#I'm sure most artists already knew this but I was experimenting lol

[torra-and-the-toons]

Throwback to to (start of) an art piece I did for an art class back in 2015 where one of the professors tried to fail me because, in her words, "Cartoon style isn't art."

This was in an animation track too.

[eggdrawsthings]

Hi! I wanted to ask a question and I wasn’t sure if it was too personal or not so just ignore this is you’d rather not answer, but I was wondering if you went to art school or got a degree in it? I really want to start learning and maybe one day start a career in animation and wasn’t sure whether I should spend time and resources getting a degree. I know it’s going to be different for everybody and nothings a guarantee for this field but since I love your style and technical skill I was curious whether you had done that and what were your thoughts on it or if you are self-taught.

Hey anon! No worries it's all good!

Ig I should quickly go through my art journey so you can have an overall look of why I went to art school lol.

So I'm from Vietnam. I think back in 2013 I went to a small art school in Singapore (they were the only one that gave me a scholarship). My major was 3D modeling actually, but during my final year, I realized I only wanted to draw characters for animation. I could already draw decently, so I just read The Silver Way book and built a character design portfolio on my own during this time. I was lucky I got a job as a concept artist at a small animation studio there so I learned a lot from the job. I also did a lot of self-learning and took Woulter Tulp's Expressive Character class on Schoolism.

Then after 3-ish years of working, I got sick of the tiny and dying animation industry in Singapore. I wanna do sth more than just preschool shows and I was severely underpaid lmao. So I quit my job and took the MA VisDev program at AAU. It's a little more affordable cuz u can do 1 year online and the second year on-site. The reason I went to this school even tho i could just take a VisDev class online was cuz i need the visa so i can try to break into the industry in the US.

Now back to your question. Is art school a must? No. Should you still take it? Maybe, depends on your situation. If you can afford it then hell yeah by all means. Art school is great cuz you have professors and peers to help guide you along the way so you won't get lost while trying to figure out your shit. And to have a few years just experimenting and focusing on art is a great experience. Plus you can make a lot of meaningful connections in school and it will help you a long way after you grad. But if you have to go into debt to go to art school, then don't. There are places like Schoolism, CGMA, and Warrior Art Camp where you can pick what class and from whom you wanna learn. If you are not from the US and wanna break into the industry here like me however, then yeah getting a degree is a better bet cuz you can use the student visa and OPT to hopefully get a job here (it's still very very hard tho ngl im struggling rn as we speak lmao). Also, you need a BA to work overseas so there's that too. The hard truth is studios prefer to hire locally than some rando from somewhere else and have to wait for them to relocate and shit, (unless you are exceptionally good and they'd do anything to have you, but that is super rare lol).

Even though I did go to art school, I have to say most of my skills are from self-study. It requires a lot of self-discipline but I'm pretty much obsessed with drawing and I draw everyday so it's not a problem for me. But my friend is not good at that, so she found art school/classes helped her better cuz there are deadlines and instructors to help guide her to reach her goal. So it depends on your learning style tbh.

There is this chart that can help you consider your options. Im sorry it's a very long answer, cuz yes everyone's experience is different. Feel free to drop me another ask if you still have anymore questions tho ^^

Edit: I must also add, though there are online classes and ways to self-learn animation,I do think it only truly benefit you if you know exactly what you wanna do in this industry (for example I already knew i wanna become a character designer for 2d/3D animation specifically so any books/classes i took I tailored it to fit my goal). If you are unsure what you wanna do, then maybe even a cheap animation course will do better, and then you can take extra online classes on the side.

[viivzn]

Hola, I'm back for more food. Can I request a poly sbg (again.) with a fem reader who is like Wonyoung from Ive (and she's an undercover singer and they all find out because they searched up her group name because they heard people *cough cough *Barron* talking about her (yummy)

CLANDESTINE | sbg gang X wonyoung!reader | m. list

tw. none/barron the stank 🤮🤮

a/n. ew barron mentioned smh!! 🙀 also i know i did this very late but uh here u go 🐢🐢,, i think it'll be a oneshot mixed w some drabbles too cuz!!

a/n#2. also new style?! 🗣️ enjoy btw!!

Being a conspiratorial idol is a struggle ━━━ for the most part of studying at a school where some ruckus or tumult occuring most of the time, a majority of times, you'd have to wear a mask when you're not that congenial nor cozy in public, although as luck would have it, you're glad none of your friends at least knew your whole idol type of experience neither your existence as an artist. thence, you're pretty much at ease hanging around them, so you wouldn't really wear your mask on.

Until a fucking guy named “Barron” whom supposedly the school's trouble maker and a mass shitty manipulator ━━━ was talking about your whole secret identity with his friends or other schoolfellows in the corridors, they were crowding the confined hallway until you came making everyone proceed to you, presumably asking for an autograph, picture, etc. though everyone eventually stopped when a schoolmaster came in your way. you expected your group of friends to be here early than you yet your expectations failed to avail. at least for you.

The following day came, you were slightly overwhelmed or easily agitated, all owing to the fact yesterday and mostly Barron. and there he was again, talking about you for the fact that he still continued till now, and shit you were literally about to throw hands for that guy until Taylor suprised you from behind, and it added MORE problems to your mind, one, your circle of friends might hear what that boy is talking about, two, they might hate you for hiding it from them, three, they'll leave you forever leaving no friends which is pretty much a skill issue, four you'll become depressed over a simple problem which is huge to you.

Nonetheless, by good fortune, class had already started as your schoolmates passed by to their classrooms along with Barron to say the least.

⠀✦

"anyone else find [name] acting completely different till yesterday?" taylor questioned the group with a hint of concern in her voice. "yeah, she seems... dull. from my point of view to say the least of it." taylor's other twin responded with a compact shrug, earning a glance from others. "maybe some problems at home?" logan muttered, placing his palm under his jaw, "nah, her fam is fine." the blonde spoke confidently, leaning back on his seat, "how are you so sure? i mean, you're not that close to her either—", "asked their parents, they're all in good terms lol"

"you can't just question her parents without her knowledge—", "already did" the boy grinned insolently while he scrolled through his rectangular device, receiving a dagger from tyler as he looked back at the group.

"i did hear something about her from Barron," Ashlyn pressed a few buttons from her device before revealing a group of people, "plus there's this one girl who exactly looks like her", "or maybe [name]'s face card is too powerful?—" , "nope, this exactly looks like [name]. you can't change my mind" Tyler debated, looking fixedly at Ashlyn's phone.

"she looks nice" ben wrote on a pad of paper, receiving a small nod from others. "but why would she hide it from us though?" the deep brown haired girl was baffled, her face scrunched up. "maybe because she doesn't have confidence in us? i don't know" the copper hair coloured girl breathed heavily to show disappointment. "okay, let's just pretend we don't know any information we just acknowledge because—" taylor explained until she was cut by a notification from the gc, along with the other people from her group. nevertheless, there revealed a picture of [name] in her artist or idol form, in addition of aiden's message; "this u? loll".

likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated!!!! <33

[quaranmine]

Art Symbolism in The Incandescence of a Dying Light

Okay, I want to talk about art symbolism in Firewatch AU tonight, so I can finally add this post to the masterpost. This is something I did accidentally at first, and then on purpose later when I realized how perfectly I set it up. It's a happy accident that I ran with. I wish I'd incorporated it more clearly throughout, but as it stands it's a nice little small detail.

Visual art is used throughout the story as symbol of healing and recovery. I think I can speak for most of my fellow artists/writers/etc that not only is our art an important part of our lives, but it helps us process things. I know it's that way for me. Tracking the mentions of art throughout the story paints a picture (lol) of Grian's journey.

Specifically, the very first moment we're introduced to Grian, he's drawing.

He's doing this as part of his job, but it's implied in this scene that he's not drafting anything technical and is just coming up with exteriors. He enjoys the drawing. But significantly, this is a scene before Mumbo disappears. It's a snapshot of the before, a snapshot of normal.

The next time art gets brough up is in chapter four, when Grian learns for the first time that Scar is an artist (while having his breakdown about Mumbo.)

He says, I used to draw. This is an intentional revealing of Grian's mental health in the AU, because depression will literally steal away all your creativity and desire to engage in things you love. I know that from experience, and I'm sure many readers do too. Grian used to draw, but now he doesn't. He used to be an architect--a career he loved--but now he isn't. That's all a mark of his past, which is a person he doesn't feel like he is anymore.

But once we get to chapter eight, after a few weeks of getting closer to Scar and chipping away at finding Mumbo we get:

Scar asks Grian to draw something for him, and Grian actually does it. He picks up the pencil again. This is also when we start to dip into Scar's backstory, because this leads into Grian asking Scar why he's an artist. Scar picked up the hobby after his accident, as something to help him. He stuck with it. (Scar also offers to mail Grian a painting here, an idea that gets "satisfied" in the last paragraph of the story.)

But really it's just...the act of picking up a pencil here that does it for Grian. It's an indication that he's already in a slightly different mindset than he's been in for the past year. He's not healed yet. But he's tangibly in a different place than he was before he met Scar. He's not only willing to try and draw something again, but also listen to a friend's suggestion (after famously ignoring his other friends for months in an attempt at self-destruction.)

It's not a perfect drawing. He throws the first attempt away. But he actually tried again!

Then in chapter twelve we get more art related things, starting with Grian getting to see more of Scar's paintings. We also get another mention from Scar about how picking up art helped him:

For Scar, art is a big part of his identity now. It's a passion he's held for years, and it was something that he could fall back on to help process his trauma and grief. He has insecurities about his art (he's not all confidence all the time) but it is something that he finds important. He finds it important enough to recognize that it would benefit Grian, too.

Then, of course, we have Grian giving Scar the picture of his lookout that he drew in chapter eight. I just knew I had to fit it into the last chapter somehow, to bring it full circle. It's sort of a physical thank you.

It's not just a drawing Grian is giving him. It's the first thing he drew again after months of motivation went down the drain from grief and depression. It's the physical signfier that Scar had a huge impact on his life. It's the proof that maybe Grian can salvage this. He's not going to be his old self. But he doesn't have to abandon everything. He can keep engaging in art. He can get his career back. He can draw a new life for himself.

[zephyra-in-the-house]

Heya zephyra

How're u doing 💓

Um u got any tips on how to start or make a fanfic ?

I wanna write my own fanfic I just don't know how to start

I already got my OC done and the back story of my OC

The only problem is how to start 🫤

Thought maybe ask someone with experience like u ❤️‍🔥

So u got any tips or advice ?

Thanks 😁🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

That's a good question!

Honestly, I'm not sure how I've managed to get this far in my writing. It amazes me just how many people follow Second Chances and continuously read each new chapter. I never once thought that I'd get to this point but I'm very grateful for all the love and support I've been shown because it just motivates me to keep writing~

With that aside, I started out on a pretty big scale when I first started writing fanfics. I've written two so far and basically it started as one little scene that I had in mind and then I built around it.

I'm not sure how other writers do it but I think my way may be a little unorthodox LOL

I say that because I never start at the beginning. In fact, most of the time, I will get inspired and think of a scene to write but it's almost never a beginning scene.

Instead, I always end up coming up with little scenes that are sprinkled throughout the entire length of the story. It could be a certain kind of hug or a fight between certain people or one particular conversation or something simple like that. I will then take those little puzzle pieces and splatter them all over my canvas called Google Docs. Then I go through and I reorganize each scene based on where I think they would fit during the story's progression.

Therefore, I ended up with a canvas that had various colors splashed on it.

Since the beginning, I always knew that I wanted to start with that first chapter where Macaque gets food from "Pigsy’s". That was my absolute starting point no matter what.

So, I wrote that and then I went through my colorful canvas of ideas and I split it into sections. Each section was for a specific chapter. Now, after I wrote that first chapter, I developed a process where I have the current chapter I'm working and then a more or less concrete sketch of the next 2-3 chapters to come.

I don't write more than that right away. I have ideas for chapters beyond that but nothing concrete. That's because a fanfic is constantly developing. There is no way to make concrete plans. What you plan for chapter 10 might be completely changed because of something that you thought of for chapter 6. Or you could end up writing more than intended for one chapter and have to split up certain chapters (*cough cough* the shopping trip *cough cough*). Either way, I've learned that it's better to be flexible with what you plan to post when it comes to fanfic.

That's kind of how I started and that's how I've been making Second Chances so far.

In any case, I feel like I'm rambling at this point 😅 I could talk about writing techniques and strategies for days but!

My main advice is: you do you.

When it comes to writing, there is no correct way to do it. It's kind of like art in that way. You can add as many scenes or as many wild colors as you want or you could be a completely black and white artist or someone who only writes poetry.

Either way, the key to anything creative is to just do it. It doesn't have to be good. It doesn't have to be perfect. I can't count how many times I've written something and then came back to it and gone "that's absolute shit what the fuck was I thinking". On the flip side, I've also had times when I write something and toss it to the side and I come back and I'm like "Who the fuck wrote this cause I know it wasn't me man that shits too good" 😆

So just write what you want to write and make it as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. The best thing I ever did was get into the habit of writing just to write. Whether it was a memoir or a poem or a short scene in a story I'm doing, I just write. Freeball it.

Thank you! I wish you well on your adventures!

[snapbackslide]

a reward for staying alive ❤️‍🔥

the post-concert depression is always severe with this band... i had to pull myself back to reality many times yesterday. today i'm able to put my thoughts down and reminisce - i don't want to forget a single thing, so i'm trying my best to write everything down - this is why my posts end up being so long. so, regarding the clancy concert in montreal, and how this band feels like a reward for staying alive... novel below.

um, the concert lasted like 5 minutes?! way too short for my soul, corazón... it seems every show goes by faster and faster, probably because i love them more and more every time 🥲

i don't know how, but the more i go to the bell centre, the smaller of a venue it seems. it felt so intimate, not sure if it's the familiarity of it all, or if they're just that good at including us in everything.

josh was funny and interactive and he wore a montreal shirt, tyler brought so much energy and spoke french, vocals and drums and every other instrument were flawless, they tore the place down.

from the moment trees ended, i already started missing them so much. every time i know trees is coming up and every time they play it, i get this bittersweet feeling. one of my favourite songs of theirs, that also signals the end of the show... it's a beautifully sad experience 🥺

and when i got home, my first thought was "they did it again". i've felt this way after each of their shows.

in regards to past experiences;

the bandito tour, 2019. my first tøp show, so probably the one that will always mean the most. i had never seen an artist perform every song off the album they were touring before. that was incredibly special, not just because trench means so much to me, but because the show itself felt magical. it is actually the reason why i'm so into the band today - i'd loved them and their songs for a while, but seeing them live is what cemented it for me.

the icy tour, 2022. this one was a bit of a last minute decision. it was straight up just fun, very reflective of the era as a whole. they played so many songs, some of my absolute favourites, and i had great seats and got to take some really cool photos and videos.

the clancy tour, 2024. well, there's obviously a lot to say, seeing as it's still fresh in my mind. an even more last minute decision... it needs its own section. and i love to see others enjoying it as much i have 🥲

i went into the bandito show with no prior knowledge whatsoever. i had checked the setlist before the icy show, but didn't know how it was going to play out. this time, i had watched an entire livestream of the first clancy show of the tour, so i knew everything beforehand. and yet, every single one left me mesmerized at how much the songs come alive, and all three are my favourites i've ever attended.

and on a personal level... - the bandito show was rough. i was on an ongoing anxiety attack that didn't go away until the next day, and it was the show that caused the worst pcd 😓 didn't help that i was also in a tough time of my life, in university and struggling with careers and mental health and friendships... - the icy show had its own set of challenges. it was friday night, i got there straight from work, tired and worn out from the week, and i had to pee the entire show 😣 ever since, i have to go to the bathroom like 3 times before an event, lol. i'm truly scarred from that 😅 - the clancy show had none of that. no anxiety, no urges, no discomfort. no waiting in lines, not for entrance, not for merch, not for the bathroom, not for the show (i am also scarred from having to wait over an hour in the pit for other artists before...). i'm in a better place in my life. didn't care what people thought of me. no problems, everything was smooth. it was perfect.

a few key moments;

perhaps the moment that marked me the most wasn't even about tyler or josh. it was the kid in the row in front of me. when tyler announced he was about the play oldies station, the kid (well, maybe not a kid - he seemed to be in his late teens) absolutely rejoiced. he was singing his heart out, and when it ended, he fist pumped to himself, and that moment alone… meant everything. context and timing considered, it continues to amaze me the impact this song has. it made me so happy 🥺

josh looking up to my section after he walked to his mini stage, connecting with us and airdrumming sometimes, specifically during mulberry street. after the intro and before the first verse without drums, he continued his arm movements but without touching the drums, and made funny faces to us 🥹

tyler saying "you're crrraaaazzzyyyyyy" after we had rapped the entire second verse of ride by ourselves, with just the backing track, neither one of them playing or singing 😭😭😭

josh singing along to himself while drumming, and the parts where he actually sang… my goodness. during paladin, i was so lost in the moment that i forgot he did the backing vocal parts, and as soon as he started singing, the crowd erupted. pulled me out of my trance and made me smile so hard.

oh yeah, tyler saying we might be his favourite show of the tour so far? yeah okay, artists say that all the time, he probably didn't mean it… but i choose to believe he did 🤪 he's never said that to us before!!

at 8:43 i heard a loud, distorted noise that it took me a few seconds to make out… "what's your ETA" 😭 exactly two minutes before they came on 😭😭 gosh i love this band so much.

speaking of right before the show started, idk if it was tyler & josh or others, but during those two minutes they were peeking their hands out through the curtains and making gestures, getting us amped up, it was so funny and sweet 🥹

those first few notes of overcompensate… and when the song actually started… and that whole song, really… whew. it will always be a fav of mine. sooooo so happy i got to hear it live.

it was incredibly healing to scream along the lyrics, especially to the songs off clancy. it's hard to even explain. backslide… that and overcompensate were the ones i was excited for the most, they're 2/4 of my favs (the other two being the only songs from clancy not being performed 😢), and they definitely didn't disappoint. and again, oldies station... i'm not even joking when i say that my heart felt like this emoji ❤️‍🩹 so, so, so glad the song was on my setlist. and of course, next semester, yelling hey kid, get out of the road and start fresh next semester, wow. and navigating... the craving... PALADIN STRAIT... just magic.

i love this band so much.

they're the people's band. i love the relationship i have with them. i see them and i don't see celebrities, i see people who make art, people who have gone through similar things. i see the crowd and the way they're touched by them. i see family. we don't know each other, but they help me when i need them. their music is always there, within reach, it's always meaningful, always of high quality, there's always more to learn, always more to love.

that's why i don't participate in the fandom as much, i don't dig into the lore to try and solve things, i don't fight for barricade or travel to multiple shows (no offence to anyone who does). that's what allows me to have my own relationship with each and every song. that's what makes each show i do go to all the more special.

and just like every time, going to one of their shows feels like a reset button. it quite literally reminds me of why i fight, just what tyler intended. surrounded by others also fighting, people who have survived, growing older together, knowing that things do get better, and healing is possible... i'm truly so grateful to have them in my life, and so blessed to have gotten to see them three times. i hope for many more, years down the road, one for every era, and to continue to grow with them.

they're a motivation to push on through. with every new album, every new show... they're a reward for staying alive.

thank you, twenty one pilots. for everything. i'm so proud to call you my favourite band, i'm so glad you're my band. i love you forever.

[snifflesthemouse]

I think the next step is to prevent Harry from going back. She is making sure there is not reconciliation, in any way, for solo Harry. If she starts throwing shit Charles' way then he might get pissed enough to avoid Harry altogether. The rest of the family is already avoiding him anyway.

Excellent point, anonymous questioner! One would assume that, if her ability to control Harry is weakened any time she isn't there to control and filter information, this whole trip is risking her control over him.

That goes back to this author's suggestion that Meghan wasn't really invited to begin with, that 'refusing" the invitation was a narrative left uncorrected as either part of a deal or through some standard of care that the Palace lacked regarding a correction. (In other words, had they not invited her to begin with, they could just correct that narrative.) She would never elect to not be there...

How can one control or manipulate a situation when not even in the same continent let alone room? She either has Harry so indoctrinated she fears not the loosening of that grip, or...

Or she no longer needs that grip. She was always with him, except when it came to dealing with the terms of them leaving. Why wasn't she at the Sandringham Summit? Because the Queen forbade it and said Harry provided enough representation. In other words, the Queen knew the only way to shut down a con artist is to deny them audience. Meghan needs the connection, she needs to be face to face to be most effective. It has to do with body language and a few other things.

Going back to the anon comment... if the con feels the mark is at risk of being deprogrammed, the con will create a forced isolation situation to further alienate any other influences. So, for example... my ex would essentially mistreat and alienate every single person who loved me, so that when people didn't want to be around him, he made it about them trying to use me for themselves, and HE was the one breaking me free, caring about me long enough to let me "think for myself" or whatever else yada yada.

Since the desired effect (the Coronation demands) weren't even entertained, let alone considered, Meghan has to decide the best way to move forward. Harry is making her look dumb by going to the Coronation. Would you go if someone was going to treat your wife and kids that way? I wouldn't

So, this tells us the risk of Harry going alone will produce results greater than the risk involved from potential deprogramming. Or, it could also mean Harry had no choice...

The letters debacle is ironic; she is doing exactly what she sued her father for doing. Remember how that whole narrative was used to create the "poor Meghan narrative"... And now Charles is playing the games.

She could definitely be trying to burn the remaining cinders of that bridge to the ground...

But then again sometimes I go off the deep-end and think that this is all Charles's plans and Meghan and Harry are actually doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing, which is boosting the opinion of the monarchy by being so outrageously terrible, even the most terrible look better than they do lol jk. HAHAH JK

DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING SAID IN MY BLOG IS EITHER BASED OFF MY OWN EXPERIENCES, HYPOTHETICAL, OR JUST COMMENTARY/DISCUSSION ABOUT POTENTIAL WOULDA-COULDA-SHOULDA'S. DON'T BE A SPONGE AND TAKE EVERY WORD FOR GOSPEL, PLEASE. I'M HUMAN, SO I MAKE MISTAKES, AND I OWN THEM.

[goth-automaton]

crashes through ceiling excuse me i'm late Lemme bring up one of Twitter Exclusive OCs, what about 5, 12, 19 from the 'GET TO KNOW THE OC ASKS' and 4 and 14 from 'some OC questions…' for… ✨Svetlana✨!

Haha, I knew you'll choose a "Metal Gear Chaos: RE//connection" character, just wasn't sure, if Emma or Svetlana. ^^ I'll be happy to answer questions about Emma too, of course! 💜

But yes, Svetlana Ivanovna Raikova, our dearest Yakutian ball of unresolved traumas (whom I still haven't properly introduced even on Twitter, 'cause I'm a baby and scared of drawing cyborgs, lol). 💜

GET TO KNOW THE OC ASKS

5. Does your OC have a signature weapon and/or attack? How long did they train to master it?

I wouldn't call it "signature", but Svetlana's usual weapons are sniper riffles and army combat knives. She's also good in fistfights – being a ridiculously strong cyborg definitely helps with it.

She started learning to fight shortly after her initial cyborgisation, at the age of 18, and is still fighting while pushing 60 (and later), so, yeah, she had decades to master fighting.

12. Is your OC cynical or optimistic? Who or what shaped their outlook on life?

Hooooo boiiiiiiiii. Svetlana is cynical as hell. Or at least has been for most of her life – being raised by a mother, who was nearly catatonic due to severe trauma and depression, and later watching said mother slowly die from lung infection, when you're only 5, will do that to you. For almost her whole life Svetlana was obsessed with getting revenge on Big Boss, whom she blames (rightfully, btw) for death of her mother. And then she was made aware, that this revenge actually made no fucking sense. And had a little mental breakdown/existential crisis because of it. Poor girl, her whole world shattered.

HOWEVER. After Emma talked her into joining Philanthropy, Svetlana actually chilled out a little and, while she still is more on the cynical side, her world view definitely isn't as negative, as it used to be. She even made friends! She! Hard to believe, isn't it???

19. Has your OC ever had an experience with the paranormal or the divine? What happened? Was it a one time encounter or is it a normal part of their life? Did they find it terrifying or thrilling?

Okay, so this question is... Hard. To me, as an author. Because MGC doesn't have, like, fully set storyline, I'm stil not sure about paranormal things in it... I mean, ghosts and stuff definitely exist in this universe, but... Gaaah, that would require a shitload of explanation!

But... Uuuh... Does meeting a guy, whose soul and consciousness have been forcefully dragged out of the afterlife and implanted into a body of a lobotomized person, count as paranormal? ^^"

some original character (OC) questions

4. What are your character's quirks or eccentricities that make them stand out from others?

She's a technically immortal Russian cyborg born in 1971, who stopped ageing in her thirties, so. XD But more serious: she doesn't show much emotions, partially because of being kinda tired after all these years and partially, 'cause her she has an emotional maturity of a child – again, trauma will do that to you. And, due to being rather avoidant of people for most of her life, Svetlana still sometimes feels a bit out of place, when it comes to interpersonal relationships. But she's getting better!

Also, she's extremely sentimental and often pays homage to her family. She has a whole box of mementos after her mother and (adopted) grandma and has painted traditional Russian ornamental patterns on her battle armour to honour the latter – granny Anna lived from handcraft, she was making matryoshkas, and she taught young Svetlana how to paint them.

14. What is your character's preferred method of self-expression? Do they have any artistic talents or creative outlets?

Lol, I've accidentally already answered that above. XD But yeah, Svetlana is really skilled in painting traditional Russian patterns. ^^

Thank you! 💜

[earlgreytea68]

Maybe this is an obvious question, but I know nothing (nothing!) about the music industry so I'll ask it anyway. fob is not on a label. Pete and Patrick *own* a label. Why not just sign themselves and put out music through dcd2?

Not obvious! The music industry is a byzantine place and it's very confusing how many layers there are. But you're absolutely right, they are not in a bad position at all, they own a label so they have a structure in place to promote music, and they're already signed to DCD2 (since they own it) so everything they do always goes through DCD2. The challenge for them is twofold:

(1) as I understand it, the difference between an operation like DCD2 and Fueled by Ramen and then Island Music is one of scale. The bigger record labels have money, and lots of it. They therefore have resources that smaller outfits just do not have. Their promotional budgets are bigger, they can give you bigger advances to fund music videos, they can match you with bigger name producers, they can get your albums in Target, they own Spotify so they can get you a better streaming position in Spotify playlists, the radio stations listen to what they want them to play, their publicists can call up the booking people on late night talk shows and be like "yo, how are you doing, I've got this band," they can mount campaigns to get Grammy nominations.

DCD2 *can* do all of those things but Pete and Patrick just do not have the resources of a huge record label. It's very hard for musicians to make money from music because the big labels keep so much of it, which is why artists tour and merch and own 15 different other businesses a la Pete Wentz. So sure Pete and Patrick have more money than most of us and I'm sure DCD2 does okay but they're not on the level of a big record label. DCD2 actually seems to have a distribution deal with Warner Music where their artists are being plugged into some of Warner's connections and resources. (fall out boy was actually the only DCD2 artist going through Island instead because that was their individual record deal.)

There are a lot of advantages to being signed to a small label early in your career, as Pete knew and thus that was always his strategy. You get more personalized attention at a time when you're pretty green in the industry and so need more guidance, and there's less money involved just because there are fewer resources, so the stakes are lower. Failure is less devastating and success is easier to achieve. You don't need to blow the doors off the place right away to be considered a successful artist. TTTYG had time to build sales instead of having to be in the top ten albums the first week or be considered a flop. And then, once you've got fans and a little bit more experience, then you graduate up to a bigger label with more money to throw at you. Like, hey, maybe they'll pay for Babyface to produce a couple of songs for you. FBR will have a hard time affording that.

So all of this is to say that DCD2 is great and all that but their resources are not what a major label has, and Pete knows that (and Patrick too for whatever involvement he has with the business side lol). Pete has said that his goal is to help get his artists, I forget the numbers he used, but he was like "I need to help them get from a thousand listeners to a hundred thousand listeners, that's my job, and then the major label will take it from there."

Now fall out boy is obviously in a different position than an up and coming artist still finding its first few thousand fans. So arguably they are less dependent on major label resources to get their music out there. My understanding is there is a lot of talk in the music industry about whether you need a major label anymore for that stuff. When music was physical, yeah, you needed your stuff in Target. But now music is digital, so that's less important. If you've got a million people already following your YouTube channel or whatever, you can get your stuff out there. And after years in the industry, presumably you've got connections built up that might not be the network a major label has but maybe is good enough, given the existing strength and size of your fanbase. For this reason, record labels prefer to have bands in long contracts, because once they get established and are making money, the record label has to invest less in them and it's all profit. But that's also why a big band could be happy out of contract, because the record label is already doing less and they're doing most of the work at that point.

So yeah, they don't *need* a label and I think it's smart of them not to sign to one. More artistic freedom and more of their money going to them. But that does mean that they're probably dealing with a lot of stuff on their own that probably they got used to the record label handling for them. I mean, they've still got management and all that but they're in a different scale operation now than they were used to, so they probably need to adjust how things are getting done. *They* have to decide how much to invest in producers and who they should be, and that's great, I'm sure they love the total artistic freedom, but it's a different place to be in (psst I'm like the only person who would love to see how jack antanoff would produce a fall out boy song but I feel like it could be *epic*).

Okay so that's (1)

(2) they are now their own bosses, and maybe that's a bad thing lol. I don't think so, I think they'll figure it out, but record label contracts had album obligations. "you will produce x number of albums in x number of years," at their most basic. There was wiggle room in that, but they had a contractual obligation to eventually get another album out there. Now presumably their contract with their own label is kind of just like "hey you do you and we'll be there when you're ready." Which is great and they know themselves so maybe historically they know that they don't need a deadline to get stuff done, they just do it. Or maybe it's easy to be like "look were not REQUIRED to do anything, let's just take our time."

This is also part of why I and others were wondering if they'd do another album or take another approach. Presumably there is no contract dictating what their next step needs to be, so maybe they're enjoying the possibility of thinking outside the box and doing something completely different. The music industry has been debating for a long time whether the concept of an album is dead given the way we consume music now, and I'm sure they're having the same conversations while they're flying to Tampa Bay to play for hockey teams and bank a little more money to fund the next venture.

[scottxlogan]

Fanfiction asks:

3, 6, 10, 14

3. Describe the differences between your first fanfic and your most recent fanfic. To be honest the biggest difference between the first and the most current is the word 'said'. When I first writing everyone 'said' or 'asked' something. Legit no descriptions. Just said and asked. I wasn't nearly as detailed as I am now, but it was a simple case of he said, she said, they all said lol

6. Name three stories you found easy to write. 1. Under Your Spell (pairing Scott/Logan, Rating E)  While on a mission Logan’s deviation from the objective takes him down a surprising path when he finds himself suddenly overtaken with thoughts of Scott Summers. (This was a challenge someone gave me that practically wrote itself. It was such a fun story that when someone gave me the prompt, I just had a blast writing it from start to finish.) 2. First Time  (pairing Clint/Maria,  Rating E) Forced into a mandatory vacation from the job Maria Hill decides to spend her time away from the rest of the world at a secluded winter cabin in the woods. It is the perfect way to unwind until she discovers that the cabin has already been occupied by a sexy stranger named Clint Barton. (This was for a reverse bang challenge where I was paired with an awesome artist! I had played around with a Clint/Maria pairing in a much longer story that I was working on, so I ran with it here and it really just wrote itself. It was clear and easy and a lot of fun to do.) 3. End of the Line  (pairing Bucky/Tony, Rating E) After an unforeseen disaster shakes up the city and turns Tony Stark’s world upside-down, he steps away from his old life to retreat to isolation. Hiding in the shadows of a city struggling with the aftermath of disaster, Tony crosses paths with a sexy stranger who turns his world around in ways he never knew he wanted or needed in his life. (This was the 2nd year I did a reverse bang and the author I worked with was so amazingly talented. We talked a few times about ideas and really just going all out and having fun with it and even though it is yes over 700K it really wrote itself. It was so much fun and was my first introduction into the Winteriron world making me a big fan!!!)

10. What’s a theme that keeps coming up in your writing? Redemption and healing. I think there's just something about characters who have tortured past finding a way to evolve past the tragedy they face and find happiness in their lives with people who truly love them and want nothing more than to experience joy with them in their lives :)

14. You’re applying for the fanfic writer of the year award. What five fanfics do you put in your portfolio? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't ever be in the running for that, but I will give you my top list of I think they were pretty good fics based on what I've been told and what I've felt passionate about in writing :) 1. Damaged (pairing Scott/Logan, Rating E)  Logan’s been behaving different lately and no one seems to notice it except for Scott. As Scott finds himself contemplating his colleague’s strange behavior, he finds that the mystery Logan presents turns into an obsession for him. Scott’s convinced something has changed, but when no one else seems to pay attention to Logan’s new habits, Scott takes it upon himself to discover just what has brought about the change in his teammate. Will Scott’s obsession lead to happy endings for these two or more misery down the road as this new world unfolds? 2. End of the Line  (pairing Bucky/Tony, Rating E) After an unforeseen disaster shakes up the city and turns Tony Stark’s world upside-down, he steps away from his old life to retreat to isolation. Hiding in the shadows of a city struggling with the aftermath of disaster, Tony crosses paths with a sexy stranger who turns his world around in ways he never knew he wanted or needed in his life. 3. Home Again (Bucky/Tony, Rating M) Bucky returns from a grueling mission to his new best friend Alpine. He begins pondering the path he’s been on after facing the reality that some wounds can never truly be healed. In the height of his exhaustion, Bucky comes face to face with the last person that he ever anticipated seeing again in this lifetime or any other. When one of his biggest regrets manifests before him in impossible ways, will Bucky find the strength to make up for the mistakes of the past and find something even more profound along the way? 4. Better Together (pairing Scott/Tony, Rating M) Tony Stark and Scott Summers have been taking their time engaging in a series of flirtations leading up to the beginnings of a romance, but will their time together be cut short by an unexpected twist? Will their relationship grow stronger or will fate tear them apart before they can truly begin a new life together? 5. Under Your Spell (pairing Scott/Logan, Rating E)  While on a mission Logan’s deviation from the objective takes him down a surprising path when he finds himself suddenly overtaken with thoughts of Scott Summers.

[zibulon01]

Zib heyyy! 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

Hello anon! Commissions are always a complicated matter, especially when starting them but don't give up too soon, it may just need some time to kick off. I know i didn't got clients right away the first time and had to be patient. I took commissions when i felt ready to do so and knew i had both some free time available to handle it (i was still in school back then) and thought my skills were decent enough to maybe interest some people, which i know is vague but i can’t really say what is the “right moment”, i just gave it a go. I had no idea if i was going to get clients or not, and i admit i am not sure how to tell even now, but you and i won't know without trying anyway. :P I can also tell you that I got several orders from mutuals who directly reached out to me, so building an audience and maintaining a good network is very important, although i am no expert in that domain since i’m just winging it most of the time. cx

Another tough point beside having a receptive audience was (and still is for me) deciding about the pricing. The first time i had mostly looked around and saw how much people with similar skills priced their stuff. Might be good enough to kick off your commissions and test waters, but at some point you should revise your prices from time to time as you are improving your skills. Another way that is widely advised is to roughly calculate how much time you spend per type of drawing then fix a minimum hourly income from there (and then add the cost of your materials). Unless you just want to sell your art for some bonus pocket money in which case it doesn't matter as much, if you want it to be a decent revenue, there wouldn't be much point selling a good artwork that takes you 8 hours to do for, let's say 20$: that would be barely 2,5$/hour and no one can say that's a decent wage if you have the intent to pay rent and groceries with that; but in the end, that is your situation to consider and your decision to take. As for the process itself, after receiving payment (or first part of the payment), i will require a ref sheet of the character i’m going to draw and some additional details if needed, like background elements and other things my client wants on the piece; from which i will start making thumbnails and sketches for the poses and composition ideas. Then i will send these to the client for review, and after discussing and receiving feedback, i will refine or even combine what has been selected for the final sketch. Some minor modifications are still possible after this point, but not much. From this sketch, if it's not already done, i will make some color tests to decide the lighting/shading and global atmosphere of the drawing, which are discussed as well. The pre-production step is a very important part of my process: because everything gets reviewed, it allows my client to know exactly what they're going to get, and me to know exactly what i need to do once the final sketch and color palette have been cemented, there is no chance for qui pro quo. This process of back and forth might seem a bit complex, but at least it works fine for me. Once the color palette is validated, i then start rendering the final piece, with some WIP pictures taken along the way if needed. It's important to maintain regular contact with clients so that they’re reassured, and sharing the differents steps of progress like that makes it easier for me. If you encounter some issue or whatever, just be upfront about it and tell the person it might take longer, most people are comprehensive about it as long as you maintain them in the know. It happened with two of my clients at different times and for different reasons, and they understood when i told them so. (Thankfully, i haven't met any rude nor scammy client yet >u>) I hope that it brought some bits of answer to you, and i wish you good luck with commissions!

[thirstofgames]

kitty and the jailbird

#️⃣2️⃣

-IT'S A MATCH-

A blank chat popped open and Damien stared at it for a second. He had honestly not expected it. The girl actually swiped him right. He looked at the clock impatiently; he did not have much time left in the library. There was a loud shout from the hallway, his muscles tensing, ready to hide the phone and bolt at any second.

He regretted that last question right as he pushed send. It sounded so bitter in his head now. It was a dating app after all and she was a good looking young woman.

you there?

...

hello?

busy flirting with your other matches, huh?

And there it was all about to end, the hot topic of his whereabouts. And the swift and cruel rejection that followed. It had already happened one too many times! Could he go through his again? Was it worth it? His palms were sweaty, but he never felt so cold. If the ground could just open up and swallow him whole before she finished asking... 

No, sorry

Just a little surprised we matched

you can unmatch if you want

Well, what I want is to talk with you 😊

Your profile caught my eye

what part?

Your profile pic at first.

Most guys can't pull off the broken, deep and scowling thing

But... looks good on you.

you don't look so bad yourself-

but then I read your description...

and I have to know something

shoot 🙄

It was a simple Yes/No question, but it took Kate way to long to answer. She bit her lip, thinking hard on the possibilities. It was such an unfair question though. She was not going to leave, but was not going to pursue anything with him until she knew what he was in for and how long he was going to be locked up. She'd wasted enough years waiting up on others... 

I'm just a little confused 🤔

Are you really in jail?

you gonna leave if I say yes?

It really depends...

A bittersweet smile spread on his lips. What was he expecting from a girl like her? She probably had a nice job, a supporting family and tons of friends and... an actual future. Why would she even consider wasting her time with him? The little time he had left... Better to just pull off the band aid!

She felt to bad! She hadn't meant to disregard his feelings, but wasn't it fair to let her know what she was getting into? She didn't even know what he was expecting from the conversation they were having... She was curious, but she didn’t want to lead him on.

okay, let's just say...

the orange pants and barbed wire are real

OMG

I have so mane questions 😱

here we go...

What did you do?

Wait, where do you even hide your phone?

STOP!

enough with the interrogation, alright?

I'm just curious...

sure, but i'm more than just a prisoner

a little respect goes a long way

Kate’s heart sank. He was hot, but the prison was a serious issue... She supposed people were not lining up to get to know him. He seemed pretty well rounded and mannered, but he was very defensive about his crime. Did that mean it was something really bad? But he was on a dating app... so maybe he was getting out soon? 

You're right!

I'm so sorry 😓

Let's change the subject

Why don't you tell me what you're looking for

hmmm

What?

i'm thinking...

nobody's really asked me that before

Seriously?

most people stop talking to me when they find out i'm locked up

i don't really blame them. i'm rough around the edges.

She didn't say anything for a while and Damien started wondering if he should just close the damn phone and leave. He should also probably take a break from Lovelink after this... it clearly wasn't doing him any good. Dark thoughts swarmed his mind and he had to close his eyes and head his head back against the bookshelf to get rid of the harrowing feeling. Like he was falling in an endless pit...  

The screen showed him typing and deleting several responses. Kate pursed her lips, impatient. Had she said anything wrong? She’d never spoken to someone who’d been locked up, she was still unsure what could trigger painful memories, or just remind him that he was... not free. But he said he just wanted to chat and his profile mentioned 'deep conversations'... 

Okay, I'm not running away, for now

but...

But I can't really make up my mind

If I don't know anything about you

So...

alright

honestly I'm just looking to talk to someone from the outside

it can get pretty boring in here, just waiting around the clock

Let's be friends then 😊

I'll be your window to the outside world

If that's alright with you...?

Damien sighed on the other end. Beggars can’t be choosers. It was a step in the right direction though. Maybe he was not going to find the love of his life at the very fucking end of said life. He was not living in some fairytale! He was still going to die, alone and forgotten.

But maybe... just a little less alone at the very end of his road. One friend meant more than none and maybe, just maybe... he could tell her his side of the story. Eventually. She seemed patient and understanding enough. Let at least one person out there know he did not murder his own father. 

sure

that's more than most

Of course a pretty thing like her got a lot on attention... She was only chatting up with him because the others were offline- 

but it must have been pretty bad to be such a long sentence

you still can't tell me what the crime was?

look, i've been making my own rules my whole life

you better ask what crimes I DIDN'T do

wow...

i'm no bragging or anything, just letting you know where I'm at

anyways, I'm more interested in what you're all about

what are you doing on an app like this?

Honestly...

I was about to uninstall it right before we matched 😅

Oh

you already found the one?

or no luck at all?

Well, I went on a few nice dates...

i see

Suddenly his experience on the app seemed less awful. Maybe it was not the right place. Or perhaps it was just the place for a misfit like him, here with all the weirdoes and con artists. 

And then they ditched me for their exes

Just my luck 😂

Oh and I swear to god if I see one more vampire 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄

vampires?

Yeees

You wouldn't believe some of the things I saw...

OMG, one dude was actually dresses up as a centaur

I...

don't even want to ask

There's also the 'prince' scam going around

Dudes claiming to be the heirs of some  

Made up countries and asking you for money

It wasn't quite a rejection, but it still hurt a little. She already mentioned twice she was only interested in him as friends. She didn't need to spell it out every few minutes! But she was the only one... 

Met some nice people too ☺️

Actually became good friends with some

Which is nice since I just moved here

were did you come from?

Pallay 💜

you're a long way from home

I know 😢

I suppose it was getting kinda lonely

My friends and family come visit when they can

But that's not a lot...

what brought you here?

Got a really good job opportunity

But I didn't quite realize how far away I'd be

So yeah, to answer your question from before...

I'm kinda just chatting with new people

Made more friends than anything else lol

Hope that's aright with you 🤗

A smile crept on his lips. An actual, genuine smile. How long had it been since he had any reason to? God, it felt good to talk to someone! Someone who didn't know him, who didn't shout 'walking corpse' after him, didn't judge him. He almost felt like his old self. Almost. 

i'm cool with that

Great!

Looking forward to getting to know you, Damien 😄

so let's get to it

tell me about yourself

hobbies, favorite food, anything

my hobbies are always changing 🤔

I start something new every month or so

Oh, and I started volunteering at a vet lately

🐱🐶💕

With a friend I made on this app

it suits you

Hmmmmm how would you know?

We've only just met

just a hunch

I could secretly be evil 😈

you couldn't hurt a fly

besides, I've seen evil and believe me

you're not it

I'm guessing you're not going to elaborate on that

Are you?

see, you know me so well already

Smartass 😝

 At lest until she finds out.

And I love food 🤤

Who doesn't? lol

But picking a favorite is like... impossible

I do have one hell of a sweet tooth  🍫🍬🍦

I'm soooo jealous

I miss making my own meals

That's right! You probably just have a cafeteria.

I'm so sorry 😓

it's cool

i'm glad we have something in common

Is there any food you miss?

Wait... was there even steak in that picture? Kate felt her ears burning, the fluffy pajamas studently itching at her skin.

just makin my own in general, being in charge in the kitchen

Damien scrolled quickly through his phone, the memories leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He nearly didn’t send the photo. It felt like so long ago, a different time...a different person. But it felt so good to remember! To be reminded of the more happier moments when he had all his life ahead of him! And showing her a piece of his past may make her curious enough to stick around for a while longer.

He hit Send.

-Tap to download photo-

Oh

Looks... delicious

you like steak? 

Oh yeah, the food 😳

Wish I could have a bite of that hahaha

So not so shy and innocent as she claimed. Good to know. Even if it didn’t lead anywhere, which he had to be realistic about - he was on death row after all - it was still fun. The most fun he’d had in a long while. It felt...nice.

HA!

i wish you could too 😏

The door of the library swung open hitting the opposite wall. The guard in charge could be heard arguing with someone. At least four voices. He had to move fast.

I'm really hungry now 😅

good

Kate stared at the screen, the little green light besides his profile picture going grey. She scrolled through the conversation as if to make sure she hadn’t just imagined it. She tapped the picture he’d sent, a small smile creeping on her lips. He looked so... normal. Well, more like smoking hot, but she expected some kind of dump, or some greasy repair shop, not Greek sculpture level abs. The boy should come with a warning! She was a sucker for bad boys, but had she gotten so bad that she was now considering a fucking convict? What if he was a murderer or something??

shit!

???

someone's coming

gotta hide my phone

talk soon

Be careful! 🙏🏻

Her ice cream, forgotten on the coffee table, had turned to soup.

What had she gotten herself into?

[capillata]

Honestly the fact that the DA fandom keeps being hell discourse and controversies wise is very much NOT GREAT even if it has some of the most talented writers and artists I've seen in more than thirty years of being in fandom spaces. But I'm curious, why do you say that DBH was weird in a bad way? I was very into it but mostly into Gavin9000 with a buncha friends, so I probably missed out on all the shitstorms

The weirdest comments I ever got on any fic was Eversion. The largest amount of people telling me how to write my fic and what I should do next was in the DBH fandom with Eversion. And the one time I joined a Hankcon server it was an unpleasant experience and I left pretty much three days later (most servers I get tired of I just leave on permanent mute, but that one I actually yeeted myself out of because it was uncomfortable. And as soon as folks knew I was writing a fic, they were telling me how I should write it, without asking me if I wanted that ‘advice’ lmao - it was a lot of people talking at me about what they wanted to see most, which is like, idk, I feel like some of the people I encountered in that fandom were kind of entitled? It wasn't that friendly either, it was very much a 'I think your fic would be worth reading if it did *this very niche thing I'm interested in*') 

Like, that fandom, at least what I saw of it, was just like... unpleasant, alienating, cliquey and strangely competitive. But I didn’t join it with a bunch of friends. I was kind of alone in my interest, though I had friends who liked it, in a more general ‘we just enjoy the game’ or ‘this fanart is nice’ way, it wasn’t anything in depth. As soon as I finished the fic, I was like... I had no reason to stay. 

Don’t get me wrong, the majority of folks who ended up commenting on Eversion were great, though the bulk of them were people who were already coming to my fic from other stuff I’d written, they weren’t ‘DBH fans’ they were folks who would try my writing (god help them) because they liked my older stuff. But I’ve also met like two or three really great folks from the DBH fandom, and chatted to some great fanartists too. 

But yeah I don’t want to write fic for it again, I never saw a ton of hostile discourse or anything, though I know it’s out there (especially with folks who hate Reed and then bash anyone who ships him with any character, those people suck), and I did enjoy writing Eversion. But the fandom experience was just weird and I no longer follow anyone (I’m pretty sure) who posts DBH content because of it. I think there’s like a gif blog or something, but I haven’t seen anything from them in months.

Also I’ll be clear, I missed out on a lot of the shitstorms too, but deliberately. My encounter with the fandom in AO3 comments, on Twitter, and Tumblr, and joining a Discord server had me exiting all aspects of that fandom until finally all I was left with were the AO3 comments, and that helped, lol. 

Obviously everyone has very different experiences of fandoms, and I think it’s great that you’ve had a good experience. I know a couple of others who’ve had good experiences too in DBH. I think once you can get that network of like, trusted friends in a fandom, you’re in a good space. For me it could’ve just been timing. I came to the DBH fandom when interest was kind of starting to even out, and I came to it via seeing some reverse AU fanart that inspired me to watch an entire playthrough and then write the fic (I never played the game), so some of it was also likely on my part - I just didn’t have like the hardcore passion for the characters or the game to see me through the weirdness, whereas other people can tolerate a lot of weirdness if they love the property enough.

So yeah, anyway, I’m not saying everyone’s experience in that fandom was weird in a bad way, I’m definitely just saying my experience was weird in a bad way. For a while, it had me wanting to quit writing Eversion, and I could only really keep going with it once I nixed out of all aspects of DBH social media, and just focused on the fic and went to the Wiki page for research. 

[jakeperalta]

Hi! Omg what do you think about everything and having info on Red Taylor's version now? I admit I was sorta hoping for an announcement but then it was past 5AM and she posted about Griff instead...then when I finally fell asleep by 10AM..dont worry this is normal for me and I dont just stay up for Taylor...she announced it and I got no notifications! So I found out an hour late ugh lol. But its fine..it was just not what I was expecting really at all so I was shocked but the 4 red hearts kinda pointed to it. I guess because everyone was expecting 1989 cuz of the themed merch..what do you think it was for? Its also not until November so idk. Ive seen people already complaining so do you think she just announced cuz people were asking? Or because of the 22 weeks thing? I guess it seems long right now but we dont know what she has planned and makes sense for the rerecordings to be more spread out. She didnt announce a single though so when do you think that's coming? The cover is from or similar to Evermore photoshoot so I wonder how long its been planned..but I still like the cover..but it seems like Evermore and how Fearless was too. But I really didnt know what to expect for Red either and it fits cuz to me Red is similar to Evermore. I am very interested in the 10 minute All Too Well cuz it never seemed that real to me I guess..like i knew about it but it seemed like a ya right thing and its here??? What do you think about the vault song number? I'm pretty sure Babe and Better Man are included but it's still more than I was expecting cuz it's more than Fearless. It's very interesting to think if they fits the theme of the album or doesnt...and I wonder if there will be more collabs than before? Someone said there was another Ed song and maybe Olivia Rodrigo cuz she gave her the RED ring. I'm not sure who else right now..who are you thinking? Another guy duet maybe like Keith Urban? I hope forNothing New from the Lover diaries too! Anyway sorry if this is a lot and I'm a little late asking..just trying to put all my thoughts. I am really excited to experience it again..since I was 16 and didnt really follow music like now back then and dont listen to it regularly. Last week my sister told me she didnt even know the lyric was this slope is treacherous..she thought it was this love lol. So it will be fun cuz she doesnt know all the lyrics like I do and forgets some songs.. cuz she hasnt heard the full album in years and the last time for me was before hearing Folklore lol and it's been even longer for Speak Now and also when Fearless came out. Anyway yay!!! I bet you're happier than me though cuz Red is more your vibe lol.

i didn't get a notification either and because i wasn't really expecting an announcement or for it to be red so when i first saw the pictures on tumblr i thought they were a fan edit 😂 i wonder if the plan had been to release 1989 sooner but things got delayed or she changed her mind but they decided to put out the merch anyway since it's summery. i think it's quite likely she just announced it now because of how people were expecting 1989 this summer to the point it was trending on twitter and getting reported on by journalists so she might just want to establish what's coming and show that it's going to be a slow process, although the 22 weeks thing is the kind of thing she'd do! my guess is that a single will come around september time when it's more autumnal and not such a long gap, but i'm curious what she'll pick! i really like the cover, i think it fits well with the red vibe and the "red" ring shows she didn't just like go back to the evermore photos and pick one, and also it makes me wonder if she's shot any of the other covers already since she's obviously been planning them a long time in advance! i definitely didn't expect to ever hear the 10 minute all too well either so that's exciting. i think this album is probably one of the most exciting for vault songs so i'm glad there's lots because it was a time of more experimentation so there could be some real country ones and some pop too. i do remember hearing a while ago that she and ed wrote two songs but only everthing has changed got released so i'd be curious to hear the other one and i'm guessing there will be two or three features total? i feel like the country/pop/singer-songwriter combination of the album means there's so many possibilities of people she could pick, there could be a combination of an artist she liked/was inspired by at the time and someone newer like with fearless. i'd love nothing new too, the snippet of lyrics we've seen of that look like it could be such an interesting song! it's exciting getting to experience it again, even though it's one of the albums i listen to most i didn't become a proper fan until just before 1989 so i like that this gives a chance to sort of relive the release and everything.

[thebraingremlinsaremad]

Daily Blog #6: August 13, 2021

Okay, okay, I know it's a couples days later, but I can assure you that I did not forget; I purposefully, and kinda without a better option, didn't post on Friday, and you'll see why.

So the day started off pretty regularly: I got up, ate breakfast, got a shower, and then sat around playing games and watching YouTube for a bit.

That was until my friend showed up at my house...

He called me and said to come outside, so I did.

It wasn't long until I got into his car, and we started driving.

I definitely should have been more anxious or nervous heading out, but for some reason, I just sat there with my head absentmindedly poking out the window, not really thinking about it.

I really wish I had grasped the situation a little better.

We got down there after an hour and a half of driving and we parked a bit away because there were so many people there, so many people there, in fact, that we just got some food until it calmed down again.

It was gonna be a great fucking concert.

Hella Mega Tour 2021, originally supposed to be Hella Mega Tour 2020, but postponed for obvious reasons.

We shopped for a tiny bit beforehand, not buying anything, and then headed over to the stadium 45 minutes before the concert was set to start. We were let in about 10 minutes later, and we filled our contraband water bottles that we managed to hide on the way in.

We sat there for a bit, me just listening to music on my Redmi Buds 3 pro.

I love these things.

Pretty soon the music started, and it was The Interrupters; everyone was feeling pretty lazy for this bit.

It's not like they were bad or anything, they were actually pretty good, but I guess everyone was just getting situated and didn't wanna bother using up all of their energy lol.

So The Interrupters' set is up, and they tear down the stage and reset it. Before too terribly long, Weezer starts up, and there's a lot bigger reaction from the crowd than there was before: people knew the songs, like Africa, Buddy Holly, Beverly Hills, and Feels Like Summer to name a few.

I was getting into it a bit, I knew a good few of the songs, I was moving along, I sang a bit, took some video.

What's cool is that I could feel myself moving along the scale, like going from no excitement while no one was playing, then tapping my foot and grooving to The Interrupters.

When Weezer first came on, I was just sitting there like, "alright, this is good shit." Towards the end, I was quietly singing Buddy Holly, their last song for the night.

I say quietly because there was a lot more loudness to come.

I should add that, up until this point, the music had been kinda unbearably loud, the highs really piercing and hitting hard.

Additionally, up until this point, I had been trying my best to document the concert with videos and audio recordings; it wasn't so much about enjoying the concert, for I've always been taught just to record stuff and not worry about the concert.

I don't think I've ever really enjoyed any of the concerts I've ever been to; I was there, but I wasn't. I didn't really know too many of the songs, and I had only listened to the artists in passing, not to mention the fact that my mother had been at every other concert I've been to, which is stifling in itself. I really can't enjoy anything when she's around.

But here we were; it was starting to get dark, and Fall out Boy was coming onstage. The crowd was getting into it with Weezer, and it was time for Fall Out Boy. The energy here had far exceeded both Weezer and The Interrupters, and this went for me as well.

I was sitting there, singing along and still occasionally recording, but I didn't have my phone out too much. I started to dance in my seat with every song, for I knew almost every one: Sugar, We're Going Down, Centuries, My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark, Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy, The Last of the Real Ones, Save Rock And Roll, and Dance, Dance being a few.

Throughout this set, everyone was singing along, but the real fun had yet to begin; the scent of smoke from the flames and fireworks finding its way through the crowd, the music now strong instead of piercing, a sense of unity between everyone in this packed stadium, between people of all walks of life: men, women, children, transgender, cisgender, non-binary, gay, straight, lesbian, ace, black, white, Asian, Mexican, young, old, middle-aged, and everything in between and outside... It didn't matter who you were or where you came from; you were at a fucking party, and everyone was gonna fuck it up once the main act came on stage.

Meanwhile, everyone was more than happy to celebrate with Fall Out Boy and some of their greatest and most memorable tracks.

Part way through Fall Out Boy's set, I decided to get off of my ass and join the growing number of audience members who were really getting into the groove and feeling the music.

It was so close to becoming an explosion of energy once Fall Out Boy was about to leave the stage.

After they left, the set was torn down once again and set up for Green Day.

Their was a low mix of music playing through the speakers all the while things were being set up. Once the stage was set, the music continued for a bit, but was then cut and replaced with a voice and lyrics that everyone knew immediately.

"Is this the real life. Is this just fantasy."

The crowd sings along to every word.

"Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality."

Freddie's voice poured out into the crowd, and the crowd sang them right back.

"Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see"

The song continued, and the whole crowd sang to the very end.

This really goes to show how impactful some people and groups can be on our lives... Although no one at the show was connected to Queen or Freddie Mercury, everyone who came to see these 4 bands still knew this great group.

Once the song was over, a mix of some of the most famous rock anthems began to play:

"We will, we will rock you"

"I love rock and roll"

"Hey, Ho, let's go"

A glorious piece all lead up to the 4 running onstage, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jason White, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool, joined now by 2 new members, Jason Freese and Kevin Preston.

All at once, it was an explosion of strong and passionate guitar jamming, soon followed by the drums and vocals of American Idiot. All at once, the crowd was rocking along with bopping heads, stomping feet, and swaying bodies. I only had my phone out to record for a short moment before I put it away and scarcely removed it from my pants for the rest of the concert.

I couldn't help but feel cocky, as a bi/pansexual (idk which one lmao), being allowed to sing the line,

"Well maybe I'm the faggot America"

I was like, "You straight bastards better not be singing that line 🤣"

It was absolutely incredible; the crowd cheered passionately and wholeheartedly at the end of every song and solo, after every quote from the band.

The coolest part about the concert was the fact that everyone just lost themselves in the music, as well as that everyone, without hesitation, followed what Billie Joe said. He says jump? WE FUCKING JUMPED. He tells us to scream? We. Fucking. Screamed. And when he wanted us to sing, we sang. I mean, okay, we were singing the whole time xD. I'm sure we would've sang if he told us to and we weren't already doing so lmao. What he said was our law, and we were doing our jobs as the dutiful citizens of Suburbia by following those laws.

It really is hard to express the level of pure energy at this gathering, especially when it radiates from every point in the packed stadium.

I screamed so loud and hard, and sang so long and passionately, that my voice started to go. But. Guess. What.

When you're at a place like this, no matter what, you just have this insatiable urge to keep going no matter what. When my arm got tired of throwing my fist in the air, I kept fucking going and even used the other arm too.

It's such a strange feeling when you feel like you're about to give out, like your voice is gonna break, or you're gonna collapse from dehydration and exhaustion, but you find around you the strength and power to keep on going, no matter how quickly your vocal health deteriorates.

Ask my friend, I couldn't speak properly after that shit xD. He even threatened to send a video of me talking to my choral teacher, who honestly would have been mad at me lmao.

Meanwhile, Green Day is playing some of their greatest hits, old and new alike, and I knew every single fucking one of them. I sang every song, and only took a break between 2 of them to down my whole bottle of contraband water in 3 seconds flat.

At one point, the band stopped playing, and Billie spoke into the microphone.

"Get your pretty lights out. I wanna see the pretty lights."

Everyone got their phones out and turned the torches on, as per his command.

"Turn the house lights off."

The lights go off, and the stadium is lit up almost as bright as it had been before, but this time with the lights of thousands.

"Look at that."

It was honestly an incredible moment.

That brings me to another point: when you go to a concert, you're not just paying for the music, you're not just paying to see a band, you're paying for an experience.

Let me tell you, this was one hell of an experience.

If you don't leave a concert feeling fulfilled, then the performers didn't do their job of giving you the experience that you paid to be a part of. I'm so happy that these four bands, especially Green Day, were able to deliver.

I really did love every moment of that show, which is such a rarity for me. I'm really happy that my friend took my mother's place. I can't fucking enjoy everything when she's around.

Oh yes, it wouldn't be one of my daily blogs without me talking about how my mother consistently pisses me off. Don't worry, I have some happy shit left to end on.

I swear to fluff though, she always manages to ruin everything for me. When we went to see The Lion King on Broadway, she insisted on coming with. That meant that I wasn't able to relax in my seat because this disgusting woman was sitting next to me and I had to cram myself to the side of my chair away from her. It meant that I wasn't allowed to cry when Mufasa died or during Can You Feel The Love Tonight because I knew I'd get made fun of for it.

I even went to a Fall Out Boy concert before, her refusing to let me go myself, and I didn't sing a single song because she'd just tell me to let the professionals handle it.

And for fuck's sake, the time she compared me trying to fucking validate my existence as a trans person to her wanting a car... That will always fucking piss me off.

Sorry, I got sidetracked. I was talking about how she ruins everything for me.

I literally cannot be myself around her. I've always been judged and ridiculed by my parents, and still am. I can't enjoy anything when they're around because I'm too focused on trying not to get made fun of or yelled at.

That being said, that concert was absolutely fucking incredible. I was with thousands of people who felt the same way that I did, and I could fucking jam out if I wanted to.

Apart from everyone being really on top of their game, and Billie Joe basically not aging since he turned 25, the only really notable thing left to say about the performance was when they pulled a kid guitarist onstage. He played for a bit, and they ended up letting him keep the guitar lmao.

BEST PART IS:

I SAW THE KID AFTER THE CONCERT, AND I WAS LIKE,

"Omg, hey, can I get a selfie with you?"

I was trying to be really low-key and quiet cuz I didn't wanna draw too much attention to him lmao.

The security guard was like, "Yeah, sure, but hurry up."

I TOOK THE PIC REALLY QUICKLY AND THEN HEADED OUT

HERE IT IS

YES, OF COURSE I BLOCKED OUT MY FACE

But I absolutely love the vibes of this photo xD. It's blurry, the lighting is shit, and you can barely make out any details. It has a lot of character, and I would take this over a clean, clear photo any day.

Walking away, the kid's mom said, "You're like, the coolest kid ever now."

Agreed.

Then it was time to go home. Honestly, I didn't feel sad that it didn't last longer, or disappointed that I had to leave. I was actually very satisfied and fulfilled with what happened, which is honestly the way it should be.

Driving home, I stayed awake by sticking my arm out of the window and letting the cold rain hit fast like tiny needles.

I got home.

I passed out.

Although, that was technically on Saturday 🤔

ANYWAY, THIS IS MY LONG ASS BLOG FOR FRIDAY THE 13TH

I hope you enjoyed

Be good people!!!!

-Leonna

[tangerinegod]

Hello! I am sorry to bother you but I am a senior getting ready for college this year. I am in the US and I wanted to major in the same thing you did, do you have any possible tips for me? I still haven't even looked for colleges that would be best for animation majors so I figured if you were up to giving out any tips/saying any basic ideas if you wanted to/if you had the time to then maybe I'll have a better idea! I apologise for if I sound weird! I'm tried to word it correctly but I can't 😿

hi!! i’m totally down to share my experiences! someone else also had some questions so i’m going to put them all together in this post haha, hopefully this helps! it’ll get pretty long so apologies ahead of time but art school is a lot to think about so i wanna be as helpful as i can around it, its a lot of time and money. I’m gonna put it all under a read more cus it is really really long!

i wanna start off with the fact that I had the privilege of attending school in a financially stable environment, my parents were/are really supportive so w merit scholarship i only came out with around 20-30k in debt and i also had housing support my entire time in school. they were ok with me focusing on academics so i didn’t hold a retail job unless i was out of school like summer/winter break. Ofc though i regularly take commissions/do merch/cons to try and pay for all bills that arent rent cus i did want to be financially independent where it was possible. I also did try and work during the semester but everytime i did my body would deff start to breakdown from the fact that i didnt wanna compromise schoolwork with jobs.. so just read ahead know this experience is from a student who was able to attend focusing only on school work for most of the time!

the biggest thing is knowing art school is not required to become a professional in either freelancing or industry! there are a huuuge amount of online tools and classes these days that provide the exact same education and for cheaper too. i think it depends on what experience you prefer/can handle/want but it’s definitely possible to make art/animation art your living without higher education. the thing that college will for sure give you though is the ability to meet deadlines, work even when you dont want to, and connections with peers+teachers. i think the connections part is invaluable because you’re basically coming out with a network of people you already know and who know you! 

also its good to know if you want to attend/can handle art school! it’s a lot of time and energy and students get burned out really fast. the best piece of advice i got before going was ‘if you draw every single day, even if its for only like 5-10 minutes or a doodle for a whole year you should be fine’ consistency is super key because you’re attending school to draw, and you’ll have to create work for stuff you aren’t excited for at some point or another. burnout is extremely real and the only reason i didn’t experience it was probably because i got super into drawing naruto fanart again inbetween sophomore and junior year! it helped give me something to draw seperated from school which is the only thing i was drawing for since i had entered rip. a heads up id also consider myself a workaholic so i fit in ok with the ‘art school’ environment but it is suuper unhealthy. if you are fantastic at managing your schedule then it’s definitely possible to take care of yourself! freshman year i got 8 hours a sleep a night and only pulled all nighters for some second semester finals at the end. sophomore year + up though i ended up prioritizing hw over sleep and like for sure, definitely shortened my life span. there’s another q down below where i’ll go more into detail but ya, be careful w ur work balance!

another tip especially for animation is knowing for a fact what type of animation you’re looking to go into, and what the school is offering. I didn’t think i’d get into art school at the time so i only applied to two places + decided if i didnt get into either id attend community to get credits out of the way while building portfolio. honestly? i did not do a lot of research LOL but like i did end up having the chance to tour and stuff! just know that each school will have a very different curriculum. The main differences are schools that prioritize 3D (cg animation, cg modeling, ect) and 2D/traditional (hand drawn, ‘oldschool’, digital or traditional based) this is a huge difference so make sure you do research for it! in most cases a 2D/traditional program will also offer 3D since it’s at the forefront of the industry animation wise rn. My school taught 2D but like hand drawn on physical paper 2D, frame by frame. while it was a good experience it’s super outdated because digital tools make it way faster + easier! i’d recommend looking for a program that is digital 2D over traditional 2D. 

if after your senior year covid is still affecting campuses in the US to keep them shut down i’d recommend attending a community college to get credits and then transferring into school. one of the negatives is paying money for gened classes when ur not there for them; if you can get them out of the way sooner and cheaper there is absolutely no negative + you could graduate earlier or use the extra time for better work or to work a job! 

these are all the general tips i think i’d give on like a broad basis of attending or not to think about? let me know if u have more q’s! someone asked q’s im answering below that go more into personal experiences + work culture so heres those:

- how many hours a week do u spend studying, in class, otherwise making art? like how much of ur life does it consume?

I was basically working on art.... 24/7! since i wasnt working a job at the same time i crammed as many credits as possible into my schedule so on avg i did 18 credit semesters (around 6 classes) art classes go for 6 hours and non art go for 3, so i’d spent around 30-35 hours in class a week! hw wise it varied on the class but combined it would be around 35-50 hours a week... im guessing? on average studio classes would have 8-10 hours of hw, maybe 5 for a light week, and gened classes 5 hours w them all combined. or this was probably how things were before junior year? junior+senior year i had thesis + everything else ontop.. i’d spend around 30-40 hours on thesis a week with other classes ontop of that bc my film was super long cus im a dummy! 

- is it hard going to art school n realising that altho u were probably quite talented… so is everyone else? Like. all of a sudden. ur not special and everyone seems as good as u, you know? More generally, how do u deal with comparison?

kinda?? i think instead of the idea of like you vs others it feels more of like a competition at first to be the best. this varies hugely on school culture though; my animation year was really friendly with each other and get along extremely well, so my answer to this is v different than some others who attended different schools. i think that the idea of ‘comparison’ only lasts a portion of the first year because at some point you realize that it’s not a who’s better as much as its a ‘these are my coworkers’ type thing? like healthy competition 100% because we’re all working to improve but i think most of us learned pretty early on that viewing each other as peers going into the same workforce helped a lot. also at some point everyone develops their own style/starts to develop their artistic preferences so there isn’t a way to compare whos 'better’ anymore? i dont think there ever is tbh because style is appealing based off of an individuals preferences. If anything realizing everyone else is also amazing makes you wanna work harder ig? or thats how i felt! it’s inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who create such amazing work. 

- is there a lot of workaholic culture? all nighter culture?

100000% there can be a workaholic and all nighter culture. i know people who avoided it and thats honestly fantastic because i fall super easily into that pit. sometimes i’ll pull all nighters on a personal project just because i really want to finish it... i am definitely considered a workaholic all the way through and its not healthy rip... i’d estimate at the worst i was pulling 2-3 all nighters a week and only 4-5 hours of sleep on the nights i didn’t? that was only for one year tho, after that i was like yeah ok this is really bad for my health in the long run LOL so i tried to cut it down to one all nighter a week and around 5-6 hours of sleep the rest of the week! by senior year my decision to cram in full semesters paid off and i was able to consistently get around 7 hours of sleep a night + no all nighters minus finals since my schedule was lighter despite thesis 😭 while there is that culture i don’t think people view it as like a badge of honor or something to be proud of anymore which is good, we mostly view it as a flaw of the art school system and something that needs to be fixed!!

- are you glad u did it? how did u know it was what u wanted?

i am glad i did it! i’m definitely in a limbo right now of if it was worth both my time, money, and my parents money rip but i think with what i got out of it i definitely wouldn’t be as far skill wise or knowledge wise when it comes to the art industry. i would say it was only worth it for be because i had so much support going in though so i was able to focus so much on improving. if i had only been able to put in part of the effort and not make full use of the resources provided i would honestly have a different answer.. 

i knew it was what i wanted when i realized i really couldn’t see myself pursuing a different profession happily! despite all the bumps and stuff im fully in love with drawing still and feel honored that it’s a field that can provide a living. my second profession choice was to go into culinary school? and third option i think going was into music cus i was also a band kid hehe.  

- how do u cope with ur hobby becoming ur job? how do u deal with art going from something u do for fun to something u do on command constantly?

i think seperating work art from personal art is important! in my case im doubling naruto into being personal work so i have something to fall back onto that isn’t work related. its been a hyperfixation for 12+ years? so drawing it at this point is just like personal art imo. some people have hobbies outside of art and only draw for their job! i think after attending classes for so long the idea of hobby turning into job feels extremely natural? also i enjoy doing it so thats a huge plus! 

sorry this is SO long but i hope i answered your guys’ questions! if you have more just lmk!