Hold on to your hats, keep your chins up, and stick together, Paranet friends. I know it's been rough out there.

Sorry for the extended absence, folks. I'm back, more or less. My plate's been pretty damn full out there in not-internetland, but here I am.

Egads.

I'm a very literal man, okay?

As the bard once said, Merry Christmas, you magnificent weirdos.

Pretty sure he was born grumpy. He'd spit out his pacifier and glare at anyone in eye range.

If I so much as sneezed in the wrong direction, that guy thought it was evidence that I was practicing black magic. Falling on my face was probably reason to whip out the sword and go all Queen of Hearts on my head.

Yeah, once upon a time he would have been taking *detailed* notes about every single time I fell on my face.

Jim's a fair sight better at putting my weird old life into words than I was in my journals, that's for damn sure. Guy knows how to prose.

Oh, you know me. Always playin' it cool. Too cool for school. Except when I fall flat on my face, but who's counting *those* incidents?

Don't answer that.

Have yourself a good Solstice too, Cobble.

Wow. That brings back memories.

No, things are very different for me now. Very, very different.

It IS winter in Chicago right now. And it's freaking cold. Even for *me.*

...I may be responsible for a localized blizzard or two. Microblizzards. Maybe a bit of ice. But I promise it wasn't me that dumped all that snow on the city-- that's just winter here in Chi-town.

...Maaaybe.

Damn right he is. I wouldn't cross the guy.

Is there a large-screen theater in Chicago or thereabouts run by the svartalves and thus wizard-proof? Inquiring nerdy minds really want to know.

Yeah, I got a lot of context for things in the periphery, but full immersion is different.

Having sudden access to the internet is a little like having a time machine and visiting the future. It feels like I got plucked up in the late 80s or early 90s to be dropped into the 2020s. There's so much about the world that I missed by being unplugged from the eponymous World Wide Web.

What in the eldritch abomination is this? I've faced literal demons from beyond the universe and lived to tell the tale, but this... this is terrifying.

Yeah, that happened too. There may have been a little bit of fire, and sprinkler systems going haywire. That was a bit later, though.

Then we'd break for lunch and cram ourselves into an overcrowded, noisy food court and chow down on greasy hamburgers and lots of fries. We'd plot our next escapades over milk shakes.

This is the kind of stuff memories are made of. Magic.

It was a multifaceted experience. Holistic. Friendship and weekend meanderings and sultry summer days. The tinny, electronic music and explosions and other sound effects swirling around the arcade, and the shouts of excitement when a game was won.

Hot damn, computer games have come a long way visually since the 80s arcade days.

Still miss those mall arcades, though. Going in with a good friend and pockets full of change and spending the whole summer Saturday afternoon shooting aliens and zombies and slaying dragons.

Hey, now. Sometimes the sky really is falling.

No, I'm a spring chicken. I shake my fist and yell "Get off my lawn!" in a very youthful manner.

What is that sound I hear? It's the theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer playing in my ear.

Good luck with that, pal. I'm sure you'll do just fine, with all the friends around you who've got your back. Oh, wait. You don't have any friends, do you? Wonder why.

Watch out for this guy, folks. He may look a lot like me, but he's *not* me. Do not engage. Except for petty mockery.

Might be a nerf herder though.

*Who's* scruffy lookin'?

I do believe the greyscale stage is finished on this #HarryDresden painting. Next up I'll be adding color.

Urban fantasy character Harry Dresden is depicted here in a 3D render. He is leaning heavily on a graffiti-covered wall, battered and exhausted but with a look of fierce determination on his face. He is holding a long wooden staff with fiery glowing runes. He's wearing his usual long leather duster, his pentacle, and jeans and a tee shirt. The shadow of some unknown creature looms on the wall beside him, cast from whatever Harry is glaring at offscreen.

Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy are in a dimly lit, atmospheric subterranean tunnel, squaring off against several goblin-like creatures that are advancing on them from multiple sides. Murphy is turned towards the background, where two of the creatures are approaching; she is aiming her gun at one of them. Harry is whirling to face another creature coming at them from the foreground, brandishing his staff, its runes glowing with Hellfire. His pentacle is blazing with a pale blue light, and he is channeling fire through the blasting rod in his right hand.

A 3D render of Harry Dresden, standing in profile against a nighttime urban backdrop. He is holding his revolver in one hand, at his side, and his staff in the other. His clothing and hair are wet from the rain, and lightning can be seen flashing in the distance. The environment is thick with mist, and the lights glow softly in the buildings around him.

An artistic 3D portrait of Harry Dresden. His face is turned towards the camera, with a slight smile on his mouth. He is wearing a dark blue shirt, his black leather duster, and his pentacle. The background is a simple, painterly blend of colors from dark to light, giving the effect of a soft glow.

Dresden Files fans, if you like the artwork I'm sharing here, you can support me over on Ko-Fi. I'm just getting started over there, but I'll be making high-res downloads of my art available to supporters. I'll be adding more posts later. ko-fi.com/dreamnexusart

Well. You're not wrong.