Solstice the Darkling
Context | Nebula | Deimos
Eclipse’s little sister
Her (and Deimos') father was reassigned jobs shortly after Solstice was born. He hasn't been seen since, so he is presumed dead.
Born a couple years after Eclipse
Solstice is mute
She communicates via Darkling Sign Language, which combines hand signs with tail movements. However, many words have been lost over the years of captivity since the language wasn't regularly used. Solstice fills in the blanks in her vocabulary with gestures, acting, and sometimes coming up with new signs herself.
For whatever reason, she refuses to walk upright. Most of the time, she gets around on all fours, occasionally raising up slightly so she can reach something.
She's a feral little gremlin child and loves to rough house and play
Eclipse is her best friend
Too young to have a job just yet.
Has very sharp teeth and bites stuff a lot.
Design notes under the cut :)
SHE'S SO CUTE AAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Okay, starting once again with the eyes! Solstice has amber eyes. I did this because I wanted to tie her to Eclipse in as many ways as I could, since they're besties. :) Orange is the closest color to yellow, so yeah. For the same reason, that's why Solstice has lightning shaped pupils.
For her coloring, I decided to put Solstice in between Nebula and Deimos. She's not as light as her mom and not as dark as her brother. Just thought it was cool and satisfying that way.
For clothes, I stuck with my previously mentioned idea of Darklings making simple clothes because of their lack of fabric. Solstice gets a long poncho! I didn't give her a skirt because I felt like she wouldn't need it. The poncho probably isn't as long as it needs to be, but I wanted people to be able to actually see some of her hands. You'll also notice that the edges of her poncho are ripped and frayed because she's a rough-houser! To top off her clothes, she's got some cuffs tied around her ankles. No real reason why those are there. I just thought they looked cool. :) I decided not to give her any shoes because she strikes me as the kind of kid who would either kick them off immediately or chew them to pieces. XD
Since Solstice almost always gets around on all fours, I did my best to draw her in a crouched position. It's not perfect, but it gets the message across! I actually drew out the full pose and then realized almost all of it was going to get erased because of her poncho. XD
But that's Solstice!! She's adorable and I love her. Go check out Nebula and Deimos' posts if you haven't already!
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Everything is prepared for the summer solstice celebration, Latvia, June 23, 2023. Photo by D.P.
P.S. This summer during many ancient rituals at many bonfires in Latvia, people asked for help from the ancient forces of nature to destroy the "Empire of Evil"...The previous evil created by the Kremlin collapsed, and the current one created by the modern Kremlin will collapse as well...
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Looking east at sunrise and west at moonset this morning. I often mention solstice and equinoxes but haven’t talked about the 18.6 year lunar cycle. In the lower picture you can see the moon above the now-bare ginkgo trees. This is where the sun sets at summer solstice. The lunar movements are much more complicated than the sun’s, its rising and setting changing in the course of each month, but the larger lunar cycle means that within a year and a half it will reach lunar standstill and I’ll see the moon set even further right/north, probably over those conifers behind the old Martin Guitar factory, and then slowly proceed to the left/south back down Main Street.
Ancient people observed and knew about this cycle. Some megalithic and other ancient monuments were built with this in mind, maybe most famously the Octagon Earthworks at Newark, Ohio, part of the newly awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site. But I like that you and I can observe it from my upstairs window!
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Darkness appreciation post!!!!! I love seeing the sun like any other vitamin-D-needing person but I am a fan of the darkness in winter!!! I can see the sun rise every morning, even experience a time before sunrise, all while getting up at the reasonable time of 7-8am. When the sun sets early I do not feel pressured to get Activities done THE SUNS UP SO I HAVE TO DO THINGS OR ELSE IM WASTING TIME none of that in winter :) I can see the pink clouds as the sun sets while I’m walking home then say hi to the first stars and planets. Winter is calm and quiet and nice and dim on my headache-prone eyes. I can go a walk and feel completely alone cause no one else is around in the cold. I can go a walk in the evening and see the twinkling lights of the town and the stars. I can even do a little dance while walking cause nobody can see me cause it’s dark!!! (Not that I mind anyway, but the point still stands). It’s like the freeing no-pressure calm darkness of 3am but for SO MUCH LONGER!!! In summer it’s light for so long and the light is loud and there isn’t even any proper night cause the sun is only just below the horizon so I don’t see the stars properly for ages :(( I love you winter darkness <3 <3 <3
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