#winter solstice 2022

[stolenlandsshitposts]

Went to reblog the never finished sketch from Crystalhue 2022 and discovered that it doesn't actually appear to be on this blog. Here it is!

[viva-la-topknot]

I meant to share this earlier in the month so more folks could enjoy it, but oh well. Happy Holidays, everyone!

🐉 More Dragons 🎨 General art tag.

[aircea]

So my oven broke and I was not able to make the things I wanted for Christmas. The only thing I managed was some Honey Fruitcakes Muffins. They are really simple, there is the dough:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder Coarse salt 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter 1/3 cup honey 1/4cup apricot jam2 large eggs 1 cup ricotta

And then I just shove in whatever dried fruit and nuts I have lying around. If say the raisins or whatever are too dry I soak them in tea but you can use spirits if that is more your thing. You can also make a glaze and garnish them but I am lazy and the faulty oven showed this year since they didn't rise properly. But they were still tasty.

[xeaxeo]

i have not talked about my next story on here enough for anyone to understand but you must know: leomut and ilumsario amv to heartscam by dbmk

[theabode]

[ricardodjing]

The first time I heard this hypnotic track I was annoyed by its restraint. It builds up and then remains in building up mode throughout. But that soon changed. It's now been months and this song remains stuck in my head. Phoenix is #4 on the #Bestof2022 #Top100 Music Countdown with "Winter Solstice." 

 "Alpha Zulu" was yet another excellent release from the French band whose experiments with their sounds haven't yet led to disappointing results. You already heard the instant banger "All Eyes on Me" earlier on the countdown but add these to the songs you definitely need to hear: "Alpha Zulu," 

"Tonight" feat. Ezra Koenig,

"After Midnight" (not a cover of the Eric Clapton song

and the beautiful "Season 2." 

Stay tuned for shitty video of them doing these and other great songs live soon... #Top10 #Phoenix #WinterSolstice

[fatehbaz]

Some updates from the past twelve-ish months:

-- Late 2022: Portland and its mayor (Wheeler) started a major push to ban "street camping". Headlines in major media outlets also described "Portland's first sanctioned mass homeless camp" and how "Portland moves forward with $27 million plan to build mass shelters". In December 2022, Portland-area authorities used the so-called "aggressive landscaping" tactic, installing hundreds of hostile architecture boulders to prevent sitting/sleeping. Also in December, homeless advocates and Disability Rights Washington advocates attempted to halt Spokane's (Washington) clearing of a major camp for hundreds of people, and a federal judge sided with advocates to put a temporary restraining order on the sweep.

-- January 2023: Even in the immediate aftermath of historic cold as far south as Miami and Monterrey, sub-freezing temperatures across the Deep South, and sub-zero-Fahrenheit blizzards sweeping North America for a week or longer around Solstice/Christmas 2022, convenience stores "in Texas, California, New York use classical music to shoo homeless".

-- By March 2023: "Portland Mayor Wheeler unveils first location for city-run homeless camp".

-- April 2023: San Francisco and Mayor Brand announce a major "five-year plan" costing over 600 million dollars "to cut the number of unsheltered homeless in half". (Not a plan to put people in homes or find stable housing, but just to technically put them under the roof of shelter, keeping them out of sight, therefore qualifying them for the strange designation of "the sheltered homeless".) At the same time, San Francisco opened a "long-term homeless shelter on Treasure Island", pushing homeless people onto an isolated island mostly composed of concrete and asphalt.

-- Summer 2023: In May, the city of Phoenix (Arizona) began its project to clear and eliminate its largest homeless camp, known as the Zone, a refuge for hundreds of people. During the record-breaking heat of the summer of 2023, Phoenix cleared the camp systematically, block by block. At the beginning of September 2023, as "Phoenix breaks heat record as city hits 110F [110 degrees Fahrenheit] for the 54th consecutive day", the city cleared the block of the camp where most seniors and the elderly lived.

-- January 2024: About one week ahead of winter holidays (Solstice/Christmas), the City of Edmonton pursued plans to sweep 130 homeless encampments as part of what has been described as a "shocking" eviction plan. In January, the city was clearing camps amidst sustained deadly severe weather, during a polar vortex event with temperatures of negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit and daytime highs of negative 25F. When a court case presented by Coalition for Justice and Human Rights tried to slow the sweeps, a judge sided with them and shut down the evictions.

-- March 2024: Florida's governor signs a new law. NPR describes: "law that seeks to move unhoused people off public property altogether and into government-run encampments".

-- April 2024: The U.S. Supreme Court begins hearing a case from Grants Pass (Oregon) with major implications and potential to incite nationwide "banishment race" and "homelessness crackdown". Lower courts have previously said that city policies (like Grants Pass, Boise, and others) were "cruel and unusual" for fining and/or jailing people for sleeping on public land if no adequate accessible shelter is available. But now?

[the-lonelybarricade]

The Longest Night

A short glimpse into the lives of Rhysand and the Inner Circle on the Winter Solistice, 30 years into Rhys’s enslavement Under the Mountain.

For @officialfeysandweek Day 5: Fated

Inspired by one of my text posts from 2022

Word count: 1k

Read on AO3

-

It was the longest night of the year.

And, by any conventional standard, they had assembled the perfect Solstice dinner.

Someone had lovingly donned a woven table runner across the long dining table in the House of Wind. It's golden thread stood out starkly in the dim faelight, cutting across the dark blue fabric like streaks of lightning on a clear night. Cassian recognised the stitchwork. Its seamstress had threaded her needle through his own skin enough times, tenderly patching him up after long, brutal days in the Illyrian training camps.

His heart ached to stare at her handiwork for too long, so he averted his eyes elsewhere—to the pillars of candles, which rose among the countless platters of food, twining cinnamon and cypress with the scent of roasted meat and spices that was not overall unpleasant, just…

Unwelcome.

Not because Cassian minded the candles, or was ever one to turn away a hot meal. Particularly a spread as fine as the one before him, prepared by the best cooks in Velaris, who had dipped into the preserve of spices that were only saved for special occasions such as this.

No one could claim his discontent was the result of meager effort, or that this was a poor rendition of a Solstice Celebration.

He just couldn't summon any cheer as he snagged his fingers around the stem of his wine glass, watching the dark liquid swirl as he twisted it this way and that. It almost felt like mockery to drink wine, of all things.

Not that he would say such a thing to Mor, who was decanting the final drops of her glass into her mouth. They hadn't started dinner yet, but he couldn't blame her. Instead, Cassian wordlessly slid his glass across the table, wedging it between the fingers of Mor's rested hand, where it splayed nostalgically across the table runner.

When Mor offered him a small, grateful nod, he pushed to his feet. He needed something stronger, anyhow.

Who's idea was this, again?

As he began pouring himself a drink from the decanters at the sideboard, Cassian glanced over his shoulder. His friends were all seated at the dining table, staring mutely at their food or at their drinks. None of them were speaking.

It was a nice attempt, he thought, taking a large swallow and grunting at the heat that spread through him. He felt it burn down his chest and settle heavily in his gut—strong stuff, though he hadn't a clue what it was and didn't think anyone was in the mood to tell him.

Rhys would have known.

That thought slid in like a dagger. Lingered, as Cassian's eyes drifted unbidden to the head of the table.

A place had been set there. A knife and fork and freshly polished plate, waiting patiently beside a full glass of red wine.

But the chair was empty. Just as it had remained for the last 30 years. And no one would be coming to claim it.

For a moment, he considered dashing his drink against the prestine fucking floor and diving out the nearest window to escape this facade they were putting on, as if everything were normal. As if there was anything worth celebrating.

The only thing that subdued the impulse was the sight of Mor's trembling lip as she, too, slanted her gaze to the head of the table. And when that tremble split into a soft keening sound, it was Cassian's heart that shattered on the floor, not his drink.

"Sorry," Mor sniffed, darting her eyes to the faelight overhead as she dabbed at tears and smeared khol with the tips of her fingers. "I know we said no crying—"

"We never said that," Cassian said, sliding back into his seat.

Azriel cast an assessing eye over the admittedly generous pour Cassian was bracing in his fist, but Az reserved his commentary.

"I told myself no crying," Mor acquiesced with another sniff. "I thought 30 years would be enough time for it to not feel so… so…"

Raw, Cassian thought. Mor shrugged without concluding the thought and if anyone else mentally filled in the rest, they didn't volunteer it.

At least until they fell back into silence, and Azriel glanced towards the head of the table and rasped, "Empty."

Empty. Like Rhysand's seat, and his throne, and his bedroom.

Like the training ring in the mornings, when there was no buffer between Azriel's bouts of silence and the static in Cassian's head.

Like the bi-monthly meetings with the people of Velaris, where he watched Amren and Mor act as steward to their people's hardships and concerns, which grew more pressing each year.

Like the market squares in the city center, which were once flush with traders and merchants who were now blocked from entering or exiting the city, stranding them all in this crowded, isolated place.

Or like every aching moment over the last 30 years where Cassian glanced over his shoulder after making some smart comment, expecting to see the smug, if not exasperated, smile of his friend. His brother.

And finding nothing. A ghost of a memory, at most.

Yeah, empty was a good word for it.

-

It was the longest night of the year.

Not that Rhys would know. He spent it inside, between Amarantha's legs. Hardly given a moment to consider the time of year, or how his friends might be celebrating without him.

Amarantha told him, of course. She wanted him to know what she was taking away from him, even as he pretended that he didn't care. What interest did a Dark Lord have in petty little festivities?

Rhys didn't usually invite thoughts of his friends into Amarantha's bedroom—for his own sake, he tried to keep those parts of his life firmly compartmentalized.

But he did take a moment to send a plea to the stars he couldn't see: that his friends were okay, that they could forgive him, that they were happy.

And if the stars could offer leniency to a male who hadn't gazed upon them in years, if they had the capacity to perceive his actions with pity instead of scorn, then he saved a risidual wish for himself:

That this eternal Hell would end before he found a way to end it himself.

-

It was the longest night of year.

Unbeknownst to all of them, across Prythian, in the Mortal Realm, a human girl was born.

As if the stars had listened.

[gifts-of-heimdall-runes]

TWELVE NIGHTS OF YULE

●

The first night of Yule - MOTHER NIGHT (Módraniht)

Sacred to Frigg, Freya, and the Disir

Industriousness

Yulmonath

●

Second night of Yule - THE WILD HUNT

Sacred to Odin and Ancestors

Perseverance

Horning

●

Third night of Yule

Sacred to Mani and Darkness

Courage

Lenting

●

Fourth night of Yule

Sacred to Aegir, Njord, and Freyr

Love

Ostara

●

Fifth night of Yule

Sacred to Community

Hospitality

Merrymoon

●

Sixth night of Yule

Sacred to Eir and Healing

Discipline

Midyear

●

Seventh night of Yule

Sacred to Thor and Children

Fidelity

Haymoon

●

Eighth night of Yule

Sacred to Skadi and Ullr

Truth

Harvest

●

Ninth night of Yule

Sacred to Odin and Fathers

Honor

Shedding

●

Tenth night of Yule

Sacred to Sunna and Light

Justice

Hunting

●

Eleventh night of Yule

Sacred to the Valkyries and Warriors

Self Reliance

Fogmoon

●

Twelfth night of Yule - Wassail

Sacred to all Divine Friends and Oath Night

Wisdom

Snowmoon

●

Yuletide Blessings to Everyone. Hail!

●

Posted to celebrate sunrise upon the Winter Solstice December 2024.

Original text was copied from Frá Norðri (Facebook) from December 2022. Holly and wreath images were from PNGwing.com.

Design was created by @gifts-of-heimdall-runes to celebrate a year with the Anglo-Saxon / Anglo-Northumbrian Runes in 2024.

[likeawildthing]

As a recovering GirlBoss, I’m officially breaking up with my post-Christmas planning routine:

26- all Christmas decorations down

27- take stock of current year

28- values assessment

29- SMART goals for upcoming year with 6-8 life categories, fully planned by quarter

30-31 fully form this in my bullet journal while watching The life changing Magic of Tidying Up

Jan 1: Bring. It. On. Whole house, health, and work reset.

Sound exhausting? It was!

I don’t look on this era of my life (2016-2022) with cringe. Quite the opposite! That girl radically transformed her life from a broke, traumatized, single mom, community college dropout to a financially stable, creative, happy, MBA graduate with her dream job.

I am so grateful for her drive, determination, and passion. I am so proud of her.

And also? I’m so relieved I can no longer relate.

As someone whose core values are consistently curiosity and growth, I’m willing to adapt and change over time, shedding practices that no longer serve me in favor of those that do.

In 2022, at my post-graduation dinner, I signed a napkin promising my friends I would slow down. And I did, immediately scaling back my volunteerism and commitments in favor of radical rest and the pursuit of creative endeavors.

That winter, I made a paper chain to count down towards the winter Solstice in an effort to thwart the post-time change blues. When it worked, I adopted warmth, coziness, and light into my winter routine. Candles. Electric blankets. A soup a week. I also adapted my speed, just as we have done for most of our time on this earth. It also worked!

Since then, naturally, I’ve slowly been attuning my life to the seasons.

Spring — renewal, garden, waking up. Summer — enjoying time outdoors, being active and social.

Fall — abundance and gratitude, preparation for the holidays.

Winter is now a time of peace, joy, and reflection. I close my curtains at four, intentionally, and turn on my lamps, hit Netflix fireplace, and hang with a craft on my lap and good music in the background.

But I was still clinging to that last vestige of my GirlBoss era—my post-holiday planning session.

On the 26th, I couldn’t bring myself to take down the tree. She’s gorgeous and I love her! She’s staying up until January 6th this year. With the new job, I can’t take the entire week off. That’s ok! I still started my planning process.

No buy 2025.

Nervous system regulation.

A holistic health plan.

Glow up 2025!

Bucket list travel items.

To read, watch, and listen liste.

WIP creative projects.

Home to do list.

Dopamine list

Dot grid notebook ordered.

Action steps! Quarterly plans! Stationary!

And this morning, with my bullet journal still unfinished, I tried to reconcile stacks of paper with notes, dozens of screen shots, and multiple notes apps.

I felt frazzled, overwhelmed, and defeated. Why couldn’t I pick a path forward? Why couldn’t I even start a January page. Planning is my jam! As an ADHDer, it’s practically my calling.

So I had to ask myself…why am I doing this? If this is something I truly want to do, that aligns with my values, then it shouldn’t be this hard.

My time of renewal has transitioned to spring; so shouldn’t that be my time of planning for the new year? Isn’t it a little crazy to have fifteen major life goals this year? 2024 just wrapped up, so shouldn’t I take time to reflect on it, take stock, and truly understand what I want to take into my next year? Shouldn’t I take time to recover from the holidays? Would the world end if I stay slow and steady and take this slow season to fill my metaphorical well?

No, it will not.

So that’s what I’m doing.

My January calendar is noted with intentional social engagements and creative time. I put my goals away and instead loaded a bunch of reflective journal prompts to work through in the next month. Or two. Or three!

It feels vulnerable and wrong, not walking into the New Year with a Plan. But the bigger part of me thinks my lowercase plan—to rest, reflect, and connect with my friends and family, is going to work just fine.

So my hope for you is that you are at peace with where you’re at. And if you aren’t at peace, that you take the time to understand why, and that you’re willing to adjust course.

If you need a GirlBoss era, l will cheer you on, every step of the way! If you have a few goals, I hope you stick with them!

But if you, like me, want to stay slow, recover, and savor the season?

Come and sit.

How would you like your tea?

Ref pics (the napkin, my tree):

[redorchidsfuchsiaribbons]

My painting for the season I was born in:

Winter Solstice

mixed media, textile fragments, shells, found objects on birch panel

12 × 12 inches

2022

Artist - Kimberly Montiel

[satureja13]

Outtakes

Kiyoshi: "Where is Vlad?" Jeb: "He promised he'd be back soon..."

He's right behind you, Kiyoshi.

There he is :3

They'd really been at the Beach House when we spotted them the other day. They'd missed the others.

Vlad is in all three pics above, did you see him? ^^

('Strandhaus'=Beach House and 'Bangkok Buddies'=their happy/crappy home. When I started to build, I named it after one of my favourite Thai Dramas 'Bangkok Buddies' and I didn't change the name yet ^^')

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest 🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

I don't know when I will be able to log into Sims 4 again. The EA app stopped working on my old Windows 7 computer and I fear it's because microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7. But this computer is far over 10 years old so I gifted myself a new one :3 Wish me luck I get the game running and the Boys migrated well ö.Ö I miss them 😭 Yesterday was the first festival in the wheel of the year since winter solstice 2022 we hadn't spent together 💔

[apod]

2023 December 22

183 Days in the Sun Image Credit & Copyright: José Zarcos Palma

Explanation: A single 183 day exposure with a pinhole camera and photographic paper resulted in this long-duration solargraph. Recorded from solstice to solstice, June 21 to December 21, in 2022, it follows the Sun's daily arcing path through planet Earth's skies from Mertola, Portugal. On June 21, the Sun's highest point and longest arc represents the longest day and the astronomical beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. The solstice date with the fewest hours of daylight is at the beginning of winter in the north, corresponding to the Sun's shortest and lowest arc in the 2022 solargraph. For 2023, the northern winter solstice was on December 22 at 3:27 UTC. That's December 21 for North America time zones.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231222.html

[eregyrn-falls-art]

Here's my 2023 Art Year in Review!

Oof. Yeah, not a great year for output. As you can tell by my having to put in some photos I took for May and October, since I didn't have any drawn art for those months. What I used for January and Sept. is definitely fudging things (in a "hmm close enough" way.)

So, here's the damage: 15 pieces total (all but one full background and color); 54 individuals.

BUT.

I'm not going to be super hard on myself, because this year is when I organized a big fan project that I'd been wanting to see get done for years and years -- the "Trouble" multi-artist lyric comic. (Art here, video version here by the amazing @stariousfalls.) As I've said before, absolutely awesome seeing 72 people step up wanting to do a big GF fan project in 2024! I was truly blown away by what a spectacular job everyone did.

And while I'm noting some of the stuff I can feel good about, I was happy to finish the Stan Twins meet the Jersey Devil comic that I'd also been meaning to finish for years.

So, not a great year personally, but some things to feel satisfied about.

Saying it here: my new year's resolution is just to DRAW SOMETHING in every month. Even just one thing!

Links below the cut.

2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

(For this year's images, I am in the process of updating the original posts with image descriptions in the image ALT text. I should have all of them done by the end of tomorrow, January 4th.)

January: Fiddleford as Disney Mirrorverse Kermit

February: GF Finale 7th Anniversary

March: Not What He Seems 8th Anniversary

April: DTIYS: Mystery Farm AU Stan and Jackie

May: (a photo I took of a sunset that I didn't even post, lol)

June: The Pines family and Paul Bunyan Day

July: My Portal Ford page for the "Trouble" lyric comic

August: A pinch-hit Stan page for the "Trouble" lyric comic (collab with @stephreynaart)

September: My polaroid for the "Trouble" lyric comic

October: Sunset photo from LBI in October

November: Fiddleford Friday - father and son fishing

December: The Pines family around a Winter Solstice campfire

Template by @mossygator

[urdtarah]

Ashnikko via Instagram (Dec 22nd 2022) hope everyone’s doing well!!!how are we coping with these short sunlight days? (happy winter solstice btw) ❄️

[quaranmine]

you were in Iceland?? epic! I've been there as well (in 2022), how was it? how was the volcano? (if you don't mind me asking, feel free to ignore this)

Yes! I was there 5/18 to 6/1. I've wanted to go for like a decade and have been semi planning this trip for 2024 for a year and a half, then properly researching and planning since January. It was SO AMAZING. Exactly everything I wanted :) I was ready to go home at the end for like, my own bed and some rest, but now I miss it and want to go back lol

If you went in 2022, did you get to hike to the Fagradalsfjall eruption? I know those were the "tourist" ones that people could get closer to. The current eruptions are part of another volcanic system on the Reykjanes peninsula, Svartsengi. They aren't open for hiking. It erupted again 3 days before I left. I got to see it twice! On our last full day we drove out of Reykjavik and saw it along the highway, and then the day we left we stopped on the way to the airport. I took this with my 250 mm from literally the side of the highway:

It caused no interferences with our travel. It's a fissure eruption, so the lava is erupting along a fissure and isn't as big and explosive. Initially they were afraid this one might disrupt air travel if the lava flowed to the sea (producing more ash and steam) but it didn't. It was very cool to see! I feel bad for the people who lived in Grindavik though, it’s been months since they had to evacuate and there isn't an end in sight for them yet. The Icelandic government really stays on top of things like road closures, weather reporting, etc so I checked their websites daily. The main concern with the eruption as gas pollution, so I just checked their pollution forecast to see if the wind was going to blow it over us or not (it didn't.)

Our trip went great. We had mostly good weather and apparently left just in time because this last week there's been a pretty nasty problematic storm across the whole country that left a bunch of people stranded. But we left 2 days before that. We drove 3,300 km in our rental car (2,050 miles) and did the entire ring road + some of the Westfjords + Snæfellsnes + Húsavik + Borgarfjörður Eystri as detours. Our rental car was named Jim because that was his license plate. We bonded with him lmao

Here's a few photos :)

Major things I did: Katla Ice Cave, Vestmannaeyjabær, Silfra snorkeling in 2°C water, Jökulsárlon boat tour, Húsavik whale watching, countless waterfalls, puffins at Borgarfjarðarhöfn, Hvammsvik hot springs & Sky lagoon, and Mulagljufur Canyon.

It was at coldest, 2°C (35°F) with downpour rain being pushed sideways into your face by wind to the point you could hardly open your eyes. It was at hottest 19° C (66°F) and sunny. We mostly got great weather, it was only one day that was particularly bad. Mostly it was between 7°C - 13°C (45°F - 55°F) the whole time.

I NEVER saw it get dark and that was a novelty to me the entire trip. Like it never settled in as something I got used to. Presumably it got mostly dark somewhere around 2 am but I was always asleep by then and even if I woke up to go the bathroom, it'd be like 4 am and already light again. The furthest north we stayed was Ísafjörđur, and according to timeanddate.com by May it never reaches full dark, only civil twilight for 3 hours and daylight the other 21. I can't imagine if I'd actually have been there during the solstice, with just that extra month for the days to be even longer!

Now I want to go back for a short winter trip to see the northern lights and then for a proper summer trip to see the highlands (closed the whole time we were there for thawing season)