#in my hobby revival era

[holocene-sims]

simblr new years resolutions 2024!

thank you @stargazer-sims so much for tagging me!! ❤️✨🌟

not sure who has done this one yet but i'll tag 💌 @seyvia @simmersofia @mangosimoothie @minty-plumbob @queeniecook @dandylion240 @mmmatchasims @thebramblewood @aheathen-conceivably @nectar-cellar @igglemouse & anyone who sees this and wants to do it!

honestly, i have never made a new years resolution in my life, so this is a fun exercise to try out for once!

what's your resolution for your simblr?

this is VERYYYYY ambitious but i want to fully complete the core "everything the stars promised" and move on to doing side content and MOST IMPORTANTLY the more loosey goosey fun epilogue :)

april 15th of this year will mark the second anniversary of the story! i've done so much and yet at the same time, so little in the grand scheme of the plot i have in mind. i randomly checked today to see how many pages on my blog the story takes up and we're at 31 pages! so, uh, about 15 pages a year - not sure if that's good progress or not but oh well! we are getting close to the extra exciting parts of the story, and i would love to finish it all up this year, you know? finish on a nice round even anniversary number and with a bunch of plot point bangers lolol

but we'll see! it's possible, maybe, since i'm graduating college this semester and will have more free time for a while, at least i as figure out the work situation and probably even while working whenever i do get a job since nightly homework will no longer exist LMAO, but even if it's not possible, i am definitely promising myself to work harder on the story! i really do love this thing despite it all and i'm proud of it, and i want to see how much i can keep improving it so that the ending is truly the best part <3

what do you want from the sims franchise?

a sale on kits lmfaoooo!!! (which will never happen) i have exactly 5 dollars left over from an old gift card someone gave me for ea app when it was still origin. it's exactly enough for a kit except that sales tax adds on 7 cents and the gift card leftovers don't cover that.

yeahhhh...i'm neither charging 7 cents for sales tax nor 5 bucks for a second kit to my credit card. no, ma'am. i want that shit for FREE

any other new years resolutions?

don't become incredibly depressed by the shock of leaving the school system after almost 23 years of life and the horrors of figuring out the whole...life and career...thing

lol this resolution will be broken

so, how about an achievable one? read more books and write more actual prose, whether for my sims story or for something else. i've been so burnt out from academia that it's all stopped being fun. like even my sims story has been such a drag to create because i just have zero desire to write, to work on the outline, or find inspiration.

and that really sucks. writing and reading have been a huge part of my life for so long and they mean a lot to me, but right now they do feel exhausting. i'm tired of looking at a word document and wanting to bash my head into the keyboard because it reminds me of writing project proposals and boring shit instead of good fiction.

but i'm hoping the freedom from academia will spark joy in my literary hobbies again, and i'm going to try and bring back my love for them myself :) not sure how but aside from finding a way to work on the sims story more, i'm thinking maybe i'll commit to trying out more short-form writing prompts.

[sixhours]

<3 Hello, Tumblr!

I'm Caroline! This blog is where I fangirl about The X-Files, The Last of Us, and the glorious human being that is Pedro Pascal, as well as whatever hobbies have piqued my interest recently.

This post acts as my fanfic masterlist.

Also find me: AO3 @6hoursgirl | Nobody Likes a Math Geek

The Last of Us

Because I like having my heart ripped out of my chest on the regular, and no one can do that like Joel Miller.

haunting me - 5k - PG-13 What if Joel was a ghost?

bright spots - In progress - PG-13 The hospital AU.

happy birthday, baby girl - In progress - PG-13 Ellie has never had a birthday. Joel can fix that.

i know you by heart - 40k - Explicit Joel and Ellie settle into their new lives in Jackson but it's not the easiest transition. Thankfully Jackson has a counselor to help with that. AKA the gay TLOU/Prospect crossover you didn't know you needed.

who knows where the time goes - 11k - Explicit An i know you by heart one-shot. It's New Year's 2027 and the dads are going through it.

reprise - 1.8k - Explicit An i know you by heart one-shot and follow-up to who knows where the time goes.

Looking for the Light - 750 - PG "She is gravity and he is stuck in her orbit." A Joel & baby Sarah drabble.

Walls of Glass - 17k - PG-13 Joel and Ellie struggle to deal with the aftermath of Silver Lake.

One Day at a Time - 25k - Explicit Joel becomes a dad. Again.

Postpartum - 1.8k - PG-13 Charlie has a rough night with newborn Anna, Joel is a supportive and caring partner, breastfeeding is hard, and postpartum hormones are a real trip. Set in the One Day at a Time universe.

Firsts - In progress - Explicit Anna’s firsts, a series of fluffy drabbles set in the One Day at a Time universe.

The Ghosts of Babylon - 63k - Explicit A medical doctor turned hardened FEDRA soldier, you're sent to spy on the settlement of Jackson, Wyoming, 21 years after the cordyceps outbreak. Things get complicated when you find an unexpected home...and some unexpected companionship.

Like Father, Like Daughters - 1.6k - PG Joel comforts Ellie after a nightmare, set in the Ghosts universe.

The X-Files

My first fandom, the original OTP, Mulder x Scully are my babies for life.

Alma - 4k - PG Post-episode for Milagro; the aftermath.

Harborage - 2.1k - PG Post-ep for Irresistible.

Helianthus - 3.6k - PG Mulder's favorite snack from Scully's point of view; three vignettes.

Morning Sickness - 1.2k - PG Post-ep for season 11.

Home Again - 1.2k - PG-13 An X-Files revival era fic.

Meteor - 1k - PG An X-Files revival era fic.

Remnants - 1k - PG Post-ep for Per Manum.

Everything else on AO3

[ancanosaur]

Does anyone else remember how weirdly toxic the MK Fandom was around MKx era? Becuase I do.

Those like handful of blogs that were just getting into beef with random Kano fans and their whole thing was "Kanno is a peice of shit! And so are you for liking this fictional antagonist!!!" I remember a few who put anti-Kano in thier description of their blog and it was just a hobby to shame people for drawing Kano fanart or liking the character in any way. (And a small revival with mk11 since they made him fuzzy for that game lmao)

Weird uncomfortable age gap shipping... That whole thing about that one artist that drew Cassie cage/subzero stuff and a shit ton of people were like "uh, he's friends with her dad and is like 52. So that's kinda weird." But then it also turned into a headcanon argument bc people were like "yeah subzero definitely watched Cassie cage grow up and he was a part of her childhood." Wich is so funny looking back at it bc there was no need for people to theorise anything about the characters relationship any further than what is Canon for it to be weird.

That fucking Sektor fan who just casually wrote headcanons about Sektor being a huge fucking racist for no goddamn reason?????!?!??? The headcanon specifically was about how they ship him and Cyrax and how Sektor calls him slurs and physically, mentally, and sexually abuses him as part of thier romantic relationship????????????? And they even gave examples of the horribly racist things he says to him¿¿¿? And that Cyrax was just okay with it??? And ended the post with like " I love my evil little man 🥰" No trigger warnings on the post either and when they were critiqued for it they were like "it's realistic and it's just my personal headcanons and you don't have to agree. Sektor is my comfort character and this is just how i see him." -type shit. (Deeper lore about said person. I actually interacted with them way before the headcanon thing. They approached me wanting to rp and they were so controlling they were basically just telling me what to do the whole time. super rude and impatient. So they just suckedl lol.)

Art blogs getting wierd asks that requested them to draw the fem characters in what was very obviously kink art but the asker would ask it in a way to trick the artist into making free fetish art for them. I got so many requests back in the day to "could you draw mileena for me :) but with her jaw wired shut? :)" or "could you draw kitana wereing a new pair of flip flops for me? That would make my day." like ????? Vague to the point of its sus but there were alot of minors in the fandom at the time including myself, i was in highschool at the time. but I was raised on deviantart so I could smell a wierd fetish from a mile away. But I did see other young artists fulfill these requests and several of them completely unaware that they were drawing kink art. Kink art is cool. But not when you're tricking minors into drawing it for you for free. (There was this mileena anon that was the most common one and I swear it was the same dude bc it was always something to do with with her getting her jaw wired shut, her getting bracess, or some other hardware being attached to her jaw/teeth.)

Selfshippers/heteroshippers being like "I know Kung Jin is the only Canon gay character in this very cis het and hyper masculine video game franchise- but im gonna ship him with my girl oc :) becuase he isn't real and it's not wierd to just pick the only gay one :) out of a huge line of big muscle men to choose from :) to ship with :) my female girl she/her lady with a vagina self insert :) or ship him with Cassie :) bc they are friends and should date :) I know he likes men :) and erasing that part of him :) erases :) a big part of his character :) and character arc :) but he would look cute :) kissing girls :) bc im :) girl :) and so is Cassie cage :) and my oc :) - is what I remember.

2015/16 really was a time for the fandom.

[synergysilhouette]

5 things I want for Broadway's take on "Tangled"

NGL, I am slightly surprised that "Tangled" is getting a Broadway adaptation before "Moana" and "Encanto," but I'm hoping it's success opens the door for more Broadway musicals taken from Disney's revival era (and maybe bring back "Frozen"). That said, as someone who is NOT the biggest fan of "Tangled," there are a few things I'd like to see changed in the stage version. I'll try not to make this a repeat of my post on how I'd change the movie itself, but it's similar:

A more hesitant Rapunzel--As-is, she's a pretty complex character, but I feel like a lot of that is only utilized in the tower or in relation to Gothel. She's shown to be fiercely intelligent and have a lot of hobbies that she's mastered into talented skilled (baking, chess, pottery, painting, guitar, star charting, etc.), but it's mainly only shown in her intro song for how she kills time and how she knows about the floating light. She does keep herself busy in Corona, but her time there is relatively short, and her skillset is condensed to a musical sequence as before. I'd enjoy hearing more technological conversation from her or show how she navigates the forest, as I'd imagine she read as much as she could before going out into the world on how to survive and navigate, even if she mainly read books designed for entertainment rather than information. Along with this, I'd probably make her less innocent and bubbly--at least on the surface, presenting her as more aloof and tough because of how Gothel raised her, with her insecurities leading to a lot of trust issues that make her very antisocial and not trust Flynn at all. I felt like the "innocent young girl with a jaded older guy" trope is very played out. Speaking of, I'd probably make her older than 18 and and make Flynn only a couple years older than her at most. And I kinda want her in a new dress since her canon one feels a bit costume-y.

2. Make Flynn someone to take seriously--I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of they sympathetic thief trope, and that Flynn never comes off as cool or charming as he's supposed to be (we never see his charms work off, actually; according to when Rapunzel meets him, he's having an off day apparently), instead feeling a lot goofier. Similar to how Rapunzel is more reserved and tough, Flynn is more suave and capable, more focused on clever lines than quipping one-liners. Make him feel somewhat threatening and dangerous since he's a thief, and fueling Rapunzel's mistrust. A thing I'd also like to focus on more is his past and how he changes for Rapunzel. I like the idea that he sees the "Mother Knows Best (Reprise)" sequence from afar, and realizes that Rapunzel may only like him because he's not a good person, as people in abusive relationships may hop into another one, and vows to be someone who can protect her and care for her properly as he realizes he loves her, and has previously taken advantage of her in order to try to manipulate her into getting the crown back. I'd also like if he talked about his past periodically rather than just once after Rapunzel heals him; I need a recurring story rather than just a quick backstory that explains why you became pessimistic about the world (unless it's told through an ACTUAL flashback instead of just dialogue, similar to Nick Wilde's backstory in "Zootopia"). Perhaps put it into a song, and I was always weird about Flynn Rider being a fake name, especially since it doesn't affect the story; if you wanna highlight his insecurities, there are other ways to do so besides a fake name.

3. Give Gothel more songs (and perhaps make her a bit less over the top)--Given that Broadway musicals add songs, I doubt I have to worry about Gothel not getting to sing some more, but something I do kinda want is less over the top behavior with Rapunzel. I assume it's done to show the audience that she's clearly the villain and understand that she's manipulating Rapunzel, but I enjoy the more subtle moments. For example, right before the reprise of "Mother Knows Best," Gothel told Rapunzel that she found her by listening to the sound of "complete and utter betrayal." I'm sure some parents actually say stuff like this, but it sounded too obvious. However, afterwards, when she sings, it feels more legitimate, like she's actually angry, sarcastic, and frustrated (ironically during a big number). I'd enjoy more moments where her being a toxic parent are less obvious and are more subtle, personally. And ACTUALLY, someone once asked if "Mother Knows Best" (Reprise) was all in Rapunzel's head, and I do kinda like the idea that Gothel has made Rapunzel so insecure that she just has to wait for Rapunzel to unravel rather than directly intervene.

4. Make the Stabbington Brothers more important--Like I've said before, Flynn doesn't really have an obstacle or antagonist, as the brothers quickly become henchmen to Gothel, who she double-crosses when they fulfill her goal. In other words, despite originally being villains for Flynn, they end up not affecting his story on their own accord, but are pawns of Rapunzel's story. If we expanded on Flynn's past and lean into the fairy tale aspect, I kinda like the idea that they're his stepbrothers. And if we borrow from Flynn's prototype Bastion (who wanted to get out of being a thief rather than enjoying it), Flynn could just be forced to be a thief and manipulated emotionally like Rapunzel into believing he isn't going to survive on his own unless his does as his family asks.

5. Stay in Corona longer--I always hated how little time they spent in Corona, with most of the film taking place in the forest. I'd like for Rapunzel to have more time there to learn and explore her skills and interests (slowly becoming more social), kinda like how Ariel did in Eric's kingdom during her three days. I like the idea that Rapunzel periodically sees Gothel here and there but just tells herself she's going crazy, and Flynn has the same experience with the Stabbington brothers.

[lyriumsings]

oh damn I was just wondering if I should ask if you took oc questions and I saw a post about you wanting to talk about them. so. this is your sign: free pass tell me whatever you want about whoever you want. I’d like to know stuff about them (please. thank.)

This ask has literally been sitting here for like a year and I can’t stop thinking about my infamous mc so i’m gonna use this as a sort of preview introduction lol so anon if you’re out there im so sorry lmaooo and i absolutely love asks about my brain blorbos or anything really ngl i’ll probably copy and paste all this information to their Official Art ™️

Name: Octavia “Tavvi” Blackwater

Stage name: Tavvi

Pronouns: they/she

Sexuality: Bisexual

Band name: Beneath the Challenger (BTC). Octavia came up with the name and it’s basically a metaphor for them being super depressed lmao. It comes from the Challenger Deep which is the lowest point on earth beneath the Mariana’s trench.

Vocal Insp: donna missal (pinnacle voice bc for them tbh), The pretty reckless, the haunt

Music Insp: The Pretty Reckless, The Haunt, (for all of these bands i have very specific songs that i plug in as BTC’s lyrics lmao i have a playlist for them that i basically hc as their songs), Bad Omens (Just Pretend is SUCH a seven x mc song and i hc it as BTC’s best song), Mothica (VICES tho), and Honey Revenge! Here’s their playlist it grows everyday lmao

Fandom: Aquanauts. I hc that Maya figured out the bands meaning and picked based on that, Octavia genuinely loves it and finds it cute. And somehow the fact that the name makes sense to what the band name is makes them feel very seen and comforted tbh

Ep: Under the Water

Favorite unreleased single: The Slowest Heart (Which i actually took from Gilded Lily bc that song has heavy Octavia x Seven vibes) They have “the slowest heart” tattooed on there left rib age side boob area lol Although I feel like if she wrote it it’d be closer to the sped up version and a bit angrier mixed with hurt but the lyrics are perfect)

Romance: Seven’s ex. Still has his initials and doesn’t bother to cover it. And they are harboring a very blatant crush on Orion that if they’re being honest about started specifically because Orion seems pretty unattainable and they have no actual expectations of that fantasy becoming a reality (at least at first). Some cute stuff about them and seven tho: I hc fans called them Seven8 cuz Octavia means 8 or i guess Setavia works but Seven8 is so cute to me. And that seven had them in his phone as “8” and Octavia had him as “7 Ducky”

Some backstory:

Octavia is biracial her mom is white and her dad is black (specifically has afro indigenous roots but he was a foster kid so very estranged from these cultures) does not have a good relationship with their parents at all. Their parents didn’t really want kids? Sort of had Octavia because that’s what they were “supposed” to do next after getting married. Octavia is very much just an item checked off a list in a lot of ways regarding them. Very much the type of people who probably shouldn’t have had a kid not because they didn’t provide physically but they’re just emotionally nonexistent and incredibly dismissive lol. So yeah, so she had a very lonely childhood.

They did lots of ballet/contemporary dancing and soft ball which she does still actually enjoy as hobbies presently, but for the most part she’s obsessed with music and making music. They have a bat from highschool that they call “Lucky Lucy” where for two separate games in a row she hit nothing but home runs with it. Now, she takes it to every show and makes everybody touch Lucky Lucy before performing.

Octavia is obsessed with old hollywood glamour and old movies/shows from that era— most specifically Audrey Hempburn. They have several references/quotes from her tattooed on them: “never throw out anyone” is a partial quote from “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw anyone out.” that they have tattooed directly under their S.D. tattoo which is my favorite lol and another is “i was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.” probably on their opposite forearm from S.D. (There’s more but i gotta map them out.) They can do a transatlantic accent, and did so for many months as a teen to annoy their parents.

Lastly, romantic history: before Seven they had a girlfriend, Maria. Who was pretty much their polar opposite—very straight laced, serious, and structured but also incredibly sweet, polite, absolute wifey material—and honestly while she supported Octavia’s dream on a surface level she thought Octavia needed a more concrete plan for the future. They dated for about half of high school and split amicably when it became clear that Octavia wasn’t going to change/Octavia’s underlying feelings for Seven became a bit too obvious to ignore. They’re still in contact and friendly and Maria is married and has two kids.

Post Seven, Octavia had one serious relationship that was on and off for 8 months about a year after their initial split. It was bad. Incredibly toxic content warning type bad. Dean Clayton was the lead singer of another indie band Violet Vapors and was a general misogynistic piece of shit. It was a they just didn’t see the red flags until they were already in it type situation, bc no one advertises themself as a pos partner obvs. She doesn’t like to talk about it and borderline actively ignores it, but if they ever saw him again they’d probably take their bat to him tbh. Octavia is in a muuuuch better place now (comparatively speaking, which i mean the bar is in hell so do with that what ye will) still does drugs and drinks but it’s not nearly as bad as uhhh this era of their life.

[aheathen-conceivably]

Hi Alexis! I was wondering if you could share some tips for when you're feeling burnt out or just not interested in the sims? I'm in a burnout era rn and it's like I want to PLAY and TELL MY STORIES but I just feel the task of editing and writing to be so daunting right now :(

Hello there, dearest Nonny! 💕

Thank you so much for asking this because I absolutely think it’s something all of us simmers struggle with from time to time. I know I’ve gone through a few burnout eras both big and small and can definitely feel myself entering another one as we speak, so I’m more than happy to help!

Now a bit of a caveat: these are my tips and tricks. I know everyone is different and some of these may not work for everyone. So if anyone wants to leave their own tips in the comments below please do, I would love to read them!

I’m going to put the whole rant under the cut because who could have guessed it…it’s going to be long! 😅

1. Have A Plan:

This is absolutely going to be my most divisive bit of advice, because I’ve talked to other simmers who have told me that this alone would cause burnout for them, but for me it’s probably the no. 1 thing that keeps me posting. I have a detailed calendar of my post schedule, usually about 2-3 months in advance, that helps me stay on track and keep focused. Sometimes I will move things around a day or two or even push it back a full week when I need to, but overall I stick to it.

This is definitely because I am a planner, but if I have a difficult shoot or don’t want to edit, I can easily look at the calendar and go “Okay but in two posts you’re going to get to the scene you’re really excited about.” Or when I know I have a huge shoot coming up and can budget my time accordingly. This also means when I have more time or energy I can shoot through a few scenes and know that I’m set for a week or two to relax and everything is done for those posts.

Planning will probably look different for everyone, but I really do think it’s helpful to have something tangible and attainable to look forward to in those moments you’re feeling unmotivated.

2. Find What Keeps you Motivated and Lean In:

This is crucial for me and arguably what has kept my story going for so long. I have this story written decades in advance, and knowing those points I want to get to and dynamics I want to explore keeps me motivated when I’m feeling down.

However, for you, it may be precisely the opposite. Just the element of gameplay or the unknown may be engaging, or perhaps simply a certain lot that you’ve downloaded or era of clothing. It is important to remember there’s no right way to tell your story, so structuring your own time and efforts around what you like, even if it means changing stuff halfway through, is crucial to making this enjoyable and sustainable.

Sometimes for me it’s smaller motivations, and I’m really into building or CAS or character development for a few days or weeks at a time. I’ll play around with how my posts are told or even what I’m doing in the background (getting my next gen CC folder ready, building a lot, doing an ask game). Switching gears into what’s interesting to me at that moment can revive my interest in the story overall and prevent a burnout in the long term.

The same is true in inverse. If there’s an element that is standing in the way of the hobby bringing you fulfillment, it may not be as necessary as you think. Recently for me I also had a bit of burnout with editing, and this is a huge reason why I finally downloaded reshade. Now my editing time is cut back immensely and I find myself reinspired by taking screenshots and have leaned further into landscape shots and just aesthetic filler.

3. TAKE BREAKS:

Yes, this is in all caps. Yes, it is the most important. Posting our pixel stories is a surprisingly mentally draining hobby, so you absolutely have to give your brain and creativity a rest from time to time. When you start feeling that it’s consistently a chore, that’s a sure fire sign that it’s time to take a break.

Now for me (because of the schedule) sometimes y’all won’t even see when I take a little break. It might mean that I take a week or two away from the game but I’ll have the posts done in advance so there’s no gap in posting. It also means I can just push things back a bit if needed; then when I’m feeling ready to go again, I know exactly where I left off and what the next steps are.

The latter is probably where the schedule is most important to me, as I do feel like a lot of simmers take necessary breaks but have difficulty knowing how to pick back up again. I personally strive to take longer breaks at the end of an arc (like when Florence left New Orleans in 1925). This gives me a feeling of satisfaction, like I left the story on a good note and am free to take however much time I need without the pressure to return that I left something unfinished. It also means I know exactly what I’m returning to, and can do necessary preparations like lot building or pose downloading before I even start posting again.

—

But overall I will reiterate what I said above: if you have a story to tell or gameplay to share or edits to make they are your creations and you should always view them as such.

Sharing here can sometimes be a bit of an odd juxtaposition, where you feel like you need to have a certain look or a certain caliber of posts or even a certain frequency. Finding the way this hobby brings you the most fulfillment is absolutely what is most important, and that way you want to return after those moments of burnout because it is still something that you enjoy doing.

[pompeii-the-houseplant]

get to know a mutual better!

thanks for the tag @clairdelilac! finally getting around to doing this :')

LAST SONG: Hallucinations - PVRIS. I only knew Dead Weight by her but spotify autoplay shuffled this one and I might have to go listen to the whole album now

FAVOURITE COLOUR: orange!!!! at some point in my life i bonded with it like a stray cat-- it is the colour of life to me, i associate it very strongly with sunlight. might fuck around and dye my hair it

CURRENTLY WATCHING: started rewatching the fruits basket reboot! most beloved comfort series <3333 if you haven't watched it or read the manga, i know the concept seems a bit off-putting!! but it is SUCH a good exploration of intergenerational trauma and family abuse. the characters are wonderfully complex, the art and the soundtrack of the reboot is superb, highly highly recommend. series of all time. currently watching it w/o subtitles to try and revive my japanese, so im feeling very cool about being able to understand it so far (definitely nothing to do with the fact i know this story better than my own hands)

LAST MOVIE: rewatched kiki's delivery service for the first time in a while. currently got uni burnout so it hit much harder than i anticipated ㅠㅠ

CURRENTLY READING: i've been really bad at reading the past few weeks, but the last books i was reading were Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro, and Babel - R.F. Kuang.

SWEET/SAVOURY/SPICY: all three <3 i love my spice, i have a really big sweet tooth tho. i am a terrible chronic snacker; if there is food in front of me, i will be eating it.

LAST THING GOOGLED: "our wives under the sea". friend recommended me a book they finished recently :)

CURRENT OBSESSION: i tend to hyperfixate on music really easily. lately it's been Flora Fauna - Billie Marten, I'm Your Man - Mitski (actually went feral the first time i heard it), and Reputation - Taylor Swift (the eras tour movie awoke something). incredibly excited for the new TAEMIN album. and i've got ATEEZ on the brain, as per usual

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: uni has been taking up most of my time tbh, i've been trying to get back into my old hobbies tho. took a lyra class a few weeks ago just for funsies, and i've got about three creative writing projects bouncing around my brain like a dvd screensaver. once exam period ends i will be unstoppable

i'm tagging: @exhausted-asterism, @raise-me-up-take-me-up, @minmarti, @fireworksgalaxy, @evilautisticsociety

[tanya-shiza]

Porcelain Doll // TaNya Era

While I'm actively trying to finish the art about my artifact. Let's talk about that new villain I mentioned in my last post.

The Porcelain Doll named Selén is possessed by a vengeful spirit. The spirit used to belong to a boy named Rowen Stufford. His old father was the owner of a small shop of homemade porcelain dolls.

Little BackStory:

An old man - the owner of a small shop selling homemade porcelain dolls - was finishing his new girl named Selén. His son Rowen Stufford never shared his father's hobbies and helped him create dolls only so that they would not become completely impoverished. In his spare time, he ran to suspicious cultists who promised him to revive his dead mother... Rowen was sitting at his desk, scribbling in his diary.

On that warm orange evening, the killer returned to have some more fun. This time the Stufford family was less fortunate. Monsters killed the father that finished painting Selen's eyes. Out of fear, he dropped the doll on the floor. At that moment, before death, the 17-year-old satanist swore to himself that he would take revenge on Monstrox for everything. Perhaps it was because of this oath that Rowan's embittered and vengeful soul moved into the doll and fell asleep until now.

FunFact1:

Initially, Mr. and Mrs. Stufford were engaged in gardening and made good money, but after the death of wife, Rowen's father sold their garden, which offended his son, and opened a porcelain doll shop. He did it in memory of his beloved, who adored porcelain dolls and dreamed of opening her own shop. Rowen didn't know about this and was careless about his father's dolls and often directly despised the old father, laughing that the dolls are only for girls and that he was crazy to sell their thriving garden. It's ironic that the boy loved his mother more than anything in the world and if he knew about her dream he would gladly open a shop himself. Of course, his father tried to explain everything to him, but Rowan would not listen to anything. He was too busy grieving for his mother and wanting her back.

FunFact2:

• The name Rowen is very similar to the word Rowan. It was in honor of the red rowan trees in the garden that the mother named her red-haired son Rowan.

• The surname of the Stufford family comes from the word stuff, which hints at the not the best state of Dad's family business of creating furniture, so the family continued the family business on the maternal line — gardening.

• Porcelain kinda is consonant with the word - Selén - a chemical that «helps prevent premature aging of the body». A reference to the fact that Rowen's soul stopped aging after being imprisoned in a doll. Oh, well, also Mr. Stafford took it on doctor's registration.

Design

I really tried to change the design, so Selen wouldn't look like Poppy, but i can't do it because of my headcanons about color and it meaning in TaNya Era. For example, cyan is color of sadness, red is anger, irritation, and green is most often revenge, but there are moments with illness, pain, etc.

As we can see, the predominant color is cyan, which is understandable, because of the sad backstory. Red hair is rather pale, more like brown, which shows that there is little left of the Rowen's soul and there is almost no anger. Green ribbons wrap around the entire body of the doll, which indicates that the viability of the doll rests only on the thirst for revenge.

Also, the doll itself has blue eyes, the father wanted to make the doll calm and a little sad, but after the obsession with the vengeful spirit, the eyes turned yellow.

✨BONUS✨

I was working on this post ALL DAY, mostly because in school. And I managed to draw a sketch of Selen.

(I forgot about her big bow on her head and didn't draw ribbons. 😭)

[japdeguzman]

Photo by Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

They say the saddest song is the one that’s never been written. But for me, the saddest phrase in the entire English language isn’t a melody, it’s a whisper — “I used to.”

Three little words, strung together, that carry the weight of a thousand unspoken stories.

I used to love spending entire Saturdays curled up with a good book, getting lost in fantastical worlds. Now, the thought of staring at a page for minutes feels exhausting.

Maybe it’s the fatigue of modern life, the constant barrage of information, or perhaps just a shift in priorities. Whatever the reason, the joy of getting swept away in a story feels like a distant memory.

There are hobbies that used to be my haven — painting landscapes that blossomed with vibrant colors, the quiet hum of focus as my brush stroked the canvas.

Now, the paints sit untouched, their vibrancy a stark contrast to the dull ache of creative stagnation. Did the passion fade? Did life simply steal the time?

“I used to…” hangs heavy in the air, a question mark with no easy answer.

The things we love are often intertwined with the people we love. Remember those Friday night movie marathons with my best friend, fueled by endless bowls of popcorn and whispered secrets?

Now, scattered across different cities, lives taking on new shapes, those nights seem like a scene from a bygone era. “I used to…” takes on a tinge of loneliness, a yearning for a simpler time when connection seemed effortless.

But here’s the thing — “I used to…” doesn’t have to be a death knell for joy. Maybe the spark for reading has dimmed, but perhaps it’s time to explore audiobooks or podcasts that ignite my curiosity in a different way. Maybe the paints are gathering dust, but can I find a creative outlet in something new — photography, pottery, or even journaling?

As for those cherished friendships, distance doesn’t have to diminish the bond. Technology bridges the geographical gap, allowing for virtual movie nights or simply catching up on life’s twists and turns.

“I used to…” can transform into “I still cherish,” a reminder that some connections transcend time and space.

The truth is, change is inevitable. Our interests evolve, our priorities shift, and the things that once brought us joy might need to be revisited in new light. “I used to…” can be a springboard for rediscovery. It can prompt us to explore what sparks joy now, what ignites our passions in this current chapter of life.

Maybe the old hobbies won’t be revived, the worn teddy bear won’t be the source of comfort anymore. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for new loves, new connections, and new experiences that paint our lives with vibrant colors.

Perhaps the echoes of “I used to…” can lead seamlessly into an exciting symphony of “I am now discovering…”

[nayumis]

Oded Ezer: Exceptional Concept Workshop Day 1

The Task:

My next step:

I began by making a list of my areas of interests, niches, and hobbies that could be applied to the three types of projects Oded tasked us with. However I was getting no where with finding ideas from the inside of my own head, so I decided to look for inspiration at the library. Here, I noted down anything that I gravitated towards, anything that made me wonder, and other inspirations. I recalled my interests in Polish opera posters (from when I went to a poster exhibition in Kyoto), and a D&AD winner of the moving poster festival. Therefore I came up with the idea to re-purpose opera posters and make them come to life with moving imagery. This could contribute to the revival of Operas and make its posters visually appealing to modern audiences, and can be applied to technology and social media.

My Idea:

The related projects/resources/references I sourced to back up or better explain my idea:

Smartify: An app that makes artworks come to life when scanned, and educates modern audiences in an interactive, engaging, and digital way.

Posters of the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary: This website features examples of posters featured in the exhibition and talks about the exhibition's book (which I also own).

Anna Mills Nicer Tuesdays: Talks on how her use of type and graphics come to life and are given a personality. This inspired me on how not only limiting myself to making the illustrations move, typography can be given a personality too.

Moving Poster examples: Examples show contemporary posters that uses screen billboards, station screens, online websites and social media as poster platforms. For promotion and for a design festival.

The feedback I received:

Workshop Reflection and Takeaways:

It was interesting to see how by breaking down and simplifying my concepts helped lead us to a better, stronger concept. From simply questioning myself whether I enjoyed each step, topic, field of study, if I had answered with "no" then that was easily changed to an area I was interested in. Furthermore, Oded said I was limiting myself to a poster as the output. Rather than just creating a moving poster, I was told to think broader and bigger and to create an "exceptional project". I think my main takeaway from this session was that I should pursue a project of which I will enjoy and am passionate about, think about myself and let my intrusive thoughts win as they may lead me to greater ideas, and don't limit myself to a singular medium straight off the bat as it will limit my overall output.

I found this session very inspiring and it definitely taught me about a new way of thinking and brainstorming for ideas.

[venus-privacy76]

My Style Influence’s

A prominent part of today’s style community is taking inspiration from multiple decades and using different elements to pull today’s style together. These era’s include 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and especially; the 90’s and 2000’s. With the pandemic causing mass hysteria of what the future would look like, many reverted back to fashion influences from their youth (Kate Moss, Princess Diana, Brittney Spears, basically anyone on MTV and more). This caused a revival in aesthetics and styles such as Y2K, grunge, punk and many more. This brought back the love of low waisted jeans, mesh tops and concert t-shirts.

While the Y2K aesthetic seem to make a more popular and stronger comeback, my style influencers come from the grungier side. With my favourite music being Nirvana, Hole, Alice in Chains, Oasis, Blur, etc. from said eras, I am naturally more influenced by that aesthetic. In this post will be outlining my style influences from tv-shows, movies, musicians etc.

Joey Potter - Dawson’s Creek 1998-2003

Even though its hard for me to get through an episode because of the irritating ass characters of Jen and Dawson, I love Joey. Especially her style. She has a simple, relaxed persona and its ‘easy on the eyes’ after listening to the selfish comments of Jen and Dawson. (I cannot stress this enough, I don’t care how hard their life has been, they are so irritating). Anyway Joey’s style reflects her personality with a relaxed silhouette.

My favourite elements of Joey’s style:

Natural, earth-toned colours

Relaxed straight/mom fitting jeans

Baby tees

Flannels

Sweaters

Thrift/second-hand vibe

Alex Nunez - Degrassi: The Next Generation 2001-2015

While I think Alex is one of the most underrated character’s on the show, my favourite styles from her was when she first came onto the show and the rest of her high school time. I didn’t connect to her style later on in the college era of her generation. Maybe because it was around the late 2000’s which was not my favourite time when I look back on the aesthetics. Alex and her friends were the stereotypical ‘bad’ guys. They all had street style influences with dark and simple colours, baggy clothes and classic 2000’s sunglasses.

My favourite elements of Alex’s style:

Big pant, small top look

Simple dark colours

Cargo, denim, carpenter baggy pants

Black and white small tanks

Sneakers

Kat Stratford - 10 things I hate about you 1999

Kat is well-known, well-loved among teenage girls and influences today’s teen-girl’s style, personality and hobbies. I, of course am one of those girls. I love Kat Stratford, not only with fashion but on every side, she influenced my interest in feminist literature, and her philosophy of ‘not doing something just because someone else wants you too’. I also have similar music taste and I also love Heath Ledger.

My favourite elements of Kat’s style:

Thrifted inspired clothes

Tom-Boy but also feminine silhouette

Long skirts

Cargo pants

Her iconic leather coats

Rock/Indie style

Hippie elements - her necklaces and the way she styles her hair

The coven - The Craft 1996

I love The craft, being born in October I feel a connection to witchery. While I don’t really practice or know much about it, I love this movie. It’s once of the coolest 90’s movies, and as I mentioned in the introduction of my love for grunge and the mid-90’s. When I say the coven I mean the main four, Nancy, Sarah, Rochelle and Bonnie. These four girls are so fucking cool I don’t understand how this movie isn’t dominating modern teenage girl iconic movie lists. I know its popular but everyone should love this movie, its so perfect and the slay to end all slays.

My favourite elements of the coven’s styles:

Grunge/punk rock inspiration

Cross jewellery

Layers of silver jewellery

Hippie elements - especially Rochelle and Sarah

Leather trench coats

Lots of eyeliner and lipstick

Lots of accessories

I have a bit of a mixed interest in style with mentions of grunge, hippie/bohemian, street and simple styles. But that’s the way lots of  individual styles work. I hope this was interesting to read and/or take inspiration from!

Honourable mentions

Kurt Cobain

Stevie Nicks

The Mid-90’s movie

Fiona Apple

Miley Cyrus

[bailaconox]

still would love to do my “one book a month” thing so i skimmed thru the last couple chapters before the point i stopped in qoaad because gOD I WOULD LOVE TO FINISH READING THIS FUCKING BOOK I STARTED BACK IN LIKE 2018?????????? I MISS SHADOWHUNTER STUFF I MISS THESE CHARACTERS SO MUCH I WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THEM AND IF ANYTHING WILL RENEW MY LOVE FOR READING IT’LL BE SOME SHADOWHUNTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[groupieculture]

CAROLIN I HAVE MISSED SEEING U ON THE DASH SOOOOOOOO MUCH OMG HI!!!! besides the Literary Projects what have u been up to????? the people (me) are dying to know

hi<3 nothing major besides that as im a creature of routine but i have become rich in hobbies. also read like 5 books and got some new ones. also domesticating my cool new flatmate. also thinking of reviving my blonde era. as you can see so many changes are happening, cant keep up. but most of all i miss the gay people on my phone.

[cybernexus]

what kind of aesthetics does raj appreciate? in terms of fashion and art.. raj seems like the type to appreciate clothes by zolnar. are there certain colors that he gravitates to?

Let's see... he's a big fan of streetwear and futuristic stuff so hell yea!!! If I could make clothes from scratch, since I'm still learning 3D and I can't as of yet, I would make like 1000 more outfits for him that look just like those! I'm very uninitiated when it comes to fashion and don't know brands very well but I loved looking at the pictures I saw of those.

(Cut for length)

He tends to prefer dark colors, with pops of color here and there. He himself is pretty colorful, so he kind of brings the colorfulness in his outfits. IMO he looks great with black, due to how black and red go together. He'll wear more loud colors on occasion, as he doesn't usually care what other people think unless it's someone close to him (just look at that crop top with his pecs out, like damn lol). But usually it's monochrome or black and red. He does like wearing brighter, more flashy colors, but overall he thinks that darker ones suit him.

He goes back and forth between wearing relatively "conservative" clothing as far as skin being covered is concerned, to wearing y'know, a crop top and skinny jeans. And also being naked. Because maybe like 30% of the time he is! Although he wears armor over his cybernetic chassis so unless he's not wearing that, he's never truly "naked." He tends not to think of his body in a manner similar to a human's, so when he's reminded that it's human shaped (especially if somebody flirts with him) he tends to get embarrassed. Lately he's taken to wearing clothes a bit more often. He doesn't really care what anybody else thinks, but god help him if his friends tease him. I guess you could kind of call him a bit of a goth with how much black he wears; but not quite as much as my other muse Aihren does. His style is otherwise stuff like streetwear, techwear, cyberpunk style clothes. He'll occasionally pull off a casual look pretty well (like in that vneck tshirt below).

Here's a sample of what he wears on a daily basis with a bonus formal outfit:

For art:

Despite his rather monochrome choice of attire, he actually really likes colors. He's one of those people where if you ask what his favorite color is, he has a hard time and just can't pick because to him, they're all beautiful. He will legit kick your ass if you try to guess for him and say it's red. Lmfao

He enjoys colors that scare people who are afraid of color (like the kinds of people who paint their whole house white). Cyan and pink, neon green and purple, black and blood red, cyan and gold, ect. He will also go for more traditional, "classy" color combos like black and gold or just monochrome with shades of white, black, and gray.

He's also particularly appreciative of just about every form of art. Especially if it's something he's never heard of before, or from a dying hobby (in the grim cyberpunk future) that's being revived.

Some of his favorite kinds of art are the more difficult to find arts in his futuristic era that require physical materials and aren't digital in nature. In his world, there are simulators that can do just about anything, this means that fewer and fewer people are being taught the real life methods of art. These arts that he appreciates are: traditional painting, stone sculpting, wood working, and so on.

And a last bonus close up of the doodle I made:

[youregay]

upcoming sufjan stevens albums:

stevens announces the return of the 50 states project, with the first being California, only to release an album about 8 famous real life murders. musically the album is reminiscent of ‘A Beginner's Mind’ with more stylistic variation; including some heavy period-specific inspiration in the songs set in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. stevens incorporates some interesting synth riffs for the 80s, and some banjo and perfect harmonies for the 60s and early folk-revival 70s. the album ends with a 40s blues-style union ballad about a scab leader being killed. ultimately the album is musically cohesive despite the wide breadth of eras being explored and is well received

California does actually come out just 5 months later and audiences expect a peppier, hippy and folk inspired ‘Carrie and Lowell’ and are instead greeted with an almost nauseating electronic album that is 12 songs and 74 minutes long. it is initially panned by fans of his more popular albums, but after a while critics and audiences alike view it as a maturation of his more electronic-centered music and see the earlier half of the album as expanding upon ‘The Ascension’ in a similar way to how ‘Illinois’ expanded upon ‘Seven Swans.’ the first half of the album is the half with lyrics, the later half being largely instrumental with vocals being used mainly as another instrument and eventually devolving into ambient noise by the last song. a year later 2.5 seconds of a beat and half a line of lyrics are sampled in an Anderson .Paak x Kendrick Lamar song the next two albums are also state albums and the last (for now) in the project. Pennsylvania is released next and is somewhat of a ‘return to form’ for stevens. the album began development around the time of the original states project albums (’Illinois’ and ‘Michigan’) and certain themes can be seen as a through-line to those albums. structurally and lyrically it’s closest to Illinois, but musically it blends a lot of his acoustic styling in his earlier work with the enormous, overwhelming sound in ‘Age of Adz,’ and in fact ends with ‘Pittsburgh: Reprise,’ an 18 minute song that many liken to ‘Impossible Soul’ for it’s long, rambling quality but that personally most resembles his EP ‘America’ with the songs ‘America’ and ‘My Rajneesh,’ both of which have the same quality of decay and themes of institutional collapse (in Pittsburgh’s case, the collapse of the steel industry). the album follows the story of a man who doesn’t age, traveling the state through it’s founding to modern times and is lauded as ‘a great American fairy-tale.’ the album’s outtake companion album includes 5, sufjan-original folk songs and union songs and becomes a favorite among super fans.

afterwards he releases ‘New York,’ an album described as a ‘coming home’ for stevens, less so musically and more so thematically. the album is a return to autobiography and follows up on many of those aspects present in ‘Illinois,’ ‘Michigan,’ and even certain threads from ‘Carrie and Lowell.’ stevens dense lyrics allow for him to talk about his experiences making and preforming music without it feeling too on-the-nose, as well as about his personal life and relationships without people being able to overstep his privacy. a much loved, quieter song at the one third mark of the album is about stevens re-connection with his hobbies and a divisive (but great) song at the two thirds mark is a stealth christmas song. the most popular song on the album is ‘Catskill Mountains’ which tells the story of a 17y/o boy who runs away from home and lives in the the Catskill mountains and is mauled by an enormous white bear, barely surviving but having an impactful spiritual experience. the album is most palpably about coming home in the song ‘Home’ which acts as the climax of the album and explores his settling-down in Upstate New York and the healing from past trauma through his relationships with others.

lastly, to buck tradition, stevens releases a Halloween ep instead of a Christmas album. the album is released November first and is 9 songs long. several of the songs are about specific movies including fan-favorite from the album, ‘Carrie.’

[4dmc]

DmC’s Paradise mansion is suddenly my new obsession. You see, one of my hobbies is looking up western architectural styles and so I decided to figure out what their former mansion’s architectural styles are

and got stumped.

And because I don’t dare ask the creatives behind the game, such as Alessandro Taini “Talexi”, about which house/s did the Paradise mansion inspire from, I did my own digging for now...

It’s not comprehensive and I mostly did this as my own reference to get back to, but because of the tumblr interface, it might just look like a long mess to scroll down to.

btw I’m no architect or someone who looks into these for their respective fields. If you are, however, I’d be glad to get hints if I’m in the right track hehe!!

this is the best panoramic view of their former home. I couldn’t count the one in Vergil’s Downfall because of the stylized scenes and very distant views of it.

I’ll count them in if I feel they could truly correlate to my best analysis of the house’s styles.

Now to the meat of things--> I think the following architectural styles influencing its look are:

1. Jacobean style - to me, this was the first thing that jumped to my mind when I first looked at it. It may be because Ninja Theory is in the UK, since Jacobean is British, but I think there are characteristics in Paradise mansion that made me think as such.

Jacobean itself was influenced from Italian Renaissance styles, particularly Andrea Palladio’s styles. I say this because it’s important to note how the next ones I’ll suggest overlap a lot with one another, especially the idea of symmetry! Basically, architectural designs in the Renaissance revered symmetry a LOT! It’s influence is definitely felt to a lot of revivals up until 20th century, but anyway, I don’t want to nerd out about that too much!

As for symmetry, you can see that the house is long and on either wings (the extended left and right sides of the house) the exterior suggests that they look the same despite it being destroyed.

What makes it Jacobean is their distinctive formal design and the Dutch/Flemish Roof or top (which is prominent at the Paradise mansion, forming as the domed roof at the center, with the unique Flemish roof-like shape!). Italian architecture at the same era was quite ostentatious, whilst there’s a more austere and formal look to Jacobean designs (although this isn’t always the case to all places built during this era and especially for its revival!).

example Longleat House, although this one appears too stately but I wanted to give a visual at how grand yet austere this style is

2. Romanesque - this one also stood out to me, especially for its interior and ornamentation. Romanesque buildings are mostly churches, particularly abbey churches. I feel like that shouldn’t be coincidence to the thematic purpose of what their home used to be, of it being their sanctuary...

Although many of its features, such as a domed roof, arches/arcades, ribbed vaulted ceilings, large rounded windows (colored and glass paned, too!) and columned hallways would be present to other styles later on in European history, in look and purpose, Romanesque buildings generally appear thick (because of the bricks and stones for construction) and protective.

The way they were built and the things that, to me, it stood for was to be practical, protective and, even with certain monumental elements like higher ceilings, etc., welcoming.

This one predates the Renaissance and its “style” continued to live on among Gothic, Baroque and Victorian architectural styles, mainly its imposing, thick figure and height, which can be seen especially for churches.

3. Palladian - it’s thanks to this architectural style, pioneered by Andrea Palladio, that ancient Greek and Roman architectural styles became a backbone and even a part of revivals in renaissance to early 20th century buildings. Since this style is also a kind of philosophy that reveres symmetry, I want to focus on another feature that Palladio had made recognizable when he revived Greco-Roman styles of buildings/home: villas. Palladio paid attention more so to what is mathematically proportionate and the geography/topography of where the building is made, and

With this in mind, the Paradise mansion appears to have been built somewhere with hills or mountains, based on the flashback cutscene Dante could recall, and the property they lived in is a huge space, complete with a front yard framed with its own garden, and possibly a back garden.

Since the mansion was little revealed, all of these are just my most educational guesses. I wished there was a concept art collection of the Paradise mansion’s design, like how it showcases during its heyday to its destruction, then decay.