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HugoLuman

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Haven't done one of these in a while, but I couldn't think of another place for this.

This morning my favorite author and personal hero, Terry Pratchett, passed away. His books were a huge influence on my in my formative years, in them I found the grains of the beliefs I hold today, and as one who aspires to write, the idea of stories as an independent force greatly resonated with me. The humor, the characters, and the worlds he built brought me so much joy, and some damn fine quotes as well. I can only hope he found Death as kindly as he always portrayed him.

I wish I could wax long and poetical here, but I just can't seem to stop crying.
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It started early this afternoon when I heard a yowling coming from my bedroom. My and my brother rushed in with concern, me thinking he'd just gotten his claw stuck on something, as the klutz tended to do. But there he was, lying on his side, crying in pain. We took him to the big bed, laid him down to see what was wrong. The vet was closed, it was Sunday, so it took us several minutes to find the next nearest pet emergency center. By that time he stood up, stumbled confusedly, and lied back down to yowling several times.

My dad and I scooped him up and rushed to the car, me stroking him and talking to him as we drove off, his breathing becoming increasingly labored, his yowls less frequent. He stopped yowling after a minute or so, and just lay in my arms, gasping. Then twitching. When his eyes stopped responding, all motion ceased. I knew he was gone as we got onto the on-ramp. A lengthy drive, attempted CPR at the hospital, and a large bill confirmed it. He was gone.

I don't really know what to say. He had been part of my life since I was 8 years old. He was never the brightest cat, but he acted in a most catlike way, never doing anything out of spite. He lived in a constant state of confusion, but always found contention in the strangest things, like bungee-cord chairs and duffel bags. He had an inexplicable fear of coathangers, and often hid and cried from his confusion at the world, but we were always there to pet him, and he was always there to come curl up beside me whenever I was sick or sad.

There will never be another like him. I'm glad I could be there for him at the very end, like I always was, calming the poor fool down in his other mishaps. But I also know I'll never forget seeing the life leave his eyes, hearing him gasp his last. I can't really stand the thought of going back to sleep in my own bed, even though I'm visiting home for spring break. He was always curled up there...
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Dad

1 min read
A couple days ago, we found out my Dad now has Diabetes, due to his sugar-intensive lifestyle. There were signs for sure, rapid weight loss, that sort of thing, but in a way it's good to be sure. After all, there are far worse things that could have been the cause, and compared to those, Diabetes is a fairly manageable condition. It makes me sad now every time the soft-serve truck we always tried (yet seldom succeeded) to catch goes by, though. He's going to miss soft-serve.

So, oddly enough, while I'm not too worried by the news, I suddenly feel like getting things done. For once I think this will be a summer where I don't primarily just sit around and game or waste time. I've got a new laptop, I've got software, I've got friends, and I've got a university freshman year to prepare for. It's time to act.
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Graduation

3 min read


So, last evening I graduated from High School. Yay!

Well, thought I should write about it somewhere. In all honesty it was one of the only fun ceremonies I've been to, me not being one for ceremonies. Luckily, fully a third of the people I know from school are headed to the same university, so I'll be seeing them around. And for the others, there's always facebook.

I guess it might be time to start using this site to build a portfolio or something. So, for whoever still pays attention to this journal (there couldn't have been more than 5 people in the first place, I think),  I guess this means I might pay more attention to DeviantART again. My digital art skills have most certainly improved since last I posted anything here. I've actually got tons of stuff in the sta.sh I was using for a forum story, and haven't been sure if I want to fully submit.

I think I might finally start development on the 2D game with vector graphics I've been thinking of. Hope I don't get too distracted...

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Well, with college apps, AP projects, Video Production class, and the closing of a game I've loved since 6th grade, it's been a pretty hectic few months. The holiday break finally gives me some time to sit down and do what I want, though I didn't think I had any energy left.

Then, much to my surprise, I received Adobe programs for Christmas. Which ones? All of them. I don't know where the money for such a gift came from, but as it turns out, it wasn't too good to be true.

Now it's time to create some shit!




Anyway, at this time of year, people usually start bringing up questions of faith. Well, all I want to say is: who cares? Whether you're Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Neo-Pagan, Secular or whatever, I think we can agree that making it through another year is a pretty good reason to celebrate. And no mistake, sometimes the world did seem like it was coming apart this year. But really, no matter how dark things seem, just persevere. No matter if chances seem bleak, if there seems little likelihood of things improving, a remote chance is better than nil, and giving up just makes failure certain. Happy Holidays!

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Journal CSS made by caybeach
Brushes by gvalkyrie
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Featured

Goodbye, Sir Terry Pratchett by HugoLuman, journal

My cat died in my arms today by HugoLuman, journal

Dad by HugoLuman, journal

Graduation by HugoLuman, journal

Christmas brings good news by HugoLuman, journal