Themeattics

I like to think of innovation as upgrading your current self.

Daniel Willey

Welcome, Dwellers.

In keeping with the idea of starting small (something I eventually decided seems like the right move after all), below is this week’s LEGO build. Baby Yoda comes with a Mandalorian counterpart, but that’s a separate book so a separate week. I’ve got enough on my plate that I can’t fill all my free time with this stuff, as much as I might enjoy it…

I was hoping to be writing to you from my fully completed new PC. Unfortunately, it’s not quiiiite done. In perfect running order, yes, but it seems that somewhere along the way I’ve managed to misplace all of my software… somewhere. It’s in the house – has to be – but I don’t know where. Looks like I’ve got a goal for next week. Either way, it’s fantastic to enter the “modern” era. M2 memory (lol 2TB SSDs smaller than RAM and hidden inside motherboard heatsinks), a GPU that isn’t a decade old, RGB because why not, and a case that’s, well… I didn’t quite realize what I bought. It’s the size of a mini fridge. Ridiculous, really, but sure was easy to work in. The thing is a tank. An absolute battle station. I love it.

With a new system comes new ideas. I picked up OBS to start recording some of my matches / tournaments that I plan to enter in fighting games. Had my first run with that yesterday. Got smoked, had a blast, will do again. Testing out OBS is giving me some ideas on how best to organize and plan for possibly creating future YouTube content for this brand. It’s something I’ve talked about for a while but keep putting off. The best day to start is always yesterday, but the second best is today. Something something brand engagement.

About that branding. If I’m going through with all this then it makes sense to have a logo as well. I’m not exactly a graphic designer, so if any of you are or happen to know one, hit me up and we can chat! Also, let me know your thoughts on the Dweller label, which I’ll cover below.

So, why the hell did I take to calling you all Dwellers? Feels a little insulting, no? Well, maybe, and that’s part of the charm. I actually went this route for three different reasons.

One, and most obviously, it’s a take on “basement dwellers.” The nerds that would (And often do) spend all their time holed up in the dark on their computers, gaming or coding or doing whatever else suits their individual fancies. I thought about what an “attic dweller” would end up being. A less common, more esoteric version of our brothers below. One caught up in trying to learn from the things that had been stored away out of sight over the years. One invested in those old photo albums, family histories, unloved stories. We’re just as big of nerds, just as caught up in our interests, but have just run off in a slightly different direction. No less a set of weirdos, that’s for sure.

Two, less obvious, “dweller” is a word I often associate with more Eldritch descriptions. I am a HUGE fan of cosmic / existential horror. You’ll find most stories I create either directly or indirectly pull from these influences. There’s something about the power of these unknowable, indifferent, near-omnipotent beings – these dwellers of other realities – that I just find unceasingly compelling. I use one as a driving force in the novel I’m currently shipping around for beta readers, Residuum. I use others in my current WIP, Catalyst, though their part to play is near non-existent in the first book of this series. Several of my other ideas, either big or small, center around either the actual existence of such beings or the idea of them altogether. They are sources of power with the ability to make or break dreams. And so, too, are you.

Lastly, I’ve been working through Iain M. Banks’ catalog in an effort to rank them for an upcoming article. I had planned to stick entirely to his Culture series, but a few of the things I thought counted in fact did not. One of those was The Algebraist. Banks has a thing for ageless species that live in gas giants, and in this novel they are called Dwellers. The Dwellers are, as I said, ageless. Single ones have lived for billions of years. They are ubiquitous – nearly every gas giant in the galaxy has full civilizations of the species. And, importantly, they are left be. To the rest of the galaxy, they are considered a strange, detached species that is simultaneously to be feared and left alone, and also one oddly behind the curve in terms of technology and power. Their true power, in the end, lies in their ability to keep secrets from the rest of the galaxy and maintain the plausible deniability of their might by way of simply never flexing their true wherewithal unless absolutely necessary. And when they do, making sure there is no trace left of what they’ve done.

So, that’s what I’m shouldering you all with. You, my friends and readers, are inspirations. You’re powerful, unique, and driven. I wouldn’t be where I am without you, and I’m happy to spend this time with you, dwelling in the attic.