#get the only good art advice on the internet here ->

[softausterity]

hold on new pinned post because the last one is so old it shows up in an entirely different post editor

hi i do art :) you can do whatever you want with my art use it for pfps / study it / trace it / steal it / etc etc. all my personal work is CC0 1.0 (as for commissions i retain all rights unless otherwise stated) i truly don't care i do this to get demons out of my brain

i love persona 5 royal & ai: the somnium files (so have spoilers for those filtered if you haven't played them yet) and i have a lot of smart & correct thoughts about them. send me asks about them i love talking about video games on the internet. and send art requests i love art requests!!

more details about things i like under the cut, send asks about any of these and i'll love you forever VVVV

about persona 5, i've played royal, strikers, and tactica, i've also played p3 and p4 + the arena games

i've played both AITSF games, and every ZE game. clover is my baby

i've also played ghost trick, and i've played the original AA trilogy, the Ace Attorney Investigations games, and the TGAA games

i think the "oh i like this but i hate it because of the fandom" thing is a little overplayed, like, you know, there's a lot of annoying people online if a media gets popular it's going to be- like whatever right. but danganronpa fans are unbearable for the main reason of just not being able to admit they actually like the video game they like. i liked danganronpa! thought it was good! "i hate these games but-" live a little, man.

some of my other favourites games are portal, smile for me, the stanley parable, slime rancher, deltarune, slay the princess, slow damage, and higurashi

some of my favourite anime are anohana, madoka magica, serial experiments lain, revolutionary girl utena, and talentless nana

haven't watched the dunmeshi anime yet but i read the manga 👍

my favourite movies are perfect blue, scream, and heathers

i've read one* book in the past 5 years and it was house of leaves (*fiction. i read political theory.)

i am always taking media recommendations!

[bee-nutauthor]

Dimitrescu Sisters If they were Content Creators Headcanon (for fun)

Bela Dimitrescu

-The most wholesome, mom-esque content ever

-Will give you good life advice, whether it be shopping tips on how to get more groceries for less, or tips on how to manage your finances

-Makes cooking videos, sewing videos, make up videos, candle making videos, nail painting vidoes- basically anything to do with crafts and she's probably done it

-Speaks in a calm tone, has mellow music in the background

-Uses very calm colors in her videos, meaning her shirts are in cool tones of blues, grays, whites, and blacks.

-Her backdrop is a clean and organized space- a light wood bookshelf, plain walls, some minimalist flower vases, and a diffuser

-Is very organized with her schedule. Her videos are always up at the same time and day, and she follows a rotating schedule of what topics she will make videos for

-Controversies? None, unless you count the time she roasted a company who wanted her to do a paid promo for actually being toxic and causing them to shut down

-She is affectionately called 'Internet Mom'

-She does not understand the 'sorry, mommy' jokes and does not wish to

-Does not collab with other content creators, which lead to a conspiracy theory whether she actually existed in real life or was a robot

-Is sponsored mostly by clothing brands

Cassandra Dimitrescu

-She is a storytime channel, telling the most outlandish stories ever

-And they're all true. Her life is just like that

-She travels a lot for work so often she'll film travel vlogs or behind the scene vlogs

-Collabs all the time with other content creators

-Always has famous people on her channel

-Does Q and A's

-Her video uploading schedule is not super consistent due to her traveling a lot, and sometimes she'll post several videos in a row and then there will be nothing for a long time

-She has cycled through 5 public relationships within the first three months of her channel

-Has released music videos on her channel and is planning on releasing a full album. She always puts a lot of effort into her sets and costume design. Her singing is amazing as she's classically trained and can do opera too

-Has starred in other content creator's mini series on youtube and always draws the most views in

-Outfits are always changing depending on if she's traveling or making music videos

-Has made a few comedy skits here and there

-Controversies? There is a lot of drama circling around her and who she's hooking up with or who she'll go for next. A few people tried to call out her melodramatic behavior and instead of making an apology video Cassandra winked at the camera, sent the viewers a kiss and said "you know you love me like this," and ended the video like that.

-She was right. Her views only skyrocketed after this

-Gets many sponsorships, but donates the money from them to art or dance studios

Daniela Dimitrescu

-A streamer, she streams several hours a day in a row

-She does games mostly, with the occasional video filming her attempt to cook some horrific dish she found on the internet such as the toducken

-Has posted a few videos of herself doing tricks on her skateboard

-Has posted a few videos of her work out routines. Those have millions of views for reasons relating to her crop top and abs

-Has a set up with RGB lights in the back, and a mini fridge full of energy drinks

-Has the latest technology to play games on, but wears the same outfit almost always to her streams: a black tank top, a black hoodie with neon green writing on it, and a pair of headphones with cat ears on top

-Has dyed her hair many times but commonly sticks with her red hair, shaved on one side

-Has tattoos of her favorite video game characters on her arms and legs

-Will stream with other players and has done a handful of collabs but prefers playing single player games

-Rarely sleeps and has done several 24 hour streams for charity

-Controversies? She was accused of cheating when doing a speedrun but it was only the haters claiming she couldn't play

-Sponsored by raid shadow legends and other game companies

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hi. I heard you answer questions about sex ed and I can't ask anyone this irl since none of my friends talk about any sex that isn't super cishet and allo.

I'm kind of worried I'm asexual and of course I'm ok with other people doing whatever they want with their lives and not having sex whenever and however they want, but I really don't want to not have sex. Except that whenever I think about having sex with a person I'm instantly disinterested. like even fantasizing about myself having sex in a nonspecific disembodied way turns me off.

I worried for a while that it was because I was scared of my body (like a vagina-fear/dysphoria sort of thing, which was probably true) or just didn't have any sex drive, so to figure it out I started trying to masturbate when I was sixteen (my parents tracked my search history on my phone so I actually had to go to the library and find a sex ed book in the adult section and hide the cover with my jacket while I read it just to memorize the diagrams so I could figure out where the hell the clitoris was lmao) and I did like it and was capable of feeling good and orgasming and whatever. but even after I knew that it felt good and I do have a sex drive I'm still not interested in having sex with other people (I'm eighteen now for context, so its been a while). I can't think of one person I would ever even theoretically want to have sex with, including people I know, famous hot people, fictional characters, nothing. I don't want to be asexual but I feel like I have to be because I don't want to have sex with anyone. How can I be asexual if I don't want to be, or am I even asexual? what if I just have high standards, or I haven't met someone I really like yet? what if I am ace and I'm just being ace-phobic because I've internalized the cultural norms that 'sex equals humanity'? I keep having this mental loop where I think about possibly being asexual then I conclude that I'm definitely not asexual then I start thinking about it again. I know I'm supposed to define my own identity, but if I think I'm allo but all of my feelings are the types of feelings everyone says is ace, then what am I?

obviously you're not the mind-reading wizard rabbi of the internet so you can't divine my sexuality from an ask, but do you at least have any advice for figuring it out?

thanks for listening, sorry for the tmi

hi anon,

let's take a big deep breath and calm down a little, okay? it seems like you're overthinking yourself to bastard death and that's not going to help anything at all.

listen, man: the only thing that makes someone asexual is if they decide that's something they want to call themselves. like it's literally just a word to use or not use, and it sounds like you really don't want to use it. labels are meant to be helpful in letting people express something about themselves, so if a label doesn't spark joy, don't use it. simple as that. not wanting to call yourself asexual is no more phobic than me not calling myself a lesbian - I don't have a problem with lesbians, I just personally don't happen to be one.

it sounds like the main thing getting you down here is that you're 18 and like jacking off but haven't ever super wanted to have sex with someone, which is, like, oh man that's so normal. some people just don't have a very high sex drive as it pertains to other people, dude. you've likely only met an extremely small portion of the people you're going to meet in your entire life, and you're going to have feelings and relationships and experiences you can't even begin to imagine with all the people you're yet to meet.

in the meantime, let's channel all of the energy you're spending worrying about being asexual into something that will actually make your life cooler and more fun. might I recommend reading a nice book or perhaps doing some manner of art?

[saiscribbles]

What are your future plans for your channel btw? Although I like your content criticizing Lily, I think it’s best for you to move away from her because her time on the internet is a huge trash fire that never leads to anything good.

I’d personally really like to see you talk more about Hazbin Hotel or Steven Universe! Your streams are really fun and I love having them on the side while I work. :)

BOLD OF YOU TO ASSUME I HAVE A PLAN!

Much like I never actually intended to start a Steven Universe AU series I never actually intended to become a YouTuber in the first place.

Here's the story:

For years now I've been doing a stream weekly on Twitch where I just talk with chat while drawing. One day Hiding in Public/Private released a couple of great videos on old SU hate videos, including Lily's infamous "Steven Universe is Garbage and Here's Why".

Not too long after that Lily released "Was I Wrong About Steven Universe?" as a nakedly obvious response. I thought hey, wouldn't it be funny if one stream I just react to this video? Just for funsies? To see if Lily has actually changed her mind on anything?

What I didn't expect was I'd end up spending like half an hour explaining Shoujo Kakumei Utena of all things during that video reaction.

I was kinda impressed with my own recall of Utena despite not having watched it in full in over a decade. So I thought eh for funsies lemme cut down that part and slap it on my account. Which is the same account I've had since 2006. I've put videos up there just for my friends and small number of fans before, as you can see from this Minecraft video from 11 years ago I filmed and edited for my friend for her birthday.

And then that Utena video got 5k views. On my completely unestablished YouTube channel. And I was like... huh. I knew people are annoyed by Lily Orchard but damn.

By that point I had also already decided to react to Lily's video on the Steven Universe Movie the next stream. Cause obviously the SU movie is something pretty near and dear to me that I know very well. And Lily's video was SO BAD and had so many OUTRIGHT LIES in it I thought well hell, let's cut down the two SU reacts into a video too!

It'll probably get like 10k views tops.

And then I'll just fuck off back into the shadows whence I came.

And I suddenly found myself with 3,000 followers.

And I suddenly found myself monetized.

And that video just passed 200k views now. In 3 months.

So I was like... well shit. Now I have this new audience over here on YouTube. I should probably actually give them something. I mean the added revenue stream is nice but I'm not looking to become a career tuber. Mostly I felt like I owed it to this new audience I now have.

So I started doing my art stream on YouTube as well! And I also have been game streaming, if you haven't checked my Lives recently. I've been streaming I Wani Hug That Gator, of all things, while doing silly voices and we're all having a blast. I already wanted to get back into game steaming this year even before this giant explosion in attention.

So for now that's the only thing resembling a plan! I'm gonna keep art and game streaming and cutting videos from those streams. I'm not a video essayist. I can't write and perform a script, I'm just not good at it. But I am very good off the cuff which is why I'm a streamer. I can explain things when prompted. So hey, come to my Wednesday art streams (2pm EST) and poke me for art and writing advice! Or to pick my brain about Steven Universe and Hazbin. I thrive on chat interaction! And then those can be shorts and videos too.

I do plan to do at least 3 or 4 more Lily reacts in the future just because they're videos I think would be funny to react to. But after that? Who knows!

[faerrothinks]

Sexualization of Men on Tumblr make me feel... good?

Like, it's weird? I grew up on "Male Internet" so to speak. Spaces like 9gag, Reddit, funnyjunk. It was so goddamn horny for women. Well still are, just that some of them started to shift towards femboys now.

As I grew up, I kinda got lost about how I interact with women. Getting fed these weird culture war Boys vs Girls garbage does that. So, I do what every boy does, and ask your friends, both offline and online about how to actually interact with women. Well that went terribly, most advice was crap if I'm being honest. Not to mention the large amount of friggin doomers groaning about how horrifically high women's standards are about men. As a very anxious and depressed person, I obviously fell for this. For a long time I really did think only the most masculine guy was attractive to women. While I did leave that thought in my late teens, mostly due to being the one male in a group of women, it left a psychological scar. When I'd get depressed or was particularly vulnerable the thought would come in, and I'd feel like I wasn't masculine enough to ever be loved or wanted.

Nowadays that I'm on Tumblr instead of reddit due to the exodus, it feels kinda dumb that I ever felt that way? Tumblr is I guess very "female gaze" and it feels weiiiiiird as a guy that grew up in male dominated spaces. You guys post a lot of art, a lot of unfiltered thoughts on here and the thirst for guys is real. The funniest thing is, a lot of it is for well not the most manliest guys. Like if you asked me what women wanted, I would have said it'd be the annoying sigma/alpha male shit you see on reddit so much. But that's not what's here. There's so many types of guys you people are into and it is friggin amazing!!! I fucking love it here, I feel reminded that there's a huuuuuge spectrum of guys that women can be into and it is the BEST FEELING EVER!

It feels nice here, kinda like when I'm with my group of female friends, who just happen to be all a bunch of tumblr users. So idk, maybe I should have jumped a ship a long time ago.

[planefood]

Hi trosper!

How did you get people to care so much about your characters?

I had a longgg response planned for this talking about the intricacies of character design and making appealing character stories which while is important and I might make a larger post about it one day.

BUT I've been creating original characters for over 15 years and i've been posting my ocs online for over 10 years, so that being said... I have a LOT of characters. Character creation and making comics have been a passion of mine before I was even old enough to go to school. My first dive into large scale story creation outside of fanwork started with an epic called Prophecy of the Wind that I started in 2012. It was an absolute mess of stories in a strange furry world that made little to no sense.

Here is a cover for said story I made in when I was 12:

While I'll occasionally redraw these characters for fun I have zero plans or interest in working on this story in the future.

I used to beg people to read my story and interact with my ocs when I was a preteen, though with not much luck. This story was admittedly trash, confusing and only made sense to me. But, I worked on these characters anyway for years until I lost interest naturally and started work on a new project. This cycle continued and some projects got mildly popular and others remained obscure. I created things for fun and if people were interested in it that was just a bonus.

But really, I'm gonna be honest, a lot of what gets noticed online is just right place right time and a majority of my followers do not interact with my Tandy Chipperton story or care about the characters. Most are just interested in the character designs or just my other art or posts in general and that's fine. I can't force people to care about my characters anymore than anyone else can. The nature of this kind of art space is that almost everyone has original characters that they want people to pay attention to but from an audience perspective paying particularly close attention to everyones characters is near impossible.

The only advice I have is less direct. Ask yourself: If I saw my story out in the wild online with no context, would it interest me? Would the character designs draw me in? The concept? Ignoring that epic scene you have planned out in your head that you need to read 20 pages worth of character exhibition to get to, what's actually hooking the average person in? What stops it from being filtered into the noise of the internet.

But really, once you stop creating these personal things for fun but instead trying to appeal to some audience, it sucks the passion out of you. While I do spend a lot of time working on making Tandy Chipperton an interesting story, in the end its for me. Its appeal is niche, it's set in a country barely anyone lives, for one. And it doesn't even appeal to people within said country, outside of me. I guess all I'm saying is is create for yourself first and foremost. I understand the want for a larger audience for your ocs, but the unfortunate truth is that there's not a lot you can control in that aspect. How large an audience you have is not indicative of how good your story is. Please go out and enjoy creating just for the love of creating art.

[lackadaisycats]

I love everything of your work, every page is a piece of art, textures, lights, perspective, characters and the script, with perfect balance of hilarious and engaging lore.... It keeps me inspired everyday and gives me the energies to continue my projects. I can't describe the extreme joy your works gives me and I couldn't be more grateful, because it keeps me dreaming and helped me to understand what I want to do in the near future. Thank you so so much \(^ヮ^)/.

I have one question : Do you have any advices for making comics and put them in the world? For some time I had the urge to share my works, but idk what to do :/.

That's exceedingly kind. I'm touched to hear you've enjoyed my work, and if it helped you to understand what creative things you want to do, well, that makes my heart glad. Thanks for sharing that.

Very wordy response to the making and sharing comics question below....

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

Making comics is a Whole Big Thing as topics go. It's a little difficult to provide salient advice on something so broad. So much of it depends on what you're specifically trying to achieve, and what your preferences are as an individual. Here are a few bulletpoints, though:

-- Make the comic about things you love unabashedly so that it's fun and engaging to work on. It will still be difficult - it's always difficult - but you're more likely to keep doing the work it if you're in love with it.

-- Don't put off starting until you're 'good enough'. Good Enough is a fantasy place, and Perfect is a big lie. You'll never find either and pursuing them easily turns into eternal procrastination. Get started while the fire is burning, because getting good at something happens while you're actually doing the thing, and less so while you're thinking about maybe doing it. Try to be at peace with the idea that your work will be flawed. All art is. That's what makes it interesting.

-- Try to work with your strengths, not against them. Comic making is already immensely challenging. I'd suggest not making it extra impossible by demanding an entire personality change of yourself in order to do it. For example, if you tend to have intense but short-lived interest in things, don't torture yourself by embarking on a project that is going to take years-long, single-minded devotion. Do an anthology of shorter stories instead of a sprawling epic. Do one-off joke comics, or thoughtful vignettes. Or even break up something longer into short bursts of contained chapters.

-- Don't hurt yourself. Eat right, sleep, get a comfortable chair that's good for your back, get out of that chair and move around at intervals. If something starts aching, stop and rest. If it's aching chronically, see a medical professional. Career ending injuries and health troubles for artists are insidious - they creep up all quiet and mundane while you're busy patting yourself on the back for pulling another all-nighter.

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

About sharing online - also a tricky topic! The internet has changed a lot since I began Lackadaisy. The advice I could give derived from my personal experiences in publishing and audience building is a relic of a bygone era at this point…but here are some more bulletpoints (er, paragraphs) that I think are generally pertinent:

-- If publishing publicly sounds daunting and a bit scary, dip your toes in the water before plunging in. Do a publishing test run. If there's a Discord community you're comfortable with or a social media platform you use where you can post for mutuals only, maybe try that first. Or just share directly with a handful of people and ask them for feedback. When I'm unsure about something I'm preparing to post, I usually run it by some creator friends of mine because I trust them to be honest with me. Even if they have some criticisms, it's often reassuring that I can proceed to show it to others without dying inside.

-- Places with a big, built in audience can be great for getting eyeballs on your work, but it’s a mixed bag. Webtoon is the obvious example right now. Just be wary of anyone showing a little too much interest, or coming at you with paperwork to sign. Don't rush into putting your name on something that 1) commits you to unreasonable amounts of output for barely livable wages 2) relinquishes your ownership of your IP, or grants anyone any license to your work without clearly defined boundaries (like a limited term and agreement-ending conditions) -- Contract agreements warrant lots of consideration. Involve a lawyer of your own if you can. At the very least, have friends or family read over anything you might sign. And if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Scams are unfortunately abundant, so do your research/due diligence on whoever you're in discussions with.

-- Make yourself easy to find. Use social media to your advantage. Don't feel like you have to be in every single place, though. Some platforms might not be a good fit for your work, and some might be too much of a hassle or a mental drain to do battle with. -- Scrape out your own space online if you're able - a personal web page, a little WordPress/ComicPress site, or even just a link hub so that people can relocate your work if they lose track. The point is to avoid putting your eggs all in single basket that you have no control over. You never know when the social network growth you've been nurturing for the past several years will just succumb to a billionaire rampaging around like a sociopathic kaiju in the midst of the world's most public midlife crisis.

-- Don't worry about being an immediate sensation. Seeing people respond to your work is a wonderful and immensely gratifying feeling at times, but be patient if all hear are crickets chirping for a while. Longform storytelling in particular takes time to catch its momentum, and readers take time to get invested. Meteoric rises and virality do happen now and then, but honestly, slow and steady audience buildup is probably the more sustainable and less psychologically bewildering way to experience the fun of sharing your stuff with the world.

-- Consistently put your identifier (name/watermark, URL, copyright info, or all of these things) on everything you post online.

---------------------- I hope something here is useful, and if you decide to start making and publishing comics, I hope you find much success and happiness in it!

[shadale-s-safe-space]

I don't know much about you as a person, but from what I can gather you've had a long journey with art, but still have the motivation to continue even when its rough. I'm sure you didn't start out making masterpieces, so if its not too much trouble, do you have any advice for a 16 year old artist losing motivation? i feel like im stagnating right now and its awful

Idk man, all I can say is, draw watchu want without the care who's gonna see it or what they gonna say , commit to new ideas and care less about pleasing everyone, because I know that way too well, I started learning by drawing animals, flowers and nature, "you should draw something else", switches to furries " No you must do human portraits", draws humans *no one fuckin cares*, and I felt miserable drawing what I didn't want all the damn time just trying to please everyone and be liked, hell, I still do that sometimes cuz I'm a dumbass. When in reality, when you do your own thing is when you're the happiest, this internet bullshit? Yeah don't trust the likes and favs, people like what they find relatable, no one really knows how much time you've spent on your drawing or how much you love it, when a 5 min doodle you did could do more than a painting that took 2 whole days to complete just to be scrapped in a new speedy record, paint what you love for yourself and you only.

Don't be shy to learn new things, I have tons of stuff I don't post here cuz I know people wouldn't care about it, but here for this post, have this that I practiced when I felt too depressed to think of anything good and wanted to step back from the MD artstyle

You'll see, you'll thrive when you draw what you want, and get yourself a drawing buddy! That way you'll stop focusing on the internet and more on each other, and each other's improvement. Tbh I struggled with that one. Since everyone I had were not into art irl, I somehow managed to find someone after 10 years of drawing alone. I honestly wanted more people to join in and make an improvement circle, but unfortunately that never happened.

I found myself twice as productive now than ever, even though I'm not active here as much I am still drawing and making things, ofc giving you more comics! And other fun things in the future I hope.

If you're struggling to draw something just do it, man commit, i was uncomfortable drawing men and male characters for years, I've wasted so many years being "too uncomfortable" and draw a naked person like yeesh who fucking cares, it's for studying.

And ofc if you feel like you're not improving at all please, please experiment with your artstyle and try something new, please refresh your mind, I was stuck for years doing the same thing over and over, same colors, same 2px brush, drawing like a machine same shit over and over, I felt so stuck and lost, but also afraid to do something new, idk why, I guess I never felt good enough or deserving of it. I also didn't go to art school, I am NOT a professional, nor will i ever be in my opinion. Hell, me feeling like I'll never be good enough left me afraid to try and apply for art school, they were asking for sculptures, different mediums all that scary stuff and I was like, I don't.. know.. how to do those things... I can't build a portfolio in less than 3 months?!?! I don't even know how to use half of what they're asking for!!

In reality at the end of the day, art is what you make of it and no one can stop you, search for inspirations and don't be afraid to try, yes you'll fail fist 2 or 10 or hell even 100 times, but you'll come back with more knowledge than ever.

For ending I give you the most confusing drawing to ever exist [dw he's just sleeping on top of her and she's just ghasping for air but awe romance or sum lol] is it weird? Yeah but I had a fun time making it hahaha

Idk I'm bad at putting my thoughts together, but hopefully some of this helps.

[meetinginsamarra]

update july 2024

sorted by word count/series

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Mutual Attraction 94k , pre ASiP, different first meetings, casefic, pining

The day when a homeless drug addict and a suicidal ex-soldier met was the beginning of something until then unheard-of: Mutual Attraction. Of course, not all was what it looked like in the first place but the days of boredom, loneliness and lack of purpose were history. A case had to be solved, lives had to be saved and a developing relationship had to be tackled.

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Here I Am -series, the pornwithoutplot which evolved into pornwithplot with feels and whump

The Toe that didn´t belong 6.9k, Part One

Every time John thought back to the occasion the funny thing was that the first thing he had noticed to be out of place had been a…toe.

The Embers still glow when I´m sober 14,5k, Part Two

When Sherlock woke up the morning after he actually felt good. Which was completely unexpected. Although he was sort of anxious about John´s reaction when he would notice that the punk who did not belong in his bed and who had coaxed him into having shameless sex last night was still there.

Gravity is missing from everything 23.5k, Part Three

People bumped into him, cussing and throwing death glares. Blocking their way, Sherlock stood frozen in a throng of commuters. “Are you high?” one shouted into his vacant face. Funnily enough he actually was not. This was all John´s fault. Inflicting a date on him. To have dinner.

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Learn My Scars, 38k, written for whumptober 2022, Serbia and the aftermath

After being thrown down and strangled, Sherlock leaves John in the restaurant, angry and deeply hurt. When John follows Sherlock to 221b, he learns that Sherlock’s scars have not been acquired by “gallivanting around” for two years.

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The 13th Book 26.5k,  a magical realism AU with demon Sherlock

Summoning a demon was actually quite simple if you could avoid getting killed in the process. Therefore, only the powerful, the desperate or the stupid would attempt it. John Watson was likely the first, definitely the second but hopefully not one of the third kind.

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Wretched and Divine – series punklock and doctor John

Wretched and Divine 5.1k, Part One

Dr. John Watson is on call at the A&E when he attempts to treat a very special patient. Instead he finds himself a very special treat.

The Aftermath is Secondary 19.5k, Part Two

Will John and Sherlock really go on the agreed date in the infamous punkrock club “The Misfit”? Will their sexual tension finally be resolved? Is it really going to be dangerous? And will Sherlock really wear the promised fishnet top? (Oh God, yessss!)

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Sherlock’s Secret Laboratory Journal 6k, my outlet for writing cracky hilarious Sherlock, will become a series with adding a chapter for each new experiment

What does a helplessly pining but absolutely clueless Sherlock do in order to woo an oblivious John? He turns to the internet for advice on the art of seduction and notes the experiments in his secret laboratory journal.

Oyster and Mushroom Soup 9k, Sherlock’s latest attempt at seduction, Part 2 of the Secret Lab Journal series

Sherlock’s second try to win over John involves a lot of special cooking recipes.

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White Pony Tattoo 10.8k, different first meeting AU in a tattoo shop, happy Johnlock ending, written for calaisreno's may prompts 2024

John Watson needs a tattoo covered up. Sherlock Holmes of "White Pony Tattoo" is one of the best artists in London. He's also difficult and brilliant and beautiful as John is about to find out.

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The Perfect Place 10k, different first meeting AU, a cringefest with lots of fun and happy Johnlock ending, a.k.a. The Bed Shop Boys AU, written for calaisreno's may prompts 2024

Sherlock needs a flatmate and already has the perfect person in mind. Now he only needs to convince his object of desire to move in and also find out if he desires Sherlock as well.

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Slowly Suffocating 9.5k, TLD fix-it, written for whumptober 2023

Getting suffocated took some time. Enough time for Sherlock to ponder what went wrong. Hopefully also long enough for John to arrive and rescue him. Culverton Smith applied more pressure, impatient to turn Sherlock into a dead thing.

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Winning a lost bet 8.2k, pole-dancing at the XMas party

A lost bet makes Sherlock and John perform a pole-dance in costumes at the Yard´s Christmas party. It was supposed to be humiliating but instead the couple nailed it.

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Until the final breath escapes 1.9k, spooky Halloween fic

In a world turned hostile they hold onto their love until the final breath escapes.

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Sherlock Ficlets for Writing Challenges series/collection of my ficlets of under 1000 words

[mahouplanetofficial]

Advanced Mahou Outfit Guide 💫

Hi guys! I hope you all are excited for more posts to come– AP exams are over, and soon school will be out for the year! To those who have upcoming school exams, or are in the final stretch of school, good luck! We believe in you :) 

Also, another reminder to join Mahou Planet! We have a couple of Summer events we’re planning, gamenights, challenges, etc! It’d be lovely to have you join our endeavors ^^

Now that that’s over, are you guys ready for today’s guide?

👗 INTRODUCTION TO MAHOU FASHION

If you’re no stranger to the world of magical heroes, you’ll know that they have different outfits whenever they transform. Strikingly different outfits compared to how most of us dress on the norm. Advanced magical heroes will likely know what they’re searching for in terms of outfits, however, beginner magical heroes may not know where to start– that’s what this guide is for! In this guide, I’ll be discussing a couple of tips and tricks to create your magical hero outfit!

👠 HOW DO I GET STARTED?

To get started, I recommend following some of the advice that I shared on my concept basics post– especially with making lists. I recommend making bulleted lists of what you want/don’t want, specifically in outfits. For example, writing down “I want to wear a skirt” and “I don’t want heels” already narrows down a LOT of possibilities you have for an outfit! 

Another recommendation is to decide a couple of concept themes before you create an outfit, so you can correlate your concept with your outfit. Knowing the basics can help you more than you think– know your desired motifs, colors, etc.

One more important tip, think about what you are comfortable wearing and what you’d like to embody as a magical hero. You can experiment with this by playing dress-up in your bedroom, fitting rooms, etc! Experiment with what you feel comfortable wearing in real life, so you’ll get an idea of what you’d like to wear while doing magic. If you can’t do this, then think about what you would like to wear as a magical hero. Maybe you want to try a new style, or (my personal motivation) defy societal norms/the “dress code” you were raised with. Basically, go out there and experiment! 

💄 BRAINSTORMING IDEAS

Now that you have these new ideas layed out, it’s time to brainstorm! Go out in the real world or on the wonderful world wide web and search for some outfit ideas! Here are some helpful sources for finding outfits:

Pinterest is a STAPLE for inspiration. Some keywords I recommend are “magical girl”, “magical girl oc”, “magical girl oc design”, “(your aesthetic)core outfit”, “runway outfit” and “stage outfit”!

Research some magical hero animes/games for outfit ideas! Some I recommend looking at are Madoka Magica (more specifically Magia Record since there’s like 1000 magical girls there), Precure, Girls x Heroine, Cocoppa Play, and Pripara!

tumblr (this platform teehee) is also a nice place to search for inspiration! You can use the same keywords above, just with tumblr hashtags!

Play around with dress-up apps like Gacha Life 2, Dolldivine, Everskies, Picrew, and ROBLOX (I know a couple of avatar editor games, if you want me to drop them, just ask!)

Go window shopping (or shopping if you have the money) and look at magical hero-esque outfits! You can go thrifting, to the mall, online shopping, or look at other people’s everyday outfits!

🎨 DESIGNING THE OUTFIT: SECTION 1

Now that you have inspiration and plenty of ideas to go off of, it’s time to DESIGN! You can design your outfit with any method, from creating collages off of images, to using dress-up games, drawing your design, commissioning an artist, there’s endless possibilities!

The only method I recommend you don’t use is AI art. AI art not only takes credit away from actual artists, but AI art is environmentally harmful and the algorithm searches every image on the internet, including medical records and illegal and problematic images. Mahou Planet has a rule against using AI art: “There will be no AI art usage in this server. This rule is non-negotiable. Accidentally sending AI art without knowing is understandable and can be corrected by deleting the message, however, do not promote the usage of/use AI art.” I will not be willing to argue with anyone about the morality of AI art– know it is not supported by us. There are many better alternatives that can get you a better design, and most importantly- it’s a design that you (for the most part) create yourself!

There are lots of different factors to consider for your outfit design, such as whether you have teammates, uniforms, shared outfit motifs, outfit rules, etc. We’ll go over those in this section!

TEAMMATES

If you have teammates, it may be a good idea to correlate your outfits together to show that you’re a team. 

For example, the magical girls in each Precure season have shared outfit motifs to show their team harmony. I think the Precure season that does this well is GoPri. The Cures in Go Princess Precure each have a tiara with a charm representing their outfits motif, princess-like dresses, a back bow, and a golden gem on their outfits. You can easily look at them and tell that they are a team. 

Another example of this is of Winx (specifically S1)! The simplicity of their designs, the glittery fabric, the small wings, and the boots are all correlated, even though the girls themselves all stand out with unique takes on these rules. 

Something to take from these magical girls is that they each have something to tell that they’re a team. If you are a team and want you guys to have shared outfit motifs, make sure that someone can look at a picture of your team and can tell that you guys work together.

A simpler solution to this is uniforms! Uniforms are basically a simpler way to coordinate your teammate outfits. One of the most famous examples of this is Sailor Moon: their outfits, besides some accessories, are the same. The only difference is the color scheme. This is easy for those who don’t want to design unique outfits, or want outfits to stand out in terms of color. 

Here’s a more simplified list of the pros and cons of having uniforms VS unique outfits:

Uniforms

Easy to design

Takes little to no thought

Colors easy to pick out

Can be either simple or complex

Colors may be hard to remember for each member

Limited freedom of expression

Unique Outfits

Harder to design, but a more satisfied finish

Outfit and colors may be hard to remember for each member

Usually complex but some can be simple

Freedom of expression, or much freedom if there are still rules

Harder to coordinate

As you can see, I have a little bit more pros under uniforms. However, do what you want with your designs! I personally always go for unique outfits– some of the unique outfits I’ve seen in the magical hero community look STUNNING!

If you want to have unique outfits or uniforms, a good thing to implement is outfit rules. Rules are basically what you can and can’t do in a design. When I’m designing teammates, I have rules listed under DO, DO NOT, and IT DEPENDS categories.

DO is of stuff you can change, add, modify, etc. For example: you can have a unique hairstyle.

DO NOT is stuff you cannot change, no exceptions! Example: you must keep a bow on your chest.

IT DEPENDS is stuff you can modify, but may be limited. Example: You can change the shape of a skirt, but it must keep white ruffles and be in the color of your theme color.

These rules can vary based on your kind of magical hero and what you want for your team. Remember: you are the designer! Design to your heart's content and what you think looks good for you and your team! 💫

SOLO

If you’re going solo, this section may be a bit more helpful than what I said in the teammates section. Solo outfits usually apply to just yourself, so you have so much more freedom in designing your outfit. When making an outfit, don’t just focus on what looks good. Remember to design an outfit that makes you comfortable, and you only! 

If you want to have teammates in the future, or if you need more guidance on creating outfits, then it’s recommended to create outfit rules, just in case. Or if you’d like 100% freedom on outfit designs, do what you want! It’s your outfit!

THEME COLOR

Choosing a theme color is easier said than done. I see most magical heroes choose their favorite colors as their theme colors, and I have also seen magical heroes put more thought in their theme colors. Do what you want! Even if you don’t want a theme color or want multiple, you are still a valid magical hero!

For color palettes for an outfit, you can go on Pinterest for colors, or go to coolors.co to generate color palettes! A cool thing about coolors is that you can save color palettes for your magical form!

MOTIFS

Motifs are also important to decide on your outfit! To decide outfit motifs, repeating elements in your outfit, think about the theme your magical hero wants to display, or a moral lesson you’d like for whoever you’re fighting/the general public to learn. If you’re a magical hero of love, you can opt for adding heart shapes and motifs to your outfit. If you’re a magical hero of wishes, add some shooting stars on your outfit! It goes on and on for any motifs, it’s all up to you to determine how you use them.

🎨 DESIGNING THE OUTFIT: SECTION 2

For this section, I’ll go over the more detailed aspects of your design, from top to bottom! I’ll give advice on designing outfits, as well as some practical tips for your magical design.

HAIR

Probably the most famous– magical heroes are notorious for their crazy hair. Most magical heroes you see have long hair, either down or in some updo, and in the color of their theme color or an accent color. Some magical girls have their hair be a variation of their natural hair. You can have any kind of hair you’d like as a magical hero! Here are some of my tips:

Make sure your hair won’t hinder your fighting abilities- it won’t get caught in your outfit, you won’t trip on it, etc. Also, make sure your villains can’t grab your hair to pull you/catch you off guard! This is a common fighting technique and I’ve seen this absolutely destroy people in school fights. If crazy freshman can do it, your villains likely will as well.

Don’t worry about your hair being “easily recognizable” if you’re keeping your natural hair. You can always script in that no one recognizes you or use magic to ensure no one associates you with your secret identity.

As for personal recommendations, I recommend having your hair out of your face. I have bangs in real life and in my magical girl form; sometimes they’re a pain, especially on hot days. It’d kind of hinder your ability to see in your magical form. A good counter to this would be scripting the thickness or thinness of your bangs if you plan on having any, or to script that you see better once you transform (this is good for people with glasses!)

Also recommend to script that you don’t sweat when you transform. Sweat + hair = pain.

Choose a hairstyle you can fight in and feel comfortable with– if you’re not sure where to start, think about hairstyles you would like to try or hairstyles that flatter you. Even hairstyles you wear in real life would be a good start!

Don’t worry about damaging your hair with the color you choose, I’d like to imagine magic changes your hair color, and is completely damage-free! (Really wish this were the case in real life 😭)

HEADGEAR

I know a couple of magical heroes who plan on having hats or SOMETHING on their head in their magical hero form. If you’re interested in having headgear in your magical hero form, here are some precautions and tips:

I don’t want to say it’s a hindrance to have a hat (because I literally wear an ushanka in my magical hero form 💀), but try to find some way it’ll stay on your head while fighting. Unless you don’t anticipate doing crazy backflips, I’d recommend scripting that your headgear won’t fall off even in the craziest situations– or even better, it can only be taken off by your hands only.

Also script that your hat (or better: your entire mh outfit) is the exact size for you, and grows as you grow in civilian form!

Try to find some practicality in it! I see magical heroes go for goggles to replace their civilian form glasses. Some magical heroes wear hats to keep the sun out of their eyes. I had an old concept where my magic came from a top hat (if you know, you know). Hats don’t just have to be fashionable, but I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted something cool just to finish off your outfit.

If you’re looking for hat designs, a good game I recommend for inspiration is Genshin Impact! The creativity the characters have for their headgear is amazing, and I can imagine some magical hero designs based off of just hats alone. Pinterest is also a good place to look!

TOPS

Tops! This is one of my favorite parts of designing! Designing tops is always really fun. Here’s some advice:

I recommend looking up necklines or just pretty tops in general for inspiration! 

Also recommend to have a built-in bra with your top, wearing one separately would be a hassle in my opinion.

One of my biggest pet peeves with strapless tops is it falling down every 5 seconds, so if you have a strapless top, make sure you script that it won’t fall while you’re fighting. 

This is the same for sleeves in general! Script they won’t fall down.

If you have anything tied in your magical form, like ribbons, script that they won’t come out or loose.

Make sure you choose something you’re comfortable with! Script that you’re comfortable in your top, no matter what kind of top you’re going to wear in your magical form.

PSA for magical heroes who want gloves: script that you can use your phone while wearing them. I hate wearing gloves and then having to take them off just to use my phone :( 

If you aren’t planning on wearing gloves, script that you don’t leave fingerprint traces on surfaces you touch, just for security reasons!

I’d hate to continue the “YOU DON’T NEED PAINTED NAILS IF YOU’RE WEARING GLOVES DUHHH!!!!” debate, do what you want with your nails! Pinterest has gorgeous nail designs! If you are wearing gloves, I’d recommend making the color of your nails change the natural color of your nails. Long nails would probably be more of a liability than shorter ones, or you could script your nails are immune to breaking, getting damaged, falling off, etc.

A smart idea would be incorporating your outfit into some kind of use with your magic. For example, if your main weapon is guns, then I’d recommend keeping ammunition on your body, on a sling or a belt. This takes a bit more thought to be put into it, but it’s so worth it and makes a great design in the end!

BOTTOMS

Bottoms are also fun to design! In my opinion, these are the most versatile. There are different directions you can take for bottoms, SO many different directions! Here’s my advice and suggestions:

Go for what makes you the most comfortable! You are 100% a valid magical hero if you go for pants or shorts over a skirt and vice versa! It’s your outfit! If someone has a problem with how you present your magical self, they can kiss your- 💥💥/JOKE /ok but fr ignore people who have problems with your outfit they’re just insecure (/srs)

If you are planning on wearing a skirt, please script safety shorts or opt for a skort instead! I don’t think I should explain why flashing people while you’re fighting is not only embarrassing but dangerous since there are terrible and disgusting weirdos out there. 

If you’re wearing socks, script that they won’t slide down (another pet peeve of mine)

If you want to wear heels, or if your shoes are high heeled, PLEASE script that you know how to fight in heels and won’t fall or trip! Been there done that, it’s not fun. Also scripting that your feet won’t get blisters is a good precaution too!

Also, if you’re wearing a back bow/something on the back/a cape, or anything you’re scared will catch up into something while moving, script that you’re not going to get stuck or nothing will catch your clothes while you’re moving.

MAKEUP

I feel like makeup is a less commonly talked about thing when it comes to magical hero design. I think makeup is also important to consider when you’re transformed! Here are some considerations:

Make sure your makeup is sweat-proof, sensory friendly, and won’t wipe off or get ruined while fighting. Emphasis on sensory friendly, I avoid makeup in civilian form because foundation is absolutely PAINFUL.

Search for makeup styles you like, or go off of makeup you wear or would like to wear in real life! You can go for natural makeup, glamorous makeup, stage makeup, etc.

Royale High on ROBLOX is a good game to look for makeup styles! The makeup in faces (to my knowledge) is free to use! Everskies is also a good game to experiment with makeup!

Tear proof makeup works as well, just in case you end up crying in your magical hero form. 

🎤 GENERAL TIPS

Keep in mind the environment you’ll be fighting in may change depending on where you go. You may fight in the rain, in snow, on the beach, etc. It’d be a nice idea to accommodate your outfit for such conditions, or to script that your outfit is weather-proof. 

Speaking of accommodations, if you’re disabled, it’s always a great idea to script accommodations for your outfit! You can script that your outfit is sensory friendly, isn’t itchy, and (my favorite) there are no tags on your magical outfit.

I also like to script that my magical outfit is able to regulate heat/coolness! This can work for any outfit, even if you can’t find the logic behind it. It’s magic! That’s all the logic you need!

Make sure you’re able to find some way you can fight in your outfit. Even if you don’t plan on fighting, it’s a good precaution!

Kind of TMI, but if you get periods, script that your outfit is bleed-proof. This is also good if you end up getting hurt in your outfit. Also scripting that your outfit’s immune to tearing or getting injured is a great idea!

A fun way to experiment with how your magical hero outfit may look is to take a full body picture of yourself and then draw over it with your magical hero clothes. You can also dress in aspects of your magical hero outfit in real life with items you have at home (ex. wearing a top similar to the top in your magical hero form) to get a feel of what you’ll be wearing.

If you need design help, I suggest joining Mahou Planet! There are great magical hero designs there and talented designers willing to help you! Searching for inspiration, meshing different pictures of outfits together, and asking friends for help are also valid methods!

💫 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are about a gajillion different ways to create a magical outfit. There’s not one right or wrong way to design, or a “bad” or “good” design: what matters is that you’re comfortable in it and that it’s an outfit you love! Outfit changes are 100% valid, and I’d even recommend scripting variations of your outfit for weather/personal reasons!

At the end of the day, designing should be a fun process. I hope you guys learned a thing or two from this post, and have fun designing your magical hero outfit! Remember to join Mahou Planet to have a chance to choose the next article I write!

See you guys next post! 

(idols: yeojin - loossemble, jinsoul, choerry, kim lip - artms, mina - twice, ella - pixy, gowon, hyeju - loossemble, gwsn ot7, stayc ot6)

[theladyofshalott1989]

Hello.. 👋🏻

I read your answer about the motivation to write with low engagement and want to thank you for your words, because I currently struggle a little with this topic.

I love to write, always have, but beeing in the HL fandom helped me to (more or less) consistently write and publish something. For the last months I changed from writing mainly little snippets, to focus on my long fic, because I finally want to put everything on paper, that lingers in my mind. 😅

And I will keep writing, because it has become very personal and some sort of healing for me.

But from time to time I struggle, because I think it's not good enough. There are people who read it, but barely any engagement. And I want to learn and become better so badly.

Sometimes I think, it's because my first language isn't English and I can't convey all the feelings with my translation. But then, it's not that the original is doing so much better.. 😅

I'm sorry for venting to you and it feels a little weird because I don't want to fish for compliments.😅

But maybe you have some tricks up your sleeve that can help with the feeling to be not good enough? Or writing better in general? 😊

Hi! Thank you so much for your ask. First off, you are not alone. Your feelings are valid and shared by many, myself included. <3 I am so glad that HL brought you back to writing. It was the same for me too, and I will also be forever grateful for that. Before I share my practical tips, I want to establish that engagement does not always equal quality. It could FOR SURE (I am not calling out anyone here!), but, like with all things, certain tropes/pairings/topics are more popular in one fandom than the next. Sometimes someone started writing at the perfect time, usually right when a new fandom pops up, or they are uber talented and can provide not only a story but also fan art! Those people blow my mind and I have so much respect for them.

But I digress! Onto the practical tips... Keeping in mind that I do not always follow my own advice, so typing this up is making me laugh at myself. (It's good to laugh at yourself sometimes though.) 1. Pick up another hobby so writing isn't your only one. For me, it's classes at my local gym. IMO, an active hobby is the most helpful because the endorphin rush helps a lot. 2. Set a day aside each week where you do not go online at all. I did this during peak Covid, and it was so therapeutic. Our minds are not designed to be constantly on. We need a break from social media and the internet every so often. 3. If you can, find a small group of buddies and interact with them. <3 My HL buds keep me sane a lot of the time. They're lovely people too and they've introduced me to other fandoms as well. 4. Block tags and/or blogs you're not interested in seeing. I have only blocked one blog (I'll be transparent here: it's the Hogwarts: Legacy Confessions blog, just for my own personal sanity; no hate toward the creators at all), but I block a lot of tags for personal reasons, and it really does help a lot.

5. Have you tried a review exchange? On Reddit there are groups that swap and review each others' stories. I've done this a few times for some of my one-shots and it's great! You can even specify if you want critique (or not). I can send you links to these subreddits if you wish. Just let me know! I really hope these tips help. Also, please never apologize for venting. Putting yourself out there creatively is a very vulnerable thing; it's only natural to be upset when you feel like you don't get out what you put in. <3

My messages are always open too. Please don't hesitate to reach out!

[theeggoman]

I am genuinely scared that once AI starts officially and somehow legally stealing art from artists on Twitter to feed into Elon Musk's AI company that there will be no more spaces for LGBT people to exist online. I'm talking about NSFW art, NSFW writing, discussions about kink and BDSM and leather, advice about transitioning and surgery and STD testing, resources for homeless LGBT youth, comics and animations and stories about queer love. The internet loves to hate gay sex. They demonize us, humiliate us, infantilize our bodily autonomy and choice and the moment you bring up anything relating to your own sexual experiences you're now a target for ridicule and shame. We are not profitable. We are not family friendly. We are "inappropriate" for normal people, and across every single social media platform we are banned. Our discussions about the basic human experience of sex expressed in ANY WAY are eventually banned. Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Youtube, Tik Tok, Deviant art, the restrictions and requirements and borderline threats from Patreon. As much as we've all hated it, Twitter has been a final stand. It's a place for furry art and gay porn and weird kinky fanfiction and BDSM. There's a community of people who exist together online and nowhere else. And people don't care that we're losing it, yet again, because they want people to like us. They want people to approve of us, to accept us. They want to be palatable for a straight audience, for a heterosexual society that has only barely begun to tolerate us out of necessity and the turn of deemed popular opinion. It's the internet mob mentality that crucified trans youth as "transtrenders" out of fear that they themselves would be targeted next. It's the accusations against drag queens being inappropriate for children. It's the LGB without the T because they fear they will be next. If they could just package us into something respectable, maybe the rest of the world wouldn't hate them so much, right? Get rid of the "bad" gays and suddenly our parents will love us again. Show them they're wrong, we're not pedophiles and rapists and groomers like they've been accusing us of being for centuries, we're NORMAL and GOOD and PURE, we like Heartstopper, not Yaoi! We don't fetishize gay men, we don't sexualize our trauma! We don't even LIKE sex! See, we think sex is immoral and shameful and wrong just like you. Will you love us now?

The truth is they will never love us. They will never want us. They will never accept us. The more we fight for our rights, they more they will try to take them way. The more we fight amongst ourselves, the more they will try to divide us.

I probably sound insane talking about niche queer Fandom spaces like some kind of gay revolution, but the ability to be unapologetically gay and trans and gross and weird and find a community of people you can be with who are all like you, who are working through that trauma together, who you meet online and fly out to visit in real life, who you love: It matters. It matters so much that they keep trying to take it away from us. I don't really know what the future holds here, I'm just rambling my anger onto the only platform that actuslly gives a shit about the artists on it. I just want the young people in the community to understand that this IS a community. And it matters.

[nicolkoutoulakiauthor]

The 'Writing/Art Advice' Rabbithole

I don't know if this is a common experience but sometimes the enormous amount of information and advice on the internet can be so overwhelming that it discourages people from actually creating art. When it comes to writing and *especially* drawing it's easy to lose yourself in endless post and video lists about tips, advice, what to do/not do, rules, pet peeves, etc that you ultimately forget to create (or don't create in fear of 'doing something wrong').

You prepare *everything* beforehand to make sure that when you do make art it's going to be good from the get-go, when that couldn't be further from the truth. It's ok to be 'bad' at art, especially at first. From my experience (as someone who has fallen into the advice/obsessing over small things rabbithole), my most meaningful improvement both in writing and art has come from figuring out how to face an obstacle **while in the drawing/writing process**.

Reading tips/advice isn't bad, of course!! I've learned some amazing things and techniques from other people's advice, and I sometimes give my own to people I know. It's when you fall into a vicious cycle of *only* consuming advice while feeling you're not 'skilled enough yet' to start a project that this becomes a problem.

It's like me reading an entire math textbook without actually doing any exercises myself. Do I know the subject theoretically? Yeah, but can I solve a math problem? I'll most likely struggle with that because I've never actually tested my knowledge in practice. I haven't practiced what I've been trying to learn.

Now say a project still comes out 'bad'; so what? You're learning, everyone has works they now cringe at. It's about enjoying the process because, ultimately, you're creating things for your own enjoyment, not to please others. Art (both writing and drawing in this case) has its rules/fundamentals, but an art piece is not a checklist of 'right' things most of the time.

Everyone's brains work differently, of course, but with the amount of posts I see of artists/writers talking about procrastination and difficulty starting a project, I feel like this is definitely a factor.

The ideal here would be the best of both worlds, mastering both the theoretical and practical part. So keep your head up and go create art!

[flightyalrighty]

What have been some of your big inspirations/points of education* with your comic work?

*could mean learning resources but also just, good advice you got once or improvements to your workflow you figured out

Thanks for this ask!! :]

I went to the School of Visual Arts, where I majored in Cartooning! A lot of what I learned, I learned from Indie Cartoonist Jason Little and DC/Marvel Editor Joey Cavalieri, both of whom taught multiple classes I've taken (mainly fundamental stuff but there were also some extra classes with them like Jason taught my Digital Comics course and Joey taught my History of Cartooning class). I learned how to draw trees from Jason. And from reading Pogo.

I've drawn a lot of inspiration in my storytelling from both Bone and Hellboy, mostly! Both Jeff Smith and Mike Mignola are masters of pacing in comics, and if you happen to be unfamiliar with their works, I can't recommend them enough. Besides those two, the rich, moody internal monologues of Spider-Man: Blue and Spider-Man: Evolve or Die are things I often think about when it comes to dialogue writing. That and (at least when it comes to writing Rouge's dialogue) my older sister. Just, like, in general. Pay attention to how the people around you speak. It helps a ton when figuring dialogue.

Hellboy is getting mentioned again because Mignola's heavy inks are something I like to look over in order to learn from and improve myself. Hellboy, Carl Barks's Donald Duck comics, Asterix & Obelix, Will Eisner's various works, Calvin and Hobbes ALL have this beauty in their inking that can really inspire. Personally, I'd like to get a bit messier with my inking. Messy inks feel so alive. They're so visually interesting.

For colors, I highly recommend this book. I've read it and re-read it as much as possible. It may be for painters, but cartoonists can and should learn from all kinds of art forms. The works of Moebius were also mega foundational for me in learning how to color my comics. The man knew his palettes and how to not confine himself too much to what's "realistic". Speaking of painters (you may roll your eyes at this one) I'm also a fan of Frank Frazetta.

For panelling, I only have one true inspiration, and that's the work of Tess Stone. I grew up reading Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name. It changed how I viewed the limitations of panelling forever. Of course, it may be harder to find that comic these days, so here's a snippet:

Basic advice: really really take your time taking in art that you like, and try to reverse-engineer how it was made in your head. Heck, even if there's art you DON'T like, overall, but has elements you DO like, you can learn from that, too!

Okay! Sorry for rambling! Now here's the thing you're actually here for:

How To Think When You Draw collection of REALLY GOOD tutorials for whatever you need, these guys helped me out a ton when I was figuring the jungle scenes early in Infested.

This Pinterest Which Has Absolutely Everything You Can Possibly Think Of For References And Inspiration Sources.

An Extremely Good Font Site That Is Used By Professionals In The Comics Industry To Letter Their Comics.

The Most Important Book Any Cartoonist Can Read

A Different Book By The Same Man About Making Comics (for free, thanks Internet Archive)

Perspective For Comic Book Artists, thanks again Internet Archive

As for workflow... Man, I wish I could give you any kinda advice on that. I'm struggling with it, myself. I guess I've got two things?

If you have multiple deadlines for, say, multiple commissions or something, or you're trying to put out a weekly comic, but you're also doing something else, break the day up into time slots for each project, and switch the moment it's time to. Keep yourself on that schedule. I'm not very good at this.

I draw pretty detailed thumbnails, so sometimes I'll skip the penciling step in comics and blow up the thumbnail to ink over that. It's faster for sure! It's not always the right solution, however.

Thanks for reading! I hope any of what I've said helps at all!

[soopiroth]

super tips with soup #3 - taking care of yourself all by yourself!: at home!

Hi hi hi! It's Soup here! Today's Super Tips sort of continue last time's theme of taking care of things, but this time, it's all about taking care of yourself! Some of us are independent regressors who don't want a CG, some of us don't have a CG, some of us do have one but only over the internet, and some of us have a CG but want to do things all by ourselves, or their CG might be busy! There are plenty of reasons you might want to look at this post. Today, I'll be going through a whole day of at-home activities for when you're having a not-so-busy day off and you're regressing, and how you can get through them!

As per usual, these are based on my own experiences or ideas. They might not be as applicable to you, and that's okay!

General Advice Prelude!

Part of taking care of yourself is being aware of yourself. If you struggle with your interoception (ability to perceive internal needs like hunger), such as during hyperfocus, or if you struggle with identifying your emotions due to something like alexithymia (in which you consistently struggle to name, source, and express your emotions), this may be more difficult at times. However, coping with the former can be as easy as making sure to check in on yourself and take breaks to eat/drink/visit the bathroom/nap/etc., and the latter's impacts vary depending on the person. I have less experience with the latter, personally, but I just wanted to point it out.

Rise And Shine!

Wakey wakey! You can start off your morning in many ways. Sometimes, you may want to lay in bed for a while after waking up, or go back to sleep for a little. This is okay as long as you have the time and you're not sleeping in too much. Once you're ready to get up, it's time to start doing morning things! Everyone has a different order and routine, but as soon as I get out of bed, I go to the bathroom. Then, I brush my teeth. Then, I take my meds, go to the kitchen, and make and eat breakfast. Your routine might be different! Some people brush their teeth after breakfast. Some people shower in the morning. Whatever it is, take care of what you have to take care of. Here's a list of lots of morning routine tasks I could think up. Pick whatever suits you and your needs! What you do may not be on that list, and that's okay. I probably just didn't think of it.

brush teeth

take shower/bath

take medication(s)

use bathroom

eat breakfast

get dressed for the day

comb/brush hair

get items ready for the day

Activities!

It's easy to get bored when you're on your own, so try doing some activities! These vary in how subtle they are, so depending on if you need to hide or mask your regression for any reason, some activities may suit you better than others.

Play video games! Try games for kids or games you like! Whether they're phone, console, or computer games, they tend to be a good time. Flashpoint has lots of flash games for the nostalgic little ones. You can also play current browser games on there, but they can be found without downloading Flashpoint on their respective websites.

Watch something! There are plenty of cartoons and shows to watch, or you could find something on Youtube, if you feel so inclined!

Storytime! You can read a book you own physically, or you can use your local library's website to check out a book. If you can't do that, try the Internet Archive! The Internet Archive also hosts videos and games to download or watch on-site, so check there as well. You can also listen to storybook channels on Youtube.

Play with toys! You can do other activities with them, or specifically focus on playing games with them, like House or other pretend games. You can build with blocks/legos, you can just snuggle your plushies... There's lots to do with toys. If you don't have toys that you can play with, or don't feel safe to do so, try JMKit playsets/scene makers. There's more archived on Flashpoint, too.

Art time! Draw, color, or paint! You can also write stories, make music, or do anything creative.

Bath time! If you don't plan on taking a bath later, and you haven't taken a bath already, or just have time for another one, you can sink into the tub and play in the bath or listen to music.

Worksheet time! Many agere blogs under the "agere activities" tag have worksheets you can download. You don't even have to keep them if you're worried about someone finding them. If you don't want to save them, you can always screenshot them and paste it into an image editor and delete it later. Even MS Paint can work for this!

Go on a trip! If you can, take a little outing to walk around the park, go to the pool, visit the library, or another fun activity to do solo.

Mealtime & Snacktime!

Mealtime and snacktime can be as easy as pie (hehe!) depending on what you have around the house. You can try making recipes from another agere blog, you can eat what you have around the house, or maybe you can order food! It all depends on what you want and what you have access to. If you're regressed smaller, try making sure you have easier foods around the house for yourself, or that you're willing to get big for a bit or be capable of preparing more difficult foods while regressed. Sometimes, though, all you need are leftovers and a microwave and you're as good as gold.

Chore Time!

Sometimes, you'll have a few things to do that aren't necessarily big tasks, but don't seem like little tasks, either. I find these chores to be the most regression-friendly for me, so if you have to do some while regressed, don't worry, I've got ya!

Folding laundry (I've been doing laundry while regressed for ages!)

Vacuuming (it's fun to push back and forth!)

General tidying up (picking up toys, trinkets, etc. - the real hard part is figuring out where to put them!)

Dusting

Wiping down countertops, tables, etc.

I generally don't recommend doing Big Tasks (paperwork's the big one for me) while regressed, but if you know what you're capable of, I believe in you! Go get 'em, tiger, and be extra proud that you did it well while little.

Night-Night!

As your day winds down, you should try to do less exciting activities and get into your bedtime routine. This can include, but isn't limited to:

Bath/shower time

Get into PJs

Go to the bathroom

Brush your teeth

Read a story

Take medication(s)

Get yourself comfy before bedtime, and try to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Try to not use any phones, computers, or video game consoles right before bedtime, as the blue light can keep you awake.

All Done Reading? Great!

Those are my tips for taking care of yourself by yourself. Really, for me, it's mostly keeping myself busy so I don't get bored or understimulated.

If you have anything you think I should add, elaborate on, or change, tell me! If you have a request, also tell me! I love hearing feedback on this stuff and I want to be helpful to the community!

Bye-bye now!

[touloserlautrec]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Thanks for the tag, @mk-writes-stuff (here) and @ceph-the-ghost-writer (here)!

The question template by @davycoquette is here!

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr? Uh... Hmm. Me and time measurement don't mix great. Haha maybe about a year ish?

What led you to create it? My partner/co-writer, @sunset-a-story pulled me in and I'm grateful they did! I'm always resistant to joining social media sites, but this one was well worth it.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community? All the kindness and interaction. It's the one place on the internet I feel like I'm interacting with real humans and engaging with creativity anymore, rather than just shouting into the void. It's a great community.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you? I am an introvert with a deeply people-focused job, so sometimes I don't interact as much as I'd like to because of The Tired. But I love seeing your posts and reading your stories and thinking about your characters!

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash? I pretty much always want more stories and characters and art. There is plenty of it on my dash, but I am a glutton for blorbos and stories.

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today? Don't be afraid to comment, reblog, send asks-- I was super nervous about that at first because on other sites it can be a minefield, but the writeblr community is wonderful!

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately? Pretty much I'm working on Sunset all the time. It's the only WIP I'm actively writing/editing and I'm rotating it in my head for most of my days. But I do have a handful of OCs from other stories/'verses that live strictly in my brain. Lately, that's included an alien Mech pilot named Lux; a head-empty reincarnation of a trickster fae, named Axel; and a reluctant superhero who travels through people's dreams, named Piper.

How long have you been working on them? I've been working on Sunset with @sunset-a-story for about 17 years. The last several years (8, by their count) it's been more seriously dedicated writing. Axel has lived in my head for probably a decade, and Lux is less than a year in. Piper came into being a couple weeks ago.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started? Sunset started as a TTRPG that grew into a much larger story. It definitely had anime influences at the time and has evolved from there.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them? If I'm not focusing on work, then... all of it.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say? I have a bad habit of downplaying it that I'm trying to break, so usually it starts as something like, "A silly genre serial," and then I try to course correct to something like, "It's a science-fantasy serial about people with powers, corrupt, problematic corporations, and espionage, with romance and horror elements and lots of intertwined storylines."

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)? I'd like to, without cringing, just be like "Listen, it sounds bananas but it's like the best dump cake you ever ate. It's so delicious. It has everything. It has super powers, it has deeply flawed and morally grey characters, it has horrible cannibal vampires and people who hunt them, it has cult-like corporations, it's queer and diverse as hell, there's romance and steamy scenes, and it has SPIES. It's hilarious sometimes and devastating others. It will hurt your feelings. You'll love it."

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created. Listen, our cast is enormous enough that we have a Dramatis Personae. So Instead of listing them, here's a link to my art, which is 99.9% exclusively of our OCs.

Who’s the most unhinged? Sunset's cast falls into one of three categories: OCs I created, OCs @sunset-a-story created, and OCs we both created and the origin is murky at best. I'm gonna choose one that I created here-- Emmett. He pretty much an unhinged, driven, competitive hurricane.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write? Alex. Alex is my baby and is the closest to my heart. He was the first character in Sunset I created.

Do you ever cringe at them? Oh, all the time. They don't make good choices, but that's how you build a great story.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters? Only some. They mostly take off themselves. I just kind of get a seed of imagination germinating and see where it grows.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? YES. I love asks, reblogs, tags, comments... Being a writer/artist/creative online feels like shouting into an empty void most of the time, so when I get a comment or a reblog or an ask it's like the biggest battery charge for me. It's easy to get discouraged, so those moments are life savers sometimes.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? If their WIP seems to vibe with me (especially science-fantasy, queer, romantic, dark stories), if they post a lot of their own work and reblog other original creators' work, if there's art involved too, or if they generally seem like someone I'd vibe with.

What makes you decide against following? Usually it's either because a blog is too dedicated to fandoms I don't know, or if it's all just reblogs of memes--then it depends on the vibe. But the biggest reason I don't follow is, unfortunately, that I get tired and can't focus enough to scope new people out. BUT I do keep tabs on new blogs in my activity notifications to come back to and check out when I've recouped some energy.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often? ...Maybe? TBH I forget sometimes who are moots and who I just follow. I interact with people that seem neat and friendly and I'm brave enough to try. Some of them are for sure moots. Some of them aren't. And then there are those who seem really cool and I need to build up confidence enough to interact with more than just liking and reblogging. Which is silly, because almost all of us say all the time that we love interaction from others, so...why do we let anxiety do this to us??

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle? YES. BLORBOS. I think about them regularly. It's the best.

I'll gently tag @revenantlore @littlemoondarling @scribe-of-stories and open tag!