#i do very little traditional painting so i'm not very good at it but sometimes it turns out nice

[gwinverarrouz]

I scanned a painting I did last month! I like how it turned out :>

[yan-lorkai]

Hi!! I loved your hcs of the Octotrio with a yuu that seems to only have a talent in art. I related to it a lot because sometimes I feel like I’m not good at anything else other than drawing.

I was wondering if you could do the same prompt with Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Cater, Leona, Malleus & the Scarabia boys please? If that’s too many you can just do Leona, Malleus, & Scarabia. Thank you 😊

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ A/N: I guess everyone has one of those episodes, huh? I've been writing for more than 8 years now and sometimes I get hit by the "aa but I'm only good at writing, I should totally try something" and then I try something new and hate it bcs I really love to write and nothing can compare lmao. Anyway, I hope you like this darling, I did all the characters requested too btw ~

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Ace would be playful and encouraging, but his competitive nature would lead him to manipulate situations to keep you close. He’d play little tricks to make sure you stay dependent on him, offering "helpful" critiques that subtly undermine your confidence in anything but your art. His lighthearted facade would hide a deeper need to be the center of your attention, he is your muse, the one you use to practice, the who inspires you, making sure that you see him as the only one who truly understands and supports you, all while ensuring you don't realize how he’s subtly sabotaging any other talents you might want to try to explore, for he fears you will not want to spend more time with him anymore if that was the case.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Cater would use his social media prowess to make you art the talk of the school, ensuring your work — and by extension, his support — is always in the spotlight. However, his validation would come with a price, as he subtly isolates you from others, creating an environment where you feel your art is only appreciated by him and his curated audience. Cater’s charming persona would hide his darker intentions, as he manipulates your into believing that your worth is tied to the art you create under his influence, all while keeping you emotionally dependent on his constant praise. You're already good at other things, so surely you don't need to have another hobby, right?

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Deuce, unlike Ace, would be fiercely protective of your artistic talent. He’d encourage your art with an almost desperate intensity, pushing you to try different brushes and pens, different scenarios and things, but he'd also pressure you to stay focused on what your good at, ensuring you don’t waste time on things you never tried before. His possessiveness would manifest in his need to be your protector, to the point where he'd become intimidating towards anyone who tries to steer you away from your art, that does not apply to yourself, while he think your drawings / paintings are very beautiful, he would not force you to make it more if you're having an episode where you doubt your skills and think you are good only on the art field. If you want to explore new things, Deuce will be by your side the entire time.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Riddle would be intensely supportive yet controlling, pushing you to perfect your craft while ensuring you don't stray too far from his strict rules, even more if you are already his lover. His obsession with your success would become borderline suffocating, as he constantly monitors your progress and enforces discipline to keep you on the right path, nurturing your already beautiful talent. To Riddle, your art is flawless, it's personal and have a touch of you in every drawing, be it digital or traditional. When you come to tell him about your doubts, about how you're only good at art, Riddle promptly sooth you with gentle words, albeit he is a little awkward while talking. He offer to teach you about whatever you want to learn but be prepared because he is somewhat a strict teacher.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Leona would admire your dedication to your art, and he would ask questions about it too, learning as much as your interest as possible. However, his possessiveness would be almost primal, keeping you close under the guise of protection, ensuring you don’t waste time on anything — or anyone — else. Leona would be dismissive of your attempts to explore other talents, reinforcing that your art is the only thing that matters. His control would be subtle yet overpowering, as he ensures your world revolves around him and your art, leaving you with little room for anything else.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Malleus would shower you with endless admiration, captivated by your artistic talent, even more if you were influenced by an artistic movement. He'll notice all the little details, the subtle way the traces converge, how the color scheme is perfect, the way the shadows and the light reflect. He is your number 1 fan, so supportive of you. However, his intense fascination would drag you into his lonely world, where your art becomes your only outlet and he is your audience - though he has your drawings framed and hung on the walls of the castles, so everyone can look at it and admire. Malleus may not understand your struggles and why would you want to pursue another hobby, but he can arrange anything you may want to try at least once, from singing and dancing to sewing and knitting, even the art of potion making, archery or fencing. He just know you're going to find something you like as much as your art, and if you are happy so is he.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Jamil would secretly nurture your talent, subtly guiding your creativity while undermining any attempts you make to excel elsewhere, he sees your art as something free and with many meanings - it makes him relaxed in some sort of way and Jamil wants to be a little greedy here, he wants you to continue creating more pieces, always keeping you under his watchful eye as you started drawing / painting. There's just something so intimate, so calming about it he can't wrap his head around. He loves watching you creating your art, feeling is guard lowering just a little. If you ever approach him with your doubts, Jamil take you to the kitchen so he can teach you a few things about cooking. It's a different kind of art but when all is said and done, it's just as good as when you're creating and make you feeling accomplished.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Kalim would be so overwhelmingly supportive and enthusiastic about it, showering you with gifts and opportunities to nurture your artistic talent, buying everything you may need to create your art, a new software? Sure, no problem, he brought the most expensive one too. A few new pencils and pens? Right away. You need more frames and paints? It will be here in a couple of hours. However, his naivety mixed with possessiveness would lead to unintentional control over your life, as he tries to keep you happy and close by his side. Kalim’s well-meaning gestures would create a gilded cage, where your art flourishes but your freedom is slowly stripped away. He would be oblivious to the suffocating effect of his love, believing that as long as you're happy creating art with him, nothing else matters, leaving you feeling trapped and not knowing how to communicate with him. He have done so much for you already!

[rifari2037]

Always???

Just because there's a fanart of Zutara with Fire Nation culture, doesn't mean Zutara with Water Tribe culture never existed at all.

In one fanart, Zuko and Katara share cultures. Katara tries spicy Fire Nation food. Then, Zuko wears a parka and experiencing life in the pole.

Katara has to wear FN clothing!

Zutara shipper once made Zutara's wedding with Southern Water Tribe culture in South Pole. I don't see 'Katara has to wear Fire Nation clothing' there.

Zuko doesn't have to make an effort with her culture!

The same Zutara shipper made a fanart of Zuko joins Water Tribe hunting culture with his father-in-law and brother-in-law. He uses a parka, water tribe braids, and a water tribe spear.

This is one of my favourite Zutara SWT fanart. Zuko tries to learn Katara's culture, but it's turn out Gran-grand pranks him!

And there's no need to worry about Katara's heritage because there are also Zutara and steambabies fanarts with Water Tribe culture.

Look! Zuko is playing snowballs with steambaby. So adorable! What's the 'Katara has to wear FN clothing' thing?? I don't see it here, except for the fire symbol on Zuko's parka, that's all.

Also there are a lot, literally a lot of Zutara in Water Tribe clothing fanarts. I can't put them all, but, here some of them.

Oh, Netflix ATLA also gave us Zutara Water Tribe crumbs!! 😍😍

Zutara fanarts are very diverse, they usually wear red and blue, sometimes FN or SWT clothes, or sometimes Earth Kingdom clothes, or sometimes Painted Lady and Blue Spirit clothes.

So, 'Katara has to wear FN clothing' is ridiculous comment. Please, at least do a little research first before commenting.

Ship what you want but surely a relationship should be balance with both wanting to learn about the other's heritage.

Exactly!

But, to be able to learn and accept other cultures as part of ourselves, at least there is no culture that clash with our own principles, right?

For example, when someone have a vegan culture, meanwhile hunting animals, eating meat, and making clothes from fur are his gf's cultures, how can he blend in with that? Would he comfortable with all those??

Also, if he learns and accept most of his gf's culture - comfortable or not - then wouldn't he disrespect his own cultures and principles? So, how to make the relationship balance?

*hmm, well, I'm just saying. It's not like I take an example from canon

The good news is that Zuko's culture does not clash with Katara's. Their cultures are different, but them learn each other's culture will not disrespect their own principles (not like the example above).

He could hunting the animals, eats meat, wears parka, and wouldn't mind with the pelts. All fine!

Sokka [in the Fire Nation city] : Come on, Aang, everyone here eats meat. Even the meat! 

Bruh, even in canon Zuko willingly pretending to be water bender and using water bending move (he learns the move from Katara), so what are you complaining about?? 😭😭

[hurts2think]

Could you maybe do Hook x gn!reader? Reader as Zellie’s sibling aka Rapunzel and Eugene’s son. Maybe reader is a painter like Rapunzel and Hook is the muse and I dunno sumthing silly like that. I’m obsessed with Tangled right now so :PPP

🏴‍☠️Young!James Hook x GN!Reader🏴‍☠️

Reader pronouns: They/them

Pairing: Young James Hook x GN!Reader

Plot: Reader is the child of Rapunzel and took on the same artistic hobby of being a painter. They have a final project due but can't find the perfect muse. That is, until an annoying boy shows up who might be perfect.

Word Count: 1.7K

Extra: I feel like maybe I write too much dialogue idk. Do you guys prefer more dialogue or more text? Anyway, I hope you Hook fans like this!

Being the child of Rapunzel, it’s no surprise you took on an artistic hobby. Even your sister, Zellie did fun hairstyling and colorful outfits, but you kept it more traditional. Traditional in the sense that you keep it simple and just paint. Painting, drawing, and sketching, anything like that.

You found yourself doodling every time you had a pencil in your hand, half of your jeans are painted with little stars and flowers just from absent minded doodling while coming up with a real project.

This obsession naturally landed you in advanced art classes. Which was of course your favorite class of the day. You had just finished a landscape painting for an assignment that took you longer than it should have, (you were never very good with landscapes) but now that the project is over, that just means it was time for the next.

But this project was your final exam for the year. A portrait. Not a self portrait, but a portrait of someone else at school. There was also a paper that had to be written with it about technique and color theory but that was the boring part. Now you were too busy thinking of the possibilities for your muse!

You were fairly popular at school, especially considering you were royalty. But you were also just nice and charming to many of the people around you, so it usually wasn’t hard to ask people for help with your projects. But… your issue this time being that it was the end of the year. Most people were busy with their own end of the year exams and projects.

You asked Bridget first, who apologized a dozen times about how she couldn’t help this time because she was so overwhelmed with a new recipe she was trying for her culinary final. Then you asked Ella who said she had too much to study for and that she couldn’t do anything after school because she had to go home for chores. And anyone else you asked had similar responses.

In the dining hall you sat by yourself and stared at your notebook, trying to come up with anyone else you could ask. It was a free period so the hall was pretty empty since most of the students spent their time out at the courtyard. The quiet always helped you focus so you weren't complaining about being alone there.

Just as you were about to cross out another name on your list, the notebook was suddenly shoved off the table and replaced by someone hopping up to sit there instead of in a chair.

"Whoops. Be more careful with your things." The boy smirked as he crossed one leg over the other.

"Hook." You sighed, picking up the notebook. He thought he was funny for the way he picked on you and others, but really it wasn't that amusing.

You never understood why he decided to pick on you so much, it's not like you ever did anything to him. But at least his bullying was hardly considered bullying. Just a snarky comment here and there with a mocking smirk.

"What's their royal highness doing by themselves? Your mates finally ditch you?" He asked with the same old stupid grin he always had on. How you wish you could take a frying pan to his face and wipe it off sometimes.

"No. I'm trying to work on a project and you're kind of distracting me." You mutter with an annoyed huff.

"Distracting you? That's what I'm best at, darling."

Honestly you weren't really in the mood for this. Usually you'd just laugh and shrug him off since you never saw much harm in him, he just liked attention. But after spending all day working on a project you can't even start has frustrated you beyond belief. You suddenly stood up as if to stand your ground, "You know what, Hook? I've had it with your—" You abruptly stopped speaking.

Hook just looked at you with a mocking grin, clearly not taking you seriously. But the way he sat with his legs crossed, leaned back, and his hook hand held near his face suddenly struck you with inspiration and your annoyment quickly flooded away.

James Hook. He would be the perfect muse for your project. He's elegant with every move he makes, he's undeniably beautiful, and not overwhelmingly proper. His darker demeanor contrasts the elegant position in just the perfect way.

"Oh my gosh." You held your hand to your chest as if you had the most beautiful life changing epiphany ever. You tended to be a little dramatic like that.

"Hmm?" He hummed, clearly a little confused by whatever was going on inside your head.

Your eyes were practically glowing from all of the ideas running in your head, "Hook, you're perfect." Was all that came out of your lips.

The pretty blunt compliment seemed to also confuse Hook, "Yes..." He agreed but still looked at you, waiting for you to supply more context. "And?"

His ego might just be big enough to agree to help you with your project, "Have you ever thought about... Modeling?" You asked, tilting your head to the side, taking in his entire appearance.

----

It was no surprise he enthusiastically agreed. On the way to the art room (that was thankfully empty) he only spoke about his looks and how you'd definitely get an A+ on your project thanks to him. Of course he also wanted to keep the portrait after it's been graded and given back to you. You never really took the self absorbed things he said seriously, they mostly just made you chuckle. It was kind of funny the way he spoke so confidently about himself, considering he wasn't exactly the first person people were lining up to be friends with or date.

You never really hated Hook. Sure, he pissed you off and his friends weren't the greatest either, but you never saw him as big and bad as he wished he was. For a pirate at least, he wasn't very scary. Mostly mildly annoying.

You couldn't say the same for his friend, Uliana. She was definitely the more brutal one of the VKs, which made sense considering she was their 'leader' or something. You mostly tried to steer clear from them, but somehow always had you and Hook running into each other.

"Could you please stop moving? Just hold still for ten minutes." You asked of him sternly. You sat in front of the easel while Hook sat gracefully on the desk in front of you. Well, not very graceful anymore. His pose became slouched and bored after only five minutes of him standing there.

"It's been an hour, can't I move now? Let me see it so far." He complained, frowning at the boredom of just sitting there.

"No. It's not done and if you move then it's going to be impossible for you to sit back correctly again." You explained, eyes not leaving the canvas.

You should have expected this behavior, but you were a little too excited about the process, you forgot who exactly you were dealing with. Every ten or so minutes he'd ask if he could move and you'd have to snap at him to stay still.

Though the next time you looked back up, your eyes narrowed at him shifting and moving, "James! You're moving too much. Tilt your head back to the right."

He rolled his eyes and tilted his head as you said.

"Not your right, my right— Okay, actually," You stood up and walked over to him, grabbing his face and angling it in the correct position.

"Ya know, you should ask me on a date first before getting handsy." He smirked, looking you in the eye.

You give him a skeptical look before taking your hands off of him, "Just stop moving. And keep quiet too." It was impossible to hide your own smirk. You really couldn't help it.

You walk back to your canvas and stare at Hook for a second, picking up your paint brush. Despite you telling him to keep quiet and stop moving, it didn't take long before he started talking again. Mostly gossip and stupid stuff that didn't really matter.

After another long while you finished the painting. Well, not really. You still had details and things to change but you got the base of what you want. It looked pretty much complete to anyone who wasn’t a painter, but it wasn’t quite. It was finished enough to where you didn’t really need Hook anymore though.

“Okay! You can see it now.” You grinned, clearly bursting with excitement. It really turned out better than you imagined.

Your muse sitting on a windowsill with only a little light trickling on his face and overgrown dark plants and roses surrounding. It was definitely darker than you usually painted but it turned out amazing. Using the Flowers to frame his face but the rest being overgrown vines, it really felt like the right artistic decision.

Hook wasted no time to get up and look, resting his arm on your shoulder. His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, “Wow.” Was all he said at first. You looked at him, hoping he’d say something else or some kind of approval. “Are you in love with me or something?” He grinned, looking from the painting to you.

You chuckled and rolled your eyes, “You wish.”

Based on that statement though, it was clear he liked it. Of course he was always open to someone making something in his image, but he really never expected someone to draw him so elegant and pretty. If anything, he expected something scarier. But you managed to make the painting dark and dramatic but still beautiful. He really was the perfect muse.

“Really? So the royal painter doesn’t want a kiss for their hard work in capturing my beauty?” He teased, taking your hand with his hook and leaning in as if he was about to try and kiss you.

“Try anything and you’re face wont be so pretty anymore.” You threatened with a light hearted laugh, pushing him away.

“Ouch.” Hook dramatically held his hand to his heart as if you’d stabbed him before grinning. Maybe you should’ve admired his beauty a little sooner. He could’ve been very helpful to your other countless projects.

[daman19942]

TSR CC Recommendations: TS2 Lot Builders

Nobody asked for this but I have a little time on my hands and I said I might do it, so here is a list of some TSR lot builders who I recommend checking out. A few notes under the cut before we get started (all details under the cut, as well, in case you aren't interested in my preamble):

This is not meant to be paid promotion for TSR. I believe TSR asking users to pay for their CC is ridiculous, especially for a 19 year old game they haven't supported in 7 years. But I spent many years uploading there during the peak-TS2 / pre-TS3 era and know there is great CC in their archives that newer players may not know about. And unlike TheSims2.com, which has sadly shuffled off this mortal coil, TSR's content is still available to freely download (assuming you can stomach the pop-ups and wait times)

This post will only be about lot builders because that was what I was primarily uploading and downloading in this era. I was friendly with some of the creators I am about to list, but none of them are still active members of the TS2 community.

The preview pics might be a little rough and the architecture styles will likely feel very dated compared to the most popular styles these days, which are more colorful, cluttered, and use 3t2 and 4t2 conversions. Re: the previews: too many of us were using free trials of PaintShopPro back then, and TSR limited us to 2 previews, so we did our best. Re: the styles: unlike pre-2010's CAS CC, which was full of hand painted and "realistic" textures (LOL), these are the same objects you can find in the game today, just being used in different ways! Sometimes for the first time! And, yes, while some of these creators used CC, it was mostly Homecrafter walls and floors, as you'll see below.

This was also the hey-day of CFE lot building, which has certainly fallen out of favor to more traditional builds (in part because graphics cards have improved and these types of builds don't look as good in 2024, and also because the great CFE experimenters, builders, and tutorial writers are no longer part of the community and their original discoveries are gone as well - I am happy to go down a massive rabbit hole on this piece of TS2 history if anyone else cares, but trust me, you don't have to care).

Alright that is enough caveating, here are some recs! (Links are in the creator's names and they take you to their Lots, though many of them have other creations, too).

Lord Tiko Speaking of great CFE builders! Lord Tiko built spaceships, boats, pagodas, domes, windmills and bridges, oh so many bridges before retiring mid-TS2 because of health issues. He was one of the first builders to take Daihtnaoz7's single and double bridge tutorials and apply them to really big lots. I'm still not sure how he built the Venice Rialto Bridge, or his other European water lots. Overall, a massive inspiration to me when I was prioritizing CFE builds.

Hatshepsut My favorite "traditional" home builder, and someone I considered a friend. She specialized in English and American builds, and I had many of Hat's houses in my old saves and was impressed by her range and decorating style which was (for the time) more varied than many of her peers. Knew how to take great preview pics of her houses, too.

Tigerblue Another builder I corresponded with, Tigerblue was probably the least prolific uploader on this list for sheer number of uploads, but she also crossed a range of styles. Her builds leaned way into specific styles (see the previews, these were all part of consistent sets of 3,4, or even 10 lots), but this was also what happened when a new EP dropped and everyone raced to uploaded builds using as many of the new objects and styles as possible. Tigerblue just happened to be better at it than most of us.

Cyclonesue Do current TS2 players know Cyclonesue? Because it's hard to think of someone who had a bigger impact on building and decorating of the era, first with her English and Tudor builds and later with her extremely distinct grunge creations. Seriously, check out her Urban Renewal series and the corresponding objects. Iconic stuff that surely now feels frozen in time. I probably only played 20% of her lots that I downloaded, but they still make for great hood decor. Like Tiko, someone who happily experimented with CFE.

Illiana The creator who inspired me to make this list is, ironically, the one on it who I know the least about (she is a Featured Artist but not in the Hall of Fame, whatever that means). I just started playing her Tri-Annyas fraternity house and have a few other lots floating around my game. She built in a range of styles, from classical to modern to Twikki Island to grunge. Revisiting some of them in-game, the TSR previews do not do them justice.

*EXHALES* If you made it to this point, kudos to you. I'm sure there are creators I've forgotten, and houses I haven't linked to, but this is a good starting point for digging into some of the eclectic builds the TSR(chives) have to offer (I just coined that, is it clever? It is not). Maybe I'll do a Part 2 if people like this.

If you have any favorites of your own, let me know what I missed! And as I do with my old Exchange re-uploads, I am tagging @sims2packrat and @oldasscustomcontent for general TS2 history awareness!

[mazeinthemiroh]

In desperate need of how SKZ would spoil their girlfriends and the gifts they’d get for them like…I feel like lixie’s love language is gift giving so he’s the type to drop half his paycheck on his s/o😩✋🏾

how stray kids would spoil their s/o

genre: fluff

warnings: none

please like and reblog if you enjoy! feel free to request anything <3

bangchan

not only will channie spoil you

he will literally refuse you buying ANYTHING

i just keep thinking of that one clip when he and felix were arguing about who got to pay for stuff at the convenience store... oh the chaos...

like he's so petty about it but it's like a need for him

he needs to buy you stuff

let him buy you stuff!!!

it's just a tendency for him. ingrained in his personality for sure; not something he can control

lee know

he honestly doesn't really think about it at all

in his mind, what's his is your

you want his money? take his freaking money lmfao

spoiling you and treating you to things comes as second nature to him and something he doesn't take much consideration to

it just feels right to buy you stuff you want, and he doesn't give it a second thought tbh

it's just really not that deep to him 🤷

changbin

this man has his wallet out permanently istg

just waiting to pay for things, credit card ready to swipe asap

he's always buying you stuff

just because

like there is no reason for it

maybe he likes being a provider, sure. or perhaps he likes you depending on him to an extent

idk whatever is going through this man's brain, i just think it's in his nature to want to spoil his loved ones

hyunjin

hyunne likes indulging your hobbies

if you are a bookworm, for instance, he will spend not only his money but his time carefully picking out books for you to enjoy

or if you are an artist like him, he will buy you all sorts of paints and pencils and sketchpads. you name it, he's getting you it!

also he has expensive taste, so when he wants to get you a fancy gift he is not stingy with that credit card of his

with him, if he's in love, why should he limit that love? if one way to show love is to get something you've been wanting for ages, why shouldn't he?

han

he would much rather he spend money on you than the other way round

not for traditional reasons or anything like that. more that he feels guilty, like he's not giving enough

he's a very generous soul but sometimes in relationships, he likes to just sit back and relax

and then he feels like he's not putting enough effort in so he over-compensates by spending a tone load of money on you

you reassure him that he is fine the way he is and doesn't have to do that but now it's become a habit he very much enjoys

felix

you are so incredibly right anon

i mean for felix is feel like all love languages fit him because he is basically the human incarnate of love but yeah

gift giving is one of them

felix loves buying gifts i know i have said this so many times in every single felix related content i write but he just can't stop buying stuff for other people

he loves spending money in general, so what better way to do that than spending money on gifts for the person he loves most?

seungmin

he's quite sensible with his money and only usually really buys something if he needs it

but spending money on you is a bit of a different story

he doesn't limit himself nor does he ask if you actually need that item you've been wanting to be. if you want it, you got it.

will literally ask for your wishlist and buy you everything off it, i'm not exaggerating

he's not one to beat around the bush, our seungmin! he goes straight to the point, as he should 💅

jeongin

jeongin is a reallyyyy good gift-buyer

he's perfectly balanced, really. he likes getting you gifts here and there, some of them are personal and others are expensive. he likes to get both kinds of gifts so that your heart is touched but also you get something a little fancy from him too <33

much like felix, he likes spending his money. and he feels he isn't being wasteful with it when he is buying you stuff because it makes you super happy aww

[notnights]

your gangle cosplay is really cool, do you have any tips for someone trying to make their own?

Thank you! I appreciate it. And it depends on what you're going for with it! I've seen a lot of different Gangle cosplayers with different interpretations which are creative and fun to make I imagine! So I can't really advise any specifics on crafting etc since I don't know what you're going for.

For me when I cosplay I want to get as "accurate" as I can with the character design. I unfortunately am not very good at sewing and shaping and stuff but you can see that didn't stop me, I made it as well as I could. And Gangle is obviously one of the more difficult characters I've ever decided to cosplay so wasn't ever going to be accurate with her unless I did like... a puppet method or something. (From my understanding this falls under the "creature" cosplay category?)

Idk if these will help at all, but it's good to start with visualizing ideas you want to try for before hand:

Ideas for a Navi, Bill Cipher and Gir from Invader ZIM cosplays that went no where.

Thinking outside the box also helps in the sense of, other forms of crafting, skills or items, you wouldn't think to use might help with what you're making!

Examples:

I used fursuit methods to help build my NiGHTS cosplay, I also used quilting methods to help make Gangle's ribbon limbs.

When making Circus Baby I wanted an exhaust fan that actually spun, turns out there are plenty of tutorials on how to make your own fidget spinners so used that method to make a light weight one out of cardboard and pennies for that piece! When making Gangle 2.0 to keep the shape I wanted to infuse wire into the edges of the ribbon limbs. The best method for this would have been to hand sew floral wire to an extra piece of fabric with fishing wire, then sew that one in with the edges of the the limbs. I however was only 1 and a half week away from a con and still had a ton of pieces to finish so I got a bunch of cheap wired ribbon, and infused those inside the limbs. (Kept the shape well enough but I'm at the point where I want to remake them again lol.)

Instead of using traditional adhesives like hot glue, maybe something like silicon adhesive can be used and other more hardware based unities can be used. Hardware stuff in general helps. Similar stuff they sell at craft stores can often be found cheaper at hardware stores. I've had the benefit that my father is a handyman so I grew up with a lot of that tool usage, and loved going to hardware stores with him because sometimes I'd find something that would make me be like "WAIT I CAN USE THIS For that art project I've been trying to do."

This admittedly also comes from my doll customization hobby, which believe it or not, has a lot of power tool usage to make those pretty little dolls! Some of these things I used for my Gangle. Making cute ribbon outfits or bows for dolls, you have to burn the edges of the ribbon you've cut, least it fray (in Gangle 1.0. each ribbon you see has been lovely burnt by candle LOL) when Gangle 2.0's ribbon fabric it would run after getting snagged on stuff, I made a "sealer" I'd use for making doll wigs. Watered down glue (this case Modge podge because its already watery) and painted it over any places that would receive a lot of friction as the solution admitted made the satin a tiny bit duller so didn't want to paint the whole thing with it.

Sometimes you can use the methods/shapes from existing clothing to help you make what you want. When I made my NiGHTS cosplay I found a little decorative halloween jester hat which I used as a reference to make a pattern for NiGHTS' hat/horns.

Speaking of, and also in relation to that hardware thing. Thrift shops are a great way to find random pieces of stuff you think can help with your project especially if they're going to be items you cut up/modify anyways. I wanted the illusion of floating when making my NiGHTS and musing about a Tatsumaki cosplay so wanted to use tacky clear platform heels to make it happen lol. And thrift shops have a ton of used shoes. I only needed the platform part and remove the straps so didn't need anything brand new. While I didn't find clear ones at the time I did find other platforms that helped with my NiGHTS, the feet were so big on the costume it shadowed the heels anyways and kept the illusion. (bonus concept of that Tatsumaki idea)

When I needed a squeaker for a cosplay piece I just bought a 99 cent dog toy and disemboweled it for one. In the same kind of "cheat" I just got a wielding mask, removed the mask part, and attached my Gangle mask to it to make a way method to take it on and off.

Anyways that was a lot of examples, but they're times when my dumb dumb brain was like "wait!!! I don't have to do this the hard way and get what I'm looking for!!" and it saved me from said hard way of getting what I wanted.

[emptyjunior]

Can I be sooo original and rag on live action avatar show for a sec😭?

Their Katara isn't bossy! She doesn't mother, she doesn't nag, she doesn't bother the boys with the ways she thinks they should live constantly.

And I get why they did it, like I'm sure the intentions were to get away from that mother trope! Of making the one girl in the crew everybody's mommy.

But it Is supposed to be an unlikable trait! It's an unhealthy trait that Katara has and it limits her.

When it comes to jet, toph, sokka, aang, suki there are so many moments where she would have connected with them more if she didn't boss them around (even if sometimes she's right to!) But she can't help taking that approach and it rubs them the wrong way.

And Katara does this because she is externalising her OWN stuff. She's a Ferrari in the garage, she is a warrior put into the healer/support space for so long.

Traditional gender roles and sexism pushed her into the role of a nurturer. And since that's not a role that I Personally think she's acclimated for, her doing it comes off as brash and frustrated.

She doesn't really seem to take joy in it and it doesn't service her like it does other people.

Only when she breaks free from those barriers in her life and explores her freedom do you see her change.

She can direct that big moral compass and urge to do Right into fighting the real fight! Her boldness and fearlessness has an outlet that isn't "make stupid brother do laundry today".

And that makes her calmer, more willing to listen.

Back to live action,,., Um Katara already starts that way?

She already connects with people just fine.

And they removed the sexism and traditionalist ideals of her water tribe so uhh not dealing with that.

She's good to go👍👍 Fine young lady👍

So what now😭😭

Like toph does NOT like Katara when they first meet, they grow to like each other and understand the ways they are the same.

I don't see Any reason why this Katara wouldn't get along fine with toph😭

This Katara seems like a well adjusted person!

Does a well adjusted person paint their face like a ghost and bomb an oil rig. Do they stop the very water in the air as they ready themselves for an execution. Do they BLOOD BEND and twist their enemies like puppets against their will😭

I just don't think they've thought this through? All these little changes to make characters more likeable, more loved, more recognisable to a fandom who's already Finished the show it'll add up! Stuff is gonna stop making sense!

[siblingskissing]

vance hcs pleeeeease 🤲

Vance Hopper Headcanons

-Momma's boyMomma's boyMomma's boyMomma's boyMomma's boyMomma's boy -Vance has anger issues that I believe are both trauma based and also possibly an undiagnosed disorder/mental health issue. It was the 70s so he likely wouldn't have been diagnosed but you see what I mean -He's not rich but he's also not dirt poor either. I imagine his dad probably has a really nice job and forced his mom to be a housewife/caregiver 24/7. That being said- Vance has a pretty humble mindset when it comes to finances despite the fact -When Vance went missing he was out walking after a fight with his old man- likely had some bruising already when the Grabber tried coaxing him into helping him. I feel like Vance probably didn't try to help but rather tried to fight him and that's how he grabbed him

- (I'm not gonna go into my headcanons for his captivity in this post but I will happily do a separate post if yall want that)

-Vance hates sweets but sour candy has a grip on his soul -He also loves salty foods

-His style is inspired by both his own need to rebel but also his mom's style when she was younger. I think she had hair similar to this:

-I think she actually has dark hair to and the color comes from his dad's side

-Vance actually is really smart and would do well in school if he was given the chance. however, do to both his environment and his temper he can't actually show that -He loves dogs. He prefers cats some days but he likes to feed the stray dogs that sit in the alleys -He loves bananas. Ever since he was a toddler he would munch on them. His mother once got concerned that he had a potassium issue. Nope. Just likes banana -He's allergic to kind of a lot. Cinnamon, peanuts,almonds, eggs, honestly he has a laundry list of allergens that his mom keeps handy -Thankfully most of his allergies (minus the peanuts and almonds) are mostly just irritants so he can still eat things he likes. However those two will kill him. -He likes horror films but isn't huge on them. He'll sometimes sneak into the drive in to watch them but that's more for the rush than the actual film. His favourite horror film is Halloween -I don't have a specific sexuality headcanoned for him. I guess most people would say Pansexual but i think he's unlabelled. He doesn't like many people but if he gets involved with someone? Well, good for them. -chocolate chip pancakes lover -Watches the Twilight Zone with his mom every week. His favorite episode is 'To Serve Man' - Vance always secretly wanted to be a firefighter when he got older. He thought they were cool and when he was like 5 he used to play with his mom that he was a firefighter rescuing her. - His favourite ice cream flavour is vanilla. He does not care that it's basic, he likes the simplicity and how its not too sweet. -Same reason he likes dark chocolate. -IDK why but I imagine him as an older brother?? Maybe his mom had a little girl after him or was pregnant when he went missing. -IDK but either way he is so protective. -He hates reading with a passion. He hates silence and he hates being silent the entire time he reads. He does however enjoy when people read to him/he can follow along with someone reading. -Rip vance you would've loved audiobooks -Know how I said he likes horror? He HATES horror stories. They aren't as fun for him and he things they're boring -I imagine he has a very clean room for some reason?? Like he likes things to be in their place, how he likes it and its organized for his needs -Kinda similar in the idea of this?? Like i doubt he has tons of decor but he has what he needs

-Secret art kid. He's really good at drawing but doesn't do it much outside of his room. He prefers traditional pencil drawings since paint leaves too much residue but if he gets his hands on colored pencils? He flourishes. -rip vance you would've loved alcohol markers-

[syrcus]

OC smash or pass sure

Rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

ty for the tag @coldshrugs sorry it took me a minute I'm. lacking in screenshots.

tagging: I think everyone I would have tagged has been tagged at this point so I'm tagging anyone who sees this and wants to do it, or wants to do it again for a second OC.

anyway here's quo propaganda:

Look. They can paint!

Quick Facts:

Height: 5'9"ish

Age: early 30s by Dawntrail

Gender: no thank you

Pronouns: they/them

Sexuality: demi/bi

Pros:

very cute extremely dorky laugh

can and will paint people they love with or without warning

can cook. will cook. you will eat their food. sometimes this is a blessing. good luck

very good at hugs. slightly higher than average resting body temperature, strong arms, good for hugging

cool facial scar. pretty eyes. lots of little moles to find and to count

Cons:

acts first, thinks later. will not consider consequences

presently recovering from a guilt-induced mental breakdown resulting from years of thoughtless adventuring and occasional manslaughter. still gets flashbacks, might wake up screaming in the night

stubborn. if they don't want to do something they're not gonna do it. if they want to, there is no convincing them otherwise

sometimes not very quick on the uptake. sometimes too quick on the uptake. easily distracted

can cook. will cook. you will eat their food. sometimes they experiment with recipes. good luck

Details:

knows lots of quiet, cool little spots in a variety of places. they will take you. you may not get a choice. they get very excited about the cool little spots they found.

not very well-educated in the traditional sense. will however happily listen to people talk about their areas of expertise. it's their favourite way to learn things

quick to smile, quick to laugh, likes to make people feel at ease

learned to read for the sole purpose of bonding with a loved one. dedicated.

can curse in multiple dialects

cannot hold their booze. at all.

excellent storyteller, especially if you don't mind your stories a little long-winded and rambly. lots of good stories to tell.

sees a lot of beauty in the mundane. might get distracted looking at the way the light's hitting a pond, or haloing a friend

difficult to get to know deeply. they don't mean to be, they just don't really think to open up to people.

has a pet fish. they caught it themself. it's from another dimension. they will talk about the fish to anyone who'll listen.

not actually very interested in smashing at this time, as they are in a committed relationship, but they will be flattered nonetheless

[alliluyevas]

If AG gave you full creative control over the Girl of the Year for 2025 what direction would you choose for her? Can be general or specific.

oooh good question. I honestly am not a huge follower of GOTY dolls and wasn't during my first wave of AG interest as a child either. I looked back at the roster on the AG wiki to refresh my memory, though.

First of all, I'd like to ditch the very trendy mini-teenager style of clothing that the last several GOTY dolls have had. GOTY 2025 might be a bit tomboyish, but I'm not wedded to that. Either way, I'd just like to see her wearing clothing that is a bit more childlike. Also, I think in general I'm sick of the bright-pinks and pastels that seem to dominate AG's color palates nowadays. Put her in a red shirt and blue jeans or something.

A lot of the GOTY stories center around the doll's hobbies or activities, as well as sometimes Relatable Struggles the character is going through like parental divorce, moving, sibling rivalry, or some similar theme. I feel like performing arts hobbies and extreme/outdoor sports are overrepresented in GOTY storylines. We have a lot of dolls who are dancers, and we've had skiing dolls, surfing dolls, dolls who are really into animal rescue and conservation etc. These are definitely cool hobbies but especially the latter ones aren't necessarily super accessible to most little girls. (There are lots of girls who do cheer or dance or theater or music, but I think they've been represented and I also think those are very conventionally feminine pursuits and I would like to see something else.) In terms of hobbies, I think it would be nice to see a GOTY who plays a more traditional team sport like soccer or softball, or maybe a runner. On the other hand, I don't think we've seen a visual artist for a while, so maybe painting or drawing. (I also think pottery would be a really cool idea, because I think it would be super cute for her to have a tiny little pottery wheel and maybe 3 little pots of different stages of completion you could switch in and out. But pottery is also maybe not as accessible as drawing would be). Actually, sports and art aren't mutually exclusive and that might be a fun message. Maybe a little girl who is really into both softball and painting?

I'm not expecting one doll to fulfill all these things in terms of representation, but given what I talked about yesterday about different groups or family configurations that haven't been represented in an AG doll yet, I think it would be nice to do a GOTY who is Muslim or who has same-sex parents.

Also, I think 2020 GOTY Joss, who is hard of hearing and comes with little hearing aids, was a really cool step in the right direction for AG with disability representation. (As a side note, I think they dropped the ball with 1950s historical doll Maryellen, who is written in her stories as a polio survivor who walks with a limp but this is not visible at all in her doll and girls might not know about it if they don't read the books. I think they should have made a little leg brace for the doll or something.) 2025 GOTY could highlight a different aspect of disability experience. Maybe her story could talk about ADHD because that is so common but girls with ADHD are still underrepresented, or a chronic illness like Type One Diabetes?

Anyway, just a sort of grab bag of what I would like to see :)

[dandelion-wings]

Hello!! Could you do sayu or amber for the whump prompt thing? As for the prompt it doesnt really matter to me what you choose, as long as i get to see suffering :D

Thank you for the ask! :> I chose Amber because I'm more comfortable writing her when I don't have twenty wiki tags open (the first third of this was written on my phone), and as is traditional when told to choose a prompt I used a randomizer, which got me, "23 - Fever, passing out, “Hey?! Stay with me, okay?!”"

It's honestly not that whumpy because fever just isn't, for me, and to add to that it's very difficult for me to whump Amber. I don't like breaking down really cheerful characters too much. XD;; But hopefully it works as hurt/comfort, at least!

---

Amber knows she shouldn't have taken this mission.

She was a little stuffed up already when she and the Reconnaissance Company returned from escorting that caravan to Liyue Harbor. This morning she'd woken more congested, and tired, and dizzy when she first rose.

But the dizziness had passed by the time she got to the Ordo, and then Sir Kaeya said, *"Don't you think that's a little too arduous for our Outrider? She just came back from a long trek, after all,"* and Master Jean smiled at Amber and said, *"Have more confidence in her, Kaeya. I know she's capable,"* and Amber had been determined to prove her right and him wrong.

Now she's crouched high on a cliff in Dadaupa Gorge, looking down on the Eclipse Tribe's encampment and resentfully wishing that Master Jean had agreed with Kaeya, just this once.

On top of her streaming nose, her throat feels like it's been scraped raw, and her stomach roils with nausea. Worse yet, though, is the growing ache in her joints and weakness in her muscles. It had taken far too much effort to clamber up the cliff, and she'd collapsed in a heap at the top. She doesn't know what to do if the hilichurls examining her tracks at the bottom realize where she's gone.

Amber doesn't *leave* tracks. She's a far better Outrider than that. All her skills, though, are no match for the dizziness, which had returned with a vengeance and sent her stumbling into a bush, hence drawing the hilichurls' attention.

The only upside is that at least she's confirmed what she was sent to investigate. The hilichurl fighters at the base of the cliff have masks painted with the marks of all three tribes in the Gorge, not just the Eclipse Tribe alone. Just as suspected, the tribes have joined forces.

Which means there's an Abyss Mage somewhere around. Amber squints towards the high, raised hut at the back of the encampment. Since she can't see a Mage out in the center, giving orders, that must be where it's holding court.

Should she try to glide down behind it, out of sight, and see what she can learn? Amber doesn't know a lot of hilichurlian, but Lisa suggested once that learning some would help her scout, so she's paged through Ella Musk's notes. And if she can get a good look, sometimes Kaeya can figure out more of a Mage's plan from what rituals it's doing and how the hilichurls react to it--though he won't *teach* Amber any of that, because he's a jerk.

It's worth trying, Amber decides. The hilichurls at the base of the cliff are spreading out to either side, still searching for her on the ground rather than thinking to look up. The shakiness she'd felt when she first got up here is finally fading. Staying low so she can't be seen from the ground, Amber starts to crawl along the curved top of the cliff.

Which is when the Abyss Mage makes its appearance, directly beside her. It points and shrieks in hilichurlian. The hilichurls below take up the cry, rushing around the foot of the cliff to its lower end.

Now that she's been revealed, there's no point in staying low any longer. Amber scrambles to her feet and breaks into a run--or tries to. The dizziness sweeps through her again, and she stumbles, staggering across the grass at far too slow a speed. The Mage vanishes from behind her and pops up ahead, between her and the bushes she'd been aiming for, laughing mockingly.

This one is a Cryo Mage, pale blue and white. Its look and laughter reminds her, not for the first time, of Kaeya's furry ruff and condescending chuckle. Except Kaeya, jerk or not, never sounds so cruel.

Amber starts to veer off course, away from it, then stops as a thought forces its way through her stuffed head. It's a *Cryo* Mage.

Taking as deep a breath as her raw throat will let her, Amber reaches into the pouch at her side and pulls out a Baron Bunny. It expands to full size in her hand as she sends Pyro surging through the alchemical array Albedo had laid into it, as he does all of her replica Bunnies. She hurls it down the slope towards the slowly-ascending hilichurls, then turns back to the Mage as she nocks an arrow to her bow.

Another surge of Pyro lights its tip, and she lets it fly. The Mage, seeing it going wide, drifts a little sideways, cackling even more nastily, but doesn't pop away. Amber's face burns at its rude jeers.

So do the bushes behind it, when the arrow goes flying through their branches.

The Mage shrieks in fury and surprise as it's caught in the conflagration. Amber looses another arrow as its shield pops, pinning it to the ground. Then, as the Baron Bunny explodes behind her, she flings herself down and rolls down the slope, past the disoriented hilichurls, towards the low edge that rises from the center of the Gorge.

Most of the way there she catches up on a rock. Amber takes a deep breath--her chest burning with the effort of it--shoves herself to her feet, scrambles up the rock, and, as she hops clumsily off it, yanks the pullcord of her glider. Then she's in the air.

No amount of dizziness can make her clumsy when she's gliding. Amber aims for a thick stand of trees, loops wide around it, then veers into it as soon as she's sure she's out of sight. She aims for the tallest, broadest pine and pulls the cord again at just the right moment to avoid being tangled in the branches.

There's an alarming moment where Amber grabs at a branch and feels the same shakiness in her arms that had afflicted her at the top of the cliff. She manages to haul herself over it, though, and then, breathing shallowly and moving slowly to avoid any sound, creeps up against the trunk.

Leaning back against the treetrunk with her legs pulled up in front of her, Amber presses her nose to her knees to further muffle her stuffy breathing, closes her eyes, and listens. The hilichurls, recovering, come charging up to the stand of trees and then past it, waving clubs and yelling to each other as they go. The sound of them brushing through the grass fades away.

She stays still and silent. A moment later, there's the *pop* of a Mage appearing at the center of the stand. It hisses softly to itself, incantation or imprecation, and a chill floats upwards as it presumably bobs around amid the trees. Ice crackles and branches rustle violently as icicles stab through a couple bushes, and then, thankfully, the Mage pops away again.

Amber hadn't been certain. Not completely. But her gamble had paid off. It seems that even Abyss Mages don't look up.

This close to their camp, with the hilichurls riled, she can't take off right away. The hilichurls and Cryo Mage might have moved on, but she can hear the distant shouts of others joining the search, and the Mage is clever enough to set up an ambush along the easiest routes back to Mondstadt. Amber will need another route, and she'll need cover before she takes it.

It's only a couple of hours until dark. She'll have to scale the cliff nearby, which will make her visible to archers until then, but Amber did get a look at the ground from the top before the Mage appeared. She can visualize a route up to Dragonspine that will take her to the Adventurer's Guild camp at the base. As long as she times it right, she has a way out.

Until then, the best thing to do is rest, so that she'll be in physical shape to make that climb in silence. She can't let some dizzy moment give her away again. Amber readjusts her position on the branch to be a little more secure, then settles in to rest.

---

At some point she starts to fall asleep. She realizes only as she's halfway through falling out of the tree, waking at the sudden swooping motion. Instinct has her grabbing for a handhold; training and long habit let her get one, finding a knot and jerking to a stop before she falls noisily into the bushes below. She does squeak in surprise, then bites her tongue.

It's twilight, nearly nightfall. Amber hangs there for a moment, her arm aching, to be sure no hilichurl or Mage has noticed the squeak and might come to investigate. Then she pulls herself back up. It isn't just her arm that aches; all of her muscles feel sore, though she hasn't been pushing herself that hard, and there's a sharp ache in her joints. Her stuffed head aches, too, and her throat burns when she opens her mouth to draw more breath than she can through her nose. Worst of all, she's hot enough to have sweated through her clothes, and now the growing evening breeze feels bitterly cold. She's shivering violently.

*Stupid* of her. Amber feels tears sting her eyes. She knows better than to use Pyro when she's sick! Now she has a fever, and it's her own fault.

Which doesn't change that she has to make an escape. It only means that it's more urgent. Her shivering is bad enough that she doesn't think she could accurately aim if she got into a fight, and she'll be slowed down if she has to run on foot. Until she's someplace she can glide from, stealth is her only option.

Amber clings to the tree trunk, no longer trusting her perch, and waits for it to get fully dark. As the twilight dims, torches are lit in the hilichurl camp, their flickering visible above the pointed tips of the palisades at the front. None glow in the commanding hut the Cryo Mage would have claimed, which suggests it's still there.

Suggests, but doesn't guarantee. Mages are tricky, nasty creatures. Amber will have to keep a sharp eye out.

Once it's fully dark, she slowly, carefully lets herself down from the tree. She can already feel that alarming shakiness by the time she reaches the bottom. Climbing the cliff is out. That means going around, which is going to expose her longer--but at least there's bushes along the base of the cliff that will give her more cover, as long as she doesn't trip over them again.

Determined not to repeat her mistakes, Amber sets out.

She creeps along the base of the cliff, one hand on the stone to keep her steady, going slow and careful around the bushes. For all her efforts, they rustle a little when she brushes them. Amber pauses each time and holds her breath until she's certain there's no alarm.

Once she reaches the place where the base of the cliff meats the ground she crouches down, still going slow, making sure she's not right on the edge where she's visible, and makes her way up. There's a cluster of torches ahead, right on the edge, a group of hilichurls looking down--keeping an eye out in case she'd decided to try and make a break across the ground below for the road that leads up to the Forgotten Sword Cemetery.

Fortunately, that watch is focused that way, though a couple of them have gotten distracted and are chatting with each other instead of looking out. Amber crouches lower and goes wide around them. There's a large rock at their backs that's well out of her way, but makes for excellent cover.

When she's beyond it, and hopefully beyond their sight, she straightens up. The shift sends a wave of vertigo through her, and she sways, staggering. Maybe it's the movement that catches one's eye; maybe it was just looking that way already, and would have seen her no matter what. Either way, it shouts to its comrades, and suddenly Amber is once again being charged by a gang of hilichurls.

She breaks into a stumbling run, her balance wavering, her head pounding with every step. The hilichurls are close behind her and gaining. There's no way she can escape in this state, nearly tripping twice, catching herself both times but slow and getting slower-

The little rock comes out of nowhere. Amber's foot hits it and her ankle turns; she falls, collapsing to the ground, and struggles to roll and face the hilichurls. She fumbles for a Baron Bunny and manages to pull it out of its pouch, but it falls from her hands as she expands it, far too close. Amber tries to scoot backwards as it begins to dance.

Charging in, the hilichurls strike at it with clubs, some blazing. Amber scrambles back further on her bottom, almost clear of its blast radius--and then someone else comes charging in from behind her, swinging a blazing blade. "Get outta here!" Bennett yells, just as the hilichurl he's aiming at falls forward, stumbling into the Baron Bunny, and Bennett comes down perfectly on both of them.

Baron Bunny explodes, flinging Bennett back. He lands on Amber, shielding her from the worst of the heat, though she feels her headband flare into flames and pats it hastily out. Groaning, he pushes himself up off her lap and springs back to his feet.

"Ow... don't worry! I've got this!" he adds, irrepressible as always, and leaps into the air. As he slams back down, a flickering red field spreads out from his landing point, catching Amber in its aegis.

"Don't," Amber yelps, too late, as the wave of Pyro energy washes over her. She can feel her sinuses clear in a sharp flare of pain, like eating a Jueyun Chili, and some of the ache rises from her joints, while the cold night air is replaced by enveloping warmth and her shivering abruptly stops. The flush of heat rolling through her, though, is ominous. Pyro healing is no better for fevers than Pyro use.

She tries to get to her feet and fails. The world is swimming in front of her, the vertigo all the worse despite the release of pressure in her ears. 'Up' and 'down' feel as wavery as Bennett in the Inspiration Field's light, beating off the hilichurls.

He manages that, at least, turning a few to smoke and shadow and sending the rest fleeing for the camp. He turns to Amber with a grin that fades in time with his Inspiration Field, then sheathes his sword and drops down to one knee behind her.

"Aww, man, you don't look too good." He reaches out to put a hand on her forehead, and his expression falls further. "You're burning up! Sorry, I didn't mean to get you caught up in my bad luck."

"It's not your fault," Amber manages, the words coming out thick and slow. There's a growing haze over her thoughts, and she feels like the world is tipping around her. "But we've got to get out of here. There's more hilichurls, and a Cryo Mage."

"Okay! We aren't far from the camp, I just got a little lost tonight getting there... but I'll get you there for sure! My bad luck has already been your good luck once, right? Sort of, anyway."

"It definitely was," Amber tells him, more stoutly than she feels, and lets him pull her to her feet.

Getting her upright takes more effort than she'd expected, or thinks Bennett had expected, either, and once she's up she sways so much that he immediately puts his shoulder under hers and his arm around her back. Step-by-step they make their way up the hill. At least Bennett seems to understand the need for silence.

Amber tries to keep an eye out for cover, pointing or nudging Bennett that way when she can. But it's getting harder, her vision going narrow, swimming like her eyes are full of tears. She's sweating again, and shivering despite the warmth of Bennett's body pressed against hers. He stops at one point and lowers her to a rock, pulling out a cracked waterbottle and pressing the few gulps left below the crack on her. All it does is make her stomach roll, but Amber swallows down the nausea and doesn't tell him that.

Behind them, the hilichurls are out in force, hunting them again. Amber flinches at every gust of cold wind, afraid that it will be the Cryo Mage again. Bennett is a good person to be with if it shows up, at least, but she still doesn't want him to have to fight it alone, while she can't do anything but helplessly watch.

"They're getting closer," Bennett says, and Amber blinks the haze from her eyes and realizes that they're reaching Dragonspine's base, right where the snow starts. "We're gonna be really obvious on this snow, and the camp's still really far away. But there's a cave here! Will you be okay if we hide out for a while? There's no room for a fire or anything, but-"

It's just like what she'd done with the tree: take cover and wait until the searchers pass by. "If it's hidden enough," Amber manages, dredging up words, and lets Bennett shove her into the cave--more of a crack, but with a sharp enough turn that it is, indeed, hidden--without complaint.

He clambers in too, scrunching up in front of her, his back to her and his sword drawn as he faces out. Amber can't resist the urge to lean into his body heat. She's still drenched in sweat, and they're high enough for Dragonspine's Sheer Cold to permeate into the crack, so still shivering. Her mouth is dry, her tongue feels thick, and her head hurts tremendously. Bennett doesn't complain when she leans her forehead against his back.

She wants Baron Bunny. Her original Baron Bunny, the one her grandpa gave her, not one of the alchemical substitutes she carries for combat. Eula would be nice too, or Master Jean, or even Kaeya... but mostly she wants her bunny here to hug.

Or her grandpa, but even with her thoughts this muggy, Amber knows she can't have him. The sense of loss at the thought of him is too sharp, piercing right through the feverish clouds.

"Shhhh," Bennett hisses.

Amber realizes with some shame that she's been whimpering. She puts her hand over her mouth and curls in on herself, away from his warmth, a little huddled shivering ball.

It feels like forever that they're cramped in there, and yet it also feels like no time at all. Amber can't track time properly any longer. She's just floating in a grey haze of misery, cold and grief and aching joints and rawness all down her throat, trying not to cry. Eventually Bennett moves, twisting about, making a little noise when he knicks himself on his sword in the cramped space, and conscientiously putting it away before he takes her hands to pull her out.

"You're really, really hot," he tells her. His voice sounds like it's coming from underwater, and the worry in his tone means nothing, failing to percolate through alongside the words. "Can you walk? Here, don't worry, I've got you."

She tries to help, she really does. But her own stumbling only makes Bennett trip himself. He crouches down and pulls her onto his back, like she would for Klee, then straightens with effort and starts slow and steady up the hill. Amber leans forward to help him balance his weight as best he can and tries not to cry. Even this foggy, she burns as much with shame as she does with the fever.

Her head bows further, until her face is squished into his shoulder, and she doesn't remember the rest of the trip to the camp.

---

Agitation and shouting wake her halfway, and she flails for her Baron Bunny pouch as something grabs her. She can't seem to get the button unhooked, though, and there's a deep voice rumbling in her ear, telling her to hold still.

"It's okay!" Bennett says from somewhere, though she can't quite track his voice. "It's just Orban. He's gonna let you use his tent, and Iris is sending someone to get the Knights and a healer."

"Stay with us, okay?" says another voice, an older woman, authoritative and calm.

Amber is shivering violently, though she isn't sweating any longer; her skin feels puffy and warm, and her mouth is dry as a desert. "Water," she mumbles as she's set down on some soft surface.

"I'll get you some!"

Someone lays a blanket over her, and tucks it firmly around her when she tries to throw it off. Cocooned, Amber finds herself too weak to wriggle free. She can see only glimpses of her surroundings, the tent dark and everyone in it only blurry, hovering shapes. Bennett is obvious, though, with his sudden jerky movement and his "ow" as he trips over something coming back in, and he crouches down and gives Amber a trickle of water from the same cracked waterbottle as before. She can feel drips from the crack running down the side of her face and over her ear as she gulps greedily at the water.

"I really messed her up, didn't I?" Bennett says, worried and distant and hollow, when he straightens. The two adults in the room make soothing murmurs.

"'t wasn't you," Amber mumbles, "I used Pyro, before-" and then 'before' tumbles into her head with stunning clarity, and she fights fruitlessly again against the blankets she's been swaddled in. "I have to report- the hilichurl tribes teamed up, and there's a Cryo Mage...."

"Bennett told me about the Mage," the woman says. "Plauen will let the Knights know."

"There's also the hilichurls! Someone has to tell them about the hilichurls."

"I'll send someone else after them. They can inform the Guild, too."

Amber struggles a few more times to get up, because she needs to go, she *needs* to--a secondhand report from the adventurers might not be enough. "Can't you just take me? I know someone will have to carry me, I'm sorry, but I need to report."

"You *need* to rest," the woman says, in a tone that brooks no argument. Amber falls back and chokes on a sob, exhausted and dizzied just from the effort of trying to get up. She's bitterly aware that the woman is right.

For a long while she drifts in and out, the dark chill of the tent and the looming shapes of worried adventurers and the whistle of Dragonspine's wind outside, while Amber simultaneously shivers and burns. The shapes turn into monstrous ones, looming hilichurls and Mages and Heralds, and she whimpers until someone comes close and says something to her to remind her that her human again. She falls asleep for a while, or something like sleep, tossing in the tight-wrapped blankets they've piled over her. When she wakes she feels light-headed and dizzy and isn't sure where she is.

"Grandpa?" she whispers into the dark, feeling very small and alone.

A slight pause and then, "Yes," says someone with a deep rumbling voice, too deep to be her grandfather's, and puts a hand over hers that's too large and has the wrong calluses, and Amber cries until she falls asleep again because the piercing loss is back even though she can't recall why, grief without an anchor.

When she wakes again it's to a sweet dandelion scent and entirely different hands holding hers, likewise callused and strong but too slender and elegant to be her grandfather's, or that other man's. Amber opens her eyes and Jean's face, drawn with worry, swims into view.

"Oh, thank Barbatos," Jean breathes, and lets go of her hands to check her forehead. "You're still warm, but not as badly. You were burning up, and barely breathing. I was afraid...."

"Did the adventurers tell you about the Mage? And the hilichurls?"

"They did. Kaeya told me he would investigate further himself. I should have listened to him in the first place," Jean says, guilt in her eyes. "Eula reported that most of her company was ill, herself included. If I'd only given you a day off before sending you to scout, we would have known you were ill, and I could have sent him without putting you at risk first."

"Kaeya would probably goof off too much to scout properly, anyway," Amber reflexively retorts. She starts to sit up and has to catch her breath and lay back down. She can feel her throat tighten with more than the lingering rawness that Jean's Dandelion Breeze didn't quite clear. "But I already knew I was sick. I know I should've told you. I just didn't think it was that bad, and I wanted to prove him wrong."

"I understand," Jean says, her voice gentle, though she still has a guilty look on her face. Amber doesn't think she does, all the way, but if it means she's not scolding Amber, then Amber isn't going to say that. She reaches down and takes Amber's hand again. "I've cooled you down, but you're still feverish. I'm going to take you back to Monstadt so that Barbara can treat you properly. The next time you feel ill, *please*, let me know."

A little scolding after all, and Amber bites her tongue on the resentful thought that Jean would have tried just as hard to overcome it as she had.

Maybe Jean is thinking the same thing, because even as she helps Amber to her feet, she adds, "But under the circumstances, you did very well."

Amber feels a glow of pride, unwarranted though she thinks it is. "I was lucky Bennett was there," she says, because he's hovering just outside the tent, looking worried and relieved in equal measure. "But I'll do better next time. And I *will* report if I'm sick."

"I trust that you will," Jean says, and with her hand on Amber's shoulder, Amber feels almost steady again on her feet.

[pansyfemme]

about your post with every art professor trying to recruit you for their department-- what major are you in and how do you get a honest opinion about what department/major you might be a good fit for? i'm currently looking to transfer from community college to a 4-year college for art, but after attending college fairs where they're meant to just review your portfolio and give you feedback, everyone has just been telling me that i belong in their department even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the artwork i showed them..... it's so frustrating to try to get any helpful advice, so i figured i might ask a fellow art student since we aren't trying to sell an agenda to each other :')

So i have a major that is pretty.. not exclusive to my college, other schools have similar-ish programs but it’s essentially an interdisciplinary arts program with an added focus on writing/storytelling. The way it works is that I do not have to choose my courses based on a particular department. I can take sculpture, illustration, animation, painting- etc, whatever. I take slightly less studio arts (or traditional ‘art making’ courses) than the average student and instead take extra classes in writing and narrative development. I have a lot more freedom- which works for me, someone who’s interested in a bfa for the oppritunity to learn skills and trades I will not be able to learn otherwise, so i’ve used this to learn as many fields as I can. But if you’re someone who wants to go into an industry like illustration- you may want to stick with a major with more structure. At the end of the day, a bfa is a bfa. If you are really set in going into a certain industry that requires specific training that’s probably what you should focus on- but your concentration does not have to be the primary focus for the rest of your life. I know professional working artists who went to school for sculpture and ended up doing graphic design. A bfa is a good education, a stupidly expensive one too- and you should get what you need out of it, whether it’s learning one very specific field to set you up for a career or exploring different skills that you will never have the time or resources to learn post-grad.

That’s.. not answering your question because I know you just want to know where you belong but the truth is.. it matters less than you think it does. It can get very clique-y sometimes or it can seem like it’s a world of difference, but in your professional career your bfa is going to.. look like a bfa. and if you end up getting an mfa later on- that doesn’t have to be even remotely in the same field. It depends on what you’re planning to do.

I know it’s kinda funny to reveal this info because i’m pretty sure most of you know me primarily as a painter but I do indeed do other work- i just showcase it a little less lol.

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

hey dude, love the writing! your characterizations are so on point for em :0 what do you reckon the merc's hobbies are in their downtime? like knitting, golfing, stuff like that.

TF2 Mercs and Their Hobbies!

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I'm glad people think I'm good because that justifies the fact that this is what I do with my spare time 😭 (kidding) Also again mandatory mutual appreciation, love ya for that 🫶🏻 and ty for loving my writing, I really appreciate it <3

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This one's definitely got me smiling and kicking my legs bc something about the idea of these guys being happy and doing normal human things makes me happy.

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Demo knits! He also sews and crochets. This man is just a little grandma (affectionate). His mom taught him, and he just always liked it. It's calming, has definitely given the other Mercs blankets, and just claimed, "Oh well, I found it somewhere." Like it isn't in their well-known favorite color or subtly customized to them. I think he'd also be into most art. Painting and wood carving are two I think he'd fine interesting.

Engie- This man loves Legos. He has at least ten finished sets and about six unfinished ones lying around. He buys the adult sets for himself but has bought Pyro smaller sets so they can build together. Also isn't opposed to going fishing.

Heavy- Did you know he likes rock climbing? Turns out it's a lot easier to get into that hobby if you're strong. He's also a fan of hiking and swimming. Also very good at chess, he and Madic play a lot.

Medic- He loves music! He's good at it too, (I've seen others hc that he plays violin and please I love that, I love violin.) Along with the violin he kills on piano. It's actually really nice to hear piano coming from the lab and not screaming. Who knew? THIS. MAN. LOVES. TO. DANCE. He knows how to and loves to teach people. He specifically likes ballroom dancing, he can waltz, he can swing, if you can think of a dance he probably learned how to do it at some point.

Scout- Sports are probably the most obvious hobby I could pick for Scout, with video games coming in second. But I am a man who deviates from the obvious. He likes to bake and cook! Like I've seen people say this man can't boil water, and that's an insane take to me. Sure, it's funny, but this man loves his mom. Do you think he didn't bake and cook with her to help her out? He has a box of recipes that have been in the family for years. This man is killer when it comes to food, and I will die on this hill. (When he's baking, though, Pyro comes out of nowhere to "help." If any fellow bakers know how annoying it is to have a partner in the kitchen, you'll know how patient Scout has become, but he aurally doesn't mind Pyro baking with him after a while.) Don't ask him to do paintball with you! He loves it a bit too much.

Sniper- My man loves plants. He loves to garden. He has a little windowsill planter in his van. He grows little fruit plants sometimes and has a few cacti scattered around. He also has a bonsai tree, which he is meticulous with. You'd think this man would take up these hobbies to relax, but no. He is also insanely good at poker.

Spy- Really in to calligraphy, origami, and wine tasting. (Also, not really a hobby, but I hc that he can bartend if need be). He's just really into the "fancier." Hobbies that can also show off his art skills, also he likes wine so yk.

Soldier- Like Sniper, he's a really good poker player. He's definitely more into it than the other guys. He hates losing. He also does the traditional suburban while dad hobbies. He watches football and likes to grill. He's just a silly little American man.

Pyro- For the most part, they don't have a singular hobby they really do by themself. Scout and Engie just tend to include them in theirs, so they've never really had to figure out what to do in their downtime. But that doesn't mean they didn't find one eventually. They get into collecting! Specifically, bugs! They have at least two orchid praying mantis and one normal green one in a shadow box. Plus, they have a small collection on honeybees and even some scorpions and spiders (I know they aren't bugs, but I feel like most bug collectors have them too.) Engie went into Pyros room once because Pyro wanted to show off their collection and nearly fainted when Pyro showed off their favorite spider, it was a camel spider. (Look them up if you want but good God, they're so gross 😭)

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One of my favorites to write, super cute and wholesome idea. I smiled the whole time writing this.

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[gemharvest]

Hiii local pico fanboy here to request him for the character thing :))

YES!!! PICO BRAINWORM, ACTIVATE !!!!!!!!!

favorite thing about them: TBHHHH idk. I like his silly maybe. His whimsy. I angst his ass so much but he's such a goober in canon. I want to put him in a hamster ball and watch him run around and I genuinely think he'd enjoy it.

least favorite thing about them: I feel like every time I mention him I run the risk of someone making a weird assumption about me. Pico toxoplasmosis curse: will someone yell at me because my fave, my little scrunkly, my blorbo, originates from the Newgrounds school shooting satire game. The answer is to tell myself not to worry about it and I go "Okay💗 Yay💗" and continue brainrotting.

favorite line: What does this guy even say fuuuuufhfhuhhkkckkk. Guy who mostly thinks about FNF and has barely touched Pico's School stuff. Unfortunately might have to pass on this for now sorry. You can give me a bad grade on being a Pico fan LMAO. /j

brOTP: I'm going to be so fr I am obsessed with the dynamic you can get between him and Nene. I am studying them like bugs. Tho of course Pico & Darnell's friendship is so good. Newgrounds trio you are so fucked up I love you guys.

OTP: Hey guys do any of you know about this niche little thing called the RGB polyshioGFOKMKFGMLKM>. Very obvious answer but yeah. OT3. As of late I've been having so much fun with romantic PicoGF. PicoBF gets a lot of focus and it has from me too, but there's such a fun dynamic you can get from GF and Pico. They can have something fun even if you take a platonic/ QPR angle, tho I said already that I like exploring a romantic dynamic between them.

nOTP: I don't knowwwwwwwww. I don't think I have a nOTP for him. Yes, even considering Cass (huge-ass disclaimer that I do not ship them, but I can't see myself caring if others do). Sorry LOL.

random headcanon: I think if you asked him if he'd jump off a cliff he'd say no, of course not wtf, but then if you asked him if he'd jump off a cliff because Boyfriend did he'd take a suspicious amount of time to answer. Like that one Dan Vs. bit. Idk I'm trying to think of something I haven't mentioned before. Secondary answer that's more of a headcanon is that I really do think this guy would be a non-traditional pet owner. Like snakes/ tarantulas that kinda thing. I think he'd like rats/ other rodents too but the idea of him handling a snake makes me bounce off the walls.

unpopular opinion: The curse I bare is that I barely go to wider fandom spaces I don't know what a popular opinion for him right now would be. Idk I think people sometimes write him to be way tougher than he'd be. Like, OK I'm tired idk how to fully explain it but in my head this guy's a softie once he lets you past his exterior. He's kind at heart even if he has his whole Thing going on and I've seen takes that ignore that/ aren't aware of it, and I feel like that's the surface-level read people might get off of him. Might be able to put this better when I have a rested mind LMAO.

song i associate with them: *cracks my knuckles and opens my playlist for him* Oh I was built for this. Two because I an never content picking just one, my playlist for him would be massive if I remembered to add songs regularly LMAO.

favorite picture of them:

I feel like this is a very funny choice for "favorite image" but it's specifically this bit in his character sheet. "Kind like how cats stretch out look longer" you don't say... Guy who isn't even beating the kitty allegations in his fucking character sheet. My non-funny answer would probably be his game-over sprite for when you lose to one of the spray paint cans:

>> original ask game here; feel free to send more, I don't bite <<

[stranded-ziggy]

Some advice for my fellow artists who are uncertain about doing commissions or monetizing/promoting their art in general:

Have equal parts respect for yourself and your client, and if you sense they do not respect you or your work, turn them down before any money is exchanged.

Mutual respect is so important in avoiding scams and people who will break your T&Cs, that's why I recommend turning down anyone who participates in supporting AI art and NFTs. These things have drawn crowds of people who actively have disdain for artists.

You may be asking "but Ziggy, why would someone hate artists? We just draw our blorbo's and help each other do that."

Damn right we do, but these people are jealous that we've found a way to still have fun in this dystopian hellscape we live in while their crypto keeps crashing.

A good mindset to have when learning to respect yourself and your craft if you struggle with that:

You've worked hard to gain the skills you have, it's admirable, there's people out there in awe that we can paint or draw even vaguely accurate things.

In this online space where everyone seems to be the next Da Vinci it can feel so demoralizing to be an artist, but think about it, before all this online BS you probably would have been one of the best artist's in your town!

(Actually, if you don't have crushing social anxiety like myself, consider doing art for local people, I did this once before and got paid very well, it was a traditional piece though, not sure if you'll get far doing digital art only like this but who knows! You might have local TTRPG groups who need some art.)

Finally, I'd like to say something about making your online experience better in general:

Have patience!

Social media thrives on people getting angry and afraid, sometimes rightfully so! But we gain so little (in fact I would say we lose more) by falling for fear mongering and dog whistles.

If you're just trying to run an art account, surround yourself with fellow artists, support each other, whether by boosting their art or sharing the occasional bit of advice.

I'm not a perfect person, but I try and be a force of positivity where I can, especially as my platform grows, sometimes this slips when I'm feeling the weight of the world but that's fine too, it happens.

In general, just make sure you have a support system that you can vent your frustrations to outside of twitter and tumblr.

We do need to speak out against things like AI and our unfair treatment by corporations and social issues that seem to get more and more frightening. But there's so many people out there who *want* you to be angry, and who profit from it and will use it against you.

So when you see something inflammatory, ask yourself why it's there and if you really want to directly interact with it and boost it to your followers.

Thank you if you read all of this! I hope it's helpful, but really I just felt like blabbering for a while x'D