#I'm a beginner btw so that's why it's not very pretty!!

[draculiza]

trying to learn davy jones' organ song c:

[auxiliarydetective]

↬ OC Verse Trading Cards

Here it is! The reason (well, one of the reasons) for why I've been so inactive lately. I saw this super cool trading card template by @squea and @buttertrait and thought it was super fun, so I wanted to make something similar for my mutuals and myself. And, as you can see, I rediscovered my love for art deco on the way, so it's very art deco lol

You can find the template to make your own cards here - and I explicitly encourage you to make your own, because I was kinda hoping I would get to see cards of you guys' OCs and we could collect them all in a binder like this one. It would be really fun! (The number next to the name is the power level btw - I wanted to imitate a set of Star Wars trading cards I used to collect as a kid) Make sure to @ me when you do and tag your post with #ocversetradingcards!

I tried to make the template as accessible as possible so that even beginners should be able to use it without any issues. So, I color-coded the layers!

The red layers are ones you shouldn't touch. They make up the main frame of the card. The orange layers are ones where you can play around with the colors, but that's for advanced photoshop/photopea users. The green ones are the ones where you put in text! Edit those freely. Blue ones are ones you have to select and move as a batch - if you don't know how to do that, check below the cut ^^

You'll need to download these fonts:

Park Lane (name & power level)

Market Deco (main text font)

Artisual Deco Black Italic (blog url)

Below the cut, you'll find a tutorial for the template and a list of the image resources I used - Quick info for everyone, including the more experienced Photopea users: Save your image at 50% quality. The template is a big file and the exported image will also be pretty big if you don’t save it at a lower quality. 50% is what you can see above and I think it's a nice size-quality ratio.

Tutorial Time

Opening the File

Step one: Get either Photoshop or Photopea. Photoshop costs money, Photopea is free and runs in your browser. Take three guesses which one I use. Yeah, it's Photopea. As such, this tutorial will be Photopea-centric, and I also have no clue what the Photoshop interface looks like, so I can't really help you if you work on Photoshop. But I'm told they're essentially the same, so...

Step two: Download the fonts listed above from the links in this post.

Step three: Click on the link above to go download the template. It's a bit of a big file, so I put it into a zip file for you. Don't worry, you don't need a special program to open it. Photopea will do that for you.

Step four: Open Photopea. Click on "File" -> "Open..." and select the "TradingCardTemplate" zip file.

Step five: Click "File" -> "Open..." again and select the zip files for the fonts. This will import them to Photopea. There are also preview images included in at least one of the zip files for the fonts, so just close the windows for those projects when they pop up by clicking on the little "x" next to their file name. You only need the "TradingCardTemplate.psd" tab to be open in your Photopea window.

Great! Now you're all set to edit!

Editing the name, power level and blog url

I decided to group these together because they function essentially the same way

Step one: Select the typing tool. It's the little "T" symbol in the toolbar on the left side of your screen.

Step two: Select the layer of the text you want to edit. The blog url one is in plain view. For the name and power ones, you need to open the corresponding folders first. They're the green layers in the folders!

Step three: Click on the text you want to edit. It's easiest to aim for the middle, that way you have the least chances of missing. The typing tool is a bit finicky with that sometimes, especially if the text is small.

Great! Now you can use your keyboard to delete the placeholder text and replace it with your own! The power level will only fit two digits and picking "00" will look bad. Your OC should have at least some power. They need it to breathe.

Changing the size of the name text

As you might be able to tell, the basic text size only works for fairly short names. So, you might have to make it smaller for your OC's name to fit

Step one: Enter your OC's name as described above.

Step two: Select the text as you would anywhere else in your browser.

Step three: Above the little tag where it says "TradingCardTemplate.psd", there's an options bar. You'll find a box there labelled "Size" with a box that says "150px" and a down arrow next to it. Click on the down arrow and a slider will pop up. Play around with that slider until your text has a good size. Then click on the checkmark.

Step four: Switch to the transformation tool. It's the cursor with the directional cross next to it, at the top of your left-hand tool bar. Move your text so that it aligns well with the left side of the frame but make sure it's below the middle.

Step five: You now have to select two layers at once. The text layer and the frame for the name tag. Do do that, either press and hold your control key on your keyboard while selecting the other layer or toggle the control key using the on-screen keyboard at the bottom left of the toolbar. If you use the toggle, don't forget to untoggle it after.

Step six: On your horizontal toolbar above your project window, click on the icon that's a horizontal line with two boxes centered on it.

Congrats, your text should now be centered!

Adding in your OC picture

Step one: Open the "Picture" folder and select the layer beneath "Add picture here". This will make sure your picture will be in the right spot. Also make sure to click on the eye next to the "Pattern" layer tag to make it go invisible.

Step two: Select "File" -> "Open & Place..." and pick a nice image.

Step three: Once the image has been imported, make sure you change the zoom percentage to 100%, that way the image doesn't look pixely or weird. Click on the checkmark.

Step four: Resize your image so your OC fits nicely into the frame. The image should fill the entire space inside the frame and can stick out as much as you want.

Step five: Right-click (or press and hold, if you're on mobile) your image' layer and select "Clipping Mask".

Perfect! Now your image should no longer stick out of the frame. Feel free to adjust your image's coloration, brightness etc. by selecting "Image" -> "Adjustments" and your preferred action.

Changing your stats bars

This works the same for each bar and I tried to make it as simple as possible.

Step one: Open the corresponding folder.

Step two: Select the set of three blue layers together. You can do this by selecting one layer normally, then selecting the other two while holding your control key or while having it toggled using the built-in on-screen mini keyboard at the bottom left of your screen. If you use the toggle, don't forget to untoggle it after.

Step three: Switch to the transformation tool (the one at the top of your left-hand toolbar, it's a cursor with a directional cross) and move your layers. By moving them to the right, you'll reveal more of the gold underneath the overlay. More gold = higher level of the corresponding stat.

Great job! Now adjust the bars to your liking.

Saving your project + card image

To save the project: Click on "File" -> "Save as PSD". This will download the current project under the same name as the file that you downloaded it as. So, it will be called "TradingCardTemplate (1)" or something similar. Make sure you change the name in your files so you know which is which. Alternatively, you can also change the name of the project by double-clicking the little square that currently says "TradingCardTemplate" and type in your new name. If you save again now, it will show the new project name! Make sure to save your project if you want to be able to recover it and/or work on it later!

To save the card image: Click on "File" -> "Export as >" and pick your preferred image file type. I suggest JPG for best results. Make sure to turn the quality slider to 50%, then hit the save button. This will download an image file of your chosen type, under the same name as the project name. To change that name, refer to the bullet point above or go to your files :)

Advanced: Changing the BG color of the pattern

Step one: Select the pattern background of either the name tag, power score or picture and turn it to 100% opacity.

Step two: Color-pick the current background color of the pattern.

Step three: Click "Image" -> "Adjustments" -> "Replace Color..." and click on the colored rectangle in the new pop-up. Replace the default color with your color-picked color. Now use the Hue, Saturation and Lightness sliders to get a new color that you like. Note down your slider values for later so you have them for the other elements.

Step four: Color-pick your new color and select the corresponding solid background layer. For those layers, click "Edit" -> "Fill..." and make sure you have "Foreground" and "Normal" selected, your Opacity is 100% and you have "Preserve Transparency" checked.

Step five: Don't forget to turn the opacity of your pattern layers back down to 60%.

Congrats! You have your colors changed! Repeat this process for the other two patterned elements.

Extra advanced: Changing the card's background color

NOTE: I DON'T recommend this. You can do it, but it's a lot of work.

Step one: Select the background layer and change its color to the new color you want. You can do it with the "Hue/Saturation..." adjustment, with the "Fill" edit as described above, or whichever way you want. Color-pick your new color.

Step two: Open the smart object PSDs for the frames for the frames for the picture, the name tag, and the power counter by double-clicking on the preview image of the layer.

Step three: Select the lowest colored layer of each and change its color to the same as your new card background color. Click on "File" -> "Save (Smart Object)". Close the project windows.

Step four: Open the folders for the various stat bars and select the "Color Overlay" layers. Change their colors the same way you did for the other layers. Warm colors and high-saturation colors will most likely not look good here and you might need to find a different way of making the stat bars look good. Playing around with the "Brightness/Contrast" adjustment layers above might help, but I can't promise anything. This is the main reason why I don't recommend changing the card background color. The stats bars are adjusted to the background color.

There we are! Either your card looks very pretty now or you understand why I don't recommend this. Either way: Good job!

Resources from Freepik:

Corners by tartila Power counter frame Picture frame by pch.vector Stats bar by tartila Pattern

Taglist (we're bringing out all fandoms today): @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene @bravelittleflower @box-of-bats @fluffle-system @wheresmybloodynauglamir @nanukanal @supermarine-silvally @cody-helix02

[rocambolestim]

Intro post!

Welcome to my blog! i moved from @boba-foxy !

Mass rb-ing & liking my stimboards/gifs is encouraged bc im a sorta unpopular stimblog!

This account is @boba-foxy 's new account for making stimboards & stim gifs! i had to stop on there since i was tired of id-ing posts all the time

I SUPPORT ALL GOOD FAITH IDENTITIES!! ^^

This stimblog is run by a minor & does NOT consent to any NSFW/18+ content, D/D/L/G, A/B/D/L or k/!/n/k interactions (pls get out of my blog & DNI), so please keep that in mind! ^^

Please note im either fast or slow at doing requests, bc im rlly busy w/ stuff (mostly school)

SFW Age regressors,therians/otherkins, fictosexuals, yumejoshis/yumedanshis/etc + any fictosexual identity (including animatesexual, but if only used in a non joke/mocking way) & mspec gays/lesbians are welcome to interact! :D

if u wanna talk to me, u can use the ask feature or msg me (but use simple english pls bc some words or the wording is too difficult for me to understand) and be nice and dont be mean towards me (also my 1st language isnt english btw so pls keep that in mind)

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME ANY DISCOURSE (anon or not) OR ANON HATE IN ANY OF MY BLOGS INBOXES, IT MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE & I DONT WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN ANY KIND OF DISCOURSE. THANK YOU FOR READING!

If you don't know how to source your stimboards, please read on why its important to source gifs!

PLS READ!!! (IMPORTANT! (im not the op, but i rb'ed it and it has been hapenning to me but still))

What is italo disco? (when this blog was still an italo/euro disco stim sideblog for myself before moving to said blog & removing that it was mainly italo/euro disco stimboards and making it a regular stimblog with no main theme, and mainly abandoning my old acc which was formerly a stimblog and now posting mostly non stim stuff on said old blog)

this is what the rocambole part of my username is supposed to be from lmaooo

My pronouns.page!

Rentry icon/graphic edit requests are open too!! (Please note that im a beginner at making rentry stuff so it wont come out as great as you think)

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANY OF MY GIFS I MADE ON TIKTOK,PINTEREST,ETC. THANK YOU!

Here is my dni! (and request rules) (hosted on main)

View my archive!! ^^

My rentry!

My sideblog for archiving deleted stim gifs!

My other stimblog (which was originally an account dedicated to my genderbent version of daroach called daroachette, and then later a stim-rbing blog & now a original stim gifs by me blog)

(yet) another stimblog of mine which i run

I'm fictosexual & my F/Os are: Daroach from Kirby, Ankha from Animal Crossing, Crypto from Keitai Denjuu Telefang, Zhen from Kung Fu Panda 4, Albert from The Jungle Bunch 2: World Tour & Miché from Regretevator! (i also selfship w them btw)

For my queued posts, i use the tag "i see queue" ^^

Stuff i won't do on stimboards/Blacklist:

Non-cartoony Gore

Most IRL people (unless its a musician or a youtuber)

movie/tv show characters portrayed by IRL actors

ANYONE from Cheburashka (bc for my own safety & comfort since the show makes me uncomfy due to its character designs looking creepy to me & i LITERALLY cant stand looking at them (as an autistic person from the balkans who had to watch this show in kindergarten lmao, it was pretty creepy imo ngl))

DSMP, ofc

Dandy's World (bc the creator did horrible stuff to minors)

Harry Potter (bc the creator was a terf)

Media sources im familiar with for stimboard/gif making

Pokémon

Roblox games (especially Regretevator/any of the Pet Simulator games)

Kirby

Sanrio

Yo-Kai Watch

Italo disco/euro disco music in general

Lostwave music/artists

This will be updated soon

bai!

[historixally-accurate]

good afternoon...sheepishly slides into your inbox...

sorry for nit appearing sooner, i had to go out yesterday and i was wiped, teehee.

i love writing letters and long form messages for people, its like my fucked up little love language or some shit. everytime i get to write a card for someone its like im giving them an entire english essay dawg

dumping 5 test papers on you and dipping for junehols is WILD even for primary school🤯🤯🤯 and you're so real for hatin on SG math. it was downhill from P1 for me. feel free to complain because i will understand dawg i am math's #1 hater.

i wish my teacher saw the kazuha blunt birthday gift the same way as you did. she told me to erase it :( LMAOOOO no hard feelings but it was funny while it lasted.

having HBG themed wallpapers fron everything is so cool thats sooooo positive aura brother😍😍me personally i just have my own art as my phone home screen...ahahaha im considering drawing 21mustard and putting him there instead.

its actually so cool to see soneone talk about nemerald and fyro like you do. i just feel like they go underappreciated too often D: if i actually had more tine to watch more vods i would draw them more often!!!!! WHY ARE EMERALDS STREAMS SOMEHOW ALWAYS MORE THAN LIKE 15 HOURS IM GOING TO RIOT mr emerald......please......have some pity on my poor SG ass......your skibidi aura is fading......

minesweeper speedrunning is actually something im doing from time to time, not really serious at all lmao. i think maybe i should livestream playing it to some of my friends one day. my reactions are always so funny. one time when i made a throw on par with one of poundy's i almost fell off my chair in deppsair. urm! anyway

i believe minesweeper is a beginner friendly game for everyone! its kinda like the chrome dinosaur game , its only for recreation.so i guess you could just call me a unnecessary sweat. my bad. i have this chronic illness called "must be competitive in all the wrong things".

COMPKETELY UNRELATED but im curious, have you ever thought about HBG's like heights. white men r always so goddamn tall wtf... can i habe some.....por favor. ive heard some members make fun of couri for being short, but im sure that mf is 100% taller than me , lol. real SG student Gs know the euphoria of hearing your PE teacher saying your height and relaising you grew 0.5cm!!!! ok maybe thats a little too much info ill stop now. its a silly thing to think about, but im generally a silly person. my irls can and will talk about the stupid things ive done for like. 1 hour struaght. im kinda like the joker. wragh!!!!

ALSO one last question :> have you ever thought about who in Hbg best matches ur vibe, lol. personally i dont know hbg well enough to say for certain, but i feel like i have silver's deadpan glare when i really lock in.

hopefully youre still doin well, seeinf as that last mime doodle you sent (i love these btw) had what looked like (GASP) complete the square?!?!?! hope youre not going through it 😗

im coincidentally also sending this around the same time as you did yesterday....so.... have a great rest of the day :D - sgmcsr anon

yoey nonnie! boy is it late, what, almost 11/11 LMAO

anyway, time to get into answering my daily inbox because I've been busy todya </3

about messages, I am a natural born yapper, I've been getting a1 for my English for the past... 4 years? and I love writing loooong paragraphs, so you're not alone! I love being a yapper and sharing my silly ideas with the world.. it makes me feel heard <3

about psle, that shit was. aha. ohh. wow. yah. I used to be in a school that was considered very good, so the pressure was a LOT. every single day I was grinded to do papers and revise things even after school, even after all that I did pretty meh. even tho I did meh, I'm still grinding my ass off in the sch I was posted to </3 horrid horrid horrid

about the blunt smoking kazuha, I appreciate anyone who doodles using whiteboard markers, I think that may be one of the hardest mediums to work with 😭 god bless soldier, really 😭😭😭😭 id love to see it

about the illness that is HBG wallpapers, if you're curious, this is my current homescreen :3

it's messy and all over the place, but WHATEVER BA. I don't gaf ☝️☝️ the swag aura can be FELT by every member of my family. I've even gotten my sister to utter the words "mongey" and "mongeyful" during our walk today 😭 also 21mustard is so swaggy cool. you go yet another fast speedrunning white boy. hell yeha

about OH YM GOD FYROAH AND NEM. OHHH. FALLS OVER. CRIES ON THE GROUND. ROLLS AROUND. FUCK. OH MY GOD. I LOVE THEM. AUUGHHGAHGHA. I'll draw them if they interact in the upcoming BAC stream. I'll draw them like no tomorrow. ALSO. EMERALDS SKIBIDI AURA FADING GOT ME LOWKEY CACKLING. mr n emerald. your skibidi aura is leaving your body. any longer and I will absorb it for myself. I need that skibidi aura. give it to me.

about minesweeper, oh.. I really want to learn how to play it.. it looks super fuckin fun dude oh my skibidi rizz. also. I feel how you feel. I was on good pace learning how to route chalice bridge routes today, and lost it because a piglin knocked me into lava and I forgot to pop a fire res pot. devastating. I was coping so hard. hit the copium so hard I left vc and cried. talkingmime give me your energy. 我求求您。please. PELASE. PLEASEEEE. FUCK

ha. anyway. about learning minesweeper, I've played it a few times, and I really like it.. I've just never gotten good at it and. dropped it faster than when I saw my new lit book for the first time this year. <3 (I get the competitiveness. every singaporean has it etched into their brain like microchip and code. it's ok. I get it)

about HBG heights. THOSE MOTHERFUCKING BITCHASS STREAMERS ALL OF THEM ARE LIKE. I SWEAR. 5'10 AND ABOVE. erm. unless your name is couriway. sorry. BUT ANYWAY. yeah. they're. so tall???? for what. one day if I ever get to meet any HBG members, I will dissect and take their legs. pls. I want to be at least 5'3 or 5'4. I'm like. 154cm rn. I'm so short. I'm short. help. hel p. help. also! shoutout height and weight during PE. I love learning that I haven't grown in the past 5 months </3 fucking dumb.

also? nonnie may be the joker. hehehehaw.

about who in HBG matches my vibe, I'd say in terms of character, one of my friends did say that I really remind him of dandannyboy, but i feel like I am. like feinberg. that feinberg guy. except that I'm fucking stupid. everyone else who doesn't know me knows me as that talkingmime dude. so. idk? idk. I really don't know. I'm saying fein because when I get pressed over something, oh boy I get PRESSED. :')

holidays are going great, yeah, completing squares. fuck that shit is fun. I love amath. wowie. Hehe. haha. I'm so smart. I think. wowie.

it's almost 12 25am because yay fo no school ☝️☝️☝️ I can do this as LATE AS I WANT MF 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

nonnie, as always, have a beautiful mongeyful day.... I await your response ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

obligatory mime drawing because you asked me things ^_^

[ent-is-indecisive]

K so this is sleep deprived and rather depressed so idk correct me bc im probably saying bullshit, but i was thinking back on my eternal question of "why are there always exponentially more writers than artists in fandom" and i have bullet points

1. The mystification of art as something done by a select amount of people

2. The mystification of drawing as a talent and not a skill vs writing being a skill practised in school in multiple disciplines thus reducing the true beginner gap

3. I'd say this is worse the bigger a fandom is but a beginner drawing that is like stick figures or not super recognisable as a character etc will get no interaction at best (< source : it took me 6 years to get 1 note on my drawings) while an interesting idea, even if conveyed clumsily, will probably engage people to expand on it or discuss it

4. Oh yeah jumping off that, writing being very easily and often by design collaborative vs art that is seen as static/a finished product

5. I forgot my original train of thought

6. That shit is difficult yall bc all creatives are taken for granted, solidarity with my writers

7. Personally the thought that i can spend 4-12+ hours on something(1) that will be viewed once for less that 5 seconds and maybe remembered once, if i'm lucky is depressing and has been depressing since i started drawing in fandom

(1) im not a particularly slow artist btw. Those are pretty short times for what i do.

[zerobaseonefics]

so basically i applied to 4 in england 1 in poland and 1 in france since i dont want to live in germany anymore and yes im still fighting over my scholarship or something so its pretty stressful

NO FAKE SISTERS ANYMORE😜😜😜

valid reason. make sure to tell me about such things next time tho🙄🙄

yes i just had a lot of nail polish but thank you🤭

NO I UNDERSTAND YOU SO MUCH OMG LIKE NO CUZ I DONT WANNA SAY ANYTHING BUT CHOOSE ME PICK ME CHOKE ME STEP ON ME (im sorry) but real talk im so happy that you love enhypen and seventeen too😭🫶

IM NOT SO SURE BECAUSE IVE LITERALLY SEARCHED EVERYWHERE FOR IT AND I ONLY FIND FAKE ONES.. i think i eill buy the weverse version cuz at least then i will get heeseung or jake 👲

HSHSHSGSHAG THAT SOUBFS SO TRAGIC IM DORRY FOR YOU BSHSHSH IM word for not spending MONEY NOW FOR THE FACTIRY!!!

omg yes youre so smart like i didnt think about it😮😮😮😮 lovu so much u dont even know;;;;; i hate tutoring them tho they are so stupid

HSHSHSHA AND YES IM ALREADY TEACHING HIM WHAT YHE BEST MUSIC IS AND ALL THE CLOTHES HE HAS ARE FRIM ME🤭🤭

my heartbreak is magically leaving me now cuz youre so right about hes not heejayke🤪🤪🤪

NO CUZ YES LIKE HOW ARE THEY DOING IT😭😭 THIS IS SO WTF CUZ YOU ARE SO RIGHT AGAIN

HAHAHA I ALSO NEVER VOTE FOR THEM OR ANYTHING LIKE WHY SHOULD I DO THAT LOL THERE ARE PLENTY OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THAT SO EHY SHOULD I??

YES HSHSHSGS ALL THANKS TO RICKY

I NEED TO LISTEN TO IT SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW MEEEEE AND I NEED TO SEE YOU WAACKINH ONE DAY

i like big feet in shoes inly cuz it makes me feel petite😭👍 i have a shoe size 36 (eu) (at about 168cm height) (btw how tall are you i didnt ask i think) and i think that im too tall so i like everything that is bigger than me👲👍 btw i hate feet like they disgust me so much you dobt even know (but i like feet in shoes)

me so interesting and funny 😂!!😂!!😂!! everything aside::: thank you😜😜😜🫶🫶🫶 lovely to hear that icl…

AY FR LIKE HOW DOES JAKE LOOK SO GOOD WTF?? I FEEL LIKE IM DROOLING EVERYTIMR I SEE HIM.. not normal man

wait until you see this😂!!😂!!😂!!😂!!😂!! (btw 2 of ! mean the red !! emoji i just cant find it)

about 10000 pins with enhypen

WDYM THEY WONT LISTEN TO POCS???? BRO I HATE THE POLIVE THERE (btw in paris there was such a hot black police officer like maaaan bro was stunning)

YES TELL ME EHY YOU STARTED WAACKING I BEGGGGGGGGGGGGG🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

happy to see that you also love p1harmony!!!!!!!!! whos your bias???? mines are intak and theo🤭🤭🤭

ohhh that's so cool that you're going overseas!!! do you know anyone in these countries? (except for poland since u told me your family lives there)

BYE PURE STAND UP THESE ARE MEN YOU CAN'T BE DOWN BAD LIKE THIS FOR MEN

ngl i learnt that recently too 💀 but fr random things like that can be put on your resume, they also appreciate knowing you do things like sports or music, or caricative actions... so yeah even small works like this count!

LITERALLY THIS IS HOW I THINK WHY WOULD I DO THAT??? OTHER WILL DO IT ANYWAYS. plus im sorry i don't need to be doing all that for my favs like... they provide me music i provide them money by listening, i don't need to be giving them more..........

tutoring really is hell especially when you suck at explaining things 😭 you can be very strong in something but have no clue how to teach it, and you also have to be patient cuz the person might not understand right away.. yeah i hate it

here's my cover of over me!! it's with my big sister. just so you can know when i sing, i'm the one who starts the song and i have the deeper voice. she's not very confident with her singing and that's my i sing most of the song and do all the adlibs 💀

I'LL SHOW YOU MY WAACKING THE DAY I'LL BE GOOD ENOUGH AT IT ‼️ I'M STILL A BEGINNER YK

ofc i love p1h 🤭 my bias is keeho

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

Speaking from one artist to another, I saw a hurtful anon that insulted your artwork and that makes me angry for various of reasons — BECAUSE I'M A FUCKING ARTIST WHO WAS ONCE A BEGINNER (Sorry for my outburst, but I needed to get this off my chest)

Whoever sent you that without publicly giving you a positive constructive criticism or useful tutorials - they don't realize how beginning artists also exist. Art exist in many forms like illustration, digital, music, pictures and literatures. To call one art "shitty" isn't the best criticism to go around, but you can prove them wrong by asking them if they can do better OR you can keep on going to see how much love your art will receive that they'll stop giving awful comments. They can't stand a certain art style they don't like? Give tips and tutorials! Give kindness, and solutions. But I guess that'll be too much for them?

I never knew the Ninjago fandom was this toxic when people are calling some arts ugly. People have this weird but terrible mindset that certain art styles are better than the other. If the whole artists have the same art styles, it'd be pretty boring and repetitive to see, we'd rather have something new instead for a change. I love to see your art contributing for The Owl House fandom, welcome btw! I know people will love your art there and get more love and positivity. ^^

Thank you I am actually working on a Raine Whispers AU art piece for everybody from the Fanfic WIP I posted

The Song of the Owl Beast

That post really didn't bother me because of the shitty art comment(though it's understandable why it would upset other artists wish I could hug yall that would allow me)

It doesn't bother me because well I like my art and I know there's people out there that might like my art as well, just because a few people say that doesn't mean my art is bad itjust needs improved and I've always been actually quite like Eda (if we compare me to a character) people can throw things at me all they want but it takes a lot for me to be actually upset.

Like I always say, I'm only vocal when I'm actually upset over something. I'm silent when I'm not and it's okay,

I'm very proud of my style because I have a lineless art style that has taken me 4 years(ditched the lineart and sketch layer full time in 2019) to develop and learn and I'm still learning more about how to render it properly, but during this process I know it can be quite ugly. Especially when I'm doing my sketch layers before the rendering as you can see with Raine here I've gotten to that phase, and if I was to share it, it can look kind of uncanny valley haha

I still have to trim the face back down and correct the nose and eyes in general,

What did bother me about that Anon more so was being accused of tracing my art, because there is no way one can trace my art well at least not easily... because there's no lines to trace.

My art style is very very unique in the sense that outright my style doesn't even have a sketch layer to copy. It's stupidly hard for somebody to trace this sort of style where the artist has learned anatomy enough where they can shape the color into the shape one needs like I do.

One can try, but if you don't have enough experience, it won't turn out looking right. Basically, the closest comparison I can put it to is like molding clay only digitally and 2d, so I need to make it look 3d.

(Some anatomy practice fails haha)

I don't think there's anybody else.... at least that I've seen that does this type of style. But if there are people, I would love to know them, because honestly, I have felt alone with this certain art style and not really knowing what to call it or how to render. I know it's lineless, but the technique isn't like other lineless artists as they usually have sketch layers at least.

I appreciate the welcome into the fandom I've already felt very very welcomed just by the interactions I've already received, I haven't had my page this active in years, honestly all it took was me moving a fandom and I wish I had seen that sooner.

You guys really already have helped me in a way nobody else in the Ninjago fandom ever did and that's just opening my eyes even more to how toxic it unfortunately was, because this is all what I was just looking for is a supportive loving fandom that will accept me for all my crazy quirks and ideas.

You guys even got me to do my art and writing already! I hadn't felt inspired in weeks, especially after that retraumatizing event a couple of weeks ago,

I honestly was at the verge of quitting and then I started getting into Owl House and then on the Valana Alt, I started posting and my blog was so active right off the bat, something I again hadn't seen in years on this account. And then you wonderful anons came in telling me to keep going and I wanted to hug you and tell you thank you,

People are actually interacting with my posts, and here I've transferred over a few, and it doesn't matter to yall that I've double posted. You guys still reblog and like it. Some even make comments! And that for somebody like me who has been in a fandom situation where they didn't do that at all, that means the world to me guys honestly, and I will never be able to say it enough, you've already shown me support and love and for that again I can't say it enough

Thank you

[saal-school-project]

Part 2

6th grade

In 6th grade, I changed schools, so I didn't have many friends for the first few months, but my notebooks kept me company. I might sound like a loser here, but bear with me. I was really into horror games, movies, and stories back then, and it was around the creepypasta craze, so it didn't take long for me to join in on that too. (Creepypastas are short horror stories on the internet, btw), but keep in mind that I still didn't know any English, so my options were limited to whatever was available in Turkish, which wasn't much at all. So soon I ran out of actual creepypastas to read, and I was left with whatever self-insert romance fanfiction was written about the creepypasta characters. Great, now I'm admitting my dark past for a school project. To be honest, I don't regret it because the lack of good content available in Turkish eventually led to me learning English. There were a lot of creepypastas based on video game characters. I liked watching horror game let's play on YouTube, and I was really proud when I managed to pirate Minecraft to my mom's phone (admitting crimes now). So by extension, I got interested in video games in general, so in the summer of 6th grade, I decided to become a REAL GAMER by making a Steam account and buying some games. I also bought an ininal card because I didn't feel like convincing my mom to use her credit card. I exactly transferred 50 TL to my card and, after some not-so-thorough research, decided to buy the following games: Undertale because people recommended it to me; Hollow Knight because I'm a big fan of 2D animation; Don't Starve Together because I don't remember why; and Deus Ex: Human Revolution because I got leftover money and it was on a really big sale, so my cousin urged me to buy it.

I would try to play these games throughout the 6th grade's summer, but there were some problems. First of all, none of these games are in Turkish (I'm not sure, but that's what I remember; I'm too lazy to check). That fact didn't really matter for games like Hollow Knight and Don't Starve Together (as there wasn't much of a story), but it mattered for Undertale. Oh, I know, I could just use a Turkish patch (unofficial translation); it's not that I couldn't figure out how to do it. It's just that the game recently got a new update, and the patch didn't work with that update. As for the other games, Hollow Knight was pretty hard for a kid who never really played any proper video game other than Minecraft. On top of that, I didn't have a controller at the time, so I had to play it with the puny keyboard my laptop had, and that made it unplayable for me. As for the other two, I didn't like them very much. There was a learning curve to Don't Starve Together, and it just felt like Minecraft without the creative mode (which happens to be the part I like the most). I didn't even bother checking out Deus Ex because I randomly bought it and I don't like first-person shooters. So much so for becoming a gamer, I guess. But one day, while still in the summer holiday, there was a problem with the wifi for a few days, and it really got boring. So I played the games I downloaded before to kill time. I started playing Undertale. I looked up the words I didn't know (which were the majority of them) in a dictionary or something, and I wrote them down along with their meanings in one of my journals. I was pretty used to writing thanks to school being so boring, so my hand never really got tired of writing pages and pages of words. and I really took a liking to the game too! It took me a long time to beat it since I literally had to pause to write some words for every single dialog line, but I enjoyed it, so it didn't feel like a chore. Eventually, our wifi came back, but I continued playing. I also started watching more English content. I watched Lele Pons again, something I'm not proud to admit, but the lightness of the language used in her videos made it perfect material for a beginner like me. I also texted with the cleverbot. Lately, the chatbots are much more advanced, so Cleverbot isn't so clever anymore compared to them. I can't remember why exactly, but cleverbot had something to do with creepypastas I think. like there was a correlation between Cleverbot and Ben Drowned (a creepypasta character) for some reason? It's been years; I don't remember.

 I talked with the bot so much that I could literally predict what they would say with 99% accuracy, so it became boring, and I stopped talking to them. By the end of that summer, I had replayed Undertale for a different route and, for the first time, noticed that I could actually understand what it said without having to look anything up. It was a weird feeling in the best way possible. and I decided that I wanted to make a game too. The summer ended, and I started 7th grade.

[riverofrainbows]

OK I'm not done with my thoughts. (Major spoilers for the last episode)

The messaging of the show, of the things it allegorically stands for in our real world, is all over the place. And for the most part not good.

We have the whole outsiders vs normies bit, that is a bit unsubtle but ok. Except that a conclusion that maybe we aren't so different and if we'd understand each other better, that would usually take place in such media, doesn't come at all. It turns out that almost all main characters are secretly outsiders too, or evil normies, something they don't get into At All, or the normies die or they never even show up again at the end (the sheriff) to draw any conclusions. The only people where that did kinda happen was Bianca and the mayors son, and I'm pretty sure that was accidental because they never went anywhere with it.

The hyde. Like come on. The ableism is off the roof. They said, in almost those words, that the hyde is unlocked by someone else in a person that experienced severe trauma, (that then experiencs supernaturally induced loyalty to that person btw). Yet they have all the characters, and especially Wednesday, villainise the hyde, that "his nature is evil and he only understands pain" like excuse me?? It's villainisation of trauma induced stigmatised mental illnesses on page. Tf is wrong with the writers. That is one of the most severe ones.

Someone else said it on tiktok but I'll list it here too because it's very true: if the "werewolf conversion camps" are supposed to remind people of lgbtq conversion camps, then is Enid now allegorically straight since she did wolf out in the course of the story? It's very funny to think about, because they really didn't think of any more consequences of that one camp part (that i did like actually).

A smaller one, but not Wednesday Addams judging Xavier based on first view and stereotyping lol. Someone didn't get what the Addams family media was initially about (unusual and dark aesthetic but more loving and supportive than a lot of 'typical suburban nuclear family' type people).

Wednesday's little eugenics moment in the first episode. She would never say that. The point is that eugenics is bad, not that outsiders would wield it against normies if only they could. Someone failed 'eugenics are bad 101' and perpetuates a base mindset for supporting the ideology ("if we don't do it to them they would do it to us").

The annoying ass allonormativity of Wednesday and the ball scene. Why was there a love triangle to begin with actually. But besides that, to the point: Wednesday of the first episode would kick her own ass there for leaving Eugene. She would never do that. She also never showed any interest in romance. What she did show interest in was being a teen detective and writer.

The Addams parents didn't seem like themselves. Not because of the actors, actually the casting was awesome, especially Gomez, but because of their complete lack of chemistry jesus christ. Obnoxious making out doesn't actually equal seeming wildly in love with each other. What is this. The most chemistry anyone of them had was when Gomez fake confessed his crime, he almost seemed like himself.

Pugsley was great tho.

While we're here: At least during the first few episodes, Wednesday's morality was pretty great actually. Then it just all got kinda wobbly, and also excluding her little eugenics moment and the shrugging off the harrassment on Tyler by Xavier. But i loved it at the beginning. Idk what went wrong after that, the plot setting in probably.

The plot. The plot was done as gracefully and elegantly as the story seven first graders with different opinions on what should happen would write a story. Which is to say I've read beginners fanfiction of teenagers that was still better than That. It seemed like someone else dictated the plot, and they tried to shoehorne it in, but did a very bad job. Actually knowing Netflix and how high up executive producers at production companies work, pretty likely. Makes the plot very sucky tho, like that was a mess and not even an enjoyable one.

I saw other people mention racism issues, and some parts really did feel weird, plus it's directed by known racist Tim Burton so that certainly didn't help, even if he didn't write it afaik.

Since we're at autism coding of Wednesday: she and Enid hugged at the end for the first time, to emotional music. Of course. And all that when i thought they had avoided making the touch adverse character hug as a sign of healing, when in the scene where Wednesday is leaving Enid respected it and even said "not hugging is kind of our thing" which i thought was so sweet. It is so frustrating how the hugging happenss to every single autistic (coded) touch averse character. I hate it so much.

That was all i could think off, please do add if you have more for a discussion of the show and are in the mood. Especially about racism since i couldn't really put it into words and might have missed things.

I really loved the potential of the show and the representation in Wednesday as a main character with minimal emotions showing, and I'm kinda sad that i didn't end up liking it for a lot of parts.

Spoilers for Wednesday!

I really loved it at the beginning because of the autism coding of Wednesday, but the show is so bad. The first half was still quite good and i enjoyed it, but it's just getting worse and worse.

The writing, the severe mischaracterisation of Wednesday in order to put in a romance storyline, and now the goofiest fucking monster transformation I've ever seen. His eyes bulged out and he looked like a fish. Actually it's so funny to start with that they designed the monster as gollum on steroids.

[confusedwitch]

Witch-Related Books to Grab off Amazon: Masterpost Part 1

First off, I'll be sectioning this into different parts based off of what type of witch you are/want to be/want more info on, or what practices you wanna add to your craft :)

Green Witch/Magick Herbalism (a classic):

The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock - $9.69 (Hardcover): This book had incredible reviews on amazon, and a lot of the written reviews said that the book wasn't specific to a religion and didn't try to push a religion on you, which is so wonderful because not everyone wants to be religious with their craft.

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz - $25.19 (Hardcover) $18.99 (Paperback): Again, stunning reviews, just a less popular book. This book isn't about general stuff, but instead it's more focused on mother nature and the useage of plants (non-herbal as well, so your houseplants might be mentioned too), which is great if you wanna center your practice around Gaia and the healing energies of the earth.

Herb Magick: An Introduction to Magickal Herbalism and Spells by Patti Wigington - $14.99 (Paperback): here's a review from a verified person- it explained this book WAY better than I ever could:

The focus of this book is on the folkloric and magical uses of herbs, rather than medicinal applications. It provides a few traditional uses of herbs, but the overall theme is knowledge of the plants and their associations, and incorporating them in your spiritual workings. This is an Introductory to Magical Herbalism.

The author's spiritual practice is rooted in traditional American and European Folk Magic. She is a licensed Pagan Clergy and is the founder of Clan Of The Stone Circle, a Celtic Pagan Tradition. (Funny, anything Celtic has been pulling my attention feelers lately, no wonder why I loved this book.) Her spells are derived/based upon the traditional folk magic practices of Western Europe and the British Isles, and the author's own experiences. They are positive spells for magical intentions of healing, love, prosperity, and protection. Baneful or negative workings with herbs are NOT used in this book.

The aesthetic of this book has my little, beginner herbalist heart gushing! The blue, green, and yellow earthy tones and hues used were perfect for the topic of herbs! The cover is GORGEOUS! It's so pretty and flowery, the illustrated pictures of the herbs were extremely helpful because I had never seen some of the plants before. This will make future identification much easier for me!

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham - $16.43 (Paperback): A couple reviews describe it as being in a cookbook format, and overall an amazing book, like most of Scott Cunningham's other works. Apparently the Amazon shipping was literal trash for a bunch of people and they essentially left the book loose inside the box to bang around and get all sorts of messed up :((

The Witch's Herbal Apothecary by Marysia Miernowska - $18.69 (Paperback): Described by reviewers as the PERFECT book for recipes and rituals, even one of Marysia's personal students spoke very highly of her, saying that she's the real deal. Other reviews state the book as being very beginner friendly, and beautifully written and illustrated :))

Blackthorn's Botanical Magic: The Green Witch's Guide to Essential Oils for Spellcraft, Ritual, and Healing by Amy Blackthorn - $15.79 (Paperback): again, phenomenal reviews, just a lesser-known book. Again, here's a review from someone who explained the book a bit better than I could:

This book is way more than I thought it would be. I thought it would be like a dictionary - you look up the essential oil and get the definition. It is that but it's also got a few introductory chapters about oils and products and rituals to give you a nice and concise overview of a lot of things you might need to know as a novice. I also like the way you can reference different oils in alpha order but also look up your purpose and find the oil you need.

From the looks of it, this book is specifically about Essential Oils. Is that still Green Witchery?? Lol I'm not sure, but i felt like it should go in this category.

Kitchen Witch (another classic):

Blackthorn's Botanical Brews by Amy Blackthorn - $14.49 (Hardcover): this is mainly a book of recipes for drinks and cocktails and stuff. There was one review complaining about how it didn't have correspondences, meanwhile the book is literally described as being a recipe book? It's an AMAZING book if you enjoy/want to start making homemade elixirs and cocktails :))

The Natural Witch's Cookbook: 100 Magickal, Healing Recipes, and Herbal Remedies to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit by Lisanna Wallace - $20.69 (hardcover): This is again just a book of recipes, and the reviews are really good. Here's one of them:

I wanted to write the review as soon as I got the book. I was not expecting this book to be so fantastic. The recipes are very nutritious and the names are very inventive, but I could see that before I tried the recipes. I held off on writing the review until I tasted a few of the recipes. Even my kids were very happy with the flavors of these recipes. They are mostly easy to make and they are very delicious. Be aware though that the food can only be as great as the quality of the ingredients that you get. These are not recipes that call for complicated or fancy ingredients, or even a lot of ingredients. As a result, you have to use the best that you can find/afford to get the best results you can. I did not use expensive ingredients, but everything I used was very fresh and it does make a difference on the outcome. Overall, the book have some great recipes, easy to follow and the end result does look like the ones on the picture.

The Book of Kitchen Witchery by Cerridwen Greenleaf - $12.89 (Paperback):

I am so pleased with this book. It’s so magical and warm. Sometimes the new age genre can be a little too technical or focus too much on religion or putting down particular religions... this was not like that. There are so many lovely tips and easy spells and recipes that are kept fairly light so you can make them your own. The book just makes me happy, it has an energy to it that goes right along with it’s artsy illustrations and at-a-glance format. This will be a great reference. Very grateful to everyone who made this book possible.

A former editor said that there were a few editing mistakes, but nothing too crazy. If that's one of your pet peeves, just beware when buying this book lol (btw the editor still have a 4 star review because they said the book is still very good)

Potions, Elixirs & Brews by Anaïs Alexandre - $12.79 (Hardcover): I just had to include both of these amazing reviews, since both said what the other review did not.

This book is so gorgeous and everything I have been looking for in regards to potions. I love her writing style and the way the book looks. Highly informative and I can feel her good intentions behind the book. She is very intelligent. I respect her and I am inspired by her! I found her by chance looking up books for potions, she also has Instagram! Very grateful, amazing book thank you:-) so happy to be the first comment:p excited to see what else amazing things come from Anais!

And

I adore this book. The art and setup is simplistic and beautiful. There is a system that tells you exactly how difficult each potion will be to make, whether or not it’s alcoholic, and what is the ideal season to make it in. The instructions are clear, the preliminary information is well done, and there’s even a section for brewing large batches which I LOVE. The weight of the book is nice and it feels of good quality. The papers are glossy and, I haven’t yet, but I feel like it won’t be a disaster If you get some of your creation on it. The book is separated into types of potions depending on your intent. This is a perfect book for anyone new to making potions or is interested in a magickal recipe book!

The Witches Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Madara - $35 (Hardcover): This book actually isn't out yet, but it'll be released on October 26th of this year (2021). It looks promising, which is why I put it on the list, and for that much money, it better be good lol

Lunar/Moon/Astrology Witch:

The Complete Guide to Astrology by Louise Edington - $9.49 (Paperback) $22.99 (Hardcover): There's amazing reviews on this book, and one of them said that she's been researching astrology for 23 years!! Here's the review in it's entirety:

I've been a student of Astrology for the past 23 years now, and have read most of the books on this subject that are considered foundational. Many guides to astrology that I page through in a bookstore are fine, but covering information I already know. What I so appreciated about Edington's new book is that she brings a new angle to even the basics of Astrology. Her book feels like a fresh update, more appropriate to our current time in terms of language and sensibility. There are no "evil" aspects or transits in Edington's view, no dark warnings of disaster; her evolutionary perspective encourages us to see the opportunity in even the most challenging times, what can be learned, what can be accomplished. As she says in her book, she doesn't look at the natal chart as something fixed, unchanging, rather a "blueprint rich in meaning and possibility."

I also admired Edington's extensive knowledge of the stories behind the names and symbology used in Astrology: sharing her interpretations of them, how they are useful, how they can be limiting. Concepts I thought I already understood have been unpacked in greater depth by the author, so that I see deeper layers.

This text is beautifully written, well-organized, offering a fresh update, as well as a deeper dive than many astrology texts. This book is an invaluable resource I'll be returning to, and consulting, with appreciation.

Moon Spells: How to Use the Phases of the Moon to Get What You Want by Diane Ahlquist - $11.35 (Paperback): This book is a bit older fashioned in the sense that it's VERY heteronormative, we're talking about love magick SPECIFICALLY for men and all about being a father, and a section of love magick SPECIFICALLY for women and being a mother. So if this gets on your nerves, then i wouldn't recommend this book. Other than that, the reviews are very good and they describe the book as being a must-have for lunar witches.

The Complete Book of Moon Spells by Michael Herkes - $13.49 (Paperback): Yes, this book was written by a man. If that's something that might make you not want to purchase, please look at this and also keep in mind that SO MANY of the most highly esteemed witches of the world ARE MEN. So if you wanna be closed off and refuse their help and their knowledge, go ahead sis, I'm not stopping you.

He's most definitely not just "some guy". Aside from that, this book has very good reviews. Some people called it "fluffy" and a bit less serious then they anticipated, but it's very good for beginner witches who are finally wanting to start doing spells. Here's a review.

In this book you explore ways to conjure the mysterious power of the moon to manifest your intentions to achieve abundance and balance in your life! Each chapter is devoted to one of the eight phases of the moon and includes various spells, tarot spreads, crystal grids and potions that reflect that phase of the moon!

This is an overall amazing book if you want to build a foundation of learning about the history of the moon, astrology, cycles & phases, ritual tools, crystals, herbs, and essential oils- as well as the moon spells and rituals.

This is one of my new favorite books! I feel so connected to the moon and this book is a great reference for learning the best rituals and spells to use for the different moon phases and energies surrounding them! It’s easy to follow and the lunar rituals, mystical spells and magical drinks are so vibrant, creative and helpful in my spiritual journey. I’d recommend this book to anyone that loves the moon like I do.

Moon Magic: A Handbooks of Lunar Cycles, Lore, and Mystical Energies by Aurora Kane - $19.99 (Hardcover, although there's only three left when I'm looking at it) $9.99 (Kindle):

One review said that the book much surpassed their expectations, and another review said this:

I absolutely adore this book.

If you're just a beginner and want to understand the different moon phases, this is the book to get.

The information inside was extremely helpful without being overly complicated.

Well worth the money spent.

Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life by DK - $14.59 (Hardcover):

I saw this in store and was immediately drawn to it's beautiful and shiny cover! But when I open it, the inside is just as beautiful! I love looking through the pages. I would say it is a very good basic astrology book, but I have another one that gives much more detail. I like this one for more of a quick reference kind of book. It's more of a bullet point style book, where it gives little tidbits instead of paragraphs going in depth. (Though some pages do have paragraphs) BUT, it covers just about everything including all the houses, moon signs, and ascending signs. It covers everything, but it just covers he tip of the iceberg. (In my opinion) I still absolutely recommend it!

Apparently this book is also available in Barnes and Noble, so if you have access to one, you might wanna look there for the book before purchasing off of Amazon :)

Misc Books (General):

The Spell Book for New Witches: Essential Spells to Change Your Life by Ambrosia Hawthorn - $10.19 (Paperback) $20.69 (Hardcover):

This book... It's a very good spell book, and is true in the spells it contains, but MY biggest problem with it is that it's V E R Y Wiccan, and seems almost preachy about the "Threefold Law" and what they like to call "karma". Choosing not to do dark magick is PERFECTLY FINE and being Wiccan is totally okay! But don't be like Christianity and rub it in people's faces, dude. The book talks about how you can ONLY practice "love and light". Other than that, this book is AMAZING and rated literally 5 stars with over 11K reviews. If you lean more Wiccan, by ALL means, buy this spellbook. It's the one for you.

Practical Magic for Beginners by Maggie Haseman - $13.49 (Paperback)

This book is fantastic for the witch who wants to learn more about her craft but doesn't know where to start. Each subject is broken down into easy to absorb bits of wisdom without being overwhelming. A great jumping off place to decide where to dive in deep next.

This book is very comprehensive, and is a great reference guide for beginner witches, or witches looking to add another book to their collection.

Candle Magic For Beginners by Mystic Dylan - $10.86 (Paperback) $21.99 (Spiral bound)

This book is a must have for anyone looking to deepen their connection with the magical element of fire, ritual, and spell work through candle magic! Dylan not only teaches you how to use candle magic for things such as protection, abundance, love, healing, and more, but takes you through the fascinating history of the power of fire & how to properly charge, cleanse, and consecrate your candles to begin manifesting your deepest desires!!! Overall, the book is beautifully written with gorgeous illustration and will hook you from the start!!!!!!!

This book is perfect for beginners to candle magick, or beginners to the craft in general. I personally LOVE candle magic because I've always been attracted to fire. I could void out and just stare at a flame for hours on end lol

Crystals for Beginners by Karen Frazier - $8.99 (Paperback) $20.95 (Spiral bound)

Absolutely love this book!! It’s so informative! I am a beginner and this book explains a lot. Everything a beginner would need to know about crystals is in this book. I am so pleased with it. Best purchase of the week! Definitely worth it. The author explains crystals, chakras and energy so enthusiastically and in a way that is easy to understand. At the end of the book, is a “resources” page with all the websites, books and apps that the Author recommends.

Again, very beginner friendly, but this time it's not spells, it's crystals and such. I've personally been wanting this book for AGES

The Crystal Bible Series by Judy Hall - $38.99 (Volume 1-3 shrink-wrapped set, paperback):

This is my first purchase of the three-part series by Judy Hall. Volume 1 covers over 200 crystals! I can already tell you I'll be purchasing volumes 2 and 3 (each of which cover 200+ MORE crystals/stones, not included in volume 1) I love how each crystal description includes photos to further help in identification. I also appreciate that rarity and sources were included. Information about the spiritual and physical impacts of crystals on the body is in there as well! This book is loaded with a lot of great information and is the perfect quick reference. It's also small and fits easily in my hand. I highly recommend it for beginners.

This is a review from just the first book, and it's from a verified hauler/buyer :)) these aren't exactly newbie friendly, and some people say they're a bit harder to understand.

[saradiation]

Your Homestuck art is really cool! But I'd like to suggest that maybe you could try drawing some different body types? You seem to draw all the characters as very skinny, often unrealistically so. There's lots of guides online about drawing fat characters that might help

Hi anon,

I can see where you're coming from and won't deny that yes, I usually draw skinnier body types. (although I tried to make Jane a bit chubbier when drawing her a few months ago, but that's like one time so I see how that wouldn't count maybe)

Let me tell you two of the main reasons I think why that is:

I'm pretty skinny myself and that makes it the body type I'm more used to and the more I'm experienced with when trying to replicate something.

But the main reason is probably that I only got back to drawing about half a year ago after an almost 10 year break.

I never studied anatomy properly and I'm slowly trying to learn. While I agree that guidelines for all body types definitely exist out there,

they're still not the most common and most beginners guides do use skinnier body types. I also use lots of references and tend to find better poses/outfits/ideas with models that are of this body type, not necessarily on purpose.

Given my current skills I don't have the ability to change body types from references and keep a somewhat ok anatomy while doing so yet, but when I'll end up having more understanding of basic anatomy and more confidence drawing, I might include different body shapes and sizes.

I never will and never had the intention of bodyshaming anyone if that is your concern (a totally valid one btw).

Thanks for the feedback!

[teawiththegods]

I'm a new practitioner and am concerned that one of my gods is upset with me. Do you know of how I can tell if this is true? I'm very nervous that I made some mistake or something. Please help and thank you for your help. Love your content btw.

I'm going to be honest with you, I'm like 99.9% sure that your gods are not upset with you. How do i know??? Well because this is a very VERY common thing for beginners. Its pretty much a rite of passage at this point to go through the whole "I have upset my gods" wild ride.

Why this has become so prevalent amongst beginners I believe is because

The gods are believed to be easily offended, petty, jealous, impatient, and even cruel. Any mistake big or small will set them off apparently.

Each generation is more anxious and self conscious than the one before it. So many beginners come into the religion conditioned to believe that their mistakes are bad and worthy of punishment, that they are a burden to the world just for existing, and that anything they do will likely cause the apocalypse.

And we can't forget the influence of Christianity and possible religious trauma

So it is highly likely that what you're experiencing right now has nothing to do with the gods, but is actually influenced by your own trauma and sense of self-worth. Or even just how you view the gods. It could be a combination of things but the point here is that its very likely that the gods are not mad at you.

[kiisaes]

Kii hiiii!!!! I want to start doing commissions soon but I have no idea how and where to start. I mean yeah I'll make a comission sheet and specify stuff I know those basics. But like how do I kinda know that people would actually comission me for stuff? How did you know when to start and like what was your whole process like? Don't mind me I'm just trying to ask about this to some artists I admire and who do commissions what their experiences were like so don't feel too pressured to answer this lol

hi anon!!! that's a really good question that i unfortunately feel like i'm unqualified to properly answer, because my commission work experience was also ... how you say ... less than desirable LOL. i didn't even make a commission sheet and my overall process was super wonky so you're already doing better than me!

honestly i don't think there's any real way you can gage if you even will get commissioners. the shitty thing about any freelance work is that opportunities aren't guaranteed, and you just have to put your foot out there and hope for the best. which is scary and overwhelming, i know! especially if you're down on yourself and your abilities, because your brain will always try conjuring up reasons as to why you shouldn't. i'm pretty sure almost every artist out there has felt like their art isn't good enough so people won't commission them — trust me, i've totally been there and i'm still there LOL — but those nagging voices in your head telling you that you're full of shit ... are full of shit and you should just ignore them. or at the very least, live unbothered by them.

because the fact is, you are your worst critic! you'll always spot mistakes and flaws in your work that others literally won't even notice. so in regards to when to start, i'd honestly say whenever you feel ready to, you should! there's always art appreciators out there who i'm sure would love to give artists a shot, whether beginner or master, a rookie or wholly experienced. i can't guarantee that you'll have customers, but not trying at all already bars you from any customers in the first place. if you try and you fail, take comfort in the fact that you tried!!! that's already amazing!!!

that being said, i think probably the "easiest" way to get commissioners is to understand your audience. know what your viewers like to see from you, and perfect that! and honestly i feel quite hypocritical saying this because i go to art school and the overall vibe here is "draw for yourself and don't sell out" but the truth hurts and that truth is, if you're looking to grow a client base and make money off of your art, it doesn't hurt to draw stuff you know your audience eats up. it leads to more interest in your art, and more potential people who are willing to pay you for that art. it also might make you seem more credible as someone who draws distinct things and people follow you for those things! i hope some of this makes sense because i am so bad at wording sentences that i end up going on long rambles LOL

personally, i'm very spontaneous and i just do things without even thinking twice, so i opened ko-fi commissions last year literally because i was bored and i wanted to avoid my other trillion responsibilities. i figured if i could get some money off of my art, why not give it a shot? i did NOT expect people to commission me actually, but it was a pleasant surprise that people found my art interesting enough to pay for :) i didn't make a sheet (which i probably should ... heh) but i have drawn enough uncolored line work art + flat color work where i think my audience knew what they were getting into (uncolored line art and flat color were the initial two options i provided btw).

i also think pricing plays a huge part into whether people will commission you, which is honestly so ass because i'm a firm believer that the majority of artists, myself included, undersell their work. like, reeeaaallly undersell it. i'm talking "this artist should charge $100 or more for what they're offering but they're only charging $40?!" kind of deal. art is a product of both time and energy, and is a direct antithesis to capitalist work demands. you can't force an artist to churn out art like a machine would, and an artist's efforts towards making a personalized art piece should also be taken into consideration regarding pricing ... but unfortunately people don't want to pay a lot for commissions. and it's understandable because not everyone has enough money to throw around whenever they feel like it, so oh well. anyway my point is if you charge lower, you're probably more likely to get people willing to pay :( it sucks i know, but that's just how it is. i'm sure your prices can raise exponentially once you have credibility as a reliable commission artist though!

i hope some of this helps ?? i'm not like a seasoned commission artist or anything but this is just from my own experiences ... your experiences might be completely different! so take my advice with a grain of salt as well but uhh yea B)

[sable-myers]

I'm not that experienced with the wider world of horror movies? So if you would be willing to give me some good like... starter movies that people should watch before they get into the gorier bloodier stuff that would be awesome. I'm not sure how much it will help, but I saw Last Night in Soho when it came out and I really liked it!

As for what I'm not willing to watch, nothing relating to bullying? And nothing that relies too much on jumpscares. I'm not ready for that yet lmao

Thanks for doing this btw!! i want to get out of my comfort zone and actually try watching some horror flicks

Ok so some horror classics that aren't that gorey and don't go nuts on the jumpscares.

I'll also try to get you one from each of the big horror subgenres! Slasher, sci-fi, supernatural/ghost, and psychological

Well, my number one beginner recommendation would be...

Yea, wow, no surprise that I'd recommend that one I know. But! Despite being in the slasher genre, the original 1978 Halloween barely has any gore at all, like seriously, less than your average modern PG-13 movie, and also its really only got one jumpscare and its not that bad. It does have one scene involving bullying, but its only a few seconds long, the bullied kid makes it out ok, and it then it moves right along and doesn't come up again. I can even tell you when it is if you want. And then of course this is a horror classic! You can expect it to come up in pretty much any conversation about the evolution of horror so its a good one to have seen. Its also very good! I know I'm biased, but its a classic for good reason. The tension building, the uneasy feeling of being watched and followed, the creeping feeling of danger lurking in what should be the safest of places, it nails it all.

My next recommendation would be...

This movie has one fairly gory scene, but also its an old movie so it looks pretty fake. Beyond that, no bullying that I can remember, and it relies much more on atmosphere than it does jumpscares. Its a classic, and for good reason! Most Alien movies are critically cheesy but this one isn't about abductions or little green guys in flying saucers, its the real horror of encountering another planet's apex predator and having no idea how to handle it.

So for supernatural horror this is a little tricky because most of these that I've seen rely pretty heavily on jumpscares, but I think maybe you'd be good with...

This one does have one VERY bad jumpscare but its only one and its in the first 15 minutes of the movie and then you're safe after that. This was one of my first horror movies! Its very unsettling with minimal gore. I don't remember there being any bullying in this one since its mostly following adults. If the boat scene from Willy Wonka freaked you out this is like a whole movie of that but also if you watch it you die instead of getting candy.

And as for our psychological horror...

This one isn't super psychological but y'know, it's close. Its also one of my favorite movies of all time, and another one of the first horror movies I ever watched. I think about it every time I'm stuck indoors for too long and if you watch it you'll see why lmao. If you want something more explicitly psychological there's also the movie I'm Thinking Of Ending Things, but uhhhh..... that movie is the only horror movie that has ever left me thoroughly upset and disturbed for hours after. I won't say I didn't like it, because it was good, but I would never watch it again. But it doesn't have any jumpscares, much gore, or any bullying so you might still enjoy it, it's just emotionally distressing.

[jisungi]

aww Anna i'm so sorry you didn't get into the art school you wanted to go to, but that doesn't mean you need to give up on your art. honestly even if you don't feel you have enough time to practice by doing big drawings or paintings that doesn't mean you can't improve!! Doing little doodles on the sides of your pages or blank paper when you are bored or have a break in classes can actually help you improve more than you can imagine in both skills and creativity!! [...]

And then when you do finally have some free time to do actual pieces you’ll be surprised at how much better you’ve gotten so don’t give up on taking the art exam again if it’s really your dream! Something else that can be really helpful at improving without taking up much time is just keeping a small sketchbook on you and doing really quick sketches of people you see in public. You said it takes 20 minutes to get home, is that walking? Because drawing on places like the bus can reaallly help …

…you at getting better at drawing because you get a more steady hand from drawing with all the bumps and stuff. (little tips coming from an art student) (btw i’m also super impressed on how you’re an english major!! English is tricky (my worst subject) and you should be proud of that too!!!), sorry for this super long ask.. I probably should have sent it as a message but it’s kind of too late to do that now lol… anyway I love you and hope you start feeling better!!

okay first of all thank you so much for the tips!!! sometimes i doodle portraits of random people that come to my head in class, although it’s very rare. i used to doodle a LOT in the past before i started attending art classes, mostly because the lessons were boring. and i go home from school by tram, i could actually draw there but the thing is it’s waaaay too shaky for me to draw :( but next time i go somewhere by train i’ll make sure to bring my sketchbook with myself!! i actually haven’t used it for ages (not literally), i never draw at home for some reason. maybe i just don’t feel the need to? since art classes are pretty intense (3 and a half hours of non-stop drawing) and helped me improve a LOT. perhaps i should start using it again soon.lmao thank you for the compliments, although the class isn’t what i expected.. almost everyone is a complete beginner at english in my class when it’s supposed to be “”””””””advanced”””””””” and that’s actually one of the reasons why i considered going away from here. the standards are waaaaaaaay lower than i expected them to be, it seems like pretty much anyone who can speak basic english can get in here. it also seems like a lot of the students’ parents are friends with a teacher from this school or the headmaster, and y’know.. had a little deal. the mistakes my classmates make sometimes make me internally facepalm non-stop.but anyway, thank you for the supportive and lovely message!!

[my3amletterstoher]

****tired def not fond of that was a typo , you hate them , you are digiested with them , all of them are toxic af and we are disgusted with them , I know you are disgusted with them

But getting back to you, I know you have a lot on your mind and I'm right here, everything in regards to us is alright , showering you with love 😘😘😘😘🖤🖤🖤, we are so happy 😍😍😘😘😘😘😘🤗🤗🤗🤗, we are drifting and floating in the air 😍😘😘😘😘, you got your blankie baby? We underneath it 😍😍😘, I'm heading home now (Tumblr messing up) melting inside each other (Tumblr messing up) 😍😍😍😍😍😍🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🖤 holds you on my arms 😍😍😘😘😘😘, rocking you from side to side 😍😍😍😘😘, my little princess 😍😘😘😘🖤🤗, that pink blanket looks good against your skin btw 😭😭😭, (Tumblr messing up) I can't wait until you get here 😍😍😍😍 🖤🖤🖤🖤, bear hugs you 😍😍😍🖤🖤🖤 , this may some silly bit what about us getting some coloring books?i love coloring 😍 I'm pretty sure they have have advanced or (whatever it would be call ) coloring books too, imagine cuddled up together coloring 😍😍😍😍64 count crayonssss 😍😍😍, or some markers , we can even have our own coloring books 😍😍😍(Tumblr messing up) I mean like create some too , in photoshop , using the line too , that can be done in illustrator too 😍, I'll teach you all that if you want (Tumblr messing up) we can get a stylus too (Tumblr messing up) so that we can draw on the iPad , wouldn't that be nice and it will be nice for when we create our comics (Tumblr messing up) and our logosss 😍😍😍😍, im home now 🖤(Tumblr messing up) check out this cat: https://youtu.be/lKJkKnaImic

Def not a pet lmao but I loveeeee to see em all affectionate and stuff it's so cute 😭😍😍😍

https://youtu.be/-pr1ApCZZ5E

Mastiffs look like bears 😭, I think they're dangerous as well I'm not sure/can't remember, I researched them years ago, I shouldn't say "dangerous " but they're very aggressive but only because they are a protective breed , other than that they're gentle , but you can tell by looking at them that when they attack, they do damage , speaking of biting the dogs with the strongest bite :

Kangals , they measure in at around 743 pounds per square inch , then its the English Mastiff at 556 (Tumblr messing up) WolfDog : 406, the Rottweiler at 328, African wild dog at 317, American Bull Dog at 305, Doberman is at 245, German Shepherd at 238, American Pit Bull at 235, Dutch Shepherd at 224, the Chow Chow 220, and Malinois 195

But yeah those Tibetan Mastiffs? They always show em with their mouths open lol (Tumblr messing up)

Platpets is a good resource 😍(Tumblr messing up) I think we might be using it a lot , it has temperament guides and training tips on there 😍it will help us out a ton 😍😍😍

http://platpets.com/category/dog-training/

Look at the Pomsky at the top of the page 😭😍😍😍😍(Tumblr messing up) isn't it cute 😍😍😍😍, those eyes and everything 😍😍😍(Tumblr messing up) you know what breed I used to be obsessed with? Samoyed idk why I just stated to like that breed all of a sudden and when I used to go to the library I used to get books on them (Tumblr messing up) , red nose pitbulls too , and Australian shepherd (i like their eyes)

(Tumblr messing up) what other breeds you like baby? 😍

Hmm it says that dogs have been known to roll in animal remains 😳 it's interesting why they do it as well , the behavior came from wolves , they roll in the carcass to get the scent on them so that when they go back to the pack, they can get the scent/go to it (Tumblr messing up) isn't that interesting? Another reason is to mark their territory , and also something to disguise their own scent (almost like camouflage) (Tumblr messing up) but yeah that is interesting affff , like you said it's amazing all the information (Tumblr messing up) another interesting thing is the psychic abilities animals have /they're very intuitive and in touch with their surroundings (Tumblr messing up) Dogs are good at telepathy , they can be good at healing wounds as well their saliva , but we know that their tongue can be nasty as well , someone recently just lost all their limps bc a dog licked them bc of either a flesh eating virus or a flesh eating parasite I can't remember which one , but it turned the man's limps black it was terrible 😭😭😭(Tumblr messing up) some dogs can tell if they owner is about to have a seizure (Tumblr messing up) they can also stiff out some cancers , can tell if a person is sick in general &/or dying < cats have that ability as well (Tumblr messing up) I remember before my grandmother died by other cat never used to be around her but a week before he started going in her room (Tumblr messing up) Sidenote did you see the videos of the dogs reacting to their other disappearing ? 😭😭😭😭