A few years ago…
Tag: comics
Ringo from the Stars | Breaking the Ice
Warming up… truly.
OTM #41: Hero
The other day, I had to show some of my artwork for a writing project. I’m usually not one to flex that I draw, particularly due to the fact that I don’t like special attention. But that day, a classmate told me my work looks like it was inspired by Bryan Lee O’Malley, author of the “Scott Pilgrim” series. O’Malley has been an art hero of mine since I was fourteen — my heart practically burst out of my chest upon hearing the compliment. Alongside the recent release of the “Scott Pilgrim” anime, I’ve been drawing huge inspiration from the series’ art style. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to step away from yourself and realize that your heroes have indeed contributed to your growth. That’s the coolest feeling ever!!!
OTM #40: Spectator
I’m not a cat mother, I’m a cat aunt. I love my nephew dearly. We spend quality time together often, but it seems he’s been getting more and more attached lately. When my roommate (the actual cat mother) leaves for class, he will come running into my room desperate for attention. A lot of times he’ll crawl up on my lap, purring loud while I work, occasionally pawing at my typing hands as if I’ve made up a game for him to play. But my new favorite maneuver is his talent of jumping to the top of my chair; he bounces with the ferocity of a cartoon pogo stick. Afterwards, he’ll sit on the backside of the chair and stare at the back of my head. Sometimes he sets his hands on my shoulders, too, as if he’s giving me a massage and encouraging my hard work. Most of the time it hinders my work more than it helps me, but I’ll never complain about a cute cat disrupting my day. Have a great week and a great upcoming break!
OTM #39: Comfort Zone
Sometimes it’s good to go outside your comfort zone. Take me, for example, self-proclaimed nerd and introvert — the last place I would expect to see myself is Rick’s, but there I was, dancing alongside my friends. The first five to ten minutes there were uncomfortable (see my above artistic rendition), but the minute I let go of the idea that people were looking at me, I started to have fun. I started to care less, giving into the early-2010s-pop remixes monopolizing my senses. Sometimes you just have to give into the music; life is too short and stressful as is. This is not my endorsement of Rick’s, as my opinion is still mixed, but it is to say this: at the very least, maybe consider dancing in your room with your headphones. There’s an inherently silly and unserious feeling to it, but that’s what makes it fun. Perhaps it’s “healing your inner child,” or whatever those self-help guides online say.
OTM #38: Lucky
Do you ever have those nights where you sleep so hard that you wake up covered in sweat? Disoriented, blinking nonstop, feeling gross? Yeah, me too. I think I must have had some crazy dream I don’t remember. Either way, I slept in way past my alarm, which is extremely unusual for me. I guess it’s that time of year; I’m trying to be forgiving of myself, it happens. But to my lucky surprise, when I checked my phone, my first class of the day happened to be cancelled! I no longer had to worry about scrambling to get there, instead taking my time getting ready and getting ahead in my workload for the week. The stars were aligned (although perhaps not for my professor, who cancelled class on account of getting sick). Sometimes we screw up and get lucky — this is one of the many beautiful mysteries of life I choose not to question. Instead, I’m just happy I’m chilling out today. Enjoy the week, thanks for reading!
