#i am proud of it and happy to be included in the zine it was an honor

[intermundia]

if any of you are interested in reading the story that i submitted to the beautiful binary suns @obikinzine, i posted it on my ao3! it's a short g-rated fic about a moment in the clone wars where both the boys were their best selves

[namedoggo]

Now that the Zine is Out... It's Time... FRIGHTERS‼️

MY ZINE PIECES‼️‼️

Yep!! I did Fazbear Fright Pieces for the @happiestdayfnaf Zine, because someone's gotta Carry the Frighters 💪💪

You Don’t Know how Excited I am to Finally show these- I FINISHED BACK IN MARCH AND APRIL! Even with all the Months that Passed, I'm still Super Proud of what I did.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL- I also Did

STICKERS!! That's Right- I got to make a Sticker Sheet, including some of my Favorite FF Stories (and Into the Pit)

Unfortunately, I Don't think you'll be able to Buy this Separately- BUT you get it when you Buy the Merch Bundles so that's still pretty cool =]]

BUT THERE'S STILL MORE. That's right, not only did I get to make a Sticker Sheet, but I got to Draw

THE MIMIC‼️‼️ I got to do the Shaker Charm that'll be Made if (or when) the Zine reaches its Stretch Goal!! Originally I wasn't going to, but someone needed to take it over, and I was prepared for the Grind-

Ok NOW That's it! Sorry for such a Long Post, but I'm super Proud and Excited at all the Work I got to do for this Project!! This was the first Zine I've ever Done, and I'm so Happy I got to be a part of it.

PLEASE CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZINE!! EVERYONE WHO WORKED ON IT DID AMAZING!!

And please consider buying a Physical Copy if you Can- It's for a Great Cause =]

[fawn-eyed-girl]

For the writers truth and dare ask game😊

🪲,🍄,🪐,🎱,🏜️

Liz HELLO! Thank you so so much for the ask!

Let's see...

🎱: I try not to follow Ao3 stats too much, but I'll give you the one I'm most proud of

Word count: 3,271,798

With a goal to get to 4 million by the end of 2024!! We'll see if I can get there 💖

🏜️: my favorite type of comment: any comment that likes my work is my favorite! 😅 it's always nice to know someone is reading and appreciating

🪐: Three good things in my life right now... It's almost spring break 🫠 my kiddo got a good part in a play, and...the Haikyuu movie is doing amazingly well (although I wish I could fly to Japan to see it!)

🍄: Headcanons:

InuKag: Inuyasha loves to watch Kagome when he thinks she's not looking, but she totally knows he's watching her. She just...lets him think he's being sneaky 😅

BKDK: After the war, Katsuki and Izuku are basically inseparable. They try to sleep apart in their dorms, but one of them always shows up at the other's door at like 2am because nightmares are keeping them awake. Aizawa begrudgingly lets them share a dorm room because they're just impossible otherwise, and thus begins a new era where they're even more impossible, because they're attached to each other all of the time 😅

🪲: sooo I have a bunch of things I can't show yet, because they're for zines or events or other things, BUT I do have a little snippet of something I am working on for @takaobata that is part of our Inuyasha space AU that I am very happy to share! I've included it below the cut ⤵️

Thanks so much for the questions! These were fun to answer 💖

From the Writers Truth and Dare Ask Game

The flashing lights and high-pitched wails from the alarms fill Inuyasha’s eyes and ears as he races down the corridor. His half-demon hearing picks up on the voices of the enemy, infiltrating his ship from every corner, and he knows his time is short.

It’s not himself he worries for; he doesn’t care if he’s caught, if he lives, or if he dies.

But the precious item in his pocket…

He reaches the escape pod room and, frantically, punches in the code. The door shoots open, and he tears inside, stumbling to the nearest pod. He opens it and, with shaking hands, places the pouch he’s been carrying in his pocket all this time in the secret compartment only he and one other person in the galaxy know exists. 

He doesn’t necessarily believe in the gods and all that nonsense, but he says a quick prayer anyway. 

The coordinates he enters into the pod’s computer are ones he hopes are still accurate. Because if not…

He steps away; the door to the pod seals, and within seconds, it jettisons down the launch chute to be shot off into space. 

This better work, he thinks desperately. It’s our only hope.

[rose-of-redwall]

Happy Post-Halloween!

I haven’t talked about my Redwall costume very extensively, but it is a dear treasure to me. I have been designing, creating, and collecting clothes (some pretty beautiful ones) for my Redwall character for the past two-ish years! You may have seen my design worn in all the wonderful drawings on my page. I have countless lofty goals for myself, and I'm sure I won't be done until decades from now, but c'est la art. Nevertheless, I do have quite a good costume as it is, and how could I not wear something so special?

I have been wearing my Redwall outfit as my Halloween costume for two years so far and I will continue doing so indefinitely. (I think I do a better job every year BLUSH) And now, I would love to share it with you guys!

This is me with my ADORABLE mouse face which I am SO proud of

These are photos from last year (while I was in the same state as all of my costume materials) while I was getting ready for a party- you can see: - my habit (which has a very cool hood) - my wooden glasses chain, which I made - my orange shawl, which can also be worn as a scarf! - the habit cord I crocheted- the habit came with a cord, but I wanted something authentically emotionally significant - and my two necklaces which I "corded" myself- one is a painted metal pendant of a flower basket, and one is my very own cross-stitch Martin the Warrior tapestry replica (and my prized possession) You can also see a pair of hare earrings, which I love but have recently switched out for three lovely pearls.

Many other aspects of my outfit are obscured beneath the habit, including a tan dress and a homemade blue apron with flowery medieval pockets. I keep some trinkets and necessities in the pockets, and have hopes to one day open a slit in the habit to access the inner skirt. As I said, I have lofty goals...

And this is me being so very cute (last year and this year, respectively)! I've been evolving my technique for my mouse makeup in the attempt to make it "natural" and nature-ey, which I am very excited about, but an unfortunate side effect is that it kind of rubbed off by the time the second photo was taken.

I hope to share more of my outfit when I am able- including details of the necklace, which I shared on the Re:Redwall podcast zine- and to share developments as they come. In the meantime, I hope that everyone will be happy with my linking the company I got my habit from!

Irongate Armory is a company located in Finland that sells authentic recreation of "historical items," including my habit! Not kidding, I cried when I found their website. The manufacturer of the "green monks robe" is listed as "Windlass Steelcrafts," which makes historical and fantasy products, and also sells the habit on their website. Unfortunately, the item is not currently in stock in either location.

Thank you for your festive entertainment of my costumery story, and I welcome you all to this post!

[natalieironside]

Introducing the Writer Tag Game

Ty @iloveyou-writers for making this and to @thewriteflame for tagging me <3

Rules: fill in the blanks with as much or little detail as you would like and tag some writer friends to play too. (blank version)

Hello, there. My name is award-winning speculative fiction author Natalie H. Ironside and I won a writing contest in high school one time that I'm gonna milk harder than Pabst milks their one blue ribbon. I'm a writer of the dark sci-fi and dark fantasy genre(s) and I love to write about sad gay ppl in horrible situations. Also, hope. The hope is very important, and my stories can get pretty dark but they always have happy endings.

I cover a broad enough range that I think I can just reject the dichotomy of SFW/NSFW (everything is adequately tagged and described so the rest is in God's hands). I write about some pretty dark themes and a lot of my work deals with the aftermath of stuff like sexual violence and child abuse, so just be aware of that, as well as the "entrails, lovingly described" throughout. Tropes you will never find in my writing include any salacious depictions of sexual violence (the word "aftermath" in the above is an important one) or...Well, I'm not sure how to put this. Most of my protags are racial, religious, sexual, or some other sort of minority, and obviously there's some darkness in the world et cetera, but there's a certain way of framing bigotry in fiction as though it's cinematic action violence which I find uniquely distasteful and I will not be doing any of that. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this in a way that makes any sense at all but I promise to never try to be the Kojima of sexism.

In my humble opinion, my best work I've posted is The Scruggsdale Organizer #4: Local Woman About Tired of All This Mess because I think it's very funny. Maybe I'm just being precious, but comedy is really really hard and I very rarely even bother trying at it but I'm pretty proud of The Scruggsdale Organizer and this installment in particular. For y'all who don't know, which I'm sure is a lot of y'all since I haven't posted about it in forever, The Scruggsdale Organizer is an epistolary horror-comedy serial about a little town in rural Mississippi where strange supernatural things happen, but instead of blog posts or letters the story is being told through articles in a weekly anarchist zine. Yeah, I guess I've written some "novels" and some "short stories" and some "poetry" or whatever, but I look at Scruggsdale Organizer #4 as a time I set out to do a specific thing and just really nailed it; it's the literary equivalent of parking the car in the spot just right.

My all-time favorite character I've made is Freydis Gothi Thorkilsdottir, daughter of Thorkil Gothi Swordbreaker, Matron of War Witches, Matron of War Matrons, High Field Marshal, Eater of Cities, Mother of Abominations, and Chief Royal Consort. She's a recurring protagonist in my Nameless Queen dark fantasy universe and I am love her very much. Freydis is an enormous ginger transsexual, a sword-and-board fighter who can cast wicked spells, and a rough-and-tumble freebooting adventurer type who suddenly found herself part of the royal court and fast-tracked into becoming a monstrous demigod. It's super weird for her and she's dealing with a whole "to become a god is to lose everything that made life worth living" situation but she's also having a rip-roaring good time while she does it.

Something I'd love for you to know about my writing that isn't listed in this game is, well, I feel like we got kinda dark in the middle there, so I wanted to end back where we began and talk about hope. What really does it for me when it comes to the dark stuff is recovery; I like telling stories about recovery. My characters sometimes have very very bad days, but tomorrow can always be better than yesterday and there's always a reason to keep trying.

Thank you for reading and now I challenge the following people to fill this out: I seem to have misplaced my list of people who said they liked participating in tag games so I'm leaving this one open. I tag each and every one of you.

[maskymoo]

Procreate. Never got the hang of it and I like to use it for animation instead.

I often draw characters facing to the right or left because drawing in the front can get a bit confusing for me, since many of the characters I draw have some sort of complication in their designs I need to spend extra time on when drawing them.

Idk. I guess you consider a very small detail that's part of the art style that I've had since I technically started my art.

Bella, Scar, and Annie. I love them to death but I often have trouble keeping their scars consistent between drawings.

I post most of my art online since I do usually post daily. There are a few drawings I keep for myself, but those are usually just sketches.

I know a lot of art styles from artists I use to like have served as unintentional inspiration for how I draw and parts of my style.

Rug art. spay painting, painting, embroidery, really any art that isn't digital. I would love to do those someday, but all the physical labor is difficult and I have a huge respect for people that do art like that.

I got a few, but making comics has always been a huge difficulty when I try to actually finish one. There's one piece I love about how it turned out, but it's actually an unfinished comic. I also have trouble making huge pieces that include more than 4 to 5 characters all interacting with each other.

Just put a and the number after that so when I upload a file of my art it shows at the front of my files. Makes my job easier since I upload on 4 different sites and I also try to share my art frequently

Robes/dresses. Long, don't take that long, can just be one color.

I usually listen to podcasts, videos, or playlists with music from Youtube. I got too many things to watch/listen to, so it all works out.

The entire face/head. Been practicing for years.

A few artists that I use to follow had lovely art, but the vibe of the art wasn't something I wasn't exactly fond of.

Depends on the piece and what story it may tell. So not exactly, but maybe in the future I'll figure out what motifs I like.

Anywhere lol. Home, in public, standing, sitting, laying down, doing a back kick on a kid, as long as I can hold my tablet with minimum shaking, I'm fine drawing anywhere.

Flipping the canvas. I love to see how much I've improved with how both sides look, but it kinda sucks since I'm not used to it and it takes up more time when I'm drawing.

Yep! Anything really as long as I can munch/sip on while drawing.

Had a tablet of mine broken by someone else. I try to be very careful with my stuff since it's all expensive.

Flowers and pillows. Means it's usually a simple, happy piece!

Hands, the other eye, doing a fullbody. I mean, I did work hard to master those things, which I am proud of!

Semi/realistic art. Whether it can still be considered cartoon art or not, I love those ttyposstyles, and I can only hope that with time and practice, I can also develop a style like that.

I stretch my arms and hands.

Nope!

Yep. All the time!

Stories that I've never read before but that person has.

Someone asked my if a feral cat I drew had boobs. It was a very uncomfortable experience.

No. Just straight into work.

I've entered into a few thumbnail contests for MAPs and I am currently in a zine. I've also been part of a few collabrotions that are still kinda in the works.

A lot cartoons watch inspire me to create, but not as specific inspiration for my art.

The piece below isn't underrated itself, I just love showing it around like a parent with their kid. It's just fun to show a piece I genuinly shows my ability as an artist.

Weirdly Specific Artist Ask Game

Didn't see a lot of artist ask games, wanted to make a silly one.

(I wrote this while sick out of my mind last year and it's been collecting dust in my drafts, I might as well let it run free) 1. Art programs you have but don't use

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

3. What ideas come from when you were little

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

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

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

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

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

9. What are your file name conventions

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

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

12. Easiest part of body to draw

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

14. Any favorite motifs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

23. Do you use different layer modes

24. Do your references include stock images

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

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

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

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

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

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

[happiest-day-zine]

PHYSICAL BOOK STRETCH GOAL REACHED!

I am so, so happy and proud to announce that the PHYSICAL ZINE STRETCH GOAL HAS BEEN REACHED! Along with prints, pride merch, and the free PDF on August 18th, you will now be able to order THE ACTUAL, PHYSICAL BOOK!

We’ll have bundled options that include an array of merchandise for different prices, and you’ll also be able to order the physical zine all by itself (to avoid duplicates if you, for example, already bought some merch)! The zines will be 5.5x8.5 inches with a wonderful soft-touch cover!

Thank you all so SO SO much for the support over the past few months! This zine has been crazy and I’m so glad everyone is enjoying what we’re making! Stay tuned for the new merchandise and zine release on August 18th! Please continue purchasing merch to help us donate to the Trans Women of Color Collective! Remember to smile...

you are the face of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza!

[myebi]

Well 2020 was one kind of a year...

I feel like my art hasn’t improved in a very noticeable way in terms of style and skill but I did have the courage to jump into projects I had never done before. It was my first year participating to zines (5 in total, with 3 for charity), making a comic driven october drawing challenge and planning a future merch collection. I also managed to gather myself up and seriously tackle Dreamers’ outline and came out with something solid for the future of the project, which I’m ecstatic about. It was hard to find the motivation or inspiration throughout the year but I am grateful for what I have and proud of doing my best given the circumstances. I also know I was very lucky to remain healthy, well-surrounded and comfortable this year, because it would have felt way too lonely without my family to support me and I know not everyone has that chance.

Lots of plans ahead for 2021 for me, more than I had imagined, but one thing my anxious brain learned this year after stepping out of my comfort zone little by little is that all it takes is a little moment of courage.

Thank you for your support!! I can’t wait to continue working on everything I’m preparing even though the job includes working on so many things I can’t actually show right away T__T Please stay safe, healthy and hopeful. It’s because nothing matters that everything you do you should do for your happiness and sense of fulfillment if you can.

Stay inspired and happy holidays 💛

[kellycataclysm]

Saw this and thought it would be a fun way to warm up for a little writing this afternoon. Join in if you feel like it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 23, which includes 1 collab.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 258,208, due to go up by about 8k in a day or two.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Only Stardew Valley and I started in September 2023. The hyperfixation is real, plus I feel if I squeezed anything else into my overly distracted brain I'd forget something important, like how to drive or something.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos: The Words We Never Say, Whispered Dreams of Stardust, Ask Me Anything, Walk of Shame, and Always in My Dreams.

5. Do you respond to comments? Gosh, yes! It means so much that people not only read my work but are kind enough to comment, so I am absolutely going to reply to every single lovely comment offered.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I haven't written anything with an angsty ending, yet. My long fic started in a very angsty place. I am about to work on my very first Harvey x Farmer fic, a story without my oc Lyra, and that one will have an angsty ending.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Everything I write has a happy ending, so it's hard to say, especially since I am still two chapters away from completing my first long fic and it will likely be that! I'm currently finishing up the last chapter to my current fic, Echoes of Autumn and that will have a very lovely ending. Perhaps my favourite happy ending is Ask Me Anything. It is so warm and hopeful.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I haven't. I really hope I don't.

9. Do you write smut? ALL. THE. TIME.

10. Craziest crossover? I haven't done a cross-over but the collab I contributed to, while purely SDV was kinda wild, and so much fun to be part of.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so. I hope not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have collaborated on a fic that is currently on A03, something for a very small zine, and have plans for my next collab with a good friend. It's lots of fun!

14. All time favourite ship? Gosh I'm not sure I could narrow it down really. I love the idea of Gus and Marnie, they're just so wholesome. Plus, Shane and Haley just work for me.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I haven't met a wip I haven't finished yet. Even though I tend to get distracted by new ideas, I always try to come back to them. I even have my work listed in order of priority on my Discord server. Of course, the muse takes you on various journeys but I try really hard to finish everything.

16. What are your writing strengths? Maybe establishing the scene? Atmosphere, emotion, that kind of thing. Maybe dialogue? I'm not sure. It's hard to pick your own strengths, especially when it's hard to feel confident in what you write.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Probably a lack of confidence. I second guess myself quite a lot and the old brain weasels can take hold very quickly. Also, honestly just wish I could swallow a thesaurus and knew more words.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I haven't done it, doubt I could. Also, I can't say I've actually read a fic where it has been used, other than the occasional term of endearment or something of that sort.

19. Favourite fic you've written? Honestly, I really love Ask Me Anything. That fic bubbled away in my mind for six months before I wrote it. Then the muse took me in an unexpected direction and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. While I am sure I will be super proud of finally finishing my long fic when I get those last two chapters done, I really poured my soul into AMA and I think it is probably the best thing I've ever written.

20. What's something you want to write someday? The promised and often teased Harvey's Birthday fic. Also, looking forward to completing development of the story for my next oc Daisy. Her fic will come in 2025 when I finish Lyra and Harvey's story.

20 Questions (for fanfic writers)

Tagging @caelwynn, @basedharuhisuzumiya , @annetastic1981a, @lily-alphonse, @stardewfanficwriters, @writer-of-worlds, @purpleandgreen13 (seriously, though, no pressure) or anyone else who wants to talk about their fics :D

how many works do you have on ao3? 38

what's your total ao3 word count? 245,231 (holy crap)

what fandoms do you write for? Stardew Valley, Star Wars (well, I used to, anyway), Babysitters Club (also used to)

top five fics by kudos: 1. Forget Me Not (SDV) 2. Only Human (SW) 3. Coffee Beans, Candles, and Keyboards (SDV) 4. The Sunshine of Your Smile (SDV) 5. The Coruscant Masquerade Ball (SW) (LOL that my longfic has fewer kudos than random oneshots)

do you respond to comments? Yep! At least, I try to. Sometimes it takes me a few days to get around to it, because ADHD.

what is the fic your wrote with the angstiest ending? Black and White and Cute All Over, my June penguin fic. It turns out, while I love angst, I seem to give all my stories happy endings, for the most part?

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? LOL, pretty much all of them? A Tale of Two Princes literally has a "and they lived happily ever after" situation going on.

do you get hate on fics? I haven't yet. (I don't get much interaction at all, but what I do get tends to be positive, so yay for that.) I did once get an immense amount of hate from leaving an "I liked this" comment, so uh, fair warning to SDV fic fans: the author of "Hive" is completely fucking insane.

do you write smut? I can't :/ Even when I've been like "ok I think smut needs to happen here, maybe" I can't seem to do it. Maybe someday I'll get the courage, but I feel SO awkward and cringe about anything sex-related, I just panic and fade to black every time.

craziest crossover? I haven't really written any crossovers, I'm not super into that as a theme. I did write an entire "novel" in 9th grade where I traveled to the Star Wars galaxy and went on adventures with Jaina/Jacen/Anakin, maybe that counts (I don't think that belongs on Ao3, however-- although I DO know where that notebook is)

have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge, I'm not popular enough :D

have you ever had a fic translated? See above

have you ever co-written a fic before? Not co-written, but I've done some character beta-ing/advice for a couple of things. I advised on Ben's character in Caelwynn's Bluebell, and June's character in a TBA fic from Moe.

all-time favorite ship? That people have heard of? Sambastian and Victuuri. But my perpetual obsession is with Ben, my OC, and June from Ridgeside Village-- Ben's game is in Fall of Y9 at this point, my longest SDV save ever.

what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't have any of them published, because I hate publishing things that don't have a plan to get finished-- OH WAIT I'm forgetting about my old BSC stuff from FF.net. Mary Anne and the Mother Mystery probably won't ever get finished, but maybe I'll post it to Ao3 anyway just for funsies? hahaha (edit: I just uploaded it to Ao3, but I still probably won't ever finish it)

what are your writing strengths? Dialogue and banter/teasing for sure, and I'd like to think that I'm decent with writing heartbreak/panic/difficult internal emotions, maybe?

what are your writing weaknesses? Show-don't-tell/worldbuilding, pacing, and for some reason I'm completely unable to write anything that's even remotely hot or sexy. I also suck at plot, I'm much better with oneshots or vignettes.

thoughts on dialogue in another language? Favorable as long as 1) there's a reason for it in the story, and 2) it's translated in the notes at the end.

favorite fic you've written? Have You Seen My Love?, which hilariously only has 1 kudos right now. It's a group chat with Ben's polycule, worrying about him when he goes to the mines and isn't responding to their texts or calls. It was SO fun to write and it still makes me laugh when I re-read it.

what's something you want to write someday? I want to do something for YOI, although (as I've said before) I'm intimidated because of the sheer amount of talent in that fandom already, and I want to finish the Sambastian bandfic I started that I kinda lost steam on (I ran out of plot, lol).

[stillalivezine]

Happy Zine Release Day!!

Also Happy 10th Anniversary Portal 2!! The Zine will release on Gumroad at 8am EDT !! If you Pre-Ordered The Zine you will be charged and then emailed a receipt which will include a download link. This may not happen immediately at 8am so please be patient!! If you do have an issue please feel free to DM me. Of course you will still be able to purchase the zine after today!! ->-> Link Thank you all so much for your continued support of this project ! I hope you are as happy with the end result as I am! Additionally, please don't forget to give all the artists involved a follow , they all did so much work on this project and it shows in the end result!! ->-> Link I am so proud of what we have created here and I sincerely hope you all enjoy what we have put together!! <3 <3

[alexchiu]

I am happy to finally share this mural that I painted for Books With Pictures, Comic Book Store (@bookswpictures). I painted it on a storage shed located behind the shop, where a new food cart pod is beginning to develop on SE Division and SE 14th Ave. The mural was painted mostly with spraypaint on corrugated metal. Only the small details on the comic books were painted with acrylic and brush. The image is of my oldest daughter, Mazzy and her good friend Lumen, reading comics together. The comics spread across the floor include Mr Wolf’s Class (@mrwolfcomics), Hilda, Moon Girl, Lumberjanes, Champions, Old Master Q, and Little Lulu. I painted climbing rose and showy milkweed which are flowers that may be planted in the nearby community garden. The Monarch butterflies are inspired by the book release event of the Little Monarchs graphic novel by Jonathan Case that happened while I was painting the mural. I was also proud of painting a cosmic landscape and clouds on the roof of this shed. It was a fun challenge and I love the dimensionality of this mural. The Comic Book and Zine culture of Portland is what led A’misa and I to move to Portland back in 2012. It is an honor to paint a mural for such a cool spot. Thank you to Katie Pryde (@ink_and_pen) for the opportunity. Shout out to Chief for hooking up the Loop Paint (@loopcolors.usa). Shout out to Eric @honeycuspe.pdx for making delicious fine Belgian waffles for me to enjoy while I worked. (at Books with Pictures) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc38R7jPIUX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kriscynical]

I have finally thrown in the towel and gone back on Welbutrin.

If you're considering the need to go back on your meds, take this as a sign from the universe that yes, you do indeed need to and you have nothing to prove to anybody.

This turned into mental health word vomit nobody is going to care about so I'm putting it under a cut to save your dashes.

After having the health crisis in 2009 that left me with the permanent nerve damage I'm still dealing with followed by one of my best friends throwing me under a bus and gaslighting me about it, I started struggling with my mental health. When my middle sister passed away from breast cancer in January 2010 I destroyed myself trying to be The Strong One for my parents, letting my cup run so dry it cracked and broke.

I spent the next 7 years at the bottom of a hole, the last four or so on Welbutrin that helped quite a bit but not completely. My personal art output was absolute zero. I lost my 20's to it, basically.

I finally pulled myself out of it when I renovated the room across from my bedroom into my studio and got into Yuri on Ice in late 2016 because I had something to focus on, get excited about, and be inspired by. I pumped out 40 new pieces of art in 2017 because of it, I was getting regular interaction with people, my blog was growing again, and it was fantastic. I was an art machine. I came off of the Welbutrin in Spring 2016. I was happy for the first time in years.

Anybody still in the YoI fandom knows that well has been bone dry for a few years now; most of our crops withered if not died completely, and fandom policing bullshit made creating fanart for it far less desirable for me. I started slipping.

Then 2018 happened. My oldest sister passed away in February from liver failure. The day after we buried her ashes next to my middle sister in the family plot, we found out our dog, Sushi, had late stage lymphoma at only 9 years old. Her face had barely even begun to get a dusting of white. We lost her that July. I slipped some more. I came out of that year holding on to the edge of that hole by the tips of my fingers, but I was proud that I hadn't fallen back in completely.

Then 2020 happened. On March 13 my life upended and my sole focus became keeping my high risk parents safe from Covid, becoming their caregiver and doing absolutely everything for them that involved interacting with people or going out in public. In the last 14 months I've only gone to the pharmacy and chiropractor. That's it. We've been having our groceries delivered via a wonderful woman named Katelyn through Dumpling. Quarantine has aged me by at least five years at this point if the lines on my face are any indication.

Then my uncle was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer over the summer and the traumatizing hell of trying to care for him here at our house -- on top of the added stress of having a CONSTANT parade of nurses, hospice people, and chaplains coming through the house because of it in the middle of a pandemic I was working so hard to protect my parents from -- was a body blow that included a dissociative episode. He passed away in October 2020.

I was finally able to get myself and my parents vaccinated through the county health department at the end of March 2021, which was a Thing all unto itself because of their system fucking things up.We got our second dose toward the end of April and a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, but the damage was already done.

My personal art output has been zero for almost two years at this point. The last piece of fan work I actually finished that wasn't for a client, zine, or gift was in October 2019, it didn't even get 200 notes, nobody seemed to care or even notice that I had been basically MIA online in the last two years (save for maybe three people), so I lost the sliver of motivation I still had left. Let me repeat that:

I haven't finished any personal artwork that wasn't for a client, zine, or gift since October 2019. It's now May 2021.

At the beginning of April I finally said fuck it, I give up, and emailed my doctor asking for a new script for Welbutrin. While I'm not as godawful miserable emotionally as I was back when I started taking it originally (although it's on its way down that road), I am back to being completely unmotivated to do much of anything let alone produce new art. I have ideas. I just don't have the motivation to sit down and execute them.

As I've said several times before, I have to create in order to feel worthwhile. Interaction with people online when I post my work helps me stay in a good place mentally because I'm human and humans need positive interaction and just a sense that we're seen and matter. It's a nasty spiral because once it started seeming that hardly anybody cared about my work anymore or even noticed when I disappeared, that finished the job of killing my motivation. I know art should be made for yourself but like I said, I'm human and I'm just being honest here instead of trying to bullshit anybody. What's the point of posting if it's seemingly just going into the void?

I'm tired of being in that rut of a mindset and languishing in that bad headspace, so I'm trying to help myself out of it before I hit the bottom of that hole again. I never want to go back there, but I'm damn close at this point.

At least the Welbutrin is making me lose weight because it's killed my appetite.

[prince-liest]

fic writer interview!

How many works do you have on AO3?

37, though another one is going up tomorrow because haunted AO3 hours started and I don't want to post it in the middle of the night on a Monday. Also like 4 or 5 more in reserve from zines/bangs. I'm kinda impressed with myself, but also, side-eyeing y'all with fic counts in the 100s. Phenomenal. Effervescent.

What's your total AO3 word count?

257,246

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

In chronological order of first fic on AO3: Percy Jackson, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, My Hero Academia, Dragalia Lost, Avater: the Last Airbender, the Witcher, and Genshin Impact! That's 7 fandoms and I'm not counting Homestuck (I only wrote OC stuff) or D&D (same thing).

I also have works from Axis Powers: Hetalia and Katekyo Hitman Reborn! on Fanfiction dot hell that none of you will ever see. I definitely posted and deleted a Twilight OC fic once.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Dish Duty | ATLA

The Sword of Damocles is Swinging | MHA

The Ancient Art of Jerkbending | ATLA

Dishabille | MHA

Summer Break | MHA

ATLA is a powerful fandom so I'm not surprised both my ATLA fics made top five. Dishabille's popularity continues to pleasantly surprise me. Damocles is only surprising because it isn't first. I am so proud of Summer Break and that entire Shinsou series, I'm glad it made top 5 and is gonna break 1k kudos soon. <3

(Now get Dog-Tired up there, I fucking love that story. q^q)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

To quote Mido: I do, but not consistently. Q^Q I read them all and I really want to reply to them all, but I very frequently simply to not have the energy. I have it posted on my AO3 profile, though, so hopefully it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings... I have recently been trying to at least answer all new incoming comments and not let the backlog increase! (That said, the backlog is over 100.)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't tend to do angsty endings (I am a hard lover of angst with a happy ending), but I've written some questionable and bittersweet ones. I think arguably the best contendor for angstiest ending is probably Kindred Spirit. I wrote it to low key revenge myself on @thegc4life for insisting that Shinsou gets a hug (he does! technically!) and it certainly ended ominously.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

As much as I love "Edward Elric gets transported into X universe and proceeds to kick everyone's ass" crossovers, I don't relaly write any. I do enjoy full transplant AUs, though, and the one I recently posted on AO3 is an MHA-at-Hogwards AU called the Birds and the Mares that I wrote for the HP/BNHA Zine!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Deeeeepends on what you mean by 'hate.' :X has gotten two comments (one much politer than the other, haha) complaining about my use of the r-slur in Shinsou's internal narrative in one of the chapters, but one person backpedaled and said they understood the purpose of it while the other (more vehement) one never replied to my explanation. That's all, though!

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yeah. It's never going on my main AO3 (and the one time it did, I orphaned the fic). I have a side account I might post it on once I get over the fact that people who know me also know about the account. It's all 100% PWP of stuff I personally am into, and I have a very specific set of things I'm into, so... idk, feels a little personal! ^^"

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, but I've had people adopt general concepts I used (fabulous!) and steal my RP OCs back in ye olde fantroll days (not at all fabulous! incredibly hurtful, actually). I am vehemently opposed to plagiarism, even of concepts. It feels so gross.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone in the comments mentioned that they are translating Bloodied Hound into Russian and I am SO EXCITED. I desperately want to read it. Of all the languages, it happened to be the only other one I'm decently literate in! I also want to show my grandparents. I really hope the person follows through. <3

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've roleplayed a lot, but I can't see myself ever co-writing a fic. I'm not even sure how it works, to be honest!

What’s your all time favourite ship?

Urgh. Pass. I can't pick one. Perils of a multishipper.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I was going to proudly say "I never post things I don't plan on finishing!" but in reality that is a lie, because Falling Down A Rabbit Hole exists from back in 2015 and is in fact the reason I made that rule for myself. ^^" Honestly, what's there still holds up, but the reality is that I didn't actually come up with a plot, so there's nowhere for it to go.

What are your writing strengths?

Interesting/relatable/funny dialogue, and also writing feelings in a 'show, don't tell!' kind of way that leaves strong impressions with people!

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting out long stories with good pacing! People thought Damocles had a plot, apparently? Joke's on you, it was a series of "I wanna see this happen" scenarios that I made Hawks suffer through and subsequently strung together like a haphazard multicolor plastic bead necklace that I told everyone was actually pearls.

That's why all my stories after Damocles are either short or split into a series. Shinsou's Bad Days is my attempt at proper pacing, hence it being so episodic.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I'll do it if I know the language well enough (so, Russian and ASL, I don't trust my casual Japanese), but I'm generally a stickler for making things come off naturally, so I otherwise will instead try to find the closest tonal equivalent in English (such as having Childe call Zhongli "professor" instead of "xiansheng"). Sometimes there just isn't one (like Kazuha calling Beidou 'big sis' but in a way that doesn't sound kiddish and overly casual for him), though, which sucks. :( Language is cool!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

T. Twilight. QUQ I wish that fic still existed, it was like a single chapter of two multicolored hair OCs befriending Alice Cullen and being cool. I deleted it but I SHOULDN'T HAVE. IT WAS HISTORY.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

This totally changes with each new slew of fics I post. I think currently it is Dog-Tired because despite being unsatisfied with the title, I think the story itself turned out amazing. I also am extremely happy with the entire Shinsou's Bad Days series (including upcoming installments).

Tagged by: @touchmycoat (THANK U LOVE <3)

Tagging: anyone who's read this far, LOL. seriously, though, I have a lot of writer moots and I don't have the time to tag them all but PLEASE do this and tag me so I can read it if you are so inclined! <3

[jasperygrace]

July 2021 Mid Monthly Report

Hello hello everyone! I have exciting news regarding Project : Desert's status that I hope y'all will be interested in hearing.

Before I begin, I have some general housekeeping things I'd like to mention. I will be taking a break from the project for about a month; I've made some incredible progress this last year that I think I've earned a short break to recuperate and further tune my skills outside the project.

So with that little bit out of the way, let's begin!

Project Progress

Zero Draft

I am proud to finally say I have finished the zero draft of Project : Desert!

My god am I happy to have finally done it! It's really insane to me thinking about how far I've come this last year. To think, Project : Desert started out as a short story for a zine only to culminate to this.

Of course, I still have a long way to go; this is only the first step of my journey, and I hope you all will accompany me.

Character Redesigns

So as I've stated in a previous report, I am planning to redesign all of the characters that are featured in Project : Desert. With how drastically my skill level developed this last year, I figured it was appropriate to make some better designs for the characters.

Here are the redesigns I currently have done of our two main characters, Vinnie and Orias.

Vincent Helio is the current Prince of Trin; however, it is a role he adamant about not upholding, repeatedly forming plans to escape the city that fail more often than not. But his most recent excursion turns disastrous when he and his retainer are attacked by eldritch creature; he's only able to escape thanks to the help of a shapeshifter by the name of Orias.

If you were to ask Orias about his origins, he would give you an unclear answer. The truth is that even he has no idea where he's from or who he is; all that he knows is that he once had been human, but that humanity has long since left him. Now he is a shapeshifter who's been trapped within the desert for over millennia. But perhaps there still hope for him when he has a chance meeting with the Prince of Trin.

With Vinnie and Orias' redesigns complete, my next designs I will be tackling are Niv, Briar, and Reese. Niv's I plan on working on along side the Valley concept, which will be one of the first things I work one once I'm done with my break, so expect those designs sometime around September.

Goals

As stated at the start, I will be taking a month long break before I start working on the project again. So while I do have a couple of art related goals this month, they won't be related to the project.

Here are my goals from June:

Outline the remaining five or so chapters and complete Act 3 by July 15th. [done, hell yea!]

Complete the Valley concept by July 31st. [pushed off for the time being to work on with Niv's redesign]

Begin Character redesigns (Vinnie, Orias, and Niv) and have something tangible by July 15th. [2/3 complete; Niv's design I pushed off to work on after my break]

Create separate posts for the Maramagia and Agujero concepts by June 21st. [done]

July Goals:

Create separate posts for Vinnie's and Orias' concepts by July 26th.

Create at least two black-and-white illustrations.

Do an art study on various animals (including, but not limited to, birds; cats; deer).

Do at least two scenery art studies (sketches are fine, but colored is preferred).

That sums up my report for this month. As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you will continue supporting Project : Desert. Let's make it another great year!

[tangled-cl0wn-core]

Where, besides Tumblr, can people find you doing fannish things? (Obviously only mention sites and usernames you actually want to be found at. Don’t expose your secret identities on my account.)

What other names have you gone by on these platforms, including Tumblr, if any?

When did you join the IT fandom? And what got you into fandom, to begin with?

What are your favorite ships, or characters, if any, and why? What do they mean to you?

In what ways do you participate in fandom? (ex. Posting memes, reblogging/commenting on content, writing fanfic, making fanart, creating fanmixes, etc.)

Do you have any in-fandom inspirations? Other members of the community that drive you? (And if you have the time/energy, in what ways do they inspire you?)

Name and link some of your favorite works, please!

Do you have any works of your own that you feel particularly proud of, or wish more people would’ve consumed? Please provide links if possible.

Have you ever participated in a fannish event (ie. IT Week, a fic Big Bang) or applied to be a part of a fanzine? If so, which ones, and can you please link them?

Without any form of bashing or lashing out, what is something you feel this fandom is missing?

 HI!! since you asked before sending it, I knew this was coming but my First Cool Guy Tumblr Ask is so neat,, anyway!!

This is my only IT-specific account, but I post almost everything I draw on my instagram, https://www.instagram.com/fabricsofteners/ (I don't know how people make links cool on tumblr aaa) I also have an AO3, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangledheadphonecord , where I might post this one really long fic I’m working on (maybe not, as it’s super lame but God am I putting in work)? But mostly it’s just really old stuff atm, and no IT content right now - just some random drabbles from past hyperfixations tbh.

I used to be ‘fabricsofteners’ everywhere besides here - tangledheadphonecord is a username I used for my tumblr because I want a change from the fabricsofteners brand, as I've had it for quite a few years and have just grown kind of bored - just waiting a bit to change my instagram user. I also used to be ‘unbrandedmarkers’ like, three years ago on instagram? but, that era ended fast. I think I might have an old Tumblr under some variation of ‘fabric softener’ but honestly even if anything is up on it I’d probably be embarassed to look at it now.

I watched IT for the first time in 2019, I believe, but wasn’t really in the fandom until actually like, April of this year. I entered the fandom and developed a hyperfixation (sobs) by complete mistake - I read all the fics for michael mell/rich goranski on ao3, and was on a camping trip and wanted to read some Homosexual Fanfiction and literally remembered IT on a whim (rich-to-richie association) and read a bunch of Reddie fics, and it was all down (up?) hill from there.

Unshockingly, I’m sure, Reddie is my number one favourite IT ship. I’m also an enjoyer of Benverly, as well as Stanley/Patty - IT is like, the only fandom where I actually like the canon ships. I do also think Streddie/Stozier is really cute and Bill/Mike (unsure of the shipname?) is nice when I see it!! I think Reddis is cute because I am a total sucker for best-friends-to-lovers, as well asthe  ‘I tease everyone but mostly you’ and the ‘I’m so tired of you bullying me but if you ever stop I’ll cry’ and... just, the entire dynamic that they have. Stanley/Patty - there is no reasoning, I just want Stanley to be happy. Benverly - the way they were each other’s first Meaningful Interactions in so like?? agony, they’re so cute. They both deserve to be happy, and I’m so happy they find that happiness in each other. 

As for characters - Richie is absolutely my favourite. I (unfortunately /hj) kin and relate to him on so many levels it hurts. Having a character that feels that fear of their sexuality because of a horrible environment is painfully real. covering up struggles with humour and all that?? yeah, mood (also, crushing on your best friend-). What he means to me, in a sense, isn’t really canon - I read strictly fix-it fics, because I want to feel that hope that like fanon Richie, I don’t have to hide forever. I can be myself and be happy. Obviously I can’t much look to the movies or anything for that but hey - what’re Andy or Stephen gonna do, tell me to stop reading fics? 

I also really like Stanley!! I don’t,, have a reason. I just think he’s adorable and I love his dynamic with the other Losers a lot. Stanley breathed like, once, and instantly became a comfort character and not even I know why at this point, he just is. Eddie & Bev are up there, too - honestly, Bill is the only Loser I don’t have a strong attachment too. And honestly, he’s growing on me rapidly.

I mostly draw whatever my goblin hyperfixated brain can think of, as well as rebloging just about every post that I see and like (art, jokes, edits, fics, etc.) - I start and stop a lot of fics, maybe one day I’ll finish one but as of yet I have not... Sigh.

I honestly don’t think I do have anyone to tag for inspiration? I follow IT blogs but none I would go to for inspiration (no offense to any mutuals-) inspiration for me is mostly just seeing a pose and going ‘okay’ and suddenly I have a drawing - I have no clue what happens in between.

So, my current all-time favourite IT fic atm is https://archiveofourown.org/works/18213215/chapters/43087232, though I will say it’s a really heavy fic and to read with caution. Going away from Angst, any ‘famous Reddie’ AUs are amazing, but I constantly reread the entire https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560019 series. It’s cute and funny and I THRIVE for domestic Reddie content. 

Actually not Reddie, I throughly enjoyed https://archiveofourown.org/works/23201011 for giving me the Mike content the movies have robbed me of for too long, as well as https://archiveofourown.org/works/25262698 which is pure stanlon greatness and made my heart flutter for the boys more than once.

I don’t really have any IT fics up of my own creation, and honestly my reception in way of Tumblr notes is far better than I expected so honestly, I have none to link lol. As long as I get minimun interaction I will thrive.

I wish I could say I’ve been in anything like a zine or anything, but I have not! I’m relatively new to the fandom (and having a social media dedicated to one thing) so I wouldn’t even know where to begin to join or be qualified for one, y’know? I’ve done art weeks in the past and found them incredibly fun but haven’t seen any for IT - but if anyone does happen to know of any... Feel free to send them my way-

As for the last question - other than like, hyping up Chosen and Jeremy just as much as we do the other IT kids (which, honestly I’m not even sure if is still a problem - I’ve just seen posts about it and it’s made me wary), I’m not sure? I’ve honestly not encountered anything in the fandom I find awful and honestly, for a fandom about a movie that is... Well, IT, I’ve really just kind of enjoyed my time in the fandom thus far?

(I will say we need 200% more attention being drawn to 1990s adult Eddie Kaspbrak, who is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen - but I also feel that way about James Ransone, so I’m not mad.)

(Also, we should be calling out the 1990s IT more, I watched it recently and it’s so bad /lh)

Anyway!! I feel like this answer was incredibly long and I am so sorry!! But like, thank you so much for asking me anything at all fihabsfhbafb I thrive at any chance to talk about the dumb clown movie. (Also, i’m sorry I say ‘honestly’ so much-)

[samwebsteruniblog]

Completed Zine

-Pact Coffee

My zine at first look is entangled with a sleeve, the sleeve is a mix of expressively detailed coffee plants and beans. I chose to have it wrapped to help keep the zine packed together but to also instantly make the theme about nature clear while keeping the coffee company in mind.

The front cover with the sleeve looks like this and the back cover looks like,

Once the sleeve is removed the original analogue and digitally made front cover is used, where I changed the size of the zine to make it more accessible to all types of coffee drinkers it spreads over both front and back however I believe that it still works and is quite interesting because it makes u want to open the zine to see how it looks completed.

I chose to keep in the coffee bean finger print as I tried to create something else to feel the space or to fully lose it but the cover felt empty without it.

The next pages took a lot of experimenting and I have made more detailed posts about the choices I made and experimentation I did to get to the final product. I personally am very happy with each page especially when looking at the first ideas I had for each one.

The introduction pages would be similar in each issue just with a few things changed like the photo, and colour as the zine is made to be one in four for pacts campaign promoting the nature and farmers in each of their single blend countries. This one is green as its about Brazil.

The next page is the first that goes into detailed information about the animals the first animal is a Toucan however the text after that goes on to explore and talk about other birds commonly found in brazil. This text also talks a little about the farmers and I used this as a way to control the narrative by saying the farmer works in and near these jungles with all this exotic life.

This page was hard to do as I first made it as a spread however if you see previous posts it was very messy and had to many colours to feel professional so I decided to change it and  make each page individually, and I really think it turned out successfully. I did tone down the colours and made it more earthy and coffee like as I felt it was very fitting.

The pages with more illustrative and collaged art will be placed around the cafe as posters these would then be able to change and be refreshing with each zine providing new and some what exclusive art as it will only be available to see in the shops for a set amount of time, producing a little must have feeling in pacts loyal customers who would want to collect all zines.

The next page was made as a slight homage to classic wildlife magazines such as The National Geographic and Nature, I did try to include more text on the left page however decided against it as part of the zines idea and theme was to be visual the last page is purely informal and talks about three animals found in Brazil.

The back cover then ties together to the front but looks like this on its own,

The front and back cover together look like this,

Overall I am very happy with how the zine as come together and I believe the theme and the idea is clear throughout and I'm proud to have made it flow easily and actually retain visuals so that it is aesthetically pleasing to go through.

Notes after tutorial, I already addressed my decision to keep the thumb print in and I do believe that it works with the design, I have used multiple type faces in the first pages but as the green text is really just the background I don't really feel the need to change that, also raised was the question about stopping the readers to just litter the zine after and I hadn't really thought about this because in my mind I was under the impression that the zine wouldn't be free. I realise now that charging for such a small zine for a profit would be ridiclious so my idea would be to have the zine sold but with all profits going towards preserving the nature in these countries with the 4 issues. Each country they represent would be the country where pact would make a donation with these profits. This then helps the zine have a bigger impact with its theme it will also stop the litter. Especially as the zine is going to have original or exclusive content I do believe that pacts loyal customers would want to help and even just environmentally cautious customers in these independent coffee shops. This also opens up the ideas for more products such as posters of the art in all of these zines to be sold as prints, the tote bag and even the coffee cups could have its profits or a percentage given to the cause. I think this is a really smart way of solving that problem while tightening the theme of the zine. I also believe that these customers will be willing to spare a few pounds especially as the limited edition of 500 or less of each issue it will create a slight sense of hype. This isn't unusual of pact to do limited edition campaigners and events either.

The designs and art made in this zine will also be created as posters and a tote bag for the front cover. These would then change during the other issues so it gives a lot of extra product opportunity for pact.

There would be a handful of posters available for customers with each issue changing, this would make more opportunities to help the farmers out.

The sleeve illustration was also made with the idea to be placed on to disposable coffee cups, I didn't really want to explore the branding to much with these as I wanted them to be used in independent coffee shops while still being tied to Pact just more subtly. These could also be turned into a cup that is reusable further linking to the charity side of this idea.

Also a few examples of the same print on packaging, however this doesn't show origins or blends but Is just an example of what work from the zine could like look like on packaging. I chose to use the brazil zine front cover illustration on one mock up as an idea of other ways the zine art could be used.

overall I believe the project was a success and Im happy with how my work turned out, through development shown on previous posts I was able to explore and experiment until finally coming to an end product that I am now happy with.