#i HAVE gotten a lot better at figuring this stuff out btw

[gothmiqote]

some assorted cutscene varhas & me complaining abt blender under the cut lol :p

the head is a fairly quick & dirty port i did, the struggle to put new teeth in there was 1. fucking unreal 2. probably also not something that was as difficult a i made it out to be

on my list of further things to do are more edits around the mouth area, specifically the upper lip. ofc you can't spot the problem in this shot, but the inner area needs some more volume since it's doing a weird think where it curves noticeably inwards when the mouth opens. probably a fix that'll take a few hours max, half of which will probably be spent testing motion until im happy. there's also a bit of a seam down the middle, but idk if that's enough of a problem for me to deal with lmao. the hair covers up the most visible area, and even that's not too awful in most lighting conditions.

speaking of hair, it does look like my go-to styles for her will need the ear replacements done in blender (blegh). miqo ears are attached to the hair model, so while you Can use pre-7.0 hairs without any movement issues, you won't have the updated ear shape and the textures will probably be a bit off. these ones were just run through the loose texture compiler, no manual editing on my side. i can't tell if i'm liking that or if it could be better? idk I've never painted hair maps before, could be fine or it could be a mess lmao

i haven't even looked at converting the scar texture for her body yet, i probably won't until penumbra is back online tbqh. the new textools is fucking fantastic, but i don't love having to open and close the game every time i want to make a mod change. it also doesn't look like the body shape i use will be getting updated (boo) since the creator has a new version they're working on and i don't like it as much lmao which means it might be up to Me to sort that one out. probably not a big deal except i'm also running the ivcs skeleton version which is fghjsdgjk a whole extra Thing to deal with. i like the extra control it gives me in gpose + some custom animations though so worst case scenario, more blender lessons lmfao. if that's the case i might make the switch to skelomae, depending on which dev kit i find easier to actually parse. i'm wondering if it's worth my time to play around with some body scaling mods, never used them before but im intrigued. also a distinct possibility I'll have to update the skin texture i use for estinien, but i know tbse already has a beta out so i'm not too worried about that. at the end of the day body & face textures are probably the easiest things to mess with. fucking love the person who, within 24 hours of early access, released a mod that gave him his lips back. was worried i might have to port that too but nope, someone beat me to it.

oh god right i also still have to do azem's head port. that one had custom texture uvs, which i'm sure will provide anyone layer of weirdness to whatever process i end up performing on it. i am Not looking forward to putting in another set of nicer teeth lmfao but it's worth it. perhaps it won't be such a shitshow this time around. her eye texture is fucked but I've already seen some updated ancient eyes floating around, so it's whatever.

i am Also not looking forward to going through my penumbra wardrobe to see what works and what doesn't & all i have to say is 10/10 for me for having the foresight to meticulously organize those mods into hyperspecific folders.

also i miss my pose mods gfsdhkghysjd i need to take cute pics in some of those new areas okay.

[cotc-terminal]

Clash of the Cubes - Challenge THREE

While the elevator goes up, the TV switched back on again. Pulse is in the TV, sat on a seat that vaguely looks like a tree.

“Welcome back, viewers and competitors, to the Clash of the Cubes! You lot are nearing the elevator’s destination, hopefully you haven’t gotten sick by then.”

“Anywho, your next challenge will begin shortly, depending on when the elevators sto-“

The elevators suddenly stop with a loud *CLANG*. They open up to show a river infront of them with chopped-down trees floating near the shore.

“There we go. So your next challenge is a boat race! Unfortunately we haven’t found any boats, so I have the next best thing! Trees!”

“It’s as simple as it sounds. First cube on the end wins. Pushing, shoving, horseplay, ramming & hitting are encouraged. You MAY encounter some obstacles, so better dodge em~. Won’t say how the extra points are achieved, so figure that out bt yourself.”

“Oh, and by the way, to spice things up, I’m giving some extra items for use to each of you based on your placement! Use them wisely.”

The flower-like shapes in military outfits appear again, and hand each Cube a box. Inside the box is...

(ps: your item is on your placement, so if you’re first you get the first item listed, for second you get the second, and so on)

A tissue that just says “Goodluck loser”.

Air.

A stick.

A sandwich that has your name on it. It looks punched.

Flippers.

A life jacket.

A card that says what the secret point criteria is. (Will say in DMs)

An actual boat (and by boat i mean a bowl with no oars or motors).

A rocket boost.

A slingshot.

A Blixer Blaster. (Basically a portable O=[] cannon blixer)

A shield that deflects literally anything back to where it came.

(EXTRA STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW:)

(around halfway through the course, you’re gonna get shit like buzzsaws, swords, axes, spikes, etc. thrown at you by Nulls from the sidelines, so you better dodge lol)

(Oh and due to the nature of this being a race, some of yall might end up drawing other cubes getting passed by (or run over) so heres a drive with ref sheets)

“Good? Good. Now get on your trees…”

The cubes get on the trees. Some grab on, others sit down on it, etc. (how it’s like is up to you btw)

“And be on your marks…. Get set… Go!”

Pulse fires a gun in the sky, and a current in the river starts pushing the trees to the finish line.

@lumhere @shaidai @orchuris @itzhosya @missmaydae @alionanight @dragongirl2k6 @acn97414 @mahoganystudios830 @pricklythepearcat @blockheadblog @nacora-najita

[astral-skyes]

to forget, you need to understand

a/n- this one is pretty long and dialogue heavy but I need to flesh out annabeth and piper’s dynamic. Also I need help. Cuz I don’t wanna use friends to lovers two times so what trope should I use for Pipabeth help

chapter 3

masterlist

Piper

Piper was guilty as heck. Her being the daughter of the goddess of love should’ve made her good at breakups. But she messed it up. Not wanting to use charmspeak on Jason, she winged it and didn’t even get to tell him the most important part. Piper checked her phone again, before getting out of bed and making breakfast.

She had sent a few texts to Jason apologising but she hadn’t gotten a word back. She had also sent a few texts to Leo, he hadn’t answered too.

Sitting down with the fried egg she made, she texted the only person that could make her feel better right now.

‘Hey Annabeth! Wanna meet up? Grab coffee maybe?’

A few minutes passed by and Piper’s phone buzzed.

‘Hey Piper! Yeah, I’m up for it. Where should we meet though. I’m checking out a new school in LA btw’

‘Good! I live there lol. I have a really nice coffee shop I like thats close too. The address is *********.’

‘K, that’s gonna take me like 30 mins to get there. I’ll leave now. See u there?’

‘Yea! I’ll be there’

Piper smiled. She needed someone to talk to about the breakup, and who better than Annabeth? She was one of Piper’s best friends and a person that Piper had gone through a lot with. Putting that aside, she put on a pair of baggy jeans, a white shirt and a dark green jumper she had decorated with lots of different patches.

She left the house and in her excitement, didn’t notice a text from Leo: ‘Hey Beauty Queen. Dw, everything’s ok, Jason’s w me and he’s safe. Calm down lol’

~~time skip~~

Piper arrived at the cafe and Annabeth was already sitting at a table in the corner. The blonde waved to Piper.

“Hey Piper! I haven’t seen you in a little while”

“Same! How has life been?”

“Eh, it’s kinda boring. Ever since the Giant War I’ve just been at camp and school. It’s dull” Annabeth said dejectedly, swirling her coffee.

“Damn. I mean I had a wild day yesterday”

“What happened?”

“For one, I broke up with Jason”

“What? Why? What did he do?” Piper noticed Annabeth said that last sentence as if she was going to make Jason pay for what he ‘did’.

“He didn’t do anything, don’t worry. It’s me. I’ve had a hard time trying to say this, and I didn’t even tell him yesterday but I don’t think I like guys at all”

“Oh. Well congratulations. One for figuring it out and two for being brave enough to tell someone”

“Thanks. Only you and Leo know. I know I need to tell Jason but I’m scared.”

“Hey” At this Annabeth took Piper’s hands in hers. Piper blushed. “You have done harder things than coming out to your best friend. He cares for you, that will never change.”

“Yeah, thanks” Piper said, still blushing.

“I’ve finished my coffee, wanna pay and leave”To Piper’s relief, Annabeth changed the topic.

“Yeah sure. I’ll pay.” Piper said and took out her card.

“Nu-uh. I’m paying.” Annabeth took her card out too and pushed Piper’s away.

“No.” said Piper simply. She called over a waiter who took her card and scanned it.

“I will get you back” Annabeth joked and stood up. Piper stood up after her and they left.

“Anything else new in your life? Maybe something positive?” Annabeth chuckled.

“Yeah actually” Piper said. “I’ve been learning how to draw.”

“Really? Can you show me some drawings?” Annabeth said inquisitively.

“Oh… sure.” Piper took out a small book filled with sketches of houses and people and furniture.

“Whoah!” Annabeth exclaimed, startling Piper. “These are amazing. The only sketches I can do are ones for blueprints and stuff.” Annabeth then started looking through all the sketches. “I can’t believe how lifelike these look, these are amazing!” The blonde lifted her head up to find it was inches away from Piper’s. She pulled away quickly and turned red. “Sorry…”

“It’s fine” Piper felt herself blush too. “I didn’t think they were that good though”

“They’re amazing. Hey, do you mind sketching me?” The blonde had a hint of shyness in her voice.

“Sure! You’re just gonna have to sit relatively still for a few minutes” Piper said excitedly, opening up her notebook to a blank page.

Piper took out a pencil from her bag and began sketching.

After around 3 minutes, Piper sat up and put her pencil away. “Okay, I’m done! What do you think?” Piper showed Annabeth her sketch.

“It’s amazing! I look better here than I do in real life” Annabeth said, smiling.

“Come on, you look amazing in real life too.” Piper answered and Annabeth blushed, then her eyes widened. “Thanks. Wait, do you wanna get ice cream?”

“Yes”

“Alright, what flavour?”

“Choc chip”

“Same! Alright, I’ll go get it” Annabeth stood up and went towards the ice cream van. She bought the ice cream and returned.

“Wanna start going back?” Annabeth asked and handed one cone to Piper.

“Sure” Piper stood up and both walked back to the coffee shop.

“Okay, well this was so fun. We should do this again.” Piper said.

“Yeah, I’m probably going to move here for school. The one I visited was really good.”

“That’s amazing! Well then we should definitely see each other again” Piper said excitedly

“Yeah. Sun’s going down so we should go.”

“Yeah. I’ll text you”

“Not if I do it first!” Annabeth laughed and waved to Piper as she left.

Piper waved back and started moving back to her house.

~~another time skip~~

At her house, Piper was bored again. Annabeth had taken her mind off of her breakup. She sat on her balcony and checked her phone. She’d missed the text from Leo earlier so she answered: ‘Hey Leo, thanks for telling me. How is Jason taking the breakup? I handled it so badly I can’t’

‘Girl it’s not as bad as u think. He’s fine, he told me everything. U should talk to him tho.’

‘Bro ik. I wanna give him a bit of time alone from me.’

‘Sure, we’re alone in the countryside on Festus’

‘Ooohhh so romantic!’

‘Why does everyone say that?? I’m not in love with him’

‘Or are you??’

‘I’m not!’

‘Sure…’ with this, Piper was left on read. Annabeth was all Piper could think about after. She would soon live here and Piper saw a real future where they were really close friends, or maybe more.

[crossingbounds-au]

Poll Results/Mini Announcement

So, after the poll results from a few days ago, it's a yes!!! If you guys are curious on any possible headcanons, character scenarios, character interactions and dynamics, and more on the Crossing Bounds versions of characters. Please send some in the ask box X3!!! Also, maybe when you guys get a better idea of these versions of the characters (even if they ain't entirely far off), then feel free telling me your headcanons cause I wanna hear them. Or hell, give some assumptions you have already based on their canon counterparts and what I've said in stuff like streams. I'd love to debunk or confirm them to y'all!!! Here's a list of characters you can request for!!! And yes, I will do my own posts of such just cause to, I just also wanna engage with y'all. These are a lot of the main ones, you could def ask for some others y'all could ask for, but these are the main ones!!!

Mario

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Princess Daisy

Mlp (as well as my sona lol)

Applejack

Fluttershy

Pinkie Pie

Rarity

Rainbow Dash

Twilight Sparkle

Spike

Itzel/Captain Asterisco Glow

Sonic (please note this isn't entirely figured out since I'm still writing eps 1 and 2 so I'm still working out what Sonic characters to include in the prologue at least)

Sonic

Tails

Knuckles

Amy

Shadow

Rouge

Steven Universe (yes, Steven is the only one there, there's lore reasons for this)

Steven

Fnaf

Freddy

Bonnie

Chica

Foxy

Bendy (Batim/Batdr)

Bendy

Boris

Alice

Audrey

Henry

Cuphead

Cuphead

Mugman

Amphibia (again, there's lore reasons for this)

Anne

Mr. Boonchuy

Mrs. Boonchuy

The Owl House

Luz

Amity

Willow

Gus

Hunter

Camila

Eda

Raine

Undertale

Sans

Papyrus

Frisk

Toriel

The Hollows

Twoton

Egdar

Ra

Aarkadian

Samus

I also do wanna preface this btw, I did get permission from @pshattuck (sorry for the tag Paula, didn't know if I should or not, but I did anyways) to use The Hollows characters, even if the story hasn't gotten anything posted yet aside from small teaser art from Paula. As well, even if I am affiliated with Paula as well as Kyzer as a mutuals in majority of my socials and have talked to them privately multiple times. This project is purely a fan made crossover AU for fun that I love. They have no actual affiliation with the project nor do I actually have any major insight into the comic. So please understand this. Anyways, that's all from me, everyone, happy asking :3!!!

-Itzel aka Kawaiipony Productions

[milekael]

TEEHEE tagged by @rizaposting to do this >:3c

are you named after anyone?

I named myself 😎 The name Miles came from Miles Edgeworth LOL Me and an (ex)friend really liked Ace Attorney and the joke is that I was Miles and they were Franziska, and because at that point I was looking for a name it worked nicely!

However with time I really didn't want my name super directly attached to anyone, thats when I figured Mikael out as like "A longer version of Miles" and to be my name name SDFGHJ

I still use Miles a lot and like Ace Attorney btw! if anything, lately I been using Miles online more than my name for the sake of not putting my full name on the interwebs lol

when was the last time you cried?

Help 0 idea. I used to cry a lot as a kid and now for some reason is really hard for me to do it dfghj not even as some kind of psychological hang-up or anything I just can't really do it.

do you have kids?

Noup

do you use sarcasm a lot?

Kinda? Normally just with people I am close to because if its with anyone else I worry it might be misunderstood.

what sports do you play?

I don't play sports but I do really like doing physical work! I used to do a lot of construction work like building frames when I was at college.

what’s the first thing you notice about people?

A weird way to say it but I like to see people's "character design" LOL as in... I do perceive people very based on "If they were a character, what does their design tell me about their personality" kind of deal dfghj

what’s your eye color?

Grey-ish blue. Dark blue?

scary movies or happy endings?

help I am very VERY selective with the kinds of horrors I vibe with so really happy endings pretty much 97% of the time (Fear & Hunger is the 3% lol)

any special talents?

Huuh I know how to take machines apart! And how to build many many things out of trash. Also by taking machines apart sometimes you learn how to fix them, but I wouldn't trust myself to fix anything super important lol

where were you born?

Caracas, Venezuela! And I moved to the U.S (Sadly) in 2017.

what are your hobbies?

Help what do you do when your hobby is your job. I do a lot of the "ough I been drawing this thing for too long, I better take a break and draw this other thing" LOL but huuuh when I feel like doing something else I play videogames. Also I have gotten into online roleplaying again and I been starting to write fics, different from the things I usually have to write for work reasons so I count them.

do you have any pets?

The creachure The Beast Maki Roll. She is a cat.

how tall are you?

UUUH 5'3" or 5'4" I can't remember lol

favorite subject in school?

Saying art feels like a cope-out uuuh In Venezuelan highschool I really liked Literature and Biology was fun! And if we talk about college I didn't expect Sculpture to be my favorite but it was! And ofc I really liked Oil Painting (My concentration lol) and Illustration!

dream job?

OUGH I really want to work as an art curator in a museum :') or in general in a museum, put me to make an archive of historical stuff and I'll have a blast.

Another thing I would really like is working on set design! again I like physical work and traditional art so I would really enjoy it sdfgh Also also sdfgh my main goal is to make comics of my OCs lol but I don't... exactly want to work under an specific company (Maybe have a contract for publishing but my story wouldn't fully belong to them U know) so really my dream scenario is me working for some of the other stuff I want and also make comics on the side dfghj

SDFGH TAGGING HUUH @bolitamurcielago @seastawright @todd-machine and huuh @pixiunera sure why not!! (BTW don't feel preasured to do it I just threw you because friends beloveds <3 )

[fulltimesapphic]

When I joined tumblr it was first because I was shocked I could. Then it was for the fan stuff. Then it was so I could post some crappy shitty Azicrow one-shot that was sadly (not really) lost when I deleted my old account. Then I found something. I found friends, I found some fake parents, I found a kid, I found a brother.... and I found you.

@sparrow-the-tired-lesbian around Christmas time (2023) we started flirting. As a joke at first. We strictly used /j's and I once even asked you if it was ok that we were like hardcore flirting because "I do that with all my friends" I cringe at that by the way. Then we started using /hj's and a few less /p's. Then we dropped even the /hj's. And on December 26th I told you that I had feelings for you.

Now I didn't know what it meant or what we could even do because at the time I was trying to figure things out with my ex. I didn't know a lot but I did know that I used to love her and now I love you.

And that feeling hasn't changed. We talked about it, I still have screenshots from it because you were so kind and so patient. I thought you were the prettiest person l'd ever seen and to top it all off you were nice and loving and smart.

It took my ex a little convincing but when I told her that I had fallen for someone else who gave me what I needed without me having ask she let me go. After that I ran to tell you and I was so excited to start something with you. Later that night (Dec 31st) you said “Your partner (?) with the shitty humor made a joke about “kerchoosing you” which ok hold on

You were so kind and considerate to not want to assume anything. Respecting boundaries is super hot btw

You have such a weird sense of humor and I will always Kerchoose you

You are kind, smart, beautiful, you make stupid jokes and make wonderful music. You care for me when I’m struggling and aren’t afraid to ask me for help.

You’ve called me Babe, Baby, Saph, Snoth, Bug and so much more. Once you called me darling and when I asked you if you could not you said absolutely and changed it. You also asked if I wanted you to call me by my irl name.

You have helped me start to love things about myself. To love myself as a whole. Things that I used to hate about myself I can look at with love because you love them. You have helped me learn things about myself and start to learn who I could be.

I have gotten so much better, so much happier because I have you to lean on if I need it. And you have me to lean on as well.

I still have my ups and downs and so do you. But when have those moments we know that we can go to each other. And I think that is so special.

I know that if I’m hating myself I can text you something random and you will make everything so much better. You deserve so much mon coeur.

I just know that when we meet (I look at that moment with a when not an if) I’m going to hold you in my arms for as long as we can stand it.

Thank you for helping me realize that I deserve be loved and that I deserve a safe place. That I deserve a home.

It’s hard to think that we haven’t know each other our whole lives, I hope to spend the rest of mine with you

Thank you Sparrow. From the bottom of my heart. And from the rest of my heart.

Happy brithday birdie

[yourbrains]

Man I just. Really hate everything about my body. I can't go one god damn day without managing some chronic pain or health issue.

If it's not hip pain, shoulder pain. If not that, then tmj. Back pain. Pinched sacral nerve and ankle numbness. Subluxed rib. Pain walking. Pelvic dysfunction triggered by a kidney infection. Bladder inflammation/possibly interstitial cystitis (which triggered this post). More that I won't get into. Literally have had all of this at some point in 2024

If it was just one thing consistently, I could handle it. I've gotten there with a good chunk of my hypermobility stuff and know how to manage a lot of it. I've got my little book of strengthening exercises and stretches I've built over 10 years of off and on again physical therapy. It works it helps.

But my body is a game of fucking whack a mole that when I figure out one thing, something else flares up soon after. Every fucking time. Every time. I'm so sick of it. I'm sick of being sick and uncomfortable and in pain every day.

Throw the fucking autism and massive work burnout I had in, which led to permanent reduction in my capacity to do anything btw even though my life is much easier than it was a year or two ago, and I'm just a big mess 😃👍

I'm thankful I'm not in a ton of pain right now, more discomfort. My mental health is better than it used to be too when it comes to accepting my conditions and limitations, but jesus christ some days push those limits

I at least am leaving for Japan soon and that will be a massive and fun distraction, and I'm hoping all the walking and healthier food and not thinking about work will help manage some things. Cuz that's all I'm really clinging to right now if I'm being so for real rn

[raviliuz]

Slytherin Quidditch Team as songs from my playlist (part 1)

Marcus Flint ~ .intoodeep. by Dead Poet Society

Maybe let's start with overall vibe and melody and stuff. It sounds so dramatic, I can't explain it with simple words but it's giving walls falling, internal chaos that has to be sorted. And it fits Marcus so well, especially during summer of '93 when a lot of things went shite, he got disowned, had to repeat 7th year and just sort out who he is. The song is about making music which obviously doesn't apply to Flint but I think it can be fairly translated to quidditch for him. Spending so much time and blood, sweat and tears on the quidditch pitch, it being what saved him, where you sought a break during his worst times. It's so hard to leave it, it feels like a betrayal. But he had to make that decision when it came to a professional career.

But let's get to the lyrics

I heard my boy just bought his own house

Told me I could crash while I figure it out

I mean, he literally stayed at Higgs' during that time

I know I'm sounding crazy, know you think I'm fucking lazy

But you'll never understand

Marcus has ADHD which was undiagnosed for like 17 years of his life. That obviously affected him, his education and thus his self esteem. Flint for years thought he's just dumb and lazy because everyone has to do all that school stuff and everyone is doing okay, so clearly there's a problem in him. Finding out that he has ADHD and that was the reason for all of it was so calming and reassuring. But still it didn't mean people around him, even teachers, would understand his disability and how it affects him.

There's no light, inside I'm paralyzed

But fuck it 'cause I'm in too deep

I think it fits Marcus seeking himself around all the shit planted in him by his parents, trying to sort the true him around all expectations and opinions of his parents which he wanted to just erased.

Goodbye to my memories of being at home

As I said, erased them.

I know my mind is a mess

Well, ADHD affects the way one think so he could have issues with like- sorting his thoughts and refering them to others because for them they might seem random and unrelated

My confidence making claims

In Marcus case more like the lack of confidence. Tho it has gotten much better through the years it still wasn't the best and affected him. Flint hated himself, considered himself a disappointment for everyone, felt so ashamed. It was coming back late at night, during worse moments, bringing him back down.

I swear it's all 'bout to change

I'm not just faded

I see Marcus telling that to himself. Like a promise he's going to get through this, that he's so much more than his parents' son.

I'm alive btw, uni is so awesome, I hope you're doing great

[youredreamingofroo]

oh my god... I just remembered something I saw a while ago which was (not verbatim) "drawing in what I think is my ocs' art style"... maybe ill do that.. :3c

[ I ended up ranting a LOT abt my OCs' art styles and their art content below the cut, so. yea. 🧍‍♂️ ]

Roo's would probably be soft, maybe a little rough because he's not 100% into art, I kinda see his being akin to Arthur's art style when drawing animal sketches.

Leo's would be veryyyyy rough, stray bits of lead/graphite around his lines cuz he doesn't know about pencil pressure, he would struggle with straight lines and be very against having curved lines (so a lot of his drawings come out with sharp edges)

Nirvanas art style would be flowy, as aggressive as she is, she's got gentle hands (when she's not feeling murderous ahsjabs), and would feel a sort of peer pressure from herself to have a flowy art style (applicable to her hand writing, I could see her having absurd cursive)

Hero would have a VERY simple art style, but I think the content she draws would not be reflected well in her art style, very... grotesque and haunting stuff. Aside from her grotesque content, imagine something akin to... a little more sophisticated stick figures? Idk how to word it sjsjsj

Onia's art style would be very... back and forth. When drawing in her own time and by herself, her art style reflects her soft heart, soft pencil lines, and maybe a little shaky, I think her own personal drawings would be a little vent-y? So she gets emotional when drawing (hence "shaky"). But when she's drawing for someone else or drawing in public, her lines and art style *attempt* to reflect her harsh mask, more angular lines, frequently breaking her lead (she silently gets embarrassed for doing this btw) and having much darker and harsher lines overall ig

-

I know I already kinda explained what my ocs WOULD draw in some of their blocks, but I'm gonna do a (hopefully) better explanation below;

Roo wouldn't do anything extreme, probably just some basic, simple sketches of shapes with eyes, or little creatures, like cats (similar to me when doodling)

I don't think Leo ever really draws, maybe just once in a while, in which case he just draws stupid and inconsistent patterns (just doodling essentially). I can see him drawing "vent art" when hes angry, which would just be INCREDIBLY aggressive lines and doodles and words like "i hate this" or something along those lines, reflecting his rage- BUT if he WERE to be drawing anything, I do think he'd be doing anatomy practice, he wouldn't apply that anatomical knowledge anywhere, it would moreso be a form of having something to do when he's coming down from a fit of rage (strange coping mechanism but okay).

Nirvana would draw. Women. I can see her drawing the most beautiful and diverse women, in an attempt to manifest the love of her life (that "love" being any woman to ever exist), she would go into an unexplainable amount of detail for no reason, quite literally sculpting in 2D/on paper.

Hero, like I said, would draw just. grotesque. disturbing things, I think she draws less for the fun of it, but moreso to record and jot down the absolute HORRORS that she's forced to perceive. Also her curse absolutely takes control over her when she's drawing sometimes, and draws disturbing imagery of her being k worded (not to get graphic or whatever)

Onia does not draw for fun either, she would (on her own) only draw to vent the frustrations of having to mask and being born the way she was, she also (on her own again) draws self portraits of herself, which have, slowly, gotten progressively further and further from what she actually looks like, making herself look a lot meaner or "beat up". In public, she just doodles, she does nottttt like drawing in public, sometimes her doodles turn into unprompted portraits of others in public, mainly people she finds interesting looking, or people who give off a certain vibe that she's aiming for, essentially jotting that person down to take note of their attire/vibe so she can attempt to copy it.

[anonofseasons]

The reason the rest of Seasons went up is that I figured I'd better just do it before I lost all drive to share ever again and didn't at least complete Seasons for the remaining readers. It's the only thing I've written (outside of fandom) that has gotten much attention. It was nice, and I really appreciate that anyone would read it. But outside of that, I cannot get more than the tiniest handful of people to care about what I write, and it has been that way for years. It's discouraging, I'll be honest. My already-low confidence keeps taking beatings. I used to be more active with fandoms and posting fics, but one fandom/ship soured the experience for me. (Long story short, a lot of that ship's writers were bullied out by much more prominent writers. One of those popular writers mocked content from my fics in vaguetweets every time I posted, and I couldn't keep calling it a coincidence after a while.) I'd hear "you only write manbabies" (yeah more than once) and "you write too much of this" or be told my characterization wasn't realistic. But mostly? It just goes ignored. So I think, "I have to work harder and be better so people will be interested in reading it."

I don't know how other people manage to get word out about their writing. AO3 is great for sharing what I don't plan to publish/what can't be published, but what about what I do want published? I want to be a career author. And I struggle bc I'm dealing with problems that have a hand in worsening each other: financial struggles, living with my shitty parents, and bad health/disabilities. I need something in my life to work out for once. The pressure is on to be successful at something, but I just keep getting older and physically worse. My friend is willing to take me in when they find a place, we hope that's this year, but I can't live off of them, and I can't just sometimes cook and clean when I have spoons to make up for that. I need an income. I want writing to work out. But it just dies on my social media, with very few interactions, if any at all. I had a ton of stuff I wanted to finish for Seasons this month and into October to share with everyone in my excitement. But I'm losing my will to share anything. I only feel foolish when I try. Everything I do only proves my critics right, so it's embarrassing. Why even bother to try? It's been fourteen years of trying to get anything I write seen. I don't plan to stop writing btw, it's the sharing that's so difficult. I've been told countless times to write for myself when I express my despair, and guess what? That's good advice I've been taking this entire time! Who else could I be trying to please at this point? I have no one to please lmao, it's just me doing stuff I wanna do! The reaction to the ending of Seasons has me hesitant to give up on sharing, bc clearly lots of people connected to it in different ways, and that's wonderful. It makes me think sharing isn't so bad! But I just don't know if - at my age and health - if I can keep trying. I have two books I want to self-publish soon, and they feel like they'll just end up like everything else I post over at @mcalhenwrites - 6 notes and 5 of them are my reblogs! (And it's the same across all social media platforms - or it's even worse.) I'm really thankful that sharing Seasons gave me a taste of what it was like to connect with people through my writing, though. I don't think any of the people who commented or sent me asks realize how much it really helped me through this year, but it did. I started to have a little hope that maybe it wasn't a skill issue on my part, at least? ;A; And here's the thing: I don't really hate my writing all that much. I just fear it's got things wrong with it that I can't recognize, and that's what's putting potential readers off. I do believe my hard work shows, but hard work =/= good enough. My style is getting closer to the skill level I dreamed of having. I'm proud of my characters. But what's missing? I know that being a creator of any kind - even professional - is extremely tough, especially right now. I know this is a struggle for a lot of authors, artists, etc. :'( I just... I want to write as a career so I can keep doing more of it. I rarely have the spoons to keep up with anything. Writing is flexible. I love doing it! I just want to explain how I feel and what I'm dealing with, and why I'm so desperate. If you read this, know that it really helps creators to have our work recommended, boosted, etc. Authors matter as much as artists. I've been trying to train myself for the nth time to not be online and talk about my writing in any capacity. It hasn't worked before - I'm always too stupid to commit to giving up - but at what point in 14 years of complete failure with a side of humiliation does one just learn to give up? And to give some further insight into my thinking process: when I uploaded the remaining chapters, I put Seasons in my private collection (which holds 87 of my works out-of-bounds to anyone but me) so I could upload all the chapters without risking annoying my subscribers. Since 11 chapters in one night is a bit much, eh? :') Ugh, idk why tumblr won't let me edit anything or post long stuff. So I'm cutting this short I guess!

[tag-that-oc]

I have gotten permission to talk about my OCverses so take some Starwood Forest ramblings to start!!

I've classified the universe into three 'stages', each representing when the tone of the OCs changed.

The first is the the beginning stage! This one was created during when I was about 12 (I'm 15 now) because I needed a way to express emotions and what better way to do it then animals! This early stage took a lot of inspiration from series like Warrior Cats and Wings Of Fire, which is very noticeable in the first wave of OCs.

Many of these OCs were shallow figures without much thought behind them, and many have since been forgotten about. This stage has gotten slightly revamped overtime, fleshing out certain characters.

Overall this stage was the calmest, one made to pass the time without much thought to how it worked. There were some darker elements, but most of it was suitable to middle schoolers.

(I should also mention the first OCs in this wave Fallen, Goldie, Jay ad Rusty, were based off FNaF OCs. No plot relevance but something that I feel is vaguely important.)

The second stage (The Seas and Skies stage)

This stage was when I started experimenting with darker topics, such as child abandonment, child abuse, homelessness, death of a loved one, and trying to find out your place in life.

Some notable OCs from this time: Ocean, the pirate cat! They were the one I struck with some heavier topics, but mostly left alone. They are the captain of a pirate ship, and just in general a badass. May be non binary. Same case as Seahorse, listed below. Seahorse. Who I explicitly stated to have been abused as a child. First OC to have confirmation of this in front of my parents. Well. I also may have accidently wrote her to be trans coded? Like I didn't mean it but it also fits with her story. So yeah. mtf first mate. she's got a partner. Winter the ghost fox! I love him. I love him so much. He's just a funny ghost fox who lives with a circus. He died from falling off a cliff btw.

This stage was named due to the focus of the oceans and the circus, which included many winged animals, hence the name. There was a lot of escapism stuff, which looking back on it was me trying to find a happy place to escape too when my siblings came after me.

I have gone through and revamped many elements of this stage to comply with the main timeline, as well as adding more queer characters!

One thing I should mention before moving to stage three, is two OCs that belong somewhere between stages one and two. They were created during the first stage, but didn't get fleshed out until the second. Their names are Peppermint and Thistle and they are lesbians and that has always been their relationship since I made them. They basically adopt the kids in the circus that Raven can't take in, so they have a lot of children that stop by!

It was also at this point in time that I started drawing the characters more humanoid, when they had been fully animal before hand.

On to stage three (the King, the Lab, and the Child Soldiers)

This stage is so fucking dark! What was 13 year old me thinking! We've got experimentation, more child abuse and neglect, death, suicide, child soldiers, child death, fighting arenas, corrupt people in power, and quite a bit more on top of everything talked about in stage two! Take this as your fucking trigger warning!

This stage was developed based on a creepypasta OC I had made, and then turned into something so much bigger! We've got a kingdom being ruled over by a queen who is making prisoners who were experimented on fight each other to the death, most of whom were children. We've got Finn, the ball of trauma who ends up ruling the kingdom but only after he kills himself! We've got a hoard of dead kids, one of which can time travel, a bunch of ones that were street kids who were brutally murdered, and group that was fucking child soldiers?????? What the fuck was 13 year old me doing. What the fuck was I doing.

Anyways, this stage is where I ended up putting this OCverse out of main activity and started moving onto the CrossOCverse and the Minecraft OCverse, all of which were just as dark btw. If not more. Remember that the Starwoods forest was something I created with my parents knowledge. Admittlly they didn't know a bunch of details (like anything related to the queer characters because homophobic parents suck) but still.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed these rambles and hopefully I will be back with another ramble about either specific characters or another OCverse. Good bye and good night I am so tired and I apoigize for spelling mistakes.

oh wow this was all really interesting to read! personally i think it's cool and interesting to experiment with darker topics

the characters all sound interesting too!

[puphoods]

claire from the start of the year vs end btw. :)

i think ive improved a lot but on small things... i think im better at drawing bodies + have a better understanding of where things go when i draw a person(/whatever)... i think the way i draw faces is better but i really need to improve on how to draw mouths + different expressions its something i dont have a good understanding on. i dont think ive improved much with colours which is another weak point of mine that i struggle with a lot. i think my lines look more confident and purposeful and i think im better at at least trying to draw things im not confident in rather than avoiding it or drawing around it as a copout. umm what else... i feel like ive gotten better at drawing hair. realising i much more enjoy making it look more realistic + that i enjoy my art looking more realistic (comparatively) in general so i want to work on that but also work on exaggerating shapes and poses and lines etc. etc.

some things i want to try and focus on next year... that stuff i already mentioned ofcourse but also really need to buckle down and focus on learning to use colour better. i want to figure out a colouring style i enjoy more as well bc i dont really enjoy the way i do it Or how it looks rn. i also want to try drawing different perspectives and more interesting looking + dynamic poses and art pieces in general. id also like to start focusing on drawing things that arent just characters as i would enjoy being able to do things like backgrounds props scenes etc. sometimes. i also really need to figure out how to draw multiple characters interacting + touching etc. and how to make it look natural/good bc it always looks stiff and awkward

i would also love to try drawing with different styles and methods (ie painting/rendering things sometimes stuff like that) bc the times i do try out different styles i enjoy it :) i need to do style studies. i also need to look at some tutorials or whatever for different digital art methods like painting which i dont really enjoy bc i can never seem to find any that i like

and i need to remember to have fun with it... i always end up trying to draw so people will think its good rather than because im enjoying it and i really need to focus on that again. and i want to draw More which i say all the time but i really do as ive said i dont draw much more than gets posted but even if i do sketches or practice more often would mean a lot to me. i really have in the last little while been much more motivated to actually start creating some of my stories that i have and while i think im still a long way away from being in a position where i would feel confident starting i want to start doing things that are pushing me in the right direction and alot of this here is doing that (along with practice writing and stuff but thats a big different thing). well i dont know what else to say. goodbye

[hel7l7]

Its fine if you dont want to answer this question but how did you realise you had bpd and how did you cope with it? I show signs but im scared of what will happen if i get diognosed

Hi anon,

I was very young when I got into therapy. When I was around 12 I got to my first therapist. When I was later diagnosed with an eating disorder I got treatment for that. During that treatment I soon figured there was something else "wrong" with me. There were things that I experienced that not all the other girls/boys in the groups I was in were experiencing.

I was around 16 when I got referred to another treatment center for DBT. Diagnostically my problems were stated as "Emotional regulation problems." Which referred to everything that was going on outside of all the eating disorder stuff I had going on. I wasn't as educated on everything then as I am now. And I was under 18, meaning they couldn't diagnose me with any personality disorder just yet.

In one of the reports I was sent there was a sentence that described something about my personal development that could become an issue. I don't know how to translate it properly but when I looked online it basically meant that there was a big chance that I would later on officially "develop" a personality disorder.

I asked my therapist but she was very careful about it. Since they were not allowed to give me a diagnosis just yet. On tumblr I saw more and more things about borderline personality disorder which I related to. I don't like the whole self diagnosing thing, but it did make me think. And since I had already gotten the report in which it stated that there was at least something going on I was only more curious. I asked another therapist from the same treatment center and she said that there was a big chance I would indeed get a bpd diagnosis once I turned 18.

It felt validating and scary at the same time. In the end I got both the BPD and AVPD diagnosis when I turned 18.

Did it change anything? Yes and no. Treatment wise nothing really changed. Everything is mostly based on the symptoms you show, especially under 18. DBT is a therapy for BPD but also many other disorders or issues can benefit from the therapy.

For myself I noticed that in the beginning when I was just figuring it all out it only made things worse. My diagnosis became my entire personality. ( haha funny ) I felt like now that I had my official validation I could behave the way I wanted just because I had an excuse. I was young and didn't understand myself enough to make wise choices. This started before I got my official diagnosis btw, from when I had my suspicions and started learning online I quickly fell into the idea that I had bpd and that this was who I was and this was how I was gonna be for the rest of my life.

I did DBT but wasn't motivated. The only reason I was in therapy was because my parents wanted it. I knew I had a problem but didn't want to change just yet. I didn't care enough about the tools I was being handed to deal with myself. I didn't care for getting better. I obviously learned things during that time, but I wasn't really into a place where I could really grow. ( This had much to do with the whole living situation rather than only my lack of motivation. It was just lots of trouble combined that lead to that specific therapy/therapist not being the best thing in my life. )

Now that I'm 24 I think it's just part of me. I don't use it as an excuse anymore. Although sometimes I joke about it with friends. But in the end I've learned how to take much more responsibility for my behaviour. I've done another round of DBT. I've had Schema Therapy. I've grown a lot coming from that place.

There's a lot of stigma going around when it comes to BPD or other personality disorders. This sucks. I think this is what I struggle with the most. You might think the internet is helping with this while it is mostly not. The goods do not yet outweigh the bad. It's something you have to come to terms with in a way. I'm glad that I've grown, that I've gotten therapy to learn about myself and my behaviour, and that I'm able to handle out of a healthier place when I'm in distress. This takes time. But it is possible.

How did I cope? Getting a BPD diagnosis, or any diagnosis, does not change anything about you. In fact you're probably the same you as you were before you got those words black on white. I think that's very important to keep in mind.

At the same time it can be very validating to see your struggles are being taken seriously.

I don't think that my way of dealing with it was the best way to cope. But I was very young and not able to do it otherwise. If you can I'd advice you to search for a fitting place/therapist to start treatment for BPD/personality disorders.

Try to learn about BPD to understand yourself, try to explain what is going on inside of you when things go wrong to those around you. But don't use BPD as an excuse.

Something things do happen because you spiral out of control. BPD Isn't easy to deal with. I know. But analyse those moments and learn from them rather than just say "I've got BPD and this is who I am."

You can heal. You can grow. Things do get better.

I'm here if you need to talk. I have BPD and I'm very different now compared to who I was when I was 18 and freshly diagnosed. ;) There's hope.

[kaylapocalypse]

The scenes in “strain” and “foam” in Icarus have changed things for me a lot and I’d like to thank you. That was the first time I’ve really had to evaluate a belief I didn’t know I had, which is that I can’t be strong and be cared for back in a lot of ways. I have EDS too and all the things Helios offered I’ve offered to other people but it never even occurred to me I guess that no one had ever offered them to me. Reading him say those things felt so visceral and strange and like he was pulling those things from my throat and my muscles and I had to take a break to cry. I realized that I believed that that wasn’t something anyone would ever offer me, and further that I couldn’t be offered it as I am. That in the role I always step into in everything in my life I prioritize my own competence over needs and that my responsibility to the other people requires me to be strong and unmoved by whatever is happening to me and do what the other person wants and needs (which I’ve known is not good and have been working on and the wicker king was normal for me or whatever people say to imply a life changing experience lmao, Ty for that too! I read it coming out of a friend breakup and after discovering I have terrible codependency issues and it was a terrifying mirror that I’ve used to put a lot of my behavior into context when I notice destructive and codependent things I’m doing. Been raised in a family that loves horror and was like huh this is the scariest thing I’ve read actually, other thrillers take note). I fully didn’t realize I could be the one climbing walls and also be physically cared for with my disabilities and that someone could let me be strong around them and for them and also let me be hurt and have needs and offer help. I’ve never even imagined that someone would notice those things about me, I always figured that if I needed help I would have to communicate it which I think is likely but like. I notice things about others and it never occurred to me that I could find someone who wanted to care about me in those ways too. Life changing, now I’m like hey dude btw did you know that you can be loved and someone could let you love them in the ways you need and let you help them and be solid and strong for them and also let you be fragile and support you and could see you and I’m always like [crying] what are you talking about but!!! I think it’s very true I just had never thought about it and why I believe otherwise bc I didn’t even know I didn’t think I could have an experience like that. But yeah, Icarus and Helios and you showed me that I held a very unhealthy belief and have given me so much more hope and also so gently explained to my soul it’s okay to be weak and strong and let me relax and work on changing things for myself and while I’ve known about a lot of stuff in this vein of myself and have gotten so much better I wasn’t aware of this and now I am and I’m changing and healing. Seeing a character offered what I need and it being explained to him his life could include rest and care and him having a disability in common with me was so cathartic and Helios just. Noticing him. Understanding he’s in agony AND he’s still navigating through it. Icarus not having to try to convince him at any point that he’s in pain, Helios just understanding. It really gave me a different understanding of how I want my life to be and healed things in me and taught me a lot and I don’t know how to thank you or even explain what it’s given me. Thank you so much

I’m in the middle of a really rough manuscript and this gave me so much strength to finish it. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me.

Im so happy that you read Icarus and that those chapters meant so much to you. I really hope that you are given the opportunity to meet people who want to give these things to you and understand that you deserve to be loved with generosity.

[sunbeargames]

I knew pretty early on when starting the Oracle that I wanted a martial subclass. Oracles are generally relegated to the backline in combat, using their abilities to get information that will help the rest of the party be more efficient, but people always seem to like martial classes for casters and I figured there was opportunity here as well.

The solution was fairly obvious; an Oracle subclass that specializes in getting a lot of detail about the immediate future, so that they can engage foes in combat with a high degree of effectiveness. The subclass is called the Battlemind, btw.

However, I once again ran into the issue of 5e not handling divination very well, because there are existing effects that have virtually the same flavor. For instance, the Foresight spell:

This is a 9th level spell that has effectively the same net effect, it makes the target very good at fighting, but it does so in a boring (albeit powerful) way.

Foresight might be fun to experience for a session or two at the end of a long running campaign, but it doesn't make for a good mechanical basis for a character.

My main issue with taking this kind of approach to the Battlemind is that it wouldn't be very fun to play; you'd just be a Fighter but with big bonuses to your rolls instead of any of the fun stuff (action surge, fighting styles, maybe maneuvers, etc).

So maybe there could be a different way? What if instead of granting the character a massive statistical advantage and labeling it as precognition, we gave the PLAYER information about the future and can use it to navigate the fight better?

Two Steps Ahead is essentially a permanent Auspice effect, which I discussed in a previous post. Basically, you know what your next two attack rolls are going to be, but if they are bad, you can still find some source of advantage to mitigate that.

Then, two levels later, you get Warrior of Fate. This has some cool new ways to use your resources, but the thing I want to focus on right now is the third point. You can force attackers to use the rolls from your Two Steps Ahead feature. That means you now have a use for the bad rolls as well as the good ones.

I haven't gotten the chance to playtest this subclass yet, but it really excites me. I want this martial to FEEL totally different, because the way you see the fight is so altered. Your go-to actions on each turn aren't the same anymore. Rather than just attacking the closest thing and hoping you hit, you already know whether that will work out. If you have high rolls on deck, maybe you walk over to a key target and take it out. If you have low rolls, maybe you do something else with your turn then watch enemies flounder as you use Warrior of Fate to make them use those numbers for their own attacks.

The key difference between Two Steps Ahead and Foresight is that now you have to play smart. You have to actually USE the information you have about the future, and adapt as new information comes in, rather than just sitting back to coast along on a statistical advantage. You could choose to play a Battlemind and totally ignore Two Steps Ahead, only looking at the results there when the time comes to use them, which I think makes it a much better approximation of having powers of precognition.

Unfortunately, part of the fantasy of characters like this is that they could land every blow and avoid every hit, but the math of 5e just isn't built for that. I could give you a ridiculous AC and attack bonus to make it happen, but again there's no fun in that. However, with a little luck and a bit of skill, I think you could get very close to a "flawless" performance in combat.

[spiremire]

its that time of year again

To all the new undergrads out there, here are the best ways I found to save money without completely sucking all the joy out of life, from a current grad student :) (a lot of this advice is usamerican-centric for students that live on/very close to campus because that was my undergrad experience)

Advice under the cut because I wrote too much:

School stuff:

Don't buy the textbooks from the bookstore. Especially don't buy them new. Rent them from Chegg or Amazon, or straight up pirate them from the internet. (I am a huge advocate for textbook piracy)

You can also see if your school has a textbook swap. You can try to start a textbook swap, or coordinate with friends about swapping books if you take the same classes at different times. Maybe talk to your RA about organizing one for your dorm floor/building.

Apple, HP, and Dell all have educational discount programs, if you need a computer with a little more oomph than a Chromebook or a ThinkPad. (I also highly recommend getting anything BUT a chromebook, but I know that's not always in the cards). DON'T get an Apple computer if you are a STEM major. It will cause more headaches than it's worth.

Take advantage of the bus pass your college tuition comes with. Go places. It's not as fast as an uber but it's a hell of a lot cheaper and you've already paid for it. Consider using this service instead of keeping a car on campus, too! Parking passes are also usually pricey.

Some regions have services like ZipCar where you can rent a car by the hour. Universities where this is available often have a deal to make it more accessible to students. (Use this when the bus isn't an option! It's usually also way cheaper than an Uber, and you can get different sized cars for different needs!)

If you get sick/hurt (of the non-emergent variety) badly enough to warrant a doctor visit: try visiting your campus health center first! Students usually get a free visit or two per semester/quarter.

Your student health center will often have free safe sex supplies. Sometimes they have the good stuff. They really don't care how often you come in and dig through the condom bowl. My campus had a monthly delivery service you could sign up for (for free). I've managed to get free condoms, lube, dental dams, and gloves this way. (This is a very cheap way to figure out what lube and condoms you like and hate, btw)

Don't say no to ANY of the free stuff. Take all the t-shirts, stickers, pens, mugs, markers, discount codes, reusable shopping bags, temporary tattoos, snacks, and cheap sunglasses they're willing to give you. Even if you won't use it yourself, it all makes excellent branded merchandise for the people in your life supporting you. You can even save on gifts during holidays by passing some of this stuff off to people who will use it. (I was given a free pair of sunglasses in my freshman year that I still use—7 years later—in situations where I don't want to lose/damage my better ones).

Smaller businesses close to campus will probably have a student discount. Ask. It'll probably be less than 20% but take what you can get, because it adds up.

Often your college will have some amount of free software for you to use while you're a student. Typically Microsoft Office, but sometimes others. I've gotten access to Photoshop, ArcGIS, MATLAB, JMP Pro, and a few others this way. (Piracy is an option here, but it's more challenging because these things are more closely guarded.)

Sometimes at the end of the year, people moving out will just leave the furniture they don't want anymore outside. I don't recommend doing this, because someone has to clean it up but take advantage of it when it happens if you see something you want.

Steal food from the dining hall (if it's the buffet kind). Some places you have to be more sneaky about it, but some places you don't. My bestie used to straight up bring in two half-gallon jugs and fill one from the dining hall milk dispenser and the other with lemonade once a week or so and nobody ever stopped her or said anything. Generally dining halls are staffed by students that don't get paid enough to care that it's your fourth stop by the pizza station and you can't possibly have eaten that much pizza in the last thirty minutes. (Bring tupperware in your backpack. If they don't allow backpacks, napkins in a sweatshirt front pocket also work (transfer to tupperware once you get your bag back)

IF YOU QUALIFY FOR WORK STUDY: do it! The WS jobs generally pay better because half the wage comes from the government and half comes from the person who hired you (makes it easier to pay you more because they don't even have to budget for a minimum wage employee).

Activities:

Go to the activities put on by the dorms and various student groups. I promise you'll have more fun than you think, and they're usually free to very inexpensive. Get a free succulent. Make friendship bracelets and cute soap. Watch a free movie. Go on that kayak tour. See a sports game for a team you don't care about. This is an excellent way to supplement your work-life balance and you might make a friend.

Share streaming service passwords/costs with friends or roommates. If everyone in the friend group comes in with one, you can have the whole shebang for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, split the cost of one or two that you rotate between every few months (in my experience, this works best seasonally: Autumn is Netflix and Hulu, Winter is HBO and Disney+ etc) Piracy is also an option here as well.

Try to make most of your fun beverages on your own at home. Limit the starbucks coffee or boba to once or twice a week. Take the $15-30/week you saved by not buying starbucks everyday and go to the movies or something. Save up for a camping trip with friends. Idk. I spend $12/every six weeks-ish on the costco-sized container of the coffee I like and that's roughly the same price as two medium lattes. I like having that money for other stuff.

If you have metered internet: do all your big downloads on the free campus network.

Support your on campus artists by going to shows, showings, exhibits, and galleries. They're often a very inexpensive way to see art.

Like reading for fun? Check out your local library. They have the books, but also movies and games. Some libraries have a Library of Things where you can borrow like. Baking pans or a lawn mower. The city library is guaranteed to be quieter than the university libraries, if that's your thing. You also probably won't have to trip a basketball player to beat them to the last available table during finals week.

If you're going on hikes that are less than 10 miles round trip, I'd argue that you really don't need much in the way of specialized equipment* (especially if you have cell service the whole time (for maps/GPS)), which makes it very inexpensive if you already have a couple water bottles, snacks, comfortable shoes, and a backpack. *See the great outdoors section for more recommendations

Live somewhere like Alaska? Like outside? Find someone who knows what they're doing and go foraging. It's very important you bring an expert the first few times ESPECIALLY if you live in an area where you could be ingesting poisonous mushrooms or berries. My roommate and I love going on berry picking hikes.

Like hiking but don't like hiking alone? Join an on-campus club OR a meet-up group. This is an excellent way to make friends (and find a few hiking buddies)

Regal movie theatre is the most expensive. If you have a different one in your area your tickets will likely be a few bucks cheaper. (we only have regal where I am and I am angry)

General shopping:

My personal philosophy is if I don't need it immediately, I don't buy it unless it's on sale.

Get a credit card or two with decent cashback rewards. DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY YOU CANNOT IMMEDIATELY PAY OFF (this will avoid interest charges AND build your credit score, which will be important later on for things like renting an apartment, buying a car from a dealership, or buying a house). Use the card(s) for all your expenses. Cashback will add up pretty slowly, but it will add up. Discover It is pretty good for students and comes with a quarterly rotation of different things that get higher cash back. Apple Card has good cashback ONLY if you're using actual Apple Pay instead of the physical card (which is harder in less urban areas where cardreaders haven't been recently updated).

Make a throwaway email and sign up for stamp cards, loyalty programs, and rewards programs everywhere you shop (new email is so you don't have to be spammed with all the junk they send you but you can still access the coupons when you want them). Don't sign up for the ones with the credit cards unless they have good cashback (> 1-2%) for places that aren't their store. The Fred Meyer program slaps because it gives you gas discounts. I am currently paying less than $3.00/gallon (current cost in my area is ~$4.30/gallon). Fred Meyer is a Kroger brand, so if you don't have Freds but do have a different Kroger thing, see what they've got.

Check thrift/consignment stores and yard/garage/estate sales for things that you don't necessarily need to be in the nicest condition. Suitcases, dishes for that camping trip, a mat for outside your front door. Be really careful with soft furniture (it could be hosting bugs; if it's from a yard sale, ask the owner where it was stored before the sale. Items in the garage or a storage unit or outside should be extra scrutinized) and give everything you can a good wash/scrub down before letting it live in your house.

Estate sales are fantastic for furnishing an apartment. Usually an estate sale is done when (old) people die and the family wants help getting rid of the stuff they don't want for themselves. Currently, old people generally have very well made, solid wood furniture. It will go for much cheaper than it's actually worth if you buy it at an estate sale (rather than at an antique store). A lot of the time the furniture even matches. They'll also have things like vacuums, kitchen stuff, and maybe garage stuff.

TJ Maxx, Ross, and Homegoods (et cetra) are good for finding inexpensive clothes or home items.

Back to school sales are great for just about everything. Lots of big stuff like good furniture and electronics go on sale for things like labor/memorial day.

Don't buy a mattress just because it's the cheapest one. Buy one you actually like. Buy sheets and pillows you actually like. Having a good night's rest in a bed you are comfortable in is invaluable. It will make the rest of college way less bad I promise.

See if you can repair something before buying a new one. At best, you fix it. At worst, it continues to not work. I was gifted a pair of bose noise cancelling headphones that I use often enough that I've had to replace the foam over-ear pads 3 times and the aux cable once. This has cost me about $40 over 7 years instead of the ~$300 getting a new pair would cost. Replacement parts and patch kits are where it's at.

Some insurance companies give discounts for good grades. Take advantage of that.

Check Buy Nothing groups. I've never done this but I've heard good things.

Some car companies give a small discount to recent graduates who are buying a new car. (I did this, it was only $500.)

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO DO SO!!!! Buy something that is going to last over something that is cheap. You will save money in the long run if you can pay the upfront cost.

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO DO SO!!!! (and the space for storage of the larger package) Buy in bulk. Unit price is always cheaper and one large package is generally wrapped in less packaging than the same amount in many smaller packages (save the earth!)

Keep track of warranties and register products for them if necessary. If something breaks and it's still covered under the warranty, the company may be obligated to replace it (depends on how it broke). Shoot your shot! If you're really lucky, the warranty period will start over with the arrival of the replacement, and if the replacement breaks within the warranty period, it will also be eligible for replacement. (I've managed to take advantage of this on multiple occasions and have saved probably $600 this way.)

The Great Outdoors:

Need to buy seasonal equipment (like snow gear or swimsuits)? Wait until the end of the current season. Prices will drop as stores attempt to clear inventory for the upcoming season's stuff. Buy your kayak and bikini in October or November and your heavy winter jacket and ski goggles in March. Keep an eye out for the sales beginning in the weeks prior if you are a common size, as those will sell out first).

I really recommend getting an REI membership. It's a one-time cost ($30??) that opens up the used website, the garage sale, and extra bonuses like random coupons, member only sale prices, discounts on gear rental and classes, a wider window for returns/exchanges, and free US shipping (I live in Alaska and the free shipping makes this one of the best deals I can get). It will pay for itself probably within your first purchase.

Consider buying open box, but make sure all the parts are there.

Keep an eye on warranties and register products for them when necessary. Trust me, given how expensive outdoor stuff is, it's entirely worth it. Keep receipts, packing slips, and tags if you can as proof of purchase.

On campus clubs for your activity of choice. Make friends, get to go cool(er) places possibly for free/cheap.

Trying a new activity? Rent/borrow some gear to do it a few times before committing to purchasing your own. This will ensure you don't spend hundreds of dollars just to find you hate backpacking. REI has a good gear rental program and a plethora of classes, and your campus may have an outdoor equipment rental option. They may also have lessons or classes you can take about your new activity so you can learn to do it safely. I learned how to ice climb this way in March, and am going to take advantage of my current university's free gear rental and free ice climbing tower until I feel comfortable enough to go out into the wild and do it on my own.

Decided you like your new activity? Check these places (none of this is sponsored lmao I just like outside and have personal experience with all these sites):

Geartrade: Discounted new* and used gear in a variety of conditions. Definitely read all the fine print here. *Geartrade sells things sometimes that are brand new but had some packaging defect; these things are usually half off.

REI ReSupply: Used gear in a variety of conditions. Defects are detailed in product descriptions. Even things in excellent condition are usually at least half off the original price.

Sierra(dot)com: brand new stuff from well-known brands at a fraction of the price. It's usually past-season overstock, but it's all perfectly serviceable and the differences between this season and last season's gear is usually negligible. They have sales and clearance as well. Get what you want/need even cheaper if you have time to wait for it to be further discounted.

Costco sometimes has pretty good outdoor gear. I personally know that the bear spray here is NOT a good deal (it's a two-pack, but the can volume/spray-time is smaller than the two-pack at REI and they go for the same price) but their trekking poles are good and I really like their men's merino wool socks. I've heard from reputable sources that the costco snow-shoes suck. Definitely read reviews before committing here.

Facebook marketplace/craigslist: Both can be hit or miss. You'll usually have better luck for equipment that is used for activities that can be done locally (ie. you will probably not find an abundance of skis in desert Arizona) but that's not a hard rule. DEFINITELY read the fine print here, and ask to inspect the item before you hand over any money (people usually aren't weird about this and if they are you might be being scammed). I got a new dog last year and got everything for him for under $100 (two beds, two crates, bowls, harnesses, dog sized sleeping bag for camping, lick mats, the whole shebang)

I'm sure that other people have better advice regarding things like electronics, traveling, and activities that don't fall into the category of Wandering Into The Woods, but this is what I know!