#i just come up with stuff and draw them doing it. it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside

[pixeltwix]

Ciphertology 📻 The Patriarch

Welcome one and all to ‘Ciphertology, the second ‘tri’ (which is essentially Silas Birchtrees biggest kiss ass, Dale Dixon, taking over the cult after the fall of the cult in the 50s)

This technically isn’t relevant and is mainly just me rambling on my own interpretation of Ciphertology after the fall :P briefly

I’ve always been fascinated by cults and enjoy studying them extensively. Growing up in a religious based one myself before my family left it when I was young I gotta say- it makes it that more intriguing to dive into fictional based ones

A lot of my base stuff for ✨Ciphertology, the second ‘tri’✨ I take from a handful of cults I’ve studied, but the biggest one I model it off of in terms of religious based domineering patriarchy’s has been the FLDS cult (ifykyk)

Naturally the new leader, Emma May’s father, fits into the staple mold of this in his efforts to become ‘half the man Silas was’

I think I honestly refuse to ever draw Emma May’s father’s face directly because he as a force feels far more intimidating as just?? A giant painted eye on the back of a head-

Plus idk it feels correct narratively to only ever show this one facet of him when it would be the main thing Em would remember of her father/and just him looking like in general

Also hi I needed an excuse to use this doodle again bc I just love this image?? I don’t often draw younger Em in the cult, but I’d like to do more backstory stuff in the future

Ironically enough even those most cult leaders take all of the things for themselves I actually don’t envision Dale Dixon to participate in everything Ciphertology ‘has to offer’ ie the multiple wives thing

Like he only keeps his one wife, but everyone else is free to have ‘as many wives as they want’

But when it comes to his children bro is quick to play favorites and put them in line wherever it makes the most sense in the community

Emma May unfortunately is not a favorite

But also hi?? Madeline Dixon as Dale Dixon’s younger sister is so real to me

I know I’ve already elaborated on this and the family a bit more in my ‘Emma May and Ciphertology’ post, but I sWEAR I wanna delve further into Madeline in the cult fr

Cause like..Lowkey lowkey I enjoy the idea of Dale running it as a puppet figure and Madeline being the one to truly be pulling the strings

Honestly this has been less me rambling on anything and important and more so a ‘yall this is all the stuff I wanna doodle and elaborate on in the future’ :3

As always thank you for reading if you’ve gotten this far in my nonsense!!

[greenerteacups]

I think "the problem of house elves" is really interesting in that it reveals an issue with what I suppose can be broadly categorised as "urban fantasy"?, that is to say fantasy in a modern real world setting, which nonetheless uses magical creature lore. Inevitably, as an author, you're going to purposely or inadvertently draw parallels to real world "stuff" that's ladened with baggage... and it can be really hard to make it work because readers will be raring to pick apart these kinds of analogies.

House elves are a great example of this, in that, there really are creatures called house elves (or brownies) in English folklore and they really do, in the stories, seem to enjoy doing housework and chores in exchange for things like food and shelter (and shouldn't be given clothes or they'll never come back).

However, by initially drawing a parallel to slavery with House Elf labour (a real-world very dark baggage laden issue) and then not having the time to really delve into the history and complexity of her wizard / house elf relations you end up with the narrative seeming a bit confused as to how we should feel about people having house elves as servants / slaves. On one hand, we only see "bad" families having elves, on the other, we're told Molly Weasley would like one, then we're shown that Hogwarts uses them and that they, mostly, want to work for wizards without pay or holiday. People that grew up in the wizarding world seem to view Hermione's concerns with the kind of bemusement I encountered as a vegetarian kid explaining why I didn't want to eat animals to most of the people around me. This says a lot about the way House Elves are viewed there.

House elves are not viewed as being akin to human and therefore do not fit neatly into human parallels. Dobby is presented as an anomaly because, unlike most houseelves, he does not dream of labour and being bound to a particular wizarding family. I think JKR tries to represent this through Hermione's ineffective activism, but it's clumsily done because Dobby's our first and most poignant introduction to House elves and he was being seriously abused without any protections in place. There's also the Black family situation which.... yeah.

I think a couple of paragraphs of explanation from, maybe, Dumbledore outlining, perhaps, the symbiotic magical relationship of wizards and elves, and how the Malfoys / Blacks were somehow unusual in their cruelty and disrespect to this relationship, would've done a lot to smooth at least some of this over.

The issue, I think the books very quietly imply, is actually more aligned, although not perfectly of course, in a real world sense, with animal abuse / humane treatment of animals than with human slavery, as house elves ( as folkloric creatures) crucially do want to do house work in their nature and their treatment by wizards is therefore what needs to be monitored through the introduction of protections (older Hermione will surely be championing these kinds of reforms). Not perfect of course as House Elves are sentient, talking creatures... but they're also not human beings and it does make some kind of sense that they wouldn't have the same values... it's just, slavery being OK sometimes, is really not the sort of message you want to imply through an inadvertent and imprecise parallel.

Just chiming into the house elf convo as I find this issue in fantasy writing endlessly fascinating and as an aspiring fantasy writer myself, quite frightening!

This is so well-put, I almost can't bring myself to add anything to it — really excellent and considered treatment of the ways that the elf relationship was probably intended to read differently than it did in the text. More attention to the elf/brownie legend would have gone a long way for me in fixing my unhappiness with S.P.E.W., because it would have given a canonical basis for thinking Hermione's actually just wrong about this relationship, and that she's somehow missing an important historical context. That's a great point.

Staging elves as an intermediary between humans and animals whose treatment mirrors animal rights conversations is a really smart way of talking about it, too, as it captures the moral dimension of Hermione's quest without making everyone else look abjectly terrible for not supporting it. Staging her as, say, the PETA of the Wizarding World, where everyone thinks she's campaigning to Give Copyright to Monkeys, etc., makes Ron especially seem much more reasonable. I'm going to think about your interpretation a lot in how I write house-elves in the future.

[impactrueno]

Do you have any advice for small artists who want to grow an audience on social media? If so, what's a good platform for it?

man, i really don't know how helpful i can be about this. i very rarely post with that much intent, i just do whatever i want and i'm stupid lucky that people happen to enjoy that. so there's that, and also the fact that i grew my audience organically years ago, before we entered the dark age of social media. so whatever i did then, might not work now. (plus i literally don't even know what i did)

if you're an artist, social media platforms all suck right now. period. so really, just spread out. be on all of them if you can until one of the algorithms picks you up because unfortunately this stuff is luck based at this point. ok well not entirely luck based, obviously each platform has its own tricks to working the algorithm to your favor, but THAT, i have no clue about, i'm sorry. i don't understand the algorithms so i just never bother, feels like it only gets worse with time.

what i do know is that finding your niche will help you a lot with growing an audience. i'm gonna review my own experience as an example and share some stuff i picked up on along the way.

fanart helps a lot, especially at the beginning. but make fanart of stuff you're actually passionate about, not stuff just for clout. from my experience, i noticed that people can always tell when something was done with love, and judging by the comments i get, that's a pretty big thing that draws people to my art. there's always someone telling me "i don't even know anything about (insert franchise i'm fixated on) but your art and enthusiasm is making me want to check it out" so it's not really like your audience has to be compromised of nothing but fans of the thing you're drawing! it probably will be at the beginning though, just keep at it.

once you have a small audience and you feel like branching out, you might want to consider what the bulk of your audience is into because this is how you're gonna find your niche. in my case for example: a lot of my following came from my simpsons fanart randomly blowing up on social media. people who enjoy the simpsons usually also enjoy other 90s cartoons, so when my focus shifted to hey arnold, people loved it and it drew in even more fans of 90s cartoons. so the large majority of my audience comes from those two fandoms. every now and then though, i make fanart of other stuff i really love but i don't have the audience for it, whatsoever. like whenever i draw persona/megaten or zelda or pokemon, despite these franchises being incredibly popular, it's always flop city for me. because there's not enough overlap between those and my 90s cartoon oriented following. it's just not what people expect from me, and it's not that they hate it, but that fanart is gonna have a really hard time reaching its target audience unless you get lucky. but you know what did blow up recently? my beetlejuice fanart! and the pattern is there once more: 90s cartoons and millennials reminiscing about the show or the movie. this is my niche. it's pretty much the same for every fanartist you'll see on social media.

so again, finding your niche is key if you want to grow an audience.

also participate in the community! i never actually do this, i'm a hermit lol, but i've seen it works great for others. do art challenges, memes or trends (if it's fun to you, because again, being genuine is important.) socialize with other artists, join discord servers, make friends. engage with your own audience. be fun to interact with! make funny stuff! but also don't force it, trust me, forcing humor just repels people. this isn't even artist advice anymore, it's a charisma lesson. and i hate that this is necessary but you'll probably notice that artists with large followings usually also have "personality." and when i say "personality" i mean this is literally what google defines me as. NOT ARTIST??? HELLO??? 😭

this kinda sucks (if you're an introvert like me) but it's the reality for a lot of artists on social media these days. you have to also be an influencer, and honestly, who the fuck even knows how to do that? the most random shit gets popular and you have very little control over the algorithm. even more so these days.

this is why i'm not sure if i can be of any help. being an artist on social media right now is hell. i genuinely have no clue how a small artist would even make it through all the slop we're being inundated with every day. it just didn't used to be like this. :(

but i hope me sharing my experience can offer a little insight into how to cultivate an audience!?1????! despite feeling like i'm clueless about this stuff. i feel like i should know more about this. but that's all i got lol

[isa-ghost]

Just finished the Patreon episode of Shut Up I'm Talking about Dream and. God, watching them both just be so speechless eventually... Man, same. Jack's right, I'm just perplexed. And disgusted. And tired.

I dunno man, I've said I wish I could have some kind of genuine chat with Tom before. He's gone through so much, lost so many mentors and friends, and put up with so much shit. He's so exhausted with all of it, and I don't blame him one bit. But as someone who's watched him since 2020 and seen how much he's grown and matured in so many ways, it sucks to see him so demoralized by everything even if it's totally understandable.

Forgive me for sounding so parasocial, but I just really wish I could tell him what it's been like to be a fly on the wall for going on 5 years now, and to give him some appreciation for persevering through all the bullshit and coming as far as he has. Because like. Hearing that stuff from your family and friends probably means more to you, sure, but you kinda expect the praise from them, y'know? But when a stranger you don't think twice about, if at all, tells you something so meaningful, it sticks with you more, at least I think. I know I have a bunch of personal anecdotes from high school like that myself. There's a word for this specific experience but I'm drawing a blank on what it is.

Idk, I think that's a long-winded and weird way of saying I just wish there was something Tom could hear that would breathe some joy back into things for him. Not just from me, but from literally anyone. Because it's one thing to be aware in the back of your mind that what you do has had and still has the impact it does, and helped so many people and has built like. Huge core memories for them and stuff. But it's another to be told that face to face, and to see it in a form that isn't just text from some rando on the internet. The former isn't better than the latter, but it still sticks with you harder and feels like a stronger reminder that it's all worth it. Like seeing the good you've done in tangible form just makes it more real, if that makes sense.

I wish all the bullshit yapping from garbage people like the ones Tom has had to put up didn't overshadow the astronomical amounts of good his involvement with YT has done for an unfathomable amount of people. I don't know how else to explain how it feels to bystand all this.

[zihua-art]

A tiefling’s best friends ~ Xerxes and his actual fave Companions: Scratch and owlbear cub 💙🐕🦉💙

Commissions on HOLIDAY SALE open

Name: Xerxes

Race/class: draconic tiefling sorcerer

Gender/sex: (cis) male

Age: late 20s

Background: This tiefling is probably one of the friendliest you’ll meet - coz he really loves to make friends! He’s generally nice and morally good, wanting to help people as much as he can, buuuut occasionally willing to break a few eggs to make omelettes. He doesn’t try to go on a murderous rampage if he can help it, but when opportunity strikes, he’ll take it - then loot it all! But Xerxes won’t do stuff simply for the money or glory, he just wouldn’t say no if you offer it 😂

He adores animals very much and will take every opportunity to play with and pet his furry and feathered buds whenever he returns to camp. His companions have gotten used to hearing “Who’s a good boy~? Yes you are, Scratch! Aww, you’re so sweet, little owlbear! You brought a wonderful gift again, thank you~” every night, but it’s endearing to hear such friendly, playful words coming from his low yet gentle voice.

He’s strong leaning towards gay (pref for men and masc presenting/leaning people) BUT Karlach seems to have won his heart as the exception! Xerxes finds his fellow tiefling very adorable and sweet, her energetic personality very contagious, and he just loves her little fidgety dances. She always gets a smile from him when they talk and he loves seeing her eyes light up in happiness from good stuff, so he tries to keep that light shining always. He’s nice to all his companions, but he especially cares for Karlach. As of right now, even if the future’s unclear for the two of them as a pair, Xerxes would be happy with whatever times he can get to spend with his heart 💙🔥

-

Ahh BG3, the one thing my entire household of 4 loves haha 😌 With good reason! This game is a gem for even me, who doesn’t game much at all yet has gotten very deep into the characters and world - and of course, as an OC creator, the character designing hehe~

This Tav is my partner’s, so I can’t go into a ton of detail on his backstory but everything is based off what I’ve observed during playthroughs (and headcanons lol) I am kinda curious about what my other housemates have for theirs, but I’m currently at the point where I’m mostly interested in the design *coughilikeattractivecharacterscough* so I’m not entirely up to draw a Tav if it’s more meme’d (like my one mate made a literal Oompa Loompa 🤣🤣🤣) soooo this is technically fanart for my partner because Xerxes is hot (but also a sweetheart 😌) haha

It’s funny how contrasting Xerxes is with my character Areum lol (who’s not me btw, I like to see how my OCs would fare in BG3 with their personalities rather than playing as my chaotic self 🤣). I was remarking with my partner how kinda opposite they are. Xerxes being a tiefling may seem intimidating at first (and he’s tall!), but he’s a softie, loves animals, is morally good, and his expressions are usually neutral and accurate to the situation. He looks generally friendly out of combat. Meanwhile, my Areum being a (half) elf may appear as not scary for her race, but while she is morally good, she often has resting b*tch face haha. Her few times smiling or wide-eyed curiousity are so cute I’m like why can’t you look like that more often instead of seeming judgy of everything and everyone even when they’re your friends 😭😭 I blame her father for the genetics, I canNOT get that man to smile without a gigantic bribe 🥲😂

I do wanna draw our Tavs together sometime 🤔 Wonder how Areum would feel about this social tiefling hehe~ But I’m sure Xerxes will enjoy meeting her - and especially her feathery siblings ☺️

[deoidesign]

One of my first digital pieces (2010) versus one of my recent ones (2024)

We all start somewhere!

[puppppppppy]

doodles of my fav sillies

anton belongs to @poicyss

[birdricks]

i love the stars (j'adore les etoiles)

[emioliravioli]

umm rate the birthday invitation i guess???? my mom really wanted me to draw something, so i just.... did this lol

[doodleodds]

Happy Valentines, Akira. Happy Valentines, Asshole.

If you can’t read what Akechi’s secondary inner-dialogue says cause I obscured it too much behind his regular dialogue, here’s a transcription in panel order: Hello, you fucking- Ah- Hello, Akira! Fuck off, why should I tell you- Just a soda- there’s a new flavor.

I don’t want your shitty gift. Oh- haha! You’re so sweet.

I hope I choke. They’re lovely, thank you.

Like hell. Likewise. There’s no way it’s just a coincidence. Still though, it’s a funny coincidence.

[plushie-lovey]

Alright so. I'm getting into junk journaling. At least, I'm going to try to! I have a plan to start myself off with 2, one for personal/random shit so I don't feel so confined, and one focused on my plushies!! Not every one of my plushies will get a page but I will dedicate a page to whoever inspires me in a particular moment. I may not share every page right away. But if I fill in an entire journal I will try to show the finished results of what I created! I will also be doing this at my leisure because this new hobby is an outlet for my creatively and mainly my emotions. Shout out to @ cafe-mouse for inspiring me

[sskk-manifesto]

And so the big sskk shortage begins (no sskk for the next 15 episodes) (and the sskk episode coming after kind of sucks)

[rotisseries]

inspired by elli's poll lol cause this seems fun actually but if you guys have bad answers I'll kill myself on your doorstep or smth

[arolesbianism]

A sorta sloppy no significant harassment concept design while I wait for my laundry to finish since I’ve been thinking abt him today

[anonyanonymouse]

🙈

[mercurymacaroons]

woagh 2 posts in one day