#I've got so many ideas and my brain's itching to draw

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

I wanna draw so bad but in the grand competition for my energy drawing keeps losing to the long reigning champion: crocheting

[codacheetah]

AGREE WITH YOUR PREVIOUS POST. I like mean Loop as a facade only, but we know they still care and love...

Now I have a question, what's your favorite Loop takes/headcanon

Oh my god I'm so sorry I took like two weeks to answer this one I prommy it's not bc I'm exclusively a hater or whatever. I just straight up forgot to answer Oopsie. I'm putting this under cut bc it got long enough that you all would shoot arrows at me for putting it on your dash

Anyways there's a lot of Loop Thangs I like frankly. A big one that I enjoy is when fic authors in postcanon make the transition of Loop into the party structure kind of rocky. Usually bc Loop's neuroses creating a level 12 psychic barrier between them and the party + the inherent awkwardness of meeting somebody who's apparently super close in a way (that you'll never fully understand) to one of your friends. Who let's be real I feel like half the party (coughIsabeauandMirabelle) would catch the aura of "oh they do not like us at all" from Loop. I want Loop to be happy and with their family but you just know this bitch is going to make it as difficult for themself on purpose. The Siffrin Special.

I also just generally like when they keep Loop as a star postcanon. I'm not at all a hater towards Human Loop (in fact I think it can be itself an interesting setup for a Loop fic) but I do like Loop as a star more thematically. Something about having to accept that things have changed and moving on from it regardless. Also bc Loop being dysphoric about their body scratches a very transgender projection itch in my brain Yessss little star you're stuck in a body that draws unwanted attention and which you have no control over how it looks and functions in a way that feels fundamentally wrong to you. (Pointing at canonically transgender character) Yooooo this guy is such a cool trans allegory omg

Hmm what else. This is more of a sloops thing but I always enjoy in fics when they lean into the fact it's selfcest frankly. I've become a selfcest enjoyer bc of this ship I'll never get over that act 5 dialogue abt the cautionary tale where Siffrin says he never understood the moral of the story bc the idea of having somebody just like him who understands him. Oh my gyoooooooooooooooood. I want them to melt into sludge I'm always thinking of that analogy from superflyghtheart on discord comparing Loop and Siffrin to endlings of an endangered species. 💥💥💥It's like. This is less sloopy now but I'm caught between the intersection in my head of "Loop would probably benefit from developing their own identity as a person separate from Siffrin bc they need Something they have control over" and "Loop is of the Siffrin Species and they are significantly too sentimental to let go of the shreds of what they used to have, especially after having lost all of it once already". Both of these things are yummy as fuck when ppl smarter than me explore them and they're kinda the main Story Paths for postcanon Loop anyways so I'm always winning. So like idk tldr I like it both when ppl have Loop diverge a lot as a person and when they have Loop try their best to stay as much of a Siffrin as possible!

I'm limiting myself to four paragraphs so you don't all want to hit me with hammers but I do have Loop Biology Headcanons. I've explained mythoughts on their guts before and don't feel like recounting them but whatever True #codacheetahwarriors remember my deranged rambling. ANYWAYS I kind of mentally run on the assumption of Loop's body as like. The Universe couldn't keep Loop in Siffrin's body, bc they needed Siffrin to be in it (and I guess a system situation introduces too many factors of its own? idk). The Universe operates with the goal of fulfilling wishes with the least intervention possible, so The Universe makes a body out of cheap inorganic material (star-scrap basically). Miniature star for a head fueling the body with Craft energy (I'm not going to get into my conspiracy that all Craft is the same here). Molds the star scrap into a vaguely Siffrin-shaped/sized vessel and plonks Loop's conscious into it and calls it a day. So Loop's body as a poor simulacrum of a human body is like. They're capable of breathing but they only really benefit from doing it on a psychological level. They can't eat or drink and don't have a mouth because it would require a significant level of added effort to make a digestive system, when they can just derive energy from their star. They don't have reproductive organs because they're not made from organic material anymore anyways. They don't need to sleep bc their body never gets tired but they still do it because it's not really a great idea to leave your brain on running for too long anyways.

I fucking lied I'm on paragraph five bc the block of text is annoying me. To continue that's all a preface to say I think it's super fun when Loop has body functions that are weird and unpredictable. Their little frizzles on their body are reactive to their emotions the same way their headstar is, and feel like static if you touch them. Their head has a vague boundary so their eyes have something to be rooted to but the function by which their optic nerves work is unclear to everybody including themself. They glow based on intensity of emotion and the temperature of their star changes via specific mood. Bc I think it would be fun if the battlefield in twohats when from ice cold to boiling hot frankly. Ok these are all just my headcanons (temperature one very loose though I'm not a hard subscriber to it) but they're not uniquely mine it's just examples of what I mean. One I don't have as a personal headcanon but I do enjoy is when Loop feels the same physical sensations as Siffrin bc it's funny and I like inflicting misery on the star.

I'm going to shut up now like actually . Loop for your troubles

[the-letterbox-archives]

is there a muse or inspiration you draw from when it comes to your stories? you just have so many and i’m wondering what fountain of immortal writing youth you drank from, dawg LMAO

last ask before signing off! but this is such a fun one to think about!

i don't have one surefire source of inspiration (other than my chronically silly brain), each story has a different landing pad that usually consists of a random thing that i've taken inspiration from, and a question to drive the work (some are very edgy or philosophical haha). they come from incredibly random sources, but i can list the ones i remember!

tales from a dying heart

where it came from: i wanted to write an anthology as a break from my old novella structure, and i was thinking about love. obviously i had to fuck it up because god forbid anything on the archives is happy. fun fact: that was originally the only story the archives was meant to hold! it was the first and only story, and the blog used to be themed after tales from a dying heart entirely (that's why my current pfp is still the heart itself)!

driving question: "why does love hurt people?"

the rockdove promise

where it came from: originally a group project that i had the idea for (i was itching to write something with mythology and more classic fantasy if that makes sense). when the others couldn't continue it, i had already fallen in love with the world and gods, so i added more to the worldbuilding, and added characters i was passionate about (and found my first ever character punching bag, laszlo).

driving question: "how can we save what we care about from oppressive control?"

insincere.

where it came from: i had one of my worst days where i couldn't get out of bed. i had the idea to channel the feelings into a story, so i got out of bed, and wrote insincere., then decided i wanted to keep it going after my initial bad day.

driving question: "how can we feel happy?"

on kingston alley

where it came from: someone, i think it was @noxxytocin, added me in a tag game that involved writing a scene with the provided line. i was a young, growing archivist back then and didn't understand the concept, so i wrote a short screenplay, giving it a fun mystery hook (because i felt like it) and some repressed sapphics, then decided to continue it because the format was so freeing!

driving question: "why do we forget the victims?"

school rules

where it came from: a novel i abandoned because the format wasn't clicking. i axed the mc, replaced them with sunny and remade the old mc to be what is now darcy spencer, and changed the format to my first ever first person story since my first novella!

driving question: "how does academic pressure hurt us?"

the dumaresq poems

where it came from: i was getting overwhelmed with my own expectations for uploads from the rest of volume 1, so i dug up some old poems of mine, rewrote them a bit, and put a cute woodsy aesthetic over it!

driving question: "how can poetry tell us emotional stories?"

the hunt is a dance

where it came from: another project with a friend that fell through, it didn't change much from then. i took the friends desired ideals of religious and folk horror and intertwined it with my own narratives of power, hatred, and misguided justice.

driving question: "why do we bend to corruption, and how can we stop?"

TITANSPINE

where it came from: @ominous-feychild and i were discussing some of her lore, and we both bonded over our love of telepaths/prophets in stories. i had always been fascinated by urban fantasy and had a vague desire to make it, but magic systems are so hard for me. that conversation sparked a drive to actually make it. i named it red velvet, then barlowe told me to change the it (thanks for that btw), and i created the protagonist that shaped the whole story and it's themes.

driving question: "how can we fight social and police corruption?"

n3xt y3ar

where it came from: scandal after scandal, feud after feud about the existence of generative ai and it snubbing real creatives tipped me over the edge, so i wrote n3xt y3ar out of spite, imbuing it with a main character near and dear to my heart due to our similarities, and a world i both loathe and fear. let's see a robot make a story with that motivation. fuckers.

driving question: "how do us creatives find hope in a world of generative ai?"

soleil éteint

where it came from: i wanted to write another fiction podcast style story (school rules technically being the first), and i was on a magnus archives high. i'm fascinated by fear in the real world, and dreams in writing, so with the motivation of some great fiction podcasts, i began writing soleil éteint, which flowed very quickly since screenplays and podcasts are quite easy for me to write as it turns out!

driving question: "how can we stop running away from fear?"

shatter the shield

where it came from: i realised i was long overdue for some tragic gays, and i wanted to experiment with a more distinct narrator without writing a fully discursive piece like a podcast or screenplay. as i was writing the prologue, i knew the narrator, kåre, wasn't the main character. but the love i gave him for the main character, roshan, was so palpable, it made me want to continue the story. i knew by how i wrote it that kåre was going to die, and soon, but i think that added an extra level to the themes of the story.

driving question: "why can't we accept love, and why can't we process grief?"

and of course, volumes 3 and 4 come from even more random places lmao- hope this explained my random writing process!

[isilrina]

Hello guys!

Warning, thoughts on the current state of the world bellow the cut.

So, I've been working on a little something and I want to share because... because I'm very exited about it XD

I don't know when I'll have time to work on this, but meet E from a little something I'm cooking on the side. I can't tell much more for now because it would spoil the story I'm currently writing, but know that this is an OC that just bulldozed its way into my brain a few weeks ago and now, they are living there, rent free.

I have many ideas for many drawings with them and it's making my brain and fingers itch so much between writing and drawings I don't know which one I should do first XD

So to scratch the itch, I quickly put this together today ^^

On another note, I need to share how deeply saddened I am with everything that's been happening in the world these past two years. I don’t usually talk about this here, since this space is for sharing my art, but I can’t stay quiet anymore.

My heart bleeds everyday for the people who live in countries at war who got hit by natural causes, or are just trying to survive on a daily basis. What’s happening across the Atlantic really worries me and I have this deep feeling it’s going to make things worse everywhere, including here in France with how our power/money hungry monarch is friend with the blond clown.

It makes me sick to my stomach everyday a little more just thinking about everything. So, to anyone who needs to hear it, my thoughts are with you. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I can offer for now, and feeling so helpless really gets to me.

I truly hope we’ve hit rock bottom, so the only way forward is up, and that brighter days are on the horizon. But a part of me worries that it’s going to take a long time to bounce back. Until then, I sincerely hope everyone finds a safe place to hold on until this storm passes.

[emberphantom]

I am begging you please elaborate on your 141 hockey au I wanna draw it but I need more 😩 this idea itches my brain in such a good way

Bro say NO MORE.

Prefacing this by saying I've been in the GhostSoap/MWII fandom for like two full minutes but I have been a hockey fan my whole life so okay here we go:

Ghost's goalie mask like obviously it's painted to look like his balaclava since you know goalies are just Like That. His number's either 7 (Bravo 0-7) or 2 (Ghost 0-2 -- but idk when they use that for him so guess I need to watch the campaign again oh well).

Soap like I said is a defensemen bc I have a thing for them and it fits. He got his nickname from the way he cleans up pucks in front of the net. Soap's that chirpy little shit who's always goading for a fight -- and idk man he just has Tyler Seguin energy--knows he's hot (ie: is a slut), love to show off. Loves his goalies 👀. His rocks number 71 (Bravo 7-1).

Honestly this is mostly about Soap and Ghost bc I just NEED it but for the rest of the squad:

Price is the veteran presence on the team and he's been through it all -- He's their captain (*cough* team Dad) and plays forward at center on the top line. Wears number 6 (Bravo 0-6).

Gaz plays right wing on Price's line. The two of them together are a scoring powerhouse. Price took a shine to Kyle when he joined the team as a rookie and helped develop his game. Gaz wears number 26 (Bravo 2-6)

Price and Gaz need a third on their line, a left wing and like it should be Alex from MW2019 so let's just pretend the end of that game doesn't exist and Alex is fine. He wears 31 (Echo 3-1)

Alejandro plays D with Soap. Idk I just like them together they're a good pair. He's a later addition to the team but he clicks with them fast especially Soap. They call him Vaquero (Cowboy sometimes). His number is 11 (Victor 1-1).

Idk why I'm telling when I can just show but like this here's some inspo for you bc I have too many Dallas Stars pics saved on my phone:

LIKE THESE have the most GhostSoap energy I’ve ever seen in my LIFE

What I mean when I say Soap has Tyler Seguin energy:

Angery Goalie Ghost:

Gaz and Price or Soap and Alejandro idk just guys being dudes after scoring a goal:

UHM. Yeah that's what I got. Also the Stars colors are conveniently the MWII colors wow what a coincidence  👀. Lol I hope this helped!

[entomolog-t]

Good morning! I was just wondering how you got into posting on tumblr? I've been writting a g/t story for the last few months and am tej chapters in, and would really like to post it, but the thought of peaple actually reading it is scary lol

I just sorta dove in.

As a kid I used to post on deviant art a lot, and that's how I found the g/t community. Though I only ever posted art.

I fell off regular posting and abandoned the account. Years later I found myself yearning for g/t content. I lurked on Tumblr for a while (literally just repeatedly checking on a few different blogs without even making an account).

Eventually, looking in through the proverbial window got lonely. Especially when seeing how much fun/cute interactions were being had in the community.

So I made an account and just posted a few things. A lil art, asked for some recommendations etc and before I knew it I was making friends.

Ocs just kind of happened. I started with Aedes, and just kept on making more drawings with him.

Then comics.

But comics are hard and take forever. I had so many ideas that I wanted to share. It got overwhelming. And life got overwhelming.

Then I took a break from Tumblr for a few years.

But I still had so many ideas. I wanted to give my OCs a real story. When I came back to Tumblr I thought a lot about writing. I've always enjoyed writing though never actually posted anything. Hell, I hadn't written since high-school. But as I read other people's work, it just seemed to make me itch for it- "I can do it too."

And then I did.

The more I wrote the easier it got. More ideas, more characters and more interactions. People liked what I made.

It hit different than art.

It felt like I'd shown people a part of me- and they liked what they saw. It didn't get as much attention as art- but the interacts felt deeper, and even more importantly, I fell in love with my ocs. Giving them life and telling their story just feels like I'm unraveling some knot inside my brain. It feels like it frees up space- makes me lighter.

I hope it feels the same for you Anon. It's a great feeling.

If you ever want to share your writing, you can feel free to DM! I'm slow to reply at times, but I'd love to read. It may be easier to share with one person at a time. And if not me, I'd definitely recommend sharing with any friends you have in the community.

But honestly? My advice is to dive in and don't look back.

[undertheknightwing]

WIP GAME

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigued them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Tagged by @not-so-mundane-after-all and if you don’t mind I'm gonna steal your idea since I don't have any active wips either, just ideas:

• First, obviously I'm always working on chapters. We're gonna ignore the fact that it took me two years to get to the chapter where the boys finally go on a date 🙃 but I'll give myself a pass since this is chapter 22 and I can't believe I got that far.

• Titanstober Week 4 idea that focuses on some of the horrible things done to Gar by the Chief, all seen by Rachel who somehow found herself able to wander in Gar's memories even though she hasn't been able to before and towards the end gets her answer when meeting someone very magical and powerful.

• Now to jump to another ship, I'm a sucker for re-writing episodes/scenes and I've been itching to re-write the kryptonite poisoning scenes in the s&l episode "Loyal Subjekts" to give my Jonny-Boy some hurt + comfort because it's just.. ughh.. that he didn't get sick too. He's got Kryptonian dna which means he should be affected by kryptonite. Simple as that. He's getting poisoned by kryptonite and Clark is gonna be a good dad who actually takes care of Jon for once dammit!

• Okay back to Titans, I thought about writing some kind of Christmas party fic that takes place like four years after season 4. It'd be wholesome but also bittersweet because everyone's grown up with their own lives. DickKory are living a life as normal as they can with Mar'i, Rachel is about to graduate college, and Gar's living in Metropolis with a roommate (who's also technically his co-worker) but is still the Red's champion so he's barely had time to see the Titans throughout the years. It'd be a shock to everyone that Gar actually has the time to attend the party. (that, or release the director's cut of "a very merry crossover christmas")

Now for ideas that probably won't be written but they've been stuck in my head for a while

• Since Gar is connected to life and death through the Red, I assume he can contact the afterlife and thought how emotionally damaging it'd be for Gar to visit his parents. Like I have this image of his parents afterlife being living peacefully in a cute little house where they can just enjoy each other's company, away from all the science stuff that took up their attention forever, and someday Gar shows up to finally talk to them again after so long. Heartbreaking family reunion stuff, ya know?

• In the same train as family stuff because I love it, it makes me very happy, I'm so soft for the idea of dad!Gar. It's been in my brain for years. He'd be so silly but so sweet,, I'm just in love with it 🥺💖 Anyway the idea would be Dick meeting Gar's son and being a mix of anxiety, pride, and "Oh my god I'm a grandpa and I'm not even 40". Mar'i would be super excited to have a nephew too.

• Krypto in s&l, that's all. He's Jon's dog because Jon deserves a dog.

• Jon in Wonderland au. I was obsessed with this idea, like it's all I could think about for a bit. (I have a couple drawings from the idea that I'd glady show you bestie if you ever wanna see 💙)

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @waysofink

Who You Are:

El || They/them

I'm a creative writing graduate from Poland. A slavic witch, a solarpunk & an overall creative & crafty goblin. I write fantasy, mystery and lately I've been dabbling in horror. Nowadays also an avid audio drama enthusiast!

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Fanfic, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Poetry, Sci-Fi. New Adult and Adult

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

It's a split between fantasy and mystery. I feel like I like writing a story that is both. Can't live without dragons, but would also like to shroud the dragons in some mist, make them not so obvious in their dragon ways. Fantasy appeals to me so much because we can mold the aesthetics that acompany a setting we create and make them mean something, be a message, a metaphore, an echo of something from our world. I find that very cool. Mystery however sticks out to me, because secrets are enticing and I feel like many of us can relate to that feeling of "just wanting to KNOW". It's a good itch to adventure, following a lead of a mystery, it draws you right in and allows to explore puzzles of life.

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

Romance. Simply because I am greyromantic and I honestly could not write a convincing plot that only revolves around a romantic relationship. I do write romance in my stories, don't get me wrong, but they are usually a subplot amongst the rest of the story.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

My fellow queer people, my fellow anarchist and socialist people, my fellow neurodivergent people, my fellow nerds. I don't think a straight white capitalist man who hates science and D&D would like my writing very much 😂

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

Recently I've been focusing on the theme of change. I can't say I have a library of themes I reach for, but I'm pretty sure that one has always been quite universal in my stories. When it comes to tropes I like a lot of the popular ones - grumpy/sunshine in relationships, magic as extension of the self and tool for self-discovery. I write a lot of ensambles, I recently notices. So I like the trope of a community fighting, learning and growing together. Kind if should have see that coming.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

The Born Sexy Yesterday trope. Its the misogyny, your honour.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I'm currently writing an audio drama! Been working on it for maybe 2 months now? I just finished writing episode 1, I am quite proud of that :D

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

It almost seems like I was born a storyteller and I have to write, because I have too many stories in my head. It might be the adhd tho, I don't know xD.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I've been writing since I was 12, but I was a storyteller well before that. My mom used to say I was making up characters as soon as I could talk. I know she wasn’t literal, but I'd like to think my first sentance was a story about a duck.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

Inspiration is everywhere, but my main destillery of scene & story ideas is music. I'm sure many writers can relate to envisioning scenes or scenarios in their head while listening to a particularly brain-sceatching song. My current peoject is a combination of that and my discovery of a different medium through which i can tell stories - podcast. Blame Rusty Quill shows and many others for what I'm about to put out into the world. It's all their fault.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

Ask me in a year, maybe my answer will be "this audio drama I wrote and produced!". For now, I am only proud of having many, many fun & cool ideas I haven't finished yet 😅

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

I haven't publish anything finished, not really. I hope to do it this time. 🤞

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you?

The thrill of a finished project seems appealing, but I wouldn't know. The closest I got was publishing a fanfic on ao3. Getting kudos, getting positive feedback tho… that's quite a nice feeling. Least appealing would probably be marketing. I hate it, I don't know how to promote my stuff and that is probably why a lot of my projects end up unfinished - the lack of interest doesn't help the dopamine flow. And talking to people and promoting yourself is hard.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

Coming up with ideas, worldbuilding and shaping up the characters. That's the best. Worst would be the process of actually wrangling your ideas into a cohesive plot and putting them down on a page. A nightmare, truly a nightmare.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

I work in spurts of energy, driven by dopamine, seratonin or spite. I'm a chaos incarnate and I am constantly ashamed of it, but I also love it and stand by my brain's ways. The vibes just gott be right. The music might help, or might not. Sometimes I just have to sit down and hype my story up to myself to write it - moodboards, playlists, all that jazz. And sometimes I simply sit down and hyperfixate on writing and voila - one chapter in a day.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

6 years it seems. I joined looking for likeminded folks, in search of stories and community. I did find a lot of good here, but I also learned how my brain can get really oversaturated with long posts and long conversations, so. I've been less active for the last 2 years for sure.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

@drabbleitout is one of my favourite writers on here, I love their style & the way they write their androids. The wonderful @zonnemaagd (please verify that @, I am not sure if I spelled this right.) who enchants me with her words in her stories. @henrikedoeswritingsometimes had me at hello with their timeloop story. I freaking love time loop stories. More please.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

Community? I only see positivity on here tbh. Though I have not wondered across the corners of the writeblr universe. So maybe its just that my little bubble is very cozy.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

I tried to answer this question many times before - and I honestly don't know.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I don't contribute much these days. I wish I could do more. But life wants orherwise.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

silly posts, event posts, posts with writing references & snippets

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

I used to like sharing my writing snippets and wip intro posts, but soon there was too much pressure to publish more and more. and I just don't write things consistently enough to do that.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

@waysofink on all other socials (that mostly Twitter & tiktok these days)

[pine-niidles]

Looking Back on 2023

Heyyy folks! Long time no news from me huh. 

I'm struggling to think of what to even say about my silence. I've not been doing so bad I'd call myself depressed, but I'm doing a tad worse than just a slump. It's been a rough 6 months, not because of one big thing. Instead, a bunch of medium-sized reasons all piled up on top of each other to leave me extremely drained. I've mostly been working on the two commissions I still had in my queue (thank you to my commissioners for being so patient with me, I'm so sorry to make you wait so long <3). I've done a little personal art other than that but didn't have the leftover focus to keep up with sharing it on social media or writing up any updates about my situation. I've pretty much only been active sharing things in my art discord. I'd like to say I've been doing better in the last month or so, but I hesitate to make any promises at this point! We'll just have to see how things go :)

Artfight

So you were promised a more in depth artfight review but I think I missed the right timeframe for that... instead have this look at 3 years of unfinished artfight thumbnails from my new year's wip clean-out!

Year of Art Summary

All things considered I made a lot of art this year, and I'm really happy with how most of it turned out ☺ I did a bunch of experimenting with more playful techniques and color schemes and I think they suit my style a lot. I want to try and much those limits even more next year to see what kind of fun art I can create! Something with colors specifically really clicked in my brain after that witch drawing I did in April, before then I would spend a long time figuring out the perfect color scheme and doing a bunch of adjustments but ever since that drawing things have really been coming together super quick? I'm not sure what changed but no complaints from me. 

Life Drawing Summary 

I rarely post my life drawing but I've been keeping at it! Actually, I put together a few pdfs showcasing all my life drawing going back to 2022, you can download them for free in my itch or ko-fi shops! :>

I also put together a yearly art improvement comparison going back to 2015 that I was planning to put here. However, seeing how long this is already getting... I'll make a separate post for it.

Commissions

I've been gearing up to open commissions again after that unintended hiatus. I don't want to open slots until I'm sure I'm back to being able to finish them in a reasonable timeframe, so I've been using that leftover energy I do have to think about revamping some things and new styles to offer. Back in November I ran a survey on what people want to see from me (it's still open if you'd like to fill it out and help me get more stats!) 

here's a preview of what's to come based on that & my whims:

- stamp commissions were super well received so they'll be added to my main repertoire

- A combo of me reading too much dun meshi and wanting to offer some kind of comicky commissions led to this idea of comic pages of characters eating together, I have a couple examples in progress, when they're done I'll add this style to my main offerings!

- I'm still not 100% set on sketchpages but I like the idea of them so if this test goes well I'll add them as an option

Onward to 2024! 

I already completed my new year's resolution on day 1 of 2024, it was to pet a cat. I've made a second one which is to get a library card whenever my visa is approved and I move back home. It's been something I've been wanting to do for a while but never got around to, hoping this will be the excuse I need to do it.

Art-wise it's not a new goal, but I've been trying to focus on improving my rendering! Though I've also been playing around a lot with screentone... the two don't have to be at odds 🤔 

I'm dedicating this year's personal art time to making new references for as many ocs as possible with nude bases so I can easily design new outfits for them whenever I want to without fully making a new ref from scratch.

Otherwise I'm just trying to take it slow, work on things one at a time and see what happens from there.

[boxfullaturtles]

1,10,11,14,16,37,39,42,43,60,65,75

smoly hokes dude okay,,

1. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

I think I actually prefer one-shots. Shorter, faster, telling a tiny story rather than a lengthy one. I actually struggle with multi-chapter and it's been years since I finished writing one. Hoping to change that with Adagio...

10. Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

They were eyes that never blinked, never faltered, and captured every moment.

Kinda cheated and dropped the "s" so I would have something to actually share lol. Not telling you which WIP this is from either >:3

[the rest under the cut because this got so long,,,]

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Uh uh uh b-but I don't I mean I have a lot of favorites I don't have like a tier list this is a lot of pressure um,,

Okay for strictly TMNT fics, I guess I really love Little Scraps of Wisdom by clandestineClairvoyant because it's just. The softest damn thing and I love the characterization of the turtles. Dawning of the Hour by that brilliant bastard Faiakishi has been killing me slowly and I adore every agonizing second of it. And The Lemonade Leak by TurtleSoupSwimmer keeps yanking the rug out from under me just when I think I've gotten shit figured out. Also shout-outs to basically everything Dandy writes but in particular Tapping Out because I relate to that fic so hard and it makes me feel Seen, Violet Neon Nitro by TractorTeeth because fuck me does it scratch that Mad Max itch in my brain box and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the descriptions in it, and The Last Ronin Discord Shenanigans for giving Ronin a happy ending and some very interesting and well written character interactions.

But if we're talking not just TMNT? Then Poor Wayfaring Stranger by lithos_saeculum is one of my number one fics; a FFXV fic and I don't mind if it never gets finished because it's already 60 incredibly well written and amazing chapters that I have reread multiple times. The Good Mourning / Ghost!Jake AU by corruwuption is a Micoverse fic gut punch that I adore and it's written so well and just!! Ahhhgg! Ghost Jake wrecks me every time. And Audience: 822,000 and Homeland Security by WerewolvesAreReal is just. It's my favorite Leverage fic and it's so in character and silly and I absolutely love well-executed outsider perspective fics.

14. how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

As an extremely emotional person who cries about anything and everything, yes and yes. I definitely put myself in the character's shoes. Although this sometimes has a habit of backfiring as I start writing myself into of the character and then have to go back and edit everything. Oops. But yeah I also draw from personal experience where I can. Different people experience different emotions different ways, everyone reacts differently. But having gone through Some Shit helps me understand certain things better.

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Uuuhhh something like...eleven? Or twelve fic ideas? I think? Haha can't stop, won't stop lmao heLP

Man I dunno which ones I haven't shared anything about yet...I guess my extremely self-indulgent, almost everybody lives, future au crossover thing that would be a multi-chaptered nightmare of a beast and will likely never be written. I should just mess with that for funsies sometime.

Anyway, here's a sketch thing I never finished based on it. Like I said. Very self-indulgent.

37. How do you choose where to end a chapter?

Eh, vibes. Usually when I'm writing and I feel like I'm near the end of a chapter, I just get a feeling. Like "aw yeah, this is the moment". Once in a great while there is a pre-planned cut off point, a scene I know I want to end a chapter on, but that's an infrequent thing.

39. Share a snippet from a WIP.

You really just want all my secrets, huh?

42. What's the last fic you red? Do you recommend it?

Oh man, looking at my history and everything I've read recently has just been updates from fics I already subscribe to. I haven't had a lot of time to try and read something new... Looks like the last thing new thing I read was a one-shot of 2003 Leo called Oh Shoot by halogalopaghost. And yes, I do recommend it! A very good study in 03 Leo being a fucking dumbass. :)

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

Do you even know me!? I delight in whump and suffering! I have a Bad Things Bingo Card for a reason! My turtlesona is Goretello! Mad scientists, unethical experimentation, body horror, and non-consensual body modifications are my bread and butter! I am an unashamed edgelord gorehound horror lover!

60. Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

It was like: "ajkdhsfjald omfg this really cool, very talented, very awesome person liked what i wrote omg??" because I am a child. For real though, it's always really flattering to see someone whose talent you admire respond to something you've created! It feels good and it makes you like your thing just a little bit more, I feel.

65. Tell us about what you're most looking forward to writing - in your current project, or a future project.

There's stuff in "Adagio in Green" that I am really looking forward to! Things ramp up rather quickly and I'm very excited to get to the stuff I have planned! Not gonna lie, it gets a little bit...how do I put this...well, I think I've mentioned already that I plan on giving these Rise boys the Farmhouse Arc they were robbed of in the show. That's not the only thing the show's cancellation robbed them of and I'm wedging so much of that shit into Adagio it's almost stupid.

Okay last one...

75. What scene in [Fanfic Name] took you longest to write? What was difficult about it?

Uh well, buddy, you didn't provide me a fic sooooooo guess we're going with "Adagio in Green".

It wasn't just a scene but the entirety of Chapter 6, the chapter that's going up next week, gave me A LOT of trouble. I deviated from my outline (and I'm still deviating from it because of chapter six) and it threw everything out of whack. I couldn't figure out how to get things going. It either felt too rushed or too stagnated.

I feel better about it now that it's actually finished, but I'm still nervous about it.

Actually, I get nervous about every update I post,,,

[lmelodie]

got distracted by cartoons, have a late ask game ask!!!!!

i wanna know! #s 5, 7, 8, 12, 25, 26, and 30!

Is that too much? MAYBE! But I feel like at this point in my internet life and our interactions and such, this is just to be expected ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(I will not be chill w/ q's next time fr fr)

(i am lying)

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself

Oh I post SO MUCH of my stuff. The doodle dumps are to blame mostly. Thats gotta be an 80/20 ratio on stuff that sees the light of day. This website is my dumping ground and i will use it like a fucking landfill.

Here's an ANCIENT doodle of the actual canonical characters of this franchise for the trouble.

(Small Buddy with elf shoes is a whole staple fyi)

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate

As per last ask, Comic artists! I do not have any will whatsoever to be stylistically consistent at all! I appreciate the people who can so many characters that many times AND convey a story. Cheers to that bro, could not be me.

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in

I don't know about any other projects I've abandoned but here's a character I've abandoned! Kinda, not really. Its Death! Death WILL make an appearance in CC, in the finale, but they've gotten a redesign as of late so here's what they used to look like

Thye used to be VERY self-inserty, but now their gonna be a lot more god like and much more ambiguous. Just you wait til Lucy meets them in person >:)

12. Easiest part of body to draw

Hands! People say their hard, but I think I've done enough studies to where I can crank out a decent hand like nothing. Love drawing hands.

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by

I don't remember ever receiving a direct comparison to something pertaining to my art 🤔 Now I'm curious as to what it reminds people of!

26. What's a piece that got a wildly different interpretation from what you intended

Most of my pieces are pretty straight forward. We do it for the sillies here. I'm really blanking on this one! I dont do too much hidden meaning in illustrations, if I want something to look cool im gonna try and make it cool. Not a lot to interpolate lol

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

Probably a tie between these two!

It's probably because i starred at both of them it until my eyes bled but I like em! The lighting on Mera and Kills and the rock bridge on the wild west one scratches my brain itches.

[christaaah]

Nano day 13: desktop keyboard still broken. It's mostly just the shift and backspace keys-- I don't need those, right?

(I think I have a Bluetooth keyboard I can swap in. I'll try that tomorrow.)

Been getting only a few hundred words a day for the last several days, so I'm still 10k behind. It's not zero progress... I'm not terribly concerned about "winning", although I'm cautiously optimistic. I've written 10k in a day before, so I could theoretically catch up, if I get in the groove. (Come onnn hyperfocus, activate.) But I just want to get to the end of this first draft, however many words that takes.

I'm really trying to build a consistent habit, and part of that I guess is getting used to inconsistency day to day while still meeting a longer term goal. Some days my brain is Swiss cheese and I'm just not going to get much done. I wrote a few hundred words of crap tonight... the scene I'm writing has a bunch of fiddly exposition bits in it that affect how the characters see each other, and that required way too much thinking, so it went very slowly.

I've also got a good case of procrastivity going, where I suddenly have a bunch of drawing ideas and the itch to start a webcomic. I never got around to inktober bc I was inspired to work on this story last month. Maybe I'll turn around and do ink-december. Inkcember? Inkember? Anyway.

I was going to say something else but suddenly too sleepy. Daylight savings whyyy. Kudos to anyone who read all this rambling.

[kimium]

Kimium! I hope you are having a good day! I recently read your fic 'Total Percentage' and like always I'm so in love with your wording and characterization! I can obsess for hours over the theme of Shouichi being Byakuran's Universal Constant and your stories always scratch that itch for me.

I wanted to hear your thoughts on that small little teaser we got after the Future Arc, what was it called? The Mare Epilogue or something? Where we saw a tattooless Byakuran on the beach imprisoned by Vongola guards. Smiling in the sun like some kind of shampoo commercial model.

It carries so many possibilities that even years later my brain likes to churn over it. Allegedly all Future Byakurans disappeared so what was that one? Was that a single one that remained, maybe the 'First Contact' one? Is he some kind of political-mafia prisoner exiled on an island like Napoleon? A research subject?

There have been a few people who have made fics and doujinshi in the topic.

I want to say it was OUTRAGE or Microcuts that had one with Shou visiting....so twistedly romantic. You have to wonder, does he still have his powers, or even just the memories? Would he know who Shouichi is? How the hell do timelines in khr work?!?

Anyway I'd love to hear your thoughts or even see a fic of yours about it! Your brain harbors wonderful ideas I want to hear!

Thank you!

Hello Anon!

First, I am so happy you like my 10051 fics. I also obsess over the implications of Byakuran viewing Shouichi as his "Universal Constant". What would that do to their relationship? What sorts of twisted love can bloom from that perspective?

Next, I am going to be perfectly honest: I have no clue what you're talking about. It has been years since I reread Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I'm wracking my brain to try and remember this Mare Epilogue and I'm drawing a blank. I don't think I've ever read or seen this part of the manga. This means I'm only able to go on what you're telling me about it. My perspective may be skewed, but here are my thoughts.

From what you're telling me, this epilogue is set at the end of the Ten Years Later Bad Timeline. While I remember the manga suggesting that since they defeated TYL! Byakuran, all the other timelines collapse/don't exist because they can only exist if Byakuran has the power of the Mare Sky ring.

So, by manga logic, the only timeline that should exist is the True Timeline AKA the canonical one followed through the rest of the manga. However, this directly contradicts parallel universe theory, which is how most media likes framing time travel. Parallel universes make it easier to wipe away any "plot holes" or "paradoxes" that time travel stories always inevitably create.

However, at the end of the Ten Year Later Arc the manga and anime go out of their way to show the viewer all the characters in their Ten Year Later versions. This implies (to me) that there are actually two timelines remaining at the end of the Arc: Canon timeline and TYL timeline.

If we go by this logic then Epilogue Byakuran with no tattoos, sitting with Vongola guards, looking like he's shooting the world's best shampoo commercial is TYL!Byakuran. To me this implies Tsuna didn't kill TYL!Byakuran, just defeated him and sealed the Mare Sky Ring's power. That would easily make TYL!Byakuran a political prisoner, though killing him would save so many headaches.

Whether Epilogue Byakuran is "first contact" Byakuran is up for debate, but I don't think it really matters. What matters is if TYL!Byakuran is still alive and the timeline still exists, his memories of other timlines are gone but memories of Shouichi aren't gone. I think his obsession over Shouichi would not fade, but it wouldn't be as all consuming without the other timelines messing Byakuran's mind. Basically Byakuran may not be "Yandere x1000" but he's still seeped in yandere tendencies.

Even if Byakuran is kept locked up his "love" for Shouichi would endure. There is just something about Shouichi knowing that despite Byakuran locked and monitored that their fates and "love" are forever intertwined has many fun narrative avenues to explore.

Anyways, those are my thoughts! I hope you like them! And as always I love talking about 10051 so don't be shy to ever ask me more!

[skelizard]

How do you deal with or avoid artist block &/or burnout?! <8O

Hmm, I don't think I've ever really had 'artist's block', or at least to the extent people describe it. Or maybe I do and I just don't see it as artist's block, idk. I will say that what I'm about to say is comin' from the perspective of someone who ain't doin' it as a career and mostly keeps it as a passionate hobby.

I do from time to time feel a creative lull where I don't feel particularly inspired or have any real urge to draw, that's a completely normal part of bein' creative and it's unavoidable. I think also sittin' round and constantly thinkin' 'oh no I've got art block' only exacerbates the problem n doesn't help, it's just passive pessimism. Part of dealin' with it is acceptin' the fact you're in a lull and just, go off to do other things. Do other hobbies, play a new game, go outside, watch a series, read a book, anythin' that isn't makin' art basically. These art block periods are a good opportunity to search for new inspiration and I find eventually, either from doin' one of these things or just lettin' the creative lull simmer for a bit, you'll find a lil nugget that gives you an idea that you really wanna draw. There's gonna be times where you feel ya can't draw or everythin' that's comin' out sucks and that's fine, just take a break if you can. Sometimes I still feel the itch to draw durin' these periods and instead of tryin' to make somethin' exclusively from my brain/original I'll do studies, animal portraits, fanart, basically just somethin' that isn't as mentally intensive as doin' entirely original stuff. That and also mindless doodling, drawing with no vision or goal in mind n just lettin' your hand draw what it wants to draw. Another thing you can try is different mediums, sculpture, 3d modelling, embroidery, ect. It's good for the soul to try out different things, and the good thing bout tryin' somethin' new to you is you can't expect it to be good, so it doesn't matter if it looks bad. Makin' bad art is good for you actually.

As for avoiding burnout, again I'm speakin' from the perspective of someone who isn't doin' this as my job so I only draw when I feel like drawin', which just happens to be pretty often. In fact not doin' it as my job is probably one of the best things I could've done in avoiding severe burnout, I did commissions for a few years and the burnout was Real (not to put people off from doin' commissions it just wasn't for me). These days I feel I'm constantly operating on low energy and as a result I don't really do a whole lotta 'big finished illustrations' anymore, at least not as often as I used to. I don't really try to push myself beyond the energy levels that I have and as a result I feel I create stuff generally a lot slower these days than I used to, and that's fine! Just gotta accept it and move on. Also just doin' sketches is fine! Don't gotta do fully finished paintings n whatever all the time. Also be realistic about your goals n projects, if you wanna make a 300 page comic n you haven't even completed a single 1 page comic then you're just settin' yourself up for failure. You can still have your 300 page comic idea but focus on makin' multiple much much smaller comics first, you'll feel a lot better and more motivated havin' completed many smaller projects than only havin' that one massive unfinished project loomin' over your head, and it'll train/prepare you for makin' that bigger project. This applies to any sort of creative project, comics are just on the brain right now. Bein' realistic with yourself n not biting off more than you can chew, n lettin' yourself have breaks helps with burnout a lot. I also almost exclusively these days just doodle my characters, so it helps to just draw the things you really wanna draw, especially if you're just a hobbyist. Nothin' kills motivation more than constantly makin' yourself draw shit you simply don't wanna do.

This gotta kinda long but basically my advice just boils down to just chill out, creative lulls are normal, be kinder to yoself, hopefully somethin' in there helps ya out.

[gasolinerainbowpuddles]

my Ezra pegging fic for PTMAM 2024

was this just some elaborate ploy to get me to read that fic again? bc it worked LMAO

it's like the fic decides to cancel itself

LMAO RIP

but I get commentary on what's happening from one of the characters, and them 'telling me' is what makes it turn into writing on the page

Ooohhhhh! I am just like a third party viewer of the situation for mine. Damn now you got me thinking about what would change if my characters "talked" to me too!

that also halted my writing process because now I overanalyze it

This is always so tricky. Finding the balance between planning things out so it's a comprehensive story while also leaving enough undecided that things can come up naturally.

which took over my life for many weeks and I ended posting it as a one shot intro to the full series.

Okay but this is so real!!!! Being held hostage by an idea/story can make you feel straight up resentful sometimes. Sometimes my brain just latches onto something (which is what happened with Chrysalism and totally derailed my writing/release schedule), and I cannot shake it. I have to just write that story until the itch is scratched.

because the characters will just glare at me and tell me it's wrong

Well they better pull up a fucking chair to the writer's desk! It's so strange reading this perspective bc this is not my experience at all. It must feel like there's writer's meeting or something except you're the only one doing the work.

And every now and then I swear I'm just gonna buy a bunch of those wooden art model mannequins with movable limbs/joints, just so I can keep track of where everybody is at during threesomes. LOL

This is actually big brained activities right here. Also, you could take pics and post them alongside the fic! I know sometimes writers have had people send asks about if they could make a little drawing to correspond with the fic bc they can't quite visualize how the positioning went.

but you ASKED. LOL

I did, and I'm glad I did! Seeing how different everyone's approaches are is something I've long been curious about, and these responses have not disappointed!

Question for Fic Writers

So I'm curious about something. If you write smut, how do you come up with the scene/scenario?

For me it just sort of comes to me when I'm thinking about my characters. Like especially for my chaptered series, I'll be thinking about the characters and their progression and then a smut idea for them will just pop into my head like a movie scene. I rarely feel like I'm struggling to come up with a scene bc my brain just sort of fills in the blanks if that makes sense?

But I wanna know about other writers. Do you have a kink/trope you want to write and just fit it in wherever? Are you writing from irl experiences? Do you just have a specific type of smut you want and then write for it? Do you see something on Bellesa House and want to recreate it (LMAO)? Do you have people requesting a certain fantasy/kink/trope and write based off that?

Please share bc I'm super curious!

Sound off in the comments or reblog with extended commentary if you're a yapper like me.

full pressure tags (if I forgot anybody I'm sorry!):

@frannyzooey @ezrasbirdie @joelscruff @atticrissfinch @perotovar

@swiftispunk @kedsandtubesocks @chronically-ghosted @ghostofaboy @ghoulettesinspace

@toxicanonymity @umnitsa @quinnnfabrgay @bizarrelove-triangle @ozarkthedog

@agentmarcuspike @beardedjoel @magpiepills @noxturnalpascal @beelzebeth87

@not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @sp00kymulderr @luxurychristmaspudding @janaispunk @max--phillips

@covetyou @strang3lov3 @iamasaddie @iamskyereads @cavillscurls

@hier--soir @romanarose @goodwithcheese @neverwheremoonchild @netherfeildren

@beefrobeefcal @for-a-longlongtime @burntheedges @missredherring @qveerthe0ry

@grogusmum @prolix-yuy @demonsandbullets @leslie-lyman

[canmom]

art shit, (while two days off ssris and facing an impending move so expect a certain skew). no sympathy needed or expected, i just need to get this out somewhere so i can do something else but wallow in it

consciously i believe the only good reason to create art is to intrinsically fulfil some personal emotional need. i don't want to be too prescriptive about what that might be; but joy, venting, expressing affection, some kind of spiritual drive, a relationship i can't imagine...

unfortunately it seems that my own feelings about my stuff are very much shaped by extrinsic desires which are essentially impossible to fulfil, primarily living up to the example of xyz other person. the writers and visual artists i admire the most are creating the kind of thing that is true to them and their experience of the world; inevitably they will do things that i cannot, and i will inevitably be inspired by them, but it would do none of us any good if i just tried to imitate them, trying to do their thing but not as well. but it almost seems like heresy to imagine that i also have things that are good about what i do (or even have the potential to do) that charity or frog or jackie or seth dickinson or shinya ohira or shintaro kago or weilin zhang or yoko taro or (...) couldn't do.

anyway i end up simultaneously desperate for praise and also unable to appreciate it for long when i receive it. hell it's worse, when i don't get praise (either at all or from xyz person), i end up feeling like i failed somehow and have to try all the more desperately on the next attempt. but i don't let myself feel satisfied when i do get praise because i have this pretty deep seated complex about not being arrogant.

so even when someone who I've spent a third of my life looking up to says i did something good, and evidently seems to like being friends with me, part of my brain says, "well, it's the kind of praise you'd give to a child isn't it, they still don't see you as a peer" - how could they after all, when axiom 1 is they're better than me? i know I'm not on their level yet, and likely won't be for years if ever, but they got where they did not by chasing after the foot of the pedestal where the good artists live, but by pursuing the intrinsic thing that motivated them in creating art through many painful and traumatic years until they reached an undiscovered corner of aesthetic space where they could say what they needed to say. and I'm hamstringing myself by staring at that distant horizon when I've made it instead of just thinking about enjoying the process right now

one of the things you develop over the course of learning visual art is line confidence. a beginner's lines tend to be shaky and hesitant or messy and missing the mark; a more intermediate artist can apply rounds of refinement to get a line that looks cleaner but still feels stiff. an experienced artist can draw a simple expressive line that captures the desired information while still feeling lively. the same is visible in for example prose.

the thing is... i don't feel confident at all, in anything. i have to push through all this anxiety to get anything done; i have no idea how to cultivate confidence except to hope it will just happen by magic if i draw enough pictures or write enough stories, but that just leaves me feeling like everything i make in the meantime is kind of grubby and shameful, which does not exactly lead to a growing sense of confidence.

the artists i admire look supremely confident; even when i see them expressing their own anxieties, i guess my brain can't get over the public performance of confidence and turns it into like, "if you can feel unsatisfied with something so magnificent, which i could not imagine being able to create, the thing you'd think is good must be impossible to imagine for the likes of me". i can see it's irrational, assuming its own conclusion even before i type it out, but it just keeps coming back like an itch

anyway this kind of thought process gets way worse when I'm off my meds so. hopefully i can get back on them and back on the ball soon. i don't know how long it will take to get good and i have to stop caring but i don't know how. i don't know how to make something that's just for me and not compulsively show it to all my friends who will listen. i don't know how to remember the good qualities of my work as well as i do the bad ones. i don't think there's any virtue in shame or honestly even humility, indeed it seems like a severe impediment to the kinds of expression that are most affecting, but it feels like these circuits are worn so deep into my brain that I'm afraid I'll never break out