#anyway right. it's just nice for me to see both the improvement in art and story concepts

[b-bing]

When I was first trying to do IANVS (like. idk a million years ago) I wanted the cast cards to have something between a TCG and baseball card design. I still like the concept of that kind of stuff but man the playing card designs just look so much cooler to me

[adobe-outdesign]

What do you think of the various fruit and vegetable Chias?

Chias are one of those all-time classic Neopets that are probably one of the first things that pop in your head when you think of the site (or they are for me, at least). Design-wise, they're about as simple as you get; a simple oval-ish torso with basic feet and arms, a bit of hair, and permanently closed eyes.

I'd argue that what makes them so memorable is less their design and more their other attributes—for example, their fruit colors (more on that below) and their tendency to get hunted by Lupes. Adding traits like that to a pet helps them stand out amongst other Neopets and is just fun all around.

I'd argue that Chias benefited from customization, because while they were saddled with a fist, they also had very old art that needed updated anyway. The converted design is pretty faithful to the original, just doing things like improving the shading, lengthening the arms so they don't look so stubby, detailing the hair more, etc. It also fixed a lot of the weird, misshaped parts of the original, such as the right foot and even the overall body.

The big improvement though was removing the godforsaken lip. It just looked so out of place and weirdly detailed for an otherwise very simplistic pet, and while it's nice that it drew the darker accent color through the design, it definitely looks better without it. Granted, I do wish that the converted mouth was up a bit closer to the eyes and the eyes were a bit more curved like the original, but I'll take what we got if it means that lip isn't there.

Favorite Colours:

One of the Chia's most iconic attributes is that they can be changed into a variety of fruit and veg shapes, both real and fantasy, via Magical Chia Pops. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good non-fruit/veg Chia colors (I love how Maraquan's a sea cucumber, how Relic has ferns for hair, etc.), but if you're getting a Chia, there's a pretty good chance you're after the fruit/veg designs. They're all pretty good, but for the purposes of this review I just picked out the ones I think are particularly interesting.

Onion: Onion is a super basic design, yet it still manages to delight me. I think it's the lack of arms; it's the only Chia color that doesn't retain them, and something about that just makes it 100% more appealing. I also like how nicely the feet compliment the body and some of the subtler details, like the striping.

Pepper: While lots of Chias change shape, the pepper Chia is probably one of the most extreme examples of this, and all the better for it. I love how skinny it is compared to a regular Chia, and things like the stem shape really add to the design. I also have to highlight the shading and highlights, which are particularly well done here, and how there's some very subtle speckling over the body that helps the design from feeling too flat.

Juppie: Rounding off the list with a Neopets-specific fruit, the Juppie Chia actually existed pre-customization but went unreleased for years. I'm honestly not sure why; it's a great addition. Perhaps it's because, while juppies come in a lot of colors, this blue swirled design is exclusive to the Juppie Chia. At any rate, it's nice to see an iconic Neopets' fruit get a colour, and I really like how striking the swirls and the cream/blue palette art.

BONUS: While I think the body's a bit too ovular (something that the pre-conversion version didn't have going on) and the shading's pretty rudimentary, the pea Chia is fun and iconic in its own right just because it's extremely tiny and looks like a super attack pea. Good stuff.

[kuuverse]

success story + picture proof(improved art skills in a day, cancelled exams, + more).

ART SKILLS

Okay, so I'm working on a webtoon project and so I started drawing a thumbnail image for it. I was really unhappy with how it turned out, and I felt that my art looked tacky and unpolished. So basically, I just decided; no, I can draw very well and in my desired way(which is inspired by a twitter artist I admire), and I felt it as fact and left it. Then I picked up my pen and started drawing again.

The change was instant, but the dates below are within the time difference of a day because of course, art takes time, and I had to sleep in between. What I did was very simple, and I did not robotically affirm or listen to any subliminals or anything, I only simply assumed it as fact and it reflected back instantly.

BEFORE

You can see how the lines and colouring is more unpolished.

AFTER

The lines are cleaner and more detailed, and the composition of the piece itself improved.

DATE PROOF(via Discord)

CANCELLED EXAMS

I had a math test coming up when I first heard of the novel Undine, and I discovered a Piano & Flute sonata that accompanied it. I am both a Pianist and a Flautist, and I had grown so fascinated with the novel itself that when I heard the piece(sneakily during a Mandarin class), I was like, I need to play this right now. But I remembered my Math test scheduled for that week's Thursday, and I was like, I don't have the time. But then as I bitched about it to my friends, I instantly remembered about the law and was like, you know what? I have time. I didn't care how I had time, I just assumed I had the time to learn the piece I wanted to. Then instantly, my math teacher posted a google classroom announcement, the test had been pushed back to next week's Monday!

DATE PROOF

Teleported my Mother out of the house?

This one... I can't provide picture proof other than my shock when it happened because huh? Anyways, in my apartment the shower is connected to my parent's bedroom, where my mom's always in on her computer doing who knows what. I love to sing, and I love to sing in the shower because it always clears up my throat and even though my Mother praises me for it, it gets really awkward and embarrassing when I'm practicing or attempting a hard song and my voice falters? Well so I got home, okay. I knew my mom was inside her room because the bedroom door was closed and I heard her loudly talk on the phone to a coworker. I sat down to have a quick snack in the living room which is where the only exit of this apartment is and I saw her come out of her room to say hello to me and went back in. This is only in the span of 10 minutes from when I came home from school and when I went to take a shower. I came across a song I liked and I was like, wouldn't it be nice if I had privacy in the bathroom so I could sing? Okay, then I went to take a shower. My mom... was not in her room and the door was wide open. I ran to my dad and was like, where's mom? He was like, didn't you know she left?

EXPENSIVE COSPLAY

Okay, I've been BEGGING my dad to buy me cosplay for this one enstars character for a year. He always said no, and then this year it was sometime September and my friends were talking about dressing up for Halloween. I was like, I want to dress up as Ritsu. I didn't think anything of, "My dad always said no to my cosplay though," I just went, well, "I want to dress up as Ritsu so I shall."

That was it! I asked him in a text, can I have this? He didn't respond btw he ghosted me... then a few days later he asked for my measurements. I'm wearing the cosplay right now at school!

Photo of when I first got it!

TAYLOR SWIFT PIANO SHEET MUSIC

This one is unintentional. I don't even know how it manifested but you know, I went to the music store to check out some guitars because I wanted to start learning, and then I got sidetracked by the Pianos. Previously a while ago, I wanted to learn some of her songs on the Piano, and most of the sheet music got copyrighted. I guess somewhere there I was like, you know what? Fuck it. I have it. I forgot about it, that's for sure. But then as I was messing around on some of the cheaper Pianos, my dad spotted they were selling her sheet music, and without really asking he just bought it for me.

sc from my instagram archive

MANIFESTED A TEACHER ABSENT FROM SCHOOL

This one happened today!!! I was just feeling a bit tired and I wanted a lesson off where I didn't have to worry about a teacher and when I went to the next period, I realised the teacher wasn't in school and the lesson was self study time!

OTHER SUCCESSES

I'm 17 now, and I had been barely 150cm for a while. I've tried growing taller for years with subliminals, nothing happened, the doctors said I couldn't but... I grew! A few centimeters, my ideal height is 156cm and I'm around 154 right now? I also lost a lot of weight starting from May of this year, and I started growing taller around the start of October! Also the other day, I was in a sort of 'tutoring' session(it wasn't really tuition? but I don't know what else to call it) and I was so tired and I wanted to draw, and instead of waiting for a break I was like fuck it, I'm going to draw anyways and reached for my iPad. Then suddenly as I touched it, the teacher announced a break! Also, in my 4D I'm well respected and lowkey worshipped and I noticed when I went out last week, strangers were so oddly nice to me and people turned their heads to look at me? They'd do nice gestures for me when before everyone would just ignore me the way I used to want.

Anyways, that's it for my post! I sat down a lot and pondered and listened to Edward Art's lectures every night. Manifesting is really easy, and so long as you realise the 3D doesn't matter... it doesn't exist and to just focus on your 4D, then you already have your dream life. There's no point throwing rocks at the 3D hoping it'll change, like with how you can't kill the snake because it doesn't exist, you just have to become indifferent to it and persistent in your 4D.

[chaos-le-mieux]

Undertale 8th Anniversary: Chara Tribute

OMG, This took so much longer than I wanted it to. Mostly because Life has been so vexing and taxing recently, just didn't have the time I wanted to pour into this. It feels Both Rushed and not at the same time... though Overall I still think it's an improvement from last year. ^ -^

My Submission for the Undertale Community Project 2023

How do I organize this?... uhh...

Left to Right, Front Row, then Back Row... I think that'll be good.

Epic!Chara, by @yugogeer012, doing an Epic hair flip! Wonder if they're trying to impress anyone o 3o

Skelechara, by @insanelyadd, I think they're excited to see so many other versions of themselves 

Lutetale Chara, by @wolfkice, they seem to have stumbled into quite the adventure. They give me classic Legend of Zelda Vibes ^ -^

Determinationtale Chara, by @creatorofcastell, the first of several Classic looking Chara's

Classic Chara, by Toby Fox, The Original... in my art style.. so not quite original, but can't have a tribute without a representation of the OG!

NewStepTale Chara, by @kamikotorayama391, they missed the memo on dressing nice for the occasion... I'm sure it's fine XD

Endfultale Chara Elwood, by @puppyc00lmarzipan, one of the smollest, cutest, little beans <3

Ask KFC Chara, by @somedancingpineapple, fun and sassy little child, lol

Data!Chara, by @ask-dcf, I mean, they have a poncho, that's all you need really

A little Green Ghost, by @askdwoostablook, they're a Chara who's also a Green Ghost and many other things :v

Spiteful Chara by, EwanDreamur, don't actually know to much about this one, but they're a ghost with spirits, so that's cool =)

Reaper!Chara by @renrink, cool, calm, and collected. Plus their cloak looks nice ^ v^

Error!Chara, by @chaos-le-mieux, well, my version of Error Chara anyway. They're just excited to be in a group of Chara's. (Chara Bias much?)

Chara of the Dead Chara a.ka. Vampire!Chara, by  @charaofthedead, probably the most fashionable Chara of the group. Gotta respect the Rizz!

 Spirit Chara, by @xjunjox, a mysterious ghostly red Chara o vo

15 Chara's!! My god, so many links. If you're not following these peeps, do so, They're all great ^ -^ Also, one things to note about this years Tribute. Each Chara if from an artist who's drawn or featured my Chara in the past (well, with the exception of Toby Fox of course). Whether it be through commission or good will. This tribute doubles as a thank you to everyone who's drawn my dorky little Error.

Happy (early) Anniversary Undertale. Looking forward to more great content from this community ^ -^

Have Fun~

Undertale © Toby Fox

[wispscribbles]

hi i hope this isn’t annoying and i am taking all my bravery just to do this off anon, however i just stumbled across your account this morning and read all of NRFTW in one sitting and this is the first time in so long ive read a whole fanfic, LET ALONE one that made me gasp out loud and giggle to myself and ALL THAT CRAZY SHIT!! your writing is what i aspire to reach (as one writer to another)! all the callbacks and flashbacks were so perfectly placed and written. reading that was truly a fuckin MAGICAL experience dude. keep it up man :3

Aaaah thank you so much!!! No need to be nervous writing me, I love receiving asks (but also, I get it, I’m the same) - and asks about NRFTW??? My bread and butter, I am so so happy that people are continually finding and enjoying that fic. I put my sweat, tears and half a year into that thing, and while I keep finding more and more flaws if I read through it, I still think it makes up for it with… soul?? Idk, I’m just happy that it’s a good read for so many folks. To hear I can inspire you and your writing is genuinely all I could hope for. I’m still learning and working to improve - we’re out here together !! Thanks again, and good luck writing 🫡❤️❤️

I hope it’s ok that I answer these asks in a single post - they have a bit of a theme, so it feels right

That’s dedicated reading! It’s fun to see ppl reading it in a few hours - makes me think of the poor souls who waited from chapter to chapter. ANYWAY, thank you so much for reading!! I kinda hope I’m struck by inspiration to write more for that universe some day, but everything was wrapped up fairly neatly, so it’d almost be a shame. We’ll see! (I think the characters would prefer if I let them be, given my tendency to… blow stuff up) (in fics!) Thank you for sending an ask my way ❤️

@maraskywalkers hiii!! Thank youuuu !!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🥰 It’s nice not being alone in enjoying something a little more soft for ghoap, despite the nature of canon. Thanks for reading !!

@sir-boggy-himself (GREAT name, Sir Boggy) Thank you for reading! In one sitting, too?? There’s something so fun in knowing some folks experienced that whole thing in one go, that’s gotta give some emotional whiplash along the way 😭 I’m happy you enjoy both the art and the fics. I hope I can keep making good stuff 🥹 Thanks again !!!

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Good news, everyone! Excellent news. It turns out Ed Night is good at stand-up comedy. I have been waiting several years now to find this out, suspected but with no way to confirm it. But now I can finally say, I have found a way to artistically justify my decision to watch Roast Battle. Wouldn't have heard of Ed Night otherwise as he's not been on anything else I've seen, and therefore I wouldn't have have seen a very good stand-up show last night. Success! It was all worth it!

Anyway, yesterday was probably my most perfectly planned day if this festival. Look at this:

What a solid few hours. Kept exiting the venues and then going right back in, didn't have to travel anywhere, and four really really strong shows in a row. Eleanor Morton's took a little while to get going and at first I was a bit disappointed in it, but it really built up from a routine about seeing the Edinburgh Fringe as an Edinburgh native, then just kept going, second half better than the first and I loved it by the end.

The other 3 were pretty well perfect, all 3 of them. I'm so glad I saw Sarah Keyworth, after almost skipping them because I saw it filmed for Access Festival. Firstly, it was more than good enough to be worth seeing in person even though I'd heard the material before, same as Nish Kumar and Tom Ballard. Secondly, it's been 8 months and a major Australian championship win since I saw the show, obviously the material has developed. It was so, so much fun to actually see.

As was Laura Davis, they're another one who's so compelling it's just worth getting into the room to experience it up close. This started strong but was another one that really built and by the end was... look, I try to be very sparing with a word like "Kitsonian" and not just compare anything good to him, but that was all I could think of with the way they got complex and poetic in throwing everything in the show back at us at the end. Reminded me of the ending of Impotent Fury of the Privileged pr Something Other Than Everything, in the best way (not in a "Laura was being unoriginal" way, Kitson doesn't talk nearly this much about dead birds so safe to say they carved their own territory). And Tom Ballard was also doing stuff I'd heard before but it sure was worth being in the room for that. Being in the room made me both enjoy it even more, and better understand why a different person might dislike it so strongly. A divisively shouty presence.

I even managed to briefly speak to Tom Ballard after the show, if nothing else just to prove to myself that I could, after the disaster of last week. And it went okay! I wasn't smooth by any means, stuttered at the ground about how I loved his show in Montreal last year and thought this one was even better and big fan of his older specials too and all his stuff, and I absolutely could not look at him while I spoke, but I think I managed to make the words I was saying understood. Managed to sound like a very nervous person who likes him, rather than whatever I sounded like when I met Kitson last week, which was nothing, because I could not remember any words. So I'm glad I managed that improvement. He was very nice, asked me my name, said he appreciated it, a sort of amusing contrast to the on-stage shoutiness.

Then I ran off to the Assembly Rooms to see Josie Long's husband (if the genders were reversed it would be problematic to define her by her relationship to him but I'm pretty sure it's fine this way around, also I'm not 100% sure they're actually married) meticulously document the destruction of arts funding and the NHS across 14 years of Tory rule, via the medium of a musical performed in what appeared to be a circus tent. That's what we some to the Fringe for, isn't it? That is exactly what I wanted out of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was a lot of fun.

Then back to the Monkey Barrel to see Ed Night, a guy I'd been Googling ever since I saw him on Roast Battle in 2021, convinced that I like this guy and I just need him to release something so I can see to prove it. I've said several times on this blog that I'm supporting his career like it's a sports team, wanting him to get big just so I can see his stuff from Canada. He didn't so I had to go to him, and finally, decision to watch an awful thing like Roast Battle has been justified! I found Ed Night out of it! Seriously I thought he was fantastic, dark and sharp and packed with jokes that you could miss if you didn't pay attention because they fit so clearly into the narrative. And it helped that it was my sort of thing in terms of subject matter, he covered OCD and queer identity and some political stuff and the frustrating mental health system, talked shit about content creator algorithms. At one point he got a Pokemon reference into what I think was a suicide joke - how perfectly tailored to my comedy taste is that? He also picked some more specific targets, like (spoiler alert, I guess, spoiler alert for everything on my blog all the time) going after Tom Binns for a while, earning every bit of that edgy material (edgy, to be clear, just because it's an intense topic to bring up - he didn't try edgily defending him or anything) by being very funny about it.

He hung out somewhere in the general vicinity (not nearly as far, but the vicinity is still impressive) of Dan Rath levels of presenting himself as a fucked up low status character (though it didn't seem like a that much of a character). I remember seeing someone compare his stuff to Frankie Boyle once, which I think is apt, though more personal than I've heard Frankie Boyle get, and obviously not as developed in the craft, but it was that level of dark. I also think Chortle robbed him, with only 3.5 stars, given some of the stuff that's got 4. I'm just relieved that he was good. I got so invested in the idea of him being good, based on so little. Picked one non-famous comedian, several years ago, to decide I bet that guy is good, based on about 8 minutes of the TV show Roast Battle. And it was by no means a guarantee that I'd like him. I feel like this blog must make it seem as though I like pretty much all comedy because I mainly write about stuff I like. When in fact I hear or see plenty of comedy that I dislike, I just try not to be a dick about it online too often. So I'm glad this wasn't like that, because I really hate being wrong.

Then I ran off to the other side of the castle for the first time, to see Natalie Palamides at the Traverse Theatre. This was one I booked because it seemed important to take the opportunity to see in person while I can. I've seen her previous shows - Laid and Nate - on video, and I liked them, could see they were very good, but I also knew I was missing parts of it, because it doesn't translate fully to film, and I just don't have the theatre kid background to appreciate that level of clowning. Also the puppet in Dave freaked me out. I don't like puppets. Also, you know, nudity. Sex scenes (only with puppets). Artistic violence. It left me feeling weird and uncomfortable and wanting to curl up into a ball, in a sort of good but probably overall more bad way. But that left me feeling like I should try harder to develop the ability to appreciate this sort of thing. And I think it's the sort of thing that really needs to be experienced live.

So I went to see Weer live, and I had a great time. It was so much fun, probably helped that the subject matter was lighter, at least at first. More nudity (spoiler alert, I guess, for all of this, in the unlikely event that anyone planning to see Natalie Palamides is reading this) but I was prepared this time! Managed to not turn into quite such a prudish teacher from a movie, at the sight of a body displayed in the name of art. I mean it was still weird, but not quite such a shock as I'd seen it before. The violence was a bit more difficult, but it very quickly got too absurd to be scary. And the puppet stuff was mercifully extremely short.

Otherwise, I thought it was incredibly impressive. I don't have the theatre knowledge to really understand how impressive it was, but I can still recognize something really cool and incredibly complicated done very well. It was fun, it made me laugh, I could not believe the number of (literal and figurative) layers that went into it. It was very, very cool to see, definitely worth taking the chance to go in person.

So that was my day yesterday. Woke up early this morning and thought I'd go through the day. About to go back to town for my last day of shows. Which is fine, I'm not feeling any predictable rising anxiety that the only thing I've been looking forward to for a year is almost over. It's okay, I'll have another little bit in London after this and that's nice as meeting my London friend in person has been one of the best parts of this, sorry that's a weird thing to say given that he reads this. But it's hardly the most overly personal thing I've ever communicated via a Tumblr post because I don't know how to actually talk to people. Except Tom Ballard, I did a great job of talking to him.

And aside from talking to Tom Ballard, yesterday was a slower day for comedian spotting, which was probably for the best (talking to Tom wasn't so much comedian "spotting", as comedian "awkwardly waiting around until everyone else had left after his show"). Jordan Brookes was in the audience at Sarah Keyworth's show. And here's a left-field one - Dominic Maxwell, the dick from The Times who once called Andy Zaltzman "[John Oliver's] left-behind sidekick", was in Natalie Palamides' show making notes for a review. Which I only know because she called attention to that when giving him an audience participation part, she turned it into something quite funny.

Okay, now I'm going into town for the last day. I've saved some of the established Fringe veterans for last - Seymour Mace, Mark Watson, David O'Doherty. Mat Ewins, another one where I thought it important to take the chance to see in oerson since he doesn't translate to recordings well. I didn't divide it up this way intentionally, but the identity-based demographic diversity of my Fringe schedule looks a lot better if you leave out the last day.

[izvmimi]

Part of you believes you should find standing in the middle of the immaculate improved and remodeled church where Asta grew up to be something quaint and below you. Your upbringing was that of perfectly manicured events, days spent in a sun drenched parlor taking tea in delicate gowns, but you aren’t the girl you grew up as anymore.

You’re a woman, blossoming into the most beautiful part of your life, rainbow tinted light shining down over your face, sun shining through the recently finished stained glass panel that covers the back wall of the church. Red over your cheeks and lips, blue over the tip of your nose, gold from the yellow star at the very top of the depiction.

“What do you think?”

Asta breaks you from your reverie, eyes nervously darting between you and the art his wages as a Magic Knight funded. He’s been sending money back home for years and the once dilapidated place where the children slept six to a bed has now become something sprawling, a community hub where the hungry are fed and the needy are provided for.

It wasn’t all his doing, of course, but this was.

The moment he knew he wished to devote his life to adoring you he planned to create something beautiful to give you even if your feelings weren’t the same as his have always been. It benefits the village but most of all, it has always been to see the look of awe on your face

Depictions of love and family; of safety and protection come together piece by piece in front of you. Every shard of glass paints a picture that has unfolded right here in Hage Village, heroes born from tough soil just as those potatoes they’re so fond of do.

You turn to glance at him and reach for his hand, intertwining your fingers. It’s hard to render you speechless yet he manages to do so often and well. He squeezes your palm against his and leans into you, eager to be as close as possible always.

“I think it’s breathtaking,” you marvel, glancing from the top and downward again, smiling when you recognize a tiny spiky haired figure that must be him. “It’s…wow. I fear I may not have the words to describe it.”

He chuckles, looking up at it again himself but quickly dragging his eyes back toward what he’d rather stare at. Rubbing circles into the back of your hand with his thumb, his face warms when he remembers why he brought you here in the first place and you notice the shift in his being, the soft furrow of his brow and the glimmer of uncertainty he’s trying to hide.

“What do you think, Asta?”

Nervously chuckling, he reaches to rub the back of his neck and smiles boyishly. You love that smile and all that you know has made it so bright. Love shines through him just as it does this masterpiece and you’re currently being warmed by both.

Lucky you.

“I know this might be a lot to ask and it’s okay if you want to say no,” he starts and you raise a brow, keeping your gaze fixed on him. “But I’d like to marry you here.”

Red light colors his cheeks rosy, although the flush across the bridge of his nose is likely doing most of that. Green matches his eyes and makes them gleam. Yellow shines further down on his body, a slip of color across the ring finger of his left hand that is joined with your right one.

You’ve never been one to ignore a sign when you’ve seen it.

“I’m not asking you to marry me, not yet anyway,” he rushes to add when your silence lingers a beat longer than he’s comfortable with. “But when we do...”

He trails off and you shift toward him, cupping his cheek and kissing him. Happily kissing you back, his hand falls from the back of his neck to your hip to hold you close. Each of you smile, a curve you can feel against the lips of the other, blissfully in love and happy.

“Yes.” You whisper against his mouth. “I’d love to.”

Asta breaks away from you and searches for any signs you may be changing your mind or only saying yes to be nice but instead he sees his world, honest and life changing as she is, staring at him with affection he could not have dared dreamed of in her eyes.

“I did it for you so I’m really happy you said yes.”

He admits this quietly, perhaps fearful that your humility will rush in and you will let him know that nothing so grand should be done on your behalf.

“For me?” It’s coming and he can feel it, tensing slightly. “You shouldn’t have but I am so grateful that you did.”

Giggling, you lean into him, letting him gently rock the pair of you back and forth in the middle of the aisle.

Someday you’ll be wearing a white dress, dappled with rainbow light, while promising him all of your forevers.

Someday cannot come soon enough.

i think i might turn into seafoam what did you just do to me

[thequeenofthewinter]

In the Midst of Winter has turned two.

Actually, it's my "writer-versary" in general. I hadn't written anything before this. (I didn't start posting until a few weeks later, but today's the day I started tapping away at those keys.)

730 days. 253,968 words. And well, now we're working on a sequel.

Two years ago, I opened up a Word document, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Still don't quite know what I am doing if I am honest with myself, but in that time there have been a few things which I have discovered for myself. Idk, I am feeling cute, and I thought maybe I would share some of those thoughts here. There's nothing mind bending or earth shattering here. I'm just a girl with a keyboard who writes fanfiction.

In the time since I started writing, there are a lot of things which I have learned and even more which I will continue to learn in the future. The most important of these things is: you write for yourself and you write to have fun. If you are having fun and if writing makes you happy, that is the only thing which is important. Yes, yes. I know, I know. Comments and kudos are nice. I like them too, but they are not what keeps you going, not truly anyway. It's a love of a story, a love of your craft and what you're doing, and the joy you get from creating. Yes, but Winter, lack of engagement is a writer killer. I hear you, friend. I see you. I am also you. I do not deny that a lack of engagement can definitely feel demotivating. I'd be lying if I didn't say that sometimes I feel a wee bit sad when I see my story just kind of sits there. But it's more than that. The comments, no matter how nice they are, will not keep you going when you have no love of what you're doing and your heart isn't truly in it. (There. I said it.)

We make fanfiction because we love something so much that it moves us to words, and taking the spirit and soul out of it and turning it into a comment machine, won't keep you afloat forever. Nor will it give you quality writing.

Conversely, something else which I learned is that negative comments can go straight into the TRASH where they belong. You cannot please everyone, and there will always be someone who doesn't like your writing. Haters are going to hate, and if they don't like what you're writing, that does not mean anything is wrong with it. All writing is good writing, and there are many different styles. More than that, we improve over time. It's what all the writing blogs say, but it's true. I'd invite you right now to go look at my first posted chapter and then read the last one. There is a difference. If you're new out there, keep writing. Keep creating.

The last thing which I'd like to share is that community makes a huge difference. When I first started writing, it was me, myself, and I, and I know I have said this before, but was scared shitless to post anything at first. I was also (still am at times) a little nervous to interact with others because of what I write. However, I did it anyway, and I am so grateful. I posted my story, and eventually, I did join Tumblr. People found me, and I found people. Don't be afraid to reach out. (Be cautious, as always. This is the Internet, after all.) Find some people whose writing/art you like and reblog it, leave some notes, or comment on it. You'd be surprised about what turns up.

Most people I have interacted with here have been lovely and beautiful human beings and have been nothing but encouraging. They've both keyboard smashed with me in the good times and helped push me along the way when I have been in a rut. They've helped fuel me and supported me and if it weren't for them, who knows where I'd be now.

...And well, if you get a negative response...they weren't really worth talking to to begin with. (If you're looking for someone to talk to, here I am. Hi, I am Winter. It's nice to meet you.)

[knickynoo]

Headcanons for what Marty and Jennifer are like as parents, and how Doc/his family interact with the kids?

Anon, this is such a late reply, and I'm sorry. I'm making a concerted effort to finally get to some of the asks I've been neglecting.

Also, I'm almost positive that I once made a post of Marty and Jen as parents headcanons, but I must have forgotten to add a link in my pinned post, and the Tumblr search function is useless, so I can't find it. Anyway, I may end up repeating some of what I put in there or even contradicting it, lol.

Of course, I'm going with the improved, happy Jen and Marty marriage timeline for this. So, as parents, they're a pretty united front. They're both very involved in all aspects of the kids' lives from the start and excited to embark on such a wonderful journey for their family.

Being first-time parents and also having twins leaves Marty and Jen utterly exhausted for, like, a solid year or two. They're happy, but they're tired. As such, they're sure to divide up the work, take over for the other when needed, and also rely pretty heavily on family for support. Jen's parents help out a lot, as do George and Lorraine. I can see Aunt Linda and Uncle Dave stopping by a good deal as well to help with tasks around the house or just watch the twins for a little while so Marty and Jen can sleep.

Doc and Clara play a very big role in the kids' lives! Of course! Doc and Clara love those McFly kids!!! Makes me lose my mind to think about. They don't even wait to be called upon or anything; they just show up at the house, announce they're taking Junior and Marlene for the day, hand a home-cooked meal to Jen and Marty, and then leave. Marty and Jen are incredibly thankful for their help, and Doc and Clara love having babies around again.

Doc is like the very chaotic uncle, but in like...the most responsible way. He's got Dad-Mode down pat at this point, and he slips right into it with Junior and Marlene, but he also knows how to let them have some (supervised) wild fun. He plays games that teach them science concepts and lets them help with small projects of his when they're able to do it safely. He also reads lots of Jules Verne to them. Marty definitely calls Doc one day and goes, "Junior and Marlene are playing an elaborate game of Around the World in 80 Days outside. Can I assume this is your influence?" The kids also start digging a giant hole in the yard at some point, and that's how Marty and Jen know they've started reading Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Clara absolutely dotes on the twins every opportunity she gets. They both find such comfort in her presence and love spending time with her. She has a special place in her heart for Junior. On nice nights, she takes Junior and Marlene outside to sit on blankets and look at the stars. She teaches them about the constellations and the stories that go with them.

Okay, this is something I know I mentioned in that other post I can't find: Marty writes individual songs for Junior and Marlene that he sings to them at night. It starts off as something he does to help them sleep at night, but it's a tradition that continues until the kids are much older.

Jennifer likes to involve the kids in as many experiences as possible, so she's always looking for little art classes they can take, museums to take them to, hobbies to introduce to them, etc. She also sets aside days every so often where she just takes one kid along for an afternoon of doing something special with them that align to their interests. Maybe on those days, Marty takes the other kid and does the same.

Lately, I've been thinking about Marty and Jen having a third child at some point and what that scenario would look like. One thing I know for sure is that they would not have an "M" name.

You'd sent this ask in late September, and I ended up writing two Doctober chapters that include Marty, Jen, the kids, and Doc and Clara! I'll link them in case anyone might be interested :) HERE & HERE

Thanks for the ask!

[the-irken-pony]

Haven't visited this blog in a long time, finally decided to follow. Anyways, the new Among Us show. Trailer's out. Heard of it? Thoughts?

Yes I have watched it and yes I have thoughts lol

First of, my one main criticism: I don’t think Among Us lends itself well to a thin-lined art style. At least, not as thin as the show uses. While thin line art makes animating easier and is useful for smaller details (such as hands or outfit details, the Among Us art style is already very simple and the thin line art doesn’t look nearly as nice when it’s applied to the whole body. Even just a border along the outside of the characters would be an improvement imo.

Ok now onto the good stuff lol

It looks like we could get some info on what the crewmates and the Skeld in particular actually do and what their mission is, which I love. While finding (or running from) the impostors is the point of the game, there’s a lot of small details that tie the various areas together, such as the loading room/Skeld being present in Mira HQ and Polus. By extension, I notice that a lot of characters’ concepts are drawn from the various tasks in the game, which I also like.

I have no opinion on the VAs since I don’t really recognize any of them and we didn’t get any voice clips in the trailer. Better than all the voices once again going to Big Name VAs, though.

Given that the series is drawing from the various maps for pretty much every aspect in some way or another, that means we should address the elephant in the room (or my personal hiding hole, specifically) of what they’re planning to do with the airship map. The airship map is solely an homage to Henry Stickmin and holds no remnants of the Skeld or any Among Us continuity, so it could easily be just passed over and not appear in the series at all. Alternatively, it could lend itself well to a one-off crossover episode, either being just an AU of both Among Us and THSC, or being a meeting of the Skeld crew and the AU!Toppat Clan (haha AU bc it’s an alternate universe but also it’s… sorry ignore me). Of course this all depends on if PuffballsUnited would even want to, but while I won’t keep my hopes up too high I also wouldn’t discount the possibility.

That brings me to my final concern, which strays from the main topic a bit so I’ll put it below a cut:

With the new series comes the potential for there to be a resurgence of the THSC fandom. On one hand, the THSC fandom is pretty homogenous, and it’s hard to gain traction unless you either work your way into one of two, maybe three circles of people in the fandom, or you happen to fill a specific niche that no one else does. On the other hand, while I didn’t join the fandom right after THSC released, I did catch the tail end of its time having been more popular (particularly the discourse), and that’s a part of the fandom I wouldn’t want to see revived. I won’t say that the fandom as it is now is immune or exempt from displaying toxic behavior or stirring discourse, but it is a lot better than it was around 2021. That said, my autistic ass is probably biased in that regard.

[burnin0akleaves]

Hey! Sorry for popping in as anon, I'm genuinely not sure if some of the things I'm going to say are going to be nice, and I am a coward. But this is regarding you quitting to post in the RA fandom. If you consider my opinion on this as unwanted/unnecessary, do not feel obliged to reply. (Though I honestly think you never feel like that anyway)

I first saw your art when I joined the RA tag a while ago, and I thought to myself: 'Huh. Nice art, not my cup of tea though.' Since then, you have changed my mind. Your obsession with TRR Will and repeated posting about it not only has changed my thoughts on your art (I've really grown to like it) but also on the character of Will himself. I was on Reddit during that massive TRR Will hate phase and some of these posts had really tainted my view. You changed that and I am so grateful for that. Not seeing your art anymore will be sad, but I suppose my own lack of interaction is to blame for that. I made my bed so now I sleep in it. Your reaction to stop posting is justified and understandable, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to miss seeing your TRR Will on my dash.

Who knows what the RA movie (if it ever does come out) will do to this fandom, but I hope that new faces might get things swinging enough again for you to rejoin the fandom. Lastly, I have to say that for me, you've been a legend in this fandom, and will continue to be one, even if you focus on other things from now on.

Well hello there, this was unexpected. First of all thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to write to me! The reception to that post has been overwhelmingly positive even though it hasn't been up for that long and it makes me feel very glad I finally pushed myself to write that official goodbye message.

I don't know who you are and I don't really have any guesses, your message implies you didn't interact with my posts a lot so maybe I saw you around only a few times (?), but you have no idea how much this means to me. Throughout most of my time in the fandom my main goal was always to change people's minds about TRR and more specifically, TRR Will. I've heard that I succeeded many times and honestly, that was one of the biggest reasons I could keep myself so pumped up about a book series I read all the way back when I was in middle school (<- an adult saying this)

Seeing people go from "Cool post, not my thing though." to "Well I can kind of see what you mean when you say it like that." to "I agree, this does sound pretty good!" was both my biggest source of pride and motivator here. Hearing you say I changed your mind just now has the same effect on me, it almost makes me want to rush to my computer to draw or write about Will.

Also, extremely bold of you to say you didn't like my art at first motherfucker /j

Speaking seriously though, my art style practically grew here. When I first joined the fandom I was NOT good; hell, I can't look past anything before July of last year still. Maybe it was just me improving artistically that helped you warm up to my stuff more. I really really hope the new artists have that kind of experience too! You get obsessed with a little guy and then your brain decides to level up as fast as possible. TRR Will is that little guy for me.

Your last words are so, so kind. The way you speak about me here in general is extremely kind. I'm glad I was able to leave a good impression. And you're right, maybe all I need is a break and when I come back this space will feel more fitting again.

Like I said, I still have lots of connections to this fandom via others. I'm still technically helping out with the Gathering stuff, so maybe I'll work on doing a prompt or two still! I'm also a mod in the NSFW server and I love that place, I'm not leaving it anytime soon. If more TRR books come out you can bet I won't be able to shut up about them anyway, if I don't make at least one post then assume I'm dead.

What I'm trying to say is, I'll be around! Our paths will cross again.

PS: The entirety of the RA subreddit can suck my dick. I'm gatekeeping older, experienced Will from all of them. None of them deserve him.

[crehador]

quickfire thoughts on fall 2023 now that everything i'm watching has had at least three eps out

EXCELLENT

sousou no frieren: still very easily anime of the season, beautiful in visuals and in story. a quiet, subtle look at loss and grief, and life continuing beyond that. the structure is working perfectly imo, it never feels like there are too many or not enough flashbacks, i feel connected at all times to both the present day party and the himmel-era party

migi to dali: still doing an exceptional job of balancing creepy and funny, i said before that the only thing i can think of with a remotely similar vibe is the movie hot fuzz and while i think there's a different flavor of comedy here, i still stand by that (and that's a compliment bc hot fuzz is an excellent movie)

kamonohashi ron no kindan suiri: although i wouldn't say this is mind-blowingly outstanding in any single way, it's very well-done in just about every conceivable way and comes together as an extremely solid series

BORDERLINE EXCELLENT

overtake: after four episodes i'm so tempted to put it with the 'excellent' shows but have to admit it's just not objectively on that level, it is subjectively one of my current favorites of the season though. silly at times, fairly simple story, but really effectively done so far

ADORABLE

s rank musume: feel like this one is largely going to slip through the cracks because it looks like your typical fantasy-action/adventure series, but doesn't stand out in that genre. the cute/soothing family moments are what stand out to me, but understandably that's not what most viewers of the genre are looking for. remains to be seen if a more action-y plot will build up, have doubts about how effective that will be

yuzuki-san chi no yon kyoudai: VERY CUTE with some very real moments and struggles, the cr subs debacle in the first ep however did it no favors

atarashii joushi wa dotennen: VERY CUTE i almost wish they'd cast literally anyone except umechan for shirosaki bc with him the similarities to cool doji danshi are just too much lmao however umechan is in fact perfect for this character so why not let him play it twice i guess

hoshikuzu telepath: moe yuri that isn't afraid to say rocket science is for autistic lesbians, what could be better?

wataoshi: YURI OF THE SEASON SORRY HOSHIKUZU TELEPATH HERE'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE BETTER i actually would put these two on a similar tier but wataoshi gets the edge for me because rae is so unapologetically, exuberantly gay and that is just so nice to see

SEQUELS

houkago shounen hanako-kun: tragically only four half-length episodes but it's nice to see these kids again, ogata megumi's hanako voice just hits in a way the jjk yuuta voice doesn't, for me, so very glad to hear it again

arknights s2: i'm liking the art even more than i did in s1? not sure if it's actually changed/improved, and imo s1 was already good, but anyway just really enjoying seeing all the faves moving and speaking!

spy x family s2: still cute of course what more can i say

b-project s3: MAN I'M TORN i don't dislike this season (we are getting so many kitakore shots) but i am so stressed out for tsubasa and i just want to see her catch a break! i'm sure the season will end in an uplifting way, but all the stress she's under right now makes me want to punch things

dead mount death play s2: it was good and is somehow still getting better, s2e3 which just came out is one of the best yet imo

GOOD FOR THE ACTION BUT NOT TERRIBLY MUCH ELSE

undead unluck: i kind of... don't like anyone here lmao but the over-the-top, high-octane action is not badly animated, it's just not gripping me on any level beyond that. it does however have the op of the season

ragna crimson: again it's failing to get me really invested in the story/characters but the action is not bad i guess, cast for this one is absurdly stacked so i'm not going anywhere

shangri-la frontier: this one's doing a GREAT job with its pacing and action imo, it's introducing the game mechanics in a way that doesn't feel too fast or too slow. only issue is there really... doesn't seem to be any stakes? like at all? which is not a problem for me personally, it just feels a bit like we're waiting for another shoe to drop

WATCHABLE BUT...

bullbuster: i'm kind of vibing with this after three episodes but i really can't imagine it finding an audience, it's not mech enough to really appeal to mech fans and it's not... typical office drama enough to appeal to typical office fans. it's a strange little combo that just happens to work for me, personally

NOT GOOD BUT I LOVE IT

kawagoe boys sing: this is a ridiculous series, i would say not as wild as number24 but kind of getting there. like number24 but more vanilla, less homoerotic. i loved number24 and I'M LOVING THIS TOO there are some genuinely interesting characters already and though i still currently want to punt kick that teacher into the sun i remain cautiously optimistic that he'll see some character development. at some point. maybe

NOT GOOD. JUST NOT GOOD. SORRY.

bokura no ameiro protocol: really feels like some late-2000s/early-2010s male wish fulfillment dramedy. lots of weird and unnecessary het nonsense going on. honestly would consider dropping if it were 24 episodes but since it's only 12 i guess i'll stick it out. for kimuryo. who is unfortunately playing such a rancid character

[rawrtriesagain]

Heya, found your Diakko art, and I wanted to say you’re an amazing artist, and was hoping you could answer some questions from an aspiring artist who hopes to be as good as you some day. How'd you learn to draw so well? Do you know any good online resources to help someone progressively better at art? Like videos on youtube/any online resource to learn the fundamentals of drawing? Anything you wish you knew before starting your art journey? But anyway, I hope you have a nice day!

Hi there! Just to begin this is very sweet of you to send and I'm very glad you like my art! I still have a ton to learn though and I truthfully don't think I draw all that well, but its very nice to know that someone's interested in what I've done to at least get to where I am now. I will warn I may not be the best to learn fundamentals from as I am objectively not an expert artist that can whip out the most jaw dropping thing anyone's ever seen (and this is not in a deprecating way, its just where I am in my stage of art), but since you are asking me directly I'll do my best to provide some help!

This might get long so I'll write everything under a Read More haha

I'm not entirely sure where you are in your stage as an artist (as some people start from the very ground up of learning how to draw a line, and that's completely ok), but growing up I did some doodles here and there which kind of set me up for what would become my art blog at @rawrroarart and now here once I wanted to take doing art more seriously.

I think at early early stages someone should just draw literally anything, even if its stick figures and the like so that your hand just gets used to general shapes and lines. A pretty key thing would be drawing against references (And this doesn't at all change in the later stages of art skill) like... if there's a banana in front of you, can you draw the banana?

Once you got that down pat, its time to start looking at guides especially to start learning how to draw human faces and the like. For me personally I was never a fan of realism and I'm still not so young me was subject to those "hoW to DraW animE" books which... shaped who i am as a person but i wouldnt recommend them for art lmaOO. if I were to start from the beginning and I was serious about drawing well, I probably would have forced myself to learning how to draw actual humans and bodies. Once you're able to draw and understand the human shape, it should be easier to stylize it to your liking (like anime aha). I'm p much talking out of my ass rn since I of course didnt do this, but I'm sure I'd have learned a lot faster if I did so.

Anyway I dug up some old ass embarrassing art from my personal blog so you can see where I started before becoming more serious about improving myself.

This is from like 2015 and I pretty much quit drawing right after this LOL

this was like where I peaked until 2020 when I started @rawrroarart heres me begging ppl to join my new blog:

From then on I've pretty much posted every single thing I've drawn on that blog to see my progress. Here's the last page of my blog if you're interested so you can see where I started and then just go backwards to see where I am now https://rawrroarart.tumblr.com/page/26

Anyway I was doing stuff like this against references from straight from google (looking up "snake"):

and then.. heres my first diana and the reference it was based off of

do note that this art took me a god awful amount of time to do still AND I copy and pasted half the face instead of forcing myself to learn properly and draw both sides. I know people have their opinions regarding the copy/paste abilities of digital art and I truthfully do not care what you do unless you're using AI, but for me personally pretty soon after this I decided I wanted to learn how to draw everything myself, even if it meant choosing to struggle just so I could learn. Of course since I became a digital artist, I have so many other tools I use while drawing and its such a gift, but even today I feel it may be detrimental to my growth haha but ive decided im pretty much only going to be a digital artist so, whatever, undo button has saved my ass so many times. If you're a digital artist, its just up to you really and how you measure your level of success.

Anyway if you follow along my art blog you can kind of see where my art started to get more refined, but anyway a big thing I want to touch on is References! Almost every single art I've done has had a reference one way or another. For example I have many pictures in my camera roll of my own hand in different angles, and when drawing clothes I try to get references of fabric and folds and the like. If I find a cool pose, I also will try to reference it since I still don't know shit about anatomy, and I used to reference heads and head angles until I got familiar with the general structure that I'm able to draw it from my thoughts (sometimes I'll still need a reference though, like trying to figure out how to draw someone looking straight up). My art is usually a mash up of all these different references that I put together.

In the early stages of my art I was looking for references from google like looking up something like "rolling on the floor" or something, and you'll find some good stuff here and there regarding poses. Something I noticed though was that a lot of the top google images were usually very... stiff and if its something drawn instead of a real person, its probably really stylized and not particularly helpful (to me). like id look up "anime eye" or something and I just think everything at the top is not something I wanna reference or draw lol

This is where pinterest comes in. there are a ton a ton of references and artstyles and guides from other fellow artists that help break down the human body into more simple shapes. for example these are some of my pins from back in my Assassins Creed Odyssey AU days:

General shapes and clear lines of movement and how different artist handle "movement" in general. Though I didn't end up drawing from these since I dropped Odyssey AU around the same time LMAO but if I did its the same process of studying how the body actually works here and trying it out myself. Then I'd look up something like "Assassins Creed Odyssey Armor" on google and slap on the clothes onto the naked body

Anyway sorry this is very anecdotal of course and I'm just blabbering on. But to keep things short and you are very free to keep asking questions, honestly I only really got better because I kept drawing what I wanted to draw. I really like Diana so I just kept drawing Diana lmao and I don't think I could draw any other character half as well (Akko gets a pass since I sometimes draw her too). If I was more serious about doing art though I think the number one thing I wish I did and I still wish I would start doing now if I wasn't a bum would be to practice drawing poses until I can form my own poses without needing a reference immediately.

I would ideally spend some time every single day on sites like these:

Maybe one day when I get insane about a fandom again I'll be back to do so, but at least for now I guess I don't have the drive to keep improving anymore.

As for picking an art style, honestly... just "steal" random things from artists you like lmao. artists are inspirations for other artists, thats just how it is. Obvi I don't mean trace someone's art and call it your own or anything like that like please don't do that, but if someones coloring style for example is rly nice to you, try it out yourself. If someone draws their characters hair really cool, try that out yourself. Over time you really just end up developing your own style even if it did start by being inspired by someone else. My sketchy/messy style is because idk how to do lineart

I used to be a hater for when artists would say things like "just practice" because it'd mean like absolutely nothing to me, but it really does just come down to practice lol. I'm not a particularly good artist in the sense that I could draw anything, but I am a good diakko artist because thats all I've drawn for the past 3 years (give or take given my months long hiatus every year lmao). If someone handed me a piece of paper and was like "draw ur mom" id probs just cry but if someone was like "draw diana cavendish" id be like bet

One thing to keep in mind that still gets to me to this day is to be ok with failing. Sometimes my art is straight garbage, and that's ok. Sometimes I get frustrated and cry when I can't get an eye right, and that's ok. I've scribbled, deleted, and restarted many art pieces until I deemed it ok to post, and even then I'll still eventually see them with disgust, and that's ok! I like to look at my very old art and compare it to what I can do now (even if I don't even like my art of the 'now') and I just think to myself, "hey I actually am improving!" and that lets me know that if I keep at it, one day I'll get to where I want to be. I think its nice to keep a log of all of your art (if you aren't already doing so) just to do exactly that

Just keep pushing my dude! I'm sure just based on you asking me this you're already on track to be a really good artist down the line, but you'll just need to be patient is all and know its not an overnight thing. Every single thing in your day to day is a potential inspiration for art, its just up to you what you decide to do with it :)

Hopefully this answers at least some of your questions! Feel free to ask any more and I'd be happy to ramble for a good hour haha

tl;dr: me like diakko, me draw diakko

[upthenorthmountain]

One nice thing about drawing the same character over and over is that it lets you see your progress. I feel like I’ve made a fair amount!

When I drew that first picture in September 2014 I was 32 years old. I’d always wanted to be able to draw, but just never got round to it or knew how to get started. Like a lot of people, fandom is what inspired me and gave me the push I needed. It’s the most amazing feeling to be able to draw now, to be able to get down what’s in my head, to make things I love and am proud of. I know I still have a lot to learn but that’s where the fun is!

If you’re one of those people always thinking ‘wow I wish I could draw’, here is how I did it:

I worked through the book You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler, which a friend recommended to me (if I'd known then about the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards I'd have used that too, but I didn't. It's good though)

I filled up a couple of sketchbooks with terrible drawings, mainly figure studies from quickposes.com and bad drawings of my blorbos

Finally thought I had something good enough to post, posted it, received so much support and love that I carried on, and I honestly cannot thank all of you enough for that

Kept drawing and drawing, making myself do the things that were hard or that I thought were above my skill level (harsh truth: you will never get better at the hands if you don't draw the hands)

After a little while I thought 'I wonder if I can use my iPad as a drawing tablet', and started using the Procreate app (then about £4, now about £10 I think, still a flipping bargain), first with my finger, then with a stylus that came with my iPad case, then with a slightly better stylus I bought on eBay, then two years ago I got a better iPad and could have a Pencil which is AMAZING

I have also recently taken two Procreate courses on Domestika which taught me a lot of things about drawing in general and Procreate in particular and I should probably have sought this information out sooner! They were Atmospheric Scenes in Procreate: Paint with Color and Light by Ramona Wultschner, and Female Character Portraits in Procreate, by Natalia Dias, and I would recommend them both

And I kept drawing a whole bunch and my friends were super encouraging so I just kept going and didn't stop

I have tips! Things I've learnt along the way

If you use Procreate, look up and learn about clipping masks, alpha lock, streamline, liquify, Gaussian blur

Don't worry too much about brushes, I mainly just use the hard and soft airbrushes and two versions of round marker (one with low streamline for sketching and one with high streamline for line art). I have a spotty one for freckles and that's about it really for what I use 99% of the time. People will try and sell you brushes by making you think you'll be able to draw like them if you have the right brushes but you won't and you don't want to draw like them anyway, you want to draw like YOU

Use more layers than you think you'll need, you can always merge them later

You will suck at first. You will suck so bad you will want to cry. But you have to be terrible, it's the only way to get to not terrible. The only way you STAY terrible is if you give up

Just when everything seems awful and everything you draw is crap and you don't ever want to draw again, that is when you must KEEP GOING and PUSH THROUGH because you are about to level up. Persevere just a little bit longer and soon you will be staring at your own hands thinking 'HOW'

Drawing is a learnt skill. There is no such thing as Talent, just people who've spent longer learning and practicing than you have. Eight years ago I couldn't reverse park my car, either, and then I got a new job where it was really handy to be able to reverse park in the car park and now I'm really good at it. You can improve at anything if you're willing to put in the time! GROWTH MINDSET!!

[drunkonimagination]

premise: okay so today i was thinking once again about that headcanon of alastair speaking italian and since a while ago i had reblogged a post about it and added a lot of thoughts, i just pasted it here bc why not ✨enjoy✨

personal headcanon i have for a while by now: both alastair and cordelia speak italian. im probably just projecting bc i desperately want alastair to speak it, but honestly, i think i could be right?? i mean, with cordelia we are basically sure after choi and i find it difficult that alastair doesn't too, especially since there are so many references to italian culture related to his character/storyline. like im pretty sure they lived in italy at some point and that's when alastair saw michelangelo's david and read machiavelli's prince for the first time. also since alastair is a real nerd, i bet he has read/reads the book in the original language anyway.

and let me tell you, alastair speaking italian would be so perfect.

like imagine alastair and cordelia having this habit of engaging secret conversations in languages no one knows, bc of course they have, and of course thomas notices and thinks is extremely cute. once he finds out the two of them are speaking italian, which is not part of thomas's wide linguistic knowledge yet.

so he turns to alastair almost shyly and goes “could you maybe teach me?? 🥺” and alastair is like “okay okay, i'll teach you" but he is actually screaming from excitement on the inside.

you know, something more he can share with his tom and it feels so nice.

when they start travelling together thomas will definitely insist on going to italy to improve his skills, and not bc a huge part of him desperately wants to see the damn david with his own eyes and tease (affectionately) alastair about it the whole time, nono absolutely not-

so they end up going of course. they spend entire days visiting every single art museum they can find, alastair introduces thomas to italian art and food and thomas is like 'so this is how real food tastes omg' and of course they end up in florence as well. thomas has never smiled that much as during those few days in the city and it causes alastair physical pain to fake annoyance at him. however his boyfriend doesn't shut up for weeks, so alastair just gives up at some point like “okay tom, you can quit it, you perfectly know what i think of your appearance, no need to tease me more” and thomas softly smiles at him and goes “oh alastair, if i'm michelangelo's david, then you embody the sublime beauty of all canova's marble sculptures put together”. poor alastair needs days to recover-

[melanielocke]

The Stars Collide - Chapter 26

As promised, a weekly update. Next one will likely be within a week.

CW: domestic abuse, implied sexual content

Alastair wasn’t all that used to showering together anymore. In fact, it was something he’d actively avoided, because showering had been his alone time. Besides, Charles had been far too impatient for the many products Alastair liked to use while taking a shower. But with Thomas, Alastair thought it might be a nice prospect. He knew he could set boundaries with Thomas, and Thomas was far too gentle and awkward to expect showering together was a given from now on.

They went to the bathroom on the first floor opposite of Thomas’ bedroom, the same bathroom where Alastair kept his products. There was a second bathroom connected to the master bedroom and Alastair figured Cordelia and Lucie could fight about who got to use that one first.

‘Did you enjoy the run?’ Thomas asked.

‘It was a reminder that my stamina is not what it used to be,’ Alastair said. ‘I think it might be more motivating to start with a work out that matches my current level. I did like seeing that you’re in good shape.’

‘I mostly do martial arts, but I go to the gym at the palace too,’ Thomas said.

‘I should try that too sometimes,’ Alastair said. ‘Doesn’t it get boring though?’

Alastair turned on the shower while undressing. His clothes could go straight into the laundry, that was for sure. Thomas’ too.

‘I don’t mind so much, but I listen to music as I work out,’ Thomas said. ‘The most important thing about staying fit is that you find something you like. Lots of people try to start at the gym over and over and stop when something like dancing or swimming might be much more fun.’

‘I’d love to learn dancing,’ Alastair said.

‘I did ballet a couple of years ago,’ Thomas said. ‘I think you’re better built for it than me. I combined regular ballet classes with a ballet fitness class, which used ballet techniques to become stronger and improve stamina. Maybe you’d like that.’

Alastair got into the shower, Thomas behind him. There was plenty of space for the two of them, more than at the Fair palace.

‘That sounds good,’ Alastair said.

‘Is it okay if I touch you in here?’

‘Yes, but… you know what, better to do that first and then wash later.’

Thomas eyed the many products Alastair had put on the tiny shelf space. ‘Yes I imagine it’ll take time. What is all of that anyway?’

‘Shampoo, conditioner, exfoliate. Scrub, hand scrub, shower foam, shower oil, soap. And I have lotions outside the shower, for when we’re drying off.’

Alastair’s skin wasn’t this good by accident, and having an elaborate shower ritual had always helped him calm down. He always felt better after a bath or shower, and while he didn’t have to use the bathroom to hide anymore, it still felt like one of the safest places to be.

‘I like that you’re so passionate about your shower rituals,’ Thomas said.

‘Not sure I would call it passionate,’ Alastair said. ‘But it is important to me. You can use my products if you like. Just be sure to replace them if anything runs out.’

‘Maybe I’ll give that a try.’

In the end, they spent a much longer time in the shower than Alastair had anticipated, but afterwards they were both thoroughly clean and satisfied. When he returned downstairs to the living room, Gideon came to find them.

‘I just heard back from Charlotte. She found the lab. So far it seems abandoned, but they’re going in. She promised to keep me updated on what they find.’

‘Abandoned… So you think they knew we’d find it?’

‘I suspect they tried to erase your memory,’ Gideon said. ‘But perhaps they knew you would start remembering eventually. Charles’ death must have been really inconvenient to them.’

Alastair tried to think. When could they have erased parts of his memory? It would have been convenient to erase his memory after Charles’ death, because without Charles he had little reason to stay silent about the experiments. But they couldn’t have known Charles would have stroke, right?

He didn’t remember that day. The first thing he remembered was being in the hospital and being told Charles had died, he had no idea how they’d gotten to the hospital or where they’d been earlier that day. It was very unlikely the people involved with the experiment had harmed Charles, his death had been a huge setback for them.

‘One more thing. Can you ask Charlotte if she knows where Charles and I were the day he died? I don’t remember what happened and I thought that was just the shock, but it’s still odd.’

He was tired, and while Gideon went back to work he dropped down on the sofa in the living room. Thomas had put on a video game, and Alastair was content just watching him play.

‘Do you want to try yourself?’ Thomas asked.

‘Maybe another time. Watching is just fine. What are you playing anyway?’

‘Oh, just an adventure game about a hero who has to find seven pieces of a princess’ soul to save her. They’re scattered all across the world, and I am currently at the sixth piece of her soul, which is located in this dungeon.’

The dungeon had an ice theme to it, it was a temple at the top of a high, snow covered mountain and in many places the floor was covered in ice, making Thomas’ character slip and slide all over the floor.

Alastair laid his head down on Thomas’ chest, seeking a more comfortable position for himself while trying not to block his vision or movement too much. He was so tired, and it didn’t take long for Alastair to fall asleep. He dreamt of a party he vaguely remembered attending with Charles ages ago. A big ball thrown in honor of Queen Charlotte’s birthday. Tired of standing by Charles’ side all evening, he made his escape to the balcony, only to realize the balcony wasn’t empty. Someone else had decided to make his escape to the balcony. Thomas Lightwood.

Alastair woke up when Thomas gently tried to move him off of his chest.

‘What’s going on?’

‘I’m sorry, you were sleeping so peacefully but I have to start cooking.’

‘Of course. Hey, do you remember Charlotte’s birthday party last year?’

‘Sure, why? I think I spent half the evening on the balcony.’

‘So did I,’ Alastair said. ‘But I dreamt we were on the balcony together.’

Alastair frowned, going back to that day in his memory. Something felt off about this. The balcony itself was blurry, a ghost of a memory, and there was a gap from the balcony to ending up at home. Ending up at home with significant pain in multiple places. He went back to the ball location, checking what exits he could find. There was only one balcony, so how could they both have been on the balcony without seeing each other?

‘Thomas, would it be alright if I went into your memory?’

‘Where to, exactly?’

‘To that ball,’ Alastair said. ‘There’s something I need to check. You’ll be there with me the whole time, if you want to get out, we’ll get out.’

‘Okay. I trust you.’

Alastair sought for the ball in Thomas’ mind. Before, he’d rarely gone into other people’s memories, but he’d needed their help to do it. He needed them to think of what he wanted to see. Now, he didn’t need that. He could go straight anywhere into Thomas’ memory if he wanted. The experiments had done something to change his power.

‘There’s a block here,’ Alastair said. ‘That’s odd. Wait a moment.’

Alastair could remove a block in Thomas’ mind, easily. It was just the time Thomas had been on the balcony, likely the same period of time that was blurry and weird in Alastair’s own mind. But why would anyone have tried to erase Thomas’ memory? Who even had that power beside him?

Thomas was standing on the balcony, looking over at the sea as someone else entered the balcony. Just as in Alastair’s dream. He saw himself. It was oddly confronting to see yourself from the eyes of another, and Alastair was hit by how thin he had been in his black robes.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone would be here,’ Alastair said.

‘That’s okay,’ Thomas said. ‘You’re welcome to stay.’

They slowly fell into a conversation, discussing their home planets, art, history, just topics they both found interesting. Thomas talked a little about his cooking, and was really excited about the new food processor he’d just bought. Alastair watched himself light up in a way he rarely did, comfortable around Thomas in a period in his life when he’d been scared pretty much all the time.

‘I don’t remember this at all,’ present day Thomas said.

‘Me neither,’ Alastair said. ‘I dreamt it and I thought… But I don’t understand how.’

The balcony doors opened once more and revealed Charles.

‘Alastair,’ present day Thomas said softly. ‘We can leave if you want.’

‘We’re so close. I want to know what happened,’ Alastair said.

‘I’ve been looking all over for you, darling,’ Charles said. ‘Where have you been?’

‘I’m sorry,’ memory-Alastair said. ‘I just needed some air. I didn’t realize how much time had passed.’

Charles glared at Thomas in a way that made both of them uncomfortable and then Alastair had followed Charles back into the hall. Thomas stayed on the balcony a little longer, undoubtedly confused about what had just happened.

‘He was jealous,’ Alastair said. ‘I’d been gone for a long time, and it turned out I’d been on the balcony with you all this time.’

‘Charles was jealous of me?’

‘That’s what I think,’ Alastair said. ‘He had always had jealous tendencies, but since I didn’t exactly spent a lot of time socializing with other men, it didn’t come out much. But you… We had a genuine conversation together, you listened to me with real interest, you liked what I had to say. And you’re considerably more attractive than he could ever have hoped to be.’

‘Uh, thanks?’

‘I think that’s why he seemed so mad, apart from not being able to find me,’ Alastair said. ‘I mean, the balcony seemed like the obvious choice since I always go there during parties, if he really had been looking for me the whole time he would have found me much sooner.’

‘I had no idea there was anything missing,’ Thomas said. ‘After the balcony, I was tired of the party, left, and went home. There’s nothing else here, no gaps.’

‘No. I sense another block. Let me remove it for you.’

Thomas left the party to walk home. He expected nothing much, Alastair guessed, just a simple walk back to his own rooms. He wasn’t much of a party goer, his friends had wanted to stay, and so Thomas was walking home alone.

In the corridor, a little hidden from view, were Alastair and Charles. Alastair, pressed against the wall, with Charles angry beyond control, red in the face. Alastair looked like he was crying. Stars, he looked pathetic.

‘Alastair, we don’t have to-,’ present day-Thomas said.

‘I need to know what happened. Why you don’t remember any of this,’ Alastair said softly.

Just like he’d expected, Thomas stepped in. He put himself between Charles and Alastair, and with his strong physique, he could. Easily. Thomas was far stronger than Charles could ever hope to be.

‘Get out of my way, Lightwood,’ Charles said. ‘This is between me and my husband.’

‘I don’t care what this is about, you have no right to hurt Alastair. I won’t let you.’

‘Alastair, darling, will you really let this man come between us?’

Alastair hesitated. Part of him was glad for the rescue, part of him was mortified. Charles didn’t usually do anything in a place others could find them, he must have been very angry. Alastair didn’t remember this, but suspected it was still about Thomas. Charles really would be rolling over in his grave if he knew where Alastair was now.

‘You like him better than me, don’t you?’ Charles continued. He sounded desperate. ‘You don’t think he’ll put up with you for long, do you?’

‘Shut up,’ Thomas said. ‘Look, Alastair, I don’t know if you have a safe place you can stay at, but you’re welcome to my rooms, or I’m sure one of my friends would help you find a place. You don’t have to stay with him.’

‘Alastair, you do realize what would happen to me if you left, right? If you told people about what’s happened? Would you want that on your conscience?’

‘No,’ Alastair said softly.

‘You know what you need to do, then,’ Charles said.

‘I’m sorry, Thomas. I can’t come with you,’

Then Alastair went into Thomas’ mind. Alastair could recognize it, what the past version of him was doing, even when he was just looking on from a distance. A few moments later, Thomas was back on his track walking home, with no recollection of what had happened. Alastair must have erased their conversation on the balcony too, just to be sure. And then at some point, he had forgotten himself.

Alastair exited the memory, back into the Lightwood living room. He wanted to scream, to cry, he didn’t know. How much more damage had he done to other people? It didn’t matter what Thomas said, he was an awful person to have done this. He’d had a chance to escape, Thomas had offered him a safe place, and yet he’d still done what Charles had asked of him.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispered. ‘I had no idea. I forgot this too. I wasn’t able to erase memories before the experiments, I think that’s why I must have forgotten too.’

‘It’s alright,’ Thomas said. ‘I don’t like what you did, but it was a long time ago, and the you who’s sitting here with me wouldn’t have done it.’

‘I still don’t remember doing it,’ Alastair said. ‘Though bits and pieces are coming back. I don’t know why I was so loyal to Charles, but the thought of people finding out what he did to me, of him getting in trouble for it, that was terrifying.’

‘I wish I could have helped you.’

‘You already did the best you could,’ Alastair said. ‘Of course you would have come between. You’re so brave, so heroic.’

Thomas shrugged. ‘I am strong enough to take on most people when it comes to a fight, and it rarely does because people tend to be intimidated by my built. I could easily get between you two and not risk getting hurt myself.’

‘He hated you so much,’ Alastair said. ‘After this incident, I guess. It was jealousy. But he also knew that if you ever regained your memory, he would be in serious trouble.’

‘I don’t know what I would have done, had I suddenly remembered this when he was still alive,’ Thomas said. ‘But I definitely would have told someone.’

‘You’re a good person, Thomas. And it was wrong of me to mess with your memory. I wish I could be even half as good as you are.’

‘I don’t think you’re bad person for what you did,’ Thomas said. ‘It was an impossible situation, and I understand you didn’t choose to go with me. Although I do wonder what would have happened if you had.’

‘I wish I had,’ Alastair said. ‘Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess right now if I had, if I had reported Charles’ abuse, and the experiments. I’d never even considered the possibility.’

‘I need to start cooking,’ Thomas said. ‘But you can take another nap if you like. Oh, and what would you like, sweet potato soup or baked butternut squash with quinoa filling?’

‘Sweet potato soup,’ Alastair said. ‘I like sweet potatoes.’ 

‘Excellent choice. Coming right up.’

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