#got really really good and happy with my art in early 2024

[eclipsesalign]

Its interesting thinking about my art progress since 2019 in retrospect

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: October 2024

hello, ahoy, and welcome to my October reading recap.

I made a real effort to focus on spooOOOoooky books this month, in the name of the season; you may even recall that I started early and read some spooky stories at the tail end of September. (read Carmen Maria Machado's comic The Low, Low Woods, btw.)

I've never been great at sticking to a theme but I think it helped that what gets classified as "horror" can vary greatly, so I never really got bored of the genre. I did get disappointed more than once by how Not Spooky some of these books turned out to be, but that's a totally different question.

right at the end of the month you'll notice a couple of outliers with Caped Crusade and Luster, which happened entirely because I was out of library books and on the road for a conference, so I was reading what I could get my hands on! I've been working on rereading Caped Crusade on and off for a couple months and I bought Luster at a cool indie bookstore in the town I was visiting and then inhaled most of it on the way home.

ANYWAY. to the books!

And Then I Woke Up (Malcolm Devlin, 2022) - this is a novella with an interesting spin on the zombie story, where the "zombies" are actually people who have started suffering hallucinations that fill them with paranoia and force them see other people as monsters. so, like, there were never any REAL monsters, but a woman looked at her young son and saw him as a cannibalistic monster, so she killed him. so who's the real monster? it's very deep. this story's explanation for this is "the narrative," an idea so strong that it simply seems to take hold of anyone who's around a sufficiently charismatic ringleader who drives them to join in their delusions and kill innocents who don't share their worldview. it's not a super subtle zombie metaphor, but I guess very few zombie metaphors are. it's fine.

Through the Woods (Emily Carroll, 2014) - I truly wholeheartedly wish I had more to say about this but it's just a very charming creepy collection of comics. my favorite was the one that was the scariest, involving humans getting taken over by body-snatching worm monsters, but on the whole it was a very minor creepy factor. the art's great the whole way through.

Happy Medium (Sarah Adler, 2024) - Happy Medium is October's romance novel as picked by my patreonites, and I will admit: my hopes were not high going in. a conwoman posing as a psychic clashing with a skeptical hottie goat farmer didn't ping me as a great mix, but honestly? HONESTLY? it kind of served. there was a much more well-rounded emotional core to this book than I often encounter in my romance novels; at risk of sounding like a cornball it genuinely had a lot of heart. the conwoman is actually extremely charming, I was rooting for her in a big way, and her emotional journey goes so far beyond just falling in love with the goat farmer. I'll happily claim Happy Medium as my #1 romance of the year unless a challenger arises in the next two months, but it's not looking likely.

The Ones That Got Away (Stephen Graham Jones, 2010) - this is a collection of Graham's short stories that was published long before he became a huge name in horror with books like The Only Good Indians and My Heart Is a Chainsaw. and as much as I hate to say it, I think I personally prefer his longer form fiction. none of these short stories were bad, per se, and they're incredibly stylized and polished, but I think I like Jones' work a lot more when it has time to simmer out. I may have also been biased by the fact that I was desperately seeking something scary to read, because while Jones plays with some pretty narsty concepts, the horror tends not to hit until a last page reveal that recontextualizes everything that's come before. which is cool! but not scaring me as much as I wish it was.

The Salt Grows Heavy (Cassandra Khaw, 2023) - a lot of people told me I should read this because it stars a killer mermaid and a plague doctor, which are two aesthetic archetypes I love, and I will give this to Cassandra Khaw: I liked this a lot more than their other book, Nothing But Blackened Teeth. which is clearing a very low bar, since I didn't really like that book at all, but I do think Salt is genuinely a pretty marked improvement. the prose is still kind of torturously overwrought in many places and I desperately wish that Khaw would put the thesaurus away, but there's like. a Concept here. the core is fun.

Tell Me I'm Worthless (Alison Rumfitt, 2021) - this book is by far the scariest I read, because the horror is hatred and bigotry and a fucked up, evil house that brings out the very worst of everyone who steps inside of it. this book gets so fucked up and bloody and downright nasty in its exploration of the characters and the underlying bigotries that turn them against each other and drive them apart. I don't want to spoil anything, but the book follows a white trans woman named Alice and her mixed race, cis ex-girlfriend Ila. in the past Alice and Ila entered the evil house with their friend Hannah; that ended with Hannah dead and missing and Alice and Ila both scarred and traumatized, each certain that they were raped by the other. so that's what this book is like! not a lighthearted undertaking, but one that I could. not. put. down.

A Sunny Place for Shady People (Mariana Enríquez, trans. Megan McDowell 2024) - what is there to say? Enríquez is my short story queens, and her new release absolutely lived up to the precedent set for me by The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, which was originally published in 2009 but not translated into English until 2021. this collection is sooo aptly named, because many of the stories are obsessed with the terror of places: hotels haunted by memories, neighborhoods filled with ghosts, junkyards where bodies are hidden, towns abandoned and taken over by something sinister. also, completely detached from the quality of the writing, this book has one of the most striking covers I've encountered this year. the screaming yellow cover and bold purple text looked SO COOL under the purple string lights in my bedroom, which was a little +1 to my mood every time I saw it :)

Thirst (Marina Yuszczuk, trans. Heather Cleary 2024) - I think if I had to pick a favorite book from my spooktober reading, Thirst would edge Tell Me I'm Worthless out by just a hair, because I'm just SUCH a sucker for a modern gothic. this novel is split into two chunks. the first is narrated by a vampire (hinted to be one of Dracula's infamous brides) who flees the Old World and crosses the sea to find safety in a young Buenos Aires, where she struggles to figure out how to slake her thirst and escape from loneliness while avoiding detection in a modernizing world. ultimately she seals herself away in a crypt to escape the relentless pace of change around her, and that's when our perspective shifts. here we join a modern woman with a young son, an ex husband, and a dying mother, who's struggling under the pressure of grief as she watches her mother waste away. she ends up accidentally reawakening the vampire from the first half of the book, and you can imagine things get weirder from there. honestly, for me, the part of this book that's most brilliant is the latter half and it's deep meditation on grief, but the historical portion of the book also plays the vampire gothic to the hilt. delicious!

The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture (Glen Weldon, 2016) - this is a really fun piece of pop culture history, tracking how Batman came to be DC's little #1 it boy alongside the developing prominence of nerds and fandom as a cultural force to be reckoned with. as I said above, this was a reread for me, because I wanted to circle back now that I've actually read most of the major comic events discussed in the book. Weldon weaves between Batman in comics, TV, and movies to examine on how one portrayal influences another - for instance: the goofy '66 TV series saw a huge backlash in comics, which went way dark to reinforce a grim and serious Batman for 'real' fans who objected to the show making Batman a joke to much of the normie population - and I think that's a really neat lineage to trace. while I think Weldon is sometimes a bit too transparent with his own disdain for certain adaptations, he overall has an extremely levelheaded approach to Batfandom and a conversationally informative approach that I really enjoy. of particular note is the fact that Weldon is himself a gay man, making him one of the only writers I trust to talk about why he personally dislikes Joel Schmacher's movies without getting homophobic about it.

Luster (Raven Leilani, 2020) - this book!!! this was one of three novels recommended to me by Bonnie at Snowbound Books, and Bonnie if you are on this website I owe you my LIFE because you were 100% correct. I was obsessed from the very first line and it only gets better from there; Leilani's prose is painting a searing, witty Sistine Chapel to render her protagonist's miserable life in vivid color and detail. the short version is that our 23 year old hot mess finds herself jobless and homeless and ends up moving in with her married boyfriend who's 23 years her senior, where she forms a powerfully weird connection with his rage-filled wife and develops a bond with the couple's nerdy adopted daughter, as the two of them are the only Black women in the excessively white neighborhood. (spoiler alert: she also realizes that her married boyfriend is a fucking loser.) it's a simple enough premise but the execution is bananas in its flair. I couldn't believe this is Leilani's first and so far only novel; if she ever drops another I'll drag myself through barbed wire to get my hands on it.

Juniper & Thorn (Ava Reid, 2022) - I first became aware of this novel via twitter thread of Reid's that made its way to tumblr, in which Reid bemoaned being harangued by readers who were shocked that her dark fairy tale retelling had, you know, dark shit in it. having now read the book, I have to say: these people are fucking pussies. going into this book I was under the impression that there was full on-page father/daughter rape happening, which is actually NOT the case, so you can breathe easy if incest is a hard no for you. what's actually here is a wizard dad who's emotionally abusive, non-incestuous sexual abuse in the backstories of the main character and her love interest, some moderately explicit consensual sex, some bulimia, and [spoiler alert!] admittedly a lot more cannibalism than expected. it's not a lighthearted romp but it's also like, come on. come on. grow up. in terms of the actual book, rather than its controversy, I didn't LOVE it but I'm still compelled enough by the world building (particularly Jewish author Reid's Hueli people, who are a fairly obvious stand-in for Jews down to people claiming that they have horns and using phrenology to prove the have an unfair advantage at making money) that I'm going to check out Reid's earlier novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, a novel set in the same world. it felt a little repetitive in places and the characters were largely pretty predictable, both of which may be a byproduct of trying to encapsulate the vibe of a classic fairy tale, but I had a good time reading it.

[biasbuck]

BiAsBuck’s ficrec Fridays

Happy I started drafting this when it was Friday everyone! Can you believe there's just three weeks left to go before we're back with BEENADO?! Here's another round of the fic I've been reading this last fortnight to tide you over in the meantime. You can find previous rec lists here.

7 September 2024

Baking is a Science but I Studied the Arts by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels the reason why I'm late posting this week is that I opened up AO3 to start gathering links, realised this was completed, dropped everything and read it start to finish. Sugar Daddy Tommy is ready and willing to pamper Eddie with trips to Vegas, and Eddie is in need of a distraction from all his pining over his best friend. Buck's feeling a little envious of Eddie and Tommy's new friendship, but with an open line of communication Tommy's happy to introduce him to his bisexual awakening, and unlock a new level of kink along the way. But of course, there's crossed wires, and neither Buck or Eddie actually know who the other's mysterious new casual boyfriend is. Deliciously indulgent, sexy, and feel good polyamory with 9-1-1 what is your emergency levels of misunderstandings and self discovery along the way. Lincoln's buddietommy threeway fics just always hit the spot.

Summer's End by @dunnonorlly back on my Eddie's summer of introspection without Chris bullshit, with a wonderful self recommendation that I'm so glad was brought to my attention. I love fics which really showcase all the ways this ensemble love each other and there's such a gorgeous wealth of extended firefam offering support here, including a particularly impactful Eddie and Bobby dynamic, with his advice and experience shared, and deep understanding from Maddie. Talking things through with those he trusts, and some beautifully written gentle steps towards finding peace and embracing love with Buck at his side and his family reunited.

Counting Pulses by tinyydancerr also recommended to me by dunnonorlly, this is an alternate take on season 7 written early on in the series, in which crucially Eddie has OCD, based on the author's own experiences and carefully woven into all the idiosyncricies that make up Eddie Diaz. It's a beautiful and painful character exploration that allows Eddie to examine his own past and present with fresh eyes, in the hopes of moving to a future without tripping up on all that's held him back. I particularly loved the backstory elements, and how his mental health and Catholic guilt create a maelstrom he's painstakingly riding through life. Such a moving fic. The same author also has a GORGEOUS anniversary Henren fic Up, and Down, and Around which sees Karen through Hen's eyes, with a rollercoaster of emotions.

about the present by @runawaymarbles if there's one thing you need to know about me it's that I LOVE me a timeloop narrative, and wow does this two parter The Scroll of Saint Barnabas and Theoretical Corpses, Laughing deliver. "The day of the shooting, Eddie got stuck in a time loop. But that was three months ago. He's completely fine now." In which Eddie absolutely has PTSD, but when you're caught in a timeloop where you see all of your loved ones picked off by a sniper, and every attempt you make to stop it just ripple effects someone else to be harmed, what do you even do? Plus along the way there are confessions they won't remember, secrets that are impossible to keep locked up forever, firsts that they'll be forced to forget, and overwhelming survivors guilt. An absolute masterclass in consequences, understanding, and healing together through the hurt.

Being Eddie by @cal-daisies-and-briars sticking with the timey-wimey theme, I also read this Being Erica inspired fic, in which a mysterious therapist grants Eddie the opportunity to go back in time to fix a list of his regrets, confronting repressed memories, and gaining an understanding of himself and the people in his life he feels like he's wronged along the way. Of course the butterfly effect is in full force, and sometimes changing the past means losing a future and a love you're growing to cherish.

like a river that doesn't know where it's flowing (i found where i'm going) by @queerdiazs VIVE LE MOUSTACHE! 'After coming out as gay, finally, Eddie has a well-deserved hot girl summer witnessed by his closest friends and family. Everyone is supportive and encouraging, except for Buck. What could that possibly mean?' Truly full throttle embracing the concept of latter in life coming out second pubity and slut era Eddie, this is so much fun, so delicious, and Buck is full on out not having a good time. Eddie can't help that the moustache makes him so irresistible! (I also had a great time with their fic no one else on earth because I love me some Eddie vs Josh).

Stay Until the Morning by @semperama oh my god, once again smacked in the face by my demiromantic Eddie and resulting emotional trauma feels. This is established (almost) buddie, written for the @summerofbuddie "breaking cliches" week. The author says it best: "The cliche that's broken here is that friends-to-lovers is as simple as two people realizing they love each other and then it's happily ever after. In this instance, things are a little more complicated!" I really really deeply appreciate this examination of simply finding your person doesn't magically fix all the things that have reinforced your emotional barriers and mental walls, and Eddie has a lot to unpack around how he's approached sex and relationships as does Buck. Small but mighty, this packed a punch.

suddenly the only thing i saw was you by @diazisms finally ending on a wonderful sapphic rarepair wildcard, this is a 5+1 fic featuring May Grant and Adriana Diaz! Bless you mysterious Diaz sisters for being such a rich fictional ground to play with - In this, Adriana is dropped off in LA for college, feeling out of place having taken a year to work. She bumps into May Grant, a beautiful stranger in a coffee shop. As they grow closer, they soon discover they have more in common than they thought. I loved this so much.

Okay that got long, but as usual insert call out for more henren fic here. Feel free to self rec! And please share and reblog :) See you next week, probably with HOTSHOTS recs bahaha!

BEES!

[m2nlight]

To my dearest⭐️💜

First, i wanna thank you anyone who's supporting my art reblog or like was really appreciate!♡

Second of all i wanna share some of my life's story, because it's kind of very very hardest time in my entire life. It's a very long one and might trigger someone. This one may not sound soft. I'm not eating much and can't sleep these past few day.

My dearest father was pass away on august 9th 2024 it's an accident and so sudden, too sudden to say. I'm not gonna detail any of the injured much but, his head got fractured skull and like that the peice of broken bone was prick into his brain. One side of his face was getting heavy damge. That make his brain bleeding so much. The doctor told that's really hard for the surgery. He may not alive on the process or even if he did, he might not be able to live like a normal people. The last minute i got to hold his hand he still have a reflex back like just a little jerky and he still breathing. So the doctor say we should wait 2-3 days to see if he gonna come back. The worst nightmare came in the early moring in the next day. The funeral was start in same the day too. And here i am, right now the money or work was hard to find for me since i don't do much just drawing. I am nobody artist and money meant to be for my food, my apartment and eveything else. Before this, my father was one who help me out because my mental health make it hard to start living by my own. And the worstest part of this accident is my birthday is in this month in a few weeks. My father wasn't here to blessing me like i wish.

The end of this is i will live for my important father's wish. He's doing so hard to help me up even if he can't understand me. He's doing all the hard work just for his important daughter. He find the happy in working because his child. Everything was hard, it's too heavy but thank to my friend @inx404 was there for every second. There's much more detail and situation that happen but i cut this short as much as i can. But i will make it, my father wish so hard for me to live happily and can stand by my own.

For anyone who read untill there. Thank you so much, i really appreciate it. If anyone want to give some help. Blessing my father to gone for a good rest is really appreciate.

And more notice is i need y'all opinion if i should open emergancy commission in tumblr, start with 15$ does that too high? By the way, the funeral wasn't end yet.

In the end, thank you for everything from my dearest father and y'all. My heart was hurt so bad so i really can't think of any words to say but thank you really. 💜🌹

[umlewis]

Hamilton: Ferrari F1 move wouldn’t have happened without Vasseur

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that his move to the Ferrari Formula 1 team in 2025 wouldn’t have happened without the presence of team principal Fred Vasseur.

Hamilton drove for the Frenchman’s ASM F3 team in 2005, winning the European title. The following year he graduated to GP2 with Vasseur’s rebranded ART GP outfit, again winning the championship, before moving into F1 with McLaren. Inevitably, when Vasseur joined Ferrari at the start of 2023 there was speculation that he might attempt to leverage his good relationship with Hamilton in order to lure him away from Mercedes. That’s what eventually transpired, with the pieces falling into place early this year and Hamilton opting out of the second year of his contract. "I've got a great relationship with Fred," said Hamilton when asked by Autosport if Vasseur was the only person who could have convinced him to join Ferrari. "Obviously I raced with him in F2 and we had amazing success in F3, and also in GP2. That's really where the foundation of our relationship started. We always remained in touch. I thought that was going to be an amazing team manager at some stage and progress to F1, but at the time, he wasn't interested in that. It was really cool to see him step into the Alfa team. Then, when he got the job at Ferrari, I was just so happy for him. I think just the stars aligned. I think it really wouldn't have happened without him, so I'm really grateful and really excited about the work that he's doing there."

Hamilton stressed that when he first re-signed for Mercedes in August, he was still fully committed to staying with the team for two further years; however, he changed his mind over the winter. "Obviously in the summer I signed, and obviously at that time I saw my future with Mercedes," he said. "But an opportunity came up at the end of the year and I decided to take it. I feel like it was obviously the hardest decision I think I've ever had to make. I've been with Mercedes, I think it's like 26 years they've supported me, and we've had an absolutely incredible journey together. We've created history within the sport, and it's something I take a lot of pride in, and I'm very proud of what we've achieved. But I think, ultimately, I'm writing my story. And I felt like it was time to start a new chapter." Shortly after the news was announced, Hamilton said on social media that it was a "childhood dream" to one day drive for Ferrari. Expanding on the appeal of the team, he said: "For every driver growing up, watching the history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, I think probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up and you see the driver in the red car and you wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by the red. You go to the Italian GP and you see a sea of red Ferrari fans, and you can only stand in awe of that. It's a team that's not had like huge success, really, since mostly from Michael's days, but since 2007. I saw it as a huge challenge. Without a doubt, even as a kid, I used to play in [computer game] GP2 as Michael in that car, as my foot in that car. It definitely is a dream, and I'm really, really excited about it." Hamilton also confirmed he has never been to Ferrari’s Maranello base. "I have not," he said. "I bought my first Ferrari in 2010 I think, as a present to myself. I don't have it anymore. But I didn't get to go during that time. Being with Mercedes, I didn't think it was a good look to go at the time." Asked if he was planning to learn Italian, he said: "In all these years, I've not managed to learn any other languages, but of course I will definitely try. I do remember when I was karting in Italy, and I was able to pick up a few lines, and so hopefully that will come back to me pretty quickly." Hamilton was also keen to point out that he remains committed to Mercedes for 2024. "Just to go back to the new chapter, this chapter is still not finished," he said. "I'm still 100% focused on delivering for this team this year and trying to finish on a high. That's a big, big goal for me and the team, and I have absolute faith in everyone in the team. What we've done so far I think is great, so I really hope that we are somehow able to close the gap to the Red Bull."

[mysticsparklewings]

Obscutober 2024 Day 22: Adust

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Adust (adj.)

scorched; burned

dried or darkened as by heat

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#Obscutober 2024 Day 22: Adust 🔥

I can’t believe we’ve only got 9 Days left to go of October/Inktober. 😵

I also kind of can’t believe I’m as happy as I am with how today’s art turned out since it’s not a very “me” palette or concept, but here we are! 🙌

Click the "Keep Reading" and we'll talk a bit more about my general thoughts/process. ✨

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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Some of you may remember that yesterday I mentioned today would be another day I have to fit Obscutober in around some IRL things; For that reason, I decided it would be best to keep the concept simple and just do my best to add details where I could to make it feel more complex than it actually is.

[This is also why this is going up later in the evening tonight; I actually had the art done earlier, but I didn't have time to sit down and write this description and the cross-posting caption until many hours later. 😅]

Naturally, the most obvious thing I thought of was fire. There are other things that can burn or scorch of course, like the sun or even hot water, but fire was the path of least resistance and something I haven't really touched on in previous Days, so that's what I went with. But I did do my best to not focus so much on the orange and the flames themselves.

I did still rely on shapes that felt "fiery," or in some cases "spiky," because I was thinking about the spiny, blistering pain that a burn or scorch would come with, and I played just a tad more with line texture for the same reason.

It wasn't fully intentional, but I think the outer edge with the cross-hatching kind of came out looking like that area was actually burned by the fire, so that was nice! My goal was just to try and get some mroe darkness/black as things tend to turn when burned in without having to rely on black much for the actual background colors, so the texture working out well in another way was a nice bonus. 👍

I also didn't intend for the angled lines in the ring closer to the center to look sort of like firewood, but that's what happened! I was just going with a zig-zag (...although in hindsight, it's really just the "zig" I guess) because I thought zig-zags felt kind of spiky and they mimic the movement of a flame without being too obvious.

The centermost ring was intentionally supposed to kind of look like a stone ring like you might find placed around a fire. I couldn't think of anything else that felt like a genuinely good place to start, and that was reasonably simple to do, so it won by default. 🤷‍♀️

And while I don't think it's doing as much as yesterday, I think today's color scheme is still doing quite a bit to really tie everything together. As I mentioned, I tried to be careful about how much orange and brightness I gave to the fire since the word is more about something fire does than fire itself, but it was kind of unavoidable/inevitable that some would be included and that it would steal focus from the colors that are actually more "adust"-related. At least the way my brain works, it was.

That wasn't helps by the fact that I'm just not generally drawn to browns in a color-palette anyway; I prefer bright and unnatural colors. 😆 But today was not the day to try and experiment with a magic-fire palette instead of a natural one.

It did take a little patience to get the balance of the darkness and the placement of the darkest browns just right, but it really wasn't that bad, especially given had tired I was at the time I got to that stage. [This is was in the early morning hours before I'd gone to bed.]

And...I think that's everything. A bit short and sweet for tonight, but like I said, I purposefully kept things simple and tried not to get too caught up in the conceptual details because I had other things to worry about today.

All things considered, I think it could have certainly turned out much worse, so I'm satisfied with my efforts. 🙂

It was never going to be in the running for my favorites based on color palette alone, but it's definitely not my least favorite—I like it about as much as I reasonably could with the palette and concept I ended up working with.

Now the real "fun": Seeing if I can be equally satisfied with my cross-posting experience and get to eating dinner in a reasonable amount of time. 😅

See you Sparklers tomorrow as we count down the final 9 days to go! 👋

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See the Prompt List

Artwork © me, MysticSparklewings

Obscutober Concept Inspired by nikolas_tower

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⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

[anamoon63]

From this moment on I go into busy mode again, but I didn't want to leave without wishing all my mutuals and all simblrs in general a very Happy New Year 2024 and dedicate some words I have been meaning to say to you but hadn't found the time or the appropriate way to do it.

I'll start by saying to all of you who had a hard time in 2023, those who went through depression, physical and/or mental health problems, family problems, marital problems, work problems, problems with your children, with your partners, with your parents or grandparents. To all those who in some way suffered or were hurt in the year that is ending -and assuming that all of us here, or most of us, are storytellers-, my advice is: don't stop writing, ever. Keep doing it through it all, through the good times as well as the bad; write even if the tears well up in your eyes and fall on the keyboard. Just write!

Writing heals, cures and consoles, because it is what we do and because there is no better way to get out all that we carry inside, be it sad or happy. I went through the long night of depression myself and I can say with all certainty that writing was what pulled me through, and that although it may not seem so, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's never as dark as when it's about to dawn. I suffered from depression since 2006 and for many years; around that time I started a novel that took me 14 years to write. Through all that time, I slowly healed, and by the time I finished, I was free of all the demons that drove me to write that particular story in the first place.

Okay, enough of me, I want to tell my mutuals, that I love what you write/create, and I really enjoy your work, be it stories or gameplay; and not only those who write, but also those who make custom content, mods, those who create any kind of art, those who take beautiful pictures, those who share memes or funny things about their pets. All of you, know that I read you every day and I take you with me everywhere I go, because you are so talented, creative, funny and interesting.

I don't always have the courage to comment on your posts, be it about sims or personal, for different reasons, mainly because of language barriers, because as you know, English is not my native language, and sometimes I don't have my translator at hand to confirm that what I am writing is correct, or if there is a spelling or grammar mistake or a typo in there; also because of my social awkwardness, as I am a rather shy and introverted person; and the fact that I'm an old simmer, cause believe me, compared to many of you I am old, and this makes me afraid of saying something out of place, out of time, or of being politically incorrect. This may sound silly, but I was born and raised in a time where people thought and acted very differently, even in my early years of sims on the internet, everything was way different than it is now. Well, those are the reasons why I don't always comment, but the fact is that I read you, I like what you do, what you write, I'm in love with your characters -who are already part of my sim-universe-; your stories capture my imagination, intrigue me, interest me, amuse me and, above all, teach me, because I've learned a lot from you, talented creatures, in the time I've been reading your work.

Anyway, I got off my chest what I've been wanting to tell you for days now. I also want to thank you for all your likes, comments, questions, messages, and in general for all the love I received from you this year, it's amazing. I never expected so much in just one year, really. So, thank you, both to those who have been following me for a long time, and have stayed with me and my chaotic stories, and to the new followers, Sims 3 and Sims 4, I thank you all.

Well, this was already very long, sorry for the rambling, lol, I wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year, may all your dreams and plans become a beautiful reality in the year that begins, because, believe me, some dreams do come true, I had the joy of confirming it right at the end of this year.

That's all, a big hug and a very, very happy 2024 everyone! 🤗❤️🎇

[recurring-polynya]

Writing/Art Update 01.23.2024

Me, Oct 24, 2023:

This is the sort of thinking that leads to 100k fanfic. I will try to come up with things to fill the space and then I will have too much stuff. That's just how it is, I guess. Wouldn't it be nice if this could just be, like, 60k, and I could be almost done?

Me, Nov 28, 2023:

I think that once I figure this out it will either be a clear path from now to the end and probably be like 8 or 9 chapters + an epilogue OR it will spiral wildly out of control, some other fucking subplot will sneak in, and it will go 12+ chapters and I will cry a lot.

Me, Jan 9, 2024:

Either that, or I'll just keep writing chapters, like Zeno's fanfic. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen. I will die.

Me, today:

Fuck.

So the good news is that I have finally finished the scene that I have been wrestling with since early December. It's two scenes now, because I wanted to swap narrators halfway thru, but it's really the same scene.

The less good news is that this came out 🎵8721 words🎵 and I still have three more scenes budgeted for this chapter in the outline. I mean, on one hand, at least I produced a significant amount of something for as long as that took. On the other hand, I feel like this dumb thing is now growing faster than I can write it. I've only made it up to roughly 11am on Saturday (the fanfic ends early Monday morning). Maybe it's not as bad as I think. I still haven't decided if Chapter 7 is just going to be super long, or if I am going to bump the other three scenes to the next chapter. I am putting that decision off until I actually write them and probably also most of Chapter 8. Mostly, I am just hoping I don't to add another chapter to the outline (I strongly suspect I am going to have to add another chapter--#11-- to the outline).

None of this will matter when it's done! I don't actually care how long the thing comes out (that's your problem, reader, I simply love big numbers). It's just that I want to be done, and the longer this gets, the further away that feels.

I haven't done a top level word count in a while because I've been working in messy temp documents, but I finally pasted my new scenes back into the main doc. Part B currently stands at 27,724, for a running total of 64,597, which makes it my fifth longest fanfic at roughly 2/3 done. There's kind of a ways to go before it overtakes Between Tides, but I think it might just happen.

Gosh, y'know, it's honestly kind of surprising I got as much writing done this week as I did, considering my kids were home nearly the whole week between snow days and a planned asynchronous day. Am I back on my groove? I sure fucking hope so.

I kept up with my drawing reasonably well, too--it was baked goods week. I did one tutorial, two one-day scribbles, and I drew last week's cake in the style of a GBBO illustration, which took me 3 days, but I'm really happy with the way it came out (so, 6 out of 7 days, I guess). I have another fanart (or possibly two) that I'd like to do in time for Byakuya's birthday, so that's probably what I will focus on this week.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Hi there! As someone who really enjoys your Lords Of Chaos content, do you think you could write a male reader who’s Oystein’s identical, more introverted and less metal crazed artsy twin brother catching feelings for Pelle, the pretty boy from Sweden who likes dead things lol? I’ve seen the twin fic ideas done with Rory’s other characters, so I’m putting a lil spin on it. The two managed to bound over drawing and enjoying each others works. And one day, reader works up the courage to drive out to Mayhem’s practice place/house for Pelle’s birthday with a dead rabbit he found the road as a gift and just blurts out his feelings for him quickly. Then tries to leave out of embarrassment, but Pelle stops him and tells him he likes him too? They share a kiss, only to realize the rest of the band was watching the whole time. Who are very happy they don’t have to witness the two of them pinning for each other anymore, and Oystein jokingly threatens Pelle to not hurt his brother or else, cause we love good protective siblings in this house. Reading your fics have helped brighten my day when I’m feeling down, and I hope you have a good 2024 :)

- Two artists -

warning ; fluff, comfort, kiss

Info : Thank you dear anon for the request I know I had it for a few months but now I had finally time writing it. Have fun reading and have a good day too ;)

masterlist

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They were more different than sun and moon than day and night than anything they both were. The family got used to joking around in the early years, even allowing the kids to pretend to be each other and enjoying their little jokes when it worked.

But the older they got the more obvious it became how they developed Euronymous as he would call her summoned himself to the devil, to metal music, dyed his hair black and drifted off into something none of his family really understood.

What everyone initially thought was a phase quickly turned out to be something he was absorbed in, something he would do his whole life. 

In contrast, his twin brother's natural brown hair was not loud, but quiet, almost leisured, not extroverted, but introverted and not into loud music. His creativity is in painting and not in music.

But the two quickly realized that they would both make something in their field that would change the world, or at least Norway, in one way or another, 

When Euronymous moved out of the house and left the room to his brother, he knew that he needed it more for painting. He devoted himself to his art studio and only saw his older twin from time to time. He won a painting competition in the city after a night out and Euronymous got one gig after the next, slowly but surely, with his band.

They both continued to develop and yet they always stayed in touch. If it wasn't phone calls, it was the brown-haired one's semester break meeting, who, when he wasn't visiting their shared family, visited his twin in the light wasteland.

The red quarry they had acquired was a little artistically stimulating, at least in one way or another. A view shared by someone from Mayhen's band. The blond singer Dead, who had joined the band just before the vacations and seemed to be the dark angel of music.

At least for Euronymous it was something that could take him to the top of the world. But for his brother, the blond was more not only on an artistic level as his muse but also as someone who painted himself, someone who shared such a passion.

That when they all met, they got into one or two discussions about drawing, painting and the most diverse motifs. Motifs that were close to the heart, like the blonde in the brown-haired man's heart. Something he didn't want to admit at first, something he didn't want to admit to himself. But in the end he had to realize that he had lost his heart to the singer and artist.

A fact he tried to keep secret but beyond his knowledge the black circle already had a hunch. Every time they met, they saw the blond drawing a portrait of something that was not his friend and band founder as they initially thought.

While Euronymous caught his brother reading occult books about death, which was not only extremely unusual but also true books that belonged to Dead. 

But all this culminated in one thing the brown-haired man knew he had to do. The birthday of the blond singer and the one he had lost his heart to. 

The silver car drove along the country road towards the house, fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel, ,,A present," he muttered over and over, thinking of something to give the blond. Around one of the few bends and then his eyes caught sight of the snow-white rabbit lying on the road in front of him.

Hastily getting out of the car and picking up a blanket, he took the cold, stiff animal and put it in his trunk, a satisfied grin playing around his lips, ,,That's perfect," he muttered before pushing the accelerator and driving towards the house at a rapid pace.

It was only moments later when he found himself in the party that the music rang in his ears and he would have preferred to run out again rather than stay here. The quieter, more classical music was much more appealing to him, but the blonde liked the voice in the song and that was why he was here for Dead.

Moving forward, he pushed his way through the crowds of people who welcomed him and his grinning twin who pushed him towards the rehearsal room with a slap on the shoulder before the door closed behind him. ,,Dead? All the best-I've got something for you," he mumbled and saw the blond look up from the gift table, body color adorning his pale face and a slight smile playing around his lips.

,,You're here... thank you," he murmured and approached the brown-haired man who held out the gift to him, his gaze searching for his love. Before he took a shaky breath there was no other way, he had to do it now or he would never dare and would end up embarrassing Dead.

,,De-Dead I have to tell you something the gift, the painting the conversations I like it and I like...you what I want to say...I love you" he stammered his feelings for the blond his heart was beating up to his neck and he was afraid he would choke on it, his cheeks were heating up and he wanted to run out.

Dead, who looked from the rabbits to the other, seemed overwhelmed by both gifts. He was about to run to the door out of fear when he was suddenly held fast, the white rabbit still clutching Dead's hand.

The bright eyes full of devotion suddenly came true, ,,I-I like you too!" he shouted over the music as a smile appeared on the other's lips. He loved him too, loved him back and returned his feelings.

Dead gave the rabbit a grin that seemed genuinely pleased with the gift before pulling the brown-haired man into a careful kiss. He tasted the alcohol, the beer the blond had drunk, the sweetness of the snack it was sweet and intimate.

Suddenly a giggle was heard before the door opened and the band stumbled in at their feet. ,,At last!" Euronymous shouted to his twin and his singer and the others in the band congratulated them and only now did it come out that apparently they had all just been waiting for the moment. The moment when they had to strike.

As they extended a congratulatory beer to the brown-haired one, the black-haired one took the blond one aside. ,,You know that I value my little brother and you too, but I hope you know that I wouldn't hesitate to shoot you sooner than necessary," he warned with a smile before he put the blond in a headlock and rubbed him over the head until he protested and broke away.

,,Come on, let my muse live!" The brown-haired man shouted and patted his brother gently on the shoulder before he pulled Dead close again and gave him another soft kiss while the band had an even bigger party. A party in which satanic powers met two artists united in love - there had never been anything more unequal and epic.

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@icarus-star

[darekasama]

Blog intro and greetings

Here’s my blog! This is me (hiiii I’m darekasama, mid-20s she/her Italiaaaan) Some post made you curious so you came to sightsee. I’m writing a story, slow burn, LGBTQ I’m having lots of fun… and I hope you will too. I got a fantasy world There is magic around Also geese (actually dinosaurs) running around! The main duo are dudes Both can do wild stuff Drama that makes you go “wooo” That’s my jam!

Aaaaaaan CUT.

Now that I got your attention by singing...

(Updated as of October 2024)

Greetings!

My nickname is darekasama (mid-20s she/her Italian) and I'm a certain someone who mostly enjoys life.

My interests include but are not limited to:

writing and storytelling

drawing and art of many kinds

small crafts and general fuckery

The genre doesn't usually matter if you can pull me in, but I do have a tendency for fantasy and romance. I also think animals are neat and you can always find out something wonderful about the world around you. Big fan of communication and positivity!

I am very passionate about what I do however don't be surprised if I disappear for weeks at a time. Sometimes I'm ruminating, sometimes I'm having a fistfight with life. Metaphorically. And I'd rather keep out the bad vibes from my happy corner.

Feel free to talk to me in any capacity! Dinosaurs may bite but I don't. Questions about characters? Worldbuilding? Plotting? Random pieces of information you never got to tell someone? Come at me!

What can you find on this blog, you ask?

Anything that is tangentially included in the points above and especially stuff about my current WIP. Could be my ramblings on the outline, random bouts of inspiration, some cool sentences and snippets and on very good days I may put up a drawing too because I can do art of my own characters (yeaaaa)! Very slowly and it takes me forever, but it might happen.

I’m still tinkering my tags on tumblr, the main ones for now are:

reblog          Curious what I do in my free time? Go check it out.

my blog        What I post myself. On the tumblr. Do do do dooo

my writing    Look at what I can do with words!

my art          Look at what can I so with pigments!!!

project tl      Look at it!!!!!!!

Try also:

dromaeosaurs A.K.A. the sickle clawed raptors

interesting Stuff that makes you go huh

inspiration Stuff that makes you go wow

resources Stuff useful for art and/or writing

writeblr

artblr

art

What’s the WIP about?

After an unspecified amount of time, HERE will be a masterpost more in detail about it. Check back later and click on that or any mention of the project to jump to it.

You may recognise this WIP from the old NaNoWriMo forums. Yes it’s the same.

Below is a bite-sized appetizer. I proudly present…

Project TL

The story that has monopolised my fantasies. It' is currently a seven books series, comprised of a quadrilogy and a trilogy. All are outlined and book 1 is actively in the works.

Book 1: Runaway Heir (working title)

The main protagonist LIAM is a young noble boy who due to his mentor's untimely departure from life, instead of studying martial arts, spends his summer completely unsupervised getting his nose into the local drama, adventuring, and treasure hunting. Someone please reign him in fast.

Meanwhile, the other protagonist and future love interest TERI is in his last year of apothecary apprenticeship and encounters mostly self inflicted troubles in everyday life that he solves by running away or shapeshifting into a dinosaur, whichever works. Unfortunately, it really doesn’t.

And this is an early spoiler… they become roommates.

Featuring:

Narrators who are older versions of the main couple! Good ending is certain and self-reflections were made. Maybe.

Magic items and creative problem solving/making by using them.

Teenagers and their questionable decision making. Just imagine.

Fantasy biology & society. When parthenogenesis is involved, family trees and relationships get messy…

Mentions of transmigration and philosophy about life’s meaning.

Paleontologically accurate dinosaurs! Mostly members of the Dromaeosauridae family, the raptors with the sickle claw, but also many more prehistoric beasts...

That’s all for now!

Go scamper around and most importantly… have fun!

[doverjazzghost]

it's the new year's post!!

I'm not putting this under a read more bc tumblr keeps changing the website and idk where the function even is anymore. 2023 was actually pretty good! I had some huge huge growth/good developments in a lot of areas of my life: - I started voice lessons in March and working on singing has been really rewarding. Experiencing music in a different way has been challenging and it's wild feeling like a beginner at something musical again. I even did a vocal audition and sang solo in front of other people, which was a huge anxiety step for me. -My other music stuff has been going really well! I had one of my arrangements played live and 3 of my other arrangements have been recorded and mixed into tracks (2 of which were mixed by me). I also performed with a Real Professional Orchestra as a vocalist which was wild. - I finally got medical help for my headaches. I just though multi-day headaches were normal? at least for me?? but I had a lot of friends push me to go to someone about it and I guess a really effective migraine medication was developed in 2019? It's taken away 90% of my headaches and a lot of brain fog and ambient pain and it's wild to me that everyone else's lives had been like this. -I have travelled (a little bit). I still have a bit of anxiety around travelling, but I managed to go to DC, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts and I went to 3 conventions. - My anxiety has been a lot better around driving and being out in public. - I didn't get sick at all this year! Which seems like a small thing but after the year I had last year, I am VERY grateful for that. The goals from the 2023 post: -have a symphonic arrangement I've made be performed live Yes!! Also going to have another piece performed in May 2024 and probably December 2024 -actually do it, actually travel this time Yes. I didn't get on a plane, but I did car and train travel. Also booked a trip for me and the geef to Canada for April next year and that is Real Travel. -go back to working on my anxiety and agoraphobia Yes. It isn't really fully gone (bc I think it never will be) but I am in a much better place with that. I am buying groceries in person lol. -finish this Dnd campaign lol Yes! The campaign wrapped in November? Starting a new one early 2024 and I am actually writing this one for pray for me -be more proactive in reaching out to people Kind of? I can maybe only think of 2 or 3 examples of me inviting people to do things but at least that's more than 0 lol. -focus on craftsmanship in the things that I make Eeeehhh. I actually didn't make a ton of art things this year. I did 1 cosplay, some accessories, and a few crochet plushes. I am trying to research more and I think I'm more comfortable in taking apart and re-doing thing until they're right but I definitely think I can push it more.

The goals for 2024:

Still try to reach out to people more both talking and hanging out!

Use my phone less (especially watching less short form video lol). I have already been working on this but I want to commit harder.

Work out more consistently. The really good headache medicine gives me a little fatigue which has made working out harder.

Push myself to learn new techniques re: art, cosplay, music

Get a new job. Things Have Changed at my current job and I'm just not feeling it anymore. That is the post! Happy new bear!! ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ

[princepestilence]

New Year's Resolutions 2024.

We're going for simple but profound life improvements this year.

I don't really feel like resolutions is entirely the right word -- it feels like giving yourself an ultimatum, which isn't how I see this purpose, or the tone, of my practice. They're more an acknowledgement of aspirations, a voicing of intentions to help clarify the path I want to take that year.

In 2024, I am making choices to bring more joy, more art, more rest and relief, and more connection with people I love into my life.

write to mum every day. For mum's early Christmas present, I gave her a day planner with a beautiful cover (Van Gogh, one of her favourites), but she never got to use it. I've taken to the idea of writing to her every day, since the thought I've been having most frequently this month, about little inconsequential things, is "I wish I could tell mum about this." .

make a memory book. More of a scrapbook than a typical photo album. I want to make a memory book of my mum, all the things I don't want to forget about her, and all the things I want to celebrate and reminsce fondly about. I've kept so many little bits and pieces over the years, like ticket stubs and cards, which I now feel was subconsciously for this exact purpose. .

take care of myself. In many ways, 2023 was a good year for this goal, but 2024 can absolutely be better. I intend to sleep well, eat well, exercise, do things that are enjoyable as often as possible, and say no + use my time for myself. I see it as infinitely more precious at the moment, and I'm not happy any longer to give it away to just anyone who wants for free labour. .

dress for fun. Another continuation of 2023, but also another that can be improved. I can for sure get weirder with it. .

make art. This is one I am so looking forward to. I've really missed it, and in some ways regret that I've prioritised nearly every other thing over this one. But not anymore. I'm excited to draw again, and do craft, and write when the mood strikes. .

read for pleasure. Another one that fell to the wayside again and again in my pursuit of productivity and trying to finish my thesis, and work, and volunteer, and be social, and keep on top of life admin. .

play games. Ditto above! I get too much fun from playing games not to do it more often. .

run (and play in?) tabletop games. In some ways, this folds in under both 'make art' and 'play games' but I feel it combines the two enough as a distinct third option to count for another goal. I particularly want to run Dread again, and try out some other kinds of tabletop / board games too. .

go on outings more often. I have a year pass to the aquarium that I want to start using ASAP, and I want to visit the botanic gardens more often. It's a beautiful place and really nice to walk around, so will be an ideal place to get a little more exercise into my life as well. Likewise, I'm looking forward to going to see theatre further afield, and visit more galleries and museums. .

decorate home / start renovations. We've decided it's about time to start seriously making some changes to our home, which is exciting but also a bit anxiety-inducing. We're fairly confident the first port of call will be installing aircon, followed by kitchen renovations and electrical work throughout the house. That's going to make such a huge difference to the QOL (quality of lighting) and the functionality of the kitchen / living space and desk areas. .

connect more with friends + family. I've sacrificed a lot of time with family and friends to keep afloat with work and my dissertation etc., and while I know that was a sensible decision, it's not a situation I want to keep living in. I would rather achieve less and spend more time with the people that are important to me. .

submit thesis. It feels a bit silly to put this here when it's so close to done at this point already, but it's still worth acknowledging -- and also celebrating. It's hard that my mum won't be here to see me graduate, or read what I've spent all this time working on, but I know she wouldn't want that to detract from the experience for me so I'm trying to walk the fine line of pride / satisfaction and grief as I travel down this final stretch. .

manage workload better. Work is usually fine, but the busy periods really slam me and I have to really struggle to keep afloat in that environment. I've assessed the problems and have started to put things in place so I'm not being overloaded, and I think that + some recent talks I've had with my manager will make a big difference in how that all happens this year coming.

[onlyswan]

ART!! did you miss me? i’m sorry it’s been so long! i finally got around to reading some of your more recent drabbles and gosh i really so love iw!couple so much, their love is unmatched 🥰

ugh i knew the rest of the tannies were leaving soon but seeing all 4 of them go at once was kind of a lot to process ): alas, ik the years will fly by before they come back 🥺 i miss them a lot and i wish nothing but the best for them, always. idk when it will fully hit me that they’re all gone, but i do know that i feel very emo and it’s only been like 2 days 😭 what even is time?

BUT i’m here to update u on my life! after being a recent graduate & (f)unemployed for like 6+ months, i’m FINALLY starting my new job on monday! i’ll be working in retail and it’s right before christmas/the end of the year so my anxious, introverted self will be slightly overwhelmed, but the bag will be sooo worth it. EEE but exciting nonetheless! and i’ve gotten some early christmas presents already. wow what a year it has been and i can’t believe it’s coming to an end so soon o:

i hope you’re well, art! i try to keep up with your page every now and then but life gets very hectic, as we all know. i’ll be on the lookout for your next drabble!

until then, please take care and happy holidays 🫂

- cats&soup anon

MY CATS&SOUP ANONIE! of course i missed you 🥹 but i’m so happy to hear that you’re doing well and you’re excited about starting a new job! i hope you will be surrounded by very good people and it doesn’t give you too much troubles hehe. i’m so proud of you !!! 🩵🫂

argh i know this year felt so long but also at the same time i’m weirded out that it’s already ending? 😭 but that only means seokjin is coming home soon so we already have something to look forward to in 2024 to relieve the pain of missing the others so much 🥺

hehe thank you for making the time to read them! :") i hope you love the new drabble too T_T and life has been so hectic for me too so i totally understand! nevertheless i hope you never forget to take care of yourself 🫂 mwahmwah

[doovelackydraws]

I'm taking a year off drawing

Hi all! Doovelacky here.

As the title says I'm taking a year off making art. I won't be posting it, won't be making it. For a long time I've been in a really uncomfortable headspace with it all, it's been extremely difficult to separate it all from work/profit along with other people's expectations, chasing validation, etc. I'd hoped that once I got a day job I would be able to just make art for its own sake, but it hasn't shaken out that way. So, I'm making the deliberate choice to put it all down for a full year. Ever since I was a child a lot of my identity hinged really closely onto drawing, making art. I was the Weird Kid who nobody liked (undiagnosed autism wheee) and the only time I'd really get any truly positive attention at that early age was when someone would look over my shoulder at my sketchpad and go 'whoooaaah did you draw that that's so cool'. As an adult now I'm realising that experience has warped the way I think about my relationship to art- my own and other's.

I need to figure out who I am without it. Then maybe I can come back to it and actually enjoy it again. Or maybe I'll move on for good, who knows! I've got to give myself that possibility or this won't work.

Anyway. Happy New Year everyone! Have a fantastic 2024. Maybe I'll see you all again in 2025 as a changed cat. ❤️

[mysticsparklewings]

Obscutober 2024 Day 19: Feuillemort 🍂

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Feuillemort (adj.)

the color of dead or dying leaves; a dull yellowish or orangish brown

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Finally, one of the words I was most looking forward to, & one of the most seasonally appropriate! 🍁

...If only I hadn’t been distracted by art supply news for most of the afternoon so I could’ve given it the attention it really deserved. 😅

Click the "Keep Reading" and we'll talk a bit more about my general thoughts/process. ✨

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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Okay, circling back to do this description properly now, after speed-running to go ahead and just get it posted without one. (😅)

That was even necessary for a few different reasons:

I got distracted by an announcement from a certain marker company this afternoon and that distraction ate up a lot more time than I wanted it to.

This isn't the first time I've had to post one of these later than I was really happy with this year—You Sparklers know that. But at a certain point, it became obvious I was going to come uncomfortably close to the late posting hours that have plagued me for Inktobers' past, and I started to mildly panic.

Point 2 was not helped by the fact that dinner was ready just about time I finished the art itself, but I knew if I stopped to eat, I'd be set back a whole additional hour, if not longer. So I put off dinner for as long as I reasonably could, and then still had to work through dinner with one hand because trying to Just Eat and Not Think about The Obscutober Post was making me panic more.

And it's a real shame because if you Sparklers remember from yesterday, this is one of the words on the list that I was really looking forward to—So much so that I almost accidentally did it early. 😅

Sparklers, if you learn nothing else from me, please at least take to heart: Life is much easier and less stressful when you have actual time management skills and use them!

Ironically though, and kind of in spite of not getting to give this one as much careful attention as I wanted to...I don't feel like I have too much to say about how it did come together in the end. 🤷‍♀️

At it's core, the mandala here was mostly just drawing leaves, after all. It did take me a few tries to nail the shape of the Maple and oak leaves, though that's largely because they look weird of you don't get the subtle roughness of their edges just right. [At least if you ask me.] But the rest of the leaf shapes mostly took figuring out in how to place them together, not so much in how to achieve them.

Much like Day 8, I felt like I kind of had a leg up here because of a project you Sparklers haven't seen yet but my Ko-fi Members have. [And hopefully you Sparklers will get to see it soon, too, I've just been too busy to squeeze it in yet!] Said project also involved drawing a lot of small leaves, so I had a bit of experience with simple leaf shapes up my sleeve. [Up my sleaf. 😃]

I was kind of worried I was going to/had maybe overhyped working with this word also like Day 8, but really my biggest problem was just the ticking clock.

The one other "major" problem I had was that after the past few mandalas have felt more doodle-y and less mandala-y to me, I wanted to insist on getting some more "proper" mandala elements in here. That was easier for the simpler leaves that served more as filler and more difficult for the more specifically-shaped leafs.

Getting the more traditional mandala elements in there was also kind of important to help keep this from looking like a giant mess of lines for the different leaf segments and such, which I didn't realize until I'd started on maybe the third different kind of leaf or so.

Speaking of late-stage realizations: Believe it or not, it only occurs to me now that this looks kind of like a fall wreath. 😆

But I managed to get through the line phase and still feel pretty good about it. My goal was to get a nice leaf-pile sort of thing going and despite my anxiety over how long it was taking, I think I got pretty much what I wanted out of it.

Next, of course, was the color. There was little argument to be had there because that's sort of what today's definition hinges entirely on.

I did however have a bit of a fight trying to get the right brightness and the contrast I wanted in some areas. While I did want to stick fairly close to the definition and limit how much red and green go in there, at least some of both felt necessary to stay true to the nature of dying leaves and I didn't want it to just be a flat yellow-y-brown blob, either.

I stand by the outcome I got, but I do think if I hand't been so pressed for time I could have arrived at a just-as-happy conclusion a lot easier. As it is, I spent most of the coloring phase just kind of smashing fall colors on top of each other; If I'd had more time, I would've selected my colors a little more carefully and wouldn't have had to layer some of them up so much to get the color I wanted. 🙃

And then when I thought I was finished, I had to go back twice to brighten it up because it just didn't look as vivid on screens that weren't my iPad and it bugged me.

...Sparklers, here I was typing a paragraph about how I originally misspelled "dying" as "doling" in the image definition and had to go back and fix it right before posting, only to realize I didn't even completely fix it. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

It'll be fixed by the time I update this description to actually be a description, and I'll fix it in the few other places I'm able, but I can't fix it everywhere so now a bunch of the cross-posts are just...stuck with "dyling" instead of "dying" up there. 🫠

*Sigh*. I knew that was going to happen eventually. It was just inevitable with a format that includes text, the same way it's pretty inevitable that every time I do a daily challenge with the mini-magnets, I make some kind of dumb spelling mistake I can't easily fix with those, either. At least this way is technically easier to fix the image itself and it's just the posts that are the problem; The magnets are often trickier to fix because I have to decide if I want try to literally fixing it with the magnets or just Photoshop it instead.

Still, I absolutely exhaust myself with these dumb oversights. 😫

Maybe that's a sign I should leave (ha) this description here before I knock all the remaining wind out of the sails I have left for this artwork. 🙃 I think I mentioned everything I wanted to about the making-of, before that realization happened. I think that's why I was even bothering to bring it up—To make sure I'd covered as much as I could.

Well. I suppose I would rather realize the mistake now than like, a week from now or sometime in the future when it would be way more ridiculous how long it took me to notice. This is still not great, but at least I know the main reason it happened was because I was just in such a rush from the coloring phase onward and that mistaken was collateral damage.

Remember that thing I said at the beginning? I think it bears repeating once more: If you learn nothing else from me, please at least take to heart: Life is much easier and less stressful when you have actual time management skills and use them!

Bleh. I think I should also say I do still like the art itself, The frustration I have towards myself is just very strong right now. I knew cross-posting went a little too smoothly once I got started tonight.

Sigh together with me for a moment, Sparklers: SIGH.

And now please send thoughts of better time management my way, because clearly I could use them as to hopefully not have another day like today. 😅 I'll see you Sparklers tomorrow, hopefully with a proper description the first time, everything spelled correctly, and in much better spirits than the mood I've just put myself in. 🫠

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See the Prompt List

Artwork © me, MysticSparklewings

Obscutober Concept Inspired by nikolas_tower

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[cryptidsurveys]

Monday, November 11th, 2024.

How many bedrooms does your home have? Three, but one of them is currently being used as a junk room.

What kind of phone do you have? A Samsung Galaxy something or another. I think I got it around 2016? It's a fossil.

Have you ever been assaulted? No.

What was the last thing that made you feel fortunate? Receiving another free hoodie from the animal shelter after today's mandatory meeting. The way my dad waits for me on the porch to greet me when I come home from work. Being able to talk to my dad about basically anything. And my sweet little Karenna kitty - she's always so happy to see me. She's currently wandering around on my desk and purring up a storm. I'm trying to get her to settle down on my lap.

Can you hear a lot of traffic noise from your house? Nothing intense. It's not like living by a busy freeway, but depending on the time of day, a vehicle passes by every few seconds or so.

Are there any good Thai restaurants where you live? There might be. I haven't been to a Thai restaurant in ages.

Have you ever drawn or painted a self-portrait? Yeah.

What was the last red thing you ate? There were a couple of strawberries in the fruit mix I added to my oatmeal this morning.

Do you know anyone in a relationship with someone who’s old enough to be their parent? I don't. But on the subject of age gaps, the other day, a cashier asked my dad if I was his grandchild, and he said nope, that's my child. She gave us a weird look and he asked, do I really look that old? And I was like, hey wait a minute, maybe I look that young! And she said, you do… I didn't tell her my age, but other people have been very surprised to find out I'm actually 35.

Have you ever found something really interesting at an antique store? Just the usual interesting old stuff, but nothing really interesting. Then again, I don't have the eye for that sort of thing so…who knows. Maybe I was staring straight at a rare item and didn't even realize it.

What brand of laundry detergent do you use? I honestly don't pay attention.

Have you ever driven a Mini Cooper? No.

Who was your last voicemail from? Probably my therapist's office.

Do you have any Italian heritage? I don't.

Did your longest relationship make it past the 5 year mark? No.

What time do you usually eat dinner? On full workdays, sometime between 5:30-6:00pm. On half/off days, typically around 4:00pm. I know that's freakishly early for some people, but I also go to bed freakishly early, so…!

Would you ever want a career in the performing arts? No.

Do you know any narcissists? I don't think I've ever encountered a true clinical narcissist. People with narcissistic traits, sure, but that's it.

What has been your favorite job you’ve ever had? My current one. I know I'm technically a volunteer, but I'm also "basically staff." Pretty much the only thing I don't do compared to actual employees is…clock in…get a paycheck…lmao.

When was the last time you had a power outage from a storm? There was a partial power outage at the animal shelter during that one storm over the summer, but as for an outage at home, I'm not sure. We've had random ones not linked to the weather, though.

Have you ever been falsely accused of something serious? No.

Do you ever Skype/Facetime your friends and family? No.

What did you think of the last movie you saw in theaters? Loved it.

Did you ever set up a lemonade stand when you were a kid? Yeah.

When was the last time you spoke to someone in a different language? I'm not sure.