#Guiding

[froottalks]

Guiding Stars - Kara Danvers x reader

[summary: reader is in love with kara and confesses their feelings to her]

Masterlist

National City was a place of constant hustle and bustle, where the streets buzzed with energy and the skies were guarded by a vigilant protector—Supergirl. Amidst this city's chaos, fate guided you to a chance encounter with Kara Danvers, a woman with a heart as bright as the sun she concealed within her.

You were drawn to Kara's warmth and kindness from the moment you met her at CatCo. Her smile was like a beacon of light in a world that often seemed overshadowed by darkness. As you got to know her, you realized that her compassion was matched only by her determination to make the world a better place.

One evening, after a long day at CatCo, you found Kara sitting on the balcony of her apartment, gazing at the stars. The city lights twinkled below, creating a mesmerizing backdrop for your conversation.

"Kara," you began, "there's something about you, about the way you care for others, that's truly inspiring."

Kara turned to you, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. "I've always believed that we have a responsibility to use our gifts to help those in need."

As you continued to talk, you discovered a shared sense of purpose—a desire to make a difference, no matter how small. It was as if your paths had converged for a reason, aligning your lives in a way that felt destined.

As weeks turned into months, your connection with Kara deepened. You found yourself spending more time together, whether it was working on a story for CatCo or supporting her in her heroic endeavors as Supergirl. There was an unspoken understanding between you, a bond that grew stronger with each passing day.

One night, as you and Kara stood on a rooftop, gazing at the city's skyline, you couldn't hold back the feelings that had taken root within you. "Kara, there's something I've been wanting to tell you," you confessed, your heart racing.

Kara turned to you, her expression a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, you met her gaze. "Kara, you've become a guiding star in my life. Your compassion, your strength—it's all so incredible. And I... I've fallen for you."

Kara's eyes widened slightly, her lips parting in surprise. After a moment, a soft smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I never thought I'd hear those words from someone who knows both sides of me."

You stepped closer, your heart pounding. "Kara, I see you—the reporter, the hero, the person behind the mask. And I care for every part of you."

In that moment, beneath the starlit sky, Kara reached out and took your hand, her touch sending a shiver down your spine. "I care for you too," she admitted, her voice soft but resolute. "Being Supergirl often means putting others first, but with you, I want to explore a different side of life."

As the city's lights continued to shimmer below, you shared a kiss—a promise of the emotions that had grown between you, a promise of the adventures you would embark upon together.

In the days that followed, you navigated the challenges of life in National City side by side, leaning on each other's strengths and supporting each other through the trials that arose. Amidst the chaos of the world, you found solace and joy in each other's company, held together by a love that was as powerful as the sun that illuminated the sky.

THE END

[x-heesy]

Absofreakinglutely 🙋🏽

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men ~ Frederick Douglass

𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝝠 𝗠𝗬𝗧𝗛 / 𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝝠 𝗧𝗥𝝠𝗣 / 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝝠𝗞 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 / 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝝝𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 / 𝗖𝗛𝝝𝝝𝗦𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗬 / 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝝠 𝗖𝝝𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 / 𝗡𝝝𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝝝 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 / 𝗬𝝝𝗨 𝝠𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝝝𝝠𝗗 /𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦𝝠𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 / 𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗗𝝝 / 𝗟𝝝𝗩𝗘 & 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝝝𝗩𝗘 / 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 & 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 / 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗜𝗧 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘 / 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗜𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝝠𝗟 / 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝝝 / 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧 / 𝗠𝝝𝝝𝗗 𝗕𝝝𝝠𝗥𝗗 /𝗣𝗨𝗡𝗞𝗦𝝠𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗗𝗘𝝠𝗗 ​/ 𝗡𝝝 𝗚𝝝𝗗𝗦 𝗡𝝝 𝗠𝝠𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 / 𝗣𝗥𝝝 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗠𝗙𝗭 / 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗬𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗥𝗭 𝗡𝝝𝗧 𝗪𝗘𝗟(𝗟) 𝗖𝗨𝗠 / 𝗧𝝝 𝝠𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝝠 𝗟𝗨𝗩𝝠𝗭

#justanfriendlyreminder 💡

#thelittlethingsarethebigthings

#autosuggestion #pointofview #codingyourself #programyourself #endlessness #creatingyourself #neverstoplearning

#fantasy #empathy #equality #respect #love #basics

#textart #artfulquotes #typography #expressyourself #iphoneart #newcontemporary #popart #artsyfartsy #artfuckery

#quotes #quotesdaily #quotestoliveby #quotestagram #quotesaboutlife #quotesoftheday #quotestags #quotesgram #motivationalquotes #quotesandsayings #quoteslover #quotesofinstagram #quotesforlife #quotestoinspire #quotestoremember #quotestag #quotesilove #inspirationalquotes #lovequotes @darksilenceinsuburbiareloaded @shadowanndeath @bethanythestrange @frenchpsychiatrymuderedmycnut @derflaneur #quotesaboutlifequotesandsayings #successquotes #dailyquotes #lifequotes #quotesforyou #positivequotes #quotes4you #quotesaboutlove #instaquotes #quoteslife #quoteslove #qotd

Soundtrack: new world by zap mama

#Maybeiamadreamerbutiamnottheonlyone

[local-choatic-demibi-ace]

GL: wtf

Guiding light, snare, and snare's snares

If I had more slots I would have added more snares lol

[characterssaythedarnestthings]

“GIRLS?!?” -Robert Baden Powell

[tenth-sentence]

This might stretch back to the time when the lighthouse at Alexandria was built to guide ships so commerce would not be hampered by mere geography and the fall of night.

"Country: Future Fire, Future Farming" - Bill Gammage and Bruce Pascoe

[swordwizard]

Absolutely beautiful fall day on the Snake River in Jackson, Wy.

Guest appearance from two of my good friends :)

[sarahmcmenomy]

Iris Stellae, acrylic painting

Golden iridescent paints illuminating a compass-star.

I always know my way home.

[exoticalmonde]

Sultifera Guiding Continues...

In today's episode of 'Two Drumsticks Get Lost At Sea' me and Kryo are off in Sultifera to figure out EX-8. I would have helped him between 5 and 7, too but somebody decided that they want to be sneaky sneaky about it and go without me.

Thankfully, I overheard his operators screaming in the background and figured the best time to drop the Carrd I'm working on and help out is now. Like a friend who, you know, cares.

Vendetta aside, I had no other ideas beside watching Kyo and then incorporating it into Kryo's desired and available team. And that means I have to make it sound like it's high end without making it seem like a low end becuase sometimes he can't brute his way out of it.

Such occasions are funny, because conversations such as

Me: "Get Nightingale." Kryo: "Which skill?" Me: "Uh..." Kryo: "Is it green or blue." Me: *Glances at guide*

Me: "Blue." Kryo: "Does it have a shield?" Me: "It sure does."

happens so naturally.

The longer you are a Doctor the better you learn how to lie with a straight face.

He got his high end team and (eventually) my Honeyberry, we learned what the Brambles are, the Roomba is, who the Priest is and the Jellyfish and he got to witness why two pixels matter.

Because someone had to be stubborn and insist that Nearlalter should stand on the second tile to the second red exit (top to bottom) on the right, which eventually scuffed the entire scenario. Since, wouldn't you know it, the boss swallows up the wrong rune.

Guideknights worked out too, though and I even did CM on my own. I don't remember my mindset 10 months ago, but I know I didn't have a lappland and that meant CM was hell.

So much has happened on Dr. Evealia's Rhodes so far, it's a small miracle that we're still the same after all.

And this is my team. Of which, the run was absolutely fantastic.

[amazing3lo72]

girlguding

so as i said last post i'll explain my personal history in girlguiding, hopefully without being too boring lol.

i started in rainbows and have continued through all the sections, i did end up falling out of it for about a year as my rangers leader moved away and our unit disbanded, which was only a few months after we had made it. however, i then started volunteering for my old brownies unit and started my young leader qualification which was unfortunately interrupted by covid so it took me just under 2 years to complete it and become fully qualified.

last september a friend of mine who is an explorer in scouts as me if i wanted to come with him and a few others to germany for their explorer belt expedition, which of course i said yes the only issue was that i needed to be an active member of girlguiding if i were to accompany them on it and young leading didn't count. so i joined a different local rangers unit and have been with them for the last few months. i think volunteering for brownies rather than doing it for myself has definitely changed my perspective on girlguiding and the effort leaders put into their units (big thanks to any leaders that might see this), but most of all i've missed doing badges and committing myself to something that's not academically related, and having small sort term achievements to aim for, like badges, has made me more motivated to commit to long term things, like my a-levels which is a massive jump form gcses.

i'll do some shorter post of the badges i currently have for rangers as well as the ones i'm planning to get before i turn 18 and leave, but my next post will probably be some general updates about school and how my alevels are going.

[clerics4jesus]

Ember Scout Guide (AKA: DnD Girl Scouts)

Greetings DnDblr! For a current campaign, I'm working on a Girl Guide (canadian Girl Scout) build of a Ranger. For that reason, I have gone entirely insane and my former Girl Guide leader-brain has created an extensive system for this character. Enjoy, and feel free to use for your own characters/campaigns :)

The Ember Scouts, much like the actual Girl Guides/Scouts, are made up of seven age-based levels, as well as two merit-based levels. Their primary aim is to educate girls from all socio-economic, cultural, etc backgrounds in essential skills, such as teamwork, leadership, defeating their enemies, spellwork, assassination, alchemy, community service, and hand-to-hand combat. The Ember Scout program consists of a wide range of badges and is funded entirely by donation, run by community volunteers. In Wyrm Scouts, girls at the rough equivalent of five to seven in human years learn to adventure and explore the world around them. Emphasized are teamwork, sword skills, getting outside and having fun, campfire songs, and small-time hand-to-hand combat. All Scouts sell delicious Ember Scout cookies at every level, but Wyrm Scouts are often accompanied by their troop or Lion Turtle Scouts. In Lion Turtle Scouts, girls at the rough equivalent of eight to ten in human years learn to lead a team and slay their enemies. Emphasized are hand-to-hand combat, outdoor skills (like setting up a tent, building a fire, knowing which plants contain neurotoxins, etc), and member-led community service projects! In Hag Scouts, girls at the rough equivalent of ten to thirteen in human years further their combat and hunting skills, learn common battle tactics, organize district-wide cookie distribution and community service projects for younger Scouts, and complete a Hag Scout Quest in order to graduate to the next level, where they must, to the satisfaction of their Troop Leader, defeat a powerful utilize all core aspects of the Ember Scout Law: Cunning, Community Service, Leadership, Bloodthirstiness, Responsible Magic Use, and Teamwork. As a Beholder Scout, a member at the rough equivalent of thirteen to fifteen in human years returns from their Hag Scout Quest and trains younger Scouts in the use of arcane arts and combat. Furthermore, they are tasked with completing 150 volunteer hours at the end of their two-year term. Beholder Scouts and Hag Scouts alike have the chance to complete their Lady Blazing-Power Award by selling up to 500 cases of cookies, organizing a community-wide service project, contributing 50 hours. They must also spend at least two years as Junior Troop Leader. As Gelatinous Cube Scouts, members at the rough equivalent of fifteen to seventeen prowl their district in search of the glory of combat, embark on dangerous quests, and roam their land as a loner in search of something greater, something much darker.

At any point in their Ember Scout journey, an Ember Scout can work toward first attaining the highly-revered rank of Dragon Scout, then Eternal Scout. Dragon Scouts must embark on a years-long quest, referred to as their Dragon Scout Cornerstone project, where they must either use their peacemaking skills to form an alliance between their community and a Draconic one, or use their war-making skills to slay several, returning with their blood and severed teeth as a prize. The Dragon Scout rank is well-respected, with there only ever being three recorded Dragon Scouts in Ember Scout history. After becoming a Dragon Scout, an Ember Scout can escape to the mountains and spend years in exile in a temple, communing with the gods, or become a legendary warrior, whose name is only ever spoken in whispers. Whatever the outcome, an Eternal Scout hopeful must spend ten human years or equivalent at minimum establishing a relationship with a divine patron, dark or light, and vanish mysteriously into oblivion. Their name lives on only in history, as a truly Eternal Scout.

[frownyalfred]

Tips for writing those gala scenes, from someone who goes to them occasionally:

Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.

You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.

When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.

A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)

Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)

The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.

Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.

Members of the press generally aren’t allowed to freely circulate at nicer galas/events without a very good reason. When they do, they need to identify themselves before talking with someone.

[nikoco11]

my recipe for drawing hands!

(small note that this is a shortcut that is more abt style and ease than anatomical accuracy. it helps to take time to really properly study hands, makes it easier to bend the rules a bit like this and have it still look good!!)

(learn rules b4 u break them or whatevah)

[local-choatic-demibi-ace]

I like writing on walls, fuck you guiding -Dupe

Dupe this is actually door not a wall, regards -Guiding

Curious: Follow your dreams

A-60: I literally only have nightmares

Jack: Question everything

Hide: Why

Screech: Yo girl on a scale, of 1, to America, how free are you tonightttt?

Window: Germany 1942

[bashcrandicoot]

A powerful warlock that uses most of his energy to bother one streamer

[tofupixel]

⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99 (30% off with code 'tofu'!!)

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

⭐⭐ ReSprite iOS and Android. (free trial, but:) $19.99 premium or $$ monthly

ReSprite is VERY similar in terms of UI to Aseprite, so I can recommend it. They just launched their Android release!

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor. 

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

🔹Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸 How to choose a canvas size

When looking at pixel art turorials, we may see people suggest things like 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64. These are standard sizes for pixel art games with tiles. However, if you're just making a drawing, you don't necessarily need to use a standard canvas size like that.

What I like to think about when choosing a canvas size for my illustrations is 'what features do I think it is important to represent?' And make my canvas as small as possible, while still leaving room for my most important elements.

Imagine I have characters in a scene like this:

I made my canvas as small as possible (232 x 314), but just big enough to represent the features and have them be recognizable (it's Good Omens fanart 😤)!! If I had made it any bigger, I would be working on it for ever, due to how much more foliage I would have to render.

If you want to do an illustration and you're not sure, just start at somewhere around 100x100 - 200x200 and go from there.

It's perfectly okay to crop your canvas, or scale it up, or crunch your art down at any point if you think you need a different size. I do it all the time! It only takes a bit of cleanup to get you back to where you were.

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

My other tutorials (so far): How to draw Simple Grass for a game Hue Shifting

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

HOW TO WRITE A CHARACTER WHO IS IN PAIN

first thing you might want to consider: is the pain mental or physical?

if it’s physical, what type of pain is it causing? — sharp pain, white-hot pain, acute pain, dull ache, throbbing pain, chronic pain, neuropathic pain (typically caused by nerve damage), etc

if it’s mental, what is the reason your character is in pain? — grief, heartbreak, betrayal, anger, hopelessness, fear and anxiety, etc

because your character will react differently to different types of pain

PHYSICAL PAIN

sharp and white-hot pain may cause a character to grit their teeth, scream, moan, twist their body. their skin may appear pale, eyes red-rimmed and sunken with layers of sweat covering their forehead. they may have tears in their eyes (and the tears may feel hot), but they don’t necessarily have to always be crying.

acute pain may be similar to sharp and white-hot pain; acute pain is sudden and urgent and often comes without a warning, so your character may experience a hitched breathing where they suddenly stop what they’re doing and clench their hand at the spot where it hurts with widened eyes and open mouth (like they’re gasping for air).

dull ache and throbbing pain can result in your character wanting to lay down and close their eyes. if it’s a headache, they may ask for the lights to be turned off and they may be less responsive, in the sense that they’d rather not engage in any activity or conversation and they’d rather be left alone. they may make a soft whimper from their throat from time to time, depends on their personality (if they don’t mind others seeing their discomfort, they may whimper. but if your character doesn’t like anyone seeing them in a not-so-strong state, chances are they won’t make any sound, they might even pretend like they’re fine by continuing with their normal routine, and they may or may not end up throwing up or fainting).

if your character experience chronic pain, their pain will not go away (unlike any other illnesses or injuries where the pain stops after the person is healed) so they can feel all these types of sharp pain shooting through their body. there can also be soreness and stiffness around some specific spots, and it will affect their life. so your character will be lucky if they have caretakers in their life. but are they stubborn? do they accept help from others or do they like to pretend like they’re fine in front of everybody until their body can’t take it anymore and so they can no longer pretend?

neuropathic pain or nerve pain will have your character feeling these senses of burning, shooting and stabbing sensation, and the pain can come very suddenly and without any warning — think of it as an electric shock that causes through your character’s body all of a sudden. your character may yelp or gasp in shock, how they react may vary depends on the severity of the pain and how long it lasts.

EMOTIONAL PAIN

grief can make your character shut themself off from their friends and the world in general. or they can also lash out at anyone who tries to comfort them. (five states of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventual acceptance.)

heartbreak — your character might want to lock themself in a room, anywhere where they are unseen. or they may want to pretend that everything’s fine, that they’re not hurt. until they break down.

betrayal can leave a character with confusion, the feelings of ‘what went wrong?’, so it’s understandable if your character blames themself at first, that maybe it’s their fault because they’ve somehow done something wrong somewhere that caused the other character to betray them. what comes after confusion may be anger. your character can be angry at the person who betrayed them and at themself, after they think they’ve done something wrong that resulted in them being betrayed, they may also be angry at themself next for ‘falling’ for the lies and for ‘being fooled’. so yes, betrayal can leave your character with the hatred that’s directed towards the character who betrayed them and themself. whether or not your character can ‘move on and forgive’ is up to you.

there are several ways a character can react to anger; they can simply lash out, break things, scream and yell, or they can also go complete silent. no shouting, no thrashing the place. they can sit alone in silence and they may cry. anger does make people cry. it mostly won’t be anything like ‘ugly sobbing’ but your character’s eyes can be bloodshot, red-rimmed and there will be tears, only that there won’t be any sobbing in most cases.

hopelessness can be a very valid reason for it, if you want your character to do something reckless or stupid. most people will do anything if they’re desperate enough. so if you want your character to run into a burning building, jump in front of a bullet, or confess their love to their archenemy in front of all their friends, hopelessness is always a valid reason. there’s no ‘out of character’ if they are hopeless and are desperate enough.

fear and anxiety. your character may be trembling, their hands may be shaky. they may lose their appetite. they may be sweaty and/or bouncing their feet. they may have a panic attack if it’s severe enough.

and I think that’s it for now! feel free to add anything I may have forgotten to mention here!