#anyways wahoo first art post of the year!!!!!!!!

[waveoftheocean]

doors exist and someday batman will learn to use them but today is not that day 🙂‍↔️

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Have you ever talked about sora in your college au? cuz id love to hear about that little lad

SORA!! i dont think ive talked at length about him in the Kansasverse but he's a baby high school freshman 14 year old (the AU arc-v cast's ages are all over the place but I just think it's funny if most of em them are high schoolers.) He likes dismantling stuffed animals and collecting toys and memorizing mascot horror lore!!! Most notably he and Lester met via hurling death threats at each other in a Twitch chat and became fast internet buddies. Then they realized they live in the same town so they hang out in person a lot now :3

[beatcroc]

a year!!! as of today i have now been drawing these funny little pizza freaks, to the exclusion of almost everything else, for!!! an entire year!!! i wanted to do a nice group shot/lineup of everybody to compare to when i first started trying to draw them because oh boy were they bad. i never even posted most of them anywhere because they were so bad. but im posting them here, now, to see how everything's changed/evolved.

this is probably the hardest time i've ever had trying to figure out how to work with a style, but we got there eventually; i'm pretty happy with the handle i've got on everybody now...dont let ur memes be dreams. lots of unimportant journaling and idle thoughts abt it below.

older pics

the first one is the VERY first time i drew them, before i thought i was going to actually have any interest in drawing them [lmao]; it was just the one isolated image, for my friendserver, to illustrate the funney message, so there was no attempt to make it Good or actually understand anything going on w/ the designs or style.

second is the original run of practices sketches to start trying to figure them out for real; done after i started having ideas for the comics and such and realized oh god maybe i am actually gonna draw fanart for this. [again, lol, and lmao.]

third one is the first pt art thing i posted on here. there were a couple weeks of sprite studies between this one and the previous image. the one on the top right wasn't part of that post i just threw it on as space filler; i'd intended to shift to doing Sprite Redraws But Stylized to explore tings more, but that was the only one i did. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

individual characters

peppino: by far the hardest dear god. bro what ARE your shapes how DOES your face work. jesus christ. everything i have trouble with this style for, peppino has it in excess. i draw in polygons! i need consistency! and that is the last thing this kind of style is concerned with. they are made of squarshy clay and i do not understand how to mold them. i was really hoping trying to learn this game's style would GIVE me that kind of flexibility for fun exaggerated facial expression but i don't think much came of it in the end 😔. anyway on the bright side all this means once i got peppino figured out a little bit everybody else clicked way easier.

fake peppino: honestly i never did anything with him on purpose except for how his eyes work + the perma-smile thing. i figured ok hes supposed to look weird and off model so whatever happens with him happens. and it did. and it kept happening. it is still, in fact, happening.

noise/ette: somehow, for every bit that peppino was the least natural thing i've ever tried, these two worked pretty much right off the bat. i still don't understand it, seeing as pretty much all the things at play for peppino are also at work for them. i think the new sketches are actually a little worse than older ones but not enough that i care.

gustavo: really funny bc i drew him on model twice and just went 'okay, cool nice, easy, um. he doesn't have any fucking legs?' fortunately he was the only one i had a strong idea for how to stylize him [square] and it worked exactly as i was hoping so wahoo.

brick: is an animal and therefore 5000x easier and more natural for me to draw/stylize than anything else in the cast. that is Just a rat bro. i can draw a rat.

gerome: i think the funniest one here. the most drastic and least necessary change imo. i was gonna have him be really small at first, like smaller than the noises, but then i just... didn't. he's just peppino-sized now. also i gave him like. actual human facial structure, which is funny bc in most cases i'd do anything to avoid, but it works well for his being A Rock to give him some angles and definition like that+ to differentiate his vibe from the rest of the cast who are all very squishy. also since he is essentially Just A Head it's good to emphasize that too ig.

john: i only drew john a couple times but he gets to be here because i like him. and because most of the stuff i applied to gerome was readily applicable to john, though i did try to keep him a little more uncanny because he is a Huge And Lanky Freak. i hate that he is barefoot btw but idk how to make his color balance look right with shoes.

pizzahead: i did not want to put him on here honestly but i Have drawn him a handful of times and more importantly i didn't know what i was gonna do with john's pose if i didn't have him there to be glared at. the only thing that's different with him is giving him wider-bottomed pants, which i got from when i tried to draw these guys in clone high style [i never posted that one either][i will eventually]

snick: he gets to be here because 1. he's like 6 lines 2. i like him and 3. ive scribbled him a few times offhand and it went pretty well

misc

there are some guys missing because those are guys i didn't draw enough [or at all] to have gotten comfortable with them. sorry

i would have Liked to shade these but for the time being i have accepted that my grasp of light/shadow has decayed to the point im not going to be happy with anything i try there, so For Now i am working on my presentation with flats i guess. gerome has a shadow only because he's shaded like that ingame and looks naked without it

anyway if you are still reading [hi?] i get to shamelessly plug now. i'm over the hill of my pizza run now, and while i still have plenty of things i want to make here, most of the bigger more in-depth ones have passed. pizza tower was the first thing in THREE YEARS to get me out of my oc groove to doing fanart, and once i am done with my ideas here i will be going right back to it. if you like my art or how i write characters/interactions you should check out my oc/webcomic blog @jamverse . i can't promise people who like pizza stuff will be terribly into my designs, but i can guarantee i treat my guys with the exact same sort of tone i handle the pt guys with. and hell, i've mentioned it a few times before, but like 70% of my characterization for fake pep is just copied off one of my characters, so if u are going to miss him... he will still be there in spirit >;p

and if you dont care about any of that and are still reading thank you anyway. actually making these comics + seeing how shockingly well-received they've been has done a lot for my confidence, and for seeing that my kind of stuff IS something people enjoy :')

[sunthyme]

🎆 New year, new headcanons!! 🎆

Hey, so I've been a bit dead for a hot sec, apologies for that. Hope y'all are having a good break! Now, for something that's been in the works since August (drum roll please)...

🎉 REDONE TWST HEADCANONS!! 🎉

First up, yet again...

♥️ Heartslabyul ♥️

WAHOO! Ignore that you can clearly see which I had to redo lol, that's going to be a bit of a theme as I looked back and wasn't super happy with some so I redid them until I got it right.

Since y'all know the characters this time, I'll be just adding new or changed things to my earlier posts. :D

Enjoy!

♥️ Riddle Rosehearts ♥️

So pretty much nothing changed from the original with Riddle, I just made her look better. Yippee!

Added thing for my University Headcanon/AU is major and I see Riddle being an English and Law major.

♣️ Trey Clover ♣️

Once again, nothing really changed except for the fact that I learned to draw him better. I gave him a labret piercing that I think would have been one of Cater's first piercings, which thankfully went well.

He'd obviously be a Culinary major.

♦️ Cater Diamond ♦️

Speaking of Cater, this one was a bitch to draw. I literally redid him three times, send help. (I'll reblog this with the extra between version for y'all to see)

A new headcanon for him is that he's the kind of character that has his eyes closed for the most part and only opens them when he's like super serious. I just felt it fit him. (I'll also attach that in the reblog)

He's very heavily gyaru inspired (shout out to @/Cayfourdiamonds on Pinterest, I loved his edits of Cater and they were my inspo) and I wanted him to curl his hair in the mornings, princess curl style. He has naturally straight hair and the freckles are indeed fake.

He's a Cosmetology and Communications major.

♠️ Oki Chiang ♠️

She's a Sociology major and her birthday is October 4th (Libra). She's apart of the Poetry Club (OC club).

Nothing much changed here either, though I tinkered with her skin tone to amp up the contrast and shifted to blue to a darker hydrangea-y colour.

(Edit: I forgot, I have UM for my ocs now!)

Unique Magic - "Who Are You?": Creates a mist as Oki recites the spell that induces confusion. The confusion will last up to two hours after the mist fades, depending on the strength of the person affected.

♣️ Luna Madden ♣️

Another one I had to redo twice because GOD, the in between was SO UGLY!! Ew. Anyways, way cuter now! I gave him swirly eyes for funsies and trimmed down the colours in his makeup so it's more cohesive.

They're an Art and Psychology major and their birthday is January 22nd (Aquarius). It's in the Science Club.

She uses mobility aids, alternating between a cane and braces depending on the day, due to Multiple Sclerosis (an autoimmune disease that impacts the spine).

Unique Magic - "It's Tea Time!": Conjures a pre-set tea table fitting Luna's desires. The bigger the table and the more items, the harder it is for Luna to make.

♥️ Ace Trappola ♥️

Oh boy, another redone one. I went a bit ham with his design, I really wanted to make him look like a heart. Found the braid idea on Pinterest, as one does, and ran with it. He's so cute, he looks like a heart lollipop. Also, I gave him braces because I love that idea so so much!

He's undecided in his major.

♠️ Deuce Spade ♠️

I adore how this one turned out, he's my son and my boy. Nothing really changes aside from style improvement and I gave him better bangs.

Also an undecided major. (Adeuce twinning frfr)

♥️ Bunnie Chrona ♥️

She's a Psychology major and her birthday is June 30th (Cancer). A part of the Track & Field Club.

Ooh, she's so cute, I love her sm! I gave her vitiligo and stripes in her hair to imitate those splotched black and white bunnies that are so adorable. I did make the interesting choice to give her blue eyes, not for any particular reason, they just contract the red undertones well.

Unique Magic - "Killing Time": Bunnie's speed will increase for an hour, making her go at an inhuman speed.

♦️ Ness Benoit ♦️

She's a Drama major and her birthday is May 25th (Gemini). They're in the Film Research Club.

Finally, Nessie! They also had an in between but they actually looks more like the OG than that one lmao. Gave her some little devil tail earrings and just made the hair confirmedly into a wig. Also gave them a lil fang :3

Unique Magic - "Devilish Charm": Allows Ness to appear differently or say different things to different people. It takes more energy the more people she is using it on.

Stay tuned for Savanaclaw, up next!

[flecker-illustrates]

I'm over the moon about Wynonna Earp's new movie Vengeance, I can't believe it's actually coming out, hope I'll be able to watch it soon🤞🏻

So much in my life has changed since I first watched Wynonna Earp, 3 years ago. I can't help but compare this Wayhaught drawing to a previous piece I drew a little over a year ago, one I was happy with but didn't post or even finish. I'm so proud of how much I've improved since then.

It's a nice reminder to look back at your old art and see just how much you've grown, even from where you were at just a year ago. There are still lots of areas I wish to explore and improve upon, and lots of new things I can't wait to learn and try my hand at drawing.

Anyway, I'm super excited to watch a new adventure from my gay little show✨️💙

Everyone, can I hear a wahoo?

[qwertycake]

more qpr fluffy squishy platonic writing prompts! wahoo!! part two!!! :)

Same disclaimer applies as my first post - these are aro- and ace-spec centric, may only work for shortform fiction, and feel free to tweak them to be less specific/more specific to specific characters.

Specific is a weird word lol

Anyways…

“We both get caught out in the rain and wait out the weather under the same shelter, and either we’re meeting for the first time or we have a nice excuse to hang out together” AU

“You annotate a book for me and I annotate it right back for you, and we keep passing the book back and forth until its a mess of affectionate scribbles that we keep on the coffee table” AU

"It's hot outside and you love the heat but I hate it and you're being stupidly nice and sweet to me while I'm a grouchy mess" AU

"I can teach you how to play this instrument if you stop DISTRACTING ME by looking so ENDEARING AND INFATUATED" AU

"Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes" AU

"We're both too tired to take care of ourselves because of sickness/work/school/whatever but we immediately find the energy to take care of one another via making tea and grabbing blankets" AU

"We trade clothes for Halloween and do terrible impersonations of one another" AU

"We have a bunch of unfinished craft projects between the two of us and decide to just... finish them all in one day... 24 itty-bitty hours... oh boy..." AU

"We recreate a terrible low-budget movie together" AU

"On Valentine's Day, we decide to make a bunch of garlic bread and cake, and buy each other flowers in the colours of our respective aro-/ace-spec flags... and then the day after, we buy all the chocolate that's finally gone on sale" AU

“I teach you how to do make-up because for one reason or another you’re unfamiliar with it” AU

“Fake dating and having dramatic break ups over silly things in public for shits and giggles” AU

“So, the world might have just ended… so guess who has two thumbs and a bunker that desperately could use a roommate?” AU

“We’re made to play seven minutes in heaven at a party and after a few awkward minutes of silence we both decide to just order a pizza or something while we wait out the seven minutes” AU

“Hey, you can dance, and I can’t, teach me— no, I don’t care that I’ve got two left feet, teach me!” AU

“We’re both artists, maybe of different skill levels, and we decide to draw/paint/make art of each other” AU

“I’m a night owl and you’re more of a day person, so whenever we stop texting because you have to go to bed, I’m stuck laying awake thinking about you Please Enjoy Waking Up To A Bunch Of Messages” AU

“I’m a day person and you’re more of a night owl but I struggle to fall asleep because I’m stuck thinking about how lucky I am to be your friend Hey I Think I Could Stay Up For An Extra Ten Minutes” AU

“We’re both nervous about going to the gym alone so we try going together… but neither of us have the guts to get out of the car so we just go for a walk or something instead” AU

“You’re super into sports and exercise and I’m just getting into it but you hype me up so I’m less nervous about getting started” AU

“I bake a whole bunch, you cook big meals… at the same time of day - our kitchen is chaos” AU

“It’s New Year’s Eve and we’re hanging out at a party and everyone’s speculating that we’re gonna have our New Year’s Kiss together but the New Year comes and we just do a weird handshake” AU

“Non-Fatal Hanahaki Disease AU where we’re some of the few people who don’t experience it because we’re content with whatever non-romantic thing we have together… but we both have hay fever and are very annoyed by the constant barrage of flower petals around us and have to tell our friends to Please Stop Crushing On The Random Barista At Starbucks It’s The Third Time This Week You Are KILLING US” AU

“We’re both alien test subjects who’ve never met before and have to try and plan our escape - bonus points if the aliens are specifically testing for something like amatonormative like All Humans Fall In Love and we’re the black swans of the research since they apparently abducted Only Romantic Allosexuals Aside From Us Somehow” AU

“It’s midnight and you show up on my doorstep unannounced after a long while of us drifting apart, what on earth happened?” AU

“We’re both capable of granting wishes - you’re the monkey’s paw and I’m the guy who’s stuck remedying all the messed up things you have happen to people What Is Wrong With You” AU

And finally…

“I’m laying on the couch at a party drunk/high/exhausted/whatever and you’re looking after me, having only met me that night - I proceed to ramble about how embarrassed I’ll be when I’m older and think back to how I made a fool of myself in front of someone I wanted to be friends with really badly… but luckily for me, you’re flattered that I think you’re super cool” AU

[kittick-art]

Wahoo, time for another Animatic Deep Dive!

I did this on twitter after my jeanmarco animatic came out last year, and I wanted to do something similar for the Royai animatic! This post will include HD stills from the animatic, as well as some nerdy insight into some shot choices and such, bc I need an outlet to geek out about it. Everything is under the ‘keep reading’ break! :]

Ok to start off, I wanted to show some behind-the-scenes stuff, including my first thumbnails I drew in my sketchbook, as well as part of the shot sheet that kept me organized (and sane) throughout the animatic.

Also, fun fact is that I'm primarily a 3D animator, so I used that knowledge to sculpt a rough version of Mustang's office for the final shot :]

Ok so now for actual stills...starting with one of my FAVORITE sequences to draw, which I have dubbed 'the scrolling bit.'

And a fun little composition tidbit about this sequence is that I tried to show the passage of time through Roy & Riza's placement in the shots. So in order, they progressively go from the right of the screen to the left. It was actually a really last-minute decision, bc originally I had two different shots (see below) which got scrapped in order to do that silly compositional thing. I think it was a worthy sacrifice because that drawing of Black Hayate on Mustang's head was just so fun to draw.

OKAY, now I want to move onto my favorite part of any animatic, which is the pretentious stuff about 'character placement' and "the deeper meaning." Blah blah, all that art-school kind of stuff that you'd hear in some film analysis class.

It's not intentional whatsoever, but I realized after the animatic was finished that Hawkeye is almost always on Mustang's righthand side, other than a select few times when he's the one supporting her. Feel free to look into that if you'd like, but just know it was not intentional and isn't consistent 100% of the time.

What was intentional, however, were these 4 shots, and specifically the placement of Mustang & Hawkeye within them:

These 2 sequences are meant to be direct parallels to each other, in everything including how Mustang turns to Hawkeye, and Hawkeye is already facing him. They were also my favorite shots to animate, especially with Riza coming out of her salute. Seeing them in the final animatic almost made me tear up, ngl. They're just so dang in love!

Finally, the last part that holds some artsy deeper meaning is a sequence I actually shared a long long time ago. I've dubbed it the 'spotlight section' bc idk how else to describe it.

Back when I teased this sequence, I alluded to some "deeper meaning" behind the use of red in the tags. And while the use of red is a pivotal thing throughout the entire animatic, it's most important here. It starts on Hawkeye's back, then transfers to Mustang's glove, and finally goes back to Hawkeye as her blood. Basically what I was trying to get at was something about consequences, and where flame alchemy has led them. In some way or another, Riza's decision to show Roy her tattoo ended up leading to her own (near) demise. So the red was supposed to show that transfer of consequence, if that makes sense.

ANYWAYS. Enough of me rambling. Thank you for reading if you somehow made it this far. All the love on this animatic - even since I first started teasing it back in November - has been insane to me. I still feel like I can't wrap my head around it. I'll leave you all with one last sketch from when I first started making the animatic. Have a good night, everyone!

[venomlion3]

Wahoo I've been working on this dude on-and-off since June 2023 when I saw ATSV in theaters!! I'll probably find more things to tweak right after I submit this but I'm tired of looking at him and I wanted him up in time for Art Fight so I'm releasing him from containment 🏃 More info about him under the cut!

Introducing Steven "Seth" McLilliard Stryker, or the Spider-Man of Earth-40712! Also known as the Peacock-Spider or Spider-Lily, he's been his city's "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" since he was 15 y/o. As of now he's been the host to two separate symbiotes--his first being Scourge/Calamity (Scourge is what it went by when bonded to Seth, Calamity is what it currently goes by) and his second/current being Malignant/Goliath. Seth is kinda both Spider-Man and Eddie Brock/Venom in his world--moreso the Sonyverse trilogy Eddie/Venom than anything. Anyways, he's in a polycule with Malakai “MJ” Jeriah-Watson (eventually known as Jackpot), Harvey “Harry” Edwin Leeds-Osborn (still debating on if he becomes New Goblin/Hobgoblin/whatever), Feliciano “Felicia” Hardy (also known as Black Cat), and Malignant/Goliath of course. Prior to them he did date a few other people, notably Gavyn “Gwen” Stacy in high school and Dr. Oliver “Liv” Osnick Octavius (later known as Doctor Octopus and eventually [REDACTED]) in his early college years. Still workshopping names but we're getting somewhere! Also still figuring out his villains--Calamity is meant to be his version of Carnage (although I might still make canonical expies of Peter/Venom/Carnage/etc in this verse, not sure yet), and outside of Doc Ock I've got ideas for Green Goblin and the Kingpin (the latter of which is actually his uncle 🫢). But you can expect most of Spider-Man's regular rogues gallery to show up at some point!

I'm really happy with how he came out! I'm still not super confident drawing humans but fixating on this guy's ref really forced me to push through any anxiety I had! His costume went through a few designs before I got it where I wanted it (a bunch of WIP shots will be shown in his TH gallery), but I think I did ok for my first ever fanmade Spidey design :] In regards to his canon event it's gonna suck so much for him, but I'm going to keep details regarding that a secret for now ;3c All I can say is that post-canon-event he's almost exactly like MCU!Peter after Aunt May's death. Think when he's fighting Green Goblin and he goes to stab him with his own glider, only Raimi!Peter isn't there to stop him,,,

ANYWAYS I could yap for hours about this guy but so take these instead:

-Here's a link to his Toyhouse page! I spent a good chunk of time making it all pretty and even though it isn't done yet I wanna share it with y'all 🤠

-And here is a link to his playlist! It's got songs mixed in that fit with other Earth-40712 characters, but 98% of the songs in there are related to him!

[bogkeep]

theo’s tarot collection

hi hello i suffer from a terrible ailment called I Keep Acquiring New Tarot Decks Even Though I Am A Tarot Newbie.... so i figured i could do a little writeup about my decks if anyone is interested in that :’) basically i started doing tarot in 2019 because i couldn’t get a hold of a therapist (i was put on a year long waitlist WAHOO) so i basically. self-medicated with tarot readings hahaha. i had a friend who gave me a lot of really good advice and had done some readings for me before who felt immensely comforting. the way i read them is like... it allows you to confront your situation and your emotions through a new angle, but you gotta be brave enough to do it - or ask someone to do it for you. it can be a really intense but also cathartic experience. it’s not for everyone! but i like it. i still consider myself a novice and still learning so i am not in ANY way trying to paint myself as a Knowledgabl Tarot Witch - in a perfect timeline that’s who i wish i was, but i’m ultimately just some guy with a solid appreciation for art and personal growth.

ANYWAY... onto my DECKS (the tumblr post will probably squish the quality outta my photos so i’m gonna link the URLs for Full View)

Children of Litha by Alexandria Huntington

i consider this my main and first deck (i am NOT counting the official homestuck deck i bought as a teen just because i wanted to look at the art. no offense to the homestuck deck i’m just not gonna use fandom decks)! i picked it out but my Tarot Friend gifted it to me... i think it’s a very good starter deck for me personally, and it’s the deck i’ve bonded with and used the most. i even put a fancy sticker on the box as part of the bonding process. i always feel so bad for all of my other decks because i haven’t been able to dedicate as much time for them as i have this one... so it’s definitely the deck i go to for the most accurate readings for myself. Vibes and Thematic Coherence: the art in this is so beautiful and elegant. the symbolism more or less draws on the classic smith-waite deck, but redrawn for its theme. i like that it has a very consistent imagery! out of the major arcana, the fool is the only fully human character - every other character is part animal in some way or other. then the suit of swords depicts birds, winged insects and the air element, coins depict ungulates and equines and earth, wands has felines and canines and fiery imagery, and cups has fish and creatures of and in the sea. the court cards have humans. the suit symbols are always depicted consistently, as white silhouettes. there are also two extra cards: the all and the void. Pamphlet: the reason i think this was a good starter deck is because both because the art feels very intuitive about what it depicts (to me, at least), the descriptions in the pamphlet describe what is happening and why the artist chose this motif for this card. it has honestly helped me remember the meanings a lot, because i’ll be reading the other decks and be like “oh that’s the octopus card i know what the octopus card is about”. there are also little poems next to the main descriptions that work as a pretty solid tl;dr for the core meanings. i also like that the court cards are referred to in the sense of like... a knight is “a young person with masculine energy” rather than “a young man”. it feels more fluid and vibe-y about gender than traditional decks ya feel. on a range from Abstract to Directness this one feels like it sits pretty comfortable in the middle, maybe leaning on Abstractness. it has always given me gentle instructions and advice.

Cardfeel: the cards are very smooth and nice with gold edges. the cards are not NOT solid, but i wish they had been a little thicker because i’m always afraid i’m going to accidentally damage them - but that’s probably a feeling i have about most of my possessions tbh!! i think they’re a good size, too, at least for my small hands. they’re more on the long/slender side so they are good for me to shuffle. i also like the box, it’s a hard flip box with a magnet. i think u can’t go wrong with that. this is the deck i’ve travelled with the most (did u know hotel beds are the best tarot reading spaces. for some reason they just Work). The Spacious Tarot by Annie Ruygt and Carrie Mallon

this is one i really like a lot and want to use more! i absolutely adore the concept of it, but it’s a little harder for me to read than the Litha one. Vibes and Thematic Coherence: this one is like!!! it’s about the open space and the quietness. the vibes are IMMACULATE. the cards aren’t filled to the brim with happenstance and symbolism, but they each feel like a little refuge. very meditative. i also like that the court cards are not gendered at all - there is no page, knight, queen and king, but rather child, explorer, guardian and elder. i am really into that, especially as steps of mastery of their suit. i do think that this deck is probably easier to read if you’re more experienced with tarot meanings and symbolisms, because the illustrations aren’t necessarily that intuitive. Pamphlet: i haven’t read through this one very much, but i think it’s more on the abstract side of the Abstract to Direct scale. it might just feel like that because it describes what the card symbolizes without drawing much on what the card depicts - it is generally a pretty abstract and meditative deck. i like it for what it is! but it’s harder for me to read than my main Litha deck. Cardfeel: there’s something about the cardfeel i wish was different. they’re perfectly ok cards, they’re smooth and not too thin, but i still wish they had had more heft or something. while the cards fit very well into my hands i think maybe they could’ve been Larger to emphasize their motifs of openness and space. or texture. or gilded edges. i really don’t know what i want. the box however is very good and easy to open and use!! never underestimate a good box.

Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Toshitani

this is a deck i Had To Get because i knew the artist was working on it and i was always Planning To... it is not a deck i use very often but i absolutey adore it. you can also get it with an accompanying fairytale book, i thought i had ordered that but i was Wronge. Vibes and Thematic Coherency: it depicts motifs and characters from stories, myths, and fairytales from a vast variety of cultures. it’s AMAZING. the art is so clean and crisp and i was VERY EXCITED to find a card drawing on a sami story (page of coins)! i don’t have a lot to say except that yoshi yoshitani has done some incredible work on this. Pamphlet: while i do not have the Fairytale Book edition, the pamphlet is really super nice because it shows pictures of the cards, lists what story it depicts and where the story is from, gives a short description for how this scene or character embodies the card. it then lists some of the Card Characteristics beneath. very simple but very nice. i really like pamphlets that explain Why the artist picked the motifs they did - for me personally it really helps me connect to the deck and their symbols. it’s probably more on the Direct side of the scale thanks to this. Cardfeel: these are textured!! they feel like the playing card deck my grandmother has, which feels apt to me. textures make the cards feel solid to me. they’re also a very nice size to hold. the edges are not guilded, but with the white frames it looks good and nice. the box is nice but also Large, possibly to fit with the book? might not be ideal for travel, but there’s nothing stopping you from getting a different box or pouch.

The Star Spinner Tarot by Trung Le Nguyen

my most recent deck... i KNEW about the artist and the deck from before, but wasn’t PLANNING to get it, but then i saw it in the comic book store and i wasn’t able to pass it by. no regrets, it’s a wonderful deck. Vibes and Thematic Coherence: absolutely lovely art and style. it’s another deck drawing on fairytale themed motifs. i’m loving the use of colors and circles. it also has four different cards for the Lovers so you can choose which one(s) speak to you the most, something i think is just wonderful. i think the only thing i found a little... odd? was that the suit of Wands looks kinda same-y, which isn’t a bad thing, but it was the only suit that looked that way to me. they’re still very very nice. ALSO THE BACK OF THE CARDS ARE SHINY. I JUST THINK THAT’S VERY LOVELY. as a Physical Product these are chef’s kiss. Pamphlet: on the Abstract to Directness scale, these are VERY DIRECT. the pamphlet doesn’t say a lot about why the cards depict what they do, but go straight into card meaning, and in a very unambiguous way. i think it can both work very well, leaving you little room to avoid your feelings, but it also has a higher margin to miss completely. for being such a cutesy deck full of fairies the pamphlet is definitely giving you a smack at the side of your head. i haven’t used this deck a lot yet due to its newness, but i definitely want to try it out more to see what it does to me.

Cardfeel: out of all of my decks i think this has the best cardfeel... the cards feel really solid, and have a very good size that feel just right for them. like i sort of fell in love with the deck when i actually started shuffling it and browsing the cards. buying cards - especially on the internet - can be a gamble because you Can’t Know The Cardfeel. with decks like the Spacious Tarot i got a little dissappointed, but this one was a very pleasant surprise. also the box is very good and look like a work of art. The Fyodor Pavlov Tarot

honestly one of my new favourite decks that i ABSOLUTELY am going to use more and become more familiar with. also a deck that i knew the artist was working on, and supported the kickstarter the moment it was announced. my deck also came with two Magician cards and i don’t know why. extra wizard for me??? Vibes and Thematic Coherence: the look and feel of this deck is Immaculate. it looks very classical and traditional (and absolutely gorgeous), it is grounded in the classical smith-waite imagery but Expands Upon It, draws on the diversity of human culture and experiences... also loving the energy of “THIS CARD IS TRANS NOW AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT” many cards have (most famously the Lovers, but i don’t want to post pics of any of the cards depicting nudity or risqué themes on tumblr). i absolutely adore the knight of coins card (THE HORSE IS HIS FRIEND AND SERVICE ANIMAL!!). it’s just Really Very Good. also the backside has pretty Shiny stars and i like it. Pamphlet: i really like this one. it is a deeply personal pamphlet, where fyodor pavlov directly discusses his relationship to the cards and why he chose the motifs he did. it feels really grounded in the world we live in, and also such a vulnerable thing to share with us all. it’s on the Direct side of the scale without necessarily telling you “the card is definitely this one thing”. my only wish is that it was easier to navigate at a glance. Cardfeel: THEY ARE TEXTURED!!! these cards are definitely long and slender and benefit someone with larger hands than mine, but i still like them a lot. i do wish they had been a smidge heavier just so i wouldn’t worry so much about damaging them... but i don’t want to be ungrateful. the deck and the box are wonderfully crafted. The Botanica Tarot by Kevin Jay Stanton

oh boy did i support the kickstarter for this one... i had actually bought the major arcana when it was the only version available, and then the artist decided to make a full deck. it’s an absolute work of art. Vibes and Thematic Coherence: oh boy oh boy does it serve vibes and thematic coherence. it’s Plants all the way down, OBVIOUSLY, but also like... every card in the minor arcana depicts their suit in its own way. like the range of coins/currency from various times and cultures?? AMAZING. looking at the art of this deck is a DELIGHT. every card manages to be beautiful and interesting despite there not being a single living creature depicted on any of them. i WILL say they, same as the spacious tarot, are not the most intuitive to read if you’re not super familiar with either the Plants or the meanings of the cards. Pamphlet: you can fit so much plant knowledge in this one. i got a version of the deck with a beautiful little book, but there’s also a small pamphlet that follows the deck itself (which i admittedly have not looked too closely at yet). there’s descriptions for why this specific plant has been chosen for each card, and then some Card Meaning Keywords. so definitely on the Abstract side of my imaginary tarot pamphlet scale, because you mostly have plant symbolism to go on. i haven’t done a lot of readings with this deck, i’ll be honest - but it’s a beautiful treasure that i adore. Cardfeel: they’re Smoothe and Guilded edges. they can feel a little wide for my hands, but not so much that i cannot shuffle. i think maybe a smidge of texture wouldve been good with this deck since it would fit the look of the painted art. i also did get like... a big kickstarter reward version of this deck. it came in a tin box with extra treasures and a cloth and pins... the actual card box itself is beautiful to look at, but i have to say that the one i got is VERY HARD TO OPEN. i might transfer the cards into a pouch if i want to be reading them more often. IKEA deck

yes this is a meme deck and i don’t really use it but I WANTED TO SHARE... i think the major arcana is very cool and funny, but i was dissappointed to find that the suit cards are just “ikea part but Multiple Times”. it also does not come with a pamphlet. also yes yes it’s funny that the names of the cards are spelled in a “silly ikea word language” BUT IKEA NAMES ARE JUST SWEDISH....... IT’S NOT A SECRET LANGUAGE IT’S JUST SWEDISH............ it’s a funny deck to have and it doesn’t take up much space so eh! shrugs!!! The Lubanko Tarot by Emily Lubanko

another kickstarter deck... it’s gorgeous but there is a chance i might gift it to someone else. not because i regret getting it or don’t like it, but because i already have so many decks that speak to me, while this one gives me vibes of serving someone else better. does that make any sense? i admittedly haven’t looked at the pamplet so much so i think i’m going to skip that description for this one. Vibes and Thematic Coherency: the MOVEMENT and the COLORS... it’s Capturing Feelings in a really good way. i mean. i got it for the vibes and it’s serving vibes. Cardfeel: Smoothe Cards. shiny silver edges, like a slippery fish in a rapid river. it feels good and right for this deck. also good box. i know most of these decks have Good Box, it’s just the botanica one that let me down by being difficult. The Oriens Tarot by AmbiSun

i don’t have this deck anymore, i gifted it to my boyfriend... i found these pics on my twitter. it’s one of the first decks i supported on kickstarter and it’s VERY pretty, and it has HOLOGRAPHIC RAINBOW EDGES HOT DAMN. it’s another one of those instances where i Yearned for it and then found that it didn’t fit me as well as i had hoped. tarot is just one of those things where you have to find what Works for you. at this time the children of litha was working so well for me and i really liked the depiction of animals in it, i wasn’t able to connect to another animal deck in the same way... and it was before my tarot collection snowballed into what i have now. C’EST LA VIE ... i don’t have a smith-waite deck. i’m a fake tarot fan. i am however familiarizing myself by following Jessica Dore on twitter and subscribing to her monthly newsletters. i really love how she talks about these cards and how she interprets them.

[bardicious]

Wahoo! It’s the official first day of 2021 and I’m already seeing those posts retaliating at all the new year naysayers. lmao. How fun. 😂 I don’t know about anybody else, but my head feels just a little bit clearer today. 😊 Today’s to do list, and official day back into drawing. I’ve finally figured out that at least until I fix whatever sleeping problems I may have, I’ll just have to start my work day later in the day. (at least when it comes to getting all my commission work in order - drawing is A-OK) 1. Drawing is back in session, that means either a little doodle or some work on my Garashir prompts!

2. Need to make a comprehensive list on all the fanarts I want to do. And a separate list for my original art.

3. Need to finish up my commissions fill out form - maybe tonight or tomorrow. And I think I will create another form straight after for artist review surveys 4. Finally, it’s the commission examples (which I have plenty of for paintings, a good batch for black and white, and not too many for sketches, so might work on those at some point)

5. Oh, and I’ve got to figure out slots and all that. 🤔 Never realized how much I’d need google drive, honestly, until now. It’s a pretty fantastic resource all things considered.

Anyway, here’s the general thoughts for today. When my brain is in working order Ill probably be back on that. 😂 Until then, hmmmm, what to draw, what to draw...

[thehaloproject]

Somehow, after Borderlands 3, my plans for this post-Tales fic remain canon-compliant. Can I get a wahoo

The Halo Project

Chapter 10: Connectivity Error

Preview:

Rhys knew when he was dreaming. The unnatural purple radiance of Elpis through Jack’s office window was the first sign. The second sign was the way that light cast a hazy halo around Jack who, content in his throne and with feet kicked back onto the desk, flashed Rhys a cold smile.

Even in this dream, the one he’s had hundreds of times, something was off.

“Jack?” Rhys asked, approaching the desk. “Where’s your mask?”

“You tell me, kiddo.”

Despite years of worshipping Handsome Jack, Rhys knew little about his origins. From what he remembered, Jack wore the mask to hide a hideous scar that the bandits – Vault Hunters, Rhys corrected himself – had given him during his quest for power. Yet, the Jack sitting in front of him was not bearing a scar either. His face was instead younger, brighter, marred only by the soul patch perched below his lip. Grey no longer streaked his hair. His sneakers and many layers of clothing had been replaced with boots and a jacket both made of brown leather. This wasn’t Handsome Jack as Rhys had known him, this was Jack, the low-level Hyperion programmer.

“You’re not, um…”

“Not what you were expecting, right?” Jack asked, tapping his boots together to a beat. “I suppose you have my daughter to thank for that.”

Rhys shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Jack tapped a finger to his temple. “You really don’t think shoving that drive into your head did anything to your ol’ noggin there, buddy? I’ll let you in on a secret: my AI was nothing compared to the HALO Project. That drive was designed to be a complete Hyperion database compatible only with Helios’ state-of-the-art supercomputers, not one guy’s teeny tiny brain. You’re lucky you only installed a prototype. If the data file was any larger, then maybe more memories than just me would have bled through.”

“Wait, you’re telling me you look like this because I, what, absorbed Angel’s memory of you somehow? And what does Angel have to do with Hyperion’s database anyways?”

“You don’t know jack shit, don’t you?” Jack laughed, rolling further back into his chair. “Angel IS Hyperion’s database, you idiot. Until she died, she was in charge of everything; every piece of intel, every new lead, every bit of dirt, it all went through her. She had a brain the size of a planet. Made yours look like a… hmm, what’s a good analogy here? A peanut? Nah, too cliché. I’ll work on it.”

[skullinitium]

He doesn't sleep often (Good Omens fic)

Hello! This will be my first time posting Good Omens fanfiction. Please note this is also my first time writing Good Omens fanfiction.

Please note that there's some graphic descriptions. I don't have much faith in my writings but I'm also not risking triggering or upseting anyone. The area will be labeled for you to skip ahead cause I'm on mobile.

Yeah it's basically the entire dream sequence, but I am really really REALLY not willing to risk it and you can get the gist of what I'm trying to write anyways so yeah.

Red lines indicate the part to skip, so skip until the end of the second set of red lines if kinda graphic descriptions of burning and decapitation are not your area

--

Angels do not need sleep.

This isn’t to say they can’t enjoy it, but they don’t need it.

That’s not really why Aziraphale doesn’t sleep, though. See, he only ever seems to have nightmares when he lets himself lose to unconsciousness. It was something to do about always keeping himself on guard and gated, and when will the dam break except when he has no way to protect himself? Regardless of the mechanics, he doesn’t sleep a lot. Actually, he could count how many times he’d gone to sleep with two hands. 

Tonight was one of the nights he went to sleep. 

You can’t blame him. The weight of the last week, saving the world, and then his demon’s behind can mentally drain even a celestial being. He was bound to pass out. 

Needless to say, adding a layer of exhaustion to the whole nightmare business seemed to make things worse.

He’d been reading a book lost to mankind’s history, stubbornly ignoring the weight of exhaustion in his mind, and didn’t notice when he’d lost the battle.

--------------------

In the realm of dreams, he watched everything around him getting destroyed. The skies turned dark with ash. Not a patch of green was to be seen on the ground, where all life on it’s surface had burned. No humans were left, except as bodies, if you could call the charred, disfigured stumps as such, to say nothing of animal remains. Around him, in less battered appearances, were demons and angels alike, some groaning and shivering as they bled, or burned, or melted away, all so slowly, and all so overcome with agony that it drenched the air around them, like a soggy towelette draped over his nose. Even though the world around him burned, he felt so frightfully cold, down to his very bones. He’d raised his hands to his arms, to try and rub some warmth into them, and that’s when he noticed.

He was covered in blood. Elbows deep in the dark liquid, mostly dried and coagulated. If his digestive system were functioning at the time, he would have keeled over and wretched right where he stood. Oh, God! A sword lay on the ground near him. Was it his? Had he done this? How many of them were taken by his hand? How many looked into his unfeeling eyes, knowing it would be the last thing they saw? He was going to be sick, stomach or not, and his eyes roved all around him wildly, when he saw-

Our Father, who art in Heaven.

No, no, no, no no no. He couldn’t- There was no way- 

Hallowed be thy name.

A mess of red hair, so often well kept and styled, matted with blood and dirt. 

Thy Kingdom come,

His skin, black and blue with bruises, deep gashes just centimeters shy of hitting somewhere important. Marred with fighting, with war.

Thy will be done.

Yellow, slitted eyes flicked all around, not having noticed him yet. The one thing that stays the same, the only pillar left standing, one small unchanged thing to keep him grounded. One constant, that can, will, and has kept him grounded not less than six thousand years.

On earth as it is in Heaven.

Aziraphale watched, unmoving, until those yellow eyes settled on him. It contorted into expressions he couldn’t read, until it stayed still long enough for him to see it, that though every other part of him didn’t display it, his eyes clearly showed his pain.

His fear. 

And lead us not into temptation.

They’d started gravitating to one another, approaching each other in the nearly barren playing field, all that was left of what was once earth.

But deliver us from evil,

The sound of beating wings suddenly made themselves welcome in his ears. Dread filled him, and shook him down to his very core. Crowley looked at him with concern, and it took him a second to realise he was physically trembling.

Crowley didn’t hear the beating wings. He wouldn’t see them coming. He couldn’t-

  “Crowley-“

He was cut off by the sudden appearance of angels, no less than six, surrounding him.Surrounding Crowley.

All of a sudden he couldn’t breath, he couldn’t hear, or speak, or do anything, except shake where he stood.

For thine is the Kingdom,

 “A demon. One of the last few,” an angel stepped forward, eyeing Crowley with disgust, and ignoring Aziraphale altogether. He was still unable to move.

The power and the Glory,

And suddenly Aziraphale saw it, one of them, hiding a sword. It glowed even in the darkness of the world. A holy sword. He could see it clearly in his mind, piercing through the demon, leaving him in anguish for moments before releasing him. Destroying him completely.

But why was Crowley looking at him like that? No, not just at him, but also behind him. Eyes flitting back and forth, he was panicked, and tears pricked at his eyes as he started walking, still in a daze, toward Aziraphale.

For ever and ever,

The angels around him quickly subdued him, holding him back by the shoulders and arms, forcing him to kneel.

And there it was again. The holy weapon, this time in an angel’s hands.

His heart would not listen, and beat so fast, so strong, that it would kill any human.

Crowley was shouting now, seemingly out of his daze. He was struggling against the holds, screaming at him.

 “Aziraphale! Behind you!”

He didn’t understand what Crowley said. It wouldn’t sink in. Why wouldn’t it sink in? Something was in his mind, and he couldn’t think, couldn’t understand.

Why weren’t any of the other angels looking at him?

Amen.

Suddenly, he was burning. It seemed a jar of hellfire had been positioned behind him, at him, and opened right when Crowley was there, unable to do anything but watch.

Aziraphale screamed, engulfed by a pain unequaled by any he had felt in all his years of existence. He fell to his knees, still unable to stop shouting, even as the flame scorched his throat, into his mouth, and even in all the pain it brought him he screamed. Crowley was positively livid, even the four angels holding him could barely keep him from diving into the fire to save the angel.

 “Azira-“ The shout was cut off by the sickening sound of a sword meeting something akin to flesh. The fear consumed Aziraphale mind and body, and in spite of himself, he looked up, at Crowley.

The howl that left him should have been impossible. It was inhumane, at best.

The sword had gone straight down towards his- clean through the neck- 

And his head-

Aziraphale wished the fire would engulf him faster, just end it all. End this pain. 

--------------------

And he woke up. 

Coming back to the land of the living was a quiet affair. He nearly threw himself out of his chair, gasping in lungfuls of suddenly fresh and sweet air around him. A look at the time told him it was three in the morning, not five hours since he fell asleep. His throat felt absolutely wrecked from what may have been his dream screaming turning into real screaming, though it was nothing short of a miracle that none of his neighbours heard.

The aftermath of the nightmare didn’t really hit him for awhile. He had enough time to get himself a cup of tea, sit down on his chair, and absently sipping, before it all came crashing down within minutes, and he’d dropped his cup of unfinished tea in lieu of curling in on himself and sobbing in a way only these nightmares could bring. It was definitely up there among his worst, but not the worst, he must admit. Perhaps there was something not okay with the idea the internal hell he went through was not yet his worst, and yet it was the truth. It simply was not the worst.

It still took him hours to calm down, to uncurl from his foetal position, and stop the tears completely. 

It wasn’t his first time, dealing with these nightmares. Every time it happened, he simply hoped Crowley stayed away long enough for his throat to recover, and the life in his eyes and being to come back. He need time to build up the dam once more, ignore everything behind it almost overflowing when he throws more weight into it. He needs some time to hide the emotions away, and he’s usually been fortunate in Crowley not visiting him in those times.

Nine times, now. He’ll be fine, he just needs to stay hidden.

--

Please note it's 2:30 am and I have no idea why my mind always goes "RIGHT TIME TO WRITE" when I should be asleep but here we are. I barely understand what I wrote, wahoo.

[sixeightsuited]

Horizon Zero Dawn and Cultural appropriation: A very different view.

For the first time EVER, I’m sitting on the other side of a discussion about appropriating native culture.  Why?  Well, let me lay the framework.

First off, I’m not a guy who “knows a Native American” or has a “Native friend”  I am a 100% Anishinabe (Ojibway) dude who lives on reserve and has fought racism, stereotypes, pan-Indianism, and cultural appropriation fiercely for as long as I can remember. I’ve been the victim of horrendous racial violence as a child, adolescent, and adult, and I’m also a gamer.

I am the first to point out anything that smacks of any of the above and after I saw the Dia Lacina essay on “Horizon: Zero Dawn” being culturally insensitive and appropriating Native culture, I felt for the first time in a situation like this that I had to say something in rebuttal.

Lacina takes issue with the use of the words Tribal, Primitive, Braves, and Savage being used in the game (fyi they’re used to describe predominantly white people in game and they’re White words we didn’t use to describe ourselves thus I claim no ownership of, nor want to, anymore than I want to be a redskin, Indian or Wahoo)  

It seems (IMO) that most of her beef comes from an apparent belief that numerous aspects of generic tribal culture that appear in the game (making clothing from skins, hunting with spears and bows, living in a Matriarchal society, etc) are the sole domain of the Native American and just to be safe and cleverly keep her POV less subject to scrutiny, she applies it even more broadly to indigenous people world wide (I will just refer to us in particular as NA cuz I’m lazy and I also don’t refer to myself as a Native American) and basically that anything that is remotely “tribal” shouldn’t be used in gaming without our or someone else’s permission.

 In fairness, I don’t know if she’s actually played the game but as someone who is currently in the midst of doing exactly that, I can tell you that I have a pretty good idea of what stuff triggered her being upset and why, and while I absolutely respect her right to get offended by whatever she likes, and she makes excellent points about some other games, I am going to point out that there are flaws with this logic.

First of all, the basics: HZD is set in a post-post-apocalyptic future where people are living in tribal groups in a very destroyed world.  Machines exist but as hybrid animal/dinosaur type creatures and technology is pretty much non-existent in day to day human life.  

The heroine of the story is a red haired, white girl named Aloy who lives as an outcast with her adopted father, Rost.  Without giving a lot away, they are fiercely shunned by the local tribe for something Rost did and also the fact that Aloy is motherless.  

Impressively and rightly, though somewhat dismissively remarked upon by Lacina, is the way women and especially women of color are portrayed so positively in-game as this particular tribe is a total Matriarchy run by elders of various ethnicity.  African, Asian, White, and a variety of undefined people of color are common everywhere in the game.  (The leader of one band of warriors is a very fierce, commanding, intelligently portrayed black woman with a powerful presence.)  It reflects a fairly global society from a “skin color” perspective without any horrible accents or broken speech.

They worship an “All-Mother” goddess and their culture is (at least how I saw a lot of it) fairly heavy on European i.e. Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian, etc type symbolism and the rest is filled in with mostly generic tribal-ish stuff that you could find in countless cultures around the world.

 I really didn’t get a “Native American” vibe off the game.  Of course, I don’t automatically presume to claim sole ownership of things like tribal life, hunting with bows and spears, and worshiping spirits of various elements solely for my own.  Random fact: Because there are over 500 distinct First Nations in N. America, we, believe it or not, didn’t all ride horses, live in tipis, use bows and arrows, tobacco and sage, and worship Eagles and Wolves.  Why? Well…use your brain.  Tobacco and Sage don’t grow EVERYWHERE, horses came over with the Europeans (and if you saw where I live you couldn’t have and cant for the most part get a horse through the bush if you tried) Eagles and Wolves don’t live EVERYWHERE….get the point?  Anyways….

If you examine Rost, he like most of the men has a braided beard and other seemingly Viking/Middle Ages inspired features, is white, speaks clear, unbroken English, and is a loving, protective and very positive role model for the girl.   Aloy for her part, is also fairly Viking-esque (to the point of looking incredibly like Lagaertha from the show Vikings but with red hair) also Egrit from GoT, and is no damsel in distress who needs men to save her. NOWHERE in the game have I encountered any Tipis, wigwams, Sweatlodges, or Non-White people speaking in stereotypical “Me smoke-um peace pipe, He go dat-a way” fashion.

The  opening cinematic is very touching (and long) as we see the orphaned Aloy as a baby in Rost’s care being carried around in a bundle on his back (which pretty much every culture did in one form or another at some point in time) and him ultimately taking her to the spot where a child of the tribe receives it’s name.

I really liked this idea as it isn’t often portrayed in a lot of mediums outside of stereotypical “Dances With Wolves” bullshit. Also, naming ceremonies are not the sole domain of NA people and what occurs bears zero resemblance to any NA ceremony I know of.  (It was actually a little Lion King at one point lol) But it’s a powerful moment in the beginning with much more that occurs during it but I won’t spoil that either.

Aloy herself is a pretty complex character.  She’s extremely independent, defiant, and questions pretty much everything about why things are the way they are and wants to do something about it.  You actually begin playing her as a 6 year old which is pretty unique and even then she’s tough and fearless and determined to explore her world.  

She is in no way hyper-sexualized (I’m looking your way Overwatch) Her clothing and everyone else’s, is utilitarian and appropriate for the environments she lives in, and so far, I have not encountered anything with her or any other character that made me go “WTF?”and trust me, my radar for that shit is HIGHLY SENSITIVE.  This isn’t Avatar, people.  It’s not John Smith. It’s not The Great Wall or Pocahontas.  This isn’t white dude shows up and saves the helpless non-white people while helpless native woman falls in love with him stuff.  It’s a fictitious future where we maniacs blew it up, damn us all to hell!

But here’s the more annoying thing for me as an actual Anishinabe.  I don’t need people speaking for me or getting offended on my behalf.  I am very capable of doing that myself. I am also in no way writing this claiming to be speaking for any other NA people or persons. It’s based on my observations from actually playing HZD and examining the various fictional “cultural” elements in the game.

If you see a skin tied inside a hoop and automatically assume it’s a dreamcatcher” ripping off “our culture” (FYI Dreamcatchers are a 20th century thing whose popularity was a result of pan-Indianism that exploded in the 70s.) or if you see feathers on a spear or as part of a costume (nowhere is anyone wearing a single eagle feather in the back of a beaded headband or a Dakota looking headdress either) and automatically presume it to be ripping off NA culture, you’re REEEEEEEEEEALY reaching.  If you think caring for the environment, obeying matriarchs, worshipping elemental spirits, or making your own clothes is solely the property of NA culture, see previous statement.

By all means get offended.  Get offended by Chief Wahoo.  Get offended by the Washington Redskins.  Get offended that thousands of Native women have been murdered or gone missing and nothing’s been done about it.  Get offended by Johnny Depp or Robert Beltran playing Native people instead of actual Native people getting those roles.  Get offended by shit like Adam Sandler’s “Ridiculous 6” where a native woman is called a “hot piece of red prairie meat” or Depp’s “Lone Ranger” movie.

Get offended that my family was destroyed by the Residential Schools and that the 60s scoop took babies away from their families and people, that forced sterilizations took place and mass graves of dead Native children exist at former Residential School sites.

Don’t just jump on the I’m offended bandwagon because you saw some feathers or skins or spears or bows in a game and immediately grew indignant and wanted to claim them as OUR culture.  They’re not.  They’re almost globally universal in numerous cultures at various points in time.  Get offended, as she rightly mentioned, when the game Overwatch sexualizes the shit out of almost every female character and takes West Coast tribal art and makes a costume out of it.  

THAT is appropriation.  White people holding powwows in Europe (powwows are also pretty much not traditional and are extremely pan-Indian, not to mention full of us appropriating each other’s Native cultures ie. Dakotas wearing Jingle Dresses, Ojibway wearing Dakota regalia, etc) is appropriation.

This game……I’m just not seeing it the same way.  And I’m nobody.  I have no ties to Guerilla or anybody other than myself and my community.

[valerieoli-blog]

March 6, 2017 [repost]

Not really sure how to start this. I’ve been thinking about journaling(?) for a while now to document my life. Sometimes I’ll recall things from the past 3 years that define who I am, and I’ll be like “wow how did I forget about that?”  

I know I’ve tried this journaling/diary stuff multiple times at least once every 2-3 years, hahaha. Let’s give it a go anyways.

I’ve been really busy with school and recruitment for TT. After passing my ideas around, I found out it really is a terrible idea to try to please everyone. I decided to just go with what I want kek.

I took photos Sunday morning and took 3-4 hours editing/composing the photo. I’m surprised how well it turned out. :)

I really admire people like Caitlyn and Yvette who have a good eye for design. There are some days I wish I could pick up an arts hobby (like photography). I make the excuse that Mom doesn’t want me, but is that really valid? Maybe the summer I’ll save up from my internship (DevOps @ Moody’s WAHOO). Buy myself a nice camera. We’ll see.

I have 2 more weeks of classes before finals. I thought about making a long post, but nah. Maybe if I keep these shorter and more frequent it’ll be easier to keep up.  

PS: I was trying to make this all artsy-fartsy with the blog title… Then I was like “fuck it, I’ll just name it after something in Zelda”. Then I mixed my first name with the first 3 letters of my middle. It looks pretty cool so I chose to save it.