#<- for art tips :DD (also their art style is so pretty ???)

[star-soupery]

you can take me hot to go !!!

old timey diner outfits :3

[abyssalaquarist00]

hiiiii im rly enjoying ur occultist posting :3 i have a wuastion that it seems you might be in a position to answer: does it make sense in your opinion for him to be wearing a turban or is that just orientalism? and/or do you have a headcanon for him related to that? from what i understand it rly isn't that common for arab muslim men to be wearing them at all times, and while the characters' backgrounds/worldbuilding is ofc v vague, it kinda seems to me like they just went off a bunch of stereotypes without bothering to put further thought into it and that's why he's designed to be wearing one but if there's a way to adopt that design into sth that makes sense and deepens his character a little bit i wanna hear it :3

i finally get to talk about this

thank you for the question!

the turban style is less common today but it WAS a popular style in the middle ages. its believed to have originated in mesopotamia give or take 4000 years ago.

Golden Middle Age has a good video on this! we also have some examples in historical art (check out ibn sinna, the islamic golden age and also like almost every ottoman ruler)

i personally theorize that lovecraft's abdul al-hazred was inspired by ahmed al-buni (author of shams al-ma'arif/"knowledge of the sun") and other golden age scholars considering that al-hazred canonically lived sometime during that era. i like Lets Talk Religion's video on shams al-ma'arfi.

here are some of my headcanons for DD al-hazred and how he might wear his kufiyeh. while lovecraft's al-hazred is yemeni, i headcanon DD al-hazred to be from like. a fantasy al-andalus (with fantasy yemeni and syrian ancestry). (ive kind of always seen the DD world as Not earth)

so, for history's sake it's accurate headgear! there's many ways to wear a kufiyeh, and nowadays the turban is less popular among arabs but i think thats really recent and it could be dependent on the amnt of industrialization.

here's a photo of the omani sultan's family in the 1950s

(source, this site contains historical pictures of oman and includes pictures of prisoners and slaves. worth noting for educational and informative purposes, proceed at will)

i do have some things about the rest of his fit, that i mostly chalk up to the fact he went to school in fantasy england but still prefers to wear a robe and kufiyeh (i can relate except not the england part). the things that i can say are Really Delightful for me to see personally

the dagger

the waist wrap

robes

leather braces (im not sure if this is an arab thing to be honest. i think this might be a goth thing for me)

BUT i do have some critiques also

waist wrap should be UNDER the robes, over the tunic

that tunic also looks weird to me wrt that cordage. thats kinda giving me orientalism

the necklace??????

no opinions on the pants or the shoes. again chalking up some of the design choices to him adopting things from his time in fantasy england + i think he's fairly well traveled. im sure he has a sirwal and a pair of these bad boys that he will Not be wearing into the dungeon

i wouldnt want him to be wearing these in the dungeon either but they get an honorable mention because this evolved into a historical/cultural fashion post.

i like his DD1 design!

now DD2 on the otherhand..........

idk whats happening there, thats a whole different story. he shouldnt be an egg imo. i kind of dislike his dd2 design LOL. but he's otherwise a pretty solid design even with the critiques i have.

on topic of kufiyehs, i like kufiyehs that are tassled bc theyre so fun and fashionable. that's a personal preference and i have drawn him that way before (its somewhere on my blog)

i have the nablus kufiyeh from hirbawi and it's my favorite.

i hope this covers everything!

i'll be happy to answer any more questions if you have any :-)

also some research tips if you're curious to look more into it:

i highly recommend looking up archival / antique photos of different countries to get a sense of what that particular culture's fashion looks like. these countries also often have museum pages or heritage websites available in english (machine translate is also an option)

i would avoid french and british art. you can actually filter by place and time on most digital collections like the met, the british museum, or university of chicago (UC doesnt get specific though rifp)

[adobe-outdesign]

Could you review the Eyrie? They're one of my favorite Neopets.

(Note: I don't have any Pokemon review requests right now, so I'm doing one extra Neopet review to backlog through those a bit.)

I always thought Eyries were really nice-looking pets. They're basically griffins, but with these really distinct owl-like feathery "ears" on their head that have edge markings dividing the front from the side. It gives them a really nice head shape when combined with the beak, and the overall anatomy is surprisingly realistic (wings are a bit off technically speaking, but that's okay). Like out of all the Neopets, Eyrie are one of a few that you could picture IRL without many changes.

In addition to the head markings, they also sport several lighter areas on their wings and tail, along with a thick fluffy mane that's usually darker but not always (even the base colors don't have this consistent). These break up the body in classic Neopets style and make it easy to read. Their beaks are traditionally orange, which is accented by their eyes so the color is carried through.

Eyries are one of a few species that benefited from customization. Their old art wasn't bad, but the wings were all wrong (they were going backwards against the body lengthwise for some reason, and were halfway down the torso instead of coming out of the mane) and elements like the mane shape and tail position look a lot better. Otherwise, the changes were minimal.

Favorite Colours:

Chocolate: The chocolate Eyrie does everything you want it to do. Whipped cream for the areas with long fur, wafer wings, chocolate swirl ears, white chocolate accents, and some fancy decorative filigree markings. It is completely over-the-top and looks delicious. My only nitpick is that the waver texture is flat, when it should go back in space at an angle and have more of a bend to it.

Darigan: The Darigan Eyrie honestly doesn't event look that different than the regular Eyrie, but it does emphasize how well griffons work as vaguely demonic high-fantasy creatures. While subtle, changes include a different beak shape, more fur, extra-thick wings, a fluffier mane that goes behind the head, and giant claws.

Both the converted and UC/styled versions are fine, though they have their pros and cons. The converted version looks a bit too much like a normal Eyrie due to the change in pose, and the lose of the spearhead tail-tip and subtle feather wing textures is criminal. However, it is much better shaded than the UC version, and it fixes some of the janky anatomy like the weird fold in the wings and the screwed up haunch and foreleg.

Maraquan: A lot of Maraquan pets nowadays tend to be based off of specific aquatic animals, and while that's fine, I really like it when they just take the base Neopet and adapt it to living underwater in a more abstract way. Such is the case of the Maraquan Eyrie, which has pretty fin-like wings, fins on the head instead of feathers, a swisy, extra furry tail, and a beautiful orange and blue color scheme. Little details, like the speckles and the lighter orange on the underbelly and paws, dd a lot to the design, and the whole thing flows beautifully.

It has a UC/styled version, though the differences are fairly negligible. The UC version has a slightly better pose, high-contrast thick and thin lineart, a wavier mane, and a better head shape. However, the converted version is still pretty spot-on, and it fixes the wing anatomy by putting them on the shoulders where they belong (Neopets artists learn to draw wings challenge) (impossible). In other words, both are great.

[sixstepsaway]

So, uh, you regularly use your bullet journal, huh? If you don't mind me asking, any tips on keeping up with one? Asking for a friend of course. -dd anon

Not so much tips, but I'll tell you what works for me:

I don't use one of those Leuchtturm notebook type things? I use a binder. I have an A5 (5.83 x 8.27 in, since I know the US doesn't use As for their papers, I don't think) leather binder and I have a set of blue plastic A5 file type binders on my shelf.

I use a binder because my brain does not like the rigidity of the notebook style. If I fuck it up, I'm just...stuck with it? If I want to add a habit tracker before my weekly spread, if I've already done my weekly spread I can't. If I want to have a certain note section (like my RegEx reference sheet) close at hand, it can only be where I put it.

I bought a 3 - 3 hole punch and a box of A5 paper that's lasted me since 2018 so far, and I put pages in and out as I want.

I put stickers/designs on my binder to personalize it.

I enjoy art, a lot, so I treat my bujo as a pretty good way of doing some art and enjoying myself. So, towards the middle of every month (usually; I totally fucked this up in April and ended up doing my May spread literally on the fly week-to-week) I open my Pinterest board and I scroll through my sections and decide what kind of design I want to do for the next month. This month (June) is watermelon. It came out real cute. Last month I did a ship/nautical theme, but as it was such a rush I didn't really do a lot of it. I did the main cover page and the weeklies were all black with no real embellishments. I try to do a pretty spread for weeklies and a nice cover every month. I also do a dividing section of a nice "Welcome, [Season]" page to help remind my brain where we are in the year, a little.

I have some tabbed dividers I put in my bujo. Behind the first is my year-round stuff, so I have things like what I've watched, what I've achieved, subs on my currently abandoned Sims yt channel (see: internet being 500kb/s), plans and intentions for the year, year at a glance etc. I did all of my 2022 yearly pages last December. Behind the second divider is the month I'm currently in. If I do the next month soon enough, it goes right after. Behind the third divider is all the other months. So right now my bujo goes: 2022 | June | January | February | March | April | May | Notes Section. This way the current month is always at the front and easily accessible, and my year round is on hand too.

I have a three-surface set-up in my shoebox room. My main desk, with my monitor and keyboard etc, is front, then to the left I have my art desk I can turn around and work at. Behind me I have a trolley I built a couple of months ago. Because I have spare surface room and a spot I spend the majority of my time, my bujo lives, open to today/this week, beside my keyboard, permanently. Specifically, mine is directly to the right (as I use my mouse left-handed), always where I can see it, in front of whatever tea I am currently drinking and my water bottle. It's always there. No out-of-sight-out-of-mind allowed. I used a ring-bound notebook briefly last year before I bust my bujo back out properly and any day I moved it, I forgot it existed. So, my bujo lives right here. I don't go out so it doesn't go anywhere. Sometimes it gets moved to my bed so I can make a note I need to make, but it always goes back where it came from immediately. I think this is the most important point for me tbh.

Because my binder can't hold endless amounts of paper, when a 6-month period ends I take those six months out and put them in one of the plastic binders on my shelf. The second six months go after it, along with the year pages, and that binder becomes the year binder. I haven't fully done this yet, as I've only really perfected managing to keep my bujo up this year (but I've kept it up since January 1st, and since November if you include my using my notepad briefly), but I have my old pages in one of them. It works for me.

I start the next month/year early, so my brain can't trick me by going, "Oh, you can't use your bujo, you didn't finish it." And if I fail at that like I did in April for May, I just bully my brain into letting me manage for a month. It's not the end of the world.

There is apparently a text block limit so, here's a break to see some of my pages/designs etc:

The nautical one for May was somewhat hastily done (I colored it in later, but I don't have a photo rn) and I'm sad about that. Might do another nautical one later this year, who knows.

I experiment every month. Different colors, different theme, different style, different hand-written fonts, different vibes, different experimentation. Keeps it fresh and makes me look forward to the next month. I don't do it in bulk for the whole year because idk what I'll be into by August, and because I'll be bored of whatever I did by then.

Every month I do a cover and my weekly spread. Those are my only requirements, but I can do more if I want to.

I experimented with the best way to do weekly spreads early this year. January I did boxes but no dutch door, February (up there) I did dutch door with no boxes. I hated the no boxes, I really like having things tidily put together? But I loved dutch door because I could put a little calendar on one side and notes/goals/to-dos/whatever where I could see them week to week without having to turn pages! Once I figured that out, my weekly spreads were easier to draw out and easier to use, and I could still experiment with the design (sometimes I cut out the side, sometimes the bottom, maybe next month I'll do the top! Who knows?) and have fun with it. The only month since February I haven't done dutch-door is last month and that was because I was literally doing each week on the fly in panic. I was doing the week I was on as I was on it the one week, it was a disaster lmao

I bought a snazzy rainbow bookmark and hole punched it and I use that to keep my page in my bujo, so I can get back to it easy when I have to close it (my ducks throw water everywhere when they're up here with me)

I have a simple key for my goals etc. Circles for things I need to do, circles with a clockface for things that are on a time-limit, circles with a > for things I'm bumping to another day, crossed out circles for things I no longer have to do for whatever reason. I fill in the circles when I've done the thing, which is great for my brain, and because my bujo and pens are right next to me, I can do it easily on the go.

Squares (with the same basic pattern) are for things I'd quite like to do but they're not pressing to-dos, just a good idea.

I added some other simple keys for things I use sometimes. I have a little pill capsule for logging any meds I take beside my normal (so the last 5 weeks I've been adding a little "💊 Elvanse [x]mg, #/7" so I know which day of my titration I'm on and which level I'm on. If I take a nytol or a melatonin or ibuprofen, I can write that down if I feel I should). A little bell is an event. An exclamation with a heart for its dot is a note. I had other ones but I've never used them.

This month I added a little side piece to my daily boxes. I put a ☀ and a 🌙 and under each I put, with my tiny little 0.05 fineliner (which I use for any writing I do in my bujo, to-dos etc) little daily to-dos of brushing my teeth, doing my skincare, taking my meds morning and night. It was a fun experiment and it's working for me, so I'll continue it next month! If it didn't work and I didn't use it, that's okay, it was just an experiment!

When the end of the month comes, at the end of the last day of the month I write out how the month went, either on a sheet I set up in advance all pretty, or just a normal plain sheet I add. I say what worked (dutch door, little suns and moon sections), what didn't work (no boxes, leaving it until the last moment) and what I want to change next month (add a mood tracker to my dutch door? not write week when I meant month?), then I move that entire month to the back of the second section, where I can get to it if I need to, and write out my to-dos for the next day.

I write tomorrow's to-dos before bed every night when I'm ticking off my meds, and add anything I might forget to them during the day.

I also added a "PRIORITY" top section to my boxes, usually in a complimentary color (this month's colors are green, yellowgreen and pink for watermelon, so the PRIORITY is in a nice green), and I got sick of writing "PRIORITY:" repeatedly, so this month it's a cute "!:" instead, which is the same thing.

welp ran out of space again. MORE BULLETS:

I love habit trackers but they do not work for me if I have to turn a page to get to them, which is why the sun/moon is working so nicely. I might expand it next month.

If I can't see something, it just doesn't exist, so anything important has to stay within my line of vision, hence dutch door and keeping my bujo right next to me.

I don't beat myself up if I don't do all my goals, I just focus on what I did do and use it as a way of managing my working memory rather than scolding myself. Monday my goals were to work on my sewing, start July, reply to my titration nurse, write, work on the ores for my modpack, shower, and post some metas on AO3. I did 5/7 of those things and showering was a square not a circle, so it doesn't even count. I did well, and having it written down reminds me to try again tomorrow, if applicable.

If I have ^ all those on my to-do list, and then I realize I need to, idk, clean my desk, I will add cleaning my desk to the list, so I can tick it off as done when I've done it, even if I'm already halfway through.

I've talked around this a few times but I'mma say it plainly: if something isn't working for me I discard it and try something else. Habit tracker? Gone and incorporated into the dailies. Mood tracker? Put it on my dutch door this month and have forgotten it most of the time, so I might put it on the left side (closest) instead of the right side next month and see if that helps? Too tired to do anything complex? Simple spread to get me through the month. Not enough energy to do a proper cover? Slap the name of the month down, color it, shove it in. Solved.

I might enjoy making pretty bujos and enjoying the artistic side of it, but it's my bujo, and aside from my parents seeing my designs when they stand by my desk, it doesn't have to be for anyone except me. All that matters is what works for me and what I enjoy.

So, the tl;dr and the tips I extrapolated from this ramble:

Experimentation with colors/designs/themes to keep it feeling new and fresh. Incorporate any hyperfixations in, if it helps (nautical theme lmao).

Discard anything that doesn't work, try new things every month until something sticks, then change its design rather than its function.

Please yourself and no one else, it's your bujo. Use it for what you need help with (working memory, in my case, rather than motivation or intense tracking of what I'm doing. I'm more likely to forget I wanted to do something to begin with, than I am to just not do it).

If you have problems like I do where you mess it up and you don't want to be stuck with it, swap to a binder you can move pages in and out of.

Keep it close and within your line of vision, open if possible.

Write down doing your bujo things on your bujo. Sounds stupid but if I write down "Start July" I have more of a chance of actually starting July than if I just imagine I'll get it done eventually.

Bookmark so you don't have to sift through pages.

Hope this maybe helps a little!

[retroosquared]

hey! firstly i want to say that i love your art style and how you paint generally!! i'm fairly new at drawing and i wanted to ask if you have any tips on anatomy? have a nice rest of your day :]

aw thank u so much !! :’)

i dont know if i have any specific tips bc obviously a lot of it comes with practice, but firstly using references is definitely a good idea (although i will say you dont have to stick 100% to the reference, cause that could mess you up more than help you! i tend to just use them as a guide for where to place things and stuff as opposed to following the reference exactly)

the second thing is learn to work with shapes more!! segment the body into main parts - torso, waist, hips/crotch area, legs, shoulders, arms, etc. when figuring out the head/neck placement it helps me personally to draw the collarbones! with hands it helps me to focus on what i want them to be doing first before i try to figure out the anatomy, and also remember that hands are pretty weird anyway so dont worry about it too much (just think about the palm and finger joints and stuff)!! like i know this seems like im contradicting myself but i tend to think of the general shape/vibe of things like, the big picture, and then i go in with more specific details.

also i find it way more helpful to do pose practice on a much simpler program - like on a whiteboard with friends, or even just pen on paper irl - because then im not distracted by like trying to pick what tool to use and stuff like that, yknow? also also, find tutorials online - theres so many brilliant artists out there that have made countless tutorials on drawing anatomy and poses and p much everything u can think of, and theyve definitely explained stuff way better than i have LOL !!

most important thing is to have fun tho :DD get inspired by others, tell whatever story u want ur art to tell, get funky with shapes and colours and lines, etc! if ur having a good time and liking what u draw then i promise u it will show <3

[ellovett]

list of people that made this year pretty neat :)

Hi all

Ok so 2020's almost ending (it just ended i started writing this post like....5 days ago??) and i just wanted to do this thing where i have a message towards everyone who supported me/who i think are just very cool and very epic, i only really got into the twst fandom just at the beginning of the year and im just gonna get straight to the point now messages are under the cut :)

@permanentlyexhaustedowl - AYAAAA ;;;;; bro you're literally one of my first long time friends here in the twst community and i just want to thank you for everything, our convos in either public servers or in pms, your love and support for my content,,or whenever i vent to you,,,,,just- your love and support man i appreciate it so much and i cannot thank you enough, you're just so sweet and caring and supportive and friendly just aghhhhhh ;;;;; even your reblogs make me smile uncontrollably and i explode, also all the brainrots i have about my interests ;;; thanks for listening to all of them,,even tho you really didnt have to ;;;;;; I love how we make our twst ocs interact and the little brainrots we have with them ;;; You've helped me so so so much and in so many ways, I am beyond glad that we're bestfriends, you're one of the nicest most caring people ive ever met and i love you so so so much, beyond belief ;; 💕 pls never stop being you?????? You quacking amazing person??????? 😎🤙💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕

@shoujoqueensstuff - AYYYY SHOUJOOOO!!! 😎🤙🤙 hhhh you're also one of the first people ive ever had a long time friendship with here in the twst community, and seriously bitch i love you so much ;;; so so much..i cant go a day without talking to you about literally anything and just vibing, the support and love you've given me over these months is insane i cannot thank you enough for that, all of our rps, convos or just pure brainrot have been so much fun, and i fucking love it that we built our own little world outside of canon,,all the aus we built with our ocs???? I love them. I love them all to death, including your amazing ocs, and even tho we live on literally opposite sides of the world you're always there for me whenever i vent or when im feeling extremely down or insecure ;; ,,im just so so so happy and glad that i met you and that we're bestfriends, i care about you so so so so so much- hhhh i cant put it into words my brain is dying i just- i LOVE YOU BIITCH, I AINT NEVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU, BITCH.😎💖💕💖🤙🤙💕💕💖💕 TAKE MY LOVE BITCH 💕💕💕💕💕 thank you so much for sticking around ;; i love you and support you in everything you do so much I could never ever thank you enough for the friendship you've given me..

I can literally go forever on how much i love and appreciate the both of you, i can just scream into the void for all eternity,,but i cant put it into words anymore. You both made my year so great and so epic ;;; i love you guys so much

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Now the chaddams 😌

@thetwstwildcard - hi ma :D you're just so cool and so epic lizz ;;; i cant- all of our conversations and brainrots have been super fun and i enjoy your company very much;;; you are just so nice and friendly,, and your ocs (especially staff ocs) are god tier amazing, i will love the nrc mom squad to death. I am honored to be ur child and i love you and father claude (and my four (?) other dads you married) very much 💕💕💕

@alpyssketch - bringer of father claude,,,,i owe you my life alpy,,,,,,but no seriously you're also a very epic person and you're honestly so nice and sweet!!! You never fail to make me feel welcome in any conversation and you're just so damn friendly!!! We may not talk that often but I very much enjoy your company ;;; ily!!! 💖💖💖

@multi-ankin - another very cool and epic person!!!! you're very fun to talk to and you're also pretty funny in the vc fjfjfj, your ocs are all so amazing too! (djdjjd although my staff oc bias makes me go for kas) we should totally talk and make our ocs interact more in the future tho!!!!!! 💖💖

@just-patchy - pATCHYYY!!!! :D hi!!!! you're also a very cool person!! our interactions have been so much fun and i hope we can have more in the future ;;; the ideas you have for your ocs and how you put them into writing is so good!!! like really good!!! And your art has been greatly improving too!!! Never ever think that i dont see you as a friend because i do!! 😤😤💖💖 i care about you bro!! Never forget that!!

@bakujho - :D hi jho!! you're a lot of fun! And I THINK YOU ARE SO DAMN COOL AND BADASS it's unbelievable,,i look up to you jho i wish i could be almost as cool as you when i grow up ;;; the things you've done for this fandom are also very admirable! like the whole gravedigging (jellyfish) situation! But we're not gonna talk about it now- hhhhh you're just so epic jho ;;; seriously 💗💗

@Kurui - hhhhh you're probably not gonna see this ;;; and i cant find your tumblr (if any of the other chaddams could possibly show this to her thatd be so great ;;;) but nonetheless i still think you're just so fun and cursed ;;; and you give so many amazing ideas!!! Your ocs are all also so cool too! Your art is just so detailed you clearly put a lot of thought into them i just admire that sm ;; (also your edits are extremely cursed and epic i love them dearly-)

@twst-the-royals - JULIE :))) HELLO,,,you were actually the first ever person i spoke/interacted with in the fandom! And you were just so nice and friendly and patient with me ;;; im glad that i got to talk to you,,and we dont really talk that much now but pls pls PLEASE know that i care about you so much and that i support you in everything you do ;;; 💖💖💗💖 ill do my best to make you proud!!

@girl-in-the-tower - hey Az!!! ;;;; you're so epic and cool,,honestly i admire you so much, the lore/writing you have for your ocs/fanschools are just so well thought out and so well written ;;; i hope to become a better writer like you in the future, but for now ill just take notes and learn from you ;; you're super encouraging and supportive too!!! I know we dont talk much but i could never thank you enough for all those little yet meaningful moments ;;; 💖💖

@rikanoctrix and @mirrored-pomefiore - hi!!! i know we arent that close but just know that you two are huge inspirations for me when it comes to art, the both of you draw your styles so incredibly well and i admire that so so so much ;;; 💖

@ocean-water-tea - FATHER TEAAAAA QAQ okay so first of all,,,,how can you draw so well using ibispaint, i ask for tips, specifically on how to draw hair and tits 🤲 but seriously though you are so fun to talk to!!! So cursed!!! So ☊⊑⏃⍜⏁⟟☊!!! You encourage me to my true cryptid self (despite aya's protests 👀) and i thank you kindly,,,you are also very funny 😌 a funny little clown simp, and you're super friendly and cheerful too! I almost never feel nervous when reaching out to you ;;; I hope we can have more wacky adventures in the future 💖💖

@zonamemoryverse - HEYYY ZONAAA!!! you're a fairly new person and you've already come so far ;;; you're a very chaotic person to talk to and i enjoy all of our conversations!!! Also our interactions with our ocs were super fun too, and i love hearing any shred of content i can get from ur epic ocs,,,dont stop being epic!!! 💖💖

@namelessfish - Hi fish!!! :DD you've been a very supportive friend to me over these past few months,,and im happy i have someone i can relate my not-so-great experiences with ;;; please know that i care about you dearly and that ily ;; 💖💖💖💖

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@wondersbeyondcompare - JFFJJF BRO DONT THINK I DONT SEE YOU WHENEVER YOU REBLOG MY CRINGY ASS POSTS 👁👁 I SEE THEM AND I CHERISH THEM ALL I REREAD THEM ON SAD DAYS. All the little tags and comments you put on them always make me smile so hard ;;; im just very happy to know that you like whatever the hell im doing and it pushes me to do more!! You're incredibly sweet, dont worry!!! Ill be sure to make you proud!!!! 😭💖💖💖

@circuscarnage - Anna!!!! We dont talk that often but whenever we do it's always so much fun ;;; you're so sweet and i appreciate you so much ;; all the stuff you drew for my ocs are all so incredibly cute and i really have to give back- jUST YOU WAIT ANNA. IM GONNA MAKE FANART OF YOUR LOVELY OCS AND YOU CANT STOP ME- 💖💖💖💖

@twistedapple - hi crow!! :DD again we dont really talk that much but i support you greatly in everything you do!!! You're another epic and cool writer ;;; your writings for your ocs are just sooooo well written and are just so good!! You're also super good at art too!! And i hope to see more from you in the future!!! ;;; 💖💖💖💖

@not-twst-enough - Ellie!!!! ;;; bro you've been supporting me from the very start, from lillet's old ass bio to now, and i very much appreciate it!!!! You're also super friendly in the twst server too ;;; and all the content you have for your ocs is just so exciting! Good luck with the fandorm and all future stuff ;;; ily!!!! 💖💖💖

@fumikomiyasaki - FUMI. DONT THINK I DIDNT FORGET YOU DKDKDK,,,Another cool and amazing person!!! All our brainrots and conversations have been really fun ;;;; thank u for that,, You are very fun person to interact ocs with tho!!! Especially with ships!! MadScientist² will forever hold a place in my heart.,,,💖💖💖

@oiseaunoir11 - hey Al!! :) you were one of the many people i admired and looked up to when i first joined the fandom, your art is something im deeply inspired by and your shitposts at like...4 am in the morning always give me the big funny,,one thing i really admire about ur art tho is how you'd draw backgrounds :0 you've gotten so good at them!! And your poses look super natural and effortless, i hope to be almost of a better artist like you 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️ also i cant wait to see ur animatics 👀 they look dope- hope we can talk or maybe even interact ocs more! 💖💖

@leonasbitties - luuuu :))) hiiii,,,we dont usually talk on servers that often but that doesnt mean that i dont consider you as a friend! You have a lot of super cool ideas for ocs and your art is just getting better and better and better with each piece!!!! i look forward to seeing more from you ;;; 💖💖💖

@peteza-mozzarella - PETEEE :DDD another very cool and friendly person, you're literally the sweetest person ive ever talked to and i love our little chats!!! Hhhh you're just super nice and your ocs are super cute,,please never stop being you you epic bean ;;;; 💖💖💖💖

@the27th - Hi Andhra!!!!! You've been quite the long time mutual,,and your reblogs always make my day ;;; you're just so sweet and kind and i always feel at ease when talking to you, the hunger games sessions you host are always super fun even though im often asleep to even participate 😂 thank you sm for the love and support ;;; ill be sure to give them all back to you 💖💖 starting now 💗💗💗💗💗

@mamushroomoracorn - MAMUSH :DD we've only really started talking recently but you're just so nice and friendly ;;;; all of our talks have been so wholesome and great and im so happy about that, and your art is really really really good!! Ur art style is just so unique and so cool!!! ;;;; and dw mamush,, ill show the froggies like i promised soon 😔💖💖💖

@rookvonhunt - HEYYYY 👉😎👉 hi hello i would die for your ocs. If theyd ask me to perish then i will 200%,,ur so epic and cool and all of your ocs are just god-tier, i cant wait for what else you have to offer!!!! 💖💖

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@lawlessofdusk - lawless ;;;; aaaaa honestly you're just so kind and sweet, i couldnt thank you enough for all the love and support you've given me!!! And i desperately need more content of ur ocs bc they're all so cool and interesting 😤😤😤💖💖💖 i hope to talk to you more soon!!!!

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Fkfjfjfj i think that's all!! Id like to thank you all for sticking around with me with my first year in the fandom ;;; you guys make all the bullshit and drama here worth it 💖💖💖

If i forgot to include you in here then PLEASE DM ME I AM SO SORRY-!!!! I dont want to leave anyone behind!!! So please feel free to confront me about it ;;; happy new year everyone!!!!

[stephicness]

I work so hard on my gifs and edits but barely get any notes. It's so discouraging. How do you make so pretty gifs? When I feel great about mine - I get nothing. :(

Dear anon, as corny as it is for me to say – and perhaps the most unhelpful thing as well – the best way to not get discouraged about notes is to ultimately not worry how many notes your post gets. Because in the end, it’s a creation that you enjoy first of all. Sharing it with others is just a benefit in the long run. Making a pretty gif set, in my opinion, is super subjective. Some people might think that one gif set is the prettiest thing in the world, while another might go ‘Hm… I’m not diggin’ it.’ And that’s okay! Art, beauty, it’s all unique to the person who browses and looks at gif sets in general. c:

It sounds super lame of me to say, but so long as you’re happy with what you made, does it really matter if your set gets alot of notes? I mean, my favorite edit of all time that I did is a nobody compared to my usual gif sets. But it’s a special edit that sticks close in my heart that I love. I think that’s rewarding to have finished it and know that ‘Hey. I made this! I’m happy about it! C:’ The idea of other people liking it too makes you feel nice, but they don’t need to be your only source of validation. 

But, besides the pep talk, I can give you a few tips on how you might be able to get your edits out there a bit more? Not necessarily will this get you notes all the time every time, but there’s all sorts of ways you can at least spread them about and share them for people to look at them! Here’s a small list of tips:

1) TAG ALL THE THINGS!

This. This. THIS. Tagging is by far one of the most important things you can do to get your posts out there more! Tag your posts by the game title, the things it’s often abbreviated as, the characters in your edits, their nicknames – tags, tags, tags! Tags for days! Honestly, tagging things is so important! Because when you tag things, it’s a much higher chance that someone else will be able to find what you made when browsing through tumblr. They might be searching for a specific tag, a specific character, a specific ship, and so your post will most likely appear if you tag it the appropriate things! 

Even more is that sometimes, people also can subscribe to certain tags to have instant access to their search or even have newer and popular posts in that tag appear on their dashboard! I personally have the ‘Ravus Nox Fleuret’ tag and a few others I follow specifically, so I always get to see what’s new for my favorite man and my ships. So by tagging your edits and posts, you’ll be able to have a farther reach with your edits for people to find!

This comes with a warning though, however: there is nothing more annoying than finding a misplaced post amongst the tags. Like, how weird would it be for you if you were browsing through the ‘Ignis Scientia’  tag and suddenly there’s a post talking about how much someone really loves the Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Like, no relevance at all on the outside or inside. It’s just there? It’s strange and odd, and honestly, it appears more disorganized than anything. So be careful on how you tag your things!

If push comes to shove, just remember to tag it with these: personal tags (my edits, personal comments, etc), the fandom name and abbreviations, the character names (full and/or short, it’s up to you), and perhaps a tag for the reference you made in your gifset.

I also recommend having an internal tagging system on your blog too, if you don’t have one already in place. Tagging systems are important for blog navigation, especially for incoming followers! That way, they can come browse through your other edits, posts you have in regards to fandoms, characters, and topics they like, and more! A tag system is really important to have for the sake of organizing everything for you and your followers!

2) Finding the Right Fanbase

It’s probably a self-explanatory thing, but more popular fandoms and more popular characters will most likely get more notes than less popular ones. If you’re seeking notes, then you might find yourself perhaps wanting to use a more popular subject for your gif sets. After all, Noctis will probably always get more notes than Dave if you try to pit them against each other. 

But will he get more popular than Ardyn? Well, it’s subjective too. You can make an edit of a popular character from a popular fandom, and it’ll definitely get more notes. But that’s because you’re appealing to different fanbase as a whole. Noctis is well-liked, for example, among most of the Final Fantasy XV fandom, so he’s generally going to get more attention of it all. Meanwhile, if you take another character like Ardyn, for example, you might not have everyone who liked Noctis liking Ardyn and all. But with a change of character comes a change of fanbase too! There’s quite a few Ardyn fans who would love seeing a new edit of the hobo chancellor, so keeping in mind what fanbase you want to appeal to is super important when you want to share your edits with them (again, TAG YOUR STUFF TO PASS IT AROUND). 

Fanbases are always changing and different, but knowing which fanbase you want to share your edits with will play a big role on the exposure your edit may or may not get!

3) Aesthetic Appeal

As I said before, beauty is really really subjective, but there are a few design things to keep in mind when you want to make a more visually appealing edit. Art and design theory imperative to keep note of when making an edit. Of course, once you know the rules, it’ll be easy for you to bend the rules. But some things that I personally keep note of when making a gif set can include…

The Coloring – Make sure that there’s a reason why you picked certain colors in your edit, and why some exist next to others! Play with the idea of analogous colors being together and complimentary colors pushing against others. Take note of the highlights and shadows to play with some dramatic lightings. Decide which parts should be more saturated and others less saturated. Different colors convey different themes, ya know.

The Typography – If you have an edit with typography, keep in mind of the type of fonts you’re using! You wouldn’t use a curly font when talking about a dramatic death scene, after all. Picking the right fonts is crucial in fitting the right style you want. Sans Serif fonts that are close together give off a very tension and more modern feel, while spaced out ones give a more orderly and airy feel. Serif fonts give off a completely different feel to them too – being more romantic and poetic and more traditional over the boxy sans serif kinds of fonts. They all have a different mood they can capture, so pick your fonts wisely!

The Composition – Where you place everything is also super critical to keep in mind of! Like, did you know that placing text in the bottom right corner gives your brain a different signal than when you place it in the top left? In English reading, you typically read from top left to bottom right, so the right is often where your eye rests last (I can go an entire tangent about this, not gonna lie), so be weary on how you place the figures and the text in the things you’re making an edit of. 

The Quality – Make sure that your edits are saved in a really nice quality! Cleaner gifs give off a more professional vibe, and they’re alot nicer to look at than something super grainy and chunky. Tumblr now has a 3 MB limit on gifs, so it’s even easier to have your gifs with higher frame rates and less pixelated quality. It’s so nice! So utilize it…!

4) Emotional Appeal

Want someone to take a moment to pause and look at your edits? Appeal to them emotionally! Make a heartbreaking scene even sadder by referencing back a relevant and even more heartbreaking quote/lyric/poem. Make a funnier moment even funnier by parodying it. People want to feel things – sad things, happy things, all the things! So using color theory and quotes to help add to these feelings can really get people to stop and look for a little bit and generate some interest. Emotions are powerful, after all! So if you’re looking for people to look at your edits, intrigue them with emotion, with thoughts too.

5) Resharing

A smaller tip, but sometimes reblogging your edits at certain times of the day is a good idea too! Don’t over-share it, but reblogging your post for the night bloggers is good – because someone’s night is someone else’s day. :D Sharing it for certain groups of people on your blog is a good idea, so that way, people from around the world won’t have to browse through a bunch of posts from the time they were sleeping until now. So it couldn’t hurt to reblog your edits every now and then. To let the night and day people look, and even to get your new followers to check out the stuff you do as well!

So there’s some tips from me about how you might be able to get your gifs out there and stuff, but remember, dear anon: You are talented in your own unique way! That in itself is amazing self-validation, and it’s really important to have that! 

Keep on making edits and being great, okay? Thumbs up to you! :DD

[thekegtap]

Combating a Lack of Diversity in Craft Beer

It’s no surprise that when I started getting into craft beer there were very few women, and even fewer Latinas. Luckily I was able to find a few groups like the Mikkeller running club (to combine my love of running and beer, but mostly beer) and Black Craft Beer Enthusiasts(BCBE). Between the friends I’ve made and the shares we’ve had, I’ve never felt out of place or the “other” when it comes to craft. We’re diverse and welcoming and we drink really good beer. A few days ago I saw All Things Beer 510: MLK Day Edition, where Chauncey Jackson raised some really interesting points about diversity in craft beer but I felt like there wasn’t much of a call to action. When I first started out I only gave it a passing thought but now that I’m a bit more seasoned I have a few ideas of things that may help combat the lack of diversity in craft beer.

Hiring Practices

Jackson suggests that breweries should be more diverse in their hiring practices which is akin to treating a symptom and not the illness. Sure, hiring a variety of people is great and seeing a familiar face when you check out a new tap room can feel welcoming but there’s a lot more that can happen before then to help introduce new people to craft beer. When I think about my own foray into craft beer I remember that the single most influential aspect was how welcoming people were. This continues even today as I’m one of the few women who attend homebrew club meetings, the guys make it a point to include me and never treat me as if I don’t belong. We share beers and tips and it makes our community stronger. When it comes to drinking, I always do what I can to help people transition into the world of craft. It can be a little scary and there is so much to learn that it can feel overwhelming.

Education

Recently I met a new friend who is just beginning his craft journey. He’s tried a few things but is relatively unfamiliar with styles or brands. I put together a little sixer of bottles & cans for him to take home and try. It wasn’t about making him love my favorites, but rather learning what works for him and seeing what’s out there. I grabbed a gose, saison, stout, IPA, etc. I told him I wouldn’t be offended if he didn’t like anything, that’s totally fine, just try different things because that’s the beauty of the industry…there’s something for everyone and it would actually kind of suck if we all wanted the same exact thing. My hope is that he will pay it forward and do the same for someone else and slowly we are able to reach new people and help to combat the lack of diversity in craft beer.

Sample Stations

I guess I should also mention that I have no problem talking to strangers, so if I’m out somewhere and someone is hesitant about something or has a question I do my best to answer without being condescending. I don’t like it when someone is a dick to me and has to “mansplain” everything so I don’t like to do it to others. I’ll be a resource for anyone who wants to learn. Because of this I thought it would be fun to do pour samples at bottle shops and grocery stores. I figured it was a good way to meet new people and also, I get paid in beer so its really a win-win situation. Its a total toss up who you’ll get to stop and have them try a sample so I approach everyone with the same energetic greeting and smile. Oftentimes I get women who stop and are curious but have only tried macro brews and don’t think that they’ll enjoy any of the samples I have. I start by asking what kind of flavors they enjoy and go from there. I’d say I probably have at least a 75% success rate in helping them find a beer they like and of course there will always be some folks that you just can’t satisfy no matter what. I think seeing a woman pour beer makes it more approachable for other women to engage in the samples and discussion.

Bottle Shares

So if you’ve been drinking craft for awhile, chances are you’ve got a decent cellar with a few things you wouldn’t mind sharing but haven’t had the opportunity. Here’s your chance! Why wait for someone else to host a share? Invite some friends over, even if you know they have nothing to bring but snacks and show them how dope beer can be. I’m not saying you need to harpoon any whales, but I’m sure you have a few interesting things you could bust open and enjoy. This is a great way to declutter your stash and enjoy some time with friends while you do it. I learn the most about new beers and breweries when I’m at a share so just imagine how awesome it would be for a total newb. You’ll probably blow their mind. Just, ya know, give them fair warning about abv so they know to have a DD to get them home.

Home Brewing

Earlier I mentioned being one of the few women I see at my homebrew club, and the more I write, the more I realize I could totally start my own badass betties homebrew club. Home brewing is typically the segue-way into the craft industry so more diverse home brewers would *hopefully* lead to more diversity in craft. It totally worked for the guys at Vice District. They met at a homebrew club and started brewing together in their basements. What began as a hobby grew into a passion and then ultimately an addiction. Now they’re one of the few black owned breweries in the country. They’ve been able to turn their love for beer into a cozy taproom that feels like you’re hanging out in a friends basement drinking beers. Their staff is always willing to help find a beer that strikes your fancy and they also serve wine and spirits for those who just can’t accept that beer is the nectar of the gods. Also, they are dog friendly and often have food trucks outside for delicious eats.

Best Demonstrated Practices To Combat Diversity in Craft Beer

Obviously I’m not singlehandedly leading the inclusivity revolution or anything, but I do what I can to be as impactful as possible. Beyond individual involvement at the ground level I started thinking of ways breweries could combat the lack of diversity in craft beer. There’s obviously a lot of misses like the “girly beers” that are supposed to lure in women but end up alienating those of who don’t need flowers or the color pink to get our attention. While bashing all the things that have gone wrong, I’d rather focus on what’s been done really well. The examples are not exhaustive, but these are the ones that got my attention and I’d love to see more of. Goose Island, despite how some of you may feel about them, have done some cool things to reach new markets that don’t feel like they’re just trying to pander to a certain community. For instance, they recently hosted a beer tasting at the National Museum of Mexican Art. It was an event in a week-long series and while I wasn’t able to attend personally, I heard great things and all of the proceeds went to the museum.

Another brewery that totally hit the mark as it concerns reaching new markets is Brooklyn Brewery. A few years ago at New York Comic Con I was introduced to their Brooklyn Defender and I remember thinking to myself how cool it was to mix comics and beer. At the time it was just a passing observation but now on second thought I realize how genius it is. They have a new artist each year, with a new diverse fan base to tap into. They’ve had Amy Reeder, Cliff Chiang, Khary Randolph and most recently Jamal Igle create each new edition of the hero. While I’m sure each of the artists already had some beer drinkers in their midst, there’s a good chance they got a good amount of new folks interested as well. They also have Brooklyn Mash which is a series of events in cities around the globe. I was lucky enough to win tickets to the Chicago events and it definitely did not disappoint. The final event to close out the weekend was the Pilsen immersion on Sunday. Pilsen was already one of my favorite neighborhoods since its this beautiful blend of culture and art, but the immersion gave me a chance to check out some new hidden gems I hadn’t noticed before. The experience was twofold, as we walked through the neighborhood people asked what the event was about introducing potential new customers to the brand but also it introduced some beer drinkers to a neighborhood rich with Mexican culture that they may not have visited before. (and for those who may not know, Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn’s brewmaster happens to be a black guy so that’s pretty cool too)

Culturally Inclusive

On a more personal level, the brewery that resonates the most with me is definitely 5 Rabbit. They make solid beers, rooted in Latin American culture. I remember the first time I heard about them I was beside myself with excitement. Finally there was beer that I could associate with that was flavorful and drinkable and most importantly, it wasn’t Corona. Now I’m able to share that experience with my family and make it a point to bring a chingona or two to each of our family gatherings. Their recent holiday release, Lupita & the three kings was a big hit with  my mom. Their golden ale is my go-to sixer when visiting family of friends to get them introduced to craft. So far its been a huge hit.

It would be great if more breweries could do events or beers like the aforementioned, but the truth is many of them either don’t have the funds to do so or wouldn’t even know where to start. They’re focused on making good beer and marketing outside of their fan base is pretty far out of their wheelhouse. At the root of it though it seems like is up to us as beer drinkers to help build a new market and occupy our own space. We can’t wait and leave it up to breweries to carve out a space for us. If you want to see more diversity in craft, then be an agent of change. Introduce someone new to craft or help build someone’s interest. Try out homebrewing, or if you’re a seasoned home brewer maybe start your own home brew club and invite friends. It won’t happen overnight, but eventually we’ll make some progress and see something other than white bearded faces in the beer world.

Combating a Lack of Diversity in Craft Beer was originally published on The Keg Tap | A Latino Beer Blog Where We Drink, Brew and Tell