Sasani
LightNews LightNews
banner
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
Sasani
@sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
15 followers 23 following 81 posts
Currently working on a science fantasy novel and an episodic fantasy story (and poetry, etc.).
#writer, #origami, #kumihimo, #3dprinting, #macrame, #autistic, #trans, #gaming, #reading, #disabled #alexithymia #chronicFatigue #chronicPain #SPACE
Posts Replies Media Videos
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
I completely forgot to post my #guqin pics, so here they are. It has a high learning curve, but it's worth it!

It's made of old to ancient reclaimed wood and the black lacquer makes the surface very glossy and smooth.

#ChineseInstruments #musicianship #TraditionalInstrument
The guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese zither used in Chinese music 3000–4000 years ago. It is significant, and several instruments were created using the same concepts. It has 7 strings and is made reclaimed wood which after preparation was dried for 5 years before turned into an instrument. It is around 130cm x 25cm (I think). This image shows it lying on top of the soft case it came with which is a lovely dark color with bright ornamental flower patterns on it. Although made of wood, a traditional lacquer is applied making it quite dark, but also very, very smooth to touch. Musically, it has a range similar to a cello, but sounds quite different. The is the guqin in its soft case lying on my bed. The case is long and tapers to one end to fit the tapered width of the guqin. The fabric is soft and inside it is noticeable the fabric has padding to protect the instrument better. I find the fabric pleasant to touch and the overall aesthetic is appealing. Once the instrument is within the case, a flap folds to cover the open end of the bag which is then tied securely sturdy cloth straps which match the bag. Not shown are the carrying straps (they are underneath it). There are straps to carry it horizontally and I think the longer strap in the middle is for wearing it somewhat like a backpack.
November 22, 2025 at 5:15 PM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
Latest 3D prints. Memorials for my cats: Moose (the mini LED lamp), and Eris (Eris was fluffy and huggable). I haven't found anything for Hobbes yet.

But these are my ghost cats.

For charging glowing items: a 395nm UV flashlight. Mine was super cheap. The lower nm ones won't work as well.
A small figurine of a cat in a voronoi style (a natural, web-like design of interconnected cells or patches, each centered around a point) with a mini LED tea light fitted inside. The cat is sitting upright, head tilted back as though looking at her weird human friend. It is on my bed (complete with rumpled bed cover). The only notable thing behind it is part of my bass ukulele case. The image makes it look like the light is brighter than it is. It is using a mini tea light, which mimics a candle's flame, complete with a natural-looking flickering effect. This is in remembrance to my late cat, Moose. There are no lights turned on. This is the same voronoi cat as the first image (voronoi is a natural, web-like design of interconnected cells or patches, each centered around a point). It's printed from glow-in-the-dark material and can glow quite brilliantly. I like to think of it as a ghostly or spirit version of my late cat, Moose. A small figurine of a cute chubby cat in a light blue color. She is perched on top of my monitor with legs dangling down. The back leg extends to reach the screen of the monitor, but not in a very distracting way. This is my tribute/memorial to my cat, Eris. I printed her a little too big, but Eris was big, so I feel like it fits. Another photo of the cute chubby cat, representing my late cat, Eris. She's still in the same position sleeping on top of my monitor with legs hanging down at the front of the monitor. This time, the lights are turned off and she is glowing a soothing light blue color.
September 16, 2025 at 9:22 PM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
My list of #instruments to learn has grown. I have a #kalimba with 17 tines and one with 21 , an Armerian #duduk on the way, and another #NativeAmericanFlute I need to sand/smooth and assemble; it's a much deeper pitch than what I have. Today I'm tuning my #steelTongueDrum to B♭ Minor too.

#music
This is a kalimba with 17 metal tines tuned to C with a transparent acrylic base in a circular shape with cat ears, so basically a thick, flat cat face. The clear material shows prismatic color streaks based on how the light shines on it. I pointed a UV flashlight (395nm) at the kalimba for this photo which greatly enhanced that effect. The background of the image is plain with a vignette. I added a swirling musical staff (five lines) which has some eighth notes and a quarter note. The lines of the staff curve somewhat randomly at the end and change from a vibrant color to a leafy color with some small leaves attached. The sound is absolutely ethereal—it's like playing a music box manually but with a lovely soft resonance atypical from most music boxes. I thought the leafy and swirly design added matched the ethereal quality of the tone which would fit very well for any fantasy genre music. It is in the key of C, but can be tuned to other keys easily. The lowest note (longest tine, which is C4) is in the middle. It's played by plucking the tines in a downward motion with thumbnails and recommended to keep those a decent length to prevent skin from contacting the metal. To play the C scale in proper sequence the middle tine is first, then the tine to the left is second, the tine to the right is third, the fourth is two to the left, etc., keeping a back and forth motion. This makes it perfect to play two notes at a time on one side without struggle (Major 3rds, 4 semitones from the root). Grace notes and other techniques are possible as well. This image is of my Native American flute (I've been told it's considered a Lakota flute too). My mother had this flute lying around for years and I never noticed it. When I talked to her about learning more instruments she gave it to me. It's made of a semi-dark but warm wood. There is a part near the mouthpiece called a "bird" which is strapped on with leather cord which I have since placed with a synthetic suede. This is integral for making a wind passage to blow over a square hole to produce sound. It is removable so the flute can be cleaned and dried after use and adjusting it can have a great affect on the tone and ease of playability. It is placed horizontally on a 3D printed stand, resting on two curved parts, each on top of a vertical post spaced a good distance from each other. I printed the stand, which is a somewhat shiny black. I have not taken time to smooth and polish it, but I will. The curved sections on the top are covered with a pinkish crochet pattern courtesy of my mom using her master quality crochet expertise to devise a means of crocheting a secure cushion on an odd shape and finishing in less than 10 minutes. The flute is in B♭ Minor Pentatonic since it has six holes, but it can be played chromatically with some fingerings being tricky. Mostly it's with playing the lowest notes B♭4, B4, and C. B♭4 is all holes closed, B4 is all closed but the last one is a quarter of the way uncovered (which is hard to do and get a good sound), and C is with the bottom hole half covered. I need to practice that. xD
August 14, 2025 at 4:12 PM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
Sounds like a cozy way to distract yourself from pain. I don't have a cute dog, but I do that too, surrounding myself with several plushies: a lovely black cat that is super soft, a huge longcat, an alien (Boso Ta from the game X4: Foundations), a round blue and white penguin, and more.
A cutified plushy of Boso Ta, a central character in the space sandbox game X4: Foundaations by Egosoft. Boso is an aquatic extraterrestrial lifeform called a Boron. Boron have several tentacles to manipulate objects. The plushy version has shortened the tentacles to a cute stubby variant. There are four on each side, blue like the body except for the two tentacles (one on each side) originating from behind. Those are longer and an bright orange color which adds a vivid contrast. The head is bigger than the body, has giant circular eyes with the same orange around each. The irises are white oddly-shaped pupils. Imagine four circles touching each other oriented like N, S, W, E on a compass. Then imagine those circles as some kind of sticky liquid moving away from the center of the eye, but leaving a trail to connect them all to the center. I put a silver puzzle ring on his bottom left (or stage right) tentacle. I used this image both to keep a ring a beloved person owns but left in the bathroom and to send a silly message about how Boso stole her ring. This is a close-up shot cropped to contain Boso in a 1:1 ratio, so there isn't much in the background except my comfy mattress cover and my more-than-comfy blanket. Thank you for coming to my BosoTalk. 💖
August 14, 2025 at 12:16 PM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
I got an #erhu and forgot to post it here! The pic is from when I received it. I have since replaced the plastic bow with a wooden bow with white horse hair. A typical erhu would require python skin, but this one uses a synthetic alternative.
An erhu in its case standing upright. The erhu is a traditional Chinese instrument, held upright on the lap while playing. It has two strings and the bow hair goes in between the strings, essentially attaching the bow to the instrument. It has a beautiful, emotional sound. The wood, which is Cambodian rosewood, is smooth and has a nice texture. The bow is beneath the erhu in the case and in a plastic sleeve/case. It's a plastic bow (but I now have a nice wooden one). In the foreground, slightly blurred are a couple cute tchotchkes which dangle from the handle of my cane at the end. A cute astronaut made of some cord wrapping possibly combined with a similar textured fabric hangs highest. Behind the astronaut is a plush pink alpaca, the head of which is bigger than the astronaut. The alpaca extends around 12-15cm. It's quite soft and has an adorable yet simple design.
June 13, 2025 at 7:47 PM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
I've practiced origami cranes from memory and learning how to manage tremors. Today I improved my posture and spent a bit over an hour folding prevent hasty mistakes. The paper is astrophotography themed and I'm quite happy with the results! I call it a Galactic Crane. ☄️
#disabled #origami #tremors
An origami crane with a black neck and head, one black wing, one orange wing, and orange tail feather. The paper used had an astrophotography theme and the photo on the paper shows a close view of the sun and black starry sky. The black parts have variation with some bright, small stars. The orange parts have several shades of orange blended together in a haphazard or random way, showing the detail of the sun's surface. The crane is a very slight variation from the traditional design as the top of its back is slightly puffy (accomplished by gently tugging the wings), giving it a better three dimensional look. The crane rests atop a flat crocheted hat of multiple colors and bits that sparkle in the light. Behind the crane is a pale blue crochet sack around the size of a phone, but is stuffed with cat toys (which are not visible). There are obvious imperfections in the folding, but I am truly pleased with the result. The paper is smooth and pleasant to work with. The crocheted items, made by my mother, are made from excellent soft yarn. The hat in particular has a lovely texture with its softness and the sporadic sparkling piece adding a variation to the overall texture.
May 30, 2025 at 6:34 PM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
I completely forgot to post this project. My #astrophotography #origami paper arrive so I made a cute box. But then someone moved into the box, stealing it from me!
A square-ish origami box or container with no lid. The sides taper in as they move up. The paper has a photograph taken by an astrophotographer. It's dark in places with bright stars. There's a nebula as well, which is on the inside part of the box. It's a little lopsided since it was my first try. The same origami box made with an astrophotography photo on the paper, but the dark origami cat is inside of it, transforming it from a box into a cat bed, I suppose.
April 17, 2025 at 12:28 AM
sasani-the-penguin.bsky.social
It's difficult for me to get into social media so I haven't posted much.

I've started #origami projects, which are tough for me with muscle spasms and tremors.

I finished my first origami cat yesterday. She's a bit lopsided, and I'm happy I completed my first attempt. The next ones will be better.
A black origami cat upright surrounded by spherical cat toys (for actual cats).
April 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM