#i love you can see all the little scratches and texture in the art it’s so pretty. its so pretty

[frascospecimen]

She’s so cute

[horsefigureoftheday]

Do you have any recommendations for good horse figures to collect? Something good looking, not too expensive, and relatively small? I need to decorate part of my game room and why not?

Thrift horses!!! Please please please take a look through craigslist/ebay/your local equivalent, or visit your local thrift stores and see if they have any horses. Thrift horse propaganda:

They're often unique, rare, or retired figures that you can't just find at the supermarket or toy store

They're often a lot cheaper than new horses

You support a local business and sometimes, if it's a charity store, your purchase directly aids a good cause

There's enough plastic in the world and we really should cut down on buying new plastics

Sometimes there's a name written on the horse's belly or it's gotten a bit too close to a marker or its coat is scratched. It's well-loved, it has a history, it is truly unique in all the world. There's no other horse just like it.

Someone left these little horsies behind and now they're all alone in the world and they really want to be loved again🥺

But if you really want new figures I'm not judging. Maybe you're a germaphobe, maybe hunting down thrift horses is more of a task than a game to you, maybe you're just overwhelmed at the prospect, I 100% understand! Here are some brands you might enjoy:

Breyer Stablemates - Very sleek-looking. Small, but not too small. Affordable if you get a value pack. Not much to say, they're Breyers, they look nice.

CollectA - Slightly larger than Stablemates and slightly more expensive. Kinda gritty-looking (affectionate). Again, not much to say, they look nice.

Schleich Bayala - If you want pink horses. Same price range as CollectA. Definitely more in the "toy" category than collectible/art. Stay away from Schleich's regular horses unless you really really like their look - the quality of the paint jobs and molds is not worth the price. But they excel at making prissy pink fairy horses.

Safari Ltd. - Toys, more than art, but cheaper than Schleich and CollectA. They can be a bit hit-or-miss, but there are some true gems in their lineup. Just be aware that their paint jobs are usually a lot simpler irl than in promotional photos. They also have some very good pink horses.

Bullyland - They're made of hard rubber (similar texture to a car tire) and are extremely scratch resistant, but they still look nice. Might be hard to find outside of Europe. In the same price range as Safari Ltd. I love them and they're so underrated 😭

[itsquakey]

Q&A Time!

I haven't done a Q&A in a while so let's bang out some asks from the askbox and answer them.

Without really saying much, things have kinda gotten better, but I am def in a hole right now from multiple pretty saddening things happening to me all within a month. I'm having a lot of issues drawing but I don't think it's burnout-more likely I'm just a sad lump. I'm sure I'll improve though once the year finishes us.

Kind of...I plan to make either a epilogue for Revenge of Pike Knight or an entirely different comic about his process of letting go but also forgiving himself for her actions. He never goes back to being sweet bandana waddle dee but she does manage to loosen up as time goes on.

Mago gets stripped of any and all power that the average doomer doesn't have. So yea. He's a little guy you could punt like a football.

It's honestly really hard to say what my favorite food is, as I am someone who struggles with food (I blame it on the fact I almost died of starvation as a toddler and it ruined my entire digestive system but who knows it could be crappy genetics too). However here are some foods I enjoy that people may like! (Recipe Links are in the names)

Banoffee Pie: I usually like it without the bananas though, they are too soft texture-wise for me so it's really more Toffee Pie. Just remember if you are making the toffee from scratch that it is basically like making a bomb and you HAVE to make sure timing is correct otherwise pressure will build and either you will die or your kitchen will get a nice brown coat of sugar-paint (Personal experience here).

Chocolate Souffle: I always have this for my birthday so it's a fond treat. It IS a souffle though, so it's very hard to make if you do not have the experience.

Quiche: I love quiche, it's something that is eggy but also a pie and I can eat it any time of the day. I usually like just cheese in it but meats and some small greens are also good.

And finally- Zucchini Brownies (Or just walnut brownies): Which I actually haven't had in a while but man am I craving them. They sound weird but you can't taste the zucchini and it brings a nice dampness to the brownie.

When Powehi was little his sisters loved to tease him even though he would give little to no reaction. They seemed to have a decent relationship as children but I would not be surprised if Powehi doesn't really like his sisters a whole lot when he's an adult. They're still as annoying as before but now they act more like their father (a pet peeve of his). However they are still his sisters at the end of the day, so he puts up with them.

Since I don't know if I have the post up anymore- ANY FANART OR INTERPRETATIONS/INSPIRATION OF MY WORK IS OKAY. If it is fanart or is heavily based off my work all I need is name credit or an @/. If you @/ me, there's a very high likelihood I will see it and reblog it!

As someone who worked with various animals including tarantulas for a while- I love them. I love their fuzz and their little claws and paw pads and the fact they're chill (but at the same time very anxious) little dudes. I think they get a bad rap but they're nice.

If I remember correctly, the death of Meta Knight comic was originally artist trolling. Yes, I made the comic to purposefully get a reaction from you all and laugh evilly while you cried over his death. However that comic is the backbone of Nextgen and I'm glad I made it.

Yes, I will get to that art eventually. I'm just taking my time for reasons. I will/am also uploading art that is old but was never released on my account. Eventually once all the old art is posted new art will start up again.

Meta works his way up the ladder to become a Reaper. Not really spoilers but his design will be brought back soon. But yes, he can still see his friends with the help of Morpho. Also Galaxia shattered in the death comic, so she's long gone as well but returns to Meta in the afterlife at some point.

Dedede ain't dead yet! He's still kicking. Meta would have to meet him in the mortal realm as a little buggy.

Yes, however I highly doubt I will ever cover them in Nextgen, so it's up to fan interpretation at the end of the day.

Yes he does, he takes the form of a beetle much like Morpho takes the form of a butterfly in the mortal realm and gets to visit his friends when he can.

Apologies, but only my girlfriend can hug me : )

I imagine if the situation calls for it he does use his tongue. However he mainly chooses the sword and his fabric arms.

In Nextgen I like to imagine Kirby's copy abilities change as they grow up instead of someone upgrading them for him, hence why they look different when he uses copy abilities.

Powehi has always had some of Marx's powers and grew up with them normally. However as he gets older he begins to really not like them because it makes him different in a way others may be intimidated by.

In Nextgen Chilly and Magolor never got nor will get married. They're off again on again exes because it is way funnier that way and honestly aligns with the one manga more.

Magolor and Chilly met during the events of Star Allies, and their relationship/personalities are kinda based off that manga in a minor way.

Arthur showed up out of nowhere on Castle Dedede's entrance and ever since then Kirby has taken care of him.

In a surprising turn of events, no. The waddle dee from Kirby 64 in Nextgen is actually Bandana's/Pike's older brother who is the sole reason Bandana/Pike went down the path she did. The stories that were told about the adventure and the heroes his older brother worked with got her to be inspired enough to actually work alongside Dedede and later Kirby and the others.

Because that belt buckle is the last remaining piece of who he used to be. His robes are gone along with everything else but that buckle. He is now nude.

All Noddies are biologically and magically tied to the Dream Fountain which is the thing that gives them their dreams and tiredness. The only way Castella can have nightmares is if there's some kind of tampering with the Dream Fountain that effects it negatively.

I don't think canon Bandana would enjoy the fact I assassinated his character for some plot lmao. But for the sake of the funny just imagine them interacting like that one sonic and shadow clip from Sonic Adventure 2.

The cycle of matter only affects Dark and Light matter/ anything in between that. Matter like that usually will never see a reaper in their life because their souls almost never make it to the afterlife and instead are in a constant cycle of reincarnation, hence the name. Meta Knight was merely lucky enough to have Morpho break the rules for him just like how Necrodeus broke the rules for him when he was Gala and took his soul to the afterlife. Normally living things are taken by reapers to the afterlife when they die though. While non-matter characters like Dedede, Magolor, Marx, Pike, etc will be able to have a one way ticket to the afterlife, I'm keeping it vague for Kirby as not to spoil future ideas.

That's all for now! I'll be answering more asks in the future don't worry.

[prinnamon]

How do you feel about the BMS Hev Suit? It's my personal favorite design out of every appearance but I can see why people would be upset with the creative liberties Crowbar Collective took with the design.

-LHLP

OHH this is such a good question to get in my askbox... one that immediately made me boot up Black Mesa so i could get screenshots to answer with. im smiling. im grinning

it's probably pretty easy to figure out that my favorite model is the one from the PS2 port, & i think i knew from previous posts on your blog that the BMS suit was your favorite. i love Black Mesa (2015) as a game but sadly, and im very sorry to say it, i do not love the HEV suit from that game :'] it has qualities that i like, but overall it misses the mark for me!

oh, that was an accidental pun. misses the Mark... like the Mark IV HEV suit. hehe

i'm going to put the rest of this post under a read more... i don't say anything suggestive under the cut unless you count like 1 very tame passing remark about the Mk V's hip plates. but this is quite a long and rambling post because i think about the HEV suit so much & want to be in one so bad & have taken a costume visual development class so i ended up having a ton to say ^_^ !!!

i think i was a tad biased against the BMS suit from the beginning when my good friend who started playing Black Mesa before i did pointed out that it looks less like a Mk IV and more like "a modified Mk V." i think it was right on the mark with that comment, and that's probably the source of most the things that irk me about the suit

pictured, in order: HL1 suit, PS2 suit, HL2 suit, BMS suit

i know the HL1 and PS2 renders being in 3/4 view while the HL2 and BMS suits are viewed straight on is unhelpful since this is meant to be a direct comparison, but i'm getting these images (excluding my own Black Mesa screenshot) from Combine Overwiki, which doesn't have a 3/4 view for the Mk V or a front view of either of the Mk IVs!

when you look at them all next to one another, it's pretty clear how the BMS model uses the Mk V as a base as opposed to upscaling one of the Mk IVs or creating one from scratch based on its prior iterations in games and promotional art. i have nothing against the Mk V, but the Mk IV is my true love. to me, the BMS suit is like the Mk V with a Mk IV coat of paint.

however! i do want to rattle off a couple things i feel the BMS suit got super correct. the accordion joints look exactly as they should. they're all the same color (it irks me a little in the HL1 model and promotional art when some of them look more copper/red while some of them are black), and they're present on both the elbows and torso where they belong (HL1 doesn't have them in either area and PS2 is just missing accordion joints on the elbows). i adore how and metallic they look in the PS2 model, but it raises some questions about what material they're made from and whether such a material would actually be both flexible and durable. in BMS they look like they're made of a tough synthetic fabric, and that makes perfect practical sense.

and, really, i have to stress that none of my complaints matter all that much, because Black Mesa positively nails what is objectively the most important part of the suit: the gloves. after the HEV suit's introductory scene and all the way up until Xen, you don't see any part of it but the hands and forearms since the game is in first person. and the hands and forearms are perfect. i don't think the player character's hands have ever looked better in a half-life game. incredibly nice to look at, i think.

it knocked those elements out of the part. sadly i have a bunch of nitpicks about other aspects of the design which don't appeal to me as much as the other iterations of the Mk IV!

most of the areas that were shiny and silver in the original Mk IV have been replaced with a black material that has a more matte texture. it could very well still represent metal, but it's always looked to me more like hard plastic or vinyl. i really like the appearance of the Mk IV's shiny metal parts, probably because i love the texture of metal in real life and it looks like it would feel so so so nice to touch. the change of material is a downgrade for me :[

additionally, some of the elements which felt really three-dimensional in the PS2 model look flatter in the BMS model. i liked all the visible grooves and seams of the PS2 model. by comparison, in Black Mesa, those details either look sanded down or are entirely absent. i think this is most evident on the lower half. the vents on the outer part of the thigh plating take up significantly less surface area, and they also look quite a bit flatter. the boots are missing all the detail they used to have, without even the orange plating on the top of the foot. it just... looks like it'd be less fun to run my hands along, because there's fewer unique textures, fewer seams you could trace with your fingers.

the control panel... it really is just slapped in the empty space left under the lambda logo in the Mk V. i love the way the buttons are set deeper into the chestplate in the PS2 model. In BMS, it's level with the rest of the chestplate and has raised buttons. seems like that'd make it easier for them to be pressed accidentally, which would pose some practical problems. and the black and silver part under the control panel... there just isn't any basis for that in any of the art or models of the Mk IV except possibly in the HL1 promo art of Gordon Freeman if you squint.

i find the level of detail in the greaves kinda disappointing, but to tell the truth, i don't think i like the lower legs of *any* of the suits, so now i'm not even truly complaining about a problem unique to the BMS suit. the ideal HEV suit greaves exist only in my mind. the two silver pieces in the front, though... i really think they need to be interpreted as some kind of closure, or else they're just purposeless greebles. on the Mk V, the function of these metal pieces is not evident based on their appearance, so that area ends up looking confusing and visually cluttered. this is carried over almost 1:1 to the BMS suit. every HEV design kinda breaks down when you think about how it would be put on and taken off, but looking at the front of the greaves on the Mk V and BMS suit *really* reminds me of the fact that this armor just does not make a lot of sense

lastly, i think this is probably a less a popular opinion, but from a design standpoint i do prefer what i've heard people refer to as the "metal diaper" situation in the HL1 and PS2 models over what the BMS suit has going on down there. essentially, they've stolen the Mk V's love handles and then put a sort of rounded flat piece over the groin area that has always felt out of place to me. it doesn't speak to any other part of the design; it's not echoed in any other area/element (which is the same gripe i have whenever a suit design's accordion joints aren't consistent).

i think that's most of if not all my issues with it! to be honest, i really don't think i *have* seen a perfect HEV suit model in any official or unofficial Half-Life game. i'm in love with the PS2 model, but i still think there's things wrong with the greaves on that one, and none of the suits has any visual indication of how a wearer gets in or out. a lot of my dislike for the BMS suit in particular is because i'm a massive fan of the Mk IV, so to see a suit that purports to be the Mk IV when it really has more in common with the Mk V is a disappointment. like i said, though, you really don't see much of the suit in-game, and the gloves are spot-on, so the model achieves the main goal it needs to achieve. i just can't get into it as much as i'm into the PS2's Mk IV.

i hope this seems fair and wasn't much longer of a reply than was warranted :'] i don't want it to seem like i'm trashing your favorite suit design, LHLP, because i can still see the things you like about it even if it doesn't resonate with me! anyway thanks so much for the ask because i really enjoyed getting to answer it. i hope you have a good one!!

[tiny-breadcrumbs]

Of Pencil and Paper

(Trigger warning: mention of Sexual Assault and self harm)

People often ask why I stay with analog medium? The world is moving, digital art is growing fast and it does perform better on industrial scale. But I can never find how to answer that question without it sounded like I'm selling a sad story. So a lot of people only get the "I don't like it" answer. Short and simple. Yet sometimes, I can see the prejudice in their eyes, how arrogant, they said.

It's unhealthy. I almost conviced myself that I simply didn't like it when the root was deeper than that. It's easier to tell the lie, to sounds like an arrogant old school artist who dislike digital art with passion. No, never that. I like the texture of paper and the smell of wet paint. Not in the artistic sense, at least not at first, I found peace in that because they once saved me from my darkest days. Thus, they are familiar.

I always love a story. Consuming one or writing it myself. Yeah, I used to write. Ten years old me have a dream to be a novelist. And it all shattered when I'm thirteen. I'm sexually assaulted by one of the teacher in my school. At school hour, in an empty classroom because everyone else in a middle of morning prayer and I'm the only kid at that time with different believe. And everything spiralling down from there. It was a prestigious school I study hard to get in, that jerk used to be everyone favorite teacher including me, now, I saw that place like a hell on earth.

I never get justice. Never. Me and family being silenced for the sake of keeping the school reputation, with just a word of apology and so called promise to never repeat. As if the SA trauma can be healed like that. But world is unfair and the society is in the hand of the rich. My family is in minority from every aspect, ethnic, religion stance, society, even economy. The school even has the audacity to blackmailing us, they said I'm alone in the classrom that day because I've been writing porn on my book. The book they already confiscated and read. The book where thirteen years old me write a silly treasure hunt story. I've never saw that book again.

You see, I have a lot of issue at that time. We don't even have money to pay for therapist. Nor we can get a free counseling for victim because the case was never disclosed. The school have connection with the local police and I can just bury that injustice deep in me. At one point it almost reach a self harm. I used to scrubbing my skin until it was red, but the phantom hands still there, and I very tempted to peel it out. My family hid all the sharp object, I think I scare them badly. But I found a single pencil. Unfortunately (or fortunately) not sharp. I run it across my skin, but they didn't tear. So I take it on paper.

At first, maybe I'm doing art as some kind of therapy. I pour all that anger and disgust on paper, for months it was all angry lines and colours. The texture as I scratch the pencil, the slash of black it made across the white paper, it strangely satisfying. A little bit sadistic perhaps, because I'm doing it with the face of a demon that appear every night in my dreams, that person face. But my family keep giving me more paper, they told me to keep going. By the time I'm calm enough, when I finally graduate, I start to turn that lines into a drawing. I love a story. And because words now terrify me, I finally learn how to draw.

With times, I learn to enjoy it for the fun and all the beauty in it.

The thing is, all that sensory experience became a habit. I need to feel the paper, I need to hold a wooden pencil, a wooden brush, I need to smell the paint, so I feel safe enough to concentrate and lose myself in arts. So I can loosen up a little bit and not being so hypervigilant. Maybe I'm afraid the screen and digital art can't provide me that sense of safety. That smooth glide on the screen gave me dissasociative feeling and freak me out. I try it before and nope out so fast my last bit of paint on the pallete was not even dry yet. I enjoy digital arts when I'm not the one doing it and good for all those illustrator that can make it to the industry. But I'm here first and foremost to keep myself sane.

I'm okay now. Fabulous. Fewer and fewer relapse over the years. By the time I'm fixing all my family financial problem and finally have enough to find a therapist, they said I already handle myself good. I'm carrying thirteen years old me crawling out from that dark pit with sheer spite and luck for finding the perfect outlet to regulate that negative emotion. Giving myself an art therapy without even realise it was one. I can talk freely about that now, maybe I finally find that peace with myself.

So, do you see how long this is? Thats why I take a two minute silence whenever someone ask me why I did not do digital art when I have a potential to make more money with it. How do you even explain this? And I don't think they will care. We Asian do not believe in mental health issue 😂😂 why so weak? So saying I simply doesn't like it looks like the fastest way to give answer and switch topic. Not a lie, but not the truth either.

But my therapist told me to write this out because they think it can help someone out there about the story of art therapy, and here it is. Next time when you are about to ask and pester someone about why they didn't switch into digital art, perhaps do it on a kinder tone. Maybe they have more story behind that, big or small.

If this resonate with you, here, let me give you a hug. You are a survivor and so damn strong, I'm super proud of you!

May the world be kinder to you today, tomorrow, and many years to come.

[herearedragons]

Fan Work Saturday Sunday

I got featured in @dungeons-and-dragon-age's post, so I'm doing this also!

Rules: If you're tagged, MAKE A NEW POST and showcase one fanartist or fanfic you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don't forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in!

I am going to bend the rules a little because I want to show off stuff both from the Dragon Age and Pillars of Eternity fandoms, so it's going to be two fanart recs and two fic recs, actually.

Fanart rec #1: @dungeons-and-dragon-age

Specifically the June tarot card. I don't know what it is but its muted colors and scratchy textures have captivated me. Somehow you got a digital piece to look like an actual scratched up collectible card someone scanned and posted online? Also it's just a really solid design, I wouldn't question it for a second if I saw this on a book cover or something.

Fanart rec #2: @ederteylegc

For this list I am asking myself "which fanart pieces live in my head rent free" and no one should be surprised that for Pillars of Eternity my answer is Edér fanart. It's just. I love it when a piece of art conveys an idea in shapes and colors and this one does Just That. I really like how it shows The Parallels and I like the color scheme and I like how this just straight up looks like a comic book page.

Fic rec #1: @curiouslavellan

Listen, I have to mention See Fire, And Go Towards Light.

I did not expect to like this fic as much as I do. Like, I expected to like it a normal amount, as in "cool, I get to read about the journeys of my mutual's blorbo! this will be fun to tune into every now and then".

I was not ready for how much I ended up liking the writing itself and the way the main character is written? Her POV as a Tranquil is more distant, but she makes interesting observations about how other people behave around her, and her non-Tranquil POV is just really lovable. The word "immersive" is used for basically anything these days but that's how I would describe the writing in this.

Fic rec #2: @solas-backpack-mug

First of all, I should probably mention that solas-backpack-mug also has an excellent selection of Pillars of Eternity fanart (especially of their ocs Rangi and Asaria, which are technically kind of the same person, it's complicated) in a variety of mediums and fresh home-grown memes.

That being said, I am going to recommend this short fic about Asaria's death, just because I really liked it. If you know the plot of POE1, it's a fun read that does justice to Thaos' whole ominous manipulative deal, and kind of feels like a flashback you would get from touching a relic that used to belong to the unfortunate POV character.

Tagging: everyone mentioned in the recs who hasn't done this yet! Pretty sure that everyone else I can think of has been tagged already.

[venusmage]

FAQ Post!

I've gotten a good amount of repeat questions the past few years and thought I'd make an FAQ. No need to RB or anything, this is going to go in my pinned post!

I still always happily will take questions, this is just for folks who might want to just find the answer without going through the extra effort. These are mostly about art and TTRPGs :)

ART STUFF

What brushes/programs/hardware do you use?

Almost all of my regularly used brushes come from either Retro Supply or True Grit Texture Supply! I'm not sponsored or affiliated, just really like the quality of their products. They have sales fairly frequently and I've never had any complaints. I also use quite a few products by Ittai Manero.

Right now I primarily work in Procreate on an iPad Pro. Procreate is my favorite art program and I'm quietly hoping they eventually make a desktop version.

I very recently also got an XPPen Deco 01 V2. Partially because there's some art programs on desktop I want to learn (Aseprite, Blender) or programs that have superior desktop versions as compared to mobile (ClipStudio). I'm also teaching some grade-schoolers digital art and wanted to have the same kind of tablet as them (I haven't used a screenless tablet for over half a decade). As of right now I'm very happy with it! For the price it's an easy recommendation.

I mainly use ClipStudio in this instance, and the brushes linked above both also support the program (aside from Manero). However there's a huge user-base that upload free assets constantly that makes ClipStudio so great. I especially like painting in it for some reason!

What's your opinion on AI art?

I don't like it, obviously, but I get how people who lack the context and education on why it's bad wouldn't get it. I also think that some other artists fearmonger a little too hard regarding it and it has the unintended effect of making the situation and it's nuances even harder to understand. I talked about it here.

Did you go to art school? Would you recommend it?

I did, I have a BFA in illustration and graduated from CCAD in 2018. Every art school is unique and my experience with art school and the benefit it gave me is VERY different from how I believe it may be for others. As of right now I think there's a lot of good cheaper online resources than private art education in general. I did have a wonderful time there though, and it's availability helped me eventually escape a domestic abuse situation - so my feelings are a bit complicated.

Do you have a dream art job?

I'd love to be a college-level art teacher. Funny I know, considering I just said art school isn't always worth it. I just deeply enjoy the craft and discussion surrounding art in general. I'm tempted to make art videos one day to scratch that itch.

What's your favorite/least favorite part of the drawing process?

I hate sitting down and getting the sketch started (hello ADHD...) And flatting. Linework/sketch cleanup and finishing details for color are where it's at for me.

What made you interested in art?

My grandfather was a painter, sculptor, and stained glass maker. He will always be one of my biggest inspirations. In terms of media, there's a ton - but I started internalizing art as a skill after seeing the Shivering Isles DLC concept art by Adam Adamowicz. I started appreciating how art can be weird and beautiful and whatever you want after reading Evan Dahm's Rice Boy (and the rest of his work). I also had a particularly beautiful book cover for A Wrinkle in Time by Leo and Diane Dillon when I was little and their art rewired my brain chemistry. At the time I said Adamowicz was my most impactful inspiration but on reflection I really do think it's the Dillons. I talked a little about it here.

(2023-24) Commissions haven't been updated in a while. Can I get some more information as to why?

I have a post here about it! If you're one of my clients, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any further issues. I apologize for the delay and am more than happy to work out something with you if you're unhappy with the wait. I'd advise messaging me here or on discord - the latter of which is linked in the post.

TTRPG/DND STUFF

What system is your DnD game running?

I'm running my game using a modified 5e ruleset. 5e happened to just be the first TTRPG system I learned and I also really enjoy Forgotten Realms as a setting - though I take extensive liberties with both. I'll probably be moving away from WoTC's products and the system after this campaign, though. I already change lore so much the setting has a lot of differences.

What materials do you use in your DnD game? Do you play online or in person?

As much as I'd adore to get to play IRL with my friends at some point, our game is currently online. For our current campaign I recently made the switch from Roll20 to Foundry VTT. If you're an online exclusive DM and have the money to buy the one time license, I would recommend it!

A list of what I use to run my current game:

Foundry VTT

Discord (A custom server for Voice Chatting/Private DMs/Memes and art sharing/Scheduling)

Epic Isometric (On Patreon. Digital isometric maps and tokens. Have been using them since at least 2020 if not earlier. Will be making tutorial videos soon!)

The Dungeon Sketcher (Also on Patreon. Also isometric maps and tokens. The artist frequents Epic Isometric's discord server where we all share custom assets we've made, too. His stuff blends in pretty seamlessly with EpicIso)

Vile Tiles by Gabriel Pickard (Found on the Roll20 marketplace, but you can use the assets in any VTT. For theater of the mind and RP backgrounds)

Artstation (Our game is not streamed, so I tend to use backgrounds I source from concept artists for RP backgrounds. If you stream a game, obviously always ask the creators of your assets if you can use them.)

Procreate/An art program (I draw the PC/NPC portraits for our game myself)

Milanote/Any note-taking method (Milanote is just what I use to plan the game, since I already use it for other hobbies and commissions as well.)

Do you stream your game? Is there someplace I can find out more about it? Are you looking for players?

I am not looking for players! Our game is also not recorded or streamed - mostly because I'd get some serious DM stage-fright. I also like it being a relaxing experience for myself and my friends where we're performing for ourselves, instead of with the pressure of a potential audience.

However, I do have a toyhou.se world where information on the game is available - including session recaps! If I ever get the time I also want to draw fun comics and little animations of what happens because my friends are very inspiring to me and DMing has quickly become a favorite hobby.

You can also search the words "Seven Asunder" on this blog and you'll find relevant posts here.

Can I use your art/assets/ideas in my own game?

I can't really stop you. If it's not recorded, streamed or monetized and you're not saying you created anything I made yourself, I legitimately don't care! This even includes using character art I've made. I just would like to politely request you don't post any of it publicly to avoid confusion and to respect my players - many of the NPCs in my games are also characters they create and I cannot give permission for them (obviously). It also would kind of suck to see one of my own beloved characters supposedly "belonging" to someone else.

Essentially, I understand taking inspiration and having "placeholder" images/artwork for characters in a game. Not all of us have time or resources to have custom art! Just don't take one of my or my players' OC's designs and start saying they're yours publicly , pretty please :)

Once commissions are over and I find the spare time, I intend to release free-to-use (personally and for streaming) art packs for folks' games. I also highly recommend the patreons I linked above.

[good-beanswrites]

Added my Double drabble to Lights, Camera, Sing Your Sins! I snuck it into chapter 2 so I figured I'd make a quick post with it here :)

“Hey, stop bumping me.”

“You’re bumping me – I can’t see!”

“Just scooch over.”

“My toes!”

Mikoto looked back at the group of prisoners huddled around him, packed tightly so that they could peer over his shoulder at the monitors. His hand paused from where it had been sweeping the stylus around, rearranging his latest creation.

“It’s not that exciting guys,” he laughed. “Let me at least show you some of the finished pieces, I’m sure this is boring…” 

Not that the other pictures were that exciting, either. He pulled up the other frames he’d been busy editing. There came a chorus of oohs and ahhs, but Mikoto knew it was just out of obligation. He flicked through a few of them as quickly as he could.

It was the type of art he loved to do (with some input from Red now and then) but it didn’t really suit any of the other prisoners’ tastes. He’d heard enough questions about his field to know it wasn’t all that impressive to most people. 

Sure enough, Kazui squinted at the screen. “You made all these?” he asked. “Like, you drew them?”

“Er…in a way. I drew some of the elements, and had to do some work to make the effects look right. And the color coordination takes time too.” He scratched the back of his head. “I know it doesn’t look like much…”

When he glanced over, though, Kazui’s expression was one of awe. “No, no, you’re very talented!”

Haruka’s finger tapped the screen. “Can you go back to that one?”

Mikoto clicked back to a photo of himself sitting on one of the train benches. It was meant to depict Red, made abundantly clear by the blood spatter, colored eyes, and savior label that had been placed with much deliberation. Blue had insisted on it, though Red only agreed with the addition of quotations. Their guilty verdict had been crushing for both of them (though not wholly unexpected), so it was important to show all sides of them, now.

Although it had been one of his favorites when working on it, he suddenly wondered if his personal flair had gotten out of hand. It was hardly distinguishable as the original shot, with too many textures and additions obscuring everything.

Fuuta whistled. “Man, that looks sick. You should have done my video…”

“Mine too!” Mahiru said. “I love the bright colors you’re using in all of these. And the paper and ink just looks so crafty!”

Kotoko leaned in to get a better look. “I really like the focus on the eyes here.” 

“O-oh, thanks!” He could feel his chin lift at the commentary. “I got the idea a bit ago… it’s kind of a running thing now? I drew some of them here –” he scrolled though a few frames. “And a scribble over the face here to keep the theme going. Little ones here, a string of them like this. Heh, I drew about a thousand different eye designs to get any actually liked. Then I have these big ones, see? I’m debating on including a blue version, too, but maybe I’m going overboard. I think Jackalope might have a heart attack, seeing all this crap.” 

“He’ll get over it.” Yuno answered his joking smile with a genuine one. “I’m so glad you’re having fun with these. It’s all very… you.”

Mikoto’s gaze fell onto the last frame he’d pulled up: another messy one of Red filled with pink and blue, with the text save you repeated nearby.

“It’s both of us.”

[alexis-royce]

The demo gave me the biggest autism event ever /pos when that layering backgrounds came on. I was stunned and had a huge art nerd out over it. THAT REMINDS ME. how did you do the backgrounds in this?? the photo realistic ones? I was stun locked like the whole way through the demo because of how amazing the whole thing was. i genuinely said out loud how I would love to make a story like this eventually. category 5 autism event created. reccing this to all my friends

Thank you very much! I especially like to hear it when something I've made helps someone else feel like making something, too. ^u^ Feel free to open up the script.rpy file in a text editor (or just download Ren'py!) and see how it works! The Parallax backgrounds might be a little complicated if it's your first time, but you can always hold onto the file as a reference text for later!

Backgrounds can be tricky! While I love it when I have the time to paint from scratch, my solo-dev form will wither to dust if I try that every time! So it's very important to learn how to use photographs effectively.

I always start with a photo I have permission to use. For these ones, I went to a local movie theater, took some shots, and rapidly chickened out due to social anxiety. So Tsush patted me on the head and talked to the staff and got some PERFECT shots:

I popped this one into Clip Studio, and rendered some lineart using LT Layer conversion:

After all, while I'll need the daytime lobby later, when Lee arrives it is after closing, so the lighting's all wrong for the scene. So it's time to reshade it by hand. There's no trick to this, you just gotta hop in and do your best.

The values are off a little here, because I keep checking while painting to see how it looks with my Sire texture on top. I love that thing. You'll all get tired of it before I do.

And that's pretty much it! If I get to finish this game, I'd like to go back in later and maybe fix up some shadows that don't make sense. XD But I got the ambience where I wanted it, which was my goal.

I did a similar paintover technique with The Case of the Serialized Killer, so that I could go for a sort of "colorized photo" look. I printed out my lines and painted over them using watercolors, and then scanned the backgrounds back into the computer:

Anyway, if anyone's looking for more step-by-steps, my patrons have gotten to read about painting backgrounds in gouache, or making visual novel sprites with watercolor.

[eternalshadeart]

I've been doing digital art for almost 2 years now, with little to no practice on actual paper for these 2 years, and that got me thinking did I Lose my touch with traditional art, Haven't picked up an actual paint brush in so long. Its easy to get lost in the vast possibilities that digital painting softwares offer, ranging from hundreds of brush textures, to tools to make your shaky lines smooth, making the perfect circles, filing a solid colour in an instant.

Where you absolutely dont have to wait for your oils or watercolor to dry up before going for the next layer, and most importantly no need to spend dollars on art supplies and if you make any mistake the undo option is always there for you.

It did make painting easier in a way, but it also comes with its own cons, when I started digital painting I felt like I had to learn from scratch how to use the particular software, and had to learn to paint all over again. Tho it catches up quick but still figuering out how to use each tool, how all the functions, brushes, layers, blend modes work. It does take some time.

Nevertheless I ventured from my point, so since I've been painting dgitally for 2 years I figured its time to indulge in some traditional work, touch base and see If im still worthy.

I tried painting a couple of small canvas and got stuck figuring out what to draw, to have the exact outcome planned out because if I decide halfway through coloring my background that I dont like how it looks, I dont have a ctrl Z to help me this time, I'll have to paint over the whole thing and start from scratch. Painting on the canvas directly is a commitment and theres a looming pressure that the outcome should look beautiful and completed, and I already have enough anxiety, not really excited about been anxious about the thing i love.

One warm afternoon I picked up a tiny notebook I had, bought it on a whim last year and it has been sitting on my shelf since then, its a 4"x4" pocket notebook with decent paper quality, perfect to try out the random black gel pen I found lying around. And I got to it, found a cozy warm place and made a small pen sketch of a tree. The texture looked nice, i did mess up a couple timeson the leaves but since its just a disposable paper I didnt worry much on it, just covered it up with more scriblings. It felt pretty good, ad I realised with digital art the one thing I'm missing is customisign how I organise and decorate my work collection.

With digital software all your art is stored as mere .png or .jpg or whichever format you prefer, but thats it, its just a photo album, unlike a sketchbook where you can decorate the cover, add a couple of sticker or notes to it, stick a dried flower you found, or just about anything creative.

The overall feel of a sketchbook is entirely different and I dont have to worry about each page looking like a finished work.

I love painting digitally but painting on a sketchbook is almost nostalgic, so I finally started one.

Got myself a small A6 sketcbook with a pretty floral cover,cut out the pen sketch i did and glued it on the first page, and thus started to fill each page with totally random unrelated paintings.

So anyway this was a lengthy way to tell you how painting on a sketchbook somehow made me improve my art, and felt incredibly amazing, tho I've completed just couple pages, each page looks beatifull in its own way, and i got to try out a couple of pens, and paints that I havnt used in so long.

got to try doing simple portraits, tried to double tap multiple times on the page (stupid muscle memory).

so anyway here are a few pages that I have completed, and if you did read till the end, thanks for bearing with the (rant)?

[airbendling]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

My thoughts during and after the first two episodes.

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!

Disclaimer: This is unedited. The story is still unfolding and this is just my opinion as a long time fan, recently graduated film major, and a storyteller.

I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher

"Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood." AAAA A A AA AAAAAA. I am so hype for this.

"Hey fellas, wanna come hear about the imaginary things I see? Not a thing you want to be saying. To anyone."

The doodles in his notebook! So sweet. And he plays Mythomagic... I'm reeling. Can't wait to meet Nico though I know it's years away.

Percy's very quiet without his narration and such. Wish we had more of it throughout the episode.

His signature and it not fitting in the name box on his worksheet is a nice touch.

Percy owns this emoji 🤨

His friendship with Grover is everything. Swapping sandwich fixings without a second thought, the genuine smiles. I'm loving it.

That Ms. Dodds transformation was clean though I wish she was more threatening.

The insistence of the line "I didn't touch Nancy" caught me off guard. Simply, "I didn't push her." Would've sounded more natural.

Love the Jackson sass in Sally, but I'd prefer more from Gabe. He wasn't angry and irrational enough, not gross enough, he conceded to Sally too quickly. If This guy got turned to stone by the severed head of Medusa I'd just feel kinda bad for him.

I was really hoping for the "Not a scratch on this car, brain boy." and Percy's "Like I'd be the one driving 🙄"

The word vomit from Sally was a little much but Percy's Jesus line was gold.

"You are singular." Just kinda took me out of the moment. Odd wording in such an emotional beat.

I hear all my film professors screaming in my head. Why did Percy stop running when his Mom was fighting the Minotaur? He started, then just stood there and watched. Run, Percy, run!

This moment would have a lot more impact if he was running to her when she disappeared.

His battle with the Minotaur, the lack of music until he rips off the horn, well done. Very well done.

Stunning end credits art!

I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

I'm so happy they're keeping the chapter titles for the episodes.

Okay why was the "You drool when you sleep" so ominous and random. Like it was filmed and edited as an afterthought just to check the "Iconic Line" box without understanding why it's iconic. It's funny cause he's thinking she's gonna say how cool he is or whatever. Then she says "You drool when you sleep." and runs off. Real 12-year-old energy there.

Grover's nervous energy I know and love. Aryan is killing it!

"I think my dad must be around here somewhere. I don't know how to ask for him. I don't even know his name. But I think I should see him, I think I really need that right now. Can you help me?" ...What is this?

Dionysus trying to trick him into thinking he's his father was funny but Percy actually believing it...? Would've loved that inner commentary in this moment.

The Camp Half-Blood grounds looks so barren and underdeveloped to me. The cabin area is wonderful though.

I was so scared that tree nymph with Grover was Thalia. I think this only character design I'm not a fan of so far. Her eyes felt uncanny and too human. Maybe a bit more color variation in her face bark(?) or some kind of framing, textural detail.

Yes! They're including weird demigod dreams!

I'm loving the portrayal of Luke by Charles Bushnell. He's caring, understanding, laidback. The masterful cold delivery of "Hermes is my father," but brushing it off like the Cool Guy he is, "But that doesn't matter, we're all on the same team here."

His arc is going to be devastating.

Oh and Percy's message to his mom, so happy to report he's actually making friends but he's talking about Luke and Chris Rodriguez.

Devastating.

Percy: Hey guys! Can't sleep huh?

This line and the cutaway was utter perfection.

ANNABETH!! !! !!!!!!! My beloved.

Never thought "Sunshine" would be a nickname for Percy Jackson.

Aww Annabeth fixing his crooked armor.

Great Capture the Flag battle scene! Dynamic and interesting. Nice fight choreography.

Percy: No maiming. That's like, the one rule?

Clarisse: Yeah I guess I'll lose dessert privileges for a while. 😌😁I'll live.

Loving it.

Luke's utter shock after Percy getting claimed. Ooohhohoooo.

The Poseidon cabin was a jumpscare. The outside is a little... on the nose. Like, make it look Greek, paint it blue, slap a Trident symbol on there, done. And all the hanging bones and stuff? I mean, sure, I guess. The cabins were so fun and unique in the books.

More "singular" usage by important characters. Is there a reason for this?

Amazing Dionysus casting. Truly.

Final thoughts...

Let's start with some positives.

The set design, production design, and costume design are remarkable. With a handful of exceptions, overall, it looks gorgeous, especially with the A+ cinematography and lighting. Gorgeous!!

The porch of the Big House with the stained glass was an phenomenal choice. I love it so much.

The action is well-paced and dynamic, keeping the fight scenes interesting and believable.

And the acting is wonderful despite the writing.

Oh, the writing... Yeah, I don't like it.

It doesn't do justice to the actors or the characters.

Walker is naturally funny. Watch him in anything, any interview ever. The kid played alongside Ryan Reynolds as a younger version of him. Dare I say he outshined Ryan himself in The Adam Project.

Percy narrated everything, for five whole books. And them some. We know this kid. He's funny. He's observant, sarcastic, imaginative, impulsive, a bit clueless, but sweet.

I think regular or even occassional voiceover commentary from Percy would be gamechanging. I mean that with my whole heart and soul. If I could change one thing about the whole series it would be this.

Walker could really shine but I feel like his dialogue is lacking. And sometimes just a bit odd. Like, who talks like that? (There's my professors again). Sounds kinda AI-generated to me. (not speculating, I think it's just bad writing.)

There was a lot of great lines, don't get me wrong. But I think overall, everyone's dialogue is coming up short. The PJO we know is clever and fun and I don't think it reflects that well at all.

Percy Jackson is one of the most popular series ever with a very distinct style that makes it stand out from other YA fiction stories. I feel like more could've been done to preserve those vibes and translate them to the screen.

Movie/show adaptations of books are often hit-or-misses. I think the PJ fandom has always been so passionate about getting it right is because of that distinct style.

Rick is there. They have a phenomenal cast. It's good, but it could have been extraordinary. It could have been groundbreaking. But they settled.

There were many, many moments I saw could have been instantly improved but the smallest change. But they settled.

All this to say... I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised, and I'm not mad.

When the rest of the episodes come out, I think it'll come together to be a decent adaptation and a fun show. I'm staying positive.

[iantimony]

tuesday yet we persevere

what a week lads

listening up to partizan 18. the exchange of jack: "is inertia when you're stopping or going?" austin, very confidently: "it's when you're going" had me shouting NO at my phone, thank god art chimed in to clarify and actually define inertia. i love you art. been listening to a lot of breaking benjamin while i marathon-focus on trying to finish my poster by. tonight. yeouch.

reading fallow

playing pokego! it's become my fun little morning activity while i lay in bed waking up. like. ok i need to be awake. i will drowsily catch the 3 pokemon that spawn around me and spin the pokestop across the street. ok time to get out of bed i guess.

watching hbomberguy new four hour video reigns supreme. i've had it on periodically while i do chores, cook, etc.

making pottery! basically everything came out of the kiln at once! some finished objects:

the mugs (more like teacups, really, shrinkage strikes again) came out cute, despite the orange one getting a crack in the handle. i really love the way the white bowl came out with the koi, i'd put lillypads inside but they really didn't show up at all so i didn't bother photographing. that little black vase was done with a dark blue glaze that came out. black. so i probably did too many layers, plus it was on red clay, so oops. the little ramekins came out cute, i tried one of the stoneware glazes on the left one and it came out really matte which surprised me, but otherwise some standard lil bowls! and finally i hate the striped object behind the ramekins. i forgot to cover it up after making it and didn't get to trim it before it was bone dry so i just had to let it be was it was so it's really bottom-heavy. and i hate the way the glazed stripes came out. such is life. my roommate likes it so i might give it to her LOL.

dragon mug underglaze came out interesting!!! i used two different brands of underglaze and one of them came out. shiny?? so putting clear normal glaze over that texture proved a real challenge, especially for the handle. i used another underglaze (a chocolate brown, same as the one on the handle on the right) to fill in the background/inside/some linework details, then covered the whole thing in clear, so we'll see how that turns out! the little tree teacup i just covered in clear and put back on the kiln rack, i didn't want to add anything else to it, it came out sooo cute :)

did more underglaze stuff on two bowls, eye motif!!! one as a scratched out and one as painted on. excited to see how they go for the first firing. i had some Big bowls to trim and they were still a little wet but i was like eh i bet i can. i could not. look how i've massacred my boy (bottom left). it totally spun off the wheel but thankfully it's still soft enough that i was able to just sorta nudge it back into a circular shape. i did ragequit trimming for that day because of it though and did the eye underglaze work instead hahahah. hopefully will be able to trim them on wednesday! it's just so dang cold in the area where the pottery is stored to dry out so it takes forever in the winter.

finally, i finished the winter headband for my roommate's mom last night! image is not the finished one, i forgot to take a picture yesterday but i'll just do that after i block it later this week. i took the photo a few days ago because i actually made a mistake in the pattern and was trying to judge how obvious it was and whether or not to go back 10 rows and redo it. i don't think it's that obvious so i decided to keep going. can you spot the mistake :b

misc oughhh aughgghghgh academic poster. my advisor was really difficult to communicate with yesterday but made up for it this morning. her husband stressed me out for no reason but it's fine. i think i can finish it before the poster session tomorrow but odds are in the air as to whether i can get it Printed before the poster session tomorrow. woof. and then i need to figure out what i'm wearing at this conference and pack by friday.

[korolife]

Blog No.002🍋　24年5月4日

「Working on My Very First Miniature Kit!」

Hi, this is a behind-the-scenes on my experience in making the Corner of Happiness: Taste of Life DIY miniature kit!

It was from a couple of years ago, we found a stall selling miniature craft kits while strolling around the mall. My sister bought me the very same model I've been eyeing on my online shopping cart as a birthday present.

Me and my sister both love miniatures since we were very young, but making them from scratch require a lot of time, materials, and tools we don't really have (especially if you don't want them to look crudely made). Luckily, now with a Do-it-yourself kit, that wasn't going to be much of an issue! ...or so I'd hoped as a miniature newbie.

These are all the other variants of this series. I really dig the pink bunny aesthetics they're going for, though it's not as apparent on this one.

The kit also included custom wooden parts, wires, beads, and a tool kit necessary for the build. It also comes with an acrylic glass for dust-free casing!

Most of the parts were made from a print-out glossy paper with all the items' photo-real textures; some of which are just to be pasted onto a harder material like wood shaped similarly to the object, but most of them are just the paper itself.

I guess doing it this way cuts costs for manufacturing, but it was very challenging to work with, in my opinion. You'll see what I mean in a bit.

And here's a preview of the instruction booklet's contents.

I thought it was worded weirdly at parts, but still understandable enough with plenty of visuals to go with it.

Starting with the base/foundation of the model before anything else seemed to be the best option... though I was very, very tempted to skip to work on the food items. I don't know why, but miniature food just gets me really giddy.

But, gotta hold backーcan't make food without the oven and all.

I then worked my way through the biggest parts and set them down permanently with the paste provided in the kit.

...but I probably shouldn't have glued the kitchen island in place before placing the handles...aiyah one of them is really crooked-

I'm not familiar with wirings, so setting up the LED lights made me panic a little. But somehow, it all worked out! I'm confident that if an idiot like me can get through this, so can anyone!!

And now I present to you: The Paper Struggles™

+ and a "It's so fakken small" compilation.

The booklet is a lie lol that knife .jpg is 5x bigger than what you've got to work with-

I remember both bread toasts being squished from the tweezers... thankfully tiny enough for anyone to really see, but there's definitely a shtload of dents on there...

The wire handles for the mug was such a struggle lol it kept falling off no matter what, so I just kept adding glue and just... held on to it with pressure against the bead for what felt like eternity until it dried completely.

I also remember struggling with the semi-origami flowers quite a bit, but I think the trauma of it all made my brain forget to take photos-

Next up are the wires. I never really considered it before this kit, but they can actually have a lot of use when it comes to making miniature furnitures and accessories.

This was unfortunately before I got into making earrings, so I didn't have the right tools (pliers) to straighten them out. The very thin tweezers that came with the kit didn't help that much, so I just had to use my fingers.

The results... are as wobbly as the hands that created them lol I've learned my lesson...

that incomplete circle pains me so

And here we have my favorite partーthe food! All the tiniest of detailing, the garnishing, the arrangements... it just makes me so happy, I really don't understand why.

The original instructions only intended the oranges to be on the chopping board, but not in this household!!!

Oh, and the oranges were sliced up polymer clay rolls that I know are popularly used as nail art? Me and my sister used to sell polymer clay accessories back in the day and it felt very nostalgic seeing those tubes again.

And here we have the finished model! ☆

I made a few changes from the original intended 'look' + added a couple of my own beads from my hoard material collection from childhood I planned on using for when we started making miniatures... and the time for use was most certainly now!

Aaand here's a bird's eye view before completing with the dust-free acrylic glass encasing top lid.

～ CONCLUSION ～

Overall, I thought it was really fun, despite the unforeseeable challenges along the way. Even as a newbie with little to no experience working on actual builds + with only the enthusiasm and love for miniatures to desperately cling to when the damn wires wouldn't stick on their corresponding surfaces properly... it seemed to turn out pretty OK!! I expected a whole lot more screaming and dying inside lol If you're interested in getting it, I think simply searching up "Corner of Happiness" or "Taste of Life DIY miniature kit" should get you some results on your preferred online shopping platform! ※NOTE: I do have to stress to make sure to check (either through other user reviews or the listing's description) if the seller is including a tool kit in your purchase. A lot of the items included in this kit you can probably find at home, but not a lot of people are so crafty to just have them lying aroundーespecially if you're a complete newbie with crafts/miniatures! You'll have a hard time trying to wing it without tools. ※also, they might just skimp on you by not including them, but still have you pay for the full price lol it's definitely worth considering when purchasing.

I know a lot of parents may see these kits to buy for their kids, but unless ➀ they're also helping out the kid in the process or ➁ if the kid in question has no interest or patience for these kind of things, I think it's best not to buy them DIY kits like these if you don't want to risk wasting money. But that's just my opinion, as a broke adult who's always wanted one of these haha

The amount of care, effort, and attention to make sure everything is sturdy enough and visually clean can be very drainingー but if you're willingーanyone can do it!

And of course, a final very cool look on LED lights turned on at night.

This project was done around 2022年. I've done one more miniature kit since then that was way more complex, but that's a whole 'nother journal entry for another day...

For now, here's a mini update of how this Taste of Life is hangin' after two years have passed:

please don't mind Mr. Gamma side-eyeing you in the BG-

The batteries for the LED unfortunately need replacing and one of the wire chairs kind of died a bit, but it's still alive + currently displayed and part of my makeshift not-all-Shounen Jump Manga corner! I might make a separate blog about that too...

But until thenーthanks for reading ( ´ ꒳ ` )⸝ see you in the next one!★

[danielpowell]

Hello, I hope your day is going well! I was listening to the instrumental playlist you made for the irons a few months ago, and I'm absolutely smitten with the track 'the shore, it speaks with me' by cloudburn - its been on my main rota ever since. I just really love the field recorded elements of it, and its slow melodic synths. They sound really rich n textured n all that jazz, but tonally it's kind of a rare find? It reminds me a bit of mount shrine in that respect, but it's sparseness sets it apart from a lot of other stuff in the world of ambient music (if that's even the right genre to be looking in).

I've been looking around, and while I poke my head into ambient and instrumental genres, I've never found anything quite like it, and the track's artist doesnt seem hugely active. I wanted to ask if you had any directions you might recommend looking towards to find anything that scratches a similar itch?

honestly, if you have any advice for digging further into instrumental work, in general, it would also be very much appreciated. I have a inkling that I need to explore more from bandcamp.

Which is all to say: Thank you for sharing so many of the playlists you have made. They've opened the door to a lot of new music for me in the last few years, and have been a wonderful source of inspiration and further exploration, both for the artists included as well as the featured subjects.

Wow, this has to be one of the best asks I've ever received, I'm deeply touched ;w;

I completely understand the frustration of a rare find not matching anything in subsequent dig sessions. You are in the right direction, as ambient and field-recording are the terms I would use to describe this particular track.

Strangely enough, I was in the middle of digging for another mix and the soundscape of "The Shore, It Speaks With Me" is very reminiscent of a Claire Rousay album, A Softer Focus. Claire incorporates plenty of field recording in her works and it tends to verge on being solely ambiance with no real musicality; however, this album does have tracks with strings and synth.

I'd also recommend Chihei Hatakeyama's discography, particularly Hachirogata Lake, for the nature soundscape aspect.

Field Works has a lovely selection of field recording focused tracks and you might discover some new favorites in their available works !

I find that dark ambient has more symphonic elements, so maybe Dead Melodies or Atrium Carceri will have something along those lines. That said, dark ambient as a subgenre tends to be... dark.

SVLBRD and Warmth are on the more classically ambient side- this is also the artist behind ARCHIVES and Faint, the former of where I stumbled upon the original compilation that contained our fabled CloudBurn track.

Yes, I became aware of CloudBurn thanks to an ambient soundscape compilation on Bandcamp.

I’ve had a fondness for compilations since I grew up in coffee shops and record stores that would sell compilations at the counters < 3 They are a great place to start when looking into new genres. I also try to steer folks towards supporting local radio stations (especially student / college), but I do not think most offer an ambient format.

If you want to sonically wander, try looking into albums on there tagged with 'ambient' and 'field-recording' on Bandcamp. The best sellers are great in their own right, but the surprise me section might just surprise you !

I encourage music exploration in the way that is best for your personal experience. Ask around, go into a recommended tab rabbit hole, search your local record stores, find creative ways of using a platforms sorting algorithm, delve into a label's offerings, click on stuff with pretty album art, call into a local station, give a stranger's playlist a fighting chance- the world is your auditory oyster.

And my words falter when expressing gratitude. I can assure you that this was really heartwarming to see in my inbox and I'm always so thrilled to learn that my little mixes bring something to others. Thank you for listening, take care !

[junijupi]

I KNOW I JUST SENT AN ASK BUT I KEEP FORGETTING TO ASK WHAT BRUSHES YOU USE ON PROCREATE LOL

NO WORRIES MATE!!

so i use different brushes for almost every piece, so unfortunately i cannot just point to a single brush. But, the brush i am currently using a ton is the "Habook square brush!" from the habook paint pack on gumroad! I've been using it for almost all my recent digital painting.

download it, it's free and amazing.

I also use a procreate brush pack called "9ScreentoneBRUSHES" (the little dots on my art) which you can also download for free on gumroad.

For the little scratches you may see a lot on my art, i use a brush called "Very Basic Rake 3" which is from "Rake Brushpack". Another free pack you can dkwnload from gumroad

I also use a pack called "Bardot Pixel Art" and a brush called "BB // pixel painter." I use it to add little pixel paint doodles or highlights. (You can see i used it for outlines and text in ny recent N doodles!) But alas, I don't know where to download this one since a friend shared it with me :[

I also use the Jingsketch All-Stars pack, which is NOT a free pack and you can get it in a bundle with a ton of other packs for $15 on gumroad.

I mainly use the "Paint Stroke Rendering" brush (From the paint pack) This one is used for finishing touches

"Jesus Take the Wheel V2" brush. (Jing Sketch pack) I use this one for sketching

"Textured pull" brush. (Jing Smudge pack) This one is used for blending colours together when rendering

If you can't afford the All Stars pack, i highly recommend downloading the "Jingsketch Basics" version for free on gumroad.

For rendering, I primarily use a brush called "Tri-Opaque" from a pack called the "Rin Brush Set." I downloaded it from the tiktoker "Nurin" who's art I ADORE.

For sketching / lineart I will also sometimes used the "Brush with thick flow Medium T1) from the same pack. The link is in their bio and can be downloaded for free

there ya go!! all the brushes i use :33 don't worry about asking questions btw, i love answering em haha

[thegodovereverything]

TMNTober Prompt One

His jacket was scratching against his scales, a constant rough texture that didn’t go away no matter how much he wanted it to. But he kept it on. It was the first thing he got for himself when he left home and he’d be darned if he took it off right now. 

  Mikey’s apartment was a bit disordered. Paint supplies littered the floors, half finished canvases leaning against peeling walls. His shower was never hot or cold enough and the dishwasher didn’t work. But it was his. He had always dreamed of the “true independence” shown on tv, colored in the bright reds and sunset oranges of freedom and hope and warmth. 

A unicorn themed calendar hung off the wall, the current day circled three times in red marker. RAPH, it said, with no other information. Mikey had already forgotten the calendar was there.

After the invasion, the turtles became well known for a bit. Donnie and Leo even had an originally friendly competition to see who could get the most autographs requested (which turned into a not-friendly competition to see who could extort the most autographs–Dr. Feelings and Raph had to have a sit down with them about that). But, like all things, they faded into obscurity once again. They still got the rare crazed fan (This one guy–Bishop?--is especially interested in them. Even made a murder board, which Donnie thought was touching), but life was pretty normal.

Then Mikey popped the question. He had cooked a feast in preparation. There was food to cater to everyone. Dad had hot soup and cake, Donnie had his choice of flavorless foods, Raph had stuff for him to indescrimetely destroy, and Leo had pizza and ice cream. The room had been filled with the sounds of chewing and sounds of appreciation. 

When Leo had taken his last bite of ice cream, he decided it was time to bring it up. He had brought in a deep breathe and channeled Dr. Delicate Touch. “I want to move out.” 

The scoop of ice cream Leo had just eaten flopped out of his mouth and back into his bowl. Ew. Everyone was staring at him like he just said he was going to give up art.

“I just mean,” He took a deep breathe, remembering the speech he’s been crafting since he was seventeen, “I’m eighteen now, guys, and I’ve lived with you guys my whole life. I love you all, I really do, but haven’t you ever had the need to just… not live together? To have a place where it’s just you?” He had carried along that same vein for about ten minutes, talking about the need to prove to himself he can make it without them, the need for independence. Even then he could see that new world, a painting of oranges bright and colorful, shining independently of all the other colors.

Everyone was crying when he was done. Leo’s bowl had looked more like an soup, flooded with melted ice cream and tears. They had hugged it out and spent the day together, planning for his departure. 

The actual departure was more bitter. Mikey had refused to let Raph see him off, sour about an argument they had had about him leaving. It had turned out that Raph wasn’t as for it as Mikey had thought. 

Everyone had helped him get his luggage to his apartment and offered to help him unpack everything. He said no. Once they left, he sat on a leather suit case and cried. The full force of what he was doing hit him and he had no emotional guards against it. For the first time in his life, he was alone. 

His shivering stopped his crying. Cold suffocated him, pushing inside of his body and freezing him inside and out. Rubbing his hands against his arms, he tried to find the thermostat. No luck. So he went shopping. He remembered this cute little mom and pop down the street, so he went there. 

It was overwhelming. The store was coated in the smell of cigarettes and clothes hung off of every available surface. He moved some clothes around and a flannel fell on his head. It’s texture was horrendous and it smelt like it was dipped into sewer water, then dried and lathered in honey and sweat. It smelt like home, like his big brothers embrace. Like a tired turtle pile in the living room after a day of fighting. It was itchy and smelly and perfect. He got it and didn’t take it off for two weeks. 

He’s been living alone for two months now. Not a single canvas has been covered in orange, instead he surrounded himself in hues of blue, purple, red, green, and grey. 

His stomach was turning into knots and everything felt wrong. Cold pizza was sitting on a piece of cardboard propped up by paintcans. He had been staring at an empty canvas for an hour, and nothing has come to him.

Then he heard a knock on the door. Four quiet taps, spaced equally apart. He recognized that knock. He heard that knock against his door, gently asking Mikey to let him in.

He rushed to the door and jumped into his older brothers arms. Raph didn’t stumble, effortlessly carrying Mikey in his arms. Mikey nuzzled into his brother neck, breathing in his honey and sweat musk. He didn’t regret living on his own, but he did regret not letting Raph get to be there with him.

@tmntober-2023

Heres the Ao3 for it

Independence - TenfoilMan - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018) [Archive of Our Own]