#maybe once i'm working and feeling better i'll have more motivation to draw like i used to instead of just sketching all the time

[ploffskinpluffskin]

i had a very short period of time when i was very invested in becoming part of the webcomic scene so i joined smackjeeves and started following a bunch of different comics and nowadays i think back to them sometimes and wonder what ever became of them thinking emoji

[mellybabbles]

If KOSA pases and tumblr explodes, I'll leave this here.

Thank you all. Seriously, I've managed to pick myself up, and finally become the person I want to be, because of you all. Mutuals, followers, or maybe just some random that popped by and thought "cool, have a like/reblog" You have all helped me recover and actually take that step into becoming a better person. I'm happy, and I can say that with full confidence. You've all given me an unfathomable amount of joy, and let me meet the love of my life, and people I thought I'd never be able to interact with. For my mutuals:

Thank you @italic-doing-random-shit for inadverately helping me take that first step into trying out tumblr properly again, instead of running away. Thank for you being an amazing friend and always being there for me. Thank you @largefound for giving me the pushes I need to get confident on my art, and branch out and try new things. Thank you for being one of the best friends I could've asked for. Thank you @tundra116 for being a mood booster every time I see soem crack fuckin post or ask in my inbox. You motivated me to keep going and give others the same joy you give me, even if for a split moment. Thank you @still-got-no-idea for fulling up my notifs and giving me a big smile every time you begin to like my posts. We don't talk much, but I'm glad we're mutuals. Thank you @panda-of-the-trash for motivating me to actually be creative with my ideas, and inspiring me to properly write. Thank you @godofautism for accidentally teaching me to be more aware of what those around me are feeling, and allowing me to take a step into treatment for my alexithymia. Thank you @systematic-err0r for being the mutual I always really wanted to get to know. You're always giving comments, reblogs and likes to the point the support can be mindbogling at times. Thank you @c00kietin for motivating me to give new people a chance, and to finally work on the relationships I have now. Thank you @phymarsh for giving me that first boost of excitement of an inspiration of mine following me and interacting with me. For giving me a smile every time I see you on my dash. Thank you @switchthedragon for always remaining strong, inspiring me to do so despite all the hate and threats I was receiving. Thank you @liliallowed for inspiring me to try new artstyles and finally figuring out the one I love the most. Thank you @inka-boi for being one of the biggest beams of light, helping me to learn how to sympathize again and love myself and others. For helping me to go back to my roots and mend what was broken. Thank you @juno-punk for inspiring me to make my own OC's and AU's, instead of locking myself up with shame in fear of what others would think if I made them. Thank you @mikerooksi @lust-sans-vios-rpaccount @wonkus-bonkus @doodlenovaa @killersansofficial @dustsansm1 for showing me back to the joys of interacting with new people and finding joy in it, instead of forcing myself into uncomfortable situations. Thank you @safwunnz for making me feel noticed and big in the grand scheme of everything. Allowing me, even if this might all be gone, to feel like I've made enough of an impact to reach out to artists that inspired of me in the first place. Thank you @elizakai for the first step in art. You're the reason I draw and enjoy it, allowing me to actually have something to do when I'm in a pit or rut of depression. Thank you @/swiftmitsu @/artpepkin for making my month by a simple button click. For all the smiles and laughs your art and animations have given me. The joy I once never got to experience. (Too nervous to ping) Thank you @ant1quarian for allowing me to read stories that actually make me feel like I'm there, and escape how horrible reality can be sometimes.

Thank you all for giving me the love and life I'd lost from being beat down. For those who weren't pinged, I was too nervous. Thank you all so much. For all my friends outside of tumblr that are mutuals on here, you all know how much I care for you and I'm happy to have you all in my life. Thank you for everything.

[writernopal]

✍Writer Interview✍

Thanks to @teamdilf for tagging me here!

When did you start writing?

Technically, when I was like 15/16. I was writing a little bit back then but I don't remember what I was writing, which sucks. I really wish I remembered! After that I picked writing back up in summer of 2019.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

Yep! I think its kind of limiting to only read the genre you write. There's always stuff you can take from other places and work it into your writing. It can produce some surprising results! That said, my favorites to read are non-fiction and classic works of fiction.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

No and no. There are plenty of authors I admire but I've got a voice of my own and I don't particularly think we need two of anybody.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

So I have two main things I use to write: a desktop computer and a laptop. My desktop is on a desk (surprise, surprise lol) in the corner of a room with two little windows above it. I recently upgraded the setup to have one ultrawide monitor instead of two smaller side-by-side ones to help me focus when I write because I noticed when I was writing on my laptop I'd get more done because I only had one screen. I also have a mechanical keyboard with blank keys for cool points lol. On the wall beside my desk are a bunch of posters and things, some for inspiration, others just because I like them. Of course I've got some pirate/ship themed art there too! With my laptop I kind of take that anywhere, so with that I write on the couch, the dining room, cafes, libraries etc but never in my bed because then I won't sleep. I've been trying to have better sleep hygiene and phone habits in general which is only worth mentioning here because I used to write on my phone but I don't anymore.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Music, but like really listening to it. As in, closing my eyes, not doing anything, and being present as its playing. I'm very in tune with how my body experiences feelings/emotions so doing that will usually make me feel something and from there its just letting my mind wander.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Forbidden/taboo things. It can be anything from interpersonal relationships, oppressive systems, internalized responses to stimuli, etc. Also drawing connections between the world and our environment and the stages of our lives or even things that happening. To me, those things are all connected. And no, they don't surprise me one bit.

What is your reason for writing?

To make sense of the world around me. And to live lives I won't have time for in my short one.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Anytime someone notices a theme or callback in my work. Which I think has maybe happened once so I do my best not to rely on engagement to motivate me otherwise I think I'd go insane.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Oh ideally I don't want my readers thinking about me at all lol. I want them thinking about the story and what it makes them feel.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Prose. Especially of the visceral or imagery-heavy variety.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I think its quite strong but I think I've reached the limit of what I can do on my own. I really want to start honing my craft and improving it so I'll probably be taking some courses and/or joining a writing critique group soon.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

I guess I'll say mostly for me. There is 'an audience' in my head but whether those are people who would actually read my stuff or someone I made up, I can't say lol. Also I have to have fun writing something otherwise I won't want to do it so its hard to say I'd want to write for someone else unless they had requested something specific from me.

Tagging (gently): @tabswrites @void-botanist @paintedbutton @sarahlizziewrites @oh-no-another-idea @kanobarlowe and anyone else who wants to play!

[rachelbethhines]

Things That I Use To Help Manage My ADHD and Executive Dysfunction

1. To Do Lists

I know, I know.

Making a list is boring. I lose the paper. I forget to make the to do list.

Believe me, I know.

I've been there, but trust me it does help once you get into the habit.

Here's some tips on how to get started

Try making your list in a digital app or a document file so you don't lose it

Sticky notes in a place you're sure to see them

An erasable board like a marker board or a chalkboard that you keep up in a specific place and never move. Like on the wall or the fridge.

Put "make 'to do' list" on the to do list so you don't forget to do it

Set aside a certain time to fill out or check off the list each day. Consistency is key.

Use calendars, alarms, and timers liberally to keep track of appointments and to manage your time so you don't hyper-focus on something to the determinant of more important things

But be flexible for things that don't have deadlines or appointments. Don't beat yourself up if something doesn't get done, just add it back onto the list for next time

2. Randomizers

Part of the problem with executive dysfunction is being overwhelmed by choice. So I keep a few randomizer websites booked marked that I use regularly

Wheel pickers

List randomizers

Random number generators

Like I keep my list of projects on a wheel picker app. And my chores that I don't have deadlines for on another. When making my to do list I'll spin the wheel to pick the project or chore that I'm going to work on that day.

I do the same when picking out albums to listen to or movies to watch so I don't go doom scrolling while wasting time deciding.

3. Meal Planning

Similar to the above, I take one day out of the week to draw up my meal plan for the next week.

Use this time to take stock of your pantry and fridge. What needs to get used up?

Anything special you want to fix over the week or weekend? Save the recipes to a document or leave a bookmark in your cookbook

Overwhelmed with choices or just don't know what to do with certain ingredients? Try a randomizer or an app like supercook to come up with ideas.

After you've taken inventory of your kitchen and figured out any special recipes you want to make, go ahead and fill out your grocery list

Set aside time on your to do list for shopping, meal prep, and cooking through out the week.

Pre-plan what days/times you are going to eat out or get takeout and work that into the meal plan/budget

Budget not only your money but also your time. How long will this recipe take to prep/cook? How much effort will it require of me? Is there any shortcuts I can take to make things easier, like buying my veggies already diced?

Try using an app to keep track of your meal plan, grocery list, and recipes so that they're all in one place

4. Mental Health Apps

I like Booster Buddy, but it's no longer supported for newer devices. I have also used Finch. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter which app you choose.

The point of having a program dedicated for mental health is to have a handy way to check in on yourself and see how you are feeling. Many apps will offer visual cues to allow you to break down your motivation and energy levels.

This will help give you a guideline for the day so you don't stretch yourself too thin.

A good app will also offer little suggestions and tips to help improve your mood or provide genteel reminders for small things that help with self care.

But most importantly it will help you spot patterns over time so you can better notice ongoing problems or see gradual changes as you get better.

5. Finding and Avoiding What Triggers My Dissociation

This is the hardest one.

I suffer from Maladaptive Daydreaming on top everything else which only makes my ADD and Executive Dysfunction even worse.

For others it maybe obsessive compulsion or a tendency to hyper-focus.

Things that I found that can be triggers are boredom, anxiety, isolation, health/dietary complications, and even the weather.

So here's some things I noticed that help

Set aside a certain time during the day to read/watch the news and then ignore it for the rest of the day. Yes be informed, but don't obsess.

Get your news from actual reputable news sources and not social media! Avoid algorithms feeding you negativity.

If you want to be more politically active schedule time for it, get involved with actual charities or political organizations, and then go about your regular business afterwards

Limit social media time. For me it's mornings before work for about 30mins, and then maybe an hour after work.

Curate your online experience. Block what you need to. Unfollow who you see fit. Social media should be fun not stressful.

Talk to other people! Make plans to hang out on weekends or call/text someone during the weekday. Try to make contact with another human being in some form everyday for at least a few mins, even if it's just online in a discord chat.

Have a book or notepad handy for when you get bored at work. Read, write, or draw during your downtime so you don't start staring off into space.

Keep a short list of fun things to do handy if you feel bored at home.

Set aside time to daydream/worry/plan/meditate/decompress. You need to mentally unwind at some point. The goal is to have that time per-planned so that it doesn't distract from other needed tasks. Getting into a routine with that time will also help.

Eating enough iron/vitamin C/protein ect. Food is energy and you need energy to focus. Meal planning will help with this.

TAKE YOUR MEDS!!!

Sometimes the weather will make you groggy, irritated, or anxious. There's not much you can do about this other than to accept it and just try your best.

You can however plan for bad weather ahead of time. Go to the National Weather site to find out about upcoming weather in your area and to figure what you need to be prepared for it. Try getting into the habit of doing this regularly.

[ribbonetteart]

A request for something a little different than usual 🍑👑

Progress stuff below:

I haven't done progress shots in a bit and I think it's something I want to do more often because I like talking and blogging I guess haha.

Now that I have more experience illustrating digitally, this kind of direct reference drawing is MUCH easier to do digitally 😫honestly this felt like a self imposed challenge lol. BUT I did want to do some more traditional stuff because I feel that I had been doing a little too much digital, if that makes sense. It's nice to play with my markers and color pencils once in a while too!!

Doing the line art on this piece ESPECIALLY felt easier to do traditionally than digitally. For some reason, trying to do line art on a tablet screen feels too smooth or slippery or something. Lining traditionally feels easier, probably because I put so much pressure on the paper in the sketch phase that when the lining phase comes next, it feels like I'm just following the lines on the page like a train on a track ^_^

despite uploading a couple of illustrations colored with marker now, I still feel a bit like a novice when it comes to marker. I got a new pack of markers that I wanted to play with, which was even more motivation to return to paper for a bit. But honestly, I feel like I fudged the window color blending. I watched tutorials and stuff on blending with markers but I guess I still need more practice ^^;;; at least it looks a bit messy to me. This is how this piece came to be a mixed media illustration, since I tried using color pencils to make that transition from blue to green on the windows a little smoother.

I think the pot holding the piranha plant came out a tad too saturated and it's calling too much attention compared to the very light floor and dresser. I was trying to follow the colors on the reference closely as an easy re-intro to traditional art, but next time I do something like this, I think I'll take more liberties with color and see what happens.

Overall, I'm quite happy with how Peach turned out. I don't draw humans too often since I typically draw Sonic characters lol. Sometimes it feels like I have to re-teach myself to draw people as a result. I really liked using the gelly roll for the highlights on her face and the polka dots on her shirt :3 I highly recommend using that pen as my previous experiences with other white gel pens don't compare to this one (not to sound like a commercial I'm just really happy it worked as well as it did!).

And finally, although redrawing a creation from a dress up game screenshot is probably not the most imaginative exercise I could be doing with illustration, I think it's fun and it's pushing me to do things outside of my comfort zone. I'm using new art tools (I'll get better with marker I prommy) and I drew a background! I'd like to do more backgrounds like this as a practice to encourage more original stuff. Maybe. One day. Probably.

If you read all of this until the end, thank you! Have a wonderful day, and thank you for following me and supporting my art :3c 💝

[oleander-neruim]

Hello hello!! Absolutely pumped for the Myth’s Voyage AU :DD!!

What made you pick certain characters for certain roles? I’m particularly interested by Owen as Antinous 👀👀

Bare with me this is gonna be a doozy

I'll be honest. It all started with me being real emotionally attached to p!Will & me falling down a rabbit hole of associating the song "Open Arms" with him because- even if I'm not fully read on p!Will's story & character- the way I've come to view him is a relatively forgiving and optimistic type of person. So him as Polities came natually.

I also have a frequent habit of doing a thing where when I associate one character to one song/character of a musical, I start to try and figure if there's way to fit in other characters.

I believe what came next was Sausage and if I recall correctly, that was due to 1. Me just liking Sausage all together and 2. Me seeing him as the most "Captian-Like" guy in pirates. Also revolving around headcanons, others' interpretations, and maybe an artist or two's ways of drawing him. After that, Joel & Hermes as Penelope and Telemachus came pretty easy. I've also played around with previous ideas of "What if Joel was in Pirates SMP" and added in my constant Empires Brainrot ™️, that all just fell into place.

I believe Lizzie was my first established God cos. Giant fish/ocean associated person, yk. And then Jimmy as Polyphemus due to fishy relations and then I think Fwhip was actually my next one due to the "silly & unhinged" vibes I got from Epic Hermes. Then with a lot more stubborn brain storming, more and more gods fell into place as I started following an Empires Season 1 pattern with the Gods

Krow was also a fun one to workshop in cos I also don't know much about his Canon character but what I do know & just the fascination I've gotten with him, I thought he fit the role of Eurylochus pretty well. Mostly on the side of more of a survivor when it comes down to a "You vs Me" mentality & leaning more on aggressive tactics when it comes to handling certain situations. He is one of the ones I'm certain doesn't fall into complete Canon-type of personality, but I like how my au's Krow is a lot.

Now. The fun situation with the suitors and Ithica in general.

I can explain a bit further if anyone's interested, but the way my storyline worked out is that there's actually no Herons that are part of Sausage's crew in the story. They're either still on the Faction Isles or traveling elsewhere. Having said that, when I came around to figuring out Antinous, it was right when I was finding out very bare-bones about him. And given that the Heron characters will ideally be characters shown on "Ithica" I was working to see if anyone would fit that roll.

Having said that, Antinous was noted down in my "Working-Out" list with the note of "Mr. Steal your wife and kill your son" and while discussing my character plans with my partner, we started to joke about Antinous being Owen. Given her more player-esque personality, at the time I figured it'd be a decent fit- or at least a place holder- for a character who I started to think was just someone wanting to court "Penelope".

However, thinking more on it & finding out better how Antinous plays in this story, I started getting more invested in the idea of Owen still being him. The idea of Owen becoming a villain, manipulative with his charm and almost vindictive in her motives just started to appeal more and more to me.

When this takes place, it's 20 years since the rough-end of Pirates SMP, following Epic the Musical's timeline. A lot can change in a person in 20 years. Seeing the Factions fall, loves in your life die or disappear, people coming into power that you feel either don't deserve it or are strangers who don't understand all that's happened here or you feel are too weak irresponsible to handle it. It can grate on a person, certainly.

P!Owen is, once again, another character I'm unfortunately not fully familiar with, though that may change if i have a chance to watch his pov in the future. And who knows, maybe I'll workshop the story, change e!Owen's personality or motives, maybe even choose someone else entirely to fit the role.

But as it stands, the idea of e!Owen, 20 years in the future with heavens knows how much baggage and pent up anger and frustrations left on his shoulders starting to get desperate or almost hungry even for some sort of control or power or just even a sense of stability in her life just seems to be a very interesting & fun-to-work-with storyline to me.

Thinking about seeing Owen getting aggressive and animalistic and breaking that carefully-crafted facade of charm and control when it comes to fighting and trying to kill someone just. It's so interesting and fascinating in my mind, you've no idea.

And, again, I'm awfully weak to villain Owen nonesense so that certainly doesn't help.

There you have it. My essay & a half summary over some of my reasonings.

Again, things are always subject to change and sometimes I get a little Silly with my trains of thoughts but, hey, it'll be fun either way. If you're interested in me trying to explain my through process for more characters, feel free to ask, I just figured I'd keep this as short as i can physically manage. If it comes off as a bit rambling or you want me to clear anything up, you're always welcome to ask. It's technically super late for me so my writing compression might be a bit off.

Tl;Dr, I zone out to music and play "Song Association Games" too much & Owen as Antinous started off as a silly joke but now it's eating my brain whole so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[depravitycentral]

i love that you don't shy away from yandere themes that are considered gross! Period blood for example and invading reader's privacy in the bathroom. (Thankfully there's no sc*t 😅) A lot of your posts are 10k+ so I was wondering about your writing process

Do you write it all in one sitting? How long does it take you? If you get a block in the middle, do you just give up on it or force yourself to finish it? What's your favorite thing you've written?

Aww thank you for the reassurance! I'm never totally sure how things like that will be received - my goal when I write yandere works is to tap into the more creepy and gross side of the yandere, and I think that can turn a lot of people off from reading my stuff. Thank you for being a trooper and dealing with it, though; you have my heart <3

(Also please don't worry, scat will NEVER make an appearance on my blog. Other icky, nasty body fluids? Sure, but I have to draw the line somewhere and that's where I've chosen.)

As far as my writing process goes, I kind of go in spurts! This weekend I've been feeling weirdly productive and I had a lot of free time (a rare commodity), so I was able to sit down and pound out some of those profiles. I tend to get inspiration for a character and write like 60-75% of their profile in one sitting, then suddenly lose all motivation and want to stop to take like a snack break or do something else for a while. A lot of times when I'm that close to being done I just force myself to finish it, which sometimes has better results than others. (The Nobunaga nsfw profile, for example, was completed about 65% of the way done when I suddenly crashed on it, but I banged it out from start to finish in one sitting, so if there are lulls in the writing that's probably why.) If I leave something halfway done, there's all kinds of little notes and bullet points written down on the document with ideas I was working with, but sometimes I wait so long to return back to that specific work that I totally forget/don't understand what the bullet points are saying, which sucks.

For time, I would say it takes me somewhere around 3-4 hours to write each profile if I'm really focused, but the total time (including brainstorming) is probably averaged more around 5-6 hours. The nsfw ones have less content so they take less time, but the general ones are the ones I have to really think about and analyze, which often tends to require watching a few more episodes with that character in it just to get a good feel for them as I head into writing. (Unfortunately, haikyuu has become virtually impossible to find for free nowadays, so for all my haikyuu works I'm mostly just working off memory. I'm a little worried they aren't super accurate to the characters, but the show must go on.)

I don't really have a favorite thing I've written! Occasionally I'll look through my blog and see something I posted and go oh really? Was that me? Did I post that? I don't remember most of the details of things I post, so it's actually kind of a treat for me to go back and reread my work because it's like I'm reading a brand new fic. (Aside from all the grammar errors I suddenly find. Ugh.) I will say that all the Feitan stuff came much easier than I thought it would - I was kind of dreading writing for him because he's so popular among the fans and is kind of difficult for me to grasp, but once I started it just kind of kept coming. So if I had to choose, maybe his profiles!

Thank you for all the questions - self reflection is always a good thing! And thank you for sending in this ask - the little rush of serotonin I get whenever I see a notification that something new is in my inbox is crazy.

[project-wildcard]

My inspirations!

My biggest inspiration, by far, is Just Roll With It. It's a TTRPG podcast that is just so good at every aspect of story telling! Every single campaign they've done I've cried out of some kind of emotion that they make me feel. The characters are all incredible! Gillion Tidestrider is probably my favourite and everyone after that is just a close second and they're all tied with each other because they're all so amazing in their own ways.

Wildcard specifically was actually inspired most The Trickster from Prime Defenders. The story of exactly how that came to happen is a little silly and for another time. You'd think with the multiple forms and changing personality gimmick that I'd have been most inspired by Vyncent and yes there's a lot of similarities but I want to make the distinction here and now that every form Wildcard takes is still Charlie at heart. They do not become a completely different person, it just changes the way their emotions work. At their core it's still the same person.

Thank you Mutants and Masterminds for being the system I used to create Wildcard's character sheet back when I was in denial and thought I'd just play them as a character in a campaign despite having no friends available at the time to DM such a campaign. I also use those character sheets to get a good idea of building and balancing all the heroes and villains in the world (although there will be plenty of leniency based on what I think is cool and fits the story).

I've also, definitely taken a lot of inspiration from the Spiderverse films, which might come across more once the first part of the story is released. Those movies are perfection the characters are incredible the story they're telling is innovative and fresh while still falling into the feeling of a Spiderman story. I love Gwen I love Miles I love Pav I love Mayday I love Peter I love the Spot I love Miguel and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hobie! One of the characters in my story that I'm yet to speak about yet is very similar to Hobie and I'm so excited and I love the parallels and as I write them I'm definitely gonna be pulling so much from Spiderverse Hobie's personality. Spiderman in general (most versions of them) is my favourite superhero so there will probably be a lot in my head that I don't recognise I'm taking from Spider people stories but I'm just gonna make the sweeping statement now that there will likely be similarities. I will not, however, be going into multiverse or time travel stories, at least not in the main canon story, maybe I'll do a weird little "what if" after I finish telling my story where a "balanced" and fused Wildcard meets a "corrupted" and vibrant Wildcard.

Shout-out to Marvel in general, comics and movies, I've seen a lot of that stuff so again, it'll probably just leak in without me realising.

This helps me when I'm struggling to let myself write

Finally, a big thank you to all my friends who encourage/enable (in the bad way) me. I am on my shit and my shit is telling an intricate story that I am very passionate about with characters who I love and care for. Namely, all 3 of my friends on that one discord server where I first infodumped about Wildcard, Hazel, for helping me build the character sheet and helping me come up with names and also letting me info dump to you, and Mimi, for basically the same reasons as Hazel, as well as being the first person I made a superhero story for (we did an introductory session of DnD in a superhero setting. Her character will be making a cameo at some point most likely). Also everyone who's tried to help me learn how to draw because I'm not gonna lie, my only motivation there was drawing characters for this story.

[wanderingmoonmen]

hiiii my kennderland goddess so ive been catching on to ur series of kennderland sooo much im so hooked to it ITS SO GOOD GODLY DELICIOUS KAWAII DELIGHTFUL GOODNESS i love it so much and like its the reason why im into crackship SO like im not rushing u or anything im just worried if theres anything wrong around u cuz u havent updated since july and i kinda worried ..... if u answer this THANKS SO MUCH for answering and i hope ure always doing well in everything !!!!1!1

Oughhh this is such a sweet ask 😭😭😭 There hasn't been anything "wrong" necessarily - I've been struggling to get through this part of the planned story as I am... way more comfortable writing angst/hurt/comfort/more plot nonsense rather than fluff. I love drawing fluffy stuff! Struggle to write 😅

Between that and just general ~adult life~ fun times (job has been stupid, but now I've committed to finding a new one so that's given a lot of relief, after a couple other med changes for the Mental Illness I'm finally finally feeling better) I haven't been able to progress

However! I do have.......... a lot of other stuff written (both for james/Leon and me falling down the rabbit hole of wesker/Birkin and intertwining everyone between SH and RE) that hopefully once I get through this slump I'll have a little bit of backlog (tbh getting this ask has kinda motivated me to wanting to try and work on this :) )

I also literally have an entire sketchbook full of drawings and have been drawing Entire Group Nonsense that I can hopefully post? I won't promise because it's annoying to scan stuff lol so maybe I'll take some pictures if that's something you'd want to see too (I do have some stuff on here already that went to the drawings on ao3)

It also has passed the one year of drowning into this nonsense where I accidentally drug myself and @fly-rye into this. Seeing these awful unpracticed drawings is so funny and scary 🤣 with me drawing Leon with SUPER emo hair

I'll also in lude some doodles for the last chapters uploaded for PE

Also James' big beautiful body in unrelated stupid shirts

(I've done this on mobile so hopefully the formatting isn't horrendous 😅)

[arcadekitten]

How do you stay as motivated as you usually are? I... I'll be honest and I'm sorry for sounding so personal, but I've been going through some rough times, I can't even pick up a pencil to draw, and I've been feeling so unenergetic... Which sucks, I want to become as great as you, as I really do!!

I'm crazy /hj

I'm just very passionate about my characters and work!! It's no exaggeration when I say I am thinking about them every second of every day. I mean it with my whole chest, I am always thinking about them. They make me happy and so I'm always happy when I get to do stuff with them!!

HOWEVER!! That doesn't mean I'm immune to burnout either! I don't know you or what you're going through--maybe it's burnout, maybe it's a depressive episode, maybe it's something else entirely! etc--but when I'm feeling in a rut (which I actually have been this week, I'd say!), there's some things I like to try and do to make myself feel better. I don't know if they'll work for you, but it's worth a shot!

-Take dedicated breaks. Not just like, a 15 minute break. Like a whole day or 2 or even longer break. Of course if you have responsibilities like school and/or work you might not be able to take a break from those, but take a break from your creative endeavors for a bit. Play a videogame, watch a tv show or movie or video you want to/like, go outside if you're able to even if just to sit in the sun or listen to music! (Though it's winter in the nothern hemisphere, so maybe just dance around to music in your kitchen or something haha!) I often find that once I've been able to actually let myself have fun in other ways, I then want to come back to doing all my creative stuff and I feel more energetic about it!

-Be creative in other ways! Try to branch outside your normal mediums. If you draw a lot digitally, make something traditionally! If you usually illustrate, try playing with something like clay or strings or building blocks! Cut apart magazines and try to make collages! Of course, this isn't always accessible to everyone, especially if you need to spend money to buy some of this stuff. But even if it's as simple as filling a notebook page with doodles, it's still worth doing! The MOST important part of this though is to do it for yourself--do not worry about how the end result will come out, do not worry about sharing it to other people. You can later on if you want to, but you need to go into it knowing that your goal is to HAVE FUN! not to make a successful or consumable product.

-Draw what you want to draw. It's not secret that my most popular games are games like INMIMB and Crowscare. I could probably be attracting a lot more attention on that stuff if I drew those characters more. But Mary and Reggie are my favorite subjects to draw, so that's what I draw! And when I do that, it makes art feel like not-a-chore, but something to be enjoyed! When making my games, I have to make a lot of art for them too! Sometimes I can choose between getting a new cutscene image done, or drawing an idea I just really want to draw. And sometimes choosing the latter is rewarding because I had fun drawing it and then I can come back to the cutscene image satisfied! Draw the things you like and it will help remind you why art is so fun! Hope this isn't too long of a read! Keep your head up, champ! Just because you're not where you wanna be now doesn't mean you'll never get there! I believe in you, but most importantly believe in yourself!

[fainthedcherry]

7.3.24 there was a deadline for a DTIYS my IRL friend, kobra_the_artist , hosted back around February!! I had like...3 days to finish the sketch I started back in February. It's...A pain being late to EVERYTHING with a deadline, but at least deadlines help me push finish a drawing, I otherwise would let rot in my WIP folder for almost a year (hell, some sketches are like 3 years old that are rotting in there now, that I'm self-aware about, yet still keep forgetting. ._." )

I don'ttt have too much to say on this one? Since it was a DTIYS, I recommend checking out the insta post simply, I'm not about to take my friend's artwork and cross-post it to somewhere else, I feel, that'd be scummy to do. :T SO LINK TO THE OG CONTEST POST! HUZZAH! plusssss, I think I yapped enough on my own insta post. :v

I just rlly wanted to draw Kobra, as I love her sona's design. I adore demon-anything, can u blame me LMAO. I need excuses to draw ppl's OCs willingly and gladly more. It's so hard to motivate myself to draw something at all for people anymore AUUUUGH

Somehow I won 1st place??? Don't ask em HOW, as I found other people's entries much better than mine ngl, butttt I'll never understand, that my art is actually enjoyed by some people anyway, ngl. Even years later, I still sometimes feel, like I don't deserve to call myself an artist LMFAO

I also added a little funne below, we both wanted to draw for fun, once we were in a call just rambling and stuff. On the right, has been drawn by Kobra!! (You can open the green, first link above, to her insta itself! She doesn't have Tumblr. No one in my friend group does, but I love Tumblr tbh. :"))

You should try ceramic pans. They are the best flavour. /lh

ANOTHER POST THERE IS! WHERE ART IS! I might post character concept-refs next. I'm running out of "good-looking things" to post, that won't make me look like a total amateur from the 2010s DA era. I've only uploaded these in my scraps on DA back then, so maybe you'll get weekly posts, as I draw concept refs basically weekly, to keep my chara-base up to date for comms and art exchange!

I wanna do a DTIYS myself some day!! But maybe in 4 years, where I dream of having paid off all my art-debt finally I've been working so hard to pay off on lately...

[chayscribbles]

chayscribbles’ monthly writing update ☆ february 2023

☆ STATISTICS.

words written: 11 606

projects worked on: Andromeda Rogue; The Gemini Heist; and a Third, Secret WIP

proudest accomplishment: i'm about halfway through with AR1 draft 2! and i finished like, a bunch of drawings

books read: Architects of Memory by Karen Osborne; All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells;

☆ GENERAL COMMENTS.

why do i feel like i wrote a lot less than i actually did. like i looked at my total and thought "now that can't be right... there's no way i wrote that much."

things are going better for some wips (AR) than they are for others (GH) so maybe my head is cancelling it out lol.

reading comments: Architects of Memory was basically "a corporate war over alien weapons featuring messy sapphics in space" and i liked it but it wasn't quite a coup de coeur, 4/5 stars. All Systems Red was an absolute delight, 5/5 stars, will be reading the rest of the series once my holds on Libby come through.

(also i started reading Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo this past weekend, and i blame it + it's precursor Ninth House for putting me in the mood to work on Third Secret WIP lately, as Ninth House is partially responsible for the genre shift in Third Secret WIP.)

more specific wip-related comments + featured excerpt below.

☆ COMMENTS: ANDROMEDA ROGUE (draft 2)

i'm about halfway through this draft! i've passed 40k this month!

things are going super well. when i have the magical combo of time and energy and motivation to write i can get through scenes pretty easily, now that i don't have to worry about overall plot as much. plus i get to add little things here and there to beef it up.

i've mostly worked on the second act this month, which is where the team really starts going through things together.

there's one particular Azami chapter right before the midpoint that's a monster of lore-dropping. i had to rework it several times as i had an entire page of editing notes to make sure everything is coherent... and i'm still not entirely sure i've gotten it right 😭

☆ COMMENTS: THE GEMINI HEIST (outlining / draft 0.5)

not much to say about this one. didn't work on it as much. the plot for this wip continues to frustrate me. i'll find myself coming up with little ideas for the characters and the world... but when i try to sit down and come up with actual scenes and plot, my brain turns to soup.

☆ COMMENTS: THIRD, SECRET WIP

this wip is consuming me. devouring me with its teeth. i'm surprised to find i may actually have a plot. turns out letting it hibernate for 3 years and tweaking with the genre has done some good.

i might cave and post an intro in the next month. stay tuned...

☆ FEATURED EXCERPT.

this is from the like, one scene i wrote for gemini heist this month. i just think it's funny. for context, Leo and Gabi are trying to get access to some archives in a university library, and are posing as students.

As [Leo and the archivist] talked, Gabi slipped her hand into the pocket of her ridiculous jacket. Her fingers closed around a small round device. She glanced around. While Leo was doing a great job at keeping the archivist distracted, the commotion had caught the attention of nearly everyone in the room.

Just be normal, she told herself. She inched her hand out of her pocket.

“Which archives exactly do you need access to?” [the archivist] asked.

“Art of the early Viheldan Empiric era,” Leo said. “My paper is on the Gemini statuettes.”

“Ah, that might be why. You need a special authorization form from a professor or another faculty member to access those.”

Leo pouted. “But my professor said he got access for me!”

“Perhaps you can message him—”

“Ugh— can’t you just call him right now and ask? I don’t have time for this.”

“Alright. I’ll give him a call.”

Shit. Gabi wasn’t ready. She fumbled to take out the device, concealing it as best as she could in the palm of her hand. All she needed was to place it on the archivist’s computer terminal without him seeing a thing before he made that call.

The archivist’s fingers hovered over the screen for a second before pressing an icon at the bottom. With a starburst motion of his hand, he expanded a search window and began typing in the name of the professor. Panicking, Gabi slammed the device in her hand onto the side of the terminal.

The already quiet room went completely silent. All eyes turned towards her. The archivist’s were wide and stunned. Leo’s were sharp and furious.

“I, uh,” Gabi sputtered, awkwardly keeping her hand glued to the terminal. The device whirred to life, vibrating softly under her palm. “I-I thought I saw a bug.”

☆ TAGLISTS. let me know if you want to be added/removed to any of them.

general taglist:

@nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @quilloftheclouds @ashen-crest @writeblrfantasy @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @extra-magichours @avi-why @lefttigerobservation @chazzawrites @bardolatrycore @innocentlymacabre

andromeda trilogy taglist:

@bebewrites @nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @akindofmagictoo @quilloftheclouds @nora-theteawriter @ashen-crest @corpsepng @writeblrfantasy @toboldlywrite @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @cheerfulmelancholies @extra-magichours @writeouswriter @cilly-the-writer @lefttigerobservation @rose-bookblood @drowsy-quill @chazzawrites @cynic-and-chief @enchanted-lightning-aes @aesa

gemini heist taglist:

@florraisons @akindofmagictoo @cream-and-tea @nicola-writes @memento-morri-writes @antique-symbolism @rose-bookblood @afoolandathief @pepperdee @avi-why @zonnemaagd @chazzawrites @analogued @enchanted-lightning-aes @innocentlymacabre @kahvilahuhut @celestepens @cilly-the-writer @extra-magichours @retrogayyde

[fragilelovelythings]

A writer's ramble (2)

I'm so happy. Like, I decided to do better, to create better, to paint better, and to write better. Maybe is this hope we all can carry when entering a new year, embracing all the promises we can make to ourselves and jumping forward to make our dreams come true.

Reflecting on what I want for myself, once again: a new beginning, I made peace with these facts:

It's not about perfection but discipline.

To be constant, to go back to the draft, to write more, to just do it.

To have fun, A LOT of fun while doing it forgetting that it's just for myself and any other random person who stumbles upon and likes it (or doesn't, both are equally alright and also the same).

To begin the day by writing as soon as I wake up, to deep dive into anything that I can conjure.

To understand that ideas flow and sometimes they just manifest through my own daily life: I thought about doing my laundry and this evolved to what if x character also has to do his laundry, what kind of thoughts would he have while doing it?

To aim high but also little: you can be inspired by your favorite's authors routines but, can I push, or wait, should I push myself to write 6 pages non-stop every morning? Or have a night routine where I write until 2-3 am in the morning? What if I play with my writing, testing myself, and understand/accept I have to create at my own rhythm?

If I can't write daily, at least I'll do it twice a week, alternating the creative process with other creative/artistic pursuits. So, when I'm not writing maybe I'm going to be oil painting. Or drawing. Or when I'm not painting or sketching, I'm going to be writing. Finding my balance it's key. Finding your balance it's key. And! some days I'd also be doing nothing and that is also okay.

To focus again on how enjoyable it can be to create a story, to narrate in my own style, to write better, to create more without emulating others, to find my own voice and feel comfortable with it. The same goes for painting.

To really accept that skills are part gifts and part hard work. To see them as tools, heavenly tools to express and heal. To see writing in any kind as also a therapeutic outlet: as the characters face adversity and happiness, I also do too.

To be patient with myself and never forget that I am writing in a language that's not my native tongue, and the task is even more challenging than it'd be writing in Spanish. And it's okay.

As I am posting my work on AO3, to learning to let go of the rush of receiving comments and kudos. Yes, they're wonderful devices to motivate us, writers, but also are another kind of drug, the high that scrolling can give you is equal to the pain you can get when wondering what you're doing wrong for not receiving more comments, kudos, and hits. Just let them go.

[puhpandas]

YOOOOOOO I LOVE YOUR ART DJDLM BE LDLDKALCZKSFCJWL

Ahem, sorry. Do you have any tips for drawing for us unfortunately unskilled folks?

LOL thank you so much!!!

and really my only advice is to not get caught up in artstyle crisis and stuff like that. just by drawing you're making art that's yours and no matter how much you want that other person's artstyle you shouldn't try to recreate it. adopting parts of peoples art you like is natural and literally recommended so that's fine. I do it too. but like especially when you're unsure of your art youll look at art you love and wish it was how yours looked and try to copy it. that never ends well and you might as well not do it in the first place

having inspiration is such a huge deal for motivation. not only so you can pump drawings out quicker or something but it just helps you draw and WANT to. you'll have more fun if you have a little collection of drawings you like that just make you feel ready to tackle another drawing

colors can do so much for art. studying other peoples colors or learning RGB (red green blue) can help you out. something I've noticed is that art can look better if you have two main colors and all the other colors compliment one of the hues somehow

this is how I learned but maybe try studying other peoples art. doing that has helped me improve so much as an artist (and also in every other art medium I've tried) and it really can make your progress skyrocket. it might just be the way I learn though so take this with a grain of salt

practice really does matter. just doing a few studies of anatomy or hands or whatever can really really help you out. trying new poses you haven't done before or just polishing the poses you do know can help you get a better understanding of drawing bodies

try to be looser with drawing. this will come when you become more comfortable and have more muscle memory with art but drawing looser can make your art look like it has more movement. messy can sometimes be better

finding your dream brush if you're drawing digitally can really change things immensely. seriously. finding a brush you enjoy using can make or break a drawing session and i mean it. like I use trying a new brush as a way to fix things if I'm drawing and having trouble and it always works. just mess around and find one you like and it can help you a ton

just keep trying and dont give up. I know its corny but this is some real advice I'm about to say. there isnt really a day where art will just click for you and make sense but someday you'll get to a point where you're happy and content with where you are and truly it's only up from there. when you're an artist a lot of artists will mention a 'zone' they enter when they draw/write/etc. this zone is a result of everything you've learned and all the experience you have coming together subconsciously at once while you draw. when you arent in that zone everything will seem more intimidating. but what I mean is that zone will only exist if you keep trying and practicing and experimenting.

final piece of advice is dont stress. if you enjoy art no matter what it looks like it's more important that you're having fun. have fun WHILE you improve. dont be miserable and only think "oh once I get good I'll be having fun". there truly is great experience from when you're in the learning stage and it's great to love it as it's happening and love it when you improve later too

and for the internet posting artists: dont let likes or comments or whatever determine how valuable you see your art as. even if you dont get the attention or love you want keep in mind theres ALWAYS someone out there who will appreciate it. and I'm not just saying that either

[flabebabe]

Hello, I’ve been in your situation of avoiding art and feeling that everyone can just overcome it and freely draw without artblock or whatever. I’ve been avoiding my studio room where I keep my computer setup. Not going there = not drawing, right? And like you I’ve been avoiding it by doing other thing (that I actually enjoyed and were useful but still knowing I was doing them in the first place to avoid drawing). Going to sleep late so no energy to draw. I was always pretty positive about mine and everybody uniqueness in regards to art style, but slowly I was becoming more and more envious of my art friends and beating myself up. "Why is their art so good? They don’t even practice that hard" "My art is so mediocre, what’s even the point to keep drawing?" Needless to say….im still working on getting better. Of course this change didn’t happen in a day, it was a slow process also determined by external factors (that I was unable to control) to get back to the beginning: I’ve slowly geo back into drawing. Nothing fancy, but once a month I attend a life drawing class, we aren’t that many students but the age range is wild (one 72 yrs old lady always bring some food) and reminded me that drawing really has no age but more importantly does not have an expiration date. Maybe now you can’t even pick up a pencil but it won’t be forever. You feeling bad for not drawing shows you actually want to draw (still, not a good feeling I know ✋🏻) and how much you care for art. Talking maybe with peers might help. Also doodling mindlessly is a very stress free activity (like the doodle you make during a phone call) and you might get motivated to draw (sorry for my English)

Hello kind Anon. It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one with this problem. I kinda knew that but it doesn't really sink in until someone comes forward and tells me it happens to them. It's hard to accept that getting to where I want to be with my art won't happen overnight. But knowing that it will happen little by little is reassuring. I hope your journey towards being the artist you want to be is kind to you. And your life drawing sessions sound fun! I would like to go back to live life drawing classes. I'll try. Thank you!!!

[nogenderbee]

hmm I have a guess on who I'm going to get, let's see if it's right! I know I'm not gonna get a certain person that I want but it's fine aha

I like guy and girls btw

⊱ What nickname would you call your lover?:

Definitely darling! I love saying it and I love receiving it.

⊱ What are your hobbies?

Mostly drawing and pjsk, I read sometimes OH AND I FORGOT THAT I DRUM FOR A BAND TOO!

⊱ What's your perfect date idea?:

I don't really know, maybe just cuddling at home all day and watching a show together. Not really a date idea but I enjoy just sitting in a room with someone and talking while we do our own seperate things. Like reading next to someone or drawing next to them while they do their thing.

⊱ What's something you hate in others? (like a personality trait or behavior for example):

When people are mean or rude out of nowhere, kills the vibe for no good reason

⊱ What are yours main 3-5 (or more if you want!) personality traits?:

I'm pretty reliable and generally knowledgeable in things? I guess? Uhh and I like patterns and numbers and schedules bc they make me feel secure and accomplished, but it does make me rigid in my drumming so I've had to work on that. Even tho I'm a little weirder than the average person I'm actually pretty sociable and a lot more talkative with others than my friend haha

⊱ What activity/hobby do you like?:

Drawing but I quite a bit of art insecurity (ena monent). Going on a walk with someone is fun too, whether it's down the street or through a forest. Every once in a blue moon I'll write something self-indulgent too and I am pretty good at writing if I do say so myself but my motivation and consistency levels are UNDERGROUND. IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL.

⊱ What's activity/hobby you don't like?:

Most sports like football and basketball, even tho badminton is fun ngl

I'm excited to hear your response!

Aoooh we will see if I'll be able to match you with your guess then! So let's see!

I pair you with...

🥁🥁🥁

Rui Kamishiro!

⊱ okey so first is nickname, you call him "darling" and so does her calls you like that! And both of you of course live it! But if you ever get bored of it, know he has a bit more of pet names up his sleeve~

⊱ so first, you definitely have drawing in common but you're also definitely better than him at it. As for you drumming in a band, he's extremely impressed and also supportive! Also your biggest fan~

⊱ honestly he enjoys both cuddling and just spending quality time with each other while also finishing your own things. I'm just sure dates when you draw or do anything and he creates inventions or plan new shows are frequent!

⊱ as for your scheduling, he must admit that he likes scheduling himself but if you can actually keep up with you then he'll be impressed ad he often just spends too much time on one thing... But he's also impressed by you bring knowledgeable and reliable! There's sometimes just no end to his compliments really~

⊱ and finally, he absolutely enjoys walks so if you won't mind, he'd love to share them with you too! It's probably often when the two of you just walk around streets, forests or so, be it morning, evening, middle of day or night

You and Rui had your classic date when you were just doing your own things. He was working on his new invention and you were focused on drawing. He still had a lot of things to do before he could say his invention is finished but he decided to take a little break as he was curious how you're doing.

"Hey darling, may I have a peek~?"

"I guess so!"

"Thank you~"

He got a but closer, putting one hand on top of your while looking through your shoulder. If you're looking for his reaction, you can only see amazement in his eyes.

"Oh my~ You're amazing! I'm can't deny it, I'm extremely proud to have you and my partner~"

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉