#cause the first time was when I first learning digital art

[etradio]

[glowettee]

the secret to taking notes that make you want to study ✧˖°

hey lovelies! mindy heree <3

for this post i'm superrr excited to share a guide on taking notes that make you want to study ✧˖° trust me, i know how overwhelming it can get when it feels like you're stuck in the middle of endless textbooks and dry lecture slides (honestly, we all have those days). so, let's transform your note taking into something delightful, empowering, and totally reflective of your unique self.

✧ finding your vibe first things first, bestie: the key here is to make your notes feel personal and inspiring. rather than sticking to a rigid system, i suggest mixing a little structure with a whole lot of creativity. here are some steps to help you set up your perfect note taking vibe:

choose your medium: even if it’s a cute pastel notebook, sticky notes, or a digital app with fun themes, pick something that sparks joy and invites you to open it up. i personally love notion + remnote + coda

establish sections: break your notes into clear sections. introduction, main points, and summary. this not only boosts organization but also gives you a gratifying sense of progress every time you finish a page.

add your signature touch: doodles, small illustrations, or even a decorative border can make a note feel less like a chore and more like a mini art project. i love using aesthetic symbols for my digital notes <3

✧ creating a study ritual i believe that great notes come from a relaxed and focused mind. try integrating these rituals into your study sessions to set a positive tone, this is really important if you want to make note-taking fun:

begin with a short breathing exercise or a moment of gratitude (think of it as your pre-study pep talk).

play some light instrumental music or your favorite lo-fi beats, or playlist. something to keep your mind in a creative zone without distractions. (i have a great playlist i made that i use for tackling assignments here: 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀, 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀! <3)

grab your favorite beverage (i’m a fan of herbal tea or a cute iced coffee) and make sure you're comfortable. a little self-care goes a long way!

✧ structuring your notes for clarity a well-organized layout makes reviewing notes less daunting and more interactive. and obviously so much more fun, consider using this format for a balanced + demureee approach:

start with a title and date: it grounds your notes and gives you a quick reference.

write a brief summary of the topic: in your own words, capture the essence of what you’re about to learn. just summarize it as best as possible

list key points: use bullet points, numbered lists, or even headers for different subtopics. tip: use cute symbols for bullet points

highlight examples: it can be a quote, a definition, or an application concept, mark these with a star or a cute icon.

close with a reflection: jot down any questions, what you found most interesting, or even a mini action item related to the topic. this is your space for self-talk and reflection.

✧ turning notes into interactive canvases (cause we need it) notes aren’t meant to be static pages floating in an endless binder. make them interactive to truly boost your study sessions:

include thought-provoking questions: ask yourself things like “what would elle woods do?” (lol, we love her <3) or “how does this connect with real life?” to spark critical thinking.

add mini quizzes: at the end of each section, write one or two questions that challenge you to recall key points.

leave room for updates: as you learn more, come back and add extra notes, doodles, or even inspirational stickers (yes, just like in a scrapbook!).

✧ personal tips from mindy because i want you to shine in every note you take, here are my totally secret, fun tips to elevate your note routine:

secret tip #1: color with purpose choose a color palette that not only looks cute but also maps out different themes in your subject. use one color for definitions, another for examples, and maybe a sparkly tone for key takeaways. over time, these colors will trigger your memory (i promise, it really works!).

secret tip #2: integrate affirmations studying can be stressful sometimes, so why not lace your notes with a few tender affirmations? write a quick pep talk (like “i got this, bestie” or “every detail counts”) in a corner. it might seem small, but these little lines can boost your confidence when you need it most. and it's just so freaking cute <3 affirmations from you to you, is like a love letter to yourself, so just try it

secret tip #3: try mind mapping if you’re more of a visual learner, create mind maps instead of linear notes. start with the main topic in the center and branch out with related ideas and details. this not only makes your notes dynamic but also helps you see connections between concepts (ever notice how some subjects just click with a visual flow?).

secret tip #4: use digital tools creatively if you’re leaning towards digital note taking, like me, experiment with apps that support drawing, voice notes, and even embedded links. add images that resonate with the topic or short videos for a quick concept refresher. making your digital notebook interactive can really keep boredom at bay.

secret tip #5: schedule weekly note reviews set aside a bit of time every week to revisit your notes. treat it as a mini self-study session where you update, add reflections, or even reorganize sections for clarity. this habit not only reinforces your learning but also lets you see your own progress over time, like looking back on how far you’ve come.

✧ action items for the week (it's homework timeee) to wrap things up, here are a few steps to try:

pick one class or topic this week and redo your notes using one or two of these tips (maybe add a mind map or a quick quiz).

experiment with color coding: choose colors that resonate with you and assign them to key points or sections.

schedule a 10-minute review session at the end of the week to refresh and reflect on your notes.

share your progress with a friend or even a study group to celebrate little victories. accountability can boost your motivation!

note: note taking is a creative process that should feel as refreshing and inspiring as a new day. keep experimenting until you find what truly works for you. i hope these tips help you get excited about every page you write on.

xoxo, mindy

I made this amazzinggg playlist (as mentioned earlier in the post) and its specifically made to help you complete homework + assignments. i curated it to make sure its soft music to help you focus <3 love from mindyyy 🩷

don't forget, if you need personal advice, submit it here and i'll answer it as a detailed tumblr blog post <3: https://bit.ly/glowetteehotline

[snowthedemonfox]

So what is the Alien AU exactly??? (AKA: The masterpost)

Long story short, in this AU a group of people are sent off on an AI controlled ship by 'the company' to research a newly discovered planet. Nobody in this research team gets along, which only gets worse after they accidentally capture 2 of the aliens that live there. Now they have to deal with not only their problems, but the problems this new planet is already dealing with.

Alien AU tag can be found here

Below are all the finished designs for the characters in this AU! I haven't finished all of these yet, but you're free to ask anything about the missing characters if you want to :3

Questions & Boundries:

Can I ship any of the characters? - Yes! I don't mind shipping at all. I'm a multishipper myself, and while some ships are implied in this AU (Bunnydoll, Abstragedy & Showtime), all are okay with me! - The only exception to this would be ships involving Gummi and Candi. While yes, they're both sentient, capable of understanding speech, and able to communicate to some degree, I do not feel comfortable shipping them with anyone.

Can I write/draw/make something for the AU? - Of course!!! I love seeing what other people do with this AU, it really makes my day. Feel free to tag me in anything you do! I only ask that nothing NSFW is done with this AU. Please respect this choice!

Can I put my OC in your AU? - Yep!! I even made blank versions of the info cards if anyone wanted to do this ^w^ The first one is for alien characters, and the second is for team members!

Are you going to add [character]? - Depends! The entire main cast will be added, along with some side characters and NPCs, but it all comes down to if I have an idea for them in the AU. I am a slow artist sometimes, so I probably won't be rushing to get all the info cards done ASAP. Feel free to ask about any specific characters if you're curious!

How does Abstraction work? - There's two types of 'abstraction' in this AU. If we're talking about a team member, they simply get re-assigned to a different team. This is what happened to Queenie and Kaufmo. They're alive and well, just somewhere else. The company can and will re-assign whoever they want, whenever they want. - When it comes to the aliens on the planet, there is an infection spreading around that has similar effects to abstraction in the show. It's not 100% the same, but causes those infected to become extremely hostile and attack anything around them until the host eventually dies. In this AU, Loolilalu (named Candi) is infected, and is seen as a minor threat by the rest of the team. Right now, there is no known cure.

Does the AU take place in a digital world? - No, everything is real. There's no mysterious VR headsets that are making people disappear in this AU!

Why isn't anyone on the research team human? - Because I suck at drawing humans and wanted to stay close to their canon designs. There's not really a lore-related reason for this.

I'll be putting all the links for the masterpost under the cut!

Outdated/older art: ★Original Jax & Gangle designs [X, X] ★Various sketches of Gangle's original design [X, X, X, X, X] ★When your alien roommates break into the kitchen at 2:34am ★Gummi's first appearance

The more recent art: ★Bnnuy alien Jax [X, X] ★Jax sketches [X, X, X, X] ★Coloured Jax sketches [X, X, X, X, X, X] ★Gangle sketches [X] ★Little guys (baby Jax & Gangle) [X, X, X, X] ★That one time I drew Jax in the maid outfit ★ Abstragedy [X] ★A smoothie ★The consequences of our actions ★Alien AU plushies [X, X] ★Tynie [X] ★Jax's evil little sister (Jaiden) ★More Jaiden + AU Ghostly & Loolilalu ★Jaiden learns bad words ★Christmas aliens ★Casual Pomni ★[NOT CANON] Velvet ★AU crossover episode i guess

More asks about the lore: ★AU recap ★What does Jax have to gain from this? ★Where do Jax & Gangle live? ★Do the aliens have abilities? ★What language do they speak? ★How does Jaiden act around the others? ★Some various fun facts

[frostyharbor]

MODERN WARMANCY

INDEX + INTRO

A Wizarding World x Call of Duty crossover simon "ghost" riley x witch!Reader disclaimer: the usual "JK Rowling sucks" and "I don't condone military violence"

When you join the quiet little Office of Magitech Integration at the Ministry of Magic, you're granted a top secret security clearance. It doesn't become relevant until years later, when your boss surprises you with a shocking revelation and the real reason why you were hired:

To create magically modified Muggle weapons to combat the rising Dark Lord Makarov.

There's only one task force mad enough to test such abominations. Their captain strikes you as a bit insane. The two sergeants treat you like a sibling. And the one in the mask? Well, he doesn't really have much to do with you at all.

At least, not at first.

A little adventure, told through snippets and one shots, on mixing magic and modern warfare. Reading the intro for context is recommended, but most other parts should be standalone and can be read out of order. All parts, unless otherwise stated in the chapter, are rated T. tags: crossover au, canon-typical violence, fluff, slice of life, background plot, romance

PARTS

UNBURIED | FAMILIAR | MOBILE HOME | ARTS & ENCHANTMENTS

↓ READ BELOW FOR THE INTRODUCTION ↓

“Welcome to the Office of Magitech Integration.”

“Nothing below an ‘Exceeds Expectations’ on your NEWTS. An Outstanding in Ancient Runes and Magical Theory.”

Bartholomew Thorne pauses, looking up at you over your credentials to give you an approving smile.

You smile back, aiming for cool and unaffected. Inside, your heart is racing. Please, please, please…

He taps another file on his desk. “Led the House E.L.F. project, too?” At your nod, he laughs. “Caused quite the stir at the ministry, that one.”

You remember. Your final two years at Hogwarts had been spent working with a development team on the House Enchanted Labor Familiar, House E.L.F. for short. After four semesters of hard work, a crude yet serviceable machine, equipped with the latest artificial intelligence and an arsenal of housekeeping charms, had been presented to the Ministry. 

Magical Ethics had shaken their heads gravely over the little bot. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had immediately submitted a flurry of complaints, stating this overreach in magitech would replace “willing elf labor”. 

Your only support had come from the House Elf Rights Advocates, who had enthusiastically applauded the innovation. But they occupied a corner of the Ministry even smaller than the one you currently sat in, and in the end it hadn’t amounted to much.

Back in the present, Thorne hovers only a brief moment longer over your paperwork before setting it neatly aside.

Folding his hands on the desk, he looks at you directly. “Now, why do you want to join this office?”

It’s a question you’re ready for. “Because I believe that the Muggle world has a lot to offer us, sir.” It’s a dangerous phrase you wouldn’t even think to utter anywhere else in the Ministry. “The Ministry still uses paper airplane memos to send information between departments; Muggles can do it in a second over email.”

You hesitate, and Thorne waves you on with a careless gesture. “We still use quills and parchment–they use pens and paper. If we need information, we have to go to a library—they have everything you could ever possibly need to know stored digitally, where anyone can access it at any time.” You catch your breath. “There is so much that we could do better—faster—if we’re given the chance to develop it.”

“It’s an uphill battle,” he warns gravely. “There’s too much old blood still in the ministry to accept hybrid products.”

“I understand.”

“And what do you bring to the table?”

“I’m smart.” You lift your chin. “I’m smart, I know what I’m doing, and the E.L.F. project gave me the experience to learn what works and what doesn’t. It taught me how to work on a team, too. And,” you force a little extra steel in your voice, letting it harden your tone. “I’m not afraid of a little challenge.”

Thorne’s eyes gleam. He stands and, a little shaky after your declaration, you stand too. 

“Well, then.” He offers his hand out to you and you take it. A flicker of electricity runs up your fingers and into your arm, like an oath seeping into the skin.

“Welcome to the Office of Magitech Integration.”

For an office you had assumed was generally ignored by the Ministry, the OMI is shockingly opulent.

You had been expecting basement-level offices, dim halls, and cramped workspaces. Instead, you walk into a bright and spacious atrium, the glass ceiling charmed to show a sunny blue sky. It’s so masterfully done that you can feel the warmth of the artificial sunlight on your back as you approach the front desk.

The receptionist looks up at you kindly, greeting you by name.

“That’s me,” you confirm, a little surprised. “How did you know?”

“I’ve got your badge here somewhere—it’s got your picture on it. Just a minute.” He shuffles through the stacks of paperwork on his desk. As he looks, more memos materialize in his inbox tray, which chimes a pleasant little melody at the new additions.

“What is that?” You ask, leaning over the desk for a closer look.

“Oh, those? Our Instant Inboxes.” He yanks the new paperwork out of the tray. “Whenever the boss wants to give us something, he just writes our name on it, slides it into his outbox, and—poof!” He laughs a bit sourly. “Now it’s on my desk.”

Now that you think of it, you hadn’t seen one flying piece of paper since you had walked into the office. That old dog, you think. He let me ramble about the Ministry memos and didn’t even mention this once.

“Here we are!” The man exclaims, fishing out your badge from between two files. He dangles it out to you by the lanyard, and you slide it over your head. “Now, Thorne wants you in Experimental Prototyping, but we’re still waiting on a few things to clear with your security clearance. Until then, you’ll be shadowing an officer on the Ethics and Oversight Council.” He laughs when you can’t disguise your grimace fast enough. “I know, boring old lot, aren’t they? But it’s good to learn sometimes what you can’t do before you learn what you can.”

“And,” he gives you a conspiratorial wink, “the atrium’s just for the stuffy officials. The real office is down that hall. I hope you weren’t hoping for peace and quiet.”

“No, sir.”

He waves you on with another laugh.

You walk away, your new badge suddenly heavy around your neck. The blow of being shuffled into Ethics of all places momentarily overshadows all else. You had been itching to get your hands on some tech, to strip it down and put it back together better.

Everyone starts somewhere, you remind yourself. Patience.

It isn’t until you’re halfway down the hall, headed for the door marked EOC, that the other details catch up to you.

Hang on…security clearance?

Much to your surprise, the EOC is much more lenient than the Department of Magical Ethics.

“They’re the real duffers,” one of them grumbles to you over morning tea, a few weeks into your assignment. “We know how to bend the rules a bit.”

You suppose they have to. Even though you’re not working firsthand on any projects, the ones that cross your desk for review are outrageous in nature.

On one memorable occasion, a handler wearing thick dragonhide gloves had brought in a mystery object swaddled in magic-suppressing blankets.

“You’re joking,” you say flatly when the blanket is opened to reveal a keyboard, of all things.

“I wish,” the senior officer says gravely. “It was supposed to motivate the user to work on their projects, but made them obsessed instead. The tester hasn’t slept in three days and had to be pried away.”

She flips the keyboard over, indicating the obvious runes etched into the back. You recognize Dagaz and Inguz. Completion. Goals. Strangely, there’s still a battery compartment.

You point it out. “Funny that they’d leave that if it runs off of magic.”

Together, you open the compartment and shake out the batteries onto the desk. They’re not a brand you recognize.

“Careful!” The senior barks when you automatically reach for one. You pull back your hand, but not before a fingertip brushes the side of one battery. You’re immediately seized with the urge to do something, anything, just as long as you’re doing it—

She performs a diagnostic spell with a graceful arc of her wand, hissing as red sparks fly over the table. “That’s why we didn’t catch it the first time—they snuck the charms in through the bloody batteries, not the keyboard!”

You get a front row seat to the row that ensues between Ethics and Prototyping, fighting the urge to make yourself small when some of the developers’ eyes find you standing behind the senior ethics officer. I’m on your side, you want to say, but at the same time, you understand the EOC’s reasoning.

“Promise me you won’t cut corners, kid,” your mentor seethes when you walk back to her office. “In this line of work, shortcuts get people killed.”

It’s a promise you try to adhere to in the following years.

You officially enter Experimental Prototyping and Development after two months spent shadowing the EOC. 

After the time spent among filing cabinets and old rule books—if you never saw a copy of the Ministry Rules of Experimental Procedures again, you’d die happy—the labs are a breath of fresh air. Fresh being relative; it’s mainly oil, ozone, and a whiff of gunpowder.

If the EOC is willing to bend some rules, the EPD is willing to completely bulldoze them.

“Don’t you worry about those old bags,” one of your new coworkers advises you after you hesitate over the latest project—a Muggle photocopier with the capacity to copy even magical moving pictures. You’re impressed until you notice the flaw—every individual in the picture can walk out of their frame and into the frame of another.

It’s a level of magic you were familiar with from the portraits at Hogwarts, but you didn’t think that it extended to the average photograph.

The original photo had been of an old couple waving, but now, ten copies of the man occupy one frame while ten copies of the woman occupy another. The remaining eight photographs stand empty. 

As you study the picture, one of the men makes eye contact with you and taps on the front of the picture, where glass would be if it were framed. He squints his eyes, leans forward, and breathes in front of him; a tiny cloud of fog appears on the photo. With one tiny finger, he writes two words: SU PLEH.

HELP US.

Blood running cold, you slam the photo facedown on the table.

Your coworker doesn’t even look up. “Gotta push the limits somewhere, or else you get nowhere, right?”

It’s your first real brush with the darker side of development. An eerie, lingering reminder that magic—and its users—doesn’t always play by the rules. But it isn't the last. In fact, it’s nothing compared to what comes later.

Years after the photocopier, when the true reason for your security clearance finally reveals itself, you’ll look back on this moment and think: That was only the beginning.

You’re tinkering with a laptop when a tap on the door breaks your focus.

It’s Thorne. There are a few more wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, and his hair has begun to go gray at the roots, but he more or less looks like the same man that had hired you four years ago.

If it had been anyone else, you'd have dismissed them. But Thorne’s not just your boss—he’s a mentor and a friend. And he wouldn’t interrupt without good reason.

Setting the laptop aside, you wave him in. With a flick of your wand, the pile of blueprints and design schematics cluttering up your extra desk chair banish themselves to a box in the corner of the room. 

He sits, and you follow. He’s not looking at you; he’s eyeing the innards of the laptop currently strewn across your desk. 

When he makes no move to speak, you clear your throat awkwardly.

“How can I help you, sir?”

He glances up sharply as though startled, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. 

For a moment, he still doesn’t speak. 

Then: “What do you know about this new Dark Lord?”

It’s a conversation-starter so far out of left field that it hits you like a brick. After gathering your wits, you scramble for some sort of coherent answer. “Er, I…I guess what the Prophet’s been reporting, sir.”

And the Prophet had been reporting very little.

Vladimir Makarov had been a name whispered in the halls of Hogwarts from your sixth year onwards. By the time you graduated, professors had adopted a permanently pinched, worried look. Professor Longbottom, if you recall correctly, had been especially stricken, and was absent from the school more often than not.

Makarov, a young Russian upstart, had been weaving in and out of the shadows since, making headlines one year and becoming virtually invisible for the next two. What baffled the Ministry, according to the Prophet, was that he and his followers didn’t appear to have any sort of manifesto. No cause.

Just chaos.

Thorne smiles grimly. “I’ll get straight to the point. Makarov is a dark wizard, yes. A powerful one. But he’s been working with Muggle fringe groups to extend his reach in their world as well.” He holds up a hand as you open your mouth. “Wait a moment. It gets worse. He’s been working with PMCs—Private Military Companies,” he clarifies, seeing your expression. “These groups are wreaking absolute havoc in the Muggle world.”

After a long pause, he saves the worst blow for last. “We suspect that they have been provided with magically-modified Muggle weaponry.”

The statement hangs in the air between you. Sentient photocopies, manic keyboards…every mishap from over the years pales in comparison.

“The Ministries—ours and the Muggle one—have worked together in the past during times of war. Top secret initiatives, of course. In the years of Grindelwald and Hitler, there were specially-designated hit squads from the DMLE that aided Muggle military operations in undermining the Nazi regime."

You follow the conversation only barely, sitting open-mouthed as Thorne continues.

"During the Muggle Cold War, we had our own spies stationed in the Soviet Union and throughout the Eastern Bloc. They helped the Americans and other NATO-aligned states gather intelligence.”

The implications set your mind in a spiral. “You’re talking about a massive violation of the Statute of Secrecy,” you say slowly. “How on earth did the Minister ever agree to it?”

“Because the right people in the right places recognized that these were conflicts that would affect the entire world, ours included. This wasn’t some petty spat between nations—this was nuclear war, kid.”

Nuclear. The word stabs into your brain like an ice pick. You have vague recollections of learning about it in primary school, remember seeing snatches of it on television (something something weapons of mass destruction), but your time in the Wizarding World has dulled your knowledge on Muggle warfare.

While you’re still thinking, Thorne moves on. “What I’m trying to say is, throughout history, there have been times when Magical Law Enforcement has worked together with the British Muggle army. And it’s looking like that time is coming around again.”

You have a creeping suspicion of what Thorne is getting at. It would violate every ethical rule in the book, but he’s got that hard look in his eye that tells you he’s not really asking. “And what does this have to do with the OMI?”

“If Makarov’s giving his Muggle followers modified weaponry, the Muggle Prime Minister wants his soldiers outfitted with the same.”

The laptop parts on your desk vibrate; a slip of accidental magic on your part. Scooting yourself away from the desk, you take a deep breath and try to control yourself. 

Thorne looks sympathetic but unyielding. “The Prime Minister says that soldiers are being shot to pieces in Kosovo. Some of them young men and women, just in their twenties—”

“Don’t manipulate me!” You interrupt sharply, and the laptop parts give a little jump. “I can read the implications for myself! It doesn’t change the fact that you’re suggesting we experiment in some of the most illegal branches of magic!”

Replacing flying memos with the Instant Inboxes? Harmless. Accidentally turning photographs sentient after putting them through a magical copier? A bit more worrisome, but fixable. 

But modifying a weapon has no other use besides war. Anything you create isn’t going to be used in an office, or to make someone’s life easier at home. It’s going to be used to kill.

“We’re not being asked to go out and kill enemies ourselves. Just…to level the playing field, is all.”

“Is that all?” you snip back, crossing your arms and looking away. You both know better. Just leveling the playing field is the first domino in a long line of consequences. Tip it over and who knows what will happen.

“This is why I hired you.”

The quiet admission makes you look back at your boss, eyes wide. “What?”

“Why I hired you. Why I gave you your security clearance. We always have to be on the lookout for new blood when facing situations like this.” His gaze is direct, unflinching. “You weren’t afraid to push boundaries and said you were willing to face challenges.”

“Challenges aren’t the same as war crimes, sir.”

“In this environment, we can’t always afford to split hairs. If it helps us beat Makarov and protect both the Muggle world and ours, would it be worth it?”

Would it? You think of what he described—poor Muggle soldiers torn to pieces after being ambushed with superior weaponry they couldn’t hope to match on their own. A world in the shadow of a new Dark Lord.

But you think, too, of the little man in the picture. Help us. The unintended consequences of innovation and experimentation. That had been a photo. These new projects would be weapons. Who could say where this path would lead?

Thorne looks at you expectantly, head tilted to the side as he waits for an answer. 

This is why I hired you.

Taking a moment to exhale in through your nose, you let the breath out after holding it for a few seconds. “Alright. Fine.” 

Thorne looks pleased, but you have to resist the urge to bury your face in your hands. “Where do we even start?”

“The beginning is usually the best place,” he says pleasantly, pulling a file out of thin air. He prepared for this, you realize, a bit sour. He knew you would say yes.

The file is slid across your desk, and you open it with no small amount of trepidation. The paperwork that greets you is vastly underwhelming—it’s barely a few pages, most of it redacted.

“Am I supposed to do something with this?”

“They’re a Muggle task force so classified that most of their own government doesn’t even know about them. Get used to the secrecy.” 

Thorne leans in and flips through the pages until he reaches the one he wants, an agreement to the testing of magically-enhanced weapons with four signatures at the bottom. “This is what matters to us. They’ve agreed to be the first soldiers to test whatever we put out for them. We’ll be working with them directly to find what their needs are.”

“And when this is all finished?” You squint at the signatures, trying to make out a name among the loopy scrawls. You see two Johns, and maybe a Kyle. The final name is unrecognizable. “What’s to stop them from using them against us?”

“Can you use magic or not?” Thorne smirks. “You figure it out.”

author notes: got the random idea of Ghost tinkering with a sentient rifle and this was born. It will be updated every Sunday at 7:00AM. Some parts may be standalone, others may not, and all will likely be less than 1K words.

thanks for reading!

[rosemaryduexx]

TEACH US YOUR ART STYLE PLEASEEEE

this is my basic character bases. You can use these as a reference. ALSO PLEASE THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USING ART AS A REFERENCE AND OUTRIGHT TRACING!!!!!

And through out my art journey, I spent most of my time doodling on sketchbooks which gave me time to work on my line art. that took like years to get to where i am and honestly i'll still look back and still hate my current art cause I'm still learning as well. I just started digital art recently so I'm still learning digital colouring! but I've seemed to conquer character design and poses. also fun fact: ALL MY LINEART ARE MY SKETCHES! I DON'T SKETCH I DO LINEART FIRST, IS THAT WRONG?

Also back to my art style, best advice I can give you is use references from other artists.

I'll give samples-

As an illustrator, I personally use poses to help portray/exaggerate my characters mood or personality alot!! I'm still learning so let's se if I improve in the next few months. If you are a beginner I really advise you to use pinterest for references.

When I draw/doodle nezha, I try to make his poses reflect his awesomeness as much as I can!! The artists who's styles heavily influenced my current style are @tysonhesse , @hocrea and richard chhoa on twitter(the lmk storyboard artist who designed the fight between wukong and nezha). Hope that helps!! thanks for asking!

[lannie-bacota]

I present to you the new Undertale AU I’ve been trying to create: ArtTale!

I only have a few these two designs so far and Undynes still in beta (I promise I’ll fix sans, it’s just my first time drawing him ok?)

But in the meantime here’s a list of what I have so far:

The Human, Frisk: [Soul: Determination] Frisk is armed with a Paint brush and a decorative leather Armband the moment she falls into the underground. she is a girl here because Frisk theoretically is the gender of the player. Frisk will find other items like the Boxing Gloves or the Tutu, but will remain using the items they came with, the found items can be taken to a store and used to upgrade your Paint Brush and Armband. Instead of a striped sweater, Frisk wears a Blue and Pink Striped open jacket with one sleeve rolled up, along with a pair of messy jeans and Yellow boots. Which run they choose is still being decided.

Flowey: [Flower Painting] Flowey sits in the flower bed standing out with his beautiful colorful petals, he tells The Human to paint one of his petals red when they first meet, claiming it’s some form of friendship thing down here. Not much really changes with this character except that their omega form is covered with paint splatter.

Toriel: [Oil Painting] Toriel spends most of her day painting the walls of the ruins with her oil paints, one painting in particular hangs in the hallway of her home, what the painting is of can’t be told, looks like it was smudged and ruined with water a long time ago, all you could make out was a handful of yellow flowers. Toriel still enjoys making butterscotch pie and immediately offers to make one for the human when they first meet. (PS: Everyone is a little friendlier in this AU). Through out your time staying with Toriel she will help you with doing certain types of arts and crafts, sometimes puzzles and board games, The Human only chooses to leave once they realize they don’t remember how long they’ve been here.

sans: [Chicken Scratch/Sketching] sans likes to doodle but puts very little effort into his art, often leaving the unfinished works on the floor around the house, stating that he’s “adding a bit of artistic flair to the home”. PAPYRUS hates it and always has to clean it up, the walls in sans’s room are covered head to toe in unfinished pieces, making it a complete mess. Like how his font works, sans’s appearance is affected by his art style, making him appear like an actual sketch, sometimes he’s colored, sometimes he’s plane blank white, it’s completely random. During his boss battle instead of his classic line “it’s a beautiful day outside, birds are singing, flowers are blooming, on days like these, kids like you ..should be burning in Hell.” sans will toss The Human a pencil and say the line “you like to draw right kid? So you’d know ..a sketch is only the beginning.” And then the boss battle begins.

PAPYRUS: [Classic Paints/Finger Paint] PAPYRUS loves to paint and much like Toriel, he decorates his home with art, he likes to think that it makes him look cool(Which it does! ÙnÚ) and will often brag about it to The Human, not in a mean way though, on a pacifist route The Human teaches PAPYRUS how to finger paint, at first it’s a hassle with his thin sharp bones but they learn to use their gloves to help.

Monster Kid: [Nothing Lol] MK doesn’t draw cause he doesn’t have arms, but later on The Human encourages them with their Determination to learn how in other ways, like with his mouth and such

Undyne: [Spray Paint] work in progress

Alphys: [Digital Art] work in progress

Mettaton: [Glitter Art] you know those old things where you’d peel a piece of paper off a sticky piece of paper and out glitter on it by the number and eventually it became a picture? Yea that. Mettaton will decorate you and get glitter in your eye as he kicks it around with his beautiful legs✨

Asgore: [Sculpting] Asgore likes to make stone sculptures to decorate his garden, he even made his own throne out of stone, which would be very uncomfortable if it wasn’t for the cushions, each of the fallen children’s coffins were also sculpted by him

Wendy: [Soul: Patience] “patience is key when making art”

[cheruv-ii]

My Art Process(Mostly Ben LOL):Stylization and Posing

My moot @softdrafts asked for some looks into how I stylize/get art down, and as someone who struggled with it for a while I thought I might as well make a full post going into as much detail as I can without it being a mess 😭. This will be split into two parts within the post, posing/anatomy, and stylization/how I got my artstyle to where it is now.

Posing/Anatomy/Getting a Sketch Down:

To be 100% truthful, I do still have a pretty difficult time with anatomy, and a lot of it is just— fuck around and find out LMFAO. One thing I will say is use references, if it's a pose you're already comfortable doing than that's totally fine, but if you're having any trouble with a pose, try to find a reference. This can be a photo, another art piece(though if you ref someone elses art thats not made as a ref please credit it🙏), or a 3D model, hell you can even take the photo yourself if you're having trouble finding a ref.

When it comes to getting a pose down, you're gonna want to work in simplified shapes, these could range from circles, to lines, to random blobs, as long as it helps YOU it's a valid baseline. I've found the shapes that help ME out the most, but you may have different ones for yourself. To give an example, I'll find a basic pose and break it down into the shapes so I can translate it onto paper.

(Working traditionally cause I don't wanna get on comp LMAO) *It's atp where I would make any transforming tweaks if I was working digitally, just anothing that I think looks off, whether it be a bit too big/small or at the wrong angle. Don't try to be too exact with it, that's how you end up with stiff poses, you can tell mine isn't exact, but it's got the basic shapes down. It's also atp that I start adding little details, just small thinks to mark specific spots, like the navel, I like to add a bit of details to the shoulders her, things that can make something that would otherwise look too flat start to come to life, even just a little. Here is where you can start using your ref very loosely, esp if your figure is going to be— yk, clothed lmao.

After the last step, I just start adding details, if I know that a certain area is gonna be covered by clothing I don't put *too* much detail into it, basic shapes but nothing thats gonna make you go :( when you have to cover it up. Remember that you can use more than just the body to show motion, objects in the photo, clothing on the model, hair, it moves with the figure, make use of it!

Reminder that this is *my* process, some people need more steps and that's okay! Sometimes working in smaller parts works for someone, while looking at the bigger picture works for others. I'd personally say start with the bigger picture and THEN move into details, focus on flow first and detail second or it may end up a little stiff.

Stylization/Finding your Artstyle(ft.Ben Pincus):

Another quick disclaimer, I am still working on my artstyle p much everyday, so what I say now might change tomorrow, but this is how I got to a point where I'm comfortable with my stylization. I also want to mention, stylization can be different based off characters, not just your artstyle as a whole, ex.I've been drawing Ben since CT dropped, I've drawn him 50+ times which is how I've been able to get where I am with him, vs a character like Kenji, who I've draw less than 10 times and am still working on how I draw him specifically.

But like, yeah, it's taken a while, example below lmao

Not only am I a lot more consistent with how I draw him now, but I also prefer how I draw him now (thank GOD) because he feels more on model wothout being an EXACT replica.

Overall, some of it IS my artstyle itself developing, while it's also me learning overtime what I like when it comes to drawing him. I kinda worked in steps, I realized that while I wanted his hair to be fluffier than in canon, I didn't want it THAT fluffy, I learned which shapes I liked to use for him, because once again, art at its core, is a buncha shapes, his bangs, his sideburns, his overall face shape, its all just ✨️shapes✨️.

I got a palette down for him next, having a palette really helps with consistency tbh, even when it comes down to things in their outfits, for example, I always like to use the orange from his shirt SOMEWHERE in his design if I can.

I think the major thing is his face, his features are the thing I struggled with the most, I had a lot of trouble combining his canon features with my style, but after studying a lot of screenshots, figuring out-once again-shapes, and how I wanted to translate them into my art, I got it down to a point I'm pretty comfy with. The first thing I got down was his nose, I've always loved his nose, plus I find that the nose can be the most important feature to make sure they look like themselves, I simpled it down to shapes(turn me saying shapes into a drinking game atp) for the most part its straight with a bump at the end, I emphasize the bump but it's still the basic shape.

Next was his brows, they're thick, but they're not super dark, I find that even a small detail like matching his brows to his hair rather than filling them in black already makes him look more in character. Then his eyes, they're round, but small, I won't lie i do just kinda go with the flow when im drawing his eyes, but for the most part I give him:Heavy eyelids, downturned corners of his eyes, and no extra lashes. His mouth is just—paper thin white boy lips and a tooth gap because I refuse to take that away from him.

Also do studies, this is the only photo I can come up with for a study, but here you can see my stylistic choices while also still keeping the ref photos in mind.

Once you get to a point where the important details/features look how you want, you can start adding extra details, I give Ben scars and moles, as well as darker freckles, I can add these extra things while having it still look like Ben because I've gotten the key details down. I also stylize his body, I give him bigger arms, make him beefier because— he deserves it man.

Tl;dr because my words became a mess at a certain point, find key details in the design, play around with them to suit your style while also keeping them on base (to your liking). Also. Shapes. Reference but remember to not be TOO focused on small details, more the big picture.

[northopalshore]

tbh it looks to me like @honey-bitch is copying you and your format

Inspiration vs Copying

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Style can be rather difficult to talk about sometimes, I'm not one to be too prideful of how I look or create my work, though I do appreciate having "individuality" just like anyone else would. Sometimes, a certain flow can be engraved in your head subconsciously when you're an avid enjoyer of something & how it looks or is formatted.

I really don't think that she was intentionally trying to copy me. Mayhaps she just got used to they way I form it from reading my posts. In a way, I am flattered. Still, of course it's not the best thing to do in the long run. I think it's alright when you're first dipping your feet into something; use it as a guide. When you think about it, it's kind of like changing your profile or personality to match a character from a movie or tv show that you like fresh after watching because in a way, you resonate with that character.

Eventually I know everyone'll get a hold of their own flow and aesthethic since, well— that's how it works naturally. You take inspiration, and shape it into something new that aligns with you more.

Even my blog is a collection of the things that I like; movies, perspectives I learned from friends, people I've met and from my time growing up and visiting unique (but also kind of sketchy) blogs and sites available on the internet. I am also an amalgamation of them but not exactly. See?

Same goes with fashion, makeup or cinematography. Inspiration is everywhere, that personal touch and adjustments are what make for something different. YouTube thumbnails usually have it's own scandal of copy & paste when it comes to "mainstream" content, I think it's no different from any other industry.

₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑

I appreciate being able to be someone people recognize just through my work and things that I create alone. To me, that symbolizes true impact when people like you and resonate with what you share & are passionate about.

In a way, they are sharing you. A living proof of your existence.

If my work and findings are able to ignite something in even just one person, then I think I've done right in a way.

I think it'd be a bit egotistical of me to assume that anyone is directly copy & pasting aesthetics when technically, I don't own the images or headers (like 90%) is from Pinterest so I don't have the right to be personally mad.

Unless— it's a clear copy paste of my work itself & stripping it from it's source to benefit yourself whether for money or clout (like the ones on TikTok whom I immensely detest at the moment). Please don't do that.

Also, there's usually a tremendous dichotomy between straight up copying and inspiration. ( Usually it's very obvious like them trying to erase the original creator or person they were stripping that "personality" from or pretending they were that way from the start). I personally don't see that from her at all.

Thank you for considering my thoughts, since now I'm able to talk about this topic in general. I hope it reaches all that needs to hear or listen, since well people tend to get a lot of hate for something like this or have it misunderstood no matter which industry or community it's coming from. Inspiration is good, but lifeless copying is not. Though of course each creator is entitled to their own beliefs in the end.

In conclusion,

I believe everything that lives and breathes and creates art is naturally going to be a sponge. Absorbing little bits of different things that aligns with their soul to build upon a true self in the future.

Also side note, I don't wanna be that one lady that said Ariana "stole" her song flow for 7 rings. Pls help cause I don't wanna have that in my digital footprint.

p.p/s: here were my early tumblr inspirations, they are accounts that I used to frequent on end up clicking on while either going down some sort of rabbit hole or just stumbled into through curiosity over a single placement. I posted them very early into my posting days. Again, I never intended on posting or having my own blog in the first place so being here still feels like a bit of a (mush)shroom trip lol. I'd like to think a part of them will live on through me as well. So as the creators on YouTube, Lindaland, Curious Cat , reddit & even literally the people I've met offline because they've unknowingly provided me with much thread to connect things I would have otherwised been blind towards. Also, this blog has allowed me to interact with people I never thought I would have otherwise! It's crazy how life works.

₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ . ₊ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑ ⊹ .₊๋‧₊ ˚ ⊹ ࣭ ⭑

That's all ʕ⁠ ⁠•⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠ʔ♡

[trappezoider]

Hi! You were the first Hogwarts Legacy fan artist I came across and I wanted to say how much I love your works 🥰

I recently saw an ask about which program you use to create your pieces which got me wondering... 👀 do you have any tips to share with aspiring digital artists trying to learn how to properly add shading/lighting?? I'm happy with my pieces during the flat colour stage, but every time I attempt shading/lighting or other methods of adding texture/definition/perspective, it always looks "off" to me 🤔 so my WIP folder is huge rn.

Thank you in advance for any advice you're willing to share 🙏😊

Hiya there!! Thank you so much for this ask!! First of all, I gotta say how wonderful it is that you're excited about art and want to learn more about it. I just had a chat with a friend about this but I think art is such a fun, vast hobby, full of endless possibilities, and whenever people want to get into it and learn, it's just wahhhhh. Fills my heart with joy and makes me bounce :D Now, full disclaimer, I am not an art teacher so my say on the matter is not that of a professional. I struggle with these things myself as well but I'm really happy if any of my advice can help a fellow artist. Keep in mind that works for me might not work for you, and "good art" is highly subjective. But I understand that achieving that fine balance between knowing how to imitate life and then being able to recreate that imagine in your head on an empty canvas is something a lot of artists want. That's hard af though. But you can't have success without failure, that's why we have so many WIPS xD Lucky for us, our brains and hands are amazing at learning. Eventually those WIPS might become actual realised works. Crying, praying and manifesting for us both xDDD Now, if you're struggling with shading and lighting, I suggest doing value studies. Perhaps take black and white photos with a striking relationship between shadow and light, then try to replicate that without colour picking. Try to observe the whole picture, without paying too much attention to the details at first, Make your brush strokes large especially when sketching out the initial shapes. You can give yourself a time limit of say, 5-60 minutes, for each study, but I wouldn't go over a 1,5h hour limit. I recommend using fairly simple images, with less textures and where shapes are the main character so to speak. Then when you think you're ready, you can do the same thing but this time choose coloured images but still use only white/black. Excercises like these help me a ton when I feel like I wanna update my skills. Doing art is a never-ending learning curve but I feel like that's what makes it so stimulating hehe Below is an example of one value study I did recently. I don't do these often but I know I probably should xD I always just do colour studies nowdays cause that's something I'm most interested in observing at the moment :D But this is just an example of what you can do if you want to learn shading in particular. Now it doesn't need to be perfect, it's just practice that may help you get used to values and how they interact with each other on the canvas.

You can also do colour studies if that is something you're interested in. Those might be a bit more challenging but as long as you keep each study short and use simple images (like literally just an image of an egg on a table or something xD), it shouldn't be too intimidating. Sorry for such a long reply xD I hope you have lots of fun and get all the possible enjoyment from making art! So happy for you!!! Wishing you all the motivation, success and inspiration in the world!!!

[rabbithelmet]

Welcome to The Amazing Digital Circus: Jalec Super Show AU!

Imagine what digital circus would be like if it had two kids!

Meet the two brat- I mean... little angels kids who will enchant you in this digital world!

JALEC: A little doll bunny (for some reason...) similar to Jax, an orphan boy, who doesn't get the attention he wants from the circus members, but even though he's stuck in this world, he learned from Kaufmo that enjoying childhood is important, so he just wants to play and have fun, even if it causes a lot of mess along the way... (wait... Jalec, you spilled ice cream on my narration microphone AGAIN!!!!)

CLOCK: Meet Clock, a Clock Boy... he's different from the little jalec. He's a little more spoiled... he's well taken care of by Zooble. When things don't go his way... he complains and gets all clumsy and goes to cry near her... his eyes really tell the time... (and he also has a huge head...) JALEC, HERE YOU ARE AGAIN!!!!!

Jalec, can you excuse me, I'm trying to tell your story here...

As I was saying, at any moment, you will be able to see the great heat of this naughty and mischievous rabbit, who never misses the OPPORTUNITY TO HIT ME OR SPILL THINGS ON ME, ISN'T THAT RIGHT JALEC?

sorry, I didn't do it on purpose Caine...

JALEC, YOU DIDN'T SAY IT WAS ME... AAHHHHHH MY GOD...........

🕓 Straw Page: https://rabbithelmet.straw.page/

Stories (Canonical)

A Useless Child: [Part 1] [Part 2]

Being a teacher is like suffering in hell, isn't it Caine?

Doesn't a Loser Have the Right to a Newspaper?: [Part 1] [Part 2]

Jalec's First Day at the Digital Circus!: [Part 1] [Part 2]

It's going to be okay Jalec... The past really hurts!

Never nickname the Naughty Rabbit!

I stay alone, it's safer for me!

This Idiot's Prototype Went Wrong...

two rag dolls always help each other [Part 1]

Canonical Arts!

Ḧ̶͈́͐e̵̮̖͊l̸̺̓p̶̫̔̈́ ̸̪͕͒m̶̪͌e̷̼̎͊ ̴̙̦̓̌p̵̬͕͊̏l̷͍̞̽è̴̯͚à̸̘̋ṡ̸̬͚̽e̶͇͍̔̕

Looking at the stars is always good!

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to! I swear... please forgive me!

Kaufmo... I miss you friend... please come back

"Is everything okay, Jax?"

[blacknight7890]

welp, essay time, lets talk about the clown in the room.

the amazing digital circus spoilers below!

so, Kaufmo's room.

The room of a mad man and a recently "abstracted" human. we don't know much about Kaufmo, other than he told unfunny jokes and was looking for a way out. He lost his mind at some point and got "abstracted" as the result.

What this means and how it happens is hard to say for sure as of now, but madness seems to be the main cause of it. Before he turned however, he has spread his madness to the rest of his room, so lets look at what we have here.

Most of it is simply the word "exit" over and over and over and over again with some disturbing art as well.

"EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT"

However, there are some exceptions. Certain spots have partially readable writing on them. To start with, the head of his bed.

"CAN'T SLEEP"

Its partially obscured, but its location behind the pillow make it obvious what it says. They say that they don't need to sleep, but this implies that he wanted to sleep, but couldn't. If that is due to just his madness, or something else its hard to say. Hard to know what that means as of now, but its something to note.

Now the sketch on the back wall. The phrase is fairly self explanatory, as far as we know, there is no way out of the circus. Not much to say about that, but the drawing is interesting. A fanged Cain chasing after Kaufmo. Seems he has a fear of the ringmaster, understandable at first, but further thinking makes you ask some questions.

"NO WAY OUT"

We see at the end of the episode that Cain actually tried to make an exit for them, but never finished his simulated version of the outside. When we first see him dancing around the idea of an exit door, we assume malicious intent. However, its more likely he was referring to this exit, rather than an actual way to leave.

This place is clearly a fabrication of the world outside The Amazing Digital Circus, one half built by Cain. He said he made it because everyone kept asking about it, but never finished it and didn't want them seeing his unfinished work. He also didn't want them ending up in the void, a slightly more important reason to keep it locked up.

But regardless, he did try to actually appease them, give the trapped humans the closest approximation to freedom he could. Its clear that Cain is not in full total control of the circus, its possible that even he doesn't know how to leave.

Anyway, back to my point. Cain is weird, strange, and insane, but he's not really "evil", so Kaufmo's depiction of him doesn't make total sense. But then again, the eyes of madness are hardly a reliable source. We will need to see more of him to learn his true intentions, but for now he just seems unhinged rather than actually bad.

Back to the room though, there is one more thing I want to go over, the foot of his bed.

"WHAT DID THE E------ SAY TO THE C--------"

this one is hard to determine, but thankfully for us, this isn't the only place we see this sentence. We also see it scrawled onto one of the paintings in the wide shot.

"WHAT DID THE EXIT SAY TO THE CLOWN?"

Now at first this seems nonsensical, but remember who wrote this. Kaufmo liked to tell jokes, this is the only real thing we know about him. In that light this is clearly worded as the setup to a joke. This begs the question on what the punchline is, but it also implies that the supposed "exit" somehow communicated with him. Probably not but its something to note.

We have no idea what the punchline could be at this moment sadly. It could be that him abstracting could metaphorically be the "punchline", or the lack of a response from the exit might also be it, hard to say.

"NO EXIT"

This is all what I can really determine from what we have seen in this room, other than interpretations of his various framed paintings, but I'll leave that to an art major or something.

Of course we have to ask if the "Exit" that he refers to even is the same exit Pomni found. They might have found something else, or maybe that exit door is a lot more important than we know. Maybe that weird computer is important.

Pomni seemed familiar enough with it that the mere sight of it sent her laughing mad. That vr headset looking thing is probably what she put on to get there.

All of this is just observations and speculation on the future, and I can't wait for the next episode!

[charliegyrth]

Alex Gets Soft - Part 11

A Stroll in the Park

Read Part 10 here.

I woke up bright and early the next morning. I had a bad taste in my mouth. I hadn’t brushed my teeth the night before, because I wanted to enjoy the taste of Alex as I drifted off to sleep.

I took a quick shower while swishing mouthwash around my teeth. Then I brushed them. As I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t stop smiling. This was the day I’d finally get a number. I’d finally learn quantitatively what damage we’d both done to Alex’s body in the span of a week.

Alex was still in bed in his default position, his cheek against the pillow and his right arm cradling his stomach. He looked so peaceful that I almost let him sleep in.

Almost.

Rather than shake him awake, I pressed a brownie against his slightly-open lips. Still sleeping, I took the whole thing into his mouth and started chewing. The sudden rush of flavor caused his eyes to flutter open. “Babe?”

“Want another one?”

“Let me sleep just a little bit longer.” He closed his eyes.

“But it’s your weigh-in.”

“Weigh-in” sounded like such a clinical term, like I was measuring livestock or something. But I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate. He’d promised to show me the number. It had been a full week of eating and I was surging with curiosity.

“Five more minutes.”

He wasn’t going to get up. Why wasn’t he as excited as I was?

I took another brownie and pressed it against his lips. He chewed and swallowed without protest.

“Ready now?”

He wouldn’t open his eyes, so I tried again with a third brownie. And a fourth.

By the fifth brownie, I realized that he was just messing with me. He was wide awake. He just wanted me to keep feeding him.

“Ten more minutes,” he mumbled.

“You said five minutes five brownies ago.”

He opened his mouth a bit wider, but he still refused to open his eyes.

Fine. Whatever. There were eight brownies in the box, so I might as well finish the last three. He took the first two eagerly, not really chewing, just mashing them a little so they’d go down easier. But with the last one, I grazed it against his lips but wouldn’t give it to him.

He raised his head a little, biting into air. Finally, his eyes opened and I fed him. Then he lowered his head back down.

“No you don’t,” I said. I pulled him into a sitting position.

He grumbled as he got out of bed. “It’s Sunday morning.”

“Exactly. The big day for my big man.”

“Oh,” he said, his foggy brain processing why I was so excited. “Let me, um, go to the bathroom first.”

“Good idea.”

He trudged into the bathroom. Since he started overeating, he spent a lot more time in there. But I had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t just unloading yesterday’s food. He was procrastinating. He didn’t want to do the weigh-in.

That could only mean one thing: He knew the number was going to be ridiculously high.

How much weight could one man gain in a week? Ten pounds? Twenty? Honestly, I had no idea what maximum figure to expect. With the average person, twenty pounds would be impossible. But Alex was not average. He’d been able to eat ungodly amounts without ever throwing up, more food than a human stomach could physically fit inside.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but they fact that Alex was still dragging his feet told me that the number would definitely be in the double digits.

I heard him flush and wash his hands. When he reentered the room, he wasn’t smiling. He looked like he was heading for the gallows. “Maybe we can wait another week until I show you.”

“Nope. You promised.”

“Fine.” He marched his naked body toward the scale. I stood next to him, and the mirror reflected our polar-opposite frames.

I didn’t really look at myself (nothing had changed, of course). All my attention was on him. His skin glowed in the morning sunlight. God, he was a work of art. His belly was so much bigger than a week ago, and that crease was still visible. His arms and legs hadn’t changed in size, but in this lighting, they looked perfectly smooth.

That was different. Before, his arms and legs were pure muscle, with shadow lines marking the edges of his calf muscles and biceps. Now, there were no shadows.

Yup, a layer of fat had formed around his whole body. Just in a week!

Alex didn’t notice any of that, though. He was too focused on his belly. “Looks good,” he muttered and nervously stepped onto the scale. “What does it say?”

I stared at the number for a long time. This didn’t seem right.

“What does it say?” he shouted. His eyes were closed now.

“Babe, it’s just a number. Don’t read too much into it.”

“Jake, if you don’t tell me, I swear to God…”

“187.”

He opened his eyes and looked down. His heart was broken. “That’s less than a pound.”

“It’s three pounds if your starting weight was 184.”

“Still!” he whined. “That’s why I didn’t want to show you my daily results. The scale wasn’t moving at all. Jake, I worked so hard.” He trudged back to bed and fell backwards dramatically. “It’s hopeless. I’m doomed by my own metabolism.” I placed a full thermos next to him in case he wanted to drown his sorrows.

He did, though I’m pretty sure he didn’t even realize that he was drinking it.

“Listen,” I told him. “Let’s put the scale away for a while. The numbers don’t matter.”

“What do you mean they don’t matter?”

I raised the bottom of his thermos so that he could focus more on his drinking instead of his tantrum. “What matters is that you look different. For the first time in your life, you have an actual belly.”

“It’s just a bloat,” he mumbled through the shake. At least, that’s what I thought he said.

“No. It’s not. It’s a permanent change.” I sat next to him and placed both my hands on his “permanent change.” That seemed to calm him a little. “And just think, it’s just gonna get bigger and rounder as the weeks go by. Soon, you’ll be just as round as that guy on the beach. Rounder, even.”

He finished drinking but remained horizontal. “I guess you’re right. And at least all my gains are going in the right place.”

I considered telling him about what I’d noticed in his arms and legs, the general flatness where muscle definition used to be. I didn’t, though. I knew that would scare him. He wouldn’t see that as “good fat.”

“How about this?” I suggested. “How about we go for a walk in the park?”

“No.”

“Think about it. This’ll be like an experiment. Every time you walked around shirtless, people stared. And drooled. Let’s go out there and see how many stares you get now.”

He seemed open to the idea, but he wasn’t totally convinced.

“And every time we pass a food stall, I’ll get you something.”

That got his attention.

***

Ten minutes later, we were at the park. Normally, we’d just walk there, but he asked if I could drive. He wore his sweatpants and sandals. I wore shorts and my loose gym shirt.

We got out of the car and started strolling around the outer trail. For a Sunday morning, there were less people than I’d expected. We passed a group of teen girls in the middle of some giggly conversation. They didn’t notice us.

“See?” I said.

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

We continued to an ice cream cart. I gave him a ten and let him pick out anything that he wanted. He got two drumsticks.

“No thanks,” I said, but he wasn’t offering one to me.

We kept going at the same slow pace. He finished the first ice cream in seconds, but he savored the second. He started by nibbling off the chocolate coating. As we passed a female jogger, he looked right at her and licked the vanilla seductively. A streak of it dripped onto his chin.

She gave him an offended glare and sped off.

“Okay,” he said, still licking. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Told ya. You’re no longer attention-grabbing.”

Two more joggers were heading toward us. A gay couple that we’d seen here before. They’d always been pretty obvious with their staring. As they got closer, he shoved the rest of the ice cream into his mouth.

They both glanced at him and then turned away. Once they passed us, I could hear them whispering to each other.

We reached a corn dog stand and I had to give him more money. He got three just for himself, making sure to ask the guy if he had any mayonnaise packets. Unfortunately, he didn’t.

Fortunately, I had a couple packets in my pocket for this exact occasion. We paused under the shade of a tree so he could sauce up his corn dogs. He decided to pause from our walk so he could eat them all right there.

Three more people passed by. They didn’t look at us.

We continued. Alex gradually walked with more confidence, belly first. He swung his arms. It was adorable.

There was a stand selling shaved ice at the end of the path. Alex sped up.

I stayed back a little to see the view from behind. Even though his sweatpants weren’t tight yet, they were thin enough to show his ass jiggle with each step. I had to look away before I got aroused. I let him talk to the shaved ice guy for a while. He took a long time to order, and I was worried that he’d walk away with too much to carry.

But when he was done, he didn’t have a cup in his hands. Instead, he carried a full bottle of the bright orange syrup. He took a swig and grimaced from the sweetness. That stuff was not meant to be drunk straight.

“Got what you wanted?”

“This juice is foul,” he said before he took another shudder-inducing gulp. “He wasn’t going to sell it to me.”

The path curved to our left. We’d only made it down one side of the perimeter, but he was ready to head back.

“You sure? There are a few more food stalls on the other side. I think one of them has Indian fry bread.”

“I’m sure,” he said. He sucked a little more on the syrup bottle. “You’ve proved your point.”

But just to be complete, we stopped at the same corn dog and ice cream stands and ordered a second round of snacks. This time, he doused the corn dogs and ice cream with his half-empty bottle of syrup.

The ice cream was probably fine with the added sweetness, but the corn dogs must’ve tasted disgusting. On some level, I think he liked how disgusting it tasted. He seemed proud that he could get it all down.

On the short drive home, he finished the rest of the syrup, drinking it so fast that he could ignore the taste. “I guess I’m officially a fat guy now!”

“Not quite. But you’re getting there.”

Read Part 12 here. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 You can also read all 22 parts of Alex Gets Soft in one ebook (with a bonus story). You can find all my stories here.

[gomzdrawfr]

want to join the fandom cause it seems fun seeing fanarts and you and others interacting but I don't know how...and with the whole ai thing im scared...

my advice: just do it

really! sometimes all you really need is a leap of faith, and that was exactly how I dropped into the cod fandom. When I joined the ghoap discord server I talked to one of the artist I really like and respected from my lurking time (hi @bressynonym) aaaand the rest is history

I didnt know how to draw properly, nor digitally, all I did was scribbling on OneNote (yeah!) and rambled about cod characters, it is daunting and it is scary to interact but after a while? you may just be able to find someone to brainrot together with

start small, like commenting, reblogging, talking, chatting- doesn't have to be towards artist/writers, it could be the art/fic enjoyers!

you need to put yourself out there if you want something

as to if you want to start in the fandom as a creator, here's some more tips (which are all based on my experience, I am no pro at doing this, hell Im still learning myself, and I am by no means speaking these on behalf on others!)

establish a goal: what are you making? fandom based? original creations?

as with starting new, everything may take a while for stuff to happen, you'll feel like you're speaking to the void at times (esp with original arts, but do know that your stuff do get perceive by others as time goes, I would advise to draw fandom stuff as a beginning to get that boost going if you want! or else it's going to be quite hard to get things rolling)

imo this is hardest part of any new creator, you'll have to bear with it and try not to give up (but I understand how incredibly demotivating it could get, there were times when I stopped posting about Raven entirely, but eventually I post it anyway cuz surely someone out there will like them, it just takes a lot of patiences and perseverance)

btw, engagement can also vary from time to time, you may be booming for a bit, then suddenly you dont, it is a cycle that will bound to happen

take rest regularly, and I mean a break from social media because numbers, discourse and everything can get to you, very quickly (I cannot emphasise this enough)

the numbers are not worth it over your mental health (comes with practice to really solidify this thought)

study the algorithm (pain): see what other creators are doing to get where they are, what tags are they using in their post? what features/niche do people like?(this is, if you really want to grab some form of engagement, bcuz reminder in the end you are creating art for yourself first!)

example: I think posts would get more reach if you tag it with the ship name first, followed by the characters' name (doesn't work all the time tho)

that's the thing about algorithm, it is ever-changing, and you'll have to learn to adapt with it when it does!

expanding on that, studying algorithm could be about ships (for example, ghostsoap is most popular in the fandom), or really good rendered art/flashed out fic that leaves your jaw on the floor, or ships that gets lesser attention in general which puts you, who make content about them, easier to be brought into the light (like Faralex)

bUT, it can also be personality!

(again, not saying this is meant for everyone and strictly from my own experience + what I observe) for me, I made up the lack of my art by establishing a personality: a wild panda who yaps about price and their oc and also kinda everywhere in the place (just like this post LOL), OR you're the person who named themselves after Soap's ash particle number OR you're the one who likes bottom Ghost- literally anything goes, you want to make an impression in different ways, some more funny/goofier than others but it works (be mindful and stay respectful tho, dont wanna be the asshole in the fandom now do ya?)

efforts ≠ engagement (not all the time, but most time) and this is a fact. Sometimes, you can't expect a piece you did for 10+ hours to get thousands views and likes, especially in a fandom space. You need to understand algorithm is that wonky. (very disheartening, but again, you make the art for you and the few others who genuinely likes them, and those people can go a long way) be mentally prepared for such events, and try not to beat yourself up too much for it

ultimately tho, do it, do it scared but do it anyways and again, draw the things that bring you joy, I hope these could be helpful in some ways!

[jamtamart]

i need to steal your art style i need to learn how you do colours like that please teach me

dhsfkjhdsfkj thank you so much!! honestly i wouldnt know where to start, being completely genuine i dont really have a process i follow (consciously at least), at most its this

pick background colours (the more saturated/bright the better for me)

fill in ~darkest shadows (typically using same colour as lineart)

fill in.. the rest?? i guess?????? LOL. use a brush that has some texture/gaps in opactiy and that background colour will push through, giving a nice tonal underlay and cohesion. you can see that in a lot of my recent painterly stuff!

essentially i kinda just mash together common traditional painting methods that i've used in the past, adjusted to fit digital tools!

i think my biggest tip for colour specifically is dont be scared of saturation- for the longest time my works would really muddy and dull and id always adjust saturation after exporting cause i couldnt make it work- you just gotta go for it! when painting, a lot of colour stuff is relative, thats like the basis of colour theory. use blues in the shadow of pink skin, use an unsaturated yellow in stead of green, etc. a shade/hue that mightve not worked for a piece of clothing in one painting may fit perfectly for the exact same piece of clothing in the next because of the surrounding colours/background/lighting/general tone of the piece- its all very much trial and error, colours working together ^^

(i also post timelapses alongside my art on twitter (and rarely here too) that might help?? i suggest looking at timelpases for any artist you might wanna emulate actually, especially those longer ones on youtube! when i was first starting to draw i do think i learned more from those than any general 'art tips/guide' tutorials online :3 )

hope my rambling is coherent ohrgdkunksnfjkns tysm again!

[supmaww]

the video of my bug becky painting :) unmute for music!

details under the cut 'cause this was a fun piece and I like talking about my work

In case anyone is curious, the song in the background is "A melody better left unknown" from the Blood in The Bayou soundtrack. It's fitting for obvious reasons (RIP Kian ily, you down-bad failed rockstar), but it's also one of my favourite tracks because of how gutted it leaves you!! I'll never forget that feeling of dread when Grizzly started to write the song with Becky. God. My favourite scene of the entire series.

We never truly meet Becky in bitb, but she's my favourite NPC anyways. I could go on and on about her and Kian's relationship (and I have... let me know if you want me to dig up the post) and what could've been. She's the perfect tragic ex-girlfriend for this silly tragic story. She was dead before we ever even meet her.

I struggled a little with the colours of this, mostly trying to get them to show up on my phone. My monitor does not display colours correctly, so it can be tricky trying to make stuff bright and saturated enough while still maintaining the contrast I was looking for. I think I did okay, but ehhh I think it could be improved on. It still looks miles better on desktop. Sorry mobile users.

The flowers, red spider lilies, are an iconic symbol of death. I tried to think of something more unique and less overdone, but fuck it. Straight from google they represent "sad memories, such as last goodbyes or the death of a loved one", plus they're also linked to reincarnation?? Hello??? The fact that they're native to Louisiana and grow in bayous make them all the more perfect. They're Becky's flower, hands down. Plus they're spider lilies. Like the bug (or arachnid). Haha.

It's kinda tricky to see, but the front pieces of her hair floating in the water form little bug mandibles. Probably my favourite part of the piece. I got the idea midway through the sketch and I knew I had to follow through.

Speaking of her hair... it's brown. This is due to the fact I was referencing the very talented @/alkalineleak's becky design and got carried away with my beloved warm colours before remembering that one of the only actual canon descriptors of Becky is that she had black hair. Whoops. I adjusted it a little but alas... It's brown. In a desperate attempt to make her look less like Rachel, I gave her an eyebrow piercing. But it's covered mostly by her bangs. Oh well.

This is probably my first digital painting I've posted since I drew Chip as a werewolf for halloween last year (if I remember correctly). I've improved a ton since then, but I'm still learning. I find with paintings the lack of lines gives you wayyy more freedom but also makes conveying forms much more tricky. Though I like how it turned out!!

My art program crashed a total of four times, two of which seriously set back progress. Consequences of recording a timelapse on a computer that can barely run Clip Studio Paint in the first place. Still not as bad as my goobleck animation... don't talk to me about that

This was all a huge bout of chronic procrastination. I have actual art projects due, figuring that I'm in art school. I'm so screwed. Like a week ago I swore off fanart and yet here I am... didn't last too long did I?

I am no better than Kian and would also die and join the hive for Becky (bug wife! bug wife! bug wife!). I hope they're together in hell.

Okay damn I still have more to say but that's a whole essay and a half, so I'm going to stop myself there. It's also 4am and I gotta head to uni in 3 hours. God. Uhm... Happy halloween go relisten to bitb it's spooky season!! (edit as I am posting this the day after: wow, that was a bad idea)

[evangelina830]

-📌 -

🤍Side blogs

- @catfortress (tf2 fan au ask blog where they are cats!)

- @outofthisworld69 (rp blog for my tf2 sona, Bandit!)

- @evangelina-stories (blog for fics and comics)

🩵Intro

- My sona and about me n stuff

- Hallo! I am Evangelina but u can call me Evan :D and mutuals can call me Miles if they want^^ I love cats (especially my torti, Molly :>), singing, piano, romance, taking photos of the sky/bugs, and art !

- I lack a thing called gender so I kindly ask for they/them pronouns :3

- I’m currently learning Spanish

- Commissions!! - currently open

- Feel free to send art requests through that button, but I can’t promise a fast answer xdd (ocs, other ships than I post, and just questions are fine!)

- Anxiety is apart of me, so apologies if I’m weird sometimes or something x,)) (anxiety disorder augghh)

🚫Boundaries

- DNI - Proshitters, non-con likers, zoophile, AI ‘artists’, racist, homophobe/transphobe, gross people like lolicon, yeah (and anyone that just likes to cause problems lol) - people who enjoy dubious consent also make me uncomfortable, pls shoo

- Don’t trace/repost my art anywhere!! If you want to use it (like for profile), please ask me first. If I say you may, please credit me!

- If we are mutuals, you’re more than welcome to DM me anytime, but I’m not 100% quick at responding x)

- If we are NOT mutuals, please don’t message me unless it’s within reason or you are wanting a commission. (I’ve had plenty DM me constantly and get upset when I didn’t always respond :,3)

- I don’t care for suggestive, so as long as things you post aren’t on the dni list, you’re welcome to follow/interact with me^^

💙Things on my account

- my current interest is TF2! (Sometimes when I find a new interest, that’s all I think about, so I apologies if I suddenly move to something else😭)

- Every fixation in media or so, I have a favorite pairing… and I tend to make fan-kids for them :3 (usually just one), also I like to make other ocs for the fandom

- When i get fixated on said media, pretty much all I think about is that ship… but I love others and I’m not picky! (I love bloody suit lol)

- It’s probably necessary to put that I’m a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope - and somehow at the same time, am I an absolute sucker for romance. So I suppose prepare for cringe (?) on Tumblr dot com!

- I’m always drawng!! Digitally, occasional traditional^^ (crafting included)

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