#AND YOU DONT NEED TO PUT DOWN OTHER GROUPS OR ARTISTS JUST TO MAKE US LOOK GOOD

[littledigits]

feeling hopeless aboot the anim industry?

I posted this on the cesspool that is linked in. I dont want to tell you that things are going to magically return to what it was like during the height of the streaming bubble - but I do want to toss this out there, because for me these are the things that will lead to a stronger industry. (hint, it all has to do with grassroots community stuff hurhrhhr)

-------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Know what you feel is 100% valid We shouldn't be normalizing the choices and broken systems that lead to times like this, and while there are always ups and downs in industry's and things out of our control, we should also be aware of what causes it. While its ok to say "Down times will happen and we need to learn and prepare for them.", it can also lead to us ignoring patterns and being apathetic towards change. Who wouldn't feel lost or hopeless ? You're only human ! But you're not alone. 2) Find Community ! Start Community ! I love being an animator, because I don't need a job to be one. The 'Industry' is one thing, but the art of animation, of film making, of storytelling is still out there. This career wasn't given to us, we CREATED it ! And while it does take time, we can still do that. There are so many people, paths and stories that you can learn in a community, and show that there are so many different ways to find happiness and success in a tumultuous industry. I see more jobs passed around in my community group then navigating on this bonkers site.(<-- referring to linked in where i posted this originally. ITS SUCH A MESS ITS FASINATING) 3) Give your time to others This is kind of part of the above, but if you're able - Give some of your time to others through volunteering. It could be a cause you support in your city, it could be mentoring a student, it could be assisting in a local festival, it could even be supporting others in their talks or presentations by showing up. (ya'll don't know how much it helps just to have audience members to help boost events) long story short is, we have so much in us to bring joy and support to others. If you're able that will pay you back ten fold, and it does bring some serotonins in these times. (please note this does not mean illustrating someone's novel for free, I'm talking about supporting causes 'n communities ) 4) Information combats fear When we don't know what's going on, when we're not sure what caused the state of things we're in or when it will change, its easy to get sucked into a spiral. This is why its so good to have community around us, to keep us in the loop. We don't want to hand away our power and just listen to the refrain of "Well this is just how it is", because that's what frogs in water that are slowly being boiled say. We cant always tell when the temperature is being turned up. This leads back to community - because this is who make up the animation industry. If the community is empowered with information, then they have the ability to make changes. Know your labor rights, know the history of your industry, know your community and you will gain so many new defenses against people who want to suck this industry dry. Its tough out there - but there is hope. If anything, times like this put us side by side with the artists that were the backbone of this career from the very beginning. They rebuilt so we can too.

[solarwynd]

i come with a hot take that i dont expect to be well received by others but here goes:

i think pjms really need to cut out the “thailand streaming farm” narrative, for several reasons.

streaming culture has been popularized by armys throughout the years. as far as i can remember, there has been a lot of discourse among chart-oriented armys for years (since the english trilogy era) about both vietnam’s and thailand’s streaming practices. they were the first ones’ to push the account-switching techniques that a lot of streamers use today. back then, it was deemed unsustainable and risky by most chartmys bc it led to large drops when people got tired of doing that. now, its the mainstream streaming practice in the fandom and other countries have managed to make it a more sustainable effort (i.e., LC’s longetivity in the US). the US is the most praised sector of pjms (and deservedly so, they work their asses off) while still using that technique so why are overall pjms much harsher with how they express themselves about thai armys/pjms vs us pjms? honestly sometimes it feels mildy xenophobic to me when is see those kinds of tweets/posts.

while i definitely get that their lack of consistency amd favoritism towards some members has been annoying in the past i don’t think we can say the same anymore. sgmb got more streams day one than nlg and every single jk song released last year (every.single.one and more than double for some of them).

i also cant believe i had to find this information out by a random jjk that popped up on my search this morning when i was looking up today’s sp update (you can imagine my horror when i confirmed those numbers).

jjks frequently and stupidly use the bot narrative for usa pjms, and in all honesty, pjms look just as dumb using the streaming farm narrative for thai armys/solos. its giving that meme of spidermens pointing at each other bc in reality were ALL “bots” were ALL “streaming farms”. we are all a somewhat small group of people (within the market) putting in an extreme effort for our artists. let’s not fool ourselves into cultish them vs us mentalities when (for some things) we are not that different.

Thailand streams get called out because the numbers they pull are not proportionate to the number of users that they have in their country. Look at SK for example. Their lowest entry right now is 4.3k. Top 50 12.8k Top 20 23k Top 10 37k Top 5 60k With top spot being LC with 118k. Proportionate. Brazil, a chart range somewhat similar to the US. Lowest entry is 182k. Top 50 381k Top 20 612k Top 10 882k Top 5 1.06M and Top spot 1.14M.

The lowest entry for Thai charts right now is 28k. Then you get to top 50, that’s 68k. Top 20 (which is Espresso by Sabrina) 98k Top 10 167k. From there is gets sus because to make a jump from that to the top 3 current spots which are 524k, 1.13M, 1.8M. (Down from 6/29 where Rockstar & SGMB had 2.5M and 2.2M respectively and the lowest entry was 26k.) Then you look at the #3 spot from that same day and it was 484k. The gap between #3 and #2 was around 1.7M. Like you cannot tell me that’s normal cause it isn’t. You don’t see those kinds of gaps on any other country chart. So It doesn’t have anything to do with xenophobia (or being upset about the fact that that country is TK majority) because there are other Asian countries and countries outside the US that don’t get called out since they do have streams proportionate to their population and have reasonable ranges.

Bringing up US fans streaming in comparison to Thai fans is also odd to do because it’s not the same. The lowest entry on the US chart is 340k Top 50 starts at 600k, Top 20 841k Top 10 1M with top 5 being 2.1M. That’s also a very proportional chart. Jimin’s numbers in America have always sat in the 200k-to 1M range without significant jumps coming out of nowhere.

Him going from a 465k debut with LC to 2.2M with SGMB from Thailand is not just the 20x cap per account method, that’s something else being employed there. And it’s not that they got “stronger” either.

I’ve expressed my discontent with a large chunk of SGMB’s streams coming from Thailand on multiple occasions. I’ve wanted it far away from Jimin for this exact reason. I’m not denying that there isn’t a concentrated effort to get better numbers in general. And I don’t think any pjm is “fooling themselves” into thinking that how they stream is entirely organic. It’s not, but I still won’t put it on the level of what some Thai fans are doing.

[changbinsboobs]

id also like to know changbins opinions or thoughts on idols who have lazy scandals ie: they might be more hard working for their own solo projects but in their group they look like they dont even want to be there or arent always putting in enough efforts cause these days they can kinda half ass it if they want too with the whole lipsynching debacles that occur so yh id love to know his thoughts on these sorts of topics cause hes been an idol for so long he must have many feelings bottled up

cause i think hes one of the hard working ones who always want to improve or maybe do something entirely different with the groups direction cause i think skz have a habit of always playing safe and going with whats familiar to them and their fans how does he feel about skz direction and what more does he want to add or do in the near future or does he see himself going into acting and venturing out of the idol image or away from the group?

oh and how does he feel about the complexity of idol performances does he want it to slow down or remain the same? does he feel he gets enough freedom or not enough? what else do i want to know from changbin?

U don't know how happy i am to finally see a Changbin request😍😮‍💨 THANK YOU!!!

Changbins thoughts about idols with lazy scandals?

He's thought about that and thinks thats an issue that should be observed from multiple perspectives before making a judgement and he thinks a "scandal"/ situation like that has multiple sides to the story and he refrains from making any judgements if he doesn't know the situation himself. Also he thinks thats hardly a scandal and people should revise their (omg his articulation is so specific im cant even keep up, he wants to use words i don't even know, help😭) view of what components make up a scandal (i literary had to go to chatgpt to help me find the right words/expression. Still not satisfied tho, but its better than nothing). If tho it is proven that the idol is lazy performing for solely unprofessional reasons he's not really bothered by it as it doesn't affect him in any way. And if then it has a positive effect on him cuz people who appreciate effort can clearly see the comparison and appreciate his effort even more. He knows he's kept his dignity and pride towards himself and doesn't really care what other people do with themselves.

4oC, The Hermit

How does he feel about skz direction?

He does agree that they stick to whats familiar but he doesn't think thats necessarily a bad thing because that has brought them the success and bag they have today. Which is wonderful! He does wish though, to mix things up every once in a while but i think he wants to talk more about that later on in the reading. He wants to have a bit of darkness and a shocking element to his/their performances and songs, like the sound of the beat, the arrangement and melody, he wants the lyrics to shock and get gasps out of peoples moths. He wants a big reaction out of people that don't even know how to react to what they just heard/saw because its THAT good and THAT different and THAT weird! But more on that later (he keeps saying that and then he keeps on talking😂, i think he's excited)

(Also while he was talking i caught glimpses of his ideas/what he means and i really do hope he gets the opportunity to do something like that either solo or with the group or with other artists but i think we all will need that to come out and will EAT IT UP!!!)

(There's much more hiding in the Card but i feel like if i listen to it all, i'll write this post until tomorrow and won't even come to the rest so for now I'll leave it at that and see what more he has to add in the next questions.)

4oP, WOF, AoS

What does he want to do in the future?

He is actually thinking about it even now in the presence. He's evaluating multiple options and thinking about which one suits him best and will bring him most fulfillment. His focus is for it to bring him inspiration. Meaning he wants to be passionate and burn for his craft, he wants to go inspired to work every day and do something useful and meaningful. He also wants to be authentic, to be himself, to be free and have power in himself. Like have authority over himself? He can choose what he does, how he does it, etc.

2oW, 7oC, THP, PoS

His feelings on the complexity of idol performances

That they take lots of effort and skill. This also means u have to have discipline, u have to invest time, blood, sweat, tears even more, into it. You have to burn for the stage, and when you do you get rewarded. The stage rewards you. The screams rewards you. The praise rewards you. You feel loved and you feel like you did well. You grow and your confidence grows. I don't think he wants performances to get easier, he likes a got challenge and he like a good opportunity to prove himself and his abundant abilities.

The Chariot

Is he satisfied with the amount of freedom he has?

"What freedom?" Ugh😅 i was hoping for something more positive. But to be fair, he explains that even tho he doesn't have freedom he'd like to have thats what "pays the bills" for now - and i actually feel like a more accurate expression would be - serves the wine - cuz the money they get ain't just for bills its for buying cars and purchasing mansions. (I think he's someone that really appreciates money, idk how to explain it but i don't see a shame or something in him abut money like there is with lots of people, for example he has mentioned money several times in the entire reading, he's not focused on it tho, like its not all there is in his mind, but he also doesn't completely shut its existence or importance in certain matters and just makes sure to involve it as it is - a main piece of the picture). Back to the reading - he has much more to show, to offer, to create but the boundaries he finds himself within don't allow him to. I feel like mostly the beautiful and the light and the vanilla is allowed. Only thats approved. And i think he has tried to push (expand is a word he likes the sound more of🌝) the boundaries a bit but he was almost always met with a decline and until now things have been always kept in a pretty aesthetic package. So i wouldn't say he lacks complete freedom like he said in the beginning, he does have certain boundaries within he has freedom of creation but those boundaries have become way too small a long time ago and have begun to even feel suffocating, to the point he often loses his inspiration or desire to work on pieces or projects - as I've read in previous readings. But nonetheless - it pays WELL🌝

Death, 9oP, The World

Anything else he wants to add?

Yes!!! Stay tuned for my boys upcoming projects and look forward to him in the future he's gonna bring something new and fresh to the table and feed the innovation & diversity-starved!!! Basically - i believe he's already making place for something in the future, probably a solo or mixtape or something where he'll blow out mind. I suppose with their new contracts maybe he has negotiated more freedom to himself and his creative endeavors and is excited about the new creational power he now has/will soon have and what he'll do with it.

8oW, The Magician, 5oP, The Emperor

Also a quick disclaimer - the reading became more a channeled reading than a tarot reading so i hope it was still understandable and coherent.

[pjsk-writin]

can i kindly request toya, akito and rui with an s/o that is a graphic designer(????) with all the time in their hands, and so they make nearly all of the 2DMV’s that each group have instead of getting an actual job just so that they can stay snug at home?? they never rest tho, so the boys have trick them into getting a good nights sleep, and guess what, it works!! 😋😋

this just came up in my head right now so i dashed over here to request this! i dont mind if you add tsukasa at all either, you can do whatever you want <33

have a great day!

AWW THIS IS CUTE....as someone who does animations and stays up really late to finish them this request is so me fr. but ill do all the guys, i hope you have a great day too!! <3

♡ GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Toya Aoyagi, Akito Shinonome, Rui Kamishiro and Tsukasa Tenma x Reader

Toya:

Toya is definitely impressed by your skills, I mean, the MVs always turn out amazing-

He thinks it's kind of funny whenever he comes home and you're just snug under some blankets, working away on an animation

Of course, he's concerned about your wellbeing, sending you messages every other hour to make sure you're taking care of yourself

He's even more concerned by your apparent lack of care towards resting. You need to rest, seriously...

"...Hey babe." "Hm?" "I'll read you that one story you like if you take a nap." Cue you flopping into your blankets-

He refuses to let you work on anything until you rest. He does end up reading to you though, and kisses your forehead once you're asleep <3

Akito:

Akito is definitely amazed by your skills! He just finds it funny that he's surrounded by two stubborn artists-

He knows you prefer to be snug at home, but he at the very least wants you to go outside and do something

This leads to him taking you out to Vivid Street often. It helps to hear the music live, because then you get to have more ideas for animations!

Speaking of animations, he respects your passion, he always has! But, he knows you've crossed a line when he catches you sleeping on your drawing device-

"Okay, that's it." "What do you mean?-" "I'm not taking you to see our practices until you get some damn rest."

Whether or not you comply at first, he will quite literally hold you down so that you take a nap. At the very least, you get to sleep in his arms!

Rui:

Rui LOVES watching you make the MVs, and gives you pointers and suggestions every now and then

Also finds it amusing how much you prefer to be snug at home, he knows that he can be the same way when it comes to robotics

Speaking of robotics, he likes to bring his kits whenever he hangs out with you, and you two just sit there, lost in your own worlds

He's all too aware of how easy it is to lose yourself in what you're making and skip out on sleep, so he acts as a personal reminder for you

"If you promise me you'll go to bed, I'll let you help me plan our next show!" "Didn't you tell Emu something like that already?" "True, but you get the special priority!"

You do have to put up with his crazy ideas, but it'd definitely be worth it to see the combination of your ideas on stage!

Tsukasa:

Tsukasa appreciates art quite a bit, and is blown away by everything you make!

He respects your wants to be snug at home, however he does not stand for his favorite costar not going out and enjoying the day!

He'll take you out to everyday places, and although he manages to make a ruckus every single time, he also points out various designs and things he believes you can incorporate in your MVs!

He's used to making sure the people he cares about are in tip top shape, so he also does something about your refusal to rest

"Desperate times call for desperate measure, my dear costar!" "Huh-" He then proceeds to snatch up your drawing device-

He saves your project and then flops down on top of you, refusing to move until you sleep. He probably would have cuddled you until you fell asleep anyway, so it's inevitable-

[raul-volp2]

Familiriaty, Novelty and Game Design.

Hi, welcome to another random talk by me, Raul, the game designer that never released a game... but I worked as a artist on a fair ammount of them. =) I made a poll on Twitter (never going to call it X) about what the people want if they are going to play on a new setting, some familiar, that uses tropes estabilished by other settings and ip or an attempt of novelty, subverting ideas and trying to estabilish new ones. I made a mistake using a example of familiriaty with Elves doing Elvish thing and some people end up being hyperfixating on the Elves like if they were the main part of the poll, but they were just a example to illustrate what I meant for something Familiar.

But going back to the poll my question was to know the preference of the people related to games in general, but I always interesting in the designer take since they are the ones generating the setting, and by designers I mean the creative force working on the game. And unsurprising a staggering 81,8% said that they want something new when playing a new setting, what was surprising was that 88 people answer the poll and seeing how bad I am at social media and reaching other people this was a massive success, but a expected result, I knew that the majority would answer they want something new, but I also know that this answer is not the truth, at least not the whole truth.

But why make a poll when I know the result and say that it's not truth? THose people are lying? No, of course they are not, but if you are a designer that had to work with research you know that this kind of poll, or in some cases focus group, generally don't work, first because you boil down a complex subject into 2 distinct answer that simplify what is actually not a easy answer, which was more evident when some people answered like it was only a correct way to do it set in stone. But to point how and why the answer might not be the correct one we need to talk about social desirability bias, a idea that people have to answer not the answer they feel honest about, but the one they feel it's correct to do in public, like James Stephanie Sterling pointed in her video 'Damn Fine Coffee", people when asked what coffee they like would generally answer black coffee, but when looking at the sales, the attention generated through kickstarter and even the language used for marketing, they all go for familiriaty, be it using a pop culture reference as the forefront of what the setting is, using srds that convey how the game plays despite if the setting is radically different from what the original game is, and even by looking the biggest Kickstarter success, like Avatar, One Ring and so on, we can see it clear the familiarity is what the designers most do and what the players most put their money into it. So why choose the New as the answer? FIrst I dont believe all the 81,8% choose new but prefers Familiar and I don't believe any of those who wants familiar makes that choice consciously, because our landscape of enterntainment is having a fatigue of familiriaty and we are all feeling it, Marvel, Star Wars, Classic fantasy, all of them are saturating our entertainment with the different shades of the same approach of everything, and there is a genuine desire for something new,might not be the majority but it's there, and inside the indie scene this is more prevalent since we suffer from the sheer power of the big industry and all their familiar products and games, so the indie is poised to be the place for new things, and people might internalize that thought even tho they just want to work on their take of a familiar genre and setting that they love.

So here is the take of it, the answer is something new but analizyng the scene we see that most designers and players goes for familiarity. And at least at first there is nothing wrong with that... well, homogenity of settings aside, but both approachs have pros and cons. Starting with something New, the difficult of them all, you already start with the challenge of have to explain your setting to players, and more aliens ideas, characters, cultures, mechanics will require a good writting by the designer side, and having no pre estabilished setting for the players to set their mind and understand your ideas, this can create some issues, but this shouldn't be discouraging, since the designer job is already to presente their ideas and mechanics is a easy to understand, fun to read and immersive way, you only add the challenge of not having some familiar terms for players to instantly recognize. This drives another criticism I have about the idea that some desigenrs have that players don't understand, or are incapable of enjoy if they can't the reference or know the setting through the lens of familiarity, first I think this is a very pedantic way to see your players, like their mind only works through easy estabilished names and pop cultures references, they are intelligent people from all around the world, treat them with respect, second if you don't believe your writting will make players understand the novelty of your setting and/or rules without any pre estabilished concepts, you should work on your designers and writting skills, because it's your job to make a book people can read and understand, not relying of them to have watched some american tv show to know what you mean on your setting.

For familiar setting/rules, I believe the challenging is even bigger, because if you do something that can compared to another pre estabilished game that's already there, the first question is, why players should play your game instead of the other that's already there if they have similar worldbuilding and/or mechanic? And for ttrpg this is a big valid question since it's a big undertake be able to gather friends and play through even a small campaign. Familiarity can carry a lot of concepts and legacy that you the designer might not want in your game but can have the players to think it's already there, making a reverse challenge of the Novelty designer writting, while with a new idea you need to write in a good way for players to understand the new concept, in the familiarity you need to write in a way for players to see that some pre defined ideas they had for the setting in mind is not there. One case I saw about this was with Fabula Ultima, where I saw one player expecting a combat system that was more in line with the Jrpgs that Fabula Ultima draw inspiration, it wasn't their fault, as far as I know Fabula Ultima is a great game, but it's the risk of working with pre estabilished concepts can create that the designer might take in consideration.

Another point to talk about is the Designer work on all this, on the act of making games itself, and how it at least in small ways, should push for something new on everything it do, don't need to be big new strange and aliens settings or trying to change the entire rules of play, but to drive even if it's a detail of their game, to something different, something that they feel it's better. Because the job of the designer is not to make something that players want, players have a limited idea of how a game could operate and how new games should be because game designer is not their job, so the designer need not to make what players want, but definitely works on something that the players like. To show this I want to add a story about Shinji Mikami, the director and producer of Resident Evil 1,2,3 and 4. During the development of Resident Evil 4 the team stucked with a lof of different directions for the game, with the series gaining fatigue and selling less and less, and having to deal with a lot of survival horror competition releasing due to the immense success of RE series, Shinji and it's teams knew that the next RE need to be different, to be something new. BUt marketing research always ended with players saying that for the next RE they want it to be just a natural evolution of the same game, fixed cameras, few dangerous enemies, resource management, but what they got was a very different experience that not only was a big succes for Residente Evil, delivering a fresh take on the game but also end up changing the game industry as a whole with it's third person over the shoulder camera and control scheme for movement and shooting. All this not because they listened to the surface fans ideas of what they want, because they couldn't imagine this new approach for RE, they didn't have any reference or familiar concept for it, but the new idea worked. And this is how I feel a designer should think, might not be in such a radical way, but as another example, if you ask any player, and even designers, about core elements that make a ttrpg rules and I believe almost all of them would say that dice is a core part of the ttrpg rules, but we have people like Spencer Campbell from Gilarpgs moving away from dices and making a very clever system of it. This is a designer approach, to strive to something new, even if it's little, to always make the scene moving forward.

One point that I also needs to add is how the familiar most time is tied to elements created by white, catholic, american/european man and that holding your ideas close to those you can risk to have some of their problematic ideologies tied to your game. I love Dune, I love Lord of the Rings, I like Dungeons and Dragons, I like Lovecraftion Mythos, but you need to understand that they carry a very problematic concept beneath them, and those are the main examples I have in my mind, and since ttrpg is more and more global, using our own interpretations of concepts estabilished by people from another country can be a good way to add another lens of it, to get rid of it's problematic views and add more value to it.

And for people that might be afraid of trying something new, don't be, Gubat Banwa was awarded best setting yesterday during Indie Game Developer Network, with its Southeast Asian fantasy setting, and that's great, the fact that the scene is dominated by familiar themes also means that there is a ton of space for novelty ideas, be it by analysing already estabilished settings and break it into something new, or by make something you feel it's truly unique, we always need something new, as the familiar setting will never fade and will always be popular, the New ideas is the drive for innovation, so don't be afriad, be bold!

This thoughts and ideas are not pre-written, and I don't think they will ever be, so that's why they might feel crazy and don't make sense to you, im not here to tell what other designers should and shouldn't do, even tho sometimes it seems that I am, but in the end you're the one that should know best how to proceed.

Thank you.

Raul.

[alarrytale]

What's your opinion on Chappell calling out entitled fan behavior?

wanted to ask your opinion on the chappel roan tiktoks she made the other day about fame and boundaries. i know a lot of people are siding with her, but i just feel like she could've been nicer about what she said...? i get that she had this crazy rise in fame the past few months. and i dont know how i would respond to that change, but to be upset bc fans want to take photos with you and to be so rude about it bc you're on "your time" just???. idk i feel like im in the minority here

Hi, anons!

So here is what she said for context.

It's a complicated topic with no right and wrong answer. When you become famous, a celebrity and a public figure you also become a role model, someone who people look up to, admire, and who people project their own feelings on to. There are many people who wants to find fame and recognition, but only a few of the best make it. It's the people and fans who choose who make it. With fame and celebrity there also comes expectations. You need to live up to people's image of you, what made you famous, or else people will turn their back on you and you're not worthy of your earned respect, fame and attention.

I've said many times before that a fan and celebrity relationship is symbiotic. It's give and take on both parts. You need to cater to your fans wants and wishes if you want to keep their attention and their loyalty. At the same time, a fan needs to respect that the celebrity is human with their own wishes and wants. So you need to find a balance between the two, where both parties are content.

When you're a celebrity you have to give up some things like privacy. People are going to greet you on the streets, want a pic with you, want to follow your career and private life, want to visit your home town, befriend you etc. You're a role model and a celebrity now. When you want attention on yourself to become famous, you can’t really choose and regulate when and where you get the attention. When CR compares herself to "a regular lady" she simply is not. Her days of not being recognised and being able to walk around a mall in peace are over.

I'm not sure what CR expected of fame and recognition and becoming a household name, but if she think she can police her fandom and expect to be treated like a regular citizen, she's wrong. It sounds like she wants to be a successful artist with all the perks, but not a celebrity and role model with all the backsides that comes with that. That's not how fame, success and recognition works. Being famous has it's perks, but also disadvantages. You have to give up and sacrifice some things in order to become famous. I saw a quote tweet that said that she's not going to last long in the industry if she's using this much energy on this. I agree with that. She needs to come to terms with people idolising her, especially since she has a young, female and queer target group and fandom.

I think realising and accepting fans need for your availability, respect and acknowledgement is important. She needs to understand how much she means to some people. That doesn’t mean she should put her life on hold for her fans. But it does mean setting aside time to do fan service. She has her boundaries and i think it would be good for her to do signings and meet and greets in controlled environments. That makes it easier for her to say no to pics, and fans understanding and accepting it, when she's "off work".

She also says that fans don’t know her and she doesn’t know them, that they're strangers. That's not true either. She should know what she means to her fans and how important she is to them. Her fans know what she's projecting and sharing of herself. A fan driving by her and rolling down the window and saying "hi, chappell, i love your music" isn't entitlement, harrasment, nor stalking. A fan talking about her on social media isn't entitlement, harrassment nor stalking. It's things she needs to accept as a celebrity.

Actual fan entitlement, harrasment, stalking, invasive behaviour is of course never okay. There will always be a handful of fans who break those boundaries. It can't be helped. The vast majority of fans she meets are just overzealous, harmless fans who just want her attention and show her how much they love and admire her. I understand it can be annoying to be asked for a pic twenty times a day, but just politely decline and say you appreciate their support. You can still say no and leave the fan with a good impression of you and have a good interaction.

She's young, she's new to all this and i think she's mourning her freedom and anonymity a bit. I hope she learns to deal with her new found fame and find a balance between protecting herself and her boundaries, and acknowledging her fans and the role she plays for them.

[baconcolacan]

@letmeaskdanielaquestion I hope you dont mind but I’m posting this because its impossible for me to answer fully in the replies. And I count this as another ask so just in case someone else has something similar to ask they can look to this one :] Also thank you again for the previous kind words!

And, hrm…about writing, yes I did write a lot before regimen, but its far FAR from being any good. Thankfully most of my early works have never seen the light of day (because they’re in a now dead and deleted fb group) and the ones that did never got off the ground and is lost in ff.net. I was a horrible, horrible, little goblin of a writer and a total weeb. If you cant imagine in, just know that I used stuff like “Kya~!” in the writing……..yeah, I’m choking from embarrassment how did you know?

I also understand the perfectionism bit btw. I’m diagnosed with OCD, and my brand of OCD makes me obsessed with perfection among other things, to the point where I risk bodily harm to achieve it. It took me years of therapy and medication to overcome it, so I understand giving up when you feel something isnt up to your standards. The best advice I can give is this:

When writing, your first draft is just that, your first draft, it doesnt matter if there are grammatical errors and wonky dialogue, its there for you to have fun with and go wild on, word vomiting whatever you feel is the best next sentence. Personally, it feels cathartic to put down all my thoughts on the paper instead of letting them fester in my head, at least its out and not bugging me from within my own mind. I dont sweat the details of my first draft, I just need the words out of my head and physically there so it doesnt bother me as much. Trust me, ideas love to nip and yap at any creative’s heels until they make them real, only then will you have your peace and quiet.

And if you want more order? Before your first draft, make a skeleton of your story, put down the events that happen in each chapter in bullet points. I assume you’ve read chapter 1 of Regimen already so I’ll give my chapter skeleton as an example:

Regimen: Act 1 Outlines

Ch1 - Escape

* Pick up from Armistice. Tom is stumbling through the woods trying to get back to base

* Introduce some unit mates and their relationships with Tom

* Tom hides the fact that the General is dead + his encounter with Tord

* Peace treaty is aired. Things go horribly wrong (Tord is a bastard snake here, remember that Neil)

* Tom announces his intention to escape Norway. The others follow.

* Add context to the world and the state of Norway at the moment, have Tom reflect on his relationship with Tord compared to others. (Hes wrong btw, he ***I erased this next part because the note spoils something***)

* The escape ends in tragedy. Most of the unit is destroyed.

And for inspo? I always suggest different media: books, shows, movies etc etc. Analyze them, see how the plot flows, what works and what doesn’t, how does the story progress? Do they use flashbacks? How often? Exposition? How much? etc etc.

But ah, take my advice with a grain of salt. I’m a professional visual artist, I’m just a hobbyist when it comes to writing ^^;

[in-my-feels-probably]

im here to congratulate you on 1.5 followers, you deserve it and much more! 🩶 but also, id like to ask for an option two of your event for harry potter (marauders or slytherin boys, romantically) im a slytherin with intp personality. im 5'7 with wavy dark blonde hair and i wear glasses. so, im an introverted and easygoing person (but id say im in constant stress at this point 😭), i enjoy making people around me laugh - which include a lot of sarcastic comments - and have a good time. im loyal and independent, dont like giving satisfaction to random people. my likes include absolutally any type of art - and i practice some dancing, drawing and painting myself -, fashion - even though my style is not specific, it just goes according to my mood -, rock music, horror movies, plushies and nature. in a relationship the most important topic to me would be ✨belonging✨ - i have some trust issues, so its essential to feel that its genuine and mutual connection. also, my giving love languages are gift giving and quality time. (sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, english is not my first language) thanks!

hi!

thanks for participating :)

i ship you with theo!

while i think theo can hold his own in group settings and act confident, i don’t think he’s that much of a people person. i think he has a short social battery, and he kinda checks out and is a little detached. he’s ambiverted for sure. i think he’d understand your sense of independence, and he’d know how important alone time away from the group to give yourself a chance to recuperate is. he’d be drawn to you purely based off that, but also because of your sarcasm. he’s SO good at banter and sarcasm, and he’d enjoy talking to someone on his level. he’d also love how you like to make people laugh. he could do with some cheering up, and knowing that you were actively trying to make his and other peoples day better would be a really sweet sentiment to him.

i feel like theo would be good at all types of art. he can probably draw really well, and he has a good sense of style. he’s got a good eye for detail and beauty, and he’d find your interest in it endearing. above any art form, i think music is his favorite. he’d get really excited if you listened to the same artists as him.

theo’s definitely got some abandonment issues. it probably stems from his family and home life, and he just never shook it as he got older. it would take a lot for him to trust someone and get comfortable, so he’d really value you opening up to him and being patient with him. you’d understand how he felt, and he’d really value having someone like that around. i think his main love language is also quality time, so he’d be happy to just be with you doing whatever entertained you.

—

after a round of exams, one of the houses would throw a party to celebrate. half the castle would come, and it would be really loud and crowded. as they headed to the common rooms, you decided to sit out for a while in the courtyard while it was empty. you’d draw to pass the time until you were ready to go back in.

theo would find you out there when he came to smoke. he’d sit next to you in silence, knocking his knee against yours.

“not in the mood for a party?” you’d ask, looking over at him.

he’d shake his head, putting his cigarette out. “and have firewhiskey sloshed all over me by those drunk dickheads? i think i’ll pass, love.”

you’d chuckle, turning back to your sketch. he’d shift to rest his head on your shoulder, watching as you continued your drawing. it would be peaceful for a moment, a comfortable silence between you both. finally, you’d set your things down, turning to him.

“i think one of us should go rescue pansy,” you said before clearing your throat. “she’s all alone with the boys. i feel bad.”

he’d chuckle against your shoulder. “pansy is never in need of rescuing.”

“maybe,” you’d say, standing up after gathering your things.

you’d offer your hand to him, making him let out a sigh. but he’d take your hand away, groaning as you helped him up.

“am i not enough company for you, love?” he’d ask, hooking his arm around your shoulders. “you’d rather have firewhiskey sloshed all over you than sit out here with me?”

you’d laugh, leaning into his side. “i’d rather it be firewhiskey than getting chewed out by pansy later.”

as you started your walk back to the common room, you’d reach for his hand again, giving it a squeeze.

“and, to answer your question—no. i wouldn’t rather have firewhiskey sloshed all over me than sitting with you. that’s why i’m dragging you with me. we’ll do it together.”

he’d squeeze your hand tight, grinning down at you as you walked together. “fine—but only because i don’t want you getting chewed out by pansy. no other reason.”

“sure, darling. sure.”

—

thanks again for participating! i hope you liked this :)

[hydr9]

you guys dont understand how much im begging begging begging. begging on my hands and KNEES for a jyp to debut a genuinely self-produced girl group.

(rant below the readmore)

let me say this clearly from the start: there is nothing wrong with traditional idol groups. there is nothing wrong with being a (k)pop idol that does not write/produce their own music, and there is nothing wrong with having no desire to.

g-idle is right there yes yes of course they are--point is, there is not only them as female artists who have self-made music and performances they want to put into the world via the idol industry. and g-idle is CONSTANTLY being dragged down into hell by cube.

it doesn't need to be jyp, that's barely even my point here. g-idle are full of talented talented women who have achieved amazing success despite everything that coudlve held them back, but god, their biggest enemy is still clearly their company. constant stories of soyeon fighting for the songs and concepts she wants to be released, mild choreographies, generally terrible working conditions that CANNOT be working in their favor as artists/performers/idols.

purple kiss was marketed as that: a self-produced female idol group. but jesus, rbw, where is the self-producing? where are their writing credits on their titles? their own original ideas? and how can an idol group be self-produced if they're stuck to such a cemented concept for each comeback? is that what they want to be releasing? god knows i love purple kiss and i adore their concept, but that's besides the point here. i always check CCL, check their videos, to see their writing and production credits, and they ARE capable of making good music, *obviously* they are! why would they market them as such anyways? please. these girls have so much potential. i'm not even claiming they're being mistreated here, of course not every idol wants to make their own music, that's not what it's always about, but when it comes to marketing a group as such, how can they come in last as writing credits and have their self-written and self-produced songs be constantly nudged into bsides? their original choreographies like my heart skip a beat?

and jyp. oooooh jyp. you make me so mad. in that japanese skz + park jinyoung interview, JYP explained why stray kids formed the way it did, and let me just use exact quotes here (u can watch vid for everything, credit to STRAY K SUBS on yt for trans).

"we felt like the distance between fans and artists was gradually getting closer. so, it's hard to fool fans now. it's because we saw that it'd be hard to put out something that we planned and packaged nicely. [...] then, in order to show their real selves without any adjustments, we had to make a team that's actually tightly knit and like one body. we came to the conclusion that in order to do that, the company can't organize the members. so we ended up trying that kind of method for the first time."

and how come you went and debuted ITZY and NMIXX with absolutely no hint of these beliefs anywhere?

where is this trust for your female idols? where is this belief in authenticity in your female idols? where is this belief that you can't fool fans anymore?

is it somewhere in the self-love pop itzy sings that they have not even written about themselves?

is it somewhere in the colossal failure of "mixx-pop" that you plastered onto a group of young talented girls and risked their entire career on?

what did you not learn from the massive success of stray kids? what makes JYP think that a group of female artists is not capable of the same thing?

i'm sorry if i sound like i'm ever degrading to other girl groups about this, i promise i don't mean to be. but this subtle and extremely pervasive belief that women are not capable of technical proficiency makes my fucking blood boil. women can write their own lyrics. women can produce their own music. women can arrange their own music if they fucking want to. women are capable of understanding a market, having a message they want to spread, and using the idol industry as their medium.

if stray kids can do it, why the fuck can't any female idol group?

where is the huge amount of funding that goes to stray kids for their constant events, activities, concepts, comebacks, performances, and everything else, going for any other self-producing girl group?

im begging this industry to let women have that kind of freedom.

PS: because i know this wont get any notes but im scared of people missing the point: please god know i love stray kids. i love purple kiss. i love g-idle. and though im not a midzy i have MASSIVE respect for ITZY. and i have so much hope for NMIXX and the talent that those girls have--i only hope for jyp to take their heads out of their asses and truly believe in creativity and innovation, something i dont believe they are doing for NMIXX. i am not trying to bring these groups, or any other groups, down in any way.

PPS: if anything i said here is wrong or you have anything to add, pls do, im very open for discussion on this, it is an important topic to me

[sensebreakawake]

(repost from my other acc bc I just want it here)

you guys dont understand how much im begging begging begging. begging on my hands and KNEES for a jyp to debut a genuinely self-produced girl group.

(rant below the readmore)

let me say this clearly from the start: there is nothing wrong with traditional idol groups. there is nothing wrong with being a (k)pop idol that does not write/produce their own music, and there is nothing wrong with having no desire to.

g-idle is right there yes yes of course they are--point is, there is not only them as female artists who have self-made music and performances they want to put into the world via the idol industry. and g-idle is CONSTANTLY being dragged down into hell by cube.

it doesn't need to be jyp, that's barely even my point here. g-idle are full of talented talented women who have achieved amazing success despite everything that coudlve held them back, but god, their biggest enemy is still clearly their company. constant stories of soyeon fighting for the songs and concepts she wants to be released, mild choreographies, generally terrible working conditions that CANNOT be working in their favor as artists/performers/idols.

purple kiss was marketed as that: a self-produced female idol group. but jesus, rbw, where is the self-producing? where are their writing credits on their titles? their own original ideas? and how can an idol group be self-produced if they're stuck to such a cemented concept for each comeback? is that what they want to be releasing? god knows i love purple kiss and i adore their concept, but that's besides the point here. i always check CCL, check their videos, to see their writing and production credits, and they ARE capable of making good music, *obviously* they are! why would they market them as such anyways? please. these girls have so much potential. i'm not even claiming they're being mistreated here, of course not every idol wants to make their own music, that's not what it's always about, but when it comes to marketing a group as such, how can they come in last as writing credits and have their self-written and self-produced songs be constantly nudged into bsides? their original choreographies like my heart skip a beat?

and jyp. oooooh jyp. you make me so mad. in that japanese skz + park jinyoung interview, JYP explained why stray kids formed the way it did, and let me just use exact quotes here (u can watch vid for everything, credit to STRAY K SUBS on yt for trans).

"we felt like the distance between fans and artists was gradually getting closer. so, it's hard to fool fans now. it's because we saw that it'd be hard to put out something that we planned and packaged nicely. [...] then, in order to show their real selves without any adjustments, we had to make a team that's actually tightly knit and like one body. we came to the conclusion that in order to do that, the company can't organize the members. so we ended up trying that kind of method for the first time."

and how come you went and debuted ITZY and NMIXX with absolutely no hint of these beliefs anywhere?

where is this trust for your female idols? where is this belief in authenticity in your female idols? where is this belief that you can't fool fans anymore?

is it somewhere in the self-love pop itzy sings that they have not even written about themselves?

is it somewhere in the colossal failure of "mixx-pop" that you plastered onto a group of young talented girls and risked their entire career on?

what did you not learn from the massive success of stray kids? what makes JYP think that a group of female artists is not capable of the same thing?

i'm sorry if i sound like i'm ever degrading to other girl groups about this, i promise i don't mean to be. but this subtle and extremely pervasive belief that women are not capable of technical proficiency makes my fucking blood boil. women can write their own lyrics. women can produce their own music. women can arrange their own music if they fucking want to. women are capable of understanding a market, having a message they want to spread, and using the idol industry as their medium.

if stray kids can do it, why the fuck can't any female idol group?

where is the huge amount of funding that goes to stray kids for their constant events, activities, concepts, comebacks, performances, and everything else, going for any other self-producing girl group?

im begging this industry to let women have that kind of freedom.

PS: because i know this wont get any notes but im scared of people missing the point: please god know i love stray kids. i love purple kiss. i love g-idle. and though im not a midzy i have MASSIVE respect for ITZY. and i have so much hope for NMIXX and the talent that those girls have--i only hope for jyp to take their heads out of their asses and truly believe in creativity and innovation, something i dont believe they are doing for NMIXX. i am not trying to bring these groups, or any other groups, down in any way.

PPS: if anything i said here is wrong or you have anything to add, pls do, im very open for discussion on this, it is an important topic to me

[jewishrevolutionary]

Poverty is not actively recognized in our country nor in the discussions of politics, and I feel deeply hurt and demotivated because of it, especially as someone who has been forced to live in the lowest sectors of it. It ends up being a discussion only used as a trump card, not a regular talking point that needs to be actively recognized. Milenials and Gen Z is the most in poverty, despite all the opportunities people had in college or elsewhere.

Ever since I got kicked out of my parents home, I have moved to the slummiest parts of my state's capital and I live in this shitty, broken down apartment that has lead paint in certain areas, mold in (possibly) the floor, the walls, the ceilings, and other areas. Our bathroom sink and toilet barely work, the refrigerator is broken down, and for the first 6 months, the lock to our front door was completely broken.

In all of that, I and my boyfriend have gone through a plethora of jobs. My boyfriend started talking about unionizing in his first job, got fired almost immediately. His second and third job was too stressful to keep up with mentally. And only now did he get a job that only gave him part time hours.

My first job was too far away to keep working in and they didnt even respect me for all the shitty work they put me through when we only had a skeleton crew. My second job, i got fired for taking a very small tip from someone. And the job Im currently working for is full of shitheads who've gotten recently promoted and are barking and kneeling for the owner and his shitty decisions. (For example, we had a foot and a half of snow and everyone avoided the topic of closing early and shamed me and another coworker for not coming in when it was too unsafe for either of us to leave) I also broke down sobbing during a stressful rush and was blamed for not communicating with my manager about the rush.

Either way, regardless of my own treatement and how much I can tell you about the treatment of my boyfriend at his workplaces, we're still in deep poverty and our rent is going to definitely increase, with the fact that we dont have a car yet that can help get us to and from places. And this constant feeling of dread that I cant escape this has made me so much more less hopeful than I was before.

I have nearly lost my faith in leftist/communist/anarchist movements because there is zero groups in sight in my state and anywhere near where I live. I have tried getting financial help by setting up GoFundMe's, public kofi's or anything. And the constant struggling and difficulty with my recent schedules have made it impossible for me to engage in any of my own artistic interests becsuse of the sheer amount of demotivation I've been through.

I want to be happy, I want to live a fulfilled life, but I dont want to be stuck under this constantly pressuring system that will harm me for not having *credit* and being a young adult.

I need money for a car, but no one is willing to spare because I'm seen as too young and inexperienced. I need credit for getting an apartment, getting a car, getting ANYWHERE, and I fear debt like no one else in the world.

And it has only made me more and more hopeless, because this a problem that is seemingly everywhere, but Americans dont talk about. They wont support each other through it, and I and my boyfriend have talked to people, have tried getting support, but we only get scoffs, angry mullings about making sure we make our own lives better, and advice that gets us nowhere. My boyfriend was told by everyone except his immediate family that trying to unionize was dumb and would have only led to his firing. That he needed to just suck it up and get better.

I want to have hope in people, but this last year has been so dejecting for me and my hope. I dont know what to do anymore. It hurts me a lot that there isnt anything for me to do. I, my boyfriend, and their sibling might become homeless because of the rent increase in the next 3 months, and I feel too dejected to even ask for money anymore because I know no one has money anymore.

I'm just going to end off on the note that I'm not planning anything. I just am going to survive. And if anyone wants to help, I just need help with saving up for a car so send me a DM or something. I have about 1200 between me and my boyfriend.

And be sure to ask everyone you know about their situation, be sure to help as many people as you can. I've been doing it despite my poverty, and it's because I have money to spend for myself that I know would be used better. It only takes a little to make people hopeful, and doing nothing makes them lose their hope.

[allthings2ne1]

I try not to put myself in this situation, but the Blackjack in me can’t really help myself because I want to interact with 2NE1 related content. However, I have to say it’s really frustrating being on the 2NE1 side of Twitter.

[monsterslament]

found it. thought it was odd so i wanted to share it

bro I found this insane post about how roleplaying female characters steals femininity and gay men steal femininity from women and. it's insane ofc. but I was in the middle of making a comment on the post (a very Long comment typed out on a phone keyboard) and it glitched out and the post vanished. what if i started to kill.

[rat-nitty]

Here he is, the one and only Micheangelo - the youngest son and heart of the group. Mikey is also very friendshaped but dont let that cute face fool you, he is an agent of chaos and will prank you at any given time.

More about the Friendshaped goofball under the cut

Hamato Micheangelo also known as Mikey (or Angelo, Micheal, little guy, tiny and Dr. Prankenstein among other nicknames) is the youngest son of Splinter and the most invested in human behavior, often roaming the sewers for different goodies like clothes and knickknacks. As the youngest, Mikey often uses his cute face to his advantage when getting into trouble or wanting something as he knows his brothers have a hard time saying no to him and also very much appreciates them protecting him, even if they can be pretty overprotective sometimes (specifically Raph and April). However, he can be quite the menace being the annoying younger sibling he is, Mikey loves playing pranks on people, mostly harmless ones, and just generally joking/goofing around with his brothers which some appreciate more than other - he is the lovingly adorable comic relief, or at least that’s what he describes himself as.

Other than Leo, Mikey isnt very interested in the whole Prophecy thing and while he does respect family tradition, he isnt really a big fan of some of the predictions and what his ancestors have done - he mostly goes by his own flow while still heavily being influenced by Splinter and his stories. Mikey’s destiny is to become the deity of the heart, being able to detect peoples feelings and even healing illness and wounds (which do take a lot out of him). These powers are arguably the strongest of the three however the most stressful and hardest to use since they need a lot of focus which Mikey lacks - thats why he uses them sparingly, at least the healing part, he has the whole “reading people’s emotions” down pretty perfectly. In a fight, Mikey is the most flexible one though very clumsy on his feet when he gets disctracted, however he also is the fastest out of his brothers (with Leo using his powers as an exception) and very talented with his Nunchucks among other things, being able to use anything as a weapon, like his YoYo.

As the youngest, Mikey is the most restless and truly the heart of the team, always wanting to help (which can get him into trouble as he’s aslo very easily manipulated) and cheer people up, the most creative one often in his own little world, making friends with any animal he finds left and right, cant sit still for five minutes and doesnt like being left alone - he seeks comfort in hugs and his comic books. However Mikey is also the chef of the family, interested in cooking shows, he often replicates what he sees and sometimes its pretty edible - other times its not. Not only a chef but also the most artistic person in the family, loving to draw and craft tiny bits, even trying his hands in sewing while sometimes picking up other hobbies and immidiatly dropping them from loss of interest. And out of all of his brothers, Mikey is also the most talented skater, sneaking out with April and Raph to skate and draw grafiti on walls while looking out for criminals and talking about comic books. Like Leo, Mikey is quite interested in cartoons/anime however does prefer comicbooks and does occasionally read normal books (like Animorphs or Warrior cats) while his taste in music is heavily influenced by american and internet culture - he is totally a TikTok kid who records dance and prank videos but never allowed to post them.

A few other FunFacts about the tiny guy:

He loves putting stickers on his shell, they make him feel pretty and April constantly brings him new sticker sheets with random motifs from her part-time job, thats why they change constantly

Can’t actually smell anything which is mostly the reason why his food sometimes gets burnt though his stomach can digest pretty much anything so he just eats it anyway, he also has red/green color blindness

Very hyperactive and bouncy, loves jumping around and doing little jigs while also whistling a lot - the most expressive, clumsy and loud one out of his brothers, his love language is mostly physical affection and he will randomly start hugging and theres nothing anyone can do about it

Mikey’s favorite siblings are definitly Raph and April whom he will hang around a lot even if he sometimes doesnt really understand them and their teen angst - but their music is cool and watching movies with them is his favorite activity even if they have to put on more kid-friendly ones for him (both of them are Horror movie nuts but would never let Mikey see one).

Feeds the alley cats once a day, he wanted to bring them home but due to Splinter, he decided not to - they do sometimes follow him into the sewers though

Mikey isn’t really fluent in any language, he knows some bits of japanese and french that he learned from his cooking shows and Splinter however he does know sign language and really wants to learn how to write in braille incase he would ever need it

Constantly has bandages from just being overall clumsy while also having to wear knee-protectors as his knees are very easily bruisable - he has quite a record of dislocating a knee or breaking a bone

[meruz]

once again i am answering asks in a big compilation post. included is... gotham, patrick stump, tips about drawing backgrounds, tips about drawing in general, links to my faq, and infinity train

like.... the tv series? No... I’ve drawn dc comics fanart before, though. But it’s been years since I’ve been really into it. I like jumped ship like 10 years ago when the New 52 happened LOL.

AFJHDSLKGH I’m sorry I (probably) won’t do it again??

Actually full disclosure I have a truly cringe amount of p stump drawings/photo studies in my sketchbook right now LOL. He’s just fun to draw... hats, glasses, guitar, a good shape... but I don’t think I’ll rly post those until I can hide them in another big sketchbook pdf.. probably Jan 2022. Stay tuned........ (ominous) 

(ominous preview)

These are all sort of related to backgrounds/painting so I grouped them together even though they’re pretty much entirely separate questions.... ANYWAYS

a) How is it working as a BG artist? Is it hard? What show are you drawing for?

I think you’re the first person to ever ask me about my job! Being a background artist is great. It’s definitely labor intensive but I think that could describe pretty much any art job (If something were rote or easy to automate, you wouldn’t hire an artist to do it) and I hesitate to say whether its harder or easier than any other role in the animation pipeline. Plus, so much of what truly makes a job difficult varies from one production to the next, schedule, working environment, co-workers etc. But I will say that I think while BGs are generally a lot of work on the upfront, I think they’re subject to less scrutiny/revisions than something like character/props/effects design and you don’t have to pitch them to a room like boards. So I guess it’s good if you don’t like to talk to people? LOL

A lot of my previous projects + the show I’ve worked on the longest aren’t public yet so I can’t talk about em (but I assure you if/when the news does break I won’t shut up about it). But I’m currently working on Archer Season 12 LOL. I’m like 90% sure I’m allowed to say that.

b) ~~~THANK YOU!! ~~~

c) What exactly do you like to draw most [in a background]?

@kaitomiury​ Lots of stuff! I really like to draw clutter! Because it’s a great opportunity for environmental storytelling and also you can be kind of messy with it because the sheer mass will supersede any details LOL. 

I like to draw clouds... I like to draw grass but not trees lol,,, I like to draw anything that sells perspective really easily like tiled floors and ceilings, shelves, lamp posts on a street etc.

d) Do you have any tips on how to paint (observational)?

god there’s so much to say. painting is really a whole ass discipline like someone can paint their whole life and still discover new things about it. I guess if you’re really just starting out my best advice is that habit is more important than product. especially with traditional plein air painting, I find that the procedure of going outside and setting up your paints is almost harder than the actual painting. There’s a lot of artists who say “I want to do plein air sometime!!” and then never actually get around to doing it. A lot of people just end up working from google streetview or photos on their computer.

But going outside to paint is a really good challenge because it forces you to make and commit to lighting and composition decisions really quickly. And to work through your mistakes instead of against them via undo button.

My last tip is to check out James Gurney’s youtube channel because hes probably the best and most consistent resource on observational painting out there rn. There’s lots other artists doing the same thing (off the top of my head I know a lot of the Warrior Painters group has people regularly posting plein air stuff and lightbox expo had a Jesse Schmidt lecture abt it last year) but Gurney’s probably the most prolific poster and one of the best at explaining the more technical stuff - his books are great too.

e) Do you have tips for drawing cleanly on heavypaint?

@marigoldfool​ UMM LOL I LIKE ONLY USE THE FILL TOOL so maybe use the fill tool? Fill and rectangle are good for edge control as opposed to the rest of the heavy paint tools which can get sort of muddles. And also I use a stylus so maybe if you’re using your finger, find a stylus that works with your device instead. That’s all I’ve got, frankly I don’t think my drawings are particularly clean lol.

f) Tips on improving backgrounds/scenes making them more dynamic practicing etc?

Ive given some tips about backgrounds/scenes before so I’m not gonna re-tread those but here’s another thing that might be helpful...

I think a good way to approach backgrounds is to think of the specific story or even mood you want to convey with the background first. Thinking “I just need to put something behind this character” is going to lead you to drawing like... a green screen tourist photo backdrop. But if you think “I need this bg to make the characters feel small” or “I need this bg to make the world feel colorful” then it gives you requirements and cues to work off of.

If I know a character needs to feel overwhelmed and small, then I know I need to create environment elements that will cage them in and corner them. If a character needs to feel triumphant/on top of the world then I know I need to let the environment open up around them. etc. If I know my focal point/ where I want to draw attention, I can build the background around that.

Also, backgrounds like figure compositions will have focal points of their own and you can draw attention to it/ the relationship the characters have with the bg element via scale or directionality or color, any number of cues. I think of it almost as a second/third character in a scene.

Not every composition is gonna have something so obvious like this but it helps me to think about these because then the characters feel connected and integrated with the environment.

Some more general art questions

a) Do you have any process/tips to start drawing character/bodies/heads?

I tried to kind of draw something to answer this but honestly this is difficult for me to answer because I don’t think I’m that great at drawing characters LOL. Ok, I think I have two tips.

1) flip your canvas often. A lot about what makes human bodies look correct and believable is symmetry and balance. Even if someone has asymmetrical features, the body will often pull and push in a way to counterbalance it. we often have inherent biases to one side or another like dominant hands dominant eyes etc. you know how right-handed artists will often favor drawing characters facing 45 degrees facing (the artist’s) left? that’s part of it. so viewing your drawing flipped even just to evaluate it helps compensate for that bias and makes you more aware of balance.

2) draw the whole figure often. I feel like a lot of beginner artists (myself included for a long time) defer to just drawing headshots or busts because it’s easier, you dont have to think about posing limbs etc. But drawing a full body allows you to better gauge proportion, perspective, body language, everything that makes a character look believable and grounded.

Like if you (me) have that issue where you draw the head too big and then have to resize it to fit the proportions of the rest of the body, it’s probably because you (I) drew the head first and are treating the body as an afterthought/attachment. Sketching out the whole figure first or even just quick drawing guides for it will help you think of it more holistically. I learned this figure drawing in charcoal at art school LOL.

oh. third mini tip - try to draw people from life often! its the best study. if you can get into a figure drawing/nude drawing class EVEN BETTER and if you have a local college/art space/museum that hosts those for free TREASURE IT AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, that’s a huge boon that a lot of artists (me again) wish they had. though if youre not so lucky and youre sitting in a park trying to creeper draw people and they keep moving.. don’t let that stop you! that’s good practice because it’s forcing you to work fast to get the important stuff down LOL. its a challenge!

b) I’ve been pretty out of energy and have had no inspiration to draw but I have the desire to. Any advice?

Dude, take a walk or something.... Or a nap? Low energy is going to effect everything else so you gotta hit that problem at its source.

If you’re looking for inspiration though, I’d recommend stuff like watching a movie, reading a book, playing video games etc. Fill up your idea bank with content and then give yourself time/space to gestate it into new concepts. Sometimes looking at other art works but sometimes it can work against you because it’s too close. 

Also something that helps me is remembering that art doesn’t always have to be groundbreaking... like it’s okay to make something shitty and stupid that you don’t post online and only show to your friend. That’s all part of the process imo. If you want to hit a home run you gotta warm up first, right? Sports.

I should probably compile everytime i give tips on stuff like this but that’s getting dangerously close to being a social media artist who makes stupid boiled down art tutorials for clout which is the last thing i want to be... the thing I want to stress is that art is a whole visual language and there are widely agreed upon rules and customs but they exist in large part to be broken. Like there's an infinite number of ways to reach an infinite number of solutions and that’s actually what makes it really cool and personal for both the artist and the viewer. So when you make work you like or you find someone else’s work you like, take a step back and ask yourself what about it speaks for you, what about it works for you, what makes it effective, how to recreate that effect and how to break that effect completely, etc. And have a good time with it or else what’s the point.

for the first 2, I direct you to my FAQ

For the last one, I don’t actually believe I’ve ever addressed artwork as insp for stories/rp but I’ll say here and now yeah go ahead! As long as you’re not making profit or taking credit for my work then I’m normally ok with it. Especially anything thats private and purely recreational, that’s generally 100% green light go. I only ask that if you post it anywhere public that you please credit me.

(and I reserve the right to ask you to take it down if I see it and don’t approve of it’s use but I think that case is pretty rare.)

a) @lemuelzero101 Thank you!!! I haven’t played Life is Strange but actually  that series’ vis dev artist Edouard Caplain is one of my bigger art inspirations lately so that’s a really high compliment lol. And yeah I hope we get 5-8 too...!

b) Thank you for sticking around! I’ve been thinking about Digimon and Infinity Train in tandem lately, actually. They’re a little similar? Enter a dangerous alternate world and have wacky adventures with monsters/inanimate objects that have weird powers... there’s like weird engineers and mechanisms behind the scenes... also frontier literally starts with them getting on a train. Anyways if anyone else followed me for digimon... maybe you’d like Infinity Train? LOL

c) @king-wens-king I’M GLAD MY ART JUST HAS PINOY VIBES LOL I hope you are having a good day too :^)

a, b, c, d) yessss my Watch Infinity Train agenda is working....

e) aw thank you!! i think you should watch infinity train :)

[waitingforminjae]

wait why do you think some of the members didn't like j*y p*rk? I remember there being rumours of 2pm bullying him and while that's very fun to think about alot of the rumours came from people who biased him and hated the other members so i dont rlly believe those rumours 😔I like your thoughts/meta on kpop idols so I just want to know why you think some of the other members didn't fuck with him

I've always thought he did something really stupid (not the MySpace thing) because even after the MySpace thing he hadn't left the group and jyp even went on a show to talk about how he went to america himself to make sure he was practicing his dancing and singing and also said that he was fundamentally a good person then a few months later he was kicked out because of a serious personal issue in his private life or smth.

Like i feel like insinuating that he was gonna come back then kicking him out obviously is going to cause more backlash and is just more work in general then kicking him out straight away soo🤔

The members were alll sad and left his space open during their mama performance, said things like let's walk together and that 2pm is one on some site then deleted because of the hate that they were getting and talked about him during their speech and everythingbut idk the idea that they secretly hated him makes me happy so I wanna know your thoughts

People also genuinely think he knocked up hyuna and while I don't think he did that I do think he either did something in those few months or confessed to something in those few months of "self reflection"

they did giggle when taec said smth like the hip hop guy who isn't with us anymore and junho did call him the dirt that's been filtered or smth like that so I feel like they don't like him atleast

Maybe it's like an exo situation where the dynamics were a bit off at the beginning and the traumatic experience of losing a member while you have deranged fans and are just getting popular made them all closer because watching old clips with him in them make me cringe and I just can't imagine him sitting doing a vlive with them or him just fitting into the group in any capacity

okay so i got four hours at a dead desk at work so let's get into this lol

(this got soooooo long so i'm putting it under a read more </3)

tbh i'm only joking when i mention 2pm hating him lol i actually don't rlly know anything abt their dynamic w him beyond the one (1) episode of wild bunny i saw with him </3 which i described here and here.

iirc the official story is that he took a hiatus from the group, and then after much discussion w jyp he left the group bc he was unhappy as a kpop artist? which i think is probably true i mean the dude was obviously miserable and as messy as he is nowadays i do think he's happy.

god the rumors abt 2pm bullying him are so funnyyyyy i need to hunt down the article where i read them and read it again lol but i do remember whenever me and my roommate watched that wild bunny episode (after binging soooooo many 2pm fan compilation videos) we were SO shocked by how different and terrible their vibes were aksjdsdkljfflgglhjkl

it really made me realize how much group dynamics are like tetris tbh. like removing that one person made the whole rest of the dynamic fall into place?

like obviously, there is no way to know what their ~real~ personalities were like at the time, because they had just debuted so they all had a persona that they were pushing + a character for that show. but he certainly came across as incredibly immature and irresponsible, and it was frankly rlly uncomfortable to watch......like idk but i think jun.k and nichkhun were genuinely pissed off at him for stealing nichkhun's wallet and ditching them at the karaoke room, going to a club with taec and chansung (who had JUST turned 20), and then not answering the phone. he rlly came across as an older friend who could get you into trouble, but can't get you out.

i also remember the others came across (especially taec) as being "followers", who would just go along with his shenanigans because it was funny or interesting. ofc they were all really young then, and like i said before, this show obvs had set "characters" for them to play, so who knows how accurate my opinion was! but i definitely left that episode feeling very grateful that he left the group, or else he would've gotten them into some real serious trouble.

i think one of the most important aspects of a group's dynamic is their ability to keep each other in check. i think it's important for members to be able to be honest and call each other on their bullshit if they're getting to cocky or arrogant or otherwise becoming an asshole. after all, a kpop group is a brand that you are building together - one person's integrity becomes synonymous with the group's integrity as a whole. that's why scandals are kinda serious business: groups are pushing an image of closeness, ranging from "besties" to "found family". if one member is exposed to be an asshole (or just downright evil, i.e. burning sun) it immediately casts doubt on the other members character and integrity.

i also think that the leader of a group is really influential on the vibe of the group as a whole, and we've seen what a mess jay park is. i think if he had stayed with the group, they would've had a lot more scandals, and had a very negative image as a scandal-ridden group. to be clear, 2pm members HAVE had scandals (incl pretty serious one's, like a couple DUIs), but they've managed to shake them off to have a pretty clean image.

2pm's dynamic as 6 just.....works? like they're fun to watch and it seems like they all genuinely like each other and like working together. i've never really gotten an ~off~ vibe from them, or that they secretly hate each other. especially after seeing them w jay. it just felt wrong and off and uncomfortable. also yeah, i think the whole ordeal of losing a member would naturally create a trauma bond amongst everyone else lol

ik that fans voted jay park the leader bc he got first on their pre-debut show but i have always felt like jun.k should've been the leader the whole time....like again it's hard to know bc wild bunny was obviously very contrived, but he certainly came across as much more responsible and level-headed than jay. i think him and nichkhun are a very solid "hyung/leader" line tbh like ik they've each had a DUI but in general they come across (to me) as very stable guys who take their job and their image very seriously, which is important.

and tbh i'm always a little skeptical when groups w/ a member who's on a scandal hiatus say stuff like "let's walk together" or "2pm is one" or do things like leave their space empty.....like i mentioned before kpop groups are pushing an image of "best friends" or a "family" and when the person hasn't left the group, the idols are still having to deal with and interact with that member's fans. when things are unclear or it seems like hiatus is only temporary, it would be soooo bad for their image to be like "fuck that guy", you know? fans would lose their SHIT and it'd only embroil the group in more drama tbh......but i do agree that if the company's going to cut ties, it's better to do it immediately rather than get fans hopes up.

that got soooooo long sorry </3 but tl:dr idk if they hate him or not but i do think they look at him now and think "man, we really dodged a bullet" lol