Nukeronomicon.com

It’s been a while. I’ll try my best to catch the site up on the important stuff:

• Bought a big house in nowhere, KS with a combined inheritance from my father and aunt.
  • A fixer upper built in 1929. Previously owned by someone the mention of whom gave our HVAC guy war flashbacks. To give you an idea of how far this property is out of our league, a place of similar size would sell for ~$10mil back home in Hawaiʻi. Maybe even more. Inflation, man.
  • Thinking about why we’re blessed with it fills me with dread.
• Finally decided on a wedding date. We’re going to the islands to do it, which is its own kind of stress. I’m happy that so many HYW people were able to RSVP. I can’t wait to see you all again once and then hide behind Smacky for the rest of our stay.
  • The courthouse will not let me change my name to Assblaster Jackson no matter how well I argue that it’s in honor of our God-given freedom as Americans to choose our destiny. Accepting name suggestions.
• Adopted the wiliest, most friendly cat on Earth. His name’s Tycho, like the alchemist. WordPress is not cooperating at the moment, but I promise to share ALL the pics soon. 🙏

• Smacky draws ever closer to finishing Chlorophyter!
  • This year, he’s met some playtesters and collaborators who have been hugely helpful. Kudos to you guys!
  • Story mode seems a much longer task than expected. He needs all the encouragement he can get! Let’s all cheer him on!! 🙌
• note: remember to ask Smacky about resizing the top banners
• also note: pester Smacky about uploading all his worktime Chlorophyter omake
• also also: ask for admin privileges so I can make a nukeronomiblog category
• Heliumädchen and all other passer projects are dead. No plans to continue working on them.
  • Simply put, I was never that good at much beyond helping people behind the scenes. My energy is best spent in service of others.
  • I will redouble my efforts to work with Smacky on Chlorophyter and if, God forbid, I’m given care of precious tiny little child lives, I’ll put all the rest of me into supporting them, too.
  • Thank you for reading. 🙇‍♀️

addendumb, if you’ll excuse some more BLAH BLAH BLAH ME ME BLAHgging:

I spent the better part of this year catching up on The Create Unknown. In a recent episode, Kevin Lieber makes a point about talent re: his case for generative AI.

Sometimes effort can only bring you so far if there’s no raw potential behind it, Lieber explains, which is why he isn’t the star athlete that he tried so hard to be as a child. I’m well familiar with this idea. Ten years of viola practice couldn’t remove the wooden, emotionless quality of my sound. I still write like the pretentious meandering windbag I was in seventh grade. A deep appreciation for geology was not enough for me to pound my brain into one fit for a college degree. I’ve floundered as a solo artist for as long as I could hold a crayon—and look where we are now! My teachers even said as much in trade school: “You have the work ethic of an ideal welder, passer. I just wish you were more talented.” Right, did I ever mention that 2022’s attempt at a welding career ended in a wet fart? At best, I can do the same sort of shoddy MIG work as every self-taught garage schmuck out here. That market is saturated.

But Lieber also urges listeners not to despair. There’s innumerable other options to pursue. If one doesn’t work out, try another, and then another. As many as you can until you find your niche. Try everything, and give all of it your best effort.

I’m lucky that I already know where I’m suited—I’ve known for years and have tried to rail against it the entire time. While I may be the world’s suckiest violist, I have a viola-ish temperament and viola-ish capabilities to go with it. For those unaware, violas are an instrument that plays like a violin, sounds like a cello, and has a pitch range somewhere in between. They exist to make an orchestra sound fuller; you won’t hear violists play a solo, but you will notice when they’re absent. Aural Worcestershire sauce. A viola personality can’t ever produce concertmaster works. Heliumädchen had potential for a great story, but it’d never get off the ground (lmao) as told by me. That’s okay. I have heard secondhand that Smacky’s audience likes the supplementary art that I make for him. If that’s what I can do, that’s what I will.

How many more times could I type “viola” in that paragraph? in this post? Viola! ViolaviolaviolaviolaVIOLA!!!!!!

Everything will work out. Everything will work and something actually worthwhile will come of it.