December Update

In this style, next year, each month will have an update. These posts will be much like you probably expect.

Content

I will be adding a new category of posts, as I intend to do at least one long format post about music every month. Sometimes this will be more often. I may venture into other areas, as I intend to continue experimentation.

zkSync Era

This month we launched the meme token, $BALLS on the zkSync Era blockchain. This token is something that Jean and I have been discussing/planning for many months now. We’ve received quite a surprising amount of interest. We haven’t exactly dug ourselves out of poverty, but it is still incredibly exciting. The token has been fully generated, and we expect to reach DEX listing very soon. I’ll post about that when we get there. The future is bright, and you gotta have $BALLs!!

NFTs

I continue to offer my own art, mostly set in the fictional universe of Exoteric, on several fronts. Lens is sort of the ‘proto-release’ area with conversation and community being the core. The Uncut Network is home to the majority of low priced, readily available NFTs. In news there, the Only Shadow collection will be coming to a close in January. This region of the Exoteric World is very likely to show up again in the future. The Cost of Magic collection will move to the forefront at Uncut. Details forthcoming.

Fiction

The fictional Storyverse called Exoteric will continue to grow. Each NFT release has included some light flavor text, adding small details to the world. As focused NFT collections begin and end, so will the stories of the related region. I am working on a knowledge base that will debut soon. It will always be a work in progress. An ebook is planned covering The Only Shadow story, including the all the current images used for NFTs, as well as new art, and the story that ties it all together.

Knowledge Base

The upcoming knowledge base will be reminiscent of an RPG manual written in the wiki format. Once I’ve completed a sufficient amount of its skeleton, I’ll make it public while I continue to add to it. The Knowledge Base will become increasingly important to the Exoteric project, as I hope others will want contribute their own stories, art, music, design, etc within the Exoteric multiverse. Anyone interested is welcome to contact me at any time, but I won’t actually be seeking out other creators to collaborate with until I’ve made more of the setting public.

That’s all folks!

December can be a tough time. I hope that my efforts can provide some pleasure to others. The goal is to make my vision come to life, in a way that is fun and relatable; to create a massive fictional context, in which others want to add to themselves, becoming fans and creators.

Okay, that’s enough for now. Thank you all for your purchases, support, companionship, and inspiration.

Jack Lhasa

Music

Music is the heart of all humanity. I truly believe there is no greater calling in life. (This however, does not mean I consider all musicians ‘good’ people.).

There’s this line from a song on one of Seven Mary Three’s last albums, it’s called “Dreaming Against Me.” But the song ends with this line. And u really try hard to think of it when I’m having a hard time. It goes like this:

#music #mentalhealth #patterns.

Can I hear you say,
“Hey, everything’s gonna be alright.”
“hey, everything’s gonna be alright.”
“Sometimes it’s so hard to say.”
if it’s too hard to say it now,
say it anyhow.

Here’s a YouTube link. live & acoustic.

7M3 – Dreaming Against Me

Mental Health Status

I’ve been getting hit hard with depressive episodes lately. I can’t see a future in which I’m not homeless. I’ve been trying to get disability for 2 years with no luck. They just keep pushing me off.

I feel it in my gut. That nothing is ever going to change. Nothing gives me any pleasure anymore. I can’t enjoy anything I do. I haven’t had a good day since I can remember. I’m completely broke. Not a dime to my name, quite literally. I cry myself to sleep more often than not.

I don’t feel like anyone cares at all. It feels like everyone just thinks this is all my fault. I don’t know what to do anymore. There is nothing that makes this better, even for a short time. I’d kill for just a few days without this feeling, but I don’t even know if that’s possible anymore. I’m thinking about suicide a lot. It’s begun to feel like that’s the only way out. The other choice is a few more years of unstoppable pain, anxiety, and depression.

I’m rambling so I’ll stop. I’ve sworn that I’d never hide my mental issues, and I will stand by that. It’s all I feel like it’s all I can do.

Jack