started, "I know this is super late...." inviting me to go to the art show her pictures were in, at the school (one day only and starting in about a half-hour), and got to go see that, and chat with the grandmother of one of her classmates who I haven't seen in years, and then got a call from a very old friend who hasn't called me in even longer, and we chatted, and except for financial worries (I haven't gotten any surprise calls from potential employers) it's been a good few days.

Oh, and one of the cats has decided that the canvas bag that holds all my tax papers (the taxes are thankfully done) is the bestest bed ever!  He'll be disappointed when I pack them into an envelope in a box in the attic and put the bag back with the other grocery bags!

Next Tuesday is the Torn World Muse Fusion! I hope you'll all stop by and give me some prompts. And if some of my regulars here do stop by, I'll publish an extra freebie. Do you folks have any preference?[Poll #1658210][Poll #1658211]In the meantime, this space is open for scintillating conversation, questions, and weird words!  Have some eggnog and chocolate, and stay warm!

In the second half of last year, ellenmillion  ysabetwordsmith  and the others involved in the beginning of Torn World started holding contests.   So I entered a few contests, and in time got more involved in Torn World.  And thus I met valdary .  

This is another friend who I only actually met online.  And very shortly after meeting her, I learned that she had terminal cancer,  that the doctors had sent her home to die before I'd ever met her.  The whole time I knew her, she was in and out of the hospital, but always cheerful and friendly, creating art, poetry and stories for Torn World, tweeting updates about the site, and being a lively presence in the forums.

She was the first, after me, to write about skycats, one of the  animal types I entered into the second Torn World contest.  I remain delighted by her poem,  Bathing a Skycat.  Go check it out.  I'll wait.

She also has other art and stories on Tornworld.net, including her last story which was just posted in the last couple of days. 

She blogged about her experiences with cancer on the Severn Hospice site.

I just learned that she has died.  It was expected, of course, though not at any particular time.  And, of course, if the doctors had been right, I'd have never met her at all, and we'd never have had her contributions to Torn World to enjoy.  And I'd have never read about the Joys of Negative Thinking or her Secret Tattoos.  My connection to her  was one of the blessings of the year.

But even knowing she must leave us soon, I wasn't ready for her to die. 

Go gently, Val, you will be missed--and remembered.

It was a nice little set of readings. For the curious, the theme that seemed to run through most of the readings was connections -- the connections between people, the connections between the querent and the world, the connections between our dreams and our realities, even the connections between different parts of ourselves.

And, for me, that emphasized the importance of the ephemeral connections between me and you out there, in all the various corners of the world where you live and dream and write. You enrich my life. I'm glad you're here!

Even you lurkers, I'm glad you're sticking around.

So, what are you doing this weekend?

Spent yesterday evening driving into and out of the snow storm to get a new-to-me boiler. Expect to spend today putting it in, once the expert (my savior) arrives.

Sorry if I'm scarce online!

Have fun in my absence.

If you're inclined, tell me something preposterous. Extra points if it's also true.

I love to hear from you.

I want to thank everyone who sent me thoughts and prayers for a warm winter!

One of my friends has made a significant part of his money every year installing and fixing air conditioners and heaters of various sorts. When the heat went out, he was (inevitably, it seems) out of town.

Looking at probably having to replace the boiler, I called him and we talked, and he offered to do a bid for putting in a new one with My Angel and me as his assistants. So he came over today to look at things, see where we'd have to vent a new boiler since the new ones aren't designed to vent through a chimney.

While he was here, we discussed what the repair guy told me, and what he told My Angel, and he looked at the old boiler. "That doesn't make sense," he said, elaborating that part the guy told me I need isn't that expensive, and isn't the one that My Angel said he said needed replacing, and even that one shouldn't cost as much as we were told. There are other parts that cost that much, but those appeared fine. So he went out to get his tools and do some diagnostic tests while I held the flashlight at increasingly awkward angles so he could see what he was doing, testing the electrical innards of the part in question.

And in short order, he found the problem--the transformer in the part had shorted to ground, the loose wire probably due to vibrations caused by our recent 36-hour windstorm, since the boiler was working fine before the storm.

Except for going back for the tools he didn't think he would need, the whole thing took less than half an hour--and no new parts!

Dan's diagnosis--the young man who showed up while he was out of town didn't have the necessary training. Since there's not very many people who fix oil boilers in the city, and these people are the ones I've been happiest with when Dan's sick or out of town, this doesn't make me happy.

But overall, this is a wonderful Halloween present!

And now My Angel can't argue she should stay home from the Halloween party!