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fandomsandassortedgoods · 3 months ago

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i need your thoughts on ts5 STAT, i like your account and posts on prideyear so id love to here your opinions on the current info we have atm.

Oh well I’m flattered asghgdhj I had some thoughts saved I was gonna post sometime, so I’ll finish it off and put it here.

Guess I'm one of the few people that don't find toys vs electronics an inherently cringe premise, I trust Pixar enough not to have the message just be IPAD BAD (though given Wall-E maybe I shouldn’t lmao), there are legitimate issues concerning children and screen use that can be explored, and how that affects how kids play with actual toys is interesting to me.

My issue is more with the time period. Were "tablet kids” even a big thing by like 2007-2009 (giving a range here on the years TS3-4 seem to take place in)? Bonnie could be older (though she doesn't look it), but even then that seems early for kids with tablets to be a major thing yet. It just feels like too modern an issue for what should be just before the 2010s. But maybe that's just drawing from my experience and tablet kids were a problem by then?

Also a bunch of defective Buzzes is... potentially interesting in concept, but by now I feel the "delusional Buzz" schtick has gotten very, very tired. It's fine to repurpose ideas that got left on the cutting room floor, but again? Really? You can't even use the excuse of "well every movie has a delusional Buzz moment so this one must have too" because there was no delusional Buzz in 4. The concept worked in 1 because well that was the plot of the movie and wasn’t done before. In 2 it worked because it a) was a funny callback to the first movie that played on the humour of how Buzz used to be compared to how he was now and b) didn't interfere with the main story so much, as in, didn't bloat up the story with unnecessary detail or ruin the more emotional scenes. In 3, it worked because it was once again a subversion on the concept: while delusional Buzz was played for laughs before, here we are shown a darker side to it, with someone being able to turn your friend against you just like that and losing yourself with the flip of a switch (ofc it still had some laughs because it's Pixar, but ykwim).

In 5, what will the fresh twist be? I really can't tell. It feels like they've done what they can with the concept and they should just let it go now like they did in 4. How many times can the characters say “not again” before the audience is thinking the same thing?

As for showing Woody back with the gang and the lack of a Bo Peep mention of all, that’s probably the most interesting part for me personally. Bonnie doesn’t seem much older, if that’s who’s under the sheet in that picture—how much time has passed since the ending of 4? How long are Bonnie’s remaining toys separated from Woody before he returns? How do they meet up again? That was a travelling fair, it’s unlikely they would be seeing each other again any time soon. Did Woody/the toys deliberately seek each other out, or is this a happy coincidence? Are they working together towards a common goal and that’s it, or will Woody be returning to Bonnie’s room for good? I’ve got a lot of questions here.

If it isn’t Bonnie under the blanket, that drastically changes things. Is this set decades ahead with a grown-up Bonnie’s kid? Or perhaps in this future, Bonnie returned her toys to Andy, and this is Andy’s child instead? (Though the presence of Forky calls that into question, unless she just threw him in as a gift because she doesn’t gaf about this spork anymore lmao). If it’s Bonnie’s kid and we know for a fact that Andy will be in the movie again, what if Bonnie’s kid befriends Andy’s kid, and that’s how his old toys eventually find their way back to him (I feel Bonnie would at least offer Andy the toys back first, but who knows)? At any rate, I’m putting heavy money on the ending being the toys returning to Andy and being passed down to his children, maybe with this new kid imitating the opening of 1 as he plays with Woody just like Andy did.

I’ve joked before about 5 opening with 4 just being a dream and they retcon the whole movie away, but these new details make that reality seem a little less insane lmao

and okay but the REAL question is: what does the 6+ hour ts4 reviewer think about all this?

#ts #gonna be a crazy few years as we’re drip-fed updates methinks #thanks for the question! :D

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totallyveryallosexual · 6 months ago

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I just babysat for a kid that was evidence of how gentle parenting (the right way) absolutely does work to produce amazing humans. I've babysat for kids on either end of the spectrum, from the most spoiled little shits whose parents think gentle parenting means giving their kid whatever they want, and kids of parents like mine who use a very authoritarian parenting style.

I talked to his parents for about twenty minutes before they left. They told me about an award he'd won for being respectful at school and then told him explicitly that they were very proud of him. I dunno about anyone else, but I grew up with my parents doing a lot of telling other people they were proud of me but never actually saying it to my face. It was nice to hear on his behalf.

We were talking about plants, and his parents let him plant some seeds in his own area in the backyard (his dad has a garden). He told me that since I want to start a garden, I can get seed trays from Walmart, but not from Superstore because of the boycott. He then explained in an eight year old's terms why we need to boycott Loblaws because they were being unfair and raising prices too much to the point that "people literally can't pay for their food". It really struck me that this was a kid that had had a prominent issue explained to him in a clear, concise, and age appropriate way.

His parents, from the little interaction I saw, speak and interact with him in a very open and respectful way. They explain why they are doing things. They aren't the sort of people that would answer anything with "just because". If he has questions, they answer them. His room is full of encyclopedias and Nat geo magazines that he is genuinely interested in. We saw a butterfly that might have been a monarch and when we got closer he explained to me that it wasn't because it didn't have the right spots on its wings (we figured out together that it was a Red Admiral). He is remarkably well spoken for his age, because his parents speak to him without dumbing things down, while still allowing him to be a child and have fun.

He had thirty minutes of screen time left when I arrived, but he wanted to plant a potato first, and then because we were outside he wanted to shoot a little bit on his net outside (and then we got distracted by the butterflies). We spent like an hour outside, and when he got back to his screen time, his tablet had locked because the parental controls kick in within an hour of his bedtime. I braced for impact here. I've had this happen with kids before who get really upset they can't watch more TV or play games when they've passed their time limits or their parents said they weren't allowed access to their devices for the evening. Honestly this is the fairest case I've dealt with, since it was a weekend night, he had an hour until bed and he thought he would be able to play for thirty more minutes, and he really wanted to show me his Minecraft house.

I told him that he probably wouldn't be able to finish his screen time since I didn't have the passcode to unlock the parental controls, and he was completely ok with it. He was disappointed for sure, but he didn't push it or get angry like kids have before. He took me to see the crystal growing kit he'd gotten for his birthday and we started growing some crystals, and we read a Minecraft book for his bedtime story. It struck me as being pretty emotionally mature.

IDK what I'm talking about but basically this kid was respectful, well spoken and emotionally regulated for his age, and I think a lot of it can be attributed to the fact that his parents care for and respect him without resorting to threats or violence.

#gentle parenting #gentle parenting works #parenting

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the-hidden-writer · 8 months ago

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A Piece of True Fiction: Chapter 6

An Alan Wake 2 fic. Spoilers for Alan Wake 2!

Summary: Aleksi Kesä manages to slip out of the spiral and film he was trapped in.

Saga Anderson, caught in the middle of Wake's horror story, finds a man that looks identical to her partner in the middle of the woods. He's lost, confused, and only seems to speak Finnish. Saga has to try and uncover the truth as well as trying to save her family. Where did he come from? How did he get here?

And where's her Casey?

Chapter Summary: Saga finally confronts Alan. Words: 2,524 AO3 Link: [Here!] [First part] [Previous part] [Next part]

A Piece of True Fiction

Chapter 6: Too Soon

“I just don’t understand. It was in my hands, but I could’ve sworn I was reading it for the first time.”

Saga fights the urge to roll her eyes as an FBC medic finishes wrapping her wound. Kesä had done a pretty decent job in Coffee World considering the circumstances, but it does feel better to know it’s been professionally done with less risk of infection. An amputation is the last thing she needs right now.

Right now, she’s itching to speak to Wake. The longer she sits still, the more her thoughts drift to Logan. The more her fury at the writer festers.

She’d described how she’d found Kesä to Estevez while she was being treated (in the morgue of all places). She’d also explained some of her own concerns, such as the mystery of how he ended up in Coffee World, Watery, when she’d last left him in Bright Falls and taken the car herself.

All the more reason she desperately needs to talk to Wake. He was the last person with Casey, and potentially the only person who could explain what’s going on.

Annoyingly, Estevez seems too caught up in her own experience to actually hear what she’s trying to tell her.

“I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m lead here for a reason”, the FBC agent continues. “I study and analyze every detail about a case before heading into the field and I’ve never had memory problems before. I should know this file inside out. I’m more inclined to believe that something paranatural’s at work here.”

“And the Finnish part didn’t tip you off?” Saga asks. She’s grateful that the FBC are taking her seriously though she’s also getting increasingly frustrated by them.

They’re acting too composed and methodical for a situation so dire and terrifying. Sure, Saga’s circles within the FBI are also fairly organized, but the FBC agents are on a whole other level. The way they mill around and make use of the small, rural space available to them is almost dystopian. Part of her wonders if it was a mistake coming here and if she’s ended up confining herself to their agency, when she could be outside trying to fix things and actually be making progress.

Estevez scoffs at her comment.

“Reality’s malleable here. It’s harder to take people for their word.” She frowns. “Then again, we do have Wake in custody…”

Their conversation is interrupted by a shout and a clatter of metal from the other side of the room.

Saga looks over at the source of the noise, where she can just about make out a very uncomfortable-looking Kesä sitting on an examination table, surrounded by four FBC agents holding various items. One has a tablet, another has a clipboard, and another has a stethoscope. The fourth, the only one empty-handed, is recovering from being shoved backward. A reflex hammer lies on the cold floor by their feet.

“Saga!” Kesä cries out, peering between the agents to catch her eye. "Nämä ei helvetti suostu jättämään minua rauhaan! Puhu järkeä niille!"

Estevez approaches them. “What’s the problem?”

The female agent with the clipboard looks at her boss guiltily. “Don’t know, Ma’am. He’s not co-operating.”

“What about the translator?” Estevez demands.

“He’s refusing to type into the software.”

“Can’t you just get a verbal translator?” Saga asks from her side of the morgue, shrugging away the agent tending to her. “It can’t be hard to find one here.”

“I’ll agree with you on it being more convenient,” answers Estevez, “but bringing in external specialists without the Director's approval would be going against protocol.”

“Fuck the protocol!” Saga exclaims, no longer able to suppress her anger. “This is bigger than that! I don’t know how, but I don’t think that just because Wake’s here it means he can’t change reality. If you won’t take my word for it, fine, but I know things are changing and even you’ve acknowledged it. Why the fuck do you have a file on Casey anyway?!”

“That’s cla-”

“Classified, of course.”

While Saga regains her breath, Agent Estevez appears taken aback and the room is silent. Even Kesä looks somewhat shocked by her outburst.

“Just let me talk to Wake.” Saga pleads, more calmly. “I know more about Casey than you do. He’s my partner. Understanding Wake’s part in all this is the only way we can start figuring out how to fix it.”

The last part is a partial lie. It’s true, she needs to understand, but maybe getting the Clicker to him would be a quicker and more efficient fix.

Estevez sighs. “You have a point. Okay, you win, Anderson.”

Saga opens her mouth to respond but Estevez cuts her off. “-But, I’ll accompany you to the cells. Wake’s been agitated and I don’t want you getting hurt. Not to mention that the station’s cameras are video-only and it’s important for us to know what’s going on.”

Shit. If Estevez goes with her, she won’t be able to hand over the Clicker in secret. She can’t risk them taking it away from her.

“You really think he’ll talk to the agents that locked him up the first chance they got?” Saga argues, hoping that she’s passing off as convincing. “I’m FBI, I know how to handle an interrogation. I’ll pass on anything he tells me. For what it’s worth, you have my word.”

A tense minute of contemplation, then: “...Fine. I’ll unlock the door for you.”

Saga lets out a small sigh of relief. “Thanks, Agent.”

She’d really thought that she’d have to fight harder for her case. Still, she isn’t complaining that she’s getting her way.

“I don’t feel good about this at all,” says Estevez, moving toward the exit and beckoning for Saga to follow. “But we really don’t have much of a choice.”

As Saga stands, Kesä speaks up. "Mitä nyt? Mihin olet menossa?"

“We’ll work on getting a translator in the meantime.” Estevez remarks, already walking through the corridor toward the staircase leading up.

Saga hesitates in the doorway. Aleksi’s face is full of confusion, but also holds a twinge of sadness. Maybe even betrayal. They stare at each other for a moment, locked in another exchange via glances.

Saga is the one to break away, guiltily shooting him a reassuring smile before turning to follow Estevez.

“I promise I’ll be back.”

Saga follows Estevez out of the morgue and back into the station itself. A wave of unease washes over her. She’s getting her way, but something about the situation leaves her feeling unnerved. She feels weirdly unprepared, like she’s missing something important and shouldn’t see Wake without it.

But she has the Clicker. That’s the main thing she needs, right? She tries to shake the feeling away and focus on the present.

How should she approach the situation with Wake? She wants to hold him accountable for his actions- hell, she wants to kill him for what he’s done to Logan, but she knows that she can’t. She could just give him the Clicker without saying a word.

She won’t do that, though. She needs answers. She needs to hear him acknowledge what he did.

They reach the cell block door and Estevez pulls out a keycard. Before she gets the chance to use it, one of the officers approaches her.

“Uh, Ma’am? We might have a-”

“Give me a second, Young.” Estevez interrupts. “Let me just let Agent Anderson in.”

The door is unlocked and the light above the door turns green.

“I’ll lock this behind you for safety reasons”, explains Estevez. “Just knock four times when you’re ready to come out. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Saga does. She thinks. “I do. Thanks, Estevez.”

Estevez nods and turns to address the anxious officer to the side.

Saga opens the door.

She walks in. The door closes behind her and green turns to red.

“Saga!”

The voice that greets her isn’t Wake’s, but Ilmo’s. She spots him in the cell closest to her and he stands up when she enters. In the midst of dealing with Kesä, Ilmo’s involvement had slipped her mind. The man looks disheveled and almost animalistic- a far cry from the friendly and confident persona she was used to seeing. Ilmo steps right up to the bars of the cage to face her, practically snarling. “Fucking FBI, FBC, you government fucks all fucking this up for us! Where the fuck is my brother?!”

That uneasy feeling settles over Saga again. Instinctively, she looks over to the adjacent cell to Ilmo’s. The cell is empty.

When she doesn’t reply, Ilmo bangs his fist against the metal bar. “What the fuck have you done to him?!”

“I…” Saga doesn’t know what to say. Her mind replays the events of the hour since they’d arrived at the station. She doesn’t remember seeing or even hearing any mention of Jaakko Koskela. “Ilmo, Jaakko isn’t here.”

“Bullshit!” Ilmo spits. “You fuckers have done something. Something’s wrong with him, and you-”

“How do you know?” Saga interjects.

“I just know!” Ilmo responds. It sounds more like a childish whine. Saga picks up on an element of desperation in his posture and voice, and suddenly something clicks. He sounds just like how she feels on the inside, desperate to get Logan back and to help Casey. He’s worried for his twin, but he’s locked up and helpless. She can’t help but sympathize with him.

She goes to respond, to inquire more about Jaakko’s whereabouts, when another voice speaks up from a cell further down.

“Saga? Is that you?”

Wake.

Her feet start to carry her toward his cell.

“No, don’t fucking talk to him, Saga.” Ilmo says behind her. “He’s a fucking monster! You don’t know what you’re dealing with, let me out!”

Saga ignores him.

Like Ilmo, Alan Wake stands at the edge of his cell to face her, except he’s gripping the bars so tightly that his knuckles are turning white. If she thought Ilmo looked animalistic, Wake is that turned up to eleven. He wears jeans, a bloodied white tee, and an unhinged expression.

“Do you have it?” he asks.

Saga sees red.

“You wrote Logan into the story,” she says coolly. “You told me yourself, from the Dark Place.”

Wake doesn’t react to her words, and instead carries on with his crazy spiel. “Listen! I think something’s wrong. Something- something’s off. The balance is… Scratch is-”

“My daughter is dead because of you! She’s a child.” Saga hisses. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Alan shakes his head. “I’m trying to fix this. I will fix this, I’ll save everyone, I just need to know what’s happening. There’s something different, just- Just give me the Clicker. I’ll fix everything. We’re running out of time.”

Saga fights the urge to slap the man.

“And Casey?” she asks. “You change his memories to what? Tear us apart? You already ruined his life with your writing, and you just had to do it again. You are one selfish fuck.”

Alan groans, frustrated. “No, I just…”

He trails off. His grip on the iron bars loosens. “I…”

He takes a step back. His strained expression morphs into one of confusion.

“...What?”

“Don’t play dumb. You admitted to using my family as part of your sick story. Well, you’ve gone miles over the goddamn line. How did you get him to Watery?”

Alan lets out a sound of disbelief. “What are you- What was that about memories? I don’t think I…”

“And why Finnish?” Saga snaps. “You twisted so much of him for no reason, even his name. How does this help anything?”

“Saga.” Alan says loudly, breaking her out of her rant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Saga waits for the prickling in her skin or the flash in her mind or any indication that he might be lying.

When none comes, she is taken aback. “What?”

“I didn’t do anything to Casey.” Wake states. He sounds genuine. Saga hates that. “The lodge was attacked by cultists and he ran outside, then Scratch and the Taken showed up. That’s all I know, I swear.”

“Casey showed up at Coffee World half-naked and talking in Finnish. He didn’t know where he was and he doesn’t know me at all. Are you sure you don’t know anything about that?”

Saga’s grasping at straws. Wake has to be the one responsible, because if he isn’t… What then?

Alan is silent for a moment, his face blank. “No… no, I don’t. I’m trying to remember… you said Finnish, right?”

“What are you talking about?” Ilmo cuts in, sounding very concerned. “Saga? What’s going on?”

“Yes, Finnish.” Saga looks at Ilmo, responding to Alan. With Alan claiming to know nothing, she’s willing to take answers from anyone. She’s starting to feel very, very scared for her partner.

“Give me the Clicker.” Alan says firmly, extending a hand through the bars. “It doesn’t matter what’s been happening on the outside, I’ll fix it all. Just give it to me.”

Ilmo bangs on the bars again. “Don’t fucking give it to him!”

Saga feels conflicted. On one hand, she’d worked so hard to get the Clicker. She’d risked her life, even, and it was all for the sake of saving Logan. As far as she knows, giving Wake the Clicker is the only way of getting her daughter back.

The new question that makes her hesitate is: does that extend to Casey?

Wake admitted to using Logan. She heard him say so himself, and she resents him for it. But he’s adamant in his stance that he didn’t use Casey in the same way. As much as Saga wants to blame it on him and believe he’s lying, there are too many facts that don’t add up. How would the addition of ‘Aleksi Kesä’ help the horror story? It only causes a delay, if anything. It’s a distraction and it’s unlike any of the other changes Wake has been making.

So if he has no idea, how will he be able to fix him? By handing over the Clicker, will she save Logan but doom Casey?

Even though her daughter comes first, she can’t bring herself to do that to her partner. She needs more information to get a better understanding of the situation.

“I don’t have it.” She lies.

“Thank God.” She hears Ilmo mumble.

Both of them are startled when Alan suddenly violently slams the bars of his own cell. “I knew something was different. Fuck!”

He pulls back, his fists clenched.

Saga realizes that with this lie, she needs a new plan ASAP.

Wake seems to have a similar thought process because he turns back around with wide, frantic eyes. “Saga, listen to me, you need to-”

He is cut off by all the overhead lights blacking out at once, leaving the three of them in total darkness.

Alan and Ilmo curse simultaneously.

Gunshots emanate from the door leading to the station, followed by shouts, followed by screams. Saga rushes over and tries to open it. It’s still locked.

Fuck. Not again.

Finnish translations:

"Nämä ei helvetti suostu jättämään minua rauhaan!" = "These people won't leave me the fuck alone!"

"Puhu järkeä niille!" = "Talk sense into them!"

"Mitä nyt? Mihin olet menossa?" = "What now? Where are you going?"

Thanks for reading! I hope you'll stick with me for the ride...

#alan wake 2 #alan wake 2 spoilers #fanfic #saga anderson #kiran estevez #alan wake #alex casey #aleksi kesä #ilmo koskela #jaakko koskela #fbc #federal bureau of control #a piece of true fiction

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cloud-navi · 1 year ago

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So I finally finished Transformers EarthSpark, lowkey love it. (Maltobots/Terrans)

⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️

Maltos (cont.) (Maltobots)

- Twitch Malto

I love how dedicated she is to her family and cares for them. Her strive to work hard to keep them safe like her determination to find a way out of the bunker when they get locked in for the first time is crazy. I think Hashtag getting taken into GHOST HQ really kickstarted her need to protect her siblings and family as she was so worried for Hashtags safety. Ngl the way she uses her wing blades (?) dual handed and her instincts in leading her family in the finale really reminds me Leo from TMNT, perhaps not all Leo’s but a few like 2012 and 2018-2020 (movie) Leo. I really think she took to Bee’s training a bit better then Thrash did and definitely used every little bit she did and inferred in that final battle. ��

- Thrash Malto

I like Thrash, he’s a silly dude, I just find the whole episode with Swindles very difficult to understand. Okay so they played a mock battle (AvD) and that somehow lead to being insecure about how much Dot and Alex like you? My guy you just destroyed part of the house from game, its reasonable to not want giant robots inside the very much not robot-sized house. I don’t see the point in having that tent in the yard when theres a whole ass barn that the Malto’s decided to make more home-y and like an actual room for you. Its not a giant deal if you can’t go in Mo’s room but you can still talk to her from the window if she hasn’t come down yet.

I kinda think he might have some separation anxiety and that might be why he doesn’t like being separated from Mo that much but it was completely reasonable to not want them inside the house.

- HashTag Malto

Honestly watching her get easily distracted by the tablet while searching for an alt-mode really makes me think she could have ADHD (not just because of that but definitely feels like one indicator). I like the idea that she’s able to hack through the wifi which makes a lot of sense for bots to be able to do, like BV Soundwave on the satellite.

I love all the allegories in this show, really puts things into a perspective thats not technically real-life so its easier to see the problem, emotions and understanding of things when its not connected to you. When it’s connected to you then it feels more personal, thats why people don’t like to watch shows that could talk about topics that they deal with sometimes. I love the allegory they used the Transformers to show even some little ways that racism still exists even if its not the systemic side of the problem. The way the portray HashTag and the other bots when they find the ‘Transformers Go Home’ graffiti really shows how it doesn’t matter if you’re born there, if people view you as different they’re going to deem you not worthy of being there, as well as masking it like with things like ‘oh it’s directed towards Decepticons’ but everyone really knows that it isn’t and that’s blatantly a terrible thing to say regardless if it was “supposed” to directed towards one group of people (Decepticons) in a certain demographic (Cybertronians/Terrans).

I also love the allegory of found family the use in the same episode. Like how Robby stands up to Steven for making rude comments about the Terrans and how they aren’t “actually his family.” Robby stood up for the Terrans because they’re his siblings regardless of age or species, which ties back to the racial undertones of the episode as its so common for others to make comments about interracial families if its found family or just a mixed family that may or may not look more like one side then the other.

Making HashTag the one to get hacked by Mandriod makes a lot of sense as her need to protect her family (like Twitch) is strong and it shows that even in the pursuit of protecting the people you care about you can end up hurting them. Granted she was being hacked and controlled but it was her drive to protect that made her decide to get on the plat form and confront Mandriod. In the pursuit of protection, unexpected revelations and plan changes from outside factors can lead to hurting the people you love the most even if that wasn’t your intention or by your doing.

I love the understanding she has with Starscream, just in the few minutes if not hours of being controlled and forced to feel alone she was able to connect it to how the majority of victims feel while being abused, hurt and alone. She, unlike a good amount of bots throughout the franchise had high enough empathy levels to understand and connect to Star. I love that she listened to him and validated his feelings. Its one thing to hear someone tell you how they feel or what they’re thinking but its a completely different thing to listen, and Hashtag listened. (Literally almost cried at that scene Star deserves so much).

- JawBreaker Malto

He’s a real sweet heart and using him to make another allegory is perfect. The entire episode “Outtakes” is about him asking the other bots how they picked their alt-modes “because he wants it to pick the perfect one for him the first time.” While that sentence sounds just like he might be lazy and doesn’t wanna keep changing to find one that works best or is a perfectionist trying to get it just right, it actually is a better allegory for Gender Identity and finding what title you think fits you best. Through the episode he asks everyone how they ‘knew it was for them’ or how they picked it. The big thing Elita said was “listen to your spark, it will tell you when you find it.” Which is basically an elder gay telling a younger generation they’ll know in their heart when they find it.

All jokes aside, in the allegory the search for a “perfect alt-mode” is the same as the search for the perfect gender identity/pronouns and gender understanding in one’s self. JawBreakers search for an alt mode is like a queer persons search for a title or definition to understand who they are. Like a searching for sub-identities under main umbrellas. A Flier isn’t always a Seeker but a Seeker is always a Flier, its like trying to find which model plane you are compared to others, trying to find advice on how to pick which one best fits you.

I honestly didn’t think the dino-alt would stick with JawBreaker, it just didn’t seem like him to me but with little amount of episodes they could make I understand the need to give him one before the finale.

To me, giving JawaBreaker an alt-mode is kind of a double edged blade. The concept of using alt-modes as a form of gender identity is really interesting and using JawBreaker as a way to explore that 1) giving him an alt can represent the people that did end up finding an identity that fit them and how they feel but also 2) it takes away any possible rep for queer people that don’t have an ‘identity’ suitable to them. Let me explain: I use the term identity as a substitute for the whole explanation’al mess that is finding ‘gender terms’ that have a definition (transwoman, someone who identifies as a woman without necessarily being AFAB) that feels like them and similar to how they experience life in their vessel.

My “2)” point is that giving JawBreaker an Alt mode is giving rep to queer people that were able to find an ‘identity’ while also taking that away from queer people that struggle to find what fits them. Of course representation is still representation and its nice to see it even if it can’t exactly go both ways, which is fine.

⚠️ This is an allegorical theory, in no way shape or form does this apply to the entirety of the queer experience for everyone ⚠️

- NightShade Malto

Love them, very silly. They’re very smart and I love how they were a direct allegory for a different aspect of some queer experiences. While there’s people that know how they identify and what to call their feeling, and there are others that struggle with finding that, theres some that don’t think about it (like me) and some that don’t actively search for a term even if they want a title for it. NightShade didn’t know they’re identity fell under Nonbinary until they met Sam (love sam).

Not only that but how the creators continued the queer identity alt-mode theme with NightShade and how they picked theirs. At first NightShade felt already complete with how they were and didn’t feel like they needed an alt-mode (which is valid, and with the allegory its still valid because some people might not want/like ‘identity terms/labels’) but the creators also added the layer of self expression and how an ‘alt-mode’ can be another way to express yourself through their conversation with Truantulas.

I like NightShade’s pick I just don’t care for how they designed it. For any bird alt-mode honestly AirRazor’s feels like the best kinda bird design (not including the cassetticons).

⚠️ again this is not the queer experience for everyone, just an allegorical theory ⚠️

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ultimateinferno · 2 years ago

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Something I learned recently as an artist that took me 10 years to settle in is how to balance the different parts of art. I don't mean like composition, value, form, etc. I mean different exercises that are in complete opposition with one another are equally important. Honest to God just learned this right now.

Like, there's taking things slow, really chewing on artistic principles. Doing studies, breaking down reference images and going through the meticulous push and pull of refining your drawing. That's what I personally have basically been doing for a while now.

However, there's also a virtue of throwing all of that to the wind and seeing just how fast you can get stuff done. One of my art professors for a life drawing class told a story about a pottery class. He said that in that class that professor would tell the students at the beginning of the semester they could choose to be graded between two options. The first was quality. They had to make a single pot for the entire semester, and would be graded on how well made that one pot was. The second was quantity. When the semester was over, the professor would take out a scale, put all the pots on it, and if it reached a certain weight they'd pass.

Our professor told us that the students who picked the quantity option ended up producing better pots by the end of the semester than the quality students. Because the cycle of making and completing pieces was invaluable. They were able to bounce back from their mistakes much more quickly because all they cared about was getting stuff done.

This life drawing class ended up being my boon and bane. At this point, I was a "quality" student. I'd take my time with pieces pushing and pulling at the lines to get things just right. When I signed up for the class, my most common subject was people, so I thought it would be easy. However, the thing about life drawings is that there's an actual model before you, and they're not always very good at staying still, especially depending on the pose. So when the 20 or so minutes were up, I would have like a single arm done and nothing else. I had to push myself to achieve something in those 20 minutes. I was the slowest artist in the class. I knew much more theory and fundamentals, but none of that mattered cause I had nothing to show for it. Then poses started getting shorter. 15. 10. 8. 5. 2 minute poses. There was no time to analyze I simply had to draw.

Over the course of that semester I got better of reaching those time limits. By the time it was over, I put down my charcoal and returned to my drawing tablet. Art took me so long that I can only focus so much on an outlet at a time. I could either take classes or draw in my free time. Never both. When I started drawing over the summer, I noticed something: I was faster. My poses were better. I was able to sketch, ink, color and shade a piece in three days. That never happens, it would take me a month to get things just right beforehand. Yet now, even with art pieces where I was allowed to be slow, my speed improved greatly.

And this is because I was put in a class that looked at me and said "I don't want quality. I just need finished pieces. You need to turn in a piece every day." Yet this isn't the "lesson" I'm talking about. I think it's actually very much both. Quality and quantity.

You need to spend long hours breaking down anatomy or values or other fundamentals, to really digest them. You also need to put your feet to the fire and just get shit done. They're both very important skills to learn. Focusing on quality builds up your repertoire and artistic encyclopedia so you can produce artwork from a place of understanding. Focusing on quantity, meanwhile, is all about going through the motions. Learning when to accept "good enough" and apply the knowledge gained from your long-form studies and turn them into instincts. This lets you go back to the studies and build upon your knowledge using the shortcuts gained, continue building up more details to your skills.

Without ever focusing on quality, you will be repeating the same artistic mistakes over and over again with minimal improvement, never actually learning anything.

Without focusing on quantity you'll be so caught up in the details and the studies that you'll be stuck at step 1 indefinitely, breaking down each new part and be cursed to never finish a piece.

Focusing on one is already hard enough, so two would be difficult. However, as a part of the greater process, you don't need to focus on both at once. So long as you keep cycling through taking your time to get things right, and forcing yourself to get things done on dietary occasions, each practice will feed into themselves and each other far more than anything in isolation.

#art advice #artblr #drawing advice #artist on tumblr #what the fuck do i tag this stuff can I just do 'art' and 'drawing'#art #drawing #art reference #drawing reference #i never know what to tag these things or if shoving random advice in general image tags is helpful or tacky #is this actually helpful or did i become a fish that discovered water #whatever #i need to go to bed

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egg-node · 7 months ago

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🖍️? 📚? 🌊?

:3 artist ask meme

🖍️ When did you start drawing? Do you remember?

god. i got my first tablet back when i was tweeeeelve? i. was not very good at it. lol. back then i was still on gaia and was mostly trying to draw my avatar. attempts were made :p

i began doing it more consistently when i was 16-ish. joined a discord server and made it my goal to make a birthday gift for anyone who gave a list of things they'd like to see drawn. forced me to do an art more consistently

📚 How many layers do you typically use?

the visible layers on a finished piece ranges from 1 to 7 -- generally depending on how many overlay/add/multiply layers i use at the end to color correct/special effects.

from that 1 to 7, the actual drawing ends up being 1 to 2 depending on if i have a background or if i drew the character on the same layer as the background (because i do that. sometimes. i have regretted that a few times when i really needed to color correct the character).

in the process, maybe 10-20? i merge things down as i go, but i also duplicate layers whenever i finish a major section so i have a checkpoint in case i screw things up reeeeally badly.

🌊 What’s the hardest thing for you to draw?

it's definitely a cop-out for me to say lineart (specifically thin weighted lineart) since i don't do that anymore because of how hard it was for me lol. of the things i currently draw, form in general? making something look like it stands in 3d space and has form instead of it being a flat color/half-assed shaded thing. this extends to fabric and bodies.

#egg.eml #thanks for the ask anon! :3

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 7 months ago

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So some of you might remember I had gotten into Zodiac Academy. I was making my way through the series but knew I would need to slow down so I wouldn't get stuck having to wait for Book 9 to come out. Well, I ended up having to stop for a while in book 5 because the dreaded moment finally came where everyone found out about about Orion and Darcy's relationship. This is one of the things I dislike about teacher/student relationships (besides the whole power play and predator aspects that gives me the ick). I decided to check out with the series for the time being as I wasnt super interested in seeing how that plotline went. So a few months went by and I'm back in it.

Spoilers below so dont continue reading if you dont want to be spoiled.

Some thoughts about the Orion and Darcy thing. Overall I find them cute and I do find myself rooting for them even though I dont necessarily like all aspects of their relationship. Again, power dynamics are a huge reason I dont go for these types of relationship tropes. But, I will say they are super cute together and I've caught myself smiling in their interactions. But I was not looking forward to when all of Solaria found out about them. It was rough getting through the first few chapters after the big reveal. And honestly I have very mixed emotions on the whole execution of this. For one thing, I fucking knew they would be found out because Darcy left her damn phone or tablet or whatever the atlas is supposed to resemble around. Everytime she forgot it, I'm just like, "girl, you're having an illicit affair with a teacher and that device has all the proof on it, stop leaving it around!" I generally like Tori and Darcy as characters, but they maybe super powerful, but they dumb af for real. Actually, the heirs are pretty dumb too, Solaria essentially is just fucked all around regardless of who gets the crown, not a single brain cell shared among any of the contenders for the crown really. But back to the whole Darcy thing, I honestly have a hard time believing Kylie was the one who turned Darcy in. I totally buy she would find out about the relationship via Darcy's atlas but using that info to turn Darcy in? Kylie's not smart enough nor brave enough for that, and also just doesnt seem like Kylie, lets be honest, shes a simpering idiot (I fully wouldve expected her to go the Seth route and make Darcy do things for her like Seth did to keep her mouth shut about it). Also, it's like really short sighted of her because now she has no ammunition to use against Darcy to keep Darcy away from her man. And if Darcy was a petty bitch, Kylie should really have been worried about Darcy going to Seth and doing all the things with him shes been afraid of out of pure spite. Kylie essentially gained absolutely nothing from this. Before the Vegas and the Heirs acted, her social status didnt even really change, it didnt help her relationship with Seth. It's like you got 10 minutes of fame and that was it. And how did she think the heirs were going to react about that. The leader of the Heirs is Darius who has a known bonded relationship with Orion. And the love of Kylie's life is Seth who is Darius's best friend and Seth is a wolf so he's a touchy feely guy who gets uber protective with those he loves, Darius is hurting from this, no way Seth would just let that lie. How did she think this was going to go? But anyway, Kylie's an idiot, it makes sense and doesnt make sense at the same time.

I havent finished book 5 but I am back to being invested in it. Despite the audio book being over 20 hours long, way longer than it probably really needs to be, I do enjoy the fact that it does take so long for the plot to go anywhere. Like did we really need to see the heirs have a stint in the mortal world and beat up Tori's boyfriend and see how the twins lived before they found out they were princesses? No, but it was still pretty fun. So I'm back in the Zodiac Academy game and by the time I finally get through Book 8, Book 9 will already be out so yay! No suffering for months from an abrupt cliffhanger for me!

Also, I dont think I've mentioned this in previous posts, but Darcy and Tori's face names are Roxanya and Gwendolyna (its like word vomit but in name form). I really hate these names and I cringe so bad whenever they're used. It's also super weird they have names like these. When everyone else has basic ass names. (Just my opinion, please no one hate me for this).

#zodiac academy #orion and blue #orion #darcy

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chaoticrobotics · 1 year ago

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will security alert ever come back? I just found it and i love the story. i hope it comes back :(

I didn't want to say anything because I really don't want people pressuring me (don't worry about your ask being seen as pressure, you are one of the nicer people to ask when it's coming back unlike a lot of people on tiktok), but I was going to TRY and just get through it and finish the damn story.

Unfortunately, right now I have no way to draw digitally. I am having a new tablet being shipped so whenever that gets here I will have to get used to it before getting into anything big.

So that being said... There is a very SMALL possibility that I am going to continue Security Alert. I am definitely abandoning all the other small comics I was doing, and honestly I wish I had done that sooner and maybe I would have finished Security Alert in the first place, but I didn't so I just severely burnt myself out and needed to just stop for a while on the comic.

So again. There are no definite promises that it is coming back. But I do want to finish the story. You might be able to tell though that I am not all that excited to do so in my tone.

Personally, I really do want to finish the story, because it is fun to think about the story itself, but thinking about actually sitting down and drawing the story, for a lot of people who weren't even appreciating the work I put into the story and just wanted the next part (again, not you specifically, but a lot of other people on other sites) just makes me feel sick and hateful to the comic and the game/media in general.

Literally the DLC came out and barely revived any of my love I used to have for this whole thing. The only thing it did do was reinforce my love for the Mini Music Men lol (I do wish we saw DJ Music Man in the DLC, that would have been cool).

So yeah. I am going to TRY and get through the story. The style is definitely going to be different and I might do smaller parts as well, but it's going to still be a while until I am going to do so since, like I said, I physically can't draw digitally right now. I also want to try and actually get a bunch of pages done before releasing new content so that I am not feeling as pressured to actually rush myself.

I was going to try and do all of this without saying anything to just surprise people while also not disappoint people if I never actually go through with continuing, but enough people have been following me and asking recently (most likely because of the DLC) that I am just gonna say this.

So if you came here for content, just be patient I guess. I do have the whole story planned out since before I stopped making content, and I am not changing anything because of the DLC, so some things aren't going to line up with the DLC, but I honestly don't care anymore and just want to get this story done so I can get this weight off my shoulders whenever I think about this comic.

Thanks for reading this far if you did. I'll do my best to get the comic up and running again, but again, like I said multiple times, don't get your hopes up too high. It will be a bit until I can get going again, and this time I am going to take my sweet ass time with this comic so I don't end up absolutely hating this comics and franchise by the end of it. Hang in there and hopefully I can finish this. I am one person doing this for free, so let's all hope I keep my motivation this time and actually get to the end of this story (pretty sure at this point in the story we are like 1/3 or half-way done, so if I can go with my original place then there should be quite a bit more content for me to make).

#chaostalks #noart #asks #if i sound rude or upset #i'm not trying to be #so please don't take it personally #i am just sick and tired of this comic #wish i never started it #it wasn't even supposed to be a comic in the first place #it was supposed to be a funny mini comic #and then i would have just made illustrations #and mini comics #it was NEVER supposed to be this big #none of my comics were #but this is the price i pay #by letting people peer pressure me into making a story #people on tiktok asked for a part two #and because of that you all got this story #and i lost a loved interest of mine

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finalskies · 2 years ago

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Heir’s favorite posts of 2022

It’s that time of year again: the end. So I get to talk about my favorite things I posted. It’s funny, I feel like I really didn’t draw that much more than last year, and I certainly didn’t get any better. If anything, I’ve probably regressed. But even then, in these past few months I’ve probably felt more joy about drawing than I have in a long time. In a way, it feels like I’ve removed all my expectations for myself and I just... I just get to draw whatever I want, and it doesn’t matter if it looks sucky to me. “Face didn’t come out right? That’s fine, it still looks cute. It doesn’t look as good as it used to? No worries, you’ve done it before and you’ll do it once more. And even if you don’t, you can still have fun with it and make people happy.”

Maybe I’m just finally done with being mean to myself about my drawings. Maybe I just wanna draw cute/silly stuff for my friends. Because, as I’ve said before, you don’t have to be great and powerful to make something that makes a great and powerful difference in someone’s day. Anyway...

Ol’ Reliable Applejack. This is one of the first drawings I made with my new tablet, and the first one that made me think ��Okay... I can still do this.” Even before my bestest most favorite tablet broke, I hadn’t been feeling the whole “drawing” thing in awhile. As simple as this looks, it felt like a real turning point.

Internet Fuzz Queens. As a very young child, I had this idea in my head that all my favorite cartoon characters lived in a community together and they would hang out and stuff. This is was an extremely self-indulgent comic that required specific knowledge of four different fandoms, and I want to do more like it. I love my blorbos and I want to see them hang out together.

Angel Byrd. My OC turned space kangaroo in my Scum and Villainy campaign. I’m glad I got to give her a little more pizzazz. I forgot to mention it in the original post, but the reason her dress has a tummy window is because she’s planning on smuggling museum artifacts in her pouch lol. We’re actually doing the second part of the heist tomorrow, wish us luck!

Kaysee Cadet! A character I made for a dnd Humblewood campaign. I really love how this came out. Ultimately I did settle on the orange fur, but maybe I’ll do something with that black fur design at some point. Gawd I’ve grown really attached to this character. They’re autistic, and they’re not native to the setting of the campaign, so “common” isn’t their first language. It’s been really difficult for them to navigate the world, and some people have been quite cruel to her, including her own family. All she wants is love, and they try SO HARD to help people despite everything, and we’re getting to the part in the campaign where the party transitions from “ragtag group of weirdos forced together” to “found family.” But tragedy struck in the last session of the year, and now it’s more of a “darkest hour” moment. And I’m just... I love my blorbos, especially the ones I made up ;_;

Give Trans Girls Swords. Winter is this lovely artist’s sheep fursona. I’d been wanting to draw them for awhile, she has such an appealing design. This was so fun to draw, I love making things for friends and also giving trans girls swords.

I really want to make my own fursona one of these days...

Miss Pie’s Monsters. It was... so nice to see the monster gang again. MPM is absolutely one of those projects that I never stopped thinking about, never lost hope that I could finish it one day, even those it’s been years since its last real update. I’m happy with myself for sticking to the update schedule I promised, even if I was calling it close sometimes lol. I hope people liked seeing them again. And to the people that I know liked seeing them again: first, I love u, I hope I can continue to update it in the coming year. I can’t wait to reveal who the Captain of the guard really is.

Stay fantastic, I hope we all have a better 2023. Or at the very least, make it through it together. <3

#Final Skies #top 5 personal favorites #except this time it's six I guess lol

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revilleaj · 9 months ago

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Art update & 3D Robodi model images

It has been quite a while since I've last really done anything online. I've been heavily burned out and tired constantly since at least December or so (I have done drawings in months prior, but I have never posted them publically). I still do not have a new computer, even though I have enough money (about £1k) to buy the parts or even an entire computer, but there are other factors in life that need more attention being put towards right now.

I'm still in the midst of trying to get a job (damn required experience and driving license listings!), and drawing right now is bottom priority. It feels like a chore and it's not fun when I have rusted from not drawing in so long (making so many mistakes really sets off my anger problems). I really do not like being pressured into trying to do things, and I have been experimenting with 3D, but only to an extent.

So, with that said, I am going to put making newer drawings on hold for an indefinite amount of time until I feel motivated enough to draw. I'm not done with art entirely and I never will be, but I think I really shouldn't pressure myself as if art is some kind of requirement in life. I've been also having drawing tablet issues, and I noticed there's a small crack in my Huion that I haven't been able to use almost ever since I had it (thankfully the thing still works, and the crack is near the top, only half getting on the drawing area).

I may also finally add some images to my empty DeviantArt account. As much as I do not like that website nor its community, I think it would work if I just put my favorite drawings I've worked on there, specifically ones up until the end of 2023. All of the really old and weaker art (mostly from 2018 and 2020, and anything from 2017) I won't be reposting, as they no longer reflect me, and have not done so for a very long time.

-----

Now, for the second topic of this post, and in a much better light; the 3D Robodi model. I'm sure I've talked about this years ago on Twitter. Back in 2020, when I was still in my first year of university, I worked on a 3D model of one of my characters named Robodi, using Cinema 4D. It was never finished, but I did learn quite a bit when working on it. Here's some newer screenshots of him, now that I've managed to pick back up an older version of C4D (I do not like the 2022 UI layout change):

This is the last version of the model to not be animated, from May 2020. The image is rendered using the Sketch & Toon shader with the Standard renderer. A few options were altered to remove unnecessary outlines.

The model in the renderer itself; right is the objects list, bottom are the materials (vertex colors and textures, some with C4D specific features).

The last ever version of this specific model from September 2021, with the FOV heavily reduced to improve the depth. A single black thin cube was added between the eyes to create a fake extra outline. A bit of a hacky effect; I did not know how to do inverted normals, in fact I don't think I knew that was how most computer games handled outlines.

The very first saved version of the model, in Cinema 4D's editor, made earlier in May 2020. The pieces have default names and are not parented, some materials are not added yet, and the shapes are noticeably bigger, especially the base of the head and the torso.

I once experimented with "realistic" materials and shading (including the dreadfully slow Global Illumination), which doesn't make the most sense for a cartoon character. Here you can see the unit plate on the back of his head, which I don't think I have ever shown before. The camera may look close here, but it's actually extremely far away with a very low FOV (dubbed Super-Telescope). Some textures are no longer in the project files, so this looks slightly off from how it did back in 2020.

In October 2021, I went back to the older May 2020 model and decided to try and remake it. I realized that using one mesh and extruding it works a lot better with the Sketch & Toon shader, as it does not create unnecessary outlines when the default shader options are left the way they are. The lines in the middle of the eyes and nose are from the shader, rather than a black material cube. Of course, it would be more wise to just duplicate each mesh, enlarge them and invert the normals while applying a pitch black texture to them. I abandoned the model shortly after the progress I made here, and I am not sure why. Maybe I was burned out and lost interest.

I should probably try to attempt making a 3D model of him again and some others, now that I know a lot more than I did nearly 4 years ago (yeah, can you believe it has also been nearly 6 years since my Reville character was created? Robodi was first created in mid-2019; almost 5 years ago! Good things take time and care). It will be a difficult task, but I'll make sure to export whatever I make to a .FBX model, so that it doesn't get lost to C4D licensing Hell. Hopefully, that would make the models work in Blender and such (the materials will have to be baked into textures however, instead of being separate C4D ones. At least .FBX doesn't use an external material file unlike .OBJ, which I and others have had issues with). Maybe I could use them for rotoscoping or somethin'.

Here's hoping to me eventually finding motivation, losing my tiredness, and getting a job with stable income alongside continuing to work on my passion projects, no matter how much time has past since the day I first thought of them. I want to keep doing things, not resting in bed most of my days. Too bad winter is freezing cold where I live, and I suffer from mild hypothermia...

#3d model #software #update #indie artist

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pbandjesse · 9 months ago

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It is time to go home. Me and Jess are on our flight home. We lucked out and got an extra seat on our row so we get extra space. Which is really nice. Today was actually really nice. Even if it was mostly travel we still had fun.

I had trouble staying asleep. And woke up a half hour before our alarm went off. While for most of this week I have been feeling pretty good, there has been a slight weirdness in my body. I tried just washing my face and shaking off the feelings. I would try to do my eyeliner in the dark. I had mixed results. And soon after I was dressed Jess was up too.

I would finish packing while she was getting ready. She would do a little packing but we were both starving. So we would pause packing to go get breakfast.

It was nice getting to sleep a little later, but when we got to the restaurant it was much busier then we have experienced. That was fine. We still got to sit at the same table we have sat at all week. Perfect.

Jess went to get our food and I waited at our table and watched tiktoks. Once she came back we had our little breakfast and started peeking up a bit. The sandwich wasn't as great as it was yesterday but I still really liked it. And it gave me more energy.

We saw a katydid on the way back which was neat. A very large grasshopper. And then when we were back in the room I finished packing pretty quickly and got all of my souvenirs in my suitcase and was able to chill in bed while Jess finished her packing.

We decided we would check out now and get our luggage stored and then take the ferry to Disney Springs for the last time to get our last planned souvenirs. I think one of the best things we did was preplan what we were going to buy. Because for the most part we stuck to the list! I ended up super under budget and that's just really cool.

Disney springs was fun though. The ferry ride was great and it makes me want to take the water taxi way more. I am going to try to utilize that more often.

When we got to the docks Jess placed her mobile coffee order and we went to pick that up. And lucky us it was right next door to the World of Disney.

Jess wanted to look for sweatpants and a tote bag. I was looking for a specific shirt I had seen. I ended up also being seated by the totes. So we got matching ones. They are huge. And seem very sturdy.

Jess found the two pairs of sweats she had liked. But only one of them did the had her size. But still a success.

I couldn't find the shirt though? So we kept wandering around to try and find something.

As we rounded the corner I found a red crew neck with a simple embroidered front and an embroidered skyline of the parks back. It was perfect.

And it was $20 cheaper then the original shirt I had planned on getting. So I was winning and it's the best. Jess liked it a lot too so now we have matching totes and sweatshirts. Amazing. Felt like the perfect way to end our trip.

We wandered a little longer. I put my totebag on like a backpack and Jess kept saying I looked like a snail!! Bullying me!!

We looked in the dinosaur restaurant, which had a special build a bear area. But we were both getting a little to hot. And decided that we would go back to the hotel and chill in the lobby.

This was the best plan. We were able to trade a last pin. And get our luggage. And I went and filled my mug for the last time. We sat on a window bench in the lobby. Sorted out our bags and making sure we have what we would need on hand, tablet and liquids, passports and such. And then we just chilled and enjoyed the resort.

We had said we were going to search for the photo scavenger hunt and I wasn't able to find it but Jess did!! So we went to the front desk and got our reward buttons. What a fun little way to end the trip.

I would do some drawing for my sticker of the day. I did a little Micky inspired glove. Which I did not remember correctly and made Jess laugh with my first attempt. After I looked at a reference it went much smoother.

We would take some cute matching pictures and charges our phones and got ready for our trip to be over and our travel home to begin.

Pretty soon our shuttle was ready for us. We were actually the last couple people on board. But we got our seats and I worked on a TikTok while Jess learned to convert her live photos to videos to send to me. And it was a nice ride to the airport.

When we got there I was a little off kilter. We went to the bathroom and I got stuck in the door and was scream laughing. And then when we went up the escalator I almost knocked my suitcase down the whole thing!! We tried to reset at the top and things were okay. Until we got to the TSA.

Where I dumped my bag on the ground and my passport went flying. And also TSA had to open my bag because one of my food souvenirs set off the sensors. Oops.

Jess was clowning on me. But we got settled and went to get food. We had wanted chipotle but because of how the Orlando airport is you can't go to anything outside of your gate section. So we had to go to Qdoba instead. Which was fine but not as good. I still enjoyed it and was glad to eat some complex carbs.

We would hang out at the gate. We were super early but that was okay. I would go for a walk. Discovered that the sale of gum is banned at this airport?? Very strange.

The airport was also confused about what plane was leaving from the gate we were at and had told Dallas they were also leaving from there but right before they should have been boarding they switched them. I went to sue the bathroom and got stuck in a huge line and then there were so many people around where they had thought their gate was and it was kind of a nightmare trying to get out of there. But it was fine. I made it back to Jess.

We tried to not be the people all waiting by the entrance. We waited until group 5 was called. We were group 7. And that seemed more reasonable.

When we got on the plane there was a rouge pair of boxers on my seat??? I called the flight attendant and was all like. What!!! And got gloves to get rid of them. I thought it was hilarious.

I thought I would sleep. I probably should have tried. Instead I have been playing a game on my phone. And winning. I think Jess is asleep now.

We will be landing within the hour. James said they are going to be at the airport from 730 so I hope we don't make them wait to long. I am so so so excited to see them. I might cry?? I am excited to see what they have accomplished moving wise. And I'm just excited to have 3 more days before work to recover from the trip. And spend time with sweetP.

Jess won't have the same luxury. After we take her home she will have to wait to get her cat from her parents tomorrow. And then she has to go to a funeral. But I hope she also gets some good rest.

I am sad we are going back to our own cities. But she will be back to Baltimore for my birthday on a few weeks. And it's really nice to have that to look forward too.

I will post this once we are in the car with James. And when we get home I am going to shower and go to bed. I will probably stay up to late being with James and Sweetp. But that is okay. I feel really happy. I hope I can ride this feeling for a long time. I love you all. Goodnight!!!

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retrodaft · 2 years ago

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What’s been happening and going to happen for the future

So first off just to clear the blog isn’t ending. I wanted to explain why things have been slow on the blog, lack of uploads, and posts.

Ever since September things started getting busy, I finally saved enough money to buy a iPad Air for drawing. And was excited to start to relearn to use a tablet( I used to do some digital art back in high school)

At the same time while I also had been going back to school ( adult education) to finish my certification cuz things were getting back to normal hahaha na this world still mess up but at least school was open. But then I had another problem, work.

I had been in retail for years, I like my job and my coworkers but it was becoming more stressful and demanding, with a pay rate that was low for this economy. I think we all know especially if you live in American how bad things have been getting with the growing inflation.

What also didn’t help you never leave on time ever. You’re shift done at 9:30 nope you are here intell 10 or even 11 pass. Being understaff and etc made me worried and so stressed. So I got a new job and finish school, cuz I had people on me about “it’s been years why aren’t you done yet?!” The pandemic HELLO.

By January I finished school which yayyyyyyy! And got a another job opportunity. There’s other things that had happened, trying to eat healthy, home issues, car problems, etc. I had TV to keep distracted but then I was changing my mind on what I wanted to watch.

This now goes into what will posting on the blog and thoughts on starwars.

I still like starwars love ya, but I don’t feel the same inspiration and excitement for the newest shows to come. Actually I was barely enjoying anything new from Starwars.

And please this is just my opinion, if you enjoy the sw shows that’s great. But for me everything that came out after mando season two was mediocre, ok or trash. It just wasn’t good, the story , the writing, animation or live action, the freaking editing jeez.

Maybe some of you already know but I don’t care for the bad batch, didn’t care for their introduction or much less for the show. Just didn’t like concept but still gave the first season a shot watch a couple times. Then sw fandom ..

The discourse in the fandom, some of y’all are wonderful in your art and I hope you keep pursuing it. And some of you are cursed, there were more clonest art and debating about sw shows in general, sometimes I wonder if some fans are even real or just bots. The changes to the canon or what even is the canon anymore? Jeez the arguments on canon. Or people putting all the trust into one person thinking they saved the franchise, yeah don’t count on that. Not to mention the weird raise of sexualizing of characters and real people (if you know,you know)

Over the year my attention went to other stuff, my friends got me into model kits it started first with transformers some years back but there weren’t many. But there’s plenty of gundams plus a new show with their first female lead, awesome soundtrack, and girlfriends ooh yes please.

Plus with Crunchyroll I’m able to finally watch some of the old anime’s I saw bits of as a kid. But now able watch the whole thing. Plus coming on the horizon a reimagining of a anime I haven’t seen sense freshmen year huh?!

SO there was a reimagining of Trigun if you haven’t heard please please go watch, I really want a part two please! It’s doing ok in the numbers, you can watch both the new one and the 1998 oh version on both Crunchyroll and Hulu. Watch both, there’s also a the original manga but unfortunately the publisher hasn’t reprint the manga so yeah it’s expensive to buy. BUT THERES HOPE right here on Tumblr you can read for free. But please to donate too cuz these fans are doing the work to translate.

Also NEW TRANSFORMERS MOVIE LETS GOOO, so yeah get ready cuz my art is changing again, I still would like to work on my starwars ocs still.

But there will be more Trigun fanart for sure, along with pics of my growing plant and model kit collection. Photography too, you can look at my toy photography I have done on instagram under the same name. There is gonna be cosplay work too, THANK YOU all for still being here,reading, thank you to all my followers!

It’s been a crazy last year let’s hope for a better one.

#blog stuff #blog news #star wars #Starwars #starwars the clone wars #starwars fandom #transformers #Trigun #sw #tbb #trigun stampede #artists on tumblr #vash the stampede #g witch #gundam #model kit

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from-chaos-make-art · 2 years ago

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2023 NY Resolutions (& 2022 Reflections)

This past year (2022), my one real resolution was to make certain changes to my diet to gain particular results. I just got my test results back from my physical and I can happily report that I did it!!

Now for 2023, I’d like to continue to focus on my physical health. I work a desk job where I’m sitting the vast majority of the time, and at home, I tend to work et al. in bed, so my back and neck have definitely suffered. This year is the year of moving my body consistently. I don’t want to say I’ll work out x amount of times a week or that I’m going to do specific exercises -- I’m going to see what I can do and go from there. My success will be in if at the end of 2023, I am consistently moving my body every week, and those are all the limits I’ll put on myself. (we gotta start somewhere, otherwise we’ll never get anywhere).

Diet-wise, I’d also like to limit my sodium intake a bit more. I have a tendency to eat pre-packaged, on-the-go meals, which are already sodium-packed, but if I’m being brutally honest with myself, cooking is not going to be a realistic goal for me next year. So I’d just like to be a bit more careful with my food selection process.

I’d also like to eat more vegetables & fruit and limit my red meat intake even more (this was the primary goal for last year). Chickin gud.

These are the three real goals for 2023.

Now for the cherries:

Creative

This year, I said I wanted to improve on three things: digital work, figures/anatomy, and backgrounds. I took two classes -- Digital Painting & Background/Landscapes and Character Design, so those took care of the first and third things. My anatomy has suffered this year, just because I haven’t practiced it at all because I was struggling trying to figure out how to draw lines on a tablet ^^;;. I also wanted to improve my self-discipline to not just rely on classes to draw...and I think this is something that I really do need to work on. My last class ended in August...and I haven’t drawn since then. Tbh, I have needed a bit of a break, so I’m not going to beat myself up too much over that, but I know that I’m not at the level where I can take time off from practice and my skill not suffer because of it. So this is something that I do want to work on for next year as well, especially because I’ll start to take actual animation classes in the spring, which will very much challenge me. Tall order from 2022 was to draw a comic...yeah, no. No tall orders for 2023. For 2023, we draw and just get better, that’s it. (I think I’m finally getting the hang of this ‘realistic’ goals thing)

Ok, so my ridiculous ass thought I could read 15 books total, and read 3 books of poetry in three different languages...yeah, wtf 2022-me. (I know this is baseline reading for a lot of people, but I do tend to struggle to read long form material now). Now, I did actually deny myself graphic novels this year because I was trying to focus on books...so there’s that...the punishment worked, i guess >.> and I actually did start reading more poetry! but I ended up reading a whole 5 books and 2 plays in 2022...so in 2023, I will actually attempt to go back to reading 12 books, and once I finish 1 book for the month, I will read graphic novels the rest. :D (i give myself a leetle treat).

I did not end up doing needle work at all this year...I took a much-needed break, and I think I’m ready to start again...I’ll take 12 designs for 2023.

No non-travel photographs this year either...but I’m starting to get that itch again...I don’t know yet if I’m ready to commit to this...I’m realizing that this year, I needed to take a bit of a step back from the things I used to do and see if I still even wanted to do them...and if so, then do them with intention...I won’t force myself to take photographs if I don’t want to...just like with writing. If it happens, great. If not, it’s ok.

I wanted to wear everything in my wardrobe at least once...I did not accomplish that, but I did end up wearing a lot more of my outfits! Some progress is still progress! And so, I would actually like to continue this as a goal for 2023. It was really fun and I very much enjoyed the process of going out if I told myself I was going to dress up for it. It was the first year I started to dress with intention and I’d like to continue doing so.

New goal: more nail art! I’ve been really enjoying painting my nails over the last few years, but I’d like to get back into doing some real nail art -- I bought tools and everything! I’m just real lazy and I’d rather whip on a pretty top coat or have all the sfx nail polish do all the work for me -- but I have designs and dotting tools and butterfly stickers I need to use!! The rhinestones aren’t going to glue themselves! 2023 is going to be the year of the Claire’s goth.

Leftovers from 2022: I watched 220 movies, 15 foreign films this year. (And I wonder where all my reading time went). I participated in the film festival and had a blast. I’m definitely going to do it again in 2023, it was really fun.

I wrote 14 songs and 1 poem this year....not the best output, but it is what it is. I’m actually pretty surprised about that 1 poem -- I don’t think I’ve written one for 7 years, so, cool!

Personal

I said I wanted to work on being more sympathetic, kinder, and less judgmental; to have my internal thought processes match my external behaviour; and to not be tempted into my inherent negativity. This is an ongoing resolution obviously, and will probably be the #1 personal thing to work on for the rest of my life, but I do think that I have gotten better this year. What helped immensely, if I’m being honest with myself, is the person that I was struggling to define boundaries with moved away and that allowed me to get more space (physical and mental) from them. I was able to process my emotions easier and to decide on the kind of relationship I wanted to have with them moving forward, which really helped me to stop being so judgmental towards them, and in general. This year, I have worked on trying to listen first, and hold space, rather than jumping to solutions/advice...I’ve also tried to give myself emotional boundaries so as not to get overly involved or influenced by someone else’s emotions/issues. Basking in negativity has been a tiny bit less on the personal side this year, but has been a whole lot more work-wise, and so I’d like to do a little bit less of that next year (but I have thoughts about that!!! anyway, we’ll leave the socio-political discourse for another post). These are things I need to continue working on, as well as thinking before I speak, and taking things a lot less personally. I have a big tendency to be gutted by the things people say (who doesn’t), usually off-hand, in passing, for years and years afterwards, and stew in my little gremlin resentment hut and howl at the self-pity moon, and I’d like to be a little bit less influenced by other people’s bullshit and gtfo it.

Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude! Again, something to cultivate the rest of my life. But this year, there have been so many things that I am truly grateful for -- the places I’ve been able to go to, the raise I’ve received, my living situation, my loved ones, the opportunities I’ve received, the experiences I’ve had, and my improved mental health. Life is so so good, right now...and I honestly can not believe that I am this lucky to be right here, right now, alive and well, after everything. When I forget and I feel down on myself (which I often do), I read my journal entries from even just one year ago, and I realize that I have truly grown as a person, even if it doesn’t seem that way to me, or even to other people. I can see it in the way I think, the way I write. As anxious or frustrated or insert-negative-emotion-here I am now, it is nothing compared to how I was. When I think of myself five years ago, or even three years ago, it’s day and night. I legitimately don’t know how I even made it through, quite frankly. And for that, I need to be proud of myself and give myself a break, because I deserve it. I really do. (hey, look, i can do affirmations!)

Lastly...I’ve been flirting with the idea of getting back into certain social scenes. I think I’ve been craving certain kinds of experiences that are intimate, but not inherently sexual. I’d like to explore more identity-based and exploratory-based communities...it’s been 10 years...I think I might finally be ready...maybe? also, there’s still covid, so...we’ll see...

#personal #New Year Resolutions

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moonlightdoesgenshin · 2 months ago

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You wanna read about the history of Kazuha on my account?

No?

Too bad.

I didn't get Kazuha in 2.8 for Reasons(mainly that I had him on an alt acc), so I had to wait until 3.7. It was not fun not having him in the time in between. The amount of times I got a "No Kazuha?" in response to asking for advice was crazy lol

So, I tried to save for him for a while, like I started after Alhaitham I think? Might be wrong though it's been a while since then

I had a lot of slip-ups in-between, like I know I got Baizhu by accident at like 34 pity(I love him though no regrets) and purposefully got Nahida in 3.6 and Miko at 40-something pity(I hated her back then but I also love her now) during the first half of 3.7. I thought my chances of Kazuha were doomed.

So- weird thing about me, I cannot handle my pity not being a multiple of 10(or 0, 0 is also fine). I do not know why so don't ask lmao. So, after I got Miko, I was doing singles to get back to 10 to calm my stupid brain, and at 9 pity I got a Qiqi. This incident is actually the reason I still love her to this day, because to me in that moment, she saved me.

So, as Kazuha's banner drew closer, I saved up money and bought a $100 genisis pack so I could guarantee him on release(yes I spend money on this game, but I haven't bought anything over $10 for the past 6 months or so).

I got him at literally 1 pity. I did the first 10 pull, it was gold, and he was the very first one. This is still by far the luckiest I have ever been in this game.

I used the rest of my pulls on the weapon banner, and got a LoFI at 29 pity(which I was very happy about because I love Alhaitham) and had 40 pity towards the next 5 star.

I grinded out the pulls I could, and got another LoFI at 50ish pity. I had maxed fate points.

I wasn't originally going to push for FS, but a couple days before the banner ended the sunk cost fallacy got to me and I dropped another $100 on it and got it.(I have no regrets, but also don't do what I did lmao)

From there on, the Kazuha Year began. For ~a year after I got Kazuha and FS, I solely strongboxed VV for a year, trying to make him the best he could possibly be. I got the final piece for the first completed build on 7/15/24, and it looked like this at the time

1,013 em and 190 er. It was basically perfect.

I gave him his first crown, his burst, on 7/22/24, but I don't have a screenshot of that.

If I had made this post pre-5.0, that would be it. But 5.0 is here.

First, I hit soft pity(78) on 9/3/24 and won my first 50/50 since Hu Tao in 4.1 and got c1.

Then, I finally got enough sanctifying elixirs, and used them on a new circlet, making this his final build.

At this point in my account, c2 Kazuha is basically just an 8% boost to his elemental damage buff, so I wasn't going to really try to get it, but I do like Kachina as a character so I decided to keep going.

3 days later, on 9/6/24, I was on 10 pity, and did my dailies and ended up with 9 pulls. I decided to wander around Natlan a bit to try and get the final one to do a 10 pull.

I finished a series of puzzles, had enough pulls, and pressed the button. The wish screen lagged slightly, and even though that happens often on my tablet, I knew. That lag was different.

The wish went gold, and after a couple seconds worth of anxiety, I was graced with my very own c2 Kazuha

And 2 days later, I had gathered the weekly boss drops, and farmed the Liyue talent domain, and I gave my favorite character the last two crowns he has long deserved.

Now he looks like this, which until I inevitably give in and go back to VV, he will stay like this.

I'm so proud of how far I've come with him<3

#personal #genshin #genshin impact #kazuha #i love him sm i can't even explain #he means so much to me

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