#i like how ive finished *all* of this art of them AND I HAVENT EVEN FINISHED THE ORIGINAL PAINTING

[doomedclockworkdotmp3]

heeyyy gaaanggg

the pose and the background of the album version (left) are based on oingo boingos only a lad album art. not cause i think he has anything to do with it but just cause ive been wantin to draw that pose for like. weeks and i didnt know who to put there. so why not my latest bug man.

[thedrotter]

i just randomly felt like doing a render since i havent done those frequently at all this year www and who else would it be of if not yuu

[skitskatdacat63]

Together <3

[jackass-jones]

My biggest fear is that I’ll spend so much time beating myself up for not being good at writing that by the time I get the words down, all my passion will have run out and my ideas will have been long expired and I’ll have disappointed everyone by failing yet again to keep my promises

[tgcg]

Ya got any tips for writing dialog for the sillies?

i wish i could come up w anything deeply helpful irt this but i just kinda "feel it" & it "happens", generally in a way i find hard 2 explain to people... i will give it a go though

i made a post abt the kind of mindset i have when i write karkat dialogue here https://www.tumblr.com/cgtg/739174575193112576/do-you-have-any-tips-on-writing-karkat-dialogue a while back though🙂

for dave i think id have an even harder time explaining it, but my dave is rly heavily influenced by post-irony & ytp. whenever i write dave i just kinda follow a stream of consciousness that is dubious about shit and loves to laugh i guess? i rlly don't know how to describe it. i tend to reread canon dialogue particlarly from act3-6 for inspo, sometimes i'm straight up using my own brain with some kind of dave-filter

when i write them together i like 2 live in the beautiful world where they both agreed to be earnest with each other, probably my best example of that is "candid detail". i don't do that all the time bc i also like to write em with their guards up e.g. "bad mouther hole master", theres a lot of points in their relationship that have rly fun dynamics 2 me.

i guess i also do them kinda silly. ive been told my dk is quite silly. i like 2 imagine they know how to make each other laugh. they also learn a lot from each others perspectives on things, like insecurities or bad experiences or even just what they like / what art is to them, stuff like that. in my interp they do rly end up having a lot of things in common ideologically bc they're both at their cores very soft people.

it's all abt big long sentences with an undertone of quiet empathy. it can also be about aggressively bumping shoulders w their own egos too because that's fun

fundamentally though, i write them 2 be genuinely interested in what the other has to say. like, curious about each other. it gives u rly fun back & forth that isn't too mean-spirited & is more playful/genuine... i think it's rlly easy to write them totally discrediting each other's viewpoints which i do sometimes too (again, FUN !) but if u do it in the wrong context it just comes off as needlessly sardonic & harshes the vibe. i mention that bc i have a hard time balancing their egos & genuity myself sometimes

also very important to know when to have them run their mouths & when to have them sit their asses down & LISTEN. i tend to have them run their mouths a lot in scripts i havent finished/posted, just bc i have so much fun doing it, but it makes the dialogue so long-winded that i can't turn it into a comic... yeah definitely part of it is remembering they both know how to be succinct when they need/wanna be and aren't ALWAYS flapping their mouths. sometimes i realise a script is going in a direction that could be a whole other convo & that's when i tend 2 nip it in the bud

i really dont kno if any of this is helpful but i hope it is a little 4 my kinda... process i guess 🙂

thank u 4 asking me abt it ! if i think of better ways 2 explain it i will share in da future i hope u r having a good day

[24kmar]

Hiii! My bad i sometimes write like people can see inside my head to know what i mean 💀

The fight where tashi got injured and they grew apart from patrick yk?

Thank you and sorry!

Lmao dont worry love 🩷

𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 (A. Donaldson, T. Duncan)

𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭: Can i ask you for some challengers angst? Where reader used to be with the group but the fight happend and they run into eachother in a coffee shop or something and they talk normaly.Then they ask for her number so they van talk more and the reader denies because she is much happier without them?Kind of when you let go of a toxic person.Thank uu

𝑶𝒐𝒉, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.

"Y/n/n!" You hear someone shout. A name only a certain group of people would call you.

Turning around, thats where you saw art and tashi. You never thought you'd be without them. But after what they did to patrick, you couldnt be friends with them. To much toxicity to handle.

"Art, tashi, hi." You breath out, not expecting to see them. Here, out of all places. Today out of all days.

"Its been so long." Tashi sighs hugging you.

"Yeah we havent seen you since..." art pauses awkwardly, bringing up the elephant in the room.

𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊!

"Why are you doing this!" You yell at tashi, walking up to her and art while they're practicing.

"Doing what?" She spits out turning around to face you.

"Shutting patrick out!" You yell out frustrated.

"Y/n/n-" art starts, but not finishing as you cut him off.

"No, art." You turn to look at him briefly, then looking back at tashi "You're being so unreasonable, what the fuck did he do?"

Met with no answer, you got even angrier

"Answer me!" You yell out frustratedly

"Y/n/n-" art starts, getting cut off by you again

"What? Art. Literally what?!" You spit out, turning to him.

With a guilty look in his eyes he speaks, "were not trying to shut out patrick" he says softly, trying to reach out to grab your arm. To which you pulled away, "Really!? Cause to me it seems like you're ignoring him! When he did absolutely nothing! Whos next? Me?"

A question that was met with silence.

"Whatever" you scoff, walking away. Never seeing them again, ignoring every attempt they made to contact you.

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

"How have you been?" Art asks

"Ive been" you pause letting out a breath you didnt know you were holding "good, what about you?"

"We've been good" tashi smiles softly.

"I know, ive seen you guys win" you chuckle "im proud".

You had missed this, missed them. But you knew you couldnt go back to them. The dynamic extremely toxic. And still being friends with patrick, it wouldnt be fair. To either of you.

"We miss you" art sighs

"We should really reconnect" tashi speaks with a sad tone. They both missed you. They realized they fucked up. Like royaly fucked up.

"Guys i-" you start

"We used to be such great friends, and now we need that more than ever" art tries to reason

"I cant." You out, harsher than you intended.

"why?" Tashis brows furrow in confusion

"What we had was nice, yes. But, it was toxic." you chuckle breathly "Me and patrick are still close, i cant do that to him."

With a sullen look on their face they nod.

"I wish you guys well." You smile softly walking out of the cafe. This was it, the closure you needed. The end of your friendship.

[andytheimpostor]

HHI GUYS. listen

ethsn winters is actually so awesome i fixated on him so fast. this is the longest smount of time in the history of even that ive ever fixated something (coming up on 6months).

maybe its weird to be so attached to a fictional guy especially to cling to him within moments even though i barely knew anything about him… hes just so awesome i couldnt resist i guess

ethan winters is my BIGGEST BADDEST KIN im literally him. i havent ever looked into why this is and i dont really want to because i think that would probably make me cry

umm i have a life sized ethan cardboard cutout that i made staring at me right now but hes still cardboard color, i need to paint him or something. i also have an ethan shirt and its like literally my favorite thing ever that i own but recently its got a little chip in the design which makes me nervous. i ALSO have 3 ethan keychains (well… technically 2. my gay lover got me one but hasnt given it to me yet (side eye emoji))

idont undersrand the ethan winters hate, hes genuinely so awesome. maybe not your average resident but he had a great run and he is was a great guy. HOW COULD YOU HATE HIM???

maybe im not ethans BIGGEST fan, but i pray that im up there somewhere. i have pages and pages and papers and digital canvases COVERED in his stupid face. i have 2 different folders dedicated to it. ive been thinking about making a mini cardboard rthan but maybe my keychains will suffice that need… if i find where i put them. (i think i know where they are)

also maybe its not important but i love wintersberg. i love old men gay yaoi (take that with a grain of salt please. also i know ethan isnt that old) i get that theres like… not a lot to work off of maybe besides a couple short interactions and a diary, but whattever i love them. i have no problem with clethan at all, i love all the art i see of them.

that brings me to mithan…. clearly its literally canon but like. i dont think i can do mithan unless its t4t. i dunno if thats bad or something its canon and theyre married and have a baby. but. im not saying i have any problems with it? i just find it hard to enjoy when they. arent. yeah

brings me to the next thing im a (not firm) trans ethan believer. as in… i believe but im lenient on it. uhh where was i. i think its funny to think about the possibility that ethan gave birth to rose. maybe thats not funny, maybe its just cause its three in the morning.

all the characters i resonate with are men, anddd usually blonde. ethan is at the top of that list obviously!!! maybe thats not important but it feels like it leave me alone

i got one of my friends into re7/8, and they just finished 8. they streamed the end of it and we both ended up bawling our eyes out because it was so sad. i cry every time i watch the end of 8, which is probably more often then i should be.

sorry guys its 3am and i just woke up so i did this on a whim forgive me if any of my grammar is bad or anything umm yeah

I LOVE ETHAN!!!!!💥💥💥hes such a sweet guy, real or not…

[spaciebabie]

any advice 4 when u want to keep drawing 2 improve but u cant get over perfectionism ? like when u just dont care how its gonna turn out, if its bad its bad yknow?

ahh yes lowkey ive struggled with this a lot. not as much now as in the past tho, and honestly its beecuz ive developed a more neutral view on myself/my art in general. its going to take time to get to this state of mind, so dont be too hard on yourself when you find yourself falling into bad habits.

advice under the cut (kind of long winded) ⬇️⬇️⬇️

the first thing ive done to overcome perfectionism is focus less on details and more about overall shape and form. when i sketch im trying to get roughly what i want, and i limit the strokes i do in certain parts of my sketch to like 1-3 depending on what im drawing (im ngl i also am very impatient and have created a workflow that makes it so i am able to start and finish pieces as fast as possible LOLOLOL. shrugs. i just like drawing fast).

a good example would be this thing i just drew:

in all of my sketches i tend to use as few strokes as possible and just get the basic idea down. good for not overly focusing on teeny tiny details and worrying about them later (i also use the same technique for lineart, but just end up connecting the lines. thats another tip i have, if you like your sketches more than your fully lined pieces, just line the same way you sketch! or you could also use your sketch as your lineart :P)

another tip i have is to draw from references, and once again, focus mostly on shape/form/the big picture of your subject before going into details (do you know how many planes there are on the human face....i still dont know howta draw faces properly but im not mad at myself anymore about it, i just open up a reference and try to learn). i also recommend having a drawing session where the goal is to draw awfully. draw something you want to draw, but that you're not sure if you'll draw it right, and draw it. dont try to correct it, acknowledge that what you made isnt perfect, and then draw something else. you're learning! of course its not gonna be perfect. but inevitably, you're going to get frustrated. just remember if its something you really want to go back to, you will be able to revisit it in the future. feel your anger and frustration, but do your best to not direct it inward.

small side tangent about shading- I AM SO SHIT AT SHADING SKFHSAFDJHS. people dont tend to notice (surprising), since ig my shading style is considered "beautiful" or something, but if you looked at it on a technical level, there are mistakes everywhere. i havent really tried to improve it. i dont really care most of the time b/c i just like shading for fun. and especially when im shading my sketches, i already have it in my mind that its not supposed to be perfect. its a sketch. this is where im supposed to make all of my mistakes. once i start making my way to the final product is when i start worrying more about if i did the lighting correctly (even then ik im not good at it im not trying to be a god im just trying to draw things that make me happy).

additionally, i really rec u dont try and fudge a sketch until its better if you're deep in a Perfectionist moment. keep the old sketch and start over on a new sketch taking bits and pieces you liked from the original, and improving on those that you dont (shitty thumbnails are also good if you have a vague idea in mind but need ta figure out howta place subjects in your scene). honestly drawing the same thing/idea over and over gets me a better understanding of my subject each time, so naturally each iteration looks better. it doesnt take me that long to sketch tho, so if sketching takes you forever (sometimes if sketching takes you forever its b/c you're a perfectionist skjfskdjf) just think about how much time you're willing to spend on something. remember☝️ its okay to give up/take a break on something and try again later. sometimes you just needta stop looking at your art and like. look at a tree or something lmfao.

i will also say that im not looking to go into a career in art, im more of a hobbyist. ik school environments dont exactly.....help with perfectionism lol. there are certain expectations put on people who go into the art field that are inescapable. if this is the case for you, i still think what ive discussed before can help you, but i also think that you may need to lean more on the mental tips i have also provided below.

alright! mental health tips in regard to art:

so, i have c-ptsd, and with that comes a lot of self image issues that ive had to work on. my feelings about myself extended to the way i felt about my art. it was shit, it was awful, i cant draw like this other person can so why bother, if its not perfect i shouldnt draw at all, etc. and honestly, something thats helped is affirmations. my affirmations are c-ptsd related, but ive noticed a shift in the way i view myself, and by extent, my art since ive started repeating them to myself daily. and honestly, i think a requirement of overcoming perfectionism is telling yourself that your art doesnt hafta be perfect, A LOT. LOL. LIKE YOU ACTUALLY HAFTA ACTIVELY TELL YOURSELF YOU'RE NOT AWFUL LMAOOOO. its funny, we dont think much about how we naturally are self critical about ourselves, and we dont realize that we are basically repeating negative affirmations about ourselves over and over and thats why we're not improving (mentally).

even when you're not drawing, i think it would benefit some people to have some kind of notification on their phone to remind them to tell themselves that their art doesnt hafta be perfect daily/however often you feel you might need it. and then with that affirmation, practice Shitty Drawing. one of the best tips ive ever gotten for this was from one of my friends monnie. get out your sketchbook or some printer paper, take out a shitty pen, and DRAW. and then any mistakes you make are permanent and you cant just endlessly try and fix them. it forces you ta sit with this uncomfortable feeling that something you made isnt perfect. eventually your brain will realize that when your art isnt perfect, you can still draw and you're ALLOWED to continue to draw even if what you make isnt spectacular. if you dont want to repeat an affirmation daily, try to remember to at least repeat it before you sit down to draw. something along the lines of "my art doesnt hafta be perfect in order for me to want to draw. im allowed to draw even if its not perfect" or something else. it depends on what you most struggle with in regards to your perfectionism. im ngl its probably going to feel cringe at first, but i promise you, it really works if you put it into practice longterm.

shoot for neutrality instead of positivity first. let me tell you thats where i am now and its so much less exhausting drawing lmfaooo. i make something that looks like shit and im just like. i dont fucking careee i dont give a fuccckkkkk

those are my tips :] i hope this was helpful!

[ikoarts]

September 2023 Art

train derangement in full swing x

vvv dates + info under the cut vvv

1 - 03/09/2023 : really wanted to draw Ru n Toni in some eveningwear, was a fun opportunity to draw Toni a bit more masc... shes so hot wtf!!! i love these ladies

2, 3 - 04/09/2023 : a Trixie pen doodle, which I ended up turning into a full digital piece..... which i procrastinated on for months, but hey at least i Did finish it! also a little human TTTE au doodle... its Diesel and hes silly... i doodled him in the oingo boingo only a lad pose bc, damn, he really is only a lad

4 - 05/09/2023 : another human Diesel, i did end up tweaking a lot of these initial human designs, so don't get too comfy with em, but oh my.. could it be... Goopy makes another boingo reference? how peculiar that never ever happens..... anyway Perfect System is my fave Diesel song.. in my head is an AMV that will never be made

5, 6, 7 - 06/09/2023 : first, some ideas for my human Edward, thought i might as well include these, for the craic i guess x ... then a rare one of Toby (i havent drawn him since.. i should change that) and Diesel, then that one barbie meme with Edward n James, dont get comfy with either of these designs coz they're not sticking x

8 - 07/09/2023 : a pencil drawing emerges.. Eddie again, with his initial design i was gonna go with, i think the side profile is especially cute..

9 - 09/09/2023 : aaand heres the design i've currently settled on! im much happier with this, and its one of my fave drawings of last year, even if its nothing too special, hes just so cute, and thats really it

10 - 10/09/2023 : silly phone doodle of my human percy.. he drank 2 meny monsters.. cuz i think he would ig.. splort on the floor

11, 12 - 15/09/2023 : another silly (very quick) phone doodle.. i like the idea of Edward taking Diesel under his wing and nobody else can quite understand why, ALSO Edward n Emily friendship? lets go... gays stick together and listen to belinda carlisle its true

13 - 17/09/2023 : YET ANOTHER silly one... oo shes so silly so quirky... i just think if Edward ended up in TATMR he would destroy D10 like thats probs why he wasnt included... hes too powerful

14, 15, 16 - 21/09/2023 : human Diesel shenanigans, first isnt my fave thing ive done and again his design is now outdated BUT the little one of him flipping you off is so funny to me like you get em lil guy!! also Edward again big surprise. holding his little gremling

17 - 29/09/2023 : watched tobias and the last pariah and all i could think about was this meme of the brown eyes vs blue eyes thing so i doodled them on my phone

[bisquuet]

hi! still alive! AN UPDATE: LONG READ :D no new devlin content since im focusing on my oc comic :( ( speaking of comics. remember that other comic i posted here like once and never talked about it again?? yeah.. ) - lets talk about that. will i ever go back to that comic? -yes, when? i don't know.. i realized i went into the comic very.. unprepared.. or less prepared than i thought i was. so it got me second guessing things and getting confused..!! i have a VAGUE idea of how I want it to go, or atleast i DID, now im not so sure.. I think i need to sit down, splurge out my thoughts and ideas and go from there,, now i technically have a WHOLE post that is done that was supposed to be dropped shortly after the first one. but i thought to myself, oh ill just work on the next update and once im halfway THEN ill drop the second one! i never got halfway. i ended up just sketching more up ahead and adjusting and ''fixing'' things in the second update. making me loose track of time and getting behind, not only i had school to deal with too! so i just have a LOT of storyboarding of pages...that im slighlty afraid of looking at cuz i know that ill want to fix it but ill be unmotivated to actually fix it.. (bad rawr!!) eventually i have to get to it..!! >< ANOTHER major factor of the delay was my confidence, i wasn't satisifed and even frustrated at times when something didnt come out as good as it did in my head. i REALLY like the first update pages! especially devlins scene! but i think i got too ahead of myself and put WAY too much onto my plate, raising expections, of others and myself, mostly myself.... and I was trying to copy to a manga style, rather than convert my style normally into a manga setting, if that makes any sense. so i wasnt.... 'comfortable' drawing.. i dont know how else to describe it! but ever since then and even before, ive been getting less confident with my art and my style, feeling like its ugly or its getting worse. forcing myself to keep drawing, straining myself trying to make something that looks good to me. i have lots of fun and joy drawing for others, the reason i draw is BECUZ i just want to share what i make! as shallow as it sounds i like creating content for others to enjoy! it makes me happy and proud of what i draw! so. when i make something i dont like, i cant bring myself to show it cuz I dont like it.. others may, but that wouldnt change how i would feel about it. i felt that way deeply with the second update, which is why i kept tweaking it,,, and so I just let myself get caught up with other things.. feeling upset and guilty that I kinda just.. abandonded the comic..! saying that ill pracitce and oh ill do that , i Need to do this and this and this when i havent even done ANYTHING! i think, and i genuinely mean this, i think ive only recently started to ACTUALLY do things.! like development for my OC comic, writing for it, making content and sharing about them to whoever would lend an ear! so in a way the seewar comic walked so that my OC comic could run, hopefully.. so, unfortunately ill be focsuing more of my attention on my OC comic, and i honestly can't promise anything. the only thing i CAN say is that i will share the second update that i finished long ago.., no matter how much internal rawr doesnt want to, i feel like thats the first step to overcoming this fear and dread ive associate with the comic, which is something i DONT want. ill be scheudling to drop this weekend since ill be away.. i dont know when ill actively start working on the seewar comic again becuz i genuinely want to finish it and share it, i just have to not be too ambitious and plan out whats necessary. anyways.. now that school is out im finally paying all of my debts and owed art.. its rough but it has to be done. thanks if you have read all of this,, i greatly appreacite the support, from friends and followers, fossils, (thats what my fans are called wink wink) love yall fr <3

[magic-is-something-we-create]

2023 recap + 2024 plans

i wrote 261,200 words in 2023; 172,500 of those for Whispers, 88,700 for Goddess-Touched!

i read 16 books to completion, beta'd for an additional 2, am currently reading 3, and got partway through 5 others before having to put them down.

i maintained my streaming schedule with only a handful of emergency-related exceptions, and drew, uh, a shit ton over the course of the year!

writing goals for 2024:

fix Echoseers (full stylistic rewrite, along with some plot tweaks)

finish the first draft of Goddess-Touched (and edit it hardcore as well)

work on as-yet-unnamed book 4 of tms

fix up Whispers with the added feedback of beta readers

start querying Whispers (i'll look into self publishing down the road if i don't end up finding an agent. the way my brain functions i must cling to the hope of not having to market it myself tooth and nail for the time being)

POTENTIALLY. if my brain fixates on it. write the script for The Lost so that i actually have something to work with to make the comic happen

one of my offline friends is starting to get into writing, and im hoping to help them through some of the early rough patches and potentially co-write a thing with them!!

i completely dropped the ball on the weekly writing updates so im gonna try and get back to that on wednesday. and potentially get back into the weekly ask games!

non-writing goals for 2024:

youtube. i want to make speedpaints and worldbuilding videos and shit. ive already made the basic animation stuff to have a lil sona to do the gesturing for me and i know how to make videos i just havent done it in a While

twitch!! i want to stream a bit more often because its fun and if i let myself branch out into video games as well as art itll be easier to do that. u might see me streaming in the evenings sometime soon. (psst im not streaming this weekend as im still doing a shit ton of holiday/social stuff but the weekend of the 13th ill be back to both patreon and twitch baybee)

SPEAKING OF i want to get my shit together enough to do like. monthly short story releases for my patrons/ko-fi members. early access, that is, so if i post one in january, it'll be posted here a month or two later for all to see/read

i want to read as many books as i did in 2023, if not more! im also considering adding book reviews/thoughts to youtube or patreon/ko-fi perks

my weekend hiatuses aren't going anywhere. having time where im not actively engaging with tumblr + don't feel obligated to do Anything online has done wonders for my mental health and i highly recommend it. focus mode on my phone and leechblock on desktop has helped so so so much

and that's all i'm sharing here!! i hope 2024 is a better year for all than the last <3

[basil-appreciation-comic]

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!

the comic is cancelled. you probably already assumed that since i havent posted anything about it in a while but yeah the things dead now lol. mainly because i dont care much about omori anymore, the comic sucked, and it was too much effort. i feel kinda bad about leaving you guys in the dark for this long tho, so i thought id go ahead and include all the scrapped stuff for the comic that never got finished

while i was writing the comic i started a google doc that laid out ideas i had for future pages. heres that if you wanna know how the story ends

it was written over several months and (most) things are in order of where they go on the timeline not when i wrote them so it might be a little hard to follow

also some art i never posted

(at least i dont think ive posted the last one)

i quoted not liking this comic as one of the reasons i stopped so let me explain that with a list of things id change about this if i were to remake it (which i wont)

remove the swearing that was so stupid

make omori mute (and probably use sign language)

omori does not express fear or stress in-game, thats sunnys job. quit it

he also does not cry and generally shows emotions (even the big ones) in more subtle ways (which i think i was trying to shift towards later in the doc) idk why he was so emotional all the time

literally everything about how i portrayed omori actually that was all just awful

the panic attack scene is fucking embarrassing i have no clue what i was thinking. im so sorry for writing it like that i did 0 research beforehand

make it shorter why did i think that would work out

id probably just make it a fic, comics take way too much outta me compared to just writing things

it does not need a big epic ending and probably shouldve ended not long after they escaped black space

the romance is horrible but thats the foundation of the comic so idek what id do about that

stop making everyone talk like therapists 24/7

and yeah it has a lot of problems but i still do care about this due to the ammount of effort and love ive put into it, i just cant and dont want to continue it

so yeah thats where this story ends ig. i had a lot of fun along the way, and thank you so much for all the support. bigger thanks to that one sunflower discord server (if you came from there you know which one) for being my main motivation and support throughout this journey. sucks this comic never got to see its full potential but im relieved to finally lay it to rest. the blog will stay up for archival purposes but i will not continue the comic any further obviously. the ask box will remain open if you wanna say anything or if you have a question about the story or whatever. thanks for reading.

[spectra-bear]

Now that we're entering into 2024, I'm asking some artists and writers that I follow:

1) What is the one piece you're most proud of from this past year?

2) What are some pieces that you would have liked more people to see? If you can include links, I'd love to go check them out!

3) What were your top three favorite pieces (art, comics, fics, etc) that someone else has made this past year?

(As always, no pressure to respond! Feel free to just ignore, or let me know if you'd rather I not send you these kinds of asks in the future.)

1) i cant really choose a favorite piece, if i had to choose it would be a 3 part comic i havent posted yet because its based on a friend's writing, and its one one of my top favorite pieces, but the few above are among the few rendered pieces i like. also im a bigger fan of my animated work than artwork, but i should try to finish pieces more often

2) i dont think i bother with how much traction my artwork receives, i usually just throw stuff out there and leave, if i ever do check, i read tags and that’s about it, if i find even a single positive tag about how much they enjoy my post, its a good enough win for me

3) unfair question!!! i have too many favorite pieces, id be here all day and thats still not enough!!

there are numerous works across platforms that id like to fill into one list but, that being said, here are the few i can name from the top of my head:

kat, one of the friendliest and motivating artists ive encountered, after reading their main comic storyline replica that all i coukd ask for in a post apocalyptic story

https://www.tumblr.com/kathaynesart/700778336271679488/tip-jar-every-little-bit-is-appreciated-r-e-p-l

most of ingunn's work i love, but im a big fan of her comics

https://www.tumblr.com/thegunnsara/716508523672010752

ill never get over fuzz's pieces, nor will i ever get tired of rereading his comkc amongst many others i have archived

https://www.tumblr.com/r0b0t1me/706923481985662976

tapa and cass are two peas in a pod, amazing creations made at a speedy pace, i wish to match up with someday, both of their main ongoing bad future rottmnt comics are fun to check every now and then, not to mention their animated work

https://www.tumblr.com/somerandomdudelmao/710091900612476928/cass-apocalyptic-series-masterpost

https://www.tumblr.com/tapakah0/716125830953189376/life-of-violence-era-masterpost

another animator i look up to, most of their professional clean work i love to look back on and analyze to apply to my own work

https://www.tumblr.com/miiukkaa/718507959308664832/lesgo

[kittycowboy]

babe. do you have any anime recs

OF WHAT KIND. What sorta genre are you going for? Feel good? Lighthearted? Or smth more action-filled?

Are you lookin for a short series or smth longer? Generally they come in sets of 12, 24, or. super long. Or maybe movies?

For sweet/happy ones, Makoto Shinkai movies are MY FAV. Particularly I enjoy Weathering with You and Your Name. And if you like those, watch Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop- its literally one of my favorite movies of all time ever. Its super cute n sweet + has a beautiful style.

For more intense I would say MONONOKEEEEE not the ghibli movie but that ones really good also. Mononoke 2006 is a 12 episodes (+ 3 in a prequal series) with this super interesting style. Its about a shaman sorta guy who like. exorvmcises evil spirits? Just watch it pls pls pls

Dementia style (<- More like. heavy & confusing) I wld always say Serial Experiments Lain. Is ur into psychological movies check out Satoshi Kon's work- he was a GENIUS in that genre frrrr

Im a big fan of Sci Fi so some popular ones you should watxh are Trigun ('98 is closer to the original manga bit like. barely. Stampede is more entertaining tho), Cowboy Bebop, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. OOOH and Cyberpunk edgerunners. That ones super gorey tho.

If you like Cowboy Bebop or even if you dont u should watch Samurai Champloo. Its abt this girl, a samurai, and a vagabond sorta dude on a mission to find this "samurai who smells like sunflowers". Its SO good and the music is AMAZINGGGGGGG

CHECK OUT SCIENCE SARU'S STUFF ALSO my favs from them are Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken- its a 12 ep series abt the three most autistic girls ever starting an animation club in their school. And then Japan Sinks 2020, which is abt a family surviving after a tsunami starts to literally sink Japan. SUPER sad but also beautiful.

If u want a mystery one watxh Erased- its a time travel sorta show abt a guy who goea ba k jn time to solve the murders of these three kids from his elementary school. Oshi no Ko is another mystery show with beautiful art abt idols and solving the protags moms murder.

Heavenly Delusion is one I havent actually finished but its 12 (?) episodes in a post-apocalyptic future? Its a litte hard to desvrjbe but its rlly cool.

OOOOH the great pretender is a fun show abt scamming + a new movie for it is coming out soon. super cool style as well.

Sorry ive been writi g this between doing stuff in class I gotta stop here for now. If any of these interest you lmk and I can give a list of trigger warnings since almost all of them have. a lot.

ALSO I HAVE MORE. IF U HAVE A PARTICULAR HENRE OR VIBE U WANT LMK DOESNT MATGER HOW SPECIFIC

[regulationlistener]

news years resolution post. resolution seems too firm theyre more pretty loose goals. theyre not all that serious its just my way of reminding myself theres something i want to do. intention is to update every month to keep track of my progress. or lack of it. who knows what will occur.

read 26 books

last year the goal was 52 and for some reason i didnt read anything until december, so im halving it. i did read fifteen books in december so as long as i actually read for at least two months i should finish this up no biggie. 13 of those books were library books and i need to start working on all the books that i own because i dont really have room for all of them and im sure once read i wont keep most of them.

read in public once every two weeks

this has less to do with reading and more to do with trying to get myself to go to parks and such as that, i just feel like reading is an activity to do while there that isnt exercise which i would get self conscious about. every two weeks is really arbitrary, i just need to try to consistently do this. i think existing in public and also being outside is good for pretty self explanatory reasons and i want to try to explore more of my town on foot, which admittedly ive never really done.

watch 104 movies.

last year i watched 121 so this should be relatively easy. its two movies a week which is not an absurd amount by any means. historically speaking i wont do it this way and will instead watch like 30 movies in one month instead but its not necessary.

finish baldurs gate 3/one of the switch pokemon games

i have three pokemon games that ive played like three hours of each and i want to at least make an effort to finish one of them, same with baldurs gate. i dont finish most video games i buy and i dont buy enough of them for it to be a big deal but it does sort of make me feel bad and also i do like playing them, so i really wanna try and finish them.

visit all county historical plaques

this sounds fun and also i think itll be a good way to get myself exploring and paying more attention to the local area. theres only like 45 and most of them are clustered together so i think i could do this relatively easily in a handful of afternoons.

go to a live event once a month

ive been wanting to go to a ball game for more than a year and i just keep never getting around to it, so i really wanna try to get myself to go see shit. im not attached to sports, it could be any live event, but sports does seem the most plentiful and generally speaking i think id need to go out of state to see a comedy or music act that i like unless i deliberately go to one ive never heard of, which im not really keen on, because the thought of being at a comedy show i think isnt funny is a nightmare situation for me, and also ive never been to a live music event so i feel like i should at least be familiar for the first ones i go to.

general life improvement shit

i want to get a job that doesnt make me wanna kill myself. preferably with insurance, because i need new regular glasses and i want to get prescription sunglasses, which ive been wanting for nearly a decade and i just havent gotten yet for some reason, and also depending on how annoying it is it would probably be nice to get on anxiety medication for a bit. or maybe not. taking medication gives me anxiety so it might be a net zero gain. i also want to try to take some online classes at the community college cause ill get financial aid so i might as well slowly work my way to some sort of degree even if i dont really care about it.

new hobbies

i think i should get a record player and try to get into records, which is something ive been thinking about getting around to for like four years. i also really want to try to make a blanket[?], which i assume will be kind of shit ass, but it seems like a very approachable project in terms of someone basically new to fiber arts that will also find some sort of use in my house, its just a really time consuming one. everything else you can make is stuff that i dont want so i wouldnt make or its like clothes and that seems intimidating cause you gotta wear that shit outta the house. i also really want to try my hand at painting, i dont have any thought that ill be good at it but its something ive had in the back of my mind for a while so i want to give it a go at least a few times and see if i enjoy it.

[quaranmine]

i just finished reading the firewatch fic, and the first thing im saying is ive been bawling my eyes out almost the entire time and will probably continue to do so for another hour /hj

the next thing i want to say is how amazing this fic is..... ive had it in my "mark for later" for a while now, and decided to start reading it today. i very rarely read long fics in one sitting, but i found that i couldnt stop reading. despite only having one obvious conclusion, i was still a little convinced that grian would manage to find mumbo alive right up until he saw the body.

grief is a hard topic for me (as it is for most people), so i usually avoid reading anything that even mentions it, let alone delves into grief as deeply as this did. im very glad that i decided to branch out for once, even if it has led me to the emotional wreck i am typing this out. its brought up a lot of emotions i havent given myself time to process, and i think this is a good thing, so thank you.

i have a lot more to say but i am still crying and i need to go and tell all my friends and family that i love them a lot so i am cutting this short (even though its still very long... sorry!) so im just going to say, thank you again for writing a fic that has changed my brain chemistry permanently <3

OHHH thank you <33333 I love that you read it one sitting, that must have been a lot!

I am really glad that the exploration of grief was good for you, even if it led to you being an emotional wreck. Here's the thing about this fic: I ALSO do not read things about grief. It's probably one of my least favorite genres? I don't know why. So on the surface it's a little out of character for me to suddenly do a 180 and dedicate such a large amount of my time to exploring the theme so heavily. But I kind of just had to write this story. And it really did feel like a "had to" type of situation. I did want to write it, yes! But it wasn't really "oh this is a neat idea to explore" it was more like "I gotta work out these themes and process it in my brain via the power of art."

thank you so much for your review, i really appreciate it a lot!! <333