#genuinely i'm not even all that GOOD at watercolor

[braisedhoney]

do you have a watercolor brand rec? 👀

i'm actually a really big proponent of using whatever's convenient for you, fr. brands vary in price depending on where you're buying them/where you live, what's available, etc. sure there are definitely differences between them, but especially when you're using professional materials it's actually more rare to pick something bad than to stumble on something serviceable.

(whoops this one got long too. under the cut it goes.)

some brands do, admittedly, do certain things better than others. sennelier (a french brand) is known to go down kind of pale/less saturated on the first wash, but they build really really well in glazes and have a luminosity to them that gives paintings a really interesting depth.

daniel smith (an american brand) has one of the largest collections of colors available i've ever seen and their earth tones are gorgeous and really unique.

QOR (not sure where they're based?) has WILDLY saturated colors that bloom so much it kind of looks like fireworks, same with roman szmal.

holbein (a japanese brand) doesn't move much in water at all and thus offers a lot of control to the user instead at the cost of more abstract or dynamic movement in water.

schmincke horadam (a german brand) was hailed as the holy grail of watercolors for a while for their fine pigments and wild dispersal, but that's kind of chilled out these days since so many new players became beloved staples, and some people aren't fans of wild blooming to begin with. in a similar vein, winsor and newton (english brand) has a very extensive history and honestly works as a super "traditional" pick with few surprises but a solid foundation—and none of that is considering the wild variations in properties between student grade paints or the many types of handmade ones that hit the market lol. some brands make great pro but weak student lines, and vice versa.

buuuuuut.

all of that is pedantic when you're starting out, and honestly if you're asking this you're probably looking to get into watercolor. at beginning or intermediate stages where you haven't gone down the fixation rabbithole, all of tha information is more likely to confuse you than help, especially if you don't know what you like or dislike about watercolor yet.

at beginning stages whatever established pro or student brand is available to you is probably good enough to build fundamental knowledge on.

my actual, legit advice is to pick a few colors you like, then if another brand has what you want get it from them. get a small set if that helps and just build with whatever you find lacking, whatever you aren't using can be replaced with something that appeals to you more. there's no need to stick to one specific brand name just because. just don't pick the super chalky ones that come in those huge art packs with the round pans, and you should be fine (and even then, i've seen some people do great art with those! i just don't like when it comes off like dust on my fingers lol.) general rule of thumb i follow is that if they have accurate pigment and lightfastness information, you're going to be fine.

art isn't really all that exclusionary when you do it for fun, it's just an environment where people started making stuff for smaller and more specific audiences to cater to preferences lol. hell, paint with coffee if you want to. life's short and painting is fun, might as well enjoy it for a while.

oh, but do use good paper. blah blah, you've probably heard it before, and trust me we're all just as horrified as you that watercolor paper is so goddamn expensive. but you could literally have The Nicest Paints In The World and they'd look terrible on bad paper that won't let you use the techniques people try to teach you. if you have to pick between good paper and mediocre paints vs bad paper and excellent paints, pick the paper. trust me.

[onyx-syn]

Currently at work but now I'm imagining you giving Buggy a nice head massage from a hard day at work

Just a fluffy image here 💙

A/N: I promise I'll actually write a fic out when I get the chance but for now ✨imagines✨ also in imaging this as LA buggy but either one (LA, anime, or manga) works for this!

Buggy is a very 'flashy' guy, always putting on performances that the audience just 'loves' to watch and witness, of course led by the man himself. Almost setting the entire circus on fire at one point with his magnificent acts... let's just say it was a rough day that day for everyone.

And today was not exception. While at sea, in his personal quarters, Buggy snuggle up deeper into your chest breathing in your scent as he mummers in delight. Your finger tangled in his blue locks -which is surprisingly soft, he tries to keep up with his hair- slowly pulling out them farther, hearing the sweet sounds of enjoyment from your silly man.

You grip his head gently, moving your finger tips in a scrubby motion, giving his head scratches. You can hear Buggy mumble in your chest along the lines of "god it feels so niceeee".

You smile gleefully as you continue to massage his head, sending waves of happiness to him.

Buggy is the type of man where, yes he does beg and whine much of the time for any sort of attention just for shits and giggles at times, he did need some real genuine attention when it was most needed such as now. He always strived for all eyes on him but the only eyes he needed on him was yours.

Buggy lifts his head up, having a very relaxed look plastered on his face. His makeup was smeared just a smidge but not too much. His eyes half lidded as he stared at you, his watercolor eyes glimmering in the lamps illuminating light.

He leans into your touch, speaking, "That... feels... so good... hmmm" he whispers at the end, falling back into your chest. His arms wrap around your waist as he pulls himself closer to you.

You giggle, smiling gleefully at the man you call 'my love'.

"How are you feeling now bugs?" You asked him, curiously. Your hands moving from his soft locks and down to his back, lifting up his vest a bit as your nails move along his back, sending a shockwave of euphoria to him.

He nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, kissing lightly on it as he lets out some mewls of sleepiness.

"Feeling, great, doll" he tells you, giggling lightly as you drag your nails across a spot on his back, around his rib cage, making him feel ticklish.

He may be a killing pillaging pirate, but he had his moments of goodness.

He lifts his head back up to stare at you, smiling maliciously with his red stained lips stick across his beautiful face. You return the smile and press your nose up against his, giving him a bunny kiss before pressing your lips onto his. You knew he was self conscious about his nose, and even then he was still iffy about any sort of loving attention on it, however the bunny kisses slowly won him over.

His presses his lips back onto yours, smirking in the kiss before pulling away. Chuckling at the red stained mark on your lips.

"I love ya, my sugar pie~" he tells you, melting into your touch once more as you now had one hand tangled in his locks of hair, draped over his shoulders and back, and the other hand scratching his back softly.

He pressed his forehead against your chest, letting you kiss the scalp of his sea blue hair.

"I love you too, bugs~"

[therentyoupay]

OH MY GOD are you cool with sharing how your husband proposed to you at Neuschwanstein Castle?!!!!!!!!

sure!!! he did such a good job, i love this story. 😂💕

i presented at a conference in 2022 in europe and dragged my then-boyfriend along lol. he'd never been to europe before! we paid for a one-day private tour around bavaria and neuschwanstein for the last day of our trip.

after going inside the castle (amazing), our tour guides (a duo!) took us to the scary bridge (maria bridge) to get a different view:

please know that my husband is terrified of heights lmao.

while we were on the bridge he was clearly nervous and i—i, who went skydiving two days after i turned eighteen, who loves rollercoasters, who likes adrenaline, generally—was likewise not fully able to take in all the splendor of the fairytale on such a rickety-feeling bridge with so many damn people (and with so many gaps below for phones to potentially slip through!!), so i turned to him and was like, "let's go back."

the man took one look at me, told me, "No," and then fled to the other side of the bridge.

your girl was wearing comfortable footwear, but she had not been planning to chase down her man on a low-key terrifying and crowded bridge over a yawning chasm to a mysterious mountain on the other side, so by the time i got to land, he was already 10 paces ahead. (in retrospect, this should have tipped me off immediately; he would never leave me behind!!! in the moment, i chalked it up to his overwhelming fear of heights and a random burst of self-preservation instincts, but i should have known better, because he would not have left me to die for something as measly as a fear of heights lmao... just proposing 😂)

he would wait for me to catch up on this mysteriously winding dirt (read: MUD) path we'd ended up on after the bridge, but then, as soon as i caught up, he took off up the mountain again. :P

"let's just go back! we don't know what's even over here!"

mind you, at this point, i am now walking this dirt path uphill, and there are like, four people over here, and he's not even holding my hand and watching over me as i make my way up the mountain (like he always does!!!), so now i'm doubly annoyed and wondering why he's desperate to get to the top of this mountain—especially since our tour guides are still waiting for us on the other side of the bridge and are probably wondering where the hell we are.

"not yet!"

by the time we reach the end of the dirt/mud path, i am (a) annoyed, (b) huffing and puffing from the mild sprint we just did up this muddy mountain, (c) pleasantly surprised to find a small, relatively private lookout point with a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL view of the castle.

there is someone there with a canvas, painting in watercolors. a photographer is taking tons of gorgeous photos. there's like seven people in this little muddy clearing and lookout point, total. it's ridiculously beautiful, and all of my Disney childhood and fairytale dreams are totally satisfied lmao. this is the first place near the castle that has been calm.

we're there for a while, completely enjoying the lack of crowds and this totally majestic view.

at last, i am forced to reluctantly admit, "okay, you were right, this fiasco was definitely worth the random mountain hike." i am still a little annoyed, of course, but it's not so bad now. 😂 it's abating.

until he snarks, "this probably would have been a pretty good place to propose, no?"

still annoyed, and now more so, especially since i've been genuinely waiting for him to propose for like six months, i snark back, "well, then maybe next time bring a ring why don't you?"

he dropped to one knee. 😂

the photographer—who was, in fact, just a random passerby taking his own pictures of the majestic castle—sees my then-boyfriend pull a ring out of his pocket and starts ignoring the castle to take 100000 photos of us random strangers in front of the castle instead, as my then-boyfriend-turned-fiancé-now-husband asked me, "will you marry me?"

spoiler alert: i said yes 😂 the photographer later shared all of the photos with us via email and we sent him a nice big coffee shop digital gift card despite his protests. i was desperately clutching my left hand into a crazy-tight fist (with a new big fat diamond on it!!!!!!) as i went back over the too-scary bridge, while my husband held my right hand (finally 😂).

my favorite favorite photo is the close-up of my husband's knee, in which his jeans are completely and utterly covered in mud. 😂😂😂😂😂💕💕

[somecallmejohn]

I highly doubt that Starboy's inclusion to the story and romance with Asha "would have saved" the movie because the people who claim that just genuinely do not care about Wish at all until they saw the concept art and immediately went to war for Disney for the crime of robbing them of their glowstick, even though said robbing never happened considering the amount of fanwork of said glowstick

They care more about the idea rather than the likelihood of how bad or good it's executed

A human star is actually a neat idea, however i do understand why Disney themselves scrapped it because if they did included the star shapeshifter idea, people will just use it as an excuse to accuse Wish of copying Nimona, Stardust and themselves with Genie and Sisu, as if the "homeages" are nonexistent

I don't think anyone would accuse Disney of copying Nimona just cuz the Starboy would be a shapeshifter too. Generally, a shapeshifter isn't that groundbreaking of an idea nowadays, if I'm being honest. Honestly, I think they scrapped human Star just cuz they scrapped the romance in the first place and because he wasn't as marketable as the design of Star they ended up going with.

But yeah, I agree. In my opinion, people are hyping the whole starboy x Asha thing a little too much as if its removal is ultimately what led to the movie to be the mess that it is. They keep thinking of what could have been while simultaneously ignoring that the movie could still have all the issues it has now just with romance sprinkled in it.

But if I'm being honest, what doomed Wish in the first place wasn't the lack of romance, but it was Disney's inability to take risks. Like I love Wish, it's genuinely my second favorite Disney movie(third, if you don't count Frozen 1 and 2 as one thing like I do), but one of the movie's biggest sins along with Valentino is that it played things too safe it didn't take any risks with the story or the characters or the animation or idk what.

Even with the animation style as much as I personally love it, I can tell that the producers were like "Spiderverse and Puss in Boots are really popular for their animation style so let's try a different style for this movie but not too different as it should still be recognizable" and then just slapped a watercolor texture on the typical 3D Disney style we've been used to the last decade and a half.

Huge part of why non-Disney movies like Spider-Verse, Nimona and Puss in Boots: the last wish are so beloved is because there were risks taken when making those movies, whereas Disney has been playing it safe for the last decade and you can feel that certain choices were made to make the films more marketable.

And I don't want to sound like "*scoff* Old Disney is SOOOO much better" because I genuinely can't stand those people and most of the time they bring up the worst reasons as to why old Disney is better, but like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" , a huge mixed bag of a movie that has misfires such as using the G slur multiple times, a not so good representation of Romani people, the gargoyles etc., is still such a beloved movie to this day because of how risky it feels compared to newer Disney movies. Not only does it have a score and a soundtrack like no other movie ever, but it's also one of if not the darkest animated movie Disney has ever created and there's plenty of stuff that wouldn't have been in the movie had it been made today.

[crazysodomite]

artist quastions

1. Art programs you have but don't use

Probably CSP. It's one of the few software I actually legally bought. But their new monetization policy is just not for me. It's a genuinely good program for artists and I may use it again in the future (especially for the 3D functionality. If that hasn't been priced out yet...). I also have SAI installed. It's fun and runs very smoothly. I should use it more often. I also have krita if i want to do frame by frame animation.

2. Is it easier to draw someone facing left or right (or forward even)

I usually flip my canvas often so it's kind of a 50/50. It depends on the character if they're easier to draw facing forward or to the side.

3. What ideas come from when you were little

Man... I honestly don't know. As a kid I wanted to make a pet game (similar to neopets I guess) where you could earn currency and buy stuff and dress up your pet. I still really like pet games and collection games and trinkets. I would love to make a trinket collection game.

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw

Industrial landscapes and scenes. Painting a factory or trains or roads being repaired is fun. Until you actually have to do that....

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

It used to be maybe 90/10. Now its probably 40/60. I used to just. Start a painting and always finish it and post it. I didn't really sketch or doodle stuff without finishing it or give up on paintings and discard them.

Now I like doodling and exploring stuff on my own more. I have a ton of files that are just 20000 layers of different sketches. I also discard artworks much more often.

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it)

I honestly can't tell. People don't compare my work to anything often. I can't tell if it looks like anything...

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

Traditional art. 3d art. Animation of all kinds. Fibre arts. Sculpture. Film. Writing. Theatre. Music. I mean yeah. All. Art. Very broad very vague answer but it's trueee. I appreciate and am inspired by everything I see

Less broadly... Watercolor painters...

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

I am starting to not be interested in anything....... When I was a child I used to have an 'ask blog' of sorts for my characters. I don't really have anything like that anymore :(

9. What are your file name conventions

Gibberish unless it's a commission. Comms get labelled with the customers name.

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

I like drawing the nude figure 💯💯💯. Mmm probably gloves or hi-vis gear. Work clothes. Overalls. Rubber boots. Belts and harnesses.

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

Usually music or youtube videos. I often get anxious and scared so I draw with a single song on repeat to keep my mind off it.

12. Easiest part of body to draw

Arms and legs... Probably... Maybe breasts also.

13. A creator who you admire but whose work isn't your thing

I can't tell. If I admire someone's work I consider it to be 'my thing'. I think there's certain people whose work ethic and drive to create I admire while not really being interested in the subject matter.

I admire artists from dA or FA who draw 'weird' things or their gallery is filled with the same thing over and over, or just people who are laser focused on their subject matter of choice. I'm fascinated by 'widely known in narrow circles' type of thing. I love extremely niche communities 👍

14. Any favorite motifs

Industriallllll..... Concrete. Grime. Rust. Metal. Sparks. Pipes. Wires. Blood and gore. Dilapidated and abandoned places. Small places and things not always noticed. Scary and cute things ^_^

15. *Where* do you draw (don't drop your ip address this just means do you doodle at a park or smth)

Usually just at my desk.

16. Something you are good at but don't really have fun doing

This is a hard one.... I usually choose to draw what I enjoy.

I guess rendering if I was forced to render something I don't like?

17. Do you eat/drink when drawing? if so, what

It depends. I drink tea in all circumstances.

18. An estimate of how much art supplies you've broken

As a child I broke a wacom intuos tablet I got as a gift. Still not over it because it was quite expensive. Don't think I broke anything else unless breaking my computer also counts. I broke several laptops as a child...

19. Favorite inanimate objects to draw (food, nature, etc.)

FACTORY 💯💯💯 Nature and plants too but the prize has to go to industrial infrastructure. Even if I'm not good at it.

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy

Hands 🙌. Animals ? Various textures ?

21. Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways

I can't list them all 🥲 I love to be inspired by artworks that are nothing like mine. I really admire dynamic and expressive cartoon/simplistic styles. Artstyles well adapted for hand drawn animation are also amazing.

22. What physical exercises do you do before drawing, if any

I need to be actually doing this more. Squats, wall angels and just rotating my joints are my usual go-to. I also like to twist myself but idk if that actually does anything. I like hearing my spine crack 😄

23. Do you use different layer modes

I used to use multiply for shading but I don't anymore. I like using gradient maps and Hue/Lightness/Saturation layer modes. I also tend to just cycle through all layer styles to see if anything looks good. Overlay, darker/lighter color, add are useful on occasion. I try to not rely heavily on layer styles because it quickly turns into me agonizing over 2% opacity changes and shifting colors over and over. Instead of actually painting.

24. Do your references include stock images

Yeah. Sometimes. I just google or go on pinterest to find stuff I need.

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

I can't tell. People don't compare my works to anything.

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

I honestly don't know... Everyone has a different interpretation of any work and I enjoy hearing about people's opinions. I can't really recall a 'wild' interpretation...

27. Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff? If so, what is it you draw to warm up with

I try to! It's good practice. Usually it ends up in me hating the first iteration of a painting and re-doing it from scratch. But usually I just draw the pose/composition I want over and over until it looks good enough to proceed.

28. Any art events you have participated in the past (like zines)

Probably. I can't remember though.

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically

I have no idea. I think I'm inspired subconsciously by everything I ever experience. It probably doesn't immediately show in my actual artworks but it's there.

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

All of them 💯💯💯💯💯

I don't really pay attention to how pieces are received. There's pieces I'm proud of and pieces I'm not. Other people either get it or don't...

@gothglam now its your turn ❗

[ap-art-hell]

This is my 3rd piece, and as of writing this post, not done yet. And because I'm literally so ass at naming things, it's so aptly named: "piece 3". Or in my camera roll "piece thing 3"

Of course we start with me racking my brain to make something that looks cool. I was actually sketching this while I was working on piece 2. I did steal elements of this character's design from an AI "art work" that I found on Pinterest. Also while I was making the sketch I wanted to have a deeper meaning. I didn't write it down and if I sat down and thought real hard I could remember, but god, I'm just a little guy with a little brain.

This is a good way through. The background is ink. (Black, metallic green, and pearlescent White) At this time I was really sick of the color green and how streaky my last two pieces where, so I took a lot of time smoothing out his chest (it used to look like this vvv)

Turns out water color actually smooth out when you use water. (I had to google how to make water color smooth.) Oh! And I spilled fucking black ink on it when I was painting the bg. Ggguyuhh!

In all reality I was just aiming for watercolor, ink, and the gold leaf glitter that I was gonna add later. That was the goal, however I showed my art teacher and she said "Zack, you should also use color pencils" this wouldn't be a problem if I liked color pencils. I know this blog is for examining my art, and how I'm making what I'm making; however, I HATE COLOR PENCILS!!! I think they take too long to build up color and if you don't layer them on properly you get the icky paper color. I learned that that last issues I have with color pencils is worse on watercolor paper.

Does the color pencils look good and add details that I probably wouldn't be able to get with just watercolor... Yes. However in just the small area I use the color pencils IT TOOK DAYS. like genuinely! Adding the shading to the skin wasn't that hard, just tedious. The left side of the face gave me a lot of trouble. GOD I JUST COULDN'T GET THE COLORS I WANTED WHERE I WANTED THEM! The amount of fixing was fucking crazy. The hair was fine to do tho. I liked drawing it, even as I struggled to make some parts darker then the others. I'll probably work on the hair tomorrow then start on the finishing touches. I still have to print off fake error sscreen and a DOS box then glitter and little fake diamonds I bought from Michaels

Thought?

[evebsreviews]

Wandering Son - 2002

Where do i start?

Takako Shimura’s 'Wandering Son' is beautiful manga that tackles growing up as a trans kid. The story follows Shuichi Nitori as he goes through life and experiences various feeling of gender dysphoria. As someone who is somewhat transgender, this manga hit incredibly close to home, and if you are trans yourself i cannot recommend this manga more. I'll nudge you to check the manga out before reading this review, as it will have some spoilers. You can read it free on mangadex.

Now, without further adieu, let’s get into what makes this manga so good.

First, I want to compliment Takako Shimura’s artstyle. Scenes often have no background, and if they do, it’s very simplistic. This places more focus on the characters, which of course are the main driving force of manga such as this. I also love the watercolor covers for each volume; their design expands on the cozy vibe of the manga.

Speaking of the vibe, 'Wandering Son' beautifully depicts how it feels to be a young trans person. Although it may be a bit rose-tinted, it’s still outstanding for being written by a cis woman. Shuichi is often depicted pondering his gender identity at night and we see him become slowly more dysphoric as he matures.

Of course Shuichi is not the only lead. Yoshino Takatsuki takes the role of a deuteragonist early on, and is unfortunately slightly phased out of the spotlight later on. She is the transmasc to Shuichi’s transfem, but unlike Shuichi, she doesn't remain trans for the entire story. This kind of feels like a copout, because she outwardly presents masculine for years and even wishes she had a penis at one point, but I'm not going to pretend like that never happens to people. Gender identity can shift over time and it’s important to have a depction of that.

Now, despite the praise I've given this manga, it definitely has flaws.

In chapter 12, Takatsuki gets sexually assaulted by an adult, which is very out of place and sudden in a manga like this. This never gets adressed again and the character who assaulted her never has any consequences.

Shuichi’s partner, Anna, ends up very underutilized in the grand scheme of things, which is sad, as i think her character is one of the most interesting ones in the manga. Despite that, her indifference to Shuichi’s transness is what leads to one of the most impactful panels (at least to me) in the last chapter.

This panel hits you like a brick by the end. The last chapter focuses on Shuichi detailing his experience throughout the manga through his eyes. We are shown the good and bad, everything that has happened to him so far. And right at the end, we see him finally come out as transgender to Anna. Her reaction is of pure acceptance, all she asks him is “Does that mean I'll be a lesbian?” showing that no matter what, she still loves him.

'Wandering Son' has become one of my all-time favourite manga since i’ve read it and it’s a huge shame that Takako Shimura’s work is severely underrated. Regardless of it’s flaws, i think it’s one of the best manga depictions of transgender themes i’ve read. If you still haven’t read it (despite my suggestion in the opening) i genuinely think you should at least give it a try.

And with that, my first review comes to a close. Hope you liked reading it! The next one will be up at some point, i’m planning on doing one of evangelion but if you have suggestions, submit them! I'll at least try to look over any suggestions.

[galateaencore]

Writers Asks 8/26/2024

thank you @vossn for the procrastination opportunity

When did you start writing?

technically age 8 when I wrote a mystery/detective story that I didn't know how to finish. but I started making these "visual novels" about a group of animal friends who go traveling the countryside when I was 6ish, and honestly, counts.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading more than what you write?

if I enjoy reading something, I immediately want to copy it but better, so no. that said, I'm not as good at humor as I want to be.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

ughhhhh. certain circles would def clown me for thinking I could even try, but writing-style and philosophy-wise, Babel, Zhadan, McCarthy. within my fanfic genre I do genuinely like Sapkowski; I don't want to emulate him in everything, but the way he makes his worlds both esoteric and down-home familiar is paralelled only in Pratchett and the Strugatsky brothers.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

my house lol. I mostly write (and do most other things) in bed. it's a california king with an unreasonably expensive but totally worth it italian silk and down blanket. the furniture is a mix of MCM, chippendale, ikea, and baroque (all 100% authentic because fuck you). it faces a north-side inner courtyard so is usually dark, and it has excellent sound isolation. the walls have my collection of watercolors, ink prints, embroideries, and Found Things. there is a nude woman with the head of a fish, a smoking chimney pipe, and two japanese schoolgirls walking away from the viewer, and a high-concept print of a bison herd from a lithuanian artist that is called the great migration. i don't listen to music. sometimes i light incense.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

sit your ass down and start writing

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

talking about one's own themes is a bit masturbatory, but that's what this tumblr is for. I always come back to small people surviving in big systems, the pull of one's own history, and coping with being a stranger. also, is fucking a theme? or is that a plot, or a narrative device?

What is your reason for writing?

graphomania

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

honestly any comment leaves me shrieking. that said, my favorite thing about writing for rarepairs and small fandoms (and both) is that you're much likelier to attract other obsessed weirdos who get you on a cellular level. a comment from a person like that is my favorite type of comment.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I mean, as being brilliant and their favorite, but that isn't saying much.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I want every scene to feel like it's really happening, like you personally know the people talking, and like the narration isn't even there except when it's being beautiful and incisive. there's a point in talent and skill when the writing becomes both effortless and unforgettable, and clearly I'm not there because I can't even describe it without falling into meaninglessly broad adjectives and conceptual kitsch.

How do you feel about your own writing?

It's pretty good but not transcendental.

When you write, are you influenced by what others enjoy or might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

This is a stupid question: the reader doesn't know what they'll enjoy reading until they read it, and your one job as a craftsperson is to figure out what that is and give it to them. That it also happens to be something that excites you is why you do this job and they don't. In a fanfic context, I exclusively write weird formless shit that a mother couldn't love (The Blob of writing), but I *know* there is at least one weirdo out there who will enjoy what I post, and everything that I post is for them.

paging @dclcq and @holylustration

[dennydraws]

The importance of doing something different

Hello, hello! Good Morning \o/ I was in a bit of a rut some weeks ago. I'm sure we all get those waves of insecurities where we think everything we do is just ... bad, everything we say is bad and everything we think is bad, our friends think we're bad too! Ironically thinking all that is also bad... lol And usually in a couple of days the clouds move away and we see the sun once more. But I'm here to talk about the clouds and all the "It suuuucks and you suuuuck" moments our brains like to slip in our every day life every once in a while.

I found the best way to deal with them is to ...actually do something different! My brain was super against the idea though, at least at first. The brain just wanted to, ya know draw something it perceived as poorly or say something that it perceived as poorly to someone, and then agonize for hours about how bad it was, and the loss of meaning to all existence!! Woe is me...!!! And I was right here about to end it with a "ok but let's try something different."

And... I think you should try something different in such moments as well!

I pulled my lil block of sculpey, which thankfully was still in stellar condition, and started to just do little figurines of random favorite blorbos. And let me tell you, I had a blast.

Not only I hadn't touched sclupey for like over 10 years and some but I hadn't touched acrylic paints in about 10 years either. There was an absolute childish glee in me the more messy and into the craft I got. I think my favorite part was getting acrylic paint on my hoodie lol I felt genuinely so happy that I got so lost into the process I splatted paint on my pristine clean clothes xD; I know it's silly but now looking at the stains, it just reminds me of a very crafty evening I had.

And the next day... I felt recharged. The clouds weren't all gone but they were mostly moving away and I learned a good lesson. Burn out happens so quick, so fast - sometimes even from things we thought we enjoy doing. But by doing something new we strip away the expectations of being 'good' and so we are pleased by whatever the outcome is. Do an origami, paint a little pebble, do a little scrapbooking, drop blobs of watercolors and see how the colors mix - do something different for fun, for yourself, without a purpose beyond to just try it.

Now that I have a mini set of acrylic paints, I think I will splat some colors in my sketchbook next time I get the glooms and dooms cause I've never used them for drawing. I've only used them for coloring figurines :D I hope I make a messy page in my sketchbook that will spark joy whenever I see it, just like the stains on my favorite hoodie lol

Thank you for stopping by, dear reader and hopefully this was a useful little ramble from yours truly. :D

[ram-bam-writes]

1. Holy shit, thank you: I actually wanted to read it, but assumed you wouldn't drop the essay. Lovely piece of work, especially the poem. Kind of gives me insight on how you view him.

2. Even if you are over it--sending you love and healing. I was also a medically neglected kid, and it's a feeling to hear other's experiences. Not sure what to name it yet still.

3. Bio bitch, as a term made me laugh. It was unexpected and apt! A new one.

4. I love your humour--your writing belies your personality, which very faceted (this is a compliment, idk if it comes across the way I intend) and a mix of humour, weathered-hey-so-it-happened-and-I-survive, and reason.

5. "I blame circumstance for it all" gasping at the brevity and impact.

6. The way you weaved in mental health with this? Immaculate. It's a perspective I haven't even thought of before, and thank you for sharing that, genuinely. It was lovely, and one of the nicest I've came across this year.

7. Thank you for tagging me! I might have missed it, I wasn't checking my notifs. Very kind of you :)

8. Ps-- "I need this man to fuck me through the mattress " and subsequent notes? I hope both sides of your pillow remain cold.

1. Ehehehe, I'm not shy about posting my work. I like sharing things I've written, especially like that one, because there's more to it that I think is important. And thank you! I think I've written over 8 pieces of poetry for/about him, now. I truly am obsessed.

2. I think that's the biggest part of why I wanted to share it. So much happens to people as a kid, and sometimes it's easy to self-blame or even believe you to be the only one. I like sharing experiences so people know they ain't alone, even if that's not necessarily a good thing (if that makes sense, given we shouldn't have gone through it I'm the first place). I think one reason I'm happy I'm comfortable talking about it is for that reason. I want people to feel safe around me, and I reckon they can do it easier if they know I've been through hardships similar to theirs. Might make them more comfy talking to be when they need help

3. One of my personal fav's :>

4. Writing was actually what helped me get through it all (I suppose over-it might be the incorrect word, since it's less about getting 'over' what happened, rather getting through/past it and accepting what happened was bad and continuing to thrive in the face of hardship). I'm in love with that analysis; I hadn't noticed I had such a style, but the more I think about it, a lot of my work flows that way (I've done an informational one on explaining what watercolors are and the tools involved, while slipping in a few narrative paragraphs about how it brought be out of my SH and depression.

5. :>

6. As someone who was actually tested for DID and Schizophrenia because of how *badly* I'd dissociate to these worlds of characters, I figured it was something to point out, especially with how it started and what it turned into. Once my therapist made the connection after ripping open my childhood with such precision, I felt like it was something that needed to be expressed. I think there can be guilt to loving a character (especially if the Fandom has bad people in it), and I don't want there to be. I think the characters you like may reflect what you didn't have as a child, or the exact opposite, and sometimes is needed to have a sense of... completion within yourself. Characters you love can be a big part of your identity, I reckon, too.

7. I figured you might wanna see it :>

8. I've never heard this turn of phrase so I pray this is a good thing... ehehehe

~~~~~~

Much love 🩶🪽

~Hermes

[kachikirby]

Hello! Hope you are having a fine day!

I have a question, who's your favorite artist? Sorry if it's kinda like a sudden question, is that i am genuinely curious about what artists inspire you, because your art is so lovely and awesome!

I've been having a great day, thanks! I'm glad that you think my art is lovely and awesome, even though I don't think it stands out too much compared to a lot of other lovely people on this site.

As for my favorite artist, that's a hard question. I have a lot of artists I like, even if we boil it down to just Tumblr or Twitter users, but I feel the most influential artists on my style that I can say are probably my favorite are two artists primarily known for SD Gundam works named Susumu Imaishi and Kouji Yokoi.

(More under the cut since this might be a bit long)

Susumu Imaishi does a lot of the little comics in SD Gundam and his Legend BB art was what primarily inspired me. Especially with his varied expressions in these comics.

Another major artist is Kouji Yokoi, who does a lot of Gundam-related art. He's also one of the main people working on the SD Gundam franchise and is the original creator. He's also done stuff for other mecha series, Godzilla, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman, but I mostly associate him with SD Gundam.

I'm not really going to post his other works, but I do want to mention that the mangaka Tamori Wataru's manga for the SD Gundam carddas booklets has also been an influence on me due to all the expressions he uses for the characters.

Side note, I'd also like to shoutout Knight Gundam Story manga artist Hoshino Ryuichi since he has had a bit of influence on my art style.

EDIT: JA;WEJIAW;EOIJ I FORGOT TO MENTION TITE KUBO!! I LOVE HIS ARTTTT AND CHARACTER DESIGNS

I'm also just gonna drop a few specific artists on Twitter I love who might have influenced me because of how much I like their work.

中西達郎 (Tatsuro Nakanishi) - Love a lot of their art. Also a published mangaka. Jumpscares me whenever they bookmark one of my pieces on Pixiv because they follow me there.

Crafty_121 - An absolute sweetheart, I love how soft her style is.

三輪士郎/Shirow Miwa - Does a lot of stuff for mobages and FGO, but you can tell they love it. They even did an SD Gundam piece that lives rent-free in my head.

八八二三 - I LIVE for their Gundam gijinkas they are SOOOO good.

氷水 (aka IceWater) - Partially biased since I was a contributor to two of their SD Gundam fanbooks, but I love their watercolor drawings a ton. Also, they once did a short animation TRADITIONALLY and I highly respect them for it.

あまきな (aka haguma_karasu)- Ok, so on my server, we have a sort of in-joke where someone yells "WAKE UP BABE NEW HAGUMA KARASU PIECE DROPPED!" whenever they post a new piece and it's like a massive event on the server. And that's for a good reason, their art goes H A R D.

麦茶 (aka yuuno0) - A sort of mini celebrity on my personal server due to being the first major SD Gundam artist to do FGO and SD Gundam crossover art. I've commed them before. :3

coconutsan1 - They don't post much anymore, but when they do, it's great. Also one of the few artists that does Saddrac Knight Saga fan art, which is like a rarity even in the JP SD Gundam fandom.

tabolow01 - There's something strangely wholesome to them, probably one of the most influential fan artists on my own style. I love their detailed SD Gundam guides and how they redraw memes taking them completely seriously.

Moyashi - I love their art because of how haunting it feels, even when it's a more optimistic piece.

[aviatrix-ash]

Gave away some of my watercolor planes to some very kind folks who helped me get thru these last couple of years of plane fixing school. 2 of what I feel are my best pieces yet. My Airframe instructor got the Constellation. We've been geeking out over large radial piston powered planes a lot the last couple of years. She encouraged me to break out my sketchbook in class and draw out diagrams and airplane parts to help better understand their forms and functions. She showed me her collections of sketches from her time in A&P school and how she did the same. We both see aircraft and building/repairing them as forms of art in their own ways. And they really are. Old planes and homebuilts especially are all handcrafted with care and love.

I'm giving my L-1011 to the nice old grandpa who's been giving me tons of tools and learning resources as well as all the advice in the world to navigating and surviving the potentially treacherous world of aviation maintenance. For years he's been teaching me all sorts of stuff about planes ever since I started hanging out at the plane museum. He doesn't know it, but those days were the most important to me then. I don't know where/if I'd be if I didn't experience true kindness like him and many others at this airport had shown me when I needed it most.

Anyways, felt good. It makes me immeasurably happy when I know people see and like the things I make. Even more so when I can give and share it with those who have shown me genuine kindness. We truly need more kindness in the world. :]

[doctorguilty]

Some random thoughts

One of the worst things art professors did to me in college was insist I wasn't allowed to have a lined notebook as a sketchbook for class. I had to use a proper sketchbook. Before that happened, I would fill lined notebooks passionately with art, but for whatever reason I'm my brain, I just can't do it with plain blank paper..

So I didn't do good on the class sketchbook assignments anyway because the quality of what I did was shit if I ever did it at all. And I really internalized the whole thing, because the way I felt belittled and mocked.. so i tried to stop using notebooks, I tried every kind of sketchbook I could find, big, small, thin paper, thick paper, textured, off white.. I just drew less and less for pleasure. It genuinely fucked me over. And for what?? I do less art, I'm less passionate about it, because notebook paper is too pedestrian? Yeah so worth the tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt I'll have for the rest of my life. (I could talk at length about how I wish i had more agency and did everything different about college entirely but.. that's a whole other thing)

Over the years I've gone back to my notebooks and have done a good amount in them, though I still couldn't get over some of my reservations, like how i shouldn't waste my Good drawing materials on lined paper .. I'd stick to pencil, ballpoint pen, fine tipped inking pen/sharpie, thick sharpie, and cheap markers like Crayola and whatnot (and highlighters though I still LOVE coloring with my highlighters)

It's been a rough past several years, I've barely done any art both traditional and digital alike.. but I'm working on changing that. I busted out a notebook recently and have been doing some doodles and I decided not to hold back using the fancy stuff, like these really nice watercolor markers I think bog may have given to me cause he didn't see himself using them? Idk where else I would have gotten such nice markers. They're SO nice. I'm using them on the lined paper. If I use them up I'll get more. It's not the end of the world. (I'm really trying to live more of the "use the nice things now, don't wait for a special occasion that never comes" philosophy in general)

I'm going to like Michael's or whatever when I can and picking up some colors and things I want and don't have, cause they sell like lose stuff like that..

Anyway just some thoughts.. as I procrastinate going to sleep even though I gotta get up in ~4 hours to go to the doctor 🥲

[queen-of-midnights]

Dreamer of Light

Masterlist

Word count: 1 k

Chapter 9

"Amren"

Amren's house was just as I expected, dark and luxurious, just like her. When she took a look at me, she couldn't help but laugh. Looking at my messy wings, she ushered me inside.

"You tried to take care of them yourself, no? Mine looked just as bad as yours do after baths. Ah, I missed the messy wings. Come, now. We must take care of them." She chuckled darkly as I was led to her bathroom, all covered in black marble. I sat on a stool as she got to work, plucking some of the feathers that were past their time, hissing at the slight pain.

"It's necessary to kep them clean, I heard about your little power display on the roof this morning. Explain it." Her voice was a little strained, I wonder why.

"Well, I had my first quiet and peaceful moment in a while, I could truly connect and feel everything, the life and energy in the air, the could wind of the morning, souls, lost and found, matched and not, the sound of leaves carried on by that same wind. I felt as if, for only a second, I was everything. It was..right, it felt right. " I closed my eyes trying to remember the feeling.

"That means you are trying to harmonize with your powers, a merge of sorts, it is a good sign. There, all done." I hummed, content with the result, but gasped when I saw Amren's hands, which were now burnt on the palms, so I took them in mine.

"Are those from my feathers? Oh Gods Amren, why have you not said anything?" She shook her head, getting up to search through her drawers.

"It's alright. Don't worry, I got something to fix my hands up. We are polar opposites, so of course there are these kinds of efects. It is something like fire and water." She found her burn mixture, and I took it from her hands and applied it gently.

"Still, I'm sorry." She hummed while relaxing after I wrapped up her burns.

Later on, we found ourselves in her living room, which was full of blacks, goldens and reds. The room was just as lavish as her jewelery collection, which shone nearly brighter than any star in Velaris. Her plush couch was incredibly soft, covered all in deep red velvet. I sunk in it immediately after I saw it.

Amren started briefing me on more introductionary matters as we shared one or two glasses of wine until a shocker came along.

"I have to drink what now?" I stared at her, unable to process her words. What in the actual f-

"You heard it right the first time. Blood." She got up and went to a cabinet of hers to get out a small glass bottle of dark liquid, the metallic smell immediately covering the air. She worked around on a small table for a few minutes, and presented me with a glass.

"It is not human nor fae blood, it's animal. You can take it slowly, but it'll help with your strengh-" Before she could finish, I took a leap of faith, snatching the glass from her and took a huge sip.

"I feel disgusted to say that it is good. Great even." She chuckled darkly while nursing her own glass.

"My own recepie. It contains different kinds of spices to help make it more enjoyable." I hummed, as we continued to chat, getting to know one another, I told her about my watercolor paintings, while she showed me a room full of different sized jewels, there was a literal sea of them.

I had to admit that my favorite ace in her house would be the balcony, the view over the city was breathtaking.

"Amren, what is the thing you most desire?" She hummed, closed her eyes and thought for a moment.

"To be able to go back home, and take Varian with me." She then seemed to have remebered something. "Ah, yes, and, did you know that Starfall is only a week away?"

I hummed, Starfall, my sister told me stories of it, but I wished to see it for myself.

"We have a tradition for it. Us both. The warriors of the Gods, the night before Starfall, we have a ritual where we paint our skin with starlight and gift our respective mates a gift made by our hand. That's how I met mine." Amren showed an incredibly rare genuine smile and it suits her.

"But how can we gift them anything when we have no idea who they are or how to find them? And I know basically nothing about the matter or these special bonds." I sighed while leaning more into the soft velvety sofa.

"Mates are two individuals that fit in some way, are meant to be equals and The Mother paired them together through this magical bond, a golden theather that snaps into place at some respective time. And, there is a special kind of fire that only the old realm can summon, that will send the gift to the other end of that hidden and dormant teather." I took a moment to process everything.

" But you never mentioned the word love, so that means that the bond is open to.. Interpretation?" She nodded.

"Yes, not all unfortunately live a happy life, unlike Feyre and Rhysand, some whose darkness consumes any form of happiness possible." Her face darkened and a siver ran down my spine.

" But if you refered to them as equals that means..." If I have monstruous powers that have been dormant up until now..

"Yours is incredibly powerful, yes." Hm, I still don't know what to think of that, we shall see, but still, my heart beats faster.

"So, what do you think, would you like to try?" Something in me told me that this was right, this was home.

"Absolutely." We both grinned and decided to plan along what we would make.

[miqojak]

What’s their love languages? / What’s something that reminds them of their partner(s)? Do they have anything on them daily as a reminder (a photo, phone background, tattoo, clothing/accessory, etc)?

OC Ship Asks

@irisopranta for also asking the second one!

(( In which I gush about the effects @throneoflevin 's Ketsuchi has had on Jak over the years! ))

Her love language is, perhaps shockingly, acts of service! A good bit of it is cultural, and how doting she saw her parents being with each other (I'm sick of seeing negative representations of Seeker life!) - but her tribe really valued everyone pitching in, and taking care of one another! Life in the desert is rough - so true care is taking that time and effort you could use for yourself/your own survival, and giving it to your family/those who matter most!

There's also the fact that she is a rather selfish person these days, who doesn't care how her words or actions affect others - she is who she is, and fuck what others think! So... what's more telling than an egotistical, powerful person being willing to serve another, to show their devotion? Caring what that person thinks, and going out of your way to do for them - something you wouldn't do for anyone else. She's never really understood (romantic) love, never really believed in it! And while neither she nor her partner will say the L word, nor even truly call what they have dating... they are both powerful, action-oriented people easily intimidated by the perceived finality/vulnerability that words feel like they bring (she also thinks he would feel like he's betraying his dead wife if he said he loved Jak, but she's okay with that - she never expected anyone to love her, so it's already mind-blowing to her that he cares about her!).

All that said, behind closed doors she loves to cook for him... and given that she loves hot baths? She adores long, hot baths with her 'Wolf' - and bathing him! It's not even about sex so much (initially) as it is the intimacy of washing this person to whom she has given herself, and being vulnerable - showing him that she's putting him first, and listening to him, and valuing him... as much as she values herself, if not more. They've actually verbally agreed that their actions say everything to one another that they need to know!

As for the reminder of him? That came about once they stopped posturing and fighting so much, and really sort of committed to genuinely letting their walls down for one another - not only did she give him a key to her home... but she got a tattoo that represents a nickname he gave her (a once sort of mean-spirited tease that's become a 'pet name' now really xD) - of a robin! It's a watercolor robin in flight, under her left breast, across her rib cage! And a fun secret about her tats is that they all represent a facet of herself! So it was MASSIVE that she put something permanent on her body, for one, that's out of affection and devotion to another person; it's HUGE because she railed against this moniker for so long; it's mind-blowing, really, because that... to her, is...almost like admitting to a measure of 'control' that someone else has in her life, it's admitting that the 'Little Robin' is, in fact, a facet of her, and a facet of her that's just for him. And an even more fun fact about it all is that her sketchbook is essential to her, and the only people that tend to end up in it are ones that are important to her - and perhaps most notably, she never uses color...except on his portraits, where she colors his eyes. Also notable is that none of her tattoos have color... except that robin. I don't think she knows how to articulate it, but he... brings color to an otherwise unbearably droll existence. He... gave her reasons to fight. Reasons to live... when she had none. So yes - she quite literally carries him close to her heart, his influence imprinted in her flesh not just in levin scarring, but in her own acknowledgement of his impact/influence. (Though that is all very sweet, if it were phrased that way to her, she'd probably roll her eyes at the romanticized language used, lol)

[totally-not-deacon]

15 Questions

Tagged by @adventuresofmeghatron, thanks a ton! I'll tag @singleteapot @rockerboyrepo and @bokatan if y'all wanna

1. Are you named after anyone? 

I am! My first/legal name is after a musician(v big in the 90s not saying anything else), and my middle name is from my grandpa.

2. When was the last time you cried? 

I swear I'm not trying to sound edgy, but I genuinely can't remember. I'm not very good at opening up, including by myself.

3. Do you have kids? 

Nononono, GODS no. I do not have the temperament for children.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Eh, sometimes. I lean more towards dry and/or lightly-absurdist humor these days, but it's definitely in there. I was absolutely intolerable as a teenager though.

5. What sports do you play/have you played? 

I don't any more, but I used to play soccer for years. My clearest memory of playing was when I broke a girl's kneecap when she decided to use said knee to block an already in motion kick.

I don't feel all that bad - the girl was a nightmare to pretty much everyone.

6. What's the first thing you notice about other people?  

Hair - voice - scent, mostly in that order. No clue why, but that's usually what sticks with me most on first meeting.

7. Eye color?

Brown, technically, but they're essentially black. It has made getting my pupil distance measured for glasses a bit of a pain in the ass.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Both! Though I prefer my horror to NOT have a happy ending, I like em pretty much everywhere else.

9. Any special talents? 

Uh.... I've got a good green thumb, even got tropicals growing in the desert once. Oh! I know how to navigate by the stars! I learned it in scouts as a kid and just never forgot how.

10. Where were you born?

The not-so-great state of Texas. My hometown is cool af tho - well assuming you don't mind the traffic during Fiesta every year. Ouch, that I do not miss.

11. What are your hobbies?

Getting frustrated at learning watercolor right now lmao. I'm not very good, but I crochet sometimes to keep my hands busy. I can pump out beanies and some scarves no problem.

12. Do you have any pets? 

I do. My cat Groovy is the best little gremlin. My tiny pain in the ass <3

13. How tall are you?

5'2 and still mad about it

14. Fave subject in school?

In high school, probably Chemistry. College... I think I'll have to go with my Southern Gothic Literature class. It was hard as hell, but it's easily become my favorite genre of novels.

15. Dream job?

Can I say none? Rather, I flip flop a lot so it's hard to pin down. Some days I wanna live in a massive city working in cybersec and have a tiny apartment of my own, others I have to resist the urge to walk into the woods and not come back. It's my understimulated self vs my dislike of being around people. A neverending war, I'm afraid.