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nightshade-keyblade

Ah, far away...so close!
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From the writing desk of Nightshade-Keyblade


I meant to write this last night before Eclipse went live but was very busy answering messages, using the "Save to the new dA" feature to retain all the lovely comments and mentions I've received over the 10+ years that I have been a denizen of this online world.

To my great surprise, the change has not yet come into effect and I find myself with a strange grace period. True to form, I'm cutting things fine.

There's not much for me to say that hasn't been said already. I just want to give a big thank you to everyone I've met here that has added my work to their favourites, followed me on dA, commented on my work, and just made my whole experience on this website a joyful and warm place since I joined in 2009.

I'm sorry I can't answer everyone and thank them all for the :+fav:s, the :+devwatch:, and everything else in between. I'm sorry I can't name names with the time I may or may not have. Just know that I appreciate them all and it's been such a pleasure.

With the arrival of Eclipse, I don't intend to leave dA. I don't even know if I will be on hiatus. What I do know is that until such time as the writing experience on Eclipse becomes more user-friendly, I will not be submitting much writing, if any. I will most likely be :+fav:ing and occasionally commenting, like the old days.

All I know is, dA is not going to be the same again. Story of everyone's life, really.

Thank you so much, everybody. You know who you are. Take care and be safe

 :hug: :heart:

PS: To one in particular, I love you heaps :love:


Skin by UszatyArbuz
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Back again

6 min read
From the writing desk of Nightshade-Keyblade


Hey guys ^^;

 

I know it’s been a long time and I’m sure you guys are starting to find my journal entry from Christmas kind of jarring. Last year, it took me over a year to update and I hope to avoid that mistake. :faint:

Anyway…on to my news.

Since my last journal update, I was looking for work and managed to find it. I started a short term contract in July at the World Health Organisation in Geneva. I’m helping the organisation organise and migrate their photo collection to a new system for the next three to six months. Come December, I’ll be back on the job hunt, assuming I don’t find work there afterwards. Always hoping for the best but anticipating having to move on elsewhere. On a more positive note, the job is really great. I’ve reconnected with some people from my previous internship at the ILO as well as some people who used to know me and my family back when we were in Egypt. I even encountered someone who knew my grandfather back when he was alive in the 1980s.

All in all, I’m happy to be back to work, however briefly. And even though I wasn’t planning to, I do feel proud to be working in the same organisation that my father and grandfather worked in before me. Like a UN family dynasty, even if I’m only hired as a consultant for the time being.

Apart from that, I’ve moved to a new place and have had my parents around a few times, including the weekend before my birthday. Apart from working, I’m slowly slogging through a mountain of unanswered messages and tags, so bear with me if I don’t answer or if it takes a while. ^^;

It’s been a really hectic year with so many people leaving deviantART voluntarily for reasons unexplained. Tragically, a few really lovely people have left due to reasons beyond their control. I would be remiss if I didn’t give them a shout out either:

 

In memoriam:

:iconfridgepoetproject: and :iconendorell-taelos:

 

On a lighter note, I hope everyone has been well so far. I’ve been glancing at your journals but do feel free to comment here with some news of your own if you like. Either way, I’m happy to see you any time :aww:



Skin by UszatyArbuz
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From the writing desk of Nightshade-Keyblade


Sweet dancing bananas, it's been over a year since I wrote any journals :faint:

I guess an explanation is in order :blushes:

As some of you might know from my previous journal, I was accepted for a traineeship at the European Central Bank back in August 2017. Originally slated to leave after six months, my contract was fortunately extended yet again.

It's been a really challenging but fulfilling year in Germany. I've had a chance to meet a lot of interesting colleagues and develop more professionally and personally. I got to see more of Germany and learn more and more about a culture and country I've found fascinating for a long time. 

At the same time, my work during the week and various other engagements and commitments made it hard to stay on top of a lot of my messages here on dA. Some days, I had just about enough energy to fave and run, as you do :blush:

I am currently with my parents, sisters, and my brother in law to celebrate the winter holidays before we all go our separate ways. My job hunt is on hold for now until the end of the year.

In the meantime, I am amazed at the many changes that have occurred over my absence this year, some rather tragic :(

 

Others more hopeful and celebratory:



Part of what inspired me to write this though would have to be the following news about deviantART's planned revamp:

BETA TEST: DeviantArt Eclipse

As you may know, DeviantArt has been long working on a big update of our site and overall user experience. It’s been over a year of brainstorms, planning, research, interviews, testing, and more, and now we’re gearing up for a full Eclipse!

The time has finally come: we’re excited to announce DeviantArt Eclipse to beta testers. Take a look at the new design and some of the new features on our promo site. How To Try DeviantArt Eclipse

Now it’s time for you all to experience it! All beta testers have been enabled with DeviantArt Eclipse. To make the switch simply click on the More menu on the top navigation and select “Try DeviantArt Eclipse.”You can switch back to the old site by clicking on the avatar icon and selecting “Back to Old Version.”

Explore What’s New

We can’t wait for you to explore some of our awesome new features! We recommend starting off by selecting Header Art in order to personalize your Profile and make a “wow!” first impression.

After you’ve done that, elevate your art by choosing a deviation background (Core Members have more background options to select from as well). Expand your watch list and community outreach by browsing status updates and polls. Experiment with the new Love Meter to indicate how much a certain work of art matches your personal taste. Go on and explore, Beta Testers!

Reporting Bugs, Feature Requests, and Feedback

DeviantArt Eclipse is still in development. You will likely encounter bugs and unfinished features. We need your help to test out our new features! If you do find any issues, please let us know.

Submit a bug or feature request (submit to this form as many times as you’d like!)Please try to include as much information as possible, such as browser info, OS info, screenshots, links, reproduction steps, what you expected to see versus what you actually experienced, and anything else you think will help describe your issue.Please do not contact DeviantArt Support about Eclipse-related bugs or issues — we’d like to collect all bugs and feedback though this form.Submit your overall feedback about DeviantArt Eclipse

Known Issues & In-Development Features

Here are some of the major known issues we are aware of and actively working on:

We are still working on the favouriting and collecting experience. Please share your feedback!It’s not yet possible to include Literature and Journal thumbs in comments or galleries within Journals.Icon codes are in development.Sharing a thumbnail in a Journal or comment using a link (or :thumb: code) is not yet possible.Thumbnails of pixel art, stamps, and small images have some display issues. Literature thumbs do not include preview text.Various feedback notifications (such as certain types of replies and deviation mentions) are not yet completed and may display as an error.Feedback will sometimes get out of order after scrolling through many notifications.Minor formatting issues in new Journal text editor.Bio and personal information are not yet editable on Eclipse.Gallery Subfolders and Gallery Stats will be temporarily unavailable as we rebuild them in the future.The mobile web version is not yet available.Comment permalinks don't include links to the original content or parent comment. Submitting Journals to Groups is not yet possible. While creating or editing Commissions, the Points-currency conversion is not being calculated properly. (This is just a visual bug; the price of Points is not changing.)

Questions on certain Eclipse features? Feel free to check out our Knowledge Base for more information.



From what I understand, once the new changes are implemented, I will no longer be able to write a journal entry with this beautiful skin, commissioned by the Lit Community's resident sweetheart :iconladylincoln: and created by the talented :iconuszatyarbuz:. I owe the both of you my sincere thanks for this beautiful gift. :aww: :thanks: :love:

Can't think of much else to talk about so I leave the floor open to you guys.

Feel free to comment below and fill me in on anything else I might have missed. It's good to see you all again and with his beauty of a journal skin. :heart:
 
Love and joy come to you, and God bless you and send you a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate :heart:

 Christmas Carol 






Skin by UszatyArbuz
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Dear Watchers,

EDIT: Seems I communicated badly. I have actually turned 26, not 25. Messed it up a bit

By the time I have completed this  journal, my 25th year will have slipped through my fingers. 26 years old feels so anti-climactic in comparison, but it is what it is. According to my page, it has been over a year since my last journal :o :faint:

The last year has been my busiest year yet and has been a mixed bag of ups and downs. Not long after accepting an increasingly precarious job opportunity, I was unfortunately let go from my previous job in Paris in September. Thus began a year of job hunting, travelling to and from job interviews.

I'm happy to finally say that my year of frustration has come to an end.

On August 15, I began a new position as trainee at the library of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. The new workplace is vast and the first few days have been rather fast paced. I'm still over the moon at this new opportunity after so long. It feels so good to be back on the saddle in a library setting after a false start. I hope now that my traineeship leads to something more sustainable.

I intended to write a journal to mark my 25th birthday and truly take the time to show my appreciation for everyone here who has done so much for me in the eight years that I have been on deviantART. Never too late for that, I hope!

This one goes out to everyone who have encouraged my writing and art, added my work to their :+fav:s, gifted me with wonderful gifts, or made my experience here so worthwhile.

The list is not exhaustive but I would especially like to thank the following persons:

:iconamarantheans: for her encouragement, her feedback, and for making this awesome literature tag and icon:

Howling at the moon by Amarantheans

nightshade by Amarantheans

:iconitikduck: for recommending my latest poem Silk Road for a Daily Deviation. It really means a lot to me.

:iconmirz333: for her numerous gift artwork over the years. This may be an old cliché but the most valuable gift you ever gave me was your friendship, your kind words, and your encouragement of my numerous fan fictions and my stories involving my OC Masterstroke. No matter how much the odds were stacked against you, you always found time to reach out to those who were fortunate enough to know you as friend on or offline.

:iconchezzy-am: for his encouragement, his effusive kindness, and his book and poetry/prose recommendations here on deviantART.
So happy to have met you and I wish you the best in all your endeavours.

:iconithaswhatitisnt: In the short time that I've known you, you have just been the sweetest person I could ever meet. It's been a joy to get to read your work, talk about various musical theatre songs, and know you as you blaze your own path towards being a vet and towards your own artistic aspirations. Thank you so much :heart: :hug:

:icontotochan93: for being such a loyal follower of mine, pretty much from the beginning. It's been so wonderful bonding over our love and appreciation of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, anime/manga, and different fandoms. Special shout out for the Dango you made for me back in 2014:

Dango Skander (nightshade-keyblade) by totochan93

:iconsuejo: for her kind words, encouragement, and generous spirit. Not to mention her tireless efforts to promote literature and the arts here on deviantART and elsewhere. You really are one of the best ladies here on deviantART, in art and literature. Thank you for all you do for me and everyone else on deviantART :hug: :heart:

I thank her as well for this lovely gift from before that I meant to feature:

Force interieure by SueJO



I would indeed be remiss if I did not mention this special lady, this beloved icon of literature here on deviantART:

:iconladylincoln:

Three years after I joined deviantART, I had the pleasure of having her accept my request to connect on deviantART. Although I had heard of her and watched from a distance, it took a while before I reached out to her. Ever since then, I keep wondering why I didn't do it sooner.

LadyLincoln has been one of my most ardent supporters, the most generous, gentle, and compassionate of women I have met here or elsewhere. I am so honoured and privileged to count her among the multitude of wonderful souls I have met here on deviantART. 

Not to mention her wonderful gift to me, commissioned last year :thanks:

Support Stamp: nightshade-keyblade by jdrainville
I cannot thank her enough for all she has done and continues to do for me and others. I hope this is a good start :heart: 

To everyone else I may not have mentioned, I hope you will not be let down. I have not forgotten any of you even if I have not mentioned you by name. To everyone I have and have not mentioned, I thank you sincerely from my heart.
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About Meme

5 min read
I was tagged by :iconhonestly-not: a long time ago and am now getting around to answering :ohnoes:

APPEARANCE:

  • I am 5’7” or taller
  • I wear glasses
  • I have at least one tattoo
  • I have at least one piercing
  • I have blonde hair
  • I have brown eyes
  • I have short hair
  • My abs are at least somewhat defined
  • I have or have had braces
  • There is something I would change about the way I look 

PERSONALITY:

  • My Hogwarts house is: Gryffindor Hufflepuff Ravenclaw Slytherin (I'm really not sure ^^;)
  • I am an introvert
  • I like meeting new people
  • People tell me that I’m funny
  • Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me
  • I enjoy physical challenges (I might not be all that good at them, though)
  • I enjoy mental challenges
  • I’m playfully rude with people I know well (I have been a few times)
  • I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it
  • There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY:

  • I can sing well
  • I can play an instrument (way out of practise)
  • I can do over 30 crunches without stopping
  • I’m a fast runner
  • I can draw well
  • I have a good memory 
  • I’m good at doing math in my head
  • I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute
  • I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling
  • I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch
  • I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES:

  • I enjoy playing sports
  • I'm on a sports team at my school or somewhere else
  • I'm (I was) in a band or choir at my school or somewhere else
  • I have learned a new song in the past week
  • I work out at least once a week
  • I've gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months
  • I have drawn something in the past month 
  • I enjoy writing
  • Fandoms are my #1 passion
  • I do or have done martial arts

EXPERIENCES:

  • I have had my first kiss
  • I have had alcohol (I hate it)
  • I have scored the winning goal in a sports game
  • I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting
  • I have been at an overnight event
  • I have been in a taxi
  • I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year
  • I have beaten a video game in one day
  • I have visited another country
  • I have been to one of my favourite band’s concerts

RELATIONSHIPS:

  • I'm in a relationship
  • I have a celebrity crush
  • I have a crush on someone I know
  • I have been in at least 3 relationships
  • I have never been in a relationship
  • I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them
  • I get crushes easily
  • I have had a crush on someone for over a year
  • I have been in a relationship for at least a year
  • I have had feelings for a friend

MY LIFE:

  • I have at least one person I consider a “best friend”
  • I live close to my school
  • My parents are still together
  • I have at least one sibling
  • I live in the United States
  • There is snow right now where I live
  • I have hung out with a friend outside of school in the past month
  • I have a smartphone
  • I own at least 15 CDs
  • I share my room with someone

RANDOM SHIT:

  • I have break-danced
  • I have had a teacher with a last name that’s hard to pronounce
  • I have dyed my hair
  • I'm listening to one song on repeat right now
  • I have punched someone in the past week
  • I know someone who’s been in jail
  • I have broken a bone
  • I have eaten a waffle today
  • I know what I want to do with my life
  • I speak at least 2 languages fluently (not all at the same level)
  • I have made a new friend in the past year
No need for anyone else to do this, but if you like, go ahead and steal it :XD:


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