#if you would me to elaborate on something specific I mentioned feel free to ask

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

Hello! Many people have said this but ill say it too, I LOVE YOUR COMIC SO MUCH ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

I really wanted to ask you about how you do the backgrounds? (Something i struggle with) whats the process? Like from start to finish, also, to do the rise backgrounds do you use reference from the show and generally real photo of ny? Or do you come up with them? And last question- The shadow and light on the background- Like HOW

i know it’s a lot of questions but i’m just so curious qwq and wanna learn to be better, thank you again in case you read this and respond, in case you don’t, i hope you have a nice day and a wonderful life uwu keep up the great work! (≧◡≦) ♡

Backgrounds are a really broad subject and I'm always a little overwhelmed when asked this question. Just like drawing the human body, backgrounds take time, repetition, and practice!

My answer got a bit long, so it's going under a read more :) but if you digest info better in video format I found this on youtube

It pretty much goes over everything I wanted to say, but in a much better way. I wish I had found it before writing all this out lol

ok, first of all, I'm not a teacher nor was I built to be one of those cool helpful art tutorial people who do a full coloured tutorial filled with illustrations. This is just going to be a messy "how I do backgrounds / environment layouts from start to finish." kinda thing.

... lets start with a sight tangent.

Sketch from Life!!!

If you want to get better at backgrounds I recommend doing some sketching out in the real world!

When I was first getting into doing backgrounds I went to cafes and parks to just sketch the buildings and objects. Sketch rocks, flowers, clumps of grass, garbage cans, bottles, tables, street signs, etc. If you are drawing a tree observe how the trunks twist, how the bark flows, or how the leaves are bunched.

If you can't leave the house the same still applies! Sketch the interiors of your house, the walls, or common objects like chairs and bookshelves. How are objects stacked? items on the floor?

If you aren't comfortable with drawing outside or in public you can take some photos to draw from! They are good for practice and you can use them again as references later. Alternatively you can find pictures online of buildings and objects to sketch as practice.

All spaces have objects in them, it becomes easier to draw those kinds of spaces when you already have spent time observing and sketching them.

ALSO! They don't have to be good sketches! It's just to build out your mental catalogue and strengthen your perception of perspective.

now the actual thing...

BACKGROUNDS

(the pictures used for this are my own. I dug them out of my 2022 folder)

Backgrounds have slightly different rules based on what you are making them for. Videogame Environment Concept Art vs Animation Layouts vs Comic Backgrounds vs Illustration backgrounds.

They all follow the same basics, which I will go over here, but the intention and function of those designs are going to be different. It's all about how you set up the scene and what it's purpose is!

Brainstorming and Thumbnailing

I like to think about a location as though it is a character. An abandoned old house with creaky sagging floorboards is very different from a futuristic space ship with sharp metal floor panels. A gas station has a very different feeling from a library.

I usually start by asking what is this location's story? Why was it built and for what purpose? What kinds of things does this room need to fulfill that purpose? You don’t need solid answers, but its good to be thinking about it while you are working.

Next, sketch some ideas for how this place is going to look. For me, this usually involves drawing the idea from multiple angles and then making lists & small sketches of the objects I think should be filling the space.

Example: The main character of my original work is a Wanderer. They collect a lot of things on their travels, but those items have to be small enough to be easily carried in a backpack. I wanted his room to be in the corner of an attic, walled off by curtains, and filled with trinkets. You can see some of my brainstorming above.

References

I only look for references after I've done some sketching and planning; this is to solidify my idea first so that I don't accidentally copy anyone else's work. I will make a moodboard with pictures of lighting, colours, items, rooms with specific ceiling beams, old chairs, etc. basically whatever I feel fits the vibe.

Honestly, I don't use references as much as I should. For ROTTMNT fanart I look at backgrounds and screenshots from the series to study the style. I also reference actual photos of NYC to get a feel for how Rise condenses the visual information.

In general, it's good to have references of real life objects/locations, because there are so many details like cracks in pavement, stickers on polls, crowning on buildings, fancy fencing, weird chair legs, etc. that you might not think of. It's the imperfect details that can make a location feel more alive.

Perspective

Once you have your chosen sketch we move to.... the infamous perspective boxes. Doing backgrounds is just learning to be comfortable drawing So Many boxes and carving items out of them.

Many better artists than myself have made videos on perspective, vanishing points, and all the technical bits. Videos like THIS ONE and THIS ONE are helpful (this post is great too!!). There are probably a lot of classes to be found on Skillshare or Schoolism. I learned a lot of this in my college art course, so I can't give you a specific video which helped me.

You can get by and be a good artist without learning this stuff. There are quite a few successful artists who have admitted they never bothered to learn perspective (one of these people even made a whole graphic novel series).

I personally avoided properly learning this stuff until I was in my 20s because I thought it would be boring and difficult to do. tbh I really wish I had learned it earlier because it's so much fun to make those silly little boxes imo. It looks scary and complicated but, just like drawing humans, it just takes time, repetition, and practice to develop the knowledge and skills.

Cleanup

You have your boxes and lines! Cool! Now to make a scene out of it. Fill in the details, get everything placed were you want it! Generally, the lines of each item will point back towards the horizon line, but they can have different perspective points.

Generally you would want to clean it up and get your room completely sketched before doing the lineart. I tend to combine the steps (not recommended)

Lineart

I've mentioned how I do this before. Closer objects have thicker lines and more detailed inside. Further objects have thinner lines and less detail. I didn't quite achieve that balance with the image below, but it's close enough.

Colours and Shading will have to be a separate post. In the meantime, I highly recommend the book "Color and Light" by James Gurney. I used to borrow it from my local library and a good chunk of my knowledge was learned from it :)

[notmyprey]

Ope, another new character that's not actually new and has technically been a full fledged character in my brain for a while now.

Their name is Angel, and their basic premise is that they are a "Guardian" (creature made to look after a human, read specifics under cut) of a girl named Lilly.

Again, I go a bit more in-depth after the cut, but feel free to send me asks about them!!

(TW: SH and Attempted Suicide mentions under the cut. I will highlight the paragraph/s containing this in red, so you can skip over them if you would like)

Background Information:

Angel lives in a world where about 1 in every 3 people are granted a "Guardian" at birth. Most people only get one Guardian, and its rare (nearly unheard of) to have more than one. The purpose of a Guardian is to help their human with making decisions, though that's not to say Guardians dont have their own personalities. Guardians look and act like humans, but are much smaller (they are normally 9-12 cm tall once full grown). Guardians also mature at the same pace as humans, and do grow to get taller and or more mature as they age.

Guardians dont need food or water, but many choose to eat and drink because they like the taste.

Each Guardian has the ability to sprout wings. Their wings are part of the Guardian, and cannot be changed or altered, though the type of wings a Guardian is born with can be anything from bird like to bat like. Guardians also posses the ability to teleport to the human they Guard.

Guardians are near unkillable, the only way to kill one being that both of their wings need to be cut off.

Angel is a Guardian of Lilly, alongside Lilly's other Guardian, Ash. As depicted above, Angel does not look human at all, something they are mocked for constantly. They have paws, fluffy ears, and have white and black fur all over their body. They also have a tail (which is not shown in the picture).

Angel and Ash got their names from a common phrase which refers to the Guardians as "an Angel and a Devil". The phrase was originally something to degrade people who had 2 Guardians, since many thought that those born with 2 Guardians were cursed to be born with one angel and one devil. But since that theory has been debunked in modern times, its now used to say that someone has 2 Guardians.

Angels story:

Angel had a normal childhood, but things started getting rough when Lilly started school. Kids would point out Angels strange appearance, some being meaner about it than others. After the kids started to get meaner to both Lilly and Angel around 4th-5th grade, Lilly stopped claiming Angel and ignored them. This caused Lilly to start really bonding with Ash, while her and Angel did not get that same bond.

Angel is also ignored by Lilly's family, since most people in her family dont have Guardians and, as such, dont know how to interact with them. Both of these factors worsened once Lilly hit middle school, and she herself started bullying Angel as well. Her and Ash started mocking Angel and making backhanded comments about them to their face. They would also play pranks on Angel, directly putting them in harms way.

Often, when it came to holidays, Angel wouldn't get gifts, and if they did it was often something small or something Lilly or Ash discarded because they got a gift they didn't want.

Once in Highschool, Lilly and Ash started to get more elaborate with their pranks. Lilly read online a meme that was along the lines of "Technically, since Guardians are small enough and they cant die, you could eat them lol", which Lilly then took as a great prank to pull on Angel.

In short, Lilly ate Angel and kept them for about 5 days before spitting them back out.

While in Lilly's stomach, Angel started to reevaluate their worth to Lilly, and confidently decided that they were practically useless. Lilly was functioning just fine without Angel, and they didnt think they would be missed.

The night they were let back out, they waited till everyone was asleep and went to the kitchen. They tied a string to the hilt of a knife and anchored it to a drawer handle, acting like a makeshift guillotine. They placed the joint connecting their wing and torso under it and let go of the string. Their wing was severed from their body, the resulting pain making them scream for a moment. After calming down, they pulled the string to bring the knife in the air once more. Right as they positioned their second wing, Lilly's mom entered the kitchen. Upon seeing Angel, she quickly screamed for Lilly to wake up. She picked up Angel, wrapped their nub with a paper towel, and threw them into Lilly's hands. She tossed the wing into a bag with ice and ran to the car.

Once at the ER, the doctors tried to reattach Angels wing, but unfortunately it did not work.

After this incident, Lilly realized just how drastically mean she has been to Angel. Since it had just been the norm to her, and since Angel had never fought back, she hadn't thought to stop till then. She decides to try and be better towards Angel, working to build a bond with them.

What my drawing depicts is a moment a few days after the incident. Angel had by then convinced themself that they are only useful when they are "food", and in the drawing, Angel is trying to convince Lilly to eat them again.

So ya, my poor poor trauma ridden Angel......

Again, questions are the best!! ASK ME THINGS!!!!

[kmgkmg]

KISS ON THE TRAIN - CHWE HANSOL

word count: 0.7k...

pairing: hansol x gn!reader

synopsis: you and your boyfriend hansol are riding the train home, how will the commute go?

genre/s: fluff, non-idol!au, bf!hansol, established relationship, domestic

warnings: slightly suggestive

rating: pg-13

a/n: no editing done :O just in my feels for vernon! title is from the song kiss on the train by araya!!

“No, I can’t kiss you innocently, babe.” Hansol whines as he rests his head on your shoulder.

“And why’s that?” You laugh, amused at your boyfriend’s unexpected clinginess. 

You were both seated on the train, waiting for the doors to close again. Several days ago, Hansol stumbled across a video detailing a film festival taking place in your city and excitedly bought tickets for the two of you. You didn’t take much convincing to go, you loved movies as much as him seeing the films together was just the icing on top. But, the video failed to mention that the festival was an 80 minute train ride from your place and that there were about six different events taking place today. So, nearly four hours after the festival finished, you and Hansol were still crammed on the train. You asked him for a quick peck on the lips, needing to recharge after the long day but he firmly shook his head no. 

“I mean, unless you want me to makeout with you on the train…” He trails off, not moving his body an inch from yours. His fingers were softly entwined with yours. 

“Hansol Vernon Chwe!” You jokingly scold, “A simple kiss is all I asked for. The rest…well we can do that when we’re back home.” You finish, squeezing his hand that was interlocking with yours. 

Hansol shifts from his position next to you and stares into your eyes, “You mean it? I thought you would be angry with how crowded the commute back is.”

“Why would I be angry with you? I mean sure it’s hot and musty right now, but you couldn’t have predicted that. Plus, the movie festival had so many up and coming BIPOC directors. It was nice to see such a wide range of films! I mean the way that they’re breaking genres is inspirational, right? Especially that last one, Fireworks from Space? That one totally reminded me of Sorry to Bother You with LaKeith Stanfield.” 

Hansol listens intently to your ramble, happy that you enjoyed the festival as much as he did. He loves your shared passion for movies. He loves the way your eyes lit up — without fail — whenever you were excited about something. Sure, he’s dated his fair share of people, but never someone as big of a cinephile as him. 

“Fireworks from Space was super underrated! Y/N, I can’t believe we were two of the only ten people that went to that showing. And I definitely see what you mean by it resembling Sorry to Bother You. I think it also has similar aspects to Wes Anderson’s cinematography with the attention to detail, specifically symmetry.”  Hansol went on an equally long tangent, relieved that you weren’t upset with him. 

“Yes! I think I read in the interview with Director Jeon that he was heavily influenced by Anderson’s movie The French Dispatch when storyboarding for Fireworks from Space.” You elaborate, having your stomach loudly rumble at the end of your sentence. 

Before you could play it off, Hansol was scavenging through his bag trying to find anything to curb your hunger. 

“Hansol, I’m fine, really!” You tap his leg, trying to get him to stop his rummaging. 

“No, here at least eat this to tide you over. Then we can pick up some takeout at that Korean place a block from our place on the way home, yeah?” Hansol was holding a granola bar in front of you. He already opened the plastic packaging and was waiting for you to take a bite. 

“Wait, so a quick peck is too much to ask for but you’ll feed me?” You frowned. 

Without batting an eye, Hansol leaned in, rubbing your leg with his free hand and kissed you deeply. Each time he kissed you, you felt as if single handedly knocked the wind out of you and gave you air simultaneously. Nearly half a year of dating him and he still left you a mess. 

“There. Now eat, Y/N.” He instructed, holding the granola bar up to your face once again. 

“O-okay, but I can feed myself.” You replied, taking the snack from his grip. 

He returned to his original position of resting his head on your shoulder, satisfied with himself.

You watched several films, but the scene that just played out was undoubtedly the most memorable of the night.

[robiniswriting]

I’m still amazed that the BBC let Chris “wrote the Cyberwoman episode of Torchwood” Chibnall anywhere near Jodie’s run, never mind putting him in charge of it

gonna be brutally honest here anon I have never seen torchwood so I cannot comment on that specifically, BUT!

chris chibnall isn’t as awful of a writer as people think. in my opinion, he was hindered by his love of classic who. he was writing for a completely different show in a completely different time, and a lot of his plot and lore decisions make more sense when you consider the classic show. not to mention his politics, many of which were stuck in the 1960s-1980s.

as a result, fans of new who didn’t like it — certain key elements of it didn’t really gel with the current show and upset their understanding of the doctor as a character.

chibnall also made the mistake of listening to fans during his first season: everyone was saying they wanted new monsters and a break from daleks and cybermen, so he had a season of totally brand-new monsters. people hated it, said the show was unrecognizable. when he wrote a few new episodes with daleks and cybermen and weeping angels, people wrote it off because they’d already made up their mind about it.

I’ll always be grateful to chibnall for pushing forward and having the first female doctor. the pushback he received for that at the time gets largely forgotten. it would have been easy to give in to the massive pressure and recast — nothing of the seasons had been filmed when jodie was initially announced — but he refused to budge and backed jodie all the way. for that, I’ll always respect him. he’s put up with a lot of shit from the fans.

that having been said, disliking chibnall’s era is so valid. even though I really enjoy thirteen’s run (she is my wife I love her dearly) I can like that era of the show and also have enough critical thinking skills to see the problems with it. I’m pretty sure i’ve said it before but the politics of the chibnall era are atrocious (see: the woman who fell to earth, rosa, arachnids in the uk, kerblam!, spyfall pt. 2, the vanquishers — feel free to ask me to elaborate on any of these) and sometimes he falls into the trap many writers do when writing women, which is to water them down a bit. thirteen is Not as weak as many people make her out to be, but there are a few moments that irk me (see: needing jack harkness to break her out of prison. I’d have been okay with it if maybe she’d managed to stall the judoon long enough to send him a distress signal or something? maybe use the sonic to get his attention? just give her a bit of agency).

anyway, long story short, chibnall’s era has issues. but nowhere near the number that people attribute to it. as for why the BBC handed the show over to him, he was extremely successful as showrunner on broadchurch, had written well-liked episodes of doctor who and been head writer at torchwood in the past, was a massive fan of the show, and vocally wanted to being some changes and mystery to the show, something fans had been clamoring for for ages. my guess is he applied for the job, interviewed like anybody else, and they decided he was the best possible candidate.

no writer is going to have no misses, especially not on a show with such demanding deadlines as doctor who, and every new showrunner is a risk the BBC have to take. at the time, it looked like he was the man for the job. sometimes, it’s all just business.

[daddymus-mamatron]

Greetings, I come in peace. So...I saw your tag about a TFE plot rewrite on a rb and. I'm very intrigued. Please kindly elaborate 🙏🙏🙏 (Forgive me if I'm too nosy! Feel free to ignore this ask. ⁄⁠(⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠•⁠⁄⁠-⁠⁄⁠•⁠⁄⁠ ⁠⁄⁠)⁠⁄

Oh it is a PLEASURE to talk about it!!!

Ramble under cut because it's going to be long

When I was in college I had a class on cinema and my brain decided it'd be my new hyperfixation. Now that'd be fun and dandy except I got a little too into it and all I can see is patterns, archetypes & trope.

Like there is maybe 10 movies/TV shows that I didn't see the plot twist coming from a mile away. My stupid brain pick up on the most minuscule details and unravel the whole plot in a second. Which sucks sometimes.

Enters TFES.

It's great but there's a few sentences/frames that drive me insane.

When they throw the Cons in jail after episode 1, the rest of the Decepticons must know about Mandroid, they'e so close in there and in later episode it's shown they can chit-chat easily

Megatron is nice now and that's it?!?!?? He hunts & imprisons Decepticons and he's free and it's fine?!?!? AND HE STILL WEARS THE DEECPTICON BRAND?!?!?!

Speaking of cells, I knew G.H.O.S.T. was iffy the *Second* they showed the empty cells. THERE'S NOTHING IN THERE NOT EVEN A BENCH OR SOMETHING WTF?!?!

Bee casually mentioning that Rumble exploded because Soundwave was low on energon.

Swindle saying they should wait for the 'plan' instead of breaking out after Hashtag Oops

Bumblebee carrying restraining bolts

Karen torturing the 'Con, how long did that go on for?!?! How come they never spoke up about the torture??!

On the same subject, Tarentulas mentions a gun that erase memories and then we never hear about it again

There's more but I have more things to say so moving on

*inhale* THEN!!! Then there's the deleted scene (The confrontation between Megatron & Shockwave + Soundwave & Starscream freeing Shockwave) THEN!!! Then there's the mentions in the official guide that were never explored/explained

SO

I said fuck it and wrote down all the things that bothered me, asked my pal @shotimus what other things she thought were weird/missing/not explained [Shots is the TF expert, I'm still a noob] and I threw that all together in a blender. Took my favourite parts of multiple continuity (IDW, Aligned/Prime, Shatter Glass, G1 & Earthspark) and made a 6k OUTLINE of the fic I wanted to write.

The one (1) thing I was doubting the most about the plot of the fic, is Starscream is older than Megs & OP in my AU. I saw a comment on Reddit once that blew my mind (goes like this: If we’re sticking pretty closely to G1-esque Starscream, it would be pretty easy to show some more of his motivations for being so conniving. 

Just show some glimpses of the life he imagines he should have and why he is so convinced he should have it, and there could be many specific ways to go about that. All you’d have to do is show why he’s like this—you wouldn’t have to get the audience to think he’s in the right or being reasonable, and it would be interesting.) Took that and ran with it. This post reassured me I wasn't too insane for making SS older

SO

So he's a golden child that got more and more bitter as the war went on and he was more and more abused. Because I have to torture my fav blorbo.

AND THEN S2 CAME OUT

It was so bad.... I have MORE THINGS TO REWRITE. Like Soundwave ripping the 'Con badge off Megatron. There's another thing I wanna talk about it's a surprise so I'll refrain.

And that's where I'm at OTZ

The fic in question is actually a whole ass series because I'm possessed with a demon and I must rewrite the whole show?!?!?

[bettsfic]

hi it’s me again! i finished the kennedy book half an hour ago and i am still reeling.

you weren’t kidding about the last chapters. like the farewell party is a bittersweet anecdote, but then the epilogue is just absolutely crushing. what a brutal note to end on. the true endpoint is the paragraph in the acknowledgements where he thanks his coauthor for freeing him from the emotional prison he was in. phrase practically verbatim. like oh my god.

that thing you said about what’s not said really did nail the sort of very careful sidestepping of….giving his opinions, maybe? there is just a very deliberate sort of distance with which he describes any events, and so you really notice the barest hints of something more. (more than anyone can ever know, mr. hill? care to elaborate??? it’s the implication that they kept many secrets together and also his enduring loyalty to her that keeps us from learning hardly any of them.) i was reminded of the perception of the kennedys as american royalty because he really talks about her like she was a queen. jackie kennedy through his lens is beautiful and gracious and willful and truly given the royal treatment.

speaking of the royalty metaphor, aristotle onassis is two steps from being a mustache-twirling villain hoping that our brave knight clint hill dies a watery death under a yacht??? unprompted??? like, man. come on. honestly there’s a fascinating emotional thread in here about how he can only fully express feelings of protectiveness when they’re expressed by the president first.

anyway. this is a long ask. sorry. i feel like i should have something profound to say about the assassination chapters because of how significant the event is in history but i don’t yet. i probably sound unhinged but man. this was real life and this is how he chose to tell this story. what even was that.

THANK YOU.

re: last chapters: i want to look into what happened between him and his coauthor (they're married now!) but i haven't yet. i'm still feeling my feelings about the whole thing. can you imagine not reading the acknowledgements?? the acknowledgements that provide the only ounce of comfort amid the hurt of the last third of the book??

re: "MORE THAN ANYONE CAN EVER KNOW": i purposefully haven't shared that quote because divorced from its context you don't get the impact. to me that says he either totally had a thing with her but won't talk about it because he's an honorable man, in the same way he won't offer any kind of "no yeah the warren report was bullshit and the shots came from two different directions" confirmation, or he wants us to *think* something happened even if it didn't. i mean it's not like it was a secret that JFK and Jackie had affairs with other people. a great many of those people have written memoirs specifically about boning one or more of the Kennedys. so many in fact that it's basically a subgenre.

also there's some irony in the way he depicts Jackie. she didn't like to be written about. at all. ever. and there's more than one instance where he's, you know, an 80 year old man being a bit patronizing (in an otherwise very sensitively and thoughtfully written book), with all the mentions of mischief and little-girlishness. and so i keep thinking about how Jackie would have felt about this particular depiction, which despite the glossy nostalgia over the whole thing and I Love Lucy-esque antics, is a pretty nuanced depiction, at least compared to others i've read. he manages to revere her, nearly worship her, but still portray her vices, not as faults but as even more reasons he loved her. i don't know, man. it just feels weird to stumble upon a true story of what i thought were fictional feelings.

re: "he can only fully express feelings of protectiveness when they’re expressed by the president first": HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT. i'm still thinking about that scene where he takes the film out of that photographer's camera and JFK is just like, "ummm we can't make it seem like we're denying the press access to us, so we're gonna have to blame you," which prompted Hill to question his professional loyalty to the president against his personal loyalty to Jackie, and also it made me think, what would happen if he had to shoot someone? would he get blamed for that too? was he really only there as a human shield, able to protect but not truly defend?

re: "what even was that": WHAT EVEN WAS THAT.

[tailsdollr]

your art is really coool! im inspired! do you have any art tips?

Thank you so much and yes I have a bit of knowledge since all the work I have done over the years. However, I understand everyone does things differently. So perhaps not all I will share will benefit you much. Especially if you already knew it BUT I will try give as many I can!

I saw that you mostly do traditional drawing, so I will keep it mainly for that. However I will mention some digital tips but will have them related to traditional in some way.

Pencil types. There are many types of pencils and most depend on darkness or light. I usually have a 0.6 and 0.9 on me. A step further is charcoal however I'm not as experienced in that. Something I often do in case of smearing is lightly dabbing my finger on the art. This can work for many tools but I think a pencil smearing can just be annoying lol. How far you press can be very important too as going to hard can leave lines into the paper that will permanently be there and affect your art in case you wanna erase. I usually go light first then dark then work around. It's okay if it's messy at first if its light as that can be a lot easier to clean.

Paper. Paper is very important to me at least due to how much it can vary. For certain tools, I'd prefer certain types of paper. Always check texture and thickness before buying. Don't just buy random sketchbooks. I've regretted many times of getting paper far too thin or way too much texture.

Texture and thickness all depend on what you'll use on it. Thicker paper can handle wet bases like water, paint, or markers. While thinner paper is much better for pencil. As the more texture the more difficult it becomes to not make a mess of extra that might smear if you're not careful.

If you have thin paper and are using markers, make sure you know when is too much for the paper. It could tear or eat a hole in it if not careful. I don't think it depends on art supplies either. I just think it depends on skill and paper. Like, I would not use Crayola markers on printer paper. But I would on card stock since it's more likely to handle it. Speaking of card stock, it can be really good for just sketching. However I don't think it takes pencil very well depending on it's texture. Since most are usually kind of glossy on top.

Thin paper can also be great if you want to transfer a drawing over. Imagine a digital sketch that you draw over. Thin paper can be used in the same way so I'd never fear messing up when you can easily get it onto something else and start over. This applies to tracing it in digital.

Speaking of tracing, I would not be afraid of using it as a learning tool. I've used references but sometimes I cannot see exactly how to draw that. So I trace and see what it looks like on its own. I don't think using something traced in your final piece is practical or good. But I think learning and guiding yourself with it is an excellent thing and I want more young artists not to be afraid of it.

Poses and certain features can be quite difficult for some. I think the best way to build up on these is to break them down. Like making the person who is doing the pose into very simple shapes.

This like all off the top of my head. If you want to ask something specific like, painting for example, feel free and go ahead! Or need further elaboration I can certainly try!

My biggest art tip of all tho, is to have fun. Draw whatever you want. Make yourself feel happy and don't let others dictate what you do.

I think cringe culture really hurt a lot of learning and growing artists. People who just inserted themselves into stories, made strange aus. They all were just having fun. I let myself not show that I loved things just for others comfort and you know what fuck them!! So what if evil teletubbies is weird?? Why are you upset that I'm having fun!

Love what you love. Draw weird and strange things and never give up on yourself when you feel disappointed.

You will get there with your art. You will if you feel love and passion for the craft.

[tokillamockingbird427]

hello :)

as it is literally night while im writing this(totally not the only time actually free in my room/desk and go through my mess of thoughts) , i was thinking deeply about a logan (voice) hc that i decided to share here. im not too sure if this was talked about already a LONG time ago but feel free to let me know :D

mainly, it revolves around if he gets comfortable enough and decided to talk around other people besides hesh & elias, because well, social gatherings are scary. but even between elias & hesh, i feel as though he really just uses sign language unless its in a place he truly feels comfortable in talking in.

but getting more into the mans voice, i feel as though he mainly speaks in a whisper, or if anything is a soft speaker. a soft speaker with a raspy, soothing voice with a bit of an accent if we add ur head cannon of hesh & logan being of mixed race bc of mama walker ! (if we add in the (multilingual) hc from my first/second ask, his voice would of course be with a way more deeper accent.) and the reason why i chose him being a soft spoken speaker was mainly cause the walkers kinda generally have a soft spoken voice when theyre not yelling :). (i noticed that when i watched a 4 hour play through for the second time to really analyze the characters for fun.)

now, if we really think about it, his voice is pretty good to fall asleep to and is generally shocking(but not like keegans…his is a whole ‘nother story like your post on it lmao.). and if we add how hes a menace, its something that really catches you off guard when the usually quiet guy is talking so lowly of you with a soft raspy voice.

but ofcourse if we talk about all the ghosts here, hesh would be the main contributor to have him talk more, as the supportive older brother, with elias also following in. not too sure what the other ghosts would do besides surprised pikachu face or being excited over the fact logans starting to get comfortable with them cause i know that shit took long.(i feel like some walruss moments may also happen...)

(my main boost of energy to write this was listening to some S.O.A.D(system of a down) and my very mixed up playlist lmao)

—🎧 anon

Hullo! Good to see you again. I think you did talk about it but only a bit, so I'm very happy to hear you elaborate!

Yes, I agree. Depends on the people he's talking to AND the environment. Like the mess hall? No thank you. Just chilling in his room with Hesh? He'll talk his brothers ear off. (Funny scenario, a Ghostie becoming very confused when they hear two people talking in a room when there's only Logan+Hesh in there because they outright forget Logan's not 100% mute. No briancells for these guys.)

Oh, fun fact, and a less mentioned HC I have, I like to give Logan a tablet for speaking when he encounters people who don't know ASL. Has quick words button but also a place he can just type. And sound effects! He fucking loves the sound effects. I have this HC because he seems to just have a tablet on him a LOT in the game, so why not for speaking purposes?

You and me be shaking hands over combing the game for details lmao. Though tbh I didn't think to focus specifically on their voices, so I now have a reason for another playthrough! >:D

Logan speaks like he's doing asmr lol. But less joking, yes yes, very much I like. I like think Logan might have some gravel in his voice, but unlike Keegan (Majority gravel+bass) his is more raspy than gravely. (And his voice isn't as deep.)

Elias and Hesh being around could be what helps Logan acclimate to speaking around the Ghosts more. They're "safe places" for him, so it could start with him talking to them specifically around the Ghosts, which then transitions to him speaking to the other Ghosts directly.

I think Keegan, being similar in the sense that he's quiet (but not as quiet at Logan) would be the first Logan really speaks too. Which is absolutely something Keegan would love to brag about. He's the favorite after Elias and Hesh and the rest of you can SUCK IT! It's also a tell of how comfortable Logan is with Keegan. He's an outlier because he's not only the first Ghost Logan gets comfortable speaking to, he's also the record holder for how quickly Logan starts speaking to someone. Which may or may not have something to do with the crush Logan has on him.... ehehehe.

[concernedbrownbread]

Hello, i am a fellow reader from A03 who likes your fic ‘The promise of Dawn’ very much.My username is ‘Fatchoppedsalad’.I am interested in talking about himiko. Though i dont know what to ask.

..Ah! How was himiko’s past life? It was given that she was somewhat of a political figure or was going to be one but she died before winning the election. Others than that if its okay with you. Could you please tell me more.

Sorrybtw iam a huge sucker for spoilers🌚

Heyy thanks so much for the ask!!! I really appreciate your comments on the fic! I would LOVE to talk more about Himiko.

Okay so the thing about her past life is that … we don’t know much about it. We’re not really meant to. In the next chatpter (ch4) we see a bit more of the fact that Himiko pretty much Does Not Care. The only person she ever mentions fondly is her “PR guy” and the fact that she was kicked out of her parent’s house. She mentions that she was a”governer” of a “province.” I used those words SPECIFICALLY because I didn’t want her to be associated with the usual US/Japan and those were the most generic versions of those levels of power/division that I could think of. All we really know was that she was probably a middle-aged politician. I love keeping it vague!

She’ll drop random hints throughout the fic because of course she still remembers it, but it’s mainly comedic.

Also, can I please rant about motifs? Imma rant about motifs: Spoilers below.

Okay, Himiko has 3 main motifs: suns, spiders and death. The last I’ll elaborate on as the second arc rolls around, but I’ve (tried to) set up the first two. The first is obvious: Himiko is constantly crowned by the sun, literally my QUEEN (also her being a Princess is going to be a Thing later, thus the usage of “Hime” already). The spider thing I’ve tried to be a little more subtle about but … the book is literally titled the Weaver. Her plots are webs. The very first scene is eight minutes. I have no subtlety for this.

I AM trying to have subtly for the various unfolding “mysteries” like the underground press and the whole Root debacle. Chapter 4 has a bunch of foreshadowing but okay … looking back maybe not subtle. Looks like I need to rewrite this lmao. Hopefully I can get it out by next week!

Anyway, the spoiler is she's going to get a spider summons soon! But before she does, she's going to get her death motif going by getting a scythe. As Himiko develops, especially in the second arc when she begins properly training with her team + eventually finds the underground press, she's going to become something of a monster. A polite, smiling monster that strikes beautiful, beautiful fear in the hearts of people.

A small spoiler for chapter 5, where the Nine Tails Attack happens ... she's going to mimic something very similar to what Kurama does (with the KI). It's a form on ninshu, and she uses it liberally when she figures out how to. After all, what is cooler? Killing someone or making them feel as though they will literally DIE if they cross her.

Feel free to shoot me another ask! I love them!

[roboyomo]

yomo my friend yomo haaiiii hihi so like. im never really sure where t start w asking setting questions so im placing this down as a free pass for u specifically to talk abt whatever u want about your funny guys :] tell me your favorite bit or concept! or a character you really wanna get to but Havent Yet! or little fun facts! maybe all of the above if youre feeling spicy 👀 free pass to infodump, go crazy!! o7

EHEHAHSHEHEHRHEHAHRGWKRHWKEH THAMK YOU. THAMK YOU SO MUCH I AM ABOUT TO EXPLAIN MOST OF THE SETTING AND THE MECHANICS BEFORE I EXPLAIN ABOUT THE LITTLE GUYS AS BRIEFLY AS POSSIBLE AND IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, LET ME KNOW AND I WILL. GLADLY ELABORATE ON THEM MORE :33 (big rant below the cut) (ALSO WARNING THERE ARE LIKE. MENTIONS OF BLOOD AND STUFF. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE BY THAT I AM SORRY)

So if we are are talking about the setting- It is more a fantasy world set back in 800s to further into the 2000s (not like our world 's history but i can't name any of the fantasy locations on Earth itself as i am not focusing on that so expect pretty much the exact same country names). And the focus is actually on the Afterlife itself, and how it works, what worlds exist out there and etc etc. The original timeline crew (Yaku, Amor, Apollo and others) are all from the world of "Ortu Lunae" (Translator's note: It is Latin for "Rising moon"), the world that is supposed to be what mortal people would perceive as Hell. Aside from Ortu Lunae, an another world exists that is supposed to represent Heaven, called "Descensu Solis" (Translator's note: It is Latin for "The Descent of the Sun"), and the other third world being "Cruix", a forgotten third thing. Both Ortu Lunae and Descensu Solis have their own perspective god - Ortu Lunae having Achlys, the Moon God and Descensu Solis having Nahara, the Sun Goddess (Which is why the worlds are named after the sun and the moon). There is something else that is not a world, which is the Outskirts. Outskirts are unclaimed, unexplored and unstable lands, that are able to heavily affect the mental state and sanity on everyone who steps into them unprepared.

The worlds exist because the humanity still believes in their existence, and the people still keep the concept of their worlds "alive", but unfortunately Cruix was more of humanity's first "prototype" for what lies beyond death and with the existence of the two other worlds representing Heaven and Hell, Cruix had no more believers. Therefore Cruix had no reason nor right to keep on living, so it is only a forgotten land below everyone else (with none of its residents making it out of its borders)

To be quick, the company the crew work at is responsible for most safety of the entirety of Ortu Lunae, hence why they are "Warriors" and are "Company's most valuable employees". They are fighting and working for their own existence, for the existence of everyone in the Afterlife and their right to keep on walking on the ground, despite never being let outside back on Earth by will, even with their new physical bodies. Amor and Apollo even became the creators and the founders of the laboratory branch of the company to utilize science to create technology and innovations for the company, creating bionic gear and etc, being originally mostly the lead scientists and not all that much of fighters. All of this work the warriors do is why the company itself worked on how to make them "immortal" as to keep their employees to keep protecting the world. And that is where God's Blessings and "Sanguis Vitae" come in

Quick explanation of the two: God's Blessings are specialized powers, usually having origins from an element or something specific (Example: Thunder and Lighting for Yaku, Void for Amor, Time for Yi Dal/Ken and Kenix and etc) that are granted to the warriors by Achlys himself. There is an equivalent of that made by Nahara, where she lends her powers of the Sun and the Light to her soldiers, but the main difference is that it is but fraction of her powers and therefore her element, so every of her soldiers is pretty much set with the same skills, only differences being how they utilize the powers with their own weapons.

While "Sanguis Vitae" is an unknown liquid that is a back-up for God's Blessings, as it is the most essential part for preparing the warriors. It is an incredibly toxic and acidic magical replacement for the insides of the warriors. It is everything - for blood and organs that make the human bodies a functional thing, the skeleton and pretty much everything on the inside. It is also a massive to the warriors' starter strength as to help them get on the level of their comrades faster, and it also eliminates the basic human requirements for living. Which is eating, drinking, the hygiene needs, breathing and ,,,, only technically sleep but they still pretty much sleeping from time to time (Not Apollo anymore though, but that's for when i get to his character). As Sanguis Vitae replaces everything in their bodies, it also replicates some of the functions and fluids our bodies make (and by that i mean saliva for example, because i cannot imagine living with a dry mouth for all eternity, i am not that cruel to them)

Last thing would the Curses that i have mentioned when last talking about Kenix! Curses come from Cursed relics, that have originated from the Alternate timeline, and they oppose God's Blessings. Cursed relics and curses have originated exactly from AT (abbreviation for Alternate timeline, as to make it easier for me to write all of this) and they don't have an exact origin, all that is known is that the Cursed Relics are either manifested into being by twisting one's wish into something more of "an unachievable desire" that exactly requires the help from the above to get while tricking them into committing sins, or they are manifested into being after the death of one who has been cursed - someone's history of despair and sorrow being shaped into a physical object as their "legacy", that could resonate with someone once they are physically weak enough to have their own wish be twisted into something more disturbing and force them to turn into something strange and horrific while scarring their mind if they do break free. Originally the curses were opposing to the blessings because they had the same concept in theory, but the main difference is tha the curses not only grant the powers to the user, they exactly twist the user as a person, they are denied remorse for their actions and are constantly forced to look out for more violent and cruel ways to achieve what they wanted originally, while also depleting their sanity to the point of no longer having any control over their actions, turning into all sorts of monsters. There are 7 (known for now) cursed relics based on the Seven Deadly Sins and they all belong to the AT crew that consists of Kenix (Lust, but not THAT kind of lust because there are specific interpretations for each of the character), Azrael (Envy), Maude (Wrath), Aridam (Pride), Liliosa (Gluttony), Artemis (Sloth) and Agatha (Greed). Since all the timelines exist within this one universe, the curses and the cursed relics seep into the OG timeline right into the Outskirts where new relics are created into being with the the lost people who have lost their sanity and dying, leaving behind cursed relics made out of their desperation and madness.

Holyshit how did i write the concept of the Curses and the Cursed Relics before knowing about the Abnormalities, E.G.Os and Distortions from the projmoon universe HELPP. Also quick note that the cursed relics and the curses play a big part in the story as they are. a huge part of each of the character's Peak Insanity chapter, which a story chapter focused on them where they resonate with an existing relic that basically fucks them over for the rest of the narrative and they learn how to deal with it and how to heal from their trauma (ALTHOUGH INSPIRATION'S AND ARAI'S PEAK INSANITY CHAPTERS REALLY FUCK BOTH AMOR AND APOLLO UP FOR LIKE. A LONG ASS TIME BEFORE THEY REACH THEIR PI CHAPTERS TO FINALLY HAVE A RESOLVE TO THEIR PROBLEMS)

I think this might be everything for now, but the again, it is the shortened version of the lore so if you want to find out all the details (Like how the worlds' societies live, more about the curses and the cursed relics, specific stuff about the blessings for the crew and etc), you can freely send an ask or ask more questions anywhere else as i am free to answer them i enjoy answering them so much :33 i am. very normal about my ocs and their lore they definitely did not cause a 2+ years long brainrot for me

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Continuing some of the previous conversations + talking about random stuff…

Anonymous asked:

I meant by the new prison warden info since you mentioned you been thinking over.

Ohh, I see! Sorry for misunderstanding, Anon.

No, unfortunately we don’t really have anything new to share for now :( That being said, whenever we get asked about the AU, we kind of come up with a lot of new stuff on the spot  lol so if you’re interested in any particular character, feel free to ask.

artfulhero-m asked:

Ryu that office worker Lilia art got me feeling like I'm at work cause as someone who works in an office herself with coworkers who are decades older than her (I'm in my 20s) I cannot express how extremely common the scaring prank is between my coworkers, at least once a week I'm hearing someone yell "BOO!" and hearing in response either a scream or complete silence followed by laughter.

Based off of real events, you got me thinking about Lilia leaving some kind of noise machine underneath other's desks playing fart sounds when the office reaches rare moments of quiet in the day. That fart machine will circulate around the office for a few days.

I am so happy to hear that you have no idea!! I’m very glad we came up with something that has this very specific office vibe lol As someone who has 0 experience with the office environment, I had no idea this type of behaviour was common in any way. I hope these interactions are mostly positive though and not annoying lol

Lilia ABSOLUTELY leaves all kinds of noise machines and whoopee cushions around, you can also never shake hands with him because he has that ring that shocks you, all kinds of classic pranks he’ll absolutely do. And as time goes, they’ll get more and more elaborate.

And if Lilia gets closer to Idia in any way shape of form, it’s over for everyone, because if they join forces… With Idia’s genius mind and skills, he could enhance that noise machine in a way that’ll make the whole office shudder…

Anonymous asked:

Oh, I sent the cursed asks about what Lilia bullied Idia into telling and Lilia’s past crimes. Those were what I was apologizing for XD

So those were yours!! Good to know. I liked these asks though lol

Anonymous asked:

After reading about General Lilia’s sordid past, the song Weedkiller by Ashnikko reminds me of him. Just….major psychotic, unhinged, creature vibes.

Psychotic unhinged creature is such a good way to describe this particular version of Lilia, and I feel like this song could fit perfectly into his personal mixtape! Along with a bunch of death metal songs, so the sound is going to be quite contrasting lol

Anonymous asked:

Do you have any designs for Ace's brother? I've always thought of his brother as Jack Hearts from Disney recruiters if you don't, but I've slapped so much angst onto those boys it's hard to imagine they wouldn't want to "support" each other whenever Ace comes home for the holidays.

Well… it’s kind of awkward, because our view of Ace’s brother is closer to Eddy’s brother from Ed Edd n Eddy lol Ace used to think that his older brother is cool and maybe even idolised him a little when he was a kid, but then got disillusioned and annoyed as he grew older. They bicker a lot because they’re siblings + both of them are kind of mean and quick to throw each other under the bus. His brother isn’t necessarily malicious (although scenarios in which he is a complete jerk could be super fun too), but they often have heated arguments + there is this sense of “I’m older, therefore I win” between them.

Sooo… while this design isn’t something that we’re 100% sure about (if I ever draw him again, he might look COMPLETELY different, so keep that in mind lol), but the overall vibe is kind of like this. A jerk that kind of looks like a slightly older Ace.

That being said, Ace’s brother being supportive of Ace and overcoming complicated stuff is a sweet idea, Anon! I really wonder what their actual relationships are like…

Anonymous asked:

Ohhh, you would LOVE Criminal Minds. Serial murderers, mind games, sympathetic backstories, cursed people doing cursed things, it’s a beautiful, terrible show. ☺️

I can’t believe this is my first time hearing about this show considering the fact that it’s rather old?? But thank you for recommendation, Anon! <3

We very rarely watch live action series, but anything that is described as both beautiful and terrible (and cursed!) is always intriguing.

[blastlight]

#christian followers feel free to infodump in my inbox

☆hi beam!! okay i'm agnostic (spiritual and leaning hindu) now, but as a kid i used to be catholic (and also hindu at the same time. i was both simultaneously it's Complicated)

☆when i was little (before the Upsettings happened) god was sort of like my imaginary friend that i talked to all the time and demanded stuff from him constantly and i felt super upset whenever i did something to make him "angry". One time when i was 7 i prayed for about a week straight for him to turn me white. I was also convinced he would give me superpowers before i turned ten. I told all my friends about it. and then when it didnt happen i convinced myself it was because i was (vaguely) hindu too and God doesnt like it when i talk to other gods (???????) I won't get into the more traumatic aspect of the whole thing but the thought of someone always watching and the prospect of hell and dying forever messed me up for a good long while

☆surprisingly unrelated to that, i was obsessed with the bible as a kid (not really in a religious way so much as an autism way). My favourite book/section in the bible was leviticus and i just sat there for hours reading over and over what the ancient israelites were supposed to Not Do and the proper rituals that had to happen if they did those things anyway. My second favourite was the book of revelations but that was out of childish spite because at some point I remember the priest at my church saying that nobody understood what revelations meant or what was going on in there and i went "okay I'll just be the first then". I had Theories.

☆i was also going through my ancient history phase around the same time of my obsessive bible phase so every single week at church i bothered every single adult with questions about evolution and why the dinosaurs aren't in the bible until they made me feel too guilty to ask LOL (same thing happened when i asked stuff like why they eat shrimp or wear purple if leviticus says they can't)

☆tldr; i was obsessed with the bible in the way other kids at the time were obsessed with stuff like percy jackson, not because of religion but because i was fascinated by the Lore. But at the same time (and mostly unrelated to my bible interest??) i also believed in god fully and thought he would do stuff for me if i asked nice enough but be also scared me very much. Around age 12 I eventually reasoned myself out of christianity because, among other things, i decided the whole heaven/hell situation wasn't fair and unrealistic and also genesis made zero sense. The religious trauma that came later didn't help but was surprisingly not a driving factor for the most part. I still read the bible sometimes. I think it's fascinating

Oh wow that's way more than I thought anyone would send hahah

Definitely sounds interesting. I can see how you might end up like that but it sounds unusual. i don't know a whole lot about hinduism, but if you want, can you elaborate on how being hindu affected your catholic experience? just for curiosity :>

i relate with the "talking to G-d as if He's my imaginary friend" thing so much. i don't do that much now, but it's just way easier to speak directly than through very specific pre-written prayers sometimes...

hyperfixating on Bible Lore TM is kinda fascinating. i would not have chosen levitcus but i can see the hypothetical appeal of analyzing The Rules. (i was a child of chaos.) i don't know anything about revelations. what is going on in there?

bothering church adults with dinosaur questions is hysterical. also, where does it mention not wearing purple again? because religious jews do follow a lot of the commandments that originated from there, but that one's never come up. seems like a weird mistranslation/misinterpretation maybe?

makes sense why you'd leave based on that, i think that's more or less a common experience with ex-christians from what i've seen? good luck with the rest of that ♡ 👍 ♡

[wooftphr]

going to start posting shit my marine biology teacher says bc shes probably one of the most interesting people ive ever met. i dont even know how to describe it. here are some actual things about her and that ive heard her say:

-her accent is very noticeable, but equally as hard to place. at first, i thought it was bc i had just never heard or clocked it, but it did feel familiar. i just couldn’t figure out where it was from. when someone finally asked her where her accent was from, she told us “i don’t know, i just pick things up from places ive visited and lived.” which is a very long list, and you can hear the influence that every place on it has on her speech.

-“over spring break, im going to climb mount kilamanjaro!”

-the first or second week of school, she told the class that “if you need to reach me this weekend, i wont be able to answer any emails. it’s not that i don’t want to, but ill be deep beneath the earth exploring cave systems so i wont have service.”

—bonus: she shared photos of a strange Bug of some sort, greater than the size of a hand, that she had to crawl around in a very tight cave system when it wouldnt move. she also got covered in ants on this same trip, saying that “only her fingernails were visible”

-“i’ll be out of class next week, i’m going to be in a remote cabin. im planning on getting snowed in and ill be completely cut off from the world”

-“im so close to the treasure i can feel it i bet on a book at an auction and i can smell the answer, i know it has a secret that will help me get closer”

-“i used to have a t-rex jawbone but i had to leave it behind, i couldnt transport it”

-“i want to visit my friend who lives in alaska, but its so remote that i have to take a helicopter and its such a hassle not having any access to the rest or the world”

-“later on in the year, i may have to zoom to teach you all since i applied to be a part of a landmark research voyage and i am one of the final selections.”

-“i watched someone get stung by a stonefish. thankfully he survived but it was nasty stuff”

-“i was stung by several fireworms during a study. it was 2am and there was no one around, so i had to figure out a way to treat myself. for 3 years after, the hospital called ME for fireworm stings”

-she mentioned having more than 1 car, and when a student asked how she could afford multiple cars she told us “im a treasure hunter!” and DID NOT ELABORATE FURTHER!!!!!!!!!

-shes a big one piece fan because shes a treasure hunter, which is crazy because she is also the sort of woman who seems like she has not even a drop of free time she is so busy Doing Cool Shit

-“if you saw my closet, you would think i was a paleontologist”

-she is part of the explorers club, which i didn’t know was a Real Thing. like you see something like that in media and its like “oh thats an antiquity and used to emphasize the eccentricity” but no they have meetings and everything.

-“hong kong’s customs/mail system HATES me. i was the reason for a new law or two haha” its necessary to note that i dont remember this exactly, but i do remember her telling us that there is a government office in asia that has a bias specifically against her. its also necessary to note that she once again, did not elaborate.

-“and NO ONE else wanted to go into the steel cage being circled by a great white!”

-“i had to stop visiting a dolphin i was helping study because it got so excited to see me it caused problems. it kept throwing itself against the glass when it saw me because it was copying all the kids who would tap on the glass i think? it was so sad”

more to come. im obsessed with this woman ngl.

[nothingmatters-everythingmatters]

Me againnn what a surpriissseee... I just have a lot of fun reading rambles about things I'm interested in lol, I haven't thought of perspectives like yours so it's super informative to read for me, especially considering that I've been rethinking a lot of things lately. Anyway, prompt of the day !! You mentioned in your last post something among the lines of "not believing in an lgbtq community"? Could you tell me more about that pls? I'm quite surprised considering the history of LGBT people and different cultures we have (such as lesbian culture, or whatever you want to call it lol). ~🪼

always happy to have you here!!

I swear when I start writing these I think it'll be a paragraph or two and then. well. you'll see. keep reading breaks my beloved you keep my blog a tolerable scroll...

[mandatory preface because I like keeping the peace lol] now honestly, this take mostly might be more of a personal opinion/observation moreso than a generally applicable argument or anything, I don't really care how "agreed upon" the take is and I don't think by any means my silly tumblr blog opinion on how communities exist really matters to those communities themselves lmao. plus, I think I believe this mostly due to my exposure to how lgbtq or "queer" community things manifest in people of my age (early/mid gen z) as well as how it interacts with some of my more anti-consumerist stances, so it might not even apply to a lot of people who have a different mindset than me. I mean, I'll still defend my opinion if someone asks, but I don't need anyone to agree with me if they don't want to.

[oh and a bonus semantic distinction! fun!] when I say lgbtq+, lgbtq, or queer community, it is specifically referring to the modern day, mainstream one that labels itself with these terms as such now, I don't equate it with historical lgbt movements, groups, or lgbt people in groups in general in the past. I also don't equate it with the individual communities that are literally a part of the acronym lgbt, like lesbians or gay men or bisexuals or the trans community, and their specific unique cultures and histories. I try and use lgbt when referring to that, but it's probably not really clear to people who don't literally share my brain lol. I basically consider me using lgbtq as interchangeable with "queer", I personally just don't prefer to use the word queer too much because I respect that a lot of people still consider it a slur, and though I guess I have "the pass" to say it or whatever, I don't like the term anyway (you probably get how I feel about general open-ended definitions at this point lmaoo), but a lot of people in the specific demographic I'm talking about use it as identification so it also helps to summarize who I actually mean. dunno if this is a necessary precursor I just realized halfway through that even though I elaborate on this distinction in what I wrote this might be a good just general heads-up on what I'm working with in my brain as I write! if it's still unclear feel free to ask further!

--- actual answer to the question now lmao ---

obviously, general lgbt solidarity and activism has had very important effects, and individual communities and their cultures. and for the most part what people would consider the collective lgbt community has at least historically helped with visibility and activism to normalize gender non-conformity, and promote visibility and acceptance of sexual minorities. that's all super rad and very cool!

however, at least from what I notice now that lgbt acceptance has become mainstream, a lot of the most important activism has been secured has gotten to a relatively stable point in the western world. (well, in the US, I guess it's actually not as stable since it might depend on who the president ends up being and how dumb our supreme court decides to be lmao) and the lgbtq community has become more and more of a cultural movement than a political movement (which is again, good! people's sexuality shouldn't be inherently political). but, with this emphasis on culture vs. activism within the community combined with the reliance young people have on social media and the growing culture of consumerism in the west, the "lgbtq community" becomes this sort of forced consumer demographic and personal aesthetic rather than an actual community focused on bonding over shared experiences and collaboration to further shared goals.

besides, at least how I see it and how I've experienced being a part of the "community", outside of being same-sex attracted and the impact that has on life, even gay men and lesbians don't share much culture or experience outside of being closeted and coming out (which are experiences that already will vary anyway based on other factors such as ethnic background or social class). when you add in transgender with the t, or other newer labels with the q, or even more things with a +, there becomes even less overlap that would necessitate a community to form.

yet a community has formed, you might say! yes, but from my experience, it's formed mostly around artificially produced trends and now--increasingly--social media and branding. in my opinion, this is not only just a weak start for community building, but also it sucks and makes even real social interactions and gathering feel hollow. this is something I had to think about a lot when I found lgbtq+ communities in real life seeking, well, community, but actually found very little in common with most people that I supposedly shared community with. now, I could say this issue might just be that I suck at identifying myself and couldn't find my real community! and straight up didn't even acknowledge my actual experiences and feelings at time! which is true, but I would still need to realize that as a naive teenager I wasn't able to understand my actual sexuality or anything because the community that was supposed to help was either too general or too focused on outward manufactured culture rather than material experiences or realities, and that the mainstream lgbtq community's conception of what the specific communities within it were also following that trend. when I was bi-curious, the community I could find told me bisexuality was clear phone cases, cuffed jeans, and having a golden retriever boyfriend to wear pride merch with. when I was identifying as aroace, I found discussion of cartoon characters and flimsy metaphors. when I was trans--okay that one is a bit more complicated because I was basically almost a transmedicalist at points lol but within the more mainstream trans community with non-binary stuff--it was about passing and fashion and surgery (which in some cases, is quite consumerist) and the feelings/vibes. and always, in every real life lgbtq community I could find, it was like this, plus mostly discussions about celebrity culture, the same dozen or so popular community memes at the time, and probably fandom. and at that point too, there wasn't really a discussion on being closeted and dealing with that, as (again, positively) acceptance is more widespread, but also because with social media, it almost became an extra little "self-branding" point to share online.

are many of these personal problems? yeah! I don't care that much (anymore) about clothing trends and buying accessories or even how others perceive me, and I try to not be as "online" (it's a process :p obviously I am still very online...to my own detriment). I did find more of what I wanted to from communities, but it was always the specific separate ones (like the lesbian community, which definitely has a unique culture and history isolated from the mainstream lgbt ones) and usually it was from reddit (which sucks for so many reason still so that wasn't ideal) or old forums that were long dead because people my age do not use forums lmao. however, I think acknowledging the trend of lgbt community basically being a consumer focused demographic more so than an actual community is important as trends of consumerism become more and more hostile to the environment, to labor rights across the world, and just to critical thinking.

additionally, I think continuously propping up the lgbtq+ community as a monolithic community of shared culture and voices rather than what historically was a community of solidarity for activism and civil rights born out of necessity, creates a false dichotomy of "straight" and "not straight", with straight people being seen more and more as "uncool" due to the social media landscape promoting hyper-individualism. this not only alienates people outside of the community and gives people already homophobic more causes to generalize people unlike them negatively, and also promotes people who want to be differentiated from that negative "straight" identity to find a way in to the community. which again, by itself who cares, I'm not policing what people want to identify as, but that also dilutes the commonalities of the lgbt community even further and allows for even more of the absence of real community tenets to be filled with consumerism.

and look, maybe people just want to have fun and they want to be catered to with fun products and events and parties and that's their right, even if I disagree! but I can't really bring myself to understand it as what a community actually is/ideally should be: a group of people with something in common enriching each other and forming social bonds around that commonality. for a bit of a comparison, it gives me the vibe of a modern push to have things like AAPI or BIPOC or labels for communities like that, where the point is to outline your identity for brandable purposes more than it is to connect with others with shared identity (because, spoiler, most groups pushed together into these communities have very little in common!). I guess you could make a differentiation here that genuinely helpful community is based on people, where as communities that lack in actual community are based on labels. something like that. there's probably a lot more nuance I could explore with this including how "american" this whole kind of label-based community is but that seems like an actual thesis and unfortunately doing real research is a bit above my pay-grade on this blog :p

all that rambling to basically say: I don't think the lgbtq+ community has that much in common amongst itself and the variety of specific groups clumped within it anymore (outside of being affected by the same bigotry which if you really think about it also isn't necessarily true but that's like so many more words and so much more discourse lol and my brain is running out of steam). so, it kind of makes for a subpar actual "community" in my eyes. it's nice to have other queer-identified friends at times, yeah! actually being able to openly talk about being attracted to women with others for one, is really great especially in a misogynistic society that demonizes female sexuality especially when it doesn't involve men. but, what does it help me, or any other young lgbt person, to go to so-called community events and just be sold things or told to buy things based on a label that I honestly only assign to my self because it's definitionally important for me, not because "I feel the vibes". or told to look a certain way because it's cool and that's what my identity really means, how I look to others? what am I, a walking bundle of tags labeled for advertisers so I can be sold the exact thing that appeals to me because I'm gay? if I think too much about it it gets dystopian lmao and I get a lot of people in my generation don't think about it at all, or choose not to care. for some reason or another though, I care a lot. oh well!

as always, pick any random offshoot comment I said and I could probably write you ten more paragraphs lolol, but I'm happy to do it! this one especially, it's based on so much anecdotal experience that if anyone wants more examples, I can absolutely do my best to provide !! (I have too much free time and this beats my bad habit of laying catatonic phone scroll time)

realizing now also that I do have some thoughts about lgb seperatism that relate to this but it's a bit late to rework this train of thought, I'll just say I can definitely understand that sentiment, but I have yet to lurk enough in actual explicitly lgb communities so I can't speak clearly about it. interesting stuff though.

also also I actually remembered there might have been a point to be made further about how the modern lgbtq community might have historical roots but historical revisionism and misinformation is so common for the up and coming waves of the community (young people do learn facts from tiktok yeahhhh unfortunate) diminish the actual culture from the past anyway, but I forgot to mention it above and it would've been another two paragraphs or something and that one might actually be good to have more sources to supplement, so...I'll file it for later!

really, this is a personal exercise for me more than it feels like a response to someone, and despite that people still take the time to prompt me anyway lmao. all people hitting up my inbox in good faith you're awesome and great and other nice adjectives!

and jellyfish anon I hope you have a delightful day after reading this (or in between reading this, it might be long enough to deserve an intermission tbh lol) !! thank you again !! happy thinking and whatnot!!

[oraclekleo]

Hyunsuk (CIX) Kinky Tarot Reading

Disclaimer:

All celebrity readings have purely entertainment nature

I don’t know any of the celebrities personally

Don’t base life decisions purely on tarot readings

I can never guarantee any of what’s said in the reading

Reading Info:

Rating: 18+

Reading Type: Single - Couple

Requested: Yes - No

Requester: /

Deck(s): Edgar Allan Poe Tarot

Spread: Kinky Reading

Questions:

Position

Libido

Turn On

Kink

Dirty Secret

Celebrity Info:

Full Name: Yoon Hyun Suk

Stage Name: Hyunsuk

Group: CIX

DOB: 08.09.2001

Blood Type: B

MBTI: ENFP

Sun Sign: Virgo

Chinese Sign: Metal Snake

Life Path Number: 2

Masterpost: CIX

Hyunsuk (CIX)

Full Name: Yoon Hyun Suk Stage Name: Hyunsuk Group: CIX DOB: 08.09.2001 Blood Type: B MBTI: ENFP Sun Sign: Virgo Chinese Sign: Metal Snake Life Path Number: 2

Spread / Question: Kinky Reading Deck(s): Tarot of Mystical Moments

Position - 2 of Pentacles

Hyunsuk is a bit of a juggler when it comes to relationships. He’s something of a chameleon; he can balance his lover in all aspects. He likes to play, push all the buttons and then play an innocent angel. On the other hand, if he’s given a task, he’s likely to complete it, even when he might be a bit of a brat about it. He’s not really a dom in a relationship but he’s not a complete sub either. He’s likely to take his share of responsibility if he’s asked to do so, although if his lover is the caretaker type, Hyunsuk will happily leave everything to them. He might have a thing for being corrupted a bit by his lover.

Libido - 3 of Swords

Normally I would say that Hyunsuk’s heart is broken and he feels no passion here but to be honest with you, I’m getting a completely different vibe here. Hyunsuk is a bit of a thief of hearts and womaniser (or men eater) himself. I mentioned before that he likes to play and he might have playboy tendencies. Hyunsuk knows how to charm people he likes and he knows how to pull them on a string as long as he pleases and then just cut them off, forget about them once he’s bored and leave them in tears, none the wiser what actually happened. While he likes to play like this, Hyunsuk isn’t really that passionate and sensual lover. Tricking somebody’s mind, playing with their heart, feels sort of more arousing than the act itself. I’m getting the vibes that sometimes Hyunsuk might find sex even boring and tedious. It’s really a strange idea I’m getting with him so please, if you disagree with me here, feel free to tell me. Maybe I’m getting wrong signals.

Turn On - 4 of Swords

Once again I’m getting a strange but very specific idea here. Hyunsuk is likely to feel attracted to someone mature, yet vulnerable when it comes to their experience. It might even be an older person but for some reason they haven’t dated much in their life. Imagine someone who got married young, lived with their spouse, now they are going through a divorce and out of the blue, here comes Hyunsuk to steal their heart and sanity. This type of person wouldn’t notice Hyunsuk’s mind games immediately and at the same time they would be likely mature and willing to pamper him. Until the moment Hyunsuk is fed up with them, of course. What a hyena, this young man is. I’m starting to like him. Lol!

Kink - Queen of Cups

I have already said that Hyunsuk finds regular love-making dull and is more likely to enjoy the process of seduction than the fruits of it. However, even such a cold hearted monster (I’m joking) has a kink. Hyunsuk is likely to especially enjoy being babied by his lover. If they are willing to actually play this role, and it’s possible that Hyunsuk will go into details and have elaborate scenarios for them, they will be rewarded by his passion eventually. I’m not sure if this kink is some sort of reaction to maybe abandonment issues, Hyunsuk might still have unresolved. Maybe his parents couldn’t give him as much attention as he wanted from them. It would make sense for him to quickly dump his lovers in fear of them doing it first but these are dangerously deep waters and I don’t really want to go there in this reading.

Dirty Secret - 3 of Pentacles

I mean… I don’t want to explore my hypothesis, but it kinda all makes sense. Hyunsuk is secretly hoping for someone to come and mend his unfinished soul structure, patch the wounds and help him to actually mature. He’s probably aware of his issues but it’s not an easy task to cope with them on his own, especially in such a stressful environment like the entertainment industry. Don’t take me wrong, he’s not really falling apart or breaking down. He’s only not completely done with growing up, yet, and he probably dreams of a person who could help him get there.

Aww! Look at him! I mean I know what demon he is and I would still hug him and give him home made cookies. 🤣

Just joking. Honestly, this is one of those readings where I feel it strongly but my better judgement is shaking head. Please, feel free to disagree with me regarding Hyunsuk. Maybe there were some solar storms disturbing my intuition or something. 😊 Take this reading with a huge grain of salt.

Thank you for reading!

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[goldenbloodytears]

My lurker ass is a big fan of your work, would love to hear about Danny angst hours if you feel like it.

Sending you good vibes from down south

Oooh thank you so much anon! What a wonderful birthday gift.

Feel free to send me follow up asks if there’s any sort of specific angst scenario you’re curious about how Danny would react to, specifics can be very useful in helping me fine-tweak details.

My brain is a mega sleepy rn from finishing most of my finals + birthday, but I will try to elaborate on some of my thoughts of Danny angst events below the cut.

Mentions of divorce and doomed gay romance if anyone is sensitive to those.

I think the biggest one I’ve made a bit of mention so far is my headcanon about him being the child of divorce. I think he carries a lot of unprocessed abandonment issues and complex emotions related to that—I’ve been toying with the idea lately that he chose to stay with his dad, since he would have been old enough to have a say in the custody arrangement. However, I don’t think this protected him from mommy abandonment issues because I think his mom still felt lowkey rejected by him… and then basically proceeded to have minimum contact with him? She rebuilt her life, got remarried and had his three half-siblings.

And that’s going to still be devastating to a kid. Because as much as you have a vague idea of what your choice means, almost nobody really explains to kids the consequences of what their choices are before hand, even for incredibly benign choices sometimes.

I’m still trying to decide what the outcome of Danny committing patricide is—did he get caught in Utah? Is this the event which put him on the run? Has he been running ever since?

I kinda wish BHVR would give us another tome just so I don’t have to make the decision.

I’m drawn to the idea that he got caught but his mom managed to literally and metaphorically bail him out, it just… gets caught against my sense of disbelief. The amount of Law and Order I ingest doesn’t give me much to go off of—maybe a hung jury? That could be interesting. Like his killing of his dad sounds like it could be pled down to manslaughter, but I have a hard time picturing him not getting convicted if that makes sense…. But at the same time, a prior conviction feels like it complicates his background. It’s really a lot. It’s something I need more feedback on because… well, it’s so much to think about.

Another angst related idea I’ve been toying with as background for my fic includes whether Danny has had a doomed infatuation with someone before—Sam is a particularly butchy bi woman at times and the idea that her character might remind Danny of somebody he’s known in the past was… intriguing. I’ve been visualizing a sort of doomed ho-yay unresolved sexual tension relationship with a guy in his background… maybe even the original “owner” of one of Danny’s aliases?

It’s Jed lol

It’s at least partly inspired by how some fan-artists make Danny and Jed look like completely different people. I don’t know if it will stay Jed, the idea is very… half-baked, and I worry it will make Danny and Sam too similar if they both have a doomed gay romance lol