#inspiration from it T__T

[gaydexvocaloid]

happy bday vy2!!!

[alicenpai]

"Lament! Terror! Despair! I shall kindly teach them all to you! And in your final moment, I... shall kill you by my own hand!!"

pandora hearts print for anime north this weekend 🥀🖤🤍

I also put this up on my inprnt! there's a sitewide sale for 40% off right now 🌟

For this drawing, I really wanted to emphasize the gothic and chaotic, convoluted nature of the series. Pandora Hearts has become a lot of things to me, as someone who's read it since I was like, 14 years old. but I eventually found the perfect words to sum up the series - a cross between a Shakespearean tragedy and a Grimm fairy tale.

The ink brush + watercolour brushes I used turned out so well together!! I wanted the style to be kind of a nod to like the manga cover art you'd see from the late 90s to 2000s, kind of like Mochizuki's early approach to traditional art.

A lighter approach to both the lineart + coloring also helped me not strain my arm too much - besides work, I stopped doing full illustrations due to the amount of work being heavy on my arm/shoulder T__T. my last full illustrations were the TGAA/DGS zine + WHA zine pieces back in Dec-Jan, but my heart really lies in illustrations more than anything and I definitely want to get back into it!! (as long as my physical health allows it!!)

anyways, above is the thumbnail/inspiration board for this drawing! I also did some quick chickenscratch studies of others' drawings to help me get a sense of their composition. I started on the top left and then made a sort of meandering curve through... definitely went through a lot of ideas for this one. If I explained the intended symbolism.. I would be here.. all day..............

the candles were definitely first inspired by an animation of a lighter I did during art skool... and then I did this AA Dahlia animated illust... and then this OC charm (below) I did in 2022...? maybe I should draw fire more often. it's like, the way that fire looks in animated keyframes that I really like drawing out, and I guess I kinda really enjoyed translating that into a non moving visual medium??

This drawing simultaneously took SO long but I also sped through it?? I had to like... not dwell too long on certain parts... like for example I think some individual character compositions really could be a lot stronger... because I knew this would be a beast of a drawing, I didn't want to spend an unnecessary amount of time focusing on details when I should be looking at the big picture. and I know that's a bad habit of mine!! I'm trying to unlearn my perfectionism!!

thanks for reading if you got this far, hope ya enjoy it!! and I hope I'll keep drawing Pandora Hearts in the future (clearly I haven't stopped since high school omg) and I hope to draw some more Vanitas someday beyond just chibis!

[ngai0]

[Your Attention on Me, Please!] - Fan Comic

LIST: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Original Fanfic by Dulcesiabits

Note: This is all fictional and inspired by this amazing fanfic by Dulcesiabits . I love how this fits so well with Nagi if he was in a shoujo. I hope you guys like the intro to this fanfic I made! Also for the design of the Reader/YN, I hope you don't mind her design. I have thought about drawing her with no eyes as that is usually what I've seen for Y/N fan art but eyes are my favorite features to draw T__T.

Sketches

Notes: All the small notes on the sides are from the Author's notes I kept in mind while designing and thinking about Y/N's character. I did add my personal takes on the design, mainly the appearance. I have a thing for girls with long hair and my favorite color is green.

Overall I hope you enjoy this small fan comic! I would love to continue this but it would take a while because of my work life haha...

Once again everyone says thank you to Liya for such a masterpiece of a story!

[twilghtkoo]

ride: rendezvous [part two] jjk

“where we going?” “you’ll see.”

summary. you’re having one of the worst days so jungkook takes you to his favorite place

pairings. biker!jungkook x reader (f)

genres/aus. fluff, comfort, s2l, f2l, college au

warnings. slight peek of popular!jk, reader has anxiety, mentions of a panic attack

word count.

notes. this series is in chronological order so this is a bit after their first date!! a scene that i wrote is inspired by a tiktok i saw 🛐 guys i was deadass when i said i keep seeing motorcycle tiktoks on my fyp T__T it was so random but my brain somehow connected it to jungkook, anyway !!! stream still with you and likes/reblogs are appreciated >_<

[ series masterpost | masterlist | taglist ]

—

you failed.

you failed the test.

you stared at your laptop screen, the big, bold, red colored fifty-nine almost mocking you in a sense. if the nine grew a pair of eyes and a mouth it’d be laughing at you right now.

you don’t get it. you’ve studied for this test, knowing it’d play a big part in your overall grade, and you still managed to flunk it.

tears started to form, blurring your vision, before you remember that you’re in the library that occupy other fellow students that don’t need to see a mental breakdown and a forming anxiety attack. even though they probably would’ve understood. you shut your laptop and shove the electronic inside your bag, standing up to push your chair in to make your way to the exit doors.

jungkook isn’t here with you today. he was working on a project with a couple of his classmates somewhere on campus, you can’t remember his text.

and although you wish you could just dial his number and cry to him, you don’t. no matter how bad your chest is tightening. instead, just taking the bus home and already deciding to have a crying session with your pillows.

-

“see you later jeon.”

jungkook waves one last time to namjoon and taehyung, his classmates, before he heads in the opposite direction. shoving his hands in the front of his jean pockets as he takes his time to walk to the campus’s parking garage.

he can feel the stares of the people who pass by but he ignores them.

he’s reminded of the one girl who’s been on his mind and he pulls his phone out to see if he’s gotten any notifications from you. but there’s none.

that’s strange. he pouts at his screen, only a few notifications being emails from his teachers and some from social media. but they don’t speak out to him the way yours do. he’s familiar with your schedule so he knows you’re out of class already. you usually text him to tell him how your class went and spam his tiktok with a dozen of tiktoks— he watches them all by the way.

before he concerns any further, his phone dings and he freezes.

“oh, jungkook!” a girl shouts from behind him, waving to get his attention. quickly glancing at her before he starts to pick up his pace. is she from one of his classes? he can’t remember.

he gives a tight lipped smile before he starts jogging. “can’t talk right now.”

yn 👑

ur out of class aren’t u, can u come over? ;-;

-

you got home about an hour ago and you still haven’t broke down. the heavy weight on your chest was becoming too much, but why won’t your body let you give out.

you groan out loud, turning over on your bed and clutching your plushie that looks like it’s been through hell and back— you’ve had it since you were a kid, okay— tighter against your chest. hoping it’ll ease the pain in your chest.

the familiar roar of a motorcycle awakens you and you’re quick to hop on your feet and rush to your door.

by the time you open your front door jungkook was just walking towards you.

“hey princess, eager to see me?” he chuckles, brushing back the strands of hair from his forehead with his tatted hand. it’s the same strands that have you itch to brush them yourself. an action that seemed too intimate, you weren’t sure if you could handle that. but you wanted to test the waters.

not trusting what you would say if you opened your mouth so you nod.

“you okay? anything happened today?” he asks while stepping into your home after you told him to come in. it’s not the first he’s been inside your home, your safe space that surrounds colors, photos and a scent that screamed you.

from his questions, the tightening feeling in your chest returned and you wince.

your fists are by your sides, opening and closing.

“i think i’m okay, i don’t know. and yeah, something did happen.” you responded softly. he observes the way your eyes dodge his and lower at his feet. something was definitely clouding your mind.

he sighs. “wanna come with me somewhere? you can tell me when we get there, if you want.”

“where we going?” you ask, as you get yourself comfortable behind him, before circling your arms around him.

he kicks the kickstand off, turning his head with his helmet on. “you’ll see.” revving the throttle as you both head to your destination.

-

“a park,” you giggled. “are you healing your inner child?”

he smirks at you, helping you with your helmet. since your first date, every time you are on his bike he becomes so attentive towards you.

“no, but i thought we could go on the swings and if you’re comfortable enough you can tell me who or what made you sad.”

your eyes dance over to the vacant playground behind him and back up to his eyes that are studying yours.

“you gonna beat up somebody for me?” you joke, but his face remains the same but with amusement behind his orbs.

“yah,” you nudge his side with your finger making him break his tough side, finally breaking out into a smile. the mole under his bottom lip reveals itself and you have to fight yourself to not reach on your tippy toes and kiss the beauty mark.

he gently places a hand on your waist, pulling you along with him. “come on, i’ll push you.” he tells you, leading you to the two swings.

you sit on a swing, holding onto the rusty chains as jungkook gets behind you. the mulch underneath you both crunching from his chunky boots.

“don’t push me too hard.” you tell him, a bit scared.

he lets out a laugh, “i won’t, promise.”

jungkook and you fall into a comfortable silence as he pushes you, careful not to push you too high.

“i failed my test.” you confess, you watch your still feet pass by the scenery blur beneath you.

“and i’m mad at myself because i studied so hard for it yet i managed to fail. god, and i don’t even want to see how much it dropped my grade, i literally almost had a panic attack in the library, but i left, and i wanted to contact you but remembered you were with your classmates so i had plans to cry into my pillow and fall into a pit of self-deprecation—“

jungkook grabs hold onto the swings chains to still you. “woah, woah princess, shhh.” he comes around to crouch down in front of you.

jungkook has never comforted someone, never been in a situation where a person in front of him showed their weakness. but you’re different. the way your voice cracked before he cut you off broke something inside him. it was an act of instinct how he’s crouching in front of you, his hands wrapped around the rusty chains next to your hips. he doesn’t know the first thing on how to console someone but for you he’ll learn today.

“do you want my advice or do you want to be held?” he asks you, his eyes raking over your facial features.

you purse your lips, curling your hands into your thighs before shyly answering, “can you hug me?”

he softly chuckles before straightening his legs, his figure towering over you before he envelopes you in a hug. cradling your head close to his chest.

once you were engulfed in the boy who slowly yet managed to warm up to your heart, you let out small cries. your fingers gripping the denim fabric of his jean jacket.

“you can cry princess, i won’t ever judge you.” he mumbles, his large hand brushing your head.

you don’t want to scare him but those words make you cry harder. like you’ve always wanted to hear those words.

-

you gasp, the palm of your hand is covering your mouth as you turn to jungkook. “let’s play rock, paper, scissors.” you suggest, grinning at him.

you cocks an eyebrow, “for?”

“if i win, i get to take your spot and you have to sit behind me. but if you lose…hm..i don’t know.” you laugh.

“i really like you princess, but i won’t let you ride us to our death.”

did your brain even process his words?

you smack him on the shoulder, he doesn’t even flinch. “no, just to sit. please,” you beg, putting your hands together and poking out your bottom lip and batting your eyelashes.

jungkook observes you with a smirk. do you even know that if you weren’t begging he would have said yes to you. because you affect him in that way.

in a way he’ll do anything for you.

he scoffs, letting out sigh and bringing out his hands out of his pockets. “okay.”

-

“rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

you: paper

jungkook: scissors

“two out of three!” you exclaim.

he laughs but accepts it.

“rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

you: rock

jungkook: scissors

“rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

you: scissors

jungkook: paper

“i won, you lose!” you bring your index and middle finger to cut his imaginary paper that’s his hand before jumping up and down.

he shakes his head. “you win,” he states, taking a step closer and leaning in.

“hop on, loser.” you jog over to his parked bike, throwing your leg over the seat to sit. you lean forward to grab the hand clutches with a big smile on your face.

“vroom, vroom,” you mimic the sound of the bike coming to life in an adorable way that has jungkook turning his head so you don’t see the goofy smile on his face. the way your figure looks tiny on the seat of his usual spot compared to him. your feet can barely even touch the ground.

he reaches in the front of his pant pocket. “let me take a photo of you.” he spoke, you nod giving him permission.

he quickly snaps a few photos of you before he finally makes his way over to you. leaving a mental note to send them to you and to look over them when he gets home. with one hand placed over your hip he manages to sit behind you. his legs are placed a bit uncomfortable but he doesn’t complain, instead he grabs your waist and squeezes it.

you let out a breathy laugh, “we look so silly right now. my feet can’t even touch the ground.” you wiggle your feet in front of you.

“what if i got a bike?” you ask, dipping your toes in the water. you would never get a bike, but you want to see his reaction.

he shakes his head, the wavy strands framing his face swaying left and right. “definitely not. bikes are dangerous, plus princesses can’t ride bikes.” he tries to reason with you.

you pout your lips, “princess peach does.” you mutter.

he scoffs, “babe, this isn’t mario kart silly. and, i enjoy having you as my backpack.”

[phuuca]

The Zigvolt Family

So @whererubbermeetstheroad updated their fic and I knew I wanted to draw fanart of it, but I had to put a face to the names of the Zigvolt family first and foremost.

I asked them about their first year headcanons a bit ago, and it was, accidentally, super helpful in trying to design everyone that wasn't Mrs. Zigvolt because I just took a LOT of inspiration from Egophiliac and slightly tweaked it.

Mr. Zigvolt basically lives in his scrubs. As the kid of a dental manager, my mom only ever wore scrubs for the longest time because there was no time to get changed. Considering Mr. Zigvolt is, probably, one of the most sought out dentists in Briar Valley, he lives in his scrubs.

I know I forgot his medical hat T__T. Remember to always cover and tie your hair back, you'll be violating health and safety protocol.

I also did guestimate everyone else ages and figured (possibly wrongly) that James was the oldest Zigvolt child. I didn't even bother with Mrs. Zigvolt. Fae ages are weird dude :"D

Yapping (moodboards) beneath the cut:

Jack's family is next. Wish me luck because I have to do this all over again 🙏

[mecachrome]

Do you have any wag oscar headcanons/fic ideas? That trope is also my fave thing lol.

Just imagining uni student Oscar coming along to races when he can. Does get the occasional feature on lando jpg. Fans obviously hunt down the guy always following around lando and the only thing they get from their internet stalking is old articles of Oscar winning school competitions and an inactive facebook.

omg yes anon you have absolutely perfect taste!!! honestly my favorite "tropes" are all things that lend themselves perfectly to wag aus (mixed media, outsider pov, established & secret relationship) so it's impossible for me to not be obsessed with them 😭 also i find the voyeuristic fandom 4th wall angle sooo entertaining and intriguing despite not actually caring about wag drama irl in the least! it's just hilarious as a narrative tool LOL like i love studies in cross-platform behaviors/attitudes and seeing how authors navigate the kind of inherently unreliable nature of structuring a narrative through these microblogging microcosms. ok sorry i'm rambling

i highly support the lilyfication of oscar piastri because i truly think that would basically just be him if he weren't a driver!!! 🧡 i had an old concept of oscar being lando's longtime secret bf and like a normie programmer who takes up baking over quarantine but i think i privated the post because i didn't like my style anymore and now i can't find it... t__t nevertheless my vision was VERY similar to yours! like he has an inscrutable private ig page with 35 followers and his facebook pfp is a photo of him from when he was 12 and fans figure out that he's australian because they hear his voice on stream a few times but other than that he remains a mystery...

another hc i have is that in general if oscar weren't a professional athlete then he wouldn't be one of those corporate go-getters and instead would be perfectly satisfied with having a normal, low-responsibility job that's well-paid but not like in a high managerial position. because oscar is lazy and expends only as much energy as he needs to sustain himself!!! HLKSFDH so in my head he's perfectly satisfied with being lando's wfh househusband... brings cookies to quadrant shoots and somehow gets roped into being a model for their upcoming merch drop in which he looks absolutely terrible because he has never posed in his life. maxf is like mate these are ridiculous but ofc lando is still obsessed with him.

i feel like at some point he'd get hard launched in a proper stream or quadrant video except no one introduces him as lando's actual boyfriend so everyone like 1) is obsessed with oscar's dryness and the way he teases lando and 2) immediately ships them to lando's amusement and oscar's bemusement. help NOW YOU'RE GIVING ME FEELINGS!!! i feel like this is nothing on my end so i apologize deeply but i'll keep thinking things up and see if anything else strikes my inspiration 🥰

also love this real canon wag lando image but that is not the prompt here 🧡

[sixosix]

hiii! idk if u accept fanarts(?) but if u dont then just ignore me i do not exist hahahbsb

i rlly love ur thawed series like i wake up on sudays for the sole reason of reading ur work and i made this design for her n i just wanted to show u bc why not

(from the first chapter, that time paimon comments about reader's new fit)

ty for inspiring me to draw that day ily

anyways, love ur works, keep it up n stay hydrated❤️❤️

HELLO OH MY GOSH First of all i have a question for you: is it okay if i link this in the first chapter?

yes i absolutely accept fanart how can i just ignore this your artstyle is so BEAUTIFUL. the color of the red is so flattering and matches so nicely with the cryo vision -- THE CRYO VISION!! i literally gasped when i saw it thats such a cute detail T__T the way readers expression is so shy too; u perfectly captured it!!

your artstyle is so lovely im so honored to get fanart from such a skilled artist 😭😭 rolling around th ebed screaming rn +

its so???? whahdfdjf to hear that u read my series!!! i didnt actually think people would want to keep up w it so art aside (absolutely impossible to do btw) that comment made my day

ILYSM thannk you for sharing this w me this made my week my month im so overwhelmed iin a good way ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[lemongogo]

7, 11, 17, 29, 30 (for the artist ask game)

yaay omg thank u for sending this im so excited lol

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate MOSAICS!!!!!!!!!!!!omggffggg i wanna learn how to make them so bad.. i love that everything ab it is so deliberate , from tessera color and material to its symbolism & storytelling while still being stochastic in nature . will the stones or glass cut like u wanted , will the pieces lay how u envisioned..ugh..suuch a powerful an awesome medium , and gorgeous to boot T__T

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what YESS ^__^ ! ALWAYS !!! i can listen to anyything but it has to be something i know the lyrics to so i can sing along .. :3 . right now ive been listening to beyonce's 4 on repeat (schooling life, dance for you, i care), doechii's alligator bites never heal (catfish, slide, beverly hills), and then natasha, pierre, and the great comet of 1812 :jawdrop:

17. Do you eat/drink when drawing? if so, what noo i cant eat when i draw but i will try to keep drinks w me .. i usually forget they are there tho AHAHA like i like hot herbal teas (hibiscus w) but then i find that its gone cold by the time i remember </3

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically this one was actually rly hard for me bc i feel like im inherently inspired by anything i enjoy but id probably have 2 say SPLATOON!!!!!!!!!!!!! splatoon drives me crazy in the best way and i love everyttthing about it but i cant for the life of me incorporate it into my art. i know there are things i Wish i could do with its different elements, but it feels so separate from my personal style that it becomes difficult to pull from . i lovee it though .. and i love seeing how it manifests in other peoples work

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated wait no this one is also rly hardd.. if anything, im more surprised by pieces that do well when im not rly posting w the intention of it doing so LOL but i think .. underrated hmm. i think one of my personalll favorites is my bg3 wyll.. i just lovee the brushwork on that one , the slight color variations ,the blockiness of the strokes + the linework itself was just a lot of fun. i say underrated bc it got 35-50 likes on twitter and instagram btwn pieces with 2,000-9,000 so its funny silly 2 me LMAOO

[sheyfu]

Hello, please check out this tumblr post right here

https://www.tumblr.com/caiimeal/758903075186622464/ai-user-vmlnrz?source=share

to spread awareness. This blue lock 'writer' (@/vmlnrz) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to write their work. Proof included.Reblogs are appreciated.

hi nonnieeeeee thank you so much for sending me thissss <3

i just checked the post and it's quite saddening to hear this T__T there are a lot of authors who pour their hearts and hours to create and post on this platform and seeing someone use AI to make a story instead of writing one themself actually makes me a little, you know, demotivated WUSHHAHAHA

i mean hear me out, using AI to create something isn't necessarily bad. however, if you use it (as in use it and then claim it as your own) (i literally also cannot tolerate the use of AI AHSHHAAH), then that's a very different story. i don't want to sound like a know it all or a show-off (or pabibo in tagalog bc i literally don't know the right term for this in english 😭😭) but whenever i have a lecture in communication (OVERHSARING TIME WUAHAHHAH) my prof always says to this to us. moreover, she's not someone who's strict about using AI engines like ChatGPT (she actually encourages us to do so), however, please see her explanation as to why she allows us to use AI in our projects!!

in her words (not exact, but the gist of it is here IWHAHJA [she makes sure to tell us before every meeting so it's practically engraved into my mind rn WUHAHAJAJ)

'i don't mind you using ChatGPT to write your papers, but you should know how to use it responsibly. by responsibly, i mean use it as a guide to helping you, not the other way around [the engine helping you instead]. you have the power to control the engine, but of course, don't let it control you. if you're having trouble writing or starting or concluding your paper, you can use ChatGPT to help you with that. but remember, the use of ChatGPT is to help you branch out your ideas, not create your ideas.'

of course, im not saying that the author using an engine was very wrong (i mean, to some degree, it definitely is wrong hahaha), however, i just hope that they know writing is crafted by your imagination. and if that imagination is encapsulated by AI, then what's the point of making stories? yes, writing is hard, it definitely is. but that doesn't give you a reason to just fuck it and ball WHAHHAAHHAHA writing is a lokg process. throughout your journey as a writer, you'll experience a lot of things (my whole life is an e2l 55k fanfic ao3 tumblr wattpad fanfic.com oneshot with writer's block atp), and you may also discover your own unique writing style!

i'll admit that at first, i did use AI and took inspo from other authors, but i didn't use AI/inspo just to post. i used AI to gather ideas, expand my vocabulary, and expose myself to fiction writing. and with those inspos/sample stories, i was able to find my own writing style that helped me in my success (AM I SUCCESSFUL?×?@(@(@ WHAHAHAH)

with a big platform like tumblr, this message could rub off in the wrong way to some people. so, if you don't agree, please consider clicking off. i don't need people to criticize my opinions, only my works, please WHAJHAAHAHHA. on the other hand, though, if you want to share any of your opinions, then feel free to drop by my inbox/comment here :))

im really not the best person to approach when it comes to these stuff (my thoughts are so messy and im literally clueless as to whats happening rn HWJSHSJAH), but i hope that this message could at least inspire the author to create a work of their own. plus, if they have trouble writing, they could always ask for help from others!! (you can ask me, but idk if i'll be able to give good advice in writing actuall written works LMAOAOAKAOO [im much more comfy w chat aus WHEHEHEHEH])

so to end, i hope that this author could figure out everything they need to figure out. i encourage you to post anything and everything you like. don't think about if people would like it or not. writing is an experimental journey. you'll experience a lot of ups and downs (ahem, writer's block and burning out, ahem), but if you take your time in crafting your very own pieces, i'm sure you'll be able to create things that are solely unique to you, and reflect pieces of you and your passion in writing :))

good luck, author! i wish you all the best in your writing journey! if you need help, i'm sure there are lots of people who are willing to do so :)

[saederkrupps]

since i have shown ppl the beauty of obsidian, here's some stuff on how i organize my vault

I usually use tags for everything and very minimal folders.

I put all images that I use in the 00Assets folder in a sub folder called Images so it doesn't clutter up other places. I have a folder templates in Assets and I also put the canvas files I use in there.

Personal is for stuff like journals or life stuff. I save a lot of recipes in there and I use the daily note function to keep track of sleep/food stuff bc that was requested of me by my doctor.

i have a page called Writing where i use dataview to list all the writing I've made. I tag all writing with #writing.

But I also have custom properties to list the characters in it. So I put a dataview list in their respective pages to list all the times they were included in a writing. I also link the setting to it in case I want to filter by fandom. Not all fandoms get their own page since I don't think I will write for jjk any time soon so.

I have notes for canon characters because thats where I put inspiration (like images, songs, etc) and for some characters like Mr Bitch Dragon Man, where I put down all the notes from reading the books. Normal Behavior (i want to run SR so bad T__T )

you can sub tag things. So the tag oc/shadowrun means Saturn trick will show up if I search by the #tag, but non SR characters won'ts how up if I search #oc/shadowrun. Very useful!

I also use obsidian for journaling and keeping track of important data (SInce everything is local and I don't use a cloud sync, it's pretty secure) and I use it to be really autistic about video games like fire emblem or the sims. I love data B)

Some other addons I use:

Homepage to make a 'welcome back here's what you're working on'. I organize commissions and projects I need to do with the Tasks addon so they get listed there.

I use the ITS theme. I have some custom CSS for it that I want to tweak. I like the wikipedia style infoboxes

Dice Roller for tabletop stuff or just to random generate stuff

Calendar for my daily notes & journaling

[alexsiple]

I read one of your newsletter articles, and I wanted to say that you are an incredible writer. The way you articulate difficult emotions is inspiring. I read the one about your connection to P5. Your prose is insightful, down-to-earth, and relatable. What inspires your voice?

omg thank you so much. this is so kind T__T i am always trying to articulate difficult emotions lol. thank you for reading it!

in terms of my voice: i think it's a mix of years of reading and writing so, so many things but with my newsletters specifically i get a lot of inspiration from heather havrilesky, who writes ask polly, an advice column. i write my newsletters a bit differently than other things because it's more diaristic and conversational... ask polly always manages to have both a beautiful voice and direct language that really speaks to me. here's an old one i had bookmarked.

i'd also say maggie nelson (i'd recommend her book Bluets). maggie stiefvater, the author of The Raven Cycle, is a big inspiration for my writing voice in general and i see it come up constantly lol. maybe a bit of donna tartt in there? a bit of blue period (the manga)? i also read a lot of random art criticism/journalism on various websites, for better or for worse. i used to poke around on aeon sometimes. i remember this one being formative for me? but, also, i like to wade through substack and find people writing stuff like mine from time to time. there's good shit on there, ok! sweater weather by brandon taylor immediately comes to mind (though ok let's be clear it's different than mine and also a billion times better lmfao)

i'm so happy you enjoyed my p5 essay! i remember feeling those emotions very intensely... strange how far away that essay feels now, but i still stand by it... i still feel like joker all the time (in a good way?), ha. i appreciate the ask <3 T__T

[101007]

NEW YORK, NY

august 23´

so this post will be divided in two parts, since i want to show a lot of pics from the museums, i decided to make another post dedicated to them! so please check that out too :)

this was my New York + Boston trip, but I’m only talking about New York in this post! according to my parents, this was supposed to be my 15th birthday gift trip, but it kind of ended up being my 16th birthday gift?? So yeah! we originally planned to go only to Boston, but we decided, “let’s visit New York too—why not?” So New York became our first stop.

we arrived at an ungodly hour since our Houston-to-New York flight was delayed. we didn’t get there until around midnight lmao. the next day, we woke up super early because, i mean, we only had two days to explore ALL of New York. you might think, “Oh, that’s enough time.” No, the fuck it’s NOT. We missed out on a lot but still managed to see a ton in just two days.

anyway, the first thing we did—like we always do in every city—was search for one of those tour buses, and lucky for us, our hotel was in Times Square so we found one pretty quickly. Times square looked exactly like I imagined! I love cities with a bunch of technology and colors, so I was really hyped.

we wandered around Times Square, and our first stop was Pier 35, where we had a hot dog for breakfast. A rare occurrence, ngl, but it was so good lol. then we saw the Manhattan Bridge and went on a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty. It was so cool! We didn’t go down to the island where the statue is, but we got a pretty good view and were super close. after that, we got back to where the bus had dropped us off, bought a churro (lol), and headed to the World Trade Center. We saw part of the 9/11 Memorial and this really cute mural across the street.

later in the afternoon, we had dinner at Raising Cane’s because it was all over my For You page, and it looked amazing. Honestly, 10/10—it did not disappoint. My favorite part of the day, though, was visiting the Line Store at Times Square. They had the cutest plushies ever! Since I’m a huge BTS fan, I went crazy over the BT21 merch. I wanted to buy everything, but it was so expensive lmao T__T. I ended up getting a phone case and a Tata bag. They also had these huge BT21 figures with their signatures—they were adorable, and I loved them!

Later that night, we went to see The Lion King on Broadway. It was so cool, and I liked it a lot. After that, we had a night ride scheduled on the same bus from the morning. This time, it took us around the city at night, and we also explored a bit of Manhattan.

The next day, we woke up super early again and hopped on the same bus to go museum hopping. Our first stop was the Guggenheim Museum, which had some really cool sculptures and minimalistic art. The structure of the museum itself was amazing—it’s like a circle that spirals upward? I don’t know how to explain it, but the pictures are in my other post lol. Next, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It had the coolest paintings, each with different messages and meanings—I loved it. One sculpture, Gloria Victis, really caught my attention. I was so mesmerized by it that I made it my lock screen lmao.

Last but not least, we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). I’ve dreamed of visiting MoMA since I was little, and even though we arrived close to closing time, we managed to get in (shoutout to the guy at the entrance for helping us with tickets). We saw most of it, but I wish I’d had more time to explore it at my own pace. It was my favorite museum out of the three. The artworks were more modern and colorful, which made me feel so connected. I loved every single part of it and even got a cute sweatshirt from there. I always leave museums feeling so inspired lol.

Afterward, we headed to a theater to watch the Back to the Future musical. On our way there, I saw an Enhypen tour poster and got all excited as if I’d seen the actual members LMAO. We stopped for chocolate-covered strawberries before going into the theater. The play was fun, and I enjoyed it!

Now for the most special part: the Empire State Building. We went around 10 p.m., so it was nighttime, and the city looked ten times better. We got our tickets and went up to the 86th floor first. Then it was time to go all the way to the 102nd floor. But for some reason, the elevator wasn’t moving, and I started panicking BADDDD. Turns out the guy outside forgot to press the button lmao. When we finally got up there, I realized how high we were. I’m not scared of heights, but I felt super anxious and ended up having a panic attack. It was so embarrassing, but this sweet lady who worked there gave me the most comforting speech. I’ll never forget it—it made me feel safe and calm.

We looked around, took pictures, and then went back down to the 86th-floor observatory. The view was so cute, and I felt so happy to be there. It was freezing, but I had a great time. On my next visit, I’d love to check out The Summit—one of my friends visited it this summer, and it looked gorgeous.

The next morning, we made a quick trip to Fifth Avenue, where I visited the LEGO store and got a BTS LEGO set lmao. We also went to a huge Miniso in Times Square, bought some souvenirs, and then had to RUN to the train station to catch our ride to Boston around noon. We almost missed it, but thankfully, we made it. It was my first time riding a train, and it was cool, but I knocked out and slept the whole ride lol.

And that sums up my New York trip! This has been my favorite trip so far, and I’d love to visit again.

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museum post! 🎨 ⋆.˚

[alicenpai]

taking a break from merch!

been feeling incredibly burnt out, so here are some thoughts on merch and events and shop stuff this year 🤔 LONGGG ass ramblings below

im going to be posting maybe like 1 or 2 merch posts daily for the next week-ish, just as a heads up!

i apologize in advance bc i feel like sometimes people just do not care about merch posts as opposed to regular ol' drawings (yes i know the psychology is that people dont like to be advertised to)... but i think the launch of my shop opening was pretty poorly timed ��

the canada post strike (making canadians averse to purchases online, although i do not use canada post, i think a lot of people are under the assumption that most businesses use canpost) + combined with the EU product safety scare + maybe with tons of black friday competition + posting on the weekend has mixed results ..

i'm reconsidering the decision to reopen the store in dec, as i won't have any new items. additionally, this has been long overdue - i'm going to take a break from merch (besides the few events i already have coming up in dec+jan) to focus on what i really want from art. another thing that i gotta bring up is - this is the first year where i started doing more events past the summer, and well into the winter. i usually make a huge batch of new designs in late spring (for my biggest event, anime north), and a smaller batch in late summer (otakuthon). but, now i've been making new designs year round, which really is not something i'm used to, and contributed to the burnout. i've often been questioning myself, "does this need to be made?", "is this good art?" and it leads me to spiral more than necessary.

similarly, i should be working on my portfolio instead, as a lot of my portfolio works are from art school T__T i keep postponing it, i tell myself "oh just one more event, just one more event" bc i have trouble dividing my attention. how did i even do personal art + buttload of homework during animation school? HAHAHA. not to be harsh but like. what am i doing honestly 😭... i love making personal art, but i WISH i had MORE to show for my career. i want to go back into visual development. once im ready, i'll go back to drawing illustrations. in the meantime, i'll do a lot of reflection and chatting with friends, playing games, etc. getting in touch with the things i missed while i was busy crunching... --- also compiling a list of products that i have thoughts on - charms: - right off the bat, as i mentioned before, i think i've exhausted all i can from this lineless/borderless charm style! chibis for me are not artistically that interesting to draw hahaha... i don't think i'll make any more of charms in this style (unless i get a really good idea?). - i've been thinking of either stopping charms altogether, or lessening charm designs in the future. if i still... want to make charms after my break... i might opt to draw in a bust style instead. i'm really inspired by these one piece designs by my friend avenoirn..!! and these rdr wood charms by searift are so good!! but otherwise my current plan is to just focus on prints and stickers. they are infinitely easier to store too AHAHAHA.

- above: furthermore, this style does not suit all series unfortunately, examples above where i think the design is a bit weak... and i think that's where my weakness lies T__T i make things to satiate my curiosity for a short while HAHAHA but there are so many times where i'm just not proud of, or i feel indifferent, to the merch i make months down the road. - unfortunately charms are a huge seller at conventions, because of their small nature and cute quality i guess they make good gifts? i find that for me my charms didn't sell well in the past, until i switched over to this new style in 2023. i think along the way i started prioritizing charms more, and just making things that didn't work in the style like above. in reality, my heart wanted to make illustrative stuff like prints and sticker sheets, even though these products take infinitely longer to create, due to the amount of drafting and research i put into each piece. (funnily enough charms dont sell as well online + people buy stickers more) - it's getting infinitely more and more expensive to import charms from asia. first of all, shipping costs have increased, and secondly... government customs fees are truly the icing on top. it's been hard for small businesses since covid, and how heavily chinese packages have been taxed. - to be transparent, here are my suppliers: - i used vograce from 2015-2022, but over time felt that their quality declined so i stopped using them. - i use juno consistently, but also opt for kuien if i need a rush order done (~within a week, but also gotta pay premium for that rush service!!). - i have tried wooacry and can attest that their quality is good! to me it's not much different than juno's quality, besides small colour nuance and there (since wooacry's printers have the ability to print from RGB), however my designs tend to be on the simpler side.

- above, wooacry: although, it's hard to keep sizes consistent between designs (but i am a fool in this regard because i didn't check the digital mockup that precisely), so i probably won't use wooacry for huge character lineups unless i am 100% sure my charm designs are all the same size. - also geez... i didn't know people felt so hostile towards charms. (the entire disk horse on twitter if you've seen it. the original poster made a 2nd post that clarified their intent, which was, honestly?? incredibly well thought and nuanced. but the first post opened a whole can of worms, that didn't need to be that explosive from the get go, exposing myself and many other artists who make charms to other people's aggressive viewpoints). - at the same time, i understand that the scope of "anime fan merch" is very much "lowbrow art", but to act superior because one doesn't make acrylic products is a bit discouraging to say the least. i have already wanted to stop or slow down on charm designs for a long time, but this is the final blow for me. like damn. okay. ---

stickers: - importing stickers from US suppliers into canada has also similarly become more expensive with taxes TT to be transparent, i use stickerbunnies and i personally love them, however with taxes and slow response times, i cannot vouch for them all too much if you don't live in the US. however i think they would be okay if you didn't have a deadline (e.g. off peak con season) - currently i'm looking into local canadian manufacturers with affordable pricing, as well as the ability to commit to rather large orders (a few hundred)... unfortunately i'm rather picky with vinyl quality. my biggest character flaw. i used jukebox for a few designs, however they are pricey if there is no current sale. --- specialty: - also this is something ive been thinking for a while, but i'm likely going to discontinue "specialty" merch in the future..

- above: anything that's not prints, stickers, regular charms... - it's ironic bc as artists grow bigger they want to branch out into new unique types of merch.. i just don't find that they sell that well for me >< i'm a bit sad at the marcille pudding, i honestly thought it would sell better. still fawkin love it though. - they cost an arm and leg to boot = higher price = harder to sell? or maybe my design sense is just bad!!!!! - the only specialty stuff i have ideas for right now are some baccano coins + poker chips... wooacry posed a potential interest for them so im. rubbing my hands greedily like a fly. -- wood: - whoa i was really negative above LMAO. one thing i DO want to try out more are layered wood pins!!

- i really enjoyed working on the wooden layton pins i have... they don't sell that well online anymore i guess bc all of my followers have seen it a million times already LMAO but they sell quite well in person!! - thankfully wood is not that pricey and i can stick to small batches for them (like 10 quantity each?) - inspiration: i LOVE these wooden dunmeshi pins seirui made. i cant wait for mine to arrive...!! also love the backing pins, they add so much character!! general - oftentimes when i make a set of products, i find that main characters sell better than supporting characters. after a while of promoting them as last chance items online + bargain bin items at cons, they just don't sell and i'm left with a ton of unwanted merch T__T what do i do with the rest of the characters that don't sell? i do have to admit i'm concerned about waste, and there are no good resources on recycling old merch. - what i did in the past was - for buttons specifically - tear them apart AHAHAHAHA. buttons are made out of metal + paper + plastic and the former two can be recycled in my area. i'm not sure if it helps but i tried to do it as per my area's recycling rules... - acrylic charms are another matter altogether. i try to gift them as much as i can... - prints are great however because i can just use them as scrap paper or recycle them if unwanted!! - i got a little carried away making merch this year. i think i'll have to go back to my old method, which was making merch in small quantities, and only sell a small number that i can confidently rely on (~10 or less).

[layeredrealitiesspace]

i wish fran bow had a bigger fandom T__T, im kinda just wishing it would have a cult following like yume nikki. YN fans go all out making games and anything inspired from it . I only really see fanart and a tiktok edit or two..

[wuzeio]

Can I just say, your design for Neil is just immaculate!? Those big eyes?? you cant help but fall in love with that 🥺

Also the vibes for Neil and Kevin's friendship in your drawings are absolutely awesome as well, i love it<3

Lastly, in the Zombie AU, how come Neil is apparently resistant, do you know? 👀 g2g, gonna go find a fic for a zombie AU now.

🥺❤️❤️omg I don't know how I missed this fhsjkdfhdfg, thank you so much!!! T__T <3 (i'm very inspired by @/02511213942 neil's design too !!! :D )

I am a kevneil fan all the way ... I want them to bicker and argue and then sleep on each others shoulders heheh

As for the Zombie AU,, I haven't thought about that for a hot MINUTE but Neil being resistant was inspired by Ellie from TLOU 🥹 I've been revisiting the Walking Dead Telltale games recently tho so I might make some more AFTG zombie AU art because of that loll. Also if you're looking for a good fic, I would really recommend reading anywhere else is hollow by Likearecord!! It's currently unfinished but its very very good, and Aaron has a silly pink baseball bat :D

[blondiest]

you've been an inspiration to me in regard to fic style (i found you three months ago and went on a binge of every single fic you have, fandom be damned)

OH T__T HI

this is impossibly lovely and flattering. you have literally no idea how happy it makes me to hear this :')) aghsdghsdss if you ever feel up to it i would love to put my eyeballs on your writing (but, also, i 1000% understand remaining a mysterious shy anon & i will treasure this message regardless of whether or not you emerge from the shadows <3)