Zedeck Siew
@zedecksiew
Writer of small fictions. Creator of "Creature of Near Kingdoms", "Lorn Song of the Bachelor", and other SEAsian fevers. Port Dickson, Malaysia.
Did my civic duty and voted in the state elections, today. My voting station was in the primary school I attended as a boy. At recess I used to sit among the roots of this old tree, and stare through the leaves waving in the wind, waiting for something---something!
Today's shadow puppet: a civet cat, one of the neighbourhood loverboys whose mating calls sound at midnight like the keen of a restless ghost. (Designed by @chincarok.bsky.social , for her upcoming art exhibition in September!) #localfauna
For my money, they should've hired Matt Hilker to do art for Dark Sun: www.instagram.com/hilkermatt/
Really, *really* dislike what I'm seeing of the new Dark Sun. OG Dark Sun had some seriously cool, *very relevant* themes (life under tyranny, life after genocide, life after ecocide) + bondage glam rock Jojo-pose aura-farming. This new stuff is busy-gore + generic metal + cyberpunk (???) Urgh.
Made this shadow puppet today. An angry mynah comes alive! (This is for @chincarok.bsky.social 's exhibition in September.)
Clever clever squirrel jump, at last fall to the ground also. The rest of my year will be occupied making shadow puppets. Some for my next book---but first some for @chincarok.bsky.social 's show in September!
The new GITS, while still ostensibly sci-fi, is self-consciously an aesthetic throwback to the golden age of anime, to a classic of the medium. It is made to feel like an era of the artform most contemporary viewers didn't grow up with, but desire, because it is part of an apex now behind us. 3/
In 1995 Mamoru Oshii's film was a (perhaps overly-) serious adaptation. But the themes of cyberpunk were a warning: a dark possibility just past the bleeding edge, that we need to take heed of, so as to possibly divert the cut of history. 2/
Concurrently related to this: Sharon and I watched Science Saru's recent Ghost In The Shell reboot, the one that self-consciously emulates the look and tone of Shirow OG manga. We enjoyed it. But Sharon had an interesting observation. "This is a cozy watch," she said. 1/
Profiled Sharon's wing chun sifu, David Peterson, for Esquire Malaysia! David talks about growing up watching The Green Hornet, studying in the same kungfu school that taught Bruce Lee, and being one of the major pillars of a Chinese martial art as a white dude.
Decided to cut down the abandoned beehive in our mangosteen tree, after seeing that its cells were all empty. It smells like honey! Even though there isn't any. @chincarok.bsky.social wants to melt it down and use the beeswax to make candles! #localfauna 1/
Was today years old when I found out that the Noice meme guy, Michael Rosen, children's author, poet, and academic, is also a life-long Marxist. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael... 1/
The active beehive in our mangosteen tree, for comparison. We first noticed it last weekend, when monkeys raided the tree (the mangosteen is fruiting) and were promptly chased off by offended bees.
Querying the hive mind about bees: Last weekend we noticed a bee hive (single comb, exposed) in our mangosteen tree. It is active, and crowded dark with bees. Today we noticed a similar comb, in a different branch---but apparently abandoned? (The comb in the photo.) #localfauna 1/
Across the rope bridge, on the western cliff: a gaur in golden robes. “Oi. Oi!” he says, nodding at you. Kadang Satwa is high priest. The name of his goddess is tattooed on his forehead, above his bombastically-raised eyebrow. He keeps an acolyte on hand, to do whatever he lacks the fingers for.
In the meadow: a deer girl, putting flower crowns on a herd of buffalo. “One forchu, Lord Short Horns! One forchu, Lady Wet Lips!" Lady Fawn Ear’s pet cause is the emancipation of animals. “Are they not also feeling and living, likechu or me? Don’t they deserve dignity?”
CHAPTER SERF: A Warhammer 40K fan roleplaying game where you play the lowly freaks that serve the Space Marines: light their candles, polish their bolters, launder their loincloths- Now in printer-friendly formats: slowlorispress.com/post/8005714...
👻Post a ghost👻 Pontianaks are sometimes women who die in childbirth. Sara is (unbeknownst to herself) a pontianak "cured" of her monstrousness---in effect, "cured" her ghosthood.
SUBJECTING A HERMIT CRAB TO INAPPROPRIATE TOUCH Today I found this fellow here, and wanted to feel the bristles on their purple feet and their stubby pincers. They did not appreciate this.
Love for me is shaped like this. The touch of the sun on sand through trees. The sound of the sun in the crunch of leaves, on the path. The smell of the sun, in the wind, over the straits.
I ate noodles and Korean tofu stew and shaved ice. I kissed @chincarok.bsky.social . I drank rice wine. Today I grew older, but grew no wiser than I was yesterday---but I will grow wiser tomorrow. I shall sleep earlier today, and smile when I do.
Today I turned 40. I sat at my desk and worked and wrote and stressed. I procrastinated and played videogames. I read your messages and I messaged my family. I stretched out my achy back. I put moisturiser on my face and perfume on my wrists and I dressed up.
Awoke to find this at my desk. "A posy for you!" @chincarok.bsky.social said. "This posy says: happy birthday!"
Ramadan begins tonight, at the opening of the Fire Horse. Dear Muslim friends: tabahkan hati for the fasting ahead. May we have many iftars together, this month! ( @chincarok.bsky.social made this graphic!)
There have been so many fireworks around town for the last hour---and it's *still* going!---that the air has turned into smog. It is hazy! We are not even near any of the temples or association halls!