Saya | سایہ (she/they)

Who doesn’t wish that poetry could change the world?

But if it changes the way we see the trees bending, the eggs frying, the children rocking, then truly that wish has come true.

A pencil sketch of Momo Ayase from the anime series Dan Da Dan. It depicts Momo with a slightly irritated expression and mouth in a circle. Signed on the bottom is my signature.

A pen inked version of the same sketch as before.

Momo-chan, pencil and ink!

#dandadan #art #sketch #anime

I have severe dyspraxia and motor issues, but with practice, diligence, Benzaiten practice, and my own dhamma practice, I am still able to improve like this, so really anyone can do it, since we all are empty anyways!

As long as you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want very quickly. As a side note, I HIGHLY recommend a Saraswati/Benzaiten practice for ANY artistic pursuit. The effects are undeniable and extremely swift. And make sure to double down on precepts and practice in return for her help.

But yes, I practice everyday. It's all about the quality of the practice, and then quantity can be added on top of that. Also make sure you critically analyze anything you see or watch with an artist's eye; never pass an opportunity to see how you would draw say, the bottle of water you are drinking

So, um... I actually only started 2 and a half weeks ago.

I practice everyday, but the main reason I am improving so quickly is because I have learned to annihilate my ego while learning, so I fix any mistakes I see right away. Basically you want the make the most of your practice.

A pencil sketch of Nia from Xenoblade Chronicles 3, drawn in her Xenoblade Chronicles 3 design. "Nia, Queen of Agnus" is written in cursive on the top left of the paper, with the signature "Saya Y." and the date 12.11.24 on the bottom.

An inked version of the same sketch as before of Nia from Xenoblade Chronicles

I have resolved to learn how to draw recently, as I've always wanted to be an artist, so this is my current progress after a short bit, with a pencil sketch and inked version of Nia from Xenoblade Chronicles 3!

#art #xenoblade #nia #xenobladechronicles #drawing

OMG you are so good, you deserve so many more followers!!!

the clear sign that they just don’t see these kids as real people is the endless concern over hypotheticals and the indifference to the reality that actual children are more likely to kill themselves because of these bans

A pixel art rendition of a magnemite sleeping in a field of vines and flowers. It is rusted, basking in the sun, with a happy expression. Forget-me-nots are growing in the corner.

🌱 Overgrown 🌿

Eleven copies of our book “Countless Sands” are stacked one atop the other, with every other spine showing the title. One copy at left is facing out, to show the books cover.

First copies just arrived:

COUNTLESS SANDS: MEDIEVAL BUDDHISTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS (2025)

The publisher’s website is shipping now
go.hawaii.edu/bXG

#utakata #snailshouse #fanart @rapparu.bsky.social
the animation made me cry happy tears, I hope you like this drawing I made in response

How a Colombian City Cooled Dramatically in Just Three Years With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures -- and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.

In Medellín, a city of 2.5 million people in Colombia, the Green Corridors urban restoration project has planted 880,000 trees and 2.5 million plants, reducing pollution and bringing temperatures down by 2 degrees C. #ShareGoodNewsToo reasonstobecheerful.world/green-corrid...

"Between 2016 and 2019, the level of PM2.5 [air pollution] fell significantly, and in turn the city’s morbidity rate from acute respiratory infections decreased from 159.8 to 95.3 per 1,000 people."

a really underrated issue in environmental advocacy is that *totally separate from climate effects* pollution is exceptionally bad for you and cleaning the air saves lives

Prisoners Intentionally Burned Themselves at Troubled Virginia Supermax Six men at Red Onion State Prison in Western Virginia used “improvised devices” to give themselves electrical burns.

at least six people have self-immolated at Red Onion State Prison.

i heard about this yesterday for the first time. Nothing at all from mainstream outlets that I've seen. Happy that @theappeal.org wrote about it today.

from @elizabethweill.bsky.social

*My* preferred ethnic group's romantic self assertion would be good. For we suffered bad things, which obviously makes my armchair fantasising about apocalyptic violence meted out upon our enemies good. Totally unlike groups who do bad stuff, who obviously have no similar excuses in their own case.

Hmmmm... deciding between starting a thread series on meditation techniques that may suit various needs of clients, interesting links between Buddhism and Islam, or the growth of a Global Religious Right and the need for a Religious Left to counter it....

A really interesting recent article: it gives several convincing examples of deliberate alterations made to the wordings of hadiths, caused by differences in theology and doctrine among Muslim groups of the first centuries, such as the Shīʿa, Ahl al-Raʾy, and Muʿtazila

Damn and now Drake is going to have to pay a 25 percent tariff on that beef?

This is true; I just have to do it and stop procrastinating on it atp.

If you liked my new Bugbear Dispatch essay, you might like this older one as well.

conversationalist.org/2023/09/11/r...

After 26+ years of being in this country, it looks like my parents will be deported this time around based on how their case has ended up post-election.

Lots of uncertainty, but perhaps a good excuse to gtfo of here tbh

I'm 25 now and have struggled to complete my Bachelor's since high school. The number one factor for that has been poverty. And it's frustrating because I read and learn so much on my own, but I cannot ask for that value to be compensated due to lacking a degree.

Keeping up with academia on social media is bittersweet: I am able to access great scholarship without needing to be in a formal higher ed setting. At the same time, it makes my current situation that much more depressing, knowing I can't afford to even complete my BA for at least another year...

‘‘Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,’’ wrote W.B. Yeats, ‘‘for I would ride with you upon the wind.’’

I echo this sentiment. Same has been happening with my family members as well. My mother was saying it's echoing acute post-9/11 hysteria

For a brown woman, one of the palpable effects of the election- and this was exactly the same in 2016- is the ways in which white people feel emboldened to disrespect or harass me. I’ve had more interactions like this in public in 2 weeks than in 2 years prior to it. I mostly don’t feel safe.