#i love making character playlist it’s a literal art form to me

[pennyserenade]

i do think i’m clever sometimes yeah

[windng-down]

ten hobbies to try out this winter ₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

baking/cooking - These two are like versatility Olympians; they are fun to do, they are a useful skill, they make your house smell great, they make your house warm in the winter, and they produce perfect holiday presents. That's right, you can bake/cook up a storm then pass the food around as presents. It's actually a really sweet gesture. I'd fold if a pretty girl brought me homemade food.

reading - You know that blanket you cozy up in for bedrotting? Cozy up for reading instead! (Btw if you're genuinely bedrotting ignore that, take all the time you need, and try and rebuild your spoons <33 Seasonal depression hits different) Actually though, reading a good book is one hell of a high. It's like you never want to put it down. Winter is the perfect time to find that book! My favorite books of all time include The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Bunny by Mona Awad, and The Hunger Games Series! I recommend finding more recommendations from book bloggers like Dakota Warren or Kalilah D.

ice skating - This one isn't for me, but it is such a beautiful winter sport. If you're the active type and you like a challenge, you should look into skating!

blogging - You heard me right! You've been thinking about starting that Tumblr blog? Now is the time to do it! Everyone is stuck inside on their phones, you should give them something to read! Also it's a really nice way to find community, even if it is really small. Nothing makes me happier when someone reblogs my posts with a hashtag of them rambling. I read it all every time.

writing - For me personally, writing is more than just a hobby it's a lifestyle. I take it way to seriously, don't be like me! Have fun, find writing prompts online, cozy up with Google docs, and put on a playlist. Write a romcom or a mystery or a poem or a journal entry, it doesn't matter as long as you're writing! It is just the most wonderful form of self-expression, and I think everyone should try it at least once.

working out - No, not as in your "winter Arc", as in having fun! It's hard to get physical in the winter, don't make it harder by seeing it as a chore. Find something you like, such as dance workouts or weight lifting. Just make sure whatever you're doing, that you enjoy it. I think those treadmill playlists Allieh Bennett makes on TikTok seem super fun. If you guys don't know, they are playlists designed to sync to your treadmill run!

drawing - I am serious girl (or anyone else reading this)! You don't have to be good at art to do it. Go get yourself a pencil and dollar store sketchpad! Personally, I am trying to learn how to draw portraits and it's very calming. Imagine it: It's cold outside, you're cuddled up with pillows and blankets, you light a candle, and- most importantly- you pull out a pencil and some paper. You can draw anything! You can draw flowers, friends, yourself, characters, optical illusions, or literally anything else! If that still intimidates you though, I highly recommend color books. They are a great alternative, and I love them.

painting - Everything I said about drawing applies here. Also, during the winter, there are probably some great inspirations all around you! Between the weather and the decorations, you've got loads of landscapes to replicate. If that sounds like too much though, try paint by numbers. They are just as cozy and perfect for winter.

crocheting - Okay, so this may be the most difficult one on the list. Yes, even more difficult than ice skating. But, at least give it a shot! People who have the patience to really learn this hobby can make some incredible things- especially for winter. I'm talking scarves, sweaters, blankets, and gloves! I also recommend hand crocheting. It's a lot simpler and you can make a nice, chunky blanket with it. I hand crochet when I'm nervous so I don't pick my face, actually. It's very useful.

bracelet making - Now this is the last one, y'all. Thanks for reading this far! This hobby seems like so much fun and it's so personal. There are all kinds of ways to make bracelets. I mean you can make charm bracelets, bead bracelets, rope bracelets, and even clay bracelets. This one is great for winter too, because once again you're gonna need presents! Make a bracelet to go with your favorite winter jumper, then you can make your bff a matching one!

Signing Off,

W.D.

( P.S. Love y'all! Stay warm! )

[diodellet]

hiya dio!! tossing in 3 (honkai star rail? 👀), 5, and 15!!

hiya ian! thanks for shooting me an ask!!

3.) Go to the [honkai star rail] tag and reblog some art you like that has under 100 notes

aight i gotchu oomfie, ill search for stuff to queue up 😤😤

5.) What genre do you like reading the best?

angst and hurt/comfort 🔛🔝!!!

it's painful, it's good, and it makes emotional processing so much easier and less burdensome because the difficulty goes into finding an okay sentence and stringing together ok-ish dialogue (but at least those can be solved with a banger ass playlist, ykw?)

augh special mention to one of my formative twst fics i love that grim has such a big role in this

15.) Worst fanfic tropes ever?

NOO!!!! U CANT MAKE ME SAY BAD THINGS ABT FANFIC!!! ALL FANFIC IS GOOD WHEN IT IS MADE WITH HEART!!!

(did i say bridal carry? ill just say it again for funsies HAHAHA i dont like bridal carries, it doesn't spark any joy, please just carry me like this🤧👇👇)

i'm usually really open-minded with reading fanfics... so aside from the obvious fanfic writing sins (using generative AI, plagiarism, not doing enough careful research for sensitive topics) OH WAIT--

(this is probably specific to genshin/hyv) but i Reaaaaally don't like it when fandom infantilizes characters that use the teenage model. like, there is such a thing as short adults! (me. i am one of them!) one time i saw someone say that lynette was probably a year younger than lyney and i was confused bcs aren't they twins??? like, are we forgetting that lynette was the primary "errand-goer" for the house of hearth upon getting her vision? girlie's probably seen more shit than lyney did.

^^semi-related to infantilizing characters, i dont like how some obm fics treat luke as a literal toddler. like, yes he's immature but he's got a good head on his shoulders and even if he's a low-ranked angel he probably has sm powers that he can make use of to protect MC. and i esp see how he gets left out even in gen/platonic fics and hcs. smtimes i feel compelled to look at the game's shitty pop quiz events for fanfic fuel (i mean, the luke tag has more ppl saying not to sexualize him than actual writing and that bugs me ://)

There used to be this really good obm fanfic (Nightmare by StarsEncrusted) and it had a plot point of helping luke get his wings, but it++the author's orig account got deleted from ao3. thankfully some fans had the foresight to archive it, so heres a wayback link to the fic and the accompanying side stories

i guess to expound more on my aversion to marriage in fanfic, it icks me when the characterization stops feeling like the characters themselves and the fic starts feeling heteronormative (also sometimes the writing comes across as if the marriage/childbirth "fixes" all those issues, which, it doesn't) and, well, i already kind of deal with the idea of "getting settled down" shoved in my face. it's really not for me. but i do understand why it's comforting to people, smtimes i can indulge in reading in it. but on a bad day, nah, i can't.

anyway, also special shout out to chat fics, they can be fun but idk it reads to me as a way to regurgitate overused incorrect quotes. (please some vines need to be laid to rest. also, can we stop quoting that one copaganda show oh my god)

(art appreciation ask questions, please bug me to rb some underrated fic and art)

[findroleplay]

The Butler and his Lord [M/M;Wholesome]

*all characters mentioned are 20+.*

-

Hey! I'm Kit, 23, living in the EST zone. Please keep in mind that I only roleplay with people 21 and older. If you meet that requirement and love long-term, advanced literate roleplaying, please read on!

I want a fluffy, comfortable, wholesome roleplay. It's a drastic change from what I usually write! I'm very excited for the chance to find someone who is like-minded. I do have a specific plot idea, but to keep the idea concise: your character is the butler to my aristocrat character, and they have a deep relationship as platonic soulmates.

Almost everything else is up for debate, from time period to setting to whether our world is even realistic or has fantasy/sci-fi themes. However, I do have preferences. I would like your character to be older than mine, and have it show. We can discuss this further privately, but I will reiterate that both characters will be adults. What appeals to me about their interactions is the utter politeness and consideration, the depth of personal knowledge about each other, the vast extent of mutual trust, and of course, aesthetics! From high-end tea and white gloves to a sprawling estate and carriage rides, our story is meant to be idyllic.

This will definitely be a platonic dynamic to start, but if the characters click and it feels right for us, I may be open to transitioning them into a romantic dynamic later on. However, I am not looking to include explicit smut/sexuality. Kissing and cuddling would be fine, but not sex. To keep things a bit realistic, there can be SOME forms of angst; our characters are people, after all. Lastly, I am a writer who loves making art, memes, playlists, and sharing them with you!

I can provide a writing sample. If this post intrigued you, please reach out to me with a writing sample of your own, and let me know what ideas you would love to implement into our roleplay. See you soon~

-

[sealinth]

Hello, Guidelines and Info

This is a Sideblog

Hey, I'm Mar! Any pronouns you feel like is good. I'm gonna be calling myself a woman, a guy and whatever I feel like. Muses here!

Here you'll find more about Me, and How and What I write :) Português lá no fim!! (em construção)

Me

I write in english and portuguese

Born in 1995. Will only write with adults, and all preferably 21+, ideally 25+.

Blog title is sea + labyrinth, because i was thinking of concepts i like and mashed words together like my brain works less than a bot. naming blogs is really hard. But this works (even if it sounds like a pokemon name)

I'm a huge nerd and am usually going on about a book, a game, a series or whatever else really

Timezone is GMT -3

I'll be liking from a blog called "mar0la"

Writing Hows

I've been writing for 11 years now

Only via discord! Love a cute organized server :)

Will only move to discord after we decided on plot and characters. I don't like having my discord full of people that don't talk to me and having to clean it every once in a while :/

Can use tupper or not

Can do short replies but would rather we have at least a full paragraph to work with. That said, if writing too much brings the rp to a halt let's just write :)

Only write OC's. I prefer to write males or masc coded people. favored dynamics are, in order, mxf, nbxf and fxf

Usual style is what I think it's called literate with like 2 or 3 paragraphs usually

I have a little trouble with certain letter and words sounds so it's possible I'll be making mistakes like trading "will" for "you" or stuff like "brief" for "breath". I usually pay attention but it happens, so let me know and I'll edit the reply

I don't currently want to join any groups as they take too much attention

Will be replying at least once a day but I usually manage to squeeze in 2 or 3 replies. Depends on partner speed too! :D

I will let you know if I'm in a particularly busy period of my life and we can either do shorter replies or wait a bit. Of course all the same goes for you!

OOC Communication

Love plotting and headcanoing together

Playlists, graphics, pinterest boards, art or just memes - whatever we talk about with our characters is fun

That said I truly would like to make friends and made some greats ones writing so I'll be open to talk about other things as well

It's a habit to say good morning and good night for me (if my adhd let's me remember) precisely because it keeps the rp and the partner fresh in my darn brain (and it's polite and I enjoy it :) ). It's not in any way, shape or form a sign that I'm pressuring you to write, ever

If you take longer to reply (always beyond 24 hours) I'll be asking if everything is okay and that's it

Writing Whats

Plot comes before anything for me and I'm looking to create worlds together

Also love romance, love shipping and that's always what I'm looking for the most, but without forcing anything and just having fun and seeing if the characters hit it off

I'm an artist and as such I'll always be more inclined to draw my characters or just stick to the descriptions on text

If you want a irl faceclaim from me, I'm probably just going to pick one from your own wanted opposite list

A partner can draw, have an irl faceclaim, use picrew or whatever other means they want of presenting their character

I prefer fantastic plots in some way or another over slice-of-life things. That means if the setting is modern there's got to be something else going on

It doesn't mean I won't write slice-of-life, it's just harder and I get slower

My favorite setting are fantasy (low or high), scifi stuff and I'd like to try at least one fresh apocalipse here and there tbh

I don't focus on smut ever, but I can write it if you really want to. Otherwise it's all fade to black and headcanons

Trigger Warnings and the such: I have no triggers for content except characters that smoke weed, specially if they keep talking about it. Otherwise it's all good. We can always talk about content deeper depending on the sort of rp we're planning to do!

WON'T WRITE: Serial killer/slasher, incest, abusive/toxic/mean spirited relationships im general - I'm all in for complex, angsty, grey area ships. Stuff like too much devotion or forbidden love and all. Just not obsessive, destructive, controlling etc

Ok I can't think of anything else so whatever you need to know, ask me!

That's all! Thank you for reading all the way here :)

[a-pheonyx-manifesting]

I'm sorry, I disappeared for a little bit, I was trapped inside my own head and body. Here, have some art of a few of the characters from my novel that I've dedicated my life to and made very little progress on. (I also use the world I built to play a homebrew PF/PF2 campaign so, that'll come up.) I'll drop the photo then, space them out with a lil' description on them.

Not really an introduction cause I keep posting her then removing my posts 'cause my image of them changes- or I feel like it's not good enough- or whatever the reason. (Sometimes it's cause the image I drew is for like, book 3- I have up to 3 planned out as of right now. I just get stuck in my head and in others' opinions on how the narrative will sound.)

Meet: 'Nyxia' a (half) moon-elf, (the world has three moons and she was born at the time of the triple-full. Moon elves are very uncommon but have it literally written on their foreheads.) adventurer and the first-person narrator of the novel I am trying to write. They're gendefluid, acespec, and pan. This image is from one of my discarded first chapters but, still accurate to their features in the beginning of the (hopefully) series.

Here's an earlier (1-2yrs ago) rendition of another character so, not as accurate as I would like her to be. Meet: "Finnley" or "Captain Lupe", a werewolf, pirate captain. She's holding an Apothi flag. (I am not good at flag folds/rolls, yet and I'm still practicing different body types because, this is definitely not accurate to her body.)

She started out as an NPC in one of my homebrew campaigns and I (along with my players) loved her. I decided she belonged in the novel series: 'Ruins'. Most people I talk to about her ask me to make her fall in love with someone 'eventually', "C'mon make her a lesbian- c'mon, make her bi- straight" etc. I adore that it comes from a place of love for my character but, she'll always be the wifey you can't have. ❤️ She's been married once as an NPC, and it was a business deal. He had resources, she had resources, and the tax benefits to marriage just made it all easier. Her and he were best friends building schools for alchemy before he died (due to an alchemy accident).

She has nothing against your desire for love but, her life is fulfilling and joyful without it. (She's genuinely, probably my least- depressing character.) Her arc is not about 'fixing' her ability to love. Her arc is more about the relationship she has with her family both chosen (her crew) and born into. I mean being, the oldest sister of 13 and having 5 older brothers isn't easy. It's not a wonder why she might take to the seas.

Meet: Sophitia (Or 'Sophie'). Another NPC turned novel character. Though, I kept her personality and status from the game, I changed nearly all the details of her story. This post has gone from "most currently accurate" to "not even accurate". I drew a 'humanized' version for a reason long forgotten but, now it's the face of my "Baddie B!mbo B!tch Beats" playlist. I'm still practicing with my alcohol markers but, this was around the time I first got them.

She is a famous pin-up girl, and champion assassin- priestess of the goddess: 'Dahlia'. (Goddess of Marriage, Love, Lust, Relationships, and Poison.) I have her pride art somewhere- I know she's pan but, I think she might also be Aro. She's actually a creature I like to (currently) call a 'beastling' (like if human DNA & animal DNA were spliced together and able to shapeshift from a half & half form into a completely animal form), particularly a "cuttlefish beastling".

Aesthetically, she's one of my favourites to draw but, don't be fooled she's more than beauty. She's the bestie without boundaries taking your baggiest Tees, a stone-cold killer with a rapier or twin pistols, and a knowledge of poisons and acids. She's a tea-drinking, weed smoking healer. Often has to remind people she's a priestess. A pin-up, model who's always (publicly) dressed to the nines with an unwavering desire to leave oppr*ssors in pieces.

[psychoticwillgraham]

long ass fucking emotional post about what it means to make it to my 28th bday under the read more

also making two bday playlists for myself: a funny one and an emotional one celebrating my journey so far. I know, 28 doesn’t seem like an important birthday, but for me? it’s everything. from something who planned to die on its 16th birthday to now, has been a hell of a journey. the vast majority of it has been heartbreaking, but through all the new trauma and old, I’ve become a much different person. i used to be a hermit basically, a high school dropout who wouldn’t talk to anyone irl and even barely online. then, the glee fandom (for all its evils) happened for me and I got to meet an Australian person irl, someone who flew all that way just to meet their weird little klaine mutual, at just 14.

then, I discovered cosplay and conventions, and in that process, the beginnings of my personal identity. I’d already been struggling with severe self harm and the realization that I was some kind of queer (initially a lesbian, then a trans man within the span of less than a year), and cons gave me a place that I could dress however I wanted, act how I wanted, even get lost in acting as the character im cosplaying. I didn’t have to be a girl, I could be a boy (which I did, and used the excuse of cosplay to get my mom to buy me my first binder, but after that she caught on), I could be everything, I could even be nothing. That was my outlet creatively which would eventually lead to my drag career once I turned 21, which was an impossible dream for 16 year old me since I thought I’d never make it to that age.

unfortunately, I met my major and longest abuser (for at least 9 years who continues to be in my life bc I can’t let go) at a con around this age (16). that would set off a 9 year period of sexual abuse, grooming, and rape, that I still struggle to recover from bc it was all I knew until I was 25/26. I’d never had a relationship with a man that wasn’t abusive in some way, and still haven’t. that’s a whole other post for another time when I can handle it better.

but over that period of time, I consumed all drag related media that I could and eventually responded to an open casting call for local drag performers, pretty much anyone who’d ever wanted to do it. most of them had already been part of established local ish drag families, except for me. I literally started from jack fucking shit and I was almost too scared to perform every time I did. I’d been in theatre, but I was always in the chorus and could never get the courage to actually be on stage in any kind of speaking role. but then fast forward to age 21, where I worked the grind for 5 years up the local drag hierarchy, even though I’m still being discounted on account of me being afab and a king, im more of the ‘underdog’ in ppl’s eyes. ppl love me and want more of me, but the current ones on charge just don’t. im still gonna work the grind until I get where I want to be.

but through drag, I found myself. i became an entirely different person. im miles more social than I’ve ever been, im light years more confident, and learning to assert myself. it was like a rebirth for me and I will defend this art form till my death.

i beat alcoholism, the thing that nearly killed me several times, most notably in 2019 when I was so far gone that they didn’t think even activated charcoal would work. thank god it did but if I’d had just one more glass of straight vodka or two more acetaminophen I’d be dead. and if I hadn’t told mom about what I did when I did, I would’ve also been dead. even five minutes later and I would’ve been dead. y’all I was legit about to be coded when they gave me the charcoal, and I did have a near death experience (i hovered above my body and saw the harsh hospital lights above me and they were extra bright, but I wasn’t being forced to go, I didn’t hear God or anything at all, i just hovered there for about 30 seconds and went back to my body) which I’ve suppressed the memory of until now.

I’ve come such a long way from that, and from my horrible childhood, and yes I was thrown off guard from grandma’s death, and I consider everything before that my old life, and everything since a second rebirth, like I have an entirely different life. it’s still haunting me every single day and it does whenever I go past her closed off room, and I still feel her very presence in this house and with me everywhere I go.

things have been immensely difficult, but I’ve survived, and yes I’ve come out a completely different person, and I’ve changed. but we all change through life and I was changed by my grandmother’s love for me and her presence from the very day I was born, and changed by her death. it’s been a change for the better, and she can rest easy knowing that I’ll never forget her or how fiercely she fought for me through my addiction when everyone including my psych team gave up on me and were about to just let me drink myself to death, but not her.

she let me lay on her floor every night and rant and talk about literally anything and everything, would share her saltine crackers and tootsie rolls with me so I’d have at least something to eat even if it was nothing substantial. she insisted that if I drank, I had to drink in her room so she could watch my every move since she was terrified of me dying alone in my room. if I passed out there (which I did most nights in the later stages of my addiction), she would do all she could to make me a bed out of blankets on the floor, even when she couldn’t walk anymore, so that I wouldn’t be sleeping on the hard, nasty carpet.

she gave me a place to just be, and I still think she’s the only reason I’m still alive.

because of grandma’s love, I’m still standing here today, a completely changed person, but at least I’m still alive.

i planned to die at 16, then 18, then 21, then 25, and then at 28. but I’m still here, against all odds, and I’m so grateful that I am.

here’s to the rest of my life, a very long life.

[plofisto]

INACTIVE.

hello, everyone! back with a more easy format for this. my name is abbi! i am eighteen years old ( she / her pronouns ) and i have been roleplaying for about seven years. i love animation, drawing and listening to spotify playlists for fandoms and original characters! i'm looking for new long-term, 1x1 roleplays so, i am opening up a roleplay partner call. if you're interested, please message me or like this post, though i prefer the former!

what i'm looking for! —

friends outside of roleplaying!

piggybacking off my previous point, but sharing art, making spotify playlists, sharing aesthetics, etc!

as already mentioned, i am looking for a long-term 1x1 roleplay.

worldbuilding!!

activity! i’m generally a very active person and can send multiple replies throughout the day. i understand life is busy but communication is important to me while roleplaying! if i will be unavailable, i’ll do my best to tell you!

more information, specifically my preferences, tropes, fandoms, etc are below!

my preferences! —

i'm fluent in english. i write in third person and past tense with semi-literate to literate responses depending on the circumstances of the roleplay! i also use lowercase for aesthetic purposes.

be 18+ please! my limit is those above twenty five!

i roleplay only on discord, where my pen name is different! after we discuss the basics, we can exchange usernames! i also only roleplay in mini private servers, and i do not use bots.

i'm a plot oriented person, so i only participate in roleplays where both parties are willing to play multiple characters! of course, we discuss who is who, but regardless, i do not only play a love interest. i also have a few limits about characters i won’t play, especially in star wars, but we can discuss that in private!

canon / canon, oc / oc and oc / canon!! f / m, f / f, m / m, nb / nb, m / nb, f / nb!! i love variety! i won't just do one of either category, especially f / m oc / canon ships! give me all kinds of ships.

i love doing more than one roleplay at a time, especially with different fandoms! however, i won't do two roleplays just for the sake of our ocs. let's create a plot that features both of our ocs!

speaking of ocs, the more, the merrier! i love creating ocs and hearing about ocs others make! the probability of me wanting to kiss your oc on the head will most likely be extremely high.

the occasional smut is fine, though i don't like it being the focus of the roleplay.

i don't use real people as faceclaims. i use my own artistic abilities, picrews or animated faceclaims! i don't roleplay with people who steal art. i would also prefer if future roleplay partners don’t use real life faceclaims.

i use forms for my ocs occasionally! it really depends on if you do or don't, anything is fine by me!

from the bottom of my heart, i do not care about what you ship. however, i will not include incest, non-con, underage, pedophilia or anything along those lines. we can talk about other general limits/triggers in private!

inactivity. i understand everyone is busy, but communication is extremely important! if no one is talking for at least a month, i automatically delete the server or leave it. i’m a very patient person, however, so communicate and we can figure something out!

things i want to write! —

forbidden love

enemies to lovers

lovers to enemies

slow burn

fluff, action, angst!!

found family

canon / canon, oc / oc, oc / canon!! f / m, f / f, m / m, nb / nb, m / nb, f / nb!! again, variety! i am very open to ships!

fandoms, will be updating this continuously! —

star wars, aka the fixation rn: the clone wars, the bad batch, the tales of the jedi. please have seen tcw and tbb if you're interested! i also like to incorporate legends. i am quite opinionated about canon characters and i’m also jedi order neutral.

overwatch: unfortunately, i have not played the game. however, i am very familiar with the lore. and i love blackwatch era!

transformers: transformers prime and bayverse / knight ( preferably lore / select characters from all continuities ) and influences from comics!

dc animation: earth-16, dcau, dcamu and influences from comics! i love the lantern corps and justice league!

[jasper-pagan-witch]

So I'm looking into pop culture paganism and I'm especially curious about Mara, Dibella, Sanguine, Boethia, and Sheogorath, how would you suggest going about it in terms of what their spheres are and what offerings would match them?

*claps hands* Oh anon, do I have the resource for you! I've been working for a while on @the-college-of-whispers, a TES magic/paganism blog!

So, have some specific entity links!

Boethiah

Dibella

Mara

Sanguine

Sheogorath

Boethiah is the deity of deceit, conspiracy, secret plots of murder, assassination, treason, and unlawful overthrowing of authority. He is not barred by gender, as she appears however they please. Secret acts of baneful magic, getting revenge and justice and retribution, war - these are the things that Boethiah oversees. Stones and plants used for baneful magic, such as obsidian and needles, are nice offerings. Weapons and weapon imagery also work!

Dibella is a goddess of passion, love, beauty, dance, art, and music. She is a goddess who would enjoy a devotional playlist, a frenzied dance that doesn't follow any rhyme or reason, doing what you love and are passionate about even if it doesn't follow her sphere. She canonically has personal relationships with her followers, so she wants people to reach out to her. Cinnamon is a good powdered offering, just be careful if your lungs are easily irritated. Roses and other flowers are go-to symbols for love.

Mara is a goddess of love, fertility, agriculture, and compassion - the things that stabilize civilization. She is a mother and a keeper. Her oldest form is one of fertility (of the land, not procreation) and she's in nearly every TES pantheon. She is unconditional love, protecting the innocent, and caring for others. Four of her holy relics are a chalice, a phylactery, a dagger, and a circlet, so items along these lines make good offerings. Quartz is a good crystal offering too - not just rose, but also clear and snow.

And then we get to my man Sanguine, who's all about that party life! As god and patron of vices, drunkenness, revelry, and debauchery, "Sam Guevenne" knows how to let loose. Winding down after a long day, popping open a boy with the Cold Ones a cold one with the boys, and treating yourself every once in a while - these are things that Sanguine rules. Alcohol is a predictable and in-character offering, but so are cigarettes or anything else that constitutes a vice, even things otherwise harmless. His primary artifact as of the Skyrim game is literally called Sanguine's Rose, so roses are good flower offerings, I would think.

And finally, Sheogorath. The Mad God, the Fourth Corner of the House of Troubles, the god whose DLC comforted me when I was younger and didn't know the words to describe what was wrong with my brain. Basically, I love this man, even though I don't worship him today. His affinity for cheese is legendary. Other than that, random impulsive things you decide to do for or give to him are all fair game.

I hope that this helps you, anon!

~Jasper

[miodiodavinci]

3, 4, 10, 11, and 29 for the ask game?

these are fun questions!! sorry if i chose too many lol

ohhh thank you ! ! ! ! ! ! ;; o ;; i'll put these under a read more because oh no these are so long askjfdhklf

3. What ideas come from when you were little

well Very Little Me ala elementary school exclusively drew cats and dragons and digimon and neopets and i feel like a lot of that no longer exists in my art outside of very vague plans to one day get back into just making funky technicolor animals for the hell of it

but like in terms of character and story concepts funnily enough, i feel like what i enjoy and really want to achieve now is essentially what Middle School Little Me deeply wanted to draw but adamantly refused themself on principle due to a lot of internalized ideas about what makes "good" and "bad" characters

like little me loved reading cheap mangas and watching cruddy AMVs and reading edgy over-dramatic short stories and looking at people's neon winged scene cat OCs on devianart but also refused to let themself publicly acknowledge liking any of these things, much less allowed themself to draw them, and thus existed in this sort of tense "ohhhh i hate you so much you're So Cool and Look So Fun but that's because you're Bad and Terrible and therefore my stuff is So Much Better™ because it's Boring and not you" phase for years until i got into VOCALOID and realized "wait drawing anime crap fucks" and never looked back ADKJHAKL

like my typical pre-VOCALOID OC would have been Some Guy™ with an Exceptionally Normal Life™ who had a Weird Science Thing™ happen to him that i'd then have to explain for 30 pages before i lost interest and dropped like a rock, but my typical post-VOCALOID OC is literally like

"okay so basically they're a cassette tape who's been animated by this hell facility and is maybe magic but is also maybe just the secondary protagonist projecting herself onto the tape as she's done with the other 7 junk people here but ALSO they're special because they can see alternate timelines and they don't speak but people understand them because they talk through implied second person narration like an RPG protagonist. this is a canon, in-meta aspect of their character. do not steal."

ww that aside, art style-wise at least, i can Definitely Say™ that while a lot of my middle school art style has kind of disappeared over the years, that thing where i draw the hips forward and the legs pointed back a bit with the whole body kind of forming an acute angle that is absolutely something middle school me discovered that i have yet to figure out how to break AKDJHALDKJ

like

dig through my artwork and you will find a million and ten examples of this Exact™ leg placement, ranging from subtle to extreme w

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

(hands clenched and trembling) i have this one character i've been working on for two years now that i have a Very Specific Design In Mind For™ but he's so non-descript that it's Impossible to narrow down What™ that design is so he's looked different every single time i've drawn or tried to design him It's Hell™

rest in fucking pieces, virgil

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw

m m m m i know i definitely love drawing big baggy clothes that obscure the form underneath because heehee easy to take shortcuts, and y'all Know™ i like drawing cool boots because i have my own boots to reference 24/7 and thus it's second nature at this point, but i don't know if i have a favorite piece of clothing specifically??

i like scarves, i like hoodies, i like boots, i like oversized jackets, i like gloves, i like front-brimmed hats , , , , ,

still haven't figured out how to make dresses that make sense though and that kills me every day 😭

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

i do ! ! ! and more often than not it is one of two massive playlists i have that each contain upwards of 1500 vocalo works because i physically cannot get enough of these funky little vocal synths AKDJHADLKJ

admittedly nowadays it's moved on from being exclusively VOCALOID/UTAU + some nostalgic touhou classics and has been peppered more and more with non-vocal synth works ala syudou's non-vocalo things, su lee, bill wurtz, woodkid, sigur rós, and a small smattering of other artists (though again the playlist is 99.9% vocal synth www)

i really, truly need to get into other artists though because every time someone asks what sort of music i'm into i feel death approach me like a dark horse on an open moor OTL

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

this one i had to think about for. a really long time askdjsdjf

it might be kind of a simple answer, but i'd probably have to say OFF? which is to say that i adore the game with all my heart and love replaying it every couple of years, but it's the kind of game i enjoy just experiencing and reminiscing about rather than pulling it apart and emulating in my own works w

either way, thank you for asking ! ! ! ! a a a a ! ! ! !

[doublerainebow]

Artist Resources (Part 1?)

This is basically just going to be a bunch of resources I have found to be useful. I can’t say that I’ve used all of them, but I’m sure they’re all worth checking out.

I’m also gonna try to put a detailed description for most of the links so you have a better idea of what you’re getting. I apologize in advance if some of them are redundant lol

(I put “Part 1″ if in the case I make another one)

~Links to Tutorials, Tips, Resources, etc~

Another Resource List -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Apparently, the post isn’t mobile-friendly, so it’s suggested to view this on Tumblr browser. Has a bunch of other links. I’ve checked out a few of them (mainly the copyright stuff lol), and it seems that some of the links may be a bit outdated. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check out the links.

Arms and Legs -- Leads to another Tumblr post. A handy tutorial on elbow and knee placement.

Art & Game Dev -- This leads to my personal playlist of a bunch of YouTube videos. Has a bunch of tutorials and interesting videos that I’ve collected over the course of a few years lol.

Blamblot -- A website that contains resources and tutorials on comic lettering. This is primarily in reference to western comics, but it doesn’t help to take a looksie.

Commission Calculator -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Helps artists to stop selling themselves short.

Comparing Heights (hikaku-sitatter) -- A height comparer for centimeters.

Comparing Heights -- A height comparer for feet and inches.

Mouth Shapes and Lip-Syncing -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Useful for... drawing mouth shapes.

Reference Angle -- Useful for when you’re trying to map out a face from an odd angle.

Soft Proofing for Printing -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Helps when you’re trying to make prints of your artwork.

Textures -- A website full of different and mostly free textures. While this website is made for 3D texturing, it can also be useful for 2D drawings. Signing up gives you 15 free credits everyday, and you can use those credits to download some textures for free.

The Models Resource -- A website of models ripped from a wide array of games.

The Spriters Resource -- A website of sprites ripped from a wide array of games.

The Textures Resource -- A websites of textures ripped from a wide array of games. 

~Links to Stock Images~

Please check out whatever policies they may have for their images before using them!

(not sure if any of them are active anymore as I followed some of these accounts a long time ago when I used to be more active on Deviant Art lol)

adorkastock (formerly senshistock)

anatoref -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Has a bunch of hand photo references

charligal-stock

HumanAnatomy4Artist -- Does contain nudity

null-entity

PhelanDavion

RobynRose

~Links to Other Artists~

Akihito Yoshitomi -- Yoshitomi is a mangaka who has tutorials on manga making. He also has an insightful series in which he drafts and draws a 30-page manga in 18 days. Remember that every artist works differently and his process may be different from another’s.

Drawfee -- Drawfee is an improv drawing show of four artists: Nathan Yaffe, Jacob Andrews, Julia Lepetit, and Karina Farek. While they don’t have tutorials in a sense, their videos explain the different processes they go through as they draw. They also occasionally provide tips, tricks, and resources in their videos. They do have another channel and a Twitch channel where they host drawing classes in addition to other fun shenanigans.

EtheringtonBrothers -- Has a bunch of useful and eye-catching tutorials called “How to Think When You Draw”.

Mark Crilley -- Mark is a comic artist, specializing in manga, who has a bunch of tutorials about anatomy, perspective, comic making, and other things.

Miyuli -- Miyuli is an artist who posts tutorials on their Twitter. Their tutorials range from anatomy to clothing to other things. They even have a few books of art tips. Currently (as of the time of posting this), their 2018 version is free for download, so I highly recommend you download that. Some tips may be outdated, but they should still be helpful.

Whyt Manga (Twitter/YouTube) -- Odunze is a comic artist, specializing in manga, that has a bunch of tutorials on manga making and drawing characters of color.

~Links to Free Programs~

Blender -- A free 3D program if you’re into 3D modeling and such. I also personally haven’t used Blender (I use Maya lol), but I know it’s a respectable program.

Krita -- A free painting program if you can’t afford Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint. I personally haven’t used Krita, but I have recommended it to a few friends and they have positive reviews about it.

Paint Tool SAI -- Okay, this one isn’t free, but it’s a significantly cheaper painting program where you don’t have to pay a subscription. It’s 5,500JPY (~50 USD). I’m not sure how well it still works on modern computers (the last update was 2016), but I still use it here and there because I love the pen tool feature it has, and it still works like a charm for me.

~General Tips From Raine~

Raine admits that she’s guilty of not following her own advice, but Raine hopes that the tips that she does know will be beneficial to someone who will follow them. She’s also going to keep all her tips under the cut so as to not make this post a huge wall of text (even though it technically already is lol)

Also, if you have some resources, tutorials, tips yourself, please feel free to send them to me and maybe I’ll make a part 2 to this post!

ALWAYS LOOK FOR REFERENCE. This should really go without saying. You can’t draw from life if you refuse to observe life itself.

If you can’t find the exact thing you need, MAKE YOUR OWN REFERENCE. Time and time again, I can’t find something exactly that I need. So instead, what I do is that I take pictures of my own reference. Sometimes I even grab a friend and take pictures of them doing whatever it is I need.

Have a mirror handy when you’re drawing. Sometimes what you need is actually right there in front of you.

Having trouble drawing something? Do some studies. Take the time to understand what it is you’re drawing. I can’t remember the exact story, but I heard that the people who were working on Tarzan were having a hard time drawing his hands. So, what they did was spend a few hours looking at hands to try and understand how they work.

IT’S OKAY TO STUDY THE ART OF OTHER ARTISTS. Just as we look to the old masters as a reference, it’s definitely okay to look at modern-day artists for reference. Just don’t go copying exactly everything that they do, or worse, trace what they do. Just don’t do it... at all.

Not every line needs to be realized. The viewer of your work will automatically connect the dots.

DO NOT TRASH YOUR OLD DRAWINGS. Please, never ever do this. Your old drawings have value to them, even if they look terrible to you. Old drawings may hold ideas for things you could do for the future. They also serve as a way to see how far you’ve come as an artist.

GETTING BETTER AT DRAWING TAKES TIME AND EFFORT. You’re not gonna get better overnight. It’ll take months, or even years, to feel like you’re a competent artist, and even then, you’ll still have room for improvement.

DON’T LOOK DOWN ON YOURSELF IF YOU’RE TAKING A LONG TIME TO GET BETTER. It’ll be better for your mental health in the long run.

Alternatively, DON'T LOOK DOWN ON OTHER ARTISTS EITHER, ESPECIALLY TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER. You know the struggles it took for you to get where you are, so don’t go putting down other people when you’ve been in their shoes once.

KEEP DRAWING. If you’re not making an effort to get better, then you’re not going to be better. I get that it’s hard to find the inspiration to draw (I’m very guilty of this), but just keep trying. It doesn’t have to be big or spectacular. You don’t even have to post it if you’re the type who likes to post their art stuff.

Try to find references from real-life. It’ll help you better understand form, lighting, shadows, etc., especially if you’re going for a more realistic kind of art style. Otherwise, finding reference from things like cartoons, anime, comics, etc. are just as good.

Try new things. Try new art mediums. Try a different art style. Switch up the way you do things. Maybe you’ll hate it, maybe you’ll like it. Who knows if you don’t try.

Watch time-lapses (or speed draws/speed paints) of other artists!

Pinterest and Google are your friends if you need tutorials or references or whatever.

If you’re offering commissions, DO NOT WORK UNDER YOUR LOCAL MINIMUM WAGE. You are literally devaluing the work you actually put into a piece.

I like to think I’m an aficionado of Photoshop, so feel free to ask me questions on how to achieve something! I’ve used Photoshop for about 11 years now and know my way around the program. On another note, I do recommend setting custom keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop because the default shortcuts are terrible (in my opinion), and because having custom shortcuts increases the speed of your workflow.

Because I’ve been seeing this a lot lately in Twitter, you’re never too old to start in art. Art is just one of those things that anyone can pick up at any age because the only thing you really need to get good in art is time, diligence, and patience.

Try not to post hi-res images of your artwork to prevent art stealers from selling your artwork in high resolution.

Always, always, always add your signature and watermark on your artwork. I like to add my signatures and watermarks in places that’ll be hard to erase or crop out. I’ve also seen people add their signatures and watermarks in creative ways (ex. on a character’s shirt). You need to protect your work in an era where people will just blatantly steal it and make profit off your work.

Tag List

@reality-is-often-disappointing

[mdverse]

4, 20, 22 :)

4. favorite thing to draw

vb au my absolute beloved <3 but more generally i love drawing characters interacting? super vague way to describe it but like... idk just trying to showcase the dynamics between characters?

20. a piece from this year that you’re really proud of

there are so many to choose from already this year! here are a few:

sleeping santana

furtana family bonding trip

corset vest!kurt

santanaverse

vb au uht glow up

the fact that they are all vb au is genuinely a coincidence aksdjfh but i guess that just goes to show how much i love that au

22. what inspires you

a lot of things! i think u know this more than anyone mist, since you put up with a lot of my thoughts on a very regular basis :)

i think music is a big one. i've drawn a couple of stuff directly inspired by songs/performances, but i also really enjoy trying to capture the feelings that certain songs give me! like i channeled at last by etta james for the diner!brittana, i have a vb au furtana playlist that i listen to when i draw them bc those songs perfectly encapsulate the dynamic i picture for them, and in general i try to put on playlists that match the mood of whatever i'm drawing. not to mention the stuff like musicals, tv shows, and movies that inspire some of my aus.

the other thing is just like... everyday life? lil experiences, memories and feelings that pop up and that i want to capture, yknow? part of why vb au in particular is so vibrant and full of energy is bc vb was a highlight of my high school experience, orchestra au happened bc i was watching an orchestra concert and i found myself missing the time in my life where i did play musical instruments regularly and i wondered what it would be like if i hadn't dropped them, i put a lot of effort into the forest for that furtana camping trip art bc i love walking around in nature, kurt with a basket of fruit literally just happened bc my art history class talked about that painting for a bit and i thought it was cool, the santana glee advent drawing is based on a painting i made in high school, which in turn was based on a lot of the conflicting thoughts and feelings i was dealing with at the time.

idk what to say about the cursed aus lmao. i blame u and fellow tumblr user fettuccinecaterpillar for spongeblaine bc i genuinely had not thought of that, and unfortunately i have no one but myself to blame for shruck (except maybe you for encouraging me every time i pitch bad ideas?)

idk i guess what i'm trying to say is that i get inspiration from many different aspects of life? it's fun to think of these lil mundane things and then translate them into bigger moments in art form, or to sprinkle in lil feelings that mean so much to me. i think it helps me cherish every single artwork i make, even if i may not love the final result, yknow? not to mention seeing so much incredible art from other artists that i admire... it really pushes me to continue creating my own stuff too!

art ask game :)

[daredevilexchange]

Want to be featured here? Head to this page and fill in the form!

See what this is about here, or if you’re using the app here.

What’s your fannish ID? Taggerung or Tagg. It’s my chosen name (I’m non-binary), and yes it’s from the Redwall character. 

What types of fanworks do you create? Currently have only done art and shitposts/text post edits but have some fic and fan mixes in the works

What are your favourite types of fanworks, when you’re not creating? Art and fics (when I can sit down and read that is…)

What do you like in particular about this fandom? Absolutely love how willing a lot of people are to ship Matt with everyone under the sun 😂 I am a sucker for angst, hurt/comfort (gee in the daredevil fandom, ya don’t say!), and polyam ships. Matt, Karen, Frank, and Foggy are my favorites (individually and as a polycule). 

Do you like participating in fan events? Yes. Because it gives me a deadline I didn’t set and gets my adhd behind in gear 🤣

What about your creating process? I usually need a show I’ve already watched or music playing while I write or draw. I cannot work in silence! Night time (between 11 and 3am) are usually when I end up getting anything done. I make character and ship playlists in Spotify to work with [here’s a playlist!]. Also guilty of occasionally giving myself some inspo with Fireball. Normally have an Aussie or two touching me or “helping” in some way… [pic of the doggo helpers below]

Do you interact a lot with other fans? I try to! Sometimes my social batteries are dead, huge servers intimidate me, but I always try to leave comments on fics and art that I enjoy, and of course reblog art as it comes across. 

Do you have other fandoms you'd like to talk about? I’m in…so many fandoms, as my handle suggests. I love The Punisher show and The Defenders/Jessica Jones/Luke Cage. Was writing with a friend and we ended up mashing xmen and daredevil, now I ship Rogue and Matt and it’s entirely their fault lol. 

Is there any particular piece you'd like to showcase for this post? https://tooattached2fictionalcharacters.tumblr.com/post/672854336230064128/day-6-of-daredevil-fanweek-the-fights-wrong-side It’s my favorite piece I’ve done for Daredevil so far. I only just started digital art literally for fanweek so I was pretty happy with the result. 

Is there anything else you want to tell us about yourself? I’m queer, I write with the pace of a snail going uphill through molasses in January…or like a speedster with red bull. Just depends on the day, and while I am occasionally sodium laced I love talking so feel free to just hope in my inbox to talk fandom. 

Where can your fanworks be found? http://instagram.com/artbytaggerung  http://archiveofourown.org/users/tooattached2fictionalcharacters http://Twitter.com/artbytaggerung http://tooattached2fictionalcharacters.tumblr.com tag: tagg doodles

Thank you, @tooattached2fictionalcharacters !

banner by @context-is-for-kingpins !

[ID on a white background, four black triangles that look like spotlights from above. Each illuminates one of the Defenders silhouetted in white: Jessica, Luke, Danny, Matt. A hand on the left is holding a pen writing the words Content Creator Spotlight. There is a little Punisher skull on the pen. End ID]

[d-criss-news]

1883magazine.com

Darren Criss

On his new EP ‘Masquerade,’ the multi-talented Darren Criss welcomes everyone to the party.

Throughout his career, Darren Criss has never been one to shy away from boundaries. As an actor, he has won numerous awards and critical acclaim for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s award-winning drama American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, as well as hearts and a cult-like following for his portrayal of Harry Potter in Team Starkid’s A Very Potter Musical. As a musician, his talent shows the same range; he is as well known for his ability to belt a broadway ballad as he is for his covers of Top 40 hits on Glee.

For Criss, this is because all music is simply music. Musicians and listeners alike need not box themselves into certain genres and while this concept is currently growing in mainstream media, it is one Criss has known since he was a teenager. At Warped Tour, he encountered fellow San Franciscans Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, a punk-rock cover band that specializes in the unexpected (their most played track on Spotify is Country Roads.). Inspired by what he’s always known was possible, Darren’s career has had freedom most artists take years to explore — and with his new EP, it’s clear that is the most recent chapter.

‘Masquerade’ is an exploration into Criss’ more eclectic side with each track on the record representing a different persona or masque for the artist. The overt character-driven quality of the EP lends not only to allowing fans to learn more about Darren Criss, but also to create a project where something can be found for everyone.

1883 Magazine spoke to Darren Criss about his perception of genre, his new EP, and the curse of creative people.

Congratulations on ‘Masquerade’. I love it. It’s so fun!

Fun is a very fair adjective, I would agree.

I feel like there’s a very cohesive vision or aesthetic to it. When you set out to make the project, did you have this end goal in min  or were you just making music?

Yes and no. First and foremost, when you’re dealing with the whole of what an artist does, there are so many different facets that make the whole piece. To start, I’m just a songwriter — that’s the main thing that seeds everything else. But, because I’m a creative person, I’d like to think that I have a somewhat cohesive vision for my projects. However, you can conjecture and pontificate over what you want to happen, but ultimately a project is going to come out how it does. The thing that ties it all together, hopefully, is the artistry of the music or the person’s voice. When I heard you say “cohesive” my mind was like, “Phew!” Because we’re all scatterbrained people and we just constantly pray other people somehow think that we planned something or we had it envisioned all along, so to hear that is an enormous relief.

That being said, I had hope for how the EP would come together. I’ve been leaning into this notion of a character-driven song. The dirty secret about that is all songs are character-driven; all art is character-driven in some way or another. I just use that wording to aide folks that might be perceiving me as an actor and to apply that methodology to music.

How so?

I always thought it was a bit of an unfair double standard — where actors can be in a horror movie or romantic comedy — and we’re still behind that person as an actor. Actors can put on a prosthetic nose or a wig and do different things to service whatever story they’re doing. Historically music has been a little trickier, but now I think that’s changing. I’ve always been a self-proclaimed genrephile. I love so many different kinds of things. Growing up it was difficult for me to really assert this without confusing people. Now, that kaleidoscope has shifted in my favour, because people are more into eclecticism and musical diversity due to playlist culture and the whole homogeneity of everything. I’m employing this notion of being an actor and being behind a character and applying it to music by treating each song as its own kind of character. I want the art to correspond with that.

That’s an interesting concept to apply to music.

I know that everything I just said is horrifically more cerebral than it needs to be. If you like the music and it’s fun, great. I’m just trying to help people out that might be confused by perhaps some of the cognitive dissonance that’s happening between some of the styles. At the end of the day, it’s an artist’s voice, literal singing voice, and heart voice — what they have to say and how they say it — that tie everything together. People are more accepting of that than they used to be. This is exciting for me because I finally got to lean into something that I’ve always leaned into my entire life.

The last EP you released was ‘Homework’ in 2017. How do you think you’ve grown as an artist since then?

For me, obviously, there’s personal growth and professional growth. I think my growth is much more technical — getting better at recording music or being able to translate abstract ideas into physical recording — the things that I don’t think necessarily would be seen on the records. Again, much like an actor, ‘Homework’ was me playing the part of making a very low-key, singer/songwriter record. I’m a big believer in dressing for a party. I had some singer/songwriter songs that I wanted to honour. Each record I release shows a different version of myself that I haven’t gotten around to sharing.

The songs on ‘Masquerade’ are not like, “oh man in the past few years, I’ve suddenly become this person.” The EP was me finally getting in touch with my more Garage Band musician roots that I hadn’t been able to flex. It made sense to me to finally make this music. I had linked up with people that I thought could help me bring it to life in a way that hadn’t been done before and I felt like the timing was right. As I mentioned, it seemed like audiences might be a little more privy to this kind of thing.

I don’t want to be so stubborn as to think that there hasn’t been growth. I’ve been so lucky as an actor, that I’ve been busy as an actor. The only obstacle to me putting out more music, which I wish I was doing all the time, is time. I’m not an artist that just shows up, sings, and checks out. I’m writing, I’m producing, and I’m really in the weeds. It takes a great deal of investment, emotionally and mentally when I make music.

So, when you say, “you wish you were always releasing music,” do you mean to imply you have more music or at least ideas for more music?

I think the curse of creative people is that our ideas move faster than our bodies can execute. What this inevitably will create is a huge queue of unattended things that you will always be haunted by. From there, you have to catch as catch can. At any given moment, there’s still so much more in the queue that I want to put out. It literally took a global shutdown for me to finally have the time to look at the said queue, and say, “Okay, which project do I not only really want to do, but also do I have the resources to do and do I think fits into where I am right now?” Because I’m very cognisant of l where I am in my career. I have this huge selection of songs and when I have the time to focus on music, I go through and pick the ones I think fit where I am mentally and how I think other people are feeling.

With all these different genres of music you’ve released and all the music-centric projects that you’ve been a part of, is there a type of music that you enjoy performing the most?

I would say everything, but I don’t mean that in a way to just include everything. By nature, I’m a dot connector; I like shortening the distance between two things as much as possible and showing people how they can coexist. It’s my MO personally and professionally. Genre, while it has a lot to do with the cultural background and history of a type of music, is the boxes that we’ve arbitrarily made up to categorize and market music. I’m completely nondenominational when it comes to genre because all I can hear is chords, melody, and lyrics. It’s never been separated to me. When I’m performing live, I relish getting to lean in and bring together genres. I love using the setlist to show an audience how similar different genres are. For example, I’ll play a punk rock song and right after that I’ll sit at the piano and sing a ballad. My voice will be a little different, but it’s still my voice. Just like in acting, no matter what character an actor is portraying, it’s still their face and their body. Trying to minimize a distance between genres when I perform is an exciting prospect because I like getting audiences to rethink what they think they know about the differences between genre and how really at the end of the day it’s all just storytelling. So…I like performing it all.

I didn’t say you couldn’t say you liked everything. [Chuckles] That’s a perfectly acceptable answer.

I like putting all of it together specifically to show the similarities. Historically, all the great steps forward in a new kind of art form have been by mashing two or three seemingly unrelated things together. It’s happening constantly. It’s happening right now. Culture is a constant conversation back and forth. It’s a sharing of ideas that ebb and flow to create something new. I’m not saying that I’m taking part in this ancient conversation, but I’m certainly enjoying it. When I see pieces of it that I would like to showcase, I jump at the opportunity to do so.

Since ‘Masquerade’ has been in your creative bank for a while, what would you say inspired it?

Every song has its own inspiration. The album doesn’t really have an inspiration. If anything, I’m trying to make sure that I can show up for myself. I feel like with everything that I’ve done musically, I haven’t gotten to represent who and what I am and what I do. To me, this EP gets me closer to that goal. I still think that only a small percentage of me has been represented and that’s just because of time. I haven’t been able to focus on music in the way that I’d like, but ‘Masquerade’ is a huge stride for me.

Speaking of you being on Broadway, Elsie Fest is Sunday! On top of it just being exciting because it’s back, it’s your first public gig in almost two years. What did you miss most about the festival?

Listen, even without a global pandemic to worry about, putting on a music festival is hard enough. It’s one of my favourite times of the year because I’m very proud of what we’ve built and what we’ve continued to build and expand upon over the years. There’s been a community that has been built around not only people that come to the festival but people that have been part of it. I’ve followed these performers’ careers and I’ve been really grateful that we got a piece of their magic and got to be part of their journey at Elsie Fest. Magic which I can’t take credit for. I just lucked out with having incredible people perform. Over the years, we’ve had Cynthia Erivo perform twice. The first time she premiered a song called ‘You Will Be Found’ from a musical that would open in a year called ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ We premiered a song from a movie called ‘The Greatest Showman.’ Keala Settle went on to win a Golden Globe for that song. Last year, we had a young girl from Disney sing for us — her name was Olivia Rodrigo. Those are just three examples. There’s been a lot of people that I’ve been thrilled to see do their thing. This year we have an incredible lineup. Barlow & Bear are coming, along with Jordan Fisher, Adrienne Warren, Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado, and Alex Brightman. It’s gonna be great.

The obvious and the biggest answer is getting to perform live within as much of a safe and comfortable environment as humanly possible. Luckily we’re an outdoor festival, so that’s already to our advantage. I will be performing this new EP, but there is also a lot of music to catch up on and a lot of music I want to share. I’m mainly excited to share it with other human beings. I look at performing as a service industry. Everything that I do isn’t worth a whole lot unless other people experience it because it takes on a life of its own. The audience is not there for me & I’m there for them. I’m trying to service an experience that’s bigger than both of us and create something that couldn’t have been there if both parties were on their own.

Before I let you go, I need to tell you that Tramp Stamp Granny’s is one of my favourite bars in LA. I’m obsessed! I haven’t made it back yet. Like I said earlier, the editor Kelsey is also one of my best friends and when she comes, it’s top on my list of places to take her.

Really?! That makes me so happy. You couldn’t have said a better thing. We’re open again to limited capacity. We require vaccinations cards at the door and we’re only open Thursday-Saturday. Talk about being with people — the night we reopened, about a month ago, I got pretty emotional. It was nice to see people just being happy to sing and celebrate life with strangers. That was a really encouraging sentiment because despite the use of digital communication which I do think is an amazing thing, we, so clearly, inevitably, yearn for each other. Despite everything, people were coming to the bar and were so happy to be there and be around other people. Our need for other human beings is a constant that is extremely encouraging to me as a bleeding heart idealist. It’s nice to be a small part of that.

Finally, you said earlier Barlow and Bear were going to be at Elsie Fest. I cannot wait for the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical and was so excited to see you’re involved.

It’s cool meeting them because in a much more organized and impressive fashion they’re doing what my friends and I did ten years ago with ‘A Very Potter Musical.’ They are insanely talented and deserve to be the huge phenomenon they have become. They’re the future. I’m trying to grab onto their coattails however I can. [chuckles] They’re just getting started. I’ve been a big fan of Emily’s for a long time. She hates it when people say this, but [mock yells] she was a child prodigy and she still is. She’s an amazing human being.

Masquerade is out now.

Follow Darren Criss @darrencriss

Interview by Sydney Bolen

[smilesrobotlover]

30, 20, 11! (For the ask game)

30: any art you find underrated of yours? Gonna be honest, I find a lot of my art ignored or forgotten about but these two kinds make sense: the first one is a post I was super proud of BUT it was mostly an oc post (Link is there but my ocs were scattered) so naturally it kinda got lost with the rest of my loz art (if you stick to a fandom, your ocs will get neglected 😔) and then I picked another one cuz I can, and this piece was another piece I was super proud of. I find that I struggle with lighting, especially since my laptop makes things a lot brighter than they are, so anything where I’m satisfied with the lighting I love. And I loved Flower’s face here, I enjoy his eye color. But alas, he is a link oc and a not very well known one at that so his content isn’t very well known. But ye!! Sorry that was a lot longer than it should’ve been

20: anything that everyone struggles to draw but you seem to enjoy? Uuuuuh… I have no idea. I struggle with everything so I don’t feel like I’m good at anything. I guess if I had to pick something that I don’t see everywhere is muscles? I shamelessly give every character of mine some form of muscles cuz this curves on an arm or leg are so 😩👌 I love muscles.

11: do you listen to anything while you draw and what? I listen to video game music, sometimes when I need to focus, I put on a playlist like “the entire twilight princess soundtrack” or something. That way I don’t have to change the song. And I used to listen to horror stories while I drew but I literally binges every video of the specific YouTuber so I haven’t been doing that lately (and I like his voice since it’s more mellow and calm and he’s not trying to act so it’s much easier to listen to for me) sooo yeah mostly music. I do watch some videos but videos aren’t the best with drawing cuz sometimes you get distracted with the visuals. So listening for me is better

[genaleah]

ANSWERING WILDCARD QUESTIONS

For the first time in about a year maybe??? Some of these might be even older than that.

Yes, it is Korka! I definitely want her involved, she’s a wonderful character and there is a *lot* of fun paranormal stuff going on in this setting that she can help them research. Also, I’d just love for her and Nelson to become friends!

Thank you! I love him a lot, and it’s fun to picture him interacting with the other guys. They’d all make for some interesting uncle figures, but they might not be that great in terms of role models.

OHOHO. Devilish laugh. That’s a wonderful idea, and a good way to keep him occupied at some point. He’s a great character, but he’s incredibly powerful, and I want these dudes to solve their own problems whenever possible. 

A good question! I don’t remember most of my dreams, but there’s usually a consistent look to the vivid ones. Lots of water, mountains, creeks, and high, winding roads. There are also a lot of buildings that are closely integrated with nature, even though I have almost never seen construction like that. 

I had not, but now I have! Here’s a trailer, for anyone else that missed it:

https://youtu.be/33HXHaaagsw

I really like these new models! I’m looking forward to watching a playthrough when that’s available. Just like with Rhombus of Ruin, I don’t think I’ll be able to play this one myself.

DOUBLE FINE, I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU- no, I’m kidding! I think great minds think alike. But I’m really excited to learn more about that character and possibly involve them in this whole au eventually. 

I’ve actually tried to avoid almost any info about Psychonauts 2 so I can go in mostly-blind, and a lot of the characters are vague to me. It’s fun to look forward to, but it’s also a little harrowing because I don’t know how to anticipate for it!

N...NO..... I NEED TO... Honestly those are old enough that it might be a good idea for me to re-make them, as well as the playing cards I made for the mega playlist cover. I think it’d be nice to remake them as vectors... that might make for a nice art stream sometime. I’ll mention publicly if I start doing that, and sharing any of these conceptual Wildcards arts when they’re done. 

And if you’re just curious about what the tarot cards for the other characters are going to be, it’s this:

Eddie: Judgement, The Magician, The Emperor

Manny: Death, Justice, The World

Sam: The Chariot, The Tower, Strength

Max: The Devil, Wheel of Fortune, Joker

Although! I may actually give the Moon card to Max instead of the Devil, and replace the missing card from Nelson’s selection with the High Priestess?  🤔  I’ll decide when I get to it.

Could be! I’ve flip-flopped occasionally on if I want the split-a-cab gang to participate much in the story. I think they deserve a break, and splitting an apartment in New York seems like a good situation for the four of them.

Oh boy, that must be so disorienting for him. The Psychonauts deal with a lot of hippy-dippy weirdness in a seemingly organized way, but it seems like they’re not as paranoid about safety as a real federal organization would be. Not necessarily a good thing, considering one of their camp counselors went AWOL one day, and the head of the Psychonauts got kidnapped the next. They kinda need to get their act together.

Fun fact, in one of the earlier drafts of Chapter 3 I was actually going to make Nelson get scanned by the equivalent of a metal-detector for malevolent thoughts at the door and get really spooked by it, but I decided against it.

YEAH IT’S ON THE LIST

Honestly, a big bulk of the plot in this just regards characters having to face their mental health struggles... via facing it as literal internal demons, unstable powers, etc.  It’s going to take a little while for any of Eddie’s teammates to realize how MUCH he has going on under the surface because he does a pretty good job of hiding it. “Needing to help others above ever helping themselves” is a hard issue to notice if you’re not looking for it. But it’s a guarantee that once they find out he needs help, they’ll give it; whether that’s making sure he’s not working himself too hard, or fighting off demonic cultists. Care comes in many forms.

SHE NEEDS TO REST.... POOR SYBIL (on the upside, they don’t TECHNICALLY work there, so she might be fine most of the time.)

Strong Bad isn’t a Psychonaut! He’s just a vlogger and a petty (psychic) criminal. It’s honestly not very different from canon.

Free Country, USA is a smalltown hotbed of psychic activity. Nearly everyone there has some mild capacity for supernatural powers, but nobody really notices or cares. Strong Bad just pops the tops off of cold ones and.... sometimes alters reality, a tiny bit. But mostly just in regards to media. The cartoons, comics, etc, that he invents and talks about have a tendency to suddenly voip into existence and nobody knows how. I swear, there’s actually a line of him saying something to this effect, but I can’t find it anywhere.  Don’t worry about it! Nobody in town is ever going to do anything truly nefarious with their powers, so it’s not a high priority on the Psychonauts’ radar, just a weird footnote.

The only reason Homestar is an actual agent is because he seems like exactly the kind of guy to sign up for a job like that on accident and then stick with it. And he’s a talented telekinetic! None of his other friends know about his job or notice his absences.

And just for fun, here’s some weird instances of psychic overpowering that happened in the cartoon:

---

(Poor Strong Sad)

I’ve actually answered this one before! BAM  Pretty sure all of it is still accurate.

Nelson: He sees floating sheets of paper containing notes, questions, etc. Anything that he wants to know more about regarding that person. The notes are subject to edits, cross-outs, ripped pages, etc.

Guybrush: He sees the item that the person is carrying that he wants most. As he gets to know people better, he sees them for their useful skills first.

Manny: His view of most living people is not very kind...

The people he’s closest to will eventually look a lot less garish. More like a flattering, camera-ready versions of themselves.

Eddie: Sickass sketch drawings that look like they belong in the margins of a composition book. The illustrations improve as he gets a better picture of where they’d fit in the internal lore of his mental world.

Sam: A lot like Nelson; Sam pictures case files, though his are a bit more in-depth.

Max: Max’s visions of people are highly personal and uncomfortable for those who witness them. He sees Nelson as a puzzle with a piece missing. Guybrush is a ripped up voodoo doll. Manny is a forgotten ofrenda. Eddie is a powder keg with a long, lit fuse. Sam is Sam, but he’s the wrong one.

I also got two questions that were pretty big subjects, or that I didn’t want to repeat, so I’m gonna cover them pretty broadly:

REGARDING [X] CHARACTER OR SERIES INCLUDED IN THE AU

Sure, I support it! I’ve gotten this question a few times in regards to things that I haven’t had time to delve into yet, or I’m not interested in, so I’m not going to include it into the AU myself. But if you want to explore an idea like that, feel free! This AU is pretty dang collaborative.

My main focus is just on the main 6 properties: Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max.

But my general rule of thumb for “characters that exist somewhere within the background of this story” are any other properties owned by Telltale, Lucasarts, or Double Fine. And considering all of the licensed games that Telltale was getting into before it kicked the bucket, that includes some really weird characters, even up to the Venture Bros. I loved that series, but I’m not really interested in doing anything with them for this story! Partly for my sanity, the canon I’ve picked are already a lot of content to play with. 

ASSORTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WILDCARD AU DISCORD

There’s no particular criteria needed to join the discord, and it’s not strictly on a need-to-know basis! Because it’s been a long while since anyone has joined, I've been hesitant about adding new people in... But I‘ve decided to try sending invitations again! Everyone who had asked about it in the past will be getting a ping by me in about a day or so, since I want to double-check if you’re still interested. If you’ve been nervous to ask you can reply to this post or message me privately.

Some things to keep in mind before asking or accepting the invite:

If you’re not a friend or a follower I recognize, I will likely double-check your tumblr along with some other current members before sending the invite. 

Here’s the Rules page, so you know what to expect before you join: 

Be Mindful - Respect other people's boundaries, don't do or say things that would cross the line. If your behavior makes other people feel uncomfortable or unsafe, I will remove you from the chat. In most cases I will try to resolve things with you and offer a chance to do better, but that will depend on the severity of the situation. And if you have any concerns regarding another member of the chat, you can contact me privately.

Health Boundaries - While discussions of mental health do occasionally pop up, do not rely on the chat for help. None of us are equipped to handle serious mental health concerns, and it will only cause distress for everyone. Please seek real help if it is needed! If you rely on people beyond the point that they have asked you to stop, I will remove you from the chat.

NSFW - Generally speaking, try to keep NSFW talk to a minimum. Swearing and humor is fine, but don't get too explicit please! Discussions should usually keep to a PG-13 / occasional R, but no NC-17.

Spoilers & Censorship - Please use the spoiler function to hide story spoilers, as well as discussions and graphic depictions of gore/excessive blood/body horror/severe psychological horror. Include a content warning so that people know what they could potentially be seeing when they click on the censored content. If the spoilered content is the subject of a back-and-forth discussion, please use another warning when you are switching to a different spoilered topic. (Note that these rules were added to the chat later, so be careful when using the search function or back reading.)

The canon series involved with the Wildcard AU are Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max. Please be mindful of story spoilers!

Channel Organization - Also be mindful of which channel you're in and move a discussion over if need be! That way they don't get too clogged with unrelated info.

Creative Criticism - When it comes to writing, art, or character creation; try to be open to suggestions from others! Nearly all of the creative work in the chat is collaborative, so input from others is important! Creative criticism is not the same as judgement, and is not a personal attack.

Have fun! - Discussions move quickly in this chat! Don't feel bad if you ever need to step back, whether it's because of the speed or a disinterest in whatever current topic we're focusing on. If you ever want to come back, we're happy to have you and can give quick explanations if you feel out of the loop! :thumbsup:

We’re a group of approx. a half dozen to a dozen people, either posting very very quickly in a span of a few hours or barely anything for a few days. We’ve been in an activity uptick lately and there’s about a year and half of back content, too. If it’s hard to keep up on, not that interesting to read through, or you just have a hard time gelling with the group that's already there, there’s no shame in just lurking or dipping out if you need to.

We also talk a lot about Psychonauts OCs, so anticipate that.