#haven't been very proud of the art I've been making. I'll do my best to post again tho. it's nice hearing from people on here 😎

[smilebug]

where'd you go? 💔💔💔💔

I never left 👍

[myebi]

art vs artist 2024 ✨ can't believe we're here!

i've been thinking about this year a little bit these past few days, with the holidays being under special circumstances for me. the past month passed quickly but very gently, which I'm grateful for all things considered. i think it's now safe to say that after some reflecting 2024 was one of - if not the - best year of my life. I've never experienced such a whirlwind of gratifying experiences in the span of twelve months: i met so many new and nice people, had my first con experiences in amazing settings and my first job opportunities in a field i wanted an experience in for a long time, traveled the world somehow, got 10x more attached to my characters than i already was - and I'm quitting the year with just as many projects as i did when i entered it. granted, new problems came up and still persist, but with every year that passes i get one step to catching up with the anxiety and fears that hold me back, and it's that one step that each time allows me to surpass fear and welcome something new. every leap of faith partially led to the beautiful things i experienced throughout the year like a ripple effect (partially). it's gratifying and humbling in equal measure. so cool!!

art wise, i'm a lot more satisfied with the direction my art is taking than i used to be in the past two years. i came up with brush settings that shifted my line dynamic and i discovered a new rendering technique i really enjoy that allows me to balance time-efficient with textured together. i think my art has been getting a lot more expressive and while sometimes it makes me feel like I'm straying away from a more sanitized, thought through illustrative style, maybe it's worth it for the feelings to be conveyed the way i want them to. i haven't gotten to a point where i'm experimenting with my shapes, compositions and palettes in a way that shakes up my habits in a good way, but I'll get there.

I've also come to realize while making the meme that i actually have very few finalized personal works to show this year! i made most of my personal work posts on a time rush (they usually were made for specific days). I've been working on a set of drawings that required some tweaking and a few days to sketch properly, but the result is worth it, I'm so proud of them!! i wanted to get them out before the NY but it convinced me that rendering had to take its time as well, i don't always want to rush things nowadays. being on a time limit and taking all the time necessary are both good drawing exercises nonetheless.

lots of rambling, but i had lots of thoughts. I'm so grateful that some people are still in my life as we inch toward the new year. to my moulin squad, to my tol staw, to all the new friends i made this year, to my kitty, to my family. i love you like the world. and of course, to all the people who follow my work from up close or from afar, thank you so much. to know i bring a bit of inspiration, thought and color into your day has a lot more worth to me than you can imagine. thank you for manifesting your interest and your support whenever you do!! 🙏

i hope you all have safe and healthy holidays 💛 drive safely and tell your loved ones you love them. my thoughts are with Ukraine and the people of Palestine.

[baqki]

hey, long time no see

to anyone about to read this novel, have a rockin' monday!

i don't know exactly what sparked me wanting to log on to this account that's been collecting dust for a millennia now, but here i am

honestly i think it's because i'm rewatching something that i was heavily involved in the fandom of on this website back in the day, and i ended up reminiscing about a lot of things and seeing my old art in places, and i just wanted to.. i don't know, come over and talk

firstly i just want to be clear and formally apologize for. well, a bunch of things. i joined this site back around 2011 or so, back when i was still in high school. i'm 32 now. that's a big chunk of my life to dedicate to a website.

a lot of great memories were made here. i'll treasure that, always. but there are also a lot of bumps in my history that are still very painful to think about. losing friendship after friendship, making people uncomfortable, that last one especially. it's strange to look back at my online life and want to do nothing but curl up and kind of vanish, but i can look at it all thru a new lense- turns out i was very, very, very autistic, and didn't know it yet. that was the final piece of understanding why i've been so weird and offputting my entire life.

if i ever made anyone that might be reading this uncomfortable, whether it be thru my actions or my art, i'm sorry. my entire online life has depended on bouncing from thing to thing to just fit in and be approved by people i looked up to. sometimes that pushed myself into directions i am not proud of. so did hyperfixation, by the by- stuck on something so intensely it keeps me from being able to properly function because it's the only thing in my head.

i kind of just have to deal with pieces of me being out there in the world on platforms that i can't control anymore or delete, and that's okay, i guess. it's really hard for me, it's a scary thought, but at least i can give myself a bit of kindness and kind of understand Why a little more. why people just seemed to not deal with me well, why i treated others the way i did. none of it is an excuse but being undiagnosed at the time plus living the majority of my early youth online and especially on this website, it just makes sense now, like i said before.

i don't do much actively in fandom spaces anymore. my friend circle is small, i am too disabled to draw anymore, which is why you don't see my art on any platform that i'm on. maybe one day when i have access to proper medical care and medication, but not right now. right now i am just hanging out with some lifelong friends (some of which i met on here) and playing final fantasy 14.

this has been kind of a major ramble, so i'll try to summarize it here:

to anyone i made actively uncomfortable for whatever reason, i am so, so sorry i did that to you. i won't say i didnt know any better at the time or something like that, but it was very difficult to understand what i was doing and why it was a problem. i know now. it's a case of genuinely understanding my mistakes and learning from them and just doing better, and overall i have been doing better for years. i think so, anyway.

to anyone i've met along the way, i still think about you, i really mean that. i don't forget anyone that's been in my life, right down to the occasional follower that i would consistently see in my notifications. i hope every single one of you is doing well. it's been a really rocky road and i'm not quite satisfied with where i'm at, but for the most part, the journey to get here was fun, and i appreciate everyone.

thanks for bearing witness to my most embarrassing moments! with 2025 going down the tube already, i just hope that we can all do our best. that's all i really want. i haven't read this back, so i hope it makes sense.

if anyone wants to reach out, dm me, i have discord, i'm on xiv, i'm trying to use bluesky but i don't know if i'll bother giving that one out because i have like 7 posts total at most. be cool, all right?

love ya,

dal

[sasukimimochi]

. . .

.✦ Chapter 30 "Lessons in Patience"

Lan Xichen slid his hand down the window sill, listening to the pittering sound against the stones outside. Usually, he loved the sound of the rain. But all he could think of was walking side by side with his comrade on the battlefield, listening to the fierce storm and enjoying their smaller victories. Now that there was a chance Nie Mingjue would never walk again, or worse… he wished he had spent more time with him. That’s how it always was though, when you were afraid to lose someone. You always wish for just a little more time.

I had to go with something simpler today because the chapter was under crunch time, but i don't think i did too badly! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, I'm glad to finally be able to post something! excuse the odd brush choices, I also got a new computer during my away time, and i haven't transferred everything over yet! i need to export the brushes i was using on my other computer, I just keep forgetting and i didn't have time to transfer them before i worked on the piece today.

As always, check out more of my MDZS projects or more GOM in my masterpost ❤ Check out more under the read line.

As a reminder, we had an anniversary last month for GOM and i streamed it! You can see the finished art as well as get the link to my twitch from here.

I'll post it here too though, in case it will help more people see it!

Happy Anniversary! it's been a year since the 15th of January, 2023, when i posted the first chapter of Ghost of Mine! It means a lot to me that i have so many readers and I'm trying my best to stay strong through the writing process so i can give you guys a good experience- and of course me too! My personal goal is to be able to finish Ghost of Mine and do it well, I think i will feel accomplished and have succeeded in making a lot of readers happy!

Either way, this experience has been a ride so far- this fic is a record length for me, surpassing my own writing (a rewrite of an original of mine; a work in progress) and past attempts at fanfiction. I'm very proud of how far I've come, and I'm glad you guys have been with me through it all.

[beowulfxgrendel]

A few thought i had about someone and about emotions that i wanted to share:

I think its very interesting how someone can admire and hate a person at the same time. It just seems so illogical to me and I've never really experienced it before like right now.

They give me so much comfort and gender Euphorie because they're kind of a good role model for me to not be scared of doing stuff that is considered feminin while being transmasc. Like they're wearing eyeliner/kajal and nail polish and are or at least were taking testosterone because of a deficit and they think gender stereotypes are dumb.

And that gave me so much confidence to start wearing nail polish and eyeliner again.

And they are just overall such an inspiration (and a very cool person) and I really like drawing/painting them.

But at the same time they're probably the reason why I've felt no desire to paint at all the last few days and actually had to cry more than once. Cause they have such a unique writing style and I'm pretty sure they wrote that one comment about my painting, that made me regret posting it as soon as I read it.

Like I really appreciate them reposting my art. That's great. And tagging me was also very kind (and they also kinda have the right to just post it on their account since my reference was their picture to begin with, but at least telling me or asking me would have been very nice too) but taking two in-progress pictures that look even worse than the finished painting (which I also captioned as clearly not perfect) because they're from a moment where most things where clearly not finished (and also my signature wasn't on it) and then putting a caption that says that I painted them how I see them with my heart (which is not true at all. I admire them and was painting them for practise. To get better at painting. Because I was so inspired by them) and that "someone could have told them that they aren't as beautiful as they thought they were" has just been putting my inspiration to a complete stop.

I was so proud of how the painting turned out but I was also clearly aware that it wasn't perfect (but that I would ruin it if I continued working on it, cause the text parts had already frustrated me too much). And now when I'm looking at it I'm constantly reminded of their opinion on it and have to stop myself from just destroying it because it makes me so sad and angry and disappointed in myself or from deleting the post (because as I said they tagged me. And if people would look at my profile they wouldn't even see the result. They would just have seen the in progress pics and would probably believe the caption completely). And of course it could also have been one of the other two that could have written the caption. But first of all it has such a unique wording that it fits best to him and I think the other two wouldn't be so rude.

And I've still done a few sketches of them because they also give me so much comfort but then I remember the caption again and just get so frustrated. And I wanted to start another painting but I haven't even completed the first sketch because I'm just soo worried that I'll mess up that one too and I'm not strong enough to handle another such disappointment.

I mean if you don't like what I painted, you don't have to share it. You could have just ignored it. And if you liked it and that was some kind of twisted irony then it's not better either. Because that wouldn't be clear from the wording.

And Its just so weird how such a few words from one person (or maybe three. Idk if the other two have to approve of posts first) can have such a negative impact while I've gotten so many nice words from so many people in the community. The positive and nice comments clearly outweight the one negative comment. And still it affects me so much. Maybe because they helped me find confidence in things considered feminine by society.

And still I admire them. Still their voice comforts me. And sketching them too. Im still looking for them in backgrounds of some TV stuff. I'm still listening to their podcast and music and it still gives me so much energy. But it all has such a bitter aftertaste. And then I remember again why I feel so conflicted and have to stop myself from crying.

I just don't understand that. Why are emotions so complicated. Why can such a little comment influence my whole life so much while positive comments can't?

Edit: I am aware that they deleted that one sentence. And that's (I don't want to say nice) fine. Because both sentences were unkind. But they could have just changed the caption if they were already at it. Because I most certainly did not paint them the way I see them with my heart, I am not good enough for something like that yet, and that comment still hurts.

However, I'm very grateful for you nice people who reached out to me (and apparently also to them?) and showed me that I wasn't really overreacting. (And because it seems I haven't been quite clear about this: I am aware that they mostly make comedy stuff and all that and that it was probably a joke (or if not then it was a not very nice honest opinion on something, where I never asked for an opinion, on something I made clear that it wasn't perfect or exactly how I wanted it))

[sannyo-appreciation-posts]

what are, in your opinion, the best ships involving Sannyo? I'm easily influenced by canon so I'd say mamizou is pretty good. i saw what you said about seiga and while it's true i hate seiga with a passion

[All art used is sited with the reliant link at the bottom]

Truth be told, I'm not much of a shipper personally, but I have a lot of fun seeing it from different people and thinking about where it comes from.

But this will be fun. So fun, that im going to take this thought way further than i need to. Hopefully I'll have a good number of ships by the time I'm done over analyzing this.

(I actually mentioned that about Seiga because its the only time I've ever seen that ship before, let alone seen any art for it, and was thinking up how it happened, it was cute art after all)

There's actually a much more common ship with a similar character chemistry pairing Sannyo with Yachie,

but this ship makes a bit more sense because not only is Sannyo a dragon fangirl, Yachie even looks a lot like her pipe. In fact, if you used her tail with its length in Touhou 19 you could probably even stretch Yachie into its exact shape, plus a bonus shell.

(A pretty fun mental picture)

Anyway, the over analysis starts here

______________________

Obligatory Disclaimer:

[Any Readers keep in mind, that even though I said you can think these up using canonical sources as a basis, that does not mean I'm claiming any of them are canonical relationships beyond possible friendships. There are also plenty of other ships that are possible with characters shes not likely to interact with that have just as much potential for cute dynamics]

Ships that can be thought up from the canonical sources.:

Well, first I'll do the ones from Lotus Eaters.

The easiest one to pick is definitely Mamizou. The entirety of Lotus Eaters Chapter 30 was more or less them having a fun and cheeky back and forth.

There is also Miyoi if you want to think of it that way since they are business partners and it's cute seeing her get both encouraged and picked on by Sannyo.

If you want to really be funny, and really stretch the imagination, you can joke about the Ponytailed Yamawaro with the surprising amount of screen time, since Sannyo helped her cool off when she was yelling, and more or less helped her when she was crying.

I mean look at that sad face

Those are the ones from Lotus Eaters.

Now Unconnected Marketeers gives us a few more things to build off of,

Sannyo has a funny back and forth with Sanae, and they both knew about each other before the incident, so that could be interesting.

(Though people can understandably find interactions with any protagonist to build off of if they see it that way)

The next one is since Sannyo lives at Heavens Shelf right beside rainbow dragon cave, Sannyo therefore lives very close by the dragon eater Momoyo too, which is definitely funny.

A surprisingly popular one is Sannyo with Misumaru, this one makes more sense then you might initially think, it comes from Sannyo's dialog implying she's been asked to keep humans out of rainbow dragon cave by someone. That person could only have been Misumaru. Idk how she'd have met her though. One particular artist really loves this ship

Misumaru doesn't technically live in the dragon cave but she definitely uses it sometimes and they both have some mentor energy going for them. My impression of Misumaru just from in game is she has some really proud but also no nonsense aspects to her personality. So it might be fun to see how she could interact with Sannyo.

For the same reason of being nearby, people could potentially ship her with Takane. She lives nearby the Yamawaro and they are both business ladies after all. I think the reason I haven't seen that one is Takane is a bit more hard professional and might not have as good of a back and forth with Sannyo. Especially when Takane has the far more obvious option of Nitori.

She lives nearby the Tengu too, so if someone decided that was enough to go on then they could ship her with any Tengu.

She even says "it's no wonder That Tengu has a high opinion of you" to Sanae.

[We can assume "That Tengu" is Megumu but people can definitely interpret that as someone else if they want. I think ive seen someone assume she was talking about Aya back during the Demo even]

Making it possible to have an argument for Megumu, Aya, Hatate, maybe even Momiji. But given Sannyo's : "you don't need to know about that......., actually i don't know either" flavor interactions with protagonists, it might be hilarious to see her interact with the Tengu.

Unfortunately there is no Sannyo x All Tengu picture to use so have the Megumu laugh Scene from Lotus Eaters:

Thats it for the ships you could extrapolate from UM interactions.

The last ship based on canon sources is Nemuno, they are different versions of the same Yokai species, Nemuno being a Yamanba, and Sannyo being a Yamajorou, a more outgoing version of the species. They both live in the mountains so it's possible for Sannyo to give her a visit if she wants, but Nemuno probably wouldn't travel too far personally.

In conclusion:

_________________________________

Finally I'll actually list my favorites:

My favorite ship though is easily with Mamizou. Mamizou and Sannyo had some really fun interactions.

Despite generally not often thinking about Misumaru, I've seen so much cute art of this ship on Pixiv that it makes me kinda like it. They do have compatible personalities so I can't say it's unreasonable.

I feel like she could have potential with Megumu. A Daitengu might be above Sannyo's metaphorical pay grade, but it could be fun. And they apparently are on speaking terms. Plus, you can read Megumu Iizunamaru as Dragon, and thats fun.

[But that's a tough sell, Megumu already is pretty cute with Chimata, has Tsukasa Mythology, and that great running dragon joke with Momoyo]

I think the mental picture of stretching Yachie out into a pipe shape might have sold me on that ship just now too.

So anyway, that's what I came up with for favorites.

Sannyo x Yachie art by: stank

Nemuno fish art by :0-DEN

Nemuno soy sauce by: atoki

Mamizou x Sannyo art by Biyon

[pessskybird]

my art :3

i wanted to go ahead and share some of my favorite and recent pieces!

this is Golden Hour (i just call her Goldie), my best friend designed her and we co-own and write her story together! she has a ponygram page on Instagram that i will most likely be porting over to her own blog! (she seems like a blogger to me :3)

the animation is choppy and definitely not one of my best works but IN MY DEFENSE!!! it's been nearly 3 years since i last animated

next up i have my gorgeous gorgeous girl Wisteria, i've owned her for almost 4 years now and she's criminally under loved, i think about her all the time </3

this is a commission for a very amazing person, this is also one of my designs! she was so much fun to draw again and i'm honored to have been commissioned to draw one of my designs!! it's always a pleasure to work with this person and i look forward to sharing more of their commission results!

my oc Lexi! they're also one of my OG ocs, i got them way back in 2020! they have a minor story that i also look forward to sharing!

next up is Princess, another criminally under loved oc! i got her around 2021, she is so pretty

now THIS design i am *very* proud of, her name is Cupids Arrow, i made her for my girlfriend! a true labor of love, i tried a lot of new things when making her! i love how she came out

AZRA!!! i have insane brainrot over them, for any lovers of The Crane Wives (HIIIIIII LETS BE FRIENDS IF YOU ARE!!!) their story is very inspired by Time Will Change You and Black Hole Fantasy and i can't WAIT to share their story with you!!

DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!! I ALSO DRAW PEOPLE!!!!! this is Apollo, my current main sona, mascot, and self insert into literally anything and everything i so choose (you can't stop me)

he started as just a cool guy, then a hermitcraft insert, and now he's a watcher and i just stick him into everything because i can. i love him he's insane and silly

and finally....

my most ambitious piece yet. now, it is a little unassuming, believe me that. i think i could've done a lot more or better with it. but i tried a bunch of new things for it, i started this commission over twice, and i'm ultimately proud of the results

this is a commission for my best friend of their mascot and it really pushed my limits (and also unfortunately burned me out but i digress!!)

these last few years, i've been both extremely creative but very susceptible to burnout, and it's been challenging for my motivation. there's a lot of things i'm doing differently now. i've officially stopped taking commissions, so after my queue is cleared up, i'll be focusing more on my personal projects. i've also decided to stop making adopts until my sales folder on toyhouse is clear (excluding collab designs i'm doing with a good friend :3) as unfortunately i've lost my motivation for those too.

i love to design and create for other people, but with my mental and physical health, it's unsustainable at my current rate. i have more unfinished pieces and blank canvases than finished pieces in my gallery. and as shallow as it sounds, if i can't sell designs or commissions, it's not something i want to do, and i know many of my other artist friends are feeling the same. it does sound shallow, but it's been very demotivating lately, i feel like this work is some of my best, yet i haven't sold anything in months. i do understand art is a luxury for many people including myself, it just feels a little disappointing, hence why i'm taking a step back from both. if anyone has similar experiences or tips on this, i'm very happy to see them!

otherwise :3 this is all i've got for you right now :D

[twotangledsisters]

What has been your top 10 favourite pieces of art you have drawn and why?

Oooh, that's hard!

But I'll give it my best shot! I'm gonna try going from least fave to fave but... no an excuse science!

10.- Cass and Caine Sketch

Starting with a sketch feels a bit wrong but this WIP is still on my to-do-list despite being from Feb of last year, almost an entire year old now, and there's very little I want to change about the initial sketch.

I dunno why this sketch came out so well, but the body language just reads for me in a way I don't usually capture.

9.- This set

It's definitely cheating to include three drawings one but... they wouldn't make it individually, but the set? Amazing. Especially because they're over a year old, they're from August of 2023 and I don't know if I could re-create art this good today?? I can't say it's luck because I did three of them one after the other.... but did some art deity lend me a hand without me noticing? Maybe.

8.- Cass and Caine again!

This one is pretty self-explanatory. It's a simple piece, nothing too amazing skill-wise, but the colours, the placement, it's a piece I am still super proud of and remains my ipad background to this day :D

7.- Cassandra with swords

Another piece that's not too complex but just comes together beautifully. Was my icon on ao3 up until a few days ago!

6.- The mermaid and the pirate

This is my current desktop background and while I could definitely do this better now, I still really love the colours in this piece, the story it tells and the composition :D

5.- This ArtFight for @maitaitiu

THIS ONE.

This is for my inner-child.

I love pokemon, it was definitely amongst (if not the very first) the first fandoms I was ever in. And it was through watching pokemon speedpaints on youtube that I got into digital art, opened up a Deviantart account, starting publishing drawings done on the pc with my mouse on there, made friends, kept drawing.... pokemon is my origin story yet I hadn't drawn them in YEARS.

So this piece for ArtFight with all the little details just made me think, wow, my younger self would be so IMPRESSED XD

Plus it makes me want to pick up my ds or switch and play some more XD

4.- Another ArtFight Attack (for Demon2000)

This combining of my chibi style and the geometric edges works soooo well. I still think this is perfect, I would not change anything. And it's the predecessor of my current style, it's what made me realise how much I like sharp edges in my art and vibrant colours :D

It even has the combination of gradients and cell-shading!

3.- Cass and Fidella

This is my most popular piece of art and while I wasn't 100% at the time... I now see it. I'm especially proud of the colours and OWL :D

Love owl.

2.- Cassandra in Coronation Dress

I think this is the best drawing of Cassandra I've ever done, even if it's not a very obvious one because it's in a pretty dress and very leaning into my own AUs. But that's a good thing, it's more my art than the piece before this.

Her expression in this, how good her face looks, the shimmering fabric of the dress.... I love everything about this piece (except maybe the background, it needs a background which is why....)

1.- Captain!

It having a background and being a scene (screenshot redraw for the win!) just makes this piece stand out.

Another piece where there really isn't anything I'd change.

(although I'd like to get better at background before next year!)

So yeah.... I think those are probably my ten best pieces.

Definitely a lot more older art than I expected but I just haven't had the right brain for creativity recently so my art is definitely a lot more flat than it could be.

But that's fine.

Creative journeys are never linear :D

[burnt2ashleys]

hey.

been a while, huh. I don't remember how many months since I've made an entry here. This is a dlog, or something like it, but I haven't really interacted with this beyond the occasional like and reblog spree.

The past several months have not been kind to me, the last 2 more than the rest. And while I could air out my very real, lame and depressing IRL woes, I think it's best if I spare you and I both from making a wall of text wall-ier.

I draw for a life (not a living, because I've not made much money out of it, but I don't do much else being a NEET), and Clip Studio Paint, my preferred program to draw in, seems to have hiccups I can't fix no matter what, so after months of trying and failing, I went back to Photoshop to draw. It wasn't until a few days ago that I finally felt like I had something going in regards to art digitally (last time I felt this way was in May). Heck, I was (and kinda still am!) even drawing on paper to keep a habit going.

But, things seem to be flowing again. At least, for now. Everything is still very tenuous and things could still go breasts-up at a moment's notice, but I'm willing to believe that I'll make it out okay despite everything.

That said, it's October, the halloween month. And I made myself a new avatar! It's my first time painting in a very long time. Check it out:

I don't know about you guys, but I feel I nailed this. I'm really proud of it!

And I feel kinda confident, almost excited to tackle some of the projects I've been letting gather dust for several years. Though, whether or not I'll be able to do anything concrete this month remains to be seen. It'll be a busy, busy next few weeks and months.

To whoever reads this: Thanks. I may not know you, but I'm thankful someone took some time out of their day to read... whatever this is, really.

[judgedarts]

hi!! proud owner of i think 5 atp jojo chibi charms and VERY new artist alley vendor here and i was just wondering, how do you budget/manage costs for non local cons that might have high transportation costs or more expensive tables? do you usually make back what you spent on transport + table/tickets + merch production/ordering + etc at the con or is there a slight loss? this is mainly for my own reference asking someone successful so ty for answering!!!

hey! congratulations on becoming an AA vendor :,) im very honored that you've bought from me before and that you consider me a 'successful' vendor haha!

i'm really passionate when it comes to talking about AA stuff so I'll be putting my answer in the read more since it's pretty long lol!

to be honest, I'm in a very lucky position to be able to travel to conventions beyond the east coast because it can really get expensive T_T i think the most honest answer i can give you is that your first couple of cons most likely are going to be a slight loss for you income wise if you are planning on traveling for a convention - tbh, i generally don't recommend doing a convention out of your state/out of your means if you're very new to tabling. my very first conventions were in driving/public transport distance (i love you new york and new jersey!!!) so i never spent money other than the table cost and ordering product. so if you're starting out and live in a state that has local cons, id HIGHLY recommend doing local events to get experience and cutting down costs as much as you can so you can get the most out of it! if you do intend on doing out-of-state cons because your state doesn't have many small local cons, i totally get it, but again, just try to keep your costs as low as possible. here are some suggestions and things to keep in mind:

1.split costs with a friend

split the table, split hotel fees, split ubers, etc! if you have family/friends in that state, consider crashing at their place for the weekend! maybe treat them to dinner haha

2. save up funds

honestly, there's really no getting around it - you might have to get income from somewhere else besides selling merch @ cons! i worked a part-time job throughout college, did commissions/freelance, and had my store open to save up for cons.

3. remember to deduct all expenses for your business

keep in mind that table fees/travel and hotel fees/products/meals are all deductible. these are considered investments for your business and they're completely necessary for you to run said business so when it comes tax time, you'll be able to breathe a little easier haha.

4. know your limits and be cautious

unfortunately, not all cons are going to be successful or will go your way no matter how much money you pour into it. if you know a convention is going to be out of your means, you can always apply the following year. I've had plenty of cons i couldn't go to because i simply couldn't afford it at the time, but the more money you save up, the more experience you get, and the more connections you make, you'll be able to afford to go and be successful! i'd also do plenty of research about the convention (especially the attendance #s, how previous vendors feel about the con, etc) before you decide to go. 5. have fun!

even though the upfront price can be intimidating, you are still paying the price to travel, visit a city you've never been to, meet new people, fans, your friends, and make connections! not to mention the really inspiring and motivating atmosphere that artist alley can be. i hope that regardless of the money you make you take the time to enjoy the experience to the fullest and appreciate that you are sharing your awesome art with others :,)! i try to make the best out of a con even if i barely make even, and make new friends and connections because trust me, they are so meaningful ^^<3!

besides all that, i highly recommend joining the Artist Alley Network discord if you haven't already - there's a plethora of info, advice, etc that you can take away from there. https://discord.gg/artistalleynetwork i hope this was helpful! if you have any more specific questions I'm more than happy to answer them for you. if they're too specific or i don't feel comfortable answering, i hope you can understand too! good luck with all your AA endeavors - i believe in you and i really hope we will table at the same con soon!

[p-pamda]

2023 I start, 2024 slowly, but steady, hopefully.🐌 (long)

Muy buenas, im not sure how these year's reviews are done but I wanted to give it a go. I'll try to make it brief at least.

This year's been pretty big for a lot of reasons. Mostly personal reasons, but ill start with art cause the personal ones are moppy and bland as a sponge and we're here for art huehue >:')!!!

I did talksprites for Maples Maid Service! Its a very cute cozy game i was very fortunate to lend a hand on. Peti and Bleak-Creep did and are still doing an amazing job with it. Always updating. Did you know that you can play it now on CoolMathGames? I thought that was cool

I did Manon's talksprites for Loveweb (i love loveweb and doing talksprites hehe) I loved the series since the beginning so i was pretty happy when knowing i was able to help @shadokwastaken a little, since this 2 part video was a lot of work!

Check all Loveweb!

I did my first long comic (dont check it! its messy to understand and im embarrased, im proud of finishing it tho!)

I learned a lot, and i hope i can still make comics.

Apart from these... I honestly haven't done something real GRAND or MIRACULOUS this year related to art.

i promised myself to draw for myself and draw what i want at the moment, or what makes me happy. So I've been drawing a lot of my characters or comics only for meee, or practicing anatomy-skulls, or gifts for people.

Im gonna keep it that way, thanks a lot for the people who hangs in there with me even if i do this. BUT IM SORRY!!! ill make something cool one day.

I'm focusing on working on comic stuff, i wanna do my own one day. And a year resolution i have its to finish this year the history things to start this year or the next one. I hope everyone is still here to walk with me that bumpy road haha

And the sponge stuff

I'm not going to get much into it, but this year I started being like, a normal person my age. I mean. I'm still not fully there. and still have a long road there. But I've done some stuff I was terrified all my life of because of -things-

I got my first job, and I had to interact with people. Now a 1 year one with coworkers even. And they laugh with me and treat me nicely, even if im just being awkward. Its pretty mindblowing and still can't believe it sometimes.

Its kinda embarrassing, but it gives me a little hope that i can be out there and it'll be ok. And that i can be me and people will tolerate it.

I've been trapped scared, so much that i haven't been living at all. I got to one of those, things when people invite you to go somewhere? just because? ive never done that! i hate going outside but it was so cool aaa we went to watch a movie!!! i still have the tickets!!!

Maybe its because i haven't done anything never, and im really, not the brightest. But ive learned a lot this year. Ive been feeling very hopeful and happy.

Hope you all have a smooth new year. Wishing the best

Lets keep walking, Slowly but steady 🐌

Thanks for reading and for everything 💚

[brisquad-unit-4402]

idk if you've seen this on twitter but there's an art meme for a winter date that's going around and i thought you might like this

https://vxtwitter.com/uhlillie/status/1731976332467163338

also, thank you so much for your writing! i'm a bit of a lurker but i just wanted to stop by and tell you that in pursuit to and from the sun is my favourite work of yours. that fic solidified my love for luca because i'm so in love with your characterisation of him so much. i love the subtlety of the other unintentionally ignoring him and it's just... really good? it's a favourite trope of mine for characters who need support just not being listened to (and not saying anything) and the consequences of that is always wonderful.

in any case, thank you very much for writing what you write! please do take care of yourself, esp in these trying times (finals, work, holiday obligations, etc)!!

it might be bc i just went silly mode on the $5 dollariest cup of coffee i've ever had, but anon i need you to understand i let out the heftiest most tone-accurate y i p p e e ! known to man the second i read the luca thing

and also AUUUUGH. TAICHOUUUUUUU. UUEEEEUEUEU EUE E he's so cute i need to punt him into the sun

anyways YESSSSS i mean it i do i do! i love when people pick up on how luca behaves and is treated in that fic i do! i don't know if i'll stop being proud of it, even once my writing ability and subtlety improves. ik it's not a great literary classic or anything but i love when i make my writing, fanfic especially, have more depth than initial read. especially since i'm an x reader blog. especially especially when i put aside the time to write big chonky fics like in pursuit.

in a way you could say the bit about the rest of luxiem + reader treating him like an inanimate object to be protected is an allegory for fans babying the livers since that was a thing when i began drafting that fic. cool if you do cool if you don't. ultimately the way i neglected to write his character is a reflection of how the rest of the cast neglected to actively listen to him. i ended up writing a digetic narrator—an unreliable one!—before i learned what diegetic even means lol

i guess you could say that's one of the reasons why it's your favorite trope! because it forces the reader to explore why the lack of attention to these characters causes them to become the way they are, and then analyze the fallout to the cause; especially when the rest of the cast is caught unawares that they haven't been acting as good as they thought. that tends to become inevitable regardless if the author intended it to be a part of the narrative. or, like, not, i'm not here to tell you what to like about your favorites, that's up to you. i think it's times like these where it gets a little too obvious that i'm not a criminal justice graduate like the rest of my colleagues in vsf.

i think i should stop talking before one of the higher-ups can identify which private has been using the computers for rpf again.

a great big thank you anon. i had to go have a big happy yell bc this ask was so sweet and thoughtful. be safe as well! and happy and at your best this winter! i appreciate you muchly

[tendoujo]

# 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐉𝐎 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 💙.

━━━━    rules.    about.    verses.  

𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 : 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 .

00. INTRODUCTION. this is an independent mutuals - only tendo akane roleplay blog written by berry ( they / she / he ).

01. MANGA BASED. i've fully watched the anime + ovas + movies ( dubbed ), read the manga and i'm planning to watch the remake yet my akane will be entirely manga based. akane and ranma are equals and the 80s manga has been the only media so far reflecting this so i'm sticking with it.

02. FOLLOWING. this is a semi selective mutuals only blog. open to other fandoms, multimuses, ocs, and even doubles. having a rules page is a must for me, i won't follow without one. i have the right to unfollow and block at any moment. if i follow it means i'm interested in interacting ! feel free to send an ask, like old starter calls or approach to plot.

** be aware that i'll eventually soft block blogs that only interact with a limited group of people or those that i haven't interacted with at all in months. feel free to refollow later on if you do wish to interact. ** i don't support the use of ai ""art"" to make icons, edits or anything really. i'll softblock anyone who does so and won't follow back blogs using such tools. ** i will block personal blogs. i have had enough bad experiences with them so i would prefer if no personal blogs followed me or interacted with this blog or else i will block.

03. DNI. the basic dni criteria. i won't follow blogs with muses of the following fandoms unless they're a multimuse and the appearance of said characters isn't the main focus : voltron, hazbin hotel, helluva boss.

** i won't follow back rp blogs from the inuyasha sequel : 'yashahime: princess half-demon' unless there's a heavy divergence from canon. i don't acknowledge this anime and the outcome ( not to mention how it ruinied the inuyasha characters ) makes me incredibly uncomfortable, sorry

04. TAGS. ( # TW. EXAMPLE ), will tag ranma leaks and remake spoilers under : #TW. 2K24 RANMA SPOILERS.

05. IMS. open to mutuals. there's a little detail to have in consideration though: i suck at consistent messaging. i either reply right away or take weeks, months even, but that doesn't mean that i don't care about you or our plot, i'm simply forgetful and a general mess. i got a busy life so giving me reminders are pretty much welcome. with this said, feel free to reach out whenever !

** have in mind that if we have a plot or ship ( platonic, familiar, romantic ), i'll be sending you random images and musings that may remind me of our muses. i tend to spam messages whenever i owe a lot of things, if this isn't your cup of tea please feel free to tell me so can act accordingly.

06. ACTIVITY. sporadic, mostly lurking. during midterms and finals my activity will be almost nonexistent. reminders are welcome but pushing me to reply nonstop is something i won't tolerate, after all my irl responsibilities come first and this is a hobby i come to have fun. i do have another account i'm active on so if i'm not here find me on @/shungyo.

07. MUN. berry ( they / she / he ), mexican, lesbian, 21+, english isn't my first language so please be patient with me. your local akane stan and defender. akane tendo is the best girl and i know i'm right, rumiko told me xoxo.

08. MULTISHIP. this is a multiship account, chemistry and plotting are a must. i won't jump straight away into a romantic relationship. i only practice exclusivity if my shipping partner does the same, if your rules specify this then i'll follow through.

𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 : 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓 .

00. ART CREDIT. all art used in this blog will come from the official ranma media ( manga, anime, remake ).

00. EDITS CREDIT. me and i'm very proud of them.

[certainempatheticturkeymuffin]

Feeling kinda nostaligic looking through some of my art.

I drew this in 2021 and I was so proud of it. It was a companion piece for a fic that never manifested, and I loved it so much. It was my first real foray into digital art. Sure, I'd definitely drawn before, but nothing with this amount of effort put into it. It wasn't even the first thing I drew for the LU Discord: the place that got me back into art.

Looking at the results, I think it still holds up, and that makes me beyond happy. I would certainly change a lot about it if I drew it again today, but I love it all the same, because it's something I could see on tumblr and go "oh that's cute, I'll reblog" and I'm near tears.

I think it embodies what my favorite pieces are to draw: sad/angsty pieces of my favorite characters with dramatic lighting. I don't draw many of them, because they require so much effort, but they're my favorite.

I drew these two pieces in October and December of last year. I learned how to utilize glow layers, my anatomy improved, and I shifted to a lineless art style that is so much work but gives beautiful results. You can even see that between the two pieces I decided to properly learn how to draw wings.

I've improved so much in only three years and I genuinely owe it to the LU Discord. Even if I'm not as active there anymore, y'all got me back into art. I have over a hundred pieces of terribly drawn (by my current standards) fan pieces for your weekly prompts that gave me the practice I needed to improve, and I wouldn't have even bothered if I didn't want to participate in that community.

Specifically, I want to thank @ahrva, one of my best friends. She who collabed with me and encouraged me into so many writing projects and community events. Thank you, dearly. I wouldn't have had the courage to join the secret santas or art exchanges if you hadn't been right there, super excited to participate. You always compliment my art, and it means a lot when you go "OOOOOO" in response to one of my pieces /gen

I'd also like to thank @wolfy1298 whose art was a huge inspiration, even if we've never really spoken. Whenever I saw your work I was so impressed that I couldn't help trying to emulate you a little. Your colors are something I still envy to this day, your masterful highlights and lineart an inspiration to work harder and improve. Your curvy shapes are also very cute and may have infected me lmao

@author-main your diverse body types encouraged me to properly learn anatomy. I'm taking medical classes, but it's another thing entirely to try drawing the human body properly. I'm still unfortunately lacking when it comes to larger bodies, but your beautiful work encourages me to try improving, even if it's only in sketchbooks that no one will ever see. Your lines are full of personality, and I never tire of seeing your work.

@w1lmutt your compositions and poses are awe-inspiring. I struggle a lot with composing a shot, especially with foreshortening, so your work is extremely impressive. You manage to insert so much personality through body language alone, and it's definitely something I'll be striving to improve. That's not even mentioning your backgrounds! I'm generally in awe of every piece you make. I think I'd die if I had to draw a proper landscape/cityscape lol. I can barely manage a bedroom! Just another thing to work towards improving lol

There are tons more artists i want to shout out and compliment, but it's nearly 7am and I haven't gone to sleep yet lol.

Thank all of you. Even if I only pop in once every few months for the events nowadays, I'll always cherish my time in this community. I'm going to keep improving, and I'm glad to be doing so alongside such skilled artists!

[adventuretolkienlover]

For the TTS Ask Game!

🥳 How do you like celebrating your birthday?

💇 What's the shortest your hair has ever been, and do you regret it?

👑 What's one responsibility that you wish you didn't have?

🐴 How did you meet your best friend?

🦉 What's the dumbest name you ever gave a pet (or non-sentient object if pets weren't your thing?)

🌕 What empowers you?

🌌 What's your dream?

🌨 Who are you trying to make proud of you?

🏕 What's the worst gift you've ever given someone?

🎨 What's your favorite art medium to use?

🎶 Favorite song to sing when you're alone?

🍳 What's one thing you've got to get for yourself?

🍎 What would you give up everything you're doing to get?

🍃 Do you like having the wind in your hair?

Thanks girl! Okay, let's see!

🥳: For my birthday, or any occasion really, I love going to the Natural History Museum! I'm a huge history and science freak. Someday I plan on working in a museum!

💇: The shortest my hair has ever been? That's good question. Because the thing is I never cut my hair. Why? Well, I always treasured having really long untamable hair. I viewed at a symbol of my personal freedom. So my hair has always been pretty long. Although lately, I guess you could say the shortest it's been is a bit past shoulder length. That the length it's seemed to have settled on since I've gotten older. Which is still pretty long actually. But yeah! It actually used to be longer which is crazy! Okay, I'm rambling. Moving on.🤣

👑: This is Also a tough one. Because well, I do struggle with a lot of my responsibilities cus of my ADHD. But I don't know if I'd want to be rid of them either because they're important to myself and to others. So I don't know if I can really answer that.

🐴: Over the Internet! I actually have three. 💕You💕, my friend @cassandrium360, and @disneyfanatic1993! I love you all!

🦉: Dumbest name? Well, I don't know if you could call it dumb, but me and my Mom named my cat Mouth.🤣 Because whenever it's feeding time or he's just talkative, he'll do these very long stretched out meows and opens his mouth real wide. Haha!

🌕: What empowers me? Well, knowing I have the Lord on my side is one thing for sure. I've had several experiences that I can call back on when I feel weak. And that definitely makes me feeling better.

🌌: My dream? Hollywood baby! But I'm not in it for money and fame. I guess that sounds cliche. But I want to help people. I want to write songs that will excite. Weave stories that will bring love and comfort. Creat art and animation that will inspire! I want to bring joy to people! Give them something that will lift the heavy burdens of life and wisk them away to somewhere of fantasy and happiness. And the money I earn? I'll put it to good use! Fix the world's problems! Help everyone can! Use in a way that would make Jesus and God proud. I guess I got a little dramatic. Lol!😅 But it's true! It's something I'm very passionate about. :)

🌨️: I don't know really. Honestly, none of the stuff I do is to earn any sort of praise. I simply want to do it because I feel it's my calling and I want to do good! But I suppose, I would like to make my family proud of me. I never really crossed my mind I guess.

🏕️: I haven't gotten any complaints from the gifts I've given before. Actually, I've been told I do really good when it comes to gifting. So, I'm not sure if I can answer that.

🎨: Favorite medium? And pencil and paper! That's all! And maybe, my Adobe Sketchbook App. But I think the good old pencil and paper rivals that.

🎶: Oh gosh. I don't even sing. Lol! I'm so embarrassed by my voice that I can't even sing to myself without cringing.🤣

🍳: The Full animation class by Aaron Blaise! One of my favorite Disney Animator Veterans! And if not that, a 3D printer. Cus those are awesome!

🍎: Woah. I honestly don't know. I've never felt that strongly interested in something before. Is that bad?😅

🍃: YES. WIND. RAIN. LIGHTNING. THUNDER. LET ME AT IT. WATCH ME PRANCE THROUGH THE CHAOS. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - HACK - *intense Coughing* Sorry. Let us continue.🥸🤣

Well, there you go! Thanks for the ask bestie! That was fun!

[floofe-trans-doggie]

TF2 Summer 2023 Map Tier List*

*Not including the VSH maps because I've only gotten to try a couple of them on community servers, since it still doesn't work in Casual

S Tier-

Phoenix

Taking the top of the list, it should be no surprise to see Phoenix here. The map is GORGEOUS and incredibly unique in its art style while fitting perfectly into TF2, and it plays incredibly smoothly. Every point offers something slightly different, and overall the map always plays incredibly well. This is one of the best maps I've ever had the pleasure of playing.

Sulfur

Do you have any idea how long I've waited for another map that plays like cp_steel? Sulfur was a map I'd been very much hoping to see in this update, and here it is! It's aesthetics are beautiful and expand upon the same visual style we see in Suijin, and though its layout and unique objective takes a minute to figure out, it's incredibly fun and feels overall quite balanced.

A Tier-

Selbyen

LOOK AT THE SEAL GO LOOK AT THE SEAL IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HIM! Cuteness aside, this is the first Player Destruction map that isn't season-locked that we've gotten since the mode was first added with pd_watergate, which is absurd because there's 7 total maps in the gamemode. It plays well enough, with shorter buildings that you can traverse atop, but the real draw of this map is the seals and how damn cute they are. In terms of gameplay, though, it can be a bit lacking. It feels very cramped at times with how small the map is, and this makes certain classes feel disproportionately powerful, especially Gunslinger Engie. Regardless, though, it's not a bad experience, and it remains at the top of A Tier. Mainly because of the seals.

Cashworks

This one's been around a while. Never heard of it by name, but I had heard of its unique winding second point before, which is interesting, though in my experience the real gameplay comes in the choke immediately afterward. In terms of looks, it's quite nice, though not the most distinctive of this update. In terms of gameplay, it's also quite nice, though it tends to get very chokey as Payload often does. This may just be everyone still needing to learn the map, though. Also there was that day-1 bug where RED could just walk right into BLU spawn, which was interesting.

Rotunda

I mainly like this map because you can ride the train, I'll be real. That's not to say it isn't a great map in other regards as well, I just really like the trains. But regardless, this map has a stunning visual aesthetic, and I'd be shocked if it weren't the map with the most trains in all of TF2, which is certainly a proud accomplishment. The dilapidated train depot turned doomsday device storage facility is visually striking, and hiding around the McGuffin on the center point to capture it is interesting gameplay-wise, though it tends to get very spammy and the walls around the point combined with Engineers being able to set up within them means some very nasty and annoying nests can be made. It's also a very inviting map for projectile spam onto the point, with plenty of space above and an open roof to facilitate this. Gameplay-wise it's a mixed bag, but it's so visually interesting it can't go any lower than this.

B Tier-

Sharkbay

Remember when we all knew this map was being added way beforehand because Valve slipped up? Yeah, good times. This map has some neat, unique stuff going for it. The control point is a fishing boat, it has shark tanks in spawn, there's the sharks, obviously, and there's even a new kill icon for them. Pretty neat. While I love how this map looks, it tends to go very one-sided in terms of how it plays. I have yet to have a solid back-and-forth on this map, and one team usually rolls the other, though admittedly it has just released, and it may get better with time.

Reckoner

It's a solid 5cp map. The aesthetics are fairly unique. Doesn't really have anything too interesting about it, though, at least in terms of gameplay. I don't have much to complain about with Reckoner, but there isn't much that stands out about it to me. Comes with all the rolls and stalemates of any 5cp map.

Hardwood

Rounding out the bottom of B Tier we have Hardwood. It's a pretty good map. It generally plays fine in my experience. Three full points to capture give it a decent bit of length without stretching on like multi-stage Attack/Defend maps do. Visually, it's quite nice, but it doesn't really strike me as anything too special. It's well-done, but it isn't the most unique. Not much to really complain about, of course, but I can't lump all the good maps into S and A Tier, so here it sits, the lowest of the maps that I actually really like.

C Tier-

Pelican Peak

For a Capture the Flag map, Pelican Peak is great. A tad small, but it has a nice visual aesthetic with the fog and the alpine setting and the bridge over the center. Unfortunately, it's Capture the Flag, and it really doesn't do anything to remedy the usual problems the gamemode has, especially with only a couple routes into a frankly rather small intel room with a briefcase you have to climb up a small structure to get to. If Capture the Flag were a good mode, this map would be much higher. Unfortunately, it isn't.

D Tier-

Venice

Aesthetically, this map is fine. It's unique, taking place in, of course, Venice, Italy. However, there's a lot that's just a bit off about this map and makes it easily the weakest of the entire update. For one, the texturing feels a bit weird. Maybe it's just me, but in a lot of spots the textures just look off, particularly on the corners of buildings. I'd love to be more descriptive, but I am running on very little sleep and this is hard to describe. Love to see if anyone else sees it the same way or if I'm just losing my marbles. Also the floating cart on the first point looks really really weird. It doesn't look like it should be buoyant, and it doesn't have a custom model that would suggest it is nor anything guiding it along a track, so it doesn't look like it's floating in the water as much as levitating in it. But visuals aside, this map is hell to play on. It's chokey, has absolutely ridiculous sightlines without much cover, and if BLU doesn't roll, they're probably not making it to the final point. Aside from Pelican Peak which is only not-great because it's Capture the Flag, this is the only map in the entire update that I find frankly disappointing.