Boris the dragon was out for a late night walk when Kirby popped out of nowhere to mug him! Luckily, all Boris had on him were some skunk cabbages, so Kirby let him go unscathed.

Today’s challenge was “mug”, and being the rebel I am I wanted to do something unexpected. Kirby’s expression (and possession of a weapon) was perfect for this shot, and Boris just happens to be posed permanently with his arms in the air. The lighting was terrible, but thanks to the wonder of post-processing I was able to give it a late night, moonlit feeling. I actually took this picture under dim incandescent light!

I really love images that tell stories. I usually take shots just because they look cool — lighting, composition, and things like my newly learned photography vocab word “bokeh” — but it’s especially exciting to me when I can snag a picture that conveys more than just aesthetics. I think I’m going to make that a goal of mine, to tell stories, no matter how brief or trifling, with more of my photos.

A little about Boris, the “victim” in this shot: He’s from one of my favorite childhood book series, “My Father’s Dragon”. The three part series is for early readers and full of charming black-and-white drawings. It follows the adventures of the baby dragon, Boris, and the little boy, Elmer, who befriends him. I just discovered that the whole first book is available digitally for free under Project Gutenberg — how wonderful! Click over to  the HTML version to see all the wonderful drawings!

Exploring Octoberville

Raglan Tiny Freak Show

Raglan Ride of Horrors

Heron Haunted Forest

See more in the full Flickr set!

All my life I’ve wanted to be a dragon. Sure, meeting one would be a thrill, whether it be sentient or a simple beast, but being one, that’s where my heart has always been. Imagine the feel of those powerful muscles rippling along as you walk, catlike, through a woods that cannot hinder you for all its thick growth. Feel the strength and grace as you spread your wings, spanning twice your own length, to catch the wind upon a cliff, then throw yourself upwards, beating in great, sure strokes against the flows of air that carry you far into the stratosphere. Savor the crispness of a mountain stream as the current flows past your gleaming scales, cooling you in the midst of a warm summer’s day.

The first few installments of the Spyro video game series were a direct answer to my long-held dream.

In it, you could romp around the world as a baby purple dragon, headbashing and toasting your foes comically to the unique playful music of Stewart Copeland. Until the unfortunate redisign of the series in the Legend of Spyro and following titles, the world of the purple dragon was a free-roaming frollic that fed right into my dreams of dragonhood. Unfortunately, you can only play the same cartoon story so many times…

You may be able to guess where this is going. That’s right, I found Second Life! Finally, I have a way of living out my little fantasy. This blog is about my adventures in SL as a dragon of many sizes, from Tiny to Macro (and a teeny bit about my RL as a very human-shaped dragon). It is also about things I’m learning, products I’m selling, and stuff I’m planning. I hope you enjoy it.

~Az